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”. 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. Today, we look at U.S. Freshwater Reserves.
Amateur Radio Gear Being Sent to Tonga
Frequent content contributor Tim J. sent us this item: Amateur radio equipment being sent to Tonga.
Highway Funding Bait-and-Switch
Reader C.B. spotted this in The Wall Street Journal: Highway Funding Bait-and-Switch.
Android Malware Draining Bank Accounts
Jim A. sent this: Android malware can factory-reset phones after draining bank accounts. Here is teh article’s opening:
“A banking-fraud trojan that has been targeting Android users for three years has been updated to create even more grief. Besides draining bank accounts, the trojan can now activate a kill switch that performs a factory reset and wipes infected devices clean.
Brata was first documented in a post from security firm Kaspersky, which reported that the Android malware had been circulating since at least January 2019. The malware spread primarily through Google Play but also through third-party marketplaces, push notifications on compromised websites, sponsored links on Google, and messages delivered by WhatsApp or SMS. At the time, Brata targeted people with accounts from Brazil-based banks.
Now Brata is back with a host of new capabilities, the most significant of which is the ability to perform a factory reset on infected devices to erase any trace of the malware after an unauthorized wire transfer has been attempted. Security firm Cleafy Labs, which first reported the kill switch, said other features recently added to Brata include GPS tracking, improved communication with control servers, the ability to continuously monitor victims’ bank apps, and the ability to target the accounts of banks located in additional countries. The trojan now works with banks located in Europe, the US, and Latin America.”
New ‘Right to Repair’ Bill Advancing
U.S. is Losing Freshwater Reserves
Reader H.L. sent us this: The US is losing some of its biggest freshwater reserves. Here is an excerpt:
“Less than 3 percent of Earth is covered in freshwater. And while that percentage has remained pretty constant, population growth has not. Only 1 percent of freshwater is accessible to the 7.7 billion people and counting.
As concerns over water scarcity grow, research published in Nature recently documents how freshwater availability has changed over the years, helping water specialists and managers pinpoint how this essential resource’s flows have been changing. Xander Huggins, a PhD candidate at the University of Victoria and Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan, and his fellow researchers decided to explore what exactly these changes would mean for life here on Earth.”
A Narrow Escape from Tyranny?
Paul Craig Roberts: We Have Had a Narrow Escape from Tyranny But the War on Freedom Is Not Over.
Guns Are Being Stolen in L.A. Rail Car Heists
At Newsmax: LA Police: Guns Are Being Stolen in Rail Car Heists. The article begins:
“Guns are among the items stolen by thieves targeting railroad cargo containers, Los Angeles police said.
Robbers have been looting cargo containers on a section of the Union Pacific train tracks in downtown Los Angeles for months, taking packages and leaving thousands of shredded boxes.”
Tor vs. VPN: Is One Better?
Tor vs. VPN: Is One Better than the Other? (Thanks to Andre for the link.)
Two-Dimensional Polymer — Stronger Than Steel
And lastly, linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Two-dimensional polymer helps create a new lightweight material that is stronger than steel. Here is a quote:
“Using a novel polymerization process, MIT chemical engineers have created a new material that is stronger than steel and as light as plastic, and can be easily manufactured in large quantities.
The new material is a two-dimensional polymer that self-assembles into sheets, unlike all other polymers, which form one-dimensional, spaghetti-like chains. Until now, scientists had believed it was impossible to induce polymers to form 2D sheets.
Such a material could be used as a lightweight, durable coating for car parts or cell phones, or as a building material for bridges or other structures, says Michael Strano, the Carbon P. Dubbs Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT and the senior author of the new study.”
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