Regardless of whether you are majoring in computer science or can’t even figure out how to type on an iPhone (guilty), you gotta admit that technology is pretty cool.  One recurring downside, however, is that most techie products require lots and lots of electricity which, in turn, requires lots and lots of oil.

Now, I’m not asking to start lighting candles in lieu of your desklamp, but there are lots of options that are sleek, convenient, and help make the change towards a greener lifestyle.  Here are some of my top picks:

IKEA solar desk lamp:  I was pretty sure before, but now I am absolutely certain, IKEA sells pretty much everything you could ever want.  Looking for a solar-powered desk lamp?  They got it.  Want some LED lights that consume 70% less energy than normal light bulbs?  Yep, they’re included.  But these babies aren’t just eco-friendly, they’re also super cute and come in every color of the rainbow.  Stick one on your desk and instantly feel the academic juices flow.

Belkin’s Conserve Surge Protector:  Recently I discovered something known as “phantom” power (who gave it that name, I don’t know.)  Phantom power is the standby power used when you keep your appliances plugged in after you’re done using them.  This “phantom” is estimated to take up as much as 15% of your overall energy use.  Eliminate your phantom by turning to this Belkin surge protector.  It comes with a remote so that you can turn off the surge protector (without having to crawl behind your TV stand) when you’re no longer using your appliances.  For those of us that need the essentials (i.e. blackberry and laptop) to be charged at all times, there are 2 “always on” outlets for your convenience. Read More »

Sex is a powerful tool. It can bring pleasure (lots and lots of pleasure), create babies, cause heartache, and even end wars? No effing way.

Aristophanes (the Greek comic playwright) introduced this idea in one of his plays, in which a woman named Lysistrata (translation: Army-disbander) comes up with a, well, attention-grabbing plan to bring an end to the Peloponnesian War: she convinces herself and all of the other Grecian ladies to withhold sex from their husbands until the men have negotiated a peace.

Thousands of years later, the women of Kenya are trying a similar tactic – they’ve gone on a seven day sex strike in an attempt to alleviate the violence that has resulted from the rivalry between Prime Minister Raila Odinga and President Mwai Kibaki (who currenty share power over the Kenyan government). Introduced by the Women’s Development Organization coalition, the strike includes the Prime Minister’s wife, Ida Odinga, many average women, a handful of prostitutes, and possibly President Kibaki’s wife. Read More »

The name may not sound fierce to you (in fact, it may sound more like a group of Paris Hilton and friends who wreak havoc on designer clothing stores), but the group of pink-clad women in Banda, India are instilling fear wherever they go.

Sick and tired of gender inequality, political injustice and other unfair atrocities that run rampant in the corrupt Indian government, a group of Indian women, who call themselves the Gulabi (pink) Gang, have decided to take action into their own hands.

“Nobody comes to our help in these parts. The officials and the police are corrupt and anti-poor. So sometimes we have to take the law in our hands. At other times, we prefer to shame the wrongdoers.”

It is hard to imagine the need for such a vigilante group (or the strength required by women to stand up and start one), but that is because we don’t have to face the same discrimination that women in India do. The Indian society, especially in the poorest areas, is one dominated by men, where women have no choice but to marry to get ahead in life. Most women are not educated, are married off at an extremely young age, and are blamed for everything that goes wrong in the household. Read More »