A three car accident featuring an overturned tanker truck caused a miles long backup on I-5 in Seattle Monday, creating the type of traffic jam that nightmares are made of. The crash happened around 10 am, and part of the freeway was closed until 6 pm. Fortunately, one of the hangry drivers stuck in traffic was the owner of the Tacos El Tajin taco truck, who said “fuck this” to the backup and opened for lunch anyway.
Do year hear that? It’s the sound of a bunch of people calling in sick tomorrow.
Today is Fat Tuesday, which means that some party goers will likely be using it as an excuse to drink excessively and lift their shirts up (not necessarily in that order). Let’s be honest. Do any of us really know what Mardi Gras is all about, other than one big dance party? Do we care?
One thing is certain: sugary cocktails are the unofficial mascot. Here are two that will make you feel like you’re wearing a feathered masquerade mask on a float made out of unicorns and rainbows.
King Cocktail
Photo by Nicole Barker
By Nicole Barker, The Z Bar (Reno, NV):
“Inspired by its namesake seasonal dessert, this cocktail tastes just as delicious as the traditional Mardi Gras King Cake. You can even make a fun party game out of dropping a King Cake Baby into one of the cocktails and give a door prize to the guest who finds the trinket at the bottom of their glass.”
1.5 oz Cognac Park VS
.75 oz Kringle Cream Liquere
.75 oz Pecan Syrup
.75 oz Cream
2 Dashes Cherry Vanilla Bitters
Preparation: shake and double strain into a chilled cocktail glass
Police & Thieves Swizzle
Photo by China Morbosa
By China Morbosa, The Eveleigh (West Hollywood):
“Mardi Gras is decadence — the celebration of celebrations — and swizzles are not far down the family tree from the famous New Orleans favorite, the Hurricane.”
2oz English Harbour 5 year rum
1oz fresh pineapple juice
.75oz fresh lime juice
.5oz Giffard Banane du Brésil
.5oz Taylor velvet falernum
.5oz Cruzan blackstrap rum
4 dashes Angostura bitters
Preparation: Add the English Harbour, pineapple juice, lime juice, Giffard Banane du Brésil, and velvet falernum into a shaker. Dry shake, strain into a collins glass. Add crushed ice. Float 4 dashes of angostura bitters and .5oz of Cruzan Blackstrap Rum. Garnish with healthy mint bunch.
“It’s important to remember that during Mardi Gras, you’re likely to hop from one parade or party to another so you need a drink that travels well,” says Morborsa. “Traditionally, swizzles are rum-based and stiff as hell! The crushed ice mellows the booze a little making it refreshing in the thick, muggy air of the Big Easy and great for carrying with you wherever you go.”
By now, you probably feel like you know the drill. Every year Apple prepares the release of the new iPhone, offering mostly minor tweaks to their popular device. Bigger screen, storage space, no headphone jack. That type of thing.
Except Apple’s new iPhone 8 might undergo the most radical redesign in recent years. That is, if the rumors that have been slowly leaking out in anticipation of the new iPhone, which is expected to be about six months away, are to be believed. There will reportedly be three models, with the high-end version featuring an OLED curved display screen. (Your current iPhone utilizes a cheaper LCD display and cheaper models will retain this LCD display.) It will take up the entirety of the front screen, thereby eliminating the home button and touch ID.
This high-end edition of the iPhone is also expected to cost close to $1,000, according to a Fast Company source. With the OLED screen and also a significant boost in battery life and memory, this isn’t too surprising. The iPhone 8 release will coincide with the 10th anniversary release of the original iPhone, and rumors have circulated Apple may call it the “iPhone X.” In addition, Fast Company reported “there’s even a chance that the physical buttons on the sides of the iPhone may go away, […] replaced by touch-sensitive inlays in the metal.”
The radical push forward for the iPhone is relatively exciting, adding many benefits and features to consumers. But according to the Wall Street Journal, Apple’s iPhone 8 could undergo some significant product designs that might dismay users. The new iPhone will ditch Apple’s “lightning” connector in favor of a USB-C port. This isn’t too surprising considering Apple’s Macbook line has already converted to the USB-C charger. (PC Mag offers a great explainer on the USB-C and why it’s beneficial to users.)
The WSJ article is behind a paywall, but here’s the essential information Gizmodo excerpted:
They said Apple would introduce other updates including a USB-C port for the power cord and other peripheral devices instead of the company’s original Lightning connector. The models would also do away with a physical home button, they said. Those updates would give the iPhone features already available on other smartphones.
In other words, all your new third-party devices and headphones and chargers that utilize the lightning port will soon become obsolete. Just like when Apple originally converted to its lightning port in 2012, this is sure to produce some significant consternation from users. While it may be easier in some respect as Android and Apple users can share chargers (Android uses USB-C), anything spent on lightning product will be wasted money.
None of this is confirmed yet, so don’t raise the pitchforks yet. But as this report comes from the Wall Street Journal, it shouldn’t be disregarded. So maybe don’t buy that new charger or speaker anytime soon?
Dogs are man’s best friend, until they jump on your nightstand, landing on the gun you’d for some reason left in the open, causing it to discharge a bullet into your sleeping girlfriend’s leg.
KTRK reports that a Florida man said such a scenario unfolded Tuesday night. Brian Murphy told Jacksonville police that his dog Diesel woke him in the middle of the night, apparently because he needed to go outside. After letting the pooch out and then back into his dark bedroom, where his girlfriend Murphy claims he saw a bright flash and heard a loud bang.
According to Murphy’s suspicious-sounding account of events as recounted in the police report., “Diesel jumped up on the nightstand, where (Murphy’s) gun was sitting, and it went off, shooting [his girlfriend] in the right leg.”
The woman, identified as Summer Miracle, told officers she was asleep at the time and didn’t see who shot her. She was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries, according to Fox 30.
It’s unclear if Diesel—or Murphy—will face any charges.
When Starbucks kingpin Howard Schultz traveled to Italy in 1983, he was so enamored with the coffee bars in Milan, that he convinced the founders of the (not quite yet) coffee giant to test the concept in downtown Seattle. Named Il Giornale, the coffee shop served their very first latte in 1984, using Starbucks beans, of course. Il Giornale went on to purchase Starbucks in 1987 and the rest is history.
Thirty-five years after that life-changing trip, Schultz, who plans to step down as CEO in April to focus on retail innovation, announced that the company will be opening their first Italy store — a giant 25-thousand square foot roastery in Milan — in 2018.
Schultz told the Associated Press that he thinks Italy is a special place.
I am so respectful of the Italian coffee heritage and the Italian culture, and I think we had to earn that respect, opportunity, and I think over the years we got to the point that we are now ready to come.
The news will certainly ruffle a few feathers. Milan is already home to one of America’s most iconic chains: McDonald’s. Will golden arches and a green siren be too much for the urban fashion hub? If not, will the sugary drinks, paper cups and endemic laptop camping do the laid-back Italian coffee culture in?
The roastery will be located in an old post office building in Piazza Cordusio, the heart of Milan, next door to the city’s cathedral. The roastery won’t be the only Starbucks opening in Milan next year. The company says they also plan to open a handful of cafes throughout the remainder of 2018.
Carnival and the New Orleans incarnation, Mardi Gras, are huge parties in dozens of countries, especially those with a French influence or colonial past. If you celebrate Easter, the timing is significant. Being the day before Ash Wednesday, Fat Tuesday is a huge party in the wards of New Orleans where revelers fete until sun up to get their fill of sinning before Lent, which starts the following day. Why not add in some New Orleans marijuana beignets?
Before New Orleans was America, it was the sprawling Louisianas, before that, indigenous. These origins, steeped in slave culture, then mixed with some serious immigration from the world over in the 1900s and dropped in today’s American South lands you in one unique place with customs all its own. The Mardi Gras party is one for everyone.
Alcohol is freely consumed at these parties, but wouldn’t it be great if you could sneak herb into party favorites to have your own experience? Or, maybe you’re half a world away from New Orleans and just want to mark the day by eating some tasty treats. Beignets are your bud, and when served with bud, decadence factor is on par with a party for the ages.
Photos by Danielle Guercio
Beignets with Ganja Icing Drizzle
Supposedly a copycat recipe for the famous Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans, icing by Danielle Guercio
3 tsp Active Dry Yeast
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp salt
4 cups flour
1 egg, room temp
2 Tbs butter, room temp
1 cup water, 85 degrees
½ cup evaporated milk, room temp
¼ tsp vanilla extract
Oil for frying (canola is a good choice, strain and reuse at least once)
Photos by Danielle Guercio
In a greased large bowl, proof yeast with warm water and milk, some of the sugar for five minutes.
Photos by Danielle Guercio
Mix dry ingredients in another bowl, with egg, butter, and vanilla beaten in a measuring cup. When yeast has proofed, gently mix in the remaining wet ingredients. Fold in the dry ingredients in at least three parts using a spatula. Be gentle and don’t overmix, the gas that the yeast creates will make the beignets airy and delicious.
Photos by Danielle Guercio
Cover and let dough rise at least one hour on the counter, or up to four or overnight in the fridge. Remove and turn onto a well floured surface. Roll into a sheet, cut with a sharp knife into squares. Separate and allow to rise again for just a few minutes while you heat oil.
Photos by Danielle Guercio
In a tall sided pot, bring oil to 350 degrees. Fry beignets 3 at a time for 1 minute or so on each side. You want them to puff up and get brown.
Photos by Danielle Guercio
Remove to strain on a cookie rack with some paper towels. Shake on some powdered sugar.
Photos by Danielle Guercio
Icing
Green, red and blue food coloring
½ cup powdered sugar
2 Tbs glycerin tincture*
2 Tbs evaporated milk
Photos by Danielle Guercio
In a measuring cup, mix milk and glycerin until well incorporated. Add sugar and dissolve completely. Distribute in two sandwich bags, add 3 drops green to one and two drops red to one blue to the other. Snip the corner and drizzle generously onto beignets. Serve immediately!
Photos by Danielle Guercio
*Glycerin Cannabis Tincture
In an oven safe container double sealed with foil, decarboxylate 3.5 grams finely ground cannabis at 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
Put cannabis in a mason jar or vacuum sealed bag, pour over 2 oz vegetable Glycerin and seal tightly. Place in a water bath at just under boiling for 1 hour. Strain and keep contents in a sterilized container. Stores indefinitely in freezer.
These are so delicious, and like a zeppole or donut, the fresher the better. You can add the weed into the beignets with either concentrates or weed butter, but the contact with the hot oil can jeopardize the strength, so it’s smart here to stick it in the icing.
With the help of global warming, spring is rapidly approaching, which means one thing in addition to allergy problems for many: It’s time to lose those pounds you packed on to, uh, keep you warm during the winter. But how can you shed weight in an easy yet efficient manner? Let us help you. Below, check out five ways to get in shape for spring.
This is both the easiest and most difficult way to lose weight. It’s easy because alcohol is just empty calories that add to your midsection. It’s difficult because, well, drinking is fun as hell. But if we may offer a suggestion: try smoking more weed (just stay vigilant when the munchies kick in).
Only crazy people jog regularly in the depths of winter, so if you’re not crazy it’s time to hit the pavement. Start off slow and keep the distances short-ish—the true enemy is a stress fracture from over doing it—but rebuild your routine. Every other day is is a good goal, but you should be out there at least twice a week.
Push-Ups, Sit-Ups, and Burpees
Sure you could spend $80 a month to schlep to a crowded gym, but you could save time and cash by doing simple but effective exercises at home. Try three sets of 20 push-ups, three sets of 30 sit-ups, and three sets of five burpees (or more if you’re in better shape than we are).
It seems obvious, but watching your portion sizes and eating more veggies and lean meats (and cutting back on bread-heavy dishes and fried foods) will help you slim down as quickly as anything, even exercise. Of course, the best method is to combine better eating with rigorous and regular exercise, but you definitely need to be doing at least one.
As California prepares to launch the largest recreational cannabis market in the United States, a number of celebrities, including Willie Nelson and Whoopi Goldberg, along their respective brands, are hoping to be some of the first to take possession of a license once they are issued.
However, those in control of the way the industry will play out are still trying to hash out all of the details surrounding this particular aspect of the new legal marketplace in an attempt to get licenses into the hands of cultivation centers and retail pot shops in 2018. The primary snag, at least at this point, is determining who should be the first to receive a license – and should the state’s medical marijuana businesses have first dibs?
A recent report from the Associated Press suggests that celebrity brands already being distributed in the state’s medical marijuana dispensaries will have an advantage when the time comes to distribute licenses. This means the market will most likely see more pot products branded with the images of Bob Marley, Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson before new products from those showing up late to the game.
Regardless of which companies are first to sell recreational reefer in California, analysts predict the state will be a determining factor in catapulting the industry into a $50 billion market within the next decade.
It is for this reason that Wall Street is starting to pay more attention to all of this legal weed business, the AP reports. Even with cannabis still being illegal at the federal level, alcohol companies are reportedly cautioning investors on what legalization could mean for their bottom line.
This is somewhat humorous, especially considering that the cannabis industry does not have most of the same freedoms as products like alcohol and tobacco. Marijuana companies are not even given the legal right to protect their brand names with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office.
The whole of the cannabis industry, despite is predicted mega buoy to the American economy, is simply not handled in the same manner as other legitimate pieces of national commence – at least not yet.
Leaders of the California cannabis movement credit celebrities for bringing normalization to the cannabis industry. Not only do these famous faces have the finances to properly market pot products in a way that instills a sense of legitimacy, but they also have a larger platform to promote the issue to more of the average citizen.
“They’re helping to legitimize marijuana,” Cheryl Shuman, founder of the Beverly Hills Cannabis Club, told the AP. “Marijuana is fast becoming cool and glamorous.”
Wes Anderson is one of Hollywood’s biggest and most beloved film directors. While the movies he’s directed have had varying degrees of success and critical acclaim, we’ve all seen at least one of them and have our favorite, which we’ll defend to the ends of the Earth (The Royal Tenenbaums, duh).
This video essay, made by Candice Drouet, shows some of the Anderson’s biggest visual influences, comparing scenes from his own films to different paintings, illustrations and other film sequences made by other artists. The video places the images side by side, allowing you to compare them and notice the influence that they’ve had on Anderson’s work. The video also allows you to notice some sequences in Anderson’s movies that are a clear homage to older paintings and films.
The essay shows us a little bit of Anderson’s varied taste of different types of art and films, which include super famous moments from movies like ‘Vertigo’, to more obscure choices, like an image from the Austro Hungarian Empire of the 1900. These influences demonstrate the incredible amount of research Anderson does for his films and are a sure reason why he is one of the world’s most accomplished directors.
You can watch more videos like this one on Candice Drouet’s Vimeo account, where she makes many more analyses and comparisons of movies.
As everyone hopefully knows, listening to records while high is one of life’s great pleasures. But what if you could smoke the record you just listened to? Until yesterday, that question was just a hypothetical that probably no one ever considered before but now we kind of know its answer, thanks to the band Slightly Stoopid.
The band’s management announced yesterday that a one-of-a-kind record made entirely of bubble hash had been produced. Slightly Stoopid’s “Dabbington” was etched onto the hash record, which cost $7,000 to produce ($6,000 for the hash and $1,000 to stamp and master it).
“It’s all about putting two old-school vintage mediums together,” Jon Phillips of Silverback Music, which manages Slightly Stoopid, told Billboard. “Vinyl is an old-school medium, and that’s how we feel about hashish, too.”
Philips said he originally thought of the idea as a way to bring awareness to legalization efforts, but now he’s planning on using the THC-infused vinyl to promote Slightly Stoopid’s branded bubble hash.
If you somehow get your hands on the record, you should think twice about overplaying it. “It’s not something you’re going to plop on your turntable over and over again,” Phillips said. “For now, this is an art piece.”
