One (1) Did you know? “Coffee is the second most widely traded substance in the world - the first is oil. Clearing of habitat to plant sun-grown (robusta) coffee - as opposed to the better-tasting shade-grown Arabica, and heavy use of pesticides, has had a very negative impact on many birds." Yearoftheflood.com

By some estimates, we may already have lost almost half the songbirds that filled the skies only 40 years ago.

Awesome show today @sookyinlee! Share your bird story.

Two (2) On the consequences of our choices and objects as making statements about how we see ourselves … Saw Objectified at the Design Exchange this week.

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Three (3) An outpouring of creative responses to fundraising and concern for Japan including these:

Some unbelievable tsunami related art, including Alison Morel, shown here.

Quakebook

One Thousand Cranes For Japan

Four (4) I now have a crush on Jack Dorsey thanks to Vanity Fair’s April Issue.

"His optimism flows mostly from a St. Louis-bred spirit about our common life, democracy, and human potential. He claims his inventions all aim at the same goal: a society that works more efficiently and humanely.

In 2009 he co-founded Square, where he is now C.E.O. Square is a service that allows any individual or small business to easily accept payment by credit card... Just as Twitter made anyone a broadcaster or pundit or diarist, Square can make anyone a merchant."

On Jack Dorsey’s arm tattoo… “People who know what an integral is would generally not have tattoos. It sums up what makes Jack an interesting entrepreneur—his ability to blend ideas.”

Five (5) Wait, is this 1984?! Euphemisms for the Libyan Un-War From VanityFair.com

Photo Credit: Goran Tomasevic/Reuters

Happenings: Sound Festivals, Food & Community

One (1) I heard Gordon Monagan speak at U of T last week, about his sound art installation work, where he mused on the architectural interaction between sound and space. One of Monagan’s most interesting installations was a piece at Kitchener’s 2009 Open Ears Festival, taking place this year, from April 27^th to May 1^st. The Open Ears Festival "is for people who play digital sticks and Halo, suspended electric guitars, turntables and accordions, jazz and violins and rainforests and pianos (and pianos that play themselves)..."

The annual Eklectics Electrics Festival is held on Monagan's farm, just outside of Meaford, Ontario. Each year the festival assembles an eclectic program of avant-garde and crossover musicians, as well as art installations, DJs, and films.

Two (2) At Scarborough high school Bendale Business and

Technical Institute, students plant and care for what may be Canada’s first school-based market garden. It proves the educational value of food and all the ways it can be worked into the curriculum. “There are so many schools that could be turning their lawns into fields of food,” says garden co-ordinator Ian Hepburn-Aley, a community food facilitator with FoodShare -- a non-profit organization that tackles food and hunger issues through grassroots projects and has helped 26 Toronto schools create food gardens. From “An edible education” by @thesaucylady | Jennifer Bain, Food Editor Toronto Star

Three (3) Happy Pi Day!! “If we really calculated it precisely enough… maybe we would crack some deep-seated secret of

the universe... Pi has infiltrated popular culture more than any other mathematical concept." Show here: Wanda's Pie in the Sky celebrates Pi Day by baking square versions of the popular dessert. Also from The Toronto Star.

Four (4) The YMCA Table Top project and Toronto's Brothers Dressler partnership: a unique approach to bring together YMCA communities that make up this national organization.

Women & Media: Happy IWD!

The Cooperative Development Foundation of Canada is hosting a Women's Day online fundraising auction this week. All proceeds of the auction go to the Foundation's Global Women's Fund, helping women become leaders in their co-operatives. Auction items include this wall hanging featuring traditional Arctic scenes, from the Arctic Coop.

Burner Magazine, a digital pop art magazine published quarterly, from Sarah Minicaci and Leah Stephenson -- a fave find. Art, poetry, writing. Don't miss it. Burnermag.com

And Covet Garden, brought to us by Lynda Felton, Jessica Reid and Rhonda Riche, "for folks who are curious about real spaces". Covetgarden.com

Creative Smarty Pants & Technology Geeks

One (1) #Tenacity. Stephen Velasco, 15 years old, has built a model of Toronto’s downtown core, in his bedroom. "The perspectives...interest me" he explains. "You can get an overlay of the area, a real feel for the density." Velasco used Google Maps and was encouraged through online forums. Reported by Carly Maga on Open File via @Spacing Toronto. Photo Credit: A close-up of the Financial District, from steveve#6's on Flickr.

Two (2) WebTV. Tights and Fights Episode 70 is now available, online. In this episode? Canadian Tire, and there's a Bieber mention too. Which is nice because it’s Justin's birthday today. You can participate in the lives of Tights and Fight's Torontonian super heros -- on Twitter using the hash tag #TightsandFights

Dramatic Comedy: Easy to Assemble. Set Location: Ikea. Distribution: web only.From a Popwatch interview with Illeana Douglas: "I was always obsessed with supermarkets and I had written a show about going to work in a celebrity supermarket, because in L.A., a lot of celebrities go to supermarkets .. It’s been a real playground for all of us. We’re constantly inspired by things that happen to [Ikea], or their philosophy, and it influences a lot of the work."

Four (4) Technology + Design = Wellbeing We Care Solar is getting design help through a Canadian student competition to bring innovation to their portable power generation pack. The 'solar suitcase' positively impacts healthcare in countries such as Nigeria. The contest seeks to teach students and their mentors about technology and development.

The YWCA recently launched their Safety Siren app, available on iphone. In addition to the siren, the app provides information on dating, social interaction, health etc. An SOS urgent email and phone call is sent when the user signals he/she is in an unsafe situation. Photo credit:http://smr.newswire.ca