Snookin' for love

After just two weeks of dating, Snooki's boyfriend, Jeff Miranda, has proposed on the cover of the September 10 issue of the New Jersey tabloid 'Steppin' Out.'

"If people could see us together they would think we're a match made in heaven," the ex-Iraq veteran tells the magazine. "People think I'm using her for fame. But that's bullsh*t."

Classy guy.

Aside from the fact that his last ex got a restraining order against him because he allegedly beat her and threatened to kill her, I'm sure they'll be very happy. I wonder what they'll name their kids.

Read the full story at radaronline here.

Bad eggs hit close to home

As my other coworkers and I were pretending to be busy during our restaurant's slow hour the other day, one of my good friends had quite the scare.

"Oh my gosh," she said after sneaking a quick glance at a message on her phone. "I knew it!"

We edged closer, ready for a fresh batch of juicy gossip.

During an attempt to boil eggs earlier that day, Amanda had an unusual experience. For the vast majority of us who have cooked an egg before, you know that boiling an egg typically only takes a few minutes. You put the eggs in the pot, heat the pot, and then voila! Hard-boiled eggs.

But after a significant amount of time in the pot, Amanda's eggs wouldn't boil.

"I knew something was wrong," She said. "It was just weird. So I threw them all away and told my mom we needed to get more eggs."

And thank goodness she did. Turns out that message on her phone was from her mom. The grocery store had called and warned about a recall on their eggs because they were infected with salmonella.

While salmonella is only life-threatening in rare cases, it can definitely incapacitate your immune system for a few days. Most infected individuals usually experience flu symptoms for between four and seven days, and recover without treatment. However, a small number may go on to develop Reiter's Syndrome, causing joint pain, eye irritation and painful urination that can last for months.

Amanda's egg-episode is like that of many across the nation who are experiencing the after-effects of a recall of about a half-billion eggs. While over half of farmers nationwide do voluntarily vaccinate chickens to avoid contaminated eggs, it is not required by law in the U.S.

The vaccine, which was created in 1992, is of relatively low cost to farmers. The only reason it hasn't been mandated is because it isn't free for farmers and because advocates have been focused on "more comprehensive food safety reforms."

Although the U.S Food & Drug Administration has not yet determined how the hens in Iowa became infected, many hope the recent contamination will change vaccine regulations.

Lucky for Amanda, she likes her eggs boiled.

Read the full story at the Huffington Post here.

As for now, stick to pancakes.

Always,

j.cole

The 'lost generation': record-high unemployment

If you've recently graduated college like myself, I don't need to tell you this. You may even choose to stop reading right here, as the following paragraphs are only a depressing addition to what we've already discovered for ourselves.

Global youth unemployment (15-24 year olds) has officially hit a record high and is likely to get worse as the year goes on, said the International Labor Organization (ILO) last Thursday. According to the report, 7.8 million more individuals in that age bracket were unemployed at the end of 2009 than in 2007.

The ILO stated that these trends will have "significant consequences for young people as upcoming cohorts of new entrants join the ranks of the already unemployed."

Thus, the "lost generation" is born.

Apparently youth unemployment rates are more sensitive to the current economic crisis than adults, and experts expect it will take longer for the youth employment market to recover.

My stipulation is that this is because we are the lost generation; no one will hire us because we just can't compete against more experienced individuals. Those who have lost their jobs for some reason or another will take the entry-level jobs that we would normally compete for, and we are left behind, jobless and knee-deep in student loans.

Sucks.

Read the full story at CNBC here.

Kanye collaborates with Bon Iver

In an unexpected move by the outspoken hip hop mogul, Kanye West has teamed up with the Justin Vernon, lead singer of Bon Iver, in the recording studio.

Apparently, the rapper is a huge fan of the indie rock music genre, saying he is inspired by groups like Radiohead, Grizzly Bear and Peter Bjorn and John. (We all know country is not his thing.)

Vernon will take part in upcoming sessions for West's new album, set to release November 15th. In stark contrast to Bon Iver's famous recording experience in a shack in the wilderness, West will record in sunny Hawaii. (For clarification, listen to "Woods.")

I'm thinking he'll use that picture for the single.

Read the full article at ClashMusic here.

Always,

j.cole, (your source for the best collaborations)

Coca-Cola: No one actually believes our lies.

When Coca-Cola decided to make a beverage called "VitaminWater", it was pretty clear what they were after. We all know water is good for you, and vitamins- well, duh.

Between marketing the product as a refreshing sports drink through basketball moguls like Lebron James and Kobe Bryant to convincing us that VitaminWater Revive is the perfect cure to our hangover, the company has done a pretty good job communicating to the public that Vitamin Water is a tasty and nutritious beverage. (See photo to the left for clarification.)

Wrong.

In a new lawsuit filed against VitaminWater by a non-profit public interest group, Coca-Cola not only acknowledged the group's allegations that the product is not a healthy beverage are true, they defended themselves by claiming that "no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking VitaminWater was a healthy beverage."

Really? Because I'm pretty positive we all were.

As John Robbins of the Huffington Post discovered, it turns out VitaminWater is essentially sugar water "with about a penny's worth of synthetic vitamins." Each bottle contains 33 grams of sugar. A can of Coke contains about 40.

Given that Americans consume an average of 25 percent of their caloric intake from sugary beverages, and that we all know the average citizen needs to drop a few pounds, that is a huge problem. A person trying to lose weight could be misled into thinking they're making a healthy choice when in fact they might as well choose a cola anyways.

So...what they really meant to say in the advertisement above is, "Thank GOD Kobe doesn't consume this as much as we're pretending he does because then he would be obese...?"

Seems like Coca-Cola is on a mission to keep America fat.

To read the full article at the Huffington Post, click here.

Stewart weighs in on "Ground Zero Mosque"

In the past few weeks, countless media outlets and public figures have stepped up and voiced their opinion against plans for a "Ground Zero Mosque" to be built in New York City. For many susceptible citizens, just the combination of those three words ignited our American flame inside and sent a rush of adrenaline through our body.

Obviously, wise and seasoned Sarah Palin immediately felt the need to step up and give her two cents. I must admit, even I was outraged. Until I did a little research like John Stewart.

On his show, he pointed out two key facts:

1. The Mosque is not a mosque. It's a Muslim community center. Religious services will not be held there.

2. It's not even truly at Ground Zero! The center will take over where a Burlington Coat Factory used to be. While many would like to call that "hallowed ground", those who have actually taken a look at it would beg to differ.

Stewart ends the show with a wise statement: "Why does everyone think America is divided?" he asked. "It appears distrust of Muslims is the only thing that goes from 'sea to shining sea.'"

Watch the video and read the full story as covered by the Huffington Post here.

Unemployment makes for a bad case of the Mondays.

I woke up this morning after a great weekend and reality set in like a ton of bricks.

Summer is almost over, everyone who is still lucky enough to be in college is headed back to school, and I'm without a full time job, living at home with my parents.

Ouch.

And as I scan my favorite news outlets in search of good news, I find only more depressing statistics. Unemployment rates still loom at a hopeless number, layoffs and budget cuts are endless, and meanwhile President Obama calls for 60 percent of the nation to posses a college degree. HELLO? It's hard enough to find a job as it is. The last thing we need is more competition to further delay our paying off of student loans and moving on to better things.

As for now, you can catch me waiting tables and hoping for a miracle.

14-Year-old sets sail around the world

A 14-year-old Dutch girl set sail early this morning in hopes of becoming the youngest individual to ever circle the globe.

Laura Dekker, who left her home port of Den Osse, became determined to make her voyage a reality after being placed under Dutch authorities for two months in fear that the trip was too dangerous. The girl and her parents were ruled against last October, but assured that she would be allowed to make the trip this year if she fulfilled certain requirements.

Dekker will travel with her father until she reaches Lisbon, Portugal, in two weeks. Then, she will officially begin her solo sailing trip around the world with her yacht, Guppy.

Call me crazy, but what parents in their right mind would let their daughter sail around the world alone? I mean honestly. Go on a reality T.V show or something if you're that desperate for fame.

As for you, Laura- good luck. Hopefully Guppy will serve you well.

Read the full article here.

Couple recycles their way to a wedding

In the midst of depressing news segments, financial worry and environmental woes, Pete and Andrea Geyer decided to show the world what they're made of.

The Spokane, Wash., couple collected over 400,000 aluminum cans in the last year and cashed them in for the $3,800 that paid for their wedding.

"We couldn't have done this without all our friends and family," Peter Geyer said in an interview with CBS News. "It's just as much them as it is us."

The couple collected a whopping 280,000 cans on their own, and after starting a website and receiving national attention, they received an extra donation from Alcoa and the United Recycling Services so they could reach their goal of 400,000.

Talk about a love story. And that's not all.

The couple will continue to collect cans and donate the money to nonprofits of their choice. Read the full article at the Huffington Post here.

Apparently 90 days means 13

After serving only 13 days of her original 90-day jail sentence, 24-year-old actress Lindsay Lohan was ordered released from a county jail in Lynwood, Calif. early this morning.

Convicted for violating probation on her 2007 D.U.I., Lohan was taken directly to a substance abuse treatment center. According to the Los Angeles Times, she was expected to serve a much shorter sentence due to "reductions for good behavior and a program to relieve jail crowding."

Sounds like another case of a Hollywood celebrity getting off the hook. Sad, too; I had a lot of respect for the Beverly Hills judge that tried to give her a reality check. She already "completed" an alcohol education program...while ditching most of the classes. Why do they think she'll change in this new program now?

Well, I guess only time will tell if the girl can actually get her act together. Maybe she can start by getting some nail polish remover for the big "F.U" on her middle fingers. (C'mon Linds. Probably not the brightest idea you've had.)

Read the full story here.

'Despicable Me' is anything but despicable

Almost a month after the movie was released in July, I finally made it over to theaters to see 'Despicable Me' (in 3D might I add.) At first, I was kind of mad I paid $13.00 for a children's movie and some crappy plastic glasses, but let me tell you it was well worth it.

I found it touching, adorable and utterly hilarious; entertaining from start to finish, and leaving you with the classic 'feel-good feeling' that we all enjoy from time to time.

If you haven't seen it, get on it. Steve Carell is great, and on top of everything, the soundtrack is worth listening to. I think it's pretty cool that a kid's movie asked a hip hop mogul like Pharrell Williams to do the job.