The first thing to be noticed when walking through the doors of Doozens is the strong aroma of coffee beans. Doozens was founded in 2007 by Susan Van Duesen, mother of five. She prides herself on the welcoming, family-like atmosphere that her coffee shop produces.

“We’re a family. Our house is like Doozens,” she said. Doozens is in the Raintree Shopping Center between Ward Rd and Raintree Rd.

Van Duesen started Doozens because she’s always loved coffee. “Do what you love, what you’re passionate about,” she said. Her passion is for coffee.

Doozens regularly draw in crowds as a result of their jam sessions. During these anyone who wants to play can.  Longview student Jesse Hamer said, “It’s like a training ground for new musicians.” The jam sessions allow people to get over their nerves.

“It’s a good opportunity for people to get experience for playing in front of crowds,” said musician David Tourtellot.

Not only do they have regular jam sessions, but also an art gallery in the store. The art is supplied by local artists and they are accepting art work. “We’re trying to push it more. Anybody who’d like to get their art work up can call (816) 537-0800,” she said.

Of course a coffee shop would be nothing without a good cup of coffee. Just last year a Starbucks near Doozens closed down. Van Duesen said enthusiastically, “We outlasted Starbucks.” Tourtellot said that people enjoy supporting local businesses. It doesn’t hurt to have a good cup of coffee, either. Hamer described the coffee as a “classy brew.”

Doozens has become a sort of hangout for those in Raintree, supplying good coffee, shots of culture, and entertainment.

Woody Harrelson in Zombieland (MCT Campus)

by Adam Conder    

It’s official: Zombieland has topped the box-office on the first week of release – not surprising, as people do love zombie films.    

The basic plot is a simple one: the standard outbreak, followed by the handful of survivors. What separates Zombieland from its competitors, though, is its creativity. This is accomplished by the actors and the overall silly script.    

The cast is star-studded, including Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland) as the young, nervous protagonist Colombia, who fills Zombieland with bits of humor through his narration of the rules necessary to survival:
“Don’t be afraid to use your ammunition, double tap,” he says in reference to shooting zombies more than once.    

Woody Harrelson (Defendor) plays a zombie-killing, badass hick called Tallahassee, who’s on a mission to get a Twinkie. This mixed with his feeling of worthlessness, due to a loss early in the movie, makes a fascinating character. It’s always a pleasure to see Harrelson in an ultraviolent role, because he’s so believable.
Abigail Breslin (My Sister’s Keeper) and Emma Stone (Paper Man) play two sisters main goal is to get to an amusement park on the West Coast, con artists who rip off the Colombia and Tallahassee, but realize that if they want to survive, they’ll have to stick together.    

Zombieland is more a parody than a horror film. It is doubtful that a serious zombie film would have a clip dedicated to the “zombie kill of the week”. But while Zombieland is in the tradition of Shaun of the Dead, it just isn’t as good.    

Zombieland is an entertaining movie overall, with chunks of comedy and horror thrown in. The story is clichéd, but that is to be expected of a zombie film and can add to the charm. Zombieland is a fun flick, but don’t expect it be a cult classic. It isn’t that good.

The usage of tobacco has become very controversial in the past few years. With the increases in taxes and the anti-smoking commercials trickling into our favorite television programs, times have changed.

A few decades ago, it was the norm to smoke tobacco. One was deviant if one didn’t have an occasional cigarette. Now a smoker gets the luxury of being judged while on a smoke break.

Kurt Vonnegut, a famous author and notorious chain smoker, once answered the question many smokers are asked, “Why do you smoke?” with one sentence: “It’s a classy way of committing suicide.”

Why does a smoker smoke? The truth is that it doesn’t matter. It’s the smoker’s business. We are in an age that is at war with tobacco companies. Could we not be doing better things with our time? Is it really your or my place to tell someone what they can and can’t do to themselves? The government seems to think so and has begun taking rights away from citizens. Rights have been taken away from businesses all around the United States. Many bars, even some in the Lee’s Summit area, have been hurt by the smoking ban. Just in Downtown Lee’s Summit, a bar called The Peanut rebelled against the smoking ban by allowing smoking in the premises, but eventually had to submit.

It should be up to a business whether to allow smoking or not in their building. The government and the people should have no say in the matter. It is up to the individual whether or not that individual wants to smoke.

Is literature dead? Susan Satterfield, the English instructor behind Longview’s Literary Festival, doesn’t think so. On October 2 and 3, the festival will host authors from a variety of genres, including local children’s author Richard Jennings and Kansas City Star columnists Lewis Diuguid and C.W. Guswelle.

“A good mix of people are coming. There will be a little bit of everything,” said Longview creative writing instructor Terri Lowry, who is helping coordinate the festival.

An open mic will be set up at the main festival, allowing anyone who’s brave enough to read their own work.

This is the second year for the literary festival and it almost did not happen. If it had not been for Chet Smith, the money man, it may not have happened. Smith, a former Longview creative writing student, helped advertise the Literary Festival and helped get the festival sponsors. Smith got $1,000 from Lee’s Summit Arts Festival and $250 dollars from the Bank of Lee’s Summit. That combined with the $1500 dollars from Longview made the festival possible.

On September 23, a Literary Flash Festival took place in the Longview commons. A flash fiction contest was the main attraction. Each contestant randomly chose a first line from a bag and had 20 minutes to complete either a poem or a short story from that line. Rednecks and Zombies and other books were awarded for the best submissions.

Other presenters at the Oct. 2 and 3 festival include Carolyn Mulford, Evelyn, Larry W. Allen, Liz Davis, Linda Fisher, Sylvia Forbes, Jim Muench, Eva Ridenor, and Judy Stock. Publishers and many others will be present during the main event, speaking about how to get published and many other topics. Groups attending will include the Dead Horse Society, Kansas City Horror Club, Kansas City Writer’s Group, Kansas City Metropolitan Verse, and the Kansas City Chapter of the Missouri Poetry Society, Kansas City Writer’s Place, Latino Writers Collective, Missouri Writers, and Guild Summit Scribes.

Waltz accepts the award for Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for his role as The Jew Hunter (MCT Campus).

by Adam Conder

Quentin Tarantino has finally matched his classic, “Pulp Fiction,” with the fabulous “Inglourious Basterds.” This will be the movie of the year. If the Oscars have any worth or sense, this movie will have quite the positive DVD cover: “Tarantino’s newest has swept the Oscars.”

The acting is phenomenal. It stars Brad Pitt (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) as an uneducated, Nazi-killing hick from Tennessee named Lt. Aldo Raine. Pitt provides the comedy relief and he is hilarious, but he isn’t the man of the hour. That honor goes to the relatively unknown Christoph Waltz (“Das Gehemnis in Wald”). Waltz brings depth, humor and suspense to Nazi colonel Hans Landa, who has been affectionately nicknamed the Jew Hunter.

It is generally agreed upon that Tarantino has made some great movies: “Pulp Fiction,” “Reservoir Dogs,” “Jackie Brown.” Unfortunately, he also has  made some forgettable fluff: “Kill Bill,” “Deathproof.” Where does “Inglourious Basterds” go on Tarantino’s scale? The answer is on the top. It tops all of his past work and then some. After 10 years of mediocrity, Tarantino is back.

In “Inglourious Bastereds,” Tarantino has grown as a director in a metamorphosis similar to that of the Coen Brothers with “No Country for Old Men.” The dialogue in the film is drastically different than all of his other work. Surely it would have felt forced to have two soldiers discuss foot rubs in the middle of combat. No, Pitt’s speech about scalping Nazis fits perfectly. Not to worry, Tarantino buffs. His vibes are still present, but they’re more subtle. The dialogue is still clever as ever. Even Samuel Jackson makes an appearance as the film’s narrator.

Nothing felt forced about the film, though a number of things could have if not handled correctly. Everything flowed naturally. Tarantino is back and might have the best picture of the year here. Oscars, take note.