Notes for Sunday – June 12, 2016

On June 12, 1987, during a visit to the divided German city of Berlin, President Ronald Reagan publicly challenged Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev to ”tear down this wall.” o o o The Colossal Security Pack, from Seed for Security, LLC is 15% off right now. This pack is a total of seven pounds of vegetable, grain, and herb seeds. All are open-pollinated and non GMO. Included are their three most popular collections: The Super Survival Pack, the 4 Grain Collection, and the Heirloom Herb Collection. This offer is for a limited time.




Notes for Saturday – June 11, 2016

On June 11th, 1776, the Continental Congress selected Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, and Robert R. Livingston of New York to draft a “Declaration of Independence”. Knowing Jefferson’s prowess with a pen, Adams urged him to author the first draft of the document, which was then carefully revised by Adams and Franklin before being given to Congress for review on June 28. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 65 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: …




Notes for Friday – June 10, 2016

On June 10, 1967, the Six-Day War ended as Israel and Syria agreed to observe a United Nations-mediated cease-fire. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 65 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value), A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value), A …




Notes for Thursday – June 09, 2016

On June 9, 1954, Army counsel Joseph N. Welch confronted Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy during the Senate-Army Hearings over McCarthy’s accusations on a member of Welch’s law firm, Frederick G. Fisher. Welch famously said: ”Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?” But it was later proven that McCarthy was correct in his assertions, as documented in the book The Venona Secrets. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 65 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: …




Notes for Wednesday – June 08, 2016

On June 8th, 1776, Canadian Governor Sir Guy Carleton defeated American Patriot forces under John Sullivan. After taking heavy losses and the loss of General Richard Montgomery at Quebec, the Patriots were pursued by Governor Carleton. Halfway between Quebec and Montreal, at the Trois-Rivieres, the Patriots turned to fight. The Redcoats and German mercenaries killed 25, wounded 140, and captured 236, but Carleton allowed the rest of the 2,500-man force to complete their retreat. This battle changed the priorities of the Patriots, and Colonel Benedict Arnold wrote, “Let us quit and secure our own country before it is too late.” …




Notes for Tuesday – June 07, 2016

On June 7th, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed to the Continental Congress a resolution calling for a Declaration of Independence. June 7th, 1967 is also the day of Jerusalem’s redemption from foreign governments, placing it back under Israeli sovereign control after having been occupied for over 2500 years, in accord with the UN General Assembly’s vote in 1948. o o o We’ve been having complaints of e-mail being bounced back. We are currently working on a solution, so if you are trying to send us something, keep trying. We hope to have this technical glitch resolved within the …




Writing Contest Reminders

Round 65 of the SurvivalBlog Writing Contest is currently underway. This is your opportunity to wrap up your article and get it submitted to the editors of SurvivalBlog for inclusion into the contest. Here are a couple of reminders about the “rules”: You can only be awarded on of the top three prizes once per year. That means if you already won and it has been longer than a year, you can enter the contest again. Those who won “Honorable Mention” are still eligible at any time. In fact, you can win more than one Honorable Mention at a time. …







Notes for Sunday – June 05, 2016

On June 5, 1933, the United States went off the gold standard when Congress enacted a joint resolution nullifying the right of creditors to demand payment in gold. FDR had previously declared a nationwide bank moratorium in order to prevent a run on the banks by consumers lacking confidence in the economy. He also forbade banks to pay out gold or to export it.




Notes for Saturday – June 04, 2016

On this day, June 4th, in 1944 United States Navy Task Group 22.3 captured U-505, a German submarine and with it an intact Enigma cypher machine. This was the first time since the USS Peacock seized HMS Nautilus in 1815 that the USN had captured an enemy vessel at sea. The sub, reunited with its periscope a decade ago, is displayed at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.




Notes for Friday – June 03, 2016

On June 3, we remember those who lost their lives in China in a failed bid for freedom. In 1989, with the protests for democratic reforms entering their seventh week, the Chinese government authorized its soldiers and tanks to reclaim Beijing’s Tiananmen Square at all costs. By nightfall on June 4, Chinese troops had forcibly cleared the square, killing hundreds and arresting thousands of demonstrators. In the weeks afterward, an unknown number of dissidents were executed. The world responded with sanctions sending China’s economy into decline, but by late 1990, all was forgotten as China released a few hundred prisoners. …




Notes for Thursday – June 02, 2016

On June 2, 1774, Parliament renewed the quartering Act allowing British military to stay in private homes if necessary, completing the Coercive Acts. The Quartering Act, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, and the Boston Port Act, were known as the Coercive Acts. These Acts were Parliament’s way of asserting their control over the colonists after the Boston Tea Party and were one of the main motivations for the 3rd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. o o o Our SurvivalRealty spinoff has some great retreat properties, but this latest one is almost unique, straddling …




Notes for Wednesday – June 01, 2016

On June 1st, 1942, seven months after the extermination of prisoners began, the Warsaw underground newspaper, the Liberty Brigade, made the public announcement of the gassing of tens of thousands of Jews at Chelmno, a Nazi-operated death camp in Poland. The story came from a young man, Emanuel Ringelblum, who had escaped the Chelmno death camp after being forced to bury bodies as they were thrown out of the gas vans. The West now knew the horrific truth about the slaughter of Jews. o o o Today, we present the first entry for Round 65 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing …




Notes for Tuesday – May 31, 2016

May 31st, 1895 was the birthday of George R. Stewart. Prior to his death on August 22, 1980, he was a novelist, university professor, and toponymist. In the preparedness community, he is best remembered as the author of the classic post-pandemic novel Earth Abides. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 64 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case …