By the author of Street Survivalism: A Practical Training Guide To Life In The City and The Ultimate Survival Gear Handbook.
When a spider on the queen’s coffin and a mermaid’s skin color makes more headlines than all the impactful stuff taking place everywhere, you know normalcy bias is in full effect.
Although I’ve never been a fan of legacy media and have always preferred ears-on-the-ground and alternative sources to remain informed, I’ve been consciously steering clear of MSM news for the past several years as a way to keep some sanity and avoid burning out.
However, following worldwide news and events outside our immediate reality pays off. Knowing where the winds are blowing and keeping tabs on trends can help us make necessary modifications and focus our efforts, which is why TOP is devoted to disseminating the most useful advice and news.
Russia and Venezuela are currently engaged in War Olympics.
Did you know that there are War Olympics? The Russian Ministry of Defense founded the tournament in 2015, and it included thirty nations from every continent. The 2022 edition, which took place in Venezuela’s Barquisimiento, in the northwesterly area of Lara, only 2,000 kilometers (1,245 miles) from US territory, featured 36 competitions between August 13 and August 27.
For those who believe in coincidences, it began precisely one day after Panamax 2022, which is “… an annual U.S. Southern Command-sponsored multinational exercise series focused on a multinational response to ensure the free flow of commerce via the Panama Canal” [SOURCE]. In Miami, San Antonio, and Suffolk, personnel from 20 countries—including the United States—took part in simulated training exercises.
Analysts claim that the fact that Venezuela hosted the games demonstrates the nation’s support for Russia and other nations with interests different from those of the US and its allies. A contingent of Venezuelan military personnel traveled to Voronezh, Russia, during the games to compete in a tank biathlon.
Delegations from numerous countries, including Russia, China, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Iran, Vietnam, and India, were among those present. Brazil took part in two events as an observer and competed once in years past. Due to the conflict in Ukraine and the tumultuous geopolitical environment, the Brazilian government opted to abstain this year in order to demonstrate its political impartiality.
The Russians and Chinese are engaged in creation of the multipolar world order.
For the first time since the pandemic outbreak, Chinese President Xi Jinping has been traveling abroad to meet with President Putin and the leaders of India, Iran, and other Central Asian countries due to the geopolitical chess game. The meeting was held on September 14 and 15 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Beijing and Moscow established the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) in 2001 to discuss politics, trade, the economy, and security in the East and Central Asian regions. The group now accounts for 70% of Eurasia and 30% of the world’s GDP and serves as a check on US hegemony.
Iran has been an observer since 2005, but in 2017 it signed a memorandum committing it to full membership in the SCO and establishing formal ties to the Sino-Russian cooperation organization. The conference takes place at a time when Beijing’s relations with Washington, Europe, and Japan are strained by technological, territorial, and security concerns, and Putin is facing isolation as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.
Protests and strikes are coming.
Strikes were the topic of my first piece for TOP. Specifically, recalling the truckers’ strike that in 2018 nearly brought Brazil to its knees. The public and media are not paying the necessary attention and making light of the potential SHTFs this can cause. I don’t make predictions, but I can see this simmering as the world economy rapidly declines.
The establishment went into alarm mode in the middle of September due to the recent threats of a rail strike in the US. There were warning signs that it would be a nothing burger, and in fact, it came and went. However, that shouldn’t be interpreted as a sign that things are fine: the issues and challenges are still there and won’t go away. If anything, they tend to worsen. At some point, the threats will start to materialize, and things will get ugly.
I keep returning to the issue of protests, strikes, and social unrest because it’s real and serious. The current environment, which includes economic turmoil, low financial liquidity, rising inflation, and energy shortages, is comparable to what we saw in the 1970s and 1980s – an era rife with manifestations and riots of all kinds and sizes.
Hundreds of significant protests have erupted worldwide in the last few years, and these are increasing. The wealth gap is growing as well, and people are nearing their breaking point. When the economy tips over and mass layoffs begin, entire populations will take to the streets, and categories will cross arms, potentially paralyzing services and utilities. Stay prepared.
(What will you do when the truckers strike? Check out our free QUICKSTART Guide to building a 3-layer food storage system.)
We are quickly losing our rights.
The Brazilian Supreme Court is working extra hard to restrict liberties under the pretext of “protecting the population” as the forthcoming presidential elections in Brazil appear to be at least as contentious and divisive as the ones held in the US in 2020.
The scant gun rights guaranteed by presidential order in 2019 were once again caught between the conservative president and the liberal court, which emphasized the rising aggressiveness between political opponents. Even the Constitution and internal regiments are being ignored in order to suppress the commerce of firearms and the practice of sportive shooting.
In Brazil, the right to purchase and bear arms is provided by executive order rather than by law, which encourages never-ending legal disputes between pro and anti-gun groups, politicians, and segments of society. That also breeds doubt and hinders the development of the sector. Numerous multinational firms have already stated their desire to invest in Brazil, a potentially huge market. But plans are on hold till the problem is resolved.
Fewer investments are made, fewer people are employed, fewer clubs and tournaments exist, and less business is done. While this is going on, criminals operating outside the law continue to stockpile weapons to battle one another/police forces, and carry out various acts of violence against the populace, which remains defenseless and vulnerable to violent crime.
A new phenomenon is emerging as well.
When economic and financial experts—macro analysts, market strategists, investors, traders, and the like—start to sound more and more like prepping survivalists, you know things are getting bad, and something dreadful is coming.
And I’m not even talking about people like Lynette Zang, who lives off the grid on a ranch in Arizona and promotes freedom, gold, goats, and gardens while speaking about stock trading, the energy crisis, and the arrival of CBDCs. Or younger guys like Mark Moss and Neil McCoy-Ward, who just relocated to a ranch and an island, respectively, after leaving the big metropolis.
In a previous article, I discussed this topic and noted that I believe investors and preppers have a lot in common. For example, both are driven by the desire to accumulate resources during prosperous times in order to use them during difficult times or crises. They are also both acutely aware of cycles.
Even the more conservative and traditional ones who haven’t yet taken action to prepare and move into a more independent lifestyle are openly discussing plans to do ASAP in their interviews and podcasts as this phenomenon continues to spread. I’m paying close attention because these experts are predicting a severe crash and attempting to flee the probable wave of social instability it would bring about.
A Brazilian fisherman just lived for ELEVEN DAYS ADRIFT in a cooler.
Wrapping up the last couple of month’s crazy news on a lighter note: Brazilian fisherman Romualdo Macedo Rodrigues drifted as far as 215 nautical miles (250 miles) off the shore in the northern state of Amapá, near French Guiana, for eleven days after his boat capsized.
He investigated and saw that the big freezer could float and that he could fit in it as his cracked ship began to take on water. He then joined the apparatus and waited because he can’t swim (I know, I know). After eleven days, he was rescued by another Surinamese fishing crew more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) north of his port at Oiapoque.
Romualdo was transferred to the capital of Suriname, Paramaribo, for treatment after they successfully rescued him. He was arrested by the police for being an undocumented immigrant and was taken to jail, where he was held for 16 days before the Brazilian authorities were alerted and released him on bond.
Commercial fishing is one of the riskiest vocations in the US, according to the CDC. Fishermen are more likely to die at work than people in other professions, according to the UK’s Seafarers’ Rights International (SRI). Survival tales like this one are common, and this one is noteworthy because it demonstrates that going longer than a week without food or water is feasible.
Naturally, that depends on the situation and other factors. But the reality is still there, and we can learn from this incident. “Learn to swim” is the first suggestion – though I’d say that knowing how to swim is one of those essential life skills, especially if you live near the ocean or on a boat. For some reason, individuals disregard common sense in the belief that they are invulnerable.
In any case, pride and stupidity are surefire ways to end badly. Having said that, the fisherman’s ingenuity and fast thinking deserve praise for saving his life. In the majority of survival situations, the ability to improvise and adapt is essential.
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These are some of the impactful issues the world is facing.
Nobody seems to be talking about them, but these stories do matter. Where’s the coverage? Are there other “silenced” impactful stories out there right now you know about? Please tell us about them in the comments.
About Fabian
Fabian Ommar is a 50-year-old middle-class worker living in São Paulo, Brazil. Far from being the super-tactical or highly trained military survivor type, he is the average joe who since his youth has been involved with self-reliance and outdoor activities and the practical side of balancing life between a big city and rural/wilderness settings. Since the 2008 world economic crisis, he has been training and helping others in his area to become better prepared for the “constant, slow-burning SHTF” of living in a 3rd world country.
Fabian’s ebook, Street Survivalism: A Practical Training Guide To Life In The City , is a practical training method for common city dwellers based on the lifestyle of the homeless (real-life survivors) to be more psychologically, mentally, and physically prepared to deal with the harsh reality of the streets during normal or difficult times. He’s also the author of The Ultimate Survival Gear Handbook.
Methinks the Bovine Excretia is Very Close To Hitting The Air Movement Apparatus.
Could happen today or in the next 6 months.
Bemused Berserker,
Ya know, I am not one for predictions, but in this case, I think you just might be right.
Here in Pa the Federal Board of Incarcerations raided (typical 25 man SWAT assault)a family of nine and arrested the father. His crime? Exercising his first amendment right to free speech AND had the audacity to protect his son from assault from a full grown man who didn’t like what dad was doing.
Even though the original court case was thrown out by the judge earlier, but the .gov decided this was a federal case worthy of issuing a warrant for his arrest.
Regardless of where one stands on abortion, free speech is.. guaranteed..? Hmm… apparently not.
If Pa had a governor worth a flock he’d have the state troopers converge on the federal court house and start arresting agents for kidnapping, assault, unlawful entry, impersonating an officer of the law, impeding traffic, spitting on a sidewalk, and failure to properly signal a lane change.
There are a lot of big stories out there not getting any media play, but it’s stories like this by the thousands in the USA that will ripen the fruit of anger faster than global news not getting American attention.
So, yea, BB… I fear you are correct.
The FBI is better known as the Feral Bureau of Intimidation.
Also known as the Gestapo wing of the DNC.
Die Stasi leben noch…
I have heard very little about the Iran protests. Those are significant.
There are protests all over the world. Not so much in the US..
Our MSM has been very quiet about any of them.
I guess they don’t want to stir up the “DVEs”.
I have been watching the economic shift from a West lead uni-polar, to a Russian-Sino multi-polar one.
Seems to me, the West lead by the US, is in denial of the newly emerging paradigm. They are clinging on to the past, doing everything to prop up the markets while the rotted foundation they built upon collapse.
We are in a recession, but our leadership ignores it, while the effects of inflation are crushing the lower 90% of the country. Yet, our illustrious leaders tell us otherwise.
Been reading that this Christmas is going to be a dismal one for sales, as people are using their credit cards, now, just to pay for FOOD! Reportedly, big box stores have canceled orders in anticipation of lower sales.
Major companies are announcing (quietly) layoffs, or hiring freezes. Small businesses are hiring freezes.
A WaWa (convenience store chain in PA) was just flash mob and cleaned out of food. I expect to see more of those later this year and into next, and may include actual large grocery stores.
The EU, UK energy crisis, I dont think will be contained to just the EU and UK, but will affect global energy markets. More than a few EU countries are preparing/planning for energy and food protests or riots.
Recent Sweden elections shifted from left leaning parties, to right mostly over immigration and crime.
Italy just had the same in their elections.
The US mid-terms may follow suit.
Just read in Texas more parents are pulling their children out of public schools and homeschooling them.
This all a self fulfilling prophecy created by governments that are busy filling their own pockets with other peoples fake money.
Created starvation, created energy crisis (in order to “save the planet”).
The teachers are putting public education out of business by pissing off parents who pull their kids out and homeschool reducing funding for the schools since it is based on enrollment.
Yep, looks like a man made world wide depression sponsored by the global banking cartels.
Semper Fi everyone
Unfunded,
I agree to a degree this is all created by governments.
Although I think they are doing things based off of bad previous fiscal policy, like cranking up the printing press, helo money, that lead to inflation.
As I have stated in the past, The Fed will raise interest rates in an attempt to bring inflation down, but they will always be a step or three behind. Of course raising interest rates is going to hammer the economy, resulting in job losses. We are looking at a possible recession with high inflation at the same time.
I did read on pundit say something to the effect of,
“But a recession will tame inflation!”
Great. I am out of a job, rent is due, I have to choose between paying the phone bill and the electric bill, but hey! The price of food came down!
too bad the price of your food came down ONLY after the size of the container it came in, halved itself. People don’t talk about that now do they?
Actually, I have mentioned shrinkflation in the comments section of other articles in the past.
We are well aware of it.
I agree.
This is deliberate, it is not the result of incompetence.
The powers that be are trying to destroy the average person, world-wide.
They take money out of my taxes every year for ‘education’. Where the F is that money going? If people start home schooling, then WHO is getting that money? I want a refund.
Yes, I’ve noticed how in the MSM how much news is not reported versus the alt. media which does talk about it. It’s a lot harder to get people to load their shopping cards up with Coco Pops after they watch a hard hitting documentary explaining the importance of disaster preparedness and why owning a properly sized generator, extra food, fuel and what have you is a good idea.
Case in point I was looking at a 2300 watt inverter generator as a backup power source for my 1/2 HP well pump. It looked a little small and I confirmed the surge amperage was about 37.4 amps/ 120 volts ( at 50 psi gauge pressure) or about 4400 watts. So I didn’t buy it. But how many people would say that pump has a 15 amp fuse and the generator has a 20 amp breaker so we’re good to go? Well no it’s not because I checked it first.
My advise is to check the surge amperage of your well and furnace motors to insure you buy the right one (I used a buddies Snap On VOM).
As our economy worsens I suspect we will be on our own and had best stick up for each other to get through what’s coming.
Spider on the Queen’s coffin? Mildly interesting, but not news.
However, the mermaid’s skin color is news because it demonstrates the racism of anti-whiteness. Our culture is being divided daily by racial silliness. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Ariel being depicted by a white girl. It’s a story written by a white man in a white culture. Conversely, I think it would be offensive to portray Moana, Mulan, Pocahantas, etc. as white girls. Woke corporations are fanning the flames of race hatred. This has more to do with my life than what’s going on in Europe and Asia. While those events are likely important, there’s little to nothing that I can do about them, except call one of my feckless senators.
News is a conundrum. I agree that it’s important to know what’s going on, if for no other reason than to prepare. It’s important to have as many facts as is reasonable, to be able to talk with those in our area about future consequences. But this modern world of constant news updates seems designed to overwhelm us and anesthetize us he o do-nothing overload.
Finding the balance. Therein lies the rub.
They installed Joe Bidet in so they could essentially take the USA, out of the Kingmaking game completely. They are now plotting on how to best destroy the US and carve up the spoils of their efforts.
Because the conservatives are such puss weazils in the US, they will do NOTHING but sit back cry, and let the country destroy it’self, saying they have a 2nd amendment, but the world knows full well, they are too cowardly to use it. But you just wait, Im sure some snazzy memes are in the makings as we speak !!
The United States, besides for getting fat, lazy, arrogant, DUMB, and entitled, it’s next biggest problem is, they are all waiting for someone ELSE to take care of things FOR them. Oh in 2024 Trump will fix it, THIS will fix it, THAT will fix it. they are firmly in denial about the fact that no. NOBODY WILL FIX A F$^&*(@ THING !! YOU NEED TO FIX IT !!! People don’t want to actually have to do any work themselves, oh heavens oh MY !!!
The US needs a good few decades of genuine Venezuela like pain and suffering. Let these disgusting Mils and Z’s see and maybe one day UNDERSTAND… what they are throwing all away. That might wake them out of their self entitled drunken self absorbed stupor. If not, well it was a good experiment, but, it ended as predicted, it always does.
AA Ron, we “…conservative puss weazils…” don’t know what to do in spite of the 2nd Amendment because you haven’t given us any guidance. Why don’t you reveal to us just exactly what it is that we need to do, so we can save our country and earn back your precious respect…
Well, there was a orchestrated effort by big tech, DNC insiders, and a whole lot of money to oust Trump, so much so Time magazine even ran an article on it after the election. A poll showed 16% of voters would of changed their vote had they known more about the Hunter Biden laptop.
The Biden admin is made up of a bunch of former Obama apparatchiks. They seem to have thought it would be like the good ol days with Biden. Not so much. Who is in charge looks more like rule by committee where no one actually is really in charge or takes responsibility. We have seen that in the government at various levels e.g. the Afghanistan withdraw. If anything they seem to be doing the ‘fake it till you make it!’ style of leadership. And they are not making it.
So, there is no one carving up the spoils as they are just as dependent on the wheels staying on the cart as everyone else is. That Zukerburger guy just lost some 71 billion in the stock market. Poof! Gone! What many do not realize that the top 10% elite’s wealth, a lot of it is in vaperware.
Conservatives eh? Seems to be a whole bunch of them did not sit back, but rather said, “no” to the jab. A few states did not lockdown. Others reopened their states when the science supported the reality of the situation. Was not Neanderthal thinking either. Nor was there a “. . . winter of severe illness and death for the unvaccinated – for themselves, their families and the hospitals they’ll soon overwhelm,” (Biden).
No one is going to fix anything. The US is in a hole that has been years if not decades of bad policy making by, guess who? The government. There is no fixing that. It is all going to go kersplat. Maybe with a whimper. Maybe with a bang. Will it be a cold and hungry winter that sets it off the US version of the Arab Spring? Or someone shoots someone else somewhere over something truly dumb? Who knows. But that is why we are preppers.
Looking around, it is not just limited to the US either. The US could very well take down the UK and the EU too. Of course their own bad policy making could just as well as be their own undoing. I noted a German politician and Spanish politician said something to the effect of the age of abundance is over.
May you live in interesting times indeed.
A A Ron,
To carry on Leonard’s comment, what is it you have done? How much do you weight? Can you run a 5k in 24 minutes or less? How is your marksmanship? How is your gardening skills? Livestock skills?
We are all curious for you to tells us of your prepping skill set.
I look forward to your response with great anticipation.
1stMarineJarHead: there are other skills that people with disabilities like me can do. Right now I’m in an area where looking out the door all I see is sand and gravel, not even grass. Oh, there are some woody plants that can be used for fire, but not edible. If the electricity goes, the water goes.
Can you sew? Not just clothes, but also shoes, repair boots, leather jackets? Can you do blacksmithing? How about lathe work, both wood and metal? What if the firing pin on your rifle breaks, can you make a new one? I recently took a couple of tin cans and made a wood burning Solo Stove, could you do that? Or how about fixing some plumbing? Or fixing a leak in the roof? In short, there are many ways to be useful in a survival situation without being the best shot (five shots within an inch at 30 yards, iron sights), the strongest or the best at animal husbandry or crop growing.
How many people have half the skill set mentioned above?
“I can’t stress this enough: at its core, Democratic politics is about criminalizing opposition to their party and ideology.
Dissenting ideas are “disinformation” and must be censored by Big Tech. Trump voters are inherently criminal (“insurrectionists”) and should be imprisoned.”
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 24, 2022
I posted this tweet from Glenn Greenwald in another article, but felt it was so accurate it could apply to this article as well.
A few things on Mr. Greenwald:
1) He is a true classic investigative journalist. He sticks to objective journalism. He calls out MSM, the elite, the DC swamp to include both parties.
2) He is a Democrat. They by way of MSM attempt to demonize him on a semi-regular basis (Same goes for Matt Taibbi, Bari Weiss).
3) He is what I would call a Classic Liberal. Not this new wave Leftist Democrat. Even Bill Maher, another Classic Liberal, calls out the extreme left the Democrat party has embraced.
4) He is gay.
5) He and his husband run a dog rescue. Bonus points right there.
As an Independent, I would welcome him into my home, sit down, have a conversation and a drink with this man. I would even make him dinner.
Same goes for Bill Maher.
I think some of the biggest news is actually continuation of old news coming to closure.
Decades ago the Soviet Union (Russia) and CCP (China) drew up plans to defeat the U.S. Those plans included the fake ending communism in Russia, a fake split between Russia and China, then when they considered that they are strong enough, a unified clenched fist to take us out. It will be a nuclear war, because they don’t believe in MAD. They will attack suddenly with nukes. Followed by an invasion. Our military installations as well as many of our major cities will be rubble. Red Dawn will not be a movie, but real life, the troops won’t be Russians but Chinese.
When will this happen? Very likely within the next couple of years. I expected it this year, but the Russians stumbled badly in Ukraine, and a leaked audio from China said that the Chinese were behind schedule in their preparations. Russia is now mobilizing for war, mass drafting into the military.
These are discussed in http://www.jrnyquist.blog
Those enemies had hoped that their puppets in our government, including Biden, Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, et al., traitors all, would have instigated a civil war within the U.S., making us easier to conquer. Secondly that those traitors would have disarmed us.
No, this is not new news. Rather it is old news coming to a conclusion.
I think it more likely that an(or several) EMP will be used to take us down.
Why destroy our infrastructure when you can just kill us?
*** “Learn to swim” is the first suggestion ***
That far offshore, I’m pretty sure even Michael Phelps would be in trouble…