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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By mule and helicopter, volunteers deliver aid to Helene victims.
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Daniel Penny’s defense likely to invoke NYC subway as a key ‘witness’ in fatal chokehold trial. JWR’s Comments: In disarmed New York City, good citizens rarely step in to help others in danger. The few who do so are at risk of both prosecution and civil lawsuits from perpetrators who claim to be “victims”. The verdict in this trial will tell us a lot about sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs in 21st Century New York City. (I suspect that sheepdogs will still be in legal jeopardy.)
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Long-time reader Chris M. wrote:
“The failure of the currency from the debt is going to be a bleak event. Save the Republic, save the banks, or save the currency. Pick any two. Not even mentioned in the current political contests. How do you navigate $35 Trillion on the books and $100 +/-Trillion that is off the books?”
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New Jersey hunter kills 770-pound black bear, setting state record: ‘Smartest animal I’ve chased’. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)
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Which College Degrees Have The Best Return On Investment?
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SurvivalBlog’s Editor-At-Large Michael Z. Williamson mentioned:
“I’d like to comment on some recent rumors about authorizing the U.S. military to fire on civilians. It looks like someone dug up a DoD directive that was originally from 1982, updated recently regarding military assistance to civil authorities, and then ‘interpreted’ a bunch of stuff.
Given that most units don’t have ammo on hand, I’m not sure what they’d shoot with. There would have to be ammo deliveries and weapons issue, then the units mobilize. There would be plenty of notice if something like that happened.
This is the root document: DOD DIRECTIVE 5240.01 — DOD INTELLIGENCE AND INTELLIGENCE-RELATED ACTIVITIES AND DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE COMPONENT ASSISTANCE TO LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND OTHER CIVIL AUTHORITIES. Which as far as I can tell makes no such mentions.”
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Readers in Illinois and Indiana, take note of this remodeled bunker listing at SurvivalRealty.com: Patmos Underground Bunker – Life Preservation Solution!
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Video: Dirt Bikes vs E-bikes for Prepared Civilians.
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With a war raging in Ukraine, the French Army is apparently attempting to rebuild its spine: Examining the French Military Programming Act 2024–2030. JWR’s Comments: In college, one of the most memorable times from my Army ROTC Military Science classes was when one instructor — an Army Signal Corps Captain — was asked to explain the difference between the terms enfilade and defilade. After explaining these in a succinct lecture, he mentioned: “A great number of military terms used by armies worldwide come from the French Army. And many of those date back to the Napoleonic era. You know… like: grenade, ordnance, rendezvous, rampart, and echelon.” Then he asked: “Can any of you cadets name a few others?” Then came a veritable fusillade of shouts from the students in the room, with varying degrees of French accents: “Camouflage!” “Retrograde!”, “Negotiate!”, “Casualty!”, “Coup de grace!”, “Evacuate!”, “Retreat!”, “Capitulate!”, “Disengage!”, “Rout!”, “Defeat!”, and finally: “Surrender!” Then there were howls of laughter.
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Released, after four months in federal prison: STEVE BANNON RETURNS TO WAR ROOM – COMES OUT FIGHTING! – SLAMS PELOSI!
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UC Santa Cruz Forces COVID Vaccines on Students.
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Reader Chris M. offered these useful suggestions:
“I had a moment of clarity, seeing an empty plastic Folgers coffee container on the counter this morning It turns out that those a near-perfect fit for a roll of toilet paper to keep in the trunk of your car. Keeps any leaks in your trunk from wetting the roll.
Two more examples: The 24-ounce canning jars are a perfect fit for a 7-ounce plastic water bottle. Seven of those fit beautifully in the bottom of a 5-gallon Home Depot bucket with cardboard separators. Another cardboard separator holds a bunch of freeze-dried meals. Nice emergency pack. The glass keeps any plasticizer/fuel/exhaust/whatever fumes from your trunk out of your emergency water bottles.
The American Express check presentation trays (bright tin-plate) are a perfect fit to a smart phone. If that weren’t uncanny enough, the metal trays fit perfectly inside of an Outdoor Products smartphone case. I love their flip-phone cases too, but as I recall they were discontinued. I’m looking for a new cell provider since AT&T stabbed me in the back. Might still be able to use their flip phones with a new carrier. I kept a slip of paper over the battery contacts to keep the batteries charged for months at a time.”
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In Germany: ‘State of the art’ fire station burns down … because it had no fire alarms.
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SaraSue sent this snippet:
“This past week one of the milk cows I sold came back home to the farm. She is absolutely gorgeous, in milk, and well-trained. The family who purchased her decided that she was too hard to hand milk with her short teats. She does just fine with a milking machine. Her milk is sweet and the cream line on her milk is impressive. I purchased her back because I didn’t want her passed around to newbie homesteaders who lacked experience. She seemed very happy to go with me and hopped right into the trailer with me. My friends brought their horse trailer to help me. It was an all day process, but I’m thrilled to have her back home. She is supposedly “bred back”. The vet is coming out this week to preg check three of my cows.
In other news, I voted. In our usually sleepy town, early voting has been going on in earnest. The work on the inside of the farmhouse has begun and it has lifted my spirits no matter how disruptive it is to have people working inside. The work is supposed to be completed before Thanksgiving when my family comes for a farmhouse feast. I am ready to hunker down for many months after securing hay, straw, feed, cleaning out barns, hen house, the garage, putting the garden to bed, and purchasing stock-up items. I will be drying off my bred cows so I don’t have to milk over the winter months. I will miss the milk, but not trudging through snow and ice pulling a heavy dairy wagon. We have short winters here, so it won’t be long before new calves hit the ground and there will be more milk than I know what to do with. The Great Pyrenees puppies will be 8 months old next week and they have discovered the joy of wandering to all the surrounding farms. I made an appointment with the vet to have them both neutered, which will calm down the wandering. I created a safe and cozy space for them in the smaller barn using XXL dog crates surrounded by stacks of straw bales to keep them warm this winter. Stay safe y’all.”
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Some troubling news from England: Army veteran convicted over silent prayer for aborted son outside clinic.
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Video: Night Vision Buyers Guide: How to Choose Night Vision.
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And lastly, here is some news from Woke California: Silicon Valley Lectures Us Again: Zillow Adds ‘Climate Risk Data’ to Home Listings.
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