SS ting

just released this month, voyager is hands down the most beautiful and elegant ubuntu based distribution using the xfce lightweight desktop environment i have seen and tested to date. this french distro is based on xubuntu plus added mods, tweaks and software. if you have an old computer lying around and want to try out a modern, beautiful, lightweight linux based operating system, download it for free and check out the “live cd”, i think you’ll be very impressed with the speed, reliability and eye candy this distro offers, even running off the disc or usb stick.

http://voyager.legtux.org/

big ups to all the BYOB joints out there! check out some spots on this site and go support them;) fuck paying 4 or 5 times what you’d pay for a bottle at a store. http://www.gobyo.com/

preach it brother!

my favorite george carlin quotes:

If a man smiles all the time, he’s probably selling something that doesn’t work.

The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it.

“No comment” is a comment.

The future will soon be a thing of the past.

Property is theft. Nobody “owns” anything. When you die, it all stays here.

God bless the homicidal maniacs. They make life worthwhile.

Here’s a bumper sticker I’d like to see: “We are the proud parents of a child who’s self-esteem is sufficient that he doesn’t need us promoting his minor scholastic achievements on the back of our car.”

I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately.

I don’t like to think of laws as rules you have to follow, but more as suggestions.

Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.

Just think, right now as you read this, some guy somewhere is gettin’ ready to hang himself.

The future will soon be a thing of the past.

Soft rock music isn’t rock, and it ain’t music. It’s just soft.

If it requires a uniform, it’s a worthless endeavor.

i love and miss you george carlin

this is the urban farming wave of the future ;)

if you’ve got space for a pigeon loft, DO IT!! pigeons are tame, tasty, and you can use their poop as an excellent fertilizer! you know where to get pigeons already. they’re not protected, so you can trap them anytime, and once kept in their new home for a week, they will always return. they will go out and fend for themselves, but if you’re interested in maximum output (of tender delicious squab that is), then this guide will be of some help. the more you feed them, the more food they make;) squab have tender pink juicy meat, and are a delicacy. my local market sells squab for $18 for 2 birds. why pay those prices when you can(and should) grow your own? The following is an excerpt from “Practical Animal Husbandry” by Jack Widmer, published in 1949 by Charles Scribner’s Sons

Squab Production The production of squab is practically no trick at all. Pigeons are not subject to the diseases that make turkey raising somewhat hazardous, they do not require the mixing of feeds, and once mated they will be productive for at least five years. The adult members of the loft feed their own young and take excellent care of them, thus eliminating the need for incubators or brooders. They produce squab that are ready for the table at one month of age, and will do this at a very reasonable figure. They cause little worry to the producer and are very clean when provided with bathing water daily and are amusing birds to have on the farm.

Pigeons require very little space … a 12’ X 12’ shed together with a 12’ X 12’ flyway will house 30 pairs and each couple will produce from 12 to 16 squabs annually and will do this on less than 90 pounds of feed per twosome. Then too, pigeons will produce the year around thus making it unnecessary to kill, dress, and store a number of birds at one time as is the case with chicken friers, turkeys, ducks, and geese. Yet squab are very adaptable to deepfreeze storage and will keep almost indefinitely at zero degrees Fahrenheit. Suitable Breeds for Squab Production

There are a vast number of breeds of pigeons, many of which are suitable for the production of squabs. Of them all the King breed together with the Carneau are the most popular and are the most extensively used by commercial producers. The King is a prolific, full-breasted bird, does very well in confined quarters, and produces the largest of squabs ranging in weight from 16 to 24 ounces at 25 to 30 days of age. The Carneau, a French breed, is also very prolific … however, their squabs are usually smaller than the King. The remaining breeds that have been used as meat pigeons are the French Mondain, Homer, and Swiss Mondain. Choice of breed will therefore depend on the personal taste of the squab raiser and on the breeds that are available in any given community. Though pairs of pigeons may be shipped long distances, the beginner might find it advisable to purchase breeding stock close to home so as to overcome some of the handicaps of selection.

Breeding Stock Throughout this work we have continually stressed the the importance of dealing with reputable breeders when purchasing foundation stock, and although this is of importance in the purchase of other members of the barnyard kingdom, it is absolutely imperative in the selection of pigeons. If this is not done, success of squab raising is very doubtful for it is most difficult to determine either the age or sex of pigeons and the uninitiated can very easily wind up with a number of old birch and most of them males. Therefore, pigeons must never be purchased except from breeders who are willing to guarantee both the sex and age of the birds.

It is best to purchase young pigeons that are about to mate for the first time. These birds should be in the neighborhood of eight months of age and if young birds are procured, they will have a useful breeding life of from five to six years. Mating Squab

Mating of pigeons may sometimes be a problem and there are two general methods: [l] Natural mating. [2] Forced mating. In the first method, all the pigeons, are placed in a common pigeon roost and are permitted to do their own selecting. As they pair off they should be separated from the rest until all the matings have been accomplished, after which time they can be again permitted to be together. In the second method, a known male and a known female are confined to a small pen and will usually mate in due time after considerable strutting and general noise making. Pigeons usually mate in pairs and usually remain true to their mates for life although there are numerous records of matrimonial strife in the pigeon roost, which usually en ds in complete reconciliations and excellent egg production. Some pigeons will mate again after having lost their original mate. However, this is not always the case and there is but one cure for such faithfulness … pigeon pie.

Several pairs (up to 30) may live in the same roost and flyway. Each pair should be supplied with a double nest—a partitioned orange crate is ideal—and each nest should have a platform attached to the front of the nest so as to facilitate landings. Their housing facilities may be very simple. In warm climates the pigeon roost may be a low shed opening to the south and leading directly onto the flyway, while in more severe climates it is advisable to wall up the south side (together with the other three) allowing for ample window space so that the interior of the pigeon house will have plenty of light. Ventilation is also very important and the house should be so constructed that windows may be removed during the summer months.

The flyway need not be excessively large—a 12’ X 12’ flyway will accommodate at least 30 pairs—and it may be constructed of chicken wire at least six feet in height and the entire contraption should be so constructed that rats may be kept out of both house and flyway. Roosts should be provided in the flyway, and nesting boxes so placed inside the house as to make them convenient for the feeder. Of course passageways from the flyway to the nests must be open at all times, and houses constructed so that all feeding may be accomplished either from the outside of the pen or inside the houses from a narrow alleyway … which will eliminate much of the work of pigeon feeding. As to size of house to build, it might be suggested that three square feet of floor space be supplied for each pair of pigeons maintained. Once mated, there is little that need be done except to permit nature to take its course. Females will lay an egg, will then skip a day, and lay another. That’s all for egg production for they will incubate but two eggs at a time. This incubation period is about 17 days and both parents sit on the nest taking turns between feeding, bathing, and exercising.

Once hatched, the squabs will start eating immediately, and this feeding of the young is also handled by both male and female parent. All the pigeon fancier need do is to provide the feed for the adults … they will feed their squabs shortly after they themselves are fed and should not be disturbed during this time. They feed the squabs on a thick, creamy mixture often termed “pigeon milk” produced in the crops of the adults and fed directly into the mouths of the young. Females usually start laying the second pair of eggs before the first pair are old enough to leave the nest, and it is for this reason that twin nests are provided for each pair. Again, the male will assist the female in the building of the nest, and the pigeon grower must be ready to move the first egg from the old nest (which contains the original squabs) should the female lay her egg in the original nest. It should be placed in the second nest and the female will then lay her second egg in the new nest after a day’s interval. Of course, the adult’s day is then spent in a dual fashion … feeding the hatched squabs and the incubation of the second set of eggs. This work is divided between male and female who seem to divide these duties very handily and the pigeon fancier need not be concerned with these domestic problems.

Feeding of Pigeons Feeding of pigeons is different from that of other fowl inasmuch as it is not necessary to feed them any mash. Instead, pigeons are fed only on a grain mixture and they may be fed in a self-feeder if this is desired. They should be fed a relatively high protein feed—somewhat over 14% available protein—and minerals should be fed in a separate mixture.

An excellent pigeon ration may be made up as follows:
Whole yellow corn … … … … … . 30.0 
Kafir or milo … … … … … … 25.0 
Cow peas or field peas … … … … . . 20.0 
Hard wheat … … … … … … . . 20.0 
Vetch or hempstead … … … … … . 5.0 This feed contains over 14% protein and during warm summer months the corn may be cut down and the kafir increased as it is not necessary to feed heating rations during very warm weather.

In addition to the above a mineral mixture—made up as follows—should be fed in a separate feeder:
Medium-sized crushed oyster-shell… … … 40.0 
Limestone or granite grit… … … … . 35.0 
Medium-sized charcoal… … … … … 15.0 
Ground limestonel … … … … … . 5.5 
Salt … … … … … … … . . 4.0 
Venetian red … … … … … … . 1.0 This mineral mixture is kept before the flock at all times as they will not overeat and no harm can come from their helping themselves to all they require. Of course commercial mixtures of both feed and minerals may be purchased by those who do not care to mix their own:

If the birds are fed in a self-feeder, this feeder should be filled at least every other day. Most pigeon fanciers prefer to hand-feed their birds in troughs that are placed inside the pigeon house—usually at the base of the alleyway partition—so that it is not necessary for the attendant to enter the pigeon enclosure. They should be fed twice daily and are given all that they will clean up within an hour after feeding. Of course fresh water is supplied—drinking fountains save time in this regard—and a bathing pan is set in the yard, the water changed daily. Pigeons love to bathe and insist on clean water. Here on Toowoomba, we have a small door leading from the flyway to the outside through which we pass the bathing pans, thus eliminating the need for going into the pen. Squab Sanitation

It is difficult to produce squab under any but the most sanitary conditions. The problem is simplified if one is prepared to devote a few minutes each day to the pigeons’ maintenance. Floors of pigeon houses should be of board or concrete construction so that they may be cleaned at least once a week, and flyway floors should be covered with fine gravel so that they may be raked out at least once every ten days. Pigeons are not subject to many diseases. However, the prevention of the diseases that do affect them is much simpler than is their cure. Nests should be cleaned out after each pair of squabs has been butchered, and plenty of clean, coarse straw should be kept on hand so that the pigeons may arrange fresh nests for each setting of eggs.

Pigeons that show signs of lice should be dusted with sodium fluoride (we make a practice of doing this twice annually despite the fact that we have never had lice among the birds) and the entire house should be sprayed with some sort of cresol solution at least twice a year. Watering and feeding facilities should be kept clean and leftover feed should not be permitted to collect in the bottom of the feeders as these grains will soon sour and will be detrimental to the flock. Bathing water should be changed daily (for the birds will often drink from their baths) and fresh gravel should be scattered on the floor of the flyway at least twice each year. All this may sound complicated and time consuming. However, the beginner will be amazed at the small amount of time necessary if filth is never permitted to collect.

The Finished Product

Squabs are at their prime at from 26 to 30 days and should be collected from the nests the evening before butchering. This will permit the craws to empty and will lessen the labor of cleaning. The squabs are usually dry-picked and are butchered before pin feathers have a chance to form under the wings. All body temperature should be removed by placing the picked squabs in cold water and if properly wrapped they will keep in a deepfreeze unit at zero degrees Fahrenheit from 8 to 10 months. Now and then it will be necessary for the pigeon fancier to maintain a few squabs for replacements, or he may wish to increase his number of pairs (as we did) and will want to save some of the young. This is no problem, for the adults will continue to feed the young until they voluntarily leave the nest and begin to eat by themselves. It is wise to keep squabs from the best producers in the flock and to mark them with leg bands while they are still in the nest. It must also be remembered that usually one of the pair of squabs is larger than the other and that the larger one is usually the male. If, then, the larger is marked with one colored band and the smaller with another, the final determination of sex is often facilitated.

Should the country dweller produce more squabs than he requires for his personal use he will soon discover that there is a very good market for his surplus. Many pigeon fanciers have developed an excellent local trade for both squabs and breeding-age stock, and the disposal of surplus stock is usually a simple matter. Back in 1949—before factory farming and the “pump ‘em full of chemicals” school of agriculture blitzed the country a fellow named Jack Widmer wrote a little book called PRACTICAL ANIMAL HUSBANDRY. Now that manual wasn’t what you’d call completely exhaustive, the writing style wasn’t the best and a few of the ideas it advanced-such as confining laying hens in cages—were later refined into the kind of automated farming that so many of us are fighting against these days.

Still, PRACTICAL ANIMAL HUSBANDRY contained a good deal of basic information that today’s “homesteaders” all too often need and don’t know where to find. I’m pleased, then, that the publisher of the book, Charles Scribner’s Sons, has granted me permission to reprint excerpts from this out-of-print manual. I think that many of my readers will find the following information both interesting and informative.—MOTHER EARTH NEWS. http://www.motherearthnews.com/print-article.aspx?id=64426

The Surrealist (Le surréaliste), January 1947. Oil on canvas, 23 5/8 x 17 3/4 inches (60 x 45 cm). The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation,Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice 76.2553.111. © 2012 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

Many of the problems that face the world currently have been solved through technology. Food can be grown, raised, processed, packaged, and shipped in efficient ways. Medicine has extended life and cured most diseases that once killed the masses. We can communicate with people anywhere in the world, travel to nearly any place in the world, and we have the ability to protect the people from most forms of natural challenges. The only problem we can’t really address is the sheer bulk. There’s simply too many people with too many needs to handle all of the problems. The technology is there. We just can’t get it out to everyone. As the world population tops 7 billion, famine is still a threat to countless people in dozens of countries. Medicine can be mass-produced and transported but has a hard time reaching everyone. While many in developed countries live comfortably through 120 degree heat and sub-zero cold thanks to housing technology, there are still billions who suffer without heat or cooling mechanisms. Logistics and mass production are the last two pieces to the puzzle for many of the things that continue to kill people in some places while being a minor inconvenience in others. Politics plays the biggest role. We could feed the starving in many countries but their governments squander the aid to keep their people in line or perform senseless actions that make other governments discontinue sending it.. Malaria could be treated and reduced to an occasional problem but because of costs and an unwillingness to do what it takes to make the treatments and prevention techniques available, 655,000 died from it in 2010. The list of politically- and economically-motivated hindrances to allow technology to solve the problems of those who need it is endless. This visualization exemplifies the challenge. It’s nearly impossible to solve the problems of a world with 7 billion people, but hope and action may someday prevail.