Month: May 2018

Farmers Switched to Organic After Pesticides Made Them or Their Families Sick

rjzimmerman:

Excerpt:

Some farmers transition to organic production to earn premium prices paid for organic crops. Others switch to make their farms more sustainable. But for some farmers transitioning to organic is a necessity to save their health—and even their lives.

Blaine Schmaltz, who farms in Rugby, North Dakota, is a good example. One day in September 1993, Schmaltz was spraying an herbicide on his field. He stopped to check the level in the sprayer tank. Looking inside, he started to feel lame and then passed out. He was later hospitalized for several months with asthma, muscle aches and pains, and insomnia. A doctor diagnosed him as having “occupational asthma.”

“The doctor told me to leave agriculture,” Schmaltz said. “He said, ‘if you don’t you probably won’t live 10 years.’”

While recovering, Schmaltz read about organic farming and decided to transition because he wanted to continue farming. The next spring he started the transition, and over time found it was the right choice. His symptoms disappeared.

Schmaltz continues to farm organically, growing wheat, edible beans, flax and other specialty grains.

“I didn’t switch to organic farming for the money or a utopian dream,” he said. “I did it for myself and my family in order to stay in agriculture.”

Blaine Schmaltz’s experience is not uncommon. Other farmers in the U.S. and Canada have switched to organic because of a health crisis they had—or even the death of a family member—due to pesticide exposure.

“It’s definitely a common story for many farmers,” said Kate Mendenhall, director of the Organic Farmers Association, about farmers wanting to go organic because of concerns with pesticides.

Mendenhall’s master’s degree thesis at Goddard College involved interviewing farmers worldwide who transitioned to organic, and she found that pesticides were a major concern.

Farmers Switched to Organic After Pesticides Made Them or Their Families Sick

Everyone Loves This Buff Cat

kaijutegu:

justnoodlefishthings:

buzzfeed:

weirdbuzzfeed:

Dr. Dan Smith, a veterinarian in New York, told BuzzFeed News he’s not sure if Buff Cat suffers from a genetic muscle condition, but said, “that boy is an absolute unit.”

“There is a genetic mutation that’s found mostly in some cow breeds that is called double-muscling (look up some pictures, they look fucking swole!) and I’ve heard of rare cases of it in some dog breeds like Rottweilers and Greyhounds, but never in a cat. This might be the first,” he added.

“that boy is an absolute unit.” — a literal veterinarian

here’s a wild thought but maybe the cat is just obese

I dunno, the top-down shows a pretty distinct waist, and the neck definition is pretty good- it’s kinda hard to tell with the fur in the way, but I really am reminded of the double-muscled whippet.

Especially how small the head is in comparison to the rest of the body. It’s a pretty simple mutation that’s risen independently across a few mammal species- it could probably do so in cats, too.

Everyone Loves This Buff Cat

dappermouth:

For weeks now, I’ve been hearing my neighbors from across the ravine hollering to their young daughter, Natalie. I’ve never seen these people, but the sound carries pretty clearly.

“That doesn’t go in your mouth! Natalie!”

“Nat, get out from under the car, it’s time to go.” “Natalieeeee! Don’t go peepee in the road sweetie!“  “Oh my god, Josh–get Natalie! She’s running after those deer again.”

I’ve been over here like “Holy crap, this kid is wild…bold…fabulous…”

I finally went over to the other side of the ravine today, and in doing so I discovered that Natalie is, in fact, a beagle. I’m crushed.

archionblu:

gitgey:

murderdonaldtrump:

kaylapocalypse:

transhansolo:

houseofdraggle:

xenobiia:

On a job application: “What is your preferred name and gender, we value diversity, so be honest.”

Me: 

I don’t know what this means.  I’ve never filled out a form that said that.

they’re asking you to disclose if you’re transgender. legally, they can’t ask or consider someone’s gender in hiring someone, so they get around it by giving you the option of telling them yourself. if you “volunteer” the information, that’s legal.

its like when they try to figure out if you’re poor by asking if you have “reliable transportation,” hoping that ppl will explain that they dont have a car without actually being asked. things like that.

its a scummy thing to do, especially in this case where theyre presenting it like a “diversity” thing.

^^^^

Never answer those questions honestly if you actually want the job.

My managers have personally told people that anyone who puts anything like that outside of just “male or female” gets their application tossed immediately.
Btw if an interviewer asks if you have reliable transportation, don’t say anything but “yes I do” that’s it!!!!! Don’t say another word don’t say you take the bus or walk or bike or get rides or uber don’t say anything!!!!! Just say yes and that is it they cannot require any sort of proof of transportation.

Shit. I didn’t know that about transportation but I’mma start doing it now.

I just took a class where one of the things we had to go over was interviewing to hire. 

The entire process was super gross and made me feel scummy and unethical. SO!

Here is an article (that we used in class) that covers 30 Interview Questions Potential Employers are Not Allowed To Ask You (and what they might ask you instead). 

Be on the look out for any of these questions. 

stephrc79:

riverofwhispers:

iverbz:

dipsetflag:

iverbz:

i sleep nude because if someone ever breaks into my house they gotta fight me while im naked and i dare you to try and swing on a nigga when his dick is out

You are grade A guarenteed to get yourself hurt with this mindset? You think I’m afraid to grab a dick and yank it, bruh? You think I won’t get my hands dirty on your dick in order to end you? You got the wrong one, man—and your ass better hope I don’t have a knife.

Okay weirdly this exact situation has happened to me. It was summer so I was sleeping naked, but then I heard the lock on the front door being opened. I thought someone was breaking into my house and I had enough time to either grab my sword or my nightgown, not both.

Two things I learned.

One, sometimes apartment complexes will flat out forget to tell you they’re sending someone over from the fire department to check your fire extinguishers.

Two, no matter how bad ass a person thinks they are, a naked person swinging a sword at them will knock them off balance both physically and mentally.

However, the fireman was very nice about it and accepted my apology.

didn’t think it could get any better, yet here we are

thebibliosphere:

cerulean-beekeeper:

thebibliosphere:

No spoons. Only knives.

I try not to get overly frustrated when people make suggestions re: my health because I know a lot of the time people are genuinely caring and trying to help. Sometimes the things people have told me about have been truly helpful and I’m extremely grateful for that.

But when your idea of “help” is to suggest something so basic as “take an allergy med”, what that actually tells me is that you don’t believe me when I tell you I’m already doing everything I can to survive my body going off the rails and into this downward plummet, and think I’m just not trying hard enough.

The conversation I’ve just had was this:

“Have you tried taking zrytec? I hear it works really well for allergies.”

“Oh hi, and yes. I take zrytec and 3 other meds, carry an EPI pen and wear a face mask, and sadly I still get sick. Thank you though, for trying.”

“Weird. Maybe you should talk to a doctor? They might be able to determine what you’re reacting to.”

“Yes, I’ve done that. They prescribed the meds, the Epi pen, and the use of the face mask.”

“Well, are you sure you’re taking the zrytec right?”

“Yes.”

“Cause you really shouldn’t still be that bad if you’re taking it right.”

“I am sure I am taking my meds right, thank you. If I wasn’t there’s every chance I’d be dead. Please stop asking me that.”

“Wow. Rude much? I was only trying to help.”

Except no, you weren’t. You were trying to be RIGHT cause there’s no way the sick person could actually be taking care of themselves and still struggle, right? There’s no way you can eat right, exercise and meditate, and still get sick, right? It must be something I’M doing to deserve this and if only you could figure it out you’d get to be a saviour. So you suggest the simplest, most common sense thing and adamantly repeat that if you are doing this, then that cannot be happening. It’s a lie. It must be, cause otherwise that would mean some things just happen to people without rhyme, reason or mercy. And one day that person could be you. No, no, that can’t be true. It’s you, you’re at fault. Are you sure you’re taking your meds right? Sure, really, really sure?

Yes. I’m god damn sure.

Also, I’m not here to be a personal learning curve for you on how not to be shitty to sick people.

I’m not a simulation with endless patience and resources to spoon feed you on why sick people deserve to be listened to when we say we are already doing everything within our power not to get any sicker, and nor do I need to disclose my full medical history to you, in order for you to judge whether I’m worthy of being listened to or not.

You are not being nice, you are not being helpful. You are in fact being very rude, and I owe you nothing.

Maybe I’m wrong, but there’s something that feels uniquely American about the mindset that if you’re chronically sick, there must be some reason you deserve it.  You must be doing something wrong.  You must be not properly taking care of yourself somehow.  Or you’re just plain immoral in some way.

It’s so wrong.  Maybe I’m wrong and this mindset is common outside the U.S., but somehow I doubt it, at least to our level.  Because here in the U.S. medical care isn’t considered a right.  Here people argue that they shouldn’t give their precious tax dollars to take care of “some people unwilling to take care of themselves” but don’t blink about funding war after war…

I’m originally from the UK and I can tell you it’s not unique to the US. Even when I had free healthcare I was made to feel like I was to blame for getting sick. Worse, I was a drain on precious resources that could have been used for “actually sick people”.

Ableism is a universal problem.

imgetting2old4diss:

sandersstudies:

I have some young followers who might need to hear this:

A long-distance relationship can last if both people are willing to put in trust, understanding, and hard work.

A relationship that starts in high school can last if both people are willing to put in trust, understanding, and hard work.

A relationship between an ace-spec and an allo can last if both people are willing to put in trust, understanding, and hard work.

A relationship that broke up and got back together can last if both people are willing to put in trust, understanding, and hard work.

A relationship between adults with an age gap can last if both people are willing to put in trust, understanding, and hard work.

A relationship between people of different cultural or religious backgrounds can last if both people are willing to put in trust, understanding, and hard work.

A relationship can end respectfully and become a friendship that will last if both people are willing to put in trust, understanding, and hard work.

Basically,

Any healthy relationship can last if both people are willing to put in trust, understanding, and hard work.

Reblogging beacause its true