Blogs

Kathleen McLaughlin spends some time in O'Fallon, Missouri, and finds a city in turmoil.

Unreal uncovers love letters from coworkers to Ray Hartmann in addition to the usual antics.

Cupcake connoisseur Ian Froeb tells us about this issue's food-related items on Gut Check.

For a band with the word in their name, Shame Club certainly doesn't have any when it comes to loud rock music. Annie Zaleski tells us why.

Complaining in the rain: Wash. U. art students tell Kristen Hinman why they're upset.

In B-sides, quirky rocker Robyn Hitchcock wonders about Beatle Bob, and Ian MacKaye brings the Evens to town.

In Homespun, Quief Quota's cover art and classic sound impress Christian Schaeffer.

Does it feel good to be an American Gangster? J. Hoberman finds out.

Dennis Brown gives The Clean House a sparkling review.

Paul Friswold sees one strange scene after another Return of the Bedbug -- and likes it.

News broke today that the St. Louis Cardinals have a new general manager. John Mozeliak, formerly the Cards' assistant (and more recently interim) GM, will accept a three-year deal and replace Walt Jocketty as the man who calls the Cards' personnel shots.

Reports over the weekend asserted that the job had been offered to Cleveland Indians assistant GM Chris Antonetti, who was said to be in contract talks as recently as Monday. If the name doesn't ring a bell, Antonetti is widely tagged as the next great general manager to come from the Indians organization. The blog USS Mariner, which staged a yearlong campaign urging the Mariners to fire their current GM and hire Antonetti, has a nice breakdown of just how successful that lineage has been: All four teams in the American and National League Championship Series this year were captained by protégés from the Tribe's front office.

Speculation abounded that Antonetti, with his penchant for statistical-based player evaluation would have been the perfect partner for Jeff Luhnow, the Cards' wet-behind-the-ears director of player development who is likewise grounded in sabermetrics.

Last week Antonetti was quoted as calling the Cards job "one of the best in baseball" and "a unique opporutnity." Since then the Indians have purportedly given him a raise and all but promised him the GM job once Mark Shapiro, who currently holds the position, is promoted to team president.

But perhaps not coincidentally, Antonetti dropped out of talks with the Cards the same day they signed manager Tony La Russa to a two-year contract that makes him the highest-paid manager in baseball...until Joe Torre signs with the Dodgers.

In the Post-Dispatch article announcing Mozeliak's hire, Joe Strauss hinted at why Antonetti likely declined the job, writing, "[Antonetti] harbored reservations about the amount of control that would be given Jocketty's successor."

Surely Mozeliak knows what he's getting into. Not only will he have to work with Luhnow, whom team chairman Bill DeWitt reportedly lets call most of the shots and restock the Cards' depressingly talent-barren shelves, he must also manage his manger's ego.

Watching the fresh-faced 39-year-old interact with the 63-year-old future Hall of Famer ought to be fun.

La Russa addressed the topic of age difference at the press conference announcing his new contract, essentially calling out his younger co-workers by saying, "I would venture to say that the guy who comes in, if he's half my age, probably goes to less rock and roll shows than I do, I'm young at heart. I'm going to see The Boss (Bruce Springsteen) in Oakland on Thursday. I'm not worried about (age difference) at all. I don't feel it."

Mozeliak has already begun to make his mark, picking up the option of aging closer Jason Isringhausen and renewing the contracts of setup man Russ Springer and inconsistent starter Joel Pineiro.

-Keegan Hamilton

Your daily guide to what they're whispering about in the next cubicle.

HERE
Ian gives an idea of what to expect in this week's review.

Find out what RFT contributor Mike Appelstein has to say about the new Joy Division biopic on A to Z.

Two women discover the magical qualities of a soap dispenser in the Saint Louis Art Museum's restroom.

Maria at Planting Georgia Peaches in St. Louis knows Victoria's Secret.

If you don't recycle, keep these folks away from your Dumpster.

For once, someone's glad to be out of toilet paper.

Make houseguests feel like they're hallucinating with wacky wallpaper.

THERE
It's true, Internet Thug. You can't get shot online -- but that doesn't mean someone won't try. (Via Crunk & Disorderly)

Only in Japan: Police vehicles patrolling school areas get new and super-cute emergency lights.

How many people receive postcards from St. Louis each year?

Appear godlike at the next weightlifting session. (Via Core77)

And it's not spam that concerns some editors-in-chief -- it's those damn press releases. (Via Boing Boing)

EVERYWHERE
Happy Halloween!

Now that the Rams' season has progressed from bad to awful to potentially historic depths of abomination, we must confront the question: Is 0-16 likely?

Die-hard fans -- and, I imagine, the Rams themselves -- can take comfort in the fact that since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, no team has finished 0-16. (The Baltimore Colts, however, did manage an 0-8-1 record in the strike-shortened 1982 campaign.)

Even a pathetic 1-15 record is relatively uncommon. From 1978 through last year, (discounting 1982), only six teams have finished with one measly win -- none since the 2001 Carolina Panthers. The more common mark of futility has been 2-14; in that same time span, twenty teams have recorded that record.

So the Rams couldn't possibly go 0-16, right? Beginning this week, using the football expertise and advanced statistical knowledge that two English degrees have granted me, I'll try to answer that question.

Week 10: at New Orleans

A road game, and after an 0-4 start, the Saints seem to be coming around. On the other hand, the Rams have the benefit of the bye week. How healthy will Bulger and Jackson be? It won't matter if Brees can pick apart the secondary.

Chance of Victory: 35%

Week 11: at San Francisco

Another road game, but the Niners are a mess. The Rams should have beaten them in Week 2. A slightly above-average performance should get the job done. If not, infamy beckons.

Chance of Victory: 60%

The rest of the season after the jump.

Your daily guide to what they're whispering about in the next cubicle.

HERE
Check out A to Z for a local-ish news round-up.

Ian takes a peak at Flaco's Cocina on Delmar.

This yard is much worse than a pink flamingo-laden one. (Via STL Rising)

OK, who said we want to be the next Cincinnati? Sheesh.

Start brainstorming now because National Novel Writing Month begins in two days.

Were you at Velvet on its last night open? Annie wrote about the infamous Washington Avenue techno club's final days two years ago.

THERE
Holy shiitake! Those are some bloody mushrooms.

This is the kind of PSA that'll freak parents out even more.

Some say Blackout, Britney Spears' new album, is crap , while others say it's genius. We prefer the acoustic version.

Google doesn't want spam in your inbox. They even made a video about it.

Terrorize everyone in the neighborhood with a motorcycle-riding, bad-to-the-bone skeleton.

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The crew of a hijacked ship kicks some major pirate butt.

Attorney Lisa Krempasky didn't return repeated phone calls when I was researching "Mystery Woman," a 2006 story about her involvement in one of this town's largest real estate scandals in recent memory.

Nor did the attorney respond to inquiries about the estate of the late Chuck Norman, the legendary founder of WGNU (920 AM), who left Krempasky in control of his trust following his 2004 death.

Real estate records on file with the city reveal that Krempasky invested millions of dollars from the Chuck Norman Trust into property controlled by a company called DHP Investments, owned by a man named Doug Hartmann, who now faces federal fraud charges.

Some beneficiaries of the trust believe Norman bequeathed $10,000 to every staffer employed with WGNU for a period of three years prior to his death. Those several dozen former staffers say Krempasky has kept them in the dark too.

But last week Krempasky surprised beneficiaries when she sent a two-page letter explaining for the first time how she became entangled in Hartmann's alleged massive real estate boondoggle. In contrast to the belief of the many beneficiaries who view Krempasky as a co-conspirator in the scam, Krempasky paints herself in the letter as a victim.

Enclosed with each copy of the letter was a check for $4,000 -- 40 percent of the $10,000 the beneficiaries say they were promised in Norman's will.

I went to Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Hyde Park on October 25 for Metropolitan Congregations United's fall public meeting, in hopes that Paul McKee Jr. would appear.

I don't believe in Santa Claus, or the Great Pumpkin. But I hoped a prominent -- if reclusive -- local developer who says he wants to do great things for the city would follow through on an invite from civic-minded church folks.

McKee is a St. Charles County-based developer who has acquired hundreds of parcels on the near north side of St. Louis. It's taken a few years, and while the properties sit vacant, McKee's neighbors grow nervous. They fear the worst. What's he going to do? Knock down a bunch of buildings in historic neighborhoods? Get the city to invoke eminent domain and force everyone around him out?

McKee has yet to answer that question in public. He has spoken with Metropolitan Congregations United and Mayor Francis Slay. The message relayed from both parties is that McKee doesn't have detailed plans.

An appearance at a public meeting would represent a major departure from the ongoing status quo: silence on his part, accompanied by rampant speculation on the part of most everyone else.

McKee was a no-show.

RFT reader Michael Mindlin e-mailed us to scold St. Louis Post-Dispatch health and fitness editor Amy Bertrand for her October 8, 2007, column "Silicone vs. saline: Looking at breast implant options."

Complains Mindlin:

"While approved by the FDA, silicone implants are clearly dangerous, and [Amy Bertrand's] article did not mention any of these well-known dangers. Furthermore, as Ms. Bertrand conveyed to me today, she relied on the FDA for the legitimacy of this article. I would argue for a higher standard. The FDA approves microwaving plastics even though it is incontrovertible that the superheated plastics create carcinogens. The FDA is no longer the leading authority on health in this country and has become highly politicized and compromised by commercial interests, as any good journalist would know who researched her sources. This newspaper has done a great disservice to the public and women will be seriously injured due to this article. How will they make amends and safe a lifetime of suffering from occurring?"

In the column to which Mindlin objects, Bertrand responds to a reader's query regarding the "drawbacks" of silicone and saline breast implants. The Post health and fitness editor does so by consulting Dr. V. Leroy Young, chief of surgery at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital. Young, Bertrand writes, can "[help] us sort out the confusion."

Young ticks off some drawbacks to breast implants: Thin people sometimes prefer silicone to saline because "there is less skin wrinkling or folding." And of course, the doctor allows, "Every implant, if you have it long enough, will rupture.... When a saline implant ruptures, the body absorbs it, you pee it out. And when you remove it[,] [i]t's a simple procedure. When a gel (silicone implant) ruptures, you can't tell. You have to get an MRI."

Acknowledging that "when the FDA approved silicone implants recently, it said all patients should get an MRI every two years to see whether the implant has ruptured," Young underscores that it's important for women to follow the guidelines. "I don't think we should blow off the regulatory aspects of this," he tells Bertrand. "If you have a rupture, that gel could get into the breast tissue and it's difficult to remove.... It's a longer, more involved operation."

Now back to Mindlin:

"When [silicone implants] leak -- and they will -- it causes debilitating illness such as connective tissue disease and massive problems with joints and tissue. One of my best friends has suffered for decades from the tremendous pain and illness due to leaking silicone implants, and not one doctor told her about the possible consequences of leaking implants."

One might quibble that asking a plastic surgeon to supply the unvarnished lowdown on the perils of breast implants is akin to asking a Wal-Mart exec to present the pros and cons of making employees foot the bill for their own health insurance.

But heck, even a cosmetic surgeon is, well, a doctor. For that matter, Bertrand herself might at least have provided a smattering of context beyond her introductory "Since the FDA dropped the ban on silicone implants in November...."

She didn't, so I will.

Your daily guide to what they're whispering about in the next cubicle.

HERE
There'll be no citywide WiFi in this town. Blast!

Didn't make it to Union Station on Friday? Observe Barack Obama from the front row on Daily Kos.

Get a Halloween costume history at 69 & 1/2 Classic Love Songs.

So, what went down at the STL blogger gathering? Lots of lolz.

Get ready for the St. Louis International Film Festival.

THERE
Remember typewriters and card catalogs? Boy, how things have changed. (Via AVD)

Oh, the humor of bad predictions. (Via Future Mystic)

At Indexed, Venn diagrams can say a lot.

Learn how to make your own Pac-Man pumpkin or go all out! (Via The Alces Journal)

Read an extensive review of Apple's new operating system, Leopard.

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This story is so disturbing. It reminded us of another equally tragic death that occurred last year.

Not totally satisfied with your weekend itinerary? Never fear, Go! is here! This regular feature highlights everything from rock shows to art openings, from delicious dishes to hidden-gem hangouts.

Friday, 10/26

Perfect Ten: It's been ten years since St. Louisans first set eyes on the strange and lovely artistic chaos that takes place daily at the City Museum (701 North 15th Street; 314-231-2489). Pay $10 at the door, and join museum creators and celebrators tonight at 7:30 p.m. for the tenth-anniversary bash. Get fitted for a party hat right here.

E! True Hollywood Story: The Edison Theatre OVATIONS! Series presents Completely Hollywood (abridged), a tale of three arrogant Hollywood types -- the Writer, the Director and the Actor -- and their quest for onscreen fame and glory. Performed by the Reduced Shakespeare Company, this production begins at 8 p.m. at the Edison Theatre (6445 Forsyth Boulevard; 314-935-6543). Tickets are $18 to $30.

Pants-Off Dance-Off: It's no Dancing with the Stars, but the top ten finalists from So You Think You Can Dance still have got some killer moves. All the show's stars, from Lacey Schwimmer (no relation to David Schwimmer) to Kameron Bink (uh, who?), will be salsa- and ballroom-dancing the evening away at Scottrade Center (South 14th Street & Clark Avenue; 314-241-1888). The hip-shaking starts at 8 p.m.; tickets cost $35 to $54.50 and are available at Ticketmaster.

Saturday, 10/27

Sleep to Dream: The Enchantment of Dreams, a story of three children and some magic dream sticks, will take you on a journey back to your more youthful days. Come see a group of young talent perform at the Saint Louis Art Museum (Forest Park; 314-721-0072) at 2 p.m. and again at 4 p.m. For tickets, which are $9 to $16, call the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis at 314-961-0644.

Trail of Fears: From 7 to 11 p.m., venture out in the darkness to Haunted Hayride at Gateway Trails Association (5834 Regina Road, Cedar Hill; 636-274-2607). A 20-foot-long horse trailer, chauffeured by a cowboy, will take you deep into a forest of freaks -- werewolves, hungry hillbillies and more! And after you've had the bejesus scared out of you, snack on chili and nachos. Tickets are $5 per person, and the money raised benefits the GTA Girls Riding Club. If it does rain, the hayride will be rescheduled for November 3.

It's Ghoul Time: Wear your most creative costume to Monster Bash! at Cheshire Beer Garden (6300 Clayton Road; 314-647-7300) from 8 p.m. to midnight, and you might just snag an award in one of the many costume contest categories, including Best Guy in a Dress. Admission is free, and there's a cash bar.

Sunday, 10/28

Boo Town: If yesterday's Haunted Hayride wasn't hair-raising enough, it seems that Alton has enough apparitions to fill a Ghostbuster's proton pack. Today from noon to 4 p.m. appear at The Alton Ghost Museum (1320 Milton Road) for more bloodcurdling fun. Alison Sieloff conjures up the details here.

Party for Charity: Head to Lucas Schoolhouse (1220 Allen Avenue; 314-621-6565) around 8 p.m. to groove to the beats of hip-hop artist Lyrics Born while viewing a fashion show and a photography exhibit. Sponsored by ZRODFX (zero-dee-fex), a St. Louis-based clothing company, this event's proceeds will go to Food Outreach, an organization that provides nutritional counseling for those with HIV or AIDS. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.

-Jeanette Kozlowski

Your daily guide to what they're whispering about in the next cubicle.

HERE
Stomach rumbling for some food blogs? Gut Check has you covered.

Stop by or completely avoid Union Station this evening, as the Barack Obama rally will be taking the place over.

Congrats to the two St. Louis bloggers who appeared on a list of 100 top architecture blogs.

Shehadfive fulfills your poetic needs. If you have any.

So, what is the difference between Wash. U. kids and Mizzou kids?

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There's something about an aesthetically pleasing fembot defining words that really attracts YouTube users.

Definitely a case of too much information: a tell-all interview with an alleged notch on Larry Craig's bedpost.

These once-cute critters now evoke fear in the hearts of many, thanks to Photoshop. (Via Boing Boing)

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The Supreme Court frees a teenager who was imprisoned for having consensual oral sex.

After paying more than $47,000 for marketing experts to coin St. Louis' new slogan: "St. Louis: It's All Within Reach," members of the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission were heartbroken to find that they had been beaten to the punch. Urban paradises Federal Way, Washington, and Ogden, Utah, both currently employ slight variations of the same phrase as their slogan.