Category: Odds ‘n Sods

“Word” mentioned some Kalashnikov training videos by a former Spetsnaz soldier who knows his stuff: Saulius “Sonny” Puzikas. I should mention that I take exception to his advocacy of taping magazines together, end-to-end. When you drop to a prone firing position (as you often must, if you value your skin) then there is a huge risk of either fouling the downward-facing magazine with mud, or bending its feed lips. Bad idea!    o o o Fred the Valmetmeister flagged this interesting article: Feds: Mobster fugitive captured in rural Idaho.    o o o Mark. G. in Michigan sent us an …

Some commentary from novelist Stephen Hunter: Why 33 rounds makes sense in a defensive weapon.    o o o Nicholas S. sent this news item from The Washington Post: In Pepco territory, blackouts mean more home generators, more noise complaints      o o o Ol’ Remus (one of the web’s most entertaining bloggers) recently had a link to Kellene Bishop’s article: Forever Foods and More.    o o o O’l Remus also mentioned: “The reservoir of bees is dwindling to the point where ratios are dangerously out of kilter, with the US reaching the “most extreme” imbalance. Pollinated crop …

R.F.J. mentioned this over at the Makezine web site: How-To: Ultralight camp pot from Heineken “keg” can    o o o I heard from Ulysses Press that my novel “Patriots” is about to surpass 100,000 copies sold. (This is not counting the 30,000+ copies sold of the older Huntington House Publishers edition.) It is now in its seventh printing, and still ranked around #600 of the more than three million titles sold on Amazon.com. (That ranking is unsusual for a novel that has been out for more than two years.) Meanwhile, my nonfiction book “How to Survive the End of …

The new SurvivalUK.net blog site is growing rapidly. I recommend that preppers in the UK bookmark it and check it often. I’ve just added the site to the SurvivalBlog Links Page.    o o o In his new Vlog, Tom of CampingSurvival.com shows the new packaging for commercial MREs.    o o o There are some great new posts over at Granny Miller’s Blog. Her ewes are lambing early this year!    o o o Freeze Dry Guy has announced a special for February: Dehydrated Whole Eggs with a 25 year shelf life, packed six #10 cans per case. Yield: …

Reader J.B.G. sent this: 18 Cities Whose Suburbs Are Rapidly Turning Into Slums    o o o Frequent content contributor C.D.V. sent this: We Are Witnessing the Collapse of the Middle East. “If Egypt should fall, it will mark the beginning of the end for what little remaining stability there is in the Middle East.” Can you imagine an enormous Lebanon-like Zone of Chaos, all the way from the Sudan to Tajikistan and from Morocco to Pakistan? I can. It seems that the $55 Billion+ that that we’ve “invested” in stability in Egypt since 1974 sure didn’t buy much, did …

Hillary Clinton calls historic meeting of ambassadors. Wow, 260 ambassadors and counsels in simultaneous transit! Something is afoot, folks. The bottom line is that the world’s governments can print unlimited supplies of currency, but they can’t print food. I anticipate that a regional war or perhaps even global war is just around the corner.    o o o Why America Should Be Driving on Natural Gas    o o o Ms. M. sent this article about “Generation Rx”: Pharmacies Besieged by Addicted Thieves    o o o I just heard about an interesting new product, made here in the U.S.: …

F.G. sent a link to some amazing photographs of the largest snow and ice storm to hit the U.S. in decades.    o o o Kayaker, 64, completes marathon paddle across Atlantic. (Thanks to Patrick T. for the link.)    o o o You may have heard of the documentary film “Far Out” that profiles Heimo and Edna Korth’s trapping family who live year-round in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The documentary is again available at VBS.tv.    o o o Reader “InyoKern” wrote to recommend the IMCO Windproof Lighter from Austria. These were originally known as the “Trench …

Directive 21 now offers Emergency Seed Banks, which each have 37,000 heirloom seeds that are non-GMO and non-hybrid (open pollinated).    o o o Eric H. found an incognito and space saving storage idea    o o o Reader Michelle J. recommended a site with maps and other geological information called Anyplace America. Michelle says: “It’s free, printable, and there are over a million different geological features that you can sort by feature, city, county, et cetera.”.

Complex Interdependencies Department: “Due to rolling blackouts in West Texas and other problems, the delivery of natural gas into New Mexico has been impeded.” Reader Greg C. notes: This is a great example of the flaw in multiple systems being to dependent on each other.  I wonder if any natural gas customer in New Mexico ever realized before now that their piped natural gas was dependent on an electrical grid located in another state?      o o o My recent interview on The Peter Schiff Show is now available for download (for his subscribers).    o o o Kevin …

The folks at Next Level Training (one of our writing contest prize donors) have created a coupon code just for SurvivalBlog readers. Your code is: survivalblog to get a special reduced price of $399 on SIRT Glock form factor laser training pistols. These are amazing training tools that will help keep you in top shooting form, even when ammo prices are sky high.    o o o “A violent turn for the worse” in Cairo    o o o Yishai sent a link to powerful photo: “Abandoned vehicles litter northbound Lake Shore Drive on Tuesday morning.” E. Jason Wambsgams, Chicago …

Texas imposes rolling blackouts as mercury drops. (A tip of the hat to Sue C. for the link.)    o o o DocLiberty and Yishai both recommended this gem: The Real Life Civilization-Building Kit. “For two years, a group of engineers has been working on the Global Village Construction Set, a collection of 40 DIY machines that can build a small, modern civilization anywhere with sun, soil, and water. Sounds like hard work.”    o o o Kevin W. suggested this CNN piece: A scene of violent chaos in Cairo. Kevin’s comment: “What lesson can be learned by preppers? Violence …

Michael H. sent a link to some useful New Madrid Seismic Zone graphics.    o o o Norman in England sent: 10 Things That The Egypt Riots Can Teach Us About What Happens When Society Breaks Down    o o o Tim R. suggested this photo essay: Protest spreads in the Middle East    o o o J.B.G. sent this: Bill would require all South Dakota citizens to buy a gun. It appears the legislator’s intent is to illustrate that the government can’t force anyone to buy any product–even health insurance.    o o o Tamara K. (of the View …

Detroit Police Department Shooting Video Released. Note that the perp dives head first over the counter to get an advantageous shooting angle. Watching that, something tells me that he might have been high on cocaine or some other illicit drug.    o o o Reader Larry L. mentioned Sail Mail.  Cruisers all over the world send and receive e-mail wirelessly by using a Pactor modem on their SSB ham radios.  It is slow does not allow graphics, but it works!    o o o R.M. let us know that there is an iPhone app that will let you receive rapid …

Here is a must read piece by Dr. Gary North on family relocation when war is on the way: Moving How Far Out?    o o o A company is offering a unique “Multi-Lens TEOTWAWKI Vision System“. These unisex eyeglasses includes complete sets of left and right scratch resistant prescription lens ranging in fine diopter increments from – 1.0 up to – 5.0 diopters.    o o o Here it comes, just as I warned: BATFE Study On The Importability Of Certain Shotguns. I believe that it was no coincidence that the ATF document featured a picture of a Saiga 12 shotgun. That is …

SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson sent a link to this photo montage: Ancient Defense Tower Becomes a Sleek Home    o o o Analysis: Egypt shows how easily Internet can be silenced.    o o o Reader J.M.C. sent the CNN piece: Utah Base Lockdown. J.M.C.’s comment: “Scooby-Doo says: ‘Rutro!’”    o o o I was pleased to see that SurvivalBlog was just ranked #1, among survival blogs.    o o o Chris Matthews: Obama Plans Separate Gun-Control Speech