Monthly Archives: April 2015

Why I Prefer a Map and Compass over a GPS

Guest post by Jarhead Survivora contributing author SHTFBlog & Survival Cache

——


Call me old fashioned.  Call me a Luddite.  But don’t call me lost, because I know how to read a map and compass.  When I served my country years ago they decided that a fine young Marine like myself should know how to read a map and compass, so that if I went behind enemy lines I wouldn’t get lost.  Later on I worked in an FDC (Fire Direction Center) where compass work was my lifeblood.  I learned how to plot azimuths, intersections and resections and other interesting and arcane land navigation secrets.  They showed us how to convert a grid azimuth to a magnetic azimuth and vice versa.

Don’t know what that means?  Keep reading.  Why go through all the trouble of learning this when there’s a GPS on every smart phone and in every pack these days.  The compass is outdated right?  Wrong.

Fundamental Understanding

The first thing you need to know about using a map and compass is that there’s a lot to learn and some of it can be tricky.  Another thing you’ll need to understand is the pace count, which I’ll discuss in a bit.  When you use a map and compass you do it for one of several different reasons.  You need to move from point A to point B accurately and efficiently, or you’re not quite sure where you are, but if you look at the map long enough you should be able to pick out where you are using terrain association.  You might want to plot a course over unfamiliar terrain and the map is a perfect place to do that.

In order to do these things you need to have a fundamental understanding of how these systems work together.  Once you have the basic understanding of how to use a map and compass you will never get lost again.  Oh, you might get a littlemisplaced  for awhile, but not lost.

A few years ago I went hiking with a friend of mind over unfamiliar terrain.  We crossed over at least three mountain peaksduring our hike and he was guiding us using his newly won GPS unit.  (He won it a conference in Boston.)  He was holding it up as the shining light of land nav and I was suitably impressed.  We got to our destination and after awhile I asked him to reprogram it to take us home.  He said, “Huh?”  He had no idea how to operate it!  He’d made a few waypoints, but really had no idea how to use it.

Luckily I had brought my map and compass (you’ll find me in the woods naked before you see me without a map and compass) and I was able to plot a course to get home.  But what really got me was that he no idea how to read a map and compass either.  He was completely lost!  I could sort of understand how he might have got caught up in the excitement of new technology, but going out into the wilderness like that without the basic understanding of how to navigate was unforgivable.  That’s how people get lost and sometimes get dead.

Once you have a fundamental idea of how land navigation really works then the move sophisticated tools like the GPS you use are great and might help improve accuracy, but you won’t really need them in order to get where you’re going.

Lowest Common Denominator

Having a basic understanding of how to shoot an azimuth (direction) and read a map could save your life some day.  Knowing how to use these two items together plus knowing your pace count is critical.

The pace count is a rough way of measuring distance when you’re walking.  The way I figured out my pace count was taught to me in basic training.  They took us to a 100 meter course (the military does all Land Nav in the metric system) and made us walk it about ten times.  We walked it at a normal pace without hurrying and counted every time our left foot struck the deck.  My pace count is 63 steps, so every time I count 63 (or 73 in rougher terrain) I reach up and pull down one of my Ranger Beadsto keep track of my pace.

GPS

After all this talk of the map and compass you probably think that I hate the GPS.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  I’ve pulled out my smartphone on many occasions and checked it for my location, which can sometimes be useful and sometimes not, but it’s a fantastic piece of gear to have.  When hunting I’ve used it see how far that swamp extends, or when hiking to see what’s over the next peak without actually having to hike up there and look.

In the city they can’t be beat.  “Turn left.  Turn right.  Bear left at the next intersection.”  Beautiful stuff!  Especially if you don’t know the city.  I used my smartphone with Google maps today in Bangor and it saved me a ton of trouble.

But with the good comes the bad and one of the things that bothers me about theGPS is that it’s electronic and thus dependent on electricity.  I’ve been in the field enough to know that batteries wear down and you don’t always get an immediate resupply.  Imagine life after a solar flare or an EMP attack or whatever might bring the grid down.  If you’re depending on your electronic gizmo to get you to your bug-out location you might find yourself in a dire situation.

The GPS is awesome when it works, but it’s sometimes been my luck that just when I need some electronic device the most, is exactly when it will fail.  Case in point – I was once hiking through the 100 Mile Wilderness in Maine and broke my ankle 40 miles in.  Could I get my cell phone to work.  Hell no!  Another time I was trying to login to my bank account in Canada to transfer funds while trying to pay for a room in the hotel lobby.  Could I connect to my bank?  Hell no!

My suggestion would be to trust your equipment as far as you can, but have a manual backup for it just in case.  That way when Murphy rears his ugly head you’ll have a backup plan and won’t wind up lost in the middle of a big forest somewhere with annoyed rescue workers trying to find you.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

 

Via:  shtfblog

Baltimore riots (Did you notice this. . .)

The latest series of violence is currently engulfing Baltimore following yet another death of a black man at the hands of police.

Already, Seattle and other cities are talking about igniting their own versions of protests inspired by the Baltimore events and local police are being informed to be ready to report at a moment’s notice in riot gear.

For those of us constantly “on the watch”, events like these allow us to probe human nature to get a glimpse in what to expect should things turn uglier in our country.

Yesterday’s protests were filled with dancing and drum-playing with the feeling of a “block party” more than riot-prep.

But it only takes “one”…

Just one rock… one Molotov cocktail… one tear gas canister… just one anonymous person in the crowd to set a spark to the powder keg of rage that leads to violence.

Are you prepared for social chaos?

We’ve already seen events unfold in Ferguson as so-called “peaceful protests” following the shooting evolved into a clash between jack-booted riot police and citizens.

Small businesses were decimated by property damage… looting… and during the worst of the chaos, rioters even began throwing Molotov cocktails at police.

While Baltimore may not trigger a response in your area, you need to be watching the news BEYOND what the newscaster is saying and pick out your own “learning points”.

For example, yesterday, did you notice…

… the “national guardsman” with the red and white baseball cap on backwards?  (He had a logo spray-painted on his rifle and may not have even been military.)

… in Ferguson, did you see the police officer with a giant “pig-sticker” knife strapped to his vest – like he was preparing for close-quarters combat?

… can you pick out the citizen rifles perched on top of buildings, guarding homes and businesses?

Are you paying attention?

When tensions are high and tempers flare, anything can happen – and the treat may NOT even be the protesters themselves.

Are you prepared?

The survival skills you’ve acquired must always be in alignment with the threat you face.

Knowing how to build a fire with 2 sticks is great for wilderness survival.

But when your town breaks into civil unrest, martial law, and social chaos, it requires a whole other set of skills you may not be prepared for.

I’ve seen how quickly a city can break into riots when I was in combat… and spent 2 years researching and training to deal with it as a civilian.

I put all that training in my best-selling guide, “Social Chaos Escape & Evasion” and it’s one of my most prized pieces of work.

If you’re unsure how you’d react to protect your family when mobs of looters and angry crowds are outside your door, then I highly suggest you master these escape & evasion tactics I cover here…

Don’t get trapped into thinking that because the riots may be hundreds or even thousands of miles away that you can’t be touched.

The true survivalist is always prepared and sees danger coming long before his or her neighbors BECAUSE you don’t dismiss the potential for the spread of violence.

Remember… it only takes “one”!

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: moderncombatandsurvival

FBI Admits To Using Fraudulent Evidence To Convict

It has been publicly admitted that the FBI has been participating in a fraudulent misuse of science to alter and distort forensic evidence for more than two decades.  The Washington Post reported, “The Justice Department and FBI have formally acknowledged that nearly every examiner in an elite FBI forensic unit gave flawed testimony in almost all trials in which they offered evidence against criminal defendants over more than a two-decade period before 2000.”

Astonishingly, 93% of the forensic scientists in the FBI’s hair analysis unit “overstated forensic matches in ways that favored prosecutors in more than 95 percent of the 268 trials reviewed so far,” reports WashPost. To pull this off, they used “scientific jargon” to bamboozle juries, making their evidence sound convincing even though it was entirely invalid. As usual, this science-based fabrication of false evidence was offered by egotistical, self-assured FBI scientists who sounded convincing even though they were misleading the court with false testimony.

Source: NaturalNews

As reported by the The Guardian regarding a specific incident:

At a key stage in the 1992 rape and burglary trial, an FBI agent named Wayne Oakes took the witness stand, describing himself to the jury as an expert in hair and textile fibers — as would so many of the agency’s trial witnesses, in condemning hundreds of people to long prison sentences.

Individual head or pubic hairs were distinctive, he told the court, to the extent that a well-trained specialist like himself could tell those belonging to one person from another. Oakes went on to bombard the jury with scientific jargon, referring to the medulla, the cortex and the cuticle of hair, likening the task of comparing individual strands to recognizing a specific person in a crowd.

“In 10 years, it’s extremely rare I will have known hair samples from two different people I can’t tell apart,” the self-proclaimed expert bragged.

The FBI agent’s conclusion in front of the jury was emphatic: “The hair found on the sheet exhibits all the same microscopic hair arranged in the same way as the characteristics present in the known hair from [Perrot]. I conclude that the hair was consistent with coming from the defendant,” he told the court.

That testimony, based on a single hair, was so strong, so wrapped in the certainties of science, that it wiped out all doubts and inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case — indeed, it eviscerated the presumption of innocence.

Thirty-two cases now under review involved defendants who were given the death penalty. There is little question that the FBI’s faked hair analysis “science” has resulted in people being sentenced to death who were completely innocent.

The FBI, just like Monsanto and Merck, used fabricated science that resulted in innocent people being killed.

All this only emerged after the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) investigated the matter in cooperation with the Innocence Project. A total of 342 cases were reviewed for possible problems, and of those in which hair evidence was used against defendants in trials, over 95 percent involved the FBI giving flawed or distorted testimony that isn’t supported by the facts.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

 

Via: survivalist

This is a REAL Commercial from AARP: “Riots Nationwide Have Prompted The Government To Declare Martial Law”


The bizarre world of militarization and propaganda just got a little bit more crazy – and spooky.

A new AARP commercial seems to offer a public service announcement, but if you play close attention to the commercial you’ll hear something very odd playing in the background. As the woman in the video watches the news she is called over to another room by her daughter. In the background (you may have to turn your audio up a little bit) you can clearly hear a news report about “riots nationwide” and a declaration of martial law by government emergency services.

Riots nationwide have prompted local governments to declare martial law.

The President is asking that citizens find safety and remain calm.

Authorities are working to contain the outbreak.

Here’s a video with commentary from Infowars:


The full commercial – with subtitles:


Paul Joseph Watson asks the obvious question given public concerns over the Jade Helm 15 exercise coming this summer and reports that the government will be simulating martial law and dissident roundups.

So the obvious question is, why is this subliminal message about martial law being declared by the President after an outbreak appearing in a public service announcement for care giving put out by an insurance company.

It has no place whatsoever within the context of the ad.

Think about this – this had to be specifically created by the company to appear in this PSA. They couldn’t use an actual segment from a tv news broadcast… because they would be concerned about copyright… and because no such broadcast exists about the President declaring martial law in America after an outbreak…

So they deliberately put this in.

And it’s not going to be heard consciously, but it may be picked up subliminally by the viewer.

I mean… what the hell is going on here… this is bizarre.

What’s more, the ad was approved and disseminated by The Ad Council, an organization that essentially now serves as a direct propganda arm of the White House.

None of this makes sense.

Unless, of course, you consider that the American people are being psychologically prepared in advance of exactly such an event. Officials within the U.S. government clearly know something big is coming and they have been simulating collapse scenarios for many years.

The American people, however, remain oblivious.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

 

Via: shtfplan

Thousands of Violent Street Thugs Riot, Loot and Assault Innocent people in Baltimore

All hell broke loose in Baltimore, Maryland as thousands of thugs took to the streets spreading chaos and destruction throughout the city.

Violent thugs, masquerading as protestors demonstrating the death of a young African-American man, assaulted people, smashed police cars and shop widows, and looted multiple businesses. Things got so bad that 15,000 people were trapped in Oriole Park at Camden Yards as the stadium tried to prevent violent thugs from spreading the chaos into the stadium.

 


Violent thugs smashed cars throughout the city

 


Violent Street thugs attacked an innocent sports bar full of people enjoying their Saturday night.

 


Stores were vandalized and looted throughout the city.

 



Multiple people were robbed on the streets, including these three women who were photographed while being assaulted and robbed.

 

Obama Stokes the Flames as Chaos Erupts

As the city exploded in violence, President Obama helped spread further racial anger and hostility when he spoke at the White House Correspondents’ Diner. At the diner he brought a comedian on stage during his speech to act as his alter ego or “anger translator,” telling the audience to “hold on to your lily white butts,” and saying things like “we can count on fox news to terrify white people with some nonsense.”

Describing the speech is almost unbelievable, and I know there are some people out there that think this man can do no wrong, so I will just post the video so you can see what our President and the news media was doing as Baltimore was on fire with violence.

 

 

People that do these types of actions in Baltimore are the Zombie horde we need to stay prepared against at all times.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

 

Via: offgridsurvival

WEEKLY THREAT ROUNDUP 4-26-15

From AlertsUSA

 
FBI Warns ISIS Message Resonating With Americans,
Homegrown Terrorism a Growing Threat
April 25, 2015
 
Between April 20-24, 2015, AlertsUSA issued the following
related Flash message to subscriber mobile devices:
4/20 – DOJ/FBI charge 6+ indiv in MN and CA w conspiracy to join and support foreign terrorist org. FBI stressing scope and threat posed by terror recruiting in MN.

4/22 – Paris police arrest heavily armed man planning imminent attack on multi churches. Solid evidence of ISIS/AQ nexus. Security incr at religious sites nationwide.

4/24 – AlertsUSA monitoring ongoing evacuation of Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island following discovery of susp package(s). Will rpt again if situation warrants.

What You Need To Know
On Monday, the Department of Justice and FBI announced the arrest of at six individuals spread between Minneapolis and San Diego on charges ofconspiracy and attempts to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, namely, the Islamic State. ( Criminal Complaint – PDF) According to U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger of the District of Minnesota:

“These were not confused young men. They were not easily influenced. These are focused men who are intent on joining a terrorist organization by any means possible.”

According to the DOJ, at least 9 individuals from Minnesota alone have been arrested and charged in just this one particular conspiracy. In announcing the most recent arrests, Luger made a statement that should rocket past frightening and straight into alarming:

“To be clear, we have a terror recruiting problem in Minnesota.”

And it is not just Minnesota. News reports are now appearing on a weekly basis concerning the increasing number of U.S. citizens from elsewhere in the country who have both successfully traveled abroad and turned up on the battlefield or others arrested in the process of attempting travel for the same purpose. For instance, a completely separate indictment was handed down this week to a Philadelphia woman who also intended to travel overseas in order to join, fight with, and martyr herself on behalf of the Islamic State. Also this week it was reported that a 20 year old woman from Birmingham, Alabama successfully made her way to Syria to join ISIS militants, supposedly after bring recruited via the Internet. And these are just the one’s being publicised.

As AlertsUSA Threat Journal reported just weeks ago, FBI Director James Comey revealed that the bureau is investigating active domestic threats posed by ISIS supporters in all 50 states. That same week, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson stated that there are in fact sleeper cells here in the U.S. which have ongoing contact with the Islamic State and other terrorist groups who have “a desire to conduct an attack” here on U.S. soil.

AlertsUSA again cautions readers of the need to meet with great skepticism the increasing effort of liberal news commentators and public officials to downplay the Islamic angle to these threats. As we pointed out just week, the teachings and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad are absolutely clear: All good Muslims must wage war on unbelievers and other religions and bring them into submission.

The simple truth is that these individuals constantly referred to as “radicals” are walking the walk as prescribed by Islamic teachings. So called “moderate” Muslims are in fact weak members of the faith, no different than individuals who claim to be Christian but rarely see the inside of a church or their Bible.

AlertsUSA continues to monitor the overall domestic and international terrorism threat environment and will immediately notify service subscribers of new alerts, warnings and advisories or any developments which signal a change the overall threat picture for American citizens, as events warrant.

AlertsUSA.com

ALERTS ISSUED THIS WEEK BUT
NOT DETAILED IN THIS NEWSLETTER ISSUE

4/21 – Saudi ground forces prep to enter Yemen. Iran threatening strikes. 9 US warships present. US embassies in region warning AMCITs to remain vigilant w security.

4/20 – Navy officials announce US warships headed to waters off Yemen to intercept Iranian naval vessels and weapons shipments. Developing situation. Monitoring…

 
 
Homeland Security Threat Info Direct to Your
Mobile Device 
* Get Away Early, Give Your Family Extra Safety.
* In Wide Use By Gov, 1st Responders, Travelers.
* 24/7/365 Monitoring. No Hype. Just the Bad Stuff.
* Issued Hours and Days before the MSM.
* On your Cell Phone, Tablet or Email.
* We Give The Clear Truth, Unlike the MSM.
* Over a Decade in Operation!
 
We are NOT part of the government.
In fact, they are our customers!
 


 
FBI Warns of New Threats to Law Enforcement
and Public Officials
April 25, 2015
What You Need to Know
The FBI is warning law enforcement and public officials nationwide to be on guard for cyber attacks from hackers and stresses the need for these for these individuals to be particularly cautious about the personal information, both in pictures and in words, which are posted to websites and social media accounts.

The warning message comes as police departments in several parts of the country are facing criticism and protests over mistreatment of crime suspects. According to the notice, hacker groups are exploiting open source and other publicly available information that identifies law enforcement personnel, their employers and their families. While specific hacking groups are not specifically identified in the alert message, the FBI’s warning comes on the heels of recent threats made by the hacking collective known as Anonymous. One such threat posted earlier in the week to the group’s Twitter account reads as follows:

“Police officers of America we are watching you. Everyone is watching you. We suggest you stop murdering people in your custody.”

Earlier this month a video was posted to the to the Internet threatening the Vineland, NJ police department following a deadly force incident. The names, home addresses, and phone numbers of two Vineland police officers were also posted on a website known to be widely used by Anonymous members. Additional threats have been publicly reported against police departments nationwide.

Similar to other recent warnings issued to members of the armed services and other government employees, this FBI’s warning specifically admonishes law enforcement personal and public officials to be extra discerning regarding the individual pieces, as well as the totality, of the personal information being shared in publicly accessible forums. For instance, something seemingly as innocuous as posting pictures of oneself in uniform with your name tag clearly visible while standing in front of your departmental seal with your spouse and children proudly looking on, and all of it being detailed in a caption, provides significant personal information which can be highly useful to those seeking to do you or your family harm. The problem becomes magnified as other family members and colleagues then repost, retweet, like, share or otherwise redistributes just this one image.

Considering the growing prevalence of social media use and the seemingly incessant need for individuals to share even the most salient aspects of their day to day existence with the world, this warning message from the FBI brings front and center the threat this trend possess if you become targeted.

 
 
World News Roundup
April 25, 2015
Other Developments We Are Following
AMERICAS

X-47B First to Complete Autonomous Aerial Refueling
Cuba Moves Closer to Exit U.S. Terror List
The U.S. Joins The World’s Race To Build More Submarines
Pentagon Races to Resettle Guantanamo Inmates

EUROPE

Al-Qaeda Cell Planned Suicide Attack on Vatican
Admiral Warns: Potential for Islamist Raids on European Islands
Russian-backed Rebels in Eastern Ukraine Preparing for Something Big
US Paratroopers Begin Training Ukraine National Guard Units
Threat From Russia ‘Real’ as USA Moves Missiles to Warsaw
Is Russia’s Fifth-Generation Fighter AS Good As America’s F-35 or F-22?

MIDDLE EAST

Saudi Troops Prepare to Enter Yemen
US Citizens Fleeing Yemen Tell RT of Abandonment 
Iranian Ships Turn Away From Yemen
US Ships Still Monitoring Iranian Flotilla 
ISIS: The World’s Richest Terror Army
Mixed Progress Reported in Fight Against Islamic State 

Cinematic Sophistication in Execution Videos
Saudis Ignore US, Ignore Iran, Continue Pulverizing Yemen

ASIA

The CIA Has Covertly Cooperated With China Against Russia
China Warns North Korea’s Nuclear Arsenal is Expanding
Pirate Attacks Increase in Southeast Asia 
Russia’s Massive Military Buildup in Asia 


Travel Security Update

The U.S. Dept. of State is the authoritative federal source for information on the security situation at travel destinations worldwide. With tensions rapidly increasing in most regions, readers planning on international travel, even to such common destinations as Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean Islands, are strongly encouraged to do a little research on the security situation prior to departure.

Latest USGOV Travel Alerts and Warnings

N. Korea   04/23/2015
Mexico   04/03/2015
Worldwide Caution   01/09/2015
Worldwide Alert   12/19/2014
   

Additional Sources of Travel Guidance

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

Via: threatjournal

LIVE Video of Riots. Fires, Police Clash in Baltimore – Live Links – Watch Now

AlertsUSA subscribers were notified of widespread rioting and vandalism in downtown Baltimore, MD over one hour ago with the following message sent to their mobile device: 

“Widespread rioting and vandalism in downtown Baltimore, MD. Avoid the area.” (Live Video Link below) 

CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC & the rest of the media is NOT covering this live and is keeping the rest of the country distracted with coverage of the White House Correspondents Dinner and Nepal earthquake. 

ONLY Local news in Baltimore is covering this with live video, helicopters and reporters on the street.  (We have the Live Video link to th is for you below) 

Would you like to be part of the people who KNOW about these things before and as they happen? Would you like to be kept informed of the important threats to your safety?  Join AlertsUSA TONIGHT (special tonight only) 

Now is the time to get AlertsUSA, We have a special discount RIGHT NOW as long as the riots are happening, so you have to get it Tonight.

http://www.AlertsUSA.com/SubscriptionSpecial.html

Watch Baltimore Burn LIVE NOW:

NBC http://bit.ly/MDriots1

CBS http://bit.ly/MDriots2

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

 

 

Via: threatjournal

Chase Bank Says You Can No Longer Store Cash or Precious Metals In Your Safe Deposit Box

Last week it was reported that a Citigroup economist said that we need to abolish currency like the U.S. dollar, or at the very least, tax those who possess it.

The whole idea made no sense, unless of course you are a big government stooge whose end-game is complete control over peoples’ assets and a desire to track the purchasing activities of consumers.

Now, a new report from Paul Joseph Watson at Infowars.com suggests that this may well be the goal. It turns out that it’s not just Citigroup who wants cash to be banned.

Some JPMorgan Chase customers are receiving letters informing them that the bank will no longer allow cash to be stored in safety deposit boxes.

The content of a post over on the Collectors Universe message board suggests that we may be about to see a resurgence of the old fashioned method of stuffing bank notes under the mattress.

My mother has a SDB at a Chase branch with one of my siblings as co-signers. Last week they got a letter outlining a number of changes to the lease agreement, including this:

“Contents of the box: You agree not to store any cash or coins other than those found to have a collectible value.”

Another change is that signatures will no longer be accepted to access the box. The next time they go in they have to bring two forms of ID and they will be issued a four-digit pin number that will be used to access the box then and in the future.

The letter, entitled “Updated Safe Deposit Box Lease Agreement,” was sent out to customers at the beginning of the month.

“Hide your wallets, the banksters are on the move,” warns the Economic Policy Journal.

The reasons for this new policy change should be clear and should come as no surprise. If you can’t keep your cash or precious metals in a safe deposit box, what are you supposed to do with it?

The answer is simple: You’re not supposed to have cash or gold. You’re supposed to keep your money in a zero-interest bearing account with your financial institution. Either that or stuff it under your mattress.

And this is where the scam comes in.

First, bank tellers have now been ordered by the government to report on individuals making suspicious withdrawals of cash so that police can then investigate and seizethe funds.

Now, whenever banks suspect something ‘suspicious’ is going on, they want them to pick up the phone and call the cops:

“[W]e encourage those institutions to consider whether to take more action: specifically, to alert law enforcement authorities about the problem, who may be able to seize the funds, initiate an investigation, or take other proactive steps.”

So what exactly constitutes ‘suspicious activity’? Basically anything.

Second, if they can’t seize your money for lack of suspicious activity, they’ll take a different route. You may think the money you have on deposit is insured by the FDIC, or that it is actually your money to begin with. But the cold hard fact is that once you deposit money at a financial institution it no longer belongs to you.

And that’s why asset manager Ann Barnhardt recently warned that Americans should start taking their money out of banks because new legislation and regulations have ensured that all legal bank deposit protections are now officially gone.

 The marketplace is DESTROYED. You CANNOT be in these markets. All legal protections are now officially gone.

… all customer funds in the United States are now the legal property of JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, BNYM, or whichever megabank is the counterparty on the loans the FCM or depository institution takes out in order to fund its mega-levered proprietary in-house trading desks.

Now consider the implications of these new policies within the context of what JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said just a couple of weeks ago, when he warned that an even more volatile crisis than what we experienced in 2008 is on the horizon:

Some things never change — there will be another crisis, and its impact will be felt by the financial market.

The trigger to the next crisis will not be the same as the trigger to the last one – but there will be another crisis. 

So what we have here is the CEO of the very company that restricts your safe deposit holdings and wants you to put your financial assets into their bank deposit system telling you that there will be another crisis.

Of course, a majority of Americans believe the economy is doing good and over two-thirds of the country believes things will be even better a year now.

If you think things are great and the warning signs are nothing but fear mongering than we urge you to put everything you own into real estate, tech stocks and bank deposits. Because, as we’re sure you’ve been told, prices can only go up from here.

If, however, you have a feeling that something just isn’t right, then you might consider making plans to prepare for the financial crisis Jamie Dimon says is coming.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

 

Via: shtfplan

Navigation During a Disaster

Emergencies don’t happen only during convenient times.  What if something happens and we are at work, school or some other location?  Our family has discussions about what we would do if an event were to happen and we are nowhere near each other.  We have to make sure we know how to get back together no matter where we are.

Most people rely on their cars’ GPS device or mapping app on their smart phones.  But a disaster may cause disruptions to connectivity.  If you are in an unfamiliar location when an emergency happens, you need a backup method to find alternate ways back home.

Those maps include:  local area map, topographical map and extended area map.   You can get local area maps and state maps for free from a roadside travel service such as AAA.  I was able to get local area maps and a state map for free.  Check with your auto insurance company if they have these maps may be available for free.

You can find free topographical maps at http://www.anyplaceamerica.com/ A variety of maps can also be found at http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod/

Familiarize yourself with using paper maps.  Teach your children how to use paper maps as well.  One of the things my Dad taught me after I learned how to drive was how to use a Thomas Guide.

If you currently do not have any paper maps, print alternate routes to your destinations using MapQuest or Google Maps.

When traveling to new areas, pay attention to your surroundings:  make a mental note of natural features such as rivers, hills, mountains etc.  Also note the towns you are passing by, gas stations, rest areas, the characteristics of the road such as turns, slopes etc.  Don’t “zone out;” instead, observe your surroundings so you find a route back if you had to.

Of course, these are all in addition to having a car survival kit at all times.

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: apartmentprepper

Bugout Bullet Bottles

Guest post by Doc Montana, a contributing author of SHTFBlog.com


Having a stockpile of ammo might provide comfort when bugging in, but what about when you have to bugout?  As you plan your survival options, make sure to include portable but long-term ammo storage solutions. There are about as many ways to store and carry ammo as there are survival calibers, but in the end three truths emerge: the ammo must be kept dry, clean, and quickly identified. Other than that, the way you do it is up to you.


Military surplus ammo cans are a popular storage choice, but the weight of a full metal ammo can is a significant drawback when going mobile.  And worse, the handles on the lightweight plastic ammo cans are notorious for breaking off just when you need them the most.  Another popular solution is to pour the ammo into clear, seal-able plastic bags.  That solution scores the highest on light weight and identification, but turns in the lowest possible scores for durability.

Off The Shelf


Some ammo manufacturers are selling ammo sealed up like a can of beans.  For example Fiocchi makes a sealed “Canned Heat”of 100 rounds of 9mm, and Federal makes a“Fresh Fire Pack” sealed can of 325 x .22 long rifle bullets.  The cans are purged of atmospheric air and filled with nitrogen preventing oxygen corrosion on bullets and primers, and both cans have key-open lids that rip off like a sardine can.

The factory sealed ammo cans are an excellent solution for a very narrow problem.  But since the can is not hermetically resealable, the S really has to Hit the Fan before you want to break the seal.  A better solution and one without the single-use disadvantage is as close as a water bottle away.  A wide-mouth Nalgene lexan water bottle to be exact.

The Bottle Basics


I was searching for a survival ammo storage solution that was durable, inexpensive, modular, lightweight, had visible contents, and provided unlimited shelf life. My choice wasNalgene lexan water bottles with large mouths. The two main sizes are 16 ounces and 32 ounces. After working with the bottles for a while, the advantages racked up beyond many other traditional ammo storage options.

Using plastic bottles to store ammo is nothing new, but in most other cases the bottle was the convenient novelty and not actually a well thought out component in the system.  As evidence of the lack of foresight with other bottles, I offer the five-second rule.  In five seconds or less, Can you empty the bottle of all .22 or pistol ammo.  Soda bottle solutions are about as functional as a piggy bank.  The fastest way to empty them is to slice them open with a knife. Not quite ideal in my book.

The Nalgene lexan bottles are extremely durable, transparent, impervious to temperature change, puncture resistant, reasonably heat resistant, watertight, and cheap.  Further, they hold enough ammo to make a difference, but not so much as to be too heavy, bulky or fragile.  And in my mildly scientific tests, I can empty a 16-ounce wide mouth bottle filled with .22 shells in four seconds.

A brand name bottle is important.  No-name plastic bottles can contain VOCs or volatile organic compounds that are common in Chinese made plastics of undisclosed material. The off-gassing inside a sealed plastic container can react with the contents so care is needed when selecting long term storage containers. Lab-grade Lexan is fairly inert, but ironically the reason I have these bottles available for ammo storage is because they were rotated out of our drinking water bottle collection due to the possibility of BPA (Bisphenol-A) chemicals leaching into the water from the particular polycarbonate plastic used at that time.  As people convert their water bottles and other food storage containers to glass, stainless steel, polypropylene, and BPA-free polycarbonate, the older Lexan bottles are often donated to places like Goodwill so there should be a cheap source of such ammo storage at your local thrift shop.  Since the airtight seal of the lid is critical, shop carefully, and don’t forget that new bottles are still inexpensive.

 Dry = Bang


To keep the ammo dry, a highly efficient desiccant such as silica gel is the best option.  Although the small “Do not eat” packets that are so common in about everything purchased these days are a better-than-nothing choice, the even better choice is to use quality bulk silica gel, especially with color indicators of viability.  I buy silica gel by the pound fromCarolina.com, a scientific supply company, but there are other quality sources including craft shops, auto parts stores, and of courseAmazon.com with products such as the one quart bottle of ATD Tools replacement desiccant.

The reason I suggest avoiding the free packets is there is no standard for purity or even evidence that they are real.  If you are going to count on your ammo in the future, don’t save a buck or two on the most important element in survival ammo preservation.  A popular emergency desiccant can be found in dry “Minute Rice,” but save that option emergencies. You need something you can count on for many years, not just a quick solution designed to prevent further damage to your iPhone after it took a swim in the toilet.


Rather than just dumping a tablespoon of silica gel into the bottle,  the bulk silica gel should be kept contained in something so you can preserve it.  A simple solution is to put the gel into a small zip-closure bag and then poke a few dozen holes into the bag with a pin or small nail.  Another idea is to re-purpose those small drawstring bags that seem to come with a lot of other gear.  For the larger bottles, I like to use the small cloth drawstring bags that companies like Benchmade include with their folding knives. I also recommend putting the silica gel at the top (lid side) of the bottle because that allows easy checking of the color indicators and oven-refreshing of the gel every so often without dumping the bottle.

I don’t have a firm rule for the amount of silica gel to include, but more is always better than less. You cannot make it too dry in the bottle, but you can err on the other side. For larger projects, you can use a silica gel calculator such as this one: (click here)

But my suggestion is about a heaping teaspoon of quality fresh silica gel for each 16 ounces of volume under normal conditions. If you are going to bury your bottle or live in a humid climate, double the recommendation at the minimum. Also, plan on refreshing the gel after the first week just because there was likely more humidity included in the bottle when first sealed. Quickly swap out the week-old gel for new gel and you should be good to go for long term storage.

There are many recommendations for refreshing silica gel but most suggest oven-heating the gel to at least 200 degrees Fahrenheit minimum and 250 degrees Fahrenheit max for between two and eight hours.  I’ve found that my color coded silica gel is ready to go again using the minimum time and temp, but I live in a low humidity area.

Keeping ammo free from exposure to moisture is especially critical with rimfire shells because the case crimping around the bullet is rarely very tight. In fact many .22 bullets spin freely around in their case. This is in stark contrast to excessively crimped and more moisture resistant military cartridges.

Bangs per Ounce


16-ounce lexan Nalgene bottle will easily hold 425 rounds of .22 long rifle with just enough room for the silica gel and a note with the date, specific ammo brand and type, and manufacturer’s lot number. I usually just include the portion of the original box with the lot number and add the date and other necessary additional information. When filled with .22 shells, the bottle weighs about three-and-a-quarter pounds or 1.5kg, which is a highly portable and useful size for many survival and bugout situations.

If you mix brands or types of ammo in the bottle, but want to keep the lot numbers, just make sure you combine different brands where you can easily pair any particular cartridge with the obvious lot number.  However in a true SHTF situation, the lot number will be little more than a bit of nostalgia from a better time.

On the 9mm side, the 16oz bottle will hold about 150 rounds with barely enough room for some silica gel. A packed pint bottle of 9mm weighs just under four pounds or 1.8kg. Obviously you could easily double these numbers by using 32 oz or one-liter bottles.  Although the weight of quart of ammo is significant, the larger mouthed one liter bottle do allow an extra mag to occupy some of the space if needed. I cannot speak for all guns, but both a Ruger 10/22 rotary mag and a Glock 9mm mag easily fit through the mouth of a 32-ounce Nalgene. In fact, the bottle will even hold one 25-round Ruger 10/22 mag if you want to really lower the density and thus weight of your quart of .22 shells.  However, the 33 round Glock mag is too long to fit in the same bottle.


While we tend to err on the side of larger, don’t forget the small.  A one ounce (30ml) bottle will hold a dozen .380 cartridges with enough room left over for a piece of gauze full of silica gel balls.  A standard magazine for popular .380 including the Ruger LCP and the Glock 42 holds six rounds.  The tiny one ounce bottle, therefore, holds two full mags of bangs.  And remember, you can always carry more than one small Bugout Bullet Bottle, but if you only have large bottles, you might elect to walk away from your bottle out of convenience. Small bottles can be carried as second nature.

Survival Deviations

Other non-ammo additions to the bottle include cleaning supplies, a few survival tools (knifefire starterparacord, etc.), fishing gear, or just about anything else that fits both your survival paradigm and through the mouth of the bottle.  You can get about 75 rounds of .223 into the 16 oz bottle, but it took me 15 seconds to empty it.  Due to the shape of the .223 shells, the packing density remains low so the bottle only weighed 2.16 pounds, or about one kilogram when filled to the brim with .223 cartridges.


In addition to .223 ammo, you could toss in a bore snake and perhaps an AR-15 small parts kit. But if you get carried away, then the bottle loses its function as a long-term ammo mule.

The bugout ammo bottle is insurance that is too cheap to pass up.  An added advantage is that there are many pouches, cases, and accessories designed to fit, hold, carry, insulate, and supplement standard sized water bottles, of which all of them will increase the functionality of the bugout ammo bottle. And even if you do shoot up all your ammo, you still have a water bottle.

All Photos by Doc Montana

 

Start now to make sure you are staying prepared.

 

Via: shtfblog