Arkansas Times

ARKANSAS’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF POLITICS AND CULTURE ■ march 18, 2010

www.arktimes.com

July 12, 2007

n o i t a c Edu e n o z t a b m co in a

Times are tough in the Pulaski County District.

By Doug Smith • page 10

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The INsIder Lotto machines

Shortly after the lottery launched in September 2009, the Times reported that the lottery commission would roll out ticket vending machines in the spring. There’s no sign of them yet, but some legislators hope to ban the machines, saying they make it too easy for children to buy tickets.

Rep. Andrea Lea, R-Russellville, says she’s ready to introduce a bill in 2011 that would take ticket vending machines off the streets.

“I usually don’t like to enact legislation that inhibits adult behavior,” Lea says, “but when it comes to protecting children, I think it can be helpful and this is the right thing to do.”

The bill was prepared by the Family Council, a conservative group that has long been opposed to the lottery. Lea says many fellow Republicans have offered their support. She says she’ll be able to get some Democrats to sign on as well.

Of course, if the lottery can’t get major retail chain stores like Walmart, Target and Walgreen’s to sign on, the vending machines might just collect dust in a warehouse somewhere. Walmart is not participating in the lottery so far.

The lottery commission’s contract with Greece-based Intralot calls for 100 such vending machines. Lottery officials claim controls are in place to keep children from buying tickets. Any purchase would require the customer to swipe a driver’s license to validate his or her age.

“I see this as very similar to the tobacco vending machine issue,” Lea says. “I think we’ve got enough other ways to buy lottery tickets in this state, we’re not going to miss that one.”

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The Arkansas Commitment to Education Foundation (ACEF) has had a rough go of it lately. Last July, KATV reported that the non-profit, whose mission was to provide hard-working elementary school students with personal computers through the sale of specialty license plates, wasn’t living up to its promises. Funds from the sale of those license plates — about $100,000 a year — were not nearly enough to cover the kids who qualified.

On Friday, a Legislative Joint Audit report showed that the former executive director of ACEF, Brandie Jones, took nearly $80,000 from the charity over the course of four years. According to a statement from ACEF’s board, Jones has repaid the missing funds, but Continued on page 9

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www.arktimes.com • march 18, 2010 3

Smart talk

Contents Cable complications

TALE OF TWO PROPERTIES: Hospital (left) and Checkmate Club.

Real estate comparables n Argenta News, a North Little Rock-focused website, raised questions about Mayor Pat Hays’ real estate savvy. It raised a good point. The mayor announced he’d struck a deal to sell 20 hilltop acres owned by the city, and the sprawling building that once housed Baptist Memorial Hospital, for $200,000. He said difficulties in demolition of the hospital, including asbestos, made this a good sale for the city. This sale comes on the heels of a city purchase downtown of the crumbling former Checkmate Club, a smallish two-story building on a half-acre that the city bought for $330,000. Bottom line: City sold land for $10,000 an acre and bought some for $660,000 an acre.

n A Little Rock customer of Comcast called with a question about a coming change in service that will require him to get a set-top box, instead of directly plugging cable into his TV. He’s suspicious about hidden costs.

Comcast spokesman Mike Wilson says it’s part of an ongoing upgrade to all-digital service to allow the cable TV company to offer more HD channels and faster Internet service. Bottom line: If you already have a digital box (which you must have to receive premium and HD channels), nothing changes. But our friend who hasn’t had a box will have to get a digital adapter, HBO or no HBO. Wilson said Comcast will supply up to three of those per home at no additional cost. More than three will incur a monthly fee. Wilson said more than 60 percent of customers already have the boxes. The changes will begin taking place at the end of April, beginning in neighborhoods in southern Pulaski County.

The house at Walgreens n Readers have asked what’s up with the house that remained standing at the corner of South Cedar and Plateau after the whole block — including a rundown motel — was razed for the new Walgreens between Cedar and Pine on Markham.

There’s been a flurry of renovation there in the past month, with new windows, doors, pitched roof and an amoeba-like offshoot of the drug store blacktop going in behind it.

The house belongs to Springfield Holdings Group, LLC, the Little Rock company that is developing the Walgreens location. Jeff Nicholas, a partner in Springfield Holdings, said that the building is zoned for and will be leased as office space.

He said it should be ready for occupancy in the next 45 to 60 days, and currently is available for lease. Asked why the house was spared when the rest of the block came down, Nicholas

FOR LEASE: House neighboring new Walgreens. gives a simple answer: “We didn’t need to tear it down.” It will share an offshoot of the Walgreens parking lot. The Walgreens itself is to open in May or June, a company spokesman said.

8 Going native

A group claiming Indian ties has been talking about claiming Native American heritage as a means of avoiding school consolidation. — By Leslie Newell Peacock

10 Lessons for the kids

The Pulaski County School Board isn’t setting a very good behavioral example for kids these days, with racially tinged divisions over the teachers union and other issues. — By Doug Smith

14 UALR and race

UALR’s annual survey of local attitudes toward race indicates an improving trend.

— By Max Brantley

Departments

3 • The Insider

4 • Smart Talk

5 • The Observer

6 • Letters

7 • Orval 8-13 • News

14 • Opinion

17 • Arts & Entertainment

31 • Dining

37 • Crossword/ Tom Tomorrow

38 • Lancaster

Words n Still vulnerable to tarts, though: “Most customers are not aware that the City of Benton does have torte immunity for this type of damage which means they do not have to pay for any type of damages to your home or belongings due to sewer backing up into your home.”

An anonymous correspondent writes, “If I had torte immunity, maybe I could lose a few pounds.” n “Did you notice in Bob Lancaster’s column this week that he used ‘barpit’? I remember the first time that I wrote about a stolen car being found in a bauxite ‘barpit,’ I was told by my editor that it was ‘borrow pit.’ Have the rules changed?” — Wayne Jordan.

Lancaster has written extensively on this topic. He does so again for us.

4 march 18, 2010 • Arkansas Times

Doug s mith doug@arktimes.com

“ ‘Borrow pit’ is probably correct, inasmuch as the roadside depression is caused by highway construction workers ‘borrowing’ the dirt and piling it atop the road bed. (This is how the highway gets ‘high.’) But a term’s derivation isn’t the only consideration in deciding the best usage. In South Arkansas, we’ve always pronounced ‘borrow’ as ‘bar.’

Since the thing is always called a ‘bar pit,’ I think it’s only natural to write it that way.”

Works for me.

n “And this particular entry in that group of movies also contains one very instructive clue to the morays and censorship of the time in one scene, in which the hero meets the heroine bathing at an oasis — the makers seem to have been forced to insert a particular shot that is there for no other reason then to make it clear that she is not totally naked when he sees her.” — All Movie Guide The thing I remember most about the movie is Dean Martin singing “That’s a moray.” n Ty Debole writes, “What if Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh and their followers took control of the government? What would that be called?” I’d call it a mess. The more erudite would call it an ochlocracy — government by the mob.

VOLUME 36, NUMBER 28 ARKANSAS TIMES (ISSN 0164-6273) is published each week by Arkansas Times Limited Partnership, 201 East Markham Street, 200 Heritage Center West, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72203, phone (501) 375-2985. Periodical postage paid at Little Rock, Arkansas, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ARKANSAS TIMES, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, AR, 72203. Subscription prices are $42 for one year, $78 for two years. Subscriptions outside Arkansas are $49 for one year, $88 for two years. Foreign (including Canadian) subscriptions are $168 a year. For subscriber service call (501) 375-2985.

Current single-copy price is 75¢, free in Pulaski County. Single issues are available by mail at $2.50 each, postage paid. Payment must accompany all single-copy orders. Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the contents without the written consent of the publishers is prohibited. Manuscripts and artwork will not be returned or acknowledged unless sufficient return postage and a self-addressed stamped envelope are included. All materials are handled with due care; however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for care and safe return of unsolicited materials. All letters sent to ARKANSAS TIMES will be treated as intended for publication and are subject to ARKANSAS TIMES’ unrestricted right to edit or to comment editorially.

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RETIREMENT LOOKS GOOD

The Observer, like everyone

else, hates it when we have car trouble, but we’re beginning to look forward to the aftermath a bit. When the Mobile Observatory conks, we take it to Foster’s Garage on Ninth Street, the venerable old joint that’s been in Little Rock since the days of steam. After we drop off the car, the situation always affords us an excuse for a morning walk in this city we love, hoofing it through downtown to our Fortress of Employment on Markham near the River Market. We don’t do it half enough, which would be obvious to anyone just by looking at our ample frame.

This morning’s sojourn was perfect enough that we were worried — honestly worried — that some wayward 8 a.m. drunk or cell phoner was going to run a red light and drill us to the Sweet By and By. That’s the way it always happens in the movies, anyway: At the moment of the hero’s greatest happiness, the rope snaps on the piano being hoisted high above and it falls in slo-mo, down, down, down only to cut away to spare us the gooshy parts at the end. It still could happen. The day is young yet.

While you might think we’re exaggerating when we use the phrase “Greatest Happiness,” we’re not. This morning’s stroll was sublimely perfect: just nippy enough to need a jacket, the city flushed clean and dustless by the night’s rain. The sun, the sky — like a smooth, upturned bowl — and a hint of breeze. Hands in pockets; earbuds screwed in ears and catchy, 10-yearold pop music on the ol’ MP3 player.

Son in school and healthy. Spouse at work and healthy. Yours Truly on foot but healthy. Problems miles away, we walked.

Downtown, two guys with leaf blowers ranged back and forth over the sidewalk, scattering the fall. Downtown, a pretty girl walked with her lunch in a white plastic bag. Downtown, in the window of Bennett’s Military Surplus, an old machine gun sat in the window, stilled, covered in haze.

Downtown, a guy stood behind a white panel van in an alleyway, staring into the open doors like he was wondering what to do next.

We fear that our days of high adventure are behind us. The Observer is a creature of memory now — as we

all are when you take a second to think about it. But to be perfectly honest, we like it better this way: making memories that don’t flash like bursts of light, but instead burn themselves slowly into us like heated iron. The present is so fleeting, but the past stretches out behind us like a wide gulf, and is with us, always. We’re not all that smart, but we do know that you have to pluck up those good memories when they come floating by. We’re not gonna like paying the mechanic’s bill, but we do enjoy the idea that someday, when things are gray and bleak, we can think back and remember how lovely it was to walk there, warm in the sun, cursed and blessed for a moment by the automotive gods.

Speaking of plucking up

fleeting treasures, the Found Footage Festival came to Market Street Cinema last Friday and The Observer may’ve pulled something amidst all the belly laughing. The idea behind the festival, which isn’t so much of a festival as it is a traveling showcase, is that the age of VHS produced an almost endless cache of bizarre hilarity that’s just waiting to be rescued from thrift stores, truck stops and trashcans across the country. To that end, programmers offered a montage of ’80s exercise videos that included Milton Berle in drag, Jazzercise with actual dancing elephants and a new-motherwith-infant routine (“is your baby feeling the burn?”); clips from what was billed as “the world’s first nude pop video”; and, special for the Little Rock audience, a newly cut trailer for “Little Marines 2,” an ’80s film shot in Central Arkansas that might represent the nadir of our state’s not very rich film history — but definitely in a so-bad-it’s-good kind of way.

The Observer left hoping for a TV show (there’s a possibility) and, more than ever before, committed to never doing anything stupid on camera. Or anything at all on camera. Because if there are people rummaging through trash in search of the dumb stuff we used to do, just think about the field day future generation video hounds will have when that’s just a keystroke away.

The barn swallows are back.

Purple martins will be next. The Observer is watching.

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Letters arktimes@arktimes.com

The state and HannahGrace In the article “Gone,” your paper referenced the passing of HannahGrace. This child is an example of just how broken the Division of Children and Family Services has become. It is remarkable that more tragedies have not reached the front pages of the Arkansas Times. Over and over again, a politician will talk about cleaning up the mess at “DHS.” Over and over again, children are mistreated by their parents, or their foster parents. Over and over again, children in this state die needlessly. HannahGrace’s story is a preventable story.

My experience of the past year with DCFS has been nothing but negative.

People who were hired to fix problems are forced out because they want change. The public has been lulled into a false sense of well-being. Those people up there at the Division of Children and Family Services must know what they are doing because they wouldn’t have those high-paying jobs if they didn’t, right?! Yet, they don’t have the experience or qualifications for their positions. Very few of the top people even know anything about child welfare policy.

How do they get away with their ignorance? Well, they tell people what they want to be true and hope you don’t check on it. They go to the legislature to submit

the child fatality reports and don’t bring anyone to answer questions. They count on the fact that the only citizens who are affected by their incompetent decisions are those who are economically and educationally disadvantaged. DCFS counts on the fact that they can outspend you and outlast any critic.

The governor’s liaison to DHS, Joyce Dees, admitted to me in a phone conversation that she had no experience or education in child welfare. DCFS is run by a director who has no knowledge of child welfare policy, laws or regulation. Cecile Blucker’s degree and background are in finance. The deputy director of the division has no knowledge or background in child welfare. Janie Huddleston’s experience and education is in early childhood education (kindergarten and pre-school). All the members of the staff lack appropriate training and education. I want a job I don’t have the qualifications or the experience for, especially if it is paying $80,000 plus.

Finally, last year when I was testifying before the House Committee responsible for these areas, I was confronted by Connie Tanner. Ms. Tanner told me that she was the one responsible for training the judges. Yet, both Ms. Tanner and Lisa McGee, attorney for DHS, incorrectly testified to the legislative committee about the laws regarding visitation in other states. Further, they persisted in telling legislators, incorrectly, that this law would not impact courts in this state.

Either these individuals are incompetent or were lying to a legislative committee. It took me about 24 hours to disprove many of their statements. Some legislators have actually stepped up to the plate. They include Mike Burris, Dawn Creekmore and Johnnie Roebuck.

So what we have here is a perfect storm of untrained, inexperienced and/or untruthful individuals who are in control of the state’s child welfare system. When is this going to stop? When are children going to be protected? When will Governor Beebe finally take the reins of power and clean house over there? When will the legislators finally have enough? When will we start paying trained, educated people to handle matters of life and death of children?

Jo Ann Coleman, M.A., J.D. Little Rock Thank you for reporting the egregious case of HannahGrace Dowdie.

As a long-time advocate for “children left behind,” any child’s death is a time of grief. When a child dies as a possible result of the actions of state agency or the judiciary, my grief is followed by the desire to understand what happened in order to make needed improvements. This understanding cannot be acquired with the constant veil of secrecy surrounding fatalities of children in the state’s custody, or as a result of the state’s decision-making. Nor do I value the response that some

government official or agency is “looking into the matter.” I deeply appreciate confidentiality for protection of the children, but the public’s need to understand what happened should not be ignored. I ask the public to show your concern by asking your legislators for an investigation, with full transparency, driven by the positive intent to improve the practices and policies of these agencies.

I have witnessed many dependencyneglect cases where the decisions seemed to have been made before the hearing began. I have witnessed incivilities directed at parents, foster parents and relative caregivers, including an instance where the DCFS attorney moved to the far end of the table and turned his chair away from the parent in a case conference, stating he did not need to look or speak to the parent. I have seen potential foster parents who were indicated as a possible placement for a family member’s child rearrange their lives in order to meet the standards for fostering, only to be denied.

I have seen grandparents and other relatives treated with contempt and disdain by some caseworkers, similar to the description by Hannah’s foster parents who described the new caseworker as unwilling to shake hands.

As Jim Casey, founder of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, was fond of saying, we need to be “constructively dissatisfied.”

Dee Ann Newell, M.A. Little Rock

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The WEEK THAT was March 10-16, 2010

The Arkansas Reporter

Phone: 501-375-2985­ Fax: 501-375-3623 Arkansas Times Online home page: http://www.arktimes.com E-mail: arktimes@arktimes.com ■

It was a GOOD week for …

UALR. The women’s basketball team won a bid to the NCAA tournament.

UAPB. A conference title gave the men’s basketball team a trip to the NCAA tournament, quite a finish for a year that began with a 0-11 road trip.

■­

■

Twin Rivers Indians rise Embrace heritage to stop district closure.

By Leslie Newell Peacock

The state PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION. It exhibited understandable skepticism about how Arkansas might fare if Entergy, the electric utility, devises a new “system agreement,” or scheme for splitting costs among the states served by the company. So far in our state’s history with Entergy, not so good.

It was a bad week for …

GOV. MIKE BEEBE. Less than a week after singing the praises of the state’s services at residential facilities for the retarded (in response to federal criticism of the Conway Human Development Center), the governor ordered a management change and study of the Alexander Human Development Center because of a bruising inspection report that faulted medical care for injured residents, use of restraints and shoddy maintenance.

U.S. REP. JOHN BOOZMAN. This self-avowed champion of cutting government spending was the most frequent user of taxpayer-financed foreign travel in the Arkansas congressional delegation in 2009. And last year was only the continuation of a long history of taxpayer-financed junketing by Boozman, sometimes with his wife and including a jaunt to Germany in which he claimed $900 a day in expense money. Where’s the Tea Party when you need one?

PINE BLUFF. Mayor Carl Redus fired Police Chief John Howell, a decision that split the community and City Council and did little to help Pine Bluff’s image as a city in disarray.

HOT SPRINGS. The owner of Rachel Alexandra, a top filly, backed out of a $5 million match race April 9 at Oaklawn Park, ending dreams of an unprecedented crowd of big spenders in the city and a torrent of national publicity.

8 march 18, 2010 • ARKANSAS TIMES

WILLIFORD SCHOOL: Parents upset that it will close at end of year. n Parents desperate to reverse the dissolution of their Northeast Arkansas school district by the state are declaring that their children are part of a minority group — Native American — and that the closure was discriminatory.

The state Department of Education says identifying students as Native Americans would have no impact on the state’s decision to dissolve the district.

The state Board of Education voted Feb. 9 to take over the Twin Rivers School District, composed of schools at Williford and Oak Ridge, and “starburst” its students to neighboring districts. The district had been on probation for two years for accreditation rule violations.

The closing has been traumatic to parents in the district, many of whom have deep roots in the communities served by the schools and once attended the schools themselves. They are angry with the district’s former superintendent, David Gilliland, who resigned before the state took action, for not making the schools’ deficiencies known to the school board. Tempers have run high, and the department’s designated superintendent, Tommy Arant, even called the Randolph County sheriff on a parent angered over the fact that his request to change his child’s permanent record to reflect his Native American heritage wasn’t acted on.

In the past couple of weeks, 42 parents — 33 at Williford and 9 at Oak Ridge — have asked the schools to change their children’s permanent records to reflect Indian ethnicity. Arant has held the records, he said, waiting instruction from

the department.

Prompting the sudden embrace of Indian blood is the Ozark Band of Cherokees Inc., a non-profit created in January

by Williford resident Janice Maxwell.

Some parents say that Maxwell and her husband, Dub, in meetings at their home, told residents that by acknowledging their Native American heritage they might be able to stop the closure of the district.

“The majority of this community is of Native American descent,” Maxwell said in an interview last week. She said the area was settled by Indians who stopped there on the Trail of Tears. Because of that, Maxwell said, she believes she can get federal grants to help the low-income area.

But she said she never told district parents that that by identifying themselves as minority, parents could save the school. “I never guaranteed them anything,” Maxwell said last week. She did say, however, that she has been in contact with the NAACP to discuss the parents’ case.

Several years ago, Dub Maxwell, once a headman of the so-called Lost Cherokee Nation, and others who identified themselves with the group encouraged parents in North Arkansas districts to designate their children as Indian so their schools would get federal grants from the Office of Indian Education.

In 2005, the OIE began to question some $1.08 million in grants received or applied for by a number of Arkansas districts showing a big rise in Native American students. The Russellville School District won a $162,000 grant

after 751 children had identified themselves as members of the Lost Cherokee Nation, but turned it back when it realized the LCN was not a federally recognized tribe and the 25 percent Indian enrollment required for federal aid had not been met. Four other districts withdrew their applications for the money after they learned that the LCN had no federal standing.

Since then, feuding among parties within the LCN has split the group and Maxwell is no longer a member, his wife said.

Janice Maxwell was angry the Lost Cherokee issue was raised. She said she had never had anything to do with the group her husband led and that mentioning it would hurt the communities she was trying to help. She also questioned that the Lost Cherokee, one of several Arkansas groups claiming Cherokee heritage, were targeted when “I know they’re not the only ones that has done stuff wrong.”

Charlie Tyler, who was a member of the Twin Rivers School Board until the state department dissolved it in February, said all he was told by the Maxwells was that by declaring his ethnicity, “it might help us get grants and different things like that.”

Tyler, who has been a vocal opponent of the state department’s move to shut down the district, also tried to change his ninth-grade son’s ethnicity on his enrollment form at Oak Ridge. Tyler became angry when he was informed by the school principal that Arant had instructed the school not to turn the altered forms in to the state department, he said. “I said, ‘That’s a crock of bull,’ ” Tyler recounted, and told a secretary that if “he don’t accept it I’ll shove it in his face.” Arant, who’d previously had a run-in with Tyler over board records, called Tyler after the incident and told him he was going to call the sheriff. A deputy arrived at Tyler’s home sometime after that and arrested him on misdemeanor charges of harassment and terroristic threatening.

Neither Tyler nor Kenny Ladd, like Tyler a former school board member, think a showing of Indian population will help the schools. Ladd also said the Maxwells “have not asked for anything for their benefit. They have not asked anybody to join their non-profit corporation.

We’ve been watching [out] for anybody to try to get personal gain.”

The greatest benefit, Ladd said, from the community’s move to declare its Indian heritage is national media attention and attention to the area’s high unemployment. “We’re not trying to pretend we’re something we’re not.”

The INsIder Continued from page 3

the legislative report said that Jones still owes $20,920.

Jones was the charity’s only employee and efforts to award a prize to every student who qualified financially drained ACEF. Students who didn’t receive the promised computer were given inexpensive electronic study aides and calculators. So what happens now?

According to a statement from the board of directors, the organization will now use available funds (about $71,000 surplus existed in the most recent financial statement) to assist elementary schools with technology projects through a grant process. The board will not hire another executive director and future purchases will have

to be approved by two board members.

It’s hard to find a spokesman for ACEF, now that its phone number is disconnected and its website lists no current board members.

One board member we were able to track down, who wished to remain anonymous, said the board did its job and all of Jones’ purchases seemed legitimate at the time.

“In hindsight, this turned out to be a much bigger challenge, administratively, than we had planned for,” he said.

“We have a goal of helping students.

Period. That goal has not changed. This is an unfortunate situation, but we look forward to helping students and schools throughout the state.”

You can reach the Arkansas Times on the Internet. Send messages, tips, etc., to max@arktimes.com. Also, fax us at 375-3623 or call 375-2985.

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brian chilson

Dirty Charlie and the union

“W

They don’t think alike.

By Doug Smith

10 march 18, 2010 • ARKANSAS TIMES

e cannot give them [unionized teachers] the leeway to disobey direct orders. This turmoil will escalate IF AND ONLY IF we do not show the forcefulness and resolve to ‘nip it in the bud.’

We need the attitude of Dirty Harry, almost hoping for direct insubordination. That is, ‘Go ahead, make my day.’ It will only happen once!

When you cut one player from your basketball squad, the rest of the team suddenly pays very close attention.”

Charlie Wood, vice president of the Pulaski County School Board, wrote that in a memo to Robert McGill, who was then the interim superintendent of the Pulaski County School District, and sent copies to fellow board members. Wood was aggrieved, he said, that union teachers were conducting union business during school hours. “Some teachers have even used students to carry union materials back

and forth. This is inappropriate, and needs to stop immediately. … In my opinion, the way to deal with such presumption is with FIRM STRENGTH. I would like an announcement to all teachers saying that the first offense (of handling union business during school hours) will be immediate suspension. Then the second offense will be termination.”

No such announcement was made, possibly because the tactics Wood proposed seemed to be in violation of the school district’s contract with its teachers. The teachers’ union, the Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers (PACT), predictably got hold of the “Dirty Harry” e-mail and was predictably outraged.

Wood was characteristically unapologetic.

The union considers him its enemy, he says, because he tells the public about union abuses — about the number of employee grievances filed in Pulaski County being far more than in districts that don’t negotiate with teachers

unions, about the union defending bad teachers, about teacher contracts that allow teachers to take 50 to 75 leave days in a year.

There are many strong differences of opinion within the Pulaski County School District — between teachers and board members, between board members and administrators, between teachers and administrators, between board members and board members, between secessionist patrons and those who’d rather keep the district united, between races. Yet everyone claims, with apparent sincerity, to have the best interests of the students at heart, and most everyone talks about the need for cooperation. Here again, though, Wood is blunt.

In an e-mail to fellow Board member Danny Gilliland, explaining why he wouldn’t support Gilliland for board president, Wood wrote: “You were quoted more than once criticizing the Board for our lack of unity or co-operation, but I think that was a ‘cheap shot’ because it was

brian chilson

really directed at those of us who had opposite viewpoints from yours. Every time I read that ‘WE’ need to cooperate, I had this thought: ‘Well, if you want “cooperation,” that should be easily within your grasp to fix. All you need to do is come over to my side.’ … Your comments sounded good on the surface, but what you were really doing was criticizing our right to disagree and vote differently, which is just politics. Having honest differences of opinion (then having the courage to ACT UPON THEM) is just part of democracy.

We don’t need to muzzle that.”

Despite this plain talk, Wood and Gilliland are allies in the biggest schooldistrict fight of the moment. Both are antiunion, and part of a four-member board majority that voted to stop recognizing PACT as the bargaining agent for teachers. (The board did the same to a union of non-teaching employees — bus drivers and such.) PACT has been in the district for 40 years, and has bargained for the teachers for 20. After the board voted to stop recognizing the union, teachers held a one-day work stoppage. The union also has gone to circuit court, filing a breachof-contract suit against the board. A judge has ordered the two sides to sit down together and mediate their differences.

Good luck with that, as the saying goes.

Pulaski County may not be the most strife-ridden school district in the country, but it’s easy to get that impression. What’s going on in the district, besides the war over the teachers union?

• The interim superintendent, McGill, has just resigned to work for a charter school, after he was embarrassingly passed over for the permanent superintendent’s job. The board had spent $26,000 on a nationwide search for a new superintendent, and had supposedly narrowed the field to two finalists, McGill, who is white, and an out-of-state applicant who is black. The out-of-stater withdrew, leaving only McGill. Rather than hire McGill, the board voted to start the search again.

Only Wood dissented.

• McGill was accused of making a racially insensitive remark. An investigation found no basis for the charge. Last week, Wood called for another investigation, to find out who leaked a copy of the investigative report to a member of the Jacksonville NAACP. The Board granted his motion 4 to 3. Wood and Board Secretary Gwen Williams, who are often at odds, exchanged heated words, Williams accusing Wood of spreading rumors that she was the member who leaked the report.

Williams is black, Wood white.

• A federal court is studying whether the district has substantially complied with its desegregation plan and should therefore be released from further court supervision in a 27-year-old desegregation case. Black plaintiffs say the district is not in compliance.

• Jacksonville residents continue to seek withdrawal from the County District

marty nix: Wood talked differently when he sought teachers' support. and formation of a new district of their own. After considerable contention over the issue, the County Board has tentatively agreed with the secessionists, but has said it will do nothing until the desegregation issue is settled.

F

or all of Wood’s fiery anti-union talk, the union may hate board chairman Tim Clark even more. They expected more of Clark. Marty Nix, president of PACT, says, “If you’d told me a year ago that Tim Clark would act like this, I wouldn’t have believed it.” She wrote in a public letter: “Mr. Clark, once a friend to PACT, visited the PACT office very often. In fact, he urged PACT to move its account to the bank where he was working at the time so he could use the excuse of it being business-related when he came to the PACT office, presumably so no one would get the impression that he was a strong PACT supporter based on his visits. Why he turned against PACT in such a quick and mean-spirited way remains a mystery.

Could it be because PACT refused to do things he wanted done. (One thing several of us PACT members learned from being around Tim Clark is that, when he wants someone to do something and it doesn’t get done his way, he states, ‘It’s on!’ then starts devising ways to discredit the person who wouldn’t do what he wanted done.)”

PACT actually supported and contributed to both Wood and Clark when they first ran. That seems particularly strange in Wood’s case. An engineer for Entergy, he has the classic conservative disdain for unions generally and teachers unions particularly — “They’ll never be for merit pay. They want a socialistic system.”

“He didn’t talk that way when he came to us for support,” Nix says. And board secretary Gwen Williams says, “The goal

of Mr. Wood since he got on the board has been to pull union recognition.”

Clark admits to being pro-union at one time. PACT was one of the first groups he approached when he decided to run for the school board. “I believed teachers needed representation. Back in the ’70s and ’80s, unions were needed. There was a time when the administration wasn’t fair to teachers.” But, he said, new personnel policies and fairness shown by the administration have caused him to believe “There’s no need for a union at this time.”

He’s also been disillusioned, he says.

“We have a handful of teachers who are not focused on student achievement, but the union prohibits us from taking appropriate action against them. We have a teacher who failed 95 percent of the kids in her classroom. That’s a reflection on the teacher. That’s not right. … We sit here until 2 or 3 in the morning listening to grievances we shouldn’t be listening to.”

He’s found service on the school board, an unpaid position, to be more political and more stressful than he expected. He’s received harassing phone calls, he says, though “I’m not saying these are coming from the union.” (Marty Nix says they’re not. “We don’t harass people. We’re teachers. No PACT member would do that.”)

During a recent board meeting, Clark was calling down the president of the support-staff union, Emry Chesterfield, and Chesterfield responded, “Remember, your kids are at home.” Clark took that as a threat, and told police about it. Teachers have said that Chesterfield was only telling Clark to stop patronizing him, stop talking to him as if he were a child.

Nix filed complaints against Clark and Wood with the state Ethics Commission, alleging that both had fudged on their campaign-finance filings. That was a tacti-

cal mistake, possibly. The complaints were filed only after the school board gave the boot to the union, and the alleged offenses were fairly trivial. Clark, who received a mild “letter of caution” from the Commission, said the ethics complaint was one more injury that he’d received just because he wanted to help children. The complaint against Wood was dismissed by the Ethics Commission. Wood says he’s considering filing a counter-complaint against Nix, which is permissible under the state ethics laws. Mightn’t it be better for the district just to let the matter drop?

“The teachers union needs to learn that ethics laws were written for serious purposes, not to be used for vengeance,” Wood says. “Bullies don’t quit being bullies unless somebody fights back.”

Wood, Clark, Gilliland and Mildred Tatum were the four Board members who voted to stop recognizing the union.

Tatum is a longtime board member who’s had her ups and downs with the union.

She’s black.

Gwen Williams, who’s black, and Bill Vasquez, who’s of Hispanic descent, voted against the motion. The seventh board member, Sandra Sawyer, was absent.

She’s black.

Asked about a black-white division on the board, Williams says, “The only person who’s making race an issue is Mr. Wood.” The board’s decision not to hire McGill when he was the last candidate standing was “not a black and white issue,” Williams says. “The vast majority of my constituents were saying to me that Mr. McGill was not the best-qualified.”

Sawyer says, “Certain individuals have made race an issue. It shouldn’t be.

Mr. Wood seems to believe there’s a racial division on the board.” She doesn’t Continued on page 13 www.arktimes.com • march 18, 2010 11

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school board Continued from page 11

see it herself.

Gilliland describes himself as “Not a union person, but not a union-hater either.

The union has never been mean to me …

A couple of union teachers have not been very nice.” Gilliland says he would have hired McGill as the permanent superintendent, but a majority of the board didn’t feel that way, and that majority happened to be made up of members of minority groups. “I don’t think it’s because of their race that they voted that way.”

But for some reason, relations between board members are more sour now than when he first joined the board, Gilliland says. “It’s been more of a struggle the last year and a half. Back in the beginning, we still had 3-4 votes but they weren’t as polarizing. This union thing is very personal to several board members.”

Vasquez said that dissension among board members ebbs and flows. He’d thought the board was on the verge of ratifying a new contract with teachers, but on the night of Dec. 8, “It just seemed to flip.

I really didn’t understand. People sometimes get their feelings hurt.”

As for race, “No matter what we do in the district, someone’s always ready to raise that specter. I think it lies under the surface a lot.” But the decision not to hire McGill was not just a racial split, Vasquez says. Although the public may have thought so, the board had never committed itself to hiring one of the two candidates who’d been named finalists, he says. “If we’d had both candidates there at interviews, it might have been that we still wouldn’t have come out with a decision.”

The motion was to reopen the search, Vasquez said, and McGill could have applied again. “When we find the right superintendent, I think it’ll be obvious.”

“This is a very different district,” Vasquez said. “Because it’s a doughnut district. We serve communities that are very different from each other.”

Pulaski County has three school districts: Little Rock, North Little Rock, and the county district, which surrounds the other two. It includes middle-class, predominantly white areas — mainly north of the Arkansas River — and low-income, predominantly black areas. It’s the third biggest school district in the state, with 17,700 pupils, 44 percent of them black.

Twenty-two percent of the 1,500 teachers and administrators are black.

For all their differences, most of the board members profess to believe they can resolve those differences and get the district moving forward again.

“I believe that if we could put aside our egos, we could work together for the good of the district,” Sawyer says. And Gilliland says, “Sure it’s possible” for the present Board to get the district on track. “We’re just going to have to work on it, and concentrate on what’s best for the kids. We’re

not there to be best friends.” Good thing.

But no matter how hard board members and teachers try, some problems won’t yield easily, if ever. Nix says she was glad to hear the judge order mediation. The union wants to talk, she says; that’s the only way to reach agreement. Wood is not so optimistic, declining to go much further than, “You do what the judge tells you to do.” A board lawyer made the point during a court hearing that what the board wants is to not bargain with the union. For the board to bargain with the union over not bargaining with the union seems a rather circular process, he said. (Most Arkansas districts don’t bargain with teacher unions — only Little Rock and Fort Smith, be-

sides Pulaski County. North Little Rock stopped recognizing the local teachers union a few years back.)

And all over America, debate rages over merit pay for teachers. Charlie Wood has a merit-pay plan. A ridiculous plan, according to Marty Nix, but he’s totally serious about the concept. “I can’t see how anybody who believes in American values would not be for merit pay,” he says. “Lebron James gets more than all the other Cleveland Cavaliers combined.”

Wood acknowledges there’s a great difficulty facing any merit-pay plan, and that is finding a fair and accurate way to measure merit in teachers. It’s a reasonable question, he says, but “I don’t believe that

in the teachers union case it’s anything but an excuse. They don’t want us to determine merit.” A way can be found, he says, if the process is spelled out clearly, if “good qualitative measurements” are used, if administrators are fair.

But even if no perfect plan is found, Wood says, “At corporations, merit pay is determined by the boss. In the end, you have a boss, I have a boss. I don’t understand why teachers think they should be any different. Principals will do their evaluations. They say, what if you get a bad principal? That’s life. Sometimes you get a bad hand.” It’s easy to be philosophic about the other guy’s bad hand, less so about your own.

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e y e on ar k ansas

Editorial n Some people are broadened by travel and some are not.

We’ve all known people who traveled heavily and returned home each time amazingly narrower-minded and less-informed than when they left. An editorial writer on a trip to England once found himself in the company of people who’d made the trans-Atlantic trip only to shop. Cathedrals? Castles?

Houses of Parliament? Who cares, when there’s a good buy on sweaters.

An article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette about international travel by the Arkansas congressional delegation is instructive. Rep. Vic Snyder, acknowledged as the deepest thinker of the bunch, made not a single international trip in 2009. At the other extreme, Rep. John Boozman visited 14 countries, including such places as Djibouti and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Yet the peripatetic Boozman is not considered expert in foreign affairs. Far from it. “He’s a little behind,” Republican leaders say privately. “Even for one of us.” (Perhaps a little ahead, though, of former Rep. Bill Alexander, who came back from Africa brandishing a spear at people and shouting what some heard as “Sambo, Sambo!” Alexander insisted it was “Jambo, Jambo!” Either way, the incident didn’t help his reputation.) Boozman didn’t spend all his time in the bush.

Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, France, Austria and Germany were on his itinerary too. If he found French wines inferior to those produced in his congressional district, he’ll surely tell us. n Secret civil righters are coming out of their closets, motivated by support for stricter abortion laws and looser gun laws. The struggles for equal education, equal employment and voting rights didn’t move them to declare their sympathies.

Anti-abortionists long insistent that a woman’s body is community property now say they’re not so much anti-woman as pro-minority. Abortion is only a ruse to lessen the number of minority births, they claim. They do not promise to help care for an increased number of unwanted minority babies, however. Probably fearful of spreading themselves too thin.

Similarly, people who’ve sat out the civil rights war heretofore are taking up arms openly in defense of black people’s right to take up arms openly. Research has shown, according to gun lovers, that Arkansas laws against open toting were aimed at the black population by the gun lovers’ forefathers.

The enlightened descendants of those bigoted forefathers call for repeal of the laws. A piece on every hip, they say. In Arkansas, 80 percent of the hips are white, 15 percent black.

Were the percentages reversed, some of these new civil rights champions would pipe down, we suspect. Way down.

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Congo John

EARLY WARNING: The tulip magnolia trees at the state Capitol are a photographer’s favorite for their annual sign that, yes, Arkansas, there will be a spring.

UALR looks at race n UALR Chancellor Joel Anderson’s soft-spoken evenness and lack of drama should not be taken as a lack of grit.

He’s been a believer in the advancement of human rights at least since his college days at Harding, when he stood witness to the historic (and violent) desegregation of Ole Miss. He continues that witness today by his decision that UALR will be a “keeper of the flame on the subject of race.”

It’s an appropriate calling for an urban university in a mixed neighborhood with a significant enrollment of minority students. It’s also the right thing to do. The state’s most populous county grapples with race still on a daily basis.

Annually, UALR surveys racial attitudes in Pulaski County and releases the results at a meeting that keeps the public dialogue alive. It isn’t always a comfortable exercise, particularly for whites to hear that blacks don’t necessarily trust them.

There is, however, some modest good news to report this year.

Over the seven years of surveying, blacks have become less likely to think racial profiling occurs in police stops, traffic stops and questions about theft (though there’s a strong sentiment that it still occurs).

A majority of survey respondents think civil rights for blacks have improved. Nearly all respondents rate relations between whites and blacks as, at least, “somewhat good.” Compared with Year One of the survey, blacks are less likely to say they have experienced discrimination in education or getting a job, though 38 percent still think discrimination exists.

There was something of a disconnect on crime.

Though most people feel safe in their homes and neighborhoods, most of them have bought guns, dogs or burglar alarms for added security. Black people indicate less security about their neighborhoods.

In all, the trend lines point in the right direction — improvement. Those surveyed also recognize that getting to know one another is the best path to still

Max brantley max@arktimes.com

better relations. The general news is cold comfort, though, if you’re among the significant percentage of blacks (22 to 30 percent, depending on where they lived) who think they’ve been treated unfairly at a store, restaurant or theater.

Barely a day passes without a newspaper account that reflects continuing racial tensions.

The racially polarized Little Rock School Board is one example. So maybe it’s progress that some black board members have begun to evidence impatience with the black superintendent.

More recently, racially divided members of the Pulaski School Board have dominated headlines (see our cover story this week). The Pulaski School District and the North Little Rock School District also have been in court explaining why they punish a disproportionate number of black students.

Though all deny racial motivation, the charter schools established with public money to allow groups of students to leave conventional school districts tend to have attracted populations that don’t reflect the diversity of their communities.

The fight continues, too, on affirmative action.

Whites more than blacks thinks the time is past for extra effort in hiring and promotion to account for past discrimination.

Whatever the improvement in attitudes generally, the letters to the editor and angry commenters on local blogs indicate many individuals are still ready to make presumptions and take offense based on race.

I personally take no comfort from one color-blind finding in the UALR survey. Nearly half of both black and white respondents had little or no trust and confidence in mass media. Call us part of the problem.

States rights – again n The debate over universal health insurance has soared to loftier and loftier planes so that it is now being argued in contexts of the great movements of the American experiment.

It is either this generation’s gift to the liberal democratic tradition going back to the ratification of the Bill of Rights, or else it is a return to the despotism of the English crown, the latter being the argument of the movement that takes the Boston Tea Party as its icon.

That is actually where the debate should be, not at the level of death panels, doctor reimbursement rates, abortion funding and public options.

So it is entirely appropriate that the opponents of universal health insurance are talking about using the ancient doctrine of interposition and nullification by the states if the health-reform bill becomes law, as the Republican candidate for governor of Arkansas and many other Republican candidates for office in Arkansas and elsewhere propose.

That is one side in this historic dialogue over the mission of America, even if the idea of interposition and nullification has been a dead letter since 1803, when the U. S. Supreme Court decided Marbury v.

Madison.

To your surprise, I take the former, more expansive view of the issue, that guaranteed health care for all is a very large matter in the sweep of history and one in full accord

Ernest Dumas with all the other majestic developments in the long quest to fulfill the natural rights of man, freedom and equality of opportunity.

But you must recognize the other side in this historic argument, which is that it is not the role of the nation to interfere with the natural rationing of those good things.

The high principles of liberty and equal opportunity were reserved at the nation’s founding for white propertied males, but it fell to every generation or two to interpret those rights more and more broadly, extending them to religious minorities, African-Americans, one wave of immigrants after another, women, the aged and disabled, and finally in the latter days to sexual minorities. The legislature, the Supreme Court or the president by proclamation banned one form of discrimination after another and extended equal opportunity into the fields of education and work.

A century ago, the country began to put some meat on the bones of those other inalienable rights endowed by the Creator, life and the pursuit of happiness, by promising people a measure of security to which every American could lay claim. The other great Republican, Theodore Roosevelt, articulated the idea in 1912. “It is abnormal,” he

Mad hatter n CONWAY — I wrote a few weeks ago that people in the Tea Party movement are irrational extremists.

So the McClanahans of Conway — Lowell, a prominent Rotarian, and his wife, Marsha — invited me to the next meeting of the Faulkner County Tea Party to see that they aren’t so crazed.

This gathering took place Thursday night. I am here to tell you that, indeed, they are not irrational at all. The McClanahans, I mean.

But some of the 135 people in the audience and the evening’s guest speaker, a woman named Jeannie Burlsworth — well, let me be careful not to overstate with incendiary language: They trouble me in the way they let their imaginations run wild to fuel their distrust of anything having to do with government.

Lowell McClanahan explained that he became alarmed at what he, as a thorough conservative, viewed as a leftward lurch of the Obama administration. He said he helped found this local Tea Party organization only to advance constitutionally limited government and fiscal responsibility, principles we all ought to endorse.

McClanahan stressed that the Tea

John brummett jbrummett@arkansasnews.com

Party, at least in Faulkner County, practices open attendance and free expression.

That’s admirable. So, he said, I should not ascribe to all Tea Partiers everything that gets spouted either from the audience or by a guest speaker.

That brings me to Jeannie Burlsworth.

She’s the chairman of Secure Arkansas, which has never quite gotten its act together to get its ballot initiative before the voters to deny public benefits to anyone 14 or older not properly documented for citizenship.

She kept going off on tangents in her presentation — about health care reform, or Barack Obama, or cap-and-trade, or lost sovereignty, or Patrick Henry Hays — only to say she didn’t have time to give everyone a full report on each.

Patrick Henry Hays?

I’ll come back to that in a minute.

If there is a central theme in Burlsworth’s scatter-shooting oratory, it would seem to be that American politicians at all levels

said, “for any industry to throw back upon the community the human wreckage due to its wear and tear, [so] the hazards of sickness, accident, invalidism, involuntary unemployment, and old age should be provided for through insurance.”

It would be another 23 years before his cousin Franklin, with an assist from the great Arkansawyer Joe T. Robinson, put most of the idea into law by creating universal insurance for unemployment and old age.

John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, with the help of another Arkansawyer, Wilbur D. Mills, made a down payment on Teddy Roosevelt’s other guarantee 30 years later by insuring medical care for the elderly, disabled and very poor.

We will see, probably this month, whether our generation fulfills its destiny by taking the next step and insuring everyone else.

The opponents rely on the historic principle that liberty, opportunity and security are of limited supply and if they are extended to everyone all those who have it must necessarily sacrifice some of theirs.

So comes the new Republican principle of interposition, which their conservative forbears wanted to use to stop the federal government from regulating slavery. They follow in the footsteps of John C. Calhoun and our own late beloved Jim Johnson, who wrote the interposition law that ordered the state government to block the implementation of U. S. Supreme Court orders on school integration in Arkansas.

Today’s Republicans propose to pass state laws or issue executive orders thwarting the mandate for everyone to acquire health

insurance, with government assistance if they cannot afford it alone. It is just as much legal nonsense as Calhoun’s and Johnson’s stratagems but with the current U. S. Supreme Court you never know.

The central principle in the opposition to the health-care bill, which is that the government has no business requiring people to buy a policy whether it’s automobile liability or social insurance, is an enduring one. But those who propose it have to be consistent or at least explain why they aren’t. Would they oppose unemployment insurance, Social Security and Medicare, which mandated that every single person and every employer big and small enroll and pay premium taxes?

Their Republican antecedents in 1935 were honest about it, using doomsday language in opposing the unemployment and old-age and survivors insurance act.

Take a trio of New York congressmen.

Daniel Reed predicted that mandatory insurance would mean that Americans would feel “the lash of the dictator.” John W. Wadsworth said it would create a power so vast that it would “pull the pillars of the temple down upon the heads” of the American people. Or this fine oration from John Taber: “Never in the history of the world has any measure been brought in here so insidiously designed as to prevent business recovery, to enslave workers and to prevent any possibility of the employers providing work for the people.”

But then most of them got scared, voted for it and lived to bask in the gratitude of another generation. Our Republicans are sterner men.

and off all stripes, even Republicans in many cases, are conspiring to sell out our individual American liberties to sinister one-world control.

Here’s an example from Burlsworth of how politicians allegedly work against the people: Attorney General Dustin McDaniel’s job includes assessing citizen proposals for ballot initiatives, such as those Burlsworth’s group puts forward, for fair phrasing and technical correctness. This means his office sometimes tells Burlsworth’s group to rewrite something before he’ll give it an allclear for signature-gathering.

So, in Burlsworth’s view, this means that McDaniel was trained at the elitist Aspen Institute, to which he won a fellowship a few years ago, in how to keep the people down by resisting noble initiatives arising from their attempted exercise of liberty.

I know Dustin McDaniel. He went to the Aspen Institute because it made him feel like a hot-shot and was a resume enhancer.

Anyway, his office has been approving these initiatives by Secure Arkansas, after improving them to make them less vulnerable to legal challenge. The problem for Secure Arkansas has been that the group hasn’t had the wherewithal to collect the signatures.

Now to Patrick Henry Hays. He’s the

veteran mayor of North Little Rock. But that, Burlsworth asserts, is the very least of it.

There’s this thing called ICLEI, standing for International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives. It is a collection of municipal government officials from around the world who seek to advance ideas for sustainable economic growth deploying so-called green initiatives.

Because he wanted to feel important by joining such a thing, and because he’s been around a long time, Hays has risen to the current board chairmanship.

Burlsworth sees this ICLEI as a vital cog in an international conspiracy to fabricate a global-warming scare, led by Patrick Henry Hays of North Little Rock, Arkansas.

She said Gov. Mike Beebe must report to Hays periodically on how much he has done to deliver Arkansas to this global control.

Somehow I can’t picture Beebe reporting diddly to Hays.

But some of these people would think I’m naive, or in on the fix.

John Brummett is a columnist and reporter for Stephens Media’s Arkansas News Bureau. You can read additional Brummett columns in The Times of North Little Rock. www.arktimes.com • march 18, 2010 15

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Saturday, April 10 • 8-10 p.m. new location! prost (Around the corner from willy d’s) 120 Ottenheimer FEATURING: Kevin Brockmeier • Sy Hoahwah Bryan Borland • Holland Colclasure Lennon Simpson With special guest: Lorri Davis, wife of Damien Echols of the West Memphis 3, reading his work.

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shakedown

grounded in the outskirts of normalcy. n When Bill Solledor and Shea Childs, longtime partLocal acts like Mother Hug (7:15 p.m., Thursday, ners and arbiters of Hot Springs’ burgeoning arts scene, Low Key Arts), a rangy skronk outfit, play alongside found themselves bored with their town’s hackneyed Fang Island (8:30 p.m., Thursday, Low Key Arts), which musical offerings of cover bands and worn out country just garnered a “Best New Music” singers, a glint of inspiration turned badge from trendsetting website into an impromptu burst of phone Valley of the Vapors calls and e-mails.

Independent Music Festival Pitchfork Media. Then there’s The Chinese Stars (9:15 p.m., Thurs“We were starved for original March 17-21 day, Low Key Arts), a dance-noise live music,” Childs remembers. “We Low Key Arts Building and Maxine’s, coterie with a vast, bona fide cult knew our friend, Nora O’Connor, Hot Springs following; Th’ Legendary Shack who sings with Neko Case and An- $52 for a festival pass; most nightly Shakers (10:15 p.m., Thursday, drew Bird, was coming through on shows are $5 at the door Low Key Arts), a much in-demand her way to SXSW, so Bill’s wheels Check Rock Candy for daily festival group of psychotic Southern gothic started turning; he contacted all the previews.

Kentuckians; Uzuhi (9:15 p.m., booking agents he knew and, in three Friday, Low Key Arts), a pop-punk act from Japan, and weeks, managed to pull off five nights of shows.”

James Husband (10 p.m., Sunday, Low Key Arts), a And as simple as that, the Valley of the Vapors Fessynth-pop maestro and ex-Of Montreal member. tival was born. Now in its sixth year, the five-day minIn spite of coverage from the aforementioned Pitchiature musical bazaar offers 40 bands, most down South fork and its ilk, VOV retains the defiant, DIY spirit of its for Austin’s SXSW festival and all bringing music firmly

Romp at Weekend Theater

J. Roddy and the Biz to WWT

Page 18

Page 18

to do list

18

calendar

20

Movies

28

Dining

31

Valley of the Vapors Independent Music Festival returns.

By John Tarpley

hometown with no plans on cashing in on its hush-hush, underground renown for a stab at expansive popularity.

“We aren’t interested in ever becoming a giant festival,” says Childs. “We believe seeing a band on the rise at a 200-person capacity club like Low Key is much more powerful an experience for the crowd than a massive arena or outdoor fest where there’s 100,000 trying to hear, much less see the band. There’s something indescribably unifying about dancing with a relatively small group of people when you can reach out and touch the performers.”

However, their intent with the festival is far more than auditory. If VOV is, as it bills itself, “America’s most humble rock festival,” thanks to Solledor and Childs, it may be the most big-hearted, to boot. VOV is a nonprofit organization that operates year-long. “We see our expansion coming in the form of education: workshops about writing and recording music, how to book your own tour, how to publicize yourself,” Childs says. “We do this to inspire the kids in our town to create.” www.arktimes.com • march 18, 2010 17

■ to-dolist

rehab and attending A.A. meetings. And for the fans of his father, his namesake is sure to cover “Boom Boom” and “Boogie Chillen” at the very least. JT

By Lindsey Millar and John Tarpley

S UNDAY 3 /2 1

FRID AY 3 / 1 9

J. RODDY WALSTON AND THE BUSINESS/ SWEET EAGLE

SMOKE ON THE WATER 5 p.m., NLR Riverside Park, $5.

n Very few things have the power to both unite and divide people as instantly and astringently as barbecue. Wet v. dry, mustard v. vinegar v. tomato: for meat jockeys and foodies alike, these are opinions as intensely held as those regarding Roe v.

Wade. (Check out the comments section on “Sauce Wars, Cont.” on the Times’ Eat Arkansas blog for proof.) Food sociology aside, this will be a massive gathering of career pitmasters alongside weekend meatmen, all hazing the park with a smoky mosaic of slow cooked swine, poultry and beef. Friday, local cover bands perform in the evening. On Saturday, the festival continues at noon. There’s music all day, along with carnival and hot air balloon rides. Saturday night, Jersey Shore by way of Myrtle Beach duo LoCash Cowboys (8 p.m.) and hillbilly rapper Colt Ford (9:30 p.m.) provide a soundtrack to the gluttony.

Bring your appetites, your Tums and best shop talk. JT.

‘THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED’

7:30 p.m., The Weekend Theater, $10-$14.

n Diana, a successful, ball-breaking Hollywood agent, has found a cash cow in her client Mitchell, whose talent and matinee idol looks are soon to carry him to

9 p.m., White Water Tavern. $7.

A ROMP: (From left) Cara Vonderbruegge, Ian Moore, Regi Ott and Justin Pike star in “The Little Dog Laughed” at The Weekend Theater. Photo by Byron Taylor. mega-fame. The only problem is that his agent is having trouble keeping him from coming out of the closet and dumping his long-time girlfriend for a male escort.

Written by the scribe of cult comedy “To Wong Foo: Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar,” “The Little Dog Laughed” found itself shuffled from the off-

Broadway Second Stage to Broadway proper to London’s West End, garnering a Tony nomination for Best Play along the way. The production runs through March 28 with 7:30 p.m. curtain times on Friday and Saturday and a 2:30 p.m. Sunday matinee. JT

n J. Roddy Walston and the Business might not yet have name recognition nationally, but in the Little Rock club world, the Baltimore four-piece is a big deal. Justifiably. Think Thin Lizzy channeling Jerry Lee Lewis, with big riffs, big beats and a front man — J. Roddy — who plays rock ’n’ roll keyboard like he’s trying to break the keys. Plus, unless they’ve gotten haircuts, there’s usually a lot of rocktastic long-maned thrashing.

The band comes to town just after SXSW, where it’s playing several high profile gigs, including Rachel Ray’s annual showcase (along with Dr. Dog, Neko Case and Jakob Dylan). SXSW, paired with the band’s forthcoming release on national indie Vagrant Records, could pretty easily propel the band into the next level of indie-stardom, which would be awesome, though perhaps not for folks who’ve gotten used to seeing J. Roddy and the Biz in town every couple of months.

So make this one count, I’m saying. Even more, this marks the return of Sweet Eagle, easily the most buzzed about local band to come along in months. It’s made up of current and former members of the

SAT URDAY 3 /2 0

JOHN LEE HOOKER JR.

9 p.m., Sticky Fingerz, $8 adv., $10 d.o.s.

n There’s little doubt that if John Lee Hooker Jr. had focused his efforts on carrying on the stripped- THE BIZ: J. Roddy and co. come to White Water after down, Clarksdale talking SXSW. blues that established his father as an American Princes, Smoke Up Johnny and icon, he’d find himself with a built-in fan Jonathan Wilkins and the Reparations. base from first strum. Instead, JLH Jr. Recent Showcase winner Brother Andy uses the blues as a clothesline on which to shares vocal and guitar duties with former hang other sounds — from Bobby Rush’s SUJ front man Alan Disaster. See them. synthesized R&B to what, at times, LM. sounds like Wesley Willis’ matter-of-fact prattling. His father’s sense of humor has emerged intact in songs like “Goin’ Down M ONDAY 3 /2 2 to Baghdad,” a revenge blues aimed at

Saddam Hussein, and his recovering alcoholic’s take on “One Bourbon, One 9 p.m., Juanita’s, $5 adv., $8 d.o.s.

Scotch, One Beer” in which the old

standard keeps on after the credits roll, n When Green Jelly formed in 1981, having the barfly protagonist enrolling in their intent was to form “the world’s

GREEN JELLY

BLUES LEGACY: John Lee Hooker Jr. comes to Sticky Fingerz.

18 march 18, 2010 • ARKANSAS TIMES

doctor to fix her heart and heal her head/she said ‘Goddamn, I’m tired of being black.’ ” epitomize his naked, no-excuses exercises in sincerity. The lyric — like the song itself — is a chestgrabber of the highest caliber. And, like the rest of his repertoire, it’s done with a signature smirk and a wink. Brooklyn indie-popsters Suckers and Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers share the bill.

JT.

T UE SDAY 3 /2 3

PALEFACE/ THE MOANERS

10 p.m., White Water Tavern. Donations.

MODERN TROUBADOUR: Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson comes to Sticky Fingerz. worst band.” In that regard, they’ve come just short of the mark thanks to a certain Canadian outfit whose ineptitude is so renowned that you know exactly who I’m talking about. Regardless, if the band was shooting for the sewer, they certainly landed firmly in the toilet. Like Primus without the talent or GWAR without sinister creativity, Green Jelly flaunts their ineptitude in songs like “Misadventures of Shitman,” the video of which shows a janitor eating, drowning in and, eventually transforming into poop. And, somehow, it’s awesome. Just like their live shows.

They’ll have puppets, big, stupid papiermache masks and the audience shaking it on stage. With Showcase winner Brother Andy & His Big Damn Mouth on opening act duty, this bill promises to be a wild night. JT

AWESOME COLOR

MILES BENJAMIN ANTHONY ROBINSON

8:30 p.m., Sticky Fingerz, $8 adv., $10 d.o.s.

n Earning comparisons to modernday angst peddler Conor Oberst can be both blessing and curse. While the badge garners instant curiosity from a huge chunk of the blog savvy, it also has the power to box a songwriter within the critically defined borders of the Nebraskan’s intimidating shadow. What sets Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson apart from his Saddle Creek label mate is that his lyrics of desperation and self-loathing are born of underage alcoholism and past homelessness, not of narcissistic “woe is me” posturing.

His triumphant sing-along, “Buriedfed,” and its crux line, “they took her to the

n With SXSW in full swing down the road in Austin, the squad of guys who book shows in the area is quick to break out its butterfly nets to nab the talent in transit. Sometimes, it results in odd venue/band pairings, but with the Paleface and The Moaners double bill at White Water, aptness reigns. After ditching the anti-folk sound that made him famous and picking up a lusher, more earnest sound (as well as a lady to play drums and provide harmonies), Paleface operates in ramblin’ folk with roadside lyrics, driving tambourines and all. A friend of (and tremendous influence on) Kimya Dawson, Beck and Daniel Johnston, his place in acoustic New York is firmly set. The other two-piece, The Moaners, delivers thick, electric, Hill Country garage in the most direct way possible. Born after the end of long tenures in Grand National and Trailer Bride, respectively, the Chapel Hill band takes The White Stripes’ peppermint licks and turns them into peanut brittle. Yeah, they’re Southern, but hardly country.

And did I mention The Moaners are both women? Femme rock, mud-crusted and porch-bound, this bunch. JT.

10 p.m., Vino’s, $8.

n Maybe Awesome Color — while a great name — is a touch misleading. If the chop-heavy Brooklyn power trio has a spirit hue, it’s certainly not a fantastical tone as the name suggests; it’s the dingy, muddy brown of rotgut whiskey, wet cigarettes and sunburns atop suntans.

While undeniably born of Dinosaur Jr., the presence of Detroit, Mich., is ever present in their crunch. With just enough of an intimidating sonic canvas to coax out the occasional fist pump and a constant thread of pop accessibility, they flaunt a swagger like Iggy Pop with a beer paunch or Mick Collins falling off a half pipe. Take “I Know Who Killed Me” for example: the three note bass line, the James Chance sax flailing, the oil drum percussion and the simple, cocksure lyrics have the power to turn garages into monoliths just like they planned. JT.

■ inbrief

THURSDAY 3/18

n Unabashed pop punkers Carridale and locals with an instigating last name, Thrill of a Dogfight, take their heavy-emo riffs and yelping harmonies to Vinos, 8 p.m., $7. Austin’s Micky & the Motorcars specialize in Texas country that’s so authentic they’re getting the hell out of Dodge before their hometown is swarmed during SXSW, Sticky Fingerz, 9 p.m., $8. Downtown Music hosts local doom metal band Pallbearer, Batesville’s Lost Machina, and the newest metal-for-folks-who-don’t-dig-metal band, Columbus, Ohio’s Struck By Lightning, 8 p.m., $6. The UALR Percussion Ensemble tackles two intimidating college rock pieces in Pink Floyd’s “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)” and Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes” at Stella Boyle Hall on UALR campus, 7 p.m., $10.

FRIDAY 3/19

n ACAC has four-piece Harley Poe play horror-inspired acoustic punk with a large dose of wit straight from Gordon Gano’s songbook, 7 p.m. “Iron Man” Michael Burks of Camden shreds on the blues with the help of his ever-present Flying V at Benton’s newest venue, Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m., $10. Folk singers Sara Grey and Kieron Means follow an afternoon songwriting workshop with a pickin’ in the Oppenheimer Hall of the Historic Arkansas Museum, 7:30 p.m., $8. At the Town Pump, the Times’ own J.T. Tarpley joins exDrunken Angel Mikey Hayes and Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase victor Brother Andy for what’s billed as a “three-way acoustic battle royale,” 10 p.m., $3. Muscle Shoals, Ala., duo Boombox brings their peculiar Dave Matthews-by-way-of-Daft Punk-jam/ house hybrid to Revolution, 9 p.m., $10. Having visited Little Rock for a house show in February, lo-fi blog darlings Flight return, this time sharing a proper stage at Vino’s with Philadelphia’s Balance and Composure and Massachusetts’ Where Land Meets the Sea, 8 p.m., $7.

SATURDAY 3/20

SUPER DOUBLE BILL: With The Moaners and Paleface.

n Gringo Star pulls double duty, joining locals Big Boots at White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m., before heading to Midtown Billiards, 12:30 a.m. Old school rockabilly purists Billy D and the First Time Offenders play Cornerstone Pub, 9 p.m.

Manning the decks at Discovery are Fort Lauderdale’s Don Bishop in the disco and DJ Balance in the lobby, 9 p.m., $10. www.arktimes.com • march 18, 2010 19

www.arktimes.com

afterdark

calendar

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.

THURSDAY, MARCH 18 MUSIC

Ben & Doug (happy hour), Mr. Lucky (headliner). 6 p.m., 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30. Cajun’s Wharf, 2400 Cantrell Road. 375-5351, cajunswharf.com.

Carridale, Thrill of a Dogfight. 8 p.m., $7. Vino’s 923 W. 7th St. 375-8466, vinosbrewpub.com.

DJ Mikey Mike. 8 p.m. Counterpoint, 3605 MacArthur, NLR. 771-5515, myspace.com/bogiescounterpoint.

Everyone Dies in Utah, My Hands to War. 9 p.m., $8. Juanita’s, 1300 S. Main St. 374-3271, juanitas.com.

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

Karaoke with Big John Miller. 8 p.m., Denton’s Trotline, 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501315-1717.

Kevin Fowler. 9 p.m., $10. George’s Majestic Lounge, 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-5276618, georgesmajesticlounge.com.

Lucious Spiller. 8 p.m. Gusano’s Conway, 2915 Dave Ward Drive, Conway. 501-329-1100, gusanospizza.com.

Micky & the Motorcars. 9 p.m., $8. Sticky Fingerz, 107 Commerce St. 372-7707, stickyfingerz. com.

“Some Jazz a While … Miller Williams Reads His Poetry with the Walter Savage Trio.” 7 p.m., $16-$51. Starr Theater, Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville. 479-443-5600, waltonartscenter.org.

Struck by Lightning, Pallbearer, Lost Machina. 8 p.m., $6. Downtown Music, 211 W. Capitol, 376-1819. downtownshows.homestead.com.

The Smiling Dogs. 9 p.m. White Water Tavern, 2500 W. 7th. 375-8400, myspace.com/whitewatertavern.

The Ted Ludwig Trio. 5 p.m., free. Capital Bar & Grill, 111 W. Markham. 370-7013, www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. Thirsty Thursdays. 8 p.m. On the Rocks, 107 E. Markham St. 374-7625, clubontherocks.com.

Tiffany Christopher. 9:30 p.m. Town Pump, 1321 Rebsamen Park Road. 663-9802.

UALR Percussion Ensemble. The ensemble performs parts 1-5 of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” and Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes,” among other works. 7 p.m., $10. Stella Boyle Concert Hall, UALR. 569-8993, ualr.edu Valley of the Vapors: Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers, The Chinese Stars, Fang Island, Perpetual Werewolf, Mother Hug, Our Friends Fall Silent. 6:30 p.m., $5. Low Key Arts, 118 Arbor, Hot Springs. valleyofthevapors.com. All ages.

Valley of the Vapors: Paul Sammons. 9 p.m., free. Maxine’s, 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501321-0909, maxinespub.com.

20 march 18, 2010 • arKaNSaS TImES

EVIL JON VOIGHT: Punkabilly star Joe Buck, famous for years playing with Hank III and Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers, returns to White Water Tavern on Friday, March 19, with throwback metal heroes Iron Tongue opening alongside Zucura, 10 p.m.

EVENTS

6 p.m., free. Sturgis Hall, Clinton School of Public Service. 683-5239, publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu.

POETRY

Oaklawn Racing. 1 p.m. Sat.; 1:30 p.m. weekdays, Sun. Oaklawn Jockey Club, 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411, oaklawn.com.

Wine Tasting. Music by Bruce Cochran and James Cripps. $10, 5:30 p.m. Afterthought, 2721 Kavanaugh. 663-4176, www.afterthoughtbar.com. inVerse Open Mic Poetry Night. 6 p.m., $5.

ACAC Arkansas, 900 S. Rodney Parham. 2442979, myspace.com/acacarkansas.

LECTURES

Jesse Ventura. The former Minnesota governor will discuss his new book, in which he accuses the mainstream press of refusing to question the validity behind numerous American assassinations.

SPORTS

FRIDAY, MARCH 19 MUSIC

Acoustic Three Way Battle Royale with Andy Warr, Mikey Hayes, JT Tarpley. 10 p.m., $3. Town

lend me a tenor March 16 - April 18

“Outlandish, Outrageous and Very Funny!”

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

Pump, 1321 Rebsamen Park Road. 663-9802.

Alize. 9 p.m., $5. West End, 215 N. Shackelford.

224-7665, www.westendsmokehouse.com.

Badhand, The Breakthrough, November. 9 p.m., $5. Sticky Fingerz, 107 Commerce St. 3727707, stickyfingerz.com.

Big John MIller. 9 p.m., $5. Fox and Hound 2800 Lakewood Village Drive, NLR. 753-8300.

Boombox. 9 p.m., $10 adv., $12 d.o.s. Revolution, 300 President Clinton Ave. 823-0090, revroom.com.18 plus.

Born of Osiris, Your Demise. 7 p.m., $10 adv., $13 d.o.s. The Village, 3915 S. University. 5700300, thevillagelive.com.

Dan Tedesco and the Long Haul, Ashley Sullivan, Tate Smith. 8 p.m. Soundstage, 1008 Oak St., Conway. soundstageshows.com.

Ed Burks. 7 p.m. Sonny Williams’, 500 President Clinton Ave. 324-2999, www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Exit Strategy. 9 p.m. Cornerstone Pub, 314 Main St., NLR. 374-1782, cstonepub.com.

Flight, Balance and Composure, Where Land Meets the Sea. 8 p.m., $7. Vino’s, 923 7th St. 375-8466, vinosbrewpub.com.

Harley Poe. 7 p.m. ACAC, 900 S. Rodney Parham Road. 244-2979, myspace.com/acacarkansas.

Joe Buck, Iron Tongue, Zucura. 10 p.m. White Water Tavern, 2500 W. 7th St. 375-8466, myspace. com/whitewatertavern.com.

Karaoke with DJ Debbi T. 10 p.m. Counterpoint, 3605 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-5515, myspace.com/bogiescounterpoint.

Kory Montgomery. 5:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. Cajun’s Wharf, 2400 Cantrell Road. 3755351, cajunswharf.com.

Michael Burks. 8 p.m., $10. Denton’s Trotline, 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Peter, Paul and Pelphrey. 12:30 a.m., $5. Midtown, 1316 Main St. 372-9990, midtownar.com.

Robb. 8 p.m. Cregeen’s, 301 Main St., NLR. 3767468, cregeens.com.

Sara Grey, Kieron Means. 7:30 p.m., $8. Oppenheimer Hall, Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third St. 324-9351, historicarkansas.org.

Shannon McClung. 9 p.m. Flying Saucer, 323 Clinton Ave. 372-7468, beerknurd.com.

Speakeasy, Charlie Horse. 10 p.m. George’s Majestic Lounge, 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville.

479-527-6618, georgesmajesticlounge.com.

Team Lieblong. 7 p.m. Khalil’s Pub and Grill, 110 S. Shackelford. 224-0224, khalilspub.com.

Ten Cent Hat. 8 p.m. Gusano’s Conway, 2915 Dave Ward Drive, Conway. 501-329-1100, gusanospizza.com.

The Ted Ludwig Trio. 9 p.m., free. Capital Bar & Grill, 111 W. Markham. 370-7013, www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. Valley of the Vapors: Heat Machine, Fire to Reason, Uzuhi, Bottlerocket, Jukebox Romantics, The Last Slice. 7 p.m., $5. Low Key Arts, 118 Arbor, Hot Springs. valleyofthevapors. com. All ages.

Valley of the Vapors: The Memphis Belles Burlesque, Big John Bates and the Voodoo Dollz, Reverend Dead Eye. 10 p.m., $10. Maxine’s, 700 Central Avenue, Hot Springs. 501-3210909, maxinespub.com.

What Shame, Fear of Tomorrow, Trail of Sin, Cruxx, God City Destroyers. 8 p.m., $6. Downtown Music, 211 W. Capitol. 376-4784, downtownshows.homestead.com.

William Staggers. 9 p.m., $7. Afterthought, 2721 Kavanaugh. 663-4176, afterthoughtbar.com.

Winter Jam 2010 with with NewSong, Third Day, Newsboys, Tenth Avenue North, Fireilght, Tony Nolan. 6 p.m., $10. Verizon Arena.

975-9000, jamtour.com.

EVENTS

IMPACT National Student Conference. College students meet to discuss social change. Little Rock Convention Center, 9 a.m., $170-$200. 426 W. Markham. Registration 386-717-7878, registration@impactconference.org.

Folk Singers Trace Migration of Songs in Workshop and Concert. With folk singers Sara Grey and Kieron Means. Workshop 3:30 p.m., space limited to 25 people, reservations required; concert 7:30 p.m. $15 for workshop and concert, $8 for concert alone. Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third St. 324-9351, historicarkansas.org.

Smoke on the Water USA Barbecue Championship. 5 p.m. Fri., noon Sat., free. Riverside RV

Park, NLR. smokeonthewaterbbq.com.

COMEDY

Cowboy Bill. 8:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m., $9. The Loony Bin, I-430 and Rodney Parham. 28-5555, loonybincomedy.com.

SPORTS

31st Annual Budweiser Toughman Contest. 8 p.m. Hall IV, Statehouse Convention Center. 800-TUF-GUYS, toughmancontest.com.

Oaklawn Racing. 1 p.m. Sat.; 1:30 p.m. weekdays, Sun. Oaklawn Jockey Club, 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411, oaklawn.com.

SATURDAY, MARCH 20 MUSIC

Billy D and the First Time Offenders. 9 p.m.

Cornerstone Pub, 314 Main St., NLR. 374-1782, cstonepub.com.

Brian & Nick. 9 p.m. Flying Saucer, 323 Clinton Ave. 372-7468, beerknurd.com.

Chris Knight. 9 p.m., $10. Revolution, 300 President Clinton Ave. 823-0090, revroom.com.

18 plus.

Die on 3, Silvur Refine. 8 p.m. Soundstage, 1008 Oak St., Conway. soundstageshows.com.

DJ Shaintrain. 10 p.m. Counterpoint, 3605 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-5515, myspace.com/bogiescounterpoint.

Don Bishop (disco), DJ Balance (lobby). 9 p.m., $10. Discovery, 1021 Jessie Road. 664-4784, www.latenightdisco.com.

Ed Burks. 7 p.m. Sonny Williams’, 500 President Clinton Ave. 324-2999, www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Evergreen Terrace, Stray From the Path, Death Before Dishonor, Wishtribe.

8:30 p.m., $12 adv., $15 d.o.s. Juanita’s, 1300 S. Main St. 374-3271, juanitas.com. All ages.

Gorilla Records Showcase. 8 p.m. Vino’s, 923 7th St. 375-8466, vinosbrewpub.com.

Grayson Shelton. 8 p.m. Cregeen’s, 301 Main St., NLR. 376-7468, cregeens.com.

Gringo Starr, Big Boots. 9:30 p.m. White Water Tavern, 2500 W. 7th St. 375-8466, myspace.com/ whitewatertavern.com.

Gringo Starr. 12:30 a.m., $5 non-members. Midtown Billiards, 1316 Main St. 372-9990, midtownar.com.

John Lee Hooker, Jr. 9 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s.

Sticky Fingerz, 107 Commerce St. 372-7707, stickyfingerz.com.

Karaoke with Chaz. 7 p.m. Khalil’s Pub and Grill, 110 S. Shackelford. 224-0224, khalilspub.com.

Katmandu. 9 p.m., $7. Afterthought, 2721 Kavanaugh. 663-4176, afterthoughtbar.com.

Legoria Payton (happy hour), Ramona & the Soul Rhythms (headliner). 5:30 p.m., 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. Cajun’s Wharf, 2400 Cantrell Road. 375-5351, cajunswharf.com.

Lil’ Rock Spring Bling. 9 p.m., $5. The Village, 3915 S. University. 570-0300, thevillagelive.com.

Little Creek. 8 p.m., $5. Denton’s Trotline, 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Royal Thunder, Chylde, Knee Deep. 8 p.m., $6. Downtown Music, 211 W. Capitol. 376-4784, downtownshows.homestead.com.

Seth Freeman. 9 p.m., $5. West End, 215 N. Shackelford. 224-7665, www.westendsmokehouse.com.

Silverstone, Signum AD. 10 p.m. George’s Majestic Lounge, 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville.

479-527-6618, georgesmajesticlounge.com.

Superstar Saturday. 7 p.m. On the Rocks, 107 E. Markham St. 374-7425, clubontherocks.com.

Taylor Made. 9 p.m., $5. Fox and Hound 2800 Lakewood Village Drive, NLR. 753-8300.

The Ted Ludwig Trio. 9 p.m., free. Capital Bar & Grill, 111 W. Markham. 370-7013, www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. Valley of the Vapors: Frown Pow’r, The Bitter Tears, Projexorcism, Cletus Got Shot, Theodore, Red Pony Clock, Andrew Bryan.

4 p.m., $5. Low Key Arts, 118 Arbor, Hot Springs. valleyofthevapors.com. All ages.

Valley of the Vapors: Mountain Sprout.

10 p.m., $5. Maxine’s, 700 Central Avenue, Hot Springs. 501-321-0909, maxinespub.com.

EVENTS

2010 IMPACT National Student Conference. See March 19.

Smoke on the Water USA Barbecue Cham-

pionship. See March 19.

COMEDY

2nd Annual Arkansas’s Funniest Person. 6 p.m., $10. Electric Cowboy, 9515 I-30. 539-1538, pjbeam@hotmail.com.

Cowboy Bill. 7 p.m., 9 p.m., 11 p.m. $9. The Loony Bin, I-430 and Rodney Parham. 28-5555, loonybincomedy.com.

BOOKS

John Geissmann. Author of “An Angel of Obedience” 1 p.m. WordsWorth Books & Co., 5920 R St. 663-9198, www.wordsworthbooks.org.

POETRY

Poets in the Streets. 7 p.m. ACAC, 900 S. Rodney Parham Road. 244-2979, myspace.com/ acacarkansas.

SPORTS

Oaklawn Racing. 1 p.m. Sat.; 1:30 p.m. weekdays, Sun. Oaklawn Jockey Club, 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411, oaklawn.com.

SUNDAY, MARCH 21 MUSIC

Beans and Cornbread (lounge), Trampled

by Turtles (garden). 8 p.m. George’s Majestic Lounge, 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-5276618, georgesmajesticlounge.com.

DJ Shaintrain. 8 p.m. Counterpoint, 3605 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-5515, myspace.com/bogiescounterpoint.

Dr. Manhattan, Bald Eagle Refugees. 7 p.m., $5. Juanita’s, 1300 S. Main St. 374-3271, juanitas. com. All ages.

Howl, Javelina, Zucura, Poisonwood. 8 p.m., $6. Downtown Music, 211 W. Capitol. 376-4784, downtownshows.homestead.com.

I Am Empire, The Science of Sleep, Achilles. 7 p.m., $8. Vino’s, 923 7th St. 375-8466, vinosbrewpub.com.

J. Roddy Walston & the Business, Sweet Eagle. 9:00 p.m. White Water Tavern, 2500 W. 7th St. 375-8466, myspace.com/whitewatertavern.com.

Karaoke with DJ Mikey Mike. 8 p.m. Counterpoint, 3605 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-5515, myspace.com/bogiescounterpoint.

Sunday Jazz Brunch with Ted Ludwig. 11 a.m. Afterthought, 2721 Kavanaugh. 663-4176, afterthoughtbar.com.

Valley of the Vapors: James Husband, Grandchildren, The Blacklist Royals, The extraordinaires, The Name, A Lull, Spirit Family Reunion. 4 p.m., $5. Low Key Arts, 118 Arbor, Hot Springs. valleyofthevapors.com. All ages.

EVENTS

2010 Chef Ball. 6 p.m., $125. Campus Center Grand Hall, Pulaski Technical College, 3000 W. Scenic Drive, NLR. Contact Chef Todd Gold at 258-3319 or todd@purplecowlr.com for tickets.

2010 IMPACT National Student Conference. See March 19.

SPORTS

Central Arkansas Roller Derby vs. Radioactive City Roller Girls. 5 p.m., $10. Skate World, 6512 Mabelvale Cutoff. cearderby.com.

Oaklawn Racing. 1 p.m. Sat.; 1:30 p.m. weekdays, Sun. Oaklawn Jockey Club, 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411, oaklawn.com.

MONDAY, MARCH 22 MUSIC

Awesome Color, Tyvek, The Buttons (late show). 10 p.m., $8. Vino’s, 923 7th St. 375-8466, vinosbrewpub.com.

Donnybrook, Alpha & Omega, Jungle Juice, Johnny Cage. 8 p.m. Soundstage, 1008 Oak St., Conway. soundstageshows.com.

Finn Riggins, Hosta, CTRL-ALT-DEL. 9 p.m. George’s Majestic Lounge, 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-527-6618, georgesmajesticlounge.com.

Green Jelly, Brother Andy & His Big Damn Mouth, Flaming Daeth Fearies. 9 p.m., $5 adv., $8 d.o.s. Juanita’s, 1300 S. Main St. 3743271, juanitas.com. 18 plus.

Math the Band, Juiceboxxx, Puppy Hearts (early show). 8 p.m., $7. Vino’s, 923 7th St. 3758466, vinosbrewpub.com.

Monday Night Jazz with Nan Maureen, Tom Cox, Joe Vick, Dave Rogers. 8 p.m., $5. After-

thought, 2721 Kavanaugh. 663-4176, www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Suckers, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers. 8:30 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s. Sticky Fingerz, 107 Commerce St. 372-7707, stickyfingerz.com.

The Evening Rig. 9 p.m. White Water Tavern, 2500 W. 7th St. 375-8466, myspace.com/whitewatertavern.com.

The Jack Stafford Foundation. 9 p.m., free.

Maxine’s, 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-3210909, maxinespub.com.

Traditional Irish Music Session. 7 p.m., free.

Khalil’s Pub and Grill, 110 S. Shackelford. 2240224, khalilspub.com.

EVENTS

Hip Hop Hooray for Spring Break. 2 p.m., free. Dee Brown Library, 6325 Baseline Road.

568-7494.

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MUSIC

Anuhea, Jonathan Wilkins, Analogue Transit, The Green. 8:30 p.m., $5. Sticky Fingerz, 107 Commerce St. 372-7707, stickyfingerz.com.

Birds and Batteries. 9 p.m., free. Maxine’s, 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-321-0909, maxinespub.com.

Black Cobra, US XMas, Shitfire, Iron Tongue. 8 p.m., $8. Downtown Music, 211 W. Capitol, 376-1819, downtownshows.homestead. com.

Brugh Foster. 8 p.m. Cornerstone Pub, 314 Main St., NLR. 374-1782, cstonepub.com.

Feel Lucky Karaoke. 7 p.m. On the Rocks, 107 E. Markham St. 374-7425, clubontherocks.com.

Foxy Shazam, The Young Veins, Bad Rabbits. 9 p.m., $10 adv., $12 d.o.s. Juanita’s, 1300 S. Main St. 374-3271, juanitas.com. All ages.

Judgment Day. 10 p.m. George’s Majestic Lounge, 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-5276618, georgesmajesticlounge.com.

Latin Nights. 7 p.m., $5 general, $7 under 21.

Revolution, 300 President Clinton Ave. 823-0090, revroom.com. 18 plus.

Paleface, The Moaners. 10 p.m. White Water Tavern, 2500 W. 7th St. 375-8466, myspace.com/ whitewatertavern.com.

Polkadot Cadaver, Vampire Mooose, Ideamen, Karen Page 8 p.m., $7. Vino’s, 923 7th St. 375-8466, vinosbrewpub.com.

Shellshag, As Dogs. 9 p.m., $5. ACAC, 900 S. Rodney Parham Road. 244-2979, myspace.com/ acacarkansas.

Treaty of Paris. 7 p.m. The Village, 3915 S. University. 570-0300, thevillagelive.com.

Tuesday Jam Session. 9 p.m. Afterthought, 2721 Kavanaugh. 663-4176, afterthoughtbar.com.

EVENTS

Hip Hop Hooray for Spring Break. See March 22.

Science Cafe. 7 p.m., free. Afterthought, 2721 Kavanaugh. 663-4176, afterthoughtbar.com.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24 MUSIC

100 Monkeys. 9 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s. Revolution, 300 President Clinton Ave. 823-0090, revroom.com. 18 plus.

Austin Lucas. 9 p.m. White Water Tavern, 2500 W. 7th St. 375-8466, myspace.com/whitewatertavern.com.

Chris DeClerk 5:30 p.m. Cajun’s Wharf, 2400 Cantrell Road. 375-5351, cajunswharf.com.

Ed Burks. 7 p.m. Sonny Williams’, 500 President Clinton Ave. 324-2999, www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Karaoke with Chaz. 7 p.m. Khalil’s Pub and Grill, 110 S. Shackelford. 224-0224, khalilspub.com.

Karaoke with DJ Debbi T. 10 p.m. Counterpoint, 3605 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-5515, myspace.com/bogiescounterpoint.

Lucious Spiller Band. 9:30 p.m., $5. Sticky Fingerz, 107 Commerce St. 372-7707, stickyfingerz. com.

Paul Sammons. 9 p.m., free. Maxine’s, 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-321-0909, maxinespub.com.

Scound Hounds. 8 p.m., free. Afterthought, 2721

Continued on page 23

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Continued from page 21 Kavanaugh. 663-4176, afterthoughtbar.com.

The Ted Ludwig Trio. 5 p.m., free. Capital Bar & Grill, 111 W. Markham. 370-7013, www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. Vega Under Fire, Dreamfast. 8 p.m. Vino’s, 923 7th St. 375-8466, vinosbrewpub.com.

Zach Gump. 10 p.m. George’s Majestic Lounge, 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-527-6618, georgesmajesticlounge.com.

EVENTS

Hip Hop Hooray for Spring Break. See March 22.

SPORTS

Oaklawn Racing. 1 p.m. Sat.; 1:30 p.m. weekdays, Sun. Oaklawn Jockey Club, 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411, oaklawn.com.

THURSDAY, MARCH 25 EVENTS

Brian & Nick (happy hour), The Gettys (headliner). 6 p.m., 9:30 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m.

Cajun’s Wharf, 2400 Cantrell Road. 375-5351, cajunswharf.com.

Brian Martin. 9 p.m., free. Maxine’s, 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-321-0909, maxinespub. com.

Call It Karma, The Requested, Sugar Sugar Sugar. 8 p.m., $7. Vino’s, 923 Seventh St. 3758466, vinosbrewpub.com.

Dixie Bee-Liners, The Crumbs. 9 p.m., $10.

Juanita’s, 1300 S. Main St. 374-3271, juanitas. com. 18 plus.

Indigenous. 8:30 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s. Revolution, 300 President Clinton Ave. 823-0090, revroom.com. 18 plus.

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

Karaoke with DJ Mikey Mike. 8 p.m. Counterpoint, 3605 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-5515, myspace.com/bogiescounterpoint.

The Ted Ludwig Trio. 5 p.m., free. Capital Bar & Grill, 111 W. Markham. 370-7013, www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. Thirsty Thursdays. 7 p.m. On the Rocks, 107 E. Markham St. 374-7425, clubontherocks.com.

Tho-D Thursday Hip Hop Show. 9 p.m., $5.

Cornerstone Pub, 314 Main St., NLR. 374-1782, cstonepub.com.

Integrity. 8 p.m., $5. Afterthought, 2721 Kavanaugh. 663-4176, afterthoughtbar.com.

Wade Ogle, Jason Paul. 10 p.m. George’s Majestic Lounge, 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville.

479-527-6618, georgesmajesticlounge.com.

EVENTS

“Spring Into Spain.” A 2-day children’s class on the art and culture of Spain. 9 a.m., $70 tuition.

Arkansas Arts Center, 501 E. Ninth. 372-4000, arkarts.com.

Hip Hop Hooray for Spring Break. See March 22.

POETRY

inVerse Open Mic Poetry Night. 6 p.m., $5.

ACAC, 900 S. Rodney Parham Road. 244-2979, myspace.com/acacarkansas.

THIS WEEK IN THEATER “A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking.” 7 p.m. Fri.-Sat., March 19-20; 2 p.m.

Sun., March 21. $10 general, $8 senior, $5 student.

Royal Theatre, 111 S. Market, Benton. 501-3155483, theroyalplayers.com.

“The Deal and the Descent.” 7:30 p.m. March 25, $10. Pocket Community Theater, 170 Ravine Street, Hot Springs. 501-623-8585, www.pockettheater.com.

“Ferdinand the Bull.” Friendly bull enjoys his life of leisure and Spanish culture away from Pamplona. 7 p.m. Fri., 3 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., through March 21; 2 p.m. March 25-26. $11-$14. 9th and Commerce. 372-4000, www.arkarts.com.

“Glorious!” The true story of the legendary New York heiress and socialite who wanted to be a great operatic diva despite having one of the worst singing voices in history. 8 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 2 p.m.

Sun., through March 28. $20-40. Arkansas Reper-

tory Theatre, 601 Main St. 378-0405, therep.org.

“Lend Me a Tenor.” A theater’s assistant company manager has to stand in for a drunken, Italian tenor, through April 18. Dinner: 6 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 5:30 p.m. Sun. Lunch: 11 a.m. Sun. and special Wed. matinees. Curtain: 7:45 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 12:40 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. Sun. $30-$32. Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, 6323 Col. Glenn Road. 562-3131, murrysdinnerplayhouse.com.

“The Little Dog Laughed.” A risque satire following a movie star on the cusp of fame and his frustrated agent who can’t keep him closeted. 7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2:30 p.m. Sun. through March 28. $14. The Weekend Theater, Seventh & Chester.

374-3761, www.weekendtheater.org.

Nickelodeon presents “Storytime Live!”

6:30 p.m. Tue., March 23; 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 6:30 p.m. Wed., March 24, $18.50-$32.50. Walton Arts Center, 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-4435600, waltonartscenter.org.

“Nobody’s Perfect.” A failed novelist finds success when he adopts a female pseudonym. 7:30 p.m. Thu.-Sat., March 18-20; 2:30 p.m. Sun. March 21. $10 adults, $5 students. Donaghey Hall, UCA, Conway. 501-733-6220, conwayarts.org.

and Kevin Kresse, reception 7-10 p.m. March 20, show through May 8. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 664-8996.

GREG THOMPSON FINE ART, 429 Main St., NLR: “Isolated Encounters,” paintings by Kendall Stallings, reception 5-8 p.m. March 19, Third Friday Argenta ArtWalk, show through May 15. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.2 p.m. Sat. 664-2787.

KETZ GALLERY, 705 Main St., NLR: “Susan Harris: Southern Perception,” abstract paintings, reception 5-8 p.m. March 19, Third Friday Argenta ArtWalk, show through April 15; also work by Robin Hazard-Bishop, John Kushmaul, Marty Smith, Dan Thornhill, Arlette Miller, Melverue Abraham and new artist Vernon Oberle. 11 a.m.5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 529-6330.

LAMAN LIBRARY EXHIBIT HALL, 2801 Orange St., NLR: Artist demonstration by Amy Hill-Imler, 5-8 p.m. March 19, Third Friday Argenta ArtWalk; “Lasting Light: 125 Years of Grand Canyon Photography,” Smithsonian Institu-

tion exhibit, through May 29. 758-1720.

MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY, 500 President Clinton Ave.: “Beat. Breathe. Think.,” sheep brain dissection, nervous system exhibits, through March 20, first 200 visitors free March 20. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. Admission: $8 adults, $7 children ages 1-12 and seniors 65 and up, children under 1 free, free second Sunday of every month.

396-7050. www.museumofdiscovery.org.

STARVING ARTIST CAFE, 411 Main St.: Painting demonstration by Doug Norton. 372-7976.

STEPHANO’S FINE ART GALLERY, 5501 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “Kavanaugh in the Heights,” 5-8 p.m. March 18, with music by “Overcoming Murphy,” Anna Squire and Adam Cleave, and new work by Matthew Gore, Jay Lane, Kevin Bell; sneak preview of artists’ eggs to be auctioned at Youth Home’s “Eggshibition,” through March 22. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 563-4218.

THEA FOUNDATION, 401 Main St., NLR: Con-

Continued on page 25

ANNOUNCEMENTS Auditions for five female parts, aged 18 to mid30s, for “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress,” will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 21, at The Public Theatre, 616 Center St. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script.

Auditions for The Weekend Theater’s productions of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” and “Hair” will be held 10 a.m. March 20, and 5 p.m. March 21. “Jesus Christ Superstar” actors must be 16 and older; “Hair,” 18 and older. The Weekend Theater, 7th and Chester. 374-3761, www.weekendtheater.org.

Submissions for the THEA Foundation’s first annual filmmaking scholarship are being accepted from any Arkansas high school senior through April 9. More information is available by calling 379-9512 or by visiting www.theafoundation.org.

GALLERIES, MUSEUMS NEw ExhibiTS, upcoming events A GATHERING OF ARTISTS, NLR: Group show in tents on Main Street and/or in First Presbyterian Church (4th and Maple), 5-8 p.m. March 19, Third Friday Argenta ArtWalk.

ARGENTA BEAD CO., 703 Main St., NLR: Lampworking demonstration by Sage, Beau Anderson and Vanessa Bunet, 5-8 p.m. March 19, Third Friday Argenta Artwalk. 537-0928.

ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, MacArthur Park: “Seaport of the Pharaohs to the Land of Punt: Recent Excavations at Mersa/Wadi Gewasis,” lecture by Kathryn Bard, 6 p.m. reception, 6:30 p.m. talk March 18; “World of the Pharaohs: Treasures of Egypt Revealed,” artifacts from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, through July 7, $22 adults, $14 students; “Currents in Contemporary Art,” “Masterworks,” “Paul Signac Watercolors and Drawings,” ongoing. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. 372-4000.

ARKANSAS CAPITAL COMMERCE CENTER, 200 S. Commerce: Friends of the Arts exhibit and sale of work by UALR faculty, students alumni, 5-7:30 p.m. March 18, with music by UALR music department, Thoma Thoma office.

Ualr.edu/cahss/index.php/home/foa.

BAKER HOUSE BED AND BREAKFAST, 5th and Main Sts., NLR: Work by Elena Petroukhina, John Wooldridge and Rhonda Reeves.

CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CENTER, 1200 President Clinton Ave.: “Leadership in a Time of Crisis: President Clinton and the Oklahoma Bombing,” through June 1; “Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection,” more than 200 pins the former secretary of state wore during her diplomatic tenure, through June 1 (video at www. arktimes.com); “Build My Pins,” pin-making for student visitors, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. March 22-26; 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.

GALLERY 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Celebrating 15th anniversary with exhibit of work

by Steven Wise, Jeff Waddle, Emily Galusha

Friday – Gates open at 5:00pm saturday – Gates open at 12:00pm Colt Ford & loCash Cowboys – 8:00pm

www.arktimes.com • march 18, 2010 23

■ media Open season GOP candidates take long shots, throw elbows.

By gerard matthews and max Brantley

n With a national eye turned to just about every race in Arkansas, the campaigns and the rhetoric are starting to heat up.

Here, some examples of the best and worst political maneuvering from the GOP side so far, from the Arkansas Blog.

• Rep. John Boozman made local and national headlines when it was revealed that the would-be Republican nominee courting voters: Baker’s Final Four website. for the 2010 Senate race was the quick to pounce on Boozman’s own vermost traveled of the Arkansas congressional sion of seemingly wasteful spending with delegation. Boozman and his wife racked this statement. up $900 per day on a trip to Germany. The “‘When I am US Senator, I will be Democrat-Gazette reported that Boozman visiting places like England, Paris, and also traveled to the Africa and the Middle London, ARKANSAS to continue to East, “with stops in Afghanistan, Cape be responsive to the people of this great Verde, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of state,’ Baker said.

Congo, Djibouti, Ghana, Qatar and RwanGood one. da. The trip was paid for by taxpayers, out • Speaking of Baker, the state senator’s of an account reserved for members of the campaign deftly launched a new website House Foreign Affairs Committee.” this week called “Baker Ball,” where supSen. Gilbert Baker’s campaign was

Wine Dinner Series

porters and NCAA basketball fans can submit their Final Four picks. According to a press release, “every day there will be tournament poll questions, analysis and commentary from sports writers and you can follow my bracket predictions!”

On the surface, it looks pretty harmless, a way to engage the less politically active in another activity that, like politics, no one can agree on. At its core, it’s just another way for the campaign to collect email addresses – and a pretty good one at that. Around every office in the country, people are working out their brackets, putting money down on the office pool and hoping to win big. A win in Baker’s pool and you’ll be able to shoot hoops with the candidate himself. Second place wins an autographed basketball.

When asked about the site, Gabe Homstrom, senior advisor to the Democratic Party of Arkansas, says simply, “Welcome to politics.”

“Each election season, every advisor and consultant comes up with a new way to attract voters’ attention,” Holmstrom says. “There are so many ways for a voter’s time to be occupied and this is just another way to reach out.”

• Tim Griffin’s campaign for the second congressional district seat has all the honesty of a Hollywood studio advertising its movies.

On Tuesday, for example, the campaign sent out this quote from a Pat Lynch

column that appeared in the Democrat-Gazette on Monday: “Republican Tim Griffin is running the best organized and most professional campaign in recent memory.

He gets out to garden clubs, sewing circles and veterans groups all over Central Arkansas. ... He exudes confidence, and this kind of momentum will be hard to stop.”

And what was omitted in that passage where the ellipsis appears? Lynch wrote: “For a guy who does not have a lot of firsthand experience in the local culture [Griffin is a very recent arrival to the 2nd District] he is well advised in the art of retail campaigning. He is running as if he has already won the election.”

So, as Lynch indicated, Griffin is a politically presumptuous carpetbagger and a cynical creation of the dark Republican political arts. But there’s more to say about Griffin. Lynch said it several paragraphs later, though this passage, too, didn’t appear in the Griffin blast e-mail: “Griffin is such a shameless clone of Karl Rove, and an outsider, that I am almost softening on [Scott] Wallace.”

Here’s a quote for Griffin to cherry pick: Liberal columnist Max Brantley of the Arkansas Times said: “There is only one word for the dishonesty of Tim Griffin — stunning.”

I think you know where to stick the ellipsis. Coming soon to an e-mail near you.

And it’s only been a little more than a week since the filing deadline.

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March 14, Arkansas Repertory Theatre

to venerate her.)

With only a handful of characters prancing around on stage to distract, it doesn’t take long to realize that “Glorious!” has no discernible plot. The play is little more than three butchered songs (in this instance, “butchered” is good) held together by an hour of filler jokes and, in one scene in the second act, by the sleight of hand known as “audience participation.”

The real playgoers become the audience at one of Jenkins’ performance, obliged to applaud a (doubly) bad performance.

“Glorious!” tries to rescue itself from its

n How do you get to Carnegie Hall? For Florence Foster Jenkins, the answer was, inherit a fortune from your father and buy your way onto the stage.

The Rep’s latest production, “Glorious!” by Peter Quilter, is the story of this infamously unskilled opera singer and her unlikely success, culminating in a performance at Carnegie Hall. Success is the wrong word. Notoriety.

Or better still, celebrity. Jenkins was a laughingstock and her audiences ironically applauded her out-of-tune arias and her obliviousness.

Patricia Kilgarriff, the actress who bears the burden of skillfully portraying the unskillful Jenkins, seems, like the rest of the cast, to live by the motto: When in doubt, over-emote.

Fortunately for the performers, the overacting befits the subject.

Jenkins’ comrades are a circle of aging socialites who style themselves as artists, actors and singers.

(Imagine Paris Hilton deciding she is an opera singer.) This is rich territory for a biting comedy about the social elite, privilege and lack of selfawareness. But “Glorious!” chooses INGLORIOUS: Darren Dunstan (as Cosme) not to engage these issues, opting and Patricia Kilgarriff (as Florence Foster Jeninstead for the easiest sort of humor. kins) star in ‘Glorious!’ at the Rep. The script is propelled not by good own shortcomings by foisting a feel-good dialogue but by cheap jokes — the Mexilesson upon the audience — follow your can housekeeper who doesn’t understand dreams, etc., etc. But this only makes the English, the secretly gay piano player, the play more deeply unsatisfying. The audiflatulent old man, the dead dog. ence is asked to ignore Jenkins’ blindness Fine. Comedy, even unsophisticated to reality and instead admire her for her percomedy, has its place in the theater and severance and devotion to her dream. can offer mindless escape. But this is not The only honest voice in the play is what “Glorious!” offers. The play brings that of a music lover who stands up to this the ethos of reality television — unearned pop culture phenomenon and requests that stardom, purchased celebrity, pedantic Jenkins, for her own sake and that of the moralizing — to the stage. What it offers audience, stop performing. That the ratiois an historical figure made contemporary nal critic is portrayed as a fanatic and an and shallow, and then demands the audienemy of dreamers everywhere is the best ence revere her. (Picture again the operacommentary I could offer on the play. singing Paris Hilton. Now imagine being — Jaman Matthews asked not only to sympathize with her but

cAlendAR

Continued from page 23 certs by 2010 performing arts scholarship winners, 6:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m. March 19, Third Friday Argenta ArtWalk. 379-9512. n Eureka Springs EUREKAN ART STUDIO AND SHOP, 150 N. Main St., Eureka Springs: Glass-bead making demonstration by Sage Holland, Beaux Anderson and Vanessa Bunet, 3-5 p.m. March 20, exhibit of their work through March. 479-253-0928. n Fayetteville UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS, Fayetteville: “Stop & Go,” screening of stop-motion films, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. March 18, Fine Arts Center. 479-5757987.

GALLERIES, ONGOING ExHIBITS. ARKANSAS COMMUNITY ARTISTS COOP-

TED TALKS www.ted.com n I like people who do stuff. While that might seem like a helluva broad statement, what I’m talking about are the folks who do one thing and do it amazingly well — from writers to astronomers to guys who make handmade knives. There’s something lovely about the human urge to create and understand, and when you get right down to where the shoe leather meets the sidewalk, it is what makes us human to begin with. And while most of us can’t do the math to start thinking toward building a working time machine, or study chimpanzee behavior in Africa, or dive to the lowest depths of the ocean in a tiny submarine, there’s a place where you can do the next best thing: listen to people who do.

Founded in 1985, the TED Con-

ference was originally centered on bringing in the brightest speakers in technology, entertainment and design for a four-day love fest of brainpower.

These days, the annual conference in Long Beach (and a companion conference in Oxford, UK) brings in nextlevel speakers in all disciplines, with subjects ranging from groundbreaking to the sublime.

Participants are given 18 minutes to speak on any subject they want, and they have more than 500 of those chats archived at the TED website. In addition to the talks by glitterati like Robert Ballard, Al Gore, Jeff Bezos, J.K. Rowling, Jane Goodall and J.J. Abrams, be sure to take a little time to browse the other, lesser-known speakers — many of whom are scientists, educators and researchers working in obscure-but-fascinating fields like deep ocean marine life, movie-prop making, cosmology, and what comes next on the Internet. My personal favorites so far: Adam Savage, of the TV show “Mythbusters,” talking about his obsessive-compulsive quest to create the ultimate replica of the Maltese Falcon, and slaughterhouse designer Temple Grandin talking about how her autistic brain lets her see the world as animals do.

— David Koon

ERATIVE, 900 S. Rodney Parham Road: “Habitat: A Photographic Experience by Kat Wilson,” through March. 2-6 p.m. Tue.-Fri., noon-4 p.m.

Sat. 244-2979.

ARKANSAS STUDIES INSTITUTE, 401 President Clinton Ave.: “Paper Trails,” large-scale charcoal drawings by David Bailin, through May 29, 2010; “Traveling the World with Mifflin Gibbs,” art and poetry by Gibbs students, mezzanine gallery, through March; “The Big Bear’s Arkansas ABCs: Original Artwork and Storyboard,” original illustrations by Leslie A. Przybylek for Butler Center children’s book, atrium gallery, through April 30. 9 a.m.5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. 320-5792.

BOSWELL-MOUROT FINE ART, 5815 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Work by V.L. Cox, Steve Armstrong, Kyle Boswell, Frank Colcord, Carla Davis, Eleanor Dickinson, Hamid Ebrahimifar, Hans Feyerabend and others. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 664-0030.

Continued on page 25

www.arktimes.com • march 18, 2010 25

calendar

Continued from page 25 CANTRELL GALLERY, 8206 Cantrell Road: “Faces of the Frontier,” history paintings by John Deering, through April 24.10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 224-1335.

CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 509 Scott St.: “Drawn to Art,” work by Marie Brave, Suzanne Brugner, Gert Casciano, Emily Fan, Julie Fullerton, Glenda Josephson, Dr. Judith Killen, Linda Martz and Dr. Mary Ann Stafford. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.Thu. 375-2342.

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. 6640880.

HEIGHTS GALLERY, 5801 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Arkansas artists. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. 664-2772.

LOCAL COLOUR GALLERY, 5811 Kavanaugh

Blvd.: Oils by Bob Snider, March featured artist. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 265-0422.

MARKET HALL WALL, River Market: Work by Diane Ziemski, through March, Boulevard Bread Co. 375-2552.

RED DOOR GALLERY, 3715 JFK, NLR: Work by Twin, Robin Steves, Brady Taylor, Georges Artaud, Lola, Jim Johnson, Amy Hill-Imler, James Hayes and Theresa Cates. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. 753-5227.

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

Mon.-Fri. 372-7373.

TOBY FAIRLEY FINE ART, 5507 Ranch Drive, Suite 103: Contemporary Arkansas artists. 10 a.m.4 p.m. Tue.-Fri. or by appointment. 868-9882.

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK: “Exquisite Corpse,” collaborative sculpture by nine artists, to be revealed one day at a time, Gallery II, through March 18.9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.Fri., 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sat., 2-5 p.m. Sun. 569-8977.

Continued on page 27

MARCH 19 IN THE ARGENTA DISTRICT 5-8PM THE THIRD fRIDAY Of EACH MONTH SPONSORED BY WheeLthRoWiNg DeMoS by LaRRy PeNNiNgtoN MaRch 18 • 6PM

Sage, Vanessa and Beau Lampwork Demonstration From 5-8 703 N Main St. North Little Rock 417 MaiN aRgeNta 501-374-3515

501.537.0928

Hours: Mon-Sat 11am to 6pm

324-BALL

Make a homerun to Ump’s after the Artwalk!

Dickey-Stephens Park • North Little Rock

Presenting the latest works by local artist Susan Harris on Friday, March 19 5-8pm.

Come meet the artist and enjoy refreshments.

Ketz Gallery/art attacK 705 Main Street in Historic argenta 501-529-6330

26 march 18, 2010 • arKaNSaS TImES

FeatuReD aRtiSt: amy hill-imler

William F. Laman Public Library Argenta Branch 506 Main Street (501) 687-1061

■ artnotes Stallings at artWalk And Gallery 26 celebrates 15 years. by leslie newell peacock

er “Eggshibition” coming up next week. n This weeks’ Third Friday Argenta ArtThe gallery will be open from 5 p.m. to 8 Walk on Main Street in North Little Rock p.m. for “Kavanaugh in the Heights,” and features new exhibits, including one by will have music by “Overcoming Murphy” previous Delta Exhibition winner Kend(Anna Squire and Adam Cleave). The galall Stallings; artist demonstrations at three lery is also featuring paintings by new galvenues, and concerts at the Thea Foundalery artists Matthew Gore, Jay Lane and tion.

Kevin Bell. Stephano’s new hours are 11 Greg Thompson Fine Art, 429 Main St., is hosting a one-man show of paintings by Stallings, “Isolated Encounters.” Stallings, a native of Russellville who lives in Dallas, is known for his work that places men in suits (or the manmade) in nature; he won the Grand Award in the 2008 Delta Exhibition.

The show runs through May 15.

Ketz Gallery, at 705 Main, will feature “Susan Harris: Southern Perception,” abstract work said to have a twist of New Orleans. The Little Rock painter’s show will be up through April 15.

Bead artists Sage Holland, Beau Anderson and Vanessa Bunet (headed to Eurekan Art Studio in Eureka Springs on Saturday) will demonstrate lampworking at Argenta ‘STAINLESS’: Landscape by Kendall Stallings at Greg Bead, 703 Main St. Thompson Fine Art. Painter Amy Hill-Imler a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. will demonstrate at the Laman Public LiCall 563-4218 for more information. brary Exhibit Hall, 2801 Orange, which is showing “Lasting Light: 125 Years of n Gallery 26 has been in business for 15 Grand Canyon Photography” from the years, and is celebrating that fact with Smithsonian, and impressionist Doug a reception from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. SatNorton will demonstrate at Starving Arturday, March 20. On exhibit is work by ist Cafe, 411 Main. Thea’s concert will Steven Wise, Kevin Kresse, Jeff Waddle feature student winners of its performing and Emily Galusha. There will be cake, arts scholarships at the foundation, 401 hors d’oeuvres, beverages, live music and Main, in performances at 6:30 p.m. and a drawing for a door prize.

7:30 p.m.

Little Rock painter and sculptor Kresse Also part of the party: the “Gatherand Rogers painter Wise were among the ing of Artists” group show, which will be gallery’s first artists after Renee Williams either in tents or at the First Presbyterian and Steve Ross opened it in February Church at 4th and Maple (undecided by 1995. The gallery now has 70 artists, inpress time), and work by Elena Petroukhcluding Addy-winner and painter Gaina, John Woodridge and Rhonda Reeves lusha and sculptor and painter Waddle. at the Baker House Bed and Breakfast.

Daniel Broening is now Williams’ partner ArtWalk runs from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the business.

Gallery 26 is at 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. n Tonight (March 18), Stephano’s Fine See more work by the exhibiting artists at Art Gallery, 5501 Kavanaugh Blvd., opens gallery26.com. Call 664-8996 for more a sneak preview of artists’ eggs to be feainformation. tured in the annual Youth Home fund-rais-

UALR BOWEN SCHOOL OF LAW: “Law in a Land Without Justice: Nazi Germany 1933-1945,” World War II artifacts, through July. 7 a.m.-11 p.m.

Mon.-Thu., 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri., 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sun. n Arkadelphia OUACHITA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY: “Have Sticks Will Travel,” stick sculpture by Jonathan Brilliant, through April 1, Hammons Gallery, Mabee Fine Arts Building. 870-245-5565. n Benton DIANNE ROBERTS ART STUDIO AND GALLERY, 110 N. Market St.: Area artists. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. 860-7467. n Bentonville CRYSTAL BRIDGES AT THE MASSEY, 125 W. Central: “Heroes of Horticulture,” landscape photographs, through March 21. 479-418-5700. n Conway UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS: Annual “Student Competitive Art Exhibition,” Baum Gallery, through April 1. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Wed., Fri.; 10 a.m.-7 .m. Thu. 501-450-5793. n Helena PHILLIPS COMMUNITY COLLEGE: “Retro Works,” works from Arkansas Arts Council’s “Small Works on Paper” shows 1989-1997, through March 20. n Hot Springs ALISON PARSONS GALLERY, 802 Central Ave.: Paintings by Parsons. 501-625-3001.

AMERICAN ART GALLERY, 724 Central Ave.: Work by Jimmy Leach, Jamie Carter, Govinder, Marlene Gremillion, Margaret Kipp and others.

501-624-0550.

ARTISTS WORKSHOP GALLERY, 810 Central Ave.: Larry Cloyes, pastels; Nina Louton, watercolors, through March. 501-623-6401.

ATTRACTION CENTRAL GALLERY, 264 Central Ave.: Work in all media by Hot Springs artists.

501-463-4932.

BLUE MOON GALLERY, 718 Central Ave.: Sculpture by Wayne Summerhill, through March.

501-318-2787.

CAROLE KATCHEN ART GALLERY, 618 W. Grand Ave.: Paintings, pastels, sculpture by Katchen. 501-617-4494.

FOX PASS POTTERY, 379 Fox Pass Cut-off: Pottery by Jim and Barbara Larkin. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tue.-Sat. 501-623-9906.

FINE ARTS CENTER, 610 Central Ave.: Brenda Morgan, wildlife oils, month of March; also work by 30 area artists. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wed.-Sat. 501624-0489.

GALLERY 726, 726 Central Ave.: Virmarie DePoyster, pastels, through March. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tue.-Sat. 501-624-7726.

GALLERY CENTRAL, 800 Central Ave.: Equine art by Bob Snider, Renee Torbit, Jan Gartrell, Elaine Irwin, Sandy Hubler and others. 501-318-4278.

HOT SPRINGS CONVENTION CENTER: “Hot Springs: Baseball’s First Spring Training Town,” 24 photos from the early part of the 20th century.

JUSTUS FINE ART, 827 A Central Ave.: New paintings by Robin Hazard-Bishop, Dolores Justus and JoAnne Oliver, clay sculpture by Cynthia Bowers, and other work. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat. 501-321-2335.

LINDA PALMER GALLERY, 800 B Central Ave.: Work by Linda Palmer, Doyle Young, Ellen Alderson, Peter Lippincott, Sara Tole and Jan Leek. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 501-620-3063.

PRODIGIOUS ART LTD., Hot Springs Mall: Work

by Bryan Sink and local, national and international artists. 501-520-0307.

RICIANO ART GALLERY, 833 Central Ave.: Featuring work by Riciano, Lacey Alysse, Char DeMoro and other artists. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. 501339-3751.

TAYLOR’S CONTEMPORANEA, 204 Exchange St.: Work by area and regional artists. 624-0516. n Jonesboro ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY: Senior art major shows by Megan Collins, Jake Gambill, Lamar Jackson and Shannon Smithee, Bradbury Gallery, through April 2. 870-972-2567. n Pine Bluff ARTS AND SCIENCE CENTER, 701 Main St.: “Expressions of African Culture,” masks, figures, thrones, clothing, musical instruments and more, through April. 870-536-3375.

MUSEUMS, ongoing exhibits CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSEUM VISI-

TOR CENTER, Bates and Park: Exhibits on the 1957 desegregation of Central and the civil rights movement. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. 374-1957.

HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM, 200 E. Third St.: “Stretched Foundations: Works by Lee Anthony, Jon Hayden and Mary Shelton,” through May 10; “Viewfinding: Photography by Brian Cormack,” through April 4. 324-9351.

MacARTHUR MUSEUM OF ARKANSAS MILITARY HISTORY, MacArthur Park: “Warrior: Vietnam Portraits by Two Guys from Hall,” photos by Jim Guy Tucker and Bruce Wesson, through Aug. 8; exhibits on Arkansas’s military history. 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: Exhibits on African-Americans in Arkansas, including one on the Ninth Street business district, Dunbar High School, entrepreneurs, the Mosaic Templars business and more. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 683–3593.

OLD STATE HOUSE, 300 W. Markham St.:

“Badges, Bandits & Bars: Arkansas Law & Justice,” state’s history of crime and punishment, through March 2011. 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. n 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. n Eureka Springs EUREKA SPRINGS HISTORICAL MUSEUM: History of the Ozark Folk Festival, in photographs, programs, documents. 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.Sat., 11 a.m. a.m.-3:30 p.m. Sun. 479-253-9417. n Harrison BOONE COUNTY LIBRARY: “Visions of the Universe: Four Centuries of Discovery,” drawings and diagrams from the time of Galileo and contempo-

rary images of planets, stars and galaxies made by the Hubble Space Telescope, through March 25.

870-741-5913. n Hot Springs MID-AMERICA SCIENCE MUSEUM: “Not So Separate,” science and art, through May 9. $8 adults, $7 seniors, military and youth. 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. 501-767-3461.

MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, 425 Central Ave.: Steve Kaufman, celebrity photographs, including Jimmy Hendrix, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra and Coca Cola. $5, $4 for seniors.

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thu.-Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun. 501609-9955. n Jacksonville JACKSONVILLE MUSEUM OF MILITARY HISTORY, 100 Veterans Circle: Exhibits on DDay; 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

Continued on page 29

FREE READINGS, BOOK DISCUSSIONS, PANELS AND MORE! 501.918.3098 www.arkansasliteraryfestival.org www.arktimes.com • march 18, 2010 27

Friday, March 19-Thursday, March 25

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Opening Reception Saturday, April 3rd 6-9 p.m.

Hans Feyerabend

Lam Tze Shung

Kyle Boswell

5815 Kavanaugh Blvd.

Little Rock

501-664-0030

www.boswellmourot.com March 13th opening reception for Chilean artist Alejandra Gauzen postponed until Saturday April 24 6-9p.m.

28 march 18, 2010 • arKaNSaS TImES

March 19-21

movielistings All theater listings run Friday to Thursday unless otherwise noted.

Riverdale and Aerospace IMAX listings were not available at press time. Movies 10 and Rave listings are valid Friday through Sunday only. Visit www. arktimes.com for updates.

NEW MOVIES The Bounty Hunter (PG-13) — A down and out bounty hunter lands a dream job when he’s assigned to track down his ex-wife, a bail-hopping crime reporter. Chenal 9: 10:50, 1:20, 4:20, 7:05, 9:45. Lakewood: 10:55, 1:30, 4:10, 7:10, 9:40.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (PG) — Greg, a 6th grade runt, can’t stand the ceaseless bullying, wedgies and swirlies he puts up with at school, so he retreats to his journal and his imagination. Chenal 9: 10:35, 1:25, 4:05, 7:15, 9:50. Lakewood: 10:55, 1:40, 4:25, 7:05, 9:55.

The Ghost Writer (R) — A British author finds himself in the line of danger after he realizes the former prime minister he writes for acted as a political puppet for the CIA. Market Street: 1:45, 4:15, 6:45, 9:15.

Preacher’s Kid (PG-13) — A minister’s daughter leaves home to join a traveling gospel music show in this retelling of the Prodigal Son story. Movies 10: 1:35, 4:25, 7:30, 10:25.

Repo Men (R) — After receiving a top-of-the line mechanical heart transplant from a futuristic company, the company’s star repo man falls behind on payment and finds himself on the wrong end of the knife. Chenal 9: 11:15, 1:45, 4:10, 7:30, 10:00. Lakewood: 11:00, 1:45, 4:05, 7:25, 9:45.

The White Ribbon (R) — A small, pious village in pre-WWI Germany is beset by a number of mysterious accidents that may be more devious than they appear. Rave: 1:30, 4:00, 6:45, 9:25.

RETURNING THIS WEEK Alice in Wonderland (PG) — Tim Burton’s 3-D sequel to the Carroll classic finds Alice back in the rabbit hole as a rebellious 19-year old. Breckenridge: 1:00, 1:40, 4:20, 4:45, 7:00, 7:25, 9:40, 10:05.

Chenal 9: 11:00, 1:35, 4:15, 7:00, 9:40. Lakewood: 11:00, 1:30, 4:15, 7:00, 9:40. Rave: 1:00, 1:20, 1:40, 2:00, 4:00, 4:20, 4:40, 5:00, 7:00, 7:20, 7:40, 8:00, 10:00, 10:30.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (G) — Alvin, Simon and Theodore take a break from stardom and return to school. Movies 10: 1:15, 3:25, 5:40, 7:50, 10:10.

Avatar (PG-13) — A paraplegic ex-Marine war veteran is sent to establish a human settlement on the distant planet of Pandora, only to find himself battling humankind alongside the planet’s indigenous race. Chenal 9: 12:00, 3:30, 7:00, 10:30.

Rave: 1:25, 5:10, 9:30.

The Blind Side (PG-13) — A homeless black teen-ager is taken in by a family that coaches him into becoming a star student-athlete. Movies 10: 1:20, 4:15, 7:05, 9:55.

Brooklyn’s Finest (R) — Three New York City police officers at the end of their ropes find each other’s questionable intents at a crux in the Brooklyn projects. Breckenridge: 1:15, 4:10, 7:05, 9:55. Rave: 1:05, 1:5, 4:05, 4:55, 7:05, 7:55, 10:20.

Cop Out (R) — Two New York City police officers (Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan) try to track down the gangster who stole an exceptionally rare baseball card in this send up of 1980s buddy movies.

Breckenridge: 2:00, 4:50, 7:45, 10:15. Rave: 2:05, 5:05, 8:05, 10:35.

The Crazies (R) — A rural town’s water supply is mysteriously contaminated, turning the residents into psychopaths. Breckenridge: 2:10, 4:55, 7:40, 10:20. Rave: 2:05, 5:15, 7:50, 10:25.

Crazy Heart (R) — Seeking redemption, fallen country star Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) finds a friend and confidante in a struggling music journalist.

Rave: 1:35, 4:35, 10:10. Market Street: 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:15.

An Education (PG-13) — A teen with a bright future meets a charming but older suitor and gets an unforgettable taste of adult life. Movies 10: 7:25,

HARD-HEARTED: Remy (Jude Law) is the leading organ repo man for The Union, a shadowy organization in the near future that sells outrageously expensive mechanical organs and doesn’t hesitate to repossess them if the buyer backslides on their payments. But when Remy wakes up to a new heart, a hefty debt and no more love for the job, he has to stay one step ahead of Jake (Forest Whitaker), his partner on the job and life-long best friend.

9:45.

Green Zone (R) — A political thriller revolving around a rogue soldier during the 2003 search for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Breckenridge: 1:25, 4:30, 7:20, 10:00. Chenal 9: 11:10, 1:55, 4:35, 7:20, 10:05. Lakewood: 10:50, 1:35, 4:30, 7:10, 9:45. Rave: 1:15, 1:45, 4:15, 4:45, 7:15, 7:45, 10:15.

The Hurt Locker (R) — Three members of the Army’s elite bomb squad battle insurgents and one another as they search for and disarm roadside bombs on the streets of Baghdad. Academy Award winner for Best Picture 2009. Market Street: 1:45, 4:15, 7:00, 9:30.

It’s Complicated (R) — When Jane (Meryl Streep) and ex-husband Jake (Alec Baldwin) find themselves out of town for their son’s college graduation, an innocent meal together turns into an affair. Movies 10: 1:30, 4:10, 7:15, 10:20.

The Last Station (R) — Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer play Sofya and Leo Tolstoy in this historical drama about the Russian writer’s final year. Market Street: 2:00, 4:20, 7:15, 9:25.

Legion (R) — An out-of-the-way diner becomes the unlikely battleground for the survival of the human race. Movies 10: 1:40, 4:30, 7:20, 9:40.

New Moon (PG-13) — Romance between mortal and vampire soars to a new level as Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) delves deeper into the supernatural mysteries. Movies 10: 1:05, 4:00, 7:00, 9:50.

Old Dogs (PG) — A love-failed divorcee (Robin Williams) and fun-loving bachelor (John Travolta) have their lives turned upside down when they’re unexpectedly charged with the care of 6-year-old twins. Movies 10: 1:25, 3:30, 5:35.

Our Family Wedding (PG-13) — When a young couple returns home from college to announce their marriage plans, their parents lob hot-headed insults at each other and play tug-ofwar over their children’s wedding. Breckenridge: 1:55, 4:35, 7:35, 10:15. Lakewood: 11:05, 1:15, 4:20, 7:15, 9:50. Rave: 1:10, 1:50, 4:10, 4:50, 7:10, 7:45, 10:30.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (PG) — A dyslexic, ADHD high school student discovers he’s a descendant of Poseidon and finds himself entangled in a war of mythical proportions. Breckenridge: 1:45, 4:25, 7:10, 9:45.

Rave: 1:35, 7:25.

Planet 51 (PG) — Animated alien adventure comedy revolving around American astronaut Chuck Baker. Movies 10: 2:00, 4:20.

The Princess and the Frog (G) — A trumpetplaying alligator, a love-sick Cajun firefly and others spin a love tale on a mystical Louisiana bayou.

Movies 10: 1:00, 3:15, 5:30, 7:45, 10:05.

Remember Me (PG-13) — After tragedy befalls their families, two young New Yorkers find solace in each other and, eventually, begin to fall in love.

Breckenridge: 1:10, 5:00, 7:50, 10:20. Chenal 9: 10:45, 1:40, 4:25, 7:25, 10:10. Lakewood: 10:50, 1:20, 4:20, 7:15, 9:50. Rave: 1:30, 4:30, 7:15, 10:05.

Sherlock Holmes (PG-13) — The master detective and his stalwart partner Watson embark on their latest challenge. Movies 10: 1:10, 4:05, 7:10, 10:00.

She’s Out of My League (R) — An average guy in a dead-end job inexplicably finds himself the object of affection for a gorgeous, successful woman. Breckenridge: 1:35, 4:05, 7:15, 9:35.

Chenal 9: 10:40, 1:15, 4:05, 7:10, 9:55. Lakewood: 11:00, 1:25, 7:20. Rave: 1:25, 4:25, 7:30, 10:05.

Shutter Island (R) — Two U.S. marshals travel to a secluded mental asylum to find an escaped patient and end up discovering a vast conspiracy.

Breckenridge: 1:00, 4:00, 6:55, 9:50. Chenal 9: 10:30, 1:30, 4:30, 7:35, 10:35. Lakewood: 4:00, 9:55. Rave: 12:55, 5:05, 8:10.

The Tooth Fairy (PG) — A star hockey player (Dwayne Johnson) is temporarily transformed into a full-fledged tooth fairy as penalty for discouraging a young fan. Breckenridge: 1:30, 4:15.

Up In The Air (R) — A corporate downsizing expert’s cherished travel life is threatened as the woman of his dreams comes along just as he’s on the cusp of reaching 10 million frequent flyer miles.

Movies 10: 7:40, 10:15.

Valentine’s Day (PG-13) — A gaggle of Los Angelenos make, break, and take hearts on Valentine’s Day in this ensemble movie. Breckenridge: 6:45, 9:30. Rave: 4:35, 10:10.

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

Cinemark Movies 10: 4188 E. McCain Blvd., 9457400, www.cinemark.com.

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

IMAX Theater: Aerospace Education Center, 3764629, www.aerospaced.org.

Market Street Cinema: 1521 Merrill Drive, 3128900, 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.

Dickinson Theaters Lakewood 8: Lakewood Village, 758-5354, www.fandango.com.

■moviereview Camp jejune

A&E Ne w s

New on Rock Candy n The Oxford American is giving Charles Portis its Lifetime Achievement in Southern Literature award, a prize the Conway-based magazine previously bestowed on Donald Harington. It comes with $10,000.

Portis will receive the award at the OA’s Best of the South Gala on Saturday, April 3, at the Capitol Hotel, where Morgan Freeman will also accept an award for Outstanding Contributions to Southern Culture.

The magazine has also partnered with the Little Rock Film Festival (June 2-6) to create an award for the Best Southern Film, which also comes with a $10,000 prize.

‘Green Zone’ is a dud.

Market Pavilion. Like last year, we’ll have a 40-foot track, beer and racethemed music. Unlike last year, we’ll have non-beer drinks and we’re requiring advance registration. Look for a registration form on Rock Candy (arktimes. com/blogs/rockcandy) and in future issues of the Times.

‘GREEN ZONE’: Matt Damon stars. n Maybe now that Hollywood has decided that the Iraq War is worth at least one Oscar it’ll quit shoving overcooked realism and hindsight assessments down our throats.

We can always hope. Until then, there’s at least one more unappetizing serving left on our plates, hard-boiled to tastelessness and supposedly good for us: “Green Zone.”

It’s actually a bit late for this kind of agit-cinema, thanks. Anyone capable of being shocked by what it has to tell us can’t possibly have lived through the last decade of misadventure a full-grown person. Maybe some 12-year-old out there is thumbing through dusty copies of The Nation or diving deep into the online archives at Counterpunch, but man did I not need to hear this mess all over again.

Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Trilogy) gives us the whole pit of snakes, thinly veiled but still wriggling with iniquity.

Greg Kinnear, generally reliable as a go-to sleazeball, can’t quite muster the conniving arrogance and cataclysmic recklessness called for in his composite of Douglas Feith, Richard Armitage and John Bolton.

Ahmad Chalabi shows up as little more than a bumbling presence, though the extent and destructive nature of his influence on the enterprise is probably understated.

Dubya even makes an appearance, on a real life battleship (as in, “I sunk your ...”), and his performance is every bit as convincing as when it was first filmed.

Everyone takes their turn in the Cone of Shame, except: Why does Judith Miller, the careerist hack who beat the empty drums of WMDs at the New York Times, appear as Lawrie Dayne, a frightened rabbit filing copy for the ever-enthusiastic Wall Street Journal? Should we really be led to forget that the supposedly “liberal” NYT screwed the pooch so damn epically? Whither those open arms, Thomas Lauren Friedman?

Only the good guys are free of any real-

world corollary. Surely there’s no living person as embarrassingly jejune as Matt Damon’s Capt. Miller, whose voyage of individual revelation seems to be the excuse for this parade. Miller’s squad is tasked with tracking down those fictional WMDs, and after coming up empty time and time again, Miller gets pretty worked up about his reasons for being there.

This mental shift apparently gives him free reign of occupied Baghdad, including the highest levels of U.S. intelligence, whose factions compete for the loyalties of this Really Upset Guy. No telling what the rest of his squadron thinks about this business, but they’re there when the plot needs them and dissipate agreeably when it does not. Meanwhile, Miller has plenty of opportunities to exercise his righteousness, right up until it is overcome by the forces of evil, despite his super-noble heroics. Needless to say: A liberal version of Charles Bronson is no less sentimental and fanciful.

This being a Paul Greengrass picture, the camerawork is really handheld and shaky. The action scenes are therefore inscrutable, which is nice in a way because just like there’s onscreen corollaries for the dirtbags in Washington who started it all, there’s a guy over there bleeding out on the ground whose family is suffering. I mean, it’s good to think that maybe the truth came out after all, but do the horrors of war have any justification, even an unfalse one?

What I’m saying is that while the (skewed) history lesson is all well and good, what I’d prefer is a good old-fashioned public flogging. Only last year’s vicious and absolutely uncompromising “In the Loop” has come close to what I’m talking about, and that was really only a tongue-lashing, if an exceptionally skillful one. Hollywood won’t win me over until I see some skin fly.

— Derek Jenkins

pinewood derby n Start a-whittlin’. On Thursday, May 6, the second annual Rock Candy 500 pinewood derby returns to the River

calendar

Continued from page 27 seniors, military; $1 students. 501-241-1943. n Morrilton MUSEUM OF AUTOMOBILES, Petit Jean Mountain: Permanent exhibit of more than 50 cars from 1904-1967 depicting the evolution of the automobile. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 7 days. 501-727-5427. n Rogers ROGERS HISTORICAL MUSEUM, 322 S. 2nd St.: “Rogers Auto-Biography: An Automotive History of Rogers,” through 2011; “Of Promise and Pain: Life Between the Wars,” through June; “Virgil Lovelace and Life on the Farm,” through April. 479621-1154. n Springdale SHILOH MUSEUM OF OZARK HISTORY, 118 W. Johnson Ave.: “All Dressed Up,” men’s, women’s and children’s fancy clothing, through January 2011; “Disaster! A Photo Exhibit of Crashes and Catastrophes,” through April 10. 479-750-8165. n Tyronza SOUTHERN TENANT FARMERS MUSEUM, 117 Main St.: n Scott PLANTATION AGRICULTURE MUSEUM, U.S. 165 S and Hwy. 161: Artifacts and interactive exhibits on farming in the Arkansas Delta. $3 adults, $2 ages 6-12. Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 501-961-1409.

SCOTT PLANTATION SETTLEMENT: 1840s log cabin, one-room school house, tenant houses, smokehouse and artifacts on plantation life. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thu.-Sat. 351-0300. www.scottconnections.org.

CALL FOR ENTRIES The Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs is accepting entries for its April themed exhibit “Awakenings.” Deadline is March 19; submit work on CD; all media welcome; work must be original. Call 501-624-0489 or go to www.hsfc.com for more information.

elton and betty n Much new music to download on Rock Candy: Mixtapes from local MCs Epiphany and Arkansas Bo and all 46 songs from Elton and Betty White’s long out of print “Sex Beyond the Door.”

Proposals for sculpture for the Bernice Garden at the southeast corner of Daisy Gatson Bates and South Main Street are being taken through March 31. Individuals or teams may apply. Five sculptures will be selected; stipends of $200 for finalists’ models and $2,800 for construction will be awarded. Application packets are available at www.thebernicegarden.org; mail applications to 1716 N. Spruce St., Little Rock 72207.

The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program is holding an art contest for fifth- and seventhgrade students. Artwork should for work based on any Arkansas property that is at least 50 years old include an essay on how that property reflects on Arkansas history or why it’s important to save historic places. Entries must be postmarked by April 15. For more information, write AHHP Art and Essay Invitational, 1500 Tower Building, 323 Center St., Little Rock 72201 or call 324-9786 or e-mail rachelm@arkansasheritage.org. Winning entries will be displayed at the Old State House in May. The Shiloh Museum is asking patrons to select artifacts to be displayed in its October exhibit, “The Music of Our Lives.” The curator has selected 40 artifacts to choose from. Ballots are available at the museum or the museum’s website, www. springdalear.gov/Shiloh. Votes will be collected through April 30.

The Center for Artistic Revolution is again providing wooden hearts for use in its annual Corazon Mexican Dinner and Silent Art Auction, set for March 27. Hearts can be painted, collaged or otherwise decorated for the auction, which benefits the work of CAR to promote justice and equal rights. To get a heart, call CAR at 2449690 or e-mail artchangesu@yahoo.com. Deadline is March 22.

ART CLASSES The Arkansas Craft School at Mountain View is offering workshops with area artists in mosaics, blacksmithing, polymer clay, dyeing yarns, woodturning and creating a studio, throughout April.

Schedule at arkansascraftschool.org. www.arktimes.com • march 18, 2010 29

Rocks!

A Wild and Wonderful Modern Southern Bistro “Change is good ... delicious as a matter of fact!”

“Fans rejoice ... you’ll love every bite!”

— AY Magazine “Friends say the Baby Backs are the best ribs they’ve ever had, and that’s saying something in a barbeque town like Little Rock.”

— Arkansas Times

“ ... an eclectic collection of past glories and new adventures. ... the list of entrées contains some genuine jewels.”

— Arkansas Democrat Gazette “There’s a palpable fun vibe at Red Door. ... fun, casual and the food is outstanding.”

— Hotinlittlerock.com “Entrées were grilled to juicy perfection!”

“The oyster’s were perfectly prepared.”

— Arkansas Life, Arkansas Democrat Gazette

3700 Cantrell Rd. next door to Loca Luna

666-8482 RedDoorrestaurant.com

t e f f Bu

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what’scookin’

n New on Eat Arkansas: We’ve borrowed survey questions the Oxford American’s website (oxfordamerican. org) asked chefs and food writers across the South in conjunction with its new Southern Food issue. Our resident gastronome, Max Brantley, answers questions like, “Most overrated Southern food item?” and “Strangest Southernfried food?” and offers a link to a survey you can participate in as well. Find the post via http://bit.ly/bNn41r.

Restaurant capsules Every effort is made to keep this listing of some of the state’s more notable restaurants current, but we urge readers to call ahead to check on changes on days of operation, hours and special offerings. What follows, because of space limitations, is a partial listing of restaurants reviewed by our staff. Information herein 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.

Restaurants are listed in alphabetical order by city; Little Rock-area restaurants are divided by food category. Other review symbols are:

B Breakfast

L Lunch

D Dinner

$ Inexpensive (under $8/person)

$$ Moderate ($8-$20/person)

$$$ Expensive (over $20/person) CC Accepts credit cards

LITTLE ROCK/ N. LITTLE ROCK AMERICAN

ARTHUR’S PRIME STEAKHOUSE Restaurateur Jerry Barakat brings the classic New York steakhouse formula to Chenal Valley. The main event is prime beef, or even more expensive Australian wagyu beef. The steak’s crusty on the outside, just right on the inside. There’s a wide choice of seafood, too. The truffle fries are spectacular. Good wine list. 27 Rahling Circle. Full bar. CC $$$ 821-1848 D Mon.-Sat. ASHLEY’S Perfect seafood, unusual ingredients, careful cooking and gorgeous presentation make meals here a feast for eyes, mind and stomach. Incredible wine list.

Capital Hotel. Full bar. CC. $$$. 374-7474 BLD Mon.-Sat. B Sun. BONEFISH GRILL A half-dozen or more types of fresh fish filets are offered daily, grilled (perfectly in our experience) over a wood fire. Several sauces are available, but the fish is good enough on its own. Shrimp, mussels and scallops star on the appetizer list and there’s plenty of meat and chicken for those who resist seafood. 11525 Cantrell Road. Full bar. CC $$. 228-0356. D daily.

BRAVE NEW RESTAURANT The food’s great, portions huge, prices reasonable. Diners can look into the open kitchen and watch the culinary geniuses at work slicing and dicing and sauteeing. It’s great fun, and the fish is special.

2300 Cottondale Lane. Full bar. CC $$-$$$ 663-2677 L Mon.-Fri., D Mon.-Sat. THE BUTCHER SHOP A lot has changed since 1981, when the Little Rock location in this four-location, otherwise Tennessee-based chain debuted: the menu has expanded, and people almost never cook their own steaks. No biggie on either count. Choose steak – not chicken, seafood or pasta – and let the pros cook it. You’ll be glad you did.

10825 Hermitage Road. Full bar. CC $$$ 501-312-2748 D daily.

CAMP DAVID Inside the Holiday Inn Presidential Conference Center, Camp David particularly pleases with its breakfast and themed buffets each day of the week.

Wonderful Sunday brunch. I-30 and 6th Street. Full bar.

CC $$-$$$ 975-2267 BLD daily.

CAPI’S Sophisticated yet friendly, the latest offering from the folks who created Trio’s features easy to share small bites in larger than expected portions. Selections range from the expected to more unconventional fare. Don’t skip one the fresh desserts offered each day. 11525 Cantrell Suite #917 (in the Pleasant Ridge Town Center). Full bar.

CC $-$$$ 225-9600 LD daily.

CAPITOL BISTRO Breakfast and lunch items, including

Continued on page 32

■ dining B-Side to the rescue Breakfast done right by the Lilly’s spin-off. n Central Arkansas isn’t blessed with too many options on the breakfast front.

Only a small handful of eateries serve up anything besides the traditional bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy. And an even smaller number offer any kind of breakfast on the weekend.

So we’re thrilled that Lilly’s co-owner Nancy Tesmer and chef Jeffrey Moore have stepped in to fill the void with B-Side, newly open as a stand-alone restaurant in the former party room of Lilly’s.

Moore and Tesmer respect old standards, but aren’t always content in playing them straight. On the experimental side of the spectrum, B-Side’s take on biscuits and gravy is the decadent — but oh so delicious — biscuit mountain ($11), two mounds of stacked buttermilk biscuits, sausage and pommes rosti (fried potatoes and parsnips), with sausage gravy poured on top and fried eggs plopped on top of that. The grits ($3.50), mixed with smoked gouda and slow cooked, might be the best cheese grits in the state. Hushpuppy-shaped beignets ($9) aren’t as pretty as Cafe du Monde’s puffy squares, but they’re perfect for sharing and come lightly dusted with confectioners sugar and served with a side of very thick, creamy lemon curd and whipped cream. French toast ($7) is served on a stick, wrapped in bacon and drizzled in maple syrup. And figgy piggy ($12.50) is a fig-glazed pork tenderloin served over sweet potato hash.

Drifting into slightly more standard territory, there’s a daily frittata ($8), which, on a recent visit, came stuffed with caramelized onions, tomato and smoked gouda and topped with spicy aioli, with an English muffin and a dab of homemade strawberry preserves on the side.

B-Side offers several classics unadorned. Like the classic ($7), which comes as advertised — two eggs any way, toast and bacon or sausage. The waffles ($6) are thick and airy and recommended. Mimosas ($6) are on the champagne-y side, coffee — roasted especially for B-Side by Guillermo’s Gourmet Blends — is on the dark side,

new options: (Top) Waffles and sausage. (Above) Beignets with lemon curd and smoked gouda grits. and hot tea (like at Lilly’s) is served up in a pot for two.

If we had any complaint about B-Side, it’s that, thanks to the crowd, we had a rather extensive wait on a recent Sunday morning visit. We were surprised to find how quickly news of the restaurant has spread; it confirms just how much this area has craved a new face in the breakfast market.

B-Side

11121 Rodney Parham Road (next to Lilly’s DimSum Then Some) 554-0914 Quick bite

Finally, a restaurant that appreciates parsnips.

Hours

7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Other info

Credit cards accepted. www.arktimes.com • march 18, 2010 31

Restaurant capsules Continued from page 39

The Prime choice for your evening ouT

Shackleford & Hermitage Road Little Rock • 501-312-2748

Now featuring

Honey Reserve.

Also try: Wild Turkey American honey.

NWiNe & SPiriTS D eighborhoo

4526 Camp Robinson Road North Little Rock • (501) 791-2626 Next to HOGGS MEAT MARKET

100% Real Charcoal Broiled

Burgers • steak • ChiCken

Great New Low Prices oN aLL DiNNers 10907 N. Rodney Parham • 228-7800 Mon-Sat 10:30 am - 9 pm

THE ARKANSAS DAILY BLOG What’s a blog?

It’s short for web log.

And what it means is that Arkansas Times staff members are posting news, commentary and hot gossip all day, every day. Plus readers can respond to what they read instantly.

CLICK ON THE LINK AT

www.arktimes.com 32 march 18, 2010 • arkansas Times

quiche, sandwiches, coffees and the like. 1401 Capitol Ave. No alcohol. CC $-$$ 371-9575 BL Mon.-Fri. CAPITAL HOTEL BAR A watering hole with mouthwatering food, swished-up Southern style — pork confit, smoky gumbo, homemade Moon pies. Capital idea: Sit by the big windows that look out on Markham with an organic martini and maybe some country pate and pumpkin jam..

111 W. Markham St. Full bar. CC $$ 370-7013 LD daily.

CHEEBURGER CHEEBURGER Premium black Angus cheeseburgers, with five different sizes, ranging from the Classic (5.5 ounces) to the Pounder (20 ounces), and nine cheese options. For sides, milkshakes and golden-fried onion rings are the way to go. 11525 Cantrell Road. No alcohol. CC $$ 490-2433 LD daily.

COCK OF THE WALK Yes, the chicken and shrimp are great, but go for the unbeatable catfish. Plus, we say the slaw is the world’s best. 7051 Cock of the Walk Lane, Maumelle. Full bar. CC $$ 758-7182 D daily. L Sun. CREGEEN’S IRISH PUB Draft pints, fine single-malt Irish whiskey and a choice of food from American (chicken wings) and Irish (fried Irish camembert) pub favorites to burgers, Irish stew, fish and chips and even broiled salmon for the health-conscious. 301 Main, NLR. Full bar. CC. $-$$.

376-7468 LD daily.

DAVID FAMILY KITCHEN Call it soul food or call it downhome country, the food here — neckbones, ribs, sturdy cornbread, mustard greens and the like — is good, the desserts especially so. 2301 Broadway. No alcohol. CC $ LD Sun.-Fri. 371-0141.

EJ’S EATS AND DRINKS This hoagie shop serves up generous burgers, sandwiches, homemade soups, salads and homemade potato chips. Vegetarians can craft any number of acceptable meals from the flexible menu. 523 Center St. (corner of Center and Sixth). Beer and wine. CC $ 666-3700 LD Mon.-Fri. FADED ROSE The Cajun-inspired menu seldom disappoints. Steaks and soaked salads are legendary. 1615 Rebsamen Park Road, 663-9734; Bowman Curve, 224-3377. Full bar. CC $$-$$$ LD daily.

FLYING FISH The fried seafood is fresh and crunchy and there are plenty of raw, boiled and grilled offerings, too. The hamburgers and fish tacos are big hits. It’s counter service; wander on through the screen door and you’ll find a slick team of cooks and servers to get you in and out in good time. 511 President Clinton Ave. Beer and wine. CC $-$$ 375-3474 LD daily.

FROSTOP A ’50s-style diner has been resurrected, with big and juicy burgers, great irregularly cut fries, and a selection of Greek dishes as well. 4517 JFK Boulevard., NLR. CC $ 758-4535 B Mon.-Sat., LD daily.

GADWALL’S GRILL & PIZZA Once two separate restaurants, a fire forced the grill into the pizza joint. Now, under one roof, there’s mouth-watering burgers and specialty sandwiches, plus zesty pizzas with cracker-thin crust and plenty of toppings. 7311 North Hills Blvd., Sherwood. NLR, 834-1840. Beer and wine. CC $-$$ LD Mon.-Sat. HOMER’S Great vegetables, huge yeast rolls and killer cobblers. Follow the mobs. 2001 E. Roosevelt Road. CC $$ 374-1400 BL Mon.-Fri. JASON’S DELI A huge selection of sandwiches (wraps, subs, po’ boys and pitas), salads and spuds, as well as red beans and rice and chicken pot pie. Plus a large selection

■ reviewed 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 Cajun eatery on Rebsamen Park Road is the place for you. The po-boys are huge (and the way to go if your wallet is slim), but where there’s a will there’s a way, and the remoulade makes your big-mouth-bass imitation worth it.

We’re fans of stewed okra, and that wonderful slimy vegetable and roasted garlic grits to write home about come with a nicely grilled salmon (notice how the grits get a mention upstream of the salmon). The catfish is from Mississippi, the menu says, and they must grow ’em big down there because the one we ordered took up most of the plate. With a batter rich in the rosy spices, our fish looked like a big red barn. Tucked underneath were butter beans and greens cooked to a fare-thee-well in a buttery brown meuniere sauce.

If you’re going for a week’s worth of calories, start dessert with the bread pudding, one of the town’s best, cubes of bread swimming in a buttery rum sauce. A pecan pie topped with ice cream was delish as well. A surprisingly nice Sycamore pinot grigio, a pretty (but on the small side) and wellmade Cosmopolitan and a draft Fat Tire added to an hour of merriment, followed by some sound sleep. A caveat: the gumbo, oddly enough, didn’t impress on an earlier visit and almost scared us off our second. 660-4040, 1615 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar. $$-$$$. CC LD Tue.-Sat.

of heart-healthy and light dishes. 301 N. Shackleford Road.

Beer and wine. CC $-$$ 954-8700 BLD daily.

JIMMY’S SERIOUS SANDWICHES Consistently fine sandwiches, side orders and desserts. Chicken salad’s among the best in town. Get there early for lunch. 5116 W. Markham St. No alcohol. No CC $ 666-3354 L Mon.-Sat. LOCA LUNA Grilled meats, seafood and pasta dishes that never stray far from country roots, whether Italian, Spanish or Arkie. “Gourmet plate lunches” are good, as is Sunday brunch. 3519 Old Cantrell Road. Full bar. CC $$-$$$ 663-4666 L Sun.-Fri., D daily.

MASON’S DELI AND GRILL Heaven for those who believe everything is better with sauerkraut on top. The Reuben is among the best in town. There are wraps and chicken strips on the menu, too. Ottenheimer Hall, River Market. No alcohol. CC $$ 374-0000 L Mon.-Sat. NEW GREEN MILL CAFE A small workingman’s lunch joint, with a dependable daily meat-and-three and credible cornbread for cheap, plus sweet tea. Homemade tamales and chili on Tuesdays. 8609-C W. Markham St. No alcohol.

No CC $ 225-9907 L Mon.-Sat. RENO’S ARGENTA CAFE A vast selection of sandwiches, from Cuban pork to French dip to a muffaletta, plus gyros, wraps and specialty pizzas. 312 Main St., NLR. Full bar. CC $$ 376-2900 LD Mon.-Sat. RIVERFRONT STEAKHOUSE Steaks delivered fresh from Chicago twice a week are salted, peppered, seared in an infra-red oven and then buttered for a meat-eater’s dream chowdown. There’s more to like also: crab cakes and shrimp bisque and chops and chicken and lobster tail. 2 Riverfront Place, NLR. Full bar. CC $$$ 375-7825 BLD daily.

SONNY WILLIAMS’ STEAK ROOM Steaks, chicken and seafood in a wonderful setting in the River Market. Steak gets pricy, but the lump crab meat au gratin appetizer is outstanding. Give the turtle soup a try. 500 President Clinton Ave. Full bar. CC $$$ 324-2999 D Mon.-Sat. SPECTATOR’S GRILL AND PUB Burgers, soups, salads and other bar food, plus live music on weekends. 1012 W. 34th St., NLR. Full bar. CC $-$$ ($2 cover) 791-0990 LD Mon.-Sat. TERRI-LYNN’S BAR-B-Q AND DELI High-quality meats served on large sandwiches and good tamales served with chili or without (the better bargain). 10102 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol. No CC $-$$ 227-6371 LD daily.

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE CAFE Besides the 45 different smoothies on the menu, the cafe also serves wraps and sandwiches (many of them spicy), salads and “tortizzas.”

Good food, healthy drinks, long line at lunch but it moves fast. 12911 Cantrell Rd. #19 224-1113. Creekwood Plaza (Kanis and Bowman). No alcohol. CC $-$$ 221-6773 BLD daily.

VIEUX CARRE A pleasant spot in Hillcrest with specialty salads, steak and seafood. The soup of the day is a good bet. At lunch, the menu includes an all-vegetable sandwich and a half-pound cheeseburger. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar. CC $$-$$$ 663-1196 LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat., BR Sun. WILLY D’S DUELING PIANO BAR Willy D’s serves up a decent dinner of pastas and salads as a lead-in to its nightly sing-along piano show. Go when you’re in a good mood.

322 President Clinton Ave. Full bar. CC $$-$$$ 244-9550 D Tue.-Sat. WINGSTOP It’s all about wings. The joint features eight flavors of chicken flappers for almost any palate, including mild, hot, Cajun and atomic, as well as specialty flavors like lemon pepper and teriyaki. 11321 West Markham St. Beer.

CC $-$$ 224-9464 LD Mon.-Sun.

ASIAN BANGKOK THAI CUISINE Get all the staple Thai dishes at this River Market vendor. The red and green curries and the noodle soup stand out, in particular. Ottenheimer Hall, River Market. No alcohol. CC $-$$ 374-5105 L Mon.-Sat. BENIHANA — THE JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE Enjoy the cooking show, make sure you get a little fillet with your meal, and do plenty of dunking in that fabulous ginger sauce. All-you-can eat sushi specials daily. Riverfront Hilton, NLR. Full bar. CC $$-$$$ 374-8081 LD Mon.-Fri. D Sat.-Sun. CHI’S CHINESE CUISINE A huge menu spans the Chinese provinces and offers a few twists on the usual local offerings, plus there’s authentic Hong Kong dim sum available daily until 3 p.m. Multiple LR locations, including 5110 W. Markham St., 604-7777, with delivery; a Chi’s Express at 17200 Chenal Parkway, 821-8000, and the original at 6 Shackleford Drive, 221-7737. Full bar. CC $$-$$$ LD daily.

FANTASTIC CHINA The food is delicious, the presentation beautiful, the menu distinctive, the service perfect, the decor bright. 1900 N. Grant St. Full bar. CC $ 663-8999 LD daily.

IGIBON It’s a complex place, where the food is almost always good and the ambiance and service never fail to please. The sushi is good, while the Bento box with tempura shrimp and California rolls, and other delights stand out.

11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. Beer and wine. CC $$-$$$ 217-8888 LD Mon.-Sat. KOTO Sushi and upscale Japanese cuisine. 17200 Chenal Parkway Suite 100 Full bar CC $$-$$$ 821-7200 LD daily.

NEW CHINA 8 A burgeoning line of massive buffets, with hibachi grill, sushi, mounds of Chinese food and soft serve ice cream. 201 Marshall Road, Jacksonville. 982-8988.

4617 JFK Blvd., NLR 753-8988, No alcohol, CC, LD all

week, $-$$.

PANDA GARDEN Expansive buffet with sushi and a dessert bar. 2604 S. Shackleford Road. CC Beer and wine $$ 224-8100 LD daily.

P.F. CHANG’S Make a reservation to get seated immediately and enjoy some terrific flavors and presentations. 317 S. Shackleford Road. Full bar. CC $$ 225-4424 LD daily.

SAKURA Standard Japanese steakhouse and sushi fare; it’s hard to go wrong choosing from the extensive menu. 7307 Alcoa Road, Bryant, 778-9585. E. Kiehl Ave., Sherwood. Full bar. CC $$-$$$ 834-3546 LD daily.

BARBECUE CORKY’S RIBS & BBQ The pulled pork is extremely tender and juicy, and the sauce is sweet and tangy without a hint of heat. Maybe the best dry ribs in the area. 12005 Westhaven Drive, 954-7427; 2947 Lakewood Village Drive, NLR, 753-3737. Full bar. CC $$-$$$ LD daily.

CROSS-EYED PIG Huge portions of marvelous barbecue, including amazingly tender pulled pork; lean-and-meaty, fall-off-the-bone-tender ribs; and crusty-brown, juicy halfchickens. 1701 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar. 265-0000.

L Mon.-Fri, D Tues.-Fri.; 6015 Chenonceau Blvd. Beer and wine. 227-7427. LD daily. CC $$.

SMOKEY JOE’S BAR-B-QUE A steady supplier of smoked meat. With catering. 824 Military Road, Benton.

CC $-$$ No alcohol. 315-8333. L daily D Mon.-Sat.

EUROPEAN / ETHNIC GEORGIA’S GYROS Good gyros, Greek salads and fragrant grilled pita bread highlight a large Mediterranean food selection, plus burgers and the like. Lively atmosphere and friendly folks. 2933 Lakewood Village Drive, NLR. Full bar. CC $-$$ 753-5090 LD Mon.-Sat. LAYLA’S HALAL Delicious Mediterranean fare — gyros, falafel, shawarma, kabobs, hummus and babaganush — that has a devoted following. All meat is slaughtered according to Islamic dietary law. 9501 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol CC 227-7272 $-$$ LD daily (close 5 p.m. on Sun.).

STAR OF INDIA People who don’t know if they like Indian food discover here that they do. It’s always one of Little Rock’s most highly regarded restaurants – great lamb, great curries, great chicken tandoori, great naan. The daily lunch buffet is a real deal. Don’t forget to try the Indian beer. 301 N. Shackleford Rd. Beer and wine CC $$-$$$ 227-9900 LD daily.

TAZIKI’S GREEK FARE A fast-casual chain featuring Greek salads, pitas, sandwiches and plate dinners. The food is better than the reasonable prices suggest. Great gyros and side dishes. 8200 Cantrell Road. Beer and wine.

CC. $-$$ 227-8291 LD Mon.-Sat. L Sunday.

TERRACE ON THE GREEN This Greek-Italian-Thai-andwhatever restaurant has a huge menu, and you can rely on each dish to be good, some to be excellent. Portions are ample. 2200 Rodney Parham Road. Full bar. CC $$-$$$ 217-9393 LD Mon.-Fri. D Sat.

ITALIAN CAFE PREGO Dependable entrees of pasta, pork and the like, plus great sauces, fresh mixed greens and delicious dressings, crisp-crunchy-cold gazpacho and tempting desserts in a comfy bistro setting. 5510 Kavanaugh Blvd.

Full bar. CC $$-$$$ 663-5355 LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat. CAPRICCIO GRILL ITALIAN STEAKHOUSE Large portions are the rule here, though the menu is not, as the name might suggest, exclusively Italian. Steaks, soups and seafood are good choices. 3 Statehouse Plaza. Full bar. CC $$-$$$ 906-4000 BLD daily.

GRADY’S PIZZAS AND SUBS Pizza features a pleasing blend of cheeses rather than straight mozzarella. The grinder is a classic, the chef’s salad huge and tasty. 6801 W. 12th St., Suite C. Beer and wine. CC $-$$ 663-1918 LD Mon.-Sun. GRAFFITI’S The casually chic and ever-popular Italianflavored bistro avoids the rut with daily specials and careful menu tinkering. 7811 Cantrell Road. Full bar. CC $$-$$$ 224-9079 D Mon.-Sat. LUIGI’S PIZZARIA Excellent thin-crust pizza; whopping, well-spiced calzones; ample hoagies; and pasta with tomatoey, sweet marinara sauce. 8310 Chicot Road. Beer and wine. CC $$ 562-9863 LD Mon.-Sat. NYPD PIZZA Plenty of tasty choices in the obvious New York police-like setting, but it’s fun. Only the pizza is cheesy.

Even the personal pizzas come in impressive combinations, and baked ziti, salads and more also are available. 6015 Chenonceau Blvd., Suite 1. No alcohol. CC $$ 868-3911 LD daily.

PIZZA D’ACTION Some of the best pizza in town, a marriage of thin, crispy crust with a hefty ingredient load.

Also, good appetizers and salads, pasta, sandwiches and killer plate lunches. 2919 W. Markham St. Full bar. CC $$ 666-5403 LD daily.

RISTORANTE CAPEO Authentic cooking from the boot of Italy is the draw at this cozy, brick-walled restaurant on a reviving North Little Rock’s Main Street. Let the chef entertain you with some exotic stuff, like crispy veal sweetbreads.

Mozzarella made fresh daily. 425 Main St., NLR. Full bar.

CC $$-$$$ 376-3463 D Mon.-Sat. U.S. PIZZA AND SALAD EXPRESS A downtown offshoot off the original with a distilled menu that includes pizza, salad and sandwiches. Call in pizza orders early. 402 S. Louisiana St. No alcohol. $-$$ CC L Mon.-Fri. VILLA ITALIAN RESTAURANT Hearty, inexpensive, classic southern Italian dishes. Rock Creek Square, West

Markham Street and Bowman Road. Full bar. CC $$ 219-2244 LD Mon.-Sat.

a w a r d

New Orleans Cuisine

MEXICAN CANON GRILL Creative Southwest-flavored appetizers come in huge quantities, and the varied main-course menu rarely disappoints, though it’s not as spicy as competitors’. 2811 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar. CC $$ 664-2068 LD Mon.-Sat. COTIJA’S From the famed La Hacienda family tree comes a massive menu of tasty lunch and dinner specials, the familiar white cheese dip, sweet red and fiery-hot green salsas, and friendly service. Try the brochets (combo meatseafood cooked ka-bob style and eaten with tortillas). 406 S. Louisiana. CC $$ 244-0733. LD Mon.-Sat. EL DORADO More creative fare found here than at most of the locally owned restaurants, including a great chili verde and, occasionally, carnitas. Portions are huge, the cheese dip is tasty, the margaritas are great. 5820 Asher Ave. Full bar. CC $$ 562-1025 LD daily.

HAY CHIHUAHUA Fajitas cooked and spiced just right, served in portions large enough for leftovers. Ground beef burritos (or chicken) come with lettuce, tomatoes and a lot of sour cream and cheese, with plenty of bean and rice as side items. Hay chihuahua, it’s great! Seafood dishes and a large selection of $6.50 combos offered as well. 5500 MacArthur Drive, 753-5525. Full bar, CC $-$$ LD daily.

JUANITA’S Menu includes a variety of combination entree choices — enchiladas, tacos, flautas, shrimp burritos and such — plus creative salads and other dishes. And, of course, the famed “Blue Mesa” cheese dip. 1300 Main St., 372-1228. Full bar. CC $$ LD Mon.-Sat. LAS DELICIAS SUPER MERCADO Y TAQUERIA A Hispanic grocery store with a cluster of tables in a back corner, offering authentic, generous and cheap food. A surefire pick is the big burrito, stuffed with rice, beans, lettuce, avocado and a choice of meats. Tamales are made fresh, but heavier on the masa than those accustomed to Delta tamales will like. 3401 Pike Ave., NLR. Beer. CC $ 812-4876 LD daily.

SAN JOSE GROCERY STORE AND BAKERY This mercado-plus-restaurant smells and tastes like Mexico, and for good reason: Fresh flour tortillas, overstuffed burritos, sopes (moist corncakes made with masa harina) and chili poblano are the real thing. 7411 Geyer Springs Road. Beer.

CC $ 565-4246 LD daily.

around arkansas CONWAY

MARKETPLACE GRILL Always draws a crowd for its flaming appetizers, prime rib, steaks, pasta in big ceramic bowls — all in a wide-open, loud dining area. One menu for all day means lunch can get pricey in a dinner kind of way. Interstate 40 and U.S. Highway 65. No alcohol. CC $-$$ 501-336-0011 LD Mon.-Sun. STOBY’S Great homemade cheese dip and big, sloppy Stoby sandwiches with umpteen choices of meats, cheeses and breads. 805 Donaghey. No alcohol. CC $-$$ 501-3275447 BLD Mon.-Sat.

FAYETTEVILLE AREA BORDINOS Exquisite Italian food, great wines and great service in a boisterous setting. 324 W. Dickson St. Full bar.

CC $$-$$$ 479-527-6795 D Mon.-Sat. COPELAND’S New Orleans-based chain features tasty Cajun and Creole delights as well as top steakhouse-quality steaks. The top grossing restaurant in the market in 2003.

463 N. 46th St, Rogers. Full bar. CC $$$ 479-246-9455 BLD daily.

GRUB’S BAR AND GRILLE A commendable menu that includes pub fare and vegetarian both is full of tasty offerings. The Hippie Sandwich and the Santa Fe burger come to mind. But what’s really great about Grub’s is the fact that kids under 12 (with their parents) eat free, and there’s no stale smoke to fill their little lungs, thanks to good ventilation. 220 N. West Ave. Full bar. CC $$ 479-973-4782 LD Mon.-Sat. MARY MAESTRI’S Great homemade pasta, lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, ravioli, chicken picatta and spumoni. U.S. Highway 412, Tontitown. Beer and wine.

CC $$-$$$ 479-361-2536 D daily.

RIVER GRILLE Great steaks, fresh seafood flown in daily, and some out-of-this-world creme brulee. But though some pricy offerings are splendid, others are just average. Service is outstanding. Membership required. 1003 McClain Road, Bentonville. Full bar. CC $$$ 479-271-4141 LD.

HOT SPRINGS ARLINGTON HOTEL Massive seafood buffet on Friday nights, breakfast buffet daily, served in the splendor of a grand old hotel. 239 Central Ave. Full bar. CC $$-$$$ 501-623-7771 BLD daily.

CAJUN BOILERS Expertly prepared boiled shrimp, crawfish and such, served in a fun atmosphere. 2806 Albert Pike.

Beer and wine. CC $$-$$$ 501-767-5695 D Tue.-Sat. DON JUAN’S Mex-style enchiladas, runny white cheese dip, great guacamole and great service in strip-mall locale.

1311 Albert Pike Road, No. A. Full bar. CC $$ 501-3210766 LD daily.

HUNAN PALACE Dependable Chinese cuisine, good soups, nicely priced combos for two or three. 4737 Central Ave., No. 104. No alcohol. CC $$ 501-525-3344 LD Mon.-Sat.

ONLINE ON TIME

www.arktimes.com

w i n n i n g

aT LITTLE ROCK PRICES! STEAKS • SEAFOOD CREOLE SPECIaLTIES

The Faded Rose

®

LITTLE ROCK’S bEST fOOd vaLuE 400 N. Bowman Road 501-224-3377 • 1619 Rebsamen Road 501-663-9734

ARKANSAS MINORITY HEALTH COMMISSION PRESENTS:

ARKANSAS MINORITY

HEALTH SUMMIT

Arkansas Minority Health Commission

April 15, 2010

HEALTHY PEOPLE 2020: HEALTH EQUITY FOR ALL ARKANSANS EvENT LOCATION PHILANDER SMITH COLEGE | 900 DAISY BATES DRIvE | LITLE ROCK, ARKANSAS 72202

PANEL DISCUSSION LED BY FORMER U.S. SURGEON GENERALS US Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, MD (1993-1994) US Surgeon General David Satcher, MD, PhD (1998-2002) US Surgeon General Richard Carmona, MD (2002-2006)

DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS INCLUDING Thomas Laveist, PhD William C. & Nancy F. Richardson Professor of Health Policy Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD Carmara Jones, MD, MPH, PhD Research Director on Social Determinants of Health Centers for Disease Control, Washington, DC

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL CASSANDRA WOODS AT 501-686-2748 OR TO REGISTER vISIT ARMINORITYHEALTH.COM YOUR TOBACCO SETTLEMENT DOLLARS AT WORK www.arktimes.com • march 18, 2010 33

Food for Thought

a paid advertisement

To place your restaurant in Food For Thought, call the advertising department at 501-375-2985

AMERICAN

SEAFOOD Cajun’s Wharf

Food and fun for everyone when you pair Cajun’s Wharf’s succulent seafood and steak with the ever-evolving live entertainment. Enjoy the fabulous fresh seafood or aged Angus beef while listening to the rolling Arkansas River on the famously fantastic deck! They also boast an award-winning wine list.

grampa’s catfish house

Central Arkansas’ oldest catfish restaurant. Serving all-ucan-eat catfish since 1970. A Family friendly restaurant… the place where you can walk in with a large group of folks without a reservation. Open 7 days for lunch and dinner.

Catering available.

2400 Cantrell Road 501-375-5351

rm

AT(spec ad)

02/01/08100

DENTON’S CaTfiSh & SEafOOD BuffET — 24 Years In Business —

We Cater • Carry-Outs available hours: Tues-Thurs 4:00-8:30pm • fri-Sat 4:00-9:00pm

315-1717

Shadow Oaks (501) 834-5400 • Sherwood 7 days: L 11-2 • D 4:30-9:30 9219 Stagecoach Rd (501) 407-0000 • Little Rock 7 days: L 11-2 • D 4:30-9:30

Denton’s Trotline

2150 Congo Rd. Benton, 501-416-2349 Open Tues, Wed & Thurs 4-9 Fri & Sat 4-11

Attention: Members and Guests. Denton’s Trotline is known for their award winning catfish and seafood buffet.

Outstanding appetizer menu. Family owned, featuring a newly remodeled building with live music. Full service catering available.

BISTRO Lulav

220 West 6th St. 501-374-5100 Lunch Mon-Fri 11am-2pm Dinner Tues-Sat 5-10pm V Lounge til 1am, Thurs-Sat

2150 Congo Rd. • Benton from Little Rock to Exit 118 to Congo Rd. Overpass across i-30

YaYas

17711 Chenal Parkway, Suite I-101 501-821-1144

Dizzy’s Gypsy Bistro 200 S. Commerce, Suite 150 (501) 375-3500 Tues-Thurs 11am-9pm Fri & Sat 11am-10pm

Fresh seafood specials every week. Prime aged beef and scrumptious dishes. Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, over 30 wines by the glass and largest vodka selection downtown. Regular and late night happy hour, Wednesday wine flights and Thursday is Ladies Night. Be sure to check out the Bistro Burger during lunch.

Ya Ya’s is both sophisticated and whimsical. Mosaic tile floors, stone columns and fabric covered wall panels while heavy beamed ceilings, hand blown chandeliers and curvy wroughtiron railings add a whimsical flair. The menu is inspired by a combination of Italian, French, Spanish and Greek cuisines.

Mediterranean Euro Delights share the menu with pizzas from our wood-burning oven, rich creative pastas and an array of the freshest of seafood dishes and innovative meat entrees.

Live music resumes on the patio this spring. Join us for live, local music through the week. Don’t forget our Sunday Brunch ($16.95 & only $13.95 for the early bird special, 10 am to 11 am). Reservations are preferred.

For the salad lover, Dizzy’s is an absolute paradise. Its list of eleven “Ridiculously Large Entrée Salads” runs the gamut of what you can do with greens and dressing. For example Zilpphia’s Persian Lime Salad, featuring grilled turkey breast, tomato, cucumber, onion, lime and buffalo mozzarella over romaine. For another: Mary Ann’s Dream, with grilled chicken breast, baby spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, cranberries, mandarin oranges, bourbon pecans and bleu cheese. Don’t that sound good?

chinese Fantastic China 1900 N Grant St Heights 501-663-8999

Sharing good things with good friends is the motto at Fantastic China. A Central Arkansas favorite offering the Freshest Chinese Food in town. It’s made to order with 100% Vegetable Oil. The presentation is beautiful, the menu distinctive, and the service perfect. Fantastic China is one of the heights most reliable and satisfying restaurants and a local favorite. Full bar.

mexican Casa Manana Taqueria

400 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-6637 6820 Cantrell Road • 501-280-9888 18321 Cantrell Road • 501-868-8822

Voted Best Mexican 2007. Featuring authentic fare from the Puebla region of Mexico, the selections seem endless at your choice of 3 locations in the Little Rock area. You will find an array of dishes ranging from the salient Shrimp Veracruzana at La Palapa out west to great Guacamole in the River Market Taqueria. Or try tasty Tostadas that share the name of the original Cantrell location, Casa Manana.

asian Lilly’s Dimsum Then Some

Look no further…voted Best Asian again by the Arkansas Times readers. Lilly’s serves up extraordinary dishes made from the freshest, premium local and organic ingredients.

Also enjoy warm and inviting ambiance as you dine on any one of the tasty house specialties. Sundays are wine day: all wine by the bottle, half off.

Super King Buffet

One of central Arkansas’s largest Chinese buffets, we offer all your favorites with our sushi bar and Mongolian Grill included for one low price. Our dinner and all-day Sunday buffet include your lunch favorites as well as all-you-can eat crab legs, whole steamed fish, barbecue spare ribs, crispy jumbo shrimp and grilled steaks. Take-out buffet and menu available.

11121 Rodney Parham 501-716-2700

Super King Buffet

4000 Springhill Plaza Ct. North Little Rock (Just past Wal-Mart on McCain) 501-945-4802 Sun-Thurs 11am to 9:30pm Fri & Sat 11am to 10:30pm

Mediterranean star of india

North Shackleford Road 501-227-9900

Authentic North Indian Cuisine at its very best! Vegetable and Non-vegetable Buffet daily with Special. Saturday and Sunday Brunch. Mention this ad for a complimentary Indian Mango Drink.

Black Angus

Homemade Comfort Food Daily Specials • Monday: Spicy Shrimp Stir-fry. Tuesday: Pot Roast.

Wednesday: Meatloaf. Thursday: BBQ Plate or Shepherd’s Pie. Friday & Saturday: Fried Catfish.

Satellite Cafe

Satellite Cafe - Heights techno-pop coffee shop that serves up the best coffee and breakfast in town, along with great lunch options (dine in or to go). And dinner is served every night except Sunday. Half-off happy hour spot - 4 until 6:30. Remember the drive thru window, just call in and pick up!! BLD - Mon-Sat. B Sunday

Ump’s Pub & Grill

Whether the Travs are at home or on the road, come enjoy the unique Dickey-Stephens Park Atmosphere at Ump’s, an upscale sports pub and restaurant, featuring sandwiches, salads, steaks, seafood, good times and more! Now open 7 days a week for lunch, and open all day sat. and sun during Football season. Closed on Tues & Wed nights since baseball season has ended.

Capers Restaurant

Indulge in the culinary creations and intimate environment that define Capers Restaurant. Food and wine enthusiasts agree Capers’ sophisticated approach to dining is key to it’s many accolades including receiving the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for six years running.

Copper Grill & Grocery

An endless array of delicious dishes available in the Grill or grab your Gourmet-to-Go from the Grocery. Offering products by French Farm, Bella Cucina & Bittersweet Herb that promise to turn any recipe into a memorable masterpiece Copper Grill & Grocery is a wonderland for the gourmand.

West End Smokehouse and Tavern

Happy Hour Mon-Fri 3pm-6pm. $1 off All Drinks and 1/2 Off Appetizers. Monday is Steak Night USDA Choice Aged 14oz Ribeye with 2 sides $13.99. Tuesday is Burger Night – Ultimate Burger with Fries just $4.99. Live Music Fri & Saturday!

SO

This is a first class establishment. SO has some of the best steaks and seafood in the city, including oysters from the east and west coasts. Their menu has been updated and features a fantastic selection of cheeses like port salut, stilton, murcia and pecorino. Don’t forget to check out the extensive wine list.

Butcher Shop

Tremendous steaks, excellent service, fair prices and a comfortable atmosphere make The Butcher Shop the prime choice for your evening out. In addition to tender and juicy steaks, The Butcher Shop offers fresh fish, pork chop, 24 hour slow roasted Prime Rib, char grilled marinated chicken and fresh pasta. Ideal for private parties, business meetings, and rehearsal dinners. Rooms accommodate up to 50-60 people.

Brave New Restaurant

Start your week at Brave New Restaurant with Perennial & Seasonal favorites. Mixed Grill, New York Strip and Veal with Lime are just a few of the Perennials – Seasonal includes Duck Two Ways, Crispy Onion Venison, Poached Salmon and more.

Brave New Party Room: Newly Expanded and Open. Seats 15-100. Now accepting Reservations.

10907 N. Rodney Parham Mon-Sat 10:30am-9pm 501-228-7800

Kavanaugh and University, 501-663-6336

Dickey-Stephens Park Broadway at the bridge North Little Rock (501) 324-BALL (2255) www.travs.com

14502 Cantrell Road 501-868-7600

300 West 3rd Street 501-375-3333

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

Open daily. 11 am - close Sunday Brunch. 11 am to 2 pm 3610 Kavanaugh Blvd.

501-663-1464

Shackleford & Hermitage Rd. (501) 312-2748

2300 Cottondale Lane 501-663-2677 L.D. Mon-Sat

steak Sonny Williams

If you have not been to Sonny Williams lately, get there immediately and check out the martini/wine bar. Now you can enjoy 35 wines by the glass, 335 selections of wine, 6 single barrel bourbons and all different kinds of Scotch from the many regions of Scotland. Of course, don’t miss out on the nightly entertainment by Jeff at the piano. Sonny’s is a River Market mainstay and perfect for intimate private parties; free valet parking! As always, Sonny Williams has the best steaks in town along with fresh seafood and game. No Skinny Steaks… Call ahead for reservations (501) 324-2999

Faded Rose

Featuring the Best Steaks in town with a New Orleans flair from a New Orleans native. Also featuring Seafood and Creole Specialties. As Rachel Ray says “This place is one of my best finds ever.” Back by popular demand…Soft Shell Crab and New Orleans Roast Beef Po-Boys.

500 President Clinton Avenue Suite 100 (In the River Market District) 501-324-2999 DINNER MON - SAT 5:00 - 11:00 pm PIANO BAR TUES - THU 7:00 - 11:00 pm FRI & SAT 7:00 - Late

400 N. Bowman 501-224-3377 1619 Rebsamen 501-663-9734 Open Sunday

brew pub Vino’s Pizza•Pub•Brewery 923 West 7th Street 501/375-VINO (8466)

Beer, pizza and more! Drop in to Vino’s, Little Rock’s Original Brewpub! and enjoy great New York-style pizza (whole or by-the-slice) washed down with your choice of award-winning ales or lagers brewed right on site. Or try a huge calzone, our new Muffaletta sandwich or just a salad and a slice with our homemade root beer. The deck’s always open, you don’t have to dress up and the kids are always welcome (or not).

Vino’s is open 7 days, lunch and dinner. You can call ahead for carry-out and even take a gal. growler of beer to-go. And guess what?? The bathrooms have just been re-done!

REAL ESTATE b

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Beautiful Hillcrest home offers great location, lots of updates

Hillcrest homes always mean the best good living has to offer – this home at 4916 Hillcrest Avenue is no exception. It features four bedrooms, two full bathrooms, two half bathrooms and a square footage of approximately 1,990 square feet.

An inviting front porch is the first sign this home is special. Entertain friends here or just relax with a good book as the neighbors stroll by. The backyard is fenced and has lots of deck space for outdoor entertaining. There’s also plenty of off-street parking with two driveways.

Inside, the home is spacious. It has an open floor plan with a living/dining room arrangement. The kitchen is extra-special with gorgeous cherry-stained cabinets and stainless appliances including a built-in double wall oven. Corian counters, a tile backsplash and under-cabinet lighting make the kitchen stand out even more. Another feature is the space above the cabinetry for storage

Bathrooms are good sized.

A big backyard is rare in Hillcrest.

or decoration.

The main floor of the home has three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. The remaining bedroom and half bathroom are on the lower level of the home in what could be guest quarters. The space is 335 square feet and has exterior access.

This home has had recent updates and has much to offer. Some of these include a new, 30-year architectural shingle roof, energy-efficient double hung windows, new electrical wiring and fixtures and refinished hardwood flooring.

Take advantage of the first-time or existing home buyer tax credits before they expire on April 30. The house is priced at $298,000 and is listed with Pulaski Heights Realty. Call John Selva to schedule a showing at 663-6000. View more pictures online at www.PulaskiHeightsRealty.com

The parquet floors are beautiful.

The home has been updated. www.arktimes.com • march 18, 2010 35

REAL ESTATE by neighborhood TO ADVERTISE, CALL TIFFANY HOLLAND AT 375-2985 Downtown 300 THIRD CONDO Competitively priced 2BR/2BA condo with French balcony, black-out shades, limestone counters and stainless appliances. Enjoy spectacular views of the sunset. Call Eric or Cara Wilkerson of the Charlotte John Company for a private tour at 501-804-2633.

LAFAYETTE SQUARE One & two BR condos which feature open floor plans of 1,026 to 1,667 SF and are competively priced for lease and for sale. Urban upscale living has never been so accessible and affordable. Each unit has large kitchens complete with marble counters, classic hardwood cabinetry & stainless steel appliances. Washers & dryers are included in every condo. Building amenities include reserved gated parking, an exercise room & sauna, storage units and meeting/ event space. Pricing starts at $145,900. Call Melissa Bond of the Charlotte John Company for sales inquires at 960-0665.

FREE Buyer Representation!

4403 STONE CREEK COVE - $285,000 Built for builder’s personal home in 2007 on 3.52 acres. Great family home with extra-large den (24x28) den, separated master suite with Jacuzzi and separate glass brick shower.

Beautiful setting plus too many amenities to this one level home. Bill of Assurance allows for horses. Visit www.cbrpm. com to view additional pictures.

D. Hastings 680-5340 Directions: West on Colonel Glenn to left on Lawson, 6.2 miles to Stone Creek, turn left, first house on right.

Midtown

Looking for a home but all the good ones seem to be sold before you get a chance to see them? Pulaski Heights Realty offers FREE buyer representation to help you find them before they’re gone. It is our policy to show homes listed by ALL Real Estate Companies even For Sale By Owners!

Call today to get us started working for you.

501-663-6000.

Buying Lake Hamilton Condos!

501.664.6629

Publisher’s Notice All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act which

makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination call HUD toll-free 1-800-669-9077. The toll-free number for the hearing impaired is 1-800-927-9275.

16 RESERVOIR HEIGHTS CONDO - $129,900. 2BR/2BA, 1384 SF. Great open floorplan and stress free living.

Condo fees includes pool access. Qualifies for $8K tax credit. Seller to pay $2500 towards closing costs and 6 months condo dues w/ acceptable offer. Call John, Pulaski Heights Realty, for showing at 993-5442.

Hillcrest 211 ASH - $130,000.

Investors Must SEE! HILLCREST OPPORTUNITY! Large 2BR that could have a 3rd BR or nice size office.

Homes is priced low to allow the new owner to make updates. Close to UAMS Excellent purchase for a UAMS student or someone looking to rent to students.

Floored attic offers LOTS of storage. Call Stacy Johnson, Pulaski Heights Realty, for a personal showing. 501786-0024

Hers, inc. presents PULASKI COUNTY Real Estate sales over $102,000 Arkansas Riverview Development LLC to Bank Of England, L5A & 6A, Residences At Building 5 HPR, $1,550,000.

Nkwazi Inc. to William B. Leggett, 8801 Knoedl Ct., $863,000.

US Bank NA to Sam B. Altschul, Lori M. Altschul, 44 Courts Dr., $521,000.

Scott D. Mosley, Sharon D. Mosley to Jeff Heverling, Ann Heverling, Rob Heverling, Laura Heverling, 1720 S. Arch St., $459,000.

Maurice E. Jackson, Ludonna A. Jackson to Robert D. Skinner, Diane E. Skinner, 1 Woodstream Cove, $386,000.

Bank Of Ozarks to Cornerstone Building LLC, L1, Morgan, $350,000.

Daniel L. Halberg, Misty D. Halberg to Bryan Scanlon, L22 B13, The Villages Of Wellington, $325,000.

Anderson R. Cranford to J. W. Cranford, Frances A. Cranford, Cranford Joint Revocable Trust, L604, Arkansas Capital Commerce Center HPR, $324,000.

W. W. Satterfield, Barbara S. Satterfield to Don A. Zimmerman, Janet L. Zimmerman, Lot M. B1, East Palisades, $285,333.

U S. Bank National Association to Jerry Rachal, 32 Chemin Ct., $279,000.

Lynn Dickey Construction Inc. to Nikki Dahm, 128 Beaver Creek Ln., Maumelle, $269,000.

Bruce A. Engel, Karen A. Engel to Charles L. Campbell, Jr., April E. Campbell, 700 Sussix Loop, NLR, $265,000.

James P.Eustace, Barbara Eustace to Richard Ainsworth, 159 Hibiscus Dr., Maumelle, $265,000.

William P.Wilson, Cary C. Wilson to Jeff Amann, L9 B50, Original City Of Little Rock, $259,000.

Tony L. Cassady, Rose M. Cassady to John O’Donnell, L27, Hunters Green Estates, $235,000.

Jeff Fuller Homes LLC to Baba Shaik, 104 Cabanel Dr., Maumelle, $235,000.

Brian A. Koch, Kimberly C. Koch to John K. Richardson, Amanda J. Richardson, 10833 Rivercrest Dr., $221,000.

Jerry Wilson, Edwina Wilson to Anthony J. Benedetti, Dottie L. Benedetti, 1411 N. Hughes St., $220,000.

Aaron Harriott to David White, Wilma J. White, 7524 S. Glenn Dr., Sherwood, $216,000.

Scott Martin Construction LLC to Anthony Louden, Rebecca Louden, L66, Miller’s Valley Phase 1, $214,000.

Kenneth I. Grimes, Beverly J. Grimes to Yang Ou, Jun Gao, 106 Chinon Ct., Maumelle, $210,000.

Brendan K. Moore to Brian L. Muldrow, Mary R. Muldrow, 212 Englewood Rd., Cammack Village, $206,000.

Jimmie G. Bradley to BAC Home Loans Servicing LP, SE SE 14-1S-13W, $203,805.

Susan J. Scheidemantel to Keith J. Hill, Rhonda K. Hill, 3100 Valley Park Dr., $195,000.

Insight Securities Inc. to Shane D.

HERS, INC.

Mathews, Alissa K. Mathews, L39 B5, Lakewood Northeast, $185,000.

Wayne W. Harris, Nina C. Harris to Mason R. Atkinson, Deanna M. Atkinson, L10 B2, Lakewood Northeast, $180,000.

Greg Heslep to Jerod B. Rieger, Hilda B. Rieger, 5517 Aviator Dr., Jacksonville, $179,000.

Joseph G. Hennington to Sanford W. Thomas, Brenda L. Thomas, L61, Western Hills Phase 2, $178,000.

US Bank National Association to Donna D. Gross, 17 Pineway Ct., $172,000.

ERC Land Development Group LLC to Susan N. Mordecai, 119 Harmony Loop, Maumelle, $170,000.

Stanley K. Rose, Bliss A. Rose to Christopher McNulty, 10 Leslie Cir., $169,000.

Robert E. Looper to Regina L. Sides, L88, Marlowe Manor Phase 1, $169,000.

Joshua E. Frey, Ashley D. Frey to Andrew D. Smith, Amanda P.Smith, 66 Zircon Dr., Maumelle, $167,000.

Ruth H. Holland, Alan Holland, Charles F. Huncke, John G. Huncke, Tessa K. Huncke, Charles F. Hunke to Michael Jendrejas, Katherine E. Ramsay, 4901 Randolph Rd., NLR, $160,000.

BSMD Holdings LLC to John M. Lally, Jr., John M. Lally, Sr., Ls24-25 B1, Plateau, $158,000.

Randy Wiggins Company Inc. to Holly C. Childress, 109 Tenkiller Dr., Sherwood, $155,000.

Summit Bank to Jeannette L. Hurley, Parrish G. Hurley, L6

B9, Maumelle Valley Estates, $155,000.

Matthew R. Thorpe, Akina C. Thorpe to Federal National Mortgage Association, 71 Prospect Trail, NLR, $154,449.

Richard A. Heath, Susan M. Heath to Virgil A. Holloway, Tanya Ashcraft, L35, High Timber, $152,000.

Michael K. Summar, Vickie M. Summar to Tim Clark, Sarah Clark, 17 Sugarloaf Loop, Maumelle, $151,240.

Billy Looper, Gladys B. Looper to Deborah L. Keene, L508, Kingwood Place, $150,000.

Rausch Coleman Mid Ark LLC to Jerome Tramble, Katherine Tramble, 1216 Aster Dr., NLR, $150,000.

Curtis R. Tackett, Catharine G. Tackett to Patricia A. Kinder, William S. Kinder, L13 B3, Autumnbrook Annex, $149,000.

Robert C. McBryde, Barbara J. McBryde to Jason P.Pyle, Lindsie M. Williams, 3209 N. Pine St., NLR, $148,000.

Angelo J. Hronas, Anastasia Hronas to Cassandra Toro, Ls7-9 B2, Fultons Addition, $145,000.

Matt Myklebust, Melanie Myklebust to Brandy N. Yeoman, Cody J. Yeoman, 36 Meadow Ridge Loop, Maumelle, $142,000.

Anthony Benedetti, Dottie L. Benedetti to James K. Devore, Robin L. Devore, L17 B5, Oakbrooke Phase 2, $142,000.

Wayne Southwell, Joann Southwell to Jon M. Giese, 2310 S. Arch St., $140,000.

Request an Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) Add up to $7,618 in Energy Improvements Home Energy Rating Systems Pay off with Utility Savings Certified Home Energy Rating Professionals

501-353-0605 36 March 18, 2010 • ARKANSAS TIMES

Anthony M. Lacefield, Vandala L. Lacefield to Keith C. Ibanez, Judith T. Ibanez, 403 Stratford Ct., Jacksonville, $138,000.

Twin City Excavating Inc. to Evelyn R. Williams, SE SW 17-3N-13W, $138,000.

Chris Clayton, Julie H. Clayton to Heather Gay, 8205 Easy St., Sherwood, $130,000.

Kevin M. Rogers, Pamela J. Rogers to Rochelle D. Gann, 73 Meadow Ridge Loop, Maumelle, $130,000.

Mason Atkinson, Deanna Atkinson to Susan Long, Alan M. Long, L83 B203, Park Hill NLR, $129,000.

5600 JFK, LLC to Blakely Pizan, 11 Cherry Valley Dr., $127,000.

Kenneth D. Cates to Karl Vesecky, Jr., Jessica L. Vesecky, 9 Arcadia Ct., $125,000.

Thomas J. Townsend to Erica L. Webb, L13 B39, Park Hill NLR, $125,000.

Traci L. Squires to Laura D. McGhee, L12 B3, Lakewood, $125,000.

Donovan H. Reid, Althea L. Reid to Louis D. Parker, Jr., 6623 Centennial Rd., Jacksonville, $123,000.

Lindsay Costa, Lindsay M. Furlow, Anthony Costa to Kristina B. Roth, 12100 Rainwood Rd., Apt. 68, $122,000.

Jacob A. Nesselrodt, Morgan Nesselrodt, Robert L. Nesselrodt, Deidra Nesselrodt to Brittany N. McCannon, 907 Garland Ave., NLR, $120,000.

David C. Snarr to Parker Smith, 3015 General Samuels Rd.,

Jacksonville, $120,000.

Pulaski Properties LLC, Eddie D. Springer, Jason D. Springer, Jacob A. Springer to David J. J Wardell, L3, Sandalwood Phase 1, $120,000.

Rausch Coleman Mid Ark LLC to Benjamin D. Woodason, L123, Faulkner Crossing Phase 2, $120,000.

Brandon Burns, Mandi Burns to Hallie M. Robinson, L11 B15, Park Hill NLR, $119,000.

Jennifer A. Craft, Jennifer A. Orsburn, Ted Craft to Emily M. Davis, Ls6-7 B3, Crestview, $118,000.

Henry J. Osterloh to Abbey Janssen, Everett Janssen, Mary Janssen, L23 B16, Lakewood, $117,000.

James Adams to Paul J. Noland, Lauren E. Noland, 51 Oak Forest Loop, Maumelle, $115,000.

Ethel M. Lowder to Marilyn J. Roberts, L84, Maryton Park, $115,000.

Traditional Home Builders Inc. to Brooke L. Martin, Richard B. Martin, L106, The Meadows, $115,000.

Larry M. Starr to Seth A. Oquinn, 3423 N. Magnolia St., NLR, $109,000.

Rosemond J. Thornton, Jennifer Cohen, Jennifer M. Ballheimer to Virginia Taylor, 6909 Barberry St., NLR, $105,000.

William H. Grant to Nolan T. Brown, Sarah A. Reed, 1224 S. Fillmore St., $104,000.

US Bank National Association to TVP Properties LLC, L42, Ellis Acres, $102,000.

First Time Buyer $8,000 Energy Improvements $7,600

NO ADDITIONAL DOWN PAYMENT! TOTAL Incentives

$15,600!

6220 SOUTHWIND $273,900.

Spacious 3-4BR/3.5BA home with all the amenities you would expect in a newer home. Just across I-430 from Maumelle, this home sits atop the ridge overlooking the ARkansas River Valley & the downtown Skyline. This immaculate home is located in an ideal location, hidden away but only minutes from Little Rock.

Easy access to the Big Dam Bridge and the River Trail.

Call Susan Desselle of the Charlotte John Company for a private tour. 501-772-7100.

West Little Rock 51 BROOKRIDGE - $147,500.

3BR/2BA, approx. 1720 SF. See more online at www. pulaskiheightsrealty.com or call Bob Bushmiaer, Pulaski Heights Realty, 352-0156.

9809 VINON COURT $149,900. 2BR/2BA, approx.

1720 SF. See more online at www.pulaskiheightsrealty.com or call Bob Bushmiaer, Pulaski Heights Realty, 352-0156.

Longlea 7 WOODBERRY - $368,000.

4BR/3.5BA, approx. 3500 SF. See more online at www. pulaskiheightsrealty.com or call Bob Bushmiaer, Pulaski Heights Realty, 352-0156.

Roland 20300 DWIGHT LITTLE ROAD - $260,000. 4BR/3.5BA, approx. 2650 SF. See more online at www.pulaskiheightsrealty.com or call Bob Bushmiaer, Pulaski Heights Realty, 352-0156

Conway 180 MERLOT - $203,500.

4BR/2BA new construction in west Conway with fabulous split floorplan, tall ceilings, great room with FP and beautiful kitchen cabinets.

Built by Boone Custom Homes. MLS #10239659 Linda Roster White Real Estate Company, 501-7301100 or 501-679-1103 5120 PRESTONWOOD $225,000. 3BR/2BA amazing home with tall ceilings, sunroom, quartz countertop, large pantry & oversized master with sitting area.

Fenced with double iron gate.

Spotless! Linda Roster White Real Estate, 501-730-1100 or 501-679-1103.

No. 0218

4307 N. LOOKOUT - $429,000.

Fabulous 4 or 5 BR home with 2.5 BA is like a private Hillcrest hideaway. Beautifully updated with stained and leaded glass features. Upgraded kitchen with contemporary solid surface counters & top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances. The huge multi-level deck is ideal for outside grilling, dining & entertaining. For more details, call Susan Desselle with the Charlotte John Company at 772-7100 or visit www.

SusanSellingLittleRock.com

edited by Will shortz

North Little Rock

■ CROSSWORD

Hillcrest

FEATURE HOME

is back!

Call 375-2985 for more information.

hip A P A R T M E N T

LIVING

Sound traditional? It is.

If that’s your cup of tea, then perhaps you should check into our prestige Hillcrest complex that offers one and two bedroom units from $475 to $575 per month.

References and security deposit required. No Pets.

Call 378-7660 Professionally managed by LEL Enterprises.

Apartment managers

Are first-time home buyers affecting your occupancy levels? Advertise with Hip Apartment Living. 501.375.2985

REAL ESTATE

by neighborhood www.arktimes.com • march 18, 2010 37 ArkAnsAs Times • sepTember 4, 2008 37

Fed up n In about a week’s time I went from wishing spring would hurry up and get here to being already sick of it. Wasps and pollen. Vampire mosquitoes with some kind of personal grudge. The obligatory rabbit-egg dorkery. Foredoomed yard sales. Uppages at the pump. Pisspoor basketball. New roots in the sewer pipes.

Woodpeckers trying to drill through vinyl siding just outside the bedroom window at 6 a.m. Same old spring excreta as last year, deja vued all over again.

Still winter by the calendar and already sick of spring and all that it symbolizes and entails. Another fine mess. And vernal disgust isn’t the half of it. I know about Joe Btfsplk and his little cloud, and what an old sorehead is, but what am I supposed to do?

So I’ve got a sick list here, a grievance list sort of like the one that George Kellerman kept in “The Out-of-Towners.”

Itemizing at random: I’m sick of the politics and it only just got started. I’m sick of every single public issue that’s reared a head since 1994. I’m sick of rain. I’m sick of robins. I’m sick already of daylight saving. I’m sick of the skunk that comes up out of the cutover every night. I’m sick of Farmville and all the losers who inhabit it. I’m sick of TV commercial personifications of mucus.

I’m sick of the dignifying of ignora-

Bob L ancaster muses by calling them populists.

I’m sick of rogue crazies lumping me into some hallucinatory “elite” presumably as the preliminary to a big roundup.

I’m sick of this lurid zombie sideshow that used to be a news media with a purpose and standards and brass nads.

I’m sick of the romance with guns that allows wackos all over the country to run out and kill a bunch of people every time they take the notion.

I’m sick of the crack-showing appliance-installers’ rear view that the longwaisted apparel catalogues are calling “plumber’s butt.”

I’m sick of the ten lords a’leaping that were my main Christmas present last year.

It’s the leaping part I’m sickest of. They can’t go two minutes without a’leaping. I’m sick of yodeling veterinarians from the Alps.

I’m sick of watching and waiting for that tsunami to wipe out Hawaii. I’m beginning to wonder if maybe the alert was cancelled finally, but not before the nothing-happening beach scene had perma-

nently burned itself into my TV screen. If so, I’m going to feel really duped. And I’m sick of being duped.

I’m sick of crows giving me the business. I’m sick of Warren Buffet trying to lowball the other bidders for the privilege of having lunch with me. I’m sick of Tiger and Dave calling up looking for stumpbroke livestock that might hire out for quickies.

I’m sick of having to sleep at the foot of the bed every time company comes.

I’m sick of being hissed at by possums that look like (and hiss like) Dick Cheney.

I’m sick of the obvious insincerity in the WWBD movement. I’m sick of the ever-more-glaring annual injustice of People Magazine naming somebody else the Sexiest Man Alive. I’m sick of pencilneck geeks. And ceramic roosters.

I’m sick of Google wanting all of my content for free. I’m sick of the manzeer.

I’m sick of getting less take-home from my Powerball jackpots than I have to pay in taxes. I’m sick of Tubbo glomming all my Oxycontin. I’m sick of Grisham always wanting a new and pithier cover blurb.

I’m sick of the shameless ejaculations of the torture weasels. I’m sick of bats in the twilight ignoring all the well-established territorial imperatives.

I’m equally sick of blowhards and blowback. I’m sick of those who say don’t speak ill of recently expired, even if they were a mess of trash. I’m sick of tilapia.

I’m sick of dog-peter gnats. I’m sick of

C

S

LASSIFIED LASSIFIED

RN Position

PRN Risk Management Consultant

Louisiana Medical Mutual Insurance Company is seeking a qualified candidate for the position of PRN Risk Management Consultant. Position based in Little Rock but provides service to multiple locations across Arkansas. Duties include assessment of medical offices and groups to assist physicians in identifying, assessing, reducing, and eliminating medical malpractice risk exposures. Other responsibilities include educational program development, medical record review and implementation of Risk Management program.

A bachelor’s degree or RN with minimum Associate Degree in Nursing required, with 3-5 years experience in Risk Management, quality improvement, or other healthcare-related field. Successful candidate will have excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills.

Must be able to manage time, set priorities, and work independently.

Experience in the medical malpractice arena a plus.

Qualified candidates should submit a resume to:

humanresources@lammico.com Fax: 504.841.5301 EOE

CALL CHALLIS AT 375-2985 TO

PLACE YOUR LINE AD HERE

Arkansas Times Advertising Assistant

38 March 18, 2010 • ARKANSAS TIMES 38 august 13, 2009 • aRKaNsas tIMEs

The premier manufacturer of optical encoder-based positioning equipment for the space, military, and range/instrumentation markets, BEIPSSC‘s high-tech, state-of-the-art facility produces thousands of reliable sensor systems for critical applications each and every year.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES:

Metrology Lab • Quality Assurance Inspector • Quality Engineer Quality Test Technician • Reliability Engineer • Technician I-Engineering

www.BEIPrecision.com

Employment

Legal Notices

Cosmetologist Part-time for retail/cosmetology activities. Must love kids & good communication skills. Must be available for afternoons and weekends. Call 501-8331000 for appt.

Notice of Filing Application for new cafe or restaurant wine & beer permits and to transfer the location of Private Club Permit. Notice is hereby given that the undersigned has filed with the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division of the State of Arkansas applications for new on premises wine and beer permits, and transfer of location of a private club permit from:1217 Ferguson, Benton, Saline county. to: 14710 Cantrell, Suite A, Little Rock, Pulaski county.

Said application was filed on March 1, 2010.

The undersigned states that she is a resident of Arkansas, of good moral character; that she has never been convicted of a felony or other crime involving moral turpitude; that no license to sell alcoholic beverages by the undersigned has ever been revoked within five (5)years last past; and, that the undersigned has never been convicted of violating the laws of this State, or any other State, relative to the sale of controlled beverages. Sherry Anthony for Thirst N’ Howl

Immediate Opening for hair stylist at busy salon. comission. must have experience (cut & color). contact Mike 501-551-6753

WOODHAVEN Apartments

7510 Geyer Springs Road• 501-562-7055 1, 2 & 3 bedroom apartments available NO APPLICATION FEE IF YOU MENTION THIS AD.

Visit us today and ask about our promotions.

SAVVY KIDS/SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS

The Arkansas Times advertising department is looking for a sharp person to work part time as a sales assistant. Roughly 20 hours a week. This position will allow someone the opportunity to learn the backbone of a sales department in addition to handling promotional/event planning and execution, mailings, managing sales activity including all print publications and web along with client and ad agency communication. Flexible schedule. If you have an interest in developing a sales career or curious about advertising this is excellent training grounds. Or you simply need to work part time – I’d like to hear from you.

Strong computer and communication skills required. Please email your resume to Phyllis@arktimes.com

dust mite hordes. I’m sick of Mississippi wild child. I’m sick of Trig Palin and the “debate” over who can call who a retard.

I’m sick of always being inescapably in the presence of myself, and of pretending that I have ever once successfully demonstrated prowess of any kind whatsoever.

I’m sick of being ever at the mercy of glandular secretions. I’m sick of the continued existence of vital democratic institutions being at the whim of hateful driven old moguls. I’m sick of the 1955 Ryman broadcasts of the Grand Ole Opry wafting eerily if vaguely into my sleeping quarters in the wee hours under certain atmospheric conditions. I’m sick of a popery that had its germ in the slapping around of choirboys. I’m sick of all the preening around in the greasy mantle of righteousness in the abortion “debate.”

I’m sick of nut Texas textbook meddling and nut Texas just about everything else. I’m sick of cliches and of those who suppose that a good big pile of them is what is meant by “thought.” I’m sick of those who hog the Sunday School class discussion and haven’t even read the lesson. I’m sick of everything that’s epic that used to be only awesome.

And exceptionalism in all its tacky wraps.

Etc. The list will be different tomorrow, but no less crabby. If you’re looking to tiptoe through the jonquils with some upbeat and positive whorehopper you might want to tootle on over to Sync.

R

Join the Arkansas Times Publishing Group today as an Outside Sales professional. We are seeking a highly-qualified, seasoned outside sales professional to sell several special publications. The territory for this opportunity is central Arkansas.

If you have sales experience and enjoy the exciting SOCIAL SCENE OF THE SOPHISTIKID and crazy world of advertising, then we would like to talk to you. Savvy Kids/Arkansas Wild is looking for motivated, sales driven, and career focused individual to engage with all types of businesses and present our products. We offer a base salary, auto allowance, and competitive commission structure.

Qualified candidates must possess: A competitive spirit with a desire to win while helping your customers exceed goals, previous outside sales territory-based experience with demonstrated success, the ability to effectively multi-task in a rapidly changing environment.

savvy

KZDS

Territory Manager- Little Rock. A medical device distributor based in TX is seeking motivated individuals for a career in the medical sales field (orthopedic & post operative devices). We provide to various clients, from patients and hospitals, to insurance companies and medical equipment suppliers. Email resume: michaelmartinez2@ gmail.com NEW DELL-HP COMPUTER GUARANTEED Bad Credit? No Problem! FREE Digital Cam & LCD TV. Starting at $29.99/wk, up to $3k credit limit. Call 888-860-2423 Get Dish- FREE Installation- $19.99/mo HBO & Showtime FREEOver 150 HD channels Lowest Prices- No Equipment to Buy! Call for full details 1-877-301-1684

Adoption *Adopt*Caring young elementary teacher & finance professional, hugs&kisses, secure home, fun, family, unconditional LOVE awaits.

Expenses paid Matt&Susan 1-800-561-9323

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You may email your resume directly to: hbaker@arktimes.com

NATIONAL ROOFING COMPANY SEEKS

GENERAL MANAGER AND SALES STAFF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

CALL 256-653-5496

Real Estate Little Rock-2 Bd/1 Ba Home for $55,800.

Payment as low as $355/mo. Call Now 800338-0020

Land LOTS FOR SALE - Greenbrier. 1/3-1/2 acres starting at $23K. Trees, all utilities. Just 8 miles from Conway. 501-472-5807

Brother and sister Border Collies, almost 2 yrs old.

We would like them to go together but not absolutely necessary. Extremely intelligent and affectionate. Call Tina 501-454-3654.

FLIPSIDE EspEcially for small businEss and EvEnts!

The Kavanaugh Co

Call Challis to advertise here!

2017 Kavanaugh 501•317•7595

low pricing

Little Rock's Own Original Art & One-Of-A-Kind Furniture Company

The Trump NeTwork offers you the opportunity to take charge of your financial independence and to promote health and wellness products that can help change your life.

The Trump Network offers unique products; multivitamins that are all natural and customized for each and every one of your clients.

501.375.2985 501-375-1900 Learn to use a Mac in your home or office.

In the River Market

Call Kay Butler, your local representative, to find out how to start your own business and start working for yourself.

501-455-3360 www.trumpnetwork.com/kcbutler

Psychic Reader & Advisor Looks into Past, Present, Future Specialized Reading in Tarot Card-Metal Object-Shakra call & consult for an appointment

501-223-9046

20 years public experience All major credit cards accepted $10 off your reading with this ad.

ARE YOU HAVING TROUBLE CLIMBING STAIRS?

Introducing This Spring Kent’s Brand BBQ Sauce, Meat Marinades, and Special Spice Blends.

• Organize your photos, music, movies and email.

• Wireless internet and backup implementation.

•Troubleshooting.

• I can help you choose which Mac is exactly right for your needs and budget.

Satisfaction guaranteed. cindy@movingtomac.com www.movingtomac.com (501) 681-5855

“We’re Loco For LocaL”

Look for our SpeciaL deaLS on wineS

10% OFF on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday Wine Days.

You already know that we have a great selection of wines — now we are also your headquarters!

LOTTERY

MarkhaM Street Liquor 4204 W. Markham • (501) 664-3385 •Mon. - Sat. 7am - 11:45 pm

If Yes, You need a Stairlift!

➧ Regain Mobility and Access to Your Home ➧ Reduce the Stress and Fear of Falling ➧ Make your home an enjoyable living environment again

CALL US! (501) 255-6687 OR 1-800-426-1018 www.updownstairlifts.com

Little Rock Animal Village 4500 Kramer St.

Spring Fling 2010 Saturday, March 20, 2010 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Bring a Pet! ... Adopt a Pet! Join us for a Day of Celebration

opening with Presentation of the U.S. Conference for Mayors' "City Livability Award" to Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola

fun, food, games & prizes Dog trainers • Animal Psychic • Pet Societies Pet Groomers • Grooming & Microchipping Pet Supply Vendors & Photographers

376-3067

IntroducIng the new, InnovatIve web portal News ON the hour, EVERY hour! www.ellatinoarkansas.com is where Latinos of our community can go to share ideas and opinions about what is happening here and around the world.

On April 2, the readers of El Latino will be able to experience, minute-by-minute, the most up-to-date news and information from the US, Mexico, Central and South America, and the rest of the world. Coverage will include politics, sports, entertainment, economy, and many more newsworthy topics from EFE news service.

In addition, our readers will be receiving the most important news from right here in Arkansas, prepared by the El Latino news team, and the blog “Pulso Latino” will offer an opportunity for the Latino community to come together and share ideas and concerns like never before.

all this in one spot, all you need to know about arkansas and the world, updated minute-by-minute:

www.ellatinoarkansas.com ArkAnsAs Times • mArch 18, 2010 39

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