SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, more news of nuclear war brinksmanship.
Russia’s Terrifying ‘Dead Hand’ Threat
Over at The UK Daily Mail: Russia’s terrifying ‘DEAD HAND’ threat as spiraling nuclear rhetoric leaves world on the brink.
And in related news: Trump moves nuclear subs closer to Russia after Kremlin threat.
Poland Readies Itself Against a Possible Russian Invasion
Poland prepares to defend itself against potential Russian invasion — ABC NEWS (Australia).
Taiwanese Civilians Training for a Chinese Invasion
Meanwhile, in Taiwan: The Taiwanese civilians training for a Chinese invasion.
Moscow Wants Moldova
From Modern Diplomacy: Moscow Wants Moldova. Europe Must Stop It. The article begins:
“Historically, Moldova has depended on Russian gas via a complex mechanism involving the separatist region, where a large power plant generated electricity for the rest of the country. But on Jan. 1, 2025, both Moldova proper and the separatist enclave were plunged into an energy crisis after Russian gas supplies were halted following the expiration of a transit agreement with Ukraine.
It was actually Kyiv, engaged in full-scale war with Russia, that declined to renew the longstanding deal that allowed Russian gas to flow westward through its territory—but the move was telegraphed for many months, and alternatives existed.
Mainly, Russia could have easily rerouted gas to Transnistria via the TurkStream and Trans-Balkan pipelines, which run through Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania. But it declined to do so, even as households and businesses in Moldova faced skyrocketing prices, and Transnistria itself remained without gas. Russia justified this by accusing Moldova of owing $709 million in unpaid gas bills — a claim that has been thoroughly debunked: An independent international audit commissioned in 2023 found the true amount owed by the Moldovan government to Gazprom was just $8.6 million.
In early February, the European Union stepped in to avert a humanitarian emergency. It provided €20 million in emergency aid to subsidize gas deliveries to Transnistria for 10 days — from February 1 to February 10 — enabling the region to restart electricity production for Moldova proper. This was from arranged external deliveries, supported through EU subsidies.”
Operation Mockingbird is Still Targeting Americans
At Zero Hedge: Media PSYOP ‘Operation Mockingbird’ Still Targeting Americans: Gabbard. An excerpt:
“Once a covert CIA program used to plant propaganda in foreign and domestic media, Operation Mockingbird infiltrated major U.S. newsrooms throughout the 1950s–1970s.
It was exposed during the Church Committee hearings, where Congress revealed that the agency maintained relationships with hundreds of journalists to shape public perception.
Today, Gabbard says, that same playbook is being deployed against Americans.
Only now, it’s fully digital, algorithmic, and taxpayer-funded.
‘They are subverting the will of the people and therefore undermining the Constitution,’ Gabbard warned.”
The Adoption of BCE and CE Was Anti-Christian
At the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: The adoption of BCE (Before Common Era) and CE (Common Era) as replacements for the traditional BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini, meaning “in the year of our Lord”) is nothing short of a calculated assault on Christianity.
Where Did Bird Flu Go?
Reader L.L. suggested this recent article published by the UNMC’s Global Center for Health Security: Where Did Bird Flu Go? Here is a quote:
“Bird flu was nearly everywhere in the U.S.—in chickens, cows, pet cats and even humans. Cases have gone down, but experts warn that it hasn’t disappeared. For months, bird flu was seemingly everywhere in the U.S.: news headlines reported the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus was rapidly sweeping through hundreds of herds of dairy cattle and leading to massive culls of poultry flocks, concerning infections in humans and grocery store aisles where nary an egg could be found.
But nearly as quickly as bird flu took hold in daily conversations, it disappeared from them and most people’s thoughts—making it easy for the public to think avian influenza’s threat had waned. Far from it, experts say. ‘The flu is still there, and we just don’t know enough about it,’ says Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan.”
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