Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Bill N. sent this great tip: Something Down The Drain? Retrieve it Without a Wrench    o o o Safecastle’s semi-annual 25% Off Mountain House storage food sale ends on June 5th, so get your order in soon! Buyers will get a free copy of the novel One Second After by William R. Forstchen if they purchase four or more cases of Mountain House foods.    o o o From Florida Guy: Mormon lessons in self-reliance can help families survive tough times. JWR Adds: While I’ll never see eye-to-eye with the LDS Church doctrinally, I give them nothing but praise …

Cheryl spotted this on a Israeli news site: WWIII Has Started    o o o JHB sent is a link to a new variety of self-contained fingertip pulse oximeter. Being able to monitor heart rate and blood oxygen saturation will be crucial, especially if you are handling a trauma case or severe illness case where respiration is shallow and your supply of medical oxygen is scant.    o o o In the “signs of the times” department, comes this from Powder Valley: “At this time we are not taking any new backorders for primers that are not listed here. We …

US and South Korea On High Alert After North Korea Renounces Truce    o o o Jim Wiseman (a pseudonym), the prepper that was featured in the recent AP wire service article on survivalism was interviewed for three show segments (45 minutes) on the nationally-syndicated Marc Germain Show, and he will soon be be featured on CNBC, as well.    o o o Clearly, the preparedness movement seems to have struck a chord with America’s collective psyche. Even assorted Greens and left-wingers are jumping on the band wagon, as evidenced by this article from Philadelphia: Survival of the Fittest (not …

Roman suggested an article that ties in nicely with my suggestion of the “Three Ks” concept for recession-proof jobs: The Case for Working With Your Hands    o o o Cheryl mentioned this book review: Vaccines: Crossing Immunological Boundaries    o o o I recently had an Internet retailer contact me about advertising on my blog. I made some inquiries, and it turned out that about 60% of their merchandise is made in mainland China. Unless or until China does away with the laogai system of prison factories, I will not accept advertising from any companies that have a more …

There is an excellent thread of discourse in progress over at TMM’s Gulching/Self-Sufficiency Forum titled, Burn a CD with survival and gulching information on it, what would you include?    o o o As you’ve doubtless already heard, the “rogue state” nuclear threat index just increased. I consider “Kim Jong Il ” and “Unstable” synonymous.    o o o Florida Guy sent a news article on the latest manifestation of hoplophobia: New York. proposes new bill to register and track all state ammo sales

I was disappointed to see that my novel “Patriots” has slipped from the 4.5 star rating that it consistently held on Amazon.com for the past nine years, down to just 4 stars. The reason? It is obvious that several readers who just don’t “get it” when it comes to the concept of preparedness bought copies of the novel from the racks at their local bookstores. Perhaps they thought that it would just be another in the endless parade of Tom Clancy clones–formulaic “techno thrillers”, which seem to invariably be set in either New York City, or inside the DC Beltway. …

Brent F. recommneded a site that focuses on Third World technology: How to Make Everything.    o o o A Sunset magazine article flagged by reader LRG: Make your own backyard adobe oven    o o o William Atkin has posted a very useful guide to sprouting. There is also a PDF available for download.

Cattle Rustling on the Rise as US Recession Bites    o o o Credit Bill OK’d with Gun Provision    o o o With the Economy Tough, the Tough Go Camping    o o o America’s Poor Are its Most Generous Givers    o o o SF in Hawaii mentioned the Local Harvest web site, and their map of family farms. SF’s comment: “Thinking about relocating? Take a look at this map. It might be nice to have some small farm neighbors.”.

Eric wrote to mention that the Survivalist Groups Listing Page URL has changed.    o o o Chris–the editor of the LDS Preparedness manual that I recently mentioned–wrote to say: “Version 6.00 of the manual is almost complete and will be released in June. But for now, you can get a printable PDF copy of the Preparedness Manual for LDS Members, Version 5.01 (Nov.1, 2008) There are also hard bound printed copes available–rather than downloading and printing 200+ pages. It can also be found on my homepage.”    o o o GG spotted this: Spam sales soar as buyers seek …

Safecastle has announced a 25% Off Mountain House storage food sale that will be running from May 23 to June 5th. As a bonus, you’ll also get a free copy of the novel One Second After by William R. Forstchen if you purchase four or more cases of Mountain House foods    o o o Struggling Families Look at Adoption    o o o Peak Phosphorous? GG sent us a link to a summary of a new Scientific American article: Phosphorus: A Looming Crisis. (The full text of the article is not yet available on-line.)    o o o Brian …

Mark A. sent a link to a LDS Preparedness Manual in PDF. This is a 222-page manual about food storage and some other topics.   o o o Farming and Hunting magazines among very few to increase advertising revenue. (Thanks to GG for the link.)    o o o The folks at the Ancient Pathways outdoor survival school mentioned that they have expanded the survival gear section of their web site and are now offering two new instructional DVDs.

Reader RTK recommended a New York Times Op-Ed piece: All Disasters Are Local    o o o Here is a link to a brief YouTube segment on how to seal foods in Mylar bags, using a Foodsaver    o o o Big-Box Stores Comparisons    o o o Disaster risk increasing, says UN    o o o From Trapper Mike: GPS system ‘close to breakdown’; Network of satellites could begin to fail as early as 2010

EMB suggested this blog piece: Root-cellar plan    o o o Thanks to Scott N. for this link: Critics Deride Bill Designed to Keep Weapons Out of Terrorists’ Hands    o o o JRH Enterprises is running a $2,995 special on new 3rd Generation PVS-14 night vision scopes, with brand-new factory-original image intesifier tubes, complete with certified factory data sheets. If you want the ultimate in retreat security, buy one. Most other dealers sell these same scopes for close to $4,000. You won’t regret it!    o o os Police: Man said 30,000 bullets were for target practice. Did I …

Thanks to Kevin A. for sending this: Navajos largely unscathed by recession. Hmmm… Owning livestock, living self-sufficiently, and living debt free. Does this sound familiar?    o o o Cheryl sent us this: NRA Thrives Amid Fears of Heightened Gun-Control Efforts    o o o A herd of common sense, from a Cody, Wyoming newspaper: Pioneer spirit needed during tough times.(I was pleased to see that the article quotes my top five states for retreats locales.)    o o o KAF sent us links to two interesting pieces on the 1930s: The Great Depression: ‘We were all in the same …

Denny Z. sent us a link to a YouTube clip of a comedy classic: Archie Bunker on Gun Control    o o o “John Smith” suggested a You Tube clip of a James Burke “Connections” documentary episode from 1978. Burke’s description of the 1965 New York blackout illustrates the interconnections and fragility of urban society. It is rather prophetic. Given our far greater tecnological dependence these days, it some serrious food for thought.    o o o Cheryl sent this: Another 1,225,980+ Guns Bought By Americans in April 2009 This number is based on just the background checks by FFL …