Whole Walmart

I will freely admit that I adore shopping at Whole Foods and despise being in a Walmart park lot, but am equally fascinated by both institutions. The article published last week in the Atlantic is a must read for foodies and economists alike:

The Great Grocery Smackdown

The polar opposites of grocery stores seem to be not as far apart as we might think or maybe the power of perceived quality should never to be underrated. How about Walmarts ability to evolve? This is a strategy whose success is yet to be determined but a move towards sustainability and increased quality while maintaining the lowest price the market, seems to be good to be true.

Americana: Must Read

"So the birthers, the anti-tax tea-partiers, the town hall hecklers -- these are "either" the genuine grass roots or evil conspirators staging scenes for YouTube? The quiver on the lips of the man pushing the wheelchair, the crazed risk of carrying a pistol around a president -- too heartfelt to be an act. The lockstep strangeness of the mad lies on the protesters' signs -- too uniform to be spontaneous. They are both. If you don't understand that any moment of genuine political change always produces both, you can't understand America, where the crazy tree blooms in every moment of liberal ascendancy, and where elites exploit the crazy for their own narrow interests." -Rick Perlstein, taken from:

In America, Crazy Is a Preexisting Condition

Birthers, Town Hall Hecklers and the

Return of Right-Wing Rage