Preparedness Notes — September 11, 2026

Friday, September 11th marks the 25th anniversary of the brutal 9/11 terror attacks.  Never forget, America, the magnitude of the losses. See the 2:10 mark, and beyond. – JWR. Today 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 also remember the spineless …


Preparedness Notes — September 8, 2026

This Week in History On September 8, 1664, the Dutch surrendered their colony of New Netherland, including New Amsterdam, to 300 English soldiers. Following the capture, New Amsterdam’s name was changed to New York, to honor the Duke of York, who had organized the mission. — September 9, 1000: Battle of Svolder, Baltic Sea: King Olaf on board the Long Serpent was defeated in one of the greatest naval battles of the Viking Age. He leapt to his death, overboard. — September 10, 1919:  Treaty of Saint-Germain. Austria ended its incorporation with Germany. But its independence was short-lived. In the …


Navigating the Post-Jensen NFA Injunction Landscape

Introductory Disclaimer:  I am not an attorney, and the following is not legal advice. I am just a reasonably knowledgeable individual. Be sure to consult an attorney licensed in your state before making any changes to you gun collection! –  JWR A pair of consolidated court cases were recently appealed and a very strong and favorable Permanent Injunction was issued, nullifying a large portion of the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934, but only for the plaintiffs and for those in a “Protected Class” linking them to the plaintiffs. On August 5, 2026, a federal district court for the Northern …


Recipe of the Week: Survival Cookies

Editor’s Note: The following recipe for Survival Cookies is from fellow preparedness blogger Patrice Lewis. It was first published with many photos in her Rural Revolution blog. We highly recommend bookmarking her blog. – JWR When I put up the recent post on making strawberry preserves, a reader asked why I canned it up in quart jars instead of pints. Short answer: Just about the only thing we use strawberry preserves for is as a filling for so-called “survival cookies.” Back in our old home, these incredibly delicious filled oatmeal sandwich cookies made the rounds among our group of homeschooling …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic is a map showing U.S. Census blocks with no residents. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) JWR’s Comment: A French journalist once referred to the Rawles Ranch as being in “Une Zone Depopulee Totalment.” Since we are surrounded by National Forest, he was just about right. The thumbnail image below is click-expandable.       — If any SurvivalBlog readers have personally taken or otherwise hold the copyright to a particularly nice landscape photo or other photo of particular interest to preppers that is in a wide horizontal format (to match our blog template) then please send it in as …


Economics & Investing Media of the Week

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers. This week, a map showing US Counties by GDP per capita [2022].  JWR’s Comment:  This illustrates the disproportionate economic contribution of oil, natural gas, and mining, in lightly-populated regions. The thumbnail below is click-expandable.       (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) Economics & Investing Links of Interest $500 a Month Gone: Social Security Hits the Cliff in 2032 — and Congress Already Knows. Diesel Just Hit Its Highest Price in American History, AAA Data Shows — Topping …


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, Finland readies itself for possible attacks. Finland Holds a Large Civil Defense Exercise AP reporter Emma Burrows: Finland runs Europe’s biggest civil defense exercise since the end of …


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. — US Army declares ’42 is the new 35′ but millennials are outraged as enlistment age changed. JWR’s Comments: For someone who is in a stable civilian career that allows time off for annual training, enlisting (or seeking a commission) in the National Guard or Army Reserve represents a way to secure “double …


SurvivalBlog’s American Redoubt Media of the Week

REDOUBT NEWS LINKS 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. Washington Attorney Bill Kirk: The Untold Consequence of Assault Weapon Bans. Montana FWP encourages caution after Columbia Falls bear attack. Emergency rescue planned for 499 wild horses in Oregon as water sources vanish. Two interesting backcountry flying videos: Soldier Bar 85U Idaho – Badlands Traveler, and, Cabin Creek Idaho in a Badlands Traveler Bushplane. Kennewick Police looking for third suspect in deadly shooting. Indian Relay …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week: 

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: I Think We Can All Agree That The Pilot Did Not Choose… A Prime Landing Location Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks! Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.



Preparedness Notes — September 1, 2026

This Week in History: On September 1, 1255, Königsberg (modern day Kaliningrad) was founded by Teutonic Knights. It was named in honor of the Bohemian King Ottokar II. Pictured is Kaliningrad’s Brandenburg Gate. (Public domain photo by Jan Pešula.) — The 1859 Carrington Event — the largest geomagnetic storm in recorded history began on this day. Richard Carrington and Richard Hodgson made the first observation of a large solar flare. — On September 2, 1666, the Great Fire of London began at 2 am in Pudding Lane. An estimated 80% of London was destroyed. — And on September 4, 1950: …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic is a map that shows the courses of the 7,000 tributary rivers that feed into the Mississippi. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) The thumbnail image below is click-expandable.     — If any SurvivalBlog readers have personally taken or otherwise hold the copyright to a particularly nice landscape photo or other photo of particular interest to preppers that is in a wide horizontal format (to match our blog template) then please send it in as an e-mail attachment, and I will consider posting it as a Graphic of the Week, or as a Top Note photo. I can of …


Economics & Investing Media of the Week

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers. Here is an interesting map: Average daily long-haul truck traffic across US highways. The thumbnail below is click-expandable. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) Economics & Investing Links of Interest Bessent’s Former Mentor Druckenmiller Slams Treasury Bond Buyback Plan. Nvidia Has Become a Banker to the AI Boom, Putting It on Dangerous Ground. US Tungsten Scrap Export Ban Takes Effect As Global Supply Crisis Deepens. Hub Moolman: Silver and the Dow: What is Happening? From the market analyst who …


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 the emphasis is on China’s latest military technology developments. China’s New Hypersonic Glide Missile At The Telegraph: China’s new hypersonic missile puts US on notice. Here is a …