Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Reader E.H. wrote mention: “I recently got into a lot of chiggers. I had many chigger bites all the way up to my waist and some above, with a bad concentration in the crotch area. I put a light dusting of Gold Bond Medicated Powder all over the affected areas. I don’t know what I expected, but within 30 minutes, all itching was gone and 2 or 3 days later after renewing the powder at each shower the bumps were also gone. I’m amazed.”    o o o Some Schumer Coming? As Reid Falters, Schumer Subtly Stands in the Wings. …

Russia’s hungry Bears dig up graves for food.    o o o KAF sent this: Latinos Hard Hit By Whooping Cough Epidemic    o o o Preparing For a Mumbai-style Active Shooter

Electromagnetic pulse impact far and wide. (Thanks to Chet for the link.)    o o o I’ve been mentioning Peak Oil in SurvivalBlog since 2005. Here is a scary bit of confirmation that oil supplies may indeed reach their limit in this century: Alaska’s untapped oil reserves estimate lowered 90 percent    o o o F.G. liked this one: The Toyota Pickup – Why U.S. Special Ops Units Prefer it

Jason in Central New York mentioned this PDF from the NRC : High-Impact, Low-Frequency Event Risk to the North American Bulk Power System (regarding the risks posed by Cyber or Physical Coordinated Attacks, Pandemics, and Geomagnetic Disturbance / Electro-magnetic Pulse.    o o o The folks at J&G Sales in Arizona noted in their latest e-newsletter: “Starting the end of January no ammo dealers including J&G Sales may continue to ship handgun ammo to individuals that live in California. This is a new law, now passed and signed by Governor Arnold [Schwarzenegger] called AB962. All handgun ammo sales in California …

David W. sent this interesting link: 10 Awesomely Bad Uses for Dead or Discarded Tech    o o o Pistols and nickels stolen from home. (Thanks to Scotty in Florida for the link.)    o o o G.M. flagged this: The Super La Nina and the Coming Winter.    o o o Think your laptop is tough? This one’s built to survive a war.    o o o Tsunami Kills at Least 113 in Indonesia; Scores Missing

John G. in England sent this: Nuclear bomb shelter for sale in Devon    o o o Emerging Threats File: Three men posing as ATF agents break into home, kill resident. (Thanks to K.T. for the link.)    o o o “Exterminator” armored truck in Illinois. (Thanks to regular content contributor Jason M. for the link.)    o o o RBS sent: Just how bad is Facebook applications privacy problem?

I just heard that Jerry Ahern’s anticipated new novel “Written in Time” is now shipping to bookstores. This new sci-fi novel is about time travel, and of course the protagonist is very well-armed. (Jerry Ahern will be remembered as the author of the umpteen-volume adventure novel series “The Survivalist” from the 1980s and 1990s.)    o o o Perennial content contributor F.G. sent us this: Hiker killed by Mountain Goat in Washington State National Park    o o o Republican congressional candidate says violent overthrow of government is ‘on the table’    o o o F.G. sent a link to …

Report: New Strain of H1N1 Emerges. (Thanks to SurvivalBlog regular KAF for the link.)    o o o Michael Z. Williamson (our Editor at Large) sent a link to a fascinating PDF on artillery and recoilless rifles for avalanche control.    o o o Sue H. sent us this: Typhoon Megi triggers rockslides in Taiwan    o o o From C.H.: Cholera outbreak hits rural Haiti – 142 dead    o o o Clashes, protests in French tensions over pensions

A new report calls on NASA to establish a Planetary Defense Coordination Office to lead national and international efforts in protecting Earth against impacts by asteroids and comets.    o o o Bad news from Nanny State Britannia: Every e-mail and web site visit to be stored.    o o o Hydroponics will work almost anywhere you have power for lights and pumps, and of course water and decent temperature range: Now serving fresh garden salad at the South Pole. (Thanks to J.J.C. for the link.)    o o o Backyard Food Production is offering an end-of-the-month special for SurvivalBlog …

G.H. highlighted this article: Hunger & Starvation to Visit Humanity: Into the Ashes.    o o o Observations from Gabe Suarez: The General Purpose Combat Rifle    o o o Bob G. mentioned: Medicinal Herb Uses and Picture Gallery    o o o New to my Blogroll: ModernSurvivalOnline.com

K. in Montana sent this: Demand for Guns, Food Stamps Indicates Uncertainty    o o o Cyber attack threat ‘could be next Pearl Harbor’    o o o End of the Earth Postponed. (Thanks to Ian for the link.)    o o o Rob H. highlighted this: French Fuel Depots Forced Open Amid Strikes

The Food Crisis of 2010. (Thanks to F.J. for the link.)    o o o Also from F.J.: Coleman Quad Lantern. [JWR Notes: I suspect that these are made in Mainland China, so buyer beware!)    o o o Dave B. mentioned another good reason to store extra fuel: Fuel imports into France surge as protests imperil transportation.    o o o SurvivalBlog’s correspondent David in Israel mentioned: “A good link for everyone is SpaceWeather.com. It is a good way to get your radio prop reports and also track flares which might damage satellites or power grids. There is a …

From B.B.: Science may have found silver bullet for the common cold.    o o o Reader K. sent us to a nice history of food as a weapon, over at the WRSA site.    o o o More bureaucracy: New Rules Coming for Payments Out of Health Savings Accounts. The article begins: “Under the new health care law, consumers using workplace pre-tax health savings accounts will soon need a doctor’s note to pay for Tylenol and an estimated 15,000 other over-the-counter drugs.”    o o o Popular Science asks: How Quickly Could a Single Supervirus Spread to Every Single …

R.F.J. mentioned this at Cool Tools: Footbike    o o o California man killed by rattlesnake.    o o o Like something out of a novel… Panic at the pumps: French motorists swamp petrol stations    o o o Until the end of 2010 Ready Made Resources is offering a new “Grand Slam Package” of storage foods, at 30% off. They are also offering a one ounce U.S. Mint Silver Eagle for each complete case of six cans of Mountain House foods ordered, as long as the spot price of silver stays below $30 per ounce. At the rate that …

F.G. flagged this: Kansas City Police arrest man trying to plant GPS device on car    o o o Monsanto Now Owns Blackwater (Xe)    o o o County tells Moab [Utah] bus dwellers to move. (A hat tip to Rick W. for the link.)