ContraCostaTimes.com: Trader Joe's in, Albertson's out

Oh yes: Trader Joe’s within walking distance. Life is good. (And what an overly-sentimental picture the article paints of the old Albertsons, which was small, run-down, and seedy. I hope TJ’s clean it up a bit before they move it…)

Tea Leaves: Sloth, Ignorance and Denial

psu skewers an NYT piece on a peculiar phenomenon: meal assembly centers. “The value proposition for one of these prep-cook services is something like this: you pay them premium prices for food that you could probably buy at the deli for not much more. In return, you go to their house and help them finish the dishes for you.” How odd. (Oh, and bravo to this: “In this day and age, a man who can't cook is a pathetic creature indeed.”)

UMN news: Atheists identified as America's most distrusted minority

“Even though atheists are few in number, not formally organized and relatively hard to publicly identify, they are seen as a threat to the American way of life by a large portion of the American public. ” Well guess what, America: us atheists often see the Christian majority as a threat to our way of life… And where does the 3% come from? The Census Bureau can’t ask, but table 67 of the 2004-2005 Statistical Abstract of the United States suggests it’s either a lot less (902 of 207,980 (0.4%) self-identified as “atheist”) or a lot more (29,481 (14.2%) in total as “no religion”. (via Metafilter, although pickings are thin in the resulting thread)

rogerebert.com: A 'Grizzly' matter

Roger Ebert, asked about Discovery Channel’s showing of Grizzly Man—a fantastic documentary absolutely butchered by ad breaks every 8 minutes—gets a reply from director Walter Herzog himself. (Bonus link: the LA Times on how Grizzly Man, a far better documentary than those dratted penguins, failed to get even an Oscar nomination.)

i was just really very hungry.: Milking the Soy Bean

I can’t imagine ever having the time to do it myself, but wow: maki's detailed instructions for making soy milk and for turning it into tofu make fascinating reading.

salon.com: If my wife dressed better, would gay guys stop hitting on me?

Salon’s advice column annoys me—it always seems to have a lingering note of smugness—but this one’s just bizarre. (And is it just me that’s reminded of this Onion piece?)

ContraCostaTimes.com: Brit hikes, blogs

Yep: it’s me.

Whatever: Post-Oscar Thoughts

John Scalzi is more measured, less sweary: “[Crash] is not a bad film; in fact, it’s a rather good film. But it’s not a great film, nor the best film of 2005, or even the best film of the nominees. It is, however, a very lucky film, and this year that’s good enough.” (I was rooting for the cowboys.)

plasticbag.org: Watching the Oscars...

Brokeback Mountain is robbed; Tom Coates is not happy. “Fucking hell! Fucking Crash wins?! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! Right. I’m done. Screw you, Oscar! I’m going home.” (See also Tom’s initial review: “However beautiful it was, there was still somewhere in all the pain a deeply missed and wonderful opportunity.”)

Re-Imagineering

Insider blogging on the problems at Disney’s parks: strangely compelling. “The Disney Company is unique in that, with Disneyland, your customers are physically strolling around in the foundation of your brand. […] This is not an opportunity you'd want to skimp on.” (via BoingBoing)

The Top Ten Sci-Fi Films That Never Existed

On the Hitchhiker’s Guide: “There was a movie that perfectly captured the Douglas Adams experience, the combination of bitter sarcasm and sharp imagination, the droll British wit and whale-exploding slapstick that infused his novels. And that movie was Shaun of the Dead.” (And I too remember the vivid contrast between that Alien 3 trailer—Aliens on Earth!—and the glum, claustrophobic movie we ended up with.) (via Slashdot)

Tea Leaves: Late to the Party

Note to self: read The Count of Monte Cristo. (And a big “me too” to his opinion of Dune: “a book with a compelling story but that is so badly written that you should read [the] Cliff”s Notes version instead.” I found it utterly unreadable.)

Tea Leaves: Curious George

psu liked Curious George too: “seeing the pastel shaded little monkey get up and start walking around was just magic.”