Notes for Friday – October 16, 2015

October 15th, 1859 is the anniversary of abolitionist John Brown’s raid against the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), in an attempt to start an armed slave revolt and destroy the institution of slavery. Although the raid failed, it inflamed sectional tensions and raised the stakes for the 1860 presidential election. Brown’s raid helped make any further accommodation between North and South nearly impossible and thus became an important impetus of the Civil War. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 61 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes …




Surviving EMP: Suburban Circle Garden- Part 1, by Northwest Native Elder

Being descendants of Native Americans and Swiss/German immigrants, my family has survived and thrived off our land for generations. We hunt and gather an abundance of local food– venison, salmon, elk, smelt , crab, clams, acorns, huckleberries, and seaweed– from the Redwood Forests, Wild Rivers, and Mighty Pacific Ocean, and we cultivate our “civilized” gardens and orchards, grown in the manner brought by our European ancestors. Having the best of both worlds so to speak, we have never really experienced a lack of food in our area. The art of gathering, growing, and preserving food for winter has always been …




Two Letters Re: The Harsh Truth About Bugging Out of Cities

Hi HJL and JWR, The Harsh Truth About Bugging Out of Cities was an awesome article. Patrice Lewis definitely addresses the knowns, the unknowns, known unknowns, and unknown-unknowns in her article! I totally agree, based on the same data that she and her husband are looking at that most people won’t make it out of the cities alive. As a collapse theorist myself, if we do indeed have a fast crash (as compared to the slow one we’re currently in), I believe that the current societal trends– the suicides, the mass-shootings, overdoses of legal and illegal drugs, et cetera– would …




Economics and Investing:

B.B. sent us this gem from Zero Hedge: The Problem Explained In 110 Words o o o R.V. spotted this: US Banks Build Defenses Against Downturn. R.V.’s comment: In spite of the title, the article is actually about how banks have taken down loan loss reserves to bolster profit, not about how they have increased the reserves. If I reduce the loan loss reserve, I have to back out the previously recognized expense, which has the effect of increasing profit. So if I increase my loan loss reserve, it is an expense, which would lower profit and reduce assets (loans …




Odds ‘n Sods:

From October 16th to 19th only, Oathkeeper–the latest book from Prepper Press–will be available free of charge, in Kindle e-book format. o o o What’s the Goal of DOJ’s Strong Cities Network? o o o Reader RBS suggested this: Controversies – Closing of Rural Hospitals across U.S. Upends Communities o o o Video: Unarmed black woman beaten and tackled by Florida cops for filming arrest of her husband. When will the police learn that photographing a public event is not a crime? For any readers who do not yet have press credentials, I strongly reommmend that you print out a …




Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The right of the people to keep and bear arms is an extension of the natural right to self-defense and a hallmark of personal sovereignty. It is specifically insulated from governmental interference by the Constitution and has historically been the linchpin of resistance to tyranny.” – Judge Andrew P. Napolitano