Put up or shut up
Ever since Minnesota certified Al Franken as its next Senator, the wingnuts have basically gone nuts, and accused him and the Democratic Secretary of State of cheating, lying, stealing and whatever else, because he went from being barely behind on Election Day to barely ahead following a recount mandated by state law for elections that…
absinthe: you’re soaking in it.
Despite the fact that (one or two) people I respect have been enthusiastic about it, I’ve always felt somewhat eye-rolly, not to say dismissive, about absinthe. Or to be more specific: the absinthe trend. As with the commoditization of Bukowski, Kerouac, granny bikes, juice fasts, and yoga, it’s not the object of the fad that…
Sarah Palin blames media for, um, everything
Sarah Palin would like you to know that she can too read newspapers and stuff, and that’s she not stupid and corrupt and incompetent and that all of the evidence to the contrary that emerged during the presidential campaign – even the parts where she talked herself into a hole – were the fault of…
Biteboy finally shat on by someone other than us
Damn, for a while there it seemed like we had to do all the work! Even though we’ve just vowed in today’s “Cheap Shots” story never to mention local gurgling pool of awful Biteboyâ?¢ ever again, it must be said that it seems the national media is going to start picking up where we left…
THIS OLD MAN
Dirty Harry takes on gangs in engrossing film
THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND
You know that sexy dress I like? Well, slip it on, baby. Time to boogie again. THE BEAT All is quiet … onnn New Year’s Day. The night before, however, was an entirely different matter. Few are steadier fixtures in downtown than your boy here, but New Year’s Eve is the one night that I…
LIVE ACTIVE CULTURE
In today’s tough times, the only pastime I — and many of my friends — can afford is our favorite: complaining about Orlando’s arts scene. We bemoan a lack of opportunities, a paucity of venues and a shortage of attentive audiences. We bitch about budgets, and whine that no one wants to take a chance…
POLICE BEAT
Dec. 29 (2008-561640) 7:20 a.m.: So it’s the afternoon of New Year’s Eve and I’m at my desk dutifully banging out this column before taking off for the weekend. “Billman!” a voice cracks through the cubicle farm. “Beer?” It’s Bob Whitby, my boss. And seeing as how it’s a little after 2 p.m., he’s about…
HAPPYTOWN
Listen up, Orlando. The post-holiday blues are over. The New Year’s malaise has cleared. The sun is dawning on a bright new day. Because Ted Simon is coming to town. We can only think of two reasons why that name would mean nothing to you: 1) You have never dreamed of seeing exotic lands from…
COMMENTS
Murky future I want to compliment “psychic” Kim Wade for her daring predictions for 2009 `”What’s next?,” Jan. 6`. Mike Synan was willing to predict the Citrus Bowl renovation would be canceled, without the use of ESP. Wade, on the other hand, went out on a limb to say, “Political things will be front-row center.”…
VEGAN TUESDAY
When I decided earlier this year to attempt to become a vegan, the whys informing my decision were easy. The inhumane treatment of animals in many aspects of the food industry was reason enough for me to try to give up eating meat. In addition to being good for my body, and maybe my soul,…
DARE TO ASK
While composer Miles Davis had a series of collaborators, mentors and muses to affect his music, the actions that inform his legend, those salacious stories passed around for decades, are constructed out of Davis’ self-assured iron will. That makes most books on Miles vastly entertaining and marketable. The chronological interviews and witnessing that snap together…
RUDNICK’S SWISH AND SWAY
The 21st century started with such hope, such promise. We stood together and bravely strode forward into a new millennium … and promptly stepped into deep shit. As we struggle to scrape this decade’s droppings from our shoes, we wrestle with weighty questions. Where does hatred come from? What is the meaning of tolerance? Who…
HAROLD GARDE, ON AND OFF THE WALL
; Let’s not dance around the obvious: Artist Harold Garde is an old fella – 85 years old, to be exact, born in 1923 in New York City. Now a settled resident of Florida, Garde works from his scenic home in New Smyrna Beach, except when he summers at his second homestead in Maine. Currently,…
CHEAP SHOTS
It’s a new year, and we need a fresh start. We need to divest ourselves of the bile and acrimony that accrued at an alarming rate in 2008. The economy, the wars, Casey Anthony, another freakin’ year of George W. Bush; it’s enough start a monk on a murder spree. So it’s time once again…
DRILL, BABY, DRILL
In early October, tourism officials from across the state gathered in the Panhandle town of Destin for a two-day discussion on offshore oil drilling. Florida Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus executive director Robert Skrob organized the summit after a bad summer for tourism, in part due to high gas prices. To lead the conversation,…
BLISTER
I want to go back. Because everything is awful for everybody forever, the only thing I really requested from the Santa with whom I sleep this holiday season was everything that I cannot have. I existentially pouted and stamped feet for a meaningful history that was not my own — because my own history could…
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
ARIES (March 21-April 19) During his time in the Senate, John McCain has been a strong advocate for Native Americans. As chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee, he sponsored or co-sponsored seven bills in support of Indian rights. And yet Native Americans voted overwhelmingly for McCain’s opponent, Barack Obama, who has no such track record.…
SAVAGE LOVE
I’m an 18-year-old straight woman. Two nights ago, I went to a party. My ex-boyfriend was present, but my current boyfriend was not. I had several beers, and while I wasn’t drunk, I was tipsy. I had to go to my car to get my cell phone, and my ex offered to accompany me. When…
