Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Reader “Sharp Shepherd” highlighted this article: Rental Goats Clear Brush Better, Beat Cosmonauts in Space Race    o o o Bridget sent this, about the ever-encroaching Nanny State Britannia: Every phone call, email and internet click stored by ‘state spying’ databases    o o o The folks at Directive 21 (one of our advertisers) are having a special on Royal Berkey water purification systems. The regular price is $275, but for a limited time they are $262.50. The sale will end when their small on-hand stock of the filters runs out, so don’t hesitate. OBTW, because of state certification issues, …

D.F. in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula suggested this solar homesteading and woodworking web site: ManyTracks    o o o Jimmy suggested a YouTube clip on inexpensive heat and light: A Common Man’s Grease Lamp. It uses Australian beeswax and petroleum jelly mix, sold under the brand name Murray’s Beeswax. Buy a jar for each of your survival kits. OBTW, it will likely melt in a hot car trunk, so be sure to store each jar in two thicknesses of Ziploc bags. Or, if you live in a hot climate, perhaps re-pack your supply in a small water-tight container with an o-ring …

Joshua K. suggested this free instructional video: How to make your own powdered eggs.    o o o Several readers suggested this article: Blackout raises doubts over Brazil infrastructure. Reader Steven W. noted: “Knowing how fragile our grid system is, I thought the readers would find this article on yesterday’s power outage in Brazil interesting, especially the note about gunmen robbing people en masse, in Rio.. I work for a Brazilian company and have been to both Rio and Sao Paulo and can tell you they are not safe under normal circumstances and I cannot imagine what really happened during …

Damon recommended this tutorial written by a university professor: Beginning Cheesemaking.    o o o Tom at Camping Survival (one of our loyal advertisers) has announced a special “Overstock Giveaway”, just for SurvivalBlog readers. Only the first five readers that respond via e-mail will receive a FREE Coghlan’s C Tech Wireless Weather Station. Here is a description: “This device lets you keep an eye on the weather conditions and trends. The high-impact body with rubberized finish is weather-resistant for reliable service in outdoor environments. Includes a long-lasting lithium battery and includes a lanyard cord for carrying. The detachable wireless sensor …

Jeff B. flagged this from ABC: Massachusetts family of six lives off $4 per week for food. Coupon clipping pays off! For anyone on a low income: If you have the time, but not the cash, then this is one way to stock your larder. (With our Search Posts on SurvivalBlog box, enter the word “coupons” to find previous articles with links to online printable coupons and discount codes, such as this one.)    o o o Jim W. and Norman both suggested this 60 Minutes segment about a former US spy chief’s dire warning about the vulnerability of America’s …

Several how-to videos have been posted that were filmed by Outside Magazine editor Joe Spring who accompanied Tony Nester of the Ancient Pathways school on a “Knife-Only” outdoor survival course.    o o o File this is the “Why Am I Not Surprised?” Department: U.S. reverses stance on treaty to regulate arms trade. This, BTW, is the same Presidential Administration headed by the guy that promised voters: “I’m not going to take away your guns.”    o o o Jeff B. forwarded this link: Seven (more) ) Abandoned Wonders of America: From Deserted Breweries to Famous Auto Factories.    o …

Brits put Cold War bunker on preservation list: U.S.-built fortress left obsolete by fall of Berlin Wall becomes landmark. (Thanks to Mike H. for the link.)    o o o Do you have one of those great folding bicycles? Now you can get a collapsible cargo trailer, to go with.    o o o Josh in Chicagoland flagged this: Computer meltdown creates traffic-light chaos in Montgomery. Josh’s comment: ” This shows just how fragile our way of life is – one computer goes down causing gridlock! This should be an eye-opener and stress the importance of having alternate routes for …

Important Safety Tip: Don’t sleep in bear’s den. Bear kills militants in Kashmir.    o o o Don T. suggested this: Farmers growing electricity along with their crops    o o o The spin-meisters are at it again! Here is an update on the Jordanian-American terrorist gunman at Fort Hood, Texas: Now they’ve stopped calling it “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” since he had never been deployed to Iraq! Well, perhaps “Pre-Traumatic Stress Disorder”? Or, since Major Hasan was a psychiatrist with the US Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, perhaps his case should be labeled: “The Stress of Studying Post-Traumatic …

Rourke suggested this article: What Survivalists Have Right    o o o Reader Jim S. suggested this mainly humorous piece: 12 places to go if the world goes to h***    o o o Bob B. found an essay titled: Why Bother? (To Prepare) Bob says: “It underscores the fact that preparing significantly alters your mindset, which might turn out to be the most valuable preparation of all.”    o o o “Straycat” sent us this: Water rationing for Venezuela’s capital city. Have you bought a Berkey or Katadyn filter for your family yet?

Reader Bill R. recommended the RadioReference.com. Here is Bill’s description of the site: “It is the only site that I’ve found that covers county 911 dispatch in my county in rural northwestern Tennessee. This is a good site to find out what’s going on at any time. There is a wealth of real time information here, as well as threads and discussions re: 911 comms, amateur radio, and all things radio.”    o o o The folks at Ready Made Resources have announced that they are having another free drawing for November. It will be for a Lifesaver 4000 water …

Reader B.B. sent this: U.S. sees shortage of ammunition. I’m glad that I bought most of mine in the early 1990s. Back then, military surplus 7.62mm NATO ball was just $5 per box, if you shopped around.    o o o Damon mentioned this article in Backwoods Home magazine: Consider the 20-gauge shotgun, by Massad Ayoob    o o o KT flagged this: Russian sniper rifles take aim at American market

Jeff B. sent us this: The one man army: How a Cambridge-educated botanist fought a three-year war against 4,000 Japanese troops. Here is a link to a book about Chapman: Jungle Soldier: The True Story of Freddy Spencer Chapman.    o o o Tom B. mentioned this: DEQ issues well-water warnings    o o o Rick W. sent this news item from Utah: Mock disaster ‘eye-opening’ for Centerville responders

Reader Brian B. mentioned a new Internet service called GunPal opened last week which allows for the online payment of all transactions, including firearms-related commerce. (PayPal is notoriously anti-gun.) Hopefully this new service will prosper and provide a valuable resource for those requiring freedom of choice. It was founded by a group of pro-gun gents–mostly from CalGuns–and their roster of advisory board members includes fellow pro-gun blogger Oleg Volk. We should help grow GunPal — effectively voting with our dollars. It took just five minutes for me to set up a GunPal account, and I’ve already added it as an …

Tree house man lives off the land. I think he needs to spend less time in the hammock, and more time cutting firewood for the coming winter!    o o o Other news from England: Bullets used by British soldiers ‘too small to defeat Taliban’. Not only is 5.56 too small, but the entire Enfield L85 (aka SA80) bullpup development and procurement program has been a foul-up from day one. I suppose that it is time to break out some L1A1s from their war reserve arsenal. That is, assuming they still have a few hundred thousand of them… There may …

A new 2010 Survival Calendar is now available. I was delighted to see that the designer included one page devoted to SurvivalBlog. Check it out! OBTW, you can use the coupon code “survivalblog” (without the quotes) to get a $4 discount on checkout.    o o o Brian H. wrote me to mention that Gene Logsdon’s classic 1977 book “Small-Scale Grain Raising” is back in print in an updated paperback edition. Be sure to order the Second edition.    o o o Reader HPD sent this: Cash for Clunkers costs taxpayers $24,000 per car. And Damon sent this, on this …