Cup of cheer and other headlines

If turning the page to a new year can't make us optimistic, nothing will. Don't look for a pick me up in the following headlines, though....


2009: the year the economy changed your life And you thought 2008 was bad... this piece is not a cup of cheer we need for the new year.... by end of 2009, real unemployment rate predicted near the all time 1930s Depression high of 25% says one gloomy economist


Local food supplants organics and what's ahead for 2009 From the piece:

That fast food may not offer the best nutrition. But, sadly, some will ignore nutrition in favor of calories as money gets tighter.

I wouldn’t be surprised if a setback in healthy eating becomes the top food story of 2009.

Produce supplier saw recession coming From the Des Moines Register, some coverage of Brendan Comito, 41, chief operating officer of Capital City Fruit.

Two more stand trial in China milk scandal
At least six babies in China died this year and 294,000 fell ill after drinking milk laced with melamine, which is normally used to make plastic.

Colorado must plan for its water future East slope v. west slope

Mexico's economic troubles grow

Is sustainability the worst example of official jargon? From coverage of the Centre for Policy Studies report on "newspeak"

Few words have become more heavily used or abused in government or corporate affairs than "sustainable". It now occupies a lofty position in the towering hierarchy of buzzwords. It is commonplace today to stick the word "sustainable" in front of almost anything, to talk of "sustainable development", "sustainable transport", "sustainable housing", "sustainable communities" and so on.

And more...

Companies now devote large sections of their ever-expanding annual reports to voluminous
jargon-ridden environmental reports and updates with impressive sounding statistics and targets. Annual reports ballooned to a colossal size as the credit crisis approached. But now shareholders and even ‘stake-holders’ may be thinking that perhaps it would have been better if more effort had been put into ensuring a business model that worked than that the canteen coffee cups were made from fibres from sustainable forests.

Five tips to help families eat right on a budget in 2009
Fresh vs. frozen rekindled.."Don't assume fresh is best." ?!??!

Agricultural Prices - USDA's December report

October home prices fall 18% in 20 metro areas
The 20-city index is down 23 percent from its 2006 peak. Fourteen of the 20 metropolitan areas showed record declines in the year ended in October.

Parents accused of killing with kindness New UK program aims to reach parents and modify their behavior so they scare their kids skinny. Graphic examples of children dying early from diabetes, heart disease and cancer will be publicized, say report.

Earthbound Farm to verify liquid organic fertilizer

Chile threatens to sue disappeared tricksters

Nebraska illegal immigration bill to include E-verify

Economy seen behind lagging behind immigration renewals Cost of renewals seen as factor