China Devalues Yuan, Global Stocks Fall

As China drops its currency 3.5% in two days the US dollar goes up, making American exports more expensive and of course, Chinese exports cheaper.

Yuan and you: How China's devalued currency affects U.S. consumers

Global Stocks Fall Further After China Devalues Yuan
It also means that all those deals China made with countries around the world, at least those in which China agreed to trade on Yuans, just got 3.5% cheaper for China.
Currencies close to Asian markets dropped in price, meanwhile the Euro rose 1.4% against the USD. Gold and Silver just went up as well.
What’s the biggest concern? That we could see a “currency war”, in which countries are forced to drop the value of their currency to keep exports more competitive. In the case of USA, the likely outcome will be that more USD will be pumped into the market, creating inflation which will drop the value of the US to more competitive levels against the Yuan. While this would work in terms of US exports, it will also mean that a) there will be more inflation within America, hitting poor people hardest b) anything not made in China imported to America will probably be more expensive c) inflation combined with higher import prices may affect standards of living for a sector of the population.
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”.

French Couple Desert Death: Main causes of death in National Parks

Many years ago while backpacking in Patagonia I got to see first-hand how dangerous inexperience can be on the trail. I came across two girls that had picked a backpack for the first time with not much of an idea of what to do. They started waving at me as soon as they saw me and when I approached them they practically begged me for a sip of water. I gave them some water to drink and told them where to find a small stream nearby. After asking they told me it was their first time out and they had ran out of water hours ago. They had only two small water bottles and a friend had loaned them a Swiss army knife... I just wondered what the heck was it that they had in their backpacks, which by the way were too big for their small frames.
The recent tragic incident in which a French couple died and their 9 year old son managed to survive should serve as a reminder of the potential risks when hiking unknown terrain. Ornella Steiner, 51, and David Steiner, 42, of Bourgogne, France, were found dead last week off a hiking trail in White Sands National Monument, a vast and treeless desert park about 226 miles from Albuquerque. Their son was found dehydrated, but alive beside his father's body. Heat exposure seems to have killed both parents. Temperatures had reached 100 degrees that day and there’s no shade to be found . The parents had given their son twice the ration of water they drank themselves. This act no doubt saved the child’s live. The couple had taken only two 20-ounce bottles of water, while park authorities advice hikers to carry 1 gallon (128 ounces) of water per person.
French couple who died in desert gave son extra water, sheriff said
What kills people the most in parks?
It was interesting to read some of the main causes of death in national parks. The number one killer is the same number one killer of children in cities and suburbs: water. Of the 1,025 fatalities in national parks from a variety of causes between 2007 and 2013, drowning deaths are the most common ones with 365 deaths. Another common killer in urban areas follows, car crashes with 210. The third leading cause of deaths during that time frame were falls, numbering 178.
So remember, when going out on your first adventures its much safer to do them close to home at first and in safe, well-marked trails, avoiding jungle, deserts, extreme cold and high altitude mountains until you have more experience. Make sure you stick to the trail! And don’t forget, navigation (so as to not get lost), communications (so as to get help) and water are some of the essential items to have.
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”.

Mass starvation expected in Venezuela

Members of national guard patrol a supermarket in Caracas

What else can you expect from dictator Nicolas Maduro?
Venezuela is running out of food and the government of Nicolas Maduro is running out of excuses. The article linked below calls Venezuela a “socialist” government. Let me tell you one thing about “socialism” in places like Venezuela and Argentina.
Mass starvation expected in Venezuela after socialist government nationalizes food distribution system

There’s nothing “socialist” about them. Finland is socialist. You may like it or not, but that’s socialism. What’s happening in places like Argentina, Venezuela and other Latin American countries isn’t socialism, its populist authoritarianism and dictatorships.
Argentina is the perfect example of such nonsense with Cristina and Nestor Kirchner, who became governor of Santa Cruz province before becoming president not thanks to the fortune amassed by socialist activism, but by the fortune amassed foreclosing people’s homes for banks. These are not tree-hugging liberals. These are blood thirsty bankers that only got into politics to steal even more effectively.
Venezuela has no democratic government, socialist or otherwise. It has an inept dictatorship that can’t even run the most basic aspects of a country such as keeping shelves stocked with food and toilet paper. Because they are dictators, they are used to forcing people into accepting their views, their opinions and they are so blinded they believe they can force reality itself to change by force. They think that simply forcing people to deny the food shortages it will make them go away. That is the level of stupidity and ineptitude of Dictator Nicolas Maduro.
Little nugget of wisdom:
"The farther you get from the capital, the worse the economic situation is."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/looting-venezuela-shortages_55bcec4de4b0d4f33a0309a3
This is something I’ve often made reference to when talking about the cell-like behavior of a collapsed country when it tries to keep its Capital afloat.
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”.

Survival Clothes: SmartWool

I’ve posted before about my quest to find the complete, ideal clothes setup from a modern survivalist perspective. By this I mean, practical, functional, even tactical, without being “tacticool”. I don’t need digicam. I don’t need to look like a deer hunter. I need subdued colors, in good, functional fabrics. This logic should be applied to all clothes, from the socks you wear everyday to the jacket you grab before going through the door for a night out in town with friends. That’s what we’ll be on your back when you need it, when disaster strikes without warning. That’s your real survival clothes.
This is how I ended up interested in Merino wool, a natural fabric that is softer than ordinary wool, wicks moisture away from your body, keeps you both warm and fresh and has natural odor resistance even if wearing the same clothes for a few days. It is also a better option in terms of fire resistance than synthetics.

Smartwool NTS Micro 150 Tee

I tried Icebreaker t-shirts and I do like them. I will say they are a bit itchy, especially when wearing it at first. As minutes go by you notice it less but some people may be more sensitive than others. If that’s the case there’s still hope: Smartwool. Smartwool is merino with a special treatment that makes it less itchy while retaining the desired properties. How well does it work? Pretty good actually. Better than expected. It’s not cotton. There’s just a bit, a tad of itchiness at first, but its almost like cotton and it is better in the itchy department than Icebreaker.

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”.

Decoy and Concealable Safes?

Message:
Hello Ferfal,
I remember some time ago, either in a post here or in your first book
(which I highly recommend, by the way), you mention having two safes:
one large dummy safe for "show", and one small concealable safe to
hold all your real items of value. Do you know any reliable
manufacturers for such a concealable safe? Also, related and in
addition to this, I am seeking a small handgun safe. Any
recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Curtis
..
Hello Curtis,
Yes, the basic idea is that you would have a decoy safe, maybe a cheaper one in a closet, and second one which should be well hidden.
There’s basically two reasons behind this logic. First, if someone manages to break into your house and gets to the safe, there’s a good chance they’ll either bust it open or steal it entirely. I know of small safes that have been hammered out of walls and stolen entirely, or big, larger ones that left owners wondering how the heck did they take that huge, heavy thing. Well, criminals are capable of amazing things. Enough leverage, enough guys pulling, powertools and a truck means anything that was once installed in your house can be uninstalled again along with whatever happens to be inside. It’s better if they just get in, find a safe and just take that. Few criminals will spend time looking for a second safe and even if they do a well hidden one shouldn’t be easy to find.
The second important reason to have a decoy safe is something many learned in Argentina the hard way: The fastest way to crack a safe is putting a gun to the owner’s head… or his children. Now, if you combine this with a very unstable financial situation in which cash and other valuables are kept at home, losing all your wealth may not be as bad as getting shot, but it is still a disaster. A second, well hidden safe means you can open your decoy one and have contents that would leave a criminal happy (more decoys, cheap gold plated jewelry, use your imagination) while saving the bulk of your savings.

Sentry Safe SFW205GRC Electronic Water-Resistant Fire-Safe $324.99

As for specific safes, the cheap Chinese safes may make good decoys but they are junk, easily opened. Get a good, fireproof and waterproof safe for you real one. A good way to go about it is buying a good solid safe, where you keep your important documents (which criminals wont be interested in during a home invasion), but only decoy valuables and little cash while keeping the bulk of your money and precious metals in a well concealed floor safe.

SentrySafe 7250 Waterproof Floor Safe $91.99

Regarding handgun safes, this one is fast to access, has very good reviews and its selling for a reasonable price.

Gunvault MV500-STD Microvault Pistol Gun Safe $105.73

Take care, good luck and remember: This is just part of the plan. Loose lips sink ships so make sure no one knows about that car, boat, house you just sold, big bonus or commission. Another common occurrence in Argentina is that kidnappers and home invaders knew EXACTLY how much cash they were supposed to find and would not leave the house without 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”.