People Who Went Too Far
Great Expectorations: Charles Hersel, 39, was arrested in Thousand Oaks, Calif., in November after police investigators overheard him offer $31 to a Westlake High School boy to spit in Hersel’s face. Several boys had complained to police that a man (allegedly Hersel) had approached them, offering money for expelling saliva and other bodily fluids on…
Least Competent Criminals
Could’ve Planned Better: Vincent Salters, 46, was arrested in East Knoxville, Tenn., in November after having shoplifted shoes the day before from the Shoe Show store. He had dashed out hurriedly with several display shoes, but an employee said they were all for the left foot. Salters was arrested outside the store the next day,…
Smooth Reactions
In July, Charles Diez was charged with attempted murder for his angry reaction to a bicyclist who was carrying his 3-year-old son on the bike unsafely, on a busy Asheville, N.C., street. According to police, Diez was so anguished that he pulled his gun and fired at the bicyclist, grazing the man’s helmet. In October,…
Kids learn to create theater and film in Winter Break Camp
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The Litigious Society
Albert Freed’s lawsuit for defective underwear against Hanes was dismissed in October by a Pensacola, Fla., judge, even though Freed had complained that the briefs had caused severe pain and ruined his vacation. Freed said the garment’s flap had inexplicably failed to close, allowing his penis to protrude and rub against swim trunks that contained…
Latest Human Rights
In November, a judge in Somerville, N.J., overruled a local police chief who had rejected a firearms license for hunting enthusiast James Cap, 46. The judge ordered the chief to grant the license, even though Cap is a quadriplegic and will need to mount the gun on his wheelchair and fire it by blowing into…
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
What influences do you really, really need to say goodbye to? The next six months will provide you with ample motivation and opportunity to finally bid those farewells. What long-term cycle really, really needs to be drawn to a close, no more hemming and hawing, all loose ends tied up and all mixed signals clarified?…
Four experienced musicians seize the day in indie pop band Feel Spectres
Holiday Toy Drive with Feel Spectres and Starlight Mints9 p.m. tonightOpolis, 113 N. Crawford, Norman447-3417$12 advance, $15 door, 21 and over$14 advance, $17 door, under 21 There’s a sense that as you get older, you must give up your youthful idealism and childhood fancies. While there may be a certain truth to that, there’s certainly…
Ironies
When Minnesota’s Riverview Community Bank opened for business in 2004, founder Chuck Ripka claimed divine inspiration – that God had told him to “pastor the bank” and, in exchange, that He would “take care of the bottom line,” leading Ripka to use “prayer” as a theme in the bank’s promotions. In October 2009, Riverview became…
Ironies
Dr. Hulda Clark, 80, passed away in September of multiple myeloma, an advanced cancer of the plasma cells. Before she was stricken, she had authored three books touting her eccentric remedies as cures, first, for “all diseases,” and then, especially, cancer. In her books “The Cure for All Cancers” and “The Cure for All Advanced…
Peaceful adherents to the religion Odinism emphasize incorrectness of racist allegations
Followers of the old Norse gods call themselves Asatruar, or followers of the way. Asatru, often called Odinism, has experienced a revival in the United States since being granted official recognition by the government of Iceland in 1972. Oklahoma is home to one group of Asatruar: the Oklahoma Great Plains Kindred. ‘I am certainly not…
Spare the Rod
In September, engaging in a 300-year tradition of the Dussera holiday in India’s Tamil Nadu state, Hindu priests ritually whipped 2,000 young women and girls over a five-hour period as penance for a range of sins, from insufficient studying to moral impurity. Said one sobbing yet inspired lash recipient, to an NDTV reporter, “(W)hen we…
Kids learn to create theater and film in Winter Break Camp
School’s still out, but class starts Monday at Oklahoma Children’s Theatre, 2501 N. Blackwelder. Enrollment is open for Winter Break Camp, which starts Monday and runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Thursday, Dec. 31. The camp is open to kids 5-12, and is based on the company’s successful summer programs, said executive director Lyn…
Senators use Twitter to stop legislation
You’ve heard of smoking guns and smoking ’em if you’ve got ’em, but what about smoking tweets? If you’re confused, you can thank our U.S. Senate. As the health care debate raged on last week, U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., pulled a procedural move on an amendment offered by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Trying to…
Ambulance joyride ends in jail time
Hidden=”false” UnhideWhenUsed=”false” Name=”Medium List 2 Accent 5″/> According to a Dec. 11 report by KOCO-TV 5, Mindy Jones, 28, had been arrested in Shawnee for suspicion of DUI. She was at a Shawnee hospital to get a blood test because she’d been arrested earlier in the evening for a hit-and-run crash, according to KOCO. So…
Smooth Reactions
In July, Charles Diez was charged with attempted murder for his reaction to a bicyclist who was carrying his 3-year-old son on the bike unsafely on a busy Asheville, N.C., street. According to police, Diez was so anguished that he pulled his gun and fired at the bicyclist, grazing the man’s helmet. In October, just…
Cynical musings of unlikely elf shine in ‘The Santaland Diaries’
eacle. First, Ghostlight Theatre Club staged its irreverently ribald “Screw the Eggnog, Pass the Rum,” and last week, Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre presented a brief run of “The Santaland Diaries” by David Sedaris, directed by Michael Jones, at the Civic Center Music Hall’s CitySpace theater. If artistic directors are wondering whether a demand exists for…
William Joseph Foster free of drug-related charges after 15-year long case
A man Oklahoma authorities wanted back in prison for growing marijuana and violating parole is now free of jail and moved on to California. California, Here We ComeStates’ Rights The case of William Joseph Foster stretches nearly 15 years and involves two states. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections wanted the governor to revoke Foster’s parole;…
Leader of the Pack
The people of the Iroquois Confederacy are one of the world’s oldest living democracies, predating the United States of America by as much as 500 years. One of the Confederacy’s principles is described by Chief Oren Lyons thusly: “Our leaders were instructed to be men of vision and to make every decision on behalf of…
Importance of taking time to unwind during holidays is stressed
On a bitterly cold Thursday, just two weeks before Christmas Eve, Bruce Rinehart was fighting off the effects of too little sleep and too much stress. Health DistressWorry-free Holidays He’d been up since 4:30 a.m. when one of his sons started throwing up again, followed shortly by his second son ” both victims of a…
One OSU student’s finals strategy: blackmail and fraud
Blackmail is not a game, unless you consider a naked dude playing an organ during an episode of “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.” And computers are not toys, unless you’re using them to play video games. (This Chicken-Fried News item has a point, we promise.) Allegations of blackmail and computer shenanigans are at the heart of…
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
I’m happy to announce that 2010 could be the year when you become a more expert communicator. It’s not that you do a bad job now; it’s just that there is always room for improvement, and this will be an excellent time to attend to that. Life will be bringing you an abundance of experiences…
Jack Bryan takes hands-on approach to art
open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Admission is free. “?Paige Lawler
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
“Dear Rob: I sure don’t like so much God stuff mixed into my horoscopes. Can you cut it out, please? I understand it’s common for the masses to believe in an Ultra Being, but you? Pul-lease. You’re smarter than that. I just can’t abide all the ‘Divine Wow’ this and ‘Cackling Goddess’ nonsense that you…
Least Competent Criminals
Vincent Salters, 46, was arrested in East Knoxville, Tenn., in November after having shoplifted shoes the day before from the Shoe Show store. He had dashed out hurriedly with several display shoes, but an employee said they were all for the left foot. Salters was arrested outside the store the next day, perhaps having come…
Turning down the draft for college makes several Sooners great examples
Loyalty seems to be the exception rather than the rule these days when it comes to collegiate athletics. With so many coaches breaking contracts in order to find greener pastures, and more and more players opting to make early departures for the professional ranks, the game has become more about big paychecks than the thrill…
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
I’m always befuddled by astrologers who preach the gospel of doom and gloom when they talk about the influence of Saturn. My experience is that the ringed planet provides the greatest gift imaginable: motivation to become the person you were born to be. It steers you away from pursuing goals that aren’t in alignment with…
MAPS 3 allows planning to purchase property for proposed central park
With the passage of MAPS 3, city leaders can now take a more serious look at the real estate in the Core to Shore area south of downtown. Buying ProceduresConvention-al Wisdom A redevelopment plan for the hundreds of acres between the central business district and the shore of the Oklahoma River was completed in 2008.…
Compelling Explanations
From a police report in the North Bay (Ontario) Nugget (Nov. 7): An officer in line at a traffic light, realizing that cars had not moved through two light changes, walked up to the lead car to investigate. The driver said she was not able to move on the green lights because she was still…
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
I’ve known some practical, sensible, well-grounded Aquarians in my life. They’re outnumbered, though, by the dominant sub-type of your tribe: the imaginative, idiosyncratic irmprovisers with lightning reflexes and high-flying notions. But even if you belong to the latter group, in 2010 you’ll be gaining the capacities of the former. In fact, I think this will…
Spare the Rod
In September, engaging in a 300-year tradition of the Dussera holiday in India’s Tamil Nadu state, Hindu priests ritually whipped 2,000 young women and girls over a five-hour period as penance for a range of sins, from insufficient studying to moral impurity. Said one sobbing yet inspired lash recipient, to an NDTV reporter, “(W)hen we…
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Do you know any world travelers, shamanic healers, or visionary entrepreneurs? If not, there’s a good chance you’ll meet some in 2010, possibly even forge alliances with them. Crafty activists, brilliant artists, and deep thinkers may come your way, as well. Another possibility is that cohorts and comrades you’ve been linked to for some time…
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
The pop star Pink is a successful singer. Not only does she have a great voice; she has also sold 32 million records and won two Grammies. Recently she added what I think is an extraneous element to her live performances: a trapeze act. At the MTV Video Music Awards last September, she delivered her…
The Sherlock Holmes Collection
Perkins “? a fact that will amuse fans of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” “? the 1995 TV special includes footage of a club of Sherlockians who take their fandom a tad too far, plus a really old interview with Doyle, whom I had never heard speak. That bit alone is quite a discovery. “?Rod Lott
Multiculturalism celebrated in an exhibit based on an American Indian tale
ed=”false” Name=”Medium Grid 1 Accent 4″/> Crossing Bok Chitto: The Illustrations of Jeanne Rorex BridgesThrough Dec. 31Oklahoma History Center, 2401 N. Laird522-5248$5 adults, $4 seniors, $3 students Tim Tingle
Oklahoma beauty queen in more club-related legal trouble
Remember Okie beauty queen Laci Kay Scott’s dust-up with a New York City strip club? No? Well, good, because we’re about to recycle some material in this little update. According to The Cleveland Leader earlier this spring, 2005 Miss USA semi-finalist Laci Kay Scott filed suit against Ten’s Gentlemens Club for using her image on…
Metro churches turn to technology to spread the good word
Even older churches are beginning to use high-tech tools, including Bethany First Church of the Nazarene, which recently celebrated its 100th birthday. Its communications pastor, Bob Miller, said the challenge is to strike a balance. “We have many in our fellowship who are not tech-savvy and don’t have Internet access. There are many who think…
Avatar
It isn’t totally accurate to say that you’ve never before seen a movie like “Avatar.” After all, a 5-year-old’s drawing of stick figures shaking hands is kind of like the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, right? A rock or mineral substance which I think the characters were calling “unobtainium” has been discovered on the planet…
Norman volunteers prepare to serve massive free Christmas dinner
Holidays are no time to go hungry, and for 23 years a group of Norman volunteers has ensured that thousands of Oklahomans haven’t dined alone on Christmas. The Christmas Day Community Dinner is served for free 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday inside the Norman High School cafeteria, 911 W. Main. The dinner is open…
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
According to astronomer Mark Whittle, the Big Bang began in silence. Soon it crescendoed into a majestic major third chord 50 octaves below middle A. Then it transformed, over the course of a million years, into a wistful minor third chord. In my vision of the first two-thirds of 2010, the music of your life…
Compelling Explanations
From a police report in the North Bay (Ontario) Nugget (Nov. 7): An officer at a traffic light, realizing that cars had not moved through two light changes, walked up to the lead car to investigate. The driver said she was not able to move on the green lights because she was still on the…
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
I have good astrological reasons to suspect that a year from now, your empire will be bigger. The resources you have at your disposal will be more substantial, the influence you wield will be more meaningful, and the responsibilities you oversee will be more demanding. You can’t, however, just sit back passively and expect fate…
Religious diversity
At the 62nd annual Interfaith Thanks-giving Service held at Temple B’Nai Israel on Nov. 24, the featured speaker was Imad Enchassi, the imam of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City. This was the first time in our city’s history that an imam had spoken in such a capacity at a local synagogue. As we…
Garth Brooks sues hospital over building name dispute
Country superstar Garth Brooks has filed a lawsuit against a Yukon hospital he claims reneged on an agreement to name a building after his mother, Colleen Brooks, who died of cancer in 1999. Brooks, a Tulsa native, filed an initial petition on Sept. 21 in Rogers County, but the court records didn’t surface until last…
CFN Quote of the Week
“If we know three things about cowboys it’s this: Don’t mess with their mamas, their guns and their money. Two out of three and you’re screwed!” “Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton on the recent lawsuit filed by Troyal G. “Garth” Brooks against a Yukon hospital for allegedly reneging on naming a building after his late mother…
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
According to my analysis of your astrological omens, 2010 isn’t a year to get your head in the clouds, but rather to grow deeper roots. Your job, as I see it, isn’t so much to explore the heights, but the depths. I think you should focus on getting to the bottom of things, not the…
Up in the Air
In the corporate world, there is a thing called “change management,” which is built on the idea that when things change in peoples’ lives, they go through a sort of grieving process. If you move someone’s desk, introduce a new filing system or even change their break times, people can become inordinately upset. As a…
Nine
Oh, the anguish of being rich and famous. For sometimes, as in the case of the fictional Italian moviemaker of “Nine,” the rich and famous are plagued by writer’s block, self-absorption and a ravenous appetite for beautiful women. And sometimes, as in the case of Daniel Day-Lewis (“There Will Be Blood”), who portrays the aforementioned…
Attractive and Popular’s abrasive art-rock/punk is an international sensation
Attractive and Popular with Hot White, Shard and more9 p.m. tonightthe Conservatory8911 N. Western879-9778 When this Hot Springs, Ark., quartet says it’s Attractive and Popular, don’t take the members too seriously. Bittersweet VictoryBrazilian Connection Their scabrous, sarcastic sound re-imagines Black Flag for the dance-punk generation, channeling off-the-wall, satirical wit through a charging, keyboard-abetted, punk-rock sound…
Oklahoma Film Critics Circle announces 2009 awards
The Oklahoma Film Critics Circle announced its fourth annual list of awards for achievement in film Dec. 22. OFCC members are Oklahoma-based movie critics who write for print and online outlets that publish or post reviews of current film releases. Among the media outlets represented are The Oklahoman, The Tulsa World, Oklahoma Gazette, Edmond Life…
