#crop protection methods

[arrozaurus]

i wanna plant species in my garden so that there are flowers almost all year around. this will attract all kinds of bugs that will pollinate my vegetables and reduce pests

[umangharyana]

Yellow Rust, Wheat Disease : कांगड़ा में पीला रतुआ से गेहूं फसल को बचाने के लिए कृषि विभाग ने क्या कदम उठाए?

कांगड़ा जिले के किसानों के लिए एक खतरनाक खतरा उत्पन्न हो गया है। पीला रतुआ, गेहूं की फसल को बर्बाद करने वाला एक खतरनाक रोग, ने किसानों की चिंता बढ़ा दी है। लेकिन कृषि विभाग इस संकट से निपट���े के लिए पूरी ताकत से जुटा हुआ है। कृषि विकास खंड परागपुर में कृषि विभाग की टीम ने गेहूं की फसल का निरीक्षण किया और किसानों को इस खतरनाक रोग से बचने के लिए जागरूक किया। कृषि अधिकारियों ने इस रोग के लक्षणों को…

[farmerstrend]

How Beehive Fences Support Farmers and Protect Elephants From Raiding Farms in Kenya

“Discover how innovative beehive fences are reducing human-elephant conflicts in Kenya, protecting crops while generating income for local farmers through honey production.” “Learn about Kenya’s groundbreaking beehive fence project, where bees deter elephants from farms, providing a sustainable, nature-based solution to human-wildlife conflict.” “Explore the science behind Kenya’s beehive…

[probablyasocialecologist]

A UN report says 96 percent of Gaza’s population is food insecure and one in five Palestinians, or about 495,000 people, is facing starvation. Satellite images analysed by Al Jazeera's digital investigation team, Sanad show that more than half (60 percent) of Gaza's farmland, crucial for feeding the war-ravaged territory’s hungry population, has been damaged or destroyed by Israeli attacks. Israel has killed at least 37,900 people and injured 87,000 others in bombings, by destroying healthcare that could have saved them, and by starvation.

[...]

In February, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) assessed the agricultural and livestock damage across Gaza. They found significant damage to: - 626 wells - 307 home barns - 235 chicken farms - 203 sheep farms - 119 animal shelters In addition, they estimated that 27 percent - 339 out of 1,277 hectares (3,156 acres) - of Gaza’s greenhouses were damaged by Israel’s assault. Experts say military hardware and bombs have damaged Gaza's fertile soil for many years. “There will be years of destruction because of the material used in the explosives and phosphorus bombs used there, this will affect the land and water in the long term,” agricultural consultant Saad Dagher told Al Jazeera.

2 July 2024

Geneva Convention, Protocol I, Article 54 - Protection of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population

1. Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited. 2. It is prohibited to attack, destroy, remove or render useless objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, such as foodstuffs, agricultural areas for the production of foodstuffs, crops, livestock, drinking water installations and supplies and irrigation works, for the specific purpose of denying them for their sustenance value to the civilian population or to the adverse Party, whatever the motive, whether in order to starve out civilians, to cause them to move away, or for any other motive.

[reasonsforhope]

"The transformation of ancestral lands into intensive monoculture plantations has led to the destruction of Guatemala’s native forests and traditional practices, as well as loss of livelihoods and damage to local health and the environment.

A network of more than 40 Indigenous and local communities and farmer associations are developing agroecology schools across the country to promote the recovery of ancestral practices, educate communities on agroecology and teach them how to build their own local economies.

Based on the traditional “campesino a campesino” (from farmer to farmer) method, the organization says it has improved the livelihoods of 33,000 families who use only organic farming techniques and collectively protect 74,000 hectares (182,858 acres) of forest across Guatemala.

Every Friday at 7:30 a.m., María Isabel Aguilar sells her organic produce in an artisanal market in Totonicapán, a city located in the western highlands of Guatemala. Presented on a handwoven multicolor blanket, her broccoli, cabbage, potatoes and fruits are neatly organized into handmade baskets.

Aguilar is in a cohort of campesinos, or small-scale farmers, who took part in farmer-led agroecology schools in her community. As a way out of the cycle of hunger and poverty, she learned ecological principles of sowing, soil conservation, seed storage, propagation and other agroecological practices that have provided her with greater autonomy, self-sufficiency and improved health.

“We learned how to develop insecticides to fend off pests,” she said. The process, she explained, involves a purely organic cocktail of garlic, chile, horsetail and other weeds and leaves, depending on what type of insecticide is needed. “You want to put this all together and let it settle for several days before applying it, and then the pests won’t come.”

“We also learned how to prepare fertilizer that helps improve the health of our plants,” she added. “Using leaves from trees or medicinal plants we have in our gardens, we apply this to our crops and trees so they give us good fruit.”

The expansion of large-scale agriculture has transformed Guatemala’s ancestral lands into intensive monoculture plantations, leading to the destruction of forests and traditional practices. The use of harmful chemical fertilizers, including glyphosate, which is prohibited in many countries, has destroyed some livelihoods and resulted in serious health and environmental damage.

To combat these trends, organizations across the country have been building a practice called campesino a campesino (from farmer to farmer) to revive the ancient traditions of peasant families in Guatemala. Through the implementation of agroecology schools in communities, they have helped Indigenous and local communities tackle modern-day rural development issues by exchanging wisdom, experiences and resources with other farmers participating in the program.

Keeping ancestral traditions alive

The agroecology schools are organized by a network of more than 40 Indigenous and local communities and farmer associations operating under the Utz Che’ Community Forestry Association. Since 2006, they have spread across several departments, including Totonicapán, Quiché, Quetzaltenango, Sololá and Huehuetenango, representing about 200,000 people — 90% of them Indigenous.

“An important part of this process is the economic autonomy and productive capacity installed in the communities,” said Ilse De León Gramajo, project coordinator at Utz Che’. “How we generate this capacity and knowledge is through the schools and the exchange of experiences that are facilitated by the network.”

Utz Che’, which means “good tree” in the K’iche’ Mayan language, identifies communities in need of support and sends a representative to set up the schools. Around 30-35 people participate in each school, including women and men of all ages. The aim is to facilitate co-learning rather than invite an “expert” to lead the classes.

The purpose of these schools is to help farmers identify problems and opportunities, propose possible solutions and receive technical support that can later be shared with other farmers.

The participants decide what they want to learn. Together, they exchange knowledge and experiment with different solutions to thorny problems. If no one in the class knows how to deal with a certain issue, Utz Che’ will invite someone from another community to come in and teach...

Part of what Utz Che’ does is document ancestral practices to disseminate among schools. Over time, the group has compiled a list of basics that it considers to be fundamental to all the farming communities, most of which respond to the needs and requests that have surfaced in the schools.

Agroecology schools transform lives

Claudia Irene Calderón, based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is an expert in agroecology and sustainable food systems in Guatemala. She said she believes the co-creation of knowledge is “key to balance the decision-making power that corporations have, which focus on profit maximization and not on climate change mitigation and adaptation.”

“The recovery and, I would add, revalorization of ancestral practices is essential to diversify fields and diets and to enhance planetary health,” she said. “Recognizing the value of ancestral practices that are rooted in communality and that foster solidarity and mutual aid is instrumental to strengthen the social fabric of Indigenous and small-scale farmers in Guatemala.”

Through the implementation of agroecology schools across the country, Utz Che’ says it has improved the livelihoods of 33,000 families. In total, these farmers also report that they collectively protect 74,000 hectares (182,858 acres) of forest across Guatemala by fighting fires, monitoring illegal logging and practicing reforestation.

In 2022, Utz Che’ surveyed 32 women who had taken part in the agroecology school. All the women had become fully responsible for the production, distribution and commercialization of their products, which was taught to them in agroecology schools. Today, they sell their produce at the artisanal market in Totonicapán.

The findings, which highlight the many ways the schools helped them improve their knowledge, also demonstrate the power and potential of these schools to increase opportunities and strengthen the independence of women producers across the country...

The schools are centered around the idea that people are responsible for protecting their natural resources and, through the revitalization of ancestral practices, can help safeguard the environment and strengthen livelihoods."

-via Mongabay News, July 7, 2023

[moonstruckme]

hello!!!! i hope you’re having a lovely day or night when u see this ! can i request sirius where reader is sensitive and very often just needs a tight hug and back rub through the day, and he’s sooo understanding about it and gives her all she needs

just lots of domestic fluff (maybe a drop of hurt/comfort if you’re feeling it)

feel free to ignore as always :3

Thanks for requesting lovely!

Sirius Black x fem!reader ♡ 562 words

It’s just a few minutes after Sirius hears the shower shut off that you’re padding into the living room, wrapped in a towel and arms spread entreatingly. Sirius knows better by now than to let himself get too twisted up about it; he sets the top he’s cropping aside and lets you crawl into his lap. Your wet hair is cold and heavy against his neck. 

“What’s gotten into your head, huh?” he asks, pushing his palms into your upper back the way he knows you like. You sigh in response. “I told you you’ve got to stop taking showers. You do too much thinking in there.” 

You laugh, but it’s clearly an effort. Your arms constrict together around his shoulders, and Sirius often gets this feeling around you. The urge to put your tender heart in a protective casing and carry it with him everywhere to keep it safe. 

He gives you an affectionate jostling. “Out with it,” he demands.

Another sigh, heavier than the last. “I was just thinking about that cat we saw in the shelter.” There’s a downward slope to your voice that Sirius doesn’t like. You squish your face further into his neck. “I just can’t imagine what life is like for him with no eyes.” 

Sirius hums, rubbing your back firmly. “I’m sure he’s happy with his new owner.” 

“Yeah, but he must be so confused.” You pull away from his shoulder, sniffling. 

And Sirius’ apartment is dim, but the frail threads of sunlight still sneaking in through the blinds lay themselves down across your face just so that he can see the tormented glossiness in both of your eyes. He tsks, kissing your nose. Your melancholy only seems to worsen. 

“Imagine you can’t see,” you choke out, “and you’ve got people making all this noise at you and touching you all the time. And the only thing you can do is cry to try and get someone’s attention. Wouldn’t you be scared?” 

Sirius feels himself frowning. He loves your gentle soul, but he hates that it makes you more susceptible to these hurts. You’ll get your thoughts all tangled up in something like this, and then you won’t be able to relax or be content until you can forget about it. But Sirius likes to think that he knows you fairly well, and he’s got his own methods for helping you through it. 

He has this spot memorized. The stretch of skin beneath your jaw and behind your ear, where if he slides his hand into place you’ll let loose a breath and melt against him like butter in the sun. He does it now, and your sigh fans warmly over the inside of his wrist, some of the tension sapping from your expression as you let your head rest in his palm. 

Sirius runs his thumb over your jaw. “You’re not going to do him any good by worrying, sweetness,” he says softly. “I just think…the person who adopted him had to have really cared to take on all that responsibility. I’ll bet they love him a lot.” 

You worry your lip, looking up at him uncertainly. “Enough to be patient with him even when he’s scared and crying?” 

Sirius has to take care to keep his lips from twitching. He smears a kiss across your temple. “Yeah, baby.” He wonders what that’s like.

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

How much of our scientific thinking has an unconscious religious bias?

This is in response to this post, from @headspace-hotel, about campaigns to eradicate Hybrid Cattails as an "Invasive Species," even though both individual species hybridizing themselves are native plants (But I didn't want to muddy a discussion about science with a rant about religion. So: a separate post it is)

I sometimes wonder if our dominant views of "natural vs. unnatural/invasive" were shaped, are shaped, by the particular theologies of Protestant Christianity...

You Know, the theology that teaches / believes:

Our world was created by a single, all-knowing god

Humanity Fell by disobeying that god, and thus tainted the world with Sin (so Humans are now apart from Nature [aka the Garden of Eden])

The Protestant Christians fetishized the North American Continent as an example of what Eden was like "Before the Fall," and the people who were already living here were Noble Savages.*

So now, anything that evolves in response to human influence (such as brackish cattails hybridizing with freshwater cattails), is considered "unnatural," as if it's been tainted by our sin.

I sometimes wonder what our environmental understanding would be like in an alternate universe where the sciences had evolved in a polytheistic culture.** Would we be more generally accepting of the idea of coexisting forces constantly intertwining, and changing, rather than there being a single, fixed, "pure" world, that must be protected from contamination?

[BTW. I've become an atheist in this last third of my life, so I don't think any one religion is "more true" than any other: they're all metaphors that help us frame and understand the actual world we live in; they are very powerful metaphors, and for some, can be helpful and emotionally healthy ... for others, not so much.]

*(even though the abundant environment the colonizers found here was actually deliberately managed and curated by humans -- it's just that it wasn't managed in the form of fenced off square plots, and straight rows of crops).

**If you don't believe scientific thinking can evolve within a polytheistic paradigm, check out (what survives of) the writings of Democritus and Epicurus. Their philosophies weren't following what we now consider the Scientific Method, but they were already drifting in that direction.

[writers-potion]

Healing

Most religions have a form of healing magic - it may be called "faith healing" and "miracle".

Some healing magic is subtle, strengthening he body's own immune defences so it can fight off infections, cancer cells and hormonal imbalances. In such cases, this might not be considered magic by others.

Dramatic, sudden healings attract a lot of attention and will run into many ethical dilemmas:

What if the magician is kept in captivity to keep the king young, forever?

What if the magician is forced to heal armies that are doing terrible things?

What if the magician only heals those in power/ who can afford to pay them?

In modern society, it is possible for the line between healing magic and life science to be blurred. Magic might simply amplify existing medicines, or provide luck to surgens who are performing a particularly tricky operation.

Protection

Many people seek magical protection, and hire magicians to provide it.

A farmer might seek to protect his crops

A mother might seek to protect her offspring

A courtesan seeks protection from her lover's wives

A soldier who seek protection from attacks.

Methods through which it may be achieved:

Using an amulet, necklace, or other tools that must be carried

A mark or tattoo for protection

A circle or physical barrier surrounding the client

A blessing that wears off with time

A protection spell that can be memorized and used only once.

Talismans and Amulets

Talisman and amulets give magical enegy to the people who wear them. They are two different objects, so it's best not to get them mixed up if your story has both. The follow categorization is fluid:

An amulet gives general help, while a talisman serves one specific purpose.

An amulet keeps harm away, while a talisman empowers the wearer.

An amulet is motly secular, while a talisman typically contains divine/angelic/spiritual energy

An amulet usually works for whoever that wears it, while a talisman is custom made for one user.

An amulet deflects negative energies, while a talisman attracts positive ones.

They are generally small objects that can be worn or carried. They have symbols on them which charges them with magical power.

In ancient societies, amulets and talismans were big business, with magician earning large sums by making and recharging them.

Guarding Against Harmful Magic

Using magic to harm or kill others is generally frowned upon. However, the magician may accept the job of hexing or cursing someone, given that they are paid well.

Hexes and curses

A hex is worked in cold blood, unemotionally. A curse involves intense emotions.

A hex lasts for a given period, then wear off. A curse may last a lifetime or even generations.

A hex is usually secular, while a curse often has a religious element (placed by or on behalf of a deity)

A hex is usually Low Magic while a curse may be High Magic

A hex is always worked by a magician while a cuse can sometimes be worked by a non-magician

A hex can affet an object or a person, a curse almost always affects a person.

Hexes tend to cause great nuisance, while curses bring long-term devastating harm.

Protection against magical attacks

The afflicted person may seek to undo the hex or spell, often at a high cost (even life)

Rituals may either aim to deflect other magical attacks, get rid of the attack, or send the spell back to the sender.

Sometimes, placing a curse or hex has a consequence to the caster, and this will deter a magician from doing it in the first place.

The client may pay to lessen the impact of a curse or seek drugs to ease their pain under it.

If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! 📸

[chase-prairie]

the weird thing about the historic nazis is that they genuinely were passionate about their native ecosystems. Their native plants, their native animals. Taking Poland was just as much about taking Bialowieza Forest as an ecological treasure

Soviet-Russian scientists starved to death protecting Nikoli Vavilov's seed bank. Nazis, fixated on breeding a master race, were just as much interested in breeding stronger crops. What would they have done, if they had taken the Vavilov seedbank?

i dont know that plant ecology has fully contended with our relationship with the nazis, and I don't think the current American fascist movement has like... half the brain of the literal nazis

like jesus christ, how did it get this bad? what the fuck are we even doing?

I think the one place we will see this conflict play out is in the Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is always a HUGE political, ecological battleground, but its the stuff conservatives actually care about.

Today (Thursday 1/23/25), Brooke Rollins was grilled in preparation as Trump's nom for the US department of Agriculture. In the grand scheme of things (the bar is so low, it's in hell), she sounds almost sane, advocating for controlling animal disease outbreaks, immigrant farm labor, voluntary farm conservation methods, and making the Farm Bill happen. Congress failed to pass it last year, so it will pass at some point under Trump.

i'm not optimistic, but since its relatively "off-stage" to a Fox News audience, and farmer's rights is often painted as a Conservative call, it's certainly likely to be interesting.

[leapingbadger]

The Fallen

Summary - Hunter regrets not being able to save the young Jedi on Kaller. It’s through Omega joining the rebellion that he finally gets some closure.

Read on AO3

Hunter pulled himself up into the storage locker over the top of the Marauder’s main cabin. Crates had fallen haphazardly on their side from Tech’s latest evasive maneuvers. He set about straightening them and shifting them back into place. He came across a long storage locker at the far end, Crosshair’s armor. He hesitated to touch it, before surging forward and methodically securing it into place.

He sat down and wiped sweat off his brow. The heat of Ord Mantel of late was oppressive, just another reason Hunter was hoping they could leave soon and find a more suitable base for themselves.

“Omega,” Hunter called down, “Comm Tech, tell him to pick up more power converters. We’re out up here.”

“On it,” she said, excitedly pressing the button of her comm and relaying the request to her brother. He heard his brother’s taciturn response and lowered himself back down into the ship, his heavy boots hitting the floor with a clang.

He sighed. How had this ship become such a mess? Half eaten ration bars, medical wipes, dirt and pieces of discarded detritus littered the floor. They’d have to clean it up before their next mission.

“Hunter?” Omega asked

“Hmm,” he responded, distractedly picking up bits of rubbish from the floor and throwing them out the door to the space port.

“Why did you take me off of Kamino?” she asked.

“What do you mean? it wasn’t safe,” he said simply without taking his eyes off his current task.

“I know,” she responded twisting the hem of her tunic in her fingers, “but why did you come back for me? What’s so special about me?”

Hunter turned to meet her eyes and took in the look on her face. He couldn’t decide if it was curiosity or something else. “You’re one of us Omega. If I’d known that at the time we wouldn’t have left you behind in the first place.” His words stung in his throat as he thought of Crosshair, the last member of Clone Force 99 on Kamino.

She signed and gave him a small smile, but she didn’t seem satisfied with his answer. “There wasn’t…another reason?” she asked quietly, not meeting his gaze.

Hunter sank into the nearby chair by the communications array. “Omega, tell me what you need to know.”

Her large brown eyes looked up at him sadly, her bright, blonde, cropped hair still too short to be tucked behind her ear, fell over her forehead.

“Tech told me about Kaller.”

“Okay,” Hunter said, “is this about… Crosshair?”

Omega looked alarmed and shook her head, “No it’s not that…Tech mentioned something, the other day. About a boy you tried to save…but couldn’t.”

Hunter felt his stomach clench as he finally understood. “How did this even come up?”

Omega shrugged, “Tech was going through Imperial files. He said he was checking on something for you.”

Hunter let out a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yeah, kid. There was a boy, a Jedi. Caleb. We were on a mission, our last mission for the Republic actually when…when things changed…” Hunter paused and felt a rush of cold over his whole body as though he were back on that ice planet, standing at the cliff edge, begging to be heard by a scared kid.

“What happened?” Omega asked in a tiny voice, as though trying not to intrude on Hunter’s memories.

He ran his hand through his hair and shook his head, “The inhibitor chips activated in the middle of the mission. The Regs executed the General…” Hunter heard the General’s cries of ‘Run, Caleb,’ and tried to shake them off. “We tried to help the kid, but we didn’t know that Crosshair was… affected…didn’t understand what was happening. Caleb escaped; but…I couldn’t protect him. He didn’t trust me. When we met you, I thought maybe I could help protect you.” He said simply. Hoping he’d explained it right. Hoping she didn’t feel like a runner up or that their choice would have been different if they had managed to save Caleb as well.

“What happened to Caleb?” Omega asked, eyes wide.

“Tech checks the imperial records periodically for any mention of him. If he was captured, they’d make it known. So far, we haven’t found anything.”

“So, he survived?” she asked optimistically.

Hunter smiled, “I hope so.”

Hunter watched as Omega paused, clearly thinking through her next question carefully. She was still ringing her tunic through her hands as though nervous.

Hunter rested his hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him, “Omega, even if we had succeeded in helping Caleb, we would still have wanted to take you off Kamino. You weren’t a consolation prize. You’re a member of our squad, were a member of our squad even then. We just didn’t know it yet. Do you understand?”

Omega’s shoulders relaxed as he spoke, her smile becoming broad, pink patches appearing on her cheeks, “Okay, Hunter.”

He smiled and patted her shoulder.  “Can you help me clear this mess up before the others get back?”

“Of course,” she said happily, flitting around the ship, making herself useful.

Hunter and Omega moved to opposite ends of the Ship. Hunter came across Tech’s secondary datapad resting on the pilot seat and turned it on. The imperial data was still up. He stood as the sun streamed through the window of the Marauders cockpit. Scrolling through the data slowly, not wanting to miss any hints or mentions. Finally, setting it down he breathed a sigh of relief. There was no mention of Jedi Caleb Doom.

“Are we done?” Omega asked, looking around the ship.

“Yeah, I think so. Let’s go find the others,” he said leading the young clone out in to steamy Ord Mantell.

***

The sunlight streamed into the pabu cottage. Hunter was fixing himself some caf when he felt a buzzing on the edge of his senses.

“Wrecker, check the comm. Omega’s calling,”

A few seconds later the comm on the common room table trilled, signaling a call.

“How do you do that?” Wrecker grumbled as he made his way out of this bedroom. He pressed the button to connect the call and grinned as Omega’s smiling face came into the frame.

“Now, there’s a site” he said joyfully, collapsing on the sofa behind him and reaching out to touch her face.

“Where’s Hunter?” she asked breathlessly. Wrecker looked taken aback and she quickly took a breath, “Sorry Wrecker. How are you?”

“I’m good,” he said, waving her bluntness away. “Hunter’s coming, just in the Kitchen,”

“I’m here,” Hunter said, striding into the room with his cup and sitting next to his brother. “How are you? You look tired,”

Omega rolled her eyes and took a breath, “There’s something I have to tell you.” she said, hands up for emphasis as she talked. “Where’s Crosshair?”

“Still sleeping,” Hunter interjected. “Should we wake him?”

“Um…probably not just yet.”

Wrecker and Hunter traded a glance and turned back to their kid. Her hair was pulled back into a braid that trailed down her back, her bangs still draped over her right eye. She wore a bright yellow jacket over a brown jumpsuit that looked old and stained.

“Are you okay? Anything happen?” Hunter asked, leaning forward to try and read her face. He noticed a bruise under her right eye but didn’t say anything. Noting it for later.

“No… I mean, yes something did happen but nothing bad. I just…I had to tell you,”

Hunter’s brow furrowed. She was dancing around whatever she wanted to tell him, and he felt a knot grow in his stomach. If she needed something, help, he couldn’t get to her in time. Although, it didn’t seem like she was in trouble.

“I found him,” She took a deep breath again, closing her eyes as though to center herself. “I found Caleb Dume, Hunter, He’s here. On the base. With Hera.”

“Wait, Hera from Ryloth?” Hunter’s eyes flicked left and right, trying to remember the green Twi’lek girl they had helped all those years ago.

“Yes,” Omega said jubilantly. “She’s in the rebellion. I ran into her yesterday, her and her crew. We got a chance to catch up this morning and her, I dunno, boyfriend maybe, his name in Kanen but she told me it used to be Caleb. That he changed it after the war because he was a jedi. He’s here, Hunter. He survived.”

The words spilled out of Omega’s mouth as though she couldn’t contain them any longer. Hunter felt like he had been struck in the face. He took a deep breath and ran his hand over his beard, thinking back to that fateful day. He felt a cool breeze sweep down his spine. Part of his chest released, as though he had been holding something there all these years.

“Hunter? Are you okay?” Omega said, shooting Wrecker with a worried look.

“Yeah. Yeah, kid. I’m…great. That’s…that’s amazing news.” He said with a smile.

“Do you want to talk to him, I can see if I can…”

“No.” Hunter said firmly. Again, Omega and Wrecker exchanged glances. “I don’t think he’d want to see us. I’m sure that’s something he’s been trying to forget.”

“But you tried to save him…”

“I know that, and you know that. He doesn’t know that. He didn’t feel that, or he would have come with us all those years ago. I think…I think it’s best if you just let it lie. He’s alive and that’s amazing news.”

Wrecker nodded solemnly next to him and clapped Hunter on the back.

“Okay,” Omega said, slightly deflated.

“Why don’t you tell us about your adventures.” Hunter said encouragingly, hoping to change the subject.

Omega’s face lit up and she spoke about her most recent mission for the rebellion. Hunter winced at the occasional close call and knew she was keeping the really dangerous information to herself for their sake. Crosshair joined the conversation halfway through, waking up to the sound of Omega’s voice and leaping out of bed.

They talked for a while, laughing about old times, drinking up the stories of Omega’s missions when an alarm blared behind her.

“Oh, that’s me. I have to go,” she said hastily.

“Bye Omega,” Wrecker called, waving at her.

“Be Safe.” Said Crosshair.

They both walked back to their respective rooms.

“Hunter?” Omega asked, the alarm still blaring in the background.

“Yeah, Kid?”

“Should I lie if they ask where I’m from? If Hera asks about you?”

Hunter smiled and took in the worry in her eyes. “You don’t have to lie about who you are Omega. We’re proud that you’re a member of our squad and I know you are too. Maybe just let Hera know and see if she has any suggestions on how to handle things. She was pretty perceptive as a kid.”

Omega smiled and nodded. “Will do,” She have a little salute that Hunter returned with a smile.

“We miss you, Kid. Stay safe. Come home soon.”

The connection broke and the room fell silent. Hunter sat back on the couch, elbows on his knees, head resting in his hands. After all this time, finally knowing that Caleb had survived to adulthood was overwhelming. He felt his chest constrict and tears prickle in the corner of his eyes. He took a deep breath, forcing them to pass. He had survived.

***

Hunter, Wrecker and Crosshair stood back as the ship’s ramp lowered onto the stone top of Pabu. Blossoms from the weeping maya tree scattered in the warm breeze. The scent of honey and salt water wafting in the air.

Hunter smiled as he saw Omega as soon as she rounded the corner. She charged down the ramp her long blond hair streaking behind her as she leapt into his arms, almost knocking him over.

“It’s so good to see you,” She cried into his neck.

“New ship?” Hunter asked, gazing up at the yellow and red stiped freighter.

“Not exactly. I just bummed a ride,” she said, hugging Wrecker and Crosshair in turn.

She looked smug as she turned back to the ship in time to see a tall, green Twi’lek exit, an orange droid trailing obediently after her.

“Is that..?” Wrecker started.

“Hera Syndulla,” Hunter said with a smile. She was almost as tall as Omega and waved as she came down the ramp.

“What brings you here?” Hunter asked.

“I thought it was about time I brought your daughter back to you before she tried to get herself blown up again.” She said with a laugh, her Lekku swaying in the breeze.

Omega rolled her eyes but smiled all the same.

“Besides, I could do with a vacation, and I hear this is quite the restful spot.”

“It is when Omega’s not around,” Crosshair said sarcastically.

“You must be Crosshair,” Hera said, extending her hand. Crosshair took it and smiled over at Omega.

“Been telling stories?” he asked her.

“Only the good ones.” she replied, putting her arm around his shoulder.

“How long ya staying, Megs” Wrecker asked hopefully.

“Only a couple of rotations. The rest of the team are still on Lothal so we can’t be gone too long.”

“Do you want to head to the house? Or are you staying on the ship?” Hunter asked

“I think Hera is staying on the ship, but I’d like my own bed, at least for a couple of nights.” Omega said, and Hunter tried to suppress his joy. The house was never quiet, but it was certainly more so when Omega was gone. “But first, there’s something I want you to see on the Ship. Hunter? Maybe just you first?”

Hunter’s brow furrowed as he looked at Omega. She and Hera traded glances but smiled.

“I promise it’s nothing bad.” She said, taking his hand and leading him up the ramp. Hunter shrugged at his brothers and followed. They walked through the cargo hold and up into the body of the ship, past some living quarters. He paused as they came to the door of the common room.

“You know my senses aren’t completely dead, right?”

Omega gave an embarrassed smile and pressed the panel for the door release.

Sitting at the console table in the middle of the room was a man. Long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, much like his own. Lightsaber hilt hanging from his belt. His Intense eyes gazed at Hunter.

Hunter’s feet took him into the room without his body being conscious of it.

“Commander,” Hunter said in greeting with a slight nod of his head.

“Sergeant,” Caleb replied in a raspy voice.

“It’s just Hunter now,” Hunter said with a shrug, moving further into the room.

“Kanan,” he replied.

Omega and Hera hovered in the hallway, eyes flicking from one to another as though wondering if they needed to supervise.

“Its fine.” Kanan said, waving his hand, closing the door.

Hunter sighed. Trying not to stare at the face that had haunted him. His eyes were darker, his face more severe but he could easily see the young padawan in the bones on the jedi in front of him.

“I’m glad you survived,” Hunter said, his voice hoarser than he was expecting.

“Thanks. It wasn’t easy.”

“I bet,” Hunter said.

A silence fell in the room. The sounds of the ship, the murmur of conversation from Omega and Hera in the hallway, the squeaks of the moon-yos on the island seem tampered in the room, as though sound couldn’t penetrate the atmosphere.

“Omega told me about your squad.” Kanan continued, getting up from his seat and crossing over to Hunter. “can’t say I was surprised that you took in a helpless kid.”

Hunter shrugged. “She was one of us.”

“Yeah, so she said. She mentioned that you tried to find me in imperial files.”

Hunter nodded but didn’t say more. He felt uneasy, like he was in two places at once. Two versions of himself were colliding.

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t save you,” he said, after a long pause.

Kanan shrugged, “If you had I wouldn’t be here. Wouldn’t have met Hera. The force works in mysterious ways…But thank you for trying.”

Hunter smiled. “Any time.”

Kanan laughed, “don’t let Here hear you say that. She’ll have you signed up for the rebellion in no time.”

Hunter laughed too, “Sorry, we’re officially retired.”

“Yeah, that’s what Rex said too.” Kanan said with a smile.

Time in the cockpit of the ghost passed easily after the initial shock had worn off. Kanan had caught Hunter up on his teams exploits on Lothal and some of Omega’s more harrowing missions she had neglected to mention. He’d be sure to ask her about that later.

“A padawan of your own.” He said, after listening to Kanan divulge the inner workings of a life with a young force user. “I bet General Balaba would be very proud of the life you’ve made for yourself.” Hunter said, hoping he wasn’t crossing the line in invoking her name.

“Thank you” Kanan said “I hope so. Any advice on raising a kid in a war zone?”

Hunter laughed, “Well technically Omega’s older than us, so you may have to ask her. The only advice I got was that she wasn’t a soldier and that I couldn’t expect her to act like one. We just followed that track, taught her what she needed to know to stay safe, trusted her intuition and expertise and fought for her with every fiber of our being. It wasn’t easy but it ended up okay…in the end.”

Kanan smiled. “I’ll take it under advisement.”

***

Two rotations went by too quickly for Hunter’s liking. He was just getting used to Omega being home when it was time for her to leave. She smiled as she left her bedroom that morning, bed bandana pushing her hair back off her face.

“Uh, I’m not ready for you to go yet,” he said to her as she swept into the kitchen and grabbed a mug of caf.

“I know, but we’re finally making some progress, we can’t give up now.”

“Yeah, I figured you’d say that.”

“Where’s everyone else?” Omega asked, peeking around the corner into the common room.

“Up top with the Ghost,” Hunter replied.

“Did Crosshair and Kanan…”

“Yeah, a little. I don’t think either of them want to think about that time. We all just need to move on.”

Omega nodded, swallowing the last of her caf and wiping her mouth with her sleeve.

“We’re you raised in a barn?” Hunter asked, exasperated.

She laughed, “no, with a bunch of fugitives though.”

Hunter chuckled and followed her out the door, up the path and to the crest of Pabu.

***

Hunter woke with a start. It was the middle of the night. The comm in the common room had sprung to life. It could only be one person. He was out of bed and had sprung over the back of the couch before the comm chimed a second time.

“Hunter?” Omega wailed into the comm. Her face was tear stained; her hair disheveled, large black bags hung under her eyes like she hadn’t slept in days. The dark room was illuminated with nothing but the blue light of the comm.

“Omega, what is it? What’s wrong?” he asked desperation in his voice. He reached out to wipe the tears from her cheek, interrupting the feed as he did so. She flickered and disappeared before coming back.

“He’s dead,” she whispered. Hunter felt as though a brick had dropped into his chest. He knew who she was talking about, without having to ask. He just knew. “Kanan’s dead.”

She was completely incoherent now. Hunter tried his best to comfort her. “It’s okay Omega. Tell me what happened. Do you need us to come to you? Where are you? Are you safe? Is Hera safe?”

Minutes passed as Omega tried to regain control. He hadn’t seen her like this in years, not since Tech. She took deep, shuddering breaths and finally regained some control.

The noise had woken his brothers. Wrecker and Crosshair were both out of bed, Hunter sandwiched between them on the couch.

“…there was an explosion. They were trying to rescue Hera. He saved her. Saved them all but he was…he died.”

Hunter hung his head. Of course he died protecting his family. Hunter would have done the same thing.

“I’m sorry, Omega. Do you need to come home?”

“No. No, I’ll be fine.” she said, sniffing heavily. “I just… wanted to tell you. I know you…he was important to…”

“I’m fine, Omega. Focus on yourself and Hera. Come home when you’re ready. We miss you.”

His brothers nodded an affirmative. The call ended and Crosshair and Wrecker padded back to their rooms, lost in their own thoughts.

The room was dark but for the moonlight streaming in the kitchen window. Hunter padded quietly over to the far cabinet and pulled a bottle of spirit down. Uncorking it he poured himself and glass, opened the front door and strode out to the wooden bench on the patio.  The moonlight danced on the waves below.

He closed his eyes.

“You ready for this Kid, we move fast.”

“Good, that’s the only way I know.”

Hunter ran his hand over his hair and sighed. “May the force be with you, Caleb.” he said, holding the glass up to the midnight sky. He lowered it to his lips and took a deep drink.

[farmerstrend]

Dehaulming in Potato Production: Methods, Benefits, and Risks

“Learn about dehaulming in potato production, a crucial practice for hardening tuber skins and minimizing post-harvest damage, with insights into different methods and their impact on crop health.” “Discover the importance of dehaulming in potato farming, including the benefits, risks, and methods like haulms cutting, pulling, and paraquat spray to optimize your harvest.” “Explore how dehaulming…

[sgiandubh]

The Only Exception

I am back home, with a very dark, strong coffee under my nose.

None of your reactions disappointed. Some were enthusiastic. Others, less so: egos clashed, agendas were unsettled. This is not my problem and I am not going to comment further. Those persons are free to think whatever they want, of course. The Anon I was not sent apparently made the rounds in the shipper community: others got it and have their own take on what they saw - again, that is their point of view, not mine. I was simply sent a link to a YouTube clip and told to look for a possible hug at around the 01:00 mark. Suffice to say I had no particular expectations: in fact, I found that DM on my #silly way to the bathroom, at about 03:30 AM, local time. And then tried to make sense of it. That took me four hours.

This is the link I have been sent :https://youtu.be/h6lcHzBCFkM?feature=shared. And this is the clip. It is aerial footage (drone? I am not a specialist), taken live from the Paramore segment of Taylor Swift's Edinburgh concert:

First of all, I would like to walk you through my own steps, trying to make sense of it. Before anything else, I downloaded it from YouTube, using a basic free downloader, in 1080 p resolution, mp4 format, Full HD:

Then, as I told you, I simply used the VLC media player (https://www.videolan.org/) and its very easy, intuitive options:

Red arrow is the 'take a snapshot' button. Blue arrow is the 'frame by frame' button. I have patiently clicked frame by frame, and took tens of snapshots. Seeing all these in order gives you a very clear idea of what happened and one more time: I know what I saw. And then I opened the snapshots, zoomed on the tent where the cast was and snipped the S&C relevant portion of the image.

I have not brightened the images. I have not sharpened any contrasts. I did not want to adulterate anything. Zoom was an issue, because what you gain in focus, you sometimes lose in clarity. I have no idea of compression, resolution and such things.

Certainly not the best method and perhaps crude tools. I am NOT an expert videographer. I have NO formal training in that field. I just wanted to be of service. If you think you know better and can do better, by all means: be my guest. But do better and show arguments. Also, try to be civilized and do not insult me or come in DMs to tell me that somebody else saw something else, parroting that person's POV: I simply do not care. This is what I did, in all good faith and I take full responsibility for it.

The Screeching Banshees have asked for specific footage, thinking (like some Shippers) that I only had pics. That is not true, as I just explained. It is their constitutional right. All I could do was to crop the part where the band is looking at the tent zone:

You are free to do whatever you want with it. As far as I am concerned, I have seen a loving couple who could not help themselves. I have seen joy. I have seen an open secret and the John Bell/Joey pretorian guard protecting that open secret.

I have given you all the information I could, to the best of my abilities. Again: do better, be better than me. If you have better knowledge and/or better tools, USE THEM. If that could help ALL OF US, Shippers, have more clarity and less doubts, so be it. I have no ego when I am very serious about something and I take NO credit (and use NO watermarks) for anything, only my responsibility.

I am not fishing for any compliments and I expect more insults and more doubts to seep in, for various reasons. I thank all of you who reacted positively from the bottom of my heart. But I will stand by what I have seen with my own eyes and for me, it is enough. This, nobody could take from me.

[essie-essex]

Vampire the Masquerade - OC Deep Dive

(I don't remember the exact formatting of the post I saw, but hopefully this is close. I wasn't tagged by anyone. I just felt like doing this.)

Character name: Asha Mariam

Clan: Tremere. Regent of the chantry in her city. Loyal to House and Clan Tremere (obviously).

art by @crownedinmarigolds

What common/uncommon fear do they have?

Someone finding out her (and her sire's) secret.

On another note, she does not have a fear of fire. She was afraid of many things as a human, and after her embrace, she did not want to be afraid anymore and sought to find a way to protect herself from fire. She found a way. Most others believe it is the strange tattoos on her skin and sigils she embroiders on her clothing that protect her. Unfortunately, the method she chose makes her extremely vulnerable to those with the True Faith.

Losing the few friends she has, due to a conflict of interest. Especially those outside of the clan. She has done things behind at least one friend's back that he would not approve of.

Do they have any pet peeves?

She doesn't like it when apprentices sabotage each other to get ahead. She believes it weakens the clan and thinks that they should work together. She emphasizes this during orientation for apprentices. If they choose to sabotage the work of another apprentice, they had better not get caught.

Being called a witch. She's not curdling your milk or making your crops fail. She is a sorceress or a magus.

Other Tremere, especially adepts, resorting to petty insults when dealing with those outside of the clan. Surely, Clan Tremere is above this sort of childish behavior.

Mentioning Carna, House Carna, or anything about Carna or the other traitors in her presence.

False flattery.

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

A silver-colored sphere, used as a communication device.

A packet of papers including general guidelines and helpful information for neonates.

A cabinet containing the vitae of every apprentice who has ever resided in her chantry.

What do they notice first in a person?

Their demeanor and the way they say their words. She wants to know what their motivation is. She is always seeking to manipulate others into helping the clan.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance?

Pretty high. Like an 8. Her sire put her through a lot in her early years, including physical discipline.

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure? (or freeze and fawn)

Freeze. She likes to think about what she is doing before she does it. This can be a disadvantage at times. Luckily, she's pretty resilient.

What animal represents them best?

A talking snake.

How would a stranger likely describe them?

It depends on who is describing them. For some, she is reckless and dangerous, mostly due to her actions during her first year after her embrace. Now she has learned discipline and patience from her sire and is not like that anymore, but it's hard to ditch the reputation she earned in her youth. Others may think she is manipulative. The Tremere tend to come out ahead in any city she shows up in. Some others, especially her fellow Tremere, think of her as loyal, and despite coming from the most underhanded backstabiest (making up a word here) clan, deals with her are mostly predictable. Mostly.

“Stay way from her. She may seem like she's friendly and wise, willing to break taboos and help a fledgling navigate the labyrinth of horrors that is this unlife, but remember, she's a Tremere, and the best advice you'll ever get is to never trust a Tremere.” --Nosferatu primogen

“Back when she was a neonate, she messed up bad, but for some reason she was bailed out. Now she's basically Meerlinda's bitch.” --an anonymous Tremere

Do they have any hobbies?

Embroidery, singing, and she's taken an interest in technology and surveillance.

I tag: @the-100th-witch @losieee @lacroixgrimoire @vtm-nightcity @straight-edge-hippy @ventruetower @hubakon1368 @nebula-cnidaria @vampiremood @medeaft @candycorn128 and all the vtm people. I'm so sorry I can't remember your names, but tag me if you do this!

[kohanakonohana]

noteからの翻訳です。日本語の方はぜひ末尾のリンクから向こうへ。

The silkworm makes a cocoon to protect itself when it becomes a pupa. The length of the thread that is ejected while swinging its head in a figure eight motion is said to be as long as 1,300 meters or more. 1,300m or even longer in some varieties.

The raw silk I usually use to weave kimonos is a thin, fine thread, and those threads I usually use to weave kimonos is made by twisting 10 strands of 7-grain yarn. In other words, it is the thickness of 70 cocoons.

When drawing raw silk, cocoons are boiled and the protein (sericin), which is like glue that holds the yarn together, is broken down and drawn out. The figure of eight(8) is the secret to prevent tangling in the middle.

So. we could find a silkworm or moss after we pull and take a long thread from inside. (They will not become adult silkworms, though, because they are boiled.

Raw silkworms can be boiled, or the amount of work required to take the thread from them is limited. Recently, we have been drying, freezing, salting (salting method), and steaming (steaming method), etc., to produce raw silk. In short, it is necessary to prevent the silkworms from leaving their cocoons as adult worms.

Because …silkworms first hatch in cocoons, but they have to make a hole in the cocoon they made themselves to get out.

For the time being, they finish their transformation into the form of a moth inside and tear the skin of their chrysalis, the silkworm then breaks through the chrysalis skin and expels an enzyme called cochonase, which is produced in the organ called the bird's crop sac.

The moth then breaks through the chrysalis skin, and exhales an enzyme called cochonase, produced in the organ called the bird's craw sac, to soften the sericin at the exit, then emerges from the chrysalis by pushing its way through the threads.

Furthermore, when it comes out, it also produces urine, or water, which is called "moth urine". and coloured and stains the inside of the cocoon. The rest is the skin of the shed pupa, which also sticks to the inside of the cocoon.

The silkworms hatch and the quality of the cocoons changes,

The quality of the cocoon changes and raw silk cannot be obtained. The enzyme does not break the thread itself, but the cocoonase is alkaline, so it does not do much damage to weakly acidic fibres.

However, cocoonase is alkaline, so there is no small amount of damage to weakly acidic fibres. Nevertheless, at least some of the silkworms have to be made into adult worms, because the silkworm eggs for the next cycle cannot be obtained.

The cocoons from which raw silk was not obtained, and the rest from disease, or the cocoons that did not produce raw silk, cocoons that were too small because of disease or poor growth, and so on.

It is Japanese culture not to waste such things. The cocoons are boiled, the sericin in the paste is broken down, and the pupal skin is removed as much as possible, and the result is cotton-like material known as "mawata".

Mawata sheets

The "tsumugi" thread is made by stretching and twisting the cotton, either by pulling it out or twisting it, or neither, or both. Then, fabrics woven using the tsumugi thread is called tsumugi weaving.

The left is raw silk and the right is tsumugi yarn spun by myself.The texture is different. Such is the case even with purchased products.

To be precise, the silkworm's thread is called "kibiso"

The silkworm's thread is made up of three parts: the beginning part, called kibiso ; the long, long raw silk part; and the end part, called "bisu".

Both kibiso and bisu have different textures from raw silk, and sometimes only these parts are collected and sold as separate yarns.

The beginning of the spit is still unstable and the end is the residue of the body, so in essence, I have heard that they are made slightly differently...In the case of the easily recognisable coloured silkworm cocoons, the hard yellow-green outer part is the kibiso,

The bis has a light yellow-green raw silk part inside, and the bis is slightly yellowish white.)

The bisu ends up looking leathery and unravelling…

Those different textures remain in the mawata, so, even if you try to stretch them out homogeneously, it is sometimes impossible to do so. That is the true nature of the knots that remain in the silk threads.

Kibiso (left) and bisu (right) of wild silkworms.(Silkworms ones do not peel so much)

In the end, what I wanted to say was that thread is a gift of life,I think it is lovely that the thread is born out of such a sense of waste.

[probablyasocialecologist]

At the heart of Blumenauer’s bill is farm subsidy reform. In the most recent iteration of the farm bill, approximately $63bn was dedicated to subsidies. These mostly benefited the largest farms and agribusinesses, with 70% of subsidy payments going to just 10% of farms, most of which produce commodity crops like soy, corn and wheat, which are often used to make animal feed, processed foods and even fuel for cars. This means that taxpayers are subsidizing processed food, but not the fruits and vegetables you buy in the grocery store – and that commodity farms have little incentive to switch to more sustainable modes of production or more nutritious foods that people will actually eat. “Most of us don’t even know that the public dollars initially designed to protect farmers and keep supply managed to feed a hungry nation in the Great Depression are now reinforcing wealthy agribusiness corporations to grow commodities that are not even meant for human consumption,” said Joshua Sewell, a policy analyst at the nonpartisan watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense. Farmers that grow what are called “specialty crops”, which include fruits and vegetables, usually don’t qualify for subsidies. Most of the farms excluded from subsidy payments are those using sustainable growing methods that preserve soil and benefit the climate in the long term. “It’s just maddening to me that the men and women who are working hard producing food, and particularly those that are doing so in a sustainable fashion, or who want to be involved with organics, they’re shortchanged,” Blumenauer said.