Blitz Weekly

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VOL. 3 - ISSUE 44

July 6 - 12, 2011 3

CANNIBAL ON THE LOOSE IN DOWNTOWN STAMFORD (CT)

BLITZ News Shorts 3 Hollywood Profile/Movie Review 4 Music: Summer Sounds 5 XKO 11 Preview 6 Vigilantes News 7 Rangers News 8 COVER STORY: Locked Out…Now What?

Trends in Strikes & Lockouts 9 Can Baseball Save Itself?

10 NFL: Still Locked Out 11 NBA Lockdown, Tough Times Ahead 11 BLITZ BABE: Priscilla 12 Blitz Politics 13 Can This Job Be Saved?

13 Coffee House Music 14 The Jett Stream 14 Blitz Toys 15 Hemp Wars 15 Knowing Your Tequila 16 Food Review: Chow Thai Addison 16 Crossword / Jokes / Horrorscopes 17 Last Call: Just Pull The Trigger…

18 PUBLISHER Kelly G. Reed EDITOR Jeff Putnam PHOTO EDITOR Darryl Briggs COVER Cover Design: Damien William Mayfield STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS John Breen, Gregg Case, Steven Hendrix, Rick Leal, Kevin Jacobson, Joe Lorenzini, Chuck Majors CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Antonio Cavallo, Dominic Ceraldi, Antonio Garcia, Raphael Goetter, Peter Gordon, Eric Richardson, Shayan Sanyal, Lip Keep Yap, Pauk, The Bum STAFF WRITERS Tony Barone, Geoff Case, Sam Chase, Vivian Fullerlove, Robin George, Dennis Hambright, Jack E. Jett, Frank LaCosta, Mark Miller, Jesse Whitman CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Hannah Allen, Johnny Blaze, Raymond Bloomquist, Fil Chapa, Jim Hanigan, Andrew J. Hewett, Henry Jenkins, Matthius Kottaras, The Bum CONTACT US MAIN NUMBER 214-529-7370 FAX NUMBER 972-960-8618 kreed@blitzweekly.com

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HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU

Melvin Roberts of Seneca, South Carolina, is one of the unluckiest men alive, having been struck by lightning on six separate occasions—or one of the luckiest, because he survived all six events. (You decide.)

When he came to the attention of WYFF’s Kim Quintero, Roberts was walking gingerly about in a hospital smock complaining that his feet were burning. Sitting for the cameras, Roberts showed the sores on his feet and lower limbs that had been caused by the force of the jolt.

On one prior occasion when he was struck he was lighting a cigarette; on another, feeding some chickens. He grins when he describes the chickens that were strewn about on the ground next to him when he came to.

And his expression becomes faintly mischievous when he describes prior contact with this force of nature—as if he’s aware that he was being singled out. Pressed, it turns out that he was married five times prior to the marriage to his present wife. In his mind, there’s something tidy about the statistic: five marriages, five bolts of lightning passing through his body. Trouble is, says Roberts, he likes his present wife and has no interest in ending their marriage. So the sixth occurrence has him fuddled.

But whether or not the numbers come out even… It’s not really up to him, is it? Melvin Roberts is obviously a plaything of the cosmos, and quite good-humored about his role in providing entertainment for the powers that be.

By the good offices of NBC affiliate WVIT in Hartford this reporter has finally learned the identity of the woman who ruined his first summer away from home, when he worked as an usher at the Stamford Theater (Conn.), on Atlantic St., not far from where a cannibal provided local police with a good inch of undigested tongue that she claimed to have bitten off when sexually attacked. According to her, the attacker jumped her in an alley after seeing her leave a nearby Roman Catholic church.

Of course police let the woman go and in true Bluestocking fashion are holding this consonantally challenged “rapist” on $500,000 bail. Rape is a serious matter, and if a crime of that sort has been committed in this case, it’s entirely proper that the tongueless man be held accountable. But if this woman is who we think she is, a grave miscarriage of justice has taken place.

The woman who tried to sever my tongue during my first summer away from home was two or three years older than I and of Italian extraction—my girlfriend that summer was also Italian. Nor was I being unfaithful to my girl by French-kissing the cannibal—another usher who hated my guts had dared me. In a related incident that summer she took a goodsized chunk out of a financial planner’s rear end while he was standing at a nearby bar. For all I know she’s been doing it all these many years and incriminating her victims as she became less desirable and more bloodthirsty.

Pertinent details about her appearance: there was a small, hairless mole on the left side of her neck; she had a great figure and prominent dimples; she only went to the movies (and presumably to church) alone; and with the tip of my tongue, before she tried to bite it off, I discovered a missing molar right next to her lower left wisdom tooth.

If any Connecticut copth are reading this, for God’th thake, do your duty!

Andrew J. Hewett

www.chewednews.com

DOCTOR DESTROYERS An estimated 30 million Americans will gain healthcare coverage in 2014 under an expanded U.S. Medicaid bill passed in 2010 – worsening much more a scarcity of primary care physicians. Congress cited Massachusetts as a model (where 53% of family physicians & 51% of internal medicine physicians were not accepting new patients) for President Obama’s health care overhaul. Add to that, Obama’s administration plans to use fake “mystery shoppers” to call for phony appointments with these overworked doctors and staff, testing their willingness to participate in more hard work…while their pay rapidly dwindles.

WELL, PI$$ ON THEM On June 18, 2011, Lena Reppert, a 95-years-old, gravely ill woman, was attempting to fly home to Hastings, Michigan, soon to be buried there, when she flunked her pat-down body search at a Fort Walton Beach airport. Still sitting in her wheelchair, this extremely frail woman was forced to remove and relinquish her urine-soaked diaper. Why? According to The Associated Press: “TSA agents said they could not search the diaper while she was still wearing it.”

DRESSED FOR LUXURY Sea World in San Diego, California contains the only colony of emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) in North America. This colony of 30 birds, wearing their feather tuxedos, live in a “high class” environment cooled to 25 F., with up to 5,000 lbs. of snow blown in for their enjoyment each and every day.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “There will be collateral damage as we go through the summer.”

– David Stern Photo Courtesy: Eric Richardson

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4 July 6 - 12, 2011

HOLLYWOOD PROFILE with Shia LaBeouf

by Vivian Fullerlove

“Entertainment’s Real Critic”

Well, it is the BIGGEST movie of the summer and it has taken over theatres around the globe. Michael Bay’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon is dominating the box office. In this third, and allegedly final installment, the Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the Moon, and race against the Decepticons to reach it and learn its secrets, which could turn the tide in the Transformers’ final battle. I sat down with star Shia LaBeouf, who had a lot to say about the film and who also had very high praise for Bay. So, catch us up a little...where is your character Sam Witwicky at this point in the saga? You pick him up in this third movie. His maturation has continued; he’s now gone through two wars.

He has sort of a PTSD thing going on, on top of the neurosis that was already instilled in him from youth and from his family, and he’s in the middle of a new relationship in the middle of joining the workforce because the government can’t just hire you as the guy who saved the world twice and put you in an office; so, with all the credentials that he has after getting an award from the president, he goes off in seeking a job for his future.

Speaking of the new relationship, give us the scoop on that. Sam finds comfort and solace in a woman who is a diplomatic assistant that he meets in the midst of his internships, and she’s in the middle of an internship, and she meets him as he’s walking out with the medal he got from the President. He meets this woman, and they develop a relationship, and she sort of is nurturing Sam, who’s just been out of two wars and needs some coddling, not from his parents, and doesn’t need like the darker machineshop chick type of loving and nurturing (aka Megan Fox who was booted from the film

because she talked too-o-o much), but he needs like a lighter vibe and he finds it in this woman who becomes sort of a champion for him.

You filmed in Chicago, and I understand you all had the run of the city. I’ve never seen anything like it.

It was a sandbox essentially. We came to Chicago. We flew in, and the whole city was at our disposal. He (director Michael Bay) would send rigging teams all over the city all the time randomly to go rig things. They’d rope off the street, and it would be Transformers property. I mean, it was everywhere.

Even on my off days, I’d skateboard around and just see rigging, random rigging everywhere all taped off. There would be 20,000 people [fans] in the street roped off. I felt like we were Steppenwolf. It’s wild to look out at a sea of 20,000 people watching you go to work. I’ve never experienced that before.

Which of the three Transformer movies is your favorite? I think this is without a doubt our best film. I think the first movie is incredible because it’s the discovery, but I think this is really the perfection of all elements. I think everyone just fired on another level on this movie. We all showed up; I mean we’re all prideful men and women, we all have a lot of pride; and, so everybody came to really play this time. It was a different vibe onset.

You can see Transformers: Dark of the Moon tonight on the big screen at a theatre near you or on an even bigger screen at one of the Metroplex’s IMAX theatres! The film is rated PG-13 for intense prolonged sequences of sci-fi action violence, mayhem and destruction, and for language, some sexuality and innuendo.

by Fil Chapa

“One File at a Time”

Transformers: Dark of the Moon The newest installment of Transformers illustrates the constant struggle between freedom and tyranny.

After failing to secure victory against the dreaded Decepticons, the mighty Autobots were forced to flee their home planet with the sacred “pillars” which could be used to bridge the far reaches of space. In the wrong hands, however, they could have cataclysmic results. Their spacecraft, The Ark, crashed on the moon along with its precious cargo and Sentinel Prime, portrayed by the iconic Leonard Nimoy.

The good-natured Sam Witwicky is back, played energetically by Shia Labeouf.

Although Sam has helped save the world (twice) he apparently isn’t quite “shovelready” and remains unemployed. Still, he manages to land a position as part-time “boy toy” to Carly, played by the stunning Rosie Huntingon-Whitely. Carly happens to work for zillionaire Dylan played by “Dr. McDreamy” himself, Patrick Dempsey.

Sam is threatened by the dashing Dylan, fearing he may try to steal Carly from him.

After several unsuccessful interviews, Sam finally lands a position in the mailroom at Accuretta Systems. There he meets the pocket-sized software engineer Jerry Wang (Ken Jeong) who meets privately with Sam in a cramped stall in the men’s bathroom to deliver classified documents known as Code Pink, as in Pink Floyd, as in Dark Side of the Moon. (Does he have to spell it out for you?)

The great Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots assist the allies with human

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conflicts by dispatching secret “NEST” teams around the globe, while keeping a watchful eye for their robotic adversaries.

Unfortunately, an evil plot soon threatens to disrupt the peaceful co-existence between man and machine.

Although Transformers 3 has a running time of 157 minutes, it moves extremely fast and is chock full of impossible visual effects, courtesy of Industrial Light and Magic (ILM).

The performances are strong. Most of the original cast members have returned with one obvious difference. Her replacement, however, more than makes up for it.

There is one possible disappointment: the normally bankable Frances McDormand’s less than convincing portrayal of Director of National Intelligence.

Director Michael Bay is also able to reach different aspects of the national culture, including a nod to NASCAR nation, once again highlighting the latest military weapons and technology. There are incredible battle sequences involving Tomahawk missiles, Predator Drones and a terrorist’s worst nightmare, the U.S. Navy Seals.

There are vague references to 9/11 (“ground zero”) and Optimus begins a mission by saying, “Let’s roll.”

This only increases a sense of civic pride while not delving too deep into a still sensitive issue. The mixture of science fiction, the dark world of counter-intelligence and non-stop action makes Transformers 3 required viewing on the summer movie calendar.

July 6 - 12, 2011 5 blitzweekly.com

Wed 7/6

Thur 7/7

Centro-matic with Sarah Jaffe Dan’s Silverleaf – Denton This group, based in Denton, has been doing it right for fifteen years. Joined by Sarah Jaffe (recently praised in these pages by critic Jack Pier) this show is must-see.

Fri 7/8

A Live One & Forgotten Space The Barley House 6:30pm-2am – Friday, July 8 It’s tribute night in the Big D but one that promises to be extra special. We all should be familiar with Forgotten Space who have

Natasha Bedingfield (with Kate Voegele and Andy Grammer) House of Blues – Dallas Coming to us from New Zealand by way of London, Bedingfield debuted at number one on the charts in England. Her famous brother is not part of this show, but don’t miss her.

will make their way up I-35 from Austin, ready to blow a hole straight through your noggin. You’d have absolutely no clue by listening that these guys were formed back in December and just made their debut at Stubb’s BBQ on 4/20 post Umphrey’s McGee and have played only a couple of other shows in their existence. But it should come as no surprise that they kick all kinds of a$$ when you examine just who is in the band and recognize the love they all share for Vermont, if not for all of America’s finest.

Josh Pearson (guitar, vocals) and Dan McGreevy (drums) comprise half of Moving Matter as well as half of this quartet. If you’ve ever seen MM before then no further

It’s summertime in

by Johnny Blaze “Music Scholar” Texas and that can mean only one thing – it’s time to turn up the heat and crank up the volume. One of our finest local watering holes is serving us up plenty of sweet goodness all week long and the following should definitely be on your radar if you have any semblance of a beating pulse and a set of ears.

Panty Glee: First Friday Funnies Pantagleize Theatre Company – Fort Worth The large cast (with numerous reinforcements) will get your panties in a knot. Mayhem will be aided by special musical guests, The Bilge Pumps. Lunacy all around.

Sat 7/9

Celebrity Baseball Heroes Dr. Pepper Ballpark – Frisco Sponsored by Reebok, the game will feature famous faces from the sports world including Mark Cuban, Everson Walls, many others, including Oscar nominees.

Sun 7/10 MUSIC: 1. You Enjoy Myself

Phish – Junta

2. Run Like and Antelope

Phish – Lawn Boy

3. Down With Disease

Phish – Hoist

4. Free

Phish – Billy Breathes

5. Back on the Train

Phish – Farmhouse

6. Casey Jones

Grateful Dead – Workingman’s Dead

7. Truckin’

Grateful Dead – American Beauty

8. Eyes of the World

Grateful Dead – Wake Of The Flood

9. Franklin’s Tower

Grateful Dead – Blues For Allah

10. Touch of Grey

Grateful Dead – In The Dark

November by David Mamet Stage West – Fort Worth For as long as we can remember American Presidents have been well worth skewering and David Mamet must have thought so too. Laugh to keep from crying.

Mon 7/11

explanation is needed. If you haven’t, well then put it on your bucket list. Pearson absolutely nails the tone of Trey’s guitar all the while adding his own unique sound to the mix. He even throws in the occasional flub just for authenticity. And McGreevy is steady as always. If we’re lucky he’ll look very similar to Fishman, at least as far as attire goes.

The other half of this four-headed monster consists of Wesley Haynes (Paigeside/ keys) and Mike Boyd (Mike/bass). Wes has had the pleasure of playing with the legendary Miles Davis and Mike has traded slaps with the one and only Victor Wooten. As one who was lucky enough to catch A Live One at Ruta Maya last month, I was blown away by the precise measure of which these two laid it down. One can only imagine how through-the-roof these four will sound once they get a few more shows under their belt.

Be sure to get to the Barley House early and be prepared to stay until closing time. Oh, and don’t forget to bring your extra face or you most certainly will be going home without one.

Open Stage House of Poets – Richardson In five-minute time slots poets are invited to try their stuff and are videoed, critiqued and invited back. Other kinds of impromptu entertainment are encouraged. Go for a meet-up.

Tues 7/12

been playing the sounds of the Grateful Dead to dare I say a tee for the past several years now. If you’ve been to any of the recent Friday happy hours that the Barley House has hosted then you know just how hot the room can get when these fellas take the stage.

From the note for note precision of Kenny Withrow’s guitar playing (aka Jerry) to the uncanny Weir-like vocals of Scott Prosser to the harmonious sounds of Will Hodges’ vocals and keyboard skills, these cats will have you dancing as if you were smack dab in the middle of shakedown street. Round out the band with “Pablo” Russell on drums, Jerry Saracini on another set of skins, and Bob McConville on bass and vocals and you’ve got yourself one helluva time on your hands.

Just a couple of weeks ago they gave us a strong dose of three full sets and don’t expect this go-round to be different. To top it off it will be the birthday celebration of Mr. Prosser. Let’s hope he busts out the Bobby jorts for the occasion.

Ready to go home? On most other nights the answer would be “yes, I’m exhausted.”

But wait, there’s more in store as the newly formed Phish tribute band called A Live One

Britney Spears with Nicky Minaj American Airlines Center – Dallas Jessie and the Toy Boys and Nervo are also on the bill. Tickets are pricy but g’wan, kill two birds with one stone. Something like this only flies once.

If you know of a cool event or concert coming up, send some info our way at editor@blitzweekly.com

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6 July 6 - 12, 2011

by Matthius Kottaras “Keep It Real”

The Metroplex loves mixed martial arts for several reasons. No other sport in America is growing as fast and with other leagues being put in park with labor disputes, MMA will continue to gain strength in demand and popularity. Why watch fighters go at it on tv when you can watch live and in person? XKO 11 affords you this opportunity, so mark your calendars and plan on a night of intense excitement. Here are the details:

185lbs: STEVE HESS 1-2 Dallas, TX vs CIPRIAN HANGAN PRO DEBUT DALLAS MMA 300

Who: On July 23, 2011, Back Alley Promotions and THE GYM bring to you Xtreme Knockout 11 (XKO - Professional Cage Fights) and the top Pro MMA fighters in Texas. XKO will begin their television taping on July 23rd at XKO 11.

155lbs: JIMMY PAUL TAYLOR JR PRO DEBUT vs JAMES VICK 1-0

What: Xtreme Knockout, Back Alley Promotions in association with Corona bring Pro Mixed Martial Arts fights to Arlington.

Pre-Fight Party from 6-8pm. Belltime 8pm.

Pre-Fight party includes: MMA & Sports Vendors, 10 professional cage fights, meet and greet with fighters, celebrity guest appearances, bikini contest, live music and DJ! Television taping for TXA 21 show “Xtreme Knockout.”

XKO 11 Fight Card (Card Subject to Change) XKO MAIN EVENT BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT 135lbs: STEVEN PETERSON (Champion) 4-1 Dallas TX JD Shelly vs ALEX RUSS 3-0 Arlington, TX THE GYM 185lbs: JJ HOLMES 2-0 Mohlers Jiu Jitsu, THE GYM vs JAYJAY SANCHEZ 1-0 San Antonio TX 180lbs: KANO GREGOIRE 8-3 San Antonio, TX vs BRANDON MCDOWELL 32-31 Austin, TX 155lbs: CHRIS PECERO 3-2 AMERICAN REVOLUTION vs BURT MCDONALD 1-0 TEXAS FIGHTING SYNDICATE 185lbs: HAYWARD CHARLES 1-1 IRONSIDE MMA vs ZACK BOARD 0-1 Fort Worth, TX

135lbs: NELSON SALAS PRO DEBUT TEXAS FIGHTING SYNDICATE vs ELIASAR RODRIGUEZ PRO DEBUT 155lbs: MOISES DIAZ 2-3 ARLINGTON, TX THE GYM vs ZACH HANEY 1-5 Lubbock, TX

When: Xtreme Knockout 11 – Saturday July 23rd, 2011 Pre-Fight Party at 6pm, Fights Start at 8pm.

Where: THE GYM COMBATIVE SPORTS ARENA - 921 W. Mayfield Rd., Suite #112 Arlington - 76015 Tickets are available for purchase at THE GYM and www.xtremeknockout.com $25 for advanced general admission and $30 at the door. $50 for Ringside Reserved and $60 at the door, VIP tables $400 (limited tables). Visit www.thegym.org for more information. CORONA, MMA Merchandise and Concessions are available for purchase at the event!

Introducing Roland Gamez Roland Gamez served for 31 years as a public servant and retired in 2007. During his retirement years he has become enamored with combat sports. He is presently a certified USA Boxing official and can be found around the DFW Metroplex always assisting with every aspect of running an amateur boxing tournament. As a youth, he had over 100 amateur boxing bouts. He has more recently become known as “The Voice of North Texas Combative Sports” traveling throughout the state of Texas reporting on MMA and boxing events. His internet show titled Roland’s Recap can be viewed at www.northtexasfisticuffs.com. He involves himself with numerous gyms and fighters throughout the state reporting the latest breaking news and identifying the future stars in the combat game.

July 6 - 12, 2011 7 blitzweekly.com

Crossword Solution

by Raymond Bloomquist “Arena Football Fanatic”

Vigilantes News

Postseason Within Reach

Earning their fourth straight win in decisive fashion Saturday night, the Dallas Vigilantes (10-5) defeated the Philadelphia Soul (5-11), 58-41, putting Dallas one step closer to clinching their first ever National Conference playoff birth. Vigilante quarterback Dan Raudabaugh had a solid outing, going 20 of 29 for 253 yards and three touchdowns. The win gives the Vigilantes their second four-game winning streak of the season and keeps them, for the moment anyway, three games ahead of the Spokane Shock and the Utah Blaze (both are 7-8) for the Conference’s third playoff seed.

At this point, the Blaze and the Shock are the only two teams in the hunt to overtake Dallas (both have tiebreakers over the Vigilantes if the situation arose), but given how Dallas has been playing of late and with only three games to go in the regular season, it seems as if it is only a matter of time before the Vigilantes crash the Arena Football League postseason party.

Feeling good after Saturday’s win over the Philadelphia Soul, which had all the right elements of your stereotypical “trap game,” Vigilante defensive end Justin Warren made sure to put the task in front of his team into perspective. “We control our destiny from here,” Warren said. “We just have to take things one game at a time and make sure we keep Spokane and Utah in the rearview mirror. If we can win out, we know we will be in the playoffs, without a doubt.

And once you’re in the tournament, it’s anyone’s game. We just have to work hard and get ready for Jacksonville. One game at a time.”

But the Jacksonville Sharks will surely not be an easy game for the Vigilantes.

At 13-2 and holding the top seed in the American Conference, the Sharks are out for blood in every game they play, knowing how to win and how to exploit a team’s weakness. The Vigilantes, however, may be able to exploit the Sharks as well, who lost to the San Jose Sabercats (6-9) Friday night at the HP Pavilion, a team that the Vigilantes handily disposed of some weeks ago. Dallas will have to find a way to stop the Sharks’ legendary quarterback Aaron Garcia, but the Vigilante defense has found a way to crank up the pressure these last few weeks, registering four sacks and three interceptions in just the Philly game alone. If the defense can keep this momentum, it may just have a blueprint for stopping the American Conference’s best.

After this coming Saturday’s match-up with the Sharks, Dallas will still be in hot water. The Vigilantes will face two division leaders in the Chicago Rush (11-4) and the Arizona Rattlers (14-2) at home to close out the regular season. If the Vigilantes can win out, they may just be able to take the Central Division title away from the Rush, due to the fact that Dallas has a better divisional record. Nothing is ever a lock in professional football, but the odds favor the Vigilantes’ postseason hopes and their goals are within reach.

WWC: Sweden vs. United States Wed. July 6 – 1:45PM – Allerpark – ESPN

The U.S. took care of business last Saturday knocking out Colombia, and now they set their sights on Sweden. Scoring doesn’t seem to be a problem for the United States but they still need to play better defense. A win here puts them closer to the prize!

MLB: A’s vs. Rangers Fri. July 8 – 7:05PM – Rangers Ballpark – KTXA 21

The “Moneyball” A’s return to Texas for the first of a three-game set. Gio Gonzalez will be back at the scene of the crime from earlier this year when the game was rained out. The Rangers want vengeance and their bats will be ready to go. This will be C.J.’s last start before the All-Star break.

NASCAR: Quaker State 400 Sat. July 9 – 6:30PM – Kentucky Speedway – TNT

This is the inaugural race for NASCAR at Kentucky Speedway. It’ll be 267 laps at 1.5 miles per lap. A first of firsts, there is a lot of excitement for this track at this race. Look for Joey Logano to have an edge on the other drivers. Carl Edwards, on the other hand, hasn’t done well here in previous races.

MLB: Mets vs. Giants Sun. July 10 – 7:05PM – AT&T Park – ESPN

The game might decide whether or not the Mets will become sellers after the All-Star break. They are currently in the wild card mix. They’ll send RHP Mike Pelfrey to the mound who has been asked to fill the role of team ace. The Giants have RHP Matt Cain on the mound. He hasn’t had a lot of run support as of late but is a quality pitcher.

RANGERS

PGA

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8 July 6 - 12, 2011

by Mark Miller

“The Dallasite from the North”

RANGERS News

No longer leading ALONE It was another week and another 3-3 record for the Texas Rangers. This time, however, their continued inconsistency cost them sole possession of the American League West.

For the first time since May 28, the Rangers ended the week sharing first place, this time with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim who won eight of 10 games through Sunday to equal Texas with a 44-41 record.

Texas actually started the week off strong by winning two of three games in Houston and the first game at home against the Florida Marlins.

But they lost the last two games against the Marlins to end interleague play for 2011 at 9-9.

The Rangers scored 34 runs and gave up 32. They scored 15 on Friday and gave up seven, five, nine and six runs after only five in the first two games at Houston.

Before that, there were some bright spots such as: • Nelson Cruz driving in six runs on his 31st birthday and Alexi Ogando returning to form in a 15-5 win Friday over Florida.

• Tommy Hunter yielding just two runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings in his first outing of 2011 on Saturday.

• C.J. Wilson having his first major league hit, a triple, Tuesday in a 7-3 victory over Houston. He also gave up just two runs (one earned, no decision) in 7 2/3 innings in a 6-4 loss Sunday.

• Ian Kinsler leading off the first and third innings Wednesday with home runs in a 3-2 win over Houston to assure taking the season series Silver Boot for the fifth straight year.

• Josh Hamilton having two home runs in a 9-5 loss Saturday.

Hunter wasn’t the only player to return to the field Saturday. Reliever Darren O’Day made his first appearance in more than two months as the Rangers hope to improve a bullpen ranked near the bottom of the American League.

All-Star break approaches Following the finale of a three-game series Wednesday at home against Baltimore, the Rangers conclude the home stand with four games against the Oakland Athletics.

Thursday’s game is a makeup of the May 11 rainout.

Oakland enters the week with a 38-47

record, only Upcoming Schedule: six games 7/6 Orioles 7:05 p.m. behind the 7/7 Athletics 7:05 p.m.

Rangers.

7/8 Athletics 7:05 p.m.

Texas likely 7:05 p.m. will face 7/9 Athletics 2:05 p.m.

A l l - S t a r 7/10 Athletics pitcher Gio 7/12 All-Star Game 7 p.m.

Gonzalez, who won Sunday against Arizona to run his record to 8-3 and his earned run average down to 2.31.

After that comes the All-Star break.

Four Rangers will be playing in the game in Phoenix. Josh Hamilton will start in the outfield and Adrian Beltre at third base. Michael Young was selected as a backup designated hitter but can be used in the field by American League Manager Ron Washington of the Rangers who also selected C.J. Wilson among his pitchers.

This will be Hamilton’s fourth consecutive starting spot and Beltre’s second.

Young was selected for the seventh time and Wilson will be making his All-Star debut.

The Rangers enter the week about as healthy as they’ve been all year so maybe having their full lineup will help end their recent inconsistency that has them at 15-15 since June 1. That followed a 16-11 record in April and 13-15 in May.

July 6 - 12, 2011 9 blitzweekly.com

Labor unrest since the mid-nineteen hundreds reveals trends in the way we settle arguments between employees and employers, and in what sort of intervention is necessary to settle them, and in how the general public views the activities of owners and union members.

First, let’s throw out the Ludlow Massacre of 1914, which may have been the bloodiest strike in American history. From the sidelines it was certainly one of the cruelest, with attacks on women and children as well as miners that resulted in 45 fatalities. This event marked the end of an era in the way strikes were viewed by the general public, and eventually by our government. Underpaid workers rallying for a better condition of life are not likely to be attacked by forces representing the federal government, or forces purporting to represent that government (in the case of current or former National Guardsmen who were allowed to wear their uniforms while in the pay of mine owners).

The earlier Homestead Strike (1892) with 11 fatalities and the Pullman strike that began the following year and resulted in 13 fatalities are similarly useless in getting a handle on what is happening in the NFL at the moment or just started happening in the NBA. For one thing, President Obama won’t intervene in these disputes no matter what the players and owners do.

Professional athletes are widely perceived to be among the best-paid entertainers in the world. Mainly, we want to see these people play ball. And what they are paid is a matter to be discussed between the athletes and their employers.

That being said, it seems unfair for the sports-loving American public, upon whom these athletes depend for all the money they make, to be denied the chance to support their favorite teams and root for their favorite players… And, coincidentally, to provide meaning and emolument to the owners of sports bars, the owners of television and radio stations and all the people who have an interest in writing about sports or publishing what it is written.

In fact, at a time when our economy is

by Sam Chase “Culture Warrior”

badly depressed as a result of the activities of a very few fat cats who enjoy unprecedented prosperity and when many sports figures (and not always the most prominent, viz. Rashard Lewis of the Washington Wizards) are better paid than all but a handful of corporate insiders, it seems downright selfish and unsportsmanlike on both sides to be asking for more (whether money or concessions is being sought). In any case, players and owners should be able to reach agreement without sitting out the season or any of its games.

The NFL season has already been onagain, off-again for quite some time. Why is agreement so elusive? Common interests abound and common sense is sure to prevail at some point. True, the demands of basketball’s players and club-owners won’t be so easily mediated, perhaps because the basketball owners aren’t as awash in cash as the owners of football teams; possibly also because basketball players tend to party together and stick up for each other more than their counterparts in football.

I launched into this article to provide some historical background for labor unrest—at a time when mobs of angry publicsector workers are milling in front of the State Capitol of Wisconsin, and when the publicly-owned Green Bay Packers have been supporting these workers in their desire to preserve their right to collective bargaining. But what’s going on in the NFL and the NBA can’t be mentioned in the same breath as the great labor struggles in this country with all their attendant misery.

Would the actors in Hollywood movies, each with his legion of fans or detractors, refuse to appear because of the size of a movie’s budget? Hardly. What counts for them is being seen at their best and creating an even greater demand from the public for what is unique in what they do.

Players and owners alike want what is best for their sport. And whatever they decide, there’s no need to call out the National Guard. What is it we keep hearing about tax hikes? If shared sacrifice is good enough for the rest of us it should be good enough for the royal courts of these two great games.

blitzweekly.com

10 July 6 - 12, 2011

The NFL lockout has been going on since March and the NBA lockout just started. For fans of baseball, the last MLB lockout occurred back in 1994 on August 12. Major League Baseball became the first professional sport to lose its entire postseason due to a labor dispute.

In addition to this, lost money and lost fans, one city lost their team (Montreal Expos).

The damage from this was felt for years until Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire captured the nation’s attention with their chase for the home run record. The last thing MLB wants is another black eye due to a labor dispute. So the question remains: Can MLB save itself?

Unlike years prior, MLB labor bargaining discussions are now underway. What is interesting with the current negotiations is the involvement of general managers, managers and ex-players; it’s not simply just the owners and their inner circle. There are many issues facing the game’s future such as developing qualified umpires, creating a more equitable schedule and realignment – particularly what to do with struggling franchises like Oakland

by Jim Hanigan “Baseball Enthusiast”

and Tampa Bay. Other issues pertaining to the dispute include interleague play and defining the designated hitter rule for both leagues. At the end of the day, one thing matters most: Money.

For starters, there has to be a way to manage the free agent imbalance (Albert Pujols); a hard salary cap would create a balanced playing field in obtaining international and amateur players. Most importantly, MLB needs creative ways to address revenue-sharing issues, so that the Yankees don’t feel they aren’t carrying other franchises financially. Why is it that any highsalaried team pays a luxury tax to franchises like the Marlins, Royals, or Pirates? These teams traditionally don’t spend much on their rosters? Sure, the small market teams don’t have the same capital to spend as the big market teams, but many of the little guys can certainly spend more than what they are spending now.

Take the NFL for example: small market teams do fine because the league requires each franchise to spend a certain amount on rosters. Baseball should do the same thing.

All it would take is revenue sharing among

all MLB teams. Everybody in MLB will benefit because of it. The NFL has shown how to accomplish this successfully. Come on MLB, “Just Do It!” As for the owners, it’s in their best interest to have better-quality teams coming to their ballparks, because as it stands now, there are very few Red Sox and Phillies types of teams in the league to entice fans to come out and spend a week’s worth of salary on one game. Stronger revenue sharing across all franchises will create a better product from top to bottom, which in turn will benefit local and national television ratings. Instead of just strong ratings in the eastern portion of the country, it will create consistently solid ratings from the eastern seaboard

through to the West.

Obviously, MLB will never reach NFL-type ratings, but baseball could develop a comparable product with a more competitive, balanced league. Considering that baseball competes from late March until early November, owners could pocket tremendous profits in the long run if the league is creating stellar playoff races.

The bottom line is: revenue sharing across the board creates opportunities for every franchise, regardless of their financial stature. Baseball can’t afford another work stoppage, the players and owners have to get together to try to prevent another one from taking place. If MLB fails to change the issue on revenue sharing, the door for attracting new business (fans) will continue to close. Then what?

July 6 - 12, 2011 11

“Football Fanatic”

What Is The Lockout About?

In 2008 NFL owners unanimously voted to end the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the National Football Players Association (NFLPA) following the conclusion of the 2010 season. Just before the CBA was set to expire on March 3, both the players and the owners agreed to extend negotiations by a week. However, talks broke down and on March 11, the union formally decertified. In response to the decertification, the league officially locked out the players.

That most recent labor agreement gave players 57% of the league’s $9 billion in revenue, after the owners took $1 billion for growth and development of the league. A

major reason for opting out is that the owners want a better deal to help pay for investments they have made on new stadiums and other expenditures.

Part of the previous CBA involved a transfer of revenues from the higher earning teams to the lowest, even though some of the higher earners also have higher costs.

NFL players have been skeptical that the owners are losing money as a result of their payments to players, and believe the current pay dispute was deliberately generated by some owners in order

to renegotiate their own revenue-sharing agreements which are attached to the CBA. The players are resisting any pay cuts across the board.

As bargaining chips, the owners proposed to extend the regular season from 16 to 18 games, establish a rookie wage scale and/or rookie salary cap that would limit first-round draft pick compensation to 40% of the current level, begin routine testing for human growth hormone, and implement other health and safety issues. However the players are concerned that these health and safety proposals would be offset by the potential injuries that might occur during those two extra games.

Owners Have The Big Bucks It is interesting to note that the owners have the upper hand in these negotiations. Once players start to run low or out of savings they will likely capitulate to the demands of the owners. The owners have the trump card in their back pocket, having negotiated TV deals that guarantee them revenues even if games are not played in the 2011 season.

That revenue number approaches

$4.5 billion and, coupled with the elimination of $4.4 billion in player salaries and benefits, could prove profitable to the owners even without having a season.

Could Be Losing Big Time: The numbers below show how the lockout could affect the masses, aka the tax-paying football fans: • ESPN.com reports that the league’s gross losses without a new agreement could be $350 million by August and $1 billion by September.

• The loss incurred by individual cities including salaries paid to anyone associated with the game could be as high as $160 million. Now take that number and multiply it by 31 NFL cities.

• 3,000 seasonal jobs could be lost in each NFL city if the lockout continues • 20% of weekly sales for sports bars come from game-day Sundays.

• 33% of yearly sales for most bars in NFL cities come from game-days.

• $850 billon is the potential number that Las Vegas is looking at in money lost.

• The number of wings eaten during Super Bowl Sunday: 1.25 billion which equals about $250 million dollars. * Source – sportsnetworker.com

The NBA has officially shut down, and I might have to find a hobby.

“The expiring collective bargaining agreement created a broken system that produced huge financial losses for the teams,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver. “We need a sustainable business model that allows all 30 teams to be able to compete for a championship, fairly compensates our players, and provides teams, if well-managed, with an opportunity to be profitable.” That was the NBA’s statement following the much anticipated lockout that looks like it’s about to get real ugly. The NBA has a history of intense labor agreements and this one is no different.

by Geoff Case “NBA Analyst”

What Happened Last Time?

The 1998–99 NBA lockout was only the third lockout in the history of the NBA but it might have been the most detrimental to the game. It lasted from July 1, 1998 to January 20, 1999, and forced the 1998–99 season to be shortened to 50 games per team. (Spurs won the title; yeah, it was a bad year.) NBA owners reopened the league’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in March 1998, seeking changes to the league’s salary cap system and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association opposed the owners’ plans and wanted raises for players who earned the league’s minimum salary.

After the two sides failed to reach an agreement, the owners began the lockout.

The dispute received a tepid response from sports fans, and provoked criticism from media members. It continued into January 1999, threatening cancellation of the entire season. After division within the players union, however, NBPA executive director Billy Hunter reached an agreement with NBA commissioner David Stern on January 6 to end the work stoppage.

Quickly ratified by the owners and players, the deal was signed later in January, ending the lockout after 204 days. The settlement provided for maximum salaries for players and a pay scale for first-year players.

In the months after the lockout, television ratings and ticket sales declined during the 50-game season, and both remained below pre-lockout levels in subsequent seasons.

The league suffered a huge hit in the eyes of the fan and only in the last few seasons did the NBA finally get its mojo back from the ‘98-‘99 lockout.

What’s Happening Now? The NBA lockout of 2011 could well carry over into 2012. This has the makings of the NHL’s labor war of 2004-05, where the cost of instituting a hard salary cap cost the sport a complete season. The union elders don’t want to give in to that, nor do the agents who could be rendered far less relevant in an N B A

world w h e r e there’s no middle class of players. Stars will get paid, and everyone else will fight for the scraps left under a hard cap. The NBPA has fought for these conditions and won’t give them up without a fight, whereas the owners are claiming that the system is broken and they are unable to make a profit.

The end result is that the two sides are both stuck, there isn’t a compromise where both sides will feel like they got what they wanted. “The problem is that there’s such a gap in terms of the numbers, where they are and where we are, and we just can’t find any way to bridge that gap,” union chief Billy Hunter said.

All league business is officially on hold, starting with the free agency period that would have opened Friday. The NBA’s summer league in Las Vegas already has been canceled, preseason games in Europe were never scheduled, and players might have to decide if they want to risk playing in this summer’s Olympic qualifying tournaments without the NBA’s help in securing insurance in case of injury.

And teams will be prohibited from having any contact with their players, most of whom won’t be paid until a deal is done but insist they’ll hang in anyway. The NBA’s website has also removed all pictures and information about players.

“We’re going to stand up for what we have to do, no matter how long it’s going to take,” Thunder star Kevin Durant told The Associated Press. “No matter how long the lockout’s going to take, we’re going to stand up. We’re not going to give in.”

blitzweekly.com

By the time you read this the current NFL lockout will be in its 116th day or longer. Apparently there is some light at the end of the tunnel and, who knows, we could still have a 2011 NFL season. This would be number 92 for the NFL if the players and owners can agree to terms. Many are saying July 14th is the date by which an agreement must be made to continue on with a normal regular season, any later date will create a shortened regular season.

by Frank LaCosta

July 6 - 12, 2011 13 blitzweekly.com

Elementary Schoolteacher, Inner City Dear BLITZbudsman: I’m at the end of

People who don’t just look at the pictures in the Blitz Weekly may have noticed that we avoid discussing politics and religion. When this policy was explained to me by our publisher my only question was, “Is it okay to get tough with everyone on both sides of the fence as well as the ones who are sitting on it?” I explained my admiration for Ambrose Bierce and the great Miles nGopaleen (Brian O’Nolan, aka Flann O’Brien) in what he had written for the Irish Times. In these great writers I had detected a fondness for fellow members of the species as material but a cordial dislike of just about everything being done by them, and the way it was being done, and the way it was being perceived by the professional perceivers (socalled journalists).

For some time I have felt that every writer for the media—whether penning a column or putting words in the mouths of comedians, pundits, or politicians—is pulling his/ her punches. Seldom does one of these people tell us what he/she really thinks. Instead they seem to be following instructions to come down on one side or the other of every issue that has a side to it. And there almost always seem to be two sides—Republican or Democratic, conservative or liberal. Yes, there are Libertarians and Progressives, but they define themselves in terms of the two major parties.

I came of age in the sixties and have known since that time that the two main parties are bought and paid for by the same faceless people. These people who sit on corporate boards—often more than one board—have enormous amounts of money at their disposal. It’s a rule of thumb with them that money spent on politicians is the same as money spent on advertising. They’ve paid big money to study the phenomenon, but this late in the game, the value of advertising and political seed money is common knowledge.

The thousands of lobbyists who infest Washington attest to the effectiveness of money spent this way and sales figures have always supported the value of advertising.

Everything I’ve said so far should be common knowledge and if it’s not, read no

by Jeff Putnam

Blitz Weekly Editor editor@blitzweekly.com

further, because I’m about to drop the terrifying names of Jefferson and Chomsky.

Jefferson’s comment about the blood of tyrants watering the tree of liberty and a revolution every ten years being good for our national health have long overshadowed his many other wise remarks. And Chomsky has long been excoriated for remarks about his country that are perceived to be unpatriotic (when in fact they are simply true) or negative comments about the activities of Israel which some feel he has no right to make because he is himself Jewish. America right or wrong, love it or leave it, you’re either with us or against us… This attitude blossomed in the sixties right beside the flower children.

Now the flowers are gone but the anger is still with us.

The corporate media shills whose job it is to divide, distract or inflame the rest of us, making sure that what we think has a side to it, will call Chomsky “far left.” The ones who care what Jefferson thought will probably think of him as a libertarian with dangerous anarchist tendencies. (Chomsky, too, has often been described as an anarcho-syndicalist, and Jefferson might well have fit in this category had he been less a farmer and more a city-boy.)

From childhood I’ve known that most of what is said about thinkers is crap. Thinkers don’t spend their lives trying to identify and demolish another side. They’re students to the end, trying to make sense of their ever-expanding worlds. Jefferson was multitalented and made his mark in many fields.

Chomsky still has a huge reputation in linguistics which some learned people consider more important than his reputation as a critic of our society. In their writings both men seem to be saying, “To the lover of freedom there is no best way, yours or mine. Freedom can only be loved in its exercise, and the more we express our differences, the more we expand our consciousness of the human possibility.”

Anyway, as long as Blitz contributors are saying what they want to say, not what they have been told or think they ought to say, they will have a home in these pages.

We don’t take sides.

my rope trying to control my class of fourthgraders. You seem to understand homicide, and like it or not homicide will always be a big part of these kids’ lives whether they stay in the neighborhood and kill each other, go off as cannon fodder to kill poor people in foreign countries, or end up in prison where homicide is a daily fact of life.

I am a person of color by the way, with a black father and a Puerto Rican mother, but I’m not the kids’ only role model. Some still want to cook in tomorrow’s world. Sports, dance, music, the theater— these are the dreams that die hardest, but success stories are rare.

Drug dealers are the main success stories in this neighborhood. They’re shot to death from time to time but that doesn’t lessen their influence.

My best and brightest are all on the wrong path. Only the slow ones still have the audacity to hope. Yet all are coming to the realization that hope itself is hopeless. I know I have to get through to these kids before they start carrying guns. Any suggestions?

– Never say die

Dear Never: By now your students will

have realized that the class war has nothing in common with sports, which is a way of dissipating their love of justice and rewarded effort—numbing their love of meaning with the fix of winning. And they will have realized that the class war is taking place between a teeny-tiny class of exterminators and everyone else. (All for one and none for all!) They will have marveled at the remarkable fact that the exterminators almost never do their own killing. They rely on people just like the ones they are exterminating— that is, people who misconstrue their selfinterest.

Poor exterminators! As time goes by, and lies do a poorer and poorer job of hiding who’s doing what to whom, the truth is ever more likely to bite them in the a$$—sorry, but you’ll be using the vernacular with your little ones. So all that keeps the soft leather under the exterminators’ a$$es is the fact that their millions of hired killers are facing the wrong way. Not a good recipe for a life of ease, but oddly, a life of ease is the rationale for everything the exterminators do.

Human nature! You and your ragamuffins are sure to have a good laugh about that!

But when adolescence sets in it’s time

for them to stop wringing each other’s necks and use their newly acquired homicidal abilities against the real enemy. Not politicians, who couldn’t hurt a fly, but their paymasters—another story. Here the good education you give them can make a difference. First explain how a March on Washington is idiotic. To confront a bunch of

shills and hired guns? On the other hand, a March on Wall Street might have an effect.

It’s a race against time. The exterminators are trying to imprison your kids and slam the book shut on learning as soon as possible. But how, if your kids don’t need drugs to escape the horrors of their lives and help them sleep at night? How, if they don’t brandish weapons or even own them, shout threats at the enemy or even think threatening thoughts?

Rather they should adopt prison comportment from the time they can walk upright—pump iron and improve their combat skills. They should think of every trip to the corner store as a mission impossible—for soon it will be. And what they really think should be a mystery even to intimates. Under no circumstances should they watch television or heed any of the so-called entertainments that are being beamed their way.

You’ll recognize the unfit because they’ll dream of marrying a millionaire instead of marrying an employed person.

Above all they should be taught the historical importance of their mission, which is nothing less than to take back our country from those who have looted not merely our national wealth, but our possibilities of selfculture, our honor and our dreams.

Write to the BLITZbudsman at blitzbudsman@blitzweekly.com

blitzweekly.com

14 July 6 - 12, 2011

by Hannah Allen

“Out and About in DFW”

Coffee House Music There is a stereotype that suggests writers love coffee. I wish I could say that I was about to tell you some awesome story about how I defy this generalization but alas and alack – I am pretty typical when it comes to the java.

I once heard somewhere that the French Revolution started because radicals would begin talking and drink coffee after coffee. Next thing you know words become actions and actions become war. This usually happens if I drink rum but certainly not espresso. My point is that caffeine has its place.

For many years I was just a Starbucks girl but during a trip to Salt Lake City I discovered an indie shop that made me consider moving to Utah just so I’d be closer to it. Needless to say I stayed in Texas.

While exploring the open mic poetry scene I told you about recently I discovered It’s A Grind Coffee House in Deep Ellum. Located under some uber-trendy and ultra-expensive lofts catty corner to Café Brazil I have to say the coffee isn’t bad – but it’s not cozy or dark.

While on my grownup paper route I discovered White Rock Coffee, so far my favorite coffee of the bunch but I don’t know how I feel about the space. LOTS of people on laptops regardless of the time of day you pay them a visit.

Recently some friends of mine advertised an acoustic show at Opening Bell Coffee at Southside on Lamar. I’ve known Seth Magill for about 100 years – since my days at The Dallas Children’s Theater – and was excited to see him and his wife, Shawn, performng in their band Home By Hovercraft.

Normally I’d consider someplace like Opening Bell too pretentious for my taste but I’ve broken far more severe personal rules to hear people I love play. I called up my sister-in-law Amy and together we climbed down the stairs into the strategically lit stairwell amid the rich smell of strong coffee.

Amy has a notorious sweet tooth and

ordered us both iced caramel mocha lattes.

I was slightly disappointed in the coffee but was incredibly impressed with the space; big couches against the walls, sturdy tables and chairs, band stickers on anything that would sit still, a shelf full of local artists’ CDs and sketch books sitting on the tables for guests to leave notes, doodle or look through.

As Seth and Shawn started playing I got the distinct impression this was going to be one of those experiences that was really a change of pace. Instead of alcohol relaxing me into the music surrounding me the espresso made me very aware and excited.

Home By Hovercraft are not the usual rock band you catch me gushing over. In fact, they’re unlike anything I’ve ever heard. There was a very theatrical element to their set, but not necessarily on a visual level. Seth’s voice is theatrically trained and stands in stark solidarity with Shawn’s proficient piano playing.

During songs that would have otherwise dragged, his sister clogged Irishstyle in time with the music. I’ve never seen anything remotely like this. It sounds odd but it was absolutely genius. Unfortunately it didn’t translate to film well so if you go look for the performance on YouTube I can’t say you’ll be totally impressed.

When I discovered the bands received all of the cover charges instead of a portion I began to rethink my stance on this whole “pretentious coffee house” thing. Most of the venues I frequent only give 50% of the cover charges to the band who, incidentally do most of their own promotion, load-in, set-up and might have to buy people a drink as a “thank-you” for coming out.

When I discovered an old friend’s album on the shelf I listened to a song I used to hear him play frequently – a song that always made me think of the heady summer I fell in love: it sort of brought the whole experience to a sweet fruition of a tradition being carried on. Now, every time I hear Home By Hovercraft I’ll think of coffee and revolution and wisdom.

I’m talking with Rick Ross today, the rationalbroadcasting.com founder and executive director of Rick Ross Institute, which I guess is best described as a cult-buster.

Welcome, Rick, and first let me say that your website—which is more like an archive and a research site—is one of the best organized I have ever seen and I am a major web-surfer. My own work began in 1982…and 12 years ago those files were shared. Then a few years back, the Ross Institute became a 501C3, an educational nonprofit, and is an institutional member of the New Jersey Library Association. What you see is essentially an online archive of articles, court documents and information about cults, controversial groups and movements.

by Jack E. Jett “Jett Streams”

Well, it looks slick. How did you get involved in the whole cult-busting thing to begin with? Back in 1982 when I lived in Phoenix, Arizona my grandmother was in a nursing home. A group that was trying to proselytize or recruit the elderly asked their members to become part of the paid staff of the nursing home for the covert reason of infiltrating the home, recruiting elderly people and quite frankly, I think, getting their money. I found out about that and became an activist in my community in the early 80s, and that carried over into working for a social service agency, an educational bureau, and then doing what later became known as deprogramming… Interventions to get people out of cults.

I can’t imagine stooping that low… But was that the first cult you investigated?

Well, the group that infiltrated that nursing home was a group called the Jewish Voice Broadcast, which is a Pentecostal group of fundamentalist Christians who believe that they have a special mission to recruit and convert Jews to their beliefs. They’re not dissimilar from Jews for Jesus, which was started by an ordained Baptist minister for the same purpose—that is, to target Jews for conversion. Later I learned that there were many other groups, and as I worked ecumenically with other religious denominations, such as the Catholic Church and the Episcopal Diocese in Phoenix I began to realize that many of these groups were targeting people when they were most vul-

nerable—in nursing homes, hospitals, even in prisons and juvenile facilities.

Are you yourself a religious person? I was raised as a member of the Reformed Jewish movement, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, and I’ve served on two national committees for the Union—on inter-religious affairs and cults.

Can you define a group that is just this side of a cult? Do you know what I’m saying? I define a cult by three simple criteria which were formulated by a psychiatrist and a professor at Harvard Medical School, Robert Jay Lifton, in the 80s in his seminal paper, “Cult Formation.” Lifton said that first there is an absolute authoritarian leader of the group, a living leader who becomes the defining element of the group, and that that group is personality-driven and that that person has virtually no accountability. Second, that there is a process of indoctrination or education within the group that can be seen as what we commonly call brainwashing, or what Lifton calls “thought reform.”

That is, basically breaking down the ability of people to think critically and independently for themselves. And that finally, that the group does harm. That harm could be to varying degrees depending on the group…

Anywhere from just taking people’s money and exploiting them financially, or for free labor, or for sexual favors… all the way up… We could escalate to the most extreme groups that become violent or ultimately end in mass suicide.

But what of a group that teeters on the brink?… Because it can be a very vague area… Well, the Jehovah’s Witnesses are often sharply criticized for their blackand-white way of looking at those outside of their movement, and encouraging their members to shun those who are unbelievers and not receive blood transfusions—so that many members end up dying every year, often women in childbirth. That group seems very cult-like, but the fact that they do not have a single, defining, absolute authoritarian-type defies that categorization.

Not to mention the fact that they come knocking on my door at about 8:30 while I’m still asleep which is to me really annoying.

[JETT STREAMS airs on Wednesday and Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. on rationalbroadcasting.com]

July 6 - 12, 2011 15

Worried about burning up fossil fuels while you’re out enjoying the water on your jet ski? Ditch it and pick yourself up an Aquaskipper. Powered by your own “hopping” motion, it allows you to get some exercise as you propel yourself across the water at speeds of up to 17 miles an hour. The ’skipper is big, but since it’s made of lightweight aluminum it weighs only 26 lbs., making for easy assembly, disassembly, and transport to and from the water. (Price – $500)

I smoked quite a bit of dope in my twenties during a time when I lived right in the middle of the Haight-Ashbury section of San Francisco, was part of the audience at Summer of Love concerts and “be-ins,” drank coffee at the I and Thou Coffeeshop on Haight St. or the Blue Unicorn across the panhandle on Hayes, hung out at the Laughing Raccoon Art Gallery and despite my fondness for psychedelics drank just about anything with alcohol in it.

Where I was holed up on Cole St., and was official lover of the lady of the house during her husband’s long and frequent stays in a mental hospital, we once had twenty adventurous young people crashing all over the place. The coffee-cans that had been placed here and there for ashtrays were always smoldering… with burning tobacco, that is: all the smoke from joints went into the lungs of our ragtag residents. The whole place reeked of sex and reefer (and patchouli) but believe or not, we thought we were having fun. Some of the residents “hooked up” as it would be said today, and maybe some of them still know each other (or would be glad to see each other after all these years).

Somehow I lost my taste for hemp while I was abroad. Some people may find the last

by Jeff Putnam

Blitz Weekly Editor editor@blitzweekly.com

fact hard to believe since for years I supported myself as a street musician. Yet my friends were mostly other writers and musicians who were very serious about their work, as I was.

Now, thanks to my wife of 26 years, hemp is back in my life in a big way. No, not because she’s smoking it: she wants to build with it. Though she began as a rehabber my wife is now a full-fledged builder of homes.

Her last two, of 7k and 5k sq. ft. respectively are generally considered masterpieces by real estate people in New Brunswick (Can.) where they were built. In spite of all the kudos, however, my wife didn’t want to build million-dollar houses for fat cats. For a time all I heard about was “straw bale construction,” then it was earthships (she actually participated in the construction of the first to be built in Texas). Now it’s hemp.

For long months all I’ve heard about is hemp: it’s rather like when teenagers discover pot and all you hear about are bongs and hydroponics. But since my wife is a lot smarter than I am I started reading books to see what was turning her on. Wow! Hemp is the end of politics as we know it. People can point fingers at each other all they want, or

scream at each other—as long as they build with hempen products they’ll be doing their bit for humanity. Don’t believe me? Stay tuned.

There is a slight problem, which is the reason this article has “wars” at its head.

Though nineteen States have licensed the growing of industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC, the DEA has to issue permits for that to happen because the cannabis that people like to smoke is not genetically different from the kind grown for building—or fabrics, cosmetics, protein powder, etc. Of course we’re the only firstworld country that discriminates against hemp-growing this way—even though Geo. Washington and Th. Jefferson were some of our first and most enthusiastic growers.

So I’m girding for battle and will probably die fighting it and at long last have something to care about again as much as I did when the Vietnam War had us on the barricades.

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Step right up and enter the weird, wacky world of... luxury phones.

The TAG Heuer Link Smartphone is the latest in a long line of insane handsets using watch-worthy construction and materials like stainless steel, gold, diamonds, black PVD, titanium, rubber, calfskin and carbon leather, alligator, and lizard to augment its fairly pedestrian feature set that includes an 800x480, 3.5-inch screen, a five megapixel camera, GSM 3G, Bluetooth, aGPS, Wi-Fi, WAPI, and the “avant-garde” Android 2.2 operating system.

Right. (Price – €4,700; roughly $6,800)

We’ll leave it up to you to decipher the name — our first reaction was “Yikes!” — but if you’re looking for an eco-friendly urban ride and don’t mind its unusual design, the YikeBike is a fine choice. Powered by a nano lithium phosphate battery that can be charged in 55 minutes, the 22-pound YikeBike offers a range of roughly six miles and a top speed of 14 mph, with a crazy folding design that sees you sitting atop with handlebars near your hips, a 20-inch wheel in the front, an eight-incher in the back, and the world around you. Available in carbon fiber and aluminum/ composite forms and multiple colors. (Price – $2,000-$3,800)

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16 July 6 - 12, 2011

by The Bum

dallasrestaurantreviews.com

Have you ever been hung over from tequila?

Thought so. You might have been drinking the cheap stuff or it might have been the fact that you had slammed 12 shots the night before. Whatever the case, I’m here to help you survive that trip to Acapulco or a night in Uptown.

When talking about tequila there are a couple of basic things you need to know.

The Spirit is made from the heart of the Blue Agave (which is part of the lily family and isn’t related to the cactus), so when the bottle states 100% De Agave it means that nothing else was added. This creates a more pure spirit. Mexican law states that tequila must be grown and distilled in designated areas of Mexico and contain at least 51% Agave.

by Henry Jenkins “Man in the Kitchen”

Four Types of Tequila

The four types of tequila are Blanco (Silver), Joven (Gold), Reposado (Rested) and Añejo (Aged). Blanco is the traditional tequila that started it all. It’s clear, not aged and is usually bottled right after distillation. This one is great for shots and cocktails. As an alternative to the usual shot, try a Blanco and Squirt.

The tequila mixes well with Squirt leaving you wondering if there was any in there in the first place. If you’re on a mission and just taking shots, try a pineapple juice chaser instead of the traditional salt and lime.

Joven gets its color from the addition of colorants and flavorings like caramel. Rarely seen as 100% De Agave, Joven is a great choice for frozen margaritas, but it’s mostly consumed in one gulp with salt and lime.

Popular brands include Jose Cuervo and Sauza Gold.

Reposada means “rested” and is aged at least two months but can be aged up to one year.

This tequila is fine to sip, but best in cocktails like the Cadillac Margarita or Tequila Sunrise due to its full flavor.

Añejo tequila is aged for a minimum of one year but could be up to four years. Most Añejos have a rich woody flavor (which has been compared to that of fine Cognacs).

Generally speaking, Añejos are sipped neat in a rocks glass or snifter so one can appreciate the complexity and flavors they possess.

The Agave Plant

There are many different types of the Agave plant. The Blue Agave grows wild in the volcanic soils mostly found around the plains of Jalisco, Mexico. Mezcal is a spirit made from the different types of Agave found further south near Oaxaca. If you’re looking for the worm (gusano) then look no further.

The gusano isn’t a true worm; it’s the larval instar of one of the moths that live in the Agave plant. The reason that it’s in the bottle of Mezcal is to prove that the Mezcal is a high-proof spirit. The lucky person who orders the last shot has the distinct privilege of swallowing the gusano!

With more than 52 million gallons of tequila produced every year, tequila is by far Mexico’s most profitable national drink.

Almost half of the tequila that Mexico produces is exported to the United States. That means there should be more than enough for you and your friends to try. Oh, and try not to get too Blitzed!

Chow Thai Addison Chow Thai Addison 5290 Beltline Road Addison – 75240 PH: 972-960-2999 www.chowthai.com

HORRORSCOPES

FUNNIES

Q: Did you hear about the blonde who almost killed her toy poodle?

A: She tried to insert batteries.

Q: Why are lawyers buried 12 feet underground?

A: Deep down they’re good.

Q: What does a good bar and a good woman have in common?

A: Liquor in the front and poker in the back!

A Day At The Beach A mother and father took their six-year-old son to a nude beach. As the boy walked along the beach, he noticed that some of the ladies had boobs bigger than his mother’s and asked her why. She told her son, “The bigger they are, the dumber the person is.”

Pleased with the answer the boy went to play in the ocean but returned to tell his mother that many of the men had “units” larger than his dad’s. His mother replied, “The bigger they are the dumber the person is.” Again satisfied with this answer, the boy returned to the ocean to play.

Shortly after, the boy returned again. He promptly told his mother, “Daddy is talking to the dumbest girl on the beach, and the longer he talks, the dumber he gets.”

ACROSS:

1. Sodium chloride 5. Part of the UK 10. Seats oneself 14. Threesome 15. San Antonio fort 16. Radiate 17. A firm rebuke 19. A river in Spain 20. Steal 21. Turn away or aside 22. Sharpen 23. Harness racing horse 25. Potato state 27. Paddle 28. Prison 31. Motionless 34. Part of a year 35. 61 in Roman numerals 36. Sea eagle 37. Exploded stars 38. Fastens with a cord 39. Anagram of “Got” 40. Dromedary 41. Call 42. Long strip of cloth or paper 44. Enemy

45. Colorado resort 46. Let go 50. Licoricelike flavor 52. Consider 54. Resinlike substance 55. Sound 56. Traffic circle (British) 58. Roasting appliance 59. Care giver 60. Ancient Peruvian 61. Put together 62. Flower with a showy head 63. Act

DOWN:

1. Begin 2. Eagerness 3. Oblivion 4. As well 5. Exemption 6. Adjust 7. Place to hibernate 8. Maudlin 9. Male offspring 10. Be in an agitated

emotional state 11. Entanglement

12. Novice 13. Cease 18. Birth-related 22. Waistband 24. Lacquered metalware 26. Lavish affection (on) 28. Levitate 29. Beasts of burden 30. Sage 31. Adjusts 32. Gait faster than a walk 33. Deeply rooted 34. Significant 37. Anagram of “Mean” 38. You (archaic) 40. A superhero might wear one 41. A Bohemian dance 43. Ancient ascetic 44. Bumper 46. Shampoo and _____ 47. Without company 48. Condiment 49. Outer or exterior 50. “Smallest particle” 51. Exploded star 53. Ache 56. Registered nursing assistant 57. Offer

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JOKES

July 6 - 12, 2011 17

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18 July 6 - 12, 2011

Just Pull the Trigger...

What is it about so many guys, that when dennishambright.com it comes to ending a relationship, they fall into some kind of prepubescent, thumb-sucking likeness of a hairless eunuch? And yes, a eunuch is a castrated man…and I think they look like those weird little creatures that skip around the forest in movies like Lord of the Rings, but I’m not absolutely sure, because I’ve got a pair, and I don’t watch movies like that. Anyway…

I’ve seen it time and time again. Real men. Guys that swing a hammer every day, or wear a badge and carry a gun, or run into burning buildings for a living. Tough guys.

Real bad-asses, that on any other day I wouldn’t think twice about backing me up in a prison riot.

But when it comes to breaking up with a woman, they turn into manly mush, and act like she’s got a remote control tuned into a wedge of C-4 sewn into the lining of their tidywhities, and the red light is blinking and all she’s got to do is press the button and Boom!...it’s on to a life of skipping through the forest and blowing on a wooden flute all day. But guys, it just ain’t so!

I’m the last guy you’d want to ask about relationship advice, because history has proven that I can’t make one last. I’m that guy that will have a chapel full of beautiful women at my funeral, but most of them will be there just to make sure I’m dead, and then whoop it up at the after-party. However, I’ve got a PhD in Breakupology, and there are a few things I know for sure.

First of all, it happens. EVERY man has a head-on collision with a dead-end relationship at some point in his life. It’s like the screech of twisted metal in your mind, and broken glass in your gut, and you feel pinned in, and you smell gasoline, and you’re just

by Dennis Hambright Blitz Weekly Writer

waiting for the tank to explode and end it all.

(Maybe that’s a little dramatic, but it’s pretty close.)

You know it’s over, so you spend more time at work, just so you don’t have to come home. You pick senseless arguments, just hoping she’ll stomp off and slam the door, so you can watch TV by yourself and you don’t have to have a conversation. You complain about her endlessly to your buddies, and when she snuggles up to you at night, you feel like you’re being smothered by a heatgenerating walrus, and you shudder and play like you’re asleep.

You’re just hoping that if you act like a big enough jerk, she’ll break up with you.

But she won’t, because when a woman is in love, she’ll do anything she can to keep a relationship alive. So, if you’re just trying to goad her into breaking up with you, you’re just a big old chicken.

Cock-a-doodle-do!

If you’re with her now, then you must have cared about her at some point. If you say you’re staying together just so you won’t hurt her, that’s BS! Dragging it out, when you know it’s over, is just mean, and it’s going to hurt her even more when she finds out you’ve been trying to make it so miserable that she’d be the one to end it.

She’s going to be hurt. She’s going to be upset. She’s going to be royally pissed, no matter when you drop the bomb, so be a Real Man, and do it right.

Here’s a tip. Look under the couch…behind the stove…dig through that old box of Christmas decorations…check in the trunk of your car…search like an old man hunting for the remote…but find your clankers, and re-attach them, and just pull the damn trigger! Then, maybe both of you can be happy…with someone you really deserve to be with. It really is the right thing to do.