Connected Diss: The abortion conversation we should be having
Far too often, I have the nagging feeling that we’re having the wrong discussion. About what? Pretty much darned near everything, but none more so than the endless pro-life vs. pro-choice debate. During a recent community conversation at the Americana Community Center, Loretta Ross, the national coordinator of SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective,…
Guest Commentary: Move on public transit before bridge schemes collapse
There is a mural in Mid City Mall that depicts a beautiful garden with the mall in the background. In reality, that garden space is a big, ugly parking lot. The mural is a vision of what we could experience if there were no need to park hundreds of cars. That mural and the parking…
On Media: The cold facts: Thunder rocked for WDRB
I am not a big Thunder Over Louisville fan. I’ve had the Thunder experience and have grown weary of the whole thing. I’ve done the blanket on lawn (in the cold), the private party in downtown office building, Slugger Field, the Science Center fund-raiser, the “see if you can see it” view from various parts…
WHAT A WEEK: The City’s Weeky Zeitgeist Radar
-14Fallout from the new state budget began settling on the Kentucky dystopia last week like a Harry Moberly White-Castle fart in a crowded movie theater. Public universities announced 9-percent tuition increases, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services went begging for donations, and 54 public defenders got pink slips. Mental-health agency Seven Counties Services will…
Exotic species: A survey of the trash that populates our waters
Living Lands & Waters: photo courtesy of Living Lands and Waters The Living Lands & Waters crew is in Louisville now for the third straight year. The river cleanup group Living Lands & Waters is offering what the group calls an “industrial strength” cleanup on the Ohio River: five cleanups over the next two weeks.…
What about Bob? South End councilman Henderson draws controversy, and an electoral challenge
There’s no reason to think Bob Henderson isn’t sincere when he talks about his ambitious goal to clean up Dixie Highway. But he says it’s an uphill struggle, and he gets plenty of pushback. The 68-year-old retiree is far from idle, spending much of his time cruising District 14 in his old white pickup truck,…
Gannett Watch for 4-16-08
“Why didn’t I get ‘Her Scene’ magazine?” you may have wondered a couple weekends ago as you removed your daily paper from its plastic bag to find it didn’t bulge with the same authority as ones delivered to your friends in higher places. That’s because the thick, ad-driven glossy covering all things Derby fashion is…
Crosswalks to bear: On the eve of the city”s first “pedestrian summit,” LEO wonders: How walkable is Louisville?
Second and Main streets: a busy intersection for walkers during morning rush hour. The south side of Main seems far more manageable than the north side. BY STEPHEN GEORGE, SARA HAVENS & CARY STEMLE It seems an easy enough question: Is Louisville pedestrian friendly? The question arises as the city begins this week a series…
On local economies
Judy Wicks’ perspective is askew of that of most small business owners. The founder, owner and operator of the White Dog Café in Philadelphia, 24 years running, has never been concerned with profit. Instead, she said, her goal has always been to run her business is an environmentally responsible, sustainable and local way — something…
Summary of My Discontent: A cry for secession
The time has come for Louisville to secede from Kentucky. The two have been at philosophical odds ever since our forefathers chose Frankfort as the state’s bucolic capital in 1792, ensuring a salt-of-the-earth-if-mildly-retarded state-worker pool forevermore. Because Louisville is a vibrant, progressive city (not counting Dan Seum) in a dirt-poor, third-world state*, it’s only natural…
Ballz: That horse didn”t work out. But wait! I”ve got another
[img_assist|nid=6663|title=Adriano|desc=Photo by Reed Palmer/Churchill Downs Adriano’s win in the Lane’s End got little notice, but he seems to like the Churchill track.|link=|align=left|width=200|height=143]Everyone’s heard how tough it is to win the Kentucky Derby.How just one of 30,000-something thoroughbred horses born each season in North America (and more overseas) can win the Derby. And how you have…
¡Ask a Mexican! Press “8” for English
Q Dear Mexican: I work at a Seattle-based company, and our Customer Service Department uses a phone tree system that asks all callers to press 1 for English, 2 for Spanish and a few other numbers for commonly spoken languages in our area. I handle customer complaints as part of my job, and I get a…
Erosia (Letters to the Editor)
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. Editor’s…
Forgotten Fiction: Classics You Might have Missed
My Brilliant Career: By Miles Franklin. First published in 1901. My Brilliant Career(By Miles Franklin. First published in 1901.) Sybylla, a tomboy growing up in poverty in the Australian outback, dreams daily of the pleasures to be found in music, art and books. She is not afforded the opportunity to meet such pleasures, though, until she…
Booksmart: Carmichael”s top 5 staffpicks
1) The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge (non-fiction) — Prepare to be bewildered by the amazing capabilities of your brain. Dr. Doidge provides a detailed history of the science of neurology and shows us how the theory of neuroplasticity prevailed among even the staunchest of skeptics. —Pritchet Miller 2) Smaller Majority by Piotr…
Booksmart: Pondering the role of art in wartime
Life Class: By Pat Barker. Doubleday; 256 pp. .95 “Life Class,” Pat Barker’s newest novel, is partially set in the Slade School of Fine Art, in 1914, where, in pre-war London, aristocratic and working-class students mingled. Life Class(By Pat Barker. Doubleday; 256 pp. $23.95)Mention Pat Barker’s name to the average reader, and you are likely…
Booksmart: Book Reports for 4-16-08
Big Bone Lick: The Cradle of American Paleontology: By Stanley Hedeen; foreword by John Mack Faragher. University Press of Kentucky; 182 pp., .95 Big Bone Lick:The Cradle of American Paleontology (By Stanley Hedeen; foreword by John Mack Faragher. University Press of Kentucky; 182 pp., $24.95) In 1739, a French military expedition ventured south from Montreal…
Tim Wilson could be wrong … but it”s not likely
Comedian Tim Wilson comes to the Comedy Caravan on April 16-20. It’s well documented that Louisville is populated with talented comics, each with varied reasons for living here. Comic Tim Wilson, who chose Louisville after years of performing at the Comedy Caravan, is also one of our most nationally known comics. He enjoys his Highlands…
Mug Shots: Expand your horizons
According to one of our regular bar customers, he was chatting with a fellow who’d just returned from vacation in Key West, and asked the returnee what he thought of the cuisine in southernmost Florida.“You mean the food? Look, you don’t have to give up anything down there. They have McDonald’s and Taco Bell just…
LEO Eats: Meeting John Barleycorn at Bourbons Bistro
Chef Michael Crouch: of Bourbons Bistro offers thoughtful, creative dishes that may be rooted in down-home Ohio Valley flavors but travel around the world for inspiration. (WITH COLUMNIST MARSHA LYNCH) We did an odd thing at Bourbons Bistro the other night. You might expect a place named after Kentucky’s native nectar to feature steak, potatoes…
Aftertastes for 4-16-08
SITAR INDIAN CUISINE, 1702 Bardstown Rd., 473-8889. This new Highlands spot offers a hearty Indian lunch buffet daily and an expansive Indian menu that includes both standard Northern Indian dishes and less familiar South Indian specialties. (Reviewed 2/20/08; Rating: 86) TURKEY JOE’S, 2809 N. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 327-9464, www.turkeyjoes.com. Hot wings are the specialty here, and…
Staffpicks for 4-16-08
April 16-20‘The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God’ There’s more to the University of Louisville than basketball, despite what March Madness tells us. Its African American Theatre Program, founded in 1993, was the first theater department in the United States to offer a concentration in African-American theater. After a busy year that…
B-Sides: Music & Other Ephemera
Metroschifter in Berlin Record Store DayWith CD sales tanking, indie retail needs your help more than ever. On April 19, ear X-tacy (1534 Bardstown Road, 452-1799) is celebrating National Record Store Day to tout the positive musical and cultural effects of independent record shops. Saturday finds another performance by Metroschifter, a screening of “Juno,” and…
CD reviews for 4-16-08
Insides OutJordan Zevon(New West/Ammal Records) Jordan Zevon is the son of the legendarily dark and laconic Warren Zevon, but he sounds like … Joe Jackson? It’s true — Warren’s only son was enamored of Britpop like the Cure, XTC and Elvis Costello. At 38, he has finally recorded his own work — nine originals and…
What we have here is a Failer who communicates
Canadian songstress Kathleen Edwards visits Thursday. Thursday, April 17Starting with her debut Failer, Kathleen Edwards, the Canadian queen of Americana, has set herself apart. She regularly brings new depth to ballads of everyday people making poor choices or just trying to dig themselves out. Edwards’ recent third album Asking for Flowers is a significant step…
Video TapeWorm: Releases through Tuesday, April 22
THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKSCLOVERFIELD2008; DVD $29.95, PG-13We’ve always held that the best Kaijus (monster movies) were the ones shot from street-level — check out the original “Rodan.” TV vet J.J. Abrams apparently agrees with us, taking this fabulous tale of unexplained monster mayhem down to the pavement — and below — for maximum shock value.…
Theater: Specific Gravity stages “The 5/7 Project” in U.S. Marine Hospital
[img_assist|nid=6649|title=“The 5/7 Project”|desc=Photo Courtesy of Specific Gravity Ensemble Christopher Shiner, Lucas Adams, Sarah Feldman, Parker Bowles and Stefan Gearhart star in Specific Gravity Ensemble’s “The 5/7 Project.”|link=|align=left|width=200|height=150](Specific Gravity Ensemble presents “The 5/7 Project,” through April 20 at the U.S. Marine Hospital, 2215 Portland Ave. Directed by Corey Long and Julia Leist. For tickets and info,…
Cable Boxing: “The Paper” is Eazy-er said than dunn
The PaperPremiere EpisodeMTV; Mondays at 10:30 p.m., aired April 14. Starring Amanda, Alex, Adam, Giana, Trevor and Mrs. Weiss.Synopsis: For many soon-to-be seniors at Cypress Bay High School in Weston, Fla., it’s time to battle it out for the position of editor-in-chief of The Circuit. But only one will score the top slot. See what…
