This article originally appeared on August 14, 2016
Time travel back to 1905.
Back in 1905, a book called “The Apples of New York” was published by the New York State Department of Agriculture. It featured hundreds of apple varieties of all shapes, colors, and sizes, including Thomas Jefferson’s personal favorite, the Esopus Spitzenburg.
That was 110 years ago, when commercial apple orchards were still pretty rare and when even in the biggest of those orchards, everything was done by hand.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But why is that apple book such a big deal? The book is significant because most of the apples listed in it have all but disappeared in the past century. DISAPPEARED. In fact, we used to have thousands of apple varieties, but most of those have largely vanished due to industrial agriculture. Now, many varieties are only found tucked away in agricultural research centers and preservationist orchards.
Fact: Today, the 15 most popular apple varieties account for 90% of all apple sales in the U.S. The most commonly sold apple? Red delicious.
2015 looks so different.
The fate of all those apple varieties is not uncommon. “In the last century, nearly 75% of our agricultural crops have disappeared. They’re simply gone. Today, farmers primarily grow 12 crops. And of these, we mainly eat potatoes, rice, corn, and wheat.”
So what gives? Why the huge shift? In part, the shift has a lot to do with seed regulation. Back in the day, farmers would save seeds from year to year and share them with friends and neighbors. But nowadays, most seed production is controlled by big companies — and those companies patent their seeds, prohibiting things like seed saving or sharing.
So what do we do now?
Not all hope is lost (yay!). It may be an uphill battle, but there are lots of small farmers working to preserve the freedom to freely share and use seeds. People store thousands of seeds from all around the world in buildings called seed banks, and trade with other farmers at seed swaps.
“They’re preserving culture and biodiversity, one seed, one plant, and one person at a time.” How ’bout them apples? (No, really, I bet those antique apples they’re swappin’ are ridiculously tasty.)
To check out the full story from The Lexicon of Sustainability, watch the video below:
“So just recently I went out on a Match.com date, and it was fantastic,” begins Dr. Danielle Sheypuk in her TEDx Talk.
If you’ve ever been on a bunch of Match.com dates, that opening line might make you do a double take. How does one get so lucky?!
Not Dr. Sheypuck’s actual date.
Not Dr. Sheypuck’s actual date. Photo by Thinkstock.
But don’t get too jealous. Things quickly went downhill two dates later, as most Match.com dates ultimately do. This time, however, the reason may not be something that you’ve ever experienced. Intrigued? I was too. So here’s the story.Gorgeous!
Gorgeous! Photo from Dr. Sheypuk’s Instagram account, used with permission.
She’s a licensed clinical psychologist, an advocate, and a model — among other things. She’s also been confined to a wheelchair since childhood. And that last fact is what did her recent date in.
On their third date over a romantic Italian dinner, Sheypuk noticed that he was sitting farther away from her than usual. And then, out of nowhere, he began to ask the following questions:
“I’ve been thinking, how are you gonna be a mother? How are you gonna do the duties that’s gonna be required of you? And even as wife — how … I’m not sure how this is gonna work.”
Used to this line of inquiry, she had the perfect quippy reply: “Well that’s simple: I’m just gonna hire someone like every other New Yorker.”
But despite her witty answer, he’d already made up his mind. She never heard from him again.
“I tried to convince myself that this was like any other relationship, but deep down I knew the reality. Who wants to date someone in a wheelchair?”
Dr. Sheypuk knows that that single question is evidence of a really serious problem —not just on the dating scene, but in society in general.
Society has factored out an entire group of potential romantic partners: people with disabilities.
In her words:
“We are completely left out of the dating picture. Society, media included, seems to ignore the fact that we have the same emotional needs and desires as everyone else. Is this injustice born out of the concept of the poster child and his or her duty to induce pity to raise money?
Or maybe it’s a conclusion drawn form mainstream porn where we have actors performing, like, gymnastic stunts with the stamina that none of us have of bucking broncos and jackrabbits.”
Um, yes. So much yes. She continues:
“The silent message: The more in shape your body, the better the sex. The unspoken conclusion: If you have a disability, you are too sick to have sex.
The silent message: The more in shape your body, the better the sex. The unspoken conclusion: If you have a disability, you are too sick to have sex.
“Now let’s look at the continuum in our society where sexual is measured. On the one hand, we have humans that are the ultimate sex appeal object. So on that end, we have Victoria Secret models, Playboy centerfolds, people like that.
On the complete opposite end, we have people with physical disabilities. And it seems like the more we deviate from this ultimate sex icon, the more desexualized we become, the more taboo the topic, and the more damaging the consequences.
Now, for most people there are quick fixes, right? We have Hair Club for Men, Botox, Spanx, butt implants. But for people with disabilities, there are no quick fixes. There is no magic pill.”
“And we are hit hard.”
Watch the rest of Dr. Sheypuk’s talk to hear her important insights about what dating and relationships are like when a person has a disability — and how much of society is limiting itself.
She talks about a guy on Tinder who asked her if she was capable of having sex (her answer is funny), why people with disabilities can have sexual experiences that are even better than those of able-bodied folks, and more.
In the wake of the announcement of Thierry Mugler’s death today at the age of 73, fans are remembering the French fashion icon not only for his work expanding the boundaries of high-end design but also for his contributions to the musical impacts of stars like Beyonce and Lady Gaga. Beyonce herself shared a collage of her Mugler-designed looks throughout the years on her website with the message “Rest In Peace Thierry Mugler.” Fans also paid tribute to their groundbreaking collaborations, which included the signature Sasha Fierce looks that accompanied Bey’s third album, I Am… Sasha Fierce.
“Thierry Mugler was a master designer, but for a lot of music fans his biggest impact will be helping bring Sasha Fierce to life,” wrote industry professional and historian Naima Cochrane on Twitter. “Mugler’s been a favorite of hers for years. I’m in danger of overusing the word ‘drama’ as a descriptor but it’s the most apt phrase I can think of when explaining why his looks fit with Bey so perfectly.”
Thierry Mugler was a master designer, but for a lot of music fans his biggest impact will be helping bring Sasha Fierce to life. pic.twitter.com/QWQtEfOMGu
Mugler’s been a favorite of hers for years. I’m in danger of overusing the word “drama” as a descriptor but it’s the most apt phrase I can think of when explaining why his looks fit with Bey so perfectly. pic.twitter.com/cg4YXRGP1i
Fans lovingly recalled some of the designer’s most recognizable looks created for Beyonce, pointing out that the star was one of the first given access to the designer’s archives in ideating their collaborations. While some of the looks dated back to Bey’s Sasha Fierce era, some were as recent as her Disney+ musical film, Black Is King, which also featured her daughter Blue Ivy.
Thierry Mugler’s golden corset from the FW95 collection used by Beyoncé in her 2009 music video ‘Sweet Dreams” pic.twitter.com/AwDgk8Emtg
“The duality between being a woman and a warrior. Sasha Fierce is another aspect of Beyoncé’s personality. She is Fierce on stage and Beyoncé in real life. I tried to understand these two sides with my own perception of both aspects.” -Thierry Mugler pic.twitter.com/j10fwZHalZ
When someone imagines the classic “IPA” taste, they’re likely envisioning a West Coast IPA. The style is known for its heavily — sometimes ridiculously — hopped beers. Commonly brewed with Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe, Citra, and Chinook hops, these bold brews are typified by bright citrus and dank pine notes, along with varying degrees of hop bitterness. For context, even the least bitter West Coast IPA is likely more aggressively bitter than your favorite hazy, juicy New England-style IPA.
The tendency toward abrasively dank hop flavors is a big part of why the IPA is so divisive to beer fans (the amount of coverage given to these beers is also part of the issue). Still, as long as drinkers who love West Coast IPAs keep buying them, brewers aren’t likely to stop making them. To uncover some of the best options on the market, we asked a handful of notable brewers, brewing professionals, and craft beer experts for help.
Keep scrolling to see the one West Coast IPA beer pros keep coming back to.
Pernicious, or “Perni,” from Wicked Weed is a great West Coast IPA. It has incredibly complex aromas of citrus, pine, tropical fruit, and even some herbal and dank notes that are all masterfully balanced. Perni has good foundational bitterness but doesn’t finish overly dry.
Thankfully, this beer is now available up and down the East Coast and greater South. Get you some.
Sierra Nevada Torpedo
Sierra Nevada
Cooper Asay, head of quality at BrewDog USA in Columbus, Ohio
Torpedo from Sierra Nevada is classic, consistent, and delicious. This 7.2 percent ABV “Extra IPA” is brewed with Crystal, Citra, and Magnum hops. The result is pine-filled, herbal, floral, slightly bitter IPA that I go back to again and again.
Oliphant Dracula Weed
Oliphant
Garth E. Beyer, certified Cicerone® and owner and founder of Garth’s Brew Bar in Madison, Wisconsin
ABV: 6%
Average Price: Limited Availability
Why This Beer?
Oliphant Brewing’s Dracula Weed West Coast Style IPA is my West Coast must-have. It’s brewed with your traditional piney and resiny Cascade, Chinook and Simcoe hops, but the addition of the Warrior hops gives it a soft grapefruit and sweetened basil flavor that rides the balanced caramel malt wave of the beer. It’s a craft beer with body and yet only six percent ABV, so it’s quite easy to have a couple at a time.
Breakside in Oregon makes some of the best IPAs I’ve had in the last year. Their flagship IPA on draft at their pub was a revelation. Just huge flavors of pine and resin with this special kind of candied citrus character that I love. It’s in your face, but accessible and still inviting the next sip.
Bodem by Half Acre is a solid IPA. They use a variety of hops, which give it a tropical/melon aroma while not overshadowing the malty biscuity notes. It’s important to me to be able to taste the base beer under all the hops. To that avail, it’s clean.
After drinking one, I’m already looking forward to the next.
Ghost Town is making some of the best new-age West Coast IPAs in the country. Power Nap is a great example of balancing fruit-forward and dank hops. To borrow an analogy from music, the hops fill out every frequency. You have darkness, citrus, and tropical fruit with a resinous mouthfeel and dialed in bitterness.
The malt is clean and never gets in the way. Mosaic, Citra, and Enigma aren’t only for hazy beers.
Sculpin IPA from Ballast Point Brewing Company is an iconic West Coast IPA. It has bright citrus and piney hop flavors yet it’s well balanced. Clocking in at seven percent ABV and 70 IBUs, Sculpin is a full-bodied, full-flavored beer and even has grapefruit and habanero versions.
Comrade Superpower
Comrade
Jordan Fink, owner and director of brewing operations at Woods Boss Brewing Co. in Denver
ABV: 7.3%
Average Price: Limited Availability
Why This Beer?
This is just one of the most balanced West Coast IPAs you can find just about anywhere. It has pine, grapefruit, and citrus but with a mellow malt profile that complements the whole beer. You can crush this beer all day.
Russian River Blind Pig
Russian River
Dave Lopez, co-managing partner at Gun Hill Brewing in Bronx, New York
There are just so many things I enjoy about this beer. For starters, the ABV (6.25 percent), is the perfect sweet spot to be able to enjoy more than one. The beer is a fantastic blend of citrus and pine flavors that do not overpower your palate. Full-bodied and very hoppy, the beer has that dry, bitter finish that you want in a West Coast IPA.
Give me pretty much any IPA that Cannonball Creek Brewing Company makes and I’ll be a happy man. But every time I am at the brewery I am ordering at least one Mindbender. It has big notes of grapefruit with the perfect amount of piney bitterness.
While many drinkers first look to California to get their West Coast IPA fill, we like to turn out attention to Oregon-produced IPAs. One of the best under-the-radar West Coast IPAs is Laurelwood Workhorse. Hopped in the kettle using a hop-back and then dry-hopped twice, this beer is dank, piney, floral, and bittersweet enough to please the most ardent West Coast IPA fan.
San Diego’s Pure Brewing Project constantly cranks out high-quality, flavorful IPAs. One of its best is Pure West, a classic West Coast IPA brewed with Mosaic, Citra, and Simcoe hops. It’s known for its dank, resinous pine flavor with notes of grapefruit, pineapple, and a nice hint of bitter, floral hops to remind you that you’re drinking a West Coast IPA.
Last summer, the National Music Publishers Association honored Taylor Swift with the Songwriter Icon Award. It’s unclear how Swift was declared the recipient of that prize, but however that process went, Damon Albarn probably wasn’t involved, as he doesn’t believe that Swift actually writes her own songs.
In a new Los Angeles Times interview, the Gorillaz leader spoke about how he finds that playing in a band (as opposed to performing solo) is “not hard,” saying, “You can’t hide behind anything. You learn whether the songs are any good or whether they were popular at the time because of the sound and the attitude.”
That prompted a conversation about artists relying on “sound and attitude” and the interviewer mentioned Swift (as somebody who isn’t that way), calling her “an excellent songwriter.” Albarn replied, “She doesn’t write her own songs.” The interviewer retorted, “Of course she does. Co-writes some of them.” To that, Albarn replied by disagreeing and noting that he likes Billie Eilish and Finneas as songwriters:
“That doesn’t count. I know what co-writing is. Co-writing is very different to writing. I’m not hating on anybody, I’m just saying there’s a big difference between a songwriter and a songwriter who co-writes. Doesn’t mean that the outcome can’t be really great. And some of the greatest singers — I mean, Ella Fitzgerald never wrote a song in her life. When I sing, I have to close my eyes and just be in there. I suppose I’m a traditionalist in that sense.
A really interesting songwriter is Billie Eilish and her brother. I’m more attracted to that than to Taylor Swift. It’s just darker — less endlessly upbeat. Way more minor and odd. I think she’s exceptional.”
The explosive docuseries Secrets Of Playboy premieres tonight on A&E, and it reportedly details years of abuse, blackmail, and trafficking by legendary Playboy honcho Hugh Hefner.
Hugh Hefner’s exes and former Playboy mansion residents are featured in the four-part mini-series, remarking all of the terrible things the Playboy founder did. Holly Madison, who starred in the reality series Girls Next Door, spoke out about her time living with Hefner, and how she believes she developed Stockholm Syndrome while living with him for nearly a decade. “I felt like I was in this cycle of gross things and I didn’t know what to do.”
Other disturbing allegations, including beastiality, are brought to light by former playmates Miki Garcia and Sondra Theodore. “It was a manipulation from the beginning. [He] groomed us all.” Theodore stated. “Really, he was a monster.”
Theodore, who met Hefner when she was 19, said he also used to film ‘everybody’ and use the tapes for blackmail. “He had tapes on everybody. The first time I looked up at the two screens he had for the TV in the bedroom and I realized it was me, I’m like, ‘Whoa, what are you doing?’ And when we started bringing other people into the bedroom, some girls had the same reaction.” Hefner was also famously close with Bill Cosby.
Hefner, who passed away in 2017, supposedly trapped models into “unfair contracts.” Jennifer Saginor, who was the daughter of Hefner’s personal doctor and close friend Mark Saginor, also claims there were “shadow mansions,” where women were drugged and assaulted while being promised potential modeling contracts.
“The Hefner family is no longer associated with Playboy, and today’s Playboy is not Hugh Hefner’s Playboy. We trust and validate these women and their stories and we strongly support those individuals who have come forward to share their experiences. As a brand with sex positivity at its core, we believe safety, security, and accountability are paramount. The most important thing we can do right now is actively listen and learn from their experiences. Today, our organization is run by a workforce that is more than 80% female and we will continue to confront any parts of our legacy that do not reflect our values today, and to build upon the progress we have made as we evolve as a company so we can drive positive change for our employees and our communities.”
Secrets Of Playboy premieres tonight at 9pm ET on A&E.
Aaron Rodgers criticized Joe Biden in an interview with ESPN that was published the day before his Green Bay Packers became the first team in NFL history to fail to reach the Super Bowl after winning 13 games in three straight seasons. While touring tornado-hit areas of Kentucky in December, the president joked to a woman wearing a Packers jacket, “Tell that quarterback he’s gotta get the vaccine.” Rodgers was not amused.
“When the president of the United States says, ‘This is a pandemic of the unvaccinated,’ it’s because him and his constituents, which, I don’t know how there are any if you watch any of his attempts at public speaking, but I guess he got 81 million votes,” Rodgers, who was fined by the NFL for violating COVID protocols and takes medical advice from Joe Rogan, said. “But when you say stuff like that, and then you have the CDC, which, how do you even trust them, but then they come out and talk about 75% of the COVID deaths have at least four comorbidities. And you still have this fake White House set saying that this is the pandemic of the unvaccinated, that’s not helping the conversation.”
Rodgers’ comments, especially the part about Biden receiving 81 million votes in the 2020 presidential election, caught the attention of Donald Trump’s chief spokeswoman, Liz Harrington. She used it as proof that the election was stolen from her boss. “There’s not a lot of good news. We see what happens after one year of an illegitimate regime in place,” she said on Steve Bannon’s War Room: Pandemic podcast:
“The only good news is the American people know it. I mean, you had four years of them saying the 2016 election was stolen by Russia and you never had quarterbacks questioning President Trump’s legitimacy. You’ve got Aaron Rodgers just flat out calling it out and saying ’81 million votes? Yeah, I guess.’ But it doesn’t certainly look like it.”
Here’s the clip:
Trump spokesperson Liz Harrington cited football star Aaron Rodgers as proof the election was stolen.
Earlier in the month, Netflix revealed that Will Arnett would star in an improv murder mystery series called Murderville, which would feature a rotating cast of celebrity guest stars. The hook is that the guest stars wouldn’t be given a script and would have to improv their way through the procedural alongside Arnett. Obviously, this premise sounds great, but now we know just how out of hand things will get thanks to Netflix dropping first official trailer.
Along with revealing the absolutely stacked guest star cast of Conan O’Brien, Marshawn Lynch, Kumail Nanjiani, Annie Murphy, Sharon Stone, and Ken Jeong, the trailer makes it clear that Netflix was not messing around when it said there would be no script. In the hilarious trailer, the guest stars break character from laughing at Arnett so hard, and in some cases, genuinely have no clue what the heck they’re doing. It definitely looks like a good time.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Meet Senior Detective Terry Seattle, Homicide Division. For Terry, every day means a new murder case and a new celebrity guest star as his partner. But here’s the catch: each episode’s guest star isn’t being given the script. They have no idea what’s about to happen to them. Together, the guest star and Terry Seattle will have to improvise their way through the case, but it will be up to each celebrity guest alone to name the killer. Join them as they punch a one-way ticket to Murderville.
Murderville starts streaming February 3 on Netflix.
Pusha T‘s penchant for provocation apparently remains untempered by the four years and global pandemic that have taken place since his last album, 2018’s Daytona. The Virginia Beach rapper teased what many took to be a potential album cover on his Instagram Sunday, along with a video of Push performing a snippet of what appears to be a new track that could end up on his upcoming project. And, as in 2018, when he stirred controversy for using a photo of Whitney Houston’s trashed hotel room as the cover for Daytona, it looks like he’s using another pop star’s imagery to promote his latest work.
In Pusha’s latest Instagram post — and his only one, after he seemingly archived the rest of his profile overnight — a photo of a woman has her face obscured by a pile of white powder. However, it didn’t take long for fans to figure out that the woman in the photograph is none other than Lana Del Rey, who’s been known to reference cocaine in her music throughout her career as well (although, not nearly as much as Pusha). Meanwhile, over on Twitter, a number of snippets cropped up, culled from various celebrities’ Instagram Stories, each featuring Push rapping along to one of his new songs at a party attended by Kanye West and Pusha’s manager Steven Victor.
Sunny Day Real Estate has been real on-and-off since they became a defining emo band in the early ’90s, a status they achieved despite a short initial tenure. Their original run was from 1992 to 1995, and since then, they reunited in 1997, broke up again a few years later, reunited yet again in 2009, and disbanded once more in 2013. Now, it appears they’re ready to give it another go: Spin reports that the band is reuniting to play some shows this spring.
The publication also notes the lineup is set to include vocalist/guitarist Jeremy Enigk, guitarist Dan Hoerner, and drummer William Goldsmith, along with other musicians. Original bassist Nate Mendel, who went on to join Foo Fighters (of which he is still a member), is apparently not involved in the reunion.
Furthermore, Brooklyn Vegan reports that Goldsmith took to Instagram to post a screenshot of a new @sdretour Instagram page, as well as a video of him practicing Sunny Day Real Estate’s “Roses In Water.” Both posts have since been deleted. There are currently no posts on the @sdretour page. This comes after Enigk dropped off of most dates of an upcoming Cursive and The Appleseed Cast tour, a tour that kicked off a few days ago and is set to run through to mid-March.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Not Dr. Sheypuck’s actual date. Photo by Thinkstock.
(@PRADAXBBY) 
(@ammofr) 