Cookie Monster Not Soda Pop Monster!

Cookie Monster just wants to be loved, just like the rest of us. Num num num.

"Don't Buy Crap" Hits The CPG World

I love watching market researchers scramble along behind consumers trying to keep up with changes in preferences. By the time Mr. Seireeni finished his study of socially responsible companies, those companies had become nationally recognized powerhouse brands. Those brands will likely be gobbled up by their mainstream competitors (if they haven't already), the values that made the companies successful abandoned in favor of quarterly earnings, and consumers will move on.

I say my motto regarding food also applies to household products: don't buy crap. Companies fighting over dwindling consumer dollars need to ask themselves, "is my product crappy?" If so, don't be surprised when your sales start to dwindle as well. I should write a book- Don't Buy Crap: A Guide to Understanding the Difference Between Cost and Value, And Other Stuff.

What Do Fish Have In Common With Fiat Currencies?

CNN does it again, luring me in with a misleading article title when the actual article is pretty much the opposite of what the title says it is. Under the heading "'Ranching' Tuna the Eco-Friendly Way," Ms. Lah proceeds to explore the nascent world of factory fish farming. Factory farms are not eco-friendly. That basic fact is true whether the output is grain, vegetation, cattle, poultry or fish.

If you think of the planet like an economic system where the mode of exchange is energy rather than money, you'll instinctively understand why a "closed farming system" is inherently unsustainable. Closed systems are like market bubbles, siphoning resources that are better used elsewhere. And when the bubble pops, when the closed system reaches the point where it can no longer absorb excess energy, the consequences are devastating. I actually think CNN was on to something with the "ranching" reference. If fish farms worked with, rather than against, the natural flow of energy, their impact would be less harmful.

How Did I Miss This?

"We are blessed here in America with vast natural resources, and we must use them all."
- Governor Bob McDonnell in last night's response to the State of the Union.

Plunder! Plunder until there's nothing left!

Freebird!

What I want to hear from Obama tonight. Sorry, I couldn't help it. I keep seeing all this "what we need to hear from Obama" commentary come through my Reader today regarding his State of the Union address. I think a rousing rendition of Freebird would be a better use of time than empty promises and unrealistic expectations. And don't act like you didn't laugh.

Big Ag Mythbusters

The biggest myths in industrial agriculture are that it is necessary to feed a growing global population and that it is capable of doing so. Josh Viertel debunks both today on the Atlantic Food Channel.

Year One

You know how some movies show all the funny bits in the preview then when you actually watch the movie you realize that's pretty much all there is to it? Yeah, that pretty much sums up Year One for me, only even the funny bits from the preview lost their comedic value when shown in context. I think I just need to accept that I am not in Judd Apatow's target market and stop wasting my time with his movies.