I’m worried this will keep me distracted for hours or even days. But then, it will also be highly useful to me on nearly a daily basis from now on. The USDA has created a “Food Environment Atlas,” which is basically a Google Map that users can manipulate to find out all kinds of things about America’s food system at both macro and micro levels, based on government data that can be mixed and matched with a click or two.

Just for example, you can see a coast-to-coast map depicting where grocery stores are dense and where they are scarce (note: that map might surprise you a bit), or fast-food concentration (above). Or you can see areas where a lot of poor people live and where the nearest grocery store is more than a mile away (food deserts). Or you can click down to the county level and get all the data for that county. There are dozens of data points in addition to those noted above, such as food prices, the number of restaurants, income data, and information on school lunch programs. 

The USDA explains the atlas here. 

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The headline on the Washington Post‘s health blog, The Checkup: “Study: Soda drinkers at increased risk of pancreatic cancer.” The headline on the Village Voice‘s Edible News blog, pointing to the Post‘s item: “New Study Adds Pancreatic Cancer to Soda’s List of Evils.”

But both items go on to explain the many weaknesses in the study. From what I can tell, despite what the study’s authors say, there’s no reason to think that sugary soft drinks (diet soft drinks weren’t included) pose any particular risk for pancreatic cancer, though further study might be merited. Of course, they shouldn’t be consumed at all because of the many other health problems they create. But there’s no good reason, so far, to add pancreatic cancer to the list of “evils.”   

Update 9 a.m. PST: I should note that many, many news outlets and blogs have cited this study, with equally alarming headlines. And several accounts, like this one by Canada’s CTV, present the study’s findings with zero skepticism or any outside commentary. 

Long time friend, colleague and Borderbuster fan, Paul Barsch, Global Services Marketing, Teradata (CA), who has weighed in thoughtfully from time to time on this blog (e.g., here and here), has written still another provocative piece for the Marketing Profs Daily Fix Blog with a headline of: “Going For Growth … In China.”

Fortunately, I had the great honor and pleasure of being interviewed for part of it. I say fortunately because Paul has a way of making all information concerning China — palatable. And in this case, he doesn’t let us down. Here’s an excerpt:

Why all the difficulty? Western firms must deal with the fact that for all the excitement of capitalistic economic zones in China, most of the enterprises in China are state owned. That means Western companies must deal with plenty of costly and unending red tape from protective Chinese authorities. And while China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, there is much work to be done to level the playing field for Western companies to effectively compete.

So take a moment to read Paul’s post to learn tips and strategies for how to prosper in Chinese markets. The comments are enlightening too — be sure to add your own.

Many thanks Paul!

China is investigating sales of GM, Ford, and Chrysler vehicles, and the inquiry could lead to higher tariffs for American automakers.

Read more here. Comments are interesting. Do you have any? Let’s hear.

Pictured: Fort Fiesta unveiled in China (2008).

Let me catch my breath on this one because it’s a doozy of a “Groundbreakers” report #2 by Ernst & Young, “Scaling up: why women-owned businesses can recharge the global economy,“ detailing how women entrepreneurs are critical drivers of economic growth and provides resources and insights for private sector, government and NGO leaders who are seeking to close the gender gap. I love to see that women entrepreneurs and women-owned business owners are finally getting the respect and attention they so rightfully deserve.

The Center for Women’s Business Research study shows that there are about 8 million women-owned enterprises in the US. Those businesses have an annual impact of nearly US$3 trillion dollars and create or maintain more than 23 million jobs — 16% of all US employment.

Women entrepreneurs have economic clout. Greater participation of women in the labor force correlates with higher GDP growth.

Worldwide, women own or operate 25% to 33% of all private businesses, according to the World Bank. Women-owned enterprises grow faster than those owned by men and faster than businesses overall.

And that’s not all. What has made a difference for women entrepreneurs lately?

• The US government has appointed a woman as Secretary of State, and has created a new position, Ambassador at-Large for Global Women’s Issues.
• The World Bank’s Doing Business project has launched a two-year research program to identify and recommend reforms to eliminate the legal and regulatory barriers facing women.
• The Declaration on Fostering Women’s Entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. The more wind and support we put behind women entrepreneurs, the faster and more powerful our global economic recovery. Read more here.

Download “Scaling up: Why women-owned businesses can recharge the global economy,” as a printable document (818KB PDF).

We’ve been on this same trend (and agree with the report findings) for some time but see for yourself by visiting our sister social enterprise, Women Entrepreneurs GROW Global (WEGG). You might also re-visit our Top 10 Global Small Business Trends in 2009 (refer to No. 8: Women entrepreneurs will rule the global marketplace).