Why the pothole problem could stay bad...

This year seems to be a prodigious pothole production event. And it's a major pain all over the country.

Even though I try to be very careful on my road when it's soft, we do have grain to move. And even in ideal conditions (warm, dry) increasingly heavy trucks and equipment take a toll on under-engineered rural roads.

In fact, there is a pothole on the way to Cargill in Dana (IN) Jan and I know as "The Mouth of Hell". We have pet names for some of the smaller ones too, but this abyss is as horrifying as it it impossible to totally avoid.

The entire stretch badly needs repaving, but here is where the seemingly distant credit crisis comes home to your neighborhood. You see, it's not just about super-rich people bleeding cash, it's about the ability to fix roads and bridges.

"Without affordable funding, projects don't get built, streets don't get repaved," Leighton said. "It affects the people driving on those roads and the people paving those roads." The credit crisis that began in the subprime mortgage market last year has now spread to municipal bonds. Governments and public authorities face steep increases in borrowing costs because investors are losing confidence in the credit markets and the companies that insure the debt. Public officials nationwide are now weighing whether to restructure their debt to lower rates - if they have good enough credit ratings - or to ride out the storm with the hope that investors will return. However, some are concerned they may have to raise taxes or cut services to balance their budgets. [More]

So if you need a new school/underpass/road in your neighborhood, the price is escalating. You don't just evaporate trillions of dollars without the pain getting spread around.

Maybe we should be extra-thoughtful about when we load up and hit the road this year.

Maybe I'm wrong...

Hardly a news flash, huh? When I was in Canada I spoke with some young ag communications students who had attended my presentation. One of them said my presentation was inspirational. My reaction was close to offense, although I'm pretty sure she saw it as an attempt at least at modesty.

I have never wanted to be lumped into that category, and frankly find the motivation industry to be pretty dang shallow. I feel they manipulate people emotionally (which I despise), and yet find myself reminded constantly in my research how important it is to respect our "old" brain - which is basically our emotional center.

I hope to do this in a way that at least has some respectable and defensible hard data, preferably with pie charts and linear regression. But the deeper we probe into how we decide and choose to act, into how we plan and the effect of those plans, and especially into how important it is to connect with those around in our lives and our value chain, the less goofy some of these guys sound.

I'm not talking about the speaker-circuit fire-walkers or goopy self-help guru/authors, but people who can touch our emotions in a delicate and honest manner to help us change our lives for the better.

So when a friend sent me this link, I checked it out and decided to post it. Make of it what you will, but it can't offend or diminish your life, I'm sure. And if you decide I'm getting old and sloppily sentimental, I think I'm OK with that too. This won't happen very often.



[Thanks, Dave]

Do not adjust your set...

The "Recent Comments" has disappeared (at least for me). Me not know why.

Men working....

New, improved ways to lose lots of money...

While the subprime/CDO fiasco has simmered to a slightly slower train wreck, another even more abstruse financial storm may be brewing: credit default swaps (CDS). [Late note: this didn't help much either.]

I know - say what? I've been working on this post for a coupla weeks, and still barely comprehend the scope and intricacy of the issue. [Feel free to add corrections/criticisms, gang] Let's start with the basics.

A credit default swap (CDS) is a bilateral contract under which two counterparties agree to isolate and separately trade the credit risk of at least one third-party reference entity. Under a credit default swap agreement, a protection buyer pays a periodic fee to a protection seller in exchange for a contingent payment by the seller upon a credit event (such as a default or failure to pay) happening in the reference entity. When a credit event is triggered, the protection seller either takes delivery of the defaulted bond for the par value (physical settlement) or pays the protection buyer the difference between the par value and recovery value of the bond (cash settlement).

Credit default swaps resemble an insurance policy, as they can be used by debt owners to hedge, or insure against credit events such as a default on a debt obligation. However, because there is no requirement to actually hold any asset or suffer a loss, credit default swaps can be used to speculate on changes in credit spread.

Credit default swaps are the most widely traded credit derivative product[1]. The typical term of a credit default swap contract is five years, although being an over-the-counter derivative, credit default swaps of almost any maturity can be traded. [More, and it doesn't get any easier]

This already complex instrument rose in popularity as things were booming. But the growth has been phenomenal. The NYT does a good job of explaining the problem.

The market for these securities is enormous. Since 2000, it has ballooned from $900 billion to more than $45.5 trillion — roughly twice the size of the entire United States stock market.

No one knows how troubled the credit swaps market is, because, like the now-distressed market for subprime mortgage securities, it is unregulated. But because swaps have proliferated so rapidly, experts say that a hiccup in this market could set off a chain reaction of losses at financial institutions, making it even harder for borrowers to get loans that grease economic activity. [More of a superb article, with cartoon to help guys like me]

[Update 2/22: The $45T figure may be overstated. See a another opinion here.]
Like the CDO problem, nobody knows exactly what the meltdown could look like. But the effect for agriculture could be felt in at least two ways I think.

First, the Farm Credit System could have a harder time selling their bonds which in turn fund your operating/real estate loans. They also have some exposure (note the word "some") to CDS's.

The total amount of credit default swaps in use by the Farm Credit System is unknown, although, for the year ending December 31, 2006, the Funding Corporation stated, "we have reduced the credit risk of some real estate mortgage loans by entering into agreements that provide long-term standby commitments to purchase System loans and other credit guarantees, including credit default swaps. The amount of loans under credit guarantees was $3.2 billion at December 31, 2006 and$3.6 billion at December 31, 2005. [More]

With their unique status and relatively small needs, FCS would probably be one of the last bond originators to take a serious hit, but this can't be a good thing for them.

A particularly pessimistic, but well-documented opinion on the whole problem borders on the whimperingly-scary:

$45 trillion bet on swaps with the entire treasury market is a mere $4 trillion is simply absurd. Compounding the problem is lack of knowledge abut who the guarantors are and lack of liquidity in much of the derivatives market. There's always plenty of liquidity when times are good. However, liquidity is a coward. It runs and hides at the first sign of trouble.

Things are so illiquid now that even the municipal bond market has locked up. Insurance guarantees made by Ambac and MBIA are at the heart of it. See No Underwriter Support For Failed Muni Auctions.

Credit Default Swaps on Ambac and MBIA are trading 7 or more levels below investment grade (deep into junk) and 12-14 levels below the AAA or AA ratings assigned by Moody's, Fitch, and the S&P. Clearly this calls into question the competency of the rating agencies.

Banks and brokerages are unwilling to commit capital and who can blame them?

* No one knows what anything is really worth because there is no market at all for some of these securities.
* Banks and brokerage houses are afraid of a downgrade of Ambac and MBIA because it might require as much as $200 Billion more in capital to be raised.
* Mark to fantasy models have too much stuff on the books at unrealistic prices.
* No one trusts the ratings put out by Moody's, Fitch, and the S&P.
* Fears of counterparty failures are in everyone's minds.

Credit default swaps are going to blow sky high. If 10% of credit default swaps blow up, it would wipe out $4.5 trillion in capital. A mere 1% hit would wipe out $450 billion. We don't know when, but we do know the fuse is lit. [More of a view I don't fully share, but find credible nonetheless]

Second, as the staggering reality of the risks we have been blithely discounting in the Big Money arena become horrifying apparent, frightened and/or singed investors could fall in love with harder assets: commodities (especially gold) and the only strong player in the real estate sector: farmland.

While I think pressure from 1031 swaps has eased, the pure investment play for land is another story. This would seem to jibe with admittedly anecdotal evidence of insurance money flooding back into farm loans and demand for large tracts from land brokers.

The most worrisome aspect of this is the same problem we are having in the commodity pits - the sheer volume of cash dwarfs the assets available. Keep in mind that you can buy every acre of farmland in the US for about $2T. Now compare that to the numbers above.

My advice: do whatever is possible not to let land go to public sale. Talk to landowners about the importance of local, farmer ownership, and calculate carefully what your planning horizon is. Short term (your lifetime) may eliminate you from considering a purchase. But I would seriously contemplate devoting two generations of work - and (gasp) sacrifice - to establish a secure base for a third.

It's official - finally!!...

USFR and AgDay are on satellite (well, real soon). The Press release from FJ:

AgDay and U.S. Farm Report Expand Distribution to DIRECTV

Philadelphia, PA – February 19, 2008

Farm Journal Electronic Media (FJEM), the broadcast division of Farm Journal Media, announced today an agreement with DIRECTV to add satellite carriage of its national TV programs. Beginning March 10th, AgDay will be seen weekdays on DIRECTV Channel 225 from 8:00-8:30 a.m. EST, and U.S. Farm Report on Saturdays from 8:00-9:00 a.m. EST.
"In an effort to better serve our farm and rural audiences, we are thrilled to add nearly 17-million DIRECTV subscribers with great access to our programs," says FJEM General Manager Brian Conrady. "More and more, our core ag viewers are making the switch to satellite, so the timing is perfect for a DIRECTV launch."
AgDay and U.S. Farm Report are both targeted to commercial farmers, rural landowners, and consumers interested in the country way of life. As two of America’s longest-running syndicated shows, the programs are viewed weekly by more than 1.5 million households (Nielsen).
“This new platform also gives us a place where we can easily and quickly launch new programming," says Jeff Pence, President of Farm Journal Digital Media. "Along with adding yet another convenient time and place for viewers, our advertising clients will have new and unique opportunities to reach this targeted audience with expanded messages - or even their own programs adjacent to ours. Farm Journal Media will leverage all of its multi-media channels and touch points across agriculture to let everyone know they can now find AgDay and U.S. Farm Report on DIRECTV Channel 225.”
DIRECTV carriage will be fully incremental to the existing broadcast syndication networks. AgDay is carried by more than 130 stations nationwide, and U.S. Farm Report by nearly 190 stations. Both programs are also viewed heavily on www.AgDay.com, www.USFarmReport.com, and on www.AgWeb.com.



About Farm Journal Media:
Farm Journal Media is the nation’s leading agricultural media company. Its magazines are the 131-year-old flagship Farm Journal, as well as Top Producer, Beef Today, Dairy Today, and Beef Business Journal. Farm Journal Electronic Media includes AgDay and U.S. Farm Report television programs. Its gateway website is AgWeb.com, The Homepage of Agriculture. Farm Journal Media also publishes the Pro Farmer family of newsletters, produces numerous live events, offers custom publishing services and provides extensive database services.

For more information contact:
Farm Journal Media
Brian Conrady
Phone: 574.631.1302
Email: bconrady@farmjournal.com

BTW - interesting fact: DIRECTV and Dish are illegal in Canada (not enough curling, I think). Found that out last night in Ontario. I dunno, I suppose they have some kinda satellite police. Those guys put up with a lot for universal health care.

How to get DIRECTV: click here.

Some advice from a long time subscriber: I prefer TiVo to the DIRECTV DVR, by a long shot. DTV used to offer TiVo but dropped it last year, I think. There may be something coming on that front, so ask before you buy.

Why doesn't Illinois...

Have one of these?

Most excellently cool.

[via MeFi]

Inflation data point #27...

China.

China's inflation accelerated to the quickest pace in more than 11 years after the worst snowstorms in half a century disrupted food supplies.

Consumer prices rose 7.1 percent in January from a year earlier, the statistics bureau said today, after gaining 6.5 percent in December. That was more than the 7 percent median estimate of 23 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News.

Food prices soared 18 percent after blizzards paralyzed transport systems and destroyed crops. The government faces the challenge of curbing inflation without derailing the expansion of the world's fastest-growing major economy. [More]

This bears watching. Their economy matters at least as much as the US today, I think, because measured in Purchasing Power Parities (PPP) they are gaining fast. Moreover, everybody and their uncle are betting on Chinese growth for their economic future.

John's World: Your best resource...

For all things political. Some helpful definitions for those of you confused by political rhetoric:

ballot: An object recording a voter's decision that is frequently counted toward an election's outcome.

debate: A contest to see which candidate can answer the fewest questions.

democracy: A moderately representative plutocracy.

electoral college: A process by which the number of states in the Union is narrowed down to the most important seven or eight.

lobbyist: A better-paid legislator.

[Even more and better stuff here]

This should clear things up for many of you.

[via andrewsullivan]

I don't get the PR strategy here...

I am fascinated by the idea of trying to shoot down a satellite as it falls out of orbit.

If a missile launched by the Navy succeeds in taking out the bus-sized satellite as streaks across the sky 150 miles up, it will be one of the longest shots ever.

But the Navy is pretty confident it won't miss. In fact, the Navy has decided to go with only one ship instead of the three it originally planned to send out on the mission. [More]

Opinions vary on the political wisdom of this attempt. But at the risk of being seen as a jealous submariner, one small question:

What if we miss?

I'm not the only nervous Nellie either.

The good news is: The government has a plan. The bad news is: The government has a plan. It involves shooting missiles into space with the hope of blowing the satellite to smithereens, a technical term for "very small reens."

Experts say there is an 80 percent chance of success. While that sounds pretty good on the surface, we are talking about a 5,000-pound paperweight here, and if my math is right, there is still a 40 percent chance it could wrinkle my rhododendrons.

A Navy missile known as "Standard Missile 3" will be used to shoot the satellite before it crashes. Wouldn't we all feel better if the missile was called "Interceptor" or "Sure Shot" or "Satellite Annihilator"? Somehow, I get the impression "Standard Missile 3" has the words "ACME ROCKET CO." printed on the side.

As confident as the government seems to be, I noticed in a related story that the members of the space shuttle crew hastily are packing their bags to get out of the satellite space-vicinity before the shooting starts. The astronauts were quoted as saying: "We just waxed the shuttle and promised NASA we'd bring it home without any smithereens stuck in it." [More of an irreverent , albeit humorous essay here]

But seriously, folks. By broadcasting this plan widely, the stakes are now high for US military prestige and the Navy in particular.

It could be the Navy is feeling slightly left out in recent years. The Army and Marine Corps. are stretched to the max and showered with resources (and medals). Even the loathsome flyboys (USAF) are seen as essential to supporting the troops. But since we stopped "shocking and awing", the workload for Naval air and ships has been much lower and definitely lower down the news chain.

With budgets always problematic the ol' USN needs a winner image, and I think they are betting a serious part of the farm on a showy display of firepower. A safer route would have been to shoot the rascal down and then start bragging.

I hope it works, for whatever reason it is being planned. But given the Chinese success at a similar mission, it better.

Kids today, yadda, yadda...

I was enjoying Moe Russel's presentation to the IFAO this morning. While he and I are in different parts of the spectrum on some issues like land ownership, he make a powerful case for his analyses of farm profitability.

One point that hit home for me was how attracting, developing and retaining the best people possible could soon be more important than capital, if it is not already. [In the past two weeks, as plans for my son Aaron to return to the farm have become concrete, I awake every day to unforeseen advantages and possibilities his education, experience and energy can add to the farm (and our lives). I think Jan and I have been undervaluing this happy future both to prevent being disappointed and because we simply had not thought it through enough.]

But the trouble is the people we need and are adding aren't sensible 50-somethings. They are (shudder) young people with silly ideas that don't agree with Baby Boomer Holy Writ. We're not the only business struggling to manage these entirely-too-energetic yahoos. So maybe we should extract some lessons from what other industries are learning.

5. Don't conceal, communicate. Young people in business today crave feedback and interaction with their peers and managers, more so than previous generations did. When researchers at professional staffing firm Hudson (HHGP) conducted a survey of 2,000 employees, they found striking differences between generations in their attitudes toward their bosses and co-workers. Twenty-five percent of workers who fall into the Gen Y category consider it important to get feedback from their bosses at least once a week. However, only 11% of baby boomers desire that level of communication. Young employees also want greater social interaction with their peers and supervisors. Maintain an open, consistent dialogue and you will win their loyalty.

Young people fall into a category I call the "EmpowerME Generation" because that is exactly what they are asking from their employers—to be empowered. The 2008 election is proving that young people can be engaged when they feel as though they are making a difference. The same holds true in the workplace. [More of a very helpful article]

Agriculture has tradtionally valued people the same way as draft horses. We admired more than anything "the good worker". As the physical load plummets in farming, we'd better start recruiting for other reasons than being able to stay in the tractor saddle for 18 hours straight. Hard work is now just one criteria.

More importantly we'd better upgrade our management savvy if we want to optimize our return on good people, IMHO.

Fewer stores as well...

We've heard plenty about the housing slowdown. And the data is starting to become real in the form of layoffs and plant idling. But that's not all that is slowing down in the construction biz.

Retail space demand is being hit by a triple whammy.

And supply is up. This decade's build­ing frenzy produced a bumper crop of new retail space—from McStrip malls built near new McMansions to hip new bou­tiques in the ground floors of hip new Mi­ami condo buildings. But the occupants for new retail space haven't ma­terialized. In the fourth quarter of 2007, the national retail-vacancy rate rose for the 11th straight quarter to 7.5 percent, the highest level since 1996, according to research firm Reis Inc. With new projects coming online—34 million square feet of retail space will be completed in 2008—the rate is expected to climb further to 8 percent. In the parlance of the trade, many chains are simply over-stored. [More]

Now add in the relentless expansion of on-line retailing, and consumer spending jitters, and I think we have a decade or so breather from 1031 money flowing our from shopping malls into our farmland market.

Farmers may take this opportunity to increase their market share of farmland ownership. I hope so. It is farmowners who decide who gets to farm - not farmers.

All climate change, all the time...

Any of my posts on climate change seems to provoke serious comment by those who hold an opposing view. Luckily, we're not the only bunch of people having this exchange.

Check out this website.

(I think a good rule would be to read one from Column A and one from Column B.)

It used to be such a nice country...

I tried to get into Canada today to speak to the Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario. I remembered to bring my passport. But when I got to the border dude the conversation went something like this:
Why are you coming to Canada?
To speak at a meeting in London.
What kind of meeting?
Farmers.
What about?
About the boom in grain farming and what it might mean for the future?
Are you being paid?
Yes.
How much?
Excuse me?
How much are you being paid?
Umm, $XXX
One moment.
(Closes the window)
(Opens window)
Take this ticket and go talk to immigration (gives directions)

In the immigration office:
Why are you speaking to Canadian farmers?
They invited me. They watch US Farm Report and read my blog, I think.
Take a seat, we'll call you after some checking.

(About 5 minutes later)
You can go. Give this paper to the officer at your car.

Weird, no? According to my hosts, the Canadian government doesn't want "furriners" coming into do jobs Canadians could be doing.

Their suggested "right answer": I'm going to look at a planter.

No, I'm not making this up.

Food science takes a giant step...

Sideways. Behold the Col-Pop


Chicken nuggets on top, soda underneath. Why didn't I think of that?

[via RGS]

Switching the lights...

Jan and I have been replacing the lights in our homes with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL). I'm almost used to the half-second delay when you turn the switch on. And after they warm up (about 3 minutes I would guess) they are just as bright and warm as incandescent.

But I had concerns:

• I needed larger ones than I could find at Home Depot (200-300 Watt equivalent). Solution.
• I needed dimmable bulbs for a few places in the house. Solution
  
• I had read about the mercury issues.

On the last question, I found a helpful article from Green Lantern (my favorite comic hero*)

But what about the mercury? The toxic heavy metal is integral to the design of current CFL bulbs: Electricity agitates the mercury molecules, causing them to emit ultraviolet light. That light then spurs a bulb's phosphor coating to give off visible light. But the amount contained in each bulb is barely enough to cover the tip of a ballpoint pen, and won't cause any bodily harm as long as simple precautions are taken. The National Electrical Manufacturers Association has voluntarily imposed a limit of 5 milligrams per bulb on all CFLs sold in the United States—about 1 percent of the mercury contained in an old home thermometer. Since manufacturers are well aware that health fears are preventing the widespread adoption of CFLs, most have committed to making bulbs with even less mercury than NEMA's standard. The average CFL bulb now contains around 4 milligrams of mercury, and that figure should drop closer to 2 milligrams in the very near future. Much of the credit for these reductions goes to Wal-Mart, which has pressured GE, Royal Phillips, and Osram Sylvania to cut down on the quicksilver. [More]

This is an easy step to lower electric bills and save energy. Not cheap - but getting cheaper all the time.

[* Can you still recite the Oath?]

How to worry better...

I do seminars entitled "What are the odds? - A guide to better worrying" and this article summarizes many of the same points I came up with in my research.

IV. No Pesticide in My Backyard—Unless I Put it There

We prefer that which (we think) we can control.

If we feel we can control an outcome, or if we choose to take a risk voluntarily, it seems less dangerous, says David Ropeik, a risk consultant. "Many people report that when they move from the driver's seat to the passenger's seat, the car in front of them looks closer and their foot goes to the imaginary brake. You're likely to be less scared with the steering wheel in your hand, because you can do something about your circumstances, and that's reassuring." Could explain why your mother always criticizes your driving.

The false calm a sense of control confers, and the tendency to worry about dangers we can't control, explains why when we see other drivers talking on cell phones we get nervous but we feel perfectly fine chatting away ourselves. Similarly, because homeowners themselves benefit if they kill off bugs that are destroying their lawns, people fear insecticide less if they are using it in their own backyard than if a neighbor uses the same chemical in the same concentration, equally close to them. The benefits to us reduce the level of fear. "Equity is very important," says Slovic, and research shows that if people who bear the risk also get the benefit, they tend to be less concerned about it.

Understanding why people have irrational fears is more helpful than scorning their illogic. The same farmer who ridicules GM-phobes may jump in his truck and leave the seat belt unfastened while smoking, for example. Or scream about a wind farm or nuclear generator going in next door.

Some of the most important research being done today is how to help ancient brains cope with modern risks.

It ain't easy.

[via 3 quarks]

Got a BIG meeting?...

With a landlord? Lender? Customer? Potential partner? Some great advice:

Some meetings are the equivalent of playing three games of chess at once. You’re making arguments and parrying others as you strive to give the best impression possible, make your strongest case, and, of course, listen to and actually hear what the other people have to say. You can’t expect the brain to do all that and think about what it’s doing at the same time.

That’s why you should never walk leave home without a Prep Card:

Take a 3” x 5” index card and write down 3 key points you want to mention in simple clear language, nouns and verbs. At the bottom, give yourself 2 reminders to avoid your bad habits.

* Bill got a raise in half the time, with an inferior track record.
* We will match our competitor’s best bid.
* You’d agreed to a 10% discount over the phone.
* —
* Sit up straight.
* Talk slowly and take a full breath after every sentence.

That’s it. In any discussion, you’re almost certainly not going to have time to process and deliver more than 3 important points.

And it always helps to be reminded not to crack your knuckles or speak too quickly when you have a tendency to do those things under stress. [More]

I imagine most of you will laugh at the stunning simplicity of this idea, but having spent nearly 15 years as a professional speaker, it sounds right on to me.

[via 43 folders]

Good call...

The announcement today of a record recall of beef would not have lodged in my mind, if were not for the reason:

Officials said it was the largest beef recall in the United States, surpassing a 1999 ban of 35 million pounds of ready-to-eat meats. No illnesses have been linked to the newly recalled meat, and officials said the health threat was likely small.

The recall will affect beef products dating to Feb. 1, 2006, that came from Chino-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Co., the federal agency said.

Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer said his department has evidence that Westland did not routinely contact its veterinarian when cattle became non-ambulatory after passing inspection, violating health regulations.

"Because the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection, Food Safety and Inspection Service has determined them to be unfit for human food and the company is conducting a recall," Schafer said in a statement. [More]

The videos and allegations came out much earlier and received cursory coverage in the farm/livestock press. This is not unusual for charges of animal abuse. Frankly, I think the meatpacking industry is leery of actually confronting the issue because it could snowball completely out of control.

I think that snowball just formed.

If you haven't gotten your mind around the power of viral video and YouTube, watch this one play out. And what fed this story was some gruesome video. Even setting aside for the moment the increasing government surveillance in the name of national security, the ubiquity of cameras and the plummeting price of data storage means all of us are on some radar nearly all the time.

As creepy as this can be (and Google Streets is one example), it is nonetheless reality, and those who don't deal with it as such are going to be smacked around.

What folks don't know, doesn't hurt them, of course. But this is one more example of how much people can easily know about and how it can affect customer sensitivities. The Steak 'n Shake motto comes to mind: In sight it must be right. Today the safest assumption is everything is in sight.

Stories like this intensify the scrutiny on the the meatpacking industry, as well.

And the disease that confronted doctors at the Austin Medical Center here last fall was strange indeed. Three patients had the same highly unusual set of symptoms: fatigue, pain, weakness, numbness and tingling in the legs and feet.

The patients had something else in common, too: all worked at Quality Pork Processors, a local meatpacking plant.

The disorder seemed to involve nerve damage, but doctors had no idea what was causing it.

At the plant, nurses in the medical department had also begun to notice the same ominous pattern. The three workers had complained to them of “heavy legs,” and the nurses had urged them to see doctors. The nurses knew of a fourth case, too, and they feared that more workers would get sick, that a serious disease might be spreading through the plant. [More]

I will be watching to see the full consequences of this rather aggressive USDA action. Now tie it to the inflammable immigration issue and the dependence of the packing industry on immigrant labor. It lends more credence to the idea that meat will become more expensive and per capita consumption will likely decline in the US.

You guys all think TV is easy...

But sometimes interviews head south in a hurry.

Expert On Anteaters Wasted Entire Life Studying Anteaters

Another party trick...

That's hard to believe.



Am I the only one who wonders how much of a life must be invested to master such an arcane art form?

[via Abroath]