Last year we were alarmed when we heard mistletoe may become extinct, but we moved on, and honestly... sort of forgot all about it. At that point the seasonal snog plant shortage was happening far away in the UK anyway. But now the NY Times is back with more fearmongering over losing the rape-kiss plant, reporting that the shortage has now hit the States, due to a relentless drought in Texas. They note the branches that have arrived in New York "are so anemic that they just aren’t worth the high price tag" (which is typically $5 for a tiny branch). more ›

Today we've beaten endured the record high temperature set for Central Park on July 7th. A little after 1:30 p.m., the mercury rose to 99 degrees, besting the old record of 98 set in 1993. Listless low-five! It's stinking hot out there—literally, folks! The heat and trash still lingering from the long weekend is making this dirty town reek. As one Bed-Stuy resident put it to the Times, parts of this city smell "like cat or dog feces mixed with food that been there for weeks or something." Or as one Crotona Park father recounted, "My kids were crying, 'What’s that smell, Daddy? It smells like a rat that’s dead.' I said, 'No, mami, it’s not a rat, it’s the garbage.' " more ›

First devastating weather patterns and destroyed coral reefs, then lousy harvests and global food shortages, now this: soaring beer prices. In an increasingly warmer world, precious, life-sustaining beer is becoming a luxury item. The past year has seen a drought in Australia, flooding in Germany, hailstorms in the Pacific Northwest, and lower crop yields throughout Europe – all resulting in a dramatic spike in the cost of grains and hops. more ›

“It’s horrible. I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Arye Lewkowitz, owner of Daniel’s Bagels on Third Avenue, recently told Metro. “We’re going to have to sell a bagel for over $1.” Lewkowitz isn’t alone; bagel and bread prices are soaring nationwide due to the skyrocketing cost of wheat, which more than doubled in the past year in New York, from $5.31 a bushel to $14.22. more ›