Video

An ode to my new push reel lawn mower

I heart the Fiskars Momentum.It is a truth universally acknowledged that a new homeowner in possession of a good lawn must be in want of a lawn mower. Unless you have access to a herd of goats, or you’re an aggressive gardener with immediate plans to xeriscape or cover all terrain with edible plants. My […]

Lisa Hymas Technology

Women who can’t get birth control spotlighted in new short film — watch it here

The new short film Empty Handed: Responding to the Demand for Contraceptives showcases the plight of women in Uganda who want birth control but are being failed by a dysfunctional distribution system. The average Ugandan woman will give birth to 6.7 children — that’s the second-highest fertility rate in the world, behind only Niger. The […]

Lisa Hymas Culture

Why, yes, mass transit stations should always have a slide

I submit that slides automatically up the fun factor of nearly any place in the world. Try to think of a place that is solemn or ordinary. Say, a church or a transit tunnel. But then if you happen to be in Oruro, Bolivia, like I was, you could get a rush of glee from […]

Ashley Braun Culture

Mos Def and Lenny Kravitz sing the blues for the big blue

Mos Def and Ben Jaffe wrote it. Lenny Kravitz, Trombone Shorty, Tim Robbins, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band all joined in to make a song to help the non-profit, Gulf Aid. It’s a song dedicated to BP called “It Ain’t My Fault.” It’s a great number, but I still prefer the t-shirt I heard […]

Jennifer Prediger Culture

Must-sea TV on the oil spill from Comedy Central

Staying up-to-date on the oil spill sucks a little bit less thanks to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert (and Grist!). Here are the latest offerings from Day 62 of “The Strife Aquatic.” Worth watching! [vodpod id=Video.3883267&w=425&h=350&fv=] [vodpod id=Video.16088478&w=425&h=350&fv=]

Jennifer Prediger Technology

Quarter water, man!: Eating cheap in the inner city [VIDEO]

With an antic spirit and some NSFW language, Bronx denizens Dallas Penn and Rafi Kam document food culture in New York City’s “bodegas” — corner stores in which fresh food is scarce and pricy, but processed fare is plentiful and stunningly cheap. In some areas, bodegas are the only source of food. Penn and Kam […]

Tom Philpott Food and Agriculture

The BP coffee spill [VIDEO] [AWESOME]

“Don’t worry … it’s a small spill on a very large table.” From the Upright Citizens Brigade: Find all the coverage we’ve spilled on the Gulf of Mexico spill here. Looking for more laughs? Check out: 1962 oil ad: Oil — enough energy to melt glaciers! [PHOTO] The BP oil spill reenacted by cats in […]

Jonathan Hiskes Technology

BP gets proverbial a** kicking from funny men

Since the oil keeps spilling in the Gulf of Mexico and there’s still not much you and I can do, it seems for now that laughter is the best solution. Yep, that’s pathetic. But this isn’t just a laugh for laughter’s sake. This satire is social commentary in its highest incarnation. Jon Stewart and Stephen […]