(Annoying background noise during the show provided by the crew re-painting my apartment complex -- argh!!)

On this very special finale episode of NidoCAST, my friends and longtime listeners Bradly McComb and Jake Barros to join me in a lively discussion of the day's current events.  As we were recording, the march against SB 1070 was in progress and we discuss how that affects the state and really what is at the core of the issue.  We're also talking about the 'magical' iPad, which I finally was able to get after a long wait on the Apple reservation system.  We do some cool app reviews, what's the best way to clean the display and…….what the current forecast is for snow skiing in Phoenix!!

The Nissan LEAF has now 'sold out' of its initial production run for 2011 and that is freakin' awesome, bring on the electric car revolution!!  We get into a lively and hilarious discussion of why 'sci-fi sound effects' might be coming soon to hybrid and electric cars.

Jake gives us some conspiracy theories as to why the oil spill happened in the first place and what we should be watching out for and both him and Brad give some great advice on how to make your relationship last -- they've been together for just over 10 years now and still going strong!

And lastly, is this really the end of NidoCAST or might there be a new beginning coming very soon?  You've just gotta listen to find out!!

Have an awesome Memorial Day weekend and don't forget to check out that huge Phoenix Comicon convention going on downtown.  Click here and you'll get all the details on this comic and sci-fi-related and more event!!

Thank you to all of our fabulous listeners and wonderful guests who have been on NidoCAST over the years.  It's been an absolutely fun project and it's time to move it forward and take things to the next level.  The podcast will continue under a new name and a new vision in mid to late June.  Stay tuned for all the details!!!!!!

Closing music for this final episode is 'Butterflies' by Coles Whalen -- check her site out right here and buy her awesome music!!

Interesting little place. OK, not little by any means! I forgot that I had read a review and that the place was actually freakin' enormous! Located in a barely-converted warehouse just like 3 blocks south of downtown Phx at Central and Lincoln (NE corner -- parking entrance is on Lincoln) it's a VERY eclectic place that sort of tries to be everything at once.

Here's what The Duce has in store for you:

Old fashioned soda fountain and ice cream shoppe? Check. Clothing store? Check. Newsstand? Check. Coffeehouse? Check. Fruit stand? Check. 'Fake' gym? Check. Housewares Dept? Check. Bar? Check. Restaurant? Check. Cool antiques? Check. Original brickwork and other historic stuff? Check. Overwhelming??? Um, CHECK!!!

Friendly staff? Check.

Great food? Check.

Good signage to show you where things are and what to do? Nope.

Parking? Free valet but seriously bad parking plan. As they dug my car out of the already buried parking lot (the place was not totally packed at this point), I felt stressed out for the valet people. AND, as I made a turn out of the place, the some of the staff just stood nearly in my way, talking!

Direction signage issue: had to ask where to pickup my food order after I placed it. Had to ask where napkins/utensils were. Had to ask what to do with 'basket' and utensils afterward. Guys, I know you've worked long and hard on this place, and it's cool and eclectic and all.......but you've gotta get this whole information thing down pat. Heck, watch an episode or two of Top Chef (Restaurant Wars). Yeah, it's tough to get something like this opened up and perfect.....but I shouldn't have to constantly ask about stuff as a customer.

Food quality: great. The bread was a bit too big, or perhaps the meatballs were too big on the Meatball Sliders that I ordered. But, great flavors and textures and presentation made up for the difficulty-in-eating them. Good amount of food for the money as well. The desserts looked decadent, but I have to hold back if I am going to look good for summer. Drink and cocktail menu looked awesome too.

I'll definitely be back, but I'll leave the car at home and light rail it down there instead.

Website? http://www.theduce.net/

This week I'm talking to people at the 3Snaps Grand Opening!  3Snaps is a brand-new resale shopping experience that benefits charity organizations in the Phoenix GLBT Community.  The brainchild of Don Hamill, Vern Johnson and Michael Todd; 3Snaps is a brand-new concept for our community and will lend additional support to the 3 charities that its proceeds benefit.

3Snaps benefits the Community Church of Hope, 1n10 and Aunt Rita's Foundation.  3Snaps is open 11am-6pm 7 days a week and is located in the Melrose 7th Avenue District.  It's on the NE corner of 7th Ave and Indian School at 626 W. Indian School Rd.  3Snaps is a non-profit organization and needs your gently-used items to re-sell to the public.  Also, volunteers are needed to staff and help operate the store itself.

Thanks to Don Hamill, Michael Weakley and Chris Daley for providing soundbyte interviews for this episode.  I encourage everyone to get out to the store this weekend during the Grand Opening.  There's food and refreshments plus entertainment all weekend long.  Saturday night there's a musical performance and a special Mother's Day event happens tomorrow!

For more information, call 602-265-6300 or visit www.3snaps.org or check them out on Facebook!

On this episode, it's Illegal Immigration, another great give-away and tips on getting a free iPad 3G!!

Arizona's new illegal immigration enforcement bill has huge controversy swarming around it along with potential lawsuits.  Everyone has their opinion on it, and you can hear mine on the show.  It's a huge problem in this country, and there is no simple solution.  I propose a discussion on the various points that I talk about, creating a more balanced plan that deals with the problem's roots instead of just 'going after everybody the same way'.

Phew, now that that's over, how about some free stuff?  As it turns out, I've got one more EarthLED ZetaLux 2 Pro Light Bulb to give away!!! Listen to the show and answer the trivia question and win!  It's that easy!  Congratulations go to our first two winners: Bradly McComb and J. Seth Anderson for winning the first two bulbs in our Earth Day giveaway!!  Who will be the 3rd?  Listen to the show and be the one!

And now for the whopper of give-aways........but NO, we're not giving this away ourselves.  We're telling you how to get it yourself!   It's the Apple iPad 3G, the loved and hated device that is slowly taking over the world.  Will it replace your laptop?  Maybe.  Will it make your life easier?  Maybe.  Would you get one if it was free or super-cheap?  Probably.

I offer a few solutions to get a free iPad 3G, but most of them involve a lot of guesswork.  Only one is a sure-thing.  Yeah, you have to spend a little to get it.  But heck, you'd be getting pretty hefty amount of $ in exchange for spending a tiny amount of money.  If you were already planning on buying an iPad, well now you'll get it at a real bargain!!

So, you can go follow DealsPlus on Twitter for Apple give-aways or check out that crazy auction site QuiBids.com -- but you'll want to check out the link to Your-Gift-Zone.  The people who bring you the free iPad 3G and $100 iTunes Gift Card!!  Listen to my experience about how I did it and how you can too, but make sure you stick to the details!!

On this 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, we've got an illuminating show for you!!  I chat with Mark Constigliola from EarthLED.com -- the premier producer of direct-replacement LED light bulbs that fit your life.  I've been a fan of their products for a while, so this show isn't just about promoting them because they are a sponsor, but to educate you about another way of helping to 'save the planet'.  LEDs have finally come around to be a viable replacement for regular incandescent and halogen light bulbs.  And also, to replace those compact fluorescent bulbs that can harm the environment is they are not disposed/recycled properly.

EarthLED has also introduced some brand-new LED lighting products today, called ZetaLux 2, at a much lower price than before.  Price is important in consumer's minds and it will allow you to now adopt this technology without 'breaking the bank' :-)

But the BEST PART of this show?   We're giving away FREE STUFF!!  Yay, everybody loves free stuff!!  EarthLED has graciously provided us 2 of their brand-new ZetaLux 2 Pro LED light bulbs, which only take 7 watts of power compared to a standard 60-watt bulb, and we're gonna give them to you via a trivia contest!  The contest details are in the show, so if you don't listen you will miss out!  Also, we've got a money-saving discount on EarthLED products thru the end of April.  How do you get the discount?  You guessed it: listen to the show!

Earth Day was founded by US Senator Gaylord Nelson on April 22nd, 1970 and is designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment.  It's come quite a long way since then!  Today, and every day, try to do one thing to help preserve our planet for future generations.  Have an earth-friendly day and listen to NidoCAST to win a LED light from EarthLED!

NidoCAST EarthLED Video Demo

Earth Day Movement: www.EarthDay.org

Earth Day Shopping: www.EarthLED.com

We are giving away two new LED lighting products from EarthLED, our sponsor and the leader in direct-replacement LED lighting products, Earth Day (Thursday) on the show.  How do you win?  You've gotta listen to find out!  Plus, we'll have a special present for ALL of our fabulous listeners on the show!!

Cheril Vendetti wants to crack you up this weekend at Phoenix Pride 30!!  She started telling jokes after her family's pizzeria burned down when she was only ten.  combine that with being a singer and a cab driver in New York City and then fast-forward to her life today in Los Angeles and you've got Cheril Vendetti, the hilarious gay comedian and cookbook author.

Nicknamed "The Italian Floozy", she's got some funny story or quip around every corner of personality and she was an absolute joy to interview for NidoCAST.  She's coming to co-host Phoenix Pride this year with Derek Hartley from Sirius Satellite Radio (Romaine is hosting Pride on Mars this year I guess!).  In addition to being host, she'll also be doing her own stand-up routine on Saturday.  Check announcements and schedules at Pride for more information.

I'd love to describe the interview wayyyy more, but you just have to LISTEN to it to understand how funny this gal is.  She also talks about her recent entrance into reality TV as 'Deliver Me' followed her and her partner around during the birth of their child.  Their episode will air this Fall on Discovery Health.

In other news, if you hear my voice broadcasting out from the stages at Pride this year, you're not dreaming......my good friend Nancy Nunez and I recorded the information spots for Pride Radio Phoenix and we chat about all the stuff going on at Pride this year and some fun facts that maybe you didn't know!  I'll be roaming around the festival for most of the weekend and sporting one of our NidoCAST t-shirts, if you see me, please come up and say hello!

Next week, our 'green' series of shows comes to a close with my interview with the 'Chief LED' at EarthLED, the company that makes direct-replacement LED bulbs and lamps so you can save money and save the planet!  Plus, we're giving away a few bulbs to the lucky few who answer the trivia questions correctly......you'll have to listen to the show to win!  The show will be online on Thursday, April 22nd.......Earth Day!

Be sure to check out Cheril Vendetti on her web site www.CherilVendetti.com, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.  While you're at it, why don't you pick up a couple copies of her italian cookbook "Mistress of the MOB Cuisine" at her website!

Our first musical guest, ever......is Coles Whalen!  She and her band of the same name are traveling the country and spreading their wonderful indie-country music and its unique sound across America.  This weekend, they stop in Arizona to appear on the Main Festival Stage of Phoenix Pride!  As Phoenix Pride turns 30 this year, it's a special year for everyone in our community, and it's great to have wonderful entertainers such as Coles Whalen to help us celebrate this most important milestone.

I chat with Coles as they are (literally) on the road to the heartland of America.  She tells me what inspired her and how she has became the person and musician that she is today.  Coming from a jazz and piano background, her musical style has certainly changed over the years but one can tell that this is what she was meant to do in life.  Her sound is quite popular in the gay community and we chat about how being a supporter is important to her.

More details on the interview?  You'll just have to listen to it!  And don't forget to download the free song "Go Child" from her latest album, just scroll down the page and get it!

Coming up on Thursday, my interview with Cheril Vendetti, the hilariously funny gay comedian and cookbook author who's hosting the main festival stage this year.  That show will keep you laughing the entire time, she is totally contagious!

Next week: check out "Organic, Shaken and Stirred" from my friends FoodiesLikeUs.com over at the Camelback Inn on Tuesday night.  And finally, our green series of episodes wraps up with our HUGE interview with Mark Constigliola from EarthLED!!  Plus, we're giving away some eco-friendly LED light bulbs for those who can answer the trivia questions.....so stay tuned!!

You can find everything there is to know about Coles Whalen and her wonderful music at www.coleswhalen.com and don't forget to become a fan on Facebook and check out her MySpace page!

Coles Whalen performs at 5pm on Sunday, April 18th on the Main Festival Stage at Phoenix Pride.

Who doesn't love free stuff???  Well now you can get this awesome track from Coles Whalen's latest CD and it won't cost you a penny!  I had the pleasure of interviewing Coles on NidoCAST and am really starting to enjoy her music and its unique sound...and I think you should too.  She's performing this Sunday on the Main Festival Stage at Phoenix Pride.  Listen to the interview for all the details on Coles Whalen and her music.

Coles Whalen is an independently-produced indie-country musician, and she along with her band are traveling the country sharing her wonderful tunes with America.

OK, really?  It took them THIS long?  And they didn't even bother to put their own unique chips or technology in it?  I just had a PHENOMENAL interview last night with the head-LED of EarthLED and they are so way ahead of their industry it's not even funny.

Not to completely dismiss GE, but come on......even that tiny-little-division of Philips called Lemnis Lighting came out with the Pharox bulb.  But at least GE is getting into the game.  The article doesn't mention if the bulb dims or not, but at least it's only about $40-$50.  For my money, I'd still bet on EarthLED.  OK, I'm biased, they're paying us billions of dollars to say that.  Alright, not really....but we're definitely fans over here.

Check out the whole article over at CNet and decide for youself!

tags: led lighting ge green earth friendly eco products save energy light bulb