I hope that Mountain Xpress follows up the algae-based biogasoline research [“OrganoFuels’ Quest for Green Gasoline,” The Green Scene, Sept. 17]. DeAnna Hatch has been growing beakers of algae since the start of OrganoFuels in 2006. Algae could be the solution to this country’s fossil-fuel addiction—a renewable fuel [that doesn’t] compete for farmland. Corn is […]

Hal Millard’s profile fleshed out the personal side—including some admirable character traits—of Carl Mumpower. However, the article must have missed the childhood episodes when Carl refused to play in the sandbox with the other kids, or when he threatened to hold his breath until he turned blue unless everyone played by his rules. Adhering to […]

As anyone living in the Southeast knows, Hurricane Ike [caused] a massive gas scare. Prices skyrocketed as people scurried to avoid being gasless—a terrible fate if, like many in the South, you’ve had to take a job an absurd distance from your home due to downsizing or other economic reasons. This crisis, coming so shortly […]

The hot topic is “Going Out for the Kill” [Letters, Aug. 27]. I have read the responses to it both online and in a previous letter to the editor [“The Killing Machine,” Sept. 10]. I couldn’t help but notice the extreme contrast between opinions. It seems that many are under the impression that they must […]

I was pleased to see Hanna Rachel Raskin’s story about Casey McKissick’s mobile chicken-killing machine [“Going Out for the Kill,” Aug. 27], which included more about what’s really involved in bringing food to the table. McKissick acknowledged that many supporters of the local-food movement still “shudder at frank discussions of animal slaughter,” and that the […]

Hiking in Bandelier National Monument 15 years ago, my friend and I saw a sign stating “Designated Burn Area 1998.” As an environmentalist, I said, “They should just let nature do its job; it knows more about taking care of itself than we ever could! Why are we hell-bent on controlling the natural world?” I […]

As many of you have probably heard, there has been a call for America to produce all of its electricity from renewable sources and to do this in 10 years. This would create jobs, jumpstart our economy and ensure our children and their children a healthy and stable planet. Some have said that this cannot […]

It is a tragedy to watch all the special interest groups of oil, gas, coal, biodiesel, wind turbines, nukes, greenies, conservationists, shore-land owners and on and on vye for power while Rome burns and gets hotter. The French, with 84 percent [of their] energy from nukes, probably are laughing at us! — Earl Sunderhaus Asheville

Republican vice-presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin proclaims that drilling, mining and shredding Mother Earth to the core in her home state of Alaska is “God’s will.” In the video referenced below, she states, “Our greatest natural resource, of course, is our people.” Victorian Puritanical mindsets have declared for centuries that the Earth was created for […]

Once again the Republicans are stealing our hope by cynically reframing the election debates not around issues but by setting forth an unqualified female candidate to distract us from what really matters.  I know, an unqualified, fundamentalist woman a heartbeat away from the presidency is scary, but so is our national debt, the Iraq war, […]

We are nearing the end of the excruciating anguish of two Bush terms chock-full of gross incompetence and disastrous decisions. Do the Republicans deserve still another chance? No, hardly. It’s time for clear-cut change, which can only happen if we elect someone who can examine issues with a fresh perspective and an open mind, select […]

When I think of Sarah Palin, a few words come to mind: “Thanks, but no thanks.” She’d be my pick if I were on a moose hunt, but since I live in the lower 48, I am going to stick with Sen. Obama. The governor has memorized her GOP talking points well. Her stock lines […]

In the August 27 article “Going for the Kill,” Casey McKissick describes his Mobile Processing Unit—a chicken slaughtering and processing station on wheels that can be rented by local farmers by the day. The purpose of the unit is to provide a clean, efficient and affordable way for local farmers to process small quantities of […]