Undignified Deaths
Tall Buildings Claim Three More: A 27-year-old man who idolized the late singer Jim Morrison accidentally fell to his death from a New York City apartment building in July. (Morrison himself was known as a daredevil, with a fondness of walking on the ledges of buildings.) And in June, a man and a woman in…
Least Competent Criminals
According to police in Warsaw, Poland, novelist Krystian Bala might have gotten away with torturing and murdering a businessman in 2000 if only he had resisted writing about his crime in his 2003 novel, “Amok.” The trail for the killer had been cold for several years until a tipster informed police of the book. In…
Recurring Themes
Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Small-time drug operators, thinking they are keeping a low profile, continue to have their hideouts inadvertently discovered by police. In June, a single-engine plane crash-landed outside a home near Baton Rouge, La., and responding police discovered marijuana plants in the yard. In September in Escatawpa, Miss., Curtiss Coleman, 53, attempting to…
People With Issues
Convicted sex offender Paul D. Brunelle-Apley, 26, was arrested again, in Madison Township, Ohio, in September, when his attempt to make up with his 14-year-old girlfriend came to public attention. According to police, Brunelle-Apley was seeing another girl on the side (age 15), and in a display of remorse, he delivered flowers and a teddy…
Britain’s Housing Crises
Alex Baker, 96, told London’s Daily Mail in May that he is very happy to have lived all his life in the same Portsmouth house in which he was born (although the neighborhood has certainly changed a lot since 1911). David and Jean Davidson, who are retired and own an apartment in Sheffield, told the…
Leading Economic Indicators
Contrary Thinking: Three U.S. finance professors, working with business data provided to the government of Denmark, concluded that a company’s profitability usually falls following a death in the CEO’s immediate family. However, the professors found (according to a September Wall Street Journal report), that profitability slightly increased if the family death was that of the…
Fine Points of the Law
Frederick Cronin is challenging the suspension of his New Hampshire driver’s license, claiming that his blood-alcohol reading (0.13) was not properly obtained. State law calls for two readings, with the second 20 minutes after the first, and Cronin claims that his second test was administered too soon. During the 20-minute period, he said, he had…
NASA officially terminates contract with Rocketplane Kistler
NASA officially announced this afternoon it is terminating its contract with Oklahoma City-based Rocketplane Kistler. The company was awarded a $207 million contract from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in August of 2006 to build an orbital rocket ship capable of carrying cargo to and from the International Space Station. Last month, NASA informed…
Deadline approaching for nominating at-risk historic sites
The end of October marks the deadline for nominating at-risk historic sites to the 2008 Oklahoma’s Most Endangered Historic Places list. The annual list, sponsored since 1993 by Preservation Oklahoma and the Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office, spotlights threatened historic resources. Inclusion on the list does not ensure protection or funding, but helps raise awareness.…
Coming together
Author George Washington Cable wrote after the Civil War about how the Italian butchers in the French Market in New Orleans often would delight their customers by joyously singing as they cut meat for them. While the Muslim meat cutters at the International Foodmart on N. Portland Avenue in Oklahoma City do not sing…
Westmoore grad’s ingenuity makes her a joke on ‘SNL’
Last March, Westmoore High School graduate Mary Masterman won a $100,000 scholarship at the annual Intel Science Talent Search for building an inexpensive yet accurate spectrograph, a device that measures wavelengths to identify the fingerprints of different molecules. The award brought national attention to the budding scientist when “Saturday Night Live”‘s “Weekend Update” segment poked fun…
Three new City Arts exhibits feature six local artists
Whether it’s with a painting of a shaman’s ritual, a photograph of a runner or a ram’s skull on a metal pedestal, three metro exhibits each offer a distinct interpretation of art and perspective under one roof. Running through Oct. 27, the City Arts Center exhibits give visitors the opportunity to view the works of…
30 Days of Night
Reviewer’s grade: A- “Spider-Man” director Sam Raimi started up Ghost House Pictures as a shingle for scary movies. After a consistently underwhelming slate that has included “The Grudge,” “The Grudge 2,” “Boogeyman” and “The Messengers,” he finally delivers —? and big —? with “30 Days of Night,” based on the same-named graphic novel. Josh…
Frontiers of Science
Noted Israeli plastic surgeon Eyal Gur said in August that he expects approval next year for his revolutionary breast-lift procedure (“an internal bra”) in which an actual thin titanium bra-like frame is implanted just under the skin with silicone cups to hold the breasts up. Dr. Gur said the procedure will be quicker (40 minutes…
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
nd movie historical melodramas that were long on spectacle and short on verifiable history, this may be just what you need. The colors are rich and deep, the settings are authentic and the costumes will have you gasping. Supposedly, this is the story of the rivalries of Queen Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett) and her half-sister, Mary…
Puddle of Mudd – Famous
Geffen Four years since its last “big” release, Puddle of Mudd tries to rival the success of “Come Clean,” which sold more than three million copies in 2001. The band’s last attempt, “Life on Display,” failed miserably, to say the least. So what’s different this time around? Drummer Greg Upchurch and guitarist Paul Phillips…
Litany of medical ailments spare Oklahoma man from murder trial
There are many ways murder defendants can avoid the death penalty. Delays in trials usually prolong life. A ruling from an appeals court overturning the conviction is probably the most common. A last-minute reprieve from the governor just before the warden says “begin the execution” is the most dramatic. But, Alfred Houston Johnson found…
Former OSU slugger trades bat, glove for family
There may come a time when Robin Ventura decides he is ready to return to baseball in some capacity, but three years after officially ending his 16-season Major League playing career, he is doing just fine doing what he’s doing: nothing. OK, not exactly nothing. Ventura, 40, is keeping himself busy being a husband and…
The Three Snow Bears – Jan Brett
Children’s book author and illustrator Jan Brett is currently in the midst of a 23-city tour to promote her latest book, “The Three Snow Bears.” She’ll arrive in Edmond on Sunday morning, on a huge bus emblazoned with graphics from the book. “Actually, you’re known as a very big book town,” Brett said. “I think…
Michael Clayton
Reviewer’s grade: A George Clooney, looking haggard and in need of a nap and a sandwich, stars in the title role of this suspenseful thriller from veteran screenwriter and first-time director Tony Gilroy. Michael Clayton is a “fixer” at a large New York law firm, a man who gets called out in the middle…
Project Woman Coalition connects uninsured women with breast health providers
In a recent article published in the journal Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, researchers found a link between a lack of health insurance and a more advance-stage breast cancer diagnosis. According to the Oklahoma Department of Health, an estimated 700,000 Oklahomans lack health insurance coverage, and the American Cancer Society estimates…
Zoo hosts dental fair, pumpkin feeding
Give your kids something to smile about Saturday with a trip to the Oklahoma City Zoo. Children can choose to show off their pearly whites at “Smile Safari,” or watch their favorite animals put theirs to good use at the “Pumpkin Chomp N’ Stomp.” SMILE SAFARIHosted by the Oklahoma Dental Hygienists’ Association, the “Smile Safari”…
Advocates pushing for third party on state ballots taking petition route
After fighting an uphill battle for years, Oklahoma ballot access reformers are hoping to change what they consider the most restrictive laws in the nation. Now, the Oklahomans for Ballot Access Reform coalition is taking the vote to the people. OBAR filed an initiative petition in September to put a new question on the 2008…
Historic northwest OKC church undergoing preservation efforts
Just because First Presbyterian Church, located on N.W. 25th Street and N. Western Avenue, appears indomitable, doesn’t mean that Oklahoma’s harsh weather hasn’t taken its toll. Water marks and wind damage on the roof, patches of ceiling destroyed by moisture, and 43-year-old wiring in the towering sanctuary are just some of the problems First Presbyterian…
Billy Joe Winghead celebrating 15 years with new album
Tiki-bar punk band Billy Joe Winghead is a landlocked and languishing in Middle America has a new album, “Dark Ride” ” a shot of Butthole Surfers-style psychedelics chased with some swamp-water blues. Any Okie listener immediately will attach to the Leadbelly cover “Bourgeois Blues.” Lead singer John Manson adapts the song for his hometown with…
Trying to make sense of it all
The events and proceedings surrounding the applications of Public Service Co. of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. to build the Red Rock generating facility seem as tangled and confusing as “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” Under state law, electric utilities such as PSO and OG&E don’t need the Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s permission to…
Folkster Ramblin’ Jack Elliott brings songs, stories to metro
When one looks at the career of folk singer and guitarist Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, one gets a broad snapshot of 20th-century American folk music. And for anyone interested in Oklahoma music, he’s an important figure. It was Elliott who learned the songs of Okie folk legend Woody Guthrie straight from the source and then, after…
Klimt
Reviewer’s grade: F John Malkovich sacrifices good working time to the art-film gods in this “biopic,” which portrays Gustav Klimt as a moody, syphilitic, turn-of-the century painter determined to seduce every crazy skank in Vienna. Instead of adopting the usual strategy of depicting historical figures and events in a linear narrative fashion, writer/director Raoul…
Low-income women get leg up in job hunt with help of nonprofit
Oklahoma City’s Suited for Success is a nonprofit organization that provides free professional clothing ” all donated ” and career development services to low-income women who are preparing to join the workforce. “We have seven seconds to make a good first impression, and I think that many job interviewers make up their mind right away,…
We Own the Night
Reviewer’s grade: C Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix are Joseph and Bobby, the Grusinsky brothers. Joseph, a married family man, is a freshly made captain at the NYPD, which impresses their police chief father, played by Robert Duvall. Bobby, who doesn’t take the family’s last name for professional reasons, is a nightclub promoter and…
Texas beer company labels anti-Sooner brew
Rah rah, sis boom bah, hit ’em in the head with a “¦ beer? Uh! In the grand tradition of football-related spirits like Grape Ranch’s “Beat Texas” wine (and CFN intern Bucky’s high school “brick” football chant, above), the Red River Rivalry has added even more ” alcoholic ” ones to the mix. …
Oklahomans’ original art featured at Fred Jones
“Out of Oklahoma: Contemporary Artists from Ruscha to Andoe” “? at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm in Norman “? is part of this year’s ongoing Oklahoma centennial celebration. More than 35 paintings, sculptures and photographs are included in the exhibit, each of which was created by an Oklahoma-born or -trained artist.…
Violet Hour’ raises interesting questions, but fails to escape pretension
chard Greenberg introduces the play’s gimmick: a god-machine type printer that arrives inexplicably at the office and spews out pages of strange writing, all coming from the future. At first, this tome from the future elicits wonder and laughs. But the “history” grows darker, mentioning those around Seavering as meeting fateful ends. Seavering struggles with…
Three stoges in the operating room
In September, prominent California cardiologist Maurice Buchbinder had his privileges revoked at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla after he allegedly roughed up an unruly angioplasty patient during and immediately after the procedure. Buchbinder was so irritated by the patient’s combativeness that he even (according to witnesses interviewed by state medical licensing officials) delivered a…
Hard-rock duo Jucifer tours in RV
It’s been more than four years since Amber Valentine and Edgar Livengood’s Georgia rent house was sold while they toured and they made the decision literally to live a life on the road. Together, Valentine and Livengood are Jucifer ” a frenetic, genre-warping rock band that has been a national touring mainstay for more than…
Various artists – The Brit Box
: 0in 0in 0pt”> Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, Echo & The Bunnymen and My Bloody Valentine all have songs on “The Brit Box,” so if you didn’t have one before buying the set, you have earned your snob card and now can look down on other, less-cool music fans. “?Joe Wertz
Oral Roberts University professors file wrongdoing lawsuit
According to a lawsuit filed in Tulsa, John Swails vs. Oral Roberts University, three university professors allege a dirty laundry list of wrongdoing by the administration. Allegations include misuse of university funds, spending of donations on lavish clothing, using the university jet for personal visits and text-messaging underage males at 3 a.m. on school-provided phones.…
The Entrepreneurial Spirit!
A Japanese clothing manufacturer, Kochou-fuku, announced in August a line of air-conditioned shirts, with two tiny battery-operated fans inside to evaporate perspiration (for the equivalent of about $95). (One drawback: The shirt billows out, suggesting that the wearer is overweight.)
Triple Deco’ showcases three diverse artists with common inspiration
rative designs are showcased in an exhibit at the IAO Gallery. Kicking off with a 5:30 p.m. reception Saturday and running through Oct. 27, the “Triple Deco” exhibit includes the mixed-media art of:” Sarah Atlee, ” Paul Mays and ” Natalie Moore. INFLUENCESEach of them has a distinct stylistic approach that is connected through their…
Steve Forbert – Strange Names and New Sensations
429 Records Steve Forbert has been recording for 30 years while trying to escape the “new Dylan” albatross hung around his neck by the press. The truth is, while Dylan has hit a couple of fallow periods, he’s also hit altitudes Forbert never will reach. But, by keeping close to home stylistically, Forbert…
The Final Season
Reviewer’s grade: C- Who writes letters to Hollywood producers asking for, maybe demanding, that a new inspirational sports movie “based on a true story” be released to theaters every other month? This glut of sappy heart-tuggers has gotten so bad, we’re now faced with an equal overload of movies parodying them. This tale…
Freshmen legislator Rice hopes to unseat Inhofe in U.S. Senate bid
Andrew Rice, the 34-year-old Democratic freshman state senator, wants to sell his progressive message in a bid for Sen. Jim Inhofe’s seat in 2008. The question is: Do Oklahomans want what Rice has to offer? In 2004, the Senate race between Brad Carson and Tom Coburn drew more money from national interest groups and party…
Dances from around the world featured at two-day showcase
One need not take three weeks’ vacation and travel the world to see Irish step dancers, Turkish gypsy dancers and Arabic belly dancers. All can be seen this weekend, in the comfort of our own state, from the seats at Omniplex Science Museum, 2100 N.E. 52nd. “Dances of Passion: A Journey Around the World Through…
Caucus votes for Cargill to retain speaker post
State Speaker of the House Lance Cargill staved off a challenge and was nominated to repeat as speaker at his party’s retreat Tuesday morning. Meeting at the Noble Foundation in Ardmore, the Republican Caucus of the state House voted between Cargill and Rep. John Wright of Broken Arrow for the speakership beginning in 2009. A…
Sources questioning GOP contributions related to recount last year
Amid the backdrop of a current investigation into Republican campaign contributions from 2004, sources inside the party have questioned contributions made for a vote recount last November. Rep. Todd Thomsen, R-Ada, won House District 25 last year after a recount declared him the winner two weeks following the election. The House Republican leadership organized a…
Despite rise in scores, OKC public school students lag behind other districts
Achievement results presented at the Oklahoma City Public Schools board meeting Monday suggested while district schools are doing better on some fronts, there’s still room for improvement. STATE TESTSCompared to previous state Criterion-Referenced Tests, Oklahoma City students’ reading scores improved in all grades three through eight. The same went for math, through seventh grade, according…
