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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SurvivalBlog reader C.B. sent this: Microsoft-CrowdStrike outage: How a single software update was able to cause IT chaos across the globe. Here is an excerpt:
“The global IT outage on 19 July serves as a stark reminder of our vulnerability to technological failures. Triggered by a single faulty software update provided by the cybersecurity firm, CrowdStrike, this had a disastrous impact on airlines, media outlets, banks, and retailers worldwide, particularly businesses that use Microsoft Windows operating systems.
This incident, described as the “largest IT outage in history,” reminds us of the extensive web of IT interconnections that sustain our digital infrastructure—and of the potential for far-reaching consequences when something goes wrong.
What started with delays at airports turned into widespread flight cancellations. The disruption in airline systems doesn’t just disrupt flight schedules, it also affected global supply chains reliant on air cargo, demonstrating the multifaceted nature of modern IT ecosystems. Meanwhile, broadcasts were interrupted at numerous TV and radio stations and operations at supermarkets and banks were brought to a standstill.”
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Foxes accused of stealing Crocs, sandals from campers after many pairs found at den. JWR’s Comments: back in the early 1990s we had a pet ferret that was obsessed with plastic or rubber toys and disposable diapers. He would steal them and cache them in a crawl space of our ranch house. I eventually had to staple chicken wire over the opening, to keep him out of the crawl space.
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Reader D.S.V. mentioned this news: California to impose first-ever permanent water restrictions on cities and towns.
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SaraSue sent this update:
“Finally! A break in the weather and it rained. Thank you, Lord! It’s been almost two months without rain and very high temps and humidity. I dug up potatoes that never flowered and the harvest was pitiful. I will buy a large quantity from the Amish. The tomatoes may yet turn a rosy red with the refreshing rain, but I bought plenty to put up. I thought the gardens wouldn’t make it even with regular watering. It was just that hot. I ripped out the zucchini and squash plants that were suddenly overtaken with bugs after harvesting a lot, and planted corn and butternut squash. The hot pepper plants are doing okay, producing a few peppers. The elderberries are ready to harvest but smaller this year. The blackberries shriveled up, so no harvest there.
In barn cat news, of my original 7 cats, 5 of which were caught and “fixed”, all but 3 have been absconded by predators. One of those had two kittens who are learning to hunt and absolutely adorable. I understand why people don’t fix their cats, way out in the country. It is because they disappear due to predators, and you need a lot of cats to cover the barns and feed storage areas, not to mention the garage and areas surrounding the house. I have had zero mouse problems since I got all the cats, so it’s worth it to me. I hate it when one disappears after paying for neuter/spay. (I feel sorry for the cats too!) There’s a huge push in our county to spay/neuter cats and I understand why, but I need lots of cats to keep the mouse and rat population down. I saw an ad for “free barn cats, already spayed/neutered” and I thought – what a good idea. It’s about $100/cat to get them fixed, but the various “foundations” get a discount on neuter/spay.
In puppy news, the Great Pyrenees/Anatolian Shepherds have graduated to pasture patrol. They are fantastic. They don’t bother the cows and the cows don’t mind them at all. In chicken news, the new flock of chickens have graduated to the chicken run after being locked up for months in the hen house. I scoot them all back in at night and lock them in. I don’t have electric fencing set up yet, but the Shepherds patrol the exterior of the run which is double-fenced. I plan on setting up the electric fencing as well. I purchased another game camera via the Amazon Prime Day just to get it at half-price. My goal is to have complete coverage of the farm, but we’ll see.
In cow news, I am going to give one of my cows one last chance to get bred before freezer camp. We are going to use a hormone protocol. After multiple A.I. attempts, multiple visits to a bull, vet visits, mineral changes, this is the last-ditch effort to help her retain a pregnancy. Another cow successfully “took” with A.I. and is due next Spring. I purchased and am raising 2 six-month-old A2A2 dairy heifers as replacement milk cows. There have been a lot of cows coming and going for various reasons here. In an ideal world, I would just have two solid, easy-to-breed back, dairy cows. That has not been the case. All are disease-free – it’s just a quirk of nature and a challenge to find the right cows for the farm. I’ve been too busy with the farm to allow myself to get all worked up about current events. I am watching though. None of the nutty and scary goings-on have changed anything for me, as of yet. Trusting in the Lord and being prepared gives me a sense of calm.”
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At Revolver: The entire Trump assassination plot is about to blow up thanks to a mysterious ATF agent who just went dark…
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Pfizer and Moderna are rolling out catch-all mRNAs for ‘pandemic influenza’.
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While editing articles and columns, I often do some international radio wandering via the Radio Garden web playerr. I recently found an amazing station in Chur, Switzerland, called DriftFM. They have a wonderfully eclectic playlist, with most of the artists singing English lyrics. In particular, I’ve found that their “Night Drift” show has some great music with very few interruptions. My suggestion is that you should take the time to tune in, on some quiet evening. – JWR
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Globalist “Guru” Claims Trump’s Re-Election Will Mean ‘The Death Of Global Order’.
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Dating Divide Over Vaccination Status Splits Those Looking for a Partner.
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And, finally, C.B. spotted this: Study reveals ‘cell death cascade’ in airway cells infected with SARS-CoV-2.
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