Acclaimed songwriter Tori Sparks will play for the first time in St. Louis during her Summer 2008 tour.  She will play for one night only, on Thursday, August 14th at Pop's Blue Moon. Doors are at 8pm, show begins at 9pm.

Pop's is located at 5249 Pattison Avenue, and has been called "hip without pretension" by Sauce Magazine. Call  (314) 776-4200 for tickets and directions.

Called "a knockout" by the Village Voice, her dynamic live show is equal parts soulful singing and zany stand-up-style humor.  Tori's latest album "Under This Yellow Sun" was produced by David Henry (R.E.M., Ben Folds, Josh Rouse, Cowboy Junkies), and features players such as Steve Bowman (Counting Crows), Aaron Sands (Jars of Clay), and John Deaderick (Patty Griffin, Lucinda Williams).

Everyone looks for something to talk to an American about.  They are tired of bashing George Bush and soon tire of asking whether Obama will really be our next president.  What can I say except: “Every president makes his predecessor look terrible”?  The world doesn’t understand our political system and believes that nothing and no one good can come of it. 

Then there is talk of the dollar.  That usually starts with the statement “I remember when…” the Ozzie dollar was sixty cents or the Swiss Franc was fifty cents or the Euro was one dollar or etc.  Does that mean the world is surpassing the U.S. somehow or that the U.S. is stumbling economically.  It opens the whole subprime conversation and the criticism of the US savings ethic.

More recently I received sympathetic questions about our flooding.  From the lakes of Switzerland to the Thames to the Sydney Harbor people want to know whether my friends and family are well in these devastating floods.  I mention that St. Louis was built on a bluff so though the arch steps are wet, my house and office are all secure. 

But recently, Sydney was the theatre (note my spelling) for a series of conversations around the Busch family in St. Louis.  Here was a business masking as a “family business” – a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  Not like the family businesses elsewhere said an Australian but “merely a platform for a family to pretend it owned a business and glorify itself and its pals with shareholders’ money.”  An Australian in the liquor business told me that the Busch company was notorious in its lack of inspiration and direction.  And experts on family business told me how the company was a model of what family businesses should not become.

I tried my best to defend the company.  I pulled every phrase I could find in the Post-Dispatch, hurriedly read on-line every morning.  I scoured the Herald Tribune for any patriotic defense of the independence of our mighty brewery.  Nevertheless I could convince neither the experts on family businesses nor the Australian beer drinkers I met (who don’t like Bud at all).  So I returned to Obama and conversations were a little less awkward.

Until one day the Australian business paper had a small article about how the Mayor of St. Louis and other public officials had taken a position opposing the merger of A-B.  The article mentioned petitions and encouraging congress to take action.  At my first meeting that morning, an Australian accountant cited the article with humor.  “You have floods, you have pestilence, and your mayor wants to keep a brewery from foreign ownership.”  “Why wouldn’t he welcome the Belgians, they’ll run the company much better than that tired old family” said the expert on family business.

That was several weeks ago.  I have heard similar conversation in London and Geneva.  St. Louis “back on the map.”   I have always preferred single malt (remember when Macallan was purchased by the Japanese) and now describe myself as from “near Chicago” until the brew-ha-ha is past and we can return to talk about floods and pestilence and how much further the U.S. dollar goes in St. Louis than in Sydney. 

- The St. Louis Traveler.

Off The Record: Conversations on the streets of St. Louis

July 27, 2008

Tivoli Theatre (6350 Delmar Blvd.)

Where do we go from here? Boss Ent. and Lexis FIlms Studio presents a Bastain and Souza documentary: "Off the Record" premiering at the Tivoli on Sunday July 27th at 7pm. Join Cinema St. Louis and The St. Louis Argus in breaking the silence through conversations on the streets of St. Louis at this red carpet event. Find out what you can do to reconcile the St. Louis community.

Tickets available at the Tivoli box office or by contacting Larry Bastain at 314-413-3388.

Senior Bush administration officials are already considering a plan to have the government take over one or both of the companies and place them in a conservatorship if their problems worsen, according to people briefed about the plan.

Under a conservatorship, shares of Fannie and Freddie would be worth little or nothing, and any losses on mortgages they own or guarantee — which could be staggering — would be paid by taxpayers.

The government officials said that the administration had also considered calling for legislation that would offer an explicit government guarantee on the $5 trillion of debt owned or guaranteed by the companies. But that is a far less attractive option, they said, because it would effectively double the size of the public debt.

The two people who described the statement said Mrs. Helmsley signed it in 2003 to establish goals for the multibillion-dollar trust that would disburse assets after her death.

The first goal was to help indigent people, the second to provide for the care and welfare of dogs. A year later, they said, she deleted the first goal.

Swimmers using the new ultra-sleek full-length bodysuit have torn up the record book this year, producing 38 world marks in less than four months. Even more records are expected to be set by LZR users in the US trials, which begin today, and all of them could be wiped out at the Beijing Games in August.

"I think you'll see not only multiple world records broken, but also multiple swimmers breaking world records in an event," said US national team coach Mark Schubert.

LZR users appear to have such an advantage that Nike has allowed its contract swimmers, such as backstroker Aaron Peirsol and breaststroker Brendan Hansen, both world champions, to switch to Speedo for the trials to help them keep up with their rivals.

"It's a bit unprecedented," acknowledged Dean Stoyer, spokesman for Nike, which makes the competing Swift Amp'd. "But we want our athletes to be comfortable and prepared, and we don't want to get in the way of that."

While breakthrough designs are customary in Olympic years, the $550 Speedo suit, designed with the help of both NASA and fashion designer Comme des Garcons, has stirred controversy because its features seem to increase buoyancy. Italian coach Alberto Castagnetti said that the design amounted to "technological doping."

KETC/Channel 9 is launching Facing the Mortgage Crisis, a community engagement initiative designed to connect area residents to trusted foreclosure prevention resources that can help. Building on its role as a public media organization, KETC has gathered expert input from a variety of community organizations and is working to connect those in need with those who can help.

Facing the Mortgage Crisis launches July 1. Every day for the next two months, Channel 9 will broadcast a series of 10 short, informative on-air spots, each one answering the questions most frequently asked by homeowners, such as, “How should I deal with collection notices?” “Can I get money to help make a payment?” and “How long do I have before I lose my house?” The magazine series Living St. Louis recently began running the first of eight segments about the impact of the crisis locally. Among the stories is how foreclosures are affecting the city of Pagedale and other municipalities in St. Louis and Jefferson counties; how the FBI is fighting mortgage fraud; and a foreclosure-fighting Granite City attorney who must deal with vastly different laws in Missouri and Illinois.

On July 15 and 22 at 7:00 p.m., KETC producer Ruth Ezell hosts two, hour-long in-depth specials, also called Facing the Mortgage Crisis. The first program explores the issues closest to homeowners who are threatened with foreclosure, including how to negotiate with the lender if you’re in danger of missing payments, how to handle phone calls and notices from lenders, how to keep track of pertinent paperwork, and when to seek assistance. The second show deals with issues of neighborhood stabilization in communities where homes have been foreclosed. Specialists from nonprofit organizations will be on hand for both programs to guide viewers through the many aspects of these issues related to the mortgage crisis. The second half hour of each program will be devoted to viewer calls and e-mail. E-mailed questions may be submitted in advance at mortgage@ketc.org. The July 15 program will be rebroadcast on July 17 at 3:00 a.m. The July 22 program will re-air on July 27 at 2:00 p.m.

 In addition to the on-air components of the Facing the Mortgage Crisis initiative, residents can find resources on KETC’s Facing the Mortgage Crisis Web site at www.ketc.org. The easy-to-navigate site contains all of the information presented on-air, including the toll-free phone number for help: 800-427-4626. The number connects callers directly to the United Way’s 2-1-1 service, where trained staff are on duty 24 hours a day to provide assistance. More information about the mortgage crisis can be found on the Web site of project collaborator St. Louis Beacon (www.stlbeacon.org). KETC is mobilizing the community around Facing the Mortgage Crisis via e-mails and flyers distributed throughout the region to churches, YMCAs, community centers, libraries and neighborhood associations.

Assisting KETC with Facing the Mortgage Crisis is United Way of Greater St. Louis, Acorn, Better Family Life, Beyond Housing, Catholic Charities, Doorways, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc., The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Home Team Realty, International Institute of St. Louis, Land of Lincoln Legal Services, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, NeighborWorks America, Regional Housing and Community Development Alliance, St. Louis Beacon, St. Louis County Planning Department, St. Louis Public Library, the Salvation Army-Midland Division, and Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Inc.

Succumbing to pressure from state attorneys general and activists, Anheuser-Busch will stop selling alcoholic energy drinks -- and put rivals that still market them in an awkward position.

and

Before the start of a recent press screening for Ben Stiller's forthcoming action comedy "Tropic Thunder," a fake, over-the-top commercial for a fictitious energy drink called Booty Sweat appears, provoking great hilarity from the industry crowd in attendance.

But the firm's past efforts pale in comparison with the free legal assistance that it has given to six Algerian terrorist suspects held without charge at Guantanamo Bay. Since 2004, lawyers with the firm have provided 35,448 billable hours of legal help, worth an estimated $17 million, making this case the largest pro bono effort in the 90-year history of the firm.

The independently owned bookseller plans to lease 5,500 square feet of space on the ground floor of a building at 321 N. 10th Street, across the street from the newly rehabbed Syndicate building at 10th and Olive.

Gas Hole: a documentary about Gas Prices and the Future of Alternative Fuel

June 20, 2008 - June 22, 2008

Hi-Pointe Theatre (1005 McCauseland Ave.)

Back by popular demand, the Hi-Pointe Theatre will be showing Gas Hole: a new documentary film about the history of oil prices and the future of alternative fuel. Runs from June 20 to June 22. Tickets can be purchased at www.stlouisgreen.com or at the door of the theater. Proceeds benefit www.stlouisgreen.com and St. Louis Regional Clean Cities

stlouisgreen.com

Celebrate Dad in classic style this Father’s Day at the KempAutoMuseum.

All Dads (and Granddads) will receive complimentary admission to the Museum,  including the upcoming “On the Road in America: The Great American Family Road Trip” Exhibition, which opens in late May.

There will be an invitational automobile show on the Plaza (weather permitting) including high-end, specialty collector cars like a Ferrari 599 and a Bentley Continental.

Museum docents will be available to give personalized tours to each visiting Dad and their families from 11am – 3pm on Father’s Day, Sunday, May 15. The Museum will also have a unique picture frame craft activity for kids to make and give to their Dad or Grandad as a memento of his special day.

For more information regarding the Father’s Day event and activities, the public can contact the KempAutoMuseum at (636) 537-1718 or visit the Museum’s web site at www.kempautomuseum.org.

Saint Louis Zoo

Hoof it down to the Saint Louis Zoo for A Zoo Ado 2008, a celebration where you can drink, dine and dance the night away. From giraffes and zebras, to Zoo Friends and fellow St. Louisans, there is sure to be a stampede for the dance floor. From 6:30 p.m. to Midnight, rain or shine, with music by Fabulous Motown Revue and Arvell & Co. General Admission - $75, Night Owl - $50. Call (314) 646-4771 for more info.

stlzoo.org