Situational Awareness. Civilian Combat Plate Carrier Setups.

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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Suspected killer who went on NYC stabbing spree confessed he picked victims because they were ‘alone,’ ‘distracted’: sources. JWR’s Comment: Nothing has done more to reduce the situational awareness of the American citizenry than the advent of “smart” phones. Particularly in the cities, you need to keep your head on the swivel. Losing situational awareness by staring at a smartphone could get you killed. I must also mention that this lackadaisical behavior is also a major contributor to the 83% increase in pedestrian traffic fatalities in the past 10 years.

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Reader D.S.V. sent us this news: Passengers evacuated from Southwest flight after cell phone catches fire at DIA.

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Reader Robert W. sent this fun video: A quick walk-through of the ultimate man cave. Robert’s Comment: “Not too bad… …for a beginner.”

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Mrs. Alaska wrote:

“I was delighted to read the article on dosa (Indian crepe) making, since I had so enjoyed those on our trips to India, but never tried to make them myself. On the other hand, his hand grinding was rather intimidating. So, I looked up recipes online to see if I could make dosas with leftover cooked rice (ground in a food processor), flour, yogurt, salt, and a bit of baking soda. The answer is yes, and the four batches I made got better and better as I figured out time, temperature, and thickness. Readers can find various recipes with the search term, “ïnstant dosa recipes.” After initial practice, these are easy and fast.”

A brief but important video: How to Avoid Electrocution from an Offgrid Solar System: Everyone should know this!

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SurvivalBlog staffer Tom Christainson sent this link: Green Grifters.

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Reader Ray K. had this comment on a recent article buy SaraSiue:

“First, I’m sorry that the dog had to be put down.

Second, dogs are pack animals, and there is always an alpha leading the pack. Even if it’s just you and your small house dog, one of you is the alpha. With larger dogs and aggressive breeds, you MUST be the alpha of your pack. It’s dangerous for you and everyone that visits you if you allow the dog to be the alpha. And you, as alpha, must ALWAYS be the alpha. You set the limits and they must be followed.

I’ve owned Maremma LGDs for 20 years. They are 70-120 pounds of guardian, and they take their jobs seriously. They are independent and think for themselves, but they are pack animals and I am their alpha. When I walk into the field where they are guarding, they’ll come to me to see what I’m up to. They don’t want to miss out on anything. They also know that they’ll get a pat on the head and some kind words, on a good day they’ll get a belly-rub.

That said, they know that I’m alpha. I can set down their kibble and then run my fingers through the bowl without a problem. They’ll step back and wait until I’m done. I can set the food down and then pick it back up without a problem. When they’ve done something that I think is wrong, they’ll get a sharp ‘No!’ and if they stop immediately, the lesson stops right there, I turn and walk away. If they don’t stop, for whatever reason, they’ll get another ‘No!’ and I’ll walk aggressively towards them, maintaining solid eye contact. They generally stop what they are doing, break eye contact and walk away. I just won.

Occasionally it takes a bit more and I’ll do an Alpha Roll on one of them. This consists of flipping them onto their back, placing my hand on each side of their throat (without choking them, but firm like a bite), pinning them to the ground, and staring straight into their eyes. When they look away, the hand comes off and I walk away.

At no point during or immediately after a lesson do they get praise or play time. That would send the wrong message. There’s also no long conversation or extended yelling. A simple, sharp ‘No!’ is enough, because they know what follows if they don’t stop what they’re doing.”

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Biological damage in the brain of people with PTSD responds to a protocol of hyperbaric therapy.

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2024 Dog Bite Fatality: Family Pit Bull Attacks Owners, Killing One, Injures Two Police Officers in Boston. (Our thanks to B.G. for the link.)

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A useful video from “Garand Thumb”: Lessons From War: Civilian Combat Plate Carrier Setups.

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Another small turn on the threat spiral: Russian Hackers Sign Into US Wi-Fi Network by Hijacking Nearby Devices. The article begins:

“Russian state-sponsored hackers logged into a Wi-Fi network in the US by hijacking a device in a building across the street—all without leaving Russia.

Cybersecurity vendor Volexity today documented the rare hacking technique, dubbed the ‘Nearest Neighbor Attack.’ The company uncovered the incident in February 2022, when an unnamed customer, known as ‘Organization A’ suffered a server breach.”

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Driver rams his car into crowd in China, killing 35. Police say he was upset about his divorce. JWR’s Comment: If and when they are disarmed by “gun controls”, would-be mass murderers will simply arm themselves in other ways: vehicles, explosives, flammables, poisons, et cetera. These can be more capable of far more carnage than a firearm.

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Former FEMA employee slams agency on equity focus after official tells workers to avoid homes with Trump signs.

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