“Chelsea’s become too clean. We need something different.” Solange Umutoni is not talking about the floodlit circus that used to be 27th Street. Nor is she referring to its formerly notorious nightclubs—places like Cain and Bungalow 8—where the most illicit vice is now cigarette-smoking. Ms. Umutoni talking about art. It’s December 4, 2006, and we’re […]
Meet Your Mother
The situation comedy is a dying breed in the television landscape. While shows like “Friends” were consistently rated in the top 10 each week, now it’s procedurals like “CSI” and dramedys like “Grey’s Anatomy” that are the topic of water-cooler conversation. But among this failing genre, lays a gem. For those who doubt that there […]
Those Aren’t Sausages; They’re My Legs
I absolutely love dresses. I love the way they swish around, how they blow-up just the tiniest bit when the bus drives by, how I can gather apples up in them and how great my legs look when I’ve been diligently going to the gym and riding my bike. As much as I love dresses, […]
The Poop on Albany’s Drinking Water
Posted signs at Bowman Park in northeast Albany, Oregon, warn against coming near the water. They have been there since November 24th, 2006, when heavy, seasonal rains led to the release of dilute, raw sewage from the Albany Wastewater Treatment system into the Willamette. Despite recent dry spells, the signs have remained in place. If […]
Double-entendre Pontiff
Pope Benedict XVI’s trip to Turkey, thanks to being under tight security including shutting down major arteries, snipers and security checkpoints in Istanbul and portions of the public transit system in Istanbul went off with nary a hitch, and the main demonstrations during the duration of his stay were either far afield from his itinerary […]
Shaky beams
Acarkent, an upscale housing division in the suburbs on the Asian side of Istanbul, has been racked with scandal the past week as investigations have shown that the lion’s share of the homes on the gated estate were constructed illegally and to the detriment of the local environment. The first dwellings on the compound, nestled […]