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  • #76
    I noticed several of our local beer makers have also gotten in at least one speciality local brew using 100% local ingredients. It's pretty easy to find the grain but I understand hops were hard to find this far south until they convinced the owner of a local ranch (The Star B Ranch) to plant some and so for the last five years we've had at least one large grower of hops locally. Obviously it's going to stay a niche product but in a county with over 80 brewers who all make and sell bottled beer they'll do just about anything to stand out in the market place. Heck, my favorite small start up brewery only makes sour beers so talk about specializing in a tiny niche.
    Last edited by Dinner; February 28, 2012, 20:19.
    Try http://wordforge.net/index.php for discussion and debate.

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    • #77
      Originally posted by C0ckney View Post
      a

      do you have any evidence for that statement?
      Welcome to HC's ignore list.
      “As a lifelong member of the Columbia Business School community, I adhere to the principles of truth, integrity, and respect. I will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.”
      "Capitalism ho!"

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      • #78
        So if local food is healthier, what do I eat when I'm in, say, Ontario? Do I eat Canadian food instead? And if I lived in Lubbock, Texas, would I eat cotton?

        The local food thing makes no sense. I see no reason to believe it has any health benefits.

        BTW Google is your friend http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen....ethicalliving
        Ethical shopping just got more complicated. The idea that only local produce is good is under attack. There is growing evidence to suggest that some air-freighted food is greener than food produced in the UK. Robin McKie and Caroline Davies report on how the concept of food miles became oversimplified - and is damaging the planet in the process.

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        • #79
          Originally posted by Dinner View Post
          No one tips taxi guys here either.
          Classy...

          Originally posted by rah
          For a guaranteed 25% tip, the waitress should have to **** ** ****.
          Classy...

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          • #80
            There's already been a lengthy discussion of local food on Poly, by the way.

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            • #81
              Ah yes, back before Drake died and was reincarnated as Zombie Tupac.
              If there is no sound in space, how come you can hear the lasers?
              ){ :|:& };:

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              • #82
                Drake admitted to being a KH DL in that thread. Guess KH got tired of him.

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                • #83


                  Pedotard was still around too...man, good times
                  If there is no sound in space, how come you can hear the lasers?
                  ){ :|:& };:

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                  • #84
                    Local food does not necessarily require more fertilizers and soil amendments. It may in some limited cases, but even in those cases it would be at most a one crop difference. By and large, whatever you take out you have to put back in. This doesn't magically change if you go somewhere else. The exception would be some soils may have enough of the micro nutrients to last for a long time, while others will need amendments to even grow the first crops. In most cases, micro nutrients are not significant environmentally as so little of those nutrients is necessary, and they are not harmful when in run-off in those quantities. Also, they are not aligned to local or not as they can vary from field to field.

                    Using current farmland for production is generally preferable to using new farmland for production. This is true even in cases where you might benefit from not having to amend the soil the first crop. New farmland at this point essentially means slash and burn (or other drastic environmental modifications like creating reservoirs) and is almost invariably going to harm the environment more than using current farmland. Usually new farmland (slash and burn) doesn't even give any nutrient benefit as the soil is actually worse than the farmland we pay farmers to let go fallow.

                    In general, imported (to the US) food requires (or at least uses) more fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, other soil amendments, and labor (in hours). This is due to most of our food imports being from warmer climates and poorer countries (those being the two "advantages" they have inproduction). At best a modern farming operation in such areas will have to use more of all of those things, simply because of environmental pressures. At worst, the operation isn't as modern and is using more of all those things, and doing so inefficiently to boot.

                    In warmer climates organic matter in the soil breaks down faster than in temperate climates. This means there needs to be more soil amendments, and nutrients such as nitrogen are shorter lived in the soil as well. It also means that unless you're continually adding organic mater to the soil (which is not always possible as you'd damage the roots), the soil structure is less conducive to nutrient uptake, meaning that you have to apply even more nutrients to compensate.

                    In warmer climates pest populations don't have a "reset" called winter. This means that more pesticides need to be used to control the pest populations because the pest populations are always building. Not only that, but in temperate climates you can better time sprays for many pests because you know when the start date for the next generation will be, as the first generation is calculable based on daily temperatures. This allows very targeted sprays that are more effective per volume of pesticide used.

                    That's only half of it though, because in poorer countries there are generally fewer pesticides available (for various reasons ranging from corruption to misguided environmentalism to simply not having enough demand). Because of this, broad spectrum sprays are relied upon more, rather than less harmful and more pest specific sprays. This means more damage to beneficial insects that would otherwise help control the pest populations not only in that particular farm/crop, but in surrounding areas and later crops.

                    Warm/Humid climates are even worse, as they tend to have more weed problems, more and better places for pests to be harbored in neighboring areas to move right back in, and in general have heavier clay soils which negatively affect nutrient uptake. They also require more sprays as almost all plant diseases favor warm moist environments. Again, the year round warmth keeps diseases from being reset by winter as well. Plus you have more runoff due to more rain, meaning more erosion and more lost nutrients that have to be replaced.

                    Cultivating is more energy (and/or labor) intensive as well as the soils tend to be heavier, and there's no winter reset/easy timing for the weeds either.

                    ---------------------------

                    Local food may require more energy in other ways though, such as heating in greenhouses, construction of greenhouses, and at least in some cases the cost of trucking over shipping. (Though trucking from California/Texas to Nebraska is going to happen whether the food is from California/Texas or Chile.)

                    Building greenhouses is almost surely environmentally friendly when looked at though. It virtually eliminates agricultural run-off and erosion. It allows for greatly increased production per unit of area. It eliminates the need for most pesticides. And it is an efficient method of benefiting from solar power that would otherwise go unused.
                    Last edited by Aeson; February 28, 2012, 23:36.

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                    • #85
                      Originally posted by DaShi View Post
                      I believe that when KH and others tell Alpert to get a "real" job, they mean to get one appropriate for his level of education, age, and skills. Fastfood work is a real job, but it is not suitable for a college graduate. I think the better thing to say to Alpert is to get a career.
                      Until I find gainful, meaningful employment elsewhere, I'm using my Masters in US History to vacuum carpet at a clinic.
                      A lot of Republicans are not racist, but a lot of racists are Republican.

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                      • #86
                        Originally posted by MrFun View Post
                        Until I find gainful, meaningful employment elsewhere, I'm using my Masters in US History to vacuum carpet at a clinic.
                        Why did you decide to get a Masters in US History?

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                        • #87
                          My career goal is to gain full time community college teaching somewhere that's why I wanted to get the MA in U.S. History - so far all I have, is one and half year of experience as an adjunct. This summer and fall though, it looks like I will be teaching a couple courses again - online, this time.

                          I got my Masters back in Dec. 2006. How much longer before I reach my career goal?
                          A lot of Republicans are not racist, but a lot of racists are Republican.

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                          • #88
                            I don't mean to be harsh, but you should consider that Alby has been gunning for the Marines for a similar amount of time. You may want to change focus. Regardless, good luck!
                            If there is no sound in space, how come you can hear the lasers?
                            ){ :|:& };:

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                            • #89
                              Originally posted by Az View Post
                              round up the bill seems kind of vague. If I sit in a restaurant and drop 2850 Rubles it is quite clear that it means 3000 or so, however, what if the bill is 2400?
                              You round it up to the nearest 50 or maybe a hundred. If your bill is already there, then your waiter is out of luck. People are actually starting to tip more, but 10% is the max.
                              Graffiti in a public toilet
                              Do not require skill or wit
                              Among the **** we all are poets
                              Among the poets we are ****.

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                              • #90
                                great post aeson
                                "The Christian way has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found to be hard and left untried" - GK Chesterton.

                                "The most obvious predicition about the future is that it will be mostly like the past" - Alain de Botton

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