Preparedness Notes for Monday — February 1, 2021

Today, we recognize the birthday of Christian economist Dr. Gary North. (Born, 1942.) North is a prolific writer on Christian Reconstruction and economics topics. We also remember February 1st, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana as it reentered Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven crew members. — Today we present another product review by our illustrious Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio.




Preparedness Notes for Sunday — January 31, 2021

On January 31, 1606, Guy Fawkes was scheduled for execution for his part in the Gunpowder Plot against parliament and King James. As he was being marched up the steps to his gallows, he fell and broke his neck and died, depriving his executioners of any satisfaction.  In recent years, Guy Fawkes masks have become a symbol of resistance to big government, worldwide. Also on this day in 1872, American author Pearl Zane Grey was born. He was best known for his popular adventure western novels, including Riders of the Purple Sage, which was his best-selling book. — An important …




Preparedness Notes for Saturday — January 30, 2021

January 30th is the birthday of historian Barbara Tuchman (born 1912, died February 6, 1989). She wrote some very engaging history books. — And January 30th is the anniversary of the 1945 Great Raid on Cabanatuan Prison Camp where US Army Rangers and Filipino Guerrillas liberated Allied prisoners. The book Rescue At Los Baños by historian and bestselling author Bruce Henderson is fascinating reading. And the movie The Great Raid was loosely based on this raid’s history. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 92 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round …




Preparedness Notes for Friday — January 29, 2021

Today is also the birthday of journalist and inventor Thomas Paine (1737–1809.) This is also the birthday of actor Tom Selleck (born 1945), best known for playing the title role of Magnum, P.I.. He is an avid shooter and quite pro-gun. On this day in 1845 Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” was published. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 92 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 …




Preparedness Notes for Thursday — January 28, 2021

January 28th is the anniversary of the rescue of General James L. Dozier from his Italian Red Brigades kidnappers. Tangentially, Colonel Jeff Cooper created a shooting drill in honor of the men who freed him– The Dozier Drill. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 92 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 …




Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — January 27, 2021

Today is the birthday of singer-songwriter Kate Wolf. (Born 1942, died December 10, 1986.)  Her untimely death at age 44 cut short an amazing career and robbed America of a great songwriting talent. This is also the birthday of the late Helen Chenoweth (born, 1938, died October 2, 2006). She was a controversial Republican congresswoman from Orofino, Idaho. — Note that since we’ve very recently quit the Amazon Associates program, the Recommendations of the Week column may only be appearing on occasional Wednesdays, henceforth. That will all depend on how many books, tools, and other products are suggested to us …




Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — January 26, 2021

January 26th, 1945 is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by the Soviet Army. Established in 1941 Auschwitz was a complex of three large camps and 40 smaller camps used for slave labor, unethical medical experiments, and monstrous killing grounds where prisoners were gassed and cremated. As the Soviets headed for Auschwitz, the German Gestapo began a murder spree and began destroying the facility in an attempt to hide the evidence of their crimes. When the Soviets arrived, they encountered 648 corpses and more than 7000 starving camp survivors along with storehouses filled with hundreds of thousands of dresses, …




Preparedness Notes for Monday — January 25, 2021

Today is the birthday of celebrated Scottish poet Robert “Bobby” Burns. He was born on January 25, 1759. — An USB stick update: There has been a technical glitch, because we have so much bonus material and almost 40,000 posts and columns lined up for our waterproof 2005-2015 Special 15th Anniversary Archive USB stick. It looks like it might have to be a 32 GB stick! We should have a pre-order announcement by about February 5th. Thanks for your patience. — Fellow blogger Commander Zero of the great Notes From The Bunker blog posted news that his namesake, Edén Pastora — …




Preparedness Notes for Sunday — January 24, 2021

January 24th is the birthday of René Barjavel (born 1911, died November 24, 1985). This prescient French science fiction author wrote several books with survivalist themes, including Ravage, which was titled Ashes, Ashes in its English translation. It is also the birthday of Tamara K., the editor of the long-running View From The Porch blog. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 92 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 …




Preparedness Notes for Saturday — January 23, 2021

On January 23rd, 1570, the first assassination by firearm occurred when James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray was shot in Linlithgow, Scotland.  January 23, 1855 was the birthday of John Moses Browning. He was the brilliant designer of dozens of guns, including the M1911 pistol, Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), and the venerable M2 .50 Caliber Machinegun. A personal side note: Today is also the birthday of my #2 Grandson. His coincidental birthday will ensure that he will inherit a disproportionately large portion of my guns that are Browning designs. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 92 of …




Preparedness Notes for Friday — January 22, 2021

On January 22, 1984 the first Apple Macintosh personal computer was formally introduced. The memorable first ad for the Mac aired just once, during the 1984 Super Bowl. And on January 22, 1944 Allied forces began landing at Anzio, Italy. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 92 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. …




Preparedness Notes for Thursday — January 21, 2021

On this day in 1968, the siege of Khe Sanh began, as NVA regulars surrounded the USMC hilltop airfield near the Laotian border. Fearing a repeat of the French Army’s 1953 Dien Bien Phu debacle, the Pentagon assigned maximum round-the-clock air power to the region, including B-52 bomber strikes, to break the siege. According to the Infogalatic wiki this was “‘the most concentrated application of aerial firepower in the history of warfare’. On an average day 350 tactical fighter-bombers, 60 B-52s, and 30 light observation or reconnaissance aircraft operated in the skies near Khe Sanh.” More than 100,000 tons of …




Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — January 20, 2021

Today is the birthday of Congressman Richard Henry Lee (1732–1794) — On January 20, 1981, 52 American hostages were released by the Iranian government, following 444 days of captivity, to be reunited with their families. Not coincidentally, Ronald Reagan was sworn in as President, the same day. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 92 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. …




Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — January 19, 2021

Today is the birthday of the late Carla Emery (born 1939, died October 11, 2005). She is well known in self-sufficiency circles as the author of The Encyclopedia of Country Living. (This book was re-released in a 40th Anniversary edition.) January 19th is also the birthday of General Robert E. Lee. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 92 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 …