August 25th is a birthday shared by novelist Frederick Forsyth (born 1938 – pictured), humorist Bret Harte (born 1836), and the late American humorist Patrick F. McManus (born 1933).

Forsyth was the author of The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Devil’s Alternative, and many others.

Pat McManus was born and raised in Sandpoint, Idaho, so his books could be classified as American Redoubt humor.

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I just heard that Ready Made Resources is running a sale on U.S.-made Photonis Echo AN/PVS-14 monoculars (Normally $3,350) for $2,999 each.  These are the nice ones: Autogated, 4G White Phosphor Photonis tubes to Echo specification, with individual data sheets!  They can be used hand-held, weapon-mounted, or helmet-mounted.

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We are in need of entries for Round 108 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $840,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 108 ends on September 30th, 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 for survival have an advantage in the judging.