NEW from Erv Klaas! Those of us who have been following developments on climate change and global warming are asked, “If the planet is getting warmer why is it so cold?”  James Hansen, one of the world’s leading climatologists, says that he often is asked the same question.  So, he has published an essay titled, If Its That Warm, How Come Its So Damned Cold?, and placed it on his web site, it will also be available soon at BluePlanetGreenLiving.com . In this paper he states that 2009 tied as the second warmest year in the 130 years of global instrumental temperature records based on analysis of data at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies.  The Southern Hemisphere set a record as the warmest year for that half of the world.  

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Fortune

By David Whitford, editor at large December 29, 2009

DETROIT (Fortune) -- John Hantz is a wealthy money manager who lives in an older enclave of Detroit where all the houses are grand and not all of them are falling apart. Once a star stockbroker at American Express, he left 13 years ago to found his own firm. Today Hantz Financial Services has 20 offices in Michigan, Ohio, and Georgia, more than 500 employees, and $1.3 billion in assets under management.

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Duluth News Tribune

By Howard A. Learner, December 1, 2009

Rural transportation has traditionally meant cars, pickups, highways and Greyhounds.

While intercity buses are fewer and further between, that doesn’t change people’s needs to get from place to place. Most people have cars and trucks, but some elderly or disabled people can no longer drive; and with gas prices going up, some unemployed and lower-income people can no longer afford to drive much. In rural America, where the percentage of people older than 65 is expected to triple, mobility can be challenging, and more transportation alternatives are needed.

Smithsonian Magazine

By Lisa BramenDecember 31, 2009

The first decade of the millennium may have been a good one for cuisine, but it was a mixed bag in terms of food-related news. At the same time that Americans were expanding and refining their culinary repertoires, nearly every week they were getting new reasons to be fearful about what they ate-whether it was safe, whether it was healthy, and whether it would continue to be
available at all. Here's a look back at some of the biggest food news stories of the decade.

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The videos featuring this year's winners provide a look at what these communities have to offer that makes them great places to work, live and play. 

Visit http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/awards/sg_awards_publication_2009.htm or click here to view the videos, and click below for a list of the 2009 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement winners.

The Des Moines Register

By Marc Hansen, December 29, 2009

Like the universe, the Des Moines metro area continues to expand.

Growth in the central city has been flat, at best. But for most of the suburbs, it's still boom time.

Ankeny's population was 27,000 at the start of the decade. It's now more than 42,000.

West Des Moines grew from 46,000 to almost 56,000 over the past 10 years.

Urbandale went from 29,000 to 38,000, Johnston from 8,600 to almost 16,000, Waukee from 5,100 to more than 12,000. And that isn't counting Pleasant Hill, Altoona, Carlisle or Norwalk.

It's a minivan invasion. Look for more of the same over the next 10 years. Maybe not at quite the same clip, the experts say, but the population arrow still is clearly pointing up.

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1000 Friends of Iowa is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2009 Best Development Awards! The winners of our Best Development Awards are models of how responsible development practices provide benefits to the community, the environment, and quality of life for future generations. By category, the winners are:

New Commercial/Civic: Marshalltown Public Library, Marshalltown
New Residential: Court Avenue Lofts, Des Moines
Renovated Commercial/Civic: The Durrant Building, Dubuque
Renovated Residential: Westfield Avenue Lofts, Waterloo
Mixed Use: Plaza Towers , Iowa City
Leadership: Historic Millwork District Master Plan, Dubuque

Please join us in congratulating this year’s recipients! We are currently adding details and images of each recipient and project, learn more about each of this year's recipients here.

The Iowa Food Cooperative (IFC) is a web-based marketplace for Iowa grown and crafted products. The co-op was created to unite producers and consumers, and facilitate the direct sale of Iowa-grown foods and Iowa-made products.  The need for these cooperatives around the state is tremendous. When small and family owned farms are able to connect with consumers and sell their products locally, we'll see more farmers willing to grow food. When we have more farmers who can make a living off smaller farms we'll see more young farmers in Iowa and we can expect better stewardship. Please visit the IFC website at www.iowafood.org for complete details, join the co-op and start shopping! IFC is a project of Practical Farmers of Iowa.