Preparedness Notes for Thursday — December 18, 2025

On December 18, 1888 Richard Wetherill and his brother in-law discovered the ancient Anasazi ruins of Mesa Verde, Colorado.

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December 18th is the birthday of Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788). He wrote more than 1,700 hymns.

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Today is also the birthday of Jørgen Haagen Schmith (born December 18, 1910, died October 15, 1944). He was better known under the codename “Citron” and was a famous Danish resistance fighter in occupied Denmark.

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Today’s feature piece is a review written by SurvivalBlog staffer Tom Christianson.

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We need more entries for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest! More than $978,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 122 ends on January 31st, 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Benelli M4 Tactical Shotgun, by Thomas Christianson

The Benelli M4 is the civilian version of the M1014 semi-automatic combat shotgun that was developed for the United States military in 1998 and taken into service in 1999. The M4 or the M1014 is now used by military or law enforcement agencies in Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Georgia, Ireland, Libya, Malaysia, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States, among others.

Its unique “auto-regulating gas operated” (ARGO) system uses an elegantly simple arrangement of two pistons that push directly against the bolt. The system allows the shotgun to be used with intermixed rounds of different lengths and various power levels without the need for any operator adjustment.

The civilian version that I tested has a capacity of 5+1 in its tubular magazine, in contrast to the 7+1 capacity of the military version. The civilian version is also equipped with a standard buttstock rather than the collapsible buttstock of the military version.Continue reading“Benelli M4 Tactical Shotgun, by Thomas Christianson”

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, a new twist on FPV drone warfare.

U.S. Army Practices Building Drones “In-Theater”

This was linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: U.S. Army Changes Tools and Tactics to Prepare for the Next Pacific War.

Increasing Federal Over-Reach

John & Nisha Whitehead published this frank assessment: Government Unchained: The Year the Constitution Lost Its Guardrails. JWR’s Comments: We cannot allow this sort of overreach.  As the political pendulum continues to swing in upcoming years, politically-selected targets  — from both the left and the right — will get snatched up in this hyper-enforcement.

An Electric School Bus Bursts Into Flames

Reader D.S.V. found this, over at The Liberty Daily: Electric School Bus Bursts Into Flames in L.A..

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — December 17, 2025

With the recent spike in spot silver, I’ve had a number of readers contact me about making trades. For any of my current Elk Creek Company inventory, I’m willing to accept in trade:

Generic commercial bullion 1-ounce rounds right at the spot price of silver. ($66.29, as I’m writing this on Wednesday morning.)

U.S. Mint American Eagle 1-ounce rounds at $1.50 over spot.

And, since U.S. Silver dollars contain .7734 oz. of silver, I’m willing to accept:

Non-professionally graded AU or Better $1 Morgan or Peace Dollars at $49.50 each

PCGS or NGC graded (“slabbed”) AU 50 to MS60 (non-1921, and non-cleaned) $1 Morgan or Peace Dollars at $53 each.

PCGS or NGC graded (“slabbed”) MS61 or MS-62 (non-1921, and non-cleaned) $1 Morgan or Peace Dollars at $55 each.

I also take pre-1965 “junk” circulated 90% silver dimes, quarters, or half dollars at an unprecedented 48 times face value. ($49 per $1 face value — for example, four silver quarters).

Let me know what Elk Creek Company item(s) interest you, in trade. I greatly enjoy making mutually beneficial trades.

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On December 17, 1777, George Washington’s army returned to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, for their winter encampment.

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December 17, 1845: German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt arrived in Port Essington after a nearly 4,800 kilometer (3,000 mile) overland journey to explore Australia’s Northern Territory.

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At 10:35 am on December 17, 1903, Orville Wright piloted the first sustained, powered, and controlled flight of a heavier-than-air aircraft at Kill Devil Hills (near Kitty Hawk), North Carolina. The flight lasted 12 seconds and covered approximately 120 feet.

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Today’s feature article was penned by Brandon Smith. He is the editor of the free Alt-Market.us website and the by-subscription newsletter The Wild Bunch Dispatch. Both are recommended by JWR.

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We need more entries for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $978,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 122 ends on January 31st, 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Will The US Hit A Deflationary Wall Or Will The Fed Inflate Again In 2026?, by Brandon Smith

Editor’s Note:   This article was originally published by Birch Gold Group.  It is re-posted with permission.

In a system dominated by Keynesian economics the word “deflation” is considered taboo; like saying Donald Trump’s name out loud in a crowded Seattle yoga studio. The screeching reaction you will get is rarely worth the effort of arguing the point. Every element of modern financial policy is designed to prevent a deflationary event. Every central bank policy is designed to artificially drag the economy out of deflation using whatever fiat stimulus is necessary.

Of course, deflation is not always a bad thing. It’s the harsh tasting medicine sometimes needed to correct the many problems caused by bad investments, corporate fraud, consumer debt addiction, government interference in markets, etc. We saw this during the crash of 2008, but the Federal Reserve refused to let the treatment run its course.Continue reading“Will The US Hit A Deflationary Wall Or Will The Fed Inflate Again In 2026?, by Brandon Smith”

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.

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Several readers have written to mention the new Pluribus post-apocalyptic sci-fi television series. It is an odd and somewhat creepy show that depicts a “soft” alien Hive Mind takeover of the world, via a Happiness Virus. In Episode 1, we see that 99.999% of the population has their consciousness subsumed into the collective Hive Mind.  There are just 13 “Unaffected” people, scattered around the world, that the Affected majority tolerate and even seem to pamper. There are just two in North America (the lead character, a cranky lesbian novelist, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and a drunken womanizer, in Las Vegas), and one in South America (a man who is the manager of a self-storage warehouse in Asunción, Paraguay.)

Curiously, the character from Paraguay is named Manousos Oviedo. (Pictured in an MG Midget, above.) Seeing that name prompted a bit of etymology and onomastic research:  Manousos is a Greek name, derived from Emmanouil, meaning  “God is with us”.  And Oviedo is a city in Spain that is usually associated with its prolific military small arms arsenal. It produced hundreds of thousands of Mauser rifles, before, during, and after the Spanish Civil War. Hmmmm…

I found the show disturbing, especially to see so much of humanity infected and totally passive to the will of the Hive Mind, and talking in unison like a creepy Greek Chorus. I see Pluribus as a metaphor for the nascent societal impact of Artificial Intelligence.

Seven of the nine episodes in the series have already aired. I suspect that the series will end with a bang, rather than a whimper. Or, at least I hope so. – JWR

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Reader Tim J. wrote:

“A fellow student in a recent class recommended upgrading the battery in older UV-5R radios for one that charges via USB-C, eliminating the charging station from carry kit, while adding charging options. The larger 3,800 Amp-hour BL-5L battery was recommended.”

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Study suggests most Americans would be healthier without daylight saving time.

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Richard T. wrote:

“Concerning frugality and wasting money; don’t buy technology that is on its way to become obsolete shortly. Buy it if it is useful well after it is obsolete, or do without.
Electronic devices generally have short lives and worthless warranties and are expensive to get rid of.
Do not buy any vehicle that requires any sort of subscription service to operate vehicle features; remote start, seat warmers, backup cameras, etc.
Do not buy a vehicle that has anything on the instrument panel that you need to read an instruction manual to know what it is for.
Do not buy a vehicle that has voices or warnings on the instrument panel about your wakefulness, if you are straying off lane, if there is something in your back seat or if the car ahead of you has moved.
Do not buy a vehicle that automatically stops the engine to save gas.

Keep an eye on the market and legislation; back when 110-watt and later 60-watt [incandescent] bulbs were outlawed, I stocked up on closeout sales of incandescent bulbs and recently sold my excess at a massive profit.

About keeping your wealth in tangibles: How do you find those that are not taxable or that don’t depreciate? Land is taxed, many goods become obsolete. Antiques and art? Not for me. I can only buy so many hand tools. What is left? Very good topic and advice, a lot of things to consider.
And regarding cancelling magazine subscriptions: You can read numerous magazines for free with the Library Libby app.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — December 16, 2025

December 16th is remembered as the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, in 1773. This destructive act of civil disobedience was led by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, in protest of the 1773 Tea Act, which had imposed a 3 pence tax per pound of tea. In contemporary valuation, that equated to an 18% tax on the value of tea. News of the Boston Tea Party prompted the British Parliament to pass The Intolerable Acts (a.k.a. The Coercive Acts, or the Insufferable Acts), which were a primary catalyst for America’s War of Independence.

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The Romanian Revolution began on December 16th, 1989. No less than 1,066 civilians died in the successful attempt to overthrow the dictatorial President Nicolae Ceaușescu.

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December 16th, 1928, was the birthday of science fiction novelist Philip K. Dick.

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Today’s feature article is a book excerpt that was sent to us by author Danield MacLeod. Because it is partly promotional, this article is not an entry for our writing contest.

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We need several entries for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $978,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 122 ends on January 31st, 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

A Systematic Framework for Identifying Real-World Threats, by Danield MacLeod

Many preppers have their priorities out of alignment. From my experience, many focus almost entirely on the how of preparedness—what supplies to stockpile, what gear to buy, or what skills to learn. Much of this is driven by one-size-fits-all recommendations that may not fit their specific situation. At the same time, attention is often focused on dramatic, low-probability events such as economic collapse, EMPs, or pandemics, while far more likely threats are overlooked.

Now, I’m not saying that supplies, gear, skills, and major threats aren’t important—they are all extremely important for preparedness. Food, water, medical capability, tools, and training are foundational, and ignoring large-scale threats would be a critical mistake. The problem isn’t that preppers focus on these things; it’s that they often focus on them in isolation.  Without a clear understanding of which threats are most likely to affect them personally or how those preparations fit into a broader plan, well-intentioned preparation can become inefficient, unbalanced, or misdirected—wasting critical time and money in the process.

I came to this realization a few years ago because it described me. While I was preparing for a handful of large-scale scenarios, I was completely overlooking smaller, more probable threats. That became painfully clear when one of those “small” threats had a major impact on many people in my area. That experience forced me to reevaluate my entire approach to preparedness.  I set out to improve my planning—specifically, to identify the threats that actually mattered to me and to my family, both large and small, so I could address them in a rational and effective way.
Continue reading“A Systematic Framework for Identifying Real-World Threats, by Danield MacLeod”

SurvivalBlog’s American Redoubt Media of the Week

This weekly column features media 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.  Today, a Creative Commons photo of Yellowstone’s Mammoth Hot Springs. It was taken in 2019 by the talented photographer Rennett Stowe.

Redoubt News of Interest

Send Your Media Links

Please send your links to media from the American Redoubt region to JWR. Any photos that are posted or re-posted must be uncopyrighted. You can do so either via e-mail or via our Contact form.

Preparedness Notes for Monday — December 15, 2025

On December 15th, 1569:  While being hunted by Queen Elizabeth I (pictured) for treason in “The Rising of the North”, Charles Neville, Earl of Westmorland, escaped to Scotland.

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December 15th is Bill of Rights Day. The Bill of Rights became law on this day in 1791, following ratification by the state of Virginia. We encourage our American readers to gather publicly and read the Bill of Rights aloud.

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The 15th of December, 1923, was the birthday of Uziel “Uzi” Gal (born Gotthard Glas). He is, of course, remembered as the inventor of the famous Uzi submachine gun.

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A breaking news headline: Powerful 7.6 Earthquake Strikes Off Japan, Tsunami Warning Issued. JWR’s Comments: This was 45 miles from Misawa, Japan. That is the home of the joint service Misawa Security Operations Center (MSOC), which was formerly US Army Security Agency (ASA) Field Station Misawa. Until 2014, the station had one of the last of the operational FLR-9 (“Flare-Nine”) Wullenweber-class HF-DF antenna arrays.

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Today’s feature article is by SurvivalBlog staffer Tom Christianson.

Minuteman Titan Rocket Stove, by Thomas Christianson

The Minuteman Titan Rocket Stove has a shell around the body of the stove that is filled with ceramic fiber insulation. This ensures that a large portion of the heat produced by the stove goes up the chimney to cook whatever is on the grate instead of being randomly dissipated in all directions. Once the stove is hot, this feature greatly accelerates its cooking speed in comparison with a similar uninsulated stove.

With a weight of 35 pounds, the Titan is best suited for use at a fixed location or in conjunction with wheeled transport.

The Titan is fairly expensive. At the time of this writing, the Titan cost $499.95 at MinutemanStove.com. If you have Cadillac tastes with a corresponding Cadillac income, then the Titan may be the stove for you. If you have Chevy tastes and/or a Chevy income, you might want to take a look at the Minuteman “K” Stove instead.Continue reading“Minuteman Titan Rocket Stove, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: 

The following recipe for Yorkshire Pudding is from The New Butterick Cook Book, copyright 1924, now in the public domain. That is just one of the dozens of bonus books included in the 2005-2025 20th Anniversary Edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick that will be available to pre-order on December 29th.

Yorkshire Pudding is a classic English recipe that is traditionally made to serve alongside Roast Beef.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup miik
  • 2 eggs
Directions
  1. Put flour, salt, milk, and eggs together in a mixing bowl.
  2. Beat well with a Dover egg beater.
  3. Put into a shallow tin that is well greased with roast beef drippings.
  4. Bake for one-half hour in a hot oven.
  5. Then place the pudding under the trivet that holds the roast beef, and leave it for about fifteen minutes, to catch the gravy that flows from the roast. (If a trivet is not used, then cut the pudding into squares and lay it around the roast in the pan.)
SERVING

Serve the pudding with the beef.

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Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!