Washing away the blue-state blues
“I’ll never believe that Kerry didn’t take Ohio.” That’s Mary Ellen Blanchard speaking and tonight’s a Thursday, the night she and a half dozen to a dozen local self-described liberals congregate at Monty’s Korner to talk politics and down a few drinks while they’re at it. Today Democrat Wade Norwood has announced his candidacy for…
‘A total labor movement’
The status of minorities in the American labor movement became clear to Bill Fletcher Jr. while he was riding a Boston bus in 1985. Fletcher, a graduate of Harvard who went to work on the shipyards in Quincy, Massachusetts, had become a union organizer in the Beantown area. But his experience was spoiled by institutional…
VA under fire
More than any other war in US history, the conflict in Iraq has provoked a surge of concern for soldiers returning home bearing the psychological burdens of battle. From the war’s first days, veterans’ groups, mental-health organizations, and some members of Congress have claimed that the Department of Veterans Affairs is unprepared to treat the…
Family valued 3.9.05
Pour a little sugar on me, baby Sure you’re reluctant to promote your kid’s love affair with sugar. Cavities. Empty calories. The thrill of experiencing cabin fever with a kid jacked up on pixie sticks. Relax. Sap, Syrup, and Sugar at Genesee Country Museum’s Nature Center in Mumford is far from the madding crowd of…
Expectations overturned in a triumph of the old
I’m interested in new, creative theater more than rehashed favorites, so a challenging new play by an unfamiliar, award-winning playwright sounded exciting. Geva’s production in a stop-and-stare setting stars an actor I’ve admired here before. But it’s all disappointing. Race of the Ark Tattoo by W. David Hancock pretends to be a flea market sale.…
The lost art of reading
Novelist and former Rochesterian Andrea Barrett, for a little light winter reading, is working her way through the collected works of the Brontë sisters. It’s an exercise she calls “a perverse but very yummy thing.” The thoroughness is characteristic. Take, for example, the intricate family tree she drew for her characters. The casual reader may…
The mysteries of Mr. Hun
“I am the operator,” explains Hun, the mysterious chef at Bay Tree Cuisine. He refused to spell his full name, insisting on the single moniker, like Cher. He would occasionally use “we,” but wouldn’t name his partners, owners who prefer to remain silent. Hun did share a bit about himself. A Korean, he came here…
How you play the game
J.P. Losman was making me nervous before he spoke last week at St. John Fisher College’s 5th Annual Conference on Sportsmanship. The 23-year-old Bills quarterback gave the keynote address before 246 athletes from 27 mostly Monroe County high schools. He seemed uptight, as quarterbacks coach Sam Wyche warmed up the audience for him. Losman’s hands…
Now let’s see you make a movie
Undoubtedly the most purely cinematic novelist writing today, the prolific Elmore Leonard shares a long history with Hollywood. An experienced scriptwriter himself, his novels move and jump like screenplays, marked by quick cuts, short scenes, the deft deployment of dialogue, an efficient establishing of location, minimal authorial intrusion, and a fidelity to the surfaces of…
Inward grace and questionable taste
“This sucks.” Edward DeBonis hangs up the phone after calling a list of churches and inquiring about the possibility of marrying the person he loves with the blessing of the faith in which he worships. The conclusion is an inevitable one, however, since the churches are Catholic and the name of Edward’s intended is Vincent.…
Gained in translation
The Girls Gone Wild Rocks America Tour at Water Street Music Hall was lame in the extreme and a little embarrassing. It was more like Girls Gone Mild and Guys Gone Desperate. Sure I love, love boobs — but on my own terms. I wanna earn ’em. It ain’t a spectator sport. And I’m more…
So tell me again: why are we doing this?
It’s been a winter of tension and pain for many Rochester students and their families. First, there was the deliberation over closing public schools, and the announcement that one, School 37, will close in June. Then, last week, the state announced that it will close two of Rochester’s four charter schools. The idea has…
Duffy makes three
The teasing is over, and the campaign for Rochester mayor is under way. No Republican candidates have declared themselves, although attorney John Parinello and County Legislator Chris Wilmot have said they’re considering a run. But barring a surprise entry, the Democratic field will consist of three well-known public officials: City Councilmembers Tim Mains and Wade…
Readers feedback 3.9.05
School moves, Ren Square problems, Social Security scams
Body count 3.9.05
The totals: 1,509 American soldiers, 175 Coalition soldiers, and approximately 16,214 to 18,491 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq from the beginning of the war and occupation to March 7. American soldiers killed from Feb 28-Mar 7: Lance Corporal Andrew W. Nowacki, 24; South Euclid, Ohio | Private First Class Min S. Choi, 21;…
