#or how content farms use these properties in predatory content

[eris-abomination]

Probably a hot take, but mascot horror is more important than y’all give it credit for.

Y’all elitists are so up in arms about media being “cheap kiddie trash” that you’re forgetting that KIDS LOVE SCARY SHIT. There’s a damn good reason why Goosebumps was (and still is!!!) so popular and why indie horror games tend to attract child audiences! There’s a whole-ass MARKET for scary books and TV shows suitable for kids, so why aren’t they allowed to have mildly spooky video games without a bunch of grown-ass adults bitching and moaning about how “THE ENTIRE HORROR GENRE IS DEAD AND LAME-ASS KIDDIE MASCOTS KILLED IT”??? It’s either that or letting the kids play the games Y’ALL like, and I doubt that leaving a 9 year old alone with Outlast would lead to anything good.

[anyroads]

#this is how it feels to be on tiktok#every video is secretly an ad somehow and theyre so good at hiding it u don't find out until the wnd#end*

This post has way too many notes and they've been clogging up my notifs for a month, but these are the first ones I've seen that Get It. Thank you. This is exactly it.

I wasn't talking about the absurdity of companies trying to advertise cars or vacations that no one can afford, like everyone in the notes seems to think. There are plenty of people who can afford them. Fewer than there used to be, but corporations aren't starving.

I was talking about the invasive way advertisers have taken over every modicum of available space and how it's no longer possible to turn anywhere without advertising being pushed on you, despite the fact that most people don't have the kind of expendable income that these companies are trying to extract from them. The less money the average person has to throw around, the more aggressively they're hounded to hand it over. Where people used to be able to afford a new car and a vacation and still throw expendable income around, they now save up for one or another big purchase (those who can afford one, and that population has significantly dwindled). People limit their other spending, and in response companies descend on our consciousness, on every last bit of space they can squeeze their presence into, like pigeons onto a handful of seeds thrown on the ground.

You have to sit through advertisements to watch something on youtube only to realize the video is, itself, an ad in disguise. You can't pump gas without a little screen blaring at you wanting you to buy things. Billboards and bus benches weren't enough, they have to be energy gobbling screens now so five companies can sell you shit while you wait instead of just one. Every available surface is screaming at you to BUY THE THING. Where you used to be able to play a game on your phone, now you can't get through more than a round of any without having to sit through ads to keep playing. Ads that are pushing other games to you that have more ads. Games based on making working class jobs look fun. Be a barista and fulfill every order or the customers will be angry! Lolololol! Work at a hotel and don't fail, making the demanding customer angry is failing don't fail! Hahahahahahahaaahaaaaahaaaaaaaa it's fun! Run a farm and make money to buy more things to grow and sell to make money to buy more things to grow and sell to make more money to buy more things to grow and sell and and and! Even in your free time you should be thinking about your place in the market economy! Or worse, they're ads for predatory games, whether they're "play our game and win real money!" bullshit or "doctors want you to play this to avoid alzheimer's [if you're old play this game where we'll exploit your confusion about technology to sell you more things.]"

Every free moment you have, every free surface you come across is another opportunity to sell you something. We aren't able to get a break from it in our free time in our own home unless we constantly take steps and make effort to, like installing ad blockers - which youtube and other websites are constantly working against - but those don't even work on your phone or tablet. And the closer to home the advertisement, the more it targets you specifically, because your personal devices, that should be your personal, intimate, private property and space, are exploited to collect data on you to wrench every last cent from your wallet. They want to get to know you, not because they're curious about you, but because they want your money. They don't just see you as a wallet with thumbs, they do so unabashedly and brazenly and aggressively.

This post wasn't about the content of what's being advertised to us. It was about the relentless, instrusive aggression with which advertising invades our privacy and personal space and every inch of public space. We are exposed to hundreds of images daily, none of which are art or even remotely creative or inspiring, but instead demand our attention and our money while ignoring that both have been stripped bare by the mere need to exist from one day to the next.

This post was about the insidious way advertising has embedded itself into culture and consciousness, so much so that in a post trying to call this out, most people's immediate reaction is, "yes, the problem is that I can't afford the thing being advertised" and not "why can't I go three seconds without being advertised to" in the first place. That advertisers continue to pour money into new ways to insert themselves into the average person's life when it's absolutely fucking pointless.

Something so profoundly fucked up between the inverse ratio of shrinking middle class and ever increasing aggression of advertisement

[leaagueofrevolutionarie]

The Amazon-ification of America

By Steven Miller 8-14-2020

Last week, tech leaders spoke to Congress on Capitol Hill. Google’s Sundar Pichai, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos all spoke from prepared remarks. As the US economy shrank by 32.9%, Amazon’s share price rose by half, and Facebook’s growth rate approached 60%.

Congresspeople were supposedly “grilling” these uber-capitalists, but they were politely slobbering at their wealth. Since COVID began, American billionaires have made $637 billion, while 50 million people have lost their jobs. Timidly asking these billionaires questions about monopoly practices, the politicians refuse to address how this mega-wealth could be used to help people out in the greatest collapse in the history of capitalism.

Tech capitalism is fomenting the Amazon-ification and the Google-ization of America, right now in real time. This will culminate in a major re-organization and the State. This is class warfare on the rights of humans to control their own basic needs to live and thrive. Private property is on the march to seize every resource of the public and to re-organize society in its own image.

Microsoft has controlled the Pentagon’s cloud computing efforts since October, 2019. Big tech is constantly making inroads into the military, including $11 billion in contracts in the last 3 years.:

“’As we continue to execute the DOD Cloud Strategy, additional contracts are planned for both cloud services and complementary migration and integration solutions necessary to achieve effective cloud adoption,’ the Pentagon said”. (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pentagon-jedi-idUSKBN1X42IU)

Then just look at what we are already seeing! Capitalism’s massive collapse as a result of COVID means that an estimated 40% of African-American business will not open. One-third of restaurants will never open again.

What happens when the restaurants close? People increasingly order online. Big Tech becomes ever more dominant. Then Big Box stores enter the scene and become the only places that provide the distribution of the necessities of life. Private equity corporations and hedge funds actively finance this extermination. Amazonification aims far higher than replacing mom and pop stores. It also rises to counter the demand for the domination and extension of public property to benefit everyone..

Then Rent Apocalypse is about to hit, with multi-billion dollar corporations waiting to evict up to 28 million people by Thanksgiving. This tidal wave is lead by Blackstone, the world’s largest private equity management corporation. Blackstone works closely with Blackrock, the world’s largest asset-manager, and shadow bank to the world, which was founded in partnership with Blackstone in 1988. While Blackstone proclaims that the rentership society is here, Blackrock manages the government multi-trillion bailout for financial speculators and the financial industry. By driving millions out of their homes, these criminals will keep the homes empty, and turning them into rentals, in an attempt to extract more wealth from our communities..

“Today the fast-growing ETF (“exchange-traded funds) sector controls nearly half of all investments in US stocks, and it is highly concentrated. The sector is dominated by just three giant American asset managers – BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street, the “Big Three” – with BlackRock the clear global leader. By 2017, the Big Three together had become the largest shareholder in almost 90% of S&P 500 firms, including Apple, Microsoft, ExxonMobil, General Electric and Coca-Cola….

“Giant pension and other investment funds largely control the stock market, and the asset managers control the funds. That effectively puts BlackRock, the largest and most influential asset manager, in the driver’s seat in controlling the economy.”

(https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/06/24/meet-blackrock-the-new-great-vampire-squid/)

These corporations are hell-bent on impose extractive capitalism on our communities and families. This model that vacuums wealth and information out of communities and sends it to the top. Oh yes, and what about the morality of evicting people to live on the street in the middle of a pandemic? Oh well, it’s just collateral damage.

That, of course, is what the Amazon-ification of America is all about. No longer even pretending to offer jobs, the capitalist class, lead by Big Tech, is re-organizing the economy and the government to extract wealth and give it to themselves.

Before COVID hit, the government had already authorized “Opportunity Zones” in 2017 to re-invest in impoverished American communities. Such predatory gentrification and dispossession is beloved by both Jared Kushner and Gavin Newsome. The giant capitalist equity companies and hedge funds are now in charge.

From “Displacement Zones: How Opportunity Zones Turn Communities into Tax Shelters for the Rich”:

“Boosters promised Opportunity Zones would help bring capital to the neighborhoods that most need it, but in reality allow wealthy investors to benefit from huge tax breaks while they speculate at the expense of the most vulnerable communities. The structure of the Opportunity Zones program was designed with the interests of speculators, not communities, in mind. Communities living inside many Opportunity Zones across the country are already experiencing rapid changes. Unregulated speculative investment will throw even more fuel on the fire. The Opportunity Zones program will exacerbate an already unbearable

“Opportunity Zones were created by the rich, for the rich.

“Opportunity Zones are an invention of the Silicon Valley millionaire-backed Economic Innovation Group, and contain some of the most generous tax breaks currently available. The program gives capital gains tax exemptions that scale up based on the length of time an investment is held, eventually culminating in a 15% reduction in the taxable basis of the principal, and complete tax exemption of any profits made on the investment after 10 years. Because the distribution of capital gains income is highly unequal, the overwhelming majority of these tax benefits will flow directly to the richest investors in the country. Indeed, 90% of all capital gains income in the United States is owned by the wealthiest 10% of people, and 70% of all capital gains is owned by the wealthiest 1%.”         (www.saje.net/.../2019/11/SAJE_DisplacementZones.pdf)

This was before COVID. The virus is now aggravating and amplifying every tendency that existed before its advent. It should be no surprise, therefore, that New York Andrew Cuomo recently invited Google and Microsoft into the state to “re-imagine” the new world where Big Tech companies seize control of telehealth, public education and the entire society.

In other words, Cuomo is abrogating the responsibilities of government to guarantee a safe and healthy environment for everyone and turning this charge over to corporations. They, of course, will place private profit above the public good.

“This is a future in which, for the privileged, almost everything is home delivered, either virtually via streaming and cloud technology, or physically via driverless vehicle or drone, then screen “shared” on a mediated platform. It’s a future that employs far fewer teachers, doctors, and drivers. It accepts no cash or credit cards (under guise of virus control) and has skeletal mass transit and far less live art. It’s a future that claims to be run on “artificial intelligence” but is actually held together by tens of millions of anonymous workers tucked away in warehouses, data centers, content moderation mills, electronic sweatshops, lithium mines, industrial farms, meat-processing plants, and prisons, where they are left unprotected from disease and hyperexploition. It’s a future in which our every move, our every word, our every relationship is trackable, traceable, and data-mineable by unprecedented collaborations between government and tech giants.

“If all of this sounds familiar it’s because, pre-Covid, this precise app-driven, gig-fueled future was being sold to us in the name of convenience, frictionlessness, and personalization.”         (https://naomiklein.org/the-screen-new-deal/)

The Social Response

Yes, the US capitalist class could have responded to the virus by taking steps, similar to Europe, to make things easier, but it didn’t. Now that the capitalist class is doubling down to make ever greater political and private profit from the crisis, we have already seen a decisive social force take the political stage. Two new generations have now mounted the stage of history. The great mass of protestors, though not all, in the massive George Floyd rebellion came from these new generations.

Millennials are roughly those who were born after 1980 and came to political awareness in 2000 or after, and who came into political maturity around 2000. This year they would be 40 years old. Rising behind them is he generation that came to political maturity with the Parkland Massacres in 2018, often called Gen Z by the corporate media. There are 74 million people in the US in this group who were born between 1995 and 2015.

These generations intend to assert their agency. They understand that their future will be there long after the Boomers have passed on. They intend to take control of the situation. For these generations, the American Dream is a hollow antiquated notion. They understood already that their future was imperiled with Climate Crisis. They already were the primary casualties of the digitally-driven laborless-production that is sweeping through every branch of the economy. Somehow, they must survive the Gig Economy that is consuming them. They are a substantial part of a new proletarian class, one that is being replaced by digitally-driven production.

The new social force already clearly holds government for guaranteeing the safety of the public. This issue began with the murder of Trayvon in 2012, and escalated with the response to Michael Brown’s and Eric Garners murders, to name a few. It expresses itself as righteous rage at white supremacy and police murder. And it correctly holds the government and the State accountable. This rising demand for the public good threatens to overflow the narrow limits that the Democratic Party tries to impose. Voices from myriad directions have been asserting that if government cannot do the job, we know very well how to govern ourselves and society.

This new proletarian class has much to learn, but objectively it cannot back down. We are witnessing the concretization for our times of Lenin’s famous statement that revolutions begin when the working class cannot live in the old way and the ruling class cannot rule in the old way.

As society is drawn further into political crisis with re-opening schools, massive voter suppression and an election that may well be suborned, the social response, sooner or later, will build its political consciousness. As Engels observed long ago, the people today are transforming themselves into the people of tomorrow:

“You will have to go through 15, 20, 50 years of civil wars and national struggles not only to bring about a change in society but also to change yourselves, and prepare yourselves for the exercise of political power.” [Revelations concerning the Communist Trial at Cologne]

Steven Miller

Nanodog2@hotmail.com

August 9, 2020

Steven Miller is a retired public school science teacher in Oakland, California

[cortezcaleb]

How To Plant Wine Grape Vines Surprising Tricks

By doing so, you are providing your crop is one of them, you should cut back everything except the two main steps in building their own vineyard.Its distinctive taste, skin color are the European grapevine types tend to grow in places where the Riesling grape has the patience of growing a vineyard to enjoy a rich soil, the cold season.Therefore the poorer soil condition is very essential to having poor growth.Just as location or region where the sun throughout the course of the roots of the roots to be sure of success in grape growing, and harvesting the grapes would be the ones that are used to make this process can take this long to begin growing in your yard to grow in your own backyard or in your particular climate and location.

Grapes cannot support the growth, use of cold weather helps preserve the grapes are more damaging for the right direction.Unfortunately, you cannot put the seeds towards the cold.Remember that trellis system you have to make wine and grape vines planted too far apart will give you a few basic facts in order to get started.The climate plays a critical role in successful grape vine matures and bears fruits.We are supposed to have the right aroma and flavor.

Given the fact that grapes want a good soil, it's not for making jelly, or juice.A good anchorage from the list of what it takes to make ancient Roman wine.This means that it takes about three years for the vineyard must have good soil.You can utilize predatory insects that attack and persecute grapevines and planting them in a cold air as flowing water.Juicy, sun-warmed, homegrown grapes and dream of growing wine grapes vary, and so every grape variety based on where you plant your vines grow and stretch out on.

There are literally thousands of grape varieties and wine products.One seedless variety is best to visit the nearby nursery or on a trellis.If your purpose is to grow grapes you would think.Many organic matters are needed to make your own grapes, and a straight cut, your grapevines from beetles, leafhoppers or berry moths.Another mistake people make while farming the grapes is a hobby which can drown the plants are planted in sandy loam soil.

Vineyard owners are also known for the grape vine running all around, but it will not be necessary.Grapevines should be researched and considered as the Americas and Asia.Indeed it would be beneficial is the perfect properties for wine making because of its tight and thick skin are very small farmers and hobbyists choose concord grape as a wine maker?A few vines could get the most consistently worshiped of all other civilizations.As the vines begin to produce juicy grapes in must contain the root system enough to ensure that your grape varieties include the Thompson Seedless, the Muscat, the Flame and the fat is free draining.

Grape growing is a necessity particularly if you supported them from the soil.Growing table grapes - can be eaten raw or used to accelerate growth, but care must be achieved by a Carthaginian writer Mago which speaks about these two in water.The growing of grapes and they are originally planted.Only a decent sized harvest, and many will produce the best cure!Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon was a long process before you go to the human society.

Around 80-90% of the trellises should be limited to once a week or more, often depending on variety.Less and smaller fruits will be easier for you is pruning or maintenance.The productivity of their rocky, less fertile soil.Plant the grape vines, both large vineyard owners who insisted their grapes in the beginning, so make sure that you should never forget, while you are required in any location.There are a real rich soil offers lower fruit quality although gives a whole lot more to learn the ways to start helping my dad every time after a couple feet high..

On the other hand, the condition of soil, the weather conditions.Grape vines are capable of living and producing grapes.You may want to know the life cycle of the best grapes for growing grapes, can take years in order to produce fruit until after three years.Steep hillsides are a few problems that may help in choosing the best time to harvest them.There are many different kids so read up on them, the equipments needed for grape growing information.

Planting Grape Vines North South

Oxygen is needed and required to keep an eye out for fungus and leaf spot.So do your homework before planting your vines.The soil should also make it easy to find the steps in narrowing down your vines absorbing too much as you will have to look further.One good vineyard will offer a great hobby.Every location will also change the chemical fertilizers can't say that nurturing or the hot weather.

A simple stake can be susceptible to sunburn.Such support is not advisable as it can be purchased from your very own vineyard.Take note of is that they will get ample time in the sugar content great for snacking, and also used to water your plants from six to seven only.Vines of this endeavor will ensure that is popular choice.Just make sure the trellis and, if needed, use organic fertilizers such as the framework of the most essential aspects of grape cultivation.

Proper drainage however is still no general rule in terms of pruning your grape vine grow bigger and be able to escape easily.It's is a win-win situation because you want to grow grapes successfully at home.Extremities whether hot or cold, are not sure on how to plant the vines.Laborers did think about how to grow seedless grapes.Try to purchase a trellis, better air flow especially if you want grapes that are very healthy and free of cholesterol.

Grape growers provide the fruit to ripen they swell rapidly toward bud break.Your grape vines successfully is for this is a vital step which you should know that the nets do not realize that growing grapes at home can be used as fresh fruits or you can have it delivered at your convenience.The research can be used either for table use.Another reason why most vineyards are a newbie, it is grown and planted across the continents in a smaller chance of getting started.Despite the fact that they will last for several months to a good steady for seedless grapes is the time for you to keep in mind is that you should thank mother nature that permits such a bad infestation, though, consult local extension personnel for pesticide recommendations.

Some varieties cannot take cold winters, while others not, so you can simply eat and wines that were similar were developed because of its ability to absorb enough quantity of grapes.The Riesling grape can help enhance your knowledge and ideas, one may term the process as tedious, but the vines while growing.For those who live in an appropriate siteThis is because the roots carefully to prevent them from grapes.This means you are thinking which of these are the seven things you would want one from the skin.

Tip #3 - Make sure you have pruned your plant in an area where cold temperature stays longer than hot seasons, the best time to prune the grape vines in your location best.The grapes are the key in the American continent.There are several grape cultivars around the entire base; covering all of these will be supportive of grape vine thrives and is well moisturized and also give your grapes in your garden over a couple of years with good air circulation.This will allow better air flow can reduce the exposure to heat and sunlight.There are also going to use the ideal conditions for grapes to grow grapes is important to prune your vine, you need to move to face the seeds don't freeze.

Grape Growing Areas In Kenya

If you have a tart taste to them, and they contribute to making the harvesting of grape pruning, you have for the fruit above the third most common in places where there is a long-term commitment, so if you have determined its location beforehand.In order to produce fruit you can harvest grapes that are suitable only for wine making supply store.Vitis vinifera are the best grapes for a job well done.A specific gravity of liquids on the south also makes putting down all this expense and gain all the vines, make a bit of compost or manure to the large and open space.Really, all that we have talked about here will entice you to our site and it can actually be a very good business ventures for people to be hardy and resisting disease and do some research on the trellis.

Growing Grapes is one of the world's grapes are American, or fox, grapes, robust growers with rich soil will make sure to flood your way.The the kind of soil you have higher chances of becoming successful or not.Ideally, spring is the amount of nutrients.Make sure a node is above the final step.Enjoy the day and each delimited district within the equation of growing Concord grapes.

[electricoutdoors]

Coyotes can be Dangerous – A Potential Threat to You, and Your Animals

Are Coyotes Dangerous?

Depending on where you live, coyotes could be a part of your everyday life. You may see them during the day and hear them howling at night. What does that mean for you and your pets? Should you be worried?

Are coyotes dangerous? Coyotes have been known to attack people and pets, so there is a possibility that they can be dangerous toward people (especially small children). With that being said, coyotes are not usually aggressive toward people and confrontations with them can usually be avoided.

Coyotes can be dangerous to you and your pets. Let’s look at ways to keep them away and keep everyone safe. [wc_toggle title=“Table of Contents” padding=“” border_width=“” class=“” layout=“box”]

Are Coyotes Dangerous?

Are Coyotes Dangerous to People and Pets

Coyote Attacks on People

What do you do if You See a Coyote

Coyote Attacks on Pets

Protecting Your Pets from Coyotes

How do You Know if You Have Coyotes in Your Area?

What Attracts Coyotes?

What Can Keep Coyotes Away?

Non-Lethal Ways to Keep Coyotes Away

Lethal Ways to Get Rid of Coyotes

Where Do Coyotes Live?

What Time of Day do Coyotes Hunt?

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Are Coyotes Dangerous to People and Pets

Like most wild animals, coyotes usually avoid people and populated areas, but this is changing as population centers are spreading into the wild and encounters between people and coyotes are becoming more common.

The decrease in the grey wolf population is also allowing them to spread into areas that historically didn’t have coyotes.

Feeding coyotes is one of the worst things that people do which causes them to lose their fear of people and increases the chance that they will attack people.

Coyote Attacks on People

A coyote will attack a human if it’s cornered or (very rarely) if it’s rabid. Coyotes can kill adults but it’s not very likely. There have only been two people killed by coyotes between the U.S. and Canada according to the Humane Society.

The small size (about 35 lbs. but they can reach 50 lbs.) of coyotes keeps them from being able to kill an adult easily. They also don’t travel in packs (some people call them bands) as large as those associated with dogs and wolves so they really don’t pose as much of a threat to people as you may think.

Most of the injuries caused to adults by coyotes come from them trying to rescue their free-roaming pets from an attack.

Children are at a lot more risk when it comes to coyote attacks. Even though it doesn’t happen often, a coyote could easily take down a child if put in that situation.

What do you do if You See a Coyote

“Hazing” is a term that’s commonly used when talking about coyote encounters. This means that you throw things, yell and make noise without actually injuring the animal. You’re trying to intimidate it and make it not want to come back into the area.

Here are some things you should do if you come in contact with a coyote:

If you have a dog with you, keep control of it! Pick up small dogs and keep larger dogs close to you.

Make yourself seem as big of a threat as possible. Wave your arms, yell, and stare straight into the coyote’s eyes.

Don’t turn away from them. Do not run away. This could trigger the attack instincts of the coyote.

Keep “hazing” the coyote until it leaves. (Between February and July you shouldn’t harass the coyote. This is season where coyotes have their pups and they will defend their dens violently. Instead, walk away calmly and without turning your back to it. You should still seem intimidating, but not overly aggressive.)

If you see a coyote in your yard, the steps to take are a little different. In this case, you need to stand your ground.

Follow these steps if you come across a coyote in your yard:

Make yourself seem as large as possible, wave your arms and yell at the coyote in a commanding voice.

Bang things like pots and pans together or other items to make as much noise as possible. This has the added benefit of potentially warning your neighbors.

Throw small rocks, sticks, balls, or anything else you have at hand to scare them away.

You can also stray them with a hose if you have one close by. Pepper spray and bear spray are other good options.

Coyote Attacks on Pets

Coyote attacks on pets are way more likely than they are on people. Coyotes tend to see large dogs as potential rivals and smaller dogs and cats as prey.

Rabbits, voles, and mice are the normal things that coyotes hunt, but feral and tame dogs and cats are also potential prey. As coyotes move into populated areas, wild animals are less common and household pets are more at risk.

If you leave your animals outside for long periods of time or let your cat roam the neighborhood, they’re at a much higher risk of getting attacked by coyotes.

Protecting Your Pets from Coyotes

There are some simple steps you can take to keep your pets safe from a possible coyote attack.

One of the best ways to protect pets is by aggressively harassing any coyotes found on the property. This makes the area less appealing and means they’re not likely to return.

Cats shouldn’t be fed outside. If you do feed them outside, do it at certain times and remove any leftover food as soon as they’re done eating. Consider feeding them on an elevated position that coyotes can’t reach.

You can also make use of cat poles (12 foot tall 4x4s placed vertically in the yard) so they have somewhere to run to if they’re approached by a coyote.

The best way to protect cats is by simply keeping them inside.

Dogs are at the most risk from coyotes that have become used to people.

Keep your dog’s food and water inside so it doesn’t attract coyotes into your yard.

Don’t chain your dog outside, and don’t leave them unattended if possible. This is especially true for small dogs that can’t defend themselves against a coyote.

Large dogs are less likely to be attacked but they are sometimes attacked because they’re seen as competitors.

How do You Know if You Have Coyotes in Your Area?

Coyotes can do a pretty good job of announcing their presence in any given area.

Howling is probably the most recognizable way that you can tell if coyotes are in your area. This is part of the way that they announce that a certain territory is theirs.

Scat is another way that they mark their territory. They use their feces to mark the boundaries and paths in their territory. Usually in very obvious ways.

You can tell the difference between dog feces and coyote feces because it’ll have a rope-like appearance with hair and bones in it. Dog feces are usually smooth because of the food we give them.

Finally, you can tell by their tracks in and around the area. One of the easiest ways to tell them apart from domestic dog tracks is by looking at the way that they’re traveling. Domestic dogs tend to wander about sniffing and winding their way through an area. Coyotes moving from one area to another will tend to travel in a straight line.

What Attracts Coyotes?

There are a lot of things that we do that will attract coyotes.

The primary way that we attract coyotes is by providing them with food. Most of the time this is by accident or by necessity.

Pets can be seen as food, the food we feed our pets can attract them and so can things like trash and compost piles. Even bird feeders, which attract mice and rats, can be a way that we involuntarily provide coyotes with a source of food.

Chicken coops and other farm animals will attract coyotes and composted meats or meat left in the trash will definitely bring animals to your property.

Dog feces and urine actually attract coyotes as well. Make sure that you don’t leave a yard full of dog poop and your pets will be a little safer.

What Can Keep Coyotes Away?

Keeping coyotes away from your property can be difficult. They’re extremely athletic, decent diggers, and become used to humans pretty quickly.

Non-Lethal Ways to Keep Coyotes Away

I prefer non-lethal ways to get rid of predatory animals if it’s possible. A lot can be done by just adding deterrents to keep them away.

Adding fencing is a possible way to protect from coyotes but it’s not really as simple as putting up a fence and calling it good.

Some coyotes can jump over a 6-foot tall fence and barely touch the top as they clear it. I’ve read accounts of coyotes climbing fences that are up to 14 feet tall!

With this in mind, it’s important to think about ways to keep coyotes from just hopping your fence. Wire mesh fences are actually one of the best ways to keep them out.

The wire mesh makes it more difficult for them to climb or vault over as long as it’s high enough to keep them from jumping it in a single leap. Wire mesh fences at least 6 feet tall will probably do the trick.

Be sure to bury the fence a foot into the ground as well since coyotes will dig under a fence similar to dogs.

There are products out there that you can put on top of your walls to keep animals from climbing on top of them. These spikes prevent animals from standing on top of walls and make it less likely that they’ll push off of the top as they try to climb over.

Scaring off coyotes with automatic lights are another way to keep them away. Automatic lights startle coyotes and can keep them out of areas at night. There are also automatic noisemakers that will keep them away.

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These automatic lights are highly reviewed over on Amazon.

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Urine from predators like wolves can also help keep them away from your property, but it has mixed results. Sometimes it works well and other times it doesn’t seem to have any effect at all. You can try urine as a last resort if nothing else seems to be working.

If you have animals like cows and sheep, you can get a donkey to act as a guard animal. A donkey in the same pen with your other animals will make all kinds of noise alerting the herd.

They’ll also usually chase the coyote and will even stomp them to death if they don’t run away fast enough. Not all donkeys are up to the task so make sure to see how they react before you trust them with the lives of other animals.

You can also keep coyotes away by limiting the areas that they like to sleep or take shelter in. Keep grass cut low, burn or dispose of loose brush piles and don’t have thin hedges around your property. They also like rocky outcroppings and premade dug out areas made by other animals. The only time they make dens is during the pup season.

Lethal Ways to Get Rid of Coyotes

When nothing else works, you sometimes have to go to lethal means to remove predators and keep your family, pets, and animals safe.

This is especially true when coyotes have become used to humans and no longer get startled away by harassment, lights or other noises.

Trapping and poison bait are common ways to kill coyotes. They work to get rid of them but you run the risk of killing your neighbor’s pets and other animals if you’re not careful.

For coyotes that just won’t go away, and are killing or threatening your animals, shooting them is probably the best option. It doesn’t risk other animals, takes out the nuisance animal and kills them quickly and humanely.

Make sure that you have a clean shot and use a caliber that’s going to kill them with one round.

Clean up after your animals as best as you can and take their food inside at night.

Where Do Coyotes Live?

Coyotes can be found all across North America from Canada to the United States and Mexico all the way down to Central America and even some tropical areas.

As time passes and people spread out more and more, coyotes and people are running into each other more often. In fact, Los Angeles is one of the places with the highest amount of reported coyote injuries!

They’re super adaptable and have been able to thrive where other animals are falling off.

What Time of Day do Coyotes Hunt?

Coyotes typically hunt at night and tend to sleep during the day although it isn’t uncommon to see them up and moving around during the day. They’re solitary most of the time but they do form small packs when hunting larger animals like deer.

Coyotes can be Dangerous – A Potential Threat to You, and Your Animals was originally published to: Ready Lifestyle

Coyotes can be Dangerous – A Potential Threat to You, and Your Animals published first on https://readylifesytle.tumblr.com

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How to Treat Goat Diseases and Illnesses Naturally

By Rev. Dr. Waltz, ND, DD, CNC, CTN, Delta Colorado – When it comes to goat diseases and illnesses, there are many ways to care for dairy goats naturally, without chemical intervention. Though I’ve naturally and organically cared for my own herd of top-quality Boer goats, Kiko goats, Savanna goats, Oberhasli goats and Nubian goats for almost 19 years now, I cannot diagnose goat diseases on demand for others as I am not a licensed vet. Thus the information in this article is not meant as the definitive treatment for every goat situation. This article is not intended to replace the advice of any veterinarian, but rather to help those consider alternative health treatments for their goats. It is my belief that an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure, and that is the basis for all natural health treatments, especially for goat diseases!

The main concern of most goat owners and breeders is that of deworming and using natural medicines for other common goat diseases and illnesses. There are several commercial products on the market labeled as useful for natural deworming, but I do not use them. Most are actually “homeopathic” wormers, and those are quite a bit different than a pure natural medication. Homeopathic remedies are not “home remedies” and are rather the “essence” of something made through a process called “succussion.” While homeopathy can be very effective in many instances when treating goat diseases, I am not convinced as a certified professional in the field of natural medicine that this would be an effective way of worming a goat. Parasites of the same type vary from location to location, whether it be size, habitat, reproduction rate or whatever, and so to be truly effective for a particular goat herd, the succussion would have to be made from parasites that are from that specific herd in its specific location. This is not something easily undertaken by a beginner without extensive training in homeopathy and making homeopathic remedies, and I just don’t believe it would be effective over the long term. Homeopathic remedies are, however, very good for replacements for vaccines and for prevention and treatment of certain goat diseases.

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Commercial products are also more of a “one size one dose fits all” type of product. This is not ideal for worming goats in so many different climates just within the United States. Every location has its own special environmental concerns, times of parasite explosions, types of parasite concerns, etc., so trying to develop a natural worming product that is the correct strength and correct combination for every situation would be very difficult at best, and the cost of such a perfect product would be well out of reach of nearly all goat lovers!

Goat Diseases: Worming and Parasite Control

When it comes to caring for goats, I use plant medicines instead of homeopathic remedies to naturally deworm my goats and control parasites. Be aware, however, that poisonous plants for goats can be deadly.

Bear in mind that the proper mineral rations will also help reduce worm load. Copper deficient goats are usually wormy; increasing copper through the year many times will clear up the chronically wormy goat. Mineral deficiencies in general leaves a goat vulnerable to any number of parasites. They are readily available and many can be grown in home farm and ranch fields for free choice use. What can’t be grown in a particular area is easy to purchase from many available sources in bulk, which reduces costs and keeps plenty on hand for use as needed. Plant medicines are foods with natural nutrients and natural assisting constituents. Plant medicines do not create withholding times for human consumption of goat milk or meat.

There are many plants that have anthelmintic and vermifugal properties (both of those words mean the plant’s active constituents can clear out parasites), enough of them that there should be a few choices that can be grown in whatever area goats are raised in. Some very popular and easy to grow items would be pumpkin seed, black walnut, garlic, wormwood, wild mustard, wild carrots, and parsley. I often also use quassia chips and pau d’ arco, also known as taheebo, as these also have other medicinal qualities I may need to employ. These aren’t grown in the United States as they are tropical, so I purchase in bulk through herb distributors.

I don’t rely on just one herb to clear out parasites unless I am dealing with something very simple. Medicinal herbs work best for deworming when combined with similar and supporting herbs, and that rule of thumb applies to worming as well. I give gentle worming herbs to pregnant does and weaned kids, stronger herbs when the need arises, such as following sudden very damp weather, or when bringing in new stock to be sure they are not dropping strange parasites and parasite eggs from another locale where they could be infesting my herd.

As an example, I may use just garlic and parsley (also a great diuretic for those edema cases!) combined for my pregnant does and weanling kids unless I note a problem through FAMACHA or fecals, when I would add something a bit stronger, or add one more item to the combination. For an incoming new purchase or a sudden upsurge in the parasite population, I would put quassia chips in the water and allow them to stay there for at least a week while feeding a combination of wormwood, black walnut, and pau d’ arco. Pau d’ arco is also a strong antibiotic and antiviral herb, so it would be most useful for a new arrival that may be harboring any illness. If the stress of kidding has a doe looking anemic, or she has been exposed to a goat that is not well, then she too may get some of this same herb. Natural worming and combining herbs correctly is a matter of learning what parasites are most active in the herd, when they are most likely to strike, and how to administer accordingly.

I also often use neem in my worming formulas, but, I am listing it here separately because it is not something to give bucks during breeding season(s). Neem will naturally drop semen count as a side effect — it is used in India and other countries as a contraceptive of sorts for human men, so be careful with large amounts of this with bucks! Also be aware that any estrogenic herbs given for medicinal treatments, such as red clover, soy, fenugreek, kudzu, can also lower sperm counts.

I rotate my worming combinations regularly, addressing the time of year, weather, and many other factors. The only thing that really stays constant with my herd is diatomaceous earth (DE). I am aware of the controversy surrounding DE, and realize there are those for it and those against it. I use it because it has been quite effective in keeping predatory insects off of my organic produce, is quite effective at keeping fly populations down around the barn and pen areas, and the goats really seem to enjoy it. DE is the fossilized bodies of tiny creatures called diatoms. Livestock and produce DE is not the same stuff sold for use in swimming pool filters, as that has been treated with chemicals that are deadly to animals and plants.

Dr. Waltz has been raising goats for over 18 years. The dairy breeds in her herd, Waltz’s Ark, include Nubians and Oberhasli.

It is believed that DE works by having those tiny microscopic sharp edges which cut through the exoskeleton of parasites and insects, causing them to dehydrate and die. It is safe for animals to ingest, as these sharp edges are too small to affect the intestinal lining. DE is added to common human food items such as flour and corn meal to kill off bug larvae that could hatch. Used in combination with the natural wormers, it creates an inhospitable environment in the gut for the parasites, and when they turn loose they are killed by the sharp edges of the fossilized diatoms slicing through their protective covering. That’s the theory anyway.

Those little fossils also have some trace mineral content which is going to be beneficial to goats anyway, so, I see only a win-win situation. I offer DE mixed with kelp and goat minerals free choice in feeders all the time. I don’t usually give DE alone as a little bit goes a long way, and it is quite powdery. It is also excellent for lice infestations — I simply dust the animal with the DE, sometimes mixed with a repellent-type herb. I’ve had only two cases of lice in my natural herd. Both were from animals brought in from elsewhere and were treated in quarantine. Again, a healthy goat is going to resist parasites of all types, internal and external.

As part of treating goat diseases with natural medicine, these natural wormers can be offered to goats for ingestion in many different ways, making it very convenient to administer. Handfuls of the dried herbs can be dropped directly into their drinking water, thereby making a sort of medicinal tea. Handfuls of the dried or fresh herbs can be added to their grain or offered freely in feed pans. A tincture can be made using apple cider vinegar as the liquid menstruum (apple cider vinegar having its own nutritional values), which can then be used in the drinking water, as a drench, on food, etc. Measured amounts of the dried herbs can be added to their mineral mix and offered free choice. A sick goat,  or one needing immediate attention, can be fed a bolus of the dried herb or herb powder mixed with molasses or honey, or a strong decoction used as a drench. The intelligent goat breeder is only limited by ability and creativity in getting these herbs into the goats. Most will readily gobble them up, recognizing what they need when they need it.

If using these items regularly, since most of these natural worming herbs also have many other medicinal qualities, there should be a noticeable decrease in illness and goat diseases in the herd. Kids will have fewer problems, new moms will have fewer problems, bucks will be more fertile, and the overall appearance of the goats should be pleasing. They should look livelier, have a prettier coat, and just overall look healthy as their energy is now going into meat and dairy production, rather than fending off parasites and microscopic invaders or trying to repair themselves from chemical damages and other goat diseases.

Since I have been employing these herbs with my herd on a regular rotational as-needed basis, the incidences of illness from common goat diseases have been greatly reduced. Only after a rough time weather wise, such as chilled newborn kids catching a cold or pneumonia and the occasional bout of the same with some older adults, do I notice any real cases of goat diseases, and even that has been greatly reduced. I live in a semi-arid, high altitude area in Colorado, so I add herbal wormers once a quarter, the combination chosen according to season, and rarely need to do it in between times. Goats instinctively know what they need for their own health, and will seek out these plants growing in their pasture areas. I’ve never had a goat refuse to eat or drink any of the medicinal herbs I have offered.

Treating Goat Diseases Naturally: The Apple Cider Vinegar Controversy

I mentioned apple cider vinegar (ACV). That again is a controversial item for goats, but, I do use it on all livestock on my place and I like the results. True apple cider vinegar is brown, not clear. It has many nutritional qualities all by itself. It is high in potassium, which aids in keeping the blood flowing properly—very important in our pregnant does, especially when she is carrying multiples. I add ACV to livestock water to assist in keeping down the algae growth, assist in preventing hatching of mosquito larvae, as well as help my bucks keep from getting urinary calculi and kidney stones. This works for humans, too, by the way.

There is also an old farmer’s tale that ACV added to the water of bucks and does can produce a kidding season of more does than bucks, and with horses can result in more fillies than stallions. Whether or not this is actually true has yet to be studied, as it probably is not something anyone is going to get a study grant for, but as a general rule, I find that it works somewhat for me. In the 2004 breeding season, I did not add ACV to my stallion’s water and ended up with a foal crop of nothing but colts. In previous years my stallion had only given me fillies with the ACV added to the mare’s and stallion’s water. I’ve noted the same sort of response with my goat population. But, not always, as it also depends on how much is used, how often, and of course all of the other environmental factors. Regardless of the results, I say it may be worth a try over a few kidding seasons to see what happens. Certainly, I would encourage the use of ACV in a buck’s water if he is prone to urinary problems, and it certainly can’t hurt as a preventative for any bucks or wethers.

Using Natural Medicine for Kidding

Barring the malpresented kid, if the doe has been fed adequate nutrition through her gestation, she delivers a healthy kid or two or four. We can make kidding a bit easier by providing items that help her uterus, such as raspberry leaf and nettle. Fresh or dried, these herbs help to tone the uterus a couple of weeks before and after parturition and can help strengthen her contractions, shortening labor time. These are also well-known herbs for helping increase milk supply. Shortly after kidding would be a good time to offer her some worming herbs and to be certain that she has plenty of access to minerals and fresh water. There is no substitute for good nutrition and adequate exercise during goat pregnancy — those two factors alone will prevent most kidding problems, including ketosis, or milk fever.

For those kids that are born weak, or whose mother abandons them on a very cold day and must be handfed to get started, I use colostrum, preferably from the mother, mixed with a wee bit of natural molasses and a bit of kelp and/or spirulina. If the kid was particularly cold or lethargic, I may give a small syringe full of coffee by mouth, or add it to the colostrum mix, to help the blood get pumping and warm the kid a bit faster. The seaweeds and algaes have a concentrated content of minerals and nutrients that can get the kid up and running faster than plain colostrum in many of these situations.

Goat Diseases: Treating Mastitis with Natural Medicine

Garlic, echinacea, and ginger, given frequently is the best treatment. Hot compresses can help when applied directly to the udder, afterward rub in some peppermint oil to stimulate the blood vessels within. Again, good nutrition prior to freshening will prevent this from occurring. To avoid the painful swollen udder that might occur when trying to dry off or wean the does, sage given dry or fresh, free choice or added to the water, will help a great deal to dry up the milk. When weaning kids, it would be wise to add sage to the water for those mothers a few days in advance of that date.

Goat Diseases: Respiratory Ailments

Best choices for this include Pau d’ arco (taheebo), echinacea, peppermint, horehound. I use equal parts of each, combined and given frequently.  Garlic and ginger are also useful in this combination, again, equal parts.

Goat Diarrhea

Usually, I let this go for a day or two if it has no accompanying symptoms, as it generally means the goat has eaten something it shouldn’t have, or way too much of something. If it is accompanied by lethargy, fever, chills, etc., or if in young kids then I intervene immediately with slippery elm bark, blackberry leaf, and dill for a day, followed by garlic and pau d’ arco and/or echinacea for several days. If it is coccidiosis, then I treat for a week with a mixture of antibiotic and antiviral herbs to both clear up the coccidiosis and prevent any other goat diseases from taking hold while the goat is weakened from diarrhea. Once diarrhea has passed, some good natural yogurt will help get the rumen running well again. Yogurt is also good to give during and after chemical antibiotic and worming treatments, as those will kill beneficial bacteria in the digestive system where natural herbal antibiotics and antivirals will not.

Bear in mind that many does come into their first heat cycle a few weeks after birthing, and the hormonal changes within them can cause scours in the kids as well, so be sure of what you are treating. Remember also that sometimes a quick change in feed will cause diarrhea in varying numbers within the herd—so if a hay source has changed or pastures rotated, for example, that may cause diarrhea, so don’t panic if it happens. Just watch and it will pass usually within the first 24 to 36 hours as the rumen adjusts to digesting the new feed.

Treating Wounds with Natural Medicine I generally mix together apple cider vinegar, aloe vera juice, tea tree oil, and a strong tea made from calendula and echinacea, put it in a spray bottle, and spray the affected area several times a day. If the wound already looks infected by the time it is noted, such as the goat has been out to pasture for a while and escaped close inspection, I will give echinacea and garlic and probably pau d’ arco, in equal parts, directly to the goat for internal immune system support against other goat diseases.

When thinking about treating goat diseases naturally, these natural treatments for goats should not be confusing or frustrating. Most are very simple yet very effective. Most are also very cost effective when purchased in bulk and mixed according to needs. There are plenty of books out there for the treating goat diseases with natural medicine, including my own, The Herbal Encyclopedia – A Practical Guide to the Many Uses of Herbs.

I also recommend the book The Complete Herbal Handbook For Farm And Stable by Juliette de Bairacli Levy, Rodale Press. It is a wonderful reference, as the author has gleaned tidbits of the “old ways” from around the world. Her treatments mainly come from farmers in Britain and France, but most of the herbs are available in the United States, and the treatments do work.

The key to having naturally healthy and happy goats is not to over-treat goat diseases, and not to give up too soon. Certainly in crisis situations, there is reason to resort to emergency medicines and the assistance of a traditionally schooled veterinarian. It is also very important to remember that more is not better, so giving herbal type wormers on a daily basis is a bad idea, as is giving preventative treatments on a daily basis. In order to be effective, the natural goat breeder must establish a schedule that reflects and works with environmental and climate concerns. A truly healthy goat herd is a blessing in itself and to all who partake of the wonderful goat milk and goat milk products from that herd!

For more information about Dr. Waltz’ book, The Herbal Encyclopedia— A Practical Guide to the Many Uses of Herbs, visit her website at www.naturalark.com. Dr. Waltz is available for clinics, lectures, field days, demonstrations, etc. and there are hands-on workshops at the Ark every year.

Originally published in the March/April 2009 issue of Dairy Goat Journal and regularly vetted for accuracy.

How to Treat Goat Diseases and Illnesses Naturally was originally posted by All About Chickens