Category: Odds ‘n Sods

A reminder that production will end on August 1st for the SurvivalBlog 5-Year Archive CD-ROM, so order soon. The good news is that it has been reduced to just $14.95.    o o o Reader Rod M. mentioned a web site devoted to helping doctors in rural areas who need to treat patients with wound care.  They are making their PDF books available free of charge: Basic Wound Care and Practical Plastic Surgery.    o o o G.S. in the State of Jefferson suggested the perfect vehicle for combating MZBs: The South African Marauder Mine Protective Vehicle. Ten tons for fun! …

Alan W. recommended the 2008 Emergency Guide for First Responders.      o o o Pierre M. sent this: ‘Car sleepers’ the new US homeless    o o o Tam over at View From The Porch had this commentary: You’re in the Army now… only maybe not…    o o o G.G. suggested: 10 Reasons I’m Canceling My Credit Cards    o o o I heard that Best Prices Storable Foods will be raising the price of their Red Feather canned butter once they’ve received their next shipment. But for now, they are still selling it at the current price …

Mark H. sent this from Michigan: Julie Bass of Oak Park Faces Misdemeanor Charge for Vegetable Garden    o o o Six Months After Tucson Shooting, White House Readies Gun Control Stance. Any new “controls” would erode our Second Amendment right, so please be vigilant and ready to deluge your Congresscritters with calls, letters, e-mails,a nd FAXes. Most likely, they’ll go after the mythical “Gun Show Loophole”, even though Mr. Looney Loughner bought his gun at gun shop, with all the requisite Federal paperwork.    o o o US and Russia stir up political tensions over Arctic. (Thanks to K.A.F. …

The Spin Begins! Peter P. sent two more articles about the ATF’s Gunwalker scandal: Justice Department Obstructing ‘Fast and Furious’ Gun Probe, ATF Director Says, and Democrats to spin Fast & Furious probe into gun-control rally. Included in the comments was a link to another interesting piece: Pravda on the Potomac: Washington Post Again Covers for Government on Gunwalker    o o o The moral decline of the Mickey Mouse State continues: Legislature Passes Mandatory Homosexual History Bill.    o o o Art forwarded this: Sneaky Water Reservoir in Swiss Urban Park is Disguised by Green Grass    o o …

A few folks have written to ask me if I was “the anonymous expert” in the recent National Geographic “Doomsday Preppers” documentary. I was approached by the producers when they were planning the project last year, to be a “subject matter expert”. I didn’t have a good feeling about the project, so I passed. I’m now glad that I did. Their anti-prepper bias was apparent. Through some careful editing and voice-overs, the producers made the subjects of the documentary appear to be mentally imbalanced. For the record: I was not their anonymous expert!    o o o F.G. sent this: …

Matt R. sent something of interest to M1 Garand owners: Olongapo Outfitters has introduced new Garand Cartridge Belts to their line of products.  Though based on the original M1923 Cartridge Belts, they are not reproductions like those used by historical reenactors.  Rather, they are made from modern heavy duty material and are available in O.D. Green, Coyote Brown, and Khaki with either heavy duty snaps or Velcro for closures.  Matt says: “I have bought other gear from them and their products are first rate.  The owner is a former Marine and is a pleasure to deal with.”    o o o Michael …

Derek C. suggested an encrypted phone service that makes voice over IP (VoIP) calls.  This is a free Android application called Redphone, and when both phones have registered, “secure” calls can supposedly be placed between the phones. Note that if you have Google Voice installed, you need to log out before you can either register or receive Redphone calls;  however, once registered, you can place Redphone calls while still logged into Google Voice.  Derek notes: “I installed this on my wife’s phone and my phone, so we theoretically have an emergency ‘secure channel’ for communications.   If I want to initiate …

“Dost thou value life? Then do not squander time, for time is the stuff life is made of.” – Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanack

The Lumberman sent this: India’s rural poor give up on power grid, go solar.    o o o Freeze Dry Guy (one of our advertisers) has announced a special: 15% back in Survival Bucks on all orders for their “Bugout Buckets”. This offer is only good for the month of July, so order soon.    o o o Army’s Last Draftee to Retire After 39 Years    o o o And speaking of longevity in service: 76-year-old Army medic on fourth tour in war zones    o o o Reader Walt M. mentioned that Matt Bracken has a great new …

Jeff B. sent this: The Four Most Likely Ways You Can Die if the SHTF    o o o Bob J. found this: The Post-Apocalyptic Clownscape that Was Six Flags New Orleans    o o o Don’t forget that the deadline for the Ready Made Resources Preparedness Video Contest is July 26th. Instructional (nonfiction) videos on any topic related to family preparedness are sought. The prizes are a brand new Rock Rivers Arms (RRA) Elite Comp M4 (AR-15 series compatible ) complete Barreled Upper Receiver and a Trijicon Reflex sight with a combined retail value of more than $1,400. Please …

A possible chain reaction of dam failures? The looming Missouri dam flood. (Thanks to John R. for the link.)    o o o F.J. spotted this over at Cool Tools: Transfer Punches. These are available through Amazon.com. As with our other Amazon links, SurvivalBlog earns a small commission each time that you place an order. (That applies to all Amazon purchases, but only if you follow one of our links. Thanks!)    o o o Robert R. liked the recent National Geographic documentary “Doomsday Preppers.” A portion of it is available online.    o o o Until the end of …

P.C. insanity – Florida cop in trouble for warning others about dangerous parts of town. (Thanks to F.G. for the link.)    o o o Reader G.P. sent this news article from England: Government Forces Family Living Off-Grid, Growing Own Food On Own Land to Return to Society’s Rat Race or Face Penalty    o o o F.J. mentioned an interesting compact combined solar and wind power system, primarily for shipboard applications: Solar Stik.    o o o. Illinois Lone Holdout On Concealed Carry.    o o o Raytheon’s CIRT makes punching through concrete walls easy. (They tell us that …

The Day the Law Left Town: Texas City Sends Police Packing to Cut Costs; Sheriff Plays Catch as Catch Can. (Thanks to G.G. for the link.)    o o o I heard about a small company that makes inexpensive target retrieval systems, for shooting ranges: Rogue Six. If you know anyone that operates a small public or police range, please forward the link.    o o o Directive 21 (one of our advertisers) has anounced a special that runs from July 1st to July 15th: For every purchase of a Berkey Water Purification System on their site, you will receive …

Several readers mentioned this: President Obama’s Executive Order 13575: Rural Council.    o o o Veteran SurvivalBlog contributor K.T. wrote to mention that someone recently scanned and posted Jeff Cooper’s article on Defensive Architecture from the first year of P.S. Newsletter. Note that, to the best of my knowledge, this was posted in violation of copyright. I believe that the copyright shifted from Mel Tappan to his widow Nancy Tappan, then to Karl Hess (who subsequently renamed the newsletter Survival Tomorrow), and then presumably to Karl’s heirs and assigns when he passed away. BTW, I wish that someone would republish …

I just read that Hazel Dickens passed away earlier this year. She was a great bluegrass singer who will be greatly missed. She’s singing in heaven now. Hearing about her passing reminded me of where I first heard her: KFAT in Gilroy, California. When I was in college, I avidly listed to KFAT, mainly for the bluegrass and gospel-bluegrass music. Their western swing and rockabilly music was also fun, though a good portion of that was not very edifying. (They played plenty of rowdy-honkeytonk-doper songs.) But to their credit, KFAT’s play list was truly eclectic, including: Emmylou Harris (the station’s …