By 8 pm we were already plunked down in front of our 50″ screen in anticipation of this week’s dancing extravaganza but to be honest, none of the routines left a lasting enough impression for us to pick a clear winner by the end of the two-hour show. If we had to cast our vote though, it would be Mark Kanemura and Chelsie Hightower‘s hot Argentine Tango number. Chelsie did a respectable job of Alex da Silva‘s choreography, but Mark was the definite star (and a damn sexy one at that). He had the moves and the attitude and was as we’ve come to expect, as quirky as ever. Our close second was Katee & Joshua with their crazy Broadway routine, which was executed to perfection but didn’t make it to the top of our list because the genre is more of an acquired taste. Morten and I take ballroom so we dug the cortes, gauchos, and fans of the tango.

Peeves: I think the show’s popularity is getting to Nigel Lythgoe‘s head (much as it did Tyra Banks when ANTM rose in fame). I suggest he stick to judging and leave the theatrics to the professionals. Get the whole story

One time when my sister and nephew were visiting me back in Ottawa, we decided to go to the local fair. I had promised my sister that I would take him on all the rides I could stomach because she just wasn’t a ride person. This all ended at the Polar Express.

Carnies are some of the weirdest breed on earth. Our trip on the Polar Express just vindicated that incredibly stereotypical notion. The man operating / repairing / probably assembling this ride looked entirely unqualified as he hopped on the Polar Express while it was moving with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and mimed that he was riding a tubular wave. Ponytail flying in the wind, ash sprinkling over the small children like a fresh layer of snow.

It was then that I decided I would likely not go on another ride. Articles like this one just perpetuate my fears. When I read this today, all I could think about was that day, that moment, when I cursed myself for putting my young nephew on this veritable death trap. Sure, statistically it’ll probably never happen, but do I really want to take that risk?

Rarity or every day occurrence, doesn’t really matter to me. Something that can be set up and torn down in a day just makes me nervous. Add to that the people I see doing the work and you can expect to see me on the sidelines at Playland eating mini donuts.

On the outskirts of Silicon Valley lies LS9, a company that may just have found the solution for the world’s present oil crisis. The term ‘renewable petroleum” may sound like an oxymoron but to Greg Pal, Senior Director of LS9 Biofuels Company, it’s tangible reality. The dark substance in the jar above is remarkably, diesel fuel produced by genetically modified bugs. That’s right folks, someone has found a way to reproduce crude oil (which can be refined into other products like petroleum or jet fuel). Quite unbelievably, LS9′s bugs are single-cell organisms, invisible to the naked eye and start out as industrial yeast or nonpathogenic strains of E. coli, the DNA of which are modified so that when the bugs feed on agricultural waste like wheat straw or woodchips, the microscopic wonders excrete a substance that is almost pump-ready.

According to a Times Online article that I read, the company claims that this “Oil 2.0″ will not only be renewable but also carbon negative – meaning that the carbon it emits will be less than that sucked from the atmosphere by the raw materials from which it is made. But then it points out that LS9 has only been able to produce one barrel a week in a lab that takes up 40 sq ft of floor space. This means that with America’s weekly oil consumption of 143 million barrels, you would need a facility that covers about 205 square miles, an area roughly the size of Chicago.

33-year-old Pal claims however, that construction of a commercial-scale facility will be well underway by 2011, with the resulting oil production costing a mere $50 a barrel! Considering that existing oil deposits take what? 10 lifetimes to form? and are the biggest pain to dig for, extract, and transport, this is one lofty promise. But if this is all true and possible, I think ABC has found its next Bachelor.

Original article from Times Online.

Whether or not we can slow down global warming or curtail its devastating effects, I think planning for a worst case scenario is probably not a bad idea. You’ve all heard or read about the eventual rise in ocean levels that will lead to the disappearance of not just cities but entire countries, displacing tens of millions of people globally. So what’s the most logical solution? Live on water of course! According to 31-year-old award-winning Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut, by the year 2100, a large population of ecological refugees will live in amphibious cities like his latest creation: the Lilypad. This amphibian half aquatic and half terrestrial city will be able to accommodate 50,000 inhabitants and its fauna and flora will thrive around an artificial central lagoon.

Click on to see more of this fully sustainable, zero emission ecopolis! Get the whole story

You know that expression “you get what you pay for”? Well, I think that there’s one exception to that old adage. As consumers the world over will attest, the leading international furniture retailer not only offers quality and efficiency, but also innovation and style in addition to affordability. Yes, I love IKEA (properly pronounced “eeh-kea”). But who doesn’t? Their annual catalogue alone receives arguably the widest readership of any publication, including the Bible! Well, now you can add socially & environmentally responsible to their list of merits.

Whether it is flat-packing products to reduce packaging and transportation emissions, working with Global Charitable partners like UNICEF, Save the Children, WWF, using socially & environmentally responsible materials in its products or having a store format that draws on a larger trade area (instead of more stores), the company has practiced responsible retailing for decades.

I first took notice of the initiatives this company was taking when I spotted these parking stalls during one of my trips to the store last year. I’ve never seen any other store offer preferential parking to customers that drove hybrid cars and I was ecstatic to have found a spot right by the main entrance for my Prius (anyone who’s taken a trip to IKEA on a weekend knows what a bonus this is!). I think any company that goes the extra mile to uphold worthy values deserves a right proper mention and other retailers should really take note because in this new age of conscious consumerism, they can’t afford not to step up their game.

There’s more so read on! Get the whole story

Reena’s Tips of the Week:

• A great way to recycle egg shells is to put them in the bottom of plant pots as a substitute for rocks. Egg shells are much lighter than stones and carry plenty of nutrients for plants

• Position crushed egg shells on the ground surface of new plant stems such as peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage. Doing this deters slugs and cutworms

• Lastly, instead of throwing out egg shells, lay them in the soil near tomatoes. Calcium is great for tomatoes; the extra calcium helps prevent blossom end rot

Get the whole story

C’mon, who doesn’t like So You Think You Can Dance?! The personalities, the behind-the-scene featurettes, the outrageous costumes and of course, the pure artistry and athleticism of the dancers just makes it a must-see. Tonight marked the first evening of the real competition and this Napoleon and Tabitha hip hop number, performed by Katee Shean (20, California) and partner Joshua Allen (19, Texas) was in my opinion, the best one in the bunch. Enjoy!

Travelling around the world, you’ll find that people generally have a good perception of our country. As Canadians, we pride ourselves in calling home a part of the world that’s not only breathtakingly beautiful, diverse (and tolerantly so), and economically strong, but also peaceful. But how true is the latter? Would it surprise you to know that according to the Global Peace Index, countries such as Japan and Ireland outrank us? Which nation ranked #1? You’ll find that the top three countries are clustered in a very small part of the world (Clue: Mad Morten won’t stop bragging about it). And the United States of America? Well, let’s just say they barely made it into the top 100 most peaceful countries. Click on for the full details! Get the whole story

One of the little known facts about being a blogger is that it can be very cold. Literally. Sitting in front of a computer for hours a day in an empty office can easily lead to chilly arms and an equally chilly disposition, especially when it’s June but the weather’s screaming November. Sure, you can put on a sweater or two, but nothing really beats a nice snuggly blanket. Unfortunately, blankets and computers don’t go well together because you have to expose your arms to get at the keys. I understand that might seem like a trivial problem, but for a blanket loving blogger like Angela, it’s a perpetual frustration. What to do…what to do…Hello Slanket! This ginormous super fleecy blanket comes equipped with two roomy sleeves to keep the warmness inside without making you feel like you’re in a straight jacket. Might sound like a novel or even stupid idea, but it’s actually surprisingly practical. Get the whole story

From time to time you catch one of those movies that has a great script but no story. For Slow Burn, it’s the other way around. Here is a great story brutalized by a terrible script and poor storytelling to boot.

A directorial debut for Wayne Beach, Slow Burn spins the tale of District Attorney Ford Cole (played by always angry Ray Liotta) who gets entangled in a web of double, triple and quadruple crosses as he tries to figure out whether his African-American assistant Nora Timmer (played by ex Vulcan hottie Jolene Blalock) killed her alleged rapist Isaac Duperde (Mekhi Phifer) in self defense, or if it was murder. Timmer’s ethnicity is noted only because it (or rather the question of what race she really belongs to) plays an integral part in the story.

The movie jumps from present time to several alternate pasts through the stories told by Timmer and Luther Pinks – a friend of the murder victim/rapist played by none other than LL Cool J – about what really happened. Cole desperately tries to piece it all together as the clock ticks toward 5 am – the time when something unknown is set to happen. Sound melodramatic? Well it is. And appallingly so.

Slow Burn is one of those movies where the director (a writer at heart) makes the unfortunate choice of telling the story mostly through voiceovers – a trick that almost never works. In this case, the actual reading of the voiceover is so slow you feel like going out for coffee. What’s worse is that it’s coated with condescension, as if you don’t have the brains to figure things out so every minute detail has to be explained to you. The fact that the monologues appeared to have been ripped out of Clichés for Dummies (not actually in existence at the time of this review but probably in the works by the looks of it) doesn’t exactly help matters. Pinks’ description of Timmer as “smelling like a ripe tangerine, ready to be peeled,” just about puts you off the fruit for good.

Morten’s Take: Slow Burn is a perfect description of the feeling you get between your eyes while you try to force yourself to justify the money spent on renting this abomination of a movie.
Angela’s Take: I warned that no good would come of renting a movie with Ray Liotta as the headliner. But do men listen? Noooooooooo.