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”.

Argentina’s “Strongest Man” stabbed to death by scavenger

Alan Garay (43 years old) was a 260 pound “strongman” that won competitions both in Argentina and Spain. He could lift 880 pounds, pull 15 ton trucks and lift cars with little problem, but that didn’t save him from getting killed two days ago in the province of Mendoza, Argentina.
After an argument with Fernando Pezetti, a 50 year old cartonero (paper and trash scavenger) over trash left on the sidewalk next to his house,  Mr. Garay got into a fight with the man, easily overpowering him and punching him in the face. As Garay left, the scavenger produced a knife and stabbed him twice in the torso. The neighbors called for help but Garay was dead by the time help arrived.
Garay had lived in Madrid for ten years and had recenlty moved back to Argentina. He worked security at night clubs and at times was part of security details of international celebrities.
Lessons Learned:
1)Don’t get into a fight if you can avoid it.
2)Don’t EVER underestimate your opponent, even if you’re literally the strongest man in the country going against some random 50 year old hobo.
3)Always assume your opponent may be armed, NEVER turn your back on him.
4)Knives are ALWAYS lethal weapons. They don’t jam, they don’t run out of ammo and its practically impossible to pry one away from an attacker without losing a few fingers.
5)Again, just don’t get into fights, ESPECIALLY against someone that has nothing to lose.
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”.

EDC Knife: Kershaw Lifter vs ZT 0350 vs ZT 0566

Fernando,
I read with interest your recent report on the Kershaw Lifter, and as I own one, could not agree with you more about it's strength, versatility, and price -- especially price! I am no knife expert, but the good things about the Lifter are easy to see.
I thought, because I also have several other "Kershaw" knives, among them the ZT 0350 and the ZT 0566, that I would compare them in photos, thinking that it would perhaps be of interest.

I got to cogitating as I looked at the Lifter and the 0566 at how really similar they are. The Lifter is not as sleek, to be sure, as the 0566, but it is a very close comparison. It is also a bit heavier. I even began to wonder if Kershaw/ZT had not used the Lifter as a prototype for the 0566. I didn't contact Kershaw for an answer, so am just guessing. There are lots of similarities.

Anyway, I've included three photos with embedded text to highlight the differences, and threw in the ZT 0350 as another comparison, just for reference, along with a FN 9mm double stack magazine for sizing reference. (Everyone has one of those, don't they?)
For the price, as you say, the Lifter absolutely cannot be beat. (Though I have to admit that I carry the ZT 0350 with the Elmax blade. Just me. A knife nut. Wonderful blade!)
Thanks again for very the informative web site.
Take care,
J
....
Hi J,
That’s a nice comparison, thanks for sharing.
When it comes to the Kershaw Lifter its obvious that the big price saving was in the blade steel and country of manufacture (China). They also saved on the finishing job, you see more straight lines and harder angles compared to the somewhat similar ZT0566 geometry. No jimping on the blade and such, all those things are extra steps that cost money. Other than that, the design is outstanding and for the price it’s a very well put together folder.
Of course S30V and ELMAX are by far superior. The Lifter uses 3Cr13 steel for the blade, about the cheapest budget knife you can find, while the other two are some of the best performing super steels. Again, when it comes to top brands such as Zero Tolernace, if you have a knife that costs 20 bucks and another that goes for well over $100, there’s usually a reason for that.
Now, if you’re working with a 20USD budget or you want a knife you wont be feeling bad about if you snap the blade or (more likely) you end up losing it, then the Lifter is clearly one of the best choices.

ZT #0566 Hinderer Folder $144

Although I do like the ZT 0350, I find the blade too wide for my taste, not enough of a tip. Of all three the ZT0566 is the one I like the most. Outstanding ELMAX steel, Speedsafe assisted opening system, frame lock, great Hinderer ergonomics and blade geometry.
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”.

What Greece Faces if It Defaults

The New York Times is doing its share of drama regarding Greece’s economy by comparing their situation to the Argentine economic collapse of 2001:What Greece Faces if It Defaults.
It's an interesting read, and a lot of it is accurate, but what the article forgets to mention is that the greatest problem Argentina had and still has wasn’t trying to get rid of the IMF and refuse further foreign-imposed austerity, but doing so while having corrupt politicians and corporations that stole the profits and negated the benefits of many of these measures. This is exactly what every “Peronist” government has done in Argentina, from Juan Domingo Perón and Evita to Cristina Kirchner. Every country, from USA to Canada and United Kingdom, has regulations that benefit their own economy. At times it was more intense so as to allow local growth and development, later on being relaxed in some areas so as to allow it to compete with the rest of the world.
There’s nothing wrong with making the well-being of your own population the main priority, above the well-being of investors. That is, as long as it´s done in a responsible manner rather than looting the country yourself.
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”.