I haven't read any of Pollan's work though I've heard it is worthwhile. I'll start with your link. Thanks for posting it, and welcome to the forum.

Another thing to worry about - this is all truly frightening. I'd like to formally thank all the Republicans, the Reagan Democrats, the fiscal conservatives and the other political suckers who felt like an incompetent and his loyalists were a good pick for the White House. What was set in motion before Bush, what was caused by the Dems instead of the Republicans, I don't know --- all I know is this extraordinarily incompetent man did not do one thing to get us on the right track. I love when people point to some deregulation of Carter's as the start of the financial crisis. If you think government sets something on course 30 years ago and then doesn't make changes or adjustments if there are problems, then why do we even have a President?

The danger to having an incompetent in the White House couldn't have been more obvious than after Katrina where Brownie did not do a heck of a job and Bush thought it was a good photo op backdrop ("remember to roll up your sleeves".)

And, now - the Republicans have given us VP Palin as a back-up to McCain who is not young (not that even that would've been a guarantee, either) with four bouts of skin cancer under his belt. She can only recite what she has been taught and is also known to surround herself with - no, not the best and the brightest but - the most loyal.

What a cosmic joke offering Palin is. Since, barring unforeseen circumstances, it looks like Obama is going to take it - thank goodness but Bill Kristol - you are truly a fool.

Well, Bill Kristol used to seem like a smart conservative, but at some point after 9/11, he became this shameless shill for the Bushies. If you like W, you'll like Palin even more!

As for Pollan, I 1st came across him while he was writing essays and producing radio segments for his book, The Omnivore's Dilemma. He covered the cycle of fuel-food in that book, and it wasn't pretty. I don't live too far from his first stop in that book, either. The book convinced me to be more selective about what I buy, and that I'm better off not being a vegetarian. I figure there isn't a whole lot I can do about restaurant foods, except avoid fast food. Others could gleen something else from the writing.

The NYT piece is great because it sums up his work in his agricultural arena as well as offers some public policy suggestions for national (if not global) improvement.

I'll admit, I only read the first three pages, but unless he addressed this later, he seemed to be wishing farmers would go back to the old days when they didn't use so much energy. He seems to overlook the fact that farmers weren't nearly as productive back then. If the world is facing a shortage of grain, the last thing you should do is become less productive!