Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Study: 1 in 2 American Adults Already In Facial Recognition Network. (Thanks to H.L. for the link.) o o o Another DDOS Ping Flood attack: Many sites including Twitter, Shopify and Spotify suffering outage. And this article explains how it might have been done, by harnessing the processing power of hijacked The Internet of Things linked devices: When the Entire Internet Seems to Break At Once o o o Conspiracy Theorists Vindicated: FBI Docs Reveal “Shadow Government” Protecting Hillary Clinton o o o Case against Ammon Bundy heads to jury

Reader C.S. recommended this web site for trauma care training resources:  NAEMT.org TCCC. o o o BHO’s latest Executive Order: Coordinating Efforts to Prepare the Nation for Space Weather Events.  JWR’s Comment:  Someone must have reminded his cabinet Science Adviser that the risk of X-Class solar flares is greatest during prolonged sunspot minimums–just as we are now experiencing.  And it is noteworthy that many of the same infrastructure protective steps for surviving solar flares also protect systems from electromagnetic pulse (EMP.) o o o Reader B.B. sent us this: NRA-ILA: Hillary Clinton Supports Australia-style Gun Confiscation o o o H.L. …

The editors of the Middle East Forum note: Hungary has become “the first government to open an office specifically to address the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and Europe.” o o o Reader W.C. suggested this Link:  CIA Prepping for Possible Cyber Strike Against Russia – NBC News.  W.C. asks:  “How can it be covert if they are telling everyone?” o o o Mike E. sent a link to this at Front Page Mag:  The Hijrah Into Europe. o o o DIY submachineguns are popping up across the West Bank. (Kudos to Tim J. for the link.) o …

This great video shows a “stealth” camper van project with some potential for preppers: How to convert a Van in to an Off-Grid Camper in 17 Days! Used Transit Vans and Combi-Vans (as well as similar large vans–which you probably recognize from out on the highway, and on American Pickers) are starting to become affordable here in the States.  Most preppers would of course want to have more battery capacity, more propane capacity, and some hidden compartments. A little Velcro behind paneling and molding works wonders, for those. (Don’t miss opportunities like that.)  Oh, and don’t forget to wear eye …

Former senator spills beans on Hillary’s anti-gun strategy o o o Reader J.E. sent us this: Russian state newspapers predict ‘direct military conflict’ with US as it compares Syria stalemate to Cuban missile crisis o o o I spotted this item at Mac Slavo’s great SHTFplan.com news aggregation site:  Our Threat Comes From Within: “The Establishment Is Doing Everything It Can To Make Us Look Crazy” o o o Video: Wranglerstar’s family makes a batch of elderberry wine. o o o This article over at Skilled Survival is of interest: DIY Survival Gear: 11 Projects Worth Building

Daisy Luther warns: Eight Alarming Warning Signs That Indicate War With Russia Could Be Imminent o o o John Whitehead at The Rutherford Institute:  The Imperial President’s Toolbox of Terror: A Dictatorship Waiting to Happen o o o Five Awesome Car Life Hacks

One of my phone consulting clients recently asked about a recommendation for a low power (QRP) high frequency (HF) AM and FM single-sideband (SSB) capable transceiver.  I suggested one of the most popular ones. It is the Yaesu FT-817ND.  It runs on 12 volts DC and is VERY compact!  (They are even used for backpacking, as seen in this video.) They are ideal for voice, CW/Morse, and digital work, and cover the Amateur 160 through 10 Meter bands, 50 MHz, 144-148 MHz (the 2 Meter band), 430-450 MHz, as well as the Alaska Emergency Channel at 5167.5 kHz.  When sending …

Crime Statistics: Motor vehicle theft (most recent) by state.  (Take note of the correlation of the bottom-ranked states with the American Redoubt states and the adjoining western Plains states.) o o o The makers of the famous (and now copied) BedBunker gun vault have expanded their product line to include a variety of automotive gun vaults including center console vaults, under seat vaults, and most recently car trunk vaults.  Be sure to check out their web site. – JWR o o o I spotted this at Off The Grid News: The Five Best Places In America To ‘Bug Out’ When …

I spotted this collection of how-to videos over at the Backdoor Survival web site:  39 Fantastic Prepping Tips o o o Michael Snyder: Why Are So Many Christians Moving To The Great Northwest? Could It Be A Safe Zone? o o o In an odd riff, this somehow reminds me of the plot of my novel Land Of Promise…. Here is a new spin on the concept of establishing a new sovereign nation in Terra Nullius: Asgardia o o o Zero Hedge reports: Wikileaks Releases Another 2,000 Podesta Emails In Part 6 Of Data Dump

Over at View From The Porch, Tamara has some sound reasoning on daily concealed carry: Quote of the Day: Be Real Edition o o o I belatedly noticed that earlier this year,the originator of Robb’s Homemade Life kindly posted a YouTube video describing our CFAPA spin-off web site, where we offer free press credentials for any adult citizen. Thanks, Robb! o o o More Internet censorship: This Trump campaign commercial was blocked by YouTube as “inappropriate content” and has had a warning label added. o o o A new For Sale By Owner (FSBO) listing in Arkansas over at my …

I recently had the opportunity to tour Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (commonly called “The U.P.” or “Upper Michigan”) for the first time. It is a large, mostly forested expanse with a fairly light population density. The region measures 16,377 square miles–nearly twice the size of New Jersey. It is known for mosquitoes in the summer months and brutal cold and deep snow in the winter months. The folks there seem friendly and predominantly conservative. The only disappointments were seeing the scarcity of home vegetable gardens (and greenhouses), the scarcity of livestock, and seeing not nearly as much commercial row crop agriculture …

Over at the deservedly-popular Yer Ol’ Woodpile Report blog, the Editor “Ol’ Remus” comments wittily: “He who panics first, panics best” –  This of course is regarding the urgency of escaping the death traps of the big cities in the midst of crises. o o o I recently purchased a state-of-the-art FLIR countermeasure field camouflage shelter, produced by SnakebiteTactical.com.I was quite impressed with the quality of construction. These shelters—about the same size and slightly heavier than a poncho liner–are handmade in Montana. They render the user nearly invisible to even the most sensitive FLIRs and cameras with similar technology. Thanks …

Ten Powerful Ways to Act Locally o o o One of my consulting clients recently questioned whether or not power utility companies truly have plans in place for “islanding” their power into smaller grids, in the event that any of America’s three main grids go down. (As mentioned in my second novel, Survivors.) Yes, indeed they do, and here is some evidence. – JWR o o o Concealed Carrier Saves AutoZone Employees o o o Texas Store Employee Uses AK-47 to Stop 4 Armed Robbers

Despite their claims that “Oh, but it was all just a series of innocent mistakes”, the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is reportedly still harassing Tea Party political groups, singling them out for greater scrutiny in judging their tax exempt status, and grilling them with many rounds of questions that have heretofore never been asked of other groups.  The IRS has also recently took the unusual step of publishing some of their questions and the responses from a Texas Tea Party group. This unequal enforcement of tax laws is a political witch hunt by the Obama Administration. o o o …

Daytona Beach, Florida was particularly hard-hit by Hurricane Matthew, which reached the coast as a Category 3 storm.  o o o ‘Hurricane Matthew panic’ sparks supermarket brawl as two women scrap over last case of water o o o I just noticed that the Blue Letter Bible web site has added some more useful interlineal search features and text-linked commentaries. Check it out! o o o Patrice Lewis: The world’s stupidest survival strategy