944

We all know a little red wine is good for you. So celebrate the annual arrival of Georges Duboeuf which can only be released on the third Thursday of November, according to French law. The wine comes from the Beaujolais and Maconnais region of France and is meant to be consumed right away. The wine is young and was bottled a mere six weeks after harvest. This year, everyone is celebrating because growing conditions were perhaps the best in the past 30 years. Serve chilled with all your favorite foods, at $10 a bottle you can drink it with a holiday feast or leftover pizza! Written by: Hadley Henriette

It’s not okay to be fat. Despite the pleas of our society’s fatty cry-babies like Kirstie Alley for acceptance, it is not okay. And the more okay we make it, the fatter - and poorer we’ll be. A new study says that if we keep headed in the direction we are - 40% of Americans will be obese by 2018. Now, humans have always instinctively know that fat individuals hog resources, namely food, but now they will cost us $344 billion dollars. Our healthcare costs haven’t just risen because of profit-minded companies raising costs, but because it’s costing us ENORMOUS amounts of money to take care of all these sick fat people that have brought this plight upon themselves, and subsequently, everyone else. As it is about 35% are already obese - double the number when I was a kid. At the very least the clinically obese should have to pay higher premiums. Get it together people, get hungry and stay healthy! Written by: Hadley Henriette

i'll admit it, i was texting while driving tonight. or as they say on the local news: distracted driving. please don't tell the highway patrol because i don't need anymore tickets.

brilliant invention: someone needs to create a verbal recognition texting system especially for me so i can continue to try and do too many things at once with aplomb.

i was chatting with my friend about weekend plans, when all of a sudden my cell phone went all colonial on me and started adding the suffix "burg" to everything.

the parker hotel=parkersburg

my friend sean=seansburg (not to be confused with my favorite sparkling wine schramsberg)

my pomeranian=diorsburg

it's not the first time that the predictive text function on my iphone has caused laughter and embarrassment.

one time, again while driving, i texted someone "okee dokee" and iphone turned it in to the very cryptic "omer dikes." (perhaps the new name for a hebrew waterway?)

i am completely fascinated by predictive texting strangeness. if you have had a texting mishap please tell me about it: melinda@944.com.

how does it knowsburg. howsburg does it know.

Written by: melinda sheckells

Before you go nuts with the folic acid supplements consider this new finding: folic acid raises cancer risk. The only time you really need to take it is in the months before you are trying to get pregnant, because too little folic acid can cause spina diffida, and you don’t want your baby to have any of that. Otherwise, put the folic acid down. You are already getting heavy doses in things like fortified breakfast cereal and other goods with refined flour. So how did the scientists figure this out? Apparently via a study in Norway - where they do not fortify their foods with the cancer accelerator. It was easy to find a control group. What's tougher is to control your intake so read the labels! Written by: Hadley Henriette

this past weekend i had the honor of attending carnivale du vin, sponsored by the emeril lagasse foundation.

700 guests gathered for an evening of food, wine and music for children's causes on november 13 and 14 at the venetian and palazzo hotels in las vegas.

chefs emeril lagasse, mario batali, daniel boulud, wolfgang puck, charlie trotter and other top chefs and winemakers participated in the tasting. batali was recognized as the 2009 carnivale du vin honoree. proceeds support programs such as the three square food bank kid’s café in las vegas and edible schoolyard in new orleans.

the best dish of the evening was wolfgang puck's macaroni and cheese and michael mina's shrimp po' boy.

i had seconds on the mac.

it is a rare occasion to see so many amazing chefs in one place for a good cause. throw in the vintners and it was an all around amazing night.

Written by: Melinda Sheckells

Everything I Ever Needed to Know, I Learned from Diddy

1.Have lots of “people.”
Diddy has a LOT of people. He has one person schedule the interview, another person to confirm the time, a different person to call and push back the time, a guy to meet everyone at the door and walk them into the room and most importantly, one super intimidating dude to throw hard looks at the people wandering into the background of Diddy's on-camera interview. I've watched "I Want to Work for Diddy" on occasion, and from what I saw today, it looks instead of just narrowing it down to one person, he should have just hired the whole lot of them. Except for that Poprah person, of course, because she is thoroughly disgusting.

2.One can never be “too sparkly.”
This particular stop on the press junket was held in a dark night club illuminated only by a few candles scattered around on tables and the approximately 8000 carats of diamonds that Diddy was sporting. I thought about asking him if they were real, but the mean-look giver (see above) was still nearby and frankly, Diddy doesn't really give off the “Hey let's joke around and have some fun” vibe. He looked really pretty and twinkly though, and I would too if he would just let me borrow that damn necklace.

3.Vodka is not a replacement for water.
As you may or may not know, Diddy is the spokesman for delicious Ciroc vodka, makers of the amazing nectar that is Coconut Ciroc, for which I have been patiently waiting to hit store shelves for far TOO long. It's taking TOO DAMN LONG, people. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to ask the Diddy if he had any hangover tips or tricks, because it's basically a chronic condition I suffer from. I sort of expected him to say, “gargle with diamonds,” or “Try resting your head on a 400 ounce London Good Delivery gold bar,” but he said something way more shocking. He said, “Responsible drinking means more than just not drinking and driving, it means not drinking too much in the first place.” Whoa, what? Maybe if I spent less time nursing hangovers I could be iced up crazy and hire a mean guy to give people dirty looks on my behalf.
Maybe I'll try it. At least till that Coconut Ciroc gets delivered.

(oh, in case you wondered- I didn't get close enough to smell him.)
Written by: Laurel May

The venerable blog A Continuous Lean posted some pretty sweet panoramic photos from the early 1900s today. They picked them up from the Library of Congress archive (I believe, anyway), and are definitely worth a look.

www.acontinuouslean.com Written by: D.B. Mitchell

Whatever you do, please don’t drink water from plastic bottles on a daily basis. Especially not bottles that have been sitting around for god knows how long. If they are exposed to heat they will have a high concentration of BPA, a known hormone disruptor and suspect in Type 2 diabetes. Even cancer survivor Sheryl Crow blamed leaving plastic water bottles in hot cars on a regular basis for her cancer. Think about it, you know you've tasted it. When you think your water tastes like "plastic", it's probably BPA. So what to do for water on the go? There are two very good options that are not only better for your health, but easier on your pocket book and the environment. The best being to use a glass bottle filled with filtered water from home. The best part is you don’t even have to buy it. Just clean out a car of juice or other food product and re-christen it as your water bottle. Of course there will be a degree of care you must take, but it’s worth it. The other option is to buy a refillable water bottle like the KOR One Hydration Vessel. They come in four colors and are $29.99 on www.kor.com. Oh and if you have a baby, go retro, be safe and get glass baby bottles. Written by: Hadley Henriette

ROBB, the first OPI Concept Salon will be introducing the Immortal Facial that will literally bring skin "back from the dead." It's an oxygenating treatment featuring hemoglobin, which delivers oxygen quickly and effectively in order to kill free radicals and bacteria. A solution of active ingredients such as hydrogen peroxide, salicylic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid and retinyl palmitate follow the hemoglobin mixture. Some of the benefits of these treatments include: the promotion of healing and the rejuvenation of tired stressed skin that has been drained by toxins, unhealthy diets and sun damage. Next, micro needle rollers are then swept over the face, allowing for maximum absorption of the products. In addition, the microscopic pricks stimulate the body's repair system and instantaneously produce natural collagen. After oxygen is drawn to the surface, a rosy flush and a rapid warming sensation is produced, resulting in a radiant healthy look that lasts up to ten days.

12246 Ventura Blvd., Studio City | 818.287.6107 | www.robbsalon.com Written by: Kira Coplin

Everybody goes on a diet after the holidays, but what about before? Most people may not think it’s worth it to get it in gear, go through the adjustment and work their butts off in the gym just before the holidays, only to see their hard work go down the drain at the Thanksgiving Dinner table or when tempted with a Christmas cookie or the neighbors homemade peanut brittle. But it’s a very smart move. You’ll make wiser choices when faced with temptation and when you do indulge, you’ll enjoy each morsel like a sex-deprived prisoner on a first date. And after the last confetti settles on new years day, and you’ve finished the last bite of hangover grease, it’ll be much easier to get back in diet mode. Instead of forcing yourself to get to the gym and get out your juicer, you’ll be excited to do it. The two weeks we've got before Thanksgiving is plenty of time. Ready, set, go! Written by: Hadley Henriette

More and more people are discovering these days that they are intolerant of gluten. But where does that leave beer drinkers? Or people who can't eat barley like me? Certainly left out of your average beer offerings. But thanks to a few independent companies gluten-free beer that’s really good can now be found. The leader being Bard’s Tale Beer. It’s made from sorghum, as opposed to the usual barley and wheat and hopps, and tastes just like...regular beer. Maybe even better than regular beer according to one expert beer reviewer. There are other options too. Greens Beer with is brewed from Millet, rice and buckwheat is popular as is Redbridge, which is actually made by brew giant Anheuser-Busch. So whether you have celiac disease, or just want so see how good you can feel (or skinny you can get) not eating gluten, there’s still a beer for you. You just might have to jump through a few hoops to find it. Written by: Hadley Henriette

There's no reason not to shop smart this month... get the most bang for your buck by checking them out. Here's a couple under the radar sales to get you started...

-November 11 -- 15, 2009

Society for Rational Dress Charity Sample Sale
a charity sample now with all proceeds benefiting Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, select items include dresses, signature strappy tops, and zipper tanks.
www.Cutdrop.com

-- November 14, 2009

Kimberly Ovitz Sample Sale
Featuring pieces from her spring 2009 & fall 2009 collection, one-of-a-kind items, samples, and stock are deeply discounted for this one-day sample sale.
2601 Colorado Ave., Santa Monica
For more information: 310-855-1600 extension 15

-- November 14, 2009 & November 15, 2009

A.P.C. Overstock Sale
Pick up French classics up to 75% off.
715 South Los Angeles Street, Downtown
For more information: 323-297-0414
Written by: Kira Coplin

david stark

www.davidstarkdesign.com

one of my favorite websites, eco-friendly designer david stark from brooklyn expertly crafts something new from something old.

case study: he recently took discarded packing materials from retailer west elm and transformed them into pure art.

in a recent exhibition in nyc (in a west elm store window), stark paid tribute to another one of my favorites, felix gonzalez-torres (a cuban puerto-rican) by reinterpreting his work showcasing two clocks in sync (perfect lovers) as two pieces of recycled cardboard.

and in the fashion of pure love, the second hands are decidely out of sync.

true romance.



Written by: melinda sheckells

At least three times a day someone emails me a link to that People of Walmart website. I'll admit, it's funny, in a depressing sort of way. Sorta like going to the zoo. I can't really get into it though, because I don't ever shop at Wal-Mart. Those people are completely foreign to me. They could be on the moon for all I know. But disgusting, inappropriate or just plain weird sub-humans riding mass transit - now THAT is something I see every day. So this is a website I will be bookmarking. And probably contributing to. You better watch your back, Guy Who Cuts His Toenails on BART, I'm coming for you. Written by: Laurel May

i never paid that much attention to truffles until i moved to las vegas.

but in this city of decadent eating they are impossible to ignore.

now i find myself a truffle glutton.

and they just seem to be popping up everywhere.

from town to town, city to city, coast to coast ...

mac/&/cheese

pizza

artichoke soup

burgers

risotto

scrambled eggs

sublime.

for those of us thoroughly and passionately devoted to fungi, the westin verasa, napa, and its signature restaurant la toque will be hosting a truffle camp january 17 to 19 which will include three nights lodging, tours of truffle farms, specialty truffle-based dinners, wine pairings and lunches and classes on truffle cuisine preparation.

ken frank's la toque just recently was honored with a michelin star.

sounds like three days of pure heaven.

trufflicious.

www.latoque.com/truffle.html













Written by: Melinda Sheckells