culture

I’m constantly conjuring up creative approaches to introducing new veggies to young people. For this menu I decided that curry, the quintessential Indian dish, would provide a perfect medium for “sneaking” in asparagus, the scrumptious harbinger of spring. The brown rice with coconut flakes is ideal for sopping up curry sauce, and the lassi provides…

The club owner’s name is Popcorn the Legend, and he gestures toward the rugged parking lot in front of the Garden of Eden lounge. “Park here,” he says. “Support the bar, then go to Passa Passa.”   It’s almost 3:30 on a Thursday morning, and the narrow stretch of Spanish Town Road in the hinterland of…

Why should I wash my filthy mouth out You think that’s bad you should hear the rest of my album —Eminem, “We Made You” A while back, Nas declared hip-hop dead. Anyone who has dived into Eminem’s comeback release, Relapse, should be convinced that this is true. Music forms have to mutate, adapting and changing…

The NBA finals don’t begin until June 4, but there’s one blanket statement that can be made right now. This is the worst officiated post-season in NBA history. No, there hasn’t been a miscarriage of justice like in 2002, where bad calls may have decided the Western Conference finals. But it wouldn’t be a surprise…

LAPD Violates One of Their Own A 25-year veteran of the LAPD is in the midst of appealing a lawsuit against his employer, the LA Times reports. Randolph Franklin, wants to know why a SWAT unit came to his home and searched it nearly three years ago. The LAPD claims it was an honest mistake…

Gone are the days when a sneeze elicits a simple “God Bless You.” Even as swine flu hysteria dies down, germ-spreading sneezes and coughs are more likely to provoke muttered curses and an exodus toward the door than a polite nod for the Lord to watch over you.  Media hype and confused public health directives…

It’s easy to forget how the products we use are tied to stories of the hands that made them. The buttons on our jackets, sewn on by a teenage girl from China’s Sichuan Province who works 16 hours a day to pay for her younger brother’s school fees. The bananas in our cereal, harvested by…

No matter what you think of Mike Tyson, it’s impossible not to grieve for him after the death of his daughter, Exodus, this week. The 4-year-old was taken off life support on Tuesday, a day after catching her neck in a treadmill cable at her home in Phoenix, Ariz. The accident was all the more…

Roland Burris: ‘I Ain’t Do It!’ The Washington Post reports that Sen. Roland Burris has responded to recordings of he and Rob Blagojevich discussing campaign funds and the Illinois Senate seat. His claim? That the tapes and transcripts prove he was not involved in any pay-for-play collusion and that the accusations of such are a…