I feel deceived, and you should too. Are you aware we have been lied to about the world by the world? I have always been an advocate of wall maps and the illusive idea that cartographic art pieces provide a sense of global awareness. Apparently we are victims of skewed scale and mediocre map projections (read more about this diagrammatic deception here). Take the two-dimensional lie off your wall and replace it with honest metallic seas and accurate gradient color.

The Future Mapping Company has redefined wall maps by infusing precise proportions (using an equal-area projection technique) along with brilliant gradient colors (to reduce the illusion of abrupt country and continent borders).  The result? Alternative and thought-provoking visions of our planet.  Oh, and they are gorgeous!

These global depictions are available in three different lithographic color prints on silk-finish paper.  Each Future Map is unexpectedly affordable at £25 ($39) each.  If you have an entire wall pleading for cartographic metallic, how about custom wallpaper?  Don’t miss the charismatic London Street Maps either.

(My endless gratitude to Stephmodo for the introduction to these graphic maps.)

No cloud above, no earth below, A universe of sky and snow. – John Greenleaf Whittier

Here’s how I like to think it happened. Bill Gates is sat at his desk one day, sipping Mountain Dew while grappling with some tricky Windows-based conundrum. A shadow falls across his very expensive notepad: the sun’s gone in. Bill curses, throws his very expensive pen at the wall, and within ten minutes a thousand Microsoft scientists have their orders – “Bill wants the sky brighter!”

I’m being daft, of course: cloud whitening is a well-established part of the controversial scientific body of theory know as geoengineering. The principle is simple. If you dump vaporized water into the clouds, they become fluffier and whiter – i.e., they cover more sky and they reflect more light, blocking incoming sunlight and (in theory) helping fight global warming. However, it’s never actually been tried – until now. As The Guardian reports, the Gates-funded research group Silver Lining is building machines to spray misted seawater into clouds covering a 10,000 kilometer square area of sea, either from ships or wind-powered yachts.

And although it sounds like a Kate Bush video, it’s going to happen if Bill gets his way, that is. Critics point to the fact that we’re deliberately tinkering with a meteorological system we barely understand and are often poorly equipped to defend ourselves against when it turns nasty, which it is more and more frequently). With all the damage we’ve done to the world’s lands and seas, should the skies be made sacrosanct?

Images: francesco sqroi and Michel Filion

The Pope has been speaking a great deal of late about the state of the world and pressing issues of morality – and even chiming in on environmental problems. But what exactly did Pope Benedict say that’s surely going to hurt more than help? He mentioned that saving the rainforest is just as important as saving humanity. Now there’s a welcome recognition of true ecology! Not that, then. But wait: he elaborated further to state that humanity needs to be saved from homosexuals. Come again?

I try hard to respect those with whom I disagree. I can understand that from the Pope’s religious viewpoint, same-sex relationships go against the exclusive male-female union advocated by the Church. But does humanity really need to be saved from people loving each other? If you ask me, I’m bothered by the Pope’s use of “ecology”. After all, it’s a word we hold dear here at EcoSalon.

Editor’s note: You loyal readers know very well that for us, green is just one part of a broader ecology we consistently explore and promote – one of balance, wellness, productive relationships, and a positive lifestyle. It’s about personal sustainability, and how each one of us can best fit into the bigger picture. To us, no matter what our personal preferences or spiritual practices, “ecology” means accepting all of humanity and figuring out how we can work together for the greater good of our planet and our collective wellbeing. So, we’re saddened by the Pope’s definition of ecology.

But what do you think?

Image: GcD^3

Although it’s been a big news year with a lot of people focusing on the U.S. Presidential elections, the world of health and wellness hasn’t stopped turning. Here’s what fascinated us most in 2008:

My condolences to the single women of the future: men are an endangered species. Scientists have found that many of common “gender-bending” chemicals used in our modern lives have feminizing effects on the fetuses of all types of animals, from fish to mammals. This means a disproportionate amount of females are being born – and this population shift is occurring among humans, too.

Salmonella-tainted tomatoes opened people’s eyes just a little more to what really goes on behind the scenes of industrial agriculture, and gave us more incentive to eat local and organic.

Shockingly, the Environmental Protection Agency has been found guilty multiple times of not protecting the environment. The Bush administration has been keeping the agency under its not-so-eco-friendly thumb.

Bisphenol-A, an endocrine disruptor, was found in plastic baby bottles, sending concerned parents to seek out BPA-free alternatives. BPA, by the way, is one of the above-mentioned sex-swaying chemicals.

For the first time since the 1970s, scientists have begun re-exploring medical uses for psychedelic substances. Research includes using LSD to treat extremely painful cluster headaches, psilocybin (mushrooms) to aid in easing end-of-life anxiety for terminal cancer patients, and MDMA (Ecstasy) for effectively treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. These drugs are controversial, but in many cases they are safer for humans and the environment than the products of Big Pharma.

A large number of Iraq War veterans suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and are denied the psychological care they need. Suicide rates among active duty soldiers and veterans are high. The good news is that some psychotherapists are introducing experimental, but highly effective, forms of therapy that show long-lasting benefits for victims of PTSD.

Melamine tainted milk in China – and beyond. It’s not just about infant formula in a far-off, distant land. Melamine may be closer to home than we knew.

Stem Cell advances – and caveats. In late 2008, British scientists performed the first successful transplant of an organ grown from the woman’s own stem cells. Embryonic stem cell research has also been forging ahead. But the fact is, injecting stem cells into the body can promote cancer and the therapies are still “custom made” – and very expensive.

A promising new radiation-free cancer therapy is on the rise. Although human trials are still a year or two away, lab tests have been very successful. The idea is to send gold nano-particles into the body to target cancer cells and then use an external-radio generator to destroy cancer cells – while leaving healthy cells alone.

Image: nattu

A lot of people talk, but real change requires action. I’m inspired by one person who has made a difference for hundreds of women in Darfur. And he’s only 17.

From his suburban home in Maryland, Spencer Brodsky kept hearing about the extreme dangers faced by the women of Darfur when they leave the relative safety of the refugee camps to scour the desert for firewood for cooking. Women often have to walk miles in their search and risk the possibility of being murdered or raped – frightfully common in that region – each time they venture away. (Sexual assault is a “way of life” for the women of Darfur, and the international political community has been slow to help.)

Brodsky decided to raise money to buy efficient stoves for these women, requiring only ¼ of the wood, so they wouldn’t have to risk their safety and lives nearly as often. He’s raised enough money to send 420 stoves over. It’s a small step towards healing in the Darfur region, but it’s a truly compassionate one and it comes from the heart. We need people like Spencer who don’t allow distance, age or any other factor keep them from doing what they know is right.

Find out more if you’d like to make a donation to Stoves For Darfur. We hope you’ll consider it.

Image: hdptcar