Tom Murphy,  April 3, 2007

The price of gasoline continues to rise. Ain't that strange? The Iraq war was not only supposed to release jubilant crowds of Iraqis into the streets, it was going to increase the flow of oil to the west. Of course, it hasn't. The Arab world, led by Saudi King Abdullah, is furious with America's "illegal occupation" of Iraq. So OPEC isn't likely to cut us much of a break. The oil companies are turning in record profits thanks, in part, to higher pump prices. Venezuela's Hugo Chavez hates US policies. The Bush administration, a backer of big oil, has been fighting back mileage standards for cars (and losing the battle). Iran and Britain have been debating the fate of the Brits behind held in Tehran, and that drove up the price of crude about $6, although the price is dropping now that they're talking nicer to each other. It all makes you wonder... when was the price of crude (and, as a result, gasoline) much, much lower? Well, that would be back in 1999, when crude sold for $13 a barrel compared with the $64 in recent trading. That was between the Gulf and Iraq wars. It was when the economy looked more like a rocket than a roller coaster. Detroit was selling a lot of SUVs, not closing down factories. It was when the biggest threat to the White House was a probe of felacio, not a probe of the attorney general's conduct or a threat to cut off war funding. It was the Clinton years, not the Bush years. The truth is the current price of gasoline reflects current US policies more than anything else. So maybe it's not so strange. The only question is: how high can the price go before the next president takes office in January 2009?

Jennifer Meacham,  March 29, 2007

Burger King says it will (slowly) start to buy eggs from suppliers who don’t cage chickens. The chain already purchases 10 percent of its pork from crate-free suppliers. Burger King is the world's No. 2 hamburger chain (behind McDonald's) with more than 11,100 restaurants in more than 65 countries. This move can have a significant impact on the companies that rely on Burger King contracts to sell their pigs and chickens. However, the percent of Burger King’s products that will actually be cage-free is relatively small. Only 2 percent of its eggs in 2007 will be from hens not confined to small cages; it will be 4 percent the end of 2007.  Additionally, BK says it will double the amount of crate-free pork it buys, from 10 percent to 20 percent. Burger King follows the pace set by the 39-restaurant Burgerville chain. Burgerville went cage-free in January. Burgerville already purchases sustainable ingredients and locally grown produce, and has branded itself for these strategies.  A few questions for our readers: Burger King's stock, traded at BKC, fell on the news. What further impact do you think we'll see on its stock price as a result of this news? Is going "cage-free" being used as a marketing ploy? What ripple effect do you see for the worldwide economy in relationship to this trend?