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”. China’s social credit system is already having an impact on citizens even though it is not fully implemented.
China’s Social Credit System
“Nobody does authoritarianism quite like China.” Paul Joseph Watson has a new video on YouTube that explains China’s new social credit system. The system will be fully implemented by 2020 and every person will have a score that goes up and down based on their behavior. Behavior that leads to deductions in credit will include things like jaywalking, smoking on trains, bad driving, buying to much junk food. having a friend who has a low score, playing to many video games, walking a dog without a leash and much, much more. Apparently, nearly 7 million people have been prevented from buying transportation tickets on trains or airplanes already and the system hasn’t even been properly rolled out yet. There will be over 400,000,000 cameras with facial recognition at the core of the system.
North Korea’s EMP Plans
North Korea has revealed its nuclear EMP attack strategy. Of course, anyone with half a brain and the ability to read news over the last few years would recognize that North Korea never had any plans at all on giving up their nuclear capability. I suspect that the collapse of their testing facility had more to do with their willingness to negotiate than anything else. However, I’m sure there will be a new testing facility online soon. Their standard procedure has been to pretend to go along until they don’t get something that they want and then they throw a temper-tantrum like a small child. Sadly, it’s a small child with the ability to lob nuclear bombs. While South Korea is the revealed target, there is still concern that the country has the capability of attacking the U.S. as well. Thanks to T.Z. for the link.
Addicted to Cellphones
Speaking of throwing a temper-tantrum, reader DSV sent in this article that profiles a baby that is practically addicted to a cell phone. When the baby has its hands on the cell phone, it coos with delight, but the second the cell phone is taken away, the baby instantly gets upset. This process happens multiple times. While the parent was trying to be cute, it is a microcosm of people in general. As a high school science teacher, I saw near identical behavior in students in the 14 to 18 year-old range. I had multiple instances where parents complained of violent behavior from their children if they removed phone privileges as part of motivation the student to improve their work. It is rare that I don’t see someone texting while they are driving anymore. As a society, we have forgotten how to interact with each other.
More on Dental Floss
Reader S.A. wrote in:
Consider your dental floss clean, not sterile. Items that are sterile are packaged to ensure sterility so as not be exposed. Dental floss is not sold as a sterile product and is exposed to air. An item that left the factory in a sterile condition is marked sterile. I suppose you could use steam and pressure to autoclave dental floss to achieve sterility.
My crazy, rowdy brother used to suture his various injuries out of our mother’s sewing kit. Got infected every time. Every. Single. Time.
Black Friday
Reader Survivormann99 wrote in:
During World War II, the legendary Frank Capra, one of Hollywood’s most successful directors at the time, produced “Why We Fight,” a series of documentaries that was designed to raise the awareness of servicemen as to why the war needed to be fought and exactly how the American way of life was threatened. The series became a classic. You can find it on YouTube.
After each Black Friday, you can also find on YouTube numerous videos of the insanity that prevails around the country when the prospect of buying a Blu-Ray player at half-off sets normal people on the road to insanity. Watch this video, for example. (Note the “special” part where a grown woman snatches an item from the hands of a 4-year-old.) I suggest that someone should place several of these videos into a YouTube series entitled “Why We Prep.”
Amazon Data Leak
Amazon recently sent some customers an e-mail telling them that their e-mail information was inadvertently leaked. The e-mail did not detail how many or how bad the leak was and assured customers that their accounts had not been compromised and that there was no need to change their password. There is appallingly little information released by Amazon about the data leak and you are encouraged to contact Amazon directly if you think you may be affected by the leak. Also, be on the lookout for phishing scams that appear to come from Amazon. It’s best not to click on links in e-mails, but rather access Amazon directly from their website.
Red Flag Confiscations
Reader B.B. sent in this article showing how prosecutors in Washington state are seeking the authority to confiscate the firearms of the parents of minors who are red flagged. The “red flag” laws are controversial (and unconstitutional laws) that suspend the firearms rights of someone who is suspected of being a danger to themselves or others without due process of law. All it takes is an anonymous tip or an angry family member to make a false claim about you and “poof” your gun rights are gone until further notice. If prosecutors get their way, all it will take is an angry classmate making a false claim against your child (or even pranking them) and again, “poof”, your gun rights are gone.
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Please send your news tips to HJL. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact 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!
See Season 3, Episode 1 “Nosedive” of the series Black Mirror (on Netflix) for a fictional take on a social rating system.
North Korea EMP threat: EMP’s can be accomplished without the use of nuclear weapons. A large bomb that disrupts the air can cause an EMP. This type of bombs are refered to as EMP generators. There are lots of websites that discuss this, just do a search for them. Plan your SHTF plan to be able to live for several MONTHS with NO electrical source of any kind and you will be able to weather any storm. Remember 125 years ago Nobody had electricity and they lived just fine. Just my opinion.
Make that several decades…..without power. While our ancestors lived without power, they also had the animals to tow around the agricultural gear that produced their food. We do not have nearly the draft animals needed to support the present population using 18th century technology. Also, the vast proportion of the population lived very close to the land and their water source. Now, water is recovered and treated, then piped dozens of miles to the user. The supply chain on which we now depend for everything is quite different from older generations. How many of us know how to make soap? My 93 year old mother-in-law did, but I sure don’t! So I have a huge stock of various soaps (and everything else!).
The people with esoteric skills associated with producing and distributing power will starve to death right alongside the rest of the majority….it won’t be Americans that rebuild the grid.
My hat is off to all you homesteaders who develop and have these lost skills to be self-reliant.
A hundred years ago, around 75% of the population produced food for the 25% living in cities. Now, 3% produce the food consumed by the 97% that live in the cities. And the 3% depend on the fuels, seeds, tools, tractors, and….power produced in the cities. Most farmers buy their groceries at the same stores I do. It’s going to be a rude adjustment someday.
Just an observation on the Black Friday video. Most of those involved in the fights, tussles, and stampedes, are people of color. One segment did stand out in contrast, the tape of the Best Buy store, where the customers entered the store in an orderly fashion, without any shoving or pushing. Just sayin’.
RE: Bias Reporting on China
Trashing Commie China is easier than restoring America. And it’s a great distraction as the former God-fearing republic breaks up.
War is another great distraction. Gerald Celente nailed it when he stated, The business of China is business. The business of America is war’ Look for perpetual war to be extended to Iran, Syria and North Korea.
Fred Reed is a funny guy but he is not stupid. He and his wife recently spent two weeks in China. His two reports on FredOnEverything.org paint a picture of life in China for average people. China is building by leaps and bounds while America is being destroyed by ‘diversity’ and plundered by war and theft. Few in the media will report that fact.
Maybe we should mind our own business and take care of our own problems on American soil?
East Asian culture is in part based upon Face, or family reputation. I’m wondering how social credit will work in the west where virtually nobody cares one whit what others think of them.
There is nothing “controversial” about Red Flag laws. A controversy presumes some claim of legitimacy by both parties. All gun laws are illegitimate. Please stop aiding the enemy through adoption of its language.
“If prosecutors get their way, all it will take is an angry classmate making a false claim against your child (or even pranking them) and again, “poof”, your gun rights are gone.” This is just one more reason why we should take our children out of the Socialist Seminary, otherwise known as the Public School system. Knowing what the Scriptures teach about who are to educate their children — the parents — it is a SIN to place a Christian child in the hands of those that are trained to cause your child to deny God and worship the state. It won’t be long before tens of thousands of Christian parents will be shocked when their own socialist trained children turn on them.
Black Friday; an exercise in stupidity. it falls squarely into the “What could possibly go wrong here?” column…