The Planet Will House 10 Billion People, and We Can Feed Them All

There are a few basic (but radical) steps we can take to sustainably double our food production. Here’s the strategy:

• Halt farming in places like tropical rainforests and wild lands, which are ecologically valuable but have low food output. 
• Make underused expanses of land in Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe more efficient, boosting current food production by nearly 60 percent. 
• Make better use of water, fertilizers, and chemicals 
• Stop eating so much meat, especially in developed countries. 
• Stop wasting food—about one-third of all food grown is either discarded, spoiled, or eaten by pests.

The last two one can start doing today.

Are Your Political Opponents Crazy?

Conservatives, for example, see business as primarily a source of social and economic good, achieved by the market mechanism of seeking to maximize profit. They therefore think government’s primary duty regarding businesses is to see that they are free to pursue their goal of maximizing profit. Liberals, on the other hand, think that the effort to maximize profit threatens at least as much as it contributes to our societies’ well-being. They therefore think that government’s primary duty regarding businesses is to protect citizens against business malpractice. Of course, conservatives admit that sometimes business practices need government regulation and liberals admit that sometimes regulation is a bad idea, but in each case these are exceptions to their basic picture. While conservatives are (as Ronald Reagan put it) terrified at the words, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you,” liberals are terrified at the words, “I’m from [for example] the cable company and I’m here to help you.”

DJ Shadow: The Internet Is Not Your Savior

It took a long time for television to develop a conscience, and I think we’re seeing the same thing with new media.

Seth's Blog: Short-term capitalism

Amen.

Private Prisons Found to Offer Little in Savings - NYTimes.com

Why is this a surprise?

The private prison industry is dominated by three public companies.

Public companies are under pressure to grow.

Growth can only come from:

o) Even more mass incarceration (happening, not good)

o) Cutting costs through reducing quality of service (happening, not good)

o) Cutting costs through innovation (is there an app for that?)

o) Raising prices (happening, not good)

So as times goes on… only bad things will happen. Add to that it’s not exactly a liquid, competitive market - it’s not as if Arizona can switch vendors annually. Bad news.

About as surprising as the Pennsylvania judges who took bribes from a private juvenile detention center to send more kids to juvie.

The profit motive only works if it’s pointed in the right direction.

The Opulence Bubble - Umair Haque - Harvard Business Review

“More, bigger, faster, cheaper” doesn’t necessarily add up to or equal “better, wiser, smarter, fitter, closer.”