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. At the top of today’s column, another dire warning on Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI and Human Extinction Tom Christianson sent us this, in the WSJ:  A ‘Godfather of AI’ Remains Concerned …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — October 15, 2025

On October 15, 1764, Edward Gibbon observed a group of friars singing in the ruined Temple of Jupiter in Rome. This inspired him to begin work on writing The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. — Herbert W. McBride, the author of A Rifleman Went To War, was born in Waterloo, Indiana October 15, 1873. He died in Indianapolis of a heart attack on March 17, 1933, shortly after finishing writing A Rifleman Went To War. — On October 15, 1529, Ottoman armies under Suleiman ended their siege of Vienna and turned back to Belgrade. — …


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. — Reader N.G. suggested this piece at Recoil: Tom Fuller: How an End-of-Times Mindset Changed the Long-Range Game. o  o  o Reader H.L. sent this, from Popular Mechanics: Archaeologists Accidentally Discovered the Oldest Gun Ever Found in America. o  o  o Canadian Food Inspection Agency Kills Flock Of Rare Healthy Sheep, Destroys Innocent Shepherd’s …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — October 14, 2025

October 14, 1834: In Philadelphia, Whigs and Democrats staged a gun, stone, and brick battle for control of a Moyamensing Township election, resulting in one death, several injuries, and the burning of a block of buildings. — On October 14,1899, Morning Post reporter Winston Churchill departed to South Africa, toting a Broomhandle Mauser pistol. His goal was to report on the Second Boer War. He was later taken prisoner of war, but escaped. He recounted his exploits in an autobiography titled My Early Life. — The Cuban Missile Crisis began on October 14, 1962, bringing the United States and the …


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. Today: A Qatar flag over Idaho?  (See the Idaho section.) Idaho From Newsweek: Qatar is Getting an Air Force Facility in Idaho: What to Know. An article excerpt: “The Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho is a prominent one for interoperational aspirations between the United …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day: 

“The powers of the legislature are defined and limited; and that those limits may not be mistaken, or forgotten, the constitution is written. To what purpose are powers limited, and to what purpose is that limitation committed to writing, if these limits may, at any time, be passed by those intended to be restrained? The distinction between a government with limited and unlimited powers is abolished, if those limits do not confine the persons on whom they are imposed, and if acts prohibited and acts allowed, are of equal obligation. It is a proposition too plain to be contested, that …


Preparedness Notes for Monday — October 13, 2025

On October 13, 1775, the Whirlpool Galaxy was discovered by French astronomer Charles Messier. — Margaret Thatcher was born on October 13, 1925. She was the UK’s first female Prime Minister. She died in 2013. — On October 13, 1972, A flight chartered by a Uruguayan rugby team crashed in the Andes Mountains of Argentina, and the wreckage was not located for more than two months; the incident garnered international attention, especially after it was revealed that the survivors had resorted to cannibalism.  


Recipe of the Week:

Reader K.N. sent us her recipes for Black Bean Brownies and White Bean Blond Brownies. She writes: “I use: 1 box dark chocolate brownie mix, 1 can low-sodium black beans, rinsed, drained, pureed/creamed til smooth. Add 1 small egg, 1/3 cup of any oil, 1/3 cup water, dash of vanilla. Pour mix into greased baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 Degrees. Let cool completely before cutting into squares. If adventurous, substitute a spoonful of peanut butter for the oil, or add some crushed peppermint candy cane. You can use a variation of this recipe to also make Blond …



The Editors’ Quote of the Day: 

“You can take all the guns in America and put them in a pile on the Mall in Washington DC, and those guns will stay there and will eventually rust and decay. Not one gun will crawl out of that pile and shoot or harm anyone. It takes a human being, and a human heart bent on evil, to pick up a gun, load it, and pull the trigger. The problem we have in this country is sin. We have a government that has taken God out of society.” – Franklin Graham


Preparedness Notes for Sunday — October 12, 2025

On October 12, 1823, Charles Macintosh of Scotland began selling his trademark raincoats. (Still called “Macintoshes” or “Macs”). — Today, in 1492, after sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus sighted a Bahamian island, believing he had reached East Asia. His expedition went ashore the same day and claimed the land for Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain, who sponsored his attempt to find a western ocean route to China, India, and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 121 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: A Qatari Air Force Training Base In Idaho? What Is Next? A Chinese Infantry Training Base In California? News Links: Qatar is Getting an Air Force Facility in Idaho: What to Know. WSJ: Qatar Facility at U.S. Air Force Base in Idaho Sparks Controversy. 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.  


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And …