3/4/10: The Cooler: An off-line, after-work, agenda-free, mingle-fest brought to you by Seven Days.

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The spiny durian is known as the "king of fruit" in Southeast Asia. Many westerners, however, find its odor foul. Food writer Alice Levitt meets up with Burlington electronic band Durians at 99 Asian Market to try their stinky namesake.

Curses, Foiled Again
After stealing handcuffs, a Taser and other items from an unmarked police car in Ocoee, Fla., Shane Thomas Williams-Allen, 19, was apprehended when he “locked the handcuffs on himself and had to call the Clermont Police Department to respond to release him,” according to an arrest affidavit. Lake County authorities who took Williams-Allen into custody said he told them that while removing the Taser from the police car, “it discharged, hitting the floor and causing his foot to get shocked.” (Orlando Sentinel) ... Read more

Here's the weekly astrological forecast for March 10 - 17, 2010. What's your sign, baby? They're all here...... Read more

Who says religion is stuck in the Dark Ages? In 2003, Pope John Paul II sent his first text message. Addressed to thousands of subscribers, the missive became a daily ritual that his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, has continued. If you’re too busy to pray on your own, you can buy a plea to God on InformationAgePrayer.com. If you’re Jewish, just make sure your computer speakers are facing Jerusalem. Always wanted to prostrate yourself at the Hajj?... Read more

Anyone who likes to muse about spirituality, art and/or nature — or better yet, all three at once — would likely enjoy a “conversation” series developed by Shelburne Museum director Stephan Jost in partnership with Shelburne Farms, All Souls Interfaith Gathering and ... Read more

Is Vermont, and specifically Burlington, a hot destination for LGBT travelers? The makers of the Logo network show “Bump!” thought so.... Read more

Greater Burlington has at least 10 Vietnamese restaurants. Currently, this abundance doesn’t extend far outside the city’s environs, but that’s changing. On February 27, Annam Restaurant, the first Vietnamese spot in St. Albans, opened its doors.... Read more

Of the many reference books on the Green Mountain State, few have been written by natives. But now comes Leon Thompson’s Not Too Awful Bad: A Storyteller’s Guide to Vermont. Thompson is a true Vermonter — pronounced “Vermonner,” not “Vermontah,” for you clueless outsiders — who grew up in Swanton (“Swah’in”) and lives in St.... Read more

“Just trying to get some change for the parking meter,” I explained to the Greyhound ticket agent.

The middle-aged woman raised an eyebrow and looked me up and down. If the expression on her face was any indication, apparently I was quite the distasteful sight to behold. Oh, well. She, on the other hand, cut a striking, if somewhat intimidating, figure. I don’t know if it was the too-snug company-issued pantsuit or the rust-tinged beehive hairdo with the Bic pen pointing out the side like the needle on a compass, but the whole package kind of turned me on.... Read more