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  3. Nature fights back

Nature fights back

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  • W W Balboos GHB

    Not according to what I wrote. True, I didn't explicitly state the bun had none. It may server as roughage. Probably not. It's always possible they slipped up somewhere. Perhaps the Ketchup? (per Ronald Regan's administration, ketchup counts as a school-lunch vegetable).

    "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein

    "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert

    "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010

    Mike HankeyM Offline
    Mike HankeyM Offline
    Mike Hankey
    wrote on last edited by
    #19

    Yeah I remember that and all the fuss there was associated with it.

    Along with Antimatter and Dark Matter they've discovered the existence of Doesn't Matter which appears to have no effect on the universe whatsoever! Rich Tennant 5th Wave

    1 Reply Last reply
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    • W W Balboos GHB

      The idea is that the worms are greatly controlled by the GM's corn but they don't develop genetic resistance to the stuff. You're not sacrificing half your crop, per se. You're leaving half your crop to the more traditional* farming methods * Soaking them with toxins related very closely to nerve gas.

      "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein

      "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert

      "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010

      J Offline
      J Offline
      JimmyRopes
      wrote on last edited by
      #20

      W∴ Balboos wrote:

      You're leaving half your crop to the more traditional* farming methods
       
      * Soaking them with toxins related very closely to nerve gas.

      Doesn't sound very appetizing. X| So I take it GMO is only half a solution.

      The report of my death was an exaggeration - Mark Twain
      Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
      I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes

      W 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • J JimmyRopes

        W∴ Balboos wrote:

        You're leaving half your crop to the more traditional* farming methods
         
        * Soaking them with toxins related very closely to nerve gas.

        Doesn't sound very appetizing. X| So I take it GMO is only half a solution.

        The report of my death was an exaggeration - Mark Twain
        Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
        I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes

        W Offline
        W Offline
        W Balboos GHB
        wrote on last edited by
        #21

        See Below: http://www.codeproject.com/Messages/4782069/Re-Nature-fights-back.aspx[^] Some other solutions are referenced, therein (a bit in this thread, actually) But seriously, if we didn't expend so much vegetable protein fattening animals for their meat, we'd have an enormous increase in available food without changing any farming conditions. An inevitable future, but I would care to predict when.

        "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein

        "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert

        "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010

        J 1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • W W Balboos GHB

          Those who eat organic-only foods can do so only because most of us do not. In places without pesticides, vermin get half of the crop, which is smaller to begin with without the 'chemical' fertilizers. Now - with the world population in the Seven Billion range - how do you propose to feed everyone? Plant breeding the 'old fashioned way' is way too slow and chancy.

          We can use other traditional methods to increase food production:
          Chop down more rain-forests so we can plant crops on more land.
          Spray lots more pesticides and 'chemical fertilizers'
          Increase the food supply by not producing meat (10:1 feed:meat protein ratio)
          Hope for a devastating plague to lower the population
          Or, everyone's favorite
          WAR !

          So - take your pick. Remember the scale of things. What will you do?

          "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein

          "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert

          "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010

          M Offline
          M Offline
          Marc Clifton
          wrote on last edited by
          #22

          W∴ Balboos wrote:

          Those who eat organic-only foods can do so only because most of us do not. In places without pesticides, vermin get half of the crop, which is smaller to begin with without the 'chemical' fertilizers.

          Well, I will happily admit that not only am I not an expert in this field, but I certainly haven't studied the statistics to speak about it other than hearsay. That said, I'm surrounded by organic farmers and I have read a lot of information and talked to my farmer friends (some of them are my poker buddies, so I get to hear all sorts of stories) that with proper integration of different crops and healthy land management, they don't have pest issues. Also, do we really need to be eating so much meat? Most of the non-organic corn around here goes to feeding cattle -- they just let it dry up on the stalk before harvesting it. Waste of land and resources, in my opinion. So, an alternative that you didn't mention: people need to start eating lower down on the food chain: there's a lot more nutrients packed into a vegetable or fruit or leaf at a lot less cost than eating a piece of meat. But like I said, I've only been peripherally paying attention to all this stuff, so my objective evidence is not immediately at hand and I don't want to start a lounge war! Marc

          W 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • Mike HankeyM Mike Hankey

            It's interesting what people in different regions of the world eat. I've heard insects are good for you!

            Along with Antimatter and Dark Matter they've discovered the existence of Doesn't Matter which appears to have no effect on the universe whatsoever! Rich Tennant 5th Wave

            J Offline
            J Offline
            JimmyRopes
            wrote on last edited by
            #23

            Mike Hankey wrote:

            It's interesting what people in different regions of the world eat. I've heard insects are good for you!

            There was a study at Khon Kaen University that measured protein content of insects. If I remember correctly it was around 25-26%. This is roughly twice the protein of beef and you don't have to spend any money or labor growing them. They have been consumed locally for a very long time as a protein supplement. It is estimated that in the tropics the biomass of insects is approximately equal to the biomass of mammals. Just try to imagine how many ants it would take to equal the biomass of one elephant and you will start to get a feeling of just how many insects we have here.

            The report of my death was an exaggeration - Mark Twain
            Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
            I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes

            Mike HankeyM 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • J JimmyRopes

              Corn-eating worm evolves to feed on GMO corn designed to kill it[^]

              The report of my death was an exaggeration - Mark Twain
              Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
              I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes

              L Offline
              L Offline
              Lost User
              wrote on last edited by
              #24

              The only weird thing about that is how long it took before the problem manifested itself.

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • J JimmyRopes

                Mike Hankey wrote:

                It's interesting what people in different regions of the world eat. I've heard insects are good for you!

                There was a study at Khon Kaen University that measured protein content of insects. If I remember correctly it was around 25-26%. This is roughly twice the protein of beef and you don't have to spend any money or labor growing them. They have been consumed locally for a very long time as a protein supplement. It is estimated that in the tropics the biomass of insects is approximately equal to the biomass of mammals. Just try to imagine how many ants it would take to equal the biomass of one elephant and you will start to get a feeling of just how many insects we have here.

                The report of my death was an exaggeration - Mark Twain
                Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
                I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes

                Mike HankeyM Offline
                Mike HankeyM Offline
                Mike Hankey
                wrote on last edited by
                #25

                Very interesting!

                JimmyRopes wrote:

                Just try to imagine how many ants it would take to equal the biomass of one elephant

                Similar to "Guess how many Jelly beans in the jar to win"! :)

                Along with Antimatter and Dark Matter they've discovered the existence of Doesn't Matter which appears to have no effect on the universe whatsoever! Rich Tennant 5th Wave

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • W W Balboos GHB

                  See Below: http://www.codeproject.com/Messages/4782069/Re-Nature-fights-back.aspx[^] Some other solutions are referenced, therein (a bit in this thread, actually) But seriously, if we didn't expend so much vegetable protein fattening animals for their meat, we'd have an enormous increase in available food without changing any farming conditions. An inevitable future, but I would care to predict when.

                  "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein

                  "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert

                  "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010

                  J Offline
                  J Offline
                  JimmyRopes
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #26

                  W∴ Balboos wrote:

                  if we didn't expend so much vegetable protein fattening animals for their meat, we'd have an enormous increase in available food without changing any farming conditions.

                  Where I live in Isan (tribal area in NE Thailand) we don't specifically grow crops to feed cows or buffalo. They forage along the banks of irrigation canals, along the side of tractor trails, in harvested rice paddies, etc. The cows are pretty skinny but they are healthy. The buffalo get pretty big on even these meager rations.

                  The report of my death was an exaggeration - Mark Twain
                  Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
                  I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes

                  W 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • M Marc Clifton

                    W∴ Balboos wrote:

                    Those who eat organic-only foods can do so only because most of us do not. In places without pesticides, vermin get half of the crop, which is smaller to begin with without the 'chemical' fertilizers.

                    Well, I will happily admit that not only am I not an expert in this field, but I certainly haven't studied the statistics to speak about it other than hearsay. That said, I'm surrounded by organic farmers and I have read a lot of information and talked to my farmer friends (some of them are my poker buddies, so I get to hear all sorts of stories) that with proper integration of different crops and healthy land management, they don't have pest issues. Also, do we really need to be eating so much meat? Most of the non-organic corn around here goes to feeding cattle -- they just let it dry up on the stalk before harvesting it. Waste of land and resources, in my opinion. So, an alternative that you didn't mention: people need to start eating lower down on the food chain: there's a lot more nutrients packed into a vegetable or fruit or leaf at a lot less cost than eating a piece of meat. But like I said, I've only been peripherally paying attention to all this stuff, so my objective evidence is not immediately at hand and I don't want to start a lounge war! Marc

                    W Offline
                    W Offline
                    W Balboos GHB
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #27

                    I need to agree with pretty much all you've written. It's been over forty years since I've eaten any kind of meat (or derivatives thereof), although my motives are not directly related to this conversation. I've seen some of the propositions for how one does the organic farming - and alas, much as it pains me - I admit that it takes the factory farming to be able to produce the massive amounts of food needed. My only little garden, oddly enough, is quasi-organic. I don't spray any pesticides but, although I put in manure an compost my garbage (compost is amazing), when I set each plant into the garden, it's on top of a dollop of synthetic fertilizers. But - my little 10x10 is only valid for this because it's not really sustenance crops. It's tomatoes, eggplant, and lots of hot peppers. Due to Hurricane Sandy, I didn't have a garden last year - but didn't go hungry, either. In most of the world, people don't have that luxury. Here's an interesting viewpoint to carry with you when listening to discussions of all sorts: how much their ideas are biased because their bellies are full each night. It's a lot easier to be idealistic when there's no life-and-death price tag attached.

                    "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein

                    "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert

                    "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • W W Balboos GHB

                      Not according to what I wrote. True, I didn't explicitly state the bun had none. It may server as roughage. Probably not. It's always possible they slipped up somewhere. Perhaps the Ketchup? (per Ronald Regan's administration, ketchup counts as a school-lunch vegetable).

                      "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein

                      "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert

                      "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010

                      OriginalGriffO Offline
                      OriginalGriffO Offline
                      OriginalGriff
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #28

                      The bun is very specially designed, so it dissolves in your mouth. If you have eaten one recently, you might want to skip the next bit... Bun (and only the bun) ingredients list: "Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, enzymes), water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, yeast, soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated soybean oil, contains 2% or less of the following: salt, calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, wheat gluten, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, dough conditioners (sodium stearoyl lactylate, datem, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated monoglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, enzymes, guar gum, calcium peroxide, soy flour), calcium propionate and sodium propionate (preservatives), soy lecithin." (McVomits website, if you look really closely). The interesting bit is that technically, it's probably not a food - which is why it doesn't go mouldy... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYyDXH1amic[^]

                      Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952) Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)

                      "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                      "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

                      J 1 Reply Last reply
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                      • J JimmyRopes

                        W∴ Balboos wrote:

                        if we didn't expend so much vegetable protein fattening animals for their meat, we'd have an enormous increase in available food without changing any farming conditions.

                        Where I live in Isan (tribal area in NE Thailand) we don't specifically grow crops to feed cows or buffalo. They forage along the banks of irrigation canals, along the side of tractor trails, in harvested rice paddies, etc. The cows are pretty skinny but they are healthy. The buffalo get pretty big on even these meager rations.

                        The report of my death was an exaggeration - Mark Twain
                        Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
                        I'm on-line therefore I am. JimmyRopes

                        W Offline
                        W Offline
                        W Balboos GHB
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #29

                        The point (my point) is that to sustain the meat-eating economy found in so much of the industrialized world, you can't raise your cattle and buffaloes along the roadside. It could never even touch the current level of demand. That's assuming there is any foliage left along the roadside!

                        "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein

                        "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert

                        "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                          The bun is very specially designed, so it dissolves in your mouth. If you have eaten one recently, you might want to skip the next bit... Bun (and only the bun) ingredients list: "Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, enzymes), water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, yeast, soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated soybean oil, contains 2% or less of the following: salt, calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, wheat gluten, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, dough conditioners (sodium stearoyl lactylate, datem, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated monoglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, enzymes, guar gum, calcium peroxide, soy flour), calcium propionate and sodium propionate (preservatives), soy lecithin." (McVomits website, if you look really closely). The interesting bit is that technically, it's probably not a food - which is why it doesn't go mouldy... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYyDXH1amic[^]

                          Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952) Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)

                          J Offline
                          J Offline
                          jeron1
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #30

                          [Homer Simpson] mmmm...ethoxylated monoglycerides....[/Homer Simpson]

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                          0
                          • W W Balboos GHB

                            Those who eat organic-only foods can do so only because most of us do not. In places without pesticides, vermin get half of the crop, which is smaller to begin with without the 'chemical' fertilizers. Now - with the world population in the Seven Billion range - how do you propose to feed everyone? Plant breeding the 'old fashioned way' is way too slow and chancy.

                            We can use other traditional methods to increase food production:
                            Chop down more rain-forests so we can plant crops on more land.
                            Spray lots more pesticides and 'chemical fertilizers'
                            Increase the food supply by not producing meat (10:1 feed:meat protein ratio)
                            Hope for a devastating plague to lower the population
                            Or, everyone's favorite
                            WAR !

                            So - take your pick. Remember the scale of things. What will you do?

                            "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein

                            "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert

                            "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010

                            L Offline
                            L Offline
                            Lost User
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #31

                            I prefer option 6... education & birth control. People need to understand the logic of: If food is scarce and expensive than they should only have 1 or 2 children because they will have a better chance of feeding them instead of 6 children with the hope that 1 or 2 will survive. This applies to all humans - regardless of race, religion or nationality.

                            Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. ~ George Washington

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                            0
                            • H hairy_hats

                              Through selective breeding and cross-breeding we've been genetically modifying organisms for thousands of years[^]. The sweetcorn we eat are GMOs. Domesticated cattle are GMOs. We eat GMOs all the time.

                              L Offline
                              L Offline
                              Lost User
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #32

                              viaducting wrote:

                              selective breeding and cross-breeding

                              Are not the same as making changes in a piece of code you do not completely understand. Breeding is like using the copy-function in the UI. The scientific name of our species is "homo sapiens sapiens". It should have been "homo maxima superbia".

                              viaducting wrote:

                              We eat GMOs all the time.

                              No, we don't.

                              Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]

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