NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT / MARCH 28, 2012 / ARKTIMES.COM
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MARCH 28, 2012
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COMMENT
The singing slave In his letter last week, Amoja Sumler effectively illustrated some of the difficulties of interpreting the antebellum period in Arkansas history. The museum presented the “happily singing” slave and the mistreated slave as two of any number of possibilities concerning the experience of enslaved people. We definitely hope that the visitor hears a subtext in the singing and recoils from any suggestion of abuse. We try to walk the fine line of acceptability to visiting families, while making the uncomfortable point that the institution of slavery required at least the threat of force. But we do not want to drive our visitors away from the museum or from history, so we will take Mr. Sumler’s criticisms seriously, as we do all visitor comments. Bill Worthen Little Rock
homeless] are higher than you are talking. The committee [on the homeless problem] has not even bothered for two years? We are talking about thousands homeless; how are they taking census when the homeless are not there to respond? Granted there are a few soup kitchens and you all are throwing money into day resources. Most all shelters is a place to sleep and then back on the streets until another night, and then you’re lucky if there is room in these places you speak of to sleep again the next night. I think it’s great what they do, but it is not
solving the problem of homelessness, and sitting around for two years doing nothing and knowing the problem is so bad in this town is ridiculous. I often wonder do they think of the way homeless have to survive and could any one of them do the same. I think not! Maybe go sleep around back alleys and then understand. But yet here we have corporations running in here tearing down neighborhoods to put their high dollar condos in when the state could be fixing its own problem of the homeless by refurbishing the places that are here. The condos
Save Your Money. Save ur Water.
As a member of the Board of the Historic Arkansas Museum, I read the letter from Mr. Sumler with interest. I did want to point out that last year at HAM, we presented and inaugurated one of the first Slave Memorials in the United States. In what can only be called one of the most moving performances of HAM’s history, the cast and others Mr. Sumler refers to, presented a Slave Memory, while the actual known names (researched from the County Real Estate Records) were read aloud. Then candles were lit round the memorial by the descendants of both slaves AND slave owners that actually owned and worked the land that the Museum sits on. This memorial is there for all time for people to see. I was grateful to be part of putting it together and honor their memory. Vincent Insalaco Little Rock
From the web
USe Water WiSelY
NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT / MARCH 21, 2012 / ARKTIMES.COM
THE BATTLE OF 10TH AND MAIN
YoU MaY be eligible for oUr ConServation DiSCoUnt.
Households that are inside the cities of Little Rock and North Little Rock that have a single meter (not applicable to a sprinkler meter), and use 300 cubic feet of water or less (approximately 2,300 gallons) per month will be eligible for a 15% Conservation Rate Discount. So begin practicing wise water usage and save money.
BY CHEREE FRANCO PAGE 12
In response to the March 21 cover story, “The Battle of 10th and Main,” about the homeless in Little Rock: I personally think the numbers [of MARCH 28, 2012
ARKANSAS TIMES
NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT / MARCH 14, 2012 / ARKTIMES.COM
MAKE WAY FOR PROGRESS
Neighborhoods worry they’ll be wiped out by LR Tech Park. BY LESLIE NEWELL PEACOCK PAGE 14
In response to the March 13 cover story, “Make Way for Progress,” on the Little Rock Technology Park Authority’s plans to level a neighborhood for the park: Leave the neighborhoods alone and put the Technology Park in at War Memorial Park. A golf course is not much to lose when there are other golf courses nearby: Rock Creek, Western Hills, Rebsamen, Pleasant Valley, Chenal, LRCC, and numerous golf courses at Lindsey apartment complexes. In fact, many golf courses are going broke because people have more entertainment alternatives than years ago. Also, the popularity of golf is fading fast because it takes too much time and money. Ray Winder Field also needs to go. Longer range, they should get rid of War Memorial Stadium and relocate the zoo. Sal Een In response to the article on Arkansas State University’s proposal to demolish the home of the first president of the university, V.C. Kays: Dr. Scott Darwin has performed an admirable service to the community by bringing awareness to the proposed demolition of the Kays house. It is one place on campus that speaks to the beginning of what eventually became Arkansas State University. I add my plea that this house be preserved in the memory of the first president of the institution, V. C. Kays. Mary Lee Marcom
Submit letters to the Editor, Arkansas Times, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, AR 72203. We also accept letters via e-mail. The address is arktimes@arktimes.com. We also accept faxes at 375-3623. Please include name and hometown.
Little Rock tries to block VA center move.
4
may be good for the rich but as usual the poor pay that price. Why keep throwing money in to give people scraps when you have the power to give them a place to hang their hats? Arkansas Truthseeker
carkw.com
ORVAL
www.arktimes.com
MARCH 28, 2012
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EDITORIAL
EYE ON ARKANSAS
Iceman
AFTER NEIGHBORING PROPERTY OWNERS objected
to a large church’s expansion plans, the North Little Rock City Council denied permission for the church to cut into a tree-lined hillside with homes on top. If he hears, Rick Santorum will call this War on Religion. 6
MARCH 28, 2012
ARKANSAS TIMES
PAUL BARROWS
W
hile he continues his stout efforts to freeze Arkansas veterans out of a new veterans-aid facility, U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin is also extending his reach, aiming to deny government protection to even more Americans. Can nothing melt his cold, cold heart? Griffin’s latest meanness is a proposed “regulatory freeze,” which his fellow Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee endorsed last week. Their endorsement was expected, since the legislation is really a Republican Party project, though Griffin got his name attached, like a remora on a shark. He’s a resourceful fellow, as the truly unscrupulous usually are. Remember how he did in a U.S. attorney from his own party so he could get the job himself, and use it as a step up toward a seat in Congress? You should. The “freeze” bill would impose a moratorium on “significant regulatory actions” until the national unemployment rate falls below 6 percent, an occurrence that economists say is likely five or more years off. In the interim, there would be no new protection for air, water and food, all of which have been made significantly safer by government regulation; no more protective improvements to automobiles; no new government intervention to save the lives and limbs of working people, or to limit their hours at work, or to raise the minimum wage, or to keep children off the assembly line, no matter how much that additional protection might be needed. And it will be needed. If there were reason to believe such protection wouldn’t be called for, corporate interests wouldn’t be trying so hard to stop it. Big Oil, Big Pharma and others have for years sought to limit regulation legislatively, and the Republican Party is solidly with them. Though the Supreme Court has said that corporations are people, Republican congressmen insist that corporations are super-people, more worthy of assistance than the average American. Thus the “regulatory freeze.” Under an honest administration, regulations can be annoying to the corporate community. Congressman Griffin’s nemeses, the veterans, will get still more of the back of his hand, perhaps the backs of both hands, under his regulatory freeze. Promised benefits would be delayed, if not blocked entirely, for veterans suffering from long-term illness, and for those who stayed for prolonged deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. College students would not escape scot-free; Pell and other academic grants would be adversely affected. The elderly could never hobble fast enough to escape the bill’s harmful effect on Medicare payments and services. Griffin has enough unkindness to spread widely.
REFLECTION: Paul Barrows submitted this photo of Pinnacle Mountain in the morning sun to our Eye On Arkansas Flickr group.
South Carolina swindle
I
t wasn’t hard to explain Ernie Passailaigue’s decision to resign as director of the Arkansas Lottery last September. He’d faced two firing attempts, two scolding legislative audits and was facing harsh criticism over a $100,000 fine levied by the IRS on the lottery for late payment of taxes withheld from lottery winners. But notes the Arkansas Times obtained via a Freedom of Information request from a meeting between Passailaigue, the lottery’s internal auditor and other lottery officials held the day before Passailaigue tendered his resignation suggest another reason for his departure: Internal Auditor Michael Hyde’s investigation into the validity and benefits of a contract with instant-win vendor Scientific Games International (SGI). In August 2009, the Lottery Commission and the Arkansas Lottery Commission Legislative Oversight Committee approved a contract with SGI to provide the lottery with scratch-off tickets. Nearly a week later, Passailaigue altered the terms of the contract without approval from the commission or the Legislative Oversight Committee. From the lottery’s start in September 2009 until Feb. 29, 2012, the difference between the original terms and the terms to which Passailaigue agreed have cost the scholarship lottery $1.95 million and lottery players $5.5 million, according to Hyde. Over the seven-year life of the deal, he estimates the altered contract will cost the lottery $5.7 million in scholarships. That’s more than 1,100 scholarships at the first-year rate of $5,000, many more at the new rate. In exchange for the new terms, the lottery received the services of a sales and customer service operation that SGI operates solely on behalf of the lottery to support retail outlets. The operation includes four people operating phones. That’s all Passailaigue could offer as a marked difference between the new terms and the original ones in his meeting to Hyde. A little more than three weeks later he left town. A month later Legislative Audit discovered a number of impropri-
eties in trips Passailaigue was reimbursed for during his time at the lottery. Among the findings, auditors couldn’t determine if Passailaigue had actually attended all meetings with LINDSEY SGI in Georgia that were billed MILLAR lindseymillar@arktimes.com to the state. In an Arkansas Lottery Commission on Tuesday, Lottery Director Bishop Woosley disputed Hyde’s understanding of the contract with SGI and the projected costs Hyde cited. He argued that commissioners had indeed granted Passailaigue the power to renegotiate the contract. His arguments were lawyerly (he was the lottery legal counsel previously). He said the commission “acquiesced” to the terms of the contract by not raising any objection once they knew of them. Asked by Commissioner Bruce Engstrom if he were saying, “It’s your position that, whether or not we got screwed or not, we’re stuck with it?” Woosley said he believes the contract is valid. It seems abundantly clear that Passailaigue screwed the lottery. Even without the amended terms, the deal with SGI was highly favorable, as it’s based on a percentage take of revenue rather than a fixed price, which produces payments to the SGI much higher than the much bigger lottery in South Carolina pays its vendor. Over the terms of the contract, this is the difference of more than $100 million in scholarship revenue. Why Passailaigue cost the state that money and what, if anything, he got out of it should be investigated. At its meeting on Tuesday, commissioners delayed action on invalidating the contract or approving a settlement proposed by SGI for $2 million and other offers. Before the commission meets again to determine whether the lottery is stuck with the deal, commissioners should put the question to a team of lawyers with experience in state contracts. There’s too much at stake to avoid a thorough review.
OPINION
The GOP’s budget for the rich
E
very election season one party or both test the limits of H.L. Mencken’s theory that no one ever loses money by underestimating the intelligence of the voters. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives raised the stakes last week by adopting the budget plan of their budget chairman, Paul Ryan. Few voters will ever know what the Ryan plan does and how it would affect them. What they get is the simple message that it would “save” Medicare, control budget deficits and cut and simplify taxes. Who could be against that? Congressman Tim Griffin immediately issued a statement saying all those things. GOP congressmen from sea to sea did likewise. That is the flimflam. The Ryan blueprint would do none of those things, at least not in a way that would make anyone but the very rich happy. The devil, as always, is in the details, but who has the time and patience for that? The House plan would reduce personal income taxes to two brackets, 10 and 25 percent, and corporate taxes to a rate of 25 percent, whopping cuts for
high earners. Supposedly, closing “loopholes” and eliminating all or most deductions and exemptions ERNEST so that everyone DUMAS would file a short form would offset the vast loss of government revenue from lower rates. Griffin’s short statement cleverly did not say working people’s taxes would be cut, only that they would be simpler. If they really did eliminate deductions, exemptions and credits, most poor and middle-class workers would pay more, not less, in taxes. Millionaires? Their average tax cut would be something more than $187,000 a year. The super-rich, those clearing more than $10 million, would get a tax cut averaging $1.4 million a year. If the polls are accurate, that scenario is despised by a vast majority of Americans. But they’ll never know. See, the Ryan plan would not eliminate one tax benefit — the special 15 percent tax rate on investment profits, the tax
Bullying bullies is bad law
I
’ve known students like Tyler Clementi and Dharun Ravi. Those like Clementi are grappling with their newly discovered sexuality and face mental health issues often tied to society’s continued negative attitudes towards those who happen to be gay or lesbian. Others like Ravi are confused by all that comes with life outside the suburban cocoons of their childhoods and overcompensate by cockily behaving like complete jerks. Most students like them have used their college years to come of age and work through their freshman year anxieties. By the time they graduate, the Tyler Clementis I’ve known have become more confident in themselves and are on their way to happiness in love and life. The Dharun Ravis are embarrassed about the mean spirited Facebook posts of their past but are prepared to more maturely deal with the new and challenging experiences of adult life. Tyler Clementi and Dharun Ravi didn’t have the time or the space to find them-
selves during college. Instead, they were forced together in a Rutgers University dorm room where JAY their teen-age BARTH angsts collided in a tragic manner. After only a few weeks of living together, Ravi had used his computer camera to spy on Clementi during two intimate encounters with another man and had used social media to let friends know about his roommate’s behavior. Clementi asked dorm officials for a roommate shift because of Ravi’s offenses, then only hours later committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge. Last week, a New Jersey jury found that Ravi had committed criminal acts not just by invading his roommate’s privacy through the spying and by attempting to cover up his Twitter-based communications, but also through more serious bias intimidation charges. While Ravi’s tweets clearly showed he simply didn’t
gimmick that left Mitt Romney paying an effective tax rate last year of not 35 percent but less than 14 percent on dividends, capital gains and interest totaling $21 million. Corporations supposedly would lose their “loopholes” although the Ryan plan identifies none of them, but you wonder if that would ever happen. Ninety-eight percent of sitting members of Congress have taken campaign gifts from the biggest tax-avoiding corporations. Since 2006, the GOP speaker and majority leader in the House have together taken $657,000 from the 30 largest corporations that avoided taxes altogether. While Ryan and his party said they would close corporate loopholes, his plan includes one little feature that belies it. It would adopt the “territorial” tax system, which would exempt corporations’ offshore profits from taxes, thus encouraging every corporation to move jobs and income to favorable spots overseas. And that deficit reduction: The nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation has already concluded that eliminating literally all tax advantages would cost the treasury heavily unless the offsetting corporate tax rate was at least 28 percent. So there would be no deficit reduction unless Congress took many trillions out of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Which brings us to saving Medicare. That is the biggest flimflam of all. Ryan’s bill applies Obamacare for seniors, with-
out its humanity or its assurances that everyone will get the care they were promised. Last year, Ryan proposed and the House adopted a plan that would phase out the current Medicare for new enrollees in 2023, after voters who are 55 or over now and thus beginning to worry about their health care are into the system. Every new enrollee would have to buy health insurance from a company with help from the government to pay the premiums. But that was the dreaded “individual mandate” for which Republicans have been decrying Obamacare. People also seemed to get it that they would be losing the Medicare guarantee of coverage for all their illnesses. So this version would allow a “public option” like the original health bill in the House of Representatives in 2010 did for people under 65 — the elderly could choose to buy the standard government Medicare plan although they might get less government help than if they bought from one of the carriers in the exchanges. Whatever their choice, seniors would have the same system that Obamacare provides people under 65 without health insurance, but without Obamacare’s guarantee of a full range of medical care at an affordable price. Unless health-care costs stopped rising like they have for 75 years, your outof-pocket costs and premiums would rise, probably sharply, every year.
know how to deal with his roommate’s sexuality respectfully, he showed no physical violence towards Clementi and his communications lacked any overt statement of antigay bias. All told, Ravi will be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and will face likely deportation; the bias intimidation verdicts will be the source of most of that prison time. When applied to nonviolent acts as in the Clementi case, a hate crime law like the New Jersey bias intimidation provision is essentially a wide-ranging antibullying law applied to adults. Strong antibullying provisions make sense in elementary and secondary school settings. When bullying occurs and school officials fail to respond, bullies can effectively deny their victims educational opportunities by undermining their ability to learn. As someone who had to deal with a bully through junior high and high school, I know how debilitating that reality can be to kids’ educations. Arkansans should be proud that — thanks to the smart work of legislators like Sen. David Johnson and others during the 2011 legislative session — our state has a clear antibullying law that is one of only 14 in the nation that specifically protects students from bullying based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. However, there reaches a point where the state protecting minority group mem-
bers from nonviolent acts is no longer healthy for anyone. That moment is when those individuals become adults. Ravi deserved to be charged for certain offenses (especially related to the coverup), but the primary legal proceedings should have been civil rather than criminal, with Clementi’s parents seeking damages for the harm that Ravi did them and their son. When the state plays the ongoing role of protector of groups through criminal sanctions, it instills victimhood in the groups it chooses to protect. Even more troubling, it raises the real likelihood that some unpopular speech will be chilled because it might be perceived by some as an expression of intimidating bias that could send that individual to jail. Most members of the LGBT community instinctually cheered the fact that a jury found Ravi guilty for his clear meanness towards his gay roommate last week. However, it would be short-sighted to see this as a victory for LGBT Americans or those who care about creating an America where civil rights are taken seriously. For real social change to be cemented, empowered members of those traditionally oppressed groups must stand up for themselves and demand respect. Instead, when bullies, like Ravi, are bullied by criminal law we all are less free. www.arktimes.com
MARCH 28, 2012
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W O RDS
Hello Dali April 24-May 20
NOW – April 22
The Verdeen cousins couldn’t have picked a worse time for a family reunion. You’ll wish your family reunions were this much fun!
All is fair in love? Even murder? That’s the question posed about a love triangle in The Howard Johnson’s. Starring our director Glen Gilbert!
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“Twelve hours after Doe’s death, Capt. Richard Roe and firefighter Sam Smith sat quietly in Station 4, watching the news on TV. It’s not often that their department makes the news. For it to be for something tragic like this, involving firefighters they work closely with and with whom they share notes between shifts, the two said, was surreal.” I wonder if surreal was the firemen’s word or the reporter’s. Well, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised to find surreal in the firehouse; it’s everywhere else. (“That touchdown pass was surreal. No, these fries are what’s surreal.”) Looking up surreal in the on-line Merriam Webster, I came across a comment: “One of the most overused and misused words of the last decade.” MW defines surreal as “marked by the intense irrational reality of a dream; also ‘unbelievable,’ ‘fantastic’.” Nowadays, surreal also means “unusual” and either “pretty good” or “pretty bad,” depending on the situation. Surreal first came into use in the art world in the 1930s. The adjective was derived from the noun surrealism, which Random House says is “a style of art and literature developed principally in the 20th century, stressing the subconscious or nonrational significance of imagery arrived
at by automatism or the exploitation of chance effects, unexpected juxtapositions, etc.” I had all that until DOUG the “etc.” SeekSMITH dougsmith@arktimes.com ing elaboration, I appealed to a higher authority, the Arkansas Times’ art critic, Leslie Peacock. It’s surreal how much she knows about the art stuff. She writes: “Salvador Dali is surreal, and so are Yves Tanguay and Max Ernst and Paul Delvaux. Andre Breton said it was to ‘resolve the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality,’ which I guess means that surrealists paint dream-like scenes with the same technique they would use to paint your portrait, for example — realistically — but altered. Like your nose might be melting down your face, for example. But when teen-agers say surreal, they mean ‘unexpected.’ “ My nose melting down my face? Maybe she knows too much. Long may she rein: “ ‘I’m a good age for a marathoner,’ Legstrong, 33, said. ‘It’s easy to get caught up in it. … I need to reign it in a little, but I’m on a roll right now.’ ”
WEEK THAT WAS
It was a good week for… CHRIS ERWIN. Sherwood judge Milas Hale ruled that criminal charges will not be reinstated against Chris Erwin, the man seen getting pummeled on a sidewalk in front of Ferneau restaurant by Little Rock police Lt. David Hudson in the widely-circulated video shot just before Halloween last year. On Feb. 22, the judge initially dismissed the case after the prosecution failed to turn over evidence the defense was entitled to in a timely manner, but then said he would reconsider. PARK HILL HOMEOWNERS. A planned expansion of the First Pentecostal Church parking lot into a hillside, which was initially approved by the North Little Rock Planning Commission in July 2010, was rejected by the North Little Rock City Council. Neighborhood residents had long suggested that the proposed cut would imperil their homes and lower their property values.
It was a bad week for… LAWRENCE DAVIS. The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff chancellor, 74, announced his retirement, following the release of an internal audit in February that detailed payroll and purchasing dis8
MARCH 28, 2012
ARKANSAS TIMES
crepancies to the tune of $700,000. The audit led to four UAPB employees being fired and sparked an Arkansas State Police investigation. JACKSONVILLE. A woman and her four children were killed in a duplex fire that firefighters couldn’t detect on their first visit to the residence. Three days earlier, according to Jacksonville police, a man intentionally struck two Jacksonville firefighters and a police officer at the scene of a car accident. Jacksonville Fire Capt. Donald Jones died at the scene. Firefighter/Engineer Jason Bowmaster and police officer Daniel DiMatteo were critically engineered. The driver of the vehicle, Bryce Allen Jr., was charged with second degree murder and two counts of criminal intent to commit second-degree murder. Pulaski Circuit court records show that he was acquitted by reason of mental disease or defect in January 2011 on charges of battery, terroristic threatening and resisting arrest. JASON GILBERT. The former Little Rock Police Department patrol officer, a thirdgeneration policeman who was indicted on a federal charge of conspiring to rob an armored car service, was sentenced to 42 months in prison.
THE OBSERVER NOTES ON THE PASSING SCENE
The Lovely goes nuclear LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX. Though The Observer is a happy-go-lucky sort, not prone to being dragged into the hog wallow of political squabbling, we’ve watched — first with bemusement, and then with growing horror when we realized they were serious — the kerfuffle on the Right over issues that we thought we had agreed to settle already for everyone’s communal good: specifically, women’s access to birth control, and that a woman who desires to take The Pill isn’t a trollop. Being one of that benighted sub-species known as “men,” The Observer has sweated over birth control a time or three in our day, the specifics of which we won’t get into. The simple, biological fact of the matter, though, is that womenfolk have a lot more on the line (as in: their health and future) when it comes to makin’ with the love. Given those stakes, we tend to believe that anything a woman wants to do to prevent pregnancy — from making her beau wear a fullbody moonsuit, to dancing a hoodoo ritual around a bonfire made from old copies of “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” — is fine and dandy. With nine months of feeling like you swallowed a medicine ball, the agony of childbirth, and a lifetime of stretch marks on the line, who the hell is some club-swinger like us to tell any woman what she can do in that regard? As The Observer’s dear ol’ Dad used to say: “That’s my belief, and to hell with yours.” We read with a smile, therefore, the editorial that appeared this week in that Paper of Record of the Ozarks, The Lovely County Citizen. Published in Eureka Springs, The Lovely County Citizen might be our favorite surviving newspaper in Arkansas (other than our home port here at the Arkansas Times, of course), packed as it is week-to-week with good-natured small-town kookery
(in this week’s issue, for example, they’ve got the dirt on a case of public urination on a hotel ice machine, and a group of banjo players — as in a group of congregated banjo players — being asked to tone it down while playing at three in the morning). The Police Beat column is a favorite of ours in particular. Our favorite of the favorite? An item a few years back in which officers responded to a call about a deer struck by a car. “When they got there,” the item said, “the deer was gone. The sad kind of gone.” Back to that editorial, though: Former Eureka Springs Mayor Dani Joy took to The Lovely to talk about the issue of reproductive freedom, and did it up right. “When I became mayor of Eureka Springs, I heard over and over I should be home birthing babies and baking cookies,” she wrote. “I was told I couldn’t make a reasonable decision for the city because I was a woman. I never did make a decision with my vagina.” She goes on to decry the “War on Women,” and reminds candidates that women vote. It’s only at the end, however, that she brings up The Nuclear Option, something that should put a hitch in the boxers of any hetero man, no matter what his political persuasion: “In the meantime, I have an idea,” Joy writes. “Since it appears to be really important to a few men to dictate the reproductive activities of all women, perhaps we should take this one step further. Maybe it’s time all women just stopped having sex altogether. I’m sure the men would understand.” We read a play about that once, a little Greek gem called “Lysistrata.” Our classical education aside, surely she doesn’t mean “all women” as in “all women.” Cut off Rush Limbaugh’s water to your heart’s content, ladies, but can’t us fine, upstanding libs get a pass?
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Arkansas Reporter
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IN S IDE R
Inmates get new barracks The Department of Correction has completed work to repair the old State Police barracks on Roosevelt Road to house up to 62 inmates. Fifty-eight were located there as of Tuesday. Inmates held there work at the Governor’s Mansion and the State Police Headquarters. Corrections got a $1.4 million appropriation in the 2012 legislative session to gut the building and remake as barracks.
Kays fight continues As of press time, historical preservationists in Jonesboro were still trying to save the Kays House at Arkansas State University. (Arkansas Times, March 21.) The ASU administration plans to remove the house, which was the home of ASU’s first president, V.C. Kays, and build sorority houses on the property. Scott Darwin, a retired ASU professor and outspoken opponent of the plan, on Tuesday called on all opponents to write letters to members of the ASU board of trustees; the president, Chuck Welch; the interim chancellor, Dan Howard; Gov. Mike Beebe, and Attorney General Dustin McDaniel. (Beebe and McDaniel are ASU alumni.) “Let them know that you wish for a lady and gentleman’s resolution of this situation through a thoughtful compromise. Remind these people that they serve all the people of Arkansas, not just a privileged few. So tell them the following: The sorority houses should be built AND the Kays house should be saved. It is not a question of either-or, but rather a question of both-and … Let me remind the administrators of ASU that as you do your cost/benefit analysis of this situation there is no price that you can put on the good will of your community. At the moment, you are running deeply in the red.”
New dog park wanted Members of the MacArthur Park Group are trying to spur interest in using MacArthur Park funds generated by the new Little Rock sales tax to create a new off-leash dog area. According to Humane Society statistics, Little Rock is home to 50,000 dogs and only one off-leash dog park (Paws at Murray Park). But the MacArthur dog park is still in the early planning stages. According to Keith Canfield, the mayor-appointed Ward I representative on the Animal Services Advisory Board, the MacArthur Park Group is still trying to determine if there is enough interest to make a CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 10
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ARKANSAS TIMES
REYNOLDS: Bella Vista resident credits medical marijuana with saving her life.
The medical marijuana push Activists work to gather signatures. BY CHEREE FRANCO
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aking new law can be a forked path, and over the past decade, Arkansas’s medical marijuana advocates have veered both ways. Currently, a coalition called Arkansans for Compassionate Care (ACC) is collecting signatures to earn its initiative, the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act, a spot on the November 2012 ballot. The coalition is primarily funded by the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), a national lobbying organization that helped Arizona, Michigan, Nevada and other states pass similar laws. MPP lawyers helped draft the Arkansas Act, and MPP has donated nearly a third of the $22,000 raised thus far. ACC is an offshoot of another political nonprofit, Alliance for Reform of Drug Policy in Arkansas, which tried a
legislative approach in 2003 and 2005. The bills, sponsored by Democratic state Rep. Jim Lendall of Little Rock, died in committee. In 2004, the Alliance also tried the ballot initiative route, collecting more than the 64,456 signatures needed to earn ballot representation. But former attorney general Charlie Daniels invalidated 17,000 signatures due to a notary public error on some petitions. A non-related group, Arkansans for Medical Cannabis, led a 2011 charge, supported by Sen. Randy Laverty, D-Jasper, to bring a different medical marijuana bill to the legislature. But Laverty failed to find a House co-sponsor, and the bill never made it to committee. Still, Ryan Denham, a registered lobbyist and the campaign director for
Arkansans for Compassionate Care, is optimistic “I’m confident this will pass,” he said. For the initiative to appear on the ballot, the coalition must collect 65,000 signatures by July. Nearly a year into petitioning, Denham said they are roughly halfway there. If the act passes, Arkansas would join 16 other states and the District of Columbia in allowing doctors to write prescriptions for marijuana. Synthetic marijuana pills are legal in every state but because these are not natural extracts, they only contain THC. Natural marijuana has a myriad of other compounds thought to be medically beneficial. Denham also said that patients struggling with nausea may have problems taking pills. “If a chemo patient can’t digest the pill, if they vomit it up, there’s $200 in the toilet.” The initiative is modeled after the Maine Medical Marijuana Act, passed in 2009. “We learned from California and other states with not much regulation. Our act is 13 pages long. We think it has ample protections against fraud, for both the caregivers and the patients,” Denham said. It outlines 15 specific conditions physicians could prescribe marijuana for: cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Tourette Syndrome, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, post-traumatic stress disorder, fibromyalgia and Alzheimer’s. There’s also a clause that prevents employers from firing a patient for holding a medical marijuana card. Only patients holding cards issued by the state Department of Health would be allowed to purchase and carry marijuana. Patients could purchase the drug from dispensaries or, if they live farther than five miles from a dispensary, they could grow their own — up to six plants per patient. The proposal also has provisions for plant “caregivers,” who could grow up to 30 plants for five patients. The proposal caps the number of statewide dispensaries at one per 25 pharmacies (at current count, that would be 30 dispensaries statewide), and it forbids dispensaries within 500 feet of a school or community center. There’s also a provision that allows counties or cities to ban dispensaries altogether. Convicted felons wouldn’t be allowed to be patients, dispensary owners or plant caregivers. CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
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dog park top priority among MacArthur Park improvements. There will be a public organizational meeting at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 31, on the second floor of the MacArthur Park Museum to discuss the budget and overall concept and assign volunteer committees. Tentative plans include covered areas, fountains and doggie wading pools and even free wi-fi, but the amenities are subject to budget constraints. The park is slated to nestle in the angle of I-30 and I-630, along the park’s western corridor. Formed in 2006, MacArthur Park Group is a volunteer steering committee that works with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and the Downtown Partnership to raise money for MacArthur Park improvements. Three years ago, the group had a Minneapolis design firm assess MacArthur Park and draw up award-winning plans that now guide the group’s projects. The dog park is among a three-part focus that also includes enhanced playgrounds and refurbishing a multi-court space used for soccer games and bike polo. Canfield said the group is focusing on the dog park first because “it’s relatively low cost and quick construction.” The group hopes to begin work on the park this year.
In the wetlands area of Riverfront Park, near the Clinton Library, I saw a large mound of what looked like cornmeal that someone had put there. Do you know what this is and why it’s there? Whatever it is, or was, it’s gone now. After the city of Little Rock was alerted by the Arkansas Times, city workers went to the park, found the mound and removed it. Assistant City Manager Bryan Day said the material did indeed appear to be cornmeal, although he couldn’t say for sure. He said that a couple of Canadian geese had taken up residence in the park, and he surmised the meal was put out by someone to feed the geese. But the feeding of wildlife in city parks can cause many problems, Day said, which is why the city removed the substance. The City of North Little Rock has been engaged in a much-publicized and sometimes controversial effort to remove Canadian geese from Burns Park, where a large number of geese had settled, apparently because people fed them, and where they were befouling the park with their droppings.
Ellington on WM3
It’s legal, though you might suspect otherwise if you were trying to put the question to Entergy directly. Entergy thwarted efforts by an Arkansas Times reporter to reach anyone who might answer questions about the charge, shunting the reporter from one number to another, requiring him to wait long periods just to hear a busy signal and then be cut off. Finally, we called John Bethel, executive director of the state Public Service Commission, who was both able and willing to answer our questions, and graciously to boot. Government bureaucrats, yes. Utility executives, no. In the 2009 legislative session, public utilities persuaded the legislature to approve bills allowing the
utilities to issue bonds to pay the cost of storm damage, and to raise the rates of the utilities’ customers to pay off the bonds. The ice storms of Jan. 27 and 28, 2009, caused significant damage and outages to Entergy’s system, especially in northern Arkansas. Energy asked and received approval from the PSC for a $124 million bond issue. The length of the bond issue is about 10 years. Entergy began collecting the ice storm recovery charge in December 2010. This is the first and only time the new law has been used, so far. All Entergy’s Arkansas customers are paying the charge, although amounts differ for different classes of customer — residential, commercial, industrial, etc.
We recently revived the “Ask the Times” feature, in which we answer questions from readers about, well, anything. Digital media makes it a heck of a lot easier to ask your questions; if you have one, just e-mail lindseymillar@arktimes.com with the subject line “Ask the Times.”
PHOTOS BY CYNTHIA NELSON (CORNMEAL), JOE RAVI (GEESE), KAI CADDY (ICE STORM)
What’s this “ice storm recovery” business that Entergy is trying to pull? For months, there’s been a $1.77 “ice storm recovery charge” on my monthly power bill. What’s going on? Do all Entergy’s customers pay this charge? Is this legal?
A report on a Memphis TV station’s website quotes Scott Ellington, the prosecutor in the West Memphis Three hearing last year that set the men free, that he asked the lawyers for the defense to come up with a guilty plea that would get them out of prison. WMC News reported that “The Attorney General told Ellington the defense asked for his consent to forego the evidentiary hearing and go straight to trial. ‘I said that would not be a good thing, because I was going to use that evidentiary hearing as a discovery mechanism to prepare for court later and the trials that would be upcoming,’ said Ellington. Ellington said he thought up a compromise. ‘I said, hey, if they want to resolve this case and get their guys out of prison now, let them come forward with some other offer that they would plead guilty and then we can discuss that,’ said Ellington.” Ellington is a candidate for 1st District Congress. He was visiting a mobile home park in West Memphis when he talked about the three men convicted of killing three young boys in West Memphis in 1993; the men who used Alford pleas — a guilty plea that allows the defendant to maintain his innocence — in the hearing that set them free last August. www.arktimes.com
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An Achieving the Dream Institution
Winthrop Rockefeller and his dedication to positive change in Arkansas.
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COURTESY UALR CENTER FOR ARKANSAS HISTORY AND CULTURE
KISSING BABIES ON THE CAMPAGIN TRAIL: Winthrop Rockefeller in 1966.
The election T that changed Arkansas politics WINTHROP ROCKEFELLER’S HISTORIC 1966 VICTORY. BY JOHN A. KIRK
he 1966 gubernatorial election was a defining moment in 20th century Arkansas politics. Not before nor since has the electorate been offered such a polar choice of candidates. New York-born millionaire Winthrop Rockefeller’s victory over homegrown Crossett lawyer James D. Johnson made Rockefeller the first Republican governor of Arkansas in 94 years. Rockefeller’s victory, and his 1968 re-election, produced a thoroughgoing reform of the Arkansas Democratic Party and introduced a two-party political system to the state for the first time in living memory. Rockefeller was an unlikely champion in Arkansas politics. Born May 1, 1912, he was the grandson of John D. Rockefeller, one of the founders of Standard Oil Company, and the son of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., the sole male heir to the family fortune. Rockefeller grew up in New York with his older sister and as the second youngest of five brothers. After attending schools in New York and Connecticut, Rockefeller enrolled at Yale University. A restless spirit, he never settled at Yale, and he left in his junior year to go work as a roustabout in the Texas oil fields. CONTINUED ON PAGE 15
www.arktimes.com
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COURTESY ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER
BREAKING GROUND: Rockefeller (second from left) and others, Aug. 20, 1961.
WR and the arts The Rockefellers a force in opening the Arts Center. BY LESLIE NEWELL PEACOCK
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ost Arkansans know that without Winthrop and Jeannette Rockefeller, the Arkansas Arts Center might have taken a much longer time to become reality, if ever. The Rockefellers poured both money and time into the Junior League’s project, first dreamed of in 1957, to create a contemporary fine arts center. Jeane Hamilton has a broader view of the Rockefellers’ involvement, however. It was Hamilton, as project director, League president Carrie Dickinson and vice president Marilyn McHaney who first approached the Rockefellers about their idea to build an arts center. Though Rockefeller had been in Arkansas since 1953, and had been appointed by Gov. Orval Faubus to 14
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head the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission in 1955, he and Jeannette hadn’t yet stepped out into the broader community, Hamilton said: “They were the new kids on the block.” The Arts Center project gave them the opportunity to meet people all over Arkansas. Though she didn’t know him well, Hamilton had met Rockefeller before. She and her husband, James Knox Hamilton, built the first house in the Robinwood subdivision off Cantrell in what was then West Little Rock, and Rockefeller had moved from the Sam Peck Hotel, his first stop in the state, to a rented house on Cantrell. “I can remember seeing him drive up and down [Cantrell] in that Cadillac,” a maroon convertible, she said.
When it came time to raise big money for the Arts Center project the obvious person to approach was the state’s wealthiest resident. “Why not think big?” Hamilton asked. Hamilton, Dickinson and McHaney drove up to the Rockefeller ranch one Sunday morning in 1959 to ask WR to head the capital campaign. Jeannette Rockefeller gave the three League women luncheon, and Rockefeller joined them later. They told him they wanted to build a community arts center. “Girls, if we’re going to build an arts center, it needs to be for the whole state of Arkansas,” Rockefeller told them. He declined their request for him to head up the campaign, but said he’d help them find a chair. He also mentioned that a group in Virginia had created an art mobile to travel the state, an idea that could help the group make the pitch to all of Arkansas for help. The next day, Rockefeller friend Jack Pickens called Hamilton and said Larry Kelley (both men were owners in Pickens-Bond construction) would be chairman of the local campaign. The idea came at an opportune time, city business leaders like Sam Strauss and Dave Grundfest said in giving the arts center their support, because they believed it would help remove the tarnish left by the Central High crisis. As the fund-raising moved into a statewide campaign, Winthrop and Jeannette Rockefeller and the Junior Leaguers traveled all over Arkansas, in Rockefeller’s private plane whenever there was a landing strip, making 21 trips to make the case for an Arkansas Arts Center. “We covered the waterfront,” said Hamilton, raising money even from children who’d “put their nickels and dimes in fruit jars.” When the drive raised $645,000 (the equivalent of $5 million in today’s dollars with inflation at 4 percent), a sum that included private gifts, public dollars ($75,000 from Little Rock) and a match from New York’s Rockefeller Foundation, Rockefeller threw a party for donors at the Top of the Rock (on the 18th floor of Little Rock’s “skyscraper”). Ground was broken on the Arts Center on Aug. 20, 1961. Rockefeller’s brother, David, later donated the money to buy the Artmobile. Before the Arts Center was complete, at a cost of about $1.5 million, WR had donated $432,426 and would give another $1.6 million in the years to come, according to biographer John L. Ward. It’s unlikely that the first exhibition at the Arts Center when it opened May 18, 1963, would have been paintings from the Metropolitan Museum of Art
had it not been for the Rockefellers. James Rorimer, director of the Met, attended the gala, as did famed cartoonist Charles Addams and actress Joan Fontaine, dancing to the strains of Dave Brubeck’s music. Just as Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art took out advertising in national media like the New York Times announcing its opening last year, the Arts Center welcomed people to come to Arkansas’s new cultural showplace in ads in the New Yorker magazine, Business Week, the Wall Street Journal and Fortune magazine. The Rockefeller money would eventually prove problematic for the Arts Center; the thinking was, with all that Rockefeller dough, why should people donate their own dollars? In 1968, the Arts Center was suffering financially, thanks in part to the theatrically excellent but costly bachelor of fine arts program. It was time to change tactics. Hamilton, then chairman of the board of trustees’ program committee, was quoted in an article about the Arts Center’s troubles in the Arkansas Democrat as saying, “The board thinks it is neither desirable nor proper that the institution be financed any longer by any one family to the extent the Winthrop Rockefellers have supported it thus far.” To encourage public participation in a capital campaign to raise $260,000 to keep the Arts Center’s doors open and programming alive, the Rockefellers pledged $130,000 in dollar-to-dollar matching funds. The Rockefellers “were nice folks,” Hamilton said. “We always felt at ease” with them, going up to Petit Jean for the famous cattle sales, where cattlemen would bid on Santa Gertrudis cattle and visitors would party with Greer Garson and James Michener and Edgar Bergen. The Rockefellers’ efforts on behalf of the Arts Center altered their personas; WR “wasn’t just some guy from New York,” Hamilton said. “It gave him an opportunity to develop as an individual … it was an important stepping stone for Winthrop.” And while his new-found Arkansas identity was forged with an eye to political gain, it didn’t hurt when Rockefeller did decide to run for governor. Then Arkansas had both a contemporary arts center to be proud of and a twoparty political system, said Hamilton, a native of Indiana who found Arkansas’s all-Democratic political system unusual when she moved to the state. “Arkansas would not be what we are today if Winthrop Rockefeller had not come here, believe me,” Hamilton said. “He brought us out of the dark ages.”
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 Rockefeller subsequently held several jobs with family connections from Chase Manhattan Bank to Socony-Vacuum Oil Company before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1941. He saw active service during World War II in the Pacific at Guam, Leyte and Okinawa. On April 2, 1945, Rockefeller’s ship the Henrico was attacked by a kamikaze pilot, killing 75 and wounding 150 men. Rockefeller suffered flash burns and was hospitalized for six weeks. By the end of the war, he had risen from the rank of private to lieutenant colonel. After returning from the war to New York, Rockefeller was one of the most eligible bachelors in the United States. However, a short-lived and illfated marriage to Barbara “Bobo” Sears resulted in an acrimonious divorce, though the union did produce a son, Winthrop Paul. Looking to escape the glare of publicity, in 1953 Rockefeller took the advice of former army buddy, Arkansan Frank Newell, and moved to the state. He bought a 927-acre tract on top of Petit Jean Mountain and immediately began building Winrock Farms, stocking its fields with prime Santa
Gertrudis cattle. In 1956, Rockefeller married Jeanette Edris from Seattle and gained two stepchildren, Ann and Bruce Bartley. Gov. Orval Faubus quickly sought to enlist Rockefeller’s name and business contacts to serve the state. In 1955, Faubus appointed Rockefeller chair of the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission (AIDC), and Rockefeller set about luring new industry to the state with great success. Then came the 1957 Little Rock school crisis. Rockefeller pleaded with Faubus not to embark on a reckless course of calling out the National Guard to prevent school desegregation. Faubus did not listen. No new companies located to Little Rock for the next three years because of the racial crisis that enveloped the city. Rockefeller was convinced that to advance Arkansas economically he would have to steer the state in a new direction politically. In 1964, he resigned as AIDC chair and ran against Faubus for governor. He lost, and Faubus won a record-breaking sixth term in office. Undeterred, Rockefeller immediately began preparing for his next campaign. His chances of success were boosted when Faubus declared that he would not seek re-election in 1966. CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
COURTESY UALR CENTER FOR ARKANSAS HISTORY AND CULTURE
ROCKEFELLER
PROMINENT REPUBLICANS: President Eisenhower, Rockefeller and Winthrop Paul in 1957.
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Thank you to the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation for your investment in Arkansas!
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What WR left behind
And what he didn’t. BY DOUG SMITH
A
top Petit Jean Mountain, there’s something not found anywhere else, and it’s not a rare species of flora or fauna. It’s a re-creation of a lieutenant governor’s office. Lieutenant governors are seldom revered. Most are barely remembered. The lieutenant governor’s job is part-time at best, and even those part-time tasks are largely ceremonial. In Arkansas, the lieutenant governor presides over the state Senate when it’s in session, usually a couple of months every couple of years, and he plays like he’s governor when the real governor is out of town. That’s mostly what Winthrop Paul Rockefeller, known as “Win,” did too, and although he held the job longer than most — 10 years — and tried harder than most to make it fulltime, his service as lieutenant governor is not the stuff of history books. Nor is it what a visitor thinks of when he looks at the replica of Win Rockefeller’s state Capitol office that opened to the public this month, on Rockefeller family property at Petit Jean. We ponder not what he did, but what he might have done. He might have followed in the footsteps of his father, Winthrop Rockefeller, by becoming governor of Arkansas. That would have been a historic event. Arkansas has never had a father-son gubernatorial combo. Win Rockefeller almost certainly would have won the Republican nomination, and possibly the general election as well. If he had his father’s disadvantage of not being a natural politician, he
ROCKEFELLER
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 The Democratic nominee in 1966 was James D. Johnson. Johnson’s background, career, and political outlook could not have been more different than Rockefeller’s. From the small lumber town of Crossett, Johnson was the son of an independent grocer. Educated in
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also had his father’s advantages — great wealth to invest in political campaigns, and the voters’ certainty that Rockefellers don’t steal. Win might have had a large impact on Arkansas political attitudes, as his father did. He might have been a moderating influence on what has become a Republican Party of extremists. Certainly he would have enhanced the Rockefeller family’s already imposing reputation for public service. Besides his father, one of his uncles was governor of New York and vice president of the United States. A cousin is a United States senator from West Virginia. But Win Rockefeller did none of those things. Instead, he, like his father, succumbed to cancer at a comparatively early age — 57 for Win, who seemed on his way to being governor, 60 for Winthrop, who lived only a couple of years after he was defeated in a try for a third term as governor. Win Rockefeller was an only child, so if one looks for Winthrop Rockefeller’s legacy, in the 100th anniversary of his birth, one bumps up sharply against what might have been. Still, the what-is, is more substantial than most people’s. It includes the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute on Petit Jean. The property once was part of Winthrop Rockefeller’s homestead and cattle farm. (Other parts of both homestead and farm remain in use, under the aegis of the Rockefeller family. Win Rockefeller’s widow, Lisenne, and their children sometimes reside in the Petit Jean home. The principal family home is in
Little Rock.) The Institute is part of the University of Arkansas System, but the U of A provides only expertise, not funding. The money came from the Winthrop Rockefeller Charitable Trust, which was established after Winthrop’s death and has offices in Little Rock. Conferences, seminars and workshops on various large issues are held year-round at the Institute, which describes itself as “a center for thought leadership.” Winthrop Rockefeller always wanted some of the Petit Jean property to be used for educational purposes, according to Kathy Edgerton, the Institute’s director of communications and marketing. Three issues that the Institute is emphasizing are food security, philanthropy and civic engagement, she said.
But the Institute also houses the recreation of Win’s lieutenant governor’s office, and, just down the hall, a replica of the office Winthrop used at Petit Jean while he was governor. With a fleet of aircraft at his disposal, Rockefeller spent more time at Petit Jean than in Little Rock at the Capitol or the Governor’s Mansion, his official residence. There’s also a Winthrop Rockefeller Legacy Gallery and Theater here, containing films, photographs and tons of information. No other Arkansas governor has anything like it. The Bill Clinton Library in Little Rock is for the president, not the governor. The gallery includes assessments of Rockefeller by former associates and others, including, notably, former governor and senator Dale Bumpers, who defeated
local schools, he attended Cumberland University Law School in Birmingham, Ala., where he entered politics at the age of 23, working for the National States’ Rights Party 1948 presidential candidate Strom Thurmond. In 1950, Johnson was elected the youngest state senator in Arkansas history. After two terms in office, in 1954 Johnson made a failed bid to become attorney general. The following year, he
emerged at the forefront of Arkansas’s massive resistance movement against school desegregation as the leader of the Associated White Citizens’ Council of Arkansas. In 1956, he unsuccessfully challenged incumbent governor Orval Faubus in the Democratic Party primary. In 1958, he won election to the Arkansas Supreme Court. In 1966, with Faubus out of the way, Johnson made a second run for gov-
ernor. Billing himself as “Justice” Jim Johnson he campaigned in the same folksy, revivalist, conservative pro-segregation manner as he’d done against Faubus 10 years earlier. Johnson’s main selling point in the Democratic primary was that he could distance himself from the Faubus Democratic machine and cast himself as “the only choice for change.” The Arkansas Republican Party
FARSIGHTED: Rockefeller at Petit Jean.
COURTESY UALR CENTER FOR ARKANSAS HISTORY AND CULTURE
Rockefeller in 1970 but never spoke ill of speculated that irregular behavior by Rockhim. There’s a film Rockefeller made in efeller might be attributable not to alcohol, 1957 for his father, John D. Rockefeller but to the powerful Picayunes he smoked Jr., who never came to Arkansas, about in quantity.) what the younger Rockefeller had been The Rockefeller Trust also supports the up to since moving to Arkansas in 1953. Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, which It’s slicker than the average home movie. is headquartered in Little Rock and has for Rockefeller hired a Hollywood production 36 years been making grants to what it concrew, though he did the narration himself. siders worthy Arkansas causes. Last year Most of it was shot on the farm where alone, the Foundation gave a total of more Rockefeller raised cattle. A lot of men in than $6 million to 52 groups. It emphasizes cowboy hats move through. From today’s certain areas in its giving, including reducvantage point, we note that most of them tion of the number of Arkansas families have cigarettes in their mouths. (A digres- living below 200 percent of the federal sion: Rockefeller was the first Arkansas poverty line; increasing high school, vocagovernor to publicly admit taking a drink tional school and college graduation rates, now and then, and stories about Rocke- and “Increasing educational attainment feller drinking circulated widely, especially and economic mobility in select commuamong legislators. But one keen observer nities in Arkansas.”
gubernatorial primary that year was the first in almost a decade. A 1957 state law had required political parties to hold primary elections for contested posts and the Republicans duly began to comply in 1958. However, the winner of the Republican primary for governor that year went on to poll so few votes in the general election that the Republicans decided to save their money. From then on they nominated just one candidate
for each office, removing the legal obligation to hold party primaries. In 1966, to force a Republican primary election, an old Faubus supporter, Gus McMillan, filed against Rockefeller. It was a futile gesture: Rockefeller handily won the primary by 19,956 to 310 votes. It also proved a political miscalculation: “Our Democratic opponents…hoped we would have to hold a
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ROCKEFELLER
COURTESY UALR CENTER FOR ARKANSAS HISTORY AND CULTURE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 statewide primary, with the idea that the expense and trouble would weaken us,” observed Arkansas Republican Party chair John Paul Hammerschmidt. “On the contrary, it will make us stronger.” The primary provided a useful electoral dry run ahead of the general election and a chance to mobilize grassroots support. At the 1966 Democratic State Convention, Faubus stole the show on the first day with a triumphalist speech about his achievements as governor. The next day, Johnson delivered his convention speech in which he railed against his opponent Rockefeller as a “Madison Avenue Cowboy” and “prissy sissy.” Johnson declared that by contrast he stood for “the preservation of our Christian faith and heritage, the preservation of constitutional government, and the preservation of our right to own and control private property.” Unease over Johnson’s candidacy within Democratic ranks led to the formation of a “Democrats for Rockefeller” organization made up of liberal Democrats who did not like Johnson’s ultraconservative politics. Johnson sought to counter this move with a “Republicans for Jim Johnson” organization but, as one Rockefeller man noted, it “could have met in a telephone booth.” Operating from a small two-room office at the Marion Hotel in Little Rock, “Democrats for Rockefeller” ran stinging campaign ads with lines such as, “Do the Democratic Party a favor … Vote for Rockefeller!” Developments in the national Democratic Party also went against Jim John-
sometimesthe thebest bestthings thingsin inlife lifecome cometo to sometimes thosewho who wait. those wait.
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CAMPAIGNING: WR in 1966.
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ARKANSAS TIMES
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son. The growing unpopularity of President Lyndon B. Johnson in Arkansas threatened to weaken support for all Democratic candidates in the state. “There can be no doubt about it,” noted one Democratic pollster, “President Johnson is in a poor shape in Arkansas today.” This was put down to “frustration over the Vietnam War, unhappiness at the high cost of living and the feeling that he has gone too far on racial problems.” Republican pollsters had Lyndon Johnson down as low as 27 per cent of the vote in the state. Jim Johnson sought to distance himself from his presidential namesake, reassuring voters that, “I’m…not kin to Lyndon Johnson, either by blood or philosophically.” Jim Johnson could point to the fact that he had strongly endorsed conservative Republican Barry Goldwater for president in 1964 as proof of this. Yet neither Jim Johnson’s rejection of Lyndon Johnson nor his support for Barry Goldwater played well in the campaign. His attacks on the incumbent president only succeeded in pushing liberal Democrats closer to Rockefeller. Meanwhile, Rockefeller exploited Johnson’s support for Goldwater in 1964 by asking “If Jimmy Johnson can support a Republican, why can’t everybody else?” Polling told the Rockefeller camp
that the three main issues of interest to voters in Arkansas were education, jobs and roads. On education, Johnson’s opposition to the Brown decision and his involvement with the 1957 school crisis contrasted with Rockefeller’s investment of money in a model school program in Morrilton. On jobs, Rockefeller’s record with the AIDC in bringing new industry to the state was unsurpassed. On roads, Rockefeller had already committed to developing the state’s infrastructure. What many voters appeared to want most in 1966 was change: a new politics, a new direction, and new ideas for advancing Arkansas’s politics, economy, society and culture. As one of Rockefeller’s campaign team summed up, “the segregationist, evangelical appeal of Jim Johnson just did not fit the 20th century image Arkansans were so anxious to achieve.” Fortunately for Rockefeller, many of the “hot button” issues which today prove beneficial to conservative Republicans, and which would have benefited Jim Johnson in 1966, did not appear relevant. Voters were in two minds over Johnson’s combining of religion and politics. While 65 per cent thought that whether a candidate went to church or not would make a difference to their
Race and Ethnicity in Arkansas: Perspectives on the African American and Latina/o Experience Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12, 2012 Central Arkansas Library Darragh Center Little Rock This conference is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the UALR Department of History at 501.569.3235.
The School of Social Work celebrates the life and legacy of Winthrop Rockefeller and shares his commitment to social, economic, and racial justice.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
Bringing Positive change to the Delta And rural Arkansas towns
Pr s ov ice v idi r ng se com ent m p munity o And economic Devel
COURTESY UALR CENTER FOR ARKANSAS HISTORY AND CULTURE
Technical Assistance/Consulting
MEETING AND GREETING: Rockefeller in 1966.
Community Revitalization Economic Empowerment Leadership Training Assistance To Small Businesses Grant Writing Educational Programs CDBG Grant Administrator 516 West Pershing • north LittLe rock 501.376.4567 • www.houseaboutit.org www.arktimes.com
MARCH 28, 2012
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COURTESY UALR CENTER FOR ARKANSAS HISTORY AND CULTURE
TRAVELING: With wife Jeannette and as governor (below).
ROCKEFELLER
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19
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vote, 75 per cent thought that religion should not play a role in politics. Likewise, almost three-quarters of voters did not see Rockefeller’s status as a divorce as a problem. In the pre-Roe v. Wade world, abortion policy did not feature at all. Neither did the question of teaching evolution in schools, which was already outlawed in Arkansas. This meant that two-thirds of Arkansas voters did not know what evolution theory was. The third that did were evenly split over whether it should be taught in schools. Johnson’s opposition to big government actually hurt him when Rockefeller raised the question of how safe the state’s federal aid would be in his opponent’s hands. This was crucial in Arkansas in the 1960s when for every one dollar of taxpayers’ money that left the state three federal tax dollars came in. Many people in Arkansas relied on some sort of federal subsidy. Supporting increases in these payments was a political necessity. Both candidates fought
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over who could deliver Arkansans the most welfare money. Johnson promised an extra 10 dollars per head of population within a year of election. Rockefeller assured voters that “it is both a moral obligation and in society’s best interest to help those unable to help themselves.” If there was one issue that proved a tiebreaker it was civil rights. Rockefeller was known to be the more racially liberal candidate, although he was reluctant to trumpet this for fear of alienating conservative white voters. Johnson, the state’s former White Citizens’ Council head, from the outset refused to shake hands with African Americans on the campaign trail and made it perfectly clear that he did not want black votes. Johnson’s position on civil rights cost him dearly. With increasing racial strife in the nation in the mid-to-late-1960s Arkansas voters were concerned about what would happen in their state. They were wary about Johnson’s fiery rhetoric on race fanning the flames of discord. In 1964, Faubus had outscored Rockefeller among voters when asked which candidate could best keep the racial peace. CONTINUED ON PAGE 22
s e e
Rockefeller Centennial events
April 1: Rockefeller Digital Project @ ualrexhibits.org/ Rockefeller The UALR Center for Arkansas History and Culture’s site provides access to the collection’s finding aid and a bibliography of materials, information on the Conference on Race and Ethnicity and instructions on accessing the collection. April 4: Re-enactment of Rockefeller’s tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., State Capitol steps, 10-11:30 a.m. Rockefeller, the only Southern governor to hold a public memorial service after King’s murder, told the April 7 audience that “Arkansas today stands at the threshold of leading the nation in a demonstration of what people of good will, god-fearing people, gathered together can do for a better America.” The Arkansas MLK Commission, Gov. Mike Beebe, other living governors and many people who were at the 1968 observance will gather on the Capitol steps to recreate the moment. You can hear Rockefeller’s speech at historypin.com. April 12-13: Political Reform Conference, 4 p.m. April 12-5 p.m. April 13, WRI. Former Govs. Dale Bumpers, David Pryor and Jim Guy Tucker will join Hendrix professor Jay Barth, state Supreme Court Justice Robert Brown, Center for Public Integrity director Bill Buzenberg, Cook Political Report publisher Charlie Cook, University of Oklahoma professor Keith Gaddie, UALR professor John Kirk and others in dsicussing the government reforms instituted by Rockefeller and current political efforts. May 1: Virtual Exhibit: Inside the Collection, ualrexhibits.org/
e x h i b i t i o n
TheM a Rockefeller Influence y 25 – august 19, 2012
T
SponSored by LiSenne rockefeLLer • Sandra and bob connor • LiSa and Sam baxter
TRIBUTE TO KING.
COURTESY UALR CENTER FOR ARKANSAS HISTORY AND CULTURE
he Winthrop Rockefeller Institute of the University of Arkansas and other entities are sponsoring several public events to observe the centennial of the former governor’s birth. Along with these events, the UALR Center for Arkansas History and Culture has digitized certain recordings and images from its Winthrop Rockefeller Collection and made them available online at historypin.com and wr100. org. Here are the events and links to UALR’s collection.
t h e
Rockefeller. A multimedia exploration of the collection by archivists and UALR history professor John Kirk’s research on Rockefeller’s life and work in civil rights and social justice, industry and agriculture, politics, education and arts and heritage. May 11-12: Arkansas and Race Conference, UALR Rockefeller’s advocacy for equal rights among the races will be paid tribute at a conference on the AfricanAmerican experience in Arkansas. Participants are the UALR History Department, the UALR Center for Arkansas History and Culture, the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, and the Central Arkansas Library System. May 25-Aug. 19: “The Rockefeller Influence,” Arkansas Arts Center. The exhibition of works given to the Arts Center by members of the Rockefeller family coincides with the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Arts Center, a project brought to fruition in large part by Winthrop and Jeannette Rockefeller.
9th & Commerce
Little Rock
501 372 4000
w w w.arkar ts.com
WILLIAM E. DAVIS, American (Little Rock, Arkansas, 1918- ): Winthrop Rockefeller, circa 1965, gelatin silver print, Arkansas Arts Center Foundation Collection: Purchase.
Your Legacy Lives On...
May 31: Centennial Reception, WRI. By-invitation-only event the Friday evening before the Winthrop Rockefeller Legacy Event. June 1-2: Winthrop Rockefeller Legacy Event, WRI. The fifth annual event, which highlights policies and accomplishments of Rockefeller, will this year focus on the development of philanthropy in Arkansas. Participating organizations will include the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, Winrock International and the Arkansas Community Foundation. The first Winthrop Rockefeller Philanthropy Award will be given.
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ROCKEFELLER
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20 In 1966, they went for Rockefeller over Johnson by a three-to-one margin. As Rockefeller noted, “The reckless course of white supremacy at any cost was running out of appeal; it was losing its credibility with the people.” African-American voters were the decisive factor in the outcome of the election. In 1964, the passage of the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitu-
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tion outlawed the use of the poll tax in federal elections. The following year, Arkansas abolished the poll tax altogether and introduced a permanent personal voter registration system. The new system required a free, one-off registration that in most cases lasted a lifetime. Along with the efforts of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee to register African-American voters in the state, money from the Atlanta-based Voter Education Project, which was directed by Arkansas Pine Bluff attorney Wiley Branton, and Rock-
efeller’s own considerable resources, there was a significant rise in AfricanAmerican registered voters. Rockefeller won the election by 306,324 to 257,203 votes (54.4 per cent to 45.6 per cent), a margin of just 49,121 votes. Estimates have put Rockefeller narrowly losing to Johnson on white votes alone by about 18,000. But Rockefeller claimed at least 67,000 more African-American votes than Johnson, enough for the winning margin overall. Rockefeller was again re-elected with a substantial African-American
vote in 1968. During his two terms in office, Rockefeller battled a largely hostile, overwhelmingly Democrat-dominated state legislature. In 1967, there were no Republican state senators at all and Democrats outnumbered Republicans in the Arkansas House of Representatives by 97 seats to 3. Nevertheless, among Rockefeller’s achievements in office, as well as a more progressive racial agenda of toleration and affirmative action in state government hiring practices, was the adoption of the state’s first minimum wage law, a freedom of information law, a tightening of tax legislation and a crackdown on illegal gambling. The most wide-ranging reforms came in the state’s notoriously archaic penal system. Rockefeller brought better medical care, better food and an educational program to Arkansas prisons. During his tenure as governor, Rockefeller also replaced a trusty system of inmate supervision with hired guards to weed out day-today corruption. An ardent opponent of the death penalty, Rockefeller’s final act in office was to commute the death sentences of all 15 men on death row. Defeated in the 1970 election by Democrat Dale Bumpers, Rockefeller withdrew from the political scene and fell seriously ill not long after. On February 22, 1973, Rockefeller died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 60. The longest lasting legacy of the 1966 election was its impact on the Arkansas Democratic Party. The election of Dale Bumpers in 1970 offered what many Arkansans had wanted all along: a Rockefeller program for reform run and implemented by a Democrat. Bumpers was one of a number of so-called “New Democrats” to emerge in the South in the 1970s. Jim Johnson’s 1966 defeat convinced Arkansas Democrats to eschew their segregationist past and to instead embrace a new brand of progressive politics. Bumpers, who later went on to become one of Arkansas’s two U.S. Senators, was succeeded by another liberal Democrat, David Pryor. Pryor, in turn, went on to win election as Arkansas’s other U.S. senator. Bill Clinton succeeded Pryor and, of course, went even further in his political career by going all the way to the White House in 1992 and then again in 1996. No one was better placed than Clinton to point out that, “Ironically…it was the Democratic Party which benefitted most from Rockefeller’s Republican administration.” Without Rockefeller’s 1966 victory there may well have never been a Clinton presidency. At the same time, paradoxically, Rockefeller’s victory also paved the way for the emergence of a two-party
John A. Kirk is Donaghey professor and chair of the history department at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. A longer version of this article was pub� lished as “A ��������������������������� Southern Road Less Trav� elled: The 1966 Arkansas Gubernatorial Election and (Winthrop) Rockefeller Republicanism in Dixie,” in “Painting Dixie Red: When, Where, Why, and How the South Became Republican,” edited by Glenn Feldman, University Press of Florida, 2011. The personal papers of Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller, Gov. Dale Bumpers, and Lt. Gov. Winthrop Paul Rockefeller can all be found at the UALR Center for Arkan� sas History and Culture at the Arkansas Studies Institute. For more information ACH_ART_13H.pdf 1 3/26/12 see ualr.edu/cahc.
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system in Arkansas and laid the longerterm foundations for the Republican Party to become a force in state politics. When Rockefeller was elected governor in 1966, Republican Party chair John Paul Hammerschmidt also won Arkansas’s Third U.S. Congressional District. This was the Republicans’ first Arkansas U.S. Congress seat in the 20th century. Republicans have held the district ever since and have expanded their influence throughout the rest of the state. Rockefeller’s son, Winthrop Paul, was a Republican lieutenant governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2006. On the cusp of a run for governor in 2006, he too fell seriously ill and like his father he died tragically young at the age of 57. As Arkansas commemorates the 100th anniversary of Winthrop Rockefeller’s birth, his legacy in politics, as in so many other aspects of the state’s life, remains both very tangible and profoundly influential.
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ACC had to revise the initiative three times before attorney general Dustin McDaniel certified it, in May 2011. That’s when the coalition began amassing signatures. Outreach efforts are underway all over the state, at colleges, concerts, shopping centers — “anywhere where large groups of people gather,” said Denham. Some business owners, such as Doug McDowall at North Little Rock’s Neighborhood Wine and Spirits, even keep petitions at the register. “The process is speeding up because we’ve grown considerably. People support this — even those you wouldn’t think. It bridges gaps between race, class and religion,” Denham added. Retired financial analyst Gene Remley heads volunteer efforts. He’s worked with medical marijuana initiatives in the past, but “this time has been different,” he said. “People know people who have benefited from medical marijuana, or maybe they know someone experiencing side affects from hard pharmaceuticals.” He’s seen more support among older voters than in his prior experiences. Many people see marijuana as a gentle alternative to opiates or psychotropic drugs, both of which come with unpleasant side affects. “It is only logical that marijuana be available to help people with chronic conditions. Opiates slow thinking, cause severe constipation, make you depressed ... you have to take higher and higher doses, and then there’s a withdrawal period,” said Dr. David Crittenden, an internist at the Veterans Healthcare System of the Ozarks in Fayetteville. According to Denhem, social aversion is largely due to conditioning. “Marijuana is much safer than some other options. Pharmaceuticals kill thousands of people a year. No one has ever died from an overdose of marijuana. You can’t even say that about aspirin,” he said. And in some cases, marijuana is just what works. In 1991, at only 35, Kathy Reynolds of Bella Vista was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer. Her diagnosis came with a 98 percent fatality rate. After an extreme treatment that involved removing and cleaning her bone marrow, Reynolds was too ill to keep anything down. She remembers the dates precisely. “From Feb. 19 till May 5, no matter what I tried, I couldn’t eat. Doctors tried five different medicines, from antidepressants to I’m not even sure what. They were like shots in the dark,” she said A friend asked Reynolds’ oncologist about marijuana. “He said he couldn’t legally prescribe it, but ‘if you think it will help, try it,’ ” Reynolds remem-
bers. “The next step was to put me in the hospital and feed me with a tube.” Reynolds was virulently against recreational drug use. She was a physical education teacher and had never smoked marijuana before. She never found out how her friend got the drug, but after smoking it, Reynolds experienced instant relief. She asked for a Dairy Queen blizzard, and she was able to keep it down. “My appetite was like a pump that needed to be primed,” she said. “If I didn’t have marijuana, I probably wouldn’t be here.” She only needed to use marijuana for a few weeks, until her body was able to accept nourishment on its own. Even now, she hates that she had to break the law, and she only recently told her aging parents. “They would have disapproved completely,” she said. “But I did what I had to do to survive.” Thus far, ACC has encountered no organized opposition, although if the initiative makes the ballot, Renham expects the Family Council Action Committee (FCAC) to officially campaign against the initiative. This would require the FCAC, a conservative education and research organization, to register as an oppositional group with the Arkansas Ethics Commission, a step FCAC President Jerry Cox said they’re willing to take. “We think it’s unnecessary for a person to be able to grow or purchase marijuana, when the medicinal properties can already be acquired through prescription drugs [the currently legal pharmaceutical THC pills]. If medical marijuana is allowed, it will be difficult for law enforcement to control its use, and we believe it will lead to higher use across the board. And, as far as we know, no credible medical organization has come out in support of it.” If the act passes, medical marijuana advocates would face new hurdles. Since most insurance plans won’t cover medical marijuana, it might be inaccessible to some patients. And doctors like Crittenden, who work for the federal government, aren’t allowed to prescribe marijuana, even in states where it’s legal. But Denham thinks those issues can be addressed later. For now, he wants the people of Arkansas to be able to have their say. “Citizens have taken this into our own hands because the legislature hasn’t been that interested. In some cases legislators didn’t even show up for hearings,” he said. “We’ve heard so many stories about sick and dying patients who need this medicine. It’s un-American to lock up someone for using medicine their doctor recommends. And make no mistake, doctors do recommend this … all the time.”
Eat, Drink and Be Literary! ¶
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For more information about Pub or Perish or open mic, e-mail: david@arktimes.com. Open mic slots are very limited, and available on a first-come-firstserved basis the night of the show. SPONSORED BY: THE ARKANSAS TIMES, THE ARKANSAS LITERARY FESTIVAL, AND LULAV A MODERN EATERY. WWW.ARKANSASLITERARYFESTIVAL.ORG 2 JULY 1, 2004 s !2+!.3!3 4)-%3
Arts Entertainment
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NEW WAVE INFLUENCE: The 1953 film “Little Fugitive” screens Sunday at this year’s Ozark Foothills FilmFest, which is March 28-April 1.
AN OZARK ATTITUDE
L
ast year, in advance of the 10th annual Ozark Foothills FilmFest in Batesville, Times editor Lindsey Millar wrote that the event “may very well be the best small festival in the country.” Understandably, founder and board president Bob Pest appreciated that assessment. The festival’s smaller size “allows us to be friendly and people can spend time talking,” he said. “There’s no, ‘I’m the big dog and you’re the small dog.’ ” While that sort of attitude might be a factor in Toronto or Cannes or Park City or Berlin, cinephiles won’t find any such posturing on the streets of Batesville. “Ours is different from the bigger commercial festivals because we don’t have agents here trying to buy films, and filmmakers don’t come here thinking that it’s 26
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FRIENDLY FOOTHILLS FILMFEST RETURNS FOR 11TH YEAR BY ROBERT BELL
going to change their lives and get them to Hollywood,” Pest said. But that doesn’t mean the organization doesn’t have a hand in helping filmmakers advance their careers. Last year, the festival awarded three $30,000 grants to Arkansas filmmakers to make or finish feature-length works shot mostly in the state with casts and crews that were 75 percent Arkansan. Taylor Feltner, Juli Jackson and Brent and Craig Renaud won the grants for, respectively, “Man Shot Dead,” a documentary about the murder of Feltner’s grandfather in 1966; “45RPM,” a dark comedy about the journey undertaken by an artist and an obsessive record collector, and “My Brother’s Heart,” a documentary about 10-year-old Philip Rusakov and his twin brother Anthony, who needed a heart transplant.
The films are all in production now, and as they’re finished will be screened in Batesville, Pest said. “We have been involved just generally, with our workshops and screenwriting competition, trying to move the needle with the Arkansas film community and trying to get it bigger and better so that our talented filmmakers don’t leave Arkansas because they figure there’s no reason to stay here,” he said. Pest mentioned a few of the films that he was most excited about in this year’s lineup which is March 28-April 1. “Little Fugitive,” the debut film from photographer Morris Engel, is about a young boy who runs away to Coney Island after he’s tricked into thinking he killed his older brother. The 1953 independent film was shot with a handheld 35mm camera
and is regarded as a key influence on the French New Wave, specifically on Truffaut, whose landmark “The 400 Blows” was informed by Engel’s film. “Little Fugitive” screens at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, and is followed by the short doc, “Morris Engel: The Independent.” Pest is also excited about the festival’s showing of a TV pilot, shot in Mountain View in 1958, called “The Amazing Adventures of My Dog Sheppy.” The pilot was written and bankrolled in part by playwright, self-help author and ESP advocate Harold Sherman, who settled down in Stone County in the 1940s. The pilot was an attempt to piggyback onto the “Lassie” phenomenon while also promoting tourism in the area, and featured the comely champion archer Ann P. Marston, TV actor Robert Roark and a cameo appearance by folk music legend Jimmy Driftwood. But none of that was to be. The pilot aired once, at the Melba Theater in Batesville. While it’s not going to win any awards for artistry, Tom Dillard, retired head of special collections for the University of Arkansas Libraries, noted on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas that “Sheppy” does offer a glimpse of Stone County before the Ozark Folk Center or Blanchard Springs Caverns opened. “The Legend of Locust Creek,” the latest work from outsider auteur Phil Chambliss, makes its world premiere at Friday’s Arkansas Indie Showcase. Some other Arkansas films include the documentary “Ozark: A Celebration in Song,” from folk duo Still on the Hill; “Witch Hazel Advent,” a doc about the poet and peace advocate John Rule, from director Sarah K. Moore; “Artists: A Conversation,” which includes interviews with 30 Arkansas artists; “Anyone,” a comedy about the perils of dating from Kelly Griffin, Scott McEntire and Chris Wilks, and “Love You, Too — A Life in Dance,” the latest film from University of Arkansas professor Dale Carpenter. Many of the screenings include Q&As with the filmmakers. Most of the screenings take place at Independence Hall at the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville, with a couple at The Landers Theater Building and Old Independence Regional Museum. The screenwriting workshop and awards ceremony will be at Lyon College. Tickets range from $3-$5 for individual screenings, or you can get a “Red Eye” pass to all the films for $15-$25. The full schedule is available at www.ozarkfoothillsfilmfest.org.
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A&E NEWS THE BUTLER CENTER FOR ARKANSAS STUDIES recently unveiled its plans for
the Arkansas Music Festival, to be held Sept. 28-29. It’s the first of what will be an annual event showcasing the Natural State’s musical culture with a variety of programming, including workshops, presentations and, of course, live music. The bulk of performances will be at Riverfront Amphitheater, with other events happening at various spaces within the Central Arkansas Library System campus. Festival coordinator and longtime local musician John Miller told the Times that it’s “not going to be a music festival in Arkansas. This is going to be an Arkansas music festival, so everybody featured will have a very strong connection to Arkansas. If they’re not from Arkansas themselves, then they’ll have been sort of an honorary Arkie, like if they’ve lived here for 30 years or they have a really strong Arkansas connection, someone like Hayes Carll for instance.” As far as musical genres go, the festival is “taking submissions from any and all Arkansas artists,” he said. While it’d be impossible to capture the scope of music that’s come out of the state in one fell swoop, Miller said the festival might feature different themes or showcases that shift from year to year. One idea is a Johnny Cash tribute. Miller said he hasn’t confirmed any artists yet, but that he’d have some announcements within the next week or two. As the festival grows, it might need to incorporate additional venues. “Since we announced this a week or so ago, we’ve had a tremendous influx of interest and talent trying to submit different things,” he said. “So it may get to the point where some things spill over into clubs in the area.” Organizers are trying to secure a couple of big headlining acts, but “the unfortunate thing about this is most of the giants of Arkansas music have passed,” Miller said. “There’s not a tremendous amount of giants in Arkansas music now. There’s just a handful of them who are still performing.” One way to maintain the Arkansas focus while still bringing in big-name acts could be something like the Cash tribute, which could include artists that might not be from Arkansas or who might not have that strong a connection to the state, “but they’d be here honoring the Arkansan,” Miller said. Another possible development is for the festival to produce events around the state during the year, he said. Susan Gelé, assistant PR director for CALS, said the approach to the music festival would be similar to the one used for the annual Arkansas Literary Festival (April 12-15 this year), in which CALS provides seed money to get it started and then raises money and pursues sponsorships.
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MARCH 28, 2012
27
THE TO-DO
LIST
BY ROBERT BELL
WEDNESDAY 3/28
SCIENCE AFTER DARK: VINYL
6 p.m. Museum of Discovery. $10.
One day way back in, oh, I don’t know, let’s call it 1990 (it must’ve been 1990 or earlier, on account of that was the year the churches in my hometown kneecapped Comcast into dropping MTV because it made God angry) I was watching MTV News. Back then, that was how you found out about things like who Madonna was shacking up with and which up-andcoming glam rocker had most recently
been killed in a car wreck by Vince Neil. Anyways, there was a segment about the death of vinyl records, which included some comments from Duff McKagan about all the things he was going to miss about albums: the big artwork, breaking the seal on a brand-new LP, rolling joints on a gatefold cover (he might not have said this one but you know he was thinking it), dropping the needle into the groove and so forth. You see, back then it was a foregone conclusion
that these shiny, expensive plastic discs called “CDs” spelled certain doom for the record album. Twentysomething years later, who’s having the last laugh? Vinyl, that’s who. Of course, reports of the records death were slightly exaggerated. For most of the ’90s and ’00s, the format was allbut-forgotten by anyone not involved in the underground rap, punk, reggae, techno or metal scenes. But a funny thing started happening a few years ago: younger kids — many of them
born in the ’90s — started buying vinyl. Labels began pressing up a lot more LPs and 45s, and even the majors started issuing new albums on vinyl. The Museum of Discovery’s monthly Science After Dark series focuses on all the ways vinyl has persisted, despite the numerous obituaries written for the format over the years. There will be some records for sale, as well as listening stations, demonstrations and a cash bar, which means this’ll be a 21-and-older event.
WEDNESDAY 3/28
DAUGHTRY
8 p.m. Robinson Center Music Hall. $50-$61.
Though Chris Daughtry didn’t win on American Idol back in ’06, he and his band are undoubtedly among the most successful AI alums, eclipsing many of the show’s winners in terms of album sales and lasting popularity. The band’s first album, 2006’s “Daughtry,” was the fastest-selling debut in SoundScan history. Daughtry fan Ellen DeGeneres consoled him on her show, telling the furrowedbrowed rocker that he’s “somebody who’s going to be a big star. You’re going to be very, very successful, with or without winning.” It’s easy to hear why. While he often comes across every bit as ultra-serious as many of his peers, Daughtry can actually sing, as opposed to your Creeds and Nickelbacks and Matchbox 20s and assorted other yarlers who’ve been gumming up the modern rock landscape with their sub-Vedder vocal contortions for lo these many years. Nashvillebased SafetySuit opens the show, offering earnest, guitar-centric altrock.
AUSSIE ODDBALLS: Australia’s Circus Oz comes to Fayetteville for several nights of flipping, flying, musical madness, starting Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Walton Arts Center.
THURSDAY 3/29
‘CIRCUS OZ’
7 p.m. Walton Arts Center. $39-$49.
Since it was founded in the late ’70s, Circus Oz has been blending old-school circus acrobatics with rock ’n’ roll and a comedic sensibility. “They wanted it to be funny, irreverent and spectacular, a celebration of the group as a bunch of multi-skilled individual women and
men, rather than a hierarchy of stars,” according to the group’s bio. Some of the company’s guiding principles include collective ownership, no gender discrimination, no rock-star attitudes and no exotic animals. In the mid ’80s, Circus Oz performers began training with acrobats from the Nanjing Acrobatic Troupe and incorporating some of the
Chinese company’s techniques and acts. A Circus Oz performance is a mix of slapstick, Keystone Kops-type stuff, with lots of traditional circus hoopjumping, music, comedy and Australian eccentricity. This tour finds the company incorporating a sort of steampunk motif. The show runs through April 3, taking a day off April 2.
THURSDAY 3/29
TIGER HIGH
9:30 p.m. White Water Tavern.
Tiger High is the latest band from Marion natives Jake and Toby Vest. The band’s debut long-player, “Myth is This,” is drenched — drenched I tell you 28
MARCH 28, 2012
ARKANSAS TIMES
— in glorious, hazy reverb. It’s Memphis rock ’n’ roll, for sure. Check the garage-y swagger of “Fire,” and vintage cheap-o organ tones and irresistible chorus on “Riding the Wave” and “Hot Black Honda.” But influences do creep in from outside The Bluff City.
Check “Always Mine,” which swings the heartache like Spiritualized at their most forlorn, or “Losing Out,” which fuses shimmering guitars and a relentless beat with classic r’n’r strum, like Neu! jamming with Buddy Holly. “Boys at the Bottom” pulls off a sock-
hop-rock-with-howling-overloadedguitar-bleeding-all-over-it vibe. You can get yourself a cassette of “Myth is This” or give it a spin over at the old Bandcamp. I bet these songs will be killer live. Opening the show are the hard-partyin’ hardliners Booyah! Dad.
IN BRIEF
THURSDAY 3/29
Thursday marks the opening of the Historic Baseball Trail, which includes 26 sites in Hot Springs that are associated with the visits, playing and training of more than 300 baseball legends and those associated with them, including Babe Ruth. Brochures and other information will be available at the Downtown Visitor Center in Hill Wheatley Plaza. LA pop-punkers Cold Forty Three play Juanita’s, with 200 West, Last Chance Casanova and Boom the Wheel, 8 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s. Indie folksters General Ogelthorpe & The Panhandlers play Vino’s, 9 p.m., $7. The See and Grand Serenade play Maxine’s, 8 p.m., free. Mark Spitzer, a UCA professor and author of “Sick in the Head,” will read from his work at Faulkner County Library, 7 p.m., free.
FRIDAY 3/30
TECH N9NE
9 p.m. Juanita’s. $25 adv., $30 d.o.s.
Tech N9ne, nee Aaron Dontez Yates, is an insanely rapid-fire rapper originally from Kansas City. After bouncing around with a few different groups and record labels during the 1990s, he co-founded the label Strange Music in 1999, releasing a string of his own albums, as well as a slew of records from other Kansas City artists, such as Krizz Kaliko, Big Scoob and Kutt Calhoun, among others. He’s collaborated with a ton of other rappers, including mainstream stars like Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg and Lil’ Wayne and up-and-comers like Yelawolf. Tech N9ne’s latest, last year’s “Welcome to Strangeland,” offered more of his trademark dark, sinister, hardcore rap. In the video for the single “Who Do I Catch,” we find Tech N9ne hanging out at his mansion, taking notes while enjoying a Monster energy drink, playing the piano, looking pensive, wearing scary makeup, dancing
FRIDAY 3/30 KC MADMAN: Prolific rapper and label owner Tech N9ne returns to Little Rock on a packed bill at Juanita’s, Friday night at — when else? — 9 p.m.
all twitchy, drinking wine out of the bottle even though there was a glass right there next to it and asking who does he catch now. Tech N9ne’s got a super loyal following, probably due
at least in part to his relentless touring schedule, (more than 250 dates a year, he told MTV2 last year). He’s joined by Krizz Kalico, Prozac, Machine Gun Kelly, Mayday and Stevie Stone.
hosted hundreds of artists, seemingly just about everyone who falls under the vast Americana/folk umbrella, including Emmylou Harris, Judy Collins, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Holly Golightly, Neko Case, The Flatlanders, Tony Joe White, Charlie Louvin, Roger McGuinn, Bela Fleck and The Flecktones, Odetta, Billie Joe Shaver, Michelle Shocked, Rodney Crowell, Pinetop Perkins, The Del McCoury Band, The Avett Brothers, Alejandro Escovedo, Fairport Convention and many more. You can stream nearly every episode on the WoodSongs website, and many of the
shows are filmed and broadcast live on the Web. This show at UCA is a double-bill, highlighting the music of Arkansas and the Ozarks. There are some familiar Arkansas names on the marquee, including The Cleverlys, Bonnie Montgomery, Still on the Hill, blues wunderkind Nathan Aronowitz, Tim Crouch and Gary Rounds, Blue Rain Bluegrass Band and Scott Odena. AETN will film the show and it will be broadcast on KUAR-FM 89.1 and KLRE 90.5. On Thursday, Johnathan will perform at The Auditorium in Eureka Springs (see calendar for details).
of jazz originator Buddy Bolden and photographer E.J. Bellocq. The novel’s structure mirrors both the improvisatory nature of Bolden’s music as well as the schizophrenia that derailed his life at age 30. It’s definitely not a straight bio and might frustrate some readers with its impressionistic, lyrical style, shifting narratives and hard left turns. But it paints an indelible picture of early 20th century New Orleans, specifically the
often chaotic lives of the musicians of the nascent jazz scene and the awful despair of the prostitutes of Storyville. Certain scenes and passages from the book continued to percolate in my mind long after I’d finished it, resonating the way a particularly powerful piece of music seems to linger in the room even after it’s over. Ondaatje’s reading is part of the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation’s series exploring the theme of crime. He’ll sign books after the reading.
SATURDAY 3/31
WOODSONGS OLD-TIME RADIO HOUR
7:30 p.m. UCA’s Reynolds Performance Hall. $10-$40.
This right here is a pretty big deal for the folk/country/blues/old-timey/ bluegrass crowd. For the last 13 years or so, folksinger and author Michael Johnathan has produced WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour, which is heard on nearly 500 radio stations around the globe. The show grew from broadcasting out of a tiny studio to taping at the historic Kentucky Theater in downtown Lexington. Over the years, the show has
TUESDAY 4/3
MICHAEL ONDAATJE
7:30 p.m. Hendrix College’s Staples Auditorium. Free.
While Michael Ondaatje is probably best known for his novel “The English Patient,” the Canadian author, who has won numerous awards and critical praise, also wrote perhaps the most haunting and musical novel I’ve ever read. “Coming Through Slaughter” is a fictionalized account of the lives
Hill Country bluesman Lightnin’ Malcolm makes a welcome return to the White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m., $8. Joey Farr & The Fuggins Wheat Band bring the shred-tastic blues jams to Midtown at 12:30 a.m., and again on Saturday, $5. Eggshibition XXI, a benefit for Youth Home, with food, drinks, auctions for decorated eggs and more gets rolling at the Jack Stephens Center at UALR, 7 p.m., $50-$75. Ed Bowman & The Rock City Players bring the rock, blues and R&B to The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7.
SATURDAY 3/31
The mind-blowing psych-tranceblues cosmonauts Tyrannosaurus Chicken play an 18-and-older show at Stickyz, 10 p.m., $5. If catchy indie pop is what you’re looking for, look no further than the Town Pump, which hosts Whale Fire and Matt Anders, 9 p.m., $3. The Youth Rock Orchestra brings the real-life “School of Rock” to Robinson Center Music Hall, 7 p.m., $26. Revolution hosts Amp Out Alz: A Rock & Roll Event benefiting Alzheimer’s Arkansas. It’s an all-ages show, 7 p.m., $25. The Swinging Franks swing on into Browning’s Mexican Grill, 8:30 p.m., free. Studio Party: Jazzkapelle is the Arkansas Arts Center’s premiere 2012 fundraising event and includes cocktails, live music and dancing in a speakeasy setting, Arkansas Arts Center, 8 p.m., $100-$250. DJ Big Brown keeps the beats pumping all night and into the wee hours at Discovery Nightclub. Performers include Dominique and Whitney Paige, 9 p.m.-5 a.m., $10. The Hidden Rex brings some charmingly shambolic indie rock to Cornerstone, 8:30 p.m. www.arktimes.com
MARCH 28, 2012
29
AFTER DARK All events are in the Greater Little Rock area unless otherwise noted. To place an event in the Arkansas Times calendar, please e-mail the listing and all pertinent information, including date, time, location, price and contact information, to calendar@arktimes.com.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28
MUSIC
The 1 Oz. Jig, Echo Canyon. The Ford Theater, 9 p.m. 1020 Front St., Conway. 501-358-1755. thefordtheater.com. Acoustic Open Mic. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com. Alternative Wednesdays. Features alternative bands from Central Arkansas and the surrounding areas. Mediums Art Lounge, 6:30 p.m., $5. 521 Center St. 501-374-4495. Bolly Open Mic Hype Night with Osyrus Bolly and DJ Messiah. All American Wings, 9 p.m. 215 W. Capitol Ave. 501-376-4000. allamericanwings.com. Brian & Nick. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-3755351. www.cajunswharf.com. Daughtry, Safetysuit. Robinson Center Music Hall, 8 p.m., $50-$61. Markham and Broadway. www.littlerockmeetings.com/conv-centers/ robinson. Grim Muzik presents Way Back Wednesdays. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8:30 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com. Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com. Joe Firstman with The Cordovas. Juanita’s, 8 p.m., $10. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-3721228. www.juanitas.com. Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com. Karaoke. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com. Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-3151717. Low Dough Wednesdays: Father Maple, Steven Neeper Band, Luke Williams Band. Revolution, 8 p.m., $5. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com. Open mic jam with Kat and Chuck. Thirst n’ Howl, 8 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl.com. Ricky David Tripp. Ferneau, 5:30 p.m. 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-603-9208. www.ferneaurestaurant.com. Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG.
‘INTO THE BLUE AGAIN’: You may ask yourself, “Where can I go see a Talking Heads tribute act on Friday night?”. The answer is, Stickyz, at 9 p.m., where the band Same as it Ever Was plays an 18-and-older show for $6.
for each game. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com. Science After Dark: Vinyl. Presentation on uses of vinyl records. Cash bar. Museum of Discovery, 6 p.m., $10. 500 Clinton Ave. 396-7050, 1-800880-6475. www.amod.org. “Show Me the Money: Playing the Scholarship Game.” Scholarship workshop presented by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education and Little Central High School’s Guidance Office. RSVP at 501-666-0759. Main Library, 6 p.m., free. 100 S. Rock St. www.cals.lib.ar.us.
FILM
11th Annual Ozark Foothills Filmfest. Film festival at several venues in Batesville. Lyon College, through April 1. 2500 Highland, Batesville. 870251-1189. www.ozarkfoothillsfilmfest.org.
LECTURES
Oaklawn Brown Bag Lunches: Jockeys and Trainers. Garland County Library, 12 p.m., free. 1427 Malvern Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4161.
Rob Little. The Loony Bin, 8 p.m.; March 30, 10:30 p.m.; March 31, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.
EVENTS
30
MARCH 28, 2012
ARKANSAS TIMES
SPORTS
Horse racing. Saturday post time is 1 p.m. except for April 14, which is noon. Oaklawn, through April 13: 1:30 p.m. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411. www.oaklawn.com.
THURSDAY, MARCH 29
MUSIC
Almost Infamous. Markham Street Grill And Pub, 9 p.m., free. 11321 W. Markham St. 501224-2010. www.markhamst.com. Class of ‘87 (headliner), Andy Tanas (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.
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COMEDY
Argenta Tulip Festival 2012. Includes flower and garden mart Saturday, March 31. Argenta, through March 31. Main Street, NLR. Barcade Edition. Includes Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Soul Calibur V and others. Downtown Music Hall, 6 p.m., free entry, $5 registration
Viscount Ashbrook. The 11th Viscount Ashbrook, will give a lecture about Arley Hall in Cheshire, United Kingdom, its gardens and other historic buildings on the estate. Clinton School of Public Service, 12 p.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www. clintonschool.uasys.edu.
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cajunswharf.com. Cold Forty Three, 200 West, Last Chance Casanova, Boom the Wheel. Juanita’s, 8 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com. David Nail. Shooter’s Sports Bar & Grill, 10 p.m. 9500 I-30. 501-565-4003. www.shooterslittlerock. com. General Ogelthorpe and The Panhandlers. Vino’s, 9 p.m., $7. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com. “Inferno.” DJs play pop, electro, house and more, plus drink specials and $1 cover before 11 p.m. Sway, 9 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582. Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com. Karaoke. Zack’s Place, 8 p.m. 1400 S. University Ave. 501-664-6444. www.zacks-place.com. Mayday By Midnight. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com. Michael Johnathon. Performance from the playwright, folksinger and host of the award winning WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour, with opening acts Michael Cockram, Zach Simpson & Dardnell Evans and Brick Fields. The Auditorium, 7:30 p.m., $12.50. 36 Main St., Eureka Springs. 479-253-7333. www.theaud.org. Michael Straughn. Thirst n’ Howl, 8 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirstn-howl.com. Port Arthur Band. Parrot Beach Cafe, 9 p.m. 9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994. Robotic Pirate Monkey. The Ford Theater. 1020 Front St., Conway. 501-358-1755. thefordtheater.com. RockUsaurus. Senor Tequila, 6 p.m., free. 10300 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-224-5505. The See, Grand Serenade. Album release show for The See. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com. Sweet Harmony. Arkansas State University at Mountain Home, 7 p.m., free. 1600 S. College Ave., Mountain Home. Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. Tiger High, Booyah! Dad. White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www. whitewatertavern.com.
COMEDY
Rob Little. The Loony Bin, through March 30, 8 p.m.; March 30, 10:30 p.m.; March 31, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.
DANCE
“Circus Oz.” Walton Arts Center, March 29, 7 p.m.; March 30, 8 p.m.; March 31, 2 and 8 p.m.; April 1, 2 and 7 p.m.; April 3, 7 p.m., $39-$49. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600.
EVENTS
Argenta Tulip Festival 2012. Includes flower and garden mart Saturday, March 31. Argenta, through March 31. Main Street, NLR. Brown Bag Lunch Lecture: “The Young Women’s Christian Association in Arkansas.” Dr. Cherisse Jones-Branch will discuss the origins and the activism of the Arkansas YWCA. Bring a lunch. Old State House Museum, 12 p.m., free. 500 Clinton Ave. 501-324-9685. www. oldstatehouse.com. “Girls Night Out with ‘The Wiz’.” Includes
drinks, appetizers, shopping and music before the 7:00 performance of “The Wiz.” Arkansas Repertory Theatre, 5:30 p.m. 601 Main St. 501378-0405. www.therep.org.
FILM
11th Annual Ozark Foothills Filmfest. Film festival at several venues in Batesville. Lyon College, through April 1. 2500 Highland, Batesville. 870251-1189. www.ozarkfoothillsfilmfest.org.
SPORTS
Historic Baseball Trail opening. Digital technology guides visitors to 26 sites in Hot Springs that are associated with the visits, playing and training of more than 300 baseball legends and those associated with them. Downtown Hot Springs. 100 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501321-6526. Horse racing. See March 28.
BOOKS
Mark Spitzer. The UCA professor and author of “Sick in the Head” will read from his work. Faulkner County Library, 7 p.m., free. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www.fcl.org.
FRIDAY, MARCH 30
MUSIC
After Eden. Fox And Hound, 10 p.m., $5. 2800 Lakewood Village, NLR. 501-753-8300. www. foxandhound.com/locations/north-little-rock. aspx. Bluesboy Jag and His Cigar Box Guitars. Dogtown Coffee and Cookery, 6 p.m., free. 6725 John F. Kennedy Blvd., NLR. 501-833-3850. www.facebook.com/pages/Dogtown-Coffeeand-Cookery/221280641229600. DJ Silky Slim. Top 40 and dance music. Sway, 9 p.m., $5. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582. Ed Bowman & The Rock City Players. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com. Ed Burks. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, through March 31, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com. “The Flow Fridays.” Twelve Modern Lounge, 8 p.m. 1900 W. Third St. Handmade Moments. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m., $3. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-7468. www. beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock. Jason Campbell & Singletree. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-3151717. Jet 420 (headliner), Tiffany Christopher (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www. cajunswharf.com. Joey Farr and The Fuggins Wheat Band. Midtown Billiards, March 30-31, 12:30 a.m., $5. 1316 Main St. 501-372-9990. midtownar.com. Lightnin’ Malcolm. White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m., $8. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com. Mid-South Horn Workshop. A celebration of the French horn includes performers from around the world playing a variety of styles. University of Central Arkansas, Snow Fine Arts Center Recital Hall, March 30-31, 7:30 p.m.; April 1, 11:30 a.m., $15-$65. 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. Rodney Dillard & The Dillard Band. Country Heritage Music Barn, 7 p.m., $10 adv., $15 door. 134 W. Main St., Clarksville. 479-754-4604. www. countryheritage.net. Same as it Ever Was (Talking Heads tribute).
18-and-older show. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $6. 107 Commerce St. 501-3727707. www.stickyfingerz.com. The Smittle Band. The Ford Theater, 8 p.m. 1020 Front St., Conway. 501-358-1755. thefordtheater.com. Tech N9ne, Machine Gun Kelly, Krizz Kalico, Prozac, Mayday, Stevie Stone. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $25 adv., $30 d.o.s. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com. Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. “Those Who Paved the Way” Spring Concert. Philander Smith College, 7:30 p.m., free. 900 W. Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive. Thread. Thirst n’ Howl, 9 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl.com. White Collar Criminals. Markham Street Grill And Pub, 9 p.m., free. 11321 W. Markham St. 501-224-2010. www.markhamst.com.
COMEDY
Rob Little. The Loony Bin, through March 30, 8 p.m.; March 30, 10:30 p.m.; March 31, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.
DANCE
“Circus Oz.” Walton Arts Center, March 30, 8 p.m.; March 31, 2 and 8 p.m.; April 1, 2 and 7 p.m.; April 3, 7 p.m., $39-$49. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600. Dance Ensemble Concert. Includes nine contemporary dance works choreographed by students and faculty. Hendrix College, 7:30 p.m., free. 1600 Washington Ave., Conway. 504-505-2947. www.hendrix.edu.
EVENTS
Argenta Tulip Festival 2012. Includes flower and garden mart Saturday, March 31. Argenta, through March 31. Main Street, NLR. Eggshibition XXI. Benefit for Youth Home, with food, drinks, auctions for decorated eggs and more. Jack Stephens Center, UALR, 7 p.m., $50-$75. 2801 S. University Ave. LGBTQ/SGL Youth and Young Adult Group. Diverse Youth for Social Change is a group for LGBTQ/SGL and straight ally youth and young adults age 14 to 23. For more information, call 244-9690 or search “DYSC” on Facebook. 800 Scott St., 6:30 p.m. 800 Scott St. “Seeking Sanity and Sacred Space in the World Today.” Presentation about Lee Lozowick by his biographer, Mary Angelon Young. Includes short film and Q&A. Unity Church of Little Rock, 7 p.m., free, donations accepted. 2610 Reservoir Road. 501-225-2719. www.unitychurchlr.org.
FILM
11th Annual Ozark Foothills Filmfest. Film festival at several venues in Batesville. Lyon College, through April 1. 2500 Highland, Batesville. 870251-1189. www.ozarkfoothillsfilmfest.org.
LECTURES
John A. Powell. The internationally recognized scholar on race, poverty and regional equity, Powell will give a lecture as part of a summit on race and equity. Clinton School of Public Service, 12 p.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www.clintonschool.uasys. edu. CONTINUED ON PAGE 32
ONE SHOW ONLY! APRIL 1, 2012 • 3Pm
ON SALE NOW!
Robinson Center Music Hall 501.244.8800 • 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster.com Celebrity Attractions • 300 S. Spring, Ste. 100 • Little Rock and select Walmart locations Groups of 10 or more receive a discount, call 501.492.3314 alway use on white background (no exceptions).
/BwayLR www.arktimes.com
alway use on white background (no exceptions).
MARCH 28, 2012
31
AFTER DARK, CONT.
SPORTS
Horse racing. See March 28.
SATURDAY, MARCH 31
MUSIC
Amp Out Alz: A Rock & Roll Event benefiting Alzheimer’s Arkansas. All-ages show. Revolution, 7 p.m., $25. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com. Big Shane Thornton. Fox And Hound, 10 p.m., $5. 2800 Lakewood Village, NLR. 501-753-8300. www.foxandhound.com/locations/north-littlerock.aspx. Covershot (headliner), Bass & Brown (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30
p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www. cajunswharf.com. DJ Big Brown. Performers include Dominique and Whitney Paige. Discovery Nightclub, 9 p.m. 1021 Jessie Road. 501-664-4784. www. latenightdisco.com. Ed Burks. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www. sonnywilliamssteakroom.com. The Hidden Rex. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8:30 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com. Joey Farr and The Fuggins Wheat Band. Midtown Billiards, 12:30 a.m., $5. 1316 Main St. 501-372-9990. midtownar.com. Josh Green. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m., $3. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-7468. www.
SHOP ‘N’ SIP First thursday each month shop ’til 8pm and enjoy dining in one of the many area restaurants.
HILLCREST SHOPPING & DINING
LIVE MUSIC BY
jEd CLaMpIt grAb your eASTer SweeTS here! 501-353-2504 2612 Kavanaugh Blvd. Find your dream home at www.LiveInLittleRock.com
RHEA DRUG 2801 KAVANAUGH • LITTLE ROCK • 663-4131
We can’t believe it’s April Come shop and sip with us!
2616 Kavanaugh • 661-1167 M-F 10-6, SAT 10-5
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MARCH 28, 2012
ARKANSAS TIMES
beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock. Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com. “KISS Saturdays” with DJs Deja Blu, Greyhound and Silky Slim. Sway, 10 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582. Mid-South Horn Workshop. See March 30. Monkhouse. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com. Rip Van Shizzle. Thirst n’ Howl, 9 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirstn-howl.com. Ryan Couron. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717. Shannon Boshears. Markham Street Grill And Pub, 8:30 p.m., free. 11321 W. Markham St. 501-224-2010. www.markhamst.com. The Swingin’ Franks. Browning’s Mexican Food, 8:30 p.m., free. 5805 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-6639956. www.browningsmexicangrill.com. Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www. capitalhotel.com/CBG. Trey Hawkins Band, Cons of Formant. The Ford Theater, 9 p.m. 1020 Front St., Conway. 501-358-1755. thefordtheater.com. Tuxedo Flamethrowers. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-224-7665. www.westendsmokehouse.net. Tyrannosaurus Chicken. 18-and-older show. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 10 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www. stickyfingerz.com. Whale Fire, Matt Anders. Town Pump, 9 p.m., $3. 1321 Rebsamen Park Road. 501-663-9802. WideFrame, Who It Be, Lil Spade, T-Scott, AyeTellem J.T., Lil Dre. Clear Channel Metroplex, 9 p.m., $15-$25. 10800 Colonel Glenn Road. WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour — Live! Reynolds Performance Hall, University of Central Arkansas, 7:30 p.m., $23-$40. 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. The Youth Rock Orchestra. Robinson Center Music Hall, 7 p.m., $26. Markham and Broadway. www.littlerockmeetings.com/conv-centers/ robinson.
COMEDY
Rob Little. The Loony Bin, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.
DANCE
“Circus Oz.” Walton Arts Center, March 31, 2 and 8 p.m.; April 1, 2 and 7 p.m.; April 3, 7 p.m., $39-$49. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600. JAMfest Nationals. Cheerleading and dance competition for teams from across the south. Summit Arena, March 31-April 1, free. 134 Convention Blvd., Hot Springs. 502-266-6526. www.summitarena.org.
EVENTS
Argenta Tulip Festival 2012. Includes flower and garden mart Saturday, March 31. Argenta, through. Main Street, NLR. Breakfast with Reptiles. Little Rock Zoo, 8 a.m., $13-$22. 1 Jonesboro Dr. 501-666-2406. www. littlerockzoo.com. Falun Gong meditation. Allsopp Park, 9 a.m., free. Cantrell & Cedar Hill Roads. Saturday Programs at the Old State House Museum. Includes games, presentations and more family friendly events. Old State House Museum, through : 10 a.m.:30 p.m., free. 500 Clinton Ave. 501-324-9685. www.oldstatehouse. com. Studio Party: Jazzkapelle. The Arkansas Arts
Center’s premiere 2012 fundraising event includes cocktails, liver music and dancing in a speakeasy setting. Arkansas Arts Center, 8 p.m., $100-$250. 501 E. 9th St. 501-372-4000. www.arkarts.com.
FILM
11th Annual Ozark Foothills Filmfest. Film festival at several venues in Batesville. Lyon College, through April 1. 2500 Highland, Batesville. 870251-1189. www.ozarkfoothillsfilmfest.org.
SPORTS
Horse racing. See March 28.
BOOKS
Frank Thurmond. The author will sign copies of his book, “Before I Sleep: A Memoir of Travel and Reconciliation.” A party follows at 4 p.m. at By the Glass. WordsWorth Books & Co., 1 p.m., free. 5920 R St. 501-663-9198. www.wordsworthbooks.org.
CLASSES
Actor’s Workshop with Natalie Canerday. Workshop will cover auditioning techniques and tips for cold readings. Open to high school juniors and seniors. Thea Foundation, 1 p.m., $20. 401 Main St., NLR. 501-379-3512. www. theafoundation.org.
SUNDAY, APRIL 1
MUSIC
Faulkner Chamber Music Festival. Includes chamber music performance accompanying a silent film, as well as hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction and more to benefit FCMF. Hendrix College, 4 p.m., $5. 1600 Washington Ave., Conway. www.faulknerchambermusicfestival.com. Irish Traditional Music Session. Hibernia Irish Tavern, first and third Sunday of every month, 2:30 p.m. 9700 N Rodney Parham Road. 501246-4340. www.hiberniairishtavern.com. Karaoke. Shorty Small’s, 6-9 p.m. 1475 Hogan Lane, Conway. 501-764-0604. www.shortysmalls.com. Karaoke with DJ Sara. Hardrider Bar & Grill, 7 p.m., free. 6613 John Harden Drive, Cabot. 501-982-1939. Mid-South Horn Workshop. See March 30. Structures. Downtown Music Hall, 6:30 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com. Sunday Jazz Brunch with Ted Ludwig and Joe Cripps. Vieux Carre, 11 a.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.vieuxcarrecafe.com.
COMEDY
Bill Cosby. Robinson Center Music Hall, 3 p.m., $34-$81. Markham and Broadway. www.littlerockmeetings.com/conv-centers/robinson. Mo Alexander. UARK Bowl, 7:30 p.m., $5-$7. 644 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-301-2030. www.uarkballroom.com.
DANCE
“Circus Oz.” Walton Arts Center, April 1, 2 and 7 p.m.; April 3, 7 p.m., $39-$49. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600. JAMfest Nationals. Cheerleading and dance competition for teams from across the south. Summit Arena, through, free. 134 Convention Blvd., Hot Springs. 502-266-6526. www.summitarena.org.
EVENTS
Dollar Day. First 1,000 visitors pay $1 general admission. Museum of Discovery, 1 p.m., $1. 500 Clinton Ave. 396-7050, 1-800-880-6475. CONTINUED ON PAGE 34
Bill Cosby: On laughs, race and pound cake BY PHILIP M. PROVOST
Arkansas Times: How would you describe the style of your humor? Bill Cosby: A friend sitting with friends. Storytelling. Identification, and being very, very specific about making the listener see and understand exactly what I’m talking about. AT: How has your style changed over the years? BC: In my young years, in my 20s, 30s and 40s, I would go out and plant my feet to destroy. I’d just not let them breathe. Now, it’s the appreciation, it’s like — the difference between eating great barbecue with the fingers and the sauce and mixing the coleslaw with the French fries and the beans, and the meat at the same time for flavors. Now it’s gourmet time, and there’s an appreciation of getting the tastes for everything, and maybe taking longer to eat, but tasting more. So there are smiles and then there’s conversation. There’s reality, there’s laughter and there’s a lot of face hurting. Because the people are laughing, and laughing hard. AT: You were a young man when the Little Rock Nine were sent to Central High School. What do you remember about that event? How did it make you feel? BC: I do think that, when one looks at those photographs, of those angry people … when I look at them, and their faces, where they’re yelling at those children, I see an anger that, although controlled, if not controlled, could really and truly do bodily and physical harm. Because they’ve been taught something, and they’re sick. [Now,] one can see that publicly, in voting, that the numbers have changed. But there’s still this sickness, so that we have the youngsters who have come along … in politics that are still trying to take away the voting rights of black people while looking like they are not really aiming at them. AT: It’s going on 10 years since your “pound cake” speech. A lot of people loved and a lot of people hated what you had to say in 2004. Would you make the same speech today? BC: There’s a fellow, his name is Earl Lloyd, who wrote a very wonderful book [“Moonfixer: The Basketball Journey of Earl Lloyd”]. He tells a story that goes with my pound cake story. As a kid he came home, and his mom says, “Where have you been?” She says, “You’ve been out there with those boys,” speaking of the boys who stand on the corner and do nothing, then go off and do something, and get into trouble. She says, “I don’t
M other’s Day
the perfect gift for
Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Pulaski County has The Perfect Gift to honor your mother or another woman who is important in your life.
When you make a contribution of $50 or more, your name and your Mother’s Day honoree’s name will appear in the May edition of Soirée. Your gift will provide scholarships and support services to full-time, single-parent students in Pulaski County. COSBY: Storyteller.
want you with those boys.” And he says, “But mom, I wasn’t doing anything.” Mom says, “If you’re not in the picture, you can’t be framed.” You want to save your child’s life then you teach your child: “You leave those things alone. You are more valuable than a slice of pound cake.” Now anybody who doesn’t like that, I just feel sorry for them. AT: Your business is understanding how to make people laugh. So who are some people — or movies, shows, whatever — that make you laugh? BC: I will take everything you just asked and change it. I just had a laugh yesterday … that was so hard that tears ran, that the left and right side of my body burned. Well, it was because my grandchildren, three of them, had come to the house and they wanted me to be the monster. So it’s after dinner, and here they come, and all I do is just walk. I don’t walk like Frankenstein or anything, I just walk, and they run. So this particular evening, I was just walking around, and I went upstairs. This one granddaughter, I guess she had just totally forgotten, and she came out of the bedroom and turned around, and she turned and saw me, and lost all vocabulary. I think, had she been a paramecium, she would have split. Her left leg was going left, her right leg was going right. And I lost it. I lost it, and, last night, while sitting in the bed, my wife is sitting across from me in our bedroom. And I started to describe it to her, and lost it again, and my wife started laughing, and our daughter started laughing. There was a confusion of whether they were laughing at me, just laughing, or whether they really saw the picture. Either way, it was one of the best ones I’ve had in quite a while.
Comedian and actor Bill Cosby will perform at Little Rock’s Robinson Center Music Hall at 3 p.m. on April 1. Tickets are $34-$81.
InformatIon and donatIons must be receIved by 4/11/12 to appear In soIrée
“When you bring single parents out of poverty, they bring their children with them.”
Call for more information 501.307.7773 or visit www.PulaskiSingleParents.org
Join us for our Easter Services! 10:00 AM
SATURDAY, APRIL 7 Easter Egg Hunt EGGStravaganza 5:30 PM Casual Worship
SUNDAY, APRIL 8 Easter Sunday Services 8:30 AM Traditional Worship 9:30 AM Contemporary 10:55 AM Traditional Worship 10:55 AM Contemporary
St. James United Methodist Church 321 Pleasant Valley Drive 3 Little Rock, AR 72212 L 501-217-6700 | www.stjames-umc.org 5 www.arktimes.com
MARCH 28, 2012
33
AFTER DARK, CONT. www.amod.org.
FILM
11th Annual Ozark Foothills Filmfest. Film festival at several venues in Batesville. Lyon College, through. 2500 Highland, Batesville. 870-251-1189. www.ozarkfoothillsfilmfest.org.
SPORTS
Horse racing. See March 28. Wrestlemania XXVIII Watch Party. 18-andolder. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 6 p.m., free. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.
MONDAY, APRIL 2
MUSIC
“An Evening of Piano and Chamber Music.” Featuring music by Faure, Ireland, Medtner and Schumann. Christian Baker, violin; Stephen Feldman, cello; and Norman Boehm, piano. Hendrix College, 7:30 p.m., free. 1600 Washington Ave., Conway. 504-450-1247. www.hendrix.edu. Handmade Moments. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com. Karaoke. Thirst n’ Howl, 8:30 p.m. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl.com. Reggae Nites. Featuring DJ Hy-C playing roots, reggae and dancehall. Pleazures Martini and Grill Lounge, 6 p.m., $7-$10. 1318 Main St. 501-376-7777. www.facebook.com/pleazures. bargrill. Touch, Grateful Dead Tribute. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.
LECTURES
Matt Dellinger. The author will discuss his book, “Interstate 69,” about the development of the so-called “NAFTA Highway.” Clinton School of Public Service, 6 p.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www.clintonschool. uasys.edu.
SPORTS
Horse racing. See March 28.
TUESDAY, APRIL 3
MUSIC
Flext Tour featuring Borgore. Downtown Music Hall, 7:30 p.m. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com. Gil Franklin & Friends. Holiday Inn, North Little Rock, first Tuesday, Wednesday of every month. 120 W. Pershing Blvd., NLR. Jeff Long. Khalil’s Pub, 6 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com. Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7
p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com. Karaoke Night. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com. Karaoke Tuesday. Prost, 8 p.m., free. 120 Ottenheimer. 501-244-9550. Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-3151717. Lucious Spiller Band. Copeland’s, 6-9 p.m. 2602 S. Shackleford Road. 501-312-1616. www.copelandsofneworleans.com. Meridian Arts Ensemble. Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA, 7:30 p.m., free. 350 S. Donaghey, Conway. RICHIE. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com. Ricky David Tripp. Ferneau, 5:30 p.m. 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-603-9208. www.ferneaurestaurant.com. Tuesday Jam Session with Carl Mouton. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.
DANCE
“Circus Oz.” Walton Arts Center, 7 p.m., $39-$49. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600. “Latin Night.” Revolution, 7 p.m., $5 regular, $7 under 21. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-8230090. www.revroom.com.
EVENTS
Finding Your Creative Niche with Garage Sale Queen Kandy Jones. Jones will discuss garden art with hypertufa, mosaics and mixed media. Arkansas Arts Center, 6 p.m., $20-$25. 501 E. 9th St. 501-372-4000. www.arkarts.com. Music Across America. The Quapaw Quartet will play music from Arkansas and beyond. Laman Library, 6 p.m. 2801 Orange St., NLR. 501-758-1720. www.lamanlibrary.org. Opening Day at the Ozark Folk Center Craft Village. Ozark Folk Center State Park, 10 a.m., $6-$10. 1032 Park Ave., Mountain View. Tales from the South. Authors tell true stories; schedule available on website. Dinner served 5-6:30 p.m., show at 7 p.m. Call for reservations. Starving Artist Cafe, 5 p.m. 411 N. Main St., NLR. 501-372-7976. www.starvingartistcafe.net. Trivia Bowl. Flying Saucer, 8:30 p.m. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-7468. www. beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock. Wiggle Worms: “Egg in a Bottle.” Pre-K program about air pressure. Museum of Discovery, 10 a.m., $8-$10, free for members. 500 Clinton Ave. 396-7050, 1-800-880-6475. www.amod.org.
LECTURES
Shane Harris. The author will discuss his book, “The Watchers: The Rise of America’s Surveillance State.” Clinton School of Public
Service, 6 p.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www.clintonschool.uasys. edu.
SPORTS
(“The Thud”); the Civil War Battle of Reed’s Bridge, Arkansas Ordnance Plant (AOP) and other military history. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $3 adults; $2 seniors, military; $1 students. 501-241-1943.
Horse racing. See March 28.
BOOKS
Michael Ondaatje. The poet and author of “The English Patient” will discuss his work. Hendrix College, 7:30 p.m., free. 1600 Washington Ave., Conway. 501-450-4597. www.hendrix.edu.
GALLERIES, MUSEUMS
NEW EXHIBITIONS, EVENTS
ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, MacArthur Park: “Finding Your Creative Niche,” talk by Kandy Jones, the Garage Sale Queen,” 6-8 p.m. April 3, $20 members, $25 non-members. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 372-4000. ARKANSAS TECH UNIVERSITY, 203 W. Q St.: “Time & Space: The 2-, 3- & 4-D Works of Warren Criswell,” prints, drawings, paintings, watercolors, sculpture and animations, Norman Hall Gallery, through March, closing reception 3 p.m. March 29 with presentation “Art & Time” by artist and screening of animated movie “Moments.” 8:30 a.m.-noon and 1-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri. 479-964-3237. GALLERY 221, 221 W. 2nd St.: Catherine Rodgers, featured artist, with Jennifer Coleman, Larry Hare, Cynthia Ragan and others. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri. 801-0211. LAMAN LIBRARY, 2801 Orange St.: “Inside Peanuts: The Life and Art of Charles M. Shulz,” March 30-May 13, opening reception 6-8 p.m. March 30 with “The Gentleman Jazz.” 758-1720. UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK: “UALR Student Competitive,” Rebecca Sittler Schrock, juror, March 28-mid-May, Gallery I; graphic students BA exhibitions by Lynzi Pierce, Jason Dobbs, Wendy Rountree, Jordan Jones and Kathy Wilson, Gallery III. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sat., 2-5 p.m. Sun. 569-8977. FAYETTEVILLE SUGAR GALLERY, 114 W. Central Ave.: “Mythic Remains,” honors thesis exhibition by Luke Knox, March 29-April 1, reception 5:30 p.m. March 30. 2-6 p.m. Thu., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri.Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 479-273-5305. JACKSONVILLE JACKSONVILLE MUSEUM OF MILITARY HISTORY, 100 Veterans Circle: “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans,” exhibits on Vietnam, parade at 1 p.m., award ceremony at 4 p.m., dinner ($12.50) at 5 p.m. March 31; exhibits on D-Day; F-105, Vietnam era plane
PINE BLUFF ARTS AND SCIENCE CENTER: “Backyard Science,” exhibit and special science activities Saturdays through April 21. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 1-4 p.m. Sat. 870-536-3375.
CALL FOR ENTRIES
Art for Action is seeking submissions of photography inspired by social or political issues for fund-raising exhibition at Canvas Community Gallery April 7. Deadline is March 31. Four artists will be selected for the show, which will raise money for art supplies for the homeless, low income and inner-city children. For more information, contact Anna Makogonova at anna.makogonova@gmail.com. The Bernice Garden is accepting entries from Arkansas artists and sculptors for its fourth round of installations at the sculpture garden at Main Street and Daisy Bates. Deadline is April 20; selected artists will receive a stipend of $2,800 and a $200 design fee. For more information, call or e-mail Liz Sanders at 501617-2511, bernicegarden@gmail.com or go to thebernicegarden.org.
CONTINUING EXHIBITS
THE ART LOFT, 1525 Merrill Drive: Work by Dan Thornhill, Catherine Rodgers, Patrick Cunningham, Rosemary Parker, Kelly Furr, Melody Lile and others, with music by Rico Novales. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sat. 251-1131. BOSWELL-MOUROT, 5815 Kavanaugh Blvd.: River Caton, Helen Broadfoot, Diana B. Ashley, new work. 664-0030. BUTLER CENTER GALLERIES, Arkansas Studies Institute: “Making a Place: The Jewish Experience in Arkansas,” show through June 23, Concordia Hall; “Connecting Threads,” Studio Art Quilts Associates show, through April 28, main gallery; “Arkansas Masters: Prints from the CALS Collection,” work by AJ Smith, Warren Criswell, Elsie and Louis Freund, John Paul Caldwell and others, mezzanine gallery, through March; National Museum of Women in the Arts’ “Women to Watch,” atrium gallery, through April 28. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 320-5790. CANTRELL GALLERY, 8206 Cantrell Road: “Structures,” recent paintings by Daniel Coston, through April 28. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 2241335. CONTINUED ON PAGE 39
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ARKANSAS TIMES
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a p r i lF U N➧! Food, Music, Entertainment and everything else that’s MARCH 29
The Arkansas Repertory Theatre hosts Girl’s Night Out from 5:30-7 p.m. Spring fashions, shoes and accessories will be on display and for sale in the lobby. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and delectable desserts as well as light jazz by Rodney Block. Then, “ease on down the road” to the MainStage for the 7 p.m. performance of The Wiz, a groovy 70s take on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. For tickets, call 501378-0405. The Wiz runs through April 8.
APRIL 1
The one and only Bill Cosby comes to Robinson Center Music Hall in Little Rock for a 3 p.m. show. Tickets are $25$60 and available at Celebrity Attractions Ticket Office at 300 S. Spring Street in downtown Little Rock or by phone at 501244-8800. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster by phone at 800-745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
APRIL 12-15
APRIL 7
Make family memories at Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at the Little Rock Zoo. Zoo-goers are invited to have their picture taken with the Easter Bunny, decorate cookies and make Easter baskets. Reserve by phone at 501-661-7218. Visit www.littlerockzoo.com for more info.
➧
Now in its 5th year, the Designers Choice Fashion Preview at the Clear Channel Metroplex has become Little Rock’s premier fashion show. Arrive early for a VIP meet-and-greet with designers, including Little Rock’s own Korto Momolu and fellow Project Runway alum Jerrell Scott, beginning at 6 p.m. VIP tickets are $50 and include an open bar, hors d’oeuvres and preferred seating for the 7 p.m. show. General admission is $35. Tickets are available online at www.designerschoicefashion.com and at Jeante, Vogue Visage, Box Turtle and 4th Dimension Salon and Uncle T’s in Little Rock.
Free and open to the public, the Arkansas Literary Festival hosts a who’s who of award-winning authors. Festivities include panels, workshops, presentations and book signings in downtown Little Rock and North Little Rock. Don’t miss author parties each evening, including “Pub or Perish,” an open mic night of readings on Saturday, April 14 at 7 p.m. at Lulav. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.arkansasliteraryfestival.org.
APRIL 14
APRIL 13
Two-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, Miranda Lambert makes a stop at Verizon Arena on her On Fire tour. Opening the show are rising stars Chris Young and Jerrod Niemann. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $36.75 and $51.75 and are available through Ticketmaster by phone at 800-745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
2nd Friday Art Night takes place from
In honor of Earth Day, the Little Rock Zoo hosts “Party for the Planet,” sponsored by Central Arkansas Water. Events include conservation demonstrations, outdoor photography exhibits and a plant sale. www.littlerockzoo.com to learn more.
5-8 p.m. at various venues, galleries and restaurants in downtown Little Rock. This month’s event features live music from Matt Stone & Friends at the Butler Center’s Main Gallery inside the Arkansas Studies Institute. For more info, “like” 2nd Friday Art Night on Facebook.
APRIL 21
The Ford Theater in Conway presents Love for Fashion, a fashion show featuring local blogger Ashley Yingling (loveforfashion. tumblr.com) with clothing by local designers and boutiques, from 7-11 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Proceeds benefit Bethlehem House, a Christian homeless shelter. Celebrate World Penguin Day at the Little Rock Zoo with kid-friendly activities and a penguin footprint art sale benefitting the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds. Visit www.littlerockzoo.com for more information.
➧
It’s finally upon us: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers play Verizon Arena. Tickets are $27.50, $57.50 and $99.50 and are still available through Ticketmaster by phone at 800-745-3000 or online at www. ticketmaster.com. Pop singer Regina Spektor opens the 7:30 p.m. show.
THROUGH APRIL 22
APRIL 28
The Red Velvet Cake Wars,
animal mating from 6-9 p.m. Tickets are $35, include food, drinks, live music. 501-661-7212 for tickets. www.littlerockzoo.com.
Murry’s Dinner Playhouse presents
a Southern-fried comedy in which the three Verdeen cousins – Gaynelle, Peaches and Jimmie Wyvette – could not have picked a worse time to throw a family reunion. Call 501-562-3131 for tickets. www.murrysdinnerplayhouse. com for more information.
Woo at the Zoo explores the wild and wonderful world of
The first-ever THEA Arts Festival will take place on Main Street in North Little Rock’s Argenta district from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Work of more than 30 artists will be on display. Children’s activities, live entertainment, food and drinks. Proceeds benefit the THEA Foundation, which supports arts education in Arkansas. www.theafoundation.org.
Zoo News Mark your calendars for the grand opening of the Laura P. Nichols Cheetah Conservation Outpost on June 2 at the Little Rock Zoo. The day begins with a Cheetah Chase 5K and a 1K family fun run. The official grand opening ceremony starts at 10:30 a.m. More information can be found at www.littlerockzoo.com.
www.arktimes.com
march 28, 2012
35
DOES YOUR facebook NEED SOME
MOVIE LISTINGS
MARCH 30-31
+
FIRST AID?
‘MIRROR MIRROR’: On the wall, who’s the unlikeliest Hollywood A-lister, of them all, to star as the evil queen in a live-action version of ‘Snow White’? Julia Roberts, maybe? Yeah, that’ll work. Market Street Cinema times at or after 9 p.m. are for Friday and Saturday only. Rave showtimes are valid for Friday only. Breckenridge and Chenal 9 showings were not available as of press deadline. Find up-to-date listings at arktimes.com.
Bring your status back to good health. TIMELINE CONVERSION MARCH 30! DON’T WAIT!
ARKANSAS TIMES Social & Digital Media
501.375.2985 FAX: 501.375.9565 socialmedia@arktimes.com
36
MARCH 28, 2012
ARKANSAS TIMES
NEW MOVIES Jeff, Who Lives at Home (R) – Jason Segel is a 30-year-old stoner who still lives in his mom’s basement, from directors Jay and Mark Duplass (“Cyrus”). Market Street: 2:00, 4:20, 7:00, 9:15. Riverdale: 11:30 a.m., 1:25, 3:20, 5:20, 7:20, 9:20. Mirror Mirror (PG) – Retelling of “Snow White” with Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen. Rave: 10:30 a.m., 11:10 a.m., 1:00, 1:45, 3:30, 4:35, 5:55, 7:10, 8:25, 9:45, 10:55, midnight. Riverdale: 11:05 a.m., 1:30, 3:55, 6:20, 8:45. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (PG-13) – Ewan McGregor plays a fisheries expert who must help the sheikh bring fly-fishing to the Yemen River. Market Street: 2:00, 4:15, 7:15, 9:20. Rave: 10:25 a.m., 1:25, 4:25, 7:25, 10:25. Wrath of the Titans (PG-13) – A.k.a., “Is this a movie or a really long ad for a video game?” Starring Liam Neeson as Zeus, because duh. Lakewood 8: 11:30 a.m., 1:50, 4:40, 7:40, 10:10. Rave: 10:30 a.m., 1:15, 4:00, 6:45, 9:30, midnight (2D), 9:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., noon, 1:45, 2:15, 2:45, 4:30, 5:00, 5:30, 7:15, 7:45, 8:15, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00 (3D). Riverdale: 11:15 a.m., 1:30, 3:45, 5:55, 8:05, 10:15. RETURNING THIS WEEK 21 Jump Street (R) – Buddy cop comedy starring Jonah Hill and former male stripper Channing Tatum. Lakewood 8: 11:10 a.m., 1:40, 4:40, 7:15, 9:50. Rave: 11:15 a.m., 2:25, 5:50, 8:40, 11:25. Riverdale: 11:20 a.m., 2:00, 4:25, 7:00, 9:35. Act of Valor (R) – This action thriller stars reallife U.S. Navy SEALs. Riverdale: 11:40 a.m., 2:05, 4:35. Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (G) – That rascally Alvin is at it again, driving Dave crazy and making him scream “ALVIN!” Only this time it’s on a cruise ship. Also, Alvin raps. Movies 10: 12:25, 2:40, 5:00, 7:30, 9:40. Beauty and the Beast 3D (G) – It’s Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” and it’s in 3D. Movies 10: 12:10, 2:35, 4:50, 7:45.
Casa De Mi Padre (R) – Will Ferrell es un ranchero sencillo que debe luchar contra capos de la droga por el honor de su familia, y para conseguir una chica, en esta parodia de telenovela. Market Street: 1:45, 4:00, 7:00, 9:00. Friends with Kids (R) – Two friends decide to try a nontraditional approach to starting a family. Market Street: 2:15, 4:25, 6:45, 9:00. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (PG-13) – Starring Nicolas Cage in a reprisal of his role as Marvel’s Ghost Rider. Also starring Idris “Stringer Bell” Elba. Movies 10: noon, 2:30, 4:45, 7:00, 9:15 (2D), 10:20 p.m. (3D). The Hunger Games (PG-13) – Teen-lit version of “The Running Man,” starring Jennifer Lawrence. Lakewood 8: 1:00, 1:30, 4:00, 4:30, 7:00, 7:30, 10:00, 10:30. Rave: 9:30 a.m., 10:35 a.m., 11:50 a.m., 12:20, 12:50, 1:20, 1:50, 3:10, 3:40, 4:10, 4:40, 5:10, 6:30, 7:00, 7:30, 8:00, 8:30, 10:10, 10:45, 11:10, 11:40, midnight. Riverdale: 11:00 a.m., 1:50, 4:40, 7:30, 10:20. The Iron Lady (PG-13) – Has Meryl Streep ever been bad in a movie? This movie about Margaret Thatcher hasn’t gotten very good reviews, but apparently Streep’s performance redeems it. Movies 10: 12:05, 2:45, 5:15, 7:40, 10:05. John Carter (PG-13) – “Braveheart” goes to Avatarnia, based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel. Lakewood 8: 1:35, 4:25, 7:10, 9:55. Rave: 9:50 a.m., 4:15 (2D), 12:55, 7:35 (3D). Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (PG) – When you were watching “Land of the Lost,” did you find yourself wishing they’d cast The Rock instead of Will Farrell? Well, here you go. Rave: 9:40 a.m., 12:25, 3:05, 5:45. Joyful Noise (PG-13) – It’s Queen Latifah vs. Dolly Parton in a no-holds-barred sass-off that won’t end until the movie is over. Movies 10: 12:40, 4:05, 7:05, 9:45. The Lorax (PG) – A 3D CGI adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ classic tale. Lakewood 8: 11:15 a.m., 4:00 (2D), 1:15, 7:05, 9:20 (3D). Rave: 2:55, 7:50 (2D), 12:30, 5:20, 10:35 (3D). Riverdale: 11:25 a.m., 1:30, 3:35, 5:40, 7:45, 9:50. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (PG-13) – Ol’ Middle-tooth is back in this, the fourth MI flick, which supposedly is really good, with killer special effects and action sequences. Movies 10: 1:20, 4:15, 7:20, 10:10. October Baby (PG-13) – Soft-focus, feel-good
anti-abortion propaganda. Rave: 9:45 a.m., 12:40, 3:25, 7:20, 10:20. Project X (R) – Millennial brats throw a rager that gets out of hand, from producer Todd Phillips, of “The Hangover” and “Hated: G.G. Allin and The Murder Junkies” renown. Riverdale: 7:30, 9:30. Rampart (R) – Woody Harrelson plays the worst bad cop of all time. Market Street: 1:45, 4:15, 6:45, 9:15. Red Tails (PG-13) – The story of African-American WWII pilots from the Tuskegee training program. With Cuba Gooding Jr. Movies 10: 12:30, 2:55, 5:05, 7:25, 9:50. Safe House (R) – A.k.a., “Doesn’t Denzel Washington Make a Scary Bad Guy?” Rave: 8:45, 11:45. A Thousand Words (PG-13) – Eddie Murphy becomes magically connected to a tree that loses one leaf for every word he says, and they’ll both die if all the leaves fall off, so he has to not talk. Rave: 9:35 a.m., 12:05, 2:35, 5:35, 8:55, 11:30. Riverdale: 11:10 a.m., 1:20, 3:30, 5:35, 7:50, 10:00. Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds (PG-13) – Worlds collide for a successful businessman, who meets a down-on-her-luck single mom who cleans the office building where he works. Riverdale: 11:00 a.m., 1:40, 4:15, 6:40, 9:05. We Bought a Zoo (PG) – They sure did. Made a movie about it, too, if I’m not mistaken. With Matt Damon. Movies 10: 1:10, 4:10, 7:10, 9:55. Woman in Black (R) – Man, now they’ve got that Harry Potter dude starring in horror movies about creepy old castles haunted by old-lady ghosts. Movies 10: 12:20, 2:50, 5:10, 7:35, 10:15. Chenal 9 IMAX Theatre: 17825 Chenal Parkway, 821-2616, www.dtmovies.com. Cinemark Movies 10: 4188 E. McCain Blvd., 945-7400, www.cinemark.com. Cinematown Riverdale 10: Riverdale Shopping Center, 296-9955, www.riverdale10.com. Lakewood 8: 2939 Lakewood Village Drive, 7585354, www.fandango.com. Market Street Cinema: 1521 Merrill Drive, 312-8900, www.marketstreetcinema.net. Rave Colonel Glenn 18: 18 Colonel Glenn Plaza, 687-0499, www.ravemotionpictures.com. Regal Breckenridge Village 12: 1-430 and Rodney Parham, 224-0990, www.fandango.com.
MOVIE REVIEW
Please Join Us In Celebrating Our First Year As We Honor
Rick Fleetwood
With The Inaugural Arkansas Patron Of The Year Award
A GAlA celebRAtion!
Thursday, April 19 • 7 p.m. • Dinner at the Clinton Presidential Library Craig O’Neill, Emcee • Cocktail Attire Honoring Rick Fleetwood’s community leadership and generosity with the inaugural Arkansas Patron Award.
‘HUNGER GAMES’: Jennifer Lawrence stars.
Survivor, dystopian edition
The annual Arkansas Patron’s Award is given to recognize individuals for exceptional generosity, whose gifts of time, talents, expertise and direct financial support have contributed significantly to nonprofit organizations in Arkansas. The award carries a grant given to an art organization chosen by the recipient.
‘Hunger Games’ hits most of its marks.
Reserved seating is available for tables of ten. Table purchase includes 2 tickets to VIP reception at 6 p.m. at the Argenta Community Theater. (Shuttle between ACT and Clinton Library)
BY SAM EIFLING
I
n the “Hunger Games” vision of the near-future, a country that used to be the United States has been divided into a luxurious capital and ever-grubbier outlying districts. As ongoing punishment for a long-ago rebellion, the capital each year holds the Hunger Games, a sort of Olympiad-to-the-death in which a teenaged girl and boy from each district is conscripted to compete — and in which only the final surviving competitor is deemed the winner. “Games” here is a euphemism (the movie could as well be titled “Dawson’s Creek in Thunderdome”), but the sinister organizers, including bitter president Donald Sutherland, keep deploying the doublespeak motto of the Games, “May the odds be ever in your favor.” Of course, when 24 people enter and 23 die, the odds are decidedly not. From District 12, coal country, come Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), who are whisked to the capital for a few days of pointers and media appearances before being pitted against the other competitors, some of whom have been training for years. Stanley Tucci is delightfully slimy as the TV impresario Caesar Flickerman, Wes Bentley is the conniving but never quite convincing Games director Seneca Crane (whose finely tuned beard has a real-life cult following of its own) and Liam Hemsworth is Katniss’ woodsy best bud Gale. Woody Harrelson, as a boozy former winner turned coach, and Lenny Kravitz, as a savvy stylist, also turn up to help Katniss and Peeta. Director Gary Ross (“Seabiscuit,” “Pleasantville”) also pitched in on the
screenplay. The gore is relatively light, considering; the gadgetry is pleasantly heavy, as when the show’s control room begins manipulating the forest arena to nudge the games along. Most of what’s here works plenty well, and what stumbles (some of the dialogue, an occasionally cartoonish plot) is easily forgiven because Lawrence (of “Winter’s Bone” fame) plays a strong Katniss, gentle yet deadly with a bow, and you want to see her live. The pacing slacks at times, yet even after well more than two hours, it has to wrap up in a flourish, dropping its surviving characters on the porch of the onrushing sequels (Hungrier! Gamier!) and backing away from the action. It all feels sudsy by the end. Just dark enough to freak out the young’uns but sunny enough that mom will buy the DVD later. The novel by Suzanne Collins was such a runaway hit in part because the themes are quite brutal within the young adult genre — there’s a lot of kid-on-kid killing here, televised for the whole country to watch. If you’re 13, the metaphors may not be apparent but they resonate at a gut level. Some may discern an allegory for youth sports; others may see war. The dystopian game-show theme felt prescient when Stephen King was publishing “The Long Walk” and “The Running Man,” novellas in which losing the contest means execution. Young viewers raised on reality shows with titles such as “Survivor” may be more likely to take Collins’ tale as an honest projection of a brutish future, their “1984.” You just have to spot it a bit of leeway, as it’s aimed most squarely at folks born around 1998.
ACT – committed to serving the community through education and advancement of the performing arts.
For Tickets Or To Make A Contribution www.argentacommunitytheater.com or call 501-353-1443
WINNER
BEST AcTrESS Tilda SwinTon
NatioNal Board of review • europeaN film awards saN fraNcisco film critics • HoustoN film critics oNliNe film critics society • austiN film critics assN.
meSmeriZinG.”
“
brilliantly made.”
“
LITTLE ROCK_WNT_0330_
hhhhh”
“
film critic’s pick
film critic’s pick
MARKET STREET CINEMA
West Little Rock 501-312-8900
TILDA SWINTON
JOHN C. REILLY
EZRA MILLER
MARKET STREET CINEMA West Little Rock 501-312-8900
A film by LYNNE RAMSAY
eXclusive eNGaGemeNt
MARKET STREET CINEMA
starts friday, marcH 30 West Little Rock 501-312-8900 www.arktimes.com
MARCH 28, 2012
37
LEGAL NOTICE
Butterball Turkey Processing Workers: If you are or were an hourly production employee for Butterball in its Huntsville or Ozark, Arkansas plants, a class action lawsuit may affect your rights. The lawsuit is on behalf of all current or former hourly-paid production employees (defined as Evisceration, Bagging/Packaging, Deboning, Boxing, Boneless Rolled Turkey (BRT), Smoke & Bake, and Traypack), who work or worked at the Butterball, LLC turkey processing plants located in Huntsville and Ozark, Arkansas, at any time since October 1, 2006 through the date of final judgment in this action. This includes any employees who were placed by temporary agencies to work in these plants. Workers should receive a Court-approved notice by mail. The notice provides detailed instructions on how to participate or exclude yourself from this case. HOW CAN YOU GET MORE INFORMATION? If you have questions or want a detailed notice or other documents about this lawsuit and your rights, you may: • Call 1-800-215-9762 (ask for Leslie Harms) or visit www.butterball-lawsuit.com • Write to:
38 MARCH 28, 2011
Butterball Lawsuit Zimmerman Reed, PLLP 1100 IDS Center, 80 South 8th Street Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402 ARKANSAS TIMES
MUSIC REVIEW
AFTER DARK, CONT.
nd Brothers’ and Sisters’ Day will be observed on March 29, 2008. Every year, it will be on the last Saturday in March. PLEASANT: Alison Krauss & Union Station played Robinson Center Music Hall on March 23.
Alison Krauss and Union Station
March 23, Robinson Center Music Hall BY BILL PADDACK
A
lison Krauss showed a bit of a comedic touch in a concert Friday night at Robinson Center Music Hall. Right after she and Union Station finished “Wild Bill Jones,” she joked that “everything bad that can happen to someone happens in that song.” And throughout the evening she went back to a running gag about buying in bulk. Or ordering items from late-night television infomercials. We learned she’s come up with a Dirt Devil and other band members are fond of such things as glucosamine and frozen berries. We’re not real sure what the volume-shopping talk was all about, but we’ll take songs from Krauss and Union Station by the dozen any day. The country-bluegrass superstar — at last count, she had an incredible 27 Grammy Awards — melds her feathery light voice and fiddle skills with the expert instrumentation of her longtime band to produce crowd-pleasing shows such as the one in Little Rock she used to kick off her 2012 tour. Opening with the title cut off their latest album, “Paper Airplane,” and continuing through “Dust Bowl Children,” “Daylight,” “Dimming of the Day” and a fun “Oh, Atlanta,” Krauss and Union Station member Dan Tyminski shared lead vocal duties and displayed
the group’s versatility. Around every bend of a Krauss concert, there’s something special. Tyminski shined on the well-known “Man of Constant Sorrow,” which was featured in the 2000 comedy “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” starring George Clooney. It was, of course, well received by the crowd of 2,000-plus, as was “Rain Please Go Away,” which had the crowd clapping along from the start. Krauss’ voice has been described as angelic and such praise sets the bar pretty high. Not to worry, from the sweet “Baby, Now That I’ve Found You” to the melancholy “Ghost in This House,” she lives up to the billing. Perhaps Krauss’ best-loved country hit, her outstanding take on the old Keith Whitley song “When You Say Nothing at All,” was first up in a five-song encore that also featured “Whiskey Lullaby” and a nice version of “Down to the River to Pray.” Besides Krauss on fiddle and Tyminski on guitar, the impeccable talents of Ron Block on banjo and guitar, Barry Bales on bass and Jerry Douglas on dobro helped the group shine, whether the song was a heartfelt ballad or a toe-tapping bluegrass favorite. Here’s hoping in between various bulkshopping trips they’ll find their way back to Central Arkansas soon.
CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 509 Scott St.: “The Cross,” interpretations in sculpture, painting, photography and stained glass by Wes McHan, Melverue Abraham, Janet Copeland, Susan Peterson, Lynn Frost, Betsy Woodyard, Jai Ross and Mark Aldefer. 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. 664-0880. GALLERY 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “BlueEyed Knocker Photo Club Presents,” 170 photographs by 19 photographers working in film and digital media, through May 12. 664-8996. GREG THOMPSON FINE ART, 429 Main St., NLR: “Disfarmer: Portraits from a Lifetime,” 40 vintage prints by Mike Disfarmer, documentary film screening 2 p.m. April 14, followed by Q & A with curator Jennifer Carman. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. 920-2778. HEARNE FINE ART, 1001 Wright Ave.: Sculpture by Jukes. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat. 372-6822. HEIFER VILLAGE, 1 World Ave.: “Design for a Cause,” art and graphic design work of four non-profits: Heifer International, UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital and The Rep, through April 9. 907-2953. HEIGHTS GALLERY, 5801 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Work by contemporary Arkansas artists, gifts. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 664-2772. KETZ GALLERY, 705 Main St., NLR: “All Things Wild,” paintings by Karen Garner. 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 529-6330. L&L BECK GALLERY, 5705 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “Ducks in Arkansas,” paintings by Louis Beck. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 660-4006. M2GALLERY, 11525 Cantrell: “Five-Year Anniversary Show,” etchings by Evan Lindquist, new works by Jeaneen Barnhart, Cathy Burns and Dan Holland. 225-6257. OW PIZZA, 1706 W. Markham St.: Grav Weldon, photographs. 374-5504. REFLECTIONS GALLERY AND FINE FRAMING, 11220 Rodney Parham Road: Work by local and national artists. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.Fri., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. 227-5659. SHOWROOM, 2313 Cantrell Road: Work by area artists, including Sandy Hubler. 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri. 372-7373. STARVING ARTIST CAFE, 411 Main St., NLR: “From Cardboard to Canvas,” artwork by homeless veterans and those who’ve experienced homelessness, sponsored by the VA Medical Center Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) day center’s Creative Expressions program, through March. 2574392. STATE CAPITOL: “Arkansans in the Korean War,” 32 photographs, lower-level foyer. 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat.-Sun. STEPHANO’S FINE ART, 5501 Kavanaugh
Blvd.: Works by Scott Davis, Tyler Arnold, John Kushmaul, Stephano Sutherlin and others contemporary artists. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 563-4218. THEA FOUNDATION, 401 Main St., NLR: Melanie Johnston, John Woodridge, Mary Ann Stafford and Kateri Joe, Arkansas League of Artists members; “Thea Visual Arts Competition Winners Show. 379-9512. BENTON DIANNE ROBERTS ART STUDIO AND GALLERY, 110 N. Market St.: Work by Chad Oppenhuizen, Dan McRaven, Gretchen Hendricks, Rachel Carroccio, Kenny Roberts, Taylor Bellott, Jim Cooper and Sue Moore. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. 860-7467. BENTONVILLE CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, 600 Museum Way: American masterworks spanning four centuries. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon., Thu., Sat.-Sun.; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wed.-Fri. Tickets free but timed; reserve at 479-418-5700. NORTHWEST ARKANSAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE, One College Drive: 2012 “Small Works on Paper,” juried show of 40 works by Arkansas Artist Registry artists, through March 29; “I thought I would find you here,” collaboration by Megan Chapman and Stewart Bremner, through April. 479-636-9222. HOT SPRINGS ALISON PARSONS GALLERY, 802 Central Ave.: Paintings by Alison Parsons. 501-625-3001. AMERICAN ART GALLERY, 724 Central Ave.: Paintings by Jimmy Leach, Jamie Carter, Ersele Hiemstra, Margaret Kipp, Kim Thornton, Sue Coon, Virgil Barksdale and others. 501-624-055. BLUE MOON GALLERY, 718 Central Ave.: “Confidence and Harmony,” sumi e paintings by Ann Shedelbower, also new works by Suzi Dennis, Thad Flenniken and Tom Richard, through March. 501-318-2787. FINE ARTS CENTER, 626 Central Ave.: “Hot Springs Regional Competition,” through March. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat. 501-624-0489. GALLERY CENTRAL, 800 Central Ave.: Marian Kline, equine paintings, through March. 501318-4278. JUSTUS FINE ART, 827 A Central Ave.: Work by Donnie Copeland, Hugh Dunnahoe, Steve Griffith, Rene’ Hein, Dolores Justus, Robyn Horn, Rebecca Thompson and others, through March. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat. 501-321-2335. RUSSELLVILLE RIVER VALLEY ARTS CENTER, 1001 E. B St.: “CenturyLink High School Art Competition and Exhibition,” through March. 479-9682452.
Brothers and Sisters Day will be observed on March 31, 2012. Every year, it will be on the last Saturday in March.
Learn more atorbrotherandsisterday.com y, make it a point to connect reconnect, acknowledging all you share with your or that someone special in your life who is like a brother or sister. When you see a www.arktimes.com
MARCH 28, 2012
39
Dining WHAT’S COOKIN’
will host a farmers market beginning May 6. The Bernice Garden Farmers Market will be open every Sunday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. through October. “Seeing Main Street busy and vibrant is important to us,” said market organizer Liz Sanders, adding that the market hopes to focus on local growers from SoMa itself. “We’d like to give those who grow food or raise animals for a hobby an opportunity to supplement their income by selling in their neighborhood.” Organizers of the market have taken very stringent measures to insure that everything sold at the market is grown and produced by the people selling it — and that everything marked organic is really certified organic. At the same time, efforts are being made to keep rental fees affordable for small-time growers, with a $10 daily fee all that’s required to rent a booth for eligible growers. Performances by musicians and exhibitions by artists are also planned. Growers and craftsmen interested in applying for space at the market can contact Liz Sanders at 501-617-2511 or at bernicegarden@ gmail.com for more details. Space is still available. A NEW JAPANESE RESTAURANT is
coming to west Little Rock’s Pleasant Ridge Town Center, at 11525 Cantrell Road, in early April, but the owners are a bit sketchy on the details. Construction has recently finished on Sky Modern Japanese, and according to Altan Gongor, one of three owners, the menu is still being worked out. There’s no firm opening date yet. There will be a hibachi bar, as well as sushi and hot entree options. Gongor said they will focus on fusion plates rather than traditional Japanese cuisine, and that the overall restaurant decor is contemporary. Gongor and the other owners have worked as servers, cooks and managers in other Little Rock restaurants. None are Japanese, but Gongor said that many Japanese workers have been hired. Rey Antipolo, the head sushi chef, has 25 years of experience, including his most recent stint at Mt. Fuji restaurant on North Rodney Parham. Sky seats about 85, and will feature a patio, a full bar and specialty drinks. The hours will be flexible — from 11 a.m. till late, “whenever people are ready to leave,” said Gongor, Monday through Friday, and noon till late Saturday and Sunday.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 41
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MARCH 28, 2012
ARKANSAS TIMES
BRIAN CHILSON
SOUTH MAIN’S BERNICE GARDEN
FLAVOR-PACKED: B-Side’s El Amigos.
A for B-Side Lilly’s spin-off gets breakfast right.
B
-Side is “b-side” Lilly’s Dim Sum Then Some, occupying the Asian stand-by’s former party room for a little more than two years now. You have to enter Lilly’s to get to B-side, which, as the name also connotes, is the culinary “flip side” to Lilly’s. And the two share ownership and a commitment to fresh, creative, painstakingly prepared, tasty food. B-Side is also a force to be reckoned with, particularly on weekends, proof there’s a booming market for a breakfast place that focuses on quality and serves up great plates at a reasonable price. Unless you just get lucky, expect to wait on Saturdays and Sundays. Beignets are a perfect way to start every meal at B-Side. They are light, roundish, not overly greasy fried hunks of dough, set off perfectly with the light dusting of powdered sugar and the dipping sauces. We always ask for blueberry and lemon, the former thinner and naturally less tart. A half order is four, and that’s plenty for a pair who wants just a few bites before the main course arrives. Mimosas and Bloody Marys are standard brunch cocktails, but B-Side’s versions aren’t standard at all because the orange juice is fresh-squeezed and the Bloody Mary mix is homemade. What a marked difference that makes. The Mary mix is spicy but not overwhelmingly so, with a generous dose of pepper.
B-Side
11121 Rodney Parham Road Little Rock, AR Northwest Little Rock 501-716-2700 QUICK BITE It is easy to forget what a profound difference fresh-squeezed orange juice makes in terms of taste. At B-Side you can get it straight up or laced with either bubbly or vodka – double-yum. The fun breakfast joint also makes its own Bloody Mary mix, and it’s superb: peppery with just the right amount of zing. HOURS 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. OTHER INFORMATION Full bar, CC
Huevos rancheros can be a rather mundane dish, but not at B-Side. It came recommended by the owner — depending on how large the crowd is, you might find yourself talking with or listening to a chatty Nancy Tesmer — and we’re glad we took her suggestion. Again, this is a lighter dish than the norm, with perfectly fried eggs, a nice complement of cheese and perfectly prepared black beans setting the tone. The classic Eggs Benedict is about as good as you can get — B-Side does eggs really, really well — also owing to the high-quality ingredients, in this case
Canadian bacon, an English muffin and some amazing potatoes. You wouldn’t expect large cubed potatoes to be so creamy inside, but our waiter said the trick is that they are parboiled and then flash-fried in a skillet. A short stack of two is plenty if you’re getting the blueberry pancakes, which are dense but not too heavy and teeming with blueberries — the perfect sponge for real maple syrup and butter. A side of crispy bacon supplies that magical sweet/salty contrast. There are a couple of tasty egg melange options — the farmer’s hash with sunny-side-up fried eggs atop a blend of peppers, onion and sausage and the El Amigos, which features black beans, cheese, scrambled eggs and tortilla strips. Both are flavor-packed. The most discussed and beloved dish at B-Side has got to be “biscuit mountain,” which actually is a pair of rolling biscuit-based hills — sausage patties, those great potatoes and gravy stacked on two biscuits with a pair of those signature sunny-side-ups topping the pile. And then there’s the famed Gouda grits, as rich and creamy as any you’ve had, the smoked gouda making them more distinctive than your usual cheddarbased variety. Other must-haves are the French toast sticks encased in a spiral of bacon, the frittata of the day — also light but extremely flavorful — and the chicken and waffles, which feature crispy, boneless thighs and very substantial (but again, not overly heavy) waffles. For breakfast, B-Side’s got it going on, as the creativity, taste and crowds will attest.
BRIAN CHILSON
Information in our restaurant capsules reflects the opinions of the newspaper staff and its reviewers. The newspaper accepts no advertising or other considerations in exchange for reviews, which are conducted anonymously. We invite the opinions of readers who think we are in error.
LITTLE ROCK/ N. LITTLE ROCK
AMERICAN
4 SQUARE CAFE AND GIFTS Vegetarian salads, soups, wraps and paninis and a daily selection of desserts. 405 President Clinton Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-244-2622. L daily. D Mon.-Sat. ARGENTA MARKET The Argenta District’s neighborhood grocery store offers a deli featuring a daily selection of big sandwiches along with fresh fish and meats and salads. 521 N. Main St. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-379-9980. L daily, D Mon.-Sat., B Sat., BR Sun. ARKANSAS BURGER CO. Good burgers, fries and shakes, plus salads and other entrees. 7410 Cantrell Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-0600. LD Tue.-Sat. ASHLEY’S The premier fine dining restaurant in Little Rock marries Southern traditionalism and haute cuisine. 111 W. Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-374-7474. BLD Mon.-Sat. BR Sun. BELWOOD DINER Traditional breakfasts and plate lunch specials are the norm. 3815 MacArthur Drive. NLR. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-753-1012. BL Mon.-Fri. BRAVE NEW RESTAURANT The food’s great, portions huge, prices reasonable. 2300 Cottondale Lane. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-2677. LD Mon.-Fri. D Sat. BURGER MAMA’S Big burgers and oversized onion rings headline the menu. 10721 Kanis Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-225-2495. LD daily. CAPITAL BAR AND GRILL Big hearty sandwiches, daily lunch specials and fine evening dining all rolled up into one at this landing spot downtown. 111 Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-374-7474. LD daily. CATERING TO YOU Painstakingly prepared entrees and great appetizers in this gourmetto-go location. 8121 Cantrell Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-664-0627. L Mon.-Sat. CATFISH HOLE Downhome place for wellcooked catfish and tasty hushpuppies. 603 E. Spriggs. NLR. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-7583516. D Tue.-Sat. CHEEBURGER CHEEBURGER Premium black Angus cheeseburgers, with five different
BELLY UP
B Breakfast L Lunch D Dinner $ Inexpensive (under $8/person) $$ Moderate ($8-$20/person) $$$ Expensive (over $20/person) CC Accepts credit cards
sizes, and nine cheese options. 11525 Cantrell Rd. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-490-2433. LD daily. CIAO BACI The focus is on fine dining in this casually elegant Hillcrest bungalow. 605 N. Beechwood St. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-6030238. D Mon.-Sat. CRAZEE’S COOL CAFE Good burgers, daily plate specials and bar food. 7626 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-221-9696. LD Mon.-Sat. DIVERSION TAPAS RESTAURANT Hillcrest wine bar with diverse tapas menu. 2611 Kavanaugh Blvd., Suite 200. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-414-0409. D Mon.-Sat. DOE’S EAT PLACE A skid-row dive turned power brokers’ watering hole with huge steaks, great tamales and broiled shrimp, and killer burgers at lunch. 1023 W. Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-376-1195. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat. EJ’S EATS AND DRINKS Sandwiches are generous, the soup homemade and the salads cold. Vegetarians can craft any number of acceptable meals from the flexible menu. 523 Center St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-6663700. LD Mon.-Fri. FLYING FISH The fried seafood is fresh and crunchy and there are plenty of raw, boiled and grilled offerings, too. 511 President Clinton Ave. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-375-3474. LD daily. GRUMPY’S TOO Music venue and sports bar with lots of TVs, pub grub and regular drink specials. 1801 Green Mountain Drive. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-225-3768. LD Mon.-Sat. HOMER’S Great vegetables, huge yeast rolls and killer cobblers. 2001 E. Roosevelt Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-374-1400. BL Mon.-Fri. THE HOUSE Traditional fare like burgers and fish and chips alongside Thai green curry and gumbo. 722 N. Palm St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-4501. D daily, BR and L Sat.-Sun. JIMMY’S SERIOUS SANDWICHES Consistently fine sandwiches, side orders and desserts for 30 years. Chicken salad’s among the best in town. 5116 W. Markham St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-3354. L Mon.-Sat. KRAZY MIKE’S Po’Boys, catfish and shrimp and other fishes, fried chicken wings and all the expected sides served up fresh and hot to order on demand. 200 N. Bowman Road. Beer,
Check out the Times’ food blog, Eat Arkansas arktimes.com
All CC. $$. 501-907-6453. LD daily. LOCA LUNA Grilled meats, seafood and pasta dishes that never stray far from country roots, whether Italian, Spanish or Arkie. 3519 Old Cantrell Rd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-6634666. L Sun.-Fri., D daily. LULAV Comfortably chic downtown bistro with continental and Asian fare. 220 A W. 6th St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-374-5100. BL Mon.-Fri., D daily. MILFORD TRACK Healthy and tasty are the key words at this deli/grill that serves breakfast and lunch. Bread is baked in-house, and there are several veggie options. 10809 Executive Center Drive, Searcy Building. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-223-2257. BL Mon.-Sat. OYSTER BAR Gumbo, red beans and rice peel-and-eat shrimp, oysters on the half shell, addictive po’ boys. 3003 W. Markham St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-7100. LD Mon.-Sat. OZARK COUNTRY RESTAURANT Specializes in big country breakfasts and pancakes plus sandwiches and several meat-and-two options for lunch and dinner. 202 Keightley Drive. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-7319. B daily, L Mon.-Fri., D Thu.-Sat. PURPLE COW DINER Cheeseburgers, chili dogs, thick milk shakes. Also at 11602 Chenal Parkway. 8026 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-221-3555. LD daily, BR Sat.-Sun 11602 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-224-
4433. LD daily, BR Sat.-Sun. 1419 Higden Ferry Road. Hot Springs. Beer, All CC. $$. 501-6257999. LD daily, B Sun. SALUT BISTRO This bistro/late-night hangout does upscale Italian for dinner and pub grub until the wee hours. 1501 N. University. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-660-4200. L Mon.-Fri., D Tue.-Sat. SBIP’S RESTAURANT Casual fine dining with sandwich and salads on its lunch menu. Sunday brunch, too. 700 E. Ninth St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-372-7247. LD Mon.-Sat. BR Sun. SCALLIONS Reliably good food, great desserts, pleasant atmosphere, able servers — a solid lunch spot. 5110 Kavanaugh Blvd. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-6468. L Mon.-Sat. SHORTY SMALL’S Land of big, juicy burgers, massive cheese logs, smoky barbecue platters and the signature onion loaf. 1100 N. Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-2243344. LD daily. SONNY WILLIAMS’ STEAK ROOM Steaks, chicken and seafood in a wonderful setting in the River Market. 500 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-324-2999. D Mon.-Sat. STAGECOACH GROCERY AND DELI Fine po’ boys and muffalettas — and cheap. 6024 Stagecoach Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-455-4157. BL daily. D Mon.-Fri. CONTINUED ON PAGE 42
the arkansas travelers open their sixth season at dickey-stephens park
opening day is thursday, april 5th!
WHAT’S COOKIN, CONT. A NEW TROPICAL SMOOTHIE in the downtown YMCA building at 524 Broadway is planning a grand opening this Wednesday, March 28. There will be 99-cent Mango Magic Smoothies and $2.99 flatbread sandwiches all day, and as an added bonus, there’s a fully restored courtyard patio to enjoy while you slurp. The new Tropical Smoothie is owned by Brad Newcomb and Josh Imon, who also own the River Market shop. Hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., but the patio closes at 5 p.m. The phone number is
246-3145. ORGANIZERS HAVE ANNOUNCED that
this year’s third annual World Cheese Dip Championship will be held on Oct. 20 on the grounds of the Clinton Presidential Center. Crude jokes about the Clinton Library looking like a mobile home aside, something tells us Bill’s a man who has enjoyed a steaming bowl of Hillbilly Fondue in his day. Online registration is now open and will remain so until Oct. 10 at cheesedip.net for both amateur and professional divisions.
ns mini-pla e m a g 0 •1 at $70 startingacks are back! p • smartdated general nly $45 n o u • 15 tickets n o i s s i adm
season tickets on sale now! as low as $300
501-664-1555 www.travs.com call now for group outing and private party information www.arktimes.com
MARCH 28, 2012
41
CROSSWORD
DINING CAPSULES, CONT.
EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ Across 1 Act greedy 5 Newsman Lou 10 Stand taken by a debater 14 Elton John/Tim Rice musical 15 ___ Gay 16 Austen heroine 17 Jeering from the bleachers 18 Broom made of twigs 19 Crazy sort 20 End of some medieval tournament action? 23 Charger 26 Part of the translation of “anno Domini” 27 Weapons that hit in a medieval tournament? 33 Sum up 34 Holy book 35 Middleton and Moss
38 Estuaries 40 Track figure 42 Flood survivor 43 “The Most Happy ___” 45 Imitated a wolf 47 Spanish bear 48 Really boring medieval tournaments? 51 Actress Zadora 52 Unwelcome growth 53 Joking around at a medieval tournament? 60 See 58-Down 61 Noted declarer of bankruptcy in 2001 62 Olympics jump 66 W.W. II battle site 67 Accustom 68 “The occupation of the idle man, the distraction of the warrior, the peril of the sovereign,” per Napoleon
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE T E A M
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69 Creature known scientifically as Bufo bufo 70 Heavy reading 71 Donald and Ivana, for instance Down 1 Shoot the breeze 2 Carnival city 3 Fracas 4 Hamper 5 Actress Mazar 6 Fairly uncommon blood type, informally 7 Nonsense 8 Black mark 9 Biblical fellow who was distressed? 10 “Back to the Future” transport 11 Mine, in Marseille 12 Springsteen’s “___ Fire” 13 Told all to the cops 21 Mont. neighbor 22 Crud 23 Chow down on 24 ___ for (really delicious) 25 Ultimate object 28 Follower of many a dot 29 Some daily papers, informally 30 TV courtroom drama, 1986-94 31 Start or finish of an aphorism regarding justice
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32 Patsy 36 Made less rigorous 37 Things binge drinkers sometimes do 39 Sloppy 41 Zebra 44 ___ were 46 Blue
49 Accept punishment 50 Entertain 53 Witticism 54 Anne Frank’s father 55 Kareem AbdulJabbar’s alma mater, in brief 56 ___ time at all
57 Oil container
58 French artist famous for 60Acrossing
59 Juana ___ de la Cruz, Mexican poet/nun 63 Losing row 64 Brink
65 French article
For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554. Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS. AT&T users: Text NYTX to 386 to download puzzles, or visit nytimes.com/mobilexword for more information. Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 2,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay. Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.
THIS MODERN WORLD
TERRI-LYNN’S BAR-B-Q AND DELI High-quality meats served on large sandwiches and good tamales served with chili or without. 10102 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-227-6371. LD Tue.-Sat. (10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.). UNION BISTRO Casual upscale bistro and lounge with a new American menu of tapas and entrees. 3421 Old Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-353-0360. WEST END SMOKEHOUSE AND TAVERN Dinner entrees are plentiful and the bar food is upper quality. 215 N. Shackleford. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-224-7665. L Fri.-Sun., D daily.
ASIAN
HANAROO SUSHI BAR One of the few spots downtown that serves sushi. With an expansive menu, featuring largely Japanese fare. 205 W. Capitol Ave. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-301-7900. L Mon.-Fri., D Mon.-Sat. LEMONGRASS ASIA BISTRO Fairly solid Thai bistro. Try the Tom Kha Kai and white wine alligator. 4629 E. McCain Blvd. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. 501-945-4638. LD Mon.-Sun. PHO THANH MY It says “Vietnamese noodle soup” on the sign out front, and that’s what you should order. Traditional pork dishes, spring rolls and bubble tea also available. 302 N. Shackleford Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-312-7498. SHOGUN JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE The chefs will dazzle you, as will the variety of tasty stir-fry combinations and the sushi bar. 2815 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-666-7070. D daily. TOKYO HOUSE This Japanese buffet serves up a broad range of fresh, slightly exotic fare — grilled calamari, octopus salad, dozens of varieties of fresh sushi — as well as more standard shrimp and steak options. 11 Shackleford Drive. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-219-4286. LD daily. WASABI Downtown sushi and Japanese cuisine. 101 Main St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-374-0777. L Mon.-Fri., D Mon.-Sat.
BARBECUE
CHIP’S BARBECUE Tasty, if a little pricey, barbecue piled high on sandwiches generously doused with the original tangy sauce or one of five other sauces. 9801 W. Markham St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-2254346. LD Mon.-Sat. DIXIE PIG Pig salad is tough to beat. It comes with loads of chopped pork atop crisp iceberg, doused with that wonderful vinegar-based sauce. The sandwiches are basic, and the sweet, thick sauce is fine. 900 West 35th St. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-753-9650. LD Mon.-Sat.
EUROPEAN / ETHNIC
ARABICA HOOKAH CAFE Kebabs and salads along with just about any sort of Middle Eastern fare you might want. Halal butcher on duty. 3400 S. University Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-379-8011. LD daily. CREGEEN’S IRISH PUB Irish-themed pub with a large selection of on-tap and bottled British beers and ales, an Irish inspired menu and lots of nooks and crannies to meet in. 301 Main St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-376-7468. LD daily. ISTANBUL MEDITERRANEAN CUISINE This Turkish eatery offers decent kebabs and great starters. The red pepper hummus is a winner. 11525 Cantrell Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-223-9332. LD daily. LEO’S GREEK CASTLE Wonderful Mediterranean food plus dependable hamburgers, ham sandwiches, steak platters and BLTs. 2925 Kavanaugh Blvd. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-7414. BLD daily. ZOGI’S EURO ASIAN BISTRO Our reviewers were impressed by soups, including the borscht (beets, beef, carrots, sour cream), and some of the main courses, including the Tsuivan — steamed wheat noodles stir-fried with beef, fried potatoes and veggies. 11321 W. Markham St. All CC. $-$$. 501-246-4597. LD Mon.-Sat., L Sun.
ITALIAN
CAFE PREGO Dependable entrees of pasta, pork, seafood, steak 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, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-5355. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat. CIAO The fine pasta and seafood dishes, ambiance and overall charm combine to make it a relaxing, enjoyable, affordable choice. 405 W. Seventh St. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-372-0238. L Mon.-Fri., D Thu.-Sat. GRADY’S PIZZAS AND SUBS Pizza features a pleasing blend of cheeses rather than straight mozzarella. The grinder is a classic, the chef’s salad huge and tasty. 6801 W. 12th St., Suite C. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-6631918. LD daily. IRIANA’S PIZZA Unbelievably generous hand-tossed New York style pizza with unmatched zest. Good salads, too; grinders are great, particularly the Italian sausage. 201 E. Markham St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-3743656. LD Mon.-Sat. U.S. PIZZA Crispy thin-crust pizzas, frosty beers and heaping salads drowned in creamy dressing. 2710 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-2198. LD daily. 5524 Kavanaugh Blvd. Beer, Wine, All
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MARCH 28, 2012
ARKANSAS TIMES
DINING CAPSULES, CONT. CC. $$. 501-664-7071. LD daily. 9300 North Rodney Parham Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-224-6300. LD daily. 3307 Fair Park Blvd. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-565-6580 ý. LD daily. 650 Edgewood Dr. Maumelle. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-851-0880. LD daily. 3324 Pike Avenue. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-758-5997. LD daily. 4001 McCain Park Drive. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-753-2900. LD daily. 5524 John F Kennedy Blvd. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-9755524 ý. LD daily. ZAFFINO’S BY NORI A high-quality Italian dining experience. Pastas, entrees and salads are all outstanding. 2001 E. Kiehl Ave. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. 501-834-7530. D Tue.-Sat.
LATINO
BROWNING’S MEXICAN GRILL New rendition of a 65-year institution. Some holdover items in name only but recast fresher and tastier. Large menu with some hits and some misses. 5805 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-9956. LD daily. CANON GRILL Tex-Mex, pasta, sandwiches and salads. Creative appetizers come in huge quantities, and the varied main-course menu rarely disappoints, though it’s not as spicy as competitors’. 2811 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-664-2068. LD daily. COTIJA’S Massive menu of tasty lunch and dinner specials, familiar white cheese dip and sweet red and fiery-hot green salsas, and friendly service. 406 S. Louisiana St. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-244-0733. L Mon.-Sat. LA REGIONAL The menu offers a whirlwind trip through Latin America, with delicacies from all across the Spanish-speaking world. 7414 Baseline Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-565-4440. BLD daily. TAQUERIA KARINA AND CAFE A real Mexican neighborhood cantina from the owners. 5309 W. 65th St. Beer, No CC. $. 501-562-3951. LD Tue.-Thu.
AROUND ARKANSAS
BENTON
DENTON’S TROTLINE Saline county-ites love the buffet dining that, besides great catfish, offers shrimp, chicken, gumbos and snow crab legs. 2150 Congo Road. Benton. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-315-1717. D Tue.-Sat. TAQUERIA AZTECA The best authentic Mexican in the Benton/Bryant area. Try the menudo on Saturday. 1526 Highway 5 N. Benton. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-7941487. LD Mon.-Sat.
CONWAY
BEAR’S DEN PIZZA Pizza, calzones and salads at UCA hangout. 235 Farris Road. Conway. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-328-5556. LD Mon.-Sat. BLACKWOOD’S GYROS AND GRILL A wide variety of salads, sandwiches, gyros and burgers dot the menu at this quarter-century veteran of Conway’s downtown district. 803 Harkrider Ave. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. 501-329-3924. LD Mon.-Sat. BOB’S GRILL This popular spot for local diners features a meat-and-two-veg cafeteria style lunch and a decently large made-to-order breakfast menu. Service is friendly. 1112 W. Oak St. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-379-9760. BL Mon.-Sat. GREEN CART DELI Self-billed as “The World’s First Biocompostable Solar-Powered Gourmet Food Cart,” this hot dog stand serves up Sabrett-brand links with all sorts of inventive toppings. Simon Park. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-908-1656. L Mon.-Sat. (open until 5 p.m. usually on Sat.).
Join us at U.S. Pizza Thursday, March 29th 5 - 10 p.m. 10% of all food sales go to Locations Include:
JFK • 5524 JFK
Sherwood • 8403 Hwy 107
Fair Park • 3307 Fair Park Blvd
Maumelle • 650 Edgewood Dr
Heights • 5524 Kavanaugh Blvd.
McCain • 4001 McCain Park
Hillcrest • 2710 Kavanaugh Blvd. Levy • 3324 Pike Ave
Rodney Parham • 9300 Rodney Parham Rd.
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43
MARCH 28, 2012
DOG DAYS OF DENIM Bright, cropped and lightweight—spring’s top trends prove that jeans aren’t just for chillier seasons. BY BLAIR TIDWELL PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN CHILSON
TULIPS
Emily Brown, the owner of Tulips, says that colored jeans are “the ‘it’ item of the spring and summer, and we haven’t had an ‘it’ item in a long time. Denim is back and it’s back in an exciting way for summer—in bright, but soft neons. Jeans are all lightweight and cropped, so they’re cooler and give you more freedom for wearing in warmer weather. Closer to summer, Tulips will also carry trendy short-shorts in bright colors, cherry-colored cut-offs, and some with patterns and flowers.” Cropped Thompson in bright orange by Citizens of Humanity, $185
Violet cropped with ankle zippers by Free People, $88
BOX TURTLE
Leslie Nelson, manager of Box Turtle, agrees that colored jeans are here to stay for spring and summer. “The colored jeans are an enduring trend that complements everything from bright color blocking to simple black and white,” Nelson says. “It’s a trend you don’t want to miss!” Skinny jeans in Cobalt Blue by SOLD Design Lab, $106
The Dani cropped denim with cuff by Citizens of Humanity, $194
Skinny jeans in Mint Green by SOLD Design Lab, $97
PINKY PUNKY
Pinky Punky co-owner Caroline Cossey sells a solution to women who want to look a few pounds lighter in their favorite pair of jeans. “The MiracleBody Jean by MiracleSuit is good for people with figure flaws, but they’re also good for the few, rare people that have the perfect body! They hold up your buttocks and pull in your inner and outer thighs. When women see how they look in the front and the back, they fall in love with them. The high-waisted look has really come back, and these are especially flattering because they pull in at the waist. Black and dark blue are the most slimming, but everybody also loves a white capri for summer.” Katie straight leg dark denim MiracleBody Jean by Miraclesuit, $109
White capri Miraclebody Jean by Miraclesuit, $89
hearsay ➥ EVOLVE’s man cave certainly isn’t for cavemen. We gave readers a peek inside the menswear store’s new sleek location earlier in the month. This Friday, March 30, owners Greg Rudkin and Josh Davis celebrate their new digs with a Grand Opening event. From 10 a.m.-1 p.m., 103.7 The Buzz will broadcast live from the shop; then at 12:30 p.m. the Little Rock Chamber will present an official ribbon cutting. Visitors can also expect door prizes, drawings and special sales all day. But best of all, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Original Penguin and Seven Diamonds will host trunk shows to show off their entire spring and summer lines. ➥ Makeup mavens make your way over to B. BARNETT on Thursday, March 29 and Friday, March 30. An artist from Trish McEvoy teaches how to apply products from the cosmetics line and shows off Trish’s patented Makeup Planner system. ➥ Then keep those eyes (accented with the perfect palette of shadows, no doubt) on the lookout for the central Arkansas debut of ULTA SALON COSMETICS & 44
MARCH 28, 2012
ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES
FRAGRANCE, INC., which will reportedly open a branch soon in the MIDTOWNE SHOPPING CENTER. The beauty superstore is a favorite for fashionistas, and easy on the budget, too. Ulta will share the space formerly occupied by Lewis & Clark Outfitters with southern chain VERSONA ACCESSORIES, which carries jewelry, shoes and handbags for women. ➥ Need some expert inspiration for your home decorating efforts? Pick up THE JOY OF DECORATING, and meet author Phoebe Howard as she signs copies of the book at furnishings store COBBLESTONE & VINE. Howard will be on hand Wednesday, March 28 from 5:30-7 p.m. Call (501) 219-3676 or (501) 664-4249 to RSVP. ➥ Hop into Easter weekend by brunching buffet-style at BRAVO! CUCINA ITALIANA AT THE PROMENADE AT CHENAL. On Saturday, March 31, from 8:3010:30 a.m., the scrumptious spot hosts the family-friendly Bunny Breakfast complete with Easter-themed activities for kids and photos with the Easter Bunny.
COMFY COMBO: jeans and tees
T
he all-American pairing of t-shirts and jeans is the clothing equivalent of a comfort food combination like French fries and a milkshake—it never goes out of style. So what better way to top off your pretty new pair than with a locally-made tee? Plenty of t-shirt designers have set up shop in central Arkansas, churning out fun designs that display home state pride without sacrificing style. Read on for a few of our favorites. Nativ, a company founded by Matt Abbott four years ago, began with one simple design—an outline of Arkansas and the word “Nativ.” “There wasn’t anything like it,” Abbott explains. “I like where I’m from. It’s a cool spot and I wanted a shirt to show that. Something that wasn’t sports related, simple and cool.” Though the company has evolved and branched out into different styles, Nativ sticks to its focus on creating original, simple, locally-made products. New designs are released every season and range from trendy to edgy to outdoorsy. The brand has even moved into markets outside of the state, producing designs for surrounding states like Missouri, Tennessee and Texas. This season, Arkansans will find bright colors, some even with 80s, retro vibes, around more
Local t-shirt company, Nativ, released several new styles for spring.
than 20 stores in the state. For a list of central Arkansas stores that carry the line, visit livenativ.com. Those looking for a humorous tribute to the Natural State can slip on a tee designed by AR State of Mind Clothing Co. Owner Keith Carter started selling tops in 2011 during Riverfest, and now operates kiosks in Park Plaza and McCain malls. The top seller is a simple red t-shirt emblazoned with the Arkan-
SNIP, SNIP
S
pring cleaning doesn’t just apply to homes. Go ahead and dust off shelves and clean out closets, but don’t forget to clean up your look with a fresh new hairstyle while you’re at it. As far as hair trends go, last year was all about bright feather extensions; everyone from five-year-olds to grandmothers displayed the funky trend. Local stylists aren’t forecasting such a widespread trend in 2012, but they do have plenty of other suggestions. Lakey Sanford at Memento Mori Salon says, “Women are wearing accessories in their hair: headbands, hair ties with hardware, chopsticks, roses and such. But please, for the love of God, no more feather extensions.” Fringe Benefits Salon stylists Summer Campbell and Natalie Black both agree that the braid has similarly run its course; instead they suggest getting a similar look by creating small “twists” in the front of hair. The classic ponytail gets a cool update with a low and messy approach. And of course, beachy waves
will be back for summer—Black and Campbell suggest Apres Beach spray by Oribe to get the look—but the musthave style will revive the big curls of 60s screen sirens like Brigitte Bardot and Sharon Tate. As for cuts, “long hair is here to stay,” Campbell says. “Long hair doesn’t know any age limit as long as it is healthy. And you want layers that help the hair move.” The Fringe Benefits stylists are also still snipping lots of blunt-cut bangs like those shown off by Ellie Kemper, Rose Byrne and Rooney Mara at this year’s Academy Awards. This is the season to go bold with color or the time to go back to your natural hue, depending on your commitment level to keeping up with dye jobs. Amy Rice, who plans to unveil her brand-new shop The Local (located at 2915 W. Markham) later in April, says many of her clients have already been requesting to return to their natural color. “Natural, shiny, soft, and not overly-processed hair is going to carry
sas flag, but Carter’s other most popular designs poke cheeky fun at what it means to be an Arkansan. The runnerup, released last September, features a map of Arkansas, with dry counties highlighted. Underneath it says “Know before you go.” Another called “7 Day Forecast” jokes about an Arkansas week that bounces between snow, sunny 75-degree weather, thunderstorms and tornadoes. Fresh designs debut weekly, and Carter solicits feedback and takes suggestions on the AR State of Mind Clothing Co. Facebook page. Brand new for spring and summer, ladies can find their favorite designs printed on American Apparel tank tops. Some of our other favorite local tees include Rock City Outfitters’ “Love” design—the middle of the “O” is a stamped into the shape of Arkansas. Plus, Rock City Outfitters donates the proceeds from each “Love” shirt to a different charity every month. We’re also partial to the Mascot Madhouse line sold at Evolve. Originally inspired by the Conway High School Wampus Cat, the line features only the strangest, coolest mascots of mythological, historical or completely made-up origins. We can’t think of a better way to show off our home, sweet (and quirky) home.
us through this summer, whether it’s long layers, a textured bob, or short and tossled,” Rice says. Though, “The Local will continue to do the beautiful, bright, crazy colors like magenta, violet and bright red provided by color lines like Pravana.” Rice uses a high-lift color system that doesn’t necessitate bleaching to get interesting colors like lavender or cotton candy pink. The process keeps hair healthy for those wanting to experiment. Sanford at Memento Mori Salon recommends fun looks like blonde hair dipped in pale pink for a feminine touch that doesn’t feel too punk-rock. Sanford is also a fan of Balayge, a French technique developed in the 70s in which color is painted onto the strands freehand. She uses the technique to create the ombre hair color like the laid-back style Drew Barrymore has been wearing for years. Campbell and Black at Fringe Benefits recommend the same look for ladies who need low maintenance tresses. The style sports darker roots that gradually become more golden toward the bottom—perfect for walking off into that equally golden summer sunset.
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ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES
MARCH 28, 2012
45
Big air
I
got this from my sources inside ALEC, the Koch waitstaff, the Romney brain trust, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce: that high on the agenda of the new order after the big November takeover will be cornering the market on the air that you breathe. The old story of Big Oil will provide the template for the new story of Big Air. I don’t understand the climatology of it, or how they can package up vast portions of the atmosphere, leaving continent-size holes in it as airless as moonscapes, until there are more holes than not, a kind of jigsaw atmosphere with more and more of the pieces missing — but apparently they can, and, greed being their prime directive, their pride and joy and the reason they get up in the morning, at the first opportunity they will. They’ll buy up and divvy up the earth’s air, then sell it back to you in discrete little retail units. Or they will if you want you and yours to go on breathing. You’ll have to pump it yourself, like you do gasoline. It’ll probably be sold by the cubic foot rather than by the gallon. I don’t know how you’ll get it home — perhaps we’ll all have our own economy-size dirigibles. And I suppose everybody will have a big stor-
age tank, like the old silver butane tanks that used to dot the landscape. And you’ll have to run out there every BOB minute or so, take LANCASTER a few deep breaths and hold the last one, then hurry on about your business. There’s already technology to pipe the air directly into your home or place of business from the refinery, like they do natural gas, but that sort of system wouldn’t be nearly as profitable for the nascent air industry. Big Air executives would get bonuses and pensions only in the tens of millions rather than the hundreds of millions like the Big Oil execs get. Quarterly company profits might be in the billions, but likely only in the low billions. Getting control over air, and marketing it, might be a bigger challenge, at least at first, than it was for oil. Remember oil was considered pretty much worthless at the time of the first big strikes. But even contemporary ’tards know the importance of air. You can live without oil, as the Amish do, or the yodeling veterinarians of the Alps, but if you don’t breathe, you die,
and screw that. So there’ll have to be some heavy initial propaganda on behalf of free enterprise against the socialist levelers and their never-ending yah-yah about free and equal access. An insignificant air-stamp program, like the extant food-stamp program, might be politically necessary to stay the clamor of those who persist in thinking of free air as an entitlement. It says nothing in the Bible about free air, but it does give capitalists — or job creators, as we like to call them now — the right to monopolize vital necessities, even the most basic of them. God gave the Israelites manna, but it was the aspiring merchants among the desert wanderers who collected the stuff in bushel baskets and distributed it on a reasonable schedule, making an honest profit on the deal, honester as the commodity grew scarcer, which is still the standard procedure, how business does business. So it will be with air. There’ll be air distributors and air consumers, the former having sucked up and pumped away all the air that used to ferry cumuli over the purple mountains and amber grain, free for moochers for 10,000 years, and having baffled away any brute Alberta clippers or shy nomadic zephyrs trying to seep in to fill the void. Expect Big Air to be like Big Oil in many ways. Instead of OPEC we’ll have APEC, made up of countries that capture, bale and ship the most and best air, Brazil and
Canada being two of the major ones in this hemisphere. We’ll have a Cabinetlevel Department of Respiration, with a Secretary of Air, perhaps even an Air Czar, but this ministry will be pretty much categorically ignored. Primary transport will be by air supertankers — the nature of their cargo making them harder to sink and not much of a threat to anybody but shareholders in the event of a massive air spill. The Big Air lobby like the Big Oil lobby would bribe congressmen to give them enormous subsidies and to exclude them from clean-air regulation or responsibility, and of course Congress would expect the conventional tit for the conventional tat. My sources say the air at the pump will come in three grades — not regular, plus, and premium but arm, leg, and firstborn. The lowest grade might stink pretty bad. Underselling the carefully rigged pump prices by gypsy or “independent” air dealers would be a capital offense. Only Justice Thomas could hear appeals in those cases. Once Big Air is up and going, it won’t be long before the advent of Big Water. Maybe claiming legal custody of just drinking water and rain to start with, but soon the rest of it — cricks, bayous, rivers, lakes, seas, the bounding main, the morning dew — available to you by the quart or the liter at the same convenience store/filling station where you go to get your air.
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Books from tHE ArkAnsAs timEs tHE UniQUE nEiGHBorHooDs of cEntrAl ArkAnsAs Full of interesting voices and colorful portraits of 17 Little Rock and North Little Rock neighborhoods, this book gives an intimate, block-by-block, native’s view of the place more than 250,000 Arkansans call home. Created from interviews with residents and largely written by writers who actually live in the neighborhoods they’re writing about, the book features over 90 full color photos by Little Rock photographer Brian Chilson.
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AlmAnAc of ArkAnsAs History This unique book offers an offbeat view of the Natural State’s history that you haven’t seen before – with hundreds of colorful characters, pretty places, and distinctive novelties unique to Arkansas. Be informed, be entertained, amaze your friends with your new store of knowledge about the 25th state, the Wonder State, the Bear State, the Land of Opportunity.
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April 12 -13
National presenters: Bill Buzenberg The Center for Public Integrity
Kahlil Byrd Americans Elect
Winthrop Rockefeller Institute | Petit Jean Mountain Join us as we celebrate Governor Rockefeller’s Centennial by exploring his legacy of political reform, examining the 2012 campaign, and debating the best way to select our presidents. During the conference we will discuss Winthrop Rockefeller’s legacy to Arkansas politics, what voters want reformed about the U.S. political system, how we select our national leaders, how money influences politics, how citizens’ groups are using the Web to inform and galvanize the public, and others issues. Presenters include Arkansans:
Charlie Cook The Cook Political Report
Dale Bumpers
Keith Gaddie
former governor & U.S. senator
David Pryor
former governor & U.S. senator
Jim Guy Tucker former governor
Justice Robert Brown
AR Supreme Court
John Kirk
University of AR at Little Rock
Todd Shields
University of AR at Fayetteville
University of Oklahoma
Celinda Lake Lake Research Partners
Charles Lewis The Investigative Reporting, Workshop at the American University
Ellen Miller The Sunlight Foundation
Nick Penniman United Republic
REGISTER TODAY www.livethelegacy.org Program begins 4:00pm, Thursday, April 12
John Samples
For more information call Ashley Snellenberger (501.727.6220)
Cato Institute
Admittance free of charge. Registration required.
Space limited. First come, first served. Additional charge for accommodations at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute and some meals.
Politcal Reform Ad-ARTimes-Full.indd 1
3/26/12 4:43 PM