Am I a fan of the New York Times? Nope, but you can bet I'm a fan of this news. 
As I've said before, I was an MPH student at one time, meaning I spent a significant period of time studying ebola. It's an absolutely terrifying - and devastating - disease that spreads like wildfire. The news that we can now potentially cure 90% of those infected comes as welcome news indeed.




www.nytimes.com/2019/08/12/health/ebola-outbreak-cure.html

I have a new piece that was published on survivalblog lately. It's on how to fight lice post-disaster. 

I'm a huge history buff, and over and over again, I'm surprised at how often lice is found in post-disaster populations. When I was getting my master's in public health, infectious disease was something that we studied extensively, as well as how to properly combat it. And so, out of those two interests/experiences, this piece was born.

​I think you might find it interesting. 

survivalblog.com/battling-lice-post-disaster-aden-tate/

Everything I do on my farm is all part of a system. It's all circular, with pieces of the puzzle contributing to the other pieces, that all combine together to form a whole: a farm.

The chickens produce fertilizer which is then added to the compost pile. The compost pile creates compost, which is then added to the garden. The garden produces vegetables, which we eat. The scraps are then thrown back to the chickens. It's all a cycle. 

The garden, goats, woods, fields, bees - all of them are just pieces within their own cycles.

Likewise, I try my best to ensure that everything within those systems serves as many roles as possible. The greater the number of roles each participant plays, the greater the value of that particular piece. 

For example, chickens also produce eggs for me to eat and sell. I get food and offset the cost of raising them as a result. They produce chicks, which I can also sell. They control the tick population, providing a health service. When their lives are done, they produce meat. Combined with the fertilizer, that's 5 different services that one piece provides.

The more efficient and effective systems that a farm contains, and the greater versatility for each piece, the stronger of a farm you will have (typically). Creating such systems is the definition of permaculture.

I've read heavily on the subject, and I've found the best book to be written by Ben Falk. I highly recommend it if you're involved in any form of farming or gardening whatsoever.