Cover Story
Turn the beat around
As boisterous and bombastic as hip-hop tends to be, it is still a genre preceded by public misperception, generalization, and out-and-out dismissal. As with any genre of music, the ears of those outside its fan base are often assailed by topical, shallow misrepresentations of the form. Minds get made up, hasty conclusions get drawn. Not…
CONCERT VIDEO: The Front Bottoms at the Bug Jar
New Jersey pop-rockers The Front Bottoms came to the Bug Jar on Thursday, August 23, for a sweaty set of its acoustic laden and heart-stirring rock.
Federal regulations for smog-causing pollutants still uncertain
For decades, New York has had more stringent emissions regulations than other states. It’s been state government’s way of trying to improve air quality. But air moves, which complicates such efforts. Emissions from other states will drift in to New York, making their pollution this state’s problem. Former Attorney General Eliot Spitzer sued Midwestern power…
WEEK AHEAD: SW Neighborhood meeting on School 16
Residents of the 19th Ward and nearby southwest neighborhoods are meeting on Wednesday, August 29, to discuss ways to become more engaged in School 16’s future and to better support area parents and students. The meeting is at 6 p.m. at the SW Community Center, 275 Dr. Samuel McCree Way. It is open to the…
After a scorching summer, weather hits GOP
It matters that weather has delayed the start of the Republican National Convention. It matters a lot. The convention was supposed to start today, but Tropical Storm Isaac changed those plans. Many delegates and speakers are facing changes to their travel plans, reports the Washington Post. Nationwide, weather has been a constant topic of news…
UPDATE: Rochester Fringe Festival additions
The First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival today announced several more events for its inaugural festival, which will take place September 19-23 in downtown Rochester. -The high-flying dance troupe Bandaloop, which will perform an aerial dance number on the side of the 21-story HSBCPlaza on Thursday, September 20, has added a second performance on Saturday, September…
NEWS BLOG: O’Brien’s interviews are one of the few worth watching
A frustration with watching news interviews on television is the sorry lack of tough follow-up questions. Mainstream anchors instead seem to rely more on giving equal time to both sides of a political issue. It’s easier, it’s less risky, and they can almost count on what type of response they’ll get. So-and-so gets the last…
NEWS BLOG: The Party of No and the price of obstructionism
If anyone needs an explanation for why public approval of Congress has plummeted to an all-time low, reporter and blogger Michael Grunwald gives an excellent account in his new book, “The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era.” Grunwald has been making the case for some time that President Obama…
NEWS BLOG: The big news from Augusta National
In the midst of all the serious political news that’s been breaking this week, it was nice to find a little humor. And so I give you my favorite quote of the week so far, from a Tuesday New York Times’ editorial. The subject: Augusta National Golf Club’s decision to admit its first two women…
The new reliable
“Reliable.” In a hyperbolic age when anything short of hosanas and accolades is the equivalent of damnation, reliable has become a dirty word. It’s not. Reliable, along with other disfavored words like “steady,” “dependable,” and “workmanlike,” are strong, noble words, describing people who work hard, deliver what they say they will deliver, and do it…
Iffy results for incentive pay
The Rochester school district has paid thousands of dollars in extra income to teachers through programs designed to test incentive pay. The state and federal governments are investing in the programs — one in its third year and another set to launch in the fall — to test a key component of education reform: Does…
Shaw’s syncopated season
America’s characteristic sound is restless and just off the beat, especially in the loose, driving textures of ragtime, jazz, and the blues, shrewdly borrowed by the musical chameleons of Tin Pan Alley. The U.S.A. in the 20th century came to be syncopation’s natural habitat. This summer, though, the Shaw Festival, just over the border in…
Feedback 8/22
Send comments to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. We edit selections for publication, and we don’t publish comments sent to other media. Get involved in anti-frack efforts In July, I traveled to Washington with a busload of other local people for a rally to…
Bourne again and again
Following “Identity,” “Supremacy,” and “Ultimatum,” the latest picture in the highly successful Bourne franchise, “The Bourne Legacy,” follows the established formula fairly closely, but also adds a good deal to the collection and even to its genre. Unlike most of the summer spectaculars, many adapted from comic books and aimed directly at a young audience,…
Declaration of independents
When the Little Theatre first opened in 1929, its mission was to show “art films that appeal to the intelligent and sophisticated,” and more than 80 years later it still strives to do just that. Yeah, there was that brief porn interlude in the 1960’s, but who hasn’t had one of those? These days, however,…
Sign of the apocalypse
I can honestly say that I’m not a Loverboy fan. I know all of the band’s songs, though, thanks to the mind-numbing rotation it got on the radio back in the 1980’s. By the time the band hit the bigs, I had discovered punk rock by way of new wave, and was too cool for…
Blood on the brain
Head injuries bring roughly 1.7 million people to the nation’s emergency rooms every year. During his early years in emergency medicine, Dr. Jeffrey Bazarian worried about these patients and the severity of their injuries. He says he couldn’t even be sure if someone had a concussion. The technology has improved, Bazarian says, but he’s not…
Primary decision soon
Attorney Van White says his clients, John Lightfoot and Jose Cruz, should learn in the next couple of days whether they can stay on the ballot for State Assembly. Lightfoot and Cruz hope to take on incumbent Assembly member David Gantt in a Democratic primary next month, but the validity of their petitions is being…
Urban Action 8/22
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) The Rochester school board will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. on Thursday, August 23, on the renewal of the charter application for the Rochester Academy Charter School. The proposed renewal extends…
The City School District: Can this system work?
“Should the school board be involved in choosing who will train teachers? Should it overrule the superintendent on school closings?” “Who is in charge of America’s urban schools? Everyone and no one. We Americans love divided government. Distrustful of power, we established a constitution with three branches of government, each designed to check the power…
STUDENT SURVIVAL GUIDE ’07: Student Jobs
by Matt Klein Perhaps you don’t need a job to pay for college. Maybe Mommy and Daddy put everything on their AmEx black card, including a generous stipend to cover all-night Indian buffets and Prada-related shopping emergencies. Maybe you’re really, really smart and the College Fairy magically made all your bills disappear with a wave…
