Text 8289, 141 rader
Skriven 2008-06-03 10:19:33 av Glen Jamieson
     Kommentar till en text av Michael Loo
Ärende: BEYOND RANTS 401 80603
==============================
 -=> Quoting Michael Loo to Glen Jamieson <=-

 GJ> Use water sparingly and economically (drip feed rather than spraying)
 GJ> and grow Shiraz and other reds.  Leave the SBs to the Kiwis.

 ML> Do the reds intrinsically take less water than whites, or is
 ML> an unconcentrated white more acceptable than an unconcentrated red?

From what I have read, both, although the temperature has much to do
with it.  As the world warms, the "North Island of Australia" (as the
Tasmanians call it) will have fewer areas suitable for growing quality
whites, which will then come more from Tasmaniacs and Kiwis.
 
 GJ> any other chains within USA which are based outside USA - for example
 ML> Yep, bunches of them. Wagamama, Angelo Pietro, Pret a Manger

I don't recall reading of any of those in your reports on travel foods,
or aren't there any that you recommend?

 ML> come to mind. I think Sbarro, the most awful of the sub shops,
 ML> might also be of foreign origin. Not to mention that the
 ML> Europeans have a stranglehold on the grocery market on the
 ML> east coast. Not to mention Tim Horton's and The Keg.

Of the groceries, Aldi has been getting established on our east coast,
where it has been very successful in undercutting the big two of
Woolworths and Coles.  When in Melbourne recently I tried a $5.99
bottle of their red, which was very drinkable.
 
 GJ> I agree with you 100%.  [Shakes head in disbelief.  Did I say that?]

 ML> Hum ... I must be wrong then ...

One of us, at least, or possibly both.

 ML> =
 
 GJ> I can probably blame my Scottish forebears, or growing up during the
 GJ> Great Depression, but my main rant is not anti-USA, but objection to
 GJ> profligate use of non-renewable resources.
 ML> Your most visible, audible rant is, though!

If the cap fits....

 GJ> In this, Australia is even worse than USA on a per capita basis.
 ML> And you beat up on your countrymen when?

When I talk to them.  Not much point in pointing out their numerous
short-comings to disinterested parties, although I couldn't contain
myself recently when referring to the Canberra 'roo cull debacle.

 ML> China argues that as "Western"
 GJ> countries (which in this instance includes Australia, which is to the
 GJ> South) used lots of petroleum to achieve their present high standard
 GJ> of living, why shouldn't China?
 ML> "Because you don't have to" has a good ring to it.

Try telling that to the millions of Chinese who are now building and
buying cars at a greater rate than any other country, forcing up the
cost of our countries' fuel, mainly diesel.

 ML>  Their responsibility is to feed their own temperature-
 ML> hardy billions. Not that I'm greatly in favor of that, but I
 ML> will point out that they've made some progress with the one
 ML> child per family initiative and can't be said to consistently
 ML> ignore social and environmental issues.

They do seem to have achieved some success in population control, but
as they become more affluent, individual power consumption increases -
and there are several times more of them than of Americans and
Australians combined.  While China's increasing wealth comes mainly
from making things, which uses resources, India's advance is more in
the intellectual property field.  Computers take less power than toy
factories.
 
Nucular:

 ML> In many respects I'm with you, but not until the problem of
 ML> human error is conquered will I be comfortable with substantial
 ML> reliance on nuclear-generated electricity. The first step would

 GJ> Many more deaths per kWhr of energy used result from human error of
 GJ> car drivers than that of nuclear station builders and operators.

 ML> Who can quantify the long-term damage of what incidents there
 ML> have been? And the costs of keeping spent fuel pent up forever?
 ML> And when the one big disaster happens, how can one amortize that?

Modern nuclear generators are designed with so many redundancies that
the "big disaster" cannot occur.  Italy put a stop to nuclear stations
some years ago, but has now done an about face and is to build more.
I would be happier to live near a nuclear than a coal power plant.
These days most spent fuel is re-processed and put back to work.  The
small amount of residual stuff can be readily stored forever in
synrock, in an underground facility.  So far there isn't enough of it
to justify such a place.  I would suggest putting it in an old uranium
mine in the north of South Australia, where the natural radiation level
is well above average.
 
 GJ> find the death rate associated with the toxic emissions from vehicles
 GJ> and cooking stoves (WHO gives 1.6 million per year just from indoor air
 GJ> pollution), and compare that with the death rate resulting from
 GJ> accidents at nuclear power sites, but I believe that the rate per
 GJ> kiloWatthour of power would be far, far lower in the nuclear-powered
 GJ> world.

 ML> These statistics don't take lots of things into consideration.
 ML> Now, I have always said that the way to conquer cancer is to
 ML> ban the internal combustion engine, but with plant emissions,
 ML> that could skew things a bit, especially if the plants became
 ML> the prevalent source of power. I'm still looking at wind power
 ML> and solar cells.

The main advantages of those sources are where a local installation can
save building long power lines, or fuel is very expensive, such as on
isolated islands or way out in the bush.  Their main disadvantages are
that they need diesel or coal back-up capacity after the sun sets and
the wind stops blowing. The best environmental solution of all is "hot
rocks", using the heat of the Earth.
 
 GJ> deep-fried to crunchy bodies I suspect the legs would be charcoal.
 ML> Why do you imagine that? I've had baby squid fried to a complete
 ML> crunch, the tentacles very fried but by no means black, the
 ML> bodies quite fried and crisp.

I had wondered.  That is something I would like.
 
 ML> Moroccan curry tagine
 ML> cat: main
 ML> servings: 4

 ML> 500g stewing lamb
 ML> 1 Bottle Nando's Moroccan Curry Cooking Sauce

 ML> Source: Nando's

I see you have been researching Nando's   :)
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