As a general rule, foods that are brightly colored are really good for you. Pumpkin is no exception. Beta-Carotene is the nutrient that turns produce orange (carrots, bell peppers, etc..) and obviously pumpkin is loaded with it. Why do you want to consume lots of Beta-Carotene? Because it protects you against cancer and heart attacks, and keeps you looking younger.

Pumpkins are native to Mexico (dating back to at least 5500 BC), and are now grown and eaten all over the world, excluding Antarctica. I love Fall partly because I love roasted pumpkin. If you do too, try my easy weeknight Pumpkin and Lentil Salad.

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Tags: easy weeknight dinners, recipes & food by Jessica Alfreds
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 If you decide you’d like to upgrade your Kindle, Sony Reader, or other eReader to a nifty new model, I’ll purchase your old one from you for the full retail price you paid, including the sales tax. How cool is that? There are only a couple of paltry little provisos. Read on, and I’ll explain. [Read more →]

Tags: books & writing, environment & nature by Michael Antman
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The Brutal Telling is a first-rate detective novel.  The mystery is complex and well-plotted, while the beautiful Canadian scenery and charming characters breathe life into the story.  It is a look into the very darkest corners of the human heart, a reminder that we never truly know what another person is capable of, or what secrets they may keep.

The book starts with a story, told in the dead of night by a crackling fire.

“Chaos is coming, old son, and there’s no stopping it. It’s taken a long time, but it’s finally here.”

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Tags: books & writing, Lisa Reads by Lisa Hura
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According to MediaBistro and The Washington Post, the FTC has issued new guidelines governing endorsements and testimonials.  Normally, this wouldn’t effect me in the least; however, these new guidelines could cost me — up to $11,000 in fines.

The new guidelines require that bloggers like me who review books online and receive free copies (generally referred to as ARCs or Advance Reader Copies) must disclose their “material connection” with the publisher, or be in violation. [Read more →]

Tags: books & writing by Lisa Hura
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Over the weekend the Daily Telegraph published a very amusing story about Mahmoud ‘there are no gays in Iran’ Ahmadinejad. According to the paper: [Read more →]

Tags: politics & government, trusted media & news by Daniel Kalder
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Modern Family & Cougar Town (Wednesday, ABC, 9-10PM) — Sorry I left you hangin’ last week. Life happens. But I’m back this week and I made sure I watched ABC’s new comedies, Modern Family and Cougar Town… again. ABC, typically known for awesomely dramatic hourly sagas, has gotten funny. [Read more →]

Tags: Lauren Likes TV, television by Lauren LaBumbard
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Over the past few years, the NFL has made a lot of rules aimed at protecting quarterbacks. A quick look around the league shows that there really aren’t enough good quarterbacks to go around, and so protecting them does make some sense. Late hits and helmet-to-helmet hits rapidly draw penalties and fines, these days, as they should. However, I believe the NFL has gone too far in its attempts to protect its players. This is still football. Tackle football. Unless they are going to start putting flags in players’ back pockets, they need to ease up on the ridiculous penalties being called in games this season. [Read more →]

Tags: bad sports, good sports by Alan Spoll
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10. “So Much Reality! So Little Content!”

9. “The Only Network with an Organ Transplant Drama Set in Pittsburgh!”

8. “Catch This Crap Before It Vanishes Forever!”

7. “Nielsen Families: Watch Our Shows and Get a Kitty!”

6. “Better than a Poke in the Eye with a Sharp Stick! Much Better!”

5. “This is Why Benjamin Franklin Invented TV!”

4. “More Professional-Looking Than YouTube!”

3. “Our Commercials Kick Ass!”

2. “All Jay All the Time!”

1. “Swill! – Now in Hi-Def!”
 

Bob Sullivan’s Top Ten Everything appears every Monday.

Tags: Bob Sullivan's top ten everything, television by Bob Sullivan
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New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg was on TV recently, touting the expansion of the Lower Manhattan Security Initiative to include midtown Manhattan. Bloomberg is asking for $24 million in Homeland Security funds to complete this project.

Bloomberg cited London’s “Ring of Steel” that was erected in response to a series of IRA bombings in the early 90’s as an example of how it should be done. The closed circuit tv cameras, radiation detectors and license plate reading cameras are designed to monitor the citizens and protect them against both crime and terrorist attack.
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Tags: black helicopter watch, terror & war by David "Preacher" Slocum
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Justice in Roman Polanski’s case will never be served, because his case is not about justice. It’s about this week’s opportunity for everyone who weighs in on it to grandstand as a defender of justice and protector of the underdog, each side conspicuously yanking the blanket of public attention to keep its own listing stack of arguments warm while leaving the salient points of the other side hanging. There’s no blanket big enough.

“He’s a child rapist!” — “He’s an artist!” — “He’s a child rapist!” — “He’s an artist!” — “A child rapist!” — “An artist!” — “A child rapist!” — “An artist!”

A plague o’ both their houses. He’s a child rapist and an artist. [Read more →]

Tags: on the law, trusted media & news by Olga Gardner Galvin
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It’s a late summer evening on Martha’s Vineyard and I’m playing cards with my friend Heidi at the kitchen table as breezes waft through our rented farmhouse. It’s one of my favorite things about summer: how the wind fills the house like a welcome tide. Lie down near an open window and it drifts across your body in waves like gentle surf. [Read more →]

Tags: ends & odd by Jeff Scheuer
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Well it’s October, or as I call it: Horror Movie Month. It’s baffling to me how movie studios release titles like Halloween 2 (the new Rob Zombie version) in late August. Or February in the case of the new Wolfman, which I’d love to see any weekend in October, but not sure I’m interested in it as a Valentine’s Day date flick. Granted, I’m not a numbers guru but basic fucking logic dictates that you release horror movies around Halloween and Christmas movies in December. Anyway, since there isn’t really a cool horror movie in theaters I’d like to take the next five weeks to do a video round up — Yes, I’m that egomaniacal. This first installment will focus on classic and old horror movies.

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Tags: fan boy says, movies by Steve Mazzeo
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Certain words in the English language make me cringe. There is one in particular that I have never liked, even before I had a child. Now that I have one, I really don’t want to hear this word. It’s not the “F” word. It’s the fucking “A” word. Autism. [Read more →]

Tags: family & parenting, health & medical by Nancy DeGregorio
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This is for real. This actually happened. A woman adopted a little boy, and then terminated the adoption after 18 months, claiming she couldn’t bond with the child. Seriously? That’s even allowed? [Read more →]

Tags: family & parenting, going parental by Jaclyn Roth
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Two weeks after President Obama said he would not be lobbying the International Olympics Committee on behalf of Chicago, he has changed his mind and is flying to join his wife, a coterie of celebrities and the elite of the historically corrupt Chicago political machine in Copenhagen.

Never mind that he has met with General McChrystal only once since the General asked, in August, for help in Afghanistan; that the healthcare debate is still on the rocks; unemployment is still out of control; that Obama has been spouting “Green” propaganda every chance he gets; that both Canada and Australia have announced that hosting the Olympics ended up costing the taxpayers money (that we can’t afford) — what is obviously more important is getting Oprah in front of the committee.

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Tags: politics & government by David "Preacher" Slocum
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