The Real Bob Ross: Meet The Meticulous Artist Behind Those Happy Trees
We’re not going to bury the lead here: Bob Ross’ hair was actually straight. Just ask his longtime business partner Annette Kowalski, who knew Ross better than anyone — he had just gotten out of the Air Force, and was unsuccessfully trying to make a living as a painter, she says. “He got this bright…
Can The ‘Airbnb Of Kitchens’ Give Local Food Economies A Boost?
The hardest part of starting a new food business should be in perfecting the secret recipe. For many entrepreneurial cooks though, the tough times come when searching for a space to legally make and sell their food. Commercial kitchen space, with stainless steel counters, industrial appliances meeting food safety regulations and appropriately-sized sinks, can be…
One Professor’s Quest To Collect Every Video Game Soda Machine
It’s a hot day in the nuclear post-apocalyptic wasteland, and you’ve spent all afternoon fighting off mutated zombie creatures. What you probably need right now is a nice, cold soda. Chances are, if you’re playing a video game, there’s some sort of soda machine right around the corner. Jess Morrissette has the evidence to prove…
Bacon-Fest KC & Other Weekend Possibilities
This is what you train for Kansas City. This is why you eat prodigious amounts of pork and understand that the meat sweats mean the real work of eating is about to begin. Bacon-Fest KC: The Other Fundraiser is Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m. at 3011 Baltimore Ave. You get bacon samples in everything from pure…
Sympathetic Vibrations | The Spoils of Authenticity
What catchall phrase would you use to describe a band that draws much of its influence from rock ’n’ roll, garage rock, mod, blues, and psych from the ’50s and ’60s? If you’re Rory Cameron, the lead singer of The Conquerors, it’s not the obvious one. “I don’t really like the throwback moniker very much….
Commentary | The Prejudices of Patriotism
We have a funny relationship with patriotism in our country. Patriotism is about loyalty to and pride in our country. And, in many respects, nowhere does that get highlighted more than with the Olympics, where we salute gladiator-like battles every four years against other countries. Unfortunately, our competitors are allowed but one identity — American…
Mixtapes and Mixology | Casey Bond’s Bella Vida
Mixtapes & Mixology is a new podcast from The Bridge, Flatland, and Recommended Daily that mashes up the Kansas City music and cocktail scene. Each week, we tell the story of one band, one song, and one bartender. Then we ask the bartender to listen to that song and make us a drink based on…
The Weekend Starts Today
August is National Admit You’re Happy Month. No, really. It is. Which makes sense. August is a happy month. The summer heat starts to fade. The kids go back to school. Plus, at least this weekend, there’s a ton of great stuff to do around town. None of that great stuff, though, includes spectator sports….
Voice Recognition Software Finally Beats Humans At Typing, Study Finds
In a face-off between voice entry and typing on a mobile device, voice recognition software performed significantly better. The results held true in both English and Mandarin Chinese.
Order Up I Hi Hat’s E-Crush
Order up is a regular series that takes a layered look at drinks and eats across Kansas City. Got a dish you think we should feature? Drop us a note below or on Twitter @FlatlandKC.
Take 5 For Your Health
Regardless Of Sentence, ‘Medicaid 23’ Plan To Appeal An attorney for the so-called “Medicaid 23” says his clients will appeal their convictions on trespassing charges, even though they face no jail time. A Cole County, Missouri, jury on Wednesday acquitted 22 clergy members of obstructing government operations but found them guilty of trespassing when they…
Artist to Watch: Samantha Gossard
Mezzo-soprano Samantha Gossard’s first big role came during second grade in a musical called Steamboatin’. “I was ‘Mississippi Meg’ and I had a big monologue and a big solo, all requiring a thick southern accent — definitely a comedic role. I remember everyone laughing so much and thinking I was ‘adorable,’ and I remember my…
Task Force Addresses Growing Problem of Poverty in Johnson County
Armed with a master’s degree in English, Amy Jude Keaton was a successful university English instructor before moving back to Johnson County, where various ailments left her unemployed and periodically homeless. Keaton now clocks 52 hours a week at two jobs, but she can barely make ends meet, largely because her contribution to company-sponsored health…
Church Without the Dogma
Fewer people believe in God these days, and now there is a local church for it. Just don’t call it church. Members of Kansas City Oasis, which serves atheists, agnostics, and “everything in betweens,” gather every Sunday at the Tony Aguirre Community Center on Kansas City’s West Side. The group has about 200 participants, and…
Commentary | Finding Teachable Moments in Unexpected Places
The night before Jacob P. Goldman, a 2016 graduate of Blue Valley North High School, headed off to a college career at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, he attended the 20th annual Crescent Peace Society dinner in Overland Park in mid-August. Jake was there to get one of two Syed Farrukh Shabbir Memorial Scholarships….