Four (or Five!) Reasons Why

…Cocaine Is Making A Comeback

1. Cocaine is cheap, relative to other drugs, and has become even more of a designer drug. While meth remains drug enforcements biggest concern, cocaine has re-emerged as a cheaper alternative for dealers looking to move large volumes. As News10 in California notes, meth is currently going for $22,000 per pound, while coke is fetching $10,000. Dealers are also cutting it with flavorings like strawberry, mint and lemon to appeal to teens.

2. Both acreage dedicated to coca bush production and plant yields are rising. In Peru, plots have increased by one-third since 1999, to about 127,000 acres, and other South American countries have seen similar effects. Some experts have noted that the density of coca plantings has increased dramatically and fertilizers have helped leaves yield a higher proportion of cocaine alkaloid, the active ingredient in cocaine.

3. Despite the most recent financial crisis facing the U.S., developed economies across the world have prospered. With prosperity comes disposable income, which inevitably leads to “recreational activities.

4. Facing higher demand, and the growing disparity in income levels with producing nations, there are few better alternatives for some farmers to make a living. A farmer in Peru says, “Here, there is no alternative to coca. They come and they offer us a few chickens and some cacao. How am I to survive on that?”

5. It’s getting harder to catch traffickers, despite best efforts. The traditional cartels have broken down into  a series of international, smaller-scale entrepreneurs. “We’re up against an army of ants,” quotes General Miguel Hidalgo, head of Peru’s national anti-drug police. In addition, many South American rebel groups have recognized that trafficking is in fact a lucrative operation and is eschewing political ideology in the face of business theory.

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….It’s Tough to be Really Green

1. There’s still far no much packaging in far too many products with over one-third of the garbage we generate is packaging thrown away immediately after we buy merchandise. Despite all the talk about being green and more environmentally friendly, the vast majority of consumer products makers haven’t climbed on board yet. If you’ve purchased a gift for child recently, you can see the problem first-hand given the bubble wrap, the dozens of twist ties and the pile of paper involved.

Food packaging is just as bad due to concerns about health and safety. Then again, why do we have to buy coffee in bags that are thrown in the garbage as opposed to getting a discount for bringing a refillable container?

2. We live in a society where convenience rules the day. Take food, for example. With people apparently having less time to cook meals at home, the take-out and prepared food markets have flourished. The problem, however, is they both involve packaging that, for the most part, isn’t recyclable. Meanwhile, the take-out industry is still awash in styrofoam containers. And let’s not even start talking about the billions of plastic shopping bags that retailers use every year. If we were really serious about the environment, plastic bags would be banned.

3. Green and organic products are expensive so there is no financial incentive to use them. A box of “green” dishwasher detergent is two to three times the product of regular dishwasher detergent. If it was only 50% more, maybe more people would buy them. That would maybe create enough volume to reduce the price even more.

4. In North America, the car still rules even as gasoline prices go through the roof - hitting a high of $3.60 in the U.S. Even if you want to ride you bike or take public transportation, the infrastructure just isn’t there to do it. Instead, government tries to create disincentives such as tolls and higher prices for parking. People love their cars so it will take more than higher prices to get them out of them.

Technorati Tags: Environmental, Green

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…You Should Expect To Pay More For Good Beer

1. Along with every other food crop around the world, the price for hops has gone through the roof. While there are a variety of hops used in the brewing process, average prices have risen from about $5 per pound only a few years ago to upwards of $50 for a few varieties. Last year saw an increase of 20% for the most widely grown hops to 80% for specialty varieties used by craft brewers.

2. Agricultural acreage dedicated to the production of hops has been on the decline, even though demand has been growing. The latest figures available show worldwide acreage shrank from 236,067 acres in 1992 to 113,417 in 2006. In the U.S. alone, total acres fell from 42,266 to 29,435. Interesting, in 1856 the United Kingdom grew 56,000 acres of hops and only 2,400 today.

3. It generally takes around three years before newly planted vines start producing usable hops. In the face of a shortage for next couple of years, big brewers are acting predatory with hops farmers, using their financial clout to lock up contracts for several years out.

4. Fire another salvo at ethanol. After suffering low prices for years, farmers have been converting crops into what they saw as financially sustainable use, particularly to meet demand for bio-fuels. Ethanol producers are also competing with brewers for a limited supply of malted barley, with prices rising 30% to 40% in 2007.

5. While farmers are replanting hops, many are choosing those that suit big brewers’ needs, leaving specialty varieties behind. As Yuseff Cherney of Ballast Point Brewing notes, “If we wind up with just a few varieties of hops, then a lot of beers are going to taste remarkably similar. Craft beer in the beginning was all about different guys making different things. That diversity was what made this business so interesting, and we’re looking at losing all that.”

Check out Pint Price to find out how much a pint costs around the world.

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….Why Crossword Puzzles Are So Popular

1. Crosswords are excellent mental exercise - whether you’re looking for a quick workout (something in your local newspaper) or a marathon (a challenging weekend crossword in places such as the New York Times).

2. They’re a personal challenge on a daily basis in which success is quietly celebrated while failure is not losing but rather an opportunity to learn and an incentive to do better the next day.

3. In an increasingly multi-tasking world, crosswords offer a much-need break because they require focus and time to think. It’s not like you can do a crossword, have a conversation, surf the Web and watch TV at the same time.

4. You can compete with yourself or with other people. A good example is the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament run by the NYT’s crossword guru, Will Shortz. Now in its 32nd year, it’s a three day crossword extravanganza that offers a $5,000 first prize and, more important, the opportunity to socialize with other crossword fanatics.

5. Anyone can do a crossword, which gives them universal appeal. Whether you have a PhD in English or you’re a truck driver waiting for your next load, crosswords appeal to everyone and anyone.

More: Crosswords date back to England in the 19th century but didn’t become a craze until 1913 when a journalist, Arthur Wynne, created the first modern crossword, which made its debut on December 21 in the New York World.

This Just In: Maybe what the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament needs to add some sizzle is do what the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition is doing: get a hot “sideline” reporter such as Erin Andrews!

Technorati Tags: Crossword Puzzles

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…Twitter Is The Next Google, But Better

1. As with Google in the early days, there is no business model. (At least outside of Japan.) It took the borrowing of a paid advertising concept before Google started raking in the cash. Before then, investors took a punt on a couple of brainiacs with an interesting idea. While Twitter may not have invented a better mousetrap (see Pownce), they did invent a mousetrap that lots of people want to use (and often feel naked when it goes dark). People are there and the business model may follow. And a couple of brainiacs with an interesting idea may make some money.

2. Twitter has accomplished what nobody, not even Google, has yet to figure out - crowdsourcing search. How often have you seen a request for advice, recommendations or suggestions come across your Twitter feed? I would guess, a lot. How difficult would it be for the Twitterer to do a search themselves? Probably a lot longer than typing a short-message and sending into the twitter-sphere.

3. Google simplified search through the use of its very sophisticated algorithms and computing power. Most people thought that it couldn’t get any easier, while most competitors thought they could. Both were wrong…until now. (Though maybe until now, nobody ever thought of Twitter as a competitor to Google.) Search is easier than ever - 140 characters and a few “friends”.

4. Not only has Twitter inadvertently taken crowdsouring to search, it has actually taken it a step further into friendsourcing. In fact, it has created the first personalized and trusted search engine in the world. We all know how vital recommendations are to our decision-making process. Twitter has Google beat here! Twitter’s search results are from people who know you (or think they know you). What would you trust? Google’s organic search results? Paid results? Or Twitter’s personalized, recommended results?

5. At the end of the day, using Twitter as your search engine is a hell of a lot more interesting and fun than Google. And if simplified search comes down to productivity, it’s a real time saver!

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