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

Marler's info apparently confirmed on Earthbound

The info in this post in Bill Marler's blog was soft pedaled in Earthbound remarks to The Packer but Bill Marler forwards an email with a news story that apparently confirms his information (with no direct attribution from identified sources, however) about a leveraged buyout of Earthbound Farm. From Marler's email (couldn't find this story on the Web):

New York, Oct. 9 (LCD) – RBC Capital Markets quietly rolled out a $185 million loan yesterday that backs the leveraged buyout of Earthbound Farm, a San Juan Bautista, Calif.-based organic produce company, by private equity firm Lindsay Goldberg, according to sources.

Terms of the buyout and financing package have not circulated widely. Bank of America has committed to the deal, along with BMO Capital Markets. The BMO ticket has some conditions attached to it, sources note. Earthbound Farm was the first company to successfully launch pre-washed bagged salads packaged for retail sale in 1986. The company sells more than 100 varieties of organic salads, fruits and vegetables across 75% of supermarkets nationwide, according to Earthbound. Its main farms are located in California, Arizona, and Mexico. The company also grows organic produce in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Canada, Chile, and New Zealand.