Feature
May 08, 2008
Friendly fire
The night is chilly for early May, but the energy is steaming. Dancers, encircled by onlookers who have gathered around a 16-foot effigy of a television, sway rhythmically, even seductively, to the ever-present drumbeat. The steady tempo keeps the contagious zeal of the crowd flowing while fire dancers twirl flaming hoops around their necks and hips. They spin fireballs from chains and spit a combustible concoction into the air to make a fireball rise into the sky. Cries of “Burn it down!” emerge from the crowd, and soon, the tall structure will be reduced to a burning heap of wood.
May 01, 2008
The Gift Guide
Summer gift-giving season is upon us. Buying presents doesn’t have to be stressful. Vox has devised a list of the most creative gear to satisfy your loved ones.
April 24, 2008
Life as usual
In 1969, Nixon took office, Americans landed on the moon, 400,000 hippies attended Woodstock, and one drag queen threw a beer bottle at a police officer and initiated the Stonewall riots, which challenged a system that had long oppressed gays and lesbians.
Online and looking
More than eight years ago, “Steve,” a Columbia resident in his early 30s was planning a trip to Kansas City. As he researched entertainment options in the metropolitan area, he scanned profiles, viewed pictures and found a man with potential — a hot, buff blond with a similar agenda. They chatted online about physical characteristics and playtime preferences before exchanging phone numbers. The ensuing conversation lasted just a few minutes to confirm the realness of both parties. With that, plans were made.
Seeing the real Jessica
Although Jessica Orsini’s tiny office, nestled in the depths of the MU Agriculture building, was originally built as part of a fallout shelter, she is not trying to hide.
April 17, 2008
Reasons they race
Motors hum. Exhaust fumes fill the air. Cars wait patiently for their turn to race down the straight country road. The flagger signals; the first two racers hit the gas and accelerate to more than 100 mph. At the finish line, spectators take bets on which engine will outperform the other. The cars near the end of the strip, and the drivers will soon find out if they have won the respect they have worked so hard to earn.
April 10, 2008
The plight of the pallid sturgeon
For millenia, dating back to the dinosaurs it still resembles, the sturgeon has swum the watery parts of the world. It shrugged off the dinosaurs’ disappearance and yawned through the ice age.
It's not easy selling green
What’s green, a limited resource but infinitely reusable? Cash, of course. Last year, U.S. consumers spent about $250 billion on products and services that claim to be good for the planet — from hybrid SUVs to eco-friendly toilet paper — according to the 2007 ImagePower Green Brands Survey. So it’s no wonder companies are handing over big chunks of their own change to marketers who promise them a greener glow.
Controlling coal in Columbia
(Web Exclusive) Columbia’s power plant on Business Loop 70 East is still burning strong. With the possibility of a carbon tax burning holes into the consumers’ wallets, the city is now searching for new forms of energy to replace the amount of coal use.
Something's in the water
(Web Exclusive)
April 03, 2008
Gettin' Nasty
It is a widely shared hope of drivers and auto insurers alike that most people will live their licensed lives without ever rolling an automobile. This is not the case for John “Marko” Markovich. He remembers a weekend last year when he rolled five times while on a night run. “It’s like being in one of those gyroscopes, like at the county fair,” Marko says. “I don’t feel out of control when I roll.”
White picket fences and white collar crime
Over a span of six years, Columbia resident Mike Trom built a friendship with his neighbor, Nate Reuter. Neighborhood dinner parties brought the two together, and when Trom found out Reuter was a hunter, a bond instantly formed. The two took hunting trips, helped each other with fix-it projects and watched as their children played together. All they needed were white-picket fences and the scent of freshly baked apple pie to complete their American-dream lifestyle.
March 27, 2008
Redeeming graces
Certain constants span the continents. From Missouri to Mozambique, families brush their teeth, wash the dishes, make their beds and hope for the best. They want their children to be healthy, happy and someday employed.
March 20, 2008
Going all-in
To the other 60-odd residents of Hudson Hall’s fourth floor, James Mackey was something of an enigma. An MU biology major in 2004, he went to his classes on a daily basis; his goal was to become a doctor. He led a reserved lifestyle in a subpar dorm with no air conditioning. But aside from the occasional encounter in the hall or sighting in the dining room, the diminutive, strawberry-haired freshman was relatively unknown to the remainder of the Honors Learning Community. Two years later, Mackey would be a millionaire.
March 13, 2008
Rounding the bases
Baseball parks in June can be magical places
A day of big eats on the bayou
Foodies travel miles to sample a bite of New Orleans’ legendary cuisine. European, Spanish and African flavors influence the eclectic cuisine that ranges from spicy Creole jambalaya, Cajun gumbo mixed with fresh, local seafood and sugary European pastries. Choosing just one is never an option in the Big Easy.
Building the skyline of a city
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, there’s more to Chicago than Michigan Avenue shopping, deep-dish pizza and the Cubs. Famous architectural creations make the second city a firstrate choice for architecture junkies.
Race to the coast
The Summer sun is shining and heating up the tracks.
White-water rush
As the waves crash into the boat, it’s easy to become distracted by the green Eden along the shore and miss the looming rock that threatens to capsize the raft during a white-water trip.
Walkin' the line in Tennesse
To dance out of town with those blue suede shoes, there’s only one place to travel this spring: Tennessee, the home of country and rock ’n’ roll.
