A few weeks ago I wrote a post here asking if the swine flu season has been cancelled. A Wall Street Journal article has come to my attention which gives statistics about the peak and decline of swine flu. The seasonal flu hasn't even been that big of a deal this season. However, there remains the possibility swine flu could pop up, scattered here and there throughout the year.

            Perhaps our unusually cold, snowy winter killed off flu bugs. Or perhaps it kept down the spread of the flu because fewer people were in public places when they might have been otherwise, making it less likely to pass around communidcable diseases. Whatever the case, we can be thankful the swine flu didn't live up to early predictions.

            Did you take any precautions or make any preparations to avoid or cope with swine flu? It is still strange stuff, regardless of the actual threat level. Are you now feeling hoodwinked?

            Don't.

            The survival attitude calls for awareness and alertness. When a tornado threatens and you go to the basement or other shelter, do you feel scammed if the tornado passes five miles away from your home? Of course not. You did what needed to be done under the circumstances.

            Sure, it gets tiresome when someone cries "Wolf!" Then nothing or very little happens. Nevertheless, preparedness means taking precautions based on common sense. Life teaches us fear isn't warranted as often as some would have us believe. But the wisdom gained adds to our mental survival tools and we live another day.

            Do you believe we can profit from negative examples? I do. There are a lot of people I don’t want to be like. And there are events I’d like to avoid in my own life by not doing what someone else has done.

            I mention this because there’s an instructive scholarly book that can show us both what’s going to happen in the future and, by way of implication, what we can do in our own lives to live differently. That’s two sides of a coin, so to speak, and I’ll touch on both briefly.

            The book is The Collapse of Complex Societies (New Studies in Archaeology), by Joseph Tainter. It begins with an outline of basic principles, then goes into greater detail to describe why complex societies fail.

This book was written by an academic for academics and is full of data, as you might expect. His ideas are worth noting, especially when you consider it was originally written about 20 years ago, before Gulf War I, 9-11, and all that has followed in recent years.

            Why have nations and societies risen and fallen in the past? Tainter observes that every complex society throughout history has collapsed. Among other things, this book shows how blending archaeology and social sciences can note changes in political and cultural institutions in societies.

            How is this relevant? We’ve heard the phrase “too big to fail” quite a bit in the past couple of years in relation to banks and major car companies. What’s really being said is, “These entities are so big we don’t want to live with the consequences if they fail.”

In reality, the larger an organization gets, the more complex it becomes. It expends so much in the way of resources, diminishing and negative returns will bring about its collapse. We should really be saying, “These entities are so big they’re bound to fail.”

            When it comes to nations and societies, they must become more complex by their nature, but they  can’t cope with all that is demanded of them. Inflation, taxes, an overextended military, and high energy consumption are just some of the factors that contribute to a society’s downfall. They may break up into smaller, more efficient societies. Sound familiar? It should.

Some predict the break up of the United States within the next few years or even months. There’s also a growing secessionist movement saying the U.S. is too big to be manageable. The author of the book Reinventing Collapse says we’re headed for breakup like the former Soviet Union.

            As one reviewer of Tainter’s book observes, the future may look a lot like the past. A friend of mine who has this book puts it this way: “Thoreau would say ‘I told you so.’”

            Can we indeed live a simpler life with less money and energy consumption? This is something many of us anticipate. It’s why we’re making preparations for survival. Tainter might say the very existence of survivalists and preppers makes a statement about the coming collapse of our complex society.

            To order your copy of the Collapse of Complex Societies, click on the image of the book below. You’ll be taken to the Amazon.com page featuring the book where you can place your order.

            I’m aware most who read this post today aren’t going to buy or read this book. It may be of limited interest. On the other hand, the principles it puts forth will have an impact on each of us sooner or later. We can benefit from the negative examples of our complex society today. How prepared are we to shape our thinking and lifestyle accordingly for survival?

Click here for thoughts on peak oil and prepping.

            Skeptics say you can see anything on the Internet. Perhaps the video below proves it. The video explains HAARP, then draws a connection between HAARP and earthquakes.

            Is it science fiction B.S.? Is it outrageous sensationalism? Watch and draw your own conclusions. I include it here because manmade earthquakes and weather modification are not out of the realm of possibility. Awareness of the world we live in is imperative if we’re to have any hope of personal survival.

            How much does it matter what causes disasters we attribute to natural forces? Isn’t it important to be as prepared as possible to survive any disaster? How prepared are you? How prepared will any of us be?

            In the past few years we’ve begun to hear about peak oil. It’s thought that we’ll use up the earth’s supply of oil, so we’d better put the brakes on our industrialized consumer driven way of life. Ride your bike to work. Drive a hybrid car, etc.

            On the other hand, some say peak oil is a myth. They say oil can either reproduce and replenish itself, or there are vast pools in the inner earth waiting to bubble up into already depleted oil fields. Do a Google search for abiotic oil, and you’ll see info on the controversy.

            What if peak oil isn’t real? Then a question comes to mind. If oil is replenished somehow, are we using it faster than it can be renewed? Does anybody really know? I doubt it.

            What I do think is that oil is a great tool of control. Just ask the Saudis. Or ask Halliburton whether oil played a role in why we went into Iraq or Afghanistan. How much oil is under the sea near Haiti, and what does that mean? Think you’ll get straight answers? Of course not.

            So what does this have to do with prepping for survival? It comes down to this. The leaders of our country and around the world aren’t likely to give us the straight scoop on the real situation with oil, if they even know themselves. But there will be plenty of hype, you can be sure. We’ll keep hearing plenty about global warming, climate change, overpopulation, etc.

Leaders won't tell us what's really going on, whatever they may know, because they don't want to upset the fruit basket, so to speak. Remember the car company after 9-11 who said to keep America rolling? That's the same idea here. Keep doing your normal thing. No need to prepare beyond a 72 hour kit. Nothing's wrong that can't be fixed, etc., etc.

If you believe that, how did you get to this blog in the first place?

            Since you’re here, I assume you’re at least aware of the need to be prepared for disasters calamity, or simply the need to be prudent in tough times.

            There will come a time when we will either run too low on oil to sustain life as we know it, or access to oil will be withheld, causing deprivation and drastic change. Perhaps we’ll have a giant electromagnetic pulse (EMP) or nuclear war that will set us back. If you look into the prophetic book of Revelation in the Scriptures, you see battles fought using horses. That’s not the mark of a petroleum based industrial world.

            If you’re preparing for survival, keep doing it. Don’t be misled by whatever the hype of the day is about oil. I don’t know what will happen, but I’m certain life will not always go on as we now know it. Be ready to protect yourself and your family. Think survival!

            It’s a subject we don’t like to think about, but dealing with our own human waste in time of disaster or collapse poses a real problem. The book that addresses this subject in a practical way is this week’s DestinySurvival Amazon Pick of the Week. It’s The Humanure Handbook: A Guide to Composting Human Manure, Third Edition, by Joseph C. Jenkins.

            This subject could easily degrade into moronic bathroom humor, but it’s something that deserves serious consideration in my opinion. That’s because it’s a part of human daily life which is as basic as it gets. Everyday activities like going to the bathroom will be amplified challenges under extreme conditions.

            While recycling our own waste is seen by many as a wise environmental practice, I’m putting it in the context of preparedness and survival because it is indeed a real issue that touches each of us where we are.

The Humanure Handbook has earned 4.8 out of 5 stars from reviewers on Amazon.com, and it has received favorable reviews from several environmental and gardening magazines, such as “Mother Earth News” and “Countryside Journal.” Among other things, it’s praised for its well researched, practical and useful knowledge. And the author has a sense of humor, too.

            Jenkins makes the case that human waste can and should be used safely and effectively as compost. We have our misgivings because it’s taboo for most. However, if a person is healthy, why shouldn’t their excrement contain healthy elements? We know more about our own bodies and what goes through them than we know about the contents of cow, horse or chicken manure.

A compost pile made as instructed in the book will heat to 160 degrees or more and destroy anything harmful. Plus, the compost is intended to sit for a year with no additions before being used, giving friendly bacteria time to do their job. This suggests having more than one compost pile—one to mature and another to be added to.

No chemicals are required. Using Jenkins’ method correctly means no odor, flies or pesky animals.

One of the book’s reviewers recommends buying The Humanure Handbook before buying an expensive commercial composting toilet. There’s info in the book about composting toilets, including the use of sawdust.

            Explore further and get your own copy of The Humanure Handbook. Click on the image of the book below. That takes you to the Amazon.com page featuring this book, and then place your order there.

            Take the mystery out of recycling human waste. Do it for the environment if you like, but do it mainly because you’re thinking survival.

Click here for info on composting with urine, liquid gold.

            With the economy the way it is, some want to get “back to basics” so much they’re making their own laundry soap. I applaud the effort. But it means hunting for all the ingredients. And that assumes you’ve got a homemade laundry soap recipe to begin with.

            If you want to make your own laundry soap, you’ll be glad to know you don’t have to look for a recipe online or in a book, and you don’t have to scrounge for the right ingredients. That’s because Lehman’s has everything you need in their Homemade Laundry Soap Starter Set.

            Homemade laundry soap extends the life of your clothes because it’s natural and gentle. It won’t bother those with sensitive skin. It’s even good for the environment.

Lehman’s Homemade Laundry Soap Starter Set lets you make several batches. You’ll have enough laundry soap to wash more than 800 loads, and you’ll cut your cost to less than 6 cents per load!

Everything you need is included, such as Borax, Fels-Naptha soap, and Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. No need to hunt for utensils because you also get an aluminum measuring cup, a wooden spoon and steel hand grater. You don’t even need to hunt up a container for the batches of soap you make because everything is packed in a reusable 4-gallon bucket with a tight-fitting lid and carrying bail.

            Of course, Lehman’s includes a recipe and instructions. The recipe makes gel-like soap. Use about a cup per load. Whenever you run out of any of the ingredients, simply order what you need from Lehman’s.

            It’s easy to order your Homemade Laundry Soap Starter Set. Simply click on the Lehman’s logo below. This item has been featured on their home page for a while, but if you don’t find it there, type item number 1125325 in their search box. That takes you right to the page with a product description. When you’re ready to order, add it to your cart.

            Whether you’re prepping for survival or are nostalgic to do things like Grandma used to, get all you need to make your own laundry soap from Lehman’s with this Homemade Laundry Soap Starter Set.

            Several months ago Best Deal Magazines featured "Garden & Gun" as their deal of the day. Today they're doing it again, and you get a one year subscription for only $3.79!

            By mentioning a regional magazine like "Garden & Gun," I’m doing something I don’t usually do. Is "Garden & Gun" actually a magazine for prepping?  I can tell you this much. If you’re like me and take useful info wherever you can get it, you might want to check this out.  Besides, I think just the title is pretty cool.

            Here’s what Best Deal Magazine says about "Garden & Gun" on their site.

“Garden & Gun is a Southern lifestyle magazine that's all about the magic of the new South – the sporting culture, the food, the music, the art, the literature, the people, and the ideas. Garden & Gun represents a celebration of Southern lifestyle at its best. Garden & Gun espouses a strong conservation ethic that grows out of its connection to the land, and it reveals the beauty of the South. Each issue offers lush photography and top quality editorial. Garden & Gun is the soul of the South!”

            Best Deal Magazines normally has "Garden & Gun" for $4.69 for a one year’s subscription, which saves you 73% off the publisher’s subscription price.  That means if you miss today’s fantastic deal, you’ll still get a good deal.  You’ll just have to put key words "Garden & Gun" in the Best Deal Magazines home page search box to find the magazine easily.

            Today only, when you click on the Best Deal Magazines logo below, you can get a one year subscription to "Garden & Gun" (6 issues) for only $3.79.  On Best Deal Magazine’s site, you’ll see "Garden & Gun" featured in the top portion of the page as the Deal of the Day.  Click on the picture of the magazine to go to the page with all the relevant info and place your order.

            If you’re from the South, or think you might want to be someday, get "Garden & Gun" at Best Deal Magazine’s super low price, and let it surprise you. It’s one of those magazines where you could find a nugget or two that could be useful for preparedness and survival. For $3.79, how can you go wrong?