Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Are you planning to put a pair of walkie talkies under the Christmas tree this year? My #1 Son recently mentioned: “Why should people get their kids cheap 500 milliwatt ‘toy’ walkie talkies, or even 1 watt FRS radios when you can instead get them more practical 2 watt MURS radios? That will be a gift that they can keep and use in their adult lives.” (I think that he was broadly hinting that he wants a pair for himself.)    o o o A reader penned this thank you: “I just got another 100% Merino extra fine wool sweater …

A plan to monetize the one ounce “Libertad” silver coin.    o o o Reader J.H. mentioned this article: Israelis put nuclear bunkers in gardens    o o o There are some interesting ongoing threads of discussion over at the CometGold Forums, particularly in the Options/Derivatives Forum. Methinks that late 2006 and early 2007 may be very interesting times for the precious metals markets.

SurvivalBlog reader “The Rabid One” mentioned that chemical light sticks can be set up with a discarded computer CD as a reflector mount. This mounting arrangement can create very visible markers for trails. helicopter landing zones, et cetera. Employing infrared light sticks in this manner (for use with night vision goggles) opens up even more possibilities. You can even make them directional. “The Rabid One” quipped: “I knew I would someday find a use for all those free AOL CDs.” (Some uses for CDs are not just comical. They do make effective reflectors for scaring birds from gardens and orchards.) …

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said that investors and central banks are both shifting away from the U.S. dollar and toward the Euro.    o o o In Clean Politics, Flesh Is Pressed, Then Sanitized    o o o I heard that Ready Made Resources now stocks the excellent video “Sheltering In Place – Surviving Acts of Terrorism from Biological, Chemical and Radioactive Fallout.” (North American format DVD and NTSC format VHS tapes. Sorry, no PAL format tapes or European format DVDs are available.) The video normally retails for $29 plus postage, but Ready Made Resources sells it for …

Reader Hawaiian K notes: “One of the most practical skills an outdoorsman/survivalist can practice is knot tying. There is a terrific site that shows you exactly how they’re done (they show examples of around 75 specific knots) via clearly photographed animations.    o o o From WorldNetDaily: Investors warned of post-election disaster. The Gold Anti-Trust Action organization’s Bill Murphy claims that the Plunge Protection Team may have plans for a weaker dollar, after the U.S. mid-term election in early November.    o o o Bob at Ready Made Resources mentioned that he is available for free consulting (with no purchase …

I recently drove down most of the length of Idaho on Highway 95. Many of the Idaho stretches of this highway would be classified as a “secondary road” in most other states. But it is Idaho’s only north-south corridor–the equivalent of California’s Highway 5. It connects two economically distinct regions. Southern Idaho is economically tied to the humble potato, and adjoining Utah. It is on Mountain Time. Northern Idaho is economically tied to logging and to the easternmost portions of adjoining Oregon and Washington. It is on Pacific Time. Highway 95 is so pitifully under-engineered that it earned the nickname …

President Bush signs the bill authorizing funding for the construction of a sensor-laden fence on the Mexican border.    o o o Iran plans to expand its nuclear fuel processing capabilities. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice Urges “Immediate” Sanctions    o o o Bumper sticker seen near Salmon, Idaho: “I Come From a Long Line of Helicopter Loggers”

Sales of Existing U.S. Homes Fall: “The median price of a single-family home fell to $219,800 last month, a drop of 2.5 percent from the price in September 2005. That was the biggest year-over-year price decline in records going back nearly four decades.” I’ve been warning SurvivalBlog readers about this since I first started the blog, back in August of 2005. Buckle your seatbelts, folks! We are about to witness the part of the roller coaster ride when everyone screams. (So far all that we’ve heard have been a few nervous whimpers.)    o o o Vic at Safecastle mentioned …

Reader “Alfie Omega” recommended the article at The Wikipedia on Currency Devaluation.    o o o The World Wildlife Federation contends: Humans living far beyond planet’s means.    o o o Deaths Halt Flu Vaccinations in Israel  

Frequent content contributor (and top notch novelist) Michael Z. Williamson mentioned two interesting articles posted over at the Box O’ Truth web site: New tests on pistol shotshells, and will school books stop bullets? (To explain: A candidate for the office of Texas state superintendent of schools recently said that he wants to distribute thick used textbooks to students so they can shield themselves from school shooters.)    o o o London Underground contact surfaces to get anti-flu disinfectant silver spray.    o o o There is currently an interesting thread about walking sticks/staves over at The Claire Files. Yes, …

A grim statistic from France: Thusfar for the year 2006, an average of 112 cars per day have been torched by rioters.     o o o NASA says: The Greenland ice sheet is shrinking fast.    o o o Alaska eskimo villagers living in bird flu’s flight path.  

From Mish Shedlock’s blog on October 21st, titled “Easy Button”: U.S. house builders scramble to unload their inventory in a collapsing market.    o o o A University of Washington economic geologist counters the Peak Oil theory, asserting that new technology will assure oil supplies that won’t run out for many centuries.    o o o The world–especially the Western United States, the Mediterranean region, and Brazil–will likely suffer more extended droughts, heavy rainfalls and longer heat waves over the next century because of global warming,according to a new study.

I was astounded to hear a get rich quick infomercial on the radio on Saturday morning. The marketeer was selling his “DVD course” on how to make millions with “nothing down”, investing in residential real estate. Real estate? They’ve got to be kidding. How do you make money “investing” in a declining market? This was the same pitch I heard a year ago, when the market was booming. And he wasn’t taking about about buying foreclosed properties. He was talking about buying houses “in hot markets” to either flip or to keep as rentals while they “appreciated.” I laughed out …

John the Bowhunter sent this one. The housing slump continues. From Sacramento, California: Now house prices are noticeably declining.    o o o Jason pointed me to this story: Brazilian granny who shot thief to get Rio medal, but may go to jail for “gun crime”    o o o Business booms for fallout shelter industry in Japan following North Korea’s nuclear test. My question: Since Honolulu, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles are all now reportedly inside the radius of North Korean nuclear missiles, why aren’t shelter builders in the Western U.S. just as busy? A tip of …

North Korea defiant, amidst fears of second nuclear weapon test. In other headlines, North Korea say that the recent UN sanctions resolution is a “declaration of war.”    o o o The U.S. is beefing up security on the Canadian border, deploying air assets–including drones.    o o o The U.S. Special Forces SCAR rifle acquisition program moves forward: The SCAR has unique specifications that allow the same receiver to be used for both .223 (“SCAR L”) and .308 (“SCAR H”) variants. Hmmm…The army finally gets back on track, nearly 50 years after the T44 versus T48 rifle trials, and …