JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: News Report: Justin Trudeau is Depressed After His Ouster From Canadian Leadership But He Can Earn The Praise Of The Citizenry, If He Volunteers To Be “MAID Of Honor” News Links: Trudeau Gives Up, Gets Emotional After Resignation As Canada PM Canadians speak on Trudeau’s resignation as prime minister Medical assistance in dying: Overview 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 …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day: 

“Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — January 11, 2025

Today is the birthday of the late Gunnar Fridtjof Thurmann Sønsteby, who was born in 1918. He was the most decorated hero of the Norwegian resistance under the German occupation. Sønsteby was the leader of “The Oslo Gang” sabotage and assassination team that was directed by the Norwegian government in exile. They were trained and equipped by the British SOE. He died on May 10, 2012.  Sønsteby’s autobiography, titled Report From #24 is fascinating reading.  It was the basis of Nr. 24 — a fairly historically correct movie that was released in 2024. — Today is birthday of big game …


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:

“For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them. All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. This is an …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — January 10, 2025

On January 10, 49 BC, Julius Caesar defied the Roman Senate and crossed the Rubicon, uttering “alea iacta est” (the die is cast), signaling the start of civil war and his appointment as Roman dictator for life. — January 10, 1776: The “Common Sense” pamphlet by Thomas Paine was first published, advocating American independence. — January 10, 1920: Following the inflationary  First World War, silver reached a record $1.37 an ounce on the open market. — A Special Note From JWR: Please pray for everyone in the path of the Southern California wildfires! It was not just millionaire movie stars …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we examine the prospect of new tariffs, starting in 2025. Precious Metals: From BullionVault: Volatility Hits Gold and Silver Prices on ‘Tweak’ to Trump’s Trade Tariffs. o  o  o Reuters reported on Tuesday: Gold pares gains as dollar rebounds following US jobs data. Here is a key quote: “Uncertainty surrounding the tariff policy in the …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — January 9, 2025

  On January 9, 1855, the clipper ship “Guiding Star” disappeared in the Atlantic, with the loss of 480 lives. — January 6, 1880: It was reported that six feet of snow had fallen in Seattle, in five days. — And on January 6, 1936, the U.S. Army adopted the M1 semiauto rifle, designed by John Garand as its new standard-issue weapon. — Today’s feature article is a guest post by one of my consulting clients. It is not eligible for the writing contest judging. – JWR We are seeking entries for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. …


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 the risk of terrorist sleeper agents and cells in the United States. More Than 1,000 Jihadi Sleepers In The US? Video: Former CIA Officer: There …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — January 8, 2025

On January 8, 1656, the longest-running commercial newspaper, “Weeckelycke Courante van Europa“, now known as “Haarlems Dagblad“, still in printed circulation first began publication in Haarlem, Netherlands. — January 8,1835: The US national debt was reduced to zero for the first and only time in history. — Today’s feature article is a guest post by one of my consulting clients. It is not eligible for the writing contest judging. – JWR We are seeking entries for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In …


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. — Mike in Alaska wrote: “The local climate here is our version of a freezer and refrigerator solution. I took the photo above on my way to work this morning … and it is now dropping even further. We are expecting -45 F this coming weekend. In the summer (June, July, and half …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — January 7, 2025

January 7, 1785: The first balloon flight across the English Channel, by Jean Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries. — January 7,1927: Commercial transatlantic telephone service was inaugurated between New York and London. — Today is the birthday of Senator Rand Paul, born 1963. — This is also the birthday of Cresson Kearny (born 1914, died December 18, 2003.) — Today’s feature article is a guest post by one of my consulting clients. It is not eligible for the writing contest judging. – JWR We are seeking entries for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $935,000 worth …