Rarrrrrr. Turns out, Hungary has an entire government position devoted to promoting bicycling.

In Hungary, the Ministry of Economics and Transport actually has a Deputy Minister for cycling by the name of Adam Bodor. Bodor’s job, put simply, is to get people on their bikes.

Now, why can’t the U.S. do that?

Left: All the water in the world (1.4087 billion cubic kilometres of it) including sea water, ice, lakes, rivers, ground water, clouds, etc. Right: All the air in the atmosphere (5140 trillion tonnes of it) gathered into a ball at sea-level density. Shown on the same scale as the Earth.

FAVORITE FOOD TO COOK
DEMOCRATS:
Clinton: "I’m a lousy cook, but I make pretty good soft scrambled eggs."
Edwards: Hamburgers.
Obama: Chili.
Richardson: Diet milkshake.

REPUBLICANS:
Giuliani: Hamburgers or steak on the grill.
Huckabee: Ribeye steak on the grill.
McCain: Baby-back ribs.
Romney: Hot dog.

SHUNNED FOOD ITEMS
DEMOCRATS:
Clinton: "I like nearly everything. "I don’t like, you know, things that are still alive."
Edwards: "I can’t stand mushrooms. I don’t want them on anything that I eat. And I have had to eat them because you get food served and it’s sitting there and you’re starving, so you eat."
Obama: "Beets, and I always avoid eating them."
Richardson: Mushrooms, specifically. "I’m not a big vegetable eater." Recalling the first President Bush’s distaste for broccoli, he said: "I sympathize with that fully."

REPUBLICANS:
Giuliani: Liver.
Huckabee: "Carrots. I just don’t like carrots. I banned them from the governor’s mansion when I was governor of Arkansas because I could."
McCain: "I eat almost everything. Sometimes I don’t do too well with vegetables."
Romney: "Eggplant, in any shape or form. And I’ve always been able to avoid it."
Thompson: "Not much. I’ve tried to do better about that. I jokingly say that we kind of have a diet around our house that if it tastes good, you don’t eat it. I haven’t quite got there yet. There’s not much that I turn down. That’s a good thing on the campaign trail because you get quite a variety."

You know, because vegetables are for wusses, true patriots love meat, vegetarianism is a gateway drug to liberal snobbery, etc., etc.

Scrolling through the responses, some amusing patterns emerge. Namely, McCain loves anything and everything to do with barbecuing, and Huckabee desperately wishes that guitar ownership would make him cool. (Hey guys, hey guys! I have a bass guitar! Did — did you hear that? Did I mention my guitar? Because I have one.)

Now if only someone would compile a useful table of candidate responses to relevant questions … say, a table with candidates’ stances on fuel-economy standards, renewable energy, and coal. Oh wait! We did.

As I was looking at the photo, I thought to myself: Self, what a fabulous opportunity to give props to all our wonderful donors. So thank you, Grist donors! We are but a humble nonprofit, and without your generosity, we’d all be sitting here in the dark.

If you’re reading this and it moves you to donate a few bucks, know that we’ll spend it wisely on organic beer for the staff more of the same feisty, witty journalism you know and love.

Like all foods in the United States, chocolate is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration to ensure that consumers get a safe and consistent product.

But perhaps no longer. The FDA is entertaining a "citizen’s petition" to allow manufacturers to substitute vegetable fats and oils for cocoa butter.

The "citizens" who created this petition represent groups that would benefit most from this degradation of the current standards. They are the Chocolate Manufacturers Assn., the Grocery Manufacturers Assn., the Snack Food Assn. and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assn. (OK, I’m not sure what’s in it for them), along with seven other food producing associations [PDF] …

Because it’s already perfectly legal to sell choco-products made with cheaper oils and fats, what the groups are asking the FDA for is permission to call these waxy impostors "chocolate …"

The FDA does have a way for other citizens to voice their expectations. It’s buried deep in its website. Until April 25, the agency is accepting comments — by fax, mail or online — on a docket with the benign-sounding name of "2007P-0085: Adopt Regulations of General Applicability to All Food Standards that Would Permit, Within Stated Boundaries, Deviations from the Requirements of the Individual Food Standards of Identity."

To submit a comment to the FDA, click here, and follow the steps. (Check out this helpful website on how to fill out the form.)

Some choice quotes, in case you can’t watch the video:

“The global warming we’re experiencing right now would have to be God’s wrath … These are precursors to the rapture, which should occur in about, you know, 5 to 7 years …”

“If you have not accepted Jesus Christ, then you are basically left behind, and a bowl of God’s anger is poured upon the sun, that allows the sun to burn …”

“… waters of the earth, turned to blood, you can’t drink it …”

“… and God comes to live with us and we live with God, and I’m looking forward to having a recreational vehicle and spending a lot of time with my family.”