The Wall Street Journal

The Cinnamon Challenge: Don't Try This at Home, Kids

Marilyn Hagerty might be the biggest internet food meme of the moment, but another culinary craze on the internet has spiked in popularity in recent weeks: the cinnamon challenge. If you're not already aware of the challenge, the purpose of it is to swallow a spoonful of cinnamon without water and, ... More >>

Whole Foods Cleared for Brooklyn Site

It's official, Brooklyn is getting a Whole Foods on a site along the Gowanus Canal. On Tuesday, the supermarket chain got approval for zoning changes from the city's Board of Standards and Appeals, clearing the last hurdle before it can obtain building permits and start construction, reports the Wal ... More >>

Euro Crisis Meeting; Earthquake in Turkey; Gaddafi's Autopsy

​EU leaders are in Brussels today for a crisis meeting on how to resolve the Euro's financial woes. Germany is resisting calls to increase the bailout fund and cut Greece's debt. Bloomberg reports "measures on the table include writedowns of as much as 50 percent on Greek debt, 100 billion eur ... More >>

Jon Bon Jovi Launches Pay-What-You-Can Resto; Discover Authentic Mexican Food in Queens

​The Institute of Medicine is calling for a law that requires food manufacturers to simplify the nutrition labels on their packaging. [NY Times] Bagged salad sold in New York and other states has been recalled due to salmonella concerns. No reported illnesses as of yet, says FDA. [NY Post] A ... More >>

Peanut Butter Prices On the Rise; Topping Meat with Meat at Burger Restos

Newark Mayor Cory Booker announced that he decided to become a vegetarian as part of his anti-animal-cruelty campaign. [NY Post] A new study has shown that it's possible to achieve peanut tolerance by attaching peanut proteins onto blood cells and reintroducing them to the body. [Sun Times] Meanwh ... More >>

Link Found Between Pesticides and ADHD; Peruvian Food Next Big Thing (Again)

​BaoHaus's Sweet Bao fries, portabello fries at Sea Grill, and cactus fries at Toloache are just some of the alternatives to French fries around town these days. [NY Post] Now that we finally have healthy food in school cafeterias, food trucks selling junk are parking nearby to lure kids away ... More >>

Rupert Murdoch's Other Other Newspaper Invokes Starving African Children in Phone Hacking Cartoon

via​Newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch and his friends just won't stop defending their master. Days after a Wall Street Journal editorial ran in defense News Corporation's handling of the UK hacking scandal, the Times of London comes today with the above political cartoon: "I've had a bellyful ... More >>

Pierre Cardin's Maxim's Finally Getting Sold; The Limelight Marketplace Already Done For

​Pierre Cardin's now-defunct Maxim's restaurant at 680 Madison Avenue, which closed back in 2000, is finally being dismantled and sold. [NY Post] Gristedes owner and supermarket mogul John Catsimatidis' daughter will marry Richard Nixon's grandson this Saturday at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral ... More >>

Arianna Huffington on New York Times Paywall: More Like a 'Hedge Wall!'

​The testiness between the Huffington Post and New York Times continued late this week with HuffPo/AOL chief Arianna Huffington taking a lunch speech as yet another opportunity to needle Times executive editor Bill Keller. To be fair, Keller started it, but at this point, it's the Times that'd ... More >>

It Looks Like People Are Eating a Lot of Wood Pulp These Days

Ella's Dad/Flickr​Perhaps in part because we're usually too busy worrying about whether there's shit in our meat, most of us have never really paid attention to cellulose. But apparently, we should, because it's in a whole host of things we stuff down our gullets.

Is Snoop-Endorsed Blast By Colt 45 the New Four Loko?; Why Wódka Is Winning

​Love beer so much you want to lather with it? Brooklyn Brewery has teamed up with a Williamsburg soapsmith to make artisanal beer soap. [Brooklyn Paper] The Cuba Libre is more than just a "rum and Coke." Add bitters, a splash of gin, and Key lime juice or Meyer lemon juice to kick yours up a ... More >>

Green Carts Compete with Grocers; Modernist Cuisine Is for Everyone

​A new NYC Green Cart program allows city residents to set up their own fruit and vegetable stands in neighborhoods that are traditionally devoid of fresh produce options. [NY Post] Meanwhile, Korean grocery store owners are finding it hard to compete with green carts in certain areas. Lower ... More >>

Rosé in the Wintertime; Vintage Beer All the Rage

​Andrew Lloyd Webber sold $5.6 million worth of French wine at Sotheby's Hong Kong, including a 1982 case of Château Pétrus for $77,564. [Wall Street Journal] Emilio Estevez finds comfort and inspiration in his backyard vineyard, Casa Dumetz, where he often writes dialogue. [NY Times] Herb ... More >>

Tyson Foods Founder Dead; More Food Recalls

​Donald J. Tyson, who built his father's chicken farm into Tyson Foods, died yesterday at the age of 80 from complications from cancer. [NY Times] Councilman Oliver Koppell has proposed that the city institute letter grades for supermarkets. [NY Post] More than 100 people have been sickene ... More >>

Unorthodox Nog; Great Hot Toddies

​Julie Reiner of Lani Kai, Johnny Swet of Jimmy, the new rooftop bar atop the James Hotel, and Katie Stipe of Vandaag are among the city's bartenders creating lighter alternatives to traditionally heavy egg nog. [NY Times] The latest trend among the Madonnas and Tom Fords of the world is to h ... More >>

Community Boards Are "Communist Boards" to Disgruntled Restaurant Types

John DuganNot quite a community board meeting, but close.​For anybody's who's ever suffered and/or snored through a community board meeting, today's Wall Street Journal has a fun look at Community Boards 2 and 3 SLA committee meetings, portrayed here as "dreary meeting rooms where tempers flar ... More >>

D'Agostino's Gets Carpeted; Pinkberry Gets Pumpkin

​Four D'Agostino supermarkets in the city have covered their store floors with carpet in order to create a more enjoyable shopping experience. [NY Times] A new study suggests that obesity in America can't be blamed on fast-food restaurants because obese people "also eat more when they eat at ... More >>

To Truly Go Green, Eat Bugs; Should GM Fish Be Labeled?

​Phil Ross, a San Francisco-based chef and artist, hosted an insect-based meal at Brooklyn Kitchen this past weekend, as a means to promote a tasty, sustainable diet of animals you can raise yourself at home. [NY Times] Less than a month after Eataly was unleashed on New Yorkers, a roundup of ... More >>

GM Salmon Almost Here; Park Slope Is Not Getting a Chipotle

​The U.S. is now closer to approving the first genetically modified animal for consumption: salmon that grows twice as fast as conventionally farmed fish. [Wall Street Journal] The first New York City Pizza Run took place at Tompkins Square Park this past Sunday where contestants did four lap ... More >>

Barack Obama, Arms Dealer? U.S. Close to $60 Billion Deal with Saudi Arabia

​Just as we mention that 2009 was a very bad year for weapons sales, which hit a low since 2005 due to the global recession, well, about that...the White House may be poised to change their tune according to the Wall Street Journal, with "plans to offer advanced aircraft to Saudi Arabia worth ... More >>

Alain Ducasse and Others Go Veggie; Burger King Launches Breakfast for Tykes

​Alain Ducasse is one of several top chefs who are turning their attentions to vegetables, even offering haute veggie tasting menus. [Wall Street Journal] McDonald's posted a 12 percent gain in its second quarter thanks, in part, to its new smoothies and frappes. [Bloomberg] Burger King is ... More >>

Jamie Oliver Starts a Food Revolution; Michelle Obama Gets Pepsi & Coke Support

​Dozens of seniors in Brighton Beach have been complaining about the poor quality of their daily Meals on Wheels lunches. The problem, they say, started last year when the Jewish Association for Services to the Aged abandoned its own kitchen in favor of catering services. [NY Post] Pepsi and ... More >>

Booze News: Introducing Wine in Plastic; Beware Coffee in Booze

​Awatere Valley, N.Z. winemaker Peter Yealands bottles his wine in plastic bottles, which he's sure will become the convention, just as Coca-Cola went from glass to plastic. He's not the first to sell wine in plastic -- Wolf Blass in Australia does it, as do British supermarket chains Tesco an ... More >>

Michelin Touts 'Famously Anonymous' Reviewers; Like Slow Food? Try Slow Money.

​The next Michelin guide for New York will have 18 new stars awarded to restaurants. An ad campaign for the new guide is touting its "famously anonymous" reviewers. [NY Times] Inspired by the Slow Food movement, some investors are following a Slow Money model, placing their assets into small ... More >>

James Beard Loves New York; All-Natural Chicken Not Always So

James Beard Foundation Awards winners included Jean Georges for outstanding restaurant, Drew Nieporent for outstanding restaurateur, Dan Barber for outstanding chef, Momofuku Ko for best new restaurant, Daniel for best service, and Totonno's pizzeria was named one of America's Classics. [NY Times] ... More >>

Swine Being Tested for Swine Flu; Former FDA Head Pens Expose on Overeating

A study from the University of California, Irvine has revealed that the oleic acids found in fatty foods are converted into a memory-enhancing agent when digested. Drugs that are said to mimic this action are being tested. [BBC] An Israeli health official has called for swine flu to be renamed "Me ... More >>

Buffalo plane crash kills 49 on board, one on ground; cockpit audio tape

Cockpit tape from Buffalo plane crash. Plane horror this morning outside Buffalo. A Continental commuter plane from Newark smashed into a house, killing one person inside and all 49 on plane, according to reports. Additional info: One of the victims was a 9/11 widow. See earlier links. Now, th ... More >>

Dumped via Facebook? Probably. Hooked up by stimulus bill? Maybe.

This'll break you up: Revisiting the January 2007 Facebook parody from USC, directed by Mu Sun While you're waiting for the stimulus bill to hook you back up: • It's not you, it's my social-networking. Further confirmation in this morning's Daily News of something that thousands of you alre ... More >>

New York City's jobless rate soars; Toyota drives off a cliff; Sullenberger lands in limelight

Heaven can wait: Chesley Sullenberger live, in "US Airways Flight 1549 Full Cockpit Recording" To try to counter the sickening economic news, remember another horror story that actually had a happy ending. Sully Sullenberger knows what "sickening" feels like, although his voice in the above cockp ... More >>

The mark of cane: Governor Paterson keeps getting blindsided by personal shots

From the New Yorker's "Your Eustace, 2009," the mag's annual contest for the best new version of Rea Irvin's classic cover, this entry (one of 12 winners — and my favorite) is "Eustace, the Undead New Yorker," by David Cook of Suwanee, Georgia. Further proof of the schizophrenic media cult ... More >>

From baseball to hardball: George Mitchell lands in Mideast to probe the deadliest beanball war -- Jews vs. Arabs

The Wall Street Journal, reporting from Davos, asks (gulp), "Is Capitalism, as We Know It, Dead?" Pumped up from his experience as chief investigator of steroids abuse in baseball, George Mitchell is now in for some really heavy lifting: the testosterone-laden, rage-filled Arab-Jew death dance i ... More >>

Entering a new phrase: Barack Obama's inaugural address

Eire on the side of the new president: There's no one as Irish as Bearach O'Bama. Too short to be an oratorio, Barack Obama's inaugural speech (video) proved nevertheless that as an orator he's got handle. That guy can speak. Notwithstanding our gratitude to George W. Bush for the past eight yea ... More >>

On track: Barack Obama's conjunction junction

Can't get enough of Obama's January 17 train ride. Here it is again. Even before today's inauguration, Barack Obama's whistle-stop trip to D.C. brought the best of two worlds to America. Besides being just a really cool thing to do — complete with speeches by the mellifluous new president t ... More >>

Unemployment at 16-Year High, Says Damned Liberal Media

77 percent of the American people believe the media is making the economy worse by talking about it; various right-wingers agree, and some say we should all be sued for damages. But at the risk of further alienating you, not to mention of civil action, we feel compelled to report that the latest nat ... More >>

Win one for the gyppers: Banks' current playoffs eerily like the NFL's

Happy holidays: Madoffs shop, Gov. Paterson gallivants

Bush makes Iraqis want to hurl

American kids' college plans face auto-destruct

The Daily Flog: Hell freezes over; we're officially in a recession

Daily Flog: Feds bail out Citibank, automakers. You're still at the end of the bread lines.

Daily Flog: Democrats go shopping for GM; Obama storms White House

Daily Flog: Saudia Arabia bails out homeowners while we still haven't

Daily Flog: Heads roll on Wall Street, in Texas; houses, jobs whacked across U.S.

Daily Flog: Tally woe! Fears on voting machinery, machinations

Daily Flog: Banks. You're welcome.

Daily Flog: Future heads toward a sharp loss; robot monkeys mesmerized by TV

Daily Flog: Celebrity roast of Lehman on Capitol Hill

Daily Flog: Wall Street's little piggies don't want to go mark-to-market; meanwhile, more huffing and puffing

Edible News: Top Chef, More Calories and Political Wine

Daily Flog: Holy hell on Wall Street; crap-out on Capitol Hill