Teasing out the Truth

I got in a debate with someone over the safety of a particular medication used in goats. During the course of the discussion, the person quoted from a website that sells a homeopathic alternative remedy. The website had all sorts of information claiming that the chemical medication was bad news and that it can cause brain damage. Now, I am not saying that this information was wrong or that it wasn't the truth -- the problem I had with it was a) it came from a website that was trying to sell an alternative to the product in question, and b) the website contained no references, citations, or sources for their information. Nothing at all in the text of the website hinted in the least from where this information had come, or what date it was produced. When I questioned the person who I was debating on the accuracy of their choice of quotation, their rebuttal was that this was just a copy of the information that they had seen in multiple places on the internet -- thus it must be the TRUTH!

The problem I have with that logic is that just because it is copied on multiple websites all over the internet, that doesn't make it truthful or accurate information. Millions of people can "cut and paste" whatever they want from wherever they want. Copyright infringement means almost nothing in the land of the internet. The amount of times a particular piece of information is repeated does nothing to make it more correct. I urge everyone who is doing research on anything via the internet (or any other media form for that matter) to be sure to check references, look for citations, and go to the source of the information. If the theory in question does not have any substantiated scientific proof to back it up, then you should keep on moving. Of course, there are some ideas on the internet that aren't scientifically researched. Those ideas should be examined very carefully and numerous sources should be looked into.

It's incredibly easy for one piece of terrible information to be "THE TRUTH" and live a life of its own on the internet. Look at the whole idea that vaccines cause autism. This idea has be debunked so many times and the original creator of this massive falsehood actually had his medical license revoked and his journal publications rescinded due to the misleading nature of his research into the matter. There isn't one shred of scientifically-backed proof to lead to this idea and yet, it continues to live and breath to this day on the internet. It's taken on a life of its own to the point that parents actually refuse to get their children vaccinated for such horrible diseases as mumps, measles, polio, and hepatitis.

I behoove you to be skeptical when looking up stuff on the internet. I behoove you to look closely at your sources before you use them as proof of your argument.

What is a farm?

What is a farm?

What qualifies a piece of land as a farm?

Does it have to be a certain number of acres? Or located in a certain area of the country?

Or have a certain number of animals on it? Perhaps a certain type of animal or a certain percentage of different types?

Does a place with only 70 chickens count as a farm? What about a place with only 5 horses?

To be a farm, is livestock required? What if you only grow fruits and vegetables but have no animals, does that count?

Or maybe you have to make a certain amount of income from the land to be considered a farm?

What percentage of food consumed needs to be grown at home to qualify as a farm? What if you don't grow anything but you have six pet goats, two horses, and a duck? Is that a farm?

Do you have to breed the animals to be a farm? What if you buy the animals and have them neutered or just don't feel like breeding them?

What if you breed the animals but only live on 1/4 acre in town?

Do you have to come from a farming background to be considered a "farmer"? Is there a genetic or familial qualification that makes people farmers? What if you grew up on a farm but don't have animals or grow food? Are you still a "farmer" because of your background?

How long do you have to have animals or a garden to be a "farmer"? Is there a number of years that makes you qualified to call your place a farm?

What is a farm?

Emily Turns 1!

Emily turned one year old on Monday, June 6. She is a big girl now. Here she is ready to go to the mall and do some shopping. All she needs is a little push to get her going! Before long she really will be going to the mall and not hanging around boring-old-mom and dad!



Emily had a party and I got her special made cupcakes. I had to get them with farm animals on them, of course.



Here is a close up of her goat cupcakes!



Here's the birthday girl ready for her party!!

It all goes by too fast!!

Procrastination!

I really shouldn't procrastinate but I can't help it. I have no reason to put things off, especially considering it has not rained in the last 2 days and it may not rain for another 2 days. I really should be out planting the garden each night and making soap and weeding the garden and sorting the recycling and cleaning the barn and doing fecal sample tests on the goats and walking the dogs and, and, and, etc... I don't know why I am procrastinating. I just seem to not get anything done when I am home in the evenings. Well, other than doing the dishes, doing laundry, doing chores, taking out the garbage, feeding the child and the husband, and tidying up. I really need to do more. Time is a wasting and I need to get on with it! Summer is here! The sun is out and the plants are ready!

Hopefully tonight I can at least get my garden started. We'll see.....

Adirondack Goat Club

I have decided to create an Adirondack Goat Club. The club will be for all people who have goats or for those interested in getting goats in the future. It's open to all goats whether for milk, meat, or play. Check it out at www.adkgoats.blogspot.com.

Brain Tumor!

I think I have a brain tumor! If the doctor's were to take a scan of my head they would see a goat-shaped tumor taking up a large part of my cerebral cortex! The reason I think there must be a medical explanation for this is because I can't help myself when it comes to goats and goat-related things. It's totally uncontrollable. It's a tick, an obsessive-compulsive tendency, an unavoidable driving force. There must be a neuro-chemical explanation!

Some of my new symptoms are: Buying a baby Angora buckling to add to the herd; spending 3 hours per day in the goat barn taking care of my goat babies; contemplating keeping a doeling from this year's kids to add to the herd; wanting to start my own "Adirondack Goat Club"; making weird goat-keeping decisions that I wouldn't normally consider (like doing CAE testing and using herbal dewormer).

It's a brain tumor! Eek!

Argh!

Maybe it's the three weeks of rain we've had recently.... Maybe it's the threat of my employer laying everyone off and moving to North Carolina.... Maybe it's just me and my luck...

I am very discouraged today. It seems like every smug thought I have had lately has blown up in my face. I was just thinking yesterday how well I was managing my goats and how all of them should be very healthy this year with all my good decisions. Karma is a bitch because she reared her ugly head by making my doe, Gloria, sick this morning. She was very lethargic and didn't eat her breakfast. I tested her for mastitis and she tested positive for it in both teats. One teat was worse than the other so I treated the worse one with ToDAY treatment. Hopefully she will be better by this evening when I get home from work. I guess I won't assume that I am doing a good job, just in case karma hears me say it.

Other things have gone that way recently. Every time I assume something is a good idea, it turns out that it isn't. It's very discouraging.

Oh well, thanks for reading about my problems. Hopefully with the promise of sun will come the promise of better things to come.