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Saturday, November 28, 2009

Argentine Crisis and current situation

Hi guys, this is week 1, video of the GTA preparedness course. Yes, that's my ugly mug :-) .It's mostly an introduction, I talk a bit about what happened, drive around and show parts of Buenos Aires while commenting on it.

Thes total course includes 16 videos posted weekly covering various topics. Week 2 is about gear and supplies you need to get started, week 3 is about depression jobs an unemployment. http://www.grabtheapple.com/
















FerFAL

23 comments:

Simone said...

Hello Ferfal
We love you - it's very nice to see you after all the articles I've read. Don't say "ugly mug". I think you are sweet (I am a woman)
I understand you took a risk to come out into the light, to show your neighborhood on your blog. I watched the whole 45min in one stretch even though I'm rather busy. This video is an EXCELLENT idea - just like the pocket dump. We get first hand informations just as if we were visiting Buenos Aeres with all the practical details. As always, I like that you are a realist and don't talk about the end of the world.
I noticed there are not a lot of cars
Also I wanted to thank you for your post on starting a small business. You saved me a lot of money because I wanted to buy a lot of stuff at the start but now I realized it is better to do as you said - that is start from home and after some years, if I do well then I invest in equipment.
Thank you Ferfal, we appreciate your intelligence, your common sense and what you do and for us to explain all those things.

Dan said...

Thank you for taking the time to make this video, FerFAL, it helps me better understand the problems you deal with there.

It was nice to see a face behind the writing too :)

I wish you and your family all the best.

Patrick said...

I saw that villa at 23:02 from the highway, and there's another one just like it not fifteen blocks from where I live in one of the most posh parts of town. But I'd take this kind of chaos over a government gulag any time. Good video.

FerFAL said...

Thanks guys!
Thanks Simone, you're too nice! :-)

FerFAL

Unknown said...

Excellent Video Fernando. Quick comment the video player is pretty slow loading for me. I was wondering if you could link us to another source of the video. The video started to pause and buffer after 10 minutes. Thank you

Cheers.

Anonymous said...

I don't see any video. There's a big blank space, in Safari and Firefox. Are you using Vimeo? Youtube?

Loquisimo said...

I really need to buy a used camcorder and film what it's like here in Sacramento and Stockton. It's not all that different from Argentina, minus the shantytowns and the illegal markets. I need to film the dead parks, the houses abandoned from the foreclosure crisis, the market where purses are stolen by high school students, and much more. Did you use a tripod of some sort to stabilize the camera while you drove, Fernando?

George Donnelly said...

I abhor that "Whatever-God-Wants" attitude as well. Drives me nuts when speaking with Colombian friends and family.

I remember when they limited the ATM withdrawals. I was so shocked I - I didn't think the government could do that!

In Colombia, the rich have escaped into high rises and/or high elevation areas Medellin and other places. Houses right on the street like that are increasingly being replaced with apartment towers.

Folks routinely run red lights at night in Medellin as well. Hehe.

Are you opposed to folks squatting like you showed? More power to them, I say.

You don't see as many cops in Colombian cities. I think either they are out fighting the insurgencies or too lazy and corrupt to fight crime in any significant way.

Good stuff! Thanks so much for making and sharing this video.

Jedi said...

Hey guys,

It's Luke from GTA. I'm in the process of uploading Week 1 to YouTube. Since there's a 10 minute limit, I have to upload it in 5 parts. Part 1 is already up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po6Dam_HQzw

@Jason

I'm sorry you're having problems with the video loading. The file version we used was actually rendered as a "Fastloading" file in order to prevent the buffering problem. The video itself is hosted on an Amazon server through S3 for even faster streaming. I'm really not sure what else we can do to make it faster, other than lower the quality/bitrate. Once I get all of it on YouTube, I'm sure that will work for you.

@Anonymous

We used JW Player, and the video is hosted on our Amazon S3 server. I'm using FireFox and can see the video just fine. I don't have access to Safari, so I can't test it there. Hopefully the YouTube versions will work for you.

Once everyone is able to finally view Week 1, please stop by here and/or the GTA forum and let Fernando and I know what you think.

Anonymous said...

After reading virtually everything you've written since 2005, it's good to put a face behind the writings. Your original long post back in 2005 set my family on the preparedness road. We could see the economy was unsustainable in the US due to the real estate bubble.

After seeing your video, its like meeting a long lost good friend for the first time. Just to let you know, your video has finally prompted me to ask my wife to get it as a Christmas present.

Take care my good friend and kudos to you.

EN said...

Thanks. Your approach is much appreciated. Life goes on.

Anonymous said...

Gracias. Ya tengo que planear mas. No tengo basante plans para la basura y los perros.

FerFAL said...

Thanks guys, I really appreaciate all the comments and support.

Fer

Anonymous said...

It would be nice to see some of this stuff outside the car......It would be alot more clear and easier to see and follow....

-Junker

Anonymous said...

Ferfal- what is the worst crime you have ever witnessed?

-Junker

Marvin H said...

Hey Ferfal,

Thanks for sharing the video, interesting to see what things are like in your corner of the world. It must have been a little tricky driving & videoing. I have been making preparations for a few years now (started after watching the documentary 'End of Suburbia'). Curious to know if you believe in peak oil? I know a lot of the preparations a person could do for peak oil would benefit when the financial world implodes as well.

Anonymous said...

Ferfal,
I enjoyed week one. Thank you. It's good to associate a face with a name!
Looking forward to the coming weeks. Take Care and be safe.

SeattleBeaver said...

Watched all that and enjoyed it. Looks very much like the parts of Mexico I've been through, better actually. I could live there if I had to. Probably coming to mainstream USA soon enough given the path we are on.

Anonymous said...

Sad thing is parts of Philadelphia, PA look way worse, and we haven't hit bottom yet.
Thanks for all your effort. Very interesting

BulgarWheat said...

FerFAL, I cross post your stuff over at my regular blog. This was a very interesting film that you showed. Very informative!

May GOD watch over you and your family!

FerFAL said...

Hi guys, thanks a lot.

I dont get out and walk through the shacks in the settlement because its frankly a pretty stupid idea.
Its extremly poor people that have nothing at all, and they dont appreciate someone filming their misery. Its also not safe becuase a lot of thugs and thives live there.
I'm sorry, but thats as far as I'll go into doing stupid things.

FerFAL

Uncle George said...

FerFal,

You did a great job on the first video. I have followed your writing for a few years on different boards. Your book was very informative. The reminder that economic chaos does not mean the end of the world is needed. So many I see who are into survival, are planning for an apocalyptic event, not a mere economic crash.
I look forward to the next installment. One of my daughters is your age, so your perspective on how things work out for you with a young family will be helpful for her and her family.

Keep up all the good information on your blog and the videos.

Anonymous said...

Good vid. Appreciate the perspective and would repeat what others have already said. Reminds me of life in Brazil some years ago, before they 'recovered'. What my tour guild, a college buddy, showed me is proving more valuable than expected. He showed me the best of it and the worst. Seeing serious poverity first hand is shocking. Your efforts can prepare minds as well.

Cannot agree that we cannot predict an economic collapse. The situation we face to day was forecasted fairly accurately several years ago and gave me time to rearrange finances and make other changes. Gold is currently at about $1,210.00 today, a good indicator of where the currency is headedOne does not need to have a deep understanding of economics to see where the economy is likely headed. Economists are not all alike. There is basiscally two schools of thought, the Keyenisan and Austrians. The Keyenians have gotten it mostly wrong. The Austrians mostly right.

Peter Schiff explains best and in a way most can understand where the U.S. is headed. There are many others who have forcasted a hyperinflationary depression for the U.S., a likely worst case senario. Over several years of following these guys, they are unfortunately are proving to be accurate. If one takes action to protect themselves and the worst doesn't happen, one can always back off. If it happens and one did not take action, it is too late.

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