Fresh markets have always been a first choice for me when buying groceries. The quality is better, the taste is better, and transaction between consumer and product is better. They help support the community while providing a healthy alternative to processed foods. The problem is location and frequency. America is not compact, it's far from it; one could even say it's segregated. The nation itself is split into states which is split into counties which is split again into cities. Locations are isolated, and per capita averages are skewed. This aspect makes it very difficult for people locate and support fresh markets. In a more compact environment, business is plentiful and more food received by more hands. Another issue is frequency, or lack there of. Most fresh markets, especially ones outside large cities are not frequent, running weekly or couple times a week. For a shopper to consistency rely on their alternative, it must be available every day. And in the realm of organic foods, with their shorter shelf-life, the idea of "eat what you buy today" should be promoted. Less waste, a fresher meal, and more variety to a diet. And finally the push for fresh markets comes to its similarities to currency. Businesses are built around it, different foods hold different values, and no one is really sure who touched it last or where it's been. This last part is the real problem. This last part is where fresh markets and other local initiatives are putting down their foot and making a change. They are creating transparency between the supplier and consumer, and in turn, providing a safer, more reliable product.
Here's an idea that doesn't make sense.
Right now, in the 21st century, humans are cognitively smarter than animals. We've developed TVs and Legos while animals hunt and sit in trees (I'm generalizing a whole bunch here, humans have also perfected the burrito). But what if this superiority only applies to earth? What if animal's creativity and critical thinking abilities are suppressed by the earth's atmosphere? For instance, you put a shark or a moose up in space and they are suddenly smart as shit. Drinkin' martinis and playing chess. They would probably figure out time travel in a matter of seconds. And maybe the reverse is also true and humans are real dumb in space. Maybe that's why we can't find anything. There could be a lot of stuff out there, but we don't even realize it. I bet if you interview like Bruce Willis or someone and ask him how his trip to space was, he'd probably be confused. "Oh man, it...it was crazy. I'm a little foggy on the imagery, but it was real cool."
There you go conspiracists, that's yours for the taking. Take it and run with it, it's on me. And hey, you might even want to jazz it up a little with a few quarks, maybe some twists and turns. For example, the reason sharks attack people on earth is to chase them into space so they can rule us. Actually, this is probably solid enough to even build a religion on it. Not sure what you'd call it, maybe "Sharks in Space".
