Arkansas Times

NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT / NOVEMBER 28, 2012 / ARKTIMES.COM

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NOVEMBER 28, 2012

3

COMMENT

Sunshine on Travs needed Thank you for your article on the recent firings by the Travelers (or, apparently, by Russ Meeks) (“Fans cry foul,” Nov. 21). The Democrat had no coverage other than the party-line from the Travelers’ office.

When I initially saw that it was the general manager and the person in charge of ticket sales who were let go, I was immediately suspicious that there had been some skimming or other financial mismanagement. Apparently, that is not the case.

Your article also made me think that it is highly unlikely that whatever procedures are specified in the Travelers’ governance documents (e.g., the bylaws and/or personnel policies) were followed. I hope that Pete Laven and David Kay figure out some way to get this situation into the sunshine. Or I hope that the Times can do a follow-up.

Mike Watts Little Rock From the web Time will tell what the real reason for the firings was. It is disheartening that the members of the inner circle of Travs management either have no clue as to what happened or, worse yet, no curiosity as to what happened.

Kirkwood Or the inner circle is simply finding different ways to avoid anyone knowing what went on, why it happened, or, especially, how they do their business. They’re not really that clueless.

They’re all separately avoiding a cogent response. Kind of like lodge brothers, they don’t want anyone to know their secret handshakes.

Perplexed

up just about anytime I watch documentaries that chronicle the personal sacrifices of you and your families. I guess that’s just my own small way to show you that I appreciate that “higher standard” I’ve felt you earned.

But now I’m someone that’s seriously starting to have doubts about whether many of you are actually standing up for the same basic American values that I believe in. Free speech and the right to voice your opinion on political matters and our culture is one thing, the act of perfidy is quite another.

When Americans join the military, they

become soldiers that swear an oath, not to defend any political ideology, but to defend the Constitution. However, with the advent of Facebook and Twitter as a public forum in which political junkies and novices alike have found to be created precisely for the daily airing out of political grievances, our servicemen and women have been unable to resist weighing in with some awfully irrational criticism of the current Commander in Chief, much to the detriment of the otherwise glorified persona we civilians have assigned to them in our society.

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Soldiers and social media Frankly, I’ve had my fill of the often over-the-top Facebook treachery coming from many of today’s servicemen, sadly, family included. It’s apparently not about to stop just because the current source of their spite was overwhelmingly re-approved in a national election, either.

Yes, I hold you all to a slightly higher standard. When it comes to free speech, the military is most certainly unique.

But, for what it’s worth, I’m also the guy that stands up in public to sing about those like you that have defended my country, lets you cut in line ahead of me if I notice you’re waiting, will come up to you randomly and shake your hand and thank you for your service, advocates for more assistance programs for returning veterans, and yes, even tears 4

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As fellow citizens, enlisted men and women enjoy the same freedoms that civilians do, which obviously includes the freedom of speech; however, our soldiers owe it to their country to be mindful of their audience. While it’s perfectly fine to badmouth his Commander in Chief from the comforts of home, or with her buddies out on a jog, re-posting that “Obama as Stalin” picture or “Obama Conspires Against Vets” story link you found over at some Tea Party Facebook page seems to carry a lot more weight and negative repercussions because you said it. And that’s not just the opinion of some infamously loudmouthed and “ungrateful” local progressive, it’s actually the law as stated under Parker v. Levy (1974), where a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court stated that the “different character of the military community and of the military mission” requires a “different application” of standard free speech protections under the First Amendment. More recently, in 2009, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, said “The U.S. military must remain apolitical [ ... ] and be a neutral instrument of the state, no matter which party holds sway.”

I thought the last president was a truly a disaster, especially in foreign policy (hardly becoming the international diplomat his father had been), but I still respected the office he held and hoped the decisions he made would somehow work out well for most people. If you could support him — some halfwit pretending he was one of you as he hopped out of a jet plane to say “I won!” — I know you can take a step back from the current political discourse we all hear every day, think about the unique role you play for this nation, and start treating the current guy (and the significant majority of the citizens of this country who have elected him twice) with the same respect you feel that’s owed to you.

There, I said it. I hope those of you that are currently serving or have previously served know it comes from a love of country and sincere hope that we can somehow improve our political discourse, not some expectation that you bow down to the guy I happen to support.

Jeff B. Woodmansee Sherwood

Submit letters to the Editor, Arkansas Times, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, AR 72203. We also accept letters via e-mail. The address is arktimes@ arktimes.com. We also accept faxes at 375-3623. Please include name and hometown.

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NOVEMBER 28, 2012

5

EDITORIAL

EYE ON ARKANSAS

Role model

Reconsider

M

ore Lincoln and less Grover Norquist is a good idea for the national Republican Party too, and reportedly some Congressional Republicans are thinking about it. Even members of the Arkansas delegation are said to be reconsidering the pledge not to raise taxes that Norquist got them all to sign. (Norquist is a lobbyist who wants to assure that rich people don’t have to help support the government that protects them. He calls this tax reform.)

More revenue is required to give the American people things like medical care for the elderly and national defense. Drugs and drones cost money. President Obama has made a modest proposal to restore the old, higher tax rates that were in effect for wealthy Americans before George W. Bush cut them, turning the economy sour. Obama would shield the middle class from higher taxes. The plan sounds unobjectionable to most people, though Mitt Romney objected.

And Mitt Romney was defeated. There should be a lesson there.

6

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

PAUL BARROWS

F

lush with all the Koch brothers’ money they got during their election campaigns, Republican legislators could surely scrape up enough to rent a theater and watch the new “Lincoln” movie as a group. It would be money well spent. Inviting their lobbyist friends wouldn’t hurt.

Republicans will have a majority in the new legislature; appeals to their better instincts have never been more needed. It’s true that such appeals have been largely unsuccessful in the past, but the Lincoln film provides a unique opportunity. Republican presidents are a generally a sorry lot, Bushes and Hoovers and such; nothing inspirational there.

But Lincoln was the greatest Republican of all, the greatest president of all, freer of slaves, savior of the Union. Even such as Denny Altes of Fort Smith might be inspired to do great and noble deeds after watching a movie about Lincoln. Anything’s possible.

Would Lincoln devote his energies to depriving women of control of their own bodies? Certainly not. He opposed slavery. Would he prevent sick poor people from receiving medical care, as today’s Republicans threaten to do? Hardly. His was a generous heart. Would he try block minorities, the elderly and the underprivileged from exercising their constitutional right to vote? Nothing could be more foreign to him. He trusted the people.

Lincoln would have renounced the whole legislative program of these modern-day Republicans.

After watching a movie about him, they might be moved to do the same. We have a dream of the Lincoln-hating Rep. Loy Mauch of Bismarck, standing in the aisle at the end of the movie, tears streaming down his face, admitting “Lincoln’s the man!” And an equally repentant Rep. John Hubbard of Jonesboro, crying “I was blind but now I see! Slavery was a bum deal!”

It’s a big dream, admitted.

SUN UP: Paul Barrows submitted this photo of a sunrise over the Little Rock National Cemetery to our eyeonarkansas Flickr page.

A sentimental journey

I

ndulge me. While many of you were feasting on Thanksgiving, I was traveling. My trip will mark the last stop on a long journey.

It began June 22, 1921, in a modest cabin, in rural Laclede, Idaho. It was there my mother, Betty, was born to George and Mabel Mueller. Both were World War I Army nurses. Mabel served near the front-line trenches of France; George spent the final days of the war sick with influenza in a U.S. camp. The Ohio natives went west after the war, but found themselves unsuited to Idaho farm life and moved, as so many others did, to Southern California.

My mother grew up in rent houses in Altadena and Pasadena, where she attended junior college with Jackie Robinson, and then struck out on her own.

With money from a graveyard shift job in a Boeing plant in Seattle, she earned a degree in institutional management at the University of Washington and then went to Cincinnati General Hospital for a dietetics internship. That certificate in hand, she enlisted in the Army, entering as a lieutenant in the final year of World War II. She was soon off on a troop ship for the China-Burma-India theater, a journey that stopped in Morocco, transited the Suez Canal and eventually deposited her in India for hospital dietetics work in Calcutta and New Delhi.

New Delhi is my destination. My mother, who died in Little Rock in late 1999, will be with me.

If all goes well, a bit of her will rest in the garden of the same hotel to which her future husband, a skinny radioman sergeant from Louisiana, took her to tea in 1945.

The story goes that my father saw a tall (5’9”) blonde woman surrounded by Indians in a square in New Delhi. She was giving a lecture on proper nutrition. He volunteered to escort her back to the

Army station hospital. She accepted. The rest — including outings to the Taj Mahal, Red Fort, bazaars and tea at Rajera colonial hotels — is family history. The war ended, my dad MAX went home after discharge to BRANTLEY maxbrantley@arktimes.com Lake Charles, La. My mother took longer to separate from service. They married in May 1946 — he in civilian clothes, she in Army uniform — in a chapel of Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. Her home would become Lake Charles where she and dad eventually worked side by side in a mom-and-pop stock brokerage office. A full and happy married life brought three children, me in the middle. My dad died in 1991. My mother had begun failing, too. Her last five years were spent in Arkansas, where a woman who’d once been among a small number of registered Republican voters in Calcasieu Parish, La., became a supporter of Bill Clinton.

When my dad died, my brother and sister and I had a cathartic evening. We drove to all his favorite places in Lake Charles — after first stopping at a drive-through daiquiri stand for a ceremonial toast in tribute to a small enjoyment of pop’s final invalid years. We scattered ashes at his elementary school, high school, college, office, favorite coffee shop, church, football stadium and more. We finished at his old homeplace, an un-airconditioned hell to my mother in the summer of 1946. A $10 fan she bought on a time-payment plan to endure her first weeks in Louisiana became one of the family holy treasures, cleaned and preserved even after central air came along.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

OPINION

Buffett, Rattner: The rich don’t need handouts

G

oes there a billionaire more without honor in his own class than Warren E. Buffett?

Not unless it is Steven L. Rattner, the rich financier and investor who directed the restructuring of the U. S. auto industry in 2009.

Buffett and Rattner refurbished their status as pariahs among the One Percent and the Republican Party this week by writing yet again that the well-to-do are not paying their just share of taxes and the expense of civilization.

In another op-ed essay in The New York Times, Buffett offered his solutions for avoiding the fiscal cliff, which were to adopt President Obama’s plan to restore the 2000-era income tax rate on those earning more than $250,000 (Buffett would make the threshold $500,000), impose a minimum tax of 30 percent on very rich Americans who use the tax code to avoid taxes, and cut federal spending back to 21 percent of GDP, the level at which America functioned prosperously in the past.

Rattner, the chairman of a big Wall Street investment firm who writes eco-

nomic advice occasionally for The New York Times, wrote another the same day advising Congress to raise ERNEST the tax rate on capDUMAS ital gains and dividends for the well-to-do to 28 percent, which would still be below the tax rate now paid by halfway-prosperous wage and salaried employees. That was the tax rate on capital gains and dividends during the great economic boom of the ’90s, and it would shrink the budget deficit by more than $300 billion over the next decade without deterring investment one iota, in Rattner’s mind.

Both pieces appeared as the president, Congress and the outlying players gear up for the final negotiations on avoiding sizable tax increases, spending cuts and repudiation of the federal debt, all of which will occur after the first of the year if nothing is done.

The debate engendered by the two moguls’ class-defying ideas — you would

Debt jockeying

P

ity the poor plutocrats.

What with Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign having come to an ignominious end, new champions have been called forth lest mobs of pitchfork-waving grandmas and torch-bearing old men rendered fearless by Dentu-Grip breach the walls of their elegant suburban redoubts.

One such hero is Lloyd Blankfein, the universally revered CEO of Wall Street investment bank Goldman Sachs. At least that’s how anchorman Scott Pelley presented him in a November 19 CBS News interview. Adopting a tone of awed deference most often reserved for British royalty and Hollywood actresses with breasts bigger than their heads, Pelley depicted Blankfein as “one of the world’s most influential bankers.”

Who better to advise the nation how to avoid the dread “fiscal cliff” — the latest phony, made-for-TV Washington melodrama? The great man even permitted CBS cameras into the Goldman Sachs trading floor, which Pelley treated as a signal honor.

A bunch of guys in neckties sitting in front of computer screens, in case you missed it. It could have been the sports betting room in any Las Vegas casino, essentially a high-tech bookie joint.

“When we asked Blankfein how to reduce the federal budget deficit,” Pel-

ley said, “he went straight for the subject that politicians don’t want to talk about.”

To guys with GENE multi-million dolLYONS lar salaries, see, the deficit qualifies as the nation’s Number One problem. Never mind the millions out of work, although as Paul Krugman keeps pointing out, the soaring interest rates and runaway inflation that deficit scolds keep predicting keep not happening. Investors seemingly can’t buy enough U.S. bonds at record-low interest rates.

Now there are several topics Goldman’s head honcho might be reluctant to talk about. Such as 2008, when Wall Street investment banks damn near destroyed the world financial system by gambling on crap securities based on subprime mortgages.

Or the $10 billion federal bailout Goldman Sachs took to remain solvent, since repaid.

I doubt Blankfein would have much to tell CBS about the 2010 civil fraud lawsuit the SEC filed against Goldman for peddling junk derivatives it allegedly designed to fail.

Many thought criminal charges would have been more appropriate. The bank ultimately settled for a $550 million fine. Blankfein testified to the U.S. Senate that Goldman

like to think, anyway — also may affect the manufactured crises in a number of state capitols, including Arkansas’s, where rejuvenated Republican majorities are setting out in the new year to slash state income taxes and force a reduction in state services to children and the needy.

Buffett’s wisdom gets more attention because he is either the richest or second richest man in the world and he is the shrewdest investor of all time. It should count for something because all the hullabaloo over spending and taxes is about the effect any step will have on investors. Will they decide to invest, make more money and create jobs because the government takes a little less of their profits in taxes, and will they refuse opportunities to make more money if the government will take a trifle more of the profits than it now does?

History should have settled the questions long ago. High marginal tax rates never deterred investment and low ones never stimulated it. That is the record nationally, and it is also the invariable story in Arkansas.

Buffett said that between 1951 and 1954 when the capital gains tax rate was 25 percent (now it’s 15 percent) he sold securities and did well. From 1956 to 1969, when the top marginal rate on income was 70 percent (it is now half that), he was accumulating a fortune as a fund manager and never once

had anyone mention taxes as a reason to forgo an investment he offered.

He posed a simple hypothesis that ought to be directed at every proponent of slashing capital gains taxes, including the legislative hearing rooms at Little Rock. If an investor you trust comes to you with an investment idea and says he is in it and thinks you should be, too, would your response be, “Well, it all depends on what my tax rate will be.” If the tax rate is a little high would you say you would rather leave your money in your savings account earning a quarter of 1 percent?

Critics attacked Buffett for not voluntarily giving the treasury a big part of his wealth rather than encouraging the taxing of other billionaires and for not giving the government 85 percent of his holdings in 2006 rather than bequeathing it to five foundations to fight disease in the Third World.

Meantime, the clamor for lowering or eliminating taxes on capital gains and dividends and cutting other taxes ramps up in Little Rock. The arguments approach the ridiculous. The Arkansas DemocratGazette suggested editorially that if Arkansas would just slash its income tax rates hordes of people would quit their jobs and the sunny climes in California to move to Arkansas and create a boom. I’m not kidding.

Sachs had no fiduciary duty to inform clients it was betting against securities it was selling. You wouldn’t buy a used limousine from this guy.

On CBS, Blankfein’s $16 million yearly compensation didn’t come up either, nor the reported $220 million worth of company stock he owns.

So what did this prince of finance think people needed to understand about the dread fiscal cliff?

“You’re going to have to undoubtedly do something to lower people’s expectations,” he said. “The entitlements, and what people think that they’re going to get, because it’s not going to — they’re not going to get it.”

“Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid?”

Pelley asked.

“Some things,” Blankfein said. “…You can go back and you can look at the history of these things, and Social Security wasn’t devised to be a system that supported you for a 30-year retirement after a 25-year career. So there will be certain things…the retirement age has as to be changed, maybe some of the benefits have to be affected, maybe some of the inflation adjustments have to be revised.”

Pelley nodded sagely. These jokers are never more solemn than when they can’t be serious. Instead of questioning Blankfein’s knowledge of American life or his ability to subtract two-digit numbers, Pelley prompted him to say that entitlement cuts

must come “because we can’t afford them.”

But 30-year retirements after 25 years of work? Blankfein must think most Americans earn their first paychecks at age 42, retire at 67, and then draw Social Security until age 97.

The actuarial reality, of course, is that most working Americans go to work during their teens, pay Social Security taxes for 50 years, and then draw benefits for an average of 16 years. Twice the work, half the benefits Blankfein pretended to imagine.

Because, no, the man’s not stupid. But he evidently thinks you’re gullible, frightened and don’t know the facts — that Social Security is fully-funded through 2038, and that its life can be extended indefinitely simply by raising the $110,100 salary cap on payroll taxes. Something else CBS neglected to report was that they didn’t just happen to interview Lloyd Blankfein since Bernie Madoff wasn’t available.

Both he and Honeywell’s CEO David Cotes, who said much the same thing to CBS the next night, along with Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, who appeared two nights later, represent a corporate-funded lobbying group called “Fix the Debt,” whose goal is to keep plutocrats’ taxes low and cut corporate income taxes to zero by reducing grandma’s Social Security and Medicare.

None were so identified, definitely making it appear that CBS News has joined the team. www.arktimes.com

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

7

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lessed with an unexpected chance to leave his station on a high, John L. Smith’s penchant for the football variety of self-immolation overwhelmed him.

For all of Smith’s admitted nobility in a season of professional and personal turmoil, the veteran coach’s in-game judgment was more than sporadically cloudy over the past dozen weeks. And it culminated with a couple of decidedly terrible choices at critical points in the Hogs’ wrenching 20-13 loss to LSU. It was, in so many ways, a perfect capper to a season of historic disappointment.

Smith was, unsurprisingly, liberated from his duties as head coach within hours after the final of eight defeats in a 12-week span. Pried away from a likely swan song job at his alma mater in May in a frenzied effort to maintain order in the wake of Bobby Petrino’s dismissal, Smith simply had too much rust and not enough gusto. As much as injuries and a paucity of depth at key positions ravaged this team, you can easily argue that Smith’s decisions alone kept this team from playing a bonus game. To wit: 1. In the Rutgers loss, with the Hogs’ defense faltering badly, Smith opted for a two-point conversion after an 80-yard Cobi Hamilton touchdown drew the team within 28-26 midway through the fourth quarter. Smith went for the tie with a poorly-designed conversion attempt, and an ensuing Rutgers TD made it a two-possession final margin.

Not long after, Smith elected to punt the ball with only seven minutes left and the Hogs situated at midfield. Arkansas needed to minimize Rutgers’ possessions and give itself the last shot; instead, it dug a two-score hole in an ugly, but winnable contest.

2. Arkansas was shredding Ole Miss early on Oct. 27, and Smith, moments after boldly but correctly calling for a fourth-and-long pass in Ole Miss territory that was successful, trotted out the field goal unit when the Hogs were facing a fourth-and-1 inside the Rebel five.

Zach Hocker converted, the fans grumbled, and Arkansas’s momentum soon petered out after it had built a 10-0 lead.

3. That brings us to Saturday, where the Hogs summoned unexpected passion in the last 30 minutes of a game without real consequence. Tyler Wilson started eyeballing different receivers.

Knile Davis resembled Knile Davis. A long-suffering defense ached to demonstrate fortitude in a season bereft of it, and showed that next year’s unit may be a relative strength for a change.

The Hogs surged back from a 17-3 deficit with a wonderfully-orchestrated

touchdown drive, then had the nose of the ball positioned so close to the goal line for a tying TD in BEAU the fourth quarter WILCOX that even a failure to score would’ve put the Tigers in terrible straits.

Smith, without hesitation and with subsequent explanation that defied even what I would have expected him to say, chose a 17-yard field goal. That’s right — literally the shortest possible field goal that football statisticians can lawfully document. John Henson (Hocker got relegated to the pine after shanking two kicks in the first half) had the unfortunate duty of calmly angling that kick through as a surprisingly throaty Hog crowd told Smith just how milquetoast his decision was.

Make no mistake: a 7-5 Razorback team doesn’t keep Smith in contention for long-term employment any more than the 4-8 one did. The season was an abject, multifaceted failure that even a couple of extra wins wouldn’t have mitigated. Smith’s disconnect with the team was perturbing. He often said all the right things during the week (and in fact made for a more articulate midweek radio subject than Petrino ever did), but by the time Saturday rolled around, Smith was no longer fully engaged. The earmarks of prior coaching disappeared in a most shocking fashion: When a Petrino team found itself tested, it generally bowed up. Smith’s teams notably caved in.

Contrast Texas A&M games 12 months apart. Last fall, Arkansas trailed the Aggies 35-17 at halftime; this year, the deficit was 27-10. Arkansas outscored the Mike Sherman-led Ags 25-3 in the second half en route to a seasonaltering win, but Smith’s troops didn’t muster anything at Kyle Field and gave up another 31 points on the way to a 48-point loss.

That’s the Smith legacy, such as it is. Arkansas was riddled with all manner of misfortune from April 1 onward, but Smith seemed resigned to a hopeless posture, one where he just casually accepted inaction by his coordinators and made only rudimentary shakeups when the worm turned hard.

In retrospect, there was a degree of prescience in Smith’s famous “the coaches are screwin’ it up!” outburst in his last year at Michigan State. And that, unfortunately, left Razorback fans no cause to smile, as he would lustily implore them to do seven years later.

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10

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

W O RDS

Manage those modifiers!

“Mills was generally a conservative and favored keeping government expenditures in check. But because Mills was from a poor state where many received substandard health care, Goss said Mills wanted to create a government program that would assist the elderly.”

“Labeled Obamacare by detractors, repealing the mandate for health coverage was a major part of Mitt Romney’s campaign for the presidency.”

“Because Mills was from a poor state” is why he wanted to create a government program. It’s not why Goss said he wanted to create a program. “Repealing the mandate for health coverage” was not labeled Obamacare; the mandate for health coverage was labeled Obamacare. All that’s needed for correction in the first case is a comma after “said” or moving the “Goss said” to the end of the sentence, with a comma in front of Goss. In the second case, you’d need to do some rewriting, such as “The mandate for health coverage was labeled Obamacare by detractors. Repealing it was a major part of Mitt Romney’s campaign.”

These dangling phrases or misplaced modifiers have always been troublesome.

I was tempted to say that they’re becoming even more common, but then I saw an example in Success With Words that was written by C.S. Forester in the Saturday Evening Post, and both Forester and the Post have been gone for awhile: “A sailor of vast experience, this was by no means

the first convoy which he had escorted to Murmansk.” “A sailor of vast experience” belongs with “he.”

DOUG

SMITH dougsmith@arktimes.com “There is even a 12-step group for people addicted to 12-step groups — which is very Fight Club, but surely only a small step away from one’s head disappearing entirely up one’s own fundament.”

This is from a British newspaper. The use of fundament to mean “anus or buttocks” is probably more common in Britain than America. Fundament can also mean “a base or basic principle; foundation.”

I only wear them on Jodhpur Fridays: Browsing through Garner’s Modern American usage, I find that I’ve always mispronounced a certain word. Fortunately, it’s a word I seldom have occasion to pronounce so maybe I haven’t embarrassed myself too much.

Anyway, I thought those pants Cecil B. DeMille wore were called jod-furs, but according to Garner and the dictionary, the correct pronunciation is jod-pers.

The correct spelling is “jodhpurs.” Apparently, I and a lot of other people see that “hp” as “ph” and pronounce it accordingly.

The error is common, according to Garner.

Jodhpur is a city in India.

WEEK THAT WAS

It was a good week for…

JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS. Gov. Mike Beebe filled a list of judicial vacancies created by election, retirement and at least one disciplinaryrelated resignation. The top appointment is that of current Court of Appeals Judge Cliff Hoofman, a colleague of Beebe when both served in the state Senate, to replace a retiring Supreme Court justice until the next election. He also named another former Senate colleague, Bill Walmsley, to a Court of Appeals seat.

KELLEY BASS. The UALR assistant dean was hired as CEO of the Museum of Discovery. He succeeds Nan Selz, whose tenure saw the revamping of the interactive science museum with help from a $9.2 million grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.

ALEXIA WEIMER. Weimer, a kindergarten teacher who has worked the past six years at Avondale Elementary in the Marion School District, was named Arkansas Teacher of the Year. She’ll receive a $15,000 check from the Walton Family Foundation, which sponsors the award.

A ZOO FIRST. The Little Rock Zoo announced the hatching of its first penguin chick. The penguin babe doesn’t have a name yet.

It was a bad week for…

ARKANSAS FOOTBALL. Despite a stronger effort than in previous weeks, the Hogs couldn’t pull the upset against the LSU Tigers. The loss wrapped up a 4-8 season, the team’s worst record since 1990. Now, Athletic Director Jeff Long is tasked with finding a big-name head coach to appease fans and return the team to the heights it knew under Bobby Petrino.

PUBLIC ART, AGAIN. Last week, we told you about the theft of three bronze sculptures from the Vogel-Schwartz Sculpture Garden in Riverfront Park, which police said was possibly the work of scrap metal thieves. This week brings news of another piece of Little Rock public art, Michael Warrick’s “Fusion, 2009” sculpture, badly damaged. Main Library cameras captured three men knocking over the sculpture at about 2 a.m. Friday. Warrick, a UALR professor, will repair it.

THE OBSERVER NOTES ON THE PASSING SCENE

A dollar’s worth IT’S BEEN YEARS SINCE The Observer — heathen that we are — has cracked the onionskin pages of the Bible, but our Momma raised us right, learning us the Good Book from an early age and prodding us out of bed and to church on Sunday mornings with the toe of her good pumps on occasion.

It says something about Yours Truly that the only things we remember from the Bible are the terrible parts: Ol’ Sampson with his eyes gouged out, asking the slave boy to let him rest against the posts of the temple and then bringing the whole kit and kaboodle down on the Philistines, smusherizing them but good; God flushing the Pharaoh’s armies away with a billion gallons of Red Sea; Revelations, so full of smoke and brimstone.

Our favorite passage of the passage of the Bible, though, is the one that never fails to give us a little flush of goose bumps: Job 2:1-2, the part where the Devil party-crashes what appears to be Heaven’s annual companywide meeting, then gives God a non-answer worthy of any teenager — one that also happens to be one of the creepiest in the whole book: “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before God, and Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan: ‘From whence comest thou?’ And Satan answered God, saying: ‘From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.’ ” Yep, still creepy. We were an imaginative child, and once we learned from Ma that “The sons of God” probably meant angels, we were struck with a singular image that has never left us, even now: The obedient ranks of angels, standing row on row like soldiers before The Almighty on the parade ground of Heaven. Then comes ol’ Splitfoot, wings belt black, more beautiful than all, smirking, winding like a snake among them and trailing his long fingernails over their feathers. “Hello, boys,” he whispers. “Did ya miss me?”

From then on out, when The Boy Observer imagined Bad Things deep down in the night, that’s what they looked like: the red-eyed Devil, preening his dark wings just behind our closet

door while he waited for sleep to take us, fresh from going to and fro in the earth.

Took us awhile to get to sleep on those nights, friends.

SPEAKING OF IMPRESSIONABLE YOUNG ’UNS: We were rushing into Office Depot in North Little Rock for some envelopes over the weekend when we saw him: a boy, maybe 7, sitting alone in the back of a minivan in the parking lot. As we got out of The Mobile Observatory, the boy turned and smiled big, then held up a rumpled dollar bill to the glass. The message was clear: “Look what I got!” We gave him a thumbs up.

When a kid under the age of 10 wants to brag on himself, that’s the proper response, whether you want to respond or not.

The Observer remembers what it was to be that kid once, living in the bubble of childhood, safe from the cold rain of responsibility, all matters of finance studiously kept from us and whispered about only when the kiddies were asleep. And then, to get a dollar!

To suddenly be a part of the world of commerce! To have near-infinite possibilities laid out before you like a smorgasboard! Should I get the Juicy Fruit gum or the balsa wood glider? Should I buy a comic book or a Wonka Bar? Slushie or parachute man? There was nothing like it in the whole world: that delicious feeling of having choices and trying to decide.

We make a lot more than a dollar a week these days, but the bloom is off the rose between The Observer and George.

The older we get, the more we find that we hate money. Hate’s a strong word, but it’s the right one in this case. We hate spending money. We hate needing it. We hate writing tiny numbers in orderly columns, to be added and subtracted. We hate that some people have none, even though others have too much. We hate that it’s a way of keeping score these days.

If only we could all go back there to where that kid is: so happy to have just a little, a dollar’s worth of the world spread out before him like an overflowing table. That would be just fine by your Ol’ Pal.

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An Arkansas Voices Project Please call 501-366-3647 if you are interested in learning how to use photography and video to tell a story. You pick the story, you pick the way you tell it, we just give you the tools to make it happen!

Begins in January, call 501 366 4637 to sign up!

www.arktimes.com

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

11

Arkansas Reporter

THE

IN S IDE R

More dollars for the Chamber

The City of Little Rock has found a new way to channel taxpayer dollars to private business concerns, with a $100,000 subsidy to Metro Little Rock Alliance, an offshoot of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, added to the 2013 budget proposed last week.

The Alliance’s 2012 budget was $277,000 and its proposed budget for 2013 is $300,000, meaning one in three of its dollars will come from Little Rock taxpayers. The Alliance’s mission is identical to the Chamber’s: To attract business to Central Arkansas. Its financial support comes from Central Arkansas counties, cities, agencies and the Hussman Foundation.

The Times has asked exactly what the Alliance does, but has gotten no response from director Joey Dean so far. An Alliance budget sheet for 2012 provided the Times says the Alliance has spent $145,000 this year, including $56,000 on “general marketing,” more than $10,000 on “direct marketing/travel/professional development,” $4,300 on “event sponsorship,” and $35,000 on an “administrative agreement,” the latter perhaps with the Chamber. The particulars we’d like to know: What was its “general marketing” and “direct marketing”?

Will it be transparent on how these public dollars are spent? How did the city decide to provide $100,000 to the Alliance? And so forth.

The city also proposes to channel another $200,000 in taxpayer dollars to the Chamber, so that we can all chip in for its anti-public school, antiunion, anti-Obamacare agenda.

Clinic complains about St. Vincent A doctor who leased space from St. Vincent Health in Sherwood sent a letter to his patients informing them that St. Vincent, in a move he called “immoral and unethical,” would not renew its lease and that the clinic was moving to North Little Rock.

Dr. Jock Cobb of the North Hills Family Medical Center, which is not affiliated with St. Vincent, wrote patients that St. Vincent gave the clinic only about six weeks to move. The lease expired Oct. 31. The clinic is now located at 4509 E. McCain Blvd.

Cobb was director of St. Vincent North hospital for 12 years; he lost that position at the same time his clinic lease was terminated. In his letter, Cobb said he was saddened “at how we were treated after 12 years of association with St. Vincent as their CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 12

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Medicaid expansion could save state $700 million According to new figures from DHS.

BY DAVID RAMSEY

W

ith the controversial question of Medicaid expansion and budget shortfalls looming over the upcoming legislative session, the latest analysis from the Arkansas Department of Human Services suggests that the expansion, part of federal health-care reform, would present even greater savings than they had previously projected.

Between 2014 and 2025, according to these latest projections, adopting Medicaid expansion would save the state more than $700 million. These savings would represent enough money over the next two years to save Level 3 nursing-facility care, currently slated for cuts to plug the state Medicaid program’s impending fiscal hole. That hole — $138 million in 2014 and $75 million in 2015, even after factoring in contributions proposed by Gov. Mike Beebe from general revenue and surplus funds — threatens to end some programs and cut back others as well.

Last July, DHS released a study that suggested that Medicaid expansion would save the state $372 million between 2014 and 2021. The Washington Post lauded the projection as the “most detailed” analysis undertaken by a state on the impact of Medicaid expansion on the state budget.

However, the estimated savings that DHS now projects in 2014 and 2015 are greater than those reported in July. The increase is significant: $30 million, from $128 million to $158 million. The new numbers are based on updated projections developed by the DHS this month in preparation for its budget hearing with the legislature.

The increase in savings projected in their new numbers is even more dramatic over the long haul. The headline number from the old report — $372 million in savings between 2014 and 2021 — is now up to $629 million. Moreover, while the old report suggested that the expansion would start costing the state money in 2021, the latest projection predicts continued savings year after year. By 2025, the total savings project to $713 million.

NEW NUMBERS: Could save nursing home cuts.

The rosier projections reflect a variety of factors. The biggest is the correction of an error in the original report that failed to account for federal matching money for administrative costs. The latest projection also includes increased savings from pregnant women transferring to the federally-financed expansion, and an increase in the estimated savings from uncompensated care as insurance coverage expands.

“We knew we would do a new estimate as we got new information from the Feds,” DHS Director of Communications Amy Webb said in a phone interview Tuesday. “These are the numbers we’ll be using moving forward.”

If these projections are accurate, they represent good news for advocates of Medicaid expansion. Thus far, DHS has not been trumpeting the updated figures (its website has been not been updated to reflect the new projection) other than the new numbers for 2014 and 2015.

Because of the budget shortfall predicted for those years, DHS recommended cuts to the legislature earlier this month to fill the gap. Arkansas Medicaid Director Andy Allison told reporters last week that the cuts were necessary but would cause “real harm.” They include the elimination of Level 3 nursing-facility care, which would impact people that need extensive assistance but are

able to do at least two of the following on their own: eating, moving, relieving themselves. Level 3 also includes people with Alzheimer’s or dementia.

Gov. Mike Beebe, who supports the Medicaid expansion, has argued that the savings projected from the expansion could be used to avoid the cuts to nursing-home care. Webb said that if Medicaid expansion is approved and helps close the shortfall, DHS would make saving the Level 3 nursing-home care a priority. The numbers are close to a match. In fiscal year 2014, the savings represented by cutting Level 3 nursing care are $42 million, while the savings projected from Medicaid expansion are $44 million; in fiscal year 2015, the cuts to nursing-facility care are $116 million while the savings from Medicaid expansion are $115 million.

In a speech Tuesday at the Clinton School of Public Service, Arkansas Surgeon General Joe Thompson said that Medicaid expansion would be “fiscally advantageous” and represented “the biggest stimulus package the state could get.”

He came to this conclusion even though he was using the outdated projections from July. Officials from DHS said that they did not get him the new numbers in time. Perhaps presciently, Thompson said that he thought the projected savings were “very conservative.”

LISTEN UP

THE

BIG PICTURE

INCONSEQUENTIAL NEWS QUIZ: THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS EDITION

1. It was revealed recently that Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola has proposed a plan to make the bridges connecting Little Rock and North Little Rock more attractive. What’s the big idea?

A) Retrofit the Junction Bridge into the Little Rock Deathdrop 5000, a steel-frame rollercoaster with a 175-foot plunge, three loops, and a tunnel entrance featuring a huge fiberglass replica of County Judge Buddy Villines’ head.

B) Margarita Thursdays!

C) “Thirteen million rhinestones and a metric buttload of hot glue.”

D) String lights on the bridges, Jennings Osborne style, so they can be more easily seen at night.

2. Following an armed robbery outside a West Little Rock bank earlier this month, a bystander did something that, in retrospect, probably seemed a little dumb even to him. What did he do?

A) Breathlessly told local TV news crews that the robbery had sounded “just like a freight train.”

B) Loudly critiqued the fact that the robber held his pistol sideways instead of upright, exclaiming: “Go back to 1993, you poser!”

C) Pulled out his own handgun — which he had a concealed carry permit for — and shot at the fleeing crooks, missing them by a mile but managing to hit another car.

D) Offered to be the robber’s wheelman in exchange for $300 bucks, a package of Skittles and a Peach Nehi.

4. A group of parents became upset this month because Terry Elementary in Little Rock was offering a field trip that some feared might be harmful to their children. Where were the kids going?

A) A performance of a stage version of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” at Agape Church, which some parents objected to.

B) “Clucky Visits the Slaughterhouse: A Fun-Filled Lesson on Where Meat Comes From.”

C) Dog track in West Memphis, because principal needs a new pair of shoes!

D) Deep Fry Your Own Corndog Day at the Git-n-Go convenience store on Asher Ave.

3. It was announced that next year, something will disappear from the labels of Hiland Dairy Milk. What is it?

A) “Warning: This is, like, a cow’s breast milk.

You realize that, right?”

B) A small line-drawing of weatherman Ned Perme’s head, which is thought to have anti-bacterial properties.

C) Instructions.

D) The old Coleman Dairy logo, 17 years after the company was sold to Hiland.

5. Earlier this month, the latest performance at Little Rock’s The Weekend Theater was put in jeopardy by an unforeseen catastrophe. What was it?

A) Chilly theater made “The Full Monty” into more of a “Half-Full Monty,” if you know what we’re saying.

B) A passing car plowed into the front of the theater, causing several thousand dollars in damage.

C) The actor playing Banquo in “MacBeth” did such a good job on the line “You should be women, and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so!” that the Three Witches broke character and kicked his ass.

D) Costume designer’s promised Technicolor Dreamcoat turned out to be a brown terrycloth robe with a March 1983 copy of TV Guide in the pocket.

6) Recently, Little Rock’s commitment to public art was shaken to the core. What happened?

A) A patron at the Arkansas Arts Center accidentally ate the 1983 avant-garde masterpiece: “Some Milk Duds I Bought at the Tandy 10 Theater.”

B) Three bronze sculptures were stolen from Riverfront Park, probably by scrap thieves, and a limestone sculpture near the Central Arkansas Library’s Main Library was badly damaged.

C) Permit denied for a performance art piece called “American Exceptionalism,” that would have seen a nude, 57-year-old German named Klaus Dohl jump from the roof of City Hall into a vat of KFC gravy.

D) Facing a series of lawsuits, the Pulaski County Quorum Court voted to paint over artist Ken Newman’s seminal mural “SPLAT! (with broken collarbone),” which was basically a Wile E. Coyote-style painting of a tunnel on a brick wall, designed to trick unsuspecting bicyclists.

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

Available on iTunes & arktimes.com

INSIDER, CONT. Medical Director and a major supporter who helped take the concept of a hospital presence in Sherwood to a reality.”

The Times asked St. Vincent spokesperson Margaret Dedman if the lease termination was part of St. Vincent’s $12 million budget cuts revealed last week by CEO Peter Banko and what the hospital’s plan for the Sherwood building the clinic occupied was. The Times didn’t get answers to those questions, but was provided a statement in which the hospital said it was “disappointed by the letter sent

by Dr. Cobb to his patients regarding his recent change in location.” The hospital said its notice to Dr. Cobb about the decision not to renew the lease “was consistent with the terms in the original lease agreement that he signed” and that it offered to sell the building, originally owned by Cobb, back to the doctor, but that he declined.

St. Vincent laid off 29 employees a couple of weeks ago, and 21 left the hospital in November. Banko said other cuts will come in vendor and doctor contracts as well as changes in clinical care.

Submit your big idea for Arkansas Next month, we’ll unveil the fourth edition of our annual Big Ideas for Arkansas edition and, as usual, we’re taking nominations for ideas that would make Arkansas a better place to live. Every topic is on the table.

Commerce. Education. Government.

Infrastructure. Tourism. Entertainment. Should we overhaul the state tax code? Build bike trails across the state? End blue laws? Feel free to be as pragmatic or wacky as you want to.

Send your nominations to Lindsey Millar at lindseymillar@arktimes.com.

CORRECTION In last week’s story “Fans cry foul” (Arkansas Reporter, Nov. 21), we mistakenly referred to a Facebook group created to demand accountability from the leadership of the fan-owned Arkansas Travelers as Take Me Out of the Ballgame. The name of the Facebook group is Take Me Out of the Ballpark.

In our preview of the Arkansas Times Craft Beer Festival (“Beer lovers’ dream come true,” Oct. 24), we mistakenly suggested that Charleville Brewing only distributes as south as Missouri. According to sales and marketing manager Tait Russell, the brewery has distributed throughout Arkansas for nearly four years. www.arktimes.com

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

13

Answers: D, C, D, A, B, B

Jeannie Tucker 28 years

Melissa Dorr 26 years

Leora Moore 26 years

Cheryl Turner 30 years

Shelley Tomlin Bobby Tomlin 28 years

Five months after Whirlpool left town, former plant workers in Fort Smith speak about life in Outsourced America.

BY DAVID KOON PHOTOS BY BRIAN CHILSON

Howard Carruth 43 years

Mark Smith 28 years

14

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Paul Vinsant 29 years

Kathy Palmer 37 years

Betty Beckham 30 years

W

hen the Norge Refrigerator Co. opened its new Fort Smith plant in 1961, the town threw a parade, a bunting-bedecked affair with marching bands and dignitaries waving to the crowd from Detroitmade convertibles. The Norge plant was bought by the Whirlpool Corp. in 1966, and soon expanded, eventually growing to a massive 1.2 million square foot behemoth on the edge of town. Back then, the plant looked like the shape of things to come; the steel and concrete promise of an American industrial age that would never — could never — end. It was a different time. Nobody watching the parade that day had ever heard the word “outsourced,” and the only thing most of them had ever seen stamped “China” was the bottom of their grandmother’s teapot.

There were no parades when Whirlpool shuttered their Fort Smith factory on June 29, a closure that had been announced in October 2011. At the time the announcement was made, the writing had been on the wall at Whirlpool Fort Smith for a while. The plant, which had employed more than 4,500 workers in the mid-2000s, had hung on during the worst of the recession, but had seen its workforce slashed to just over 850 by the time the doors were closed for good. After the closure, production moved to plants in Ohio, Iowa and Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.

Compounding the blow on the local economy were the layoffs at ancillary companies that existed largely to provide material for the vast Whirlpool factory: everything from plastics companies to carton makers. That doesn’t include the local businesses built on Whirlpool salaries — hair salons, grocery stores, convenience stores, barber shops, pawn shops, bakeries.

There are reasons for the closure, of course — good ones. Recession. The unrelenting pressures of the marketplace. Sadly, that’s a story that’s been written again and again all over this country in the past 30 years. But this is not that story.

No amount of puffing the dry dust of numbers is going to give the former workers of Whirlpool Fort Smith back the comfortable, blue-collar, middleclass incomes that paid for college educations, weddings, Christmases, births, illnesses, and funerals for 50 years. You will not read any carefully measured statements from Whirlpool corporate spokesmen about consumer demand and the need to take CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

LEARNING: Howard Carruth (foreground) and other former Whirlpool workers in class at the Crawford County Adult Ed Center.

www.arktimes.com

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

15

BIG NEIGHBOR: The plant, from a nearby neighborhood.

EVERYTHING MUST GO: AAA Pawn manager Loren Throne helps load a Whirlpool washer on a customer’s truck.

drastic measures to remain competitive in the global marketplace in this article. If you’ve been paying attention over the past two decades, you could probably write that quote yourself by now. Besides, this isn’t about excuses.

Instead, this aims to be a story about people — Fort Smith workers, many of whom gave a sizable chunk of their lives to a job, only to be left behind in the shuffle. People like Howard Carruth, 62, who worked at Whirlpool as a millwright for 43 years, 83 days, and served as the vice president of the United Steelworkers Union Local 370. Like Kathy Palmer, a former press operator who started at Whirlpool when she was 19 and who worries that at age 57, she’s going to have trouble finding a job. Like Melissa Dorr, 49, who worked 26 years and one month at the plant, and who says she can’t bring herself to even drive by the old factory: “It makes me sick that I wasted all that time there.”

This is about looking some of those workers in the eye, hearing their stories, and questioning how much we’re willing to pay as a society to get things just a little cheaper. ♦♦♦

T FEELING THE RIPPLES: Gwen Motsenbocker (left) and Danny Flippen.

16

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

he former Whirlpool plant in Fort Smith is something to behold, even with its presses stilled and its loading docks emptied — a building so vast it seems to have a horizon, most of it painted a shade bluer than sky. In the neighborhoods near the plant, the building looms like a wall in the distance. While one might wonder

how people in those houses slept all those years with the constant comings and goings of workers and trucks and the bang of industry at a plant that often ran 24 hours a day — a fact attested to by the existence of at least one surviving all-night diner a few blocks from the factory — it’s probably for this simple reason: For many of the people who lived in those neighborhoods, a lot of whom probably drew their paycheck from Whirlpool, any racket from their big blue neighbor undoubtedly sounded like prosperity.

Those days, however, are in the past.

While Fort Smith manufacturing isn’t down and out — there are still a number of big industrial employers there, including Gerber Foods, heating and air manufacturer Rheem, and electric motor manufacturer Baldor — Whirlpool was clearly a cornerstone of the local economy, and the loss has rippled through the town like a shockwave.

Fort Smith Mayor Sandy Sanders worked for Whirlpool for 32 years prior to being elected. He said the news that Whirlpool would depart was “disheartening,” he said.

“I was very disappointed because we had the most efficient plant that Whirlpool had domestically, but I wasn’t privy to the factors on which they made their decision.”

The bright spot for Fort Smith, Sanders said, is that other companies in town are slowly beginning to add jobs, and the city continues to work with the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission on potential pros-

pects. He said that the national economy has been so bleak that it’s difficult to judge when hiring in the city will rebound, but he added that he hopes to have “an announcement or two” early next year regarding expansion and growth by current employers.

“What we hear is that nationwide there’s pent-up investment dollars,” Sanders said, “but companies are just holding on waiting for the tide to turn.

We’re hopeful that when those investment dollars start to break loose that we’re in the mix.”

In the communities near the former Whirlpool plant, however, the voices are not even so hopeful as that. AAA Pawn, a strip-mall shop on Highway 271 south just behind the former plant, had a shiny Whirlpool washer in its showroom on the day we visited. AAA manager Loren Throne said he has seen the effect the closure has had on his business. “We’ve definitely seen an increase in money going out, as opposed to money coming in,” Throne said. “We get a lot of folks in here who say, ‘I just need to pay a bill,’ or ‘I just need some gas money.’ I’m sure some of them were former Whirlpool employees.”

Throne said his business is down enough that the shop has had to go to alternative sources of sales, relying more on the Internet and sales at local flea markets, to stay afloat. “I still don’t understand it,” he said. “It’s greed, if you ask me, to send jobs somewhere just to save a buck.”

Next door to AAA Pawn at Nanny’s Boutique thrift shop, owner Gwen Motsenbocker said she’s felt the ripples from Whirlpool as well. Her late husband, Joe, worked at Whirlpool in the 1970s, and she said it was a good-paying job. While many of the appliances in her home were made at the factory and bought at annual “scratch-anddent” sales, she vowed she’ll never buy anything else the company makes. The closure, she said, has “put a hurt on Fort Smith.”

“People come in here all the time trying to sell me stuff that you know came out of their homes,” she said. “They’re just hurting for money. I’m not saying that Whirlpool is the whole cause, but it knocked a lot of other plants out of business.”

A few blocks from the plant, Danny Flippen runs TSC Digital Entertainment Systems, a commercial satellite TV system installer. Loud and unashamedly Democrat — prone to going on tears about how American industry dodged a bullet when the voters rejected Mitt Romney — Flippen

YOU’RE IN GOOD COMPANY wmichaelabstract.com arktimes.com / 501.375.2985

SOURCE: THE MEDIA AUDIT, JAN. 2012

Santa at the Center December 1 • 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

December 8 and 15 • 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

William J. Clinton Presidential Center - Great Hall

FREE

The Center will host holiday activities including fun art projects, special holiday entertainment including free photos with Santa and tasty treats to celebrate the season. Santa at the Center is free to all ages, but regular admission fees apply to tour the Library.

1200 President Clinton Ave • Little Rock, AR 72201 501-374-4242 • www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

www.arktimes.com

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

17

said he sees the outsourcing of jobs as one of the most unpatriotic things a company can do. As a kid, he went on the picket lines with his father, who worked for the city of Fort Smith. He said that although blaming unions for plant closures has been popular in the past, it wasn’t union demands that closed Whirlpool.

“They say it’s the union’s fault,” Flippen said. “Keep telling yourself that. It wasn’t the unions that did it. If it wasn’t for the unions, we would be working Sundays for two bucks an hour, and we will go back to that if we let it.”

While your local economist might scoff, Flippen said he believes Americans would pay more for a U.S.-made refrigerator, not only because of a sense of helping out their fellow citizens and American industry, but because of quality. It’s a sentiment shared by most of the people we talked to in Fort Smith.

Putting American workers back to work, Flippen said, could help people get enough money in their pocket to choose quality over price.

“You get people making a little money,” Flippen said, “they’ll say: ‘Well, why would I want to buy that cheap piece of shit when I can buy this one, made in the United States, with twice the warranty, made down the road in Alabama, or up in Missouri or over in Kansas?’ ” The workers in those plants would spend money with local businesses, Flippen said, and the economy would lift.

“The only way we’re going to get industry back is to get off the high horse of thinking that the God Almighty Dollar has to be made no matter who sacrifices to get it,” Flippen said. “It’s sad.

I think about all the kids that went to college, all the homes that were built, all the dreams that were accomplished by that factory out there. Now they won’t be. It’s lost.” ♦♦♦

A

t 12:30 p.m. on a Thursday, the classrooms at the Crawford County Adult Education Center in Van Buren are full, and the people filling the seats are almost all exWhirlpool. While they’re officially here because they’re being retrained through the government’s Trade Adjustment Assistance program, which pays for some education for workers laid off due to production being shifted to NAFTA partners Canada and Mexico, this is really something more like a half-way house — a rest stop between the repetitive, regimented life of a factory worker

18

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

TESTED: Former Whirlpool worker Kathy Palmer in class.

and what they all hope will be life as a successful college or trade school student, with a well-paying job beyond.

Most are in their mid-50s, some of them squinting at computer screens through reading glasses. Many of them worked at Whirlpool since they were 18 or 19. Now they sit shoulder-to-shoulder with people they built refrigerators with for 20 years and try to learn their way back to the lives they knew.

While most are getting ready for college courses or nursing school, a few of them dropped out of high school to start at the plant, confident they’d retire from Whirlpool and thus never need a diploma. Now, at an age when most people are worried about what to buy the grandkids for Christmas, those people find themselves scrambling after GEDs so they can qualify for even the lowest-paying of jobs, much less the middle-class wages they were making before.

The Arkansas Times spoke to more than a dozen former Whirlpool workers taking classes at the Adult Ed Center.

In the center’s assembly hall, they were loud and boisterous as they waited on their interviews, laughing over inside jokes from the old days, or commiserating over what’s been visited upon them.

Every hand shaken in that room was hard, solid, callused — hands that know work. The other thing that united them was a clouded, universal look of worry, even when they smiled.

Even though Carruth, the 43-year employee and former vice president of the local Steelworkers Union, is not a union leader anymore, he’s still a leader.

It was Carruth who gathered the former workers together to chat with Arkansas Times. He told us to bring doughnuts

— even specified where the doughnuts should come from to best please the former Whirlpoolers — and so we did.

He’s that kind of guy.

Like a lot of former Whirlpool employees, Carruth said the workers did everything they could to save the plant, working with management to trim costs and even helping decide which of their fellow co-workers to lay off in recent years. He pointed out that Whirlpool Fort Smith was first in quality among all Whirlpool factories in North America right up until it closed.

He admits that he’s bitter about the decision to close the plant, which he called “a shitty deal.”

“Moving things to Mexico is a big mistake,” Carruth said. “Who is going to buy these refrigerators from Mexico when we don’t have jobs? I’m an honest believer in that. We’re going to a service-type nation, selling hamburgers.”

For many of his fellow students, Carruth said, going to school is a way to survive. He’s better situated than most given how close he is to retirement, but he’s still clearly concerned about his former co-workers. To many, he said, the retraining assistance they’re receiving from the government feels like a handout.

“We’d gladly accept our jobs back and give them this money back that we’re drawing right now,” he said.

“There’s not a person out there who says they don’t want to work and have a job. We’re going through something that most of us have never been through in our lives.”

Everyone in the room seems to be living the truth of that. It shows in their eyes, and you can hear it in their voices: Former press operator Palmer said

she has trouble with school due to a learning disability. “I’m 57 now, and it’s hard to find a job. I don’t know what to do. Who is going to hire someone at my age? I tried to get on at the airport.

I tried to get on at the school. It’s hard to get a job right now. ... I don’t want to work at McDonald’s. I don’t want to work at Subway or Sonic. I want something better. I had a better job, and it’s gone.”

Theresa Soucy, 58, who started at Whirlpool when she was 20 and shares some of Palmer’s concerns, said she’s heard rumors that many local employers won’t consider ex-Whirlpoolers because the factory was unionized. “I looked at a job that paid 40 percent less than I made at Whirlpool,” Soucy said.

“Should I take that big of a cut? I’ve got to go back and get an education just to make the money I made at Whirlpool, and by that time, I’m going to be old.

Who is going to want to hire me?”

Jeannie Tucker, who worked 28 years at the plant, said she feels ashamed because she can’t give her daughter the things her other children had during their senior year of high school: “We never expected to get slapped in the face like that — slapped down to nothing.”

Paul Vinsant said his 27-year-old son recently told him to forget about having pride when he finds another job: “He said, ‘Dad, whatever you do next, you can’t have pride. You can’t just give them 110 percent. Just give them enough to get by. That’s all you can do.’ I told him that I don’t know if that’s in me or not. He said: ‘I hate to tell you, but you’ll be done this way again.’ ” Shelley Tomlin, 48, who is attending school with her husband, Bobby, who she met at Whirlpool before they were 20 years old, said: “Somebody asked me if I knew anybody who could come work at the employment office, and they had to have a bachelor’s degree. I asked what it paid, and they said $14 an hour.

I told him we didn’t even have college, and we made more money than that. It’s kind of hard going back to college not knowing whether you can make what you made beforehand. The good-paying jobs are gone.”

“I don’t feel like I learned anything from being there,” said Melissa Dorr, the former worker who said she can’t even drive by the old factory. “How’s it going to help me now? I was going to retire from there. I was going to retire and go on about my business. If I’d known, I would have been looking for something else to do.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

and confidante.

“It’s difficult,” she said. “It’s sitting and listening to their anger, their disappointment, their fear. It’s listening, and saying: ‘Let’s take a piece of this at a time.’ ”

♦♦♦

D

r. Debbie Faubus-Kendrick, director of the Adult Education Center, said that trying to help people in their 50s figure out how to cope with losing a job they held for 25-plus years — and the prospect of finding another one in a world where even younger and more qualified candidates can’t find employment — is sometimes heartbreaking. She said that during the first round of layoffs, one older former Whirlpool worker came to a small, getting-to-know-you session at the center. The next week, Faubus-Kendrick said, she heard that the man had told his wife to ask his friend if she had any questions about what he was about to do, then went to his truck and shot himself. At press time, we were unable to determine whether that story was true or just an urban legend of the dispossessed; something former Whirlpool workers whisper to each other to remind themselves they haven’t hit rock bottom.

“They break down and cry sometimes,” Faubus-Kendrick said. “They say: ‘What am I going to do?’ We try to find resources for them and get them pointed in the right direction. They say: ‘I haven’t been in a classroom in 35 years,’ and we’ll tell them: ‘You’ll be fine. We don’t expect you to walk in and know everything.’ ” She said that while most of the former Whirlpool workers she sees come to the center looking like “deer in the headlights,” they are soon able to fall back on what made them good at their previous jobs: punctuality, consistency, work ethic, the willingness to work as a team and lean on one another for support. She said that even after students move on to college, many of them show back up at the center, seeking reassurance.

“This is a stepping stone,” she said.

“It’s almost like we coddle them and

♦♦♦

L

LEAN ON ME: Crawford County Adult Ed Center Director Debbie Faubus-Kendrick.

protect them. They get the one-on-one.

They get the attaboys they need. They get the warm fuzzies, and they get that we’re behind them. They’re not going to get that on a college campus.”

With the economy so dire and her students destined to compete with just-as-qualified candidates who are less than half their age, Faubus-Kendrick said that the faculty at the center has to wear a lot of hats for the older students they see: friend, psychologist

aura Strange, 55, worked at Whirlpool for 29 years and two months, eventually becoming a coordinator on the refrigerator door line. Strange didn’t want us to take her picture, but you already know what she looks like — what grief looks like, what sleepless nights look like, what worry looks like. When we talked to her, she was mad, heartsick, always seeming to be on the verge of shouting. During our interview, when she mentioned that she’d at least be receiving Whirlpool insurance when she eventually does retire, she was gently informed by Howard Carruth and others that this was not the case because she was a few months shy of 55 the day the plant closed — the 55-year-old cutoff age being one of the quirks of the final compensation deal worked out between the union and the company. She and others at the table came close to arguing about it, with Strange insisting she’d been explicitly told by “the people upstairs” in management that she would receive company insurance upon retirement. Eventually, however, the realization that she’d been either mistaken or outright lied to seemed to wash over her. And just like that — poof — another dim spark of her hope was gone, before our very eyes. It was a horrible thing to witness.

Her situation, Strange said, is almost unbearable at times. “The stress is unbelievable,” she said. “People say, pick something else and do it! That’s hard to do. I can’t go back to a factory. I tried one time, and I failed the physical. I have carpal tunnel. I have arthritis in my shoulders and in my hips. Going

out and getting another factory job is probably not going to happen for me.”

Even as she tries to push forward with her education, Strange said, her time at Whirlpool is still holding her back. When she was young, Strange was a crackerjack typist, able to top 50 words per minute. “Now I can’t get past 20 because my fingers are so messed up,” she said. “My fingers just don’t work like they used to.”

While Strange seems determined to press on, she knows, like the other folks from Whirlpool, that the clock is always ticking. It’s a common refrain: Who is going to want to hire any of them?

“After two years of retraining that’s definitely not going to get me a job in this area that pays as well as Whirlpool, I’m going to go out there and try to compete at doing something I’ve never done before with kids who are fresh out of college,” she said. “They’ll want that same job, and if I were in charge, I would take the young person. In two years, I’ll be 57. I can’t retire, and I’m a long way from the Social Security line.

What do you do?”

“Too old to go start over,” intoned a woman sitting nearby, “and you’re too young to retire.”

For now, Strange and her husband are living on her unemployment and her husband’s monthly Social Security check. She said she isn’t taking any kind of government aid other than what’s available through the Trade Adjustment Assistance retraining program, but she and others know ex-Whirlpool employees who have gone on food stamps just to feed their families. Just talking about that possibility seems like a humiliation to her and the rest, but there may well be a day when it comes to that for many of them.

“Six or seven years ago, we thought that the people who were drawing government assistance were ‘those people.’ ” Strange said. “We had no idea we’d be ‘those people’ someday.”

BRANTLEY, CONT. From page 6 My mother’s death in Little Rock on the eve of Y2K didn’t offer a similar farewell opportunity. Here, apart from my house, she mostly frequented hospitals, doctor’s offices and nursing homes.

(And, thanks to Ed David, she loved the chopped sirloin steak at The Faded Rose.) She also loved the sight of the city’s green hills and Knoop Park. Much of her ashes I’ve scattered there. But a final bit will accompany me to India. There 20

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

she spent the most momentous passage of her life. In the hazy world in which she marked her final days in Arkansas, she’d sometimes imagine herself in the Army again. Once, in a hospital bed, she believed herself on a train departing Calcutta and the attending doctor her commanding officer. This much is real: Without India and the genetic mixture it brought together — that tall Californian, that friendly Lousianian who loved newspapers — there wouldn’t be me.

She talked for years of returning to see

the wonders of her time at war. Now a part of her will.

I’ve written before about the house fire that hastened mom’s move to Arkansas. It destroyed her meticulous scrapbooks — packed with photos of troop ships, barracks, hospital wards, soldier boys, snake charmers and Indian monuments, foreign money and other relics. The few photos that I now possess she’d sent to her sister, who passed them back to me. No fire could erase the memory of a boy who pored over the

scrapbooks again and again, wondering if he would ever see those amazing things, particularly the huge white mausoleum in Agra before which his then-young future parents once stood.

In a few days, he will.

Max Brantley posted this on The Arkansas Blog on Thanksgiving Day. He later reported, “Mom is at rest among the mums and marigolds in the garden of that colonial hotel.”

Hey, do this!

AUGUST 30-SEPT 20

➧

Vino’s “Backroom” hosts three weeks of band competition on August 30, Sept 6 and 13 with finals on September 20. General public will have a $5 cover at the door per event night. The grand prize is a $1,000 cash prize and a 90-minute set on the 2012 Arkansas State Fair Main Stage on college night, October 17.

For more information, visit Vinosbrewpub.com.

Celebrate the Magic of Christmas with

The Nutcracker

Start a new tradition with your little sugarplum when you attend the Nutcracker Tea on Sunday, December 2 from 2-4 p.m. at the Capital Hotel.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for children and include high tea, decadent sweets, a special performance by Ballet Arkansas and photos with the Sugar Plum Fairy. For tickets, visit www.balletarkansas.org. n Ballet Arkansas presents The Nutcracker, the world’s most beloved ballet, with Tchaikovsky’s magical score performed by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, December 7-9. Show times are 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. All performances take place at Robinson Center Music Hall. Tickets are $20-$45 and are available online at www. arkansassymphony.org and www.BalletArkansas.org.

➧ Dec 5

Benefits Argenta Arts Foundation

On the heels of the Arkansas Times Craft Beer Festival we’re presenting the Schlafly Pub Crawl in Argenta. Loads of drink specials, meet the co-founder Dan Kopman and the Argenta Arts Foundation will award a customized Schlafly neon sign (and tshirts and hats) to the winning raffle ticket. 6-7 Cornerstone Deli & Pub, 7-8 Reno’s Argenta Cafe and 8-9 Cregeen’s Irish Pub. We’ll see you there!

DEC. 7-9

A holiday shopping extravaganza, Arkansas Craft Guild’s 34th Annual Christmas Showcase takes place at the Statehouse Convention Center. Over 100 artists offer an array of unique pottery, jewelry, glass, weavings, paintings and more. Showcase hours are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Friday; 8 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday; and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 at the door. On Saturday, early bird shoppers receive free admission from 8 a.m.-10 a.m. For more information, visit www.arkansascraftguild.org.

DEC. 20

Don’t miss Heights

Happy Hour

from 5-8 p.m. Local restaurants, shops and galleries offer discounts and free samples of food and drinks. This event takes place every third Thursday of the month.

THROUGH DEC. 31

DEC. 21

december F UN!

Food, Music, Entertainment and everything else that’s DEC. 2

DEC. 6

At Hillcrest’s Shop & Sip, your favorite local boutiques, restaurants and galleries stay open after hours with special discounts as well as live music, nibbles and drinks. The event takes place every first Thursday of the month.

River City Men’s Chorus presents Holiday 2012 with Howard Helvey. Show

times are 3 p.m. on Sunday and 7 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday. All performances are held at Trinity United Methodist Church at 1101 N. Mississippi in Little Rock and are free and open to the public.

For more information, call 501-377-1080 or visit www.rivercitymenschorus.com.

➧

DEC. 7

Trans Siberian Orchestra

returns to Verizon Arena for their annual holiday spectacular. This year’s show, “The Lost Christmas Eve,” features crowd favorites fused with rock, classical, folk, Broadway and R&B sounds. Doors open at 7 p.m. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $43.40-$88.50 and available online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 800-745-3000.

DEC. 14

2nd Friday Art Night is a once-a-month

event in the heart of downtown Little Rock. Shops, restaurants, museums and galleries stay open until 8 p.m. Don’t miss Home(brew) for the Holidays at the Old State House Museum, where patrons 21 and older can sample holiday beers made in Central Arkansas.

Admission is free. Historic Arkansas Museum hosts their annual Nog-Off eggnog competition.

DEC. 14-16

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra performs traditional Christmas carols with and special guests and surprises that are sure to entertain the whole family.

Show times are 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday with a 3 p.m. Sunday matinee. All performances are at Robinson Center Music Hall. Tickets are $18-$58 and available online at www. arkansassymphony.org.

➧ Happy Holidays!

Lulav hosts a fundraiser for the Little Rock Film Festival at 8 p.m. All proceeds will benefit the Little Rock Film Festival initiatives, including the Little Rock Horror Picture Show and the Argenta Film Series.

Funk A Nites, featuring members of Velvet Kente and Amasa Hines, will perform. Tickets are $30 and available online at lrff.eventbrite.com. Lulav is located at 6th and Center St. in Little Rock. n Across the river in North Little Rock, Argenta Art Walk takes place from 5-8 p.m. as dozens of local artists display and sell their work along Main Street. For more information, visit www.argentaartwalk.com.

Murry’s Dinner Playhouse presents Run for Your Wife, a hilarious tale of mistaken identities that promises to be a must-see holiday treat.

For show times and prices, visit www.murrysdinnerplayhouse. com. Call 501-562-3131 for reservations.

DEC. 2-4

Beautifully decorated for the season, the Old State House Museum hosts its Holiday Open House from 1-4:30 p.m. Activities include Christmas caroling, holiday cardmaking for the kids and cookies and punch for all. Admission is free. n Also on Dec. 2, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center hosts its first annual Sweet Potato Pie Contest. Entries will be judged at the museum’s Holiday Open House from 2-5 p.m. Call 501-683-3593 for more info.

DEC. 22

The Arkansas Razorbacks men’s basketball

team led by Mike Anderson will take on the Alabama A&M Bulldogs at Verizon Arena. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tip-off is 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 and available online at www. ticketmaster.com or by phone at 800-745-3000. Go Hogs!

www.arktimes.com

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

21

Arts Entertainment AND

CINDY MOMCHILOV

‘WHITE CHRISTMAS’: Shane Donovan, Jennifer Sheehan, Case Dillard and Sarah Agar star in The Rep’s production.

‘WHITE CHRISTMAS’ COMING The Rep’s gift this season is Irving Berlin’s holiday classic.

BY AARON SARLO

L

ong before the advent of the sorry tradition that is Black Friday — a day as antithetical to the Christmas spirit as any could be — there was Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.” Before cutthroat corporate greed turned our collective holiday sensibilities into empty consumerism, there was “White Christmas.” And long after the last pointless plastic bauble makes its way from the assembly line to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, “White Christmas” will still be with us.

Against all odds, the sweetness of the film, the song and the production endures.

The antiquated (and oddly globetrotting) story takes us from the battlefields of Europe during World War II to the 22

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

opportunism of the contemporaneous American club circuit, ultimately settling us gently into the rustic charms of a Vermont inn during an unseasonably warm Christmas. The characters’ motives are simple and true; the story is amiable. “White Christmas” comes from a time in our history when sentimentality trumped cynicism, nowhere more notably than on the silver screen.

Many of these themes, however, can feel anachronistic in today’s America, and my inner cynic was interested to hear how the Arkansas Repertory Theatre’s production would deliver them to the contemporary theatergoer.

“I think that’s what makes the show so well-liked,” said actor Sarah Agar (Judy Haynes). “You know, love and

loss and happiness and being with family and holidays, those sentiments are with you no matter what time period you grow up in. And I think that’s the special thing that draws people in, and is going to make this authentic.”

While the rosy romanticism of yesteryear might beguile us, what we mostly take away from “White Christmas” is the majesty of Irving Berlin’s music. It is difficult to overstate Berlin’s genius as a songwriter. Music Director Mark Binns pays tribute to the musical arrangements of the 1954 film. “It has basically what everybody loves about an Irving Berlin song,” actor Jennifer Sheehan (Betty Haynes) said, “but multiply that by 20 voices singing it. So you’ve got six-part harmonies, eight-part harmonies, songs

that are really jazzy. The arrangements in the show are really inventive, really neat.”

Case Dillard (Phil Davis) said some of the harmonies are not from the original, “although some of the close harmonies are classic, like The Andrews Sisters,” the Swing-era singing group known for their sparkling, pitch-perfect harmonies.

The group came up again and again in speaking with the cast. “I mean some of the numbers are very Andrews Sisters, very McGuire Sisters, but like amped-up by a whole cast of people singing them sometimes, so that’s really fun,” Sheehan said. “These songs are fun to sing.”

If ever there was a truism in theater, it is this: If the cast is having fun performing, the audience will have fun watching. Agar said offhandedly that “White Christmas” is “so well-written that it doesn’t really need the actors to put that much more into it.”

That very well may be, but Agar and the rest of the cast nonetheless bring a heap of talent to The Rep’s production.

Here’s a quick list of accolades: Among other shows, Cincinnati native Agar has performed in “Hello, Dolly!” at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina and West Virginia Public Theatre’s productions of “Cats” and “Anything Goes.” Dillard, who grew up in Little Rock, most recently played Bert in the national tour of “Mary Poppins” (after understudying the role on Broadway), as well as performing for the Obamas as part of the 2010 Fourth of July celebration at Ford’s Theatre. Sheehan has performed at Carnegie Hall and with Jazz at Lincoln Center, and has performed a critically acclaimed one-woman show everywhere from Palm Springs to New York to England. The polite and soft-spoken Shane Donovan (Bob Wallace) last appeared as Lt. Joe Cable in the national tour of “South Pacific.”

The Rep’s Nicole Capri is directing and supervising choreography, right on the heels of The Rep’s Summer Musical Theatre Intensive production “Singin’ on a Star.”

“White Christmas” runs Friday, Nov. 30, through Dec. 30. Curtain is at 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays at 7 p.m. and 2 p.m. for Sunday matinees.

Wednesday, Nov. 28, is “Pay-WhatYou-Can Night” and there is a signinterpretation performance on Dec. 5.

Tickets are $25-$60. Student tickets are half-price with valid ID.

ROCK CANDY

EstatE salE!

Check out the Times’ A&E blog

Fri & Sat, Nov 30 & Dec 1 • 8am-2pm

arktimes.com

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BEEBE NATIVE CODY BELEW BROUGHT OUT his inner Freddie Mercury, singing Queen’s “Somebody to Love” on Monday’s top 8 live performances episode of “The Voice.”

Belew told his coach, CeeLo Green, that he was a student of Mercury’s work and that Green’s choice of “Somebody to Love” was brilliant. “Freddie Mercury is a hero for me,” he said. “That’s who I modeled myself after.”

Green obviously believed Belew had the chops to pull off a signature song from one of the most recognizable and one-of-a-kind pop singers ever. “I gave him this song because I believe that torch can be passed from Freddie Mercury to Cody,” Green said. “This song allows him to show off that big, beautiful voice of his.”

Belew also talked to Green about the difficulties he’d faced after moving to Music City.

“Growing up in Arkansas, surrounded by country music, Nashville is your pilgrimage. But I quickly learned it wasn’t a fairy tale,” Belew said.

After facing so much rejection, Belew found himself questioning his direction. “When you’re told ‘no’ so much, it does weaken you.”

Any weakness Belew might have felt was nowhere to be found Monday, though. Decked out in a sharp green suit and accompanied by a full gospel choir, he sauntered around the stage with the confidence and poise of a seasoned pro, for a performance that combined truly impressive vocal fireworks and showmanship galore.

Christina Aguilera praised the young singer. “I think what I enjoy about you is that you’re definitely a risk-taker through and through. And you’re not afraid to keep changing it up,” she said. “It’s not like we all applauded one thing about you one week and then you stuck with that and killed it into the ground.”

Green also hailed Belew’s work.

“You make me feel confident about my own heart and my own ears and eyes and instincts, and I love our partnership, I love what we’re accomplishing,” Green said. “You are making some quantum leaps, and most importantly, I’ve found a really good friend in you.”

As always, the Times goes to press on Tuesday, so check Rock Candy to see if Belew was voted into the top 6.

Come See!

ON

OK, ALL OF YOU WHO ARE HIRSUTE OF FACE and competitive of spirit: The Root Cafe and the Arkansas Times are putting on a beard-growing competition, and the shave-in approacheth. All contestants will need to be certified clean-shaven on Saturday, Dec. 1, at The Root.

Check out arktimes.com/beardfest for more.

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NOVEMBER 28, 2012

23

THE TO-DO

LIST

BY ROBERT BELL & DAVID RAMSEY

THURSDAY 11/29

SUPER WATER SYMPATHY

9:30 p.m. Stickyz. $5.

Super Water Sympathy of Shreveport, La., bills its sound as “water pop,” i.e., “a synthesis of classic symphonic ambience with modern ethereal anthems.” After listening to a few songs from the band’s 2011 debut, “Vesper Belle,” and their new

single, “Uh Oh!,” I’m still struggling a bit with that description. I suppose there are some ambient elements around the edges of the songs, and there are certainly references to H2O throughout, but for the most part, the band’s sound isn’t too far from the terrestrial pop of Coldplay or maybe The Fray. One key difference:

Singer Ansley Hughes has a big, bold, sultry voice that gives Super Water Sympathy a big, bold edge over a lot of similar young outfits. The five-piece has had a pretty big 2012, playing the Vans Warped Tour and recording its sophomore album in the U.K. with producer Cam Blackwood, who’s worked with Brazilian dance

mavens CSS and handled live sound for Florence + The Machine, among other notables. Opening the 18-and-older show are local indie folk-rockers Free Micah and standout indie rock quartet Whale Fire. Super Water Sympathy and Free Micah play again Saturday at Maxine’s (see calendar). RB

FRIDAY 11/30

‘THE OUTSIDERS’

7:30 p.m. The Weekend Theater. $12-$16.

in Louisiana and an Alabama activist who travels the region advocating for more HIV funding for Southern states. The film has done well since its debut this summer, earning critical accolades and awards from the Shout! Gay and Lesbian Film Festival of Alabama and Outflix Film Festival. Director Lisa Biagiotti told the Oxford American that “it’s the same virus, but HIV is a different disease in the South, therefore the lessons of

the last thirty years and successes in urban areas cannot be replicated in a place where culture and society are so different. It might be better to look at the best practices in the developing world because some of the challenges are the same.” The film is presented by the Arkansas Minority Health Commission in recognition of World AIDS Day and as part of a broader mission to de-stigmatize HIV/AIDS and help end the disease. RB

S.E. Hinton was only 17 in 1967 when her first novel, “The Outsiders,” was published. The book was widely credited with expanding the scope of young-adult fiction and would go on to sell millions and millions of copies, inspiring the 1983 film of the same title. Hinton has said that she wrote the book out of frustration with much of what was marketed to young readers at the time.

Her tale of switchblades and gang fights was informed from her reallife experiences and was probably fairly shocking to the square community at the time. In 2012, the idea of “rumbles” between Greasers and Socs seems pretty quaint, especially compared to the inner-city warfare we’ve witnessed in the intervening years. But many of the book’s themes — class rivalry, dysfunctional families and relying on literature and art to escape the grind of daily life — are evergreen. This stage adaptation, by Christopher Sergel, breaks the book into two acts and hews closely to the original. The Weekend Theater is back up and running again after a car smashed into the front of it earlier in the month. This production runs at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 15. RB

rocking the room with a mix of bombastic Southern rock and modern postgrunge sounds. This year, the guys in Se7en Sharp reprise their annual benefit concert, dubbed “Se7en Sharp Shares.”

All proceeds from the show will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospi-

tal, the Memphis institution that has developed pioneering techniques for saving children from a host of illnesses, but with a special focus on cancer. Also performing will be Mayday by Midnight, Stella Luss and Jon Keniston. In addition to the live music, there’ll be a raffle,

door prizes, new band merchandise and more. So if you’re looking for a night to rock the eff on out, while also supporting a worthy cause, Se7en Sharp can help you out. While you’re at it, check out War Chief’s coat drive benefit show as well (see next page). RB

DEEP SOUTH DOC: The documentary “deepsouth,” which explores the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the South, screens Thursday at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center.

THURSDAY 11/29

‘DEEPSOUTH’

6 p.m. Mosaic Templars Cultural Center. Free.

The documentary “deepsouth” explores the HIV/AIDS epidemic in — you guessed it — the Deep South, specifically Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. The film follows four people, including a 24-year-old, HIV-positive gay black man from Mississippi, two organizers of an HIV support network

SATURDAY 12/1

SE7EN SHARP SHARES

7 p.m. Fox and Hound. $5 adv., $7 door.

A lot of Times readers are probably familiar with Central Arkansas rockers Se7en Sharp. The band played in the 2012 Times Musicians Showcase, 24

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

IN BRIEF

WEDNESDAY 11/28

SUNDAY 12/2

‘WAR(M) CHIEF’

7:30 p.m. Stickyz. $5 or a donation.

This weekend offers a twofer on rock shows that will help make the world a better place. In addition to “Se7en Sharp Shares” (see previous page), you’ve got War Chief’s “War(m) Chief,” which will collect coats, jackets and other items of warm clothing for The Van, part of the homeless outreach of The One Inc. They

do good work, taking food, clothes, toiletries and other items directly to homeless folks. Steady readers of the Times will likely be acquainted with War Chief, who played in the 2012 Times Musicians Showcase, making it all the way to the finals. The band has undergone some lineup changes this year, adding a fifth player and hitting the road for dates across the mid-South, including some shows down in The Live

Music Capital of the World. They also released their debut full-length, the very rewarding, 11-song “Love Letters from Prester John.” This show will be a relatively early night, and a great way to wind down from the weekend and help out someone who hasn’t been as fortunate.

War Chief frontman Grayson Shelton said donations of children’s coats are especially welcome, so bring what you can. RB

MONDAY 12/3

JON DEE GRAHAM

8 p.m. Stickyz. $10 adv., $15 day of.

A veteran of Austin’s underground music scene, Jon Dee Graham cut his teeth with punk legends the Skunks in the 1970s and later teamed up with Alejandro Escovedo to form the seminal Cowpunk band the True Believers. Since then he’s been churning out the kind of solo albums that leave music critics cursing the injustice that he ain’t given the credit he’s due. Well, he is in some quarters: He’s the only person ever thrice inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame, once with the Skunks, once with the Believers, and once in his own right. As befitting someone who is a little bit country and a little bit rock ’n’ roll, Graham has shared the bill with everyone from The Clash to Patty Griffin, but his latest album is definitely on the grizzledsinger/songwriter end of the spectrum. Growling his way through damaged-survivor anthems, Graham is splendid — this is what Tom Waits would sound like if he’d done more screaming as a young man. Fellow Austin songwriter Mike June opens. DR

7:30 p.m. Lyon College. Free.

You have got to hand it to Davy Rothbart. The Michigan native has elevated a longtime habit of picking stuff up off the ground into a successful career in publishing, writing, filmmaking, This American Life-contributing and seemingly every other creative endeavor imaginable. Found Magazine, his brainchild, is exactly what it sounds like: a magazine of stuff people found. Of course, the stuff he (and the multitude of contributors who’ve made Found possible) happened upon is nearly always quite a bit more funny, heartbreaking and/or bafflingly awesome than your typical sidewalk ephemera and grocery store lists. One evening, many years ago, my best buddy and I were living in an East Coast hellhole and were walking

THURSDAY 11/29

If you holiday season’s just not complete without catching Handel’s “Messiah,” then check out this rendition, from The Arkansas Choral Society, The University Vesper Choir from University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and members of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, First Pentecostal Church, 7:30 p.m., $10-$15.

White Water Tavern has a KABF 88.3 Benefit Show, with heavy tunes from Mothwind, Calcabrina and Mainland Divide, 10 p.m., $5. The UALR Trojans take on Troy, with the women’s teams facing off at 5:15 p.m. and the men’s at 7:30 p.m., Jack Stephens Center, UALR, $5-$38.

FRIDAY 11/30

AUSTIN VET: Jon Dee Graham plays at Stickyz on Monday.

TUESDAY 12/4

DAVY ROTHBART

Fans of swampy, sludgy Southern metal would be advised not to skip Black Tusk, playing Downtown Music Hall with Iron Tongue, Crankbait and Red Devil Lies, 8 p.m., $10. This month’s installment of Science After Dark is billed “Food Fusion — Twisting Food with Science,” 21-and-older, with cash bar available, Museum of Discovery, 6 p.m., $5.

to the bar like we did every night. He found a folded-up piece of paper covered in drawings of what I’ll cautiously describe as suggestive and anatomically unlikely depictions of muscular nude men rendered in psychotically heavy pencil strokes. It was obvious from the get-go that he would have to send it to Found. Imagine my delight when, a couple years later, those works of amorous outsider art showed up in a volume called Dirty Found (take a wild guess about its nature). Rothbart tours often and came through Fayetteville several years ago. From what I remember of the evening, it was a pretty looseygoosey affair, with Rothbart reading from Found and talking about finding cool stuff. I don’t know, it was at a bar.

This one’s at a private college. I bet the vibe won’t be all that different, though.

Rothbart is a true raconteur. RB

Veteran Memphis pop-punkers Pezz play White Water Tavern with The See, whose members have hinted that the band might play new songs, 9:30 p.m. Post-hardcore fans, Downtown Music Hall has you covered, with Horizons, Lions Lions, City Lights, Carousel Kings, As Tall As Giants and Saints And Marauders, 7 p.m., $10 adv., $12 door. Set the Controls: The Pink Floyd Experience recreates the sights and sounds of the Floyd at an all-ages show at Revolution, 9 p.m., $10 adv., $12 day of. The Fourth Annual Creative Expressions Art Exhibition and Sale showcases works from artists who have been diagnosed with mental illness and have participated in the Creative Expressions art group. The exhibit includes live music, refreshments and more, Arkansas State Hospital, 5 p.m., free.

The Clinton Presidential Center hosts the largest traveling portion of the AIDS Memorial Quilt for World AIDS Day, including quilts for Keith Haring, Freddie Mercury, Rock Hudson, Arthur Ashe and more. The names of people who died of AIDS will be read for 24 hours beginning at 5 p.m.

SATURDAY 12/1

FOUND ART: Found Magazine publisher Davy Rothbart comes to Lyon College Tuesday.

White Water Tavern hosts a record release show for the oddball psych-pop trio Winston Family Orchestra. Opening the show are lo-fi charmers The Sea Nanners, 10 p.m., $5. The Fifth Annual Celebration of Lights includes a tree-lighting, visit from Santa, Makea-Wish donation drive, prizes, light show and more, The Promenade at Chenal, noon. The Big Jingle Jubilee and Capitol Lighting 2012 Parade begins at Broadway and Second streets at 2 p.m. and continues to the State Capitol for a lighting ceremony and fireworks after dark.

www.arktimes.com

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

25

AFTER DARK 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, NOV. 28

MUSIC

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

Black Tusk, Iron Tongue, Crankbait, Red Devil Lies. Downtown Music Hall, 8 p.m., $10. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall. com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, through Nov. 29, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Ricky David Tripp. Rocket Twenty One, 5:30 p.m. 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-603-9208. www. ferneaurestaurant.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. Wheeler Brothers. 18-and-older. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

COMEDY

The Joint Venture. Improv comedy group. The Joint, 8 p.m., $5. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Standup Open Mic Night. Hosted by local come­di­ans of the com­edy col­lec­tive Come­di­ ans of NWA. UARK Bowl, 9 p.m., free. 644 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-301-2030. uarkbowl.com.

Tracy Smith, James Ervin Berry. The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 7:30 and 10 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

DANCE

Little Rock Bop Club. Beginning dance lessons for ages 10 and older. Singles welcome. Bess Chisum Stephens Community Center, 7 p.m., $4 for members, $7 for guests. 12th & Cleveland streets. 501-350-4712. www.littlerockbopclub.

EVENTS

Celebrate! Open House. Meet local vendors and craftspeople and enjoy snacks, refreshments and product samples and live music from Mandy McBryde. Green Corner Store, 5 p.m. 1423 Main St. Suite D. 501-374-1111. www.thegreencornerstore.com.

“Lights in the Landscape.” Holiday lighting display. Closed Christmas Day. Garvan Woodland Gardens, through Dec. 31, 5 p.m., $5-$10. 550 Akridge Road, Hot Springs. 501-262-9300. www. garvangardens.org.

River Market ice skating. River Market Pavilions, through Jan. 6: 10 a.m. p.m., $9. 400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. holidaysinlittlerock.com.

Science After Dark: “Food Fusion —Twisting Food with Science.” 21-and-older event, with cash bar available. Museum of Discovery, 6 p.m., $5. 500 Clinton Ave. 396-7050, 1-800-880-6475. www.amod.org.

LECTURES

Molly Barker. The founder and CEO of Girls on the Run will discuss her work empowering

26

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

HEAVY HELPING HANDS: Machina, featuring former members of Evanescence and Future Leaders of the World, plays a benefit show for Hot Springs restaurateur Chuck LeCompt, who is facing high medical bills as a result of cancer treatment. Mainland Divide and She Breathes Fire will perform, and LeCompt’s son Jimmy will play with his reunited band, Dreading Sundown, Friday, Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $8 adv., $10 door. young girls through dynamic, conversationbased lessons and running games. Clinton School of Public Service, 6 p.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www. clintonschool.uasys.edu.

POETRY

Wednesday Night Poetry. 21-and-older show.

Maxine’s, 7 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-321-0909. maxineslive.com/shows. html.

THURSDAY, NOV. 29

MUSIC

Adrenaline (headliner), Ashley McBryde (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-3755351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Audrey Dean Kelley, Trey Johnson. The Joint, 9 p.m., $7. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-3720205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Cantus and Theater Latte Da present All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914. Walton

Arts Center, 7 p.m., $10-$25. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600.

Handel’s “Messiah.” Performed by The Arkansas Choral Society, The University Vesper Choir from University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and members of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. First Pentecostal Church, 7:30 p.m., $10-$15. 1401 Calvary Drive, NLR. 501-758-3093. fpcnlr.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.

KABF 88.3 Benefit Show. Featuring Mothwind, Calcabrina and Mainland Divide. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

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

Karaoke night. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, through Dec. 27: 8 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Karaoke with Kevin & Cara. MacDaddy’s Bar

and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 314 N. Maple St., NLR. Karaoke with Larry the Table Guy. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Keller Williams. George’s Majestic Lounge, 9 p.m., $24. 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville.

479-442-4226.

Krush Thursdays with DJ Kavaleer. Club Climax, free before 11 p.m. 824 W. Capitol.

501-554-3437.

Nickels and Dimes. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. www.maxinespub. com.

Open jam with The Port Arthur Band. Parrot Beach Cafe, 9 p.m. 9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994.

Philander Smith College Collegiate Choir.

Philander Smith College, 7:30 p.m., free. 900 W. Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive.

Super Water Sympathy, Free Micah, Whale Fire. 18-and-older. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9:30 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

Taddy Porter. 18-and-older. Revolution, 9 p.m.

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. UCA Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band and Bear Marching Band. Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA, 7:30 p.m., $5-$10 donation. 350 S. Donaghey, Conway.

COMEDY

Comedians NWA: Fools on Parade. UARK Bowl, 8 p.m., $5. 644 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville.

479-301-2030. www.uarkballroom.com.

Tracy Smith, James Ervin Berry. The Loony Bin, through Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m.; through Dec. 1, 7:30 and 10 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

DANCE

Soul Spirit Zumba with Ashan. Dunbar Community Center, 6 p.m., $5. 1001 W. 16th St. 501-376-1084.

EVENTS

“Lights in the Landscape.” Holiday lighting display. Closed Christmas Day. Garvan Woodland Gardens, through Dec. 31, 5-9 p.m., $5-$10. 550 Akridge Road, Hot Springs. 501-262-9300. www. garvangardens.org.

River Market ice skating. River Market Pavilions, through Jan. 6, various hours, $9. 400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. holidaysinlittlerock.com.

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

FILM

“deepsouth.” Documentary presented by the Arkansas Minority Health Commission. Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 6 p.m., free. 501 W. 9th St. 501-376-4602. www.mosaictemplarscenter.com.

LECTURES

Tina Meier. Meier founded the Megan Meier Foundation in memory of her daughter, who committed suicide in 2006 after she was the victim of cyber-bullying. Clinton School of Public Service, 6 p.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www.clintonschool.uasys.edu.

SPORTS

Josh Green. Thirst n’ Howl, 8:30 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-nhowl.com.

UALR Men’s Trojans vs. Troy. Jack Stephens Center, UALR, 7:30 p.m., $5-$38. 2801 S. University Ave. UALR Women’s Trojans vs. Troy. Jack Stephens Center, UALR, 5:15 p.m., $5-$38. 2801 S. University Ave.

FRIDAY, NOV. 30

MUSIC

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

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra holiday performance. Arkansas State University at Mountain Home, 7 p.m., $18-$35. 1600 S. College Ave., Mountain Home.

Chuck Lecompt Cancer Benefit. Featuring Dreading Sundown, Machina, She Breathes Fire and Mainland Divide. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $8 adv., $10 door. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. www.maxinespub.com.

Club Nights at 1620 Savoy. Dance night, with DJs, drink specials and bar menu, until 2 a.m.

1620 Savoy, 10 p.m. 1620 Market St. 501-2211620. www.1620savoy.com.

Crisis. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m., $7. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

D-Mite and Tho-d Studios presents Hottest in Da Rock. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 9:30 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Ed Burks. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m.

500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www. sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Friday night at Sway. Sway, 9 p.m. 412 Louisiana.

501-907-2582.

Horizons, Lions Lions, City Lights, Carousel Kings, As Tall As Giants. Saints And Marauders. Downtown Music Hall, 7 p.m., $10 adv., $12 door. 211 W. Capitol. 501-3761819. downtownmusichall.com.

Jason Burnett. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m., $3. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-8032. www. beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock.

Joecephus. Midtown Billiards, 12:30 a.m., $5.

1316 Main St. 501-372-9990. midtownar.com.

Kopecky Family Band. 18-and-older. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $6. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

Lucious Spiller. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7.

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

Pezz, The See. White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m.

2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Set the Controls: The Pink Floyd Experience.

All-ages. Revolution, 9 p.m., $10 adv., $12 day of. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Shannon Boshears (headliner), Some Guy Named Robb (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.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www. capitalhotel.com/CBG. Thread. Thirst n’ Howl, 9 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-nhowl.com.

“YOLO.” Featuring four DJs and beach vol-

leyball, 18-and-older. Flying DD, $5. 4601 S. University. 501-773-9990. flyingdd.com.

COMEDY

The Main Thing. Two-act original comedy play “A Fertle Holiday.” The Joint, 8 p.m., $20. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Tracy Smith, James Ervin Berry. The Loony Bin, through Dec. 1, 7:30 and 10 p.m., $7-$10.

10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

DANCE

Little Rock Salsa night. Juanita’s, 10 p.m., $5.

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

EVENTS

4th Annual Creative Expressions Art Exhibition and Sale. Featuring artwork by artists who have been diagnosed with mental illness and have participated in the Creative Expressions art group. Includes live music, refreshments and more. Arkansas State Hospital, 5 p.m., free.

4301 W. Markham.

Annual Christmas Parade. Downtown Eureka Springs, 6 p.m. Downtown Eureka Springs, Eureka Springs.

Happy 5th Birthday Artchurch! Fundraiser.

Artchurch Studio. 301 Whittington Ave., Hot Springs. 501-318-6779. www.artchurch.org.

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. “Lights in the Landscape.” Holiday lighting display. Closed Christmas Day. Garvan Woodland Gardens, through Dec. 31, 5-9 p.m., $5-$10.

550 Akridge Road, Hot Springs. 501-262-9300. www.garvangardens.org.

River Market ice skating. River Market Pavilions, through Jan. 6: 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; noon-8 p.m., $9. 400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. holidaysinlittlerock.com.

World AIDS Day 2012. Includes AIDS Memorial Quilt display and 24-hour reading of names of individuals lost to AIDS. Clinton Presidential Center, 5 p.m. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 370-8000. www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org.

Give a give gift this holiday season that will help save homeless animals!

Purchase the Humane Society of Pulaski County’s 2013 Day Planner… this functional calendar makes a great gift!

To order or find a vendor log onto www.warmhearts.org

the little rock film festival presents

argenta film series

SPORTS

AAA Arkansas High School Football Championships. War Memorial Stadium, Nov. 30, 7 p.m.; Dec. 1, noon and 7 p.m. 1 Stadium Drive. 501-663-0775.

SATURDAY, DEC. 1

MUSIC

“Amahl and the Night Visitors.” The choirs of Second Presbyterian Church perform GianCarlo Menotti’s opera. Second Presbyterian Church, Dec. 1, 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 2, 7 p.m., Donations accepted. 600 Pleasant Valley Drive.

Ben Coulter, Keyla Reed. Downtown Music Hall, 6 p.m., $12 adv., $15 door. 211 W. Capitol.

501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com.

Club Nights at 1620 Savoy. See Nov. 30.

Code Blue. Thirst n’ Howl, 9 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-nhowl.com.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

paradise lost:

the child murders at robin hood hills

december 12

7pm argenta community theater

with special guests Jason baldwin, Joe berlinger and mara leveritt admission free courtesy of William laman library

seating is limited, rsvp at lrff.eventbrite.com

www.arktimes.com

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

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AFTER DARK, CONT. Four on the Floor, Motortrain. 18-and-older.

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

Interstate Buffalo. Midtown Billiards, 12:30 a.m., $5. 1316 Main St. 501-372-9990. midtownar.com.

Jam Rock Saturday. Twelve Modern Lounge, first Saturday of every month, 9 p.m. 1900 W. Third St. 501-301-1200.

Jason Campbell & Singletree. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m., $10. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501315-1717.

Jet 420 (headliner), Ben & Doug (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.

Jonathan Trawick and The Western Fling Band.

Faulkner County Library, 7 p.m., free. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www.fcl.org.

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

Karaoke. Casa Mexicana, 7 p.m. 6929 JFK Blvd., NLR. 501-835-7876.

Karaoke with Kevin & Cara. All-ages, on the restaurant side. Revolution, 9 p.m.-12:45 a.m., free. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

K.I.S.S. Saturdays. Featuring DJ Silky Slim. Dress code enforced. Sway, 10 p.m. 412 Louisiana.

501-492-9802.

Kyndryd Spyryts. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-2247665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

Matthew Dickson, Chris Parker and Ted Seibs.

1620 Savoy, through Dec. 29: 10 p.m., free. 1620 Market St. 501-221-1620. www.1620savoy.com.

New Era Saturdays. 21-and-older. Twelve Modern Lounge, first Saturday of every month, 9 p.m., $5 cover until 11 p.m. 1900 W. Third St. 501-301-1200.

Paul Thorn, Rob Baird. Revolution, 9 p.m., $15 adv., $20 day of. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Pickin’ Porch. Bring your instrument. All ages welcome. Faulkner County Library, 9:30 a.m.

1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www. fcl.org.

Satellite, Johnny Rocket. Juanita’s, 10 p.m., $8 adv., $10 day of. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Saturday night at Discovery. Featuring DJs, dancers and more. Discovery Nightclub, 9 p.m., $10. 1021 Jessie Road. 501-664-4784. www.latenightdisco.com.

Se7en Sharp Shares. Benefit concert for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, with raffle, door prizes and more. Includes live music from Se7en Sharp, Mayday by Midnight, Stella Luss, Jon Keniston and more. Fox and Hound, 7 p.m., $5 adv., $7 door. 2800 Lakewood Village, NLR.

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ARKANSAS TIMES

501-753-8300. www.foxandhound.com/locations/north-little-rock.aspx.

Singer/Songwriters Showcase. Parrot Beach Cafe, 2-7 p.m., free. 9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994.

Super Water Sympathy, Free Micah. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5 adv., $7 door. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. www.maxinespub.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www. capitalhotel.com/CBG. William Staggers Trio. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com.

Winston Family Orchestra, The Sea Nanners.

White Water Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 2500 W. 7th.

501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

COMEDY

The Main Thing. Two-act original comedy play “A Fertle Holiday.” The Joint, 8 p.m., $20. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Tracy Smith, James Ervin Berry. The Loony Bin, 7:30 and 10 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

DANCE

Little Rock West Coast Dance Club. Dance lessons. Singles welcome. Ernie Biggs, 7 p.m., $2. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-247-5240. www. arstreetswing.com.

EVENTS

21st Annual Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis.

Clinton Presidential Center, 9:30 a.m. p.m. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 370-8000. www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org.

5th Annual Celebration of Lights. Includes tree lighting, visit from Santa, Make-a-Wish donation drive, prizes, light show and more. The Promenade at Chenal, 12 p.m. 17711 Chenal Parkway. 501-821-5552. chenalshopping.com.

Argenta Farmers Market. Argenta, 7 a.m.-12 p.m. Main Street, NLR. Big Jingle Jubilee and Capitol Lighting 2012.

Parade begins at Broadway and Second streets and continues to the State Capitol for a lighting ceremony and fireworks. Downtown Little Rock, 2 p.m. Downtown. www.holidaysinlittlerock.com/.

“A Capitol Event.” Arkansas Chamber Singers event, featuring the classical operatic soprano and piano duet of Christine Westhoff and Tim Allen, a silent auction and more. Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. Regions Bank, 5 p.m., $125. 400 West Capitol Avenue. 501-377-1121. www. regions.com.

“A Celebration of Living Gifts.” Purchase an animal for a family in need, take pictures with Heifer’s animal guests and buy gifts from around

the world. Heifer Village, 10 a.m. p.m. 1 World Ave. 501-376-6836. heifer.org/heifervillage.

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

Hillcrest Farmers Market. Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, 7 a.m.-12 p.m. 2200 Kavanaugh Blvd.

“Lights in the Landscape.” Holiday lighting display. Closed Christmas Day. Garvan Woodland Gardens, through Dec. 31, 5-9 p.m., $5-$10.

550 Akridge Road, Hot Springs. 501-262-9300. www.garvangardens.org.

River Market ice skating. River Market Pavilions, through Jan. 6, various hours, $9. 400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. holidaysinlittlerock.com.

SOAR fundraising sale. Sale of DVDs, CDs and VHS tapes to benefit SOAR’s homeless transportation program. Oak Forest United Methodist Church, 8 a.m. 2415 Fair Park Blvd.

501-663-9407. www.oakforestumc.com.

World AIDS Day. See Nov. 30.

SPORTS

AAA Arkansas High School Football Championships. War Memorial Stadium, 12 and 7 p.m. 1 Stadium Drive. 501-663-0775.

UALR Men’s Trojans vs. University of LouisianaMonroe. Jack Stephens Center, UALR, 7 p.m., $5-$38. 2801 S. University Ave. UALR Women’s Trojans vs. University of Louisiana-Monroe. Jack Stephens Center, UALR, 4:30 p.m., $5-$38. 2801 S. University Ave.

BOOKS

Arkansas Author Connection: Genette Howard. Meet the author of “Fight Stress & Live! 5 Simple Commitments That Can Save Your Life.” Pyramid Art Books and Custom Framing, 1:30:30 p.m., free. 1001 Wright Ave. 501-372-6822. hearnefineart.com.

SUNDAY, DEC. 2

MUSIC

The 3 B’s: Cello Concert with Birgit Beetz and Naoki Hakutani. UALR, Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall, 3 p.m. 2801 S. University Ave. 501-569-8977.

48th Annual Candlelight Carol Services.

Hendrix College, 4 p.m. 1600 Washington Ave., Conway. 501-450-1495. www.hendrix.edu.

“Amahl and the Night Visitors.” The choirs of Second Presbyterian Church perform GianCarlo Menotti’s opera. Second Presbyterian Church, 7 p.m., Donations accepted. 600 Pleasant Valley Drive.

Blaow Gang, Swagg, Yung Housto, Tap, lil man, macnif, Dub Z, Million Dollar, Yung Rell, Kirksta, M.A.D. Entertainment, Triip, Lil Ridge, Flame Boyz. Downtown Music Hall, 6 p.m. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com.

“A Coat Drive for The Van” with War Chief.

Bring a gently worn, warm coat or jacket or other item of clothing to donate. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 7 p.m. $5 or clothing donation. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

Framing the Red, Red Devil Lies, Break the Silence. Juanita’s, 8 p.m., $8 adv., $10 day of.

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

Irish Traditional Music Session. Hibernia Irish Tavern, first and third Sunday of every month, 2:30 p.m. 9700 N Rodney Parham Road. 501246-4340. www.hiberniairishtavern.com.

Karaoke with DJ Sara. Hardrider Bar & Grill, 7 p.m., free. 6613 John Harden Drive, Cabot.

501-982-1939.

River City Men’s Chorus: “Holiday! 2012.”

Trinity United Methodist Church, Dec. 2, 3 p.m.; Dec. 3, 7 p.m.; Dec. 4, 7 p.m., free. 1101 North Mississippi St. 501-666-2813. www.tumclr.org.

Stardust Big Band. Arlington Hotel, 3 p.m., $8, free for high school age and younger. 239 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-7771.

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

DANCE

Salsa Night. The Joint, Dec. 2, 7-11 p.m.; Dec. 16, 7-11 p.m. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

EVENTS

Captured Live from the Met: Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito.” Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA, 2 p.m., $5-$15. 350 S. Donaghey, Conway.

Cocoa with the Clauses. Featuring free cookies, cocoa and photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Includes storytime with the Clauses from 2-3 p.m. River Market Pavilions, 1 p.m.

400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. www. rivermarket.info.

Curbside Couture Fashion Show. One-of-a kind recycled clothing fashions by high school student designers as well as Korto Momolu and other designers. Clinton Presidential Center, 6:30 p.m. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 370-8000. www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org.

Dollar Day at the Museum. Museum of Discovery, 1 p.m., $1 for first 1,000 visitors.

500 Clinton Ave. 396-7050, 1-800-880-6475. www.amod.org.

Drop-In Drawing. Informal drawing session.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, 12 p.m., free. 600 Museum Way, Bentonville. 479418-5700. crystalbridges.org.

Great Hall Lecture Series: “Undressing the Portrait: Aspiration, Attainment, and Fantasy in American Colonial Painting.” Featuring Tyson Scholar Susan Rather. Register online.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, 3

AFTER DARK, CONT. p.m. 600 Museum Way, Bentonville. 479-4185700. crystalbridges.org.

Old State House Museum Holiday Open House. Old State House Museum, 1:30 p.m.

500 Clinton Ave. 501-324-9685. www.oldstatehouse.com.

“Lights in the Landscape.” Holiday lighting display. Closed Christmas Day. Garvan Woodland Gardens, through Dec. 31, 5-9 p.m., $5-$10. 550 Akridge Road, Hot Springs. 501-262-9300. www. garvangardens.org.

“Live from the Back Room.” Vino’s, 7 p.m.

923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

Mosaic Templars Holiday Open House.

Includes music, the first “Say It Ain’t Say’s” sweet potato pie contest in honor of Robert “Say” McIntosh and more. Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 2 p.m. 501 W. 9th St. 501-3764602. www.mosaictemplarscenter.com.

Nutcracker Tea with Ballet Arkansas. Capital Bar and Grill, 2 p.m. 111 Markham St. 501-3747474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. River Market ice skating. River Market Pavilions, through Jan. 6, various hours, $9. 400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. holidaysinlittlerock.com.

MONDAY, DEC. 3

MUSIC

7th Street Peep Show. Featuring three or four bands per night. Bands sign up at 6:30 p.m. and play 35-minute sets (including setup) on a first-come, first-served basis. House band is The Sinners. Solo artists, DJs and all other performers welcome. Vino’s, 7 p.m., $1. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

Jon Dee Graham, Mike June. All-ages. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8 p.m., $10 adv., $15 day of. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

KABF Night. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free.

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

Reggae Nites. Featuring DJ Hy-C playing roots, reggae and dancehall. Pleazures Martini and Grill Lounge, 6 p.m., $7-$10. 1318 Main St. 501-376-7777. www.facebook.com/pleazures. bargrill.

River City Men’s Chorus: “Holiday! 2012.”

Trinity United Methodist Church, Dec. 3, 7 p.m.; Dec. 4, 7 p.m., free. 1101 North Mississippi St. 501-666-2813. www.tumclr.org.

EVENTS

Hot Springs Christmas Parade. Downtown Hot Springs, 6:30 p.m. Central Avenue, Hot Springs. 501-321-2277.

“Jingle on the Green.” Includes music, decorations, refreshments, photos with Santa and more. Arkansas State University at Mountain Home, 6 p.m. 1600 S. College Ave., Mountain Home.

“Lights in the Landscape.” Holiday lighting display. Closed Christmas Day. Garvan Woodland Gardens, through Dec. 31, 5-9 p.m., $5-$10. 550 Akridge Road, Hot Springs. 501-262-9300. www. garvangardens.org.

River Market ice skating. River Market Pavilions, through Jan. 6: 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; noon-8 p.m., $9. 400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. holidaysinlittlerock.com.

Tree Lighting. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel. com/CBG.

TUESDAY, DEC. 4

MUSIC

Conway Men’s Chorus Holiday Concert.

Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA, 7 p.m., free.

350 S. Donaghey, Conway.

Gil Franklin & Friends. Holiday Inn, North Little Rock, first Tuesday, Wednesday of every month.

120 W. Pershing Blvd., NLR. Heavy Metal Karaoke. Downtown Music Hall, Dec. 4, 8 p.m.; Dec. 11, 8 p.m.; Dec. 18, 8 p.m., free. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com.

Jeff Long. Khalil’s Pub, 6 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.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. 322 President Clinton Blvd. 501-244-9550.

Karaoke Tuesdays. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, through Dec. 17: 8 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-3151717.

Lucious Spiller Band. Copeland’s Restaurant of Little Rock, 6-9 p.m. 2602 S. Shackleford Road. 501-312-1616. www.copelandsrestaurantlittlerock.com.

Mad Nomad, Free Micah. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Michael Carenbauer. RJ Tao, Dec. 4, 6:30-9 p.m.; Dec. 11, 6:30-9 p.m.; Dec. 18, 6:30-9 p.m.; Dec. 24, 6:30-9 p.m. 5501 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-6030080. www.rjtaorocks.com/.

Never Shout Never, William Beckett, Anarbor, Me Like Bees, Boom the Wheel. Juanita’s, 7:30 p.m., $20. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Rex Bell Trio. The Joint, 8 p.m., free. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Ricky David Tripp. Rocket Twenty One, 5:30 p.m. 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-603-9208. www. ferneaurestaurant.com.

River City Men’s Chorus: “Holiday! 2012.”

Trinity United Methodist Church, 7 p.m., free.

1101 North Mississippi St. 501-666-2813. www. tumclr.org.

Touch, Grateful Dead Tribute. Bring a hula hoop for dancing. Ernie Biggs, 8 p.m. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs. com.

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

Yellow Red Sparks. 18-and-older. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

DANCE

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

Soul Spirit Zumba with Ashan. Dunbar Community Center, 6 p.m., $5. 1001 W. 16th St. 501-376-1084.

EVENTS

IRS Tax Workshop for Small and MediumSized Non-Profit Organizations. At the Donaghey Student Center, Ledbetter Rooms A, B and C. Registration begins at 8 a.m. Breakfast and lunch provided. UALR, Dec. 4, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Dec. 5, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., $30. 2801 S. University Ave. 501-569-8977.

“Lights in the Landscape.” Holiday lighting display. Closed Christmas Day. Garvan Woodland Gardens, through Dec. 31, 5-9 p.m., $5-$10.

550 Akridge Road, Hot Springs. 501-262-9300. www.garvangardens.org.

Live Trivia by Challenge Entertainment. The Tavern Sports Grill, 7 p.m., free. 17815 Chenal Parkway. 501-830-2100. www.thetavernsportsgrill.com.

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NOVEMBER 28, 2012

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AFTER DARK, CONT.

The Arkansas Times & the Root Café proudly present Little Rock’s

New Belgium Beer Tasting. The Joint, 6 p.m., $10. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

River Market ice skating. River Market Pavilions, through Jan. 6, various hours, $9. 400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. holidaysinlittlerock.com.

Tales from the South with Mark Landon Smith.

Dinner and drinks served 5-6:30 p.m., show at 7 p.m. Call for reservations. Starving Artist Cafe, $8 plus cost of drinks and dinner. 411 N. Main St., NLR. 501-372-7976. www.starvingartistcafe.net.

Trivia Bowl. Flying Saucer, 8:30 p.m. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-8032. www. beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock.

Wiggle Worms: “Dem Bones.” Program designed for pre-K children. Museum of Discovery, 10:30 a.m., $8-$10, free for members. 500 Clinton Ave. 396-7050, 1-800-8806475. www.amod.org.

SPORTS

UALR Men’s Trojans vs. St. Gregory’s. Jack Stephens Center, UALR, 5:15 p.m., $5-$38. 2801 S. University Ave. UALR Women’s Trojans vs. Southern Miss. Jack Stephens Center, UALR, 7:30 p.m., $5-$38. 2801 S. University Ave.

BOOKS

NothiNg Weird about a beard!

C at e g o r i e s Longest beard, Thickest beard, Most original beard & Best Abraham Lincoln (no mustache)

Participants must be certified clean-shaven on December 1st, 2012 at the Root Café between, 8am and 3:30.pm.

Judging will be held at the South Main Mardi Gras celebration Saturday, February 9, 2013.

Prizes for w i n n e r s!

Shaving permits for non-participants available at the Root Cafe.

a r k t i m e s.C o m/b e a r d More Info: Phone: 414-0423 Email: theroot@therootcafe.com

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ARKANSAS TIMES

Davy Rothbart. The author of Found Magazine and the memoir “My Heart is an Idiot” will read from his work. Lyon College, 7:30 p.m., free.

2500 Highland, Batesville.

THIS WEEK IN THEATER

“A 1940’s Radio Christmas Carol.” Comedy about a live radio broadcast that’s plagued with all manner of complications. The Public Theatre, Sat., Dec. 1, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., Dec. 2, 2 and 7:30 p.m., $14-$16. 616 Center St. 501-3747529. www.thepublictheatre.com.

“Billy Elliot The Musical.” Musical adaptation of the hit British film about a young boy who pursues his dreams despite all odds. Walton Arts Center, Tue., Dec. 4, 7 p.m.; Wed., Dec. 5, 7 p.m.; Thu., Dec. 6, 7 p.m.; Fri., Dec. 7, 8 p.m.; Sat., Dec. 8, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sun., Dec. 9, 2 and 7:30 p.m., $49-$73. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600.

“A Christmas Carol.” A Christmas classic by Peter DeLaurier, based on the Charles Dickens novel. Pocket Community Theater, Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., Dec. 2, 2:30 p.m.; Dec. 7-8, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., Dec. 9, 2:30 p.m., $5-$15. 170 Ravine St., Hot Springs.

Cirque Dreams Holidaze. Robinson Center Music Hall, 7:30 p.m.; Thu., Nov. 29, 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., $25-$68. Markham and Broadway. www.littlerockmeetings.com/conv-centers/ robinson.

“City Mouse, Country Mouse, Christmas Mouse.” Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre production of the Christmas favorite.

Arkansas Arts Center, through Dec. 16: Fri., 7 p.m.; Sat., 1 and 3 p.m.; first Sunday of every month, 2 p.m., $12. 501 E. 9th St. 501-372-4000. www.arkarts.com.

“The Outsiders.” S.E. Hinton’s classic tale of class rivalries and socioeconomic struggles between youth groups. The Weekend Theater, Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 7-8, 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 14-15, 7:30 p.m., $12-$16. 1001 W. 7th St. 501374-3761. www.weekendtheater.org.

“Pajama Tops.” Farce in which a would-be philandering husband gets a surprise when his wife secretly invites the girl he’s been seeing on the side to spend the weekend with them. Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, through Dec. 30: Tue.-Sat., 6 p.m.; Wed., 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., $15-$33. 6323 Col. Glenn Road.

501-562-3131. murrysdinnerplayhouse.com.

“Speed the Plow.” The Lantern Theatre’s pro-

duction of the classic David Mamet showbiz satire. Lantern Theatre, Nov. 29-30, 8 p.m., $10.

1021 Van Ronkle, Conway. 501-733-6220. www. conwayarts.org/index.html.

“White Christmas.” Based on the classic Hollywood film and the Broadway show, with the timeless Christmas music of Irving Berlin.

Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Nov. 28-Dec. 1, 7 p.m.; Dec. 2, 2 and 7 p.m.; Dec. 5-Dec. 8, 7 p.m.; Dec. 9, 2 and 7 p.m.; Dec. 12-Dec. 15, 7 p.m.; Dec. 16, 2 and 7 p.m.; Dec. 19-Dec. 22, 7 p.m.; Dec. 23, 2 and 7 p.m.; Dec. 26-Dec. 29, 7 p.m.; Dec. 30, 2 and 7 p.m. 601 Main St. 501378-0405. www.therep.org.

GALLERIES, MUSEUMS

NEW EXHIBITIONS, EVENTS

More art listings can be found in the calendar at www.arktimes.com ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, MacArthur Park: “44th Collectors Show and Sale,” Nov. 30-Dec. 30; Friends of Contemporary Craft lecture by fiber artist Lia Cook on computerized weaving, 6 p.m. Dec. 2, reserve at 396-0345; “Artists, Architects and Community: The Public Art Equation,” Architecture and Design Network lecture by Jack Becker, 6 p.m. Dec. 4 (reception 5:30 p.m.); “Toys Designed by Artists,” through Jan. 6; “50 for Arkansas,” work donated by Dorothy and Herbert Vogel, through Jan. 6; “Multiplicity,” exhibition on printmaking from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, through Jan. 6. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. 372-4000.

ARKANSAS STATE HOSPITAL, 305 S. Palm St.: “Creative Expressions,” show and sale of work by patients in the state hospital’s Creative Expressions art group, 5-8 p.m. Nov. 30, with live music.

HEARNE FINE ART, 1001 Wright Ave.: “Highlights of 2012,” work by Kennith Humphrey, Chukes, Kevin Cole and others, Dec. 1-Jan. 7; “American Spring: A Cause For Justice,” quilts dealing with societal issues such as racism, civil rights, violence, discrimination, social justice and intolerance, in partnership with Fiber Artists for Hope and Sabrina Zarco, through November (more at the Central High School Museum Visitors Center); “And the Band Played On,” mixed media paintings and sculpture by Kevin Cole, through Jan. 7. 372-6822.

HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM, 200 E. Third St.: 45th annual “Christmas Frolic and Open House,” dancing, cider, ginger cake, art and other children’s projects, Early Arkansaw Reenactors, blacksmith at work, music by Sugar on the Floor, Lark in the Morning, fiddler Ricky Russell and the Arkansas Country Dance Band, 1-4 p.m.

Dec. 2. 324-9351.

L&L BECK GALLERY, 5705 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “Nativity,” through December, drawing for free giclee 7 p.m. Dec. 20. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Tue.-Sat. 660-4006.

MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY, 500 President Clinton Ave.: Science After Dark: Microgastronomy,” 6-8 p.m. Nov. 28, 21 and up, $5 (members free); “GPS Adventures,” ages 6 to adult, through April 1; “Wiggle Worms,” science program for pre-K children 10 a.m.-10:30 a.m. every Tue., 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.

OLD STATE HOUSE MUSEUM: “Holiday Open House,” children’s activities, music by several choirs, punch and cookies, 1-4:30 p.m. Dec. 2. 324-9685.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

THE TELEVISIONIST

THE TOP 9 rEasOns

Now on Netflix

not to settle

BY DAVID KOON

W

e’re watching a lot of Netflix Instant these days, but it seems like we spend most of our time endlessly flipping through one awful-sounding choice after another. Here’s three sure-fire faves for those nights when you just can’t bring yourself to look at another example of crummy digital cover art.

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: SEASON 1 If you have a rotten sweet tooth for the bizarre and missed the first season of this cult-fave from FX — which, along with AMC, seems to have the Midas touch when it comes to drama — you should take a night and have a marathon, after having double-locked all the doors and thoroughly checked under the couch for monsters. Television doesn’t do horror that well in general, but “American Horror Story” managed to push all the right buttons, hitting the sweet spot between eerie and gory with the story of a psychiatrist (Dylan McDermott) and his wife (Connie Britton), who are trying to overcome an infidelity and a series of miscarriages by moving into a vast old mansion in L.A. The problem is, the house already has occupants of the ghostly kind — not to mention thoroughly-creepy neighbor (and possible key to the house’s horrors) Constance, played with campy abandon by the always excellent Jessica Lange. If you don’t mind being completely weirded out (there’s a running gag featuring a shiny rubber gimp suit that periodically comes to life and gets nasty with female occupants of the house that still gives us the shivers), this is the series for you.

SESAME STREET CLASSICS Travel with me back in time now, friends — to a simpler time, when you still believed in 10-foot canaries, cookie-sniping monsters and giant brown mastodons that only 10-foot canaries could see. Yes, I’m talking about the golden, pre-cable age of “Sesame Street,” the show that pretty much singlehandedly taught Yours Truly to spell, read, write and count in both English and Spanish by the time I went to kindergarten (there’s a family story of me getting in trouble in said kindergarten for exclaiming, “If these dummies would just go home and watch ‘Sesame Street,’ we could learn

fOr U-VErsE

something!”). The bad news for kids these days is that in an age when 57 channels is considered “basic cable,” they never have to watch a single minute of programming that will teach them anything other than when the next sale is on at Toys “R” Us. That’s where Netflix Instant comes in, with this collection of colorful, classic skits from the show that taught a generation how to be responsible. What two plus two equals hasn’t changed since you were a kid, and if you’re going to plunk your kid in front of the TV for awhile, at least make it something that’ll impart a little knowledge.

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HUGO (2011) Though my personal distaste for films with child leads kept me from seeing Martin Scorsese’s ode to Paris and early film when it was released (not to mention that it was in 3D, which I have a one-man boycott on), I eventually caught “Hugo” on Netflix and was absolutely blown away by the film: the spectacle, the story, the beauty of it all. Based on Brian Selznick’s novel “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” it’s the tale of a 12-yearold boy who lives in a bustling Paris train station in 1931. We won’t spoil the wondrous story line for you, but eventually it comes to incorporate the later years of Parisian magician, automaton builder and very early silent filmmaker George Melies, the guy who literally invented special effects in films, not to mention a host of film genres we still watch today, including science fiction (films like his iconic “A Trip to the Moon”), horror (“The Devil’s Mansion”) and even early erotic films like the racy “After the Ball.” If you’ve got a little time, do yourself a favor: Before you watch “Hugo,” go to YouTube and watch as many of Melies’ films as you can find. Seeing why Scorsese cared enough about the long-dead filmmaker to make him the hero of his film lends a whole new and wonderful facet to this jewel.

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NOVEMBER 28, 2012

31

9/21/12 2:13 PM

AFTER DARK, CONT.

Little Rock Chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers And

Present

Great Escapes: Art by Animals of the Little rock Zoo Featuring a silent Auction of Animal Paintings and Ornaments Painted by the Animals for sale

December 12th, 2012 • 6-9pm

5815 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little rock, Ar 72207 (501) 664.0030 • www.boswellmourot.com

THEARTGROUP, 10840 Maumelle Blvd.: “Holiday Open House,” work by Ron Almond, Matt Coburn, Ned Perme, Holly Tilley, Marie Weaver, Lori Weeks and others, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

Nov. 30, Dec. 1, and noon-4 p.m. Dec. 2. www. theartgroupmaumelle.com.

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK: “Developed and Less Finished: Painting the Everyday,” M.A. thesis exhibition by Lauren Sukany, Nov. 28-Dec. 20, Gallery II; “Photographing the Landscape,” work by Jay Gould, Frank Hamrick, Chad Smith and Luther Smith, through Nov. 29, lecture by Smith 6:30 p.m. Nov. 29; “BFA Senior Exhibition,” work by Sally Nixon, Linda F. Holloway and Kesha Lynn Stovall, Gallery III, Nov. 30-Dec. 10; work by seniors Logan Hunter, Daniel “Skye” Huggins, John Daniel Slaughter, Hwang Young Min, Ariel Mattive, Hannah May, Savana Matton, Gallery III, through mid-December. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Fri. 569-3182.

HOT SPRINGS ARTCHURCH STUDIO, 301 Whittington Ave.: “A Fete of Feat, Celebrating 5 Years of Artchurch Studio,” dance performances, collaborative artwork, cash bar, raffle, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Nov. 30, $30 a person or $50 a couple.

501-655-0836.

BLUE ROCK STUDIO ANNUAL OPEN HOUSE, 262 Hideaway Hills: Mixed media by Carol Small, “Santas and Chicks” by Karen McInturff, hand-carved flutes by Carole Kane, paintings and cards by Glenda Field, notebooks and cards by Nancy Dunaway, “mouse traps” by Terri Davy, felt art by Barbara Cade, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 1, Dec. 8. 501-262-4065. Directions at barbaracade.com.

JONESBORO ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY: “Fall 2012 Senior Exhibition,” work by Emily Ellis, Paisley Gray, Charlie Inboden, Sunnie McCarty and Danielle Smith, Dec. 4-15, Bradbury Gallery, noon-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 2-5 p.m. Sun. 870-972-3471.

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ARKANSAS TIMES

The Walton Arts Center is seeking proposals from visual and performing artists for nature-themed work for its 2013 Artosphere: Arkansas’ Arts & Nature Festival.” Up to three Artosphere Partner Grants worth up to $6,000 will be awarded for projects. Deadline to submit is 11:59 p.m. Jan. 7, 2013; award announcement Jan. 31, 2013.

More information under the Get Involved tab at www.artospherefestival.org.

The Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs has issued a call to artists for its “Wintertide Exhibit” in December. There is no entry fee, but a $10 hanging fee for the juried show. For more information, call Donna Dunnahoe at 501-624-0489 or e-mail donna@hsfac.org. Artworks should be submitted in jpeg form to info @hsfac.org.

CONTINUING EXHIBITS

THE ART LOFT, 1525 Merrill Drive: Work by Dan Thornhill, Catherine Rodgers, 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.

BOSWELL-MOUROT FINE ART, 5815 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “Structure,” oils and mixed media by Jason McCann, sculpture by Roy Burcham and pastels on paper by Dennis McCann, through Dec. 1. 664-0030.

BUTLER CENTER GALLERIES, Arkansas Studies Institute, 401 President Clinton Ave.: “From the Vault: Works from the Central Arkansas Library System’s Permanent Collection,” including historical paintings by Donald Draper, works on paper by visionary artist Arthur Grain, sculpture

by Mary Cockrill and more, through March 23,

2013, Arkansas League of Artists exhibition, through Jan. 26; “Solastalgia,” work by Susan Chambers and Louise Halsey, through Jan. 26.

9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 320-5700.

CANTRELL GALLERY, 8206 Cantrell Road: “The Story Teller,” paintings by John Deering, through Dec. 24. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 2241335.

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.

CHRIST CHURCH GALLERY, 509 Scott St.: “The Watercolor Series of Kuhl Brown,” through Dec. 14. 375-2342.

COX CREATIVE CENTER, 120 River Market Ave.: “Equinox,” work by UALR students. 320-5717.

GALLERY 221, 2nd and Center Sts.: “Works on Paper.” 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri. 801-0211.

GALLERY 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd.: 18th annual “Holiday Art Show,” work by 60-plus artists, through Jan. 12. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 6648996.

GALLERY 360, 900 Rodney Parham Road: “Code,” abstract paintings by Kelley Naylor Wise, through December. 360gallery.blogspot. com.

GORRELL GALLERY OF FINE ART, 201 W. 4th St.: Work by established and emerging artists, including Doug Gorrell. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., noon-4 p.m. Sat. 607-2225.

GREG THOMPSON FINE ART, 429 Main St., NLR: “Southern Abstraction,” work by Pinkney Herbert, James Hendricks, Robyn Horn, Sammy Peters, Robert Rector and Shannon Rogers.

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. 664-2787.

HAYS SENIOR CITIZEN CENTER, 401 W. Pershing Ave.: “The Art of Music,” photographs, LP art, posters and other artwork, through November. 975-4297.

J.W. WIGGINS GALLERY, Sequoyah National Research Center, 500 University Plaza: “Indian Ink: Native Printmakers in the J.S. Wiggins Collection of Native American Art,” curated

by Bobby Martin, art professor at John Brown University, through Dec. 14. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.Fri. 569-8336.

LAMAN LIBRARY, 2801 Orange St.: “Norman Rockwell’s Home for the Holidays,” exhibition from the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass., through Dec. 9. 758-1720.

M2GALLERY, 11525 Cantrell: “Holiday Show,” work by Dan Holland, Suzanne Koett, Charles Henry James, Dan Thornhill and Jason Gammel.

10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 225-6257.

PAINT BOX GALLERY AND FRAME SHOP, 705 Main St., NLR: Paintings by Karlyn Holloway.

374-2848.

PULASKI TECHNICAL COLLEGE, 3000 W. Scenic Drive: “It’s About Time,” work by Warren Criswell,” through Dec. 15, Bank of the Ozarks exhibition space, Ottenheimer Library. 8122200.

STUDIOMAIN, 1423 Main St.: 2012 AIA Design Awards. www.studio-main.org.

THEA FOUNDATION, 401 Main St., NLR: “Arkansas Champion Trees: An Artist’s Journey,” large colored-pencil drawings by Linda Palmer, through November. 379-9512.

BENTON DIANNE ROBERTS ART STUDIO AND GALLERY, 110 N. Market St.: Work by Chad Oppenhuizen, Dan McRaven, Gretchen Hendricks, Rachel Carroccio, Kenny Roberts, Taylor Bellott, Jim Cooper and Sue Moore.

10 a.m.-9 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. 860-7467.

BENTONVILLE CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN

AFTER DARK, CONT. ART, 600 Museum Way: “See the Light: The Luminist Tradition in American Art,” light in art from the 19th century through today, through Jan. 26, “Moshe Safdie: The Path to Crystal Bridges,” through Jan. 28; permanent collection of American masterworks spanning four centuries. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon., Thu., Sat.-Sun.; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wed.-Fri. 479-418-5700.

CONWAY UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS, Baum Gallery: “The Final Show,” BA/BFA juried senior exhibition, through Dec. 7. McCastlain Hall.

501-450-5793.

FAYETTEVILLE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS: “SOLO Show,” plastic dinnerware reconfigured by Kelly Brenner Justice, Anne Kittrell Art Gallery, through January; “Topiary: The Art of Improving Nature,” nine etchings by Louise Bourgeois from the Louise Bourgeois Studio, through Dec. 13, Fine Arts Center gallery. 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 2-5 p.m. Sun. 479-575-7987.

WALTON ARTS CENTER, 495 W. Dickson St.: “20 Years,” commissioned installation by Kathy Thompson, “My Folklore: The Art of Letitia Huckaby,” both through Jan. 13. 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Mon.-Fri., noon-4 p.m. Sat. 479-443-5600.

HARRISON ARTISTS OF THE OZARKS, 124 ½ N. Willow St.: Work by Amelia Renkel, Ann Graffy, Christy Dillard, Helen McAllister, Sandy Williams and D. Savannah George. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thu.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun. 870-429-1683.

HEBER SPRINGS BOTTLE TREE GALLERY, 514 W. Main St.: Work

by Maeve Croghan, Jonathan Harris, George Wittenberg. 501-590-8840.

HELENA DELTA CULTURAL CENTER, 141 Cherry St.: “Maude Schuyler Clay: Revisiting the Mississippi Delta,” photography, through Dec. 8. 870338-4350.

HOT SPRINGS ALISON PARSONS GALLERY, 802 Central Ave.: “Journeys in the Art of Clay,” sculptural ceramics by Lori Arnold; also work by Alison Parsons. 501-625-3001.

BLUE MOON, 718 Central Ave.: Work by Randall Good, through November. 501-318-2787.

FINE ARTS CENTER, 626 Central Ave.: “Nature Transformed,” quilts by Martha Maples, fiber art by Donna Dunnahoe, glass and multi-media

by Patty Collins, opens with gallery walk 5-9 p.m., through November. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tue.-Sat. 501-624-0489.

GALLERY CENTRAL, 800 Central Ave: Blown glass and personalized Christmas ornaments

by James Hayes, “Spiritiles” by Houston Llew.

501-318-4278.

GARVAN GARDENS: Work by Bob Crane, through November. 501-262-9300.

JUSTUS FINE ART, 827 Central A: New work

by Robyn Horn, Dolores Justus, Steve Griffith and others. 501-321-2335.

PINE BLUFF ARTS AND SCIENCE CENTER: “Jazz with Class: Pine Bluff High School Annual Art Exhibition.”

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 1-4 p.m. Sat. 870536-3375.

RUSSELLVILLE RIVER VALLEY ARTS CENTER, 1001 B St.: Work by 40 area artists, through November.

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Fri. 479-968-2452.

ONGOING MUSEUM EXHIBITS

ARKANSAS INLAND MARITIME MUSEUM, NLR: Tours of the USS Razorback submarine. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 1-6 p.m. Sun. 371-8320.

ARKANSAS SPORTS HALL OF FAME MUSEUM, Verizon Arena, NLR: 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 663-4328.

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSEUM VISITOR CENTER, Bates and Park: “American Spring: A Cause For Justice,” quilts dealing with societal issues such as racism, civil rights, violence, discrimination, social justice and intolerance, in partnership with Fiber Artists for Hope and Sabrina Zarco, through November (more at Hearne Fine Art); exhibits on the 1957 desegregation of Central and the civil rights movement. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. 374-1957.

CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CENTER, 1200 President Clinton Ave.: “Dorothy Howell Rodham and Virginia Clinton Kelley,” through Nov. 25; permanent 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.: “Beyond the Expected: Norwood Creech, Paulette Palmer and Edward Wade Jr.,” through Feb. 3, 2013, “Jared Hogue: Mini Faces,” through Jan. 6, 2013, “Barbie Doll: The 11 ½-inch American Icon,” through Jan. 6, 2013; “A Collective Vision,” recent acquisitions, through March 2013. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9351.

MacARTHUR MUSEUM OF ARKANSAS MILITARY HISTORY, MacArthur Park: “Vietnam: America’s Conflict,” other military exhibits. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Sat., 1-4 p.m. Sun. 376-4602.

MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER, Ninth and Broadway: “A Voice through the Viewfinder: Images of Arkansas’ Black Community by Ralph Armstrong,” through Jan. 5, 2013; permanent exhibits on AfricanAmerican entrepreneurial history in Arkansas.

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 683–3593.

OLD STATE HOUSE MUSEUM, 300 W. Markham: “Battle Colors of Arkansas,” 18 Civil War flags; “Things You Need to Hear: Memories of Growing up in Arkansas from 1890 to 1980,” oral histories about community, family, work, school and leisure. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9685.

WITT STEPHENS JR. CENTRAL ARKANSAS NATURE CENTER, Riverfront Park: Exhibits on wildlife and the state Game and Fish Commission.

ENGLAND TOLTEC MOUNDS STATE PARK, State Hwy. 165: Major prehistoric Indian site with visitors’ center and museum. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun., closed Mon. $3 for adults, $2 for ages 6-12. 961-9442.

HOT SPRINGS MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, 425 Central Ave.: New work by Carole Katchen, through Dec. 21. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Sat., noon-3 p.m. Sun. 501-609-9966.

HOLIDAY! 2012 R I V E R

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With Howard Helvey David A. Glaze - Artistic Director

CONCERT DATES & TIMES Celebrating 10 Years

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2002 - 2012

Sunday, December 2, at 3:00 pm Monday, December 3, at 7:00 pm Tuesday, December 4, at 7:00 pm

All performances are free and open to the public. Trinity United Methodist Church, 1101 North Mississippi, Little Rock

(501) 377-1080 • www.rivercitymenschorus.com

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JACKSONVILLE JACKSONVILLE MUSEUM OF MILITARY HISTORY, 100 Veterans Circle: Exhibits on D-Day; F-105, Vietnam era plane (“The Thud”); the Civil War Battle of Reed’s Bridge, Arkansas Ordnance Plant (AOP) and other military history. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $3 adults; $2 seniors, military; $1 students.

501-241-1943.

www.arktimes.com

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

33

Little Rock’s Down-Home Neighborhood Bar 7th & Thayer · Little Rock · (501) 375-8400

Thursday, November 29 KABF 88.3 BENEFIT SHOW featuring: Mothwind, Calcabrina, & Mainland Divide

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Share the Road

Share the road For Cyclists

Tips for SAFE cycling on the road.

• Bicycles are vehicles on the road, just like cars and motorcycles. Cyclists must obey all traffic laws. Arkansas Uniform Vehicle Code #27-49-111 • Cyclists must signal, ride on the right side of the road and yield to traffic normally.

Code #27-51-301/403 • Bicycles must have a white headlight and a red tail light visible from 500 feet and have a bell or warning device for pedestrians.

Code #27-36-220 • Make eye contact with motorists. Be visible. Be predictable. Head up, think ahead.

• On the Big Dam Bridge... go slow.

Represent!

• As you pass, say “On your left... thank you.”

• On the River Trail... use a safe speed, don’t intimidate or scare others. Watch for dogs and leashes.

Tips for prEVENTiNG iNjury or dEaTh.

For more information...

Bicycles are vehicles on Bicycle Advocacy of Arkansas

www.bacar.org the road, just like cars and League of American Bicyclists motorcycles.

Cyclist should www.bikeleague.org/programs/education Share the Road obey all traffic laws. Arkansas For Cyclists Tips forVehicle SAFE cycling on the road.

Uniform Code #27-49-111

• Bicycles are vehicles on the road, just like cars and motorcycles.

Cyclists must Cyclists should signal, rideobey on all traffic laws. Arkansas Uniform Vehicle Code the right side of the road, and #27-49-111 •yield traffic likeside Cycliststo must signal,normally ride on the right of the road and yield to traffic normally. any other road vehicle.

Code Code #27-51-301/403 •#27-51-301/403 Bicycles must have a white headlight and a red tail light visible from 500 feet and have a bell device for pedestrians.

Giveor 3warning feet of clear space when Code #27-36-220 passing (up to a $1000 fine!)

• Make eye contact with motorists. Be visCode #27-51-311 ible. Be predictable. Head up, think ahead.

• On the Big Dam Bridge... go slow.

Cyclist by law can not ride on Represent!

•the As you pass, say “On left... thank you.” sidewalk in your some areas, • On the River Trail... use a safe speed, don’t some bikes canothers. onlyRoad handle Share the intimidate or scare Watch for dogs and leashes.roads For Cyclists smooth (no cracks, For morecycling information...

Tips for SAFE on the road. potholes, trolley tracks).

Advocacyonofthe Arkansas • BicyclesBicycle are vehicles road, just like www.bacar.org LR Ord.#32-494 cars andLeague motorcycles.

Cyclists must obey of American Bicyclists allwww.bikeleague.org/programs/education traffic laws. Arkansas Uniform Vehicle Code Make eye contact with cyclists. #27-49-111 • Cyclists must signal, ride on the right side Drive predictably. of the road and yield to traffic normally.

Code #27-51-301/403 prevent bikes. and a •Please Bicycles must have aghost white headlight red tail light visible from 500 feet and have a www.ghostbikes.org bell or warning device for pedestrians.

Code #27-36-220 • Makefor information: eye more contact with motorists. Be visible. Be predictable. Head up, think ahead.

Bicycle advocacy of arkansas • On the Big Dam Bridge... go slow.

Represent!www.bacar.org • As you pass, say “On your left... thank you.”

• On the River Trail... use a safe speed, don’t intimidate others. Watch for dogs Leagueorofscare American Bicyclists and leashes.

www.bikeleague.org/ For more information...

Bicycle Advocacy of Arkansas programs/education

www.bacar.org League of American Bicyclists www.bikeleague.org/programs/education

34

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

MOVIE LISTINGS

NOV. 30-DEC. 1

Market Street Cinema times at or after 9 p.m. are for Friday and Saturday only. Rave showtimes are valid for Friday only. Lakewood 8, McCain Mall and Riverdale showtimes were not available by press deadline. Find up-to-date listings at arktimes.com.

NEW MOVIES Anna Karenina (R) — If director Joe Wright (“Pride and Prejudice,” “Atonement”) hates the term “Oscar bait,” maybe he should, you know, stop Oscar-baiting so much. Rave: 10:00 a.m., 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00.

The Collection (R) — From the creators of the “Saw” films, who surely must have a factory running 24/7 that just churns out new and horrifyingly gory ways to kill attractive young actors.

Rave: 11:20 a.m., 2:20, 5:20, 8:15, 11:15.

Killing Them Softly (R) — Awesome-looking mafia flick, with Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta and James Gandolfini (!). Breckenridge: 1:15, 3:45, 7:35, 9:55. Chenal 9: 11:15 a.m., 1:45, 4:15, 7:15, 10:15.

Rave: 10:40 a.m., 1:45, 4:50, 7:40, 10:40.

A Late Quartet (R) — A veteran string quartet faces an existential challenge, with Christopher Walken, Catherine Keener and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Market Street: 2:00, 4:20, 7:00, 9:00.

Smashed (R) — Harrowing portrait of a young married couple negotiating the fuzzy area between “raging alcoholism” and mere “extreme partying.” Market Street: 2:15, 4:30, 7:15, 9:00.

Talaash (PG-13) — Bollywood thriller about a detective investigating the suspicious drowning of a popular actor. Rave: 9:55 a.m., 1:05, 4:10, 7:15, 10:45.

RETURNING THIS WEEK 28 Hotel Rooms (NR) — An adulterous couple grapples with the complications their infidelity causes. Market Street: 4:00, 9:00.

Argo (R) — A group of Americans in revolutionary Iran make an improbable escape, based on actual events, from director Ben Affleck.

Breckenridge: 1:20, 4:00, 7:15, 9:50.

Brave (PG) – Animated fantasy tale of a Celtictype girl who must save her kingdom from something or other. Movies 10: 12:10, 2:40, 5:10, 7:30, 9:50.

Finding Nemo 3D (G) — Pixar film about some fish and their adventures and it’s in 3D. Movies 10: 2:25 (2D), noon, 4:50, 7:15, 9:40 (3D).

Flight (R) — Denzel Washington is a pilot with a substance abuse problem, from director Robert Zemeckis. Breckenridge: 12:40, 3:40, 7:10, 10:20. Chenal 9: 11:05 a.m., 2:00, 5:00, 8:00. Rave: 10:30 a.m., 2:00, 5:10, 8:20, 11:30.

Fun Size (PG-13) — A smart-alecky high school senior loses her younger brother while trick-ortreating, then she has to find him and this is supposed to be funny. Movies 10: 12:30, 2:55, 5:15, 7:25, 10:00.

House at the End of the Street (PG-13) — Bunch of terror happens to “Hunger Games” star Jennifer Lawrence. Movies 10: 12:40, 3:05, 5:30, 7:50, 10:15.

Ice Age: Continental Drift (PG) – Latest iteration in the series about a crew of wacky animated animals. Movies 10: 12:20, 2:45, 5:00, 7:20, 9:35.

Life of Pi (PG) — Based on the smash-hit book of the same name, from director Ang Lee. Breckenridge: 1:20, 4:20, 7:25, 10:20 (3D).

Chenal 9: 4:45, 10:30 (2D), 11:00 a.m., 1:50, 7:40 (3D). Rave: 1:55, 7:55 (2D), 10:55 a.m., 4:55, 10:55 (3D), 12:35, 3:35, 6:35, 9:35 (3D XTreme).

MAN IN BLACK: Brad Pitt stars as an enforcer in “Killing Them Softly,” which recalls that golden age when Scorsese made really great mob flicks.

Lincoln (PG-13) — Steven Spielberg’s biopic about Abraham Lincoln, with Daniel Day Lewis and Sally Field. Breckenridge: 12:45, 3:50, 7:00, 10:05. Chenal 9: 1:00, 4:20, 8:00. Rave: 10:05 a.m., 11:55 a.m., 1:20, 3:20, 4:40, 7:05, 8:05, 10:30, 11:25.

Looper (R) — Time-travel action thriller with Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Movies 10: 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:45.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green (PG) — Basically it’s Cabbage Patch Kids the Movie, but with just one Cabbage Patch Kid. Movies 10: 12:25, 2:50, 5:20, 7:45, 10:10.

ParaNorman (PG) – Stop-motion animated film about a kid who talks to ghosts, from the studio that made “Coraline.” Movies 10: 12:15, 2:30, 4:45, 7:05, 9:30.

Red Dawn (PG-13) — Not so much a “remake” as an act of cinematic necrophilia — and an unnecessary one at that. Breckenridge: 1:25, 4:40, 7:20, 9:55. Chenal 9: 11:20 a.m., 2:00, 4:40, 7:20, 10:20. Rave: 11:05 a.m., 2:05, 5:05, 6:45, 8:00, 9:45, 10:50.

Rise of the Guardians (PG) — Animated adventure story about a group of heroes who protect the imaginations of children from an evil spirit who wants to take over the world.

Breckenridge: 1:35, 4:45, 7:40, 10:05 (2D), 1:00, 3:35, 7:05, 9:35 (3D). Chenal 9: 11:30 a.m., 1:55, 7:30 (2D), 4:30, 10:00 (3D). Rave: 10:20 a.m., 1:25, 3:55, 6:30, 9:30 (2D), 11:40 a.m., 2:30, 5:00, 7:30, 10:15 (3D).

Samsara (PG-13) — Visual poetry on 70mm, from the cinematographer of “Koyaanisqatsi,” meaning you can practically smell weed smoke just from watching the trailer. Market Street: 1:45, 6:45.

Seven Psychopaths (R) — Dark comedy with a literary bent, with Colin Farrell, Christopher Walken and Tom Waits (!). Movies 10: 12:05, 2:35, 5:05, 7:35, 10:05.

Silent Hill: Revelation (R) — Just what in the Sam Hill are Ned Stark and Jon Snow doing in this cheesy-looking horror flick about Hell or some-

thing? Movies 10: 12:35, 3:00, 5:25, 7:40, 9:55.

Skyfall (PG-13) — An aging Bond still can’t be beat. Breckenridge: 1:00, 4:05, 7:10, 10:10.

Chenal 9: 1:00, 4:10, 7:20, 10:30 (IMAX), Rave: 10:05 a.m., 12:15, 1:15, 3:30, 4:30, 6:50, 7:50, 10:05, 11:05.

This Must Be the Place (R) — Sean Penn plays an aging Robert Smith-type goth rocker who goes hunting for the Nazi who persecuted his father at Auschwitz. Not kidding. Market Street: 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:15.

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (PG-13) — Vampire movie sequel starring the girl who cheated on the guy, plus the other guy, the werewolf one. Oh yeah, get this: It’s the last one in the series! Breckenridge: 1:05, 4:10, 7:20, 10:00. Chenal 9: 11:00 a.m., 1:40, 4:20, 7:00, 10:15. Rave: 10:45 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 1:35, 2:35, 4:25, 5:25, 7:25, 8:25, 10:20, 11:20.

Wreck-It Ralph (PG) — Animated movie about a video game character. Breckenridge: 1:10, 4:35, 7:45, 10:15. Chenal 9: 11:25 a.m., 1:55, 4:25, 7:25, 10:00. Rave: 10:15 a.m., 1:10, 4:15, 7:10, 9:50 (2D), 9:55 a.m., 12:40, 3:40 (3D).

Wuthering Heights (NR) — Artsy, “minimalist” version of the Bronte novel. Market Street: 1:45, 4:15, 6:45, 9:15.

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.

Regal McCain Mall 12: 3929 McCain Blvd., 7531380, www.regmovies.com.

MOVIE REVIEW APRONS DESIGNED BY ARTISTS

SILENT & LIVE AUCTIONS MUSIC, FOOD & DRINKS

SIXTH ANNUAL

DECEMBER 6, 2012

6:00 - 9:00 pm live auction at 7:45

PAVILION IN THE PARK ‘LIFE OF PI’: Suraj Sharma stars.

COCKTAIL ATTIRE ENCOURAGED

Finally, an epic 3D movie ‘Life of Pi’ mesmerizes.

TICKETS $55 PER PERSON TO BUY TICKETS GO TO WWW.OURHOUSESHELTER.ORG

BENEFITING

BY SAM EIFLING

I

f you know nothing else of “Life of Pi,” you likely saw the book’s cover a decade ago, when Yann Martel’s novel was selling in bales and winning international fiction awards: a boy plus a Bengal tiger on a small boat in the big ocean. With only that in mind you can ascertain that filming this religious survival tale would be a true feat — one finally completed 11 years after the book’s debut.

For fans of the novel, the wait has paid off. After sifting through a list of directors (among the discarded, blessedly: M. Night Shyamalan) and sorting out such minor details as how to feasibly shoot the middle of the Pacific Ocean (hint: first flood an airplane hangar in Taiwan), the cinematic “Life of Pi” stays faithful to the novel nearly in letter and assuredly in spirit. At turns savage, plucky and contemplative, this 12th film by Ang Lee is a big-budget 3D art epic without a single bankable American star that will easily recoup its $120 million budget and will challenge formidably come awards season. And significantly, especially for the director of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” this movie gives great tiger.

Pi is Piscine Molitor Patel, played at various ages but chiefly as a reflective adult

by Irrfan Khan (“The Amazing SpiderMan”) and as a castaway teen-ager by Suraj Sharma, making his debut. The adult Pi has welcomed a writer (Rafe Spall) to his home in Montreal to tell him his story. Born in India to a father who runs a zoo, Pi learns early of his Hindu roots but expands to become a practicing Christian and Muslim, reasoning that faith is a realm large enough to hold many gods. With the zoo on shaky finances, Pi, his parents and his brother migrate to Canada on a freighter carrying animals they aim to sell. High seas strike in the east Pacific. The ship is lost. Pi lands

in a lifeboat. When the storm clears, he is sharing a 30-person aluminum boat with an injured zebra, a kindly orangutan, a vicious hyena — and Richard Parker, the zoo’s star tiger and, soon, only other survivor.

The trip thereafter is nasty, brutish and long. Pi, a resourceful boy of abiding faith, finds ways to keep a distance from Richard Parker as they bob interminably, starving, parched, forlorn, across the vastness. The filmmakers surely had a choice: live tiger, live ocean, but not both.

They went with live tiger (mostly) and a dreamy aesthetic that suits their caged sea.

The cinematographer Claudio Miranda (“Fight Club,” which shares a key plot synchronicity) and Lee have assembled a panoply of shots that stand among the great achievements in filming water, particularly beneath the surface and in the sinking of the freighter, a triumphant sequence. At turns, too, the religious themes and the ceaseless time in open ocean lend themselves to hallucinogenic discursions that vibrate with color and energy and depth that display, if not pioneer, the full power of 3D effects. At times, in quite a pleasant way, you will believe yourself drugged.

The weaknesses of “Life of Pi” owe largely to the source material. By the end the story’s promise to make a listener believe in God rings overwrought, strained. The novel and the movie both feel seductively plausible until the realism gets a bit too magical in the final third; the script overexplains an elegant twist. But as long as you can swallow the detachable religiosity, you’ll stumble out of “Life of Pi” blinking, gathering your thoughts and realizing that you’ve just spent two hours deep down, in an enchanting and dangerous place, blissfully submerged.

Our House provides the working homeless – individuals & families – with shelter, housing, job training, education, childcare & summer youth programs, in order to equip them with the skills to be successful in the workforce, the community and their own families.

T-SHIRTS!

place your order now! arktimes.com/craftbeerfest www.arktimes.com

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

35

New Italian Chinese Japanese Mexican “Fun” Indian Other Ethnic Food Truck Vegetarian/Vegan

Barbecue Breakfast Brunch Catfish Fried Chicken Deli/Gourmet to go Hamburger Pizza

Go to arktimes.com/readerschoice13 to vote for your favorite restaurants in all categories in the Little Rock area and throughout the rest of the state. Users can only vote once.

One rule to keep in mind: If you don’t specify the location of restaurants with multiple locations, your vote will not be counted.

Votes must be cast by Jan. 7.

Seafood Buffet Steak Desserts Coffee Home Cooking Place for Kids Romantic Gluten Free Business Lunch Yogurt Wine List Server Chef

ONLINE VOTING ONLY

Overall

Bakery

Arkansas Times once again presents its Readers’ Choice restaurant poll. Yes, it’s time to cast votes in the state’s longest-running annual assessment of the best places to eat in Arkansas.

www.arktimes.com/readerschoice13

READERS CHOICE AWARDS

LITTLE ROCK

REST OF STATE

BEST RESTAURANTS IN THE AREAS AROUND

Benton/Bryant ________________________________ Conway________________________________________ Eureka Springs ________________________________ Hot Springs ____________________________________

Fayetteville/Springdale/Rogers/Bentonville _________________________________________________________

31 NOVEMBER 9, 2011 ARKANSAS TIMES

Arkansas Times, Little Rock Film Festival, & Clinton School of Public Service present

"Cameras and the West Memphis 3" Two days of events

7 P.M. - DEC. 12 ARGENTA COMMUNITY THEATER ARGENTA FILM SERIES: 'PARADISE LOST: THE CHILD MURDERS AT ROBIN HOOD HILLS' Including a post-screening discussion with Jason Baldwin, director Joe Berlinger and Mara Leveritt RSVP for a free ticket at lrff.eventbrite.com Visit Crush Wine Bar before the film and again for the after party • 318 N. Main Street

6 P.M. - DEC. 13 CLINTON SCHOOL FOR PUBLIC SERVICE "THE CASE FOR CAMERAS IN COURT" Panel discussion with Jason Baldwin, Joe Berlinger and Mara Leveritt" RSVP to the free event at publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or by calling 501-883-5238

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

W

BY JANIE GINOCCHIO

ell, we’ve survived any awkward moments at the Thanksgiving dinner table and the horrors of Black Friday.

The Christmas season has begun in earnest, and we’re here to help you find the best gifts around for those near and dear to your hearts.

For great deals on home accessories, there’s no place like DREAMWEAVERS. They have pillows on sale for as low as $5 and throws for $20. Rugs, pictures and mirrors are also on sale. Dreamweavers also has extended hours from Nov. 30 to Dec. 14: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

hearsay ➥ The December exhibit at L&L BECK ART GALLERY will focus on religious art.

The monthly giclee drawing will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 20, and the piece to be given away is named “Nativity.” The exhibit will run through the end of December, and the 10 percent off giclee sale will run until Dec. 22. ➥ Want to have a little fun with your food? Then check out the MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY’S Science After Dark program from 6-8 p.m. Nov. 28. The topic, “Twisted Tastes”, will delve into the world of micro gastronomy. Admission for this age 21-andolder event is $5 for nonmembers and free for members, with a cash bar available. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/scienceafterdark.

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NOVEMBER 28, 2012

ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES

➥ THE GREEN CORNER STORE, located at 1423 Main St., will host a holiday open house from 5-8 p.m. Nov. 28. ➥ The 44th annual Collectors Show and Art Sale will be from Nov. 30 to Dec. 30 at the ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER. The show features works on paper in a variety of mediums from 20 of New York City’s galleries that are available for purchase. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. ➥ THE DOG BOWL, a place for pampered pooches, is open at Pleasant Ridge Town Center. The store carries a variety of high-end dog food brands, as well as toys, harnesses, custom collars and dog sweaters.

Want to make a difference and help out two great Arkansas organizations at the same time? Then purchase PETIT JEAN MEATS smoked hams or gift boxes from CAMP ALDERSGATE. This is the third year Petit Jean Meats has partnered with Camp Aldersgate on this fund-raiser. An order form can be found in this week’s Times, or you can call 225-1444 for more information. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Camp Aldersgate.

The CLINTON MUSEUM STORE’S featured holiday item is a stunning .925 sterling silver bracelet with deeply carved symbols of the world’s major religions.

“It perfectly captures the wish of interfaith peace and harmony,” said manager Connie Fails. It’s $350 and includes a gift case.

Looking for a gift for the person who has everything? Then stop by BOX TURTLE and check out their gilded wind-up toys. These all-gold toys include a duck that lays eggs, a dog that plays with a ball and a penguin that waddles. Caldrea’s special Christmas scent hand soap, lotion, countertop cleaning spray and mercury glass candles are also

in stock.

Have a friend who tries to eat healthy but is short on time?

KREBS BROTHERS RESTAURANT STORE has a large selection of Frontier Soup mixes that are all natural and have no added salt or MSG. Wrap them up inside of a Nordic Ware cast aluminum Dutch oven for a great gift. For the bakers, consider the Curtis Stone Food Fight line’s Pop Out bakeware that features a silicone liner on the bottom.

RHEA DRUG has lots of great gifts that are priced $25 and under.

While you’re there, be sure to take a look at their selection of 3-D animal puzzles. The puzzles are made in the United States and feature environmentally safe materials — perfect for the kid (or adult) in your life that still can’t keep things out of their mouths.

Have you visited HILLCREST DESIGNER JEWELRY, Little Rock’s favorite jewelry design and repair studio? If not, then you’re missing out — they can make something new from any old jewelry you may have, or upgrade your favorite

Find us on

Let the peace within you shine.

A handmade treasure in .925 sterling for those who embrace interfaith harmony and world peace. Created by the Quincy Jones Foundation.

With presentation case. $350.

Clinton Museum Store 610 President Clinton Ave. | Little Rock | 501-748-0400

Continued on page 41

Mercedes-Benz of Little Rock Give the gift of luxury this Holiday Season! The annual national Mercedes-Benz Winter Event is now in progress.

2013 GLK 350 4-Matic, 5 Passenger SUV, Black, MSRP $44,345, Stock #ML1342, See dealership for special Winter Event pricing.

2013 C 250 Coupe, Sporty 2-door, white, MSRP $42,365, Stock #M7027, See dealership for special Winter Event pricing. #8 Colonel Glenn Plaza Dr. 501.666.9547 LittleRockMercedes.com ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

39

Rhea Drug Visit Rhea Drug this Christmas season to pick up fun toys and games for all of your favorites. We have gifts galore for everyone on your list!

2801 Kavanaugh 501.663.4131

Go! Running

Hillcrest Designer Jewelry

Run in comfort and style! Wind Jackets are the perfect compliment to a breezy river trail. Add a dry-wicking base layer and your all set! Go! Running’s top pick this holiday season.

We offer custom jewelry design services and can also re-create old pieces of jewelry. With some of the best quality stones, we would love to work with you this holiday season to produce something fabulous! Come in today to check out our selection of engagement rings and estate pieces.

1819 N. Grant. St. In The Heights 501.663.6800 gorunning.com

3000 Kavanaugh 501.246.3655 hillcrestdesignerjewelry.com

The Floating Lotus

Ava Bella Day Spa

Now until the New Year, The Floating Lotus will be offering a Holiday Lash special.

Wow them at those Holiday Parties, with these glamorous $75 Holiday Xtreme Eyelash Extensions that allow new clients that have never had lash extensions to try the half set at this cost as opposed to the start up cost for a full set which is normally $200.

Two and a half hour Christmas Special package: • Stress Reliever Massage • Express Facial • Express Manicure • Make-Up Application All for only $100. Purchase online — avabelladayspa.com. Buy one for yourself and a friend, come and enjoy together!

900 N. University, Suite 4 501.664.0172 floatinglotusyogastudio.com

WordsWorth Books & Co. WordsWorth offers an exquisite collection of bookends, the ideal gift to add a flourish to any booklover’s library. In addition to handsomely wrought bronze figurines, WordsWorth carries bookends with a more natural feel, made from polished minerals, stone, and wood. Elegant and sturdy, they are the perfect complement to any bookshelf!

5920 R St. 501.663.9198 wordsworthar.com facebook.com/wordsworthbooks 40

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES

301 N Shackleford Rd # C3 501.954.8888 avabelladayspa.com

Great selection of gifts for the home chef EMILE HENRY NOW IN STOCK Handcrafted In France

4310 Landers Road • North Little Rock, AR 72117

(501) 687-1331

www.krebsbrothers.com • M-F 8-5 Sat. 9-5

KREBS BROTHERS SINCE 1933

THE RESTAURANT STORE

ZAK!

piece with a new diamond. They can also make unique wedding rings to your specifications.

Do you have a friend that’s stressed and in need of a pickme-up? AVA BELLA DAY SPA is offering a great two-and-a-half hour Christmas special package: stress reliever massage, express facial, express manicure and make-up application. It’s the perfect pre-holiday party pampering.

Or better yet, buy one for yourself and a friend, come and enjoy together.

Looking for an awesome car to park in the driveway with a big red bow? From now until the end of the year, get the best deals at MERCEDES BENZ OF LITTLE ROCK during the annual national Winter Event sale, which runs until the end of the year. From the sporty and affordable C250 to the luxurious S550, they have something for everyone’s budget.

THE PAINT BOX GALLERY AND FRAMING in the Argenta Arts District features only Arkansas artists, with prints starting at $10 to original paintings starting at $1,000. The gallery has a wide variety of art from abstracts to landscapes to wildlife. You can also buy your art unframed and they can help you select custom matting and framing at reasonable prices. Like their Facebook page for deals on framing.

Give the gift of glamour from THE FLOATING LOTUS, which is offering a holiday lash special.

From now until New Year’s Eve, you can get a half-set of Holiday Xtreme eyelash extensions for $75 and it only takes an hour to apply.

A full set is regularly $200 with a two-hour time commitment. You can also get 10 percent off any gift certificate purchase from now until Christmas Eve. The runners in your life will appreciate gifts from GO! RUNNING, known as the community running store because of its friendly, knowledgeable staff and its dedication to the local running scene. They have everything you need for running and walking, from apparel and shoes to hydration, nutrition and accessories, as well as expert advice and support.

Be sure to take advantage of their custom shoe selection and fitting services. They also host community runs every Thursday at 6 p.m., and all paces are welcome.

Head to WORDSWORTH BOOKS & CO. for the bibliophile in your life. They specialize in books by local authors. Currently on their bestseller shelf are signed copies of books by Little Rock’s own Jay Jennings, Kay Goss, Kevin Brockmeier, George Wittenberg and Jane Hankins. They also carry a wide variety of gifts in addition to books, such as games, puzzles, soaps, candles, lotions, and calendars, and more.

Give to those in need in the name of a loved one with a donation to the LITTLE ROCK COMPASSION CENTER, a local nonprofit that operates an emergency shelter, food pantry and other services. A donation of $40 can provide a holiday food basket, while just $1.69 will provide a meal and $4.80 can provide a warm place to sleep for the night to someone in need. Contact Rosemary Holloway at 501-296-9114 to receive their “gift catalog” of donation ideas or for more information.

Each Christmas season for the past 23 years, Central Arkansans have looked to SHOE CONNECTION as a resource for quality, affordable holiday footwear. This year’s selection surpasses any that Shoe Connection has ever hadespecially in the boot department.

Find a wide variety of footwear from trend setting to classic basics throughout their two stores, in Little Rock and North Little Rock.

Always expect fair prices along with seasonal discounts to make your holiday dollar go further ... maybe even some left to spend on yourself!

The classic Italian car is back!

The 2013 Fiat 500 hatchback and convertible get up to 40 miles per gallon and come in 15 different colors. LANDERS FIAT is sure to have the perfect one for you!

The Paint Box Gallery

Custom framing and matting at reasonable prices. Featuring only Arkansas artists. The gallery offers oils, acrylics, watercolors, photography, ceramics, woodblock prints and cards.

705 Main St. 501.374.2848 facebook.com/ PaintBoxGalleryAndFramingNLR

Box Turtle Add Box Turtle to your must list as THE place for great gifts.

These artisan bracelets can be mixed-and-matched to create a unique gift for the people on your shopping list. Bracelets sold individually starting at $31.

2616 Kavanaugh Blvd.

Hillcrest 501.661.1167 shopboxturtle.com

Storewide

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WWW.SHOECONNECTIONONLINE.COM 2806 LAKEWOOD VILLAGE DR., NLR 501-753-8700 9100 N RODNEY PARHAM, LR 501-225-6242 ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

41

Dining IN HIS FORMER GIG as executive chef at the Governor’s Mansion, Jay Baxter cooked for an elite few — Mike Beebe (who likes BLTs and PBJs), Bill Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Neil Armstrong, Joe Jackson (father of Michael and Janet) and the presidents of African nations. But now Baxter cooks for anyone with $3.50 and a healthy lactose tolerance.

“I just got the bug. I missed the creativity,” Baxter said, of leaving the Mansion to control his own 150 square feet of the River Market. Jay’s Pizza opened on Nov. 15, and since then, business has been great. There’s pizza by the slice, a pizza of the day (ham and arugula was a recent special) and specialty whole pies. The Four Seasons (mushrooms, ham, olives and artichokes) and the spinach and feta have proven popular pies thus far.

According to Baxter, the toughest part of pizza making is getting the dough right. “It’s all about the amount of humidity and the timing,” he said. “It’s an exact science.” That challenge is part of why he went with pizza. The other reason is that Baxter loves everything Italian. He’s been to Italy six times. “It’s the only place I go ... maybe that’s why I make pizzas. I’m on vacation in my head,” he said. He’s on a perpetual quest to find the most perfect pizza in the motherland. He’s tasted the pizza of Rome, Sicily, Tuscany and Venice, but his favorite is that of Naples, because “the wood-fired oven makes the difference.”

Baxter is a Little Rock native. At 14, he got his first job making cotton candy at War Memorial Stadium. Since then, he’s worked with a host of wellknown chefs and restaurants, gaining all of his culinary tricks on the job. He’s cooked at Andre’s, Ciao, Purple Cow and Graffiti’s, under chefs such as Paul Bash (Restaurant Jacques et Suzanne) and Suzanne Boscarolo (Ciao Baci), to name a few. From 1998 to 2003 he ran his own restaurant, Cafe Pompeii in Hot Springs.

DINING CAPSULES

AMERICAN

1620 SAVOY Food is high-quality and painstakingly prepared — a wide-ranging dinner menu that’s sure to please almost everyone. 1620 Market St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-221-1620. D Mon.-Sat., BR Sun. 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. L Tue.-Sat. B-SIDE The little breakfast place turns tradition on its ear, offering French toast wrapped in bacon on a stick, a must-have

42

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

WHAT’S COOKIN’

RIGHT AT HOME: Country-fried steak at Homer’s West.

New Homer’s repeats winning formula Plus, booze and dinner hours.

M

any Central Arkansans who don’t work or live nearby likely have never found it convenient to eat at Homer’s. Even so, most everyone knows people who flock to the iconic Roosevelt Road eatery and have heard tales of the large plates of home-cooked meat and veggies as well as the white-collar, often political crowd that provides the unique dimension that makes Homer’s Homer’s.

So it only made sense that Katrina Vaughn and David Connell — daughter and son of founder Homer Connell — eventually would make the Homer’s experience more broadly available. And it also made sense to put it in West Little Rock — but not too far west — and to be open at night.

Homer’s West is about 10 mostly interstate miles from the mother ship and is a lunch-dinner place vs. breakfast-lunch at the original. The menu is largely the same. There are the everyday selections: a fairly predictable set of appetizers, several meal-sized salads, a nice selection of sandwiches (including Frito chili pie, an

Homer’s West

9700 N. Rodney Parham 224-6637 homersrestaurant.com QUICK BITE Evening hours and a full bar are the most notable differences, other than neighborhood, between Homer’s West and the original. The management makes it enticing to stop by at happy hour with $1.50 standard domestic drafts, $2.50 frosty pints of Diamond Bear Pale Ale and cut-rate deals on wine and mixed drinks, too.

HOURS 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

OTHER INFO Full bar, all CC

unlikely sandwich option), an excellent burger and 10 desserts.

And then there are the daily specials, which appear to be the favorite of most Homer’s patrons. Fried catfish, country steak, fried pork chop, hand-breaded

shrimp and a shrimp/catfish combo are available every day, and those are supplemented with three choices that are day-specific, including meatloaf, fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, chicken and dressing, smothered beef liver and a stuffed bell pepper, among others.

Those choices are also available after 5 p.m., as are three West-only dinner options: a 12-ounce ribeye ($20.99 with baked potato and salad), grilled mahi mahi and grilled chicken and shrimp (both $14.99 with two sides).

We first engaged Homer’s West in a traditionally un-Homer’s way: happy hour. Some of our favorite waitresses from the Flying Saucer have ventured west, and we enjoyed catching up with Stephanie at the bar as we sipped a couple of frosty cold pints of Diamond Bear Pale Ale, the award-winning beer brewed just a few blocks off the route from Homer’s to Homer’s. They’re $2.50 during happy hour and $3.50 the rest of the time, cheaper than almost anywhere else.

Cheese dip and an order of fries for a fry-loving friend seemed likely logical appetizers. The dip ($4.39 for a small) was solid but pretty standard-issue, and the chips were a bit stale. Homer’s serves crinkle-cut fries, which are an OK accompaniment for a sandwich but not so distinctive as an app. (We equate crinkle cuts to a bologna sandwich on Wonder Bread

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.

— classic in a way, but kind of white trash in another.)

We returned at straight-up noon on a Tuesday and hopped right on the lead special, fried chicken. It was among the best we’d had in ages — moist with a crisp, salty, not greasy batter. With two sides and a fabulous jalapeno cornbread muffin it was $6.99 for one breast (our choice) or two thighs and a leg. Add a wing for $1 or go for the four-piece mixed for $9.39.

Homer’s country-fried steak ($7.89) starts with a hamburger patty vs. the usual cubed steak. It was tender, and the crust was light and not too greasy.

The foot-long chili dog was just what you’d want it to be — a plump dog topped with chili, cheese, mustard, onions and slaw, a truly satisfying gut bomb for $6.99.

The chili was a fine-textured blend; you wouldn’t want to plow through a bowl of it, but it’s perfect on a dog.

There are more good burgers on the market these days than ever, and Homer’s serves one of them — a third-pound, hand-formed patty ($5.49 for a hamburger, $5.79 for a cheeseburger with chips) liberally dosed with pepper and quickly cooked on a hot griddle. It was juicy, tasty and came with all the right condiments.

What ties together everything at either Homer’s are the sides — two come with most meals, and they are available a la carte for $1.89 or four on a veggie plate for $6.59. There are 15 choices, plus a vego-the-day, and some are real rock stars: the real mashed potatoes with gravy; the small, salty, cooked-down purple hulls, and the tender Kentucky Wonder green beans are our favorites. We also adored the fried potatoes and onions that were the special on our Tuesday.

None of Homer’s desserts are homemade, but that doesn’t mean they’re not good. The fried pies ($2.99) are the best we’ve ever eaten. Made by Letha’s Fried Pies of West Fork, they feature a much higher filling-to-crust ratio than most and thus are much plumper. Both the chocolate and peach pies were outstanding, and neither really needed the ice cream accompaniment that is offered.

We’ve seen on-line discussions comparing the two Homer’s. Yes, the original location does have a vibe and a history that distinguishes it. But if you’re after that good Homer’s food, go to whichever location is more convenient for you and you won’t be disappointed.

BELLY UP

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

dish called “biscuit mountain� and beignets with lemon curd. 11121 Rodney Parham Road.

Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-716-2700. BL Wed.-Sun. BOBBY’S COUNTRY COOKIN’ One of the better plate lunch spots in the area, with some of the best fried chicken and pot roast around, a changing daily casserole and wonderful homemade pies. 301 N. Shackleford Road, Suite E1. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-2249500. L Mon.-Fri. THE BOX Cheeseburgers and French fries are greasy and wonderful and not like their fastfood cousins. 1023 W. Seventh St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-8735. L Mon.-Fri. BUFFALO GRILL A great crispy-off-the-griddle cheeseburger and hand-cut fries star at this

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

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.

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. DAVE AND RAY’S DOWNTOWN DINER Breakfast buffet daily featuring biscuits and gravy, home fries, sausage and made-to-order omelets. 824 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol. $.

501-372-8816. BL Mon.-Fri. DAVID’S BUTCHER BOY BURGERS Serious

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hamburgers, steak salads, homemade custard.

101 S. Bowman Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-227-8333. LD Mon.-Sat. DOGTOWN COFFEE AND COOKERY An up-to-date sandwich, salad and fancy coffee kind of place, well worth a visit. 6725 John F. Kennedy Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-833-3850. BL Mon.-Sun., BLD Fri.-Sat. 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. $-$$. 501-975-9315. BL Mon.-Sat. HILLCREST ARTISAN MEATS A fancy charcuterie and butcher shop with excellent daily soup and sandwich specials. 2807 Kavanaugh Blvd. Suite B. No alcohol, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-671-6328. L Mon.-Sat. MADDIE’S PLACE If you like your catfish breaded Cajun-style, your grits rich with garlic and cream and your oysters fried up in perfect puffs, this is the place for you. 1615 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-6604040. LD Tue.-Sat. MASON’S DELI AND GRILL Heaven for those who believe everything is better with sauerkraut on top. 400 Clinton Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-376-3354. LD Mon.-Sat. NEWK’S EXPRESS CAFE Gourmet sandwiches, salads and pizzas. 4317 Warden Road.

NLR. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-753-8826. LD daily.

PACKET HOUSE GRILL An up-to-date take on sophisticated Southern cuisine served up in a stunning environment. 1406 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-372-1578. D 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. $-$$. 501-225-2136. LD Mon.-Fri. L Sat. SIMPLY NAJIYYAH’S FISHBOAT & MORE Good catfish and corn fritters. 1717 Wright Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-562-3474.

LD Tue.-Sat.

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 DIMSUM & BISTRO A huge menu spans the Chinese provinces and offers a few twists on the usual local offerings. 6 Shackleford Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-221-7737.

LD daily. 17200 Chenal Parkway. No alcohol, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-821-8000. LD Mon.-Sat., D Sun. FAR EAST ASIAN CUISINE Old favorites such as orange beef or chicken and Hunan green beans. 11610 Pleasant Ridge Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-219-9399. LD daily.

FORBIDDEN GARDEN Classic, Americanized Chinese food in a modern setting. 14810 Cantrell Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$.

501-868-8149. 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, BR Sun. CONTINUED ON PAGE 44

www.arktimes.com

DAH 1112 001 MTCC_HolidayOpenHouse_4.5x3.8125.indd 1

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NOVEMBER 28, 2012

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CROSSWORD

DINING CAPSULES, CONT.

EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ ACROSS 1 Cavalry weapon 6 “And there it is!”

10 Argue (with) 14 Spasm 15 Hollywood has some big ones 16 Summon 17 Actor Norris, after gaining weight?

19 Attendee of the fictional Lowood Institution for girls 20 “… ___ quit!”

21 Symbols of speed 22 Flower part 23 1993 Peace Nobelist 25 Hankering 26 What a tosspot fantasizes the clouds would do?

30 Designed to pique interest, say 33 Toot 34 Collar

36 “Hurry!”

37 Some makeup … or a hint to 17-, 26-, 43- and 58-Across 39 Badlands feature 40 Unite 41 Whoosh!

42 A bit questionable 43 Thieves at an all-night dance bash?

47 Show some respect to a judge 48 All riled up 52 Emo emotion 54 Conceived 56 Sugar ending 57 Strike 58 Someone responding to a party R.S.V.P.?

60 ___ Krabappel, Bart Simpson’s teacher 61 Boxer’s fare?

62 Kind of glasses 63 Dieter’s amount

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE S Q U A R E A S I S

R U N L E T S P R Y

T O S S T O

P E R S E I S I M E D S A S

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

E L K E

M A L W A G R I E N I A T E S R O A N T M E E

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

E L L A

F E A R S I N N O I T T I S O T A O T S U U E

O G C T T E A G U E

L S T S

P O R T A L

S N A I L S

64 Paint swatch choice 65 Common door sign DOWN 1 Longtime senator Thurmond 2 Now, in Nogales 3 Bobby Orr, notably 4 Impatient person’s wait, seemingly 5 Conan O’Brien, e.g.

6 Mideast capital 7 Bad fit 8 Entries in two Oscar categories, slangily 9 “That’s all I ___” 10 Address 11 There used to be a lot more of these on corners 12 Indian tourist locale 13 Country dance 18 District of Colombia?

22 Knock off 24 Stalactite producer 25 Knocks off 27 Manhattan Project result, informally 28 Guitarist Paul 29 Shipboard punishment 30 Bar topic 31 PC operator 32 Items for baseball scouts and highway patrol officers

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BARBECUE

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Puzzle by Ian Livengood

35 Triple Crown winner Citation or Gallant Fox 37 Reason for an R rating 38 Back of a public house, maybe 39 Get wrong 41 Spice

42 Where many Greeks are found 44 Outlooks 45 Part that may be pinched 46 Sufficiently, in poetry 49 Tribal figure 50 Rhône tributary 51 Put on again

52 Jump on the ice 53 Intersection point 54 Western accessory 55 N.F.L. broadcaster 58 ___ in hand 59 Subj. of a Wall Street Journal story

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

Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS. AT&T users: Text NYTX to 386 to download puzzles, or visit nytimes.com/mobilexword for more information.

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 2,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).

Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay.

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

THIS MODERN WORLD

IGIBON JAPANESE RESTAURANT It’s a complex place, where the food is almost always good and the ambiance and service never fail to please. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-2178888. LD Mon.-Sat. KIYEN’S SEAFOOD STEAK AND SUSHI Sushi, steak and other Japanese fare. 17200 Chenal Pkwy. Suite 100. Full bar. $$-$$$. 501-8217272. LD daily.

KOBE JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE & SUSHI 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. 3600 S. University Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-570-7700. LD daily.

CAPITOL SMOKEHOUSE AND GRILL Beef, pork and chicken, all smoked to melting tenderness and doused with a choice of sauces.

915 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-4227. L Mon.-Fri. CROSS EYED PIG BBQ COMPANY Traditional barbecue favorites smoked well such as pork ribs, beef brisket and smoked chicken. 1701 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-265-0000. L Mon.-Sat., D Tue.-Fri. 1701 Rebsamen Park Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-2277427. LD daily.

FATBOY’S KILLER BAR-B-Q This landmark restaurant 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. L Mon.-Wed. and Fri.; L Thu. HB’S BBQ Great slabs of meat with fiery barbecue sauce, but ribs are served on Tuesday only. Try the tasty pork sandwich on an onion roll.

6010 Lancaster. No alcohol, No CC. $-$$. 501-565-1930. LD Mon.-Fri. SIMS BAR-B-QUE Great spare ribs, sandwiches, beef, half and whole chicken and an addictive vinegar-mustard-brown sugar sauce unique for this part of the country. 2415 Broadway. Beer, CC. $-$$. 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. 110 S. Shackleford Road. Full bar, All CC. $$.

501-224-0224. LD daily. BR Sun. THE PANTRY The menu stays relatively true to the owner’s Czechoslovakian roots, but there’s plenty of choices to suit all tastes.

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. 301 N. Shackleford.

Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-227-9900. LD daily.

TAZIKI’S Gyros, grilled meats and veggies, hummus and pimento cheese.

8200 Cantrell Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-227-8291. LD daily 12800 Chenal Parkway. Beer, Wine, All CC. 501-225-1829. LD daily.

ITALIAN

DAMGOODE PIES A somewhat different Italian/pizza place, largely because of a spicy garlic white sauce that’s offered as an alternative to the traditional red sauce. 2701 Kavanaugh Blvd. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-664-2239. LD daily. 6706 Cantrell Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-664-2239. LD daily. 10720 Rodney Parham Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-664-2239. LD daily.

GUSANO’S They make the tomatoey Chicago-style deep-dish pizza the way it’s done in the Windy City. 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.

NYPD PIZZA Plenty of tasty choices. Even the personal pizzas come in impressive combinations, and baked ziti, salads are more also are available. Cheap slice specials at lunch. 6015 Chenonceau Blvd., Suite 1. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-868-3911. LD Mon.-Sat., D Sun. VESUVIO Arguably Little Rock’s best Italian restaurant is in one of the most unlikely places — tucked inside the Best Western Governor’s Inn. 1501 Merrill Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-225-0500. D daily.

LATINO

SAN JOSE GROCERY STORE AND BAKERY Smells and tastes like Mexico for good reason: the fresh flour tortillas, overstuffed burritos, sopes, chili poblano are the real things. 7411 Geyer Springs Road. Beer, CC. $-$$. 501-565-4246. BLD daily.

SUPER 7 GROCERY STORE This Mexican grocery/video store/taqueria has great a daily buffet featuring a changing assortment of real Mexican cooking. 1415 Barrow Road. Beer, No CC. $. 501-219-2373. BLD daily.

TAQUERIA Y CARNICERIA GUADALAJARA Cheap, delicious tacos, tamales and more. Always bustling. 3811 Camp Robinson Road. NLR. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-753-9991. BLD daily.

44

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

O

ICIA L

FF

!"#$%&'($)

It’s the return of the annual Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase with performers competing for an array of prizes. All acts that have at least four songs of original material are encouraged to enter. All styles are welcome.

The Holy Shakes 2012 Winner

!"#$%&'(!')*+ Semifinalists will compete throughout January and February at Stickyz.

Weekly winners will then face off in the finals at the Rev Room in March.

Check out arktimes.com/showcase for information on how to enter online and upload your files.

DEADLINE FOR ENTRY

Door prizes will be given away to fans in attendance.

FOR MORE INFO E-MAIL

,-.,/0,0'12340' 350262,/0'07896,04' 4/1-:';8-3 NAME OF BAND HOMETOWN DATE BAND WAS FORMED AGE RANGE OF MEMBERS (ALL AGES WELCOME) CONTACT PERSON ADDRESS CITY, STATE, ZIP PHONE E-MAIL SEND ENTRIES AND DEMO CD TO: Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase, PO BOX 34010, Little Rock, AR 72203

JAN. 7, 2013 robertbell@arktimes.com

Long as the limb don’t break

K

icking around out on the lease, hoorawing Rudolph‘n’em, old boar hog cut me off and run me up a shagbark snag. Lost my piece in the scramble so nothing for it but to wait him out. And him me. We settled in.

With the TV playing all the time, and talking on the phone pretty much constantly now, and having to keep up via the Social Media with everything that everybody you know thinks or does or would like to do or won’t ever do again, and about 10,000 other people besides, it’s hard to get any quality time alone, just to ruminate on things, in the open air and fall beauty of the great outdoors, no distractions but the Lord God yammering yonder and reminder grunts from down below.

This looked like a good chance for that, long as my limb didn’t break. So I’m ruminating — If Moonbeam McSwine down there didn’t get me, it’d all be up in a little more than three weeks anyway. I’d got psyched for Armageddon earlier this year, and for the Rapture (I wrote Rupture first, a Freudian slip but likely closer to the truth) some time last year, but them was just idle predictions from some knotheaded old ignoramus preacher, whereas the upcoming 12-21-12 End-ofthe-World Catastrophe was ciphered out

by Maya crunchers back in their almanac prime.

It’s said they got their astrological ESP from ETs in BOB UFOs and whilst LANCASTER unable like us to put men on the moon, they done the math pinpointing the exact day when the world was going to end, Dec. 21, 2012. Now I had vowed not to be gulled by doomers again, by live preacher or defunct Meso-American, but with barely three weeks to go, hadn’t nobody come forward to dispute the Maya prognost, not even famous scientists like my nephew Dr. Burrhead, a world-class debunker though a Michigan Wolverine.

So with the world playing out on Dec. 21 we didn’t have to worry about no nuther assault by the heathens in their continuing War on Christmas. By the time Christmas ’12 got here, wouldn’t be no here for it to get to. Just as well because the war on it was just imaginary anyway, existing wholly inside the numb skulls of some extry-numskulled numskulls, like St. Elsewhere inside the mind of the autistic child.

One time it was a real war on the real Christmas, the Old Christmas, but that war was lost long ago, though within

living memory. The enemy then wasn’t Season’s Greetings or Happy Holidays; it was something that at the time was called Crass Commercialization. The war commenced annually with a big retailing orgy heralded in triumphantly by a demonic entity called the Advertising Industry.

Black Friday became the annual Victory over Christmas holiday. Celebrated by a frenzy of blind snatching of on-sale merchandise and trampling rival claimants in the door-opening stampedes. You and I were the foot-soldiers who slew Old Christmas.

Old Christmas actually lost its magic, its meaning, its purpose, its raison d’etre before that. It started to wilt when the first urchin first got two Christmas gifts under the tree instead of just one. Old Christmas was for young’uns only. The gifts were for children, and all the old folks got out of it was the pleasure of bearing witness once again to the truth that it’s more blessed to give than to get.

But Old Christmas had a strict sanction or limitation: only one gift per child.

The oneness of it, its singularity, what made it special. Made it Christmas. You’d never have imagined, much less heard tell of, Little Nell getting more than one dolly that laughed and cried, and later on pooped, or Ralphie Parker getting two Red Ryder BB guns. After a long year of weeping and wailing, of whimpering and whining, I got my own air rifle for

Christmas when I was 12. But I had to wait till the following Christmas to get some ammo for it, my one Christmas gift at 13 consisting of exactly one BB. They were copper then, and came 50 to a package, which meant, according to my Sixth Grade abacusing, that I’d get the last one in the package as my Christmas gift when I was 62 years old.

Mr. and Mrs. Huckaclaus might’ve Christmas-gifted little Mikey back then with one hogshead of Velveeta, but not two. And not half-a-dozen, enough to fill a boxcar, as he likely non-negotiably demanded in his Letter to Nick. One Christmas gift was your birthright, but more than one was wretched excess, made you feel greedy, resented by your sibs and pals rather than envied by them as you had presumed.

This Old Christmas ethic was in effect from the beginning, when the three Wise Guys, the wee three kings of Orientar, made their starlit trek, camelback rather than reindeer-drawn, each bearing his one gift, one the gold, one the myrrh, one the smellum from Frank N. Sense, apparently the Vidal Sassoon of his time — precious gifts all, but a limit of one, and surely a disappointment to Away in the Manger, whose druthers would’ve subbed a toy, maybe a fluttering liveangel mobile that attached to his halo, or a bippy to suck on between pulls at the virginal nips.

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Please call Kaytee at 501-607-3100 28, 2012 ARKANSAS TIMES 54 NOVEMBER 46 NOVEMBER 28, 2012 ARKANSAS TIMES

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It’s happening right now on

Arkansas Blog www.arktimes.com

www.arktimes.com NOVEMBER 28, 2012 47

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