Preparedness Notes for Thursday — April 14, 2022

Today marks the birthday of actor Adrien Brody (born 1973). He played the lead role in The Pianist. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 100 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical …




Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — April 13, 2022

April 13, 1743 was the birthday of Thomas Jefferson. (He died on July 4, 1826 just a few hours before the death of John Adams. How patriotic of both of them to pass away on the Fourth of July.) — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 100 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This …




Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 12, 2022

We’ve received news that novelist Jack Higgins has passed away, at age 92. Here is an excerpt from his obituary: “Publisher HarperCollins announced Saturday that Higgins died at his home on the English Channel island of Jersey surrounded by his family. He reportedly was the author of more than 85 novels and was renowned as one of the greatest thriller writers of all time. Born Henry Patterson in Newcastle, England, in July 1929, Higgins served in the military before studying sociology at the London School of Economics. He became a teacher in the northern city of Leeds and a writer …




Preparedness Notes for Monday — April 11, 2022

Today is the birthday of Lieutenant Colonel George Vincent Fosbery (11 April 1832 – 8 May 1907.) He was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was also a designer and inventor of firearms including the Webley-Fosbery “automatic” revolver (pictured) and the Paradox Gun. April 11th is also the birthday of John Milius, who was born in 1944. He both wrote the screenplays and directed the films Dillinger, The Wind and the Lion, Big Wednesday, Conan …




Preparedness Notes for Sunday — April 10, 2022

April 10, 1827 was the birthday of General Lew Wallace. He wrote books (author of Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ), sculpted, practiced law, painted, played the violin and made them as well. In the “Battle of Monocacy” he led a unit alongside 8,000 Union troops against 15,000 Confederates. He was second in command of the Lincoln conspiracy trial as well as principal in the trial of the Commander of Andersonville prison where prisoners had been starved to death. He was U.S. Ambassador to Turkey. And he served as the Territorial Governor of New Mexico. Willian Bonney (“Billy the Kid”) …




Preparedness Notes for Saturday — April 9, 2022

On April 9, 1869, the Hudson Bay Company ceded its territory to the Commonwealth of Canada. On April 9, 1768, John Hancock refused to allow two British customs agents to go below deck of his ship. This was considered by some to be the first act of physical resistance to British authority in the American colonies. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 100 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the …




Preparedness Notes for Friday — April 8, 2022

April 8th is the birthday of the late Ian Smith, Prime Minister of Rhodesia. (Born, 1919, died November 20, 2007.) April 8th is also the anniversary of the death of English experimental gunsmith and author Phillip Luty, in 2011. He was hounded by British authorities for many years. He died of cancer before a scheduled criminal trial. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 100 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on …




Preparedness Notes for Thursday — April 7, 2022

April 7th is the birthday of Colonel Bob Denard (born 1929, died October 13, 2007). He had an amazing life as a mercenary, including four attempted coups in the Comoros. — Today we present an article by SurvivlaBlog’s Senior Editor James Wesley, Rawles (JWR). — Round 100 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest is now underway. More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 100 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills …




Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — April 6, 2022

Today is the birthday of novelist Vince Flynn. (Born April 6, 1966, died June 19, 2013.) His death at age 47 was a loss to the literary world. This is also the birthday of famous American newsreel and radio journalist/narrator Lowell Thomas. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 99 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day …




Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 5, 2022

Today is the birthday of Baron Arisaka Nariakira (April 5, 1852 – January 12, 1915.) He was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army. The inventor of the Arisaka Rifle, he is regarded as one of the leading arms designers in Japanese history, alongside Kijiro Nambu. On this day in 1614, Pocahontas married John Rolfe which ensured peace between the Jamestown settlers and the Powhatan Indians for several years. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present the first entry for Round 100 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: The photovoltaic power …







Preparedness Notes for Sunday — April 3, 2022

This is the birthday of Washington Irving, an American author, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th Century. He is best known for short stories like Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, but he also wrote several biographies and served as the US Ambassador to Spain from 1842 to 1846. — Please continue to pray for the people of Ukraine. The situation is becoming quite dire, with atrocities coming to light. —   SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 99 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round …




Preparedness Notes for Saturday — April 2, 2022

Today is the birthday of Sergei Ivanovich Mosin (Apr 2, 1849 – February 8, 1902) was a Russian military officer, engineer, and a co-designer of the Mosin-Nagant rifle.  These rifles have been spotted in use in the current Ukraine war. This is the birthday of Émile François Zola, a novelist and essayist. He is most often remembered as the author of “J’accuse” (I Accuse!), his lengthy open letter to President Félix Faure, which accused the French government of anti-semitism. — You might have noticed that our primary server was down for several hours yesterday. (Friday, April 1st, 2022.)  There is …




Preparedness Notes for Friday — April 1, 2022

April 1st, 1886 was the birthday of Arthur W. Pink, who died 15 July 1952 and was an English Christian evangelist and excellent Reformed Biblical scholar. It was his meticulously referenced arguments in his book, The Sovereignty of God, that first convinced me of the truth of the doctrine of Election. April 1st is both April Fool’s Day and (unofficially) Molly Ivins Day. The latter refers to this key verse: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1 KJV) — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 99 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction …




Preparedness Notes for Thursday — March 31, 2022

We’ll start off with some breaking news, via Spaceweather.com: X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE: Earth-orbiting satellites have just detected a powerful explosion on the sun. The X1.3-class flare on March 30th (1737 UT) caused a shortwave radio blackout over the Americas and has almost certainly hurled a CME toward Earth. Take precautions, folks!  Disconnect your antennas. Unplug your radios from utility power, and if possible put them and any spare radios in Faraday enclosures. – JWR — March 31 is the birthday of economist Dr. Walter E. Williams, PhD., who was born in 1936. His book American Contempt for Liberty is highly …