Comments on: The Weekly Carboholic http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2008/03/05/the-weekly-carboholic-12/ Think - it ain't illegal yet... Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:18:07 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: jackpine savage http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2008/03/05/the-weekly-carboholic-12/comment-page-1/#comment-22654 jackpine savage Sat, 08 Mar 2008 14:37:25 +0000 http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2008/03/05/the-weekly-carboholic-12/#comment-22654 Oh, don't worry about the food issue, Monsanto is here to save the day with their GMO's that show rapidly declining yields year over year. And they're just a few years away from sowing up the vast majority of the world's food supply in their corporate patent offices. But if you think things look grim now, just wait until the Terminator gene breaks loose into the wild plant population like the Bt gene has done. Monsanto's brilliant, genetic method of protecting their patents may well bring plant evolution to a grinding halt. Of course, some of the world's food supply problems could have been alleviated if we had developed the third wold by teaching them first how to feed themselves. Instead we gave them industrial, export agriculture. Ethiopia could be feeding itself right now, but instead, its most fertile land is used to grow cut flowers for Europe; that money can then be used to buy food from other people...brilliant, fucking brilliant. Outside of the cereal grains, a family of four can pretty well feed itself off of the average, 1/4 acre suburban lot. Edible landscaping and intensive kitchen gardening are ideas that used to be common; they need to be brought out of the dust-bin of history. Every trip you don't have to make to the grocery store not only reduces your bills, but it also reduces pressure on the food supply and has the tangential effect of lowering commodity agriculture prices. And your kitchen garden/edible landscape can withstand drought and rising fuel prices far better than agri-business farms can. Drip irrigation and mulching over 10,000 acres just isn't feasible. Or we can go on depleting falling aquifers in the SW to grow produce that gets shipped 1,300 miles to an energy sinkhole of a grocery store that we have to drive to and from in our energy hogging SUV...in between watering, fertilizing, fungiciding, and pesticiding our vast expanses of sexless, deathless lawns. Granted, the biweekly mowing schedule does give us plenty of time to grumble about the rising cost of food. /end rant Oh, don’t worry about the food issue, Monsanto is here to save the day with their GMO’s that show rapidly declining yields year over year. And they’re just a few years away from sowing up the vast majority of the world’s food supply in their corporate patent offices.

But if you think things look grim now, just wait until the Terminator gene breaks loose into the wild plant population like the Bt gene has done. Monsanto’s brilliant, genetic method of protecting their patents may well bring plant evolution to a grinding halt.

Of course, some of the world’s food supply problems could have been alleviated if we had developed the third wold by teaching them first how to feed themselves. Instead we gave them industrial, export agriculture. Ethiopia could be feeding itself right now, but instead, its most fertile land is used to grow cut flowers for Europe; that money can then be used to buy food from other people…brilliant, fucking brilliant.

Outside of the cereal grains, a family of four can pretty well feed itself off of the average, 1/4 acre suburban lot. Edible landscaping and intensive kitchen gardening are ideas that used to be common; they need to be brought out of the dust-bin of history. Every trip you don’t have to make to the grocery store not only reduces your bills, but it also reduces pressure on the food supply and has the tangential effect of lowering commodity agriculture prices. And your kitchen garden/edible landscape can withstand drought and rising fuel prices far better than agri-business farms can. Drip irrigation and mulching over 10,000 acres just isn’t feasible.

Or we can go on depleting falling aquifers in the SW to grow produce that gets shipped 1,300 miles to an energy sinkhole of a grocery store that we have to drive to and from in our energy hogging SUV…in between watering, fertilizing, fungiciding, and pesticiding our vast expanses of sexless, deathless lawns. Granted, the biweekly mowing schedule does give us plenty of time to grumble about the rising cost of food.

/end rant

]]> By: Djerrid http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2008/03/05/the-weekly-carboholic-12/comment-page-1/#comment-22302 Djerrid Fri, 07 Mar 2008 18:27:13 +0000 http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2008/03/05/the-weekly-carboholic-12/#comment-22302 Regarding the amount of volcanic ash floating around, you should probably look at the global dimming phenomenon. Here's a very good video I caught on PBS that talks about how scientists realized that about 4% less sun is getting to the Earth's surface than normal and how this masks the severity of global heating. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2058273530743771382 I also found a fascinating series of articles about the history of environmental management including how England tried to ban coal back in 1306 because of smog. http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/offbeat-news/environmentalism-in-1880/888 Regarding the amount of volcanic ash floating around, you should probably look at the global dimming phenomenon. Here’s a very good video I caught on PBS that talks about how scientists realized that about 4% less sun is getting to the Earth’s surface than normal and how this masks the severity of global heating.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2058273530743771382

I also found a fascinating series of articles about the history of environmental management including how England tried to ban coal back in 1306 because of smog.
http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/offbeat-news/environmentalism-in-1880/888

]]> By: whythawk http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2008/03/05/the-weekly-carboholic-12/comment-page-1/#comment-21870 whythawk Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:20:16 +0000 http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2008/03/05/the-weekly-carboholic-12/#comment-21870 By the way, the total power generation disaster in South Africa is leading to an astonishing demand for coal. Coal is cheap (relatively) and coal power stations are fast to build (relatively). With power demand in India, Africa and Asia rising fast expect a lot more coal plants. By the way, the total power generation disaster in South Africa is leading to an astonishing demand for coal. Coal is cheap (relatively) and coal power stations are fast to build (relatively). With power demand in India, Africa and Asia rising fast expect a lot more coal plants.

]]> By: jeff http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2008/03/05/the-weekly-carboholic-12/comment-page-1/#comment-21834 jeff Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:31:33 +0000 http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2008/03/05/the-weekly-carboholic-12/#comment-21834 Brian, One can expect food prices to get a lot higher from the present levels. The world grain supplies are really low.....another crop failure could spell disaster. Minneapolis wheat traded at $22.62/bu last week. Three years ago, the same wheat traded at $5/bu. Add the high cost of transport, and there's going to be a 1970's style pinch at the supermarket. Jeff Brian,

One can expect food prices to get a lot higher from the present levels. The world grain supplies are really low…..another crop failure could spell disaster. Minneapolis wheat traded at $22.62/bu last week. Three years ago, the same wheat traded at $5/bu. Add the high cost of transport, and there’s going to be a 1970’s style pinch at the supermarket.

Jeff

]]> By: Dr. Denny http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2008/03/05/the-weekly-carboholic-12/comment-page-1/#comment-21522 Dr. Denny Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:42:41 +0000 http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2008/03/05/the-weekly-carboholic-12/#comment-21522 I will do my part. I will suspend exhalation. Another good Carbo, Brian. Thanks. I will do my part. I will suspend exhalation.

Another good Carbo, Brian. Thanks.

]]> By: Brian Angliss http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2008/03/05/the-weekly-carboholic-12/comment-page-1/#comment-21414 Brian Angliss Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:14:33 +0000 http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2008/03/05/the-weekly-carboholic-12/#comment-21414 I've found that I tend to report the innumerable little things here in the Carboholic because solving the global heating problem will require the combined actions of lots of little things. When big things happen, I generally try to give them their own post. Alas, there's been a lot more little things recently than big things. I’ve found that I tend to report the innumerable little things here in the Carboholic because solving the global heating problem will require the combined actions of lots of little things. When big things happen, I generally try to give them their own post.

Alas, there’s been a lot more little things recently than big things.

]]> By: Jim Booth http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2008/03/05/the-weekly-carboholic-12/comment-page-1/#comment-21389 Jim Booth Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:56:31 +0000 http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2008/03/05/the-weekly-carboholic-12/#comment-21389 You know, Brian, I just hope I live to see the day when some of the news about our environment and our handling of carbon, etc. is kinda sorta positive. Of course there are small good things happening - I look forward to something big.... You know, Brian, I just hope I live to see the day when some of the news about our environment and our handling of carbon, etc. is kinda sorta positive. Of course there are small good things happening – I look forward to something big….

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