Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): There is a Native American nation that white people call the Winnebago. The tribe’s members refer to themselves, however, as the Hotcâgara. That’s your first metaphorical clue for the week, Aries. You should firmly correct anyone who misnames or misidentifies you. Here’s another tip, courtesy of the Hotcâgara. In their origin…
Food for the soul
We are living in troubled times. The shadow of 9/11 and the possibility of further acts of terrorism pervade our daily thoughts. Where before we had felt safe from foreign invaders, the government now gives us a daily notice of the level of the terrorist threat. The war with Iraq frightens even those who support…
Summer Guide Sidebars
Blues N’ Cruise Festival June 18-19 Eastpointe Let’s face it, the unlucky few of us who have had to endure an afternoon in a used car lot rarely reflect on it as a good thing. The abominable patches of pavement are usually populated by slick-talking salesmen and cursed by sour karma. But not the used…
48 hours on Belle Isle
Everyone has a fond memory to revisit or an engaging story to tell about an experience on Belle Isle — it’s just one of those things that goes along with being a resident of Southeast Michigan. We create our own little histories during family picnics, softball games and romantic getaways, and pass our stories down…
Making a difference
How much difference can one person really make? This is a question most of us grapple with on a regular basis — but how many of us actually bother to search for the answer? Nancy Brinker did. After her sister Suzy Komen lost a three-year battle with breast cancer, Brinker founded the Susan G. Komen…
Scribbling about dribbling
Q: My problem starts when I get an erection. Within seconds my cock starts to dribble this clear, sticky liquid. This happens every time I get stiff. I guess I thought it was normal. I’ve had no other cock problems and sex has always been great and it all works like it should. None of…
Political partying
Now that all these tens of thousands of young hip hoppers have been — and continue to be — registered to vote, the obvious question is whether or not they will actually put that weapon to use come Election Day. The second question is, if the momentum of the coast-to-coast Hip-Hop Summits actually does snowball…
… and you’re invited
Every Tuesday night through September you can see a veritable parade of “underground” art — and schmooze with the artists themselves — at Miniseries, an event created and curated by artist Rachel Reed and her promoter husband Manuel “Chato” Chavez, at Agave, a fashionable restaurant in Detroit’s mid-town area. Five artists are featured each month,…
Anti-bullet orchestra
Martín Perna is what you would call an idea man — a mix of idealism and verve. To paraphrase Robert Kennedy: Some people see things as they are and wonder why; Perna is one of those who dream of things that never were and say, why not? “My process is to see something that needs…
N&D Center
2 WED • LITERATURE Jim Harrison — Native Michigander Jim Harrison is one of contemporary literature’s most beautiful writers, known for his reverence for nature and love of the great outdoors. Harrison’s latest opus, True North, is sure to please. It’s the story of the scion of a wealthy and rapacious timber family (very bad…
Honoring our sacred dead
Last weekend, America marked Memorial Day, the holiday designed to honor all our dead from all our wars, at a time when the nation is involved for the first time in a war that may never end. We are actually in two such wars, both proclaimed by President Bush: One against terrorism, and the other…
A new cup of tea
Taking part in a coffee break or putting aside the day’s labor for a spot of tea are rituals that few of us would care to be rid of. Whatever liquid is extolled, whatever culture is slurping it down, the escape that those precious moments warrant us are all that keep us sane and centered.…
Viva Las Vegas, Kay
News Hits sure hopes Detroit City Councilwoman Kay Everett had a good time at the shopping mall convention in Las Vegas last week. It must have been a heck of a lot more fun than attending what is arguably the most important council meeting of the year. After spending six weeks poring over documents, crunching…
America’s most wanted
The Detroit Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild is calling upon U.S. Rep. John Conyers, a Democrat from Detroit, to help in getting a special counsel appointed to “investigate President George Bush and top members of his administration for conducting an illegal and catastrophic U.S. war of aggression against Iraq.” In a letter mailed to…
‘Justice delayed’
News Hits aficionados have been reading regular installments here about the highly questionable murder conviction of Vidale McDowell, who’s in prison serving a life sentence. Here’s yet another: The Michigan Court of Appeals has ordered a new trial for McDowell, who was convicted in the murder of Detroit resident Janice Williams. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s…
Trip the blight fantastic
This gem resides at 6556 Beechwood, just off Tireman. A neighbor says the place has been burnt to a light but flakey crisp for about 18 months. All of the other condemned homes on this street have been demolished, so this one is the last of a dying breed. Residents we spoke to say they…
Young Adam
In which the story of a dead young woman intersects with the story of a young man, played by Ewan McGregor, and his emotionally dead affairs. Central here is a particular affair with his co-worker’s wife, played by Tilda Swinton. A monotonous if beautiful film, rated NC-17 for its sexual explicitness
Letters to the Editor
Kwame must go Re: “Internal affairs?” (Metro Times, May 26), the Mayor’s behavior is unforgivable. He has betrayed the trust and confidence of his wife, his children, and the citizens of Detroit. I was in Houston for the weekend and it was embarrassing to hear folks belittle and berate our city because of his behavior.…
Cinematic disaster
For a film with a big budget, talented actors, and a rich plot vein to mine, this is a brainless and loud summer spectacular. The film’s ludicrous premise suggests a scenario of immediate calamity caused by the sudden warming of the currents in the Atlantic Ocean. Only climatologist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) can out-think the…
The Boston Tea Party
Ellie Pressure Drop Life on the Flip Side Spiral Soundz Love ’em, leave ’em or litigate ’em, bootlegs will always be emblematic of a hip band’s underground cred. Well, we won’t get into those Linkin Park boots in circulation, but it’s still impressive how the White Stripes discography has doubled over the past couple of…
Coffee and Cigarettes
Nothing funny, revelatory, dramatic or mildly interesting ever happens in this film. Iggy Pop chats with Tom Waits. Jack White discusses Nikola Tesla with his ex-wife. Bill Murray talks to members of the Wu Tang Clan. The problem is that, with the exception of some interesting bits on the aforementioned Tesla, Jarmusch gives them absolutely…
Spit on Electrics
10 Words For Snow exist in the netherworld between metal and pop. It’s a tough sound — but one they might consider “relaxed,” a theme that also pops up randomly in the band’s lyrics. There’s the jangly guits (consider REM boffing XTC) and Hüsker Dü-like flashes too. And in a way similar to early REM…
The Back of Beyond
Frank Pahl, a Wyndotte-based musician, composer and instrument builder, has earned a slice of international acclaim for building self-playing autoinstruments and expressing his musical whims with the eccentricity of a mad scientist. Initially it might smack of music for the black turtleneck crowd, but enjoying Pahl’s most recent, The Back of Beyond, is not exclusive…
