Tuesday, August 31, 2010
It Happened This Week-ish: John Mayer attacks the media, 50 cent tweets about his grandma, Paris gets busted in Vegas, Gary Busey saves the day and more...
Posted by Amanda Allwood on Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 7:03 PM
- Contrary to the responsible reporting of various tabloids and the Huffington Post, John Mayer and Jennifer Aniston are NOT dating again. In fact, John Mayer has finally done exactly what we all kind of want to do, except no one reads our blogs, he called them out on being gossipy pieces of crap. He may be a womanizing man-whore* with the voice of an angel, but he makes a point and a killer visual, "a stripper wearing reading glasses."
- Speaking of strippers (not technically, but kindasorta), Heidi Montag and playmate, Karissa Shannon made a sexxx tape and then Spencer found it and now he has Karissa's camera with that video and there are also other things on it that she doesn't "want to come out." OMG, I am so bored with Heidi and her stupid face. Someone just push her off a ledge, she is top heavy, it won't be too difficult.
- It's tough to be a Fiddy Cent when yo grandmother needs her trash taken out. Cuz it's all like "I'm rich, I can't be doin' this shiz" and then the Twitter people get all up on you fo complainin'. (This is a reenactment of an actual event, tweets prove it.)
- No one told E! that Leonardo DiCaprio has been in a film since Titanic.
After the jump car crashes, drugs, wall street and Tony Danza...
Making paper obsolete?: The benefits of e-paper
Posted by Jennifer Meier on Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 4:51 PM
You might be hearing things like “print is dead”, but the plain fact of the matter is that there are around 55 million newspapers still being sold in the United States each and every day of the year. Consider the environmental impact of this “bulk” of paper being used in only one nation each day! Now multiply that by the dozens of other countries also generating tons of newspaper and paper waste as well.
Today, there are a few good solutions to the paper problem, and these are apart from such great solutions as paperless billing and communications (via email or texting), and include things like electronic paper and electronic “readers”.
Let’s look first at the electronic papers to understand the implications of this option. Currently there are several different technologies being used to create the “e-papers” and these include using a plastic substrate that creates a flexible and sheet-like reader. These are considered easier on the eyes than regular electronic displays due to their wider viewing angles and their ability to reflect natural or ambient light. What this actually means is that the e-papers can be easily read in full sunlight without any risk of text fading or glare, and this gives them a wide range of applicability.
Quick and comforting: Pasta con broccoli recipe
Posted by Susan Filson on Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 4:30 PM
Summer is almost over. Though it's hard to believe, the kids have traded in their beach towels for backpacks and headed back to school. If you're anything like me, sliding back into school mode is not a seamless process. That first few weeks of transition into our new routine is a bitch, so I'm always looking for ways to make it a little less painful - especially at mealtime!
This Pasta con Broccoli, or Pasta with Broccoli has been a staple meal in my family for as long as I can remember. My grandmother made it. My mother makes it, and I do too. It’s not only because it is an incredibly quick and easy dish to cook, though it is. It’s also not only because it is a pretty healthy dish, because it’s that too. My family eats a lot of pasta with broccoli because it’s just plain delicious.
I sometimes think that a lot of people imagine that Italian cooking, is all about long, drawn out, complicated dishes that take all day to prepare. While there certainly are a lot of those, there are many more that aren’t. Italians don’t just sit around living la dolce vita all day long. They go to work, take their kids to school, run errands and take care of their families just like everybody else. Every Italian housewife I've ever known had a slew of great recipes in her arsenal – like this one – that could be put together in an hour or less.
So let me show you just how easy Pasta con Broccoli is to make.
CD review/Show preview: Sons of Hippies, A-Morph; the Sarasota alt rock trio stages a CD release party at New World Brewery this Thursday
Posted by Leilani Polk on Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 3:34 PM
Sons of Hippies visionaries Katherine Kelly (lead vocals, guitar) and Jonas Canales (drums, percs, synths, support vocals) introduced locals to their compelling, propulsive alt rock last year and even took home a 2009 Best of the Bay award for their debut album, Warriors of the Light.
This week, the duo-turned-trio (which now includes bassist Ryan O'Neill) celebrates the self-release of A-Morph, a dark sophomore LP that comments on the state of politics, the struggle to gain acceptance and be taken seriously as an artist, selling out and how easily money can corrupt, and staying true to what you believe in, all via poetic abstractractions that allow plenty of room for interpretation while still managing to get all the points across.
Sons of Hippies have continued to dose their fusion of punk, psyche and prog rock with low-key electro flourishes, opening A-Morph with a fleeting instrumental that sets an ominous tone with haunting vocal cries and minimal guitar before it launches into the fast-paced aggression of “Jab Away.” Kelly’s sweetly girlish yet demanding snarl takes center stage here, and her own backhanded remarks are layered softly but insistently beneath it, both sets of vocals making vague reference to the government’s wicked ways, and brought to a close with surging swells of Sci-fi synthesizers. “No. 16” follows with grunge-flavored guitar and a menacing slowed-down rhythmic break where Canales takes over lead, hollering snidely, “If you have something to say, why don’t you talk to your mama? / If you get carried away, go suck a brick if you wanna!”
The wealthiest pornstars of all time (NSFW)
Posted by Sex and Love editor on Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 3:10 PM
Porn is not only tempting for fans, but also for young women seeking fame, fortune, and a career. While the majority of actresses get into the business at the amateur level, believing webcam work will lead to Playboy photo shoots or Hollywood acting gigs, most burn out after six months. Why? Probably because many don't treat porn like a profession. However, there is money to be made on the acting level if you manage your career correctly. Here's a list of
Republicans for Sink get their first recruits
Posted by Mitch Perry on Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 2:08 PM
Based on the fear of a Rick Scott led government and eased by Alex Sink's decidedly moderate image, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate today has released her first list of Republican elected officials who have endorsed her candidacy.
In what her campaign hopes is just the beginning, Team Sink announced a list of local city council, county commission and mayors who have formally endorsed her candidacy. None are from her home Hillsborough County area, though she is being endorsed by Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston, who says of the CFO:
"Alex Sink has shown that she will work with local elected officials and see us as partners as we work to grow our economy and remake our state. Alex understands what it's going to take to get our state back on track and I'm proud to support her."
West Palm Beach City Commissioner Kimberly Mitchell says of Sink in endorsing her:
"Alex Sink has the experience and problem-solving approach that we need in our next Governor. Sink understands the needs of Florida's business owners and will make sure the Florida's small businesses have the right support to thrive and grow."
What about that other Republican - the guy who refuses to endorse nominee Rick Scott, Bill McCollum. Might he endorse the woman he wishes he were running against?
South Florida political blogger Brian Crowley speculates on that very concept today, writing:
Does McCollum's support matter?Frankly, no. Politics is a cold sport. Five minutes after he lost, Republican insiders were feeling their way toward Scott. And no election night party ends faster than the one of the losing candidate.
Maybe the larger question for McCollum is whether he wants to leave the stage with his dignity intact. The more he continues to question Scott's integrity, the more it sounds like sour grapes.
If he really believes that Scott can't be trusted with the governor's mansion than the right thing for him to do for the people of Florida is support Democrat Alex Sink.
Bill's Sports Binge: Rays' streak (and attendance) at 3, ex-Bolt gets sentenced and Jim Brown is a grumpy old turd
Posted by Bill Freitas on Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 2:01 PM
Forget about the huge crowds all weekend, forget about the fact that it's an awful stadium in a crappy location and kills in TV ratings; forget about the fact that this team is so new that folks who "grew up watching the Rays" are still not old enough to drive; forget about the fact that there's simply not as many Canucks as there are stubborn, stupid, loud, obnoxious, arrogant, ignorant, pale, fat, lard-eating, wife-beating, high-school-not-completing Red Sox fans living amongst us to fill the seats; forget about the fact that it's Monday f*****g night and there's another one tonight. Where are you, Rays fans? Wah!
We all know why there's attendance issues here. Stop asking. You're not impressing anyone. In what marketing class does it suggest that, to generate excitement in the community, berate and bully the customer into coming to your broken-down venue in the middle of nowhere? I can see the billboard now:
Rays baseball: Come over and have fun now you rotten bastards, or we'll move
Cut me a break, it's a school night. Admit it. Which sounds better?
"Rays win! Where's the car?"
"Rays win! Where's the remote?"
Quicker Hits:
Bill Keller raising money to build ground zero church
Posted by Mitch Perry on Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 12:10 PM
St. Petersburg Evangelist Bill Keller is one of the most controversial religious figures in Tampa Bay and the country, but he also has a big following, as the leader of the world’s largest interactive Christian websites, liveprayer.com.
The Christian conservative, who has angered gays and Muslims with incendiary comments in the past, is all set for more culture war by launching his '9-11 Christian Center at Ground Zero" which would be built two blocks from the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan.
The website contains some of Keller's most insensitive commentaries, such as one titled, "The False Religion of Islam and the Courage to Tell One Billion People They are Going to Hell."
Keller says that he'll begin preaching every near Sunday near Ground Zero (at the Marriott at 85 West Street in New York) until the $8 billion 9/11 Christian Center finds a permanent home.
How to look like you know what you're doing in the kitchen
Posted by T. Hampton Dohrman on Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 12:00 PM
I starting learning to cook for the same reason most guys do: to impress women. The first time I brought crab legs to the table during a date in high school I was met with an, “Aww, you’re so sweet!” I couldn’t help but thinking, “Really? I didn’t even have to cook these things, I just heated them up.” (Plus, they were on sale.) That’s when I learned the value and various benefits of impressing other people with your skills in the kitchen.
The following tricks may not make you a culinary expert, but they’ll certainly help you look like you know what you’re doing. And hell, if you get good enough at faking it maybe they’ll even let you write for Creative Loafing.
1. Learn to do that flip thing with a saute pan. You’ve seen it on TV, now it’s time to try it yourself. The ability to do that thing where you flip food in a skillet is not only great for showmanship, but will actually make certain cooking tasks easier. It takes a bit of practice, but it’s nothing you can’t handle.
Take a skillet with a rounded edge, push forward from your shoulder in a quick motion and stop. The food keeps going up the side and into the air. Landing it back in the pan is more of an acquired skill. Practice using dried beans until you get the hang of it. Otherwise, get ready with a mop.
2. Learn the merits of using Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. This trick may be the single most important upgrade you can make in your cooking habits. Plus, it looks a lot cooler than using those little shakers. Store your salt in a shallow container (you’ll lose points if you keep it in the box) and divvy out the goods in pinches. Fresh ground pepper always classes up your cooking. I like those classic giant wooden grinders made by Peugeot, pepper-mill-pioneer-turned-crappy-French-auto-maker.
New vehicle fuel economy labels may also show environmental grade
Posted by Katie Machol on Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 12:00 PM
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are teaming up and proposing a rule for the addition of fuel economy stickers to all new vehicles, starting with the 2012 models.
Mother Nature Network writes:
"The two agencies have jointly proposed that all car stickers be printed with a vehicle’s environmental grade, from A+ to D, beginning with model year 2012 vehicles. The new grades will allow consumers to compare a conventional vehicle’s environmental impact with that of a hybrid. The same comparison can be made between hybrid and electric vehicles, providing consumers a more comprehensive look at the environmental impact of newer vehicle technologies."
There are two labels being decided upon. One will have a letter grade to indicate the vehicle’s overall fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions performance and will compare fuel cost savings over five years to that of an average gasoline-powered vehicle of the same model year. The second label will still list the vehicle's miles per gallon (MPG) and annual fuel costs, but will also add the new information that compares fuel economy and emissions to other same year models. Both labels will include new information on fuel consumption, tailpipe carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and smog-related emissions.
