<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for Organic food is better for you]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by Delay And Deny http://www.grist.org/article/scientists-and-rats-agree/ Tue, 30 Oct 2007 11:44:40 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/scientists-and-rats-agree/1 Hand Built Jaguars Are Better for You


Just saying "organic" is better doesn't help the situation.  

Answer: Yea, but wait until the first boll weevil wipes out the entire earth's food supply!

John Bailo
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]]> Hand Built Jaguars Are Better for You


Just saying "organic" is better doesn't help the situation.  

Answer: Yea, but wait until the first boll weevil wipes out the entire earth's food supply!

John Bailo
Sutext:


]]> Comment #2 by Johan http://www.grist.org/article/scientists-and-rats-agree/ Wed, 31 Oct 2007 02:11:42 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/scientists-and-rats-agree/2 boll weevils and jaguars

the above message "hand build jaguars ..." is that a spam? anyway odd choice of "pest" ie the boll weevil. It is primarily attacks cotton plants and has a fair amount of natural enemies, see more on: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boll_weevil
So does not seem to be a problem for food production ...

Apparently there is a boll weevil monument to celebrate that turmoil (in this case BV infestations) might lead to constructive changes, in this instance an increase in crop diversity to decrease the impact of any future "pests":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boll_Weevil_Monument

This is of course one of big points of organic farming ond agroforestry. Biodiversity!



]]> boll weevils and jaguars

the above message "hand build jaguars ..." is that a spam? anyway odd choice of "pest" ie the boll weevil. It is primarily attacks cotton plants and has a fair amount of natural enemies, see more on: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boll_weevil
So does not seem to be a problem for food production ...

Apparently there is a boll weevil monument to celebrate that turmoil (in this case BV infestations) might lead to constructive changes, in this instance an increase in crop diversity to decrease the impact of any future "pests":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boll_Weevil_Monument

This is of course one of big points of organic farming ond agroforestry. Biodiversity!



]]> Comment #3 by Delay And Deny http://www.grist.org/article/scientists-and-rats-agree/ Tue, 06 Nov 2007 01:33:15 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/scientists-and-rats-agree/3 Deep Ecology


I am 2/3rds through Bill McKibben's "Deep Economy" and it's quite a page turner.   He takes the mundane factors of daily living, and presents the Green Alternatives in fast moving and sometimes funny (his tales of modern homes being built to "isolate" family members is classic).

Organic is much more than not using chemicals.  As McKibben describes, we can use land more efficiently and grow more when we adopt human-centric, labor intensive farming versus petro-driven, large scale farming.

It's fascinating that there is still more than enough farmland in and around major cities that could be used to support some or all of the populations there -- even New York City -- if the land were utilized intensively, planting multiple crops simultaneously, and varying their composition.

John Bailo
Sutext:


]]> Deep Ecology


I am 2/3rds through Bill McKibben's "Deep Economy" and it's quite a page turner.   He takes the mundane factors of daily living, and presents the Green Alternatives in fast moving and sometimes funny (his tales of modern homes being built to "isolate" family members is classic).

Organic is much more than not using chemicals.  As McKibben describes, we can use land more efficiently and grow more when we adopt human-centric, labor intensive farming versus petro-driven, large scale farming.

It's fascinating that there is still more than enough farmland in and around major cities that could be used to support some or all of the populations there -- even New York City -- if the land were utilized intensively, planting multiple crops simultaneously, and varying their composition.

John Bailo
Sutext:


]]> Comment #4 by Delay And Deny http://www.grist.org/article/scientists-and-rats-agree/ Tue, 06 Nov 2007 01:42:16 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/scientists-and-rats-agree/4 Software Inspirations


This is of course one of big points of organic farming ond agroforestry. Biodiversity!

In a strange twist, I have been thinking a lot about the metaphor of biodiversity and organic farming in software (my profession).

A lot of firms have captured the "communities" and "ecology of applications" terminology.   But another real trend is back towards personal software and the independent programmer, or programmer working in an individual IT shop being able to produce diverse, yet specific, products for his firm.

I wonder if the drive to single source, single vendor and the use of "application servers" has the same effect on the quality of software as conformity does in agriculture.  (Answer: yes)

John Bailo
Sutext:


]]> Software Inspirations


This is of course one of big points of organic farming ond agroforestry. Biodiversity!

In a strange twist, I have been thinking a lot about the metaphor of biodiversity and organic farming in software (my profession).

A lot of firms have captured the "communities" and "ecology of applications" terminology.   But another real trend is back towards personal software and the independent programmer, or programmer working in an individual IT shop being able to produce diverse, yet specific, products for his firm.

I wonder if the drive to single source, single vendor and the use of "application servers" has the same effect on the quality of software as conformity does in agriculture.  (Answer: yes)

John Bailo
Sutext:


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