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Monday, May 23, 2011
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Monday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Mon, May 23, 2011 at 8:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, May 23, 2011 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Cult Movie Monday, screening Waiting for Guffman at Actor's Theatre of Charlotte
• Open Jam with Justin Powell at Crown Station Pub
• Josh Daniel at Thomas Street Tavern
• Mic Night at Flying Saucer
• Chubby's Karaoke at Dixie's Tavern
Friday, May 20, 2011
Boomer with Attitude Congressional leaders agree to keep Big Brother alive
Posted By John Grooms on Fri, May 20, 2011 at 5:33 PM
At least they can agree on one damned thing. House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are normally worlds apart on everything, even the type of cups to be used in the congressional cafeteria, for God’s sake. But there’s one thing they can agree on: The federal government should continue to have the power to spy on anyone in America for any reason, at any time. To celebrate their joint custody of fascistic priorities, Boehner and Reid have agreed to a four-year extension of the controversial Patriot Act, the intrusive law enacted during the national post-Sept.11 panic attack. Here is the key sentence in the Associated Press story on the agreement: “The idea is to pass the extension with as little debate as possible to avoid a protracted and familiar argument over the expanded power the law gives to the government.”
Yeah, I bet they want to avoid that argument, because once you publicly explain to citizens what’s included in the Patriot Act, they’re usually either horrified or they think you’re joking. It will be interesting to see if the two congressional “leaders” can sneak the Act’s extension through. It’s well known that many of the new GOP members of Congress want to cut back on the Patriot Act’s designated federal powers; and it’s no secret that many progressive Democrats want to do the same thing. It will be interesting to see how strong these congress members’ love of individual freedom and civil liberties really are. Enough to bring together Tea Party libertarians and the more liberal-leaning Democrats in a “strange bedfellows” coalition? That would be sweet — and, if pursued, could lead to other interesting Tea Party/Progressive coalitions, including getting us the hell out of Iraq and Afghanistan. I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for it to happen, but, as Brian Wilson once said, wouldn’t it be nice?
News / Arts Arts and Science Council launches Power2give.org
Posted By Cheris Hodges on Fri, May 20, 2011 at 4:59 PM
The Arts and Science Council announced today that it's launching a new website — Power2give.org — on July 19 to help cultural organizations fund projects and appeal to donors who want to know exactly where their money is going.
At a briefing on Friday, Scott Provancher, ASC president, and Laura Belcher, CFO of ASC, outlined what the site would do and who can use it. "We got a real wake up call a few years ago when we saw 40 percent of our revenue disappear in one campaign," Provancher said. "Up until that point, our organization had been nothing but up and to the right."
Power2give.org will reportedly serve as an online cultural marketplace designed to connect donors with project they want to support. The projects listed on the site will deal with arts, science and history. According to its guidelines, the groups that will be allowed to post to the site must be nonprofits; in addition, proposed projects have to be local and cost under $10,ooo — and the group must have been funded by the ASC in the last five years. A 12 percent administrative fee will be charged for groups that use the site to pay for processing the payments. Projects will remain on the site for 90 days.
The ASC will be hosting Power2give workshops, which are invitation only, to give more information on how the site works on the following days:
June 9 — 10 a.m.
June 10 — 2 p.m.
June 13 — 3:30 p.m.
June 27 — 10 a.m.
The workshops will be held at the ASC office. For more information, email: p2g@artsandscience.org or call Chavon Carroll at 704-335-3048.
Film / Film Reviews Pirates: On Stranger Tides: Plundering the booty
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, May 20, 2011 at 2:05 PM
By Matt Brunson
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES
DIRECTED BY Rob Marshall
STARS Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz
If the first two sequels to 2003's highly entertaining Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl were fairly agreeable examples of popcorn fare — tasty, a bit salty, not at all nutritious, and forgotten before long — then Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides represents the grimace-inducing alternative: the unpopped kernel that just sits there, bereft of almost all value.
Film / Film Reviews Kristofferson can't save bloodless Bloodworth
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, May 20, 2011 at 2:04 PM
By Matt Brunson
BLOODWORTH
*1/2
DIRECTED BY Shane Dax Taylor
STARS Kris Kristofferson, Val Kilmer
It's easier to get blood from a stone than to get entertainment value from Bloodworth, a tedious adaptation of William Gay's novel Provinces of Night.
Boomer with Attitude / News Things to do before the end of the world tomorrow
Posted By John Grooms on Fri, May 20, 2011 at 11:24 AM
Hey, what if Harold Camping is right? The 89-year-old radio evangelist says the world will end tomorrow, starting with a stupendous earthquake at 6 p.m. New Zealand time. The destruction, says Camping, will then extend around the planet, zapping each time zone at exactly 6 p.m. That’s when "all true believers are to be raptured to be forever with Christ" and nonbelievers will be left behind to suffer the agonies of the end of the world, which probably includes having rectal boils and locusts in your ears and so forth. Granted, Camping is probably wrong. He was wrong about the same thing in 1994, after all, and even Tim LaHaye, the co-author of those godawful Left Behind rapture novels, reacted to Camping’s prediction, by telling Time magazine, "It's amazing to me that people would follow this guy."
But again, assume for a minute that Camping is the all-time champion example of a blind pig finding his acorn, and he’s actually right. What do you do until the mayhem starts? Obviously it’s too late for much of a bucket list, but here are a few suggestions to choose from for your final Friday and Saturday activities (Saturday options may not be available after 6 p.m.)
• Are you young and in love with someone who’s in love with you? Hey, you don't need me to tell you what you should be doing.
• Find a restaurant that still serves old-school, sauce-and-butter-heavy French cuisine, and dive in. Heck, if you have time, go to Paris and do it.
• Find the worst boss you ever had and knock his/her teeth out.
• Go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and touch the Van Gogh works’ thick, bumpy gobs of paint.
• Quit worrying about matching your socks.
• Take a helicopter ride through the Grand Canyon. Pee out of the helicopter.
• Waterboard an investment banker.
• Fly to Boston and watch the Red Sox play the Chicago Cubs.
• Dance wherever you go and whenever you feel like it.
• Personally, I’ve already asked the fundamentalist nutjob on the street behind us (If you think I’m being unkind, consider what you would think if a neighbor created a sign showing Jesus holding a “Don’t tread on me” flag?) . . . Where was I? Oh yeah, I’ve already asked the guy if I can have all his stuff when the rapture comes, and even though he says he doesn’t believe Camping, you never really know, do you?
• Whatever you do, make it a good one since it may be your last chance. Maybe, just maybe, though, we’ll see you again on Monday.
News / Biz EPA punts on coal ash regulations
Posted By Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman on Fri, May 20, 2011 at 9:43 AM
I've been thinking about what I'd write about the EPA's failure to keep its word (agency officials said they'd rule on coal ash regulations in December 2009 and still haven't) for a couple of days.
The only thing I can think to tell you, though, is this is Washington's typical business-before-people bullshit and the EPA is disappointing the president's base in the run up to the next election. Smart.
From The Center for Public Integrity's iWatch newssite:
The operators of at least 70 facilities that store coal ash , the waste byproduct of coal-burning power plants, have crafted safety plans to better prevent the sort of catastrophic accident that flooded Tennessee properties with toxic sludge three years ago.The Environmental Protection Agency this week released the plans, saying they were an important step toward improving coal ash storage and avoiding a repeat of the 2008 Kingston, Tenn., disaster.
"EPA is committed to making communities across the country safer places to live," said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA?s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. "The information we are releasing today shows that we continue to make progress in our efforts to prevent future coal ash spills."
The plans were crafted by 20 electric utility facilities that operate 70 coal ash impoundments, the agency said.
The new plans come as EPA weighs whether to treat coal ash as a hazardous product that would garner further regulation, a move opposed by some utilities and states. Alabama, for instance, is urging the agency to continue to treat coal ash as a non-hazardous waste product.
Read the entire post, by John Solomon, here.
And read our cover story from September of last year on coal ash: Is coal ash poisoning Charlotte-area drinking water?
News It's Spider Lily time again!
Posted By Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman on Fri, May 20, 2011 at 9:41 AM
The Catawba Riverkeeper, David Merryman, cordially invites you to check out the spectacular, rare Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies with him this weekend. (Or, you can go on your own.)
I've never been, myself, but several people have told me that I'm really missing out. So, I'm going to make a point to get down to Rocky Shoals at some point this weekend to see those dern lilies (though I'll probably have to zoom in on them from the shore, as I'm unable to attend the Riverkeeper's event. Wa.wa.wa.)
Hope to see you down there.
Here are the deets:
Come see the magnificent Rocky Shoals Spider Lily with staff and volunteers from the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation! Free to members and only a $25 donation for non-members.CRF’s annual "bring-your-own" canoe or kayak trip, a guided eco-tour of the Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies at Landsford Canal State Park, 2051 Park Drive, Catawba, SC, will be on Saturday, May 21st. If you want to participate, call or email us to RSVP, then meet us at the park with your canoe or kayak, paddle, personal floatation device, and a picnic lunch. The trip agendas can be found on our website at www.catawbariverkeeper.org.
Don’t have a boat? That’s okay too. Catawba River Expeditions of Rock Hill has kayaks available to rent at a discounted rate for this trip ($30 per person).
You may also want to hike the historic ruins of the canals, stone bridges, locks, an historic mill site and a lockkeeper's house, which contains interpretive exhibits about the canal system in South Carolina. The park is open 9:00am-6:00pm Thursdays-Mondays.
Landsford Canal is one of the best-preserved of the 19th Century South Carolina river canals. It is the northernmost of four canals constructed on the Catawba-Wateree river system from 1820-1835. During this period, boats used the canals to bypass rapids while carrying goods to and from the coast. The colony of rare Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies growing there is among the largest in the world.
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Friday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, May 20, 2011 at 9:01 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, May 20, 2011 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Friday Live at the Factory, featuring Cowboy Mouth and Simplified at NC Music Factory
• Carolina Speed vs. Fayetteville at Bojangles Coliseum
• All Arts Market at Neighborhood Theatre
• Agnes of God at Carolina Actors Studio Theatre
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Arts / See & Do: The Weekender Weekender, May 20-22
Posted By Anita Overcash on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 5:36 PM
Check out these events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area this weekend— as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
Friday, May 20
Duke Energy Theatre
Queen City Theatre Company has enough intuitive to calculate smooth moves in its staging of the cult rock musical Chess. Director Glenn T. Griffin will star as Soviet chess master Anatoly Sergievsky who battles the American Freddie Trumper in a world championship set during the height of the Cold War. But it's not all about the game. Even more important is the fierce competitiveness to win over the love of a beautiful woman. Piece by piece, it all comes together with music by Björn Ulvaeus/Benny Andersson.
• Special Event Between NoDa’s gallery crawl and The All Arts Market (happening at Neighborhood Theatre), folks have more than enough ways to get their art fix. Browse a number of tables decked out with cool, local hand-made goods. Also, check out Pimp my Rack — a public art exhibition featuring six local artists who will paint bike racks live. There will be beer from New Belgium Brewery and a chance to win a custom designed bicycle. more...
• Art T-shirts are a dime a dozen, but every now and then one comes along that leaves a lasting impression. During Gallery Up's Social T-shirt Invitational you'll find a collection of limited edition, original T-shirts. Ten artists specially designed the threads for the display. more...
Saturday, May 21
The Evening Muse & Neighborhood Theatre
Now in its fourth year, FemmeFest continues to not only be a showcase for women in music, but a showcase for local musicians as much as nationally touring artists. This year’s will feature performances by Jennifer Knapp, Elizabeth & the Catapult, Charlotte Parrott, Donna Duncan, Grown Up Avenger Stuff, HuDost, Natalie Royal and many more.
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Lunch Break (9/1/16): Organizers unveil "People, Not Polluters" platform in Charlotte as McCrory officials testify in Raleigh
The morning already passed us by. What the hell happened?
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Why do people hate Dave Matthews? 82
I can't seem to find a reasonable answer for why DMB draws so much ire.
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5 Reasons To Buy Home Insurance Policy
