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[Mrhappyface]

I never said that's it was substinence farming. It's just something that's convenient and cost-effective for me on the side.

[GlyphGryph]

It's a nice hobby, and it's one I think people should pick up if they have the opportunity since it can be very rewarding.

But cost-efficient it aint.

The cheapest sort of home gardening is actually fruit/nut trees. It takes time, though - a few years at least to see results. But I encourage everyone to invest in it if you have a hard that supports even one tree.

[10ebbor10]

On a side note, contrary to popular belief, frozen products are usually more nutritious than "fresh" grocery vegetables. The amount of vitamins and stuff lost during freezing and defrosting is often significantly less than the nutrients that are lost during transport of fresh vegetables.

[Mrhappyface]

It's a nice hobby, and it's one I think people should pick up if they have the opportunity since it can be very rewarding.

But cost-efficient it aint.

The cheapest sort of home gardening is actually fruit/nut trees. It takes time, though - a few years at least to see results. But I encourage everyone to invest in it if you have a hard that supports even one tree.

Depends. A lot of it depends on the soil. Northern California soil is a miracle practically.

[GlyphGryph]

And on what you plant.

Good choices, assuming you have the soil? Peas. Tomatoes. Berries (raspberries and blackberries are basically weeds). (And fruit/nut trees)

Almost guaranteed to be poor choices:
Corn, Potatoes

Mediocre choices:
Squashes and eggplants are great... IF you get lucky. A single pest outbreak can render a years worth of effort useless very quickly though, and sometimes they just don't produce. I've had years where I've pulled in dozens of squashes of various types and it was amazing, and years where the same conditions have produced nothing. They also take up a lot of room.

[10ebbor10]

Strawberries are also quite nice, if you live in areas where they don't die from the frost. We just needed to plant them once, and then cut them away whenever they threaten to overrun the other plants.

[Sheb]

Mrhappyface, how can you try to frame healthcare cost as a personal responsibility issue, when this whole discussion started with an article pointing out that your institutions were so inefficient that it is literally 4 time cheaper to flow someone to Belgium for treatment than treat it in the state?

I also take offense at your whole "USA pays for drug development". Drug companies actually spend more on advertising than R&D. One major cause of this is that the USA, the world's biggest drug market, allow advertisement directly to consumers. (Which is dumb. actually, any kind of advertisement for drugs is dumb, you should be taking decision based on science, not 30 s TV ads or fully-paid "seminars" in the Bahamas) This mean that the US is actually redirecting a lot of cash that would otherwise be used in R&D into advertisement.

[10ebbor10]

Well, advertising drugs is pretty pointless in most of Europe, considering that most doctors are legally obligated to prescribe the cheapest, effective medicine,* along with providing alternatives. State, or social institution of choice, will only pay back a smaller amount of alternative treatments though.

*As opposed to the USA, where, IIRC, the doctors are granted a percentage on the medicines sold, and hence are motivated to sell the most expensive medicine, whether or not that's the best choice.

[SalmonGod]

This mean that the US is actually redirecting a lot of cash that would otherwise be used in R&D into advertisement.

And lobbying for intellectual property laws.

[Mrhappyface]

I did not know that. Thank you for bringing that to my attention. Well, the free-market does have its ups and downs but with more of an emphasis on the down side.  Good think I'm moving to Costa Rica soon anyways.

[Mrhappyface]

KFC

[kingfisher1112]

Syria has been hit by gas attacks, and supposedly an Israeli  37.000 pound bunker buster. I have very little information here, just seen the gas on Al Jazeera, and had to search for the bunker buster.

[MonkeyHead]

Syria has been hit by gas attacks, and supposedly an Israeli  37.000 pound bunker buster. I have very little information here, just seen the gas on Al Jazeera, and had to search for the bunker buster.

Nothing on the BBC about his yet, but I am keeping an eye on it to see what breaks - clear and obvious use of chemical weapons might force NATO, the UN or the US to act in one way or another.

Most recent Syria news article by the BBC is this: Rebels take key airbase.

[LordSlowpoke]

Syria has been hit by gas attacks, and supposedly an Israeli  37.000 pound bunker buster. I have very little information here, just seen the gas on Al Jazeera, and had to search for the bunker buster.

Nothing on the BBC about his yet, but I am keeping an eye on it to see what breaks - clear and obvious use of chemical weapons might force NATO, the UN or the US to act in one way or another.

Most recent Syria news article by the BBC is this: Rebels take key airbase.

The US won't care if the rebels were using gas, but they certainly will if the regime is. Double standards all the way across the sky.

Russia might have to step up the game though.

[kingfisher1112]

Oh yeah, and the USA is being kicked out of Yemen. So shit is going down in the Middle East.
http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-yemen-drone-strike-state-department-warning-20130806,0,6659853.story
Drone strikes in Yemen. Shit is fully fully really truly going down.