• Just what we need: a drone that hijacks other drones. (H/T MJR)
• “I love my guns.” MamaLiberty explains.
• This creepy-wierd logo was all over the Internet last week. I ignored it, figuring it was just some joker’s parody of government spies. But nooooooo. It’s what actual government spies think of themselves … and us.
• The German’s don’t have a word for it. Yet. But when they do, it’ll be Schottenfreude. :-)
• Long but good. Ryan Lizza of The New Yorker finally addresses the Big Question: Why the fedgov won’t rein in their spy agencies.
• And of course … dogs to make it all tolerable. (H/T MLS)

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“You shall not pass!” Video of dogs that are terrified of walking past cats. In some cases, rightly so. (Via MLS.)

And remember the “Puppycide” Kickstarter relaunch? This time (yay!) they’ve made their more modest goal of $40,000 (which will fund a half-hour documentary, not the feature film they originally proposed). Now, with six more days remaining, they’ve named a “stretch goal.” Sixty thousand dollars will enable Oz Media to make a 45-minute film. Which is just right for a one-hour TV slot. If they get that much, they’ll be marketing the work to networks and TV stations.

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Okay, here we go. This will be the penultimate Amazon Christmas shopping list. It’s about pets and other animals.

And this one’s not strictly Amazon. If you or anybody on your gift list is looking for information on raising chickens, goats, rabbits, or any farm animals the place to go is the Backwoods Home Book Store. You’ll find livestock books under multiple categories, including Animals & Pets, Food Production, and Self-Sufficiency.

I have NFI in BHM Book Store sales (except for two books I wrote). But without BHM, this blog wouldn’t exist. They’re good people.

—–

Now on to Amazon …

1. If your dog (or cat, for that matter) gets out much, especially at night, a Dog-E-Glow collar or leash is the ultimate in both coolness and safety. If that doesn’t suit your pet’s fashion-consciousness, there are lots of other lighted collars and gear to choose from

2. And when you and Fido are not getting out on these dark winter nights? Ava and I highly recommend a Chuckit! Indoor Launcher, guaranteed to spare your walls, furniture, and windows while keeping your most fetching furfriends entertained for hours.

3. Kongs are also a great way to provide entertainment and snacks at the same time. Just stuff ‘em with kibble, popcorn, Milk Bones or whatever (maybe add a little peanut butter or melted cheese for “glue”) and your pooch will spend happy hours “working” to extract the contents. Kongs come in multiple colors, sizes, and strengths, including large, small or puppy-sized, and Xtreme (for the power-chewer in your life).

4. Also for the power-dog in your family, the Bamboo Combat Bone Tugger is the toughest tug toy ever. I know. You guys have given them to me for Christmasses past. And as long as you never let Spike go off in a corner and just chew on it (that is, you use it only for tug-o-war then put it safely away), it really is indestructible. Back when he was a young tough, Robbie could have told you that personally.

5. Let us not forget our kitty friends. For the bored feline, Amazon has a variety of interactive cat toys.

6. And for the cat who prefers boredom, but who would rather exercise it in more than one position or place, cat trees and condos are quite the thing.

7. While not exactly a glamor gift, Amazon also carries a selection of pet medicines (and other vaguely health-related items) for dogs, cats, and Other.

8. And don’t forget pet coats to keep your friend warm and dry. Some of them will also keep your critter insufferably cute, as well. I prefer the more functional ones. Last year the dogs and I were gifted with this camo raincoat with a warm removable liner, and boy has it been great (Robbie’s old bones really appreciated it today, when we had our first snow.)

9. Finally, Amazon has discounts on pet foods (including Purina and Science Diet) and special deals on supplies for all manner of pets, organized by type of critter. Dogs, cats, birds, fish, bunnies, reptiles, and amphibians. They’re not prejudiced.

For my last Christmas shopping column, I’ll return to one of the themes we started with: gifts and other goodies for preparedness.

Thank you all for using my Amazon links. You gave me a great November (second biggest Amazon month, ever; topped only by last November) and December is off to a fantastic start.

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If you missed them, here are the earlier Amazon shopping lists:

VI. Cyber Monday Week Deals in electronics and related things (some of which are going on until the end of the year).

V. Tools and home improvement

IV. Gunstuff!

III. Maple bacon stuff! (Lots of good stocking stuffers.)

II. Warmth and light

I. Non-fiction books

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• The warm, fuzzy (literally!) face of the police state. (H/T Jim Bovard)
• China finally going to stop stockpiling US dollars?
• You already know this, don’t you? Nevertheless, it never hurts to be reminded of the four magic statements to make to the police when you’re stopped and they want to poke around and see what they might be able to pin on you.
• Mostly for the nerds hereabouts: Rethinking cloud storage (and in particular, rethinking SpiderOak).
• “Security and privacy: Experts connect the dots as debate rages.” (Tip o’ hat to MJR)
• Via the Infamous Oregon Law Hobbit: The Skunk Party Manifesto.
• Solid scientific evidence for intelligent design! Erm, that is design by fish.
• Finally, Chaser — the famous border collie who can identify more than 1,000 objects by name and understands simple sentences is now the subject of her very own book. (Link is to an interview with Chaser’s owner/trainer, who’s pretty exceptional himself. Windsurfing and biking at 85!) You can of course get the book here. Video below and at the interview link.

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Source and H/T to Brian Wilson.

NOTE: “Dog Goldberg” is delightful. But please don’t even think about feeding your dog Beneful until you’ve done your research! Some of the owner claims may be unfounded, but really, the ingredients barely qualify as food. It’s shocking that Beneful is marketed as healthy.

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Hooray! The Kickstarter campaign to fund Puppycide: The Documentary has relaunched!

Last time, they drew more than $60,000 in pledges from nearly 1,000 supporters. But their goal was $100,000 and Kickstarter is all-or-nothing.

Now they’ve named a more modest goal: $40,000, with the aim of making a 30-minute film instead of full-length feature. The donors are already rushing back, and I’ve rushed with ‘em. It appears that supporters are pledging more than before. If you pledged during the last effort, I hope you’ll have another go.

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• ‘Nother reason to eat a nuts-n-berries diet. Or at least nuts, anyhow.
• Beaver steals gun. Chortle.
• One more v*te for shutting down Obamacare. This one from cybersecurity mavens.
• In the meantime, assuming you can buy insurance at all, maybe you can get it for free! It seems that the U.S. is developing a kind of ideal income level where you can a) live reasonably well while b) maximizing your tax-provided benefits. Millions more will surely aim for this welfare-state version of “success.” Cockapoo nation!
• But some proud traditionalists will not go happily into that EZ future.
• Anybody could have predicted that the so-called Consumer Finance Protection Bureau would end up as yet another spy agency. But who would have been cynical enough to think that would be among its main missions from the get-go? Uh. Well. Only people with a brain.
• Uh oh. The old assassination market idea gets new life in the age of TOR and bitcoin. Somehow, I don’t think this is going to go any better than it went for Jim Bell.
• Awwwwww … (H/T jc2k from comments)

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• The fourth shock wave of ObamaCare is about to strike
• And even Obama’s hometown paper says, “Stop digging, start over.”
• The Dallas Buyers Club is in my Netflix queue for sure. From everything I’ve read or heard, it’s a spectacular indictment of big government (specifically the death-dealing FDA) and a celebration of Outlaw entrepreneurism. That it stars Matthew McConaughey is merely a plus.
• Another long-time outdoors writer and sportsman who’s shocked to learn that laws passed against eeeeeeevvil gun owners also — oops! — apply to him. (H/T to LA)
• “Can’t we all just get along?” “Well, ah, no.” Mike Vanderboegh nails it again.
• Well, is this gonna cause more melodrama in the security theater, or what?
• Unbelievably, British police make a plausible case that a spy guy whose decomposing corpse was found locked in a gym bag died by a self-caused accident. Definitely news of the weird.
• Alas, the Puppycide documentary folks did not make their Kickstarter funding goal — though nearly 1,000 donors and a last-minute push put them over $60k. The good news is, that with the strong support and urging of those donors, they’re aiming for a relaunch this week, this time to fund a 30-minute doc rather than a feature-length film. I’ll keep you posted when that happens and hope everybody who pledged before will jump in again.
• Speaking of dogs, and to end on a happier note: have some puppy-and-toddler cuteness.

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