Fun with emissions.

Visit this keen map and roll over the keys for the different renderings of clustered emission data.

"Emissions Map from the Global Climate Change Lobby"

Of particular interest: Check out how small Canada's overall emissions are, and then switch to per capita! China's overall emissions are the highest – scary until you switch again to per capita and see how insanely much EACH AMERICAN must be using. Now check out BRAZIL under each scenario! Unplug! Well, share this post and then unplug and then go for a bike ride :)

Philly cycles the most!

I've spent the week in Philly, and from the first I noticed the bikers. Lots of bikers. Not so many helmets, but lots and lots of bikers, and guess what?

"The Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition reports, based on a US Census survey, that Philadelphia is ranked number one among the ten largest US cities for bicycle commuters per-capita."

They are crazy with it! And I've been told that it is the same even when SEPTA is not on strike . . . which it is currently, so that has made it even BETTER! Go PHILLY!

It's a CONUNDRUM?

In a spectacular failure of television "journalism", the ladies of the View manage to back themselves into the God or Gays corner with the help of shiny bigot Pastor Joel Osteen and his apologetic brand of bland helpless hate.

"Homosexuality is not God's best . . . look, I've made mistakes too!"

Thanks ladies, for your enthusiastic invigorating panel discussion, and thanks, Pastor Joel, for sympathizing with the poor confused gays! You simpleton charlatan, you greedy whore of Jesus. I hope his mega-church loses it's tax-exempt status and implodes when the corrupt hearts of its parishioners are allowed to glow. That's all.

Librarian not wanted

What started as a community lending library -- a bunch of beer crates and used books -- became a fully stocked and self-sufficient outdoor public library. The facade of an old warehouse, and plenty of greenspace carve out a block of quiet community in the former East Germany.

Full gallery HERE

I love these projects that serve the community in a still, calm, democratic way.

The Story of Stuff

So this is not new news, or a new video, but it remains one of the best reminders of the death-grip stranglehold consumerism has on us. Simple and clear.

"THE STORY OF STUFF"

It should be required viewing for every American. It should pop on the television every night as a public service announcement, brought to you by the Dept. of Homeland Security. Al Gore didn't win the Nobel for Peace because there is no Nobel for Film, he won it because dwindling resources are a global security issue, and addressing massive American consumption is the first step we can take to ease tensions.

Sweet Sunny Italian Train

Very cool people-mover/ped. walkway/solar field in Bologna.

" . . .designed to speedily move people from the main train station in Bologna out to the airport with only one intermediate stop at Lazzaretto. It crosses over one major highway, spanning the stretch of road in a graceful arc. At each station a metal screen covered in vegetation protects passengers from the elements, and also helps filter the air, provide natural insulation and shade the platform."

Or they could all just drive separately and park in huge asphalt lots.

White Night

This is the color of the majority of space . . . and were it not for the continued expansion of the universe shifting light away from the visible spectrum, the night sky would be this color.

short explanation here

Unless of course the universe is just 6,000 years old and Jesus just made the sky black at night when the sun goes to bed so we could get some sleep!

There's no service on the downtown side.

Okay, okay, so this isn't new news, but I just can't get her out of my head, and I love her so much, so here she is Ladies and Gentlemen . . . and she's from Queens!

"You have to either come over here . . . there's no service over there."

It just cracks me up. Full stop.

Putting the FUN in refund.

Well, not a cash refund really, but this experiment in "fun theory" makes so much sense it's hard not to think of the obvious local benefit as a refund.

Floating eco-exhibit hall? I'm in love.

This proposed exhibit hall for the 2012 World Expo in South Korea floats, rises with tides, and has very little impact on the surrounding ecosystem.

"Their organic floating exhibition space is designed around the concept of adaptability, making the structure useful for many scenarios, even long after the World Expo has concluded."

Best of all, it can be sailed to other port cities after the Expo, and does away with the need to build and rebuild wasteful temporary pavilions.