@Joannie I do remember those farming practices, but they are no longer practiced -
Even in my time there, when young, there was already a joke going round in Austria that all the Tyrolean farmers' former cow or sow stalls had been turned into discotheques and nightclubs! - Tyrol is, of course, the most popular winter sport district in Austria . .
I do, however, remember the large smelly heap of manure in the middle of some, otherwise tidy and clean farmsteads in Austria - on some farms - but they disappeared fairly quickly. And jokes were made about them, but I also know - somehow - from listening probably, that the farm hands' job was to clean out animal stalls daily and they had to spread fresh hay, or rather something smaller (litter of sorts made from hay) on the ground, so the animals would be dry and comfortable . . . . and the smelly heap in the middle of the yard was often the subject of jokes . . .
I agree with you, our modern ways of dealing with our rubbish are not beneficial to Mother Earth at all. We have to change our ways!!
Re homosexuality: I read up on this a bit more yesterday, before undertaking yet another cooking task - daughter rang me at 11 requesting my part-cooked salad, so I needed to do another shop - and what really happens in the mother carrying a male baby and I quote:
In other species, behaviors that show sex differences are typically influenced by exposure to gonadal steroids, particularly testosterone and its metabolites, during early development (prenatally or neonatally). This article reviews the evidence regarding prenatal influences of gonadal steroids on human sexual orientation, as well as sex-typed childhood behaviors that predict subsequent sexual orientation. The evidence supports a role for prenatal testosterone exposure in the development of sex-typed interests in childhood, as well as in sexual orientation in later life, at least for some individuals. It appears, however, that other factors, in addition to hormones, play an important role in determining sexual orientation. These factors have not been well-characterized, but possibilities include direct genetic effects, and effects of maternal factors during pregnancy. Although a role for hormones during early development has been established, it also appears that there may be multiple pathways to a given sexual orientation outcome and some of these pathways may not involve hormones.
I have a distant relative - who is the result of rape by a Russian soldier of my then 16-year old cousin (2-times removed), born male, who rejected him at birth and the child was brought up by loving grandparents. Many years later (and we had never met before), I was approached by him via his grandparents to meet up with me - to be confronted by a tall 'woman' in dowdy clothes - 'he' had always thought he was a woman - and finally made the conversion. His 'new' life consisted in being happy to be accepted as a woman, helping an old lady with her interest in saving 'pets' - and delighting that he/she is now accepted in the office where she works as a woman. I was both: flabbergasted and compassionate and as empathetic as I could be - but because I live in Australia we did not remain in contact.
I have done a bit of reading after this and it does seem that predilection to homosexual behaviour in minor or major ways, can 'run in families' - passed on through the mother. Which would explain why mothers are often so protective of their homosexual sons, they seem to instinctively know that they had something to do with producing this unusual child - (I am not using the word 'fault' here on purpose!). It's just nature's little mistake when turning an organism from just splitting in half or one sex only producing offspring, to having a later development of the 'male' with the sole function of fertilising an egg to create new life.
Life, in all its forms is wonderful - we all have witnessed some pretty amazing human beings and their sexuality was not the important part of their life.
Go well, dear JoJo
X
Taurisk
