Everyone knows that the quickest way to someone’s heart is sending them a picture of a cute baby animal. But it seems like one site isn’t impressed with that approach. F*** You Penguin is a feisty site which has the tagline, “A blog where I tell cute animals what’s what.”
The concept is hilarious despite being little more than a bitter rant. I would think that they would get tired of talking trash to cute animals, but they keep thinking of new ways to call them out. Here are 2 great examples:
Another random cute animal site which is actually responsible for a whole new style of internet slang is icanhascheezburger. This site has pictures of cute animals (mostly cats, which are named Lol Cats) and displays quotes from the animal. At first, the site is only slightly odd, but after you check out a few of these posts and the comments that people leave, the site feels like an Alice in Wonderland-style trip. It is all very strange, but forward a few of these pics to your sweetie and she will forgive you for nearly anything. Trust!
Miranda Priestly from the Devil Wears Prada lives! Maybe not exactly, but many aspects of her character are embodied by Jake Phelps, Editor at Thrasher Magazine.
Based in heart of the rawest skateboarding city, San Francisco, Thrasher is the most well known skateboarding mag in history. Over the years, the magazine has earned a rep for refusing to compromise its content to appease corporate sponsors. Phelps’s tenure at this institution has put him in a powerful position in skateboarding. Aside from being the Dark Lord at Thrasher, he is a Big Trick Contest Promoter, and a respected authority/historian/archivist for the sport.
His dedication to skating is unrivaled, but he has ruffled a lot of feathers with his blunt words. He tells it like he sees it and is a habitual line stepper, but he is often correct…and always entertaining. Just don’t get on his bad side. Here he is tearing into pro skateboarder Frank Hirata. It may sound harsh, but being omitted from the pages of Thrasher is way harsher.
He has also done a lot for the sport by putting on Big Trick Contests like Bust or Bail. Solid performances by Andrew Reynolds, Ryan Sheckler, and some guy named…Moose?
Here he is with Quicksilver’s Reese Forbes hyping the next contest at the soon to be torn down Wallenberg Gap in SF. “Back to the Berg” is going down on May 30th at Wallenberg High School.
Who is the world’s most famous skateboarder? Even more than Tony Hawk, Rob Dyrdek, and Bam Margera, I vote Bart Simpson as the most recognizable skater on the planet. Because of this, it is no shock that he appears on the cover of Skatebook #3. This large hard cover book by Lance Mountain and Salman Agah (follow him on twitter here) is packed with great photos and articles. The book feels like a skate mag without the heavy advertising.
One of the best sections is “Bart Simpson Droppin Hammers!” This 4 fingered mustard yellow kid rips some of the most iconic skate spots in the world like:
The Leap of Faith
…and now some real footage:
Carlsbad Gap
…and now some real footage:
El Toro Rail
…and now some real footage:
Wallenberg Stairs
…and now some real footage:
Hollywood High 16 Stair
…and now some real footage:
Wilshire Rail
Maxin’ with Terry Kennedy
He even wins the Skater of the Century award; further confirming his place as the world’s most famous skateboarder.
In the last few years, a new subculture has emerged in cities all over the globe. The Hipster is cultured, artsy, enigmatic, pretentious, and annoying all at the same time. In case you are not sure if you or people you know are hipsters, here are common characteristics:
Drinks Pabst Blue Ribbon
Unkempt Beards
Enjoys only obscure music and literature
Wears dark glasses from the Eighties (ex: Oakley Frogskins)
Resides in Silverlake (Los Angeles) OR Williamsburg (Brooklyn)
Hatred of anything mainstream
Denial of being a hipster
It’s a tough call with hipsters. They get a bad rap, but there are some positive traits of hipsters. They are usually creative and appreciate various types of art, music, and food. Here are a few of my favorite hipster contributions to society:
The Mandrake - A cool bar in Los Angeles which plays a great mix of hip hop, rock, and oldies music. They also have a great Happy Hour and patio area.
Wurstküche -Rattlesnake and Rabbit sausage anyone? This and most of their other gourmet sausages are solid lunch options if you are in Downtown Los Angeles.
Indie/Progressive Rock - So maybe not all Indie/Prog Rock comes from Hipsterdom, but enough of it does. Wanna fight about it?
OK. OK. I will admit that it is waaay more fun to make fun of hipsters than to search for their admirable traits. It looks like there is plenty of that going on already. Enjoy!
yourscenesucks - No one is safe on this site which takes aim at the trendier subcultures with sarcastic bios and hilarious cartoons.
DieHipster - Ouch, that’s rough. This blog seems to blame all of the worlds problems on Brooklyn, NY hipsters.
Well into 2009, but better late than never. Snowboarding has spoken and Travis Rice is the new Guru. That’s It That’s All is the most entertaining, intense, and terrifying snowboard video to date. It has many other riders, but you know Travis’s tricks because he comes in with twice the speed, hops, and trick difficulty while still riding away clean. Here is the teaser from the video “That’s It, That’s All”, which may still be sold out in stores. Make it through the long intro and you will be rewarded.
For surfing, the “Chosen One” isn’t quite as clear, but some of the best footage that I saw in 2008 was from a POV cam mounted on the back of Brian Conley’s board as he pushes through some lengthy tube rides in the South Pacific. Here’s a teaser for that.
On a recent trip to Canada, I noticed that folks up there had a different type of late night food craving. After a big night in Los Angeles, standard grub is usually a bacon wrapped hot dog (dirty dog) or a carne asada burrito. After the bars closed up there, we saw lines forming outside small cafes which specialized in Poutine. Pronounced “Pooh - teen”, this greasy concoction consists of french fries, melted cheese curds, and brown gravy poured on top. Many other toppings can be added to this dish, which originated in Quebec. Here is my first Poutine from Zog’s in the Whistler Village.
Zogs Dogs
4340 Sundial Cres RR 4
Whistler, BC V0N 1B4
(604) 938-6644
The dish is so popular in Canada, that it is sold in fast food chains like McDonalds, but is also served in fine dining restaurants. There are many regional variations of the dish. There is Montreal, Greek, Donair, and Breakfast styles. One of the more popular versions is Italian Poutine (also from Zogs pictured below) which has spaghetti sauce instead of the gravy.
One of the more memorable Poutine experiences of the trip was at Fritz’s European Fry House which is known to serve the best Poutine in Vancouver. The spot is located in the heart of downtown Couver and is packed with “Poutine-heads”. They also offer lots and LOTS of dipping sauces for your poutine. What makes a greasy dish like Poutine even better? Your choice of Several mayo-based dipping sauces. The one below has a hefty serving of garlic mayo on the side. It was some “wicked good poutine”.
Fritz’s European Fry House
718 Davie St.(at Granville)
Vancouver BC
V6Z 1B6
(604) 684-0811
It is even a verb at some restaurants in Canada. To “poutinized” something, is to add cheese curds and brown gravy to it. One day, I will “poutinize” a dirty dog.
The Coachella Music and Arts Festival turns 10 this year and the 3 day concert is still rocking the best mainstream and indie music acts on the planet. So far, there are 122 artists signed up to play in Indio, California from April 17-19th 2009. The lineup is really a maze of talent which only the most seasoned music buff could navigate. This playlist from iMeem is a great study guide for those interested in getting a taste of the music at Coachella beforehand.
With more on the line, and the level of play much higher, a crowd gathered at the Battle of the Berrics for the Semis and Finals of the biggest SKATE tournament ever.
Here are the final 3 matchups between Mike Mo Capaldi, Billy Marks, PJ Ladd, and Benny Fairfax. I won’t spoil the outcome, but there are some surprise celebrity judges and a special prize for the winner.
Battle At The Berrics Semi Finals: Mike Mo Capaldi Vs Billy Marks
Battle At The Berrics Semi Finals: PJ Ladd Vs Benny Fairfax
Let me start by saying, I have never been there, but I plan on trying it this weekend. The local buzz around these 2 taco trucks (named Verde and Roja) is pretty huge. I like how they are out there bringing interesting food to adventurous diners everywhere. It is also cool is how Kogi is technically proficient with their weekly schedule posted on their website and their frequent articles/twitters about (hmmmm)…rolling around Los Angeles in a Roach Coach filled with Bulgogi and Tofu Tacos.
The Korean style beef, chicken, pork, and tofu tacos are also available at the Alibi Room. In addition to the Kogi Taco Truck fare, the Alibi Room also has some other Korean Fusion bar food on their menu. Rumor has it that the Kogi sensation has revitalized the Alibi Room so get ready for crowds.
Alibi Room
12236 W Washington Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(310) 390-9300
Here is a cool blog all about Los Angeles “Taco Lifestyle” and this is their article about the Kogi Taco Truck.
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. This large hard cover book by Lance Mountain and Salman Agah (follow him on twitter 
