Category: Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog reader “Alfie Omega” spotted this article: New, Simple, Make-It-Yourself Water Filter Promises Clean Water for Millions It begins: “A handful of clay, yesterday’s coffee grounds and some cow manure are the simple ingredients that could bring clean drinking water to developing countries around the globe…”    o o o “Smart Pigs” Don’t Lie: The BP Prudhoe Bay pipeline closure may last for months. Stand by for higher gasoline and home heating oil prices.    o o o Panicky refugees at a shelter in Northern Israel.  

The 2010 U.S. census will record GPS coordinates of every household’s front porch. Charming.    o o o Reader JB in Nashville mentioned that another mirror site has been established for the e-book of Mel Tappan’s Tappan on Survival. It is such a great read, I recommend that you also buy a hard copy. New or used copies can often be found through Abebooks.com, BooksAMillion.com, or eBay.com    o o o Reader JCS suggested this site on battery technology on battery technology. He noted, “For a long term survival scenario I’m starting to think that Ni-Cd would be better than Ni-MH …

SurvivalBlog reader JCS suggested the Lindsay Books site. It has something for everyone from Aircraft Welding to Hide Tanning. They have lots of books that belong on the survivalist reference bookshelf.    o o o Blog reader S.H. mentioned that our friend Noah over at the DefenseTech blog ran an article about a dune buggie/powered parafoil combo, for the ultimate in high mobility.   o o o From the Washington Post: DOE Report Identifies Areas of U.S. Power Grid Congestion Here is a brief excerpt from the story: “This study identifies the most critical areas of congestion,” said Kevin Kolevar, …

Rourke recommends this great site for NBC preparedness. It has a lot of useful maps, target structure data, and details on how to survive a nuclear attack.    o o o Jake Stafford mentioned that copies of the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course currently at a special sale price are starting to fly off the shelf. The sale ends August 11th.    o o o AK in Costa Rica mentioned this article about safety and security for ex-pats living n Panama. AK notes: “This guy may not be a security expert, but his article presents some interesting issues about …

SurvivalBlog reader Jim K. sent us a link to this interesting tale from the web: A lucky fellow in New York City has the notebook in his jacket pocket stop a bullet.    o o o Michael Z. Williamson pointed us to a site that proves that Glocks can take a lot of abuse and still function.    o o o Zimbabwe’s hyperinflated currency follies continue: They are lopping off three zeroes. Now (at least for a few days) a loaf of bread costs only $1,000 instead of $1,000,000. To solve the fundamental problem, some observers in Harare suggest that …

I just got the latest issue of Disaster Recovery Journal in the mail–their special Avian Flu issue. It seems that the Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity community has caught on to some of the bigger issues related to a pandemic–at least things like absenteeism, telecommuting, and crisis communication. For their spin on a possible flu pandemic as well as some useful links to the CDC and other sites, see: http://www.drj.com/special/avian    o o o Richard Celata (of KT Ordnance and Promised Land Products) recommended this vendor site: http://www.shooterready.com/    o o o Iran warns of $200 per barrel crude oil if U.S. …

SurvivalBlog reader Rourke mentioned in a recent e-mail: “It’s coming” as some Aussie’s say. China is taking concrete steps here, to pardon the pun. We know they won’t try anything until after the 2008 Olympics. We also know they want Taiwan; and the fear is that the day comes when the person in charge of China thinks he can take it.”    o o o The real Federal budget deficit is measured in trillions of dollars.    

SurvivalBlog reader R.H. recommended this site with product reviews on flashlights–both traditional and LED type.    o o o It is nice to see that gold have silver are bouncing back from their summer doldrums, with gold at over $650 per ounce and silver at around $12.10. I believe that this coming fall and winter may show some impressive gains in precious metals prices.    o o o Front Sight is currently running its own writing contest. The prize is a Front Sight lifetime membership! For any of you that who would like to put your thoughts about Front Sight, …

Richard Celata (of KT Ordnance and Promised Land Products) recommends: The recent commentary by Franklin Sanders (audio, 45 minutes) titled “Real Versus Fake Money,”    o o o SurvivalBlog reader S.H. recommends a site with a neat set of photos of Swiss mountain bunkers. He notes: “Many are very clever in their design elements. roofed and painted to look like log homes or even stands of trees. Some great ideas here for the serious retreat.    o o o U.S. heat wave continues     

In a recent e-mail, SurvivalBlog reader SF in Hawaii mentioned an inexpensive and portable intrusion detection system: Get a few Radio Shack ‘Portable Motion Detector Alarm/Chime‘ devices. (Catalog #49-426.) He noted: “You can place them at key entryways to your retreat. They weigh less than a pound each, can fit in your hand,.run off a 9 volt battery, and emit a very loud alarm sound.”    o o o Michael in England recommends this site regarding nutritional supplements and aging.   o o o SurvivalBlog reader “Bonehead” recommended this site in Australia for the off-road vehicle construction plans. Bonehead notes: …

SurvivalBlog reader “d’Heat” reminded us about http://www.tpub.com, which provides a wide variety of military manuals online, free of charge, with manual CDs available for purchase.    o o o In his Global Economic Trend Analysis blog, Michael “Mish” Shedlock recently quoted real estate market expert Mike Morgan of Morgan Florida. (Scroll down the piece titled “Ghost Housing Market” on July 20, 2006.) SurvivalBlog reader Bill in North Idaho comments: “There is a mountain of data in the article but the most salient point to take home is this: Combine increasing interest rates, a declining dollar and explosive increases in housing …

SurvivalBlog reader JDM mentioned this piece at the Gold-Eagle.com site: The “Amero” to Replace the Dollar?    o o o Bad news for Oil Production: Ghawar Is Dying. This confirms what was posited by Matthew R. Simmons in his book Twilight in the Desert    o o o   ‘MS-13’ is one of the most dangerous gangs in the U.S.

I heard from a reader about an interesting site on martial arts, with discussion forums. Their motto: no contact = no training!    o o o A great site devoted to dutch oven cooking.    o o o In case any of you folks missed the mention back in September, the EMP Survival e-novel “Lights Out” is available for free download.       o o o California Heat Wave Death Toll: 25,000 Cattle and 700,000 Fowl   

I just finished reading Michael Z. Williamson’s well-crafted trilogy of counter-terrorist sniping novels, set in the present day. (The Scope of Justice, Targets of Opportunity, and Confirmed Kill.) All three were very well written, believable and downright riveting. The first is set in Pakistan, the second in Romania, and the third in Indonesia, but all three feature the same duo of U.S. Army snipers. Unlike most of the schlock military fiction that pervades the mass market, Williamson’s books are technically and tactically correct. By describing both urban and wilderness engagements, tailored equipment to suit specific missions, and using widely divergent …

Ragnar, over at The Claire Files, mentioned a great site from the Boy Scouts with lots of useful resources on camping, woodcraft, and outdoor survival skills.    o o o Inside the Blackwater private army    o o o Farm Animal Biochipping: Wisconsin Grandma is an Outlaw      o o o Condi Rice: Cease Fire Between Israel and Hezbollah, yes, but no Status Quo Ante Bellum