Master Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang is infamous for his deliberate pacing and use of extremely long takes, frequently composed as master shots, in which little action occurs on screen. Perhaps understandably, this sort of technique has earned him as many admirers as it has detractors. He forces the audience to wait and observe, letting us […]
poverty
Posted inNews & Opinion
Local fast food workers strike for better wages
This morning, workers at some Rochester-area fast food restaurants went on strike. They’ll join fast food workers in cities across the country as part of the Fight for $15 campaign. The workers say they want employers like McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s to commit to a $15 an hour wage for store employees and the […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Death by ZIP code
Most people associate high infant mortality rates with third world countries, but Rochester’s rates are higher than the state and national averages, says Patricia Brantingham, executive director of the Perinatal Network of Monroe County. And the risk is higher depending on where you live and the color of your skin, she says. “The rate for […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
The business community’s vision for Joseph Avenue
No one in the Joseph Avenue neighborhood wants to talk about the riots, says Neil Scheier, a doctor and owner of Dynamite Dollar on Joseph. While City Hall, the media, and other organizations marked the 50th anniversary of the 1964 riots with special issues and solemn speeches, the people in the neighborhood — the place […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Sandra Parker: No apologies
Well, maybe one. The business community has not done enough to improve public education in the city, says Parker, who retires as president and CEO of the Rochester Business Alliance this year.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Hunger risk rises in Rochester area
Nearly 13 percent of Monroe County residents are at risk of going hungry, according to a recent report from Feeding America, a national food bank network and advocacy organization. Rochester’s Foodlink, which is part of Feeding America’s food bank network, distributed some local figures from the national organization’s Map the Meal Gap report yesterday. Across the 10 […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Regional schools
A group of Rochester educators and community leaders say that Rochester school district officials have repeatedly taken the wrong approach to improving city schools. An integrated school is needed, they say. And now more than ever.
Posted inNews & Opinion
New report paints grim picture of poverty in the Rochester area
What’s most distressing about the report’s findings is the extreme concentration of poverty in Rochester, and the deep barriers to social and economic progress it poses.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Food benefits decreasing
In Monroe County, food stamp cuts come at a time of growing need. In January 2011, 108,078 people in 55,220 Monroe County households received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, according to the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. In August 2013, the number had risen to 120,332 recipients in 63,973 households. The current decrease, […]
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Food stamp fight
House Republicans have passed legislation that would cut food stamp funding by $40 billion over the next four years. If there’s any upside, it’s this: the Senate won’t agree to such severe cuts. The Republican legislation passed by a mere seven votes, since even some GOP legislators thought the cuts too draconian. The cuts would […]
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Activist nun makes Rochester stop
The philosophy of the hard right is breathtaking in its strangulation of compassion, and in its self-righteous disregard of history. It is also, says Sister Simone Campbell, just plain bad for the country. Campbell is the executive director of Network, a Catholic social justice lobby based in Washington, D.C. She is coming to Rochester later […]
Posted inSpecial Sections
Warren vs. Richards: One city, two visions
The Lovely Warren who walked to the front of the room in early May to ask her fellow Democrats to support her bid for mayor is not the same Lovely Warren who’s on the campaign trail today. There has been an observable transformation. Those first rough, nervous steps have been replaced by confident strides. Candidate […]
