Too far up the Irish
Given its remarkable show of ability by local actors David Jason Kyle and Peter J. Doyle, I’m sorry to report that Blackfriars’ production of Marie Jones’ Stones in His Pockets is attempting more than anyone involved can handle. The overall outlines of the comedy emerge intact, and the actors’ commitment and understanding of their roles…
Lincoln’s epiphany
It’s one thing to read about history; it’s quite another to be staring down at a letter written by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862. In the letter, addressed to Senator James A. McDougal, Lincoln makes a bold suggestion: the Civil War could be ended if slave owners were compensated monetarily. In other words, instead of…
Bring the family
Taking the family out to eat is the point at which my two City Newspaper beats intersect. What is it, exactly, that makes a restaurant “family friendly?” And which local restaurants do the best job handling children, and thus make going out with children a pleasant experience for parents? Most local food lovers wouldn’t be…
Rapid fire with J.B. and the boys
I watch those NFL pre- and post-game programs. Fox’s James Brown, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Jimmy Johnson are so much fun. They yuk it up, act goofy, and then they joke about each other’s shortcomings, particularly Bradshaw’s perceived mental deficiencies. I wish those guys were my friends. We’d have so many laughs together, just…
Conquering a world, ruining a movie
With its technological expertise, its abundance of talent in all areas, and its penchant for excess, the American cinema quite naturally excels at the grand gesture, which often translates as the epic mode. Some recent cinematic investigations of certain chapters in the distant past — Gladiator, The Passion of the Christ, Troy, and now, Alexander…
Audacious done well, audacious done boring
“There are those who ask why this responsibility should be ours. The answer, I think, is simple: There is no one else who can do the job.” Think that’s George W. Bush defending the decision to invade Iraq? Think again. Those ultimately foreboding sentiments actually come courtesy of Lyndon Johnson as he justifies American involvement…
Also playing…
It’s difficult to imagine a more entertaining activist figure than Jean Dominique, who over the course of 20 years battled impossible odds as a political broadcaster and the head of Radio Haiti. While Jonathan Demme’s 2003 documentary, The Agronomist, does not flinch from depicting the horrific human costs of injustice and violent oppression, the film…
Save that ferry!
I was going to wait a week or so to make up my mind about the ferry rescue — get more information, interview more people. But for pete’s sake: The answer’s as clear as day. We need to save the ferry and get it back in operation. The ferry’s good for Rochester. It’s…
The XX Files
There are few thrills as great as the one you get the first time you steal and get away with it. When I was in junior high, roughly my older son’s age, I shoplifted some Necco Wafers from the little market near my school. I just slid the cylinder of colored disks into my mitten,…
Vote: no confidence
Metro Justice Organizer Jon Greenbaum is irked by what he sees when he glances at the headlines of his local daily newspaper. He’s also irked by what he doesn’t see: an investigation into voting irregularities during the 2004 presidential election. On the eve of a planned march on the Democrat and Chronicle offices to protest…
Reader feedback 12.1.04
Ailing Upstate, the Iraq war’s victims
Body count 12.1.04
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: 1,251 American soldiers, 146 Coalition soldiers, and approximately 14,563 to 16,742 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq (a recent survey…
Great Lakes, cold feet: Ontario backs off water deal
Great Lakes basin officials and environmental groups on both sides of the US-Canada border are worried about the fate of their water. But while all involved agree that more protections are necessary, Ontario officials made waves November 15, when they announced they won’t sign the most recent draft agreements aimed at providing those protections. …
Family valued 12.1.04
Everything old is new again The package, wrapped in white tissue paper with pictures from a magazine pasted on the top, arrived for my fourth birthday. The gift was a used book, a gilded-edged version of Collodi’s Pinocchio. Many of its pages were dog-eared from frequent use, but it didn’t matter. It was mine. Tucked…
