Category: Odds ‘n Sods

This isn’t news to most SurvivalBlog readers: American Family Farmers Feed 155 People Each – 2% of Americans Farm. (A hat tip to Josh for the link.)    o o o SurvivalBlog readers in the Pacific Northwest will find this of interest: A new store that specializes in survival gear, compact storage food, and bullion coins is opening today (June 1st, 2010) in Kalama, Washington: The Survival Bunker. They are located at 447 North First Street, Suite 110, Kalama, Washington 98625. (It is about 30 miles north of Portland, Oregon, just off I-5. The usual sales tax breaks for Oregon …

K.T. recommended this insightful piece over at the Western Rifle Shooters Assn. (WRSA) web page: Lessons From Lithuania    o o o Some of us may have watched a few too many old westerns. For those in the Cowboy Action Shooting fraternity, you’ve gotta check this book out from you library, or get your own copy: Packing Iron: Gun Leather of the Frontier West. The book has a whole chapter devoted to H.H. Heiser, one of my favorite gun leather makers that I discovered back in the days when I rented gun show tables.    o o o I’ve often …

K. in Montana forwarded a link to the Livin’ The Dream blog: Preparedness Apologetics.    o o o Chad S. spotted this on a North Dakota State University web site: Preservation of Game Meats and Fish    o o o Lest we dwell too much on heaven and not the alternative, Hank D. suggested reading some sermons on hell.    o o o Senate Takes Up “Emergency” War Bill Despite Obama Pledge to End Practice

Here at the Rawles Ranch, and in our vehicles, we’ve standardized with Anderson Power Pole connectors for all of our 12 VDC radios and accessories. We mostly use their 30A Power Pole Connectors. These genderless connectors have been adopted by most Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) organizations and Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARE ) organizations. They are vastly superior to the bulky “cigarette lighter plug” connectors, which have a bad habit of popping loose, unexpectedly. In our experience, one good source of Anderson Power Pole connectors, cables, and adapters is PowerWerx.com. Aand another good source is Quicksilver Radio Products. …

Just 24 hours left! Safecastle (one of our most loyal advertisers) is running a special sale that ends May 29th, with 25% Off All Mountain House #10 Cans, and free Shipping to the Lower 48 States. There are additional freebies, depending on the quantity that you order. (See their web page for details.)    o o o Reader Steve H. spotted a fascinating “heat” map with some implications for picking retreat locales: World’s most and least touristy places. Steve’s comments: “This is an interesting map that could give some insights into less visited regions for retreat location planning and determining …

Jeff B. sent this scary article link: What if a hurricane were to slam into the oil slick?    o o o Robert S. sent us the link to this charming news: Dengue Fever in Florida Portends a Growing Problem    o o o JM from Michigan mentioned the many older (out of copyright) on-line books and info that are available at Archive.org. BTW, it is also the home of the “Way Back Machine”– a fascinating web archive search tool that allows you view deleted web sites, or to see what current sites looked like in their early days.    …

Just three days left! Safecastle (one of our most loyal advertisers) is running a special sale from May 16-29 only, with 25% Off All Mountain House #10 Cans, and free Shipping to the Lower 48 States. There are additional freebies, depending on the quantity that you order. (See their web page for details.)    o o o Reader Ray B. mentioned this article in an Everett, Washington newspaper: Our volcano: Glacier Peak is the hidden threat in our back yard    o o o Beatriz mentioned this great web site on dehydrating foods at home: Dehydrate2Store.    o o o …

Reader Dan V. mentioned that a scanned copy of the scarce Operation and Maintenance Manual for the AN/PSR-1A Intrusion Detecting Set (TM-04074B-15) is now available online. You can find it linked near the bottom of this page.    o o o RBS spotted this: Why Snakebites Are About to Get a Lot More Deadly – Cost of Antivenom Production Creates Shortages    o o o Jack T. sent us a link to some good reporting from C.J. Chivers of The New York Times: A Firsthand Look at Firefights in Marja. It is refreshing to hear from a mainstream reporter that …

D.J.A. sent this article that illustrates how the mainstream is catching on: The Prepper Movement — a Growing Network Preparing for the World’s End    o o o For those of you that–like me–up until now have just been mildly bemused at the sight of people walking around with their prized Kindle readers, here is some good news: you can read Kindle books on PCs and most recently announced, on Mac desktop and laptop computers. And even better, the requisite software is a free download. Of course once you’ve done that, you can get the Kindle software editions of various …

Estimate for Nashville property damage from flood tops $1.9 billion. The eventual insurance tab may surpass the New Orleans flooding, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina!    o o o Nic mentioned that the excellent Gun Test consumer review magazine has come out with a new online magazine – Gun Reports – to cover the multiplicity of guns and gear that can’t fit in their print magazine:    o o o Savings Experiment: Where better batteries meet bargain power. (Thanks to Matt in Oklahoma for the link.)    o o o Judy T. was the first of several readers to …

GCM sent a link to this cool water, gear, and fuel storage product: Rotopax.    o o o G.G. flagged: The Closers: How the pros shut down a failing bank    o o o Reader J.A.B. suggested FindYourSpot.com, a relocation web site that finds “your spot”, based upon 40 to 50 questions are asked about your lifestyle and preferences, and you’re given (immediately) a list of 20-odd locales across America that suits your needs. At the end, they’ll be some questions pertaining to advertising, but never fear, you can click through to the selections. Some locations might be no-brainers for …

Several readers mentioned this: Fallout shelters for a new generation. I’m reserving any judgment on this particular venture (since it is only in its early stage of what has been promised). But I must say that in general I’m opposed to getting involved in large commercial shelter projects. For around $35,000, you can construct your own fully-stocked in-home underground shelter with a blast door and HEPA air filtration for a family of five. Why spend more for just one shelter space in a distant locale, and in a shelter that belongs to someone else? And what are the chances that …

Reader R.B.S. pointed me to a web site that I heretofore hadn’t heard of: Escape From America Magazine    o o o Ben L. mentioned a new electric “limb lopper” electric chainsaw. They are quiet, but of course for Grid Down situations, always keep a gas chainsaw on hand!    o o o F.S. pointed me to an interesting site: Modern Stronghold.

Reader L.S.C. sent us this: Army recalls 44,000 combat helmets. L.S.C. says: “File under ‘caveat emptor’ for anyone looking to buy helmets on the surplus market!”    o o o L.J. sent us the latest news from England: Parents of under-fives face ‘nanny state’ home inspections to keep children safe    o o o I just heard about very worthy non-profit charitable organization called Homes for Our Troops. They build specially adapted homes for severely wounded veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Al lof the homes are donated to the veterans by the organization. This is their way of thanking …

Mike M. and S. both sent this piece from The Times of London: Scientists forecast decades of ash clouds    o o o Safecastle (one of our most loyal advertisers) has announced a special sale from May 16-29 only, with 25% Off All Mountain House #10 Cans, and free Shipping to the Lower 48 States. There are additional freebies, depending on the quantity that you order. (See their web page for details.)    o o o Reader M.T. sent this item: Obama Plan to Make Cheaper Coins Criticized by Businesses. Let’s face it, inflation is relentless. Sooner or later, they’ll …