Category: Odds ‘n Sods

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.)

R.F.J. flagged an article about a Building Made from Recycled Phone Books.    o o o Reader Bob. H. mentioned that the Rite in the Rain web site has downloadable graph paper among other templates. OBTW, many Rite in the Rain waterproof paper products are available from Ready Made Resources. (One of SurvivalBlog’s loyal sponsors.)    o o o Pain rolling in for tire buyers, retailers. Our thanks to Ben S. for the link.)    o o o David H. pointed us to this: Neat Lightweight Bow/Rifle Scabbard for Bicycles/Motorcycles

J.A.B. (now on active duty in Germany) sent this: Secret Bundesbank bunker opens to public    o o o It comes down to maintenance: The owner of a 1928 Rolls-Royce Picadilly P1 Roadster died at age 102–the ultimate “one owner” car. (Thanks to Jason M. for sending this item.)    o o o Beheaded in Arizona: That “South of the Border” violence is here.

Bob G. spotted this: Ammo Long Term Storage Tips    o o o K.T. mentioned a web site that houses some rare photos of Assorted Black Ops Toys.[ JWR’s Comment: Some of the conclusions drawn in the captions ramble off into incoherent UFOlogy, so I ignored them. Still, it is a great collection of photos. It is fun seeing photos of the fruition of some of the codeword programs that I had heretofore only read about in text descriptions. Shrouded even deeper in secrecy, of course, are the compartmentalized intelligence products derived from some of these platforms. Those may not …

I heard about RemedyLink.com, a small pharmaceutical manufacturer produces EDTA suppositories for heavy metal chelation. They offer a 50% discount for folks that identify themselves as SurvivalBlog readers. To get the 50% off, customers will have to phone them, since the web site isn’t set up for that sort of deep discount.    o o o Just a sign of the budget crunch times, or Anarchy, USA? In Multnomah County, Oregon (which includes the city of Portland), the county district attorney said that “low-level crimes” such as shoplifting, trespassing, and disorderly conduct will no longer be prosecuted due to budget …

Reader Audrey H. sent this item: FDA Scrutinizing Farm Antibiotics    o o o Some detractors have called me a “yuppie survivalist”, even though I’m middle-age and very rural, and just a skilled worker rather than a professional. Well, here is a member of ill-famed Madoff clan that is the genuine article–a “young urban professional”: An Optimistic Seller of Disaster Plans.    o o o Choctaw Bob sent a link to “a handy item for those restricted from carrying more conventional weapons.”

Cause of Mysterious Bee Die-Off Found? (Thanks to KAF for the link.)    o o o You gotta love Texas: Bank Allows Armed Customers.    o o o “FJohn” sent a recommendation for the collapsible Sven-Saw. These are compact enough for your bug out bag.    o o o Vermont, a long-time bastion of the Second Amendment, has expanded First Amendment rights by allowing residents to get custom license plates with Bible verses. (The plaintiff had specified JN36TN plates (a reference to the oft-quoted verse John 3:16), but was denied them by the Vermont DMV. He finally prevailed on appeal, …

B.P. suggested a piece over at Box ‘o Truth: Common Rounds Versus Level IIIA Body Armor    o o o I just noticed that the three-part National Geographic documentary “Guns, Germs and Steel” (based on Jared Diamond’s same-titled book) is now available via streaming video to subscribers of Netflix.    o o o SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson sent us another case of “Never bring a knife to a gun fight”. (Warning: This shows graphic violence.) This incident took place in Turkey, and it is narrated by a Turkish American.    o o o Robots Guarding US Nuclear …

There is a new radio show on Blog Talk Radio, produced by The Preparedness Radio Network. More information can be found at the Directive 21 web site.    o o o Your ticket to a rural retreat? Justin F. sent this gem: Working from home: how to get you boss keen on the idea    o o o Most Renters Live in Unaffordable Housing, New Census Data Show. Simultaneous increases in rents and decreases in income are a bad combination.