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 [1]. 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, we look at developments in naval Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIEDs)–so-called “Kamikaze Drone Boats”.
Ukraine’s Kamikaze Drone Boats Hit Russian Tankers
Ukraine Releases Footage Of Kamikaze Drone Boats Striking Russian Shadow-Fleet Tankers [2]. The article begins:
“Two Russia-linked “shadow fleet” tankers suffered sequential strikes on Friday in Turkey’s Black Sea waters.
Preliminary reporting [3] from Turkish authorities indicates both incidents resulted from external interference, consistent with a mine, drone, missile, or unmanned surface vessel.
By Saturday morning, Visegrád 24 [4] circulated new footage from Ukraine showing explosive-laden kamikaze drone boats striking both tankers at the stern, rendering the vessels inoperable.”
Victor Davis Hanson on the War in Ukraine
SurvivalBlog staffer Tom Christianson mentioned this essay by Victor Davis Hanson, over at American Greatness: The War in Ukraine: Lots of Questions and a Few Answers [5].
Mamdani’s Marxist and Islamic Overseas Ties
Reader H.L. sent us this: NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Links to Pakistani Marxist, Islamist, and CCP-Aligned Networks [6].
Study: The ‘Tipping Point’ Age of Frailty
Study Reveals The Age You Hit The ‘Tipping Point’ Into Frailty [7].
20 Million+ U.S. Workers Can Be Replaced With AI
I found this linked over at the Whatfinger.com [8]news aggregation site: More Than 20 Million Americans’ Work Can Be Replaced with Today’s AI, MIT Study Say [9]s. Here is an excerpt:
“…a new study [10] out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is sure to add fuel to the fire. Analyzing 151 million American workers, the researchers calculated that today’s AI systems are already mature enough to automate the tasks of more than 20 million American workers, or 11.7 percent of the entire labor force, if they were fully deployed across the country.
The researchers examined how many occupational tasks could be automated by AI, along with the dollar value of each task. The total vulnerable tasks — representing an astonishing $1.2 trillion in wage value — give a rough idea of the potential scale of disruption to the $9.4 trillion American labor market, and the huge windfall for any companies that could actually deliver all that automation.”
Does AI Lead to Socialism?
George Ford Smith, writing over at Mises Wire: Does AI lead to Socialism? [11]
James Cameron Calls Generative AI ‘Horrifying’
Over at TechCrunch: Avatar [12] director James Cameron says generative AI is ‘horrifying’.
Matt Hoover Released From Prison!
Some good news reached us yesterday: The wrongly-convicted Matt Hoover (of the now well-known CRS Firearms YouTube videos) has been released [13]. He endured 2.5 years in prison over nothing! Matt had been convicted on Federal machinegun charges for selling drawings of the outline of a Lightning Link inscribed on sheets of metal. After repeated attempts, and even after milling out the lower receiver pockets of test guns, ATF still couldn’t create anything close to reliable full-auto fire even whether or not they followed the profile of the Auto Key Card drawing. All that they managed to get was some unreliable hammer-following malfunctions. His conviction was a gross travesty of justice. Please continue to support Matt’s conviction appeal efforts by shopping at his family’s online store [14].
West Virginia Suggests a Secession of Sorts
At Liberty Nation: ‘Appeal to Heaven’— West Virginia Suggests a Secession of Sorts [15]. Here is an excerpt:
“When people talk about political division in America, they usually mean red states versus blue states. But what happens when the divide runs straight through a state itself? And what if a group of counties decides the only fix is to switch territories entirely? That’s the debate now emerging from Appalachia, where a West Virginia lawmaker is openly encouraging dozens of counties in Virginia [16] and Maryland to break away and join his state instead. The idea sounds dramatic and almost impossible, yet it’s rooted in real political frustration felt in rural communities across the country, and it raises questions that reach far beyond state borders.
West Virginia Republican Sen. Chris Rose wants to invite others to his state in what he calls an “Appeal to Heaven” movement. In mid-November, Rose urged 30 Virginia counties and three Maryland counties to consider leaving their states and becoming part of West Virginia.”
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