Now this is Interesting

If your convictions lie somewhere in the middle, you may be struggling with another aspect of this controversy — the cost. Do the health benefits of organic foods really justify paying significantly more for them than for nonorganic foods? There is no easy answer, because there is no hard-and-fast evidence.

For instance…

In lab studies, pesticides have been linked to cancer and reproductive and neurological problems. And it does appear that farmers who work directly with pesticides have elevated rates of these medical problems.

But: There is little clinical data showing how humans are affected by eating crops grown with pesticides.

Theoretically, if organic foods are grown in soil that is richer in nutrients, the crops should be more nutritious. Some studies do suggest that organic foods have a higher nutrient content than nonorganic — but others find no difference.

You may have heard claims that organic foods aid weight loss. This is true only to the extent that people who eat organic generally are health-conscious, so they maintain a diet naturally low in calories and high in nutrition. However, organic foods themselves do not automatically keep you slim.

A reasonable approach… (more…)

New juice Obama, right, tours a huge solar array in Nevada. Catching rays

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 — President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus — has been marketed as a jobs bill, and that’s how it’s been judged. The White House says it has saved or created about 3 million jobs, helping avoid a depression and end a recession. Republicans mock it as a Big Government boondoggle that has failed to prevent rampant unemployment despite a massive expansion of the deficit. Liberals complain that it wasn’t massive enough. (more…)