Hold the front page! Genetically modified canola (rapeseed to less sensitive souls) has been "found growing in North Dakota". According to Nature not one but two types -- one from Monsanto and one from Bayer -- were found "at large distances from areas of agricultural production". Better yet, rese...

[T]o put it in one bleak sentence, no medium has ever survived the indifference of 25-year-olds.

That’s Clay Shirky, explaining to Decca Aikenhead in The Guardian why the print edition of The Guardian (and presumably just about everything else) will be as anachronistic as a telegram in 15 ye...

Hey, it’s Lammas Day, time to celebrate with a loaf of the season’s freshly-milled wheat. Failing that, and ignoring all the woo-hoo that nowadays seems to surround even the simplest expression of gratitude, I’m going to mix traditions and post about my soul's search for a good Jewish rye recipe.

Odd things sometimes happen when the train is a little late and you get to hear two Ted Talks back to back, in the order you downloaded them. You get to see Carl Safina identifying the real reasons for "accidental" oil spills: corporations that have bought government out from under us. And you ge...

Actually been back a little while, frantically catching up and trying to cope with too much heat, too much humidity and not enough (or any) escape. Apart from work, where the a/c is about the best that can be said for the experience. So, as the previous post was all about the magic frangipani's near-death experience and resurrection, I'll make this a quick what's happening on the terrace post.