Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Lydia sent a link to this piece: Meet the New York hillbillies More city folk than ever are turning their homes into farms. But is living off the land as virtuous as it sounds? The condescending tone was troubling, but that is what we expect from big New York City newspapers.    o o o Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) spotted this press release: Bourque Industries, Inc. Announces Successful Live-Fire Demonstration of New Kryron Ballistics Helmet. (That is superior to the currently-issued Kevlar helmets.)    o o o F.G. sent this: Lawmakers renew push for “rogue websites” bill. …

Families get new feathered friends, and future of better eggs, at chicken swap. (Thanks to Greg C. for the link.)    o o o Regarding OPSEC, reader Mike C. reminds us that some of those “handy tools” can be used against us: YouGetSignal.com.    o o o K.A.F. flagged this op-ed piece: Sunday Reflection: From ‘just-in-time’ to ‘just-in-case?’    o o o North Carolina bill threatens to criminalize naturopaths, homeopaths, herbalists, midwives, aromatherapists as felons. (A tip of the hat to Marilyn R. for the link.)    o o o Bret F. flagged this: Idaho Radio Shack owner adds gun …

With calving season rapidly approaching, I’ve had two readers that are first-time cow owners ask me about sources for home dairying supplies and books. Lots of mailorder companies sell Bag-Balm, but not many sell butter churns! I recommend the Homestead Store. (One of our advertisers.) For books, I recommend The Family Cow by Dirk van Loon, and Raising a Calf for Beef by Phyllis Hobson. OBTW, there is also quite a bit of good cattle raising information in Carla Emery’s The Encyclopedia of Country Living.    o o o Pete A. sent this from a Colorado newspaper: Prepping for disaster: …

Alan W. sent this item: Why North Dakota May Be the Best State in the Country to Live In    o o o J.H. mentioned an article with details on the latest malware threat: ‘LizaMoon’ Mass SQL Injection Attack Escalates Out of Control    o o o One doctor’s view: The Experts Are Dead Wrong on Potassium Iodide for Radiation    o o o Book review: Apocalypse soon? (A review of “How the End Begins: The Road to a Nuclear World War III“)

Pastor Chuck Baldwin posted his reaction to my “American Redoubt” proposal.    o o o Some humor posted over at Survival Mom: You Might Be a Survivalist If…    o o o Tamara over at the View From The Porch blog had a link to this important Glock safety tip: The importance of a good holster. That is one of the reasons that I’m a big believer in stiff Kydex holsters!    o o o U.S. admits that Mexican cartels get military weaponry from Central America

Clever! W.S. sent a link to a video of a gent that built a solar cooker. W.S. describes it: “He put some chrome decal material on a satellite dish on which he had fabbed a little arm at the focal point of the light reflection, to hold a pot. Interesting idea for a last resort redundancy in the event that your first choice for a cooking method is unavailable.”    o o o Conservatives Now Outnumber Liberals in Deep-Blue States. (Thanks to Marilyn R. for the link.)    o o o Reader Jared B. sent a link with some more …

Deep Shallow Schumer Schemes: Schumer coordinates Democrat budget attack on GOP    o o o Nanny State Europa: EU to Ban Gas-Powered Cars in Cities by 2050. (Thanks to F.G. for the link.)    o o o Steve S. sent a link to this fun video: John Moses Browning Model 1911 — 100th Anniversary    o o o Yet another reason to relocate to the boonies, from this blog post: Farmstand Canceled Due to… the City of Oakland. A $2,500 conditional use permit, just to grow a big garden?    o o o Sam K. found a fascinating pair of …

Until midnight on March 31st, Lulu.com is offering a 20% off sale, for any product. That includes the 2005-2010 SurvivalBlog Archive CD-ROM! So if you’ve been delaying, here is your chance to save a couple of bucks. Order now! To get the 20% discount, enter coupon code “SPLISH305“, during checkout.    o o o M.E.W. suggested this from the left-of-center Mother Jones magazine: Survivalist GOP Rep.: You Should Probably Avoid Cities. (Republican congressman Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland shows off his preps.)    o o o Pierre M. sent this: The Bronx Zoo’s Statement About the Missing Cobra, with Sentences Reordered …

Free city lots offered for modern-day homesteaders in the Midwest.    o o o K.A.F. flagged this: Nine Best Canned Foods. For what its worth, JWR‘s favorite, canned salmon, tops their list.    o o o Wow! I just noticed that the 1950s novel “Atlas Shrugged” just jumped to #130 in Amazon’s sales rankings. No doubt renewed interest (above and beyond its perennial following), is due to the upcoming release of the feature motion picture. (Appropriately, the release date is April 15th.)    o o o Shortages of scarce natural resources coming, warn chemists. (Thanks to C.D.V. for the link.)

Steve S. liked this piece by Patrice Lewis: Tangible investments … that lick your hand    o o o F.G. sent this: The emergency internet bunkers. “Nik Rawlinson investigates the impregnable underground bunkers that will keep the net running during wartime…”    o o o Dave B. write to mention that Texas is one step closer to legal open carry.    o o o Chad S. pointed me to a great site written from a Christian perspective: StockingUp.net

I was disappointed to hear that Matt Savinar shut down his Life After the Oil Crash (LATOC) web site after apparently deciding that astrology was more important to him. Somehow, this reminds me of Boston T. Party recounting (in his much-recommended book Boston’s Gun Bible) about how he once bought a nearly new AR-15 at a gun show. When he asked the seller his motivation, the man replied that he needed the cash to buy a Jet-Ski. Reader Nancy T. reports that many of the people who were involved with the LATOC Forums have moved to the Silent Country Forums. …

No Great Surprise Department: Tokyo Shops Ration Goods as Workers Injured at Nuke Plant    o o o More statist elitism: California: Concealed Carry For Politicians, But Not For The People. Methinks the denizens of the Sacramento Capitol Building have forgotten who it is that they represent.    o o o Ten minutes of exciting footage: Exclusive: France 24 Reporters from the front line in Libya. What they lack in skill, they partly make up for, with enthusiasm. This is the quintessence of “a steep learning curve.” (Thanks to Christian L. for the link.)    o o o My #2 …

Sprouts: An ideal emergency preparedness food. (Thanks to G.P. for the link.)    o o o More about the politically-motivated attacks on Dr. Arthur Robinson’s family: “Lysenkoism” at OSU?    o o o Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) recommended this piece: Bad*ss of the Week: Hideaki Akaiwa. (Warning: This article includes some foul language)    o o o Jonathan sent a link to this map: 10-Mile and 50-Mile Nuclear Evacuation Zones. (Compare that map with the data in my Recommended Retreat Areas static page, and the maps in my book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation”.)    o o …

K.A.F. was the first of several readers send this: Armed Beauty Queen Fatally Shoots Intruder in Florida Home Invasion. Don’t miss the bad OPSEC mentioned near the end of the article.    o o o Libya: UN air strikes aid rebels. JWR Notes: I still have a lot of “cui bono?” questions about this military adventure. Why are the French so heavily involved? What reconstructions deals were made, in order to create the coalition? Why was Germany so incensed that they withdrew their troops from NATO? Is Gaddafi’s gold reserve an issue? How about the Libyan Dinar? (Were there plans …

The mainstream media finally catches on: Special Report: Disasters show flaws in just-in-time production    o o o More civilian disarmament bills before the Illinois legislature. Among other things, a ban on 11+ round magazines, a ban on .50 caliber or larger rifles, and a loosely-worded ban on most semi-automatic rifles and shotguns!    o o o Rick H. mentioned this: Ramen Hacks: 30+ Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Instant Noodles