Sustainable System: Rocket Stoves

When I asked for a few guest posts while DRG and I take a mini vacation, Caroline Cooper showed her generous spirit and sent me this piece on rocket stoves. Thank you Caroline!

Posted on June 26, 2012 by publisher

A rocket stove is very easy for anyone to use. Erika is making pastured paleo burgers for dinner with homemade mustard, ketchup, cheese sauce and lettuce for the wrap.

For years I have used an assortment of stoves for camping and numerous different types of fuels. I have also cooked meals over an open fire on camping trips. That’s definitely a smoky experience. Recently, I have found a new kind of stove that has converted me over to wood based fuels.

A rocket stove uses a very small amount of wood and produces a very hot, smokeless fire. These stoves are great for cooking meals in the backyard, camping or emergency preparedness. Just about anything can be used as fuel. I have used: small branches, twigs, yard waste, scrap wood, bark, cardboard, office paper and junk mail. Burning this waste helps reduce my household waste stream and pressure on local landfills. I bought a Grover Rocket Stove but for comparison, here is a USH2 Rocket Stove.

The surprising thing about a rocket stove is how the fire burns so hot and clean. After the fire gets going there is very little smoke. The space under the fuel compartment allows air to feed the fire, producing a very powerful draft, which focuses a very hot flame on the cooking surface.

I like using a cast iron frying pan for cooking meals. A cast iron pan avoids the toxicity of Teflon and spreads the heat well and avoids burning. The rocket stove could be used with a stainless steel pot for boiling water.

Any fuel can be used in a rocket stove. I have used scrap wood, small branches, bark, office paper and junk mail. What is surprising is how little fuel is needed for cooking a meal.

Here is the firebox. After the fire is started very little smoke is produced. If you have ever cooked over an open fire you will know why smokeless cooking is a wonder of the modern world.

The rocket stove can have the ash easily emptied anywhere in my garden that potash or lime is needed to increase soil alkalinity. It’s great to have a stove that doesn’t need any petroleum products. I am always searching for more appropriate technology. Rocket stoves can also be simply made out of fire bricks. Here is a video on this simple technology for building a rocket stove out of fire bricks and cooking food outside. The second video is about the dangers of cooking with an open fire in houses. They have developed a modified rocket stove for inside use.

Rocket stoves can be made anywhere and with natural materials. This rocket stove was made with granite beach rocks in the Broken Group Islands after our MSR gas stove stopped functioning.

Updated January 31, 2013: What would happen if a clean burning rocket stove could be brought into your house? Friends, it looks like the technology for mass rocket stoves have been worked out. Mass rocket stoves don’t have a chimney, use 1/8 to 1/4 the amount of wood, and exhaust CO2 and water vapor. No wood smoke smog! Sounds crazy, but a friend of mine has just build one, and it works as advertised. For more information about mass rocket stoves for heating your home please see this article on permies.com.

Are You a Desk Jockey? Stand and Deliver

By Todd Walker

When I took a stand two years ago, I’ve never sat at my classroom desk again.

Research has shown prolonged sitting to be neither healthy or natural for us. I built my standing desk out of a throw away desk and some scrap plywood, added paint, and mounted it on top my sit down desk. Being on my feet all day wearing minimalist shoes while teaching, has helped my posture.

It’s rare that I’m behind my desk during class anyhow. However, when paperwork and bureaucratic pencil-pushing call, I stand and deliver – literally.

To refresh my mind and get my blood pumping, I knock out several sets of push ups behind my desk on my PVC DiY push up handles.

Easy and cheap PVC push up bars

Doing push ups outside in the sunshine is my favorite place. Time constraints and weather don’t always allow me to do so. These bars are sturdy and allow me to twist my wrists to a natural angle during exercises.

Oh, and here’s a closeup of the poster on my wall behind my standing workstation.

The Primal Blueprint Pyramid

You’re turn to stand and deliver. Got any stuff you do to blend health and fitness into your daily work routine?

 

 

 

Dirt Road Girl Update, Second Opinions, and Guest Posts

One week after visiting with our new doctor and I’m still in shock from what he told us.

We weren’t happy with our previous doctor’s care. We finally got a second opinion from a doctor who specializes in lung cancer.

I hate waiting for the doctor to show up to make his entrance. After an hour of waiting, he walks in, introduces himself, and gets down to the business at hand. After studying all the scans we brought him for an hour, he looked at DRG and said…

“There is no cancer in your lung to treat.”

I’m stunned. How could that be. Our other doctor read the scans and said she couldn’t really tell due to the swelling caused by all the radiation and chemo in her lung.

You’d think I’d be doing happy dances everyday. I’m guessing the news will eventually sink in. We’re not out of the woods yet. She still has cancer cells floating around in her body that will land at some point new doc told us. Until then, DRG will go for scans every three months.

Another interesting thing about getting a second opinion, which I highly recommend. He’s an expert in the rare strain of cancer DRG has. He told us that all the radiation and chemo was really not necessary for this strain of cancer. Our other doctor didn’t test to determine the strain until five months after she was diagnosed and lots of chemo and radiation. A pill that blocks the protein that this stain feeds on is all that she needed to be taking. Wow! Get second opinions. They’re practicing medicine.

I wanted to share that news with those who have given so many words of encouragement and prayers on DRG’s behalf.

We’re taking a mini vacation to celebrate next week. I’ll be updating the blog daily with scheduled posts. So, if you’d like to submit a guest post that would be appropriate for our readers, please do so via email.

Thanks so much for all the real people who have supported us through the past year in DRG’s journey! We love and appreciate y’all!

Keep doing the stuff,

Todd

 

 

 

Forehead-Smacking-Simple Health Hacks for Intermittent Fasting

By Todd Walker

Lifting heavy things in a fasted state

Abundance and scarcity. Are we meant to live in abundance always? In our modern world of food at all hours, convenience on demand, and an all out orgy of sensory stimulation our survival genes don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of getting expressed.

I woke up in a warm home, crawled out of bed, went to the kitchen and made a pot of coffee in my electric coffee pot with water from my Berkey filter. Then I turned on my computer and started my daily routine. I’m sipping on a cup of joe with a teaspoon of coconut oil and some heavy organic whipping cream as I attempt to share my thoughts. Amazing! All our progress as a species allows me to enjoy modern invention and convenience.

Pursuit of pleasure is part of our genetic code. I’m all about enjoying and using these life luxuries. However, to be true to my genetic soup, scarcity needs to be introduced to make my genes really thrive. In Primal Connection, Mark Sission states that the genes we inherited from our hunter-gather ancestors haven’t changed when it comes to health related and survival issues. The paradox occurs because we engage in behaviors that were originally intended to enhance our survivability, but now there are no saber-toothed tiger adding selection pressure to our species. Today we live in overabundance with easy access to out of season fruits, vegetables, and treats that were once hard to come by.

Shocking our genes with scarcity takes a conscious effort on our part. It’s what our genetic soup expects. Intermittent fasting is one way to shock our system out of homeostatic boredom. Proceed with knowledge and caution before attempting IF.

First, here are few benefits of fasting intermittently

• Reduces inflammation:  Inflammation is a major warning sign for many modern diseases.
• Reduces cardiac risk factors, such as triglycerides, weight, and blood sugar levels.
• Coupled with high intensity interval training, IF can counteract lean muscle loss. One recent study confirms the positive effects of fasting on human growth hormone (HGH) which works to protect lean muscle mass and metabolic balance – in a 24 hour window of fasting, HGH increased an average of 1,300 percent in women, and nearly 2,000 percent in men. As an added bonus, HGH plays an important role in anti-aging. At age 50, I like that 🙂
• Increased life span and cancer fighter
• IF’ing causes hunger and stress, which triggers your body to burn fat as a fuel source instead of carbohydrates.

IF is a supplement to a healthy lifestyle – not a magic wand

Is IF for everyone? The simple answer is no. NOTE: If your diet consists of processed foods loaded with toxins, sugars, and carbs, it would be wise to stop here and consider what you do eat before moving forward with any fasting protocol. Fasting may do more harm than good for Standard American Diet eaters. Check out The Primal Blueprint for how I eat.

When I opened one of my plumbing tool boxes last weekend before I headed to my in-laws to repair their kitchen sink, I notice a few tools I haven’t used in while. Memories of using them with my daddy rushed through my mind. I’ve kept these tools in my collection because one day I’ll need one to get the job done which only that tool is designed. I’ll never throw away these hidden tools because they have a specialized purpose – and sentimental value.

Before dismissing fasting and slamming the lid of your health and fitness toolbox, let’s examine fasting as a useful tool/weapon in your overall lifestyle. I love life hacks that create forehead-smacking, why-didn’t-I-think-of-that simplicity – little shortcuts to enhance my ‘Sherpa Simple’ lifestyle.

Sherpa Simple – Living life that is economical, sustainable, individualized, self-sufficient, comfortable, practical, resilient, and in harmony with nature and neighbors. It’s all about helping each other as we chase the simple life.

If things get too complicated, I’m probably doing something wrong. In the spirit of Sherpa Simple, here are my forehead-smacking-simple hacks for intermittent fasting.

1.) There’s no one right way to fast. If you’ve never tried fasting, you may imagine the experience to be a prison sentence or the end of the world as you know it – or it may prove to be a whole new world for thriving health. Intentionally skipping meals goes against many conventional wisdom advisers. Do your own research before starting IF. I’ll also add the obligatory “consult your physician before changing your diet or starting a fasting protocol” – which may be completely useless as I’ve found in my conversations with conventional medical practitioners. But there it is, my CYA statement.

Below are a few methods to experiment with. What works for me is a 16 to 18 hour fast. That means I skip breakfast and eat around 11:3o after my sprint workouts. I sometimes graze on nuts or eat a pickled beet egg before my allotted fasting time ends. That’s okay. Keep it simple and pay attention to your body. Don’t get all legalistic and dogmatic about IF. Do what works for you and be flexible.

These suggestions come from Mark Sisson’s excellent how-to guide on fasting. Mark’s work introduced me to IF after I started my primal lifestyle three years ago.

• Skipped Meal:As Mark alludes to in his comment in the 1/3 meals post, he likes to miss meals naturally or on an unplanned basis. When we listen to our bodies rather than blindly follow routine we find we’re not always hungry when mealtime comes around. Let yourself skip a meal when this happens, or plan a meal skip during a convenient time.

  Condensed Eating Window:
  As shown in the comments from last week’s post, this is a popular option. The day’s food intake is condensed within a set number of hours, often somewhere between four and seven hours. The timing of this window varies depending on the individual’s schedule and preferences. The time since you prior meal or until you next day’s meal becomes the fasting period.

  Early and Late:
  For some, this option is more easily managed than the condensed eating window. The day’s food intake and nutrients are balanced between an early meal and later afternoon/early evening meal.

  Single Twenty-Four Fast:
  Most people choose to have a normal dinner and then fast until the following evening. Others choose to extend the fast until the following morning. For many people, this can be a weekly routine. Others may integrate it on a monthly basis or as an occasional event based on their sense of progress/plateau.

  Alternating Day Fast for Week (or more):
  This approach is often credited with a deeper “cleansing” character. Some people do it once or twice a year. Others make a seasonal commitment. You can choose to drink only water or include teas/small amounts of juices during fasting days. On the alternate days, some people choose to eat normally, and some opt for reduced caloric intakes.

Here are a few more alternatives to help you get started

• Leangains by Martin Berkhan. Try his method if you’re already working out with heavy things on a regular basis and can handle do so in a state of fasting. He recommends only drinking no caloric liquids during the fast. * WARNING* It’s not okay to drink diet sodas as he recommends.
• Fast and Feasting is a plan by Ori Hofmekler which combines under-eating, hunger, and exercise together to re-design our bodies and health. Read Dr. Mercola’s interview with Ori here.

Who should NOT be IF’ing?

• Chronically stressed individuals. Why add more fuel to the stress-fire?
• Non-fat adapted individuals. Folks that can’t go 3 or 4 hours without eating a meal. Can you skip a meal without feeling light-headed and dizzy? You may be fat adapted – you muscles are using fat as their fuel instead of mainly relying on carbs – the normal human metabolism.
• Pregnant or nursing mothers.
• Diabetics or persons with other eating disorders. Really consult your physician in this case.
• Elite athletes or even a person going through intense training most days of the week. Don’t add scarcity to your training menu.

IF is not for everyone. Although now might be the time to find out if it’s right for you (if you’ve met the prerequisites). The day may come when you have no other choice and experience forced fasting due to scarcity of food in a real TEOTWAWKI scenario. Building resilient food sources (free-range meat sources, community connections, and growing your own fruits and vegetables) into your lifestyle gives you an edge and ability to bounce back from unknown unknowns.

I can say that I’ve experienced resilience in my health from practicing IF. What about y’all? Got any IF stories to share?

 

DiY Fire Starter in a Drinking Straw

Hank over at Sensible Survival is at it again. Check out his DiY fire straw and make this your next project.

 

This is one of the best and most convenient fire starters that I’ve come across in a long time.  Many of us know that cotton balls rubbed with petroleum jelly make great fire starters, but they are messy and not real convenient to carry.  This method makes it easy to carry these little fire balls and they won’t leak and get on your clothing or other gear.  All you need to make these is some cotton balls, petroleum jelly, a plastic drinking straw, a pair of scissors, and a small stick.

Start off by taking a cotton ball or two and rubbing them thoroughly with petroleum jells.  While you’re at it go ahead and pull apart the cotton into thin shreds.  Pictured below: top, Rubbing petroleum jelly into cotton balls: bottom, shredded up cotton.

 

Now take the drinking straw and cut it into two 3 inch tubes, and four ½ inch tubes.  Pictured below: Cut up drinking straw

 

The next part is a little hard to describe, but the pictures should make it easier to understand.

1. Use your thumbnail to crimp across the straw about ¼ inch from one end, then fold that end down.

 

2. Now use your thumbnail to make a length-wise crease in the part that you folded down. Then pinch the end together.

 

3. Now take one of the ½ inch pieces of straw and slip it down over the end to hold it closed.

 

4. Turn up the open end of the straw and start stuffing it with the soaked cotton.  I find that it is easier if I kind of roll the cotton between thumb and fingers to make a string out of it.

 

5.  Use the stick to tamp the cotton down tight in the straw.

6. Fill the straw to about ½ inch from the top, then fold the top end down the same way you did the bottom.  Crimp it, put a ½” collar on it, and you’re finished.

 

Wipe off any petroleum jelly that you got on the outside, and you now have a leak proof, waterproof, convenient fire starter that you can add to a survival kit, put in your glove box, or drop in your pocket.  To use the fire starter just cut it open, fluff up the cotton and light it up.  This stuff will ignite easily using a metal match type fire striker.

Just Say NO to GMOs

It’s easier said than done – saying no to GMOs. They’re everywhere. Here’s another great reason to grow you own food and get to know your local Real Food Farmer(s).

This article was original published at Daisy’s site, The Organic Prepper. Reprinted here with permission.

GMOs: Not Even in Moderation

By Daisy Luther

February 7, 2013

If I told you that there was a poison, let’s say, strychnine, for example, that you could ingest in teeny tiny minuscule doses and live to tell the tale, would you do it?  

Strychnine poisoning is one of the most painful ways to die.  

Ten to twenty minutes after exposure, the body’s muscles begin to spasm, starting with the head and neck in the form of trismus and risus sardonicus. The spasms then spread to every muscle in the body, with nearly continuous convulsions, and get worse at the slightest stimulus. The convulsions progress, increasing in intensity and frequency until the backbone arches continually. Convulsions lead to lactic acidosis, hyperthermia and rhabdomyolysis. These are followed by postictal depression. Death comes from asphyxiation caused by paralysis of the neural pathways that control breathing, or by exhaustion from the convulsions. The subject dies within 2–3 hours after exposure.  (Source)

Despite the agonizing death that could await, people used to deliberately consume small doses of strychnine as an athletic performance enhancer and as a stimulant.  The use of strychnine increased at the turn of the 20th century, then fell out of favor as the risk of use was too high.

With what we know these days about the use of strychnine, would you dip a little into your coffee and say, “Oh, it’s okay in moderation”?  Would you sprinkle a little on a granola bar to give to your child before a soccer game? Would you feed a little to your family because it was a special occasion?

*****

So, with the things we are learning about GMO foods, why do we think the consumption of these is okay in moderation?  Every week or so, some new hazard springs up in the alternative news.  The hazards are carefully and quietly swept under the rug by the mainstream media at the behest of their “johns” – the Big Food advertisers who pay the salaries of the media mouthpieces.

There are many valid, peer-reviewed studies that tell us consuming genetically modified foods is a death sentence.  Proponents of GMOs like to attempt to pick apart the science.  They like to accuse those of us who are concerned about GMOs of being foolish, uneducated and superstitious.  From their lofty perches in academia, they condescend to the rest of us, claiming that GMOs are no different than the natural evolution of plant life, and that we, the ignorant masses, are too irrationally afraid of things that are new and wonderful to deserve labeling of these chemistry projects.  They invoke guilt upon those of us who practice organic gardening and support organic farms, alleging that these “unsustainable practices” will leave the Third World to die of starvation as the non-modified crops we insist upon succumb to failure.

Here are some facts about the GMOs that are poisoning our global food supply.

Effects of GM Corn on Mammalian Health

A notorious French study on rats fed a lifetime of GMO corn proved that the rats had a 50-70% chance of developing horrific, grotesque tumors from the diet.  Naysayers attempted to refute the science behind the study and a war developed in the scientific community.    Natural News summarized some findings of the study:

• Up to 50% of males and 70% of females suffered premature death.

• Rats that drank trace amounts of Roundup (at levels legally allowed in the water supply) had a 200% to 300% increase in large tumors.

• Rats fed GM corn and traces of Roundup suffered severe organ damage including liver damage and kidney damage.

• The study fed these rats NK603, the Monsanto variety of GM corn that’s grown across North America and widely fed to animals and humans. This is the same corn that’s in your corn-based breakfast cereal, corn tortillas and corn snack chips.

Flavr Savr Tomato Caused Gastric Lesions and Death

One of the first GMO monstrosities prematurely approved by the FDA was the Flavr Savr tomato, by the company Calgene (now a part of Monsanto).  Scientists added a bit of recombinant fish DNA to slow the spoiling process.  BEFORE the tomato was approved by the FDA, the tomatoes were fed to rats for only 28 days before gastric bleeding and death occurred.  7 of the 40 rats developed bleeding stomachs and 7 more died and the FDA STILL APPROVED the tomatoes for public consumption.

 

The only reason they were taken off the market is because the flavor and texture were poor.  Had they been tasty, they’d still be on supermarket shelves.

GM cotton crops in India caused livestock death and severe allergic reactions in humans.

India began commercial planting of  Bt Cotton back in 2002.   Since that time, farm and factory workers began complaining of health concerns.

“All the evidence gathered during the investigation shows that Bt has been causing skin, upper respiratory tract and eye allergy among persons exposed to cotton… The allergy is not restricted to farm labourers involved in picking cotton but has affected labourers involved in loading and unloading Bt from villages to market, those involved in its weighing, labourers working in ginning factories, people who carried out other operations in the field of Bt cotton, or farmers who stored cotton in their homes etc.” (Source)

The issue was not limited to humans.  Sheep that grazed on the crop began to die mysteriously.  25% of the livestock died within a week of being allowed in the fields from what post-mortem analysis called “toxic reaction.”

A secret virus has been discovered in genetically modified food.

The most recent horror to come to light was released in a report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

According to an explanation on the Natural Society website:

“…Researchers discovered a previously unknown viral gene that is known as ‘Gene VI’. What’s concerning is that not only is the rogue gene found in the most prominent GMO crops and about 63% of GMO traits approved for use (54 out of 86 to be precise), but it can actually disrupt the very biological functions within living organisms. Popular GMO crops such as Roundup-Ready soybeans, NK603, and MON810 corn were found to contain the gene that induces physical mutations.”

How does this potentially effect the consumer?  The report continues to discuss the characteristics of Gene VI.  The gene:

• Helps to assemble virus particles
• Inhibits the natural defense of the cellular system
• Produces proteins that are potentially problematic
• Makes plants susceptible to bacterial pathogens

 

Monsanto cafeterias serve organic food.

The most telling thing is that in the not-so-hallowed halls of Monsanto, genetically modified food is not served.

Those who create these science projects and label them food do not consume their own creations.

Since 2000, there have been reports that cafeterias at Monsanto plants have chosen not to serve GMOs.  A notice in one cafeteria in the UK said:

“as far as practicable, GM soya and maize (has been removed) from all food products served in our restaurant. We have taken the steps to ensure that you, the customer, can feel confident in the food we serve.”

 

Both the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller University Foundation have been found praising organic food, while simultaneously promoting Monsanto’s toxic seeds to Third World countries.

Many countries have banned GMOs, or at the very least require labeling for the consumer.

The following countries have either banned the cultivation and sale of GMOs or require a warning label:

• All countries in the European Union
• Australia  
• Chile
• China 
• France
• India
• Japan
• Kenya
• New Zealand
• Peru
• Russia
• Saudi Arabia
• South Africa
• Switzerland
• Thailand

Why are the United States and Canada not found on this list?  At the very least, why won’t these two industry leaders require labeling of GMOs?

Food safety “authorities” have no interest in safety at all.

The FDA is notoriously in bed with Monsanto.  They have insisted on no long term studies.  They regularly authorize the sale and distribution of toxins in the food supply.  The public cannot have any confidence in an agency whose board of directors enter through a revolving door with the world’s number one producer of toxic GMOs.

Over 85% of corn grown in North America is GMO.  Over 80% of soy grown in North America is GMO. Over 90% of canola grown in North America is GMO.

In one form or another, these GMO items can be found in nearly every non-organic item on your grocery store shelves.  Many fast food chains spent millions of dollars in the campaign against the labeling of GMOs when it was on the ballot in California last November, which would indicate that they too benefit from GMOs.

The question is, are these toxins safe in “moderation”?  Can you feed your children HFCS made from genetically modified corn in small amounts?

Long term toxicity has been proven beyond any reasonable doubt.  GMOs can accelerate aging, cause organ failure, cause tumors, affect unborn babies, affect fertility and weaken the immune system.  If we choose to consume these things “moderately”, how can we know what that threshold of moderation actually is, when those in charge of food safety refuse to study it, perhaps because they fear what they will discover?

I’ve always believed that foods, even “junk foods” are okay in moderation, as long as most of your diet is clean and healthy.  In the light of ever-appearing revelations about the deadly effects of genetically modified foods, I’ve revised my personal stance. I don’t believe that GMOs are acceptable in moderation and strive to avoid them for my family whenever possible, a task which is becoming increasingly difficult as a quick scan of an ingredients label will confirm.

The End Of The World As We Know It may not be the result of a horrific natural disaster or act of terrorism from overseas.  It may be as simple as pollen floating from one field to contaminate the next one, until we are starving to death or dying of cancer amidst a bounty of succulent-looking, fresh-from-the-farm poison.

 

Author bio: Daisy Luther is a freelance writer and editor.  Her website, The Organic Prepper, offers information on healthy prepping, including premium nutritional choices, general wellness and non-tech solutions. You can follow Daisy on Facebook and Twitter, and you can email her at daisy@theorganicprepper.ca

8 Warning Signs of Cranial-Rectal Inversion and Little-Known Cures

Many have died from this dreaded condition. Sufferers spend their entire lives in a dark, robotic bliss.

You’ve seen them. People that look like one of the Queen’s Guards standing at attention outside Buckingham Palace thinking about his upcoming fully probing physical. With robot like precision, they carry out their assigned duties.

Being a former Cranial-Rectal Inversion sufferer, it is my duty, as your new friend, to share my little-known self-healing techniques to assist with the labor of prying – saving you from this chronic wasting condition. The truth will set you free – or maybe not.

Photo credit

First, let me explain my short list of symptoms for CRI.

• You believe the talking heads on TV and talk radio are simply reporting the facts – even the “fair and balanced” guys. We report, you decide. You toss logic and emotionally defend your side even if it’s wrong.
• You think your doctor prescribes drugs from Big Pharmaceutical companies because they have a ‘proven’ track record. Follow the money.
• You think your vote counts in our two-party system.
• You think your Government is set up to serve you – even rescue you.
• You believe the Federal Reserve is a government agency and Keynesian economics is enlightened thought and money policy.
• You believe the USDA’s food plate (formerly known as the Food Pyramid) run by the Industrial Food Machine is healthy eating.
• You think public schooling equals education.
• You believe “It could never happen here.”

If you feel you are experience severe discomfort in the cranial or rectal regions by simply reading this short list…

STOP READING NOW! There is no danger ahead. Go back to sleep.

For brave souls seeking relief, let’s continue.

As many of you know, I’m a government school teacher by day and an inconvenient irritant. The truth is very irritating to CRI sufferers – but the only cure. It’s like the small grain of sand in your shoe. You must stop, remove your shoe, and search for the source of irritation if you are to continue your journey in conventional comfort. Most afflicted patients toss the small speck, lace up their shoe, and continue in their delusional race. Tiny irritants happen for a reason. Why not sit with your shoe off for a moment to consider the true source of your discomfort.

I’ll say this up front. Healing won’t happen instantly. In my case, it’s taken gradual steps over a number of years. You’re probably sharper than me, so you may get there faster. With shoe in hand, ponder some truth.

Everything is rigged against you. Government, schools, media, Big Food, Big Pharma, and even our beloved Constitution. Even the one document that this country was established to follow is broken – thanks to Big Government Federalists. These clever puppet masters built-in the needed loopholes in our Constitution for government to do what it does best – coerce. The oppressor will not ever let go of the oppressed. In Patrick Henry’s words, “Will the oppressor let go of the oppressed? Was there ever an instance?” NO.

Henry’s Anti-Federalist speak was proven right when Washington crushed the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794. He sent in his standing army on American soil to force its will on the people it supposedly served. The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 made criminals of anyone criticizing the government. What we are shouting about concerning the latest gun grab is nothing more than a continuation of gradualism which began at our nations birth. Never forget: Government equals force.

I don’t write this article with moral superiority or my nose turned up at those trapped in Cranial-Rectal Inversion. Quite the opposite. The system or matrix we live in creates the proper conditions in our Petri dish for this disorder to flourish. A conscious effort to pry cranium from rectum is required to be truly disease free.

My purpose here is to offer little-known cures to put you on the path of freedom, self-ownership, preparedness, and resilient living. These are only a few CRI antidotes that delivered me. I hope they’ll help other CRI sufferers. For those chronic CRI-ers, getting over the denial will be your first hurdle. Don’t give up. Keep following the rabbit hole my friend.

“Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.”

-Albert Einstein

1.) Recommended CRI cure for believers in the creature called the State. “We’re from the government and here to help” is hummed from CRI bowels world-wide. Spoken often enough, coupled with the bad odor of public schooled ignorance, the masses embrace and believe the lie. If you’re having trouble keeping up with all the things your government is telling you to be afraid of, check out the links below. Stop living in fear of horrible make-believe hobgoblins.

• LewRockwell.com
• Hologram of Liberty
• Strike The Root
• Zero Hedge
• Whiskey & Gunpowder
• Starving the Monkeys

2.) Recommended CRI cure for compulsory government-controlled schooling. If your gut is telling you “something just ain’t right” about these minimum security K-12 facilities, I urge you, as an insider, to follow your gut and withdraw (save) your children from the one-size-fits-all brainwashing factories. I’ve sounded alarms in the past: here, here, and here. The ship of schooled students is sinking. You are the life raft.

I talked to a former student not long ago who’s mom pulled him from the wreckage of government schooling in the 7th grade. He told me he has a new love for learning, discovery, and a sense of direction for his life in his pursuit of independent home education. There are no experts with degrees there to dictate what he is or should be interested in learning. He’s left alone – something the State schooling system simply can’t do – to learn things which interests him.

My oldest daughter talked to me around the fire pit last night about writing computer code. Keep in mind that she didn’t ‘study’ code in her four-year college experience. How could this be? She found it interesting and is teaching herself through open source information online.

This scene is being played out all over America as former CRI patients begin the deliberate process of self-diagnosis and begin taking steps toward freedom.

Still not convinced?  Add these to your reading list:

• Weapons of Mass Instruction
• Dumbing Us Down
• How Children Learn
• Deschooling Society
• National Home Education Research Institute

3.) Recommended CRI cure for Keynesian followers and fiat money changers:

• Ludwig von Mises Institute
• I, Pencil
• Economics in One Lesson
• Tom Woods’s Liberty Classroom

4.) Recommended CRI cure for the History you didn’t learn in school:

• 33 Questions About American History Your Not Suppose To Ask
• The Real Lincoln
• The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History

5.) Recommended CRI cure for doctor-knows-best and Big Pharma’s poisonous pill culture:

• Dr. Mercola has made significant milestones in his mission to bring people practical solutions to their health problems.
• The NaturalNews Network is a non-profit collection of public education websites covering topics that empower individuals to make positive changes in their health, environmental sensitivity, consumer choices and informed skepticism. (Mike Adams – Health Ranger)
• Beyond Meds – This blog documents and shares many natural methods of self-care for finding and sustaining health in body, mind and spirit.

6.) Recommended CRI cure for the “It can’t happen here” crowd:

Really!? It’s already happened here and is happening right in front of us – in broad day light. Our brazen elites aren’t doing a stellar job at hiding their slight of hand. War is peace as long as the drones are bombing innocents “over there.” The State has an insatiable appetite and must “protect” its subjects from terror. The official plan for domestic death by drone was leaked here. Oops.

Our most recent past and present regimes have bypassed and crushed our constitution for our safety. Or is there a more sinister plan? We now have a bogus war on drugs, war on terror, war on guns (and all personal property) – all to keep the individual on the State plantation.

Had enough? This is a very personal question. Each of us have our own personal tolerance threshold. We’re individuals.

The sad part about the “had enough?” question is that Cranial-Rectal Inversion blocks sound waves from reaching ears.

I didn’t cover cures for all 8 of the CRI symptoms. Time is short and I’ve got other things to attend to. Help me out here and leave your cures in the comment section.

Doing Push-ups for Preparedness

I do a lot of push-ups every day. Why? I don’t need fancy equipment, gym shorts, or a gym membership. Al Kavadlo does an excellent job with his guest post over at Mark’s Daily Apple explaining this perfect primal (and prepper) exercise. Can’t do a regular push-up? No worries. Take it step by step and gradually build up to massive amounts of this functional fitness exercise.

Push-ups: The Perfect Primal Exercise

This is a guest post from Al Kavadlo of AlKavadlo.com.

Push-ups are one of the oldest and most widely known strength exercises on Earth. They’ve been a staple in military fitness, martial arts and just about every other type of exercise program that’s ever existed. Anyone who has even the slightest interest in working out has probably tried to do a push-up at least once in their life.

Funny thing is, amongst many modern fitness enthusiasts, the push-up is often overlooked due to its simplicity. A lot of people are under the misconception that something so basic couldn’t possibly be the best overall upper-body exercise out there. Even members of the primal community who know better than to buy into mainstream hype are often skeptical of my claim that the humble push-up is nature’s perfect exercise.

I hope you’re at least willing to hear me out.

 

Perfect Push-up

Push-ups are as close to a perfect exercise as you can get. They work your entire upper-body (including your abs), and can be modified in an infinite number of ways to suit any fitness level. Push-ups emphasize the chest, shoulders and triceps but every muscle in the body has to do its part for a proper push-up to take place. Your lats, traps and abs must stabilize your pushing muscles, while your lower back, legs and glutes need to stay engaged to keep your hips from sagging or piking up too high. Like many calisthenics exercises, push-ups teach your muscles to work in harmony with one another.

But my favorite thing about push-ups is that they don’t require anything more than a floor, so you can do them anywhere. And as I always say, If you don’t have a floor, you’ve got much bigger problems!

Wall Push-up

Everyone knows strength training is great for your muscles, but a lot of people don’t realize that working out also does a lot for your bones, tendons and other connective tissue. It’s true though; strength training makes the entire body strong. It’s obvious when you really think about it – your connective tissue needs to be strong to support those muscles! Sometimes people are so concerned with aesthetic goals that they overlook the changes that can’t visibly be seen.

If you have bad shoulders, wrists or elbows, in time your joints can be restored with lower intensity variants like the wall push-up. The body can only be as strong as its weakest link, and connective tissue tends to be slower to adapt than muscle. A novice or an injured person should start with the wall push-up, working to 20 and eventually 50 consecutive reps in each set before moving on. To perform this variant, simply lean against a wall with your toes a few feet away and do the push-up movement from this semi-upright position.

Read the rest here

 

Localism: 8 Steps To Encourage Sustainability In Our Communities

H/T to Resilient News.

Source: Frugally Sustainable

December 20, 2011 By Andrea

Do you ever get the feeling like we are a part of something so much bigger than ourselves? It almost seems as if there is another great awakening brewing…and it excites me!

Yesterday the kids and I drove out to a local farm for a private farm tour. “Tonopah Rob” is probably one of the nicest individuals you’ll ever meet. He so graciously showed me around while Josie, Jenna, and Isaiah ran the length of his 5 acres, petted the turkeys, and heckled the chickens.

Photo Credit

He operates a pretty cool CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program in my community and he loves to have people out to the farm. He shared with me his desperate need for more land due to the growth of the CSA this past year and as he plans for this coming year, he’s already having to put families on the waiting list.

I am proud to support him and I am proud to call him my farmer!

A Growing Movement

You see, “Tonopah Rob” is not a lone wolf by any means. This movement is not happening just here in my community, it’s happening everywhere! Look around…there are small, locally-owned shops, farmers markets, and restaurants using locally grown foods in nearly every town.

Photo Credit

I feel like our communities are entering into some sort of sensational renaissance through a silent revolution!

 

8 Steps To Encourage Sustainability In Our Communities

So how can you encourage local sustainability in your own community? Attempt to follow these 8 steps and begin supporting your neighbors now:

Photo Credit

{Step 1}

Consider what local sustainability looks like for you in your community. Every one of us live in very different communities. What works for me may not work for you. This is often due to climate, terrain, or population. Find what is functional in your current setting.

{Step 2}

Define your values and live by them without compromise. If you don’t believe in it…don’t buy it. This step will not only encourage sustainability but it will also save you money:) These days, there are few things that I can buy that I truly believe in.

{Step 3}

Identify and build relationships with local farmers. Begin communicating with them your food preferences, remember they are beginning to plan now for spring gardens and markets. Your opinion is their livelihood. Embrace those seasonal foods that grow well in your area. You can find farmers in your areas using these links:

• www.localharvest.org
• www.eatwild.com
• http://www.realmilk.com/

Read the other 5 steps here

 

The Thought Police and Fake Guns in Schools

My experience  as a government school teacher can confirm Mr. Rappoport’s  claims in his article. Remember the kid who pointed a pizza chewed into the shape of a gun at lunch? It gets worse.

What’s behind the punishment behind fake guns in schools

By Jon Rappoport

February 6, 2013

Source: www.nomorefakenews.com

In the latest episode of Ban Fake Guns, we have a boy suspended from school in Florence, Arizona, for carrying, yes, a picture of a gun on his computer. Screen saver. This is surely a sign of complete mental breakdown by school officials. And yet one more reason to home school.

Steve Watson, writing at infowars, runs down the recent litany of fake gun crimes at schools across America, resulting in student suspensions, suspension hearings, and actual school lockdowns:

Transparent toy gun. South Carolina.

Gun built from lego bricks. Massachusetts.

Two kids talking about a nerf gun. New York.

An actual nerf gun. New York.

A pink bubble gun. Pennsylvania.

A paper gun. Pennsylvania.

Pointing a finger and saying “pow.” Maryland.

Playing cops and robbers with fingers. Maryland.

Making a gun “hand gesture.” Oklahoma.

Should we assume that because cops and school officials can’t stop real crimes, they’re settling for stopping fake crimes.

Can you hear the typical response to these school suspensions and lockdowns? “Well, everybody in the community is on edge these days, after Sandy Hook.”

That remark garners a “Mmm, well, sure.”

Then, the follow-up: “It’s unfortunate that school officials and police MAY HAVE overreacted. Suspension from school is PROBABLY too much. These kids need some form of LESSER DISCIPLINE, and, of course, EDUCATION about the dangers of guns.”

And there you have it. It’s a sleight-of-hand trick. Go completely overboard with an officially certified insane action (suspension, lockdown), and people will ask for something slightly less insane instead.

“Well, shooting old Bob in the leg and blowing up his car because he was sitting on his back porch cleaning his rifle was probably a bit much. A few days in jail would have taught him the right lesson.”

In schools, the slightly less insane (but still quite insane) solution to fake guns might go something like this:

“Today, class, we’re going to learn about how dangerous it is to have a picture of a gun.”

“You see, Jimmy, when you build a gun out of lego, you think it’s all right because you don’t know any better. But some other child might be terrified when she sees the gun. And that’s why we’re here. To protect everybody from bad feelings.”

Jimmy scratches his five-year-old head and wonders what world he was born into. He’s just been introduced to “greatest good for the greatest number,” “you have no freedom,” and “least bad for the lowest number,” all in five seconds.

What we’re seeing here is a mandate to change the culture. Teach these kids that any reference to, symbol of, or thought about guns is wrong.

Welcome to operant conditioning.

These fake-gun busts are really about thought crimes.

We recently saw that with the passage of a New York State gun law. It requires psychiatrists to signal the police when they have a patient who may be “a danger to himself or others.” The patient is thereafter banned from owning a gun.

Any patient, any person has had thoughts of violence. Any psychiatrist can tease such thoughts out of a patient. And that can be sufficient to make a report to the police.

Read the rest here