Comment

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on February 6, 2012 at 7:12pm

Natural Insect Repellant Suggestions Continued

Here is some information on natural insect repellant that I have saved on my computer. Here is the recipe that was shared at the Young Living Farm in Utah by the head "farmer."
1 gallon of water
5 cloves of garlic blended and then strained
3 drops of oregano

1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon dish soap..

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on February 2, 2012 at 2:53pm

You can start fish farming right in your backyard

http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/628726-you-can-start-fish-farming-r...
Publish Date: Feb 02, 2012

By Prossy Nandudu

Charles Mulamata, a resident of Rubaga, a Kampala suburb has demonstrated that it is possible to rear this delicacy right in the backyard of your house.
Mulamata, an electrical engineer, has also turned the backyard of his home into a training place for bicycle repairers.

How he started
Mulamata and his family started fish farming back in 2010 although their efforts started paying off in May last year. Initially, the family harvested nothing from their first stock of 50 catfish due to poor supervision and care.

“The people who were looking after the fish either consumed them and ran away or simply left them to predators,” Mulamata says. “I decided to do some research on the Internet about fish farming and discovered that I could actually rear fish in my backyard,” he adds.

Mulamata studied the technology for about four months. He then started experimenting with the old gadgets he had at home. His old fridge at home came in handy. He modified it and filled it with water. 

He then looked around for an aerator to pump oxygen into the water tank and paid an aquarium seller sh20,000 for it. “He left behind his aquarium with some fish in it, promising to pick them when he delivered the aerator. That was the last time I saw him,” Mulamata says.

The following day, all the fish in the aquarium had died due to lack of oxygen.

This did not deter Mulamata who decided to keep the glass and started experimenting by keeping fish in it. He kept changing the water although he was still in a dilemma on where to get the aerator.

Mulamata later improvised by acquiring a small pump from a vehicle fuel tank. The other challenge was getting a timer to regulate the flow of water.

“I remembered that in a car, there is a flusher unit which acts as a timer to flush at intervals. I decided to modify one to increase its speed so that it could flush for 30 minutes and rest for 15 minutes,” Mulamata explains. The trick worked well and is still in use to date.

Set back
Having overcome the technological challenges, Mulamata and his wife were excited and decided to add more fish, which they hastily bought from a man at Kabaka’s lake. But because the fish were tiny, they found their way in the water pump through the outflow valve. The following day, the fish had clogged the pump and were dead because they lacked oxygen while inside the pump.

That is when the old fridge became handy. That was not the only disappointment.
After buying feed from Ugachick and the surviving fish growing rapidly, Mulamata realised something strange, the ‘fish’ were developing legs. They all turned out to be tadpoles. The person who sold them the ‘fish’ had conned them.

Success
After the disappointment, Mulamata’s wife advised him to visit Kajjansi to get quality and real fish fries.

“We found real fish, bigger and cheap. Each was going for sh200 so we bought about 600,” Mulamata says.
Six months down the road, Mulamata was a happy man.

“We have learnt a lot about fish farming. I harvest my fish for the table and love looking at them in water. The bonus is that the fish droppings give very good manure,” he says.

Fish waste for vegetable growing
The waste which is pumped out of the fish pond provides minerals and fertilisers that facilitate the quick growth of vegetables such as Dodo, Sukumawiki, lettuce and tomatoes.

Mulamata says the vegetables can grow faster than in ordinary gardens. His lettuce and tomatoes usually take 29 days to grow compared to the 60 days the lettuce and tomatoes in other gardens take.

Comment by Lynne Warbrooke on January 25, 2012 at 11:22am

Rango, I thought that too about the size of the North island.. but it appears to be in 2 parts separated by what is now Auckland.. I am wondering the same although I did hear someone say the other day that it would be best not to be north ofWhangarei. I have family in Cambridge so I am hoping they will be OK.

 

Comment by bill on January 16, 2012 at 9:23am

@Rango, Volcanoes won't be too much of a problem to us because the indo-australian will tilt and rise and we won't see explosions in our volcanoes as per zetas.

I live in Auckland.  We probably need to go central towards lake Taupo but not too close because of the lake.  I thought about Tokoroa/tirau/cambridge and I am still undecided.  

There will be more earthquakes coming our way as the indo-australian plate continue to tilt and rise.  there are unknown fault lines and i am still playing a waiting game.

Comment by Lynne Warbrooke on January 16, 2012 at 9:06am

Also, check out the safe places blog from the main page.

 

Comment by Lynne Warbrooke on January 16, 2012 at 9:05am

Hi Rango.. I would think not Auckland, Wellington or any of the coastal places would be a good place to start. We are in Northland and reasonably high up but its hard to get 100miles from the coast anywhere up here due to the island being so narrow. I have family down the line but as yet they just think I have a screw coming a bit loose :-) Time will tell I guess.

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on January 11, 2012 at 4:35pm

The benefits of pineapple.

The discovery of pineapple can be traced back to the year 1493 in Guadalupe, a Caribbean island, by the Europeans. Columbus brought back the fruit to Europe and cultivated it. However, because the fruit can only grow in tropical climate, the pineapples were introduced and grown for commercial purposes in Asia, South America and Africa by the explorers from Spain and Portugal. Pineapple in Europe, particularly the fresh pineapple, became a symbol of social class and prestige. Fact is, placing it as a table centrepiece evokes a feeling of awe among visitors of celebrations.

However, pineapple is not just known for its prestige, it is also highly known for the health benefits it can provide. A cup of fresh pineapple, weighing 155 grams, contains 128 percent of the daily value of manganese. 40 percent of the daily requirement of vitamin C can also be provided by a cup of pineapple. Below are some of the diseases that can benefit greatly from the nutritional content of pineapples.

1. Sinusitis

   Sinusitis is the inflammation of the para-nasal sinuses due to infections of bacteria, fungi or virus. There are several self-care treatments available to reduce the symptoms of sinusitis – from  inhaling steam two to four times every day, to the application of a washcloth that is warm and moist on the face for several times daily, to drinking generous amounts of fluids for the purpose of thinning the mucus. Doctors also prescribe decongestants, either oral or nasal, to ease the clogged nose especially to those who are suffering severe forms of sinusitis. But the pineapple is a natural anti-inflammatory agent that can reduce the inflammation process that causes sinusitis. Pineapple contains bromelain, an extract that is found in high amounts at the stems and the core of the pineapple fruit. Bromelain, according to a double blind study made in 1967, resulted to complete resolution of sinusitis and other related upper respiratory tract infection in 85 percent of the patient receiving this substance. In Germany, treatment for sinusitis has been approved for bromelain. Compared to other treatments for inflammation, bromelain has reduced the length of illness of children who are suffering from acute sinusitis.

2. Heart Health

   Pineapple is also beneficial to those who are suffering from some types of cardiovascular diseases because of the substance, bromelain. Aside from its anti-inflammatory characteristics, bromelain that is abundantly found in pineapples, seem to have the ability to destroy the plaques of cholesterol found in the arteries and it has shown to have some fibrinolytic activity that allows the thinning of the blood. In a 1978 research, patients who are suffering from symptoms of angina pectoris (chest pain) have reported a reduction of the symptoms within 4 to 90 days after a bromelain therapy. Those who discontinued the therapy have reported return of symptoms, especially after stress episodes. Another study has also shown that those who are suffering from thrombophlebitis showed that bromelain potentiated the effects of analgesics by reducing further the symptoms of inflammation.

3. Arthritis

   Arthritis has many types; osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the common ones. The general symptoms of the disease are also that of the inflammation process: pain, swelling and redness. Studies were made on the effects of bromelain found in pineapple towards the reduction of symptoms of arthritis. One important study showed that patients suffering from mid knee pain who are dose dependent of bromelain has shown reduction of symptoms. Another study of patients with arthritis has proven that bromelain can help subside the swelling of the soft tissues of the joints. Additionally, for those arthritis sufferers who are taking glucosamine, pineapple’s bromelain can enhance its effectiveness by increasing its absorption by up to 90 percent.

4. Heartburn

   Heartburn is the indigestion of acid that causes the burning sensation in the chest, which results when the gastric acid regurgitates. Bromelain has several components in the extract which are being studied by many scientists. Among the well-studied components are cysteine proteinases, a protein-digesting enzyme – an enzyme that is capable of digesting protein components of the food. It helps in the digestion process by assisting trypsin and pepsin, two protein-digesting enzymes, thus, digestion is enhanced. If digestion is enhanced, there is improvement of the acid reflux. With improvement of acid reflux, there is a decrease in tendencies of getting heartburn.

5. Anti-thrombosis

   Thrombosis is a condition where there is formation of blood clot inside the blood vessels which results to the obstruction of the flow of the blood. Several studies were made on bromelain found in pineapple and it has shown that bromelain is demonstrating fibrinolytic and anti-thrombotic effects on the body. Fibrinolysis is when the body prevents the growth of blood clots in the body. Anti-thrombotic, on the other hand, is the reduction of size of thrombus – a blood clot that is already formed in the blood vessel and has a way of clogging the blood vessels. Bromelain and pineapple itself has the capability to eliminate these conditions that are harmful not just to the blood vessels but also to the heart through the circulatory process.

6. Bronchitis

   There are two categories of bronchitis, acute and chronic. Bronchitis happens when there is inflammation of the air passages in the lungs, the bronchus. When this happens, the person affected by it will have difficulty of breathing, cough with yellow-green mucus, fever, wheezing and chest discomfort. There are several remedies for this condition, which is caused usually by viral or bacterial respiratory infection. But researches for years have shown that the symptoms can be effectively managed by bromelain. Bromelain has an anti-inflammatory effect, it can therefore help reduce the symptoms of inflammation, such as pain and swelling of the mucous membrane of the airway.

   There are still several health benefits of the pineapple and its major component, the bromelain. Being highly rich in vitamins C and B1, it is a good source of antioxidant that can protect the immune system of the body. Manganese is also beneficial in the production of energy. And lastly, pineapple has been implicated in the prevention of the development of macular degeneration, the main reason for the loss of vision in the older population.

Comment by Kris H on January 2, 2012 at 3:50pm

I don't post often on the survival side of the site, but had an idea I wanted to post. Sorry if this has already been covered. I want to say that right after the Pole Shift itself, after you emerge from your trenches and tend to all in your party, I think it is a good idea to search your immediate surroundings for freshly killed and injured animals. You might be able to stock up some meat for the time when you will be focused on rebuilding your camp/community. If you wait too long the animals will begin decomposing, and not be suitable for eating. We have to make as much use of everything we can get in the Aftertime.

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on November 11, 2011 at 5:58pm

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on November 11, 2011 at 5:40am

Some good advice on storing and handling pet foods

http://www.disinfect-for-health.org/pet-products-salmonella-contami...

Pet Products and Salmonella Contamination
Written by Linda Golodner

November 10th, 2011

It is part of the daily routine in millions of American homes: Feeding the family pet; tossing the puppy a treat during training; administering a prescribed pet supplement. Not quite as routine are recommended precautions to avoid serious foodborne illnesses that may result from contact with these pet products.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced a new nationwide, year-long effort to collect and analyze samples of pet products for Salmonella bacteria. FDA wants to know how prevalent Salmonella is in dry pet food, treats and supplements; the agency aims to remove contaminated products from interstate commerce.

There are several documented cases of human disease outbreaks resulting from contact with Salmonella-contaminated pet products. Between January 2006 and December 2007, for example, seventy human cases of salmonellosis were linked to Salmonella- contaminated dry dog food manufactured in the United States. Children (who love to interact with pets and may inadvertently contact feeding bowls), the elderly and individuals with compromised immune systems are among the most vulnerable.

Here are some tips to prevent contamination from pet products

 

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• …
• 9
• Next ›
• Page