Year: 2025


Preparedness Notes for Sunday — September 14, 2025

On September 1814, Francis Scott Key penned the poem “Defence of Fort M’Henry,” later known as “The Star-Spangled Banner,” while witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry from a ship in Baltimore Harbor. — September 14, 1901: Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as the youngest man to serve as President. — This is also the birthday of James Wilson, a lawyer and signer of the Declaration of Independence (1742 – 1798). — Just two days left! We are running a week-long sale on all of our Swedish Mauser rifles at Elk Creek Company.  Just until Monday, September 15th, 2025, the prices …


Letter: Writing Articles For SurvivalBlog, by Richard T.

Editor’s Introductory Note:   This kind unsolicited letter was written by a blog reader who has written nine SurvivalBlog feature articles since 2019. – JWR — I frequently read in the SurvivalBlog the need, too often an urgent need, for new entries to the writing contest. Why aren’t more articles submitted? Obviously, it is not because readers of the blog do not have any ideas. Is it fear of rejection? lack of confidence? Whatever it is, if it keeps you from ever making an entry it is not just your loss, but the reader’s loss as well. (I have no affiliation …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: Doctors Have Discovered a Common Trait Among Mentally Disturbed Women: A Deviant-ated Septum Links:  Reddit: I’ve never met a normal person with a septum piercing. Q4M: Any truth to the “Nose Ring Theory”? Is There a Correlation Between Nose Rings and Being Liberal? In a Swiss medical journal: Clinical and Psychological Aspects of Piercing: A Cross-Sectional Study with Special Attention to Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptoms, Appearance Anxiety, Body Image Perception and Self-Esteem. Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — September 13, 2025

On September 13th, 122: construction began on Hadrian‘s Wall in Northern England. — September 13th, 1951 was the birthday of President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan. — We are running a week-long sale on all of our Swedish Mauser rifles at Elk Creek Company.  Just until Monday, September 15th, 2025, the prices of all of our  6.5 x55mm “Swedes” have been reduced by 10 to 25 percent. These are all pre-1899 (no paperwork) rifles that can be mailed right to your door. They include original military configuration rifles and carbines, as well as a few sporters. Note that if …


Men Of The West: We Are At War, by Brandon Smith

Editor’s Introductory Note: This essay was first posted at Brandon Smith’s Alt-Market.us. It is reposted with permission. — It’s a strange thing. I was writing today about the tests of brutality we endure in the Western world in modern times, trying to explain why things cannot continue the way they have been for much longer, when the news hit the feeds on the assassination of Charlie Kirk. I forced myself to watch the video footage, just as I forced myself to watch the recent murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska by a black man on a train who then bragged …


Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day: 

“I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — September 12, 2025

On September 12, 1683, during the Austro-Ottoman War: The Battle of Vienna. Several European armies joined forces to defeat the Ottoman Empire. From the biased Wkipedia: “The Siege and Battle of Vienna took place at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna on 12 September 1683 after the city had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months. The battle was fought by the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarchy) and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, both under the command of King John III Sobieski, against the Ottomans and their vassal and tributary states. The battle marked the first time the Commonwealth …


A Costly Freeze-Drying Prepper Mistake, by Mrs. T.

Doesn’t everyone want a freeze dryer? It feels like the ultimate answer to long-term food storage, your foods, your way, preserved “forever.” Perfect for a nuclear war, another COVID lockdown, or just peace of mind. My family has a lot of food allergies, making it difficult for long long-term food storage solutions. We have never been able to find freeze-dried foods that were a combination of what we eat, and not processed in facilities that process ingredients we’re allergic to. That’s why the freeze dryer seemed like the perfect solution. And honestly, it still is. But not before I learned …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the continuing precious metals bull market. Precious Metals: Gold has mostly stairsteped to a series of new all-time highs (in US Dollar terms) since September 4th. The Gold Bull is picking up speed! Even if the Gold Bull slows down, we can still look for even greater percentage gains in silver and …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — September 11, 2025

September 11, 1297: The Battle of Stirling Bridge. Scottish rebel William Wallace defeated the English. — September 11th is of course the anniversary of the 2001 Al Qaeda attacks on the U.S., but it is also the anniversary of the Benghazi Embassy attacks, in 2012. (Those events were recounted in the Hollywood film 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.) Please remember the sacrifice of J. Christopher Stevens, Sean Smith, and CIA (former Navy SEAL) agents Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty. Between them, Woods and Doherty reportedly dropped at least 60 of the attackers, before their position was overwhelmed. Please …


A Three-Year Window or a Three-Month Window?

As an observer of contemporary politics, economics, and emerging threats, I have come to the conclusion that the last three years of Donald John Trump’s second term as President may provide a potential window of opportunity. If we were now living under a Harris-Walz Administration, we would surely be out of time to prepare. I have my doubts about Trump’s sincerity when he talks about scaling back the size and power of government. Alarmingly, the gains of the DOGE project were wiped out by the huge deficit spending included in the recent  “Big, Beautiful Bill”.  But I don’t consider DJT …