Category: Note

Today we present another entry for Round 42 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …

I just noticed that my yet-to-be-released Founders: A Novel of the Coming Collapse is now ranked around #2,200 in Amazon Best Sellers. Please stop pre-ordering, folks! Please wait until the release date (September 25th)–which is also our planned Book Bomb day–to order your copy. Not only will you get yours at a better price (probably around $11), you will also help boost the book’s sales rank–hopefully into Amazon’s Top 20 titles. Thanks! — Today we remember the birthday of inventor James Paris Lee (born August 9, 1831). He was born in Scotland, but was an American citizen by the time …

I’m pleased to announce that author Mat Stein has accepted the volunteer position of SurvivalBlog’s Back Country Editor. Mat is a design engineer, green builder, and author of two best-selling books: When Disaster Strikes: A Comprehensive Guide for Emergency Planning and Crisis Survival and When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency. Stein is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he majored in Mechanical Engineering. Stein has been a guest on dozens of radio and television programs.  He is an active mountain climber, serves as a guide and instructor for blind …

Happy 79th birthday, Jerry Pournelle! He was born August 7, 1933. He, along with Larry Niven authored the survivalist classic Lucifer’s Hammer. Pournelle is generally recognized as the man who invented blogging. — Today is the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal. — Today we present another entry for Round 42 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted …

My goodness gracious! Our SurvivalRealty.com spin-off just got some unsolicited publicity on a National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate: One Housing Sector That’s Booming: Survival Realty — Do you have a favorite attributed quote related to preparedness? Just e-mail it to us at it will likely be featured as a SurvivalBlog Quote of the Day. (Note that we’ve already posted more than 2,500 quotes, so please use the Search box first to see if the quote has already been featured.)

Today we present another entry for Round 41 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …

Today we present another entry for Round 42 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …

Today we present another entry for Round 41 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …

This is the birthday of Oregon cattleman David Lawson Shirk (born August 2, 1844). He was my great-great-great uncle. He was the first man to document the early cattle drives from Texas to Idaho, just after the Civil War. His journals were published in the book The Cattle Drives of David Shirk: From Texas to the Idaho Mines, 1871 and 1873. This rare book also describes his later life, establishing a large cattle ranch in the Steens Mountain region of eastern Oregon, and his subsequent range war with famed cattleman Pete French. This is a scarce and collectible book. — …

Today we present the last two entries for Round 41 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. All other accepted entries that are still in the queue will roll over into Round 42. (As usual, we got a torrent of entries in the last few days of the month.) The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally …

For a new hardback edition, I’ve been asked by Ulysses Press to create a new Revised Edition of my novel Patriots. This new edition should be published in October, 2012. Eventually there will be three hard copy formats: a hardback book, a trade paperback, and a mass market paperback. This new edition is the opportunity for me to correct some anachronistic errors that have developed over the 21 year life of the novel. (I wrote the first draft in the winter of 1990-1991.) For example, I’ve changed Doug Carlton’s father from a Vietnam veteran to a Desert Storm veteran. And …

Today marks the birthday of Alexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville (born 29 July 1805.) He is remembered as the author of the seminal study Democracy in America. — Today we present another two entries for Round 41 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases …

I just learned that Jerry Ahern passed away on Tuesday. (July 24, 2012.) He will ne remembered as a novelist, firearms expert, holster designer, and a former CEO of Detonics. He was a prolific writer, best known for his 29-volume series The Survivalist. A memorial service will be held in Jefferson, Georgia on a date yet to be determined. Once again, cancer has robbed us all. He will be greatly missed. Our sincere condolences to his widow, Sharon. Condolence notes can be left online. (Scroll down to the Jerry Ahern link.) — Today we present another two entries for Round …

Today is the 68th anniversary of the end of the battle on the Vercors Plateau, and the sad end of the short-lived Republic of Vercors. (July, 1944.) No fewer than 600 Maquisards were killed there by the Germans and by their Milice lackeys. Much like at the Battle of Glières a few months earlier, the Vercors Plateau was well-defended by the Maquis. At Vercors, rooting out the resistance defenders required the use of some seasoned paratroops, inserted by glider. It is noteworthy that a surprisingly small percentage of the French population (about 2%) was actively in the resistance. (That figure …

Today we present a lengthy entry for Round 41 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for …