The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we report the death of Cecile Rol-Tanguy.

RIP to French Resistance Heroine Cecile Rol-Tanguy

Simon sent us this: French Resistance hero Cecile Rol-Tanguy dies at age 101.

How Did Ancient People Preserve Foods?

Reader G.G. suggested this, over at the Discover magazine web site: How Did Ancient People Keep Their Food From Rotting? Here is a pericope:

“To get a sense of what preservation techniques ancient folks might have used, archaeologists surveyed the practices of living and recent people in non-industrialized societies (here, here, here and here) They found many low-tech methods, which certainly could have been accomplished by people thousands of years ago. The most common and familiar include drying, salting, smoking, pickling, fermenting and chilling in natural refrigerators, like streams and underground pits. For example, the Sami, indigenous people of Scandinavia, have traditionally killed reindeer in the fall and winter; the meat is dried or smoked, and the milk fermented into cheese — “a hard, compact cake which may last for years,” according to a mid-20th-century ethnographic source.

The various methods all work because they slow microbial growth. And drying does this best: Microorganisms need a certain amount of moisture to transport nutrients and wastes into and out of their cells. Without water, microbes shrivel and die (or at least go dormant). Drying also inhibits oxidation and enzyme activity — natural reactions of air and food molecules, which cause flavor and color changes.”

Tesla Defiantly Reopens Fremont Plant

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Elon Musk takes a stand against local government by reopening Tesla

Tongan Schoolboys Stranded on Island for 15 Months

Reader Mark H. sent us this: The real Lord of the Flies: what happened when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months.

More Facemask Fisticuffs

Reader G.B. spotted this: Caught on camera: Fight breaks out at Target after customers refuse to wear facial covering. JWR’s Comment: Don’tcha love that reporter’s color-coordinated facemask?  To appreciate how topsy-turvy our times have become, consider that just six months ago, we might have seen the headline: “Fight erupts over man who was wearing a facemask.”

Napolitano: Do We Still Have a Constitution?

Reader  K.D. suggested this essay by Andrew Napolitano: Do We Still Have a Constitution?

Ron Paul: Authoritarians Using Coronavirus Fear to Destroy America

And o a similar note, here is an essay by former congressman Dr. Ron Paul: Authoritarians Using Coronavirus Fear to Destroy America

Ron Paul: Authoritarians Using Virus Fear to Destroy America

And on a similar note, here is an essay by former congressman Dr. Ron Paul: Authoritarians Using Coronavirus Fear to Destroy America

Washington Restaurants Must Log Guests’ Particulars

Charlene and Peter both sent us this: To reopen, Washington state restaurants will have to keep log of customers to aid in contact tracing for coronavirus. The article begins:

“With eight Washington counties now approved to move to Phase 2 under Gov. Jay Inslee’s four-phase plan to reopen the state, the governor’s office Monday released a set of requirements restaurants will have to comply with if they want to reopen for dine-in service.

Stevens, Wahkiakum, Skamania, Ferry, Pend Oreille, Columbia, Garfield and Lincoln counties have all been cleared for Phase 2, which allows restaurants to reopen at 50% capacity, and caps table sizes at five.

Notably, the 13 criteria that restaurants will have to adhere to in order to reopen for dine-in service during the novel coronavirus pandemic include a stipulation they ‘create a daily log of customers and maintain that daily log for 30 days, including telephone/email contact information, and time in.’

This is to aid in any contact tracing, should that become necessary.”

—

You can send your news tips to JWR. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact form.) Thanks!


47 Comments

  1. Re: Washington Eateries…
    Prior to eating in a restaurant, will Washingtonians have to show 3 forms of current I.D. and their travel papers with approved government stamps first?

    Re: Cecile Rol-Tanguy…
    You Madame, are a true hero. God Bless you and RIP

    1. well, there compliance and then there’s passive aggressiveness

      I was asked for information last week at a restaurant in Missouri–

      Name: Holden McGrainne
      Address: 1060 West Addison
      Number: 867-5309

      I suspect most young waiters and waitresses won’t know about Jenny or the Blues Brothers

      1. Hahahaha! Love it! There are a number of other names I might use to make a point. Instead, I think I will choose to eat at establishments and in states that support my right to choose the level of risk I can accept.

    2. Agreed. I always pay cash, anyway, for privacy. Any establishment that requires I.D. from me to engage in face-to-face commerce doesn’t get my business. In fact, the silver lining to the this entire “face masks required” debacle is that I get to enjoy foiling all the retailers’ facial recognition systems (the ones that so many retail chains were forced to admit they’ve been using for up to ten years). A cap, a full neck gaiter, shades with light smoke lenses, and I’m good to go.

      1. Yup I’m loving my new found anonymity. On a plus side as I live in NYC my lungs are loving the respirator that I been wearing…. No more smelling homeless guys on the subway train… No more breathing in of powderized rat human excrement… No more smelling all the trash …. Love that glad it acceptable to wear now. Also a big f.u. to the facial recognition and tracking. Coming from the country to NYC I’m loving the social distancing (ever met a New Yorker of course keeping further than arms length is great)

        So on that front I’m a pig in slop (but only on that part of it

  3. 1979-89 — I owned four restaurants in Chico California, sit-down full-service, 126 co-workers.
    At half-capacity, the business is non-viable.
    The government agents ordering me to operate my business at half-throttle?
    Work the same sixteen-hour days, but not turn a profit?
    Which co-workers do I fire?
    Which vendors do I not order from?
    Go bankrupt… or remain shut?
    The government agents are irrational.

    1998-2020 — we operate a small organic teaching farm near Eugene Oregon.
    Can you imagine the government agents ordering us to:
    * Plant half the fields?
    * Graze half the pastures?
    Work the same twelve-hour days, but not turn a profit?
    Which government agents decide who eats, who starves?

    [edited to: “Which well-fed government agents decide…?”]

    1. Hi Large Marge So True. Ive known several restaurant owners. A few have told me in the past that even when they are full they wouldn’t be profitable at times.
      Restaurants are going to fall like dominos.

    3. You nailed it!

      You have to project sales based upon historical data.
      You have to do an in house P&L every week to capture (in real time) every cost of doing business. Labor, food, paper, waste, cleaning supplies etc. All the old numbers go out the window under the “new normal”. The profit margins are already very thin especially if you have to close or half the bar.
      Most customers aren’t coming back to pay more for less.

      Now you add in the loss of privacy. I would consider handing a tip to our favorite server and just walking out.

      Most significant to me is competing with other restaurants for every customer. Cut that number in at least half, then try to keep the lights on.
      If you don’t have a drive thru you better bust a hole on the wall and hook up with grub hub or you lock the doors.

      Entrepreneurs like you are the true engine of the economy.
      There are tough times ahead but there are also hopefully opportunities for hard working Americans like you.
      God Bless.

    4. >>Can you imagine the government agents ordering us to:
      * Plant half the fields?
      * Graze half the pastures?
      Work the same twelve-hour days, but not turn a profit?<<

      We have all been here before…Deja Vu by Crosby, Stills and Nash

      It's been going on for a long time with ag subsidies, since before the Dust Bowl IIRC.

      1. Tips are done,they are used to shift employee pay to customer. A special wage is paid to servers($3/hr+/-) with tips to make up rest,if not enough tips the establishment pays minimum wage. Establishments are going to change to hourly rate. 50% of non chain restaurants out of business in 1 year. Consider upgrading to resturant quality stove, refrigerator,freezer,appliances at great prices.

    1. The real question is, why isn’t the sheriff, Scott Israel, in jail for aiding and abetting Nikolas Cruz in his murderous rampage. Without the willful non actions of the sheriff and the superintendent of schools, Robert W. Runcie, Nikolas Cruz would not have been able to “legally” buy his gun(s) in the first place. Even Barack Obama bears some responsibility for his executive order attempting to end the “school to prison pipeline”. County bureaucrats obeying a federal executive order, how absurd, and now criminal.

  5. I’m encouraged by the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling and hope more courts start blocking these laws. It’s about time that these power-hungry politicians get smacked down.

    1. But … a few hours later the county health direktors in Wisconsin started announcing their OWN orders that upheld the governor’s previous order. Since when, we ask, do unelected bureaucrats get to create law at their own leisure?

      1. mrsole: its been going on for years, its called, “administrative law.” And the courts, both state and federal follow it by ignoring the citizen in a civil court and following whatever the bureaucrat stated or did. Been there, done that and got the T-shirt.

    1. Bill of rights has been a zombie for years. It’s been a slow death by a thousand cuts. But none the less it’s been dead only now have we started to notice.

    2. Not really as the two groups of people who have used the bill of rights as to are

      The money and corporate interests and
      The American people.

      Generations of both at that.

      So becoming the “1 person with guys” you speak of does nothing but help destroy what’s left.

      Better to get where you can help your neighbour weather the storm that’s coming and pray that your kids can escape the worst of what’s coming maybe give up your desire for grandkids. In short go as grey as possible and help your neighbour

  7. Rucksack Rob re: Washington Eateries ; only if you are white and if you’re male you will also have to show the “appropriate” amount of remorse and despair that you were born that way. Sarcasm off, I can’t say anything nice about Inslee so I guess I’ll go do my dishes now.

  8. I don’t know why we should expect bureaucrats to understand the thin margin that most businesses, especially small businesses, operate on. Most have never worked in the private sector before, and have no idea how a business operates.

    To a bureaucrat, limiting you to one customer every six feet makes sense. To a restaurant it means slow bankruptcy.

  9. The amount of Smiths and Browns living on Green Street will probably increase dramatically on the Washington restaurant log books, You know the books that will become hot beds of germs. Thanks Gov. Inslee your help and permission is greatly appreciated.

  10. I wonder what they plan to do about folks who simply give a false name, phone number, and email? I know that I would turn around and go home, rather than give them my info.

    1. I wondered the same thing, wwes. Are they going to start looking for credit card data or view surveillance footage? I doubt it, they won’t have enough people for that, plus they’d need a court order for the footage as I doubt the businesses will voluntarily give it up. More safety & security theater….

      1. Got a smartphone? Think that “they” don’t know who you are and where you go? Think again.
        I saw a warning that I was not to microwave or attempt to defeat certain “security features” in my passport – so I store it in an old lead film pouch in my gun safe. Secure it, you know.

  12. They will likely have someone collecting license plate data, cameras situated to take face photos of people entering the facility, credit/debit card transaction tagging, etc.

    Up here, our restaurants are open for business. We ate at our favorite Mexican joint last Friday, and tonite we are going to our favorite Asian fusion place. The restaurant just down the street from us was packed for mothers day brunch. Don’t know why it is any different anywhere else.

    1. Good luck with collecting my data. I pay in cash with no cellphone on me with a halfface respirator cowboy hat and mirrored indoor safety glasses and my headphones. Only small patches of skin visible and loose fitting clothing on I wear 3 different shoes between skater sneakers to dress heel cowboy boots including my composite toed Ariat work boots.

      Please describe your patron:

      Ok ummm like 6 foot tall kinda …. Ummm maybe white said stuff like “thank e kindly and y’all” maybe male or very butch trucker lady…. Had chest pockets on shirt filled up ….. Ummm ….. Big shoulders and a cowboy hat? Signed the name of Trace Atkins. Also was singing something about a brown chicken and cow ….

      Good luck with that contact trace.

      And no I don’t eat in but with lines in NYC being so long it’s alot of exposure

  13. Nah ! No real American would ever lie…er…fib to the government ! The government that NEVER lies to us, the government that would never allow foreigners in to freely enjoy the benefits paid for by the taxpaying citizens. The government that has our social security ‘contributions’ in a “lockbox” so they will never be spent on foolish wealth redistribution schemes and payments to communist NGOs and crooked politicians. The government that has the best, most honest, non-corrupted, and honorable national law-enforcement agencies that would never ever willingly do the work of corrupt political hacks or to plot and plan a coup against a legitimately elected President. A government that has a single set of laws for everyone no matter their political affiliations or social status and applies them fairly to all Americans.
    Nah, Americans would never fib to an honorable government like that.

  14. There doesn’t seem to be any clear or correct answers to our problems and questions.We have dueling experts in the area of science,medicine,and economics.This is likely because
    this is the most serious and complicated Black Swan event of all time.

    I honestly believe that authorities at all levels are doing what they think is best.Therein lies
    a big problem.They may be right or they may be wrong and the outcome will have a tremendous impact on the masses.This virus is so new and so fast moving that playing
    catch up is darn near impossible.

    Fear is a very powerful emotion and most of us are really frightened right now.Fear can make people think,say,believe,and do some very irrational things which I suppose is to
    be expected.Each of us must do what works the best but panic will only make life harder.

    Whining and complaining does no good and will get us nowhere.Our forefathers fought
    and struggled mightily to give us our country.They made it through and we will also.

    Stay Strong.

    1. I am with you, Vickie: “Whining and complaining does no good and will get us nowhere.Our forefathers fought
      and struggled mightily to give us our country.They made it through and we will also.”

      This whole adventure is an opening for innovation and action. Barking at the bureaucrats distracts us from doing the important work of organizing and planting. I have doubled my kale and broccoli plantings. Same with beans. Gotta feed my family and a few neighbors.

      Carry on in grace

      1. OAMarine,you need to reaccess the situation. If overreaches are allowed to continue you and many others are going to be declared “hoarders’ and the same thugs in blue are going to be at your door to take everything they refused to prepare for themselves and their overlords with the arms and equipment you paid taxes for. How long have shopping purchases been tracked?

  15. Our illustrious donkeycrat governor must lay awake nights thinking up some of the garbage he puts out. He has all the makings of a tyrant. I’m surprised they don’t want a rectal temp prior to being served your meal.
    It will be revealing to see how many sheeple comply. Large Marge made several good points about the issue in her statements.

  16. We live in WA and I can tell you all the people I have talked to are saying the same thing as me, take out instead of dine in for a long while. Inslee kept saying it will be kept confidential and not given out only to the “health official” or contact tracers out there. Then that info goes into their database in the health department for who knows how long. Wish we could move but my husband works for his dad in their family business that is essential for now.

  17. All of this is conditioning the population into accepting the surveillance state as the new normal. Even in Idaho, Gov. Little is recruiting tracing or tracking teams, and further trampling our Constitutional Rights.
    Thankfully, we have Heather Scott sounding the alarm and pushing back, although predictably, she’s being vilified by the local leftist/communist media and the Stasi supporters.

    Just this week, even in liberty loving Bonners Ferry, a “good citizen” reported (snitched) on a local eatery that dared to open two tables inside their establishment to customers. The saddest, most disturbing part, was that our BFPD responded, and ordered them to cease.

    Prep and pray folks, prep and pray.

    J&M

  19. These governors are enjoying their newfound dictatorships way too much. My gov, Gretchen Whitmer, can’t keep a smile off her face as she issues her latest dictatorial command. The good news is she is pi**sing off the county sheriffs, one by one. The sheriff in Shiawassee County has already publicly stated he will not enforce (Dim)Whitmer’s dictate to close up Karl the Barber’s barber shop. Karl Manke is a barber in Owosso Michigan. He is 77 years old and says “I’ll be open until Jesus walks in or until they arrest me.”

    The only problem, however, is the city police. They seem to be gleefully obeying der fuhrer’s dictatorial orders. I’m hoping to see the sheriff step in between the police and Mr. Manke. A local judge has already put a block on the state AG and his attempts to enforce this ridiculous order.

    1. Charles K

      I think your governor & my governor JB (Pugsley) Pritzker , Illinois are having a who has the best smirk contest.

      The President has been calling him out the last couple of days

      Praying for us all:)

      Rock on

  20. Nj is hiring 1000 contact tracers at $25/hr. Not sure what they’re actually doing but apparently must me same as the area they will trace. Also, ny nj and pa govs should be locked up. They are directly responsible for the nursing home and long care home deaths. Nj and NY forced nursing homes to take corona virus positive people while the govs begged for and received a hospital ship as well as hospital beds for thousands more that basically went unused. PA head of dept of health got her mother out of a nursing home while leaving the rest to die. All this while ‘children’ were the carriers and told to us to keep them away from grandma and grandpa so the don’t kill them. As the govs and top health officials forced nursing homes to take sick people. Nj state police becoming brown shirts too. Sad day for these states.

  21. If I went to a business and later all or some of the employee’s tested positive and began to show symptoms and later some or all of the customers tested positive and began to show symptoms I would certainly want to notified that I had been exposed.

    Common sense would dictate that notification of exposure,testing,and early treatment is a way to save lives.However common sense seems to be in short supply these days.

    The conspiracy theorists will never change their minds.That is o.k. Dead is still dead.

  22. I believe in individual rights. I also know there are a lot of stupid people out there…..and you can’t fix stupid. So if each of us are deciding just how we are going to behave in this very difficult time of a declared pandemic, and all the conspiracy nuts out there who don’t believe this is real or serious, I sincerely hope you can use those same powers of deduction to decide not to come to the hospital so an ICU nurse like myself does not have to take care of you. I believe in my right to live as long as I possibly can. I didn’t sign up to fix stupid.
    Whether you believe this or not the virus is here to stay, and we all need to act as responsively as we can. We are not even half way through this, and I hope and pray this does not affect a member of your family, but I’m afraid we all may be touched by this tragedy in one way or another before this is over.

Comments are closed.