Photo by @marlondutoit A male lion grips firmly & sets his teeth deep. He won’t let go as long as a pulse beats in the neck of that buffalo, until there’s no more attempts at gasps for air In Africa, this is the ultimate battle & show of brute strength Captured in Kruger National Park. #Wild #Lion #Nature #Buffalo #Wildlife #Animals #Natures #Igs_Africa #Wildeyesa #Saveleopards #IgscWildlife #Earthcapture (at Kruger National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CIdNnytMMN6/?igshid=spera1zqebcd
For Caturday this week, I built a Kallax from IKEA solely for Jammer’s comfort. OBVIOUSLY. #caturday #CatsofInstagram #catscatscats #ikea #kallax #jammer #KatzenjammerKid #JammerBammer #toftbo #MaineCoon #AmericanForestCat #RescueCat #MySon #MyTreasures #DarlingBoys #KittyBabies #CatMomLife https://www.instagram.com/p/CIca9RtjMOU/?igshid=1mtpoo4zko871
With all the talk about telling people to start planting and growing crops to feed themselves and their communities during this time of crisis, I’m surprised I haven’t seen much about HOW MUCH to plant to feed people. Here’s a good article to serve as a jumping-off point, to give people an idea of when to plant and how much to plant to keep people fed. Keep in mind that unless you live on a fairly sizeable plot of land that has ideal growing conditions, you probably won’t be able to completely feed a family of four, at least with traditional gardening methods. However, you can still heavily supplement your diet with homegrown food if you plot your garden carefully.
Some things you can do to save space include growing plants in stackable towers rather than flat rows. Not everything can grow this way, but growing herbs or even strawberries or some kinds of tomatoes in them can save a lot of space. Bonus points if you can get some vertical vining plants like beans or tomatoes to grow up the sides of them to maximize the space used.
Hanging planters can also be used for things like tomatoes, herbs, some berries, etc. The people who grew up watching TV in the 2000s may remember ads for the topsy-turvy tomato planter. I can’t vouch for the effectiveness of them, but it may be good inspiration for creative DIY hanging planters.
Many people don’t seem to know this (to be fair, it’s not very intuitive), but small melons and gourds can be grown vertically on a trellis. You will need pantyhose or something else that can act like a sling for when the fruit gets large enough, and you’ll also want to make sure the trellis is very sturdy. Here is an example of a watermelon growing on a trellis, with squash growing in the background:
Other good options that require a bit more DIY are hydroponics towers and walls. It’s basically just a series of pipes with holes for plants to grow out of. The only downside is they will require very regular fertilization and supplementation with other micronutrients that are essential for plant growth, because the plants are typically grown in either a non-nutritious medium like coconut coir or nothing at all.
Planter walls are the next step down, basically just building shelves with pots in them to fill with soil. Put these on a wall that gets good morning sun and some afternoon sunlight for best results. These and hydroponics both also have the advantage of being able to hook up to your gutters so that rainwater will go towards watering your plants rather than just being wasted.
If you want to get really fancy, aquaponics is the next step up. With aquaponics, you create a system that circulates water between plants and a tank full of fish. The fish waste provides fertilizer for the plants, and the plants help filter out the waste so the water stays cleaner. I’ve heard they’re a bit tricky to establish, but once you find the right balance, all you’ll need to do is feed the fish. This has the added bonus of providing a source of fish for people who can’t eat things like nuts and legumes but need protein. Here is a link to an article explaining what aquaponics is, how it works, and how it differs from hydroponics.
I also want to add that if you don’t have the space or ability to maintain a large garden, there are other options. Find or create a group with access to enough food to supplement or completely fulfill your diet, and offer another service. If you have space for a vermicompost bin or tower, that can still help contribute to the garden. Learning other skills like soap making, cooking, sewing/knitting/crocheting, electrical skills like wiring and soldering, welding, woodworking/carpentry, etc. means you will still have valuable skills to contribute towards the group, and this will set up the basis for a larger mutual aid network within your community.
Judging by how corporate media covered the US’s assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani earlier this year, one would expect US journalists to portray Fakhrizadeh as some kind of nebulous “national security threat,” even if there is little evidence to support that accusation. Corporate media in January laundered Trump administration talking points of Soleimani “actively planning” several “imminent attacks” across the Middle East when he was killed, though it was later revealed that he had actually been traveling to attend regional peace talks with Saudi Arabia in Iraq.
Although Iran’s account of how Fakhrizadeh was killed has changed significantly since the assassination—first reporting an ambush and gunfight between Fakhrizadeh’s bodyguards and several gunmen, to Iran now accusing Israel of using a “remote-controlled weapon” to carry out the killing—what hasn’t changed is multiple Western media covering the event in the context of Iran’s nonexistent “nuclear weapons program.”
Western corporate media contradict each other, with some claiming Fakhrizadeh had participated in a now-defunct Iranian weapons program, while others suggest that a covert program to develop nuclear weapons is still ongoing. Some reports acknowledged that existence of an Iranian nuclear weapons program, present or past, is only an allegation from US/Israeli intelligence agencies, while others treated those allegations as factual.
