“Man of the Year”
Another clown for president Movies With the broad, bright media spotlight focused on the upcoming election, a picture about contemporary politics should supply the sort of relevance that in the past characterized a number of classic Hollywood pictures. Most viewers probably also expect the combination of Barry Levinson, the writer-director of Man of the Year,…
“The Motel”
Life’s not fair Movies Maybe you’re surveying your complicated life right now and longing for a simpler age of less responsibility, more fun, and quality time with the Count and the Captain (that would be Messrs. Chocula and Crunch). Unfortunately, this isn’t possible, as any time-travel technology enabling a do-over is at least three years…
The Quitters prosper
Everybody loves a Quitter The spark that lights a song, the inspiration behind a melody, is often as fascinating as the tune it turns up in. A musician can pluck a hook or phrase or lyric from out of nowhere. You’d be amazed. It can happen anywhere. For Dan Snyder, it’s in his head. He…
I SCENE IT 10-18-06
Longhairs and outlaws Boy, can my man Twitch throw a party. A ton of folks piled into Milestones to dig another one of his shows starring The Pietasters Friday night. I got there in time to catch The Flower City Knuckleheads play it nice and sloppy. The drums were nice and loud, but otherwise the…
Music reviews – 10-18-06
This week: New discs by Mastodon, Jake Shimabukuro, The Killers, and the Marcus Strickland quartets
Sexual harassment
The XX Files My first creep I grew up knowing this: it’s my body and no one has the right to say or do anything that makes me feel uncomfortable. My mother tried to build a protective wall around me by hammering in this message repeatedly. By the time I was 14 and started waitressing,…
Metro ink – 10-18-06
SAFDIE UNVEILS REN SQUARE DESIGN There were no earth-shattering revelations this time around, but the Renaissance Square project has taken one step closer to reality. At a public presentation last week, lead architect Moshe Safdie unveiled the latest iteration of design for the performing arts center-bus station-college complex. The new design doesn’t deviate substantially from…
Reader feedback – 10-18-06
US soldier deaths mount; local Republicans flex their muscle
Cost of war – 10-18-06
Cost of war The totals: 2755 US soldiers, 237 Coalition soldiers, and approximately 43,937 to 48,783 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq from the beginning of the war and occupation to October 13. 4232 Iraqi police and guardsmen have been killed since January 2005, according to an estimate compiled from news reports. American soldiers…
School districts try to deal with bullying
Education Bullying has been a part of the school-age experience for years. And for a long time, many teachers and parents accepted it as normal behavior. Not anymore. Spurred by an increase in violence, school administrators across the country are taking a firm stand against bullying. Locally, educators are concerned enough that they’re conducting workshops…
Exploring “The Living Sea”
The LivingSea The new flick at the RochesterMuseum and ScienceCenter’s Strasenburgh Planetarium is big and exciting. It’s so good, it’s almost worth sitting through the Sting music that accompanies it. Let’s see what the kids thought. Oscar, what’s The Living Sea about? Oscar (4 years old): Everything that’s living under the sea. Anything to add…
Parenting in a world gone mad
Parenting 9/11: five years and one month later Events play tricks with our memories. September 11, 2001 does not seem to have been five years ago. It still echoes in our lives. We all know what we were doing that day and recall it vividly. We know that our lives changed then. I learned that…
An atheist challenges religious beliefs
Across the world, religion is at the root of violent confrontations. Here at home, religious dogma threatens vital stem-cell research and the teaching of evolution in schools. A new wave of atheists — including biologist Richard Dawkins and philosopher Daniel Dennett — has emerged to champion rationalism. Leading the charge, in books and lectures, is…
“Tuesdays with Morrie”
A heaping helping of delicious schmaltz Theater Morrie Schwartz, Mitch Albom’s favorite teacher and the inspiration for his book Tuesdays with Morrie, spoke fluent Yiddish. He would be familiar with the word “schmaltz.” Although it traditionally refers to chicken fat used in cooking, the slang version means “overly sentimental.” The stage version of Tuesdays with…
“Heroes” cheat sheet
Hero complex Been holding out for some “Heroes”? Now’s the time to get in on the fall’s Number 1 new drama. NBC’s Monday-night hit features a handful of seemingly regular people who discover they have extraordinary abilities (teleportation, rapid healing, hearing people’s thoughts, etc.). But what really makes the show fascinating are the twists and…
