MyFitnessPal Makes International Push With Versions In French, German, Spanish, And Portuguese

Popular exercise- and nutrition-tracking service MyFitnessPal is making its first significant effort to reach an international audience. Co-founder Mike Lee said that MyFitnessPal now has "well north of" 40 million registered users. That already includes users in other countries: "In absolute numbers it's large, but ... it's just a small percentage of our total userbase." So Lee argued that there's a big opportunity in creating localized versions of the service.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/coOI-zVKmTs/

puerto rico

Trattoria Neapolis - Hometown Pasadena

An Untraditional Review for an Untraditional Restaurant

Though the word trattoria means small family restaurant in Italian, this space is anything but.

And though Neapolis is Greek for Naples?perhaps hinting at the fusion of California cuisine and traditional Italian cuisine?this reviewer honestly cannot say because she wasn?t able to ever get a hold of the owner, the mysterious Mr. Perry Vidalakis.

What she can say is the ambiance of Trattoria Neapolis is outdone only by the quality of the food and the wait staff. Every dish is built with handmade Italian basics, and then twisted into something new and divine. Innovative dishes such as Gamberi (wood grilled shrimp, cauliflower, and a red wine vinaigrette) and Prosciutto Benedict (handmade Focaccia, poached eggs and in-house aged prosciutto and Pomodoro Hollandaise), and the insistence on authentic food preparation, including on-site meat curing and bread making, is the reason why this is THE BEST NEW RESTAURANT IN PASADENA.

Trattoria Neapolis has old world class, cutting edge, on trend-specialties, and a focused attention to detail. Even the pickled vegetables for the Bloody Mary cocktail are hand brined. The restaurant?s innovative Italian/American fusion cuisine is by far the best tasted since a visit to Mario Batali?s high-end Westside restaurant?the difference being the visitor will pay a much more reasonable price per plate at Trattoria Neapolis.

Bryant Wigger is the trattoria?s head chef. Hailing originally from Missouri, Wigger made his way through the Southern California high-end hotel restaurant circuit before landing here in Pasadena. Starting in the Hilton family, and then moving on the Ritz in Laguna Niguel, the Four Seasons in Carlsbad and then Beverly Hills, where he was finally swept away by Mr. Vidalakis.

Trattoria Neapolis consistently invests in fun and innovative co-sponsorships, like teaming up with local Girl Scout Troup 14201 to make special desserts using Girl Scout cookies, with all the proceeds going to Families in Transition, or purchasing poinsettias during the holidays from the boys team at Payke Gymnastics Academy to help them raise funds.

Another fun idea is a Friday and Saturday night ?speakeasy? that features live music, an $8 menu and half off drinks for the last hour of service. Try to sneak in and have a little adventure. The music selections are probably the best part of the whole thing, and they don?t charge a cover.

By far, the favorite cuisine sampled was the breakfast. This reviewer went back a few times after originally sampling the Bolognese Benedict, a short rib Bolognese concoction tucked under poached eggs and Pomodoro hollandaise. Rich and decadent, this is one of the best ideas to come along in a long time.

The Polenta, Piggy & Eggs is another, which is a slightly less heavy but equally rich morning dish that matches eggs of choice (poached is recommended) with polenta, skewered pork belly, mushrooms, and grana padena. This is a fantastic addition to the usual breakfast selection. And with every dish hand built, one escapes the usual feeling of a cookie cutter and rushed brunch/breakfast.

A great breakfast option to share is the breakfast pizza (also served on the brunch menu), which is good enough to compete with Little Dom?s offering in Los Feliz.

One of the most exceptional aspects of the restaurant is the fast and tasty lunch options. A Half & Half special allows the feaster to select the typical half salad and half sandwich option or something more exciting like the Cannellini Soup and Bolognese pasta, which is incredibly filling. The lunch menu is huge and Zagat rated! Come for lunch if you are in the surrounding area.

The Entr?e dinner menu rotates seasonally and monthly. One will find fantastic handmade pizza and pasta options, as well as steak, fish, chicken and pork, and if a patron has a diet restriction or food preference, adjustments can be made. There is truly an option for everyone.

Photo by Julia Harm

Of course, if nothing on the food menu is found to be appealing, choose the liquid diet. The drinks are amazing with 14 beers on tap that were hand selected by Christina Perotzi from The Beer Chicks. The cocktails are exceptional as well, ranging from the Easton, a house infused cucumber vodka with lime and mint, to the more exotic and unusual but equally delicious Campanula Sour, a grapefruit vodka and St. Germain concoction with lemon, mint and red bell pepper! Whatever your poison, these drinks sing.

If there is one drawback it would be the desserts, which are on the traditional side and more of a seeming afterthought than a focus. Yes, the cookies are handmade, but they aren?t the best cookies in the world, which you would expect after the divine main course you?ve just consumed. This reviewer recommends a nice espresso with fresh fruit if an after sweet is absolutely necessary.

The staff is charming, knowledgeable, and most of all, they understand the importance of great service. The space is beautiful inside and tucked away from the outside, all of which adds to the allure. It?s an ideal spot for everyday lunch and for special events.

Trattoria Neapolis is still building its fan base, with customers trickling in and out all day long, but be aware, this place is going to be packed in the next year.

Trattoria Neapolis, 336 S. Lake Ave., Pasadena. 626.792.3000. California/Italian fusion. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-midnight. TrattoriaNeapolis.com. Reservations recommended for large parties and weekend dinners.

?

?

Source: http://hometown-pasadena.com/eat-drink/trattoria-neapolis/64643

bill nye Snooki Baby terrell owens terrell owens neil armstrong little league world series us open tennis

Graham: Without immigration, GOP to fail in 2016

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Republicans are "in a demographic death spiral" and will fail in their effort to win the presidency if the party blocks an immigration overhaul, a leading GOP senator said Sunday.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who helped write a bipartisan immigration bill under debate in the Senate, said conservatives who are trying to block the measure will doom the party and all but guarantee a Democrat will remain in the White House after 2016's election.

A Democrat also involved in developing the proposal, Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, went a step further and predicted "there'll never be a road to the White House for the Republican Party" if immigration overhaul fails to pass.

Meanwhile, one the proposal's authors who is considering such a White House campaign refused again to pledge support for the measure without changes conservatives have demanded.

"The vast majority of Americans, the vast majority of conservative Republicans are prepared to support immigration reform, but only if we can ensure that we're not going to have another wave of illegal immigration in the future," said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.

The Senate last week overcame a procedural hurdle in moving forward on the first immigration overhaul in a generation. Lawmakers from both parties' voted to begin formal debate on a proposal that would give an estimated 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally a long and difficult path to citizenship.

The legislation also creates a low-skilled guest-worker program, expands the number of visas available for high-tech workers and de-emphasizes family ties in the system for legal immigration that has been in place for decades. It also sets border security goals that the government must meet before immigrants living in the U.S. illegally are granted any change in status.

"I think 95, 96 percent of the bill is in perfect shape and ready to go. But there are elements that need to be improved," said Rubio, refusing to say if he'll vote for the measure he helped write unless changes are made.

Republicans are demanding tougher border security measures and stricter standards for who qualifies for government programs such as Social Security and health care.

Rubio is trying to balance concerns from his party's conservative flank that has great sway in picking a nominee with the political attempt to win over Hispanic and Asian American voters who overwhelmingly favored President Barack Obama's re-election in 2012. Further complicating Rubio's presidential aspirations, the Republican-led House is considering its own version of immigration proposals that more closely follow their own perspective, which hews toward tea partyers.

"After eight years of President Obama's economic policies, and quite frankly foreign policy, people are going to be looking around," Graham said. "But if we don't pass immigration reform, if we don't get it off the table in a reasonable, practical way, it doesn't matter who you run in 2016. We're in a demographic death spiral as a party and the only way we can get back in good graces with the Hispanic community in my view is pass comprehensive immigration reform. If you don't do that, it really doesn't matter who we run in my view."

In 2012, Obama won re-election with the backing of 71 percent of Hispanic voters and 73 percent of Asian voters. A thwarted immigration overhaul could send those voting blocs more solidly to Democrats' side in future elections. That has led some Republican lawmakers to support immigration reform, but the party's conservative base still opposes any legislation that would create a pathway to citizenship for immigrants living here illegally.

Democrats are well aware of the numbers.

"I would tell my Republican colleagues, both in the House and the Senate, that the road to the White House comes through a road with a pathway to legalization," Menendez said. "Without it, there'll never be a road to the White House for the Republican Party."

Graham spoke on NBC's "Meet the Press." Menendez was interviewed on CNN's "State of the Union." Rubio was on ABC's "This Week."

___

Follow Philip Elliott on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/philip_elliott

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-06-16-Immigration/id-6601a7bcbc864dd49012c16cdc51e10f

Nicole Eggert dwight howard yvette prieto tebow tyler bray tyler bray lakers