This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. We may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.
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Video from Task & Purpose: US Army OFFICIALLY HAS A NEW PRIMARY WEAPON. JWR’s Comments: I concur with most of the description, except for “long barrel life” claim. I suppose the good news is that both the SIG M5 carbine and M50 LMG have quick-change barrels. Methinks the Army will be buying a lot of replacement barrels.
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Reader C.B. sent this chilling news: Scottsdale parents who discovered secret dossier compiled to silence their speech announce lawsuit.
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CDC Tracked Millions of Phones to See If Americans Followed COVID Lockdown Orders.
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My #1 Son recommended this essay by Adam Van Buskirk: Collapse Won’t Reset Society.
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At Reason: The State Took Her Home Because She Missed $900 in Property Taxes.
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Reader “Grandee” had a response to 3AD Scout’s question: “So I was wondering if anyone knows of a good source of nutritional value for home-canned vegetables and meats?”
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And reader L.E. wrote:
“Re: How many quart jars of food would he need to have to make it through a year, this is my calculation:
For a family of 4 (2 parents, 2 children-you can reduce it down by 25% increments if your family size is smaller)
For one day– 2 subsistence meals:
1–one quart jar (6 cupfuls) of mixed root or other dense vegetables (potatoes, beets, beans, carrots, peas, parsnips, yams, corn) OR, one quart (6 cupfuls) of homemade food such as macaroni cheese, chili con carne, chicken noodle, tomato with rice, beef barley, salmon chowder, will provide 4 servings for dinner.
This assumes you have run out of “store” canned food and are using what you have grown and canned yourself, and also assumes you have run out of meat except as an occasional condiment so it is not included here. My feeling is the average prepper will eat up all their meat protein early on and will be unable to obtain regular meat protein.
2–one PINT jar or approx. 2 cupfuls of any type of grain, such as oatmeal, cream of wheat, biscuit mix, pancake mix, cornmeal, rice, grits/hominy quinoa/chia (mixed with 2-3 cupfuls of water or powdered milk) will provide 4 servings for breakfast with the addition of a few spoonfuls of dried fruit/jam/syrup and chopped walnuts. Alternatively, 4-5 eggs scrambled and 4 pieces of bread/rolls/cornbread.
Salad greens and fresh fruit and corn on the cob and fruit pie would only be considered as occasional treats so are not included here.
So, for a subsistence diet of breakfast and dinner only for a family of 4 for a year, you would need 365 quarts of dinner food (#1), and 183 quarts of breakfast food (#2).
This is why old time homesteads always had a whole room dedicated to a pantry, plus a root cellar or basement for food storage.
Remember, a pint’s a pound, the world around, and there are 8 pints in a gallon, and there are 2 cups in a pint.
As an aside, I have been unable to find canning jars, lids and rings for a reasonable sum, even in thrift stores, so keep all your empty pickle and spaghetti sauce jars, don’t throw them away. “
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New Gun Control Laws Take Effect July 1st In California.
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Some interesting news: For an extra $25 per month, Starlink satellite Internet service is now available for the RV/Van Life crowd:
“Starlink is excited to announce Portability as an add-on feature for all Starlink customers. Portability enables customers to temporarily move their Starlink to new locations and receive high-speed internet anywhere where Starlink provides active coverage within the same continent. To see active coverage areas, please view the Starlink Availability Map.”
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At American Thinker: Why Would Rural Americans Vote for Those Who Hate Them?
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Paul Craig Roberts: We Are All Ensnared in the Elite’s Web.
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Can you spell genocide? Chart of the Day: A Review of the Abortion Debate by the Charts. Here is a troubling quote:
“It should be noted that Planned Parenthood puts 86% of its abortion facilities in minority neighborhoods. African-American women make up six percent of the U.S. population but represent 38% of all abortions in the country.”
JWR’s Comment: The black and Hispanic communities should be shouting “Genocide!” over this. All of it falls at the feet of “compassionate” liberal Democrats. This is the legacy of Charles Davenport, Margaret Sanger, and the racist/socialst Eugenics movement of the 1920s to 1940s.
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Reader D.S.V. spotted this: Good News for NAC.
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And finally, something that might be a bit unsettling: Drone swarms can now fly autonomously through thick forest.
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