Metro ink – 12.28.05
Zen machining Mitch Cohen has an RIT textbook that is three decades old, which makes it several years younger than everything else in his studio. “Most of this stuff is functional dinosaurs,” Cohen says, as he hand-cranks a piece of paper through a large metal contraption. This, he says almost lovingly, is a “platen press.”…
Reader feedback – 12.28.05
SOUND EFFECTS Something is wrong with the RPO sound in the Eastman Theatre. The acoustical changes to the Theatre, completed in 2004, have yielded a sonic parody of a great hall, a misguided attempt to make the sound of classical music louder and more impressive, and damn the consequences to any possible warmth and clarity.…
Cost of war – 12.28.05
The totals: 2160 US soldiers, 201 Coalition soldiers, and approximately 27,569 to 31,088 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq from the beginning of the war and occupation to December 20. 15,955 American soldiers have been wounded in action between March 2003 and December 2005. www.icasualties.org estimates that 2502 Iraqi police and military have been…
The art of the possible
A five-story observation deck, crowned with a rotating restaurant? A chain of islands in LakeOntario?A museum and research center? These were among the ideas floated last week as attractions for the waterfront area around the ferry terminal. Despite a layer of icy freezing rain, about 30 participants turned out for a second public hearing on…
Music Reviews 12.28.05
Wilco & Daddy
City gets tough lead law
For years, Tim Mains has lobbied for legislation to end poisoning from lead-based paint in the city of Rochester. Finally, last Tuesday, inside a packed chamber, Mains, a 20-year Council veteran and a city school principal, got his wish. During its last meeting of the year and Mains’ final session as a Council member, City…
Vengeance is theirs
Probably the first public act of modern terrorism on a truly global stage took place a generation ago in Munich, when an armed group of young Palestinians representing a hitherto unknown organization called Black September raided the Olympic Village and kidnapped and murdered eleven members of the Israeli team. Because ABC televised the games and…
Going through ‘The Ringer’ and looking ahead
Believe it or not, there are still a few sacred cows roaming Hollywood pastures, subjects that are not yet (and may never be) eligible for mockery. The Holocaust immediately springs to mind, as does 9/11, and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina will most likely make that list. And it’s usually inappropriate to make light of…
Best or bust: the year in review
Maybe it’s just me, but 2005 seemed like a really mediocre year for movies. As a matter of fact, when charged with making a Top Ten list, my mind went completely blank trying to think of films that I especially dug (except for Number 1). So compiling a Best of the Year was more difficult…
Manga invasion
Only when you have sat in an automobile overflowing with college students (and their various odors and idiosyncrasies) for five hours can you truly understand obsession. In the age of the Internet, satellite dishes, and free shipping, what could possibly consume anyone enough to submit to the travails of such bone-jarring interstate journeys? Until recently,…
Family valued – 12.28.05
Every family needs a little poetry at this time of year. We’ve gathered some here by local parents, a few of whom are published poets, but most of whom are just folks who write an occasional poem. Of Historical Significance: A Mother Caught Daydreaming I imagine my child conjuring the elements of global peace or…
Fiz – 12.28.05
One lump or two? Hey, Lazybones! Are you too damn attractive for your stupid job? Do you believe in your heart of hearts that somewhere out there is a special person just dying to pay off your credit cards? Maybe you’re not sure how to satiate this nagging sense of entitlement. Fortunately, the Internet is…
Manga invasion
Only when you have sat in an automobile overflowing with college students (and their various odors and idiosyncrasies) for five hours can you truly understand obsession. In the age of the Internet, satellite dishes, and free shipping, what could possibly consume anyone enough to submit to the travails of such bone-jarring interstate journeys? Until recently,…
Inbox – 12.28.05
Remarkable correspondence from the consistently unremarkable world of email The following email is from one concerned roommate to another, after discovering that a certain culinary instrument was being used for purposes it shouldn’t have been used for. Read on. Send your New Year’s resolutions to inbox@rochester-citynews.com. — Michael Neault From: Rex H. Sent:Thursday, August 18,…
The XX Files – 12.28.05
Whose lovely lady lumps? People say jazz is the only art form invented by Americans, but they’re wrong. Rap is another truly American art form. I’ll never forget the first time I heard Sugarhill Gang’s seminal work, “Rapper’s Delight.” It took a high-school trip to Paris to discover this American treasure. I was in a…
