Blog

Lamar Odom Hospitalization Hits Basketball Pros Hard

The hospitalization of Lamar Odom has affected a number of current and former basketball pros, with some of them taking to Twitter to voice their support and others traveling to Nevada to visit him in the hospital. Kobe Bryant reportedly left immediately after a Los Angeles Lakers preseason game to travel to the Nevada hospital to see his friend and former teammate in the hospital. Odom and Bryant were teammates for seven seasons from 2004 to 2011. Several other members of the Lakers have also traveled to Nevada to support Odom.

Lamar Odom was a top-tier NBA talent and a two-time champion. He is also one of the most universally beloved teammates in the league. Those who know him describe him as sensitive, funny, genuine, and engaging. Dwayne Wade said he was praying for his friend to pull through, a sentiment echoed by Eric Gordon, Nick Young, and Paul Pierce.

Odom was found unconscious in a Nevada brothel on Tuesday afternoon. The sheriff’s department in Las Vegas reported that a call for an unresponsive male at the Love Ranch came in at 3:15pm. Paramedics treated the male at the scene before he was taken to a nearby hospital. An investigation into the incident has been launched, but what was found, if anything, has not been disclosed.

Sources from the ranch have reported that Lamar Odom arrived at the ranch on Saturday and had been partying with the girls for days. On Tuesday afternoon, a woman went into the room he rented in the VIP suites and found him unconscious. The woman alerted the manager, who called 9-1-1 and went to see it aid could be rendered. The manager reportedly saw a mucus-type liquid coming out of Odom’s mouth and nose.

Medical personnel wanted to airlift Odom for treatment, but his 6’10” frame was too large to fit in the helicopter so he was transported by ground instead. Sources are reporting that the former basketball player is in a coma and is having serious medical issues with his heart, lungs, and kidneys. He is reportedly breathing with the assistance of machines and is considered to be in critical condition. His estranged wife Khloe Kardashian is reportedly at his bedside.

Odom’s troubles with drugs have been well documented over the past four years, culminating in his high profile divorce case with reality star Khloe Kardashian. Odom hasn’t played in an NBA game since May of 2013.

October 14, 2015
Presidential Campaign Music Raises Artists’ Ire

Presidential campaigns are carefully choreographed affairs where every detail of a candidate’s image is examined and enhanced to show them in the best light. The clothing the candidate wears, the strategically placed supporters, and the music used for entrances and exits from the stage are all cautiously selected by a team of campaign staffers.

Sometimes, problems occur when the politician, or their staff, does not inform the musicians that they intend to use their music as part of their campaign. The gaffes are typically blamed on campaign staffers lack of knowledge about the applicable rules. There is also a legal gray area over licensing rules for music in political campaigns.

It seems like it would be easy for politicians to avoid using songs that will get them publicly shamed by musicians. It tends to occur every presidential campaign season. The musicians that created these songs are not always happy to find out that a presidential campaign is using their song during their events.

Neil Young complained to the Donald Trump campaign in June over its use of his song “Rockin’ In The U.S.A.” at a campaign event. Then, last month at a rally opposing President Obama’s deal with Iran, Trump took the stage with “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” by R.E.M. playing over the sound system in the background.

The members of the band quickly took to social media to angrily denounce Trump’s use of the song at the rally. An official statement from the band says that the band’s members “do not authorize or condone the use of our music at this political event, and do ask that these candidates cease and desist from doing so.”

Last weekend, Trump was dinged by another artist for using music in his campaign without permission. Steven Tyler, the lead singer of Aerosmith, had his lawyer send a cease and desist letter to Trump’s campaign threatening legal action if he continued to use the band’s 1973 hit “Dream On” at his events.

The letter stated, “If Trump for President does not comply with our demands, our client will be forced to pursue any and all legal or equitable remedies which our client may have against you.” Subsequent reports have stated that Tyler and Trump have spoken and Trump has agreed to no longer use the song.

October 13, 2015
Would You Swallow A Fitness Tracker?

Fitness trackers are very popular these days. They come in a wide variety of sizes and styles so anyone can find one to fit their lifestyle. According to 2014 studies, roughly 20 percent of adults in the United States has at least one fitness tracker device. However, only half of those adults actually use them, creating a big problem for the tech companies that make the fitness trackers.

Tech start-up Jawbone believes that they have the solution: an ingestible fitness tracker that you swallow. The company revealed their plans in a talk during the Code/Mobile Conference recently held in California. Jawbone says that ingestibles are the next wave of fitness technology. The FDA has already approved two ingestible sensors for human use.

The new fitness tracker will monitor your health from the inside out. The company says that swallowing the fitness tracker would be much more convenient than wearing one. Having the user swallow the fitness tracker also allows it to monitor a wide range of data not available to today’s fitness trackers.

The company intends to develop two different types of ingestible fitness trackers. The first would be a version that would pass through your system after a certain amount of time. These devices would be able to scan everything from heart rate to oxygen levels to digestion efficiency during its journey.

The second type of device would be able to stay in the bloodstream indefinitely. These devices would be used for long term health tracking, monitoring hormone levels, gut bacteria, and a wide range of other health indications. The new devices are still in the conceptual stage.

It will be more difficult to cheat the device if the fitness tracker is monitoring your health from the inside. The fitness trackers available today can be duped by certain repetitive motions. When the measurements come from the inside, the tracker knows if your heart rate hasn’t risen enough to indicate strenuous exercise.

In the future, Jawbone would like to develop a fitness tracker that interacts with the other technology around you. For example, if the tracker senses that your body temperature is dropping, it could raise the temperature on your thermostat to make you more comfortable. If it sensed your melatonin levels dropping, indicating sleepiness, it could dim the lights for you. The possibilities are endless with this type of technology.

October 13, 2015
New Ipiit App Could Save Your Life

Food allergies are serious business. They are very common, with nearly 3 million cases recorded in the United States annually. Consume the wrong thing and a trip to the emergency room might be in order.

A new app called Ipiit aims to reduce your chances of eating the wrong things by helping you figure out what to avoid. The Ipiit app works by telling you whether the products you are considering buying from the grocery store fit into your preset dietary profile. The food profile created by the app is unique to each user. The app is available for free through the Android Market and the App Store.

After installing the app, you must set your preferences so the app will know what foods you are trying to avoid. You can choose to avoid a specific allergen, a particular ingredient, or certain types of foods. You can also indicate specific dietary priorities, such as avoiding trans fats or limiting the sodium level. The preferences can be changed at any time.

Then, you can scan the bar codes of the products you are interested in with your smartphone. Any bar code scanned will produce symbols that indicate whether the food should be avoided or if it is okay based on your preset preferences. The app can only tell you the contents of packaged foods imprinted with a bar code. Any fresh items made by the store or its parent company, like fresh bakery products, deli salads, and rotisserie chickens, will not have information included in the app.

People with food allergies often find it difficult to keep track of all of their food restrictions. The app is also good for those who have dietary restrictions because of medications they are taking and people that are on a diet. Many health experts warn against consuming highly processed foods, but for most of us, eating all fresh foods all the time is unrealistic.

The Ipiit app has a number of other features that are also useful. The app can suggest alternative products that would suit your needs and fit your diet better. Users can leave product reviews for the things that they’ve tried and read reviews left by other members. Food producers can also access the customer reviews to see what consumers are saying about their products.

October 13, 2015
Condé Nast Launching Culinary Competitor To Food Network

Condé Nast has announced that it is launching a culinary video network through the Condé Nast Food Innovation Group. In summer of 2014, Condé Nast formed the Food Innovation Group when it placed Bon Appetit, its 60-year-old food magazine, and its digital food brand Epicurious under the same umbrella. The Food Innovation Group Video Network will feature innovative food programming from some of the world’s top chefs. Right now, the only major player in the food video industry is Food Network.

The Video Network is optimized for mobile, with the videos presented in a vertical format. Studies have shown that millennials, the audience most valuable to advertisers, watch most of their media through mobile. As more young consumers migrate to mobile, Condé Nast will be in position to provide them with information in their desired format. Food is the third most popular category for millennials, after fitness and fashion.

Advertisers will be able to attach their ads to pre-produced content or can work with the editing team to create branded content. Luxury automaker Infinity has already signed on to purchase branded ads on the Kitchen Tools series of content.

Condé Nast is a division of Advance Publications and is headquartered at One World Trade Center in New York City. The company decided to expand its food video offerings when it discovered that placing food videos next to related articles resulted in a considerable increase in traffic. The company saw a huge opportunity in the industry and decided to take it.

The company is planning to use different types of videos for its Epicurious and Bon Appetit brands. The videos for Epicurious will be mostly of the how-to variety, teaching the audience how to create culinary masterpieces. The videos for Bon Appetit will feature well-known personalities from the cooking world.

The first videos on the Video Network will mainly be for Bon Appetit. Over time, the network will expand to 25 different shows and user-generated content from more than 100 food bloggers from around the world.

One show that is scheduled for the Video Network is a show called “24 Hours In…” The show is based on a story by Andrew Knowlton published in Bon Appetit earlier this year describing how he spent 24 hours working at a Waffle House to see what it would like. Episodes of the show are likely to include Knowlton, and possibly others, taking 24 hour stints are various jobs across the country.

October 13, 2015
New Twilight novel released with a twist

Fans of Edward and Bella are jumping for joy today. The author of the iconic Twilight novels has released her newest work, Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined, which is available today as bonus material in the 10th anniversary edition of Twilight. The 10th anniversary edition of Twilight is available online and in bookstores across the nation today.

Author Stephanie Meyer says that the new Twilight novel is based on the previous books with one notable twist: the genders of the main characters have been swapped. Edythe is a female vampire that falls in love with human boy Beau.

Meyer penned all the four books in the original Twilight series, all of which reached number one on USA Today’s Best Selling Books List. She also saw her books turned into movie masterpieces with the two main characters played by Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in the film adaptations. The movies took in a combined box office total of more than $1 billion.

The front cover of the anniversary edition has the familiar Twilight image while the back cover swaps the red apple with a green one. The green apple is held in one male hand instead of two female hands. A small image of the back cover has been placed on the front cover to ensure fans know they are getting the right edition of the book.

Meyer’s idea for the new novel came from her desire to do something fun for the 10th anniversary. With the gender swap in the new novel, the basic love story remains roughly the same. The personalities of the main characters are different, but it remains a story about a boy and a girl falling in love against the odds.

Now that her original fans are ten years older, Meyer is hoping that the new novel will attract a new audience. When asked if she believed the new novel will ever be turned into a movie, she said that she thinks its unlikely.

October 13, 2015
Selena Gomez Moves Past Illness – ‘Revival’ Heading for No. 1

Selena Gomez is on track to earn her second No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with her latest release, Revival.

Industry observers are predicting the set, which was released on Oct. 9 through Interscope Records. may move upwards of 110,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Oct. 15.

Good for her !

This after published reports detailed her diagnosis and battle with Lupus.

In a recent interview with Billboard Magazine, pop star Selena Gomez revealed that she has lupus. She reportedly underwent chemotherapy to treat the autoimmune disease. Rumors about the singer’s lupus diagnosis circulated in early 2014, but this is the first time that Gomez has publicly commented on having the disease.

Around the time Gomez was likely diagnosed with lupus, she canceled several appearances for her Stars Dance tour and stepped out of the spotlight for a bit. The cancellations stirred up gossip that the pop singer might be struggling with some type of addiction. At the time, she did not respond to the rumors.

The previous rumors of an addiction problem were further fueled by Gomez’s entry into a rehabilitation program. At the time, the singer’s rep even confirmed she was receiving treatment at Dawn at the Meadows Recovery Facility in Wickenburg, AZ. However, her rep denied that she was being treated for substance abuse and addiction, instead indicating that Gomez was seeking treatment for emotional issues, as well as for partying.

Gomez reports feeling hurt by all the negative speculation on whether or not she was dealing with a substance abuse problem when she was actually struggling with lupus.

The pop singer is not alone in her lupus diagnosis. Approximately 1.5 million Americans have been diagnosed with the disease. It is most common in women who are between 15 and 44 years of age.

According to Dr. Joan Merrill with the Lupus Foundation of America, “There can be an increased risk of…strokes, blood clotting in the legs or even heart attacks.”

Mild cases of the disease can be treated with anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressant drugs such as steroids or aspirin. More serious cases require chemotherapy.

In addition to discussing her lupus diagnosis and treatment during the interview, Gomez also opened up about struggling with her self-esteem. She admits to having a hard time dealing with hurtful comments posted on the Internet earlier this year. “I was in a bikini and got publicly ripped for being overweight,” she says. “That was the first time I’d experienced body shaming like that.” Gomez says she has since been working in therapy and is feeling more confident now.

She even posed nude on the cover of her new album, Revival.

October 12, 2015
WGN Explores America’s Slavery Past In Underground

WGN America’s new drama Underground shows slavery in a different light than history typically shows. The new show follows slaves from the deep south as they use the Underground Railroad to head for freedom. The stars of the show call it an adventure rather than a typical period piece.

The cast and creators appeared at New York Comic Con this weekend to talk about the show. At the event, WGN screened the first 25 minutes of the pilot episode.

Aldis Hodge stars in Underground as Noah, a slave that has tried to escape from his plantation many times. After Noah hears about the Underground Railroad, he enlists a group of slaves from his plantation to join him on the journey. The drama showcases the humanity of the slaves and their struggles to achieve their goal of freedom.

The violence of the era is also on full display in Underground. The slaves must travel for hundreds of miles through inhospitable terrain to make it to where they can be free. The escaped slaves know that the are being hunted by slave catchers day and night and the terrifying repercussions that await them if they are caught.

Underground tries to stay true to the era. As part of their research for the show, the creators listened to slave narratives held in the Library of Congress and pored over the book “The Underground Railroad” by William Still. The escaped slaves use hanging moss, the position of the stars, and symbols etched into the ground to guide their way.

The show was filmed in Louisiana on former plantations and their slave quarters. The terrain of Louisiana, full of bayous and swamps, helps the audience see the real struggles that the slaves went through on their quest for freedom. After reviewing the historical accuracy of the script, the Burden Museum in Baton Rouge allowed the show to shoot scenes in some of its historically preserved buildings.

The music of the show also sets it apart from other historical dramas. The show’s creators tapped Grammy winner John Legend as a music producer for the show and his opinions have a strong impact on the music used for the scenes. A lot of the music used for the show is modern. For example, Underground opens with an image of a slave on the run with Kayne West’s “Black Skinhead” track playing in the background.

October 12, 2015
Fashionable Gloves Making A Comeback This Fall

The fall fashion shows were showcasing fashionable gloves this year, showing that the hand-warmers are making a comeback in the world of fashion. At the Boss, Tracy Reese, and Band of Outsiders fashion shows, fashionable gloves were paired with business clothing to show just how fashionable these items can be. Oscar de la Renta and Tayna Taylor showed new designs for gloves meant to be worn with evening wear. If gloves are a fashion style that intrigues you, here are some rules for wearing gloves fashionably this fall.

No Mittens

No adult should be out and about wearing mittens. Mittens are not an appropriate style for grown-ups.

Fitting Gloves

Gloves are only fashionable if they fit properly. The gloves should fit the length of the fingers without appearing too short or hanging loose at the fingertips.

Picking Plain Gloves

Plain gloves are more interesting with details and a noticeable texture. Make sure the texture of the gloves doesn’t clash with the texture of your outfit.

Complementary Colored Gloves

When choosing fashionable gloves to go with an outfit, choose complementary colored gloves instead of matching colors exactly. This creates a more dramatic look and makes the gloves more noticeable.

Day Gloves

Gloves worn during the day should only be worn outdoors. When indoors, the gloves should be removed for etiquette’s sake.

Evening Gloves

Fashionable gloves for evening wear generally come in two colors, black and white, and are made of shiny fabrics like satin or silk. Shiny gloves should only be worn for evening events.

Jewelry

Watches and rings are typically worn under the gloves, not over them. Bracelets are the only jewelry worn over gloves.

Replacing Gloves

Fashionable gloves should be replaced if they have any snags or frayed threads protruding from them. Snags and frayed threads weaken the structure of the gloves and ruins their appearance.

Shaking Hands

Shaking hands with gloves is tricky. If wearing day gloves, it is polite to remove the gloves before shaking hands. Evening gloves can remain on when shaking hands, unless you are shaking hands with a head of state.

Eating With Gloves

Gloves should be taken off whenever you are eating. Proper etiquette advises that the gloves should be placed on your lap under your napkin during meals.

Dancing With Gloves

It is considered impolite to dance with a partner with your gloves on. The gloves can be placed inside a handbag or laid neatly at your place at the table until you return from the dance floor.

October 12, 2015
3 Horror Books Way Scarier Than Their Movies

The month of October is prime time for horror movies and books. Some classic horror movies have retained their popularity throughout the years because they scare the pants off of everyone that watches them, but many people do not know that the horror books they are based on are way scarier than their movies. Here are three horror books to read that are guaranteed to scare you more than their movies did.

IT by Stephen King

Tim Curry’s portrayal of Pennywise the clown in “IT” made thousands of adults rethink how scary clowns really are. The terrifying masterpiece follows seven kids who set out to fight an evil demon posing as the child killing clown Pennywise. The movie shows the myriad ways that children can be lured away by a stranger who seems harmless and the danger those kids encounter once they are alone with a true predator.

The book, released in 1986, completely explores the horrors that the movie glosses over, adding details to the kids’ traumas that are sure to send a shiver down your spine. The books also includes a number of terrifying incidents that didn’t make it to the big screen, such as one child’s fearsome encounter with an abandoned refrigerator in the woods. The horror book was the best selling book in the United States the year it was released, selling more than a million first-run copies.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The movie based on the book The Haunting of Hill House, simply titled “The Haunting,” follows a group of people who arrive at Hill House for a sleep study conducted by Dr. Marrow (Liam Neeson), only to find that it is actually an experiment in fear. As the group begins to learn the truth about the house and its former owner, they find that they must escape the house before they are all killed by the malevolent spirits inside.

The book, released in 1959, focuses more on true terror and suspense than on descriptive images of horrifying incidents. Many of the haunting episodes in the book are described vaguely, letting the readers rely on their imagination to fill in the blanks. The book was named one of the best literary ghost stories of the 20th century and was a finalist for the National Book Award.

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

Anthony Hopkins made Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the villain of the Oscar-winning Silence of the Lambs, a household name. His portrayal of the brilliant, psychotic cannibal captivated audiences worldwide and showed them how scary a highly intelligent psychopath could be.

The horror book that the movie is based on quickly became an international best seller after its release. The book further explores the relationship between Dr. Lecter and FBI agent Clarice Starling and has more clues and twists than the movie adaptation. Published in 1988, the book won the Bram Stoker Award for best novel that year and the Anthony Award in the same category the following year. It was also nominated for the World Fantasy Award in 1989.

October 12, 2015
Same Day Beauty Services Now Through LivingSocial

LivingSocial has taken beauty appointment bookings to the next level by launching its new FastBook service as a pilot program. FastBook allows LivingSocial members to book their beauty appointments in real time for last minute beauty needs. FastBook will first be available to customers in Austin, Texas and will be launched in other select cities at a later date.

The new FastBook service can be accessed through LivingSocial on desktop and mobile devices. Dozens of spas offering beauty services like massages, facials, and nail services are participating in the pilot program.

FastBook aims to make booking beauty appointments faster and more convenient. Customers using FastBook can schedule their appointments up to two weeks in advance, including booking and confirming appointments on the same day of the service. Customers can also use FastBook to compare prices between beauty service providers in their area. Photos and ratings of the service providers are also included.

LivingSocial launched another new initiative, called Restaurant Plus, in mid-September. That program lets customers save money automatically at restaurants participating in the program. The Restaurant Plus pilot program is being tested in Atlanta, Georgia and covers a wide range of locations, including full service restaurants, cafes, ice cream shops, and breweries. The company says that the initial customer tests of the service were “very successful.”

To participate in the program, the customer must register a payment card with the service. When a customer dines out at participating restaurants and pays with the registered payment card, they automatically earn up to 30 percent cash back on the purchase. Once the savings have reached a minimum amount, the customer will receive the savings as cash back on the registered payment card. If the minimum amount has not been reached by the cutoff date, the savings will roll over to the next month.

The new Restaurant Plus program can be used at any time of day for any items on the menu. The LivingSocial site contains a directory of establishments participating in the pilot program. The company says that the program provides an easier way to save than presenting a voucher, coupon, or gift card.

The two new pilot programs could cement LivingSocial’s position as the premiere place for people to find and share the best services and events around. The company’s website offers thousands of offers daily, saving customers money on everything from gourmet dinners to international travel. Businesses of any size can list their offerings through the site to reach a larger audience and, hopefully, attract more customers.

October 12, 2015