The scramble for resources

I have often wondered what the big run-down of Western Civilisation will be like.

Violent like last summer's riots or some display of intelligence from our celebrity obsessed nation.

Okay, that is asking too much. The former is much more likely. When people are desperate they steal.

We see it already, not only during the riots of 2011. Theft of metals are never off the news. And now people are stealing wood from wherever they can get it to keep warm.

I see more people putting solar (PV) panels on their roofs to power their homes. I smell the smoke from wood stoves in the winter air as people turn to cheaper ways of heating themselves.

Once PV panels really take off then we will see them being stolen from the roofs of houses, just as we read of the theft of lead from old churches.

Our governments have no solution. All they ever say is, "We need more growth." And yet it is growth that is forcing people to steal. We cannot all be haves on a planet of finite size. Too many people chasing too few resources.

Personally, I don't see what is wrong with taking dead wood from forests. If ever there was proof that we are heading back to feudal times (with banking rather than baronial overlords) then it is this.

BBC - Fuel prices blamed for rise in theft of dead wood

Nuke your bread to make it last

An article on the BBC website reminded me of bread waste. My parents are always wasting bread. Two days after buying it a loaf is pushed to the back of the bread bin and a new loaf bought. I am always collecting bread from them and putting it to good use.

Often, the excuse is "It's gone hard!" The reason why bread goes a little firm after two or three days is loss of water. A simple cure for that is to put the bread into a microwave oven for 30 seconds. The heat makes the bread absorb water from the atmosphere and it will be soft enough to be toasted.

If you want a hard crust on your old bread then put the bread into your oven alongside whatever else you are cooking. Don't waste gas on just a piece of bread.

You can also make breadcrumbs and use the crumbs in various recipes.

BBC - Why is bread Britain's most wasted food?