Getting schooled
In their escalating war of words, it’s the city school board’s turn to take aim at Assemblymember David Gantt. The board called a special meeting Tuesday evening to consider a four-point proposal by several board members aimed at getting $20 million in so-called spin-up money and laying to rest notions of financial mismanagement in the…
Reader feedback 8.18.04
CASINO, PRO AND CON An American Indian sovereign nation in the middle of Rochester may sound threatening, but actually it completes the full cycle of development of our community. American Indians were the original occupiers of downtown Rochester, and developing a small plot of land to reintroduce them into our region’s rich diverse culture will…
Body count 8.18.04
To honor the war dead and fill an information gap in US mass media, City Newspaper will run weekly lists of American soldiers and Iraqi civilians killed during the occupation of Iraq. The totals: 940 American soldiers, 127 Coalition soldiers, and approximately 11,605 to 13,579 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq from the beginning…
Walking scorched earth
On the 225th anniversary of the Scorched Earth Campaign, a punitive expedition against the Iroquois, City Newspaper writer Rich Gardner walked the long path of destruction over seven days and documented his experiences. Part two of a two-part series.
Family valued 8.18.04
‘The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement’ I do have a shred of masculinity left, and had to be dragged to The Princess Diaries. But it turned out to be very likeable, Anne Hathaway coming off every bit the cartoon princess, and Julie Andrews and Hector Elizondo raising its level a bit above the ordinary. And…
Rediscovering great comedy and one whatsit
Three more knockout productions at Stratford present a gentle comedy, a laugh riot, and a Shakespeare whatsit. Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens partly seems to be written by someone else, is both tragic and garishly comical, and brilliantly and really badly written. Yet, this is the third Stratford production of Timon that has made it look…
Water wars
When David Ziemba answers the phone at his Wanakena General Store, he simply says “Wanakena,” as though he’s picking up the phone on behalf of the entire community. In a way he is. Behind the counter of his shop, the soft-spoken Buffalo transplant sits at both the geographical and emotional center of this quiet Adirondack…
Valentine
She removed the dagger. In the hopes that one day this symbol would become true love she inserted the tip of the blade into the soft flesh of the birch. She carved their initials together: J.K. + V.L. There is no rejection in the forest. A birch may sustain thousands of cuts without bleeding, but…
A safe American brew
I love root beer, the Great American Soda. It varies as much as wine and beer, and there isn’t really a dominant brand. Popsoda.com sells nearly 40 brands, and there are well over a hundred you can hunt down. Beers of the World had eight recently, and Tops and Wegmans have decent selections. We even…
Back from the bigs
The Twins called up Red Wings shortstop Jason Bartlett on July 27 for his first big-league stint when utility infielder Nick Punto broke his clavicle. Bartlett, 24, played in two games against Anaheim but he struggled, going 0-for-5 and committing two errors. Minnesota sent him down on August 6. In Rochester, Bartlett hit .339 before…
Valentine
She removed the dagger. In the hopes that one day this symbol would become true love she inserted the tip of the blade into the soft flesh of the birch. She carved their initials together: J.K. + V.L. There is no rejection in the forest. A birch may sustain thousands of cuts without bleeding, but…
Bickering and doom, and then the sharks appear
Because of its extremely low budget, narrow focus, and to be honest, its rather rough visual quality, the new independent motion picture Open Water has already drawn comparisons to the most successful indy cheapie of them all, the overhyped, overrated, astonishingly profitable Blair Witch Project. Some wags, in fact, refer to the movie as The…
Sifting through the fake, looking for the real
By interesting chance, two films coming up at the Dryden are dryly humorous but serious attempts to parse fictional films for their documentary content and to question the boundaries of what a documentary film might be. The first, Bright Leaves, is Ross McElwee’s third mainstream release since his entertainingly personal epic Sherman’s March. His films…
One pissed-off hillbilly
Joe Buck is the kinda guy you just wanna to be friends with. He’ll add color to your otherwise mundane life. Besides the riotous music and musings you’ll be exposed to, this friendship will probably save your life. Buck’s on the edge, you see. And when he finally snaps and goes all Travis Bickell on…
The rebirth of cool
Every now and then, I’ll be at a happening event, a slick soiree, or in the middle of nowhere for that matter, and I’ll run into Rochester’s painting, guitar-slingin’ philosophizing bon vivant, El Destructo. We’ll exchange pleasantries, laugh at each other’s off-color humor, and discuss the current goings-on. We think we’re so smart. One such…
No threats, please
Oh, for heaven’s sake. I expect big-business leaders to stand together, but this buzz about Wegmans is getting a bit much. Wegmans has wanted to build a couple of big new stores, on the county fairgrounds property on Calkins Road in Henrietta and on Elmwood Avenue on the former RochesterPsychiatricCenter campus. And it plans…
