Could giant snails end starvation in Africa?It may sound gross, but the giant snail is more nutritious than beef, rich in protein, iron, calcium, zinc, and essential vitamins, and is widely available in Africa. Could giant snail pies be the starving continent’s saviour?
Life / Culture
Ghetto gourmet: Cookin’ With Coolio
’90s rapper Coolio is releasing a cookbook, Cookin’ with Coolio, featuring such recipes as “Chicken Lettuce Blunts” and “Drunk-Ass Chicken” in a style of cooking he calls “Ghetto Fusion”. Check out the book’s Top 10 quotes: “Everything I cook tastes better than yo’ momma’s nipples.”
Leaked: The Lonely Planet website? We’re dubious
An internal Lonely Planet email reveals a rather amusing little prank from the publishing house’s Czech & Slovak Republics guidebook that clearly slipped past the subs.
Will Ferrell: Hollywood’s most overpaid star
Forbes has compiled a list of the 10 most overpaid actors in Hollywood. Coming in at number one is Will Ferrell, whose recent film, Land of the Lost, earned only $65 million on an estimated budget of $100 million.
Callan to Breaker: a little of us in all Woodward
Edward Woodward, the man who played Callan and Breaker Morant, is dead. He should be honoured in Australia for playing a wronged anti-hero of the Boer war, writes Peter Craven.
Film review: Paranormal Activity — no frills fear
Paranormal Activity is a no frills camcorder-shot thriller that cost around US$11,000 to make. So far it’s pocketed more than US$100 million, with much more business to come. But is it any good? Luke Buckmaster checks it out.
The 100 best books of the decade
The Times lists its pick for the 100 best books of the noughties, with plenty of controversial picks sure to see the scones flying at your next book club (Twilight? The 9/11 Commission Report? The Da Vinci Code?).
Beenie man is a product of entrenched homophobia in Jamaica
Beenie, the Jamaican DJ just dropped from the Big Day Out, may be a phenomenal talent. But he has, at various times, been openly, flagrantly — almost murderously — homophobic.
Why wine critics are just taking the piss
The ratings and medals meted out to fine wines aren’t worth the fancy-pants label-paper they’re printed on, according to scientists. In blind tests, critics regularly give the same wine completely different reviews.
The ultimate tight-arse guide to cheap (and free) eats
Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch? BillShrink presents the ultimate guide to eating on the cheap — from ordering off the kids’ menu and pretending it’s your birthday to the ultimate in desperate dining, the Ikea cafeteria.
Sarah Palin’s Going Rogue: the reviews are in…
The most highly-anticipated book of the year, Going Rogue by former Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin is about to hit shelves, and the critics have weighed in. Is it scandalous? Insightful? Coherent? The WSJ wraps the coverage.
Fiction is dead; long live the autobiography!
What’s with the spate of tell-alls, autobiographies and memoirs lately? According to a new book, it’s all about the “democratisation” of authorship: everyone has a story to tell, and it’s now easier than ever to tell it.
Is colour a limited resource?
The colour palette is shrinking as brands stake their claim, bit-by-bit, on the exclusive rights to individual tones. You already can’t use Jay-Z blue, or T-Mobile’s magenta. Are we literally selling off the rainbow?
Film review: 2012 — die-hard disaster porn
The plot may be clunky and the science very sketchy, but in strictly visual terms, 2012 is simply the most spectacular disaster picture ever made, says Luke Buckmaster. Full-blown cinematic sadism.
America opens its first pot cafe
America’s first “pot cafe” has opened its doors in Portland, Oregon. Certified medical marijuana can get their dose of Mary Jane from the “budtenders”, as well as food, should the munchies strike. Trippy.
Rundle: Bob Carr, PIR galah
Bob Carr’s weekend op-ed in The Oz demonstrates in miniature all the arrogance and mendacity of the big chains’ participation in the parallel book imports debate — and why they lost it, says Guy Rundle.
The 50 best music videos of the last decade
As the decade winds up, every man and his dog is weighing in one the “Top x” of the past 10 years. Paste gives its take on the best music videos of the noughties — with an Aussie contender making it into the top 5.
Where’s the book buyer’s voice in the book debate?
We’ve heard from the ideologues, the book sellers and working authors. So where’s the book buyer’s voice in the book import discussion? Michael R. James weighs in.
More revelations from Sarah Palin’s book
The contents of Sarah Palin’s new book, Going Rogue, are beginning to leak out. Amongst the revelations, Palin claims she was hushed-up from speaking on election night and the McCain campaign slugged her with a $500k legal bill.
PIR decision: Australian writers need to be left the fuck alone, to write
The government’s decision to retain parallel import restrictions on books is a rotten one, most of all for Australian writers, writes author Jack Robertson.
Can prisoners on death row really request anything for their last meal?
Ever pondered what your final meal would be if you were facing the noose? Contrary to popular belief, prisoners on Death Row in the US don’t always get what they ask for. In fact, many just get something slapped together by a fellow inmate.
Video of the Day: Ambiguous film endings resolved
There’s nothing worse than a film with no closure. College Humour revisits some of cinema’s most ambiguous endings to tie up the loose ends.
A tantalising taste of Sarah Palin’s new book
What’s in Sarah Palin’s new book, Going Rogue? Mark Halperin has the inside scoop: McCain aides and the national media cop a bashing, plus a cheeky “screw you” to the DC establishment.
Kerr: Rudd betrays his party roots for publishers
Kevin Rudd showed celebrity means more to him than education and ideas by supporting the publishing industry over cheaper books for consumers, says Christian Kerr. His ALP forebears would not be impressed.
Stutchbury: Rudd’s book backdown shows a lack of spine
Kevin Rudd’s inability to stand up to Australia’s lightweight publishing industry and a bunch of angry authors betrays his lack of policy backbone in supporting the free market, says Michael Stuchbury.
