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 by Justin Fincher of Glacier National Park, Montana.  The “Weeping Wall” can be seen alongside the Going To The Sun Road at the far right side of the photo. The thumbnail below is click-expandable. American Redoubt Links of Interest Massive Train Derailment Occurs 17 Miles Northwest Of Cheyenne.  (A tip of the cowboy hat to D.S.V. for the link.) Video: Big Sky Country – …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — December 22, 2025

December 22nd 1849: The planned execution of Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky by firing squad was called off, at the last second. JWR’s Comment: Novelists tend to thrive on drama, but that was a bit too intense. — December 22nd is also the anniversary of the death of SP4 James T. Davis, the first uniformed American combat casualty of the Vietnam War, in 1961. This ASA soldier (of the 3rd Radio Research Unit) was killed in a Viet Cong ambush on a road outside Saigon. — For those who have been waiting, the special 20th Anniversary SurvivalBlog 2005-2025 Waterproof/EMP-Resistant Archive USB …


Recipe of the Week:

The following recipe for Balkan Stew (aka Survival Stew) is from SurvivalBlog reader Greg M. Greg’s Note: “The ingredients can include any substitutes you have on hand if fresh items are missing.” Ingredients Thick pork chops (or meat of your choice) Olive oil Greek seasoning Hungarian paprika Black pepper Garlic salt Ham bullion soup base Turnips, onions, potatoes, cabbage, mushrooms Whole tomatoes Fresh garlic Parsley Directions Sear pork chops (or chosen meat) in olive oil; season with Greek seasoning, paprika, pepper, and garlic salt. Place the meat in a slow cooker with ham bullion base. Add chopped turnips, onions, potatoes, …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic: The geographic population center for the United States has been in Missouri since 1980. As of 2020, it is near Interstate 44 in Missouri as it approaches Springfield. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) The thumbnail below is click-expandable.           — Please send your graphics or graphics links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — December 21, 2025

Today marks the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere and the first day of winter. The Winter Solstice is the day of minimum insolation, each year. The painting above, titled Winter, is by Ivan Shishkin, circa 1890.  Because of Seasonal Lag, even though the days will start getting longer tomorrow, the coldest days of the year are typically in January. — On December 21, 1620, William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims landed on what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest parody meme created by JWR: Meme Text: Note: The following is a PARODY and not an actual quote. Rep. Jasmine Crockett Chides: Some Fool at The New York Times Wrote That I’m “Pursuing A Seat In The Upper Chamber” But, I Been There, And I Seen It. And I Can Tell You, The Floor Of The Senate Is On The Same Level As The House News Link: Rep. Jasmine Crockett enters Texas Senate race as Allred exits. Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And …


The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — December 20, 2025

On December 20, 1917, the Cheka, the Soviet Union’s first state security force, was formed. The Cheka was initially led by Felix Dzerzhinsky (pictured) after a decree by Vladimir Lenin. The Cheka was successively replaced by the OGPU, NKVD, KGB, SVR, and most recently by the FSB (Federal’naya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti or Federal Security Service) of the Russian Federation. State security agents were commonly called “Chekists” throughout the Soviet era.  — December 20th, 1669: The first jury trial in Delaware. Marcus Jacobson was condemned for insurrection and sentenced to flogging, branding, and slavery. — December 20th, 1606, the Virginia Company loaded …


The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle. Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts. Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — December 19, 2025

On December 19th,1776, Thomas Paine published his first “American Crisis” essay that famously began: “These are the times that try men’s souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”. — Some sad news: Gil Gerard dead: Buck Rogers star leaves heartfelt posthumous message. — The big 50%-off sale at SurvivalRealty.com …


Prelude to World War – Part 1, by 3AD Scout

If you ask most Americans when World War Two started and you’ll probably get December 7, 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, as an answer.  Another response might be September 1, 1939, when Nazi Germany invaded Poland.  These dates are significant, in that these are when open and sustained military operations commenced, but they definitely were not the start of the war.   It would be ignorant to think that Germany just up and decided to invade Poland, or Japan bomb Pearl Harbor, out of the blue on these dates.  There were prolonged periods of tension that led up to 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 chart showing the growth of global silver demand, and its components.  It was published 11 months ago. Demand is now even higher. The annual production deficit also keeps growing. The thumbnail below is click-expandable.           (Graphic courtesy of Visual Capitalist and Vizsla Silver Corp.) Economics & Investing Links of Interest At The Burning Platform:  Samsung Just Dropped A “Silver Bomb” . . . Their New “Solid State” Battery Tech Breaks …