Saturday, December 09, 2006

Wasteland

Today was a day of nothing much read the economist, it had an incredible article about organic food and "fair trade". Their points were in brief, organic food is terrible for the environment as it uses whole lot more land to produce the same amount food. Farmer's markets and local production might be worse for the environment after all which is worse full loaded trucks carting well packed food or lots of people making trips in their cars to pick up a salad?

Fair trade got the biggest hiding. In short the author felt Fair Trade is basically a tool supermarkets can use to add onto the price of good without passing much benefit onto farmers. According to the article usually only 10% or less of the extra cost is passed on so if you pay £ extra for a tin of coffee only 10p extra goes to the farmer and maybe 60p extra to the supermarket. Fair Trade is also in its simplest form a subsidy on production its effecting proper markets. For example coffee is overproduced so its too cheap however does giving handouts to farmers encourage them to diversify?
Obviously it is a much more complex issue and I have only briefly outlined some alternative arguments however its very interesting to look at the other side of the coin I think, I will definitely think twice next time I am in a supermarket.

This evening I headed out to the comedy night it was hilarious best one I have been to in ages even if I did get ripped into by the compare. Debra Jane Appelby was particularly funny she really got everyone laughing. There was also a dizzy blond women in the audience who was almost a comedy act in her own right!

Work in the morning 7am start for a software roll out so I better get to bed night night.

No more lonely nights

Everyone made an early dart from work today as the Christmas do was happening this evening at the Belfry. As everything is static for Sunday's upgrade I worked on a few little pieces of work it was actually quiet a productive day I managed to blast through several of the low priority bits of work.

I called up Paul this evening, its been a awhile since we last spoke. He seemed in an upbeat mood was talking about a new possible record deal. It also seems there might be a revival of Gypsies playground I remember going to see what I think turned out to be the last proper gig at Marple College so it would be great fun to see the rebirth. Especially as they have all been working on their own talents since those days.

I talked to Paul about Maia, I guess it's hard for him to understand me. Its not that I have something for foreign girls its just I seem to live a lot of my life vicariously and sometimes the people I meet online are more interesting in that I can actually talk to them then most of the women I meet in the UK. I spent many hours talking on the phone and online to Maia before I ever agreed to go and see her in Belarus, I won't deny I liked her and nothing really changed. We just were not right for each other she wanted to be in Italy and she has found someone she likes who can get her there anything else is between them and I wont speculate. I don't know whether I will go to her wedding though.

I could talk all night about how alone I am and how I feel but I think I have already been over it, I liked someone they felt differently or I missed my opportunity that is the story of my life I cannot change the past only work on improving the future. Perhaps one day I will meet someone who lives nearby and find me attractive maybe not such is life.

Tonight I stayed home and watched a film with Bruce it was a trash horror called "see no evil" about a killer who takes peoples eyes (geddit!). It was pretty awful formula stuff with toe curling violence thrown in. It didn't really shock me though I guess it wasn't real enough or I am becoming hardened to it who knows?