Photography by Chris Osburn

It would be daft for a sushi restaurant not to include tuna in its menu, right? Or, would it be a commendable approach to offering quality food while still adhering to sustainable ethics? On the road to joining the SRA, Award-winning Sushinho is the first high-end sushi restaurant in London to completely remove tuna from its menu.

As bluefin and bigeye tuna are now endangered and yellow fin tuna is currently being overfished Sushinho owner, Oliver Girardet, reckons that “With half of the fish eaten in Europe dished up in restaurants, it is time that restaurants such as Sushinho took the lead and stopped demand at source … We owe it not only to this generation, but to generations to come.” Should global tuna stock return to a healthy level, or a source be found from which Sushinho can obtain sustainable and responsibly caught tuna, the restaurant will then consider putting tuna back on the menu.

As yummy as tuna may be, it's not much missed from Sushinho's menu. On our visit, we were more than pleased to sample this upscale restaurant's blend of Japanese and Brazilian cuisine, a dining concept that's not as unusual as one might initially think. With an estimated 1.5 million people of Japanese decent, Brazil has the most populous Japanese community outside of Japan … with their own unique mash up of flavours.

We adored Sushinho's spider roll featuring five pieces of soft shell crab, jalapeno, lettuce, tobiko and chilli mayonnaise (£12) and couldn't get enough of the warm shredded pork and crackling salad with mango, green shoots and burnt orange & chilli dressing (£7.50). For our pudding, a passion fruit crumble with toffee ice cream and sesame tuille (£6.50) certainly hit the spot … as did the Sushinho Sakeirinha house cocktail featuring Honjozo Akashi-tai sake with muddled pink grapefruit and passion fruit (£8.50). Other potent potables we hope to sip soon include the intriguing Venison & Dark Chocolate Rob Roy (venison infused Monkey Shoulder vatted malt whisky, stirred - £9) and the fruity Brazilian Coconut Martini (Brazilian coconut, organic cachaça Abelha Silver, Koko Kanu, Frangelico, garnished with a Marasca cherry - £9.50).

Of course, it's not just about the yum-yums here. Foregoing the convey belts and minimalism, this King's Road joint is as swank as it is inviting. With a cosy bar as well as a downstairs lounge, its a welcoming place to tuck in for a exotic and tropically-infused evening.

Sushinho is located at 312-314 King's Road (SW3 5UH) visit them online at www.sushinho.com.

Press Release

Source: Gizmag

We covered the EcoCHARGE from Ventev before, and I had a chance to meet with Ventev at CTIA and got to know more of their products, like the PowerCELL.

The PowerCELL reminds me of Technocel PowerPak, which is a device that can plug into the wall or the USB drive, and it will charge up as a lithium-ion battery.

In fact, it really is just like it. I plugged the PowerCELL into the wall with the included AC cord, and it took several hours to charge. I don’t know how long it took to charge, but I simply plugged it in before I went to bed, and it was finished by morning. If it helps, it is a 1700 mAh battery. While it is charging, there are these five tiny blue lights that can surprisingly light up a dark room. I believe that the PowerPak has a similar series of indicator lights.

Once it was charged, I plugged it into my iPod, and it began to charge it. The PowerCELL only can charge anything that has a USB charging capability. There is a complete list of the products that it can do on this page. You should be able to get the PowerCELL at the exact same web site for about $54.99.

I am something of a literary lemming. I just finished reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I picked it up primarily because the book seems to be everywhere - everyone is talking about it, everyone is reading it and everyone is praising it. No, if everyone jumped off a bridge, I wouldn't follow them but I'm more curious about books than I am plummeting to my death. What I got was 500 pages of awesome. It was one of the finest crafted, most compelling mysteries I've read. It was almost instantly enveloping. It sucked me in with the first few paragraphs and never really let go.

Now, a while ago, I ranted about books, particularly e-books and how I'd never become comfortable with them and never saw myself abandoning the physical book. It was surprising to me, therefore, that I read at least 65% of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo on my iPhone Kindle app. See, Owen was sick. Then I was sick. And I we were spending a lot of time being sick together which really involved him holding on to me all night long while I tried, and failed, to sleep myself. I scored the book itself cheap and then noticed, one night surfing my iPhone for something to do while Owen snored on my chest, that the Kindle version was darn cheap too. I bought it and read. I shifted back and forth between formats the whole time but found that I was using the iPhone more than the physical book.

I'm not going to pretend that an iPhone is the perfect medium for a book. But it was convenient and hand and I can definitely see why this whole e-book thing is catching on. And that sentence just made me sound 90, didn't it?

The bottom line - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo? One damn fine book. E-books? Kinda handy. Now, pass the salt. The consonants are okay but the vowels have no flavor at all.

On a related note, Apple's iPad drops on Saturday. Is it a must-buy for you? Are you merely curious? Or could you care less?

The Weekly Read. The Virgin by Erik Barmack was not a good book. The premise - a guy gets himself on a reality show the point of which is, Bachelor-like, to be selected by a virgin to be her first - was silly. The book started off well enough. The problem was that the main character, the one in whom we were supposed to have some interest, was highly unlikeable and it was never clear if this was the author's intent or just a product of poor writing. In fact, the only redeeming part of the book was the way it made me think about the ways in which reality television is so obviously manipulated. But you could probably come up with those yourself. Give the book a pass.

The Weekly Music. On a whim, I picked up Broken Bells' self titled debut. It's a collaboration between Danger Mouse and The Shins' front man James Mercer. It's catchy and endearing the way you'd expect anything from The Shins to be. But the inclusion of Danger Mouse - and his hook-laden electronic flourishes and subtle beats - makes Broken Bells about as irresistible as an Oreo cookie and a cold glass of milk. It's not music that'll change the world but it's good, original, and an absolute pleasure to listen to. Its the perfect spring album.

The Weekly Schadenfreude. Like just about everyone else this week, I'm going to go with Sandra Bullock. Hubby cheated on her with a tattooed white supremacist stripper. And that white supremacist part was probably the only reason Tiger hadn't banged her too.

The Weekly Political Moment. I love crusty old Joe Biden. I really do. I think he's a good guy. A guy who needs to know when to keep his mouth shut, but a good guy. Evidence? This. Yes, on live TV and in reference to the health care bill, Biden told President Obama This is a big fucking deal. Damned if he wasn't right.

The Weekly Opportunity to Pick on a Former President. Bush and Clinton - working together to raise money for Haitian earthquake relief - traveled to Haiti together. There was almost a very nice moment in which the two shook hands with the Haitian people. Then Bush took the hand he'd recently used for shaking and wiped it all over Bill Clinton's shirt. Maybe Kanye was right. Either that or Bush's next charity venture will be for Haitian Cootie relief.

The Weekly Question from Mia. What was your favorite show when you were a kid that didn't have scary parts?

Terrorist attacks such as those that struck at Moscow’s metro system this week are a stark reminder of the fragility of our urban transport networks. With one easy-to-procure bomb or canister of gas, dozens of people riding a train can be killed, instantly. In recent years, London, Madrid, and Tokyo have all suffered from such catastrophes.

Fortunately, such terrorism is rare and transit riders are extremely unlikely to ever be caught up in such violence.

Millions of people chose to again ride the Moscow metro the day after the incident, even if they had other mobility options available, much in the same way people choose to fly despite gruesome crashes.

Yet there is still something surprising about the fact that people continue to ride public transportation despite their potential exposure to violence of all sorts, far beyond the horrific events like those that took place in Russia. Less publicized but also painful acts of petty violence on buses and trains are the far more common social problems from which transit cannot provide an easy escape.

The Internet-blasted video of a fight between two men on an Oakland, California bus was a recent demonstration of the fact that safety on public transit is by no means assured. One simply cannot seal oneself away from the motley crew of random strangers who may enter the vehicle and place themselves adjacent to one’s body.

Thus the willingness to ride transit stands as a convincing testament to the shared belief that common decency is adequate insurance against bodily harm—a vote in support of the broader trustworthiness of the populace as a whole. If random violence is a fact of life on transit, it doesn’t stand in the way of the continued use of the transportation by most people who live in dense cities. But the fear of being attacked at random keeps a large number of people off transit, especially during sensitive periods like late at night or in “bad” neighborhoods. It also encourages people to choose lifestyles in which they’re closely attached to their cars.

On the other hand, the (much higher) risk of being killed in an automobile accident is one that car commuters seem to accept whole-heartedly. But car crashes result from contact between two machines rather than between two people. It’s the uncertainly in interpersonal relationships that is scary on the train, much more than a fear that the train will run into something.

This type of risk is an urban phenomenon; the suburban isolation of homes and transportation illustrated by the fiefdoms of single-family houses surrounded by lawns and security systems, accompanied by their hermetically-sealed automobile counterparts, are in some ways the manifestation of the fears of public interaction people living outside of the city hope to escape.

Perhaps, then, transit ridership should be judged as a measure of a community’s greater solidarity. If only a city’s most desperate members choose to ride the bus, there may be inadequacies in the transit system—but there are also likely underlying social difficulties that make interactions between the rich and the poor, the black and the white, too difficult for many. The great class and racial integration that cities like New York and Washington have achieved on their transit systems is commendable.

That integration is in turn likely a reflection on the overall quality of the transit systems: People have an incentive to travel with complete strangers when it’s a more convenient ride than they’d get in their cars. And once they’ve had experience with people they don’t know, most people realize that they have little to fear.

Two principles, therefore, are at play. Urban environments encourage people to trust strangers because the vast majority of people experience no crime at all. Most people aren’t afraid of petty violence because they’re assured of the good will of most of the strangers around them. Meanwhile, because getting around in cities is so much easier by public transit, that trust is a matter of daily life—you just can’t live in constant fear. But that doesn’t mean people on transit are fully comfortable in their surroundings.

Attempting to prevent terrorist attacks is probably mostly a fruitless cause; they’re too rare to justify devoting enough resources to stop them—an incredibly difficult task. But improving the transit environment enough to make the average commuter feel safer day-to-day is possible. Fear of interpersonal, relatively minor violence is what keeps people off trains and buses, and addressing those problems would increase ridership if done effectively.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a landmark policy acknowledging that “walking and bicycling foster safer, more livable, family-friendly communities; promote physical activity and health; and reduce vehicle emissions and fuel use.” The statement asserted that bicycling and walking are to be considered “equals with other transportation modes” and that future planning should accommodate “bicyclists and pedestrians as an integral element of the transportation system.”

The next day, the Pittsburgh City Council approved an ordinance mandating a minimum amount of bike parking for new and re-zoned commercial construction, depending on square footage. The vote in support of the measure was unanimous, and followed two years of hard work by the staff and members of Bike Pittsburgh, unaffiliated bike riders, concerned residents and the Planning Commission.

The approval of the bike parking measure is important symbolically, indicating a general acceptance that bikes are indeed a vital component of Pittsburgh’s transportation system and an essential element in Pittsburgh’s goal to become a more livable city.

Beyond the pretty symbolism, however, the legal provision for safe and secure bike parking demonstrates a commitment to sustainable transportation in Pittsburgh, now and in the future. Providing secure parking removes what some advocates consider the main deterrent to biking for transportation: bicycle theft. Following this theory, when secure and reliable parking is available, people are more likely to ride bicycles.

This certainly is exciting news, but in the two years that the ordinance has been under development, biking for transportation has been growing exponentially in this hilly city, and now some people are ready for more dramatic improvements.

Speaking at the public hearing on March 9, Dan Sullivan, Director of Saving Communities, advocated for more radical reforms, calling the ordinance a “timid step in the right direction.” Sullivan encouraged the City Council to adopt some recommendations of parking theorist Donald Shoup, including the abolition of all car parking requirements, charging market rate for parking, and making the cost of on-street parking more expensive than garages.

After considering the proposal for a week, the City Council reconvened and voted unanimously to support the inclusion of bike parking minimums in the zoning book. However, because the new ordinance only applies to new construction or buildings that undergo a change in use, Councilman Doug Shields suggested going a step further to provide incentives to building and parking garage owners to retrofit their properties with bicycle properties.

Additionally, Councilman Patrick Dowd, who was an emphatic supporter of the bill, said “Just look at the books…the City has privileged the automobile…and did that work 100 years ago.” He went on to say that “what we’re trying to accomplish is just that, but for the bicycle.”

While the City Council was acting in accordance with local demand, the resulting emphasis on the bicycle-as-transportation moves Pittsburgh closer to meeting the DOT’s stated goals for “cleaner, healthier air; less congested roadways; and more livable, safe, cost-efficient communities.”

Patrick Kwok-Choon and Layne Coleman. Photo by Scarlet O'Neill.

A year and a half ago, our review of Theatre Smash's Norway, Today ended with the following: "Look out for Theatre Smash; they've got an exciting future ahead of them." It's so satisfying to be right. Last year saw their highly competent production of Layne Coleman's Tijuana Cure, and running right now at the Tarragon Extra Space is Theatre Smash's most ambitious—and most successful—show to date: A Boy Called Newfoundland.

Newfoundland Willow ("Flounder" to his family) is a fifteen-year-old boy living in an unspecified Maritime location with his sisters, Brigid and Arley-Rose, and his parents, Marianne and Bill. Or so it was. Marianne comes back from a second honeymoon pilgrimage to Newfoundland The Place (as opposed to The Boy) sans husband. She won't explain what happened or where Bill is, but it becomes clear that this will profoundly affect The Romantic Times, a love-themed newspaper the couple co-edited for many years. Socially awkward Flounder believes things will work out, and pines for his French camp girlfriend, Evelyn. Tomboy Brigid and hot-tempered Arley-Rose are more proactive, and determined to bring their father home, no matter how many turkeys they have to shoot in the process.

Graeme Gillis' script is decidedly quirky, almost, at times, to the point of magical realism. Don't expect things like geographical realism, for a start. But if you can get into the show's offbeat groove, you're in for a real treat. Ashlie Corcoran's direction finds the perfect balance between the emotionally deep and the twee. And the cast is an absolute delight. The inimitable Martha Burns is typically awesome as Marianne, and Layne Coleman gives a really strong turn as the mysteriously absent Bill Willow. Patrick Kwok-Choon is appealingly strange as Flounder, and has some wonderful scenes with Martin Happer, who plays Arley-Rose's handsome theologian boyfriend, Hadley. But the strongest relationship is the one between Natasha Greenblatt's Brigid and Lara Jean Chorostecki's Arley-Rose. When they get along, it's great; when they fight, it's better; and when they take an impeccably staged, hilariously mimed drunken road trip, the audience we were in saw fit to give them a round of applause.

But perhaps the real star of the evening is the set. When you first walk into the Extra Space and get a look at Robin Fisher's primary, video-game coloured set, you could be forgiven for thinking "Oh, dear..." It's bright, it's garish, it doesn't particularly resemble the house it's usually standing in for, but about ten minutes in, it's hard to imagine anything else working for the show. After half an hour, it will blow your mind. This is theatre that hasn't forgotten how to make magic happen. A panel hinges open, headlights flash on, and the set is a car. A small circle is removed from the floor, and it's an icy lake. Newspapers pour out of here, Christmas lights appear over there, an Expressionist bedroom tableaux emerges out of nowhere. And all of this is accomplished through simple, economic, graceful design.

This show is different, funny, and very well done. Theatre Smash has arrived.

A Boy Called Newfoundland runs until April 11.

Toronto's extensive work on the silver screen reveals that, while we have the chameleonic ability to look like anywhere from New York City to Moscow, the disguise doesn't always hold up to scrutiny. Reel Toronto revels in digging up and displaying the films that attempt to mask, hide, or—in rare cases—proudly display our city.

The forthcoming release of MacGruber surely suggests the fine folks at Saturday Night Live refuse to grasp the problems inherent in turning an amusing two-minute sketch into a quality film (Wayne's World and Blues Brothers excepted). Case in point: The Ladies Man. Yes, it's fun to say "Courvoisier" with a lisp, and there's at least a chuckle or two amidst the ninety minutes of suffering. But make no mistake: suffering it is.

Is there any chance Lorne Michaels would besmirch the United States, the country that has given him so much, with such an inferior production? No, far better to pretend the movie is shot in Chicago and then inflict the actual damage on his hometown. Shame, sir.

The "plot" of the film is that this dude learns the value of love, or something like that. Of course, fans of the character wanted to know something of what makes him tick, so we get a flashback where we see he was left on the stairs of a mansion and raised by a playboy. The interiors were shot at the popular Christie House, at the corner of Wellesley and Queen's Park...

...but the exterior is Bay Street's exclusive National Club.

Leon Phelps (i.e. The Ladies Man) likes to hang out in a groovy bar, tended by father-figure Billy Dee Williams. The interior is a set but the exterior is the Linsmore Tavern on the Danforth.

Despite the deceptive Chicago Transit Authority gear on the pole, you get a nice shot of the adjacent Greenwood subway exit here, later on.

Dude lives in a houseboat ("The Skank-tuary") docked near Humber Bay Park and Marina Del Rey.

The "dramatic tension" in the movie is provided by a group of cuckolded losers trying to get revenge on the man who, like, adulterated with their wives. This allows the filmmakers to get out of the way one thing everyone would otherwise have been on the edge of their seats for: a prolonged shot of Tim Meadows' bare ass.

Then we get this one husband tracking down the cult-like losers' group (headed by Will Ferrell!) in the Masonic Temple.

The titular Ladies Man hosts a radio show in a fancy shmancy tower. It's played by the TD Centre and we get quite a glimpse during a funny-but-prolonged song-and-dance number that starts on the steps...

...goes into the lobby...

...and up the elevators.

This is just around the corner at York and Wellington. It took us a wee bit of digging to get this precise location, but the Eye Magazine boxes and Lion King banners are a bit of a Hogtown giveaway, ain't they?

With so much construction going on in the West Donlands area, it's a bit hard to pin down this exact location, but you can clearly see the old brewery building at the Don Roadway and Eastern Avenue. This is likely the old eastern end of Front Street (it looks like this right now) or Mill Street.

Nearby is (or rather, was) the always-popular-with-film-crews Canary Grill.

Before you think, "Hey, I should check this movie out!" you should be aware of the sheer level of talent that has debased itself here. The hugely talented Eugene Levy has at least as many appearances in horrible movies as in good ones....

...but then we get not one but...

...TWO Kids in the Hall putting in appearances.

We already mentioned Billy Dee Williams and Will Ferrell but how to explain Julianne Moore as a sexed-up clown? Seriously, HOW? And did we mention the prolonged shot of Tim Meadows' ass? We did? Then that's everything you need to know about The Ladies Man.

And just so you don't get your hopes up: we don't care if Bruce McCulloch directed it and we don't want to know if it was shot in David Miller's office with the ghosts of William Lyon Mackenzie and King Clancy cheering the production on while holding up the 1992 World Series trophy and reading In the Skin of a Lion. Even Reel Toronto will not sit through Superstar.

Do you remember how the Kamino system was erased from the Jedi archives in Attack of the Clones? Well, if the Jedi had the Death Star Planetarium to help them out, we don’t suppose they would miss Kamino since it includes the worlds of the Star Wars galaxy alongside those of our very own night sky, just in case the Jedi want to learn about our culture. You can place a pre-order for the Death Star Planetarium for $25, where it will arrive sometime during the third quarter. Guess folks who are sitting for their science tests and need to know more about our own universe and its solar system might want to give this a go.

I'm not sure I know too many occasions where a gold sequined mini dress would be ideal, unless you are

Filed under: Apparel

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NYC Resistor's Matt Joyce lasercut these neat unicode-compliant hex scrabble tiles.

My new scrabble tile set provides game players with a fully international character set through the miracle of character set encoding standards. By using my entirely hexadecimal tile set you can deploy your scrabble words in full unicode, or simple ascii. I think however, I might need a bigger board. The memory space on this bit of antiquity is a bit on the small side.

Dear Parker Brothers, this is a parody. Please do not threaten litigation. I mean you no harm. In fact I am quite sure my suggestion of homebrew tile sets can only increase interest in scrabble and scrabble related paraphernalia. I am your friend. Love me as I have loved you. Please.

Download the DXFs on thingiverse.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love it when people post awesome stuff to the web with no background information? Like, just a picture with no annoying words about who took it or where or when? Yeah, that's my favorite, as it enables me to commit timeless acts of journalism like this: "Somebody, somewhere, made this brilliant tearaway-teeth flyer for some lucky dentist, somewhere, and then somebody else from somewhere took a picture of it. You know, sometime." [via Somebody-or-other]

Update: A very helpful commenter pointed me at this page which identifies the lucky dentist in question as Dr. John Mullaly of Muskegon, Michigan, and the doubleplus clever advertising agency as Cramer-Krasselt, USA. [Thanks, David Beckford!]

Huffpo blogger/idiot says the left is jealous because "there’s no anti-Palin progressive who matches what Palin’s got." John Cole laments:

Yeah, Taylor. It’s a real shame that there is no lefty Sarah Palin, because what the party could really use is a know-nothing empty suit who is wildly unpopular with the majority of Americans, extremely divisive to the folks you need to reach out to, completely unversed in anything regarding policy, and leading the party into a ditch. It really sucks there is no left-wing Palin.

And in case you missed it...

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Mozilla’s serving up a beta of Firefox Lorentz, a version of the browser that runs Flash, Quicktime and Silverlight videos as a separate processes. If plugin-caused crashes and stuttering YouTubes have you red in the face, Lorentz offers sweet relief. (more…)

April brings showers but it also brings lots of business openings as entrepreneurs are looking to cash in on the always important summer months. On Roncesvalles, in the old Boho location that didn't survive the construction, a new restaurant called Blue Plate is set to open soon. The owners are posting updates and photos to their blog, Facebook and Twitter and promise that things are on track to meet their planned April 20th opening.

More...

Most adults are likely to have a common cold two to four times a year. Children, especially preschoolers, may have a common cold as many as six to 10 times annually.” ~ Common Cold, Mayo Clinic

We all know the symptoms, it plays out like a NyQuil commercial; runny or stuffy nose, itchy or sore throat, cough, congestion, slight body aches or a mild headache, sneezing, watery eyes, low-grade fever (up to 102 F, or 39 C) and mild fatigue. In lieu of the recent trend by pediatricians and toxicologists to put pressure on the F.D.A. to clear over the counter cough & cold medicines from the shelves, what are we left to do when un-medicated kids have symptoms that linger for days and sometimes weeks?

Illness can occur throughout the year, but tends to cluster in the winter due to flu season. These illnesses can seem to spread like wild fire affecting other students, teachers, and family members. Families and schools need to balance the child’s school attendance with the risk of spreading the illness to others in the school. Sometimes even minor illnesses require the child to stay home just to prevent the further spread of a contagious disease.” ~ Gwenn Schurgin O’Keeffe, MD, FAAP, Pediatrics Now | When to keep kids home

So what symptoms are worthy of missing a day of school? Here’s an at-a-glance list of the deal-breakers:

• Fever: indicative an infection elsewhere in their body. A child with a fever greater than 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit needs to stay home from school until the fever is gone for at least 24 hours. If the fever does not resolve in 2 to 3 days, or if your child appears sick with any fever, call your doctor.
• Rash: many rashes will resolve spontaneously and are not reason alone to keep a child home from school. Any rash associated with symptoms such as trouble breathing or swallowing, fever, or ill appearance, should be evaluated by your physician. Rashes that are itchy or scaly may be contagious and should be evaluated before sending a child back to school.
• Cough alone may not be a deal breaker, unless it is deemed contagious or is interfering with sleep or is frequent enough to interfere with their day. If the cough is productive and has phlegm or is associated with fever or trouble breathing, keep your child home from school and call their pediatrician for an appointment.
• Diarrhea: where the stool frequency is often many times an hour. Diarrhea that is bloody or associated with fever, abdominal pain, or vomiting should be evaluated by your doctor.
• Vomiting: with or without diarrhea, needs to stay home from school. Your child can return to school when the symptoms have stopped and the child has eased back to their regular diet.
• Sore Throat: children can attend school with mild sore throats if no other symptoms are occurring. Any child with a sore throat associated with fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, or difficulty swallowing should be evaluated by a doctor before returning to school. Call your child’s school to see if strep throat is going through the school population; if so, they should be evaluated by their doctor. A child with a diagnosis of strep throat needs to stay out of school until on antibiotics for 24 hours.
• Lethargy: if your child appears really sick, keep your child home and arrange an evaluation by your doctor that day. If you can’t get through to your doctor and you are really concerned, either call 911 or bring your child to the nearest emergency room for evaluation.

And of all the popular opinions I found they all mention enthusiastically the best deterrent of spreading germs and disease is to consistently and routinely wash your hands and practice go hygiene.

Sited & Related Links:
Mayo Clinic | Common Cold Symptoms
NY Times Health | The Cough-and-sniffle Question; When to Keep a Child Home
Pediatrics Now | When to Keep Kids Home

meta-DAD | Wash your hands
meta-DAD | How cough and cold medicine can adversely affect your child
meta-DAD | Use with caution – cough and cold medicine not for the young ones

With only 300-400 in existence, North Atlantic right whales are among the most endangered whales in the world. Their slow movements, time spent at the surface, and time spent near the coast make them highly vulnerable human activities, especially being struck by ships. Right whales occupy and forage in four distinct areas in the Northeast in January through July: Cape Cod Bay, the area off of Race Point at the northern end of Cape Cod, the Great South Channel, and the Northern Gulf of Maine. The National Marine Fisheries Service announces that voluntary vessel speed restriction zones under the dynamic management area program are in effect in the vicinity of Nantucket, Massachusetts until Mar 22, and the Great South Channel until Mar 24 to protect aggregations of right whales. Mariners are requested to route around the zones or transit through them at 10 knots or less. Actual coordinates and general information about voluntary vessel speed restrictions can be found at NOAA’s Right Whale Page. (Via Via USCGC Escanaba)

The iPad won’t charge with all USB chargers. But that’s because your USB chargers are weak. The reVIVE II Dual USB Charger can charge both your iPad and your other weakling gadget. The reVIVE II is not weak. (more…)

Previous winner: North Kensington boot garden

Not only busy with the

The awards are running over the course of a year, acknowledging that different green spots have different seasonal bests. Monthly certificates will be given across categories as diverse as community areas, roof gardens, dodgy cut throughs and alleys, blooming mews and green garnish to bus stops and stations (a full list of categories is after the jump).

Monthly winners will go forward to the final judging in 2011 and overall winners will get special prizes, with - importantly - the nominators scooping a bottle of bubbly. And that's where you come in.

Anyone can nominate a green corner. You just need to email the Conservation Foundation with 2 photographs of the patch and a few details. You can get some inspiration from our Nature-ist series and if you let us know what you're nominating, we'll cover them for Nature-ist too. Deal? Deal. So, where's looking its springy best right now?

See all categories after the jump - we're particularly keen to find out about your 'No Man's Land' spots and 'Edible Corners'.

• Community Green Corners - urban green spaces cared for and shared by people living nearby (supported and judged by Archant London)

• Edible Green Corners where herbs, fruit and vegetables thrive (supported and judged by Capital Growth's campaign for 2012 new food growing spaces).

• Green Corners for Health and Wellbeing - in offices and public buildings, as well as shops, hotels and restaurants which boost physical and mental wellbeing

• On The Move - green corners on boats, bikes, buses, trains, tubes, taxis or at stations and bus stops and visible from them as you pass.

• Mews Green Corners made colourful by green fingered neighbours (sponsored and judged by Lurot Brand).

• No Man's Land - unloved and uncared for strips of land, alleyways or cut throughs.

• Pavement Green Corners - pavement patches and tree wells (in association with Guerrilla Gardening's Pimp Your Pavement).

• Roof terraces, balconies and window sills with bird and insect loving plants (sponsored and judged by Capital Gardens).

• Sacred Spaces - peaceful places for quiet reflection (sponsored and judged by Natural England).

• School Green Corners where pupils and teachers get together to turn grey spaces green (in association with Tools Shed).

• Water-wise Green Corners planted to flourish whatever the weather (sponsored and judged by Thames Water).

• Young Londoners - green corners created by young people under 25.

Previous winner: Sarastro Restaurant, Drury Lane

Visit www.conservationfoundation.co.uk for more information.

1. 10 More Appropriate Jobs For Sarah Palin
2. Interview Questions for Sarah Palin
3. Other People Sarah Palin Tried To Have Fired
4. VIDEO: Song For Sarah Palin
5. Sarah Palin on SNL – Episode Review and Commentary

Read our profile of Ryan M. Andrews in our special Filmmakers section.

A police perimeter around the crime scene | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist

A 2007 murder may be linked to Saturday's restaurant shooting that left four dead inside a middle eastern cafe, the LA Times is reporting. Akop Akopyan, 24, was found dead on Mulholland drive in what police believe was an execution hit.

The 2007 case hasn't been solved, but some of the deceased victims in Saturday's shooting, which is also thought to be an execution-style hit, were named in the investigation. Anonymous sources, however, say they were not considered suspects.

Saturday's incident is rumored to be related to Armenian organized crime.

Previously on LAist
- Witness Accounts Conflict in Restaurant Shooting that Left 4 Dead
- Victims in Restaurant Shooting Were Eating after a Funeral
- Police Believe Victims Were Targeted in Deadly Valley Restaurant Shooting
- 4 Dead in Valley Village Restaurant Shooting