The War At Home
Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina, whose district includes the Beaufort restaurant that renamed its french fries “freedom fries,” led the charge in Congress on the pressing issue of nationalistic food names. In response to the French government’s opposition to American plans to invade Iraq, the House cafeteria last week changed the name of its…
Who you gonna call?
“The Florence Crittenton Industrial Home in Charlotte is not a hiding place for sin, but a home of Christian refuge for those who have left the right path and may be led to return to it.” — from the “Rules and Regulations of the Florence Crittenton Industrial Home,” January 25, 1936. At mid-morning, the Florence…
Karma Cleanser
Dear Karma Cleanser: A few weeks ago you printed a response to my letter where I worried about bad karma from using Humane Society address labels without making a donation. A reader responded later expressing their belief that I was doing right by the Humane Society by taking care of my pet shih-tzu, Muffy. Since…
Sour Notes
Few people noticed when Community Concerts quietly slipped into town last summer. Even fewer had heard anything about the trouble the company was facing at the time. Although company owner Brenda Trawick says she chose to relocate to Charlotte because the arts were growing here and this would be a very supportive place for the…
Stargazer
For All Signs The spring equinox occurs on the 20th and those of us who are tired of winter will be ready for it! Passover and Easter will be later than norm this year because of the arrangement of the lunar calendar. For those who don’t know or have never thought about it: Passover is…
Of Mr. Rogers and American Idol
I grew up watching two programs on television: Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood and The Guiding Light . Fortunately, it was from Mr. Rogers that I derived most of the intellectual and moral principles I’ve based my life around, although it was quite some time before I realized that not everybody is born with an identical sibling…
Modern ideas and mythology
But the system of experience is not arrayed before me as if I were God, it is lived by me from a certain point of view; I am not the spectator, I am involved, and it is my involvement in a point of view which makes possible both the finiteness of my perception and its…
The Fix Is In
It’s the oldest trick in the Thug Developer’s Manual for Public Manipulation. If you want to build a development that violates nearly every smart growth promise the mayor and the 11 members of the Charlotte City council ran on, you can’t merely strong-arm the council and pay them off in the next election. The hacked…
Opera Carolina’s Mikado Triumphs
Eight seasons after showing Charlotte how not to do Gilbert & Sullivan, Opera Carolina returned to the scene of the massacre, triumphantly breathing new life into The Mikado. Infusions of luxuriant costumes flooded Belk Theater with rich color and samurai style. Behind the lovely latticework of an equally well-chosen set, Michael Baumgarten’s lighting transformed the…
Letters
Anti-Bush Ad Offensive I am shocked that you would allow such a blatant misrepresentation of Scripture to try to discredit a great Christian leader of this country (“Jesus vs. Bush,” paid advertisement, Mar. 5). To the idiots at Creative Loafing who allowed this advertisement into the joke of a newspaper they publish: Are you unaware…
Surreal Trio
Steven Millhauser has done it again. As in this Pulitzer Prize winner’s earlier work, Millhauser blurs the distinction between myth and reality and finds a fresh approach to familiar subject matter. With clear and careful prose and an easy narrative confidence, he plumbs the depths of sexual longing, jealousy, deception, and betrayal in three novellas…
The Blotter
Someone Needs A Time-Out: On restriction for his behavior, a medical patient was advised several times to remain in his room. The patient started to throw his body against the walls, causing damage to them. When an orderly tried to enter the man’s room, the patient pushed the door and struck the orderly in the…
Arts Agenda
Classical Music Alexander String Quartet The quartet has performed in major music capitals of four continents, securing its standing among the premier ensembles of its kind. Sun., March 30, 8 p.m. $15 adults, $10 seniors. Duke Family Performance Hall, Davidson College, Davidson. 704-894-2135. Always on Sunday Faina Lushtak, piano. Sun., March 30, 3 p.m. Free.…
Clarification
In an article last August 28, Creative Loafing reported on a number of allegations being made by local judicial critic Alan Beal. These included a claim made in his custody battle with his ex-girlfriend that she had engaged in lesbian acts, which in his view rendered her unsuited to retain custody of their child. Contacted…
Mass Production
The Great Hall of the Temple of Karnac in Aswan, Egypt, is a wondrous place filled with rows of mammoth columns which stretch toward a roof no longer there. That hall was one of the splendors of the ancient world. Even in ruins, the massive size of these columns and the enormity of the site…
The Green Tomato
You Say Tomato Casual spot offers good food for a good price BY TRICIA CHILDRESS Randy Hartley was a commodities trader in Charlotte on 9/11. On that day he decided to change his life and began to look for a new challenge. On March 1, 2002, he opened the 60-seat The Green Tomato. His concept?…
Goodeats
All Around Town Anntony’s Caribbean, 400 S. Tryon St., 704-339-0303; 2001 E. 7th St., 704-342-0749. All locations have different owners. A hint of the tropics; rotisserie chicken with Jamaican jerk sauce, ribs, Paradise Island fish special, curries, and Caribbean styled greens. $$ Azteca, 116 Woodlawn Rd., 704-525-5110; 9709 Independence Blvd., 704-814-9877; 1863 W. Franklin Blvd.…
Big Wine, Small Packages
When you just want a little, sometimes big jugs won’t do. Full-sized 750-milliliter bottles of wine can be daunting when faced solo or with small change jingling in the pocket. So about 10 years ago, the wine industry answered the call with half bottles and splits. After initial popularity, little bottles disappeared for a while,…
Swine Language
Martin Atkins has had his hand in more than a few musical projects over the years. The affable drummer has played in Public Image Limited and still gets royalty checks for that band’s riotous appearance on American Bandstand. He’s played in Ministry. He’s played in the influential Killing Joke. And, of course, he’s got his…
CD Disc-overies
Ry Cooder & Manuel Galban Mambo Sinuendo Nonesuch Ry Cooder has plucked another member of the Buena Vista Social Club for a round of Cuban exotica. This time, it’s a saucy guitar summit between Cooder and the country’s twang king Manuel Galban. The two imagined themselves as leaders of an electric guitar band that would…
Soundboard
Wednesday, Mar. 19 Brickhouse Tavern, Davidson Robin Brown w/ Andy Seets Cajun Queen 7th Street Gator Band Connolly’s On Fifth Rich acoustic Double Door Inn The Stelle Group w/ gogoPilot & The Sea of Cortez The Evening Muse WKKT/NSAI Open Mic Songwriting Contest Finals Excelsior Club Iizm Fat City Bob Log III, Bebe & Serge,…
From Green to Gray
Charlotte-Mecklenburg has lost nearly a quarter of its once plentiful bounty of trees over the past 17 years, says a recent study by a Washington, DC conservation organization. That may come as no big surprise to folks who’ve lived in the Queen City before it became a mishmash of parking lots, condos, big boxes and…
Music Menu
WEDNESDAY 3.19 Avail — Last year’s Front Porch Stories was pretty much a typical Avail album: a mix of Ramones-style riffing, 70s power-chord stomp, and the odd dose of pop sensibility to frame it in. The Richmond, VA, band has been piling in the van for many years now and has a slew of hardcore…
See & Do
MARCH 19, WEDNESDAY CPCC’s annual Spring Literary Festival wraps up today with several speakers including Marjorie Hudson and Ron Rash plus a special edition of WordPhoria. Hudson, author of Searching for Virginia Dare, speaks at 9:30am, and Novello Prize winner Rash, author of One Foot in Eden, speaks at 11:30am. Both talks will be in…
Oscars And All That Jazz
Let’s begin with a forceful declaration: Without question, Chicago will win the Best Picture Oscar when the awards are handed out next Sunday, March 23. Why start with this bold assertion? Because hopefully it will give me confidence in calling the other races in the organization’s 75th annual celebration.With at least two viable candidates in…
Holidays with a Bang
In America, we’re not satisfied with some quiet holiday like Arbor Day. No, we want holidays with bang, with panache. We want pomp and circumstance, and we want an excuse to drink. All of which helps explain why St. Patrick’s Day, essentially a celebration of the Christianization of Ireland (yawn, snore) has become a green…
Film Clips: City of God, more
NEW RELEASES CITY OF GOD A South American GoodFellas, City of God is a dazzling achievement that marks Fernando Meirelles as a masterful filmmaker with world-class aspirations. If the traditional gangster flick has appeared to be hobbling on its last legs over the past few years, this lightning bolt of a movie proves that there…
