Students at the university in town are steamed about the high cost of organic grains at the local health-food store. So they've decided to start a grain-buying cooperative, located in the basement of the student union building (link not available at press time; reported in SEE magazine).

They're going to get lower prices by going direct to the grower (the phrase "cut out the middleman" was used by the spokesstudent in the article), and by using volunteer labor. The services of the co-op will be available to non-students as well as to students. "Fair-trade" coffee is another of the products they'll be offering.

I guess I should laugh about it. Anybody holding stock in Planet Organic or Earth's General Store, divest now -- the students are coming to get you! Who needs a local retail economy, anyway? We'll all live off student loans.