Odds ‘n Sods:

Our Editor at Large, Michael Z. Williamson, sent us a news story of Nanny State Britannia Run Amok. I was dumbfounded by the descriptions of police holding back neighbors that wanted to bring ladders to rescue the family. This is the same country where homeowners have been charged with felonies for defending their own homes from armed intruders. The whole “only trained professionals” mindset infuriates me. It diverges 180 degrees from the Rawlesian Survivalist view. I believe that all adult citizens should be prepared, trained, willing, and able, to act promptly and decisively in emergencies. Seeing this article reminded me to repeat my advice to SurvivalBlog readers in the UK: Take the Gap! Emigrate to the United States or New Zealand, as soon as possible. Living in England is for all intents and purposes a lost cause for preparedness-minded families. In a societal collapse, only criminals and a much smaller number of police will be armed. The majority of the citizenry will be grossly under-armed and hence at the mercy of the thugs. It will be a very dangerous place to live!

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BeverlyHillbilly was browsing around a earthbag building web site and its blogs, and was captivated. “They claim is that earthbag structures are bullet resistant, highly insulated and very adaptable. This should be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers.”

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“Tanker” notes that it is interesting to see practical articles like this one on freezers showing up on the front page of Marketwatch.

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Reader F.J. recommended the book The Scavengers’ Manifesto