He turned his weed-filled yard into a low-water jungle of fruit trees.

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. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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First up, over at Redoubt News, there is this pointed and downright poignant essay: Baby Boomers Don’t Recognize America.

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Reader R.D. spotted this: He turned his weed-filled yard into a low-water jungle of fruit trees.

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Mrs. Alaska wrote:

“I loved your update to your retreat location suggestions. Question: You talked about housing off of a secondary road. Would you like to comment on the benefits or detriments of access to old and new forms of alternate transportation and routes, like boats for rivers and creeks, whistlestop train routes, trails for ATVs, snowmobiles and motorbikes, small plane landing strips? All or some of these are common in Alaska and various rural areas throughout the country. My question could be both/and (road plus alternate) or either/or. (Just a boat or just dirt trails). Keep up the good work.

Here, we have transport just by snowmachine (snowmobile) and small planes that can land on the smallish lake.”

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A great video by Bill Whittle, that is definitely worth 28 minutes of your time: That’s Who They Are.

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Reader F. wrote:

“You seem to be well aware of this, but I have never seen it solidified, and this thought could probably use some elaboration: I think the societal collapse we may be heading for is not economic, but rather political. Legislation is in the works for hiring 87,000 new tax agents; that’s 1,740 per state. I don’t think we’re looking at something like the depression, I think it would be more like the Holodomor, or other similar abuses that will be highly controlled and orchestrated by the government. Simple responses to these things have already been answered by progressive government administrators and other existing and bygone governments. For an idea of what we may be in for, some insightful reading might be “Selected Works of Chairman Mao”, and “The Gulag Archipelago”. How do you resist targeted economic collapse enforced by an oppressive government? You may have to think more creatively beyond the first answer that pops into your mind, because I can guarantee they already have.”

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Reader C.B. sent this: An invisible coating to make wood ‘fireproof’.

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Reader N.W. wrote:

“I was dismayed to see your post that 8/23/1833 is when Britain abolished slavery. It did not: While that was the day they abolished it in some of their Caribbean Colonies, Canada, and South Africa, the people they supposedly “freed” were required to become apprentices for life.

In addition, they did not abolish slavery in their other colonies until much later: India in 1861, Burma in 1920, and Australia in 1970.

In Wales, through the 1920s if you started working at a mine before you turned 21, you had only until your 21st birthday to find another job. If you quit the day after your 21st birthday you could be arrested.

Suffice it to say that the Brits don’t have the ‘pure as the wind-driven snow’ history of slavery that many have tried to portray.”

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Signs of the times, in big cities: Chaos in Los Angeles 7-Eleven As ‘Flash Mob’ of Looters Clear Out the Store.

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Reader Ellen S. queried:

“I have been following your blog for 15 years. It has been a great guidance to my preps for my family. I recently changed jobs. I have a go bag in my car to help me get home. However, my new job is across the river from my home. If the worst stuff happens, The three bridges may be closed or unavailable. Do you have any recommendations for a self-inflating raft for my car? The current is going in the right direction to carry me the 10 miles downriver I need to go to get home. It is manageable with oars. I viewed the best ones available for boats planes etc but there are no recommendations that I can see for automobiles and my concern is the extreme heat that they will be exposed to in there.”

JWR’s Reply: I don’t have much experience with inflatables. I hope that some more knowledgeable readers will chime in, with brand and model suggestions.

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Paul Joseph Watson: World Economic Forum Suggests There Are “Solid, Rational” Reasons For Children to Be Microchipped. (A hat tip to Shirley C., for the link.)

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H.L. forwarded this: EV drivers aren’t happy with public chargers, new survey says. Neither am I.

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And lastly, several readers sent this: Texas judge rules that all adults, including 18-year-olds, have the right to open-carry a handgun.