Why is the mainstream media being so quiet about all of the seismic activity that has been happening all across the United States?  During the last 7 days, there has been an earthquake swarm directly along the New Madrid Fault zone, Kansas and Oklahoma have been hit by a very unusual number of significant quakes, and there have been several sizable seismic events in the vicinity of the Yellowstone supervolcano.  But of course the west coast is getting hammered more than anyone else.  According to Cal Tech, there have been more than 1000 earthquakes in California and Nevada over the last week, but of course most of them have been very small.  Overall, the latest USGS numbers tell us that there have been more than 2,000 earthquakes nationally during the last 7 days, and apparently we aren’t supposed to be alarmed by that.  But could it be possible that all of this seismic activity is leading up to something really big?

Over the weekend, we witnessed some very unusual quakes in the middle of the country.  On Sunday, a magnitude 3.2 earthquake rattled Kansas…

The Kansas quake hit at 9:08 p.m. Central time near South Hutchinson, northwest of Wichita, according to the USGS. About 175 people reported feeling the tremor, some as far away as Osborne and Concordia, Kansas.

Thankfully that quake hit in an area with a very low population density, and so it didn’t affect that many people.

But then on Sunday, a series of relatively large earthquakes hammered Oklahoma…

A 3.0-magnitude earthquake hit near Fairview in northern Oklahoma, at 1 a.m. Sunday, followed by a 2.6-magnitude quake at 1:37 a.m. near Quinton in eastern Oklahoma, the USGS reports. A 2.7-magnitude tremor rattled Waukomis in northern Oklahoma at 4:25 p.m. Saturday

Overall, there have been 143 earthquakes in Oklahoma in the last 30 days, and the increasing level of seismic activity in that part of the nation definitely has a lot of people on edge.

But of much greater concern is what has been happening along the west coast.  The two major quakes that hit California in July were followed by more than 100,000 aftershocks, and scientists are warning that this “may have increased stress on parts of a major dormant fault line”…

A series of earthquakes which shook Southern California earlier this year may have increased stress on parts of a major dormant fault line which has not produced any significant activity since records began, according to a study.

Scientists from the University of Iowa examined the so-called Ridgecrest earthquakes, which began with a 6.4 magnitude foreshock in the Mojave Desert on July 4, followed the next day by a 7.1 magnitude quake—the largest in Southern California for two decades. In addition, more than 100,000 smaller aftershocks were recorded.

The “dormant fault line” which they are talking about is the Garlock Fault.

And the Garlock Fault runs directly into the San Andreas Fault.

One day there will be a massive quake that fundamentally alters the geography of southern California, and let us hope that day is delayed for as long as possible.

Meanwhile, we have also witnessed some unusual rumbling off the coast farther north.

In fact, five large earthquakes were detected off of the Oregon coast last month.  The following comes from a news story that was posted on October 21st…

A magnitude-4.6 earthquake Monday morning became the fifth to strike off the Oregon coast since the beginning of the month.

The quake rumbled around 6:47 a.m. about 120 miles west of Bandon and at a depth of roughly 6 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

On Thursday, a magnitude-4.7 temblor struck about 95 miles from Port Orford — just hours after students in Coos and Curry counties participated in an annual earthquake drill.

The reason why these quakes are so alarming is because they happened in the vicinity of the Cascadia Subduction Zone.

As Steve Quayle recently told Greg Hunter, someday the Cascadia Subduction Zone will suddenly come to life, and it will be the greatest natural disaster that we have seen so far in all of American history…

What’s the worst case scenario if the Cascadia Subduction Zone lets loose and volcanos, earthquakes and tsunamis are unleashed? Quayle says “The amount of damage, and I am going to choose my words carefully, is going to be precedent setting. It’s going to be the combination of volcanos going off that are inland from the subduction zone where the plates meet, coupled with tsunamis. . . . When this happens, you will lose eight million to twenty million people. When it happens, you will lose all productivity in the electronic field, obviously Silicon Valley, and all food production in all of California, Oregon and Washington. When it happens, you will have a State of Emergency unlike any other. How about the refugees? There will be 3.5 million refugees to take care of. When this happens, what happens to the underground aquifers, and where does everybody go for fresh water? There will be years of drought, years of famine and years of water, water where did it all go? It is a very dire situation painted by computer models. This is not a sensational thing. It is a reality based, scientific study with the application of what happens.”

Quayle warns that the public would likely have roughly “15 minutes to get to safety,” and “the tsunami waves would be 500 to 1,500 feet tall.”

You can see the trailer for the new film that is being produced about the Cascadia Subduction Zone right here.  I am so glad that this movie is being made, because I have been trying to warn people about what is going to happen for a long time.  For example, the following comes from one of my previous articles entitled “You Have Been Warned: Experts Tell Us That A Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake And Tsunami Will Destroy Everything West Of Interstate 5”…

One day it will happen. With little or no warning, the Cascadia Subduction Zone will produce a catastrophic earthquake and accompanying tsunami that will essentially destroy everything west of Interstate 5 in the Pacific Northwest. It will be the worst natural disaster up to that point in American history, and as you will see below, the experts are saying that we are completely and utterly unprepared for it. Of course the San Andreas Fault gets more publicity, but the truth is that the Cascadia Subduction Zone is capable of producing a quake “almost 30 times more energetic” than anything the San Andreas Fault can produce.

Scientists assure us that it is just a matter of time before such a disaster takes place.

So essentially those living right along the coast are taking a huge gamble.

Day after day, they hope that there is still at least a little bit more time before the Cascadia Subduction Zone absolutely devastates the Northwest.

Of course up until now that gamble has paid off, but one day their luck will suddenly run out.

About the Author: I am a voice crying out for change in a society that generally seems content to stay asleep.  My name is Michael Snyder and I am the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I have written four books that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters.  (#CommissionsEarned)  By purchasing those books you help to support my work.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but due to government regulations I can only allow this to happen if this “About the Author” section is included with each article.  In order to comply with those government regulations, I need to tell you that the controversial opinions in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the websites where my work is republished.  This article may contain opinions on political matters, but it is not intended to promote the candidacy of any particular political candidate.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  Those responding to this article by making comments are solely responsible for their viewpoints, and those viewpoints do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Michael Snyder or the operators of the websites where my work is republished.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.

The post Hundreds Of Earthquakes Rattle The U.S. As The Level Of Seismic Activity In North America Continues To Rise appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

To find success when big game hunting, you have to get as far away from the roads as possible. That’s doubly hard, because while you may be able to comfortably hike 10 miles in, you may not want to pack a critter 10 miles out over four or five trips. According to multiple studies cited on backcountryhunter.org, most game animals like to stay at least 300 meters away from roads. Distancing yourself from lazy road hunters and their noisy vehicles greatly increases your chances of seeing that prized critter. ATVs are great, but many national forest trails are closed to motorized vehicles like Jeeps, ATVs and Motorcycles. Also, ATVs are noisier than most trucks, and just push animals even further out.

Contributed by By Mark, Former Marine Reconnaissance Team Leader, Marine Infantry Officer, Cross Fit Coach, and Survivalist.

We saw this first hand on a recent hunt out in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Both trucks and ATVs were Road Hunting the Forest Service roads like they were patrolling the southern border. None of these road hunters shared the success that we noted during our hunt. So what are you to do? You want to reach the backcountry but maybe hiking three miles up to 10,500 feet is not an option for you. Or maybe you are looking to get really deep and don’t want to spend two days hiking. According to TrailTrove, the average human hikes at two to three miles each hour. This is average from TrailTrove is without a backpack (20 to 30 pounds), a hunting rifle (6-7 pounds), and hunting clothes including boots, pants and jacket (7 pounds). With this extra weight, you are most likely going to be below 1 mph with stops & breaks. Also, consider the toll on your body. You hike three miles up to 10,000 feet with 40+ lbs of extra weight. You are going to be huffing and puffing by the time you get to the top. 

An elk can average 88 to 270 lbs of harvestable meat.  You might be lucky if you don’t get an elk because that will be at a minimum one more trip back up the mountain for two people to get all of the meat out. Those are heavy loads that put a lot of stress on your body. I recently heard about some backcountry hunters using electric mountain bikes to get deep into the woods. After seeing that the BLM has recently changed their rules on electric bikes, I decided that I wanted to try it for myself. After a bunch of homework studying things like range, price, warranty, extras, reviews, & experience, we landed on QuietKat. QuietKat is based out of Eagle, Colorado and they seem to have hunting and the outdoors in their blood. I have been watching them for a few years and they seemed to keep coming out with cooler bikes every season. 

Split Decision

We got two bikes. My hunting partner, Derek, has a chronic tailbone injury and required looking for a softer ride. He was willing to spend more money on his bike so he got the Fat Tire Ridgerunner.

QuietKat Fat Tire Ridgerunner
Motor: Ultra Mid Drive 1000 watt
Display: Digital-Color
Battery: 48v/16ah Panasonic
Frame Sizes: 17” Medium & 19” Large
Brakes: 4 Piston Hydraulic Disc Brakes
Fork: RST Air Suspension 150mm, Rockshox on rear
Suspension: Fire-Link Four-Bar Linkage
Wheel/Tire: 26 x 4.8” CTS Roly Poly Fat Tires
Gearing: 9 Speed Wide-Range
Drive: Stainless Steel Chain
Weight: 65lbs
Top Unassisted Speed: 1000W: 28mph
Range: ~25 Miles Unassisted, up to 50 miles under Pedal Assist
Color: Charcoal

I got the Apex which has a hard tail and front suspension. 

QuietKat Apex
Motor: BBSHD Mid Drive 1000 Watt
Display: Digital
Battery: 48v/11.6ah Panasonic
Frame Sizes: 19” (M/L) and 17″ (S/M)
Brakes: 2 Piston Hydraulic – 203mm Rotor
Fork: GT Air Suspension 100mm
Wheel/Tire: 26″ x 4.5″ (Fat Bike)
Gearing: 9 Speed Wide-Range
Drive: Stainless Steel Chain
Weight:  75lbs
Top Unassisted Speed:  25mph
Range: ~20 Miles
Load: 300lbs
Colors: Charcoal / Camo

Impressions & Thoughts:

One: Our wheels said Juggernaut on the side of them and the name was fitting. The wheels are huge. And by huge I mean massive.  Riding a normal mountain bike on single track, I would not want this much tire. Really fat tires would be heavy and hard to push around on a normal bike but the traction from the fat tires bring is insane, and makes you feel much safer on the mountain. With this being an electric assisted bike and you can push the throttle and with a little peddling you are cruising at 12 mph almost instantly. The big tires add stability and traction both on the front tire for turning and the rear tire for climbing. These are not motorcycles and you still need to pedal, but it really helps climbing those steep inclines.

Two: The bikes are fast. Our first time riding the bikes were not ideal for learning. We were at an altitude of 8,500 feet, little bit of snow on the ground, heading up to 10,500. The QuietKats will take off if you hit the throttle hard, the torque is pretty good. Riding a bike at 20 mph up single track in the mountains can be a little scary and mind blowing at the same time. It took us about about a mile to get comfortable with the bikes, having packs on as well as the cart system that was attached to the back of my bike. To be honest, I have considerable more mountain biking experience than Derek. I was pretty comfortable after about 100 yards. Derek, who broke his tailbone, and has really not ridden a bike since was not a huge fan of the QuietKat at first. I heard a lot of cussing and yelling on the trail that made me think “Oh man, this might have been a mistake.” but after a little coaching, mainly telling Derek to sit down while going uphill so your body weight is heavy on the back tire for traction made a huge improvement for him. By the time we got to 10,500 ft, Derek was sold. I think his exact quote when we got to the top of the mountain was “These things are sick.” On our first ride, I think we averaged about 10 mph uphill with very limited stops. Also, because the QuietKat motors are electric, you do not lose any power at altitude. Most gas engines lose about 3 HP per 1,000 ft of altitude. I know from experience that my old Honda Rincon didn’t like altitude above 10,000 feet even though I had it tuned for the mountains.

Three: The bikes are quiet. I personally think we were much quieter on these bikes than if we were struggling up the side of the mountain carrying gear and heavy boots. I don’t have a way of measuring this but every time I turned back to see if Derek was still behind me, I always saw him before I heard anything. Also, our exposure time on trail was less than 20 minutes compared to 1 to 2 hours by foot. I also believe our scent signature was much less because we were up high out of the grass and only the tires touched the trail. I believe we pushed the animals less because of how quiet these bikes were.

Four: The bikes are heavy. The one downside of this bike (if there is one) is that these bikes are heavy. It took two of us to muscle these bikes into the back of the pick up truck. Could either of us have done it alone? Yes, but we didn’t want to take the chance of scratching the truck. Also, a normal trailer hitch bike carrier (Yakima or Thule) will not work with these, they are too heavy. If you get one, you might want to look into a light weight ramp system to load these into your truck or SUV if you are hunting solo.

Five: Hard to put away. These things are so much fun that you might want to cut your hunt early just to cruise around on your QuietKat. Honestly, you get can places on these things that would be hard by foot without several days of walking. They are super fun on the trail and you find yourself making excuses for wanting to find a new hunting area and getting back on the QuietKats. “Hey, I think I am going to go scout this other mountain, be back in a bit.”

Six: Tough in powder. The bikes did well on hard snow, and were stunning over normal ground, but thick powder snow caused them to fishtail a bit, and are probably not the best fit. Luckily this isn’t most of hunting season. Also, we did not deflate the tires which could be an option. To be fair, rear wheel ATVs also struggle in deep snow.

Traveling With The Kat

We traveled around the Rocky Mountains with the QuietKats and a fully assembled pull behind cart in the back of the Jeep Gladiator. The front tires of the QuietKats were hanging over the tailgate using a QuietKat Tailgate pad. We strapped them down and due to their weight, they travel well in the back of pick up trucks. We were exposed to some pretty harsh weather up there and were worried about the computer components on the Kats. We had no issues. Every time we pushed the power button, the Kats fired right up and away we went.

Stashing the Kats

Once we reached our planned hunting area, we just marked the Kat location on our GPS and laid them down behind some trees. After a few days, we started just leaving our extra gear near the Kats as well. We were never worried about anyone stealing our gear or our Kats at 10,000 feet. You can remove the battery with a key and you can also use a cable lock to secure your bikes but we never did. If I was in the city, I would get a no joke lock for these bikes but Elk and Mule Deer don’t steal. 

Kat Down

The 2 wheel trailer system that we got with the QuietKat was awesome. It held a ton of gear and was easy to set up and attach to the bike. A bit of caution, you do have to watch out for larger rocks on the trail with the two wheel system. We turned the trailer system over a few times with large rocks. All of our gear was strapped down so flipping the trailer back upright was no issue. They do make a single wheel cargo trailer. I wish I could have compared the two to see which is better. I feel like the single wheel version may have been better for single track. I know Doc Montana recently reviewed the Burley COHO XC Bike Trailer and made it look easy flying down single track in Montana.  

The Proof is in the Pudding

We got deeper & faster into the backcountry than our hunting competitors and on the first morning we saw 3 elk walk into a pasture on the backside of a mountain at 10,500 feet. Without the QuietKats this would have been a painful journey and getting an elk here would have made for a long day of packing meat out with at least one extra trip up the mountain. With the QuietKat & trailer, just one trip down the mountain, elk & gear. 

Overall:

We give the QuietKat four thumbs up. Super fun. Super easy to ride. Versatile, you can use them for things besides hunting (ex: commuting, camping, bug out, military operations, etc). Charging was easy, just remove the battery and bring it inside. There is something about the power and quietness of these bikes that will blow you away. I was dreaming about an American Spec Ops unit using these to insert quietly outside of ear shot of the sound of a helicopter, I could see it in the future. Bottomline, they are fun to ride.  

Video: 

This is not our video but we felt this video from Bowsite.com hit it out of the park and captured our thoughts as well. Take a look. 

Please visit QuietKat for more information.  Use discount code SurvivalCacheFS on the QuietKat website for free shipping if you decide to order one. Or you can look at QuietKat on Amazon.

Visit Amazon Affiliate Sponsors of Survival Cache.

The post Survival Gear Review: QuietKat All Terrain Electric Mountain Bike appeared first on Survival Cache.

Anyone who carries has to face the reality that someday they might find themselves needing to use their gun. Sadly, there are some who never fully think this through. They managed to get their concealed carry license because they felt they needed it. Nevertheless, they don’t practice and they don’t really think about what it will mean to actually use their gun in self-defense.

The reality is that any use of a firearm in self-defense is risky. While it does allow the use of deadly force when necessary to defend yourself or defend others, there’s a huge caveat. That is, the courts must agree that your actions were both necessary and reasonable. Otherwise, someone can still accuse you of murder.

Granted, being accused of murder is better than being the victim of a murder. However, if you’re going to be the one who is pulling the trigger, you want to make sure that your action is truly necessary. The less wiggle room you can give a prosecutor to show that you acted angrily or irrationally, the less chance there will be that you end up in court defending your actions.

 

Smart Self-Defense: What Are You Thinking?

I want to ask you something: what are you thinking with respect to carrying a gun? Are you thinking that you are safe because you have it? Do you think that you can outshoot a bad guy? Are you thinking that the key to surviving a shootout is to draw fast and shoot straight? Do you look forward to the opportunity to prove yourself where the rubber meets the road?

The reality is that there are some prosecutors who will try to prove that you were looking for the opportunity to use your gun to kill someone even if it was done in self-defense. They will use your membership in the NRA and signs in your window with themes like “Protected by Smith & Wesson” as an indication that you were merely awaiting the opportunity to legally kill someone. If they can create that idea in the minds of the jury, you could end up facing a murder conviction. Remarkably, it doesn’t matter if that perception is true or not.

What you and I should be thinking is that our guns are a tool of last resort. In other words, we should try to avoid a shootout if we can. Then, if we have no choice but to use deadly force in self-defense or in the defense of others, we will know that we did everything we could to avoid killing another person.

 

Smart Self-Defense: Avoiding Violence

Before drawing a gun, it makes sense to try avoiding a situation altogether. While that isn’t always possible, there are plenty of situations that can be avoided simply by not going where violence is occurring or by leaving when it looks like something is going to go down.

Now I know the temptation is there to be the hero of the moment. I feel that same temptation too. But that doesn’t mean that I should be the hero. First of all, that’s not my responsibility. I am not charged by society to protect them, but the police are. While it is possible that I could defend someone and keep them from harm, I have to ask myself, “At what price?”

There is always a price associated with taking the life of someone, even if the courts declare you not guilty. The human mind has a way of torturing itself for killing another. That’s a much harder price to pay than the justice that the courts mete out.

 

Smart Self-Defense: It’s Time To Go

So, how can you avoid this kind of predicament?

First off, if you are maintaining your situational awareness, then you should have a pretty good idea that something is about to happen. Once you have a feel for this, you need to make an important decision. Do you stay and see it out or do you leave before it can happen? Most of us would stay when in reality we should leave before anything can escalate.

Think about that for a moment. There is nothing that says you have a responsibility to defend society. What you do have a responsibility to do is defend yourself and your family. So do your best to do that, not necessarily by shooting, but by getting your family out of there before the shooting starts.

Granted, if you leave a store or restaurant every time you think something is likely to go down, you’re going to be leaving for nothing a majority of the time. But that’s okay since you’re accomplishing your goal and protecting your family. You can always go back after it’s clear that it is safe.

 

Smart Self-Defense: Don’t Go There At All

You can say the same thing when hearing news that something is happening or about to happen. If there’s a demonstration scheduled downtown, then avoid downtown. You’re not part of that demonstration anyway, so there’s really no reason for you to be there. If you want to find out what happens, watch the news.

The same can be said for many other potentially dangerous situations, such as being in a bad area of town. Unless you have a legitimate reason to be there, why go? Find somewhere else to buy what you need or another route to take so you can avoid problems. Don’t put yourself unnecessarily in danger.

 

Smart Self-Defense: Diffusing The Situation

Even when trying your best to avoid a violent situation, you may find yourself in one notwithstanding. A classic example is someone getting mad in a bar or night club. Take some guy catching you looking at his girlfriend for an example. If he’s the violent type or has been drinking too much, he may decide to confront you for that imagined slight. What do you do?

In most cases, it is fairly easy to diffuse such a situation by turning their negative comment back into a positive one. In the situation mentioned above, the accusation of, “Hey, are you looking at my girl?” is intended to get a rise out of you. Responding by saying, “Yes I am, she’s beautiful. You’re a very lucky man” is the exact opposite of what he is expecting. By not rising to the situation with a snarky comment but instead complimenting him, you end his desire to cause trouble.

Of course, if that doesn’t work, you can always run away. If he’s really been drinking, he may not be able to keep up. There’s nothing that you can lose by running except your pride. But you really don’t need that to survive anyway, so there should be no problem with letting it go, right?

 

Smart Self-Defense: When It’s Time To Draw

When all else fails, it’s time to draw; but the point I’m hoping you’re seeing here is that you don’t want to draw until you’ve exhausted other possibilities. If someone walks into the restaurant you’re eating at and opens fire, you don’t have other options. Nonetheless, if they are trying to start trouble, you do. Take advantage of those possibilities when you can.

But when it’s clear that you must use your gun, don’t hesitate to do so. At least, don’t hesitate any longer than tactically necessary. Remember, as long as you conceal your gun, you have the element of surprise on your side. Consequently, don’t draw until you are ready. If you can, take the time to move into a good tactical position where you have cover and the bad guys are flanked before drawing.

 

Smart Self-Defense: Give Them A Chance To Run

The old saying is, “Don’t draw your gun unless you intend to use it and don’t use it unless you are shooting to kill.” On the whole, I agree with that. But I also agree with the statistic which says that in 70% of the cases where a concealed gun is used in self-defense, merely presenting the gun is enough to cause the bad guys to flee. For this reason, give them the chance to flee before pulling the trigger.

This is exactly why you want to flank them if you can. You can catch them in a way where you have the advantage and it may give you an extra second or two before they are able to respond. This strategy might help tip their decision towards fleeing instead of fighting. It also might give you the second you need to get your sight ready if they decide to shoot it out. Altogether, you’ve got to use whatever you can to your advantage.

You may also enjoy reading an additional Off The Grid News article: 9 ‘Survival Guns’ That Will Keep You Alive In Any Situation

Or download our free 29-page report that discusses how to legally carry firearms (almost) anywhere, anytime: Stick To Your Guns

Do you have any more tips or suggestions on smart self-defense with a firearm? Let us know in the comments below.

The post Smart Self-Defense: Knowing When To Shoot And When Not To appeared first on Off The Grid News.

We should all take a moment to appreciate that here in the US, most of us have access to clean drinking water. Not everyone is so fortunate. When I was growing up, we didn’t have city water. Occasionally the well would go dry, and we’d have to gather up some quarters and haul water from the water tower. Even when the well was dry, we could still get water easily. The upside of that was whenever there was a boil advisory, or zebra mussels invaded the water tower, it didn’t affect us.

By J. Bridger, contributing author to SHTFblog and Survival Cache

My hometown has great drinking water, and frequently places in the top 5 for tap water worldwide.  I bet you didn’t know there were world championships for tap water taste, did you? I am spoiled when it comes to drinking water. So, when Epic Water Filters sent me their new Nano Water Filter Pitcher ($59.95) and a 32 oz. Nalgene OG Filtration System ($34.95 with Nalgene bottle included!), I was really pumped. The tap water here in Las Vegas sucks. I don’t like buying plastic bottles, so I’m stuck drinking water that tastes like someone collected runoff from Bigfoot’s butt crack.

The Nano pitcher has a 3.5L capacity, and water trickles through its filter in 5-10 minutes. According to Epic Water Filters, it filters out all kinds of things – some I’d never even considered. Microorganisms don’t stand a chance. It removes 99.999% (Sometimes you get another 9 tacked onto the end of that, or “log 6” removal) of: Pseudomonas, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, and Klebsiella. (See the full report of all contaminants the Nano removes here) If you haven’t heard of the 1993 Milwaukee Cryptosporidium outbreak, you should read about it. Over 400,000 people developed gastroenteritis-like symptoms due to drinking water contamination. The point is, bad water can and will happen in modern times. The Epic Water Filters Nano Pitcher also removes heavy metals, fluoride (not sure if that’s good or bad, depends who you ask I suppose), nearly 50 pesticides, herbicides, nearly 100 organic compounds, and pharmaceuticals. One interesting thing to note is the filter removes testosterone and progesterone. There are a lot of studies out there about exogenous hormones, and how they affect infants and children. Infants have very sensitive androgen receptors, and excess hormones can cause them to grow excess breast tissue (males too!). Children in the US are experiencing puberty earlier, and they think hormones in the environment could be why. Sounds like hippy shit, I know, but there’s a lot of compelling data out there (Check out “The sensitivity of the child to sex steroids: possible impact of exogenous estrogens” (by the University Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark). Bottom line is, this filter removes tons of things you don’t want in your water.  

Despite my hometown’s top tier tap water, its infrastructure is aging, and water line breaks are common. When the summer months come around, you can bet there will be issues. Often, there are boil advisories. Most of the time this is nothing more than a nuisance, but you never know. If there is a boil advisory, sometimes you may not know before you’ve guzzled your morning liter. If you’re sipping clean water from the Epic Water Filters Nano pitcher, you don’t have to worry. Filling this is much more convenient and efficient than boiling water and waiting for it to cool. Obviously, this won’t provide good water if it isn’t flowing, like when a 20” raw water main broke in 2014, and brought the entire county to a halt:  When this happened, restaurants closed, businesses lost money, gas stations jacked up the price of bottled water, and even the local hospital wasn’t able to provide water for their cooling system. Luckily there were no structure fires or grass fires, or the county could’ve had a huge problem. You should keep this in mind and have plans in place should you need to source water from somewhere other than your tap and purify it. This might be a swimming pool, rainwater collection system, or nearby reservoir. This was a stark reminder that the amenities we enjoy are artificial and fragile. No one was bringing bottled water to my door, but that was fine with me. We had a well. 

Also read: Survival Gear Review: Epic Water Filters The Answer Nalgene Filter

How does the water taste through the Epic Nano pitcher? A hell of a lot better than it did before it went through. It makes off putting Las Vegas water taste fresh and clean. One of my favorite features is the filter indicator. It shows you how much life is left in the filter (based on a 90-day estimate. It filters 150 gallons). One filter lasts two people 3-4 months. The last pitcher filter I had didn’t have this. You knew the filter needed to be changed when the water developed an acidic taste, almost like someone had put lemon juice in it. There is a flip top on the lid you can open with your thumb, so you don’t have to remove the entire lid. It’s a small detail, but one I appreciate. Taking into account how often boil advisories occurred back home, the lackluster drinking water here (mostly due to my refined palate, I’ll admit),  and my own paranoia, this pitcher is a home run. I’ll be purchasing a replacement filter when the time comes. You can even set it up to receive filters automatically. If that isn’t enough, it comes with a lifetime warranty and is made in the USA. Epic!

Portable Filtration, OG Style!

Epic Water Filters also makes a wide mouth Nalgene OG filtration bottle. These bottles hold 1 liter (about 32 ounces) and are nearly indestructible. The filter cartridges come in two flavors: the black-colored Urban (75-gallon life, comes standard with the Nalgene OG) and optional orange Outdoor (100-gallon life, also $27.95). Like the pitcher, the Epic Nalgene OG carries a lifetime warranty and is made in the USA.

I took the Epic Water Filters Nalgene OG with the orange Outdoor filter on a day hike in the Spring Mountains. Right away, its strengths were obvious. The flip-up mouthpiece in the OG’s lid doesn’t leak, but I’d still store it in your pack right side up. Because my hike was along a running stream, I didn’t have to carry any water. Water is the heaviest thing in my pack, so that was a huge plus. Whenever I got thirsty, I just scooped up some water, drank as much as I wanted, and dumped the rest. It was convenient and made the hike much more enjoyable. It takes some effort to get water out of the straw, but it’s not terrible. If a spring is shallow, it can be difficult to fill your bladder or bottle. You should consider this and pack a collapsible cup or something similar so you can scoop or suck water from the source to treat.

In my opinion, the best thing about the Epic Nalgene OG filter is how convenient it is. No boiling, no waiting, no chemical taste. Just scoop and go. It really shines when you are near a water source, like a stream or lake. If watering holes were a little more scarce, you would want to consider something with a higher capacity you could fill and transfer over to this bottle (though Epic Water Filters makes the Nalgene OG Grande with the larger 48 oz. bottle if you need more capacity) Don’t underestimate how much water you may need if you are working hard, or if it’s hot outside. I recently completed a 19-mile trail with about 6,000’ of elevation change. Elevation varied between 7,400’ and 10,400’. It wasn’t hot, but it was dry; I drank six liters of water between 7am and 7pm. There was only one spring and thank goodness it was flowing.

Listen! The Survival Cache Podcast – EDC

If you have a bugout location, you should study the route for water sources. If you live in a rural area and work away from home, you should study your route home. If water sources are abundant, this would be a great option for your bag or vehicle. Too many people are guilty of throwing a LifeStraw in their bug out bag and considering it an adequate treatment strategy. You need a way to carry water, and at least one back up treatment method. Pairing this bottle with a bladder and some tablets or drops would set you up well in the water department. If you EDC a backpack or messenger style bag and regularly carry a water bottle, you could use this bottle and stow the filter away for “just in case” scenarios. You could have clean water wherever you are, at a very tiny weight expense.

 The biggest drawback is lack of gravity flow. If you want to use filtered water to cook or wash, this won’t work. If you could squeeze water out of this bottle into a bladder or cooking pot, it would be perfect. Despite that, this filter and bottle combo has a place in my pack. The convenience and simplicity of the Epic Water Filters Nalgene OG filter make it a home run for any EDC, bug out bag, or hiking kit. 

 

There should no longer be any doubt that the U.S. economy is slowing down, but most Americans still don’t realize what is happening because the major news networks are completely focused on the endless impeachment drama that is currently playing out in Washington.  And without a doubt that is important, because it threatens to literally rip our entire nation in two.  But meanwhile, economic activity has taken a very ominous turn.  Hiring is slowing, consumer confidence is plunging, defaults on auto loans are rapidly escalating, the “transportation recession” continues to get deeper and it appears that the housing bubble is popping.  Everywhere we turn, there are signs of economic trouble, and many are deeply concerned about what this will mean for us as we head into a pivotal election year in 2020.

Not since the last recession have we seen numbers this bad.  The “mini-boom” that we witnessed for several years has now turned into a “bust”, and very tough times are ahead.

The following are 14 signs that the U.S. economy is steadily weakening…

#1 U.S. business hiring has fallen to a 7 year low.

#2 Consumer confidence in the United States has now declined for 3 months in a row.

#3 Defaults on “subprime” auto loans are happening at the fastest pace that we have seen since 2008.

#4 The percentage of “subprime” auto loans that are at least 60 days delinquent is now higher than it was at any point during the last recession.

#5 Vacancies at U.S. shopping malls have hit the highest level since the last recession.

#6 Destination Maternity has announced that they will be closing 183 stores as the worst year for store closings in U.S. history just continues to get worse.

#7 The Cass Freight Index has now fallen for 10 months in a row.

#8 U.S. rail carload volumes have plunged to the lowest level in 3 years.

#9 In September, orders for class 8 heavy duty trucks were down 71 percent.

#10 Tesla’s U.S. sales were down a whopping 39 percent during the third quarter of 2019.

#11 The bad news just keeps rolling in for the real estate industry.  Last month, existing home sales in the United States declined by another 2.2 percent.

#12 New home prices have fallen to the lowest level in almost 3 years.

#13 According to one recent report, 44 percent of all Americans don’t make enough money to cover their monthly expenses.

#14 A recent survey found that more than two-thirds of all U.S. households “are preparing for a possible recession”.

All over the country, economic activity is slowing down, and this is hitting many small businesses particularly hard.

In Wisconsin, one aluminum firm “has seen bookings plunge by 40 percent” and was forced to lay off workers as a result…

Sachin Shivaram, the chief executive of Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry, started to worry this summer when orders for his brake housings and conveyor belt motors first grew scarce. Within weeks, what began as mild concern snowballed into a business drought that has seen bookings plunge by 40 percent.

In August, Shivaram, 38, reluctantly laid off two dozen workers, hoping to recall them when the outlook improved. It hasn’t.

“Things are not good. We didn’t anticipate this level of deterioration,” he said. “Orders are down across the board.”

Of course there are hundreds of other examples just like this one.

As times get tougher, many U.S. consumers are increasingly turning to debt to help make ends meet.

For those at the low end of the economic food chain, getting approved for credit cards and other conventional forms of debt can be quite difficult.  This has opened up a door for online financial predators, and they are making a killing by making loans to people that really can’t afford them.

In fact, it is being reported that online lending has become a $50 billion industry, and sometimes these “loans” carry annual interest rates of more than 100 percent…

It’s called the online installment loan, a form of debt with much longer maturities but often the same sort of crippling, triple-digit interest rates. If the payday loan’s target audience is the nation’s poor, then the installment loan is geared to all those working-class Americans who have seen their wages stagnate and unpaid bills pile up in the years since the Great Recession.

In just a span of five years, online installment loans have gone from being a relatively niche offering to a red-hot industry. Non-prime borrowers now collectively owe about $50 billion on installment products, according to credit reporting firm TransUnion. In the process, they’re helping transform the way that a large swathe of the country accesses debt. And they have done so without attracting the kind of public and regulatory backlash that hounded the payday loan.

Just like the “payday loan” industry flourished during the last recession, now predatory lending is flourishing during this present era.

Unfortunately, as “the everything bubble” bursts, times are going to be very tough for all of us during the years ahead.

I think that Michael Pento of Pento Portfolio Strategies summed things up very well when he made the following statement during a recent interview…

‘When this thing implodes, we are all screwed. On a global scale, we have never before created such a magnificent bubble. These central bankers are clueless, and they have proven that beyond a doubt. All they can do is to try to keep the bubble going.’

We should give the central bankers credit for keeping the bubble going for as long as it has.  It should have never lasted this long, but thanks to unprecedented intervention they have been able to keep it alive.

But no financial bubble lasts forever, and now things have started to shift in a major way.

2020 is rapidly approaching, and the time of “the perfect storm” is now upon us.

I encourage you to do what you need to do to weather the coming economic storm, because it is not going to be pleasant.

About the Author: I am a voice crying out for change in a society that generally seems content to stay asleep.  My name is Michael Snyder and I am the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I have written four books that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters.  (#CommissionsEarned)  By purchasing those books you help to support my work.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but due to government regulations I can only allow this to happen if this “About the Author” section is included with each article.  In order to comply with those government regulations, I need to tell you that the controversial opinions in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the websites where my work is republished.  This article may contain opinions on political matters, but it is not intended to promote the candidacy of any particular political candidate.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  Those responding to this article by making comments are solely responsible for their viewpoints, and those viewpoints do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Michael Snyder or the operators of the websites where my work is republished.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.

The post The Boom Turns Into A Bust – Here are 14 Signs That The U.S. Economy Is Steadily Weakening appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

Are you thinking about installing window security film on your home? IF so, good for you!

Not enough people take their home security seriously. At least not until it’s too late.

But there’s important research you must do first before you buy.

To ensure you get and install the PROPER window security film for YOU.

That’s why in today’s post we’ll cover in detail all the aspects of security window films, specifically:

• What Exactly Is Security Window Film?
• 2 Critical Reasons For Installing Window Film To Your Home
• Best Locations To Add Window Security Film
• Key Features To Look For In Quality Window Film
• Best Security Window Film On The Market Today
• Some Alternative Window Security Options…
• How To Install Security Window Film

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WHAT EXACTLY IS SECURITY WINDOW FILM?

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Window film is a thin but strong piece of transparent plastic. One that’s designed to adhere to the inside of your windows to create a stronger bond.

We all know if you hit a glass window with a baseball bat it will shatter. And it will leave a gaping hole in the window. Making it easy to blast out the remaining shards hanging from the windowsill.

But security window film holds all the shards together. This helps avoid a fast forced entry AND flying shards of glass.

Turning a 5 second forced entry situation into over a minute delay (or longer).

That may not seem like much of a delay, but here’s the thing, burglars always take the path of least resistance.

Every second in delay can mean the difference between getting loot or getting caught. So even a few seconds of delay is a significant deterrent!

The bottom line is: security window film makes your home much harder to enter. Thus, safer.

Watch this excellent overview video below, to catch up on Security Window Film Basics:

2 CRITICAL REASONS FOR INSTALLING SECURITY FILM IN YOUR HOME

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One of the most overlooked home fortification upgrades is securing your windows.

But home fortification doesn’t just mean protection against forced entry. There’s also another crucial reason to invest in security window film.

So, let’s go over both now.

1 – Prevent Break-ins And Forced Entry

Of course, preventing forced entry is the most obvious “reason” and it’s a good one!

Windows are one of the most vulnerable entry points in any home. Why? Because professional burglars are not stupid.

They know doors have alarms systems and are often reinforced. And that’s why they target windows.

A burglar can break an unprotected window (one without security film) in mere seconds.

Quietly using tools like a window punch to shatter the glass. Or blasting the window out using a hammer or baseball bat.

And once a window’s glass is gone, it’s easy to slip into and back out of a home undetected. Especially any windows that have ground access and are in the hidden backside of homes.

Want some proof? Watch this video to get an idea of the power of installing window security film on your home.

This isn’t rocket science. Your unprotected windows are extremely vulnerable to burglars.

2 – Safety From Flying Shattered Glass Shards

Glass is fragile. Anyone with kids learning how to hit a baseball know this firsthand.

Any hard object (bat, ball, rock, etc.) can break a windowpane. And what happens when it breaks? It shatters into large chunks of razor-sharp shards.

These shards are extremely dangerous to anyone nearby. Especially during inclement weather, during a natural disaster, or even a bomb blast.

For example, high winds from a hurricane or tornado can easily break windowpanes. The shattered glass creates flying shard bullets.

These glass shards can cause serious injuries and even death…

Earthquakes can blow out windows and rain down knife-like shards on anyone below.

And a bomb blast can blow glass shards inward into unsuspecting occupants. Bomb blast shards can even cause permanent blindness.

The bottom line is this:

Adding security window film is a massive home fortification upgrade. And even more important, at a fair price without sacrificing aesthetics.

BEST LOCATIONS TO INSTALL WINDOW SECURITY FILM

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If you can afford the investment, then it makes sense to add security film to all your home’s windows. This is especially true for small homes with only a handful of windows.

But what if you have a larger home with lots of windows and don’t want to pay to add security film to them all.

Well, then you should focus on the MOST vulnerable windows first. Ok, but which ones are those?

Ground Access Windows

For break-in prevention, it’s any window someone can access from the ground unassisted. These are the windows that don’t need a latter to access. Thus, making them more susceptible to burglar entry.

This goes double for any windows that happen to be in hidden locations (usually behind a house). These are locations someone could enter undetected away from public view.

Those are the windows you should install security film on FIRST.

Bedroom Windows

Now let’s look at it from a safety standpoint. You should consider adding security film to all bedroom windows. Especially those that are apart of a small child’s bedroom.

You don’t want shards to fly towards anyone sleeping during a storm, earthquake, or bomb blast…

Roof Access Windows

Next would be any windows with roof access.

Some homes have dormer type windows or unique rooflines.

If a burglar can get on a roof and access the windows – you should add security window film on those as well.

All remaining windows are a lower priority. But if you want ultimate security then you may want to just do them all.

KEY FEATURES TO LOOK FOR IN A QUALITY WINDOW SECURITY FILM

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There are several aspects to investigate when trying to pair the right film for your home’s windows.

First up is the film thickness.

There are different thickness options to choose from. They come in thicknesses from 100 micrometers (or 4 mils) through 525 micrometers (or 21 mils).

The film thickness effects the level of protection. The thicker the film the more window strength and protection they afford.

As a rule of thumb, manufacturers recommend 100-micrometer film for glass up to 3mm thick (or 1/8 inch). And 175-micrometers for glass over 6mm thick (or ¼ inch).

And while thickness is important there are a few other aspects to consider as well, such as:

• Adhesive bond strength of the film
• Quality of the application
• Window structure and frame construction

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BEST SECURITY WINDOW FILMS ON THE MARKET TODAY

The good news is there quite a few security films to choose from. The bad news is it can be overwhelming to decide which is best for YOU.

To cut through the noise and confusion, we’ve put together a shortlist of the best window security films.

BDF Window Film Security and Safety Clear

BDF is one of the best options for any window security DIY project.

This film will reduce property damage. How? By absorbing impacts and holding shattered glass together.

And you can buy with confidence. Why? Because all their window films have passed all necessary testing standards and requirements.

BDF film is also crystal clear. This ensures excellent transparency and gives you 99% UV rejection as well.

The film comes with very strong adhesives to slow down any intruders.

BDF sells films that come in two common thickness options: 4 Mil and 8 Mil

You can also find a ton of different BDF film sizes in each thickness to ensure you get the perfect size for all your windows.

Check Out Today’s Price

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VViViD 12 Mil Clar Safety Anti-Shatter Film

Now if you’re looking for a security window film that’s a bit thicker, then look no further than VViViD.

This security window film is 12 Mils thick! This means your getting superior protection – even for commercial store displays!

This film also helps save energy on air conditioning. These block sunlight and heat (90% VLT with 99% UV protection).

Check Out Today’s Price

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HOHOFILM Clear Safety and Security Window Films

Look, this is not the most secure window film available, but security might not be top of mind for everyone!

Now for some, the following might be hard to imagine. But sometimes people just want the cheapest option to meet code.

Some regions and locations require security film on certain windows. It depends on your municipality and your area’s hazard potential.

But if this happens to be YOU, then this very affordable 2 Mil window film may be exactly what you’re looking for.

Check Out Today’s Price

SOME ALTERNATIVE WINDOW SECURITY OPTIONS

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The way I see it, you have several options for window security but window security film is the best option for most.

But you shouldn’t just take my word for it. You should fully understand all your options before investing your time and money.

Alternative Option 1 – Burglar Bars

From a pure break-in deterrent standpoint, you can’t beat adding burglar bars. These bad boys will not only keep a burglar out, but they will prevent them from even trying.

This is target hardening. They see the bars and immediately decide it’s more lucrative to move on to easier targets.

But very few people think burglar bars look good. And most people prefer NOT to look out through a set of bars – like they live in a jail cell.

Functionally, burglar bars are great, but aesthetically, they are the worst.

Plus, burglar bars don’t prevent dangerous shards during high winds or explosions.

Alternative Option 2 – Riot Glass

Riot glass is amazing if (big if) you’re willing to spend A LOT of money.

This makes sense for places such as storefronts, especially stores with valuables inside. This type of glass is an upgraded way to prevent quick smash and grab jobs…

But these are best for commercial applications and are “overkill” for most homes.



Alternative Option 3 – Security Screens

This option might be appealing to homeowners.

Instead of adding a transparent film to your windows, you upgrade your window screens.

These are newer and a more proprietary option and are not a DIY yet…

Plus, I tend to worry about quick egress with these screens. How easy and quick are they to remove if you need to escape a fire?

I haven’t found a great answer to this question yet. But feel free to investigate yourself if these seem like a better solution for YOU.

Alternative Option 4 – Upgraded Window Locks / Alarms Sensors

Some people add security lock upgrades and alarm sensors to all their home windows. Sometimes these are in addition to and sometimes instead of security window film.

And these can be sort of helpful but not worth it.

Upgraded locks don’t provide as much security as people think. Why? Because preventing a window from sliding open is useless if a burglar can just break out the glass.

A wise burglar will break the window out and lay a thick cloth over the shards. This allows them to safely slip into the home with ease – with NO need to slide the window open at all…

But if a burglar can’t shatter the glass in the first place, they can’t gain entry or access to even the most basic window locks!

So, after considering alternatives, I believe window security film is the best home fortification option.

Not only do they provide protection from break-ins, but they’re also transparent. When installed properly, you can’t even tell they are on your windows.

With security film – the burglar will quickly realize; “this is not an ordinary window”.

They will likely shatter it, realize it has security film on it and get the hell out of there FAST.

There’s no way they’re going to risk all the noise necessary to bash it in over several minutes with a crowbar.

Burglars also know they can often get away will a single quick crash noise.

Someone might wake up to a single crash sound but quickly drifting back to sleep after a few minutes.

But quick and quiet entry is not possible with window security film.

With a window security film, you’re essentially buying a forced entry time delay.

A delay of anywhere from 20 seconds to over a few minutes AND preventing the quiet break-ins…

HOW TO INSTALL SECURITY WINDOW FILM

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Like any DIY project, if you take your time and do the job right, you can do it as good as any professional. But if you rush the job and don’t take the time to do your research, you can screw it up big time.

Here are a bunch of videos’ showing you how to properly install security window film. Watch them all and you’ll have the knowledge you need to tackle this DIY project:



One important note – IF possible, try to secure the film all the way across the window AND to the window frame as well. Otherwise, someone can just bust out the entire window from its frame.

Sure, it won’t be as quiet or as easy to enter that way. But by securing the film to the glass AND frame, you’re making it a much stronger (harder to enter) location.

Try finding a strong bonding agent or strong caulk to run a bead along the frame.

FINAL THOUGHTS

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Too many people only focus on their home alarm systems and motion lights. But if you want true home fortification and security you MUST protect your windows as well.

Windows are the most vulnerable entry points people forget to protect.

Don’t be like most people, do yourself and your family a huge favor and protect them with security window film.

Otherwise, you may end up wishing you had a “do-over”. But there are no “do-overs” in home security.

You either make it a priority today or wish you “shoulda” later…

“Just In Case” Jack

P.s. Do you know where the closest nuclear bunker is from your home?

There are a lot of natural nuclear shelters in the US that are absolutely free. And one of them is near your home.

Click here to see the Closest Natural Nuclear Bunker to Your Home?

Click on the image above to find out where you need to take shelter.

The post Security Window Film To Stop Burglurs In Their Tracks appeared first on Skilled Survival.

This article was originally published by Aaron Kesel at Activist Post. 

Hong Kong citizens denying tyranny against their own government and the Chinese government are striking back against a ban on covering their faces. Defying the law, protesters wore Joker, Winne The Pooh, and Guy Fawkes masks while holding hands in human chains to send a message.

In early October, one of the leaders of the Hong Kong resistance, Jimmy Sham, was assaulted by an organized group of four to five people wielding hammers, according to Civil Human Rights Front, the organization he heads, SCMP reported. This isn’t the first time that Sham and others have been attacked by mercenaries seeming to act at the behest of China. In September of this year, a 15-year-old boy and a 44-year-old man were arrested over assault with a baseball bat and a rod against Sham and his assistant, Law Kwok-wai.

Many others have had the same attacks happen to them by what has been deemed “triads” within China going back as recently as July. In a recent article, Channel News Asia writes, “Since late August, eight well-known dissidents have been beaten by unknown assailants as fear swirls that some “triad” crime networks have flocked to Beijing’s cause after five months of protests. The victims include rally organizers, opposition lawmakers, student leaders and people standing for upcoming polls.”

The Guardian also reported the following incident during that month showing protesters get beat in a subway by suspected hired hands of China or Hong Kong to intimidate them.

Snippet of a live broadcast from lawmaker Lam Cheuk ting, showing self-professed pro-Gov't mobsters attacking passengers in train cars at #MTR #YuenLong Stn. #HongKong has 1 of the world's highest cop to population ratio. Where were @hkpoliceforce? Lam was injured as shown live. pic.twitter.com/Aq5JmJlf5u

— Ray Chan (@ray_slowbeat) July 21, 2019

Triads are otherwise known as the Chinese mafia, and there are at least half a dozen main groups in Hong Kong with, according to the South China Morning Post newspaper, some 100,000 members. The three best-known groups — 14K, Sun Yee On, and Wo Shing Wo — also operate just across the border in southern China and as far afield as the U.S., according to the Washington Post. The newspaper further notes that attacks by Triads go back to at least 2014, “when thousands of student-led pro-democracy protesters occupied Hong Kong’s major retail and business districts, there were arrests after triads beat up demonstrators.” Actions which even the likes of mainstream media like the New York Times reported as early as July of this year.

But the Triads aren’t the only ones attacking protesters, it is also the legal militarized arm of Hong Kong and China, the police, as The Guardian has reported.

Months of increasingly violent pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong were sparked by protests against an extradition law which would have allowed suspects in Hong Kong to be sent to various destinations, including authoritarian mainland Communist China.

Yahoo News reports the case of Chan Tong-kai, 20, who was wanted in Taiwan for the 2018 murder of his pregnant girlfriend, Poon Hiu-wing, as one of the catalysts that started the protests, which was an attempt to change the law.

This proposal that spurred outrage was scrapped last week; however, activists continue flooding Hong Kong’s streets and subways. Additionally, there are other things piled on that continue to enable the protests like the killings and police brutality against civilians protesting. One officer has even been caught brandishing a shotgun and aiming it at a crowd of protesters on video.

Just a few weeks ago another civilian was shot and killed by police. In this video you can see the officer being attacked by a student; the officer then decides to use lethal force, pulling out his revolver firing a shot into the 18-year-old’s chest. Couple this with the fact that in August a woman had her eye shot by police in an extremely graphic video, and you can see why the protests are still raging strong across Hong Kong. Although in a win for the Hong Kong protesters, a court has ordered that a woman identified only as ‘K’ can sue the Hong Kong police for their actions, SCMP reported.

However, make no mistake, violence is also happening on the side of Hong Kong protesters; this fight has been going on for almost half a year at a massive 118 days according to a Bloomberg report on October 4th. During August, a pro-Hong Kong police journalist from the Chinese mainland was beaten and tied up by rioters at Hong Kong International Airport. After the mob tied the journalist’s hands and feet, the man said: “I support the Hong Kong police, you can beat me!”

Police have also been accused of agent provocateur behavior by infiltrating protest groups and getting violent for no reason, or using lethal force when they could have just used nonlethal methods — but potentially still deadly — bean bag guns, rubber bullets or tear gas, edging on the violence as can be seen with these videos and more (here, and here) with the addition of the embedded clips below.

These actions and defying the masks ban spawned the display we saw last week and over the weekend with activists utilizing Winnie The Pooh, Joker and Guy Fawkes masks to cover their faces hiding their identities, Associated Press reported.

Another key issue is that some of the weapons being used by Hong Kong police including tear gas, pepper spray, and batons, are coming from U.S. companies producing the chemicals and ammunition. So far, two lawmakers in early August called for a ban on those weapons of war that are being used for crowd control, The Epoch Times reported.

Amnesty International has identified several U.S.-based companies that are supplying the crowd control equipment to police, according to a statement by the humans’ rights organization.

U.S. President Donald Trump promised Chinese President Xi Jinping in a June phone call that he would stay quiet on the protests in Hong Kong in exchange for progress in the trade war, Business Insider reported.

Although in September during a meeting at the UN after the trade deal seemed to fizzle out, Trump criticized China by stating that it must respect the city’s democracy and abide by the decades-old agreement giving it semi-autonomy, CBS reported.

However, recently President Donald Trump said in an Oval Office meeting with China’s Vice Premier, Liu He, that he thinks protests in Hong Kong are slowing down and they will take care of themselves, and that a partial trade accord the two leaders reached on Friday will be a “great deal” for the city’s residents.

“We discussed Hong Kong and I think great progress has been made by China in Hong Kong, and I’ve been watching and I actually told the vice-premier it really has toned down a lot from the initial days of a number of months ago when I saw a lot of people, and I see far fewer now,” Trump told reporters.

Trump added, “I think that’s going to take care of itself. I actually think this deal is a great deal for the people of Hong Kong to see what happened. I think this is a very positive thing for Hong Kong.”

In contrast, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has accused China of curtailing “rights and liberties” in Hong Kong and blasted U.S. companies such as Nike and the National Basketball Association for falling in line with Beijing over free speech issues, Reuters reported.

Trump added, “I think that’s going to take care of itself. I actually think this deal is a great deal for the people of Hong Kong to see what happened. I think this is a very positive thing for Hong Kong.”

In contrast, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has accused China of curtailing “rights and liberties” in Hong Kong and blasted U.S. companies such as Nike and the National Basketball Association for falling in line with Beijing over free speech issues, Reuters reported.

It's easy to find all march locations in the map: https://t.co/s2QrGqQhvc

All details for #MillionMaskMarch events: https://t.co/vk5q5JfslH

or here: https://t.co/XdLvrsqglV

We're marching all over the world as one big family
#Anonymous #MMM2019 #MillionMaskMarch #Nov5

— Anonymous Worldwide (@AnonsWorldwide) October 27, 2019

Many Hong Kong activists seem to agree that China has become a tyrannical nation-state in recent years; another man is heard echoing those words in a video uploaded to Twitter.

Wow. Listen to this Hong Kong protester talk about his desire for freedom. They are fighting for "survival" and trying to achieve what we have in America.

Perhaps the luxury of unprecedented freedom has made many in this country forget how fragile liberty truly is. pic.twitter.com/atZhGJDvNY

— YAAS (@YAAS_America) October 6, 2019

China has begun rolling out an Orwellian surveillance state with facial recognition cameras in bathrooms, on street corners, required to use the internet, for transportation and even in classrooms, as Activist Post has previously reported. If that’s not bad enough, China is planning to merge its 170+ million security cameras with artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology to create a mega-surveillance state. This compounds with China’s “social credit system” that ranks citizens based on their behavior, and rewards or punishes depending on those scores.

Hong Kongers have begun covering their faces due to the rise of facial recognition technology used by police, threats from police and Triads and security cameras on the streets themselves. Activists are often seen shining laser pointers to disrupt the facial recognition technology used by police. U.S. citizens haven’t quite gone that far, yet, but there is an interactive Fight For The Future map, which shows everyone how they can begin fighting back through legislation and contacting state senators, as well as organized efforts to fight the police state surveillance agenda, as Activist Post has reported.

Hong Kong protesters are planning a massive rally today that organizers are hoping will help them push their demands on Hong Kong and China. According to the Associated Press, police did not give authorization for the pro-democracy march and the protest would be considered “illegal.” Lam has enacted Martial Law using the colonial-era Emergency Powers act, and can make “any regulations whatsoever” during this time of “public danger,” NPR reported.

If protesters are caught disobeying the “no mask” law, they could be subjected to up to 1 year in prison for concealing their identity. The new law is designed to curb radical behavior, Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam has said.

Why does this keep happening to California year after year?  As you read this article, enormous wildfires are ravaging large portions of northern California, and Governor Gavin Newsom has already declared a statewide emergency.  An extreme wind event that began on Saturday evening is pushing the fires along at a staggering rate, and when the winds are howling this ferociously it is exceedingly difficult for firefighters to keep the fires from spreading.  It was being reported that on Sunday morning there were sustained winds exceeding 90 mph in northern California with “gusts that topped 100 mph”.  It was the strongest wind event in several years, and it came at an extremely unfortunate time.  These “hurricane-force Diablo winds” will continue into Monday morning, but that doesn’t mean that things will start to get better.  As you will see below, another extreme wind event is in the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Kincade Fire is the largest of the wildfires, and according to ABC News it has now “grown to 85 square miles”…

California Fire officials say a rapidly moving fire in Northern California wine country has grown to 85 square miles (220 square kilometers) and destroyed 94 buildings.

Cal Fire spokesman Jonathan Cox called the conditions throughout California “a tinderbox” Sunday and asked people to continue being vigilant in helping to prevent fires from breaking out.

That is an absolutely massive wildfire, and the extremely strong winds are picking up embers from the Kincade Fire and starting blazes in new areas.

The following is what Cal Fire Captain Robert Foxworthy told reporters on Sunday morning…

“The wind speeds are extreme…The strongest winds I have felt in my career,” Cal Fire Capt. Robert Foxworthy told KPIX 5 Sunday morning. “They (the winds) are throwing embers a considerable distance in front of the main fire, causing spot fires, creating a real challenge for the crews fighting the fire.”

The Kincade Fire was only about 10 percent contained early on Sunday, but thanks to this extreme wind event the level of containment has now fallen to 5 percent.

In other words, this fire is completely and utterly out of control.

Pacific Gas & Electric is telling us that “nearly 2.7 million people lost electricity” on Sunday, and they are expecting more blackouts in northern California during the week.

Could you imagine being in the dark with no electricity and massive wildfires are raging all around you?

This is a terrifying time for those living in northern California, and approximately 200,000 are currently under mandatory evacuation orders.

According to the Sonoma County Sheriff, nobody can remember another time when there was an evacuation order this large…

Approx 180,000 people under evacuation order due to #KincadeFire. This is the largest evacuation that any of us at the Sheriff’s Office can remember. Take care of each other.

Sadly, most homeowners in California do not have fire insurance, and so when they lose their homes they may find it exceedingly difficult to rebuild.

And after last year’s horrific fires, some insurance companies decided not to renew coverage for many of those that did actually have fire insurance…

After last year’s devastating wildfires, insurance companies are balking at fire coverage policy renewals for more than 350,000 residents in high-risk areas.

“We are seeing an increasing trend across California where people at risk of wildfires are being non-renewed by their insurer,” state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said in a statement.

The California Department of Insurance “has seen cases where homeowners were paying an annual premium of $800-$1,000 but, upon renewal, saw increases to as high as $2,500-$5,000,” a staggering rise of more than 300 percent in most cases.

Insurance companies keep making it really hard for us to have a positive view of them.  The entire purpose for insuring our homes is so that if disaster strikes we will be able to rebuild.

Of course it probably doesn’t make much business sense to keep insuring multi-million dollar homes that are built in the middle of a tinderbox if these sorts of wildfires are just going to keep happening year after year after year.

But the truth is that we never used to see fires of such ferocity and intensity year after year.  Yes, there have always been wildfires in California, but something has changed.

So why is this happening?

Why is California being absolutely pummeled by unprecedented fires in recent years?

Ultimately, I think that these latest fires will encourage even more people to leave the state, and you certainly can’t blame anyone that wants to leave.

The winds that are fueling the rapid growth of these wildfires are expected to die down late on Monday, but then another extreme wind event is coming on Tuesday…

On Sunday afternoon, PG&E announced it’s monitoring another extreme-wind event that could trigger yet another power outage Tuesday and Wednesday, the third such blackout in a week and fourth in October. Up to 32 counties in Northern and Central California could be affected.

Any way that you want to look at it, this is going to be a very tough week for northern California.  This is what Governor Gavin Newsom said about “the next 72 hours” on Saturday…

“The next 72 hours will be challenging,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Saturday. “I could sugarcoat it, but I will not.”

At this moment, there are some portions of northern California that literally look like “hell on Earth”.

The devastation caused by these fires is going to be immense, but so far there haven’t been any reported deaths.

So that is the good news.

But the bad news is that these fires are going to keep happening, and the extreme social decay that is pushing so many people to leave the state is only going to intensify.

Yes, the weather is very nice in California in the winter and there are still lots of good jobs, but if I was living in California right now I would be looking to leave as soon as possible.

About the Author: I am a voice crying out for change in a society that generally seems content to stay asleep.  My name is Michael Snyder and I am the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I have written four books that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters.  (#CommissionsEarned)  By purchasing those books you help to support my work.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but due to government regulations I can only allow this to happen if this “About the Author” section is included with each article.  In order to comply with those government regulations, I need to tell you that the controversial opinions in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the websites where my work is republished.  This article may contain opinions on political matters, but it is not intended to promote the candidacy of any particular political candidate.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  Those responding to this article by making comments are solely responsible for their viewpoints, and those viewpoints do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Michael Snyder or the operators of the websites where my work is republished.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.

The post “Diablo Winds” Are Ferociously Whipping “Out Of Control” Wildfires Across Vast Stretches Of Northern California appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

Why do you believe what you believe?  Some people have a really solid answer to that question, but much of the population never thinks much about deeper questions such as this.  In fact, for most Americans it is simply easier to let others do their thinking for them.  Today, most of us spend multiple hours each day absorbing information through a screen, and most of the content that is fed to us through our televisions, phones, tablets and computers is controlled by the elite.  And if you allow anyone to feed information into your mind for several hours every day, it is going to have a dramatic impact on how you view the world.

When I was younger, one of my favorite movies was “The Matrix”, and I think that it is a really good metaphor for what is going on in our society today.  In the film, nearly the entire human population was plugged into a system which continuously fed a computer-generated reality into their minds that wasn’t real at all.  Later on, I eventually came to realize that we are willingly doing the same thing to ourselves.  Our personal interactions with one another are extremely limited, but we willingly “plug in” to the enormous matrix of news, information and entertainment that the elite have constructed for many hours each day.

According to numbers that were released earlier this year, the average American spends more than three hours watching television and more than three hours on mobile devices every single day…

It’s official: This year marks the first time that Americans will spend more time staring down at their phones and tablets than they will watching television.

The average U.S. adult will spend three hours and 43 minutes on mobile devices this year, according to EMarketer Inc., which is eight minutes longer than the three hours and 35 minutes that will be spent in front of the TV.

If Americans from previous generations could visit our society right now, they would probably be horrified that we are all constantly staring at our screens like some sort of zombies.

And perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad if we were feeding our minds healthy things, but instead most of what we are absorbing is garbage that has been produced by the elite.

Today, nearly all of the news, information and entertainment that Americans consume is produced by a small cluster of giant corporations.  The following summary of the current state of affairs comes from Wikipedia…

In the United States, movie production has been dominated by major studios since the early 20th century; before that, there was a period in which Edison’s Trust monopolized the industry. The music and television industries recently witnessed cases of media consolidation, with Sony Music Entertainment‘s parent company merging their music division with Bertelsmann AG’s BMG to form Sony BMG and Tribune’s The WB and CBS Corp.’s UPN merging to form The CW. In the case of Sony BMG, there existed a “Big Five” (now “Big Four“) of major record companies, while The CW’s creation was an attempt to consolidate ratings and stand up to the “Big Four” of American network (terrestrial) television (this despite the fact that the CW was, in fact, partially owned by one of the Big Four in CBS). In television, the vast majority of broadcast and basic cable networks, over a hundred in all, are controlled by eight corporations: Fox Corporation, The Walt Disney Company (which includes the ABC, ESPN, FX and Disney brands), National Amusements (which includes CBS Corporation and Viacom), Comcast (which owns NBCUniversal), AT&T (which owns WarnerMedia), Discovery, Inc., E. W. Scripps Company, Cablevision (now known as Altice USA), or some combination thereof.^[92]

When you have an almost totally monopoly on news, information and entertainment, it is not too difficult to manipulate a society.  At this point, most of the population is made up of extremely pliable “NPCs” that are more than happy to go along with whatever “societal norms” are set by the elite.  The term “sheeple” has been used to describe those that allow the elite to do their thinking for them, and we need to do what we can to help those individuals wake up and to get them to start thinking for themselves.

Let me give you an example of the immense power of the media.  One recent survey found that those that watch Fox News tend to think that the U.S. economy is in great shape, while those that watch MSNBC tend to be quite pessimistic about the economy…

American voters face the same set of economic facts, from low unemployment to the risks from a trade war, but the survey’s index of overall sentiment – at 108 just above the 100 line that separates positive from negative impressions of the economic outlook – masked the huge divide between those who approve of Trump, whose views measured a far rosier 136, and those who disapprove of the president, with a reading of 88.

The results, weighted by factors like age, race and sex, to be nationally representative, were similarly skewed based on media consumption. Viewers of conservative-leaning Fox News registered 139 for current sentiment about the economy; viewers of MSNBC, an outlet often critical of Trump, registered 89. Readers of the New York Times sat in the middle at 107, near those who get their news from Facebook (110) and Twitter (112).

But the truth is somewhere in between.  We haven’t officially had a recession in recent years, but the U.S. economy has definitely not been “booming” either.  In fact, we haven’t had a full year of 3 percent GDP growth since the middle of the Bush administration.  That is the longest stretch of slow growth in American history by a very wide margin, and now it appears that the next recession is rapidly approaching.

And without a doubt, tens of millions of American families are deeply struggling right now.  As I noted yesterday, 50 percent of all American workers make less than 33,000 dollars a year, and a survey that was just released found that 70 percent of Americans “have cried about money”…

Pass along the tissues, because Americans aren’t afraid of letting the tears roll when it comes to finances.

Seven in 10 Americans said they have cried about money in their lifetimes, according to a recent online survey of 1,004 Americans by Compare Cards.com. Many cited worries over their job or making ends meet.

And household debt, which peaked at $13.86 trillion in the second quarter, weighed the heaviest on Americans. Almost a third admitted to crying over this looming concern, according to the survey.

One of the reasons why my articles upset so many people is because I just don’t follow the herd.

In this day and age, it is absolutely imperative that we all learn to think for ourselves.  Because if you don’t actively take control, the elite will be more than happy to do your thinking for you.

Question everything.  Everyone that is feeding you news, information and entertainment has an agenda, and in most cases it is not a positive agenda.

We are in a battle for hearts and minds, and the elite have an overwhelming edge because of the colossal system that they have created.

But we have the truth on our side, and in the end the truth shall prevail.

About the Author: I am a voice crying out for change in a society that generally seems content to stay asleep.  My name is Michael Snyder and I am the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I have written four books that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters.  (#CommissionsEarned)  By purchasing those books you help to support my work.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but due to government regulations I can only allow this to happen if this “About the Author” section is included with each article.  In order to comply with those government regulations, I need to tell you that the controversial opinions in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the websites where my work is republished.  This article may contain opinions on political matters, but it is not intended to promote the candidacy of any particular political candidate.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  Those responding to this article by making comments are solely responsible for their viewpoints, and those viewpoints do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Michael Snyder or the operators of the websites where my work is republished.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.

The post What You Think Is Controlled By What You Watch, And What You Watch Is Controlled By The Elite appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

Written by Wild Bill on The Prepper Journal.

Survival is more of an art than a science and there are as many opinions on the “right” way to do it as there are preppers. While everyone isn’t certain they have the final answer, the truth is, no one really knows because the showdown, apocalypse, calamity, SHTF, disaster, fall of America, whatever you want to call it, hasn’t happened yet. Since it hasn’t happened yet, and reliable prophets are few and far between, there is no way of knowing what kind of situation you’ll find yourself in when it arrives.

If history has taught us anything it is that the earliest ones to recognize the coming change will be mocked and chastised by the masses, and persecuted by those bringing about the coming changes. It will be subtle, covert and matter of fact as the spin is set into motion. A transgression here used to quell the first flash points by complicit and coordinated judgement by the 5th estate, supported by the social media infrastructure we see as more benevolent that would George Orwell. History abounds with such grant illusions, the sheep in denial until slaughter is inescapable. The government of Venezuela has been killing its citizens for months, do you see that on the news or do you see the latest tweet from some troll elected to Congress by a disconnected populace?

Since we all like planning for vacations and trying to get the best travel bargains so should we also be trying to plan ahead for the long term when it all goes south. That means you need to consider which option is better for you and your family. Should you hunker down in an armored bunker and ride out the storm? Or, should you opt to be mobile so you can stay one step ahead of the storm? (taking into consideration the lessons of the Golden Horde, of course.)

Armor Up

If you’ve ever been in the military you might be familiar with the saying among tank crews about scratching each other’s backs. This happened a lot in Vietnam, where a VC would wait until a tank got right up close to them. When it was close enough they would jump up on the tank and try to stuff a grenade or something down the hatches. They were locked of course; after all, what good is armor if you leave the door open?

Then a second tank would radio in that they were going to scratch the back of the first tank with the VC on it. The second tank would hose down the first tank with machine gun fire until all the enemies were gone. They knew the crew inside the first tank was safe behind all that armor so they could fire away.

Is that your goal?

A heavily armored bunker dug deep in the ground with limited access in or out, is a tough nut to crack. When the balloon goes up you’ll be safe and sound behind steel and concrete walls while the world tears itself apart outside. This is an especially good option if the outside world is engaged in a war of all against all. Widespread guerrilla warfare, mainly dependent on small arms, doesn’t generally include the use of the kind of heavy-duty explosives that could breach an armored bunker.

Properly constructed and camouflaged, your bunker might not even be noticed during that type of conflict. Once all the heavy fighting is over or has moved out of your area, you can emerge with all your own firepower intact and ready for action.

Staying Mobile

But what if a situation develops where two large enemies are fighting it out with heavy artillery and bunker buster bombs, going after anyone who won’t declare for their side? In a case like that, you might want to get out of Dodge. That means you need to stay mobile.

Wherever the fighting is, you need to be somewhere else. If you’re in a jeep or truck of some kind you’ll have to sleep in a tent or portable shelter at night. If you’re running in an RV, then you’ll be sleeping in your RV when you have the chance.

An RV is certainly an attractive choice since it has so much storage room inside and acts as a home away from home when you’re on the road. It is also clearly a civilian vehicle, one of the millions on the road, which allows you to perhaps hide in plain sight, lost in the crowd. Any military style vehicle will draw unwanted attention but an RV, the vehicle of choice for aging (and “harmless”) snowbirds, will have a much greater chance of letting you fly under the radar. 

Now driving one while armed to the teeth, decked out head-to-toe in camo and wearing your body armor might make yo boil to the top of the “harmless” crowd, but having all those items at the ready affords a measure of confidence, and preparedness that, as preppers, give us some comfort.

Staying Healthy in the Apocalypse

Weapons, armor, and mobility aside, you need to stay healthy while the world around you is eating itself. Water first, a well-stocked medical cabinet and first aid supplies is next, of course. After that, you need to ensure your and your family have a balanced diet, enough to last for several months during the initial unrest, then a good supply of seeds to grow your own food after that.

And son’t forget the value of sleep. Sleep deprivation is a well-known tactic for wearing down prisoners. Don’t do that to yourself with primitive sleeping quarters or rotten mattresses that kill your back. When it comes to survival, you need to be bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and bring back a sense of balance to a world that has gone crazy.

Be Safe out there and be sure to check out The Prepper Journal Store and follow The Prepper Journal on Facebook!

The post Mobility vs Armored: Which is Better? appeared first on The Prepper Journal.