On North Clinton: an innocent’s masterpiece
Like a Russian doll, Anthony J. Bovenza’s replica of St. Michael’s Church sits within that church on North Clinton Avenue. It is a meticulous model, including everything from stained glass windows constructed out of cellophane to tiny bells inside the church steeple. Seated in a coffee shop in Chili, Bovenza’s niece, Kathleen Acton, wipes tears…
Metro ink – 5.17.06
CHAINED IN The law’s been on the books since 1936 — not that anyone around here has followed it. Until now. Park Avenue and other city restaurant owners have begun placing chains, ropes, and other dividers around outdoor seating areas to abide by the 70-year-old liquor law, which requires restaurants to clearly define areas where…
Reader feedback – 5.17.06
Iraq ‘success,’ global-warming hyperbole
The young and the restless
Wondering what’s happening this weekend at the Dryden Theatre? It’s so strange that you would ask, because that’s exactly what we’re going to discuss. First, however, you might want to get comfy for a little history lesson… Madame de Maintenon was the second wife of Louis XIV, a.k.a. the Sun King. Born in prison to…
The world turned upside down
When The Poseidon Adventure first appeared in 1972, launching the grand series of disaster flicks that crowded the theaters in that time, it heralded a generation’s approach to the millennium, a microcosmic vision of the end of the world. To the palpable disappointment of literalists, Y2K believers (remember that fiasco?), and assorted nuts, the millennium…
Cost of war – 5.17.06
The totals: 2426 US soldiers, 222 Coalition soldiers, and approximately 35,119 to 39,296 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq from the beginning of the war and occupation to May15. 3357 Iraqi police and guardsmen have been killed since January 2005, according to an estimate compiled from news reports. American soldiers killed between May 5…
5169 PreEmption Road
Finger Lakes Quintessential The view from the backyard of this cobblestone house, across fields of grapes and fruit trees with Seneca Lake as the backdrop, captures the essence of the Finger Lakes. Built from 1835-38 in the Greek Revival style, the house was commissioned by David Barnes and stayed in the family for over 100…
Family valued – 5.17.06
Calling all flower children Captain Underpants notwithstanding, no childhood is complete without the exploration of children’s literature. But these days, academic demands and the customary load of extracurriculars make it difficult to squeeze in all the must-read titles. This weekend, Rochester Children’s Theatre lends a hand by bringing to life The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson…
Fiz – 5.17.06
Winning the race Everybody knows that Crash — that ponderous examination of L.A. race relations — pulled a major upset to beat out BrokebackMountain for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars. What few people know, however, is that Crash wasn’t the only film to tackle the thorny issue of race this year; nor was it,…
Emptied out
There are almost 100,000 housing units in Rochester. Nearly 11 percent of them are vacant. It’s simple economics, says Julio Vazquez, the city’s commissioner of community development. Rochester was built to house more than 300,000 people. It now has fewer than 220,000. The Rochester area’s population has swelled outward — and the inside has shrunk.…
Willie Cole mines iron
In between college graduations and festival openings, make time to see the work of Willie Cole at the JohnsonMuseum on the Cornell University campus. The exhibition is a thoughtful presentation of works of art by an African-American artist who turns ordinary domestic objects into powerful evocations of West African art, history, and mythology. The iron,…
Geva Playwrights Fest gets the plot
Geva Theatre’s Regional Playwrights Festival offers a reminder that Rochester is home to some truly creative talent. It’s a chance to get inspired by the work going on in your back yard, and get a preview of plays that could soon end up on the stage. The 2006 fest took place May 6, with a…
Star search
Circling the sun on a spinning planet hurtling more than 70,000 miles per hour through space, Glenn McClure walked into an airport bookstore. He was bored. He scanned the shelves for something to occupy his mind during a flight to New York, and his eyes alighted on the black-and-white cover of a book, Galileo’s Daughter:…
In the name of security…
The Bush administration gets more frightening by the day. And the public, for the most part, remains mute, soothed into submission by threats of terrorism. We are headed down the path to tyranny. This is a government that tortures prisoners. This is a government that holds detainees for years without charging them or giving them…
Pataki’s corny plan
Is yellow the new green? Governor George Pataki thinks so. The gov came to Western New York last week to tout a plan to build a new ethanol plant in the town of Shelby in rural Orleans County, near the village of Medina. The plant will make the alcohol-based fuel from corn and be the…
Noodles and demons
The Budhahood’s guitarist/singer, Tony Cavagnaro, is one laid-back cat. He oozes contentment, charm, and cool. Even when he leans into his guitar to summon noodles and demons while sporting a Viking helmet (like he did Friday at The German House — a fantastic venue, I might add) he still manages to wax cucumber. You see,…
