kenb’s Recent Comments

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  froth remains after bubbles burst

  OK...consider the tech bubble.  Start in the early 90's and invest in tech.  You would get some big gains, and then after 2001 the bubble bursts....BUT you would have a mix of winners and losers.  If you bought "Digital Island" it would have run up to $100 from 2 or 3 and then be gone.  But if you bought ebay, or amazon or yahoo or cisco you would still be holding some nice change after the bubble bursts.

  So when we look at alternative energy, there is a very strong hunch that solar and wind stocks will grow; we may see some serious bubble blowing and a burst, but if you can find the companies that will buil good business models and can sustain sales and profits then you will make $$.  I am thrilled I bought cisco in 1995.  8-)On Could alternative energy companies drive the next big market bubble? posted 1 year, 9 months ago 23 Responses

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  Hippies & Rednecks

  It's great to see this program (Semester in the West @ Whitman College) get some publicity.  My daughter went on the initial Semester in the West trip and the experience was remarkable.  The NPR radio spot was nicely done.  Kudos to Corey for positing the crux of the problem as to how we can all collaborate to solve some of the enviro problems that confront us all.  My experience is that loggers and ranchers love the environment; and that we are all being driven to distrust each other by the behavior of the media to magnify wedge issues.   How do we talk together to find our common ground and common objectives.  Or if the media can be controlled by government, how do we elect a responsible government that will direct the media to work for the common good.  Is media greed (focus on wedge issues to sell more papers and ads) recognized as a destructive force in our culture??  

  I am trusting that the Westies gained some skills to help us bust through these barriers.

  Thanks to Corey for putting this out there!!
  On College field program shows there's more to citizenship than going to the polls. posted 3 years ago 1 Response

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  varmint eradication

  To JMG,
  You may have taken this to far.  Usually farmers and gardeners want to kill varmint is a small area.  I live next to a field with a gopher city.  If I did not use gas to kill the gophers in my garden I would get NO potatoes, or leeks, and a few other things.  

  I cannot possibly kill all the gophers in the nearby gopher city, and heck they breed 3 times a season and I can't even easily keep them out of my garden.  

  It ain't about connectedness.  I understand that we all live on the same planet.  But it is about protecting the fruits of your labor, and in many cases it is about LOCAL FOOD production.On To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy is a varmint. posted 3 years, 4 months ago 4 Responses

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  Globalization meets Omnivore's Dilemma

  While Pollan is getting people to payt attention to the dynamics of "Big Organic" and Local food; others are going the opposite way and getting excited by the globalization of the food industry.  I read this blurb in another forum, regarding India, "A country that has long struggled to feed itself is making preparations to feed the world. Multinational companies are betting India could become an agribusiness powerhouse, thanks to its tropical climate and millions of farmers. A venture named Field Fresh, launched with private equity from Europe's Rothschild Group, plans to export vegetables to western retailers, including Britain's Tesco. Field Fresh has leased 4,600 acres of land and already sent its first shipments to Europe. By one projection India could double its share of global food and agricultural exports to 3 percent from 1.5 percent in the next decade, with the value of exports soaring to $30 billion by 2015 from $8 billion in 2003..."
  yikes!On An interview with foodie author Michael Pollan posted 3 years, 5 months ago 5 Responses