Agitating beauty
You know, the quieter Chris Whitley speaks and the softer he plays, the louder he seems. I’ve seen Whitley a number of times. He is mesmerizing. Shyly yet intently perched at the edge of the crowd, behind the throb of a lone kick-drum, he drags guttural tones from a rusty Dobro tuned so abstractly it…
Dreamland Faces
It could be any sunny Saturday morning. Amidst the produce and the milling melting pot of the Public Market, you stroll along haggling with merchants, minding your own affair, when you find yourself drawn to the north corner of the market. At first it’s merely the sound of the accordion and the warm scent…
Ice cream, fish sauce, and sarongs
There’s nothing particularly odd about opening an ice cream parlor across from an amusement park, as Churi Csaicai has across from Sea Breeze. The crazy part is that Churi’s is also a Thai restaurant and clothing store. So, if you want to wear a sarong while eating pad thai before having an ice cream cone,…
Geva celebrates Independence Day
Geva’s 30th season ends with the perfect show for the 4th of July. But though the plot of 1776 ends on July 4, Geva’s extended run finishes on June 29. The production is dedicated to author Peter Stone, Oscar winner, Emmy winner, and Tony winner, who died only a few weeks ago. His book and…
A load of recycled junk
Warner Bros. Pictures The first movie in the Matrix trilogy derived in part from Emerson’s “noble doubt” of the existence of nature itself — the ancient intuition that the universe consists merely of our own perceptions; a private dream, rather than an external reality. In the sequel, The Matrix: Reloaded, that doubt persists, combined with…
Classically awful humor
For old people too scared of Wire Fu and mutants, Hollywood is offering up a toothless comedy called The In-Laws, which turns out to be even less funny than all of that heady gobbledygook Neo has to say and listen to in The Matrix Reloaded. It’s safe counter-programming for those who still think Friends is…
Tax cuts? Don’t make me cry
The US Senate has been known as a “millionaires’ club” for years. So many years, in fact, that the nickname needs a “multi” or “centi” to stay current. When ABC news listed “America’s 10 richest politicians” last year, four were US senators: Jon Corzine (NJ), John Kerry (MA), Herb Kohl (WI), and Jay Rockefeller…
News Briefs 5.21.03
Dancin’ machine Apparently, most guys in this town are too cool to dance. The band can be smoking, yet the male majority stands ringside. Not Jake. In any dance floor sea, you can see Jake’s clean head bobbing like a beacon. He gyrates and boogies circles around people a fraction of his age. …
Reader Feedback 5.21.03
Creating hope “Ain’t Studying War No More” (April 16) prompted me to think about families, activism, and my own childhood. Somewhat like writer Jennifer Loviglio, I grew up near Boston, in the ’60s, with parents who became activists. In New England, there is quite a tradition of active citizenship. I have fond memories, from…
Safe clubs, safe crowds
City Newspaper wasn’t at the recent meeting between public officials and concerned nightclub owners. And most nightclub owners we followed up with wouldn’t speak on the record. Even the one elected official we’ve spoken with about the meeting preferred anonymity. But the elected official said the “big issue” tackled at the meeting was the…
Filling Giuffrida’s sneakers
Joanne Giuffrida’s departure from the city school board puts her fellow board members in a potentially contentious position. Granted, the fractious board, which has brawled over the departure of former superintendent Cliff Janey and its own bylaws during the past year, has been a powder keg of conflicting personalities for some time now. But…
The special-ed scare
When “Phil” responded to a temporary employment agency’s newspaper ad for special-education paraprofessionals in the Rochester City School District, he didn’t know what he was getting himself into. But Phil — who requested anonymity for fear he’d lose his temp job should he criticize the district — says he had a genuine desire to…
