cactus i.v.

By DA SOUTHERN
dasouthern(at)gmail.com
Summer is over as are the Olympics and we are inching ever so close to the exciting Fall TV season. You trusty TV correspondent, DA Southern, is back on the case and I will be preparing you for your journey into the Fall TV season and this year it looks as though […]

By JIM MONTANA
jim.montana(at)hotmail.com
Well week one of the grueling two week convention marathon is over, and we all learned that Hillary Clinton has more poise and grace than we all thought she did. The day after her “I’m with Barack” speech, Clinton appeared at the convention during the roll call and moved to name Obama the […]

By BEN SZMANDA
If you are going to write a piece of very short fiction, you have to make sure that you imply far more than what goes down on paper; the shorter the story, the more demands are placed on every word. Why am I regurgitating truisms at you? Because I came across someone […]

By JAMES “TATTOO” CHAPRACKI
geocities.com/tattoospinstriping
You’re gonna have to wait until next week for the after.

By BETH OLIVER
betwitching88(at)msn.com
You still live in your parent’s basement, drive their car and consider honing your video games skills a full time job. You don’t need to worry about your credit score and how it will affect your life. But what about the rest of us? What exactly is a credit score and why is […]

By BEN SZMANDA
At the beginning of the 20th century, China had essentially become spoils for the various European empires to divvy up amongst themselves. The Manchu dynasty was incredibly weak: Its remaining strength had been turned on any reform minded citizen brave enough to attempt to modify Confucian traditions. Resentment brewed. Even […]

By JIM MONTANA
jim.montana(at)hotmail.com
In case you are confused, I am writing my politics column on Saturday instead of Thursday just for the fact of the announcement of Barrack Obama’s was to be made later in the week. So here it is: On Saturday afternoon and the big surprise is over the choice is Joe Biden.
As any […]

By ROXY RETAIL
cactusiv(at)gmail.com
My very good friend is getting married, and I get to wear a dress I’ve had sitting in the closet for just this occasion. It’s black with chiffon, green stitching, and a handful of sequins to add a little character and charm. In all honestly, I wear it and look similar to a […]

By JAMES “TATTOO” CHAPRACKI
geocities.com/tattoospinstriping

By BETH OLIVER
bewitching88(at)msn.com
So you read my last article and realized you have no clue what is on your credit report, right? Hopefully you checked www.annualcreditreport.com for your free report. But let’s say there is stuff on there that doesn’t belong to you. That depends on if it is just an error by the creditor […]

By ATARI JAY
dearatari(at)gmail.com
Have you ever loved someone, but thought you could love someone else more? You’re certainly not alone. In a hypothetical situation: I have been dating this boy, “John,” for long enough to develop a serious connection. Things are great; we might even be in love. But there’s someone else. He might be the […]

By JIM MONTANA
jim.montana(at)hotmail.com
On Saturday night, the world had its collective eyes on televisions to witness history. Michael Phelps was going for a record eight gold medals. And while the drama was not nearly as intense as the previous night, the entire world was on the edge of its seats awaiting the results of the final […]

We have a little reprise for those of you aching for a sex and relationships column.
Original columnist Atari Jay makes a cameo on Wednesday.
For those of you who need some S&R guidance, you’re in luck. And maybe if you beg her, she’ll guest a little more until she’s back on staff full time.
Love and cacti,
LISA […]

By JIM MONTANA
jim.montana(at)hotmail.com
For anyone who might have wondered, I did not fall off the face of the Earth. Actually, I was given the chance to travel to beautiful Hawaii with my friend after her boyfriend decided to play hide the stapler with another co-worker.
Long story short, I have returned yet again and not a moment […]

By MICHELLE RICCARDI
mia8263(at)gmail.com
Dear cactus i.v. readers,
I didn’t flake out again… I’ve been playing nurse for my parents. If you don’t take care of yourself bad things will happen when you get old. My parents aren’t in nursing homes… yet… but bad things happened because they didn’t take the best care of themselves. You only get […]

By BEN SZMANDA
I should be irritated that Pafko at the Wall even exists as a book. This is nothing but the prologue to Don DeLillo’s epic novel Underworld, prepackaged and sold as a stand alone work. Little has been updated or changed; the real novelty seems to be an admittedly great picture on […]

By ROXY RETAIL
cactusiv(at)gmail.com
I was flipping through some celebrity rag the other day, and I stumbled over a picture of Amanda Bynes. You know her, the chick that was better than her All That castmates so she got her own show. She was in a bunch of comedies before landing a non-cable show that wasn’t as […]

By MIA MOVIEFILM
cactusiv(at)gmail.com
In one week I saw three different movies: Batman, Mummy 3 and Mamma Mia. I rate Batman as the best, then Mamma Mia and then the Mummy.
Heath Ledger did such an amazing job as the Joker, I saw the Dark Knight twice. It’s a shame these actors can’t be happy with their fame […]

By JAMES “TATTOO” CHAPRACKI
geocities.com/tattoospinstriping

Dear boys and girls:
I’m going on vacation.
Oh, I know you will miss me and my witicisms, but don’t worry, I’ll be back in a week. The cactus will be slightly anorexic in my absence, but rest assured, when I’m done tanning, I’ll be back behind the glow of the computer screen.
Until then, you’ll just have […]

By BEN SZMANDA
But don Miguel, the optimism, the innocence, the aura of possibility you experienced have been largely drained away, and the universe is closing in on us again. Like you, we, to seem to be standing at the end of one age, and on the threshold of another. We, too, have been […]

By JIM MONTANA
jim.montana(at)hotmail.com
On Friday the Olympics opened and athletes from around the world converged on China to partake in spirited competition. This is the one time when political agendas take a backseat and the spotlight is shined upon the competitors, where there is no talk about the war in Iraq or talks about halting nuclear […]

By JIM MONTANA
jim.montana(at)hotmail.com
As I arrived back in Memphis yesterday I saw an ad on the television for 9th Congressional district candidate Nikki Tinker and it was the usual mudslinging one would expect on the eve of an election primary, something about Steve Cohen being associated with the KKK.
Heading to my home in the back of […]

By AMY GEORGE
When I was younger I was obsessed with movies, so much so that I think my parents should have worried about me becoming a lifelong recluse. I would lock myself in my room for hours, watching movie after movie only emerging to eat or drink in order to keep myself alive. I would […]

By JIM MONTANA
jim.montana@hotmail.com
I have received a number of emails in the past week wondering where is Jim Montana. To be honest, Jim Montana got lost. The death of any parent is tragic enough but when you are extremely close to that parent and their death comes suddenly, it’s that much more tragic. I had to […]

By JAMES “TATTOO” CHAPRACKI
geocities.com/tattoospinstriping

By BETH OLIVER
bewitching88(at)msn.com
F-R-E-E spells free, credit report dot com baby. If you are like me, you are dancing in your seat right now. We have all heard these catchy commercials, right? My favorite is the one where he is in a pirate shirt. Everyone advises you need to know what is on your credit report […]

Come one, come all to the new and improved cactus.
I think you’ve noticed that we’re bulking up on content. We noticed that you noticed since more of you are coming to the cactus on a daily basis.
We love that!
And we’re ready to give you another reason to keep stopping by. Our super good friend Amy […]

By BEN SZMANDA
Jenny Erpenbeck’s disturbing, beautifully constructed novella The Book of Words seems to take place in Argentina during the ”Dirty War” of the 1970s. Much like the name of the narrator herself, however, the name of the country is never mentioned. Maybe that’s the point. The narrator, a young girl, complains to […]

By ROXY RETAIL
catusiv(at)gmail.com
I’m totally bailing here with my column, but it’s the summer, and I’ve been spending more time on the beach in my cute bikini than indoors on the computer.
You can’t get tan inside.
Okay, you can in a tanning salon, but no cancer for me.
And I don’t want cancer when I go to the […]