The Chat Thread (Read OP)

[King Athelstan]

Oh my, that is quite the exercise you get there! Could you potentially bring him to a discipline course?

[Morifea]

When I was young we had around 30 Cows (For milk and Meat), around 20 Pigs, 20 Chickens and some Rabbits.
We did the Slaughtering at home, wasn`t that problematic as a child, for adults it was perfect because it involves a lot of Alcohol.
We stopped it when my Grandpa got to old, but we still have some fields and Forest.

A lot of Families in the central Regions of Germany used to have some kind of agriculture running extra to their regular jobs.

@Flinn: Do you make Olive Oil yourself?

[Sar1n]

Oh my, that is quite the exercise you get there! Could you potentially bring him to a discipline course?

That's what we've been doing for past half year, almost as soon as we adopted him. But he's clever and strong willed, haven't had any training or authority over him when he was growing up...so he obeys during course, knowing he'll get treats, but out there the joy of running is just too strong in him, he forgets everything else. The worst thing, I'd let him run if I wasn't afraid he'd get into trouble, he just loves it. He's not an urban dog that knows how to watch out for cars and such.

So the best thing I can do is to let him play with his friends when they're the kind that stays close to their owner so he won't run away from them and on the training grounds. All that actually happens pretty often, so he gets a lot of excersise-he's not gaining any fat despite having more than enough varied food available to eat his fill.

[Morifea]

How often do you walk him and how long?

[Sar1n]

How often do you walk him and how long?

We-as I'm not the only one walking him-give him at least 3-4 hours each day, usually four walks total, plus some other activities-training, sometimes a trip by car to nearby forest and long walk, and so on. But he's two years old, still has puppy-like energy...you can get him totally exhausted before midday, and in the afternoon he's ready for a run again.

If he had the discipline I'd teach him to run along the bike, but right now he'd just pull me off or jump on me and knock me down out of sheer excitement.

[Morifea]

Wow, thats a energetic Boy... Definitely no lack of acitivity etc.
Is he Castrated? Maybe his thyroid is out of order?

[Sar1n]

Wow, thats a energetic Boy... Definitely no lack of acitivity etc.
Is he Castrated? Maybe his thyroid is out of order?

He's not castrated. When he came from shelter he actually had some extra fat since he had lack of activity there, which, along with his winter coat, gave a mistaken impression that he'll be more inclined to be couch potato. He shed it all within few months...

[Flinn]

I tilled potato fields as a young boy. In school we also had lessons on planting different seeds. Most East Germans who lived during Communist days and shortly thereafter have some minor agricultural experience, because many people owned a "Schrebergarten," which are little personal plots of land you can use for growing your own vegetables and little animals like rabbits. It was a great solution by the Communist regime to get people to grow their own food for their own needs.

ah great, then you know the pleasure of doing things with your hands ; here it was a big tradition of having those private orchards/vegetable gardens, unfortunately in the past few years almost all of them have disappeared, even if I live in a rural, countryside area. Out of my generation (I'm almost 40) or younger ones, I'm the only one who still has a vineyard and one of the few who still produces vegetables (I don't have animals at the moment, too much hassle and too many absurd rules nowadays). Olive oil still has a good production overall because a) it's easier to do machinery works with olive trees b) it's still a valuable resource c) it's used for cooking and preservation and can last longer than wine without need of chemistry.

Sadly this's not just a loss of tradition, but of indipendence too, IMO: people who has completely lost the ability to grow its own food is easily subdued by those who control the global distribution of food. If tomorrow all the supermarkets will close, how many persons will be able to survive past few days?

When I was young we had around 30 Cows (For milk and Meat), around 20 Pigs, 20 Chickens and some Rabbits.
We did the Slaughtering at home, wasn`t that problematic as a child, for adults it was perfect because it involves a lot of Alcohol.
We stopped it when my Grandpa got to old, but we still have some fields and Forest.

A lot of Families in the central Regions of Germany used to have some kind of agriculture running extra to their regular jobs.

@Flinn: Do you make Olive Oil yourself?

sounds interesting; we also had pigs (nor more than a couple per year), cickens and rabbits but my grandfather quitted the cows' farming when I was very young.
And actually yes, we also have olive oil; not me directly, because my area isn't really fit for olive trees, but the family of my partner has some 300 trees, so yes I do have experience with both tending olive trees and making olive oil too

[Morifea]

@Flinn: I had to ask, because my italian source of Olive Oil ran dry (no contact anymore) and its quite difficult to find some good in Germany.... most times you`ll have to pay a lot and will get bad quality anyhow, thats why I always try to avoid olive oil in our supermarkets....

@Sarin: Is the unability to call him back the only issue you have with him?
Also big cudos to you for taking one from the shelter!

[Flinn]

@ Morifea; you are most welcome to come to help us during the olives' harvest, and get a reward in form of oil because of this

[Morifea]

Well, I don`t think that I`ll get my Fiance to this, so I sadly have to decline your offer... If it were only for me, I would bite!

Seems like I have to read more and get some informations, because It`s really not pleasant to cook without good oil..... and its quite frustating to spend much money and get bad quality.

[Flinn]

plant some olive trees then

[Sar1n]

@Sarin: Is the unability to call him back the only issue you have with him?
Also big cudos to you for taking one from the shelter!

Pretty much just his approach to authority. He does not obey when he thinks he's got something better to do. Oh, and his habit of licking everyone . But he's great otherwise.

He's not the first shelter dog I had, and most likely won't be last.

[AqD]

If I went to Dublin from JFK, is it worth it to get business class or should I just get economy/premium economy?

eh. I sat on business once it was very nice for dining - not for sleeping you'd miss all the dishes and liquors.

But really besides that there is no point. Instead I spend my money on lounge membership (was frequent flyer), nothing beats $20 unlimited food, cheap wine and coffee, and if you're lucky some airports have better lounges, cost is the same for members.

Get drunk and filled and just sleep on flight.

[Diamat]

ah great, then you know the pleasure of doing things with your hands ; here it was a big tradition of having those private orchards/vegetable gardens, unfortunately in the past few years almost all of them have disappeared, even if I live in a rural, countryside area. Out of my generation (I'm almost 40) or younger ones, I'm the only one who still has a vineyard and one of the few who still produces vegetables (I don't have animals at the moment, too much hassle and too many absurd rules nowadays). Olive oil still has a good production overall because a) it's easier to do machinery works with olive trees b) it's still a valuable resource c) it's used for cooking and preservation and can last longer than wine without need of chemistry.

I have come to love olive oil. Germany is a butter culture. Before I moved to the US, I never eaten olive oil. My parents or grand parents didn't use it in their cooking. But it is such a fantastic oil. Nevertheless, when cooking German food, olive oil just doesn't work.

Sadly this's not just a loss of tradition, but of indipendence too, IMO: people who has completely lost the ability to grow its own food is easily subdued by those who control the global distribution of food. If tomorrow all the supermarkets will close, how many persons will be able to survive past few days?

Yeah, I always try to teach my students this. When teaching premodern history, I try to get them to understand that it would be impossible to pursue your own fanciful career if agriculture today wouldn't be so efficient. Agriculture is the basis of any human society. If agriculture is less efficient, then more people need to work in agriculture, lest people starve. This was the conundrum in premodern societies. If agriculture failed, then commerce failed too, because people would be forced out of commerce to survive.

[Flinn]

If agriculture failed, then commerce failed too, because people would be forced out of commerce to survive.

so true

[AqD]

people who has completely lost the ability to grow its own food is easily subdued by those who control the global distribution of food. If tomorrow all the supermarkets will close, how many persons will be able to survive past few days?

No worries. If trade is interrupted somehow our urban areas would descend into hell, people shooting each other for canned beans and within a generation or two most wild animals would be back, we can catch big rats, dogs or trash pandas

[Flinn]

trash pandas should be sweet

[Mhaedros]

as I'm here: anyone has experience with animal farming and/or agriculture? When I say experience I mean that you actually did that for a good while yourself, not remembering about your grands to do that I think I'm pretty peculiar on this regard

I grew up on the countryside, growing all kinds of stuff (mostly potatoes and garlick, but there was some carrots, some cucumber and other vegetables, as well as strawberries and other berries), but now unfortunately I live in an apartment in the city, so the only thing I can grow is basilicum, hah! My dream is to own my own farmland in the future though, be able to work my own land and grow my own crops..Hopefully one day

[Stone Cold Shogun Panther]

I lost track of this ole thread.

Goodbye Cemetery New Orleans Style


Ok, apparently, I did not come to the last page first...LOL

Flying... you have not flown economy until you have flown Chinese economy. They literally break every single common procedure you can think of, except one, amazingly, smoking on the plane. No really they smoke in hospitals.

I heard odd things about Chinese economy.

I heard too that Norwegian Air hires pilots from temp agencies in Singapore.

Who wants to hang out when I come to Europe?

They're making a new Titanic! I'll want to cruise on it.