Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Survival Story: The Tyrant Series

Episode 93: Season 3 ep. 12

In this chapter of The Walls of Freedom, Daniel's condition worsen as the family continues their mission to find help for the small boy. As the survival journey becomes an ever greater struggle, author L. Douglas Hogan joins us to discuss the survival story he created in The Tyrant Series.

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Featured Quote:

“We have to go now. The darkness won't cover us forever."

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Survival Lessons from The Tyrant Series

The Tyrant Series consists of three novels, The Rise, Main Core, and Endgame. As well as, a collection of five short stories, Tori's Journey, and a novelette, Acts of Defiance. The plot features a group of southern Illinois men and women in a world where the Constitution of the United States of America has been thrown out the window and martial law has taken over. Doug describes a time after "the flip" when martial law took over and the UN appeared on the scene.

The Mississippi River was used as an entry point to the United States by UN insurgence forces. Survival and extreme persecution become their lifestyle and they have to fight back to save their country. The United States is controlled by "the district" or the DC area. They are in control of all the natural resources due to executive orders that were truly put into law by Kennedy and Obama. The citizens start to accumulate to a bigger fighting force to restore liberty.

Doug creates real world characters in his books. Nathan is the main group leader. Denny is his best friend. Jess is a strong female character who enters the book and Tori is another female character that takes charge of her own survival. Tori received a big response from fans, prompting L. Douglas Hogan to create her own book of short stories featuring Tori. His characters are sometimes named after real people but their character nuances may vary from real life.

L. Douglas Hogan likes to write organically and lets the story create itself. In the beginning Jess's story is the one that leads you into the world of the main characters. He considers the randomness of real life and includes this intense drama in his writings. He is not afraid to remove any character at any time if it adds emotional value to the adventure.

There are some practical lessons taught in the The Tyrant Series. The first thing is you need to be familiar with your survival equipment and weapons systems. You need to be comfortable with them when you need to rely on them. Think of survival scenarios that you can place yourself in and consider what you would do to survive. These scenarios will help you avoid anxiety and have a game plan when disaster strikes. Know your communications systems. Being cut off from the rest of the world when you are desperate for information, is not a good idea. Survivors will need to connect for long-term survival.

L. Douglas Hogan also wants readers to take away some important messages from his fictional work. He wants the citizens of the United States to stay aware of the growing globalist agenda and the threat that poses to our country. He also wants readers to remember that liberty isn't free. We need to stay vigilant and protect the Constitution because it is under constant assault. Watch the news and hear both sides. Know the agendas behind the propaganda. He leaves us with the importance of being prepared. Have a group of people who have the skills you need to survive.

Similar to Morphine: The Best Natural Painkiller that Grows in Your Backyard

L. Douglas Hogan

L. Douglas Hogan is a U.S.M.C. veteran with over twenty years in public service. Among these are three years as an anti-tank infantryman, one year as a Marine Corps Marksmanship Instructor, ten years as a part-time police officer, and seventeen years working in state government doing security work and supervision. He is the best-selling author of “Oath Takers”, has authored four books in a series titled Tyrant, and is working on the sixth a final book of the series. He has been married over twenty years, has two children, and is faithful to his church, where he resides in southern Illinois.

Links:

L.Douglas Hogan: http://www.ldouglashogan.com/

Tyrant: Main Core

Tyrant: The Rise

Oath Takers

Sara F. Hathaway

Sara F. Hathaway is the author of the The Changing Earth Series: Day After Disaster and Without Land. She also hosts The Changing Earth Podcast which blends her fictional stories with educational survival tips. Sara grew up in the country where she developed a profound interest in the natural world around her. After graduating with honors from The California State University of Sacramento with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, she launched into a career in business management. In her fictional novels her research and experience with survival techniques and forgotten life-sustaining methods of the generations past come to the forefront in a action packed adventures. She has used her background in business management to pave new roads for fictional authors to follow and she delights in helping other achieve the same success. She currently lives with her husband and two sons in California where she is at work on the sequel to her first two novels. For more information and a free copy of “The Go-Bag Essentials” featuring everything you need to have to leave your home in a disaster visit: www.authorsarafhathaway.com

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Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Traversing Mountain Landscape

Episode 92: Season 3 ep11

In this chapter of The Walls of Freedom, the group continues their journey across the mountain terrain with one very sick little boy. Here to talk to us today about traversing some of the obstacles that mountain terrain presents, is Ken Jensen, producer of TheCleverSurvivalist.com and host of The Prepper Podcast.

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Featured Quote:

"Huge pines loomed above them and the gray rocks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains welcomed her home."

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Lessons about Traversing Mountain Landscapes from Ken

Water Obstacles
The method to get across water depends on the type of water you are crossing. There are some general concerns. One of them is being swept away in the current. You are putting yourself in harms way to traverse this obstacle. You may get hypothermia from being in the water. Believe it or not shallow water runs faster than deep water but most of the top we don't give shallow water as much respect.

The first thing you need to do is get to high ground, climb a tree if you have to. Then find an appropriate place to cross. You want to cross on low ground. A place with several channels is better than a wide part of the river. Try to find an area that is up river from a calm area with shallow areas where you will have a chance to catch your footing.

Look out for obstacles on the other side of the river as well. Make sure you will be able to climb up
where you cross. When you look across remember that you will be traveling at a forty five degree angle. Also, make sure you are not upstream from rapids or a waterfall.

Choose a spot in the river free of rocks, indicated by white cap water. Avoid estuaries or areas where smaller water enters larger water. Usually silt will gather there and the river will be wider. You also want to avoid eddies where the water is swirling. Usually this indicates there is a large obstacle in the water.

Crossing the Water
If you are crossing a deep, swift river, swim with the river. Keep your body positioned horizontally and try to stay on top of the water. This way you are less likely to get pulled down or hit an obstacle below the water.

If the river is fast and shallow, lie on your back with your feet pointed down river. Use your hands at your sides like fins.

If you encounter very deep water with rapids lie on your stomach with you head forward and aimed for shore. This will allow you to maintain control while crossing.

When crossing a swift, treacherous stream that is about waste high, remove all your clothing except your shoes. This will decrease drag. Use your walking stick or a pole that is about as tall as you, and push it into the water upstream from yourself. It will help to break the current. Also putting downward pressure on the pole give you better footing. Take small, slow steps, moving the pole forward at a forty five degree angle.

If you have to cross a river with a big group but no rope, you can interlock arms. Put the strongest person out front and they will help to break the current for the weaker folks who cross later.

When crossing a river with an injured person, you will have to take additional safety measures. The first option is the rope option. Send out your strongest person tied off to a rope that is three times the length of the river. Hook it around a tree on the side of the river and feed slack to the person crossing. Tie off the rope on the other side of the river. If you have a carabiner or a rigger's belt you can tie off to the rope for additional security.

Alternately you can build a raft. Ken describes building a raft out of your poncho. You can put sticks and debris in it with saplings in an x and another poncho on top. I had never heard of this method before and my curiosity was peaked. I found this video at ddhammocks.com

Repelling a Cliff Without Gear

An essential skill for traveling in the mountains is the ability to read a map. You should know your map well. You should always use the proper gear for repelling if you can. At the very least you should have a tactical belt that is also a rigger's belt. This belt is made for emergency repelling.

Set two anchor points close together. Usually commercial buildings will have anchor points for window cleaning and maintenance. If you do not have an anchor use a natural feature that will hold five thousand pounds of weight like a big tree.

If you have gear you can use a figure eight or ATC to make your repel easier. Here are a couple of links so you can see what these climbing tools are:

Fore safety tie a s topper knot at the end of the rope and tie a couple more further up.

It turns out that explaining how to do an emergency repel is very hard to do with only audio so linking you to videos is the easiest way to show you some of the methods for bringing down injured individuals. Ideally you should have two people belaying the rope and two people guiding the stretcher. You should tie off with a figure eight knot and a stopper knot. If you do not have a stretcher you can use a full body harness to lower them down.

Ken Jensen

Ken Jensen is an American, Ex-Military Patriot that is knowledgeable and experienced in Electronics and Industrial Electrical design and maintenance. Ken is also an experienced Nuclear Reactor Operator and also worked on nuclear instrumentation. He grew up hunting, camping and spending time outdoors. In adulthood, Ken has spent many years learning wilderness survival and, eventually, urban survival.

Ken is the author of a book, The Honey and The Bee and is the main author and contributor to The Clever Survivalist Blog, Survival Guide and The Prepper Podcast, Survival Podcast

Links:

Ken Jensen: http://www.theprepperpodcast.com

Sara F. Hathaway

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Tuesday, April 11, 2017

WWII Lessons to Remember an Interview with Leon Malmed

Episode 91: Season 3 ep.10

In this chapter of The Walls of Freedom, Erika and her family leave on Vlad's boat and share feelings about their survival story. Here to discuss his real life survival story during WWII is Leon Malmed a WWII survivor and author of We Survived...At Last I Speak.

Featured Quote:

“A dark spot started to grow in his heart. His innocence had been violated and replaced with a full understanding of the word prejudice."

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WWII Lessons from Leon

Before I begin to try to summarize Leon Malmed's story let me tell you that this is an interview you need to listen to. I will do my best to describe the story he shared with me but there is no equal to hearing it from the man himself. Please share this story with your loved ones. The voices of the past need to be heard.

Leon shared his concern for the resurgence of the interest in hate in our world. You can't take the hatred out of the world but you must be vigilant to curtail its presence.

Leon's story begins
Leon was silent for sixty years. He tried to forget his past and bury it down deep. Leon was born in France in 1937. After enduring many hardships of poverty, his parents decided to immigrate from Poland to France in the 1930s. They lived peacefully there for ten years before trouble began. His mother was a seamstress and his father was a tailor. They were married in 1931, had his sister in 1932 and him in 1937.

In 1939 trouble started and there was war in 1940. Leon's father enlisted in the French forces. Leon's town of Compiegne was bombed by Hitler because this is the place where the armistice from WWI was signed. Hitler actually came there himself at one point just to add salt to the wound. The whole town was ordered to be burned. Captured French troops were taken to prison camps. Somehow his father had gotten a hold of civilian clothing and escaped back home.

Minority persecution
Then the persecution began. Jews, disabled people and Italians were hunted. The Jews had all of their rights stripped away. They could no longer own businesses or obtain employment, depriving them of income and social access. Businesses were taken and given to Nazi collaborators.

July 19th of 1942 five police men came and arrested his parents. Caught off guard his parents had no idea what to do with their children. The neighbors, hearing the commotion, ran up the stairs and offered to take Leon and his sister until his parents returned home. They never did. Sixty years later when the Nazi records were opened, they found out his mother was never tattooed. Indicating she must have died in transport or was immediately killed upon arrival. There are records of his father up until September 19, 1944 when Russians liberated the camp. His father's fate is still unknown.

Leon was four and a half and his sister was nine and a half when their parents were taken away. The memory of that day is the only one Leon has of his parents. The couple that took them in were in their forties at the time and they had two boys of their own, one 19 year old and one 17 year old. The family only possessed four ration cards because Leon and his sister were not supposed to exist. During the growing season, they would plant gardens, grow and preserve as much food as possible. They raised chickens and rabbits but it was hard to find food to sustain the animals. Leon's main diet consisted of bread and milk or water.

During these years, Leon lived in constant fear. He and his sister were constantly being hunted by the German soldiers. Anyone who harbored Jews were shot on site and citizens that turned in Jews got extra ration cards. In November of 1943, Leon's mother flew through the door. Having out run the black German truck turning the corner at the start of the street, she screamed at Leon and his sister, "escape, escape!" Leon and his sister ran out the back door, through the field and over a wall. They ran to his aunt's home where they were safe for the moment. She shooed them out the door before curfew. Leon was sure they were returning home to the hands of the waiting soldiers but they weren't there. He and his sister slept in their clothes after that, ready to leave at a moments notice.

Remember this
The war finally ended and the hatred subsided but Leon's experience can never be forgotten. He wants us all to learn from it. Learn about our history and the history of our world. War has deep roots that go back over 13 thousand years. The good news is evil has threatened humans many times but good has always triumphed. We must be constantly vigilant. Currently, hate and division are on the rise. We need a strong America that stands firm on good morals because America is the torch of the world.

Extremes can not be allowed to take over. The Germans were good, smart people. They preached liberty and freedom but they were still overwhelmed when Hitler came into power. Hitler targeted the Jews so that no one would point the finger at him, a symbol of hatred for all to embrace. The truth is Hitler slaughtered Jews but he also slaughtered anyone else who stood in his way. He would not have stopped with the Jews. His hatred would have been redirected and then where does it stop. Leon warns that we have to be very careful about what we do because people are hungry for power in one form or another.

Leon feels that it is a good idea to know how to garden, preserve and store food but feels that a war now-a-days would be a very fast war. He indicates his feeling that it would be total inhalation through atomic war and doesn't like the prospect of living a life after that. Being aware and vigilant now will save us from this type of future.

People seem to be reverting to a very immature mindset where they do not understand that it is okay to disagree, debate solutions and still remain friends. This type of attitude leads to war. Seventy million people died as a result of WWII and millions more were directly or indirectly affected as a result of those seventy million people lost.

War has also been used as a way to energize economies and create jobs. We must be careful that in times of economic downturn we do not allow war to become an answer.

Independent American Network, IAN

Leon Malmed

"My parents were born in Poland. They immigrated to France in 1931 to get away from the programs, the anti-Semitism, the hatred of the general population and from a bleak life with no future. They married shortly after their arrival in France. For 11 years they lived a happy in Compiègne, a town of about 20,000 people, 45 miles north of Paris. My father was a tailor and my mother a seamstress. My sister Rachel was born in 1932 and myself in 1937.

WWII was declared on September 3rd of 1939. Though, our father was still a Polish citizen, he immediately enlisted in the French army and was sent to the front. France surrendered three weeks after the beginning of the hostilities. All soldiers caught in uniform were taken prisoner. They spent the next 5 years in German prison camps. Our father who was able to change in civilian clothes escaped and rejoined us.

July 19, 1942 at 5AM, two French policemen knocked at the door of our apartment and asked our parents to follow them to the Police station. No reason is given. “What about our children?” our parents ask hysterically. Our parents were still Polish citizen. My sister and I were French citizens having been borne if France. The commotion wakes up our neighbors, the Ribouleau family, from the floor below. They quickly come up the flight of stairs to see what the noise is all about. Monsieur Ribouleau, our 2^nd floor neighbor, we hardly knew, said: “Mr. and Mrs. Malmed, do not worry, we will take care of your children until you return”.

These few words saved our lives.

Years later we found our parents were sent to Drancy and then to Auschwitz. Our mother either died in transport and or was gassed on arrival. His father was alive in 1944 but no other clue as to what happened to him. For two years we lived with the Ribouleau family. This couple put their lives and the lives of their two sons, René, 20 and Marcel, 17, in mortal danger. We escaped roundups and endured many hardships. When the war was over I was almost 8 years old." -Leon Malmed

Links:

Leon Malmed: http://www.leonmalmed.com

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Sara F. Hathaway

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Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Herbal Answers to Everyday Ailments

Episode 90: Season 3 ep.9

In the The Walls of Freedom story, Toni attempts to help Daniel to feel better using herbal remedies. The Changing Earth Podcast is honored to welcome Cat Ellis back to this season. Cat is an herbologist and the author of the book Prepper's Natural Medicine and Prepping for a Pandemic.

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Featured Quote:

“She didn't even care if it was a trap at this point, she just wanted her son back."

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Herbal Answers from Cat

Cat is not a doctor and she can not give medical advice, says the government but she has been an herbologist for many years and has made many observations over that time period. She shares those observations with us today as a suggestion of care and neither she nor I are in any way responsible for what you decide to do with that knowledge. Keep in mind that the herbal remedy recommended can be as varied as the cause of the problem itself. Today Cat is giving us simple go to herbs for many of the common ailments we face. When the shelves are empty in the pharmacy we will need different ways to improve our health and comfort sick bodies.

Tummy Aches
There are many different things that can cause upset stomachs, from intestinal infections to morning sickness. Here are some herbs that will help sooth those upset stomachs:

Peppermint - When growing your own peppermint you have to keep it contained; otherwise it will take over your whole herb garden. This herb tends to be a well received flavor but if you prefer spearmint over peppermint you can use it as a replacement. However, spearmint won't have the same potency as peppermint. Peppermint treats nausea from many different sources. It calms intestinal spasms and even the smell can help to sooth that nauseous tummy. You can use it in culinary applications, have it as a tea or utilize the essential oil. Possessing this herb in the essential oil form makes it highly portable and a suggested herb for your first aid kit. Also if you make your own essential oils, peppermint has a very high oil yield.

Ginger - Ginger is very good at soothing an upset tummy. Raw ginger can be too hot for children and sensitive pallets. Candied ginger is sometimes a better fit. Candied ginger is portable and won't go bad. It is another must for your herbal first aid kit.

Red Raspberry Leaf - Is a nausea treatment that is safe for pregnant women and kids too. An astringent made from red raspberry leaves will contain very low levels of tannin and is used to treat diarrhea caused by intestinal issues. Tannin is useful for pulling cells together to relieve pain and calm diarrhea.

Marshmallow

Chamomile

If you have a nervous stomach (who wouldn't in an SHTF situation?), bitters are always helpful. Americans have removed a lot of bitter flavors from our diets making the flavor strange at first. Once you get used to it, you acquire a taste for them. Examples:

Picture courtesy of: herb-magic.com

Angelica Root - a mild bitter


Picture courtesy of: survivingglobalrecession.com

Gentian - a supreme bitter

Cat has additional information in her book Prepper's Natural Medicine on how to treat water borne illnesses with herbs.

Respiratory Ailments
There are some herbs that are very effective at assisting the body fight an influenza infection.

Elderberry - This plant grows in a wide area throughout North America. There is a good body of research supporting this plant's effectiveness as stimulating the immune system. You can buy it raw, find a bush or plant a bush for cost effectiveness. It is available commercially as "Sambucol" but is usually rather expensive.

Cayenne - This pepper has anti-inflamatory properties and takes away swelling in mucus membranes. It becomes an effective cough syrup when mixed with lemon or apple cider vinegar. Cat suggests growing your own dwarf trees to produce your own lemons and limes indoors or in a small green house. Here is directions on making instant Fire Cider a traditional cold remedy.

Thyme

Juniper

Both Thyme and Juniper are anti-microbial herbs. Use them in a steam of boiling water. Let them steep by putting a plate over the bowl to bring the oils out. Then put a towel over your head and breath deeply to get them into your tissues. You can add a touch of peppermint or cayenne to make it more powerful.

Anise - can be added to brandy to make an elixir.

Picture from: chinese-herbs.org

Codonopsis - is another herbal option. This plant is an expectorant and will make your cough more productive.

Lobelia - is very good for a spasmatic cough. You should only take this herb in a tincture and you don't need a lot. Do not take it in a tea as it induces vomiting in large doses, unless you want to induce vomiting. Use this any time you have severe muscle spasms. This herb is also used to treat asthma, and in worst case scenarios it has been used to treat anaphylaxis.

Picture from: healthworldjournal.com

Cramp Bark - is an alternative to Lobelia. It is not as strong but still an effective anti-spasmatic.

Grendellia - is another expectorant and well help with spasmatic coughing.

Hyssop - can be used to make a traditional herbal cough medicine known as "herbal tussin"

Pain

The remedies for pain will be as varied as the cause so Cat gave some suggestions for broad pain killers, including:


Wintergreen Picture from: identifythatplant.com

All of the above herbs are a natural source of salicin which has been synthesized to make Aspirin. White Willow is probably the most commonly known. Meadowsweet used to be used in mead making, a honey wine, to flavor the drought. They can all be made into a medicinal alcohol which can be very effective at reducing pain. I was suprised when I was searching for what a Wintergreen plant actually looked like. It produces little bell flowers that are very pretty. For a birch application you would be harvesting bark same way you do with the white willow. Do not take any of the above herbal treatments if you have an allergy to Aspirin.

Arnica - is good for blunt force traumas, bruises, strains, and sprains. The skin must be intact and it is recommended for external treatment only. The most commonly used arnica is mountain arnica which must be grown at a high elevation but there is also a meadow arnica (Arnica Shamafonis or Arnica Cortofolia) which anyone can grow.

St. John's Wort - The flowers must be fresh; heat them in oil to make an infused oil and then you can turn that oil into a salve. Apply this salve topically.

Valerian - is another herb that is used to help people in pain sleep and can be used topically for pain and spasming muscles including the lungs.

Picture from: solomonsseal.wordpress.com

Picture from: herbalpractitioner.com

Feverfew - Useful for treating migraine pain.

Black Cohosh - can also be useful for treating migraine pain. It is an anti-inflamatory. Prepare it in a tincture and make it into a massage lotion.

Picture from: healthzone5.com

Turmeric and Ginger - combat inflamation and can be used in culinary applications.

Serious Pain

California Poppy or Mexican Poppy - This plant is a cousin to the Opium Poppy and although it does contain the opiate the quantities are great reduced. You can use the seeds to make a tincture to treat pain.

Cannabis - Make sure to check your state laws as this herb is not yet legal in all states and is still illegal on a Federal level. Remedies made from the cannabis plant do not have to have the phycotrophic effects and this herb has many healing benefits. Smoking this plant is the quickest way to feel the effects and ease pain. A little of this herb goes a long way. You can also make it into a salve and apply it topically. There are legal ways to obtain seeds for this plant and it is highly suggested that you have seeds stored or know where you can obtain it if you were in a SHTF situation.

Cat Ellis

"My love of herbs began in the late 1990′s with simple cold and flu remedies and grew into a full herbal practice, including workshops and private clients. My herbal practice leans heavily on Western Traditional Herabalism (European and American herbal traditions).

My husband and I have been preppers “officially” since 2008. We were already interested in camping, gardening, beekeeping, and other self-reliant hobbies. A loss of income, however, kicked our interests in preparedness, homesteading, and modern survivalism into high gear.

It was probably inevitable that my herbalism would be influenced by being a prepper. I have spent a lot of time and effort to research the best options in extreme, last-chance scenarios. As a prepper, this is just being practical. As an herbalist, I am humbled by the power and simplicity of plant-based medicines to address truly serious conditions.

I’m not a doctor. I cannot diagnose or give medical advice. I am an herbalist, midwifery student, massage therapist, and a prepper. I see the potential for emergencies where people are cut off from modern facilities and help is just not coming. I see the potential for scenarios where pharmacies may have nothing but empty shelves.

It is my belief that herbalists can fill in some of the gaps in the absence of modern medicine, whether that be from an EMP, a natural disaster that leaves communities stranded for extended periods, an economic collapse causing an interruption in supply, or any other obstacle that puts modern medicine out of a person’s reach." -Cat Ellis

Links:

Cat Ellis: http://www.herbalprepper.com

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Sara F. Hathaway

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