Shout out to JK for the album.

DeCarlo. Don’t Say Nuthin’.

Beer guzzlers in NYC are psyched about Beermenus.com, a fully functional search engine that scopes out over 162 beer menus throughout the Big Apple. Think of the site as a liquid brother to the more familiar Menupages.com—it maps out every bar in the city where you can find your favorite brand of beer. The database is equipped to trace popular titles like Stella Artois to the more under-the-radar Stone Arrogant Bastard. There’s also a user-generated aspect to the site that allows readers to submit their local watering hole’s menu and options to update existing menus that are listed. Get to searching, another drunken weekend is almost here.

Since the Grammy’s, news of a Kanye West x Nike collab has had the hype circuit buzzing, and last week close-up shots hit the web. While most of the sneaker-obsessed blogs simply showed the new silo, one enthusiastic shoe-head took the time to map out ‘Ye’s alleged inspiration. Although this in no way confirms Kanye’s thought process, it seems to be spot on given West’s past sneaker rocking habits. The Louis Vuitton Don went ga-ga over the Ato Cow Hide Boots in 07, consistently flosses multiple pairs of the Bape Roadstas, and has always been a fan of classic Js. As it stands now, Nike plans to keep release information about the sneaker under wraps until after August. Stay tuned.

Wired Magazine says it’s the water.

From the latest issue of Wired:

“Water,” Iron Chef Mario Batali says. “Water is huge. It’s probably one of California’s biggest problems with pizza.” Water binds the dough’s few ingredients. Nearly every chemical reaction that produces flavor occurs in water, says Chris Loss, a food scientist with the Culinary Institute of America. “So, naturally, the minerals and chemicals in it will affect every aspect of the way something tastes.”

Batali himself encounters the water problem at his upscale New York restaurant Del Posto, where he makes traditional Italian food. The tap water in Manhattan is far different from that of the motherland. His solution: create his own mineral-water composite. Working from a chemical analysis of l’acqua italiana, Batali’s team basically clones the H2O that gives the food in Italy its ‚Äî well, its gestalt. He plans to do this at Pizzeria Mozza in L.A….

I’ve never bought the water theory. My take has been that New York pizza is good because there are so many pizzerias, leading to a competitive atmosphere. You’ve gotta be on your game here to get raves. California: stick to burritos.

The first and only collection of unpublished works by Kurt Vonnegut since his death — a fitting tribute to the author, and an essential contribution to the discussion of war, peace, and humanity’s tendency toward violence.

Armageddon in Retrospect is a collection of twelve new and unpublished writings on war and peace. Imbued with Vonnegut’s trademark rueful humor, the pieces range from a visceral nonfiction recollection of the destruction of Dresden during World War II — an essay that is as timely today as it was then — to a painfully funny short story about three Army privates and their fantasies of the perfect first meal upon returning home from war, to a darker, more poignant story about the impossibility of shielding our children from the temptations of violence. Also included are Vonnegut’s last speech as well as an assortment of his artwork, and an introduction by the author’s son, Mark Vonnegut.

Eight-time world champ Kelly Slater and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder could easily just rest on their laurels. Kelly could kick back, focus on his golf game, chase the occasional world title and be set for life. At the same time, Vedder could kick back, focus on his surfing, record the occasional album and retire fat and happy. But these two friends – one the greatest surfer of all time and the other the greatest rock musician of his generation – do anything but rest on their laurels. Instead, they use their voices and influence to make a difference in the things they believe in.

Case in point: their most recent collaboration last Saturday, a party/fundraiser/private concert at former Broadcom mogul Marty Colombatto’s Cottons estate. The event, called the Kelly Slater Foundation Benefit, came together at the 11th hour (typical Slater style), but all appeared to flow as easily as Kelly on an overhead Lowers wall. More than 500 people gathered at the Colombatto compound, where there were Kettle One stations at every turn and grilled plate-lunch-style catering.

Bobby Shriver (brother of Maria) was one of the first to take the stage, and cracked a few jokes about getting canned by his brother-in-law (The Governator) for opposing the toll road at Trestles. “We knew it was wrong from the beginning,” he said, before breaking into his best Arnold impersonation and admitting that the Governor “isn’t the most popular in-law in the family right now.” He ended by appealing to the crowd to write their senators and congressmen and to continue the fight against the toll road. Because, he said, it’s working.

The auction came next – designed to raise crazy money for the Save Trestles Campaign, along with Miocean, Surfers Healing, The Quiksilver Foundation, Pipeline to a Cure, Mary Setterholm’s LA Surf Bus and other charities. Starting with $46,000 for a round of golf with Slater and Fred Couples all the way down to $10,000 for one of Kelly’s signed white wetsuits, people were in a generous mood. So generous, in fact, that at the end of the night, more than $350,000 was raised for the night’s causes.

All the giving gave the crowd plenty of reason to celebrate – especially when Vedder came on to play a solo acoustic concert. “My good friend Sean Penn is here,” he told the crowd. “We’ve set up a punching booth in the back. For 500 dollars, he’ll punch you in the face and sign his name in Neosporin.”

With that, came the Vedder we know and love, playing everything from old favorites (“Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town”) to new hits from his Into the Wild soundtrack. Continuing his comedy routine, Vedder stopped mid verse during “Rise” and said, “Damn, my hands are f—king freezing. Can someone come up here so I can stick my hand down their pants?”

All joking aside, both Vedder and Slater were there for serious issues. Real issues. Issues they want you to be aware of and do something about. From saving your favorite backyard pointbreak to bringing our troops back home, these two want us to be engaged. Good proof of that came toward one of the final encores, when Ben Harper and Kelly joined Eddie onstage and sang “Indifference.” “I will hold the candle till it burns up my arm,” they sang. “Oh, I’ll keep takin’ punches until their will grows tired/Oh, I will stare the sun down until my eyes go blind hey/I won’t change direction, and I won’t change my mind.”

With conviction like this, maybe, just maybe, these two really can change the world. For more information on the foundation, please go to http://www.KellySlaterFoundation.org

By: Evan Slater

Source: Surfing Magazine

When a personal tragedy ambushes his existence, Aaron Adams is forced to reexamine his life, realizing that without a major change he will be forever trapped in a cycle of boredom and depression. But embarking on a fresh start will test him emotionally at every turn - and the past is not so easily left behind - in the new romance by Robert Taylor, “Adrift: A Novel” (published by AuthorHouse.)

Life in Nyack, N.Y., had become a repetitive bore for Aaron Adams since graduating from college. But the untimely death of his mother changes everything. Not knowing how to put the pieces back together, Aaron throws a dart at a globe - it hits Tuscany in Italy. Abandoning his two best friends (one of them an unrequited love), Aaron leaves for Tuscany wanting nothing more than a fresh start. He finds himself standing on the banks of the Lima River in Bagni di Lucca, where a stranger and an unexpected connection await him. Fabrizio has also lost his mother. Together they forge a bond unlike anything Aaron has ever experienced. The close friends become lovers, sharing their grief and imagining a future with each other.

However, Aaron’s ties to America remain firmly knotted, and he soon finds himself back in the States at the side of his best friend, who may or may not awake from a coma after a terrible car accident. In the midst of this tragedy, Aaron is surprised to learn that a final chapter remains to be written in his relationship with the man he loved before he left New York. Follow Aaron’s journey of discovery as he battles and embraces the grief‚Äôs and loves of a tumultuous period and comes to terms with his sexuality in”Adrift,” the stunning, witty and emotional debut novel by Robert Taylor.

Robert Taylor is a recent graduate of Kent State University with a degree in Journalism. He has worked for Wizard Magazine and has been a popular and well-respected online columnist and journalist for the past five years, currently hanging his hat at Comic Book Resources, writing the weekly interview column “Reflections.” He also edits Artemis, a feminist magazine.

I have known Bob for quite some time now, almost nine years to be exact. After graduating from Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron together, we parted ways with different aspirations in mind. Bob is a great guy and I want to personally congratulate him on his success and wish him the best of luck. Adrift is a must read and is sold online and at all major bookstores nationwide.