There are many ideal times for beer drinking — a lazy Sunday afternoon at the beach, a baseball game, or immediately after a hard day’s work. This week, there’s a four-hour chunk of Saturday evening made for guzzling like a zealous Viking: From 6 to 10 p.m., you won’t want…

For a hot minute there, it looked like Madonna was about to make Kabbalah the new Scientology. Celebrities such as Demi Moore and man-boy Ashton Kutcher were seen sporting the red string on their wrists, and soon enough, even the perennially troubled Britney Spears was spied wearing the spiritual amulet…

Any douchebag with nothing better to do can yell out correct answers during classic Scripps Spelling Bee reruns of yore (praise be to ESPN for covering all such nonsporty competitions). It takes a real topnotch wordsmith to step up to the mike, give a decisive throat-clear, and w-i-n without even…

When former owner Stephanie Spiegel blessed Miami with its first and only clothing exchange and boutique — the Rag Trade Happy Clothing Company (4600 NE Second Ave., Miami) — hipsters rejoiced. They came out in droves to buy locally designed clothes by the likes of SO-ME, Adrienne Ruffin, and Tinymeat…

Indie film. Indie art. Indie fashion. Indie-ana Jones. Ah yes, one of these things is not like the others. We’re all about celebrating the efforts of up-and-coming artists making a name for themselves without funding from The Man. We like it even better when the artists are flying the 305…

We’re in the dog days, when there’s a whole lotta nothing happening at our favorite watering holes. We don’t know about you, but around this time of year, the prospect of outdoor fun sounds ghastly. When it’s hot and icky, we prefer indoor entertainment. And lucky us, there’s a slew…

When you hear the word social being used to describe a get-together, you start getting all kinds of weird expectations and questions. Perhaps there will be ice cream and/or boxcars at this retro-themed event? Would a hoop skirt and petticoat be in order? No need to worry about carrying a…

If you’re familiar with Jordanian-American author Diana Abu-Jaber’s typical genres, chances are you come to her work expecting sensitive portrayals of Arab Muslim protagonists, and a fresh perspective on the corners of the world that are so often demonized in action movies. Thanks to Arabian Jazz, Crescent, and The Language…

Even if you were born and raised on the sport, cricket can be confusing. What’s a test match? Why do they call that little rectangle on the field the “pitch”? Why on Earth does a match take three to five days? Why are the announcers so freakin’ boring? (Answer: Because…

It takes big cojones to put together a reggae festival called Best of the Best. With a name like that, it had better come correct — Caribbean people are quick to criticize any concert that doesn’t deliver a complete experience; Trinidadians and Jamaicans are known to hurl a roll of…

Perhaps when you imagine National Public Radio, you hear her distinctive tone. Diane Rehm sounds like a quavering grandma, but there’s a medical reason — it’s called spasmodic dysphonia, and Rehm has had it since 1998. The condition causes involuntary movements of the larynx, and at one point it almost…

We kid Katt Williams about his diminutive stature, but we’re hardly the first to make such jokes. Hell, the internationally successful comedian cracks wise about it himself; one of his funniest gags comes during a joke about being friends with Shaq. “It don’t even look right. I can’t even be…

It’s apparently every guy’s fantasy to watch hot chicks make out with each other, but guess what, frat boys? Not every hot chick aspires to be Tila Tequila. We hate to break this to you, but it’s entirely possible that lesbian love doesn’t exist solely for your pornographic pleasure. In…

It’s official. Hip-hop is no longer the “CNN of the streets,” as Chuck D. labeled it back in the heyday. We’re in a postbling era, when Lil Wayne quips he doesn’t do coke because it gives him acne, and Rick Ross has a number one album. No offense to the…

If all you know about prostitution is what you catch on HBO’s Cathouse, honey, you’ve got so much more to learn. The premier cable channel program paints a colorful, fun portrait of the world’s oldest profession; between fulfilling male fantasies, the gals don bonnets, host tea parties, and seem to…

Sundays are traditionally the de facto day for reggae music. We suppose the concept is to chillax to the max just before the workweek starts, and there’s no better way to do that than with irie riddims to get your head bobbing and your toes tapping. Which explains why every…

On Bob Marley’s heavy track “Them Belly Full (But We Hungry),” the reggae legend implored listeners to “forget your troubles and dance.” It often isn’t that easy, when the ends seem impossible to make meet and the cost of living is skyrocketing. The people of Haiti have known desperation, hunger,…

Mopey, miserable, admittedly anal-retentive, and undeniably hilarious, Richard Lewis has made a comedy career out of his neuroses. Addiction, recovery, sobriety, therapy — everything is grist for his mill, and for more than 30 years, he has made audiences cackle at it all. He’s just re-released his 14-year-old memoir, The…

Perhaps you’ve noticed the enormous orange box that’s been trundling across the city. Armed with an eye-catching jail cell, Amnesty International has been on its Counter Terror with Justice: Guantánamo Bay Cell Replica Tour. Beginning Thursday, organizers will be visiting Miami landmarks with a life-size replica of a maximum-security prison…

We can’t help but feel a bit sorry for the moms out there. Think about your own; all these years, she’s stood by you, wiped away your tears, bailed you out of trouble and/or jail, and encouraged your dreams. And what do you do to thank her? A roadside bouquet…

Back in the heyday of Happy Days, Henry Winkler played Arthur Fonzarelli, one of the coolest TV characters of all time. The Fonz was a greaser, a skilled mechanic, and the dude everyone wanted to be. But Fonzie was also a Lothario, a gang member, and a high school dropout…

All hail the mighty cupcake. There’s no baked dessert that’s more evocative of childhood innocence. Cupcakes take you back to the days of bruised knees and bake sales. Barbie Roqueta, owner of Sweetcakes Edibles, totally gets it. Her adorable little uptown bakery features 10 different kinds each day; when we…