None of us like modern society, yet we have to live in it. Part of that means finding candy for your kids, because although I too dislike beet-derived refined sugar, they're going to get exposed to it, so you want an option at home that's not chock full of chemicals to shrink their testicles and give them cancer or pre-AIDS. Ideally, from the somewhat paranoid perspective of a protective parent, you would be able to give them sugared zucchini, but let's be realistic about what kids will accept. Tavener's "Sour Lemon Drops," coming to us from that bastion of hopelessness that is the UK (a/k/a "Brokeback Island"), offer a simple solution: sugar, glucose syrup, citric acid, natural flavouring: lemon oil; colours: turmeric; lemon juice concentrate (0.2%). These boiled sweets are hard as rocks and take a full seven minutes of speech-impeding slurping to consume for the average child, and deliver full lemon flavor -- sweet, sour and citrus tangy -- the whole time. They are as boring as rain but tasty like a lemon, and if you convince a child to like them (which won't be hard, since they're also quite good), they'll have learned a lesson in life: a complete flavor beats a passing sensation which creates secondary problems as it poisons you with invisibly corrosive modern culinary chemical warfare. In addition, this candy offers what I call a "complete product": packaging is recyclable, marketing is wholesome and not cosmopolitan, the flavor and use requires some introspection on the value of life to appreciate, and it's designed for normal people not elitist yuppies. Although they're about 50% more expensive than the corresponding junk, they're also wholesome and complex in taste, teaching from an early age that modern society can be avoided in favor of subtler but more profound rewards.

Trying to live a healthy, moral, realistic life in a time when most people are oriented toward distraction is a beast. The rest of them care more about what makes them look cool to others, and how they can band together to conspire to face the fewest challenges in life possible, and you're without hope looking for something as simple as a beverage you can believe in. Never fear: we've found the answer, at least for green teas.

Perpetually gaining popularity because of its potential health benefits, lack of complexity and moderate caffeine dosage, green tea also does not taste like dreck as most darker teas seem to. What makes it green is that it is cured lightly without dehydrating it, so unlike black tea, it does not resemble the leaves you sweep up every fall, and correspondingly, preserves more of tea's medicinal and flavorful properties.

With that in mind, we tackle the three most popular brands found in our area, and come up with some startling conclusions. Our challenge here is that green tea is a well-known commodity, drunk for thousands of years, and it isn't complicated to cultivate and prepare it. So the real question is: how much has green tea improved since its birth, and are these newer versions even worth paying attention to?

Stash Premium - Premium Green Tea

As consumers, we look so hard for quality, and we distrust advertising. The brilliant plan of Stash is to market tea under a humble name and then to really hit you hard with how good it is, quietly, by repeating the term "premium" on the packaging until you believe it. This was the "sweetest" tea we tasted, but hard a somewhat sharp and acidic aftertaste. Otherwise, it was completely middle of the road, leading us to believe Stash are basically glorified generics. Having the lowest price in the group seemed to confirm this suspicion. This comes in a foil-and-plastic envelope with a good seal. It's a good "high average" tea. Its taste is muted a bit from the truly plantlike taste of raw green tea, but it isn't tricked out in any weirdness or adulterated significantly. Still, it's hard to recommend. How ringing of an endorsement is "better than average, and they didn't screw up anything major"?

Kirkland Signature - Itoen Green Tea

Japanese brand Itoen and American yuppie generic powerhouse Kirkland Signature -- spawn of Costco stores, and so purchased by 90% of real yuppies out there (as opposed to hipster yuppies, who are young urban failures living beyond their means) -- is unique in that it comes with matcha, or powdered green tea that's the green tea drinker equivalent of kif. The instructions are too ritualistic for a mass-produced product, leading me to think they're mostly there for authenticity, and they tell you exactly how to dump the matcha on top. In our testing, however, it delivered the fullest flavor when dumped in with the tea bag itself and then steeped for three minutes. These teabags come in easy-tear plastic envelopes that provide a quality seal, but the teabag and string are formed from plastic mesh. This tea was one of the favorites in our testing, since its flavor -- perhaps in another desire to be "authentic," which can be achieved by making anything taste more like barnyard -- has a slight bitterness but the full, grainy, autumnal flavor green tea drinkers have come to expect from the good stuff. There is no reason to ever turn down a cup of this.

Salada All Natural 100% Green Tea

You mean that after looking into the most popular and most elite brands, you're going to review boring old salada, found in the boring old white person's grocery store, Randall's? Yes, and the results may surprise you. This tea comes in paper envelopes, so it's not something you want to store in your un-climate-controlled shed for a decade and then hope to have a decent cup. The tea bag and string are made from textile and have longer than average string reach. When you fire up the hot water and pour it over this tea, however, you notice that for all its lack of markers of authenticity or hipness, it has the best middle of the road flavor. It is stronger in smell and taste than the others, but preserves the harvest flavor of green tea, and while it has some bitter aftertaste, it is mostly flavor and only a little bitterness. Where the Itoen tries to go for the soft touch, and the Stash nails a generic "good" taste, the Salada has some character, and it's fighting character: this tea in taste and smell reaches out to pummel you. Let's make a cup of good tea and get back to it, it says.

Uncle Lee's Premium Green Tea

Everything about this tea is a pain in the rear. You can't find it in regular stores. It does not come in tea bags, which means you need one of those little perforated metal balls to steep it. Even more insulting to American consumers, it comes in a carboard and metal cylinder without a locking hygenic seal. It's... it's like being alive, or something. In flavor, this tea is comparable to the Salada, but even stronger, with a very faint undertone like that of a green onion, but a strong and harsh taste that is powerful, slightly bitter, but full of the grainy august flavors that make green tea like an exercise in camping compared to the processed, refined, flavored, sweetened teas that come in boxes with uplifting slogans on them. Not only that, it rocks the caffeine charts in a way no other tea we tested did. While it can be seen as a disadvantage to either have tea greens on the bottom of your cup, or to use a steepage ball, to us it provided that 100% certified authentic zany cachet of reality that very little else outside the produce section does.

So what are our recommendations? None of the teas we tested were bad; the Stash is so middle of the road we ran right over it and didn't look back, and the Itoen is very much like Hello Kitty and Honda, but maybe not what's needed. In addition, only the Salada and Uncle Lee's came without plastic -- paper is easy to recycle, and tea grounds compost, leaving the world in roughly the state you found it when you were born. Plastic? Recyclers pitch much of it out, especially tiny, annoying tea bags. This kind of thinking about a whole experience that allows manufacturers to stay away from plastic also suggests they'll take their teas seriously in both flavor and cleanliness, and that has been our experience here. Go for the Salada -- but keep Uncle Lee's on hand if you can find it. When friends bop over for a quick cup of green tea, the teabag is infinitely better as an option, but if you're sitting at your desk cranking out music reviews (dunno why I'd think of that) having a master cylinder of Uncle Lee is what keeps both sleepiness and lack of flavor away.

When approaching married women in many tribal cultures about sex for pleasure, they generally reply with confusion. They don't understand the concept at all. For them, life has a goal, and it includes family, and tribe -- context. In that outlook, sex is a function toward the end of a family, and not something that is done without context for individual pleasure alone.

As a result, tribal women are not obsessed with sex as a means of achieving power like Western women are. In turn, family units are more stable. Marriages stay together. People are united in marriage as they are in community, around a goal. When they turn their back on that goal, and start looking only toward their own pleasure, they become sociopathic or destructive to society, albeit in passive, non-violent ways.

In the West, women are obsessed with sex and orgasm. The majority of sex toys are female-oriented. Women have extramarital relationships at an alarming rate, seeking that hunky knight Hollywood has promised them that will make all their fairy tale dreams come true. Many women marry men who can financially support them but not sexually please them. Their husbands are obligated to fill their material needs, while they find other men to fulfill their sexual needs.

Media that celebrates men getting drunk and fornicating recklessly is condemned as bawdy and low brow (Meatballs, Porky's). Yet media portraying women in the same light is deemed as intellectual and enlightening (Sex in the City). The women portrayed in Sex in the City are not healthy role models. They are cosmopolitan materialists living lives devoid of meaning beyond their next physical gratification: a new pair of shoes, another martini, or their next sexual companion. Women pattern their lives after these television women, because despite knowing that TV is fantasy, they see it as a real setting and want to emulate its success.

A common attitude amongst modern women in the West is that the pill is liberation. The reality is that the pill further subjugates women to men by giving them more incentive to make themselves sexually available to emotionally unavailable men. It is alarming how few women realize this. "Well, I know he doesn't care for me emotionally, but at least I won't be getting pregnant!" How is throwaway sex a moral or a good decision? How does this help women as a gender?

Not surprisingly, the result of this unhealthy behavior is unhappy women who become bitter and fight amongst themselves while voluntarily turning themselves into sex objects. They end up single in their 40s and 50s, then alone for the rest of their lives, having missed out on actual love, family, children and a connection to their community. In the name of freedom, they are isolated.

Feminists champion women like Gerri Santoro. Santoro left an allegedly abusive marriage and proceeded into a sexual relationship with a married man. After becoming pregnant with his child, she became paranoid about her husband and ended up dying to a botched abortion. How is this a role model? What was her rush to enter a sexual relationship with a married man while she was still in an allegedly abusive marriage herself? Were those brief moments of sexual pleasure worth ending up dead on a motel room floor?

This is a complete deconstruction of marriage and the family unit. Once again, we see the materialism and self obsession of the West decaying society and leading to complete moral bankruptcy. With the sex "wagging the dog" and becoming the reason for relationships, instead of a way to strengthen those relationships, the divorce rate has skyrocketed -- as has the rate of those never marrying. Men no longer need to marry to get sexual satisfaction and, given that women are likely to be unfaithful and the courts will award them money in a divorce, men are at a massive disadvantage when they marry.

Our dogma of equality helps create this situation. We think that if a group is equal, it will have no reason to fight, because we see people as being as craven as we fear we are -- if they see money, they'll take it, without thinking through the consequences -- we surmise. Using this negative vision of humanity, we decide to make things equal, and since we can't raise the lower, we lower the higher. So if men are perceived as being stronger and richer, we take it out on them and claim we're empowering women, not realizing that we're lowering the bar for both genders and eliminating the power of some of the best among them.

Men and women are polarizing at an alarming rate. No longer do we live complementary lives, but competetive ones. This is toxic and unhealthy for us all. Women do not choose men based on who will give them the strongest and most intelligent children, they choose men based on how many shiny objects they can purchase them.

With the advances in birth control, more and more women are choosing not to have children in Western culture. Women are choosing to remain single and child free all their lives, so they focus solely on their self obsession. This has created a surplus of men seeking mates, which further strains marriages and families. Men now must fiercely compete to find worthy women to create families with.

Even after marriage and children, the constant Sword of Damocles that their wives can leave them at any moment in their pursuit of pleasure hangs over their heads. This further leads to bitterness and resentment towards women, which then causes women to become more bitter themselves. Women resent men causing men to resent women causing women to resent men, ad infinitum. It is a vicious circle.

The only way to break this cycle is to exit it completely. Let's return to the roots of love, marriage, and family. Let's acknowledge that gluttonous sex is no different than gluttonous eating or any other form of gluttony. It is unhealthy and only leads to problems. Let's love our spouses and children, not obsess over the arbitrary trappings of money. Let's engage in more meaningful activities, so we don't obsess over self gratification such as casual sex. Let's heal and let the West endure. And let's spread the word -- healthy behavior makes us happier than those who chase only their own pleasure.

In my file marked "keys to life," there's a simple realization: people do most of what they do to make an impression on others, and only secondarily think, is this a good idea?

The reason is simple. Influencing others is tangible and a 1:1 relationship; I react to others, they do something, I react. Plotting a good idea requires reaching out into the unknown of thousands or billions of factors. This is why we have writers and kings, to sort through this mess.

We call it status, that attribute of how we're seen and ranked by others, because in a 1:1 relationship, every aspect of reality becomes linear. Am I ahead of it, or is it ahead of me? We might not know if our decision is right, but at least we can say, "well my parents/friends/coworkers think it's smart."

I see this most damagingly in single women, and by that I mean the smart, nice, decent ones. They don't have to be 100% wholesome -- we all make mistakes, and are misguided by media -- but they mean to be. They want to be, if their minds weren't saturated in status programming from others.

These women make one mistake time and again -- they go for the guy who looks like the lifestyle they want to lead, having no idea that he can lead that himself because he's given up on other things. Yeah, he's a hip artist who has hip friends. Who knew that's because he spends all his free time in the studio or the bar? Not good relationship material, but he'll take of the sexual fruit offered, and when the relationship burns down, he'll twitch -- and then order a Guinness.

It's painful, as a man, to watch, because I'm aware of how men think. They are driven toward a goal, and now, that means a linear goal. So they work at it and in the meantime, if given a chance, make themselves more comfortable. And for men when they're depressed it doesn't mean they outwardly manifest, but more than they change their attitudes toward things they actually desire. "Marriage, kids? Not on an artist's salary -- oh well, it wasn't going to happen to me anyway."

So the woman goes cruising for an ideal, passing by the bald guy with a solid job and a better brain (that would be "settling") and grasps the artist in a hard-fought battle beating out other women. Hint to women: if many women are competing for a man, it means he values the one who wins less, because there are others. OMG, that's cold -- but it's reality, so face it or suffer more.

The artist is of course imbued with artistry and its appearances, and may not even be that good. But look at all the people talking up what he's doing! Yeah -- talking it up RIGHT NOW, but not in 100 years, and that's what he'd have to be to really be any good and to make a career of it. The relationship gets established, sex comes into play, and so happy hormonal delusion clouds the failures for a year or a decade, and then finally the woman asks, "Where are we heading?" and he shrugs: where I was always heading, toward my art and friends.

She now feels violated, and he feels like she's crazy, because in his eyes, he was consistent and she wasn't. He always said he wanted to be an artist; she expected him to change because, hey, now there's two of them, right? And they both nourish that hope for the good life, a little house and a few kids, being that dad that people look up to, including little people... right?

But he's given up on that because he's an artist, or a rock star, or rising the corporate ladder, or busy playing video games, or whatever else he's made his goal. He's gone for the appearance of a success outside of succeeding at life and he has status. She's acted because she wants status, and wants to look like the adored girlfriend of a successful artist. But friends, that path doesn't lead anywhere except to itself. It's a type of status stasis.

So she burns through them, from 18 to 38, and then gives up and settles for some guy, but at that point, he's already given up on kids and/or found surrogate activities to keep himself busy... and so it doesn't ever really bond to family, either. Also, he's had his fifteen or fifty-one flings or loves, and is burned out on love. They settle into the comfortable relationship, sort of like buying tires from a trusted local business.

Either that blows up or it doesn't, but either way, she doesn't get what she really wants, because she chased status. Women, pick your men carefully: first, they need to be realistic about life and about you; second, they need to be smart, because smart women need smart men or they'll end up hating each other; third, they need to be kind to those who are friends and vicious toward those who threaten them. Survival hasn't changed since we were chimps, and it won't change when we're cyborgs. The rules of making your way in this world are eternal.

It's painful to watch the female friends you respect lunging for illusion, and then coming away burned out, and, as they hit 40, giving up on life and becoming the kind of harridans every office has: once cute, now looking worn, without much hope and without much pride, but going on because they can't admit their status gambit failed, all while secretly hating anything around them that might rise.

Have you heard about how Prozac doesn't work, and how dummy pills are at least as effective at remedying depression (only without the nasty side effects like wanting to kill yourself)? Guess what? The psychosomatic effectiveness of the placebo depends upon the patient's perception of the price it cost! So, what are the thought processes going on here?

"I'm feeling really down. I'll go to the doctor and he'll make me happy again with some pills. These pills really must work, because they're the most expensive and trendy."

What people have got to realize is that it is up to themselves, not the duty of a doctor, to improve their mood. Eat some sardines, get out for a walk where there are some trees, and talk to someone sympathetic. Above all: stop confusing price with quality. Everything you possess seems substandard when you are mixed up about this issue. There's always something more expensive that causes feelings of envy and inadequacy to emerge and spoil your day.

Advertisers know that there are millions of customers foolish enough to be convinced that "Brand X" is better in every respect to its unadvertised supermarket brand equivalent, even though blind taste tests prove otherwise. Quality, admittedly does come at a higher price than something worth less, but a lot of skepticism is called for, since a seller will try to take advantage of this perception. "Buy this Jenkem shampoo at $20 a bottle! Anything else is real crap!"

While a budding Leonardo Da Vinci is ignored by art critics and his paintings might only sell for peanuts, a hyped series of daubs by a chimpanzee sell for thousands of dollars a piece - and you can bet the ape doesn't get more than a few bananas out of it. Art is one of the biggest examples of price being entirely unrelated to quality. Talented musicians, writers and so on go unrecognized, while a chosen undeserving few are paraded as being great geniuses. If Beethoven was composing today, he would be told his work is too "retro" and not commercially viable. He'd be told his sound was too Eurocentric and he should get more of a cosmopolitan "world music" structure to it.

It's not just price though. People value all sorts of things more highly the more they think that others value them. This rule applies to how they view each other. Show women pictures of ugly men, and tell them that they are wealthy and popular with women, and the subconscious response, measurable in bodily responses, is that they are noticeably more attracted than if they were told nothing about the man. Their market value seems greater, their desirability amongst the crowd seems greater, so their quality is accordingly judged more positively. And a glamorous celebrity is likewise seen as of high quality by men and women, despite the fact that Paris Hilton and her ilk have about the lowest standards of taste and behavior possible. They make virtues out of idiocy and sluttishness.

Once you realize that price does not correspond infallibly to quality, you can learn to be more satisfied with what you already have. There is no need to envy the person who can buy shoes that cost two thousand dollars. The shoes certainly are not worth anywhere near that price, and the fool who thinks they are is living in a delusional world in which face values have replaced actual values. They feel the need to look at what they think the crowd finds impressive to find an appreciation of anything. This is a sad mindset to fall into, since such a person never has any independent ability to resist trends, and they also can never really live their own life - it is always a life as a mirror of others.

Strawberries are one of the best loved of all summer fruits, their sweet red berries are irresistible to almost everyone. Very quick to produce their fruits, strawberry plants are an excellent crop for the amateur. The taste of home-grown garden strawberries is undoubtedly a hundred times better than the commercial varieties. Strawberry plants will yield good crops of fruit when grown in small spaces including a wide range of containers. 'Growbag' cultivation is particularly economical and productive.

Strawberries grow well in the ground, but they can suffer from soil-borne pests and diseases if grown on the same patch for a number of years. Where space is at a premium, strawberries will also fare well for a year or two in grow bags, troughs, pots and hanging baskets, and this approach has several advantages over plants grown in the open. Strawberries in containers can be given a prime position - they prefer a sunny but sheltered spot and being raised off the ground, which helps to produce a more stable microclimate. Containers can be brought under protection (such as a glasshouse or porch) to advance fruit cropping and then replaced once fruiting is over. Container-grown strawberries also suffer from fewer problems with soil-borne pests and diseases, and are at a more convenient height for picking.

Where To Grow

Frost is the first thought when considering where to grow strawberry plants in your garden. They are very hardy plants during the winter but are not so hardy when they burst into life in spring. Strawberries produces flowers early in the spring and because they are close to the ground, it is important to position strawberries where they have least risk of frost. The highest ground is always the best. Frost damage when they start into growth will occur if the temperature drops below -2°C or -4°C.

The next considerations are sun and wind - grow them in the sunniest position in the garden and in the least windy. Too much wind and insects will be unable to pollinate the plants. When preparing pots for planting strawberries, use soilless peat free composts or those with a low loam content, as these weigh less and make heavy containers such as large terracotta strawberry pots more portable.

Choosing Containers

Grow bags are widely used by commercial and home growers for strawberries. Each bag will take around six plants. Grow bags are available from most DIY stores and garden centres. To help stabilise the microclimate and improve air circulation, position the grow bags on a wooden plank (preferably of treated timber) supported about 1m (3ft) above the ground, fixed to treated posts 7.5cm (3in) in diameter driven 45cm (18in) into the ground, or to a free-standing timber support, plastic crates or concrete blocks. Grow bags can also be placed directly onto upturned crates or boxes. A rail at each end with a 15-cm (6-in) wide, rigid, small-mesh net stretched along each side will support the fruit horizontally, which helps to improve the sugar content. Yields of around 0.5 kg (1 lb) of fruit per plant can be achieved.

Troughs and window boxes can be used in much the same way as grow bags and allow proprietary or homemade composts to be included. Most strawberry cultivars are suitable for hanging baskets, and the pink-flowered cultivars such as 'Viva Rosa' are particularly attractive.
Water by hand or via drip lines, varying frequency according to the time of year, season and position of the containers. Strawberry plants in grow bags, pots, troughs and hanging baskets should remain moist but not waterlogged, and may require watering more than once a day in the hottest conditions.

As soon as growth commences in spring provide a balanced liquid feed (with similar levels of nitrogen and potassium) each week. (Again can be bought ready made from garden centres and DIY stores). During flowering and fruiting use a high-potash feed such as a tomato fertiliser and then revert to a balanced feed if the plants are to be kept for a second year. Strawberry plants that are overfed will produce lush leaf growth at the expense of fruit. A winter chilling will help plants flower effectively. Keep the containers at ground level in a sheltered situation and if severe frosts are forecast cover with frost protection such as horticultural fleece or straw, which should then be removed during the day.

Soil Preparation

Strawberries do not produce deep roots, but they very much appreciate their soil being well dug to a spades depth. Prepare the soil at least one month before planting. Incorporate as much organic matter as possible and include two handfuls of bone meal (or equivalent) per square metre. A few days before planting apply the recommended dose of general fertiliser such as 'Growmore.' Strawberries are greedy feeders over a relatively short period of time.
When To Plant

Summer fruiting strawberries (the type seen in most shops) can be planted in early September or early April. The best results undoubtedly come from planting in early September, although if your area suffers heavy winter frosts, it is best to wait until mid April. Perpetual strawberries should be planted in mid April. For both types, wait until the soil is crumbly and not waterlogged. It is possible to grow what are called 'companion plants' near strawberries. The purpose of this is to attract bees that would ensure pollination of the strawberries. One might suggest Borage (Borago officinalis) a herb , that is also known as the 'Bee plant' as its big blue flowers attract Bees.

Pests And Diseases

Container-grown strawberries generally suffer from fewer diseases than those in the ground, but can attract pests, especially under glass. Aphids may infest spring growth, transmitting viruses that debilitate plants. Spray at the first sign of damage with a proprietary insecticide suitable for strawberries such as one containing bifenthrin or malathion. I suggest an organic insecticide.

Two spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) can be a problem, particularly in warmer situations, and is best controlled with the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis, provided no pesticides are being used.

Vine weevil larvae (Otiorhynchus sulcatus) are unlikely to be a problem in the first year, but plants grown on for a second year may be affected. Treat in August by watering in a proprietary brand of nematodes, which parasitize the larvae.

If I had to point out one of the main problems with our society, I'd direct people's attention to any of the charity organizations that are common today. Why? Because I believe they represent an accurate, institutionalized model of the kind of behaviour that has taken over the political fabric of our society.

Charity organizations are made out of people who are typically insecure and underconfident in themselves. Therefore they feel good whenever they help others, especially people worse off than themselves, because it makes them feel needed, important and special. While charity might seem like a fancy act, it rarely solves any problems (make a trip to Africa) - but most importantly, it easily becomes a tool for these neurotic people to overpower smart and confident people.

To demonstrate this, let me give you an example. Imagine you're an intelligent, experienced boss at a company. Say you need to hire new people for an upcoming project. Most likely you'd pick only the best; class A people. Now, say you were a "normal" - a class B individual; not very bright but not outright dumb. Here you'd probably hire class C people. Why? Besides having a mediocre judgement, you'd feel good by bossing around with someone less intelligent than yourself, which would make up for your own shortcomings. Idiots promote idiots to power. The further down you go on the intellectual and intelligence scale, the fewer the merits will be.

The danger here lies in the psychological behaviour of most underconfident people: they don't see the world in positive aspects and look for brilliance, certainty and victory. The only way they feel happy is by promoting people below them to their own level or attacking people above them and forcing them to conform to a lower common denominator. It's a vicious cycle that's struck most of our society. It's in politics, where we mock all intelligent dissidents, it's in culture, where we've lost the collective will to achieve something positive together, and it's a chronic disease that inflicts our spirit.

Permanent underconfidence is a resignation before life and a lack of belief in our abilities, talents and features. People who should know better are today crippled by this modern downfall. It might even struck otherwise healthy and intelligent individuals, who realize that the underconfident segment of our population has taken over and will drive us into more world wars and ecological disasters, before we learn the hard lesson. It's a tough realization to make for anyone that's even remotely awake in our society of brainnumb sleepwalkers.

But there is hope. We can rise above this crowd behaviour. The way to do this is to tie personal self-confidence with positive abilities. Do what you're good at and your successes, even if small in the beginning, will make you feel more powerful and your life more meaningful. Likewise, look at the world from a constructive, heroic perspective: neither of us are determined to fail. We can succeed with who we are and what we've got here and now. That's how the ancients dealt with situations like these and we can do the same. We must purge all fatalism and underconfidence from our societal fabric - and this change, as all true change, starts within ourselves. Change your life!

Getting married is a major event in anyone's life - but for many people the wedding itself is the focal point. People plan the event for months, sometimes years, and women fuss about the smallest details of their dress and that of the bridesmaids and pageboys; the flower arrangements; the food, the reception and so on. They get their inspiration from celebrities who they want to emulate, so that they too can be a star.

The average cost of a wedding in the UK is £17,000 and in the US $28,000. Only a quarter of those weddings are paid for by parents, according to a US survey.

Even the Church of England has become so alarmed by the insane overspending and materialist obsession around weddings that it produced a booklet, "Making the Most of Weddings," saying that people should spend far less and be more environmentally responsible. The Church rightly points out that the meaning of marriage has been lost through the "spend, spend, spend" culture. In a rare example of down-to-earth common sense from the Church, they advise that brides should go so far as to consider buying their dress from a charity shop, hitching a ride and having guests at the reception bring along their own alcohol!

The mega-wedding is a crazy modern trend, and it is good to see ecclesiastical opposition to it. Yet people go ahead with these shows in their millions, and they are organized in Churches regardless of the disgust of the clergy carrying out the ceremony. And the clergy is probably too polite to have a word with the couple in advance.

The cost and the spectacle does put some people, either bride or groom, off being married, if they are being pressured into it, adding to the likelihood of remaining unmarried permanently. Other brides, however, seem to be so keen on being the center of attention at the nuptials - being a princess for the day - that the event itself becomes their main reason for getting married!

Many feel humiliated if they don't make a costly impression on friends and family, as if it would make them seem to be lesser people. Yet, the duration of the marriage is generally in inverse proportion to the cost of the wedding. Possible reasons for this: starting marriage off in heavy debt; the sheer stress of the event; the anticipation followed by the anticlimax of returning to normality and then, the kind of people who want to have a big, vulgar wedding. Such people are egotistical materialists with personalities ill suited to long term cooperation in a relationship.

If an expensive party would ever be justified, it would surely be better deferred for a ten year anniversary, to celebrate success. A family reunion is good in that it can help a couple bond with their tribe and some kind of cultural sense of belonging also. This sounds unlikely amongst westerners, but you can imagine it mattering greatly to some other more traditional people.

Marriages are the business of families yet, since we marry for love rather than duty, it is far more romantic to have a quiet ceremony with only a handful of close relatives/friends attending. Really that is so much classier!

Mint is a plant with leaves that has got a fresh, aromatic taste and scent, combined with a more cool aftertaste. It is used for many things like candy, toothpaste, tea and adding flavour to your food.

Mint is fairly easy to grow, but there is one slight problem: it spreads like a plague. To avoid that, the first thing you need is a piece of soil where the mint can roam freely without swallowing up space for your other plants. Mint can grow in a lot of environments, but the best place is in a slightly moist piece of soil, partially in the shade.

To grow mint at home, find an appropriate space where it can grow and dig a hole large enough for your mint plant and its roots. If you have multiple plants (which I advise having), make sure the holes are approx. 20 cm away from eachother. That way you'll make sure they each have enough space to grow.

Next, you'll need the mint plants. If you don't have these already, you can get them from a nursery or your local gardening centre. You could also use seeds, which would have to be soaked first, but because the success rate with seeds vary a lot and their growth might be hard to control, I recommend using plants instead (that have already gone through the first phase of growing).

Now that you have everything ready, it's time to plant the mint. If you want to make them less 'agressive' growing, place them inside some bottomless containers. You can use a lot of things for that, but a stone/clay pipe probably works best. This doesn't prevent them from overgrowing though, it just slows the process down. Eventually, the mints' roots will 'crawl' over the top of the containers. If you see this happening, cut them off.

Mint will grow in almost any season as long as it doesn't freeze, so you might be able to even plant them right now. After you've planted them, you don't have to do very much. Give the plants some water every once or second day and make sure they don't spread elsewhere in your garden.

It takes approximately 3 months for mint to grow from seed to plant (if you're using seeds). If you bought them as plants, you could harvest from them any moment you like. To harvest them, pluck off the leaves or cut off the whole plant, it all depends on what you prefer.

In case you want to enjoy mint in colder seasons like late autumn and winter, see my article about drying herbs here. This way works the best if you've cut off the whole plant. If you just plucked the leaves, the best idea would be to simply place them on a plate and leave them in the sun for a while, or place the plate in the oven for a couple of minutes.

Porn warps normal sexual responses. It enslaves people into a self-destructive lifestyle that ruins their relationships while making their puppet-masters very rich.

If it wasn't for sex education classes at school, most of today's youth would learn about sex purely from pornographic imagery. In countries like China and India this is already the case. Such imagery used to be fairly hard to find, and would be bought and sold surreptitiously to "dirty men". Now, however, porn is everywhere and with its pervasive presence on the internet it has become mainstream and virtually uncontroversial, except in the most vile forms. Before ever experiencing sexual intercourse with a woman, many boys have spent years gaining their sexual experience by watching porn.

Experience has little effect on the mating behavior of the lower animals. An inexperienced rat will copulate instinctively with as much efficiency as an experienced rat. When we look at primates there is a different story. Young monkeys need to see adult monkeys engaging in normal sexual behavior and they themselves imitate many of the postures as pre-sexual responses. Monkeys raised in partial isolation, where each is in a cage and can see, but not touch, each other, are usually unable to copulate at maturity.

Humans watching porn are having their brains programmed with sexual experience that will affect their attempts to copulate in the future.

The absence of any sense that couples being viewed are in love is an insidious influence in porn. Often it is not even a couple involved but just random individuals, either men or women, in any number. This helps to disassociate sex from love. The elements of humiliation or violence obviously do that too.

Men and women get strange ideas about each other as a result of porn, with many decent men finding women make unfair assumptions that all men are of the same type and ascribing various perversions to them. Many women feel they have to live up to pornographic expectations if they want to be found attractive to their men. They will undergo surgery and feel neurotic as a consequence of this. And yet the truth is, more and more men really do expect their woman to fit this kind of stereotype.

Porn causes impotence in men. It is like a drug that conditions the user to cease to enjoy natural pleasures in life. Normal love making quickly becomes mundane compared to the thrills gained by looking at a new image in a magazine or on the computer. This has emasculated the man , since he can no longer get properly aroused by a real woman and requires what amounts to the equivalent of a paper dolly. How pathetic that is.

There is money to be made from this, not only the $billions from porn itself, but from sex therapy, divorce lawyers, and the medicines that are sold to cure erectile dysfunction. Society pays the price, as well as individuals, but society is now totally geared to serve corporate profits.

The cult of individualism says that life is all about pleasure and that there is nothing wrong in indulging in anything that pleases you. We used to have religiously endorsed standards, but these have now been swept away. People are rudderless and look to the media for an idea of what should be considered normal. By so doing they are asking to be exploited. The media sells them whatever brings them pleasure and keeps them tame. Sex sells, and has become nothing but a product that is very lucrative.

Don't expect our governments to do anything to solve the problem. They are fully complicit in the whole thing. It is up to each of us to ensure that neither we nor anyone we care about falls into this trap.

Attitudes to love and commitment have changed in recent times and the "emancipation" of women has played an important part in changing the culture in this way. Now that women are not financially dependent upon men and can prevent themselves falling pregnant the whole balance of sexual relationships has transformed. Marriage is still considered to be meaningful to most people even if it doesn't last. It is a formal declaration of trust and agreement to cooperate, although the extent of this varies widely.

Being married is supposed to bring a sense of reassurance that there is no pressing need to be on the look out for another partner. A cliché of this is that once married, people stop trying to present themselves well, and let themselves go, becoming fatter, unfit and taking their husband or wife for granted in various ways. If one partner goes too far in this direction however, the other may well feel that they want out of the relationship. In the past, when life expectancy was lower and life was harder there was less chance to get bored with each other and more dependency upon each other for practical survival. It was an inevitable product of civilization that the institution of marriage would be affected adversely.

For a marriage to last it must be based upon more than sex and financial security and more than an unintended pregnancy. Courtship is something that is so rare now that it is often considered freakish. There is an assumption that sex must take place at the very start of a relationship before finding out more about the other person. If women don't agree to this they are often dumped by their boyfriends. This is a big mistake on the part of the woman.

Firstly, giving in to sex too early can cheapen her and blights prospects for the future of the relationship. Secondly, what these women fail to realize is that if the man was a genuine prospect for a lasting partner he would not mind waiting a reasonable amount of time. How long would vary but the important thing is for both partners to have taken the effort and interest to find out a lot about the the other. They should hold off having sex ideally until they are properly in love.

If they do not, then love itself may elude them. In the case of people who habitually have casual sex, romantic love will probably never be experienced by them. They fall into the trap of thinking sex is love and that there is little more to it than that. Even those who marry, often marry because they are sexually compatible and never explore anything beyond this. Being in love is also not enough basis for a marriage, because the initial "honeymoon period" of elation will not last beyond a few years, and then reality hits home. The couple must like other things about each other and have tastes that do not clash. They must keep their relationship from stagnation by always showing interest in each other and physical closeness such as a kiss and cuddle every day.

It is naïve to imagine that there would never be arguments in a relationship, or to feel like ending it when one occurs. A successful relationship involves talking through problems and resolving them. Tempers will flare almost inevitably, but once the emotion has calmed it should always be possible to make up.

It is important to love someone for who they really are, not some kind of fantasy, and not to have intentions of changing them. People can change over time, perhaps becoming easier to live with, or perhaps becoming very difficult. We should not have unrealistic illusions, but at the same time it is best to think of the things we like best about our partner and not try to concentrate on negative points. That is not to say that negative points should be ignored either. If it is something trivial then it should be overlooked, but anything that really annoys should be discussed and resolved at an early opportunity since leaving things to fester results in a molehill becoming a mountain, at which point it can be very serious.

Relationships are about give and take, not just taking. Often people demand that others respond in the way that is expected of them. They may put their partner on a pedestal, expecting more from them than they can ever deliver. And when they fail to live up to what is wanted, it causes feelings of betrayal, resentment and frustration. We must avoid ending up in a parasitical relationship where we love someone because we need them. It should always rather be the case that we need because we love. With the right approach, it is still possible for marriage to be a meaningful expression of love between two committed individuals who are prepared to put in the necessary effort.

I have never before grown tomatoes so I thought I would now give it a go.

I decided to sow a variety of cherry tomatoes called 'Tumbler.' One can buy tomato plants and this makes the process a little quicker and easier. But they tend to be a little more expensive, yet this way one can limit numbers if one just wants one or two plants. Seed packets generally contain up to 30 seeds. I have chosen to begin with seed, as I feel one gets greater satisfaction at initiating the whole process from sowing of seed to the reaping and eating of the fruits of one's labour.

This tomato is a bush variety, the other variety is called a 'cordon,' due to the way it grows. This variety can grow up to 2 metres, over 6 foot in height and produce fruit on growing branches, hence 'cordons.' The former bush variety is most suitable for my purpose as I don't have a garden as such and my space is limited to a balcony. Indeed the bush variety is most suited to hanging baskets and medium sized tubs from which trusses of exceptionally sweet cherry sized tomatoes form a cascade.

The usual sowing time is March but I started mine off in February. As I don't have a green house I sowed them indoors. As a rule it is wise to plant your seeds 5 to 7 weeks before planting them outdoors and after that there is less risk with frost.

Using organic seed compost, I avoid peat based compost as the removal of peat from peat bogs across Europe is damaging the land. I used a seed tray already divided up into cells and planted one seed per cell at a depth of 1/6 inch deep. If using a seed tray without cells, place them at least 2 inches apart in three rows in the seed try. I chose organic seed as a matter of course. As a rule, germination takes 6-14 days at 24C (70F); at a lower temperature it may take a little longer or may not occur at all.

As I write this my tomato seeds have just broken through the soil. These took 13 days to germinate and grow, and the seedlings are now ¾ inch tall. I kept the seed trays in my kitchen near a radiator but one can keep them anywhere where the temperature is around 24 C. The use of a propagator may also be a good idea; these are usually pre set for a given germination temperature.

Transplant the seedlings when large enough to handle, which is about 3 inches tall. Place into small 2 to 3 inch diameter pots and let them continue to grow in cooler, well lit conditions. When they are a little larger, pace one plant per 10 inch diameter container, again using organic soil, placing some stones or gravel about 1 to 2 inch high at the baser of the pot for the purposes of facilitating drainage of water. Place the plant in full sun. Water daily, and when the first truss (The first sign of tomato growth) has set, feed regularly.

If using hanging baskets, plant carefully one per 30cm (12in) basket leaving a 3cm (1in) space for watering. Do not put outside. Water well and let them stand in a cool, airy place until well rooted, in a week or so. Gradually acclimatise to outdoor conditions by placing outside for short periods, avoiding particularly cold days. Then hang outside permanently after when there is no risk of frost. If planted outdoors in the garden, space 60cm (24in) apart in moist, well drained, fertile soil and in a sunny spot. The fruits should be ripen by June and onwards.

For best results, regular feeding of the tomatoes is advised. This starts when the first fruit begins to set i.e. when you can see tiny tomatoes where the flowers were. Tomatoes like a higher amount of potash. This can be found in commercial tomatoe feeds. If you do this then I suggest an organic feed, or liquid manure or liquid compost. It has been noted that the Herb Comfrey made into a liquid has a natural high level of potash and other nutrients.

The thing to note about the 'Tumbler' Cherry Tomato variety is that they tend to crop all at once so one is left with a lot of tomatoes in one go. Whilst 'cordon tomatoes' such as 'Gardeners Delight' fruit more slowly over the summer and so one isn't left with a surfeit of tomatoes.

"Speak roughly to your little boy,
And beat him when he sneezes,
He only does it to annoy,
Because he knows it teases"

So sang the Duchess' cook to her baby in Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland".

It is often assumed that disciplining children is all about harsh words and punishment, yet really the purpose of discipline is to teach the child a skill that will serve them well in adulthood: self discipline.

All children need to be taught self-discipline. This is something the parent must do out of love and a sense of responsibility - to help their child. Any discipline that is purely a release of frustration on the part of the parent is harmful to the child's mental state. To shout at, or hit a child in anger will send a message out that the parent lacks self-control and lacks discipline themselves. It encourages the child to think that disputes are better solved by losing their temper and lashing out.

This is not to say that there is no place for verbal or physical admonishment. At times this is the right way to deal with a misbehaving child, and it is hugely preferable to the various passive-aggressive alternatives (such as "love withdrawal") that modern liberals practice. Discipline should be aimed at rearing a child who feels loved, secure and confident, and who can master their emotions appropriately.

All children are different, and react differently to attempts to discipline them. Most are very sensitive to the disapproval of their parents, and feel a strong need to be in favor. Such children react especially well to praise as a motivation to behave well. If the parent rarely shows praise, the child may conclude that pleasing the parent is near impossible - and this leads to the child becoming more likely to be disobedient. Then again, too frequent praise becomes devalued and loses impact.

Shouting at, or punishing a child over all kinds of trivialities that really don't matter is also a way to make the child more disobedient. He or she doesn't see the reason why the parent is (over) reacting and feels that "if I get told off for everything I do, why bother trying to be 'good'?"

Never offer a child a bribe of any kind. Sometimes reward them after especially good behavior, but don't make a habit of that either, otherwise the child will assume that there will be rewards forthcoming (= bribe). The child has to do things as they should regardless of rewards.

Giving reasons to justify your disapproval or to encourage correct behavior is important. Very young children, who lack verbal comprehension, will not respond to reasoning. They also haven't reached a "moral" understanding beyond the idea that some actions are bad simply because something uncomfortable will happen to them. They may require occasional firm, pseudo-angry, reprimands which can include light physical contact. This can be to stop them running across a busy road, or prodding objects into electric sockets for example - considerations of safety.

If you make threats, such as not allowing the child pocket money that week, or limiting time playing at a friend's house, these should always be meant. As tiresome as it is for the parent, it is important not to go soft on a threatened punishment and let it go. If you do, the child will not take similar threats seriously in future, and you'll seem weak. Similarly, if you back down when your child throws a tantrum or attempts to pressure you into letting them have their way, this will reinforce their manipulative technique.

Children need clear boundaries and they will attempt to test their limits. A child allowed to do anything they like will feel less secure than a child who knows that his or her parents are actively protecting them from harm and guiding them. It shows the parent cares.

Children should be encouraged to do jobs around the house. They should be taught good manners - appreciating efforts that others have made for their sake. They need sensible bed times, instruction on how to eat, study, exercise and so on. These things are all a matter of discipline. Children also need reasonable freedom of choice. They shouldn't be made into automatons, merely obeying instructions. The parent should teach the child so that the child can learn to live independently and make the right decisions for themselves.

Parenting is not easy. Few, if any, parents are "perfect". With your first child, you begin a steep learning curve that will lead to being more confident about raising subsequent children. A well disciplined brother or sister will be a massively positive influence on their sibling, just as misbehavior is also copied. Teach the first child well, and you can save effort later on. Above all, never underestimate the necessity of being a good role model yourself.

Recent food science suggests modern foods lead to degeneration. Tooth decay, for example, is not as prevalent in primitive groups who eat traditional hunter-gatherer food, contrary to groups who rely on imported foods, or even most suburbs in the West. As a response to this came the Paleo Diet, based on what humanity as a species used to eat before the relatively "recent" Agricultural Revolution. Said in more simple terms: we just aren't eating naturally. Here's a list of modern foods that have been proven to be unhealthy for us.

Salt is highly refined, stripped of its rich mineral content. To aid storage, aluminum compounds and others are added. It is known to contribute to sodium starvation, and overstimulation of the glandular system, causing an array of degenerative diseases, such as prostate cancer. Replace with sea or Celtic salt, which preserves the natural minerales found in salt.

Flour is often made from grains, which contains both lectins (toxins protecting the frail grain from foraging predators), and phytic acid, which leads to deficiency ofvprotein, iron, and zinc. White flour is highly refined, and bleached to look prettier. Almost all nutrients are removed to improve shelf life. Replace with nut flour or maybe buckwheat flour. Ordinary grains can be soaked and sprouted to leech out most (if not all) toxins.

Sugar is highly refined, like salt, stripped bare of its nutrition. It correlates with cancer, heart issues, kidney and liver disease, increased desire for tobacco and caffeine, and so on. It binds with calcium, thus making the body take its calcium from your teeth — you end up with tooth decay. Replace with honey or maple syrup, but overall, reduce the amounts.

Vegetable oils are usually processed at high heats. The process includes adding the poison solvent hexane, which also binds with the pesticides in the oil seeds. The heat makes the unsaturated fats oxidize, making them poison. To compensate for the lost storability, the chemical compounds BHT and BHA, said to cause cancer and brain damage, are added. Margarines are similar, stuffed with trans fat, which is toxic, but which the body treats as regular fat cells. Replace both with cold-pressed vegetable oil or coconut oil.

Soy is rich in phytic acid, and enzyme-inhibitors, blocking protein synthesis (stalling growth). Just avoid it.

Industrial meats and eggs are processed in horrible conditions. Cows and chickens are crammed together, receiving steroids to survive the diseases and lack of health which pervades in such environments. Red meat is linked with heart problems, and cancer. You really don't need a lot of arguments for this: it is common sense that a sad animal is a diseased animal, and diseased meat will transfer all this on to you. Eat eggs and meats from animals raised on pasture. Eat lean meats (most hunting game) and fish.

Pasteurized milk is robbed of its original nutrients by means of heating, so as to comply with modern safety standards. No minding the animals the milk comes from is diseased in the first place, due to all the steroids they get. Note that, according to the Paleo Diet, non-Scandinavians shouldn't eat dairy. 70 % of the population is lactose intolerant, and this isn't surprising, as the milk is obviously inteded for the calf. Replace butter with olive oil, bacon grease, or coconut milk. Replace sour or whipped cream with semi-frozen coconut milk with either a drop of lemon juice or honey, respectively. Replace milk with coconut milk or nut milk (the latter is made by blending 1 part almonds to 2-4 parts water).

As we can see, modern foods do us little good. We get all kinds of deficiencies, cancer, heart problems et cetera. The general wisdom is to avoid highly refined foods, and foods not widespread in nature until the arrival of agriculture. Also avoid industrial foods. They often contain high amounts of iodized salt or refined sugar, or even artifical sweeteners like aspartame, linked to both cancer and MS development. Do your body a favour: try the Paleo Diet. It will make you feel better, since you're no longer stuffing it with toxic and alien material, but instead food your body has known since the birth of our species.

For Paleo Diet recipes, see www.paleofood.com, cindalouskitchenblues.blogspot.com/, www.performancemenu.com/recipes/recipes.php. Look here for examples on menus.

The degeneracy continues in the West, especially when it comes to health and lifestyle. According to a recent survey, "some 45% in the UK agreed with the statement 'I like the taste of fast food too much to give it up', while 44% of Americans said they would be unable to give up their burgers, pizzas and chicken wings."

What's shocking here is not just the fact that almost half of the people in the US and UK are addicted to fast food, but that they are aware of their own destructive lifestyle and choose to do nothing about it. The same survey claims "people in the UK and the US were the most likely to nominate 'no self discipline' as the leading factor in obesity." No self discipline? If we're aware that we're eating ourselves to obesity and refuse to do anything about it, what does that tell us about the direction of our society as a whole?

This is the hypocrisy of our Western democracies: we live destructive lifestyles and call this freedom, attacking any nation or culture that doesn't agree with our obsession with money and power, but at the same time we justify our ill behaviour with lack of discipline and self-control, effectively saying that our system of government is a corrupt dead end and out of control. It consumes everything in its way and leaves behind war, social misery, ecological problems and dissolved cultural traditions. We're in denial of our own path to self-destruction.

But wait, it gets better: another recent survey from America revealed that "among parents with an obese, or extremely overweight, child ages 6 to 11, 43 percent said their child was 'about the right weight'." These parents are obviously in denial. This is a dangerous trend because it means that the standard of what is obesity and what is not will change, as the average weight in the Western countries will increase over time. In 30 years that fat slob next door might be a "slim" photo model. Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder?

We push the boundaries further and further to justify a development we claim to be inevitable but the facts speak for themselves: we refuse to be in control because we want to eat ourselves fat without taking any responsibility for the consequences. Don't think about criticizing our behaviour, because we've made sure that it's illegal to harm or upset an individual because of his/her physical condition. If you're fat, you have the moral right to be so!

Obesity in the West is a powerful metaphor that in one word describes the modern disease. Our only goal in life is to consume to satisfy an underconfident ego and since self-control isn't an option, we choose to stick our heads in the sand and masturbate to our holy ideals instead. There, underneath the surface of what's really going on, we're all living in peace, justice, equality and respect. Don't mind that it's all just a lie to keep us occupied until we die; we're motivated by fear and rather choose pleasant illusion than uncomfortable reality -- someone could get discriminated!

And so is an entire civilization able to consume itself until there's nothing left, plunging down into third world state while leaving a vast desert behind. Global poverty, political corruption and poisoned food await the starving masses, who cannot take proper care of themselves but insist that all other options are oppressive and evil. Welcome to modern society.

While it's the best policy to buy locally where available - from farms shops for instance or growing/raising your own food - it is a fact of life that most people get their food from supermarkets. What follows are some tips on what to buy and what to avoid when grocery shopping in supermarkets.

Bear in mind firstly what is healthy and what isn't. A diet rich in fruit and vegetables is a must. Shun "ready meals" in favor of ingredients for recipes. It's best to know what you are eating and how it has been prepared. Stick to whole foods rather than anything processed like various meats and cheeses often are.

The worst kind of "ready meals" are those that come in microwavable/oven-cook plastic containers, that you are supposed to cook the food in. The food even tastes of plastic, and chemicals are bound to leech into it. Plastic containers contaminate food, some food more than others, with hormone disrupting chemicals: phthalates. Glass containers are best. Canned food is also at risk from phthalate contamination since cans are coated with plastic inside. Very worrying. I am not saying you should never buy this, but just be aware.

An important ingredient to avoid is: hydrogenated vegetable oil(and partially hydrogenated which can actually be worse). Many supermarkets and top brands have thankfully started to make a point of excluding this from their products. It is a trans fat and is the worst kind of fat, far worse than saturated fat. The hydrogenation is an industrial process, which increases the shelf life of the product and the expense of your own life span. Serious health effects include: more "bad" cholesterol, rigid arteries, clogged arteries, insulin resistance and diabetes.

Buy organically grown produce, but be aware that organic standards have been watered down. Organic food is seen as a highly profitable sector for supermarkets, and the result of this demand has seen corners being cut to qualify items as being organic. In the US, a number of non-organic ingredients are allowed in products labeled organic. In Europe, the rules now allow for 5% of the ingredients not to be organic.

"Food miles" should be taken into account when considering the impact on the environment of your purchases. Anything locally produced is the most responsible option for this reason. Products labeled "fair trade", which are sold in a scheme that aims to ensure the growers get a fair wage, that the land is farmed responsibly and that globalized free trade does not allow ruthless corporations to trample people and ecology, are still not good to buy from a "food miles" perspective. Coffee travels a long distance to arrive in the West, and it would be better to use alternatives such as Chicory coffee or Dandelion-root coffee ( available in health food shops and in some supermarkets). These don't have as far to travel to reach you.

You may also think about the company that is benefiting from your purchases. For example, many people boycott Israeli or Chinese goods. There are good reasons to avoid Chinese foods in the wake of recent revelations regarding poisonous contamination. You should think about who and what you are supporting when you buy things. Even think about the adverts you see for various brands in the media. Are they promoting degenerate ideas?

Finally, consider packaging. We must avoid buying over-packaged goods, which we pay for, and which ends up being thrown away - causing pollution as well as a waste of the energy and resources that were used to make the packaging. And don't forget to re-use or recycle those plastic shopping bags!

Being a lonely college student at a large university isn't always easy. For anyone that has been in school for 10+ years it is obvious that being a student requires a lot more than simply taking care of education and attending formal activities. It's a lifestyle and whether you like it or not, you need to somehow integrate with it and still come out in one piece before you get a job. How do you do it?

Education

Find a favourite topic or work area that you are good at and pursue its equivalence at the university. Seek courses that match your interests, not your future salary. Don't burn yourself out by the desk but giving up on studies isn't a solution either. Be self-critical and ignore what you don't deem useful. You will notice over time that not all lectures are meaningful and much literature can be glimpsed through or avoided altogether.

Regardless of the supposedly "scientific approach" of universities that you read about in the commercials, academia is filled with political correctness and social peer pressure. Topics that are taboo in politics are also taboo at the university. Avoid branding yourself as an extremist but find ways of neatly inserting your ideas into college education, by explaining them in simple terms and metaphors. You can propose a solution to overpopulation without promoting worldwide genocide. Use your imagination.

Most intelligent students over time begin to identify themselves with Goethe's Faust; students often spend long hours in front of books, studying life instead of living it. A good way of making studying more fun is to integrate your own ideas and beliefs with your every day education. An essay in political science can explain the failure of democracy by studying how lobby groups influence and corrupt politicians. A math paper on primes can be compared to algorithms for encryption keys. Be creative and curious - that's what teachers appreciate in the first place.

Social Life

It's important not to become too alienated as a student, since that will impact both your physical/mental health and test results. The key to a healthy social life is to be picky about whom you meet and what you spend your time on. Find intelligent and interesting people with whom you can exchange meaningful ideas and experiences. You meet them during social events that require an active participation, like tree planting and art creation, or in established philosophical circles and literature groups.

While there will be a lot of pre-organized activities for students, clubs, bars and cinemas will mostly be populated by fools who're seeking attention and social confirmation. It's better to attend classical concerts or find a few favourite spots where you can sit with your friends and talk. For dates, walks in the parks, nightly visits by the beach or a pleasant restaurant is recommended over a crowded bar with drunk people.

Avoid excessive amounts of alcohol, drugs, sex, TV and shopping; they won't make you happier and every Monday will still be the same. Aim for a healthy and responsible lifestyle, which in turn will impress and attract both possible mates and reliable friends. It's important that you view social life as a chance to meet new interesting people and break away from studies. University often transforms into an academic fantasy world and it's good for you to come out and experience new things.

Existential

College life isn't always dandy. Many smart people occasionally break down and plunge into short- or long-term depressions, often because they're surrounded by ignorant fools and are unable to find like-minded individuals. Isolation doesn't necessarily have to be physical; the worst kind of isolation is mental and can slowly force us to resign to the world around us.

To avoid depression it is vital that you remain active and maintain some sort of connection to the real world. You can do this in many ways; working in a garden or a greenhouse, planting trees, organize trash pickups, create a college journal with a group of friends, excel in home cooking or work with art. You can even join a choir, learn to play an instrument or write articles for a site such as this one.

During college years, every single individual thinks he or she is a future politician. Political activism in general will be reduced to liberalism (selfishness in slick package) and different forms of leftism (praise the poor, save humanity from suffering). You want to avoid both. If you are interested in politics, start your own active group and declare it as traditionalist and anti-modern. Organize group discussions and smaller lectures on topics like globalism, terrorism and environmentalism. Create propaganda in the form of fliers, campus radio shows or public speeches.

Will I Survive?

Yes you will. University is like any other period in life: filled with ups and downs. Not everything can nor be should be "fun" but if you study what you're interested in and find ways of inserting your own ideas, while at the same time learning something new on the way, college life can actually become a meaningful experience that you'll remember long after it's over. Create and be active as long as you feel idealistic. Academia is a huge bubble world for many but by penetrating those illusions in your daily life and in effect demonstrating that an alternative path is available, you will inspire others to do the same.

Almost every evening for the last two years I have been exercising on a rebounder. I bounce on this mini trampoline for around half an hour on average. This method of exercise has been evaluated as being one of the best that there is.

There are so many benefits to using a rebounder. You can jog on it, bounce gently or not so gently, or jump high in the air. Because it is a soft surface you avoid the strain on joints that you would get if skipping, jumping or running on hard ground. These latter often end up causing damage that leads to arthritis in later years.

Fitness should be built up gradually, but even very gentle bouncing, where both feet remain on the surface, is very good for someone old or very unfit who needs to build up their strength. The motion stimulates all your internal organs, and is very effective in pumping the lymphatic system. Only exercise can pump the lymph fluids and so this is vital to carry nutrients to cells as well as clear waste products away. It has been found that rebounding and other vigorous exercise increases lymph flow by up to thirty times.

All the cells of the body become stronger in response to the gravitational force of rebounding, which uses almost every muscle when you are jumping - you should find some way to exercise arms either by doing some kind of weight training (nothing very heavy) while rebounding, or else something else you do at another time. You might choose to hold some weights and raise them repeatedly as you jog. It's best to get your knees up high.

Immune cells are stimulated, helping to fight viruses, bacteria and even cancer. You feel full of energy as a result of bouncing, which actually gives energy, and is something that makes you feel better even when you start off tired! Using the rebounder every day is the best anti-depressant ever, in my experience. Many things that would normally cause stress actually seem inconsequential and this makes life easier to cope with. Also, this feel-good effect in itself is hugely good for health.

The most highly intensive exercise you can do on the rebounder is to jump high. This can be tricky, and it is likely that the very smallest models of rebounder are impractical for the purpose since you have to be very coordinated and careful to land safely in the middle. The ancient Spartan women are said to have had a way of "dancing" that involves jumping high so that the heels slap the buttocks. This is great fun, but should be built up gradually and after a short warm-up jog also. The springs can get noisy - so try to avoid desturbing your neighbours.

A benefit for women, in regular use of a rebounder, is a reduction in menstrual pains.

Rebounding circulates more oxygen to the tissues, improving the appearance of skin. It normalizes blood pressure and is great for the heart. It stimulates the metabolism, helping to burn fat at a faster rate even when not exercising. Digestion is improved, quality of sleep is improved, aging is slowed and mental performance is enhanced.

You can even do this exercise whilst watching a movie on TV - although I always prefer to listen to some energetic music, which increases my stamina.

The nutritional advice given to the public is that we should eat a minimum of five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. But little clarification is given about the best food choices to make to get the maximum health benefit. Some people like to count chips/French fries and crisps towards their "five a day"! While healthily cooked (without fat) potatoes do qualify, those cooked in fat certainly do not.

Some fruit and veg like apples and cucumber are undoubtedly good for you, but there are other choices you can make that will give substantially greater benefit. All fruit and veg at least provide fiber, which is essential for a functional digestive system.

The most popular choices are not the best. These are: corn, potatoes, apples, bananas, and iceberg lettuce. Iceberg lettuce is pretty much just an expensive way to buy water. Always choose the dark green lettuces instead - or other green salad leafs.

You should be looking for the so-called "power house" fruit and vegetables, which have a lot of vitamins A and C, as well as beta carotene. Get a variety of different colored produce: dark green, yellow, orange and red. They each have their own important qualities.

Green: leafy vegetables such as romaine lettuce, Brussels sprouts, brocolli or spinach.

Yellow/orange: carrots, winter quash, oranges, peppers in various colors (including red and green).

Red: tomatoes, berries, peppers.

Raw food retains the most nutrients. Vitamins are lost, to varying extents, through canning, drying, freezing and pickling. For example, canned apricots have half the vitamin A/beta carotene of fresh. But carrots are odd in that they actually are more beneficial if cooked - but not overdone. This unleashes more beta carotene. This is also better absorbed by the body if eaten with a little oil such as olive oil, or even a few nuts or seeds.

Here's a basic recipe for Roasted Root Vegetables, that you can improvise on by adding other vegetables such as sliced peppers (seeds removed).

Serves 6 as an accompaniment to a meal - perhaps 3 as a main meal.

Ingredients

2 medium red onions, each cut into 8 wedges
1 3/4 cups coarsely chopped peeled turnips (about 1/2 pound)
3 1/2 cups coarsely chopped carrot (about 1 1/2 pounds)
3 cups coarsely chopped parsnip (about 1 pound)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 230 Celcius/Centigrade (Gas mark 8).

Combine first 7 ingredients in a shallow roasting pan; toss well. Bake for 1 hour, stirring after 30 minutes. When removed from the oven, toss the parsley, vinegar, and pepper to coat the vegetables.

Problems With Inorganic

There has been a lot of talk recently about organics, but is there any legitimacy to the argument? Simply put, yes...and for one simple reason: If you wouldn't voluntarily put chemicals into your body, why pay someone else to do it for you?

This is, in essence, what a person is doing when she picks up a package of raspberries that are a few cents cheaper than the one next to it marked "organic." Hopefully the penny-pincher is saving that cash because, over the course of a lifetime, the pesticides, herbicides, larvicides, miticides, fungicides, bactericides, virucides, ovicides, rodenticides, molluscicides, and chemically-derived fertilizers used to render that cheap produce will almost inevitably result in a number of otherwise avoidable health complications--such as cancer, infertility, birth defects, endocrine disruption, and various neurological and respiratory conditions. The hoarded money will come in quite handy when the ensuing medical bills begin arriving.

What Organic Means

Quite simply, organics are products which are natural, that is, not made using inorganic, i.e. synthetic, chemical agents. That means not only are no chemicals used in growing the produce, but none of the plants have been genetically modified (which is environmentally problematical). Yet, since the yield for organics is understandably smaller, organic produce costs more. But don't despair. Even if you don't have the cash but have a desire to eat healthy, there is a very simple, very satisfying solution: grow a garden. Simple math tells us that the price of two pounds of tomatoes is the same as six baby 'mater upstarts which will render over 20 pounds of fruit...each!

A Sample Garden

Contrary to popular belief, having and maintaining an organic garden does not require a degree in horticulture. As with any garden, first synchronize your planting dates (you can't grow lettuce in the middle of summer and you need to give onions plenty of time to mature) with the zone you are in, make sure your garden is in an area which receives six or more hours of sunlight a day, and grow only what you want to eat.

Now, the only difference between yesteryear's chemically-treated vegetable plot and today's al naturale boutique is that the latter may require a bit more know-how and elbow grease. Getting familiar with your companion plants (those which aide one another in growth), being aware of which insects are beneficial (wasps and ladybugs help rid you of the irritating caterpillar and aphid population respectively), and knowing your various diseases is essential.

But what about the costly overhead? Once the seeds are in the ground, because the resourceful individual has read Heather Flores's insightful Food Not Lawns, he knows that the leaves which have yet to cleaned out of the gutters serve as ready-made (and free) fertilizer and mulch (the latter cannot be overestimated for it inhibits weed growth, helps retain water, and cools the soil) and that there is no need for an increased water bill because runoff is free (stick a bucket under a gutter drain and let nature do the work). Before the end of the first season, the amateur organic gardener will not only be bragging about the potency of his or her green thumb, but the size of one's bulging pockets.

Even those without land at their disposal need not fret. Community gardens are, no pun intended, cropping up at an outstanding rate. These are gardens which are joint, community efforts and, as a result, ones which no one person could single-handedly render. If you see a large plot somewhere, don't hesitate to knock on the nearest door (gardeners are friendly folk on general principle) and inquire as to who's responsible/overseeing the project. All a person needs to join is either willing labor or supplies. Not only does the individual get a multitude of produce out of the deal, but the experienced guidance of gardening veterans.

Live in the city and have to actually search for a grassy knoll? Rooftop gardening is, a-hem, right up your alley.

With this, you'll be ready to move onto more advanced, greater money-saving techniques, such as hardening, seed rendering, germination testing, indoor upstarts and transplanting, winter gardening, seed exchanges, and soil conditions in no time, and--before you know it--people will start coming to you for organic gardening advice.