Death is on our minds, and it makes us a tad uncomfortable.

Vampires everywhere. Vampire Weekend. Sure, it’s the name of a band, but it’s also a cultural observation we’ve been making lately

A good sign that a trend has ‘arrived’ is if we are already seeking eco-friendly options. The New York Times recently called Sydney-based artist Anna-Wili Highfield’s paper-and-wire sculptures “the perfect vegan alternative” to decorating with trendy (but creepy) taxidermy.

It is not often that the worlds of science and fashion collide, and yet interest in the human skull appears to be just that universal. 

In a new book about the state of the global economy, Financial Times chief foreign affairs columnist Gideon Rachman coins an apt phrase to summarize the current consumer zeitgeist: the Age of Anxiety.

So corporate giants are the new locavores. Or are they? As the consumer tide shifts, those who seek to make a profit from consumer desires will follow.

About 6 years ago, McDonalds began its international local-thinking campaign. Listen to local consumers and act on what we hear.

If it’s sincerity that’s important, how does Starbucks measure up when it calls itself by another name and sports a sign in the window stating “inspired by Starbucks?”

Now here's where it gets interesting. Walmart, long the veritable symbol of corporatization, of homogenization, of erasing whole towns by swallowing every mom-and-pop down Main Street; Walmart, who keeps prices down while driving profits up through über-efficient centralization and superior logistics and operations capabilities – that Walmart – is talking about ‘going local.’

Once upon a time, local bricks and mortar businesses rushed to figure out what it would mean to reinvent themselves in the virtual arena, where they would instantly become global entities.