Posting Again!

Looks like we’ve got a handle on this thing…

Stressed me to the max though… Stress ages one!grow up

Even though I’ve got to fix some  stuff in the archives…

I think I can get a bit posted.

Let’s See…

Today’s Insults!

Do you ever wonder what life would be like if you’d had enough oxygen at birth? – anon

Do you want people to accept you as you are or do you want them to like you? – Unknown

Don’t you have a terribly empty feeling – in your skull? – anonymous

Do you still love nature, despite what it did to you? - anon

Biofuel Boom Driving Up Pasta Prices… They’ll Get Us One Way Or The Other!

 Durum prices up 300% since last year

FARGO — The price of durum, a wheat variety used in pasta, has skyrocketed to more than $12 per bushel at North Dakota elevators — a jump farmers say is overdue.

North Dakota produces about 60 percent of the country’s durum, with this year’s state crop estimated at around 44 million bushels. A year ago, durum prices were around $4.20 per bushel.

Agriculture marketing and commodity groups say the prices are rising due to poor crops in Europe and a wet spring that hurt North Dakota durum yields.

ALSO …

In the latest biofuels-related hike, a poor wheat harvest amid rising demand from fuel makers is expected to boost pasta prices 20%

Mamma mia! The price of a plate of pasta is expected to rise 20 percent this summer as a bad wheat harvest and increasing competition from biofuel manufacturers send the price of delicate, delicious durum wheat skyrocketing.

Italy’s famous macaroni makers are the latest to find themselves at the wrong end of competition from the booming biofuel industry, which converts corn, sugar, wheat and other crops to fuel and energy. As biofuels catch on, governments are increasing subsidies. Farmers are finding themselves in an unfamiliar position: a seller’s market. Courted by food manufacturers and energy firms alike, they’re raising prices and shifting production to crops that can be used to make ethanol for cars, heat homes or generate electricity. (READ MORE)

This Is A Rip Off!

Report: Young adults pay $1 billion a year in overdraft fees

Young adults ages 18 to 24 pay more than $3 in fees for every $1 their account is overdrawn.

They are particularly susceptible to such charges because of their widespread use of debit cards for even small transactions, concludes a study issued today by the Center for Responsible Lending, a nonprofit group based in Durham.

“Abusive overdraft practices by banks are stripping funds from the checking accounts of young adults,” the report concludes. “Many students and young workers find themselves owing hundreds of dollars in fees before they even realize they have overdrawn their accounts.”

At least 100 colleges nationwide contribute to the problem by forming partnerships with banks, the study contends.   READ MORE