From The Farm To The Dump: There´s an interesting article in yesterday´s New York Times about how much food is wasted in the U.S.

It´s a shocking amount, no matter how you slice it: "By most estimates, a quarter to half of all food produced in the United States goes uneaten."

And slicing it, in fact, would go a long way toward lessening the problem. "Worries about food safety prompt many of us to throw away perfectly good food," the article states. "In a study at Oregon State University, consumers were shown three samples of iceberg lettuce, two of them with varying degrees of light brown on the edges and at the base. Although all three were edible, and the brown edges easily cut away, 40% of respondents said they would serve only the pristine lettuce."

Votin´ Day Bait-and-Switch: Today is one of my favorite days of the year. It´s the day that all the election garbage finally stops flowing -- the political attack ads, the hectoring phone calls from computerized candidates, et cetera. The Election Day run-up and its attendant "Noise, Noise, Noise, Noise" is enough to make a guy feel downright Grinchy.

In celebration of this wonderful day, here´s a little something to smile about -- a bit of Election Day humor from GreenYes. Enjoy. And don´t forget to vote.

Pete Fehrenbach is managing editor of Waste & Recycling News. Past installments of this column are collected in the Inbox archive.