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Well now what do we truly...
Forum: Current Disastrous Events
Last Post: jhonlee2050
08-20-2017, 09:24 PM
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World Forum for Acoustic ...
Forum: Acoustic Ecology
Last Post: TBoan
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Pay It Forward (Please Re...
Forum: Pay It Forward
Last Post: TBoan
03-08-2017, 09:59 PM
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Fluoride in our tap water...
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The Three Pilars of Being
Forum: Social Responsibility
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Interconnectedness of Per...
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Why this board is named a...
Forum: In The Wild (Wilderness Survival Skills)
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crisis with bees
Forum: Apiculture
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03-08-2017, 09:28 PM
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ROAR! New Immigration Law
Forum: Politics & Religion
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03-08-2017, 09:25 PM
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The Radioactive Forest of...
Forum: Disastrous Event Video Links
Last Post: TBoan
03-04-2017, 11:38 PM
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  World Forum for Acoustic Ecology
Posted by: TBoan - 03-10-2017, 09:41 PM - Forum: Acoustic Ecology - No Replies

In scouring the web for forum topics, I happened upon the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology ( http://wfae.net/journal.html ). It looks interesting, and they publish an annual, peer-reviewed journal entitled Soundscape, which they are in the process of making available as pdfs.

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  Pay It Forward (Please Read)
Posted by: TBoan - 03-08-2017, 09:59 PM - Forum: Pay It Forward - No Replies

EV shares personal experience with (or opinion of) products with links to purchase through; some of these links are affiliate links (in bold), the commissions of which help fund EV and cost purchasers no extra.
[Image: smile.png]



Here is where you can give away items you no longer need to other people in need of them.

It works like in the movie Pay It Forward; "Call it generosity between two strangers....Just pay it forward."

The only rule here is that if you get, you must also give. Post something to give in response to something posted being given. Shipping should be paid by recipient before shipment. Use PM's to exchange personal info.

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  Fluoride in our tap water?
Posted by: TBoan - 03-08-2017, 09:52 PM - Forum: Politics & Religion - No Replies

Pure fresh (potable [safe to drink]) water is a necessity of life, something that we human beings must have daily in order to survive; and therefore we have an inalienable right to it. Our tap water is our source of pure fresh (potable [safe to drink]) water in our homes. Government provides us with this water. Although, it is the task of government to ensure that our lives remain as ungoverned as possible, only interfering when absolutely necessary, such as to ensure the survival of our inalienable rights and individual freedoms including our individual right to choose; and because this is true, concerning our tap water, government has erred.

Regardless of any positive or negative effects on health, the addition of fluoride (and/or other unnecessary adulterant(s)) to our pure fresh (potable [safe to drink]) water source has forced us (and continues to force us) to ingest something unnecessary to our survival that we did not (and are not) knowingly and willfully consent(ing) to. This is unreasonable since the issue is controversial and while it remains so its imposition upon us is also therefore unjust. It is outside of the task scope of government to adulterate or to allow the adulteration of a necessity of life, even if by way of a majority vote. It is in fact within the task scope of government, rather, to ensure that our source of pure fresh (potable [safe to drink]) water be unadulterated, thus ensuring our inalienable rights and freedoms including our individual right to choose. Justice, by way of reason must govern our society, because here in the USA, individual freedoms are given highest priority so long as they do not interfere with the individual freedoms of another. For example, anything an individual decides to adulterate his or her tap water with can be done after it comes out of the tap, as per individual choice; and as such, that individual's decision does not interfere with the individual choice of another to drink unadulterated tap water.

To say again, we as individuals alone must have the inalienable right to choose what we ingest into our bodies, not our neighbors and not our government; and our right to unadulterated, pure fresh (potable [safe to drink]) water shall not be infringed. Demand that our tap water be delivered to us in our homes unadulterated by added fluoride and/or any other unnecessary foreign amount(s), substance(s), and/or element(s).

For me, this issue is not only about my physical well-being, it is about my rights and freedoms. We must never forget we have them.

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  The Three Pilars of Being
Posted by: TBoan - 03-08-2017, 09:48 PM - Forum: Social Responsibility - No Replies

I believe the three pillars of being are health, happiness, and longevity.
Each pillar is itself supported by three pillars.

Health: nutrition, exercise, rest
Happiness: past, present, future
Longevity: knowledge, power, wisdom

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  Interconnectedness of Personal Space
Posted by: TBoan - 03-08-2017, 09:45 PM - Forum: Social Responsibility - No Replies

I believe that having mutual respect for each others’ personal space, both physically and mentally, as well as spiritually, is integral to the balance of life that is the interconnectedness of all things. There is no disconnectedness; and connectedness is inferior to interconnectedness, because it is our interconnectedness alone that enables us to appreciate the beauty that is our diversity.

I believe the three pillars of community are freedom (individuality), simplicity, and generosity. Is community different (if so, is it better?) than society? What determines that some communities will succeed while others fail? Etc.

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  Why this board is named as it is.
Posted by: TBoan - 03-08-2017, 09:34 PM - Forum: In The Wild (Wilderness Survival Skills) - No Replies

I think the translucent line between names like survival and bushcraft can get very philosophical, but that might not be the point of this board, or is it? I think that anything you do that benefits you in the bush is at least survival in a preparatory sense, so I think wilderness survival is a more inclusive term. A hot cup of tea that results in a good night's sleep can be achieved by hanging a kettle on a wood support over a fire, and this might be called bushcraft, but tomorrow's survival might depend on last night's good sleep. Bushcrafting a flute out of a reed results in a positive attitude change and the music greatly boosts morale (positive attitude). There are many examples, and they are all reasons why I tend to think of bushcraft as contained wholly within the category that is wilderness survival skills.

In survival, attitude is everything.

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  The Radioactive Forest of Fukushima (2017)
Posted by: TBoan - 03-04-2017, 11:38 PM - Forum: Disastrous Event Video Links - No Replies

https://youtu.be/3FFM8SC-bmk

"
Published on Jan 27, 2017
FULL Documentary 2017.The Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011 turned the surrounding towns into a desolate land, making the area into a "radioactive forest". Without human presence, the land is roamed by wildlife like civets, macaques and wild boars. A project is underway to study the deserted areas by attaching a camera to wild boars to record the conditions of the former farmlands. 5 years after the disaster, we take a close look at how radiation has affected the wildlife, and what it entails for us humans.
"

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  Plant Identification Guides
Posted by: TBoan - 03-03-2017, 12:22 AM - Forum: What's THIS Plant? - No Replies

EV shares personal experience with (or opinion of) products with links to purchase through; some of these links are affiliate links (in bold), which earn commissions that cost purchasers nothing extra.
[Image: smile.png]


Equipping for plant identification:

In order to identify plants accurately, along with a field guide or two, you will need a 10X loupe (one that folds into its case and has a stud if not a hole for a cord so you can hang it around your neck while looming about in the fields and forests and other places your botanical curiosity and/or need should put you).

You will also benefit from having a short measuring rule that has millimeter markings, preferably one that is clear see-through, and also that has a hole for dangling around your neck next to your 10x loupe.

Concerning 10X loupes, there are so many to choose from, ranging in price from $100's to just a few $1's.

The high end ones are made for very demanding accuracy when it comes to being able to grade small gemstones such as diamonds, as so they are very good... so much better than anyone who needs a loupe for identifying plants would ever need, but I list them in case you want to look at micro-crystalline structures as well... or just because.

The low end ones will work so long as they don't fall apart or break... I'm not saying to avoid those made of plastic, but I would unless they are of a good reputation like the Zeiss.

Swiss Axe Triplet Hawk 10x Diamond Loupe
One of the, if not THE, very best, for the pro gemologist.
Harald Schneider
Among the very best.
Zeiss
Nikon
Made in Japan.
BelOMO
Probably the very best bang for your buck.
GemORO
A decent quality cheapo.
SEOH
El Cheapo! One of many.
Here's one with LED and UV light

Dictionaries/Glossaries

Ok, now before we get into what particular plant identification guidebooks are recommended, we need to get you a botany vernacular dictionary of some kind so you know what you are reading when the guidebook is written by anybody other than a layman. Granted, most, if not all, plant identification guidebooks that I have ever looked at have a glossary; it can be even more helpful to have a more fully encompassing dedicated dictionary, glossary, or vocabulary with illustrations.

Here are a few... and keep in mind if you are very new to botany, the more illustrations the better:

The Kew Plant Glossary: An Illustrated Dictionary of Plant Terms (2nd Edition), by Henk Beentje

A Botanist's Vocabulary: 1300 Terms Explained and Illustrated, by Susan K. Pell

Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms, by Donald J. Borror
I list this last because I only recommend this book because it is a small and concise way to understand Latin as it pertains to the sciences. But because it lacks illustrations, and does not go into any great detail, it is not a book on botany vernacular per se, so I don't recommend it for plant identification purposes except maybe as an adjunct reference perhaps to leave sitting around camp so others can see how smart you are. And... I don't recall paying anywhere near the price the link shows. Wow, our economy sucks!

Plant Identification by Family

A good way to learn about plants, both in terms of identification and in terms of qualities such as universal edibility or toxicity, is to learn to quickly recognize what plant family a particular species belongs to. These are the ones I own:

Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification (6th Edition), by Thomas J. Elpel
Although when I bought this book, it was the 4th Edition, you probably want the most recent (6th) edition... I know I do!

Guide to Flowering Plant Families, by Wendy B. Zomlefer
This is a hefty, content dense book, with a meaty glossary and lots of illustrations. You'll love it.

Vascular Plant Families (1st Edition), by James Payne Smith Jr.
I bought this as it was required for the university level Field Botany class I attended, and also, for the university level Ethnobotany class I attended and which was instructed by... guess who? That's right, the author of this book, James Payne Smith Jr. Pretty cool!

The Kew Tropical Plant Families Identification Handbook (2nd Edition), by Timothy Utteridge
I do not own this book... yet... but having spent 2 months in rural Asia years ago instilled in me the desire to get "lost" in some far away jungle and so this here is a reminder to myself to keep working toward that goal.

Edible & Medicinal Plant Identification

Plant identification guidebooks that describe and show edible and/or medicinal plants usually cover large regions such as continental regions and do not usually have a step by step key that takes the observer/reader from family to genus to species, etc. These guides usually focus on showing and describing plants that are commonly found in the large area and that can be uniquely recognized more or less easily. They do tend to point out if any of the edible species have poisonous look-alike species.

A Field Guide to Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs (Peterson Field Guides), by Christopher Hobbs (Author), Steven Foster (Author), Roger Tory Peterson (Editor)

A Field Guide to Wildflowers: Northeastern and North-central North America (Peterson Field Guides), by Margaret McKenny (Author), Roger Tory Peterson (Author, Editor)

Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America (Peterson Field Guides), by Lee Allen Peterson (Author, Photographer), Roger Tory Peterson (Editor, Illustrator)

Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America (3rd Edition), by Steven Foster (Author), James A. Duke (Author)

I did not begin learning about plant identification from these kinds of books. My first book on plant identification was not even a dedicated plant identification guide, but merely has included in it a section of brief descriptions of widely found North American plants accompanied by line drawings. This book, purchased by me when I was 12 to the chagrin of my parents who were eager to see what more than a decade of attentive and careful parenting would lead, is Tom Brown's Field Guide To Wilderness Survival, and while it does a pretty good job with its line drawings, because they are line drawings and not photos, I do not recommend using it to reliably learn to identify many edible or medicinal plants. Let me reiterate, and this is of course just my opinion, but, plant identification guides that do not have keys that provide you with descriptive choices taking you further in the direction of the correct species, need to have clear photos that show all important identifying characteristics of the plant... and this is simply to minimize any confusing the plant with similar looking plants. For example, from TB'sFGtWS...

[Image: Tom-Brown-Wilderness-Survival-milkweed-warning.jpg]

Quote:"When it comes to wild edibles, there is no shortcut to positive identification. Some publications mistakenly suggest that if you don't know a plant, you can eat a small quantity and wait for a specified time to see whether it has any adverse effects. This is a serious error. With some plants, even a single bite is enough to cause discomfort or death.

I usually require my survival students to identify and study new plants on there own. Rarely do I give them the names of unidentified wild edibles because they aften look no farther than the name. In one of my weaker moments, I remember, a student came to me asking the name of a particular plant and I said, "That's a cow parsnip." About two hours later, it dawned on me that I now had a responsibility to tell him more.

I found the student near a swamp and began warning him that the leaves of the cow parsnip can raise a rash on a person's hands. He turned to me and said, "Oh, that's alright. I've found another one and I'm holding it by the stem this time."

This time he was holding a poison water hemlock, whcih looks much liek cow parsnip, but which is fatal to most people who mistakenly take a bite of it. Needless to say, I sat the person down with good references and made him read everything he could find on both plants before he did any more foraging. The experience impressed upon him the importance of a thorough study with reputable guidebooks." (Tom Brown Jr., Tom Brown's Field Guide To Wilderness Survival)

The point being that, if you are going to learn about identifying edible and/or medicinal plants, do not only rely on these sorts of guides. These guides are helpful, but make sure they are reputable and you have other plant identification guides, at least one of which actually guides you through an exhaustive and thorough plant identification key.

Here is a list, by area, of highly rated and recommended plant identification guides...

ALASKA:


BRITISH COLUMBIA:

Illustrated flora of British Columbia, Volumes 1 to 8

CALIFORNIA (by family only):

California Plant Families: West of the Sierran Crest and Deserts, by Glenn Keator
I do not own this book, and so can't recommend it based on personal experience, but am curious because I live in the region covered. Anyone have this particular title, and if so, what do you think of it?

CALIFORNIA:

The Jepson Manual: Vascular Plants of California (2nd Edition) is the single most definitive and comprehensive guide to California's amazingly diverse flora. This is, by the way, a desk reference rather than a field guide you would throw into your backpack for a dayhike!

When I was in community college I purchased the Jepson Manual, although it was the 1st Edition and has a yellow dust jacket. The Jepson Manual can be daunting at first, but the completeness and strict adherence to botanical Latin only fueled my desire to learn more. It was a required book for the Field Botany class I took while earning my Interdisciplinary Studies: Ethnobotany Bachelor of Sciences degree at HSU (Humboldt State University).

Another highly recommended guide, if you are in the CA desert, is The Jepson Desert Manual: Vascular Plants of Southeastern California. I do not have this book... yet! But that is only because I am in NorCal, where I moved to from CoSoCal (coastal southern CA... I think I just made that up) when I transferred to HSU.

GREAT PLAINS:



INTERMOUNTAIN WEST:



MIDWEST:



NORTHEAST:



PACIFIC NORTHWEST



ROCKY MOUNTAINS



SOUTH



SOUTHWEST

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  Well now what do we truly know of our mother earth XD
Posted by: Thunky the Hunter - 03-02-2017, 01:51 AM - Forum: Current Disastrous Events - Replies (2)

Well as you all are aware our mother earth has been on the rampage YEEEEEE HAAAWWW! I know it may sound a bit out there when I say this but I love it when she makes her self known, it really opens your eyes to who is really in charge here. Cause the moment you even place belief or fact that mother nature is in our backyard you're wrong, we are in hers. An when things get crazy in the yard momma comes out to regulate an tend her garden we ARE the children of earth not the other way round we live here by some cosmic grace an we must learn to live in it peacefully cause if we keep goin on this stint that the cosmos an the earth owe us for any transgressions get ready for a supprize. I'll say this when mum goes nuts on us do we question or do we comply obviously we comply so i ask this when disaster strikes WHY for the love of all why do you ask (Why did this happen I cant believe it?).

Two reasons it happened.
1-Mother nature needs ta keep these things goin if not it all falls apart an every thing dies period (example if volcanos dont POP then the world will swell like a balloon an everything goes POP so would you rather have a little POP or the big an final one hhmmm?)
2-MOVE YOU BIG OAF! If you know you live where mother mother nature throws dance tantrums then move (YA BIG DUMMY-Red Fox) dont keep living there goin WHY WHY WHY WHY you just make your self look the fool asking that question when you have lived long enough on this planet to know it happens there so why continue to endanger your life unless you get on with that kind of danger like me I love a good natural disaster even if it kills me cause I love my allmother an her glorious tantrums, cause ill say this unless you've seen her go off then you havent seen the true beauty of her an you only concentrate on the bad an your only thinking of your self so in short you dont like it MOVE if you do well pull up a chair open a beer an sit with me an watch fire works cause I'd rather ride the bomb than get hit by it ROFL.

Everywhere man blames nature an fate, yet his fate is mostly but the echo of his character and passions, his mistakes an weaknesses.-Democritus

Look death in the face with joyful hope, and consider this a lasting TRUTH: The righteous person has nothing to fear, neither in life, nor in death, and the gods will not forsake him.-Socrates

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  ROAR! New Immigration Law
Posted by: Thunky the Hunter - 03-02-2017, 01:43 AM - Forum: Politics & Religion - Replies (1)

INSANITY! PURE INSANITY! Since when was it right to embrace a law that condones such a Naziistic belief? OUTRAGE! PURE UNBRIDLED OUTRAGE! Our forefathers fought such an oppressive act of regulation against people. Our Grandfathers fought an-died against the Nazi's for such tyranny an oppression. THIS IS AMERICA LAND OF THE FREE! NOT THE OPPRESSED!

To all who read this, this is a crime against our civil rights as humans to come to this land, become citizens an earn our keep as human beings. What is next? If you don't produce an ID that your a productive worker you will go to jail hhmm? UTTER MADNESS!

To all true Americans, fight this oppressive act for none of us came to be here by any legal right but through the right to live an earn your life as a human being!

To the hispanic communities and all Americans take up your arms an DAMN THE TORPEDOES against this Nazi belief that one MUST PROVIDE PROOF OF HUMANITY! Take up your arms an SMASH THIS OPPRESSIVE ACT UPON OUR FREE SOIL!

HAIL AMERICA THE FREE! PROCLAIM YOUR LIBERTY PROCLAIM YOUR FREEDOM TO LIVE FREE!

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