Recurring Themes
A Prosecutor’s Worst Nightmare: At a dramatic moment in the November trial of a bus driver accused of rape in Edmonton, Alberta, the prosecutor asked the victim on the witness stand to look around the courtroom and identify her attacker. The victim adjusted her glasses and scanned the room, but looked past the defense table…
Least Competent Criminals
Life Imitates the Three Stooges: In January, inmates Regan Reti, 20, and Tiranara White, 21, who had been booked separately for different crimes on New Zealand’s North Island and were handcuffed together for security at Hastings District Court, dashed out of the building and ran for their freedom. However, when they encountered a streetlamp in…
M.A.N.T.I.S.: The Complete Series
1994-1995 Before Blade, before Hancock, there was M.A.N.T.I.S.! Television’s first series to star a black superhero, “M.A.N.T.I.S.” was a one-season wonder for Fox, co-created by film director Sam Raimi in the same vein as his “Darkman.” A likable Carl Lumbly stars as Dr. Miles Hawkins, a brilliant scientist confined to a wheelchair … until he…
Bright Ideas
London’s Gymbox in Bank athletic club, recognizing that lifting weights can be a boring way to exercise, introduced “human barbells” recently, hiring five men of various sizes (including two dwarfs) that customers could use for weights instead of the iron. One advantage of the humans is that, on request, they shout encouragement to the customer…
Family Values
The sheriff in El Dorado, Kan., asked in January for help from the public in locating a missing boy named Adam. According to the sheriff, Adam’s parents, Doug and Valerie Herrman, only recently reported him missing, even though they had not seen him since he ran away in 1999, when he was 11. The Herrmans’…
The Continuing Crisis
Community Property: As part of a highly contentious New York divorce, surgeon Richard Batista, who in good times had donated a kidney to his wife, demanded in January that she either give it back or compensate him with $1.5 million in consideration of the rarity of his kidney match. Also in January, Thomas Rowley, 28,…
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
At the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, the value of petroleum rose 40 percent. But by mid-January it had plummeted precipitously, even losing 12 percent in one day. As a result, suppliers started withholding large reserves from the market. For weeks, supertankers full of civilization’s most important fuel circled aimlessly offshore, refusing…
Oklahoma City hires consultant to assess lack of ‘walkability’
Narrow Broadway to two lanes, said a nationally known planning consultant tapped by Mayor Mick Cornett to assess the city’s profound lack of walkability. HEAVILY TRAVELED FREEWAY FOUR CATEGORIES CULTURAL LEVEL Jeff Speck, an author and planner who runs Speck and Associates out of Washington, D.C., regularly addresses issues of walkability and said one way…
Oklahoma wild game can provide recession-proof rations
reprisals from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), said the taste is hard to compare. “Squirrel tastes like
Max Payne
2008 “Max Payne” begins in an act of violence, continues through zillions more, and ends on another one. So how can it be one of the most boring films of last year? It’s the same old revenge plot: Payne is a police detective whose wife and baby son have been murdered. Arriving home 10 minutes…
Oklahoma House of Representatives send symbolic message to Obama
After lounging near the beach on extended (and indefinite) holidays on the beautiful island of Cuba, residents of Guantanamo Bay have been told by the good people of the Oklahoma House of Representatives that they will have to find another destination for their travel plans. In a nonbinding resolution passed Feb. 12, 81 House members…
Play explores history, art legacy left by ‘Kiowa Five’
More than 80 years ago, Oscar Jacobson invited a small group of American Indian artists to study at the University of Oklahoma. His decision uncovered a new style of American art, and the small group of renowned artists later became known throughout the world as the “Kiowa Five.” Norman’s Jacobson House, 609 Chautauqua, will bring…
Flesh, canvas meet for art event led by locals pushing boundaries of body art
Body modification is an acquired taste. While it’s more widespread than ever, even the most open-minded or jaded, who think they’ve seen it all, will grow pale at the description of the more exotic flesh alterations available to those with a high pain threshold. Dustin Mathis has been an Oklahoma piercer for about 10 years,…
Tales from the Darkside: The First Season
1984-1985 As a junior high student who rented and re-rented George Romero’s “Creepshow” to the point of memorization, it was with extreme anticipation that I looked forward to the premiere of his syndicated horror anthology, “Tales from the Darkside,” in 1984. I can still remember the Saturday night it premiered, with me and my younger…
The Midnight Meat Train
2008 Although saddled with a truly terrible title, “The Midnight Meat Train” is one of the better horror films of last year. It’s too bad Lionsgate “? for whatever reason “? gave it an at-best-aborted theatrical release (here in Oklahoma City, it debuted in a dollar theater), but I suspect many audiences would have walked…
Oklahoma Gazette earns awards accolades
Oklahoma Gazette won the Oklahoma Press Association’s highest honor, the Sequoyah Award, in its first year of eligibility in the 2008 Better Newspaper Contest. SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS ADDY AWARDS Published by Bill Bleakley and owned by Tierra Media Group, Gazette competed with sustaining member publications in Division 9 of the contest, which was judged…
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
If a cow is given a name by her owner, she generates more milk than a cow that’s treated as an anonymous member of the herd. That’s the conclusion of a study done by researchers at Newcastle University in the UK. “Placing more importance on knowing the individual animals and calling them by name,” said…
Former Seattle fans travel to Portland to watch Thunder play
There was scant mention in the local media about what greeted the Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team on their recent trip to the West Coast: a cold reminder of the past. The Thunder traveled to Portland, Ore., to take on the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland happens to be the closest NBA city to the Thunder’s…
The International
If nothing else, you’ve got to admire the foresight of a movie in which the bad guy is a bank. “The International” is a throwback to the paranoia-rich thrillers of the 1970s, but whereas those earlier films wallowed in the antigovernment conspiracy-mongering of their day, this newer model is topical enough to turn banking into…
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Imagine this review written in italics, with lots of bolding and underlined words and emoticons and exclamation marks! And at least one “OH. MY. GOD!!” in each paragraph. Can you see me bouncing around in my chair, eyes wide open, gushing at the orgasmic pleasure of having seen just the funniest, happiest, most romantic comedy…
Museum features prairie photography exhibit
A new Norman photography exhibit showcases the natural beauty of the world’s open prairies. “Touch the Sky: Prairie Photographs by Jim Brandenburg” will run through April 12 at the The Sam Noble Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua. Brandenburg is an award-winning photojournalist who worked as a National Geographic photographer for several decades. His images…
OCU actors relive the Omaha Race Riot with ‘The Minstrel Show’
“The Minstrel Show, or The Lynching of William Brown” retells the true story of the Omaha Race Riot of 1919, where 5,000 whites surrounded the Douglas County Courthouse, enraged by the alleged rape of a white woman by a black man named William Brown. The mob overran police lines and nearly succeeded in hanging the…
Denver, Norman share some mustang mania
Norman residents know the 8-foot tall mustang statue with fiery, red eyes crafted by Latino artist Luis Jimenez. And they remember how the fiberglass appaloosa created controversy since its installation on the University of Oklahoma campus a decade ago. Now some Denver residents are on their high horse, wanting to relocate a larger version of…
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Founding Father Benjamin Franklin said that the U.S. Constitution “only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.” That’s a good reminder for you, Scorpio, as you enter a phase when you’ll probably have more success than usual if you hunt for pleasure, joy, and bliss. I suggest that you…
CFN Quote of the Week
“It’s like the most beautiful woman in the room. You don’t want to look at her or gawk at her, but can’t almost stand not to.” “State Sen. Charlie Laster, D-Shawnee, on the $787 billion stimulus package, speaking at the 2009 Legislative Breakfast Feb. 10 at the Oklahoma City Marriott
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
“Opportunities multiply as they are seized,” wrote Sun Tzu in The Art of War, an ancient Chinese book about success strategies to pursue in tough times. Now I’m conveying this idea to you, Gemini, as you enter one of the most opportunistic phases of your astrological cycle. What else can you do to get yourself…
Thunder showing significant signs of life in stretch run
Remember just a few weeks ago when you were ready to trade in your Thunder tickets for a scratch-off lottery card and a couple of discount drink coupons for McNellie’s Public House? Well, shame on you. Not that the Public House isn’t a great place to hang with your buds, but you forgot all about…
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Evolution has given the human body a profound capacity to cure itself with its own resources, writes Roger Jahnke in his book The Healer Within. And yet most of us neglect to call on this inner reserve of natural medicine, looking mostly to drugs and doctors for the miracles we long for. Whether or not…
Camille Harp
Alone, with just her voice and guitar, singer/songwriter Camille Harp is measured and confident. Fronting a band, however, the Oklahoma City musician is in full command. Bolstered by a studio group and layers of picking, drumming, plucking and strumming Harp has released an energetic, self-titled album that forgoes folk in favor of catchy country-pop. This…
Faithless science
Oklahomans who cared about maintaining science standards in schools paid close attention to a bill introduced by state Sen. Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso, which would have allowed teachers to discuss with their students the strengths and weaknesses of evolution, global warming and human cloning. Called the “Scientific Education and Academic Freedom Act,” Senate Bill 320 appeared…
Drug dealers’ steady deposits
In January, the director of the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime acknowledged that during the bleak banking days of September and October 2008, with panic in the economy over the shortage of cash, often the main source available to some banks was drug dealers’ steady deposits of money to be laundered.
Friday the 13th
Over the past 30 years, Jason Voorhees has been drowned, macheted through the shoulder, axed in the head, macheted through the head, drowned again, drowned yet again, disintegrated by toxic waste, dragged into Hell and shot into space. But can he survive being remade? One could argue that 1980’s seminal slasher “Friday the 13th” has…
Musicians rally with stimulus plan after Stock Market crashes
The Pretty Black Chains’ free Friday show was meant to be the band’s small, semisecret debut. It didn’t take long for buzz surrounding the Electro Lounge show to build ” a frenzy spurred by the fact that the group was founded by Derek Knowlton and Jonathan Martin of local favorites Stock Market Crash. “This will…
Blazers owner: Private arena for hockey team key to growth
Could the Oklahoma City Blazers leave Bricktown and the Ford Center in the near future for a privately owned facility? Express Sports President Robert Funk Jr. said it’s an attractive option, but not a likely one in this relatively young sports market. SHARE SPACE PERCENTAGES MOOT POINT “Any sports organization knows that owning your facility…
Blindness
2008 “Blindness” has a great pedigree “? directed by Fernando Meirelles (“City of God”) and starring Julianne Moore (“I’m Not There”) and Mark Ruffalo (“Reservation Road”) and based on a celebrated novel by Jos
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
For a limited time only, you’re in a position to consciously choose your next problems. This is a tremendous opportunity that I hope you won’t allow to go to waste. By being proactive, you can ensure the arrival of fun and interesting dilemmas, thereby avoiding the frustrating and draining kind. In other words, Aries, if…
Norman holds 15th annual Mardi Gras parade
Celebrate Fat Tuesday on Saturday, as Norman’s 15th annual Mardi Gras parade makes its way through the Downtown Arts District. Themed “Celebrating Ancient Cultures “? in a Time Warp,” the family-friendly parade will feature scores of entries including floats, bands, Vikings, Romans in tie-dyed togas and life-sized cartoon characters. “Basically, it’s a celebration of the…
The Rocker
2008 Spandex pants, teased manes and fawning fans “? Vesuvius had it all. But the Eighties glam-metal foursome didn’t give drummer Robert “Fish” Fishman (Rainn Wilson) a chance to rock out with its lucrative record deal, replacing him with the son of the record label owner and going on to rock ‘n’ roll glory. Decades…
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
I know where actor Sean Penn lives. It’s a few miles from where I am right now. An out-of-town friend of mine who’s an aspiring screenwriter is pleading with me to drive by Sean’s house and hurl a hard copy of her latest script over the high wall that affords him and his family privacy.…
Quarantine
2008 “Quarantine” is something most horror movies aren’t: scary. Swallow-your-gum scary. Cry-for-your-momma scary. The film is an adaptation of a Spanish horror film called “REC,” but I won’t hold even its remake status against it. It borrows ideas from a raft of recent spook shows, but for once I don’t care about that, either, because…
Museum presents time-travel workshop
The Sam Noble Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua in Norman invites youth to travel back in time Saturday with a “Prairie Time Traveler” workshop. The class will be taught by museum staff, and will transport kids to Central Oklahoma’s prairie during three different time periods. Participants can walk through a “time machine” and visit…
Needs No Stimulus
One Industry That Needs No Stimulus: Drug officials in California’s Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity counties (north of San Francisco) estimated in January that two-thirds of the area’s economy is based on probably illegal marijuana farming (illegal under federal law, but permitted for medical use by the state). One federal agent told MSNBC, “Nobody produces any…
Glen Campbell — Greatest Hits
As far as I’m concerned, with his recent comeback album, Glen Campbell has washed the has-been taint of Branson from his reputation. Now, a 16-track collection of his “Greatest Hits” reminds us why we ever loved him in the first place. These songs hold up, sounding very much of their time, yet timeless as well.…
Commentary: Burn ban
The Oklahoma Legislature is once again taking up the issue of smoking in public places. State Sen. David Myers, R-Ponca City, has authored a bill that would ban smoking in most every bar and restaurant in Oklahoma. This comes just a short time after the 2003 state law went into effect banning smoking in restaurants…
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Even when you are not feeling your best, you try hard. You’re strong when things are broken. Where there is hurt, you rise up with surprising resilience to provide help and inspiration. If there are people who don’t know where they are or where they’re going, you are often a beacon of calm. Thank you,…
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
I feel much better. Today I underwent plastic surgery for the first time. An intervention specialist over at the Consumer Counseling Center removed 40 percent of my credit cards from my wallet. She then cut them in half and burned them, releasing fumes that sent me spiraling into an altered state of consciousness that revealed…
