Solar Power Gets Hot, Hot, Hot

Solar Power Gets Hot, Hot, Hot

With so many homeowners and businesses making greener energy choices, private utilities — along with big oil, gas, coal, and nuclear companies — see the writing on the wall. Unlike some other denizens of the fossil-fueled set, this gang isn’t beating oil wells...
No Appetite for Fixing School Lunch

No Appetite for Fixing School Lunch

You can lead a kid to vegetables, but you can’t make her eat. Especially if the food doesn’t taste good. That’s what the government found out in the wake of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. I was active in advocating for school lunch reform...
A Ticket to Sarah Palin’s Funhouse

A Ticket to Sarah Palin’s Funhouse

I figured the Texas lineup of Sen. Ted Cruz, Gov. Rick Perry, and a carnival sideshow of far-right Congress critters assured my state the glory of being the hands-down winner of the 2014 blue-ribbon prize for “Goofiest Politicos in America.” But now, a...
Is Wal-Mart Treating Workers Like Pop-Tarts?

Is Wal-Mart Treating Workers Like Pop-Tarts?

Wal-Mart loves keeping track of data. For instance, the retail giant’s researchers know that before and after major storms, customers buy strawberry Pop-Tarts at a rate that’s seven times faster than normal. How does Wal-Mart use this data? To stock its...