Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Mike M. highlighted this interesting article from southern California: Wealthy homeowners seeking privacy are increasingly buying adjacent properties.    o o o Reader F.J.R. sent this uber-doom prediction on an Extinction Level Event: The end of the world as we know it; Forget man-made threats – the catalyst for the apocalypse will come from outer space, warns astronomer Chris Impey    o o o For those in coral snake country: Why Snakebites Are About to Get a Lot More Deadly. (A hat tip to Damon for the link.)    o o o Another Medical Corps Field Dentistry class is now …

I just did some business with a small company that sells field gear, and I was very pleased with their prices and customer service. Check them out: Saber Tactical Group.    o o o Ready Made Resources is running another Mountain House sale, from June 15th to June 30th. Ordering any multiple of six can cases (even if mixed cases) gets you 25% off and free shipping. Partial cases are also 25% off, but $17 is charged for shipping.    o o o Paul W. liked this article: Masters of Disaster. It begins: “At Wharton’s Risk Management and Decision Processes …

Jim W. sent this article: Squatters take over South Florida. homes in what police call latest fraud in housing crisis    o o o Ethnic riots sweep Kyrgyzstan, government begs for help. (A hat tip to Mike M. for the link.)    o o o Rick in Canada mentioned a National Geographic documentary that will air on Tuesday, June 15th at 10 p.m.: Electronic Armageddon. It is about the effects of a High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) on the US.    o o o F.G. sent this one: Black Flight Hits Detroit: After 10 burglaries in seven years, a professional …

Man who dug space under home sues city; Owner says private property is being taken; crews set to start filling pit today. (Thanks to M.T.)    o o o Chaos, Anarchy to Reign if Paterson Shuts Down New York    o o o More wrath of God stuff: Worst Locust Plague in Two Decades Threatens Australian Harvest    o o o Kevin S. suggested this very useful STRATFOR article: A Primer on Situational Awareness

Brandy down in Bianchiland suggested this piece in the Los Angeles Times: Economic Slump Stirs Up Homemade Preserves Industry    o o o RNS mentioned this troubling news from Sweden: Robberies raise prospect of retail cash ban. What great logic. So if they ban water, there’d be no more drownings!    o o o Roger Y. suggested this article: Doorstep bank raids plague cash-loving Argentina    o o o One of our former advertisers, BulletProofME.com, currently has a special on their overstock of US-made Interceptor vest nylon outershells. These are in camouflage. They are just $20 each if you mention …

Judy T. suggested this: Peak Oil and Apocalypse Then    o o o Reader John G. mentioned a South Carolina proposal to criminalize hidden compartments in cars. Yikes! Talk about a legislative solution to a non-existent problem. Whatever happened to “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects…”?    o o o G.G. sent us a curious story about the owner of a “nail house” in China’s Wuhan Province: China’s Wuhan Nail House Owner Fights Forced Demolition with Home-Made Cannon. From the photos, his “block house” architecture leaves a lot to be desired. …

Reader D.T. pointed us to a Coast to Coast AM where William Forstchen discusses EMP Threats. (He is the author of the novel One Second After.)    o o o NASA reports: The Sun Has Reawakened. (Robert R. was the first of several readers to send me this link.)    o o o I heard that Noah’s Castle, a hyperinflation novel by John Rowe Townsend, just went back into print. It was written for the “young adult” market. The good editors at October Mist books in Seattle noticed that this British book from the 1970s was out of print. So …

Here is “must read” article: Societal Collapse Due to Peak Oil ‘Inevitable,’ According to Researcher. (Thanks to Chris H. for the link.)    o o o Reader RBS recommended a link to some free greenhouse plans, over at Vibration Nation.    o o o Kevin S. suggested this from New Scientist: The wisdom of herds: How social mood moves the world    o o o I noticed that even more counters have been automated at the U.S. Debt Clock web site.

A bad portent of future lawlessness, in hard times: The End of Empathy. “A University of Michigan Study of nearly 14,000 college students has found that they have less empathy than college students did during the 1980s or 1990s. In fact, today’s college students scored about 40 percent lower in empathy than their counterparts did 20 or 30 years ago.” (A hat tip to Rebecca S. for sending this link.)    o o o Jeff B. flagged this troubling news story: Mystery Crop Damage Threatens Hundreds of Acres.    o o o Reader James C. pointed us to a YouTube …

NASA reports: The Sun Has Reawakened. (Robert R. was the first of several readers to send me this link.)    o o o Brian B. and SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson both mentioned this video clip of a new robot-deployed bangalore torpedo.    o o o Ferd spotted this practical link: Build a Simple Off-Grid Laundry Machine    o o o North Korean Envoy Says War Could Erupt Soon

Jeff B. reminded me about this useful article by Grandpappy: How to Preserve Food for Future Consumption Using Three Simple Old Fashioned Methods.    o o o Phoenix-area hospitals fight highly toxic ‘supergerm’. (Thanks to S.M. for the link.)    o o o Douglas wrote to mention a Guatemalan web site that has downloadable examples of pedal power that can be harnessed which would otherwise require electricity or hand power (which is far more effort). Pretty neat stuff.    o o o Bill M. thought this article would be of interest: Vanishing Farmland: How It’s Destabilizing America’s Food Supply    …

“Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course    o o o Thanks to Kevin S. for a heads-up: Signs Point to Administration Plan to Lock Up 13 Million Acres of Federal Land    o o o Reader Lee C. spied this one: Wheat rust: ‘cereal killer’ in Kenya    o o o Bill in New York suggested: 15 Unusual Uses for Baking Soda

Abram in Washington State mentioned a comparative nutritional analysis of canned, frozen and fresh fruits and vegetables conducted by the University of Illinois Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition.    o o o F.B.P. pointed out a US Department of Transportation map of truck traffic in the U.S. that can be added to your data set in choosing retreat locales.    o o o Reader RBS flagged this: West Poised for Worst Grasshopper Outbreak in 30 Years

As if there wasn’t already enough “real wrath of God stuff” news in the headlines, Jeff B. sent us this: Tropical Storm Agatha blows a hole in Guatemala City.    o o o Damon S. spotted this: Glitch shows how much US military relies on GPS.    o o o Our Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson sent a link to a photo compilation of the recent floods in Tennessee.    o o o I spotted another review of the novel “One Second After”

Michelle sent us this: Global Cold Wave May Be Looming — This Time, the Science Is Good    o o o Reader RBS suggested some commentary by sci-fi veteran Robert Silverberg that puts all of the Peak Oil punditry in proper perspective: Reflections: The Death of Gallium    o o o I was troubled to see that the erroneous e-mail titled “Wasp Spray…important information” is still circulating, after more than two years. What is described therein is a good way to get sued for every penny that you have, for blinding some goblin. As I’ve mentioned many times in SurvivalBlog, …