Cosplay Style, Part II: Planet Comicon Comes to Town
It’s Saturday and Day 2 of Planet Comicon. So now it doesn’t matter if you have a day job or not — all gloves are off and the spandex is on when it comes to cosplay style. Flatland was on hand to capture another round of KC’s finest players. Planet Comicon continues at Bartle Hall through tomorrow. We were on…
Cosplay Style, Part I: Planet Comicon Comes to Town
As Planet Comicon takes over Bartle Hall for the next three days, comic book legend Stan Lee — and all the pop culture A-listers slated to make appearances — will be photographed thousands of times. But we at Flatland are on hand to capture another side, the C-listers. That’s ‘C’ for Cosplayers, the elaborately adorned mega-fans who take costumed play…
Waldo Hopfest and Other Weekend Possibilities
Baristas will mix it up at Benetti’s Coffee Experience (6109 Blue Ridge Blvd., Raytown, Missouri) for a latte art throwdown and ninth anniversary party. The party, which kicks off tonight at 6:30 p.m., is a benefit for Camp Courage. A $5 entry gets you food and beer from the Crane Brewing Company. There’s a mouse in…
Consumer Protection Board Coming to KC
A federal agency dedicated to protecting the public from debt traps has scheduled a public hearing in Kansas City next month. Convened by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the hearing is scheduled to include remarks from CFPB Director Richard Cordray along with testimony from consumer groups, industry representatives, and members of the public. The…
Sympathetic Vibrations | A Generous Mob
Music is art. There is no denying that. But well before your favorite artist’s music tickles your eardrums, there are hundreds of business-related decisions made about that art. And nearly all of those decisions have to do with money. In the past, if artists wanted to be heard by a national audience, they had to…
Mesob is a refined take on Caribbean and Ethiopian Cuisine
Chef Cherven Desauguste and the restaurant name Mesob might ring a dinner bell for fans of Ethiopian and Caribbean cuisine. Several years ago, Desauguste and Mehret Tesfamariam partnered on MesobPikliz, a venue on Independence Avenue that featured the two cuisines. Mesob (3600 Broadway, Suite 1015) is a new restaurant venture with a shorter name, a…
The Weekend Starts Today
Forecasters are calling for warm, dry weather all weekend. Thank goodness. We all know what April showers bring. May showers, however, don’t bring anything but badly overgrown lawns. Once you’ve mowed that jungle of yours, why not get out and see some of what our city has to offer? The scuffling Royals are out of…
Take 5 For Your Health
Cerner Faces Another Lawsuit Over Its Overtime Policy Another class-action lawsuit alleging Cerner illegally failed to pay employees overtime wages has been filed against the health care technology company. The latest was filed in federal court in Kansas City on behalf of so-called AMS delivery consultants at Cerner, basically help desk workers who offer technical…
Bacon Throwdown: Culinary Fight Club Kansas City Launches With A Sizzle
The knives — and skillets — came out on April 20 for the first event held by Culinary Fight Club in Kansas City. The Bacon Challenge, outside Extra Virgin in the Crossroads, featured four chefs competing in front of a live audience to use bacon in the most interesting and appetizing dish. Culinary Fight Club,…
Why Do Cows Moo? Here Are a Few Reasons
We all learned it as kids: Old MacDonald has a farm and on that farm he has a cow that says “moo.” But why? Why do cows moo? Whenever I’m out reporting in the field I can tell many ranchers have a powerful connection with their cattle – they can almost understand them. But researchers today…
From KC to Cannes: It’s a Hustle
Orson Welles’ observation on filmmaking was simple: “It’s about two percent movie making and 98 percent hustling. It’s no way to spend a life.” Kansas City-based indie filmmaker Patrick Rea knows everything about hustling. He began creating short films in 2002 to help him refine his skills as a storyteller and film director. To date, Rea has…
Cook for Courage and Other Weekend Possibilities
You win when chefs compete in a barbecue contest. The third-annual Cook for Courage, a benefit for the Child Protection Center, is Sunday at 6 p.m. at the 12th Street Bridge in the West Bottoms. Chefs Colby Garrelts, John Smith, Dan Swinney, Alex Pope and Laura Norris will all be smoking to see who has…
Blue Springs is Latest Battleground For Education Program
Laura Shepherd loved it when the kids entering Franklin Smith Elementary got a morning hug from the principal. But that was last year. This year, Shepherd hated watching building leaders at the Blue Springs, Missouri, school greet her fourth-grader and other students with handshakes. “I’m like, ‘They are not mini-adults. They are kids,’” she said….
The Weekend Starts Today
If last week’s musical tsunami left you a little woozy, I figure there’s really two ways to roll. Option 1) Call it the hair of the dog. That would put you at the grounds of Liberty Memorial on Saturday for this year’s edition of Rockfest. Who’s playing, you ask? Does it matter, I say. You’re…
5 Breakfast Burritos That Deserve Serious Face Time
Sometimes you need a food pillow — a warm, comforting collection of bites to ease you into the morning. Breakfast burritos can provide that soft landing whenever you are starting your day (and are of particular value if you’ve had a long night). Breakfast burritos are often kitchen sink affairs, flour tortillas like overinflated balloons, filled…