by Mike Wendling

It's half an hour or so after the end of Britain's biggest-ever protest against climate change, and I'm still hanging out in Trafalgar Square.

A few groups of kids are milling around, and a couple of anarchists have set up a bicycle-powered disco. One or two old-timers are trying to get rid of their… Read More

All's quiet on the Alston front.

Photo: www.visitcumbria.com.

And not just any old hags, either -- residents of this northern English town would prefer strapping young things who aren't afraid to get dirty. "Quite frankly, old people are not going to give us the vitality that we need," says Vince Peart, the cheerful if lovelorn spokesperson for the town's matchmaking campaign. "We're looking for young people who will work."

The area around Alston, a hamlet perched in the Pennine mountains, was once home… Read More

Credit or debit ... or planet?

What would you be willing to do to slow climate change?

Oh sure, you might drive and fly less. You might already have, like me, signed up for a green-energy plan. But would you hand over an ID card every time you filled up your gas tank? Would you let the government track each time you turned on your washing machine or computer? How about your nose-hair trimmer?

Residents of the U.K. might soon be compelled to take such measures. Although it hasn't received much publicity… Read More