“Positive reframing“, it’s called, when you’ve locked horns with your partner and since neither of you is giving an inch, you decide to be the voice of compromise. Except…there’s a right way, and a wrong way. Danielle LaPorte doesn’t much care for the folding-like-a-pack-of-cards approach, and here she outlines a more dignified way to meet in the middle.

The first weeks of January are when you’re most likely to hear and see the word detox. But is it a marketing scam, offering a sham quick-fix for the excesses of Christmas and preying on our guilt? The Daily Green takes a close look.

Look…..look out, fella! Behind you! BEARS! But no need to worry, it’s Charlie Vandergaw, and that’s just what he does. Is he a pioneer or is he crazy (or both)? Watch this documentary and marvel at the man who has spent 20 years living around wild black and grizzly bears.

Advocates of nuclear power (that nice Mr. McCain, for example) consider it quick to build, safe to maintain and highly cost-effective. For the other side of the argument, this excerpt from The Transition Handbook by Rob Hopkins over at AlterNet paints a rather different picture. Or rather, thoroughly dispenses with every argument in favor.

With a pinch of wheat germ, a scrape of peanut butter and a nice tall vase, you can safely dispose of any resident small furry varmints without resorting to anything unpleasant and cruel. Scurry over to Greg Laden’s blog for the details.

Long-distance driving and good food – rarely the twain meet. Concentration levels that need to be topped up even while you’re putting your feet up? Traditionally a job for fatty, sugary junk – and that’s why the in-car microwave makes us a bit nervous. British lorry drivers will probably be delighted.

Exactly how green should our lifestyle be? The answer, writes Aaron Szymanski, is that it’s completely up to us, of course. There’s no rulebook and no standard way of going eco - so the most important thing is to ask questions, put our answers under scrutiny, and generally make our own mind up.

Slavery is a thing of the last millennia? Tell that to the 27 million victims of modern human trafficking. Razoo has five stories that show what human nature is really capable of in the face of such horror.

For those who are happy to ridicule the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s 20% windpower by 2030 goal and the new government’s promise of a new eco-friendlier America…it’s already happening. Last year, America became the largest producer of wind energy in the world - generating enough juice to power over 5.5 million homes. And let’s remember this happened under the Bush administration. A little optimism wouldn’t go amiss, guys.

What a difference a year makes. Last January 9th we looked at the Reva G-Wiz, a well-meaning but decidedly dinky electric car that struggles on hills. Now electric autos are in an entirely different gear, as Treehugger shows in its gallery of revolutionary new models. Notorious electric-hater Jeremy Clarkson was even reduced to faking the end of his review of the amazing Tesla Roadster just so he had something to snark about.

Bananas are on the run. Stalked by the fungus known as Panama Disease (for which there is no cure), monoculture production of the Cavendish (successor to the Gros Michael banana) moves from country to country, desperately trying to stay one step ahead of crop failure. Will scientists discover Banana 3.0 before time runs out? Read the full story on Johann Hari’s column running at the Huffington Post.

As economies woes deepen and everyone feels the pinch, will the American diet hit the wall? That’s the worry of many health professionals (reports Reuters), highlighting the link between the low-quality types of prepackaged cheap food and obesity. Their recommendation? If you want to spend pennies not dollars, buy cheap ingredients instead (also know as the Poverty Diet).

Speaking of having a bit of extra cash, how about earning it from your favorite hobbies? True, your beloved creations will be thrust into the public eye (sounds painful), but what better way to improve at your Art? And, there’s the money. Unless you’d rather give away the fruits of your labor for free? Thought so. (Thanks to Dumb Little Man for all that change jangling in your pocket).

Since we can barely contain our loathing of disposable plastic water bottles, it was with a sense of relief that we heard about this breakthrough: a mobile phone largely made by recycling the little horrors. Electronics industry, please take note, we implore you.

Image: kiurkey