Bar Stories
What happens when a local screenwriter steps up to the bar to tell a few stories? Bar Stories is a rib tickling, crowd pleasing, gin soaked, seat of the bar stool ride through movies, pop culture, and fiction.
Category: Storyteller
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■ 20 October 2007 | 8:44 PM
Culture Day
Thanksgiving. Christmas. Guy Fowkes Day. There are all kinds of holidays.Culture Day is a national holiday in Japan on November 3rd. The idea behind the day is to promote culture, the arts, and education. Japan also celebrates "Coming of Age Day" for all those turning twenty on the 2nd Monday in January, in Japan the age of majority with the privleges of drinking and voting.
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■ 14 October 2007 | 7:22 PM
Founding the Tiki Bar
Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt also known as Donn the Beachcomber was the founder of the Tiki bar. In the 1920's Grant a decorated WWII veteran traveled around the South Pacific then returned home to open his own club called "Don the Beachcomber." Gantt's nightclub was done up in faux Polynesian style and served popular rum drinks in coconut shells. Included on the menu was a bar favorite, known as the "Zombie." 
Tiki bars were popular in the 1940's and 1950's and Victor J. Bergeron opened his own version called Trader Vics in the late 1930s near San Francisco. The two men were rivals for many years with each claiming to have invented the Mai Tai. Trader Vic's tells one story on their website.
Tiki bars were popular in the 1940's and 1950's and Victor J. Bergeron opened his own version called Trader Vics in the late 1930s near San Francisco. The two men were rivals for many years with each claiming to have invented the Mai Tai. Trader Vic's tells one story on their website.
There were a number of Don the Beachcombers in Hollywood, Chicago, Las Vegas and Honolulu where the patrons were entertained with hula dances and psudo-Polynesian fare. However, today there are none left in existence. Trader Vic's went nationwide and was more successful. Tiki kitsch is still sold around town and you can find your favorite tiki items at the Tiki Room.
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■ 12 October 2007 | 10:28 AM
Doggie Do
Not all the dogs in Virginia Beach are hanging out at the dog park. Some owners think the beach is the place to be. After all where else can you find a mammoth toilet with almost a mile of drop zone. Unfortunately dogs are banished from the Oceanfront until after Labor Day. Want to be a responsible dog owner, where else can you go? It seems the answer to that equation is---everywhere. Dogs are mobile. You can see dogs everyday-- poking their heads out of convertibles and waiting patiently in SUVS at the grocery store. Curious or bored some lift their head to wag a friendly greeting while others protect their auto turf. Doggie residents aren't staying home. Some dogs even try their paws at driving. I know you've seen this too or am I crazy? Is doggie driving ok?Probably not because dogs are color blind, but it is an indication of dogs changing role in society. Besides their companion role some are even holding down jobs, working as K-9 police or in therapeutic recreation. Are health benefits far behind? It's not as far fetched as it sounds. A few health plans are offering optional coverage for the canine members of the family.
To some people though such behaviors as barking, jumping up, and begging for food will always rank canines up there with life's nuisances. Personally I think dogs make fine citizens. I can't think of anyone I would rather have seated beside me than my sympathetic Poodle Lily the next time I have to endure the wait at DMV. Nuisance, I don't agree. Sure beats the alternative--some obnoxious human blabbing on a cell phone.
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■ 11 October 2007 | 9:50 AM
Love Your Body
The Old Dominion University Women's Studies Department is holding a "Love Your Body" Poetry Reading next week and I'll be reading a few poems along with Til Cox, Remical Bingham, Lynne Downs and Andrea Nolan. The reading is at 12:30 in Batten Arts and Letters Building (Rm 9024) on Tuesday, October 16th. The theme of the reading is a celebration of our bodies in conjunction with NOW's Love Your Body Campaign. Find out more about the campaign by visiting NOW. So bring your bodies and shake up the lunch hour. See you there.
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■ 10 October 2007 | 8:38 AM
Dogs
Dogs. Sleek Greyhounds, goofy, but loyal Labradors, regal Poodles, dedicated Dobermans---dogs are everywhere. There are over 200,000 dogs in Virginia Beach. Don't believe it? Take a look around. Statistics say that our area has more dogs than public school teachers or four year olds. What exactly are we doing with all these dogs? According to Purina's State of the American Pet Survey at least 95%of pet owners are giving their dogs a daily hug, 45% of us are taking them on vacation and a surprising 43% admit to celebrating their dog's birthday. I'd say some dogs have it pretty good. Not bad for a creature that was once the answer to the question, "Whats for dinner?"
So where are all these dogs? One place is the dog park. Virginia Beach operates dog parks at Red Wing Park and Providence Road in the Woodstock community. The dog parks consist of a one acre fenced area where licensed dogs are allowed to roam off leash and socialize. All that's required is a small fee and proof of vaccination. As a pet owner I can tell you that the dog park is a great invention. Where else can you unleash your dog and send him out to spend an hour sniffing another dog's hindquarters? It's a gratifying experience. Sort of like watching your child make a friend on the playground by sharing a piece of gum he pried off the monkey bars. Disgusting, but satisfying.
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■ 07 October 2007 | 2:39 PM
DARK SKY
Today a person with a telescope on a cloudless night in NYC can see far less than Galileo could when he first began studying the stars. The reason is light pollution. Nighttime darkness is measured on the Bortle Dark Sky Scale, and Galileo's sky would have been classified a 1 on the Bortle scale while the sky above New York is currently a 9. In fact in the US there are no longer any class 1 locations and even class 2 areas are under threat from outdoor lighting, a glow that is growing increasingly more powerful each year.
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In 1988 a non-profit group of called the International Dark Sky Association began trying to do something about it, by working toward legislation that sets standards for well designed outdoor lighting. These efforts include targeting bad light fixtures that cast light sideways and upwards, reducing the wattage of individual outdoor lights and diminishing the overall level of nighttime lighting. Light pollution comes in many forms, but one glaring offender is the untrained flood lights hammered on to garage eaves, back doors, and porches that project unshielded light when the sky darkens. Although they are sold as "security lights" studies show that this type of light actually can help a burglar go about his tasks. Outdoor security lighting is only effective if it allows passersby or homeowners to view criminal activity. Movement triggered devices and dark areas that force criminals to use flash lights better alert homeowners. Bad lighting is everywhere and it can be very distracting. Street lights, churches, malls, parking lots, convenience stores, and other buildings are often bathed in spotlights.
I live on a tree lined road that might be considered dark, if it weren't for a neighbor who has illuminated the many trees in his yard with floodlights and bulb lighting. When the light are on, the neighborhood is a virtual Times Square. Neighbors like this make a decision for everyone. The pleasure of the sky on a dark night is something almost primal and as each year passes it seems that pleasure is slipping away. More health studies point to the lack of melatonin, which when reduced in those exposed to constant light becomes a factor in a variety of health problems including breast cancer as one true negative in the discussion. A recent study of work shift data theorizes that the industrial lighting may be a factor. Ineffective and overdone lighting also wastes energy and billions of dollars each year. One has to conclude that light pollution affects more than just aesthetics.
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■ 04 October 2007 | 1:38 PM
Bar Girls
Sex trafficking is a global world wide problem and affects millions of women. Prostitution and sex tourism are forms of sexual exploitation, and have become a major industry in Thailand beginning with the U.S. Military involvement during the Vietnam War. In the 1970's the U.S government contracted with the Thai governement for recreational services for U.S. soldiers, later in 1975, The World Bank built an economic plan for Thailand based on the sex industry.
In Thailand today, it is estimated that at least one third of the prostitutes are under the age of 18.
The issue of sex trafficking is not limited to Southeast Asia. Sex Slaves, a documentary written and directed by Ric Esther Bienstock, and produced by Bienstock, Felix Golubev and Simcha Jacobovici documents the sex trade in the Ukraine and recently won an Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Journalism. The program also garned high ratings for PBS. The documentary was aired in February on Frontline and exposes the ordeals of five women trapped in the sex trade, but highlights the story of a young woman, Katia. You can watch it here.The US Department of State's Trafficking in Persons Report has 37 countries on a sex trafficking watch list.
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ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here and for following agreed-upon rules of civility. Comments do not reflect the views of The Virginian-Pilot or its Web sites. Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the "Report Violation" link below the comment.
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