Author Archives: Norm Benson

Today’s “agricultural system” is “unsustainable.”

Here is a redacted sentence from a recent, on the whole, thoughtful essay: We oppose X because we oppose the unsustainable agricultural system they serve. Please tell me how today’s “agricultural system” is “unsustainable.” And how is it less sustainable than the agriculture practiced 100 or 1000 or 10000 years ago? Related articles What IContinue reading “Today’s “agricultural system” is “unsustainable.””

Q & A with Maureen Ogle, Author of “In Meat We Trust”

I have the perfect gift for the foodie in your life: “In Meat We Trust: An Unexpected History of Carnivore America,” written by Maureen Ogle, it traces the origins of our food system and its meat-centric bias. “The moment European settlers arrived in North America,” Ogle says, “they began transforming the land into a meat-eater’sContinue reading “Q & A with Maureen Ogle, Author of “In Meat We Trust””

What is Comparative Advantage?

Had a good exchange in the comments section (and on Twitter) yesterday about David Ricardo’s Law of Comparative Advantage. My point in writing “Eat. Pray. Lovin’ It.” was to illustrate that people have always liked to pick up quickly prepared food. Workers willingly trade their money to save the expense (time and money and hassle)Continue reading “What is Comparative Advantage?”

Eat, Pray, Lovin’ It

On our way to the airport on the island of Bali (in Indonesia) we passed a McDonald’s restaurant. To some, McDonald’s represents the evil of corporations and their homogenization of the world, and its cultures, into one giant strip mall—McDonaldization. To me, McDonald’s represents what one writer calls “Ricardo’s Magic Trick.” We were returning homeContinue reading “Eat, Pray, Lovin’ It”

Give a hoot. Don’t shoot!

“The spotted owl is the poster boy on how to use the Endangered Species Act to accomplish a goal beyond the species itself and how things can get messed up.” Ban Nock writing in the Daily Kos The U.S. Department of the Interior has taken aim at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s iconic Woodsy Owl,Continue reading “Give a hoot. Don’t shoot!”

The Bet

    The United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development‘s Brundtland Report (1987), Our Common Future, defined sustainable development‘s path as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” It sounds simple. But how do we judge “the ability of future generationsContinue reading “The Bet”

Guest Commentary: National Wildland Fire Management Policy and Firefighter Deaths…more rhetoric, no solutions

This is a version of an Op-Ed by Kenn & Susan McCarty that appeared in the Lake County Record-Bee. Susan is a 16-year wildland firefighter veteran and a former United States Forest Service Hotshot Firefighter. Kenn is a 33-year fire service veteran and is presently a fire hand crew supervisor for the California Department ofContinue reading “Guest Commentary: National Wildland Fire Management Policy and Firefighter Deaths…more rhetoric, no solutions”

Burned Policy

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves….” Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Act 1, scene 2. Still Playing With Fire It is summer so wildfires are in the news, and this year’s Yarnell Hill and Rim Fires are partially used to hype man-caused global warming. Our fire problem has been a longContinue reading “Burned Policy”

Energy Independence is a Dumb Idea but not Because We Will Run Out of Oil

Update: One more sentence has been added to Charlie Munger’s quote. Over at the Farnam Street blog, Shane Parrish has a post titled “Energy Independence is a Terribly Stupid Idea.” I agree. But, apparently not for the same reasons that Farnam Shane Parrish or Berkshire Hathaway Vice-Chairman Charlie Munger does. (But, hey more people followContinue reading “Energy Independence is a Dumb Idea but not Because We Will Run Out of Oil”