Pot Luck

A hit piece on organic food from tonight's NBC Nightly News (4.00 / 4)

Judge for yourself;

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by: Eddie C @ Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 03:06:03 AM UTC

Absolutely nothing said (4.00 / 4)

about soil fertility, except a passing mention of what they called 'synthetic chemicals'.

By the way, that produce in the farmer's market looked great!

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by: Crider @ Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 05:13:47 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Perhaps they should have said something about (4.00 / 3)

The Gulf of Mexico and no more frogs while they are saying that you need to decide if pesticide free eating is worth it to your family.  

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by: Eddie C @ Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 05:33:30 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

bullshit (4.00 / 2)

Organic lettuce costs $8 per pound? Not in my neighborhood.

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by: count @ Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 16:52:12 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

"Everybody knows"... (4.00 / 2)

See, that's just one of those "everybody knows" 'facts'.  They can always claim organic lettuce costs $8 a pound, because regardless of how much it actually costs, "everybody knows" it costs $8 a pound.

A wonderful trick, that is!

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 01:59:08 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

"Food Inc." is going to be on PBS next month! (4.00 / 3)

That should bring the documentary to a few million new viewers.  

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by: Eddie C @ Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 05:41:37 AM UTC

Cost of food-borne illness... (4.00 / 2)

A piece from the LA Times -

A new consumer research report released Wednesday has found that the health-related costs of food-borne illnesses total $152 billion a year, including the costs of medical bills, lost wages and lost productivity. That total is more than four times that of earlier estimates calculated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The findings come as regulatory efforts to patrol the country's food sector are growing amid reports of a string of costly -- and sometimes fatal -- outbreaks of food-borne illness involving peanuts, jalapeno peppers, spinach, beef and other foods.

The report, sponsored by the Produce Safety Project at Georgetown University, provides a comprehensive examination of health costs associated with flaws in the nation's food safety system and "demonstrates the burden of food-borne illness," said Sandra Eskin, director of the Pew Charitable Trusts' Food Safety Campaign, a supporter of the study.

I wonder if this study controls for the fact that, by many estimates, only one out every thirty food poisoning cases are actually reported as such?

"The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks." - Christopher Hitchens

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by: JayinPortland @ Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 15:18:59 PM UTC

Wondering (4.00 / 2)

I wonder if this study controls for the fact that, by many estimates, only one out every thirty food poisoning cases are actually reported as such?

It must. An annual number of $152 billion probably doesn't come from reported cases.

By Andrew Zajac and P.J. Huffstutter

...outbreaks of food-borne illness involving peanuts, jalapeno peppers, spinach, beef and other foods.

I wonder how much the American Meat Institute paid Zajac and Huffstutter to put beef last in the list.

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by: count @ Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 15:58:18 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

costs (4.00 / 2)

The $152 billion is reported to be costs related to health. What about the costs including recalls, attorney fees, lost sales, etc.?

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by: count @ Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 16:02:50 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

When was the last time (4.00 / 2)

500,000 pounds of grass-fed beef had to be recalled? How many millions of pounds of organic spinach or lettuce?

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

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by: Anonymous Bosch @ Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 16:44:23 PM UTC

That was in (4.00 / 2)

hmmm. I can't seem to think of an example.

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by: count @ Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 16:47:25 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

51 (4.00 / 2)

John McCain is correct, important things should not be decided by 51% majorities. For example, John McCain should lose his next election if he doesn't get 60% of the vote. However many votes his opponent gets, that person should win if McCain doesn't get 60%.

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by: count @ Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 17:09:27 PM UTC

earthquakes and poles (4.00 / 1)

You know the magnetic poles flip periodically, right?

I wonder about the effect of a massive earthquake that shifts hundreds of miles of rock sufficiently to move the earth's axis of rotation. Could that affect the core currents that determine the magnetic poles? Could it hasten or retard the flip period?

Idle thoughts...

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by: count @ Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 17:19:51 PM UTC

Rick Perry (4.00 / 1)

Governor Goodhair (hat tip to Molly Ivens) won the Republican primary for Texas Gov. with 51% of the vote. John McCain will be pissed about this. I'm waiting for him to condemn the outcome of this election.

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by: count @ Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 17:27:39 PM UTC

Bennet public option letter (4.00 / 1)

Last week, I speculated that some Senators were waiting 'til after the health insurance summit meeting to decide whether they supported the Bennet letter, calling for "a public option."

I was right. 30 Senators, more than half the Dem caucus voiced support by Monday.

34 Senators are on board now.

Michael Bennet CO  
Jeff Bingaman NM  
Barbara Boxer CA  
Sherrod Brown OH  
Roland Burris IL  
Benjamin Cardin MD  
Robert Casey PA  
Richard Durbin IL  
Dianne Feinstein CA  
Al Franken MN  
Kirsten Gillibrand NY  
Daniel Inouye HI  
Tim Johnson SD  
Ted Kaufman DE  
John Kerry MA  
Amy Klobuchar MN  
Frank Lautenberg NJ  
Patrick Leahy VT  
Carl Levin MI  
Robert Menendez NJ  
Jeff Merkley OR  
Barbara Mikulski MD  
Patty Murray WA  
Jack Reed RI  
Harry Reid NV  
Bernie Sanders VT  
Charles Schumer NY  
Jeanne Shaheen NH  
Arlen Specter PA  
Debbie Stabenow MI  
Mark Udall CO  
Tom Udall NM  
Sheldon Whitehouse RI  
Ron Wyden OR

Many of the statements of suppport are pathetically tepid. "If a public option is presented under reconciliation rules, I will vote for it." Nevertheless, looks like reconciliation will be employed, so let's do it.

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by: count @ Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 18:40:07 PM UTC

what now? (4.00 / 1)

PBO just issued his detailed call for action on health insurance reform. I wonder if more Senators will sign on to Bennet's letter now.

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by: count @ Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 19:12:21 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Prius (4.00 / 1)

One of my boys bought a Prius. He's had it two days, and gets 53 mpg on the expressway! I might get to ride in it Friday, unless I ask him to stop by earlier just to give me a ride.

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by: count @ Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 01:12:25 AM UTC