No More False Dichotomies: Five years in Iraq: shock and gall
So, the war in Iraq has been going on for five years now, and no one gives a damn. Sorry, but that’s how it is.Well, we can’t really say no one, can we? If you’re a family member of an enlisted soldier, reservist or National Guardsman, that finite group who’ve been recycled over and over…
Message to the People: Does Obamamania prove racism is dead?
Barack Obama’s March 18 speech in Philadelphia on race was inevitable. Try as he might, there was no way he could complete his presidential bid without facing the beast at some point. After video of controversial comments by his longtime Chicago pastor, Jeremiah Wright, were repeated ad nauseam by almost every major media outlet, Obama…
CD Reviews for 3-26
S/TThe Health & Happiness Family Gospel Band(SELF-RELEASED)One listen to the debut album from the Health & Happiness Family Gospel Band makes you want to throw your arms into the air and repent; further listens take the listener deeper into the inspiration and energy that went into this recording, as well as the sincerity that went…
Man in motion
Justin Lewis: This Friday, Justin Lewis, along with familiar singer-songwriters Teneia Sanders, Leigh Ann Yost and Hambone will play at Zazoo’s to raise money for a trip to Guatemala. Think about where you live. Justin Lewis does.Two years ago, the U of L junior got an eyeful of heartache when he traveled to Zacapa, Guatemala,…
The Stars will shine bright tonight
Stars is hoping for a warm reception to its latest album. When Stars released its latest album In Our Bedroom After the War in September, it was not received with quite the same fanfare as their previous effort, Set Yourself on Fire.The album was by no means universally panned; some called it evocative, deeply original…
Requiem for a dream: Jazz Factory signs off
Ken Shapero’s dream job ends Saturday.The sold-out show that night is the last in The Jazz Factory’s five-year run. When Shapero, who managed the club with his wife Dianne Aprile, announced he would suspend operations as of March 29, the shockwaves reverberated well beyond the Glassworks building on West Market Street. Where most clubs and…
The Junkies ride again
The Cowboy Junkies: are made up of Michael Timmins, Margo Timmins, Peter Timmins and Alan Anton. Thursday, March 27Michael Timmins, Margo Timmins, Peter Timmins and Alan Anton are a relatively obscure but enormously influential family act that has endured with dignity and assurance for several decades. This Canadian outfit, known as The Cowboy Junkies, is…
Theater: “Game On” looks alive
“Game On”: Photo by Harlan Taylor Genesis Oliver and Nicholas Combs star in “Game On,” one of the last productions in this year’s Humana Festival of New American Plays. (Actors Theatre presents “Game On” through March 30. Directed by Will MacAdams. Part of the 32nd Annual Humana Festival of New American Plays. Call 584-1205 or…
Cable Boxing: LEO’s Weekly Television Rehash
How I Met Your MotherEpisode 313: “Ten Sessions”CBS; Mondays at 8:30 p.m., aired March 24. Starring Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan and Cobie Smulders.Synopsis: Ted is repeatedly snubbed in his attempts to get a date with Stella (Sarah Chalke), his dermatologist, but her receptionist, Abby (Britney Spears), becomes infatuated with him.…
Gannett Watch:
“The Courier-Journal … launched its new website design yesterday, just a day after Florida Today rolled out the same Gannett-mandated look,” writes Gannett Blog (www.gannettblog.blogspot.com) in a post dated March 19. The blog observes that Florida Today’s note about the change encourages easy feedback, while the C-J’s note does not. On another topic, Tuesday’s C-J…
Credit where credit”s due: Is Doug Hawkins basking in the glory of his colleagues” hard work?
Doug Hawkins, R-25: Photo courtesy of Louisville metro council It wasn’t the first time District 25 Metro Councilman Doug Hawkins did something that angered Vicki Aubrey Welch, a Democrat who represents District 13. But last week, when Hawkins issued a public e-mail taking credit for one of her major accomplishments, Welch decided she wouldn’t let…
Council may change ethics law
The Metro Ethics Commission dismisses its first citizen complaint — three-and-a-half years later. What was the hurry? At last, Sarah Lynn Cunningham and Bob Henderson are no longer legally entwined. The former, a noted environmental activist, was an engineer at the Metropolitan Sewer District who blew the whistle on alleged malfeasance there and, according to…
Health, race and economy: “Americans live shorter and sicker lives.â€
That memorable line was among the first that an audience of nearly 500 heard after the lights dimmed at the Kentucky Center for the Arts last Thursday, during a preview of the Louisville-based episode of a Public Broadcasting Service documentary series, “Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?” Hosted by the Metro Public Health &…
The Bar Belle: Chief Party Officer wanted
Get this. Churchill Downs is looking for an official Chief Party Officer for this year’s Kentucky Derby. The track is currently conducting a nationwide search for the ultimate partier, to be crowned “official host of the infield.” Forget all that ceremonial bullshit — what do you get? Free beer for one. Free access to your…
LEO Eats: Old Louisville burger hop with Chef Dan
Ollie’s Trolley: Photo by Ben Schneider The only remaining location of a once thriving chain, Ollie’s Trolley is always crowded come lunchtime. The humble burger: It’s a mainstay of the American diet. Most people appreciate a great burger. So where can you go to get something better than the normal fast food offerings from Rally…
Staffpicks
March 27-April 13‘Last Summer at Bluefish Cove’ Last week brought the news that Showtime’s popular lesbian soap opera “The L Word” will end after its sixth season, which starts early next year. But even before Jennifer Beals and the girls made it OK, dare I say trendy, for mainstream pop culture to accept lesbians, even…
Video Tapeworm: Releases through Tuesday, April 1
THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS:SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET2007; DVD $29.95-$34.95, RJohnny Depp — any review of this flick is required by law to start with his name — and Helena Bonham Carter star for dark and weird director Tim Burton in his dark and weird musical telling of the dark and weird…
Resistance is futile — or is it?
The San Francisco protests: Photo by Bill Hackwell The San Francisco protests — the largest in the country — started in earnest on March 19, 2003, the day Shock and Awe began on Iraq. Turns out the peace movement was right about the war in Iraq. What that means for us going forward, and what…
Ribbons and signs: Reflections of a reluctant war mom
A mock funeral for the U.S. and Iraqi dead.: Photo by Charles Russo The hardest thing I’ve ever done was take my son to the airport the day he deployed to Iraq.We set off at dawn, the hour that most dates with the Army begin, exhausted after a sleepless night in which my son packed…
The Fight Home
Someday, Christian Xavier Wayne Sword will want to know about Iraq. It’ll be a while, though: He’s 12 days old today. When the questions come, Christian will want to know about his dad’s bum right ankle, why he’s deaf in his left ear, and why, on occasion, he picks pieces of metal, tile and concrete…
Side effects
side effects Wars have many indirect consequences, and the Iraq War has certainly been a burden to the country waging it. Here’s a look at a few ways this war has impacted America at home. Post Traumatic Stress DisorderAs many as 20 percent of American soldiers returning from Iraq will need professional help coping with…
¡ ASK A MEXICAN ! Special last column edition
Q Dear Mexican: I’m a gay man in his mid-30s who has always loved Mexican men. And this question is not only from my experience, but also that of friends: Why is it that Mexican men are so flaky? They seem the top offending ethnicity in this. And, by flaky, I mean not returning calls, giving…
Ballz (Sports by cd kaplan): Give Rick a chance
Some Louisville Cardinal fans won’t give it up.Rick Pitino was once Big Blue. And once a Cat always a Cat is a mantra for many.So, in some red and black households, the U of L’s coach remains unloved, his coaching prowess in question. Especially when he’s compared with his beloved predecessor Denny Crum. The Rick’s…
Erosia for 3-26
LEO welcomes letters that are brief (250 words max) and thoughtful. Ad hominem attacks will be ignored, and we need your name and a daytime phone number. Send snail mail to EROSIA, 640 S. Fourth St., Louisville, Ky. 40202. Fax to 895-9779 or e-mail to leo@leoweekly.com. We may edit for length, grammar and clarity. Reversal…
Aftertastes for 3-26
SALA THAI CITY WOK, 526 W. Main St., 583-7238. Sala Thai in Jeffersontown may be one of the three best Thai restaurants in Louisville, but the new Sala Thai’s City Wok downtown is lackluster at best. The buffets offer a fair selection of Thai dishes, but it’s either chicken for the meat eaters and tofu…
