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NEWS

Most of our local prime steakhouses already know just how much we love an oversized, perfectly cooked, mouth-watering hunk of high-quality beef. Sometimes, the price alone could give you a heart problem. So, local chefs and meat market owners tell you how to find and prepare flawless cuts at home. Here’s to your health! Story by Greg Elwell, P.20.

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Elections: voter turnout update City: new Spokies Education: Rick Cobb Chicken-Fried News Commentary Letters

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news elections

The decline Voter turnout has decreased for almost every age in every region of the state.

By Ben Felder

A wave of young adults flocking to Oklahoma City in recent years has impacted the local culinary scene, boosted attendance at street festivals and helped put a renewed emphasis on urban planning methods.

But it hasn’t had any real impact on the ballot box, at least not according to the most recent data on voting trends.

Young adults, often referred to as millennials, don’t vote in large numbers in nearly any part of the country, according to various reports. But local races have an especially dismal record of drawing young voters.

Oklahoma Gazette analysis of voter data provided by the Oklahoma County Election Board from this year’s city council elections showed the average age of voters in three ward races was well over 50.

In Ward 8, where Mark Stonecipher won election, the average voting age was 65.9 years old.

In Ward 2, where Ed Shadid won

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reelection, the average age was 62.1.

Even in Ward 6, which includes neighborhoods downtown and in Midtown, the average voter age was 57.9.

Low voter turnout for young adults was highlighted by Tulsa World last month after analysis by the newspaper showed voter registration among 18- to 24-year-olds in Oklahoma had dramatically declined over the past 10 years.

Since 2005, the number of registered voters in that age range in Oklahoma has declined by 40 percent, reported Tulsa World in July.

The same analysis of voter registration data found that young adult registration for each party had also dropped, including by as much as 50 percent for Democrats.

But it’s not just young adults who are opting out of the democratic compact; various turnout statistics show that eligible voters in nearly every age bracket, ethnicity and region are

posting lower turnout rates than at any time in modern history.

Some see the solution as making the voting process easier. But while voting trends show that the poor and disenfranchised vote at a lower rate, even affluent populations are experiencing declines in turnout.

“We certainly can do better to reach out to potential voters, especially young adults,” said Forrest Bennett, a college government teacher and candidate for House District 92 in south Oklahoma City. “But at the end of the day, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink, right?”

Increase turnout

Last year, Oklahoma Policy Institute published a series of proposed reforms for state adoption with the hope of increasing voter participation. Some of the reform proposals included allowing same-day voter registration, extending early voting periods, allowing post-incarcerated felony offenders to

Nationally, the only voter age group that hasn’t decreased is 65 and older, which votes at the same rate today as it did in 1978. vote and easing the requirements for allowing political parties beyond the big two to appear on the ballot.

“Policymakers and opinion leaders should acknowledge the serious problem of declining political participation in Oklahoma,” Oklahoma Policy Institute Executive Director David Blatt said at the release of the proposed reforms. “Unless we can find a way to reinvigorate our democracy, we will have little chance of solving the great challenges we face as a state.”

This year, Oklahoma lawmakers did approve two bills designed to increase voter participation; one allows for online voter registration, and the other consolidates local elections to a date in either the spring or fall. Both bills continued on page 6

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news elections continued From page 4

were two of several introduced by Sen. David Holt, R-Oklahoma City, that seek modernization of various voting processes, including the option for allmail ballots.

“Our plunging levels of civic participation are reaching crisis levels,” Holt warned when he introduced the legislation earlier this year.

National trends

Voter turnout is low across the country, and not just among young adults. Voter turnout data reported last month by the U.S. Census showed 41.9 percent of Americans registered to vote did so in the 2014 national midterm elections.

Just two years earlier, the turnout rate across the nation was 45.5, and two years before that, in 2010, the turnout rate was 47.8.

When broken down by age, the voter turnout data showed much higher percentages for older adults than young adults, even though they, too, had seen declines in recent years.

“In recent congressional elections, we’ve seen low levels of engagement among young people and the opposite for older Americans,” Thom File, a Census Bureau sociologist and the report’s author, said at the time of the report’s release in July. “These age differences cut across racial and ethnic groups as well. Regardless of

The ... reality is that when things aren’t going your way, you need to double down and get more involved.

— Forrest Bennet

whether we’re looking at non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks or Hispanics, voting rates tend to increase significantly with age.”

However, while young adults both locally and nationally have much lower turnout rates than older adults, that is not a new trend. The same census report showed the age bracket of 18- to 34-year-olds consistently turning out in much lower numbers than older age groups. In fact, the older the group, the higher the turnout. But nearly all age groups have seen turnout rates decline over the past 40 years.

Adults age 45 to 64 turned out at a rate of 49.6 percent in 2014, compared to 53.7 percent in 1978.

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Eligible voters in nearly every age bracket, ethnicity and region are posting lower turnout rates than at any time in modern history.

Adults age 35 to 44 voted at a rate of 37.8 percent in 2014, which was a sizable drop from 53.7 percent in 1978.

The only age group to not see a decrease was 65 and older, which is voting at the same rate today as in 1978: 59.4 percent.

Other trends

Caucasians, who are the largest portion of the electorate, have seen their voter turnout rate drop from 50.6 percent in 1978 to 45.8 percent in 2014.

Hispanic voter turnout declined from 1978 to 2014, dropping from 35 percent to 27 percent.

Eligible voters who are married with a spouse living in the household had a 50.9 percent turnout in 2014, compared to 25.9 percent for those who had never been married.

The top tier of the voting rate distribution included those with advanced degrees (62.0 percent), those who had lived in their current home for five years or longer (57.2 percent), government workers (56.5 percent) and military veterans (54.2 percent).

Engaged nonvoter

It’s tough to gauge how civically involved young adults in Oklahoma City are beyond election turnout numbers. The city’s growing millennial population has seen leaders emerge in the areas of neighborhood development, entrepreneurship and culture, which has an important impact on the city,

even if those who show up for the Plaza District’s monthly street festival do not necessarily pay attention to local elections.

“When I look at [young adults] here, I see many who are involved and looking to make an impact,” said Steve Hill, chief of staff for Mayor Mick Cornett. “But there are many ways to accomplish the kind of things they want to besides just voting.”

Hill doesn’t believe a low turnout for young adults on election day necessarily means young adults are disengaged from local affairs.

He also doesn’t believe today’s younger generation is all that different from those who came before.

“I’d say they are very engaged, but not always at city hall,” Hill said.

“There are a lot of young people who have an active interest in shaping the world around them, and it kind of depends on how big they consider that world in what they get involved in. For some people, their world is Classen Ten Penn; for some people, it’s the city; for some people, it’s the state.”

Hill, who also worked for President Barack Obama’s campaign in 2008 in Colorado, said he can see why some young adults, and all adults for that matter, would be uninspired by the current voting process.

“If you want to see change right now, then voting isn’t always the way you see that change taking place,” Hill said. “You look at how elections are

run and it’s very mechanical and its processed; there is some gamesmanship involved, there is some silliness involved and sometimes it’s easy to look at that and say, ‘That doesn’t help me improve my neighborhood.’”

Of course, Hill sees voting as an important part in bringing change, just as much as other forms of community involvement.

At age 25, Bennett is not only an engaged voter but is running for state office.

“When I think about my peers and increasing [voter turnout], I do think it’s important to bring the voting process into the 21st century a little bit,” Bennett said.

Bennett said he would like to see more technology incorporated in the voting process and praised some of Sen. Holt’s measures to modernize voting in the state. Bennett also said it’s important for candidates to find issues that appeal to younger voters.

“I think it’s finding what issues hit people specifically and reframing the argument that way,” Bennett said. “A lot of people, not just those who are young, think that government is not working for them, and they choose to end their relationship with government and politics. But the real reality is that when things aren’t going your way, you need to double down and get more involved.”

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news city

mark ha n coc k

Brand, new The city’s public bike sharing program gets a new look and several upgrades.

By Ben Felder

Trisha Neece checked her route one final time on her smartphone before straddling her bike and pedaling off to the convention center about 10 blocks away.

In town for a conference, Neece was without a car in downtown Oklahoma City but not without options for getting to her destination.

“I would have never thought about bringing a bike because of having to deal with it,” Neece said before sliding her credit card into the Spokies kiosk at the corner of Hudson Avenue and Eighth Street. “This just seems like a good way to get to the other side of downtown and not have to worry about [parking] a car or parking my own bike.”

Neece took advantage of Spokies’ newest bike sharing station, the eighth downtown. Launched three years ago, Spokies became a part of the city’s transit department last year.

The newest station, in front of Elemental Coffee Roasters at 815 N. Hudson Ave., also came during a program rebrand and new sponsorship agreement.

“The rebrand not only brought us a new look, but changes to the actual equipment of the bikes,” said Brent Tongco, Spokies general manager. “We took every single bike and stripped it down and did a thorough inspection of the frame. The bikes that passed were stripped of their rust and paint.”

Bicycle sharing programs existed

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as long ago as the mid 20th century, but modern programs took hold in cities about 10 years ago. OKC’s program is relatively young, but Tongco said it is already entering a new era with newly built bikes, new branding and new technology.

“I’ve been in the bike-sharing industry since 2008, and between then and now, so much has changed,” Tongco said. “It’s a very young industry, but we have seen continued improvement across the industry that we want to bring here.”

Ridership

Spokies ridership reached 6,515 in 2014.

Through July 30 of this year, it hit 4,088, according to data provided by Tongco. By month, ridership appears to be slightly down this year over last year. However, Tongco said overall bike availability decreased after removing some in Spokies’ reboot, so those numbers need further clarification.

“Last year, the average number of bikes in the system were 45 to 50 bikes, but now, we are closer to 25 bikes,” Tongco said. “As we have completed the reboot, bikes that aren’t up to par for a good system were removed. There were less trips [per month] this summer, but if you divide it by the number of bikes, there were actually more rides per bike, per day.”

Jason Ferbrache, EMBARK

from left Amanda Laija and Ashleigh Arnall try out new Spokies bikes in the Elemental Coffee Roasters parking lot location at Eighth Street and Hudson Avenue. city transit director, said the increase in various forms of non-car transportation also gives OKC’s central business district more transit options.

“When combined with the EMBARK bus service, which now provides 30-minute frequency on nearly all routes, residents outside the urban core can take advantage of a multimodal connection to experience all downtown has to offer,” Ferbrache said in a recent media statement.

The city’s transit department has added evening bus service to two central routes, and a planned downtown streetcar system is expected to be operational in a few years.

Revenue

As part of its sponsorship, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma can advertise on the side of baskets attached to Spokies bikes.

“That’s something that almost every [bike-sharing] system does now,” Tongco said about the ads.

The recent rebrand also included a new, more user- and mobile-friendly website, Tongco said.

“Now, our website is completely redesigned, and I think one thing that is huge is we have a real-time map

We have seen continued improvement across the industry that we want to bring here.

— Brent Tongco

on our website. And anyone with a smartphone or computer can go online to look at the map and click on one of the stations to know how many bikes are available at any time,” Tongco said.

The service allowed Neece, who rode a Spokies bike to the convention center, to avoid parking fees and traffic.

“I’ve used this in other cities, like Austin, and it’s really fun,” Neece said.

As the program increases its presence downtown, Tongco said he hopes it becomes an option for residents and visitors alike.

“I think the rebrand of the bikes and the rebranding of the stations has done a tremendous job of gaining more attention of the system,” Tongco said.

“The bikes are playing an important role in offering ways to get around downtown.”

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s u CC e s s sto ry # 1 47

A product of the finest private education, Tank knows his training has opened many of life’s doors.

news education

p hotos by m a rk ha n coc k

He hopes it opens some windows too.

Group Class • BoardinG sChool • private lessons

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Trail top Rick Cobb goes from anonymous education blogger to superintendent of Mid-Del Public Schools.

By Brett dicKerson

Rick Cobb’s ideas were known for two years before they were actually connected to his real name. Starting in 2012, he was the anonymous author of the evocative issues blog OKEducationTruths.wordpress.com.

But he is anything but anonymous now.

This month, staff, teachers and students at Mid-Del Public Schools are getting to know him as their superintendent and no doubt will be addressing the Ph.D. as Dr. Cobb — and for good reason.

Reputation

Cobb has a reputation of listening and being highly interactive with teachers, according to Elise Robillard, President of The Education Association of Moore, the local teachers’ union for Moore Public Schools.

In an interview with Oklahoma Gazette, she praised Cobb for his intellect and willingness to listen to those who are doing the work in the classroom.

“He does deep thinking about issues. But he doesn’t get stuck in the thought,” Robillard said. “Once he sees a clear picture of everything, he is willing to act. He loves innovation and creativity. If he can see how it’s going to benefit kids, he’s going to do it.”

Challenges

Praising outgoing Superintendent Pam Deering, Cobb said finances are the biggest challenge for any school district in the state.

“From discussions with the board and Dr. Deering, the carryover amount is in pretty good shape,”

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Mid-Del School Administration Building Cobb said. “But it’s hard to keep it there with everything that has gone on over the last seven or eight years of funding in Oklahoma.”

He also identified academic achievement as being a common concern for the leader of any school in the state.

“I know that Mid-Del has a lot of student achievement, but improving or keeping that in place is going to be one of the great challenges,” Cobb said.

Anonymity

Being in such a public role now, it’s hard to imagine that once upon a time, in addition to his very public work as an assistant superintendent in Moore, he was an anonymous education blogger and sometimes the bane of the top school official in Oklahoma.

In the 2010 election, dentist Janet Barresi became the first person in the state’s history elected to the position of State Superintendent of Public Schools who was not credentialed as a certified public school teacher and administrator.

Critics of the state’s public school system saw it as an opportunity to make needed reforms that would enable charter school development and a wider spectrum of education options, including religious schools.

But others, including those who spent years supporting public education, saw something else.

They saw too much change pushed through with too little explanation.

Where teachers and administrators had a simmering past of opposing one another, steadily increasing numbers now joined forces to oppose the new chief.

So a new model of education activism developed.

Teachers, administrators, parents and even the normally vanilla PTA came together in opposition of Barresi.

Anonymous blogger

An outlier among those who were doing education issues blogging at the time under real names, Cobb’s insights overcame readers’ initial caution toward an anonymous source.

The author of that blog knew a great deal about highly technical details of testing, curriculum, education data and the massive guts of public school administration in Oklahoma in addition to general education issues.

And the author knew that information and system so well that he could explain it clearly to anyone, even those parents who had no training in the education professions.

With his announcement and claim of ownership of the blog in January, everyone started to understand why those posts were so informative.

Cobb was the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for Moore Public Schools, which he held until he was hired to be the superintendent of Mid-Del schools.

Cobb explained that he had watched some schools in Moore get the reward school designation, which he was happy about. But at the same time, he saw other schools that served large numbers of poor students receive failing grades.

“It was a pretty straight line between testing data and free and reduced lunches,” Cobb said.

Intellect, influence

Angela Clark Little has become one of the better-known parent activists in support of public schools in Oklahoma. She traces her early influences to Cobb’s work on his blog.

“He really opened my eyes to the real issues behind what’s going on in education,” she said. “With the media that we have in Oklahoma, we don’t always get the truth.”

Little said that Cobb’s blog has been and still is a good tool beyond her edification and thinking about education issues.

“If I have to explain an issue to a parent, it helps to direct them to the blog to show parents what is happening,” Little said.

rick cobb

It was a pretty straight line between testing data and free and reduced lunches.

— Rick Cobb

Rob Miller, an education blogger and a new assistant superintendent of Sand Springs Public Schools, identified Cobb’s passion and thinking about education issues in Oklahoma as one of the early influences in his becoming an education blogger.

In years past, it was assumed that teachers, and especially administrators, would be politically quiet and compliant.

Miller, formerly an active-duty Marine officer, characterized the approach as “being good soldiers.”

“This is one of the problems in education,” he said. “It’s that teachers and administrators are good soldiers.

We do what we’re told.”

But he and other administrators could see a new model for intelligent, respectful activism of administrators in Cobb’s blog.

He and several other administrators are regular contributors to education debates in Oklahoma through their blogs.

Miller summed up Cobb’s influence: “He was one of those trailblazers.”

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CHiCKEN CKEN

FRiED NEWS

Bad idea

Breaking into a cop’s house is a bad idea.

Breaking into his in-laws’ house is even worse, as Stephen Ray Brown figured out all too briefly when he was shot and killed by an off-duty Midwest City police officer.

Brown, 54, was allegedly burgling a home in Choctaw when the officer discovered him while checking on the residence because his in-laws were away.

According to reports, the officer arrived to find the door open and the dwelling ransacked. When he found Brown with a gun, the cop shot and killed him.

Look, there are very few places you want to run into an off-duty cop with a gun — maybe at Affair of the Firearm at the fairgrounds — but inside his in-laws’ home is the worst. Because everyone, at least once, has wanted to pull out a pistol in their in-laws’ place and fire off a couple of rounds.

The last thing you want to do is give a guy an excuse.

Online politics

The world of politics is a complicated place, and young Oklahomans are keeping their distance.

If there’s one way to grab the attention of a millennial, it’s by using the word “online.” Young adults will do anything if they can do it on their MacBook from the comfort of their own bed, and State Senator David Holt knows it.

In an effort to simplify voter registration, Holt introduced a bill into law giving the Oklahoma Election Board authorization to implement an online registration process beginning Nov. 1. He hopes this will combat the 40-percent drop over the last decade of registered voters ages 18-24.

Perhaps the online process will encourage young people to register, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll vote when Election Day rolls around. A registered voter is not synonymous with an interested voter, and the truth is young people just aren’t interested in politics.

“I think a lot of it is just political disillusionment. It feels like the races have all been determined before they start,” 22-year-old Vanessa Sweet told Tulsa World.

We admire your effort, Senator Holt, but it’s going to take much more than an online registration process to convince youngsters to vote.

Planned patriarchy

U.S. Sens. James Lankford and Jim Inhofe, both R-Oklahoma, have vocally joined the crusade to investigate and defund Planned Parenthood.

In a media release, Inhofe said he introduced proposed legislation after he saw edited videos released from a right-leaning group. The group alleges that the clips show proof of a fetal tissue “harvesting” scheme by Planned Parenthood.

Whoa, whoa. Wait. Planned Parenthood aren’t code words for “abortion clinic,” nor are they interchangeable with “black-market infant trade” or whatever it is they’re trying to claim. In fact, the vast majority of its services don’t involve abortion at all.

But that didn’t stop Inhofe from claiming the organization, which is almost a century old, has a “casual disregard for human life.”

Have any of Inhofe’s or Lankford’s staff members thought to teach these fine and well-educated men how to use Google? A properly done search reveals a whole lot of really helpful data: Planned Parenthood spends around 3 percent of its revenue on abortion-related services.

That means almost all of its funding is used for, you know, family planning and healthcare.

Imagine our shock and surprise!

We know it’s hard to believe, but exactly none of Oklahoma’s six Planned Parenthood locations perform abortions.

Instead, they offer referral for further care, which seems totally rational to us. You know what else? What the organization does provide to Oklahoma residents is HIV, STI and STD testing, treatment and vaccines; pregnancy testing and services; contraception; and women’s (and men’s) health care. These vital services are all about preserving and maintaining healthy families.

Given the overzealous men (and one woman — Hi, Joni Ernst of Iowa!)

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who also happen to be lawmakers and who have politicized — for whatever reason — family planning, it’s easy to be confused about all the fuss. Because it doesn’t appear to be about saving lives or maintaining the health of the very people of our state and nation who might just need help the most.

Expensive jokes

Do not hide $50,000 in your friend’s car as a prank.

Sure, it’s a classic joke. Everybody has a couple hundred grand lying around, just waiting for a great hidden money gag to present itself, but Oklahoma’s law enforcement community might not be in on the fun.

It turns out our state’s forfeiture laws — the ones that say state and local law enforcement officers can seize money or property if they even think it’s involved in a crime, even if they never file a charge — are ripe for misuse.

Recent investigations by Oklahoma Watch and NPR found seized money has been used to pay off college loans for an assistant district attorney, a seized home was used as a rent-free residence by another assistant DA and there were more than another dozen cases in which guns, money and property taken in forfeiture was lost or went unreported.

District attorneys and law enforcement agencies are appalled at the insinuation that they might be tempted to just go after people’s money and possessions just because they’re allowed, with almost no regulation, to take people’s money and possessions. If there’s one thing we know about power is that it absolutely does not corrupt anybody at all ever.

State Sen. Kyle Loveless, R-Oklahoma City, wants to amend the law to require criminal charges after any asset forfeiture (which the U.S. Department of Justice did already this year), but he’s getting a lot of pushback from people who don’t want to make it any harder for them to take money.

Here’s a hypothetical

list of things state and local cops can take from you if they think (or say they think) it’s involved in a crime: • Money • A calendar with cute kittens on it • Your prized “Who farted?” T-shirt • George Washington’s femur • A 1997 Hyundai Elantra So until this gets sorted out, Gazette staff recommends you go back to other classic pranks, like short-sheeting the bed or pretending to love someone.

Security concerns

In other news that Texas conspiracy theorists are going to love, Oklahoma National Guard soldiers and airmen are now packing heat to protect military centers in the state. This is in response to the attack in Chattanooga, Tennessee, not an attempt by the federal government to invade Texas.

According to a NewsOK.com article, our state has eight storefront recruiting centers that are a “security point of concern.” We here at the Gazette love our troops, but we wonder if the security

“concern” is due to the troops that man them on a regular basis or other threats because, according to the same article, a recruiter accidentally shot himself in the leg with his personal .45-caliber pistol while talking about the Chattanooga shootings with a recruit.

“Officials said he showed the sailor the unloaded gun, then reloaded it and inadvertently discharged it as he was putting it back in his holster,” the article stated.

We feel safer already!

Back in the day — meaning a week or two ago — U.S. forces used to not carry guns when they are on military bases or not in combat because “Pentagon officials are sensitive to any appearance of armed troops within the United States,” according to NewsOK.com.

But now, we need armed troops in order to invade Texas — er, we mean, play football. We need the guns to play football. Yes, that is what we mean.

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COMMENTARY

State needs injection well moratorium

BY JOHNSON BRIDGWATER

Given the fact that Oklahoma is experiencing more earthquakes than ever and we are starting to experience stronger earthquakes of 4.0-plus magnitude on a regular basis, it is evident now more than ever that a moratorium on Oklahoma’s injection well activity is absolutely vital to assuring the protection and safety of Oklahoma citizens.

There are people in this state who haven’t just suffered physical damage to their homes; too many of us live in fear and suffer from daily anxiety as a result of this crisis.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court has opened the way to lawsuits involving these earthquakes, so let us hope this decision also pressures those in charge to act more sternly on this issue.

As further evidence that the earthquake issue is becoming more

problematic, on July 17, Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) released a statement in which it expanded its “area of interest” in Oklahoma from 16 counties to 21.

In addition, commission experts stated that recent northern Oklahoma County and southern Logan County earthquakes deeply concern them, as they do not conform to expected patterns.

These facts stand as strong evidence to support a moratorium on injection well operations in the 21 counties until they fully understand the situation.

At this point, our state government is putting a Band-Aid on a shattered limb.

It is also troubling that the OCC relied on a $200,000 grant to fund work that they state is their most important issue. This grant came by

order of the office of the governor, while at the same time the governor confirmed a 6.25 percent OCC budget cut for this fiscal year.

These actions seem contradictory.

And despite the budget cut, new laws ask the OCC to do more work with less money regarding oversight of Oklahoma’s oil and gas industry, specifically Senate Bill 809, which makes the commission responsible for regulating oil and gas — including injection wells — in local jurisdictions.

Previous to this new law, Oklahoma cities and towns oversaw oil and gas for more than 80 years without industry complaint.

Given the importance of the earthquake crisis, why are the governor and the OCC not holding open public forums to hear directly from Oklahoma citizens? Instead, they keep praising

industry cooperation and working behind closed doors rather than talking publicly with their constituents.

There is an organization holding open meetings. The Oklahoma and Kansas chapters of the Sierra Club will sponsor Earthquake Fighters public meetings in Stillwater (Aug. 8), Norman (Aug. 20), Guthrie (TBD) and Tulsa (TBD).

These meetings follow an event held in Medford, which attracted 100 concerned citizens.

The state of Oklahoma has a chance to prove to its citizens that government is more concerned with safety than it is with corporate interests, so let us push them to make good on this opportunity and put the people’s needs first.

Johnson Bridgwater is director of the Oklahoma chapter of Sierra Club.

Opinions expressed on the commentary page, in letters to the editor and elsewhere in this newspaper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ownership or management.

LETTERS Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section.

The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to jchancellor@ okgazette.com or sent online at okgazette. com. Include a city of residence and contact number for verification.

‘Reverse’ integration

The July 15 Plaza School article is the most optimistic and intelligent article I’ve read in the Oklahoma Gazette (News, “Plaza Schooling”). Excellent article.

The Oklahoma governor, the Oklahoma City mayor and every school parent should read and reread this article.

What we need is to integrate our schools with parents like the ones in Ben Felder’s article about Gatewood Elementary, where parents who cared and got involved and who had children that are respectful and disciplined like them and get involved helping other children.

They believed their “involvement could help the school improve its academic performance,” and proved it could work.

They weren’t discouraged by irrelevant

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government grade cards. They encourage the school staff by assuming they were just as good as any other school staff.

Maybe the answer to improving schools, children’s education and neighborhoods is to make it safe and profitable for young, affluent homeowners to live in disadvantaged areas. Maybe have the police give more attention to patrolling those areas, and maybe give the young, affluent family homeowners a property tax break to buy in those areas.

Kind of like reverse integration. We need more parents who will get involved with their kids’ schools rather than run away to the affluent side of town, where they think they can leave it all up to the school. No matter what color they are.

— Michael Moberly Oklahoma City Praising Pawley

Thank you, Jack Fowler, for solving a mystery for us (Life, Visual Arts, Cover Story, “Passing ‘Cultivation,’” July 15, Oklahoma Gazette).

Recently, a friend and I were jogging around downtown and jogged through the underpass at S. EK Gaylord Boulevard and W. Reno Avenue. We stopped dead in our tracks when we realized we were

running through art. In unison we asked, “Who painted this mural?!” I would say to anyone who has not seen it to take a trip downtown to see it.

Walk — don’t drive — through it.

— Eloise Bentley Oklahoma City Faltering flag

Republicans rallying to retain the flag of the Confederacy would most certainly cause “Old Abe” to hang his head in disbelief. The Koch Brothers, Sheldon Adelson, et al. presently lead the Republican mission to reassemble an absolute corporate grip on wealth.

Imagine the astonishment and shame felt by Teddy and Taft if they knew the present-day “malefactors of great wealth”

have completely reversed their noble “trust-busting” of the early 20th century.

Republican Dwight Eisenhower’s heart would be broken by the absolute grip the military-industrial complex now holds on his country. He tried to warn us.

Abe, Teddy, Taft and Ike would find it impossible to win a Republican primary in 2016.

— Frank Silovsky Oklahoma City Correction

In the July 22 Gazette, we gave the incorrect address for the OKC-County Health Department building where Nani had its hearing. The correct address is 1000 NE 10th St., Room 1102.

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OKG picks are events

recommended by Oklahoma Gazette editorial staff members.

For full calendar listings, go to okgazette.com.

BOOKS Cuppies & Joe Storybook Hour, fun for kids and adults alike, as kids can sit and listen to story time while adults enjoy coffee and cultured conversation; cupcakes appropriate for all ages, 10 a.m., Aug. 8. Cuppies & Joe, 727 N.W. 23rd, 528-2122, cuppiesandjoe.com. SAT

Blackjack Bomber Signing with TC Miller, five average, middle-aged suburban guys jokingly call themselves the Thursday Night Mafia,and their weekly blackjack game appears to be an innocent pastime. But looks can be deceiving, as casual talk over cards leads to an ill-fated plot to scam Lake Tahoe casinos; join the author for a signing, 3 p.m., Aug. 8., Full Circle Bookstore, 1900 Northwest Expressway, fullcirclebooks.com. SAT Art Adventures, children can experience the world of art through storybooks and projects in this event series; this week’s story will be The Pink Refrigerator by Tim Egan, 10:30 A.M., Aug. 11. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma. TUE

FILM Finding Nemo, Sonic Summer Movie Nights continues with this family feel-good fish flick; follow Nemo as he embarks on the accidental adventure of a lifetime, and his fretful father Marlin and forgetful friend Dory as they try to track him down, 9 p.m., Aug. 5. Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/ events. WED When the Game Stands Tall, (2014, US, dir. Thomas Carter) when a high school football team with the world’s longest winning streak suddenly sees that streak take a turn, the team must persevere through losses of more than just games, 8 p.m., Aug. 7. White Water Bay, 3908 W Reno Ave., 943-9687, whitewaterbay.com. FRI The Stanford Prison Experiment, (2015, US, dir. Kyle Patrick Alvarez) based on the terrifying true story of 24 college student volunteers who took on the roles of guards and prisoners in a makeshift prison, this film retelling demonstrates in sharp relief that sometimes the most terrifying monsters are those that live inside of us, Fri., 5:30 & 8 p.m., Sat., 5:30 & 8 p.m., Sun., 2 & 5:30 p.m. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa. com. FRI-SUN The Wolfpack, (2015, US, dir. Crystal Moselle) six isolated brothers living in a messy 4 bedroom New York tenement learn to cope with their detached, somewhat lonely existence by relying on the friendship of each other and pass the time by re-enacting scenes from their favorite movies, 5:30 p.m., Aug. 7-9. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI-SUN

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ Everyone’s childhood favorite is back with new release Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F.’ Overseen by the series creator himself, Akira Toriyama, Resurrection ‘F’ showcases the return of the villain Frieza. Oklahoma City screenings are 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 5 and 11 p.m. Saturday at Cinemark Tinseltown, 6001 N. Martin Luther King Ave., and AMC Quail Springs Mall 24, 2501 W. Memorial Road.

Visit fathomevents.com.

Wednesday, aug. 5 and Saturday

Tangerine, (2015, US, dir. Sean Baker) two transgender Los Angeles sex workers go tearing through the city in search of one of the girlís cheating boyfriend in this deep and darkly humorous dramedy shot entirely on iPhone cameras, 8 p.m., Aug. 7-8. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com. FRI-SAT 48 Hour Film Project Premiere Screenings, over one caffeine-fueled weekend, teams of Oklahoma filmmakers worked furiously to create short films in under 48 hours in the world’s largest timed filming competition as a rite of passage for filmmakers, crew, and actors alike; these are those films, and it is up to you as an audience to view, judge, and vote on these pieces to determine which team is the one to rule them all, 2 p.m., Aug. 8. Crossroads Movie 8, 7400 Crossroads Blvd., 48hourfilm.com/oklahomacity. SAT Free Men, (2011, US, dir. Ismael Ferroukhi) arrested by the French police but given a chance to avoid jail, Younes agrees

to spy on the Paris Mosque, where he meets Algerian singer Salim Halali, and is moved by Salim’s beautiful voice and strong personality; when Younes discovers that Salim is Jewish, he stops collaborating with the police and gradually transforms from a politically ignorant immigrant into a fully-fledged freedom fighter, 1:45 p.m., Aug. 9. Emanuel Synagogue, 900 NW 47th St., 528-2113, emanuelokc.org.

SUN E.T., (1982, US, dir. Steven Spielberg) Elliott is a young boy who has found something very, very special, and like many children, he wants to keep it for himself; unlike most children, however, Elliott did not find a puppy or a kitten, but something more special, rare, and dangerous than he ever could have imagined, 9 p.m., Aug. 12.

Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. WED

BigstoCK.CoM

zoo Summer Day Camps

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The Oklahoma City Zoo offers adventurous day camps that give your kiddos opportunities to learn and connect with nature. Camps meet 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. Snacks are provided, but participants are encouraged to bring lunch. Enrollment is $110-$130 per person, per week. Extended camp hours that run until 5:15 p.m. also are available.

Visit okczooed.com or call 425-0218.

Wednesday, aug. 5-Friday, ongoing

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Reading Wednesdays, read nature-inspired books, make a craft or take a walk in the garden using your five senses to experience nature up-close, 10 a.m.-noon, Aug. 5 & 12.

Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. WED

Summer Works of Art This summer, children at the Boys & Girls Club were encouraged to expand their imaginations by interacting with nature to create their own unique place to play in and explore. Join the Boys & Girls Club for its Summer Works of Art exhibit 6-7 p.m. at its Memorial Park location, 3535 N. Western Ave. The event is open to the public, and refreshments will be available. Visit bgcokc.org.

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B E N E F I T S O K C ZO O CO N S E R VAT I O N I N I T I AT I V E S

Friday

HAPPENINGS Through the Eyes of the Lynx: Galileo, Natural History and the Americas, The Academy of the Lynx was one of the world’s earliest scientific societies, whose star pupil was Renaissance artist and scientist (among other vocations) Galileo Galilei; this exhibit celebrates Galileo and the academy in the areas of natural science and history. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, 325-4712, snomnh.ou.edu.

An Evening with Thomas Jefferson, presented by the UCO Laboratory of History Museum, it features a presentation and question-and-answer session with renowned first-person Jefferson interpreter Steven Edenbo, and live music and refreshments, 7 p.m., Aug. 7., 100 N. University Drive, Edmond. FRI Warm B4 Winter Benefit, Sisu Youth provides an afternoon of entertainment, treats and a silent auction where guests can bid on wares and collectibles, including a pair of Russell Westbrook-signed Zero Jordans, with proceeds going to support the only overnight youth homeless shelter in OKC, YogaLab, 1745 NW 16th St. SAT Drop-In Art, if you love abstract starch monoprints, then Oklahoma City Museum of Art on Aug. 8 is where you want to be; if you have no idea what that is, then the experts at OKCMOA will tell you, 1 p.m., Aug. 8.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 2363100, okcmoa.com. SAT

FOOD Ban the Box Cooking Class, get learn about classics such as mashed potatoes and mac ’n’ cheese; living better and creating easy, good and good-for-you meals, 9 a.m., Aug. 7. Integris Southwest Medical Center, 4200 S. Western Ave., 951-2277, integrisok.com. FRI continued on next page

New this year!

Large wrapped canvas animal portraits and unique animal x-ray photographs in various formats.

Opening Night Friday, August 7th

a.k.a gallery | PASEO DISTRICT 6-9pm during First Friday Gallery Walk Exhibit On Display Now - August 31, 2015 Gallery Hours: Wed-Sat | Noon-5pm

View & purchase one-of-a-kind works of art by OKC Zoo animals W W W. O K C Z O O . C O M O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | au g u s t 5 , 2 0 1 5 | 1 7

Deborah donated her ‘97 Toyota Tercel

TURN YOUR CAR INTO PROGRAMS YOU LOVE ON KGOU!

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You get free towing, a tax deduction and the great feeling that comes from doing something to support KGOU!

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TO DONATE YOUR VEHICLE GO TO WWW. KGOU.ORG OR CALL 855.277.2346 (855.2PRADIO)

learn to Row If you’re looking for a way to get fit while staying cool, register for OKC Riversport’s Learn to Row program. Sessions begin Friday. Registration for OKC’s only adult beginner’s rowing class is open now for ages 18 and up, and you’ll gain all the skills needed to join a team or take on the river alone. The cost is $175 a person, and classes meet two evenings a week for four weeks. Visit boathousedistrict.org or call 552-4040.

Friday, ongoing Paseo First Friday, a monthly food- and fun-filled evening of touring Paseo’s varied galleries and listening to live music; featured this week is I Don’t Know & I Don’t Care food truck and Katiebug’s Shaved Ice, 6-10 p.m. Aug. 7., Paseo Arts District, 3022 Paseo St., thepaseo.com/calendar/ first-friday. FRI Weekly Farmers Market, shop goods from local produce, bakers and artisans, 9 a.m.- 2 p.m., Aug. 8. Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave., 232-6506, okcfarmersmarket. com. SAT Saturday Cooking Class, join Buy For Less and the Gourmet Grille Saturday to learn how to cook zucchini fritters with caper mayo, 1 p.m., Aug. 8. Buy For Less, 3501 Northwest Expressway, 946-6342, buyforlessok.com. SAT The Unsweet Side of Soda, unfortunately, that delicious, refreshing cooling treat we all know as soda, is drowning in sugars, chemicals and other not-so-good for you stuff; if you are really ready learn more about soft drink ingredients, let scientist Jessica Cox be your guide in this hour-long class offered by Natural Grocers, 4 p.m., Aug. 9. Natural Grocers, 7001 N. May Ave., 840-0300, naturalgrocers.com. SUN

Felipe Esparza, best known for his deep voice, glorious mane, and winning the 2010 season of Last Comic Standing, Felipe Esparza (They’re Not Gonna Laugh At You, 2012 and What’s Up Fool? podcast) on Aug. 10 brings his honest, narrative comedic stylings to Oklahoma, 7 p.m., Aug. 10, ACM@UCO Performance Lab, 329 E. Sheridan Ave., 9744700, acm.uco.edu. MON Billy Elliot, in the face of his family’s disapproval, a prodigious young boy overcomes the odds to become a ballet dancer in this dramatic but uplifting musical scored

by Sir Elton John and brought to you by Lyric Theatre, 7:30 p.m., Aug. 5 & 6, 8 p.m., Aug. 7, 2 & 8 p.m., Aug. 8.

Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., 297-2264, okcciviccenter.com. TUE-SAT

YOUTH

Robert Hawkins, you may know him for his work on the FOX sitcom Titus, but Robert Hawkins has been busy since the show’s 2002 cancellation honing his comedy writing and stand-up chops for your entertainment and has a comedy special available for free download on his website, 8 p.m., Aug. 5 & 6, 8 & 10:30 p.m., Aug. 7 & 8. Loony Bin Comedy Club, 8503 N. Rockwell Ave., 239-4242, loonybincomedy. com. WED-SAT

Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body, exhibit based on the best-selling book by Sylvia Branzei; lets visitors see the good, bad, and ugly facts about the human body from runny noses to body odor and more.

Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52nd St., 602-6664, sciencemuseumok.org.

Barbra Streisand & Janis Joplin Tribute Show, if you are nostalgic for the 1960s and '70s, let Janis and Barbra transport you back through music in this one-of-a-kind tribute show dedicated to honoring the ladies of the grooviest generation, 7 p.m., Aug. 9., UCO Jazz Lab, 100 E. Fifth St., Edmond, 205-5085, ucojazzlab.com. SUN

Crafts for Kids, bring the little ones into Lakeshore Learning to make a cute ice cold lemonade-shaped door hanger letting passersby and would-be interrupters that their room is the (literally) coolest place to be, 11 a.m., Aug. 8.

Lakeshore Learning Store, 6300 N. May Ave., 858-8778, lakeshorelearning.com. SAT

ACTIVE

Peculiar Pollinators, enjoy an educational afternoon with Dr. Ann Fleener as she discusses all sorts of animals who help pollinate flowers, ferns, and other plants, followed by a garden tour and a honey tasting, 1 p.m., Aug. 8.

Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., 445-7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/events. SAT Cowboy Caravan, a free, carnival-style event perfect for the whole family will be open from 4:30-7 p.m.; will feature inflatables and face painting, an autograph session with OSU athletes and coaches, and a pep rally with the OSU Spirit Squads and Pistol Pete, as well as food trucks for dining options, and a live feed of the indoor program will be available in the food court, 4:30 p.m., Aug. 11. OSU-OKC Campus, 900 N Portland Ave., 947-4421, osuokc.edu/ home. TUE

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PERFORMING ARTS

OKC Dodgers vs. Colorado Springs Sky Sox, support OKC Dodgers as it tries to beat the opposite team and also beat the heat; enjoy beer, hot dogs, and maybe even catch a foul ball, 7 p.m., Aug. 5-8, 6 p.m., Aug. 9. Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Drive, 218-1000. WED Sunset Rooftop Yoga, enjoy Yoga Flow every Thursday at sunset on the Caliber Building’s rooftop; class includes live music, 7-8 p.m., Aug. 6. Balance. Yoga. Barre., 911 N. Broadway Ave., 620-6807, balanceyogabarre.com. THU Blaze 5k and Hero Homecoming, this run benefits Limbs for Life, a global nonprofit who helps to provide prosthetics for amputees who are otherwise financially unable to afford them, and the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center, honoring America’s veterans with quality healthcare; it begins and ends at the Chesapeake Boathouse and follows the Oklahoma River Trails, 8 p.m., Aug. 8. Chesapeake Boathouse, 725 S Lincoln Blvd. SAT

Grown

MA

OKLAHO

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VISUAL ARTS 21st Annual Art Show at INTEGRIS Cancer Institute, artists of all ages wishing to express how their lives have been affected by cancer will have their work on display; the exhibit is open to all forms of art including but not limited to fiber, graphics, oil, watercolor, mixed media, photography, pottery, sculpture, writing, or poetry, July 24- Sept. 3.

Integris Cancer Institute, 5911 W Memorial Rd. A Foot in Two Worlds, exhibit by sculptor and storyteller Holly Wilson that tells a story through seven one-of-a-kind sculptures and seven large-scale photographs. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd.

A World Unconquered: The Art of Oscar Brousse Jacobson, exhibit celebrating Oscar Brousse Jacobson featuring over 50 of his pieces and insight into the vital role he played in the visual arts in the region. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., Norman, 325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma.

America’s Road: The Journey of Route 66, shares history of one of the world’s most famous highways including photographs, narrative and music. Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum, 1400 Classen Drive, 235-4458, oklahomaheritage.com.

Art Gone Wild, if Dorothy Gale was around to view this exhibition, she would probably have a few animal-themed exclamations in response; come check out this jungle of art and have yourself a wild time, Aug. 7-31. AKA Gallery, 3001 Paseo St., 606-2522, akagallery.net.

ARTtech: 15 Years, celebrate the 15th anniversary of local animation studio Skyline Ink Animation, and the diverse artwork produced during the studio’s tenure. Artspace at Untitled, 1 NE Third St., 815-9995, artspaceatuntitled.org.

Cale Chadwick, exhibit by Cale Chadwick, who creates pieces using her drawing, painting and photography skills; the natural, organic elements found throughout the original Chickasaw allotment that her family still resides on, plays a role. Exhibit C, 1 E. Sheridan Ave., Ste. 100, 767-8900, exhibitcgallery.com.

Chromatopia: Color of Place, exhibit of multi-disciplinary artist with a focus on conceptual fiber creations, Heather Clark Hilliard. Governor’s Gallery, State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., 521-2931, arts.ok.gov.

OSU-OKC

FARMERS MARKET

Fabergé: Jeweler to the Tsars, exhibit features more than 230 rare and storied treasures created by the House of Faberge; showcasing Peter Carl Faberge’s craftsmanship jewelry and adornments once belonging to the Russian Imperial family. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, 236-3100, okcmoa.com.

National FARMERS MARKET Week

Figure Drawing Session, The second Tuesday of each month the Oklahoma Art Guild hosts a figure drawing session from 7-9pm. Free for members, $5 for nonmembers. Open to the public. Oklahoma Arts Center, 3000 General Pershing Blvd.

August 2-8

If I Were, artist Holly Wilson creates one-of-a-kind figures cast in bronze that capture our vulnerabilities and strengths, through Aug. 21. Contemporary Art Gallery, 2928 Paseo St., 601-7474, contemporaryartgalleryokc.com.

Your one-stop shop for all your summer grilling needs!

John Brandenburg Art Display, an explosive celebration of acrylic color on canvas created by a Norman artist who draws inspiration from aspects of life both lofty and mundane; through Aug. 28. The Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., Norman, 307-9320, pasnorman.org.

Once Upon a Prairie/Journeys, these two displays explore both internal and external journeys: Burian uses watercolors and mixed media to explore excitement and sadness, while Lawrence presents inner journeys via ink and photography, Aug. 7-30. Contemporary Art Gallery, 2928 Paseo St., 6017474, contemporaryartgalleryokc.com.

Open Wednesday and Saturday 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Ruth (Borum) Loveland, this Norman artist uses media, colors and meticulous detail-oriented subject matter. DNA Galleries, 1709 NW 16th St., 525-3499, dnagalleries.com.

OSU-OKC Horticulture Pavilion | 400 N. Portland Ave. | Oklahoma City 405.945.3326 | www.osuokc.edu/farmersmarket

Straight From My Heart, illustrates an appreciation for the beauty of America. Oklahoma State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., 521-3356, ok.gov.

The Interpretation of an Enigma, AK Westerman manipulates acrylic to behave with the luminosity of oil and the dreaminess of watercolor to juxtapose the fantastical against the mysterious, Aug. 7-28. The Project Box, 3003 Paseo St., 609-3969, theprojectboxokc.com.

osuokcfarmersmarket

Thomas Stotts Crossover, crossover art tells an obvious story and then fades into the imagination; his works of realist Americana, featuring country landscapes, farmhouses, sunsets and forests, are evocative of simpler times in rural America, Aug. 7-8. The Summer Wine Art Gallery, 2928-B Paseo St., 831-3279, summerwinegallery. com.

osuokcfarmersmarket

OSUOKCFrmrMrkt

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The Elaborate Collaborate Exhibition, over 50 artists provided a diverse selection multimedia artworks, available for viewing over the course of the exhibition and will evolve over time; through Aug. 15. IAO Art Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan Ave., 232-6060, iaogallery.org.

Enter the Matrix: Indigenous Printmakers, exhibition exploring how printmaking has become a matrix for cultural and key figures of artistic exchange. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave. - Norman, 325-3272, ou.edu/fjjma.

Films at Dome theater The Dome Theater at Science Museum Oklahoma offers educational and thrilling movies with state-of-the-art sound and imagery technology. This month, it features Journey to Space and Jane Goodall’s Wild Chimpanzees. Journey to Space showcases NASA’s plans for space exploration. Showtimes are 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Monday-Friday at the museum theater, 2100 NE 52nd St. Wild Chimpanzees lets viewers immerse themselves in the wild world of simians. Showings are 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Monday-Friday. Tickets are $8.95 for adults and $6.95 for youth ages 3-12 and seniors over age 65.

Visit sciencemuseumok.org for more information and weekend For OKG showtimes.

music picks

Wednesday-Wednesday, ongoing

see page 43

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COVER FOOD & DRINK

Bill Kamp prepares rib-eye steaks at Bill Kamp’s Meat Market.

PHOTOS GA RETT FI S BEC K

Steaks at Bill Kamp’s Meat Market

Grill guidance Meat market experts, chefs and restaurant owners weigh in on the best ways to satiate our burgeoning appetite for deliciously cooked steaks at home.

BY GREG ELWELL

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends the average person eat between 5 and 6 ounces of protein a day.

Not per meal. Not per meat. Per day.

It’s like the USDA has never even heard of steak.

Head over to any of Oklahoma City’s numerous prime steakhouses and you’ll find that most menus feature cuts of beef starting at 7 ounces and climbing up, up, up to 21 ounces, 22 ounces, 24 ounces.

(For your reference, one pound is a scant 16 ounces.)

Why so big? Maybe because steak, for most of us, is an extravagance. When we go out to eat, we want the food we love in massive portions, cooked by people who know what they’re doing.

But their expertise, fancy tablecloths, polite servers and full-service bar often also include a high-class price tag. Plenty of 7-ounce steaks start at $30, and that doesn’t include sides. The prices, like the

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sizes, can rise to $80 and $90 for big, high-end pieces of meat.

So why not cook your own?

“Because it’ll suck.”

Fair enough. Not everyone is a steak expert, but cooking up a sizzling sirloin or a fall-apart tender filet is a learned skill. So let’s learn.

Quality counts

Every restaurateur, chef and butcher says the same thing. The easiest way to ensure a great steak is to start with a great piece of meat.

“It always starts with quality,” said Bill Kamp, owner of Bill Kamp’s Meat Market, 7310 N. Western Ave. “The highest grade is prime, followed by choice and select. You don’t see anything below select sold in meat markets.”

Prime beef is selected based on quality and what Kamp called intense “lightning bolts” of fat marbling.

Chris Castelli, meat specialist at

Whole Foods Market, 6001 N. Western Ave., said when budget isn’t an issue, he recommends prime beef.

“We have some wonderful prime cuts. Only 3 percent of beef processed makes that grade,” Castelli said. “I usually recommend a rib-eye or a strip because you’ll see more marbling and, therefore, more flavor.”

Some butchers also offer a choice between 100 percent grass-fed beef and those that are grass-fed early and finished off with a diet of corn. The all-grass-fed steaks are pricier, but some say they have a better texture and healthier fat.

But if prime is out of reach, don’t look past “top” or “upper two-thirds” choice, said Kamp. There’s still plenty of flavor and tenderness to be found, especially in the nicer cuts.

Billy Wilson, proprietor at Opus Prime Steakhouse, said his choice is always a tenderloin, so named because it’s a muscle that cows don’t use much, giving it an extremely tender texture.

For more flavor, he recommends a rib-eye, a fattier cut that comes from a cow’s ribs, though a strip steak is often a good compromise.

Prep work

Tanner Snow, supervisor at The Meat House, 2249 W. Danforth Road, in Edmond, said once you’ve chosen your steak, you have to remember how cooking actually works.

“If you have a big, thick steak and you take it directly from the refrigerator and put it on the grill, you’ll end up with it charred outside and raw inside,” he said.

“Let your steak sit out for 25 minutes to get up to room temperature first.”

Kamp said the choice between charcoal and propane is a personal one.

Charcoal gets hotter and imbues steaks with that traditional grill flavor, but it’s harder to regulate temperature. Gas grills require less forethought, but when you’re out of propane, you’re out of heat.

Rococo’s owner and executive chef Bruce Rinehart said a must is a clean, well-seasoned grill grate. The last thing you want is to spend $40 on steaks and leave big chunks of meat stuck to the grill.

“When I say seasoned, I mean cleaned and rubbed down with oil,” he said.

Let the grill get nice and hot, and use a long-handled wire brush to scrub off anything left over from previous misadventures. Then, use tongs to dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and to rub the oil over the grates.

’Tis the seasoning

Seasoning the steaks is another matter.

For a tougher cut, like a skirt steak or a London broil, Rinehart recommends a marinade. Avoid marinades with too

Chris Castelli, meat specialist, with a bone-in ribeye at Whole Foods Market

much acid and leaving your steak in the marinade more than an hour, though, as it can leave meat mushy.

For a rib-eye, filet, strip or other expensive cut, a simple rub of salt and pepper gives the steak life without overpowering the flavor of the beef.

Don’t overdo it with oil, either. A thin layer helps the meat release from the grill, but too much inhibits browning.

One secret ingredient in marinades and rubs might seem counterintuitive: brown sugar. The sugar helps tenderize the meat, and when it hits the burst of flame on the grill, it caramelizes the crust.

If you’re using a marinade, dry off the steak before cooking it. Wet meat will simply steam on the grill. Blotting the surface with a paper towel makes sure the heat produces browning, also called a Maillard reaction, which is essential to creating that classic steak flavor.

Kamp said he often turns to hardwood charcoal in his grill simply because it creates an intensely hot and long-lasting fire.

Simple science

Again, it’s important to understand that cooking a steak isn’t some magical spell.

It’s all based on simple science. Heat hits the side of the steak facing the fire first and travels up from there. For a very thick steak, that might mean the crust is blackened before the center hits rare.

A way to get around this problem is by building a “two-zone” fire. Pile most of the charcoal on one side of the grill and only a few on the other, or in the case of gas grills, turn the burners on high on one side and keep them relatively low on the other.

Once the steak is browned on both sides, move it to the cooler side

of the grill to let it continue cooking at a lower temperature, allowing the heat to travel to the center without overcooking the exterior.

Undercooking isn’t great, Kamp said, but you can always cook it some more.

You can’t uncook an overcooked steak.

“Pay attention. Stand there and watch it. Take notes. Be a scientist,” Kamp said. “Understand what you used, how you seasoned it, the fire, everything.

Then play with variables.”

How can you tell if it’s “done”?

There’s a classic method: Push it with your finger, Kamp said. If it’s still squishy, it’s not where you want it to be.

“If it’s a big enough piece of meat, you can take its temperature,” he said.

“Take it off the fire and use a small probe in the side. Don’t measure from the top or you might go too far and misjudge how done it is.”

A medium steak is cooked to 140 degrees. A medium-rare steak (the best) is cooked to 130-135 degrees.

Consider taking steaks off the grill about five degrees shy of done, as they will continue cooking with residual heat while they rest.

Those who don’t have a grill or are simply looking for a greater degree of control might find an ovenproof skillet useful. Searing the steak in a superhot pan and then transferring it to the oven can create a similar method to the Billy Wilson, owner of Opus Prime Steakhouse, cooks steak at his home.

grill without spending all that time in mosquito country.

Wilson said that once the steak is off the grill or out of the oven, it’s vital to allow it to “rest.” Cut into a steak too soon after cooking and you’ll lose a lot of moisture. Let steaks sit for five minutes or more as they redistribute juices and finish cooking. Opus Prime uses an inclined plate so the steak isn’t sitting in any moisture that is released, which could alter the crust.

If the meat was seasoned correctly before going on the grill, it might need nothing more than a pat of butter to create that glistening steakhouse look and rich taste.

Cooking for a crowd? Rinehart said to consider cooking a larger cut of beef — flank, London broil or top round — and slicing it up afterward.

One of Kamp’s favorite cuts is the tri-tip, which is a large roast that’s extremely popular in California for grilling. Because it’s large, it’s easier to control the interior temperature. For maximum tenderness, slice a tri-tip thinly, against the grain.

Grain is the direction of the meat’s muscle fibers. Cutting with the grain creates long, chewy strands of beef.

Cutting against the grain makes for shorter strands and meat that’s much easier to eat.

Alternatives

Though beef is the most popular, other animals make great steaks. Castelli showed off cuts of buffalo steak in the Whole Foods case and praised the meat’s rich flavor, low fat and high omega-3 fatty acid levels.

The Meat House still carries some buffalo meat, but Snow said the steaks didn’t sell well to his customers. He offers ground buffalo for burgers, but customers need to make a special request for other cuts.

“We can special order anything, but we can’t carry everything in the case all the time,” he said.

PRICING CUTS Steak prices vary from shop to shop, but choice beef can often run $20-$40 per pound, depending on the cut. Prime beef, which is harder to come by in stores, can be $30-$50 and up by the pound.

Bill Kamp, owner of Bill Kamp’s Meat Market, said prices stay high because demand stays high.

But in 30 years of cutting beef, the steaks and roasts he’s seeing now are better than ever before.

“These are really consistent, beautiful and well-marbled,” he said. “They’ve never been better.”

Which is part of why Kamp rarely orders a steak when he goes out to eat.

“I can’t get a steak as good at a restaurant as I can at the meat counter,” he said.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to own a meat market, either.

Chef and owner Bruce Rinehart shows his plated steak in the kitchen at Rococo.

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LIFE FOOD & DRINK

Chicken and waffle

Chef Vuong Nguyen works in the kitchen at Bonjour.

Good day

Bonjour’s menu and service put you well on your way to happiness no matter the time.

BY GREG ELWELL

Bonjour does not mean hello.

I speak un peu français, and my mom taught French for 30 years and I like French food. So just trust me, OK? Bonjour means “good day.”

So, if someone asked you how the soup du jour is, you could say bon. Get it? Great.

When you walk into Bonjour, 3705 W. Memorial Road, Suite 707, you need to know that the restaurant is not merely greeting you. It’s informing your day — as in, if you’re lucky enough to have breakfast or lunch there, you’re probably going to have a good day.

Like so many good days, your trip to Bonjour should start with coffee.

At Bonjour, it’s a blend of famed New Orleans brand Café du Monde with Vietnamese brand Trung Nguyên, which has a bit of cocoa powder in it.

The resulting cup is smooth as baby’s bottom made from silk that quotes Sade lyrics to a girl in the club. (That’s one smooooooth operator.)

As long as you’re starting your day with a hint of chocolate, I feel honor

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bound to recommend the chocolate waffle ($6.99) for breakfast. Or lunch.

Any time you can get one of these, basically, is a great time to get one of these. As the name implies, it’s a chocolate waffle. As the name doesn’t imply, it’s also covered in strawberry jam, spiced pecans, fresh whipped cream, blueberries and — dear lord — toffee.

Not everybody is into a sweet breakfast, and I can certainly sympathize. There is a middle ground.

The chicken and waffle ($8.99) isn’t what you might expect. Rather than fried chicken, this is a seasoned, seared breast sliced on a bias into tender wafers.

The waffle underneath has a slight sweetness, but it finds balance when it’s topped with basil aioli, diced tomatoes and a perfectly poached little egg.

If the dish has a spiritual ancestor, it’s the dearly departed Thit Kho Tàu (perfect fried egg on top of pulled pork and rice) from Guernsey Park, the former home of Bonjour owner and head chef Vuong Nguyen.

At Bonjour, the menu is less about

Samosas

international fusion and more about provolone cheese served with a French fusing classic French technique with onion jus. delicious Southern staples. Case in point: The service is uniformly attentive Gruyere biscuit with deli gravy ($6.99). and pleasant. Everybody wants to make It didn’t matter that my table with sure your coffee cup is full. And with filled to overflowing with wonderful about 30 seats total, there’s no room for breakfast and lunch dishes; the simple, you to get lost in the mix. rustic Gruyere (pronounced grew-yare) Now the bad news: Bonjour is open biscuit was big, with a crispy crust and Wednesday-Sunday. On weekdays, it soft, pillowy insides yearning to soak up closes at 5 p.m., so you can’t head there a mess of cream gravy. after work. On the weekends, it’s open 9 Though it’s on the lunch menu, I a.m.-4 p.m. And brunch, as you might would recommend the croque madame imagine, fills up fast. ($7.99) any time of day.

Rather than the classic Bonjour ham, Bonjour gives diners a choice of corned 3705 W. Memorial Road, Suite 707 | 286-9172 beef, turkey or pastrami.

I chose the latter and WHAT WORKS: The chocolate waffle and French Bomber are irresistible. couldn’t have been happier.

With rye bread underneath WHAT NEEDS WORK: The dining room size needs to grow to accommodate Bonjour’s and a poached egg in growing customer base. béchamel on top, it was the rich, flavorful, filling TIP: Go early or go late, but always be prepared for a crowd. breakfast of my dreams.

You will want a nap afterward. That’s a fact.

Head in for lunch and there are Located in far-flung northwest plenty of less-breakfast-y options Oklahoma City, it’s not always an available to you. Somehow, I left the easy destination, but the food is too French B.E.L.T. (bacon, egg, lettuce good to stay away for long. Bonjour and tomato) on my to-do list, but I was already attracts plenty of notice, and pleased with the French Bomber ($8.99). now it’s your turn to see what all the A truly great roast beef sandwich fuss is about, because everyone in that is hard to come by, but chef Nguyen restaurant seems intent on making sure created an umami tsunami with this you’re on your way to a good day by the one: beautiful medium rare roast beef time you walk out. with deep, dark sautéed mushrooms and

PHOTOS BY GA RETT FI S BEC K

Chocolate waffle

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Favorites feast

EXCLUDES STEAKS • 1 COUPON PER TABLE • EXPIRES 8/17/15 NOW SERVING BREAKFAST SUNDAY, 8-11AM

Saturday’s Taste of Asia includes almost 30 dishes with flavors that span the continent.

BY GREG HORTON

Taste of Asia 5:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday Food served 5:30-7 p.m.

Mayfair Church of Christ 2340 NW 50th St. 819-3652 $12 Note: Tickets must be purchased in advance by phone.

Representatives of nine Asian nations will prepare food for the 25th annual Taste of Asia. Asia Society of Oklahoma, a 501(c)3 organization, started the event as a way to raise funds for student scholarships.

Ira Burroughs, ASO’s vice president, said that 100 percent of the proceeds go to the scholarship fund.

“All members donate money to purchase the ingredients, and then they donate their time and energy to cook, which saves on food costs,” Burroughs said.

Asia Society of Oklahoma (ASO) is an affiliation of multiple area associations based on country of origin. When Oklahomans think about Asia, they typically focus on Southeast Asia, but ASO also includes the India Association of Oklahoma and The United Iranian-American Cultural Society. Southeast Asian nations include China, Indonesia, Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. The Japan-America Society of Oklahoma also is a member organization.

Member nations, including Laos (taking the place of Iran), prepare three dishes for Taste of Asia, which means attendees get to sample 27 different dishes in addition to an abundance of desserts.

Because of the limited number of spots — largely based on food and space availability — event tickets must be purchased in advance.

“We have had to reduce the size of the event over the years,” Burroughs said. “We used to have 500, but now we can only take 300 attendees. The tickets go incredibly fast.”

THURS 11AM-8PM | FRI & SAT 11AM-9PM | SUN 8AM-7PM The event features booths from each participating nation, and attendees are free to sample the food of every nation. Burroughs said the booths feature three main courses, so there should be plenty of food.

Taste of Asia is one of three events ASO puts on each year.

The largest is the Asian Festival, normally held each spring. This year, though, it was canceled due to weather and rescheduled for September. That change also impacted this year’s Taste of Asia.

“After the food-tasting, we have traditional entertainment,” Burroughs said. “The entertainers are usually the winners of the entertainment competition at the Asian Festival, but since this year’s was canceled, we have asked the 2014 winners to come back to perform.”

Recipients of the scholarship program — funded entirely by Taste of Asia proceeds — will be announced at the group’s Awards for Excellence gala in November.

Burroughs said that scholarships are available for high school and college students. Applicants are required to write an essay as part of the application process, and ASO representatives select the winners.

One of the main purposes of ASO is education, which includes assisting Asian-Americans with acclimation, general education and other seminars or workshops, and helping other U.S. citizens who want to better understand Asian customs, cultures and heritage.

Burroughs said information for the Asian Festival is still being finalized, and announcements about the rescheduled event will be released soon.

It will include food, entertainment, cultural exhibits — including art, which is another focus of ASO — a marketplace, martial arts exhibitions and a children’s play area.

Learn more about ASO at aso-okc.org.

G

HWY 77 & MAIN, MULHALL, OK

405-649-2229 WWW.LUCILLESOK.COM

Taste & Take WEDNESDAY THRU SUNDAY 712 N BROADWAY | 405.232.WINE (9463) | WEWOKC.COM WED 11AM-7PM | THURS-SAT 11AM-11PM | SUN 1PM-7PM

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Crowds welcome Look who’s so fancy with their groups of acquaintances.

Don’t worry. Someday, you’ll meet a bunch of people and panic when you try to go to dinner somewhere. Two or three is easy, but where do you go when you have a crowd to feed? Luckily, Oklahoma City isn’t the one-horse, two-cup town it used to be. Here are a few of our favorite spaces when dining with a big group.

— by Greg Elwell, photos by Mark Hancock, Garett Fisbeck and Keaton Draper

Fassler Hall

The Wedge Pizzeria

Bellini’s Ristorante

421 NW 10th St. fasslerhall.com | 609-3300

4709 N. Western Ave. thewedgeokc.com | 602-3477

6305 Waterford Blvd., Suite 100 bellinisokc.com | 848-1065

Germans love to party, which is why they invented giant glasses and enormous tables. At Fassler Hall, you’ll find plenty of space to eat, drink and be merry. Or play with Legos. Or play Cards Against Humanity. People do all sorts of things there. Be sure to order a few sausages and pretzels to soak up those towering beers, freunde!

If you’ve got a lot of mouths to feed, there are two great options: pizza and worms. (The latter is mostly appropriate only if you’re a bird.) Grab a couple of pies at The Wedge — it even has glutenfree vegan options — and head out to its beautiful back patio. There’s room for kids to run around and a nice selection of craft beers for the adults. Grab a Truffle Shuffle with chicken if you want to make it clear that you’re not a bird.

The Italian word mangia and the English word mange might look similar, but one means “eat” and the other is a canine skin condition. Leave your dog at home when you head to Bellini’s for a night of ultra-delicious mangia-ing.

Best of all, it has plenty of room for big, boisterous parties of stereotypically Italian diners slurping fettuccine and dipping bread in zuppa.

Athens Greek & American

RESTAURANT WEEKLY SPECIAL

Gyro

With Fries & a Drink

$6.99 7700 NW. 23rd St. Bethany, OK

405.787.4414

MON - SAT 11-8:30

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Cafe Antigua 1903 N. Classen Blvd.

602-8984

Cafe Antigua is the perfect place for a big Guatemalan breakfast and a family reunion, or even a good place for a loner to pretend he’s part of a family reunion. “Who’re you again? Aunt Kenneth’s sister’s boy’s half-cousin Berf? Get over here, Berf! Have some of this motuleño! Did you try the machaca? Hey everybody, have you met Berf?!” Berf is so lucky.

Koto Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi 2203 W. Main St., Norman kotook.com | 321-5555

The worst part about big tables is all that room in the middle where nobody sits.

That’s what’s great about Koto Japanese Steakhouse; when you have a seat at these tables with your friends, there’s already a guy right in the center, cooking your food and playfully tossing shrimp tails into his hat. Will there be an onion volcano? Of course. It might as well be against the law not to have an onion volcano at a Japanese steakhouse.

Louie’s Grill & Bar

Zarate’s Latin & Mexican Grill

412 S. Meridian Ave. louies.ehsrg.com | 942-1141

706 S. Broadway, Edmond 330-6400

Long before it became a popular destination for big parties looking for fast-casual food, Louie’s was known as Louis’. Louis was strict and didn’t allow beer or laughter until a heart scare (turned out to be gas) convinced him to change, paving the way for the funloving and laid-back Louie’s we love. Is any of this true? Nope. It has always been a fun place for great service and delicious eats for groups large and small.

NO ME MBER SH

Is it illegal in Oklahoma for somebody else to take a bite out of your hamburger?

Finding an actual law forbidding it has proven difficult. But there’s one thing we know for sure: There are no laws protecting your nachos. And when you’ve got a big group like the kind that regularly pack into Zarate’s, you know someone is going to try to eat those tasty nachos. So order more. Remember, it’s never “just one chip.”

IP FE ES

BULK SHOPPING MEANS BIG SAVINGS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK • Shop where the chefs shop.

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Avocados

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• Come to CHEF’STORE® for value, variety and convenience.

• Serve the best at the best price.

Tilapia Fillets

OFF YOUR PURCHASE OF $75 OR MORE

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Offer valid through 8/18/15.

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Corn Flour

OFF YOUR PURCHASE OF $200 OR MORE

Coupon needs to be presented for deal. No duplication of coupon is permitted. Limit one offer per customer.

Coupon is valid only at US Foods® CHEF’STORE®.

Offer valid through 8/18/15.

515 W. I-240 SERVICE RD. OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73139 405.634.3060 CONVENIENT STORE HOURS Monday–Friday: Saturday: Sunday:

7 am – 7 pm 7 am – 6 pm 9 am – 6 pm

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Spirit Mind & Body Expo Presented by O.P.E.R.A. August 8 & 9 — State Fair Grounds Oklahoma Expo Hall - South Section 3213 Wichita Walk—OKC, OK 73107

FREE ADMISSION | FREE LECTURES Saturday, August 8 10:00am - 6:00pm 10:30 - Charlotte Wilkens-Beaver - The American Medicine Bag 12:00 - Steven Dillard– Carroll - Making Dreams Reality Meditation 1:30 - Stanley Maness - Bring Your Dreams to Fruition with Angel Messages 3:00 - Elf Maloney– C.E.R. N.—What is It & What Do They Do? 4:30 - Hughston Elija — Sacred Geometry

School cool Back-to-school shopping doesn’t have to break the bank.

Find everything from fine-fitting shoes to this semester’s on-trend cosmetics at these local retailers.

— By Taylor Duane Photos by Mark Hancock

Vendors, Readers, Healers, Energy Work, Past Life Regression, Intuitive Art Work, Gemstones, Crystals, T shirts, Dresses & more Sunday, August 9 12:00pm - 6:00pm 12:30 - Barbara Clayton—Manifesting with Earth’s Energies 2:00 - Joseph & Shoena— #4 Series of 21st Century Shaman 3:30 - Corina Andras—Spell Work for Manifestation 5:00 - Hildreth Overcash E2— Manifesting Your Intentions

www.operaok.org

facebook.com/operaok • twitter.com/operaok

The MakeUp Bar 7646 N. WESTERN AVE. THEMAKEUPBAR.COM 810-1226

If you’ve been going sans makeup all summer and you’re in need of a new cosmetic haul, The MakeUp Bar is the place to go. It carries skin care and hair products as well as makeup, so you can treat your skin and indulge in the last of the season’s colors in just one stop.

(OSU). They have shirts and tanks that you won’t find at the campus spirit shop and trendy dresses, shirts and shorts that make it easy to stop going to class in pajamas.

MetroShoe Warehouse 2210 W. MEMORIAL ROAD METROSHOEWAREHOUSE.COM 302-5150

The Outlet Shoppes at Oklahoma City 624 W. RENO AVE. THEOUTLETSHOPPESATOKLAHOMACITY.COM 787-3700

Tuition certainly burns a hole in your wallet, but back-to-school shopping doesn’t have to, thanks to taxfree weekend this Saturday and Sunday at The Outlet Shoppes.

Lush Fashion Lounge 14101 N. MAY AVE., SUITE 115 SHOP.LUSHFASHION LOUNGE.COM 936-0680

To get back in the school spirit state of mind, stop

by Lush Fashion Lounge for all things University of Oklahoma (OU) and Oklahoma State University

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The first day of school is all about first impressions, and nothing makes a better first impression than a stellar pair of shoes. Whether you need a new pair of kicks for gym class or a classy pair of sandals, MetroShoe Warehouse has you covered. And they also sell backpacks!

Freeman’s Liquor Mart 4401 N. WESTERN AVE. 524-8031

Who said college students are the only ones drinking?

Freeman’s Liquor Mart has alcohol for the whole (of-age) family. With the best selection of beers and liquors in OKC, parents will

find an escape from the sorrows of shipping their precious babies off to college, and students can stock up on enough vodka and ’ritas to last them through finals week.

Red Coyote Running and Fitness 5720 N. CLASSEN BLVD. REDCOYOTERUNNING.COM 840-0033

Summer vacation might be ending, but the summer heat is sticking around for a while. At Red Coyote, you’ll find quality tennis shoes to quickly get you across campus and into some blessed air conditioning.

Plus, you can pick up workout clothes to motivate yourself to stay active throughout the school year.

KC’s #1 Explore O age Shop Vint

essories Clothing • Accot her & s Record curious goods

in the Plaza 1759 NW 16th • Oklahoma City • 405-528-4585 Open Tues-Sat 12-7 • Like us on Facebook

Bow & Arrow Boutique 617 N. BROADWAY AVE. SHOPBOWANDARROW.COM 601-0605

The most awful thing that could possibly happen to a girl on the first day of school is having the same outfit as a classmate.

To make sure that doesn’t happen, head to Bow & Arrow for threads that are sure to impress.

O K L A H O M A G A Z E T T E | AU G U S T 5 , 2 0 1 5 | 2 7

lifE coMMunity

Helpful pioneers terry cline

By MaRk BEutlER

2 8 | Au g u s t 5 , 2 0 1 5 | O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e

fundraiser, Red Tie Night, was held the following year. It occurs annually on the first Saturday in March and will commemorate its 24th anniversary in 2016.

“In those early days, it felt like we were pioneers and doing the right thing,” Goebel said. “I was proud of the work we did then because we were losing so many people to the disease.

It was still very taboo and socially unacceptable to come out and support funding for HIV/AIDS.” Through the years, Goebel said Oklahoma City patrons have stepped up to help raise funds. She hopes people today realize what they did back

g AzEttE stAFF / FILE

More than 34 years have passed since the first cases of AIDS were diagnosed in 1981. Today, the disease occupies fewer headlines than it did then, as new treatments help those living with HIV/ AIDS stay healthy, but new infections continue to rise and Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund (OACF) remains at the forefront of the disease, working toward an AIDS-free generation.

Recently, the organization awarded grants to nine projects and organizations that provide services for individuals at risk for or infected with HIV/AIDS in Oklahoma.

“We continue to provide support for the organizations engaged in education and testing those who remain at risk for acquisition of HIV,” said David Chansolme, OACF board president. “People are living longer, healthier lives, but they have to know they have HIV first. If they don’t, they can progress to severe and sometimes irreversible disease, so it is essential to discover cases early.”

Efforts from patrons who support OACF have improved the resources available for those who have the disease. Additionally, improved insurance coverage, expanded resources and greater awareness have changed the outlook for those with HIV. “The challenges have changed, but challenges remain,” Chansolme said, “and OACF will continue to assess the community need and attempt to maximize our effectiveness as champions of HIV awareness in Oklahoma.”

One of OACF’s original founding board members, Kay Goebel, said she remembers what it was like in the early days before medical advancements helped make the disease more manageable.

“As a therapist, I had people coming in and not being truthful about how their son had died,” she said.

“They would make up stories about him having pneumonia or some other illness. They just could not admit he had AIDS. I was so proud of Jackie and Barbara Cooper (OACF founders) for being honest and taking a stand to fight this disease.”

Goebel joined the Coopers and a small group of volunteers to form OACF in 1991. The foundation’s first

m A RK HA n COC K / FI L E

Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund awards grant money and helps fight the disease.

Lerato Maunatlala, Bertile Sefolosha and Nina Earl at Red Tie Night 2014 then and continue to support Red Tie Night and OACF.

State stats

Statistics show that the need for funding in Oklahoma remains strong.

According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, the number of newly diagnosed HIV cases increased by 32 percent between 2009 and 2014.

The 20-29 age group is the most at risk, showing the highest number of newly diagnosed cases in 2014.

Dr. Terry Cline, Oklahoma’s Commissioner of Health, said even with highly effective antiretroviral therapy extending life expectancy, more than 13,000 people with AIDS die in the United States each year.

“HIV continues to disproportionately affect certain populations in Oklahoma,” Cline said.

“The 2014 HIV rate among males was

4.4 times higher than the rate among females. Also, almost 80 percent of the new HIV cases among males reported MSM (Men Who Have Sex with Men) or MSM/IDU (Injection Drug User) as a risk factor.”

Additionally, Cline said HIV medications are still extremely expensive, between $2,000 and $2,300 per month. And while those medications have improved, he said they can cause significant side effects.

Modes of transmission of the virus continue to be the same as they were in the 1980s: sexual contact with someone who has the virus, injection drug use, prenatal transmission (mother to baby) and through HIV-contaminated needles or other sharp objects, which is mainly a risk associated with health care workers.

Treatment can help people with HIV live a longer, healthier life, Cline said, and it reduces the chance of passing the virus to others. The first critical step to ending the HIV epidemic is to get tested. Right now, nearly 1 in 7 Americans currently living with HIV do not know they are infected and might be unknowingly transmitting the virus to others.

Funding organizations like OACF is vital to stemming the tide of new infections, Cline said. Education and support services will help Oklahomans who are at risk for or living with HIV/ AIDS. OACF has raised millions of dollars for HIV/AIDS services and education, with 100 percent of those funds remaining in Oklahoma. Proceeds from this year’s Red Tie Night were awarded in grants to Planned Parenthood of Central Oklahoma; MAMA Knows in Ardmore; The Winds House; Be the Change, Inc.; HeartLine 2-1-1; Latino Community Development Agency; Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma; Other Options; and Expressions Community Center.

Additionally, OACF continues to provide support to its HIV service partners with support from its HIV test kit, condom, education/awareness and emergency assistance programs, housing programs and other support services.

RED Rooftop 6:30 p.m. thursday aloft oklahoma city Downtown 209 n. Walnut ave. okaidscarefund.com 348-6600 $60 21+

the third annual RED Rooftop fundraiser, benefitting AIDs Walk of Oklahoma City, will be held 6:30 p.m. thursday at Aloft Oklahoma City Downtown.

“As a board, we are always looking for fun ways to raise awareness as well as raise funds,” said AIDs Walk board member Lisa Pitsiri. “We thought an outdoor party with great food, drinks and music would appeal to a wide audience. It’s been fun the last two years, and this year will be bigger and better than ever.” the hotel’s rooftop will serve as a cocktail lounge and will feature a live disc jockey and band. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres, door prizes and a cash bar will also be featured.

Pitsiri said there has been a ton of interest in this year’s event, and it also marks the first time the event will be held both inside and out. those who want to enjoy the views from the Aloft rooftop will be entertained by DJ Ostara, and if guests want to cool off, a band will be playing live music inside with plenty of room for dancing.

All proceeds from the event go directly to providers and institutions that provide services and education to people in the community who are living with HIV/AIDs. “As long as the threat of HIV/AIDs can reach one person, our work isn’t ever finished, because to that one person, it matters,” Pitsiri said. “We aren’t just working so people can live longer while living with the disease — although that’s hugely important.

We’re looking for a cure, and until that day comes, AIDs Walk OKC will always serve this community by helping to raise awareness and funding for services.” tickets are limited and are $50 in advance. For more information about this event and AIDs Walk OKC, visit aidswalkokc.org.

— Mark Beutler

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LIFE VISUAL ARTS

Stranded Local artist and collaborator Romy Owens weaves together a vibrant community with a little help from her friends.

Romy Owens

Whole cloth

It is safe to say that whenever you see a group of artists coming together for a common theme in this city, Owens is probably involved.

“I get tremendous satisfaction from working with a community, and I always have,” said the 45-year-old Enid native.

“Before I was an artist, almost every job I had centered around group dynamics.

I worked with the Girl Scouts, did community outreach, worked at summer camps as a camp counselor. It even goes back to high school. I was always in student activities, student government, the president of student clubs. I’ve always been a leader, and I’ve always enjoyed pulling people together for a common good.”

Perhaps nowhere else and at no other time would her talents be put to better use than Oklahoma City in 2015. In a

town teeming anew with creatives, Owens has been instrumental in facilitating some of the most unique collaborative art in the city and helping stitch together the tightly knit community in which her peers take so much pride.

“I do think it’s nice that at this point in my life, it’s something I’m really good at,” she said. “I very much subscribe to the theory that all boats rise together. If I can play any role in helping us all rise, in keeping us unified, then I will. And I know I’m not alone. We’re part of a team.”

The Elaborate Collaborate at IAO Gallery this month and last year’s OKC125 photo exhibition — two teams she captained recently — might have “felt big at the time,” she said, but they’re nothing compared to her newest challenge: managing a squad of over 300 knitters trying to cover the facade of a Tulsa gallery.

“The knit bomb is ... the biggest thing I’ve ever done,” she said of the unbearable aspect of landscapes, a project that will cover a 36x102-foot wall at Tulsa’s 108 Contemporary with of 8x8-inch squares created by hundreds of knitters. “I’m simultaneously lucky to be at the head of it and terrified because it’s so big. It’s like steering a giant ship; so much of it is just what the water is doing.”

Owens said that while the project is still approximately 1,600 squares short of completion, she has spent much of the past few months driving to every far-flung corner of the state in an effort to round up squares and recruit more knitters.

“I’ve been to Ada, Lawton, Woodward and Tahlequah repeatedly,” she said. “I was in Ponca City the other day. I go to Enid next week. I feel like I’ve done

everything I can, gone to every small town, talked to every knitting group. It’s hard, but it’s been amazing.”

Sharing secrets

Her next collaborative project is a local one and promises to be just as memorable. The Secret Life of the City, scheduled to open Sept. 1 here in the Underground, features eight unique interpretations of Oklahoma City by eight artists.

Local artists and designers such as Dylan Bradway, Kristopher Kanaly, Jason Pawley, Sam Washburn and Erin DeMoss are tasked with creating a digital file that will then be transferred onto an enormous wheat paste poster, all without using any logos, lettering or recognizable images of OKC buildings or places.

“I chose these artists because they were designers or had design backgrounds or had a background in street art,” she said. “I really think they can explore the wheat paste idea in some interesting ways.

I’m really excited about it.”

When asked about her own experiences as a full-time working artist, however, her tone changes slightly. The passion is still there, but Owens sounds more genuinely excited when she talks about facilitating collaborations than she does when discussing her own work.

After all, money makes the world spin,

and Owens said that struggling month after month takes an inevitable toll.

“It’s so hard,” she said. “It’s just so hard. I saw my friend Nathan Lee post something on Facebook, and it said something like ‘They love your work until they have to pay for it.’ I almost started to cry. I’ve had this conversation with so many artists in this city. There’s just so much hustle to it all the time, and it’s emotionally exhausting.”

Conversations like that one might then beg the question, at least from logical people, Why keep doing it?

“It’s so rewarding. Unbelievably so,” Owens said as the light returned to her voice. “People love the art; they love the experience, so it’s really great to facilitate that.”

As for how she fills the necessary reservoir inside herself that all artists need in order to keep going, she describes a kind of perpetual motion loom that she has created.

“I am constantly inspired by conversations with my peers,” she said.

“The more people I meet and work with, the more I know that something good is going to come of it.”

Editor’s note: Erin DeMoss is the advertising and marketing design coordinator at Oklahoma Gazette Gazette..

GARETT FISBECK

Romy Owens is a knitter.

Knitting is a steady, subtle art. The artist must evaluate each individual strand not only on its own qualities, its own colorations, textures and strengths but on how gracefully it complements the whole.

If a strand is too dull, those surrounding it swallow its light; too bright, and the hue is shattered. An elusive discipline to master, it rarely deals in absolutes. The creator just has to see it.

Owens said she has been interlacing strands all her life, be them yarn or people. She has earned a reputation around Oklahoma for her own work — an imagined otherhood at [Artspace] at Untitled last year, for example — but might be best known for spearheading multiple collaborative projects, installations and exhibitions.

P HOTOS BY GA RETT FI S BEC K

BY JACK FOWLER

O K L A H O M A G A Z E T T E | AU G U S T 5 , 2 0 1 5 | 3 1

LIFE PERFORMING ARTS

Historic growth Oklahoma City Ballet gains new dancers and a new workspace to help with its increasing presence.

With the addition of four new company artists and 10 new apprentices, Oklahoma City Ballet has assembled the largest company in its history. Executive Director Shane Jewell said the number applies to the entire 43-year history of ballet in Oklahoma.

“That means the company now has 37 dancers,” Jewell said. “We’re also promoting two of our dancers this season, including Amy Potter, who is going from the corps to soloist.”

The new dancers include a principal male dancer, Julio Concepcion, a Cuban native who comes to OKC Ballet via Cincinnati Ballet. Jewell described Concepcion as an incredible dancer: “tall, strong, great features and great lines.” Concepcion has also danced for Cuban National Ballet and the national ballet of Ecuador.

Milena Garcia, the new female soloist, has a nearly identical resume as Concepcion because, as artistic director Robert Mills puts it, the two are a couple on and off the stage.

They danced together as part of Cincinnati Ballet.

“Julio and Milena are very strong dancers,” Mills said. “They trained at the National Ballet School of Cuba, one of the most prestigious training grounds for classical ballet in the world.”

Jewell said OKC Ballet is not just expanding its company this year. For the first time, it will offer a fifth show as part of the season’s schedule. The company normally has four shows, including The Nutcracker, which is offered every year; two classical pieces; and one modern performance to finish the season.

“Our fifth performance will be held at Oklahoma City Community College’s new theater,” Jewell said.

“And we’re excited that solo cellist Zoë Keating will be playing live for that show.”

The OCCC show is Exurgency, a Matthew Neenan ballet that the company performed in the 2013-14 season. Neenan used Keating’s music when producing Exurgency, but she was on an Australian tour when the show premiered in Oklahoma City in 2014.

This time, though, Keating is available and will be on stage to play live.

“She’s a remarkable talent,” Jewell

6014 N May | 947-7788 | zorbasokc.coM 3 2 | AU G U S T 5 , 2 0 1 5 | O K L A H O M A G A Z E T T E

Milena Garcia

said. “She plays solo cello, but with the use of loops and percussion she generates by hitting the side of the cello, she creates a full, rich sound.”

Keating’s latest project is One Cello x 16, a reference to her use of loops and percussion to generate music that sounds like a much larger group is performing.

The OKC Ballet performance will be her first appearance in Oklahoma.

OKC Ballet is moving into its new administrative offices at 700 1/2 W. Sheridan Ave., above Joey’s Pizzeria. The space is more than 6,000 square feet, of which only half will be offices. The other 3,000 square feet will, according to Jewell, allow the company to expand its programming.

“We plan on using the space as an event space,” he said. “We can work with companies and nonprofits for events, and we can expand our adult community education programs by offering dance, yoga, Pilates or other offerings.”

The move also allows the company to repurpose the now-vacant office space in the original Classen Boulevard facility. With the offices gone, work will begin to create a dressing room and a costume fitting room, additional space that is desperately needed.

“We had reached a place where our space was stunting our growth,” Jewell said. “These moves allow us to continue our amazing growth and prepare us for the ultimate goal of having our entire company in a building downtown.”

Jewell said there is no official target date for that ultimate goal.

BELI N DA C A RHA RTT RODRI GUEZ / P ROVI DED

BY GREG HORTON

Ge t

Parody parity

M I C HA E L M . RE Y N A / P ROVI DE D

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Politics and satire take center stage with Capitol Steps and this year’s Mock the Vote performance.

BY GREG HORTON

Mock the Vote 8 p.m. Aug. 22 Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater Oklahoma City Community College 7777 S. May Ave. tickets.occc.edu 682-7579 $35-$45

To the music of Meredith Willson’s “Seventy-Six Trombones,” the cast of Capitol Steps sing about the 2016 election: “Seventy-six unknowns will be candidates, with 110 more set to declare…” The troupe performs political comedy using musical parody and satire, and since its inception in 1981, it has recorded close to 40 albums.

“Our origin is an odd story,” said Elaina Newport, a founding member and writer. “We were just doing entertainment for an office Christmas party, and we really thought someone would tell us to stop, but 34 years later, they still haven’t.”

This year’s show, Mock the Vote, whirls through Oklahoma City Community College’s Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater on Aug. 22.

The original troupe worked for Senator Charles Percy, R-Illinois, and it was his blowout that gave birth to the Steps. For many years after, the group required that its members be current or former Capitol Hill staffers, but Newport said restrictions loosened in 1996.

“Bill Clinton was giving us such good material that we had to expand,” she said. “We added writers and singers, and now, we’re about 50/50 in terms of staffers and non-staffers.”

Newport was a piano major in college, so she played keys at the first event. Each show includes at least five performers, and one is always behind the black-and-whites. Newport still

performs across the country.

Member auditions are a mixture of conventional and odd.

“They usually show up with three songs to sing, which is pretty standard in music auditions,” Newport said.

“When they finish the first song, rather than ask for another, we typically say, ‘That was very nice. Now sing it like Kim Jong Un.’ That’s what they actually have to be able to do, after all.”

Capitol Steps shows are bipartisan, as the group lampoons all parties with pride. As many polls show Donald Trump leading the GOP candidate race, performers also ready their arsenal of wit. Some do make easier targets than others, Newport admitted.

“We already have the hair,” Newport said. “We have covered him before, like when he threatened to run in 2012. If he ends up winning the primary, we will have material. If he starts a third party, we will move from bipartisan to adding a third.”

The songs are always parody — Weird Al Yankovic style — which is to say the group writes the lyrics but borrows the tunes, like they did with “Seventy-Six Unknowns.” With more than 700 songs recorded, that model makes a lot of sense.

“We had to do something with all these candidates,” Newport said.

The company also occasionally tackles pop-culture topics, such as the recent release of Apple Watch, set to “The Impossible Dream (The Quest).”

Mainly, though, it focuses on gleefully skewering politicians and policies.

Capitol Steps shows contain about 30 songs and run about 90 minutes.

Newport said shows can be bawdy but aren’t coarse and are rated PG-13, as is fitting in musical satire. Newport said mature teenagers who understand politics will get the show but it’s probably too obscure for children and adolescents.

O K L A H O M A G A Z E T T E | AU G U S T 5 , 2 0 1 5 | 3 3

sudoku/crossword sudoku Puzzle medium

www.s udoku-p uzzles .n et

Fill in the grid so that every row, column and 3-by-3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9.

New York Times crossword Puzzle aNswers Puzzle No. 0726, which appeared in the July 29 issue.

3 4 | au g u s t 5 , 2 0 1 5 | O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e

S I F T

A R I A

A P E S

D O T O

E D E N I C

L E M E N U

P O L O

S T A B

H A R R U M P H S I M O U T T A H E R E

I B Q I S T P T A S E R I R E D E N E R S O N O R T U O T E T E T R A T Q U I U N T A W R I K S S E

T H E K I S S

E A R E D

M I S T S

I C H E A I R N D

T H I N O U T

L S O N N T E A A M I K E L O O L U N S T E

P L O N W O N D O Y A T N O O F T A R R U L E E F I T S A K O A T

G A T E A M U R S I N G L I S A A N N T G I D E U C S P I U S C T J H E C E P R E S S U P T U S A P T C G O C E N R A L S U T F O N E I L E R N E

A S S U O M V E E N C A A N N T Y O P O R T E R

A M A R A N T H

S T E R N A

H A N G I N T H H R E E R E N T A U L P L L I E S L O O O S O T

E L S E

N E E D

I S I N O N

N E T T E D

F I E S

T E X T

O N C E

P E A L

By Ellen Leuschner and Jeff Chen / Edited by Will Shortz

across 1 Drug charge?

6 Petition 10 War ____ 13 Govt. health org.

16 Conductor’s resistance 17 Mark’s replacement 18 Laugh syllable 19 Scenic drapery fabric 21 Novella that served as the basis for Apocalypse Now 24 Like dough after baking 25 Actress Suvari of American Beauty 26 Mercedes-Benz competitor 27 Panama part 28 Remove a piece from?

29 The Phantom Menace in the Star Wars series 31 Feminist of 1970s TV 32 Silas Marner girl 33 Chemical ending 34 ____ contendere 37 Hooey 39 Short lines at the checkout?

40 To whom Dionne Warwick asked “What’s it all about?” in a 1967 hit 43 Idol worshiper?

45 From scratch 47 Idol worship 50 ____ of Abraham (place of comfort) 51 Asian capital 52 Canadian N.H.L. team, on scoreboards 53 Lender’s security 55 Dearie 56 Loped 59 Long, in Lahaina 60 Damage to a wall made in hanging a picture 62 Mouth, slangily 63 Comment that might start with 96-Across 64 Maui or Bali: Abbr.

65 Having more liabilities than assets 66 Secret spot 68 Catch 69 Milan’s La ____ 71 Primitive kind of camera 72 Fracking opening 73 Atlanta sch.

74 Some written rants

1

2

3

4

5

16

dowN 1 Sound like a bird 2 Certain Arabian 3 Soar above the sea, say 4 Fed, e.g.: Abbr.

5 Quaint sign starter 6 Caution for drivers on city streets 7 Party on a beach 8 Blows it 9 “Ready for takeoff!”

10 Pair of figures in Raphael’s “Sistine Madonna” 11 Remains 12 Rubber stamps 13 Change places 14 Avoidance maneuver 15 Priests, e.g.

16 “Heavens!”

19 “You have a point” 20 Tangle up

9

10

30 34

42

35

48

52

49

53

59

24

27

28

37

62

82

77

78

83

93 98

67

85 90

91 96

100

101 108

102

103

107

111

112

113

115

116

117

118

120

121

122

22 Greens ____ 23 What L.A. is represented in twice 30 Baseball’s Buck 31 Place to set a trap 35 Poet’s planet 36 Tax dodger’s discovery 38 Madeline of What’s Up, Doc? 40 Put an end to 41 French play that inspired an Italian opera 42 1987 Michael Douglas/ Glenn Close blockbuster 44 Tire hazard 46 Palestinian political group 48 ____ Fein (Irish political group) 49 Savory dish with a crust 51 Toy poodles, e.g.

54 Nothing

105

81 86

106

119

104

68

80

95

99

58

73

84

94

57 63

79

89

92

46

72 76

88

39

56

61

75

97

45

55

71

74

38

66

70

20

51

65

69

15

32

44

54

14

19

50

60

64

13

23

36

43

47

12

31

33 41

11

18

26

29

87

8

22

25

40

7

17

21

76 StubHub purchase: Abbr.

79 Like fine wine 81 It may be filled in with a No. 2 pencil 82 Postpone 83 Paris’s ____-Coeur 85 Batting positions 87 “Aargh!”

89 Drinking songs?

91 Go after following a hung jury, say 92 Casablanca escape-route city 93 50 or more people?

95 Tour grp. since 1950 96 “Incidentally,” in a text 97 Button material 99 Biblical spy 101 Friday the 13th movies, e.g.

106 Sign up to receive email alerts, say 107 Like 108 Tree spirit 110 Jordan’s Queen ____ International Airport 111 Hollywood director Sam 112 Tightrope walker’s concern 115 Unlike wild horses 116 Multinational bank 117 Cry outside an airport 118 Glacial ridges 119 Ending with walk or run 120 Idiot 121 River with a “dreadful shore,” in Shakespeare 122 They line many ski runs

6

109

110 114

56 Old Olds 57 Santa Claus player in a 2003 comedy 58 “Clair de Lune” composer 61 Dancing With the Stars judge Goodman 62 Ogle 65 “But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?” e.g.

67 “Yeah, whatever you say” 70 Singer with the 1997 3x platinum single “How Do I Live” 75 Ski area in the Wasatch Mountains 76 Small, dirty, uncomfortable room 77 The middle of this puzzle’s grid, symbolically 78 Ship window 80 Game with rings

83 84 86 87 88 89 90 94 96 98 100 102 103 104 105 108 109 113 114

0802

New York Times magaziNe crossword Puzzle NO ESCAPE

Nursery purchases Heart test, for short Ivy League home Certain angels Great Plains Indian Mythical monsters Simple solution Mimosa, for one Undeserved reputation Woman of Camelot The Lord of the Rings creature Not keep up Like Navy SEALs Some contents of a Masonic manual “____ who?”

“Darn!”

Classic theater name Mork and Worf Jackie’s Onassis

Stumped? Call 1-900-285-5656 to get the answers to any three clues by phone ($1.20 a minute). The answers to the New York Times Magazine Crossword Puzzle that appeared in the July 29 issue of Oklahoma Gazette are shown at left.

Oklahoma Gazette Vol. XXXVii No. 31

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M A R K HA N COC K / FI L E

LIFE ACTIVE

Court side

Kevin Durant recently announced renovation plans for three basketball courts, one in Oklahoma, this year.

BY BRENDAN HOOVER

“Location is important with basketball, and yet it’s not,” wrote Thomas Beller in an essay for The New Yorker. “You can play anywhere, and in the act of playing you forget where you are.”

The game of basketball has an intimate relationship with the urban landscape, and for many of the world’s best players, their love for the game was launched on a public court just off a busy city street.

The Oklahoma City Thunder star grew up in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and his identity was transformed by basketball as he played on local courts. This summer, Durant announced he would help expand that opportunity to other children across the world by renovating public courts, beginning with three this fall.

“When I was young, playing basketball was one of the things that kept me out of trouble and kept me focused on my growth and maturity into the man I would eventually become,” Durant said in a statement.

“For that reason, I’ve always wanted to play a leadership role in communities and neighborhoods — like the one I grew up in — and give kids a chance to choose health, teamwork and basketball over some of the other negative influences they may face.”

In partnership with Nike, Durant and his personal charity foundation have launched the Build It and They Will Ball basketball courts

3 6 | AU G U S T 5 , 2 0 1 5 | O K L A H O M A G A Z E T T E

Kevin Durant

renovation program. Kevin Durant Charity Foundation said it was seeking to increase the opportunity to play basketball in underprivileged communities across the country and all over world.

The program plans to renovate three courts this year in Oklahoma City; Washington D.C.; and Berlin, Germany. Exact locations have not been announced.

The partnership with Nike includes the use of Nike Grind, a material made from recycled athletic shoes and other scraps from Nike facilities that will be used to construct the court surface.

While the initial renovations will take place in two domestic communities in which Durant has close ties — he plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder and was born in DC — the third will be in an international city that matches Durant’s increased interest in growing the sport around the world, his foundation stated.

Referencing recent trips by Durant to Asia and Europe, the foundation said it was important for the basketball superstar to have a presence outside of the United States.

The three basketball courts are expected to be open in September.

After a season plagued by injury, Durant expressed his desire to improve his game in the offseason and be prepared to make an NBA title run next year. In a recent interview for

the Prototype by Nike podcast, Durant said he was proud of his accomplishments but was seeking more.

“I just feel like I’m confident, but I also know I have to put in the work to win a title,” Durant said. “I feel like I’m the best player, but I’m not going to just talk about it; I’m going to show you. I’m willing to back it up and go through the ups and downs to be considered that.”

Durant’s status as a global celebrity has allowed him to make interesting friendships, including one with actor Mark Wahlberg, who told Nike that Durant’s competitive drive is evident even when playing around with kids at a backyard cookout.

The majority of the people who are hearing this are only going to know Kevin Durant as a basketball player, but loyalty is a very important thing for him.

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— Wale “They want to get on the court with [Durant],” Wahlberg said about his own kids at a recent gettogether, “and he starts blocking their shots, and it took my son about five times to finally [get a shot off] on him. If you get within 10 feet of this dude, he is going to block that shot.”

In the same podcast episode, rapper Wale, who is also good friends with Durant, said he is a competitive person but is also very loyal to his community.

“The majority of the people who are hearing this are only going to know Kevin Durant as a basketball player, but loyalty is a very important thing for him,” Wale said.

Durant’s loyalty to his childhood home, his adoptive hometown and the sport that he loves shines through in his desire to give kids a chance to play basketball on quality courts.

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She’s back

Eleven years after dominating the charts, Shania Twain brings her hits to Chesapeake Energy Arena.

shania twain’s rock this country tour 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, aug. 12 chesapeake energy arena 100 W. reno ave. chesapeakearena.com 866-448-7849 $42-$132

She started out as country, crossed over to pop and then quietly disappeared for more than a decade.

Now, Shania Twain is back, bringing her Rock this Country tour to Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave., for one show 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug.12.

“This tour is all about celebrating and reminiscing,” Twain said in a phone interview with Oklahoma Gazette. “I can’t wait to see the fans. We will be reintroduced to each other, and it will be like a big reunion. I’m sure it will be very emotional for me and a bit of a bittersweet experience. I am almost afraid to start because I know it will go by quickly and then it will be over.”

It has been more than 11 years since Twain hit the road. During her ’90s heyday, she recorded and toured extensively. At her peak, she sold more than 75 million albums, and she remains the only female artist to have three consecutive albums sell more than 10 million copies in the United States. She won Grammys and CMAs and was a formidable powerhouse on country and pop radio. Then, suddenly, she was gone.

“Initially, I slowed down for a break and to be a mom, concentrating on my son and my home,” Twain said.

Fresh face

Twain grew up in Canada. She began singing in smoky clubs when she was 8 years old, and she first hit the charts in 1993, when she was 27. But her first single, “What Made You Say That,” didn’t exactly thrill radio executives or the recordbuying public.

“I remember she came through Oklahoma City billed as part of the Triple Play,” said 96.1-FM KXY air personality Bill Reed. “Mercury Records showcased three up-and-coming artists: Shania, John Brannen and a local guy named Toby Keith. We took them into a production studio, and they performed some of their new material. Shania had such a unique

sound. It really threw me back because there wasn’t anything like it on radio at the time. I figured it would either flop or be so far out it was in.”

The three played a show in Oklahoma City at a bar called Chastain’s, which was Toby’s home club for years. His “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” went straight to No. 1, but Shania’s first single struggled, Reed said.

“Then she went back in the studio with a new producer and came out with a new sound and a new look that would change the ’90s,” he said. “Gone were the long gowns she had worn earlier, replaced by a bare midriff. She was pivotal in helping shape a new country sound, one with a rock edge to it that attracted a much younger fan base and was strongly female-oriented.”

Twain’s new sound came largely from her union, both personally and professionally, with rock producer Robert “Mutt” Lange, whom she married in 1993. Together, they co-wrote many of the tracks on her sophomore studio album, The Woman in Me, released in 1995.

“Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?” put her in the top 20, and followup singles peaked at No. 1. “If You’re Not in it for Love, I’m Outta Here” was Twain’s first chart-topper, followed by “You Win my Love” and “No One Needs to Know Right Now,” a song that was featured in the 1996 summer blockbuster Twister.

The hits continued through 2002, when Twain recorded her last studio album to date, simply titled Up! The album sold 874,000 units in its first week and went on to sell more than ten million copies.

to take it on. Ultimately, with lots of work and vocal exercises, my voice came back.

It was hard; it was repetitive, but I started from scratch. It sounds somewhat different from what it once did, and I am learning to live with the new voice.”

Struggles

Reborn

Her marriage to Lange ended in 2008, and she had developed lesions on her vocal chords and a condition called dysphonia, all of which sidelined her music career.

“That turned into a long sabbatical, and then I had trouble with my voice, so it turns out I was gone for about a decade,” Twain said.

The condition left her unable to sing.

Even her speaking voice was affected. The condition took its toll on the performer, but she said she never quit trying.

“It went way beyond my career and not being able to perform,” Twain said. “It was a part of me that I was losing. I really went through a grieving process. Before I gave up completely, I found the courage

shania twain

In 2012, a reenergized Shania hit Las Vegas for a two-year residency, and she started planning her comeback.

“I know when I go to a concert, I want to hear all my favorite songs, so that’s what I am doing on this tour,” she said.

“My new album won’t be finished for a while, so this will be all the old songs my fans know and love.”

Twain marks a personal milestone during this tour — she turns 50 on Aug. 28.

“I am trying to figure out what it means to be 50,” she said. “It’s an inspiration and motivator for me to be the best I can be now. That means being the fittest, the happiest and the most educated.

I have a feeling it is only going to get harder. So this will set a strong platform for the rest of my life.”

While she has been off the road, Twain has continued to write songs and said it is equally satisfying to hear other artists perform her material.

“The gift of being on the stage for me isn’t about being in the spotlight but being able to connect with all the people,” Twain said. “Songwriting on the other hand is such a creative outlet. I could listen to others perform my work and be totally happy.”

A new album — her first in more than a decade — is in the planning stages.

Twain said she might perform one or two new songs, but for now, it’s all about the classics.

“The show is full of great technology.

It is very dynamic. No one has ever seen me in this light before, and it’s going to rock,” she said. “It will definitely be memorable.”

O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | au g u s t 5 , 2 0 1 5 | 3 9

provid ed

By Mark Beutler

Dameon aranda

W Hi te Hous e / p r ovi de d

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life Music

leona Mitchell

Jam session

Harold Jones

Legendary radio personality Ronnie Kaye brings state musicians together for a good time and a great cause.

By JeNNifer cHaNcellOr

“We are the World” fan Jam 7 p.m. saturday showplace theatre riverwind casino 1544 W. state Highway 9, Norman komaradio.com/fanJam2015.aspx 322-6464 $0-$25

Dozens of legendary Oklahoma-tied musicians come together Saturday to celebrate the 30-year anniversary of the hit song “We Are the World” with a one-time live performance Saturday at Riverwind Casino in Norman as part of KOMA’s Fan Jam party.

Iconic local radioman and longtime on-air KOMA personality Ronnie Kaye worked more than three months to pull off this seven-minute performance, he said in a recent Oklahoma Gazette interview.

“I came up with this wild idea,” Kaye said. “But when I started calling people about it, nobody turned me down.”

The song was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian and recorded and released in 1985 as a charity single for United Support of Artists for Africa (USA for Africa).

The nonprofit provided critical relief to famine-stricken countries across that continent.

It soon became the fastest-selling pop American single in history and raised a reported $44.5 million.

Kaye admits his goal is not nearly as ambitious, but it is focused on reducing hunger in his own community. Proceeds of VIP tickets, commemorative swag, autographed memorabilia and other items benefit Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. The nonprofit helps feed more than 110,000 families across the state each week.

Dozens of stars, including Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper and Stevie Wonder, recorded the song in 1985.

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Saturday, over 45 artists spanning five decades converge in Norman to perform their tribute.

“On most songs, you have one lead part, but this has 24 lead parts that are mainly one line each,” Kaye said.

“Everyone involved here volunteered their time … and they’re all coming down here to sing one line.”

When possible, Kaye also worked unique ties to the original into this production.

For example, Red Dirt genre pioneer, producer and musician Steve Ripley, who has worked with artists like Bob Dylan, will sing the same lines Dylan did in 1985. Harold Jones of The Third Avenue Blues Band played with Ray Charles and will perform key parts of the chorus, much as his famous counterpart did in the original.

Artists from all genres are participating: Dameon Aranda of OKC rock act Aranda; Barnsdall native pop singer Anita Bryant; Enid native, Oklahoma City University graduate and Chickasaw operatic soprano Leona Mitchell; Mike Brewer of Brewer & Shipley; and Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame inductee The Burtons.

The short set, if one wants to call it that, also offers a unique opportunity for fans. A $25 VIP ticket allows meetand-greet performer access, Kaye said.

It also includes dinner, an event T-shirt and souvenir tickets as well as entry to the party, which features music from The Wise Guys and Ronnie Kaye’s Dancemobile.

The KOMA call letters have a long and storied past in this city that dates back almost a century. Kaye said it debuted its Fan Jam event in 2004 as a way to bring together its longtime DJs, station history and fans while celebrating the community.

Attendance is limited for this event and will fill up quickly. The venue holds around 2,000 people, but Kaye said “this is an over-the-top production.”

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Zero down

With alarming suicide rates among U.S. service members, a new tour designed to help those who struggle with PTSD and other disorders comes to Oklahoma.

Mike Henneberger

Zero Platoon tour rocky Votolato with Dave Hause and chris farren 7 p.m. tuesday Opolis 113 N. crawford ave., Norman opolis.org $15-$18 21+

Mike Henneberger started Zero Platoon, a music-centered charity to help U.S. soldiers deal with depression and other mental health issues, after leaving the Army. He joined the U.S. Army in 2009 at 25 years old to use his photography and videography skills to document the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

That same year, Henneberger was diagnosed with major depressive

disorder and anxiety disorder. His tenure in the Army was less than two years. He moved back home to Corpus Christi, Texas, and tried to cope with his depression. Mainly, he worried about his friends who were still in the military.

The Department of Defense releases an annual report detailing suicides and suicide attempts in the military.

In the 2013 report released in 2014, 30 percent of suicides and 50 percent of suicide attempts were by soldiers who had no history of combat deployment.

Of the 1,080 attempts that year, 42 percent of suicides were carried out by soldiers between the ages of 17 and 24.

“It is now common knowledge that soldiers who have been deployed suffer from PTSD, depression and other post-combat mental health issues,”

Henneberger said. “What is less known is that the depression and anxiety are common among troops who have never been deployed.”

To help cope with his mental issues, Henneberger went back to something that had helped him navigate tough times before the military: music. That was the beginning of Zero Platoon.

“I wanted to help people who were in the same position I had been in,” he said. “The USO does a great job of taking celebrities to the troops, but they don’t work with the same kind of bands that I like or the bands that are current for young soldiers now,” he said.

Many of those young soldiers grew up on second-wave emo or post-punk bands that the USO has likely never heard of. Others grew up on alt-country

and singer-songwriters. Henneberger likes to reach out to those bands, and the artists are typically happy to help the soldiers.

“Rock Votolato got involved with Zero Platoon because he heard that Matt Pryor of The Get Up Kids had done an interview,” Henneberger said.

“They toured together early in Rocky’s career and have remained friends.”

Votolato, a singer-songwriter and altcountry artist, is part of Zero Platoon’s first full U.S. tour, and that tour comes to Opolis, 113 N. Crawford Ave., in Norman on Tuesday. Votolato will be joined by Dave Hause, a post-punk artist now working solo, and Chris Farren of Florida indie-rock band Fake Problems.

provided

By GreG HOrtON

Red connection Zane Williams shares his love of honky-tonks.

By GreG HOrtON

Zane Williams with ricky Gunn 9:30 p.m. friday Wormy Dog saloon 311 e. sheridan ave. wormydog.com 601-6276 $10 21+

Zane Williams came from an unlikely background as far as country music musicians are concerned. The McKinney, Texas-based singer-songwriter is the son of college professors and was himself a math major at Abilene Christian University (ACU), the Church of Christ-affiliated university in Abilene, Texas.

“I grew up in a big Church of Christshaped bubble,” Williams said. “I went to ACU, and like many young people, I had no idea what I really wanted to do. My mom encouraged a math degree because she said it would always be useful, both

Zane Williams

for a job or grad school, and I liked it because I was good at it.”

The Williams family was not musical to the point that when Zane announced he wanted to pursue a music career, they were shocked.

“They didn’t discourage me, though,” Williams said. “They just wanted to make sure I got my degree first.”

Since he was in his senior year at ACU when he decided to pursue music, Williams did not have long to wait to finish that degree. After graduation, he moved to Nashville, and after nine years of trying to make a living in the music industry, he arrived at a personal crisis of sorts.

“I had made a decent living as a songwriter and singer, but I did not have a major label deal, and big names were not recording my songs,” he said. “I wanted to start a family, and so I decided to return to Texas and maybe quit music.”

His wife’s family lives in the

McKinney area, so the couple settled there. Williams said he was unfamiliar with the Texas music scene, but he immediately fell in love with the region, including Oklahoma.

“I felt a connection for the first time,” he said. “I loved the Wormy Dog, and I loved all the honky-tonks in Oklahoma and Texas. Mainly, I loved that an artist can tour regionally, make a name for himself, make a living and do all of it without a major label deal.”

Williams tours with a full band now, and it is a working band. It plays nearly every Friday and Saturday night throughout the year, and Williams said it plays about half of the Thursday nights, too. The band is touring in support of its newest album, Texas Like That.

The album features Williams’ signature songwriting, which is positive, upbeat and celebratory. He is probably best known for songwriting. He won The John Lennon Songwriting

Contest — and $20,000 — in 2005 for “Hurry Home,” a song about a father reconnecting with his runaway teenage daughter.

“I write from themes within my own life,” Williams said. “The music is positive because my well is full. I already know life is hard, so the music helps me along.”

In fact, Williams became a songwriter because he was in love — he said the writing comes naturally, too. He bought his first guitar at 17, when his only experience of music was singing in church. It was also the year he got his first girlfriend.

Williams combines those positive themes with classic country instrumentation — fiddle, guitar, banjo, mandolin, drums — and delivers upbeat, feel-good, wide-open country. The music reflects the balance he has found in his life; he’s free to tour regionally, pursue a satisfying career in music and be surrounded by friends and family.

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Cage-free Creep Pinning down Creepoid’s music is not as easy as listening to it.

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The Wolfpack

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Marriages with creepoid 7 p.m. saturday 89th street collective 8911 N. Western ave.

89thstreetokc.com $10

Sean Miller is tired of one description of the Philadelphia-based indie band he helped found.

“I know that the less I have to hear us referred to as nu-gaze, the better,” the singer/guitarist for Creepoid said.

He laughed after he said it, but his follow-up statement was more telling.

“I don’t try to pigeonhole what we do,” he said. “Other people will do that for us.”

In fact, spending any time at all reading reviews of Creepoid leads to one obvious conclusion: No one agrees on what genre they belong in.

Shoe-gaze, slowcore, sadcore, psychpunk, ’90s grunge, nu-gaze — all of those descriptors and at least a half dozen more are used when describing the band, which plays in Oklahoma City this weekend for only the second time.

“I think as a band, we take great pride in that inability to classify us,” Miller said. “One of the things we get all the time is that we’re trying to do ’90s. We’re not trying to do anything except letting music come to us.”

The band formed during a snowstorm in Philadelphia when Miller got snowed in with childhood friend Patrick Troxell, who plays drums. Troxell and his wife Anna, who plays bass and sings, worked on some music with Miller to kill time.

And after a couple of lineup changes, those three are still there, along with Nick Kulp on guitar.

When listening to Creepoid, it is clear why people have a hard time classifying the band. They

feel completely free to improvise, combine genres, move between eerie and funny, alternate vocalists and essentially dare people to figure out what they are doing. Miller explains that they are simply being true to their early influences.

“We play music that is influenced by what we heard growing up,” he said. “For me, the first CDs I bought were bands like Smashing Pumpkins and Soundgarden. But we’re not doing a ’90s revival.”

Although the majority of the lyrics are written by Miller, the songs tend to be collaborative. All four members bring different influences to the band, including the lyrics.

The ’90s-era drone, rasp and melancholy are there, so the Sonic Youth comparisons are fair, if rather simplistic. Brighter notes, melodic music, haunting keys and pedal effects you expect from shoegaze bands are there in the music as well.

The band is an amalgam of four creative people who bring their ideas to a collaborative environment, and the result is such that some critics label them a pop act.

Not every song is perfect, but the band works well, and the music is much more listenable for fans outside the hardcore scene. Miller and Troxell have very different vocal styles, including phrasing, and Troxell’s lyrics tend to be more decipherable; her clear soprano likely helps with that.

Creepoid is touring in support of its latest project, Cemetery Highrise Slum, an album that has divided critics. But that’s no surprise. This is a band, though, that released its debut EP in 2010 after recording it on a 1950s reel-to-reel tape deck — they take chances, they work together and they are open to where the music takes them.

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LIVE MUSIC

Matt Blagg, Red Rock Canyon Grill. BLUES Old Bulldog Band, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. ROCK

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 5 Dawes, ACM@UCO Performance Lab. INDIE Jason Young Band, Baker Street Pub & Grill. COUNTRY

Steve Rice, Grady’s 66 Pub, Yukon. VARIOUS Tallows/Forum/Beach Language, Blue Note Lounge.

INDIE TJ Mayes, Opolis, Norman. BLUES Zane Williams, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY

Kristin Diable, The Blue Door. ROCK Kurt Travis/Souvenirs, 89th Street Collective. INDIE Mark Vollertsen, Red Rock Canyon Grill. ACOUSTIC Maurice Johnson, R&J Lounge and Supper Club.

Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/Ed VanBuskirk, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER

THURSDAY, AUG. 6 Brent Saulsbury/Will Galbraith/Wayne Duncan, Friends Restaurant & Club.

Leon Russell, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Catoosa. ROCK Lucky Duo, Colcord Hotel. COVER Shakers of Salt, O Asian Fusion, Norman. COVER Stars, Red Rock Canyon Grill. COVER Vox Squadron, Wormy Dog Saloon. BLUES Wildings/Fatty Acids/Elms, Blue Note Lounge. INDIE

FRIDAY, AUG. 7

SATURDAY, AUG. 8 Bo Phillips, Grady’s 66 Pub, Yukon. COUNTRY Brother Gruesome/Found Footage, Opolis, Norman.

ROCK Casey and Minna, Buy For Less. FOLK Charli XCX/Bleachers, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa. POP Derek Harris, Red Rock Canyon Grill. ACOUSTIC Dirty River Boys, Wormy Dog Saloon. COUNTRY Don and Melodee Johnson, Twelve Oaks, Edmond. JAZZ Drive, Baker Street Pub & Grill. VARIOUS Jamie Bramble, Uptown Grocery Co., Edmond. ACOUSTIC

OKG

music

Life of the Party, Newcastle Casino, Newcastle. COVER

Holy Ghost tent revival

pick

Lucky Duo, Tapwerks Ale House & Cafe. COVER

friday

Holy Ghost Tent Revival, a crowd-pleasing rock ’n’ roll band from North Carolina, makes a tour stop Friday at District House, 1755 NW 16th St. Opening is Oklahoma blues-rock duo The Trading Co. Tickets are $10 and include one Pabst Blue Ribbon beer or soft drink.

Doors open at 7:30, and the show is all-ages. Visit holyghosttentrevival.com.

Marriages/Creepoid, 89th Street Collective. ROCK Michael Kleid, Fuze Buffet & Bar. JAZZ Midas 13, Thunder Alley Grill and Sports Bar. ROCK Miss Brown to You, UCO Jazz Lab, Edmond. JAZZ

ABrandon Jackson, Fuze Buffet & Bar. COUNTRY

Porch Mice, Blue Note Lounge. COUNTRY

Clint Scholz, Mad Cow Saloon. COUNTRY

Rocky Kanaga, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill.

ACOUSTIC

The Mills Band, Mad Cow Saloon. COUNTRY

Sam Baker, The Blue Door. FOLK

Uncle Zep, Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery. COVER

Cutter Elliott, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill.

COUNTRY DJ R&R, Russell’s, Tower Hotel. HIP-HOP

Stat Band, Russell’s, Tower Hotel. R&B

Drive, Riverwind Casino, Norman. VARIOUS

Superfreak, Riverwind Casino, Norman. COVER

Scott Lowber/Will Galbraith/Ed VanBuskirk, Friends Restaurant & Club. COVER

SUNDAY, AUG. 9 Aaron Vasquez, Skirvin Hilton Hotel. ACOUSTIC Christian Pearson, Colcord Hotel. PIANO Joel Wilson, Grady’s 66 Pub, Yukon. COUNTRY Mike Hosty “One Man Band,” The Deli, Norman. ROCK Shawna Russell, Myriad Botanical Gardens. COUNTRY Tequila Azul, The Depot, Norman. POP

MONDAY, AUG. 10 Outline in Color, 89th Street Collective. ROCK

TUESDAY, AUG. 11 Michael Angelo Batio, 89th Street Collective. ROCK Rocky Votolato/Dave Hause/Chris Farren, Opolis, Norman. SINGER/SONGWRITER

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 12 Brian Wright/Caleb Caudle, The Blue Door. SINGER/ SONGWRITER Here Come the Mummies, Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa. ROCK provided

tallows, Blue Note lounge, Friday

Maurice Johnson, R&J Lounge and Supper Club.

Shania Twain, Chesapeake Energy Arena. COUNTRY

leon Russell, hard Rock hotel and Casino, Catoosa, thursday

provided

Rick Toops, Friends Restaurant & Club. ROCK

Submissions must be received by Oklahoma Gazette no later than noon on Wednesday seven days before the desired publication date. Late submissions will not be included in the listings.

Submissions run as space allows, although we strive to make the listings as inclusive as possible.

Fax your listings to 528-4600 or e-mail them to listings@okgazette.com. Sorry, but phone submissions cannot be accepted.

O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e | au g u s t 5 , 2 0 1 5 | 4 3

life film

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Disturbing gaze The Look of Silence examines the fear that remains in Indonesia after the mass killings of the 1960s.

By GreG Horton

The Look of Silence 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Aug. 14 oklahoma City museum of Art 415 Couch Drive okcmoa.com 236-3100 $5-$9

The Look of Silence, Joshua Oppenheimer’s disturbing documentary about mass killings in Indonesia, opens with one of the perpetrators describing pulling intestines from a victim’s body. That the perpetrator does so matter-of-factly, followed by a hearty laugh, is only made more disturbing by the presence of a small girl playing happily in the background within earshot of the conversation.

The boasting was about the mass killings in 1965-66 and was a shock to Oppenheimer, but everywhere he went, perpetrators of the anti-Communist purges told their stories with a degree of self-congratulation that is chilling. Those stories gave birth to Oppenheimer’s first film about the mass killings was Oscarnominated The Act of Killing.

Inherent risk

Documentary filmmakers operate with a culturally imposed burden of anonymity, a lack of popular awareness that leads to a task that is often thankless. For every Ken Burns, there are hundreds of documentarians who believe in the power of film to inform and transform, but that necessarily entails risk — personal, financial, professional and emotional — to a degree that is often life-threatening.

When Oppenheimer went to Indonesia for the first time, in 2001, he had no plans on making films about the sprawling archipelago nation. The country was just three years removed from U.S.backed dictator Suharto’s resignation, and they were still recovering from the financial crisis of 1998.

“I went there to teach plantation

4 4 | au g u s t 5 , 2 0 1 5 | O k l a h O m a G a z e t t e

workers how to make films,” Oppenheimer said. “The Belgian company that owned the plantation was forcing female employees to spray herbicide without protective gear. The herbicide got into their lungs and then their bloodstream.”

Women who worked at the plantation were dying in their 40s, a direct result of the herbicides dissolving liver tissue once in the bloodstream.

The plantation workers were trying to unionize for reasons including the demand for protective gear, so Oppenheimer’s task was to help them make films to further that goal.

What he discovered was people who were still deeply afraid of the regime in power, the perpetrators of the communist purges.

“It was like being magically transported to Germany 40 years after the Holocaust, but in this case, the Nazis would still be in power,” Oppenheimer said.

After the workers voiced their demands to the Belgian company, an echo of the narrative that had been embedded in the people since 1967 played out, much to Oppenheimer’s surprise.

“The company hired paramilitary types and thugs to intimidate the workers,” he said. “They promptly dropped their demands.”

They did so because union organizers and workers were primary targets in 1965-66 and it looked like the same scenario was about to play out in 2001.

Oppenheimer saw how the fear worked nearly 40 years later, and The Act of Killing was born from that awareness.

Prison of fear

The Look of Silence is a companion film to The Act of Killing, and like the first film, it focuses on the mass killings, but from an utterly different perspective. Adi, an optometrist whose brother was killed in the purge, confronts his brother’s killers

while testing their vision. When he first approached Oppenheimer about the idea, the filmmaker balked.

Adi won him over eventually for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the young man’s own children.

“Adi’s brother’s death was an anomaly,” Oppenheimer said. “There were witnesses to it, and the family was able to obtain the body and bury him.

His family was able to grieve, unlike so many other families.”

The inability to come to grips with the murders of their loved ones combined with the perpetrators still being in power led to a “prison of fear.”

The heartbreaking realization led to a conversation in which Adi told Oppenheimer that he had to confront the killers so that Adi’s own children would not grow up in that same prison of fear.

Oppenheimer agreed to do the film, and The Look of Silence is the product of that desire to open the prison.

Not genocide

The beauty in The Look of Silence comes from the setting. Many of Indonesia’s approximately 17,000 islands, including Bali, are known for their natural beauty.

However, Oppenheimer’s eye and lens find the beauty in the most broken humans, too, as in the moment when Adi’s mother explains that the boy’s birth, coming only two years after the murder of his older brother, saved her sanity. Still, it’s a difficult film to watch, too, and that is partly because the U.S. shares some culpability in the massacres.

Watching an NBC anchor report the killing of communists as good news is heartwrenching. Most of the victims were not communists; they were factory workers and farmers who resisted the military regime and struggled for labor protections. The U.S.-backed Suharto junta labeled all its opponents — as many as 500,000 people — communists and set about to liquidate them.

“These narratives will continue to play out until we build societies with wider empathies,” Oppenheimer said. “Even at home, every attempt to get the U.S. government to release the details of the Indonesian mass killings has met with complete denial of every [Freedom of Information Act] request.”

Cold results

Indonesia’s murders were at least one horrific result of the U.S.’s Cold War strategy, but Oppenheimer sees a more pernicious and hidden cause, too. In the newsreel referenced above, the same anchor shows Indonesians forced to go back to work at the Goodyear rubber processing plant. Again, it’s delivered as good news.

“They took people from death camps and forced them to work to produce goods for a U.S. company,” Oppenheimer said. “It’s an identical scenario that played out with German companies around Auschwitz. There is simply no difference.”

One of the most telling moments in the film occurs when a death squad member looks straight at the camera, which, in effect, is straight at all of us, and says, “I should be given a cruise to the United States because America taught me to hate and kill communists.”

It is important to note that even if all half million Indonesians murdered had been communists, it is still murder. PostCold War, we can hope to reevaluate what our geopolitics make of us as a people. It is this push toward understanding and justice that drives Oppenheimer.

“The film wasn’t just to tell a story,” he said. “I wanted to take it farther, to actually make a push toward justice and reconciliation, but reconciliation and peace cannot come at the expense of justice.

Oppenheimer’s film opens at Oklahoma City Museum of Art on Aug. 14. It will show five times between Aug. 14 and 20.

free Will AStroloGy Homework: Would it be possible to turn one of your liabilities into an asset? How? Testify at FreeWillAstrology.com.

ArieS (March 21-April 19) Charles de Lint is a novelist whose stories are influenced by folklore, myths, and science fiction. In his book *Yarrow,* a wizardly character named Toby is skilled at conjuring. He can make small objects appear and disappear, for example. But Toby yearns for more.

“I want to be magic,” he says. “I want to be a friend of elves and live in a tree. I want to marry a moonbeam and hear the stars sing. I don’t want to pretend at magic anymore. I want to be magic.” If you have ever wished for a comparable upgrade, Aries, now is an unusually favorable time to work on it.

tAUrUS (April 20-May 20) An imaginative Welsh man named Liam Bennett has developed a “dausage,” which is a blend of a doughnut and sausage. One of his most requested treats is pork meat stuffed with strawberry jelly. Even if this novel blend doesn’t appeal to your taste buds, it serves as a good prompt for my advice: The coming weeks will be a favorable time to expand your notion of what types of nourishment are fun and healthy for you. I mean that in the metaphorical as well as the literal sense.

Experiment with new recipes, both with the food you provide your body and the sustenance you feed your soul.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) In the woods, living matter isn’t segregated from the decaying stuff. Rotting tree trunks are host to teeming colonies of moss. Withered stems of ferns mingle with cheerful saplings. Audacious mushrooms sprout up among scraps of fallen leaves. The birds and beetles and lizards and butterflies don’t act as if this mix is weird. They seem to be at peace with it. I suspect they thrive on it, even exult in it. That’s the spirit I suggest you adopt as you enjoy the paradoxical mélange of your life in the coming weeks, Gemini. Celebrate the mysterious magic that emerges as you simultaneously fade and flourish, decline and increase, wind down and rise up.

CAnCer (June 21-July 22) Here are some tips on being the best Cancerian you can be: 1. Cultivate your sensitivity as a strength.

Regard your emotional vulnerability as a superpower.

2. Nurture yourself at least as much as you nurture others. 3. Learn to know the difference between your golden hunches and the glimmering delusions that your demons stir up. 4. Be kind, but don’t be exorbitantly nice. 5. Remember that others’ unhappiness is rarely your fault or responsibility. 6.

Keep reinventing the way you love yourself. leo (July 23-Aug. 22) “What are the best things and the worst things in your life, and when are you going to get around to whispering or shouting them?” This question was posed by Leo author Ray Bradbury in his book Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity.

Even if you’re not a writer yourself, you will benefit from responding to his exhortation. It’s one of the best things you could possibly do to activate your dormant creativity and intensify your lust for life. This is one of those times when working with your extremes is not only safe and healthy, but also fun and inspirational.

So do it, Leo! Get excited and expressive about the best and worst things in your life.

VirGo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) It’s time to leave behind the golden oldies. You’d be wise to tiptoe away from tradition, and give the ghosts of the past one last kiss goodbye, and wean yourself from nostalgia for the good old days. Frankly, my dear, you’ve got numerous appointments with the future, and it would be a shame to miss them because you’re mucking around with memories. In the coming weeks — for that matter, in the coming months — you’re most likely to thrive if you become an agent of change.

And the most important thing to change is your relationship to the person you used to be. liBrA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) In Indonesia, the term gotong-royong is defined as the “joint bearing of burdens.” In practice it means that you and I and our allies get together voluntarily to help each other achieve a shared goal. It may also be an agreement to provide mutual aid: I help

you do what you need to have done, and you help me with my task. Gotong-royong also implies that we enjoy working together. The emotional tone that we cultivate is affection and care. By sharing a burden, we lighten the load that each of us has to bear. I bring this to your attention, Libra, because it’s the gotong-royong season for you and yours. Be the ringleader who initiates and sustains it.

SCorPio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) In one of his poems, Jack Gilbert mentions “the incurably sane,” who are “uncrippled by beauty” and “unbutchered by love.” When I read those lines, I felt a surge of protest. Is there a single person on the earth who fits that description? No! I was miffed by such starry-eyed idealism. Later, though, as I studied the astrological omens for you Scorpios, my attitude softened. I realized that the coming weeks may be a time when many of you will at least temporarily be incurably sane, uncrippled by beauty, and unbutchered by love. If you’re one of these lucky ones, please use your blessed grace to spread an abundance of blessed grace everywhere you go.

SAGittAriUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) If you’re not skirting the edges of the forbidden zone, you’re playing it too safe. If you’re not serving as a benevolent mischief-maker for someone you care about, you’re shirking your duty. Your allegiance should be with X-factors and wild cards. You will thrive to the degree that you cultivate alliances with mavericks and instigators. Are you shrewd enough to mess with time-tested formulas? Are you restless enough to rebel against habits that stifle your curiosity?

CAPriCorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) How to be a Capricorn, according to my Capricorn reader Sadie Kennedy: When you are younger, take yourself too seriously. Look and act older than you actually are as you serve what’s most practical.

Sacrifice fun and frivolity, working doggedly to achieve the goals you yearn for, until you reach some level of accomplishment. Then realize, as if struck by a thunderbolt, that fun and frivolity have practical value. Begin to age backwards like Benjamin Button

as you balance work with play and discipline with leisure. Enjoy the fruits of your intense efforts as everyone tells you how relaxed and supple and resilient you are becoming.

AQUAriUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Cracking open the shell of a soft-boiled egg is a tricky task. You must be firm enough to break the shell, but sufficiently gentle to avoid making a mess. If you live in Germany, you have access to a metal instrument that provides just the right measure of soft force.

It’s called an Eierschalensollbruchstellenverursacher, translated as “soft-boiled egg shell cracker.” Your assignment in the coming weeks is to cultivate a talent that is metaphorically similar to an Eierschalensollbruchstellenverursacher. I believe you will need that blend of sensitivity and power on numerous occasions.

PiSCeS (Feb. 19-March 20) Americans often regard Cuba as impoverished and backwards. There is an element of truth in their prejudice, primarily because the U.S. has imposed a stifling embargo on the Caribbean nation for over 50 years. That’s why, for example, many Cubans drive cars that were manufactured in the 1950s.

But I wonder how my fellow citizens would respond if they knew that in some ways Cuba’s healthcare system is better than America’s. The World Health Organization recently congratulated Cuba for being the first country on earth to eradicate the transmission of syphilis and HIV from mothers to babies. Can you identify a metaphorically similar situation in your personal life, Pisces? Are there people you regard as inferior or undeveloped who could teach you an important lesson or motivate you to grow? Now is a perfect time to benefit from their influence.

Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes /daily text message horoscopes.

The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.

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