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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From reader G.G.: The Best Multi-Tool for Every Job.
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Department Of Justice Announces “Federal Red Flag Center” Shortly After Omnibus Passes, Congressman Says. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)
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Reader C.B. sent this: FCC launches crackdown on signal jammers sold by Amazon, others.
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SaraSue sent us this snippet:
“The weather has been warm, cold, warm, cold, with lots of rain which means lots of grass in the pastures. I get out really early, milk two cows, bring in the milk, strain, bottle, chill, and clean the equipment. If I’m quick about getting out there, I can be done by 7am. The bull calf was banded and is now a steer. I cream-separated 15 gallons of milk to get 8 quarts of cream, and ended up with almost 4 lbs of beautiful butter. Currently, the cows are giving about 5 gallons of milk a day. I am selling excess milk again, and excess chicken eggs (in accordance with our state regulations). I purchased a large hay ring to stop the cows from wasting so much hay. I should have purchased one right away a couple of years ago, but the cost stopped me. I ended up spending more money on hay than the cost of a hay ring, so it had to be done. The milking area was “refreshed”. The shovel is my friend. Other than general farm work, I’ve been focusing on some house projects: re-screening the house window screens, organizing, and doing some decorating.
Just a thought I’d like to share: Learning a new skill – how to be a milkmaid in my case – and offering milk to the community has brought to me the most wonderful people. They are so respectful and appreciative, so many having grown up milking cows. I’ve become friends with quite a few. I would think this would apply to any skill one can bring to a new-to-you community. Honesty, faithfulness to the tasks, generosity, and kindness really go a long, long, way. No need to discuss politics or religion in an overt way. Just a general attitude of kindness makes a big difference. Like-minded people tend to gravitate to one another.”
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Some interesting tech trivia: How long does an SSD last?
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Mrs. Alaska wrote, in response to a blog history note:
“Wyatt Earp is buried in a Jewish cemetery south of San Francisco. He died in a rental apartment in Los Angeles but his widow of many decades (who burnished his historical record, which was mixed during his life), was Jewish, and wanted him buried with her.My dad wanted to see his grave. We drove there, and found that it is a bit of a shrine. Prior visitors had left bullet casings and tiny bottles of bourbon, as well as pennies.”
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From reader Linda C.:
“A bit of additional info on winemaking: never make sauerkraut in the same building as winemaking, even for years afterwards, as I learned the hard way. At an informative mead making class, the instructor said the sauerkraut bacteria will turn the wine unpleasant. My result: 6 carboys of wine down the drain, alcohol was still there but the taste was bad. The sauerkraut was great.”
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Reader W.J. wrote:
“The recent article on two-ingredient skin care methods sounded like fun. But for the hasty and lazy, there is a simpler and even cheaper method: cotton car rags and hot water.
The car rags that I buy are from Sam’s Club. Do not get microfiber; get pure, coarse cotton. Run them through the washer and dryer a couple of times, and they will shrink greatly, giving you a tightly woven, rough “washcloth” to work with. Ordinary washcloths don’t work nearly as well as the very cheap cotton car rags do. Did I mention that they are cheap?
These exfoliate beautifully. You are scrubbing your skin with nothing but cotton and hot water. Off comes the crud, dead skin cells and all. The natural protective layer of “bioplastic” on your skin is untouched, keeping in the moisture and keeping out chemicals and weather. It really feels good too. Using hot water removes excess oils. If you have dry skin, you might want to use cooler water.
For the even more frugal, wash your face with a corner of the cloth, which is about a quarter of it, not the center. It will last you about four times as long, since putting all the friction in the center, all of the time, will wear it out sooner.”
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Three different SurvivalBlog readers have recommended a series of “round table” podcasts produced by LTC Steven Murray. When you have time, listen in.
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Our friend and fellow blogger Commander Zero wrote:
“In the same vein of your recent Graphic Of The Week post, check out this scan outta Shotgun News from back during the 1994-2004 ban days.
Those prices are in 1990’s dollars, too.
A Glock 33-round happystick was $119 ca. 2000 (middle of ban years), and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation calculator thats around $219.00 in today’s money. For a Glock magazine that is currently, dealer price, at $28.75. (Or Magpul’s version at half the price.)
So, that not only demonstrates the effects of inflation, but also the effect of the artificial scarcity caused by an arbitrary ‘ban’. Moral of the story: It is hard to go wrong stocking up on mags.”
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The latest video from Lauren Southern illustrates how draconian the multinational campaign of political intimidation and censorship of immigration opponents has become: Brittany & Martin.
JWR’s Comments: Watching that video is heartbreaking. (If you are in a hurry and are already familiar with the Sellners’ situation, then skip forward to the 9-minute mark.) To be clear: This documents the already well-reported intense coercive force via collusion between the law enforcement, customs, immigration, and intelligence agencies of the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland, and the U.K.. So much for living as “free people” in a “western nation” in the “free world.” Those notions are now just fanciful memories.
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And lastly, H.L. sent us this: U.S. at Risk of Being ‘Largely Reliant’ on China for Syringes and Other Critical Supplies, Senators Warn.
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