More for Dylan Fans

This, I'm looking forward to owning.
A bit from the NY Times says:
"Mr. Dylan, then in his 20s, arrived in Hollywood, examined the photographs and wrote his own prose poems to accompany them.

No one involved in the book can recall exactly when Mr. Dylan wrote the poems, which are by turns sparse, playful, witty and sarcastic. But the words faintly recall “Tarantula,” Mr. Dylan’s book of prose poems (or “Dadaist novel,” as some would call it) that was written in 1966, and they bear a strong resemblance to the “11 Outlined Epitaphs” in the liner notes of “The Times They Are A-Changin,” his 1964 album.

As the “11 Outlined Epitaphs” begin:

“I end up then

in the early evenin’

blindly punchin’ at the blind

breathin’ heavy

stutterin’

an’ blowin’ up

where t’ go?

what is it that’s exactly wrong?"
graph per ny times

Starbucks Moment of the Day

Vicky Christina Barcelona

As most Woody Allen's movies have it, 'life's short and dull, so, yeah, good luck with all that....'
The premise of Allen's new film Vicky Christina Barcelona is definitely interesting. It was what made us watch it opening day, after all.
In a nutshell, I was glad it was an hour and a half but I did enjoy much of the 90 minutes. Unlike Woody Allen's Match Point or Scoop, this new film seemed to have relied more on the abilities of its key performers.
Who really carries this film is Javier Bardem and that is the main reason to go watch it.
Well, that and the breathtaking views of one of the most spectacular European cities, Barcelona.
Scarlett Johansson's presence is bearable especially when she shares scenes with Bardem and Penelope Cruz. I reckon, the latter two could make most actors look good.
So, is Vicky Christina Barcelona worth a look? Yes, it is. And like a good guest, it knows when to bounce.
graph per imdb

Men in Makeup? Emo No More

This, I enjoyed.
graph & content per guardian.co.uk

Michael Phelps' Diet

Just how does the most amazing athlete of all time, mega swimmer Michael Phelps eat?
Amazingly, is the answer.
The athlete eats about 12.000 calories a day. That's 12 THOUSAND. Here's a sample of his diet:
"...a large bowl of porridge; three doorstep-sized sandwiches of white bread, butter, fried egg, fried onion, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise; a five-egg omelette tastefully garnished with parsley; three slices of French toast liberally sprinkled with sugar; three pancakes topped with chocolate chips; and two large cups of coffee. That's breakfast. Yummy.

Next to it is lunch, which consists of 1lb (that's a very large bowl) of pasta with tomato sauce; two large ham-and-cheese sandwiches with more lettuce, tomato and don't forget the mayo; plus four bottles of a proprietary high-energy sports drink that always makes me burp. For dinner, it's another pound of pasta, a large cheese-and-tomato pizza, and another four bottles of the same proprietary high-energy sports drink...."

Definitely worth a read. Look at the last part of the feature, especially. I would also recommend that you watch the 2-minute video. Click here for more.

Some Shorts Are Best Left In the Closet

Sartorialist asks that we consider silk shorts, I say: let's not.
What kind of text could this be? And how could one 'gender' them?
graph per sartorialist

Beautiful City Photos

The past few years I've developed an active interest in urban photography. Photographs that especially tackle my fancy are those that document various things Americana from the '50's and '60's. Hence, I found the following collection absolutely breath-taking. See them in full here.
But a favorite would have to be Chicago's lake view:
Hat tip to MR for the pointer. Via the Atlantic
graph per cushman photography

Things Los Angeles

There are many gripping things about Los Angeles. For instance, a favorite activity when there is going to the Beans and Brews on Sunset and checking out the clientele trying to guess who's 'from' LA and who's visiting. But then again, is anyone from LA, really.
A thing to do in LA would have to be a visit to Canter's Deli. It's a fantastic place to dine in and it doesn't seem to suffer from the 'I-have-to-be-cool-and-'in' thing. Canter's Deli can simply rely on history when it comes to asserting its cool. The deli is denuded of all pretension and the decor is something every LA visitor has to experience. Plus, the culinary experience is bound to leave one satisfied.
It always gives me a sense of familiarity and I fully recommend it to all those who self define as LA-natives as well as visitors.
Check the deli out here.
graph per canter's deli

Religion and Health

Via MR.
"SOME people, notably Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist at Oxford University, regard religion as a disease. It spreads, they suggest, like a virus, except that the “viruses” are similar to those infecting computers—bits of cultural software that take over the hardware of the brain and make it do irrational things.

Corey Fincher, of the University of New Mexico, has a different hypothesis for the origin of religious diversity. He thinks not that religions are like disease but that they are responses to disease—or, rather, to the threat of disease. If he is right, then people who believe that their religion protects them from harm may be correct, although the protection is of a different sort from the supernatural one they perceive."
Read full article here.

A Penny for Your Car?

Just read this over at BBC.
"An Ohio man with a hatred of paper money slapped down $8,000 in coins at a car dealership to buy a Chevrolet pick-up - then paid the rest by cheque.
James Jones, 70, produced 16 coffee cans full of coins to buy his new Chevrolet Silverado in Cincinnati and staff spent 90 minutes counting it."
Read more here.
graph per bbc