Fresh Music – Sept., 2011

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September 15, 2011

Lady Antebellum, Own The Night – This country music trio came roaring onto the scene just four years ago with the debut single, “Love Don’t Live Here.” Four No. 1 singles and two multi-platinum albums later, one of country’s biggest acts with broad crossover appeal is set to reveal their much anticipated third studio album.

Neon Indian, Era Extraña – The Alan Palomo fronted electronic outfit from Denton, Tex., released their debut, Psychic Chasms, in late 2009, earning a wave of critical acclaim from indie music media, Spin and Rolling Stone. Hot on the heels of a limited release vinyl EP with The Flaming Lips, the band is set to unveil their sophomore album, recorded in Helsinki, in early 2010.

Tori Amos, Night of Hunters – Tori Amos is one of those rare artists to achieve critical and commercial success without taking the conventional approach. Amos continues her tradition of albums based on a musical and ideological theme with her 12th studio release. This effort brings her back to a piano-driven, acoustic style similar to that which launched her career, and she envisions the work as 21st century song cycle inspired by classical music.

Wilco, The Whole Love – Like Tori Amos, this Chicago-based group has achieved success and gained an enormous and enormously dedicated fanbase without caving to music industry norms – they were famously dismissed from Reprise after refusing to alter Yankee Foxtrot Hotel, which would go on to become their most commercially successful album. Their eighth studio album will be released on their own dBpm label. BTW, Wilco loves to play Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa. Let’s hope this album brings them back soon.

Draft Day

By

Staff

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September 15, 2011

The fall of 1996 was a good time for me. I was in shape, beginning my first year of college and had a full head of thick, dark-brown hair. That was also the year I joined my very first fantasy football league.

Fast forward 15 years and I’m no longer skinny, college is a distant memory and “full head of thick dark-brown hair” applies to me as much as “a courteous, thoughtful and kind individual.” I’ve also transformed from a fantasy football rookie to a grizzled veteran.

In all honesty, it’s embarrassing how much of my life I’ve devoted to scrolling though free agent pools, cursing Tom Brady and rooting for a team to lose one yard so my kicker can attempt a 40-yard (as opposed to 39-yard) field goal. In fact, if some scientist put a pie chart together that measures the stuff I think about in a full year, fantasy football would rank somewhere between Kristen Chenoweth singing in a pink bikini and Travis Meyer’s mustache.

Because I’m a self-described fantasy football expert, I decided to list a few fantasy football draft pointers. If you’re new to fantasy football, take these to the bank. If you’ve played fantasy football for years and think I’m nuts, well, I hope your first-round pick breaks a leg.

Never draft a wide receiver in the first round. Let’s compare fantasy football to the stock market. Running backs are the blue chips and the anchor of your portfolio. Quarterbacks are the mid-sized growth stock – a little more risk but more growth potential for your team. Wide receivers are the penny stocks of fantasy football. There are tons of them out there and it’s hard to determine which one will make or break you.

Since that’s the case, stay conservative in the early rounds of your draft and stock your team with running backs and a good quarterback. In the later rounds, take some flyers on high-risk, high-reward wide receivers. If it you get the right one, you may be on the fast track to your league championship.

Draft with your mind, not with your heart. Sam Bradford is your favorite player, so you decide to draft him. That’s not necessarily a bad decision, but it is if you draft him way too early. For example, one year I was in a league where a guy selected the Seattle Seahawks defense in the third round because they were his favorite team. Safe to say, none of us were surprised when we learned three years later that the dude was a cross-dresser.

Only draft one kicker, and do it in the final round. In fantasy football, kickers are like a pawn. They are abundant and all look the same. Sure, every now and then one may turn into a pivotal piece, but that’s out of your control.

It’s better to draft a good player on a good team than a great player on bad team. Unless that player is Adrian Peterson.

Don’t get drunk during your draft. I may have made this mistake once or twice. Trust me, it doesn’t end well.

To see Patrick get medieval on fantasy football, visit www.thelostogle.com.

Pigging Out

By

Paul Fairchild

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September 15, 2011

Lawton farmer Damon Doyle’s first experience with feral hogs was 750 pounds of barely stoppable pig. Two arrows and a couple of shells later, Doyle’s nephew was bringing home the bacon. But that hog was a loner. The following year brought more than just one, and Doyle got a chance to see the havoc that feral hogs wreak.

“The hogs went in and turned every wind row over and just made a rut down through the hayfield,” he says. “They didn’t ruin that alfalfa. They just made these ruts through it, which makes it really hard to farm. It’s different for the boys that raise corn. The hogs just get into that and go down the rows cleaning up the seeds that they’ve planted and they don’t get a crop.”

Russell Stevens, a wildlife and fisheries consultant at the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, likens the devastation to a bomb-pocked World War II battlefield.

The hogs Doyle describes are descendants of garden-variety pigs. Raising pigs free-range was an ordinary farming practice in the past. Pigs wandered into the wild, made themselves at home, bred and eventually became a nuisance. The hogs reproduce quickly. The sheer number of feral hogs has graduated them from nuisance to threat over the past few years. Nobody knows how many are running around Oklahoma, but experts agree that there are a lot. They’ve popped up in every county in the state. They eat most anything but thrive on farmers’ crops.

“I’ve known of people that have completely given up growing corn because of the problems that feral hogs cause,” says Stevens.

Feral hogs don’t just threaten crops. As feral hogs spread, Oklahoma pig farmers are taking costly steps to make sure the hogs don’t come into contact with healthy pigs. Feral hogs are known to carry several diseases that, if found in the state’s domesticated pig population, could hammer the swine industry. They reproduce so quickly that if 80 percent of them were eliminated today, it would take only a few years before they returned to their present day numbers.

Experts are undecided on how to adequately address the threat.

Poodles & Pastries (and Other Important Matters)

By

Staff

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September 15, 2011

What one may see as a still life of a tiered frou-frou confection in Barbie pink, artist Franco Mondini-Ruiz sees one of his latest works challenging stale notions of art – what is it for, and for whom. The San Antonio-born artist now lives in New York, but he draws from his Mexican and Italian heritage to create a unique installation of playful objects created with wit, irony and nostalgia. Sounds pleasant enough until you discover his works frequently have a point upon which the artist questions high versus low art, cultural biases and stereotypes. The fourth installment of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art’s New Frontiers Series of Contemporary Art includes performances, sculpture and paintings on display from Sept. 8-Dec. 31. You know you want to look. For more, go to www.okcmoa.com.

A Man Of Many Talents

By

Jami Mattox

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September 14, 2011

Eddie Wilcoxen is a longtime radio broadcaster with radio station KWHW serving southwest Oklahoma and north Texas, a published author, recognized landscape artist, a celebrated martial artist and a renowned storyteller. The Altus, Okla., resident is also the state’s Poet Laureate, traveling around Oklahoma to share his poetry and serve as an ambassador for the Oklahoma Humanities Council.

I like the process of playing with words. I started writing poetry when I was very young. I still have a little collection of poems I wrote in second grade for my mother for Valentine’s Day. I’m a public person, but my poetry was very private. It was something I did for me. I would write a poem and keep it around, re-read and re-work it until I liked it, and then I would throw it away. I never saved them, but (my wife) Joan saved them.

The Jackson County Retired Educators Association was the first place I ever shared my poetry publicly. The reception was so warm and encouraging that I started doing more and coming out of my shell. It was a hard step, initially.

I became State Poet Laureate after Altus’ local humanities organization and library sent in an application and letters of recommendation on my behalf. I am really fortunate to be able to represent the state. It’s one of the more fun duties that anyone could undertake. I consider this my service work to the state.

I half-kiddingly say that my platform is poetry for the people. Somewhere along the line, poetry got hijacked by people who thought that in order for it to be poetry, it had to be obviating. Approachable, accessible, everyday is how I would describe my poetry. I still believe in poetry that rhymes, myself, but I enjoy other’s poetry that doesn’t. There really is a thirst and genuine appreciation among people for poetry; it still has the ability to touch people.

The perception of Oklahoma is not necessarily one of great artistic depth, but, my gosh, if you just travel around the state and look at the natural outpouring of what people are doing, there’s a lot of art happening without a lot of attempt to become that. It’s part of what they do. I’ve met people that are writing poetry, and they don’t know they’re writing poetry. People are writing music and painting without doing it with the intent to impress people. It’s part of what they do. Art is everywhere. Any expression of the human spirit is art, and it is everywhere in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Tennis Classic

By

Staff

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September 6, 2011

Stars of international tennis visit Oklahoma City and the Cox Convention Center to help a wonderful local cause. Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish, John Roddick and Davis Martin pack their rackets to play in the Oklahoma Tennis Classic, scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 25. When sets begin, all eyes will be on U.S. top-ranked rivals Andy Roddick and Fish, each of whom has dazzled tennis fans with an impressive array of titles, tour wins and Olympic medals. Before the big singles game, however, fans will enjoy a doubles game teaming Andy Roddick with his brother John Roddick, the University of Oklahoma’s men’s tennis coach. Fish will play with tour player and Tulsa native David Martin. No matter who dominates the match, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma will be the big winner with an evening of impressive play and generosity. For more, go to www.coxconventioncenter.com.

What We're Eating

By

Staff

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September 6, 2011

The Dog House

A hot dog slathered in mustard, onions, peppers, bacon and barbecue sauce; another topped with cream cheese, spicy mustard and onions. It’s food porn for hot dog connoisseurs, and that’s exactly what The Dog House is aiming to be. The small shack in downtown Tulsa houses some of the most creative dog creations around. The Dog House is stacking half-pound hot dogs with a variety of ingredients, some traditional (mustard, ketchup, sauerkraut, onions) and some not so much (slaw, cream cheese, mushroom, falafel). Open for lunch and dinner, The Dog House operates until 4 a.m. Friday and aturdays, catering to the late night crowd looking for a little hot dog nightcap. 1101 S. Detroit, and mobile carts throughout downtown Tulsa. www.doghousetulsa.com

Taj Cuisine of India

Popular among vegetarians and Indian food enthusiasts, Taj serves cuisine that embodies the quintessential tastes of India. Practically an institution in Oklahoma City, Taj has recently re-opened in a new location along the popular 23rd Street corridor. Taj offers an all-you-can-eat buffet at lunch and dinner, or you can select your meal off their expansive menu menu. Crispy vegetable samosas, spinach pakora and Indian chicken wings offer to begin the meal at Taj, while traditional tandoor, curry, noodle and rice dishes are all included. The Tandoori Chicken, marinated in yogurt and spices and grilled in a tandoor oven, is succulent and not overly spiced. Served with Taj’s flavorful naan, it epitomizes all that is good about Indian food. 1500 NW 23rd St., Oklahoma City. 405.601.1888

Broken Egg Café

It’s the Holy Grail of breakfast creations: scrambled eggs, spicy chicken and smoked turkey, avocado and jack cheese rolled in flour tortillas and topped with Southwest sauce and sour cream. These Breakfast Eggchiladas are accompanied by a crispy tostada topped with beans, cheese, tomatoes, chiles and a fried egg and hash browns or potatoes. This huge beast of a breakfast is a specialty at Broken Egg Café, a small Broken Arrow breakfast-and-lunch eatery that stays busy from open to close. The expansive menu also includes crepes, omelets, waffles, French toast and other standard breakfast fare, along with other specialties. Lunch offerings include hearty sandwiches, salads, burgers and melts. Come hungry and leave positively stuffed. 3120 W. Kenosha St, Broken Arrow. www.brokeneggcafe.com

Simply Healthy

By

Staff

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September 6, 2011

Vegetables are a critical part of a healthy diet. Sometimes sneaking them in to our diets in creative ways such as purees can help to create tasty alternatives even the pickiest eaters will enjoy.

The Green Puree, made from various green veggies, can be mixed with two mashed avocados to make a low fat version of guacamole, complete with vitamin B6, K, folate, folic acid, sulforaphane, iron, lutein and added fiber, while Orange Puree can be added to baked beans, salsa, barbecue sauce, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter and soups. A ratio of three parts product to one part puree is usually recommended.

These purees can be made ahead and stored in baggies that can be kept in the refrigerator for three days or in the freezer for up to three months.

Orange Puree

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped; or 1 cup plain canned sweet potatoes

3 large carrots peeled and sliced into thick chunks; or 1 can carrots drained

2-3 tbsp. water

Cook sweet potatoes and carrots together in boiling water until soft, if using fresh vegetables. Blend potatoes, carrots and water until smooth.

Green Puree

2 c. baby spinach leaves

2 c. broccoli florets fresh or frozen

1 c. green sweet peas, frozen and thawed

2-3 tbsp. water

Wash spinach thoroughly. Steam spinach and peas for two minutes, until spinach wilted. Cook broccoli until tender. Mix veggies together with water until smooth.

Clean Your Plate

By

Jami Mattox

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September 6, 2011

Despite a growing focus on nutrition, we seem to be more clueless than ever on what foods can actually provide a balanced diet. So how can we make sure we’re eating healthy and still getting the nutrients our bodies need to operate at their full potential?

“It’s a pretty intriguing question because needs vary quite a bit and have a lot to do with what kind of a lifestyle people lead and what kind of dietary intake they have,” says Dr. Mitch Dunnick of Family Medical Care, which is affiliated with St. John Health System.

“We’re finding out a lot about vitamin D. Studies and research show that people who don’t get outside a lot are seeing vitamin D deficiency, and it’s becoming more common.”

Fran Olsen Sharp, a dietitian at Peggy and Charles Stephenson Oklahoma Cancer Center, recommends introducing vitamin D-fortified foods as a way to increase the consumption of the nutrient.

“Things like vitamin D-enriched milk can really help boost those levels,” she says.

Olsen Sharp also recommends working toward adding fiber to the daily diet to increase our overall nutrient intake.

“Most people need 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day from food sources,” she says. “Once we increase the foods that are naturally high in fiber in our diet, we automatically increase the amount of vitamins and minerals.”

She says small changes, such as eating brown rice instead of white rice and consuming the skins of vegetables such as potatoes and cucumbers, can make a large difference in the amount of fiber taken in daily.

“When we eat whole grains like barley, quinoa and farrow; cornmeal rather than plain old flour; beans and nuts; and fruits and veggies with seeds in and skin on, all of a sudden we have great fiber sources.”

Iron deficiency is often found in women of all ages.

“Women in their teens and older, because of natural hormone and menstrual cycles, are deficient in iron, which results in anemia,” Dunnick says.

Introducing more lean red meat and vegetables rich in iron, such as spinach, is a natural way to increase iron in the diet.

Both Dunnick and Olsen Sharp agree that eating a diet that contains a variety of fruits and vegetables, lean meats and whole grains is a great way to increase intake of vitamins and nutrients, but that sometimes a multivitamin or other supplement is appropriate.

“You should get vitamin levels checked by a doctor before beginning a multivitamin or supplement,” advises Dunnick. “These levels are measurable. You can also get a bone scan to see if there’s any osteoporosis, which would indicate low calcium intake. We encourage people to look at their parents, siblings and grandparents to see what health issues they have, because they may be at risk for some of the same types of disorders.”

“Which is more fun: to take a supplement, or to eat food?” asks Olsen Sharp. “I love to eat and would much rather eat a diet that helps me gain those nutrients than to swallow a pill.”

Not Your Typical Tiger

By

Meika Yates Hines

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September 6, 2011

From Egyptians to Native Americans, ancient civilizations are known to have marked their territories with symbolic masked creatures in carvings, drawings and on totem poles.

Whether for protection, good harvest or strength during hunting and battle, it wasn’t uncommon for tribal people to dress in ritualistic costumes to solicit the goodwill of their honored creatures.

Sound familiar? It should, because today the custom of the ancient spirit figure lives on through team mascots on every level.
Beyond your run-of-the mill animal variety (Tigers and Eagles are the most frequently used), many Oklahoma school districts have set themselves apart from the rest, with mascots as quirky as the stories behind them.

Some of the most interesting mascots are the ones that pay homage to their respective city’s history, like the Railroaders in Waynoka, which reflect an era when their fledging economy was based around the Southern Kansas Railroad.

In Sallisaw, where the Black Diamonds give a shout out to the coal country they call home, the high school colors of orange and black rule – from the city’s own logo down to the fire hydrants.

“The school spirit our unique Black Diamond mascot generates really creates a sense of community, and our school is right at the center of it all. We take a real sense of ownership in it,” says Scott Farmer, superintendent for Sallisaw Public Schools.

It’s also possible to create a mascot on pure symbolism.

Ask the Sand Springs Sandites, whose inexplicable “Minuteman” icon belies the fact that Sandite is defined as the “person you want to be;” or the Alva Goldbugs, whose obscure bug is simply a symbol of excellence.

To pack a more serious punch, sometimes a typical animal just isn’t enough.

The Miami Wardogs echo early-day Miamians’ admiration of the of the World War I canines, whose ferocious and fearless nature made them ideal for battle.

The Muskogee Roughers are particularly unique. By copyright, the roughneck bulldog “Rougher” can’t be used by any other institution. Ever. The school adopted this one-of-a-kind nickname in 1925 because many players performed without helmets due to lack of funding, and rough play.

Offbeat high school mascots are also a great way to capture the very essence of its residing city’s personality.

In the town of Beaver, the first town built in the territory of “No Man’s Land,” the Dusters pay homage to historical droughts, tornadoes and dust storms endured.

The Chickasha Fightin’ Chicks – well, let’s just say that their mascot lives up to its namesake.

“We catch some ribbing for our fighting chick. Some people think it’s not the most ferocious of mascots, mostly because the word ‘chick’ has a female connotation to it,” explains principal Beth Edwards.

“We’ve had requests to change it over the years, and we’ve voted on it twice, but the students want to keep it. The kids are happy with it and the alumni love it. Our chick is an important icon for the city and it isn’t going to change.”

The Dog House

Taj Cuisine of India

Broken Egg Café

Orange Puree

Green Puree

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