Arkansas Times - September 3, 2015

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3

COMMENT

The LRSD and Baker Kurrus Your article about Baker Kurrus (“Walking the tightrope,” Aug. 20) was well written, informative and enlightening to readers. Thanks!

I believe that the real estate owners in West Little Rock deserve a public school for middle grades and the higher level. One that is convenient to their neighborhood like the Roberts school is now for them.

Yes, there are numerous private schools in the area — only because a public school was not there. It is past time to take care of the constituents in that area. Yes, it will take bus transportation, too.

Kurrus can do it with cooperation, integrity and leadership for all the children!

Anita Gatzke Little Rock Both newspapers write page after page about Baker Kurrus. The articles leave the impression that the Harvard-trained lawyer will get us out of a mess on his own initiative and/or has the backing of all the right people. However, there is no meaningful change in the Little Rock system. Mr. Kurrus is a lawyer, not an educator. He thinks in terms of winning a case instead of helping children. His high status and work ethic make him immune to criticism. He does not have time for ordinary people. What is changing, perhaps intentionally, on his watch is decreased public school attendance, and increased charter/private school population. Ironically, when the Supreme Court eliminated the last legal barrier to integrated education almost immediately social barriers took the place of racist law.

The Powerful People responsible for our public schools have no intention of uniting us. No, they use their privileged position to take over public education and force it to follow the rules of business. The folks with money get the best, and the rest of us get what is left. At least when this was the case in the past due to bad law, the poor had community. Today’s public school organization eliminates community. We are more divided now than ever and divided we fall.

Richard Emmel Little Rock

Not for long Just as I predicted. The future is so bright, I have to wear shades. Gas prices are down, unemployment is low, durable goods are up and the economy is stoked. This has been a sweet summer, indeed. Unfortunately, our nation’s prosperity will not last much longer. Republicans are about to take the White House. I say this based on the fact that Mitt Romney, the most unlikely Republican presidential nominee ever, won 24 of 4

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

the states back in 2012. The next Republican nominee will surely win more states and the White House. Republicans will be in complete control of our nation’s government, except for the judicial branch. “Hope and change” will give way to trickle-down economics in which poor folks get trickled upon under pretense of rain.

So, basically, we have two more prosperous summers left before the next Republican presidential administration turns this nation completely around in the opposite direction, back to the BushCheney era. Fortunately, when the new president takes the White House in Janu-

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ary 2017, our nation will still be operating on an Obama-era budget until September 2017. That gives us at least two more years of prosperity, but by the summer of 2018 there will be lots of change, very little hope, and I will no longer need my shades.

Gene Mason Jacksonville

Growing God’s Kingdom to the [Justin] Harris family.

Thank you, Max Brantley, for letting all know what’s going on in our state.

B.L. Hyde Little Rock

Values and Hutchinson

In response to Gene Lyons’ Aug. 27 column, “New York Times fails again,” on how the Clintons are treated in the press: Somehow I have the feeling it’s not going to stop due to the fact that bad news travels so fast. Doesn’t matter if it’s really not news at all. With the help of Get-Clinton publications it travels even faster. eLwood

Max Brantley was correct: If Gov. Asa Hutchinson believed in Arkansas values as expressed in recent legislation, he would have ended funding for

grow Grow LOCAL ARKANSAS TIMES

From the web

In response to the Aug. 27 cover story, “Visionary Arkansans 2015”: An excellent list.

I’m especially happy to read that Rep. Jana Della Rosa will try again on modernized campaign finance reports. radical centrist In response to the Aug. 30 Arkansas Blog post, “Hutchinson administration: no plan in place to help tens of thousands of Medicaid beneficiaries kicked off of coverage in violation of federal regulations”: This bunch, especially Asa, doesn’t have a “plan in place” for anything, ’cept their scorched earth policy toward folks that ain’t in the right class. That “stay to the right” course the ship of fools is on will soon create a whirlpool from which they cannot escape. ozarkrazo OK, the people of the state are compassionate, but not the leader. Asa has shown himself to be a hateful incompetent who will never admit that they made a STUPID mistake by trying to screw the state’s inhabitants. And yes, those same people who screwed up 58,000 people have nights and weekends to correct their mistake.

That is what “private business” would do.

Forget this “running the state like a business” GOP crap. If they ran a company the way they are running the state, it would have been out of business by May 20. No company would hire the losers they have put in positions and commissions, allowed idiots to hire relatives, and purposely misread regulations so they could be asshats and be sued.

Go ahead, ACLU, sue the idiots for 100 percent reinstatement with a new 30-day window and damages. The state apparently has a lot of money under Asa to lose federal cases so Asa can appear to be the smiling idiot he has chosen to be. couldn’t be better

I AM THE AEA

I’ve taught first, third and sixth grades throughout my career, but when I went home to Beebe, I taught first and third grades. I am passionate about teaching and making sure students receive the education they deserve, regardless of their demographic.”

Nancy earned both her national board certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and master’s degree in 2007, and she is active in the Arkansas Education Association (AEA) and the Arkansas Teachers for National Board Certification (ATNBC) state network. As the legislative outreach chair for ATNBC, she has learned a lot about the legislature and all its workings.

“I learned that school employees must engage with and inform our legislators about what we face daily in our classrooms as well as form partnerships with them in order to make our schools the best they can be,” she said. “Many legislators are chomping at the bit, so to speak, to hear from teachers. We are at a critical moment in our state’s history. School employees need to send a message to those who would seek to take anything away from our students. Regardless of one’s political affiliations, school employees should research and

BR I A N CHIL SO N

N

ancy Fancyboy has experienced a number of “Aha!” moments in her career.

For more than 25 years, she’s taught elementary school students how to read and explore the world. She started in Cross County, Arkansas, teaching three grades in two schools in three years, and that experience netted her lifelong friends. She then moved to rural Alaska where she taught for nine years in an Eskimo village on the Yukon River.

“I met my husband, George, in Alaska and then we moved back to Arkansas in 2000,” Nancy said. “After some time out of the classroom, I taught at White County Central.

think for themselves when voting so they can support legislators who will always put our students first. I recently took my daughter and her friend to the state capitol. I was taken there as a child by my father and was told it was my house, that our taxes pay for it, and we elect those who are there. I was encouraged to believe myself an equal to those creating legislation.”

Nancy joined the AEA about a year ago after being a member of another teacher organization.

“I researched both leading organizations in Arkansas, and the AEA was the only one that had a history of working hard to lobby for public school students and teachers. AEA is the only one sitting at the table with lawmakers to promote and protect our public school students and employees. We are facing a giant in our state that other states have faced and have failed—the gutting of public schools. We no longer have the luxury of pretending everyone has our students’ best interests at heart. The time has come for educators to stand together and send the message that we will stand together for the best interest of our students and our schools.”

1500 W. 4th St. Little Rock 501.375.4611 aeaonline.org www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

5

EYE ON ARKANSAS

WEEK THAT WAS

“I’m proud to be standing with this poor woman here at this dark hour. ... She really is gullible. She really is naive.”

— Chuck Banks, attorney for Martha Shoffner, at last week’s sentencing of the former state treasurer for accepting bribes while in office. Banks said Shoffner, a Democrat, “made a terrible, terrible error in judgment,” but asked U.S. District Judge Leon Holmes to depart from federal sentencing guidelines that recommended 151 to 180 months in prison. The judge did so, sentencing the 71-year-old Shoffner to 30 months.

BRIAN CHILSON

Quote of the Week:

SHED GOD: Art by Jose Hernandez at Dunbar Gardens.

Plenty of hope, not much action Gov. Asa Hutchinson held his much-touted “Restore Hope Summit” last week, a two-day convention of some 600 Arkansas religious leaders intended to address two slowboil crises facing the state: an overloaded foster care system and an overcrowded prison system.

Hutchinson said he’d ask the legislature to devote $1 million in rainy day money to the Department of Human Services to hire 40 new child welfare caseworkers — a small step but a good one. Other than that, unfortunately, the “summit” was more pep rally than policy forum. The assembled pastors, ministers, priests and others were urged to recruit more foster parents from their congregations and asked to write a letter to themselves setting goals for the future. That’s all fine, but as of July the state had almost 2,000 more kids in DHS custody than it had foster beds. This is a solution?’

Doctored dissertation Former Little Rock School District Superintendent Dexter Suggs has lost his doctoral degree from Indiana Wesleyan University, the chief academic officer at the university confirmed this week. The change is pre6

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

sumably because of allegations that Suggs plagiarized his dissertation, though the official said he couldn’t comment further due to privacy laws.

Suggs left the LRSD in April after the likely plagiarism was discovered, and his severance agreement allowed for the district to stop payments in the event Suggs’ doctorate was indeed revoked. The district said in a statement Monday, “Pursuant to the terms of the Settlement Agreement and Release, LRSD is not obligated to make any further payments to Mr. Suggs.” Yes, that’s right: “Mr.”

Hog farms Buffaloed The Buffalo National River scored a victory last week when the state Pollution Control and Ecology Commission approved regulations that prohibit new medium-to-large-scale hog farms in the river’s watershed for the next five years. The rules won’t affect the permit held by C&H, the hog facility near Mt. Judea that first sparked the controversy.

No dice on Lockheed Despite a commitment from the state of Arkansas of about $100 million to subsidize the proj-

ect, Lockheed Martin’s bid to net a Pentagon contract to build the next generation of tactical vehicles for the Army and Marine Corps failed. The vehicles — intended to be the successor to the Humvee — were to be built at Lockheed’s existing facility in Camden. The $6.75 billion contract instead went to Oshkosh Defense of Wisconsin.

Give it another generation At an Arkansas Federation of Young Republicans convention last weekend, some members pushed for a resolution meant to encourage the state GOP to remove opposition to same-sex marriage from its party platform. Will Hansen, chairman of the Washington County Young Republicans, noted that 58 percent

OF REPUBLICAN MILLENNIALS SUPPORT

MARRIAGE EQUALITY

of Republican millennials support marriage equality and said that “by taking this off of the table … we can kind of quit talking about [it].”

Hard-right Republican legislators sent a clear message to the younger generation: Get with the anti-gay program or get out. After the AFYR ended up tabling the resolution without a vote, the ever-vigilant Sen. Jason Rapert (R-Conway) tweeted triumphantly, “Those who don’t support the @ARGOP platform should resign GOP positions for failing to support our principles.”

Open that window Under pressure from the federal government, the state of Arkansas finally relented last week on the unreasonably short window of time it’s been giving Medicaid beneficiaries to respond to a letter requesting income eligibility verification.

The state had been giving people only 10 days to respond; the feds said Arkansas has to allow a window of at least 30 days to comply with federal law. OK, OK, said DHS, we’ll do 30 days from here on out. But tens of thousands of eligible Arkansans who’ve already lost coverage this summer (in part because of that 10-day window) remain uninsured.

OPINION

Look who’s talking about fairness

A

rkansas Business reported recently that because of bankers’ objections, the Arkansas Federal Credit Union has not been allowed to participate in a lender consortium financing $17 million in initial property acquisition and development for the Little Rock Technology Park.

Bankers have long feuded with credit unions, which enjoy a tax exemption. Said the article: “Bankers also object to a tax-exempt credit union earning interest from a borrower supported by taxpayers via a sales tax approved by voters.

“Arkansas banks paid $258+ million in taxes in 2014,” [Bankers Association CEO Bill] Holmes wrote. “AFCU and 80 other Arkansas credit unions paid $0.00 in taxes.

An individual taxpayer pays more in taxes than all credit unions combined.”

Bankers said the Tech Park couldn’t

be a member of the credit union because credit unions are supposed to serve groups of peoMAX ple with common BRANTLEY bonds. The bankmaxbrantley@arktimes.com ers may or may not have a technical point on the lending activity. But they walked into a minefield when they started talking about public subsidies of private outfits.

The Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce is a tax-exempt organization (no taxes on $2.8 million in revenue, according to the most recent tax report available). It nonetheless got hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer subsidies annually until a judge ruled the practice unconstitutional this year. More pertinently, it ran the 2011 campaign to

Trump holds the cards

T

he day is approaching — and Sept.

17 is probably it — when the nabobs of the Republican Party must come to grips with the reality they thought was farcical back when the last rains of spring fell: Either Donald J. Trump will be their nominee for president or he will have the biggest say about who it will be.

Sept. 17 is the day after the second Republican debate, and everyone will know then with some finality if Trump is capable of saying something so shocking or so contrary to conservative dogma or if someone has recorded something so reprehensible about the old playboy’s sordid private life that voters will flee from him like he was global warming’s next Katrina. After the Reagan Library debate, the four remaining debates before Iowa will be watched by fewer and fewer people who will care less and less.

The narratives of a vanishing Trump in the fall and winter have given comfort to blueblood and bluenose Republicans alike and Democrats as well, even while polls show Trump with a big and growing lead over the other 16 Republicans. The Monmouth poll this week showed Trump

outpacing our man Mike Huckabee 23 to 1 in Iowa, which Huckabee counts on giving his hapless candidacy a ERNEST glimmer of life, as DUMAS it did in 2008.

The common theory has been, and still is, that Trump is a flash in the pan, like Michelle Bachmann and Howard Cain in 2012 and Rudy Giuliani (America’s mayor) and Alan Keyes in 2008. Well before New Hampshire they were rendered ciphers by their own daffiness and ineptitude or, in Cain’s case, his secret past. So it will be, they all hope, for The Donald.

But they’re wrong, unless they can bring him to bay in this month’s debate for promising higher taxes on billionaires, hedgefund managers and corporations that send jobs overseas and shelter the profits from taxes. Higher taxes on anybody is the ultimate apostasy for Republicans, and there seems to be panic in the “growth” wing of the GOP that Trump will get away with that, too. I think he will. Who now, besides the Club for Growth, will dare ride to the

increase the Little Rock sales tax and, in return, got its wish for $21 million plus in taxpayer money to subsidize the Tech Park, a dream of chamber leaders.

The Tech Park is a municipal agency that so far hasn’t received a dime except from taxpayer financed sources: the city, Children’s Hospital, UAMS, UALR. The chamber refused, by the way, to reveal how it spent money raised in the tax campaign. I object to giving public subsidies and control over big pots of money to an opaque organization with a political agenda that happens to often vary with that of the public at large. Think workers compensation, unions, health insurance, tax policy.

So, there was at least a little irony in hearing bankers objecting to a tax-advantaged organization benefiting from public tax dollars, since the taxpayer-subsidized, tax-advantaged chamber has been engineering this tech park train from day one. I’d be willing to bet the Arkansas Bankers Association will support Sen. Jon Woods’ proposed constitutional amendment to reverse Circuit Judge Mackie Pierce and again allow tax money to be shipped to chambers of commerce

such as the one in Little Rock.

But of larger concern is the evidence that political considerations are already having an impact on Tech Park operations. I won’t speculate too much on the other possibilities, though they are easy to imagine. Would Sen. Jason Rapert (R-Conway) and others of his stripe allow the tech park to provide a taxpayersubsidized home for companies that do stem cell research? Would legislative forces prohibit the tech park from having a policy against doing business with people who discriminate on account of sexual orientation? If a willing lender can be excluded from loaning money on account of an old business feud, it seems reasonable to worry about other possibilities.

The tech park is a public enterprise.

I’ve never thought it was a good idea for government to get into private business.

Better to let the free market work, except to the extent that we build a city people want to live in. But if it must participate, it should treat all would-be participants equally. Members of the chamber of commerce shouldn’t hold a veto on who qualifies.

defense of billionaires and job exporters?

If Trump continues at 20 to 25 percent in the polls and the early voting, he will be the nominee and Democrats may start to rue praying for such an outcome. After Iowa, New Hampshire and then the Southern primaries, where Ted Cruz, Trump’s style twin, should get a big lift, most of the primaries will be winner-take-all, where the plurality winner will get all the delegates, not merely his proportional share.

Republicans will be looking at a field of Trump, Cruz and two or three trailing conventional candidates, like Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and John Kasich.

Conventional wisdom has it that once Rupert Murdoch turns all the guns at Fox News, not just Megyn Kelly, loose on Trump like it has on Hillary Clinton, his poll numbers will fall to Huckabee and Lindsey Graham levels. It won’t happen once Murdoch and Trump find that they have more in common than their inherited fortunes.

The notion, or the mere hope, that Trump is just another greenhouse plant that won’t withstand the searing heat of a campaign is based on two false assumptions: that most voters trust someone who has proven they can get the job done and that they look at the candidates’ fidelity on a set of issues they care about, whether it is abortion, gays, taxes, immigrants or Muslims.

Monmouth University’s poll showed that the leaders in Iowa were the only three

of the 17 Republican candidates who had never held a political office: Trump, neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina, the failed corporate CEO who was fired in 2005 for crashing Hewlett-Packard’s stock. Their numbers comprised most of the voters. All the governors and former governors who boasted about having made government work — Rick Perry, Chris Christie, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Jim Gilmore and George Pataki — were at 3 percent or lower, or, like Jeb Bush and Scott Walker, heading in that direction. The lone exception was Ohio’s staid Kasich, who was inching up.

But the biggest delusion is that voters care uppermost about the issues. Once Republican voters learn that Trump not long ago stood for the opposite on most of the big issues of concern to them — he favored European-style socialized medicine for all, a woman’s right to an abortion, banning assault weapons, protecting Social Security and Medicare from Republican tampering, and legalizing drugs — they would abandon him in droves.

Issues are illusory. We like theater. Most of us prefer a showman to an ideologue, or even a statesman, if any there are in the vast panoply of Republican and Democratic candidates. Trump is America’s consummate showman, which is why the first debate set a record for viewers. We tuned in to see the ringmaster goad the animals through their acts and we weren’t disappointed.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

7

The PC Trump

S

o I see where presidential candidate Donald Trump and former Gov. Sarah Palin are complaining about “political correctness,” the supposedly liberal sin of being too polite to tell the unvarnished truth. Me too.

I’ve always laughed at the follies of selfstyled “radical” left-wing professors.

My all-time favorite was the time a UMass-Amherst English professor commiserated that an “aristocratic Southerner” like me must find the campus’ multicultural environment challenging.

I was maybe 28, an Irish guy from Elizabeth, N.J., a city that makes Amherst look like a country club Mitt Romney might join.

OK, so I did have a degree from the University of Virginia, and a cute Arkansas wife some of my colleagues patronized to her face. Extreme ethnic sensitivity and comical misjudgments — the Irish aren’t exactly rare in Massachusetts, and saying “y’all” hardly indicates KKK sympathies — were regular features of campus life. We plotted an early escape.

So when I tell Diane that students at Columbia University have petitioned for “trigger” warnings on Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” because the god Jupiter — a sort of first century Donald Trump — goes around disguised as a bull or a swan raping virgins, she laughs.

“They’re all Amherst now, aren’t they?” she says.

Needless to say, there’s also plenty of ethnic stupidity on the right. ESPN commentator Curt Schilling recently got suspended for a foolish tweet equating Muslims with Nazis. This aroused Palin, who decried what she called a “JOURNALISTIC EMBARRASSMENT” and urged ESPN to get back to “our beloved sports.”

Which was exactly what the network was trying to do. Why Schilling, a terrific pitcher and a fine baseball analyst, chose to inject ISIS and the Third Reich into the Little League World Series, for heaven’s sake, remains unclear.

But let’s go to the numbers. Schilling’s ostensible point was that “only 7 percent of Germans were Nazis … while it’s said only 5-10 percent of Muslims are extremists.” Evidently he’s unaware that Adolf Hitler was elected, which makes the 7 percent figure awfully suspect. No doubt with the votes of a lot of people named Schilling. It’s a relatively common German name. Chances are that quite a few Kurt Schillings served in Hitler’s armies.

8

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

You start messing around with collective guilt and cheap historical analogies, see, and there’s no telling where things might end up.

Even so, I hope ESPN brings the big dope back. They only pay him to be smart about baseball.

Sarah Palin also griped during her recent TV interview with candidate Trump that GENE politically corLYONS rect “lamestream” reporters keep asking him “gotcha” questions: “For instance, they [sic] asking what’s your favorite Bible verse, and I listened to that going ‘What?’ Do they ask Hillary that? What does it have to do with running for the office of the presidency?”

Well, maybe nothing. Except, of course, Trump was going around giving thumbs up gestures and saying stuff like “the Bible, number one, right?”

For the record, the late Tim Russert famously asked all the Democratic candidates to cite their favorite Bible verses during a nationally televised 2007 debate. Hillary said the Golden Rule, then-Sen. Obama cited the Sermon on the Mount. Nobody mentioned “The Art of the Deal.”

You definitely get the idea, though, that on the day the SS Trump sails into an iceberg, The Donald will be the first one in the lifeboat. Comforting the poor and afflicted doesn’t appear to be high on his to-do list. I mean here’s a guy who made his fortune building casinos and luxury hotels where ordinary stiffs can gamble their money away while guys like him party with hookers in the penthouse suite.

At least he resisted informing former Gov. Palin that she’s no longer a 10. He did say that to Austrian “supermodel” Heidi Klum recently, who mocked him with a T-shirt reading 9.9. I don’t know how she resisted challenging him to a bathing suit contest. A 69-year-old guy with a good tailor and a physique like a bowling pin definitely needs to keep his clothes on.

Have I given offense? Oh, I do hope so.

My point’s quite simple: Trump’s whole New York loudmouth act, the presidential candidate as braggart professional wrestler, only lasts as long as everybody else acts, well, politically correct.

Change the rules, and there’s no telling what could happen.

Confrontation vs. innovation

BY ROBERT MCAFEE

A

rkansas took a great step in the right direction last week.

The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and the Public Service Commission announced the state would move forward to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan.

This decision gives Arkansas a unique opportunity to lead the way in the switch to clean power.

The Clean Power Plan is the biggest step ever taken by the United States to curb climate change. The plan calls for Arkansas to reduce its carbon emissions by 36 percent by the year 2030.

Unfortunately, the issue has become partisan, when it’s really about doing our fair share to protect the planet for our children and improve living conditions for all Arkansans. Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge vowed to “continue to fight the final rule” and “take any and all appropriate legal action to prevent its implementation.”

Luckily, the ADEQ and the PSC are putting partisan politics aside to do what is best for the state. The CPP provides guidelines for states to reduce CO2 pollution by shifting away from coal power to cleaner, smarter alternatives. Carbon pollution is the single largest driver of climate change.

It fuels extreme weather conditions threatening the health and livelihood of Arkansas communities, especially low-income communities and communities of color.

Renewable energy is better for consumers, creates jobs and lessens pollution that causes health problems, including asthma and cancer. ADEQ and the PSC are working with ratepayers, utility companies and other stakeholders to create the best plan for Arkansas. The state needs to develop a strong plan that fully provides an environment for clean energy and energy efficiency. This same plan must protect our economy without exposing Arkansans to energy cost increases.

We should consider all options to find the ones that work best for Arkansas. One promising solution is

market based: a revenue-neutral carbon fee and dividend (CF&D).

CO2 polluters pay a fee levied at the source of fossil fuel production or the port of entry for imports. Those dollars are returned to all Arkansans, which in turn goes back into the economy. CF&D is fair, simple, and puts money in YOUR pocket.

It will make local and green energy alternatives more affordable, creating investment in biofuel, wind, solar and energy efficiency programs. These renewable sources are the future of energy, where the jobs will be. Arkansas can be at the front end of the inevitable shift in our energy economy.

A 2014 study of a national CF&D found the economy would add 2.8 million jobs over the next two decades.

Emissions would be reduced by more than half, and most coal power plants would no longer be operating.

We need to study the potential for CF&D, and other ways to clean our energy footprint here in Arkansas. All options should be on the table.

Ignoring the EPA’s Clean Power Plan is not an effective solution. The lawsuits challenging the CPP are likely to fail. If they do fail, Arkansas will be in a better position by considering cleaner options. In the unlikely event the legal challenge is successful, Arkansas will still be in a better position to capitalize on the economic opportunity clean energy provides.

This CPP innovation creates jobs, grows the economy, stimulates clean energy investment and innovation, and leads to healthier communities. The majority of Arkansans support the CPP. According to a poll by Impact Management Group commissioned earlier this year by the Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation, 67 percent of Arkansans support the Clean Power Plan. Arkansans want to move our state in the right direction for ratepayers, businesses and future generations. With the added incentive for a dividend for fighting carbon pollution, public support would be stronger.

Robert McAfee is a member of the Arkansas Citizens’ Climate Lobby.

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SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

9

Hogs ready for kickoff

T

he University of Texas at El Paso’s recent football history is largely notable for two things: (1) it gave disgraced itinerant, would-be Alabama coach Mike Price a soft landing zone when he had to rebuild his career after the “It’s rollin’, baby” incident that forced the Crimson Tide to hire Mike Shula way back in 2003, and (2) its home stadium has a picturesque hillside where fans can watch goings-on from afar, and an ESPN game a few years back featured a shot of a couple engaging in some pretty tawdry behavior on that gorgeous bluff while taking in a Miners game against the University of Texas.

OK, that’s belittling the program a bit.

UTEP has a fair pedigree as a mid-level type of place, where the Prices of the world can bring some recognition and where transfers from larger programs can find safe haven. Since 2000, the Miners have been to five bowl games, but have lost all of them. They’re in Conference USA, which is not one of the old “automatic qualifier” leagues from the BCS era. They wear a lot of orange and blue, but that’s where the similarities with upstart, onetime mid-major Boise State pretty much end.

As they travel to Fayetteville to open the 2015 season against the Arkansas Razorbacks, UTEP has a second-year coach named Sean Kugler who looks like he could develop a reasonably successful program there. The Miners are coming off a 7-6 campaign and they flourished as the season wore on.

There’s a legacy of losing around El Paso, sadly, but the Sun Bowl is a pretty spiffy stadium and tailback Aaron Jones is one of the better-kept secrets in the highest level of college football, a powerfully built tailback who churned out 1,321 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore and landed himself on the Maxwell Award Watch List as a result.

The issue for the Miners is that the quarterback position, while robust with depth, is completely without game experience, and the defense is not highly regarded. UTEP will accordingly need to rely on Jones and its offensive line Saturday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium, which is not expected to lend itself to that kind of grind thanks to late summer temperatures and a midafternoon kickoff time.

For the Hogs, the formula seems so

simple, but with Bret Bielema delaying the release of the depth chart until the start of BEAU the week, there WILCOX are some areas demanding urgency. At the outset, how will the Hogs’ tailbacks fare with Jonathan Williams shelved? Nobody could grind out yards better than the nowinjured tailback, and Alex Collins has never had the burden of being a 30-carry type of guy. Fortunately, he won’t have to shoulder that sort of workload this weekend, either, but he has to demonstrate endurance in tough conditions, too. Expect 15-20 carries for him, but it’s more likely that Rawleigh Williams gets the ball for much of the second half. The true freshman has impressed in camp to such an extent that even before the elder Williams’ foot surgery, he was already being hyped as a potential impact guy and the word “redshirt” was nary uttered about him.

On the other side of the ball, Arkansas has a defensive line that is as skilled and deep as it has been since the program migrated from the Southwest Conference, but there are unknowns there.

Trey Flowers was the unquestioned leader and brought hell upon opposing quarterbacks, and now it’s time for Deatrich Wise, Tevin Beanum and JaMichael Winston to demonstrate the same type of tenacity. All are capable of doing so, but someone has to emerge early as the threat, and UTEP’s a seemingly easy target, what with its lack of seasoning at signal-caller. Someone like Beanum, who has exceptional size and strength, appears to be a viable candidate to shine under all the impending circumstances.

He can take advantage of a mismatch on talent alone, and should be able to stay fresh with so many players likely to see action this weekend.

In the defensive backfield, there’s an even bigger opportunity for someone to seize early spotlight because of the pressure that defensive coordinator Robb Smith will be bringing. Safety Rohan Gaines has cleaned up his act and may be on his way to an all-conference-caliber year if he casts aside the disappointing way he ended last year, and he’s an essential component of the secondary CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

10

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

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THE OBSERVER NOTES ON THE PASSING SCENE

#Katrina10

T

his week marked 10 years since all of us who have reached a certain vintage watched an American city drown on live TV. Time sure does fly when you’re trying to forget images of unspeakable desperation and horror.

The Observer and colleague are currently working on a cover story for next week for which we tracked down and talked with a few folks from the New Orleans area who resettled here following Katrina, far from the reach of what King Lear called ye hurricanoes.

Talking to people who lived through it brought it all back to Yours Truly: watching it unfold on CNN, one of those events like Pearl Harbor or 9/11 or the Kennedy assassination that are to Memory Lane as the lonely crosses, appointed by fake flowers, are to the more tangible highways we traverse. When people remember moments like that, they are prone to starting sentences with: “I’ll never forget …” in a kind of dreamy, almost disbelieving way. That’s understandable. It’s one of the truisms of life that the days when things run smooth and steady are entirely forgettable. Those days pile up and blow away like leaves. What is heavy stays. And so we say: “I’ll never forget …” because we won’t, and can’t.

The Observer lived in Lafayette, La., for two years, leaving in the spring of 2001. Junior, in fact, was born on the bayou there. He showed it regularly as a boy by being partial to foods that would have sent us screaming backward at 5 or 6: boiled crawfish, fried oysters and Tabasco sauce by the gallon. It is not only because south Louisiana is his native land that we love that place and New Orleans, only about two hours away from Lafayette over an elevated freeway built through the heart of the Atchafalaya swamp.

No, we loved New Orleans a long time before we came to live in south Louisiana. The Observer made a trip to New Orleans a couple of times while we were in college, and came to love it. We found it to be a dreamlike place, where one could be convinced that anything could happen, myth and reality all balled up

together like the greasy paper that once wrapped a po’ boy.

We’ve known New Orleans only as a tourist and visitor, but the sense we got from the place is that it is a city that has always existed with fingers crossed, running on the belief that the levees will hold, that the pumps won’t fail, that the hurricanes will veer, and that the good luck will keep on coming. We’ll never forget: Back when we lived in Lafayette, The Observer watched a documentary on PBS about what could happen if the good luck ran out.

“Filling the bowl,” they called it, the entire city laid waste by a toxic brown soup 10 feet deep in places. Watching it then, it seemed impossible. Such is the optimism of human beings. Even after we’ve built large parts of a major metropolitan city below sea level, in a place that averages 64 inches of rain every year, we want to believe that whatever has never happened simply cannot happen. If it could, surely it would have happened before now.

We watched it unfold on television, in a dry apartment in Little Rock. The hurricane, then the flood. We saw. People sweltering on rooftops. Families wading water. Floating bodies. We imagined what we would do. We cried some. We donated what money we could afford.

Junior caught enough glimpses of the coverage that we got a note from his preschool teacher later in the week, saying that he’d been dog-paddling his sleeping mat around the floor during naptime, pretending to be adrift, beckoning his classmates aboard so he could save them.

For a whole lot of reasons, The Observer hasn’t been back to New Orleans since Katrina. We tell people it’s because of the difficulty or traveling with a child, and that it’s not exactly a kid-friendly town. But that’s not really it. The reality is: We’re afraid we’ll find it changed. Scarred.

Less colorful. Less dreamlike. Less of a place where anything might happen and more of a place where something did happen. Something horrible. The grayer we get, though, the more we know what it means to miss New Orleans. We may have to amble back that way this winter. Ten years is far too long.

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11

Arkansas Reporter

THE

IN S ID ER

A new report from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law demonstrates a wide range of racial disparities within Arkansas’s criminal justice system.

“Reveal, Restore and Resurrect: The Truth About Racial Disparities in the Arkansas Criminal Justice System” found that blacks in the Arkansas Department of Correction were more than twice as likely to be sentenced to death than whites. It also found that blacks with less than a high school education were more than twice as likely than whites with the same level of education to be sentenced for capital murder. The report further determined that blacks were 28 percent more likely to be sentenced to life without parole for first-degree murder than whites and 11 percent more likely to be sentenced for capital murder than whites.

Adjoa A. Aiyetoro, a law professor at the Bowen School of Law, and David Montague, criminal justice professor at UALR, developed and administered the project. Their research comes from a sample of 538 ADC prisoners who were convicted of murder and sentenced to life, life without parole or death. A total of 1,033 prisoners fit this description in 2013 when the sample group was pulled.

The various actors in the criminal justice system are “misleading” the public by suggesting that our communities are safer when we put more people in prison, Aiyetoro said in an interview.

“No, if you’re locking them up, you’re making my community worse because you’re taking away people that could be meaningful contributors and spending money on prisons and police and not on mental health and drug treatment programs. Addiction is not a class or race issue, but we’ve made it one by incarcerating disproportionately black people, people of color and the poor.”

The disparities could be addressed by better educating juries, Aiyetoro said.

“Defense attorneys can use this data to educate juries about their stigmas and biases and their impact,” she said.

12

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

More injustice for Tim Howard

I, too, was asking the department to explain Howard’s unique situation. On July 24, ADC spokesperson Cathy Frye offered a lengthy explanation of what she called this “highly unusual case” that I, frankly, could not understand.

At the end of the email, however, Frye offered that, due to new calculaDepartment of Correction delays parole tions, and if the parole board approved, hearing due after conclusion of new trial.

Howard would be eligible for release on Feb. 26, 2016 — a date almost two

BY MARA LEVERITT years earlier than the one previously announced. irst, Arkansas held Tim HowBenca still wasn’t buying it. On ard in a cell on death row for 14 Aug. 18 he submitted a Freedom of years after a trial in 1999 that Information Act request for the ADC’s would later be ruled illegal. Then, internal correspondence regardafter the jury at his second trial this ing the new calculation. Benca told spring sentenced him to a term of DePriest in an email: “If Mr. Howard was incarcerated years that would make him immeback in 1999 for second-degree murdiately eligible for parole, the state der, with the same exact entry dates, refused to grant him the necessary parole hearing. he would have been eligible for parole On May 8, Howard’s new jury sen[in] a little less than 10 years …

“This man is being punished additenced him to a total of 38 years in prison. It did not pull that number tionally because he got a new trial and from a hat. Before the jurors began received a better sentence? He lived in a hole for almost 14 years and you deliberating, they asked the judge if they could set the length of Howare telling me he is only entitled to ard’s sentence. The judge said they 244 days of good time credit?” could, but only if they found Howard The correspondence revealed that guilty of nothing greater than secDePriest had checked on and conond-degree murder, which is what firmed Howard’s prison record. He’d the jury did. written that Howard had received When it came to sentencing, the one disciplinary, but, at a hearing, had jurors were instructed that if they been found not guilty. sentenced Howard to a term of years, In June, DePriest had written: he would be eligible to be transferred “Realizing I could be wrong (heaven out of prison after serving half of STILL WAITING: State has not released Tim Howard knows), it appears to me that we have from prison. whatever time they gave him. miscalculated his [parole eligibility] In addition, the jurors were told: date and that he is going to be immediately eligible for parole.”

“The term of imprisonment may be permission to let me see his files.

At first, the ADC told reporters that reduced further, up to one-fourth of the Someone apparently convinced Howard would not become eligible for DePriest that he was indeed wrong, period you impose, if the defendant earns parole until November 2017. The reason, the maximum amount of ‘meritorious because on Aug. 24, DePriest told Benca good time’ during his imprisonment.” they said, was that he had been held on that the department’s options regarding Howard has always maintained that death row and the department didn’t Howard were limited by terms of the he is innocent of the murders for which award good time to prisoners on death sentencing order submitted by the court he was convicted. Throughout his time row. where Howard was retried. Benca foreon death row he was a model prisoner. sees a lawsuit.

Howard’s attorney, Patrick Benca, One-fourth of his new 38-year sentence I see madness — at best. Any sane (or protested to Jim DePriest, the ADC’s would be nine and a half years — considfair) system would have released Howchief attorney, arguing that Howard was erably less than the time he had already being doubly penalized. First, he’d had to ard by now. Even the department’s own spent behind bars. endure those years in isolation on death lawyer deemed him eligible for a hearing, But since that verdict, officials at the row because of a state prosecuting attorat least. Yet, despite the government hulArkansas Department of Correction have ney’s misconduct. And now, the state laballoo about how this state can’t afford was denying him “good time” credit all but tied themselves in knots, insisting to hold prisoners indefinitely, the ADC that he cannot be released. I know this for those years, even though Howard’s has not managed to get even Howard death sentence had been vacated. because Howard has granted his attorney out the door.

F

BRIAN CHILSON

Racial disparities in state criminal justice system, new report finds

THE

BIG

LISTEN UP

Inquizator: Tommy Farrell

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

Available on iTunes & arktimes.com

Furniture designer Tommy Farrell, 60, has been working with wood since he was a teenager growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he made some of his first pieces out of barrel staves salvaged from the docks of Goya Foods. A graduate of the furniture design program at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., he moved to Little Rock in 1983 after meeting his former wife, an Arkansas native, on a cruise. Most recently, his North Little Rock-based firm, Tommy Farrell Custom Furniture, made and installed two spectacular conference tables for the new home of advertising firm CJRW, which just moved in at the corner of Third and Main streets. One of the tables, made of African etimoe and sapele wood, is 28 feet long, weighs over a thousand pounds, and scissors smoothly apart to allow for presentations.

INSIDER, CONT.

PICTURE

What is good furniture design to you?

For me, the most important thing is to make it so that it’s timeless. When you go back in 10 years and look at it, it still looks good. You weren’t subject to the trend of that moment. We try and build future vintage furniture that can be classics.

Has your taste changed over the years?

I’ve always been a modernist. I was a lone wolf when I got here and now I have lots of friends and people that appreciate what we do.

If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing for a living?

I never even considered anything else. That’s the nice thing about being a simpleton [laughs].

Which do you like better: “I am building a piece of furniture” or “I have built a piece of furniture?”

Building. I’ll leave a job sometimes saying, “We did the best we could.” The conflict of the project is like the old man and the sea. Sometimes the fish of the project gets the best of you. But I’ll come back six months later, when the objectivity has come back, and say, “This is really good. We did a really good job.”

They say all roofers’ roofs leak and all plumbers’ toilets don’t flush. Is your house stocked with crappy Ikea furniture because you’re just tired of looking at fine furniture by the end of the week?

No, actually we benefit from some of the overages from time to time. My wife, Paula, sometimes comes home and there’ll be a new dining table because I’ve sold the existing one.

Why do you work with wood? Why not steel or some other medium?

Wood is something you unwrap. You make it come alive with the way you shape it, the degree of finish you put on it, the stain colors. It’s extremely seductive.

BRIAN CHILSON

Why do you build furniture?

I grew up in Brooklyn, and my parents bought a brownstone when I was a child. Like any old house, multiple things went wrong with it. My mother was self-taught in the art of carpentry, electrical, plumbing. Together, we built backyard fences, redid some of the casework inside, built bookcases. So, much like the child of a lawyer or a doctor, that became a focus for me. The best thing about it is that at the end of each week, you’re visually rewarded. That goes a long way.

Catholic bishop offers counsel on Ashley Madison information Bishop Anthony Taylor of the Catholic Church’s Little Rock diocese has published counsel in the Arkansas Catholic about the identification of people as paying customers of the Ashley Madison website. It promoted itself as an outlet for people seeking adulterous affairs.

The bishop notes the possibility of impersonation in the records, whether malicious or by prank, and that some users didn’t necessarily engage in affairs.

He says each case should be viewed individually. Some charges occurred long ago, he notes, perhaps before families encountered and resolved fidelity issues.

But, he said: “The effects of the recent Ashley Madison data breach are widespread and the names revealed include people of all walks of life, including members of the clergy, Church employees and volunteers in our parishes. Some of the people involved simply paid an entry fee to visit this pornographic website in a time of weakness, viewed the options and did little else. Others paid far larger fees to avail themselves of a broad range of far more troubling ‘services,’ even including arrangements for the adulterous liaisons for which this site has become notorious.”

He suggested pastoral and family services for those affected, concluding: “Knowing our own weakness and sinfulness, let us treat all involved with the same love and compassion that Jesus extended to sinners and those wounded by the sins of others. I imagine that for some people, publicity surrounding the Ashley Madison data breach may also open old wounds from past adulterous affairs, for which healing is still needed.

Let us pray in a special way for the spouses and marriages of those whose names have been revealed. They are now dealing not only with bitter feelings of betrayal, but also with public humiliation. They need our love and support most of all.”

On a related topic: Ashley Madison is trying hard to maintain its business, claiming all the publicity has spurred new signups, including tens of thousands of actively participating women.

(You may have noticed if you perused the hacked data how they nearly all seemed to be men.) Some 30 million people should be saying at this point: “Fool me once ... .” www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

13

Bailin.

Criswell.

Peters.

Three men.

Thirty years.

The story.

BY LESLIE NEWELL PEACOCK

BRIAN CHILSON

14

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

WHERE

to start, this story of three men who’ve talked philosophy, literature, politics, sex, death and sometimes dogs, but mostly art, for nearly 30 years?

Maybe with a big white sheet of paper, the way David Bailin begins his charcoals and then filling in the narrative until it makes a certain sense.

At first, he’s “terrified” of the blank paper, Bailin said. But “by the time I end, I’ve got Van Gogh and Cezanne and others and it’s a party,” mind and paper noisy with chattering geniuses.

Our blank is filled in with the voices of Bailin, Sammy Peters and Warren Criswell, who have lunched together weekly for most of those 30 years, though now they meet biweekly, and no longer at longtime salon Damgoode Pies, gluten intolerance having caught up with them. (Bailin made an exception, however, for his photo shoot with the Times at Iriana’s Pizza.)

Bailin, Peters and Criswell have few equals among Arkansas’s painters (Bailin works in charcoal, coffee, gesso and pastels here and there, but let’s

include him among the painters) and I think I can say that without offending any other Arkansas artist. The three say they are searching for the truth when they paint, and it shows. Their works, the product of their intellectual explorations and reflecting human folly, are, like the men themselves, often wryly funny.

Bailin, 61, describes his narrative charcoals as Buster Keaton meets Kafka, or what he calls “goofy existentialism.”

Criswell, 78, who’s the kind of guy who likes to curl up with a nice tragedy by Heinrich von Kleist, takes inspiration from what he sees around him — a girl with her skirt blown up, the night sky with Venus and Jupiter in conjunction, and so forth. Peters, 76, whose laid-back demeanor is at odds with his vibrant palette, extrapolates images from man’s alteration of his environment — the striped fabric on his canvas might be suggested, for example, by street stripes — and deluded ideas of permanence.

Their work is in no way alike — it is disparate, as the name of their exhibition now at the Butler Center Galleries, “Disparate Acts Redux,” implies — but at

their now biweekly lunches they surely feed on one another’s minds.

“Disparate Acts Redux” is a followup to the “Disparate Acts” exhibition by the three at Arkansas State University last year. The name was “ripped off,” as Bailin put it, from the name of a play he wrote, which was performed at the Abreaction Theater in New York in 1979. Abreaction — the surfacing of a previously repressed thought — is a favorite subject of Bailin’s, and often what is going on in the lunchtime confabs, though what’s being verbalized is not unleashed trauma but realizations about art. (There’s a bit of angst, too, as the artists talk about being in “the pit,” dry spells in their studios.)

Dan Morris, an artist and then-journalist at the Arkansas Gazette, started the “art safaris” that brought the artists together back in the 1980s. “Morris just loves crowds,” Bailin said, “and likes to mix weird people with really straight people.” At one point, weekly art confabs moved to Hungry’s at Seventh and Chester, where the Weekend Theater is now. Criswell’s work schedule (paint at night, offset printing dur-

ing the day) kept him from coming in from his home in Benton to lunch at first. They knew him, though. “He was a legend,” Peters said.

Later the three met regularly at Damgoode Pies in Hillcrest. They even considered naming the show “Damgoode Artists.”

PETERS: I never liked that.

CRISWELL: Three Damgoode artists.

PEACOCK: Darn good?

PETERS: Yeah, it was the language that bothered me.

BAILIN: See, I was the thinking that we could do a tie-in and see if Damgoode would support the show. …

BAILIN: Now that we kind of have food allergies in our old age, we can’t have, don’t do pizza. Warren’s probably the healthiest.

PETERS: I don’t know. Of the old men, but …

CRISWELL: Yeah, these guys have problems. That’s why we stopped eating, he [nodding to Bailin] can’t eat gluten.

PETERS: Me, either.

CRISWELL: And I’m vegetarian.

PETERS: I’m vegan.

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SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

15

7 P.M. THURSDAY, SEPT 17

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BAILIN: I’m Jewish.

CRISWELL: We ended up bringing our own damn lunch.

PETERS: I just don’t know how a Jewish atheist works. It doesn’t compute.

BAILIN: You just combine Kafka and Buster Keaton and you got it right there.

PETERS: I think that’s sad. I mean it’s such a long history, the history behind it is so fascinating. When you were a little guy, you had a relationship with your God. I just … . That’s a different conversation. [To Peacock] That’s the kind of crap we talk about.

That a group of artists gets together on a regular basis and talks is not unique.

There’s a weekly meeting of artists at Mugs coffee shop in Argenta, attended by a large number of folks who talk about upcoming shows and the like. “What’s unique is how we interact,” Bailin said.

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BAILIN: I had to take remedial Hebrew. I almost didn’t get through the bar mitzvah. When I was giving my little talk about the Torah portion, I forgot my talk and the rabbi had already fallen asleep.

CRISWELL: You fell asleep during my talk at the Arts Center.

BAILIN: And I didn’t miss anything.

There’s a timeline in the “Disparate Acts Redux” catalog that juxtaposes images of Bailin’s, Criswell’s and Peters’ work for each year since 1986. It is offered as a way to see how they’ve developed as artists during their pizza-fueled debates.

The timeline also allows the viewer to consider: Did years of gluten bind them in subject? Style?

Roads play a huge role in both Bailin’s and Criswell’s work. Bailin’s harried businessman tilts into the road, head down, or floats above it; Criswell’s highways are a setting for mythical pageantry or mysterious roadkill. Both found themselves on the road to Arkansas decades ago.

Bailin, a native of Sioux Falls, N.D., and his wife, Amy Stewart, were living in New York when Stewart was offered a job clerking for a federal judge in Little Rock in 1986. “I thought I’d be strung up because I was a liberal New York Jew,” Bailin said. He applied for a job as a bookkeeper at the Arkansas Arts Center, but then-Director Townsend Wolfe asked him to run the Museum School (and keep the books) instead.

Criswell and his wife, Janet, ended up in Arkansas in 1977 when the city bus they’d converted to a camper and named Toad Hall broke down. They’d come because Criswell was writing a post-apocalyptic novel in which the rising sea had turned Little Rock into beach; it was research.

“If you’ve read ‘Wind in the Willows,’ you will remember Mr. Toad, who went on one maniacal quest after another, each one failing miserably,” Criswell said. “On the back of the bus I painted O YE OF LITTLE FAITH! After the bus and our faith began to decline, we changed the sign on the front to TOWED HAUL.” Arkansas was the end of the quest for a self-sustaining earth-friendly writer/ farmer retreat. When a tornado blew the bus over in 1982, the couple built a house in Benton. Criswell quit writing, he said, because “it began to be a fight with the

typewriter for me.” He returned to art “like a salmon spawning.”

Peters, on the other hand, grew up in Arkansas, though he was born in Shreveport. He is the jock of the three. He claims to be the famed Peters of the headline “Eastside plays with Peters out,” a headline every journalist knows and which is thought to be apocryphal, though Peters swears it is not. (At one stage in his life, when he took a break from painting, he played tournament ping-pong.) His father had a sign business, Ace, and was artistic. Peters eventually took over the business. He said his wife, Pam, agreed to marry him even though “she knew I was an artist. I was an artist, but she always said I was a hippie with a job and a truck,” and that worked well enough.

BAILIN: Did I tell you I’m on that committee selecting the artwork for the CARTI Foundation?

PETERS: No. BAILIN: Their new building.

PETERS: No; I’ll be a little nicer to you.

BAILIN: No, well, don’t worry. We got the schematics for what they want, what they’re looking for. I luckily have no part of that list. And, um, you’re not on that list either.

PETERS: Well, of course not.

BAILIN: They don’t want abstraction … it’s too confusing. What we’re doing, what I’m doing … I’m in the infusion area, where they have the chemo; they certainly don’t want Kafkaesque stuff. My new series of skulls is not going to go over well, and they don’t want scary things like Warren’s pieces and they said they don’t want abstract stuff because it’s too confusing …

CRISWELL: Who is this?

PETERS: Oh, Warren, Leslie is taping this fucking conversation.

BAILIN: Ha ha ha ha ha.

PETERS: So don’t say anything …

It’s a stretch, but though Peters is an abstractionist and Bailin the creator of theatrical scenes, there is a similarity between their works as well: parallel lines and pentimenti, traces of work covered over by successive painting or drawing. The work of all three can be described as complex, whether in deciphering Bailin’s narratives of human frustration, Criswell’s references to myth and great paintings of the past, or Peters’ layered architecture. “One thing that ties us all together is we’re looking for the truth,” Criswell said. “We’re compelled or addicted to finding our own authentic truth in the studio as opposed to what we might sell or be successful at. Integrity is what really binds us.”

In Criswell’s case, it is often the naked truth, as he appears in many of his paintings. He is the man falling from the sky, crawling across the road. In “El Dorado,” he is both the bent-over and helmetless conquistador traveling atop a stork and armed with a broken lance, and the man in a coat and hat on the roadside giving directions. It is not only masterfully painted — the rocky road, the huge moon looming, the radiating clouds, the destroyed bridge, the two Criswells — it also tells a fantastically rich story. As Peters writes about Criswell’s work in “Disparate Acts”: “Warren is an autodidact who insists on finding his own way, often against my advice … and as with all great works, the images stay with us long after our encounter with them.”

The images stay with us and, if we’re lucky, the stories, too: His “Penthesilea (Love is a Dog Bite)” is inspired by both Kleist’s play about the Amazon setting dogs on her lover and Poussin’s “Et in Arcadia ego.” There’s a lot going on in this richly painted, ochre-glowing oil.

At one point in the last three decades — it would have been before the Internet — Peters and Criswell kept their debates going in their cars, taping rants on art and philosophy and then exchanging them.

PETERS: How long did we do that when we sent taped correspondences back and forth?

CRISWELL: Yeah, we used to rave on in the car in our tape recorders and send the tapes back and forth.

PETERS: Philosophical shit.

BAILIN: How come I was never involved in that?

PETERS: You’re too shallow.

BAILIN: Oh, dammit.

PETERS: I’m way shallower than you are now.

Bailin’s truth is set apart from the viewer: His narratives are stagey, monumental and full of absurdities, as if a theatrical “fourth wall” exists between the work and the viewer. His velvety charcoal lines are exquisite; like Criswell, he is a figurative master. In his 2013 charcoal “Papers,” a man is being chased down a tree-lined road by scribbles and mazes. Over lunch, Bailin talked about the way he’s drawn the trees — darkly outlined trunks filled in with horizontal lines. “Pure Van Gogh,” he said, the artist’s contribution to Bailin’s studio “party,” and they are gorgeous.

From his early Holocaust drawings, in which he superimposed symbols of the

DISPARATE ART (Clockwise from top left, page 16): PAPERS David Bailin 2013, charcoal, oil pastels on prepared paper EL DORADO Warren Criswell 2013, oil on canvas BEGINNING: CURRENT; INTEGRATION Sammy Peters 2012, oil and mixed media on canvas

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SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

17

AT THE

FOLLOW YOUR ART

MUSEUM SCHOOL

THE ARTISTS TALK: Peters, Criswell and Bailin talked about their work at the opening of “Disparate Acts Redux” at the Butler Center.

CLASSES START SEPTEMBER 12 • • • • •

Jewelry Drawing Printmaking Woodworking Painting

• • • • •

Ceramics Photography Fused Glass Fiber Arts And more!

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ARKANSAS TIMES

Kabbalah over scenes of outrage, to his series of Biblical scenes set in the midcentury, to today’s erasings, works that reference the loss of memory and personality, Bailin’s narratives offer us a way to think about the human condition. We can be cruel, we can be banal, and eventually we aren’t anymore.

Bailin says he is now drawing and erasing, drawing and erasing.

“I’m afraid in a couple of years I’ll just be doing blank drawings. I’ll have erased myself.”

Criswell believes that such destructiveness “can be inspiring, even though we’re sawing off the limb we’re sitting on,” and in any case, that’s how new work is born.

Peters arrives at his abstract constructions by looking at “minutiae in nature and I find patterns.

My ladders and stripes that I make, I’m looking at them right there [pointing at the street outside the window]. … It’s like

the way man encroaches on nature I find more beautiful than nature itself. What man has done to nature is infinitely more attractive … it shows the humanity, the way that man looks at something and says I can do something with that.”

'We’re compelled or addicted to finding our own authentic truth in the studio as opposed to what we might sell or be successful at. Integrity is what really binds us.' ­—Warren Criswell Like Bailin, Peters works in layers, his brushstrokes purposely allowing earlier marks to come through. In this way, Peters adds the dimension of time to abstract expressionism: At first Peters was

BRIAN CHILSON

You see the narrative in them. That’s what humans do. Tell stories. …

PETERS: There were a few books [we were reading] that were about mathematical savants.

CRISWELL: There’s a similarity in the creativity of a mathematician and us, unconscious sparks go off. If you tried to find it, you can’t. It has to happen. Or not, as is the case with me.

PETERS: And with me.

BAILIN: We’re all in the pit?

there, then there, and now he’s here. It’s a kind of visual archeology for the viewer to explore. In his work “Beginning: current; integration,” the entry work in “Disparate Acts,” Peters’ fields of scumbled, washed out yellow-greens and manganese blues, painted in encaustic, allows light to penetrate the colors.

Here’s how Bailin looks at his colleagues’ work: “Sammy’s is dessert, Sammy’s is luscious. Warren’s is this upset stomach … It tastes OK going down but it’s going to upset you when it gets there.

It’s all about the way his strokes are, that scumbling he puts on there, the individual strokes that he defines his figures with … .

It’s like there’s a kind of fingernail on the chalkboard. You cannot … it forces you to look at it, at its kind of brutality. … ” (At this point in Bailin’s speech, Peters and Criswell are hooting.) When it comes to this threesome, there’s no verbal scumbling, no overlay of words to soften their real thoughts.

And what part of the meal is Bailin?

He hasn’t thought about it, but he comes up with this: “Borscht.”

BAILIN: Sammy used to do these cartoons, he was reading these philosophers,

and he would do a cartoon to explain what he was reading.

PETERS: It was an important concept so I would draw it. They’re bookmarks, so if I go back I have the baby version of what Heidegger was saying.

CRISWELL: Heidegger made easy. …

There’s a big disconnect between philosophical thinking and what we actually do in the studio [big laughter from Bailin and Peters] but sometimes … I know when I got into the existentialists and phenomenology … that actually started me on a whole series of my still lifes. Phenomenology is the study of an object without knowing anything about its history or its chemical makeup or anything about it but as you perceive it. …

PEACOCK: How do you do that?

CRISWELL: I don’t know. You can’t.

I’ve tried it. That’s the point. I tried it with my still lifes. I was ambushed by things I see around the house, a coffee cup, whatever. I was sick of narrative. My whole career had been narrative and I wanted to do strictly phenomenology still lifes. So I did these things. So when people saw it, they said it was the most intimate self-portrait [laughing] … . In other words, there’s always a narrative. You can try to get rid of it but you can’t do it. Like Sammy’s abstract paintings.

The pit is a terrible place for artists, but they don’t go there unless they are serious about the act of creation. When they don’t know what to do next, when they want to create something new and can’t — that’s the pit. Inspiration sometimes goes missing — but then Criswell and Bailin leave Damgoode Pies to see a woman getting into her car. The wind has blown her skirt up and she’s wearing no underwear. There you have it: “It was an epiphany,” Criswell said. The result: His painting “Revelation.”

Peters, in a searching spell once, created a series of works on paper. “I was trying to paint one a week, finish one a week. I have one where I did a whole series in one day, small pieces of paper that were really cartoons. And I didn’t

use my real name on them and sold some on eBay.” The name: Stella O’Schmidt, inspired by Oscar Schmidt’s Stella guitars.

Initals S.O.S. BAILIN: So did you ever dress up like Duchamp did?

PETERS: Nah. I would tell you if I did.

BAILIN: Not on tape, you wouldn’t.

If Bailin and Criswell and Peters find themselves staring at blank surfaces in their studios, it’s because they are refusing to churn out what they’ve done before. They maintain that if they could take a pill that would let them paint whatever, they would.

This is what makes them different: A drive to create, dig deeper into why they are making art, get closer to the truth. That’s where their kvetching, their debating, their joking (Bailin describes the three as “cow chip” rather than “blue chip”) comes in.

“We understand the need to abreact, to explore issues, and we don’t tire of our own separate abreactions. That’s one thing that holds us all together. Otherwise, I could talk politics with anybody,” Bailin said.

“The hook for this show,” Bailin said of “Disparate Artists,” “is three artists, 30 years, weekly lunch, nobody psychologically or physically damaged. How is that possible?”

Please Join Us

12TH ANNUAL Public Awareness Event FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2015 • 11AM STATE CAPITOL ROTUNDA Did you know there are 70,000 children and youths with an incarcerated or re-entering parent in Arkansas?

Did you know there are more than 30,000 grandparents and 7,000 other relatives caring for these children and young people due to the parent’s incarceration?

With Grandparent’s Day on Sunday, September 13th, Let’s celebrate and thank our Greatest Natural Resource: Grandparent and Relative Caregivers.

For more information, contact Dee Ann Newell at 501-366-3647 and read the research article on this statistic at www.ctcip.org/publications/imrp www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

19

Arts Entertainment

BRIAN CHILSON

AND

A GIFT OF ART: Melissa and Kevin Katz of Texas donated a portion of their collection of African art to Philander Smith.

T PHILANDER OPENS AFRICAN ART COLLECTION

Optometrists’ gift valued at nearly $1 million

BY JAMES MATTHEWS

20

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

he best collection of traditional African art on display in Little Rock is arranged on ordinary metal shelves in a small room on the second floor of the Donald W. Reynolds Library at Philander Smith College. The Melissa and Kevin Katz Collection is made up of 25 sculptures, carvings and castings, most from West Africa. Named after the two Texas optometrists who donated the art, the collection has been valued at almost $950,000.

It was officially opened to the public last week as part of the four-day celebration surrounding the inauguration of Philander Smith’s new president, Dr. Roderick Smothers. Thursday afternoon,

student-led tour groups clumped just inside the library’s entryway. I joined the first group as it circled clockwise around the main-floor stacks, where art from the college’s permanent collection of contemporary African-American art is on display. Impressive as it is, I slipped away from the tour group and climbed the stairs to the second floor.

In a small room off the central rotunda were the African artworks, most of them displayed on open shelves and a few in a glass-front cabinet. A large decorative house post simply leaned against the wall in one corner, but was no less impressive for the method of display. (A custom display case is being

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built for the collection.) The artworks are of such high quality and so accessible to the visitor that the librarian in charge was hesitant to allow photographs for fear that I might sell them.

The room soon filled with Philander Smith alumni back for the weekend, and the librarian turned her attention to them, showing them a map of Africa on a small easel with pushpins marking where each piece originated: Mali, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Standing just outside the room, shaking hands and posing for photos with everyone who approached him, was the soon-to-be-inaugurated Smothers.

He graciously agreed to an impromptu interview about the exhibit.

When asked about his role in securing the Katz Collection, Smothers said rather modestly, “I am somewhat responsible for that.”

The truth is, he had a great deal to do with it. Smothers most recently served as vice president for institutional advancement at Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas, where he was responsible for, among other things, fundraising. It was during his time in Texas that he cultivated a relationship with the Katzes, who made a donation of African art to Huston-Tillotson during Smothers’ tenure. When Smothers was hired by Philander Smith, he approached the Katzes about a donation for his new school.

More than a mere showpiece, though, the collection feeds into a larger vision for Philander Smith. “We thought it would be appropriate that we opened and shared this collection with the whole community for the inauguration,” Smothers said, “because we are truly focusing on reviving the arts and humanities here.”

Smothers sees art as central in building a creative and innovative society.

“Art, in my opinion, inspires the best in all of us,” he said. “It does in me.”

î I caught up with the library director, Teresa Ojezua, who is overseeing the Katz Collection exhibit, last Friday.

Gone were the tour groups, the student docents and alumni.

“The collection, as you can see, comes from nine different countries in Africa,” she said, pointing to the map of Africa on the easel. “And of course they are in various media. We see up on the upper shelf the bronze castings. And then we have wood, and also we have some other kinds of materials, like cowrie shells.”

“All those up there are from Nigeria,” she said, pointing to the metal sculptures of a palace guard, court attendant and royal figure on the top shelf. “They are from my city.”

Ojezua is from Benin City. Each skilled trade, she explained, is done in its own part of the city, often on a single street — the woodcarvers in this area, the stoneworkers down that street. The men who made bronze castings, such as these, worked in her parents’ neighborhood, and Ojezua herself had walked by them often. “I have seen it done, plenty.”

“I come from a family of artists,” she said. “Actually, four of my siblings are artists — one is a sculptor, one is a graphic artist, and two do painting.”

Ojezua left Nigeria in 1972 to pursue her education in the United States, but refuses to give up her accent.

“I have a favorite piece,” Ojezua said.

“My piece is — let me show you,” and led me not to one of the bronze castings from her hometown or a cowrie-encrusted mask, but to a ceremonial drum on the far end of the metal shelves.

“It tells a story,” Ojezua said, a story that she can read. The drum’s wooden base is carved into the shape of a female — a maiden, Ojezua said, judging by the hairstyle. The woman is genuflecting, holding out a bowl that would have traditionally offered kola nuts or palm wine. The figure also tells the story of most women in West Africa at a time before they had the opportunity to leave and go to university, Ojezua explained, tapping three beats on the drum head.

For Ojezua, the Katz Collection is a counterpoint to the permanent collection of African-American art displayed elsewhere in the library. “It will enable students or researchers to see that connection between artists in the Diaspora and artists back in Africa.”

The Katz Collection will be on permanent display in the library and is open to the public.

THE HOT SPRINGS DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL, set for Oct. 9-18, has announced more screenings planned for this year’s event, including the closing night’s lineup. The final weekend will feature the world premiere of ESPN’s “The Prince of Pennsylvania,” a nonfiction take on the subject of last year’s awardwinning “Foxcatcher,” as well as the “The Great Alone,” about the Alaskan Iditarod race. “Both the human and canine stars,” the festival reports, “will be in attendance.” Closing night of the festival will include a screening of SXSW audience award-winner “Made in Japan,” starring Tomi Fujiyama, “Japan’s First Lady of Country Music.” Fujiyama will be on hand to attend the screening and perform at the festival’s celebration party on the night of Oct. 17. The opening night lineup was announced earlier this month. Visit the festival website (hsdfi.org) for more info.

NEXT UP IN THE ARKANSAS TIMES FILM SERIES, we’ll be screening Terrence Malick’s 1978 masterpiece “Days of Heaven,” starring Richard Gere, Brooke Adams and Sam Shepard, the last film Malick directed before his legendary 20-year hiatus.

The Village Voice has called it “almost incontestably the most gorgeously photographed film ever made,” and Variety has called it “one of the great cinematic achievements of the 1970s.”

We’ll show the film at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, $5.

After that, on Thursday, Oct. 15, we’ll screen Otto Preminger’s great and strange 1944 film noir “Laura,” which Roger Ebert wrote “achieved a kind of perfection in its balance between low motives and high style.”

Nominated for five Academy Awards, it has been called a “stone cold classic” by Indiewire. “Less a crime film than a study in levels of obsession,” the Chicago Reader’s Dave Kehr wrote, “’Laura’ is one of those classic works that leave their subject matter behind and live on the strength of their seductive style.”

26 Adults $30 KIDS Free Plus LIVE MUSIC By the b flats!

Debra Wood

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Dow & Amy Brantley

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SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

21

THE TO-DO

LIST

BY WILL STEPHENSON

THURSDAY 9/3

KELLY CLARKSON

7 p.m. Verizon Arena. $42.50$118.50.

In a particularly fascinating episode of the TLC reality show “Who Do You Think You Are?” the pop star and “American Idol” veteran Kelly Clarkson travels to Ohio to research her great-greatgreat grandfather Isaiah Rose, a Civil War veteran. She’s getting married soon, she explains, and has become newly preoccupied with the question of her roots. An archivist shows her Rose’s compiled military service records, which reveal that Rose was briefly taken prisoner by Confederate troops. “Oh my gosh,” Clarkson says, holding her head in her hands, “No.” The archivist recommends she travel to Georgia to learn more. There, Clarkson drives past the graves of the Civil War dead in Andersonville, and is moved. “How sad is that,” she says, “that all these thousands of people suffered after fighting for our freedom?”

She visits the grounds of the Confederate prison, where a park ranger explains that just under 13,000 men died there. “Wow,” she says. Later, when another expert tells her that Rose was shot, she begins to cry softly. “I wish,” she says, stuttering some, “that not only my great-greatgreat grandfather but all those people knew what they fought for mattered.” In the end, she visits the cemetery where Rose was buried. “I’m pretty stoked about it,” she says. She brings pink flowers and lays them by his grave.

NOTES FROM THE VILLAGE: Jazz clarinetist Anat Cohen is at South on Main at 8 p.m. Thursday, $20.

THURSDAY 9/3

ANAT COHEN

8 p.m. South on Main. $20.

Anat Cohen, the only jazz clarinetist I know of who has been described in print as a “mad scientist,” was born and raised in Tel Aviv, where she discovered Benny Goodman and Sidney Bechet and, later, spent the bulk of the mid ’90s serving in the Israeli Air Force. In New York, where she relocated after studying at a conservatory, she spent her nights in the West

Village, playing with all-woman big bands and Brazilian samba groups and Louis Armstrong tribute ensembles.

The great jazz historian Gary Giddens wrote that her style “bristles with invention,” and Nat Hentoff described her sound as “bursting” and “infectious.” She has now released seven albums as a bandleader, including her takes on songs by John Coltrane and Sun Ra and Django Reinhardt and the electronic producer Flying Lotus.

“Cohen has emerged,” the Washington

Post wrote, “as one of the brightest, most original young instrumentalists in jazz.” She often performs with her siblings — the older Yuval and the younger Avishai. “We can talk without talking,” she says. “Often, we don’t even have to look at each other onstage.”

The three of them were on the cover of DownBeat. On her own, she’s played the Newport Jazz Festival, the Village Vanguard, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center — Little Rock is the obvious next step, I think she’d agree.

Heil will talk about what it meant to be the king of Scotland in the 11th century, the time of the historical MacBeth. Shakespeare’s MacBeth is a bit different from the historical king — he probably did not say “Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires” — but the bloody

part is pretty much right on the nose. Heil’s talk is part of a new speaker series for The Rep. The tragedy opens Sept. 11, but middle and high school students will be able to see it sooner thanks to the $25,000 Shakespeare in American Communities grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

THURSDAY 9/3

MACBETH: BEHIND THE THEME 7 p.m. The Arkansas Repertory Theatre. Free.

The Rep advances its production of The Scottish Play with a talk by Michael Heil, an assistant professor of history at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

SATURDAY 9/5

PEDRO FERNANDEZ

7:30 p.m. Walmart AMP, Rogers. $31-$71.

Pedro Fernández is as massive a star as you can be in America while remaining completely unknown to the non-Spanish-speaking listening 22

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

public. Which, it turns out, is pretty massive. He has over 3 million Facebook fans, who leave deeply heartfelt comments like — most recently — “A mi me gustaría ir a verte, pero las condiciones económicas no me lo permiten,” which Google translates as “I’d like to come see you,

but economic conditions will not allow it.” Originally from Guadalajara, he wears leather jackets and cowboy hats, when he isn’t dressed in his more traditionally ornamental Mariachi gear. He has the starkly handsome look of a telenovela leading man (he’s starred in six) and has

recorded 39 albums of glossy, contemporary ranchera. The titles of his biggest hits translate roughly to “How Much I Love You,” “Wishes and Delusions,” “Labyrinth of Passion” and “How Do You Want Me to Forget?”

IN BRIEF

THURSDAY 9/3

MONDAY 9/7

OF MONTREAL

8:30 p.m. Revolution. $16 adv., $20 day of.

Athens, Ga., band Of Montreal makes loopy, hyperkinetic dance pop with song titles that seem chosen at random from theory-heavy doctoral theses or Victorian poetry: “Triphallus, to Punctuate,” “An Eluardian Instance,” “Gelid Ascent,” “Authentic Pyrrhic Remission,” “Empyrean Abattoir,” “Chthonian Dirge For Uruk The Other.” I could go on.

Originally part of the ’90s Athens psychedelic collective Elephant 6, the band has strayed pretty far from its roots, admirably, and now constitutes something like the Emerson, Lake and Palmer of indie rock. I’m also obligated to mention they once wrote a song called “Little Rock,” in which front man Kevin Barnes sang: “The only guarantee is that we’re never coming back to Little Rock / No, we’re never coming back to your shitty little town.” I asked him about this last year via email, and he said, “It’s all very murky,” before recounting a story that involved an “underwhelming” set and a stolen hat — he wasn’t really sure. It’s been a while.

“I definitely don’t carry any deepseated resentment around with me about it,” he concluded.

CLIP SO LONG: Atlanta rapper Que performs at Club Elevations, 9 p.m. Sunday.

TUESDAY 9/8

SUNDAY 9/6

QUE

9 p.m. Club Elevations.

I met the rapper Que only once, in Atlanta, working on a story about someone else for a music magazine.

He showed up unannounced at the apartment of a producer named Metro Boomin, and made an immediate impression, because he had a soul patch and wore snakeskin pants. At the time I knew him from a skittish, breathless song that was huge on the radio then, “OG Bobby Johnson.” The music video featured men in robes carrying tiki torches through what looked like an underground cave system. It reminded me of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” but with more guns. I hadn’t

kept up with him much since then, but a couple of weeks ago a friend from Atlanta sent me a more recent single, “Gucci Said,” a tribute to his heroes with a beat that sounds like an antique music box. In the song, he says his eyes are so bloodshot they’re “ruby red,” and claims that he drives a minivan. At one point he lets out a strangely authentic bird call. In the video, he dances shirtless with a pack of beautiful pit bulls.

His hair’s gotten weirder. His bio is vague — he used to be a basketball player, spent a few years as a welder building ships for the Navy.

He smokes e-cigarettes. He’s signed to Atlantic Records. He should probably change his name.

‘THE SOUND OF MUSIC’

Gazmend Zeneli, a professor of environmental policy at the University of Marin Barleti in Albania, will give a lecture titled “Is There Hope for the Global Environment in the Long Run?” at the Clinton School’s Sturgis Hall at noon. Comedian Landry is at the Loony Bin at 7:30 p.m., $7 (and at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, $10).

The Joint in Argenta hosts a stand-up comedy showcase, 8:30 p.m., $5. New York-based Americana group Yarn plays at Stickyz, 8:30 p.m., $10. The 24th Annual Hot Springs Jazz Festival begins at various venues in downtown Hot Springs, through Sept. 7, $60-$75. Radio Birds play at White Water at 9:30 p.m., $5.

FRIDAY 9/4 “Lou Tells a Bog One,” the new original production from comedy troupe The Main Thing, opens at The Joint, 8 p.m. (also Saturday), $22. Local rap collective Young Gods of America performs at Vino’s with Vile Pack, Solo Jaxon, Pearl Gang and Xvallejoi. Little Rock bluegrass group Runaway Planet plays at the Ron Robinson Theater, 7 p.m., $10. Local favorites Amasa Hines play at Stickyz, 9 p.m., $10. Candy Soul performs at Revolution with Ms. Slim, Sean Fresh, Tim Anthony and Jeron, 9 p.m., $10 adv., $13 day of. Handmade Moments plays at the Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7.

SATURDAY 9/5 The Arkansas Travelers play the Northwest Arkansas Naturals at DickeyStephens Park, 7:10 p.m. (also 2:10 p.m.

Sunday and 1:10 p.m. Monday), $6-$12.

Sonny Burgess and the Legendary Pacers headline the KABF Boogie Woogie Birthday Bash at South on Main with Greg Spradlin, Amy Garland Angel and more, 9 p.m., $15. Seeds That Sow plays at Vino’s with Killing Souls and Hell Camino. John Neal Rock and Roll plays at Stickyz, 9:30 p.m., $7.

7 p.m. Riverdale 10 Cinema. $5.

“The Sound of Music” is a family-friendly classic about the Third Reich and the power of song. I get depressed even thinking about it.

My favorite review of the movie was

by Pauline Kael, who described it as a “sugar-coated lie” filled with “luxuriant falseness,” and wrote, “We have been turned into emotional and aesthetic imbeciles when we hear ourselves humming the sickly, goody-goody songs.” The New York Times, too, found it “painfully mawkish” and “sterile.” Adjusted for inflation, it is either the third or the fifth highest-grossing movie of all time.

SUNDAY 9/6 Bayside, the long-running punk band from Queens, plays at Juanita’s with The Early November and Better Off, 7:30 p.m., $16.50. Stephen Neeper & The Wild Hearts play at Revolution with Stellar Wayz, Moonshine Mafia and Funk Yeah, 8:30 p.m., $10.

WEDNESDAY 9/9 Acoustix and Rod P play at the Riverfront Park History Pavilion as part of Jazz in the Park, 6 p.m., free.

Mind reader and illusionist Paul Prater performs at 109 & Co., 7 p.m., $10 adv., $13 day of. Steve Suster and Friends play at South on Main as part of its Local Live series, 7:30 p.m., free. www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

23

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

THURSDAY, SEPT. 3

COMEDY

Landry. The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m., $7. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

Stand-up Comedy Showcase. The Joint, 8:30 p.m., $5. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

EVENTS

Hillcrest Shop & Sip. Shops and restaurants offer discounts, later hours and live music.

Hillcrest, first Thursday of every month, 5 p.m. 501-666-3600. www.hillcrestmerchants. com.

LECTURES

“Is There Hope for the Global Environment in the Long Run?” A presentation by Gazmend Zeneli. Sturgis Hall, noon. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5200. clintonschool.uasys.edu.

Macbeth: Behind the Theme. Arkansas Repertory Theatre, 7 p.m., free. 601 Main St. 501-378-0405. www.therep.org.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 4 24

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

JOSUE MARRUFO

MUSIC

COMEDY

JOSUE MARRUFO

24th Annual Hot Springs Jazz Festival.

Downtown Hot Springs, through Sept. 7, $60-$75. Central Avenue, Hot Springs.

Anat Cohen. South on Main, 8 p.m., $20. 1304 Main St. 501-244-9660. southonmain.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. 501-3242999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Kelly Clarkson. Verizon Arena, 7 p.m., $42.50$118.50. 1 Alltel Arena Way, NLR. 501-9759001. verizonarena.com.

Mayday by Midnight (headliner), Laryn & Matt (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Open Jam. Thirst n’ Howl, 8 p.m. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirstn-howl.com.

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

Radio Birds. White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m., $5. 2500 W. 7th St. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

RockUsaurus. Senor Tequila, 7-9 p.m. 10300 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-224-5505.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 8 p.m., free. 111 W. Markham St. 501-370-7013. www. capitalbarandgrill.com.

Yarn. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8:30 p.m., $10. 107 River Market Ave. 501372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

Shack, 9 p.m., $10. 107 River Market Ave. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

Candy Soul, Ms. Slim, Sean Fresh, Tim Anthony, Jeron. Revolution, 9 p.m., $10 adv., $13 day of. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501823-0090. www.rumbarevolution.com/new.

Handmade Moments. Afterthought Bistro & Bar, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd.

501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbistroandbar.com.

Katmadu (headliner), Richie Johnson (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www. cajunswharf.com.

Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs. 307 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com.

Route 66. Agora Conference and Special Event Center, 6:30 p.m., $5. 705 E. Siebenmorgan, Conway.

Runaway Planet. Ron Robinson Theater, 7 p.m., $10. 1 Pulaski Way. 501-320-5703. www.cals.lib.ar.us/ron-robinson-theater.aspx.

The Squarshers. Another Round Pub, 9 p.m.

12111 W. Markham. 501-313-2612. www. anotherroundpub.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 8 p.m., free. 111 W. Markham St. 501-370-7013. www. capitalbarandgrill.com.

Upscale Friday. IV Corners, 7 p.m. 824 W. Capitol Ave. Young Gods of America, Vile Pack, Solo Jaxon, Pearl Gang, Xvallejoi. Vino’s. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

TRAP CONVERSATIONS: Little Rock rap collective Young Gods of America perform Friday at Vino’s with Vile Pack, Solo Jaxon, Pearl Gang and Xvallejoi.

MUSIC

24th Annual Hot Springs Jazz Festival.

Downtown Hot Springs, through Sept. 7,

$60-$75. Central Avenue, Hot Springs.

All In Fridays. Club Elevations. 7200 Colonel Glenn Road. 501-562-3317.

Amasa Hines. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken

“Lou Tells a Bog One.” An original production by The Main Thing. The Joint, 8 p.m., $22. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-3720205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Landry. The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m., $10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road.

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

DANCE

Ballroom dancing. Free lessons begin at 7 p.m. Bess Chisum Stephens Community Center, 8-11 p.m., $7-$13. 12th and Cleveland streets. 501-221-7568. www.blsdance.org.

Contra Dance. Park Hill Presbyterian Church, 7:30 p.m., $5. 3520 JFK Blvd., NLR. arkansascountrydance.org.

“Salsa Night.” Begins with a one-hour salsa lesson. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $8. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.littlerocksalsa.com.

EVENTS

C re a t i v e K i n g d o m A r t s F e s t i v a l .

PromiseLand Church Ministries, Sept. 4-5.

4520 S. University Ave. 501-570-0048. www. attheland.org.

LGBTQ/SGL weekly meeting. 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 501244-9690 or search “DYSC” on Facebook.

LGBTQ/SGL Youth and Young Adult Group, 6:30 p.m. 800 Scott St.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 5

MUSIC

24th Annual Hot Springs Jazz Festival.

Downtown Hot Springs, through Sept. 7, $60-$75. Central Avenue, Hot Springs.

Arkansas Rockabilly Riot. Revolution, 5 p.m., $15. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-8230090. www.rumbarevolution.com/new.

Canvas (headliner), Ben Byers (happy hour).

Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

John Neal Rock and Roll. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9:30 p.m., $7. 107 River Market Ave. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

K.I.S.S. Saturdays. Featuring DJ Silky Slim.

Dress code enforced. Sway, 10 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501-492-9802.

Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs. 307 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com.

Pedro Fernandez. Walmart AMP, 7:30 p.m., $31-$71. 5079 W. Northgate Road, Rogers.

479-443-5600. www.arkansasmusicpavilion.com.

Pickin’ Porch. Bring your instrument. All ages welcome. Faulkner County Library, 9:30 a.m. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-3277482. www.fcl.org.

Raising Grey, Parker Francis. Another Round Pub. 12111 W. Markham. 501-313-2612. www. anotherroundpub.com.

Seeds That Sow, Killing Souls, Hell Camino.

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

Sonny Burgess and the Legendary Pacers, Amy Garland Angel, Greg Spradlin. KABF Boogie Woogie Birthday Bash. South on Main, 9 p.m., $15. 1304 Main St. 501-2449660. southonmain.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 8 p.m., free. 111 W. Markham St. 501-370-7013. www. capitalbarandgrill.com.

COMEDY

“Lou Tells a Bog One.” An original production by The Main Thing. The Joint, 8 p.m., $22. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-3720205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Landry. The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m., $10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road.

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

EVENTS

C re a t i v e K i n g d o m A r t s F e s t i v a l .

PromiseLand Church Ministries, through.

4520 S. University Ave. 501-570-0048. www. attheland.org.

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

Hillcrest Farmers Market. Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. 2200 Kavanaugh Blvd.

Juanita’s Tequila Tasting Party. Juanita’s, 7:30 p.m., $20. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Little Rock Farmers’ Market. River Market pavilions, 7 a.m. 400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. www.rivermarket.info.

Pork & Bourbon Tour. Bike tour includes bicycle, guide, helmets and maps. Bobby’s Bike Hike, 11:30 a.m., $35-$45. 400 President Clinton Ave. 501-613-7001.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. NW Arkansas.

Dickey-Stephens Park, 7:10 p.m., $6-$12.

400 W. Broadway, NLR. 501-664-1555. www.

travs.com.

BENEFITS

American Red Cross River Market Blood Drive. River Market, 9 a.m. 400 President Clinton Ave.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 6

MUSIC

24th Annual Hot Springs Jazz Festival.

Downtown Hot Springs, through Sept. 7, $60-$75. Central Avenue, Hot Springs.

Bayside, The Early November, Better Off. Juanita’s, 7:30 p.m., $16.50. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas. com.

Irish Traditional Music Session. Hibernia Irish Tavern, 2:30 p.m. 9700 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-246-4340. www.hiberniairishtavern.com.

Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs. 307 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com.

Que, M.E.. Club Elevations, 9 p.m. 7200 Colonel Glenn Road. 501-562-3317.

Stephen Neeper & The Wild Hearts, Stellar Wayz, Moonshine Mafia, Funk Yeah.

Revolution, 8:30 p.m., $10. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. www.rumbarevolution.com/new.

EVENTS

Artist for Recovery. A secular recovery group for people with addictions. Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church, 10 a.m. 1601 S. Louisiana.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. NW Arkansas.

Dickey-Stephens Park, 2:10 p.m., $6-$12.

400 W. Broadway, NLR. 501-664-1555. www. travs.com.

MONDAY, SEPT. 7

MUSIC

24th Annual Hot Springs Jazz Festival.

Downtown Hot Springs, $60-$75. Central Avenue, Hot Springs.

Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs. 307 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com.

Monday Night Jazz. Afterthought Bistro & Bar, 8 p.m., $5. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501663-1196. www.afterthoughtbistroandbar. com.

Of Montreal. Revolution, 8:30 p.m., $16 adv., $20 day of. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501823-0090. www.rumbarevolution.com/new.

Open Mic. The Lobby Bar. Studio Theatre, 8 p.m. 320 W. 7th St. Richie Johnson. Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 p.m.

2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www. cajunswharf.com.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. NW Arkansas.

Dickey-Stephens Park, 1:10 p.m., $6-$12.

400 W. Broadway, NLR. 501-664-1555. www. travs.com.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 8

MUSIC

Fear Factory. Juanita’s, 8 p.m., $15. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www. juanitas.com.

Jeff Ling. 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. 501-3242999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Live music. No cover charge Sun.-Tue. and Thu. Ernie Biggs. 307 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com.

Music Jam. Hosted by Elliott Griffen and Joseph Fuller. The Joint, 8-11 p.m., free.

301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Tuesday Jam Session with Carl Mouton.

Afterthought Bistro & Bar, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbistroandbar.com.

COMEDY

Stand-Up Tuesday. Hosted by Adam Hogg.

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

DANCE

“Latin Night.” Juanita’s, 7:30 p.m., $7. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www. littlerocksalsa.com.

EVENTS

Little Rock Green Drinks. Informal networking session for people who work in the environmental field. Ciao Baci, 5:30-7 p.m. 605 N. Beechwood St. 501-603-0238. www.greendrinks.org.

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

FILM

“The Sound of Music.” Riverdale 10 Cinema, 7 p.m., $5. 2600 Cantrell Road. 501-296-9955.

Quiet... Stately...

Historic...

OAKWOOD APARTMENTS

LECTURES

“Climate Change in U.S. Cities: Managing a Rising Tide of Extreme Heat.” A presentation by Brian Stone. Sturgis Hall, 6 p.m.

1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5200. clintonschool.uasys.edu.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 9

MUSIC

Acoustic Open Mic. Afterthought Bistro & Bar, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd.

501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbistroandbar.com.

Brian and Nick. Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 p.m.

2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www. cajunswharf.com.

Drageoke with Chi Chi Valdez. Sway. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582.

Jazz in the Park: Acoustix, Rod P. Riverfront Park, 6 p.m., free. 400 President Clinton Avenue.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-3242999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

The Sheepdogs. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8:30 p.m., $12 adv., $15 day of. 107 River Market Ave. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz. com.

Steve Suter and Friends. South on Main, CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

In Hillcrest next to Allsop Park TWO BEDROOM APARTMENTS Spacious rooms, one bath, ample closet space, LR, DR, w/d connections, hardwood flooring, water and garbage paid. $800-$1200 depending on size 3923 Oakwood Road Only 10 blocks from UAMS! No Pets Allowed.

For more information please call 501-658-3232. www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

25

Dining WHAT’S COOKIN’ TRIO’S RESTAURANT HAS announced that it has closed for remodeling through Sept. 2. The venerable restaurant expects to be back open after that, but cautions that things will still be a work in progress for a couple of weeks after.

Capi Peck’s restaurant will also celebrate its 29th anniversary on Sept. 20, with a party. For more information, call Trio’s at 221-3330.

SPEAKING OF REMODELING, Mark Abernathy and the Loca Luna team have also been involved in an overhaul of the Riverdale eatery. In addition to cosmetic changes like new lighting, a repaved parking lot and some interior painting that the Loca Luna website refers to as “a facelift,” Abernathy also plans to revamp the Loca Luna menu with new food and drink offerings. The work was originally meant to finish in late July, but a broken foot left the chef needing to postpone things until midSeptember.

DINING CAPSULES

AMERICAN

BEST IMPRESSIONS The menu combines Asian, Italian and French sensibilities in soups, salads and meaty fare. A departure from the tearoom of yore. 501 E. Ninth St. Beer and wine, all CC. $$. 501-907-5946. L Tue.-Sun., BR Sat.-Sun. DIZZY’S GYPSY BISTRO Interesting bistro fare, served in massive portions at this River Market favorite. 200 River Market Ave. Full bar, all CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-3500. LD Tue.-Sat. THE FADED ROSE The Cajun-inspired menu seldom disappoints. Steaks and soaked salads are legendary. 1619 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, all CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-9734. LD daily.

GUILLERMO’S GOURMET GROUNDS Serves gourmet coffee, lunch, loose-leaf tea, and tapas.

Beans are roasted in house, and the espresso is probably the best in town. 10700 Rodney Parham Road. CC. 501-228-4448. BL daily.

LITTLEFIELD’S CAFE The owners of the Starlite Diner have moved their cafe to the Kroger Shopping Center on JFK, where they are still serving breakfast all day, as well as plate lunches, burgers and sandwiches. 6929 John F. Kennedy Blvd. NLR. No alcohol. 501-771-2036.

BLD Mon.-Sat., BL Sun. MAGGIE MOO’S ICE CREAM AND TREATERY Ice cream, frozen yogurt and ice cream pizza. 17821 Chenal Parkway. No alcohol, all CC. $. 501-821-7609. LD daily.

TEXAS ROADHOUSE Following in the lines of those loud, peanuts-on-the-table steak joints, but the steaks are better here than we’ve had at similar stops. Good burgers, too. 3601 Warden Road. Full bar, all CC. $$. 501-7714230. D daily, L Sat.-Sun. 2620 S. Shackleford Rd. Full bar, all CC. $$. 501-224-2427. D 26

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

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.

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

Crust of the issue Capeo gets pizza toppings right, but not the dough.

R

istorante Capeo in North Little Rock has long been a destination restaurant for Italian food lovers. It offers a wide selection of delightful antipasti dishes like fried calamari and veal sweetbreads alongside a fresh selection of pasta dishes ranging from traditional linguine in clam sauce to a decadent lobster and shrimp dish.

So when the restaurant announced it was adding a wood-fired pizza oven and opening for lunch, there was much anticipation among those of us who make downtown our daytime home.

Although folks may not realize it, Central Arkansas is home to one of the most solid pizza scenes in the region.

Tasty pizza-by-the-slice from local favorites like Iriana’s, Vino’s or Jay’s are a part of our weekly lunch schedule more often than our cardiologist would think proper, and full pies from ZAZA, Damgoode or Raduno are always great for a sit-down dinner or take out. And that’s just the locals — national pizza chains abound as well.

But there’s always room for one more, right? Especially at a place like Capeo, a tablecloth-and-cloth-napkin place with great service and a comfortable dining room. We didn’t expect any problems at all with our meal given past experiences, and the service and efficiency of the kitchen certainly lived up to the restaurant’s reputation. What didn’t work so much for us was the pizza.

Now, don’t get us wrong, there are some good points about the pizza at Capeo. A Prosciutto D’ Parma ($12) came out loaded with an ample amount of tasty prosciutto, enough that we felt the price was more than justified. A simple cheese pizza ($9.50) was a perfect

MEATY BUT DOUGHY: The Prosciutto d’Parma at Capeo, where the crust underwhelms.

canvas upon which to build a masterpiece of choose-your-own toppings like basil, mushrooms or anchovies. The mozzarella that Capeo is using is of a very good quality, which we find to be a pleasant change from the rubbery shreds that top so many of the pies we eat.

The real issue here was the crust. For starters, it’s far too thick to work as a true Neapolitan-style pizza crust, and while we’ve nothing against a pillowsoft crust for our pizza, cooking a pie this thick in a wood-fired oven leads to texture and consistency issues that detract from the overall flavor of the pizza. A good Neapolitan pizza should be a perfectly balanced mix of tangy sauce, creamy cheese and a few toppings all working atop a light, crisp crust with just a hint of char to it. The Capeo version is overwhelmingly doughy, something that overpowers the admittedly ample toppings.

In addition to being too thick, the crust lacked flavor. Because Neapolitan pizza is such a simple affair, each element must shine in order for the dish to work, and the bland crust wasn’t nearly up to the task. The best Neapolitan crusts use good sea salt to enhance the flavor of the pie, and while there may have been some salt in the crust somewhere, we couldn’t taste it — and wound up picking the toppings off the crust with a fork and leaving the dough

Ristorante Capeo 425 Main St. North Little Rock 376-3463 capeo.us

QUICK BITE Not in the mood for pizza? Capeo also offers soups, salads and a selection of pasta dishes on its lunch menu, as well as one of the most popular dinner menus around.

HOURS 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Saturday.

OTHER INFO All major credit cards accepted, full bar.

behind.

Given our disappointment with the pizza, we had high hopes that a calzone ($11) would be the thing that made our Capeo experience better. We love a good calzone, and this version allows for the choice of two fillings, so we were excited to build our own dish. We chose ground beef and pepperoni, figuring that the salty proteins would take care of any issues with the crust. Again, we were disappointed.

The crust of the calzone, while of an appropriate thickness, was again simply bland. It appeared to have been cooked correctly, with a beautiful golden-brown color, but the best cooking techniques in the world could not have saved the

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664-6900

flavorless dough. We forged ahead, figuring that dunking our calzone into the side bowl of marinara would go a long way to helping the dish … only to find that our marinara was ice cold. Not just cold from being away from a heat source too long — this was cold like it came straight from the cooler. The filling of the calzone was perfectly fine, if unexciting, but we found ourselves so shocked by the sauce that we couldn’t finish it.

So what’s the takeaway here? For us, it’s the realization that making good pizza is harder than most people realize, and that success with pasta does not necessarily translate into good pizza. Capeo has a lot going for it with its pizza: The chefs obviously use a good oven, and the kitchen knows its business about getting the pies and calzones cooked perfectly. The toppings and cheeses are of the highest qual-

ity, which tells us that the restaurant is attempting to take this foray into pizza very seriously. Unfortunately, crust is more vital in Neapolitan pizza than any other type, and the flavor, texture and thickness issues sink each pie, removing all the good that kitchen skill and toppings provide.

We hope that Capeo will take a good, hard look at its crust recipe and make some modifications. Several of the other pizzas like the calamari, shrimp and scallop-laden Seafood and the mozzarella, goat cheese, gorgonzola and fontina Four Cheese caught our eye, and we hope to try them some day. This is a restaurant trying something new, and we must salute it for its efforts. We know there is talent and dedication at Capeo, which means the dough-making is just part of a series of growing pains and not an indication of any greater issue with the restaurant.

DINING CAPSULES, CONT. Mon.-Fri., LD Sat.-Sun.

ASIAN

CRAZY HIBACHI GRILL The folks that own Chi’s and Sekisui offer their best in a three-inone: tapanaki cooking, sushi bar and sit-down dining with a Mongolian grill. 2907 Lakewood Village. NLR. Full bar, all CC. $$-$$$. 501-8129888. LD daily.

FANTASTIC CHINA The food is delicious, the presentation beautiful, the menu distinctive, the service perfect, the decor bright. 1900 N. Grant St. Full bar, all CC. $$. 501-663-8999. LD daily.

FLAVOR OF INDIA Southern Indian food, including chaat (street food), dosas with lentils, rice and other ingredients, lentil soup, coconut chutney, and northern dishes as well. 11121 N. Rodney Parham, Suite 40B. 501-554-5678.

BARBECUE

WHITE PIG INN Go for the sliced rather than chopped meats at this working-class barbecue cafe. Side orders — from fries to potato salad to beans and slaw — are superb, as are the fried pies. 5231 E. Broadway. NLR. Beer, all CC. $-$$.

501-945-5551. LD Mon.-Fri., L Sat.

EUROPEAN / ETHNIC

L AY L A’ S G Y R O S A N D P I Z Z E R I A Delicious Mediterranean fare — gyros, falafel, shawarma, kabobs, hummus and babaganush — that has a devoted following. All meat is slaughtered according to Islamic dietary law. 9501 N Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, all CC. $-$$. 501-227-7272. LD daily (close 5 p.m. on Sun.) 6100 Stones Road. No alcohol, all CC. $-$$. 501-868-8226. LD Mon.-Sat. THE PANTRY CREST Czech and German

comfort food with a great bar menu.

722 N. Palm St. Full bar, all CC. $$-$$$.

501-725-4945. D Mon.-Sat. YA YA’S EURO BISTRO The first eatery to open in the Promenade at Chenal is a date-night affair, translating comfort food into beautiful cuisine. Best bet is lunch, where you can explore the menu through soup, salad or half a sandwich.

17711 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, all CC. $$-$$$. 501-821-1144. LD daily, BR Sun.

ITALIAN

BRAVO! CUCINA ITALIANA This upscale Italian chain offers delicious and sometimes inventive dishes. 17815 Chenal Pkwy. Full bar, all CC. $$$. 501-821-2485. LD daily. BR Sun. VINO’S Great rock ‘n’ roll club also is a fantastic pizzeria with huge calzones and always improving home-brewed beers.

923 W. 7th St. Beer and wine, all CC. $-$$.

501-375-8466. LD daily.

LATINO

LA SALSA MEXICAN & PERUVIAN CUISINE Mexican and Peruvian dishes, beer and margaritas. 3824 John F. Kennedy Blvd. NLR. Full bar, all CC. 501-753-1101. LD daily.

LOCAL LIME Tasty gourmet Mex from the folks who brought you Big Orange and ZaZa. 17815 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, all CC. $$-$$$.

501-448-2226. LD daily.

LUPITA’S ORIGINAL MEXICAN FOOD Mexican, American food and bar specializing in Margaritas. 7710 Cantrell Road. Full bar.

TAQUERIA EL PALENQUE Solid authentic Mexican food. Try the al pastor burrito. 9501 N. Rodney Parham Road. Beer, CC. $-$$. 501-3120045. Serving BLD Tue.-Sun.

5501 Kavanaugh Blvd., Suite K eggshellskitchencompany.com

To order delicious Gluten, Soy and Nut-Free treats give us a call at (501) 375-2257.

We also have Egg, Dairy and Sugar-Free options.

323 Cross St. Little Rock, AR 72201 dempseybakery.com

SEPT 1 - OCT 3

Sweet Dreams

Etta May

OCT 6 - NOV 7

Stand-Up Comic of the Year

NOV 10 - NOV 11

Mandy Barnett Sings Patsy Cline

NOV 12 - NOV 14

murrysdp.com

562-3131

THE EVERYDAY SOMMELIER Your friendly neighborhood wine shop. #theeverydaysommelier

2010 GROTH VINEYARDS & WINERY CHARDONNAY ELSEWHERE $29.99 - SPECIAL $21.99 Delicious oak, butter, and full round tropical fruit are present in this excellent value for the holiday weekend. Grilled cedar plank salmon with mango chutney anyone?

BEST LIQUOR STORE Rahling Road @ Chenal Parkway • 501.821.4669 • olooneys@aristotle.net • www.olooneys.com www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

27

DUMAS, CONT.

AFTER DARK, CONT. 7:30 p.m., free. 1304 Main St. 501-244-9660. southonmain.com.

COMEDY

The Joint Venture. Improv comedy group.

The Joint, 8 p.m., $7. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

EVENTS

Paul Prater. A performance by the mindreader and illusionist. 109 & Co., 7 p.m., $10 adv., $13 day of. 109 Main St. 501-3743710. https://www.facebook.com/109Co. Storyteller’s Club. White Water Tavern, 8:30 p.m. 2500 W. 7th St. 501-375-8400. www. whitewatertavern.com.

LECTURES

“A conversation with TIAA-CREF.” A presentation by Tim Hopper, chief economist, and Heather Davis, chief investment officer for private markets. Sturgis Hall, noon, 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5200. clintonschool.uasys.edu.

ARTS

THEATER

“Amadeus.” Walton Arts Center, through Sept. 20: Wed.-Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Sun., 2 p.m., $10-$39.50. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600.

“Deathtrap.” A production of Ira Levin’s ‘murder comedy,’ presented by the Community Theatre of Little Rock. Studio Theatre, through Sept. 13: Thu.-Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. 320 W. 7th St. “Two Trains Running.” The Weekend Theater, through Sept. 5: Fri., Sat., 7:30 p.m., $16.

1001 W. 7th St. 501-374-3761. www.weekendtheater.org.

NEW GALLERY EXHIBITS, EVENTS UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK: “Fieldwork — Alternative Process Photography,” work by Kate Breakey, Beth Dow, Carol Golemboski and Jamie Johnson, through Sept. 27, Gallery I, “Recollections,” work by Heidi Hogden, through Sept. 27, Manners/Pappas Gallery, “Learn-

ing to Fish,” work by Rusty Scruby, through Oct. 2. Receptions 4-6 p.m. Sept. 8, talk by Breakey follows. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sat., 2-5 p.m. Sun. 6 p.m. Sept.

8, 569-8977.

BENTONVILLE CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, One Museum Way: “Latin Cinema,” shorts, 7-8 p.m. Sept. 9, kickoff to Hispanic Heritage Month in Bentonville; “Jamie Wyeth,” through Oct. 5; “Warhol’s Nature,”through Oct. 5, $4; “American Encounters: The Simple Pleasures of Still Life,” through Sept. 14; “Fish Stories: Early Images of American Game Fish,” through Sept. 21; American masterworks spanning four centuries. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon., Thu.; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wed., Fri.; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat.Sun., closed Tue. 479-418-5700.

FAYETTEVILLE BOTTLE ROCKET GALLERY, 1495 Finger Road: “Gun Piece No. 1,” performance art

by Jordan Wayne Long, 7 p.m. reception, 7:30 p.m. performance Sept. 5; lecture by Long at the University of Arkansas, Fine Arts Building, 5:30 p.m. Sept. 3. 479-466-3823.

HOT SPRINGS Central Avenue galleries are open 5-9 p.m.

Sept. 4 for Gallery Walk.

GALLERY CENTRAL, 800 Central Ave.: Work

by Sandy Fleming Newberg. 501-318-4278 GARVAN GARDENS, 550 Arkridge Road: “Mixing It Up,” Chinese brush painting by Linda Shearer, pastels by Joyce Weaver, paintings by Sheliah Halderman, through Sept. 30. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri. 501-2629300.

HOT SPRINGS FINE ARTS CENTER, 626 Central Ave.: “A Visible Mark,” through Sept. 27. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., open until 9 p.m. every 1st and 3rd Fri. 501-6240489.

JUSTUS FINE ART, 827 Central Ave.: Mixed media paintings and wood sculpture by Robyn Horn, Beverly Buys’ “Delta in Blue” photography series, and works by Donnie Copeland, Rebecca Thompson and others, Sept. 4-Sept. 30. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat. 501-772-3627.

Last month, Trump began to talk about God, and the old serial adulterer surged into the lead among evangelicals. “It may be over,” a former congressman told me.

Everyone is a little antsy about what Trump would do as president. Would he actually carry out his dangerous boasts about kicking around the other world powers and tiny dominions alike with threats and bombs, or govern modestly?

We have been there before. The last showman who was elected president, Ronald Reagan, was going to shove the

Russians around, balance the budget, slash taxes, never allow a tax increase, and curb the growth of Social Security and Medicare, which he hated. He collaborated with the Russians on arms control, pulled U.S. troops out of Lebanon after a terrorist attack, raised taxes repeatedly after once cutting them, put Social Security and Medicare on surer footing with higher taxes, and sent deficits to unseen heights.

So what’s to fear from Donald Trump?

Anyway, let’s enjoy him while we can.

PEARLS ABOUT SWINE, CONT. given his leadership and physical play. That said, we anticipate that a newcomer will get an opportunity to stand out, and Pearls thinks it will be onetime walk-on Kevin Richardson, who showed persistence in becoming a special teams contributor last fall and has moved up the depth chart so far.

Special teams questions have to be answered as well. Redshirt freshman Cole Hedlund will do the placekicking over Adam McFain, who will handle kickoff duties, and as highly touted as Hedlund was, he

never could emerge last year when the chance was there and McFain stole it and did so admirably. If all goes smoothly Saturday, Hedlund will mostly get extra-point duties, but do not be surprised if Bielema deliberately passes on some fourthand-short chances to let Hedlund get some shots from middle to long range. Last fall, John Henson wasn’t tested until a critical kicking opportunity arose at Arlington, Texas, and when he faltered, the Hogs ended up on the wrong side of the score against Texas A&M.

presents…

Stevie Coyle Thursday September 17 7:30 p.m.

The Joint 301 Main Street North Little Rock

Tickets $20

Former frontman for the band The Waybacks, Coyle has gone solo and now tours both nationally and internationally.

Available at the door or online at www.argentaartsacousticmusic.com Sponsored by…

28

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

MOVIE REVIEW

HEAR ME NOW: The Buckley-Vidal debates “held out the possibility of violence.”

The whole world was watching

sidered important, Vidal’s books are just plain obscure). Buckley called him an “evangelist for bisexuality,” a label which — despite the disgust audible in the phrase — Vidal probably accepted happily.

Over the course of the 1968 presidential conventions, the two of them held a series of debates that were mostly memorable because, as one commentator here puts it, they “held out the possibility of violence.” It got weird, personal and vicious, basically, and the whole thing culminated in Buckley — that great wit — calling Vidal a “queer” and threatening to punch him in the face. This is the TV we are meant to mourn, I guess.

Watching the film, it’s hard to escape the notion that politics had almost nothing to do with it. Politics, in the Buckley-Vidal debates, was pure style, genre, ornament. The tens of thousands of protestors outside the Chicago convention, the ones being tear-

gassed and beaten by police, were at the very least responding viscerally to the issues of the day. Buckley and Vidal, their upper-crust accents almost indistinguishable, were trading jokes.

To be fair, they were pretty good jokes. Vidal polished his act up beforehand, practicing on ABC reporters in the studio. Buckley seems to have been the real thing — genuinely quick on his feet and always ready with a snide, sometimes truly cruel bon mot. He was the same way on “Firing Line,” which would actually get to the heart of things occasionally (particularly when Chomsky was on hand; the meek regular guy-ness behind his intellect seemed to stump Buckley, who preferred a sword fight). And it’s the length of “Firing Line” that we’ve been missing. You had the feeling they could get somewhere. Not so in the Vidal-Buckley showdown, which, if really it did “change television forever,” changed it for the worse.

William F. Buckley and Gore Vidal face off (again) in ‘Best of Enemies.’

BY WILL STEPHENSON

W

illiam F. Buckley Jr. was the Ivy League-educated heir to an oil fortune whose greatest political conviction — a little conveniently, if you ask me — was that true freedom necessitated social inequality.

He spoke in a transatlantic, faux-British accent, founded the far-right magazine National Review and wrote spy novels in his spare time. Sometimes dubbed the “scourge of liberalism,” he stridently supported the Vietnam War, opposed the civil rights movement (Southern whites being, he once wrote, the “advanced race”), greatly admired the dictators Francisco Franco and Augusto Pinochet, and was a close confidante to Ronald Reagan, with whom he occasionally went swimming. So what do we make of the recent wave of Buckley nostalgia?

The answer has everything to do with his TV show “Firing Line,” a longtime PBS fixture (taxpayer supported, natch) on which he held lengthy, languid debates with politicians and public intellectuals of all sorts: Noam Chomsky, Norman Mailer, Milton Friedman, Groucho Marx. The show has managed a surprising afterlife in the form of 9-minute YouTube fragments,

which are enough — in the era of “Fox & Friends” — to make Buckley’s style of TV punditry seem downright cerebral. Preferable to the present mode, certainly, which even its defenders will generally concede is a morass of celebrity holograms and hyper-partisan dog-whistling. This is the narrative, anyway, of the new documentary “Best of Enemies,” which focuses on Buckley’s televised 1968 debates against the writer Gore Vidal on ABC, debates the film presents as having “changed television forever.”

Unlike Buckley, Vidal can’t exactly be framed as an avatar of any recognizable voting constituency, though he did run for office twice (unsuccessfully) as a Democrat. His most consistent and vocal stance was more or less that the U.S. had become a “decadent empire” — a position which, in the film, even Buckley’s own brother admits is pretty inarguable. Vidal was a screenwriter, a prolific essayist and a novelist; the last career was his primary one, though his books today have almost completely vanished from any version of the canon (unlike, say, Robert Coover, whose books are little-read but still conwww.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

29

Gourmet. Your Way. All Day.

300 Third Tower • 501-375-3333 coppergrillandgrocery.com

GYPSY BISTRO 200 S. RIVER MARKET AVE, STE. 150 • 501.375.3500 DIZZYSGYPSYBISTRO.NET

SEPTEMBER 11

THE 2ND FRIDAY OF EACH MONTH 5-8 PM

infinity no. 1

AN EXHIBITION OF ARTWORKS FROM TAOS, NEW MEXICO

BY VISITING ARTIST CHRISTA MARQUEZ ALSO FEATURING NEW BRONZE SCULPTURES BY PATRICK FLEMING 200 RIVER MARKET AVE., STE 400 501.374.9247 WWW.ARCAPITAL.COM ROBERT BEAN, CURATOR MARGIE RAIMONDO, CATERER.

Joe Barry Carroll

Growing Up…In Words and Images

GRAND OPENING

Join us for a screening of War Eagle, Arkansas

GALLERY 221 & ART STUDIOS 221 JOIN US TO

Second Friday Cinema with Ben Fry

CELEBRATE!

5-8 p.m.

5-8PM  Fine Art  Cocktails & Wine Hor iconic d’oeuvres Featuring the

energetic new works Pyramid Place of Tyler S.2Arnold & Center St nd

200 E. Third Street Little Rock, AR 72201 HistoricArkansas.org A museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage

30

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

300 West Markham Street • Little Rock OldStateHouse.com

(501) 801-0211

Join us 5-8 pm September 11th for Artist Reception “HOT SEAT” BY Exhibit Runs Sept 3rd through Sept 30th CATHERINE RODGERS ♦ Fine Art ♦ Cocktails & Wine ♦ Hors d’oeuvres ♦ Pyramid Place • 2nd & Center St • (501) 801-0211

Can ihelp you?

ARKANSAS TIMES MARKETPLACE

LITTLE GAL FOR ADOPTION!

She is extremely affectionate and frightened out of her wits. She will follow you everywhere.

She is very healthy! If you get this dog, you won’t regret it. Please be sure you have adequate outside space for her. At our house she is indoors/outdoors.

TO ADVERTISE IN THIS SECTION,

Learn to get the most from your Apple products at home or your office.

• Show how to build and maintain your own websites and social media.

• Guide you to the perfect Mac or device for your needs and budget.

• Everything Apple: Macs, iPads, iPhones, Apple TV and Apple Watch

CALL LUIS AT 501.375.2985

• Data Recovery & troubleshooting • Hardware & software installations • Computer upgrades • Organize and backup all your documents, photos, music, movies and email on all your devices with iCloud.

Follow @MovingtoMac on Twitter and Like Moving to Mac Facebook for news and deals.

Call Cindy Greene Satisfaction Always Guaranteed

MOVING TO MAC

www.movingtomac.com

cindy@movingtomac.com • 501-681-5855

Arkansas Times has a position open in Advertising Sales. If you have sales experience and enjoy a fast-paced work environment, then we would like to talk to you. Arkansas Times is published weekly and our arktimes.com website is one of the largest, most successful news websites in the state. You will be selling both print and digital advertising. The Arkansas Times is a fearless, editorially driven publication that stands up for tolerance, treating people equally and advocating policies that further the education, health and cultural advancement of the people of Arkansas. We have the best music, arts and cultural coverage in the state as well as aggressive news reporting. This means readers are engaged with the Times and our advertisers get results. In addition you will be selling a number of annual and quarterly magazines including Arkansas Food and Farm, the Central Arkansas Visitors Guide, Heights, Hillcrest & Riverdale, Welcome Home, Arkansas Made and Block, Street & Building. This is a high-income potential sales position for a hard working sales executive. We have fun, but we work hard. Add to that, the satisfaction you get knowing that you are making something possible that is important in the cultural and political life of Arkansas.

Call Kaytee, 501-607-3100.

We are in North Pulaski County, 11 miles west of Cabot near Hwy 107

LITTLE GAL FOR ADOPTION!

She is extremely affectionate and frightened out of her wits. She will follow you everywhere.

She is very healthy! If you get this dog, you won’t regret it. Please be sure you have adequate outside space for her. At our house she is indoors/outdoors.

Call Kaytee, 501-607-3100.

We are in North Pulaski County, 11 miles west of Cabot near Hwy 107

HELP HELPWANTED WANTED

Construction Indoor Construction • RepairIndoor of Wooden Pallets • Earn up to $13.00/hr or more of Wooden Pallets Need to use nail guns, screw gunsRepair and grinders • Be able to lift 60 pounds on a regular basis • Earn up to $13.00/hr or more Openings on both day and night shift • 6am – 2:30pm and 3:30pm to midnight • Need to use nail guns, screw guns and grinders Medical plan vacation • Be able to lift 60and pounds on aavailable regular basis • Openings Apply on both and night shift inday person • 6am – 2:30pm and 3:30pm midnight AR 72113 CLM Pallet Recycling • 701 Carnahan Drto • Maumelle, • Medical plan and vacation available This Employer Participates in E-Verify

Apply in person CLM Pallet Recycling • 701 Carnahan Dr Maumelle, AR 72113

Smiles

BEAUTIFUL make HAPPY PEOPLE!

Children and Adults

We accept: AR-KIDS, Medicaid, Care Credit and all types of insurance.

PAYMENT PLANS AVAILABLE

ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS

Gentle Teeth Cleaning • Tooth Extractions • Ceramic Crowns & Bridges Tooth Colored Fillings • Implants • X-rays • Root Canals • Orthodontic Braces • Sleep Apnea (OSA)

Faith Dental Clinic 7301 Baseline Rd · Little Rock Monday–Saturday

PLEASE SEND YOUR RESUME TO PHYLLIS BRITTON, PHYLLIS@ARKTIMES.COM.

ARKANSAS TIMES

CLM PALLET RECYCLING, INC

O UR D OC TOR DR. CHRISTOPHER LARSON, D.D.S.

(501) 565-3009 (501) 562-1665

www.faithdentalclinic.com

ARKANSAS TIMES ADVERTISING SALES The Special Publications division of The Arkansas Times has a position open in Advertising Sales. If you have sales experience and enjoy the exciting and crazy world of advertising then we’d like to talk to you.

We publish 4 publications: Savvy, AR Wild, Food & Farm and Shelter as well as corresponding websites and social media. What does all this translate to? A high-income potential for a hard working advertising executive.

We have fun, but we work hard. Fast paced and self-motivated individuals are encouraged to apply. If you have a dynamic energetic personality, we’d like to talk to you.

PLEASE SEND YOUR RESUME AND COVER LETTER TO ELIZABETH AT: ELIZABETH@ARKTIMES.COM EOE. www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

31

IT'S THE PARTY TO THE PARTY!

Ride the Arkansas Times BLUES BUS to the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena

It's the 30th Anniversary and we're bringing the partY with us!

Join us 0ct. 10 for featured headliner

Taj Mahal $109 per person

PRICE INCLUDES: Round-trip tour bus transportation Tickets into the gated concert area Lunch at a Delta Favorite

CHARGE BY PHONE All Major Credit Cards 501-375-2985 OR MAIL CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO:

Bus transportation provided by Arrow Coach Lines

Arkansas Times Blues Bus

Live blues performances en route to Helena 200 E. Markham, Suite 200 Little Rock, AR 72201 Plus Beverages on Board 32

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

ARKANSAS TIMES

Like our Bus Trips page for details, updates and other perks! facebook.com/arktimesbustrips