THUR 9/11
The Taliban’s fiercest opponent and a man known to his followers as the Lion of Panjshir was killed by a suicide bomber just 2 days before the attacks on September 11. Ahmad Shah Massoud was the charismatic leader of Afghanistan’s Northern Alliance who battled for the liberation of his country. His life is the focus of the 1998 French documentary Massoud, the Afghan. The film, directed by Christophe de Ponfilly, tells of the brutality the Afghan people suffered at the hands of religious zealotry. It also serves, along with the museum’s current exhibit, “Weapons of Mass Dissemination,” as a grim reminder of the horrors and absurdity of wartime. The film screens at 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. at the Wolfsonian-FIU Museum, 1001 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. Admission is free. Call 305-531-1001. – By Juan Carlos Rodriguez
NOW 24/7
Statue Stalwart
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How many José Martís do you have hidden in your closet? Sculptor Tony Lopez has 8. And those are just the forgotten busts he has tucked away in his studio in Wynwood. Another dozen hard clay replicas of the Cuban bard, in heights ranging from 6 inches to 8 feet, adorn the shelves and floor of his workshop. Since opening his studio doors 47 years ago, Lopez seems to have had a hand in every significant sculptural project in Miami-Dade, from Miami Beach’s Holocaust Memorial to the new bronze City of Miami seal, from busts of Jorge Mas Canosa to the Calle Ocho roosters. Via his cluttered desk, Lopez has launched countless projects from New Orleans to Angola. September 6, the artist turned 85. His studio is located at 192 NW 36th St. Call 305-573-1517. — By Victor Cruz
SUN 9/14
Singles
Meeting meatless meat
Good times will be had by all at the Vegetarian Singles Club’s annual potluck lunch and party at the Broward Center for Human Development (5809 Hollywood Blvd.), according to club founder Bennett C. Josephson. Josephson is single, ladies, despite a résumé ranging from assertiveness counseling to disco dancing on ice. Scheduled activities include dancing, matchmaking games, and speakers Judy Stanton from the Living Foods Institute and Dr. Flora Van Orden, who develops raw recipes. Charge is $9 for those bringing food, $20 for those who don’t. The soiree begins at 1:00 p.m. Call 305-949-0950. — Pamela Robin Brandt
FRI 9/12
Blasting Off
Discord is bliss at rock fest
September in Miami … the kids are back in school, hurricanes are winding across the Atlantic, and Churchill’s Pub is blowing up with its annual month-long Rock Fest. Besides the usual punks and freaks and metalheads, this year’s festival features two bands from the radical New York label Devious Semantics. SMITE (right) rolls into town with its alt-garage-punk-grunge, early ’90s Seattle style, while the Hermitt, a trio led by former South Floridian Rodrigo Lopresti, plays its acoustic Pixie-ish music with hints of Suicidal Tendencies. Also on the bill are our own local stalwarts Tereso and Southern Flaw. Rock the house starting around 11:00 p.m., at 5501 NE 2nd Ave. Tickets are $7, or $4 before 10:00 p.m. Call 305-757-1807. — By John Anderson
WED 9/17
Gene Pool Singles seek chemistry
MiamIntelligence is a “singles-centric” social club whose members don’t play beach volleyball or down brews at sports bars. Instead they nibble cheese, sip wine, and listen to respected academics discuss odd and often fascinating subjects. Past topics have included “Marie Antoinette: From Queen of Fashion to the Guillotine” and (perhaps a bit less attractively) “History of the Mime: Hearing a Mime Speak.” While the group aims for an intellectually curious crowd, they may reach beyond their targeted demographic today. Rene Herrera, director of the FIU Human Genetic Diversity Research Group, lectures on “DNA Fingerprinting: Basic Techniques, Problems and Solutions.” Look out for felons in the audience, searching for legal loopholes. The wine flows at 6:30 p.m. at Miami Museum of Science, 3280 S. Miami Ave. Admission is $10. Call 305-773-8408. — By Robert Andrew Powell
FRI 9/12
Painted Place
Painter Roberto Juarez has been all over the globe since he first started showing his creations in 1977. The Museum of Contemporary Art (770 NE 125th St., North Miami) will bring his work together to reveal how all those disparate places have influenced him in a 35-piece exhibit called “A Sense of Place.” From New York to Rome, dance, literature, and architecture have impacted his paintings. Also opening: “Project” from well-regarded Haitian artist Mario Benjamin, which will be a site-specific installation from a known provocateur. Opening at 6:00 p.m. Admission is $5. Call 305-893-6211. — By Anne Tschida
