And now a follow-up on a story we did last summer about urban beekeeping. Hundreds of do-it-yourself beekeepers have defied the law in New York City in order to grow local honey. On Tuesday, the city’s board of health unanimously lifted a ban on urban beehives, sparking joy and relief from urban beekeepers, who can now focus on their bugs and not on city politics.

The New York Times: Bring On The Bees

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Pine fresh. That could be the scent of the streets of central Delhi soon, as the giant metropolis turns on a seven-ton air-freshener. The pilot project is India’s newest attempt to clean-up the fourth most polluted city in the world.

It works by sucking in smog-tainted air and filtering our noxious carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide. The massive vacuum cleaner costs over half a million dollars and purifies 10,000-cubic-meters of air per hour. So, to the people of Delhi, take a deep breath of fresh air.

The Telegraph: Delhi Turns on Giant Air-Freshener

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Last week we spoke to professor Jody Baumgartner about the effects of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter on political behavior. Well, there is a new grassroots movement that may be one of the best examples of how these sites stimulate civic engagement. The Coffee Party began as a Facebook group in late January and has since garnered more than one 170,000 fans.

As the name impies, the movement is in response to the anti-tax Tea Party. Coffee Party co-founder Annabel Park says she was frustrated with how “news coverage made it seem like the Tea Party was representative of America.” Instead of downsizing its role, the Coffee Party wants to see more cooperation within government and among Americans. The response has been overwhelming. Last Saturday, more than 350 gatherings were held in 44 states.

And their not done yet. The Coffee Party has organized a summit for later this month.

You can visit the Coffee Party website, Facebook Fan page, or YouTube channel.

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Listener Dana was intrigued by our story this week about libraries as social spaces. Writing,

“I’d love to see the café, the museum, the bus stop and more at my local library. Last week while we voters were cutting absolutely everything from the Henniker budget...we actually added seven percent to the proposed library budget. Go libraries!”

Yesterday, we spoke to a border reporter at member station KPBS in San Diego about what it’s like to report on drug-related violence and killings in Mexico. Listen Malcolm wrote to say,

“No amount of money, police powers, weaponry, wishful thinking or pseudo-science will make our streets safer; only an end to prohibition can do that.”

Listener jway agreed.

“Seven thousand people were murdered by the Mexican drug cartels last year, because we in the us kept marijuana illegal. Many of the victims were children, police officers and politicians. This year the cartels are on track to kill at least 9,000 more. Sixty percent of cartel money comes from selling marijuana in the U.S. Since the prohibition can't stop people smoking we must end it and allow reputable U.S. businesses to undercut the cartels and end their financial ability and incentive to commit these murders.”

If you have something to say something you heard on Word of Mouth, leave a comment. You can also leave us a message at 603-223-2448.

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For Brooklyn native Kathy Napoli, St. Patrick's Day is a time to remember her father and her irish heritage. Napoli hears “Harrigan,” from the Broadway musical Yankee Doodle Dandy and is transported back to the railroad apartment where her father invited the neighbors in for a drink and a song.

Listen to this piece at Public Radio Exchange.