This Is What Freedom Tastes Like January 12, 2010 12:24 PM | permalink

This past weekend I saw "Food Inc." an amazingly informative documentary about the food industry, and how many of the most important issues facing our country such as immigration, energy consumption, and health care are all tied in one way or another to what we eat.  That could be an obvious "well, duh" but this film does a rather excellent job of articulating everything in a way that is entertaining and easy to understand - which is good for our fast-paced, consumption-based democracy.

So anyway, on a lighter note, that and Ritch's "Deep Fried Chipotle Burrito" video have inspired me to post this little ditty of a macaroni salad recipe.  Sometimes it is good to skip all that consumption-awareness B.S. and just go straight for the salty/sugary/oily homemade deliciousness.  Bon appetit, America! 

One Stop Soda Pop Shop November 16, 2009 10:05 AM | permalink

What do you call it, soda or pop?

Neat map, but so what?  If you want to indulge in some of that sweet carbonated goodness, head on over to Galcos Soda Pop Stop next time you're in Los Angeles. 

Owner John Nese is a rare and dying breed in America: the nice, small business owner down the street who cares about his customers, and is knowledgeable about the products he's selling.

He's therefore a bit of a soda snob, but in a good way.  With a selection of over 500 exotic sodas from all over the world, Nese lays down a few rules: no high-fructose corn syrup fake sugariness, cane sugar only.  And "diets" are mostly shunned.  So from banana-flavored Central American soda to "kosher" Coca-Cola, the Galcos soda selection is sure to make your palette tingle:

House of the Director November 13, 2009 9:56 AM | permalink

What do Communist propaganda, Pope John Paul II, Arnold Schwarzenegger and British Royalty all have in common?  They are the household decorations of movie director Roland Emmerich (pictured). 

Emmerich, who worked on blockbusters such as 10,000 BC and Independence Day, has a London apartment so outrageous it makes MTV Cribs look like the television equivalent of Better Homes and Gardens magazine.  Mildly offensive items of interest include a taxidermy Zebra, Chairman Mao sculptures, a model of Kennedy's assassination in Dallas, and a wax replica of Pope John Paul II reading his own obituary.

The Desiree Jennings Story November 10, 2009 12:37 PM | permalink

Here's something that may equal Tree Man in the weird medical category:

Last month news stories broke about  a young, otherwise healthy, married woman named Desiree Jennings was diagnosed with "dystonia disorder" after receiving a flu shot vaccine . 

Unable to walk or speak properly Desiree could only get around by either running or walking backwards.  A YouTube video of Jennings made its rounds on the internet (as well as this parody titled "LOL Version!," and I only condone its hilarity in retrospect), eliciting sympathy, fascination and horror as the H1N1 virus descended on mankind.

It also caused a lot of commotion on Facebook, particularly with comments like "I'LL TAKE THE FLU!!" 

Desiree is, thankfully, feeling much better now, as she appeared last week in a video sitting upright in bed and able to speak clearly--with a smirk on her face.  The video again received a lot of sympathy - some doctors called her condition psychogenic - but let's just say I have my suspicions. 

It's Trash Day October 27, 2009 9:00 AM | permalink

Here is a gem of a movie preview.  In 1995 Harmony Korine, then 22, received film industry notoriety for writing the depraved urban drama Kids. 

Korine followed it by directing a warped saga Gummo in 1997 and the strangely touching Julien Donkey Boy in 1999, which received international acclaim and includeded a cameo by German mad man director Werner Herzog. 

Korine is also known for his friendship with Ol' Dirty Bastard, the late rap genius from Wu-Tang Clan.  With so many weird artistic accomplishments and associations under his belt, it is fitting then that his next film is his most bizarre creation yet.  This is the brief trailer from Trash Humpers which somehow toes the line between endearing and totally creepy.  Happy Halloween: