Least Competent Criminals
Recurring Themes: In February, David Hampton, 23, was charged in Charlotte County, Fla., with robbing a BP gas station and became the latest such robber to run out of gas in his getaway car even though minutes earlier, obviously, he had been present at a gas station. In Marseille, France, in January, a 21-year-old man…
Fine Points of the Law
Drug-trafficking is a capital offense in Malaysia, and it appeared that one man would go down after being spotted by a police officer with the key to a large drug locker. However, the man has an identical twin brother who was not charged, and in February, Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge Zaharah Ibrahim ruled that…
Leading Economic Indicators
People With Too Much Money: At Tokyo’s first fish auction of 2009 in January, the upscale Kyubey restaurant and the more moderate Itamae Sushi dining chain jointly purchased a single, 280-pound bluefin tuna for the equivalent of about $104,000. Kyubey said it would cut its half into slivers priced at about $22 each, while the…
Weird Biology
“Reproduction is no fun if you’re a squid,” said a biologist at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, referring especially to the deep-sea squid. Finding a mate a mile down in pitch-darkness is hard enough, but the combination of males that are smaller and fearful of being overpowered and females whose reception of sperm…
The Entrepreneurial Spirit
A coin-operated self-service dog-washing machine (“self” meaning the dog’s owner, not the dog) has been introduced in a half-dozen carwashes in the United States recently, at $10 for 10 minutes, according to a January report on one such franchise in Stuart, Fla. The “K9000” is a 3-foot-high, walk-in shower area (or push-in, for reluctant dogs)…
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
This would be a perfect week to practice writing love letters. It’s not yet a favorable time to actually send the love letters you compose, however. You need some work before you’ll be ready to produce the finished products. You’ve got to drain off the chatter that’s at the top of your head before you’ll…
Point: Wealthy surcharge
One part of the solution to Oklahoma’s budget dilemma is simple: The state government should raise taxes on the state’s wealthiest income earners. Obviously, this won’t happen for a variety of political reasons. But the fact income tax hikes or surcharges on the wealthy aren’t a major part of the state budget debate is fiscally…
Why They Go Postal
An official of the National Association of Letter Carriers in Buffalo, N.Y., said in February that it would challenge the Postal Service’s threatened suspension of a carrier who was using sidewalks to get from house to house this winter instead of walking across ice-packed, deep-snow-drift yards. Cutting across yards is required by Postal Service rules…
Representative introduces tort reform bill to cap attorney fees
Whether a lawmaker has a conflict of interest concerning legislation over lawsuit reform might hinge on how the word “competitor” is defined. It might also come down to whether anyone is willing to pursue a complaint. INCOME CAP MONETARY CONSEQUENCES Rep. Dan Sullivan, R-Tulsa, is the main conduit for the tort reform effort in the…
UCO’s new Academy of Contemporary music plans event
Local country singer Devin Derrick will join British singer/songwriter Rokhsan for a Friday performance at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. The 7:30 p.m. show will serve as the first “recruiting event” for UCO’s new Academy of Contemporary music, which opens this fall under the direction of Flaming Lips manager Scott Booker. ACM@UCO is…
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
The agitation and commotion seem to be dying down. The bitching and moaning are diminishing. And yet, from what I can tell, the Big Squeeze is still squeezing you, which probably means that it’s going to get trickier for you to extricate yourself. Want my advice? Don’t take “maybe” for an answer. Negotiate with a…
Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers uphold their moniker’s promise
Mexico is as much an idea as a place for Roger Clyne ” an escape both virtual and figurative. From the loose talk of absconding across the border on the Refreshments’ minor hit “Banditos,” to blood-on-his-hands desperados on the lam (“Americano”), or tourists whiling away their time under the spell of “Mexican Moonshine,” Clyne’s songs…
Oklahoma City rates as U.S.’ third manliest
Men of Oklahoma City, heave your breath and thump that chest. A new report out would make Hans and Franz very proud. OKC ranks as the third manliest city in the country. That’s manly, man. None of the froufrou San Francisco stuff or posh Seattle uppity types. No, we in Oklahoma City like our steaks…
New spring-themed exhibit opens at 50 Penn Place Art Gallery
acerun: yes”> “We have approximately 35 artists showing this time so it’s a big show,” said gallery founder Bert Seabourn. “They’re all Oklahoma artists, but they’re spread from all over the state.” Seabourn said the collection would include works created using several different mediums. “We have watercolor, oil, pastels and acrylic,” he said. “Then, of course,…
Is there really a difference between 3.2 and 6-point beer?
You know how it seems like the effects of downing a 3.2 percent beer pales in comparison to that of a 6 percent brew? Well, much of that may actually be in your head. At first glance, the 3.2 “low-point” beer in grocery and convenience stores appears to contain nearly half the alcohol content of…
Music theater, UCO meet for an extramarital affair in ‘Promises, Promises’
The University of Central Oklahoma’s Music Theatre Department presents “Promises, Promises,” a lively comedy written by Neil Simon based on the 1960 Academy Award-winning movie “The Apartment.” “Promises” tells the story of a naive, but ambitious young executive named Chuck Baxter, who finds that the key to his success is the key to his apartment.…
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
In the past few weeks you have veered close to the edge of blissful triumph. From what I can tell, you averted total ecstatic breakthrough and fantastic raging success by only the narrowest of margins. If you don’t want to go all the way in the coming days — if you’d rather remain faithful to…
John & Jen’ explores siblings dealing with 1960s issues
auto 0in”>The first act focuses on the relationship between two siblings. Jen is the older and more rebellious sister who serves as caretaker to her brother, John, who is more eager to please their strict and sometimes abusive military father. The siblings’ relationship becomes strained when Jen leaves for college and becomes a hippie, and…
Debbie Reynolds revisits youthful memories with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic
Debbie Reynolds is one of those legends who has seemingly been around forever. Alongside names like Gene Kelly, Eddie Fisher and ” heaven forbid ” Elizabeth Taylor, images of the glitzy, glamorous Reynolds often come to mind. OKLAHOMA CONNECTION MUSEUM COLLECTION But unlike La Liz, Reynolds is still a vital part of the Hollywood scene…
What’s legal, what’s not when it comes to transporting alcohol?
As two of the biggest drinking occasions of the year occur next week ” St. Patrick’s Day and spring break ” both are opportunities to overindulge. Consequently, area police increase their presence in the hope of reducing alcohol-related traffic accidents. Knowing a little about Oklahoma’s labyrinthine drinking laws can help save you some serious legal…
Oklahoma senator predicts death of daily newspaper
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) met in late February. Now, for a group that recently lost the presidency and both houses of Congress, we figured there’d be a lot of tears and a few stages of the grieving process, but not for these folks. According to Jim Geraghty’s post for the National Review Online,…
Counterpoint: Leaner with leadership
In a budget year that is going to end up having a shortfall of close to $400 million after federal assistance, the conventional wisdom says there are two options: raise taxes or cut budgets. I believe that real leadership is needed to not go down the same path of the past. There are two areas…
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
“One often meets one’s destiny on the road taken to avoid it,” says a French proverb. Sometimes, in fact, you can’t even get properly aligned with your highest potential unless you try to escape it. Only by seeking an alternate route are you led into the circumstances that ultimately activate the fullness of your gifts.…
Vampire Secrets
2009 Yes, Virginia, there were vampires before “Twilight” “? and here’s the documentary to prove it! “Vampire Secrets” is a feature-length look at the undead bloodsuckers that have lived on and on through film and literature, if not real life. The creatures may not actually exist, but that didn’t stop some ancient, witch-hunting societies for…
Guthrie landmark being carved out of countryside
e state Highway 33 intersection. TWO-MONTH STINT DISNEYLAND START SET UP CAMP Like an archaic landmark from a time when Guthrie served as the state capital, a cedar log fence stretches for a quarter mile. Perched atop its posts are all manner of creatures, from owls, buzzards and squirrels to a bear stretching up to…
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras is known as “the father of numbers.” He taught that mathematics provides the ultimate truth about reality. His otherwise productive career went through a rough patch when one of his students found that the square root of two is an “irrational” number that can’t be expressed as a simple fraction. “Impossible!”…
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
I decided to call my cable TV company to inquire about a mistake on my bill. From past experience, I suspected this would be a visit to the suburbs of hell. My expectations were soon fulfilled. After being cycled through three phases of the automated system, I was told by a machine that I’d get…
Newspaper calls attention to Oklahoma City station’s telecast
Anybody catch the recent Fox 25 vs. The Oklahoman row? Chances are a lot more likely you have after The Oke ran a full-page ad calling attention to it. According to the recent series “Problems in Print” on the local Fox affiliate, KOKH Channel 25, by boy wonder Nick Winkler, times are hard for the…
Sports fanatics embracing March madness, Okie-style
It’s that time of year again: March Mania. It’s a sports fan’s paradise, especially here in Oklahoma, where over the next 22 days, hockey, hoops, hardball, hooves and horsepower will be featured in a virtual nonstop slate of sporting events sure to satisfy even the most avid fanatic. DOWNTOWN OKC WOMEN’S REGIONAL There is a…
Reduxion Theatre Company presents Austen adaptation
Catch a stage rendition this weekend of Jane Austen’s classic novel of five sisters hunting for husbands in 19th-century England. Reduxion Theatre Company’s production of “Pride and Prejudice” is an entertaining romance that will have audiences laughing, said Erin Woods, managing director. “It’s a high-spirited, very romantic, very comic telling of this story,” she said.…
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Chris Farley was “a wrecking ball of joy,” according to one of his friends. The Saturday Night Live comedian loved to provoke merriment wherever he went, relentlessly shepherding the mood toward celebratory exuberance. I’m not saying you should try to ignite conviviality with that much ferocity in the coming days, Gemini. But I do think…
Live flower beetle
University of California researchers, on a Pentagon contract, announced in January success at rigging a live flower beetle with electrodes and a radio receiver to enable scientists to control the insect’s flight remotely. Pulses sent to the bug’s muscles or optic lobes can command it to take off, turn left or right, or hover, according…
Beer Pong drinking game sends party into overdrive
Blending alcohol with people’s enduring competitive spirit is nothing new. Plato mentioned a drinking game in his philosophical dialogue “Symposium,” and there were ancient Chinese riddle and dice games that involved imbibing. Basically, anytime you combine a bunch of guys and a bunch of alcohol, a game is an inevitable outcome, even if just to…
Museum art class goes green for holiday
The Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch, helps metro kids go green for the holiday with a “St. Patty Printing” class 10 a.m. Thursday. Kids 3 to 5 years old can create their own custom-designed St. Patrick’s Day prints with the help of museum instructor Erin Oldfield. “We’re going to talk about St. Patrick’s…
Ponca City man’s sense of humor earns him ‘Smoking Gun’ notoriety
We love this one. Ponca City man David Mackie wanted a new credit card. The 35-year-old salesman went online to Capital One’s card builder and personalized his new card, according to the Web site The Smoking Gun. With what picture, you ask. Maybe a cute kitten or a snapshot of Gramps? Try actor Nick Nolte’s…
Elixir enthusiasts enjoy adult beverages
EXOTIC BREW Was he lured in with an exotic brew by friends or promised a sip of high-end whiskey? Sadly, no. “The first thing I bought on my own was Mike’s Hard Lemonade,” Yates said. It wasn’t long until he moved up, however. He had moved back to his hometown of Duncan and was working…
Watchmen
Despite what a lot of people seem to think, movies and books are two different things. Whether they’re books from the “Harry Potter” series, the pseudo-Goth chick flick “Twilight,” or the current adaptation of “Watchmen,” there is always a crowd of pale, housebound dingleberries floating around the blogosphere who can’t stop splitting the hairs that…
Compilation of metro music filled with obscure gems, youthful up-and-comers
Wade Ed Stanley is determined to demonstrate just how much talent is simmering in Oklahoma City. To make the case, he produced “Mr. Leghorn Presents Music “¦ Volume I,” a compilation of singles from young locals whose fan bases have yet to reach drinking age. Most of the songs are low-fi concoctions, ranging from brash…
Oklahoma lawmaker talks about plotting diabolical forces
State Rep. Mike Ritze, R-Broken Arrow, who spoke alongside Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, and Sen. Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso, at a January John Birch Society summit in downtown Oklahoma City, gained notoriety recently for his bill to erect a monument to the Ten Commandments on the state Capitol grounds. MODUS OPERANDI NO-BID CONTRACTS Ritze spoke…
Scenes of the Surreal
Allahmanamjad Barbel, 21, sought help in February at the police station in Barnstable, Mass., after his sister playfully put handcuffs on him at a birthday party and couldn’t get them off. Police removed them and then, after running his name through the computer, discovered several outstanding warrants and immediately re-cuffed him. Doctoral student Daniel Bennett…
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
“Here’s what I’m looking for,” said a personal classified I read online. “Someone who can tear me away from living inside my head . . . who sees things in me that I don’t see myself.” That’s exactly what I want for you right now, Scorpio. Whether this someone shows up in the form of…
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
In response to the recession, some companies have come up with an ingenious way to avoid raising prices: They reduce the amount of product they offer by shrinking the packaging. The makers of Skippy Peanut Butter, for instance, restructured the bottom of the jar so that only 16.3 ounces could fit inside instead of the…
Five now-senior chorus girls revisit past performances
“Been Rich All My Life,” a 2005 documentary by director Heather Lyn MacDonald, has five things going for it: The Silver Belles, five chorus girls now in their 80s and 90s who met during the heady days of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1930s. They came from New York and the Deep South, and despite…
