Category: Note

Today is the birthday of “claymation” artist and filmmaker Nick Park (born, 1958.) He is best known for his Wallace & Gromit films. — On December 6th, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, ending the institution of slavery. “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” — 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: …

On December 5th, 1964, the first Medal of Honor awarded to a serviceman for action in Vietnam was presented to Captain Roger Donlon of Saugerties, New York. Captain Donlon and his Special Forces team were manning Camp Nam Dong, a mountain outpost near the borders of Laos and North Vietnam. Just before two o’clock in the morning on July 6, 1964, hordes of Viet Cong attacked the camp. He was shot in the stomach, but Donlon stuffed a handkerchief into the wound, cinched up his belt, and kept fighting. He was wounded three more times, but he continued fighting–manning a …

December 4th is the birthday of Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, (born 1912) an AVG “Flying Tiger” volunteer pilot for the Chinese Nationalist government, WWII Marine Corps aviator, and Medal of Honor recipient. (He died January 11, 1988.) A proto-Redoubter, Pappy Boyington was born in Couer d’Alene, Idaho, and was raised in Spokane, Washington. — 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 …

Today is the birthday of actor Brendan Fraser (born, 1968.) He often plays comedic “fish out of water” roles. Many preppers of course remember him from Blast From The Past. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present the first 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 be used for any of their one, …

On December 2nd, 1823, what became known as the Monroe Doctrine was declared by President James Monroe to Congress outlining a foreign policy initiative that forbade European interference in the American hemisphere but also asserted U.S. neutrality in regard to future European conflicts. — Today, we’re posting another review article by our Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio. (Once in a while, article scheduling allows us to have two articles from Pat in the same week.)

This is the birthday of novelist Rex Stout (1886–1975). Rex Stout was the brother of Ruth Stout, the gardener who wrote about no-till, year-round mulching, organic gardening in her book Gardening Without Work: For the Aging, the Busy, and the Indolent — Today, in addition to announcing the most recent writing contest winners, we’re presenting the latest precious metals column from Stephen Cochran of Gainesville Coins. He kindly sends us this, monthly.

Satirical novelist Jonathan Swift was born on November 30th, 1667. — Today we are featuring another review by our stalwart Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio. — Shipments of Survival Retreats & Relocation are continuing. This is a book that I recently co-authored with my #1 Son, Jonathan Edwards Rawles. If strong interest continues, we will try to have one more printing run completed before Christmas. The book is available through both Amazon and Jonathan’s SurvivalRealty.com site. The e-book is available at $9.99 as both a PDF and on Kindle. Here are the current ordering links: Main link: https://www.survivalrealty.com/survival-retreats-relocation/ Ebook (direct) Paperback …

Today is the birthday of writer Clive Staples (“C.S.”) Lewis, who was born in 1898 and died 22 November 1963. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present the final entry for Round 91 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 …

500th Anniversary, today!  On November 28th, 1520, Magellan finally reached the Pacific Ocean after navigating the dangerous straits on the southern tip of South America that now bear his name. He became the first European explorer to reach the Pacific from the Atlantic. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 91 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 …

November 27th is the birthday of both SurvivalBlog’s Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio, (pictured) and sci-fi novelist L. Sprague de Camp (1907 – 2000). — Last Call! Our Friday of Color Week Sale at Elk Creek Company ends at midnight tonight (Friday, November 27, 2020.) Note the sharply-reduced prices. Keep in mind that I’ll be traveling for the entire month of December, and therefore I’ll be putting the company on an order-taking hiatus. So this is your last chance to buy a few pre-1899 antique guns from us in 2020. Our small inventory is selling more quickly than I can re-stock …

November 26th is the birthday of gun inventor Eugene Reising (born 1884, died February 21, 1967). Pictured is his best-known gun design–the submachinegun that carries his name. This is also the birthday Barton Biggs (born 1932, died July 14, 2012). Biggs was a money manager known for his pro-preparedness stance. — Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States.  I urge you to pray fervently today — both prayers of thanks for God’s blessings in the past year and that 2021 would be a much better year than the trauma and drama of 2020. We need to beseech God, in …

Important Note: I’ve decided to launch my Friday of Color Week Sale early, at Elk Creek Company.  It will begin today (Tuesday, November 24, 2020.)  It will end at midnight, Pacific time on Friday, November 27, 2020. Note the sharply-reduced prices. Keep in mind that I’ll be traveling for the entire month of December, and I’ll then be putting the company on an order-taking hiatus. So this is your last chance to buy a few pre-1899 antique guns from us in 2020. I should also mention that our inventory has been drawn down to just 45 pieces. Our re-stocking isn’t …

On November 23rd, 1980, a 7.2-magnitude quake struck southern Italy killing more than 3,000 people. The casualty toll was probably so high because the tremor struck during Sunday night mass, as many residents sat in churches that crumbled in the quake. The quake was centered in Eboli, south of Naples. In nearby Balvano, children were preparing to receive their first communion at the 1,000-year-old Conza Della Comapgna church. The church was demolished and killed dozens of people, including 26 children. — Please keep in mind that I will be traveling for the month of December, so if you want to …

Today is remembered as the birthday of the late Eugene M. Stoner. (Born 1922, died April 24, 1997.) He was the designer of the AR-7, AR-10, AR-15, AR-180, the Stoner 63, and several other firearms. (The AR-10 was the basis of the AR-15 which in turn spawned the very widely used M16 and all of its variants including the M4 Carbine.) It has been estimated that as many as 18 million rifles from the AR-15 family are owned by civilians in the United States, and military production M16 variants worldwide exceeds eight million rifles. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we …