cactus i.v.

Two weeks ago, as I was doing my research for my coconut article, I came across recipe after delicious recipe using this wonderful coconut as the star.  I decided that 1 week of coconuts was simply not enough.  There are tons of great desert recipes if you are a lover of coconut, and that my […]

By DA SOUTHERN
dasouthern(at)gmail.com
With the networks finally gearing up from their slumber from the strike, what I have seen has been pretty good so far.  The promos showing all of the actors reporting “back to duty” has been fun and lighthearted.  But another “threat” looms on the horizon…the actors may now go on strike. 
Ridiculous, to say […]

By DA SOUTHERN
dasouthern(at)gmail.com
With the networks finally gearing up from their slumber from the strike, what I have seen has been pretty good so far.  The promos showing all of the actors reporting “back to duty” has been fun and lighthearted.  But another “threat” looms on the horizon…the actors may now go on strike. 
Ridiculous, to say […]

By BEN SZMANDA
I don’t know much about Voodoo.  I wish that I could say that I knew more after reading Zora Neale Hurston’s Tell My Horse, but I wouldn’t repeat my impressions with a lot of confidence. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth a look –it’s very, very, enjoyable– but it reads as if […]

By Cathy S
Sokocathy(at)gmail.com

First of all, congratulations to Josiah Leming for signing with Warner Bros. You might remember him from his audition in Atlanta. He was the boy who lived in his car and had the English accent when he sang. So many of us felt really terrible for him when his run […]

By JIM MONTANA
jim.montana(at)yahoo.com
How does one go from being the top dog in New York to being a afterthought in the public eye, you do this when you get caught in the middle of a high priced prostitution ring. Two weeks ago, NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer stepped down amongst an investigation that he had paid thousands […]

By JAMES “TATTOO” CHAPRACKI
geocities.com/tattoospinstriping
…Others wear skulls.

By Ty Freer
ty_freer(at)yahoo.com
If there were a 65-player tournament that pitted NCAA ballers against each other to determine who had the most, um, female companionship, who do you think would win? It would be formatted exactly like March Madness (complete with the play-in game for smaller schools who have less enrollment and thus, fewer opportunities), except […]

Cathy S. is still in the lead in our NCAA March Madness bracket. She has the least amount of possible points [[121]], so there is still a chance for anyone to come from behind and beat her. But, for now, she has a three point lead over the closest challengers [[which is a tie between […]

So it’s once again that time when we put out a call looking for another writer.
If you haven’t noticed, Caitlin had to step down as the movie writer.We’re looking for someone to fill her shoes.
If you think you’ve got what it takes — an interest in movies and the ability to put together a sentence […]

By LISA SOKOLOWSKI
cactusiv(at)gmail.com
We may have discussed this before, but probably not. I have a problem with sex being in music. Like Geoff Rickly from Thursday sang, “They stole the love from our lives to put the sex on the radio.” And every word of that is true. People don’t meet with the intentions of […]

It’s Easter afternoon, and you’re probably slightly curious about our NCAA pool. Well, here I am with a quick update before I raid the basket full of chocolate from the Easter bunny.
1. Cathy S., 35 points, 30 of 40 correct, 135 possible points total
2. Ben Szmanda, 32 points, 27 of 40 correct, 162 possible points […]

By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
So, you just found the last of the hidden eggs with your little ones, and you are sitting in the kitchen with three dozen crayoned, stickered and dyed Easter Eggs and you are thinking… now what?
Below I have compiled a list of recipes I would like to try today […]

By DA Southern
dasouthern(at)gmail.com
HBO has started airing an incredible series on the second U.S. President, John Adams, which airs on Sunday nights at 9PM EST, and has executive producer Tom Hanks helming the project. The program is a fascinating and very historical look at the trials and tribulations of what the […]

By REESE WRIGHT
jrwrightxiii(at)yahoo.com
Given recent environmental trends, the push to create the most fuel-efficient car has been the “new” item in terms of recent auto trends. Some companies have made great strides such as Toyota, Honda and even Ford. But with some the design of the car and engine just isn’t enough, […]

By BEN SZMANDA
There is something to be said for comedy. There’s a lot to be said for it, really: Look at the news, or listen to the homeless guy you try to avoid. Life, as they say, sucks, and those people out there who have the ability to help us forget that ugly […]

By CATHY S.
Sokocathy(at)gmail.com
What did you think about it being another Beatles week? I love the Beatles, but one week was enough. What did we think of the performances?
Amanda Overmeyer – It was always the exact same performance week after week. She sang the same four or five notes, as Randy pointed out, while doing her “hunched-over dance,” as a couple […]

By TY FREER
ty_freer(at)yahoo.com
March Madness is always my third favorite time of the year (unless the Spurs are in the Finals, then it is fourth). For me, it always goes 1.) Christmas 2.) My birthday and 3.) March Madness. Seriously, I can’t get enough. Games I would have passed over for “The View’s Most Emotional Moments” […]

By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5043(at)gmail.com
Coconutsthe seeds of palm trees are most comely cultivated in South America and South Asia and are said to have a thousand uses! It is no wonder that most recipes that incorporate coconut into non-desert dishes are found on South Asian menus.  Especially Thai recipes. Yummy!
In my opinion, there are thousands and thousands […]

By DA Southern
dasouthern(at)gmail.com
I didn’t know what to expect when I first learned about High School Reunion on TV Land on Wednesdays at 10:00 PM EST, but, I was surprised, to say the least.
I don’t know why. What a better way to have instant drama; put a bunch of different types of people together who already […]

By REESE WRIGHT
jrwrightxiii(at)yahoo.com
As drivers we are taught the old adage of driving defensively. In a dream world it would be nice to do as such and to avoid all possible accidents involving your vehicle. Though we live in the real world. As my old high school driving instructor Coach Wright once stated, “The only safe […]

By CATHY S.
sokocathy(at)gmail.com
The top 12 were asked to select a Beatles song this week. Some of us were disappointed when the hopefuls did not sing the songs we were hoping to hear. One cactus i.v. reader didn’t have a favorite for the week because, she thinks, “she doesn’t like anything by The Beatles.”
Our guesses for who […]

By JIM MONTANA
jim.montana(at)hotmail.com
As I sat down to write my column this week, I faced a dilemma. Last year I did a column covering the debate over gay marriage. I had to sit down, ask myself if I should continue to hide in the closet or if I came out of the closet, and take my […]

By TY FREER
ty_freer(at)yahoo.com
Ty: “… and welcome to Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as my Purdue Boilermakers take on the Michigan Wolverines in the final regular season game for both teams. I’m Ty Freer, sitting in Section 9, Row 21, Seat 10. I am joined by my fiancé Kim, as well as a 15-year old […]

By DA SOUTHERN
dasouthern(at)gmail.com
OK… so last year I told you about the Fox series, New Amsterdam, and whether it would be good or not. I then told you… never mind… it had been cancelled before it ever even aired.
Remember all of that?
Well, then the season seemed to be swallowed up by […]

By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
“The chickpea is neither a chick nor a pea… discuss”
Linda Richmond, Saturday Night Live’s Coffee Talk Host
Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans (and many other names) is a legume from ancient times.
These little peas are filled with fiber and protein, which makes them a go-to necessity for many […]

By REESE WRIGHT
jrwrightxiii(at)yahoo.com
As most drivers if the Pagani strikes a bell and most will say no. Though for those who follow the world of super cars Pagani is all too familiar. To be precise Pagani is the child company of Horacio Pagani who is known for making some of the most outrageous automobiles in the […]

By BEN SZMANDA
So I’ve talked about John Barth before, and I’m sure that I’ve described some of the strange approaches he takes to his story telling. But I think it is worth pointing out that these wild narrative flights of his were completely absent from one of his first books, the Floating Opera. Still, even here where […]

By CATHY S.
sokocathy(at)gmail.com
The Top 12 have been decided and they are off to the “Big Stage.” I picked 4 of 12 correctly this year. A lot of us have four picks left. Three people have their one and only choice still in.
Picks for who we thought would not make it into the top 12 were Luke […]

By JIM MONTANA
jim.montana(at)hotmail.com
Here we were, Wed. March 5, and the Republicans have officially settled who will represent them at the convention. On the Democratic side, things are still murky as to who is the leading candidate. I must confess I had already typed up an obituary for the Clinton Campaign to run as my column this week. So I […]

By JAMES “TATTOO” CHAPRACKI
geocities.com/tattoospinstriping
All hail the head dress.

By TY FREER
ty_freer(at)yahoo.com
In one of my random thoughts last week, I declared that I had no idea who was going to win the NBA championship. Well, after some long hours pouring over stats, charts and graphs (or checking out the current standings for 90 seconds, take your pick), I broke down the top twelve contenders […]

By DA SOUTHERN
dasouthern(at)gmail.com
I have watched some strange programming in these strike-ravaged days, but The Moment of Truth last week was one of those rare television moments that we all love… and not because it was in anyway good or redeeming to the human spirit. Even the host, Mark L. Walberg, appeared before the episode aired […]

By BEN SZMANDA
I’m not sure which story — it has been years — but somewhere in his book Tales of Ordinary Madness, Bukowski points out that your attitude towards the status quo is reflected in your attitude towards the cops.  It makes sense. It also casts an interesting light on our occasional bouts of fascination […]