THU 11/25
"What do women want?" How about to be left the hell alone? Penny Darling says that if you're a woman and you've got two best girlfriends and you live anywhere on Earth, one of the three of you is going to get badly hurt just because you happen to be female. You or one of your friends will be raped, mutilated, doused with acid, set on fire, molested by your Uncle Charley, kicked around by your drunken spouse, or sold into sexual slavery. And, she says, when you tally up the violence statistics, it's not so terrific to be gay either.
To help remedy that dire situation, Darling, a tireless Lake Worth activist and mother of three, has teamed up with Planned Parenthood, Compass Gay and Lesbian Community Center, Lake Worth Baha'is, the Girl Scouts, and dozens of dedicated individuals and organizations, to put together the local campaign for 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, a national effort that runs from November 25 -- International Day Against Violence Against Women -- through December 10 -- National Human Rights Day. "People shy away from this issue, but it affects so many women," Darling says. "In the U.S., more women end up in emergency wards because of domestic violence than because of muggings or car accidents."
The 16-day lineup of films, lectures, poetry performances, and workshops is almost whimsical in its diversity. Some of the highlights include: a lecture and discussion with former combat photographer Alyx Kellington, who has photographed traumatized women and children in El Salvador, Mexico, and Haiti; a screening of Ya No Mas!, a Spanish-language film on domestic violence produced by a women's group in Chiapas, Mexico; Women's Worth, a benefit open mic and poetry slam for Lorrie Nicholson-Tennant, a South Florida poet recently stabbed to death; and a discussion on "Who Are Transgender People?" led by transgender activist Heather Wright. A very noisy rally (bring your pots and pans) leading to "Break the Silence, Stop the Violence!" leaves from Lake Worth City Hall (7 N. Dixie Hwy.) at 4 p.m. Saturday, December 4. For a full list of dates, locations, and events, call 561-585-9325 or visit www.freelakeworth.com/16days.htm. Gail Shepherd
Get Euphoric
Boredom Repellent
FRI 11/26
Hey! People are supposed to throw only one party per weekend. But the Euphoria Project is throwing two! Euphoria is supposed to be the biggest promoter of Florida raves. But there it goes booking out-of-state DJs! Halloween's over. But it's telling everyone to wear costumes!
Whoa. Slow down, Lassie. Timmy didn't fall in the well. Here's the deal: On Friday, "Big Papa" Mitch Waas and his fellow rave's-not-dead diehards (you know, people like RubrChiknMischuf and Gooey Smudgles) hold their weekly 18-and-up dance party at Games Depot (4200 S. University Dr., Davie). This time, it's all psychedelic trance, which, if you haven't been keeping up-to-the-nanosecond notes on electronic music's splintering divisions, is a "beautiful, deeply spiritual musical style" (according to Mitch). DJs are coming in from Tennessee and South Carolina.
Then, go home at sunrise, get up at sundown, and party all over again! Show up at Club X-it (219 N. 21st Ave., Hollywood) in your pajamas (lingerie will do). Between the 17 DJs and special guests, an electro act called Silence Repellent goes live and a VJ named Pixelpunk gives you something to look at while you suck on free lollipops and fresh fruit. Winner of the best-dressed contest takes home $100. Cover for either night costs $10. Call 954-675-0020, or visit www.euphoriaproject.org. -- Deirdra Funcheon
Pass the Torch
Some new kind of kick
SAT 11/27
If you're looking for a place to stand around and look fashionable, go to some trendy club in South Beach and cavort with the hipsters. But if you're looking to, ya know, get down and have some genuine fun, check out Kick, the new Saturday night rock 'n' roll party at Bikini Bob's (900 Sunrise Ln., Fort Lauderdale). As you can tell by the trucker hat (right), these guys don't care about looking fashionable. Filling the hole left by the now-defunct Blowtorch nights (the Blowhole?), Kick continues to bust out the rock (think T. Rex and the Faces, normal-sized and small), as well as some occasional hip-hop and disco -- or anything else that may end up on the turntable by night's end (drinking and DJing make an interesting combination). Admission is free, so it's only for drinks that you need to deduct from your rent, steal from your roommate, sell a baby on the black market, dump your Smurf collection on eBay, or supplement your entertainment budget however you do it. The party takes place on the second floor from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Call 954-567-2955. -- Jason Budjinski
Horses in Diapers!
SAT 11/27
Christmas just gets weirder and weirder. Take the festivities in Delray Beach's Old School Square (at the corner of Atlantic and Swinton avenues) for example. Tonight, the city lights its 100-foot "tree" at 7 p.m. Its 15,500 lights and 6,172 ornaments are gorgeous and all, but still, it's a tree made out of steel. "Santa" will be hanging out inside with his "helpers," and about 100 people can fit in with them at a time. Next to the tree is an "ice" skating rink -- made not of ice but of a "super-glide surface." Horse-drawn carriages circle nearby; the horses are real but wear "diapers" so they don't leave anything behind. Kinda makes you nostalgic for the scent of pine needles, roasting chestnuts, and horse crap. Festivities last through January 2. Call 561-279-1380, ext. 17, or visit www.downtowndelraybeach.com. -- Deirdra Funcheon
