Reader Feedback 11.27.02
Cynics’ view? Over the course of the past few months, I have found the cynicism and tone of your political commentary to be discouraging. As a long-time reader, I urge you to find a renewed sense of optimism and to be less quick to judge. Mitch Rowe, Monroe County Legislator, District 26 Old-news Dems…
Justice for rape victims: it’s just a kit away
They’re called “rape kits,” samples of biological evidence collected in hospitals from victims of sexual assault. After collection, the kits are turned over to law enforcement agencies for DNA analysis, in hopes of identifying the perpetrator. But in recent years, a lack of funds to process the kits has created a massive backlog nationwide.…
The mammary monologues
As a topic, breasts are a handful. But seriously, breasts receive more attention than any other body part. They’ve been sexualized, politicized, exploited, and covered up — everything but ignored. I’m tired of seeing breasts presented in pop culture as sex objects all the time. For those of us who live with them…
Billy wins twice at Geva
Who’d want to go see a two-person show about a Canadian air ace in World War I, with songs? Well, if you like Billy Bishop Goes to War as much as I did, you’ll try to see it twice at Geva Theatre to enjoy the cast-switch. Until the play closes December 8, the two leads…
Hello, my name is Larry
I am a man of few bad habits, but those that I do have I practice with zeal. Acquaintances may describe me as stunningly damaged. I am a home. I mean I own a home. It is full of my possessions, tables and chairs and the like. I avoid other things. I have a picture…
Bond’s returns, saves civilization again(yawn)
The appearance of Die Another Day demonstrates once again that after some 20 films, a handful of 007 impersonators, dozens of beautiful women, plots and situations that pretty much repeat themselves over and over, and a batch of recognizable conventions, the James Bond movies constitute a genre all their own. They influence the innumerable action-adventure…
A planet to make you think, another to make you drink
I think we might be asking too much of our movie-going audience. After a summer full of arthouse films disguised as blockbusters, Hollywood thought they could sneak Punch-Drunk Love in the back door without anyone noticing that Adam Sandler didn’t do any of his crazy voices or sing “The Chanukah Song” in it. I recently…
A fan is born… again
The lights went down. The crowd roared. And I felt the same rush I’d experienced nearly 17 years ago, when I first saw legendary rockers The Blasters — a band that was instrumental in my career choice (music) and my demise. The Blasters’ original lineup is back on tour — Phil and Dave Alvin,…
Blood and cheesesteak
I’ve discovered that the later you stay up, the smarter you get. There’s a lot of wisdom to be found in a state of sleep deprivation. Those who complain that there aren’t enough hours in the day are clearly wasting their lives away in bed. The Purrs don’t need no stinkin’ sleep. Their CD…
Record Review
Pavement Slanted & Enchanted: Luxe & Redux Matador Records (ole-557) The ’90s were a sorry time for rock. Rap-metal hybrids, hordes of Nirvana clones, and many other no-talent morons pummeled the music into a tuneless, soulless, angry slab of crap. The only bright light in this dark decade was Pavement, a band of relentless…
The march of homophobia
Now hear this. The military does not — I repeat, for those of you daydreaming in the ranks, does not — discriminate against gays and lesbians. I have this on the word of Danny Francis, education specialist with the regional US Army recruiter command, based in Syracuse. Francis says the “Don’t ask, don’t tell”…
News Briefs 11.27.02
Rochester, rolled It was my attraction to bright colors that led me to Rochester’s Cigar Factory at 467 State Street. Its brightly painted exterior has made it a local landmark — the bright spot on State Street just past “The Big Yellow Box,” Kodak. When I checked it out recently, the customers I saw were…
While you were out
The painstaking effort to launch a fast ferry between Rochester and Toronto got a big push on November 20, when the municipal Rochester Urban Renewal Agency agreed to be the “conduit” for state funds earmarked for the project. The Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority was originally selected to transfer a $6.6 million state loan to Canadian…
