OT...Got Garden? Daily Food Crisis in the News

[Charlie]

Yep......way too much, way too fast.

I just flipped on the news infotainment and lo and beshit, msnbc is all over this rationiong of rice and the dire outlook for crops, worldwide and domestically.

Eff me, gonna be a run food. Followed by runs on what else, I wonder.

Last night, before it rained again, I converted on of the flower beds to a salad and root bed. I used Bill W's anecdotal method, small scale, and broadcast assorted greens and roots.

Ah me, last night I read an article about the shit going down in Haiti. Children getting two spoonsful of rice for a meal and the helplessness felt by their parents.

Charlie, who is all over the place emotionally about "things"

[Charlie]

Ahhhh.......ya' didn't have to tell me that...anything on sale at Cabelas ends up costing me more cuz I always find other things that I

*need*. Been looking at a new pair of boots, a large expediton tent, new rainwear........

I've also been eyeballin' the new line of air rifles that shoot 1600fps with the raptor pellets........good for urbanhunting! ;-)

Me too!

It's kinda like an adventure. ;-) Hope this one ends well!

They are gonna have their pound of flesh whatever way they can, eh?

Exactly! Attitude is all important!

Keep on smilin' Charlie

[Omelet]

I plan on going to Austin in the morning. Made up a shopping list and I'm gonna hit the Asian market for rice and other dry goods. Dried fish, shrimp and shitakes.

[Omelet]

Use your points.

A lot of the ammo that is on sale is running price-wise about what it was last summer.

Yeah. I need to seriously look at some of the more serious air guns. Some of them are very powerful! Enough to take down an elk.

It would certainly save on ammo. :-)

This one is scaring me. Inflation is NOT keeping up with wage increases anymore.

Keep a sense of humor and save wherever you can!

Asian markets are wonderful.

[Charlie]

Your way of life encourages me. I hope it is on account of our seeing the handwriting and divining the tea leaves and bones correctly, not cuz we're both nutz. ;-) Seriously, thanks, I appreciate being of similar mind.

Wanna see my latest gotta have, really really need it and I can't afford it Tool?

?id=0039860228161a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=air+rifles+raptor&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=air+rifles+raptor&noImage=0It's a really long link...if it breaks, try doing a followup and then indent the link a space...sometimes that makes it whole.

Have fun tomorrow, I am envious, and don't forget seasonings and sauces to break the tedium.

Charlie

[Charlie]

Step Aside Dollar, Is Rice the New Global Currency?

Never before in history has hunger become a global threat in a period of plentiful harvests. Global rice production will hit a record of 423 million tons in the 2007-2008 crop year, enough to satisfy global demand. The trouble is that only 7% of the world's rice supply is exported, because local demand is met by local production. Any significant increase in rice stockpiles cuts deeply into available supply for export, leading to a spike in prices. Because such a small proportion of the global rice supply trades, the monetary shock from the weak dollar was sufficient to more than double its price.

It is not only rice, of course, that the cash-rich countries of the world are buying as a store of value; the price of wheat, soy and other grains has risen almost as fast. This might deal the death-blow to America's hapless efforts to stabilize the Middle East, where a higher proportion of impoverished people eat off state subsidies than in any other part of the world. Egypt has been the anchor for American diplomacy in the Arab world since the Jimmy Carter administration (1977 to 1981), and is most susceptible to hunger. Food prices have risen by

145% in Lebanon and by 20% in Syria this year. Iraqis depend on food subsidies financed by American aid.

"We're a little disorganized." ;-)

Charlie

[Charlie]

Whoa....I forgot about the points! I just hollered at Mona and she says we have $174. Yessir, time to think about how to best use 'em!

That's surprising, given the price of metals now. Yep, time to order.

Check out the link in the other post to you, though you likely have been droolin' on that page already. ;-)

Hell yeah.

I know what you mean and feel.

Wage increases are few and far between in my work. If I recall correctly, you are a labrat. Bringing in the big bucks for the "healthcare" provider, whilst slaving away with little increase. I deal with hospitals, doctors, pharmacies, the healthcare assembly line all the time. DIL is pediatric LPN. No independant doctors left in the county, only two FNPs who are only as independant as FNPs are. The best DDS in many counties around just lost his OR/hospital privileges...don't have the full story yet, but good for him. Likely wouldn't dance. 'Nuff said.

Carpe Diem.....hang on and ENJOY!!!

Charlie

"You just caught me on a good night. I'm doing what I was made to do - and I've got a feeling I'm going to do it even better this time" - Captain Billy Tyne

[Bill]

found at

by Soulskill on Friday April 25, @05:19AM from the hope-they-don't-unionize dept.

esocid alerts us to news that scientists from the University of Texas at Austin have created a microbe capable of making cellulose, which can then be turned into ethanol. The bacteria use sunlight as an energy source, and the cellulose can be harvested without destroying them. Quoting: "The new cyanobacteria produce a relatively pure, gel-like form of cellulose that can be broken down easily into glucose. 'The problem with cellulose harvested from plants is that it's difficult to break down because it's highly crystalline and mixed with lignins [for structure] and other compounds,' Nobles says. He was surprised to discover that the cyanobacteria also secrete large amounts of glucose or sucrose, sugars that can be directly harvested from the organisms."

[Gary Woods]

I stopped at their Prairie du Chien, WI store on my way to the Seed Saver's Exchange meet a couple of summers ago (I'd forgotten to pack my LED flashlight). _Barely_ survived a major attack of "kid in the candy store" syndrome.

Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

[Omelet]

Trust me. We are _anything_ but alone on this one. A lot of people are getting scared.

1,600 fps is respectable! And the price is around average for good rifle. A lot less than I paid for that Bushmaster Varminter.

It worked fine. I'm glad to know they have something like that. That velocity should bring down a deer at close range.

MT has a LOT of variety to choose from!

[Omelet]

Indeed...

[Omelet]

I used up my $64.00 in points getting ready for that hunting trip a couple of weeks ago. Cabela's Visa. It's a good thing! I'm considering using it for gas. In store purchases are a 2% return for points, outside purchases are 1% return and carry a higher interest rate that does not matter if you pay it off monthly.

I've been using debit for gas. I quit using gas cards about 6 months ago.

It was a sale. :-)

I did look at it. There are specific scopes too for air rifles. Their recoil is different and it will destroy most rifle scopes, so if you do get one, be sure to get a scope designed for air rifles. If you google for scopes, it will say Air Rifle scopes.

Just when I thought I was getting ahead of the rat race, along came faster rats.

Yep. I'm lucky to get 3% to 4% per annum.

We just got sold to Santa Rosa, so the purse strings have been loosened a little, but it's still tight.

Carpe Nostrum...

;-D

[Omelet]

Let us hope that this actually gets USED and not hidden somewhere.

[Omelet]

I feel your pain. ;-D

[Bill]

Growing food stuffs in a hungry world not only for cars. What can I say aside from the fat of the land should feed the people.

who wonders if it would just add carbon load to a warming planet.

[Charlie]

But......what about the Meet? How did you survive *that* attack? ;-)

Charlie

[Gary Woods]

Came home with several new varieties of tomatoes, couple of beans, met a lot of like-minded loonies, had a thoroughly good time. Even though I got stranded on the wrong side of a dry stream (between campground and parking lot) that wasn't so dry after a night of Biblical thunderstorms. Got out when it went down later in the day... (Monday; I usually stay over and hit the road Monday AM, sightseeing as I go. It's about 2-1/2 days driving time from upstate NY to Decorah, Iowa.

Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

[Charlie]

I'm not arguing your point, but I am wondering about a front skull shot, or thru the ear canal, from *very* close range.....much the same as the shot one uses dropping a steer.

Hold On Now......Just found this!!

Check out this video at Gamo....guy shoots wild pig....dead!!

's the first video in the list...hunting experience.

Hell, maybe I am arguing the point now! ;-)

My 1100 fps gamo pokes a hole thru a 5/4 cypress board neat as you please.

These Raptor pellets look good.

just bought some hollow point pellets to try on frogs this year. Hopefully they will have more shock to them and stop them leaping out and making me get me arse soaked retrieving them.

Man, mess of frogs sounds good.

Charlie

[Omelet]

The thing is, the WASTE products from growing foodstuffs can be used to make ethanol. Grain straw and corn stalks. The Cellulose just has to be digested first.

They ought to use fungi to do that. Not only would it be efficient, but there are enough edible cellulose eating mushrooms, you can get an additional food crop first that way.

[Omelet]

Nice!