Ideal Bite

Even with green biz champ Al Gore out there telling venture capitalists that there's big bucks to be made in saving the planet, most of us who're trying to do our part for Earth aren't worrying about where that big money lies.

So it's interesting to see what Gordon Gekko types think about the green sector, since they're coming at it from an entirely different angle. In honor of Earth Day, investing website Motley Fool posted a roundtable discussion on green stocks conducted by a few of its analysts.

They're anticipating big boosts in conservation technologies, and stuff that doesn't require a huge change in people's habits - which makes sense. Read the full post... 

Wanna invest in the political future of our country? The Iowa Electronic Market lets you do just that.

The idea behind the futures market, which is run by the University of Iowa's economics school, is that economics can predict political outcomes. Example: It correctly forecast George W. Bush's 2004 win over John Kerry. 

Snap up some shares of Democratic dropout John Edwards for a paltry $0.002 today, and if a miracle happens, you could walk away with a few hundred bucks.

-Toshio...off to predict the near-future: a weekend of boozing at the Andersen Valley Boontville Brewfest...

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I have friends in London I desperately want to visit, but with the insane exchange rate I'd need to take out a bigger-than-micro loan to pay for it. On the other hand, when my Brit friends cross the pond to America, they go buckwild. $15 for a cocktail? Cheap as chips. $250 for a jacket? Not at all a rip-off.

For people in the developing world, the exchange rate is even more insane. With the cash you'd spend closing out the pubs on a Saturday night in Leicester, you can start a whole business.

(For the record, London's not even the most expensive city.)

-Toshio...off to count my pennies...

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When I was little, all I needed to get by was a roof over my head, food, water, and a TV. Today, not only do I need all these things, I also need cable plus HBO on that TV, a computer with internet, one personal cell phone, one work cell phone, three credit cards and a mutual funds advisor.

OK, so I could live without these things, but I wouldn't want to. That said, I really could live without having to deal with different providers for each and every service I use.

On the fun scale, dealing with separate vendors ranks somewhere between picking up my housemate's floss off the floor and sterilizing my yoga mat, which is why I love the donation-linked service model - one company, more than one service. They're all 2-for-1 providers, since all donate to charity at the same time they give you the kind of service you'd get at the big guys anyway. Add to that Read the full post... 

I move. A lot. It's just something I do. When I was in my late 20s, and people heard about how many places I had lived, it was all quite charming and interesting. A few years later, though, and now I generally get that raised brow look where inside the mind, you know that the person is gauging the state of my mental health, and pondering my seeming inability to settle down.

So I've been quite proud of the fact that I stayed in Brooklyn for 4 whole years. 4 years ago, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' last album provided the soundtrack for my initial move here, and today, their latest is providing the soundtrack for what will be my last summer in Brooklyn (yeah - there's another move on my horizon).

But I love this place. More than I do any other I have been. It's the first place where I have felt an attachment and obligation to my community, a connection with my neighbors. It's

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So I have to say that it took me a good 4 years and a switch of a broker to get into some SRI funds. Most traditional brokers have their systems and relationships (and hidden fees!) so totally locked, that asking them to consider other funds is like asking them to dance naked in the streets. I am sure you could call some of the funds up directly, but I don't have the bandwidth to really monitor my investments, and the .5% or whatever it is to have someone else do it is worth it. Anyway, I am with someone now who got me into a CALVERT fund.

I am waiting for the next evolution... Sustainable Investment. This is where the companys' business models are regenerative, and whereby their existence improves the environment and our society.

Until then, thought I would dork-out and spout some stats so you can see that more and more people are doing it... and this one of the

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