We should probably breathe.

via David Mack’s great article and good reminder for us on Egypt, on ForeignPolicy.com :

Given the high degree of euphoria and romanticism in the coverage by both Western and Arab media of recent popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, it would be useful for everyone to take a few deep breaths and remind ourselves that revolutions often look very attractive in the beginning. Then they usually go through some really bad periods; the French reign of terror and the decade of political turmoil that followed, the crushing oppression of Soviet communism in Russia, and the unfinished misery of Iranians.

I would like to be optimistic, and there are some positive signs in Tunisia and Egypt. Both countries have strong traditions of national pride, histories of constitutionalism, cultural riches, and a middle class of educated men and women. So far, the armed forces in both countries have shown a degree of professionalism and discipline that have earned the respect of both popular forces and key civilian government institutions. Both have had respectable economic growth rates at a time of global economic distress. Regrettably, however, there are also major factors working against a happy outcome in the next several years.

 

Late September links.

I have Twitter now, so if you follow me (you probably don’t), then these links are like… so 5 minutes ago.

News and Politics

• Massachusetts school proves large classes can still mean improved student performance – [NYT]
• Drug decriminalization in Portugal – many think it’s working – [Time]
• Friedman: China is spending $25B on highspeed rail and biotech.  The US spends $25B on Afghanistan – [NYT]
• A primer on the U.N.’s Millenium Development Goals – [GOOD]

Science

• What happens if you put your hand in the Large Hadron Collider? – [YouTube]
• Why the brain doubts foreign accents – [Scientific American]
• Hand sanitizers will not keep you from getting sick – [Salon]

Food

• The lowdown on foodie elitism
• How food writers got High Fructose Corn Syrup wrong (aka stop the fearmongering) - [Atlantic]

Environment

• Interview: Bjorn Lomborg, the “Skeptical Environmentalist” – [NewScientist]
• Beautiful maps of race and ethnicity in big American cities (and see the divisions) – [Flickr]
• Evergreen BrickWorks opens in Toronto – [Star]

September links.

Environment

• Plastic use increases, appearance in the environment decreases – [Economist]
• Correlation (not causation) with climate change and bee pollenation – [CBC]
• After loads of data, the verdict on Bisphenol-A is still out – [NYT]
• Opinion: If the world is going to hell, why are humans doing so well? – [Scientific American]
• Oilsands water toxins natural, monitor says – [CBC]
• Bjorn Lomborg – climate change is a problem after all - [New Scientist]
• $300 oil in a decade? – [Jim Harris National Post]
• Europe’s brisk energy transition – [NYT]

Food

• Why you should be skeptical of food riots - [ChrisBlattman]
• At a dumpster diver’s feast in Brooklyn – [NYT]
• New technology needed to feed the world in 2050 – [CBC]

Miscellanium

• Money can buy you happiness, up to $75,000 – [New Scientist]
• How pandhandlers spend money – [Star]
• Filling up prisons without fighting crime – [BoingBoing]
• What is it about 20 somethings and why are they taking so long to grow up? – [NYT]

Late July links.

Toronto

• 2010 Nuit Blanche program released – [NuitBlanche]
• Vaughan – gridlocked in suburbia – the worst [worst) - [National Post]
• Best cheap drinks in Toronto – [BlogTO]
• Giambrone vs. Presto cards – TTC and Metrolinx argue over future transit payment systems – [Toronto Life]
• Little Italy gets a hookah bar- [BlogTO]
• Bixi Bash hopes to get itself off the ground in Toronto – [blogTO]
• Toronto: mobile app centre of the universe – [Toronto Life]
• Toronto lands a big NYC chef – and the s-storm begins – [JamesChatto]
• Toronto through the eyes of mayoralty candidate Sarah Thomson – [blogTO]
• How to be cool in Toronto – have a 416 number – [Star]

Food

• Grilling corn on the BBQ – [NYT Mark Bittman]
• How to make perfect ribs – [Toronto Life]
• 13 of Toronto’s best doughnuts - kind of disappointing, almost all super high end spots – [Toronto Life]
• More on the raw milk debate – the adventurous flavour purists vs. the milk lobby

Politics/News

• The Tea Party is Perverted and Irrelevant - [Matt Taibbi - Rolling Stone]

Miscellanium

• Where do currency symbols come from? – [Slate]
• Are we naturally lazy? – Happier when busy but inclined towards laziness – [via NYT]
• Watch Jack White butcher Beatles tune “Mother Nature’s Son” in front of Obama and McCartney - but all the Jack White disciples will love his “unique style”. [Pitchfork]
• One cup of coffee per day ok for pregnant ladies – [CBC]
• E-book sales outpace hardcovers at Amazon – [CBC]
• Bill Murray GQ Interview – [GQ]

mid-July links.

Environment

• Learn more about the eco-fee – It’s not a tax, it’s run by an arms length organization, no money to government – [Globe]
• New rules threaten future of US wood waste biomass power industry – [NYTimes]
• Arid Australia turns to desalination plants for water supply, despite costs - environmentalists often seem to omit desalination from their brains when it comes to the “water crisis”- [NYTimes]
• NYC launches a large tap water promotion campaign – [NYTimes]

Food

• How to make béarnaise sauce – Everyone has their own tricks w french sauces – [Globe]
• Take a (food) day trip to Beamsville – [TasteTO]
• Servers can now type in orders to the kitchen on their iPhones – [TorontoLife]
• David Lee from Nota Bené discusses ‘terroir’ for vegetables – [Globe]
• Linking the farmers to the foodies – [Globe]

News/Politics

• Learn more about your new DJ Governor General – I bet lots of Waterlooians have stories, I’ve had many solid interactions with him as a semi-official UW apologist (aka student ambassador) – [Globe]
• Learn more about why Harper deserves credit for making his Governor General search non-partisan – Canada 1 – [Globe]
• Don’t mess with the census, statisticians tell Tories – [Globe]
• The federal government is senseless on the census - [Globe ed.]
• Huffington Post’s advice to American jobless – move to Canada – [Globe]
• Tim Hudak cops out – [Globe]
• Kabul rocked by guitars – [Globe]

Life

• The true cost of living in the city vs. the suburbs – [NYTimes]
• Wedding expenses that aren’t worth it – [NYTimes]
• The paradox of parenting – parents are less happy than non-married peers – [NYT Freakonomics Blog]
• Gen-Y’s tough choice between entrepreneurship and corporate world - [Globe]
• You can be too rich – [Globe]

Toronto

• TTC Stations could get cell service – [CBC]
• City of Toronto makes an excellent road construction (interruption) map
• Bellevue Cafe – 3 guys who make crazy, disparate, but tasty sandwiches - [NOW]
• Susur Lee’s new Toronto restaurant - [Toronto Life]
• Toronto road tolls go from abhorrent to approved: how’d that happen? - [Toronto Life]
• Ideas for Toronto: Personal Rapid Transit – [Spacing]

Science

• Laws of hurricane power discovered – [New Scientist]
• Mass transit encourages exercise and weight loss – [New Scientist aka Duh! Aficionado magazine]
• Prozac prawns, cocaine crabs, trace elements of drugs in our waste water - [New Scientist]
• Learn more about what’s

The billionaire’s pledge.

via The Guardian:

Billionaires plan to put the world to rights following secret supper - Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are among those signing up to the greatest private donation in history

… The meeting was called the “first supper”. There have been, according to Fortune, second and third suppers since then. Finally, a strategy has emerged around a “pledge” whereby billionaires who sign up promise to give away 50% of their net worth. If it works, the group will be the greatest private philanthropic effort in history.

You definitely can’t say these guys aren’t doing something with their money.  More importantly, these lords of lords are exactly the two people that need to lead this movement.   Hmm… almost exactly like China and the US not doing anything about climate change. COUGH.

Adult talk media.

[photo credit: Megan O’Toole, National Post]

Canadian-borne conservatized talk media. Guilty pleasure. As an altruistic guy, this common sense revolution free-market individualism is a worthwhile exercise for my way of swamping through the centrism gray.

CFRB 1010 AM Talk Radio.  John Tory and his 5 pm rush hour show.  See some of his political errors online, and see one side.  Hear his 9-5, sensible conservative views for the other.  The key to hearing a reasonable conservative is when he or she is pro-transit expansion. I value having the conversation about limited government and privatizing almost everything.  We may disagree, but both sides get to learrrrrrrrrrn.  You want to have strong arguments for your beliefs, this is your life. !

I think the Michael Coren show is undoubtedly worth watching – not for his insufferable guests, but for him as the fibrous moderator.  Religious and (but?) often sound, except his distaste for Romeo Dallaire.  That’s a bit extreme, although one should question Dallaire’s new cushy senator job.  Coren asserts he doesn’t look left or right, but up… ?  Don’t get me wrong, everyone should like Jesus.  Just maybe not a whole powerful institution with infallible leaders and a very mixed track record.

Given that statement, it is unsurprising my favourite guest is Justin Trottier.  He’s the head of the Centre for Inquiry, a science/logic/reason/secular humanism organization.  He embodies the ethos very well, and he doesn’t overly judge agnostics.  Aggressively curious agnostics are the only reasonable ones in the religion debate anyway.  Maybe I’m just reflecting.

Toronto/Canadian media is funny to look at.  Even Classified mentioned amateur media in his awful O’Canada song.  Now being in Toronto and listening to local media for almost a year, I can start to feel the big city bubble slowly starting to smother.

The link assault.

Toronto

• Inside the Toronto Coffee Conspiracy – [Globe] – Indie cafes join forces.

• Toronto given strong credit rating: Miller dodges money management – [National Post]

• Renting in Toronto – from modest to magnificent – [Globe]

• Margaret Atwood’s Twitter Page

• John Tory to moderate first of three TTC town hall meetings – [Globe]

• Toronto’s water main mess – [Toronto Life]

• Subway etiquette primer – dos and don’ts of the TTC – [National Post]

• Toronto sewer explorers get arrested – [Toronto Sun] – I shouldn’t be sad about this, but I am sad about this.

• Toronto braces for G20 logistics crunch – [Globe]

Food

• Unearthing the sex secrets of truffles – [NYTimes]

• Revolutionary modern kitchen eliminates the need for pots and pans – [MailOnline]

• Junk food and cocaine pretty much the same thing – [Toronto Life]

• Senegalese man given the title of making ‘the best baguette  in Paris’ – [Globe]

• The pros and cons of induction cooking – [NYTimes]

Science/Environment

• The science of climate change: the clouds of unknowing – [Economist] – Thanks be to Eric.

• Earth struck by most powerful space storm in years – [New Scientist]

• New “gene bandage” rejuvenates wasted muscles through mutations – [New Scientist]

• Coal fuels much of the “Internet cloud”: Greenpeace – [Globe]

• Incineration – a recycling killer? – [Star]

News/Politics

• I’m with the intolerant Quebecers – [Maclean's]

• Three lessons Liberals should learn from Montreal – [Globe]

• Mile End – Montreal’s neighbourhood – [Globe]

• Many homeowners should have rented – [Globe]

Music

• Hear Thom Yorke’s new band, Atoms for Peace – [Spin]

• Watch Wilco do a Take-Away Show – [Pitchfork/Blogotheque]

• Read an interview with The National and their new record, High Violet - [The Quietus]

Lynx.

Food

• What cheap American food is doing – and Canadian food too, really.  Now we have proof we’re just as fat as they are.

• Monsanto’s corn and those lab rodents – this is pablum, just for us.  GMOs may just be needed to feed the growing population, but the ones in charge of the seeds have put their businesses through the shaky grinders of intellectual property law.  On the other side is forcing farmers to buy seeds every year, and saying you’re feeding the world but not doing anything significant to actually feed people that need it most.  You’re not responsible for feeding everyone for free, you just can’t say you’re feeding the world like you’re humanitarians.  So far, you’ve hurt way more people than you’ve helped.

• The Whole Foods CEO is the extremeist me – John Mackey is both an Ayn Rand disciple and a frolf enthusiast – that’s just too extreeeeeeeeme.  A bit nuts but exotic organic nuts.

Environment

• A year without plastic – entitled “Plastic Manners”, a traditional but great idea for a blog (the “project” blog [cough Julie and Julia]).  Hope she gets a book out of it.  I’ll be reading, I’d like some good alternatives.

• Hybrid cars don’t save much (any) oil – Not really as green as you expect when you even just consider “full cost accounting” – sourcing parts from all over the world doesn’t make it that ecogoodnstuff.

• Why drivers need to support transit investment, and not whine – because it makes commuting way way smoother.  Reduced road rage is worth its weight plus much more.

• A primer in Environmental Assessments (EA) – leave it to Spacing to cover a necessary but possibly dry topic in environmental policy.  Luckily they tackle a fascinating case study – the Gardiner Expressway.

• How nuclear power works – from our friends at HowStuffWorks, it’s about time we actually knew some details on nuclear power.

• Feed-In-Tariff 2.0. – How Ontarians in the know of current energy policy are trying to truly capitalize on a subsidized energy gold rush.

• U.S. drinking water widely contaminated – loaded term, and quel surprise – gas stations, industry, chemicals, fertilizer, pharmaceuticals, sewage, cosmetics, cigarettes, dead animals, road salt, and whatever else you can think of.  And you think bottled water is that much better.

Science

• How birth order affects your personality – one of my favourite topics of conversation, but the results may not be what you think.

• Curing those ringing ears – maybe there’s hope for us dummies that listen too loudly.  It just feels better, mmkay.

• Let’s face it, science is boring – New Scientist discusses some of the less sexy parts of science, and there is plenty to choose from.

• The problem with a “public” interest in science – perhaps because politicizing science goes against its very principles.

• Where does the universe end? – Exploring the Hubble-fueled view of the ever-expanding universe.

• More Waterworlds – nearby stars could be hosting water based planets too.  Luckily no webbed-footed Kevin Costners.

Toronto

• Toronto’s arts scene coverage gets a boost – some coverage on new/small/emerging galleries, musicians, and artists around the city.  And with an attractive, bearded, Urban Outfitted plaid shirted gentleman.  Kudos to Late Night in the Bedroom, now sponsored by big blogTO.

• Toronto Chinese food > New York’s Chinese food – And the WSJ says so.

Weekend links.

• Ten years of our impatience – hilarious article on the tech trends of the ’00s, and some nice snarky editorialism on our growing impatience as a culture. [Globe]

• Top baby names of the decade – you know you’re curious.  In short – bible names for guys, and grandmother names for girls.  Best news – no more Mike!  Oversaturation wins! [Globe]

• No one blames Canada for Copenhagen – we may not have helped matters, but we all know it’s U.S. and China that needs to lead.  And our reputation is turning into blue slime. [Globe]

• How to debate a climate change skeptic – learn more about their traditional arguments, and hear how Scientific American rebuts those arguments. [Scientific American]

• Montreal’s BIXI bike sharing program coming to Toronto – more talks coming, but I think changes to Toronto’s bike infrastructure and culture need to be improved before it can be as successful as Montreal.  Here’s to hoping. [Urban Country]

• New microscopes show the true shape of atoms – humans are amazing at some things.  Atomic and sub-atomic science can be truly spiritual. [New Scientist]

• 10 basic HST myths – learn more about our business friendly and electorate-somewhat-unfriendly tax. [Globe]

• Everything you know about going green is wrong – some valuable perspective for those who mean well but still buy into the greenwashing. [The Daily Green]

• The cap and trade critique – watch the trailer of a new movie critiquing cap-and-trade.  Us environmentalists are never happy are we?  if only it was politically palatable to implement a revenue neutral carbon tax.  Too bad Stephane Dion was one of the worst spokesmen to push said tax.  Siiigh…. [New York Times]

Low risk, low returns.

Hellooooo.  Here are some more of those links on a white webpage, just for you.  It’s been a little while, but I trust this will tide you over.  Just insert those witty comments you already have in your cultured, educated grey matters.

Science

• How tone deafness works – this has always fascinated me because it’s something we get or we don’t get.  Most of us are lucky.  Plus watch a video on the science of singing.  I still sing way too much.  I’m like the fifth member of Here Comes Treble.

• I am more of a man than you – Turns out testosterone does not lead to aggression and risk taking, but rather could lead to qualities like fairness.

• The psychology of social status – and why it continues to be the largest motivator of human behaviour.

• Taking bets on the God particle – LHC scientists are betting on when they discover the infamous Higgs boson particle.

• Ask a physicist about time – interesting questions about that crazy dimension.

Environment/Energy

• Electricity from space – California gives the green light to beam solar power from space.  It’s a bit unsane that unsane news comes from our typing boxes every single week.

• Environmental assessment virtuosos rejoice – Amongst environmental moustache tweakers, the Mackenzie Delta pipeline has been a monumental case study for environmental assessment.  Looks like things will not be moving forward any time soon, if at all.

• Tar sands pollution worse than expected – water pollution equivalent to a big oil spill, every year.

• Gategate – scientists responds to those climate emails.   THOSE.  The press needs to stop using two words – crisis, and gate.

• Oregono – Oregon advances use of wave power off their coastline.

• 100% renewables by 2030 – California professors say it can and could be done.

Politics/News

• Google ready to be a phone maker – the next cool step is when they let you talk on Voice over IP for free.  That means no more cell phone minutes, just a device that can connect to the internet so you can talk on your phone via Skype for free.  I’m worried and excited.

• Stephen Harper – nation builder of the decade ? – For some the answer is yes.

Food

• This is going to be my market – on St. Clair West, a retrofitted heritage building, local seasonal food.  Hello to you, Wychwood Barns.

• Lord Kitchener, made entirely of meat – for the K/Wers and the mustard fans.

• The local food debate – more proof that local food isn’t always better for the environment.  It’s always grey kids, je me souviens.

• Q&A with the yoda - top American chef Thomas Keller stops in to chat about his new book in Toronto

Music/Entertainment

• The lists are in.  Oh they’re in – Rolling Stone outlines their favourite albums and songs of the decade. I WUV WOO RS!  The crowning of Kid A across the board makes me so incredibly giddy.  Because I get it, and so do millions of others, and that is something to celebrate.

• The renaissance of Kids in the Hall – they’re baaaaaaaack and they look funny!  Kids in the Hall – Death Comes to Town.

• Jason Reitman – an independent voice that Canada can claim as 50% their own.  Maybe.

• The Yellow Bird project – thanks to friends, you can check buy tshirts designed by your favourite musicians, and proceeds go to charity.

It’s Monday.

I had my first day of work.  It was swell.  Some of this, some of this, some of this.  P.S. I’m going to be one of those guys.  Those guys that had too much free time to post links and big photos on a white web page and offer slightly idiosyncratic liberalized commentaries.  Who will try to post a lot but won’t as much because now he gets paid for his brain time and his real time.

Here is my Google profile starred items summary, aka your news.

• Good news for (any type of) Rogers customers – you get free (selected free) television program right here. [Torontoist]

• Killer or Krusty? – Whassa deal with Michael Ignatieff – One of the world’s most notable intellectuals or oddly annoying jabberwatt?  That word sounds like a dumb person from a Star Wars planet (ie. Wookie planet, Ewok planet.  When you see Wookie and Ewok together, you feel like George Lucas got a bit lazy in his writing because it looks like he’s just re-arranging letters). [Globe]

• God believes in me – “God may have created man in his image, but it seems we return the favour. Believers subconsciously endow God with their own beliefs on controversial issues.” [New Scientist]

• How Torontoist and other city sites are elevating local news – they are amazing,  a true progression in civic issues and involvement.  [National Post]

• Harper is !!!!! – Making creepy lonely faces at Commonwealth parties. [Globe]

• David Chang does Montreal – NY Chef buzzbuzz David Chang hangs out at Atwater mainstays Joe Beef / Liverpool House / McKiernan last weekend, and duh loves Montreal. [National Post]

• Boobs now cheaper than wings (!!) – And you can thank the concept of division. [Star]

• THE skeptical environmentalist – interview with statistician Bjorn Lomborg. [Globe]

• How the Greens could win it all – if all of Canada was meeeeeeee! [Globe]

• Solar power 50% less expensive this year – ummmm…. hi? [Scientific American]

• Your skin is deaf – people hear with their skin as well as their ears. [Scientific American]

• Crunchy men unite! – Scientists prove a dirty child is a healthy child, just like we all thought.  The guilt is melting off.

• No more corporate or union campaign donations in Toronto?!? – this is the best news that’s happened to politics in a long time!  Why aren’t we dancing… yeah?

Ewe weekly.

Toronto

• Toronto – a new carbon market hub? – Banks are urging Ottawa to create the financial infrastructure to lead on carbon trading

• Toronto – the city that nobody loves – A great Torontoist article on the unifying quality that all Canadians share – hating Toronto.

• Whodunit? – OCAD hosted their annual Whodunit event – $75 gets you an original piece, but you never know what you’re gonna get.

• New book – Toronto’s “Edible City” – A new book looking at Toronto’s food from farm to fork.

 

Science

• LHC is back ! – Large Hadron Collider is back up and running.  More high acceleration particle collisions!

• Hundreds of new deep sea species found – I feel we know so much more about space than deep earth because of religion.  Fascinated by the heavens, scared of the depths.

• Biological clocks – Why do we wake up at the end of a car ride?  What makes us tick, and other circadian circumstances.

• More proof of alcohol’s benefits… for men – Ha Heeeeeeeh.  1 drink every day reduces risk of heart disease by a third for men.  No more late night scotch guilt.

• Who makes the longest lasting laptop? – Ever get irked that your laptop has a 2 year life span?  Find out which models last longest.

 

Politics / News

• California bans power-bleeding TVs – now sheeplike Ontario government looking at the same initiative after Arnold passes the bill.

• Dollar Store consciousness – I thought Dollar Stores were mostly showcases for cheap, often unnecessary Chinese goods and novelties.  Evidently 48% of their goods are Canadian sourced.

• Michael Moore on how Americans view Canadian healthcare – The US is very close to passing historic healthcare legislation.  Watch a Globe and Mail video of him speaking in Toronto.

• The Malawi Miracle – read about how farm subsidies have helped a very poor and very densely populated country progress.

• Kindleocracy – an indepth look at the newly arrived Canadian Kindle, Amazon’s electronic reader.

• Local TV Matters vs. TV Tax debate – read a side by side comparison of the issues, and see where you stand.

• Tories storm out of Queen’s Park – to reject McGuinty`s liberals from holding public consultation on the HST.  Overly political, partially fair.

• In Pursuit of a Smarter Grid – championed by everyone, this initiative is clearly the lowest hanging fruit.  It will just take 20 years to pick it off the tree.

• The prospect of high speed rail in the US – $45 billion will be spent on just an Los Angeles – San Diego high speed rail connection, with possibilities for a San Fran connection.  Worth it for other high density areas (New England, Southern Ontario) but definitely not everywhere.

 

Miscellaniacs

 

• In Treatment – The secret life of psychiatrists.

• The Fake War on Restaurant Etiquette – The New York Times has been having a funny back and forth on restaurant etiquette. First read the 100 things restaurant staffers should never do, and read the article rebuttal on 700 things restaurant customers should never do.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/science/researchers-discover-hundreds-of-unknown-marine-species/article1373131/

The decade – in 7 minutes.

Newsweek brings you ultrasynthesis in the form of a decade of news in 7 minutes.  Interesting what they decided to incude.  Ooooh end of decade reviews, you will flood my Google Reader soon enough.  Pitchfork has already done the best 200 records of the decade.  Damn right.

News week.

Only 70 starred items to choose from this week. 

Politics

• Jim Prentice questions the purpose of Copenhagen – What a cop out.  Evidently Copenhagen is to find “common ground” and not to table an international agreement.  Common ground means they will agree that coffee in the morning is delicious and Kelly Clarkson only had one good song.

• Ontario gets first full time Green Party Leader – Mike Schreiner has been crowned Green Party leader of Ontario.  Watch a video of him here talk about food secruity/sustainability.  This guy is speaking my language.

• Harmonized Sales Tax getting tabled at Queen’s Park – Controversial bill arrives, gets hilarious opposition from tax-heavy NDP leader Andrea Horwath.

• Being a gay politician in Canada is juuust fine – more research is showing that people like George Smitherman have nothing to worry about – Canadians are showing maturity and tolerance towards their politicians.  We win.

• The media does NOT have a liberal bias – the fine art of punditry.

• LocalTVMatters vs. StopTheTVTax – the battle over local TV.

Science

• Some more insight into the mass dinosaur extinction – More evidence showing that asteroids in India (not Mexico) may have played the largest role in this mass extinction period.

• Can academics be entrepreneurial? – New York Times blog looks at how academics can unleash small business to help innovate.

• Musicians great for party socializing – research showing that musicians are better at repeating a sentence heard in the presence of background noise.

• Why can humans speak and chimps can’t? – finding the gene exclusively for speech and language.

• There is water on the moon.

• We’re aurally screwed – New Scientist shows how even quieter sounds can still cause ear damage.

Green

• Water purification failing in developing countries – easy water treatment for the poor remains a difficult process.

• Dwindling water in Australia – learn how a developing country is dealing with stressing water management issues.

• Skyscraper farming – A more indepth look at vertical (urban) farming.  Stretch those Malthusian philosophies, you guyyyys.

• Global tuna stocks in worrisome supply – sushi cravings causing major concern in global tuna stocks as fishermen are catching triple the limit

• Is solar energy competitively priced ? – with Smart Grid additions, found to be cheaper than coal.

• Putting a price tag on nature – Brtish economist part of the UNEP is trying to associate costs with our waters, trees, and air.  Good f’ing luck to you trying to put something completely unboxable into a box.  Way to go economists, good luck with that.

• Combining heat and power for a one two energy punch – it’s efficient, simple, and doable.  A closer look into CHP plants and how they’ll help our energy problems.

Total awesomeness

• Mustard Tigers ! – Trailer Park Boys back with a new show, The Drunk and on Drugs Happy Funtime Hour.