@ernie lynch

Cuba has access to cheap oil ……100,000 barrels of Venezuelan oil per day, with up 40% discount. In return Cuba provides medical treatment to Venezuelans. On top of that, Cuba discovered 20bn barrels of its own oil a couple of years ago, about the same reserves as the US. At the present, Cuba produces enough oil for about half of its consumption.

The point I was making was more about their approach to agriculture, rather than oil. But I don’t believe the picture is as rosy as you paint it. Google a few more articles.

“Discovering” oil isn’t the same as extracting it.

Also, the fact that they produce half their oil doesn’t mean they have half as much oil as us! It means they produce half of the limited supply they have.

@zokes

Just as an example BTW, have a look at agriculture in Cuba since the fall of Soviet Communism (and the end of Cuba’s access to cheap oil)

Here you go – I’ve found an article for you: Cuban agriculture

@zokes

Define ‘a few’, on a global scale…

It’s simply not a workable solution in the modern world. As with TJ’s idealistic views on energy efficiency and being totally renewable, it’s too far removed from where we are today to ever work on a global scale, which is the scale in which it needs to operate.

Well, as you obviously realise, I was being ironic. By “a few” I meant “loads”

However, who’s to say what is going to be workable in the future? It’s only really in the last 30-40 years that we have fully moved away from a sustainable, understandable, robust way of life, and we have only been able to do it with the aid of oil. Take away the oil and maybe your “not a workable solution” might become “the only available solution” Just because you don’t like the idea doesn’t mean it might not work out that way, so why burn all our bridges and continue headlong down the road to a world where everything we do as individuals is so specialised that no-one understands completely how anything works anymore and all of our food arrives from God knows where, grown by God knows who under God knows what conditions (until it doesn’t)?

OTOH, maybe having a few hundred thousand currently unemployed people working (and I’m not talking about some kind of imposed slavery, but more the sort of thing that plenty of old boys on allotments do for fun) in agriculture might not be such a bad thing?

@Zokes

The concept of organic agriculture is fine, but…

1) If it was adopted globally, there’d be a massive food shortage

Not necessarily.

Actually, organic allotments (or any allotments) can produce a much higher yield per acre than intensive farming. BUT, it is very labour intensive. Which is why we prefer to use petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides and use enormous machines to grow our food. Oil is still cheap compared to labour, but we COULD easily feed the global population off the land we have using organic methods. It’s just that a few more of us would have to work on the land (but given that we have 5 million unemployed in this country alone…)

@IdleJon

please don’t try using the ridiculous argument that ‘organic food tastes better’ on intelligent, educated people.

I’m not sure that being intelligent and educated (even if you were) would be sufficient reason for me to believe what you say rather than trusting my own senses.

@Elf

You know that at every turn, I will be there with an answer.

You didn’t answer my question re’ three types of people.

@anagallis

rightplacerightime, I very much doubt that on your allotment you use the same varieties the supermarkey suppliers use. It can much a huge difference.

Or not. Like I said, taste is subjective and I expect there will be people (in fact I know there are) who will prefer supermarket varieties (you’ve only got to think about examples like Golden Delicious apples which were the favourite apple variety for years) because that is what they are used to. Also, there’s nothing to stop supermarkets selecting for flavour, which they do a lot more nowadays. However, the tomatoes that come out of my greenhouse will taste better not because they are better varieties, but because they have been picked at optimum ripeness.

Most organic food tastes better I would think because of the varieties of fruit or veg used, rather than them being organic per se

In my opinion, not so.

Most organic food that I eat tastes better because I grew it. Taste is after all, subjective.

But it might also be because most of the organic food that I eat gets picked only a few hours (or minutes) before I eat it.

If any of them drive cars, or indeed use any motorised transport, then they’re massive hypocrites.

And that would be because you’ve decided that only by becoming a Jainist monk can you be allowed to be interested in environmentalism?

So the three sorts of people in the world are Jainist monks, Jeremy Clarkeson and massive hypocrites?

We’ve got a Roberts SolarDAB – very good sound and also battery life is fine for our use – quite a good few hours at reasonable volume – not sure what contribution the solar panels make, not much really.

And we’ve also got a Revo Radio Station which has DAB, but will also play internet radio via your router. Has lots of volume (quite a bit louder than the Roberts if you need it) but maybe not quite such good battery life.

The organic veg that comes out of my allotment tastes better than non-organic supermarket stuff.

Hopefully, Saudi Arabia will soon follow.

I agree, but I think I’ll fill the car up later.

V funny.

But really, why do you have the TV on all day?

yunki Jr is sixteen months old and like every other kid his age he has cbeebies on from dawn til dusk..

he generally watches a few moments at a time before he gets bored.. switches it off and does something more interesting.. (except for that episode of waybulloo where nocktock can’t balance a coconut on another round object.. he’d watch that all day I reckon.. howls with laughter at the stupidity/slapstick..)

he’s usually far too busy climbing up stuff.. building stuff.. playing with his toys.. trying to work out how things work.. singing and dancing.. watching the birds on the feeder in the garden or hitting people with books until they read to him..

make of that what you will..

If your child is busy doing all this other stuff, why do you have the TV on full time?

mm I know that there’s research about – not sure of the quality of it since I haven’t looked – but that would seem to go against my observations. Being able to watch a whole 1.5 hour film when you’re not even two is indicative of a LONG attention span, surely?

No.

Right, ok, now explain how this differs from watching a play or ballet, or looking out of the window on a car journey, or something like that?

It’s to do with the way films/TV are edited, not just the subject matter.

When you watch a play or ballet (not that I’m recommending that for the 22 month old in question BTW) you have a fixed point of view and you can follow what is going on. With TV/Film there are lots of jumps/cuts that make it difficult for a 22 month old to follow. There’s a fair bit of scientific study which seems to show that this leads to reduced attention span later in life.

A good book on the subject (which recommends no screen based entertainment until 3 at the earliest) is Remotely Controlled by Aric Sigman

We used to get The Week and Homebuilding and Renovating.

Cancelled them both about 18 months ago during one of our periodic attempts to de-clutter.

Can’t say I missed them.

Could be shin splints.

After one run?

As per many of the other post above – you’re starting from a pretty low base so I’m afraid it’s going to be uncomfortable.

You can avoid being sore by running slow.

If you get really sore stop for a while.

Don’t give up.

In a couple of years you might be a reasonable runner.

BigJohn,

It’s not just you. Must be just about the blandest fish there is.

2) should a&e turn into a war zone at the weekends.

making people pay would have no effect on 2) – by definition the sort of people who are too drunk to control themselves wwon’t care if they’re ghoing to be asked to pay or not.

Actually I do see a point there and also in what instant hit said. I agree that the NHS should be free at the point of entry and maybe I didn’t make my point clearly:

What was in my mind was not charging for treatment, but fining for antisocial behaviour, which would be like any other kind of fine – e.g. the sort of fine you might get for being drunk in charge of a vehicle.

wwaswas

So you’d apply the “it’s their own fault, charge ’em” rule to someone who rode their bike to fast down a hill then too?

He didn’t say that did he?

However, the point you are missing is that it isn’t careless mountain bikers who are clogging up A&E every Friday and Saturday and being abusive to the staff is it?

The reason that this sort of idea keeps coming up is because it is a widespread problem.

If it was the odd drunk occasionally falling off a kerb and banging his head I don’t suppose anyone would be too bothered. But it’s not, it’s lots of people, every week, not just injuring themselves, but also becoming out of control and causing bother.

I continue to be astounded at the inanity of the idle rich. I’ve seldom seen anything quite so pointless.

I sometimes go down the black pepper route, but if you crack the pepper in a pestle and mortar and leave in quite big chunks then you get more pepper taste with less heat. You can use quite a lot (like a dessertspoonful per steak) – just push it onto the steak just before it goes in the pan.

Also, sometimes like to put on a lump of garlic and herb butter after it is cooked – make the butter well in advance to get the garlic flavour out of the garlic and into the butter. I crush my garlic with the back of a knife and use some fresh parsley – mix into soft butter then chill the butter for a few hours. Cut a lump off and put on steak just before you serve so it is still melting when it hits the table.

I’d be happy to let a magistrate decide on viewing the CCTV + breathalyser evidence.

No one thinks that it is OK to get drunk enough to crash a car and cause damage, so why is it OK to get drunk enough to cause damage to the NHS?

If people haven’t got enough personal responsibility to know their limits, then when they start to have a -ve impact on other people I think it would be a good idea to take some proportionate action.

Dorset Rough Riders have put on a brilliant mini enduro (2 hours + a lap) with kids races in Wareham Forest in May for the last 2 years – hopefully they’ll be doing that again.

I’d never have thought it would be any good, but my wife read it (even more surprised at this and don’t know why) and persuaded me to give it a go…

King Solomon’s Mines, by H Rider Haggard is a proper ripping yarn!

1978, but it was less a fight, more being punched in the face apropos of nothing. If it hadn’t been in school it would probably have been called a mugging.

I expect someone will publish a map with little cross hairs targeting forum members they really don’t like soon. Then there’ll be trouble.

OK, so the first digit is one and the next digit is even, and the next digit odd, etc…

But now I’ve lost interest.

Feel free to stand on my shoulders.

Or… how long before people move on to another story?

CrombieCraig,

I got you

rightplacertighttime

Trailbreak have stopped doing Navigators due to lack of numbers

I think it was more that they found that they could make shed loads of money running Sportives, with loads more riders and far less effort.

Trail Break are a commercial operation who never really gelled with the rider operated not-for-profit TCA who used to put on Trailquest events.

As per various posts above, the Trailquest name has now been dropped and it is all “mountain bike orienteering” though now in 2 flavours “MTBO” on a small scale orienteering map – usually point to point and shorter distance i.e. a race. and “MTBO Score” which is on a bigger scale OS maps and is a “test of navigation” i.e. the old Traiquest.

One of the reasons for TQ being a “test of navigation” is that it is ILLEGAL to RACE on bridleways in England and Wales – which is why we ended up with this format (and also BTW why we have such a big marathon scene in the UK) – whereas in the rest of Europe where they don’t have such crap rights of way legislation “proper” MTBO is a lot more popular.

I don’t think it is so much that there is a lack of interest in MTBO, just that these days there are such a huge number of events (of all kinds) to choose from that all except the biggest events that have to limit numbers are diluted.

BTW there is a new southern series of MTBO events – details here[/url] which I’m slightly involved in as the course planner for the April 9th round

Actually, I specifically didn’t mention his gayness until it was brought up by someone else.

Nor have I said whether I like or dislike Elton John.

Nor am I “outraged” or “upset”

I’ve just shown you a cutting where Elton John himself mentions some of the same misgivings that I mentioned, so is he a homophobe?

You’re projecting emotions onto me that I don’t have.

My initial comment still stands. If you happen to have ever heard Terry Wogan on Radio 2 he often used the expression “Is it just me?” to indicate a world weary slight incredulity at the way things are going in the modern world.

That’s what I have in this case.

The fact that someone immediately jumped on that and called me a homophobe kind of led to the spelling out of the many things that go together to give me a slight queasy feeling about this whole thing.

If you think there is some taboo that means people shouldn’t comment on any story where a gay person is involved or especially, actually criticise them, then you’re the one with the closed mind.

Elton John in the Torygraph:

Speaking in January the singer said: “David and I have always talked about adoption, David always wanted to adopt a child and I always said ‘no’ because I am 62 and I think because of the travelling I do and the life I have, maybe it wouldn’t be fair for the child.” But he said he had changed his mind after their “hearts were stolen” by the child they met in Ukraine, who they were not allowed to adopt.

Not just me who has doubts then?

And nickf, so long as anyone wants to argue the toss with me then I’m happy to argue my corner too. If you don’t like that, then go find another thread, or another forum.

Have I not been clear? Why don’t you READ what I’ve said instead of giving vent to your own prejudices. Just to save you looking back here are a few extracts.

So far as I can see, they would be nowhere near the top of the list if they wanted to go through normal adoption channels in the UK. Leaving aside the issue of whether it might be good for a child to have a female “mother” figure to run to as it grows up, they are both knocking on a bit, and Elton at least has not been without a few problems in his personal life that would lead me to question very strongly whether he would be a good parent.

Why do you imagine that my discomfort is just to do with the fact that they are a gay couple?

Actually I think that is certainly an issue, but I’m more concerned about their age, their lifestyle and the fact that they seem to have chosen to “buy” a baby.

And as far as their “rights” go, I couldn’t give a stuff – I’m actually more interested in the rights of the child.

Personally I am deeply suspicious of anyone who decided to circumvent the normal adoption procedures or UK surrogacy procedures by going abroad. In particular, in California there are far fewer restrictions on surrogacy than in the UK – ie it is OK not just to cover expenses, but to pay the surrogate mother however much you like.

But quite often people are “classed” as too old because they are actually too old. I know that that means that maybe there will be a bit of injustice in some cases, but personally I don’t think the solution is that anything goes.

Personally I’m not looking forward to the day that 8 year old Zachary comes out dressed as Louis the 14th for his dad’s 70th birthday party, though I’m sure the editors of Hello and OK are already busy pencilling it into their diaries.

he [Elton] has a lot of addictive personality traits – alcohol, cocaine, bulemia, shopaholic etc. These are not insignificant issues.

+ age

+ (I would imagine) the frequent celebrity detachment from reality.

+ (and I’ll add this only in terms of what any kid might feel like as part of any minority group) being a son of a gay couple might throw up a few problems of its own.

So now we’ve got over that distraction, do you think that his past alcoholism, drug addiction and bulemia say anything about him as a potential parent?

And if you think that they don’t say anything about his personality, do you think they are things that might have any bearing on his life expectancy?

How come you don’t think that there might even be some tiny cause for concern that a 62 year old man with a long history of drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and eating disorders (to mention BUT A FEW of his personal problems) might be able to simply BUY a baby to order if he feels like it?

f it -had- been an adoption instead, would that have been fine?

It would have been better.

Do you not see any difference between creating a baby and giving a home to one that already exists?

Cougar,

They aren’t adopting. A surrogate is producing a child for them. As it is happening in California it is possible that a large amount of cash is changing hands.

You could always apologise, but sadly, I don’t think you will.

Of course I won’t.

Would I have posted something if MIck Jagger had decided to pay a surrogate to produce a child for him?

Guess what, actually I probably I would have, yeah.

Who are you, firstly to tell me what I would or wouldn’t have done, and then to draw some conclusion about my character from your projection of my response.

You cheeky sod.

emsz,

You are being dense – I think Junkyard asked the question “imagine he had a history of abusing children would that matter?” because you appeared to be saying that someone’s history shoudn’t be taken into account when assessing whether they would be a good parent.

You mention his previous lifestyle, what’s that got to do with anything?

So now we’ve got over that distraction, do you think that his past alcoholism, drug addiction and bulemia say anything about him as a potential parent?

And if you think that they don’t say anything about his personality, do you think they are things that might have any bearing on his life expectancy?

I didn’t know he had a history of abusing children?

He doesn’t, but he has a lot of addictive personality traits – alcohol, cocaine, bulemia, shopaholic etc. These are not insignificant issues.

+ age

+ (I would imagine) the frequent celebrity detachment from reality.

+ (and I’ll add this only in terms of what any kid might feel like as part of any minority group) being a son of a gay couple might throw up a few problems of its own.

You mention his previous lifestyle, what’s that got to do with anything?

Are you joking?

Yes 62 is quite old, but everyones parents die eventually and some ‘before their time’

Not many go on to live ‘after their time’ though, do they?