Design & Architecture

We're fans of Core77, "a gathering point for designers and enthusiasts alike". Clogger Allan Chochinov also teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York, in a course called "MFA Designer As Author" where they look at the issues of design and-

Our focus is on authorship in the broadest sense: Beginning with a viable concept we encourage students to write, edit, film, compose, fabricate, produce, and ultimately market their intellectual properties.

Travel & Nature

Photo from Gregory Koch

Red wolves are one of the rarest mammals in North America. They are a mere 100 strong in their native habitat of North Carolina’s Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. But with the help of the Wolf Conservation Center (WCC) in South Salem, NY, the Canis rufus may grow in number…first in New York, and then in North Carolina.

Business & Politics

Monthly US Natural Gas Electric Power Price. Image credit:US Energy Information Administration.

As the title indicates, some of the nation's most coal-dependent states face dramatic price increases for electricity without a Cap & Trade mechanism in place. One cause is the de-regulation of electrical utilities, a process begun while Congress was also busy deregulating the financial industry. More recently, investments in new coal-fired plants became a contributing factor, as did price increases in the best grades of coal. What's with coal-state congressional delegations resisting and warning us about the dangerous impacts of Cap & Trade?

Business & Politics

photo: Doug via flickr

Don't expect any action from the Senate on a climate bill until September, after the summer recess. That's the word from Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer. However Reuters quotes Boxer as saying that "We'll do it as soon as we get back."

Cars & Transportation

Photo: Core77

The Secret Ingredient is Love
Our friends at Core77 know beautiful design, but they're really surpassed themselves with the Dutch Master super-duper-limited edition bike. The goal is to celebrate New York bike culture, and an heritage of local manufacturing. Only 25 Dutch Master bikes have been made, all hand built by in Brooklyn by KT Higgins. More details and photos below.

Fashion & Beauty

Photo credit: Jak and Jil

The economic caldera we're still digging ourselves up from under has put a whole new spin on the definition of "luxury." (This fall's New York Fashion Week will be an eye-opener for sure.) With consumer spending in the hole, and chi-chi brands like Hermes tightening their croc-skin belts, we might be witnessing the end of luxury goods as we know them. What does a brand, in the end, boil down to? A used paper bag, some talent with a Sharpie, and a link chain. Karl, who?

[Via The Frisky]

Business & Politics

photo: G8Photos/Ansa

The G8 meeting in L'Aquila, Italy is just ripe with quotes for the picking. Unfortunately, apart from statements of agreement that we must indeed hold global average temperature rise to 2°C, most of what was said seems a bit hollow. Case in point: President Obama's talk about the need of the wealthy nations of the world, and the US in particular, to take the lead on climate change.

Surely Obama is far, far a head of his Oval Office predecessor in his attitude on climate change, but sometimes the words don't quite align with actions:

Business & Politics

Yesterday we saw the short-lived hubbub about Greenpeace draping an Obama poster over Mount Rushmore in order to call attention to Climate Activism by the G8. They've followed up with this video that shows the behind the scenes view of the action. So, what did the action actually accomplish?