National Public Radio

Your Beer Probably Contains Arsenic

Beer won't kill you, but the poisonous chemicals that come from the commonly used brew filtering process just might. NPR reports that German researchers recently found traces of arsenic in "hundreds of samples of beer, some at levels more than twice that allowed in drinking water."

Budweiser Tastes Watery, But It's Not Watered Down!

Anheuser-Busch was accused of watering down its beers and misrepresenting the alcohol content in Budweiser, Bud Ice, Bud Light Lime, Natural Ice and other lines. But after class-action lawsuits were filed in federal court, NPR commissioned a lab to test several samples. The lab found that while the ... More >>

Let's Place Bets On How Much It's Gonna Snow This Weekend

It's gonna snow in New York City this weekend. Well, not definitely. Most things that happen in life are unexpected. But there's a very good chance it will on Friday night, continuing into Saturday morning. We know that because everyone's been saying it's gonna snow, like, a lot. It could be 'hist ... More >>

Trust Your Nose, Not the Sell-By Date

A sensible reminder from NPR's The Salt: Sell-by dates don't have very much to do with food safety, and the best way to tell if something's still edible is often just to look at it and give it a good sniff. There's no federal law when it comes to sell-by dates (with the exception of baby foods), so ... More >>

SWING STATE UPDATE: The North Carolina Decision

In his first swing state win of the night, NPR calls North Carolina, with 15 electoral votes, for Mitt Romney. The electoral college now stands at 244-178 for Barack Obama.

Bob Dylan's "Early Roman Kings" Debuts In Trailer For Cinemax Action (No, Not That Type Of Action) Show

Bob Dylan's Tempest comes out Sept. 11, and the first public airing of one of its tracks isn't on NPR or a similarly demographic-appropriate outlet—instead, the stompy bit of blooze "Early Roman Kings" got its debut in a commercial for the Cinemax original series Strike Back, which according t ... More >>

3 Good Things, Including a Lobster Dress

1 Harnessing the power of the sun to make dinner! Here's a nice bit about solar cooking, or concentrating sunlight and converting it into heat. NPR shows us how to heat a pot with reflective panels using some cardboard and aluminum foil. [NPR] 2 Francis Lam on food writing and the joy of talking ... More >>

3 Good Things: Meat Meat Meat

1 Cookbook author and founder of Barbecue University, Steven Raichlen, has published his first novel, Island Apart. It has been described as "The Bridges of Madison Country with better food." [Indie Bound] 2 Tom Mylan, Meat Hook butcher and myth-buster, reminds us that not all steaks are best serve ... More >>

Q&A: Jason Crane Takes The Jazz Session On the Road With The "Jazz Or Bust" Tour

Jason Crane is the creator, producer, distributor and host of The Jazz Session, an excellent in-depth interview show. This summer, Crane's taking the show on the road with the "Jazz or Bust" tour, a jaunt that, he told SOTC, was inspired by his wandering spirit, his desire to see jazz musicians in t ... More >>

American Garbology 101

You don't need to watch Futurama* to know that in the future, our grotesque output of garbage will come back to haunt us. Or, as Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Edward Humes puts it, "We don't see the consequences of our wastefulness."

The 17 Best Songs Of 2012 (So Far)

Tomorrow is the last day of March, as you might already know, and it also marks the end of the first quarter of 2012. What better way to close out a three-month span than to size up its musical offerings via playlist? Below, please find the contents of my "2012 awesomeness" playlist, a running-all-y ... More >>

Obama's Wine Secrets, No-Show Diners

Vegetarians can now say "I told you so." According to a recently released study, eating any amount of red meat of any type increases your chances of premature death. [LA Times] Obama has stopped disclosing the names of wines served at White House dinners. Oh the deception! [Bloomberg] Food prices ... More >>

Oddsmaking: Is Bon Iver Or Foster The People Alt-But-Not-Too-Alt Enough To Win At This Year's Grammys?

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences introduced the Best Alternative Music Performance category in 1991 in anticipation of punk breaking later that year (and permanently renamed the award in 2000). Over the past two decades, the changing demographics of the nominees have reflected the ... More >>

Literary Lushes: Our 10 Favorite Book (and Play)-Writing Boozers

Tom PalumboJack Kerouac, on the road somewhere ...​ For many authors over the years, alcohol has been nearly as important a writing tool as pen, paper, poverty, and loneliness. Some have speculated that hard drinking and prolific writing might have similar genetic roots. Another theory is that ... More >>

ASK, DON'T TELL

NPR adds another game 
show to its waves

Fish Might Keep Your Brain Working Swimmingly: Study

Chicken of the sea might beef up your brain: Researchers have found that diets high in fish and vegetables might prevent your gray matter from shrinking with age. As detailed in December's Neurology, these foods -- high in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins D,C,E, and B -- have been linked to healthy ... More >>

The Winners Of The 2011 Village Voice Web Awards

​It's finally here! The 2011 Web Awards winners have been chosen. Check em out after the jump, and check back tomorrow for highlights from the awards show, including our video for the lifetime achievement award!

The 'Hipster'-est Words in NPR's Definitive Piece About Hipsters

You know it's over when you're an NPR article. Or a costume.​Yesterday NPR posted an article called "The Hipsterification of America." We are momentarily lifting our ban on the word hipster to address it, because it is, indeed, something special, and should be publicly recognized. Never in the ... More >>

Behold, the Ira Glass Sex Tape!

If you're as big a public radio nerd as we are, this may be the best laugh you'll have all week. Updated: An interview with Julian Joslin, the producer and voice behind the Ira Glass Sex Tape.

Missed Oneida's ATP Jam Session? Listen To It Online Now

... and even if you were present for all of the Ocropolis III, Oneida's extended improvisation at last weekend's All Tomorrow's Parties Presents I'll Be Your Mirror festival down in Asbury Park, it's worth revisiting the day via NPR's archive of the whole shebang, which is split into three parts sho ... More >>

Protesters Clash With Guards at Air and Space Museum; Al-Awlaki Memo; Paul McCartney to Wed

Protesters in D.C. tried to enter the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum yesterday, resulting in the pepper spraying of at least one demonstrator and the closing of the museum. The Washington Post reports about 200 people tried to enter the building to protest "against the U.S. military's use of drone ... More >>

WAVE IT HIGH

Wild Flag rock Bowery Ballroom

Wolves in the Throne Room

Chances Are, Your Brain Will Not Be Eaten by an Amoeba

That font is terrifying.​This is worrisome. We have been reminded that a science-fiction horror-film-esque fear is actually a reality. Brain-eating amoebas exist, and they have killed three people this summer, including a boy in Virginia, a girl in Florida, and a man in Louisiana. Fortunately, ... More >>

FDA Gets Into Gluten-Free; Food Is the New Rock

​New research suggests that babies develop their palates in the womb and that what a woman eats while pregnant could affect her child's tastes later in life. [NPR] The FDA will soon start to regulate gluten-free foods. Currently, a gluten-free label doesn't necessarily ensure that a product a ... More >>

Matana Roberts's Coin Coin

French Restaurant Gives Back Michelin Star; Food Blogger Sent to Jail For Negative Review

​French eatery Le Lisita just couldn't take the pressure anymore and decided to voluntarily give back its Michelin star after the increased staff costs that came with the ranking hurt profits post-global financial meltdown. [The Telegraph] A food blogger in Taipei was sentenced to 30 days in ... More >>

Pulque a Big Hit With Mexican Hipsters; Congress Makes Cuts to Food Safety Program

​Young Mexico City hipsters are reviving an old Aztec drink called pulque, made by fermenting the heart of the blue maguey plant. [Washington Post] Produce can be certified organic by the USDA even if it's sprayed with pesticides, as long as the chemicals are derived from nature. [NPR] Small ... More >>

David Chang Weighs In On El Bulli; Smucker's Acquires Cuban Favorite Cafe Bustelo

​ Barry Estabrook exposes modern tomato fields as "ground zero for modern-day slavery." [Gilt Taste] David Chang, Dan Barber and other famous chefs weigh in on the legacy of Ferran Adria and his soon-to-be-closed restaurant El Bulli. [NY Times]

Meat Prices Could Shoot Up 7 Percent This Year; Upscale Supermarkets Hit China

The floods, droughts, storms and tornadoes that hit the United States in April and May could mean a severe spike in food prices, including a 7 percent increase in the price of meat over the next year. [NPR] Deliverymen for Chinese restaurants are increasingly using electric bicycles--much to the ch ... More >>

New York City Loses Yet Another Food Plant; Scientists Create 'Super Wheat'

​Maramount Corp., a Sunset Park food production plant responsible for school lunches and homeless shelter meals around the city, is moving to Pennsylvania, leaving more than 140 workers unemployed. [NY Daily News] McDonald's and Wendy's are among fast-food chains that have added new summer sa ... More >>

SOULEYMAN AND SWAN

This year's collab-to-beat gets local

U.S. Gets Its First Plague Case of the Year

​An unnamed man in New Mexico has the dubious honor of being the first in the U.S. to be diagnosed with bubonic plague, a/k/a, "the Black Death," this year. Of all the luck! Via NPR, the man, 58, was hospitalized for a week after showing up at a New Mexico emergency room with a high fever and ... More >>

Cathie Black is 'Fine,' Bought Running Shoes, Could Head to Time Inc. or NPR

​"I'm fine, I'm fine," fired schools chancellor told the reporters gathered outside of her Park Ave. apartment yesterday, hours after the announcement of her departure from the post after just about 100 controversial days. "It's been a privilege to serve the city of New York and the mayor for ... More >>

NPR's Vivian Schiller Resigns After James O'Keefe Sting; New York Times Blames Rape Victim?

​Two distinctly icky stories dominate media news this Wednesday, with none bigger than the mess at National Public Radio following yesterday's release of a hidden camera video by the right-wing videographer and activist James O'Keefe. The public radio organization scrambled as a result of the ... More >>

Republican Secret Camera Scam Artist Fools NPR, But Also Muslim-Hating Bloggers

​James O'Keefe, the same Republican operative/twerp/'investigative journalist' behind such secret stings as the undercover ACORN videos (yeah, the pimp costume guy) and the attempted tapping of U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu's phones went at it again today with a new video project. This time, O'Ke ... More >>

Watch a Baby Get Drunk and Trash a Bar

Because it's Thursday and this is hilarious. The clip is the trailer for the short film "Las Palmas" by Johannes Nyholm, which we now desperately want to see, immediately. [via NPR]

Giveaway: Two Tickets To See Adele Friday Night At The P.C. Richard & Son Theater

​Bazooka-voiced Brit soul singer Adele's second album, 21, is out later this month (NPR is streaming the whole thing right now), and to celebrate, she's doing a free NYC show Friday night at the P.C. Richard & Son Theater, invite-only, courtesy your friends at iheartradio.com. That link puts y ... More >>

Gabrielle Giffords' Husband Heard She Was Dead; NPR Repents For False Reports

​Mark E. Kelly, the astronaut husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head during Jared Loughner's Arizona killing spree, heard unverified media reports that his wife died in the hospital after the shooting, he told ABC's 20/20 last night. "And I just, you know, walked into the ... More >>

Gang Of Four Streaming Their New Record Content In Full, Playing Webster Hall Next Month

​Given our current climate of heated rhetoric, it's pretty much the perfect time for a new Gang of Four record, particularly one with song titles like "It Was Never Gonna Turn Out Too Good" and "You'll Never Pay for the Farm." So please welcome the excellently named Content, in stores next wee ... More >>

2010 Was the Hottest, Wettest Year on Record

​[Insert joke here.] No, but seriously. 2010 ties with 2005 as "the hottest year in the historical record," while also taking home the glory of being the wettest year on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's annual teleconference. How can it be both hot and ... More >>

Free Weed for Food Donations in California; New York State Fires Kosher Food Inspectors

​The Granny Purps, a medical marijuana dispensary in California, gave patients free joints for every four cans of food they donated, with a maximum of three a day. Some 11,000 pounds of food were collected. [NPR] A look at the PepsiCo Science Park in New Haven reveals an earnest effort to fin ... More >>

If You Watch Fox News, You Have No Idea What You're Talking About

​Merry Christmas! There's a new poll in town, and it says that Fox News viewers are the "most misinformed of any news consumers." The study, done by the University of Maryland, compared the deluded state attained through consumption of various media entities, including network TV, NPR, Fox, an ... More >>

This Year's Letters to Santa Kind of a Buzz Kill

​We can blame the recession for a lot of things, but one of the lesser expected ramifications is that children are no longer writing their id-driven "ME ME ME!" missives requiring flat-screen plasmas and XBoxes and Shetland ponies from the man at the North Pole. Now, they're asking for educati ... More >>

Morning Links: Charlie Sheen's Racist Tirade; Arrest in Stanton Street Shooting; Carl Paladino Offensive Again

​• Not only was Charlie Sheen coked up, drunk, and really scary went he went nutso at the Plaza -- he was also, apparently, on a racist tirade. "RadarOnline.com reported the Two and a Half Men actor repeatedly screamed the N-word and punched the walls." Which means Mel Gibson can finally hav ... More >>

Rightbloggers, Delighted to Find Black Guy Scared of Muslims, Defend Juan Williams

Celebrity journalist Juan Williams had a good week, on balance. First, he was fired by National Public Radio for remarks he made on Fox -- his other major employer -- about his fear of Muslims on airplanes. That might seem at first a minus, but Williams was immediately rewarded by Fox with a new $ ... More >>

"Freedom of Speech" Doesn't Factor Into The Juan Williams Firing

​As you know, Juan Williams was recently fired by NPR for saying (among other things) on Fox TV that he gets scared when he sees Muslims on a flight he's on. "But what about freedom of speech?" shout the right-wing naysayers--the type that usally don't believe in freedom of speech at all. Bu ... More >>

Juan Williams Banished to $2 Million Fox Gulag for Muslim Mishap

​Daniel Schorr has been gone since July, but he's missed more than ever right now. That's because if the late 93-year-old news sage had lasted just a few months longer we might have heard what he had to say tomorrow morning to Scott Simon on NPR's Weekend Edition about the firing of their now- ... More >>

Asthmatic Kitty Walks Us Through the Release of Sufjan Stevens's Age of Adz

​About three weeks ago, Asthmatic Kitty, the small independent label that is home to Sufjan Stevens and an assortment of smaller acts, sent out a kind of tortured email. It was directed, in theory, at prospective buyers of Sufjan's then-upcoming, now just-released Age of Adz, and laid out all ... More >>

David Mamet: Why I Am No Longer a 'Brain-Dead Liberal'

An election-season essay