I live near a so-called "community garden". I laugh at all of the people who claim that they are trying to reduce their food-miles by growing some of their food. 90% of all trips to this garden are by car, in spite of the fact that it is along the most extensive bike path in this small (130,000) city. According to my calculations, the carbon footprint of these people's garden produce is between 300 and 500 times what it would be if they simply purchased trucked in veges from California (I'm in Oregon, where most farmland is used to grow grass seed).

I'm fully in favor of people growing their own food, but we should not kid ourselves about what we are doing. Done well, both the gardener and the environment win. When it is done by car, our planet is a big loser.

Thirty years ago I was offered a research position in the then quite new field of aquaculture (fish farming). After digging through the B.S. of its proponents, it was apparent that this was not the way to a sustainable future (yes, some of us used that term back then). I turned it down and have watched with horror what has happened in the field since then.

We appear bent on creating the last great extinction event on this planet that we can study.

"Throughout his career, Baucus has had a tendency to play for the middle ground in politics."

Strangely, not this time. Over two-thirds of Americans want a public option. Playing games to prevent what the vast majority of Americans want is hardly working the middle ground. This guy is well funded by the medical-industrial complex and is working diligently to save their bacon. An incurable pox on his house.

For over a quarter-century we have lamented the failings of American science education. In that time, what have we seen change in the primary college admissions test, the SAT? The scoring has been renormalized to account for a continuous lowering of the scores, the only thinking portion of the language test was removed, and an essay portion was added. I cannot see how this will encourage schools or students to do the heavy lifting required to become proficient in science. We are sending students to our best universities who can do simple maths well and are quite skilled at various presentation methods, but they can't think. Worse yet, they don't seem to care; if they don't understand something they think it must not be important.

At its heart, science is about having the curiosity to ask questions in a creative enough way to lead to answers. It is no coincidence that our most anti-science President is also described as our least intellectually curious President. A journalist may employ the scientific method (and many "scientists" may not do any science at all). Science is a way of thinking, and Americans seem to no longer enjoy that particular pastime.

Will these clowns show up to protest the chemical/oil/auto industries and their dumping of chemicals known to cause miscarriages into women's bodies via our air, food and water? Somehow I doubt that they are as opposed to involuntary abortions as they are to voluntary ones.

Yes indeed, we are no longer in a recession. Now we are in a depression. More pain to follow.

Over a century later, the jungle still has relevance. The entire plot would have fallen apart if all of those poor meatpackers had access to affordable healthcare. What next, democratic elections where the votes aren't paid for and all of them are counted?

Now let's go collect some cans and bottles and celebrate with a candy bar before the soup kitchen opens.

So, the French may have given up a little GDP to have universal health care. What did they get? Only the best health care on the planet. It is high time we joined the civilized world and started providing for the health of our society. I would rather pay a bit more taxes if it will keep my child from contracting extremely drug-resistant TB from someone who couldn't afford to seek treatment (or someone they infected). Public health affects all of us.

If we still had anyone left in America who could construct a guillotine (or anything else), we might just have some sort of Bastille Day. Of course, that would mean actually storming something, and we only do that for consumer goods made by Asian children.

Wasn't Angelides a land speculator in the Sacramento area? Sounds like just the medicine for what ails us. I seem to recall him having a bit of trouble with the government over some wetlands he illegally filled in as well. Nevermind, I forgot we are only supposed to look forward these days.

Where I live (Oregon) the vast majority of the population would willingly have millions slaughtered is exchange for one more year of cheap driving. Incredibly, even the peace protesters drive to their events. It looks like Americans have become so psychologically dependent on driving that they really cannot imagine a world in which driving to one's destinations is the exception rather than the rule. Help me out here: can the average American really be so dense that they do not see the connection between their consumption of oil products and the brutal wars we have engaged in, both directly and by proxy?