Its no secret the world is in a recession. . . more so its a grave reality for many.

And its in times like these that we need to go the extra mile for each other to help share the burden, and that’s exactly what Peter Ilic has decided to do.

Ilic is a restaurateur who runs one of the Little Bay restaurants in London (Farringdon).

(Little Bay restaurant logo)

Known for high quality gourmet food, Peter Ilic and Little Bay restaurants have decided that its time the customer catches a break for once.   So now when you go out for a meal at Little Bay during the month of February you can expect to pay. . .nothing. That’s right, if you thought Denny’s recent free Grand Slam was nice (and no slight here - it sure was very generous), Little Bay is taking it to the next level - customers can pay whatever they wish to.  As Ilic puts it, “Anything between a penny and 50 pounds ($70) will make me happy, it’s entirely up to the customer to decide.”  The only thing customers have to pay for are their drinks, and that is of course if they pass on the free tap water.

And his reasoning behind this generous move? “It just seemed the right thing to do with everyone under the cash and feeling pretty miserable.”  Rock on, brother - Rock on!

Some will question the motives of the business owner, stating that it is more a bold business manuever and that many will pay well, if not more than regular price for the sake of looking “cheap”, as Ilic has already suggested is happening.  Yet say what you will but the possibility is still there for those who are hurting financially to be able to take their family out for an extravagant meal at a fraction of the cost (”Starters include crab tartelette, foie gras terrine and goat cheese souffle, while main courses range from duck breast to steamed butterfish and filet steak.”).  In times like these, this act of kindness can do a lot to lift the spirits of the financially strapped.

Forget the ulterior motives for a minute, we can all remember to look out for each other during these times.  Perhaps even, we will all learn to continue to do so after them as well.

Finally, hope is a tremendous thing. . .this time around it just so happens to come in the form of a roasted breast of duck (or grilled vegetable tian if you’re looking for the non-carnivorous option).

- IgniteTheMind

(In case you missed Part 1 , no worries - the introduction is the same, but you’ll want to take a peek at the previous photos.)

The Green Revolution is here. . .Well, its starting to get here in America anyways, but its certainly been going on in other countries that have been more concerned with energy efficiency longer than the U.S.  Regardless, conservation is a good thing.  We can all use to do a little better, and we can all certainly learn from each other.

But going green doesn’t need to be “dorky” as is the developing stereotype. . .To dispel that notion, check out these these top 10 green architectures as rated by Inhabitat .  In this article we’ll finish counting down with the top 5 of the top 10 (Only one picture from each architecture will be shown, but you really ought to check them all out in the Inhabitat link).

Turning green never looked so good. . .

5. Spiraling Skyscraper - Shanghai, China

This one is an artist’s rendition because they only recently broke ground on the building, but it will be tallest building in all of China!  It will be complete with “no fewer than nine sky gardens, a rainwater recycling system, and a series of wind turbines perched beneath its parapet.”  Within its spiraling walls will be everything from house-businesses, and restaurants, to cafés, coffee shops and convenience stores.

4. Old Subway Cars Now Studio Workspaces - London, UK

From beneath the earth to a bird’s eye view, these old subway cars have been retrofitted to be a chic workspace in crowded London.  Mounted on top of a building, a total of six cars were purchased for just 200 pounds each (that’s only $285 U.S.)!  There are now plans to expand similar projects to Lisbon (Portugal), Berlin (Germany, and Toronto (Canada).

3. Carbon-Neutral Pyramid (Ziggurat) - Dubai

Due to begin construction in October 2009, this structure is planned to be able to support a community of nearly 1 million with the energy it will generate!  It will utilize wind, steam, solar and other natural resources to sustain its energy-efficiency.  A highly-efficient public transportation system will be planned as well as other urban planning to make the city tightly knit and smartly functional.  Agricultural opportunities are also in the works.

2.  Eco-Sphere - Pacific Northwest USA

Available for rent or purchase, these tree-top huts are simply amazing.  Able to accommodate 4 people (more for “camping” or “vacations” than long-term living), these spheres are handcrafted with fiberglass and locally-sourced wood.  They can have electricity serviced to them or you can enjoy the simplicity of “roughing it.”  Playing Tarzan and Jane will never have felt so natural. . .

1.  Green Roof Art School - Singapore

This is Nanyang Technological University, a five-story art school.  “The glass façade provides a high performance building envelope that reduces solar gain and heat load while allowing the benefits of natural views and daylight into creative spaces. The roofs create open space, insulate the building, cool the surrounding air and harvest rainwater for landscaping irrigation.”  The school is made not only to be astetic but to also inspire its students with its “non-traditional, non-linear” construction.

Well, there you have it! Ten mighty and magnificent ways to go green. . .This is the only earth we have, so we better take care of it.  And while we’re at it, let’s beautify it too!  Going green can be just as functional as it can be fashionable.  Here’s to next years top 10 best green architectures and another year’s worth of conscientious conservation.

- IgniteTheMind

(donations welcomed)

The Green Revolution is here. . .Well, its starting to get here in America anyways, but its certainly been going on in other countries that have been more concerned with energy efficiency longer than the U.S.  Regardless, conservation is a good thing.  We can all use to do a little better, and we can all certainly learn from each other.

But going green doesn’t need to be “dorky” as is the developing stereotype. . .To dispel that notion, check out these these top 10 green architectures as rated by Inhabitat .  In this article we’ll count down 5 of the top 10 and finish up the other half tomorrow (Only one picture from each architecture will be shown, but you really ought to check them all out in the Inhabitat link).

Turning green never looked so good. . .

10.  GREENPIX Zero Energy Media Wall - Beijing

This 20,000 square foot wall can be seen up to a kilometer away on one of Beijing’s busiest road’s, and it is the world’s largest LED display. Collecting sunlight during the day, this wall uses the stored solar energy to put on a show at night.

9.  Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, CA

Composed of glass, fly-ash and fsc-certified wood, this structure maximizes the use of natural sunlight and has been built to last over 300 years, even structured to withstand considerable earthquake activity.

8. California Academy of Sciences - California

This one is an artist’s rendering but it provides the best angle of the outside.  The California Academy of Sciences is an absolutely incredible structure, complete with indoor rainforest and the largest indoor coral reef aquarium in the world.  In total, this building “is currently the only institution in the world to feature an aquarium, a natural history museum, a living rainforest, a planetarium, and world-class research and education programs.”

7.  World’s First Energy-Generating Revolving Door - Netherlands-based Natuurcafe La Port

This revolving door may not look so fancy, but it actually generate a small amount of electricity every time someone goes through it!  It doesn’t necessarily generate a great deal of electricity (4600 kwh of energy each year), but each watt helps!  Even more so, we may very well be witnessing some of the first green technology that will be utilized in our not-so-distant every day lives!

6. Temple Built of One Million Recycled Bottles - Thailand

An estimated 1.5 million recycled bottles were used to build the Wat Pa Maha Chedio Kaew temple in Thailand.  Bottle collecting started in 1984.  Bottle caps have also been used to make mosaics.  The bottles are surprisingly durable, require little maintenance, and let beautiful rays of light cascade through, which also distributes warmth.

Well, those are the first five of these magnificent green architecture specimens.  Come back tomorrow and see the other five!

- IgniteTheMind

(donations welcomed)

Some of you may be familiar with the phrase, “Like a bull in a china shop.”

The phrase is a simile, which basically describes one thing with similarity to another.  In this case, the phrase “like a bull in a china shop” is referring to someone who is going on an emotional rampage; they are angry, and they are taking it out on whoever and/or whatever gets in their path.

 The phrase is not considered to be of a positive nature.  If you are the one being called the bull, then people are wanting to stay away from you because no one wants to be the “china shop.”  But let’s face it -  Haven’t you ever wanted to the be the bull? Aren’t there times where you’d enjoy nothing more than barreling through a china shop like a full-speed freight train of a one-ton bull, releasing all that pent-up frustration?

 Well my friends, you need not wait any further. . .Head on over to San Diego, California to Sarah’s Smash Shack , put on your bull-horned cap, and get your bash on!

This unique shop let’s you smash until your heart is content.  With a variety of glassware choices to obliterate or the ability to bring your own “smashable” items, you’ll have more fun flinging plates than a four year old picking his nose! (Check out their “menu” here)

The Shack even let’s you pipe in your favorite MP3’s off of your personal music player - so you can rock out while you go all out!  Smashing rooms are even big enough for several “offenders” so you can bring your friends to help you out! No one gets hurt, and at the same time, the broken glassware gets donated to local artisans, art physical therapy programs, and anyone else who wants it!  Its a little piece of heaven. . .in San Diego (not where one expects to find heaven, but hey, who’s to argue?).

 Who needs anger management when you can go down to Sarah’s Smash Shack? (Gift certificates are available!)

So go on Mr. Bull, tear up that china shop, but leave a little for us!

 - IgniteTheMind

(donations welcomed)

Move over Hulk, Ben Grimm, and even Arnold. . .

There’s a new muscle-bound beast roaming the hillsides - Belgium Blue Cattle to be exact. . .

Genetically bred to have double the amount of normal muscle a cow has these bovine beasts are absolutely massive.  You simply have to see them to understand. Take a peak. . .

(Just in case you can’t view the video - here’s a picture of a Belgium Blue)

Traditionally, controlled breeding has been a very useful thing.  As a result humankind has been able to aid the process of creating healthier animals, better quality animals for consumption, limit diseases and/or other ailments, and even develop breeds for uniqueness.

Bred to produce more poundage of meat, the Belgium Blue Cow breeding process (and others) starts to raise some serious questions- questions that have only been wrestled with for a few decades - when humans began to directly manipulate the DNA of animal, as opposed to just cross-breeding.  This human intervention in DNA science is most commonly called “genetic engineering.”

 The issue with genetic engineering is that in order to better something, we have the equal opportunity to create something much worse than we ever expected.  On a more common level, when engineering DNA sometimes mutations occur ; these mutations can result in increase vulnerability to diseases, and those diseases can then be spread to other organisms.  Livestock is an easy example to think of because they are grown in mass and often genetically engineered for “optimal” and fast growth.  Think of all the times companies have had to re-call chicken, pork or beef products!

 Yet if we follow this path, it ultimately leads us to such possibilities as human genetic engineering and human cloning (which has already been done to animals).

Are we ready for the repercussions of genetic engineering gone wrong on humans?  Are humans meddling in something that in the end is too complex for us too handle? Are the benefits greater than the pitfalls, because as we know, advancement does come with them?

The answers are not easy and the lines are gray. . .In the end, whatever our choices are, may we not be prideful in remembering our own limitations.

- IgniteTheMind

(donations welcomed)