Rabbit: A Great Meat Animal for Small Homesteads

Whether your homestead is in the city or the country, meat rabbits can help you feed your family with lean, nutritious meat. Rabbits breed and grow so quickly that one pair of healthy does (females) can produce more than 600 pounds of meat in a year. Compare that to the dressed yield of 400 pounds for an average year-old beef steer. Rabbits also use feed more efficiently than cows do: According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a rabbit needs 4 pounds of feed to make 1 pound of meat. In comparison, beef cattle need 7 pounds of feed or more to create 1 pound of meat, reports Michigan State University’s Department of Animal Science.
Archaeologists have found proof that the Romans raised meat rabbits 2,000 years ago, so people have known for centuries that rabbit meat is delicious. Today, we know that it’s also an excellent source of protein, has less cholesterol and fat than chicken, beef, lamb or pork, and that it has an almost ideal fatty acid ratio of 4:1 omega-6 to beneficial omega-3 fatty acids (see The Fats You Need for a Healthy Diet to learn more).
Rabbits are clean and quiet, so they won’t trouble your neighbors. Their manure can enrich your garden without composting — it’s not “hot,” so it can go directly into the garden, where it will provide lots of nitrogen and phosphorus and help build soil. Or let the rabbits’ manure fall into worm beds;.
Before you rush out and buy your rabbits, you need to figure out where you’re going to keep them. Each rabbit needs its own cage, so for the breeding trio of a buck and two does you’ll need three cages. (See our diagram of a homemade rabbit cage.) The cages should be protected from predators and the weather — in a garage or outbuilding, for example.
For meat rabbits, each cage should be about 3 feet square and 2 feet high to give the animals plenty of room to move around. The best material for cages is double-galvanized 14-gauge welded wire. Chicken wire is too flimsy. Use 1-inch square or 1-by-1-1⁄2-inch wire on the bottoms to prevent sore feet and to let droppings fall through. Plan to run some extra wire up the sides to prevent babies from falling out of the does’ pens. Hinge the cage doors so they swing inward, so your rabbits can’t accidentally push them open. Mount the cages 3 to 4 feet off the ground, to make working with the animals easier and to help protect them from predators such as dogs, snakes and coyotes.

The Health Benefits of Pears

Pears provide a very good source of fiber and are also a good source of vitamin B2, C, E, copper, and potassium. They also contain a significant amount of pectin, which is a water soluble fiber.

Pears are actually higher in pectin than apples. This makes them effective in helping to lower cholesterol levels and in toning the intestines. They are often recommended by health care practitioners as a hypoallergenic fruit that is high in fiber. They are less likely to produce an adverse response than other fruits. Pears are often recommended as a safe fruit to introduce to infants. Pears are an extraordinary source of dietary fiber when the skin is eaten along with the flesh. Pears are also an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin E, both powerful antioxidants and essential nutrients.

Pears are often recommended as a hypo-allergenic fruit that is high in fiber but less likely to produce adverse reactions. Pear juice is safe to be introduced to infants as they are mild, yet healthful.

Blood pressure: Pears have anti-oxidant and anti-carcinogen glutathione which help prevent high blood pressure and stroke.

• Blood pressure: Pears have anti-oxidant and anti-carcinogen glutathione which help prevent high blood pressure and stroke.
• Cancer prevention: The high vitamin C and copper content act as good anti-oxidants that protect cells from damages by free radicals.
• Cholesterol: The high content of pectin in pears make it very useful in helping to lower cholesterol levels.
• Colon health: When not juicing, eat the pear whole for its precious fiber that are highly beneficial for your colon health.
• Constipation: The pectin in pears is diuretic and have a mild laxative effect. Drinking pear juice regularly helps regulate bowel movements.
• Energy: You can get quick and natural source of energy from pear juice, due largely to its high amounts of fructose and glucose.
• Fever: The cooling effect in pear is excellent in relieving fever. Best way to bring a fever down quickly is by drinking a big glass of pear juice.
• Immune booster: The anti-oxidant nutrients in pears are critical in building up your immune system. Drink pear juice when you feel a cold coming.
• Inflammation: Pear juice has an anti-inflammatory effect and helps relieve sufferers of much pain in various inflammatory conditions.
• Osteoporosis: Pears contain high level of boron. Boron helps the body to retain calcium, thus prevents or retards osteoporosis.
• Pregnancy: The high content of folate (folic acid) prevents neural tube defects in infants.
• Shortness of breath: The summer heat may cause children to have shortness of breath with excessive phlegm. Drink pear juice during this period to help clear the phlegm.
• Throat problem: The pears are in season during the summer for a reason. Drinking pear juice every morning and night helps to cool your body down during this time. It nourishes the throat and helps prevent throat problems.
• Vocal chord: Boil two Chinese pear juice with some raw honey and drink warm. This is extremely healing for the throat and the vocal cord.
• Fiber: Pears are an excellent source of natural dietary fiber. One pear will give you 24% of your recommended daily allowance of fiber. Fiber contains no calories, and is a necessary element of a healthy diet as it helps sustain blood sugar levels and promotes regularity.

Pectin is a type of soluble fiber that binds to fatty substances in the digestive tract and promotes their elimination. This seems to help lower blood cholesterol levels. Soluble fiber also helps regulate the body's use of sugars.

Studies indicate that diets high in fiber may reduce the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer.

How do pears rank on the Glycemic Index?

Pears have 26 net grams of carbs. The carbohydrates in a pear are low on the glycemic index and have a low glycemic load. This basically means that the carbs in pears are slow to convert to sugar and enter the bloodstream. Pears are a good choice for getting healthy carbs.

Vitamin C:

Fresh pears are a good source for Vitamin C. One fresh pear contains 10% of the RDA for Vitamin C (also called ascorbic acid).

Vitamin C is an essential antioxidant for normal metabolism and tissue repair, and helps prevent free radical damage (destructive by-products of the body's metabolic process). Vitamin C promotes healing of cuts and bruises and helps guard against a number of infectious diseases.

Potassium:

Fresh pears offer 5% of the recommended daily allowance (190 mg of potassium) per serving

10 Most Pleasant Sounds For Human

Did you know that the second sound is sure to change your mood for the day? To take advantage of this remarkable property of sounds, you need to know the most fascinating of them.
Especially for you we have compiled a list of the most enjoyable out of 10 sounds to the human ear ...
Number 1. Patter of rain on the roof of the house.
Well, the rain does not stop immediately and we can enjoy plenty of his rapping. Tenth place is deservedly took the wood outdoor recreation. Number 2
Number 2. The crunch of snow
Find not trampled and fresh, crisp snow in the city is not easy enough, but when it works - it's time to relax, especially good for romantic dates. Of course, it is better to walk in the snow at night, so you can hear the crunch of a lot better. Winter is only once a year, but then in the summer there is something worth listening to.
Number 3. Surf
Lucky for those who live in the city by the sea. Residents of these cities spend at sea a long time, and summer and winter. Rote lasts forever ...
Number 4 .Crackling logs
And it can be combined. Spend an evening at the sea, a fire - and then you can enjoy and surf, and the sound of crackling wood. However, this is only the summer entertainment, but it leaves such a strong impression that they have enough for the whole year.
Number 5. Babbling brook
In the city to catch the murmur of pleasure from the sounds of the creek hard. Perhaps many urban residents have not heard this sound ever, so for them there is one more reason to go on vacation somewhere in nature.
Number 6. Laughter
Laughter prolongs life, and with it, creating a joyful, good humor and not just someone who is laughing, and everyone else who just enjoys this mood.
Number 7. Rain fills the trough
Once again, the sound of falling rain, but this time in a different context. On the Internet you can find a lot of creative work associated with exactly this situation - rain contributes to the romantic mood.
Number 8. Cat purring
Cats - cute and unpredictable, almost any girl would ever again, so call himself a cat. While I know and men, which will please the nickname "Cat". According to polls, purring cats took third place.
Number 9. Birds singing in the morning

One of the most enjoyable alarms. And if in the morning when you wake up next to you and still purring cat - it's just a heavenly pleasure.
Number 10. The sound of water.
Drink only pure water - so you will doubly increase your enjoyment! Honorable first place went to the pleasant gurgle of water or tea, filling the cup. This is one of the most pleasant sounds to the human ear

Why is it beneficial for men to have facial and chest hair?

If you look at some of our relatives, we primates are a fairly hairy bunch.
Primates tend to have all sorts of interesting facial and sometimes even shoulder hair, so humans are not odd in this regard
In fact, Gibbins suspects it wasn't that long ago that we sported a pretty impressive fur coat of our own. The evidence for this comes from goosebumps.
But evolution is usually pretty prompt at getting rid of features we don't need, says Gibbins, so the reason men still have facial and chest hair is more likely due to sexual selection.
At some stage while we were losing our excess body hair either women found hairy men more attractive, or men preferred non-hairy women.
"The usual argument,is that [sexual selection] is some sort of surrogate for your overall fitness."
"So if you're a good enough feeder or hunter or breeder, or whatever it is, to have enough energy in reserve to make some flashy show then it means you're probably ahead of the pack."
Basically if you're a very hairy man and hairy men are in, you get the girls.
However there are some caveats to this argument.
Firstly, hairiness can vary quite dramatically between different ethnic groups, so to make general statements about male hairiness is fairly difficult. For example, men from a Mediterranean background generally have darker and thicker hair, whereas men of Asian descent often don't have much facial hair at all, says Gibbons.
Secondly, men and women have approximately the same number of hair follicles, what differs is the coarseness of the hairs.
We have two types of hair on our bodies: the coarse, usually pigmented terminal hair which includes our head hair, pubic hair and for men their facial and chest hair; and the finer, less visible vellus hair.
Hair growth and size is modulated by hormones, in particular androgens like testosterone, which kick in during puberty. As men generally have higher levels of testosterone than women they tend to have more terminal hair. Testosterone also increases the size of hair follicles on men's faces at puberty so that they begin to grow visible beards.
While the rise of the metrosexual have seen growing numbers of men shave, wax and laser their way to less facial and chest hair, Gibbins says don't expect a hair-free man to evolve anytime soon.
"Evolution is much too slow for that sort of quick cultural stuff," he says.
In fact, manscaping is more likely to subvert evolution than help it along.
"It's a classic example of cultural aspects completely overriding any evolutionary pressures," says Gibbins.
So the next time you're bemoaning your hairy partner don't call them a Neanderthal, just pack them off to the beautician's instead

How to Be a Hairy Woman

Society puts a lot of pressure on women to be hairless. Underarm, leg and facial hair is considered socially unattractive in numerous cultures and yet forty percent of women experience the growth of facial hair, while the majority of women have body hair. The removal of hair by shaving has often been used as an act of humiliation in ancient cultures, during wartime and in modern day prison systems; this same sense of humiliation is fostered when certain media driven beauty ideals insist that hair be removed to reflect feminine beauty.

Having body hair is a sign of an adult body and proper sexual development. If you're a woman who likes keeping the hair that grows naturally on each part of your body, how do you deal with the fact that social preferences insist upon removal of your body and facial hair? Since smoothness is equated with a beauty standard, does it mean you're not beautiful if you're hairy? Of course not. What it does mean is that you've chosen to keep what grows naturally and it's a choice as valid as any decision to remove it, if not more so. As a sexually mature woman who desires to keep her natural hair intact, questioning the ideal of hair removal can be challenging but it's also rewarding when you fulfill your personal choice. This article seeks to help you work through your personal choice to keep the natural hair in place on your body or face.

  Steps

1. 
   Think through the reasons behind hair removal. Removal of certain parts of body and facial hair that grows naturally on the female body is viewed by some cultures as a beauty essential. This societal conditioning in itself is not a reason for you to shave off your body or facial hair. Obviously, if you want to do so, then that is totally your right but so is choosing not to; what matters is that it is your choice and not something you feel compelled to do. Some things to consider include:
   • If the whole idea of keeping your body hair intact causes you to think "ew, gross", think again. Do you dislike the sight of your bodily hair or have you been conditioned to dislike it by societal pressure stating that it is not acceptable? This is a hard question to untangle but it's not one to back down from, especially if you find yourself spending a lot of time conforming to beauty ideals that impact your wallet, energies and self-esteem.
   • Shaving bodily hair does not equate to cleanliness. This is about conformity to a body or feminine ideal, not about being dirty. You are clean whether you have body hair or not, provided you shower or bathe regularly.
   • There is a large industry behind hair removal products. This is one fairly heavily marketed and socially condoned reason for obliging women to remove hair.
2. 
   
   Confront your worries about turning off potential partners. There are plenty of men who like women with body or facial hair. You may be assuming too much about men disliking it. Sure, some men have been conditioned to dislike it but there are plenty of men who find it erotic, beautiful or just plain normal. Indeed, maybe it's a good indicator of how a man perceives you as a person or as an object when you reveal your hairier self… What you may find is that it is sometimes other women who will criticize your choice to remain hairy.
   • Many European women are far less obsessed about the removal of body hair than their North American counterparts. And yet, their love lives and general relationships are certainly not suffering for being a little hairier!
   • Women like Frida Kahlo, Julia Roberts, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Brooke Shields have at one time or other sported famous body hair.
   • Just be aware that some men feel embarrassed to admit they like hairy women. You could be hiding your hairiness from him, he could be hiding his like for it from you, and this could just go on forever. Be honest and see what happens.
3. Focus on what you will gain by allowing your natural hair to remain in place. There are so many benefits to letting the hair grow where it will, that these might tip the scales in favor of keeping your natural hair. Time and money once spent on hair removal is now a thing of the past. Not to mention forgoing the pain from waxing and shaving nicks. Gone is the after-pain of shaving or tweezing. And deodorant works just as well on hairy parts as on shaved parts (despite an oft-touted and unfounded insistence to the contrary). Standing up for freedom of choice as to how you, as a woman, express your beauty is a valuable gain. Finally but not least, you'll also start to discover the silent proportion of men who are just fine (and maybe even turned on by) hair on the female form.
   • Having hair on your body or face can be a great way to pick the boys from the men (or the girly girls from the real women), the conformists from the true thinkers and the mature from the immature. People's reactions will tell you a great deal…
   • Shaving pubic region hair can result in painful regrowth if the hairs become ingrown. This is definitely one area worth avoiding such painful outcomes!
4. Decide the extent to which you want to be a hairy woman. There are varying degrees of hairiness and anything you choose is fine. Some women prefer to shape out the monobrow, while some women are happy to shave their legs but keep armpit hair. Then, there are women happiest not to touch any of it. The extent of hairiness rests with your personal comfort level, the reasons behind wanting to keep your natural body hair and even the style of clothing you wear normally.
   • For some women, bleaching is a solution. Keep the hair but lessen its impact by bleaching it. Realize that this starts to get a little crazy when your leg skin bleaches too… You might want to look into professional bleaching services if you take this option seriously.
   • Sometimes skin sensitivity or high pain levels in one region (such as the armpits) could cause you to leave one part of your body free from shaving while still shaving another part.
   • Another possible choice is "seasonal hairiness". During winter, let it grow like wildfire, while in summer, tame the growth.
5. Care for your natural body hair that you keep. Whether you're keeping all of your body hair, parts of it or seasonally adjusting it, there are some helpful hair care tips to follow:
   • Try to make any kept hair softer. Use hair conditioner on it regularly, but be careful around the pubic area.
   • Brush body hair with a damp nail brush if you feel it looks messy. Otherwise, leave it well alone and it'll usually take care of itself.
   • If you wish, cut hair a little shorter with nail scissors to keep it looking neat and even.
   • Keep clean. If you don't have time to shower, wash your underarms at the sink with shower gel as you would in the shower, then apply deodorant.
   • Avoid shaving if you do choose to remove any hair. Stubble is prickly and not as soft as grown hair. It can lead to irritated skin and ingrown hairs. Go for waxing or laser treatment for any hair you want removed.
6. 
   Deal with put downs and critical comments with grace and dignity. There will always be someone with a thoughtless, less-than-insightful comment seeking that you conform to their notion of the beauty ideal. There are several possible ways to respond to unkind words said about your choice to keep your natural body or facial hair:
   • Say nothing. Simply smile and turn away from them.
   • Ask them if they'd feel the same way about getting rid of hair if all of their hair suddenly fell out. Then comment on how funny it is that in a world where women would do anything not to go bald on top of the head, we insist that women go on removing naturally growing hair!
   • Make a joke out of it.
   • Probe them. Ask them exactly what it is that they think is so gross about naturally growing body hair on the female form. Be prepared for a long discussion and a lot of rebuttal. Bear in mind that you can have quite a lot of fun with this one because "gross" is not a reason and getting to the real reason behind the person's dislike can be very revealing.
   • Ask them if they really do prefer relegating women to the status of pre-adolescence by insisting on a beauty standard that infantilizes women. This is only for the woman who likes a good, potentially heated discussion that may, or may not, involve barbs about feminism. Stand your ground and call the bluffs as you see them.
   • Stare them straight in the face and tell them that they have truly offended you. Leave it at that.
7. Be confident with your decision. People may not notice anyway, and if they do, who really cares? As with all things that matter to you personally in life, navigate toward the people who don't give a toss about your appearance or who are supportive. The rest you can do without.
   • By all means remained well groomed (which is a different matter from appearance) but don't feel that you have to conform.
   • Being ashamed of your decision to stay hairy is a turn-off and can cause you to hide behind clothes and closed doors. Don't be ashamed; wear the hair proudly so that other women may also feel as confident as you do.