This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: 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 The Burning Platform: South Africa has collapsed, here’s why. JWR’s Comments: For many years, I’ve written about “slow slide” scenarios. This is one that is now playing out for the whole world to see. When I traveled with my family to South Africa five years ago, I got to see this first hand. At that time, the power cuts were already a severe nuisance. But now, they’ve become even more frequent. This has driven a lot of small businesses out of business. Shopkeepers simply cannot afford to run generators behind their stores, day after day. The ESKOM power utility is a cesspool of nepotism, with hundreds of “relative of the boss” employees on the payroll for many years who rarely if ever show up for work. In 21st Century South Africa, driving highways is dicey, since there are huge, deep potholes! A lot of auto repair shops do a big business in repairing suspensions and replacing wheels.
South Africa’s now pitiful situation should serve as a warning to us. All sectors of the nation’s infrastructure are now crumbling, and the crime rate is tremendous. And this all started with divisive politics, affirmative action for any business with more than 50 employees (the Employment Equity Act), and widespread corruption. When an employee knows that he cannot be fired from his job, he soon reverts to doing nothing.
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Reader James D. sent the link to this fictional video: Nuclear Armageddon — EAS WW3 Scenario.
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A fantastic video: How America’s Largest Cast Iron Pan Factory Makes Almost Two Million Pans per Month.
The latest from Matt Christiansen, illustrating the total travesty of the modern American woke “justice” system: Do Not Misgender the Child-Molesting Murderer — The Priorities of the LA County DA.
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Tunnel Rabbit sent this video: How To Unlock A New-Production Baofeng UV-5R.
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SaraSue sent this snippet:
“We had crazy winds this past week that gusted up to 60, 70, and 80 mph, after the tornado threat passed. The house and barns did fine during the storm, but the new hen house roof peeled off and flew across the yard, and an older wooden fence that needs replacing half fell down. Not bad, considering the size of the storm. The grass is growing like gang busters, which the cows appreciate. Most of the fruit and nut trees planted last year are budding, but I need to extend their wrap-around fencing enough to keep the cows, who have noticed, from eating the fresh green leaves. The vegetable starts are thriving in the bay window, and soon I’ll start planting potatoes outside. I am waiting for the well-drillers to start work. The good news is, this is my opportunity to get water piped out to the animals and the garden since they’ll be trenching. I hope to get a solar-powered pump installed as a backup. Meanwhile, I prioritize water for the animals. For now, there’s just enough extra water to cook, and to keep myself, my clothes, and the house clean. Good enough. I’m currently reviewing food inventory, making note of what I have not used in over a year, and will feed those canned goods to the chickens rather than have them take up space in the pantries as they near their expiration dates. I could keep them, but the advice has always been to store what you like and will use, so out they go.”
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Next step in surveillance AI: Finding out who your friends are. JWR’s Comment: Another tightening of the screws…
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Marc M. suggested listening to the March 2nd edition of the Redacted podcast. This podcast spells out how Ukraine is being used as a testbed for digital IDs, vaccine passports, and associated apps that can exert supranational control over citizenries. The real meat of this discussion starts at around the 55-minute mark. The implications for the degradation of personal privacy and national sovereignty are enormous.
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D.S.V. sent us this: It’s Time To Admit It: EVs Are EVIL.
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And last but not least, Tunnel Rabbit sent this very useful snippet on how to construct a homemade 12 Volt DC Gang Charging Power Supply for Baofengs and similar radios. He writes:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/401314870683?var=672753976631
This device solves a huge logistical and technical problem associated with many brands of handheld radios. My friends tell me that they want these, so you might also see the need. If I were so inclined, I might assemble and sell this sort of thing on eBay. Once spring is here, and the sun returns, I will test to destruction if necessary, and attempt to safely charge Baofengs with this device directly from a 12vdc PV panel.“
JWR Adds: When assembling such a charging system, be very careful not to mix up polarity! Most radios that use barrel connectors are “center hot”, but some are not.
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