Volume III, Issue 5

Ricardo Castillo’s “Allegories of a Bad Conscience,” currently on display at La Antigua Galería del Arte, is a minimalist exploration of the power of line in classic works of Western Art. Through its grace and power, Castillo’s work resurrects the intensity of images that have become iconic – and as such, denuded of their… »

The bowl of spaghetti with a red clam sauce would normally have been large enough to feed me for a week. But I was famished. It was July and hot, and this was the lunch special for $7.95. It came with a salad, bread and thick red wine served in a small water glass.

The… »

One of the most notable characteristics of 21st century Havana is what is not there: obvious and visible destitution. The begging and aggressive peddling prevalent in so many poor Latin capitals (and in most US cities) is entirely absent in Havana. There are no homeless people sleeping under bridges or hidden in doorways, no… »

Smoke hung in the bar and wafted around between the clustered, colored lights like an addictive fog. David watched. It was pleasing. Other than that things were turning out pretty shit.

He sat and pondered the call he had received an hour earlier. Rox. It had been almost four months since he had heard anything… »

Aries: (March 21 – April 19) You and your cousin recently debated the merits of taking either an “adventurous” or a “heroic” dose of ketamine and pig tranquilizer. As your eyes loll up and down to the shallow rhythm of your shattered brainwaves, know that you both overshot. Good luck with the “round peg… »

Unlike most smokers I’ve known over the years, I didn’t first light up at 13 or 14 in a cheap attempt to be “cool” or one of them “rebel” types. I didn’t hang out in junior high bathrooms, hacking and coughing in order to be one of the guys.

Neither one of my folks smoked,… »

We met Joe Bageant the way we meet many of our best friends, through a mutual acquaintance that may have stepped on the wrong side of the law a few times. The brother in question, Earl Fish, did a couple of stints in the pen for safe cracking, and a couple more for trying… »

Regular readers will know that the Surly Bartender has a long list of triggers. He can be set off by just about anything said in his bar that smacks of stupid or smells of bullshit. Generally, this column grows from some particularly festering nugget of dumb that got pushed into his brain by customer… »

Okay, let’s get this straight, right out of the box: Just because a joke mentions a particular religion, gender, sexual proclivity or race doesn’t mean it’s offensive. And if you think they are, well, fuck you. See, now that’s offensive! It’s important to be able to tell the difference. We learned those rules early… »

In September of 1995 one of my heroes, the Civil Rights attorney, William Kunstler, died. Over the course of 50 year career Kunstler had defended, amongst others, Lenny Bruce, H. Rap Brown, Stokely Carmichael, the American Indian Movement, Abby Hoffman, Jerry Rubin and the rest of the Chicago 7, as well as “The Blind… »

A flash of light was burning on my skin, immediately followed by sounds that penetrated my body, leaving behind my cold flesh and taking my dreams forever.

In recent months Guatemala has been experiencing yet another period of senseless violence that make up so much of its history. It is just another example of a… »

What’s in a Name?

Recently residents of Conisbrough, South Yorkshire, petitioned to have the name of Butt Hole Road changed to Archer’s Way. A denizen of Butt Hole Road, Peter Sutton, who moved into the neighborhood several years ago, at first thought that living on such an unfortunately named lane would be fun, but after… »

What a Summer! Nuclear threats from the infamous North Korean dictator with the world’s funniest head of hair, Kim Don King. Revolutionary hot chicks on the streets of Tehran twittering themselves into the pages of history! Political murder and public demonstrations in Guatemala City! A semi-dressed, cowboy hat wearing President in Honduras being whisked… »

February 23, 2008. It was a typical Saturday night in San Juan Gascon.  Mum, dad and the kids were at home.  Luis, the eldest brother – a 19-year-old student – had gone out with friends.  At around 11:30, as the family was going to bed, they heard the spine-chilling screech of a vehicle… »