Year: 2025

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — October 2, 2025

On October 2, 1535, French explorer Jacques Cartier first visited the Iroquois settlement of Hochelaga. It was later named Montreal. — On October 2, 1835 the ‘Come & Take It’ Texas Revolution began. — On October 2, 1866, J. Osterhoudt patented a tin can with a key opener. — And on October 2, 1889, in Colorado, Nicholas Creede struck it rich in silver during the last great silver boom of the American Old West. — I just heard of the passing of Jane Goodall, at age 91. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 121 of the SurvivalBlog …


Neighbors, Friends and Enemies, by SaraSue

I think this is an important topic, and I’ve been struggling with it.  Who is my friend and who is my enemy, and why is it important to designate people as such?  Should I?  On the face of it, it’s about my safety and that of my family.  If I can identify friend or foe, I can more easily identify threats and make plans to mitigate them.  Maybe not easily, but at least I would know at some level what I’m dealing with.  I realize that my experiences are far different than those living in the suburbs or in a …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column: Some more threats in cyberspace. (Pictured is a data center in Prineville, Oregon.) UK to Require Digital ID for All Adults Over at the UK Metro: Every adult …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — October 1, 2025

Today is the 90th birthday of singer and actress Julie Andrews. She was born on October 1st, 1935. Her name will always be remembered for The Sound of Music. — On October 1, 1942, the Bell P-59 Airacomet fighter, the first US jet, made its maiden flight. — The final day! Our big inventory reduction sale at Elk Creek Company — with nearly all of our guns, knives, bayonets, magazines, et cetera deeply discounted — ends at midnight tonight, Eastern Time. Get your order in today! — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest: Round 121 Begins Today, we present the first entry for …


Writing Contest Prize Winners Announced — Round 120

We’ve announced the winners of Round 120 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Note to the top three prize winners: Please contact me and let me know your UPS and USPS address(es), for your prizes. Thanks. – JWR The top three prize winners will each receive some great prize packages. The winners for Round 120 are… First Prize Winner: First Prize goes to AppComms, for Memoirs of a Disaster Survivor. (See: Part 1 and Part 2.) It was posted August 1-2, 2025. He will receive as prizes: A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any …


Growing Kabocha Squash, by Rookie Gardener

Until my retirement in the summer of 2021, I had never grown anything but weeds, which evidently, I’m pretty good at. However, growing anything else was hit and miss, mostly miss. During my working life my wife and I spent a lot of time in Asia. One of the commonly used vegetables often sliced thin, breaded, and deep fried on tempura platters is kabocha squash, also called Japanese pumpkin. Kabocha is a winter squash with a creamy texture. It’s used in many Asian cuisines. We could not bring home seeds but here we found that we could purchase them online …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. — Wayne in Canada sent this from the leftist/statist National Post: Noah Schwartz: Liberals’ botched gun buyback program may create a dangerous ‘grey market’. Wayne’s Comment:  “Power-grabs/gun-grabs like this will no doubt amplify calls for secession of the western provinces!” Here is related news with some details: Buyback program for banned firearms to begin …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — September 30, 2025

On September 30, 1791, the National Constituent Assembly in Paris was dissolved. Parisians hailed Maximilien Robespierre (pictured) and Jérôme Pétion de Villeneuve as “Incorruptible patriots.” Three years later, at age 36, Robespierre was guillotined. Proscribed, pursued, and persecuted, Jérôme Pétion committed suicide that same year. — On this day in 1938, the Treaty of Munich was signed by Hitler, Mussolini, Daladier, and Chamberlain. This treaty forced Czechoslovakia to cede territory to Germany. — Some sad news: Preacher Voddie Baucham Passes Away at 56 Following ‘Emergency Medical Incident’. — Just one day left! Our big inventory reduction sale at Elk Creek …


Silver: The Big Winner During Debt Collapse, by Hubert Moolman

After major interest rate turnarounds (bottoms), silver is usually the big winner. The reason is clearly explained here. What it comes down to is simply that interest rates reflect the value that the market places on money. When interest rates are high, the market places a high value on money. When interest rates are low, the market places a low value on money. Silver is the best form of money historically, so expect it to outperform during periods of high interest rates. Seeing that silver is the most undervalued due to the effects of the debt-based monetary system, it will …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. In this week’s column, a glimpse at remote Idaho ranch life.  (See the Idaho section.) Idaho This remote ranch with gravity-fed spring water at SurvivalRealty.com caught my eye: Very Private Western Ranch. o  o  o It Gets Worse: What We Know About the Drunk Driver Who …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — September 29, 2025

September 29th, 1668, the English expedition to Hudson Bay led by Médard Chouart Des Groseilliers of France arrived at Nemiscau River aboard the Nonsuch. This was the genesis of the Hudson Bay Company. The company soon developed wealth and influence that rivaled nation-states. In June of 2025, (357 years later), the company declared bankruptcy.  — September 29th, 1881, was the birthday of economist Ludwig von Mises. (He died October 10, 1973.) — September 29th,1915: The first transcontinental radio telephone message is sent by the U.S. Navy radio station at Arlington, Virginia, to the naval radio station at Mare Island, San …


Buying and Testing a Dead Air RXD22Ti Silencer, by Thomas Christianson

When the Big Beautiful Bill was signed into law on July 4, 2025, it eliminated the $200 tax on silencers. This change will become effective on January 1, 2026. Many SurvivalBlog readers may want to purchase their first silencer now that the tax has been eliminated. I decided to go ahead with a silencer purchase before the big day so that I could describe what that process looks like for first-time silencer buyers. I contacted Dead Air Silencers to see if they would be willing to provide the silencer while I would pay the tax and the SOT/FFL transfer fee. …