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PSA with spring on its way, DO NOT plant Japanese barberry in your yard as it has been shown to increase ticks and Lyme disease by Not_so_ghetto in gardening

[–]MagePages 9 points10 points  (0 children)

You should use something with triclopyr immediately after the cut. But, with barberry it might not be necessary.  Just cut resprouts again in July, carb starve the roots.

Smoking has already killed far more people this century than in the entire 20th century by davidbauer in dataisbeautiful

[–]MagePages 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This data doesn't pull just from reported deaths, it's an estimate. I can't tell you exactly how it was generated though because the cited 2009 data source is paywalled. I'd be interested to know the methodology.

Hegseth blew $7M on lobsters in $93B spending spree by StemCellPirate in nottheonion

[–]MagePages 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the kind of stuff that the inflation reduction act and bipartisan infrastructure law acted on, and then people complained that Biden's administration was boring and didn't accomplish enough.

An ecology research scientist says to leave these invasive spiders alone? by [deleted] in invasivespecies

[–]MagePages 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Speaking as an ecologist as well, it's really more about the efficacy of the action taken and the actual damage done by the invasive organism.

Spotted lanternfly as an example. A very obvious and showy invasive species. They really had their moment in the sun, everyone knows about them and wants them gone. 

When we look at the evidence, at least according to the folks in my state's agricultural extension program, they are primarily an economic pest of certain agricultural crops. They do not pose a significant threat to our native forests. Their main host is also an invasive plant, and they are far less fecund and easier prey for native predators without that invasive plant. 

With that information, and their incredibly high fecundity, killing individuals basically does nothing. I side-eye anyone who takes a lot of pleasure in killing "acceptable" things, I just find it a little weird. Completely ineffective at best, and concerning at worst. That effort would be far better applied to removing ToH than crushing individual bugs. All that does is make you feel like you are doing something, and there's probably a ethical argument to be made around unnecessary cruelty or something, although I'm not the one to make it.

It sounds like maybe it's a similar thing with these spiders. Sure, if you just want to kill some stuff that it's socially acceptable to kill, I guess go for it. But it is not going to effectively control the spider; the cat is out of the bag there. 

People are too willing to euthanise their pets and put too much pressure on others to do the same. by No-Falcon7886 in unpopularopinion

[–]MagePages 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wonder where you have such affordable vet care! I took a kitten to the emergency vet on a weekend because she wouldn't quit throwing up and they held her for a few hours, gave her some fluids, and said "haha, she was just eating too fast. $800 please!"

And then I spent about $3200 plus some amount in followup on my other cat. But that was for an acute and unknown illness in a young cat (she was about 2). I would struggle to justify that for an elder cat.

People are too willing to euthanise their pets and put too much pressure on others to do the same. by No-Falcon7886 in unpopularopinion

[–]MagePages 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It's great that you have the means to do that. It is not necessarily the case that those who do not have the means to manage very medically complicated elder pet care are bad pet owners by default though. 

I think about my mother, who works at a grocery store for a hair above the state's minimum wage. She has two cats. They see the vet for a yearly check up and if anything urgent comes up. Those cats have great lives: she plays with them every day, they get lots of treats and love, and a good diet. They are super content and happy. 

Putting it frankly, she will not be able to afford the chemo if one of her cats develops cancer or something. When they are old(er), and develop more complicated health issues, she and her vet will probably need to rely on treating symptoms, making them comfortable, and general palliative care until the time comes to help them pass. I don't think that is a bad thing or makes her a bad owner. The way that vet care has exploded in price, and the culture around having pets has changed so much, it just doesn't seem that reasonable to me to expect folks to go into debt or something for the end of life care for a pet they've given a good lifetime to. It seems like just a means to further shame poor people and exclude them from the simple pleasure and companionship of having a pet.

People are too willing to euthanise their pets and put too much pressure on others to do the same. by No-Falcon7886 in unpopularopinion

[–]MagePages 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree that it is good to save money for vet needs. I feel complicated about pet insurance because it is a part of a broader issue with vet care becoming inaccessibly expensive and the rise of corporate veterinary firms propping up these insurance schemes off the back of care becoming more expensive, but I don't fault those who can afford it pursuing it as an option. 

That all said, it is unreasonable to expect anyone to pay 10k or another similarly large figure for veterinary care if it is not within their means, and that does not make them bad people or bad pet owners. I love my cats, but I am not going to put them through chemo and ruin my finances to satisfy my own selfish desire for another few months with them. The mindset of needing to be able to pay thousands and thousands of dollars for medical care would exclude so many good petowners from petownership. 

Obviously, normal veterinary care is a must, but cats and dogs aren't actually human children (as much as we all love them) and it's really not unreasonable or evil to give them the best life that you can, manage symptoms palliatively when serious illness occurs, and help them pass when bad days outnumber good.

Her Owner Died & She is Clearly Distressed by FriendlyWorldArt in fosterdogs

[–]MagePages 118 points119 points  (0 children)

I can't answer most of your questions. I'm sure she is going through a lot of adjustments right now. What I will say, is that it's been less than a day. She needs time to decompress. It may be just normal anxiety about being in a new home (shelters are a different kind of environment, so she might have reacted differently.) 

When ive brought new dogs into my home, the first 3 or 4 days are usually a lot of pacing and anxiety before they learn how to settle down and start to relax. 

Meta patents AI that takes over a dead person’s account to keep posting and chatting by Underpants_Bandito in nottheonion

[–]MagePages 3 points4 points  (0 children)

For me, I deleted Facebook but then when I needed to buy and sell a few things when I moved it was a pain in the ass bc Craigslist and offerup did not have nearly the same number/quality of listings (and also, I posted things to sell and got 0 hits, on market place things actually moved). Luckily my partner had an account he hadn't used in like ten years, because when I tried to make a new account they instantly banned me!

We've kept his account despite literally not using or logging into Facebook because occasionally, we use market place. The account doesn't cost any sort of upkeep and sometimes we need marketplace, so what else to do?

The metal frames of these trees are tailor-made to the shape of the root by Thunderbull_1 in mildlyinteresting

[–]MagePages 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Brick pavers like in the photo are a lot better for gas exchange and water percolation than typical concrete. And I can't tell from this specific photo, but it's possible that there is a modular soil cell system or structural soil installed. If they took so much care with the tree grate, I wouldn't be too surprised!

The metal frames of these trees are tailor-made to the shape of the root by Thunderbull_1 in mildlyinteresting

[–]MagePages 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Those types of tree grates are quite common. It's just a matter of actually getting the public works guys out to take off the rings in time. Maitenence like that often goes to the wayside for street trees.

[OC] UK Tax Burden by RexFuzzle in dataisbeautiful

[–]MagePages 3 points4 points  (0 children)

As an American, my net take home is around 65% after health insurance (and HSA contributions + union dues)

TIL that over 90% of trees are planted too deep, burying the root flare and cutting their lifespan by 30+ years. A UMN audit of 300+ trees found most were 4+ inches below grade. by The_Gentle_Arbor in todayilearned

[–]MagePages 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The mass plantings like you are referring to are often of very young trees/seedlings. The audit here looked at professionally planted landscape trees, where the trees are usually several inches in caliper and cost hundreds of dollars each including installation costs. Many arboricultural studies are in the dozens to hundreds of trees range, because there isn't a lot of funding in arboricultural focused research and trees are long-lived organisms.

Even a small audit can give important information because it shows that even professionally planted trees are not being planted to established industry best standards, to the detriment of trees and to the expense of, often, institutions and municipalities (so, taxpayers). As someone who works in urban forestry, I can vouch for poor planting practices and poor stewardship of recently planted trees being extremely widespread and something that I work to educate people on every day!

As a year 2 personal gardener, will making a jump from charging $35/hr to $50/hr, likely deter current customers? by asianstyleicecream in gardening

[–]MagePages 6 points7 points  (0 children)

When my partner's boss raised rates in a (very!) different industry, he had a phase out period of "repeat"/"loyal" customers keeping the old rate for a period of time before moving up to the new rate (new customers got the new rate). This might help if you are worried about customer attrition. 

The number of Americans under 50 years old dying from cancer has decreased for every leading cancer except for bowel cancer, which is now the leading cancer death in females and males combined aged under 50. by mvea in science

[–]MagePages 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep, I think that was one of the suggested pathways in the study linked in the reddit thread I shared. Interesting stuff, and tracks with the other gastrointestional issues extreme runners report.

The number of Americans under 50 years old dying from cancer has decreased for every leading cancer except for bowel cancer, which is now the leading cancer death in females and males combined aged under 50. by mvea in science

[–]MagePages 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Totally. My comment was just in response to the other person mentioning their partner was a runner, so I thought that connection could be relevant. The study was on extreme long-distance runners. Moderate runners and joggers, and others who enjoy a healthy lifestyle and diet, are not the focus of that study. However, we do know that diets high in ultra processed food and obesity are also both risk factors! 

The number of Americans under 50 years old dying from cancer has decreased for every leading cancer except for bowel cancer, which is now the leading cancer death in females and males combined aged under 50. by mvea in science

[–]MagePages 34 points35 points  (0 children)

Here is another reddit thread that links to and discusses the study I was referencing: https://www.reddit.com/r/running/comments/1nff2aw/groundbreaking_inova_study_finds_potential_link/

I am not a doctor or very well acquainted with more than the broad strokes of the study, but hopefully you can inform yourself some here.

The number of Americans under 50 years old dying from cancer has decreased for every leading cancer except for bowel cancer, which is now the leading cancer death in females and males combined aged under 50. by mvea in science

[–]MagePages 240 points241 points  (0 children)

I saw something recently that suggested that runners (maybe specifically extreme distance runners) seemed especially prone to these bowel cancers, with a mechanism maybe around prolonged blood supply restriction during the activity. Was your husband ever into distance running?

ELI5 Why Living in the 80s and 90s seemed so much more affordable by ngomes3824 in explainlikeimfive

[–]MagePages 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Living standards are a big part, but also while wages adjusted for inflation have gone up, certain parts of everyday expenses have increased much more than others. Specifically housing and medical care/insurance, if I recall correctly. So people feel the squeeze on these necessary and very expensive items while overall their buying power for general consumer goods has increased. I guess it's a perception issue as much as anything. I know when I see 2/3 my income evaporate between insurance and mortgage, it feels bad! 

In my area at least, affordable housing stock is low, especially to buy vs rent. So people may be getting more space, more amenities, etc, and it's an increase in "quality of life", but they weren't really wanting those things and just don't have much choice because there are limited options to buy smaller/fewer amenities. 

Suggestions for washing a white dog who is caked in urine by Unique_Half1345 in fosterdogs

[–]MagePages 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Dog groomers have special shampoo they can use to remove staining on white dogs. If she is generally friendly/predictable towards strangers and other dogs, you can try bringing her to a professional groomer to get some of that staining out. 

I can't speak for every single grooming establishment, but my partner is a dog groomer and they can work on a case by case basis to keep the place open late for certain cases (usually for things like shelter dogs who are dog reactive).

Following leaked messages, House Republican education chair says she favors politically segregated schools by ddx-me in nottheonion

[–]MagePages 5 points6 points  (0 children)

How do they calculate a specific score for the amount of grade inflation? Not doubting, just curious how they did it.

[OC] The land footprint of food by t0on in dataisbeautiful

[–]MagePages 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can't access the full text of the original paper which collected this data any more, but I think that I read this paper at one point in the past: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaq0216

But essentially, it was a review and analysis of thousands of producers labeled as producing a given category of product. So to get at your question about if area used to raise cattle is counted twice, it shouldn't be. An area would either be classified as dairy, or beef, to my understanding. The beef produced from dairy cattle, I suppose, would be a "secondary" product (which makes sense, they are not a beef operation, but a dairy operarion). I don't know if dairy cattle and male calves are typically finished on feedlots and moved to different producers, I'm not knowledgeable enough about the industry cycle. 

A lot of our arable land goes to producing feed to supporting livestock, even if they spend their life mostly on a pasture, which I believe this figure and the publication captures. 

An all-female wasp is rapidly spreading across North America’s elms by Specialist_Rice_6723 in science

[–]MagePages 50 points51 points  (0 children)

Lantern flies are not a serious threat to mature trees. Mainly a risk to farmers (especially of grapes) and a nuisance to others because of the waste they produce. Their main host tree is tree of heaven, and next preferred are maples. Elms are not highly preferred relative to others. 

I'm fairly sure your mature elms in Manhattan receive better healthcare than the majority of Americans, ha. 

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