Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Michigan State Fair Ending After this Year Items from The Economatrix: Cerberus to Ban Withdrawal From New Hedge Funds for Three Years. Note: JWR warned us about hedge fund redemption suspensions, two years ago! So You Just Squandered Billions…Take Another Whack at it Soft Number Folly (The Mogambo Guru) Scam H*ll Ahead (The Mogambo Guru) Americans’ Income Slump Biggest on Record The Renminbi as the World Reserve Currency (Pt. 1) Hit Me Again (The Mogambo Guru) Video: Peter Schiff on CNBC Fast Money Small Retailers Feel Sharper Pinch Loan Sharks Circle Credit-Starved Consumers Mike Whitney: Band-aids for the Recession John …

Marko liked this Lifehacker article: Build a BBQ Smoker for Under $50.    o o o JRH Enterprises (one of our most loyal advertisers) is running a Labor Day special on new 3rd Generation PVS-14s for only $2,995. This is a great price, so I’m buying one! The sale ends on September 8th.    o o o Ticketing tiff ends with courtroom gunfire.    o o o Two radio towers in Washington state toppled. Possibly the work of eco-terrorists. (Thanks to FG for the link.)

America’s Breadbasket Drying Up (What the article doesn’t explain is that half of this drought is political–since California Aqueduct water has been diverted from many farmers. California’s water politics are Machiavellian.)    o o o When is a nickel not just five cents? By chance, I got a fine condition 1944-P War Nickel in change at the local US post office today. (These are 35% silver, with a current melt value of about 90.1 cents per coin, their numismatic value is a bit higher.)

Michael Z. Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large, sent this interesting article from The Atlantic: In Case of Emergency. The new FEMA Director wants American citizens to take charge when disaster strikes. Here is a key quote: “‘We need to change behavior in this country,’ he told about 400 emergency-management instructors at a conference in June, lambasting the ‘government-centric’ approach to disasters.”    o o o There is a great thread of discussion is in progress, over at TMM Forums: Use of antique or classic tractors for gulching    o o o A remake of Red Dawn? Reader B.H. sent us …

Norman in England recommended this article about a solo documentary filmmaker’s experiment in the Yukon: Fifty days and nights in the wilderness. Note that even in warm weather he reached the psychological breaking point in just seven weeks. This adds credence to my assertion that going solo, playing “Batman in the Boondocks” wouldn’t work for 99.9% of the population. Please make realistic plans, and establish a well-stocked and fairly self-sufficient retreat. It takes faith and friends to survive!    o o o From DD: Continued l.os Angeles fires double in size. And, speaking of the fires, here is a YouTube …

Our friend Tamara posted a link to an article that illustrates that a very large quantity of ammunition can be stored in a relatively small, waterproof space.    o o o Failing Camouflage 101: Robbery suspect spray-paints face for disguise, dies. He should have listened to the warnings of his Greek girlfriend, Anna Phalaxis. 🙂    o o o Readers that enjoy finding coupon bargains might find the Coupon Chief web site worth bookmarking. This site is one of the better ones. (There are several others that you can quickly find with a web search,and the links at this SurvivalBlog …

A reminder that the new Surviving Disaster series premieres on Spike TV on Tuesday, Sept. 1st. Meanwhile, I’ve been enjoying The Colony, on The Discovery Channel (via online streaming–I don’t own a television.) Four full episodes of the latter are still available online.    o o o Eric S. sent us this every useful link: How to Move Heavy Objects with Simple Tools    o o o Bill would give president emergency control of Internet. (Thanks to H. for the link.)    o o o Ben M. flagged this: Fresnel Lens Solar Distiller. JWR Adds this Proviso: Keep in mind …

Thanks to Damon for sending this: More Sun for Less: Solar Panels Drop in Price    o o o From TLG: Potato blight confirmed in Dane County, Wisconsin    o o o Survivalists, Town Clash Over Craftsbury Road. There are two lessons to be learned here: 1.) OPSEC, 2.) Fully research any right-of-way and easement issues before buying a retreat property! Unfortunately, the body of case law that has accumulated on prescriptive easements does not bode well for the new land owners. If a road is used “openly and notoriously” with continuity for many years–in this instance for 150 years–then …

“Use Enough Gun” Department: Alaska man kills attacking 900 lb. Grizzly with .454 Casull revolver (Thanks to FG for the link.)    o o o Frank S. mentioned a video report on the propane re-filler techniques that were previously described in SurvivalBlog.    o o o I encountered an interesting thread of discussion in progress, over at TMM Forums: Bartering with Alcohol and Cigarettes. (I don’t use either, so I have no expertise. Nor do I approve of them. But for those of you that do, I offer this link.)

$49.9 Million US Contract for .300 Winchester Magnum Ammo. That is a significant quantity, but not enough yet to indicate that the US Army will discard the M24 (chambered in .308 Winchester) as their primary sniper rifle.    o o o Playboy magazine jumps on the 2012 bandwagon. (Read only this re-posted online article and for the sake of your mortal soul don’t read their disgusting, smutty magazine.) OBTW, mention of this article came to SurvivalBlog directly from Liz Sablich, a Junior Publicist with Playboy Enterprises. Do your parents know what you do for a living? These is honest work …

Honoré scolds Louisiana on storms. A quote (paraphrased): “Every one dollar you spend on preparedness, saves you nine dollars during the crisis”. Don’t miss the wisdom included in the last few lines of the article. (Thanks to Jason A for the link.) KT spotted this: Laos Government Continues to Hunt Former CIA Secret Army. JWR’s comment: Unless they’ve been covertly re-supplied (which I doubt), the fact that they are still mainly using US-made weapons is indicative that they have been fighting defensively in a conservative fashion, rather than offensively. Otherwise, they would have been out of .30 Carbine. 5.56 mm …

Reader Eric S. sent this: A storm brews over food, water & power    o o o Greg H. sent us this article: Clock ticks down on a deadly chemical stockpile in Kentucky    o o o From frequent content contributor DD: Without prospects, they’re prospectors: Metal’s high price and economy’s low ebb create new California gold rush    o o o British Residents Bring Back Bartering

Reader G.D.T. sent us a story that recently appeared in The Wall Street Journal. G.D.T. wrote: “I saw the link about cattle rustling in Pennsylvania. Now folks are stealing hay in Texas.”    o o o Tamara posted this bit of levity that has a serious lesson attached: A more dangerous breed of junkie. The point is that there was no Matrix-esque bullet-dodging going on. This was just an all-too common case of a poorly trained cop that unloaded in the general direction of his intended target–and he didn’t hit score any hits. Only hits count!    o o o …

Sometimes the bias of mainstream media is blatantly obvious. Compare this video clip, with this news report from CNBC. Notice how, with some clever editing, they did not inform their viewers that the man carrying the “assault rifle” in this news story about the “racist overtones” of the anti-Health Care plan protestors was in fact a black man.    o o o News from Australia: No-Warrant Terrorism Raids Proposed    o o o Reader Ken M. mentioned: “Ready Made Resources has a free solar power products catalog in PDF format that is great for anyone interested in solar power. The …

Greg C. sent this news article from Florida: Rush is on for concealed-guns permits    o o o From KAF: A rush for black gold in the Gulf. KAF notes: “Every country except the USA will be drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.    o o o North Korea Threatens Nuclear Strike    o o o US City of Paterson, New Jersey, Planning Curfew to Combat Rising Crime