No more Mr. Nice Guy?
So why, we ask, does the NBA decide to fine Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant for making a throat-slicing gesture in connection with a big-time poster dunk against the Golden State Warriors a week ago? Heck, he wasn’t really threatening anyone; the gesture was an antic, a move designed to agitate the Golden State…
Poor figures, poor logic
The first problem is the use of a national figure for poverty. There is no national poverty level. Poverty in New England is a far cry from poverty in Oklahoma; dollars in these two parts of the nation are not equal. Poverty incomes in New York are middle-income in Oklahoma, and so on. Another statistical…
How ’bout more guns?
Gun control is blaming weapons for bad things that happen. So enough already. Let’s quit trying to control guns and start controlling people by using compulsory mental health care and limits on movies and video games, because the Second Amendment trumps all others. How do we handle the bad apples we miss? More guns/weapons/arms (mutually-assured…
Contraception and population
Within the past 100 years, the world population has grown by approximately 5 billion people. I realize the Bible says to be fruitful. However, the Bible didn’t account for 7 billion people with extended life expectancies thanks to the kind of medicine that Pedulla practices. It stands to reason that if mankind did not make…
Don’t bet on it
However, if more money is needed, the solution is easy. The gaming venues in our state annually send nearly $200 million in direct tax revenues to the Capitol for legislators to spend. Most men and women serving in that hallowed and falling-down building are Republicans, members of the same party that voted almost unanimously against…
LETTERS
Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to pbacharach@okgazette. com or sent online at okgazette.com, but include a city of residence and contact…
LETTERS
Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to pbacharach@okgazette. com or sent online at okgazette.com, but include a city of residence and contact…
Veggie me this
Cous Cous Cafe By: Shannon Cornman Others might assume the only people who would forgo meat in lieu of an all-veggie diet are hippies. The truth is, being a vegetarian outgrew all stereotypes long ago. Ex-heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson gave up meat (ears included), telling Details magazine that he realized “meat’s become a poison”…
Go Green
By: Mark Hancock Green & Grilled focuses on serving healthy food. It’s a focus that has paid off, and it proves that simple, flavorful and (gulp) healthy food can be really good. Really, really good. Your choices of entree are few but powerful: chicken, steak, pork and tofu. Each comes with a side and half…
Pr Bs
Lots of press releases cross our desk. Recently, these titles least screamed, “Stop the presses!” —“Tractor Supply Company Announces National FFA Scholarship Program” —“Hunter Douglas Named Window Covering Brand of the Year” —“ARCHIE MEETS GLEE PART ONE SELLS OUT” —“MTV announces premiere date for Kesha docuseries” —“Conference Call Opportunity with DREA DE MATTEO from Lifetime’s…
OKG7 fresh faces in food and drink
S&B’s Burger Joint7745 s. Walkersandbburgers.com631-0783 Whether you’re feeling Skinny or Fatty, S&B’s has the burger for you. Try The Big Boy, loaded with grilled jalapeños, bacon, cheese, chili and sour cream, or The Fire, which has roasted green chilies, cheese, onions and spicy ranch. All combos can be made with bean patties in slider size.…
Pr Bs
Lots of press releases cross our desk. Recently, these titles least screamed, “Stop the presses!” —“Tractor Supply Company Announces National FFA Scholarship Program” —“Hunter Douglas Named Window Covering Brand of the Year” —“ARCHIE MEETS GLEE PART ONE SELLS OUT” —“MTV announces premiere date for Kesha docuseries” —“Conference Call Opportunity with DREA DE MATTEO from Lifetime’s…
Crumbling Capitol
Oklahoma State Capitol Credit: Shannon Cornman That’s why they’ve been included on this year’s list of Oklahoma’s Most Endangered Historic Places. Preservation Oklahoma Inc., a private nonprofit, unveiled its 2013 selections April 10 during a presentation at the Capitol. Gov. Mary Fallin attended the event, thanking Preservation Oklahoma for including the Capitol on its list.…
OKC, get serious about water conservation
However, one resource is running out. And once it does, the very future of our city is at risk. Water is Oklahoma’s greatest resource. Without it, Oklahoma’s very way of life is threatened. Few Oklahomans alive today can remember what life was like for the Okies during the Dirty ’30s. Our only frames of reference…
Waterworld
Lake Hefner Credit: Shannon Cornman But water conservation appears to be gaining steam. “This year, it’s more important to think about how to use water, especially outdoors,” said Debbie Ragan, spokeswoman for the city’s utilities department. Oklahoma City doesn’t have to look far for inspiration, as one of its closest neighbors is being recognized nationally…
Festival of the foods
<span style=" Arial” ,”sans-serif””=””> By: Mark Hancock Art is great, right? And the community is important. Starting Tuesday and running daily through April 28, the Festival of the Arts, put on by the Oklahoma City Arts Council, is one of the city’s premiere events. It’s a showcase for art, sure, but it’s also about letting…
Go deep
TLC Florist & Greenhouses By: Mark Hancock Watering less often, with more, adds up to greater gardening success and helps preserve plants ranging from trees and shrubs to perennial beds and succulents. “People [want] to water 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there too often, and that won’t work,” said Cindy Townsend, assistant nursery manager…
Achoo!
Credit: Brad Gregg No matter the weather in Oklahoma, we still somehow manage to get the worst of all seasons. We’re slammed with tornadoes, earthquakes, extreme heat and blizzards — sometimes in a single month. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, OKC nabs the No. 9 spot on a list of the…
CFN Quote of the Week
Credit: Brad Gregg —Thunder superstar Kevin Durant, on the fashion sense of teammate Russell Westrbook, in the April 15 edition of ESPN the Magazine
CFN Quote of the Week
Credit: Brad Gregg —Thunder superstar Kevin Durant, on the fashion sense of teammate Russell Westrbook, in the April 15 edition of ESPN the Magazine
Gone Hollywood?
Credit: Brad Gregg Although it’s doubtless that the filmmakers aim to dispute Inhofe’s contention that manmade climate change is “a hoax,” Oklahoma’s senior senator has said he is tickled to be part of the flick. “I was not surprised to see myself front and center on the promotional material for this climate-change movie, and quite…
On the radio
Chip Fudge By: Shannon Cornman “Today, the majority of our listeners and donors live in Oklahoma City,” said Kelly Burley, director of the Stillwater-based KOSU. “There’s a definite need for a permanent presence here.” He said setting up the secondary shop helps the radio network achieve its mission. “Creating community through content and content through…
Core values
Alexis Rodgers’ Before and After For more than 20 years, the Individual Artists of Oklahoma gallery has done its best to titillate and educate Oklahoma City with the annual Biting the Apple exhibition, featuring erotic art from all over the state. Kendall Brown, executive director of IAO, believes this year’s incarnation will be the most…
Treasures untold
Bad Granny’s By: Shannon Cornman It was bright coral with black piping around the sleeves and collar. Dislodging it from the bottom of the heap, I was euphoric to see that it was a floor-length skirt with a hidden front zipper: quirky and all mine. I asked the man running the estate sale the price.…
Hooked on a feeling
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB” lang=”EN-GB”><span style=" mso-ansi-language:EN-GB” lang=”EN-GB”>Quick, picture somebody hanging from hooks. For some, that’s likely to conjure up grotesque images from a Hellraiser sequel. In actuality, however, body modification and suspension is an ancient art used to test the limits of human endurance. It’s an art that the crew of The Captain’s Sideshow proudly…
From mustang to mtv
Just a few months ago, 22-yearold Jordan Wisely was going to college and working for his dad’s construction company, just trying to find his place in the world. All that changed when the Mustang native found his place on The Real World: Portland. Wisely was one of eight people selected for the latest season of…
Trading places
Between being a band, helping manage a record label/recording studio and maintaining a full-time day job, time management is crucial. Maybe that’s why Josh Griffin and Jonathan Eldridge — the two-man crew behind Oklahoma City blues-rock outfit The Trading Co. — have taken to writing songs and playing shows at the same time. “We’ve done…
No Justice — America’s Son
For the record, the film is a back woods action-revenge thriller starring Kevin Sorbo. That perfectly suits the bluesy-rootsy tune with lines like, “Who you gonna call when it gets rough” and “Where you gonna run when the river runs dry,” sung with a passion that would go great with a couple of roundhouse kicks.…
Reality bites
Big Brother hopefuls By: Mark Hancock “We wanted to mix it up and get some fresh faces. We’d love to get someone from Oklahoma,” said Bonnie Clark, casting producer for Big Brother. “We’re looking for contestants who are outgoing, competitive — people comfortable in their own skin, whatever their points of view in life are,…
Royal rush
For the guys of the Nashville-based Blacklist Royals, 2012 was a bad year. “2011 was really good for us,” said Nat Rufus, lead singer and guitarist, noting the group was coming off its debut disc and the Warped Tour. “And then 2012 happened. We had all these new songs written and the plan was to…
H2OMG!
Clay Pope Credit: Mark Hancock Oklahoma bears the scars of the Dust Bowl paradoxically, celebrating the courage and perseverance of those who lived through it and simultaneously obsessing about whether lingering impressions from John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath sully the state’s image. But we’re all clear on one thing: The Dust Bowl remains in…
Litter be gone
A local nonprofit is working to rid the streets of garbage in an effort to keep Oklahoma City spotless. With springtime here and more people venturing outdoors. OKC Beautiful has engineered LitterBlitz, a monthlong campaign encouraging anyone and everyone to simply pick up trash. Since 2001, the grassroots movement has been influential in cleaning…
Time after time
At 10 a.m. Monday, members of First Lutheran Church of Oklahoma City, 1300 N. Robinson, will unearth and publicly display the contents of a time capsule buried 100 years ago under the church’s basement. The 6-foot-long, 3-foot-wide chest reportedly contains historical photographs, American Indian relics, newspapers and the like. As long as it doesn’t contain…
It’s a gas
As far as the Landmark Fine Homes owner is concerned, the abode is 1.5 million British thermal units of what people will want — or should want — when buying or building their next home. A compressed natural gas vehicle filling station, a CNG-powered backup generator and tankless water heaters are among the clean-energy options…
Conserve verve
With Earth Day being Monday, Oklahoma City’s Martin Park Nature Center will host its annual Earth Fest. Free and open to the public, the special day features a variety of speakers and exhibits focusing on conservation. Among the booths at the event will be one specifically about water conservation, a critical subject in the wake…
Horse Thief — Grow Deep, Grow Wild
Horse Thief is not a psychedelic folk band, like its members want you to believe; the Oklahoma City quintet plays trendy indie pop with some earthy guitar tones and lyrics that occasionally make mention of geography. Self-affixed or otherwise, labels aren’t necessarily indicative of artistic worth, yet framework and context are crucial in determining whether…
Tony Romanello and the Black Jackets — Pleased to Meet Us
Sure, Romanello doesn’t have the gravitas of a Westerberg and Stinson, but he doesn’t need to. Those guys have already paved the road; let’s just let Tony and the Black Jackets drive on it. “The Way It Goes” is a good intro to the group, and a song I’m sure kills live, with its intonations…
Portraiture — Real as Ritual
From the gorgeous guitar on the instrumental “Miami Weiss (Part I)” (coming off like The Cure’s poppiest song to date) to “I Studied for the Drug Test” (with such biting observations, I’m sure it’s what Morrissey would sound like if raised on an Okie diet of steak and potatoes), Siler’s solo debut is unique to…
The reading dead
The actor, best-known for playing the now-deceased T-Dog in TV’s smash-hit series The Walking Dead and Alton in the Oscar-winning drama The Blind Side, was all smiles as he walked into the Barnes & Noble at 13800 N. May this afternoon to promote his book, Blindsided by the Walking Dead. A line of waiting fans…
John Dies at the End
“My name is David Wong. I once saw a man’s kidneys grow tentacles,” intones our genial narrator and protagonist (the heretofore unknown Chase Williamson) who boasts psychic abilities that include communicating with the dead. He and his best bud, John (Rob Mayes, MTV’s The American Mall), operate as freelance ghostbusters when they’re not beer-drinking slackers.…
‘Do You Realize??’ we have no rock song?
Do you comprehend what we’re saying? There’s nothing to designate the official fist-pumping anthem of Oklahoma, and there hasn’t been for two years now. That void opens the door for any ol’ tune to claim that prize. Hell, the song wouldn’t even have to be from this state. Think about it: This very instant, a…
Trance
Based on a 2001 British made-for-TV movie, Trance casts X-Men: First Class member James McAvoy (presumably standing in for Ewan McGregor) as Simon, an art auctioneer who becomes a media hero for foiling the heist of an über-valuable painting, yet pays the price when the would-be thief, Franck (Vincent Cassel, Black Swan), comes looking for…
The Four
It takes a good half-hour before we begin to comprehend who’s who and who’s aligned with whom. Even then, the story — based on a presumably popular novel — is plotted with spying and more than one alliance switcheroo. Everyone seems concerned about locating a stolen coin cast, yet the object is almost a MacGuffin;…
Party time
In that role, the 33-year-old Pinnell will serve as the chief liaison between the RNC and state parties. “Matt knows the workings of the state party system and has the vision to help strengthen state parties as we build for 2014 and 2016,” Priebus said in a statement. “In order to achieve success, we must…
