- Every country has its moments of crisis. For Italy, those
moments often involve some type of food or beverage, mostly because the
Italians crank out some kick-ass dining table choices and take their food very
seriously. That makes this week’s shocking seizure of 2,400 wheels of contaminated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
extremely alarming. Italian police seized the renegade Reggiano and detained
four people in the latest safety problem to strike one of the Mediterranean
nation’s most prized foods. According to agricultural officials, the
confiscated cheese was contaminated with aflatoxin, a highly-carcinogenic toxin
that can be found in corn used to feed animals. Italy's health ministry
released a statement pounding its own chest and informing the world that the
seizure showed that inspections were working to identify problems and the
investigation showed "the number of cases is limited." Parmigiano-Reggiano
cheese is known as parmesan cheese beyond Italy’s borders and it is a hard
cheese made of raw cow's milk. According to Italy's Coldiretti farmers'
association, the Parma region will produce about 3.25 million wheels this year.
Taking away a measly 2,400 of those wheels is a small price to pay for keeping
the country’s reputation intact by avoiding making people sick with toxic
cheese. Other recent food seizures in Italy have seen batches of contaminated
mozzarella cheese and prized prosciutto-cured ham taken off the market, but
thankfully there have not been any significant scares when it comes to the
country’s valued wine and pasta stockpiles. The health ministry did not say how
the seized cheese may have become contaminated or how the four people arrested
were connected to the case………
- Does the world feel a little smoother and a lot more suave
today? If so, know that it’s because long-absent R&B crooner D'Angelo's
manager has confirmed that the singer's new album will be released this year.
Known both for his soulful style and extremely sexually suggestive music
videos, D'Angelo, real name Michael Archer, dropped two extremely successful
soul albums – “Brown Sugar” in 1995 and “Voodoo” in 2000 – before completely
falling off the map for more than a decade. Rumors of weight gain and other
personal issues surfaced from time to time, but Archer never felt compelled to
show up anywhere to address them. Now, Kevin Liles of KWL Management claims
that Archer’s third release will be out by the end of the year and intimated
that there is so much material that there could be a bonus release or two. “There'll
be an album this year: there's 14 records so far, we might have a couple of
bonus records, but all the recording is basically done and we're mixing and
mastering now,” Liles said. “Definitely, he'll be back.” Without giving up too
much about the project, Liles said there is a "rock influence" on the
record. He cited influences such as James Brown and Prince on the album and
promised the album would be followed by an international tour starting in
October. News of the new album first leaked earlier this year, when producer
Russell Elevado posted three videos from Los Angeles' Henson Recording Studio
onto YouTube, previewing new tracks for the release. D’Angelo was last seen on
stage in March 2013, when he played a rare live show in New York alongside
?uestlove of The Roots at
Brooklyn Bowl. A series of live dates last August were canceled by Archer’s
hospitalization, but he seems to be in much better spirits and health these
days………
- Criticizing the reigning NBA MVP and suggesting he needs
to drastically improve part of his game this offseason would normally be a bad
idea. Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick
Perkins doesn’t exactly have the résumé in the Association to lay out such a
player, but Perkins is the sort of tough, nasty veteran who doesn’t give a damn
and will speak his mind anyhow. Perkins, who clearly should be relegated to a
garbage-time, veteran leader role rather than playing meaningful minutes for a
contender even if his coach isn't willing to admit it, has some thoughts on how
Thunder star Kevin Durant could improve coming off his aforementioned MVP campaign.
"I feel like he could get stronger, in my opinion," Perkins said..
"I think that would help him a lot. I told him all the good and great
players that played the game, from Jordan, Kobe, LeBron, they all put size on
them, and it helped them." In Perkins’ eyes, the added strength would help
Durant be more effective defensively while expanding his offensive game by
making him a more dependable threat in the low post. Durant also played a
league-high number of minutes last season and in the eyes of someone who was
there to watch all 4,000-plus minutes, the long hours on the court wore on
Durant as the year went on. "Seems like there was possessions he was
tired," Perkins added. "But, like I said, I think that's [when]
getting in the weight room plays a factor. Cause then you could let your body
take over." Having a coach who ran an actual offense would also be
helpful, but Durant can’t exactly force Scott Brooks to do that. For his part,
Durant conceded that he can "always be better" when it comes to
helping the Thunder chase a championship. Whether that improvement starts in
the weight room or elsewhere, a star entering his prime has plenty of pressure
on his shoulders………
- What’s wrong with you, America? Specifically, why the hell
do you have such a creepy and unnatural fascination with those accused of
violent crimes and heinous deeds the instant they end up in a prison jumpsuit
and a small concrete-and-metal cell? And no, this has nothing to do with
swooning women lining up outside the courthouse whenever former New England
Patriots tight end and current accused gang banger/serial killer Aaron
Hernandez and looking as if they might faint at the mere sight of Hernandez
doing a perp walk to or from court. This is about a mug shot. Specifically, it
is the mug shot of a man arrested on a gun charge in Stockton, Calif. Stockton police
staged a multi-location gun raid, storming 11 different properties to take
possession of illegal weapons and arrest those suspected of buying and selling
them. In the process, officers arrested four people and seized two rifles, a
handgun and a shotgun at one home, with the suspects identified as Jeremy
Meeks, 30, Terry Bailey, 22, Jurzi Coleman, 18, and Joelin Coleman, 44. All
four of these aspiring merchants of deaths now face felony weapons charges and
following their arrests, their mug shots were posted on the department’s
Facebook page. All of that is standard operating protocol, but what happened
next is not. Meek’s photo inspired plenty of reaction from people not only in
Stockton, but well beyond the city limits. Within 24 hours, , Meeks’ photo had
more than 20,000 “likes” and 5,200 comments, with desperate ladies around the
world posting messages saying how hot he looked and even asking, “Is it illegal
to be that sexy?” No, it is not. It is also not illegal to be a
disturbed jackass who is turned on by criminals. If only there were a law
against having no personal dignity………
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