Preparedness Notes for Friday — December 5, 2025

On December 5th, 771, Charlemagne became the sole King of the Franks after the death of his brother Carloman. Geneticists have estimated that the majority of modern Europeans and Americans of European descent are distantly related to Charlemagne, who fathered 18 children. — And on December 5th, 1964, the first Medal of Honor awarded to a serviceman for action in Vietnam was presented to Captain Roger Donlon of Saugerties, New York. Captain Donlon and his Special Forces team were manning Camp Nam Dong, a mountain outpost near the borders of Laos and North Vietnam. — Today’s feature piece is a …


America’s Future Can Be Seen in Spain’s Past

My goal in the essay is to use a well-known historical precedent to illustrate the U.S. Federal government’s untenable indebtedness predicament. Spain, 1500-1590 In 1500, the New World had just recently been discovered, and Spain had just recently forced the Moorish invaders from the Iberian Peninsula. Expanding their army, expanding their navy, and the lengthy campaign to kick out the Moors had been expensive for the Spanish crown. They also needed to maintain a large army to keep the Islamic North Africans from returning. There were also the expenses of building and supplying a large fleet of ships, in the …


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 FRED graph showing the M2 Money Supply, provided by the St. Louis Federal Reserve. JWR’s Comment: With such a dramatic expansion in the number of U.S. Dollars in circulation, there is no doubt why inflation is so pernicious, and why commodities are enjoying secular bull markets. The thumbnail below is click-expandable.     Economics & Investing Links of Interest Silver was shining brightly again this week, as the Silver Shorts have nearly surrendered, following the …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — December 4, 2025

December 4, 1812: Peter Gaillard of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, patented a horse-drawn mower. — December 4th is the birthday of Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, (born 1912). He was an AVG “Flying Tiger” volunteer pilot for the Chinese Nationalist government, WWII Marine Corps aviator, and Medal of Honor recipient. (He died January 11, 1988.) A proto-Redoubter, Pappy Boyington was born in Couer d’Alene, Idaho and was raised in Spokane, Washington. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three-Day Course Certificate. This …


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 developments in naval Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIEDs)–so-called “Kamikaze Drone Boats”. Ukraine’s Kamikaze Drone Boats Hit Russian Tankers Ukraine Releases Footage Of Kamikaze Drone Boats …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — December 3, 2025

On December 3, 1568, Sir Thomas Herriot introduced potatoes to England from Colombia. — December 3, 1944: The Greek Civil War broke out in a newly-liberated Greece, between communists and royalists. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three-Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value), A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping …


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. — At Euro News: Poland is launching a new military training programme. How will citizens respond to it? Here is a quote: “Poland has unveiled a new programme of universal and voluntary military training. The so-called “wGotowości” (mReadiness) programme was announced by Chief of General Staff Gen Wieslaw Kukuła, Deputy Prime Minister and …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — December 2, 2025

On December 2, 1914, the Austro-Hungarian army occupied Belgrade, Serbia. — December 2, 1950: The “I, Robot” collection of sci-fi short stories by Isaac Asimov was published by Gnome Press. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present the first entry for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value), A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — …


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. A brief television news video from Central Oregon: Oldest flying B-25 bomber takes to the sky after full Madras restoration. (The screen capture above is courtesy of Central Oregon Daily News.) Redoubt Links Never-Ending Herd Of Thousands Of Pronghorn Take Over Snowy Road In Wyoming. ‘Merry Snitchmas’: Idaho Saloon Promises Free Beer to Citizens Willing to Help ICE Catch Illegals. Video from a California urbanite: I Went to …


The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“I feel a moral obligation: If I have a firearm, whatever it is chambered in, I have to have like a pallet of [ammunition for] it. Because I’m a very reflective End Times guy.” and: “These are not rights granted by government. These are rights protected by government… you’re born with these rights and our job is to protect them.” – Tucker Carlson, at a November, 2025 informal range session with Shawn Ryan.


Preparedness Notes for Monday — December 1, 2025

On December 1, 1925, the Peace Treaties of Locarno were signed between Germany, France, Belgium, Great Britain, and Italy. — On December 1, 1966, the Radio time signal WWV was moved from Greenbelt, Maryland to Boulder, Colorado. — Today’s feature article is by SurvivalBog staff member Tom Christianson. — We now need 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 …


Writing Contest Prize Winners Announced — Round 121

We’ve announced the winners of Round 121 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Note to the top three prize winners: Please contact me and let me know your UPS and USPS address(es), for your prizes. Thanks. – JWR The top three prize winners will each receive some great prize packages. The winners for Round 120 are… First Prize Winner: First Prize goes to  The Chemical Engineer, for Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge. See: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8. It was posted October 20-27, 2025. He will …