the 941

OK, not all of these links are the freshest, but they are all green by nature:

• The incredible, edible front lawn.

• 10 things you did not know about birds.

• Picking tips for vegetables. And some for fruit.

• Why having intestinal parasites may be good for some people.

• Latest White House excuse to ignore climate change: we didn’t get the e-mail.

• Mote Marine Laboratory here in Sarasota is currently treating two pygmy killer whales.

• In some of the biggest environmental news to come down the pike in the Sunshine State ever, Florida agreed to buy U.S. Sugar and restore 187,000 acres near the Everglades to pristine condition.

• The solar revolution continues.

• False alarm. The Large Hadron Collider being built in Switzerland isn’t going to destroy the earth by creating a black hole. Or so the builders say.

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This column by Amy Goodman will appear in next week’s Creative Loafing:

On Dec. 18, the five commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission met in Washington, D.C., and passed, by a 3-2 vote, new regulations that would allow more media consolidation. This, despite the U.S. public’s increasing concern over the nation’s media being controlled by a few giant corporations.

Dissident FCC Commissioner Michael Copps said of the decision: “We generously ask big media to sit on Santa’s knee, tell us what it wants for Christmas, and then push through whatever of these wishes are politically and practically feasible. No test to see if anyone’s been naughty or nice. Just another big, shiny present for the favored few who already hold an FCC license — and a lump of coal for the rest of us. Happy holidays!”

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In case you hadn’t heard, we’ve started one of those nifty e-newsletters all the kids are into. The Loaf Letter shows up in your inbox Thursday mornings with a slew of upcoming events, special offers and links to our favoritest content.

Do it. Subscribe.

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We just returned to CLHQ after spending an hour with über-pleasant man-about-town and WSLR host Cliff Roles. Brian (that’s him being all anonymousy) and Cooper (that’s him making us look fat) came along as well.

We’re happy to report that we rather love Cliff Roles. And not just for the accent (though it doesn’t hurt). We actually had a really good time — it’s nice to be around someone so excited about this place.

If you don’t already, we bet you’ll rather love him too: Roles’ show.

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As you sit in your cubicle/house/bathtub this blazing hot Thursday afternoon, let us suggest some reading material. Joel’s story on the last independent video store in Sarasota, award-winning Video Renaissance, is now live and in effect. Our scribe spent quite a bit of time with the three gentlemen who man the desk over there, and discovered that they’re the main reason the place is still in business. Independent video stores across the country have taken a beating from Netflix — we should be proud that Renaissance has persevered. And if you haven’t been there, go. Now. We’re predicting a serious run on Gigli within the next few hours.

Plus: The Video Renaissance guys’ picks for movies everyone should see. (Check the comments.)

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We’re hard at work on Creative Loafing’s inaugural College Guide (hitting stands next week — be there!). But here’s something we found on the cutting room floor:

The Political Progression
For countless college students, the pattern is the same: You show up in the fall freshman year still mastering object permanence, and you leave four years later jaded and cynical. But it’s not about the destination — it’s about the journey. Here’s what you have to look forward to:

Freshman Year
About two weeks into school, you’ll realize “hey — there are some people on this planet getting screwed over.” You and your friends will spend long evenings discussing your privilege or ragging on other kids more privileged than you. Spring semester, you join the campus ACLU chapter.

Sophomore Year
Time to take action. Maybe the janitors are up for a new contract, maybe the city is ripping out some trees, maybe the president has a big speech coming up. Either way, you’re on the streets. By the end of the year, you’re leading the “Tell me what democracy looks like” chants. Once in a while, before a big rally, you dress up in all black, but the anarchist crew scares you. You change.
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Perhaps you’ve already perused this week’s issue, but allow us to point out a few web-only specials you may have missed:

Along with Cooper’s profile of New College alum/Iraq war vet Aidan Delgado, we’ve got an exlusive excerpt of Delgado’s new memior from the battlefield, The Sutras of Abu Ghraib: Notes From a Conscientious Objector in Iraq.

And in addition to his very special look at “The War on Terrorâ„¢ So Far,” Don’t Panic scribe Andisheh Nouraee has put together a timeline of major events since 9/11, a look at the “forgotten icons” of the War on Terror and a retrospective of his stellar Photoshop work over the years.

Please enjoy.

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We meant to get to this about 24 hours ago — yesterday Gawker weighed in on CL’s purchase of the Reader and City Paper. The conversation over at the Reader’s blog — which Gawker accurately described as filled with “cynicism and wariness of an outsider” — is still going on. But there’s a fair bit of optimism in the comments as well, an important part of the story; CL clearly wants to be publishing newspapers and is excited about the future of the industry, which is more than can be said for several papers (alt and otherwise) across the country. We expect the debate will continue for a while, as it should, and eventually the confusion will clear and the dust will settle. In the meantime, we’d just like to clear one thing up: we were never a member of SDS.

We think.

Thanks to EC for the link.

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CL doesn’t often tread into the dangerous waters of sportswriting — it’s mean out there, and we tend to swim in the kiddie pool with less contentious topics like politics and the environment*.

But this week, we “grew a pair” (as Joel would say) and took on the closest thing we have to a family value: rooting for the Boston Red Sox. Specifically, we wrote a few thousand words about why being a baseball fan is about pulling for the underdog, and why we’re scared our beloved squad has become little more than Yankees Lite. (Although, to be fair, the Red Sox still have a soul.)

So where did we turn to recapture that losing feeling? Where else: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

* This Saturday, Cooper will be offering a seminar entitled “How to Rock a Bowl Cut and Still Look Like a Badass.” Admission is free.

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Considering Max Linsky’s love/hate baseball cover story today, I just wanted to let the newest members of the Loaf family – the Chicago Reader and Washington City Paper – know that they have more in common with us CL Sarasota folks than just media consolidation. Here’s the stat sheet:

Chicago White Sox: 45-55
DC Nationals: 42-57
Tampa Bay Devil Rays: 38-61

Too bad the Braves (54-47) and Cubs (52-46) have to throw off the curve.

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