Employers across US shorten workweek to save fuel

Employers in Alaska, Utah, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Idaho have already made the energy-saving move to a four-day week, and many more are thinking about it. The trend is largely due to the high cost of fuel, but...

'Choice Moms': Alone and pregnant on purpose

This is the first time I've heard the phrase, but apparently "choice moms" is catching on as a label for women who choose single motherhood with no intention of partnering. A feature in today's Globe and Mail highlights some related support groups that are gaining...

Happy Canada Day: the quiz

Tuesday holidays are tricky for work schedules, so chances are you're celebrating the birth of our great nation from your desk today. We thought the best way to participate would be with a little slack-off time in...

The new Vancouver Special, now with more awkwardness

Here's a cantankerous piece about a new Vancouver housing trend: the Mohawk. If you're from these parts you've probably seen them around--"a two-storey box with a half-sized strip of 'hair' on top," as the writer describes them.The Mohawk is arguably more attractive than its...

Canadians prefer Obama over own leaders: poll

Canadians would vote Obama over our own national leaders, according to a new poll. Is this a vote of confidence for Obama, or a vote of frustration with the current political climate in Canada? Probably both I...

Algae outbreaks threaten Olympic sailing in China

As many as 20,000 people are busy cleaning up the enormous amount of algae blocking Olympic waterways in China. State media says 100,000 tons have already been removed, and ships from two other cities have been commissioned to remove the rest by mid-July.On the positive side,...

Hate group hacks hip-hop sites

Scary stuff..." Beware hip-hop sites, there be some haters out there. Over the weekend, both SOHH.com and AllHipHop.com were targeted by what's believed to be a hate group, who hacked into the sites, caused chaos and forced the two to temporarily go offline. Instead of...

Jogging not a knee-killer, study says

This is great news indeed--if it's true. One problem with the findings, as the article mentions, is that the two studies only looked at runners, a group which likely excludes people predisposed to knee problems. Even...

Publicly humiliate neighbors into behaving

A new website called Rottenneighbor.com allows disgruntled homeowners to post anonymous, nasty comments about neighbours, and then catalogue them on a big Google map of the neighborhood. The idea is to "Help yourself...

Conservative Anglicans break from church over gay policies

There's been a handful of stories in the news about a potential split over gay policies within the Anglican church, but today the Guardian reports a definitive break. Ironically, this comes at the height of gay pride celebrations around the world."Conservative evangelicals...

Gay pride around the world: NP roundup

If you live in a major city, chances are your local streets were a deluge of colour and fabulousness yesterday, as pride celebrations took place around the world. Here's a sampling of the coverage on NowPublic. Feel...

Nice jugs: new milk cartons for a greener Earth

A newly-designed milk jug is cheaper and better for the environment, but many consumers say it's awkward to use and a mess to clean up."NORTH CANTON, Ohio — A simple change to the design of the gallon milk jug, adopted by Wal-Mart and Costco, seems made for the times. The...

Glastonbury 2009: a return to guitar band roots

Well this is a little odd. After all the press hullabaloo over whether Jay-Z would satisfy the guitar-loving Glastonbury crowd, and after Jay-Z's performance yesterday appears to have quelled all the doubters,...

Wal-Mart to revamp logo

You might wonder why a new logo is news, but I think it speaks to a larger issue about marketing and perception. The logo is part of a campaign to clean up their mom and pop-killing image. Think it's for real? Or is...

Windows XP no longer sold, despite protests

For some this is good news, for others it's a kick in the teeth with a steel-toed Kodiak work boot. The thing I find surprising is that Microsoft is already planning a new operating system for 2009. That was quick,...

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