SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL [1]”. Users are gain finding out that digital security is not easy – it turns out that the Signal app isn’t so secure after all.
Signal App Isn’t so Secure
Signal App promoted itself as a secure messaging app because it would self delete delivered messages, making it easy for you to maintain security in the case of mishandled (of confiscated) devices. According to this article sent in by P.L, it’s not that easy though [2]. It would appear that even though the app deletes the messages, the notifications that MacOS gives the owner of the device keeps a database of these messages. You may not be able to access the original message, but the database of notifications can be scanned and the information recovered. This flaw appears to live on the macOS version only at this time.
South Africa Emulates Zimbabwe
There is much inaccurate and deliberately misleading news out their with regards to South Africa’s move to the left and it’s new racist policies. Reader S.M. sent in this article that does much to correct those news reports [3]. South Africa is clearly going to emulate Zimbabwe with it’s racial land expropriation without compensation. The combined majority of the EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) and the ANC (African National Congress) exceeds the required two thirds of the South African parliament with will enable them to change the constitution which still nominally protects property rights in Section 25.
Mexico
According to this article sent in by reader J.W., Mexico may be following in the footsteps of Cuba, Argentina and Venezuela. NAFTA has been a boon to Mexico over the years, but Trump has signaled that it may be time to re-evaluate it’s benefits to the U.S. In addition, the Trump administration’s tax overhaul has serious implications for Mexico. Add to that the fifth consecutive democratic vote, which in and of itself is a good thing and you have a perfect storm. The problem with this election is that the front runner, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, is a left-wing politician. All three of these incidents may tip the favorability of businesses to move back to the U.S. [4], exiting Mexico and the economy will follow other South American, left-leaning countries.
Never Valet Park!
Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large, reminds us why you should never valet park your car. [5] The Hyatt hotel in Dallas decided to have it’s security search a private vehicle that had used the valet service. Of note is the fact that the hotel security was not executing a search warrant. They claim that the fact that the car was on their property and that they had the keys to the car was all the authority that they needed to search it.
I’m not sure how the law works in Texas on this issue, but I know that your car is considered an extension of your home where I live. No hotel or private individual has any authority to search and potentially seize anything in my home, nor do they have the capability of obtaining the legal right to do so. Here’s hoping that some job vacancies are soon posted with Hyatt over this incident.
BSA and the Mormon Church Part Ways
The BSA will change it’s name in February of next year to represent all the social changes that it has embraced over the last decade, but will lose over 1/5 of it’s membership base [6]. While the Mormon Church is not specifically parting ways because of the name change, the values reflected in the organization no longer align with the family values espoused by the Mormon Church. This is a change that is long overdue. Mormons gave the BSA far more slack than I was willing to give as they abandoned traditional conservative values and caved to the SJWs, even after successfully defending those values all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Mormon church will replace the BSA with their own organization currently being designed and slated for December 2019. Thanks to S.R. for the link.
Venezuelan Soldiers Desert in Droves
Venezuelan military officers are joining the exodus of Venezuelans [7] to Columbia and Brazil, fleeing barracks and forcing Maduro’s government to all up retirees and militia to fill the void. The army is charged with overseeing the May 20th election and with the deadline looming, the military is finding itself shorthanded. By law, the military is required to take custody of the electoral materials and machinery at voting centers to make sure the results are fixed correct. Note that this socialist/progressive utopia has jailed and banned opponents and launched a wave of arrests right before the May 20th vote. The government also has at least 300 military personnel detained and accused of treason, though most are regular troops.
Fake News
DARPA, the government research agency responsible for bringing you the Internet (No, sorry, Al Gore [8] wasn’t part of that) is now getting in on the act of fact checking fake news [9]. They are currently working on an automated tool that that will detect manipulations and then provide detailed information about how a photo, video or audio file was altered. Of course, we all trust the government to always tell us the truth right? I think I’ll file this one under the “1984” heading. Thanks to H.L. for the link.
o o o
Please send your news tips to HJL. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact [10] form.) These are often especially relevant, because they come from folks who watch news that is important to them. Due to their diligence and focus, we benefit from fresh “on target” news. We often “get the scoop” on news that is most likely ignored (or reported late) by mainstream American news outlets. Thanks!
Comments Disabled To "The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:"
#1 Comment By Deplorable Silver Stacker On May 10, 2018 @ 12:59 pm
South Africa Emulates Zimbabwe
Reader S.M. sent in this article…………
Is there supposed to be a link? I’d like to read the article, if possible.
#2 Comment By Retired cop On May 10, 2018 @ 1:03 pm
Alert to High and Administrators……the first three stories in Odds and Sods do not appear to have working links (Signal App, South Africa, and Mexico).
#3 Comment By Deplorable Silver Stacker On May 10, 2018 @ 1:07 pm
BSA and the Mormon Church Part Ways
I knew this day was coming. When I heard the news yesterday, I was “squeeeeeee”-ing like a little girl. I had to explain to a co-worker what my excitement was all about.
Many questions:
-Will the “BSA” allow the Mormon church to lift and re-use the BSA material wholesale? Or is it all TM and copyright? Will the Mormon church be able to buy the rights to use BSA material? Or will the Mormon church have to re-invent the wheel and develop whole new material, being careful not to tread on BSA copyright?
-Will the Mormon church join with other churches and form a “Christian Scouts” organization? And will everyone involved be sued for such non-inclusive-ness? (GASP!)
(thinking of the agenda groups, i.e., LGBT, trannys, muzzies, etc, etc)
“May you be cursed to live in interesting times”
#4 Comment By Cashqueen17 On May 10, 2018 @ 6:38 pm
This has been in consideration by the Mormon church for a long time. I believe (personal thoughts here) that they will have a new program out very different from the BSA program. Scouts have failed to keep up with the changing interests of youth these days. Also, the Mormon church is international, but the BSA is not so much. The church has already created alternative programs for countries where the scouts are not. Personally, I’m excited to see what the church puts out. As a member, I’ve really been impressed with changes that have been made recently. I hope the new youth programs will engage our kids again and provide them opportunities to lead and serve which will provide the skills they need to survive in our rapidly changing world.
#5 Comment By BobW On May 11, 2018 @ 2:58 am
Don’t expect much to really change. There are only so many ways to chop wood.
The Mormon push to leave started several years ago, when my son was in scouts. They were completing their drift from “morally straight” to “whatever floats your boat” at the time, and since we were fairly new to scouts, it was a news piece that really jumped out at me.
I can see them going back to the 1925-ish Scouting model for the basis of the Mormon program. Sure, achievements will be more modern, but the moral ambiguity of the current incarnation of the scouts will be scrubbed away.
#6 Comment By LSM On May 11, 2018 @ 9:59 am
And thank GOD for that.
#7 Comment By Bill in PA On May 10, 2018 @ 2:07 pm
Regarding valet parking, I once met a man 15 years ago who told me he valet parked his car at a casino in NJ. He came out to pick up his car hours later wondering about the large presence of police officers in the area. When the valet drove his car up and handed him his keys, he was surrounded by police asking if he was the owner of the car. It seems, as he related it to me, that the valet had gone through his car, found a handgun that the owner had apparently forgotten was in there and called the police. (He had a PA permit to carry.)
He told me that the ultimate result was that it cost him tens of thousands in legal fees, but he never did any jail time. I neglected to ask him at the time if he was actually convicted of a crime or if charges were dismissed. He was not aware of any disciplinary action by the casino to the valet, so apparently this kind of behavior is tolerated if not accepted. In conclusion, if you don’t want your car searched and your possessions possibly stolen, don’t valet park!
#8 Comment By OneGuy On May 10, 2018 @ 2:26 pm
The BSA is/has been the target of the radical left for years. The pressure put on them both socially and legally has been too much for them to fight effectively. They are inexorably pushed into become the “NOT boy scouts of America”. The left wins again.
#9 Comment By BobW On May 11, 2018 @ 3:03 am
I respectfully disagree with your assertion that the pressure was too much. They won the right to run it their way. Then the ushered in new “progressive” leadership, and did a 180, throwing away 100 years of history for “progressive ideals.”
Was it really pressure? Was the program floundering and marginalized in society, and needing new direction? Probably, judging from the tiny band of hippies in uniforms at our scout meetings. Was all-inclusive the right answer? I can only hypothesize that one part of society thought they had gotten too liberal, while the exceedingly loud other part of society hated them for having standards, codes, honor, etc…
#10 Comment By Hugh James Latimer On May 11, 2018 @ 3:39 am
@BobW,
Interesting thoughts. When I was a Scoutmaster, we used to jokingly call it “Babysitters of America”. The vast majority of the troop was made up of single mothers who wanted a male influence on their young man. We struggled to get Dad’s involved and most who did wanted to do things “their way” rather than the “scouting way”. Teaching outdoor skills was extremely difficult in an environment of moms who coddled their children and fathers who were not team players. Oh, the stories I could tell you about family dynamics…
A second dynamic is the range of activities available to young people. Growing up, my life pretty much revolved around church and scouting. Today, you have to add in all the extracurricular activities like sports, band, etc.. Then add in the massive shift to gaming electronics and an overall shift to narcissistic behavior of society and you suddenly know why they caved.
I retired from scoutmaster when the majority of the mothers were mad because I wouldn’t sign off on some advancement for the young man that the parent basically did.
I really think the downfall of scouting starts with the families.
#11 Comment By Alan On May 10, 2018 @ 3:17 pm
The Theft of white farms and the murder of their owners is absolutely not covered by main stream media in Europe or N America. In the early 90s all you heard from S Africa was daily how bad apartheid was and boycott and those nasty whites. Now, the shoe is on the other foot and, silence.
#12 Comment By zade On May 11, 2018 @ 12:17 pm
I saw a bumper sticker recently that said “Farmers’ Lives Matter.” I can only assume it had to do with South Africa.
#13 Comment By Mark Salas On May 10, 2018 @ 6:10 pm
The “Long March” of the Leftists through the institutions continues. The move of the Boy Scouts to adapt to social change will result in the death of the Boy and Girl Scouts. This will be “mission accomplished” for the Leftists. Remember the rules for Leftists published by “Iowahawk” on his twitter feed:
1. Identify a respected institution.
2. Kill it.
3. Gut it.
4. Wear its carcass as a skin suit while demanding respect
#14 Comment By CeeJay 0714 On May 11, 2018 @ 8:54 am
Re: Valet Parking
I suspect that Hyatt will say that by handing over the keys, there was no “Expectation of Privacy”.
Be careful where you park!
#15 Comment By zade On May 11, 2018 @ 12:24 pm
I heard about some scout alternatives.
Trail Life (for boys) [11]
American Heritage Girls [12]
#16 Comment By Ned2 On May 12, 2018 @ 1:42 am
Thanks for the info!!
#17 Comment By Idahohunter On May 11, 2018 @ 11:02 pm
Most valets can’t drive a stick shift! Not that I would let them drive my vehicle anyway but they walk away when they see that gear shift sticking out of the floor of my big scary truck.