Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — October 30, 2024

On October 30, 1938, a radio broadcast of H.G. Wells ^[1] “The War of the Worlds ^[1]“, narrated by Orson Welles, caused a mass panic.

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October 30, 1893: US Senate approved repealing Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890.

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October 30th, 1735 was the birthday of President John Adams. (Some sources cite his birthdate as October 19, 1735.)

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Some sad news: Teri Garr has passed away ^[2].

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 115 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest ^[3]. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon ^[4]. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course ^[5] (a $1,095 value),
3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” ^[6] variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) ^[7] is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses ^[8]. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course ^[9].
5. HSM Ammunition ^[10] in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord ^[11] (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com ^[12].
4. Two sets of ^[13]The Civil Defense Manual, ^[14] (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections ^[15], a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company ^[16], toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters ^[17] (a $305 value),
2. Three sets each ^[18] of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC ^[19] that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company ^[16], toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $925,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics ^[20]. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 115 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail ^[21] us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.