AltWeeklies Wire
Bishops' Pastoral Letter on Election Alienates Catholicsnew
Steve and Shayla King left their parish of 30 years because they were offended by a missive suggesting Catholics might endanger their eternal salvation if they didn't vote for a candidate who would protect innocent life. The letter issued in their diocese was intimidation, Steve King says.
Why Shoppers Ought to Think Twice About Ordering Onlinenew
Writing from prison, Internet scammer Brandon Samuel Brooks explains how, between the ages of 15 and 20, he stole about $100,000 from unsuspecting rubes over the Internet.
The Pitch |
Tony Ortega |
12-13-2004 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: UPS, web, fraud, police, eBay, scam, auction, Blue Springs, Home Shopping Network, Paypal, porn site, technogeeks
Space Casenew
This book proposes startling histories for the image resembling a human face found on the surface of Mars while debunking the more outlandish theories of out-there Mars prophets.
Doc Offers Miracle in a Bottlenew
Dr. Edward McDonagh has been fighting Missouri’s medical establishment for years to defend his practice of treating all kinds of maladies with chelation therapy, which removes potentially harmful metals from the bloodstream.
Tags: Health & Science
So Long, Mr. Jonesnew
When he emerged from prison last year, rapper Russell Jones was by most accounts a subdued shell of his former manic self. His insanity had been the root of his appeal.
The Pitch |
Nathan Dinsdale |
11-24-2004 |
Profiles & Interviews
Behind the Veil: What's Up With Gay Marriage?new
Aside from a few deluded lovebirds who were inexplicably driven to imitate the most overrated institution in heterosexual culture and the do-gooder attorneys who then felt compelled to represent them, no gay person I know well has ever wanted to get married.
The Pitch |
C.J. Janovy |
11-24-2004 |
Commentary
Missouri Declares Tourism a $7 Billion Industrynew
By imagining that most of the people who eat in the state's restaurants are from out of town, Missouri officials inflate the economic importance of tourism. The miscalculation can lead government to set the wrong priorities.
Voter Rapathynew
J-Kwon is merely another pinky-ringed cog in the ambitious machine known as the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network. The organization is a noble, unprecedented attempt to enchant the disenchanted. Can it succeed?
U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback Escapes Political Harm for Role in Iraq War,new
Before Bush launched the first missiles on Baghdad, Ahmad Chalabi seemed to be a constant companion of the hawkish senator from Kansas. Now Chalabi fights for his political life while his Iraq-invasion co-conspirator is breezing to re-election.
Kansas School Board Member Reports Filmmaker to FBInew
After documentary filmmaker Ranjit Arab tried to interview anti-immigrant Kansas State Board of Education member Connie Morris, she reported him to the FBI "to ward off any possible stalking or terroristic behavior."
The Pitch |
C.J. Janovy |
10-26-2004 |
Immigration
Psychologist's Theory to Bring Peace Could Turn Soldiers Into Better Killersnew
Rachel MacNair argues that in war, the major stressor that causes post-traumatic stress disorder isn't watching a buddy die or coming under heavy fire from enemies. Instead, she believes, the key factor is killing someone else.
The Pitch |
Ben Paynter |
10-26-2004 |
International
Tags: Abortion, a member of PeaceWorks who has worked with the War Resisters League, battle fatigue, Lynn Cheatum, morality of killing, National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study, Perpetration Induced Traumatic Stress, Ph.D. candidate in psychology and sociology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, shell shock, the American Friends Service Committee and the Kansas City Interfaith Peace Alliance, international
Shut Up and Drivenew
After three career-defining records in a row, Drive-By Truckers will probably have to sit down and make a list of things they don't want their next record to be, says frontman Patterson Hood.
The Pitch |
John Nova Lomax |
10-19-2004 |
Profiles & Interviews
Man's Story of How His Family Drowned Doesn't Hold Waternew
A freak rainstorm carried away Robert Rogers' minivan, killing his wife, children and a Good Samaritan. Rogers tells church crowds he walked away from a "wall of water" that night, but Kansas rescue workers say his account makes no sense.
Enjoy the Silencenew
For The Power Out, guitarist and keyboardist Verity Susman wrote her melodies first, then searched for words that sounded euphonious with the hooks. At times, that meant singing in French or German.
The Pitch |
Andrew Miller |
10-04-2004 |
Profiles & Interviews
For a Once Dry State, Kansas Makes Good Winenew
Kansas winemakers face three obstacles: lingering attitudes that wine is evil, harsh state laws that prevent most people outside Kansas from trying the state's varieties, and the widespread consumer perception that wine just doesn't come from Kansas.
The Pitch |
Allie Johnson |
10-04-2004 |
Food+Drink
Tags: a Leavenworth Democrat, Adrian Polansky, announced that he had formed a Kansas Grape and Wine Industry Advisory Council, Attorney Kenneth Starr, Holyfield Winery, Kansas Farm Winery Law, Kansas secretary of agriculture, Les and Michelle Meyer, Sen. Don Biggs, wineries, Women's Christian Temperance Union member Frances Wood
