Latest Articles

What I saw at the Iowa State Fair, the nation’s most popular annual food event

In “Dispatches from the Fields,” Ariane Lotti and Stephanie Ogburn, who are working on small farms in Iowa and Colorado this season, share their thoughts on producing real food in the midst of America’s agro-industrial landscape. —– Get your deep-fried Twinkies! My roommate at college (one of those snooty, Northeastern Ivy-league institutions) was from rural […]

Honda rolls out new cheap hybrid with familiar name

At the Paris International Auto Show next month, Honda will unveil a prototype of its new low-cost hybrid: the Insight. A lot has changed since 1999, when the company debuted the first hybrid to hit American roads: the, um, Insight. Has Honda exhausted its supply of car names? Nay, says the company: “The name Insight […]

Earth hotter now than in past 2,000 years

The “hockey stick” graph is a reconstruction of Northern Hemisphere temperatures over the past thousand years. It showed a sharp rise starting about a century ago. Global warming deniers and doubters have long attacked the graph asserting that we were as warm if not warmer hundreds of years ago. But a 2006 National Academy of […]

It begins with a T-shirt

Matt Stoller explains the magic of clean coal fairly well, but for a more sophisticated take, let’s turn to the Clean Coal Girlz at the RNC:

Another large section of Canadian ice shelf breaks loose

In a predictable yet mildly troubling reminder of the Arctic’s continued ice melt, researchers say yet another massive ice chunk has broken off from an ice shelf in Canada. The Serson Ice Shelf just saw its mass more than halved when two large sections broke off recently, leaving it about 47 square miles smaller. For […]

Republicans revert to base-rallying strategy

Tonight’s Republican speeches reveal quite a bit about how the rest of the election will play out. McCain began this election beloved by the press and expected to compensate for the lack of right-wing base enthusiasm by going hard for independents and swing voters, using his appeal as a straight-talking maverick. That strategy is in […]

Defenders of Wildlife releases ad on Palin’s support of aerial wolf hunting

Defenders of Wildlife just released this ad targeting GOP VP candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for supporting aerial hunting of wolves:

VP acceptance speech hits on energy issues

Sarah Palin. Photo: johnmccain.com Sarah Palin’s much-anticipated VP acceptance speech on Wednesday night included a lot of energy talk — and extensive criticism of Barack Obama. “We are expected to govern with integrity, good will, clear convictions, and a servant’s heart,” she said. “I pledge to all Americans that I will carry myself in this […]

Rudy Giuliani talks up McCain/Palin energy policy

Rudy Giuliani. Former mayor of New York City and one-time presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani came out swinging tonight on energy policy, praising John McCain’s approach and emphasizing the pro-drilling portion. “He will lead us toward an America that will be independent of foreign oil by an ‘all-of-the-above’ approach, including nuclear power and off-shore drilling, said […]

Spotted in St. Paul today …

David is inside the conventional hall tonight (we’re sharing one credential, and it’s his turn), so I’m watching from a nearby restaurant. The scene outside is pretty surreal. MSNBC has a big stage set up in a park right in front of the hall, where they’re broadcasting live. Earlier today I was milling in the […]