Subject: United States

• Fabio Getting Every Cent Out of These 15 Minutes

  America is such a beautiful place. Cheftestants can score lucrative promotional deals or simply create their own clothing lines or eat overpriced Italian food at restaurants where your purse gets a special stool. America!Wow, I had no intention of doing another Top Chef post today, but then I stumbled upon this (typo-ridden) Bravo interview with Fabio. Turns out the dude has even more deals in the works. He tells bravotv.com (where you can also buy an I Heart Fabio shirt):Lately, I've been crazy

  March 5, 2009

• Are Banks Just Getting Their Karma?

  Beware addicts U.S. banks are worse off than Bernie Madoff these days, their net value having plummeted below the earth's surface as these once formidable institutions freefall into oblivion. We know this is largely a result of their greed, negligence, and overly liberal allotments of money to people who couldn't handle it, but could it also be payback for years of bad service?

  March 13, 2009

• Ramsay's Other Kitchen Hell

  A Gordon Ramsay restaurant in London is under investigation by local food safety authorities after a patron pulled an inch-and-a-half-long piece of plastic out from a bite of lamb. The rub? The customer was a reality TV star from British Wife Swap. [Telegraph] Would a ban on non-therapeutic antibiotic use in animals hurt the health of livestock? With some 70 percent of all antibiotics sold in the U.S. going toward livestock, it would certainly hurt drug companies. [Reuters] Should our future

  March 25, 2009

• Worst Magazine in America?

  My heart leapt when a friend sent a link with the title "20 Worst Foods in America 2009." A dozen possibilities raced pell-mell through my fevered brain - Did they mean worst-tasting foods? Worst foods for the environment? Most expensive foods? Most boring foods? But when I got to the website, it turned out to be a magazine with the worst (in this case, most yawn-provoking) title I can imagine: Men's Health. I think I'd rather read a magazine called Zebra's Health, or Orangutan's Health. Anyway

  March 26, 2009

• Afghaniscrewed: How I Spent My Fall Vacation

  March 25, 2009

• Youssou N'Dour Headlines BAM's Ambitious, Overdue 'Muslim Voices' Festival

  June 3, 2009

• ¡Ask a Mexican! Taco Hell

  June 3, 2009

• Muslin Obama Makes America Muslin, Rightbloggers Cry

  President Obama is going to the Middle East and has been smoothing his own way with uplift chat. For example, he recently said that "if you actually took the number of Muslim Americans [in America], we'd be one of the largest Muslim countries in the world." Then he sang, "It's a Small World." But what you and we see as harmless political boilerplate, rightbloggers and conservative columnists of course see as muslin treason. "In what sense can any rational person consider the United States to

  June 3, 2009

• How to Thaw a Bunny

  Momoyo Torimitsu's timely self-titled exhibition at Thrust Projects gallery is made up of a collection of resin Easter bunnies in various stages of meltdown. Ranging in shade from milk to dark chocolate, they are said to serve as "a commentary on the commodity fetishism born from the annual U.S. holiday industry." Should your taste in art run a little less esoteric, the Peeps Show may be more your speed. [via Eat me daily]

  March 30, 2009

• How Rightbloggers Made "Fascist" the New "Socialist"

  Rightbloggers talked a lot over the past eight years about Bush Derangement Syndrome, liberal sufferers of which thought Bush engaged in a totalitarian overthrow of our liberties. One of the symptoms was calling the President a fascist. "A strong word to fling about," warned The Anchoress, who noted that none of Bush's opponents had been thrown in jail for criticizing him: "None of those dissenting viewpoints or insults resulted in arrest, imprisonment, silencing, firing... You keep using that

  April 6, 2009

• Battle of the Country Hunks!

  In praise of Rodney, Eric, Pat, Keith, Jason, Dierks, and the women they love for loving them

  April 8, 2009

• Is The Sex and the City Sequel Still a Good Idea?

  The Sex and the City movie made bundles of cash last year, so when a followup film was announced, it was about as shocking as the release of a new Harry Potter flick. But since then, the world has plunged even deeper into all kinds of turmoil and despair, and I have to wonder how relevant the story of four dingbats looking for the right Jimmy Choo pumps and the best man to wear them with will be now. They're lucky the first movie was more about settling into relationships than about shopping s

  April 9, 2009

• Sleep Dealer As Subtle as a Light Saber to the Face

  April 15, 2009

• Free Will Astrology: May 20 through 26

  May 20, 2009

• Study--The Fatter We Are, The More We Pollute

  Using ascorbic acid, glucose, citric acid and 4-O-a-glucopyranosyl-D-sorbitol, the Michelin-starred French chef Pierre Gagnaire has created what he calls "the world's first entirely synthetic gourmet dish," a recipe comprised entirely of chemical compounds. [London Times] We all know that maintaining a healthy weight is generally good for our bodies. Now, it's also good for the environment. A study shows that owing to food production and transportation factors, the fatter we are the more greenh

  April 21, 2009

• Rightbloggers Protest the Incivility of Their Gay Treasonous Douchebag Opposition

  Last week Michelle Malkin wrote a column, which she also published at her site, called "$%^&*!!: Civility and tolerance in the Age of Obama." Her theme was that liberals were uncivil and intolerant; also, mean and profane. Her primary example was the comments of gossip blogger Perez Hilton, not known heretofore as a political operative, but elevated to liberal spokesman for his baiting of, and swearing at, Miss California Carrie Prejean in the recent Miss USA controversy. (Prejean, meanwhi

  April 27, 2009

• Ghost+Magik Markers

  April 29, 2009

• Obama's Condiment Choice Criticized; Roquefort To Remain Legal and Untaxed

  August Martin High School in Jamaica now has a student-run restaurant on campus. The Cook's Cafe has students cooking for and serving faculty and staff, as well as planning the menu and balancing the budget. [NY Daily News] The European Commission and the US have reached an agreement that lifts the threat of a ban on Roquefort cheese, Spanish jamon and Italian sparkling water. In return, the US can now export triple the amount of non-hormone-treated beef to the EU (although we are still allowe

  May 8, 2009

• Obama Asks Congress for Power to Regulate Derivatives

  We're pleased to see the Obama Administration has asked for new powers to regulate the trading of derivatives -- those "financial instruments" by means of which, in the good old days, big banks shuttled bundles of debt back and forth, creating the illusion of economic health until it all went to shit and the U.S. economy collapsed under their weight. Treasury wants Congress to allow it to track and review these transactions so it can tell when they're going to blow America's gasket again and s

  May 13, 2009

• The French Eat & Sleep More than the Rest of Us; Mexicans Try to Push Pork

  The French spend more time eating and drinking than the rest of the world, according to a new study. Other findings include how the Turkish spend their free time: 35 percent of it is for entertaining friends; while Mexicans and the Japanese spend half their free time watching television. [CNN] For his New York Times series on the evolution of American food, John T. Edge is rounding up recipes from around the country that incorporate Huy Fong's Sriracha. He has dishes from 20 states so far, but

  May 15, 2009

• Refugees to U.S. Get a Few Breaks from Washington

  Refugee camp, Afghanistan. Photo (cc) Tracy Hunter. One the most disastrous and lasting consequences of the Patriot Act of 2001 and its extremely broad definitions of terrorism has been the impact on people seeking asylum in the United States. We wrote about a pretty extreme case last year, in which a former member of a U.S.-backed group of Afghani fighters was denied a U.S. green card because his past actions were, under the Act, considered terrorist activity, even though they were conducted

  May 15, 2009

• Interview: Marduk's Morgan Hakansson on Returning to the U.S. After Eight Years

  Morgan is the one in corpse paint. Two of the biggest bands in black metal, Mayhem and Marduk, are touring the U.S. together throughout May and June, starting at the Fillmore at Irving Plaza. Mayhem, fronted by frequent Sunn O))) collaborator Attila Csihar, has been around pretty consistently since rebuilding after the infamous 1993 murder of guitarist Euronymous by Burzum's Varg Vikernes. Marduk, on the other hand, hasn't been permitted to enter the U.S. since 2001, despite having released 10

  May 18, 2009

• Obama Defends Gitmo Stance: "We Are Cleaning Something That is a Mess"

  "These are extraordinary times for our country," said the President at his press conference on the disposition of Guantanamo Bay detainees. "So there's no shortage of work to be done... But my single most important responsibility as President is to keep the American people safe." The best way to do this, he said, was to close Gitmo, resettle the prisoners -- in domestic prisons when appropriate -- and follow policies and institute reforms that would preserve "a delicate balance" between secu

  May 21, 2009

• What's Your Diet's Carbon Footprint? (And Are You Sure You Want to Know?)

  We love burgers as much as the next guy, but apparently "America's love of hamburgers contributes 941 to 1023 pounds of greenhouse gas per person, per year" roughly equivalent to what 7,500-15,000 SUVs spew out annually. TreeHugger has rounded up some low-carbon foods and, while it's a little ho-hum, the list isn't entirely depressing. OK, grinding out one's own almond milk might seem a little depressing. And vegan berry mousse kind of made us want to throw ourselves in front of a carbon-spew

  June 12, 2009

• The Iran Election Didn't Go Very Well

  Having lived through much of the Cold War, we are used to nations that are at odds with the U.S. holding sketchy elections, so while we're sorry for the citizens of Iran, we're not as surprised as some by what seems like a rigged result. Ahmadinejad's alleged reelection has been strongly disputed. The disputing is also disputed, but there have been large, angry protests in Tehran, on which the government has predictably violently clamped down; despite a government ban people seem to be turning

  June 15, 2009

• Free Sandwiches!

  It's a good week for sandwich lovers. Pret a Manger is giving away 3,000 sandwiches this Friday as part of a test at what will be the US flagship on Broadway and 17th Street. The new store opens officially June 22. Meanwhile, White Castle is giving away one free slider per customer to celebrate its 88th anniversary. The offer, good through July 12, can be redeemed with a printable coupon.

  June 16, 2009

• Letters

  July 1, 2009

• Statue of Liberty is Booked Up for the 4th; Enjoy Heartwarming Stories About It Instead

  After announced previously, this 4th of July weekend America will reopen the crown of the Statue of Liberty to visitors. If you haven't reserved tickets already via the official website already (warning: there are others peddling tickets, either as scalpers or as scammers), forget it -- at this writing they're sold out through September 8. But you can enjoy it vicariously through little Aleyna Bartnick, who was born in 2001 -- the year the statue was closed because of 9/11 -- and whose nanny tr

  July 3, 2009

• ¡Ask a Mexican! Mexico Sucks

  July 8, 2009

• Pirate School, For the Merchant Sailor in You

  July 28, 2009

• ¡Ask a Mexican! ¡Special Soccer Edition!

  August 4, 2009

• What the Hell Is the "Hello Cow" Song?

  In the seedy underbelly of the internet that is Google's Hot Trends--"Vanessa Hudgens pictures leaked" (leaked?), "steven tyler dead," "lady gaga hermaphrodite picture," etc.--now comes "Hello Cow," a song that's been tearing up Google's charts all day, despite no real identifiable information about why America cares about this terrible song? It has something to do with Fox News and Bill Hemmer and Megyn Kelly and their program America's Newsroom, which I guess just did a feature on dairy cows

  August 7, 2009

• Town Brawl! Rightbloggers Applaud Aggro Outbreaks at Health Care Meetings

  As you may have heard, some of the town hall meetings held by public officials for debate on Obama's health care plans have become brawls. In St. Petersburg, protesters bellowed until Representative Kathy Castor left the meeting; in St. Louis, a health care reform proponent, Brian Matthews, said he was rushed by police and arrested (he was one of six); a health care reform opponent, Kenneth Gladney, said he was beaten by health care reform proponents. (Gladney is black, of which much has been

  August 10, 2009

• The Calm After the Storm: a Roquefort Primer

  ​Roquefort has had quite a year: In January, the U.S. government threatened to slap it with a 300% tax in retaliation for the EU's ban on imports of hormone-treated beef. Thankfully, a provisional agreement was reached in May, and lovers of the odorous blue-veined beauty began reconsidering their stockpiling plans. Today, Slashfood has an informative look at all things Roquefort, courtesy of Max Shrem, the erstwhile manager of Formaggio Essex. It's all Penicillium and mouthfeel as far as the e

  August 11, 2009

• America's Most Overrated Tourist Attractions

  ​Click here and find one travel writer's idea of the most hyped U.S. attractions that leave you appreciating your home the most intensely. Among his choices for the sorriest destinations are:

  August 18, 2009

• ¡Ask a Mexican! A Paler Shade of White

  August 18, 2009

• ¡Ask a Mexican! Wedding Bell Blues

  September 1, 2009

• Pizzas to Kill a Horse

  artwork_rebel/flickrThis may indeed be why you're fat.​Every so often, Men's Health blesses us with a round-up of the "Best and Worst" foods in America, enlightening and often grossing out its audience with the revelation a single serving of most chain restaurant food has enough calories, sodium, fat, and sugar to hospitalize an entire zip code. The current list is dedicated to pizza, and not the painstakingly crafted, approved-by-monks-in-Italy kind: We're talking Red Lobster's "starter"-

  September 2, 2009

• ¡Ask a Mexican! March Madness

  September 8, 2009

• Last Night, the Chant Was 'Legalize Cachaca!'

  rodrigosa.com​Leblon Cachaca hosted a "friendly" protest last night against the U.S.'s refusal to recognize the Brazilian sugar cane spirit cachaca as its own designation. The U.S. is the only country that forces cachaca makers to label their product "Brazilian Rum," which the distillers say is an outrage because what they make is actually quite different from rum. Both the fermentation and distillation processes differ from those used to make rum, and cachaca is said to predate the first

  September 15, 2009

• ¡Ask a Mexican! It's Too Late to Stop the Mexican Takeover, Holmes

  September 15, 2009

• The Ditty Bops

  September 22, 2009

• 1968 Hijacker Returns from Cuba, is Arrested

  ​Louis Armando Peña Soltren, believed to have been part of a crew that hijacked a passenger flight from New York bound for Puerto Rico and redirected it to Cuba 41 years ago, has returned to New York and been arrested at JFK -- where he alleged boarded Pan Am Flight 281 on November 24, 1968, with intent to redirect it. Over the intervening years, Jose Rafael Rios Cruz and Miguel Castro had returned to the U.S. and been tried and imprisoned for the hijacking, and an alleged accomplic

  October 12, 2009

• 'Que Bajo?'

  October 13, 2009

• If You're a "Competitive, Skilled Chef," the Bocuse D'Or Wants You

  ​The Bocuse d'Or, the food world's version of the Olympics, has put out a call for a few good chefs to represent the U.S. in the international competition that will take place in 2011. Sixteen applicants will be chosen by none other than Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, and Jerome Bocuse to compete in the U.S. semi-finals and finals, which will take place at the Culinary Institute of America from February 4 to 6. All "competitive, skilled" chefs, as the release has it, are invited to apply th

  October 15, 2009

• U.N. Rapporteur For Housing Visits Tenants Facing Foreclosure In The Bronx

  By Aaron Howell. ​ Followers of the Times' City Room blog may have seen that the United Nations has dispatched Raquel Rolnik (pictured), its Special Rapporteur for housing issues, to America. She'll visit various U.S. cities on her trip, including Los Angeles, Chicago, New Orleans. Right now she's in New York. Runnin' Scared caught up with her as she toured The Bronx, where tenants and organizers prepped her on what they described as the newest phenomena of housing woes, "predatory equi

  October 26, 2009

• Booze News: Cocktails Save Korea's MakGeolli; A German-Accented Samuel Adams

  ​Korea's oldest liquor, makgeolli, is a milky liquor that's lightly carbonated and sweet, a close cousin of sake. Koreans are rediscovering it, largely as a cocktail ingredient. [CNN] Princeton has its own cocktail. The original Princeton Cocktail dates back to the late 1800s and called for Old Tom gin, but a recently adapted version incorporates dry gin, orange bitters, port, and a lemon twist for garnishing. [SF Chronicle] The U.S.'s sweet wines should not be overlooked. Dolce has a bi

  October 27, 2009

• Class Action Listings

  October 27, 2009

• Our 10 Best Cheeses

  ​ ​Is it a piece of marble or a blue cheese? And did it make the list of Our 10 Best Cheeses? Who doesn't love cheese? A friend says she administers a cheese test to potential boyfriends. If the guy doesn't crave the coagulated milk products of cows, sheep, goats, or water buffalo, it's no dice! (Why is there no such thing as pig's milk cheese? And what about llama cheese?)

  November 6, 2009

• What's The Worst Kind of Bad Breath?

  ​It's a common fallacy to think that all bad breaths are equally hateful. In reality, there are different types of bad breath, and some are way more putrid than others. Jizz breath isn't all that bad, truth be told. It's kind of risky smelling, yet somehow piquant and appealing. Or is it just me? Booze breath is always scary--don't light a match--but often intoxicating enough to make you want to order your own cocktail pronto.

  November 6, 2009