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The time has come for my annual short Thanksgiving/Christmas fund drive for Behind The Black. I must do this every year in order to make sure I have earned enough money to pay my bills.

 

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As I noted in July, the support of my readers through the years has given me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.

 

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Self Sufficient Me – 10 Reasons Why NOT to Keep Ducks

An evening pause: Let’s learn something about farming.

Hat tip James Street.

Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 

The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.


The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
 

"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News

11 comments

  • wayne

    James-
    Excellent video!
    Always wondered why they weren’t commonly raised on an industrial level.
    Totally reinforces everything I know about Ducks.

    In the Woods w/Phil Robertson
    “Processing” some Blue Winged Teal’s
    https://youtu.be/keHPer68kMA
    (8:16)

  • wayne

    “Rabbit Season, Duck Season” trilogy.
    Duck, Rabbit, Duck (1953)
    https://youtu.be/17ocaZb-bGg
    4:56

    [“HA!, That’s it. Hold it right there, pronoun trouble.”]

  • pzatchok

    I like geese better.

  • John

    “I want a new Duck”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KvgQIBcdRk

    Interesting video, I will scratch off ducks on my to do list.

  • Andrew_W

    We’ve got 2 Pekin ducks in with 14 chooks, about half of his reasons don’t apply (they’re not that noisy, females don’t attack the chooks, they don’t play with the cup water feeder, there are no snakes or foxes in NZ, their pen is big enough that the grass survives so poop not an issue) but his other reasons (eggs not so yummy, not friendly, waste of feed) I agree with.

  • wayne

    Modest Mouse
    “Birds Vs Worms” (2001)
    https://youtu.be/3RLxFFOevEs
    (2:13)

  • David Ross

    Reading the subcomments, the Australian – and maybe all Australia – was doing ducks wrong.
    Ducks are waterfowl. They like to swim around in ponds. Other people in those comments recorded having ducks on their property who got along with them fine, because their property had waterfront.

  • Jeff Wright

    I would have thought Roosters would spur the ducks away.

  • Reason #11

    They are not Beavers.

  • Alex Andrite

    HA ! what a treat.
    Thanks wayne for the Saturday morning cartoon flashback. Love it.

    My sister raised muscovey (sp?) ducks here in the central CA costal area, because they were quiet and had good dark meat.
    She sold them on the grey market to Chinese restaurants. Good $$$ business.
    She tired of this after a few years because the ducks were so messy. (no lake front property)
    She went back to chickens and washing / repairing horse blankets and tack. Better $$$ business.

    Quack on.

  • TL

    Blair Ivey understands a great truth.

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