Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Several readers mentioned this Wired article: Extreme Test: Going Ballistic on Bulletproof Vests    o o o Our Editor-at-Large Mike Williamson sent this: Nature’s power plants; On the hunt for renewable energy, scientists revisit Mother Nature’s original power source: Photosynthesis and plants    o o o Here in the U.S., a new Federal law that allows carrying guns in National Parks went into effect on Monday. This will be a relief to our readers that live in bear country. (Up until Monday, all that could be used to stop a bear attack inside a National Park were shouts of “Bad …

F.R. sent this news item: Shipwrecked students feared remote death at sea. F.R.’s comment: It pays to be lucky, but being prepared is better.    o o o A reminder that the folks at Medical Corps are holding another one of their excellent three-day Combat/Field Medicine School courses, April 30th through May 2nd. The class will be held near Caldwell, Ohio at the Ohio State University Extension building. Contact: Chuck Fenwick at 740-783-8009 for details.    o o o I noticed that some of the gardeners over at the LATOC Forums have organized: The Great LATOC Seed Swap of 2010. …

Loren sent this: Is This the Safest House in the World? [JWR’s Comment: No, it isn’t! To start with, its in Los Angeles… Talk about an OPSEC nightmare!]    o o o EliteT sent us a link to an interesting New York Times piece about a home aquaponics experimenter. (Be sure to click on the link to the YouTube video But don’t get too excited.. Just think how many PV panels it would take to run those pumps, 24/7. Traditional pond aquaponics are more suitable for preppers. )    o o o Thanks to RVL for this article link: What …

The latest recommendation on heart attack CPR: 100 press-per-minute continuous chest compressions.    o o o I heard from my editor at Penguin that they are going back to press in March for another 10,000 copies of my recent nonfiction book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times”, which will bring the total in print to just over 70,000 copies. Thanks for helping to spread the word, folks!    o o o “Cowboy” sent us this from The Los Angeles Times: ‘Survivors’ on BBC America–The British are so …

Reader Rick V. recommended a piece by Nadia Arumugam in Slate magazine: Expiration dates mean very little.    o o o The Marines are Looking for a Few Good Rounds: Corps to use more lethal ammo in Afghanistan    o o o Travis H. sent us this link: Smuggled guns used in cartel hits. What the liberally-biased CNN journalists don’t mention is that the vast majority of guns used by the drug cartels are either stolen from the Mexican Army, or smuggled in from Mexico’s southern neighbors. Their U.S.-sourced guns are the small minority of what they have, and many …

Yishai alerted us to this clever set of plastic kitchen products: Jar Tops: Universal Lids for Mason Some Jars.    o o o J.B. mentioned this: Finns propose ban on handguns after shootings. Who do they think that are they kidding? In a nation with 5.4 million people and an estimated 4 million privately-owned guns, I suspect that the only one of the panel’s recommendations that will actually get implemented will be raising the age threshold for owning handguns.    o o o Reader R.S.R. wrote to mention that Wal-Mart stores are presently offering a “killer deal” on Coleman dual …

The Medical Corps private training organization is holding another one of their excellent three-day Combat/Field Medicine School courses, April 30th through May 2nd. The class will be held near Caldwell, Ohio at the Ohio State University Extension building. Contact: Chuck Fenwick at (740) 783-8009 for details.    o o o The good folks that organize the EMPACT America conferences are currently lobbying Congress for funding to re-fit some US military bases as EMP-proof “bastions” as centers for rebuilding societal infrastructure, following either an EMP attack or a Carrington-scale Solar Flare event. If the BHO Administration wants to spend money to …

Could this start a trend? Bill seeks to outlaw lengthy overnights at Minnesota rest areas. (Thanks to Chad S. for the link.)    o o o My book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times” is featured in the March-April 2010 Books in Brief section of The Futurist magazine, under the headline: Alarmingly Practical Advice For Doomsday. You can look for it on pages 60 and 61 of the March-April issue.    o o o Reader G.S. in the State of Jefferson spotted this interesting thread, over at …

Merry mentioned an interesting video on self defense techniques when riding a horse. JWR Adds: BTW, I can personally attest that it takes quite a while to gradually get a horse accustomed to the sound of gunfire (starting with just the sight and smell of guns, then the sound of .22 Shorts, …), but it is time well spent! The training results (as shown in the various CMSA videos) can be impressive.    o o o Desert T. pointed us to an article that ran in The Wall Street Journal: A Growing Obsession: Rare Seeds. (When The Wall Street Journal …

“River Chief” was the first of several readers to send us the link to this article in The Guardian: Americans stock up to be ready for end of the world    o o o Sale ends tomorrow! JRH Enterprises is running a sale on new Third Generation AN/PVS-14 night vision weapons sight/monoculars–now with a five year warranty–for $2,995. I bought one of these from JRH last summer, and I love it. I have it mounted on a “flat top” AR, just behind an Aimpoint Comp 3 electronic red dot scope (with a 2 MOA adjustable brightness dot). With a flip …

Bobbi sent us this sobering news: Haiti, One Month Later    o o o C.N. sent us an interesting article on bear preparedness.    o o o Several readers mentioned this troubling article, written by Declan McCullagh: Feds push for tracking cell phones

H.D. in Alaska recommended a piece by Mona Charen in National Review Online: “Frontier Suburbanite“.    o o o Scientists Invent Rice That Doesn’t Need Cooking. (Thanks to Joe P. for the link.)    o o o JRH Enterprises is running a President’s Day sale on new Third Generation AN/PVS-14 night vision weapons sight/monoculars–now with a five year warranty–for $2,995. I bought one of these from JRH last summer, and I love it. I have it mounted on a “flat top” AR, just behind an Aimpoint Comp 3 electronic red dot scope (with a 2 MOA dot). With a flip …

Karen H. forwarded this news item: High sugar prices will soon hit bakeries. Here at SurvivalBlog, we warned you about this as far back as May of 2009. Stock up. (But preferably with more healthy natural sweeteners like honey and stevia.)    o o o Bruce T. spotted this in Popular Science magazine: New Armored Wall System Assembles Like Legos, Could Replace Sandbags in Afghanistan. Somehow, I doubt that these Big Boy Legos will ever see much use outside of “Green Zone” roadblock set-ups. Let’s face it: Empty sandbags are cheap, and they fit in a backpack. It is safe …

There are just two days left in the 25% off sale at SafeCastle on all Mountain House foods in #10 cans is in progress. They are offering free shipping to the 48 continental states! The sale ends on February 13th, so order soon!    o o o “Hokie” sent us this: High demand for road salt prompts rationing in Maryland and Virginia    o o o Just one week remains in Directive 21’s sale on the Royal Berkey water filters. Presently just $262.50, the price will revert to $275, on the 18th of February.    o o o More about …

The BHO administration seems bent on paving their way out of the recession, with $20 billion in new road and bridge building contracts. But I’m dubious about how efficacious this will be in creating permanent jobs, and boosting economy. This is all just sinking us (collectively) deeper in debt. Take a look at Japan’s massive road building program in the1990s. It certainly didn’t buy them an economic recovery. How can the BHO administration expect anything different? Chad flagged this: Is Washington’s tax exemption on bullion a gold mine? [JWR Adds: As the majority of the 50 States get increasingly desperate …