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This close-up photograph of the flowers of Rodgersia podophylla or rodgersia was taken in June of 2006, but the resemblance to snowflakes makes it seasonal for this time of year as well (at least to folks in the temperate and arctic northern hemisphere).

Rodgersia podophylla is native to temperate east Asia, where it is a plant of moist woods. It performs well within the David C. Lam Asian Garden here at UBC – too well, perhaps. The garden”s Rodgersia collection has been the subject of much consternation in recent years, as it can be very difficult to tell the species apart and the species hybridize readily. This isn”t very advantageous when an institution is trying to ensure accurate labeling. Fortunately, the leaves of this species are quite distinctive; see the account on Rodgersia podophylla on the BBC Gardening web site for an image of the leaves. Wikipedia”s entry is currently quite sparse, but it does have a photograph of the entire 1.5m or so plant: Rodgersia podophylla.

By:  Daniel Mosquin                        Source

The NPD Group, in conjunction with NARM, the National Association of Recording Merchandisers, said that consumer rejection of the CD format and use of digital files, iPods, and P2P are not the reason for the decline in CD sales.

In fact CDs continue to be the medium of choice, even among youth. People still have large CD collections. Fans both digital and physical albums.

NPD traced the primary cause to changing consumer experiences and the inability of retail stores to adapt and, well, sell. Only 13 percent of people now discover artists and music at stores. That's compared to of 37 percent for radio and 25 percent for friends and other recommendations. If stores only serve as a merchandise pickup location, they will become extinct. They need to become "champions of discovery" and strengthen selection and promotion.

This shouldn't be a surprise. Who goes to the record store today? First store business was siphoned by the superchains like Wal-Mart, and then by the digital world. Physical retailers, like the major labels themselves, need to reinvent themselves for today's world. Even so, their market will only continue to shrink.

By:  Marc                        Source

I don't know about you, but I hate going to a store to rent movies. For one, all you're going to find is mainstream drivel, and even if you like mainstream drivel it's just about impossible to find something interesting if you didn't go there for a specific title.

Not to mention the fact it is utterly and completely inefficient to go about renting movies that way. I mean you have to drive there, waste time hunting for something decent to watch, stand in line for 20 minutes only to be checked out by someone who looks like they would rather shovel manure than give you even the slightest smile, then drive back home only to make another round trip to the video store in a couple of days so you don't get charged a late fee.

You probably waste about 2 hours and $10 in gas in the process – and for what? A few hours of entertainment? That's just not worth it to me.

Hence one of the many reasons why I adore Netflix. According to their website, "If Netflix members drove to and from a rental store, they would consume 800,000 gallons of gasoline and release more than 2.2 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually." Not to mention how much oil is saved because they don't ship the movies in plastic cases.

And they have excellent customer service. I called today to ask a question that wasn't answered in their FAQ (specifically how much online instant viewing time each package receives), and do you know how long I waited on hold? About 3 seconds.

If that wasn't enough to "Wow" me, the representative who took my call, Vince, was very pleasant and treated me as though he had all the time in the world.

We had an interesting conversation about the DVD industry too. I mentioned that I would prefer to have a package that was just online instant viewing instead of part DVD and part instant viewing – but that isn't going to happen because those greedy film companies want to keep their massive DVD profits.

And being cut out of DVD profits is a big part of the reason writers went on strike. All this adds up to why I prefer to watch documentaries and foreign films – genres next to impossible to find in a video store.

In practicing responsible consumerism, I refuse to support gluttonous corporations – with very few exceptions, such as Evan Almighty. Even though I wasn't terribly interested in the movie, I saw it on opening day, in the theater (also something I typically abstain from), just because of the great lengths they went to produce the movie in a green-friendly way.

In a fashion I suppose this is great news for social enterprises. I suspect there are many more consumers like me who will support anything green-friendly or socially responsible, irregardless of the fact they don't need it, don't like it, and have to completely inconvenience themselves to get it.

By:  Miche                        Source

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Microsoft future no more keyboards

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Take a closer look at the mating rituals and family life of the Tigers of the Emerald Forest.

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The issue of obesity among young people. It is quickly becoming more prevalent among tweens and teens with the blame game being played. Who is responsible for the extra weight? What can and needs to be done?

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A man in India has developed an unusual taste for eating glass. Mmmm…crunchy.

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TechnologyTourism Company Plans Private Flight to SpaceTourism Company Plans Private Flight to SpaceThe Associated PressA company that sends wealthy tourists into space aboard Russian rockets announced Wednesday that it has a new plan for the first entirely private flight to the international space station. (June 11)[Notes:ANCHOR VOICE] [Notes:Vid astronout in space]For a price tag of one-hundred-million dollars … you too can orbit the moon.It’s courtesy Space Adventures … A company that sends wealthy tourists into space. [Notes:SOT Eric Anderson, President and CEO of Space Adventures: "We have initially created six, and only six, founding explorer positions in this orbital mission explorer circle. Each of whom will have that priority access to participate in our future missions."]So far, the Virginia-based company has sent five tourists to the International Space Station. The guests tagged along aboard flights already scheduled by the Russians.But now Anderson says … In 2011 .. His company plans to send a private flight to the international space station on a Russian-built Soyuz (SOY-ez) rocket. [Notes:SOT: Eric Anderson, President and CEO of Space Adventures: "This rocket, this launch is not a launch that was already scheduled. This is something that Space Adventures is procuring for our own purposes. So we are adding to this space station programme. We are changing our paradigm."]Guests include 35-year-old billionaire … and Google co-founder Sergey Brin. He’s paid five million to reserve a spot on a future flight.And computer game designer Richard Garriott. He’s scheduled to go up in October after shelling out 35 million for his seat

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he hottest piece of exercise equipment right now is the Russian Kettlebell. Personal Trainer Stephen Cabral demonstrates how to burn fat and calories with Diet.com Host Sarah.

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Video on Global Warming