Recurring Themes
Recent Heroic Dogs: (1) Buddy, the German shepherd trained to punch 911 on a special phone and bark, came through in the clutch in September when owner Joe Stalnaker of Scottsdale, Ariz., had a seizure. (Stalnaker said it was the third time Buddy had saved him.) Cash, a German shepherd, remained at the side of…
Least Competent Criminals
Not Ready for Prime Time: What started as a “strong-arm” street robbery in Warren, Mich., in October, ended when the victim turned out to be stronger than the perp. When it was over, the victim had gotten his money back, plus $30 of the mugger’s as the man fled, according to a police report in…
News That Sounds Like a Joke
A plumbing error in October at the annual Grape Festival in Marino, Italy, stymied the traditional hook-up in which white wine cascades through the famous fountains in the center of town. Instead, water continued to run in the fountains, but “10 to 12” nearby homeowners must have thought it glorious divine intervention, briefly, when they…
People Who Need to Control Themselves
Ronald Miller, 56, was arrested in Fort Wayne, Ind., in August and charged with lewdness visible to neighbors through his front window (he was nude and accessorized, police reported, with a “claw hammer” and “motor oil”). A few days earlier, in Northern Territory, Australia, motorist Brendon Erhardt, 39, was arrested for abusing both the speed…
Oops!
Skydives Ending Badly: A parachutist who was part of an Army ceremony at Fort Riley, Kan., in July was blown 50 yards off course and crashed into the band, injuring three musicians and destroying two tubas. And in August, as Duke University’s football team was preparing for the kickoff against James Madison University in Durham,…
The Incredible Hulk: The Complete Fifth Season
1981-1982 The fifth season of CBS’ long-running “The Incredible Hulk” “? if you can call seven episodes a season “? was not the series’ best, but it was its last. Unfortunately, the show’s runners didn’t know it at the time, so the final episode offers neither closure nor resolution. (That would come, disappointingly and far…
Leading Economic Indicators
Unlike their American counterparts, debt collectors in Spain are legally allowed to humiliate deadbeats in front of relatives and neighbors, and are thus quite successful, according to an October Wall Street Journal dispatch from Madrid. One collector’s employees make flamboyant house calls in “top hat and tails” and another’s are dressed as Franciscan friars, and…
Former OKC football standout, retired U.S. Army hero feels encouraged
By the time you read this ” barring another hanging chad fiasco down in Florida ” this country will have officially elected its 44th president. And barring some unforeseen shift in the momentum that carried Barack Obama’s campaign to the brink of victory over the last few weeks, that president will be a black man.…
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
“Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth,” says Ishmael in Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick, “whenever it is damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses . . . it [is] high time to get to the sea as soon as I can.” Use this passage…
Summer Olympics inspire metro handball players to stir up interest in local team
Kenneth Bethune flinched and ducked as a handball pounded against wooden rafters next to him, sending a rattle through the court. “He throws hard,” Bethune said, referring to former American team handball player Jeff Chappell. CRISP PASSINGSCRIMMAGE The tall, barrel-chested Chappell has the build and athleticism of a football linebacker, but instead chooses to play…
Aspiring illustrator-turned-label boss teams up with Parisian DJ phenom
Illustrator and part-time DJ Franki Chan moved to Los Angeles to pursue dreams of creating comics. His comic love eventually evolved into iheartcomix, an all-encompassing brand, record label and lifestyle company that promotes music, fashion, art and comic culture everywhere. Chan and acclaimed Parisian DJ The Toxic Avenger will spin discs 8 p.m. tonight at…
Seasonal themes
I have several themes on my mind today that are pertinent to the season. What a thrill we have in Central Oklahoma with the successes of University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University football, the arrival of the Oklahoma City Thunder, a chill in the air signaling Thanksgiving and Christmas just ahead, and yesterday’s vote…
Saw V
Of course it’s gruesome. This is easily the most convoluted series of films going, in or out of the horror movie ghetto. Not only do you have to know what’s gone on in parts 1-4 to make much sense of the plot here, the film internally leaps around from past to present with little warning…
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Every year my friend Jim travels to Cabos San Lucas in Baja California to participate in a deep-sea fishing competition. He says the best way to catch the big fish is with actual bait in the form of smaller fish. But marlins can be fooled into getting snagged with merely pretty lures — colorful fabrications…
Oklahoma City Theatre Company’s production hits marks, misses spark
All Hallows Eve was a good night to review a theatrical version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” A few audience members came in costume, as Oklahoma City Theatre Company presented an adaptation of one of Conan Doyle’s most famous stories. Harvey Mackie’s adaptation follows the novel pretty much to the…
Records show conflicts of interest among OKC board, committee members
At least seven members of various city boards, committees and commissions have resigned since city officials discovered, or reinterpreted, a state law concerning conflicts of interest. LETTERS OF RESIGNATIONDOWNTOWN DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE In August, the city began contacting members of Oklahoma City’s different citizen committees, asking them to check for personal conflicts of interests between…
Oklahoma City’s Rotary Club 29 presents ‘Idol’ competition
Will Rogers Theater was home to an amazing show of talent recently as Oklahoma City’s Rotary Club 29 took to the stage in their second annual “Rotary Idol” competition, according to a story in OKC Friday. The club, which is one of the largest in the world, obviously had a pretty big talent pool to…
Oklahoma receives grant to upgrade school buses
The last time the Union of Concerned Scientists evaluated Oklahoma’s efforts to reduce kids’ exposure to unhealthy school bus exhaust, they gave the state a “D” on its report card. FEDERAL STANDARDSVEHICLE UPGRADE COSTSFALSE IDLE “Oklahoma did terrible” on that 2006 report, said Patty Monahan, deputy director of the environmental group’s Clean Vehicles program. “At…
Obama joke circulates around Oklahoma capitol
Getting tired of the racial comments about Barack Obama? At the state Capitol, it’s already no joke, according to a recent story in The Associated Press. According to the story, Republican Rep. Doug Cox’s legislative assistant, Jane Mitchell, was accused of distributing an e-mail about Obama that prompted Democrat Rep. Mike Shelton to complain that…
RocknRolla
“RocknRolla” is one of those quick-turn, fast-paced, web-of-deceit movies that can be hard to follow, and even harder to explain. Written and directed by Guy Ritchie, “RocknRolla” starts off with the same sort of smarmy, self-congratulatory feel as the similar “Ocean’s Eleven” series. Both feature large, ensemble-casts playing out fast-paced, criminal-scheme twist-ups. But while the…
Oklahoma postal carrier packs away mail
Steven B. Riggle must have really loved his mailman job. The 43-year-old Riggle, of Ada, pled guilty last week to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of mail, according to a story in the Ada Evening News. Riggle allegedly kept mountains of letters in his home instead of making the deliveries. Sheldon J. Sperling, U.S. attorney…
Changeling
Angelina Jolie, reminding us that she really can act, stars as Christine Collins, a floor manager for the Los Angeles phone company in 1928. She arrives home late and discovers that her 9-year-old son is missing. The police won’t take her call for 24 hours, and even then they try to convince her that kids…
Two books differ on John Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes of Wrath’
Editor’s note: The following review was written by University of Oklahoma history professor William W. Savage Jr., author of several books on popular culture, the American West and Oklahoma. Next April will mark the 70th anniversary of the publication of John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath,” and commentaries have begun to appear already. METAPHORICAL PAYBACKMIGRANT…
Inside the Lionel Trains Fun Factory: The History of a Manufacturing Icon and the Place Where Childhood Dreams Were Made – Robert J. Osterhoff
Project Roar Publishing One touchstone in a boy’s life is the train set, and perhaps no other company fulfilled would-be engineers than Lionel. Collectibles expert Robert J. Osterhoff delivers what is likely the definitive history of the New England-based company in this rather detailed, heavily illustrated hardcover awaiting arrival atop your coffee table. Blueprints, building…
30 Rock: Season 2
2007-2008 Oh, that Tina Fey! Isn’t her Sarah Palin impression great? Well, yes, but she’s much, much better as Liz Lemon, the unmarried and much-harried television writer on “30 Rock,” TV’s brainiest comedy, and therefore, one of its lowest-rated. Its second season “? all 15 episodes of it “? was sharper than its first, thanks…
Congregation uses innovative nonprofit ministry to build new church
Westside Christian Church, an Oklahoma City congregation, has teamed with an Enid nonprofit ministry to build a new facility by using an innovative construction partnership. Howard Faerber, Westside’s pastor, said the congregation will save $200,000 by partnering with Church Growth Ministries of Enid. Westside was founded in a member’s house in November 2003, before eventually…
Tulsa’s ORU reaches settlement with former professors
Tulsa-based Oral Roberts University recently reached a settlement agreement with two former professors, according to a story by The Associated Press. The former profs, Tim and Paulita Brooker, alleged they were forced out after uncovering “financial and ethical wrongdoing by the school’s former president and family,” according to the story. Sent out to pasture from…
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Should you go with the flow or should you try to wheedle, manipulate, and entice the flow to go with you? This is one of those rare times when I advocate the latter approach. The flow is currently in an indecisive state, when it could go one of several different ways. You have cosmic authorization…
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
“Many times in my life,” says philosopher Eckhardt Tolle, “it has been my experience that the most powerful starting point for any endeavor is not the question ‘What do I want?’, but what does Life (God, Consciousness) want from me? How do I serve the whole?” I offer that meditation to you, Scorpio, as you…
Former OKC football standout, retired U.S. Army hero feels encouraged
By the time you read this ” barring another hanging chad fiasco down in Florida ” this country will have officially elected its 44th president. And barring some unforeseen shift in the momentum that carried Barack Obama’s campaign to the brink of victory over the last few weeks, that president will be a black man.…
Chesapeake CEO does not want to be known as elephant or donkey
He was born a Democrat and became a Republican on his way to earning his company millions. But now he’s had enough of partisan politics and is more of an independent thinker. Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon knows how to throw his weight around when it comes to money and politic. His name’s a frequent…
Singer/songwriter rambles, rests with tunes that find homes
David Dondero’s brand of brusque road weariness is usually reserved for someone much older. The singer/songwriter is only 39, but he sounds a little tired and guarded. One gets the impression he’s probably been around the block. And there is a good reason for that: He has. CHANDELIERRAMBLING NATURE “If you don’t live it /…
Science on the Cutting Edge
Studs of the Animal World: An August conference presentation by a University of Central Florida researcher touted the frolicking, profligate mating of male South African squirrels, enhanced, the researcher hypothesized, by the fact that “they’re hung.” The typical proportional equivalency for human male genitals, she said, would be 13 inches. Indiana University researchers reported in…
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
When the air is pure and clean, a bee can smell a flower from 3,281 feet. The presence of pollution severely cripples the bee’s awareness of floral scents, however, reducing its range to 650 feet. Consider the possibility that this is a metaphor for what has been happening to you recently, Gemini. Have you suffered…
Chamber building design goes before Board of Adjustment to consider variances
An “iconic” silver football-shaped building with a huge flashing sign and a large front lawn isn’t allowed in the downtown grid of Oklahoma City, according to city code. EXPRESSED MISGIVINGSHARD STANDARDHEART-SHAPED HARDSHIP However, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce hopes they can change that Thursday, said Chamber President Roy Williams. The “adjustment,” or variance…
Bucking national trends, local organizations witness OKC youth volunteerism rise
It isn’t really all that surprising anymore to read that Oklahoma City has bucked a national trend, but here’s a new one to add to the list: volunteering. YOUNG AND ACTIVE IN OKCCREATIVITY AND VIBRANCYTHE ‘LARGER COMMUNITY’YOUNG LEADERSHIP ABROAD On a national scale, Americans have always been generous with their time and talent. According to…
What a parade!
This year’s Gazette’s Ghouls Gone Wild Halloween parade certainly exceeded everyone’s expectations. An estimated crowd of 34,000 people, absolutely perfect weather, 75 entries and more flaming skeletons than last year made it a perfect evening to celebrate our city’s creativity, artistry and diversity. Midtown’s invitation to start the parade near St. Anthony Hospital and Plaza…
Talent winner takes to Civic Center Music Hall stage
Terry Fator, 2007 winner of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” has a diverse set of stage skills. The ventriloquist, impersonator, singer and comedian will entertain crowds 7 p.m. Sunday at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker. Fator’s MySpace mood is set to “stoked,” and he has every reason to be. The Texan’s win on the…
A local nonprofit seeks to help Ghana’s schoolchildren
In northern Ghana, students begin school speaking their native language, Mampruli, and switch to the country’s official language, English, in the fourth grade. Speaking the language and actually comprehending it, however, are two very different things, leading to a high dropout rate in one of the country’s poorest regions. PAMBE Ghana, a nonprofit founded by…
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Some years back, I maxed out my credit cards to pay for recording my band’s CD. Soon afterwards, following a few financial setbacks, I was close to declaring bankruptcy. Luckily, my parents stepped in and bailed me out. (Thanks, Mom and Dad!) Since then, I’ve rigorously kept my debts to a minimum. That policy has,…
Sovereign nation in Orlando
Donna and Joel Brinkle of Deltona, Fla., raised a family and held respectable jobs until, in the 1990s, they declared themselves a sovereign nation and stopped paying taxes. Subsequently, the county took their home, and they now appear to be living on the handouts of their son and their church, but they have become irritations…
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
This is the Week of the Upside-Down Rainbow. It’s a time when signs of good fortune are everywhere, but always with some odd twist or anomalous feature. Should you worry that the tweaks mean there’s some mischief at work? Does it suggest you will have to pay a price for the breakthroughs that are coming?…
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
In the sci-fi film The Matrix, a small band of people have managed to escape from the collective hallucination that most of their fellow humans are stuck inside. Though life is hard staying free, there are some perks. They can, for instance, get downloads of data directly into their brains that allow them to quickly…
Shipwreck!’ washes ashore at Science Museum Oklahoma
Scowling pirates strode through the crowd, minding that their scabbards didn’t tip over video cameras or smack peoples’ shins. Science Museum Oklahoma’s president Don Otto bashfully held a sword and a buccaneer cap as he prepared to unveil “Shipwreck! Pirates & Treasure.” THOROUGHLY HANDS-ONODYSSEY CREW With the drop of a curtain, music from the “Pirates…
Trio of metro musicians assembles to release an album
Hundredsomethings’ new album “Get Well” recalls the garage rock days of the Eighties and early Nineties, with audible influences from The Replacements, Pixies, Violent Femmes and early, early Smashing Pumpkins. The Midwest City band recorded the songs at arm’s length, as if a thin wall were placed between it and studio microphones. Front man Adam…
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks star as the title characters. They’ve been platonic housemates since high school graduation 10 years ago, but how surprised will you be when they turn out to have been pining for each other all along? Not very. Now, their personal financial crisis has nosed out debt consolidation and is moving…
National Lampoon’s Animal House: 30th Anniversary Edition
1978 There’s no denying “National Lampoon’s Animal House” is a comedy classic. But have you seen it lately? It’s not as funny as one remembered it to be upon numerous screenings in decades past, when the “National Lampoon” brand actually meant something. It’s still funny “? the line “Thank you, God!” never fails to get…
Guys Write for Guys Read & Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Almost True Stories of Growing up Scieszka – Jon Scieszka
Viking Jon Scieszka is one of literacy’s BFFs. The New York-based writer is best-known for penning such award-winning fractured fairy tales as “The Stinky Cheese Man” and “The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!,” but has carved out a secondary career as ambassador for reading “? primarily among school-aged boys, the segment least likely…
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Uranus is on the opposite side of the sun from Saturn right now. To traditional astrologers, that’s a stressful aspect. It bespeaks a titanic clash between the forces of progress and the inertia of the past. But there are mitigating factors. The expansive planet Jupiter is trine to Saturn and sextile to Uranus, suggesting that…
Novelty act experiments with vinyl releases
Cool bands need cool swag, and vinyl releases are prizes coveted by audiophiles and those looking for killer wall art. One-man rock spectacle Mickey Reece is experimenting with an El Paso Hot Button vinyl release in the form of a 7-inch album split with Mexicali screamo band Lipstick Terror. For the split, Reece cut “3…
The Entrepreneurial Spirit!
Street-begging has become so sophisticated that some Web sites and blogs offer “market research” for panhandlers, with tips from wizened “pros,” according to the Summer 2008 issue of City Journal. Current begging techniques (which apparently spread nationally, at least for those non-homeless, non-mentally-ill beggars) suggest humor (e.g., “I won’t lie to you. I need a…
OU photography exhibit displays Somalian conflict
Born in London and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, 22-year-old Dan Eldon was a freelance photojournalist and humanitarian who found life’s beauty through a camera lens. In 1992, he flew to Baidoa, Somalia, to capture the escalating civil war and epic famine plaguing the African country. His photographs appeared in newspapers and magazines, and were among…
Schoolhouse Rock!: Election Collection
1973-1984 Republican, Democrat or independent, there’s one thing voters can agree on in this election year: “Schoolhouse Rock!” was a great Saturday-morning staple in the Seventies and Eighties. Although the entire series of animated educational shorts already has long been available on DVD, Disney has taken advantage of the country’s campaign fever with a politically…
Exhibit displays dinosaur eggs, nests and embryos
Kids who dig dinosaurs can become an archeologist or paleontologist for a day, unearthing clues explaining the beginnings of the historic beasts. Actual and reconstructed dinosaur eggs, nests and embryos are on display in “Hatching the Past: The Great Dinosaur Egg Hunt,” at Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua in Norman. The…
