Amid general uncertainty about the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, speculation about who might replace him has reached a fever pitch. Commentators seem especially intrigued by the role of his sister Kim Yo Jong, who has drawn attention by her highly public role in the regime’s activities. Yet some analysts insist that her gender…

Amid general uncertainty about the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, speculation about who might replace him has reached a fever pitch. Commentators seem especially intrigued by the role of his sister Kim Yo Jong, who has drawn attention by her highly public role in the regime’s activities. Yet some analysts insist that her gender…

America’s payment system seems more like it belongs to a developing nation than to one of the wealthiest countries on the planet. U.S. banks can still take three days or longer to grant customers access to their own deposits. That delay costs real money to many of this country’s poorest citizens, causing them to resort to high-interest…

The NCAA basketball tournament is one of the most-viewed sporting events in the United States. In 2019, nearly 20 million viewers watched the championship game, and each tournament game (67 total) averaged about 10 million viewers. Over 17 million people completed a March Madness tournament bracket for the 68-team tournament. Among youth, basketball is one…

It is the middle of the night and I am cloistered in my apartment in downtown Washington, D.C. I am facing four screens, including my smartphone, a laptop, a Mac desktop and a large wall monitor. I am trying to make sense of the fast-changing data on the spread and deadliness of the virus around…

When she gives her speech tonight at the Democratic National Convention, Hillary Clinton will of course be at a crucial point in her campaign for the presidency. Her fellow Democrats—including her running mate Senator Tim Kaine, as well as Michael Bloomberg—have roundly criticized her Republican opponent Donald Trump this week. Vice President Biden and President Obama usefully offered a counterpoint to the […]

Six years ago today, the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico with devastating effects on the local environment and on public perception of offshore oil and gas drilling. The blowout sent toxic fluids and gas shooting up the well, leading to an explosion on board the rig that killed…

The COVID-19 epidemic sweeping the globe has affected millions of students, whose school closures have more often than not caught them, their teachers, and families by surprise. For some, it means missing class altogether, while others are trialing online learning—often facing difficulties with online connections, as well as motivational and psychosocial well-being challenges. These problems…

The economic crisis and pandemic have made it patently clear that US capitalism is not at all exceptional. Like everything else in the universe, American capital’s political system is subject to sharp and sudden changes. After Bernie Sanders handily won the first few contests of the 2020 race for the Democratic nomination, he was seen as an unstoppable threat—prompting every other candidate to immediately fold up their campaigns and close ranks against him. After months of panicking over Bernie’s momentum, the ruling class finally managed to reverse the course of the electoral race—and they did it with unprecedented speed. Now, after an electrifying rollercoaster ride, Bernie Sanders’s campaign for the American presidency is over, and a balance sheet is needed.

The chemicals that make your personal products silky smooth are banned from all cosmetics that are washed off after use.

Ever wonder why humans don't have hair everywhere?

Sydney is white Australia's birthplace, settled as a penal colony in 1788. Many of its first white inhabitants would be very surprised to learn that it is now often recognized as one of the world's top ten most liveable cities. Earlier this year it was

Sydney claims the largest and most technologically advanced annual fireworks display on the planet, attracting more than one million people to the harbour foreshore, more than turn out for the fireworks in New York,

Last year, for the very first Earth Hour, we bundled ourselves up a picnic supper and drove off to the parking nightmare that is the north shore of Sydney Harbour. Sitting in the gloaming of a nature reserve, with hundreds of other Earth Hour devotees.

Last month the City of Sydney declared that it had become Australia’s first carbon neutral government. It is important to note that whilst the total area of this southern metropolis is said to be equal to the size of London

It's a safe bet that few, if any, of Sydney's bicycle commuters go with penny farthings as their two-wheeler of choice. The outdated ride (popular in the 1870s) is most used these days for its retro value and the

Green Star is to Australian commercial and government buildings, what LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is to American structures of a similar ilk. The 5 Green Star rated Lilyfield Housing Redevelopment in inner

In our conventional, resource-intensive food and building industries, 'waste-free' may seem like an alien concept, which makes projects like Australia's Greenhouse all the more impressive. Touted as a

The world’s largest permanent interactive light installation has been installed in Sydney's recently revitalized Darling Quarter.

Sydney sees cycling skyrocket as it implements its 2030 green city plan.

A trio of awesome fish bikes made a rousing debut at this arts festival in Australia.

With everything happening in one space, studio apartments can often feel too cluttered. This Sydney apartments gets a space makeover with the addition of a clever multifunctional unit that partitions the space and stores things out of sight.

Decluttering techniques are a big trend now. This small apartment is designed with organizational principles right from the start.

Kevin Kelly explains why the complex interconnectedness of modern technology and society makes disaster relief and system change so challenging.

It's become a very tasty ritual.

The future is mobile as businesses dematerialize and hit the road

Although the health benefits of tea are roundly lauded, an Arkansas man recently found out that too much can be devastating.

It reveals what we already know but needs repeating – that more time in nature equals greater happiness in kids.

Image credit: HowStuffWorks Environmentalism and Alternative Medicine - Oil and Water? George Monbiot is undoubtedly no stranger to controversy - my post about his climate change book, Heat, drew 81 comments, while his well publicized opposition to

IKEA had a choice to make it shallow and cheap or heavy and deep.

Tata kills the world’s cheapest car that nobody wanted.

Got ladybugs? Encourage native ladybugs in your garden instead of buying wild-harvested ladybugs to manage pests.

As an alternative to expensive antibiotics, people have taken to taking amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, penicillin and other drugs meant for fish. Here’s why it’s a bad idea.

It uses twice as much water and releases 800,000 more plastic microparticles per load than a regular cycle.

It's time to talk about ... wait for it ... the problem with hangers.

From crayfish to parakeets, these species are at risk of disappearing from the planet.

Recent rains attributed to a changing climate are leading to mass extinction in the Atacama Desert.

As we noted in our review of the New York Times Building communication stair, a standard principle of design today should be comfortable, bright stairs that serve as more than fire escapes, that encourage people to take the stairs instead of the

It is now 100 seconds to midnight, closer to midnight than at any point since the clock's creation in 1947.

Canoo redesigns the electric car from the ground up. It redesigns the ownership model too.

Families should be able to have Thanksgiving Dinner instead of having to go to work. This stinks.

It's one thing to drive to the mall, but one fifth of Canadian shoppers are driving to another country. That's crazy.

How many of these common items have you placed in your blue bin?

The question of flight shaming keeps coming up, and there has been some significant pushback.

Caveat emptor.

Mother’s Day didn’t always involve buying cards, flowers, and candy, but it’s always been about showing moms love and appreciation.

If you thought that by quitting meat or at least going weekday vegetarian you were doing your part to avoid factory farming,

DNA testing of cougar crap left along a 1,055-mile trail has established that a young male Puma walked all the way from South Dakota to New England in search of a mate. The poor cat's

You've heard them all before, but it doesn't hurt to be reminded of why these foods are destructive to our planet.