Wallpaper Picture Arts: January 2008

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Video: Aaron Renfro in Tulsa OK.

BMX Link Dump

Estonia update from Defgrip

New DK/RT Frame

Corey Martinez's United Trinity frame

Odyssey flatland rider Terry Adams wins 1st place in Australia

Odyssey has pictures of the team in Estonia at Simpel Session '08

Volume Bikes has a mini Q&A with Skinny in their news section.

Random VOD - Robber Shoots himself in the Nuts

Random Video of the Day. A robber accidentally shoots himself
through one testicle while robbing a store... classic.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Epic - Lakai Fully Flared

It's going to be awesome if the production values in BMX ever get near as high as skateboarding... amazing.

New Sputnic Flow Rider - Casey Strong

Sputnic has added Casey Strong to their flow team and has a web video just in case you want to see whether or not he's worthy of such status. Congrats to him. Now go watch the video.

Sputnic
Casey Strong Web Video
Sputnic MySpace

Related Posts
Sputnic's Ryan Flesch

Norman's chickpea snack

At a recent cooking class we made a chickpea snack that involved cooking, baking, frying and heavily seasoning chickpeas with cayenne and salt. The result was tasty, but it reminded me of a simpler and less salty and oily chickpea snack that my father used to make.

My mother believed that a good breakfast was eggs and bacon or cereal and milk, lunch was a tuna or egg salad sandwich, and dinner included meat and a salad and sometimes a frozen or canned vegetable like string beans or peas. My father didn't like chicken or fish so we had those things on nights he wasn't home for dinner. Meals rarely deviated from this formula unless we pleaded for spaghetti or for my father to make one of his two or three dishes. My mother seemed to have an aversion to legumes and noodles. Occasionally my father would become nostalgic for something his mother had made when he was a boy (my mother would become very annoyed) and might venture into the kitchen. He missed whole grain bread (!) and other "exotic" foods from his youth like chickpeas and macaroni. We ate white bread at our house and my mother would proclaim whole grain breads to be "horrible," but I was intrigued. I liked the things my father cooked. I was tired of meat. Chickpeas were interesting, and I happily ate them.

When I left home and moved to another city, I visited the local farmer's market out of curiosity, and my eyes were opened to the wonders of the vegetable world. "What's this?" I would ask as I held a zucchini aloft. "That's a zucchini," the bemused farmer would answer. "What do you do with it," I'd inquire. With a chuckle, the patient farmer and his wife would give me a cooking lesson. I think I learned to cook at the farmer's market.

When my husband and I became vegetarians, my parents were alarmed. When we chose to raise our children as vegetarians they were horrified, but as they watched these beautiful, healthy children grow, their fears subsided. And as they ate at our house and hosted us at theirs, their attitude towards food changed, and they became much more open and adventurous in their cooking and eating habits. Chickpeas became one of my mother's favorite foods to cook for us when we visited. Now, here I am presenting a vegan food that I learned to cook from my father!

My father's chickpea snack
Rinse and drain two cups of canned or home-cooked chickpeas. In a cast iron or other heavy skillet, heat two tablespoons of olive oil and add the chick peas. Sprinkle generously with paprika. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chick peas start to brown and get a little crispy. (about 10 minutes) Remove from the heat, drain on a paper towel if you wish, and sprinkle with a little salt and lots of freshly ground pepper, or, as always, with the seasonings of your choice.

A funny thing: I cooked the chickpeas and my husband and I were sitting at the kitchen table enjoying them and reminiscing about my late father and my grandmother when I suddenly shreiked, "STOP!." We'd made a considerable dent in the beans when I remembered I'd prepared them for the blog, and I'd forgotten to take a photo. So the photo you see is only some of the chickpeas—there were more.

note: To cook chickpeas in a pressure cooker: Sort and wash the beans. Place in the pressure cooker and add water to about two inches above the beans. Bring to pressure then turn off the burner. Let the beans sit for an hour. (You can let them sit longer if your schedule requires it.) Add more water and bring to pressure again and cook for one hour. When the pressure comes down, the beans should be cooked. The liquid that remains can be used to make excellent soup stock or to cook rice or other grains.

Mushroom and walnut paté

My husband and I attended a "vegetarian side dish" cooking class recently. The food was vegan and very tasty but had too much salt and oil for me. After years of eating healthy and delicious vegan cooking, my taste buds have become more sensitive, and when I sampled these foods all I could taste on the first bite was salt and oil. I think that most people would have found them delicious, but for me they were much too intense. I may season foods more heavily when cooking for company, but personally, I prefer to taste the foods themselves rather than the seasonings. One of the things we made in class was a walnut paté. The recipe only had 1 teaspoon of salt, which doesn't seem excessive, but it also had 3/4 cup of vegetable broth from a box. That stuff tends to be really salty unless you get the salt-free kind or make your own. And the recipe had 1/2 cup of oil in addition to the walnuts. So, using the teacher's recipe for inspiration, I've revised it to suit my taste, and if you make it, I hope you'll do the same and suit your own preferences.

I started by substituting mushrooms for half of the walnuts, and altering seasonings as well as ingredient proportions.

Walnut and mushroom paté
1 cup walnuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped mushrooms
1 large onion, chopped
2–3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 slices whole grain bread, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1 to 2 level teaspoons white miso
1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar
1 teaspoon natural sugar (sucanot, rapidura)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (more if you want it hotter)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary (rubbed between hands to release oils)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions (optional)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

-Toast the walnuts in a 325˚ oven for 10 minutes or until starting to brown.
-Grind walnuts in a food processor.
-In a wok or large skillet, sauté onions and mushrooms in the olive oil until onions are translucent. Add garlic and sauté another minute. Add bread cubes and rosemary and mix together. Turn off heat.
-Place the miso in a glass measuring cup. Add the sugar, cayenne and vinegar. Stir until the miso is dissolved.
-Add sautéed veggies and miso mixture to food processor and purée until smooth.
-Taste for additional salt and pepper. When all seasonings are whizzed in, add the parsley and pulse a few times to distribute evenly. If you are using green onion, add with the parsley.

Place in a bowl and sprinkle generously with paprika and minced parsley or green onions. (These patés always look too beige or grey and need a little help to look as good as they taste.) Serve as a dip with veggies or chips, or a spread with crackers or bread.

note: I just had a sandwich of paté piled with salad greens and a spritz of lime on whole wheat toast and it was delicious.

Kurtis Elwell Video on Lotek

There is a sweet video of Kurtis Elwell posted on the Lotek site.

Watch the Kurtis Elwell video.

Lotek Shoes

Free Tulsa DVD form Profile

Plan on buying a new hub or crank set? If you buy Profile you'll be surprised to find a shiny new Tulsa Roadtrip DVD from the Profile team inside that box. So if you were even thinking about buying one of those new WHITE mini hubs or Wake sprockets... do it now!

Profile Racing
Buy Profile Parts at Empire BMX

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Give D Edit - Leftover Mix on Defgrip

Having your cameras jacked would tend to slow down web edits for most people. Not the Give D guys. They have a new web edit up on Defgrip. Yeah so it's called "leftovers"... big deal, it's still badass and it looks like they are still having more fun than most so check it out.

Give D Clothing
Give D Web Edit #3 on Defgrip
Defgrip Main

Video: Mankind Team at Simpel Session 2008

Dominik at Woozy is living behind the computer these days. Here's yet another edit from Simpel Session '08. This time it's the Mankind BMX team in Estonia. Watch Ronnie Napolitan, Bommel Mager, Martyn Cooper and special guest Ben Hennon

Mankind Bikes
WoozyBMX

Related Posts
Fly Bikes Team at Simpel Session 2008
Eastpak Team at Simpel Session 2008
Vans Team at Simpel Session 2008

Video: Ricky Moseley gets bloody...

Ricky tried a pendulum over the box jump backwards at Autumn Ramp Park. He somehow fell and hit his head on the ground and knocked himself out even though he was wearing his helmet. He was ok after the staples. He did a flair on a 3 ft quarter pipe 48 hours later.

Aaron Ross Video Bike Check - Sunday Frame

Ok, so it looks like Woozy has the most current Aaron Ross video bike check.

"we ran into Aaron in estonia and he wanted to talk a little about his sponsorship situation and stuff like that. we hope you kids know whats up now. this is the man himself letting you know whats really going on - does get any better than that ? aaron rocks !" -- WoozyBMX

Monday, January 28, 2008

Defgrip Exclusive ComeUp DVD trailer

Head over to Defgrip to watch an exclusive trailer of TheComeUpDVD.

There's a lot of talk about this DVD and from what I hear and see so far it seems like it's going to be really good. I heard there's some crazy shit going down and I'm pretty excited to see JJ Palmere's part.
There better not even be ONE indian giver in it!

Watch TheComeUpDVD trailer

*Edit - the last few seconds are not loading but according to Adam all you are missing is “a half cab barspin and “OUT NOW” in big letters”

Video: Josh Betley, Alfredo Mancuso, Ryan Mills Mix

Somehow I forgot to post this. Josh Betley, Alfredo Mancuso, Ryan Mills riding some parks and street. Chalk up another fakie frontflip.

Video: Aaron Ross Video Bike Check

This post will be kind of funny if you have read this. But this video is still worth a peek if only for the riding bits at the end.
--spotted on the Etnies site

frame - 2008 FBM Master Blaster 20.75"
forks - Odyssey Director Fork
bars - Odyssey Aaron Ross Spacebars
stem - Odyssey Elementary Stem V3
cranks - Wombolt cranks
pedals - Odyssey Jim C. trailmix
sprocket - Odyssey Vermont
chain- 410
rims - Odyssey Lite
hubs - Odyssey back - front Gsport
tires - Odyssey Path - back Aitken
seat - Odyssey Veteran Saddle
post - Odyssey intac
brakes - Odyssey Evo2
brake lever - Odyssey small
bar ends - Odyssey Par Ends
pegs - Odyssey Jpegs
grips - Prototype Aaron Ross keyboard grips

Related Posts
Aaron Ross Bike Check
Aaron Ross Leaves FBM
Video: Aaron Ross
Aaron Ross Pics

Video: Vans Team at Simpel Session '08

Another sweet Woozy edit featuring Chase Hawk, Gary Young, Scotty Cranmer, and Bruno Hoffman.

Filmed and edited by Dominik Wrobel

Related Posts
Eastpak Team at Simpel Session 2008
Fly Bikes Team at Simpel Session 2008
Mankind Team at Simpel Session 2008

Video: Eastpak Team at Simpel Session '08

The Eastpak Team shredding at Simpel Session.
--Spotted on Woozy

Riders include:
Hanuu Cools
Ben Hennon
Bruno Hoffman
Stefan Lantschner
Daniel Penafiel
Arthur Dietrich
filmed and edited by Dominik Wrobel

Related Posts
Video: Vans Team at Simpel Session '08
Mankind Team at Simpel Session 2008
Fly Bikes Team at Simpel Session 2008

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Simpel Session '08 BMX Results

Garrett Reynolds' Run
After this video is done there will be a pop-up menu on the right of the video that gives you the option to watch the other runs.

BMX Results:
1. Garrett Reynolds
2. Gary Young
3. Daniel Dhers
4. Colin Mackay
5. Scotty Cranmer
6. Tyler Morrow
7. Kym Grosser
8. Morgan Wade
9. Chase Hawk
10. Jason Phelan

The only thing I have to say is it was fun to watch but Garrett pretty much owned it...

Video: H-Town Throwdown 3

The skatepark in in Hackettstown, New Jersey recently held a rad BMX contest, and Vital BMX has got two videos to show you everything that went down. Both Jamaican and Larry Rhodes came through with great edits, so be sure to check them both out.

Jamaican Edit

Larry Rhodes Edit

Aaron Ross on Sunday

Well, earlier this week we found out that Aaron Ross and FBM parted ways. All the speculation is over now as Aaron has been riding a Sunday frame at the 2008 Simpel Session in Estonia. I had heard that Catfish had called this out during qualifiers but i was still hesitant to post it.

Related Posts
Aaron Ross Leaves FBM

Watch Simpel Session Finals on BMXfactor

If you are having lag try hitting the MENU button and increasing buffer to 5...

Simpel Session '08 Contest Details

BMX STREET
(prize purse 6000 EUR)
In the qualification rounds riders are split randomly in groups of 4 people. The contest will be organized in jam format where 4 people ride by turns in session of 8 minutes. The overall amount of 96 riders is divided in half - two heats. First heat - 48 riders has practice time of one hour. Then each jam group has 8 minutes time to ride the course (no extra tricks in qualifyings when the time is over!). After group nr 12 there is an hour break and practice time for the second heat (12 groups of 4 riders). Then we will hold the qualification for second heat. Score range in qualifying is 20-100 from each judge, 3 average scores are taken into account (lower and higher score will be eliminated).
20 riders will qualify for the finals where riders are formed into groups according to their placing in qualifyings. Each group has the time of 10 minutes + last trick/set of tricks. Score range in finals is 70-100. The BMX jury will consist of five international experts.

Simpel Session '08 Video

Saturday Simpel Session compilation video.

Here are Saturday's BMX street Qualifiers:
1. Garrett Reynolds
2. Daniel Dhers
3. Scotty Cranmer
4. Gary Young
5. Tyler Morrow
6. Ben Hennon
7. Chase Hawk
8. Colin Mackay
9. Anthony Napolitan
10. Morgan Wade
11. Maxime Chaveron
12. Kym Grosser
13. Brad Simms
14. Mike Miller
15. Bruno Hoffman
16. Jason Phelan
17. Michael Beran
17. Aaron Ross

Don’t miss the finals today! Keep in mind the event is in Estonia, so if you’re on the West Coast in the USA, it is ten hours ahead! East would be 7 hours ahead.
Simpel Session 2008

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Video: SWBMX Ditch Edit

SWBMX has uploaded a new ditch edit. Watch it or else...

Video: Josh Betley & KC Badger

Josh Betley & KC Badger shred some Arizona street and park.

Spinach Lorraine

My friend Lorraine is a wonderful artist and an excellent and creative cook. Whenever she describes some fantastic dish she's prepared, my first thought is to pack a bag and go live at her house. I'm far too lazy to re-create most of the lovely food items she describes, but the other day she e-mailed that she'd made something really easy and worthy of making again. I agree.

Lorraine said, "I did a sort of easy dish last week that makes me want to try it again. I browned a little fresh garlic in a dash of oil, added a splash of vinegar to reduce for just a minute. Then

turned off the heat and threw in a lot of spinach and stirred it around. While I was waiting for it to wilt I sectioned a grapefruit into it and zested a little lemon. I wasn't sure how it would be but it was just the right mix of tangy, pungent and healthy!"

Sounded good to me so I tried it and she was right. It was excellent and easy. I made it with orange segments instead of grapefruit and it was festive as well as delicious. Try both! We had the spinach with cauliflower puree (see previous post) and garbanzo bean salad.

Some personal spinach history: When I was eight and the third child in our family was born, my mother needed bed rest and a nurse came to live at our house for a week. One of her duties was to keep us other kids from bothering our mother, and that included feeding us lunch. One day I was confronted with the most horrible and frightening blob of slimy green crud on my plate. It turned out to be creamed spinach which I'd never seen before and the tiniest taste of which made me gag. The nurse was mean, and said we had to eat it. I snuck into my mother's room after lunch to tell her that I was sure the nurse was trying to poison us, and she should make her leave.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Video: On The Low

On The Low - Flatland Trailer

Check out this trailer for "On The Low". I am always impressed by good flatland riding because it takes so much more patience and mental focus then people think. The video is scheduled to come out in March 2008 but until then, peep this trailer.
--Spotted on the FATBMX.

Video: Crash Compilation 2

Crash Compilation. Watch BMXers get worked.

Nathan Williams Goes United Pro

United has given Nathan Williams the bump up onto the Pro team. He joins his buddy Corey Williams, Kye Forte, Ricky Feather, Caleb Kilby, Ryan Metro, Leo Forte, and Robin Fenlon and everyone knew it was just a matter of time cuz this kid is a shredder.

Peg vs. Skull

Peg vs. Skull... guess who wins?

PEG TO THE SKULL - STEPHENS STORY
"its true!
but not such a good thing,
last weekend i was riding trails (saturday arvo), i nose cased the last in the line, thankfully with noone behind me, and went OTB. From that point, everything went wrong, i hit the dirt, the bike went up over my back and i got a peg to the head, and we all know that pegs are harder than a porn star on viagra.
Basically from that point, i just got up onto all fours, chucked off my helmet, while noticing a torrent of blood pissing from my head, like seriously pissing out, so off came the shirt and it went straight to the head.
I hung round for a bit, called my dad and he came to pick me up, i was ages from home though. When he got there some white shit was on my shirt, dad joked that it was probably brains, i'll get back to that later."

Pretty gnarly. Make sure to head over to zombiebmx and read the whole story. There are more pics as well.

Aaron Ross Leaves FBM

Aaron Ross will part ways with FBM. There has been a ton of speculation about this recently but now you can read everything. Aaron and Steve Crandall have released statements.

This is straight from the official press release:

What Aaron Ross wrote:

"So three years ago was the first time I ever talked to Crandall in my life. I was a scared little kid that wanted nothing more then to ride a bike and have some fun. I was nervous as hell on the phone and the big talk was all about if I would fit in on the team since I have never drank in my life. I did not know how well I would fit in and how road trips would go. Crandall talks to me for a while and told me all about the two Tony's and how they were not drinkers and by the end of the phone call I was on FBM and ready to go. So a few months later was Road Fools 14 and that was the first time I met Crandall and the rest was a blast. We had the best of times over seas and on road trips. I never had any idea bike riding would do what it has done, but I go outside ride like I am 12. I could not ever have pick a better team then FBM to get into this whole thing. We had the sweetest team with the two Tony's , Cameron Wood, Derrick Girard and Tag. I was able to design shirt with glasses on them, a Saved by the Bell themed frame with some bright colors and loved it all. Now FBM and I are going in different directions and we both are ready to accomplish new things. It has been one of the roughest months of the past few years because I have to move from a company that I have real friends, and not only Crandall, but Big Dave who makes the most kick ass bikes, John Lee who is the best person to talk too when calling up to the shop, John Paul who is just a funny guy, and Erbs who is a guy that has helped me out more then you can imagine. It’s been a good time the last 3 years and I would not change one thing. I want to say that I came into this all with dudes I saw while I was growing up and I am leaving with these guys as some of my best friends. I love all the dudes at FBM and my family and I thank all of those guys for everything the last 3 years, letting me have some of the best times, and I wish everyone at FBM the best of luck.

Have fun everyday!
Aaron"

What Steve Crandall Wrote:

"I think it was the winter in 2005 while on a road trip through Texas. I was visiting with Tom and Tina from Empire, and their first video was about to be released. Tina had mentioned one of their riders might be a good person to consider helping out. I saw a preview of the video, and was in shock as this kid riding a blue PW Moto was doing shit I hadn't seen before, and to the upbeat tempo of some country music - "If you're going to play Texas, you got to have a fiddle in the band". His name was Aaron Ross, and he walked to the tune of a thrown bicycle with a loose hub guard. Fast forward a few months and Aaron has gone from shop supported FBM flow guy, to a rising star rookie pro. Cranking out amazing video parts, with a line of Adam Roye inspired T-shirts and a pro model frame with outrageous graphics and color ways. The next couple of years ended up being a good time with Aaron growing as a professional rider, filming for various sponsors and road trips, traveling the world for various contests, and the like. This year all of the above culminated into a whirlwind of X-games podium finishes, breakthrough video parts, and a NORA win in Las Vegas.

With all of that, the offers started rolling in, to the point where FBM couldn't realistically provide Aaron the same things that another company could potentially provide. Our relationship was good, but it was obvious that more opportunity might exist by taking a different route. After a good talk, it was agreed that Aaron should explore these other offers, and see what's out there for him. As a sponsor, our goal was to support Aaron the best we could, and right now that includes letting go of an amazing rider, so he can do what's best for him. The results from our Sponsor/rider relationship proved successful, and a strong friendship remains, and I look forward to seeing what Aaron can accomplish in his next chapter.

Thanks Aaron, and good luck

- Crandall/ FBM Bikes."

Related Posts
Aaron Ross on Sunday

Video: How to Grind Rails

Owain Clegg shows you how to do some tricks down rails. Pre knee explosion...

Video: Simpel Session Update - Friday Morning

This video is hillarious and has Catfish in it doing some sort of MTV Cribs spoof in Estonia. There will be a lot of crazy shit going down this weekend at the Simpel Session and hopefully it's all caught on camera. The video is kind of NSFW so make sure your mom is not looking over your shoulder when you watch it.

spotted on RideUk

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Video: FedEX Halfpipe Commercial

I have never seen this before because I never really watch TV. After having worked on TV shows for so long I pretty much can't stand TV anymore but this commercial is pretty funny and you should watch it...

Video: Samson Ross' Video

Nice video with some chill riding. Spotted on Diversitybmx.

Random Video of the Day - FBM

Spotted on FBM

Spy Shots: Mitch Yeates Signature Simple Frame

The photos of the Mitch Yeates signature Simple frame have been released.

The frame has really tiny dropouts, a smaller bottom bracket tube, a partially exposed internal headset, and weighs 4.4 pounds just to name a few things.

It's still a prototype but you can check out all the pictures on the RideUK website because they aren't even on the Simple website as of this post.

Simple BMX
RideUK
Mitch Yeates' Simple Frame

Video: Christian Rigal on Vital

Christian Rigal rips it up in this video. Park and street footy for you to check out courtesy of VitalBMX.

Video: DFTU Mixellaneous

Pretty cool street video with some chill riding in it, all from over the pond. It's got a ton of different riders in it. Pretty funny to hear English people yelling "holla" with their accents...
Spotted on Streetphire

Riders include:
Josh Bedford
Marv
Mike Mills
Cleggnaught
London Kronik
Mouse
Andy Hall
2 Street
The Rookie
Joe Cox
Tom Finch
Kenny B
Weinerman
Newrocks
Mainy
The Scout
Cookie
Scott Taylor
Dan Cox
James Cox

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Romance of Death

Death is not an option, if it were it would have been a very tough choice as it does mean the end for one but it also comes as an opportunity. I do not want this to sound overly philosophical or complicated but humans in general are emotionalized by sudden, sometimes accidental or unexpected deaths to the extent that they consciously or unconsciously allow their minds to rearrange their memories to make someone look almost heroic. We often lead ourselves to believe that there were more good things to come had death not separated us. We push ourselves to think that nothing was wrong and the deceased was perfection personified. We often overlook the fact that just because someone died it does not necessarily mean that he or she was right.

An angelic aura is created around the memories and history is re-written. We create a legacy of our choice and insist on its accuracy and relevance. We ensure the reality we believe in has no mentions of words like corruption, conspiracies, sufferings inflicted, damages caused, crimes, selfishness, and betrayals. We want our heroes to be fast tracked to sainthood, we would neglect truth and assume there were no skeletons in their closets, we would remove all flaws and assign miracles. We develop strong convictions and leave no room whatsoever for disagreement.

It becomes an even bigger opportunity for the survivors or whoever can maneuver to take ownership of the brand name because we know for years to come the memorabilia would be sought after. It is entirely up to their marketing skills as to how far they can take it. Sometimes it is sold in small underdeveloped towns and sometimes in the power capitals of the world. The sale proceeds are available in variety of forms there can be money, power or prestige it is to be decided by them.

This is the kind of death an egoistic person would dream of, it brings glory to those who never deserved to be remembered for anything good. Brings them the limelight they wanted so badly, an impact they could never create fairly, the false sense of importance they were born with.

I wish we were able to think logically and I wish we could keep them alive till they were conclusively identified for who they were and then let them disappear into oblivion without allowing them the luxury of a famous death…..

We must not forget that it is not important how we die but how we lived, because on a large enough time scale survival rate of all humans is zero !!

Video: Ian Schwartz - Lotek Mixtape Volume 1

Here's some freecoaster riding courtesy of Ian Schwartz.

Cauliflower purée

Hungry for supper, I looked into the refrigerator to see what was there and was alarmed to find way too much cauliflower. It seemed like a good idea to use some. I started thinking about a recipe I used to make when I was following a macrobiotic diet and avoiding potatoes. I used to make cauliflower-millet mashed potatoes which was actually made only with millet and cauliflower. It doesn't sound good but it was. Anyway, I guess the millet got tossed when I cleaned out the pantry, so I decided to make a cauliflower purée instead. Much to my surprise, it was fabulously delicious. It tasted so rich and wonderful that the only seasoning I used was a grind of fresh pepper. The taste and texture really was similar to mashed potatoes, only better. I suppose you could add margarine and soy milk if you wanted. I had mine on a plate with tempeh that had been stir fried with a small chopped red onion, and when the onion smooched over to the cauliflower, the taste was exciting. So, you might want to dress this up by sautéeing a small finely chopped onion, some minced garlic and maybe a small finely chopped red pepper and mixing it into the purée before serving.

Cauliflower purée
Cut the cauliflower into small florets and place in a pot. Add water to about halfway up the cauliflower. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat and cook, covered, until the cauliflower is VERY soft, about 10 minutes. Uncover the pot and cook until most of the water evaporates. (After cooking a head of cauliflower you should have no more than 1/4 cup of water left.) Place the cauliflower and remaining water into a food processor and process until smooth.
optional
seasonings to taste: sauteed onion or garlic, fresh ground pepper, paprika, chopped parsley, margarine, salt

Video: Dennis Enarson 360 Triple Tailwhip

Dennis Enarson pulls a 360 triple tailwhip in a Dew Tour practice session.
I find it amazing that he is 16 years old. Or is he 17 yet?
Kid can shred that's all i know... hot fiyah son!

Video: The Taste of Concrete

All I gotta say is... you weren't even close buddy.
Best quote is -
Dude#1 "my teeth are screwed up now".
Dude#2 "Nah you can just get caps or whatever"

Classic... the writers are on strike but you can't write good comedy like this...

Video: Boneyard Jam

Random Links and Videos - 1/23/08

The Brokeback Cowboy Heath Ledger died yesterday at the age of 28 of an apparent sleeping pill overdose. I would joke about it but the part that is not funny is that he leaves behind a young child that will grow up without him but I'm sure that child will have a trust fund based on Heath's money and the fact that he will no longer have to pay his $26,000 per month rent. All that $money$ might help smooth out the rough spots of childhood... or not.

Speaking of trust fund babies here is a picture of Paris Hilton and Jared Leto mourning the death of their fellow celeb. Pour some Cristal out on the ground for Heath...

Diddy is changing his name again...pretend you don't care...but you do

Driverless cars in the urban environment - Video

Totally freaking out while using drugs - Video

A funny video about G-spots that you won't find funny because
you've never had a girlfriend and your chances don't look good

Some webcam dancer video that's NSFW

Ernie and Bert go metal.

Bijou Phillips gets asked her opinion about Heath Ledger's death because
she's famous...well, kind of. She articulates her feelings so well.
"I've met him a few times... It's just not cool.. it's gotta stop" she said.

An Awesome Photoshop lesson because you really suck at Photoshop!

A chick fight video that is old as the internet but
I still have fun watching.

Self induced swirly. Caught with your
toilet mounted spy cam... pervert.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Video: Radiohead Scotch Mist

Radiohead ushered in 2008 by webcasting live in-studio performances of songs from In Rainbows on New Year's Eve. Over an Hour long, there are 7 videos here. Watch them consecutively and you'll feel like you were there in the studio instead of at home by yourself watching the ball drop on TV, which you were. Enjoy.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Radiohead Scotch Mist Part 4

Radiohead Scotch Mist Part 5

Radiohead Scotch Mist Part 6

Radiohead Scotch Mist Part 7

Related Posts
Pitchfork's Top 20 of 2007

F15teen Magazine

F15teen Magazine just dropped and it's dope.

I'm really psyched on this web magazine because it features a different side of BMX. Let's face it, there's a reason that there are so many artists, designers, photographers and creative people in the BMX community... it's because BMX is a creative sport. This magazine aims to showcase those that have a role in the artistic side of our sport.

This first issue has interviews with Defgrip and MacNeil art director Harrison Boyce, photographer Chris Hill-Scott, and filmmaker Steve Olpin. There are opportunities to have your work displayed in the next issues and it's available as a download in PC and MAC or you can just view it online. It looks amazing and the content is great... the downloadable flash version even has embedded videos inside..SICK! I can't wait for the next issue already.

note - if you download it it will be an .exe file but don't worry it is not a program that you need to install. It just starts a Flash viewer. It's totally legit.

F15teen Magazine

Video: Jay Miron on MTV Cribs

Jay Miron does MTV Cribs and shows off his humble condo.

Jay Miron
MacNeil Bikes

Random Video of the Day

Trailor
this video is a little old but i'm FEEEELING it!

Video: Eddie Cleveland - Lotek Mix Tape 1

Some Eddie Cleveland goodness for you.

Eddie Cleveland Interview in RideUK

New Insight Ad

The latest Insight ad has come out. There are 7 total ads now and if you look back at all of them you'll see that the series has come full circle. The Latest ad looks just like the first except for the actual photo so I would think that means that this is the last of the series before the video drops.

I could be wrong though. Head over to Defgrip to see the ad fullsize and you can check all 6 of the previous ads too.

The Insight video will feature Mike Brennan, Jerad Washington, Davey Watson, Chester Blacksmith, Darryl Tocco, and Dakota Roche. Be sure to check it out.

Related Posts
Chester Blacksmith Scarred
Insight Trailer

Monday, January 21, 2008

RIDEbmx Issue 142

Head over to RIDEbmx to get the sneak preview of what's inside the latest issue of RIDEbmx magazine.

It's the annual photo issue with Corey Bohan on the cover airing a quarter in front of a waterfall...awesome. Besides having tons of photos there are some great articles including a Mat Hoffman Q&A.

Go read the preview at RIDEbmx or subscribe and get a free gift.

RIDEbmx.com
Subscribe to RIDEbmx magazine

cover photo by Jeff Zielinski

Video: Dew Tour - The Ultimate Mix

I'm still trying to catch up with all my posts and news so a few of these might be a couple days old but i need to post them anyways.

Vital BMX has put together their "Ultimate Dew Tour Remix" that has highlights of the whole year and all the most insane circus tricks caught on video. It's pretty much all bangers. Watch this video to see riding from Scotty Cranmer, Morgan Wade, Garrett Reynolds, Dave Mirra, Dennis Enarson, Corey Bohan, Chris Doyle, Mike Aitken, Dave Dillewaard, Josh Harrington, and tons more.

Video: How Not to Flip a Spine

Spotted on the ComeUp (i think)

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Just got back

Just got back in town earlier and I am too tired to really post anything but keep checking because I have a couple bike checks and interviews coming up real soon. Andy Martinez and his new signature frame prototype, Ryan Smith, and an Interview with Jeremie Infelise.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Oatmeal for a frigid morning

The temperature is minus 10˚ and heading to 1.˚ I shiver for a bowl of steaming oatmeal with raisins, dusted with cinnamon, drizzled with rice syrup and cuddled by an edge of soymilk. mmmm.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Chipotle black bean burgers / oven sweet potato fries

We just had a family cooking session. Our son makes great black bean burgers, and we invited him for dinner hoping he would make them. He came for dinner and ended up making the main dish — his excellent-tasting black bean burgers. I was the chopper and transcriber, running back and forth between the cutting board and the notepad trying to chop things one minute and write down the ingredients he was adding to the bowl in the next. My husband manned the oven and also made green beans. Our son does some extra stuff I don't do when I make burgers - I'm lazier than he is. He sautés the onions and garlic before adding them to the mix and I add them raw. He usually adds chopped mushrooms but we didn't have any. He added extra hot sauce and I don't. He always cooks the burgers on the stove and I often bake them. Are his better? Maybe.

Spicy Chipotle Black Bean Burgers
1 can black beans
1/2 cup frozen corn
2 cups dry bread crumbs (stale sourdough is the best) or about 6 slices crumbled up whole wheat bread)
1 very large onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 large stalk celery, chopped fine
1/2 to 1 cup chopped mushrooms (optional. see note)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced (These come in a small can. Save the rest of the can for another use.)

Put the beans, crumbs, corn, chipotle and bread crumbs in a large bowl. Sauté the onions, celery and garlic for a few minutes in a small amount of oil. Add the paprika and mix. Add the sauté mix to the beans and mush up well with your hands until you have a cohesive mixture. If it's too soft, add more crumbs. Form into patties and cook on a non-stick griddle in a very small amount of oil until browned and firm. Serve on whole grain buns with lettuce and toppings of your choice.

To go with the burgers I cut some sweet potatoes for oven sweet potato fries. Cut them into 1/2 thick fingers and mix them with 2 to 3 finely minced cloves of garlic. (about 1 tablespoon) Spread them in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet, spray them with olive oil (or toss with a tablespoon of oil before spreading on the sheet). Bake in a pre-heated 475˚ oven for about 40 minutes or until soft but slightly crisp. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

note: These burgers had a slight tendency to break apart but they tasted great. I had some leftover cooked buckwheat that we substituted for half of the crumbs and maybe that had something to do with it. Or maybe they weren't mushed up enough. Also, last time we had these there was about 1 cup of chopped mushrooms in the sautéed mix and they added good flavor and texture. I would definitly recommend adding them.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

The Spewker is Going Dark Until February 4, 2008

This is the last article on The Spewker until February 4, 2008. If you could see my house, you'd know why.

The dishes are no longer simply piling up in the sink. This morning I saw creepy little bugs crawling around the dish drainer. And the laundry! Don't get me started on the laundry. There's always another pile that needs sorting and washing. Maybe I could see the light of day if the children would hang up all the clothes they pull from their closets and reject. But since they're too lazy to put clean clothes back on the hangers, and since they clean up their rooms by stuffing all the clothes scattered across their floors in their laundry baskets, I think I'd better start getting used to the dark.

Mind you, I would hang the darn clothes up myself if they didn't stew with the stanky stuff for umpteen days. Their laundry baskets are filled with gym socks, underwear, and moldy looking junk I can't decipher. I'd beat the kids silly and take away their cell phones if I thought it would change their scuzzy hygiene habits. Where did they learn such infuriatingly disgusting habits, I wonder. Oh. Right. Our house. Never mind.

I'm also starting to have nightmares about the inch and a half of dust building up on the heating baseboards. Is something like that bad for one's health? I know. I know. I should hire a cleaning service. Well, good services are hard to find. The last one I had drove me to drink. Constant new personnel, interminable lateness, and couldn't care less attitudes. I kissed them goodbye without so much as a whimper.

Ah, navel gazing. Thrilling for the writer to unload, boring for readers to view. I'll bet half the people who started this article surfed to something else after my diatribe against the children. Were you one of them?

Oh, crimey, you couldn't be one of them if you made it this far, now could you? I don't know what's more stupid, me asking a question like that or someone responding to it.

Mona is now nudging me saying this article is truly starting to sound weird. "If you don't stop," she's warning me, "we're going to lose a lot of subscribers." Moan has a tendency to be right about such things, so I suppose I will stop. If I've offended anyone, I sincerely apologize and beg forgiveness. It worked for Gene Simmons with The Donald, right?

A few random thoughts before I sign off for the rest of this month.

Conservative talk radio blows. No, I mean it. It didn't before, but now it does. It's like all the conservative talk show hosts have bandied together and decided the only Republican candidates that make sense to them are Romney and Thompson. Maybe, maybe Giuliani if he would just get out there and campaign in the early primary states. The votes of little states don't seem to figure into Rudy's political strategy, or so they say. Not wanting to look positively thick, the conservatrons are barely mentioning his name. Rudy is not out of this race, fellahs, remember that!

Also, I'm getting fed up hearing every single one of them say, "I still think Hillary is going to become the nominee, even though I don't want her to become the nominee, I really think she's going to get the nomination." Those blithering idiots! If they really didn't want Billary to become the nominee, none of them would be saying that. Every single one of them would be too scared to come out with such a prediction for fear of being wrong. They're only repeating the Billary mantra because they want the Democrats to nominate her. They know she can't win against any of the Republicans and that's a fact.

Believe it or not, and I say this most sincerely, Obama at least has a shot at becoming our next president. He's likeable, his sound bites are right, and he plays to his own party. Hardly any Dem is going to jump ship if Obama becomes the nominee. That's exactly what the conservative talk show hosts are afraid of, mark my words.

Moving on. The presidential election. I've decided to stop blogging about it. My thoughts about the election and the candidates are pissing too many people off, probably because I'm such a moderate. I don't understand where these people are coming from. My legal training allows me to see both sides of a controversy without becoming emotionally invested. Not so for the majority of people I've met on the Internet. Either I agree with them and align myself with their point of view, or they target me as the enemy. Divisive politics is counterproductive, antithetical to my inherent nature as a people person, and not worth the animosity it engenders. I'm tempted to remove all the "political commentary" articles from the topix list in this blog, but that would be capitulating to the bullies. One thing about yours truly, I don't back down on issues I truly believe in and care about.

In fact, I care so passionately about these issues -- *sniff* *sniff* -- I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing if I didn't *sniff* *sniff* care about these things so very passionately. I'm only trying *sniff* *sniff* to help *sniffle* the American people (smattering of water in the eyes) when I blog about political issues *sniff* because I care so unbelievably passionately (clearing throat) and want to make the world a better place for the children, the dear precious children, bless their tiny little hearts and souls.

Finally, social media. It's huge, very powerful and impressive. Each day I become more emersed in it, I am energized by a newfound ability to reach people from all walks of life and nationalities. I don't have to actually meet these people. I only have to somehow connect with them. When I do I feel the same way as if we had connected at a bar or a convention. Sometimes such chance encounters become lasting friendships. I'm debating whether to post articles about social media when I return. They wouldn't be research or anything intellectual, just my own thoughts and impressions. If anyone is still reading this article, let me know what you think about social media and whether you think it may compliment the existing "American media" category here at The Spewker.

Thank you, whoever is left, for your interest, time, and patience. Please subscribe or bookmark this site and return on February 4th. You won't regret making the commitment, I promise.

Update: 2.25.08 The 2008 presidential election has been way too exciting to ignore. Despite my best efforts, I continue to blog about it. If the articles piss people off, so be it. At the end of the day, I have to be true to myself. Besides, I'm a believer in the cliche, if you build it they will come. There's a place for a political moderate on the Internet. The Spewker should be a place similarly minded people can call home.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

no posts

i'm going out of town for a few days so i won't be able to post because my laptop got stolen.
Sorry about that and thanks for being patient.

Will post more soon...

Impressive Sixty Second Videos from the 2008 Orange British Academy Film Awards

Photo by Marc Hoberman courtesy of The British Academy of Film and Television

I'm a sucker for awards events. The swirl of glitterati, red carpet bursting in a thousand bulbs of flash, paps shouting "Over here! Turn left! Give me a smile!", stars gently nudging along at the behest of their nondescript handlers with an occasional entourage in tow, wannabes clamoring for interview crumbs. When awards season hits the scene, so does my inner stalker. Luckily for all involved, a big screen TV and cable are more than enough to send my demons packing.

Of course with all the Hollywood upheaval, this awards season is shaping up to be a hot steaming bath of dung. Case in point: The 65th Annual Golden Globes. I don't know about you, but if I glanced away from the screen just to scratch my foot, Mary Hart and whats-his-name had already announced a category winner and were racing on to the next. Yes, there is something to be said for condensing what used to be at least a three hour telecast into thirty or less minutes, but if I had my druthers I'd take fashion and glitz.

No wonder the announcement of 2008 nominees for the Orange BAFTAs left me pinging with excitement. The name itself is rather intriguing...don't you think? Orange? Is there a Purple BAFTAs too (as a Ravens fan I had to ask)? The event's location in the UK is huge! No striking writers or picket lines and unlike the Oscars, fans will not have to contemplate possible letdown.

Normally, I would not give the Orange BAFTAs a second thought, but now everything is different. Now, stars are hungry to walk a red carpet in glam. Now, gobs of people need a celebrity stalker fix. Now, plenty troll videos of last year's award shows just to gossip about Jack and Johnny. If I had known last summer what I know today I would have paid far more attention to the MTV Movie Awards. Bring back the snark!

Over to BAFTA's website I traveled.

Since my modus stalkerendi is not the Orange BAFTAs, I have no idea whether their traditional format includes an award for Short Film Making Iniative. If not, it should. This is an amazingly cool category tailor made for the web. Aspiring film makers submit sixty second videos embodying a pre-chosen theme. This year's theme is "unite." Visitors can rate and vote for their favorites. The Academy chooses fifteen regional winners to rub elbows with real tinsel at the February 10th telecast. A grand prize winner is announced at the ceremony.

There's even something for the little people. More Magazine is running a contest with Nicky Clarke to style one lucky winner's hair. Benefits include grazing with the A-list on the day of the show.

I don't know how many sixty second shorts the British Academy received. Probably thousands. Could be millions. At sixty seconds a clip, I could afford to view some. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending upon one's point of view, new job responsibilities prevent me from fully devouring this cinemagraphic cornucopia. If you have a lot of time on your hands, I strongly urge you to run -- not walk -- to their website and begin watching. Online voting starts on January 28, 2008 and ends midnight on February 3, 2008. You may need the January 28th lead time just to view all the entries.

While you're there, don't forget to vote for the Orange Rising Star Award. My spyware program popped a phishing warning, so you may not want to divulge your true e-mail address with your vote. Don't tell anyone, but I made something up and voted anyway.

If you don't have time to kill on videos, here are ten fairly impressive film shorts with something for everyone in no particular order:

The Photo Man - Clever use of cinematography reaffirms the power of love.

Santa's Unite - Engaging mockumentary on the herding rituals of Santas.

Lady Peaceful - Horror noir lives happily ever after.

Love Hurts - A brief encounter between a robot and cactus produces something beautiful.

Common Ground – A single photograph unites the heartbreak of women.

Peek-A-Boom - Worlds play cat and mouse, then collide in a burst of brilliance. My nomination for best make-up.

Directions - Souls collide in an unexpected manner.

Hound(ed) - A man struggles to understand why society seems united against him.

Red Herring - Excellent use of the color red leaves much to the imagination.

number 88 – Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Jonathan Ross will host this year's Orange BAFTAs at London's Royal Opera House on Sunday, February 10, 2008.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Video: Alex Liiv Scarred

MTV's show Scarred has clips from all different types of sports, not just BMX. As fun as it is to watch inline skaters rack their nuts on rails... I find that I am drawn to the BMX clips only because it terrifies me that something like this could happen to me or any of my friends.

That said, I am not hopping 24 stairs to flat. Or in this case I should say to a flattened face. Alex Liiv was bored one day and decided to hop a double set. His wheel totally collapsed and he tastes the pavement.

What I'm wondering is did he laced that rim himself or did he just reach the physical stress limit of that rim? Watch this and start second guessing your bigger tricks...