Comments plantface has made

  • Who sez

    ethical investors endorse ethanol or any biofuels in any way?

    Some may and many do not, but from my perspective there is no evident consensus in ethical or 'socially responsible' investing about biofuels.On Corn ethanol politics posted 2 years, 6 months ago 6 Responses

  • Rick Santorum's family

    finds out what 'santorum' really means.On Leave your caption ideas in comments posted 3 years ago 18 Responses

  • Palm Oil

    I wish that Umbra had elaborated on (or at least hinted at) the problems--mainly deforestation and associated loss of boidiversity--that large scale palm oil production poses.  They may be more   Both Friends of the Earth and Center for Science in the Public Interest have done research on palm oil's problems.On Umbra on dripless candles posted 3 years ago 8 Responses

  • minimum wage

    I'm going to focus on a tiny chunk of your commentary here and ask a question about the basic premise: If the workers were here legally and paid the minimum wage, would the farmers be able to hire them?  Or do farmers rely on being able to pay lower wages to undocumented workers?  In other words, if we set up a guest worker program tomorrow, would it solve the problem of food rotting in the fields and orchards?On 'Free' trade plus nativism equals bad food policy on both sides of the Rio Grande. posted 3 years, 3 months ago 18 Responses

  • and cycling is more efficient than walking...

    according to this site, http://www.coolnurse.com/calories_burned.htm, for a 123 lb woman, biking at 5.5 mph burns 36 cal in 10 minutes, while walking at 3.5 mph for 10 minutes burns 45 cal.On Walking tall tale posted 3 years, 3 months ago 22 Responses

  • yah

    Yes, please.On Blah blah Pollan interview blah posted 3 years, 6 months ago 4 Responses

  • forms

    While we're digging into the Burgess Shale of humor, I'd suggest that crossing the road jokes, and lightbulb jokes might be as elemental as the knock knock and should be considered for the competition here.On Who's there? A joke contest posted 4 years, 1 month ago 20 Responses

  • Achoo

    knock, knock.

    who's there?

    bird flu.

    bird flu who?

    bird flew up my nose and now I'm sneezing feathers!On Who's there? A joke contest posted 4 years, 1 month ago 20 Responses

  • these are all awful

    I guess that last line should have been:

    "buy yo' diesel from Willie Nelson..."On Who's there? A joke contest posted 4 years, 1 month ago 20 Responses

  • these are all awful

    knock knock!

    who's there?

    bio-diesel.

    bio-diesel who?

    bio-diesel from Willie Nelson, he needs the money!On Who's there? A joke contest posted 4 years, 1 month ago 20 Responses

  • HazWaste

    Knock knock,

    Who's there,

    CERCLA

    CERCLA who?

    CERCLA date on the calendar when you're gonna clean up that hazardous waste site!On Who's there? A joke contest posted 4 years, 1 month ago 20 Responses

  • Death of ...

    Knock Knock

    Who's there?

    Endangered Species

    Endangered Species who?

    [silence due to extinction of species between delivery of lines]On Who's there? A joke contest posted 4 years, 1 month ago 20 Responses

  • prove it

    I wonder how much mercury Pombo would be willing to eat to prove his assertion that its not harmful. On Pombo and mercury posted 4 years, 9 months ago 1 Response

  • some muddled thinking

    Right now organic foods all sell for a premium price. Does that price reflect the cost of production or a substantial margin for retailers?  If we were to go all-organic, that price premium would almost certainly disappear--I'd think it would have to.  If the price premium is due to production costs, we'd have to see a price drop if we wanted all-organic.  I don't think people would accept it if it meant higher prices at the stores.  

    If the premium we pay for organic is a margin, one that can be had by specialty retailers, then going all-organic would certainly destroy the market niche these retailers now occupy, and prices would fall.

    So, I'd be curious to know what effect going all-organic would have on the existing organic food industry.  I wonder whether companies like Whole Foods and Trader Joes would see all-organic as a threat to their premium market niche.On Make all U.S. farming organic? posted 4 years, 9 months ago 3 Responses

  • Oh, Grannie!

    For some reason, my Grandmother gave me this book for Christmas.  Yaak!  I don't think I'll be able to read it, I can't burn it either.  Its a bit bulky to keep around as a carbon sink.  What should I do with it?On The actual for-reals last Crichton post posted 4 years, 9 months ago 1 Response

  • Economy of Cities

    I want to suggest Jane Jacobs' book The Economy of Cities.  Jacobs provides ecellent insights into the ways that city economies serve as engines of wealth.On Hmm. posted 4 years, 9 months ago 1 Response