Comment

Comment by Dallas (on hiatus) on April 18, 2013 at 11:59pm

Possibly worth reading.

Blubberland: The Dangers of Happiness

Welcome to Blubberland--a world of quadruple-garaged mansions, vast malls, gated communities, stretch limos, and posh resorts. Blubberland is a place, but it is also a state of mind: we expect to be happy (trophy house, SUV in the driveway, home entertainment system, pension fund, cosmetic surgery), but in fact we've grown increasingly bloated, bored, and miserable. In Blubberland, award-winning critic Elizabeth Farrelly looks at our "superfluous superfluity," our huge eco-footprint, and asks why we find it so hard to abandon habits we know to be destructive. Why can't we build human-scale cities, design meaningful public spaces, eat reasonable meals, and stop assaulting nature? Farrelly, trained as an architect, begins this story with architecture, urban sprawl, and housing, but she does not end there. She also looks at "affluenza," childhood asthma, diabetes, addiction, beauty, ugliness, narcissism, climate change, mega-churches, big box retailers, sustainability, depression, anorexia, and the links that collect all of these issues under the same roof--the roof, as it were, of the McMansion. As "big" becomes more and more pervasive, and success is seen in increasingly measurable and material terms, the goal of happiness jeopardizes our survival. Blubberland is a smart, thoughtful, and stylish argument for turning things around. Elizabeth Farrelly is one of Australia's liveliest and most provocative writers on architecture and the environment. The winner of the CICA International Critics' Award, the Pascall Prize for Critical Writing, and the Marion Mahony Griffin Award, she is a columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald, a commentator on Australian television and radio, and Adjunct Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Sydney.

Comment by Michel on April 13, 2013 at 1:21pm

Comment by Dallas (on hiatus) on April 6, 2013 at 11:52pm

Comment by doone on March 27, 2013 at 3:57pm

Think Eco !! http://on.fb.me/WWD04t

#Ecology #Pollution #Solar Panel #Energy #Free Energy

Comment by Neal on February 22, 2013 at 11:21am

That video pretty much sucked Michel, though in a good way. If you don't know what a wasteful life does to the world, you cannot change.

Comment by Davy on February 21, 2013 at 2:41pm

We look down on the denizens that inhabit this blue orb with us,  but it is WE that are fouling our own nests. The Over population, greed for resources, pollution of all environments even the Antarctic is not as pristine as it once was either. 

We close our eyes, our minds and harden our hearts. We bicker over who are the ones that should reduce their wasteful, polluting ways. In the mean time our fellow Earthlings are suffocating, and dying on our wastes. 

It is we that have no right to be here on this planet, We are so smart that we are morons hell bent on destroying it!

Comment by Michel on February 21, 2013 at 11:16am

You will not like this: they do the recycling for us but at a terrible cost...

 

Comment by Michel on February 19, 2013 at 11:13am

@doone - I had missed the Flowers Timelapse!
Thnx for posting, I'm sharing this.

Comment by doone on February 19, 2013 at 11:02am

A new Breakfast for Dinner cookbook from the husband-and-wife duo behind Love And Olive Oil capitalizes on everyone's current obsession with bacon stuff, waffle-shaped stuff, and a poached egg on top. That's all well and good because there are few meals that aren't improved by breakfast foods. But the best part of this book is actually the dessert section. (Second best, the drinks section, including a guide to infusing bacon into bourbon for a Bacon Old Fashioned.) Here are a few examples.

1.

Image by Lindsay Landis

Mint Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Recipe from Breakfast for Dinner

makes 12 pancakes (3 to 4 servings) 
total time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
and cooled to lukewarm,
plus more for cooking
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure mint extract*
3 to 4 drops green food coloring (optional)
3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips, plus more for topping
Whipped cream, for serving
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Store-bought sauce is fine (or find homemade hot fudge sauce recipe on page 149 of Breakfast for Dinner), for serving
*Mint and peppermint extracts are similar but not identical in flavor. Mint extract typically contains both peppermint and spearmint, whereas pure peppermint is popular in holiday treats like candy canes. Use whichever minty extract you prefer.

PREPARATION
1. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.

2. Whisk together buttermilk, egg, butter, extracts, and food coloring (if using) in a small bowl. Add to dry ingredients and stir until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon butter; it should sizzle and melt almost immediately. Ladle 1/4 cup of pancake batter into skillet for each pancake, taking care not to let the pancakes run together. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until bottom is golden brown and edges begin to bubble, then carefully flip and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to plates. Repeat with remaining batter.

4. Serve warm with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, hot fudge sauce, and more chocolate chips, if desired.

Comment by doone on February 14, 2013 at 9:33pm

Top 100 Green Blogs To Follow In 2013 [Infographic] infographic

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• …
• 45
• Next ›
• Page