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 “JWR”. Today, we focus on China’s Big Brother Software.
How Safe is Tap Water?
Bruce sent us this: The US drinking water supply is mostly safe, but that’s not good enough. Here is a snippet:
“There are more than 151,000 public water systems in the United States serving residential communities, schools, office buildings, hospitals and other sites. It is especially challenging for small communities to fund infrastructure upgrades and monitor water quality. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave the U.S. drinking water delivery system a D on its most recent infrastructure report card, based on the high number of leaks and the presence of both legacy contaminants like lead and new threats like PFAS.”
The Army’s ‘Google Earth On Steroids’
Reader DSV sent this: Army’s ‘Google Earth On Steroids’ Can Look Inside Buildings
Sweden is Encouraging Prepping
Video: Why Sweden is encouraging citizens to become preppers. (Thanks to Terry H. for the link.) A PDF pf the English edition of the booklet mentioned is available for free download here.
House Democrats Pushing for Impeachment
Like a contumacious child, the Democrats who rule the U.S. House of Representatives are now pushing for impeachment of President DJT. Even though the exhaustive two-year Mueller investigation came up with no evidence of collusion with the Russians by Trump, or the members of his campaign staff, or his transition staff, or his seated cabinet, the Democrats persist. My personal assessment is that the Democrats will try to keep this up, to shade the 2020 election. Perhaps if Attorney General Barr begins to earnestly investigate the machinations of the Uranium One deal (which truly smacks of collusion), then the Democrats will relent–in effect saying: “We’ll stop the impeachment talk if you lay off investigating Hillary Clinton and President BHO.”
In China: The Real Big Brother Software
Another from frequent blog content contributor DSV: Frightening system targets anyone not behaving to gov’t standards. Here is an excerpt:
“Human Rights Watch has uncovered the “inner workings” of software used by police in the autonomous territory of Xinjiang that monitors people for any deviation from “an algorithmically determined norm.”
The Electronic Frontier Foundation said the app is used by authorities to communicate with the Integrated Joint Operations Platform, IJOP, which collects information from all surveillance in the territory.
The system targets “just about anyone” who isn’t behaving according to the government’s standards.
EFF noted IJOP “requires a massive amount of manual labor, all focused towards data entry and translating the physical world into digital relationships.”
Xinjiang is home to the Uighurs and other Turkic minority groups that have been targeted in crackdowns by the Chinese communists.
“Political education centers” now house an estimated 1 million people, and spying on citizens is a standard practice.
“While we fight the introduction and integration of facial recognition and street-level surveillance technologies in the U.S., existing research from Human Rights Watch gives us insight on how facial-recognition-enabled cameras already line the streets in front of schools, markets, and homes in Kashgar. WiFi sniffers log the unique addresses of connected devices, and police gather data from phone inspections, regular intrusive home visits, and mandatory security checkpoints,” EFF said.
Human Rights Watch obtained a copy of a mobile app that police officers use and released its source code, revealing that it allows police to do “investigative missions” such as individuals or tracking vehicles.
It also incorporates facial recognition.=
The app focuses on 36 “suspicious” person types.
For example, someone who travels, such as leaving the territory, even if it is legal.
Those who have communication software on their phones, such as WhatsApp or Telegram, get extra attention.
A red flag is raised also when any disappears from an online presence.”
New York State Bill Attempts to Derail SCOTUS Case
And another from DSV: New York State Bill Would Allow NYC to Keep Restrictions at the Heart of SCOTUS Case.
—
You can send your news tips to JWR. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact form.) Thanks!
Re: Democrats Pushing for Impeachment
Of course they are, and I say that conservatives and President Trump did not start this fight but we sure are in it to win it now. I think the next year is going to be really bad for the players in BHO’s administration who have sold out the US. Traitors all, and they should hang together in front of the Capitol Building. By the general election next November the Demonrats are going to be in deep poopoo.
@ Tap water – Another misleading snippet here. Rather than outlining the ways in which this snippet is false, I’ll jump to the end. This is a narrative for how water becomes privatized. Privatized water has an approximately 500% mark up (depending on source). This narrative is situated as to say “this is what we will lose if we fail to act”. But, the ways in which industry wants to act, is not in your best interest.
It is time for Republican Senators to step up and censure Sen Harris for the comments that she keeps making about the President. Time for them to make a statement.
Buck,
They don’t know how to stand for anything except the status quo. I was a republican once, but never again. They have no creditability with me.
House Democrats Pushing for Impeachment
The democrats and their traitorous filth in the FBI, CIA, NSA and all the other deep state pigs, are trying to overthrow the government and institute a communist regime. We should be marching on DC. It is the only option we have left.
DKL,
Sadly , I am afraid that you are right.
House Pushing for Impeachment
1 Tim: 2:1-3 Today is a National day of Prayer for our President and Government. Please stand for a Godly Nation. Prayer changes things!
There are some interesting aspects to the Swedish preparedness booklet. One that is particularly heartening is this: ‘If Sweden is attacked by another country, we will never give up. All information to the effect that resistance is to cease is false.’
Also note that the government can draft citizens between the ages 16 of 70 into military and other service.
I can remember in the 50s hearing air raid alarms here in the US. We did ‘duck and cover’ drills at school, hiding under our desks or in the halls with coats over our heads.
Your right. What once was may very well b again. Russians have had bombers on the coast of Alaska for some time now never say it couldnt happen here.
The section you quoted jumped out at me as well. Could our government be counted on to do the same? I think our current Executive Branch would go down swinging but I don’t believe I could count on anyone else in DC
There is a YouTube about this topic. Sweden was once much more prepared during the cold war with massive fallout shelters under the streets. It once had a total military force of 700,000. Today that number is 50,000, including the Home Guard, comprised heavily of their ‘Boomers’. The rest of Europe is likely in simular state.
It once had a total military force of 700,000.<<
Could you source or clarify this ?
In the last half, a retired Swedish Col. explains:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCAJofc4ajM&t=1119s
Stack a Royal Berkey on top of a ZeroWater filter. Will take out almost every impurity in water.
The Berkey filters bacteria and viruses, along with some organics and metals, The ZeroWater deionizes the rest.
Sweden Prepping due to Possible Russian intervention is a good move on their part. I would like to add as an ex-Spokane resident, there are a lot of Russians settling there, and I mean a lot. I am sure most were trying to get away from Russia, none the less, just thought I would mention that.
Rita, when I left Spokane area in 2011 there were estimated to be about 25,000 Russian and Eastern Bloc immigrants in the Eastern Washington area as far west as Odessa, WA. Here in Alaska there are entire area dominated by Russian and former Eastern Bloc areas; current estimates are about 45,000. But then we bought Alaska from Russia so …
My grandparents immigrated here from Ukraine (Russia as it was called then) and I grew up in that mindset; learned to speak a bit too but have not kept it up very well. I fear the Islamic invasion of this nation more than any Russian or other ethnic descendants because Islam is fundamentally incompatible with our Christian foundations contained in our Constitution.
Bottom line, be prepared, as a life long Scout … be prepared. Be instant in season …
I agree with you, I also fear an Islamic invasion more than any other.
Lot of Russian/Ukrainian emigres in the Willamette Valley too.
For a Nation founded upon Biblical principles, with total reliance upon Divine Providence, to embrace the iniquity of the sins of abortion, homosexuality, and many other, to turn our backs upon God, maybe the scourge of Islam will be justice. America, humble yourself and bless God.
“Political Education Centers” in China? Our public schools are nothing more than political indoctrination camps and have a hundred times more people in them.