Rotundus.com

I came across something I wasn't expecting to find in an article named Agriculture minister's all about buying local:

Chuck MacLean, chairman of the Alberta Beef Producers, pauses over Hayden's 50 per cent goal. People may be interested in supporting local farmers and ranchers, but North Americans are getting older, eating less and buying less food. Ranchers still need to make money, he says.

"The product needs to go where it makes the most amount of money," MacLean says, namely China, Japan and Russia."

If you had more population or people ate more, then you could keep (produce) at home," he says. In the meantime, he says, there needs to be concentrated effort on pushing exports offshore.

Reminds me a bit of me at the moment.

Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East

A rather interesting book focused on the events surrounding the June 1967 war between Egypt and Israel that also drew in Jordan and Syrian participants. Seemed fairly balanced. I wished that it got more into the later events, but I guess that would be a subject for another book.

(Discovered this evening while watching the June 9th Colbert Report that the author of said book is the current Israeli ambassador to the US. Still seems balanced though...)

Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men

Suggests that a few factors - some of them seemingly crazy - might be at the root of problems in this area. I thought the nature deficit disorder one kind of interesting.

The Quants: How a New Breed of Math Whizzes Conquered Wall Street and Nearly Destroyed It

A book looking at the effects of computer models and high-speed trading on stock market operations. Had some good points, but at times it seemed more like an anti-tech rant.

Nine Dragons

Junk fiction like junk food is worth consuming a bit of every now and then. Michael Connelly with a bit of an international twist.

HST means B.C., Ontario residents exempt from Washington sales tax

Prices may be going up in BC soon, but it may mean a bit more crossborder shopping. Of course, you do need to watch those duty-free limits

Austin Gay Pride vs. Queerbomb

Gay rights group argues that another gay pride parade is too family-friendly. What can I say?

Does Steve Jobs Care about Global Poverty?

While Bill Gates and a few other techies have donated large wads of cash the only charitable donations tracked back to Apple was the support a campaign for gay marriage

Moving manzanita bush costs S.F. a small fortune

The final bill to move one bush: "$175,000 - $140,000 to dig up and move the shrub, and $35,000 for 'support' services." That's a lot of people standing on shovels.

Bin Laden said to be in Iran

Should I start taking bets as to when the U.S. will invade? Does this sound any less sketchy than Bin Laden in Iraq?