Seven Deadly Zins
Every day, true Zinfandel lovers unwittingly commit the seven deadly sins. They gulp gluttonously, envy Zin zealots' collections, lust for the next smooth Zin, and covet their latest cheap Zin treasure. The other three — sloth, anger and pride — don't fit nicely into the theme, but certainly American pride does. Zinfandel is the only…
Books
In her new memoir, More, Now, Again, author Elizabeth Wurtzel has abandoned the pose of misunderstood intellectual feminist that she struck in her last offering, Bitch: In Praise of Difficult Women, and returns to the format that made her famous in the first place: the memoir of the truly fucked up. Her first memoir, Prozac…
Behind the Veil and Into the Sun
It's not exactly the sort of movie to put a smile on your face, but the most interesting and, in the fullest sense of the word, enlightening film you're likely to experience this week originates somewhere a long, long way from Hollywood. The film is called Kandahar and it hails from Afghanistan-by-way-of-Iran. Even if this…
Harried Crumbs
When Cake's single "Going the Distance" broke big in 1996, American modern-rock radio was still heavy with third-echelon grungemeisters. "Going the Distance," with its lean trumpet hook, deadpan vocals and a vibe that seemed overwhelmingly snide, sat uneasily amid the walls of processed guitars and carefully postured angst. But somehow the tune became a runaway…
Honky Tonk Hero
From the mid '60s through the early '80s, Merle Haggard dominated the country charts like no other had before him. Populist anthems such as "Okie from Muskogee" and "Working Man Blues" made him a reluctant spokesperson for the silent majority. His sonorous, Lefty Frizzell-meets-Bing Crosby singing and jazzy electric guitar accompaniments gave him a broad…
The Wine List
Chocolate Romance Florida Estates Winery and Neuhaus Chocolates present a tasting with treats amid the peaceful evirons of the winery's Pasco County ranch. Includes a complimentary glass of wine, chocolates and hors d'oeuvres, and entertainment from Monique & Co. $12. 1-5 p.m. Sat., Feb. 9. 25421 S.R. 52, Land O'Lakes. 813-728-8466. The Wine Professor The…
Letters
The Debate Continues Re: "No Land's Man" by Rochelle Renford (Jan. 24-30) Your argument on behalf of Sami Al-Arian with respect to academic freedom is very weak at best. If he was affiliated with the philosophy department, religious studies department, even the history department, maybe your argument would have some merit. However, he was a…
Closing in on V-Day
In the spirit of Valentine's Day, let me recommend a few personal favorites culled from hundreds of restaurants and bars I traipse through every year on my professional dining missions. With The Day only a week away, I hope it inspires contemplation of your beloved's most attractive traits as well as serious thought about how…
Culinary Events
Pasta Dinner Benedict Haven, a nonprofit home for the mentally ill, and the Knights of Columbus host a benefit in the form of the fourth annual Valentine Charity Auction & Pasta Dinner. Proceeds aid those suffering from chronic mental illness. Dinner includes salad, pasta, meatballs, beverage and dessert. Dinner, 6:30-7:30 p.m.; auction, 7:30-9 p.m., Friday,…
Inconvenience Charge
You know my pain. You've dialed the number, desperate to talk with a human being, only to get Jane, the voice. Just follow a 15-level, automated response system that requires you to concentrate, concentrate, concentrate and push all the right buttons on your touch-tone phone. Then, you hold for 20 minutes before you hear you…
Florida State Fair 2002
The fair brings the senses to attention like few events. It's a combination of so many intoxicating sights and sounds and smells. There's the dusty air of the parking lot and fairgrounds, the shock-bright colors of the tents and the neon-trimmed midway rides pitched and set about like giant, misplaced toys. By the time you've…
Spins
Sinister Luck Ensemble Anniversary A growing legion of progressive Chicago musicians keeps shaping into new collectives with impressive results. The latest entry: Sinister Luck Ensemble, led by guitarist/pedal steel player Charles Kim, who wrote and arranged all of the tunes on this gorgeous album, a triumphant evocation of melancholy. This is music to stare out…
Sweet Savagery
Some plays are just theatrical candy: they're tasty, fun, energizing and, if they lack any deeper nutritional value, well, who's complaining? Delicious singing, sugarcoated acting, and a set piece better than anything in a Crackerjack box — these are the elements of a sweet evening of theater, to be consumed without regret. The confection that…
Countless Casualties
Anyone looking for the number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan may be on a quest that could take as long as the worldwide eradication of "evildoers." If the U.S. government is aware of the number, it isn't telling, and various media outlets offer estimates that are worlds apart. One reason for the discrepancy is that…
Outtakes
Ali (R) Sitting through all two-and-a-half hours of director Michael Mann's Ali is a lot like being locked in a small room with a feisty 8-year-old with Attention Deficit Disorder. Between the jittery, distracted style-gymnastics and a story line that flits willy-nilly from one event to another, Ali gives us a scattershot picture, at best,…
Jello vs. DK: He Said, They Said
Apparently, there's not always room for Jello. Former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra, who was sued by his three former bandmates in 1998 over royalty disputes and general mismanagement of the DK legacy, is up in arms about the group's current tour. Biafra is alleging misrepresentation and bait-and-switch tactics on the part of the band,…
Not Child’s Pay
Last year was an exhausting one for Luanne J. Panacek.
Web Site of the Week
Remember when you were a kid and your parents used to make you go to creepy puppet shows? No? Good, me either so I can skip the stroll down memory lane and just tell you about Wireframe. This site is "an Experiment in inverse and forward kinetics," which is just a big worded way of…
