Preparedness Notes for Saturday — November 15, 2025

On November 15, 1720, pirates Anne Bonny, Mary Read (pictured in a woodcut), and Calico Jack were captured by Captain Jonathan Barnet and brought to the Spanish Town of Jamaica, for trial. — Today is birthday of David Stirling. (15 November 1915  – 4 November 1990.)  He was a Scottish officer in the British Army, mountaineer, and the founder of the Special Air Service (SAS). He saw active service during the Second World War. — Today’s feature article was too short to qualify for the writing contest judging. — We need a few more articles for Round 121 of the …


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:

“In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel. And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there. When they were …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — November 14, 2025

On November 14, 1908,  Albert Einstein presented his quantum theory of light. — On November 14th, 1985, the Nevado del Ruiz Volcano erupted in Colombia, killing over 20,000 as nearby towns are buried in mud, ice and lava. Scientist studying the volcano believed an eruption was imminent and had recommended an evacuation of the area which was largely ignored, resulting in the high number of casualties. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 121 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This …


Economics & Investing Media of the Week

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, video links, or occasional news items of interest to preppers. The map image below, showing Unemployment Rates, By County is from Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, posted for unrestricted use by the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank. It is click-expandable. For a detailed and zoomable view, see: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?m=1wm8j       And here is some related data that explains some of the gray-shaded patches seen in the otherwise low-unemployment western states: Native American Labor Market Dashboard. — Reader T.M wrote to recommend the book The Great …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — November 13, 2025

On November 13, 1789, in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, Benjamin Franklin wrote: “…in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes” — Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, was born in Scotland on November 13th, 1850. — And on November 13, 1861, a letter was written by Reverend Mark R. Watkinson petitioning the Treasury Department to “recognize Almighty God” on American coins. The department eventually decided on the motto “In God We Trust”. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 121 …


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, we look at Russia’s new hybrid mechanized warfare. Putin’s “Mad Max” Infantry In the UK Daily Mail: Putin’s “Mad Max” Infantry.  (The screenshot above is courtesy of Kanal …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — November 12, 2025

On November 12, 1900, the Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) in Paris closed after receiving 50 million visitors. Art Nouveau style dominated the World’s Fair. — Today is the birthday of USMC Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph “Dan” Daly (born 1873, died April 27, 1937). He was one of only nineteen men (including seven Marines) to twice receive the Medal of Honor. — November 12th, 1950 was the birthday of Corporal John Alan Coey (died 19 July 1975). He was the first American volunteer killed in Rhodesia. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 121 of the SurvivalBlog …


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. — Version 1.0 of Elon Musk’s AI-generated Grokipedia has gone live. At first glance, it appears to be a far less biased alternative to Wikipedia. The mainstream/statist Le Monde of France had this report:  ‘With Grokipedia, AI will be trained using the world as Elon Musk describes, perceives and desires it. JWR’s Comments:  Without …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Awake, my soul, and with the sun thy daily stage of duty run; shake off dull sloth, and early rise to pay thy morning sacrifice. Lord, I my vows to Thee renew. Disperse my sins as morning dew; guard my first springs of thought and will, and with Thyself my spirit fill. Direct, control, suggest, this day, all I design or do or say, that all my pow’rs, with all their might. in Thy sole glory may unite. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; praise Him all creatures here below; praise Him above, ye heav’enly host; praise Father, Son, …


Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — November 11, 2025

Today is of course Veteran’s Day. If you value your freedom, then thank a veteran. — Today is also the birthday of General George S. Patton, Jr..  He was born in 1885 and died December 21, 1945. — Today is the birthday of Hugh Everett (born 1930, died July 19, 1982), the American physicist who first proposed the many-worlds interpretation (MWI) of quantum physics, which he termed his “relative state” formulation. — November 11th also marks Rhodesia’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI), in 1965. Remember Rhodesia. — Today’s feature piece is a brief update from JWR. — We still need …


Where Have All The Real Prepper Blogs Gone?

I recently visited the Gun Blog Blacklist site.  One of its key features is lists of gun and prepping blog sites. The “Prepper Blogs” are linked down in their lower-right column.  I was taken aback when I found that the majority of those linked sites are now either offline, or they haven’t had any posts in more than two years. And of the few that are still active, many of those have switched to all un-dated posts, presumably to obfuscate a bit on how often they post. (Which in fact is infrequently.)


SurvivalBlog’s American Redoubt Media of the Week

This weekly item 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. The photo of the Veseth Ranch, below, is click-expandable:       Redoubt Region News Links: Couple Donate Legacy 38,000-Acre, $21 Million Cattle Ranch To Keep It A Ranch. No, Zelenskyy Isn’t Buying 916,000-Acre Pathfinder Ranches — But Someone Is. Flitner Family Buys Bighorn Mountain Ranch Back From Kanye West. As Idaho Grows Ever Redder, Boise Worries About Its Isolation. Send Your Media Links Please send your links …