Onstage 8.10.05
Hard to sell Except for the enchanting double-bill with three divas in the small Studio Theatre, Stratford’s new productions of modern plays may be hard-sells. James Reaney’s The Donnellys: Sticks and Stones is a seminal play in modern Canadian drama, admired for its historical and social significance. But this play is the first in a…
The mayor and the schools: who’s in charge?
Elections are about the future, and the Rochester school district may be a mirror of the city today, and what it could become. Shrinking enrollment — shrinking job market. Low test scores — low-paying jobs. High dropout rate — high crime rate. It’s not just Rochester. All across the country, cities with large urban school…
It came from your house
In the not-too-distant past, the mere mention of the phrase “home movies” in a few family circles would elicit a great deal of groaning and the rolling of many eyes, followed by lots and lots of fleeing. Apparently no one was exactly clamoring to get yet another look at Aunt Sophia’s unsuccessful stab at waterskiing,…
Family valued 8.10.05
Twelve is the age for Aquarius Sooner or later, kids need to expand their theatrical horizons beyond The Lion King. Hair, staged fully-clothed by RAPA School of Performing Arts, is a groovy place to start. Set in 1969, Hair doesn’t tell a story as much as it captures an era. Through evocative songs, the audience…
Inbox 8.10.05
Here are two emails circuited from Josh Berman, who works for the Nonesuch record label in New York City. His notes will provide the setup. Send your emails to inbox@rochester-citynews.com. — Michael Neault “This e-mail below is a gem. Part of my duties at the label is to purchase tickets to our artists’ shows for…
Fiz 8.10.05
Clandestine hamburgers Are you sick and tired of pounding neck cramps from decoding the overhead menu at your favorite junk food franchise? Do you gag when asked, “Would you like fries with that?” Have you resigned your membership in the human race after reading Fast Food Nation? Did you just finish cleaning your porcelain friend…
They’re football players
I love this time of summer. NFL Training camps are open and the season is in sight. I hear about the guys who are “football players,” which really inspires me. A football player overcomes obstacles each and every day out there on the field. We can learn from them. Fortunately, during the first week of…
French drive and American sloth
The sexy, dark, and hopeful French flick The Beat That My Heart Skipped follows in that noble cinematic tradition of movies about people living day to day while their grand passion remains unfulfilled. Or perhaps it doesn’t count since Beat is actually just a remake. Of an American film. This is possible evidence of Gallic…
Are you my Internet date?
In the high season of the blockbuster, when the walls of the megaplexes reverberate with explosions, speeding vehicles careen down the cinematic turnpikes, the pyrotechnicians supplant the writers, and the special effects wizards overwhelm the directors, a small, relatively adult romantic comedy seems a special delight. Just about the only movie of its kind around,…
Downsized: how it feels
As JoAnn James-Scott opens her front door, I can see her smiling through the screen. She calls it her Kool-Aid smile. She’s lived in the 19th Ward all her life. Her home is modest, and its goldenrod base with burgundy trim looks freshly painted. She asks if I’d mind taking off my shoes. We sit…
The XX Files
Paul Simon’s “Kodachrome” comes on the car radio, and suddenly I’m sitting by the pool at Lisa Scandelli’s 6th-grade end-of-year party. The next song I hear is Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me” and it’s nearly a decade later. I’m dancing on the sunken dance floor in my college’s bar. Now the radio is playing…
The paper trail
The paper trail Call it human resources Gannett-style. By the time staff at the Democrat and Chronicle learned they were getting a new publisher, the previous one, David Hunke, was already in Detroit, where he’ll be leading the venerable Detroit Free Press. Gannett obtained the Freep from Knight Ridder, another giant newspaper chain, in an…
Reader feedback 8.10.05
NO MIXED FEELINGS! While I agree that a lot of the bands at Ozzfest would be of the “one dimensional” cookie-cutter variety, your reviewer did a disservice to people who may have been considering attending attend the show (July 18). First, does an over-rated critical darling like Mastodon really need any more ink? With all…
Cost of war 8.10.05
The totals: 1,831 American soldiers, 194 Coalition soldiers, and approximately 23,456 to 26,559 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq from the beginning of the war and occupation to August 5. American soldiers killed from July 31-Aug 5: Corporal Jeffrey A. Boskovitch, 25; Seven Hills, Ohio | Lance Corporal Roger D. Castleberry Jr., 26; Austin,…
Campaign Q&A:
Kodak’s down. Valeo’s out. Sure, every month or so we get word of a company moving here or expanding local operations. And COMIDA’s doing a bang-up job of creating employment opportunities one or two at a time. But a few dozen jobs here and there don’t really even begin to offset the much larger numbers…
Tim Mains: On the economy, stupid Q&A
City: What would you do differently from the Johnson administration when it comes to economic development? Mains: I have an aggressive plan to use tax reform and a specific tax proposal to leverage economic development to create an incentive. Rochester has a two-tier homestead rate. There’s single-family residential of one to three units, and the…
Pay a little, get a lot
Okay, hands up all you people who don’t venture west of the Genesee. You might be surprised learn there’s more to the Greece Central School District than acrimonious school board meetings and a well-orchestrated Presidential visit. Gates resident Mary Kieffer, for example, is learning how to stop and reverse the aging process. She’s taking her…
Wade Norwood: On the economy, stupid Q&A
City: What would you do differently from the Johnson administration when it comes to economic development? Norwood: I would look to build greater synergies between economic development and community development. I would create a city development department where those functions are merged. Housing and neighborhood commercial development go hand in hand; they should not be…
Staying alive
When Paul Gardner takes three-day weekends in the summer he travels light. He wraps a small pouch around his waist to go camping in the mountains of Naples or the Adirondacks. In the pouch, Gardner carries a disposable poncho, a lighter, a knife, and a 12-foot rope. And yes, the survivalist does this on purpose.…
Bob Duffy: On the economy, stupid Q&A
City: What would you do differently from the Johnson administration when it comes to economic development? Duffy: I’d form an economic-development impact team of business leaders, community leaders, and labor leaders that would create a business plan for our city. The plan would start with a one- or two-year objective. I want to hit on…
Lesson plan
Some of life’s lessons just happen by accident. Others you have to seek out. You probably already know the many colleges and cultural institutions offering classes in our education-rich city. Our goal here is to point you towards some learning opportunities you may not have heard of yet. We’re also here to tell you that…
Pop quiz:
How much do the Democratic candidates for mayor know about the city they want to lead? We thought we’d put them to the test — no prior notice, no research allowed. And we’d love to ask any of your questions. In fact, our readers helped inform this week’s pop quiz. To have your questions included,…
