Friday Five for September 7, 2012

This week’s Friday Five from PreppingToSurvive brings you the articles we’ve found interesting or inspiring from the past week. Here’s what we’re reading.

How to Make Great Char Cloth

Everyone who has tried to start a fire in the great outdoors knows that poor or damp tinder makes an already difficult job that much tougher. Many of us carry cotton balls or other fire starting materials in our every day carry kit. But did you know that you can easily make a great tinder out of a small piece of cotton cloth? From Food Storage and Survival.

15 Maxims for Being a Reliable Man

In an age when too many men are deemed as flaky or unreliable, the Art of Manliness has some specific advice for men to help overcome that stereotype. It’s nothing earth-shattering. In fact, it’s common sense that your grandmother would likely give you. But as they say, there’s nothing common about common sense. From The Art of Manliness.

Dept of Homeland Security to Release Bacteria in Public Transit Stations

Th U.S. Department of Homeland Security with the cooperation of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is going to begin testing biological sensors that have been placed in the area’s subway system by intentionally releasing “harmless” bacteria in the stations. According to public officials, this is necessary because “there was no known threat of a biological attack on subway systems in the Boston area or elsewhere, but the systems are vulnerable to such a strike.” From Boston.com.

Got A Problem? There’s a GMO Seed for You

This summer has found much of the U.S. in severe drought conditions. The price of food is expected to jump as a result of decreased yields from America’s farmlands. Still the yields are well above the average yields just 20 years ago. Not to worry though, Monsanto and DuPont are working on new seed strands that are drought hardy. From USAToday.

Milk: All-Natural vs Mass Produced

There’s little question that raw milk is much more nutritious than its highly processed and pasteurized commercial counterpart. But is it safe? That’s the question that has put many homesteaders and naturalists at odds with the FDA and lawmakers. But as with many hotly contested public policy issues, there’s more to it than mere science. There’s politics as well. From Eugene Daily News.

That’s what we’re reading this week. What about you?