Optical Rectitus Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 SheBear Upon contemplation worthy of the sisterhood , I have decided that Al Gore is House Harkonnen, and probably the precursor of the Baron... Optical Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wndysrf Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 Nikkei exploding 220 points in 1st half hour of trading. Led by Advantest and Tokyo Electron after bullish SEMI report out of Japan. Bloomberg says Japan stocks are ramping on speculation that U.S. economic recovery is accelerating and Fed unlikely to raise rates quickly. yada, yada, yada, yada.... Just buy, buy, buy, buy!!!! Bears, bend over. Here come the horns..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranciscoTheMan Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 Mother nature bats last. Plain and simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drano Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 I assume the alfalfa is used for cattle feed. Personally, I think that increasing the cost of food is the most regressive "tax" one could have. It is the poor and the middle class who will suffer. Believe me, I am no fan of wasteful agricultural practices, and I agree that big agriculture is using taxpayers' money to generate their profits. However, in the ideal world, food would continue getting relatively cheap water as a social good, and those who waste it on frivolity would pay through the nose. We however know what the chances of a rational water policy are. On that I'm sure we all can agree. By the way, when I moved from the Central Valley to Minnesota, I was horrified to see the price of produce from California -- it cost three times as much. Transportation costs. We will be seeing a lot of change in what people can afford to eat, from the increased cost of oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest libertas Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 I assume the alfalfa is used for cattle feed. Personally, I think that increasing the cost of food is the most regressive "tax" one could have. Yes, that is what the alfalfa is used for. Who said anything about increasing the cost of food? There is an excess of supply in North America. Prices should be low. I don't see Perhaps we might need to reduce the profits and get rid of some of the "marketing boards" to keep costs down. Overall, everybody will be better off if the available resources are used most efficiently. That only happens when the true costs of inputs are accounted for. Subsidized agriculture in the developed countries means mountains of excess food. These mountains are then shipped off to the third world countries and dumped as "food aid", preventing agriculture from developing in those countries because the local farmers can't compete with free. So dependency continues. If you want to help the poor, write them a check. Subsidized water is about the political clout of rich and powerful farmers, not food prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drano Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 The problem of inadequate nutrition in much of the world existed long before the U.S. and other countries started food aid programs. Complex problems are not easily solved with simple solutions. I suppose if we cut off food aid it would "solve" it by destroying entire populations. Not a solution I endorse. We would all like to live in the Star Trek world where everyone is well-fed and educated, and people get along with one another peacefully. Too bad that isn't our world. By the way, I totally agree that big agriculture is unfairly subsidized. Small farmers I knew complained bitterly about how they had to pay more than the big corporate farmers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian4 Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 Along the lines of what Libertas is talking about-B.C. Has a HUUUUGE Hydro-ponic Greenhouse Industry growing Tomatoes, Cukes, Peppers and Lettuce. Currently we have 11% of the Californicate market, 25 % of the European Market and most of the Canadian market. All of the produce is organic because it is grown in water without pesticide, fungicide or Chemicals. The fertilizer used is sea weed or fish based. The Greenhouses generally cover 100 acre swaths and are computer controlled regulating light and nutrient, in the winter a combination of Solar and NG provide the energy. The water is constantly cleaned and re-used. THIS is the future because field grown requires massive use of water and chemical fertilizer plus pesticides and herbicides and is very labour intensive. A 100 acre Greenhouse requires 10 employees and most of those are involved inthe computers and software that monitor the crop. Holland and Canada currently lead the world in this technology which produces full crops every six weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian4 Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 Best of all the veggies taste like veggies not some chemical mutant and the nutrient content exceeds field grown by over 50%! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wndysrf Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 Nikkei up 300........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drano Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 Best of all the veggies taste like veggies not some chemical mutant and the nutrient content exceeds field grown by over 50%! Huh-- now I understand why the groceries here advertise hydroponic tomatoes in the winter. I always thought they were a bad thing because hydroponics used to be loaded with toxic chemicals. Thanks -- now if they're grown in Canada I won't be revulsed by them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockLedge Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 Anyhoo... Picture taken June 2001 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockLedge Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 Picture taken Oct. 2002 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockLedge Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 And for the enviromental impact... yes, it does leave nothing but flake particulate at the bottom, with no real source of food for fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swingbear Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 Rockledge - Where were those pictures taken? The varnish reminds me a bit of Zion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anoscope Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 re: earlier discussion on the thread about the airline shell used for training. new article... http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/6/20/130717.shtml Sunday, June 20, 2004 12:47 a.m. EDTU.S. Officials: Saddam's Hijack Drills Were Counterterror Ops State Department and CIA officials have quietly told reporters that they believe Saddam Hussein trained his elite troops in airline hijacking techniques before the 9/11 attacks ? but they accept the Iraqi dictator's explanation that the drills were counterterrorism operations. ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.