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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Talk about a knee-jerk reaction. Scientists in the United States and Canada said on Thursday they have developed a unique device that can be strapped on the knee that exploits the mechanics of human walking to generate a usable supply of electricity.

As sacred as ancestral shrines in Japan, mosques in Iran, or beaches in Brazil, the shopping mall has for decades been a place of worship in the United States. Since its inception in the 1940s, it’s grown to define and represent the very culture of mainstream America - and like other representations of the American culture, the mall has been copied and appropriated by nations the world over. But now, while sprawling indoor shopping centers and hypermarkets flourish in far-off countries of the first, second, and third worlds, the mall in America might be on its way out. Not one new indoor shopping mall will be built in America till at least 2009, compared to 5 built in 2005. In 2002 just 19% of U.S. retail purchases were made in malls, down from 38% in 1995. A December 19 article in the Economist tries to pinpoint the reasons behind the decline:

Once again, it's time for the latest wave and tidal round up in the United States.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe's lamp and electricity producers joined forces with the retail sector on Monday to encourage consumers to buy more energy-efficient light bulbs and help the European Union in its fight against climate change. An agreement signed by three pan-European industry associations aims to promote and support the distribution of Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) as an alternative to conventional incandescent lamps -- so consuming far less energy.

the United States should produce 25% of its energy needs from renewable sources according to a non-binding resolution adopted in the US House of Representatives on 15 October. The “25 by 25″ resolution is the result of a big lobbying campaign by a coalition consisting of more than 600 agricultural, energy, and environmental groups, business and labour interests and NGOs.

CHINA claims that its economy is growing at 10 to 11 percent a year, and China’s official analysts say that their nation will catch up with the United States long before the 22nd century arrives. Don’t believe it.