Arkansas Times

ARKTIMES.COM / JANUARY 18, 2012 / NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT

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JANUARY 18, 2012

3

COMMENT

Billy Roy Wilson, a mule farmer in Bigelow and part-time federal judge, sent us a copy of a letter he’d sent to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette concerning its persistent misstatement of a key legal event in the 1957 school crisis. Since we’ve written about it before — and have a copy of the ruling in which a federal judge’s words clearly contradict those in D-G boilerplate recitation — we thought we’d share it.

I enjoyed Kristin Netterstrom’s article regarding the repeal of the Little Rock Board’s pro-Faubus resolution. There was, however, one error. [Netterstrom] stated that Governor Faubus removed the National Guard from Central High on the order of a federal judge. There was no such order.

In fact, the federal judge’s order directed that the governor not use the troops to block black students who were attempting to enter Central High School — which the governor had been doing.

This same order specifically noted that the judge was not ordering the governor to remove the troops, and that they could remain to maintain peace.

The afternoon after the order was entered Governor Faubus called a press conference and asserted, falsely, that he had been ordered by the judge to remove the troops.

I showed a copy of the order to the governor (in the mid-’80s). He read it, and, with his famous grin, handed it back to me saying, “Perhaps I was misinformed.”

Although he knew that the judge had not ordered him to remove the troops, he continued to make this claim until his death.

Likewise, writers for the Democrat have continued to adopt Governor Faubus’ false claim. I have written the publisher, editors, and reporters, bringing their attention to this error — to no avail.

I propose a deal. If the Democrat can provide me with a federal court order which directed the governor to remove the troops from Central High — during that fateful September of 1957 — I will eat a bale of alfalfa hay at the corner of Capitol and Main at high noon. If the order cannot be produced the Democrat should provide me a corked bottle of Laphroaig Scotch.

How about this proposed deal?

Billy R. Wilson Bigelow

For me personally, the furor resonates on three levels. As a long-time supporter of the Quapaw Quarter and current resident, I have friends who express concern about the federal government’s proposal to locate an outpatient clinic for veterans on South Main. It is altogether fitting and proper that they do so.

Investing in older neighborhoods requires moxie. Original members of the old Broadway Neighborhood Association speak of late night calls from banks threatening to call their mortgages when they protested a “block busting” proposal by a prominent Little Rock businessman.

Today it means investing in property that has no protective covenants not knowing where the next gang activity epicenter may be. It is a far cry from buying a home in a gated subdivision. It is also a hell of a lot more fun.

It is understandable that property owners in older neighborhoods wish that, just once, a halfway house or rehab center would choose to locate on Chenal Parkway.

On a more personal level, as a veteran I shudder when opinions float around that my brothers and sisters pose a threat to the public health, safety and welfare. It causes a “1960s flashback” but not (necessar-

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Correcting the record

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JANUARY 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Numbers off Some of the numbers in “When College Doesn’t Pay for Itself” don’t seem to make sense.

A student is described as having a principal balance on her student loan of $6,748; a monthly payment of “several hundred dollars;” and “roughly 70 percent” of that payment representing interest. Assuming a monthly payment of just $200 (and “several hundred” would seem to imply a much larger payment), $140 of that payment would be interest.

That would indicate an interest rate of nearly 25%.

Surely that’s not correct, is it?

Mike Watts Little Rock

JANUARY 30 | 7:30PM | Robinson Center Music Hall

Editor: No, it’s not. Originally this story mistankenly stated that the student’s payments are 70 percent interest with 30 percent applied to her principal. In reality, 30 percent of each of her payments is interest and 70 percent is applied to her principal.

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On the VA clinic uproar It appears that some folks in Little Rock’s South Main neighborhood may be scraping off those “support our troops” decals. I refer of course to the uproar over plans to locate a VA clinic in the area. By press time, officials may have resolved the issue, but it deserves attention nonetheless.

ily) of the drug-related type. I remember when the San Francisco Airport would not process the baggage of service personnel with that of normal travelers. We had to descend three flights of stairs and retrieve our sea bags from a fenced enclosure so we didn’t offend the full-paying customers.

I also remember a personnel officer from an East Coast U.S. Navy ship explaining to me why he was assigning me to a particularly demeaning job. “We want to put you Vietnam boys in your place.”

On a professional level, as an urban planner, I must say that the whole affair represents a tempest in a teapot. Geez, there are countless other uses for the property in question that would represent a far greater threat to the health, welfare, and safety of the civilized world. Consider, for example, a Tea Party headquarters.

From a “Hubble Viewpoint,” we might gain a final thought. The modern world is complicated. There are issues about which reasonable people may, perhaps even should, disagree. I do wish that my mayor had used a more mature word than “idiotic” in describing a proposal that would serve American veterans. But the fact remains that governing a large city is a complicated issue. And politics is a messy but necessary function of a democracy.

No matter now seductive it may sound when one says all we need to do is cut taxes or eliminate government entirely, we ultimately have to agree with Ernest Hemingway: “Isn’t it pretty to think so?”

Jim vonTungeln Little Rock

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JANUARY 18, 2012

5

EDITORIAL

EYE ON ARKANSAS

Gangsters

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JANUARY 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

PAUL BARROWS

L

ast month, the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives refused to disapprove a Republican congressman’s comparison of Democrats to Joseph Goebbels. Arkansas’s three Republican representatives — Rick Crawford, Tim Griffin and Steve Womack — aided and abetted their trash-talking colleague from New York, much as getaway drivers aid stickup men.

They would have supported him if he’d compared Democrats to Satan.

The Republicans have stopped being a political party, in the way that term has historically been used in America.

They’re a gang now, unbound by the rules of common courtesy and contemptuous of those who still follow them, concerned only with personal and political advantage. Womack has taken to publicly belittling his own constituents. He’ll be putting out contracts on them before long.

This degeneration has occurred over a number of years, influenced by a number of degenerates, but nobody sped it along more than Newt Gingrich. In 1989, Representative Gingrich said of congressional Democrats, “These people are sick. They are so consumed by their own power, by a Mussolini-like ego, that their willingness to run over normal human beings and to destroy honest institutions is unending.”

A year later, Gingrich’s political action committee sent out a memo that included words Republican candidates were to use on Democrats: “Traitors, corrupt, intolerant, cheat, anti-flag, anti-family, anti-child, anti-jobs.”

Gingrich eventually resigned his seat after he was caught violating House ethics rules — and you have work hard to violate those — but now he’s back, seeking the Republican presidential nomination.

He probably won’t get it, dogged as he is by personal scandal of the sort that’s hard to overlook when there are candidates without it. But he’ll still be Mr. (Modern) Republican. Mitt Romney has a ways to sink before he can challenge for that title.

(But he’s trying. Now he’s boasting of making a road trip with his dog strapped to the roof of the car. That’s pretty Newtonian, although Newt probably puts his wives up there.)

HELLO, THERE: A pair of raccoons sit in a maple tree in a Little Rock yard. Paul Barrows submitted this photo to the Times’ Eye On Arkansas Flickr webpage.

The Chamber of Commerce tax

T

hanks to citizen watchdog Barry Haas, we learned last week that the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce is working to increase its hidden tax on Little Rock residents.

It wasn’t mentioned in daily newspaper coverage of the Central Arkansas Water Commission meeting, but Haas reported the water utility’s CEO, Graham Rich, had proposed a 100 percent increase in the subsidy that CAW sends to the Chamber each year — from $25,000 to $50,000.

The chamber works on economic development and Rich reasoned that those efforts increase business for the water utility, though proof is in short supply. The city of Little Rock sends out the same message when it gives the chamber $200,000 each year.

I first wrote about the chamber shakedown of taxpayer- and ratepayer-funded agencies in 2009.

Support has been edging up in the form of membership fees and direct contributions. The city has held firm at $200,000. But the Wastewater Utility has moved up to $25,000 a year. The Little Rock Port Authority gives $15,000. UALR gives $7,500. UAMS gives $7,000. The Little Rock National Airport gives almost $1,000 in membership fee and has underwritten special events.

The Central Arkansas Library System also pays a membership fee, but makes no direct subsidy. Pulaski County government, thanks to resistance from County Judge Buddy Villines, is still not a contributor.

A quarter-of-a-million a year in public money is not chump change. Some of it is paid from foundations (UAMS and UALR), to avoid serious state constitutional questions about public payments to a private corporation, at least in those two instances. But it doesn’t cure the lack of transparency in funding decisions made outside public view. The chamber, apart from pro forma reports on its activities, also refuses to specify how the public money is spent.

The chamber has conceded that public money subsidizes staff pay, including that of CEO Jay Chessir.

You may remember he was the secret manager of the city sales tax campaign that will produce $22 million for a technology park created by a law written by the chamber and to be administered MAX by a chamber-controlled board.

BRANTLEY maxbrantley@arktimes.com He was the face of the chamber when it brought in a lawyer to fight disclosure of city tax campaign expenditures. He’s an official of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, whose politics are so repugnant that local chambers try to distance themselves from direct association.

The chamber gets this hidden tax without a bidding process for its supposed economic development services.

It spends the money without accountability. It pays people who lobby the legislature and Congress on issues — working conditions, environmental regulation, health care, taxation — on which there are sharp divisions of public opinion.

Graham Rich has explaining to do, first for his conflict of interest as a board member of the Little Rock Chamber. His devotion to the chamber is also more evidence of the water utility’s retreat from giveno-quarter defense of the Lake Maumelle watershed since the retirement of Jim Harvey. Rich has worked to accommodate corporate interests by working out deals with watershed landowners and developers.

Coincidentally, one of the chamber’s most influential members is Deltic Timber, the biggest single land owner in the watershed. Its lobbyist — whose other clients include the anti-regulation Koch Industries interests — has helped the forces that have watered down proposed land use rules for the watershed and may yet defeat them altogether.

It is one thing for corporate interests to work against clean air and water and other public and human benefits.

It is another thing to make utility ratepayers and city taxpayers help pay for it.

OPINION

Getting wise to GOP tax ploy

T

he call for lower taxes has been the holy talisman that guided Republican presidential candidates to victory for 32 years, or at least that was the popular wisdom. There were exactly three of them — Ronald Reagan and the two Bushes — although the first Bush failed at re-election after reneging on his promise (“Read my lips: no new taxes!” he said, before restoring a few of the taxes on the wealthy that Reagan had cut).

So all five major Republican candidates now promise to cut taxes dramatically — or try to — if they are elected, and four of them have offered a few details of their tax plans, which seems to be required of Republicans this time.

But you have to wonder whether this is a year that tax cuts will hold so much charm with voters, though clearly they are still magic with the Republican base.

The polls show something much different from 1980, 2000 or any other election year in memory. A big majority of Americans are concerned about growing income inequality and government favor for the rich, and they understand that lower

taxes do directly affect federal budget deficits, which Republican orthodoxy for 30 years has denied.

ERNEST The tax plans of DUMAS all five candidates heavily favor the wealthiest Americans and the fattest corporations, and four of the five — all but Congressman Ron Paul’s — would add from $6.6 trillion (Mitt Romney’s) to $18 trillion (Newt Gingrich’s) to the national debt over the next 10 years. No one can forecast what Paul’s plan would do because he would try to take the country back to 1913 and eliminate federal income taxes. But he implies that he also would eliminate all the intervening federal programs, from Medicare to overseas defense, to restore federal spending to comparable 1913 levels.

It has been fairly easy at least since the late 1990s to assign the relative benefits of any tax plan to income classes. You can do it in the comfort of your home.

The Treasury Department posts detailed

figures annually online on income and tax liabilities by broad income categories in each state.

As it happens, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy ran the figures on what the tax plans outlined

by Romney, Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Rick Perry would do in each state.

Let’s take Arkansas, which has one of the lowest per-capita incomes in the nation.

Perry and Gingrich say they would scrap the progressive tax system and impose one flat rate, Perry of 20 percent and Gingrich of 15 percent.

Most investment income — capital gains, stock dividends, and interest — would not be taxed at all. So many of the richest Americans would pay zero income taxes. Millions of people with low incomes might owe more, not less, but they would be allowed to choose whether to file under the current system or the new one. Presumably, they would file under the current system as long as they were allowed.

Under Gingrich’s plan, the top 1 percent of Arkansas taxpayers would get an average tax cut of $227,510 a year and the middle 20 percent of taxpayers would realize an average gain, at least for those who could claim it, of $1,540 a year. Under Perry’s, the richest 1 percent would get only $164,600 each and the middle 20 percent $550.

Santorum has not fleshed out his plan sufficiently, but the analysts made a few assumptions based on his promise to reduce brackets to only two and cut the top rate to Reagan’s last top rate, 28 percent. The top 1 percent would realize a cut of $134,890 a year, the middle 20 percent $1,770.

Romney would adjust brackets and rates so that the top marginal rate on the highest incomes fell from 35 percent to 25 percent. The richest 1 percent of Arkansans would get back $134,890 on average and the middle 20 percent of taxpayers $1,770 a year.

As for the deficits the tax cuts would create, the orthodoxy continues to be that lower taxes on the job creators — businesses and the investor class — will produce growth and jobs and even greater, not fewer tax receipts, although there is no instance in history of their having done so. Big tax cuts have produced higher deficits every time (1981, 2001, and yes, 2009 under Barack Obama); tax increases have led to smaller deficits or surpluses every time (1983, 1986 when full capital gains taxation was restored, 1990 and 1993).

That’s the factual record.

High-bracket tax cuts have contributed to the growing income disparity. Crying “class warfare” when it is pointed out may not get it done this year, but that is only a guess.

MEDIA

On trolls and flame wars

O

n Monday, KARK 4 News posted this question on its Facebook wall: “One of our fans raised a question about Robert E. Lee Day … Are there any Lee Day activities where you are?” Even if the station hadn’t omitted Martin Luther King Jr. Day (the federal holiday that coincides with the state holiday in honor of Robert E. Lee), similar posts on other local TV Facebook pages suggest an inevitable conclusion: a long, often incomprehensible string filled with racial intolerance, if not obvious racism, and ad hominem attacks. A sample post from the KARK thread: “What African American people fail to realize, is their forefathers were sold by their tribes in Africa because of the laws they broke there. And they were brought here. The south will always and has always been fair.”

Welcome to the downside of what we in the media call community engagement. Most online news outlets seem to agree that it’s essential. John Paton, CEO of Digital First, a newspaper management company that controls the second largest newspaper chain in the country, envisions reader comment and input representing a third of his papers’ content (with old fash-

ioned local news and aggregation making up the rest of the pie, respectively). But effectively maintaining LINDSEY and managing that MILLAR reader interaction lindseymillar@arktimes.com remains a difficult proposition.

“I think comments raise the level of debate if they help expand the conversation to people who didn’t get a voice in the article,” said Conan Gallaty, director of Arkansas Online, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s website. “I think that’s a good thing. The difficulty is that it gets too tangential, people start getting off topic, insults get thrown and the topic gets heated.”

To manage comments, Arkansas Online requires users to register with their subscriber name. Users are allowed to pick other screen names, but one click on the user’s screen name reveals the subscriber name. So generally, it’s not hard for other users to find a real name behind a comment. Gallaty said the paper has received

hate mail for that policy, but said, “We do believe in people standing behind their statements.”

Likewise, late last year KTHV integrated its website into Facebook. Online producer Lindsey Tugman said it keeps users more honest. “They can’t hide behind user names. It also makes the commenting more mature.” The station also maintains a Facebook page that’s been “liked” by more than 62,000 that includes links to news stories, breaking news and discussion questions. Tugman is one of four online news producers who monitor comment sections from morning until at least after the 10 p.m. newscast.

Todd Gill, one of the co-founders of the online-only site Fayetteville Flyer, said his site, like the Arkansas Times, allows commenting from users writing under aliases.

When the Flyer has a big story live, Gill said he wakes up in the middle of the night to monitor comments.

Rob Heverling, news director for KARK, said he and several others in the newsroom monitor comments on the station’s website and Facebook page. But unless someone is personal attacking someone else or using a lot of profanity, he said the station rarely deletes posts. “We like people to be able to express their point

of view,” he said.

Heverling’s position closely mirrors a web ideal: a diverse, democratic free exchange of ideas is worth the attendant incivility. At the same time, in the news world there’s a contradictory metaphor, according to Arkansas Online’s Gallaty.

“The expression you hear most often is an untended garden, which starts off beautiful, but if left untended can grow too many weeds and choke off what you’re really trying to do.”

Arkansas Online offers detailed guidelines in its terms of use policy online for commenters while reserving the right to pull any comment any time and for any reason. When commenters get out of line, the Arkansas Online web team takes them off the thread and explains to them what they’ve done wrong. If users persist, their accounts might be suspended. Gill’s policy at the Fayetteville Flyer is more cut and dried: no profanity, no name-calling and no switching aliases more than once in 24 hours. When users ignore the rules, their comments are removed and replaced with a note explaining that a comment had been removed. “I think that’s better than simply deleting. People see that someone is looking and paying attention and that there are rules you have to follow,” he said. www.arktimes.com

JANUARY 18, 2012

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JANUARY 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

ays ago in this space I made a passing reference to a recent Forbes report that assessed the most valuable college football programs in America. It was in the context of that article that author Chris Smith presented us with a rather jarring bit of data: “The biggest change since 2009 belongs to eighth-ranked University of Arkansas, whose football program climbed 59% in value over the past two years.”

Smith cited a number of underlying reasons for the Razorbacks’ fiscal flourish, specifically the fixed cash influx of the annual game at Cowboys Stadium with Texas A&M (presently imperiled

by Aggies and their foolish pride) and increased ticket prices. As Arkansas has now won 29 games, including two bowl victories, the past three seasons, it seems that — brace yourselves, armchair economists! — the on-field success of a program can be directly correlated with how flush the coffers are.

About five years ago, in the throes of what would become swan songs for both Frank Broyles and Houston Nutt, the humiliating Mustain-Malzahn episode triggered a mild uprising that made Razorback supporters a universally reviled lot. The fan base as a whole was depicted as an amalgam of unchecked and unstable jacklegs, the once-rational having been subsumed by the lunatic fringe. We all experienced the smears, and it was torture.

All we really wanted, in retrospect, was to see the university commit itself to something greater with regard to athletics. Broyles was on sports talk radio a few weeks ago, recalling fondly his machinations in getting Arkansas admitted to the Southeastern Conference in the early 1990s. When Razorback Stadium was expanded later in the decade, it struck everyone as if the program was demonstrating a hard and fast devotion to excellence. All of that activity was inspiring — and then it seemed to stall.

So it’s no wonder that most of the 2000s gave us all such fits. Nutt flirted with other jobs, bitched petulantly about all the hardships of his million-dollar job and then trotted out a team that would dominate Auburn one week and tank against Kentucky the next. Stan Heath entered a toxic chamber vacated by Nolan Richardson, and basically did a lot of the same teasing Nutt did, sans histrionics.

There was a period in the middle of the

decade where the baseball team arguably generated more goodwill and enthusiasm than BEAU any other program, WILCOX which logistically isn’t where your athletic program’s wellspring of passion should be, from a pure dollars-and-common-sense angle.

These prefatory comments are to illustrate the vitality with which Jeff Long has undertaken his charge as Broyles’ successor. Long is of the modern school of big athletics administration: he knows that money must be spent in order for more to be earned. He tweets and stumps for the athletic programs feverishly, and his “outsider” status makes him virtually immune to slings and arrows from fans who would clamor for games to remain at War Memorial Stadium even though the economic realities dictate otherwise.

Yes, attending games has gotten more expensive, and for some, prohibitively so.

But Long knows that if you invest in a coach in the way he did with Bobby Petrino, and then with Mike Anderson, you are playing favorable odds. Those middle-class fans with mortgages and gaggles of kids may no longer frequent games, but they will still buy merchandise and be an essential part of the athletic program’s fiscal health. Those who can afford tickets will pay handsomely, and thanks to Petrino, Reynolds Razorback Stadium now carries more cachet, a genuine home-field advantage and a more raucous social atmosphere. Ray Kinsella put his farm on the brink of foreclosure, remember? Long isn’t taking that kind of risk at all. He capitalized on Hogs’ fans passion, once viewed as outand-out lunacy, and he is delivering a product worthy of its cost.

The fact that the Razorbacks can be a top consideration for one of the country’s best prep athletes, Dorial Green-Beckham, speaks volumes about the appeal of the university and what Long and his support staff have done to sell the program. It has sex appeal now that it lacked four or five short years ago. As the basketball team continues to show promise in its latest rebuild, there’s a sense that Long has effected the sort of culture change that was essential for Arkansas Razorbacks — both the teams and the brand itself — to emerge from purgatory and into the limelight.

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“Tim Errity, now 23, said he was riding in a car with his cousin, Tom Foolaree, when Foolaree asked him if he was ready to ‘hit a lick’ — slang for committing a robbery.”

Having hit a few licks in my day — not many; I tire easily — I’m chagrined to learn that hit a lick has acquired a negative connotation. A couple of on-line slang dictionaries agree that to hit a lick is to rob someone. Another says that to hit a lick is to “Get a lot of money very quickly.” Most of the ways to accomplish that end are illegal.

In a less larcenous age, to hit a lick was to do some work, if only for a brief period of time, usually on a specific project. The saying was derived from one meaning of the noun lick, “a brief, brisk burst of activity or energy.” The person who hadn’t hit a lick on the job before him was looked down on: “That lazy oaf hasn’t hit a lick on the stopped-up toilet.”

That hit a lick has acquired a new meaning may suggest that more people are robbing than working nowadays. It seems that way in Little Rock sometimes.

Ask not what your country can do for you, go step on those bugs: “In Indochina, and in Thailand itself,

America usually found it was on the side of the bad guys. Complex nations were grotesquely simplified DOUG for the voters back SMITH home and the boys dougsmith@arktimes.com sent to fight abroad.

President Kennedy deliberately mispronounced Laos as ‘Lay-os,’ lest Americans think he wanted to go war with a small bug.”

Wither traditional media?

“Google then sells ads to run alongside the list of stolen content, generating billions of dollars, while newspapers, publishing companies, the music industry, film studios, and other traditional media companies whither.”

Try tightening your bandwidth: “Al Ameaux is being named Deputy Content Editor, overseeing Federal/Politics/Economics, and the Investigative Team. This will give us more management bandwidth … ” More chiefs, that is. Not so many Indians.

Supported by WEEK THAT WAS

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JANUARY 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

HYPOCRISY. Arkansas Republican budget hawks suddenly aren’t so hawkish when the budget cuts reach programs that serve Arkansas. Naturally, Sen. John Boozman and U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford weighed in with alarm at news of a round of closing of USDA offices and Crawford offered the quintessential cut-thee-not-me quote: “All of Washington must do more with less. However, with one in 10 proposed closures coming from Arkansas, we cannot sit back and let national bureaucrats harm our state’s rural communities.”

ICE CREAM LOVERS. Schulze and Burch Biscuit Co. announced completion of the purchase of assets of the bankrupt Yarnell’s ice cream business in Searcy and said it plans to reintroduce Yarnell’s ice cream in Arkansas stores, using the same recipes, by spring.

PARKING AT UALR. UALR began a transit service, the Trojan Trolley, to serve the school’s far-flung parking lots. Two trolleys will run three loops per hour on two separate loops. The vehicles won’t serve the private lots across University Avenue where a student, later found dead in a pond south of town, parked her car last year. But they will serve remote lots that might have been unattractive alternatives otherwise and perhaps discourage parking on the non-campus lots.

It was a bad week for…

THE VA DROP-IN CLINIC. Members of the Downtown Neighborhood Association predicted economic disaster and a rise in violent crime should a clinic for veterans open north of I-630 in the former Cook Jeep building. The DNA board wasn’t as opposed, casting a 6-5 vote against the clinic.

THE STATE HOSPITAL. Randall Fale, interim administrator of the perennially troubled hospital barely six months (several weeks of that spent on a vacation in Germany), is already out. Consultants hired by the hospital said that Fale’s “larger vision of what the hospital can become distracts from the issues at hand,” according to DHS spokeswoman Amy Webb.

STATE EMPLOYEES. The governor told the Democrat-Gazette “it doesn’t look like” his budget proposal for fiscal year 2013 will include funding for a cost-ofliving raise for state workers.

GAMBLERS. Slot machine and other gambling at Oaklawn and Southland — apart from wagering on horse and dog races — hit almost $2 billion last year, according to Talk Business. The house take from wagering — after paying bettors but before taxes and overhead — was $79 million at Southland and about $44 million at Oaklawn.

THE OBSERVER NOTES ON THE PASSING SCENE

A dream and a voice THE HOLIDAY HONORING Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was Monday, with downtown Little Rock and the Birds**t Lot where we dock the Mobile Observatory every morning a ghost town.

The Observer, like a lot of Americans, has long been an admirer of King, one man who changed a whole country (and maybe even the world) for the better just by the force of his will, the power of his words and the resolve of his mind. On the cluttered Wall of Fame and Shame beside our desk, among the complaint e-mails and the thank you cards, The Observer keeps a portrait of Dr. King. It’s actually a ragged and torn church fan, the stick ripped out and discarded, the paper worried and creased almost to the point of disintegration, as if some poor sinner folded and unfolded it a thousand times while the preacher bore down on him or her with the Wrath of Judgment. We found it in the back pew of a church down in East Little Rock some years back while visiting a service there for a story — the first and last time in a good 15 years that we’ve darkened the door of a church on Sunday. We didn’t figure anybody would miss it, and besides, we’ve got a lot more use for “A Letter from Birmingham Jail” than we ever had for any of the sermons we dozed through as a kid, in our best shoes and slickeddown hair.

For several years now, Dr. King has hovered over our telephone. “Courage,” he says. “Faith and courage.” As we tell anybody who comments on our portrait of the Good Doctor while visiting our desk: It’s MLK Day 24/7/365 up here, friends.

THE OBSERVER DIDN’T FEEL too hot

last weekend. Sitting on the couch wrapped in a cocoon of blankets, hostage to a stomach bug, we logged onto YouTube, looking for a sweet tune to brighten sickly spirits. What happened next — well, we’ve all been there: the “copyright infringement screen of death.” We’re all seeing a lot more of it these days, it seems.

Only after five attempts did The

Observer finally wave the white flag at the YouTube angels, surrendering to the message of the Corporate Gods who own them.

Intending to avoid the inevitable brain aneurysm, The Observer had just opted for the “Can you feel the good vibes radiating?” playlist on our Kindle when the loud “Breaking News Alert” chime interrupted the momentary escape. Pausing, first, to take another swig of Emergen-C and to pop a few gummy vitamins, The Observer was relieved to see that President Obama had just pledged his administration would not support the current forms of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) currently being debated in Congress.

The Observer had initially become familiar with these bills thanks to posts by friends and advocacy groups on Facebook. After some research, it became clear that both pieces of legislation have the potential to change the Internet as we know it. While PIPA would afford the government and corporations the ability to take legal action against any site deemed an “enabler” of copyright infringement, SOPA simply lays the groundwork for a “black list” of sites, with the added bonus of legal authority to block any and all financial support to those sites. Not surprisingly, SOPA and PIPA are opposed by Google, Facebook and Reddit. Less surprising? They enjoy the support of Time Warner, Comcast, Disney, and the Motion Picture Association of America.

In many ways, the technology of today has rapidly become the technology of The Observer’s generation — not because we invented it, but because we built upon the technology we inherited. Yet, for all the ways these innovations have empowered us to have more control over the lives we lead, there are those who aim not only to stifle this technological progress, but to force us all two steps back into technological history — into a world robbed of the open Internet we took apart and reassembled into something more powerful than any government or corporation: a global voice.

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JANUARY 18, 2012

11

Arkansas Reporter

THE

IN S IDE R

It’s been a long struggle, but it looks like the Democratic Party has a candidate for Congress in the 2nd District against incumbent U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin, the Little Rock Republican.

He’s Jay Martin, 42, a lawyer who served two terms in the state House of Representatives covering a portion of North Little Rock and Sherwood, 2003-2006. He tried for lieutenant governor in 2006, but finished fourth in a fourman field behind eventual winner Lt. Gov. Bill Halter.

Martin isn’t officially committed, but he’s already in talks with a campaign consultant, Ruth Whitney, about building a team and has talked to some other Democrats, such as Halter, who’ve been mentioned as potential candidates. He won’t reveal their thinking, but he says he’s hopeful he won’t have an opponent in the Democratic primary.

For now, Martin is speaking mostly in warm generalities about a need to end divisiveness in Washington and work for common aims of all Arkansans. But he acknowledges that the race ultimately must turn on differences in issues, though he insists that need not be personal. Given Griffin’s willingness to upend such popular programs as Medicare and Social Security, judging by his votes on Republican budget proposals, it will be hard for many voters to separate policy from the personal.

Three Petrinos for the price of two Several Arkansas football fans were surprised to see a second Petrino on the sideline with Hog football coach Bobby Petrino during the Razorbacks’ Cotton Bowl win over Kansas State. It was his son, Nick, 23.

But he wasn’t a recent arrival to the team. University officials said Nick Petrino has been an undergraduate assistant coach on the team since early in the fall and would continue in that role this year as he works to complete a college degree. Petrino, a star high school quarterback in Louisville, attended three other colleges before following his father to Fayetteville. He was on the Hog squad in 2009. But he was no longer on the team last July when he was arrested in Huntingburg, Ind., on DWI charges and possesCONTINUED ON PAGE 13 12

JANUARY 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

Dems have candidate

MURDER HOUSE: Someone entered.

Who killed Jim Sjodin?

One year later, no leads in Stifft Station murder.

BY DAVID KOON

J

im Sjodin’s silver Nissan still sits where he left it in front of the empty house at 107 S. Valentine in the Stifft Station neighborhood, hunkered down on tires that have gone a bit spongy in the year since he died. The car is cluttered. There’s an umbrella on the front seat and another in the back;

yellowed copies of old newspapers in the floorboards; a blue plastic basket from Walmart; a straw hat in the back window that’s beginning to bleach from the sun. There was nobody to claim his belongings after his death, so the car sits right where Sjodin parked it.

On Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011, someone

Ban on cell phone use by drivers isn’t likely Though it would save lives.

BY DOUG SMITH

A

rkansas prohibits all texting by drivers, one of 35 states to do so. And Arkansas places other restrictions on drivers’ use of wireless telephones, depending on location, the type of phone used, and the driver’s age. A State Police spokesman said that Arkansas could be con-

sidered “pro-active” in its response to the problems caused by drivers on the phone.

Still, what Arkansas has done, what any state has done, is not nearly enough, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, which last month recommended that the

— a person or persons — came into Sjodin’s home just south of Markham, beat him unconscious with a heavy object in a back room, then set the house on fire.

Firefighters and police responded just before 7 p.m., but Sjodin was already dead from head injuries and smoke inhalation. Today, plywood covers the back windows of the house, the siding blackened with soot and the eaves hanging where firefighters pulled down the wood in search of stray embers.

With his full, white beard and part-time job as choir director and organist at Highland Valley United Methodist Church, the 65-year-old Sjodin might be the last person you’d expect to wind up at the center of a CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

states ban all use of wireless phones by drivers. More than 3,000 deaths on American highways last year were related to driver distraction, according to official records, and most of those involved wireless phones.

The actual number of fatalities was almost certainly much higher, because driver distraction caused by wireless phones is hard to prove, unless there’s a witness or the driver himself confesses (if he’s able).

How close is Arkansas to this total prohibition sought by the NTSB? Not very. State Sen. Jerry Taylor of Pine Bluff was the co-sponsor of a new CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

BRIAN CHILSON

THE

LISTEN UP

THE ARKANSAS TWITTERVERSE BY THE NUMBERS

Tune in to the Times’ “Week In Review” podcast each Friday.

Available on iTunes & arktimes.com

BIG PICTURE

TWEETER

KRIS ALLEN @KrisAllen

“American Idol” winner.

JOHN DALY @PGA_JohnDaly

Professional golfer, hawker of loud clothing, friend of Jon Gruden.

LIL JJ @iAMJAYLEWIS

Little Rock actor, musician, comedian.

JEFF LONG @jefflongUA

University of Arkansas athletic director, frequent answerer of left-field questions on Twitter.

REP. MIKE ROSS @RepMikeRoss HOT DOG MIKE @hotdog_mike REP. TIM GRIFFIN @reptimgriffin WALTER KIMBROUGH @HipHopPrez

Philander Smith president until July, when he departs for the same position at Dillard University in New Orleans.

MARA LEVERITT @freebirdmojo

ALICE STEWART @alicetweet

Former TV newsreporter, Huckabee press aide, and Bachmann campaign press handler.

REP. JUSTIN HARRIS @harris4staterep

SECRETARY OF STATE MARK MARTIN @Mark_Martin * WHEN ACTIVE

INSIDER, CONT.

FOLLOWERS AS OF JAN. 15

TWEETS IN 2011

274,665 956 190,634 1,954

PEAK TWEETS TWEETING HOUR PER DAY*

SAMPLE TWEET

Jazz makes me think really hard. @charliesheen HEY Bub, Love ya! I say let’s do a spin off movie like Major League but do a PGA movie-me & u! Keep in the WINNER’S circle!

2.8

p.m.

15.5

p.m.

19.4

p.m.

Sadly, no response from @charliesheen

19,748 3,061 11,207 4,043

1,301 532

Flaws and all, you love my dirty draws.

Yes they can but will they ??? RT @soccasionsdj @jefflongUA can Arkansas play LSU I’m [sic] Fayetteville next year??

Say it ain’t so, no more LSU at War Memorial?

I just voted to repeal the health care reform law in the House of Representatives - Mike.

Boo.

3,979 3,394

Scary customer quote of the week: “So my son works for the FBI, tell me about this hot dog in space thing.”

3,046 1,659

I’m looking forward to speaking at today’s Rotary Club luncheon in Searcy.

2,629 2,025 1,541 1,075 428 417

142 208 627 34

Thrilling stuff.

Cheryl ‘Salt’ James (DaOnlySalt): Shout out to@HipHopPrez the greatest school prez on the planet no one can touch him!!

A co-sign from half of the pioneering female rap duo, Salt-n-Peppa.

Remember, Damien, Jason and Jessie have all agreed to whatever’s about to go down.

I’ll bet they know what they’re doing.

Her live tweets during the WM3 trial were essential reading.

#CNNDebate Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann announces she has filed the official paperwork to run for President

Started her job as Bachmann’s communications director by misspelling her first name.

Most marriage problems are usually the result of a wife’s wounded reaction to poor leadership and the lack of her husband.

Res. 4 Men

THE place to go for Republican dogma AND relationship advice.

LOL! I love it when liberals blow a gasket.

It makes passing in the straight-away easy. #NASCAR

After the Times called out Martin for sending out political tweets on state time, he all but quit his personal Twitter account.

5.9

p.m.

Clinton on program

1.9

a.m.

13.8

a.m.

5.6

a.m.

4.6 2.2 3.2 2.7 5.3

sion of a controlled prescription drug. He’s scheduled for trial on those charges in April.

Coach Petrino had declined to discuss the matter last July because his son was not on the team. Now that he is, he issued this statement: “We have been transparent with the University throughout the process. Our family has appreciated the approach Jeff [athletic director Long] and the administration have taken. We will continue to help Nick address the situation through the established channels and are comfortable with the progress he has made.”

Nick Petrino isn’t paid as an undergraduate assistant. His father makes roughly $3.6 million a year as Hog coach. His uncle, Paul, was recently hired as Hog offensive coordinator for $425,000 a year.

p.m.

The Jewish Federation of Arkansas will celebrate its 100th anniversary Feb. 4 in a big-name way. The gala will honor the former president, Bill Clinton.

The event at the Wally Allen Ballroom of the Statehouse Convention Center begins with cocktails at 6:30 p.m. It’s black tie-optional and tickets are $150.

The event includes the 2011 Jane B. Mendel Tikkun Olam Awards to Beth Levi, Ellen and Stan Kesller, Jonathan Feldman, Corky Schroeder, Karen Mackey, Bonnie Nickol, Becky Marks, Rose Ann Naron, Eileen Leilber, Sue Koppel, Jim Shipley and Justice Annabelle Imber Tuck.

The party line a.m.

p.m.

a.m.

a.m.

SOURCES: twitter.com and tweetstats.com

Congressional Quarterly is out with its annual party unity ranking.

It’s not too surprising, given the lockstep orthodoxy required of Republican candidates, that they tend to stray from the reservation less than Democrats.

Take Arkansas. In the Senate, Mark Pryor was with the majority of Democrats 85 percent of the time, while John Boozman went with the GOP majority 93 percent of the time on 120 votes.

The House was more striking: Rep. Mike Ross, who caucuses with Democrats, went with the party only 45 percent of the time.

Reps. Tim Griffin, Steve Womack and Rick Crawford voted the Republican Party line 96, 95 and 95 percent of the time on 716 votes.

It’s surprising that they diverged ever, to tell the truth. www.arktimes.com

JANUARY 18, 2012

13

ARKANSAN OF THE YEAR

BRINGING ART TO THE OZARKS Alice Walton does it up big.

S

BY DOUG SMITH

am Walton said that his only daughter was the most like him of his children. Her recent activity lends credence to that judgment. Like her father, Alice Walton has assured that she’ll be long remembered, and in her own right. She’s no longer just “a Wal-Mart heiress.”

There are lots of heiresses around. Alice Walton is an art patron and philanthropist of spectacular dimension, a benefactor of her native state in unprecedented fashion. And for that, she is, too, the Arkansas Times’ Arkansan of the Year.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opened Nov. 11 at Bentonville, near the headquarters of Wal-Mart, the giant retail chain founded by Sam Walton. The reviews that appeared afterward, in the most prestigious journals, were, for the most part, glowing: The New York Times — “By just about any measure, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art … is off to a running start. The dream-come-true of Alice Walton, an heir to the Walmart fortune, it is characterized by people both inside and outside the museum as a work in progress, with plenty of room for improvement. But there it stands, a big, serious, confident, new installation with more than 50,000 square feet of gallery space and a collection worth hundreds of millions of dollars in a region almost devoid of art museums.

“Much more than just a demonstration of what money can buy or an attempt to burnish a rich family’s name, Crystal Bridges is poised to make a genuine cultural contribution, and possibly to become a place of pilgrimage for art lovers from around the world.”

The Economist — “The Ozarks are America’s least appreciated mountain range. Lacking the majesty of the Rockies, the breadth of the Appalachians or the mournful grandeur of the Cascades, there they sit, somewhere in the middle of the country, south of the Midwest, north of the South, east of the mountainous West. They have long drawn fishermen and hikers;

14

JANUARY 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

until now, however, art fanciers have had little reason to visit.

“That changes with the opening of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art … With 120 acres of forests and gardens and long hiking trails connecting it with downtown Bentonville, Crystal Bridges is not just in but also of the Ozarks. Its patron, Alice Walton, is the scion of the Ozarks’ first family: her father, Sam Walton, opened a discount store called Wal-Mart in nearby Rogers, Arkansas, in 1962. Today Walmart (which officially went hyphenless in 2008) is America’s largest private employer. The Walton Family Foundation gave the museum a $1.2 billion endowment and Ms. Walton and the museum have been on something of a buying spree for several years.

“The museum is not simply Ms. Walton’s own private collection. … Ms. Walton has long spoken of wanting to bring art to a region that has little of it, and in that ambition she has without question succeeded.” (The headline in The Economist, an influential newsweekly based in London, referred to the museum as “a hinterland beauty” and “a rural gem.”)

The verdict was not unanimous though. Walmart and the Walton family have their detractors, inside and outside their home state. One of the harshest critics was Jeffrey Goldberg, a columnist writing for Bloomberg.com: “Crystal Bridges, in many ways, is an aesthetic success. It’s also a moral tragedy, very much like the corporation that provided [Alice] Walton with the money to build a billion-dollar art museum during a terrifying recession. The museum is a compelling symbol of the chasm between the richest Americans and everyone else. … I’m not begrudging Alice Walton her inherited wealth. What I am begrudging are her priorities.

Walton has the influence to help Wal-Mart workers, especially women, earn more money and gain access to affordable health care. But her response so far to the needs of the people whose sweat pays for her paintings is a simple one: Let them eat art.”

A group that seeks improved working conditions for Walmart

“Ms. Walton has long spoken of wanting to bring art to a region that has little of it, and in that ambition she has without question succeeded.”

employees took issue over “the fact that Walton has spent millions of dollars on a museum while her family’s organization, Walmart, recently raised health care premiums and has capped salaries for many of its employees.” Responding to such criticism, Abigail R. Esman wrote for forbes.com that “Ms. Walton has done everything absolutely right. She has done for little Bentonville what one would want every one of her socio-economic comrades to do: used her wealth to create job opportunities, enhance education, and support the arts (at a time when Washington is cutting back).”

We’d like to have heard Alice Walton’s own response, but she seldom submits to interviews, and, through a spokesman, she turned down the Times’ request as she has many others.

It’s not uncommon in America for very rich people who’ve been ruthless in business dealings, indifferent at best to the suffering of their employees, to become huge supporters of art and education in their later years. Fricks, Mellons, Carnegies, Rockefellers — they were not nice guys necessarily, but gifts have merit independent of the giver, and America would be worse without the contributions to culture that such men have made.

The Times asked a couple of Arkansas historians to assess the impact of Alice. Is this museum big doings or what? Tom W. Dillard, who is also the head of special collections for the University of Arkansas Libraries in Fayetteville, wrote: “I don’t know of anyone who has ever made such a large and meaningful gift to the people of Arkansas (and the nation, too). I guess the argument could be made that [the late] Don Reynolds, through his foundation, has contributed mightily to non-profits throughout the state — but his gifts, even when taken together, do not have the dramatic impact that Crystal Bridges has. One might say that Mrs. Jeanette Rockefeller, before and during her time as first lady, broke the arts ground by helping transform the Arkansas Arts Center into a real arts museum — and creating the Arkansas Arts Mobile. I can recall as a child going to

see the Arkansas Art Mobile when it visited rural Montgomery County deep in the Ouachita Mountains. But Crystal Bridges is a gift of a whole different order.

“The northern states are full of arts centers and museums endowed by 19th century Robber Barons. I don’t think the Waltons are robber barons, but if they are, they’re OUR ROBBER BARONS. After serving as a ‘colony’ for more than a century during which our natural resources and labor were shipped north, it is about time that Arkansas received some payback. …

A museum cannot transform Arkansas, but it can, and I believe will, have a positive impact on the way Arkansans view their state — and, hopefully, themselves.”

Dr. Sondra Gordy, a professor at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, also recalled the Rockefeller gifts to the Arts Center, and the support of the arts and education that came from Lily Peter of Marvell. “But Crystal Bridges tops anything that was done in the past,” she said.

“All of us who teach Arkansas history know the state was saddled by an image that outsiders gave us. But how can people come to beautiful Northwest Arkansas, and see that magnificent gallery, and go away thinking we’re a backwater place. … The Rockefellers campaigned to eradicate hookworm. I’m for any of the rich who are willing to share their wealth, even if I may not approve of the way they made their money. People have looked at the South for years and said we need something like this [Crystal Bridges]. I’m happy to get it anyway we can get it.”

A newspaper reporter recalls the thrill of discovering the public library, as a young boy in Fort Smith, Arkansas. A Carnegie library, it was. Did Andrew Carnegie say “Let them eat books?”

Did the king of steel, the scourge of steelworkers, believe that he was buying his way into heaven? The boy would have thought the questions irrelevant even if he’d known who Carnegie was. Many years and thousands of books later, he’s still never declined to read one because it came from a Carnegie library.

www.arktimes.com

JANUARY 18, 2012

15

OTHER ARKIES OF THE YEAR Bobby Petrino. The Razorback coach managed to top last season, by leading the football Razorbacks to an 11-win season and a final no. 5 ranking, better than the football Hogs have finished in years. His salty language, caught memorably by CBS camera crews during the LSU game, earned him the excellent nickname BMFP (Bobby MFin’ Petrino).

He and his wife donated a quarter of a million dollars to the Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

Jeff Nichols. The Little Rock native’s second film, “Take Shelter,” won two prizes at the prestigious Cannes film festival and was nominated for five Independent Spirit Awards. He also wrapped up the biggest film shoot in Arkansas history with “Mud,” starring Reese Witherspoon and Matthew McConaughey.

Speaker Robert S. Moore Jr. The amiable speaker deserves credit for keeping a House of Representatives that was sharply divided along party lines functioning reasonably productively rather than breaking down completely.

Alyse Eady. The Fort Smith native was robbed at the 2011 Miss America Pageant, where she finished first runner-up, after performing the greatest talent the pageant has ever seen — a yodeling, ventriloquist rendition of “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart.”

Sheffield Nelson. He proposed a voter initiative campaign to raise the state’s pitifully low gas severance tax to 7 percent. Look for it, we hope, on the 2012 general election ballot.

Gov. Mike Beebe. He deserves credit for nothing special. Just for maintaining an “all is reasonably well” condition that probably won’t outlast his administration, considering how Arkansas politics are going.

Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola. He campaigned long, hard and successfully for a 1 cent increase in

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JANUARY 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Little Rock’s sales tax, a jump that will raise half a billion dollars over 10 years. Now, city agencies must deliver. Meanwhile, Stodola injected himself in the fight to make something of Main Street. He lost an effort to push Pulaski Tech to Main with a new culinary school. The verdict is still out on his opposition to a Main Street clinic to serve veterans.

Christian Rudder. Match.com bought OkCupid.com, a dating website co-founded by Rudder, for $50 million in cash. Rudder continues working at OkCupid. com, where he runs OkCupid’s research blog, OkTrends. Which means he uses charts and graphs, to statistically argue that, for instance, gay people aren’t interested in straights and women are more sexual in their 30s. The Central High graduate also continues to play guitar in the popular indie rock band Bishop Allen.

Arkansas Supreme Court. Notably, the court handed down a unanimous decision ruling that Act 1 — the Arkansas Adoption and Foster Care Act that prohibited individuals who cohabitated with a sexual partner outside of marriage from adopting or serving as a foster parent — was a violation of privacy rights under the Arkansas Constitution.

Secretary of State Mark Martin.

He undermined the FOI law at every turn — so much so that an executive assistant resigned in protest. He helped himself to $70,000 from the Arkansas Board of Apportionment’s budget to buy a car and hire Republican consultants without approval from fellow board members Gov. Mike Beebe and Attorney General Dustin McDaniel. And his office frivolously spent $54,000 on a contract with the Soderquist Center at John Brown University, which lists its mission as “Equipping people with the transforming power of ethical leadership.” The expense included a retreat for top staffers at the Greystone Estate in Rogers and an “on-site visit” in Little Rock to interview staff members with questions like, “What is the Secretary of State’s office best known for?”

Rep. Linda Tyler. As chair of the Public Health Committee, the Conway Democrat quietly shepherded the defeat of 10 radical anti-abortion bills during the general session. Now she’ll seek the state Senate seat vacated by term-limited Gilbert Baker.

BRIAN CHILSON

Our staff’s annual list of other Arkansans who stood out in 2011:

The Occupier. Little Rock’s assembly inspired by the Occupy Wall Street Movement persisted through the beginning of winter at a parking lot camp next to Interstate 30 to shine a light on economic injustice.

It even mustered a statewide rally of sympathizers.

The West Memphis Three. Given that our fine state kept Jessie Misskelley, Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin in prison for 18 years, and came close to putting one of them to death, after they were convicted in trials that even a kangaroo would be embarrassed to call a Kangaroo Court, they and their tireless advocates — Capi Peck, Blake Hendrix, Brent Peterson, Mara Leveritt, Jeff Rosenzweig, Patrick Benca and others too numerous to name — deserve recognition. Courage works.

Perseverance works. Hope works. On Aug. 19, we saw the proof and promise of all three.

Mara Leveritt. Her dogged, yearslong investigation into the West Memphis murders, published both on her website and in her book “Devil’s Knot,” helped bring the case to national attention. Now she has a movie deal in the works.

Peyton Hillis. Thanks to fan support, the Conway native and Cleveland Browns running back earned the cover of Madden NFL ’12, the most enduringly popular sports video game on the market. Too bad an injury-laden season followed, yet again adding credence to the dreaded (and frequently cited) Madden Curse.

Geese in Burns Park. Chased severely but not given over to death.

BRIAN CHILSON

SJODIN, CONT. mysterious, unsolved homicide. An Oklahoma native who never married and apparently had no living family — an accomplished tenor, voice and piano teacher and long-time vegetarian — Sjodin was described as friendly by his neighbors, often waving to them and swapping plant cuttings. Police say they have no suspects as of this writing, though they believe the murderer was likely someone who knew Sjodin.

Because no family members stepped forward after Sjodin’s death, members of Highland Valley UMC and other churches paid for the burial and his headstone. A former student from Christ the King Catholic Church donated the plot in Roselawn Cemetery.

Betty Morgan, the music director at Highland Valley UMC, said Sjodin served as the church’s part-time piano and organ accompanist for a year before he was killed, and was well liked.

She noted that when the church held his memorial service, the choir loft was filled with his former students.

Morgan said that Sjodin didn’t talk much with her about what he did in his off-hours. The week Sjodin was murdered, he’d been filling in for Morgan while she recovered from cornea surgery.

“I don’t know any dealings he had with people outside of the church, so I don’t know if there would be anybody who would be angry with him,” Morgan said. “I can’t imagine it. Jim was just such a great guy. The children loved being around him. He was just so effervescent in his personality.”

Rev. Daniel Kirkpatrick, now pastor at First United Methodist Church in Dewitt, was the pastor at Sjodin Highland Valley when Sjodin was killed. He said Sjodin was the most talented musician he’s worked with in 29 years as a pastor and a man he remembered as a “gentle soul who had a marvelous sense of humor,” who was very open and accepting of people. After the murder, Kirkpatrick said, the congregation spent several months working with local shelters trying to find homes for Sjodin’s three dogs, which Kirkpatrick said were “his family.” Kirkpatrick has no idea who would want to hurt Sjodin.

“He was an old bachelor, never married, but I wouldn’t call him a loner,” Kirkpatrick said. “He was a pretty social fellow, taking his laptop and going down to the River Market pavilion.” Kirkpatrick said that because Sjodin was covering for Betty Morgan that week, the Sunday of his death was the first time the full range of his talents had been on display for the congregation, with Sjodin leading the handbell choir, youth choir, children’s choir and adult choir that day. Kirkpatrick and Morgan said that Sjodin finished a choir rehearsal at around 5 p.m., on Jan. 23, then headed home. He was apparently killed soon after arriving there.

The Arkansas Times spoke with

several of Sjodin’s neighbors, none of whom wanted to be identified for this story. Many of them said there were frequent visitors at Sjodin’s house at all hours of the day and night. “We’d hear them knocking on the door, and sometimes they’d go in and sometimes they wouldn’t,” one neighbor said.

“I’ve come home before to see them sitting on his porch, waiting for him.

It was kind of scary to get out of the car when they were just sitting there.”

A spokesman for the Little Rock Fire Department said that because the criminal investigation is ongoing, he couldn’t release details about how the fire in Sjodin’s home was started.

LRPD spokesman Lt. Terry Hastings said that detectives are looking for ways to generate new information in the case.

“I heard them talking about it the other day back in homicide,” Hastings said, “and they were saying they had kind of run out of leads on it.”

Hastings said that there was no sign of forced entry and police don’t know of anything that had been taken from Sjodin’s home by the killer. While a search of the house turned up no evidence of illegal activity there, detectives heard the stories about frequent visitors from Sjodin’s neighbors, along with speculation about what might have brought them there.

“That’s what we’ve been told, but we have not determined what that activity is, and that’s the problem,” he said. “Of course, the folks who are coming up there and visiting him are not going to

tell you, and the neighbors, that’s what they know: ‘There’s been a bunch of strange-looking people around there.’

But we can’t pinpoint who those people are or what they are doing.”

Hastings said most homicides in Little Rock are over either drugs or ongoing issues within an existing personal relationship. Truly random murders, such as when a person is killed during a robbery or burglary, are relatively rare. Knowing that, police can often develop a good idea of who committed the murder within a few hours after it happened. In those cases where a suspect doesn’t immediately arise, however, Hastings points out that there’s a short investigative window before a case can go cold.

“If you don’t solve it, really, within the first 30 days, your stuff goes pretty cold,” Hastings said. “It’s difficult after that. We’ve solved cases that are years old, but usually we find out a piece of information. I tell people it’s like a jigsaw puzzle. ... It may be months, it may be years before that last piece falls in.

When it does, we can make that arrest.”

Police are still searching for that elusive puzzle piece in the murder of Jim Sjodin.

“If we had a guy out here robbing businesses and shooting people, that one would be fairly easy to solve,” Hastings said. “But when you have a relationship with two people, where we’re not involved in it and we’ve received no calls, and suddenly it reaches the point where one of them kills the other one, that’s difficult.”

CELL PHONE BAN, CONT. law prohibiting the use of hand-held wireless phones in school zones and highway work zones. He believes there are too many distracted drivers on the road, and he supports the total ban on texting. But when asked if a total ban on cell phones would be approved by the Arkansas legislature, he said, “I don’t much think it could be.” Furthermore, Taylor said that before he could support such a bill himself, “I’d have to know more about it than I do now. If you’ve got a hands-free phone, I don’t see why that’s any more distracting than talking to your seatmate.”

The NTSB has no authority to impose its recommendations on the states, but the agency does have considerable influence with federal regulators and legislators. Taylor said a total ban on the use of wireless phones while driving wouldn’t be approved by the Arkansas legislature

in the foreseeable future unless the federal government does what it did with seat-belt laws — that is, withhold gasoline-tax turnback funds from states that don’t follow the feds’ recommendations.

Rep. Fred Allen of Little Rock, co-sponsor with Taylor of Act 37 of 2011, also doubts that a total ban on drivers’ use of cell phones is feasible in the current Arkansas legislature.

“There’s no question that it’s [driving while talking] dangerous,” Allen said, “but some people call it being efficient. We’re all creatures of habit.

Sometimes habits become addictions, and it’s hard to break an addiction.”

He said, however, that some Arkansas trucking companies now require their drivers to pull over and stop before using their phones.

Announcing the NTSB’s recommendation last month, the group’s chairman, Deborah Hersman, said

“No e-mail, no text, no update, no call is worth a human life.” But so far, not a single state has banned all cellphone use by drivers. And there is no organized campaign in favor of such a ban, no group promoting it the way MADD promotes strict laws against drunken driving, even though studies have shown that talking on the phone while driving is just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated, whether the phone is hand-held or hands-free. Even with a hands-free phone, a driver’s concentration is on his conversation more than on his driving, researchers say.

The American Automobile Association, a sometime supporter of new safety laws, has not come out in favor of a total ban on the use of cell phones while driving. The Arkansas State Police, who have supported highway-safety legislation in the past, would have to see a spe-

cific bill before making a decision, a spokesman said. A spokesman for the state Highway and Transportation Department said the agency had made no decisions concerning new laws on cell phone usage.

On the other hand, the opposition to a total ban on cell phones for drivers would be huge and passionate — the electronics companies that make the phones, the automobile manufacturers that are installing hands-free phones in their vehicles, the large and growing number of people who use their phones while driving and consider it an entitlement.

Every proposed restriction on use of wireless phones by drivers prompts objections from people who say that it’s another government restriction on individual freedom.

No one makes that argument against drunk-driving laws anymore, though the cases are identical. www.arktimes.com

JANUARY 18, 2012

17

Arts Entertainment AND

Video gaming with soul at Little Rock’s Game Ever.

BY DAVID KOON

BRIAN CHILSON

I

f you’re old enough, you probably remember the old-school video game arcade — though maybe with a mixture of love and revulsion. Sure, the old arcades were dark, about 107 degrees year round, smelled like feet and fried wiring and usually had carpet stickier than the stuff they use to glue the heatresistant tiles on the space shuttle.

But for a certain kind of kid — the geeky, the awkward, the easily bored — a handful of quarters and a room crammed with cabinet games like Donkey Kong and Centipede could be something approaching heaven: a place where those who didn’t socialize well had a chance to be around others who shared their interests and, for a moment, show their stuff.

The rise of home-gaming consoles like the Nintendo, Xbox and Playstation signed the death warrant for most of the old arcades. Within a decade, gaming went from an activity that required being around others to something that one did alone, or with — at most — one or two friends.

In Little Rock, however, there’s one person who remembers the Golden Age of the arcade: Noel Franks. His gaming parlor, Game Ever, which opened last March on Bowman Curve, is a chic and fun place where kids can compete and socialize while playing the latest video games and generally spending time getting to know others. With an encyclopedic knowledge of gaming history and a Willy Wonkalevel enthusiasm, Franks is singlehandedly trying to bring the social aspect back to the medium he loves.

At 32, Franks’ love of gaming is in his blood. As a kid, the Tucson native’s family couldn’t afford a game system, so he played at friends’ houses, “spectated” at the local arcade and slowly saved up enough money from odd jobs to buy his first Nintendo at age 11. He’s been hooked ever since.

“The way I see video games is as the most important communication medium since film,” he said.

“Humans have never produced

GAMER: Franks at Game Ever.

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JANUARY 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Game Ever

400 N. Bowman Road 501-217-3837 www.videogamingtogether.com HOURS 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tue.-Thu., 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Fri., noon to 10 p.m.

Sat., noon to 6 p.m. Sun. Closed Monday.

PRICE $2 for one hour, $3 for two hours, $10 all day.

anything quite like it. It’s essentially a dream — through code and human magic — made into something tangible.”

When Franks was 13, his father got a job with a company making inroads into emerging markets in Russia. While living in Moscow — an American kid in a strange land — Franks made friends in the arcades and immersed himself in the burgeoning video game culture there, playing games imported from Europe and the Pacific Rim, many of which never made it to the U.S. At 16, work brought his family to Little Rock. He graduated from Central High School, and later Hendrix College, then kicked around in low-level jobs before moving to San Francisco, where he landed a job with gaming software provider Havok.

Havok was the dream job that wasn’t. “It should have been ideal,” he said, “but when you have somebody who is so hardcore raw about his love for this stuff, and it butts up against business models, it can get a little sticky.”

Franks and his wife moved back to Little Rock, where he first created a sort of mobile arcade called Little Rock Multitap, lugging 46-inch TVs into community centers so people could play cooperatively. He found a silent partner investor who believed in the idea and started Game Ever in 2011. He never even considered locating in another city.

“For people my age [in Little Rock], it’s ‘I’m talented, I’m skilled, I’m CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

ROCK CANDY

In 2012, I will...

Check out the Times’ A&E blog arktimes.com

A&E NEWS OK, AFTER A BIT OF SHUFFLING AROUND and substitution, here’s the

schedule for this year’s Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase, which kicks off a week from Thursday at Stickyz, starting at 9 p.m. Stay tuned for more band info and songs in the coming weeks in the Times and on Rock Candy. Jan. 26: Shining Rae, The Holy Shakes, The Coasts, Vore. Feb. 2: JD Parker & The Tin Strings, Lindsey Kate Band, Don’t Stop Please, Holy Angell. Feb. 9: Wes Patterson, Tsar Bomba, War Chief, Se7en Sharp. Feb. 16: Wooden Toys, Swampbird, Joey Farr & The Fuggins Wheat Band, Quadkiller. Feb. 24: Trasspassers, Laundry for the Apocalypse, Ben Franks & the Bible Belt Boys, Jab Jab Sucker Punch.

FILM BUFF WEBSITE IONCINEMA.COM

lists Little Rock native Jeff Nichols’ next film as its 13th most anticipated feature of 2012. Says Eric Lavallee: “For film snobs such as myself, you’d need a really valid reason to want to see a film with Reese Witherspoon and Matthew McConaughey toplining. Arkansas born Jeff Nichols is that reason.”

The Central Arkansas Library System can help make those resolutions a reality!

www.cals.org

H A PPY HO UR in the

H E IG H TS 10am to 5pm

January 19

BACK IN 2009, DISCOVERY NIGHT CLUB owner Norman Jones told the

Times that, “anything I’ve got is for sale to the right person at the right price.” It looks like the right person was Phillip Patten, owner of the North Little Rock bar Sidetracks, who purchased 610 Center and Pulse/ Off Center from Jones in the fall. No word on the price, but manager Todd Chambers detailed some of the things that have changed and some that will stay the same. 610 Center is now officially SixTen Center Street Bar, and Pulse is Miss Kitty’s/Saloon. Sidetracks is now known as Trax. Chambers said Miss Kitty’s has a “rustic country decor going on. It’a a work in progress.” He added that the club would be opening up to live bands. “We’re also going to do karaoke starting this year and some other theatrical acts. And it’s still going to be a dance and socializing bar, too,” he said. Miss Kitty’s and Saloon — both under the same roof at 307 W. 7th St. — will also be rented out for private events and fundraisers. All of the bars will remain gay friendly and gay-owned and operated, but open to all, Chambers said.

As for whether he might be considering the sale of Discovery, Jones chuckled and quipped, “Like I said before ...”

“ANN RICHARDS’ TEXAS,” THE NEW BIO-DOC about the feisty and proudly

Democratic Texas governor defeated for re-election by a weekend brushcutCONTINUED ON PAGE 26

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19

Something new – the development of the state’s largest cardiovascular network

Announcing the partnership of Heart Clinic Arkansas, Drs. Watkins, Bauer, and Meadors, and St. Vincent Health System What this means for heart patients today: • The state’s largest cardiology group • The state’s most experienced heart surgeons • The most advanced diagnostic technology and treatment options available

We’re improving heart care for you and for all Arkansans for years to come by: • Investing $36 million in state-of-the-art cardiology facilities at St. Vincent Infirmary and St. Vincent North • Building 7 all-new cardiac cath labs and 4 new operating suites • Creating the state’s first hybrid cardiac cath lab/operating room

You’ll still be able to see your trusted physician at the hospital or emergency room of your choice.

Plus, you can visit our clinic locations throughout Arkansas.

Learn more about this exciting development at StVincentHealth.com.

Cardiologists: C. Douglas Borg, M.D., F.A.C.C. Mangaraju (Raj) Chakka, M.D., F.A.C.C. Charles W. Clogston, M.D., F.A.C.C. John A. Colleran, D.O., F.A.C.C. Debasis Das, M.D., F.A.C.C. J. Lynn Davis, M.D., F.A.C.C. Van H. De Bruyn, M.D., F.A.C.C. David M. Evans, M.D., F.A.C.C. Forrest D. Glover, M.D., F.A.C.C.

ST. VINCENT HEART CLINIC ARKANSAS CLINIC LOCATIONS: St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – Kanis 10100 Kanis Road, Little Rock 501-255-6000 St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – University 415 N. University Ave., Little Rock 501-664-6841 St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – North Little Rock 4000 Richards Road, Suite A 501-758-5133

David D. Griffin, M.D., F.A.C.C. David C. Hicks, M.D., F.A.C.C. Randy A. Jordan, M.D., F.A.C.C. Morris E. Kelley, M.D., F.A.C.C. Eleanor E. Kennedy, M.D., F.A.C.C. Valerie McNee, M.D., F.A.C.C. Donald F. Meacham, M.D., F.A.C.C. Tena E. Murphy, M.D., F.A.C.C. Eric J. Robinson, M.D., F.A.C.C. Scott W. Rypkema, M.D., F.A.C.C. Mark A. St. Pierre, M.D., F.A.C.C. Thomas W. Wallace, M.D. Not pictured: Marvin W. Ashford, M.D., F.A.C.C. Leon Roby Blue, M.D., F.A.C.C. Bradley R. Hughes, M.D., F.A.C.C. Andrew G. Kumpuris, M.D., F.A.C.C. Aravind (Rao) Nemarkommula, M.D., F.A.C.C. Rod Parkhurst, M.D., F.A.C.C.

St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – Searcy 711 Santa Fe Drive 501-279-9393 SATELLITE LOCATIONS: St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – Arkadelphia 870-230-1000 St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – Cabot Cabot Medical Clinic 501-758-5133 St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – Cabot Westport Drive 501-758-5133 St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – Camden Ouachita Valley Family Clinic 501-664-6841 St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – Clinton Ozark Health Medical Center 501-255-6000

Sayyadul (Sid) Siddiqui, M.D., F.A.C.C.

St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – Fordyce Dallas County Medical Center 501-255-6000

Cardiovascular surgeons:

St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – Heber Springs 501-255-6000

Jim E. Shuffield, M.D., F.A.C.C.

F. Michael Bauer, M.D. Frederick A. Meadors, M.D. Charles J. Watkins, M.D. Leadership: Peter D. Banko, FACHE St. Vincent President & CEO Jonathan P. Timmis St. Vincent Senior Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer Marcia L. Atkinson, MHSA St. Vincent Vice President/Administrator of the Jack Stephens Heart Institute

St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – Jacksonville Med Jacksonville Medical Clinic 501-758-5133 St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – Jacksonville North Pulaski Internal Medicine 501-758-5133

St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – Little Rock St. Vincent Family Clinic University 501-664-6841 St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – Malvern Hot Spring County Medical Center 501-255-6000 St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – Morrilton St. Vincent Morrilton 501-664-6841 St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – Nashville Howard Memorial Hospital 501-255-6000 St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – Newport 501-758-5133 St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – Russellville 501-255-6000 St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – Saline County 501-255-6000 St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – Stuttgart 870-673-7118 St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas – Warren Bradley County Medical Center 501-255-6000 ST. VINCENT CARDIOVASCULAR SURGEONS 5 St. Vincent Circle, Suite 501, Little Rock 501-666-2894 HOSPITALS AND EMERGENCY ROOMS St. Vincent Infirmary Two St. Vincent Circle, Little Rock 501-552-3000 • 501-552-2680 ER St. Vincent North 2215 Wildwood Avenue, Sherwood 501-552-7100 • 501-552-7190 ER St. Vincent Morrilton 4 Hospital Drive, Morrilton 501-977-2300 • 501-977-2442 ER

In an emergency, dial 911.

THE TO-DO

LIST

BY ROBERT BELL

WEDNESDAY 1/18

‘SLAVERY BY ANOTHER NAME’ 7:30 p.m. Hendrix College. Free.

When it comes to the awful historical truths about our nation, you can’t always count on your high school history book to give it to you straight. Sometimes, you have to turn to comedians. Take Chris Rock and Louis C.K. — for my money, the two finest comic minds in America. In a bit on Affirmative Action and the lingering effects of slavery, from his 2004 special “Never Scared,” Rock said, “When I talk about slavery, I’m just talking about a period of time when black people had no rights. So you talk about the 1600s to about 1964, you know, give or take a year, depending on when your town decided to act right.” Back in 2010, Louis C.K. talked to Jay Leno about the general lack of historical perspective when it comes to race relations in America. “I’ve heard educated white people say, ‘Slavery was 400 years ago.’ No, it very wasn’t.

It was 140 years ago,” he said. “That’s two 70-year-old ladies, living and dying back-to-back. That’s how recently you could buy a guy. And it’s not like slavery ended and then everything has been amazing.” Of course, there are a handful of good-old-fashioned, capital “J” Journalists who’ll bring to light the unpleasant, often neglected or whitewashed bits of our nation’s history. Hendrix alum Doug Blackmon did just that with his Pulitzer Prize-winning book “Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II.” The book concerns those first several decades after slavery — when the owning and forced labor of human beings was illegal on paper, but continued across the south, affecting millions. In an interview on the Georgia Weekly public affairs TV show, Blackmon noted that it was “not until 1941 that the federal government finally takes an absolute position that when whites are holding blacks as slaves in the South, we will investigate and fully prosecute,” he said. “That’s not the position of the federal government until 1941.” Blackmon first wrote for the Wall Street Journal in 2001 about black men in Alabama being arrested on bogus charges and then forced to work in coal mines in the early 20th century. He researched the subject for another seven years for his book, which has been made into a documentary that will air on PBS on Feb. 13. When he returns to his alma mater, Blackmon will discuss the book and screen portions of the film.

22

JANUARY 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

PICK IT UP: New York City ska legends The Toasters come to Maxine’s Thursday night.

THURSDAY 1/19

THE TOASTERS

8 p.m. Maxine’s. $8 adv., $10 door.

Do you have, somewhere amongst the forgotten flotsam of your youth, a dusty old shoebox from Nineteenninety-something that you painted a black and white checkered pattern on?

Is it full of worn-out Specials or Mighty Mighty Bosstones cassettes, a Ben Sherman button-up shirt, skinny tie, porkpie hat and maybe a pair of suspenders? Did your friend you haven’t seen in 12 years recently upload some scanned photos to Facebook of you skanking it up to Reel Big Fish at the 1996 Warped Tour in Kansas City? In other words, do you

have any ska-letons in your closet? Ouch.

Sorry. I tried, but I just couldn’t finish writing this without including at least one terrible ska pun. I guess they’re not really even puns, more just the replacement of some syllable in a word with “ska,” no matter how much of a stretch.

Why do ska bands do that? I can’t figure it out. The practice seems to date back to the very beginning of the genre, with The Skatalites, the original ska act that emerged from the Jamaican scene in the 1960s. So while New York ska-lwarts The Toasters weren’t the first ones to do that, with their 1987 album “Skaboom,” they were likely among the first

to engage in this practice. Anyways, The Toasters have been at it for nigh on three decades now, hence the band’s ongoing 30th Anniversary Tour. Ska Brewing Co. of Boulder, Colo., which is an actual real thing, has even created a Toasters 30th IPA to commemorate the occasion. Fusing Second Wave Two-Tone ska with punk rock, The Toasters were one of the bands that kicked off what’s generally referred to as the Third Wave of ska, which has been going on for quite some time now. The opening act is The Last Slice, a Third Wave/Two-Tone hybrid that hails from Tulsa, Oklahomska. Sorry, sorry, couldn’t help it.

his band The Departed. While Ragweed fans were probably bummed about the band’s breakup (drummer Randy Ragsdale wanted to spend more time with his family) Canada has made it apparent that there were no hard feelings. And his tour schedule has made it obvious that he’s still intent on burning up millions of miles of asphalt playing raucous Red Dirt

rock ’n’ roll in bars across this great land. But some things have changed, as he told The Quad City Times last year.

“We thought, ‘We’re not running from the past, we’re just looking toward the future,’ ” he said. “We’re still going to honor a few songs [from Ragweed], but we’re going to do mainly new stuff to let everybody know we’re still writing, we’re still creating.”

FRIDAY 1/20

CODY CANADA & THE DEPARTED

9 p.m. Revolution. $10 adv., $15 d.o.s.

After the amicable breakup of Cross Canadian Ragweed back in 2010, singer and guitarist Cody Canada got together with the band’s bassist Jeremy Plato, guitarist Seth James and pianist Steve Littleton, who make up

IN BRIEF

THURSDAY 1/19

SATURDAY 1/21

ARKANSAS RIVER BLUES SOCIETY FUNDRAISER

8 p.m. Cornerstone Pub & Grill. $5.

Back in late October, The Arkansas River Blues Society held a contest to determine which blues acts would represent the Natural State at The Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Jan. 31-Feb. 4. The winner in the full band category was David Kimbrough Jr., whose Missis-

sippi hill country blues style is a continuation of the tradition pioneered by his father, the legendary Junior Kimbrough. (An aside: Please tell me you’ve listened to Junior Kimbrough.

If not, put this down and immediately go get your ears on “Meet Me in the City” and “You Better Run” and just keep listening from there.) Kimbrough’s band includes Little Rock native Stacey Mackey, who’s played in many bands

over the years, including the late, great Fuyu. The winner of the solo/duo category was Lucious Spiller, who’s been a live-music fixture in the state for many years, playing everything from Delta blues to Prince tunes. This show is a fundraiser to help cover travel expenses for the blues challenge in Memphis.

Kimbrough and Spiller also perform Thursday night at White Water Tavern, 10 p.m., $7.

SATURDAY 1/21

EVANESCENCE

8 p.m. Verizon Arena. $40.

Evanescence comes to Little Rock hot on the heels of its latest album, a self-titled effort that debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The group’s previous album, “The Open Door,” was released back in 2006 and it debuted at No. 1 as well. Band leader (and former Arkansas resident) Amy Lee recently discussed the album with Billboard senior correspondent Mitchell Peters, noting that “there’s experimentation and new ideas and new attitude, but at the same time I think a lot of just great Evanescence music. I think it’s an album that our fans will love.” Lee also said that the band’s current tour is going to be its most extensive yet, hitting several places Evanescence hasn’t played before, including China, Indonesia and Ireland. The opening acts are Electric Touch and Rival Sons.

‘WHAT YOU WANT’: Evanescence, featuring singer Amy Lee, plays Verizon Arena Saturday night.

SUNDAY 1/22

BILLY JOE SHAVER

7:30 p.m. Revolution. $15 adv., $20 d.o.s.

We’ve written about Billy Joe Shaver in this publication just about every time he’s come to town, and as long as he’s touring and playing Little Rock, we’ll keep that up. If you’re any kind of country music fan, you should be well aware of the legendary Shaver. The man more or less invented Outlaw country and wrote a long string of timeless hits, including “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal,” “Black Rose,” “(I’ve Been To) Georgia on a Fast Train,” “Willy the Wandering Gypsy and Me,” and many

others. His last show at Revolution, back in August, was one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen. Shaver sang, danced, shadowboxed, told jokes and rambling, hilarious stories and even offered just a bit of political commentary when prompted. Some dude in the audience asked him about Gov. Rick Perry, of Texas. Shaver paused for a few beats then said, “Aw, those guys are all right. They just shouldn’t be running for nuthin’. They should be running from something.” Now, I’m not saying that a witty dismissal from Billy Joe Shaver is, by itself, enough to derail a nascent presidential campaign, but it certainly

OLD FIVE AND DIMERS LIKE HIM: Outlaw country giant Billy Joe Shaver returns to Revolution Sunday night.

can’t hurt. But regardless of your feelings about Rick Perry, I promise that this will be one of the best shows you’ll see all year.

Gospel blues rocker Sean Michel plays Stickyz with Noah James and Annalisa Nutt, all-ages, 8 p.m., $6 for 21-and-older, $8 for 20 and younger. David Kimbrough Jr. and Lucious Spiller (see also: Saturday To-Dos) play White Water Tavern, 10 p.m., $7. Party band extraordinaire Tragikly White plays at West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5.

FRIDAY 1/20 For a night of electro pop, Dylan & The Zoo Crew headline at Triniti Nightclub, midnight, $10. Over at Vino’s, you can check out the next wave of up-and-coming local bands, with The Tricks, Swampbird and Ezra Lbs, 8 p.m., $8. Velvet Kente — the standard-bearers for soulful, intense rock — play White Water Tavern, 10 p.m., $7. At ZaZa’s Conway location, psych-blues duo Tyrannosaurus Chicken plays a free show, 9 p.m. The band also plays White Water Tavern Saturday night.

Get a taste of what’s to come at this year’s Wakarusa with the Waka Winter Classic, an 18-and-older show at Stickyz, with Culpepper Mountain Band, Ben Franks & The Bible Belt Boys, Chillyrose, Starroy and War Chief, 9 p.m. Reproductive Justice and Human Rights is an interactive workshop featuring Loretta Ross of SisterSong, Philander Smith College, 7 p.m. The Harlem Globetrotters bounce into Verizon Arena, 7 p.m., $22-$109. Down in Hot Springs, Maxine’s hosts Pearl Street Riot and Central Arkansas’s finest purveyors of psyche-garage-country mania, The Frontier Circus, 8 p.m., $5. Also in Spa City, you can catch a screening of the documentary “The Natural State of America,” about Carroll Electric’s use of toxic herbicides.

Includes a Q&A with the filmmakers, Central Theatre, 7 p.m., $5.

SATURDAY 1/21 There will be a Rally for Reproductive Justice at the State Capitol, 1 p.m. Butterfly with Irie Soul bring some New Orleans sounds to The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. Singer/ songwriter, road warrior and acoustic guitar shredder Eric Sommer returns to Midtown, 12:30 a.m., $5. Attn: ladies, The Chippendales Cuff ’N’ Collar Tour is at Discovery Nightclub, 9 p.m., $22.50 adv., $25 door.

Also at Discovery are DJs Brandon Peck, Ewell and Andy Sadler and performers Dominique Whitney and Zia D’Yor. Up in Mountain Home, Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives play the Arkansas State University campus, 7 p.m., $20-$30.

T. Jay with Livesosa, DJ J$outh, Reverse and The Real Deal are all at Vino’s, 9 p.m., $8. The Diamond Dames Burly-Q Revue hosts dancers from Memphis and Hot Springs with local comedian Amy Pannell serving as emcee at Juanita’s, 18-and-older, 9:30 p.m., $10.

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JANUARY 18, 2012

23

AFTER DARK Chris DeClerk. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free.

2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com.

David Kimbrough Jr. White Water Tavern, 9 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

“Inferno.” DJs play pop, electro, house and more, plus drink specials and $1 cover before 11 p.m. Sway, 9 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Karaoke. Zack’s Place, 8 p.m. 1400 S. University Ave. 501-664-6444. www.zacks-place.com.

Ol’ Puddin’haid. Thirst n’ Howl, 7:30 p.m., free.

14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirstn-howl.com.

Port Arthur Band. Parrot Beach Cafe, 9 p.m.

9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994.

Sean Michel, Noah James, Annalisa Nutt.

All-ages show. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, $6 (21-and-older), $8 (20 and younger).

107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. The Toasters, The Last Slice. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $8 adv., $10 door. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Tragikly White. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, Jan. 19, 10 p.m.; Jan. 26, 10 p.m., $5.

215 N. Shackleford. 501-224-7665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

“VIP Thursday” with Power 92 and Stack 3.

Juanita’s, 9 p.m. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

All events are in the Greater Little Rock area unless otherwise noted. To place an event in the Arkansas Times calendar, please e-mail the listing and all pertinent information, including date, time, location, price and contact information, to calendar@arktimes.com.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 18

MUSIC

Acoustic Open Mic. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com.

Alternative Wednesdays. Features alternative bands from Central Arkansas and the surrounding areas. Mediums Art Lounge, 6:30 p.m., $5.

521 Center St. 501-374-4495.

Bolly Open Mic Hype Night with Osyrus Bolly and DJ Messiah. All American Wings, 9 p.m.

215 W. Capitol Ave. 501-376-4000. allamericanwings.com.

The Boxcar Bandits. White Water Tavern, 9 p.m., $4. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Brian & Nick. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-3755351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Grim Muzik presents Way Back Wednesdays.

Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8:30 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com.

Karaoke. Hibernia Irish Tavern, 9 p.m. 9700 N Rodney Parham Road. 501-246-4340. www. hiberniairishtavern.com.

Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

New Music Test: Iudicia, Weedbeast, Distiller.

All-ages show. Revolution, 9 p.m., $5, $10 for younger than 21. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG.

COMEDY

Carl Strong, Geoff Tate. The Loony Bin, 8 p.m.; Jan. 20, 10:30 p.m.; Jan. 21, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

Political Animals Club: Gov. Mike Beebe.

Includes lunch and talk by Gov. Mike Beebe.

Governor’s Mansion, 11:30 a.m., $20. 1800 Center St. Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Conference. Conference focus is on creating vibrant community food systems, including better food safety and local produce in the classroom, with pre-conference courses and field trips, eight tracks of practical conference sessions, network gatherings, trade show, Taste of Arkansas dinner and more. Statehouse Convention Center, 8 a.m. 7 Statehouse Plaza.

FILM

“Slavery by Another Name.” Includes Q&A with Doug Blackmon, who wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning book on which the film is based.

Hendrix College, 7:30 p.m. 1600 Washington

VISITING PROFESSOR: Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry, the Tulane University professor, columnist for The Nation and frequent MSNBC commentator, will speak as part of Philander Smith College’s Bless the Mic series Thursday at 7 p.m., M.L. Harris Auditorium, free.

Ave., Conway. 501-450-1222. www.hendrix.edu.

SPORTS

UALR Women’s Trojans vs. Louisiana-Lafayette.

Jack Stephens Center, UALR, 7 p.m., $4-$35.

2801 S. University Ave.

BENEFITS

American Red Cross Arkansas Heroes Celebration. Proceeds from the luncheon benefit the Red Cross, which provides around-

the-clock free disaster relief to victims of local disasters. Doubletree Hotel, 11:30 a.m. 424 W. Markham. 501-748-1030.

THURSDAY, JAN. 19

MUSIC

7 Toed Pete (headliner), Andy Tanas (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www. cajunswharf.com.

JANUARY 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Carl Strong, Geoff Tate. The Loony Bin, through Jan. 20, 8 p.m.; Jan. 20, 10:30 p.m.; Jan. 21, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

Antique/Boutique Walk. Shopping and live entertainment. Downtown Hot Springs, third Thursday of every month, 4-8 p.m., free. 100 Central Ave., Hot Springs.

Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Conference. See Jan. 18.

Wine Tasting with Bruce Cochran. The Afterthought, 5:30 p.m., $10. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

LECTURES

Bless the Mic: Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry. The Tulane University professor and author of “Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes and Black Women in America.” Philander Smith College, 7 p.m., free. 900 W. Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive.

SPORTS February 7 – March 11 Now – February 4 This delightful Pulitzer Prize winner is worth the drive from anywhere! Don’t miss our own film star Candyce Hinkle (True Grit) starring in this timeless classic.

Unger and Madison are back, but this time it’s Florence and Olive, in a revisited version of Neil Simon’s classic hit. Poker buddies give way to Trivial Pursuit novices, and the Pigeon sisters have been replaced by the Constanzuela brothers.

Season Tickets $160 You Save Up To $170

Colonel Glenn & University • murrysdinnerplayhouse.com • 562-3131 24

COMEDY

Horse racing. Oaklawn. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411. www.oaklawn.com.

UALR Men’s Trojans vs. Louisiana-Lafayette.

Jack Stephens Center, UALR, 7 p.m., $4-$35.

2801 S. University Ave.

CLASSES

Arkansas Craft School Session II. “Pottery” with David Dahlstedt, for all skill levels, 6:309:30 p.m., $225, Arkansas Craft School; “Jewelry Making” with Dona Sawyer, basics, 6:30-9:30 p.m., $225, Arkansas Craft School; “Web Designs for Artisans” with Shawn Hoefer,

website creation, 5-8 p.m., Ozarka College, Mountain View, $225. Arkansas Craft School, Continues through March 2. 110 E. Main St., Mountain View. 870-269-8397. www.arkansascraftschool.org.

FRIDAY, JAN. 20

MUSIC

Adrenaline. Fox And Hound, 10 p.m., $5-$10.

2800 Lakewood Village, NLR. 501-753-8300. www.foxandhound.com/locations/north-littlerock.aspx.

Big Stack. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Brian Nealan. Cregeen’s Irish Pub, 8 p.m., free.

301 Main St., NLR. 501-376-7468. www.cregeens.com.

Cody Canada & the Departed. 18-and-older show. Revolution, 9 p.m., $10 adv., $15 d.o.s.

300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

DJ Silky Slim. Top 40 and dance music. Sway, 9 p.m., $5. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582.

Dylan & The Zoo Crew. Triniti Nightclub, 12 a.m., $10. 1021 Jessie Rd. “The Flow Fridays.” Twelve Modern Lounge, 8 p.m. 1900 W. Third St. g-force. The Tavern Sports Grill, 9 p.m., free.

17815 Chenal Parkway. 501-830-2100. www. thetavernsportsgrill.com.

Hip Kitty. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, Jan. 20-21, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford.

501-224-7665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

John Sutton Band (headliner), Richie Johnson (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-3755351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Mourning View, Queen Anne’s Revenge, Embrace the Crash, Chris Henry, TKE & Co.. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www. juanitas.com.

Pearl Street Riot, The Frontier Circus. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

RipStar. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 9 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Rodney Block & The Real Music Lovers. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $10. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Shannon McClung. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m., $3.

323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-7468. www. beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www. capitalhotel.com/CBG. The Tricks, Swampbird, Ezra Lbs.. Vino’s, 8 p.m., $8. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www. vinosbrewpub.com.

Tyrannosaurus Chicken. ZaZa, 9 p.m., free. 1050 Ellis Ave., Conway. 501-336-9292. www.zazapizzaandsalad.com.

Velvet Kente. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m., $7. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Waka Winter Classic. This 18-and-older show includes Culpepper Mountain Band, Ben Franks & The Bible Belt Boys, Chillyrose, Starroy and War Chief. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

COMEDY

Carl Strong, Geoff Tate. The Loony Bin, through Jan. 20, 8 p.m.; Jan. 20, 10:30 p.m.; Jan. 21,

7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

Arkansas Marine Expo. Statehouse Convention Center, Jan. 20-22, 10 a.m., $5. 7 Statehouse Plaza. 501-765-1423.

LGBTQ/SGL Youth and Young Adult Group.

Diverse Youth for Social Change is a group for LGBTQ/SGL and straight ally youth and young adults age 14 to 23. For more information, call 244-9690 or search “DYSC” on Facebook. 800 Scott St., 6:30 p.m. 800 Scott St. Reproductive Justice and Human Rights. An interactive workshop featuring Loretta Ross of SisterSong. Philander Smith College, 7 p.m. 900 W. Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive. 870-510-1818.

Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Conference. See Jan. 18.

FILM

“The Natural State of America.” Includes Q&A with the filmmakers after the screening.

Central Theatre, 7 p.m., $5. 1008 Central Ave., Hot Springs.

SPORTS

The Harlem Globetrotters. Verizon Arena, 7 p.m., $22-$109. 1 Alltel Arena Way, NLR. 501975-9001. verizonarena.com.

Horse racing. Oaklawn. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411. www.oaklawn.com.

GREAT DINING DEALS!

Lilly’s Dim Sum, Then Some ZIN Urban Wine Bar Argenta Market Salut Bistro

GREAT RETAIL DEALS! Indulgences Island Tan Kitchen Co. Cantrell Gallery

HOT SPRINGS FOR THE RACES! Bleu Monkey Grill

halfoffdepot.com/littlerock

SATURDAY, JAN. 21

MUSIC

After Eden. Cregeen’s Irish Pub, 8 p.m. 301 Main St., NLR. 501-376-7468. www.cregeens.com.

“The Aquarius Birthday Bash.” Featuring Chucci Tarintino and DJ Dsewell of Power 92.3. Michelangelo’s Italian Ristorante, 10 p.m.

1117 Oak St., Conway. 501-329-7278. www. michelangelosconway.com/index.html.

Arkansas River Blues Society Blues Jam fundraiser. Featuring David Kimbrough.

Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8 p.m., $5. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Butterfly with Irie Soul. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Chippendale Cuff N Collar Tour. Also includes DJs Brandon Peck, Ewell and Andy Sadler, with performances from Dominique Whitney and Zia D’Yor. Discovery Nightclub, 9 p.m., $22.50 adv., $25 door. 1021 Jessie Road. 501-664-4784. www.arkansaslivemusic.com/.

Chris Henry. Flying Saucer, Jan. 21, 9 p.m.; Jan. 27, 9 p.m., $3. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-7468. www.beerknurd.com/stores/ littlerock.

Donna Massey & Blue-Eyed Soul (headliner), Jim Mills (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road.

501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Don’t Stop Please, 1 Oz. Jig. 18-and-older.

Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www. stickyfingerz.com.

Elvis Lives!. A concert that includes a multimedia presentation of photos, video and correspondence of the life and times of Elvis Presley. Perot Theatre, 7 p.m. 321 W. Fourth St., Texarkana. www.trahc.org.

Eric Sommer. Midtown Billiards, 12:30 a.m., $5.

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JANUARY 18, 2012

25

GAME EVER, CONT. well-educated, guess I have to leave,’ ” make sure that’s the case. But we have Franks said. “No, dude. Invest in your games that excel at multi-player. It’s home ... I’ve traveled a lot and I freaking because I fell in love with video games love it here. I don’t think we view Little on the couch. I fell in love with video Rock as the capital that it is. We don’t games as a social pastime.” think like a capital, and my goal is to be Given how good the place looks part of a Capital Movement. Frankly, and what it must have cost to build it, we’re an awesome place to live.” the most surprising thing about Game Game Ever is already a quantum Ever might be how cheap it is to play leap beyond the old arcade in terms there — a nod to Franks’ own Nintendoof design. Clean, modern, lit by plenty coveting past. Prices are $2 for one hour, of windows and the walls hung with $3 for two hours, or $10 for an all-day quirky posters saluting the history of pass. Game Ever does birthday parties video gaming, the place manages to as well: $50 to rent the room, plus $10 look both classy and friendly at once. per kid for all day and parents play free.

Except for the comfortable, wrap“I’m not here to get rich,” he said. around chairs, Franks designed and “That’s not my goal. My goal is to have built all the furniture at Game Ever the coolest place in town, period, and to himself, including the tables and stands make sure that it’s safe and affordable. which hold individual flat-screen TVs I have very simple ambitions.” at Game Ever’s 53 game-play stations.

Parents are welcome to stay and He and two friends spent weeks sanding play, but can also drop off their children a quarter-inch of carpet glue off the for a few hours at Game Ever, which concrete floors with diamond-grit pads has a 15-camera security system and before sealing it themselves. strict protocols in place regarding There are always around a dozen patron safety. Everyone who buys games available for play at Game Ever, time to play is photographed, with their from the latest Xbox 360 sports and photo placed in a file at the constantly shooter titles, to old-school games on manned front desk, along with two lovingly-maintained vintage consoles forms of contact information in case of like the original trouble. There’s Nintendo and also a lounge “I see this place as part Sega Genesis — for parents who living museum, part day spa, which haven’t are nervous part community center. It’s been made since about leaving all that. It’s a really special the late 1990s. their kid alone. thing for me to be a part of.”

At least two new Though there’s titles rotate in no official lower every week. All the games either have limit on the age of those who can play multiple controllers, or are linked by there without parental supervision, a network so players can compete it’s generally very teen- and tweendirectly with others in the room. friendly. Not surprisingly, it’s usually Games available are rated from E-forfairly packed on Friday and Saturday Everyone to M-for-Mature. Keeping nights. kids in mind, Franks sweats a lot over “We had a couple drop their kid off which M-rated games will play at Game and when they came back, they were Ever, making sure the language isn’t really decked out,” Franks said. “I was too rough, and not scheduling those like, ‘Hey, hey! Looking sharp!’ They which feature realistic, human-vs.said: ‘We went on a date! First time human violence such as “Call of Duty: in, like, 10 years!’ To me, that was a Black Ops” (human-vs.-alien games like special moment. They seized what I’m “Halo: Reach” or human-vs.-zombie doing here.” fighters like “Left 4 Dead” are often With his business taking off and a on the menu, however). For those not newborn daughter, Franks is loving life interested in video games, there’s a fulland his role as head Geek Monk of his sized ping-pong table in the back room, temple of gaming. His goal, he said, is a competition-quality foosball table out to be a benefit to the community, and front and a stack of board games by the introduce others to the joy he knew as counter. He’s considering figuring out a a kid with a controller in his hand. way to “fold in” more mature shooters “I see this place as part living museum, and games with saltier language and part day spa, part community center. situations for adult gamers, possibly It’s all that. It’s a really special thing for by building a separate space upstairs. me to be a part of,” he said. “Little Rock, “I approach this from a very social I’m very proud and honored to say, has perspective,” he said. “You’ll notice this embraced this place. We very rarely place is great for one and more players. have people who come once. We’re a You can be a single player and sit down very return-friendly kind of place. We at any game, and it will be awesome. I develop friendships here.”

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ARKANSAS TIMES

AFTER DARK, CONT. 1316 Main St. 501-372-9990. midtownar.com.

Evanescence. Verizon Arena, 8 p.m., $40. 1 Alltel Arena Way, NLR. 501-975-9001. verizonarena. com.

Hip Kitty. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-224-7665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

Jason Campbell & Singletree. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com.

“KISS Saturdays” with DJs Deja Blu, Greyhound and Silky Slim. Sway, 10 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582.

Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives.

Arkansas State University at Mountain Home, 7 p.m. 1600 S. College Ave., Mountain Home.

Penguin Dilemma. Dugan’s Pub, 9 p.m., free. 403 E. 3rd St. 501-244-0542. www.duganspublr.com.

Sunny Ledford. Shooter’s Sports Bar & Grill, 9:30 p.m., $10. 9500 I-30. 501-565-4003. www. shooterslittlerock.com.

Symphony of Northwest Arkansas: Masterworks II. Featuring pianist Sergei Babayan. Walton Arts Center, 7:30 p.m. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. T.Jay with Livesosa, DJ J$outh, Reverse and The Real Deal. Vino’s, 9 p.m., $8. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

Tragikly White. 18-and-older show. Revolution, 9 p.m. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Tuxedo Flamethrowers. Fox And Hound, 10 p.m., $5-$10. 2800 Lakewood Village, NLR. 501-753-8300. www.foxandhound.com/locations/north-little-rock.aspx.

Tyrannosaurus Chicken. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Vagabond Swing. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Center, through Jan. 22, 10 a.m., $5. 7 Statehouse Plaza. 501-765-1423.

Diamond Dames Burly-Q Revue. Includes dancers from Memphis and Hot Springs and local comedian Amy Pannell serving as emcee.

Ages 18 and older. Juanita’s, 9:30 p.m., $10.

614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www. juanitas.com.

Falun Gong meditation. Allsopp Park, 9 a.m., free. Cantrell & Cedar Hill Roads.

Little Rock Bar Battles. Featuring competitive video game playing. Downtown Music Hall, 12 p.m., $10. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownshows.homestead.com.

Rally for Reproductive Justice. State Capitol, 1 p.m. 425 W. Capitol Ave. 501-324-8900. arkleg.state.ar.us.

Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Conference. See Jan. 18.

COMEDY

Billy Joe Shaver, Amy Garland, Mark Currey.

Revolution, 7:30 p.m., $15 adv., $20 d.o.s. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom. com.

Captured Live from The Met: “The Enchanted Island.” Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA, 2 p.m., $15. 350 S. Donaghey, Conway.

Darling Parade, Boom the Wheel. All-agesshow. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8:30 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www. stickyfingerz.com.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

Carl Strong, Geoff Tate. The Loony Bin, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road.

501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

Arkansas First Lego League regional tournament. Clinton Presidential Center. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 370-8000. www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org.

Arkansas Marine Expo. Statehouse Convention

LECTURES

“What to Look for When Buying Art.” Talk by gallery owner Greg Thompson. Reservations are required; call 501-664-2787 or e-mail at info@ gregthompsonfineart.com. Greg Thompson Fine Art, 1 p.m., $10. 429 Main St., NLR. 501664-2787.

POETRY

POWER! Poetry Slam. Vino’s, 7 p.m., $5. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

SPORTS

Horse racing. Oaklawn. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411. www.oaklawn.com.

BOOKS

Richard Ledbetter. The author will sign his new book, “The Witness Tree 1910.” WordsWorth Books & Co., 1 p.m. 5920 R St. 501-663-9198. www.wordsworthbooks.org.

SUNDAY, JAN. 22

MUSIC

A&E NEWS, CONT. ter named George W. Bush, will get a pre-release sneak peek at the Athena Film Festival in New York City on Feb. 10. The film was co-directed by former Little Rock Film Festival executive director Jack Lofton, and executive-produced by Little Rock Zoo spokesperson Susan Altrui and El Dorado’s Margy Merkle Niel. Niel, Altrui, and co-directors Lofton and Keith Patterson will participate in a panel discussion about the film immediately after the screening. Altrui says the film — the first full-length documentary about Richards, who served one term as Texas governor from 1991 to 1995 and died in 2006 — is almost complete as of this writing. Featured in the film are interviews with Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, Nancy Pelosi,

Bill Clinton, Michael Dukakis, Paul Begala, Richards’ daughter and Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards, former Texas Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby and others. The Athena Film Festival — sponsored by the Athena Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard College — runs this year from Feb. 9 -12, and spotlights films about women.

WAKARUSA LAST WEEK MADE its sec-

ond round of lineup announcements.

Some of the headliners announced include Primus, Umphrey’s McGee (two sets), Girl Talk, Fitz & The Tantrums, Big Gigantic, The Del McCoury Band, Quixotic (two sets), Tea Leaf Green, Gary Clark Jr., Iration, Blitzen Trapper, Emmitt-Nershi Band (two sets) and VibeSquaD (two sets).

2011 Winner Tyrannosaurus Chicken

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»»Wes Patterson (9pm) »»Tsar Bomba (10pm) »»War Chief (11pm) »»Se7en Sharp (midnight)

»»Wooden Toys (9pm) »»Swampbird (10pm) »»Joey Farr & the Fuggins Wheat Band (11pm) »»Quadkiller (midnight)

»»Trasspassers (9:30pm) »»Laundry for the Apocalypse (10:30pm) »»Ben Franks & the Bible Belt Boys (11:30pm) »»Jab Jab Sucker Punch (12:30am)

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JANUARY 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

‘EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE’: 9/11. Remember how sad that was? No? Well how about this movie based on a book about a preciously precocious young boy with Asperger’s whose dad was killed in the attacks and who believes his father has left him clues which, if he could only unravel, would somehow shed light on what it all means? Would that remind you? Oh, and the kid (Thomas Horn) is named Oskar (hint, hint).

Market Street Cinema times at or after 9 p.m. are for Friday and Saturday only. Rave times are valid for Friday only. Breckinridge Village 10, Chenal 9, Lakewood 8, Movies 10 and Riverdale 10 showings were not available as of press deadline. Find up-to-date listings at arktimes.com.

NEW MOVIES The Artist (PG-13) – This meta-homage to the black-and-white silent films of yore concerns a silent film star whose career is jeopardized by the advent of talkies. With Jean Dujardin.

Market Street: 2:00, 4:20, 7:00, 9:15. Rave: 10:45 a.m., 1:30, 4:00, 7:00, 9:45.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (PG-13) – A young boy tries to unravel a secret message from his dad, who died in 9/11. With Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock. Rave: 10:40 a.m., 1:45, 4:45, 8:00, 11:05.

Haywire (R) – Ass-kicking girl action flick from director Steven Soderbergh.

With Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor. Rave: 10:15 a.m., 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 8:05, 10:30, 11:30.

Red Tails (PG-13) – The story of the AfricanAmerican WWII pilots of the Tuskegee training program. With Cuba Gooding Jr. Rave: 10:20 a.m., 1:15, 2:15, 4:15, 5:15, 7:15, 7:45, 8:15, 10:15, 11:15, 11:30.

Shame (R) – Starring Michael Fassbender as a sex addict whose life spirals out of control.

Market Street: 1:45, 4:00, 7:00, 9:15.

Underworld: Awakening (R) – Ass-kicking vampire girl action flick from directors Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein. With Kate Beckinsale. Rave: 10:30 a.m., 5:55 (2D), noon, 1:00, 2:30, 3:30, 5:00, 7:30, 8:30, 10:00, 11:00, 11:25.

RETURNING THIS WEEK Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (G) – That rascally Alvin is at it again, driving Dave

crazy and making him scream “ALVIN!” Only this time it’s on a cruise ship. Also, Alvin raps.

Rave: 10:15 a.m., 3:20, 5:55.

Beauty and the Beast (G) – It’s Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” in 3D. Rave: 10:35 a.m., 1:10, 3:35, 6:30, 9:05.

Carnage (R) – Roman Polanski’s latest stars Kate Winslet and Jodie Foster as parents of a bully and victim who try – and fail – to reach a peaceable solution to their children’s playground dispute. Market Street: 1:45, 4:00, 6:45, 9:00.

Contraband (R) – Marky Mark has to return to his life of drug-running to save his boneheaded brother-in-law from gangsters. Rave: 11:05 a.m., 1:55, 4:55, 7:45, 8:45, 10:25, 11:25.

The Descendants (R) – Clooney inches ever closer to making his “About Schmidt” in this tale of furrowed-browed, middle-aged soulsearching set in scenic Hawaii. Rave: 12:05, 2:45, 5:45, 8:40, 11:20.

The Devil Inside (R) – Great INXS song; terrible horror movie. Rave: 11:50 a.m., 2:10, 4:50, 7:05, 9:20.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (R) – The first in a series of film adaptations of Stieg Larsson’s best-selling Millennium Trilogy, directed by David Fincher (“Seven,” “The Social Network,” “Zodiac”). Rave: 11:35 a.m., 4:05, 10:45.

The Iron Lady (PG-13) – Has Meryl Streep ever been bad in a movie? This movie about Margaret Thatcher hasn’t gotten very good reviews, but apparently Streep’s performance redeems it. Rave: 10:15 a.m., 12:45, 3:45, 6:35, 9:10.

Joyful Noise (PG-13) – It’s Queen Latifah vs.

Dolly Parton in a no-holds-barred sass-off that won’t end until the movie is over. Rave: 10:20 a.m., 1:05, 3:55, 6:50, 9:40.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (PG-13) – Ol’ Middle-tooth is back in this, the fourth MI flick, which supposedly is really good with killer

special effects and action sequences. Rave: 10:25 a.m., 1:35, 4:40, 7:50, 10:55.

My Week with Marilyn (R) – Starring Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe circa 1956. Market Street: 2:00, 4:15, 7:15, 9:15.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (R) – Robert Downey Jr. once more stars as Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law as his trusty sidekick Dr. Watson. Rave: 10:25 a.m., 1:25, 4:25, 7:35, 10:40.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (R) – Gary Oldman stars as a fallen British spy in this smart, economical adaptation of John Le Carré’s cold war classic. Rave: 11:00 a.m., 2:00, 5:05, 8:25, 11:20.

War Horse (PG-13) – A horse named Joey and a young man called Albert form an unbreakable bond that carries them through the battlefields of World War I. Rave: 12:25 p.m.

We Bought a Zoo (PG) – They sure did. Made a movie about it, too, if I’m not mistaken. With Matt Damon. Rave: 11:15 a.m.

Young Adult (R) – Charlize Theron stars as an unlikeable former prom queen turned desperate old hag who has returned to her small hometown to try to woo back her now happily married old flame. Market Street: 2:15, 4:25, 6:45, 9:00.

Chenal 9 IMAX Theatre: 17825 Chenal Parkway, 821-2616, www.dtmovies.com.

Cinemark Movies 10: 4188 E. McCain Blvd., 945-7400, www.cinemark.com.

Cinematown Riverdale 10: Riverdale Shopping Center, 296-9955, www.riverdale10.com.

Lakewood 8: 2939 Lakewood Village Drive, 7585354, www.fandango.com.

Market Street Cinema: 1521 Merrill Drive, 312-8900, www.marketstreetcinema.net.

Rave Colonel Glenn 18: 18 Colonel Glenn Plaza, 687-0499, www.ravemotionpictures.com.

Regal Breckenridge Village 12: 1-430 and Rodney Parham, 224-0990, www.fandango.com.

MOVIE REVIEW

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‘Contraband’ mines familiar territory.

BY SAM EIFLING

S

omehow “Contraband” manages to weave in every cliche of the heist movie without making them feel like they’re being pulled off the high shelf and dusted off. We learn in the first five minutes that the hero, Chris, played by a tumor-serious Mark Wahlberg, used to be awesome at smuggling, that he (heart)s his family, that he’s now retired from smuggling, but that he will need to make One Last Big Score if he’s going to escape the life forever. We find this out because he and some buddies talk about smuggling Ferraris while they whoop it up at a wedding reception (family!). There they also find out that Chris’ young brother-in-law Andy (Caleb Landry Jones) has angered some very bad guys by ditching some coke he was smuggling when the fuzz raided the boat he was riding in. This puts Chris in the position of having to come up with a large quantity of money to pay back a violent scuzzbag named Briggs, played by a restraining-order-ready Giovanni Ribisi.

Not convinced you’ve seen this one before? The black dude dies first. Case rested.

But “Contraband” winds up more fun than it sounds. In the end, it gets points for taking on a strangely underrepresented area of crime cinema. The job in question requires Chris and Andy to hop a freighter in New Orleans and hustle down to Panama, allowing director Baltasar Kormakur, an Icelander, to pack us into the claustrophobic confines of a cargo ship. While Chris and a few well-placed accomplices move about like cockroaches, on the way to rendezvousing with some highly unsavory sorts in Panama, the walls close in.

Briggs is making threats against Chris’ wife (Kate Beckinsale) and young sons, time is short, and Chris’ BFF Sebastian (Ben Foster) is doing not the best job of keeping the family safe back in N’awlins.

The tone and the pace work, as does the bluesy soundtrack and the dash of cinéma vérité to keep the proceedings a touch offkilter. Even on the allegedly dry land of south Louisiana, we always feel the sway of a ship beneath us.

Ribisi and Wahlberg turn in strong enough performances that their rivalry should’ve formed a tighter core to the tension. The shady underbelly of container shipping could’ve made for a better procedural. Instead, on its Panama trip, “Contraband” lists into shoot-’emup territory, then back into a blue-collar but less surprising “Ocean’s Eleven.” If a movie can be simultaneously over-written (action sequences, smuggling drama) and underwritten (does no one have anything unexpected to say?) then “Contraband” hits the sweet spot. Even in small touches, it errs. When Briggs is sending photos and voicemails that Andy’s picking up seamlessly on his mobile in a Panamanian slum, you wonder at the roaming plan the kid scored before leaving port.

At least the grit often feels right. The cursory glance that customs agents give to some suspect cargo containers is a reminder of how thin port security is, not just in the U.S. but in most places. All these ships, sluicing in and out of oceans and rivers — they have the feel of something persistent and unexplored. It’s only because “Contraband” seems to get so much right in those depictions that the movie feels disappointing for overreaching into different subplots. A more sinister version of “Contraband” would’ve relied less on lucky coincidences and manufactured family drama and stuck closer to the crimes in question. That movie would be darker and more frightening.

But good luck smuggling that film into the multiplex.

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29

AFTER DARK, CONT. Karaoke. Shorty Small’s, 6-9 p.m. 1475 Hogan Lane, Conway. 501-764-0604. www.shortysmalls.com.

Porter’s Sunday Jazz Brunch. Porter’s Jazz Cafe, 10 a.m. 315 Main St. 501-324-1900. www.portersjazzcafe.com.

Sunday Jazz Brunch with Ted Ludwig and Joe Cripps. Vieux Carre, 11 a.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.vieuxcarrecafe.com.

E R U T A NSAS MK A R A 2012 ARY 5, JANU

MINGS E L F C VI S “TALE ADDM THE IS FRO TH” TO H. SOU ERTOIRE REEP8

COMEDY

A.J. Finney. UARK Bowl, 7 p.m., $5-$7. 644 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-283-5282. www. uarkballroom.com.

EVENTS

PAG

Your Keep Sharp Brain 11-13 PAGE

in D Vitam te Upda 6 PAGE

Mature arkansas IN ALSO UE S S I S THI

d Vets Retire ess cc Get A 4 PAGE

M AT

UR E

AR KA

NS AS

JA NU

AR Y 5,

20 12

1

CELEBRATES your achievements and inspirational stories ADVOCATES for you and your concerns—social, financial, political ENTERTAINS by featuring the best in events, dining, culture, volunteering, so you can live life to the fullest EDUCATES with health and consumer news to stay healthy, independent, and ready to embrace new beginnings and opportunities

Central Arkansas weekly distribution — Find us in Pulaski, Saline, Garland and Faulkner counties.

If you are interested in learning more about Mature Arkansas or how you could reach Arkansas’s seniors, please contact us at matureaarkansas@arktimes.com; Anne Wasson, Editor, or Katherine Daniels, Director of Sales, at 501-375-2985.

M ARKAATNUSRAE DECEMBER

URE MKAATN SAS R DECEMBER

8, 2011

A

S

THE LO ’S POETIC FPT IS BUT A AST PRELUDE

ETS SENIOR CPE N A H N E SENIORHS’ HEALTATURE DECEMB

MKANSAS AR ALSO IN E THIS ISSU

ly You A Gift On Can Give PAGE 7

A Novel Idea PAGE 11

ARK ANS MAT URE

AS

DECE MBER

8, 2011

ALSO IN THIS ISSU E 1

S

Recognize Holiday Depressio Comfort n PAGE 11 Foods PAGES 12 & 13 MAT URE

AS

DECE MBER

The Gift of Giving PAGE 6 MAT URE

Up the Cheering ients Smallest Pat PAGE 13 ARK ANS

AS

DECE MBER

22, 2011

ALSO IN THIS ISSU E 1

Good Neighb or Shiloh PAGE 4

Countdow n to Christma s PAGE 6 MAT URE

AS

DECE MBER

facebook.com/maturearkansas JANUARY 18, 2012

1

Cold Season Advice PAGE G 14 ARK ANS

Like us on Facebook!

30

15, 2011

A fundrais er for publi c radio Page 8

THINGS MAKING ENJOYS FOR THE REGION HAPPEN 8 ge Pa Linked to n Diabetes Depressio Dementia, PAGE 4

ARK ANS

TWO JEWISH G CHANUKAUYS SPECIAL H

MAYORYS PAT HAS ENJOY B HIS JO ALSO IN E THIS ISSU

Countdow n to Christma s PAGE 6

ARKANSAS TIMES

Horse racing. Oaklawn. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411. www.oaklawn.com.

MONDAY, JAN. 23

MUSIC

Karaoke. Thirst n’ Howl, 8:30 p.m. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl.com.

Monroe Crossing. Collins Theatre, 7 p.m., $5 suggested donation. 120 West Emerson St., Paragould.

Tom Cox. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Touch, Grateful Dead Tribute. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Traditional Irish Music Session. Khalil’s Pub, Fourth and second Monday of every month, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com.

LECTURES

Preservation Conversations: Historic Schools of Little Rock. Presented by Rachel Silva with the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.

Curran Hall, 5 p.m., Free. 615 E. Capitol. 501370-3290.

“The Ultimate Weapon of Mass Construction.”

Filmmaker Louie Psihoyos, director of the 2009 Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove,” will discuss the role of filmmakers in activism.

Clinton School of Public Service, 6 p.m., free.

1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www. clintonschool.uasys.edu.

MUSIC

1, 2011

IT'S A HO T SPRING S STORY Page 8

a Choosing Laptop Desktop or PAGE 14

SPORTS

TUESDAY, JAN. 24

M ARKAATNUSRAE DECEMBER

1 ER 22, 201

Page 8

K CITY LITTLE ROCJOAN ADCOCK DIRECTORN, ANIMAL R. WITH RAIDOG OF THE YEAN VILLAGE BRIAN CHILSO PHOTO BY

15, 2011

34th Annual March for Life. State Capitol, 2 p.m. 425 W. Capitol Ave. 501-324-8900. arkleg.state.ar.us.

Arkansas Marine Expo. Statehouse Convention Center, 10 a.m., $5. 7 Statehouse Plaza. 501765-1423.

1, 2011

1

Gringo Star. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Gypsy Lumberjacks. 18-and-older show. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Jeff Long. Khalil’s Pub, 6 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Karaoke Night. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8 p.m.

314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Karaoke Tuesday. Prost, 8 p.m., free. 120 Ottenheimer. 501-244-9550.

Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Lucious Spiller Band. Copeland’s, 6-9 p.m. 2602 S. Shackleford Road. 501-312-1616. www.cope-

landsofneworleans.com.

Tuesday Jam Session with Carl Mouton. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

DANCE

“Latin Night.” Revolution, 7 p.m., $5 regular, $7 under 21. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-8230090. www.revroom.com.

EVENTS

Tales from the South. Authors tell true stories; get schedule at www.talesfromthesouth. com. Dinner served 5-6:30 p.m., show at 7 p.m.

Reserve at 501-372-7976. Starving Artist Cafe.

411 N. Main St., NLR. 501-372-7976. www.starvingartistcafe.net.

Trivia Bowl. Flying Saucer, 8:30 p.m. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-7468. www. beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock.

THIS WEEK IN THEATER

“Driving Miss Daisy.” This play about a 72-yearold Jewish widow and her African-American chauffeur was the basis for the Academy Award-winning film starring Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy. Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, through Jan. 29: Tue.-Sat., 6 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Wed., Jan. 18, 11 a.m.; Wed., Jan. 25, 11 a.m., $15-$33. 6323 Col. Glenn Road.

501-562-3131. murrysdinnerplayhouse.com.

“Goldilocks” and “Little Red Riding Hood.”

Arkansas Arts Center, through Feb. 5: Fri., Sat., 7 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m., $11-$14. 501 E. 9th St. 501372-4000. www.arkarts.com.

“The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later.” A follow-up to “The Laramie Project,” based on interviews with residents of Laramie, Wyo., as well as those involved with the brutal 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student. The Weekend Theater, through Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m.; through Jan. 28, 7:30 p.m., $12$16. 1001 W. 7th St. 501-374-3761. www.weekendtheater.org.

GALLERIES, MUSEUMS

NEW EXHIBITIONS, EVENTS

GREG THOMPSON FINE ART, 429 Main St., NLR: “16th Anniversary Exhibition,” work

by Rebecca Thompson, William Dunlap, Glennray Tutor, Robyn Horn, Ed Rice, Carroll Cloar and others, open 5-8 p.m.

Jan. 20, Argenta ArtWalk, lecture by Greg Thompson, “What to look for when buying art,” at 1 p.m. Jan. 21, $10, reserve at 664-2787 or info@gregthompsonfineart.com. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. 920-2778.

GALLERY 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “Dream, Float, Burn,” recent paintings by Stephen Cefalo, opening reception 7-10 p.m. Jan. 21, with live music by Eli Ramsey, continues through March 10. 664-8996.

KETZ GALLERY, 705 Main St., NLR: “Out of the Box Show and Sale,” work by Sulac, Matthew Gore and other area artists, open 5-8 p.m. Jan. 20, Argenta ArtWalk. 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.Fri., 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 529-6330.

THEA CENTER, 401 Main St., NLR: “Modern Day Diana,” photographs by Margaret LeJeune; sale of ceramic bowls by students of Matt Teravest of Hall High School and Bonni Mogstad of Parkview Magnet High School to benefit Arkansas Food Bank; also music by Handmade Moments, 5:30-8 p.m. Jan. 20, Argenta Artwalk. 379-9512.

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK: “Life Forms,” drawings, photographs and bronze, stone and wood sculpture by Michael Warrick, Gallery II, through Feb. 26; “UALR Faculty Biennial,” work by full and part-time studio faculty, Gallery I, through March 7. Reception

AFTER DARK, CONT.

BENTONVILLE SUGAR GALLERY, 114 Central Ave.: “US, An Undergraduate Salon,” works by students at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Jan. 19-Feb. 17, opening reception 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Jan. 20. 2-6 p.m. Thu., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 479-273-5305.

CONWAY UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS, Baum Gallery: “Environments: Interrogating Space,” multi-media installations by Annie Strader, Matthew Weedman, Ryan Mulligan and Anna Vaughn; “New Work: Color Portraits,” digital photography by Donna Pinckley, Jan. 19-Feb. 26, receptions 4-6 p.m.

Jan. 19, 4-7 p.m. Feb. 3. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.Wed. and Fri., 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tue. 501-450-5793.

FAYETTEVILLE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS, Fine Arts Center Gallery: “Non-equilibrium,” drawings by Carol Prusa, through Feb. 10; lecture by the artist 5:30 p.m. Jan. 26, room 213, Fine Arts Center. 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 2-5 Sun. 479-575-7987.

JONESBORO ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY, Bradbury Gallery: “2012 Delta National Small Prints Exhibition,” juried show, opens with reception 5 p.m. Jan. 19, show through Feb. 17. Noon-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 2-5 p.m. Sun. 870-972-2567.

MOUNTAIN HOME ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY AT MOUNTAIN HOME: Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement, kiosks, companion brochures, artist’s rendering of images from the struggle for equality, Gaston Lobby of Roller Hall, through Feb. 3. 870-508-6208.

CONTINUING EXHIBITS ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER: “Horizons Interrupted,” work by Piet Mondrian, Arthur Davies, Hayley Lever and others, guest curated from the permanent collection by Norwood Creech, through March 11. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 372-4000.

THE ART LOFT, 1525 Merrill Drive: Work by Dan Thornhill, Catherine Rodgers, Patrick Cunningham, Rosemary Parker, Kelly Furr, Melody Lile and others, with music by Rico Novales. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sat. 251-1131.

BUTLER CENTER GALLERIES, Arkansas Studies Institute: National Museum of Women in the Arts’ “Women to Watch,” work by Janet Frankovic, Endia Gomez, Nikki Hemphill, Thu Nguyen, Ruth Pasquine, Deborah Warren and Emily Wood, through April 28; “Ark in the Dark: An Exhibition of Vintage Movie Posters about Arkansas,” 35 posters for films dating between 1926 and 2009, from the collection of Ron Robinson, through Feb. 25; “Leon Niehues: 21st Century Basketmaker,” through Jan. 28. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 320-5790.

CANTRELL GALLERY, 8206 Cantrell Road: “Cinematic Rails: Trains in the Movies,” movie set photographs by J.P. Bell, through March 3. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 224-1335.

CHROMA GALLERY, 5707 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Work by Robert Reep and other Arkansas artists. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 664-0880.

HEARNE FINE ART, 1001 Wright Ave.: Sculpture and drawings by Chukes. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat. 372-6822.

HEIGHTS GALLERY, 5801 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Work by contemporary Arkansas artists, gifts.

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 664-2772.

LAMAN LIBRARY, 2801 Orange St.: 2012 “Small Works on Paper,” juried show of 40 works, through Jan. 29. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.Thu., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. L&L BECK GALLERY, 5705 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “Landscapes,” originals and Old Master reproductions by Louis Beck, through January.

10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 660-4006.

LOCAL COLOUR GALLERY, 5811 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Art and jewelry by members of artists’ cooperative. 265-0422.

M2GALLERY, 11525 Cantrell: Work by Lisa Krannichfeld, Michelle Mikesell, Ann Laser, Joan Heiden, Frank Milo, Jason Gammel, Chris Hill, Richards Sutton, Robin John Tucker, Zilon Lazer, Toby Penney, Kathy Bay, Keith Newton and others. 225-6257.

REFLECTIONS GALLERY AND FINE FRAMING, 11220 Rodney Parham Road: Work by local and national artists. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. 227-5659.

SHOWROOM, 2313 Cantrell Road: Work by area artists, including Sandy Hubler. 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri. 372-7373.

STATE CAPITOL: “Arkansans in the Korean War,” 32 photographs, lower-level foyer. 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat.Sun. STEPHANO’S FINE ART, 5501 Kavanaugh Blvd.: New work by Stephano, Thom Bierdz, Tony Dow, Kelley Naylor-Wise, Michael A. Darr, Mike Gaines, G. Peebles, Steven Thomas, Alexis Silk, Paula Wallace and Ron Logan. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 1-5 p.m.

Sun. 563-4218.

ONGOING MUSEUM EXHIBITS CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CENTER, 1200 President Clinton Ave.: “The Art of the Brick,” LEGO sculpture by Nathan Sawaya, through Feb. 12; exhibits about policies and White House life during the Clinton administration. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $7 adults; $5 college students, seniors, retired military; $3 ages 6-17.

370-8000.

HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM, 200 E. Third St.: “Found-Fired-Formed: Sarah May Leflar, Donna Uptigrove and Amber Uptigrove,” through Feb. 5; “Tesseract Dancing: Brett Anderson and Emily Galusha,” through Feb. 5; “Reel to Real: ‘Gone with the Wind’ and the Civil War in Arkansas,” artifacts from the Shaw-Tumblin collection, through April 30. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9351.

MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER, Ninth and Broadway: “Soul Sanctuary — Images of the African American Worship Experience,” artifacts and photos from the museum collection; permanent exhibits on African-American entrepreneurial history in Arkansas. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 683–3593.

MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY, 500 President Clinton Ave.: “Dinosaur Discoveries: Ancient Fossils, New Ideas.” 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun., $10 ages 12 and older, $8 ages 1-11, free under 1. 396-7050.

CALL FOR ENTRIES

“The Art of Science and the Science of Art” is the name of the Arkansas Darwin Day 2012 competition. Artworks should illustrate the relationship between art and science. Artists may submit up to two works in various media.

Registration is $10 per artist and the deadline to enter is Feb. 1. For more information, go to arkansasdarwinday.org.

‘Laramie Project’ a catalyst for dialogue

BY CHEREE FRANCO

“T

he Laramie Project: Ten Years Later,” now playing at The Weekend Theater, is an addendum to the original Laramie Project.

In 1998 Matthew Shepard, a 21-yearold, openly gay University of Wyoming student was robbed, tied to a fence post and beaten to death by a couple of acquaintances. Afterwards, members of New York’s Tectonic Theater Project interviewed Laramie community members and university professors, as well as Matthew Shepard’s friends, family and the men who murdered Shepard. Those interviews were compiled in a script and performed by a small cast, often with nothing but a quick intro, accent change or prop to distinguish among characters. This updated show follows the same structure, but the script is based on interviews occurring a decade after the crime.

It’s an interesting premise — art based on journalism, per se, that isn’t burdened by journalism principles of non-bias and accurate presentation.

You hear the words of those closest to the crime, but you can’t read their body language, expressions and intonations.

Instead, you see an actor’s interpretation of those words, which brings an entirely different insight.

Alan Douglas, who plays, among other characters, a priest and a Republican congressman, gives an unmistakably queer performance. Throughout the play, his gestures are feminine, his accent affected — he hits all the gay cliches. It implicates the underlying theoretical queerness of many institutions. Queer simply means a deviation from the politically/socially defined norm. Catholic priests are asexual, pledging their allegiance in body and mind to God alone. They are the ultimate patriarchal figures, yet they are emasculated, and their lifestyle is unconventional.

Bipartisan politics represent a deviation, either right or left of center. One of Shephard’s killers is Mormon. Mormonism, with its acceptance of polytheism, its concept of blood atonement, and its mandated missionary journey, is a deviation from social norms. Were “The Laramie Project” a filmed documentary, the priest might not come across as effeminate and the congressman might not come across as a southern dandy, because possibly, that’s not who these people are. Having these real folks portrayed as characters highlights the cycles of queerness we all exist in, every day. Understanding that queerness — our personal queerness,

BYRON TAYLOR

2-4:30 p.m. Jan. 22. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sat., 2-5 p.m. Sun. 569-8977.

THEATRE REVIEW

‘THE LARAMIE PROJECT: TEN YEARS LATER’: Sally Graham, Johnnie Brannon, Regi Ott and, seated, Alan Douglas star in The Weekend Theater’s production.

which may not be based on sex or gender — is crucial to restructuring deep-rooted thought patterns that lead to contempt and ultimately, hate crimes.

In “The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later,” Laramie comes across as a backwoods, low-income town, with an agriculture university serving as a liberal bastion and a haven for alternative lifestyles (at least among faculty). It’s a recognizable place, as a town where many of us might have lived or worked. Town opinion is mixed, but people of all shades are weary of being defined by this single incident. Sometimes Shepard’s murder is understood as something less shameful and more empathetic than a hate crime — a drug related robbery gone bad. Surprisingly, the cops come off as more progressive than local and national media.

“The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later” is an excellent catalyst for discussion and further research. Afterwards, you’ll want to know more about Matthew Shepard and Laramie, Wyoming. You’ll want to know more about civil rights, hate crimes, LGBT politics and queer theory.

The changing characters were a bit confusing, and some actors were better than others, but overall, The Weekend Theater manages an engaging performance.

Thus far, it also promises to be a popular performance. Saturday’s performance was sold out, and the crowds was diverse — a range of ages, attire and (displayed) sexual preference. www.arktimes.com

JANUARY 18, 2012

31

Dining

BELLY UP Check out the Times’ food blog, Eat Arkansas arktimes.com

WHAT’S COOKIN’ REMODELING WORK has begun

at the historic Packet House on Cantrell Road for the Packet House Grill, building owner Betty Richards said Monday, and work is scheduled to be complete by late May or early June.

The bottom floor of what was, a home in the 19th century and in later incarnations served as apartments, a restaurant and a private business, will be used as the dining area. The second floor will be a private party area available for such things as weddings, Richards, CEO of Rich Logistics trucking firm, said.

Chef and manager will be Wesley Ellis, inventor of Wesley’s Mojo Barbecue Sauce. sloppy-burger, fries and onionrings joint that has been out at 10721 Kanis Road in West Little Rock for several years, is pulling up stakes and moving to a new location at 7710 Cantrell Road, near the intersection of Cantrell and Mississippi.

Burger Mama’s new digs will serve the same menu and will be a sit-down restaurant. It was scheduled to open in its new location on Tuesday.

DINING CAPSULES

AMERICAN

ADAMS CATFISH CATERING Catering company with carry-out restaurant in Little Rock and carry-out trailers in Russellville and Perryville. 215 N. Cross St. All CC. $-$$. 501-374-4265. LD Tue.-Sat. ALLEY OOPS The restaurant at Creekwood Plaza (near the KanisBowman intersection) is a neighborhood feedbag for major medical institutions with the likes of plate lunches, burgers and homemade desserts. Remarkable Chess Pie. 11900 Kanis Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-221-9400. LD Mon.-Sat. B-SIDE The little breakfast place in the former party room of Lilly’s DimSum Then Some turns tradition on its ear, offering French toast wrapped in bacon on a stick, a must-have dish called “biscuit mountain” and beignets with lemon curd. Top notch cheese grits, too. 11121 Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$.

501-716-2700. BL Wed.-Sun. BAR LOUIE This chain’s first Arkansas outlet features a something-for-everybody menu so broad and varied to be almost schizophrenic. 11525 Cantrell Road, Suite 924. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-228-0444. LD daily. 11525 Cantrell Road.

BIG WHISKEY’S AMERICAN BAR AND GRILL A modern grill pub in the River Market with all the bells and whistles: 30 flat-screen TVs, boneless wings, whiskey 32

JANUARY 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

BURGER MAMA’S, the big-and-

MEAT-LOVERS REJOICE: Grady’s grinder is loaded.

Grady’s abides Thanks to a successful formula.

I

n one of the most fickle industries, Grady’s Pizza and Subs marked 30 years in business in 2011. It’s spent all this time in a nondescript strip center on a nondescript section of 12th Street between Mississippi and University. Whether it has thrived or merely survived across those three decades is hard to know from a distance, but the fact is Grady’s has outlived almost all the competitors who were around in 1981. So it’s clearly doing things right.

It makes good business sense to stick with a successful formula, and Grady’s is fairly straightforward: The menu has remained consistent — with some additions — with an unwavering commitment to popular items. Prices are reasonable. Many things are made in-house, even some of the breads.

Among items purchased from foodservice companies there is a commitment to quality ingredients (a friend in

the business says the cheese Grady’s uses on its pizza is higher-quality and about 40 percent more expensive than what almost all other pizza places use).

Service is friendly and casual, as is the ambiance. And the beer is cold.

Based on the size of a weekday, holiday-season lunch crowd — mostly working-class with some white-collar folks mixed in — the formula continues to work.

So many among the group of friends recruited for our visit wanted the Grady’s Grinder that we drew straws, and the competition to see who would get to eat pizza was equally intense.

So we spared another straw-drawing exercise and ordered a large pie for the table. Turns out those two tried-andtrue Grady’s stalwarts exceeded their lofty reputations and were proclaimed “best-in-meal.”

The grinder ($7.25 for a whole and

$6 for a half, a no-brainer choice) — is a meat-lover’s dream with multiple slices of ham, salami, turkey and roast beef, all top-quality and accented simply with lettuce, tomato, mayo and mustard.

While there are four bread choices, go for the homemade onion roll, which is soft, tasty and not over-the-top oniony.

Grady’s pizza strategy is to be all things to all people, and it works. You can go as traditional as you want, or as avant garde. Don’t want the traditional red sauce? Try alfredo … or a garlic and olive oil glaze … or (believe it or not) a salsa/sour cream base … or even a ranch or bleu cheese or buffalo sauce base (as is offered on the Buffalo Chicken pizza). Regular crust bores you? Upgrade to multi-grain for $1.15 or go gluten-free for an extra 85 cents (11-inch only). Choose a predefined combination of ingredients or mix and match between 10 meats, 13 veggies and two fruits.

Traditionalists (keep your pineapple, dried cranberries and baked chicken breast the hell away from our pizza!), we opted for the 16-inch North St. Louis Special ($18.95), and absolutely loved it. It matches chunks of sweetish, fennel-rich Italian sausage with green olives, green peppers and strings of fabulous purple onion, topped with the “Steve’s favorite” blend of cheeses, which adds cheddar to mozzarella. You can go all-mozzarella at Grady’s, but if you haven’t tried Steve’s blend, you owe it to yourself to give it a whirl. This pizza features that hardto-achieve combination of crisp, thin crust with ample ingredients. It is one of the best in town.

An unexpected delight was the soup of the day, which was chicken and dumplings, more like a hearty main course than a soup. We got it with the half-sandwich for $7.30, quite the deal.

It was as good as we’ve had — rich and thick with plenty of shredded chicken and small, firm dumplings.

Everything at Grady’s is decent, but not everything soars. The Italian cheese bread appetizer ($7.95 with marinara) was touted, but we found it boring, like a small, not-quite-crisp, cheese pizza with the sauce on the side. It was helped by a healthy dose of garlic. The chicken salad (like all sandwiches, it’s priced the same as the grinder) is homemade, but it was too finely chopped for our liking, had too much pickle and, unless our

Information in our restaurant capsules reflects the opinions of the newspaper staff and its reviewers. The newspaper accepts no advertising or other considerations in exchange for reviews, which are conducted anonymously. We invite the opinions of readers who think we are in error.

on tap. Plus, the usual burgers, steaks, soups and salads. 225 E. Markham. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-324-2449. LD daily.

BOBBY’S COUNTRY COOKIN’ One of the better plate lunch spots in the area, with some of the best fried chicken and pot roast around, a changing daily casserole and wonderful homemade pies. 301 N. Shackleford Road, Suite E1. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-2249500. L Mon.-Fri. BOGIE’S BAR AND GRILL The former Bennigan’s retains a similar theme: a menu filled with burgers, salads and giant desserts, plus a few steak, fish and chicken main courses.

There are big screen TVs for sports fans and lots to drink, more reason to return than the food. 120 W. Pershing Blvd. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-812-0019. D daily.

BUFFALO GRILL A great crispy-off-the-griddle cheeseburger and hand-cut fries star at this family-friendly stop. 1611 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, CC. $$. 501-296-9535. LD daily.

400 N. Bowman Road. Full bar, Beer, All CC. $$. 501-224-0012. LD daily.

CAFE 201 The hotel restaurant in the Crowne Plaza serves up a nice lunch buffet. 201 S. Shackleford Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-2233000. LD daily.

CATFISH CITY AND BBQ GRILL Basic fried fish and sides, including green tomato pickles, and now with tasty ribs and sandwiches in beef, pork and sausage. 1817 S. University Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-7224.

LD Tue.-Sat. CHEERS Good burgers and sandwiches, vegetarian offerings and salads at lunch and fish specials, and good steaks in the evening. 2010 N. Van Buren. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-6635937. LD Mon.-Sat. 1901 Club Manor Drive.

Maumelle. Full bar, All CC. 501-851-6200. LD daily, BR Sun.

CORNERSTONE PUB & GRILL A sandwich, pizza and beer joint in the heart of North Little Rock’s Argenta district. 314 Main St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-374-1782. LD Mon.-Sat. DAVE AND RAY’S DOWNTOWN DINER Breakfast buffet daily featuring biscuits and gravy, home fries, sausage and made-toorder omelets. Lunch buffet with four choices of meats and eight veggies. 824 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol. $. 501-372-8816. BL Mon.-Fri. DOGTOWN COFFEE AND COOKERY Although the down-home name might suggest to some a down-home, meat-andthree kind of place, this is actually an up-todate sandwich, salad and fancy coffee kind of place, well worth a visit. 6725 John F. Kennedy Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-8333850. BL Mon.-Sun., BLD Fri.-Sat.,.

E’S BISTRO Despite the name, think tearoom rather than bistro — there’s no wine, for one thing, and there is tea. But there’s nothing tearoomy about the portions here. Try the heaping grilled salmon BLT on a buttery croissant. 3812 JFK Boulevard. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-771-6900.

FLIGHT DECK A not-your-typical daily lunch special highlights this spot, which also features inventive sandwiches, salads and a popular burger. Central Flying Service at Adams Field.

Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-375-3245. BL Mon.-Sat. GREEN CUISINE Daily specials and a small, solid menu of vegetarian fare. Try the crunchy quinoa salad. 985 West Sixth St. No alcohol, CC. $-$$. Serving.

KITCHEN EXPRESS Delicious “meat and three” restaurant offering big servings of homemade soul food. Maybe Little Rock’s best fried chicken. 4600 Asher Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-3500. BLD Mon.-Sat., LD Sun.

LETTI’S CAKES Soups, sandwiches and salads available at this cake, pie and cupcake bakery.

3700 JFK Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-708-7203. LD (closes at 6 p.m.) Mon.-Fri. L Sat. LYNN’S CHICAGO FOODS Outpost for Chicago specialties like Vienna hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches. Plus, other familiar fare — burgers and fried catfish, chicken nuggets and wings. 6501 Geyer Springs. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-568-2646. LD Mon.-Sat. MADDIE’S If you like your catfish breaded Cajun-style, your grits rich with garlic and cream and your oysters fried up in perfect puffs, this Cajun eatery on Rebsamen Park Road is the place for you. 1615 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-660-4040. LD Tue.-Sat. PHIL’S HAM AND TURKEY PLACE Fine hams, turkeys and other specialty meats served whole, by the pound or in sandwich form.

11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-225-2136. LD Mon.-Fri. L Sat. RESTAURANT 1620 Steaks, chops, a broad choice of fresh seafood and meal-sized salads are just a few of the choices on a broad menu at this popular and upscale West Little Rock bistro. It’s a romantic, candlelit room, elegant without being fussy or overly formal. 1620 Market St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-2211620. L Mon.-Fri., D Mon.-Sat., BR Sun. SAY MCINTOSH RESTAURANT Longtime political activist and restaurateur Robert “Say” McIntosh serves up big plates of soul food, plus burgers, barbecue and his famous sweet potato pie. 2801 W. 7th Street. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-664-6656. LD Mon.-Sat. L Sun. SIMPLY NAJIYYAH’S FISHBOAT AND MORE Good catfish and corn fritters. 2900 S. University Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-562-3474. Serving:.

SLICK’S SANDWICH SHOP & DELI Meat-

B Breakfast L Lunch D Dinner $ Inexpensive (under $8/person) $$ Moderate ($8-$20/person) $$$ Expensive (over $20/person) CC Accepts credit cards

and-two plate lunches in state office building.

101 E. Capitol Ave. 501-375-3420. L Mon.-Fri. SPECTATORS GRILL AND PUB Burgers, soups, salads and other beer food, plus live music on weekends. 1012 W. 34th St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-791-0990. LD Mon.-Sat. SPORTS PAGE Perhaps the largest, juiciest, most flavorful burger in town. Grilled turkey and hot cheese on sourdough gets praise, too.

Now with lunch specials. 414 Louisiana St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-9316. L Mon.-Fri. STARVING ARTIST CAFE All kinds of crepes, served as entrees or as dessert, in this cozy multidimensional eatery with art-packed walls and live demonstrations by artists during meals.

The Black Forest ham sandwich is a perennial favorite with the lunch crowd. Dinner menu changes daily, good wine list. “Tales from the South” dinner and readings on Tuesdays; live music precedes the show. 411 N. Main St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-372-7976. L Tue.-Sat., D Tue., Fri.-Sat. SUFFICIENT GROUNDS Great coffee, good bagels and pastries, and a limited lunch menu.

122 W. Capitol. No alcohol, CC. $. 501-3721009. BL Mon.-Fri. THE TAVERN SPORTS GRILL Burgers, barbecue and more. 17815 Chenal Parkway.

Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-830-2100. LD daily.

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE CAFE Besides the 30 different fruit smoothies on the menu, the cafe also serves wraps and sandwiches (many of them spicy) and salads. 10221 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-2242233. BLD daily.

VICTORIAN GARDEN We’ve found the fare quite tasty and somewhat daring and different with its healthy, balanced entrees and crepes.

4801 North Hills Blvd. NLR. $-$$. 501-758-4299.

L Tue.-Sat. CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

Grady’s Pizza and Subs 6801 W. 12th St., Suite C 663-1918 www.gradyslr.com

QUICK BITE The Grady’s Grinder is one of the classic sandwiches in town — a favorite for the three decades this pleasant 12th Street spot has been in business. It’s a meaty monster with ham, salami, roast beef and turkey, accented with lettuce, tomato, mayo and mustard. Even if you don’t think you can eat it all, the math guarantees you’ll pick the $7.25 whole vs. the $6 half.

HOURS 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

OTHER INFO Beer and wine. All credit cards accepted.

taste buds were off that day, featured Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise.

The muffaletta on the same fabulous onion roll had plenty of meat but was a bit short on olive salad. Its consumer pronounced the Italian sandwich a good choice, and an interesting one — ham, turkey and pepperoni topped with bell pepper, onion, lettuce, tomato and Italian dressing on a base of pizza sauce. The spaghetti with meat sauce ($9.25 with Italian toast and soup or salad) was solid but not spectacular.

A group of guys in full holiday-season gluttonous mode, it’s not surprising we didn’t get around to any of the 10 salads, many of them meal-sized. But we’ve heard good things about them from quantity and quality perspectives.

There are also wraps, chili, Frito pie and calzones — plenty of choices to satisfy all manners of taste and appetite for 30 years … and counting.

BRIAN CHILSON

DINING REVIEW, CONT.

HEARTY: Grady’s North St. Louis special. www.arktimes.com

JANUARY 18, 2012

33

CROSSWORD

DINING CAPSULES, CONT.

EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ Across 1 Metrosexual’s tote 7 “Doesn’t thrill me” 10 Top awards at los Juegos Olímpicos 14 Cuneiform discovery site 15 Geisha’s tie 16 Backing strip 17 Transplants, in a way 18 Make note of, with “down” 19 Cornell of Cornell University 20 Mesopotamia?

23 Role in “Son of Frankenstein” 24 Kind of fly, informally 25 ___ Paese cheese 28 Inconsistent root beer brand?

34 Red wine of Spain 36 Santa ___, Calif.

37 Qaddafi’s rise to power, e.g.

38 Vintners’ prefix 39 Consumer products giant, briefly 41 “Gotcha!”

42 Close by, in poems 43 “Yoo-hoo!”

44 ___ Quested, woman in Forster’s “A Passage to India” 45 Local ascetic?

49 Camera type, in brief 50 Barker and Kettle 51 Pizzeria chain, informally 53 Some Mideast laptops?

61 Helen’s city

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE K N E W G O T H B R A I L L E T S A B I T T O M E L E N R I S I S T B B Q P L O U I U S A C T U R K O N E

N E R O

S A W S O F F

A T A L L

L E V E L

U L A S A N G S T A I R I T P S C A Z E N I N A G O M

S A U P E S Y C P A P I N L C I E T A R O P A S S R E E E R C N E A D

D O U B L E C R O T S E S N A R C I E M A F A R C R Y

A K E L A

R I L E Y

L O T T A

E S T O S

D S A O M Y

62 “Proved!” letters 63 Fish-eating raptor 64 Regarding, on memos 65 “Hänsel ___ Gretel” 66 President who said “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

67 Like a D68 U.F.O. crew 69 Movie camera settings Down 1 Trade center 2 C.S.A. part: Abbr.

3 Vintners’ valley 4 Adrien of “The Pianist” 5 Barbuda’s island partner 6 Alphonse’s comics partner 7 Voodoo charm 8 Black, to bards 9 Run into unexpected trouble 10 Soapmaking compound 11 Motorola cell phone brand 12 ___ vez (again: Sp.) 13 Hoopster with six rap albums, for short 21 Ill temper 22 “Chocolate” dog 25 Horse to be broken 26 Sequence sung by kids 27 “Rude” sound 29 Chekhov uncle

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56 62

49 52

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Puzzle by Tim Croce

30 Put the kibosh on 31 Pasadena posies 32 Put down, as a riot 33 Hurled weapon 35 “No Such Thing” blues rocker 39 Mr. America’s pride 40 W.W. I mil. group

44 Wakens 46 Sealer’s stuff 47 Holy city of Iran 48 At a cruise stop, say 52 Annual parade honoree, informally 53 Popular swab 54 The New Yorker cartoonist Peter

55 Ring foe of Manolete 56 Euro fraction 57 They may be even, ironically 58 Descartes’s “therefore” 59 Get, as profits 60 “Cease” and “desist,” e.g.: Abbr.

For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554.

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Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.

THIS MODERN WORLD

ASIAN

BENIHANA JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE Enjoy the cooking show, make sure you get a little filet with your meal, and do plenty of dunking in that fabulous ginger sauce. 2 Riverfront Place. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-374-8081. BLD Sun.-Sat. CHI’S DIMSUM & BISTRO A huge menu spans the Chinese provinces and offers a few twists on the usual local offerings, plus there’s authentic Hong Kong dim sum available. 6 Shackleford Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-221-7737. LD daily. 17200 Chenal Parkway. No alcohol, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-821-8000.

FAR EAST ASIAN CUISINE Old favorites such as orange beef or chicken and Hunan green beans are still prepared with care at what used to be Hunan out west. 11600 Pleasant Ridge Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-2199399. LD daily.

FU LIN Quality in the made-to-order entrees is high, as is the quantity. 200 N. Bowman Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-225-8989. LD daily.

HUNAN BALCONY The owner of New Fun Ree has combined forces with the Dragon China folks to create a formidable offering with buffet or menu items. 418 W. 7th. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-8889. LD. IGIBON JAPANESE FOOD HOUSE It’s a complex place, where the food is almost always good and the ambiance and service never fail to please. The Bento box with tempura shrimp and California rolls and other delights stand out. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-217-8888. LD Mon.-Sat. KOBE JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE & SUSHI Though answering the need for more hibachis in Little Rock, Kobe stands taller in its sushi offerings than at the grill. 11401 Financial Centre Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-225-5999. L Mon.-Sat. D daily.

VAN LANG CUISINE Terrific Vietnamese cuisine, particularly the way the pork dishes and the assortment of rolls are presented. Great prices, too.

Massive menu, but it’s user-friendly for locals with full English descriptions and numbers for easy ordering. 3600 S. University Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-570-7700. LD daily.

BARBECUE

CAPITOL SMOKEHOUSE AND GRILL Beef, pork, sausage and chicken, all smoked to melting tenderness and doused with a choice of sauces. The crusty but tender backribs star. Side dishes are top quality. 915 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-4227. BL Mon.-Fri. CROSS EYED PIG BBQ COMPANY Traditional barbecue favorites smoked well such as pork ribs, beef brisket and smoked chicken. Miss Mary’s famous potato salad is full of bacon and other goodness. Smoked items such as ham and turkeys available seasonally. 1701 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-265-0000. L Mon.-Sat., D Tue.-Fri. 1701 Rebsamen Park Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-227-7427. LD daily.

FATBOY’S KILLER BAR-B-Q This Landmark neighborhood strip center restaurant in the far southern reaches of Pulaski County features tender ribs and pork by a contest pitmaster. Skip the regular sauce and risk the hot variety, it’s far better. 14611 Arch Street. No alcohol, All CC. $$.

501-888-4998. LD Mon.-Fri. HB’S BAR B.Q. Great slabs of meat with fiery barbecue sauce, but ribs are served on Tuesday only. Other days, try the tasty pork sandwich on an onion roll. 6010 Lancaster. No alcohol, No CC. $-$$. 501-565-1930. L Mon.-Fri. MICK’S BBQ, CATFISH AND GRILL Good burgers, picnic-worth deviled eggs and heaping barbecue sandwiches topped with sweet sauce. 3609 MacArthur Dr. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-791-2773. LD Mon.-Sun. SIMS BAR-B-QUE Great spare ribs, sandwiches, beef, half and whole chicken and an addictive vinegar-mustard-brown sugar sauce unique for this part of the country. 2415 Broadway. Beer, CC. $-$$. 501-372-6868.

LD Mon.-Sat. 1307 John Barrow Road. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-2057.

LD Mon.-Sat. 7601 Geyer Springs Road. Beer, All CC. $$. 501-562-8844.

LD Mon.-Sat.

EUROPEAN / ETHNIC

KHALIL’S PUB Widely varied menu with European, Mexican and American influences. Go for the Bierocks, rolls filled with onions and beef. 110 S. Shackleford Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-224-0224. LD daily. BR Sun. THE PANTRY Owner and self-proclaimed “food evangelist” Tomas Bohm does things the right way — buying local, making almost everything from scratch and focusing on simple preparations of classic dishes. The menu stays relatively true to his Czechoslovakian roots, but there’s plenty of choices to suit all tastes. There’s also a nice happy-hour vibe. 11401 Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-353-1875. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat. STAR OF INDIA The best Indian restaurant in the region, with a unique buffet at lunch and some fabulous dishes at night (spicy curried dishes, tandoori chicken, lamb and veal, vegetarian). 301 N. Shackleford. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-227-9900. LD daily.

TASTE OF ASIA Delicious Indian food in a pleasant atmosphere. Perhaps the best samosas in town. Buffet at lunch. 2629 Lakewood Village Dr. NLR.

34

JANUARY 18, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

DINING CAPSULES, CONT. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-812-4665. LD daily.

ITALIAN

GUSANO’S They make the tomatoey Chicagostyle deep-dish pizza the way it’s done in the Windy City. It takes a little longer to come out of the oven, but it’s worth the wait. 313 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $-$$.

501-374-1441. LD daily. 2915 Dave Ward Drive.

Conway. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-329-1100.

LD daily.

LARRY’S PIZZA The buffet is the way to go — fresh, hot pizza, fully loaded with ingredients, brought hot to your table, all for a low price. Many Central Arkansas locations. 1122 S. Center. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-2248804. LD daily. 12911 Cantrell Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-8804. LD daily.

PALIO’S Not quite artisan-grade, but far better than the monster chains and at a similar price point. With an appealingly thin, crunchy crust. 3 Rahling Circle. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$.

501-821-0055. LD daily.

VESUVIO Arguably Little Rock’s best Italian restaurant is in one of the most unlikely places – tucked inside the Best Western Governor’s Inn within a nondescript section of west Little Rock. 1501 Merrill Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$$.

501-225-0500. D daily.

VILLA ITALIAN RESTAURANT Hearty, inexpensive, classic southern Italian dishes.

12111 W. Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-219-2244. LD Mon.-Sat.

MEXICAN

CASA MANANA Great guacamole and garlic beans, superlative chips and salsa (red and green) and a broad selection of fresh seafood, plus a deck out back. 6820 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-280-9888. BLD daily 18321 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$.

501-868-8822. BLD daily 400 President Clinton Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. L Mon.-Sat. CASA MEXICANA Familiar Tex-Mex style items all shine, in ample portions, and the steak-centered dishes are uniformly excellent. 6929 JFK Blvd. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$.

501-835-7876. LD daily.

LA VAQUERA The tacos at this truck are more expensive than most, but they’re still cheap eats. One of the few trucks where you can order a combination plate that comes with rice, beans and lettuce. 4731 Baseline Road. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-565-3108.

LD Mon.-Sat. LAS DELICIAS Levy-area mercado with a taqueria and a handful of booths in the back of the store. 3401 Pike Ave. NLR. Beer, All CC. $. 501-812-4876.

LONCHERIA MEXICANA ALICIA The best taco truck in West Little Rock. Located in the Walmart parking lot on Bowman. 620 S. Bowman. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-6121883. L Mon.-Sat. MERCADO SAN JOSE From the outside, it appears to just be another Mexican grocery store. Inside, you’ll find one of Little Rock’s best Mexican bakeries and a restaurant in back serving tortas and tacos for lunch. 7411 Geyer Springs Road. Beer, CC. $. 501-5654246. BLD daily.

RIVIERA MAYA Typical Mexican fare for the area, though the portions are on the large side. 801 Fair Park Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$.

501-663-4800. LD daily.

TAQUERIA JALISCO SAN JUAN The taco truck for the not-so-adventurous crowd. They claim to serve “original Mexico City tacos,” but it’s their chicken tamales that make it worth a visit. They also have tortas, quesadillas and fajitas. 11200 Markham St. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-541-5533. LD daily.

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35

JANUARY 18, 2012

Ceramic table from KEN RASH’S

A new hue

Tangerine Tango named as hot color for 2012

A

Tervis tumbler from EGGSHELLS

Over-sized vase from MERTINSDYKEHOME

n eruption of high-fiving and raise-theroof palm pumping ensued following Pantone’s recent announcement naming Tangerine Tango as 2012 color of the year. The celebrating continued through the night, leaving all the colors across the spectrum looking a tad greenish the next morning.

The 2011 color of the year, Honeysuckle, graciously handed over the crown to her predecessor, whom she described as a “spirited reddish orange.” Tangerine Tango promised to uphold the duties of Color of the Year to the best of her abilities and thanked her parents, Red and Orange, for their love and support. “I just want other colors to know that if you work hard and believe in yourself, dreams do come true,” she said in an emotional acceptance speech.

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, was quoted as saying, “Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it.” Eiseman then waxed poetic, “Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a highvisibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”

Over the past several years, orange has grown in popularity among designers and consum-

BY KATHERINE WYRICK PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN CHILSON

ers alike. A provocative attention-getter—and go-getter—Tangerine Tango is making a splash in both men’s and women’s fashion. Fashion designers featured in the PANTONE Fashion Color Report Spring 2012, including Tommy Hilfiger, Nanette Lepore, Cynthia Steffe by Shaun Kearney, Elie Tahari and Adrienne Vittadini, are incorporating this appealing orange into their spring collections. A fun, lively take on a traditional autumnal hue, Tangerine Tango will surely carry through to fall fashion as well.

Because of its versatility, Tangerine Tango also easily translates to cosmetics, giving a sultry flair to lips, cheeks and nails. And it makes an unexpected appearance in eye shadows that flatter blue or green eyes. When paired with brown eyes, it brings out an amber cast.

Tangerine Tango energizes home interiors as well. Pillows, bedspreads and tabletop accessories in this high-impact hue add spice to any room. Or incorporate Tangerine Tango appliances and personal electronics for an unexpected pop of color. Looking for an inexpensive way to perk up your home? Paint a wall in Tangerine Tango for a dynamic burst of energy in the kitchen, entryway or hallway.

On a recent shopping excursion about town, we found our city was already awash in this vivacious hue, from silk tops to ceramic tables. Here, we share some of our finds with you.

hearsay ➥ Dapper dressers delight. Catch the Winter Fortnight Sale at MR. WICKS now through Jan 21. Find great deals on suits, sport coats, outerwear, sweaters, pants, shirts, pajamas, robes and gentlemanly accessories. Hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. MondayFriday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. ➥ Wu hoo! Celebrated design darling Jason Wu brings his French New Wave Cinema-inspired collection to TARGET on February 5. Expect pleated skirts, collared blouses stripes—and mass hysteria. Target has taken measures, however, to avoid the Missoni madness of September by increasing the capacity of its computer system and restricting the collection to 1,200 of its 1,800 stores. They’re also emphasizing that limited quantities are available. Wu’s 53-piece collection, which ranges in price from $19.99 to $49.99, includes classic pieces such as A-line dresses, trench coats, belted shifts, high-waisted skirts, structured handbags and silk scarves.

36

JANUARY 18, 2012

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37

All too obvious [Start with big agitated sigh.] ’m so tired of these peckerwood know-it-alls who know it all and are ready to tell you all about it. It’s all so obvious to them.

So obvious that you wonder if you shouldn’t suppress any midnight doubts you might have about it — any questions that dart up furtively and unobviously from the shadows.

Here are a few such questions that have occurred to me just lately.

How come we have more purported job creators than we have purported jobs they purportedly created? When did wombs become common property, for mainly a bunch of old dicks to decide the fate of the fruit that groweth therein?

When was it decided that those who merely hanker for breathable air and drinkable water qualify as environmental wackos? When did exceptionalism become a given, the proper response to inquiries about it, however innocuous, being if you don’t like it here in the best country there is or ever was then get the hell out? When did a religion founded by an uncompromising turner of the other cheek become one whose theme song is the martial air onward Christian soldiers marching as to war? When and

I

by what manner of torturing logic did it become “the politics of envy” to suggest that the really really rich BOB folks pay a fair LANCASTER share?

And a few more, for good measure.

What’s the difference between the venture capitalist and the vulture capitalist except that one has become your opponent and the other your role model?

What’s the difference between “European-style” socialism and plain old anywhere-else socialism? Which are the one percenters, which the 99 percenters, and where do the 56 percenters come in?

Answers to those and similar queries come easy to the peckerwood. Because they all relate back to the plan. Ah yes, there’s a plan. They know it well. They lean often on its everlasting arms. It’s been in place, unamended, steadfast, oracular, since the first bite of the original apple. It’s what makes the obvious obvious to those who “get” it, and what so confounds those who don’t, or won’t.

The plan’s obviousness is such that the true truths it reveals are self-evident, while the less holdable truths are left

beside the highway trying to hitch a ride.

Marse Tom enumerated the plan’s selfevident true truths, and I’ll give you an example of the other kind if you’ll give me a little time.

[Wall clock booms off the seconds.

Distant ominous train whistle blows.

Forsaken Tex Ritter rhymes prison with his’n. ] OK, I’ve got one: Even if there is a plan, wouldn’t free will immediately undermine it? A million last-second decisions with every boom of that wall clock, and just one of them incorrectly anticipated and the plan’s walls take a Jericho tumble.

They crash and burn like a Newt Gingrich comeback. They crumble to ruins as Huckabee’s new beachfront mansion is doomed to, built in knowing stiffnecked violation of Matthew 7:26. A plan with so great an element of the capricious in it just couldn’t be. It would die aborning.

They say if you pluck a flower you trouble a star. I’m not sure I believe that, but I find it considerably more plausible than the notion that the bewildering jitter of human contemporaneity might be taking place under the strict governance of a plan instantaneously conceived and put into effect in 6006 B.C. How could you keep a plan up and running with a George W. Bush as president? A minimum requirement would be a gram of predestination; maybe a ton of predestination. You’d have to cheat,

in other words. And we all know that the one Great Planner, when it comes to monkeying with the Creation, does not cheat.

He does well enough to keep the plan one jump ahead of all the dithering that all our notorious ditherers daily do. A half jump ahead of all us ordinary ditherers’ dithering. [Do I walk to school, or carry my lunch?] Just to last that long, the plan would’ve already had to do some tall anticipating and incorporating. It obviously anticipated and incorporated the Holocaust. And the 40 megs of dead souls one-way trudging the gulag. And the Long March. The Trail of Tears. And so on.

Once World War III has come and gone, it will become clear that the plan had anticipated it too. It anticipates the Rapture, and gets the date right, though at this time, because the plan doesn’t honor FOI requests, we’re denied access.

It anticipated and incorporated Darwin looking into the eyes of a chimp or a baboon or a gorilla and seeing himself looking back at himself. It anticipated and incorporated you and me having to cope with that same shaving-mirror awkwardness, although probably not Rick Santorum. It anticipated and incorporated an entire political party with a one-word vocabulary — the one word being no.

All so glibly obvious to the know-it-all, who sleeps like a baby every night.

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