I learned three things recently, and all from reading one article:       1) It is possible to swallow an entire pen, by accident, without causing yourself serious harm. 2) Pens sometimes do not show up on x-rays (despite the fact that they are PENS). 3) A pen that has been hanging out in your stomach for 25 years is still capable of writing. It’s gross, it’s weird, and it’s 100 percent true. A ... Read More

La Sera performing at the Bowery Ballroom in March. Photo credit: Bao Nguyen. No matter how you look at it, 2011 was the Year of the Woman, music-wise. It was a year ruled by Adele and Florence & the Machine and Lady Gaga, by Rihanna and Nicki Minaj and even Britney Spears. (I feel like I’m time-traveling back to become my 13-year-old self by saying this, but I actually really like Britney’s new music, okay?) And those are ... Read More

   I can’t believe we haven't written anything on Nightwish yet! Though the frontwoman has changed over the years, this Finnish symphonic metal band has always had a lady singing lead. (Tarja Turunen was the lead singer until 2005, when she was replaced by Swedish singer Anette Olzon.) The sound has changed a bit over the years; Anette’s voice is not as operatic as Tarja’s octave-defying vocals, and the music ... Read More

I am so far from a wine purist that it’s not even funny. I mean, I'd prefer it doesn't come from a box, but 90% of the time, my choice is based on the attractiveness of the label. (Yes, I’m one of those people.) So this article from one of last week’s issues of the New York Times caught my eye almost as much as the labels it discusses. There’s apparently a trend in the wine-naming world toward sassy, obnoxious ... Read More

I browse so many articles online each day, but this one's my favorite today, by far. After seeing a lesbian couple outside a bar in Washington State, William Adam Lane started yelling nasty comments, and even smashed the back window of their car. Were the women intimidated? Did they cry, or go into hysterics, or faint? Nope. Instead, one of the women tackled the man and pinned him to the ground to keep him from getting away, while they ... Read More