Category: Odds ‘n Sods

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 …

Reader Beth T. flagged this news item: Explorer Ernest Shackleton’s whiskey stash has been discovered in Antarctica, over 100 years after his failed expedition to the South Pole.    o o o Kimberly suggested an article that Kellene Bishop wrote on her blog site, titled: Why I Worry About You. Kimberly’s comment: “It would be a great article for your readers to send to friends who are sitting on the fence or are completely unaware of, or the extent of, current challenges facing this country and her people. It is a ‘heart to heart’ message.”    o o o “Word” …

Amy, of the excellent Humble Musings blog mentioned this article: Cash for Clubbers; Congress’s fabulous golf cart stimulus. It is about the new $5,300 Federal tax credit available for any street legal electric vehicle. Well, in many western states ATVs are considered street legal! So… Can I get this tax credit for an all-electric ATV, such as an Eco E ATV, a Bad Boy Buggy, or a ATV-modified golf cart? That would fit in nicely with the planned expansion of our home photovoltaic power system. And it would be a great way to go hunting in a much, much quieter–if …

GG sent us an article with more about modern-day urban chicken raisers: When the Problems Come Home to Roost.    o o o Reader BB ran across a human-powered product which can act as a well pump. BB’s comment: “Unfortunately, they will not ship to the US, Canada nor Western Europe, but it’s an interesting device I haven’t seen before. Certainly a good small scale off-the-grid solution.”    o o o Reader F.R suggested this article: Solar lantern lights up rural India’s dark nights.

Chester suggested this YouTube instructional video: AR15 / M4 Magazine Pouches    o o o You gotta love Missouri: Anvil Shooting! And here is a lot more of the same, using electric detonators.    o o o Jay mentioned the trailer for the new post-Peak Oil documentary film, titled “Collapse.” Has this guy been reading SurvivalBlog?

Jim. H. suggested this piece over at Lew Rockwell’s site by Terrence Gillespie: Ammo for Barter – Ammo vs. Money    o o o Reader GG alerted me to this: The raid that rocked the Met: Why gun and drugs op on 6,717 safety deposit boxes could cost taxpayer a fortune. GG opines: “This is evidence of why we should not store our valuables in safe deposit box.”    o o o Steve sent this video: Fearless Gas Station Clerk Grabs Shotgun From Robber. He was lucky! Never bring just muscles to a gun fight!

Jim from Illinois mentioned an eight-minute YouTube video clip titled The Fallout Shelters You Paid For. While some of their conclusions are unfounded, and some of the pictures are actually just of mines, it is still interesting to watch. Speaking of subterranean shelters, here is an elaborate private one. OBTW, did you notice teh glaring design error? Be sure to specify vault doors that open inward, so they can’t be easily blocked by falling debris or by miscreants!    o o o Peter Robinson comments in Forbes: Armageddon Time; When it comes to Iran, the U.S. may be facing a …

Don C. recommended a piece by Radley Balko at Reason: We’re All Felons, Now; Perpetual public fear of crime has turned us all into criminals. The average American unwittingly commits about three Federal felonies per day.    o o o The latest nuttiness from Nanny State Britannia: Apology for singing shop worker. (Thanks to Dewanye for the link.)    o o o A Cessna armed with Hellfire missiles. (This is not a joke.) Speaking of Cessna Caravans, any owners or would-be owners should bookmark this useful blog page: FlyingTheCessnaCaravan.    o o o Vic at Safecastle wrote to mention that …

Yishai mentioned some free CPR, AED, Choking, and Bag Valve Mask training videos that are available on-line.    o o o Britain considering banning beer glasses to reduce chance of “Brawls.” (Thanks to our Editor at Large Mike Williamson for the link.)    o o o Damon wrote to mention that Northwest Territorial Mint now offers silver bullion in fractional ounce and gram sizes.

Damon spotted and interesting web article on Everlasting Yeast.    o o o Reader JDT suggested the SOG Fusion Spirit Knife/Spear Head as a tool to have on hand for worst-case, long-term situations.    o o o Matt R. mentioned a new computer game called “I am Alive” that will be released next year.    o o o Ready Made Resources has added to their catalog some new premium albacore and salmon products with a minimum seven year shelf life.