(I'm guessing the "Pep and Vigor" came from the sugar. Just a guess....) The Doughnut Corporation sought endorsement from the Nutrition Division of the War Food Administration for its Vitamin Doughnuts campaign. National Archives, Records of the Agricultural Marketing Service
At the New York Times, dateline March 2009 : Going Galt: Everyone’s Doing It
A couple of seemingly unrelated links, but….
First, it’s worthwhile to revisit Sydney’s rant at Untemplater: Taxes Suck and Make Me Want to Shut Down my Small Business. I was going to post an excerpt, but the title pretty much encapsulates it. Here’s a small entrepreneur that is just discouraged by the high rate of taxation.
Moving on with other personal experiences, here’s a recent podcast on Financial Sense (“The Search for Greener Pastures Overseas“) Guest Erik Townsend was a very successful internet entrepreneur and investor. After selling off his company, he decided that he’d had enough of taxes and high regulation on small business, and spent some time traveling around the world looking for a place to expatriate (I might have saved him some trouble with this post Retiring Abroad – A Few Things to Ponder). A good iPod listen while out in the garden noodling around the flower beds.
The take from both these stories is that over-regulation and heavy taxation, all in the noble interests of protecting the consumer and insuring fairness, tends to piss off the very people that generate the wealth. And eventually, they go away.
More links…
Our friend Mich puts his analytical skills to use in reviewing commodity ETFs with: Wheat ETF: Harvesting Profits from the Staple Food of Mankind.
A companion headline to Mich’s writeup, from AsiaOne News.
China: World’s Largest Food Market
China’s supermarket sector was worth $970 billion at the end of 2011, surpassing the US market, which was valued at $913.5 billion, according to food industry analysts IGD. The rapid expansion is being driven by China’s growing economy, the rising wealth of its population, and inflationary food prices, the British firm said. China’s grocery market is forecast to expand to nearly $1.46 trillion by the end of 2014, three times its worth in 2006. The report noted that the Chinese are moving from a diet based on rice and pork to embrace dairy products, wheat, grains, and both red and white meat, which has helped boost prices around the world.
World War II poster, 1942 National Archives, Records of the Secretary of Agriculture
First China becomes the world’s largest consumer of cars, and now they’re vying for top spot on who will be the fattest.
Earlier this year I made a prediction about rising food prices (“Looking Back, Looking Forward“). Maybe we ought to expect another black swan after a couple more months of rising food prices?
One more headline, this time from Reuters:
Food Inflation Seen Back on the Table as Prices Rise
MILAN, April 5 (Reuters) – World food prices are likely to rise for a third successive month in March, and could gain further beyond that, with expensive oil and chronically low stocks of some key grains putting food inflation firmly back on the economic agenda.
Food prices grabbed world policy makers’ attention after hitting record highs in February 2011 and stoking protests connected to the Arab Spring wave of civil unrest in some north Africa and middle eastern countries.
Yet More Links….
Canadian Oil Stocks, with Investing in Oil: 3 Canadian Oil Sands Stocks
A dose of reality from Bichon Frise @ PFBlogWatchDog, with You are not Buffet
Babci rides again over at First Gen American, with Babci Story: Surviving on Milk Soup
Steve from Money Infant guest posts at Retire By 40, with Socially Responsible Investing
“Locavesting” with JT @ Money Mamba: Investing in Small Businesses
My University Money dissects the Canadian Federal budget, with The Gift That Keeps On Giving
Not to be outdone, Financial God does the same, only with a slightly more pointed title: Canada’s 2012 Budget: Does It Deliver, or is It Full of BS?
You have an itch to learn about positive expected values? Itch no more, because the fine folks at DQYDJ have it covered with Adventures in Lottery Playing – What Was The Expected Value of Mega Millions Tickets?
Matt @ Rambling Money with One Good Consequence of Obamacare’s Individual Mandate
Increase your trading IQ, with Darwin’s Money: Pairs Trade: Real Examples and Profit Potential
Shocking revelation from Expat Mama: Confession Time – I Don’t Own A Credit Card
Want to strike out on your own be an entrepreneur? Read about Kevin’s journey in real time at Invest It Wisely. “Two Months of Entrepreneurship: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”
Jon “I don’t know where the money is” Corzine, he of MF Global fame shame, ex-honorable Governor of New Jersey (dubious he had any honor to start with), is still at large. According to Ms. Kathryn of Kathryn’s Conversations, it’s high time he should be picking up soap in Federal Prison: “It’s Official, Jon Corzine is Batshit Crazy“. Can we all agree that Mr. Corzine is ready to be Mrs. Corzine to some heavily tattooed 350-pound soul mate?
Meanwhile, small Michigan farmers raising heritage pigs are potential felons under a new law.
Sticking it to the peasants, a little bit more every day. Move along, nothing to see here, folks.
Rounding out on the current state of national affairs, Financial Samurai with the apropos title of Shit Is Fucked Up And Bullshit
Roundups, Giveaways, Honorable Mentions and Carnivals
First off, a couple of honorable mentions at First Gen American, with Househunting and Tradesman’s Posh Digs and one at Hope To Prosper, with The Stock Market Makes a Comeback
The scribblings of this blog were also graciously included in roundups and accepted by the following carnivals:
Carnival of Financial Planning, hosted by Free Money Finance
Yakezie Carnival, April Fool’s Edition, hosted by Passive Income to Retire
Yakezie Carnival, Early Spring Jump Edition, hosted by Money Reasons
Totally Money Carnival, Millionaire Teacher Edition, hosted by Thirty Six Months
Carnival of Financial Camaraderie #28, hosted by My University Money
Financial Carnivals for Young Adults, 6th Edition, hosted by 20s Finances
Carnival of Retirement, Welcome to FPR Edition, hosted by Financial Product Review
Carnival of Retirement, April 2nd Edition, hosted by Tackling Our Debt
Carnival of Money Pros, Final Ride Edition, hosted by Financially Consumed
Carnival of Money Pros #4, Scramble with Friends, hosted by Thousandaire
A super giveaway by Invest It Wisely: Weekend Reading, The New iPad Edition. Over $1,200 in prizes to be won. What you waiting for? Odds are most certainly better than the Mega-Millions lottery.
Another giveaway by Dave at Debt Black Hole. Your chance to win some Unicorn Spam from ThinkGeek. Ah, yes, and a hundred bucks, too.
DQYDJ, with The Weekender
JL Collins in NH with “You Can Eat My Vindaloo…” and a bunch of other worthwhile links.
Cult of Money, with Sunday Devotional Links
My Own Advisor, with Weekend Reading – Happy Easter Edition
Beating The Index, with Weekend Reading – Happy Easter Edition
Financial God, with Weekend Reading, Protests Edition
Street Smart Finance, with Three Easy Steps to Get Physically and Financially Fit
My Own Advisor, with Weekend Reading – Budget Highlights, Worried Boomers and Amazing Blogs
That’s if for this week. Thanks for reading, and please feel free to subscribe to RSS, email or Twitter. Top right hand corner.
it seems that the agriculture sector is growing rapidly as a direct result of China’s improving fortunes, something to keep an eye on as it could provide a lot of investment opportunities in agriculture right here at home just like for oil.
Thanks for the mention and I hope you’re having a great weekend,
Happy Easter!
BeatingTheIndex recently posted..Weekend Round-up: Happy Easter Edition!
People get rich, they get fat and happy! China’s importing tons of soybeans and corn and other grains. More moon cakes, more good times.
So not surprised about China’s biggest, fattest, grocery bills. They and India should be racking up all the food and resources in no time flat, with their overpopulation and greedy middle class growth!
Food is a commodity worth investing in. ETF’s a safer way to go by far, I did the straight commodity investing once, not worth the hassle. Now I stick to ETF’s.
thanks for including me in the roundup!
Hi Marina – I’m starting to warm up to some ETFs myself. Maybe the era of mutual funds is on the wane?
Mutual funds for me, are definitely over
They are too sneaky and manage to take way too much money.
Thanks for the mention! I’m so not looking forward to June getting closer and having to pay quarterly estimated taxes again. Aaaaa! -Sydney
Untemplater recently posted..It’s now 2nd Quarter: Have You Already Given Up On Your 2012 Goals?
Indeed. The State wants its vig, I mean fair share.
Noooooooooooooo China! For the love of God, don’t take after our eating habits! Your diet is great and keeps you guys in shape! Don’t eat like Americans!! Although I guess if they want to live like us in so many other ways, it only makes sense that they’ll mirror us on their relationship with food.
TB recently posted..Getting Another Raise
Hi TB – you oughta see the crowds at a Chinese McDonalds. Slight different fare, but the burgers and fries taste the same, amazingly enough.
Thanks for the mention! That’s interesting about China. I thought they are still primarily rice based and wheat is a long way behind. Who doesn’t like yummy red meat?
retirebyforty recently posted..March 2012 Cash Flow
Hi RB40 – would you believe that of all the dinner and banquets I’ve been to, rice wasn’t a main dish? It was sometimes eaten last, for good luck.
Thanks for the links above!
Cold weather returned to Ottawa this Easter weekend, so no work on our garden yet. I will check out Part 2, you recently posted this week
Cheers,
Mark
Hi Mark – a pox on cold weather this time of year. We’ve had enough!
Thanks for the mention, Andrew! I wonder if we’re not due for another shake-up this year. As far as taxes go, places like Canada are improving the situation, but at the same time, Leviathan is still alive and well! I think we need more city-states as they seem to do a really good job of providing fierce competition and a haven for capital and economic growth.
FG recently posted..Ron Paul: The One True Hope and Change for 2012
We’re thinking along the same lines. Competing free cities, duchies, baronies and republics, much like in Renaissance Italy.
You find the best pictures and podcasts. I can’t wait to listen to Financial Sense. Sounds interesting and intense.
AverageJoe recently posted..Cuppa’ O.G. Rental Real Estate in your IRA – What Are They Thinking?
I too need to add that podcast to my podcast player. I am obsessed with those these days! Thanks for pointing out another good one. Oh, and thanks for the link! I think you are the only site that linked to that particular article. It didn’t get as much attention as I thought it would considering the time that I posted it, during the Supreme Court hearings.
Matt @ RamblingFever Money recently posted..Where To Tithe When You Don’t Regularly Attend Church