tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251968002024-03-12T22:57:43.522-04:00Master ComposterUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-35783429871182539362009-02-15T17:41:00.000-05:002009-02-15T17:41:14.490-05:00Yes, They Could. So They Did.<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/opinion/15friedman.html?_r=1&th&emc=th"></a><blockquote>The U.S. Embassy and the Chinese Embassy are both located on Panchsheel, directly across from each other. They asked me to check out the rooftops of each embassy. What do I notice? Let’s see ... The U.S. Embassy’s roof is loaded with antennae and listening gear. The Chinese Embassy’s roof is loaded with ... new Chinese-made solar hot-water heaters.<br /><br /></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-840819796924764562008-12-08T06:18:00.013-05:002008-12-08T07:13:17.711-05:00Junk Bales<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/08/business/08recycle.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink">Back at Junk Value, Recyclables Are Piling Up - NYTimes.com</a>:<blockquote>"There are no signs yet of a nationwide abandonment of recycling programs. But industry executives say that after years of growth, the whole system is facing an abrupt slowdown."<br /></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Slide Show</span><br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/12/07/business/1208-RECYCLE_index.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink"><img src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/12/07/business/1208-RECYCLE-B.JPG" alt="No Market for Rubbish" border="0" width="190" height="126" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><blockquote><p>The recycling slump has even provoked a protest of sorts. At Ruthlawn Elementary School in South Charleston, W.V., second-graders who began recycling at the school in September were told that the program might be discontinued. They chose to forgo recess and instead use the time to write letters to the governor and mayor, imploring them to keep recycling, Rachel Fisk, their teacher, said.</p><p>The students’ pleas seem to have been heard; the city plans to start trucking the recyclables to Kentucky.</p>“They were telling them, <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">‘We really don’t care what you say about the economy. If you don’t recycle, our planet will be dirty,’</span> ” Ms. Fisk said.</blockquote></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-85602815951996620352008-10-18T07:22:00.000-04:002008-10-18T07:22:18.162-04:00What Else?<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/18/opinion/18sat3.html?th&emc=th">Editorial - Water and What Else? - NYTimes.com</a>:<br /><blockquote>"For the extra cost and the promise of added purity — and the mound of plastic in landfills — that bottled water should be as good or even better than the less-expensive stuff that comes out of a tap. And consumers should be able to see certified data that prove it."</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-29058959327001652912008-10-15T07:51:00.000-04:002008-10-15T07:51:43.738-04:00Turn of the Tap<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/business/15pepsi.html?ref=business">Tap Water’s Popularity Forces Pepsi to Cut Jobs - NYTimes.com</a>:<br /><blockquote>"In addition, consumers are increasingly choosing tap water over other beverages at restaurants and at home to help save money and the environment, according to PepsiCo and industry analysts. Research by William Pecoriello, an analyst at Morgan Stanley, found that 34 percent of consumers say they are reusing plastic bottles more often and 23 percent say they are cutting back on bottled beverages in favor of tap water or beverages in containers that create less waste."</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-30565424184569064162008-08-10T13:46:00.000-04:002008-08-10T13:46:39.420-04:00Denmark Does Domestic<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/opinion/10friedman1.html?th&emc=th">Op-Ed Columnist - Flush With Energy - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com</a>:<br /><blockquote>“I have observed that in all other countries, including in America, people are complaining about how prices of [gasoline] are going up,” Denmark’s prime minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, told me. “The cure is not to reduce the price, but, on the contrary, to raise it even higher to break our addiction to oil. We are going to introduce a new tax reform in the direction of even higher taxation on energy and the revenue generated on that will be used to cut taxes on personal income — so we will improve incentives to work and improve incentives to save energy and develop renewable energy.”</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-69125714971797268892008-08-05T07:29:00.009-04:002008-08-05T07:54:48.426-04:00Make it the Green House<a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2008/08/04/campaign-to-grow-veg.html">This Lawn is Your Lawn </a><br /><blockquote>This video is part of <a href="http://www.kitchengardeners.org/">Kitchen Gardeners International's</a> "<a href="http://eattheview.org/">Eat the View</a>" campaign to convert part of the White House lawn into an edible landscape. It features KGI founder, Roger Doiron, digging a new garden on his "white house" lawn.</blockquote><br /><div align="center"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sOXtNdQxGw8&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sOXtNdQxGw8&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="http://www.eattheview.org/petition"><span style="font-size:180%;color:#000000;"><strong>Sign the Petition</strong></span></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-49128620785291158452008-07-29T11:44:00.000-04:002008-07-29T11:44:24.354-04:00Worst Recycler<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/us/29recycle.html?ex=1375070400&en=3c24e9a2ba0a2f23&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink">Houston Resists Recycling, and Independent Streak Is Cited - NYTimes.com</a>:<br /><blockquote>The city’s shimmering skyline may wear the label of the world’s energy capital, but deep in Houston’s Dumpsters lies a less glamorous superlative: It is the worst recycler among the United States’ 30 largest cities.<br /><br />Houston recycles just 2.6 percent of its total waste, according to a study this year by <a href="http://www.wastenews.com/index.html">Waste News</a>, a trade magazine. By comparison, San Francisco and New York recycle 69 percent and 34 percent of their waste respectively. Moreover, 25,000 Houston residents have been waiting as long as 10 years to get recycling bins from the city.</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-37681631416948688262008-07-24T11:43:00.001-04:002008-07-24T11:46:31.174-04:00Bangladesh Bag Ban<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/24/plasticbags.waste">Los Angeles to ban plastic bags by 2010 | Environment | guardian.co.uk</a>:<br /><blockquote>San Francisco, which uses less than half as many plastic carriers as Los Angeles, became the first American city to ban plastic bags last year. China unexpectedly followed suit in January by ending production of bags and barring shops from giving them away.<br /><br /><br />Bangladesh was the first nation to ban plastic bags in <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">2002</span> amid rising worries that disposed bags were blocking drains during the monsoon season.<br /><br /></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-46662441482504904832008-07-22T18:39:00.001-04:002008-07-22T18:42:54.102-04:00Green Ideas<h3><a href="http://www.intlistings.com/articles/2007/top-100-real-estate-blogs/">International Listings Blog » Top 100 Real Estate Blogs</a><br /></h3><h3>Green Ideas</h3> <p></p><blockquote><p>As a realtor, investor, homeowner, or homebuyer, you might be interested in some of the newest innovations in environmental architecture and design. The following blogs provide ideas and inspiration for a greener habitat.</p> <ol start="16"><li><a href="http://green.apartmenttherapy.com/">Apartment Therapy</a>: Don’t let the title fool you. Although this blog attempts to save the planet, “one apartment at a time,” the authors bring resources to light that would delight any homeowner.</li><li><a href="http://equitygreen.typepad.com/">Equity Green</a>: A real estate tax advisor who focuses on public REITs, homebuilders, energy companies and real estate transactions (including like-kind exchanges), conducts an exploration of everything green as it relates to real estate.</li><li><a href="http://greenbuildblog.com/">Green Build Blog</a>: Green Build Blog posts about everything related to green building, with some entries devoted to answering readers’ questions.</li><li><a href="http://www.greenbuildingsnyc.com/">Green Buildings NYC</a>: Stephen Del Percio, a New York attorney and a <a href="http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19">LEED</a> accredited professional, attempts to stay on top of the latest news and developments in green building through his gbNYC blog. His site also links to the Green Buildings sites in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Miami.</li><li><a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/">Inhabitat</a>: Future-forward design and a daily source for innovations in sustainable architecture and green design for the home.</li><li><a href="http://jetsongreen.typepad.com/jetson_green/">Jetson Green</a>: Preston D. Koerner focuses on advance trends in green building with an eye to the confluence of modernism and environmentalism.</li><li><a href="http://livinggreen.typepad.com/living_green/">Living Green</a>: Aaron Doyle, who believes that “everyone should be able to experience the pride and privilege of homeownership,” shares her thoughts on energy, environmental, and health issues that affect real estate today.</li><li><a href="http://www.offbeathomes.com/">Offbeat Homes</a>: The unique, odd and freaky homes of today and tomorrow is brought to you by a freelance environmentally conscious Jennifer Chait.</li><li><a href="http://bettercities.squarespace.com/welcome/">Sustainable Cities Blog</a>: The CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities in New York City blogs about moving cities toward sustainable practices.</li><li><a href="http://sustainablecommunities.blogspot.com/">Sustainable Green Communities</a>: Ram Shrivastava, a CEO and professional engineer, writes on environmentally friendly building design with discussions on climate change, green roofs, flood control, storm water recycling, LEED compliance, and alternative fuels.</li><li><a href="http://www.treehugger.com/">Treehugger</a>: This blog attempts to be a one-stop shop for green news, solutions, and product information. Although more of a lifestyle-type blog, the focus is on living environments.</li></ol></blockquote><ol start="16"><li></li></ol>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-45400165244139891292008-07-21T22:16:00.004-04:002008-07-21T22:22:11.918-04:00Lazy Locavores<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/dining/22local.html?hp">A Locally Grown <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/dining/22local.html?hp">Diet With Fuss but No Muss - NYTimes.com</a>:<br /></a><blockquote>“The highest form of luxury is now growing it yourself or paying other people to grow it for you,” said Corby Kummer, the food columnist and book author. “This has become fashion.”<br /><br /><br />The author Barbara Kingsolver, whose book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” was a best seller last year, did not have the lazy locavore in mind when she wrote about the implications of making her family spend a year eating local. But she celebrates the trend.<br /><br />“As a person of rural origin who has lived much of my life in rural places,” she said, “I can’t tell you how joyful it makes me to hear that it’s trendy for people in Manhattan to own a part of a cow.”</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-810803806863117162008-07-16T12:52:00.000-04:002008-07-16T12:53:12.177-04:00Darwin's Worms<p><a href="http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010115darwin/fvmc.html">Darwin, Charles. <i>The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the action of worms with observations of their habits</i></a><i>.</i> London, 1881.</p> <blockquote> <p>A classic in naturalist observation. A grasp of the common earthworm's importance is essential to a full understanding of soil fertility and plant health. Thanks to David Price for doing such an accurate scan of this book. Contains an interesting introduction by Sir Albert Howard, taken from a Faber & Faber edition, published about 1945.<span style="color:#ff0000;"> </span><span style="font-size:-2;color:#ff0000;">PUBLIC DOMAIN</span></p> </blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-8885842864041923472008-07-16T12:47:00.003-04:002008-07-16T12:53:33.679-04:00Friend Earthworm<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular;"><strong>Friend Earthworm</strong></span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Georgia,Times;"> -- by George Sheffield Oliver<br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliverToC.html" target="_blank"></a><blockquote><a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliverToC.html" target="_blank">Table of Contents</a><strong><br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver1a.html" target="_blank">Part I</a></strong><a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver1a.html" target="_blank"> -- Introduction</a><br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver1a.html#1-1" target="_blank">Lesson 1 -- History of the Earthworm</a><br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver1a.html#1-2" target="_blank">Lesson 2 -- The Habits of the Earthworm</a><br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver1b.html" target="_blank">Lesson 3 -- Habits of the Newly Developed Earthworm</a><br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver1b.html#1-4" target="_blank">Lesson 4 -- Potential Markets for Earthworms</a><br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver2a.html" target="_blank"><strong>Part II</strong> -- Introduction</a><br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver2a.html#2-1" target="_blank">Lesson 1 -- What Is Food?</a><br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver2a.html#2-2" target="_blank">Lesson 2 -- The Life Germ and Better Poultry</a><br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver2a.html#2-3" target="_blank">Lesson 3 -- Economical Poultry Housing</a><br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver2b.html" target="_blank">Lesson 4 -- The Interior of the Economical Hennery</a><br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver2b.html#2-5" target="_blank">Lesson 5 -- Intensive Range</a><br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver2b.html#2-6" target="_blank">Lesson 6 -- Putting the Bluebottle Fly to Work</a><br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver3a.html" target="_blank"><strong>Part III</strong> -- Introduction</a><br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver3a.html#3-1" target="_blank">Lesson 1 -- Natural and Man-Made Enemies of the Earthworm</a><br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver3a.html#3-2" target="_blank">Lesson 2 -- The Trout Farmer's Problem</a><br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver3b.html" target="_blank">Lesson 3 -- Feeding Problem of the Frog Farmer</a><br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver3b.html#3-4" target="_blank">Lesson 4 -- Housing the Earthworm Stock</a><br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver3b.html#3-5" target="_blank">Lesson 5 -- General Care and Feeding of Earthworms</a><br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver4.html" target="_blank">Summary</a><br /> <a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver4.html#4-2" target="_blank">Conclusion</a></blockquote><a href="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/oliver/oliver4.html#4-2" target="_blank"></a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-52615041267611944292008-07-14T09:19:00.002-04:002008-07-14T09:24:43.123-04:00Plant a Row for the Hungry<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/dining/11garden.html?ex=1370923200&en=246efa869452f130&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink">Gardeners New and Old Make Way for Vegetables - NYTimes.com</a>:<br /><blockquote>Some of Ms. Howard’s increased harvest will also go to food pantries through an organization called <a href="http://www.gardenwriters.org/par/">Plant a Row for the Hungry</a>, which encourages gardeners to plant extra vegetables to share with the poor.</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-82300907981486505242008-07-14T08:45:00.003-04:002008-07-14T08:48:18.377-04:00State Landfill Free Tours<a href="http://www.projo.com/news/content/LANDFILL_TOURS_07-14-08_97ARGGU_v9.2f0bc0a.html">State landfill announces free tours of facility | Rhode Island news | projo.com | The Providence Journal</a>:<br /><blockquote>Rhode Island Resource and Recovery Corporation, the independent state agency that operates the landfill, is offering a free 90-minute tour and educational session July 26 and Aug. 16 on a first-come, first-served basis.<br /><br /><span class="vitstorybody"><span class="vitstorybody">Reservations for the tour can be made by calling Pat Russo at Resource Recovery, at (401) 942-1430, ext. 121. The maximum capacity is 25 people per session.</span></span></blockquote><span class="vitstorybody"><span class="vitstorybody"></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-15046930311882487682008-07-12T07:13:00.003-04:002008-07-12T07:18:39.356-04:00pay-as-you-throw<a href="http://www.eyewitnessnewstv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8663786">Providence takes steps to adopt new trash system</a><br /><blockquote>As a part of the new system residents would be required to buy special city<br />garbage bags. Residents would then have to pay according to how much trash they<br />throw out. Mayor David Cicilline and the City Council members are supportive, of<br />the new system<br /></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-60187462835130603132008-07-12T06:55:00.002-04:002008-07-12T06:59:20.771-04:00T. Boone Pickens<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/R2bOug1d20c&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/R2bOug1d20c&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-46440642563743502132008-07-07T10:45:00.002-04:002008-07-07T10:46:31.482-04:00Best Light Bulb Commercial Ever<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/z70zNOSZ160&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/z70zNOSZ160&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-78978891567801878572008-07-05T08:31:00.006-04:002008-07-05T08:57:36.234-04:00Totes From Trash<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/inc_com/inc1214834705353.html?ref=smallbusiness#">Totes From Trash - NYTimes.com</a>:<br /><blockquote>A New Jersey-based eco-friendly plant food company has struck a deal with Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT) to turn its used packaging into purses, backpacks and other merchandise, company officials announced this week.<br /><br />Under the partnership, <a href="http://www.terracycle.org/">TerraCycle</a>, which already packages its own worm-waste fertilizer in recycled plastic bottles, will expand its waste collection sites to include Kraft brands such as Capri Sun, Chips Ahoy! and Oreo cookies. The companies will also sponsor teams to collect trash and will donate two cents per item to local community groups and schools.</blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-25346246709326507572008-07-05T07:12:00.003-04:002008-07-05T07:18:04.115-04:00Plants Can Relate<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/10/science/10plant.html?_r=1&th=&oref=slogin&emc=th&pagewanted=all"></a><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/10/science/10plant.html">Plants Found to Show Preferences for Their Relatives - NYTimes.com</a>:<br /><blockquote>The sea rocket, researchers report, can distinguish between plants that are related to it and those that are not. And not only does this plant recognize its kin, but it also gives them preferential treatment.<br /><br />If the sea rocket detects unrelated plants growing in the ground with it, the plant aggressively sprouts nutrient-grabbing roots. But if it detects family, it politely restrains itself.</blockquote><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;">“Plants,” Dr. Dudley said, “have a secret social life.” <br /></div><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-70792113638114025692008-07-04T09:40:00.001-04:002008-07-04T09:42:20.468-04:00Solar Thaw<a href="http://www.siliconvalley.com/latestheadlines/ci_9769285">Government lifts solar project ban on public lands - SiliconValley.com</a>:<br /><blockquote>Companies planning to build huge solar power plants in the desert will be able to file new applications to use federal lands after the Bureau of Land Management reversed its position on the issue Tuesday.</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-88705849746323967822008-07-04T08:58:00.002-04:002008-07-04T09:05:02.014-04:00National Security<div class="entry-body"><div><div class="item-body"><a href="http://www.earth.columbia.edu/articles/view/2202">Climate Change May Challenge National Security, Classified Report Warns</a><br />Source: The Earth Institute at Columbia University<br /><blockquote>The National Intelligence Council (NIC) has completed a new classified assessment that explores how climate change could threaten U.S. security in the next 20 years by causing political instability, mass movements of refugees, terrorism, or conflicts over water and other resources. Among the major outside contributors of data was the <a href="http://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/">Center for International Earth Science Information Network</a> (CIESIN), a member of Columbia University’s Earth Institute. While the NIC assessment itself is confidential, the CIESIN data is public, and is <a href="http://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/documents/Climate_Security_CIESIN_July_2008_v1_0.ed.pdf">posted here</a> (PDF; 4.5 MB).</blockquote></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-58454854508947296802008-06-30T23:25:00.002-04:002008-06-30T23:44:20.061-04:00Can Weeds Help?<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/magazine/29weeds-t.html?ex=1372392000&en=98feb63fe74fb547&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink">Can Weeds Help Solve the Climate Crisis? - Global Warming - Environment - NYTimes.com</a>:<br /><blockquote>Not only did the weeds grow much larger in hotter, CO2-enriched plots — a weed called lambs-quarters, or Chenopodium album, grew to an impressive 6 to 8 feet on the farm but to a frightening 10 to 12 feet in the city — but the urban, futuristic weeds also produced more pollen.</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-5888833781903196492008-06-30T06:00:00.003-04:002008-06-30T06:03:48.361-04:00Half Empty or Full?<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/opinion/29gasintro.html?ex=1372478400&en=68fb2cec9faf2fb4&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink">Is Your Tank Half Empty or Half Full? - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com</a>:<br /><blockquote>High gas prices have had some obvious immediate effects on Americans: Hummer sales are down, commuting by public transit is up, airlines are charging for nonessentials, like baggage. But if $4 gas (or higher) is here to stay, we can expect our lives to change in other ways, too. The Op-Ed page asked 10 writers to reflect on the consequences — unexpected, unnoticed, unrealized, good, bad or indifferent — of really expensive fuel.</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-45855574285523076742008-06-30T05:55:00.002-04:002008-06-30T05:59:17.567-04:00Curbing Cruising<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/us/29teengas.html?ex=1372478400&en=b5361ce4c825f297&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink">As Gas Prices Rise, Teenagers’ Cruising Declines - NYTimes.com</a><br /><blockquote>“We’re not cruising around anymore, with gas costing $4.50 a gallon,” said Ewelina Smosna, a recent graduate of Taft High School in Chicago, as she hung out the other night at the Streets of Woodfield, an outdoor mall in Schaumburg. “We just park the car and walk around.”</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25196800.post-46707910892438529592008-06-27T13:47:00.003-04:002008-06-27T13:50:25.317-04:00Congressional Speculation<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/opinion/27krugman.html?ex=1372305600&en=bde3215528c8197c&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink">Op-Ed Columnist - Paul Krugman - Fuels on the Hill</a><br /><blockquote>What about those who argue that speculative excess is the only way to explain the speed with which oil prices have risen? Well, I have two words for them: iron ore.<br /><br />You see, iron ore isn’t traded on a global exchange; its price is set in direct deals between producers and consumers. So there’s no easy way to speculate on ore prices. Yet the price of iron ore, like that of oil, has surged over the past year. In particular, the price Chinese steel makers pay to Australian mines has just jumped 96 percent. This suggests that growing demand from emerging economies, not speculation, is the real story behind rising prices of raw materials, oil included.<br /><br />In any case, one thing is clear: the hyperventilation over oil-market speculation is distracting us from the real issues.</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0