Sampler Platter

Sounds like Michael Pollan understands quite well a key theme in economics. (4.00 / 3)

One of the right lessons from economics is that incentives matter, especially in our world of today.  Get the incentives right and the results will follow. That's the key to the food safety bill, and making the right kinds of distinctions among the kinds of food "producers". Driven as we all are by economics (conserving on our budgets, trying to buy goods that will really give us results, not engaging in wasteful spending), we inevitably respond to economic incentives. Even food producers/processors will! - if the incentives are correctly aligned and are strong enough (and enforced).

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by: DennisP @ Sun May 31, 2009 at 14:27:04 PM UTC

This thing is friggin' awesome... (4.00 / 1)

ClimateWizard -

Developed through collaboration between The Nature Conservancy, The University of Washington, and The University of Southern Mississippi, the ClimateWizard enables technical and non-technical audiences alike to easily and intuitively access leading climate change information and visualize the impacts anywhere on Earth.

The first generation of this web-based program-which was recently launched at www.climatewizard.org-allows the user to choose a state or country and see both the climate change that has occurred to date and the climate change that is predicted to occur. Simply put, ClimateWizard can be used to assess how climate has changed over time and to project what future changes are likely to occur in a given area. ClimateWizard represents the first time ever the full range of climate history and impacts for a landscape have been brought together in a user-friendly format.

Map Dork (yup, that's me) porn!  :)

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by: JayinPortland @ Sun May 31, 2009 at 15:48:17 PM UTC

Oouuuh! Map Pr0n! (4.00 / 1)

Can't wait to dive into that.

Yankee Frugality: use it up, wear it out, make it last, or do without.

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by: Anonymous Bosch @ Sun May 31, 2009 at 16:37:38 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Make sure you're free all day! (0.00 / 0)

Heh, I almost missed my bus to the farmers' market playing with that thing earlier!

:)

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by: JayinPortland @ Sun May 31, 2009 at 17:50:17 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Food for Thought... (4.00 / 1)

From Counterpunch:

Three Luddites Talking... On A computer

...
I've been watching with horror the infiltration of wireless contamination.  I've seen the ways multinational corporations entice a populace made lonely and scared by life in mass society into believing that they cannot survive without a gadget that a year before they could not imagine.  I've seen how the old technologies that served similar purposes suddenly become unavailable, are outlawed, or the means by which they function  impossible to find.  How the industry sets up its hegemony via legislation giving carte blanche to proliferate and profit.  How people are brainwashed into accepting, even championing these technologies.  How the cancers and heart attacks and immunological diseases that result are then accepted as separate acts of individual fate rather than results of direct exposure to electromagnetic radiation.  How, by dependence on these new technologies, they become impossible to protest.

Long dialog well worth the read, imo.

Yankee Frugality: use it up, wear it out, make it last, or do without.

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by: Anonymous Bosch @ Sun May 31, 2009 at 16:43:30 PM UTC

"Learning by Killing" (4.00 / 1)

you mentioned the piece on the Ethicurean called "Learning by Killing" and said that it "had [you] a bit nervous that it was about slaughtering animals."

However, don't you think those who eat meat should know that their food source comes from a living thing? I am not a vegetarian, but I'm bothered by the number of fellow meat-eaters who believe it's OK if someone else does the dirty work as long as you don't have to do the killing yourself.

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by: dwarbi @ Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 01:16:36 AM UTC

oh yes I do believe that (4.00 / 1)

people who eat meat should know where it comes from. But I don't eat meat! I just wasn't sure that I was up for reading anything that glorified or romanticized in any way the slaughter of animals, as the title sounded like it might.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

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by: Jill Richardson @ Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 05:19:40 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I wholeheartedly (4.00 / 2)

agree.  I especially loved that about "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle," because it points out that if you want to eat it, you have to kill it first.  

We had a book exchange day at work today.  Everyone got to pick a life-changing book and I choose that one.  I had to forewarn the vegetarians though about the section on harvest day, and the killing of the chickens and turkeys.  The day I read that chapter was the day I gave up CAFO meat.  

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by: chicklet @ Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 20:27:54 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Learning to kill (4.00 / 2)

especially if you're going to eat meat, fish, shelfish, poultry, will give most people a greater respect for the life they take or cause to be taken. My philosophy on killing has always been 'Quick and Clean'. When we slaughter an animal out here we're extremely cautious in how we do it. We slaughter emu, poultry and when I have them, rabbits. If you've ever slit the throat of an animal that wasn't either already dead or completely insensate, you'll know what I mean when I say it's a horrifying experience. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

Regarding locavores as elitists - explain to me how supporting local business is elitist....

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by: Joanne Rigutto @ Tue Jun 02, 2009 at 17:12:51 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I love Michelle Obama's comment (4.00 / 1)

that food should be a lesson. We don't expect the science lessons to pay for themselves - why should the lunch lesson?

But it's all about the funding. Support your local schools at the ballot box. When you're thinking about writing checks to a charitable organization, consider your local public school. Perhaps volunteer your time to help with a garden. There is much to do.

As it was, he did a deal with a blancmange, and the blancmange ate his wife.

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by: elfling @ Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 15:28:47 PM UTC