You might not think you want to watch a two-hour documentary about chemicals. But “The Poisoner’s Handbook” tells a fascinating tale about pioneers in the use of toxicology for criminal investigations and public health (Tuesday, 7 p.m., PBS). Charles Norris and Alexander Gettler began working in the New York City
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Posted January 01, 2014in Joe's Neighborhood
Rain is falling in sheets from the North Sea today. It’s a cold rain — so cold that hail periodically bursts down from the heavens in a slushy mix sending ice pellets bouncing across the cobblestones. Shoppers are walking with heads down and umbrellas collapsed inward by the wind. They
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Posted January 01, 2014in Political Mercury
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jack Hatch says Iowa’s system for approving casino developments — state regulation with local control at the county level — should guide how government manages large hog and cattle operations. “I think we can take the model we have with casinos and bring them back to you,”
Read More →Annals of Science America’s foremost advocate for frontal lobotomies as “treatment” for mental disorders, the late Dr. Walter Freeman performed an estimated 3,500 lobotomies during the 1940s and 1950s before opposition finally solidified against him, according to a recent investigation by The Wall Street Journal. At the peak of his
Read More →Nearly three months ago my best friend got hit by a salvo of stressed-induced insomnia. Two or three hours of shut-eye a night was average. It soon mashed him into a daily spate of nearly unendurable depression. He morphed into a walking zombie. He felt indentured to his own helplessness. My pal
Read More →Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks “Wig Out at Jagbags” Matador With the release of “Jagbags,” Malkmus has now released more albums with the Jicks than he did with Pavement. It’s a fact Malkmus himself may or may not be aware of, but either way, “Jagbags” serves as a nice way
Read More →“Everything that’s happened so far has happened by accident,” Nate Nelson said while talking about his brief time playing music. The 38-year-old Nelson is proof positive that it’s never too late, or the wrong time, to follow your passions. Blessed with boundless energy and an infectious smile, Nelson has spent
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Posted January 01, 2014in Food Dude
This year Café di Scala marked its 10th anniversary with several inconspicuous improvements. After a big transformation eight years ago from the Metro Market to its current home in a 19th century Sherman Hill mansion, subtlety has characterized changes at Tony Lemmo’s modern Calabrese café. This year the kitchen was
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Posted January 01, 2014in Film Review
“Out of the Furnace” 3 stars Rated R 106 minutes Crime Starring: Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana Scott Cooper’s American character study-thriller bursts at the seams. After his directorial debut with “Crazy Heart,” director/co-screenwriter Cooper returns from his Oscar win with a sophomore movie that fulfills his promise as
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Posted January 01, 2014in The Sound
There are few experiences in the capital city quite as sublimely entertaining as getting to chat with J.C. Wilson. Wilson’s been an integral part of the local music scene for decades, not only as the owner of the House of Bricks, but as a member of Des Moines party band,
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