This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: 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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We’ll start out with this, at Brushbeater: The Guerrilla’s Guide To The Baofeng Radio Is Out!!
Canadian Provinces Refuse to Assist in Trudeau’s Gun Grab.
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North Carolina power substations taken out by gunfire: sheriff. JWR’s Comment: Time correlation does not necessarily mean causation.
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What Americans Must Do to Stop the Great Reset.
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Fred The Valmetmeister sent this: HAM (Amateur Radio Documentary) Montana PBS [2022]
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A fascinating tour, with narration: Palmetto State Armory Factory Tour! See how their AKs, ARs, JAKLs are made! (Full disclosure: Palmetto State Armory is one of our affiliate advertisers, so we earn a little piece of the action when you place an order that originates with the click of a PSA ad or text link at SurvivalBlog.)
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A video suggestion from reader Tim J.: Hidden Danger in Fruit & Honey [ A1c Misses Fructose Damage ] 2022
TSA now wants to scan your face at security. Here are your rights. (Thanks to D.S.V. for the link.)
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Reader Richard T. had this comment:
“In the November 9th, 2022 SurvivalBlog there is an article, Backwoods Home Magazine, by Thomas Christianson. I have had a subscription to that magazine (BHM) for quite some time, there is another magazine in the same genre; The Mother Earth News (TMEN), which I also have had subscribed to until a couple of years ago. I have boxes of both magazines which I routinely reread. I have issues of The Mother Earth News going back to the very 1st one. This article by Thomas Christianson caused me to question the difference between these two magazines, and why I quit subscribing to TMEN. I had a gut feeling on that but couldn’t put it into words until after I reviewed articles in both magazines. Both magazines have very informative and useful information, but to generalize, I find that BHM is biased towards what the individual can do and TMEN is biased towards the community approach to solutions.
TMEN is more of a hobby magazine geared for those who need to get their hand in some soil after a day at the office. I doubt that most BHM readers own a suit. TMEN articles are often ones that require a lot of money, designing and constructing a Zero-energy home for instance in the June/July 2019 issue. I did not read the article beyond the subtitle: “Two families banded together to build an energy-efficient getaway in the mountains for themselves as well as renters”. Issue #300 has an article “Divestment Movement” that ends with this statement: “Divestment is one piece in pushing for a just transition from the extractive economy to a regenerative democratic economy. And we’re calling on financial institutions to prioritize people and the planet above profits, and reinvest that money in an economy that supports communities”. Words like “sustainable” and “community” are favorite concepts in TMEN but not with me. The last straw for me was when Joel Salatin was cancelled by TMEN apparently due to his use of unapproved terms.
Overall I feel more at home in a real place like the backwoods instead of an idyllic “Mother Earth”. In conclusion, both magazines have excellent useful, practical information but from different viewpoints.”
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Peter suggested this: The New Authoritarians. “Woke professionals acting as the indentured servants of a fearful oligarchy have become everything we were told to fear from Trumpism.
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Biden’s Secretary of Defense Tells Congress to Ban Unvaccinated Troops.
A snippet from Mrs. Alaska:
“We have trained our labrador to haul sled loads of firewood to the back door (about 60 ft) and a sled carrying the Honda 2000 generator back and forth between the power shed and cabin (about 450 ft). This is very helpful on a daily task, especially as we age, and he enjoys the exercise and sense of accomplishment.
I would be interested to see an article by someone more experienced than I regarding training dogs to be useful working dogs, perhaps specific to SHTF situations or other emergencies. For example, in a bug out situation, I would think that an untrained, yippy lap dog could be a liability, whereas a quiet guard dog or hunter could be an asset.
In my advanced dog training class, I learned that the smartest breeds learn in 5 or fewer repetitions (shepherds, collies, labradors, retrievers, dobermans, rottweilers), with other breeds listed on a sliding scale down to those who require 40 – 80 repetitions! (Hello Shitzu and bulldog.)”
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Tim J. sent this video link: Compost Heat Recovery system… Does it actually work?
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Reader MJ sent this:
“The biggest item I had to be grateful for on Thanksgiving was passing the CompTIA Data+ exam. That will give me the chance to move to a rural area (red county) of New Mexico. I like it here. Mild winters, lower cost of living, beautiful scenery.
In other news, I tried the grain mill attachment I bought for my KitchenAid mixer to grind the corn I grew. That was very difficult, partly because I did not dehydrate the corn sufficiently, and partly because it was not as easy to clean as advertised. It took a long time to grind even a small amount of corn. I recommend that SB readers do not purchase this grain mill. I’m grateful that I didn’t burn out my KitchenAid mixer. This was a lot of work to get some cornmeal, though I’m sure it will taste better than store-bought cornmeal. Live and learn.”
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This video interview was suggested by Avalanche Lily: Canadian’s Won’t Be Able To Hunt.
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Switzerland could ban electric vehicle use during energy crisis: reports.
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Illinois Dems Introduce Gun Control Bill Targeting Assault Weapons, Age Restrictions. (A hat tip to Tracy for the link.)
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And meanwhile, farther west: Colorado Senate President Eyes Gun Control Grab: ‘Pretty Much Everything Is on the Table’.
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Yellowstone’s underground lava river threatens natural disaster – study.
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F.J. spotted this: We Almost Died Trekking Nepal: Here’s What Went Wrong.
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And lastly, Dan N. sent this video: Defeating Microwave Weapons.
Please Send Us Your Snippets!
Please send your snippet items for potential posting to JWR. or AVL. You can do so either via e-mail or via our Contact form.