With renewable energy sources constantly coming online, the power grid is proving too antiquated and congested to handle the additional electricity.  An article in today’s New York Times details the enormous challenges North America faces in upgrading its power infrastructure for the needs of the 21st Century.  If you remember the massive Northeast Blackout of 2003, you know firsthand the shortcomings of the power grid.

The need for new power infrastructure is currently most vitally needed for wind power production.  Moving electricty from the wind rich Great Plains - the Saudi Arabia of Wind according to Billionaire T. Boone Pickens, whose “Pickens Plan” advocates a full on push for wind energy - to the population centers of the Midwest and Texas will require an enormous investment in power transmission lines.  Notably, the State of Texas has already approved a $4.9 Billion investment in power transmission lines to move wind energy from the Texas panhandle to its major population areas.  But such initiatives will need to be taken up across the entire continent in order to make room on the on the power grid for the enormous amounts of additional energy capacity which will be required to convert to a truly green economy.

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Many people in the Middle East and North Africa are finding themselves in the unenviable predicament of having to choose between feeding an ever expanding population and preserving an ever dwindling water supply. The population of the region as quadrupled since 1950, and is expected to reach 600 million in the next 40 years. Previously, it has been far more practical to import food rather than produce it given the high cost of food production in the dry, desert climate. But now with 90% mark-ups of some food staples, many countries are rethinking their strategy.

“The countries of the region are caught between the hammer of rising food prices and the anvil of steadily declining water availability per capita,” Alan R. Richards, a professor of economics and environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said via e-mail. “There is no simple solution.”

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

Nicole Hughes:

U.S. Media Ignores Link Between Midwest Floods and Global Warming

Top 10 Houseplants for Removing Indoor Air Pollution

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Andy Kondrat:

Dubai to Build Rotating Positive Energy Tower

Bioethicist Peter Singer Tackles World Food Shortage

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Jon Popham:

Americacorps Workers Assist Flood Ravaged Town

Australians “Out-Fat” Americans

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Giulia Rozzi:

Progressive Book Club

Oprah Recommends “A New Earth”

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Gina Telaroli:

Human Rights Watch 2008 Film Festival Update

SilverDocs 2008 Update

Are you a progressive person looking for progressive reading material? Then look no further, the Progressive Book Club is here! 

The progressive movement has prided itself on its ability to get its messages out by harnessing the Internet, through organizations like MoveOn.org and blogs like Daily Kos or The Huffington Post. But now a liberal-minded group is returning to an old-fashioned model: a book club. Starting on Monday, the new Progressive Book Club is inviting readers to join and buy three books at $1 apiece in exchange for the obligation to buy four books over the next two years.

The brainchild of Elizabeth Wagley, a former fund-raiser and communications adviser for nonprofit

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I got lox on a bagel this morning with no tomato and frankly it just wasn’t the same. Why oh why did the tomatoes have to get sketchy? Since mid April, there have been 228 reported cases of salmonellosis nationwide caused by Salmonella Saintpaul, an uncommon form of Salmonella. At least 25 hospitalizations have been reported. This week the sick-tomato saga has spread to six more states! Federal health officials acknowledged to lawmakers that they had yet to nail down major aspects of a food-safety plan released seven months ago.

A total of 228 people in 23 states, now including New York, have been reported sickened by salmonella-tainted tomatoes, Dr. David Acheson, associate commissioner for foods at the Food and Drug Administration,

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Before you make your next cell call, you may want to read this article at http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/05/healthscience/sncell.php. The piece warns about cellular phone dangers saying:

Last week, three prominent neurosurgeons told the CNN interviewer Larry King that they did not hold cellphones next to their ears. “I think the safe practice,” said Dr. Keith Black, a surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, “is to use an earpiece so you keep the microwave antenna away from your brain.” [International Health Tribune]

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

Katie Halper:

Brigitte Bardot Fine: Top 5 Bardotisms That Got Hot Sex Symbol In Hot Water

Obama Pound: In Historic Moment, White People Exposed To “Fist Bump” For First Time

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Nicole Hughes:

Get a Job: Top 10 Guides to Finding the Perfect Eco Career

Schwarzenegger Declares Drought in California

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Andy Kondrat:

Barcelona Fines Citizens for Using Drinking Water in Pools and Gardens

Coal Power Plants Waste Two-Thirds of Energy Input

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Jon Popham:

Megabus Expanding to the East Coast

Egyptian Blogger Freed from Prison

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Giulia Rozzi:

Diamonds In The Rough: A Ugandan Hip Hop Revolution

Cluster Bomb Ban

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Gina Telaroli:

Interview with Nina Davenport, Director of Operation Filmmaker

KidZui : Internet for Kids (and Those Young at Heart)

French Daredevil Alain Robert scaled the 52 story north face of The New York Times building today bearing a message on Global Warming. The 46-year-old stuntman, who has previously climbed the Eiffel Tower, the National Bank of Abu Dhabi and the Sydney Opera House, ascended the entire height of the New York City skyscraper with his bare hands while carrying a green banner with the message “Global warming kills more people than 9/11 every week.” printed on it.

Robert stopped traffic on West 41st Street as onlookers gathered and police cordoned off the sidewalk below his ascent. Once he reached the roof of the building the crowd let out a cheer and a huge round of applause. Shortly thereafter Robert was arrested by the NYPD.

When asked why he chose the NY Times building, Robert replied, “This is a green building, which is a fantastic step.” Asked about the difficulty of the climb, he said, “No, the building was easy. It was just a statement. Plus, I’m a professional climber.”

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Good news! Last week over 100 nations formally agreed in Dublin to ban the use of cluster bombs. However some countries declined to participate in the ban, including the United States! Yup the USA finds air-dropped or ground-launched munitions that eject a number of smaller submunitions (a cluster of bomblets) totally cool. (Don’t be fooled, although the word bomblet is adorable these nasty killers which release many small unexploded bomblets over a wide area can remain dangerous for many months or years. Cluster munitions can cause fatal or serious injury to local populations long after the end of the conflict.)

Most NATO countries have backed the pact. Opponents say the bombs cause indiscriminate injury,

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Nicole Richie and husband Joel Madden made this video supporting the UNICEF campaign to raise funds for 8 million children affected by the Myanmar cyclone.

by getting involved at http://www.unicef.org.

Related links:

Cyclone in Myanmar: Top Ten Ways To Help

UNICEF

NY Times: Myanmar Articles