Extreme Sushi

Do you like sushi? I do

I really like my sushi served on a miniature wooden boat

Some people can't deal with eating raw fish and go for the cucumber roll. I think that's pussy. I just giggled at myself for typing that out loud. If you think you like sushi and you only eat cucumber and imitation crab meat then whatever. I can't wait any longer-this is the most frightening thing I've seen all day.



What you're looking at here is a full on dead squid that zombies out when you pour apparently evil soy sauce on it. #THATSHITAINTRIGHT

Soy sauce hasn't been so lethal since it made ROW get nine stitches in his toe. I suggest we all move underground and start a safer society there Hunger Games style before theses creepy squid bastards get too out of hand.

-Jillicious

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Are You Rich?

Not sure if you are a wealthy millionaire?

Here is a quick way to tell. Fish through the stacks of hundred dollar bills in your wallet. Did you find one of those weird ones that doesn't have any zeros on it? if you did and you know what that thing is: then you are not a rich millionaire, continue buying scratch tickets.

go ahead and check.

 -ED

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Minimalist Fairytale Posters

Like id's post about Poe books with new awesome covers these fairytale posters are sweet and simple. My favorite is the 3 Little Pigs, if you wanna see more theres a whole collection to check out.

 

-jv
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Even More Exciting British News

The UK is exciting, especially these last couple weeks. Posh and Becks added beautiful daughter Harper Seven to their unfairly good looking family and The News of the World put out its last issue on July 10th. Hugh Grant took down News of the World. On July 28th the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London were a year away, as of today we are 348 out. The London Riots started on August 6th following a march protesting the death of Mark Duggan. Austin Powers 4 was announced on August 12th, yeah baby.

This is the best picture from the London Riots. A hooligan trying to kick a Bobbie in the Johnson.

This picture from the London Riots is crazy.

-jv
British Admirer

#SummerJams

Fuck Watch the Throne.

OK, Just kidding.  It's good and I know you're probably all listening to it.  There are some great tracks (My favorites are "Who Gon Stop Me" and "Why I Love You"), and the production value is outstanding.  Although it's not as good as either Jay or Ye's most recent solo projects.

But there was a rap duet album that dropped earlier this summer with much less masturbatory hype.

Hell: The Sequel is by Eminem and Royce da 5'9," who call themselves Bad Meets Evil.  I have never listened to Royce before this, probably because his name is fucking retarded, but apparently he is an awesome rapper. 

More importantly, this is the best thing Eminem has done since 2002.  His past few solo albums haven't been nearly as good as the pantheon records that he was dropping when we were teenagers.  The Slim Shady LP was a game-changer and The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show are two of the best rap records ever released.  Remember that Eminem?  With the scathing lyrics, mind-blowing flow, and complete irreverence for social taboos?  He's back:



That's some classic Em right there.  Who else would rap about having anal sex with Nicki Minaj?  Yes, apologies to the ladies, but Slim Shady is still as misogynistic as ever and there are numerous rhymes about domestic violence.  I feel like I'm in 7th grade listening to my portable CD player with big, shitty headphones.  There are some more mature tracks on the album, where they talk about the growing gap between the rich and poor...but I'm also totally feeling this song about taking lots and lots of drugs:



Anyway, now that Lil Wayne and Drake have announced that they too will be doing a duet album, it seems like this trend of rap cross-breeding will continue to produce sexy new sounds.  I'm totally OK with it.

-DMc, West Coast Correspondent

Spotify is the Tits.

I know I haven't posted any #SummerJams in a while, but that's about to change.

Imagine if iTunes and Pandora fucked and made a digital-music-streaming baby, which made it super easy to listen to almost any song or album by almost every artist you can think of, in a matter of seconds, any time you want, FOR FREE.  Wouldn't that be awesome?

Well they totally did it.  Spotify has been blowing up all over Europe for the past few years, and now it's available in the US.  If you don't have it yet, all you have to do go HERE, request an invite (which they send you basically immediately), and download the free version.

It will sync with your iTunes, making all of your current music library available while you're using it, and you will be able to search for whatever the hell you want to listen to at any given moment, stream it instantly, and create playlists with it.  You can access your Spotify account (and playlists!) from any computer that has the program installed (and since it's free, that pretty much means any computer).

There's also a version for $10/month that lets you access your playlists when your offline and, more importantly, on your mobile device.  I don't have the premium version yet, but if I ever get an iPhone, I will definitely upgrade.

The cherry on top?  You can sync to Facebook and share playlists.  As in, your friends will be able to see/access your playlists, you will be able to check out theirs, and you can collaborate on joint playlists.

So go get it.  To make it worth your while, I'll try to post more music recommendations over the next few days, which you'll be able to check out freely and easily now!


-DMc, West Coast Correspondent

The OTIS video explained

When Jay-Z and Kanye met up to discuss the OTIS video, it went like this:

Jay-Z: I think we should get a flag.
Kanye: Lets get the biggest flag ever and wear white shirts. Maybe sometimes I'll wear red pants.
Jay-Z: I think Aziz Ansari is funny.
Kanye: Lets get Aziz and put him in a blue suit. But not let him talk. He'll be like our bitch.
Jay-Z: Lets make the car a Maybach.
Kanye: Lets start the video with us cutting a Maybach apart and then driving around a cool Thunderdome version of a Maybach.
Jay-Z: Lets get Beyonce , my wife, in it.
Kanye: Lets get four white girls and put them in green in the backseat.
Jay-Z:   ...
Kanye: And the best part will be when I say "I write my curses in cursive."
Jay-Z: You get me.
Secret bff handshake

Or something like that. 


-V
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FreeSol, getting Justin Timberlake Back into [Musical] Action

 Justin Timberlake keeps saying he hasn't quit the music biz, and I believe him. As soon as people start doubting he just does a feature on someone else's song and once again we're panting after him.

This time around we have Free Sol to thank for it. According to wikipedia, they are a progressive rap, rock, soul band from Memphis, same as Justin! He saw them perform live and signed them to his baby record company. Today JT tweeted this video for "Hoodies On, Hats Low" which he directed. He's in the video too; occasionally echoing the main guy, whisper singing, and stylishly walking, almost dancing. It's very clearly his asthetic though, from the coloring to the movement, once he's in the video it becomes a Justin video, because it's so in line with his style. Just the way the whole group walks forward and bounces on the "low," screams JT, in a very good way.

I can't stop listening to it. Give it a whirl:




 -av

p.s. in my opinion this song is way more fun than anything I've heard of Watch the Throne, which is all of it. 
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Pandora is the Smartest Person I Know

     A few years ago av and I were at her dad's house and he was real excited about this new website he had just just learned about. He asked us what kind of music we had been listening to lately, which was hard, we were really just locked into either the Once soundtrack or Back to Black. Then av's dad got back to making an enourmous omelet after which we went to a museum to see a Gerald Murphy art show. Gerald Murphy and his wife Sara were American Expatriates who lived on the French Riviera at the beginning of the 1900s, the Murphy's are credited with inventing sunbathing.
     It was a few years before I used Pandora again. This past Winter I dove in. And Pandora is the Smartest Person I Know. I love the new songs it bring to me, how I can thumbs down songs that I disagree with, Pandora knows to not play any Chris Brown FUCK CHRIS BROWN, and how Pandora reminds you of songs from an album you actually have over in iTunes, just maybe it is track 11 and you never really hear it.
   I had never heard of Gorilla Zoe before.  My 6 foot 7 foot station was acquainted with him and made the introductions . The song was "I got it" and instantly I was reminded that Pandora is the Smartest Person I know. "I got It" reminds me of "In the club" or any rap song about how the rapper has IT which are usually the best rap songs.

    Pandora knew that I would dig "Mystifies Me" by Son Volt. I really like Ryan Adams. I just let Pandora run wild when I made a Ryan Adams station. I didn't want to anchor it in "Halloweenhead" or "Easy Plateau" because I trusted Pandora to do me right, which they did, obvs, Pandora is the Smartest Person I Know.
-jv
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Adam Levine's Greatest Hits

Adam Levine is a sex machine. Obviously.  I heard Harder to Breathe  in high school and have loved every song with Adam Levine since. Because every song with Adam Levine is at least awesome and most are amazing.

Kiwi is ridiculous. The whole album "It won't be soon before long" is WICKED FUCKING GOOD, Kiwi is the best song on it. Kiwi is the sexiest song I have ever heard.


 I Can't Lie from Hand's All Over is an almost perfect song. Right from the beginning Adam Levine comes in and immediately starts singing better than almost anyone else can. And then the song just keeps getting better.


Stereo Hearts is the kind of infectious immediately stuck in your head and you love every second of it song that Adam Levine is constantly a part of. When Adam Levine sings he just fucking kills it every time, which I appreciate. 


These are my favorite Adam Levine songs right now this morning at any other point it could have been any of the million singles from Songs about Jane or Hands all Over or even "Moves Like Jagger"  which is an awesome song even though it is a little silly and it got pulled into the downward spiral that was Christina Aguilera's wardrobe during The Voice, she looked awful all season.
-jv
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Giving money to poor people

The NY Times blog posted this yesterday and I thought it was worth sharing. The post highlights a new charitable donation organization, GiveDirectly, that allows donors to give money directly to the people they want to help. Rather than donating to an organization that will spend the money on projects that will take time to complete, if they get completed, while also covering overhead costs, thus cutting down on the money that actually ends up making a difference to the cause you want to help, with GiveDirectly 90% of your donation will be available to a person in need almost instantaneously.

Here's how GiveDirectly puts it, "GiveDirectly allows you to send money directly to the poor. We locate impoverished households in Kenya and then transfer donations electronically to their mobile phones. Our goal is simple: to provide the most efficient, transparent, and respectful way to give."


But what if they spend it on cigarettes or alcohol? They can spend the money that way. But research shows* that "temptation spending" doesn't go up in the households that receive funding. Mostly spend it on health fees, education costs, food, shelter, or starting a small business. The benefactors are interviewed prior to being set up to receive donations, so there is some screening going on to ensure that your money goes to someone who will use it well.  


So maybe you aren't into charitable donations at this point because you're up to your ears in student loans. That's fine. But someday after you've won the lottery, gone to Disney World, bought a few houses, and raced through a toy store with a shopping cart madly piling up everything you can reach because you're giving yourself that shopping spree you never won on Nickelodeon, you may want to give a little back. Here's one option. Or just buy some Toms. Whatever you're into. 

-av
Junior I-Get-Tricked-Into-Helping-People Liaison

*I did not do this research and I haven't seen it. I read that in the article. Grain of salt added.
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You should be following @VeryShortStory

-jv

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Comic Con Lost Video.

Lost has been popping up in entertainment news quite a lot lately as the one year anniversary of  the series finale just passed. This video was played at ComicCon and was supposedly (not really at all though)  a deleted scene from the Season 1 Finale of Lost. If it had actually have been it would have totally ruined EVERYTHING. I haven't thought about Lost in a while. I think the end of the show had a lot more potential then it ended with  but there were tons of GREAT episodes that I entertained myself with over the course of many hours in college/post college. The Lost page on facebook still updates their status pretty regularly if you need a fix.




Jillicious
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this is for the ladies

This song was just shown to me last night, and it is, quite frankly, badass, unbelievably sexy, and filled with so much independent-women pride and power that I may have to start every day listening to it, at least for a while.

Thank you Beyonce, for reminding me in only 4 minutes and 51 seconds, that girls run the world. If I ever start to forget it again, I'll just hit replay.

Now I wanna go dance.

also, teachers at my school are the best.
-lab

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Pinterest is my creative distraction

Recently I've become obsessed with Pinterest, a self-described “virtual pinboard” and hub for all things visually-inspiring. Rather than racking up a long list of bookmarks, I “pin” images to my Pinterest boards when I find something interesting online. Recipes, DIY projects, artwork, quotes, landscapes, fashion—anything worth remembering. You can "follow" other Pinners' boards so you can see what your friends find exciting. I'm LOVING following Alice, Jill, KatieCaff and Lucy.

When I get stuck in my writing at work I often browse Pinterest for the sake of creative distraction. It’s inspiring to be presented with an array of fresh visual ideas whenever I want. And like all things social, my Pinterest experience would be much better if you joined. The site is still in closed beta (let me know if you want an invite!), but the interface is beautifully done and I expect big things in their future.

-Senior Pinterest Correspondent
id

I Love These

This one is particularly good





-bjk

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Comic-Con

These past few days, Comin-Con has been in full swing in San Diego.

If you don't know what Comic-Con is, it's the Mecca for comic book fans (as well as numerous other pop culture mediums) and anyone who ever liked superhero stories. It's the biggest convention in America.

Usually they will have panels of new superhero movies with the director, the actors, writers, and tons of famous people go yearly.  A lot of press conferences also take place, where big news is announced for movies and what not. I usually hear about this news, but don't really pay attention to the convention itself. However I came across this video, that shows a heartfelt Andrew Garfield showing everyone that the most famous people can still be pretty cool nerds.




-AM
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Karmin is better than Chris Brown

Sometimes when I am extremely tired on the way home from work, I like to listen to this song and try to learn all the words. Just try it.






P.S. She does tons of other songs that you can find on her YouTube channel.

Laurena

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Baby Animal Adorableness

After Amy Winehouse joining the 27 club yesterday I wanted to look at some adorable pictures. Baby animals did just the trick. These were my favorites.

Baby Pandas start off looking really weird. They are all pink and hairless and they don't open their eyes for weeks. Then the amazing adorable magic stick gives them a beating and pandas like this little guy start warming hearts all over the world.

Someday this tiger will be totally scary looking, or maybs we just got lucky because while I was looking for the most adorable little tiger this mofo kept being around and scaring the bejeesus outta me. Luckily this little guy was there to adorable up the whole scary situation.

Oh My God baby zebras. Mohawk, check, Stripes, check, Wobbly legs, check. Like horses only more fashionable zebras know a thing or two about looking good and this little guy shows that they start the good looking parade early.

Then there is live action adorableness. This sloth yawns and the whole world gets brighter. 

Other adorable baby animals include elephants, sea turtles, and dolphins.

-jv
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Rockstars die at 27

When Amy Winehouse was found dead today, after gasping aloud, our first thought was "Was she 27?" because rockstars die when they are 27.

My favorite Jimi Hendrix song is "The wind cries Mary."

No one sings Summertime better than "Janis Joplin," with a little help from Jimi.

 I can't think of a Doors song I don't like; everyone loves "Alabama Song," obviously.

I always knew I liked Nirvana, as far back as I can remember. I could only get to them through the radio for the longest time. Until I finally got a hold of their greatest hits album freshman year of high school. My favorite song is "Lithium."

 
And ever a rockstar, Amy has joined the infamous 27 club. It's songs like "Me and Mr Jones" that make me really sad about this.

- V
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