Articles by Julia Olmstead

Saving gas the non-hybrid way

A nice story from Mother Jones this month on "hypermilers," people who use all kinds of wacky techniques to maximize fuel economy:

More from Lester Brown on ethanol and food costs

Worried that no one's going to post on ethanol today? Let me ease your troubled mind ...

The world may soon be facing the highest food prices in history, according to Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute. The group released a missive today that says increased corn demand caused by the ethanol boom will dramatically raise food costs in the near future:

Biodiesel means trouble for Uganda

As reported by Reuters yesterday:

The president of Uganda asked the National Forest Authority boss to quit after he refused to license a palm oil company to destroy a pristine rainforest on an island in Lake Victoria, according to his resignation note.

Finally, teh soy and teh gay, united

Looks like there's more to soy biodiesel than protecting the environment and energy independence -- it's also going to help keep down the homosexual population!

Yes, it seems that medical "evidence" has finally shown homosexuality is not genetic at all. It is, in fact, your momma's fault for giving you soy-based formula.

Let's keep that "devil's food" out of the mouths of babes and in our fuel tanks!

Seriously, though, soy products (that aren't fermented) do contain high levels of phyto-estrogens, which are analogous to the female hormone estrogen. Studies are mixed as to the effects of soybeans' chemicals and metabolites on infants, as well as on adults. But none of them point to a link between soy and homosexuality.

If you're leery of soy formula's possible effects on babies (and want to give your baby the best start all around), stick to breastfeeding.