Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Michael Z. Williamson pointed out a fascinating web site: The Great Firewall of China. With it, you can test to see if any web site is banned by censors in China. Mike notes: “I tested my sites. My writing site is clear. My blade [making] site is banned.” Go figure.Out of curiosity, I just tested SurvivalBlog, and oddly enough, it is not banned in China. I assumed that because I had mentioned laogai slave labor system in China that my site would have been banned. This has me depressed. Clearly, something is wrong when even a reactionary “Capitalist rotor” and …

Frequent blog content contributor Ben L. mentioned this article that confirms that the origin of H5N1 Asian Avian Flu was in southern China. Ben’s comment: “As if we didn’t already know. Hello, again, 1918.”    o o o Ben L. also recommends a site with some of the collected essays of Ed Harris (of “Ed’s Red” bore cleaner fame.) Ben’s comment: on Ed’s essays: “[they] bustle with subsonic rifle loads, “minimalist” (my wording) firearms usage, bore-cleaning, sighting, old-time gun writers (Jack O’Connor, Townsend Whelen, etc.), and the like. Quite the relief from “Keeping up with the Jones’s”, re buying the …

Dr. Ralph mentioned this technology, that could forestall Peak Oil’s perils: Oil Innovations Pump New Life Into Old Wells   o o o We are happy to welcome uControl Home Security to our roster of Affiliate Advertisers. Check them out. This isn’t your daddy’s burglar alarm system. The uControl method offers great redundancy and resiliency through multiple communication paths.    o o o Net worth of U.S. households skyrockets. The article ends ominously: “One risk facing the economy is that the housing slump will take an unexpected turn for the worse, a development that likely would cause consumers to clamp …

While it is surely no substitute for writing letters to your congresscritters, there is now a “No to H.R. 1022” (semi-auto and magazine ban) petition, with the goal of one million virtual “signers.”    o o o Michael Z. Williamson and Tim. L. both mentioned this news story: Blues Traveler Frontman John Popper Gets Popped. Mr. Popper has pretty good taste in guns and gear. In the photograph, notice the pair of Steyr Scout rifles, the stainless Mini-14 and the PVS-7 night vision goggles. Mike’s comment: “Preparedness is no good if you get busted for speeding and drug possession.”    …

From The New York Times: Mortgage Crisis Spirals, and Casualties Mount. I don’t hesitate to call the sub-prime lenders what they really are: contrapreneurs.   o o o S.F. in Hawaii sent this: N.Y. Amish Man Robbed At Gunpoint. Oddly, the goblins used a muzzleloader. That is most unusual. Hmmm… An anachronistic weapon chosen to prey on an anachronistic victim, I suppose. Good thing that they didn’t try this out West, where I’ve met a few men who wear Amish style beards (sans mustaches), but that regularly pack pistols.    o o o 1-800 GET LENS (one of our Affiliate …

RBS sent use these three bits of economic Sturm und Drang: One Wall Street analyst predicts a 20% DJIA drop this quarter. Meanwhile, Goldman, Merrill Almost `Junk,’ Their Own Traders Say and Chinese Market Gold Rush Goes On   o o o A Federal Reserve economist recommends “rebasing” the face value of the U.S. penny to five cents, to reflect its increased intrinsic value, As I already pointed out in SurvivalBlog, a more logical solution is to knock a zero off the dollar.    o o o Reader AVS mentioned this “important safety tip ” video: Never smash a spray …

I mentioned this about a year ago, but it bears repeating: By SOP, any firearm that comes out of our vault here at the Rawles Ranch is immediately loaded. Everyone in the family assumes that any gun seen anywhere here at the ranch is loaded at all times, and it is always treated as such. Avoiding any ambiguity helps reduce the chance of accidents.   o o o Michael Z. Williamson noted: a piece at Bloomberg.com that includes some useful background on silver supply/demand fundamentals: Artemis Hedge Fund Seeks $300 Million for Silver Boom    o o o Vic at …

Readers MPI and MWR both suggested listening to the Jim Puplava interview of economist Michael J. Panzner, the author of the book “Financial Armageddon.”. (Free audio podcast download. Scroll down to March 3rd–second hour.)   o o o “Kon Tiki” mentioned this video clip: A compressed air powered car being proptotyped in France.    o o o P.R. and J.B. both reminded me to mention that used concertina wire is often available at military surplus auctions. There are 37 pallets of used concertina wire up for auction right now at Fort Lewis, Washington. Those auctions end at 5 p.m. PST …

Ben L. sent this: Shell to Offer a Biodiesel Fuel in Europe Made From Wood Chips and Straw   o o o A tidbit from The Daily Reckoning: “Remember, for a good part of America’s history, every dollar in your pocket was a dollar backed by gold. So it’s not so crazy to ask yourself… if America has 8,180 tons – or nearly 261.7 million ounces – of gold in reserve… how many dollars does that buy? The answer will shock you. When dollars became unhinged from gold, the printing presses at the Fed cranked up. By 1980, for every …

Michael Z. Williamson found this news story for us: A Glitch in the Financial Matrix: How Heavy Trade Volumes and a 70-Minute Time Lag Wreaked Havoc Upon the New York Stock Exchange   o o o Mike F. points to an opinion piece first published in 2003 that he asserts still has relevance: Dollar vs. Euro — Weapons of mass destruction    o o o Hawaiian K. forwarded this article from The London Observer: Now the Pentagon tells Bush: climate change will destroy us. The article begins: “Climate change over the next 20 years could result in a global catastrophe …

Chuck G. (a regular content contributor) sent us this: The Plunge Protection Team gears up for a possible derivatives crisis. I’ve warned you about derivatives, so don’t be surprised when you see trillions of dollars get wiped out, overnight.   o o o SurvivalBlog reader Doc Holladay notes: “The wife of a fellow doomer buddy has a booming business as a professional seamstress doing alterations. I opine that her livelihood is pretty secure, as she is covered up in work. I’ve four of the treadle sewing machines I’ve refurbished. The old Singer treadle sewing machines use the same bobbins as …

A warning from veteran economic analyst Harry Shultz, by way of BULL!, (Not Bull)   o o o Desert T . mentioned this New York Times article on honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).    o o o Today we welcome our newest banner advertiser, East Tennessee Sterilizer Service. This company sells state of the art reverse osmosis water purifiers, and has some very hard to find medical equipment at great prices. They even have a few ultra cold medical freezers, which are only rarely found on the surplus market. Give them a call at: (423) 295-4531.

I’ve added a few more Affiliate Advertisers, including 1-800 GET LENS and the bookseller Chapters.indigo.ca in Canada. These join our big list of established affiliates that includes Lehmans.com, US Cavalry Store, Nitro-Pak, and Northern Tool & Equipment. (Those four generate more revenue for SurvivalBlog than all of the other affiliates, combined!) Of course, please give our paid (scrolling banner) advertisers your business first. But if they don’t have the products you are looking for, then please next patronize our affiliate advertisers. When you place an order via the web links from our Affiliates Page, we get a little piece of …

Matt in Texas sent the link for this Acres USA article in PDF format on the Prehn method for spring development: Milking Water from the Hills   o o o Frequent content contributor M.P. sent us this one: The Case Of The Vanishing Bees–Beekeepers In 22 States Report Insects Disappearing In Huge Numbers    o o o “Going, going…” Rob at $49 MURS Radios tells us that his supplies of the used MURS radios that he has been selling at $49 each is dwindling fast. He reports: “I expect only another few weeks of availability at the current rate of …

Simon M. mentioned that following Mossberg’s lead, the newly-minted “we’re conservatives, honest!” management at Smith & Wesson has jumped on the “survival kit” band wagon. They now offer “Disaster Ready” kit packaging for four variants of their Glock-like Sigma Series 9mm and .40 S& W pistols. Simon says: “I see that the kit is missing a good knife and a holster. I hope there is a good flint in the Pocket Survival Pack. Now if they did one of these [kits] based on there M&P15 (AR-15) that would be a bit better.” As previously mentioned in SurvivalBlog, S&W already offers …