| Theater Reviews
Set in Washington, D.C., in the '60s, the revision retains its essential shape. But the Bancroft siblings seem far more in tune to the social change that engulfs them than the Prozorov gals, who were so quiet and melancholy. And yet, like their literary inspirations, these three are loathe to talk about the defeats and disappointments that have clouded their inner lives and troubled their family dynamic. But give them a little time and a lot of red wine, and their anger will out. And so will the assortment of spirituals, blues and soulful pop tunes that inform their long night of confession and confrontation, which Jones directs for Horizon Theatre. This is the third summer that Jones has collaborated with Horizon to produce a show during the National Black Arts Festival —- last year he did "Blue" and, before that, "Two Queens, One Castle" —- and based on the number of people trying to get into a sold-out weekend matinee, Jones has developed quite the following.
Young cancer survivor beats the odds
Just before she started the big test, 8-year-old Sarah Grant walked over to her parents for a last-minute pep talk and kiss. She was nervous, she whispered in her mom's ear. There were so many cameras and people watching her. But back on the blue mats, Grant showed no signs of anxiety as she sailed through karate stances, forms and rounds of gentle sparring while her friends cheered her on. Grant earned a black belt in Shotokan-style karate Saturday and proved again that she, a recent cancer survivor, was a fighter. "I look at her now and she's a normal kid," said her mom, Wendy. "It's hard for us to look back and say, 'We were actually there, once.'" Shotokan promotes strength, breathing, and mind and body control. The children in Grant's class do not break bricks or engage in full-contact fighting.
Mirah and Spectratone International Share This Place: Stories and Observations
Share This Place is the album from K Records standout Mirah, but it also a multimedia project commissioned by the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art and the Seattle International Children's Festival, comprised of the songs contained herein and accompanying stop-motion video by Britta Johnson. Inspired in part by the writings of French entomologist Jean Henri Fabré and the Capek brothers' anthropomorphic drama The Insect Play, with a dash of the insectile existentialism of Kafka's "The Metamorphosis", Share This Place is a palimpsest where the separate fiefdoms of humans and insects are reconciled in one teeming kingdom. The album is more like To All We Stretch the Open Arm, the collection of traditional folk Mirah recorded with Seattle's Black Cat Orchestra, than her beloved C'mon Miracle.
On the streets of binge Britain
The middle-aged woman sprawled on the ground in front of me, in her black dress and perilous night-out heels, will definitely have a headache in the morning. She'll deny it was the booze of course, however much she has had, just as her son will deny it was the booze that caused him to tumble backwards into her as he was ejected from the pub for being drunk and unruly, so that her head hit the pavement with a dead clunk. He'll continue to insist the doormen assaulted him, even though the police have already checked the CCTV footage and satisfied themselves they did nothing of the sort. It is the Saturday night of the August Bank Holiday weekend, and in the pedestrianised heart of Basingstoke, a tidy shopping street punctuated by vast neon-clad drinking halls, the Hampshire constabulary are busy policing the night-time economy.
Hmong New Year party brings out style and smiles
The U.S. calendar may call it "Black Friday" for the start of the shopping season that puts retailers' books in the black, but for Hmong-Americans, the day after Thanksgiving marks the first day of a colorful New Year celebration. Thousands of Hmong traveled to the Alliant Energy Center on Friday to begin two days of celebration melding tradition and education with socializing and entertainment. The holiday, traditionally marking the end of harvest season, today serves as a time for Hmong-Americans to reunite with friends and family. It's a time when young people of the opposite sexes can meet and mingle under the watchful eye -- and with the blessing -- of their elders. And perhaps no gathering of people with common roots, least of all the Hmong who arrived in the United States as refugees from the Vietnam War, is complete without a smattering of politics.
Stewart subpoena not ruled out
Here's what you were looking for. We had it all the time,'" Stupak said.
"They are all in conflict. Clearly someone is lying to us," Johnson said. "The point is this: We will never be able to conduct a meaningful investigation in the future if people are allowed to come before the committee, lie and get away with it."
Stupak said Thursday he did not want to jump to conclusions about areas of the documents that were blacked out. "There's some parts that may be redacted. ... We're not interested in going into Martha Stewart's personal finances.
"We're not trying to pry where we have no right to go," he said.
Stewart has refused to meet with House investigators.
Greenwood said he is puzzled that she "has not availed herself of multiple opportunities to come forward and tell her story and exonerate herself."
Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin, R-La., has not ruled out issuing a subpoena after Labor Day to force her to appear.
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