Staffpicks
Wednesday, Nov. 21Eat for charity Zen Garden offers its annual Thanksgiving meal today. Diners eat for free, and any money they donate goes to charities such as the local Hand in Hand Ministries, Earthsave Louisville and Oxfam. The menu includes tomato-basil soup, egg roll and garden salad, followed by the main dish of curry vegetable…
We know your Social Security number
With identity theft consistently on the rise, why is it that anyone with an Internet connection can get all the necessary components — from the County Clerk’s Web site? It is at least curious, if not downright alarming, that there are thousands upon thousands of Social Security numbers available for free, through the unsecured Web…
Rumor & Innuendo
No “C” in the BS. Yet again college football’s post-season shenanigans have been proven a fraud. There are no two best teams this campaign. Period. But lots of contendas. Play it off. Grannie’s advice, Part Deux. Deja vu. Contemplating the performance of the Cardinal pigskinners, I’m compelled to heed Grannie again. If you can’t say…
Sweet home, Chicago? Maybe. The Chief”s just … interested
Every day Louisville Metro Police Chief Robert White goes to work, he knows that the health of his reputation and legacy hang by a thread. As part of running a police department, he must be accountable to the mayor, translate policy to citizens who don’t necessarily comprehend the awkward and messy business of policing, and…
Bluegrass Beacon: Mine eyes have not seen the glory, but I”ve heard about it
Now that Steve Beshear has stopped campaigning, he’s going to have to start articulating — about his plans to address serious challenges facing Kentucky’s economy and public schools. The new governor must successfully transition from campaigning against an unpopular incumbent to working for sound policy that improves the lot of all Kentuckians. That means the…
Connected Diss: In our season of indigestion
Candycorn, turkey, fruitcake and eggnog. During the last two months of the year, we stuff our guts with an astounding number of calories. Yet in our fast-food, microwavable consumption of whatever is quickest and most convenient, we’ve become disturbingly disconnected from the food we eat, a point well illustrated by CEO David Novak’s recent positioning…
On Media: Long-form reporting on the radio? Bring it on
The sound of a clock radio alarm opens the piece by Kristin Espeland on WFPL-FM. She takes the listener through her morning routine, chronicling her own consumption of energy. Espeland records flipping light switches, brushing her teeth and her bicycle ride to work. It makes for an affecting piece, several minutes long. If you listened,…
Erosia
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. Media…
¡Ask a Mexican! Cars, boobs y gabachos: Is The Mexican insulting you, gringo?
Q Dear Mexican: What’s the deal with Spanish-language car dealership commercials that feature bikini-clad porn-star-wannabes copulating with used cars? I just saw one where three girls were rubbing melted chocolate on each other. Surely, no one in mainstream Caucasian America could get away with such overtly sexual, misogynistic advertising. Does this type of ad actually convince…
City Strobe
The dumb leading the dumb toward the apocalypseState Rep. Jim Gooch, D-Providence, held a committee hearing last week in Frankfort to dispel the myth of global warming, that hideous tall-tale concocted by Al Gore, Hollywood and the United Nations that says our world is in danger because of the incalculably large amounts of pollution and…
Representin”:We”re growing up – Does the panhandling ordinance mean Louisville has arrived?
When it finally appears for a vote by the full Metro Council in a few weeks, the aptly named panhandling ordinance will pass. The public safety committee, which tabled it last week to hear additional testimony, is almost fully supportive at this point — the lone holdout appears to be Judy Green, D-1. Don’t expect…
Did the well dry up? Water bill helps but could do more
Congress’ first successful backhand to the president’s face came in the form of a veto override of the $23 billion Water Resource Development Act earlier this month. President Bush vetoed the bill, saying it was overstuffed with pet projects that would have the American people confusing the federal budget and Congress for Santa Claus and…
Video Tapeworm: Releases through Tuesday, Nov. 27
THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS:I KNOW WHO KILLED ME2007; DVD $26.95-39.95, RJust as her public meltdown was beginning, Lindsay Lohan wrapped this, what was to be her first non-tweeny starring role. She plays a young woman, abducted by a sadist, then found — minus some limbs! — but with a new identity. Unable to remember her…
Book Smart: Events for the book-smart
All events are free unless noted otherwise. Send information about upcoming literary events to listings@leoweekly.com and include “book smart event” in the subject line. Deadlines are the second Wednesday of the month. Nov. 22, 7 p.m.: Book Signing/Wrestling Event — “Woo … Mercy Daddy” with wrestling legend and author “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant, National Guard Armory,…
Book Smart: Poem
Thunder over Louisville: an anti-sonnet BY FREDERICK SMOCK Did the sudden roar of fireworksspook the dogs into breaking their chains?Did the jets swooping low over the riverin a patriotic display of noise frissonabledrive them out into the streets,dogs from all over town, their aural nervesmushed, haywire? How strange it is, anymore, to see dogsloose, wandering…
Book Smart: Book Reports
The Cleft: A NovelBy Doris Lessing. HarperCollins; 260 pgs., $25.95. Doris Lessing, whose breakthrough novel “The Golden Notebook” was released in 1962, won this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature. Lessing, 88, is the 11th woman and oldest recipient. “The Golden Notebook” was embraced in the ’60s for underscoring women’s struggles, although Lessing has never seen…
Book Smart: Don”t get her started
Former LEO columnist Janet Boyd talks about her new book and issues that still drive her crazyLast winter when Stephen George approached me about writing for LEO, the first thing I did was track down former LEO columnist and feminist compatriot Janet L. Boyd. Why had she quit? I wanted to know. Were the folks…
Aftertastes
CHARLESTOWN PIZZA CO., 850 Main St., Charlestown, Ind., (812) 256-2699. Building a strong word-of-mouth reputation, this Southern Indiana restaurant and pub is run by folks who learned their pizza and beer at New Albanian Brewing Company. The beer selection is exceptional, and the Italian-inspired dishes are reasonably priced. (Reviewed 10/10; Rating: N/A) MAIDO ESSENTIAL JAPANESE,…
The Bar Belle: Holidays can be beerable
Holidays aren’t easy. Sometimes they’re not even fun. Sure you have the day off of work, but it often feels like you’re putting in overtime at a sweatshop owned by Kathie Lee, dealing with your family and all. I’m not sure if dealing is the right word. Coping. Existing. Trying to keep your sanity, perhaps?…
Dining: Eating for two (or more) at Buca di Beppo
My friends know me as the un-chained guy, an obligate foodie with a strong preferential option for locally owned and operated eateries, where you’ll find a distinct local flavor, and where you’ll find the host on the premises, working without strings being pulled by accountants and lawyers in a distant corporate office. My reasoning should…
Film: No Country For Old Men
No Country for Old Men 4 starsStarring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Beth Grant and Garret Dillahunt. Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Released by Paramount Vantage. Rated R; 2:02. The newest film by the genius Coen Brothers is easily among their best, certainly in the top three. Not since “Fargo,” and perhaps…
Film: Beowulf
Beowulf 3 StarsStarring Brendan Gleeson, Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie, Ray Winstone, Robin Wright Penn and John Malkovich. Directed by Robert Zemeckis. Released by Warner Bros. Pictures. Rated PG-13; 1:53. “Beowulf” can’t fill out the oversized themes it tries on, but it beats out “300” for the most inventive hack-and-slash title of 2007. Director Robert Zemeckis…
CD Reviews:11/21
Mighty HighGov’t Mule(ATO)Jamband fans treat the musicians’ experiments much like parents go to the neighborhood park and indulge their children’s imagination. Mom and Dad are proud that little Johnny hollers real sailing commands to the crew of his pretend pirate ship — and they laugh as he imitates Captain Jack Sparrow.Gov’t Mule fans will similarly…
B-Sides: MUSIC & OTHER EPHEMERA
Sincere-ly yoursI’m a fan of self-deprecating humor.So when Louisville MC Sincere admitted he was into Kriss Kross and even wore a pair of overalls backward, his stock went up a few notches. After all, it’s not every day people volunteer their childhood cultural sins.Sincere, née David Jarman, a member of the local group Kommittee, recently…
Former Cotton Mather frontman is back and rejuvenated
Robert Harrison’s band Cotton Mather proved to be a 1990s indie-pop phenom, even catching the fancy of Oasis’ Noel Gallagher with the critically acclaimed album Kontiki. Their future looked promising. But the follow-up release, The Big Picture, failed largely because of some unfortunate timing — the record label’s owner was a New York lawyer who…
Sight Unsound: Bonamassa”s Sloe time, going Fourth, Touch stones
Thursday, Nov. 22Growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., Tony Touch glommed onto the hip hop of yesteryear, idolizing DJs such as Red Alert and the late Jam Master Jay of Run DMC. Spinning on his own, he says, “was the last thing I picked up on.” Now, everyone’s picking up on him. Touch, aka Tony Toca,…
Theater: “Spunk” hits high notes
‘Spunk’ Starring Avery Glymph, Angela Karol Grovey, Derric Harris, Keith Johnston, Billy Eugene Jones and Tracey Conyer Lee. Written by Zora Neale Hurston. Music by Chic Street Man. Directed by Seret Scott. Musical direction by Keith Johnston. Continues through Dec. 15 at Actors Theatre of Louisville. For more info, call 584-1205 or visit actorstheatre.org. As…
Theater: Brush up your Shakespeare with “Kiss Me, Kate”
‘Kiss Me, Kate’Starring Gary Tipton, Jennifer Poliskie and Rachel Knight. Directed by Sandra Richens Cohrs. An As Yet Unnamed Theatre Co. production; continues through Nov. 25 at the MeX Theater. For tickets, call 584-7777. A musical at the MeX? Impossible, you say? Director Sandra Richens Cohrs consistently defies those naysayers who say it can’t be…
