Category: Odds ‘n Sods

 SurvivalBlog reader “Paje” put together a detailed analysis on the relative value of gold, dollars, and ammunition that he posted over at the AR-15.com forums. Nicely done!   o o o Rich at KT Ordnance mentioned this article at News With Views by constitutionalist lawyer Edwin Vieira: Will the North American Union Be American Patriots’ Last Stand?   o o o There is an interesting thread of discussion in progress over at The Claire Files on using water well hand pumps during sub-freezing weather.

Mike the Blacksmith and Ben L. both mentioned this article: Bird flu virus ‘still smoldering,’ U.S. expert says    o o o William S. Lind, writing in Counterpunch, penned this thought-provoking piece: When Will the First IED Strike Cleveland? (A hat tip to Eric S. for recommending this article.) According to IED experts, the terrorist IED threat shows spiral development. My personal prediction is that IEDs in the Middle East will soon display far greater sophistication. It is an inevitability of Fourth Generation Warfare. In perhaps just five years, “mud hut tribesmen” will be employing unmanned aerial vehicle borne IEDs …

Readers David D. and Bret F. both recommended a speech transcript at the Energy Bulletin site: Closing the ‘Collapse Gap’: the USSR was better prepared for peak oil than the US.    o o o Michael Z. Williamson sent this link, with this comment: “Further evidence that the “inevitable” Atlantic [La Palma] megatsunami is merely hype.    o o o Rourke (moderator of the Jericho Discussion Group) noticed that SurvivalBlog was linked in the entry on “Survivalism” at conservative commentator Glenn Beck’s “Glennpedia.”  

Writing in yesterday’s Daily Reckoning, editor Bill Bonner observed: “People who lend in dollars get repaid in dollars. An obvious consequence of a falling dollar is that lenders have to expect to get less back than they originally invested. In the last few weeks, the dollar has lost about 5% against the euro. Yet, the 91-day T-bill lending rate is only about 4.90%. Go figure. Lenders expected only 4.9% on their money – for a full year. And in a few weeks, they’ve lost more than that, in international terms. What’s more, they still have to pay taxes on the …

Reader H.V. suggested this article: Zimbabwe Finance Minister promises to slash inflation by two-thirds. What a vast improvement! If he manages to accomplish this, then the inflation rate would only be around 400%, annually. Please pray that Comrade Mugabe and his henchmen leave Zimbabwe soon and that they are replaced with a legitimate, competent government. o o o Fred The Valmet-meister mentioned that he was experimenting with his Civil Defense surplus Geiger counter and was shocked at the high readings from his lantern mantles. “With Coleman [mantles], I got 800 – 1000 millirad. I also have a set of Primus …

 Reader S.P. mentioned this interesting new photovoltaic power technology. Could a price breakthrough on solar panels be coming soon?   o o o In a recent phone conversation, The Chartist Gnome told me that there are now rumors of a U.S. Dollar collapse circulating on Wall Street. Echoing this sentiment came this article: about the dollar’s slide. The Dollar lost 1.7% against the Euro jut last week. (Thanks to Mike the Blacksmith for that article link.) My advice: Be like the Boy Scout. If you haven’t already, diversify out of dollars and into tangibles.    o o o Ben. L. …

Thad K. suggested this link on how to grow your own luffa sponges. His comment: “What a great survival plant, eat them when young, wash with them when they are mature!”    o o o The previously mentioned special promotion at Northern Tool & Equipment (one of our affiliate advertisers) ends tomorrow. (December 4th) Northern is offering sitewide Free Gift Cards with purchases over $100. You will need to enter keycode 94660 in order to receive their free gift card.    o o o I got a note from Freeze Dry Guy, with good news: They are extending their November …

There is a very lively thread of conversation over at The Claire Files Forums, titled “Preparing for Abrupt Climate Change”    o o o From WorldNetDaily: Debunking the debunkers–Snopes snookered by 10 Commandments hoax.    o o o Don’t miss out on the Free Shipping special, this month only at Ready Made Resources. They are SurvivalBlog’s oldest and most generous sponsor. Please visit their web site and check out their wide range of products and place your order soon to take advantage of the free shipping special. (Shipping charges can otherwise be considerable, especially on storage food!)

The modern blunderbuss. Is this the ultimate in intimidating a burglar?    o o o Details about the about planned microchipped “E-Passports”. A hat tip to Redmist for sending this link, (Via Claire Wolfe’s site.) And BTW, here is how folks have already cracked the new system.    o o o Gokuryu sent this, from CNN.com: We Were Warned: Tomorrow’s Oil Crisis Gokuryu says “This segment explains how the former CIA director and other experts say we are on the brink of an energy crisis.”

Tom W. at CometGold.com sent this one, from Canada.com: “Hedge Funds Overleveraged, Sprott warns”    o o o Reader CM writes: “A fascinating look at how Mr. Bernanke is radically increasing the money supply, and lying about it..The link is to a DailyKos diary but don’t let that deter you – the charts and information that it contains are worth the look.”    o o o Northern Tool & Equipment (one of our affiliate advertisers) is offering sitewide Free Gift Cards with purchases over $100. This limited time promotion started Monday, November 27th and goes through Monday, December 4th. You …

Are you searching for retreat locales? There is a great site that I often mention to my consulting clients for surveying the extent and types of agriculture in various regions. It is available from Purdue University’s horticulture department.    o o o I was doing a web search and I found this interesting video on British SAS operations, available for free download. It shows the planning and execution of a 28 day Observation Post (OP) mission. I was surprised to see how much detail they included about their weapons and field gear (“kit”), organization, and tactics. There are definitely some …

I was doing some web searches on EMP and I stumbled into this site that describes how to protect radios and other electronics with do-it-yourself Faraday cages.    o o o The documentary video “In Hiding” is about the more than one million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Burma. Some of them–mainly Karen, Karenni, and Shan triibesmen–are being systematically hunted down by their own government. It is a “must see” video, available for free download. It was produced by FreeBurmaRangers.org. Regardless of your politics, there are some survival lessons that can be learned from this video    o o o …

Reader D. Taylor mentioned this article from the New England Journal of Medicine on H5N1 Avian Influenza–Continuing Evolution and Spread. It begins: “There is no question that there will be another influenza pandemic someday. We simply don’t know when it will occur or whether it will be caused by the H5N1 avian influenza virus. But given the number of cases of H5N1 influenza that have occurred in humans to date (251 as of late September 2006) and the rate of death of more than 50%, it would be prudent to develop robust plans for dealing with such a pandemic”    …

The U.S. Dollar’s long term slide versus the Euro resumes, in earnest. I’m still predicting that it will soon take $2 to buy a Euro. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Invest in tangibles to protect yourself from the Dollar’s inevitable demise! If you haven’t already done so, give the folks at Swiss America a call. SurvivalBlog reader Mike The Blacksmith comments on the slide in the dollar versus foreign currencies: “The question is how long, how fast?”    o o o Michael Z. Williamson dropped me a line to point me to a detailed article at …

In response to Tim from Saskatchewan, who asked about the video of the tanker truck BLEVE explosion in Germany that I had mentioned on SurvivalBlog more than a year ago, here it is.    o o o USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Bruce Knight promised Wednesday to keep the national animal identification system (NAIS) a permanently voluntary system. My comment: Yeah, right. Just like they promised the Indians about “permanent” reservation lands: “As long as grass grows and the water flows.”    o o o Redmist flagged this piece: The British Nanny State expands further.