14 years ago David Eagleman, a neuroscientist and American writer, delivered a lecture entitled ‘Six Easy Steps to Avert the Collapse of Civilization’. I got the urge to review his advice and critique how well we have followed it. Below are his abbreviated steps along with my commentary on each one:

[1.] “Try not to cough on one another.”

Over the course of numerous microbe generations amounting to a small fraction of a single human lifetime, pathogens have mutated and adapted faster than the antibiotic defenses human’s have built. Through a combination of factors—medical, social and economic—our war on pathogens is being lost, and these superbugs could be the next global pandemic. The danger grows with mankind’s expanding ecological footprint: a rising world population, the widespread use of antibacterial drugs in humans and agriculture, the speed and intensity of an international transport system, and so on. As history has shown, pandemics have always been a consequence of humans breaking down the interface between man and Earth’s wilderness. A recent study highlights this fact:

Tackling antibiotic resistance on only one front is a waste of time because resistant genes are freely crossing environmental, agricultural and clinical boundaries, new research has shown.

Analysis of historic soil archives dating back to 1923 has revealed a clear parallel between the appearance of antibiotic resistance in medicine and similar antibiotic resistant genes detected over time in agricultural soils treated with animal manure…

…”Unless we reduce use and improve stewardship across all sectors — environmental, clinical and agricultural — we don’t stand a chance of reducing antibiotic resistance in the future.”

As of yet, humans are not heeding this advice in any coordinated manner as another new study reveals that antibiotic use and resistance is increasing globally while new antibiotics discoveries have nearly halted. China and India, for instance, have poor regulatory and environmental enforcement:

The NHS is buying drugs from pharmaceutical companies in India whose dirty production methods are fueling the rise of superbugs, write Andrew Wasley & Madlen Davies. There are no checks or regulations in place to stop this happening – even though the rapid growth in antibiotic resistant bacteria in India is spreading across the world, including to the UK and NHS hospitals… government-commissioned study found superbugs would kill more people than cancer by 2050 if no action is taken, and cited pollution in pharmaceutical supply chains as a major problem. 

“If you want to see where resistance is occurring in animals, look across the pond to China. They play by a whole different set of rules,” he[Dr. Larry Hollis] says. “Whenever a new antibiotic is developed, the Chinese see the patent filings, figure out how to make it, and without any regulatory structure, it goes straight to animals. By the time it’s available here, the antibiotic is already showing resistance.”

India is a global center of antibiotic manufacture. 80% of the active pharmaceutical ingredients used by pharmaceutical companies worldwide, including the United States and Europe, are made in China. Following their manufacture, most of these ingredients are exported to India for processing and subsequent worldwide sale. The good manufacturing practices in China and India do not include environmental safeguards. “Unfortunately, environmental regulations are currently left up to national regulators, who are not inclined to do much. In India, the effluent discharge load of ciprofloxacin in 2007 was 45 kg per day – the amount consumed in Sweden, which has a population of 9 million, over 5 days,” said Dr. Gandra.

Our hospitals can’t even keep track of how many people are dying from these superbugs. So it seems disease-carrying bacteria shall inherit the Earth, but truth be told, they have always been the dominant forms of life. A population of eight billion people provides a rich substrate for them to colonize and feed upon.

[2.] “Don’t lose things.”

In modern times there has been a large decline in hard-copy forms of record-keeping with ever more material being transferred onto digital formats, especially news reports and visual/auditory records, but the ephemeral nature of our digital media makes it prone to disappearing. Virtually all of the most useful and important artifacts of our time are digital and very little of it is intended to survive. Much of the 20th Century and beyond will be a vast gaping historical black hole except for the plastics, radiation and soot entering the geological record:

Digital information itself has all kinds of advantages. It can be read by machines, sorted and analyzed in massive quantities, and disseminated instantaneously. “Except when it goes, it really goes,” said Jason Scott, an archivist and historian for the Internet Archive. “It’s gone gone. A piece of paper can burn and you can still kind of get something from it. With a hard drive or a URL, when it’s gone, there is just zero recourse.”…

…If a sprawling Pulitzer Prize-nominated feature in one of the nation’s oldest newspapers can disappear from the web, anything can. “There are now no passive means of preserving digital information,” said Abby Rumsey, a writer and digital historian. In other words if you want to save something online, you have to decide to save it. Ephemerality is built into the very architecture of the web, which was intended to be a messaging system, not a library…

The slow creep of technological obsolescence or a sudden cosmic disaster like a Carrington Event could usher in a ‘Digital Dark Age’, making any historical electronic documents unreadable. Google’s Vint Cerf says we’ve grown complacent in how media is stored. He warns that we may find ourselves lost in a bit-rot future unable to access important media documents, scientific data, etc., but leaving behind any kind of record on an overheated world could be a moot point if there’s no one left to read it.

[3.] “Tell each other faster.”

Communication speed has increased exponentially with technology but the infrastructure that supports it is very vulnerable. Aside from the growing threat of cyber-attack, it’s been documented that the most common cause of communication failure is due to the destruction of physical infrastructures. Roughly 200 undersea fiber optic cables link the world’s telecommunications, but they are “poorly armored, rarely patrolled and only occasionally monitored.” The possibility of human saboteurs is ever-present for landlines as well. These systems are usually the first sites to be targeted in wars and crackdowns by authoritarian governments.

Telecommunication infrastructure is also threatened by natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and severe weather which can sever cables and flood underground equipment. A study from a couple of years ago found an increase in severe weather has led to a doubling of major power outages across the country in the past decade.

Telling each other faster has not made one iota of a difference in preventing the unmitigated disaster of global warming and climate change. If after decades of climate conferences, libraries filled to the brim with studies and data, and now the imminent death of the largest organism on the planet—the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, we still cannot collectively take this existential threat seriously, then failure and death will be our just deserts.

[4.] “Mitigate tyranny.”

Hyper-nationalist movements are on the rise around the world, and they can be a precursor to authoritarianism. A country by country guide and analysis of fascism and the far right in Europe can be found. Hyper-nationalism can lead to racism, vicious cycles of revenge, and genocide in which a segment of the population is scapegoated for society’s failures. With the appointment of Steven Bannon to Trumps’s presidential inner circle, the darkness of Trump’s worldview should be evident to most. Trump will soon have America’s militarized police forces at his behest and the world’s surveillance network at his fingertips, enabling him to act on his penchant for vindictiveness in far-reaching ways.

Trump won’t bring back coal because it would mean destroying the natural gas industry which has grown to displace the use of coal in recent years. Trump is going to learn how hard it is to change the dynamics of our energy system. Previous presidents have hit that same wall. Besides, automation is taking over all the blue-collar jobs of Trump’s supporters. All those “big league jobs” promised by Trump just went up in smoke:

…research shows that the automation of U.S. factories is a much bigger factor than foreign trade in the loss of factory jobs. A study at Ball State University’s Center for Business and Economic Research last year found that trade accounted for just 13 percent of America’s lost factory jobs. The vast majority of the lost jobs — 88 percent — were taken by robots and other homegrown factors that reduce factories’ need for human labor.

[5.] “Get more brains involved in solving problems.”

Physicist Jonathan Huebner says in his study that rates of global innovations judged significant to human beings have been declining in recent decades, in fact it’s halved in the past hundred years. Joseph Tainter in his own study has come to a similar conclusion:

Over the last 40 years, the number of patents per inventor has decreased by 20% and the number of inventors per patent has increased by almost 50%. Although the quality of patents is unknown (it can not be measured quantitatively), it seems we nowadays get less bang for the buck compared to half a century ago. Larger, interdisciplinary research teams cost a lot more money as they need the support of administrative personnel and formal institutions. This decrease in productivity has been masked by the fact that the whole enterprise (research & development) has grown in absolute terms (i.e. more scientists and more money being poured into R&D).

This decline in innovation is directly related to diminishing EROI of our energy resources and the limits of complexity. As Jonathan Miles said in Want Not, “This is our condition. We do not solve problems. We replace them with other problems.” The myriad of crises bearing down on us defies comprehension and certainly won’t be solved by applying more of the same techno-fix thinking.

[6.] “Try not to run out of energy.”

The EROI of fossil fuels, the master resource of industrial civilization, has been in decline for some time and a recent report sheds light on this:

A new peer-reviewed study led by the Institute of Physics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico has undertaken a comparative review of the EROI of all the major sources of energy that currently underpin industrial civilization—namely oil, gas, coal, and uranium.

Published in the journal Perspectives on Global Development and Technology, the scientists note that the EROI for fossil fuels has inexorably declined over a relatively short period of time: “Nowadays, the world average value EROI for hydrocarbons in the world has gone from a value of 35 to a value of 15 between 1960 and 1980.”

In other words, in just two decades, the total value of the energy being produced via fossil fuel extraction has plummeted by more than half. And it continues to decline…

No other energy source has the energy density of fossil fuels and the existing alternative or “renewable” energy sources won’t power our current set of living arrangements. Although technology is extending the Fossil Fuel Age, running out of economically recoverable fossil fuels means a radical change in society, if such a thing as ‘society’ can persist in the aftermath of biospheric collapse. I suppose a seventh bullet point is in order and would say something along the lines of, “It’s an ill bird that fouls its own nest.”

Economic transition should be a natural progression less altered by government intervention. This thought is reinforced by the history of government intervention which reveals the failings of government to be efficient. I had to go deep into the archives of AdvancingTime to find this piece. It looks at the natural transition and progression in the economy that takes place when allowed. It is important to revisit this concept of economic evolution to understand what may be the best path forward.  

The goal of this updated piece is to focus on  how we might view a developed country versus one that is in its early stages of economic development. To do this, it might be helpful to think of a country in the early stages of development as a newly planned development on the edge of town. In the early stages of development, a great deal of money is spent on building the infrastructure necessary for the planned community, this includes roads, bridges, utility lines, and moving dirt. All this may go on for many years as homes and commercial buildings are constructed, all this creates jobs and new investment opportunities.

At a certain stage of development, we reach a tipping point and a change takes place in the nature of how we spend our resources. As developments mature over time a larger percentage of outlays are spent on things like maintenance, updating, and upgrading existing buildings and infrastructure as needed, windows and roofs weathered by nature are replaced and parking lots are repaved and sealed. Rather than pouring money into strictly new construction, we find as an economy matures its rhythm changes and the focus should become sustaining what has been created to maximize our prior investment and extend its use.

An example of the natural transition that takes place over time is how during the early 1900s just after the automobile became popular among the masses garages began to appear in cities. These replaced the structures built for horses. In the neighborhoods being built at the time garages were constructed for one car and fairly narrow to accommodate the cars of the time. When cars became larger and families started owning more than one automobile these garages were no longer adequate and had to be enlarged. This example is used to highlight the fact that as lifestyles change neighborhoods change and evolve to better fit our needs and desires. 

Over time with each new invention, we alter our homes and the economy as well as a way of adapting to the new realities life fosters upon us. In a perfect world, we would see developed areas not only continue to be maintained but steadily evolve and move forward. Construction tends to reflect the lifestyles of those living during the planning and building phase. Rather than bulldozing these buildings, I contend it would often be better to upgrade and preserve the best characteristics unique to the era in which buildings were conceived and do so in a way that makes economic sense. When it comes to buildings this means things such as adding insulation, replacing windows, or upgrading electrical panels.

Much of mankind has adopted mantras such as “move forward or die” and “newer is better.” These often repeated sayings tend to be short-sighted and discount what those before us have brought to the table. Failure to recognize this economic transition and reflect upon the natural progression of society ushers in conflicts and even war. Part of this comes from shortsighted politicians trying to produce the ever-growing growth we have been told the majority of voters want. This shortsightedness helps to explain why here in America we never hear politicians on the national scene call for conservation unless it is during an emergency. Consumers conserving, reducing waste, and any talk of government austerity usually conflicts with the goals of lobbyists hell-bent on creating growth at any cost.

The idea that the way to grow is to increase our population is flawed. Simply adding mouths to feed and efforts to merely add new workers to replace those retiring creates additional demand but is flawed and shortsighted and ignores many other problems. Just getting bigger is not always better and we must recognize even trees do not grow to the sky. At some point, we must face reality. War is often the byproduct of such growth and war has proven to be a poor answer to creating a better world. The bottom-line is we should focus on a transition toward a future that is sustainable over the long term.When it comes to the economy, the pathway of natural transition means finding new ways to manufacture and deliver goods. Unfortunately, the shift from a growth economy to one that is sustainable over time is very difficult to make for many countries. Change can create a slew of social as well as economic problems. Sadly, we find that today the trend, often driven by governments trying to stimulate growth, has become to encourage a total remove and replace.This is seen in the way new regulations make things  obsolete. 

While ending the life of structures and systems prematurely may create jobs it also creates a lot of waste. Such waste is not new. We witnessed a huge amount of waste years ago when America rapidly switched its broadcast system from analog to digital, and hundreds of televisions were dumped into landfills. It seems that today this is again happening as we are pushed into electric vehicles.

The world of tomorrow will create many new challenges as automation reduces the need for workers. This will cause us to struggle with creating jobs that make people feel useful and create lives that have a purpose. The toxic mix of big predatory companies and big government interrupts the natural transition and overpowers individual choice.

When discussing such things it is easy to extend the conversation to things like income inequality and even more interesting issues. Such as, what do people deserve from society merely because they are born? Do individuals have an obligation to give back to society and not simply take and make demands upon it? These are questions we will continue to grapple with going forward and most likely the correct answer is embedded in reflection and thought.

If SHTF, living in one of these states, may put you at the unnecessary risk of a potential missile or nuclear strike.

I’ve been studying nuclear warfare for quite a few years now. During this time, I’ve found that some states pose a much higher likelihood of becoming a target of war. 

The enemies of the United States have one goal in mind, which is to destroy as many people as possible when they launch their attacks. 

Luckily, we’ve avoided this thanks to a Military built like no other; the enemies know that messing with the United States is a terrible idea. 

Nuclear warfare would decimate our country if our offensive systems failed when attacked. This would cause mass destruction and fallout in every corner of our nation.

Nevertheless, I’ve covered what to factor in when determining this and compiled the states that I believe pose the highest risk of missile or nuclear strike.

4 Factors To Consider 

Population Density 

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of what states are better or worse to reside in during war is population density. 

States that have a lower population tend to be less on the radar vs. states that have ten to fifteen million or more people living there. The foreign enemies of the United States want to destroy as many people as possible when they launch their strike. 

This is why residing in a state such as New York, or California puts you at exceptionally high risk for the chances of being hit by a missile or nuclear bomb. To avoid this, you’ll want to move to a state such as Montana or Maine.

These states are low-key and are not the first choice of a target for our enemies. Launching an attack on low population density states would be nothing more than a waste of resources for our enemies, and they know this.

Military Bases

If you’re at all knowledgeable about warfare, you know that military bases play a large role in where the enemies may launch a strike; but if you don’t, let me explain. 

Military bases are our primary source of protection from both air and land invasion. If the various military bases were taken out, not only would we be more susceptible to land invasion, but air invasion as well. 

In contrast, not all of our air missile protection systems are located near these bases; however, many of them are. So it only makes logical sense that areas with a high amount of military bases would be a priority target.

If you want to stay safe, or at least lessen your chances of becoming a victim of war, you should live in an area with as few military bases as possible. 

Important Officials 

In my opinion, the part that plays a massive role in determining the area of which seems attractive to attack via airstrike would be states of which many vital officials call home. A great example of this would be Washington, DC. 

The enemies know that if our President or the Governor of New York is taken out that our government would be scrambled. It would undoubtedly cause havoc within our Military and cause many distractions. 

Many of the officials live in Washington, DC, California, New York, and Florida, to name a few. A perfect example of this is when the united states took out Osama Bin Laden; once this operation was successful, his little army fell apart. 

Imagine that scenario but on a much larger scale. However, we are considerably more prepared than Osama Bin Laden ever was. If you’re looking to avoid the chances of airstrikes, avoid the states listed below, if at all possible.

Fuel & Power

If I had to choose one thing that I thought would be one of the first things that could be destroyed via airstrikes, I’d say it’d be our fuel and power resources. Almost all of our transportation systems and power relies on electricity, gas, and oil, to name a few. 

If these were taken out via airstrike, our country would come to a slow halt. This is also feasible via an EMP strike, which is essentially a nuclear bomb detonated in the sky, which would disable and fry all electronic devices, such as cell phones, computers, medical equipment, and much more. 

This is a possible scenario and is much more likely to occur in states known for its power production, such as Texas. 

The enemies understand that our reliance on these luxuries would cripple America if they were taken away from us suddenly, which is why it such a significant consideration for our enemies; this is why many people are beginning to build entirely off-grid homesteads.

8 States That Pose The Highest Risk

Washington, DC

The home of the President and the White House, Washington, DC, poses some of the highest risks of airstrikes out of all other states due to it being home to so many essential officials. 

The White House does have, likely, the most sophisticated bunker system in the world. However, this does not mean the area is immune to war. 

Washington, DC does have intelligent systems that can strike down incoming missiles. Still, they are not always accurate enough to target the rocket, and it should be remembered that they can undoubtedly fail. 

The area is also home to millions of Americans, giving the enemies another reason to launch a strike. Destroying DC would lead to mass complications and unrest, and our enemies know this.

New York

If I had to choose a state that was most at risk of an airstrike, I’d choose New York. This state houses tens of millions of Americans and is home to many military bases. 

New York is one of the most influential places globally, housing the One World Trade Center and many other critical buildings and operations important for the world. 

As we know, the previous two world trade centers have already been destroyed, so it has already fallen victim to terrorism. If a nuclear strike were imminent, no one would have enough time to escape the strike. 

New York is also home to many vital officials, which could be the motivation to target this area. It is well protected from air missiles, but as mentioned before, they are not always successful.

California 

It’s a given that California is added to this list. This state is called home by over thirty-seven-million residences, making it the most populated state in the nation. 

This makes it have an exceptionally high risk of becoming a victim of missile strikes. It does have in its favor a multitude of military bases, which could strike down an air missile.

Military bases are typically a good target for our enemies, so this is a sketchy situation. We can protect the state, but if the protective systems fail, it will result in mass destruction. 

California is also home to several influential politicians and features many of our big tech giants and energy systems, which are definitely on our enemies’ radar.

Virginia

This was an easy decision to have added, mostly due to the dense amount of military bases near the Hampton area. There are nearly 20 all within a small space, which, if taken out, would cripple the state. 

Virginia is also near Washington, DC. This means that if these bases were taken out, the protection for Washington, DC, would be cut in half. There is also an abundance of air-missile defense systems that can take out any incoming missiles. 

These are used to protect not only Virginia, but Washington, DC, and the states surrounding it. The eight million residents are a motivating factor for our enemies as well. 

I should note that when a nuclear bomb detonates, it releases a toxic gas called fallout. This can travel for hundreds of miles, wreaking havoc on people in other states, making Virginia a target in itself due to it being surrounded by highly populated states.

Florida 

This state should not come as a surprise to you, but if it does, let’s explain why. Firstly, Florida is packed full of Military bases and features several space programs, including NASA, SpaceX, and more. 

It is home to numerous influential politicians, including Donald Trump’s private residence. It is also home to over twenty million people, making it the third most populated state in the nation.

It’s well known that Florida is a significant tourist attraction for individuals all across the world and features many of the most sought-after vacation destinations, which means Florida could be used as a target to destroy an American symbol.

While states do not surround it, a nuclear explosion would decimate the entire state due to destruction and fallout. If you want to avoid experiencing nuclear war firsthand, stay away from Florida. 

Nevada 

This state only has a few Military bases, the largest being located in Las Vegas, employing over ten thousand servicemen and women. Something that it does have, however, is Area-51. 

This is a secret military installation used to test unknown elements. Currently, there are no civilians that know of what occurs inside of this base. However, certain government officials do.

I think it’s possible that foreign nations, like Russia or China, know at least a little of what happens here, and I think it’s easy to agree that it’s likely weapons technology of some sort.

If Area-51 was destroyed, all of the technology and equipment is going with it. Las Vegas should be considered because it features some of the most sought after buildings in the world. The destruction of LV would lead to mass civil unrest.

Hawaii 

Most people would call me crazy for adding this state in, but if you think about it, it’s probably in the top three most dangerous states to be in during the nuclear war.

For starters, it’s an island. This means that nearly one nuclear bomb could destroy the entire state. They do have anti-air missile technology, but as mentioned before, they can fail.

Fallout should also be considered because even if the missile was shot down, if it were shot down far enough into our atmosphere, it could still deliver fallout and the effects of an EMP.

There are also over ten military installations in Hawaii. On top of the two million people living there, it brings a huge motivator for our foreign enemies to attack the area.

Texas

Texas is believed by many, including myself, to be a great state to stay in when SHTF due to its exponential amount of natural resources, relaxed Gun laws, and a plethora of available land to purchase.

However, it can also be the most dangerous in a specific SHTF scenario: nuclear warfare. Texas is home to many military bases, anti-air missile defense systems, and atomic weapons.

If foreign nations ever attacked a state, Texas would likely be one of them. Besides, it’s the second most populated state. 

The most significant motive to destroy Texas would likely be to disable a huge military and nuclear presence, that if destroyed, would make destruction a much easier goal for the attackers. In most other cases, however, Texas is great for most other SHTF scenarios.

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Verdict 

Nuclear warfare is probably the worst disaster imaginable. There have been nuclear detonations previously, such as the one that destroyed Hiroshima, but the nuclear bombs that we’ve made today surpass anything ever detonated before.

Nuclear weapons, when detonated, cause massive explosions near the detonation site and spread toxic chemicals called fallout for hundreds of miles, wreaking havoc in every living thing it touches.

If you happen to live in one of these states, consider moving to one of these states, or look into building a bunker. Fallout bunkers are also available to the public but are not something to count on.

The best way to stay safe from a nuclear blast is to seek shelter in the most robust building or shelter available, as far down or underground as possible, while blocking all airways. 

If it isn’t already, surviving economic collapse should be at the forefront of your mind. And with good reason; the pitiable state of the economy has sparked fear that the world is to face an even larger economic collapse in the coming year.

The recent global stock market turmoil has left investors panicked and worried. This is nothing compared to what we (and our ancestors) have seen in the past. Here we take a look at the most devastating financial crises that wreaked havoc through modern history.

The financial markets reflect the irrationality, optimism, and panic of market participants. Sometimes extreme optimism causes asset prices to disconnect from the reality, only to fall dramatically when the bubble bursts. Examples include the Tulip Mania (1637) and the South Sea Bubble (1720).

These are the top 10 most devastating financial crises:

10- Argentine economic crisis, 1999

Much like other Latin American nations, the Argentine economy was hit hard by the Latin American debt crisis in the 1980s. Its forex reserves were running low. The rampant corruption, sky high inflation, military dictatorship, and the Falklands debacle drove the Argentine economy to the verge of collapse.

The steep devaluation of the Brazilian currency in 1999 hurt Argentine exports. Soon the Argentine economy was in full-blown recession that lasted three years. Following the dramatic run on banks, the government froze everyone’s bank accounts. Violent protests erupted all over the country. In the absence of cash, people bartered for goods. Two consecutive governments failed to bring the economy out of recession. It took Argentina three years to recover from the crisis.

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The time is coming when we will have civil unrest in our country. More and more people see the handwriting on the wall with our unmanageable national debt and entitlement society and want to be prepared for anything that may come.

With a whopping 1.03 million home invasions occurring every year in just the U.S. alone, there’s no reason you shouldn’t have a plan of action ready to utilize in case you become one of these unfortunate victims.

So pay chose attention because this video will change your life forever for the good!

9- Russian financial crisis, 1998

Five years prior to the financial crisis, Russia issued GKOs – inflation-free treasury bills – to fund its budget deficit. The GKOs attracted a huge number of foreign investors because of high interest rates. The government was using proceeds from GKO sales to pay off interest on existing debts.

But the Russian economy continued to struggle due to corruption, political instability, and lack of economic reforms. The falling oil prices also hit the Russian economy hard. The government owned more than $12 billion in unpaid wages to employees. In 1997, Moscow tried to raise more money by selling GKOs with interest rates of up to 200%!

Eventually, investors lost confidence in the Russian economy, selling the rubles and other Russian securities en masse. The markets tanked more than 60%. Many banks vanished within weeks. The Russian central bank used its forex reserves to stabilize the ruble, but couldn’t. Even an IMF loan proved ineffective. Russia emerged from the crisis when oil prices started rising in 1999.

8- The 1987 crisis

On October 19, 1987, the US stocks tumbled 22.6% in what is now known as Black Monday. No one is entirely sure what caused the Black Monday, but it wiped out hundreds of billions of dollars from the stock markets. By the end of October 1987, the Australian stocks fell 42%, Hong Kong stocks went down 46%, and the UK stocks fell 26.4%.

Some believe the Black Monday crash was caused by the growing influence of computers on the Wall Street. Others blamed monetary policy and inflation. Following the 1987 crisis, many of American’s leading savings & loan entities such as American Savings and Loan, Gibraltar Savings and Loan, and MCorp collapsed.

7- German hyperinflation, 1918-24

The German hyperinflation was not as bad as the Zimbabwe hyperinflation, but it was one of the most devastating financial crises in history. After the First World War, the ‘victors’ blamed Germany for starting the war. They demanded retributions for the cost of war. Whatever land, precious metals, and other assets Germany had wasn’t enough to cover the cost of war.

So, Germany started printing Mark like never before. The exchange rate skyrocketed from 4 German Marks per dollar in 1914 to 1 trillion Marks per dollar in 1923. Inflation was running high. Many countries accused Germany of deliberating sabotaging its economy to avoid the financial retributions of war.

The country tried to control the hyperinflation in 1923 by introducing a new currency called the Rentenmark. It destroyed the middle-class and paved the way for National Socialism in Germany.

6- Asian financial crisis, 1997

During the early 1990s, the Asian Tigers – Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia – had become the hottest investment destinations. Developed countries were pouring billions of dollars into the region. Asset prices shot through the roof. Some of these countries were clocking annual GDP growth rates of above 12%.

Favorable exchange rates made their exports less competitive. Amid extreme optimism, investors failed to notice that the Asian Tigers were also running huge fiscal deficits. The Asian Tigers began facing fierce competition from China in the export market in 1996. The massive debts and falling exports hurt these economies. Panicked investors from developed countries withdrew credit. The asset prices started falling, leading to massive debt defaults.

The crisis began in Thailand and quickly spread to other countries. Regional currencies fell dramatically against the dollar, making dollar-denominated borrowings even more expensive. The International Monetary Fund launched a massive bailout program to help Asian countries bring their economies back on track.

5- OPEC oil crisis, 1973

The United States was sending arms and supplies to Israel during the Fourth Arab-Israel War. The OPEC nations retaliated by stopping the export of oil to the US and its allies. As a result, oil prices jumped significantly in developed countries.

Inflation was running high and the economic growth had stagnated. The NYSE lost $97 billion in value within six weeks. Japanese automakers started selling smaller and more fuel-efficient cars to compete with the American gas-guzzlers.

The oil embargo lasted only five months. But the Arab nations realized the power of oil in the global economy. The US had to enact several regulations to conserve oil. In 1977, the US government created the Department of Energy to build a strategic petroleum reserve.

4- Japan’s Lost Decade, 1991-2000

The Japanese economy witnessed a strong growth after the Second World War, thanks to the country’s high savings rate and sheer hard work. By the 1980s, Japan had become the world’s second largest economy behind the US. Japan was the world’s largest exporter of goods.

The booming economy and record-low interest rates brought prosperity. Consequently, the stock market and real estate valuations shot through the roof in late 1980s. At one point, the Japanese Imperial Palace was worth more than the entire real estate in California. It all ended in 1990s when the speculative bubble burst.

In the 1990s, the Japanese stock market lost more than $2.2 trillion in value while the real estate market declined by more than $8 trillion from the peak. It was a slow rather than a sudden decline. Borrowers failed to repay debts backed by speculative assets. The stock market and real estate bubble burst led to a decade of low growth as the economy stalled. The country is still struggling with low growth and deflation.

3- Dot-com bubble, 2000

Between October 1990 and March 2000, the S&P 500 index gained 417%. Investors had just realized the potential of the Internet Age. The rally was fueled by tech stocks. Even many non-tech companies were adding ‘.com’ to their names to attract investors’ money. In March 2000, the NASDAQ reached a peak market capitalization of $6.6 trillion. Most of the technology companies didn’t have a viable business model back then.

The NASDAQ started declining in March 2000. By 2002, investors lost an estimated $5 trillion as hundreds of technology companies vanished into thin air.

2- The Great Recession, 2007-2009

It was the most devastating financial crisis since the 1929 Great Depression. On the back of low interest rates, excessive leverage, and subprime mortgages, the US housing market was on steroids between 2002 and 2007. People with low or unstable income were able to buy exorbitantly expensive houses with zero down payments.

It was only a matter of time before the borrowers started defaulting on their loans. The S&P 500 index plunged 56.8% between October 2007 and March 2009. It wiped out more than $6.5 trillion from the US stock markets. The effects were felt all over the world. Several financial services giants including Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual, and Bear Stearns collapsed during the Great Recession. The US government launched unprecedented bailouts to revive the economy.

1- The Great Depression, 1929

The Great Depression was the most devastating financial crisis in modern history. Prior to the 1929 crash, American experts and economists predicted that the country had entered an era of ‘permanent prosperity.’ People were borrowing money to invest in the booming stock market. Countless middle-class people had turned millionaires.

Investors panicked when the government raised interest rates. On October 29, 1929, investors lost more than $10 billion ($95 billion adjusted for inflation). Within a week, the stock market had lost about $30 billion in value, which was even more than what America had spent on the First World War.

Between 1929 and 1932, the US stocks lost 86% of their value. The Great Depression lasted about a decade. More than one-third of American banks collapsed during the crisis. In 1933, the US government established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to restore people’s faith in the American banking system.

Millions lost their jobs. Unemployment rate reached 25% in 1933. Billionaires went bankrupt. The stock market did not reach its 1929 peak again until 1954.

Today I’d like to share with you a “3-second survival hack” you can use to skyrocket your chances of protecting your loved ones during ANY crisis.

This technique is so powerful it can give you almost superhuman powers during the ugliest nightmares imaginable….

From natural disasters like earthquakes or tornadoes…

To explosive situations like mass shootings or even nationwide martial law.

And It doesn’t matter if you’re out of shape…

Or have no equipment…

Or even if you’re disabled living in a wheelchair.

This technique has been tested and proven by elite soldiers and real world “miracle” survivors from around the world.

I was giving this topic some thought the other day and there are a lot of places you do not want to be when SHTF. 

This may seem obvious in terms of the event itself and its effects. For example, if there is a category five hurricane rolling in it is a good idea to get out of its path until it has blown over. 

Interestingly, I will not be approaching this article based on a specific event or even a handful of them. There are far too many to list and an equally long list of their side effects.

Instead, I am going to approach this by looking at the one dangerous constant that all disasters have in common.

A Little Clarification 

While I am a cautious individual, I almost always give a person the benefit of the doubt over people. This reminds me of a quote from a silly movie made years ago, Men In Black.

In the scene, Will Smith is talking to Tommy Lee Jones about telling people about the existence of aliens rather than keeping it a secret. People are smart and can handle it, Will Smith says. Tommy Lee Jones replies:

“A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago, everyone knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everyone knew the Earth was flat. And fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you’ll know tomorrow.”

Admittedly, I am only interested in the first sentence as it relates to this article, but I gave the whole quote because I do not like to take things out of context. 

Even though the movie has to do with aliens, the sentiment of the first sentence still applies to the topic at hand. When push comes to shove, the herd will stampede, and people will be looking out for number one.

5 Places to Avoid When SHTF

Large Cities

What’s considered a large city, you may be asking? If the city you live in has a rush hour in which you can get stuck in traffic, then it’s a large city. 

If you live in such a city and have a warning to SHTF, I strongly recommend leaving. Most cities are completely dependent on outside resources to survive. 

Once those supplies stop coming in there will be hundreds of thousands or millions of people fighting over meager necessities. 

Unfortunately, the same can be said for suburbs. Also, once people are done in the city, where do you think they will head next?

Do Not Get Cornered 

There are a lot of places that should be avoided for this very reason. Cornering yourself means you have put yourself in an area that only has one way out and that is a dangerous position to be in. 

If you live at the end of a road or another area that only has one way out, you should probably find a safer location. 

Stay away from main roadways and bridges. These areas can quickly become congested, and you can easily find yourself in a permanent gridlock. 

Public transportation should be avoided as well. They will become targets for the masses of people who are looking for a way out. How are people going to react when they are turned away because the bus is full?

Don’t get me started on subways. When the SHTF there is a good chance that the power grid may go down and I do not think you want to find yourself stuck on an elevated railway or worse, underground.

Do Not Go Shopping

When I hear people talking about getting those “last minute items,” I usually shake my head. I get it, it is hard to have everything you need all the time, but this is why people preach about being prepared.

It is not time to go grocery shopping or to go to any store for that matter when the SHTF. That time has passed. It is time to make do with what you have and stay in a safe location. 

Also, you will not be the only person with the idea of going to the store during this time. Chances are you will not find what you are looking for and the possibility of violence will be higher. 

Police Stations, Fire Stations, and Hospitals 

Wait, what? Aren’t people supposed to go to these places when times are bad? Yes, which is why there will be a lot of people there.

These locations are often deemed safe zones during a disaster so people will flock there in mass, not to mention the people that are injured or that need help. 

During normal times, these places may be understaffed and if a disaster is bad enough, staff members may leave to look after their own families. 

Obviously, if you have a serious problem or injury then you can try to go to one of these places, just be cautious. 

Aid Camps 

When or if aid camps are set up, they are probably going to be horrible places to be because they will be overcrowded with sick, injured, desperate individuals. 

On top of that, they will likely be set up in gymnasiums, sporting arenas, large venues, or be fenced-in areas. Remember what I said earlier about not allowing yourself to be cornered? Yeah, that applies here as well. 

So Where Should You Go?

Not anywhere that is on this list! Seriously though, when things go south in a very bad way, there are two things you are going to want to do. 

First, get a safe distance away from the event itself.

Secondly, it is best to keep your distance from large groups of people.

If your home is in a safe area, then stay there. Even if you do not have week’s or months’ worth of supplies, it is much safer to stay put and make do, at least until things blow over. 

Again, depending on the event, almost anywhere outside of a major city is going to be safer than being in it. Go to parks, camping areas, rural backroads, friend’s or family member’s property, anywhere that is away from the chaos. 

---

Wrap Up 

I know it seems like this article paints a bad picture of people and their behavior during difficult times, and that is not always the case.

The truth of the matter is that sometimes people come together and help one another out. But overall, that usually happens after the dust has settled.

Do your best to be prepared so that you can be safe and avoid dangerous situations when they arise.

Thanks for reading. 

What are some places you think should be avoided when SHTF? Sound off in the comment section below and let us know!

Alright, we have done a couple of articles on “Knowing Yourself,” and “Knowing Your Enemy.”  Now that everyone knows one another, let’s take it to another level.  As a single individual, as a family member, or operating in a group, after it hits the fan, you will have to fight eventually.  You will not be able to avoid it and hunker down until the cavalry comes, because it will be in your neighborhood and the cavalry isn’t coming to your rescue.

We’ve discussed “Fabian Tactics” in previous articles.  These were based on the exploits of Quintus Fabius Maximus in the First Punic War between Carthage and Rome. “Hit and Run” tactics exemplify their description: strike a numerically superior larger force at a time and place of your choosing, and then break contact.  Fade back into the forest, hide, and avoid further combat until the next engagement of your choice.

Lessons from the Roman Army for Post-SHTF Combat Operations

Let’s “fix” ‘em: set the enemy up and zap ‘em!  Let’s do a few things that the Romans were famous for…using these techniques here and now.

1. Choose the Ground: Yes, you choose the place you will engage them.  Along with this, you pick the time of day, the formation of the attack, the objective, and the criteria for withdrawal.  You choose it.  As an individual, you would be sniping.  As a group (depending on your numbers and composition), you can engage in operations limited by your size.  Choosing the ground means also to actively recon the enemy and not allow him to choose it and catch you unawares.
2. Prep the Ground: The Roman Army were masters of this task. They scouted the area and with thorough intel, they knew where their enemies were, actions these people planned on taking, and avenues of approach.  They cut timber and created obstacles of logs interlaced with natural “barbed wire” in the form of thorns and thistles…along with spikes and stakes, to limit enemy cavalry.  Long before William Wallace of “Braveheart” was ever a thought, the Roman legions spread out hay soaked with pitch and oil in areas where enemy foot soldiers would move, and applied flaming arrows when the time was right.  They always took the high ground when possible, and used the natural terrain features (cliffs, rivers, etc.) to form boundaries to help them channel the enemy.
3. Always Fight with the Sun at your Back: The Romans positioned themselves and attacked to place the sun in the eyes of their enemies. I know, I know: the enemy has “Ray-Bans,” right?  No, it worked for the Viet Cong as well.  When they’re looking into the sun, they’re at a severe disadvantage.  Use the sun.  Use the terrain.  Live with the land and live.
4. “SPECVLATORES”- the Speculatores…the deep-cover operatives…the Special Forces and Reconnaissance warriors of the Roman Empire. You need operatives in your “unit” with the ability to do “deep penetration” of an enemy’s defenses…whether in their midst unsuspectingly or observing them from a nearby locale…operating on their own ground unbeknownst to them.  You need one or two people who can get the job done…and provide you with the deep-cover intel you’ll need to make decisions.
5. Alliances – “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Not always so, but you can use such rifts to your advantage…with other groups who your enemy is at odds with.  Here is where diplomacy, teamwork, and political acumen/savvy comes into play.  These “non-combat” skills are just as important to “fixing” your enemy as any of the actual missions you will undertake to defeat him.  Be skilled at making alliances, and do not make them just for the sake of socializing.  It is an art that we will cover more in-depth in future pieces.
6. Feed Them Disinformation: Yes, the Romans were very adept at sending messages or planting information that was false. This regarded their strengths, their movements, supplies, and reinforcements.  Sun Tzu was not the only one with a knowledge of how to monopolize disinformation, and he wasn’t the first to employ it.
7. Lure Them and “Stake” ‘Em – the Roman Army would plant different things out in front of an approaching enemy force in order to delay and distract them…making them ripe for an attack or ambush. You can do the same, and make it fall “in line” with the enemy you’ll be facing.  Quick question: How many of you have Russian or Chinese canned delicacies, such as Borscht or caviar for the former, or imported Chinese canned foods and fineries for the latter?  Because you may be able to use it to lure such if they ever come to this country…and set a trap on or in it, or place shooters in an overwatch position overlooking it.  Because you may need prisoners, and what better way to lure them in than with a carton of their own cigarettes, their own liquor that they would think to be safe?      Be advised: SAVE YOUR RECEIPTS FROM THE STORE YOU BOUGHT IT!  This is because in the times to come if anyone ever suspects you of collaborating with them…you can show the receipts that you bought it all long before the conflict began, and give them an explanation of why you bought it all.  This may keep you from being shot by your own countrymen.
8. The Violence of Action in a Controlled Manner – the Romans did not win their mastery over all of Europe and most of the Middle East by conducting drill and ceremony. They were trained, skilled killers and understood that the thing that made the Empire possible was the discipline and aggression of the individual legionnaire.
9. A Perfect Chain of Command – Modern militaries all have a chain of command and an order of succession for someone to fill the “vacancy” at all levels when a commander “buys the farm,” so to speak. You need to enable each member of your team to be able to step into the shoes and position of the leader and take charge to continue with the mission.
10. Discipline: this encompasses all areas. A “guerrilla fighter,” whether fighting off marauders from a neighboring town post SHTF, or a tyrannical, oppressive government, or a foreign invader…the guerrilla needs to be disciplined.  Physical toughness, adherence to standard operating procedures (SOP’s), a cool head and iron nerves, and endurance…the ability to keep this up for years…to go the distance.  These are the things that the Romans kept focused upon and central to their legions for many centuries.

In conclusion, small unit tactics are more than just a matter of either superior arms or numerical advantages.  They are based on common sense and knowing how to plan out your objectives, as well as a plan of attack.  You will have to be the “David” going against the Goliath, and although not shirking from battle, picking the time and place of your engagement, and the conditions and standards you will set to achieve those objectives.  It is no guarantee of success, but you are guaranteed to perform better with the proper planning, training, and clarity of purpose prior to a battle.  It can mean the difference between success and failure, life or death.  In this vein, I highly encourage you to study more about the Roman Army and the warfare in ancient times.  Take the time to clean the tarnished pitcher and you may just find a silver piece made by Revere.  The knowledge is there: seek after it and make your future rather than just allowing it to happen to you.

Citizens of the First World live in ignorance of their country’s violent imperialistic history. As Joe Bageant said, “Americans are cultivated like mushrooms from birth to death, kept in the dark and fed horseshit.” Nonetheless, the average pleb in America should realize by now that they too will be treated no different from those in the Third World exploited by empire. As illustrated by a recent study, U.S. citizens are mere cardboard cutouts in a façade of democracy with essentially no voice in their government’s actions. The wealthy elite call the shots, determining crucial government policy and the law of the land. When all the propaganda and myths are swept aside, America is revealed to be nothing more than a heartless oligarchy; you and I are simply marketing statistics and consumers, pawns and cogs within capitalist industrial civilization.

Empires weave their own self-serving and grandiose history while the vanquished are left to struggle for survival in the wreckage. A case in point is America’s current immigration crisis and its superficial analysis by the mainstream media which serves only to stoke racial fears amongst the ignorant masses while ignoring uncomfortable and disturbing root causes. The harsh reality is that America has a long history of carrying out covert and overt operations as well as instituting economic policies designed to exploit South and Central America, not to mention much of the rest of the world. One recent example was the 2009 coup of populist left-wing Honduran president Manuel Zelaya by elite military forces trained at the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia. Consider the following timeline of American intervention in Latin America since the 1950’s:

‘Free Trade’ for Corporations and Misery for Local Populations

Now consider the trade deals of NAFTA, CAFTA, and other “free trade” globalization schemes which have flooded our southern neighbors with cheap, subsidized produce from U.S. Big AG, decimating small farms and pushing millions off their land and into extreme destitution:

As part of neoliberal restructuring, Mexico would have to re-orientate its economy to the export rather than the domestic market. Mexico was already heavily dependent on trade with the US, but post-1982, Mexico’s dependency has become almost akin to that of a colony. US agricultural products – most notably corn – subsidised by American taxpayers now flooded the Mexican market, undercutting small domestic producers. For Mexican farmers the consequences have been ruinous and have devastated domestic production, a process which continues under the recent government of the National Action Party (PAN)…

…From the implementation of NAFTA in 1994 to 2000, 2 million farmers abandoned their lands. Fewer Mexicans now have access to health care and education than prior to 1980 as public spending has been cut as a result of ‘reforms’. By 2005 50 percent of the population had fallen below the poverty line, pushing some 3.3 million children under the age of 14 into work. Following the government’s agreement to exchange investment rights and trade barriers for loans and financial aid, Mexicans saw huge changes in their circumstances, such that by 1988 the cost of living had risen by 90 percent, while per capita income had fallen by some 50 percent. With the abandonment of social programmes, which alleviated at least some of the worst hardships, many communities in Mexico, with little or almost no help from the state, have had to fend for themselves…

…Much farming has since been replaced by agribusiness and large-scale meat farms, mostly foreign-owned. In recent years, widespread unemployment and the inability of farmers to gain an income from the land have meant that rural towns are being emptied of their inhabitants, leading to a tremendous population drain to the cities and the United States…Impoverished Mexican workers – employed primarily because they are cheaper to exploit than their US and Canadian counterparts – work to produce commodities which have no tangible benefit for their own society…

…The improved leverage of US power over Mexico’s economy is not solely an issue of having a workforce so ‘flexible’ that much of it is forced into sweatshop labour. The maquiladora belt functions effectively as an economic colony, with the local Mexican police, paid for by the Mexican taxpayer, providing the ‘security’ necessary for factories to operate unhindered by nuisance unions and human rights activists.

One of Mexico’s chief exports, then, is labour. Just as profits and goods leave the country, significant amounts of labour time are not reflected in the Mexican economy. Corporations benefit enormously from this win-win situation resulting in the continuing breakdown of society, a state of affairs reminiscent of a colonial economy, albeit without foreign control of what in any case is a pliant government. As a result, Mexican workers in the maquiladoras, notes Delgado-Wise, are little more than ‘manpower for foreign capital’.

While many of the poor seek work in factories owned by foreign companies or quit the countryside for work in the expanding metropolises, others cross into the US. If significant swathes of the arable land of northern Mexico are emptying, this is a trend connected intimately with free trade…

Militarizing the ‘Drug War’ and Arming Fascist Governments

So after destroying the means of survival for so many in Latin America, the poor and destitute turn to whatever means necessary in order to stay alive — crime, gangs, and the drug trade. The U.S. has reacted to this lawlessness by militarizing the “war on drugs”, providing even more weaponry and support to fascist governments who can then brutally squash any grassroots social movements which challenge the neoliberal capitalist order. It’s a vicious feedback loop in which the U.S. is forced to combat the very social disintegration of Latin America that U.S. economic policy has created. Thus, a fourth factor in America’s immigration crisis is the neocon militarization of the drug war and support of fascist governments aligned with U.S. corporate interests:

Narcotrafficking, like neoliberal capitalism, it seems, thrives in areas of severe poverty and unemployment where the civilian population is economically and politically disempowered and where state authorities are not powerful or willing enough to prevent the violent conflicts that narcotrafficking has produced. Additionally, for those who now have few opportunities in the traditional and legal sectors of the economy, narcotrafficking proves to be the only lucrative alternative…

…Civil society found itself vulnerable, impoverished and unable to rebuild the damaged and broken social services and infrastructure demolished by structural adjustment and neoliberal policy. Furthermore, the power and influence of the state have weakened in the last two and a half decades to the extent that in some areas drug traffickers operate quite freely and are immune to prosecution…

…With the authorities weakened, the line between the state and the narcotics industry is becoming increasingly blurred. A United Nations report estimated that between 50 and 60 percent of Mexican municipal government offices have been ‘captured or feudalised’ and coopted by narcotrafficking organisations. Mexican intelligence estimates that 62 percent of the Mexican police are presently under the control of the narco trade. According to rank and effectiveness, members of the police forces can receive anywhere between 5 to 70 thousand pesos monthly from cartels, a dramatic net increase on their state salaries. Of the 2.9 million arms given to the Mexican police forces, 57 percent are used in illicit activities.

Human Rights Watch reports that the military, in its purported struggle against the narcos, commits serious abuses against the civilian population, exposing its role rather as an institution of internal colonisation than one protecting society from violence. The same Mexican soldiers – potentially a force which could combat trafficking – are now deserting on a mass scale. Poor working conditions and pay led 217,000 Mexican soldiers to desert between 1993 and 2009. Among them, many leave the army to join the cartels and take their arms with them. One of the most powerful factions, the mercenary army, Los Zetas, was formed by deserters from an elite anti-drug squad of the Mexican army, taking with them their arms and training. Their sophisticated and professional tactics were developed, ironically, from training in the US by the DEA, the FBI and the US military in the war on drugs…

…Historian Miguel Tinker Salas has noted that in the case of Plan Colombia, military spending was intended to crush the strength of rural insurgents and guerrillas to offset the possibility of a popular rebellion, particularly as Colombia had among the worst levels of inequality in Latin America. In Mexico, maintaining a status quo which sees unprecedented levels of inequality and widespread poverty – exacerbated since the 1980s – is likely to involve the increasing use of force in order to quash the threat to the established order posed by social movements and popular revolt, all the more real as Mexico inches closer to collapse. Increasing attacks on organisers and activists of the anti-capitalist Zapatista initiative, La otra campaña, in Chiapas and the prolonged assault on inhabitants of Oaxaca in 2006 remind us that the state will always use military might to repress challenges to its authority and to the socio-economic order. US training of the Mexican military should be viewed in this light, bearing in mind that imperialism has two arms in Latin America – one military, the other economic.

Increasing poverty levels hardly seem to be a top priority for the leaders of the NAFTA signatories. For it is a state of affairs which benefits elites who have no interest in seeing ordinary Mexicans rise from poverty. Vast gaps between rich and poor may seem inexplicably cruel to outside observers, but within is a logic of which NAFTA was a clear expression. Rendering the population more desperate, reducing services and public spending, aggravating society’s vulnerability, rewards the powerful with greater political and economic dominance… 

Climate Change and the Coffee Rust Fungus

A fourth factor not discussed much is how climate change is wreaking havoc on the major South American crop of coffee which many rely upon for their livelihood and is the second most traded commodity in the world after oil. Coffee rust, known as “roya” in Spanish, first appeared in the region in the 1970s when climate change began to cause higher temperatures and excess rainfall favorable to the moisture-loving fungus. It has since mutated and spread throughout the region. Resistant coffee hybrids that scientists have created can’t keep up with the fast mutating rust fungus which seems to be growing stronger as climate change accelerates. For the past two years, the rust fungus called Hemileia vastatrix has destroyed 30% or more of the coffee harvest in Central America where coffee production employes one-third or more of the population in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua :

All the coffee-producing countries of Central America have seen drops in production of 30% or more in each of the past two years. Some, such as Guatemala, report rising cases of chronic malnutrition in coffee workers’ children. Last week Oxfam cited coffee among other crops in a report that warned climate change was putting back the global fight against hunger “by decades”.

Nicaragua’s problem is particularly acute. Along with neighbouring Honduras, and Burma, it is already one of the three countries most affected by climate change, according to the 2013 Global Climate Risk Index. Nearly a third of its working population, about 750,000 people, depend on coffee directly or indirectly for a living. Coffee provides 20% of GDP. The Nicaraguan government is deeply worried: it has predicted that, because of falling rainfall and rising temperatures, by 2050 80% of its current coffee growing areas will no longer be usable.

This will mean disaster…

Warmer temperatures are also threatening a genetically diverse type of coffee called Arabica which is considered essential to the industry and comprises 70% of global coffee production. According to a recent study, by 2080 global warming will make two-thirds of today’s farms too hot to grow Arabica.

The three countries making up the largest percentage of child migrants that have been flooding the U.S. in recent times are Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. These three countries also happen to be closely allied with the U.S. and its neo-liberal economic model. Nicaragua is an exception to its neighbors. Despite suffering similar losses to its coffee crop from rust fingus, Nicaraguan farmers did not fare as badly because they were supported by the programs of their socialist government, an anathema to America’s ruling oligarchs and neoliberal politicians:

In sharp contrast, Nicaragua, an equally poor country that receives far less U.S. aid because of our government’s hostility toward the Sandinistas, sends far fewer children across the U.S. border. Why? Since coming back into power in 2006, the Sandinistas have enacted strong programs designed to allow the poor to become self-sufficient.

The Immigration Issue: Red Meat for the American Masses

The only way to actually fix the immigration crisis is to address the root causes I have identified above. The response to date from the U.S. government has been to request billions in detention center and deportation funds, launch a PR campaign in the media of Central American countries to dissuade illegal immigration, and increase spending in law enforcement aid through CARSI (Central America Regional Security Initiative). Meanwhile, right-wing politicians fan the flames of racism and xenophobia with calls for militarizing the border to stop the hoards of swarthy barbarians at America’s doorstep. In reality, the current deteriorating social conditions in Central and South America are a direct result of the American corporatocracy and its rapacious economic system as well as anthropogenic climate disruption. The child migrants flooding across America’s border are, to a great degree, victims of U.S. foreign policy and climate change.

How bad will it get for you?

Our world’s food supply is increasingly under the strain of multiple factors: inflation, war, and drought just to name a few.  But should we be panicking about food scarcity in the future?  Will it impact you directly?

If you follow the headlines and various social media channels, you might think the doom and gloom of famine are right around the corner, but is it really?  Before every storm that impacts an area, we see empty store shelves.  Every hint at a reason to panic or have a concern, and you see people stoking the fear by posting pictures of XYZ store’s one aisle with empty shelves.

Food scarcity has become a popular talking point to whip up views, but is there any truth to it?  This blog will examine this issue from a logical, evidence-based approach and not a fear-based perspective.  We will tell you up front that, yes, there is room to be concerned.  If you have followed my channel for any length of time, you know we are very level headed and not out to scare people, but you need to pay attention to what’s happening.  We’ll cover the reasons for concern in this blog, but even more importantly, we’ll cover the solutions in the second half of this blog, so you’ll definitely want to stick around for that.  So let’s jump in…

YES, THERE IS A COMING FOOD SHORTAGE

The facts are out there.  The cost to operate farm or ranches, or input costs, are way up because of low feed grain supplies, high fertilizer prices, and even fuel costs to operate all the heavy and light machinery.  Many ranchers have taken advantage of the current high prices and sold off many of their herds.  This will challenge supplies in fourteen to fifteen months.  As we mentioned in other videos, natural gas is used to make fertilizer.  The cost of natural gas has been way up since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war, and it will likely climb even higher still owing to the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, even though they were offline, and the increased demands of winter.  Fertilizer production takes a back seat to people’s essential heat.  

The grain production and exporting normally done by Russia and Ukraine have also been significantly reduced due to the conflict.  Russia and Ukraine account for nearly a third of global wheat supplies alone.  Add to this sunflower seeds and oil.  Ukraine is the highest volume producer of this oil seed.  Russia is the second largest.  Beyond grain, these two countries are also significant exporters of iron, steel, and wood products, all of which are needed for a global economy to grow.  Even this is related to food scarcity in some ways.  If you can’t build an economy, it falls into a prolonged recession.  This leads to massive inflationary pressures.  That, in turn, leads to what the experts call a “Food Mirage,” where categories of food may be plentiful, but prices are beyond the means of low-income households.  You might see this phenomenon now if you’ve cut back on your beef purchases or stocked up on flour.

Finally, as we covered in another blog, grain hoarding activities of India and China make grain more expensive and global supplies tighter.  The fact remains that most countries don’t produce everything they need to feed their population.  Even countries with ample land and water for food production favor cheaper exports where they can.  There are very few banana plantations in the contiguous United States, for instance, and though we grow plenty of fruits like grapes and avocados, we import even more.  Though California produces 90% of the tomatoes in the United States, it is also 35% of world production.  Likewise, while the United States accounts for less than 2 percent of global rice production, it ships almost 5 percent of global exports and is currently the fifth-largest exporter.  So, you may pass by on your morning commute a crop of something thriving in the field, but there’s a solid chance that what is growing there will never reach your dinner table.  A supply chain may see that food shipped off to cheaper manufacturers overseas before making its way back to the United States via supply chains that have, at least in the last year, proven incredibly fragile, at best.

All of these human-made challenges aside, a natural crisis is occurring at a rate we haven’t seen in a while.  We won’t put it anywhere on par with the dust bowl, as some would have you believe, but there is no denying similar conditions are fomenting.  The whole western part of the United States is in a multi-decade drought.  It’s drier and hotter than it has been in hundreds of years.  Some heatwaves are so prolonged that they have disrupted fruit setting on the vine.  This was the case with the California tomato harvests that are down to their lowest levels in decades.  And, here we are talking hundreds of thousands of metric Tonnes lower.  We don’t want to cherry-pick the fruits and vegetables here.  If you do the research and talk to the farmers, you will know that challenges from weather, drought, heat, and other natural extremes have dropped production rates around the world for rice, wheat, corn, soybeans, sorghum, barley, and more.  We will put links to some of these farm reports below, so you don’t have to just take my word for it.  

We will be the first to tell you that hurricane Ian literally went right across the citrus belt of Florida, some 375,000 acres.  That state has produced 70% of all US citrus over the last decade.  The citrus harvest began around the middle of September.  While it is too early to tell how much of it will be a loss, it’s safe to say that citrus trees laden with fruit don’t fare well to sustained winds of around a hundred miles per hour.  Right now, farmers can’t even get out to their crops to assess and report the damage, but it would be wise to brace for a citrus shortage and the high prices that will come with that.  Ongoing problems like soil salinity will plague the most impacted areas for years.

The manmade and natural challenges to our food supply combine to give the supply side of the equation a very dismal outlook.  From economics to war, to input costs, to lower harvests, to drought in some places and floods in others, I’m not going to lie; the answer to the question of whether we are facing a food crisis is an emphatic “yes.”  Still, do “you” face a food crisis?

HERE’S WHY THE ANSWER MAY BE NO

Some countries worldwide are heading right into famine in the next year and possibly through the rest of this decade.  There’s no doubt about it.  They have never produced the amount of food required to sustain their populations.  The sale of other minerals, chemicals, and industrial commodities allowed them to purchase the needed food for their people.  Those food resources are now highly priced and straining these countries’ economies to the point of collapse, or they aren’t available for purchase and importation anymore.  Ukrainian grain exports are lower than they have ever been.

Then some countries do produce enough of a type of food for their population but have long generated income by exporting.  These countries are no longer exporting as much if any, grain.  China and India are the best examples of this.  China, in particular, is hoarding grain and suffering through some pretty extreme weather events right now.  They’re not likely to up their exports to save the world when they need the food in their own country.  Producing enough of a type of food to feed your population, however, is becoming more of a rarity these days.  The food produced, however, needs new distribution channels.  Establishing these new channels that turn to a country’s own population doesn’t happen overnight.

There’s a severe lack of food diversity that leaves many throughout the world vulnerable.  Our ancestors foraged and ate an abundance and diversity of different foods, but modern agricultural processes have specialized our food resources to a handful of staple options.  These forgotten foods, edible but rarely commercially produced or harvested, compose around 200,000 plant species, but they have been put aside in favor of higher-yielding or better consumer-appealing crops.  Hand a person a Sunchoke, Pumpkin or Sweet Potato leaves, Purslane, Moringa, Goose Berries, a bag of Buckwheat or Amaranth, or a handful of Chocolate Berries, and you will get some pretty odd looks. 

So, in assessing your and your area’s potential for food scarcity, you must ask yourself a couple of questions.  First, how dependent upon external sources of food are you?  If all your food comes from a grocery store, you will suffer worse than someone who grows even a little bit of what they eat.  If all your food comes into your area on trucks, you will have a more challenging time with any shortage.  So, how removed from the soil are you?  If you live miles from where the food comes from, you are last on the list when shortages occur.  Second, how dependent upon very specific staples are you?  If your diet relies on one or two grains like wheat and oats, you probably aren’t in a position to pivot and pay up for quinoa, amaranth, or almond flour.  Some alternate grains might not even be readily available where you live.

Third, how close to the food are you?  And by this, we mean, do you cook it yourself, or do you rely upon restaurants and food processors?  It’s one thing to go to a store and buy an increasingly more expensive can of minestrone or french onion soup.  If your economy holds up, and there isn’t another onion crop failure, or there’s wheat enough for the pasta in your minestrone, you might be okay.  Otherwise, would you know how to cook either of these soups, where to source onions, or how to make your own pasta?  If you answer that you can do that by sourcing locally and cooking on your own if you had to, you will suffer far less than someone who responded that they couldn’t.

So, while we don’t think every living plant will wither and die like in some science fiction or fantasy movie, leaving a world’s population starving, we can’t deny that shortages will occur.  In the next few years, you will hear more about shortages, supply chain failures, crop failures, and even famine.  There won’t be any shortage of doom and gloomers posting pictures of their local grocery store shelves or lamenting about how they can’t get this or that food item.  In some cases, this will lead to runs on stores which will further impede food supply issues.  How dependent upon the very narrow fixed system of production, how specific your diet is, and what you know about food and food preparation and sourcing will be the factors that determine the extent that the coming global food scarcity will impact your life.  It’s undeniable that there will be less food in the system.  Therefore, there will be diminished options for most and challenges for everyone.

Is the coming food shortage real?  Yes.  Will it impact you directly?  Let’s answer that with a maybe.  In a country like the United States where there is a food abundance, you may be able to pivot and change your diet, pay the higher prices and just have food as a more prominent line item in your budget.  Most people in the world, however, aren’t in that situation.  As they suffer, it will put upward pressure on prices and supply.  So, you will feel the impact of the coming food shortage even if it doesn’t directly impact your daily caloric intake.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

So, what can you do?  Start by asking yourself those questions, then work to become more dependent.  We think food independence and not just storing food is such a huge issue moving forward that we will be making it a significant topic on this channel.  There is food scarcity coming, but there are things you can do to lessen or even negate the impact that will have on your life.  

First, turn to locally sourcing your resources.  Shorten that supply line, so it doesn’t rely upon other countries.  Where’s the closest small-scale farming operation to you?  

Second, buy bulk and set aside to keep your food reserves high.  Buying a mega-size 2-pack of cereal might seem more than you need right now, but you’ll be glad to have the extra box set aside when the farm reports are made public.  We know many people who form their own little family co-ops, buy in bulk and parse it amongst themselves.  That’s a great solution.  You might not be able to eat a bushel of apples, but you could certainly save money by buying extra and swapping them with others in your co-op.  Apples, by the way, are one of the crops looking to do well this year.  So, there’s a glimmer of good news.  

Third, grow something.  Figure out a way, whether that is sprouts and herbs on a window sill, your own hydroponic system in your garage, or a container garden on your balcony.  If it gets truly bad, that food production will be critical to you.  Though you may be unable to eat all the sweet potatoes you grow in a 40-gallon container, the surplus harvest can be traded for other food resources.  You might not eat from the fruit tree you planted today for several years still, but planting it now puts a long-term insurance policy on future food insecurity.  

Fourth, cook and preserve every morsel of food you buy.  Dehydrate, freeze-dry, powder, stew, can, pickle, or whatever other method works best for you.  This builds up your inventory and teaches you vital skills that can be applied to existing and future food resources.  When the people suffering through the Dust Bowl ran low on food, they rendered some of the only vegetable matter still available to them, the tumbleweed, edible by pickling it.

That brings up the final thing you can do here to lessen the impact of food scarcity–diversify your diet and cook for yourself.  That’s really two things, but we put them together here because if you’ve never sprouted red amaranth, you can get 40,000 seeds for under $6.00.  If you get a few sprouts sprinkled over your fish at your favorite restaurant, you will pay up for it.  Still, you must know how to sprout this grain from seed.  You have to know in what ways you can eat it, whether you actually like the taste of it, and whether it agrees with your digestive system.  All of that has to come now, before the more extensive food crisis strikes, so there’s much you should be doing now.

There is a looming food crisis, and it is barreling right down upon us.  As a prepper, what you do now will determine whether that will impact you.  As we mentioned earlier, we’re working on blogs to roll out over the next several months to teach you more food independence.  We want to link to a couple of critical, must-read food blogs we have done in the past that will provide you with the minimal basics of what you should have in place.  The first is How to Easily Build a 2-Week Food Supply.  If you don’t have this in place, you will be a victim of whatever disaster comes your way.  We guarantee that.  So, please let this be your starting point and watch this video.  The second blog we suggest here is 3 Months Is All You Need As A Prepper – Here’s Why. Specific preps can be extended and rationed to last even longer than you plan for them to.  A food shortage may not require you to turn solely to your stored food.  If it doesn’t, knowing how you can stretch your supply will be critical to your survival.  Finally, watch 16 lbs of Food to Keep you Alive: Crucial Prepper Pantry Food Items.  Understanding the low-cost, high-yield foods you could be eating now to offset shortages elsewhere might soon mean the difference between an empty bowl or food in your belly.

Look, we are facing a food crisis for reasons of our own making and reasons far beyond our control.  We will be honest with you; we may have reached the apex in the collective history of our food production and supply.  That doesn’t mean it is all downhill from here, as some would want to scare you into believing.  It does, however, mean that you will have to change your ways if you plan on thriving through this long, slow, disaster of global proportions. 

As always, stay safe out there.

Are you a conservative, a libertarian, a Christian or a gun owner?  Are you opposed to abortion, globalism, Communism, illegal immigration, the United Nations or the New World Order?  Do you believe in conspiracy theories, do you believe that we are living in the “end times”?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, you are a “potential terrorist” according to official U.S. government documents.

At one time, the term “terrorist” was used very narrowly. The official definition of terrorism is “The use, or threat, of force with the intention of achieving a political goal.” That makes it pretty clear what sort of people are covered, and for decades it worked well.  The government applied the label “terrorist” to people like Osama bin Laden and other Islamic jihadists.  But the Obama administration removed all references to Islam from terror training materials, and instead the term “terrorist” was applied to large groups of American citizens.

And if you are a “terrorist”, that means that you have no rights and the government can treat you just like it treats the terrorists that were being held at Guantanamo Bay.  So if you belong to a group of people that is now being referred to as “potential terrorists”, please don’t take it as a joke.  The first step to persecuting any group of people is to demonize them.  And right now large groups of peaceful, law-abiding citizens are being ruthlessly demonized.

Below is a list of 72 types of Americans that are considered to be “extremists” and “potential terrorists” in official U.S. government documents.  To see the original source document for each point, just click on the link.  As you can see, this list covers most of the country…

1. “Those that talk about “individual liberties”
2. “Those that advocate for states’ rights
3. “Those that want “to make the world a better place”
4. “The colonists who sought to free themselves from British rule”
5. “Those that are interested in “defeating the Communists”
6. “Those that believe “that the interests of one’s own nation are separate from the interests of other nations or the common interest of all nations”
7. “Anyone that holds a “political ideology that considers the state to be unnecessary, harmful,or undesirable”
8. “Anyone that possesses an “intolerance toward other religions”
9. “Those that “take action to fight against the exploitation of the environment and/or animals”

10. “Anti-Gay”
11. “Anti-Immigrant”
12. “Anti-Muslim”
13. “The Patriot Movement”
14. “Opposition to equal rights for gays and lesbians”
15. Members of the Family Research Council
16. Members of the American Family Association
17. Those that believe that Mexico, Canada and the United States “are secretly planning to merge into a European Union-like entity that will be known as the ‘North American Union”
18. Members of the American Border Patrol/American Patrol
19. Members of the Federation for American Immigration Reform
20. Members of the Tennessee Freedom Coalition
21. Members of the Christian Action Network
22. Anyone that is “opposed to the New World Order”
23. Anyone that is engaged in “conspiracy theorizing”
24. Anyone that is opposed to Agenda 21
25. Anyone that is concerned about FEMA camps
26. Anyone that “fears impending gun control or weapons confiscations”
27. The militia movement
28. The sovereign citizen movement
29. Those that “don’t think they should have to pay taxes”
30. Anyone that “complains about bias”
31. Anyone that “believes in government conspiracies to the point of paranoia”
32. Anyone that “is frustrated with mainstream ideologies”
33. Anyone that “visits extremist websites/blogs” 
34. Anyone that “establishes website/blog to display extremist views”
35. Anyone that “attends rallies for extremist causes”
36. Anyone that “exhibits extreme religious intolerance”
37. Anyone that “is personally connected with a grievance”
38. Anyone that “suddenly acquires weapons”
39. Anyone that “organizes protests inspired by extremist ideology”
40. “Militia or unorganized militia”
41. “General right-wing extremist”
42. Citizens that have “bumper stickers” that are patriotic or anti-U.N.
43. Those that refer to an “Army of God”
44. Those that are “fiercely nationalistic (as opposed to universal and international in orientation)”
45. Those that are “anti-global”
46. Those that are “suspicious of centralized federal authority”
47. Those that are “reverent of individual liberty”
48. Those that “believe in conspiracy theories”
49. Those that have “a belief that one’s personal and/or national ‘way of life’ is under attack”
50. Those that possess “a belief in the need to be prepared for an attack either by participating in paramilitary preparations and training or survivalism”
51. Those that would “impose strict religious tenets or laws on society (fundamentalists)”
52. Those that would “insert religion into the political sphere”
53. Anyone that would “seek to politicize religion”
54. Those that have “supported political movements for autonomy”
55. Anyone that is “anti-abortion”
56. Anyone that is “anti-Catholic”
57. Anyone that is “anti-nuclear”
58. “Rightwing extremists”
59. “Returning veterans”
60. Those concerned about “illegal immigration”
61. Those that “believe in the right to bear arms”
62. Anyone that is engaged in “ammunition stockpiling”
63. Anyone that exhibits “fear of Communist regimes”
64. “Anti-abortion activists”
65. Those that are against illegal immigration
66. Those that talk about “the New World Order” in a “derogatory” manner
67. Those that have a negative view of the United Nations
68. Those that are opposed “to the collection of federal income taxes”
69. Those that supported former presidential candidates Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin and Bob Barr
70. Those that display the Gadsden Flag (“Don’t Tread On Me”)
71. Those that believe in “end times” prophecies
72. Evangelical Christians

The groups of people in the list above are considered “problems” that need to be dealt with.  In some of the documents referenced above, members of the military are specifically warned not to have anything to do with such groups.

We are moving into a very dangerous time in American history.  You can now be considered a “potential terrorist” just because of your religious or political beliefs.  Free speech is becoming a thing of the past, and we are rapidly becoming an Orwellian society that is the exact opposite of what our founding fathers intended.

According to wikipedia: Asset protection consists of methods available to protect assets from liabilities arising elsewhere. It should not be confused with limiting liability, which concerns the ability to stop or constrain liability to the asset or activity from which it arises. Assets that are shielded from creditors by law are few: common examples include some home equity, certain retirement plans and interests in LLCs and limited partnerships (and even these are not always unreachable). Assets that are almost always unreachable are those to which one does not hold legal title. In many cases it is possible to vest legal title to personal assets in a trust, an agent or a nominee, while retaining all the control of the assets. The goal of asset protection is similar to bankruptcy, and the two practice areas go hand-in-hand. When a debtor has none to few assets, the bankruptcy route is preferable. When the debtor has significant assets, asset protection may be more sensible.^{[citation needed]}

Government laws and its legal system play a part in asset protection. In some venues they may protect too much, while in others, they’re the villain that we should be protected from. This article examines when and where.

Three categories of ‘claimants’ who seek to get what someone else owns are:

* Creditors for payments owed
* Lawsuit Claimants for damage incurred
* Divorce/paternity litigants for what can be got

Each category shows up in a different type of court where different protections are afforded to defendants. Let see what government laws and its legal affiliates offer in each case.

Protection from creditors:

Your creditors are people you willingly contracted with for services or products in return for payment. You received their products and now you say you can’t pay them, because you’re bankrupt.

You file in bankruptcy court – a federal court – to have the judge determine how much you must pay to whom based on the assets you still have. Both state and federal laws protect some of your assets on the basis that you ought not to be left destitute – on the street so to speak. States have homestead laws and insurance laws that protect you too.

But federal law protects your government-regulated retirement accounts – such as your 401(k) or IRA, against creditor’s claims under your bankruptcy. Some people have enormous amounts of money in these accounts.

No one ever goes to jail for being a debtor to creditors. There’s no debtor’s prison, supposedly. That’s a good thing. But some of this protection from creditors is just too much.

Protection from ‘damaged’ claimants:

Legal suits are filed in superior courts for claiming significant reimbursement for damage incurred. Your liability insurance can handle most of these.

But there’s the danger of unfair suits that are based on phony or trumped-up damages. These suits often target people with ‘deep pockets’ as defendants. Claimant lawyers often take these cases on contingency.

Such defendants worry about the court making unfair court findings, an order to pay money way out of proportion to fairness, or just shelling out outrageous court costs to prove their innocence from fault. Many of these defendants settle with the claimants for a smaller amount than demanded just because it’s too costly to prove their innocence. That’s what the claimants – and their lawyers- are really looking for.

These defendants should consider asset strategies to reduce their appearance of having ‘deep pockets’. Many asset transfer techniques can achieve this.

Government’s part in protection is at least in a court system that affords a jury and some due (fair) process. But, sometimes, allowing contingent fee-only complaint lawyers or winning defendants unable to collect their legal fees perhaps fosters many nuisance suits.

Protection voided for a litigant in divorce/paternity suits:

Such suits are filed in a state’s ‘family’ courts. At stake are the fundamental rights – i.e. constitutional rights- of one of the litigants. These include custody loss of a child, loss of most all his assets, and then a continual taking of much of his income for up to 23 years in some states – all against his wishes to remain a parent caring and supporting his child directly.

But what makes this area unique is that there’s no need to find any ‘wrong’ much less a serious one like ‘unfitness’ in order to have such rights taken from him. That, in itself, should signal gross unfairness.

It’s the perversion of laws over the last 60 years along with no-fault divorce, and the almost assured sex-based outcome that the father will lose those rights that, together, has turned this ‘unfair’ taking into a multi-billion dollar a year industry. And, that industry has promulgated the propaganda that supports the ‘unfair’ taking as valid. So, it maintains and grows itself – further destroying the rights of fathers and their children’s rights to them.

The government and its family court system – with the help of all its affiliates and beneficiaries of the plunder of fathers – have created a kidnap and extortion scheme inflicted on fathers in the guise of ‘legality’. A father’s rightful and constitutional demand to parent and support his child directly at least equally to the mother is ignored.

The government has failed its obligation to fathers, to protect them with the constitutional due process that is required when fundamental rights are at stake. No creditor protections are afforded him under child support orders no matter how bankrupt he becomes. Fathers are routinely sent to jail under contempt for not paying what they can’t.

The only asset protection for a potential father – since government’s constitutional protections are denied him – is to be forewarned of the tyranny he’ll face for becoming a father, no matter how decent a man and father he is.

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