.

Monday, October 31, 2016

Thoughts regarding the Presidential Election

Politics and Religion.
The golden rule of blogging says you’re never supposed to talk about those two if you want your readers/viewers  to like you.
Well, I’m not the kind of person that worries about being liked. I’m the kind that worries about the well-being of my readers and sometimes that includes tough topics, topics in which we may not agree on or be forced to look at uncomfortable truths. Still, this is an important … no, an ESSENTIAL part of modern survivalism and the mindset that goes along with it. The ability to understand the agenda of politicians, the different media outlets, some more obvious than others, the ability to understand were your bests interest lies.
I was asked about my opinion regarding the US elections. Keep in mind these videos are just that, my opinion. Also keep in mind the following: that if you think I’m stupid/misinform/Hillary killed my dog or Trump spit on my Lucky Charms this morning, you’re wrong.  It’s not personal. Its political analysis, some of which you probably haven’t considered before.
I’m not trying to change anyone’s vote here. If anything, it would be nice to see less verbal violence, more communication and tolerance among yourselves. These elections are ripping the American society apart like no other election in recent history. Friends, even families are fighting or even not talking to one another because of different political ideology. Its destructive, poisonous behaviour that I’ve seen how it leads to decades of social conflict and division.
With that being said, here’s what I think. Of course, YMMV, and you know what? That’s just fine brother.




FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Home Invasion: 13 year old vs Armed Gang

Un chico de 13 años mató a uno de los 6 delincuentes que ingresaron a robar en la casa de un familiar, en la localidad bonaerrense de Francisco Alvarez. (TELAM)
Home invasion in Moreno, Buneos Aires leaves one dead.
The typical Argentine nightmare: Mom arrives home and a gang of criminals force their way in. At least 5 men, wearing body armor labelled “Police” and armed with SMG, shotguns and .45 pistols. They start beating the mom and her son, 11 year old Nicolas. The other son, 13 year old Lucas, is inside the house in one of the bedrooms. He sees that that they start beating his mom and little brother, asking where the money is. Lucas gets dad’s 9mm, with a round in the chamber, takes aim from the hallway and opens fire. Lucas shot one of the criminals twice in the armpit, killing him instantly. The rest of the gang escapes. One of them opens fire with a .45, the ricochet of one of the rounds wounding the younger child in the head but only cuts the scalp, doesn’t go through.
Now, the nightmare of this family just beings. Lucas doesn’t fully understand what he did, he’s receiving psychological support. The entire family is scared, worried about payback from the gang. It’s the 3rd time the family suffers a home invasion. They now have to sell the house and move to another town, maybe out of the province.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Michael Moore: Best Pro Trump Speech ever (not kidding)

It’s just four minutes, just listen to it and comment below.
Please sit down if you are a Trump supporter before listening because I know several that have fainted after listening to it.

FerFAL

 Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Brexit: leading banks set to pull out of UK early next year

City of London banks
The UK is the leading exporter of financial services across the world and the financial capital of the EU. The UK’s financial services trade surplus of $97 billion in 2015 and it employs 2.2 million people.
Of course most of this is true thanks to the so-called “passporting rights” for members of the single market which allows UK-based banks to offer financial services to companies and individuals across the EU unimpeded. This will no longer be the case when UK leaves the EU. Britain’s biggest banks are preparing to relocate out of the UK in the first few months of 2017 amid growing fears over the impending Brexit negotiations, while smaller banks are making plans to get out before Christmas.
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-37743700
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/oct/22/leading-banks-set-to-pull-out-of-brexit-uk 
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

12 Important Tips to Survive Brexit

Image result for poverty britain
I’m getting lots of emails and messages from readers in UK really worried about the ongoing situation. My experience in Argentina is actually pretty relevant, especially regarding inflation, devaluation and banking. My blog is packed full of information, use the tabs and search window. If you haven’t read them already, my books (The Modern Survival Manual, Bugging Out) will provide very valuable information. I’ll try covering more Brexit advice in future posts and videos in my youtube channel.
As for now, you need to understand the following:

1)More Poverty, more unemployment. Preparedness is mostly about getting ready for what is likely. Snowstorms happen every winter in certain areas, so you prepare for those. But sometimes preparedness is also about what’s possible, even if unlikely. If you would have told me just a year ago that the British Pound would perform worse than the Argentine Peso I would have told you to stop smoking crack, explain how bad that stuff is for your health. Today the Pound is the worst performing currency in the entire planet. This isn’t some anecdotic piece of news. This is staggering. Inflation will occur, people’s purchasing power will drop, imports will become more expensive, there will be less money, worse infrastructure, less investments, therefore less jobs. Basically a significant share of UK middle class will become poor and those that are already low middleclass/poor, well, you’re looking at a VERY tough situation ahead of you.

2) Inflation. With the worst depreciation in 31 years the consequences are just unavoidable. Prices will go up. They will go up A LOT. You don’t just lose 21% and just pretend nothing happened. I’ve seen it first hand and know very well what you will be seeing in the years to come. Chances are you wont hear much of a buzz in the news, and only certain media will report it. But you’ll notice it soon enough. Mark my words one day you’ll be leaving Sainsbury’s, Tesco or Asda, you’ll look at your trolly (Cart for Americans) and ask your husband or wife “dear, how many pounds did we just spend? 150?”. You’ll think “hey, that doesn’t look like 150 quid worth of grocery…”. Understand this, the media will try to hide it and marketing will try to do the same. Unless you check the net content they’ll trick you with their “new and improved” packaging. Fuel will be another issue, already going up in price.
Everything is linked and UK simply isnt much of an industrial country. If its not imported then it’s using imported parts or materials in its production. After years of being part of the EU, this was simple, cheap and straight forward for companies but not anymore.

3)Even worse medical care. The NHS was very bad already but believe me when I say it will get even worse. People already died of illnesses that other developed countries detected and treated in due time. It’s a disgrace to read time and again about people being sent home with a golf ball lump under their skin and be told its nothing by their GP. With NHS women hardly get an Pap Smear and even for women with a family history of breast cancer they just get check after 50… every three years. Shameful.

4)More Xenophobia and hate crime. One of the ugly sides of the Leave campaign was to subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) appeal to the racism and xenophobia some people have in UK, with hate crimes going up 57 to 147%. It’s amazing given that London is such a multicultural city but we’ve witnessed truly pathetic scenes such as Brit teen telling a Latino looking man to go back home (turns out the man was an American army veteran, living in Britain for more years than the teen has been alive). In many cases its just people harassing other just because of an accent or skin color. There’s this elder German women that lived in UK for over 20 years, all of a sudden being told by her neighbours to go back to her country.
The survival lesson is: If you’re not white, if you’re and expat living there or just happen to have an accent, you will be less welcomed in UK today that you would have been just a few months ago and it will get worse. Official stats are showing just this, and its really no surprise because it is in fact a government policy implemented years ago to make the country less appealing for immigrants. If this happens to be your case, I’d say it’s a big factor to take into consideration. Think if you’re willing to put up with it, if you’re willing to have your family, maybe your children suffer it as well.

5)Media censorship. Its already quite noticeable, the BBC of course but most British mainstream media are heavily controlled and report little actual news. You need to understand this, understand that there’s a political guideline which they follow, the way they report news and even which news even gets reported. The Guardian and Independent seem to be more likely to report the negative news which other official or non official but government aligned agencies are likely to avoid.
When it comes to news, you just need to understand who is reporting it, who owns the given media corporation and what their interests are.

What to do:

1.buy yourself a gun. NOW
Firearms are already heavily restricted in UK and this will only get worse after Brexit. The UK has been asking for tougher gun laws and nearly all other EU countries have more permissible ones, allowing handguns and semi auto rifles in most cases.
The reasons for owning a firearm are numerous, and indeed you just don’t know what may happen one day. What I do know, without a shadow of a doubt, is that if the day ever comes and you do need a gun, you won’t have time to wait for several weeks. You will need it right then and there. With the chances of tighter regulations plus the likeliness of post Brexit social unrest, I can only recommend getting yourself a shotgun, a quality semi automatic one would be my preferred choice. Get your Firearm Certificate or shotgun licence, join a club and practice. Ideally you would join a club and get involved in shotgun practical shooting, which is the closest you can get to defensive shooting skills in UK. Listen, as of today its simple and straightforward enough. Tomorrow it may not be. This would be my number one priority if living in UK right now.
2.Open a bank account offshore while you still can.
Now this is something I was told about in Deutsche Bank here in Spain, just today. UK is now considered a “high risk” country for money laundering, along with several third world countries. You can imagine how ridiculous this seemed and I said so to the clerk. The bank lady agreed, but she said that since they are leaving the EU they understand there’s a much higher chance that, as of right now, some people from UK would try to open accounts abroad for money laundering. In any case, as of today you should be able to find a bank in an EU country other than UK to open an account. Do it while you can. This is a key asset to have.
3.Buy Euros. NOW.
The Pound keeps dropping like a rock and this WILL NOT IMPROVE. You are losing money, and right now you can do something about it, you still have the option to go to any bank and get as many Euros as you can. From now on until article 50 is triggered it’s a no brainer. Some will hold until the last minute refusing to accept article 50 will be effectively triggered. It will, and when it does you’ll see the pound drop even further. If you have most of your money in Euros, it will be a lot less painful. If you opened your account abroad as recommended, you can easily send some of your savings there in Euros, move your money back and forth as needed.
4.Stock up food and medical supplies
I cannot emphasize this enough and it involves preparedness on several levels. First and obvious enough, food will get more expensive. They will try to hide it as much as they can but it’s unavoidable. If there’s shortages, problems with supply (Britain is an island after all) having a supply of food stocked is essential. If you lose your job, a stash of food will give you some peace of mind. You’re going to eat anyway. Remember to store what you eat. Try sticking to shelf stable food and canned produce. Rice, beans, dry pasta, properly stored they will last for years. Canned sausages are pretty common. Canned beans are a waste of money in my opinion but some people like it. Try them out now, see what you like and stock up.
5.Thousands in UK are already applying for Irish citizenship
This would allow them to stay in the EU, travel, work and study in EU in spite of the UK leaving. Having seen this first hand, if this is an option you want to do this ASAP. Soon enough waiting periods will increase considerably and as always you just never know if new restrictions are implemented eventually. Being an island with a bunch of countries right in front of you means you have options, but only if you have the right to work, study and reside there. I believe many folks just took that for granted and don’t fully understand how much their options will be reduced once that right is lost. Again, If I was in UK and had the option to apply for Irish or other EU country citizenship, I would do it immediately.
6.Keep a cash stash, including Euros and precious metals.
These are complicated times. You are looking at a period of instability and uncertainty in which problems with the banking system and cash availability are a possibility. As the pound keeps devaluating so does your savings. In my case I have some GBP in my cash stash, just in case. I felt the sting of seeing it lose value to the Euro. I can only imagine how much worse it would have hurt if all of my savings where in such currency.
My standard recommendation is to have at least a month worth of expenses in cash, just in case. In the case of UK, I would go for at least two months, and you probably want at least half of that saved in Euros. There’s little doubt that the pound will keep dropping.
Silver is another asset to consider. UK has Britannia silver and gold bullion. I’d look into setting aside some as insurance for a worst case scenario. Junk silver is also an option with pre 1920 British coins being sterling silver (92.5% silver) and pre 1947 coins being 50% silver.
Check with your insurance company to see how much it covers worth of cash, bullion and antiques & collectibles (junk silver) In many cases the amount of cash covered is pretty low but it can be increased if you have other forms of wealth which is yet another reason for having them.
7.Try staying healthy and get private medical cover.
The NHS being what it is its important to avoid it as much as you can. Stay slim, fit and healthy. If you do this you’re already avoiding a fair share of medical complications. If you don’t have private medical, I would recommend getting at least their basic plan. UK is moving towards private medical care and if you happen to need it I at least believe its money well spent. The NHS will not cure, they will just distract you until you die.
Staying healthy also means your medical premiums will be much lower, saving you money.
These are complicated times. Some of the problems ahead are obvious and unavoidable, the impact of others may be reduced with good policies but still common sense preparation is highly recommended.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Monday, October 17, 2016

UK no longer a great place to live


Message:
Hi Fernando, I have been reading your blog and books for quite some time now. They have been a great source of information and have helped me to take a different view on many important issues. Thanks for your insight into your experiences. This is what has prompted me to contact you today. From reading both your books I have started to see some worrying trends here in Scotland (UK) where I currently live.
Despite what the media say we are seeing a sharp rise in the price of essentials like food, fuel, clothing and petrol. There are a lot of people out of work and there are hardly any jobs, those who do have jobs are having things like sick leave changed to being unpaid from paid, and there are much less staff to do more work and for longer hours with no extra pay. The media (mainstream) are being censored more now than ever. We are one of the most watched countries in the world yet we are told we are still at imminent danger of a terrorist attack. Our children are being taught terror drills in school. We are now at a point where if you speak your mind too much your sanity is questioned and you are placed in a mental health facility for treatment. This is especially true if you happen to be questioning government, police, courts etc. Our wages continue to stay at the rate they have been for years and yet everything we rely on continues to rise. Banks have made it near impossible to get a mortgage for the average person, and there seems to be more and more security to take out your cash. The other thing I've noticed is shortages of items like baby milk. The media claim this is because people are buying bulk to send to China, we are now limited to buying only 2 cans at a time.
Having read your books there seems to be some similarities here. The news this morning claims it's set to get worse as fuel is to go up another 5p per litre by the end of this month and food and clothing are to increase in price again. Also things we used to get on the NHS at our GPS etc are now no longer available for example I called for an appointment for a general health check after having a baby 6 weeks ago, they told me that service no longer exists due to cutbacks. My friend was recently declined by GP to check blood pressure (he has heart issues) they told him they no longer offer that service its too costly to keep checking everyone. Do you think the people in Scotland and the rest of the UK could be facing financial collapse?. What advice would you give me at this time?. What are the best things I cando at this moment to help myself and my family? (I have 5 young children). Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Kind Regards
Ashley
.
Hello Ashley,
Thanks for your email. I’m sorry to hear about the ongoing situation in UK. I do know it’s pretty complicated and in all honesty its about to get worse. There’s just no other way. If there’s one thing I know it’s the calamities high inflation brings with it. If your currency drops 10%, 20% or more… there’s just no way around it, the standard of living for most of the population will drop accordingly. More middle class will become poor and those that were already struggling will fare significantly worse.
I was just working on an article regarding advice for post Brexit UK. My books ("The Modern Survival Manual" and "Bugging Out and Relocating") have information which will come in handy no doubt, keeping in mind the different context there are still similarities as you have noticed. You are already seeing some similarities like the cuts of spending and therefore worse healthcare, inflation, “new and improved” items and products getting smaller while going up in price and the media covering it all up.
For now let me just say this. Yes, I think UK will go through some very complicated times to say the least, as you are already noticing. I’ll try finishing the article and posting it tomorrow, with some advice for you and other readers living there.
Kind regards,
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

5 Apocalyptic Realities In A Country That's Out Of Food


Hi Fernando,

The link below relates to an article regarding the current food crisis in Venezuela.

http://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-2379-my-mango-tree-could-kill-me-life-when-food-runs-out.html

It is a very interesting read.

Have a good day.

-Kevin
.
Thanks, very interesting read.
Some thoughts I’d like to point out:
1)Even a simple fruit tree can be a key asset with food supplies running so low.
2)You can get attacked over a fruit tree.
3) When points one and two are about to become a reality, it means you should have left the God forsaken place a LONG time ago.
4) People are starving while a loaf of bread costs 0.50USD. The problem is that due to hyperinflation, a single dollar is a fortune and few can afford those prices. This is how the rich in Venezuela feast in country clubs while the rest, poor and former middle class, starve.
5) Properly arm yourself NOW. You don’t want to be the guy defending his mango tree (let alone his life) with a crossbow pistol.

FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Monday, October 10, 2016

Best Concealed Carry Glock for California?


In the golden state of California, I'm only allowed 10 rd capacity magazines. Would you still go with a 9mm or 40sw? If the latter, which model: full size, compact or sub compact?
A-
Its no secret that I greatly favour Glocks. There’re lots of guns out there but none of the is like the Glock. I’m also not the only guy that thinks this way. Most firearms experts that I consider worth listening to will repeat the same thing.
Now, which Glock should we go for.
My standard response is get a Glock 17 or if you want something a bit smaller a Glock 19 both in 9mm of course.
Listen, you just need a 9mm. It ubiquitous, it just works, bot accurate and with moderate recoil. With quality JHP ammo it will get the job done for defense. Cheap 9mm means you can easily afford the few hundred rounds needed to learn basic gun handling. More importantly, you can afford the thousands of rounds need to acquire proper gun fighting skills.
Having said this, personally what would I carry in such a situation?
A Glock 32. 357 SIG. It’s the same size as the Glock 19, meaning compact but not ridiculously compact that it impairs proper gun operation. If I’m limited to 10 rounds, then yes, I certainly want the most bang per rounds. One of the rules of gunfighting is to carry the most powerful caliber you can realistically shoot fast and accurately. At least in my case, I can shoot 357SIG as if I shot hot military 9mm. Without such restriction I would go for my Glock 31, 15+1 rounds of 357SIG in a gun similar to the Glock 17. That’s hard to beat in my opinion. Some folks will prefer 45 ACP, even 10mm and both are great choices. For me though, Id go with 10 rounds of 357SIG in a Glock 32 if that was the limitation presented with.
FerFAL
 Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Hurricane Matthew: Ready to Bug Out?



Shoppers look for items amid the generators, cases of water and gas cans at Lowe's in Oakland Park, Florida, on Tuesday, October 4, 2016.

If it’s necessary to do so, don’t wait until the last minute. Mandatory evacuations are already being ordered for residents of Merritt Island and other barrier islands. Residents were ordered to leave starting 3 p.m. Wednesday.
Lines at gas stations are already long, but they will be worse tomorrow. Hopefully you already have gas stored.
If you need to get any last minute preps, better do it now. Ready.govhas some good tips to follow.
Stay safe folks!
FerFAL
 

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Switzerland Junk Silver Coins 101


Monday, October 3, 2016

5 Tips: How to (not) run over BLM protesters

Image result for blm protest run over
As America keeps changing into whatever it has been becoming during these last few years, incidents like the ones seen recently are likely to become more common. People rarely find themselves in this kind of volatile, extraordinary circumstances and often don’t know how to react. I’ve been in them more than I care to remember so what I say comes directly from years of experience, at times coming across riots, protests and especially roadblocks on daily basis, some of them more violent than others.
This is the advice I have for you.
  • Lives DO matter.
 Do NOT run over people. I’m not saying this as a disclaimer alone, I really do mean it. I fully understand how sensitive people are these days, the politics, the racial tension. Still, every single life is precious in its own way and no car, no paint job is worth a human life. I’m tired of reading about folks in the forums joking about running over BLM or whatever other activist of any kind, no matter how much you may disagree with them or not. I doubt many of them have run over people before. I can tell you one thing though: Hitting an innocent person with your car is one of the most horrible feelings you can experience. The only time I felt worse was when my then three year old son nearly died in a hospital bed. It’s that bad. People say taking any life will cause endless nightmares. I don’t know about that because it is different when some scumbag is actively trying to kill you, its you or him in which case I have no regrets. I do know that believing you just killed a person that you know wasn’t trying to kill you back messes you up. Unless you are a monster, no good person wants to carry that weight.
  • Stay informed and avoid whenever possible.
 In my case it became somewhat of a daily morning ritual. I would turn on the TV during breakfast so as to know what roads or parts of town to avoid before I hit the road. At times it was just easier to use public transportation, but its not always an option and its not always safer. If I was taking my car I would turn on the radio to listen to the news in case new roadblocks were popping up while driving. In some countries you have Apps that inform you about them too.
If you know there’s trouble, avoid it at all cost. Not only are you risking getting stuck for hours, you risk getting attacked and mugged as well. It just isnt worth it so take an alternative route. I didn’t use one back then, especially because I knew most of the city like the palm of my hand but get comfortable with your GPS.
If you happen to see a roadblock forming right in front of you, act fast. Sometimes you can drive around them quickly before they close in, sometimes you can make a quick U turn and get the hell out of there. In those moments, a second too late makes all the difference between making it home in 5 minutes or getting stuck there for hours, or worse. An agile vehicle is great for such situations. I learned to appreciate SUVs for their better than sedan ground clearance and off road capability. I don’t need to cross the nearest national park off road with it. But if I can go off the road to avoid the roadblock for a bit or go over a sidewalk or boulevard to do so, then yes I can appreciate that. This is why my daily driver is a Honda CR-V.
  • Remain calm and stay in the vehicle.
 It is easy to get scared, its easy to get angry. In both cases you’ll just make it worse. If you are scared you may panic, floor the pedal and run over a bunch of people. If you get angry you may get out of the car to confront the people blocking your way. This is a very typical reaction and one you certainly would regret. You start thinking about your rights being just as important as theirs. You think about the wasted time, about wanting to get home after a long day, about why can’t you move around like the free person that you are. You get out of the car and you are surrounded and outnumbered. It only takes one or two cowards to strike you from behind, crowd dynamics say you’re likely to get stomped on once you fall, maybe beaten to death. If you are carrying you may start shooting. Either way we go back full circle: Just don’t get out of the vehicle.
  • Move slowly.
 Don’t floor it, don’t speed up, just keep moving slowly. Its easy to get nervous with all the screaming, with hands and maybe sticks hitting your car. Stay cool, keep moving slowly. This one time I had people start pushing and rocking the car as I made it through the crowd. It felt like being in a boat. Sometimes there so many people you can’t even see the road, see if your about to hit the curb. You have to focus on getting out of there, know where you’re going and keep moving slowly, at walking speed.
  • Do NOT stop. Whatever you do, when surrounded by protesters and otherwise angry people, do not stop. Especially if they block your view as in the photo above, keep moving.  If you stop you just encourage them to pile up in front of your car. They may climb on top of it. Its easier for them to break your windows, open doors and even pull you out. The responsible citizen will keep driving at a very slow speed doing his best to slowly push people but no one can ask of you to stay in a place where your life may be at risk. Even if you accidentally hit or run over someone keep driving. If you get out to check on the protester you hit there’s a good chance you’ll get attacked and in such number your life is clearly at risk. Just keep driving slowly, get yourself to a safe area to ensure your safety and then contact the authorities to let them know what just happened.
Riots and roadblocks can be dangerous and they certainly are stressful. Hopefully you’ll never have to deal with one but if you do these five tips will help you get through it.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.