Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Makezine‘s MakerFaire is scheduled for May 19-20, 2007 at the San Mateo County Fairgrounds, in northern California. SurvivalBlog readers in the S.F. Bay Area should plan to attend. Your will learn some great hands-on MacGyver skills there.    o o o 11 Retired U.S. Admirals and Generals Urge Changes on Greenhouse Gas Emissions   o o o Commercially available (“off the shelf”) hydrogen fuel cells! Of course pricing is another matter, but in the long term, fuel cells are a promising technology for powering retreats and self-contained NBC shelters.    o o o InyoKern’s research turned up this article: California …

From RBS: The history behind “political correctness”    o o o Survivalist.com has a fascinating links page on various disasters   o o o RCP sent us this, but it hardly comes as a surprise: Japan is considering selling some of its US Dollar reserves.    o o o I heard that J&G Sales in Arizona has some .303 British surplus ammo now in stock. It is POF surplus ammo, with a FMJ bullet, brass case, packed in 32 round boxes or 768 round cases.

Simon M. noticed a cool “Bulletproof Urban Assault Vehicle on Commander Zero’s blog. The Commander ‘s wry comment: “Try not to think what a vehicle made out of 3/16″ sheet steel weighs and what it’ll do to your engine and suspension. Especially your suspension of disbelief since this thing wouldn’t stop a .223. Points for style though.”    o o o Jay in Florida mentioned a fascinating thread over at the S&W Forums on what happens to bullet hit bodies by a LEO Medical Morgue examiner. Quite valuable information.   o o o Its no wonder that the liberal do-gooders …

Reader Bill G. notes that VITA has added a lot of new “appropriate technology” resources to their free library since I last referenced them.    o o o Kon Tiki recommended this short documentary video: The Gun Makers of Pakistan. The documentary is politically biased, but if you ignore the commentary, the images speak for themselves. Don’t miss the close-up of the kid’s precise handloading technique.   o o o Tim P. flagged A Guide to Drilling, Reaming, and Broaching a Bolt-Action Receiver at Home for free download at the Jews For The Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JPFO) web site. …

From reader RBS: Dash for green fuel pushes up price of meat in US    o o o Larry LaBorde, was quoted at 321Gold.com, on April 13th: “The United States dollar index has dropped below 82 today. We would do well to remember that the index is just a measure of the USD strength in relation to other currencies. It is sort of like measuring the USD with a rubber yardstick. While all currencies are racing to zero the USD just got a little ahead of the others. Check out www.coinflation.com and scroll down until you get to the current …

Hawaiian K. sent us this: More on honeybee CCD, from Der Spiegel. Are genetically modified crops to blame? And Brian H. sent a link to this article from England that was featured in The Drudge Report, which suggests that cellular phone transmissions might be to blame.   o o o From RBS: Sagging Housing Industry hits largest homebuilders   o o o Also from RBS, shades of 1929: The NASD issues a rare warning to investors on excessive stock and bond purchases made on margin   o o o Reader Jim H. mentioned that Sam’s Club membership warehouse stores are …

The high bid in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction is now at $300. This auction is for a scarce pre-1899 Mauser that was arsenal converted to 7.62mm NATO. It has a retail value of $375. The auction ends on May 15th. Just e-mail me your bid. Thanks!   o o o RBS pointed us to this commentary by Dr. Irwin Kellner: End of housing bubble should have been obvious to everyone   o o o $40 Million Worth of MREs Spoiled as FEMA Ran Out of Space    o o o “Hiker” noted this warning issued by John Rubino, about the …

Reader H.H. sent us a link to this article with a different view of peak oil at the IBD: Running On Empty? Not Yet   o o o One of the folks over at The Claire Files mentioned the My Fallout Shelter web site. It has some very useful maps on fallout pattern prediction (very scary for easterners!), as well as some free downloadable document on fallout shelter construction.    o o o Not the slightest bit survival or preparedness related, but you gotta love this piece of jet jockey lore, by way of our friend Kit‘s entertaining blog: “ASPEN …

Michael Z. Williamson flagged this one: Sean Rakhimov’s recent commentary on silver. The demand side of the silver price equation is inexorable. I still strongly believe that spot silver will rise tremendously in the next few years.   o o o Thanks to all of the recent Ten Cent Challenge subscribers. I’m glad to see that so many of you find SurvivalBlog informative, useful, and worthy of support. My sincere thanks!    o o o Larry LaBorde, was quoted at 321Gold.com, on April 13th: “The United States dollar index has dropped below 82 today. We would do well to remember …

Can you hear the rumble of the implosion? From Foreclosure Radar: California Foreclosure Sales Near $2 Billion in March (15% of all home sales!) Notably, 4,796 homes of the 5,316 homes at the foreclosure sales received no bids. (About 90%.)   o o o SF. in Hawaii flagged this: Scientists predict Southwest mega-drought–Climate models indicate region will be as dry as Dust Bowl for decades    o o o J.M. mentioned that the CMP has some decent prices on surplus .30-06 ammunition. Stock up, because the current ammo shortage is only going to get worse in the next few years! …

RBS pointed us to another article on the unintended consequences of the ethanol boom: Wheres the Beef?? It Better Be in Your Freezer   o o o Some serious FFTAGFFR Reader Bill F. recommended this: Shift Happens. Bill’s comment: “[It is] a video with information about extrapolating numbers about our population compared to China and India as well as education and technology rates of change. Stunning!”    o o o Chuck mentioned this essay by Prof. Goose, over at The Oil Drum: A Letter to My Brother: Peak Oil in Greater Detail    o o o Florida Guy sent this: …

More on Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), mentioning beehive population losses up to 70%: Mysterious disappearance of US bees creating a buzz   o o o Remington Arms has been sold to Cerberus Partners    o o o From the new, improved, Democrat party-dominated U.S. Congress: A bill to create a “Department of Peace and Nonviolence.” George Orwell saw it coming. Don’t miss Section 102, which includes: “(5) analyze existing policies, employ successful, field-tested programs, and develop new approaches for dealing with the implements of violence, including gun-related violence and the overwhelming presence of handguns” Gee, I always thought that handguns …

Polk mentioned a recipe from, of all places, Black-Rifles.com, for do-it-yourself yogurt.   o o o S.F. mentioned this from Milspecmonkey.com: Videos from the recent SHOT show, demonstrating the Lula magazine loaders, and MagPul’s fully ambidextrous gas piston-operated lightweight .223 with quick-change barrels. Meanwhile, Bushmaster has introduced their own gas-piston operated AR-15 variant. (Which would be my choice if I owned a .223.) Oh, and in related news, the U.S. Army won’t be replacing the M4–or even retrofitting with HK-416 uppers.    o o o An income tax in Florida? One of just nine U.S. states without a personal income …

From the Wall Street Journal (by way of SKaiBlog): Crop Prices Soar Pushing Up Cost Of Food Globally   o o o GG sent us this article link: Diet of tarantulas saves hikers lost in jungle    o o o Until May 31, Safecastle Royal buyer’s club members can take 30% off the list prices on all Montague folding bikes and accessories (with a minimum purchase of $100). They are listing seven bike models, including the popular “Paratrooper.” Discounted prices range from $349 to $1,431, with free shipping.

The U.S. real estate implosion begins, in earnest: A house costs less than a car in Detroit. The recent shift in the real estate market (which I predicted two years ago) has led me to believe that the best way to buy land these days is to watch and wait for bargains, particularly bankruptcy sales and foreclosures. The foreclosure rate jumped 13% in the past two months. I expect this trend to continue, especially as millions of sub-prime ARMs reset. to higher interest rates. There will be a lot of foreclosures to choose from–including some good rural retreat properties–as the …