Dark Chocolate?

TASTING PANEL
We tasted chocolate - so you don't have to


The Times Tasting Panel met recently to evaluate chocolate -- with the aim of finding chocolate bars that would be great both for baking and eating. We picked up everything we could get our hands on (the one criterion was that the chocolate have 70% to 75% cacao content): stalwarts such as Valrhona and Scharffen Berger, organic chocolate such as Dagoba and Green & Black's, newer brands such as Chocovic and Theo, and supermarket stock such as Ghirardelli. Joining me on the panel were restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila, Food editor Leslie Brenner, columnist Russ Parsons and staff writers Amy Scattergood and Charles Perry.

In all, we tried 23 chocolate bars. Some have been excluded from the following list; if there were two different bars from the same chocolate maker (for example, Chocovic's "Ocumare" and "Guaranda"), the one that panelists preferred is listed. Prices are included, but they can vary widely from retailer to retailer.

I have to disagree with this review of dark chocolate. I am a big fan of chocolate from white to milk and even dark but this reviewer claimed that all 23 dark chocolate bars they tried were delightfully surprising. Meaning they enjoyed each and every one they tried. This I don’t agree with. I have tasted a few of the chocolate bars in their sample and I must say that some of them tasted like dirt. Although I did agree with some of their opinions, most of them seemed bogus because they chocolate bars they found surprisingly good I found disturbingly disgusting.

Narrative Story - Naughty & Nice

Naughty and Nice

This story is about a very interesting ballerina named Melissa Barak. It describes the path she took as a dancer. It tells how her differences led her to become the success that she is today. She brings burlesque into her ballet, which is the main interest of this article. She is now a performer and choreographer for the Los Angeles Ballet.

Gas Price Editorial

Over the past year gas prices have soared and are continuing the trend.

Recent reports state that gasoline is up to $99 a barrel and they don’t plan on coming down any time soon. This is a catastrophe beyond words. Especially during a season of holidays and traveling.

Must we all buy fuel efficient and electric cars to survive? Is that our only option? Even the Toyota Prius, which is rated one of the top fuel-efficient vehicles of 2008, costs about $33.00 to fill up. I don’t know about you but that doesn’t seem to be enough for me. When I bought my Honda I was told that it would get great gas mileage but that doesn’t mean much when it costs me about $50.00 to fill up the tank.

We’ve tried the boycott days when people aren’t supposed to get gas but ultimately that doesn’t work because we just end up going to the gas station for a fill up the day before or even the day after. Oil companies still make their money and it’s costing us a fortune.

Traffic doesn’t help us at all either. We all know how congested the 405 freeway can get. My question is, where are all these people going and why cant they just carpool?

In my opinion gas stations will continue raising their prices as long as we continue pumping gas. The problem is that we need our gas and there is nothing we can do to change that.
The best solution to this long awaited problem is carpooling. That’s really all we can do. Save money, buy less gas, and waste less oil. Once the oil companies profits begin to feel the pain of lower sales, they will have no choice but to lower their price per barrel which will ultimately lower our price per gallon, which can I mention is up to $3.50 in Los Angeles.

Public Documents Online

1.) I went to lacity.org and typed in agenda staff reports in the search section. Then I pressed the link to the PDF file. Here is the staff report: Click Here

2.) I did a google search of the United States General Accounting Office and found the link, www.gao.gov. Right there on the front page of the website were a list of reports. Here is one I found interesting: Click Here

3.) This time I did a yahoo search and the first item listed was a PDF file of the California Public Records act: Click Here

Sheila Kelley's S Factor

The most amazing workout I have ever done was when I took an intro class at Sheila Kelley's S Factor in Encino, Ca. This was more of a fun hobby than an exercise mechanism. I really and truly recommend that all women try this at least once. However, I must warn that you could get addicted and classes are definitely not cheap. This is a two-hour class that entails, yoga, palates, aerobics and most importantly pole dancing. Do not call this a stripping class because that is exactly what it is not! Its just a really fun and innovative way to get your body moving. I honestly felt muscles that I didn’t even know I had. I was extremely sore for a whole week after and still couldn’t wait for my next class. Here is the link for more information on the fabulous S Factor.

Internet Treasure Hunt

1. California Assembly Bill (AB 381) is for Medi-Cal provider reimbursement
http://www.totalcapitol.com/?people_id=438

2. 2007 effort to recall L.A. Councilman Jack Weiss has raised $68,355
http://ethics.lacity.org/efs/public_2007RecallEffort.cfm

3. The movie "The day the earth caught on fire" was release in 1961 and directed by Val Guest
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054790/

4. Expert on Water Rationing
http://www.highbeam.com/about/contact.hbr

5. Southern California's Median Age
http://www.scag.ca.gov/publications/pdf/2006/SOTR06/SOTR06_Population.pdf

www.TheSuperficial.com

One of my favorite blogs is thesuperficial.com

Its a celebrity blog, that dishes out all the dirt on celebs. Its full of great pics and its a hilarious read. The blogger really doesn't sugar coat anything and says all the things that the media wishes they could about some of the craziest celebrities.

Here is the Link.

It's pure comedy, and although most of his punchlines are untrue, the pictures are all real. It's fun to let your imagination run wild sometimes, even if its at Paris Hilton's expense. The blogger even writes the funniest headlines to each of his blogs. I just cant get enough of this stuff!

Here are some recent posts:

Britney Spears slept through drug test – twice

Part of the reason Britney Spears lost her kids is because she failed to follow the judge’s instructions and take a drug test. But why did she skip those tests? Was she negotiating world peace? Reading to her kids? Aw, no, wait, she was sleeping. Hey, it’s hard work letting nannies watch your kids while you drink Frappucinos. E! Online reports:
Sources close to the proceedings told the Los Angeles Times that Spears' assistant twice informed the testing lab that her boss was asleep and then on another occasion told the technicians that Spears would be unavailable to take a test at home.
I catch a lot of flack for the Britney loves fast food comments. But, seriously, at this point I’m just trying to help. Had somebody took Britney’s hand and offered to take her to Carl Jr.’s if she peed in a cup, all of this could’ve been avoided. She probably would’ve filled a bathtub if you threw in a trip to the DQ. The woman has a weakness for fast food. She loves it more than her kids. Use her weakness for good. Train her. Mold her. Or you can just sit there and let Britney make a music video (above) where she pretends to be a stripper. Except no one has the heart to tell Britney she’s the type of stripper that makes a guy get up and leave - because his penis is crying.
NOTE: Above is Britney Spears' new music video for Gimme More. So either 'you're welcome' or 'I'm sorry.' I can't figure out which is appropriate here.


Charlie Sheen may have some issues, just a few

Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards are in the middle of a heated custody battle. Denise recently filed some documents regarding Charlie’s behavior which Page Six got their hands on:
Pictures of Sheen's "erect penis" that Richards says he used for his profile on sex sites are also included, which Richards claims he e-mailed to "approximately 30 women."
"I'd love to give it to you any time," Sheen wrote to one woman under the screen name "mrjonze55."
Richards says Sheen even visited gay pornography sites - "which I found even more disturbing because I felt that the boys looked underage.”
Charlie is also very adamant about breast-feeding:
Richards accuses Sheen of punching the headboard of their bed once in a rage, and telling her that by no longer breast-feeding, she was causing their daughter, Sam, to "become retarded."
"He took a large wedding photo off the wall. He had it placed in our garage. He sawed the picture in half and took spray paint and sprayed 'the dumbest day of my life.’”
Charlie Sheen tore his wedding picture in half and wrote “the dumbest day of my life” on it. That is freaking hilarious. Oh, it’s disturbed, but, seriously, who does that? Outside of a five-year-old? I can just see him arguing in court: “Your honor, my ex-wife Denise doesn’t deserve to have custody of the kids, because, well, she’s just a big poop-head. Also she’s super-retarded.” Honestly, Charlie Sheen should be a lawyer. He’d win every case. You just can’t compete with this level of word-play.

Topless Beach in Barcelona

They drifted off the bus on the hot summer morning in Barcelona. Wearing nothing but the tight spandex of their bikini’s and shiny neon sandals, they felt the sweat beads as they rolled of their backs and onto the ground. A long walk awaited them but their feet felt like they were floating. Once the hard concrete drifted away, they felt the hot, rocky sand between their toes and they knew they had made it.

The fishy smell of the salty ocean water whispered into their nostrils like an aroma they’ve never felt before. It was different, unlike any scent they had ever smelled. Paris and her cousin hadn’t spoken a word to each other all morning. Opinions didn’t matter now, their plans for the day were determined. As they found a spot to lay their towels, a rhythmic beat was flowing in their hearts.

Feeling extremely nervous and excited at the same time, there was no turning back. They counted softly to each other, “one, two, three… go.” And off they went. Their tops fell slowly onto the sand, a feeling of freedom swept over their minds and surprisingly they felt invisible. The feeling of invisibility didn’t last long and they learned they weren’t as daring as they thought.

Community Journalism

click here for the full article

SIR MIX-A-LOT, the Seattle rapper who slammed skinny models in his 1992 big-booty anthem "Baby Got Back," isn't one for vigorous exercise. "Have you seen me lately?" he said from the road outside Vegas. "I hit the treadmill this morning, but that was strictly walking. That's about as much as I can take."But that won't stop him from performing at this year's Nike Run Hit Remix: The Power Song Edition, a five-mile race set to live performances of the most incorrigibly popular tracks of the '90s. Nike isn't too concerned with tastemakers' approval; it has a more simple but noble goal: "It's about the music that inspires you to run," says Jacie Prieto, Nike's media relations manager.

Last year, more than 10,000 sprinted or walked to Digital Underground, Young MC and headliners De La Soul. At least 10,000 are expected again for Saturday's race, with performances by Dawn Robinson of En Vogue, Naughty by Nature, Sir Mix-A-Lot and Sugar Hill Gang. The race starts in front of the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, cuts up Figueroa Street and through the USC campus before returning to the Coliseum for an indoor, finish-line concert from headliner MC Hammer.Sir Mix-A-Lot, born Anthony Ray, has a surefire way to amp up the crowd, which will include families with strollers, Nike Club Run L.A. members and celebrities: "I plan on just repeating my hits. You've got to give them what they want to see." If he gets an audience to stick around, the good Sir might play songs from an album he's hoping to release next year.Nike Remix will raise money for Let Me Play, the corporation's multiyear national program that will help build 84 places to play in L.A., including basketball courts and playgrounds for public schools.At the finish line, runners can replenish with water, bananas and Jamba Juice. Or purchase beer, for those who want to stop those electrolytes dead in their tracks. It's a celebration of fitness in L.A., a city that parties and jogs in equal measure.


This is a great example of community journalism because it is filled with human-interest points. It refers to celebrities such as MC Hammer and Sir Mix-A-Lot and makes them the main point of the story. When in actuality it is covering the Nike Remix event that is a fundraiser for LA public schools. It chose to use the musical talent at the fundraiser as the human interest point and gets people to read the article that way.

Scene Setter Lead

Ringin' in the fun and funk of Seattle's Belltown
By Eric Noland, Travel Editor


SEATTLE -- A woman pushes a baby stroller while wearing impossibly high heels. Another young lady sports a tiara, in the middle of the afternoon. A guy pedals a bicycle uphill while smoking a cigarette. Skateboards proliferate. So does purple hair.


This is a scene-setter lead. I don’t think it did such a wonderful job of setting the scene. I had to read the headline to figure out that the article was about Seattle. Without reading the headline, someone might think its about Los Angeles or New York or any other big city full of strangers. The rest of the article is very well written and does give a lot of information. However, you need to read past the lead to really get a feel of Seattle’s finest.

Blog #2

This is a News Feature Follow-Up because it is following up on the many articles about toy recalls, mainly from Mattel. It’s a feature story because of its format and it follows up by adding a new angle on the previous articles. It talks about the testing labs that are booming with business since the recalls have been made.

click here for the full story

Toy testers working overtime amid recalls

With the holidays nearing, manufacturers are keeping labs busy to ensure product safety and soothe consumers.
From the Associated Press
September 25, 2007

ENFIELD, CONN. -- Gone is the 40-hour workweek at Specialized Technology Resources Inc. Boxes of toys are piling up in the middle of its testing lab, workers are coming in on weekends, and product testers who normally would check tools or candles are working on chess sets and plastic cars.Business is bustling since the recent recalls of millions of toys. Management at the international product testing company is considering adding to its staff of 1,600."Right now, we're using everybody in toy land," said Linda Root, manager of the company's toy-testing lab here.The recalls have toy companies from the largest producer Mattel Inc. to small importers clamoring to hire companies to test and retest their toys as a way to allay consumer fears ahead of the key holiday shopping season.

My IntroBlog

Welcome to my blog!

I am a Journalism student with a passion for PR. I enjoy writing almost as much as I enjoy talking. I think communication is key in any type of relationship. It is important for me to know what people think about any topic at hand. Opinions are my friend and I appreciate any input, whether I agree or disagree.

I just turned 23 in August, and I am a fired-up Leo! I still live with my parents, mainly because they live so close to campus and who would complain about free rent. However, my first goal after graduation is to move out on my own. Independence is one thing I still haven’t accomplished in life but I certainly plan to.

Some of my favorite things include, good music, great food, and fabulous friends. My biggest fears are Cockroaches and Heartbreak.

Thanks for coming. Stop By again Soon!