Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Reader KAF wrote: “I was most interested and thankful for the recipes in the articles discussing making your own laundry detergent. I also could not find the ingredient Washing Soda. After some searching, I discovered that it is Sodium Carbonate (aka Soda Ash). Here is a bulk supplier for the powder. They also sell Borax (aka Sodium Borate). I’ve ordered some and I can’t wait to try my hand at this lab experiment!    o o o Blacksheep sent this: Amazon Erases Orwell Books From Kindle. OBTW, let me know if your Kindle edition of “Patriots: A Novel of Survival …

Garnet sent this: China dust cloud circled globe in 13 days. Garnet notes that this is something to keep in mind for a variety of emerging threats, including Ug99 wheat rust.    o o o I was pleased to see that one of my recent blog articles was re-posted by The Silver Bear Cafe: The Nascent Depression: Be Ready to Barter and Adopt the Rhodesian View    o o o Guns are consistently “the great equalizer”. See these recent news articles: 82-year-old man kills invader and Child shoots intruder during home break-in, and Teen allegedly shoots and kills intruder.    …

John (“The Midwest Hiker”) reminded me that The Discovery Channel will begin to air “The Colony” tonight (Tuesday, July 21) at 10 p.m. eastern time. John’s comment: “As far as I can tell, is a show about an enclave of survivors rebuilding and struggling after a major TEOTWAWKI event; a plague of catastrophic proportions. I have some doubts about the technical accuracy of the show–the survivors, after all, are living in a ‘compound’ in L.A.–but even so, the show employs a talented cast of ‘survivors,’ everyone from a rocket scientist to an electrician. This should at least be worth the …

The BATFE apparently can’t understand the plain meaning of the 10th Amendment. Without citing any genuine justification, the ATF is dictating to manufacturers and dealers to ignore the newly-enacted state law. But in actuality, they should ignore the ATF. Federal jurisdiction over FFL-licensed manufacture and sale of firearms is based on the which established Federal jurisdiction over interstate commerce. If a gun doesn’t cross a state line then that is intrastate commerce, and hence outside of Federal jurisdiction. The ATF director needs to read the Tenth Amendment, and the precedent-setting Lopez decision, and take a chill pill. No nexus means …

F.G. alerted me to this article: Companies are now shorting (cheating) on propane tank refills.    o o o Linda P. pointed out a closeout sale on Bennington Flags (the official SurvivalBlog low-key meetup flag), at FlagGuys.com.    o o o Craig W. spotted this article from San Diego, California: They Carry Guns. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Much like a muscle that atrophies with disuse, any right that goes unexercised for many years devolves into a privilege, and eventually can even be redefined as a crime.    o o o A legislative alert from Gun …

Reader Bill B. mentioned this piece by the author of the popular novel One Second After, William R. Forstchen: “EMP 101” A Basic Primer & Suggestions for Preparedness    o o o Greg C. sent a link to a Rasmussen Reports article: The Audacity of Self-defense    o o o EMB spotted an interesting new site: GippersList.com. It is an alternative to Craigslist, for conservatives, I assume that they will allow firearms and ammunition ads. (Which, of course, the politically correct Craigslist won’t.)    o o o Only in America Department: Dealer offers AK-47 with each new truck purchase (A …

Some unexpected fallout from the Kahre American Eagles legal tender case: U.S. Attorney Wants Newspaper to Name Names. (Thanks to Chad in Missouri for the link.)    o o o F.G. mentioned this guaranteed-to-choke-you-up commercial from Ford.    o o o Reader KAF brought this piece in IBD to my attention: It’s Not An Option; Congress: It didn’t take long to run into an “uh-oh” moment when reading the House’s “health care for all Americans” bill. Right there on Page 16 is a provision making individual private medical insurance illegal. Meanwhile we read: Congressional Budget Director Warns Health Care Bills …

Reader JN-EMT mentioned a site that describes a straightforward method to refuel a propane-converted car or truck from a 20 pound barbeque LPG cylinder. Take a look at this page for the “gas can” and other propane ideas.    o o o F.R. found this piece at the New Scientist site: Is your city prepared for a home-made nuke?    o o o Experts Now Saying Recent Cyber Attacks Came From Britain, Not North Korea    o o o Cheryl sent this article from Sacramento, California: Rise in County Gun Sales Tied to Fewer Cops, What Obama Might Do    …

Kevin A. sent a link to page with an amazing wealth of links: Magazines (and Websites) About Homesteading and Self-Sufficiency    o o o Reader PD sent this: Fall in World 2009 Food Production    o o o F.G. sent us this: Powerful Ideas: Military Develops ‘Cybug’ Spies    o o o Bobbi was the latest reader to mention the reader-generated Cool Tools web site. I’ve linked to it before in the blog, but so many of their recent articles tie in to SurvivalBlog topics that it bears mentioning again. For example, the current Cool Tools review of the recent …

Wild Weather in Year Ahead, Scientists Predict    o o o North Korean Army Behind Cyber Attacks    o o o North Korea’s Kim Has Pancreatic Cancer    o o o Care to predict a trend? Tiburon [California] may install license plate cameras. (Not to worry, folks. We’ve been promised that this is all for “public safety,”)

Hawaiian K. suggested this piece by Mas Ayoob, in Backwoods Home magazine: How to shoot a handgun accurately    o o o In the most recent Dr. Housing Bubble blog: Westside Los Angeles: The Ultimate Prime and Stagnant Real Estate Market.    o o o Reader Paul P. offered a link to a thought-provoking piece on self-sufficiency in Sharon Astyk’s blog: Eat What You Grow, Grow What You Eat?    o o o Greg. C. suggested this piece by Chaz Valenza: Three Rules for Living Through the Second Depression

Readers Chuck and Garnet both sent this link: Potato famine disease striking home gardens in U.S.    o o o Safecastle Royal has added several new interesting products to their line, including a the new extra-large 8″-diameter Bury-‘Em caching tube, the K8 Nuke Safeguard Mini Alarm, and a 12-can variety of pack of Yoder’s canned meats.    o o o Chiming in on the recent discussion of transferring liquid propane between tanks, reader Chris M. mentioned: “Harbor Freight has an item with part #45989 for refilling propane bottles.”    o o o Richard Fleetwood (of SurvivalRing) has announced a new …

Ben M. sent this: Did an Ancient Volcano Freeze Earth?    o o o Concern over Ebola virus in pigs; Ebola can cause deadly disease in some forms. A form of Ebola virus has been detected in pigs for the first time, raising concerns it could mutate and pose a new risk to humans. (Thanks to Andrew H. for the link.)From    o o o Cheryl flagged this: Frail Kim Jung-Il May Have Only Months To Live; Youngest Son May Not Be Successor Due To China’s Disagreement

Is “Sea-burn” a topic of interest to you? Richard H. mentioned that Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense Information Analysis Center (CBRNIAC) has a newsletter that is available for free distribution.    o o o Reader Sandra E. suggested: ” You can buy 500+ coffee filters for as little as $1, and a box of 500 takes up little space and is lightweight. They can be used for toilet paper, paper towels, filtering things other than coffee. Also, if you’re growing in flower pots or buckets with drain holes, put 1 or 2 filters in bottom of pot,and this allows …

H.H. and Hawaiian K. both mentioned this piece over at the Backwoods Home site, by Claire Wolfe: Preparing for Civil Unrest    o o o Randy K. sent us this history lesson: How the potato got hot; The foodstuff was once viewed as unnatural and dangerous. Its rise to a global staple may tell us something about today’s genetically modified crops.    o o o Richard S sent us a link to an amazing story: Do or die; A fellow soldier was impaled by a live RPG. For medics and a helicopter crew, there was only one choice    o …