Latest Articles

Global food prices spike as stockpiles fall — and rain doesn’t

The impacts of the U.S. drought have begun to spread globally, thanks in large part to soaring corn prices.

U.S. curbs nuke plants till it figures out how to clean up after them

Since the government isn't clear on how it will get rid of nuclear waste, it's going to stop issuing permits. Makes sense.

New walk-scoring tool finally acknowledges that walking in the suburbs sucks

At Atlantic Cities, Sarah Goodyear puts her finger on a truth universally acknowledged by everyone in the world except WalkScore: “A mile in an American suburb is a lot longer than a mile in Rome.” In other words, walking 10 city blocks is very different from walking a mile up the side of a highway […]

This Olympic cycling video is basically TRON

[vimeo 47100629] If you couldn’t tell from the robot voice intoning “VEL-O-DROME” for nearly a minute and a half, this is the welcome video for the Olympic velodrome, where the cycling events take place. And as far as I can tell, it was produced in 1982 and just held in a vault for the last 30 […]

9-year-old’s lemonade stand raises over $3,000 for Detroit parks

Due to Detroit's budget gap, the park in Joshua Smith's neighborhood was full of tall grass and trash. Instead of moping and watching TV, the 9-year-old took matters into his own hands.

As Obama runs toward the coal industry, it keeps running away

In the Bizarro world of the 2012 election, a Democrat attacks his Republican opponent for wanting to undermine the coal industry. What?

Singapore’s terrible new rap video demands you have procreative sex tonight

If you can’t make it beyond the first 30 seconds of wretched rap in this public service ad campaign, here’s the basic gist: It’s Aug. 9! Happy National Night! Now please, please save Singapore’s flagging population by putting your genitals inside other people’s genitals or vice versa! You should really watch the rest, though, because […]

Food, Inc. chicken farmer is free as a bird [VIDEO]

After leaving the indentured servitude of contract chicken farming, Carole Morison has a new farm and a new lease on life.

Bike messengers: Still rockin’ in the freewheel world

Despite numerous reports of their demise, bike couriers are still going strong -- a testament to the power of human-fueled transport in traffic-choked cities. Last week, they gathered in Chicago for some gonzo street racing, karaoke, and gobs of cheap beer.

Chevron refinery explosion reminds us that fossil fuels are killers

In the aftermath of the refinery explosion in Richmond, Calif., this week, one nearby resident reflects on how our energy system is deadly -- even when it is working exactly as it should.