Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Life in the Big City: Multiple Pedestrians Ignore Dying New York Hero. No comment necessary! Draw your own conclusions about where you choose to live.    o o o Anyone interested in getting ready for a post Peak Oil world should check out Transition US Social Network. Much like the excellent LATOC Forums (which I’ve mentioned in SurvivalBlog many times), there is some lively discussion there. They even had a big discussion about the legitimacy and motives of Survivalists, early last year.    o o o K.S. suggested this article: Crisis, Martial Law, and Black Market Operation – which in …

Andrew B. suggested this analysis from the folks at Stratfor: Dirty Bombs Revisited: Combating the Hype    o o o Reader Bret F. flagged this: Death of ‘Caveman’ ends an era in Idaho. Oh, and here is a link to a video clip about him: Diggin’ Dugout Dick in Idaho. OBTW, I highly recommend the book Last of the Mountain Men by Harold Peterson, about Sylvan Hart (aka “Buckskin Bill”) who lived up in the River of No Return hinterboonies. Sylvan Hart epitomized true self-sufficiency, and was a genuine character. I would have liked to have met him.    o …

Yes, our modern global society is now very inter-twingled: Volcano Ash Cloud Sets Off Global Domino Effect; Lack of Flights Entering, Departing Europe Stalls Africa War Crimes Investigation, Halts Japanese Auto Production. (Thanks to Robert B. for the link.)    o o o Chris Y. suggested this article at Trailspace: Human Waste Disposal in the Backcountry.    o o o I just found a very interesting blog that relates to personal privacy: The TechnoFascismBlog.    o o o Paul D. sent this: Police: 89-Year-Old Fires Gun At Intruder. Commenting on the police kindly reloading the revolver for the old woman, …

“Hobo Matt” sent us this: Time, Water Running Out for America’s Biggest Aquifer    o o o By way of Tamara over at View From the Porch comes this link: Not Your Typical CCW Class. (JWR’s comment: That makes sense to me!)    o o o Eric S. flagged this piece from The Albuquerque Journal that illustrates how folks can survive in an austere environment: On a Dusty Mesa, No Water or Electricity, but Boundless Space. But of course, without gasoline for vehicles to haul cistern water, they’d be in for some deep drama.

Judy T. sent these links: Oil rig explodes off Louisiana coast and Transocean Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion shows new risks    o o o Thanks to L.J. in England for spotting this: Rabbit meat is enjoying a renaissance in the UK.    o o o Reader “MadMarkie” sent a note that might be of interest if you have an Outdoor World store nearby. Outdoor World currently has the Marlin Model 795 semi-auto .22 cal. rifle on sale for $99.94 after a mail-in rebate. Normal retail is $149.99, on sale for $124.94 and comes with a mail-in rebate coupon for …

RBS sent this from China Daily: Shelters part of long-term civil defense plan    o o o Rick pointed me to HomeFirefightingSystems.com, in Pollock Pines, California. They sell pumps, foam, gel, tanks and equipment that would be appropriate for retreats.    o o o Josh flagged this bit of Hoplophobic Political Correctness stupidity: Student suspended after finger gun incident.    o o o I found this linked at the Drudge Report: Mission Impossible: Escape from Europe. (Read between the lines, vis-a-vis Getting Out of Dodge, in other crises.) Meanwhile, we also read: Get ready for decades of Icelandic fireworks, and …

Hunter in Alaska spotted this blog article: The Whiskey Standard (by way of Instapundit).    o o o Our thanks to R.B.S. for sending this: Copper thieves dismantle office building’s roof.    o o o Crime Prediction Software is Here and It’s a Very Bad Idea. (Thanks to F.G. for the link.)    o o o Ferd liked this Lifehacker article: Make a Waterproof Fire Starter Out of Dryer Lint (and Some Other Trash)    o o o Brian B. sent this: Rallies supporting the United States’ 2nd Amendment were held across the country Monday

Yishai sent this Instapundit item: U.S. Military Warns of Oil Shortage by 2015.    o o o Reader Damon S. suggested a web site with some free plans for building beehives.    o o o Matt B. mentioned a clever “stealth” house built into a grain silo.    o o o David R. was the first of several readers to mention this: MIT Student Develops Cutting Edge Low Cost Healing for the Developing World

 The latest from Nanny State Britannia: Caravanner, 61, prosecuted for having Swiss Army knife in his glovebox… to cut up fruit on picnics.    o o o Meanwhile, in the Land of the Free, we read these two news items: Heat builds on both sides of open-carry gun debate and Arizona to allow concealed weapons without permit.    o o o J.D.D. sent this: Single Mom Uses Straw to Build This Week’s Greenhouse for $500.    o o o Ferd forwarded this: Earthquake in Tibet – Amazing Photo Gallery

Michael M. suggested this from Popular Mechanics: Extreme Building Codes: Protect Your Home From Natural Disasters    o o o Glenn Reynolds over at Instapundit mentioned this: Edible Vertical Garden.

T.B. mentioned that a map of natural hazard mortality in the United States has been produced. The map gives a county-level representation of the likelihood of dying as the result of natural events such as floods, earthquakes or extreme weather.    o o o The Deflation flags are still flying: Wal-Mart Bets on Reduction in Prices. (A hat tip to Chad S. for the link.)    o o o Reader Brian B. sent this from The Daily Iowan: Gun Law Stirs Controversy    o o o Sometimes, the small trend indicators can have great significance: U-Haul tracking data suggests more …

SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson keyed in on this article: BOB, America’s Biggest Sodium Sulfur Battery, Powers a Texas Town    o o o Titus suggested this population density map as a good starting point for looking for retreat locales.    o o o H.A.H. suggested this WorldNetDaily article: County to feds: They’re our roads! Supervisors vote to reopen routes hit by BLM closure    o o o Randy F. liked this piece, by my hero Walter E. Williams: Parting Company.

Reader Lee C. sent this: In California, Louder Calls to Prepare for Quakes    o o o Reader RBS mentioned a 2008 news story that was recently highlighted in The Survival Spot Blog. This illustrates how even fairly large communities can “disappear”, with terrain masking and some rudimentary camouflage: Lost middle-class tribe’s ‘secret’ eco-village in Wales spotted in aerial photograph taken by plane.    o o o The WRSA says: 19 April 2010: Bring Your Sidearms and Longarms To The Banks of the Potomac    o o o From Brian B.: Cap and Trade: A License Required for Your Home.

R.R.S. sent us this YouTube video link: Army Pro Shooting Tips: How to Speed Reload a Shotgun. Those AMU shooter techniques are fast, but note that they both looked down continuously, while reloading. (Watch it twice, and count how many seconds they take their eyes away from scanning for opponents.) I do not recommend that much loss of situational awareness! Instead, learn to both reload by Braille, and the “shoot one, load one” drill. These may be a bit slower, but I think that you’ll live longer. The “by touch” reloading method is a practiced skill that will serve you …

Readers R.V.L. and S.S. both sent this good bit of news: Arizona House approves concealed weapons bill. If it is enacted, I suspect that several other western states will follow suit with Vermont-style “no-permit-required” concealed carry bills.    o o o SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson forwarded this: More Air Marshalls arrested than arrests made.    o o o Jon in Wyoming sent these two articles that underscore the importance of finding a retreat locale with plentiful water: Water publication focuses on drought, and Colorado Basin nears drought tipping point.    o o o Reader J.M.S. recommended that …