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The Daily Grist Headline Battle Royale: Match 2

Thanks to everyone who participated in the first Daily Grist Headline Battle Royale. There were 34 votes and the winning headline was my personal fave, "One King to Bring Them All and in the Darkness Bind Them," which garnered 35% of the votes.

Here are this week's nominees:

1. Nobody Undoes It Like Sara Lee: Industry-backed bill would overthrow state food-labeling laws
2. Beetle Bailiwick: Warmer B.C. ravaged by beetles, haunted by dead birds
3. Bring in Da Illinois, Bring in Da Hunk: Obama speechifies for energy independence, chemical-plant security
4. I Know You Are, Senator, But What Am I?: Pro-drilling Alaska rep aims to punish anti-drilling Washington senators
5. Rumblings in the Bronx: A virtual walking tour of the South Bronx

Remember, if we can keep this going and gain some momentum (read: we need more than 34 votes), we could have ourselves a "Daily Grist Headline Deathmatch" at the end of the year.

Now vote!

How much do Americans pay for essentials?

Ever wondered what percentage of their income poor Americans pay for food? (Hint: more than the rich.) What proportion of Americans drive to work versus take public transit, and how much it costs them to do it? What the average household will pay to heat their home this winter? How much it costs to have a kid with asthma? Todd Hymas ferreted out these, uh, fun facts and more.

Alan Hipólito of Verde Native Plant Nursery answers readers’ questions

What can the well-off do to help low-income people? Alan Hipólito, this week's InterActivist, shares some ideas. He also answers questions about getting his nonprofit off the ground, replicating the concept of a local garden nursery, staving off discouragement, and painting his toenails. To find out what color, you'll have to read the whole thing.

Blogging resumes

So yeah, I'm a bad blogger -- been almost totally AWOL this week. I have, however, been keeping myself busy.

On Monday, I sat down for a longish discussion with Rabbi Michael Lerner, who's leading the call for a spiritual movement from the "left hand of God" (yes, as opposed to the Right).

On Tuesday, I had a shortish chat with water experts Peter Gleick (head of the Pacific Institute) and ex-EPA head Bill Reilly about the state of play on global water issues.

On Wednesday, I had lunch with Richard Louv, whose new book about "nature-deficit disorder" is making waves.

All these will be on the site in coming weeks -- along with the long-rumored interview with Lester Brown, which is running Monday (a firm date!).

I shall now return to regular blogging, barring the appearance of more smart people in the Seattle area.

Chuck Norris strikes yet again.

And while I'm at it:

There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of animals Chuck Norris allows to live.

Ah, minutes of entertainment.

From Principles to Principals

A first: Rock musicians refuse Hummers All the cool bands, from heavyweights Smashing Pumpkins and Talking Heads to up-and-coming indie darlings Trans Am, The Thermals, and Four Tet, have given the official H2 salute to big-money offers from Hummer to license their music for commercials. Said Thermals singer Hutch Harris, “It’s just so evil.” Word. […]

Stats on how much Americans pay for essentials

$1.99 — price of a gallon of 1% milk at Fred Meyer, a big-box chain store, in Seattle $5.69 — price of a gallon of organic 1% milk at Whole Foods in Seattle $4.29 — price of a Big Mac Extra Value Meal at a Seattle McDonald’s (Big Mac, medium fries, medium soft drink) $3.65 […]

Any Portugal in a Wind Storm

Portugal gives wind power a big bear hug; England gives it the finger Portugal is already building the world’s largest solar power plant; now, to make us feel even worse about ourselves, it’s planning a huge new project to more than double its wind-energy capacity. A contractor bid will be accepted by this summer for […]

Melts in Your South, Not in Your Plans

Antarctica ice sheets melting faster than expected Another day, another round of studies showing the world’s ice sheets melting faster than expected, another outbreak of indifference from the public, another resigned sigh from enviros, another bout of empty rhetoric from legislators. K, see you tomorrow! Oh, what, you want details? All right: The lucky ice […]

Nobody Undoes It Like Sara Lee

Industry-backed bill would overthrow state food-labeling laws Two hundred or more state laws requiring warning labels on foods — labels indicating the presence of, say, cancer- or birth-defect-causing ingredients — would get nixed under a bill debated yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation would preempt state food-labeling rules in favor of a […]