Poor Man Survival
Self Reliance tools
for independent minded people…
ISSN 2161-5543
A Digest of Urban Survival Resources
I'm Skeptical of Libra, the New Facebook
Digital Currency
The value of currency is its wide acceptance, and the same is true of
virtual currency. This helps explain why
so many prominent technology and financial services firms are joining together
to launch a new global crypto currency called Libra, including Facebook, PayPal
and eBay.
An independent,
non-for-profit entity called the Libra Association will govern the new network
and currency, which is built on blockchain technology. Other cofounding members
include Mastercard, Visa, Stripe, and Coinbase; platforms BookingHoldings, Farfetch,
Lyft, Spotify, and Uber; and telecom firm Vodafone Group.
Notably absent:
Amazon.
PayPal CEO Dan Schulman said
it is very early days for Libra, “but we hope to enable developers and
businesses to build inclusive and affordable financial service products for
people across the economic spectrum.”
It’s an ambitious
project and also difficult to explain. Schulman said, “This ecosystem will be
enhanced by the Libra Blockchain, a new blockchain that is being built from the
ground up to prioritize scalability, security, and reliability, as well as the
flexibility required to evolve over time. The Libra Reserve, a reserve of real
assets that will back the Libra currency, providing enhanced stability, low
inflation, wide global acceptance, and fungibility.”
PayPal already acts as a digital wallet, so adding support for Libra may
not be overly difficult once it becomes available. Facebook, on the other hand,
is working to build a digital wallet for Libra that would work on its apps.
In its
announcement, Facebook focused on how Libra could help the unbanked including
those in developing countries and migrants remitting funds to their homeland.
But it’s hard to believe philanthropy is its overriding motivation. As the Washington Post wrote
in a pre-announcement analysis, “While Facebook barely makes any money from its
payments business today – with payments and other fees accounting for less than
2% of last year’s $55.8 billion of revenue – some analysts reckon Libra could
change things. Barclays is reportedly predicting $19 billion in additional
revenue by 2021 if the tokens gain traction.”
Facebook said its Calibra wallet would
become available in its apps (Messenger, WhatsApp and a standalone app) when it
launches in 2020.
Up until this
point, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have a reputation for their potential for
aiding criminals due to their anonymity and the difficulty of tracking who buys
and sells them.
In its
announcement, Facebook wrote, “We’re still early in the process of developing
Calibra. Along the way we’ll be consulting with a wide range of experts to make
sure we can deliver a product that is safe, private and easy to use for
everyone.”
It also tried to
allay fears users might have about security and privacy:
“We’ll also take steps to protect your privacy. Aside from limited
cases, Calibra will not share account information or financial data with
Facebook or any third party without customer consent. This means Calibra
customers’ account information and financial data will not be used to improve
ad targeting on the Facebook family of products. The limited cases where this
data may be shared reflect our need to keep people safe, comply with the law
and provide basic functionality to the people who use Calibra. Calibra will use
Facebook data to comply with the law, secure customers’ accounts, mitigate risk
and prevent criminal activity. You can read more about our commitments to
privacy and consumer protection here.”
Governments have
already imposed regulations on online payment processors for anti-laundering
and anti-tax evasion purposes, but at this early stage, Libra partners were all
about generating excitement rather than dwelling on details about solutions to
deal with potential problems.
Bitcoin has avid
fans who embrace the privacy the existing crypto currency affords them. They
jumped on a Twitter thread started by David Marcus, who is overseeing the
project for Facebook (and former president of PayPal), to make known their
disdain for a “closed blockchain.”
eBay weighed in today, with Vice President of Global
Payment, Billing and Risk Alyssa Cutright providing the following statement,
“eBay is committed to supporting emerging technologies that have the potential
to expand global ecommerce and make it more affordable for people across the
world. In these pioneering days of cryptocurrency and blockchain, we are excited
to be at the forefront of development, testing, and learning in our role as a
Founding Member of the Libra Association.”
My personal feeling is that Facebook can’t be trusted
with personal information, why would I trust them with a digital currency? My guess is this is another attempt at
building a part of the New World Order with social media giants leading the
charge.
What
do you think? Of course, many feel the
USA monetary system is on shaky ground due to its fiat nature and control by
bankers/FED…read the next posts for additional insights.
A hallmark of economic catastrophe for a country is the collapse in the
value of its currency, otherwise known as ‘hyperinflation’. Cases of hyperinflation abound
throughout history, with two of the most famous happening in Weimar Germany in
the 1920s and, more recently, Venezuela after the oil price collapse in 2016.
Typically, inflation rates occur in conjunction with
economic growth rates. As the economy grows, it becomes slightly more costly to
buy goods and services, leading to a gradual decrease in the value of the
currency.
Occasionally, governments that are deeply in debt with no
way to raise their income levels start printing money in order to pay off the
number value of their debt. Owe $20 billion in Bolivars worth of debt to a
creditor? Just print out $20 billion Bolivars and pay them back, easy peasy...
The amount of
corn produced in the United States this year is going to be way below
expectations. The
Department of Agriculture just slashed its harvest estimates quite dramatically
in its June report, but some farmers in the Midwest believe that those reduced
projections are still way too optimistic.
Much of the corn that
has actually been planted is coming up very slowly due to the exceedingly poor
conditions, and corn farmers all over the Midwest are reporting that their
plants look absolutely terrible. If we get picture perfect weather
between now and harvest time, this will simply be a terrible year. But if
severe heat and/or an early frost hits the Midwest, this could very easily be
the worst year that we have ever seen for corn farmers in the United States.
With that in
mind, keep these tips and resources handy:
When it comes to stockpiling food and survival supplies,
there can be too much of a good thing. For example, you could buy so much
perishable food that you won't be able to eat it all before it expires, even if
you try. Or you could stockpile enough guns and ammo for a small army, but if
it's just you and your family, what's the point?
However, there are certain survival supplies that you
really can't overdo. No matter how many of them you buy, you could probably
stand to get a few more (unless you literally run out of space). These are
things that have either an endless shelf life, a multitude of uses, or strong
barter value. Some of them, like duct tape or garbage bags, have all three of
those traits.
Here is our list of survival items
you can never have enough of...
If you're new to prepping and on a tight budget, you
should take a look at this list. The survival items listed here aren't just
inexpensive, they could be very useful in a disaster scenario.
Tarps, for instance, have at least 25 survival uses such
as building shelter, patching leaks, collecting rainwater, and so forth. Duct
tape has even more uses. You can use it to fix worn out shoes, patch a leak in
your tent, make a butterfly bandage, and more.
By stockpiling multipurpose items, you won't have to
spend as much money on things that only have one function. This will save you
some cash and make you more prepared...
Having spent many years training my
students to survive unexpected events, I have learned that preppers usually fit
in different camps based on what they fear most. These fears drive their
preparation efforts and define their prepping style. If you are new, you may be
wondering what other preppers are afraid of and what they are training for.
Here are the top concerns.
Natural Disasters
Yes, you've probably guessed that much. For some of our
countrymen, natural disasters are a seasonal concern. Tornadoes, hurricanes,
wildfires, mudslides and snowstorms can feel like the end of the world in and
of themselves. Let's remember Katrina, Sandy, Haiti and the tsunami in Japan.
People are still picking up the pieces... But what concerns some of our prepper
friends are disasters that can happen on a larger scale and cause so much
devastation that a large percentage of Earth's population will be lost.
It is not easy to prepare for a massive disaster that mother
nature may have in store. How do you stay safe when you don't know which areas
will be affected and on what scale? I'll leave that up to you to decide...
Financial Collapse
While many Americans fear financial trouble is on the horizon,
most think that our government will use some new clever tactic to restore the
delicate balance an make things right again. Most are completely blind to the
reality. American debt is growing exponentially; industry is “dying out” with
may manufacturing facilities moving overseas; people are living beyond their
means and so is our country. Preppers predict that sooner or later this is
going to catch up with us. A national financial crisis is coming and with all
of the financial troubles around the world, a global crisis is not far behind.
Social Unrest
While social unrest usually follows most large scale disasters,
many preppers fear that it may happen without a particular triggering event.
Rather, it will be a result of a natural evolution of social issues and
differences. They fear that the gap between political, religious and personal
differences will only grow wider and eventually all it will take will be an
eloquent leader to cause an uprising that could lead to no less than an
outright civil war over a group of issues.
EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse)
This is something that certain preppers are specifically worried
about. EMP is a surge of electromagnetic energy that can destroy electronic
equipment. It can be caused by bombs and by solar storms. While we can’t see or
feel EMP, its consequences can be devastating leaving us defenseless, in the
dark and uninformed. What’s more, EMP will completely mess up logistics, which
means that store deliveries will be stopped and we will be without food for
awhile. What really worries preppers is that a large scale EMP will be so
destructive, it may take years to recover.
So, what do you do to be truly prepared? How do you know you are
not missing anything? What if new threats appear? Join
the United Surivalists Association. As a member, you can take a
deep breath and quit worrying whether you are doing enough. We will keep you up
to date so you can not only be aware of the new threats, but also determine how
to best use your resources to get ready.
It may have been awhile since you inventoried your survival
supplies. With multiple priorities on the prepping front and with a day-to-day
life to live, thinking about advanced supplies or not-so-common supplies may
not be at the forefront of our minds. But it makes sense, especially if you can
get a good deal on something. To get the ball rolling, I’ll share with you a
few supply ideas you may not have thought about yet.
Essential Oils
Construction Tools
I once heard from someone very smart that if you have basic
construction skills and a good set of construction hand tools, you can always
survive. I realized that survival is much more than shelter but everybody needs
shelter. With skills and good tools, you can not only build one for your
family, you can offer your services to other survivors. Essentially, it gives
you a solid, old fashioned trade.
Winterizing Equipment
While this doesn’t affect every single one of you, those of you
who live in 4-season climates know that cold can kill you easily as any other
threat or at the very least make you uncomfortable. You need to winterize your
home, especially since you may not be able to use conventional heating methods.
I recommend stocking clear removable window caulk that you can peel off in the
summer, plastic window insulation kits and draft catchers for the doors. Also,
while you can, request an energy audit from an electric company or from a
builder. They will be able to tell you whether you have any areas with poor
insulation or roof issues so you can make repairs.
Building And Handyman Supplies
I can’t say that those are critical to your survival, but if
you’ve met your basic needs, it’s time to think about building supplies. There
are so many reasons to have them on hand! You may need to repair a cabinet, fix
your pluming or build an addition to your home. You never know what need may
arise around the house and you can’t exactly call a handyman to address it
while your world is either collapsing or struggling to recover and find the new
normal. When I figured out how lost I would be without building supplies, I
sort of went on a shopping spree. I purchased different kinds of nails, screws
and bolts, wall hooks, fasteners, putty, caulk, chimney cleaning equipment,
extra electrical wire and electrical tools, 2x4 boards and a ton of other small
stuff. I get into these supplies now, too and it saves me a trip to the store.
Extra Glass
This may sound silly, but glass can be used in several survival
applications and it’s nice to have a few pieces on hand to replace broken
windows and build a greenhouse.
Your homework for this week is to review your inventory and make a
list of tools and building supplies that you need to purchase.
Freedom Self-Reliance Action
Yours for
smarter living,
Bruce ‘the
Poor Man’
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