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Thursday, May 26, 2011
News / Biz How safe is your vibrator?
Posted By Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman on Thu, May 26, 2011 at 12:42 PM
Are you giggling? Have you ever thought about this serious issue, you know, seriously? You should.
People worry about what they stick in their mouth — food wise, that is; fat, calories, et al — but get all goofy if you want to talk about what's going into their other orifices. We shouldn't, though. In fact, we should stop being so ridiculous about talking about sex in general in America, but that's a blog rant for another day.
Back to vibrators: There's a new database that can help you find out if your favorite kinky toys are harmful or not: SaferProducts.gov.
Bad news: The site covers a long list of consumer products, not just sex toys ... so don't get too excited.
Here's more on the updated database from Scientific American:
It's entirely possible that someone's favorite cyclotron vibrator can shell-shock nerves, penis rings might lead to a grievous case of penile gangrene or those little vibrating beads could slip upstream and become tragicomically lost in bodily cavities while still in the "on" position.Not only is it possible, it happens. Yet the same manufacturers go on making the same poorly designed sex toys, and people go on using them in the same poorly informed ways. Education and regulatory oversight are in short supply.
Plus, there's the whole "Who, me?" issue.
"If somebody has an unsafe hair dryer, they aren't going to hesitate to call an attorney and sue about it," says Zach Biesanz, a class action litigation attorney in New York City and author of a 2007 paper, "Dildos, Artificial Vaginas and Phthalates: How Toxic Sex Toys Illustrate a Broader Problem for Consumer Protection," published in Law and Inequality: A Journal of Theory and Practice. "Nobody is embarrassed about using a hair dryer."
Not so for sexual-enhancement devices, which in several states are deemed "obscene devices" and banned from sale (although possessing them is perfectly legal).
Read the entire article, by Regina Nuzzo, here.
Arts / See & Do: The Weekender Weekender, May 27-29
Posted By Anita Overcash on Thu, May 26, 2011 at 9:00 AM
Check out these events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area this weekend— as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
Friday, May 27
Love Conquers All: A Quiet Evening with Sid & Nancy
The Mill
Citizens of the Universe takes on the heavy stuff in this new cult classic take-to-the-stage. It’s based off of the 1986 film about Sid Vicious (bassist for the punk rock band the Sex Pistols) and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen — both of whom possess an unhealthy addiction to heroin, violence and ... each other. The play — conceived by James Cartee and directed by Nick Iammatteo — might just take you on a trip of your own, and its flyers read, it’s best to “dress for a mess.” Shit was flying in past productions of COTU’s Trainspotting. Not sure what’ll happen in this one, but you can’t say you haven’t had fair warning.
• Festival For the next three days, Uptown Charlotte is a cockpit for NASCAR fans, concertgoers and freebie lovers. Food Lion Speed Street Festival always draws ginormous crowds. Festivities include autographs and Q&A sessions with race car drivers, live music — this year provided by Midnight Star, Pat Green, Josh Turner, Everclear, Eddie Money, Clay Walker and others — displays and interactive exhibits and vendors. more...
• Music The retro swing outfit known as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy hit it big in the mid-’90s, but the music is still as timeless as ever. They play a great mix of amped up jazz mixed with their own spicy covers of songs by artists such as Cab Calloway. Check them out during the Fridays at the Factory series at NC Music Factory. more...
Saturday, May 28
Miss North Carolina Pole Dance Competition
Neighborhood Theatre
You may not fully understand the whole pole-dancing exercise craze, but it’s growing fast. Ladies of all ages, shapes and sizes are lining up for the sexy, beneficial workouts. It’s become so popular that on May 28 and 29, the Miss North Carolina Pole Dance Competition will be taking place at Neighborhood Theatre. Professionals and amateurs from local and statewide pole dance studios will compete in the event and special guest Miss Nicki Shaw (see picture) will perform her own slick moves. The event will also feature a fashion show, free health screenings and workshop classes.
• Comedy Nikki Glaser is prepared for sexual assault. Not really, but she does tell one of the funniest rape jokes around. Her stand-up topics are random and range from dating to farting. But don’t go thinking she stinks. Glaser’s comedy routine is freshly funny — hence why she made it to the semi-finals of Last Comic Standing (season four). See what a gas she is, as she headlines at The Gin Mill. Comedians Mike Buczek, Steve Forrest, Chris Layton and DeVan Penegar will also perform. DJ J5 to spin afterwards. more...
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Thursday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Thu, May 26, 2011 at 8:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, May 26, 2011 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Love Conquers All: A Quiet Evening with Sid & Nancy at The Mill
• Company at The Milestone
• Food Lion Speed Street Festival Uptown
• Life Lyrics & Laughter at Club Skandalos
• Whitewater River Jam, featuring Leadville Social Club at U.S. National Whitewater Center
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Film / Film News Opening This Week
Posted By Matt Brunson on Wed, May 25, 2011 at 4:00 PM
Thursday:
The Hangover Part II - Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms
Kung Fu Panda 2 - Animated; voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie
Friday:
The First Grader - Naomie Harris, Oliver Litondo
POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold - Documentary
Boomer with Attitude / News Your neighbors may be operating a meth lab if ...
Posted By John Grooms on Wed, May 25, 2011 at 1:55 PM
Our brave, bright leaders in the General Assembly are considering a bill today that, if enacted, would ban over-the-counter sales of pseudoephedrine. The popular decongestant, marketed under various names including Sudafed, Allegra-D and ActiFed, is one of the primary ingredients used to make methamphetamine (crank, speed, crystal, ice, getgo, redneck coke, etc.), often in small, homemade labs in people’s homes. Meth labs have sprouted like weeds throughout the U.S., and use of the highly addictive drug has become epidemic. Police even found a meth lab in the home of a West Virginia sheriff's deputy. Hell, even Christians are getting in on the homemade crank bonanza: Police found a meth lab in a music practice room at the Fine Arts Center at Southern Methodist University.
Drug enforcement agents warn that although meth labs are often considered a rural phenomenon, hundreds of them have been found in urban areas as well. In 2005, for instance, a woman was arrested for operating a meth lab in South Charlotte, a stone’s throw from the Quail Hollow area. With the possibility of meth labs showing up in the middle of Charlotte in mind, here are some tips we’ve prepared to help you detect whether a meth lab is operating in your neighborhood. Clip out these tips and save them on your refrigerator door. You’d be surprised how it will enliven your family’s dinner conversations!
Your Neighbors May Be Operating a Meth Lab If ...
• All their children and pets are named "Crystal," "Kristel," "Crystalle," and "CrisTal."
• They trade in their Escalade for a liquid ton of acetone.
• The smell of ammonia is drowning out your hubby’s Polo aftershave.
• The wife runs over one day and asks if she can borrow "a couple dozen hotplates."
• When you say hello to them, your neighbors either jump up and down and wave at you for five minutes, or they run over and beat the crap out of you.
• You accidentally receive and open their dentist bill, and it's $40,000.
• Their daughter's Barbie doll has a little car with dark tinted windows and a toy rocket launcher on the hood.
• They need seven recycling bins every week just to hold all the antifreeze containers.
• That patch in the back yard where they poured out "the dog's bath water" is sprouting several varieties of glowing mushrooms.
• When their child falls and scrapes her knee in your driveway, they say, "Oh, don't worry, we have a few barrels of iodine inside."
• The husband sees you watching him as he hauls 100 pounds of Epsom salts out of the Hummer and explains that their daughter has "a mean case of poison ivy."
• Their two-year-old has a "Smokestack Lightnin'" tattoo on his shoulder.
* After Christmas, you saw the packaging below on their curb.
News State budget could halt Charlotte's light rail
Posted By Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman on Wed, May 25, 2011 at 10:37 AM
In WTF news: Why are state legislators all up in Charlotte's transportation business? Oh, right. Money. That's always the answer, isn't it?
Well, while our statesmen and women decide the immediate fate of our city's transit from a smaller city a few hours up the road, I'd like to point out that other "world class cities" have well-used mass transit programs. In fact, other "world class" countries have lots of transit, particularly trains.
You know what we have? Crappy air quality. One reason why is that we have to drive everywhere in pollution-spewing automobiles. I say "have to" because it's not safe to walk everywhere in this city, since the drivers often don't understand right-of-way laws and pretty much ignore crosswalks, speed limits or the need to crawl — not zip — through residential neighborhoods.
But, hey, who needs mass transit ... not a rapidly growing 'world class city.' Noooo.
From The Charlotte Observer:
The N.C. Senate would slam the brakes on Charlotte's long-planned northeast light rail extension, eliminating state money that officials say could jeopardize the entire project.The Senate budget also would ban Charlotte transit officials from obligating state money for the proposed Red Line through northeast Mecklenburg.
And it would kill Gaston County's proposed Garden Parkway toll road, using money from that project for urban loop roads, perhaps including Interstate 485.
News Food news you can use (but may not want)
Posted By Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman on Wed, May 25, 2011 at 10:25 AM
Here are a few of the food headlines I've noticed in the last few days. Warning: Some may make you want to puke, like the first two:
Feces in imported food from less developed countries a rising concern: scientists — The Vancouver Sun
Drug-Tainted Fish Can Swim Right Past U.S. Food Inspectors, Audit Says — FairWarning.org
Cut red meat intake and don't eat ham, say cancer researchers — The Guardian
Strong Sales of Organic Foods Attract Investors — The New York Times
Kraft Foods to pay $8.1 M to settle pollution lawsuit — Associated Press
Farmers vs. feds.: Pennsylvania is flash point in raw-milk fight — The Philadelphia Inquirer
Genetically modified (GM) food toxins found in the blood of 93% of unborn babies — The Daily Mail
Cookie Crumbles for Girl Scouts, as Teens Launch Palm-Oil Crusade — Wall Street Journal
Farm States Suffer Expanded Drought, Wheat Suffers — Plant Ark
Now, a reminder: Buy local. Buy organic. Get to know the farmers and food producers in your area. Read the ingredients list when you buy processed foods. Know what you're eating and feeding your kids. Remember that ingredients like "fragrance" can be anything. Know that ingredients like palm oil may make our food tasty, but harvesting them creates devastation in foreign lands and for the people and ecosystems that live there. Oh, and stop eating junk.
Here's a video that will help you understand why you should avoid all foods that contain palm oil:
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Wednesday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Wed, May 25, 2011 at 8:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, May 25, 2011 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Cats at Belk Theater
• Dirk Quinn Band at The Evening Muse
• Mix at Six, featuring the Matt Stratford Band at Ballantyne Village
• Open Mic at Jackalope Jacks
• Kylesa at Tremont Music Hall
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Arts Heroes: An American Celebration
Posted By Anita Overcash on Tue, May 24, 2011 at 6:02 PM
Carolina Voices’ choirs, Myers Park Baptist Church’s Chancel Choir and the Charlotte Civic Orchestra are joining forces for Heroes: An American Celebration on Sat. May 28. The star-spangled evening is a patriotic salute to armed forces and the United States of America. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Urban Ministry Center. $10-$20. 7:30 p.m. Myers Park Baptist Church, 1900 Queens Road.
Film / Film News Kung Fu Panda 2 trailer
Posted By Laura Camilo on Tue, May 24, 2011 at 2:30 PM
Jack Black reprises his role as the voice of Po, again teaming up with a group of kung-fu masters to fight an old enemy. Opens this Thursday, May 26.
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Rango / Gnomeo & Juliet: Tale of two toons
Toon Western triggers a good time for all, but silly Shakespeare spin is solely for the kids.
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Question the Queen City: Who set fire to the nightlife? 3
From 1971 to 1976, 17 nightclubs in Charlotte burned to the ground. Who did it?
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Question the Queen City: An unsolved double murder 5
Did they ever catch the killer from the Mulberry Church Road murders?
