Jade Helm 15: Police militarization and troops deployed on American soil

Hi Fernando,

I was very touched that you wrote back to me and also published my email on your blog.  

I've also really enjoyed your analysis of the survival situation in Ukraine, especially breaking apart the finer points and details about how even wearing the wrong color jacket or shoes can signal a person out for interrogation and possibly death and how to manage the cell phone situation.

I have a question for you; there is a wide scale military "drill" thats been making news here in the US called Jade Helm 15.  

I wonder if you would be willing to give us some of your thoughts on this, and/or realistic "preps" for the various scenarios people think might happen? 

Some people are extremely concerned that its not a drill, and will be an integration of widespread martial law, possibly coinciding with a financial crisis. 

Other people think its a drill that is meant to habituate the US population to martial law, and others think its exactly what the official statement says it is; a training exercise to help our forces prepare for on-the-ground situations in foreign nations.

At the most minimum level, what concerns me the is that the United States has both laws and traditions where utilizing civilian areas for drills and training exercises isn't really cool.  

In the U.S we have, or used to have, a very clear distinction between military and civilian law enforcement, and we even have a separate thing called the National Guard so that when something happens that is too big for local law enforcement or disaster services to handle (like riots, or a big tornado), we have the necessary support and specialized equipment to deal with those situations without utilizing the military.   The guys who set up this country initially were pretty darn smart and wanted to do everything possible to ensure that our military was never used on our against our own citizens or on our land, as they knew how easily that turns into a coup. 

Here are a few different links in case you have not yet heard of it.

http://www.soc.mil/UNS/Releases/2015/March/150324-03.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/03/31/why-the-new-special-operations-exercise-freaking-out-the-internet-is-no-big-deal/

http://modernsurvivalblog.com/government-gone-wild/jade-helm-15-military-drill/

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3axduuybL0jdjZQUjhsSmJsZTA/edit

All the best,

Angela

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Hi Angela,
You address several interesting topics.
About police militarization, I do believe it has been going on for far too long and in the last decade or so (more like last two decades) it has gotten a lot worse.
It’s not just police using military clothing, but also military weapons and military tactics. It was disgraceful to see military-grade snipers sitting on top of armored vehicles taking aim at the (peaceful) protesters through their rifle’s scope. Exactly what were they supposed to do now? Attack the population with “sniper” fire?

Many current officers have served in the military, the distinction between military and civilian is already complicated enough. When you have guys that are already more soldier than cops, you dress them up as soldiers, give them soldier weapons and talk to them like soldiers, organize them like soldiers, and even put them inside armored vehicles, it’s not hard to see how they will act.

Now, some people may think this is good, that more “firepower” stops crime better and keeps streets safer. No, it does not. The role of a police officer is completely different from the one of a soldier. If you end up with “peace officers” that for all practical purposes are soldiers rather than cops, then you no longer have a democracy. We need to go back to having police, not troops with a “police” Velcro stuck on their body armor.
Regarding Jade Helm 15, I think there’s a bit of conspiracy theory going on but there’s some truth to some of the claims as well. It is true that people do get used to it if they see troops on the street on regular basis, which is something the military is interested in because it will reduce the friction with civilian society when deployed on domestic ground. It is also true that drills are intended as practice, and if they are practicing locally it would help if troops need to be deployed on US soil. Is it all precisely in preparation of riots after a potential economic collapse? Maybe, but then again, it is also valid in case of deployment due to a number of other potential reasons.

As of right now, I think its important to a)Keep law enforcement within its role, don’t’ allow its militarization under any excuse, don’t let cops turn into soldiers 2) Not allow the same the other way around, don’t let troops patrol, secure the streets, and basically do the job intended for police officers.
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”.

Mini Survival Kit for School-Age Children

If you’re a parent you’ve probably been in that position or you soon will be soon: You’re little bundle of joy is going away for the weekend on a school field trip. It’s the first time he’s going away on his own and being a prepper/survivalist you cant avoid worrying. What if he gets lost in the park? What if he falls? What if he gets attacked by Big Foot or kidnapped by aliens? The truth is that most schools are as worried about your child’s safety as you are. Still, we would like our kids to be as well prepared as possible, within reason.
A school-age child wont carry around much gear, and there’s a good chance that things such as knives or anything that could be considered a weapon is not allowed and could even get your child expelled if brought along.

The following items aren’t bulky, they fit in most jacket pockets and should be very useful in some of the most likely emergencies a child may face during a short trip.
Flashlght
The school will usually ask that you send one given that they often organize some kind of night activity. Make sure you send a good one like this Petzl Tikka headlamp. A flashlight can be invaluable for signaling and making your position noticed if separated from the group and lost after the sun goes down. The child should know to stop walking as soon as he realizes he’s lost, turn the flashlight on if its getting dark and use the whistle to alert adults.
Whistle + Spare flashlight
These two go inside the small ziplock bag. In this case, the ziplock bag itself is actually a breast milk bag, capable of not only keeping the components dry, but also carrying water if needed. The spare flashlight works as backup to the main headlamp. In this case I used an old but functional Fenix LD01. A cheaper alternative such as the Fenix E05 should work. If this is the only flashlight the child is taking, then make sure it has a strobe mode such as the Olight EOS i3S.
The humble whistle is a must for any kit, but especially for a child that needs to alert adults during emergencies.
Mobile Phone
Your child probably has one already, but there’s a good chance he’ll run out of battery or misplace the phone when needed the most. Cheap mobile phones are small and have great battery runtime. Turned off it should last for the entire trip. Explain that this phone should only be used to real emergencies.
Band-aids and alcohol wipes
Other than getting lost, one of the most likely problems is getting hurt. A child should know how to clean up a small wound and patch it up with a band-aid. Include some of the larger ones as well just in case.
Dextrose Tablets
In this case its Dextrose energy tablets, which is basically sugar but dextrose is assimilated by the body faster. Not a great meal by any means but it will give the body a bit of an energy boost if needed.
Cash and coins
If lost in an urban setting, a bit of cash can be used to take a taxi or buy something to eat. How much money depends on the nature of the trip and how old the child is, but at least a couple $20s makes sense. Remember to include a few quarters for public phones and vending machines.

What knife?

Careful: Check First! Most schools wont allow a knife and may even expel your child if he brings one! If the nature of the trip, for example Boy Scouts,  allows for a knife to be taken then you can explore a few options.
The iconic Victorinox is well-liked by both adults and children and it is indeed a fantastic pocket knife. The only problem is that since most models do not lock open they can be dangerous, especially for inexperienced children. A knife such as the Spyderco Delica is still very small and light and the lockback keeps the blade securely opened. A bit larger and heavier but packing several more tools, the Leatherman Sidekick is affordable and wont send tears rolling down you cheeks if lost. Still, it is a very capable multitool, with a good liner lock blade, saw, and many other tools.

Keep it simple, but most of all, explain carefully to your child how to use the items and what to do during an emergency.
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”.

"The Farmer at War" and Texas floods

 Rhodesian Selous Scouts crossing a river

Wrapping up the topic of African farmers and how they tried to survived persecution and constant attacks, here’s the link to a book called “The Farmer at War”.
http://www.rhodesia.nl/farmeratwar.html
You may have read it but it’s worth checking out just in case. If you haven’t seen this before make sure you read it. Its excellent information based on the true accounts of what these people went through. Even though ultimately farmers were for the most part kicked out and replaced with people aligned to the ruling government, there are still lots of lessons to be learned.
Keep in mind though, the implicit and maybe most important lesson to be learned about surviving on your own when surrounded by enemies is the long list of victims at the end of the book. The wise man will know when a situation is hopeless and will have plans to bug out if or when needed.
On another topic, the floods in central and south Texas continue. Most of the fatal victims have died because they were either caught by the fast raising water or they drove into flooded roads. Don’t be a cowboy out there! Off-road truck or not, if you see a flooded road you turn around!
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”.

Homes Wiped Away in Texas and Oklahoma

Floods keep causing widespread destruction in Texas. Hundreds of homes have been washed away in Texas and Oklahoma by the record-breaking rains.

Watch out for Flash Floods
Because of the intense rains, rivers are suddenly seeing an increase in discharge, with very strong, dangerous currents. Here’s some advice to keep in mind:
*If the stream or river turns brown or is showing signs of broken vegetation or other debris, move away as quickly as possible.
*Current can be deceivingly strong. Don’t risk it. Most people that drown during floods, at some point underestimated the strength and danger of the current. Just six inches can knock you over and drag you into deeper, faster moving waters.
*Just two feet of fast moving water is enough to move and carry away a vehicle, including SUVs and pickups. It’s one thing to ford a river, it’s another to risk getting caught by a flash flood. Turn around, don’t drown!

*About half of flash flood fatalities are vehicle-related. Don’t park your vehicle close to rivers or large bodies of water and don’t try to cross flooded roads. If your vehicle stalls, get out and get to high ground immediately. Don’t wait until the car is dragged away.
*Get yourself a NOAA Weather Radio and listen to the weather updates. Stay home and just don’t risk it. Its not just floods, but also large hail and tornados that can be extremely dangerous.
*Put together your survival kit, which should include LED flashlights and lanterns, batteries, radio, food ready to eat or easy to cook, a camping stove, disposable plates, cups and cutlery, blankets, bottled water, medicines and first aid kit.
*Have a Bug Out Plan laid out. In this case, it should include a route along high ground and away from flood hazard areas. If you need to evacuate, do so before it’s too late.
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”.

How do farmers truly survive when SHTF?

Dear reader,
If you are reading this then you probably have been following my blog for some time. If you have been doing so you know me and where I stand regarding survival and preparedness. I really don’t care about doomsday prepper delusions. I love a good book or post apocalyptic movie as much as the next guy, but for me survival is a very serious, very REAL business.
Reality always trumps suppositions, let alone silly childish fantasies. This is why the videos below are so important. They just destroy so much of the nonsense floating around the “prepper” community therefore I encourage you to watch the two videos and learn.
These are farmers. Real, tough, well armed resilient people, dealing with the harsh reality of a level of crime and violence surrounding them that you simply cannot understand. Try not to think “oh, but not here, not me!”. This is exactly how America would be like if the government either looses control of the country or it simply allow it to become a land without law. The famous WROL (without rule of law). This is what WROL looks like, or even worse yet WFROL. Without FAIR rules of law, because that’s what these poor people have to deal with. The laws do exist, but they are there to destroy them, to scare them out of their own land. Watch and learn. Watch, and understand how 99% of the childish WROL planning we see floating around being promoted by “experts” that never picked up a book or even bothered watching a documentary in their life would fail miserably in a matter of weeks.

Farmer's wife Ida Nel learns how shoot an AK-47 and a pistol on a 'farm protection weekend Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1192088/South-Africa-World-Cup-2010--shootings-started.html#ixzz3aoMw19wS
The entire series of documentaries is excellent, but at the very least, watch these two:
Back to Africa - episode 2 - The Promised Land

Back to Africa - episode 4 - The Right of Mugabe

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”.

Best Pepper Spray? Sabre Red vs Inferno vs Fox Labs

Ferfal, do you think the red sabre brand is better than the pepper
spray that cold steel makes, called inferno?
A-
Sabre Red, Cold Steel's Inferno and Fox Labs are the top three pepper spray manufacturers.

SABRE RED Pepper Gel - Police Strength $12.99

Sabre Red is the better known brand. It has been around for many years and it is trusted by many law enforcement agencies. It is effective at neutralizing an opponent. Like any other OC spray, it may not work against people under the influence of drugs. The Gel configuration makes it less likely to be blown back towards the user and it sticks more to the attacker than liquid spray.

Fox Labs 2 Ounce 2% OC 5.3-mm Flip Top $18.08

Fox Labs is another well known pepper spray brand. According to people that have been sprayed with both Fox Labs and Sabre Red, Fox Labs burns the skin more, but that doesn’t mean it incapacitates more as both have similar blinding effects on attackers. The stream format has good reach but there’s a chance of wind blowing it back at you.

Cold Steel Inferno 2.5 oz $16.97

Cold Steel’s Inferno has a good reputation as well. It also contains black pepper, which causes a sneezing reaction, forcing more of the product into the airways. This is particularly nasty and Inferno is indeed pretty strong. The foam configuration can be particularly sensible to wind, although the jet is pretty strong and the product sticks well to the attacker.
Basically, its about what you like best. Sabre Red has a great reputation and I feel their standards are very high but any of the three brands is likely to be equally effective against an attacker.
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”.

Real world SHTF: The Countryside is more Dangerous

One of the most commonly accepted misconceptions in the survival and preparedness community is that “once SHTF”, you “gotta get out of Dodge!”
It seems that not many people ask why and just accept this as an unquestionable fact, but those that do usually get a reply about cities being where most people are and therefore where problems will be worse. The logic here would be that more people=more problems. While this may be the case in some specific scenarios, those of us that have dedicated years of our lives to seriously study real disasters tend to have a different opinion, and the answer is: Its not that simple.
The best location to ride out a disaster, large or small, is directly linked to the type of disaster you are facing. In the case of war, widespread terrorism or uprisings, running to the countryside is probably the last thing you want to do.
In the case of an invading force moving across a country, both cities and more rural areas would be equally at risk. Ground troops moving forward will go through all buildings looking for enemies, scouts and spies and no survival retreat with armed occupants will present much of problem to anyone with mortar fire at their disposal. Anything that falls within the enemy occupation territory is at risk.
Different historic incidents such as the Bosnian war, involving an invading, foreign force, or the violence in South Africa, in this case a local threat, targeting farmers after the African National Congress rose to power, have shown us that the countryside isn’t always an idyllic safe place to be in when everything goes to hell.
Currently we have yet another example with Boko Haram militants:

DALORI, Nigeria — Hundreds of women and girls captured by Boko Haram have been raped, many repeatedly, in what officials and relief workers describe as a deliberate strategy to dominate rural residents and possibly even create a generation of Islamist militants in Nigeria.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/national_world/2015/05/18/militants-trying-to-impregnate-captives.html
Despite this relative calm in urban areas, Boko Haram killings and kidnappings have not diminished. Recent analysis of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Nigeria Security Tracker indicates that they have in fact increased.
Fighting has instead shifted to rural areas.
http://blogs.cfr.org/campbell/2013/11/19/boko-haram-pivots-toward-rural-areas-in-nigeria/
Boko Haram militants killed dozens of traders at a village market in northeastern Nigeria's Borno state, security sources said.
The attack Friday was the second major assault on the market in Mainok, 65 kilometers west of Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, within five months.
The weekly rural market draws hundreds of people from remote and surrounding communities who come to trade their farm produce and animals.
http://www.voanews.com/content/boko-haram-hits-rural-nigerian-market/2662747.html

In this case, we see how when terrorist organizations aren’t strong enough or big enough, they will fight more of a guerrilla warfare, hiding in the countryside, taking over smaller towns and villages, and only going after bigger cities when they have enough power to defeat the forces located there.
If we think of a post SHTF world in USA where for whatever reason most of the country has collapsed, it is easy to see how most of the security and rebuilding efforts will be focused on the larger cities with the most people while smaller communities and the least populated areas will be left to fend for themselves.
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”.

3 Easy Steps to Home-made Pepper Spray

Warning: Laws vary from Country to Country, even from State to State. Know and abide by your local laws before making any kind of home-made pepper spray.

In one of the most embarrassing incidents in Argentina’s football history, fans of Boca Juniors Club attacked rival players of River Plate Club as they went into the pitch after half time. They used a home-made type of pepper spray known as “mostacero”, which is typically made by inmates in prisons. This liquid was made using cayenne pepper and acid. While cayenne pepper isn’t among the hottest peppers, the acid in the mix is a particularly evil addition which can cause permanent injury or death. Before you get any ideas, remember that liquids and gases for self-defense that cause permanent injury or death are banned in most countries.
Commercial OC spray is still the best non-lethal defensive tool at hand. Its cheap, you can have it delivered to your door and it works very well within its intended purpose of use. I recommend SABRE RED, as this is the one most often used in Argentina with good results.

SABRE RED Pepper Gel - Police Strength $12.99

The active ingredient in pepper spray, capsicum, is actually the same component found in most hot peppers, so while not as practical as commercial OC spray, a home-made version can be effective as well.
1)The first thing you need to do is to get yourself some peppers, the hotter they are the better. The hotness of the pepper is rated in Scoville Heat Unit. Commercial Capsaicin pepper spray has around 2.000.000 SHU. Ghost Chile Pepper is considered one of the hottest peppers in the world. Usually exceeding one million SHU, its about 400 times hotter than Tabasco Sauce. At the moment the Carolina Reaper Peppers are officially considered to be the hottest in the world. The practical difference in SHU may be marginal so I would suggest going for the one you have available in powder form. You can use dry peppers but this will require processing it into powder.
You will also need alcohol, mineral oil, an empty plastic bottle (small, half liter soda bottle will do) to mix the ingredients and a container to use the pepper solution.
2)Pour the ingredients into the plastic bottle. Use latex gloves, a face mask and if possible do this outdoors or at least in a well-ventilated area. The mix will stain clothes pretty bad as well. Mix 2 tablespoons of Ghost Pepper powder. 1 tablespoon of mineral oil and 7 ounces of rubbing alcohol. Close the bottle with its cap, shake it well and let it rest in a cool dark place for 24 hours.
3)Using a cloth or rag to filter the solid particles, pour it into another container. Make sure you use gloves, mask and eye protection here as well. Once you have the filtered solution look for a spray bottle to keep it handy. Water guns have been recommended at times, but most of these tend to leak very bad so check before using. Small spray bottles work nicely. Lens cleaner bottles are small and throw a jet when pressed hard. Try getting one that throws a jet of liquid rather than a cloud of particles so as to have better range.
That’s it folks. Not as handy a commercial OC spray, but better than nothing.
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”.

Nepal Quake and Construction Types

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Earthquake-in-Nepal:-more-than-500-dead-in-the-Christian-community-34216.html

Being Catholic I thought you might find this of interest.

I enjoy your site, have your book Surviving the Economic Collapse beside me as I write, and value your insight. If you are ever of a mind to write any of your observations as to what happens to healthcare in a system under collapse (economy) I'd be happy to have it offered on my survival medical forum.

Reasonable Rascal

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Thanks Reasonable Rascal, that's pretty interesting. It is noticeable that in most cases it was poorly built structures that collapsed most catastrophically. Without a doubt, this raises the number of victims. In more developed nations with proper seismic construction codes the fatality rate would be much lower.

FerFAL

Reply: Can an AED save your life?

Fer,

Just a reminder that here in the US the Red Cross offers a combined CPR/AED course which is well worth the time. The instructional video with the HeartStart is good but the course gives some hands on use of the AED. It would also be good for one to have CPR training if one owns an AED.

Don't be fooled by this call for infrastructure spending, the guy you quoted is a notorious big spending politician. Obama and his buddies supposedly spent $1T on infrastructure which actually went mostly to support their union friends, i.e. teachers unions, bailing out UAW union, and public employees unions among others. Obama has increased our national debt by over $8T since he has been in office so I'm skeptical that he can spend more money wisely.

Regards,  Keith

Hi Keith, thanks for the reminded. Indeed, everyone should check http://www.redcross.org/ for nearby first aid traning. The AED (Automated External Defibrillator) is simple enough to use but you should still get at least a basic CPR class.

I dont actually have a problem with spending as long as its done right and to benefit people, rather than doing it do benefit personal friends or themselves directly. Unfortunately, that happens a lot all over the world.

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”.

Mad Max: Fury Road – Just Amazing!!

America’s Infrastructure is falling Apart

It seems that the recent train crash in Philadelphia was associated with poor infrastructure since the crash occurred where “there is a curve” in the track.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/train-derailment-renews-debate-us-infrastructure
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) told msnbc this morning:
“It’s a horrible crash, and it just points out again how terrible our nation’s infrastructure is…. If you went to Asia, Europe, and saw the high-speed trains, they’re all on a dedicated line. They’re all straight as an arrow. It’s just embarrassing what we do with our infrastructure.”
The problems with infrastructure is something I am familiar with and have discussed it a few times in the past. After the Argentine 2001 economic collapse, the lack of money for investment and infrastructure was obvious. As months went by potholes popped all over the country, buildings started to look more ran down and yes, trains became more dangerous. In 2012, an accident in the station of Once, Buenos Aires, ended up with 52 dead.
70,000 bridges in America -- one out of every nine -- is now considered to be structurally deficient.
Falling apart: America's neglected infrastructure
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”.

Can an AED save your life?

Someone was asking over at ar15.com:
"Will shock with an AED significantly improve the survival chances of a heart attack victim if hospital care is not immediately available? And how immediate is immediate? 15 minutes, 2 hours, 24 hours?"
AED stands for automated external defibrillator and yes, yes it would. According to the American Red Cross, “Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. Over 350,000 people will suffer from sudden cardiac arrest this year .” Keep in mind that the average 911 response time is 8 to 12 minutes and during sudden cardiac arrest, for each minute defibrillation is delayed, the chance of survival is reduced approximately 10%.
Given that cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in America, an AED is more likely to save you than a gun and pretty much most other gear you have.
Having said all this, common sense still applies. If you’re in your 20s or early 30s and in good health you probably have better things to spend your money on than dropping a grand on an AED. If you’re in your 50 and live in an area where response time isn’t as good as it could be, then you might want to give it some though. If you’re in your +50, have a history of cardiac problems and have little chance of getting first responders to help you in time, then you might want to give it some further thought. At the end of the day, is an AED worth it? That’s up to you to decide.

Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator (AED) $1,199

 

AED are not as expensive as they used to be but we’re still talking some serious money, the one shown above, Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator is available in Amazon goes for 1.200 usd. On the bright side performance has improved considerably in the last few years and they are very easy to use even by the layperson. The AED works automatically, only shocking when necessary after reading the patients heartbeat. Experts at Johns Hopkins claim that “use of the laptop-size devices (AED)by random bystanders more than doubled survival rates among victims felled by a sudden heart stoppage due to a heart attack or errant heart rhythm.” This was back in 2007, with more rudimentary AED technology compared to the one available today.
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”.

Nepal hit by second Earthquake, at leas 68 dead

People in Nepal just can’t catch a break. Just days after a devastating 7.8 earthquake a second, 7.2 earthquake hit Nepal today. Dozen have died, adding to the over 8.000 victims from the first one.
Earthquakes aren’t single, isolated events. Typically after such earthquakes, the ground keeps moving for weeks, even months, often several times a day. This is particularly nerve-racking for the victims and it threatens the structural integrity of thousands of buildings already compromised by the first earthquake.
At least 68 dead after another major earthquake centered in Nepal
People, whenever possible, avoid living in Seismic Hazard Zones. If you do so, make sure you’re well prepared for it, both physically and mentally.
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”.

Similarities Between Hillary Clinton and Cristina Kirchner

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”.

Risk Assessment: Mississippi police slayings and Riots in Ferguson & Baltimore

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”.

Towards a cashless society: No cash, no freedom.

Hey man,
What are your thoughts on the attack on cash that has been occurring. Visit http://armstrongeconomics.com/archives/30175
as an example. I haven't experienced this personally but it also
appears to be occurring in the US. You have always said that cash is
king (which I believe it to prudent to keep some close by). Is it wise
for people to increase more of a percentage of PMs vs cash? (I know you
don't give financial advice but your input would be appreciated.
- Andrew

Hello Andrew,
Indeed, the global elite is working hard to get people used to the idea. Denmark is moving closer to a cashless society. The Danish government has proposed that retailers should no longer be obligated to accept cash payments as of next year.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/denmark-moves-closer-to-a-cashless-society-10231995.html
Greece prime minister Alexis Tsipras suggested credit card use being made mandatory for transactions of more than €70, a measure which the bankers he supposedly hates would greatly benefit from.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/02/greece-tourists-credit-cards-tax-evasion
Our society is already enslaved enough as it is by the fiat economy system which steals our labor as we are forced to use currencies that are beyond our control and can be created at will by the ruling elite. A cashless society would be the pinnacle of this dystopian hell. No matter how much you work, the fruit of your labor would now be directly owned by the bank.
You see, the minute you deposit money in a bank, you no longer own that money anymore. It now belongs to the bank and they can do with it whatever they desire, they simply assume a lax compromise of returning that money to you at their convenience. In a cashless society you wouldn’t even have that choice, the bank would own your wealth by de facto. There would be no obligation to hold, handle and return actual cash to clients. There wouldn’t be a risk of a bank run any more, nor would you have a choice of simply abandoning the banking system and sticking to cash. A cashless society forces every single person to use the bank for 100% of their transactions. All this means trillions of USd worth of profit for the banks and credit card companies. It also means you literally become a slave to these institutions.
What’s the solution then? Go for precious metals. Forget about the market price, just buy some. In my book “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse”, I explain why gold is important during an economic collapse and recommended to have 20% of your savings in precious metals. If governments keep pushing for a cashless society, make that 30%. It’s the only way in which you’ll have any real money any more once cash is downright banned.
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”.

Yes! There’s an FM radio in your phone… but they don’t let you use it.

In my resent blog entry, “The Top 10 Things you need during a Disaster”, I explained how important it was to have a cellphone. Of course simply being able to call for help if needed and contacting people is a huge asset on its own but then you have a ton of other features, either included on the phone itself or through apps. Smartphones are amazing pieces of technology which allow you go online, access maps, use built in GPS navigation and even LED flashlights, just to mention a few.
People quickly pointed out that during disasters such as the Boston Bombing, Katrina and Sandy, networks are overloaded and phones don’t work. This is true given the bandwidth overload when everyone tries to call at the same time. It is also true that many times although voice calls cant go through, text messages do, and service providers recommend people to use these instead during disasters. Having a smartphone also means you may take advantage of wifi hotspots which are often set up after disasters to help during the rescue operations.
One of the things I mentioned was that another advantage a smartphone has, even if everything else fails, was the ability to be used as a FM receiver. When nothing else works, its through FM radio that critical information is provided to the population. This is a great asset. The reply from people was immediate “But most cellphones these days don’t have FM receivers!”. This caught me by surprise given that we have fairly new phones in my house and I made sure before buying them that they all have FM receivers, specifically for this reason. After reading up I understood the confusion:
Most smartphones in the market today, Iphone, Samsungs and such, they DO have FM receivers. The problem is that these are blocked for most phones intended for the American market. In the rest of the world, this function is not blocked, therefore an “American” Samsung Note will not have a working FM receiver while an “International” model will.
Why would anyone do such a thing, you may ask? Well, as always follow the money. Service providers don’t want you using a radio when they can force you to stream radio through the internet using their data services. Also, Apple profits greatly from selling music in itunes. They would lose millions if people decided to listen to radio a bit more for free rather than paying for each song they listen.

Doesn’t seem fair, does it? Of course, there’s something very wrong about having a function blocked in the phone you paid for, just so that someone can profit from it. There’s also strong case for it being a public safety matter. Disaster management experts agree on the importance of having radio available in people’s phones and how this literally saves lives during worst case scenarios. What can you do about it? Actually there’s already an initiative demanding FM chip activation in phones. Take action now! Follow the link below:
http://freeradioonmyphone.org/
Also, there’s more good news: Not all smartphones in America have the FM receiver blocked. HTC and Motorola are among such companies.

Motorola Moto G - Universal 4G LTE $185.33

If you’re in the market for a new phone, Motorola has the very affordable yet outstanding Moto G, which I highly recommend. This is the phone my son uses and it has a lot going for it. The Moto G is very cheap, uses the latest Android OS, it has 4G LTE, has a pretty good screen and processor and expandable micro SD memory. From a survival perspective, its waterproof, very robust, has an LED light and an unblocked FM radio. Just put a cheap rugged case on it and you’re good to go. Check my video review of the Moto G for a closer look.
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”.