According to the Annenberg Learner, the United States generates approximately 230 million tons of trash per year and gaining. This averages out to about 4.6 pounds of trash per person per day. With many of the nation’s landfills reaching capacity, the problem of reducing waste in America is daily gaining importance.

This year’s light snowfall throughout the nation may enrich a number of Wall St. firms who essentially have bet against a good ski season. Hedge funds sell derivatives in which you can bet on the put or take side of snowfall amounts. Because most people based this year’s bet on last year’s snow-rich season, the Wall St. firms picked up the opposite bet (it’s just like shorting a stock, where you bet that the stock price will fall).

Renewable energy is growing fast in California. The state has mandated 33% renewable energy by 2020. That's a long way to go and a short time to get there. Wind, solar, geothermal, big and small hydropower, tidal power, and wave power can probably get California to generate that much power by 2020. But that's just half of the problem. The power needs to be transmitted hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles. The grid needs to be kept in perfect balance too. Supply must always equal demand, never more, and never less.

Today in Washington, the President spoke at the 60th Annual National Prayer Breakfast. The Republican candidates continue to campaign in Colorado, Maine, and Nevada. The Nevada and Maine caucuses begin on Saturday, February 4th, followed by the Colorado and Minnesota caucuses on Tuesday, February 7th.

According to a letter from state Controller John Chiang, if California can’t scrape together $3.3 billion through borrowing and delayed payments by March, the state will run out of cash even though lawmakers thought the state had enough money to last through June.

In his State of the Union address last week, President Obama confronted the partisan divide between the Democratic and Republican parties, calling on Congress to put ideology aside and work toward building a consensus on the most pressing issues facing the nation.

Although California has slipped from the top spot of providing the most cold-weather farmers' markets, USDA statistics reveal that the Golden State maintains its leading role in the local food movement by having the second highest number of winter markets for direct farm-to-consumer sales.

"If enthusiasm would win elections, we'd win hands down."

You couldn't tell by Ron Paul's post-Florida primary speech that he came in last place with just 7% of the vote.  An explosive crowd in Henderson, NV ranted and raved as Paul talked about his prospects in caucus states like Iowa and Nevada.  Paul declared, "I called Mitt Romney to congratulate him."  Then, after he cordially calmed the wave of boos, he continued, "then I told him I'd see him in the caucus states."