Archives
Administrators of the Monroe County Library System are ìsitting on pins and needlesî these days, says MCLS director Richard Panz, but not in anticipation of the long-delayed fifth Harry Potter book. In this case, itís the figures for the countyís share of
Archives
A gentle, quiet pillar of the community, Ted Altier, died June 21 after a long and brave struggle with illness. Ted epitomized a special kind of Rochester civic leadership: fiercely committed, and fiercely low profile. He was active in numerous organizations --- board
Archives
PK coverage I was pleasantly surprised by the remarkably fair treatment the Promise Keepers event in Rochester received in City (ìThe Cross and the Y Chromosome,î June 19). Admittedly, I expected the worst when I saw the front cover. I paused for a second
Archives
The back lawn was knee-high before the Fourth of July, and the garden hose, which Iíd snaked out along the grass weeks earlier, was as good as buried. I went down on all fours, searching with my fingers through clumps of greenery --- darkery, considering it was 10 p.m. A foolís errand. But then
Archives
In the wake of the World Trade Center's destruction, are celebratory fireworks still OK? More than ever. For one thing, fireworks can be used for Freudian sublimation: Take that, you rotten, sub-human terrorist scum --- POW! ZAPP! and BANG!! And just to show that our spirits (of í76) arenít dampened, nor our ability to
Archives
Because motion pictures require a good deal of time to plan, finance, produce, edit, publicize, and release, The Bourne Identity, a typical espionage thriller dealing with violent international intrigue, lags far behind current events and contemporary awareness. Although calling the picture ìa 21st century spy film,î the folks who put the whole complicated, expensive project together
Archives
The Golden Age of Comic Books began back in the '30s and ended with the adoption of the Comics Code in 1954, but a comics renaissance is taking place right now. Spider-Man is the fifth-highest-grossing movie of all-time, and The Hulkís trailer is leaving fans salivating for its release next summer, along with Daredevil
Archives
Geva Theatre continues its adventurous programming into the summer with a work of historical interest in the intimate Nextstage. Even before Indiana Repertory Theatre's world premiere last fall of James Still's Looking over the President's Shoulder, Geva had arranged to give its original production this second presentation anywhere. It now has other productions planned
Archives
Feeding the world Farm work is a demanding job, and without migrant workers, itís difficult to imagine much of it getting done. To show its appreciation, the Brockport community has held ìBienvenidaî for the last 20 years, a day to welcome migrant workers, the vast majority of whom now come from Mexico. ìThis is a
Archives
It's obviously Barbara Biddy's enormous affection for Jonathan Harvey's sweetly quirky play Beautiful Thing that energized Shipping Dock's exceptional production. Not an easy assignment, the play about awkward first love between two working-class teenage boys in southeast London carries the added burden of comparison with a film version that has become internationally beloved. Well, Biddy
Archives
Community voices Thanks and congratulations to City and Ron Netsky for the splendid interviews in ìJump Jim Crowî (June 4, June 11). Both the historical and personal dimensions of these reminiscences are indispensable to our community memory. Voices that I have known over the years came through clearly, which was for me a wonderful bonus. This
Archives
People are always saying thereís no good Mexican food in Rochester. Itís certainly true that we donít have the variety youíd find in Texas or California, but the general pronouncement might say more about the taste of the speaker. Besides the chains, we also have Mariaís, Salenaís, and Los Amigos, all of which are good
Archives
In the late 1980s, when Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura teamed up for the film Predator, America was deregulating and otherwise fantasizing its way into economic trouble. Soon enough, ordinary working people spied some monsters among the dollar signs. One was called consumer debt, with credit-card marketers getting top billing.
Archives
On a balmy June night, in a dank East Main Street rehearsal space, amidst the grime, beer bottles, and static, The Veins made it. No Grammy. No applause. No fat cats puffiní cigars with hollow promises and crossed fingers. No glittery glamazons hanging on their arms, just a few girly pictures lost among a
Archives
If you'd come in late to East High School's athletic awards ceremony last Tuesday, you would've been greeted by a balding, middle-aged white guy with a close-cut beard, his East High sweatshirt matching the purple plastic tablecloth. He would have handed you a program and told you to sit anywhere, then he'd go hand out
Archives
Read part 1 from this 2 part series here Slavery was abolished after the Civil War in 1865, but the aftershocks continue to this day. A key chapter in the history of race in the United States took place in the mid 20th century, whenmillions of Blacks migrated north from
Archives
Read part 2 from this 2 part series here Around 1830 in Cincinnati, Dan Rice, a white minstrel who performed in blackface, came upon a small, ragged Black child singing "Jump Jim Crow." He added the song to his repertoire, and it became a popular part of his performance. Six
Archives
You could almost hear James Carville whispering, ìItís the economy, stupid,î at last weekís zippy State of the County address. With all the recent talk of our limping local economy and budgets in crisis, itís no wonder County Executive Jack Doyle focused exclusively on jobs.
Archives
Iíve been serving wine and cheese to the Broadway types seeing Aida at the Auditorium all week. I need some rock íní roll or anything loud, stat. But first, a brief, albeit sanctified, pit stop in Fairport.
Archives
Walk through The Master Prints of Edward S. Curtis at George Eastman House and you will find beautiful prints with compelling subjects. But beware, youíre not supposed to like this work too much. It was nearly a century ago that Curtis (1868-1952) began
