Page 1

Betting on a better boulevard
At the June meeting of the MAPS 3 streetcar subcommittee, Green presented an update on the progress of the new Oklahoma City boulevard. Within a couple days after his remarks, the Friends for a Better Boulevard Facebook group had been formed, newspaper articles began to appear, local blogs were heating up and talk radio was abuzz.

Don’t say Chick-fil-A wasn’t personal
The effect of this whole episode has been felt deeply and personally by LGBT Oklahomans. We have spent so much energy celebrating our little victories that we had been lulled into a false sense of acceptance. Now we find that not only are we largely not accepted, we are, in many circles, not even tolerated.

Letters
Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to pbacharach@okgazette.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane ...
“We would have been out there all over it,” Carr said of the blazes that have caused millions of dollars in damage. “The advantage we’ll be able to give the fire department is they will be able to see where to put their resources and how to get there. Right now, they kind of have to guess at it, especially in a wildfire situation like that.

Secret paroles?
Tim Sharp was shocked when he heard from his aunt last month that the woman who had killed his father in a drunk-driving accident was up for parole.

Runoff rumble
After nearly 16 years in office, Oklahoma County Court Clerk Patricia Presley chose not to run for re-election. No Democrats filed for the seat. In the crowded Republican primary, no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, which means the runoff winner will take office in January.

A tale of two Toms
Tom Coburn, move to the head of the class. The plainspoken, sometimes grim physician, nicknamed “Dr. No” by his Senate colleagues for his penchant for holding up seemingly innocuous items, is the answer to all of the above.

Vouch for it
When Shane Warren Speegle told an Oklahoma City police officer he made $60,000 last year by panhandling, the story quickly went viral thanks to The Huffington Post. Locally, KOCO Channel 5 broadcast the story, but with no way to verify Speegle’s income, it might be wise to take his claim with a dose of skepticism.

Blast from the past
A small, but growing, band of selfdescribed “history nerds” have taken an interest in preserving the heralds and other remnants of the city’s storied history. When the bridge was scheduled for demolition as part of the old Interstate-40 crosstown, members of Retro Metro OKC took action.

Adopt an acre
Each $5 pass sponsors one acre of agricultural land for a year, giving the farmers funding to switch to conservation practices such as no-till farming, tree planting, and riparian restoration. When implemented, these measures have an enduring effect well beyond what either the farmer or the sponsor could have accomplished alone.

Monkey business
Mindy’s Memory provides a lifelong home to more than 100 monkeys, formerly pets and lab subjects, as well as a handful of other animals. The arrival of the new monkeys is the result of a joint effort between the research lab, Mindy’s Memory and the animal advocacy organization Stop Animal Exploitation Now.

Oh, Mercy
When Mercy Hospital’s corporate office in St. Louis, Mo., discovered the company had inadvertently copied an Oklahoma City church’s logo, it did what all honest organizations do: Company execs apologized and volunteered to help Crossings Community Church design a new logo.

Forbidden love
An Oklahoma governor from yesteryear will be getting the Hollywood treatment, as will his niece. Er, make that adopted daughter. Actually, make that his wife..

Not so hot
And speaking of Inhofe, there does appear to be one scientific principle — maybe the only one — that he appears to have taken to heart: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction..

Party down
Voter registration in Oklahoma is on the rise, but that doesn’t mean the Democratic Party is part of it..

Feed’n y’all
Seven is a lucky number for Okie country superstar Toby Keith. He’s currently celebrating the seventh anniversary of his I Love This Bar & Grill restaurants that bear his name, the first of which opened in Bricktown and Las Vegas in 2005..

You say ‘Ohio,’ I say ‘Oklahoma’
Does this mean we’ll soon see an ad about Oklahoma with footage of Ohio? It’s unlikely any nationwide presidential campaign ad would focus on our state. After all, the candidates like to talk about swing states. And we’re no political scientists, but we’ll go out on a limb and call Oklahoma for Romney.

It’s melting! melting!
That would be illegal, we’re pretty sure, just as it’s illegal to rob the ice cream man. According to Midwest City police, that’s what Gee did on Aug. 3, when temperatures were 113 and he purchased a frozen treat at an ice cream van. Sadly, the item evidently had melted.

CFN headline of the week
“Olivia Munn Pulls Her Eyelashes Out Because She’s A Crazy Person” —thesuperficial.com, July 30.

NEWS OF THE WEIRD
and private property are increasingly fouled. However, Amar Singh’s business is good. He owns 65 langurs (apes much more vicious than rhesus monkeys) and, for the equivalent of about $200 per month, periodically brings one or two by a client’s house to urinate in the yard so that the rhesus monkeys will steer clear.

Do the ’due
The classic version of fondue, made famous by the Swiss, is simply “togetherness” served up with cheese. After it is cooked on the stove, a fondue pot (or heat-proof bowl) is placed on a burner in the middle of the table so that it stays hot throughout the meal.

Like it dirty?
The Skirvin Hilton’s Red Piano Lounge, 1 Park Ave., boasts an impressive martini menu, including a vodka martini made with Stoli Elit, one of the finest vodkas available in the state. One interesting variation is the Great Scott: Hendrick’s gin shaken and garnished with cucumber.

All aboard!
The Gamberi Marinara ($9.99 lunch, $10.99 dinner) is a good example. A heaping pile of linguine tossed with a bold, flavorful marinara. Lots of basil. Lots of garlic. And on top: six large, perfectly cooked shrimp. This dish was satisfying in so many ways, not the least of which was it being enough food to make another.

FOOD & DRINK
Join Fowler Volkswagen, 591 N. Interstate Drive in Norman, from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday for a food truck carnival in celebration of its anniversary. Enjoy free yummy goodness from Big Truck Tacos and Mutt’s Amazing Hot Dogs, and ice cream from Summer Song.

OKG7seven sweet shops
The days of sugar and chocolate chip as the only cookie varieties are in the past. Of course they’re still tasty, but now you can also delight in oatmeal scotchies and coconut paradise flavors. Even better, you can get your dozen decorated in the theme of just about anything you can dream up.

OKG7seven things to do
We think this year’s Best of OKC winners deserve recognition beyond last week’s issue, so we decided to throw a party, and invite you, too! Come celebrate with Oklahoma Gazette from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday at the Chevy Stage in Lower Bricktown, 150 E.

Play it
Like big ideas in not a lotta time? Then reserve your spot for Best in Ten 2012, a benefit for Carpenter Square Theatre, 800 W. Main. Beginning at 7:10 p.m. Saturday, the evening includes staged readings of 10-minute plays, in addition to a wine pull, a silent auction, a not-at-all-silent auction, a cash bar and food from area eateries.

Yoga it
Get worldly without leaving your yoga mat, as Japanbased musician Shibaten visits the Ashtanga Yoga Studio, 120 E. Tonhawa in Norman. He’ll play the didgeridoo at 7 p.m. Sunday during a 90-minute meditation workshop, as well as give a regular ol’ performance of his original world music at 7:30 p.

Yanni it
Truth of Touch,.

Roast it
Roast it.

Riff it
Mystery Science Theater 3000:.

Street it
Friday-saturday, ongoing.

Before the fall
I stooped down for inspection and saw underfoot what was unmistakably the remains of a dead leaf. While this might mean nothing to you — and I’m aware that a fallen leaf could have been the victim of the grueling, triple-digit temps we’ve experienced as of late — my heart swelled with the happiness that is fall.

Rest of the Best of OKC 2012
Once more, we not-so-proudly present a handful of additional lists, in an attempt to satiate your need to have everything numbered in a nice, orderly fashion, but not limited to five slots..

Precious cargo
Grants, donations and ongoing fundraising have allowed for the construction of the Steven J. Bentley Quarantine Facility at 7500 N. Western, and a grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals provided a vehicle for transfer..

Pet sights
Under the initiative, pet owners can upload photographs of their animals — with or without themselves in the pics — which then are integrated into various products available for purchase. Those items can include iPhone cases, mouse pads and T-shirts..

Not so trivial
“The teams have answer sheets on their tables, so they work together. They mark their answer sheet and then those are collected and scored,” she said. “At the end of the evening, all the scores are tallied, and we will be awarding a trophy to the winning team.

Some like it H.O.T.
After settling in Oklahoma City after high school, she began looking for a way to participate in her community while engaging with international issues. In May 2007, she joined Kiva. a California-based nonprofit that allows people to lend as little as $25 to worldwide entrepreneurs in need of capital.

The group currently is touring to support its fourth studio album, Beneath the Scars,
Roll over to Norman to rock out with 12 Stones. Louisiana’s premier postgrunge band headlines a 6 p.m. Thursday show at The Hidden Castle, 1309 S.W. 24th Ave..

VISUAL ARTS
The exhibit, which began last Friday, runs through Nov. 5. The Jacobson House is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays..

Abducted to New York
But what if your dreams tell you to track down your high-school stalker, now an escaped convict, because he’s somehow connected to your unborn child? Do you run off without your husband and leave everything behind except an ancient Datsun and some fried pies?.

Make a wish
Some artistic directors focused on audiences. W. Jerome Stevenson of Pollard Theatre Company in Guthrie wishes for a “sophisticated, articulate and tolerant” theatergoing audience. He said someone complained about Pollard’s production of Arthur Miller’s.

Digging it
For years, he read scientific journals and utilized his background in geology and paleontology to develop the logical reasoning behind his zombies. This is what separates his book from the others: a believable cause for a zombie outbreak..

The Inbetweeners identifies a unique high school demographic
Narrator Will (Joey Pollari) has transferred to public school because of bullying at his prep academy. He falls in with Jay (Zack Pearlman), Neil (Mark L. Young) and Simon (Bubba Lewis), who try to look down on him but ultimately can’t because they’re so lowly themselves.

Get physical
If you’ve walked into Elemental Coffee or driven near N.W. Eighth Street and Hudson Avenue with your car windows down sometime in the last year or so, you might have heard furious alt-rock hits or hip-hop coming from the industrial garage-door entrance to CrossFit 405.

Forté’s forte
“I was a very shy child, and had a pretty rough childhood. I buried everything,” she said of her intense performance style. “Onstage, I’m taking every bad thing in my life and throwing it up, mentally trying to make it a good thing. It’s my way of not blowing up on people in real life.

Still got it
of the weirdest and most poetic things I’ve ever heard,” Dickey said. “They were talking about swimming and being bad mermaids … lots of songs about dinosaurs. I’m trying not to plagiarize these kids’ lyrics, but it gave me a ton of ideas. Lyrically, I was stuck.

Getting a leg up
than the name is changing. Limber Limbs’ songs started off each as a magnum opus of a ballad, with challenging and complex instrumentation that recalled the headier Beatles material or Fleet Foxes. Moving forward, the sound won’t feel all that different, albeit more stripped-down and easier to perform live.

Youth group
Most people play in their first band sometime in high school. But recent high school graduate Scottie Noonan — chief songwriter, singer and guitarist of Enid acoustic-pop act The Fossil Youth — is already an old pro, with half a decade of experience behind him.

Vetting process
But these early experiences aren’t the only that inspire Allen today. Instead, the singer/songwriter and self-described one-man band draws on his time serving in the Army National Guard in the Iraq War, and his life afterward with post-traumatic stress disorder.

SOUNDCHECK
Arena-ready indie rock sounds like a bit of a contradiction, but with bands like The Black Keys, Muse and Kings of Leon all headlining the biggest venues in town, the weird subspace is here to stay.

Norwegian hood
Compared to the continent of Europe, the rate of death by guns in America is six times higher. You wouldn’t know it based on the current wave of crime films from that half of the globe. Arguably kicked off by the worldwide success of Sweden’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Mystery date
This changes when, at the urging of his shrink (Elliott Gould), Calvin writes about the young woman who wanders in and out of his slumber. The girl of his dreams literally becomes the girl of his dreams when she appears in his waking life, in his kitchen, as if they’re already a devoted couple.

Nyet worth
In lengthy, often static shots, Zvyagintsev urges his audience to study every inch of the bleak urban landscape and the even bleaker people who inhabit it. What exactly we’re looking for, and why, largely depends on your taste for such art-house exercises.

Dead, see
prepubescent hero into some mumbojumbo about the town being cursed by an 18th-century witch, and Norman being the only one to stop it. The escalating dread fuels some wonderfully grotesque sight gags involving decaying zombies and sundry stubborn corpses, and Jon Brion’s music score adds beautifully to the weirdness.

Bourne again
But sandwiched in between is a satisfying popcorn flick with some terrific set pieces, especially a shooting spree in a research lab and a subsequent interview between its sole survivor and a psychologist. Gilroy knows how to ratchet up suspense, and he has an appealing hero in Renner.

The Raid: Redemption
The Blu-ray offers several screens worth of interviews and featurettes, many involving Linkin Park leader Mike Shinoda, whose terrific score provides the flick with much of its all-out forward drive. The two brightest spots are the briefest: a faux ad for the “circa 1994” Raid.

Kill List
An ominous vibe cloaks the film’s whole, as director/ co-writer Ben Wheatley puts the pot of water on low heat to let it creep to the inevitable point of boiling over. Questions are posed that he doesn’t necessarily always answer, but purposely doles out enough info that you can fill in the blanks.

Silver Tongues
Arthur knows he’s testing his audience’s limits, and it is to the betterment of his movie. In an age where script predictability is a given nine-point-seven times out of 10, not knowing where you’re being taken counts as a real plus. —RL.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
exact amount,” wrote poet Antonio Porchia. “The exact amount is no use to me.” I suggest you try adopting that bad-ass attitude in the coming days, Sagittarius. Be a bit contrarian, but with humor and style. Doing so would, I think, put you in sweet alignment with the impish nature of the vibes swirling in your vicinity.