• Maybe this is where all that oil went.  Researchers Say They Saw 22-Mile Hydrocarbon Plume Deep in Gulf – cnn
• Now they’re called politicians…Mind-Controlling Parasites Date Back Millions of Years – livescience
• UN Appeal Sparks Surge in Pakistan Flood Aid – bbc
• You don’t want to be ‘sunny side up’ after breakfast…Massive Egg Recall: How to Check Your Carton – yahoo! news
• Crocodile Picks Australian PM to Win Election – myway
• Will the general public believe it?  UN to Get Report on Climate Panel August 30 – yahoo! news
• Let’s do a movie.  3D anyone? Titanic is Falling Apart – natgeo
• Nice bikini…Kristen Bell Shows Eco Side in Shape Magazine – ecorazzi

Markus Diebel renders his 100% sterling silver ‘Manymals’ in his San Francisco studio.  5% of the proceeds of the sale of each stylish critter benefits WildAid, a nonprofit dedicated to ending illegal wildlife trade within our lifetimes.  The SF-based organization has chapters worldwide, including Galapagos and China.  Details on Markus’s creatures – Sloth, Bat, Gorilla and Pug- are detailed on the backside of his innovative black bubble packaging.  Solid silver on a sterling chain.

available @ A + R Store

Iconic brand imagery transformed – let your stressed-out mind meander back to the halcyon days of Andy Warhol, Blondie and the Dead Boys – when irony was an art form…but I digress.  These upcycled can lights were designed in-house by Willem Heeffer for FUSE Finds, who obtained the salvaged cans from Dublin’s many restaurants and cafes.  The lights work nicely as a set of three, so Fuse is offering a special introductory discount price when you buy three together.

What you get:  recycled can, three core textile cable, recycled tuna can ceiling rose and a 40 watt bulb.  Just add one chaotic, 2,000 square foot loft on Leroy Street and you’re in business….

A contemporary capsule on wheels, Kia ‘s new compact electric car, Pop, is slated to make its grand debut in Paris this Fall.  While we haven’t tested–or even seen–the Korean automaker’s new creative concept, we’ve gotten a glimpse at the mini mobile with these recent photos.  In Pop’s boxy but bubbly design I see a bit of similarity to the 2010 Kia Soul, the brand’s edgy car that hit U.S. streets earlier this year.

Measuring in roughly one foot longer than the tiny Smart Fortwo coupe, this concept exudes city appeal in its small scale and features, oddly enough, only three seats.  From the photos it’s relatively unclear, but my guess is that the third rider squeezes in back, behind the front passenger seat. Comfortable?  Perhaps not. But then again, Americans spend more than 100 hours a year community to and from work, most of which is spent ridin’ solo.

We’re not sure when Kia plans to push the Pop into mass production, but I’d wager we’ve got a couple years to go.  Part of the major dilemma facing today’s EVs is finding enough space large enough to house a lithium-ion battery that can power the car a reasonable distance (hence the sedan-size of the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf), and the Pop’s 118-inch length may require technology not yet in an engineer’s arsenal. But hey, for a panoramic view like the one this offers, I’m willing to wait a while.

Stay tuned.  We’ll bring you more updates on this cool crate when the wraps come off at October’s Paris Auto Show.

Very cool sale going on right now at Gaiam 20-80% off outlet items – eco bed & bath (organic cotton towels and sheets as well as this Fireside Throw, $42.99) yoga & fitness – (love these J shorts in charcoal or chocolate, $24.99), furniture, gardening gear, this special relaxation device (the Ultimate Hammock with netting made of recycled plastic, $169.99), plus lots more – check it all out @ gaiam.com.

Boarders like Satori wheels.  I like this shirt… and the elephant.  Oh, the shirt’s made from good ‘ol hemp.

$27.95 @ cultureskate

For all you heavy drinkers, or individuals desperately in need of a college keg party conversation starter – we present this recycled steel, combo belt buckle and bottle opener.

Actually this buckle isn’t bad looking in a chunky industrial kind of way.  It will cost you $38 to be the life of the party.  The buckle is created by Buncombe Buckles – belt sold separately.

Does art always embody some form of obsession?  Perhaps. This is how French recycling artist Brauer describes his work, “In our modern world, where objects often have a single life, I aim at inventing a new existence for them by diverting them from their initial function.  I particularly like the robust appearance of used steel and industrial materials.  When I put them together, they start a new life as unique pieces of art, in which each component can tell its own story.”

What he does is reconfigure the recycled remains of our discarded industrial past into new pieces of art that include retro-looking robots, lamps and lights.  Practical…probably not.

Brauer displays his luminary Frankensteins in galleries and exhibits (some of his pieces are currently on exhibit in Spain), and sells to collectors.  To add another level of connection he even christens his offspring with names like Anatole, Zoe, Sam and Horton. Thought provoking?  Definitely, yes.

• Is alternative energy now a ‘special interest group’ like big oil…The Green-Energy Landscape Just Keeps Changing – msnbc
• Too little, too late? Pakistan Floods: Europe Provides Aid Boost – bbc
• Obama should remove the word ‘appeasement’ from his vocabulary. Obama’s New Offshore Oil Drilling Rules: Too Many Loopholes? – cs monitor
• (video) Giant swarm takes cop hostage.  Deputy in Standoff with Bees – wtvd
• It had to go somewhere…use of dispersants reduced visual impact of spill on beaches…Scientists: Toxic Organisms and Oil Found on Gulf Floor - ac360
• A passing question…Can Chewing Gum Give Your Gas? – livescience
• Logging Reduced in Mexican Monarch Butterfly Reserve – myway