The "Daisy" Touch....

Everything he touches turns to… alive? A unique twist on the Midas Touch fable, one of ABC’S latest hits, Pushing Daisies, leaves viewers oddly enraptured with a once-taboo subject; death.

Piemaker Ned (Lee Pace) learns of his “gift” as a young child. When he touches the dead, they come back to life. One more touch and they are deceased again. However, in a cruel twist he has exactly 60 seconds to return them to the dead before they are permanently brought back to life.

To make things even more complicated, anything he keeps alive will result in the death of something or someone in its place.

His gift turns out to be quite lucrative when Ned crosses paths with special investigator Emerson Cod (Chi McBride), who convinces him to join forces. Ned helps Emerson solve murder mysteries and rake in the dough by interrogating the morgue’s latest guests and solving cases.

Ned seems to have his secret contained until he is called to the latest victim of a mysterious murder, Charlotte “Chuck” Charles (Anna Friel). After discovering it is his childhood sweetheart sleeping in the mahogany box before him, he makes the decision to keep her alive…at the sacrifice of others. To combat the minor problem of not being able to touch her, Ned creatively finds ways to allow for contact. Saran wrap kisses and a beekeeper-uniform waltz leave viewers giggling at the silliness of their circumstances.

After her impromptu resurrection, Chuck becomes the third party in Ned and Emerson’s triumvirate of the dead. While hiding out from her mourning aunts Vivian and Lily (Ellen Greene and Swoosie Kurtz), she plays the perky sidekick to grumpy Emerson and constantly-stressed Ned.

This is much to the chagrin of Ned’s secret admirer, vivacious Olive Snook (Kristin Chenoweth), who plays the only employee in Ned’s pie shop. Her constant scheming to snag her love combined with her penchant for performing musicals (alone) in her low-cut uniforms perfectly complement the already-fanatical story lines.

Producer Bryan Fuller effectively turns a grim subject into a laugh-out-loud comedy. With off the wall plotlines and ironic elements, such as dandelion-powered cars and morbidly obese grave-robbers, Pushing Daisies is sure to keep viewers glued to their sofas every Wednesday in anticipation of the trio’s next adventure.

Generation Techno- Savvy

"The Paradox of our time in history is that...we have more degrees but less sense"
-George Carlin

Today’s typical college student can barely remember a time when the internet was non-existent. As the years continue, the number of students that rely on technology to aid their learning will continue to grow rapidly. It is officially the Golden Age of the computer, internet, and technological advancement.

The only problem? Schools haven’t exactly caught up…and are losing the attention of students with outdated course requirements and lesson plans.

A typical college syllabus contains multiple lecture sessions, a few multiple-choice exams and midterms, along with various reading assignments and busy work.

For classes that require attendance, most students drudgingly attend lecture sessions with their prized laptops in tow so as not to lose points for absences. What the professors can’t see, however, is that while many appear to be earnestly taking notes as they’re clicking away, most are actually shooting out emails or checking their MySpace accounts for new picture comments.

Instructors will assign endless chapter summary assignments to supplement lectures and ensure that students have actually completed the reading. Though they might be surprised to learn that a good chunk never even crack open the text and many don’t even purchase it in the first place! Wouldn’t it seem that it’s time for change when students can still pass a course with flying colors without even glancing at a “required” textbook?

Sprinkled throughout most courses are also multiple choice exams, filled out on Scantrons, which do more to kill trees than teach students. While once considered a tool to evaluate a student’s comprehension of the material taught , it is becoming a reality that rote memorization of useless information might not be the way to go. Just because a college student spends 4 hours the night before a midterm committing a study guide to his/her memory does not mean it’s actually been absorbed.

Instead of evaluating a professor’s success by how many A’s are earned in his course, it might be more accurate to track how many students go on to actually use the information they are “taught” in their everyday lives or how many college graduates obtain jobs where the material they’ve been taught is relevant. Isn’t the point of a college education to prepare students for the “real world” or the workforce?

Sadly, college students have stopped paying attention. In order to cope, many lug an arsenal of technology to school with them to keep themselves entertained: laptops, cell phones, iPods, etc.. Warm bodies fill classrooms but their minds are playing hooky.

So what’s the answer then? How can educators reel students back in and make their mounting debt worth the while?

While basic reading and writing skills are absolutely imperative to functioning as a competent adult, technology intervention is the answer. Slideshow presentations, email forums, web-enhanced courses, chat room discussions, and hands-on experiments are just some of the tools that many instructors are using to grab the attention of their many visual learners.

Assigning an essay on YouTube or keeping in contact with students via Facebook might seem foreign and even intimidating to many educators, but we live in a world where novel ideas are the most attractive and with so much stimuli attacking the brains of students on a daily basis (radio, TV, internet, magazines, music downloading, email, text messaging, etc.), it has become critical for professors to fight off the outside distractions and grab the focus of seemingly sidetracked pupils.

As technology continues to advance and multimedia becomes more accessible everyday, classrooms have a multitude of options at their fingertips.

College students are enrolled because they want to be… now is the time to take control of the educational institution before it falls through the cracks.

Crush 29....

Immediately upon entering Crush 29’s massive double doors, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to leave your troubles at the door. You might also be surprised to find how fun it is to watch the movers and shakers of Placer County at the trendy, upscale eatery.

Special touches like the complimentary valet service, the outdoor lounging couches, and even the fancy breadsticks served in glasses attempt at differentiating Crush from every other restaurant in town. However, one can’t help but wonder who really wants to sip their wine in a lounge area that overlooks not only a Chevron station but a busy intersection.

Once inside, it’s a different story. You’ll most likely find yourself gravitating towards the enormous circular bar, where you can enjoy their specialty martini, the “Crushtini”, which will leave your nose tickling from the dry ice cleverly placed in the bottom. Or, for the winos in the crowd, Crush features an impressive wine list of over 50 glasses.

If you absolutely love your selection, you can purchase from a selection of over 150 bottles at their in-house wine shop, where they also offer wine-tasting. In addition, each week a chef from a different winery visits to offer a special menu made to pair with a specialty wine.

The designers of the restaurant successfully created a lounge-like atmosphere that invites diners to stay as long as their glasses are filled. The overhead lighting bathes the venue in warm lighting and is set to dim when nighttime falls. The eclectic choice of jazz and house music adds to the hip ambiance, but makes it difficult to actually hear any sort of conversation you might be attempting to have.

Conversation seems irrelevant as soon as the waiter brings your orders to the table. Your taste buds will be rejoicing from the large selection Crush offers. Treat yourself to appetizers like Lamb Lollipops or Beef Butter Cups (thinly sliced beef tossed with cucumber and carrots in a to-die-for spicy sauce) and you will eagerly be anticipating the entrée. Portions are just enough to share and stave your hunger but still leave room for the next course.

The Jade Mountain Chicken is an unlikely pairing but will please an array of diners. Roasted chicken, covered in mozzarella, rests on a pile of rice laying in sun-dried tomato sauce. Or, if you’re up for something a little more traditional, the Margherita pizza never disappoints. The kitchen features a brick pizza oven, cooking the pies to perfection. All of the entrees come out of the kitchen looking more like art than food, which makes sense once you taste a bite of your masterpiece.

It’s smart to arrive at this particular eatery with an open wallet. The typical plate costs about a reasonable $12-$25, but the bar tabs can quickly add up. While it may not be reasonable to dine out on a weekly basis, the restaurant is perfect for special occasions.

The Alizadeh family is already planning an big brother to Crush, which will also be built in the Roseville area, just a street away. The restaurant will costs $10 million and will feature even more of an upscale experience, which will be hard to do but they promise to please.

Cheers!

Who needs a costume when you have skin?

Exotic zone ball, Mandango’s Halloween Bash, The “WICKED” costume party at MoMo Lounge, or your neighbor’s annual costume gala. What do all of these things have in common? Skin, skin, and yep… even more skin. Oh yeah, and about 300 look-alikes.

After partaking in several Halloween festivities this week and last, I feel like my eyeballs need to be washed out with Dial! Since when did the meaning of Halloween change from goblins and ghouls to sex and skin?

Since the meaning of the Fall holiday seems to have been hopelessly lost, here’s a little background information to fill you in.

Halloween first started with the Celts about 2,000 plus years back. They celebrated their new year on November 1st in a tradition called “Samhain“. Their belief was that the night before, on October 31st, the ghosts of the dead came to earth to wreak havoc on crops and help priests foresee the future. Fast forward to after the Romans conquered the Celts and they combined two of their festivals together with the Celts.

In late October the Romans celebrated Feralia (the passing of the dead) and the honoring of the Pomona, who was the goddess of fruit and trees. Have you ever bobbed apples at a Fall Festival? Now you know why.

After Christianity became influential, three celebrations became widespread: All Saints’ Day to celebrate the (you guessed it) saints, All-Hallowmas the night before, and All Souls’ day to celebrate the dead by dressing up as angels, devils, or saints. This is where the tradition of dressing in costumes came about. Combine all of the above and you have what we now know and love as Halloween.

Unfortunately, present day Halloween celebrations are looking less like a celebration of the dead and more like a celebration of the erotic. Take for example 100.5 the Zone’s Annual Exotic Zone Ball. Bragged to be the biggest Halloween party in all of California, it features a bondage stage where those who wish to can partake in some gold old fashioned torture, a lap dance area, and a human petting zone. Every year gets a little more risqué and a little less spooky.

Plus, Sacramentans seem to have lost any sense of originality. Every year, without fail, there seems to be an overload of naughty nurses, randy referees, sexy schoolgirls, frisky firefighters, and kinky cops. Word to the wise: just because you put “sexy” in front of a costume doesn’t make it cute. Spare partygoers eyes and cover yourself up!

Guys, you aren’t off the hook either. How many gangsters, jailbirds, and doctors can fit into one room?

To be fair, I think it’s only right to give props to the best (and surprisingly original) costumes around town so far this year, in no particular order:

1) Britney Spears (umbrella, half-shaved head, baby bottle with Diet Coke in it)
2) Borat with his neon mankini
3) Justin Timberlake’s “D*ck in a Box”
4) 80s Workout Girl

5) The Wendy’s orange-pigtailed guy
6) Lindsey Lohan/Nicole Richie/Paris Hilton jailbirds
7) Terrorist, complete with gas mask (although possibly politically incorrect)
8) Old farts (walkers, cardigans, mesh trucker hats)
9) The Walking Keg that actually had alcohol in it
10) Nip/Tuck’s Kimber (stitches on the mouth)

Next year around this time I challenge Sacramento to bring back the true meaning of Halloween: deck yourself out in the most original costume you can think of, construct a haunted house that will leave people’s vocal chords raw from screaming , and for goodness sake: keep your clothes on while you do it!

'Tis the season... and I just can't wait!

It’s almost here: the smell of gingerbread cookies and cinnamon candles will waft into my nostrils on a daily basis, storefronts will glimmer with silver tinsel and fake snow, and there will be a general feeling of goodwill and joyfulness penetrating the atmosphere. Ladies and Gentleman, Christmas is about to arrive!

I find a different reason to love the holiday every time December rolls around, but the warm feeling of holiday cheer infiltrates every inch of my body right on cue every year.

Perhaps the greatest joy of all is seeing the excitement in a child’s face in anticipation of the 25th. The youngest ones take pride in their handcrafted popsicle stick ornaments and picking out the “perfect” tree, even if it closely resembles Charlie Brown’s infamous Evergreen. Some little ones spend hours on their computers constructing wish lists of toys, complete with full descriptions and price comparisons, with enough pages to reach the moon and back. On the night of Christmas Eve, children can barely stop wriggling long enough to catch a wink of sleep, hoping to catch a glimpse of Saint Nick snacking on the Snackwells cookies they laid out.

Children and adults alike seem to be sprinkled with sugar and spice and everything nice, turning into regular saints around this time. Those who like to curse at the homeless men begging on Arden way the rest of the year are now compelled to donate cans to the hungry or buy a little girl a Barbie doll as part of the Wish Tree. The sounds of the Salvation Army’s bells fill the air and people are more than happy to unload their change. It’s unfortunate that this doesn’t go on the entire year, but you have to start somewhere right?

On a more shallow level, we can’t forget the all-consuming smells and tastes of the holiday season, which leave my senses in a state of month-long euphoria.

Fragrance and cosmetic companies jump on the chance to market special-edition peppermint lip glosses, cinnamon body scrubs, and vanilla sprays. Candle shops offer a plethora of Christmas-themed wax goodies, and almost every place you walk into smells like it’s been sprayed with a “Christmas” air freshener.

So your taste buds don’t feel left out, there’s a smorgasbord of holiday specials in every café and candy shop around town. Starbucks offers my favorite seasonal treat called the Cranberry Bliss Bar, a mixture of cranberries and vanilla frosting to go along with their peppermint mochas and gingerbread lattes. Holiday cheer can also be found in the form of cookies, cakes, and candy canes that are either for sale or offered up by friends and neighbors. Peppermint ice cream anyone? Yum!

Even better than material objects is the theme of family that becomes so widespread by the end of the year. The hustle and bustle of everyday life comes to a halt as relatives come together to share a hearty meal, a glass (or four) of eggnog, and catch up on the year’s happenings. While not everyone has the time to catch up with Aunt Martha on a weekly basis, Christmas is the perfect excuse to do just that. There aren’t many moments that bring more contentment than realizing how lucky you are to be cozy, well-fed, and surrounded by loved ones on a holiday.

Whether you celebrate Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, or none of the above, you’re sure to encounter (and enjoy) some of the many perks of the holiday season.

The only downside to the festivities? That they can’t last the whole year!

Inked... what now?

Tattoos, artwork, ink… or how about a huge mistake? Call them what you want, but one thing for sure is that tattoos are just about everywhere…and tattoo laser removal is a growing industry that just might be about to get it’s big break.

A far cry from a few years back, most people won’t even take a second look if they see a 90-year-old man marked up with a naked chick on his not-so-muscular bicep. Whatever makes him feel young right? It’s probably not even too far off to assume that those serious-looking, high-profile attorneys and frowning politicians walking around Downtown Sacramento have a few pieces of artwork discreetly hidden under their power suits.

While tattoos are finally becoming socially acceptable, it seems that people are putting less consideration into getting ink injected into their dermis.

Young newlyweds run to the tattoo parlor to commemorate their “foreverness” by getting each other’s names scrawled across the body part of their choice. Bands just starting out might celebrate their newfound success with matching back pieces. And while most shops say that they won’t ink someone under the influence, the drunk guy determined to get a tattoo of his own face on his derrière will somehow find a way. But what happens if your “soul mate” runs away with your best friend? Or if the band mates have a falling out and end up despising each other? Or when you get out of the shower and see your own face on your BEHIND?

Tattoo removal, there's your cue.

While it used to be an excruciatingly painful process involving dermabrasion (hardcore scrubbing), laser technology has made the removal process a little more pleasant. Lasers administer pulses of light and are absorbed by the tattoo, which often penetrate the second or even third layer of skin below the surface. The ink’s pigment is broken up into tiny particles which is absorbed into the blood and cleaned out by the body’s immune system.

Depending on the size, location, depth, density, and age of the tattoo it might take over a year for the tattoo to fade completely. Even then, 10 percent of tattoos still remain visible. But because there are so many different types of ink used by artists, it is impossible to pinpoint the exact type used and physicians must basically experiment until the eyesore disappears.

Anyone looking to start the process should be prepared to empty their pockets. While prices vary at different clinics, clients should expect to pay anywhere from $200 up to $1000 per session. Amateur tattoos might require only one to four sessions but professionally done tattoos can take anywhere from six on up. Plus, the more sessions needed, the longer they are spaced apart. A quick half hour tattoo session can easily turn into a year-long waiting game since it’s never guaranteed how many removal sessions might be needed.

The pale girl that thought it might be fun to get a sleeve of solid black? She actually might have been onto something. The lighter your skin, the easier it is to get rid of the art. Lasers have a hard time distinguishing ink from darker skin. Also, darker ink fades faster than colors and areas of your body with more circulation (arms, chest, etc.) will break up the ink faster.

As long as the needles keep buzzing, there are sure to be clinics popping up all around town. Websites such as tattooremoval.org and tattooremoval411.com can help you get started undoing your mistake. They offer listings of the phone numbers and addresses of credible clinics and laser technicians all across the US.

Tattoo artists probably won’t quit inking anytime soon, and laser services clinics couldn‘t be more thrilled.

Just remember… think before you ink.

YouTube... you can run but you can't hide

Thinking back a few years ago, I never thought I would see the day where I would be assigned my homework via YouTube… but the day has officially arrived.

YouTube, aside from MySpace, is possibly one of the most popular websites in the internet stratosphere. Almost anything that your heart desires (or eyes, rather) can be found on the site, featuring a wide range of videos, from Britney Spears’ train-wreck MTV Video Music Award performance to self-made videos by Apple iPhone customers decoding their outrageously thick bills.

The Tube’s birthday was back in February 2005, when three former employees from PayPal got together to create the service, which uses Adobe Flash to broadcast its files. Google then made a smart move and bought out the company for a grand $1.65 billion in Google stock in late 2006.

A video network for the pathetically bored, the insanely talented, and those who just want to catch up on Paris Hilton‘s latest mistake, YouTube has something to offer to everyone. Members can upload their own videos and blogs, download their favorite music performances, and even rate posted videos among about a million other features.

Much to celebrities' chagrin, their every moves (the good and bad) are at the world’s disposal thanks to video sharing. Just ask David Hasselhoff, who suffered not only public mockery but loss of custody of his children after he was filmed wiggling around on the floor, attempting to eat a cheeseburger (he failed) after he tossed back a few too many. The video not only made it to YouTube within 48 hours, but made it to top headlines on news programs and was hot gossip throughout the internet blogosphere.

On the other end of the spectrum, former “nobodies” are experiencing fame they, and most everyone else in the world, can hardly believe because of their home videos. This is the story for Chris Crocker, who famously wailed and chastised the public for being so cruel to Britney Spears and begged for her mercy. He can now be seen rubbing elbows with Alexis Arquette and other stars at some of LA’s most exclusive nightclubs.

Many are also familiar with the rise of “Obama Girl”, actress Amber Lee Ettinger, who flirtatiously lip-synched her love to presidential candidate Barack Obama this year in a video that seems like it was seen by everyone. From there Ettinger was featured on the cover of “Steppin’ Out” magazine, interviewed by big dogs Fox News and CNN and has a website which claims to be “The Home of Obama Girl.” Plus, she sparked the fame of other wannabes… do the “Giuliani Girls” sound familiar?

In addition to being the downfall of some celebs and the rise of those desperately seeking fame, YouTube has brought forth a wave of conveniences to classrooms all over. Many professors across the country are using clips from YouTube to supplement their classroom lectures and homework, which might just might perk the interest of the younger and tech-savvy generations. And it’s likely that almost all students would rather watch their assignments then listen to their instructors drone on and on…and on.

Perhaps one of the best features of video-sharing is exposing controversy. Soldiers in Iraq have had their videos removed after filming overseas, but were at least able to reach a small group of viewers before the ban. Watchdog groups such as Cop Watch LA and others have used the forum to encourage investigations of police brutality, posting videos of questionable police conduct. Another shocking video even showed a young toddler, suspected to be under the influence of ecstasy, riding on the floor of a vehicle with her eyes rolling back in her head while her caretakers laughed uncontrollably.

For the good or the bad, thousands of videos being added everyday and the options are endless.

What are you waiting for? Pick up the webcam… your audience is waiting.