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Why Paul Roberts’ End of Food deserves to be digested

In the Middle East, water-poor nations are using petrol profits to buy farmland in economically depressed countries like Pakistan and Sudan. China, with its own farmland under pressure from development and pollution, is using some of its vast export income to snap up land in Africa and Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, Brazil — the globe’s emerging […]

Amtrak struggles to meet demand as ridership soars

As commuters continue to look for alternatives to high gas prices, increasing numbers are choo-choo-choosing Amtrak. A record 28 million passengers are expected to ride the train this fiscal year compared to 25.8 million last year. The House and Senate have passed bills that could boost Amtrak’s funding by 33 percent, which has Amtrak prez […]

A great WSJ video on the mad economics of cow farming

This wonderful little video by Wall Street Journal Multimedia originally came out in July, but the newspaper embedded it today in an article on feed prices. It contains two highly interesting bits of information. 1) With corn prices hovering at historically high levels, industrial-scale meat producers are turning to junk food as a feed supplement […]

Smog settles on Beijing for opening ceremony

Friday: On the day of the Olympic opening ceremonies, the Air Pollution Index reading was a moderate 94 (see the “Beijing Air Quality” box on the right side of this page): View of Beijing’s third ring road and CCTV building. Photo taken Aug. 8. And here’s the same view one week earlier, when the API […]

As GMO sugar beets sneak into the food supply, citizens fight back

“Never underestimate the power of a few committed people to change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” — Anthropologist Margaret Mead Even if you’ve heard the above quote many times before, the sentiment expressed is so powerful that I think it’s worth repeating. All around the world, small groups of […]

Government-guaranteed, for-profit businesses are inherently risky

Q: What do the banking crisis and the energy crisis have in common? A: They have both been created in no small part by government policies that have expressly incentivized risky behavior. For the banking perspective, pick up any recent issue of The Economist. They have lately been running a series of rather insightful critiques […]

IKEA invests in cleantech, may soon stock solar panels

Heading to IKEA for some meatballs and easy-to-assemble furniture? You may soon be able to pick up solar panels as well. The Swedish manufacturer plans to invest some $75 million in a handful of cleantech startups, focusing on the areas of solar energy, lighting, sustainable materials, energy efficiency, and water conservation. Ultimately, IKEA has a […]

From Pole to Paris

Ladder rip Who’s steamy, dreamy, and good with a well-greased pole? These South Florida firefighters, whose 2009 charity calendar showcases sustainable wood. We just hope they put out … fires, that is. Photo: Apollo GT Well-suited Breaststroker Amanda Beard bared her bronzed bod in an anti-fur ad ahead of today’s Olympic opening ceremonies. According to […]

GOP rep in Tenn. loses primary after being linked to Big Oil

In Tennessee, freshman Republican Rep. David Davis lost his primary last night, apparently in large part because his opponent linked him to Big Oil. Davis is the first sitting Tennessee congressman in 40 years to lose in a primary. He was beaten by Johnson City Mayor Phil Roe, who accused Davis of accepting money from […]

What if a public/private partnership tried to invent the stop sign today?

What if there were no stop signs and a 21st century corporation tried to invent one under contract from a 21st century government department? Yep, there are downsides to public investments …