Radishrain

List of vendors that sell herbs, vitamins, minerals, supplements, spices, or foods:

* herbco.com / Monterey Bay Spice Company (shopped here once; I really enjoyed it)
* mountainroseherbs.com (never shopped here)
* nuts.com (I've shopped here multiple times; I love it)

List of vendors for fertilizer, soil amendments, minerals, and such:

* alphachemicals.com
* greenwaybiotech.com

See this article entitled, 'Elephants Help Zebras Coexist with Cattle', July 29, 2008: https://www.conservationmagazine.org/2008/07/elephants-help-zebras-coexist-with-cattle/

It's pretty interesting.

elephant_
zebra_
dung_

Here's an article about risks associated with consuming reptile products:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19679367

Here's an article about the viability of farming snakes for meat:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/oryx/article/asian-snake-farms-conservation-curse-or-sustainable-enterprise/55920297BFED7418BDB7D82C89936112/core-reader

See this article: https://thecounter.org/case-against-octopus-farming-cephalopod-aquaculture/

In essence, farming carnivores, such as octopi, may cause depletion of the fish they eat (which in some cases may be entirely wild-caught).

Also see this similar article about farming European eels.

carnivore_
wild_caught
aquaculture_

See this article, which lets us know that viruses and bacertia could have a common ancestor: https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/what-came-first-cells-or-viruses

Also note that viruses make decisions (which at some level might imply motion, regardless of whether they can translocate their entire bodies unaided).

Viruses have taxonomy, and relationships to other viruses.

Viruses are comprised of multiple atoms, in a structured way. They contain fat, protein, and DNA.

Viruses can be destroyed (for example, by heat or other means). Depending on who you ask, they may or may not term that as death. And if it can die, it's perhaps alive, in some sense.

While viruses need cells from other organisms to reproduce, I don't see how that, in and of itself, differentiates them from parasitic animals.

With these things in mind, and others we already should know, I don't see why they should be excluded from being considered alive.

I think the problem here is that life is an abstract word and it is based on context. I mean, in what contexts are viruses alive, or not alive? In what contexts are animals alive? In what context can computers be alive? They're all alive in some contexts. If you separate context and life, it doesn't make a lot of sense to attempt to use logic to determine what is alive and what isn't.

So, rather than trying to make life describe its own context (which doesn't make sense), I think we have to describe in what way things are alive. I mean, pick your criteria and give it a context name.

virus_
bacteria_
life_

The cooking and recipes forums were unnecessary and redundant considering that the tags feature has been added. Use the cooking and recipe tags instead.

An Element forum has been added for discussion of things that are not alive, nor necessarily from plants or animals, such as salt.

Images and videos should follow the spirit of the law that goes with the rules on language. No pornography. No naked people. No sex. No violence. No artwork of naked people. No pictures/videos nor artwork of private body parts (this of course includes, but is not limited to, fruit art). No crudeness, lewdness, etc. No graphic stuff. No disturbing content.

On-site refers to images and videos displayed on this website (not only those uploaded to this website).

To upload multiple images at once, you can use the IBB button, which links to an unaffiliated third-party image host that is convenient for this purpose (https://imgbb.com). Once you upload your images there, paste the HTML into your post. Sorry, it's not integrated so as to paste it automatically.

All foul language, swear words, expletives, curses, and euphemisms (or similar words) that sound or mean the same thing as such, should be avoided, and are against the rules. Avoid using offensive words, like 'stupid'. Avoid name-calling. Avoid threats. Avoid demands. Avoid bribes. Avoid being manipulative. Avoid telling lies. Avoid the kind of sarcasm that makes someone look bad. Avoid unkind language. Avoid offending others, but more importantly, avoid being offended. Avoid slanderous speech. Avoid vulgarity. Avoid taking things personally. Avoid speaking about people's state of being sexual. Avoid racist comments. Avoid sexist comments. Avoid mockery, insults, crudeness, and lewdness. Avoid disdaining, spurning and being contemptuous. Avoid snubbing the rules. Avoid talking about sexual function/disfunction, unless you're summarizing a science article that you've linked to, or some such. Avoid demeaning others.

Avoid venting (as much as you can). Avoid airing grievances.

Avoid making disgruntled speculation as to whether a thread will be deleted, locked, moved, edited, etc. Avoid disgruntled speculation as to whether a post will get you banned. These things can be seen as a snub to the rules, the moderators, and/or administrators, especially if there's nothing wrong with the posts. It can be seen as demeaning the rules, moderators, and/or administrators, and as trying to incite people against them.

Don't troll (that is, don't say things with the intent to rile people up, and don't get riled up with the intent to shut someone down, nor with the intent to inspire argument).

Avoid sexual and political jokes. This even includes jokes involving sexual organs and such. Avoid referencing private body parts. Linking to science articles about private body parts, and summarizing them, is generally okay.

Avoid using religious language when you're not obviously being religious. Avoid acronyms that could be interpreted to include such religious language. Note: Saying "thank God" is not obviously being religious, as it's a very common expression. It will perhaps be replaced with 'thankfully' or 'I'm thankful that'. Be more explicit if you really intend to thank God, and don't do it if you don't intend it.

Avoid acronyms that include, or might seem to include, foul language.

Avoid using words relating to excrement, sex, private body parts, bodily fluids, and animals when you really aren't talking about those things. Avoid using words that describe someone with a disability out of context (e.g. lame, dumb, etc.)

Avoid attempting to force someone to reveal information. This is one way of being manipulative. For example, assuming something surprising or negative about someone so that they'll reveal their true thoughts or else be caught in your assumption. Where this is un-enforce-able, use the honor system. If it looks like you might be doing it, however, your post may be edited, deleted, or such.

If an administrator or moderator thinks your words aren't a good fit for the forum, don't argue about your integrity and the virtue of your words—those things are not the point. Don't take it personally. Your intentions, character, and interpretation of words do not justify language that the moderator/administrator has forbidden, and it's not the end of the world. Moderation is normally intended to be done in a dispassionate, objective manner. Your being upset will only make things more difficult for yourself and others. It won't help your case.

How often people use words 'in the real world' does not matter one bit to the administrator.

The spirit of the law is more important than the letter of the law, which is in part why some forbidden posts might be allowed, and in part why some posts that seem to follow the rules are not allowed.

Also see this related section:
http://radishrain.321.s1.nabble.com/On-site-images-and-videos-td1685.html