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PUSHING BUTTONS The Arkansas GOP goes national in a bid to control the state legislature.

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m.arktimes.com VOLUME 39, NUMBER 9 ARKANSAS TIMES (ISSN 0164-6273) is published each week by Arkansas Times Limited Partnership, 201 East Markham Street, 200 Heritage Center West, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72203, phone (501) 375-2985. Periodical postage paid at Little Rock, Arkansas, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ARKANSAS TIMES, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, AR, 72203. Subscription prices are $42 for one year, $78 for two years. Subscriptions outside Arkansas are $49 for one year, $88 for two years. Foreign (including Canadian) subscriptions are $168 a year. For subscriber service call (501) 375-2985. Current single-copy price is 75¢, free in Pulaski County. Single issues are available by mail at $2.50 each, postage paid. Payment must accompany all single-copy orders. Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the contents without the written consent of the publishers is prohibited. Manuscripts and artwork will not be returned or acknowledged unless sufficient return postage and a self-addressed stamped envelope are included. All materials are handled with due care; however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for care and safe return of unsolicited materials. All letters sent to ARKANSAS TIMES will be treated as intended for publication and are subject to ARKANSAS TIMES’ unrestricted right to edit or to comment editorially.

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OCTOBER 31, 2012

COMMENT

ASU board deserves scrutiny According to the Arkansas DemocratGazette, it appears that the Arkansas State University Board allowed the reopening of an already accepted bid contract that was apparently well underway (although the percentage completion isn’t noted) to make a change-order at ASU’s request and also to protect a contractor’s bad bid that underestimated the labor costs, the rising cost of steel, and somehow, missed the fact that they were bidding on a project on a slope. These costs should not have been allowed to increase except for the “contractor protection” business in Jonesboro. I guarantee that if the cost of steel had fallen, labor costs had dropped, or if somehow they had made an engineering error in their favor in the bid, they would not have gone to the ASU board and given them money back. As one who built two plants in the $100 million range in different states and also did quite a few upgrades, I would have thought that the board would have separated the need for a new building into a new bid document, got a cost for it, and then seen what could be incorporated into the existing plans. I would hope that the DFA auditors take a look at what amounts to a second item which should have been bid separately being shoe-horned into an existing contract, raising the costs 38 percent according to the ADG, and allowing a contractor to effectively raise the costs of the current contract above his low bid (which if done properly might have made them NOT the low bidder). There is a lot of good ol’ boy dealing going on here with my tax dollars. I wonder if the board ever asked for a separate cost for the new building before allowing it plus everything else the contractor could slide into the cost into what they approved. Everyone who has ever built anything, including houses, knows that change-orders allow the contractor to run up the bill and while they might be needed for a regulatory need, you must realize that unless the cost of doing it later is prohibitive, change it after the fact in a new bid document when others are also bidding and there is hopefully some competition. Richard Boosey Mount Vernon

we could proudly bring our kids. No more. Keep this up and you will lose even more revenue; all of your shops will eventually close (more than the usual turn-over) and Eureka will be another ghost town. City Council, this is a historical city that you are literally defacing! This town has been around for hundreds of years and you are ruining it! We can recall when “The Great Passion Play” drew in buses of people from churches all over the country. Obviously, that is no longer happening. Retirees have invested in land and homes in your county and they will soon

OCTOBER 31, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Why no mention of Mexico? Even with a clear dog in this year’s hunt, I watched the final presidential debate with a good deal of disappoint-

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Cornbread, Beans & Collard Greens Talk by culinary historian Jessica Harris Friday, November 2 at noon • Free Reservations required: 501-324-9351 or historicarkansas@arkansasheritage.org

Noted author Dr. Jessica Harris will look at the Southern table and at the braiding of three cultures that went into creating it: African, Native American and European. She’ll pay special attention to the African contributions. Afterward, we’ll have a light lunch of soup and cornbread. Harris will be available to sign copies of her newest, awardwinning book High on the Hog (available in the Museum Store) which explores the journey of African American cuisine from Africa to today’s dinner plate. Sponsored by Mountain Valley Water, The Capital Hotel and Arkansas Times.

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ment, left again wondering why relations with Mexico are not front and center on the U.S. foreign policy radar. Disappointingly, there was nary a mention from either candidate last night. Unfortunately, I see Uncle Sam stuck in his outdated China and Mid-East dependency mindset for several more years to come. Perhaps the next generation of American leaders will see how working with neighbors to improve our own side of the global street will be the best path forward if this country is to remain a global economic force in the 21st century. Jeff B. Woodmansee Little Rock

School meal standards

Diabetes? PAIN? Blood Pressure? Heart Problems?

Blame Eureka for ‘Passion Play’ struggle “The Great Passion Play’s” financial struggles are due to the City of Eureka’s “Diversity Weekend,” drag queen parades and Hell’s Angel rallies with stabbings (just to name a few). In fact, all of the liberal junk that happens in this city (disgusting art painted in the middle of town) has ruined a place that used to be a place that

sell and leave. Wake up City of Eureka Springs! You are destined to be a council that runs a wonderful and historical town down the drain. Get over yourselves and think about the big picture. You cannot stray from God and not pay the price. Sue Spencer Eureka Springs

This fall when Arkansas school children got in line at the school cafeteria, they had better choices than ever before. On the menu were a variety of foods and beverages recommended under new USDA school meal standards. Changes in diet, however, can often take some time to adjust to. So it was no surprise that some children initially complained of being hungrier than usual as they adjust to proper portion sizes and calorie amounts. For instance, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, American school-aged children currently consume 50-240 percent more protein than they really need. The new school meal standards are in line with nutritional requirements, rather than the current over-consumption that’s helped to increase childhood obesity. While it’s true that some kids may need more food throughout the day (student athletes for instance), not every kid is a linebacker nor should they eat like one. Parents can send their children to school with a snack or take advantage of after school snack or dinner programs. Over the past three years the Arkansas Child Health Advisory Committee, designated by Act 1220 of 2003, has worked to remove trans fats from school food services and food items available during school hours. These efforts along with the new USDA school meal standards will help the state of Arkansas provide healthier nutritional choices for children at school. So kids and parents — don’t give up on the new school meal standards. Remembering to “eat your vegetables — and fruits” is not a necessary evil, it’s a tasty way to get the nourishment you need to maintain a healthy weight and be successful in school. And know that the efforts of many organizations across the state are working to help our students live a healthier life. Jada Walker Chair, Child Health Advisory Committee Little Rock

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OCTOBER 31, 2012

EDITORIAL

EYE ON ARKANSAS

President: BARACK OBAMA U.S. Congress, 2nd District: HERB RULE Issue No. 5: THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA ACT State Senate, District 32: SEN. DAVID JOHNSON State Senate, District 34: BARRY HYDE State Senate District 35: LINDA TYLER State House of Representatives, District 31: TOMMY FORMICOLA State House of Representatives, District 32: BARBARA GRAVES State House of Representatives, District 35: REP. JOHN CHARLES EDWARDS State House of Representatives, District 38: PATTY JULIAN State House of Representatives, District 39: KELLY HALSTEAD State House of Representatives, District 40: STEVEN McNEELY State House of Representatives, District 41: REP. JIM NICKELS State House of Representatives, District 44: JUDY RILEY State House of Representatives, District 46: KYLE OSBORNE Little Rock City Director, Position 8: DEAN KUMPURIS Little Rock City Director, Position 10: ROBERT WEBB North Little Rock Mayor: JOE SMITH Pulaski County Justice of the Peace, District 2: TYLER DENTON Pulaski County Justice of the Peace, District 3: KATHY LEWISON Pulaski County Justice of the Peace, District 4: JULIE BLACKWOOD Pulaski County Justice of the Peace, District 5: LILLIE McMULLEN Pulaski County Justice of the Peace, District 11: SUZETTE McNEELY Pulaski County Justice of the Peace, District 13: JANE GRAY-TODD Pulaski County Justice of the Peace, District 14: CHARLES ROBERSON Pulaski County Justice of the Peace, District 15: STEVE WALDEN Constable, Big Rock Township: MIKE GRAVES Constable, Hill Township: REV. J.D. HOLLOMAN An emphatic NO: Issue No. 2. It’s yet another scheme to divert public money to private developers. All the candidates we endorse are Democrats or independents. So low has the Republican Party sunk that anyone running under its banner is suspect. A clean Lake Maumelle might not survive a Republican majority on the Pulaski County Quorum Court (the JP’s). Early voting started Monday, Oct. 22. 6

OCTOBER 31, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

Endorsements

WHERE IN ARKANSAS?: Know where this slice of life in Arkansas is? Send along the answer to Times photographer Brian Chilson and win a prize. Once a month in this space, he’ll post a shot from a relatively obscure spot in Arkansas for Times readers to identify. We also invite photographers to contribute submissions of both mystery and other pictures to our eyeonarkansas Flickr group. Write to brianchilson@arktimes.com to guess this week’s photo or for more information.

The last, desperate days

he clock rolls toward election day next Tuesday. For more than 200,000 early voters, it’s already over. The posture of the dominant political parties doesn’t forecast a pretty outcome. Democrats are still trying to circulate research that demonstrates the personal failings of individual Republican candidates. Republicans are so confident in their one-note message (President Obama bad) that Party Chair Doyle Webb happily defends the indefensible. He describes statements by legislative candidates soft on slavery and strong on execution of stubborn children as matters of conscience — free expression that isn’t ground for eviction from the Republican fold. Doyle Webb knows his voters and their faith-based outlook. Facts don’t matter. Democrats have unearthed embarrassing stuff about several Republican legislative candidates. There’s the pastor (his degree from an unaccredited on-line seminary) who’s been late or inaccurate in public record filings and a slow pay on credit card bills. There’s another counselor, who pronounced from the pulpit on women’s need to devote more time to their husband than their children, who also has a challenged record on business license payments. There’s a candidate with an inflated educational resume. There’s another suspected of, but not charged with, reporting a false property theft to make an insurance claim. There’s some unhappy domestic court stuff. I’ve resisted exploring these cases for various reasons, including age of some cases and trivial nature of others. But I also don’t think the voters who’ll decide this election — swing voters tilting Republican — are likely to let allegations of personal shortcomings (be they indisputable or not) distract them from the big message the Republican Party has sold so well: 1) Government is too big and too expensive. (Forget for a minute it’s expensive because of all the benefits it bestows on the working poor in the growing Repub-

lican base.) 2) The president isn’t like us — in color, name, parental background, education or outlook; 3) Universal health care is a bad thing. That jackleg preacher with MAX the sketchy financial record? BRANTLEY maxbrantley@arktimes.com He’s like us. The Harvard-educated son of a Kenyan most certainly is not. And besides, many will say, that preacher sure did say a nice prayer over my sick momma when she was in the hospital. Doubt my pessimism? In 2010, at least two Republicans with criminal records were the choice of district voters. I’ve said from the start that the Democrats — if they were to be saddled with Obamacare anyway — might as well defend it to the hilt. The facts are on their side about the people it will help. A late-arriving Democratic campaign initiative highlights, with cold facts, the damaging result of the red political tide in other Southern states. Prisons are being closed. States are reneging on educational adequacy spending. Health services are being slashed. Child care for working parents is eroding. College tuition is increasing by up to 10 percent. This record is the certain outcome, plus bonanza tax cuts for billionaires, if Republicans gain the Arkansas majority. Factual though it is to say this, it’s still a negative message, always hard to prove. The Republicans promise change and better times ahead (sound familiar?). This positive premise is also hard to prove, but it is so much more enticing, even if built on faith and smoke. Who, after all, is an Arkansas voter most likely to believe? A neo-Confederate who compares Abraham Lincoln with Nazis? A mail-order preacher with an iffy credit record? Or that black man in the White House? Doyle Webb believes Arkansas voters will pull the lever for a Johnny Reb or a deadbeat over that B. Hussein Obama fellow or anybody affiliated by party with him. I’m afraid he may be right more often than not.

BRIAN CHILSON

OPINION

The case (or not) for Willard M. Romney

ou know by now the case for reelecting President Barack H. Obama, but the case for Willard Mitt Romney has not been succinctly made, even by, or especially by, the Romney campaign, so someone must take up the challenge. First, let’s recapitulate the case for Obama: He inherited an economy that had been receding for 14 months and was hurtling toward a full-blown depression at the rate of 750,000 jobs a month and a 9 percent annual shriveling of the country’s domestic output. The stimulus act — $787 billion of infrastructure and technology investments and tax cuts for workers and retirees — was passed a month into Obama’s term, and it along with the bailout of the domestic auto industry halted the recession in four months (June 2009) and started a painful recovery. It was the first financial panic in 150 years that did not produce a depression. He had more domestic successes in his first three years than any president in the past century besides Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson, to wit: a universal health insurance system that had eluded five Democratic and Republican presidents since World War

II; a banking reform act that halted predatory lending, raised banks’ capital requirements and sought to preERNEST vent the speculative DUMAS abuses that induced the financial crisis; new fuel standards for vehicles that will rise steadily to 54.5 miles a gallon over the next 12 years, thus cutting fuel costs by half or more; reform of the student-aid program to cut government costs by $52 billion and sharply lower college costs for students; a tripling of AmeriCorps, the public-service jobs program started by Bill Clinton; a new wave of school reform; a civil rights law in his first week in office that sought to end wage discrimination against women, the disabled and minorities; all that and the smallest percentage rise in government spending for any presidential term in half a century. Abroad, he killed Osama bin Laden and decapitated the al Qaeda leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan, pulled U. S. troops from Iraq as he promised, began the promised withdrawal from Afghanistan,

Romney: Trojan Horse

s the 2012 presidential election ap- that independent proaches, a debate has broken out voters might foramong Democratic-leaning pundits give the candidate about the wisdom of President Obama’s for sounding like a campaign strategy. Writing in the New Republican during York Times, Matt Bai thinks Obama may Republican debates, GENE have made a big mistake by listening to Bill “but they would be LYONS Clinton. far more reluctant Up until he won the Republican nomina- to vote for him if they thought they were tion, the Obama campaign appeared set to getting the third term of George W. Bush.” Actually, I quite doubt that Bill Clinton characterize Mitt Romney, in the immortal words of GOP rival Jon Huntsman Jr., gave such simplistic advice. Regardless, this as “well-oiled weathervane” — a political strategy must have looked particularly wise opportunist who would pretend to believe after Romney’s selection of Rep. Paul Ryan anything in order to win. as his running mate. Polled separately, the If there’s a “hot button” issue on which individual elements of the so-called “Ryan Romney hasn’t done a complete 180 since budget” passed last spring by the House his days as a Massachusetts pol, it’s hard to Republican majority are terribly unpoputhink what it is: abortion, gay rights, immi- lar: more tax cuts for the rich, converting gration reform, and most of all, health care. Medicare to a voucher program, along with You name it, and Mitt’s been on both sharp cuts to social safety-net programs sides of it. It’s a wonder his campaign post- like Medicaid, food stamps, Pell grants, etc. “In recent weeks,” however, Bai continers don’t depict him like the Roman god Janus, with two faces looking in opposite ues “starting with the first debate, the challenger has made a brazen and frantic dash directions. Clinton supposedly argued otherwise. to the center, and Mr. Obama has often “The best way to go after Mr. Romney, the seemed off-balance, as if stunned that Mr. former president said, was to publicly grant Romney thinks he can get away with such that he was the ‘severe conservative’ he an obvious change of course so late in the claimed to be, and then hang that unpopular race. Which, apparently, he can.” ideology around his neck.” The thinking was Indeed polls showing Obama comfort-

cleaned up America’s image by ending torture and domestic spying, and facilitated the overthrow of Middle East tyrants without the death of American soldiers by deft collusion with European and Arab allies (but to what end we yet don’t know). Romney’s case begins with a goldplated resume. The son of a rich industrialist whose presidential ambitions were thwarted in 1968 by Tricky Dick Nixon, Romney like Obama got a Harvard graduate degree, but he went into business. In 1984, with several other rich men who put in $12 million, Romney scavenged $37 million from investors — $9 million of it from offshore companies registered in Panama — and started a private-equity company called Bain Capital, which invested in, bought and sold businesses. Bain earned him a still-growing fortune now estimated at $250 million. He converted from independent to Republican and tried to outliberal and outspend Sen. Edward M. Kennedy in 1994. He forced Kennedy to take out a second mortgage on his home to finance his campaign, but Kennedy won with 58 percent of the vote. Romney took over the troubled 2002 Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City and boasted later that he was able to cadge “more than $400 million” in federal tax money from Congress to keep the extravaganza afloat, a remedy he would deplore for the auto industry seven years later.

In 2002, though he had been living and paying taxes in Utah for two years, Romney ran for governor of Massachusetts, which had been run by Republican governors for 12 years. Hopelessly unpopular and with her state in a financial mess, Gov. Jane Swift gave Romney the GOP nomination without a fight. He battled a Democratic legislature furiously for four years. He had one mammoth victory: at Kennedy’s urging, the legislature in 2006 whooped through Romney’s bill to insure nearly everybody by mandating that people buy insurance and helping poorer people with premium subsidies and expanded Medicaid. It became the template for Obamacare. He has been running for president ever since. He’s made simple promises. He will repeal Obama’s tough rules on financial houses and Obamacare, returning 55 million to the ranks of the uninsured, and he will relieve coal, oil and chemical companies and the food industry of burdensome regulations that are supposed to protect public health and the environment but only restrain profits. He will get the economy going by raising military spending $2 trillion, cutting tax rates 20 percent across the board and balancing everyone’s tax cuts by eliminating most (but unspecified) deductions and credits. It’s a tough choice, sure, but you have to make the call.

ably in the lead shifted markedly in the challenger’s favor after the first debate. Possibly the president was overconfident, disdainful of Romney’s high-pressure-salesman-like approach, perhaps also disdainful of the TV game show aspect of the debates. Whatever the reasons, Obama’s phlegmatic, disinterested performance ended up making him appear older, less energetic, and — always important in an American political context, less optimistic than Romney, who at age 65, is actually 14 years his senior. Awakening to the danger, Obama dominated the next two debates. On the defensive, Romney spent the Long Island town hall debate arguing that his promised 20 percent across-the-board tax cuts won’t really cut taxes, which begs the question of then why bother? He devoted the foreign policy debate to endorsing Obama administration policies on Syria, Iran and Afghanistan that he’d previously condemned. No warmonger, Mitt. Nevertheless, although state-bystate polls have shown President Obama rebounding and very likely to score an electoral college win, nervous Democrats fear that permanent damage was done. Hence the return of what Obama calls “Romnesia” as a theme, with the president having a big time on the campaign trail mocking his opponent’s multiple positions to laughing audiences of loyal supporters. “Romnesia’s” definitely funny, but it

misses the mark. Mitt’s less a flip-flopper than a particularly shameless opportunist. Writing in The New Republic, Alec MacGillis argues that the whole business of “framing” political opponents can be overdone anyway. “Ninety-nine times out of 100, the line of attack that works best is the one that really rings true.” A while back I observed, “how anybody purports to know what the GOP candidate actually thinks about any issue other than the size of his own offshore bank accounts beggars my poor imagination.” But the real point is that it hardly matters what Romney REALLY thinks. His is a Trojan horse candidacy. Obama needs to make that clear in the campaign’s closing days. Make no mistake: elect Moderate Mitt and you get the whole right-wing GOP agenda, Ryan budget and all. Anybody who thinks a President Romney would restrain the Tea Party and stand up to the Bush era neoconservatives on his foreign policy team can’t have been paying attention. However, there may be good news for Obama in all the bad news. Amid the catastrophic destruction of Hurricane Sandy, Romney’s pronouncement that it’d be a good idea to turn the responsibilities of the Federal Emergency Management Administration over to private enterprise makes him look like a crank — and a heartless one at that. This time, I doubt Mitt has enough time to talk his way out of it. www.arktimes.com

OCTOBER 31, 2012

PEARLS ABOUT SWINE

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OCTOBER 31, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Dear [Son’s Name Redacted], ripple effect on the Years from now, I hope you discover football program. within your heart a modicum of forgive- Let’s focus on the ness for me, as I am solely accountable for Ole Miss game, introducing you to Razorback football in because we stom— of all bloody, godforsaken years! — 2012. ached that whole BEAU First of all, you must understand that four-hour display WILCOX my own indoctrination to the angst and of atrocious, undisdefeatism of following this team happened ciplined football on a sun-soaked Octoin the mid-1980s, well before things like ber day. “social media” and “lorazepam” became You may recall words your father commonplace, necessary instruments for directed at the Hog coaching staff that day, grappling with the travails of a program principally the liberal usage of “incompethat can’t take a step forward without tent.” I actually have no compunction for recoiling a few paces in reverse. I hope my word choice there, save that it’s perthat as you age, and provided you choose to haps too charitable. While John L. Smith stay on this rickety ship for the rest of your got worked up over a critical fourth-quarbreathing days, technology and pharma- ter penalty that took a game-tying touchcology will advance even further because down off the board, he sat by smugly as the there’s no question you’re going to need Hogs were flagged for multiple delay of both to survive. game penalties and false starts. Nor could This fall, I took you to your first two he offer sound rationale for the unintelRazorback games. You’re six years old, so ligible decision to take a chip-shot field you’ll likely remember these fairly well goal in the first quarter after converting and, fortunately, there will be a fine sheen a fourth-and-long. This brand of illogic of fondness applied to those recollections. predominated Hog football this year, a Make no mistake, I am not trying to muddy trait we thought had been purged from those sweet remembrances here, but in the program circa November 2007. case the ancillary details of these games are What else to say? Well, Arkansas again lost amid the cheery thoughts of teeming had trouble advancing the football consismasses of red-clad fans and eruptions of tently. You got kind of bored and moody in Hog calls, let me fill in the gaps. the third quarter, and your dear old dad did, My first act is to express my deep regret too. We saw gross inaccuracy from Tyler that I twice exposed you to War Memorial Wilson (19 incompletions, two of which Stadium, the Hogs’ part-time home (or as were hideous interceptions and many othI shall declare it, “The Halfway House”). ers should’ve been) and shoddy play design. This was simply childish oversight on my The other purported Heisman guy, Knile part. For decades, Arkansas has split its Davis, got shelved again in favor of Denhome schedule between its once-spartan, nis Johnson, who ran with purpose and on-campus stadium and the eternally-spar- ferocity and ... scored a little too early for tan, way-the-hell-off-campus War Memo- our tastes. While the Hogs’ defensive line rial. I won’t bore you with sordid tales of was active again, with Austin Flynn finally the “Great Stadium Debate” that raged getting his name called and the Ole Miss during my lifetime as Reynolds Razor- running game being stifled in the middle, back Stadium progressively expanded and the secondary was simply overwhelmed by flourished while the old gal in the capital Bo Wallace’s unending onslaught of wide city got a halfhearted Botox injection just receiver screens and his deft operation of to keep everyone’s attention a little longer. the fatal two-minute drill. We sighed that You must understand that Hog fans familiar sigh of resignation as the Rebels absurdly clung to self-induced nostalgia, pushed the ball southward much more too proudly and too long. Some claimed briskly than postgame traffic moved down that Little Rock crowds herded into that Fair Park. Bryson Rose kicked a routine cramped bowl were amplified and intim- field goal, Rebels flooded the field, we idating, and that the Hogs were truly walked the familiar walk of despair. buoyed by the din. What you witnessed We haven’t gotten your fanhood off in 2012 was demonstrable proof that the to the best start, I concede. Maybe the Razorbacks should fully vacate the joint promise of a full-scale refresh this winter by 2015 at the latest. Arkansas dropped will bring you the kind of hope that I’ve two games in which it was favored by a occasionally fooled myself into having for combined five touchdowns, losing both a good quarter-century. And maybe you’ll never again have to on the very last play. You and I left the first game against little lay your innocent eyes on those ugly-ass ol’ Louisiana-Monroe a bit prematurely “anthracite” jerseys again. Love, and we won’t even broach the subject of Dad why that game had such a catastrophic

Over 30 Breweries & Over 150 Beers The Arkansas Times along with the Argenta Arts District is excited to announce their first craft beer festival in central Arkansas. We want to share the celebration of the fine art of craft brewing in America by showcasing over 150 beers.

3 Local Live Bands Funkanites, The Salty Dogs, and Weakness for Blondes

3 Restaurants

Cregeen’s Irish Pub, Cornerstone Pub & Grill, and Reno’s Argenta Café

One big night of fun, food, entertainment & tasting fine beer!

November 2nd - 6 to 9 pm

Argenta Farmer’s Market Grounds

PLUS: Free Souvenir Tasting Glass*

6th & Main Street, Downtown North Little Rock (Across from the Argenta Market) - RAIN LOCATION: Dickey-Stephens Park

#arkcraftbeer Tickets, brewer details & More at:

arktimes.com/craftbeerfest Buy Tickets Early - Admission is Limited

$35 early purchase - $40 at the door Participants must be 21 years or older. Please bring ID.

Participating Breweries Abita Brewing Co., Anchor Brewing Co., Blue Moon Brewing Co., Boscos Restaurant & Brewing Co., Boulevard Brewing Co., Brewery Ommegang, Central Arkansas Fermenters, Charleville Brewing Co., Choc Beer Co., Core Brewing & Distilling Co., Crown Valley Brewery, Diamond Bear, Fossil Cove Brewing Co., Goose Island, Henry Weinhard’s, Hog Haus Brewing, Laughing Dog, Leinenkugel’s, Marshall Brewing Co., New Belgium, North Coast Brewing Co., Piney River Brewing Co., Redhook Brewing, Refined Ale, Saddlebock Brewery, Samuel Adams, Schlafly, Shock Top, Sierra Nevada, Tallgrass Brewing Co., Vino’s Brew Pub, Widmer Brothers Brewing, and more to be announced!

*With purchase of ticket. Actual glass size or shape may vary.

LesS Fortunate PIRATES A FREE POETRY EVENT AT THE ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER

BOOK LAUNCH AND READING Bryan BorlanD with SPecIAL GUEST THERESA DAVIS POEMS, DANCE, MuSic, Open Mic 6:00 PM Reception / 6:30 PM Performances Tuesday, November 13, 2012 Arkansas Arts Center 501 East 9th Street, Little Rock, AR 72202

Bryan Borland is author of the American Library Association-honored My Life as Adam and editor of the Library Journal-honored Assaracus. He is founder and publisher of Sibling Rivalry Press. Less Fortuate Pirates: Poems from the First Year Without My Father is his latest collection. Theresa Davis is the 2011 Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion and author of After This We Go Dark, forthcoming from Sibling Rivalry Press. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

W O RDS

Who gifted this? “The Little Rock River Market’s Ottenheimer Market Hall will be fully tenanted in November.” Kelley Bass asks “Is this the latest in the ‘noun becomes verb’ abomination?” “If these thieves have any consciences maybe they would just drop them off at a church or anywhere.” John Wesley Hall writes: “Seems like a conscience should be treated like a collective noun and be singular here. At least it would sound better that way. At least to me.” Me too. “The stewards of standard English always say that dictionaries are overcapitulating, but never so dramatically as in 1961, with the publication of the notorious Webster’s Third New International Dictionary. That volume’s allowances for nonstandard English were heralded as a slide into irredeemable cultural gibbergabber. Even many years later, David Foster Wallace wrote one of his most irritating essays partly about his own revulsion toward Webster’s Third, on the grounds that it included entries for abominations like irregardless.” That’s from a review of a new book, “The Story of Ain’t” by David Skinner, about the controversy

over Webster’s Third. I remember it well. In the 1960s, I worked for a newspaper whose DOUG managing ediSMITH tor boasted that dougsmith@arktimes.com the paper had no truck with Webster’s Third, that he had instead bought all the Webster’s Second he could find. Webster’s Third was a large step away from the prescriptive and proscriptive rules of English usage that most people had grown up with. The Third opted much more for the descriptive approach; that is, it recorded what people actually say, not just what some long-dead school teacher thought they should say. It recognized that the language is constantly changing. The title of Skinner’s book is drawn from all the newspaper headlines based on the new dictionary’s inclusion of ain’t: “Saying Ain’t Ain’t Wrong,” etc. The argument between descriptivists and prescriptivists continues today. I seem to have a foot in each camp. Some change I accept, and some I do not. Fortunately, there aren’t really any word police to take me away.

WEEK THAT WAS

It was a good week for… MIKE KNOEDL The career wildlife officer/ supervisor was tapped to head the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Knoedl’s predecessor, Loren Hitchcock, got enmeshed in the heavy politicking that attends the customary efforts by the politically appointed commissioners to run things and an unhappy employee review of the agency and commissioner meddling. ‘A STRATEGICAL ALLIANCE’ The Arkansas Legislative Council approved the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ $720,000 contract with consulting firm Deloitte to study a possible merger of services with St. Vincent. Deloitte has said its study should be completed by the end of the year.

It was a bad week for… LITTE ROCK POLICE DEPARTMENT Chris Erwin and Blake Mitchell filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Little Rock Police Lt. David Hudson, Police Chief Stuart Thomas, the city of Little Rock and Donnie Ferneau, a former Hillcrest restaurant owner, over their arrest at the

OCTOBER 31, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

restaurant Oct. 29. Erwin was beaten by Hudson, employed by Ferneau’s as a private security guard, seemingly for objecting to Hudson’s order that he leave the restaurant. He was charged with trespass, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. Mitchell wasn’t beaten, but also was arrested for obstructing government operations, trespass, disorderly conduct and public intoxication. The charges were dismissed in Sherwood District Court after police failed to comply with the defense’s efforts to obtain records about Hudson’s past disciplinary history. CHARLIE FUQUA The Republican state House candidate from Batesville, who writes in his book “God’s Law: The Only Political Solution” in favor of the death penalty for rebellious children, took to the radio to defend his record. He said he’s been taken out of context. Plus, he didn’t write the Bible where that passage about stoning children appears, God did. He defended supporting sterilization for people who don’t pay child support. He also defended writing that Social Security is “the worst program ever devised in the United States.” Ditto for writing that it would be “kind and caring” to build two fences along the Mexican border, with a space in between, and shoot anyone found between the two fences. THAT, he says, will stop meth traffic. “Nobody’s going to die because nobody will enter that area,” he said.

THE TOP 9 rEasOns

not to settle fOr U-VErsE

THE OBSERVER NOTES ON THE PASSING SCENE

Losing faith THE OBSERVER TAKES our civic

responsibility seriously, but beyond that, we just plain love voting. It feels clean and solid, gives us a sense of pride, hope and importance. We love grinning at strangers while we all wait at the polls. We love that sense of connection to all these other responsible citizens, particularly those in our very line of sight, our fellow Americans. We love democracy! We loved the free coffee Starbucks gave us on Nov. 4, 2008, for brandishing our “I voted” sticker. But The Observer is also a bit of a procrastinator. On Oct. 1, we realized that the crucial 30-day mark was looming, so we finally completed the form that had been sitting on our desk for months, and we dropped it in the mail. Now this was close to the deadline, understand. But it was also eight days prior to the cut-off date. After Oct. 9, new Arkansas registrations wouldn’t count for the Nov. 6 election. On Oct. 2, we checked to make sure our registration had been lifted by our trusty postal worker. It had. On Oct. 3, we boarded a plane to attend a wedding, confident that in a few weeks, that same trusty postal worker would gift us with a lovely proof of registration card. The card never came. On Monday, Oct. 22, the Observer searched the list of registered Pulaski County voters online. Nothing. The Observer was a bit sweaty-palmed when we called the election commission, but not too nervewracked — after all, we have faith in the system. But the election commission had nothing, either. We asked them to go through all the forms waiting to be put in the computer. We said we would wait. We held for a good 15 minutes, until the representative returned. Still nothing. “Is there no emergency way to register if your form has been lost in the mail?” we asked. We were transferred to a supervisor. We left a message. We spent the rest of the day angry, inexplicably short with friends and co-workers. A few hours later that same day, when we hadn’t heard from the supervisor, we called the election commission again. “Call back Friday,” we were told. “We’ll have a more finalized list then.” In our four-day waiting period, The Observer searched the online registration list at least once a day and contemplated

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driving six hours to early vote in our former state. But we want our vote counted here, where we live and where the local officials will make decisions that directly affect us. We called on Friday. We were told our only option was to vote provisionally, and that if our registration card was found, our vote would count. We cursed ourself for not handling things months ago, so that we could have dealt with this with time to spare. But we’ve moved our registration in the past with such ease that we never expected any hang-ups. We cursed the system for disenfranchising our rightful voice. Two days ago, The Observer went to the Pulaski County Regional Building to vote — early, provisionally and despairingly. We’ve never voted early (nor provisionally) before, but we were slightly heartened by the purposeful bustle about the place. The campaigners outside were friendly, there seemed to be no sign of intimidation or untoward behavior, poll workers were courteous, and at 2 p.m., there were loads of early voters. We required special attention, so while we stood aside waiting, we watched as one woman discovered that she was still registered in Ouachita County. The poll worker handed her an absentee form and walked her through the process. It made us think about how some folks are so apathetic that they don’t even bother to try (the Observer has been fast de-friending Facebook contacts that post this sentiment), while others realign planets just to ensure that their vote counts. Then we were ushered to a school desk with a plastic divider set up around it. The poll worker gave us a paper ballot and told us that because our registration form had to go to the secretary of state’s office before coming to the election commission and because we were moving our registration from another state, it probably took longer to process. Most likely our form will show up. Either way, we’ll get a letter in the mail letting us know. We appreciate the explanation (or justification?), but this is little consolation for the fact that we did what we were supposed to and it seems to have made no difference. We love voting. We love democracy. We had faith in the system. Right now, that faith is deeply shaken.

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OCTOBER 31, 2012

9/21/12 2:13 PM

Arkansas Reporter

THE

IN S IDE R

Walton gives and Walton takes The extreme views of three Republican legislative candidates — Reps. Loy Mauch of Bismarck and Jon Hubbard of Jonesboro and former Rep. Charlie Fuqua of Batesville — have gained international attention as news has spread of their writings. Slavery, immigrants and capital punishment are among the topics on which they’ve expressed unusual sentiments. Jesus condoned slavery, Mauch observed, for example. The views apparently aren’t cause for alarm among Republicans hoping to win a majority in the Arkansas legislature this year. Republican Party Chair Doyle Webb, appearing on the Dave Elswick Show on KARN Radio, said he expected the controversial candidates — characterized as “monkey butts” by Elswick — to win. Webb said the Republican Party believed in “freedom of conscience and freedom of speech.” No belief, no matter how repugnant, is a disqualifier for Republican support if a candidate is a potential winner. Or so it seems Jim Walton, the billionaire son of Walmart founder Sam Walton and a successful banker in his own right, does have a limit, however. He’d contributed to Loy Mauch’s campaign, but asked for his $500 back after news of Mauch’s views was widely circulated. Walton’s support of Mauch was noted on the website of a union that has long fought Walmart on organizing issues. A spokesman for Walton volunteered a copy of Walton’s letter to the Arkansas Times, not typically favored with comment from Walton, perhaps on account of the newspaper’s critical views of his effort to flood Arkansas with charter schools through a more compliant legislature. Walton wrote Mauch Oct. 22: “I am writing to ask you to return the contribution for $500 I sent your campaign. The contribution was made because of your support for education reform in Arkansas. Since making the contribution, however, I have learned about some of your views on other issues with which I disagree. I would appreciate the return of the funds as soon as possible.” Mauch, who’s written letters to Arkansas newspapers for years espousing his neo-Confederate views, sent Walton’s money back, a Walton family spokesman said.

Speaking of the Waltons Walton money — and that of other wealthy conservative tycoons — has bankrolled a number of organizations working to expand CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 12

OCTOBER 31, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

TECH TALK: Former Congressman Vic Snyder moderated for Charles Dilks at public hearings at UALR on the tech park.

Tech park check list Sites, four. Support for them, great. Private investment, none. BY LESLIE NEWELL PEACOCK

n the back and forth last week between a consultant for the Little Rock Technology Park board and boosters of various sites they’d like the board to choose for the park, only a few times did a crucial issue raise its scary head: Money. Charles Dilks, the consultant who winnowed to four the 23 sites proposed as alternatives to three residential areas that had been considered, referred in public hearings held Oct. 23 and 24 with the public to what he considers “best practices” in park development: Starting small with private, federal, state and local dollars, funding commitments from sponsoring universities and anchor institutions on board. The Little Rock park has, so far, only a pledge of local investment, $20 million over 10 years from a half-penny sales tax levied since the beginning of 2012, less than half the estimated $50 million cost of building the first structure at the park. This is a far cry from the Virginia Bio-Technology Research Park, which

is listed on the Little Rock park’s website as a comparable venture. That park was a joint venture of Virginia Commonwealth University, the city of Richmond and the state of Virginia. It opened in 1995 with two VCU research institutes on its campus. The Piedmont Triad Research Park, another comparable site listed on the Little Rock park’s website, has as its anchor tenant the Wake Forest School of Medicine’s Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. In a section on financial feasibility, the Angle Technology study — commissioned by the Chamber of Commerce in 2007 in its effort to get the tech park ball rolling and in which Dilks participated — states that without commitments from private companies, the sponsoring universities are going to have to be the financial backbone of the initial construction at the park, by renting half of the building. Universities’ “rental commitment” would “range from $495,000 to $990,000 a year,” based on an annual rental commitment of $19.75

per square foot for 25,000 to 50,000 square feet, the plan says. Tech park plans call for construction of a 100,000-squarefoot building in the first phase. “As a matter of best practice, sponsoring institutions have to take leadership in moving [the park] forward,” Dilks told the Arkansas Times. That means the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock must make to a financial commitment “to space or providing land and importantly putting activities in the park that are particularly attractive.” That would include a building or a “new research institute.” He added, “as to what would make sense here, that would depend on the site. … I don’t know the specifics of what is possible here.” The city sales tax is financing the purchase of the land and infrastructure improvements. The tech park board is looking for another $10 million from the state, $15 million in private donations and $1.45 million in grants. The commitment from UALR, UAMS, the city of Little Rock and Arkansas Children’s Hospital (which is not a sponsor but has pledged financial support) is $500,000, or $125,000 each. But more than that will not be forthcoming from UAMS, said Chancellor Dan Rahn. “It’s conceivable if we have continued research and commercial potential that there could be an extension [of UAMS’ campus incubator Bioventures] into the tech park ... but that’s really private space. There’s no envisioning putting laboratories in the park.” Even with front-end funding, the Richmond park and two other parks on the Little Rock tech park website — Innovista in South Carolina and the Presbyterian Health Foundation research park in Oklahoma City —have had their share of struggles. VCU pulled its funding from Virginia Bio-Technology and the park has turned for help to the state, which has legislated several generous tax breaks for biotech firms. Innovista ran out of money in 2009 and couldn’t complete construction of its first buildings until last year. The Presbyterian Health Foundation in Oklahoma City, its finances strained by park costs to the point it could no longer make grants, is selling its research park to the University of Oklahoma. At the two “facilitated hearings” moderated by a neutral Vic Snyder, the former congressman for the 2nd District and a CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

LISTEN UP

THE

BIG PICTURE

THE TYPICAL ARKANSAN

The picture of a typical Arkansan that emerges from the University of Arkansas’s 14th annual Arkansas Poll of 800 randomly selected adult residents could be called Mr. (or Ms.) No. That is, no to Obama, no to gay marriage, no to in-state tuition for undocumented teen-agers, no to new federal dollars to expand Medicaid and no to legalizing medical marijuana. The most resounding no (60 percent): in-state tuition for high school graduates brought by their undocumented parents to Arkansas as children. Our typical Arkansan is more conservative than he was in 2011. Still, Mr. or Ms. No is likely to approve of Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe, by a wide margin, and feels he’s in the same or even better position financially this year than he was last year. Here’s a look at some of the results the poll found:

THE ISSUES

Health care is more important to Arkansans than it was last year. The most important issue facing Arkansas today in 2012 is, like 2011, the economy, but while 70 percent put the economy at the top last year, only 48 percent did this year. The 2nd most important issue in 2012: Health care, at 15 percent of the votes. That’s considerably higher than 2011, when it was 3 percent and third place to education’s second place. The 3rd, 4th and 5th most important issues in 2012: Education (12 percent in 2012, 4 percent in 2011); drugs (11 percent in 2012, 3 percent in 2011); immigration (6 percent in 2012, 2 percent in 2011) and taxes (5 percent in 2012, 3 percent in 2011).

APPROVAL OF PUBLIC FIGURES Democrats hold their own.

Gov. Mike Beebe lost a percentage point from 2011 to stand at 72 percent approval in 2012. Sen. John Boozman gained 2 percentage points from 2011 to stand at 42 percent approval. Sen. Mark Pryor gained 5 percentage points from 2011 to stand at 53 percent approval.

FOR PRESIDENT

58 percent surveyed like Republican Mitt Romney, 31 percent like Barack Obama and 11 percent either don’t know or like another candidate.

BALLOT ISSUES

Half-cent tax for roads, yes: 53 percent say yes, 42 percent no, 5 percent say don’t know or decline to answer. Medical marijuana, no: 53 percent say no, 43 percent say yes, 5 percent say don’t know or decline to answer.

MEDICAID

Keep it the same, turn down federal funds to expand: 47 percent. Expand Medicaid: 41 percent. Declined to answer or didn’t know: 12 percent.

GAY MARRIAGE

Arkansas is not trending with the rest of the country, which according to most polls show 51 percent to 54 percent approval. In Arkansas, proponents have lost ground since last year. Gay marriage should be allowed: 15 percent in 2005, 22 percent in 2011, 16 percent in 2012. Gay civil unions should be allowed: 22 percent in 2005, 22 percent in 2011, 20 percent in 2012. No legal recognition for same-sex couples: 54 percent in 2005, 51 percent in 2011, 57 percent in 2012.

PARTY IDEOLOGY, CHANGE OVER A DECADE

Fewer moderates, liberals and Democrats, more Republicans and conservatives. Republican: 30 percent in 2002, 32 percent in 2012. Democrat: 35 percent in 2002, 30 percent in 2012. Liberal: 15 percent in 2002, 12 percent in 2012. Moderate: 39 percent in 2002, 32 percent in 2012. Conservative: 41 percent in 2002, 51 percent in 2012.

Tune in to the Times’ “Week In Review” podcast each Friday. Available on iTunes & arktimes.com

INSIDER, CONT. charter schools and other school “choice” programs in Arkansas. One of the newest is A+ Arkansas, which is holding meetings around the state promoting school choice. The spokesman is Laurie Lee, former wife of Democrat-Gazette columnist Mike Masterson. She achieved public notice first years ago by working to remove books with sexual content from Fayetteville public school libraries. She’s worked since in a variety of political efforts, including for the Koch-financed Americans for Prosperity and lately for a political consulting firm headed by a former director of the Arkansas Republican Party. Lee’s recent messaging has included repetition of the idea that Arkansas is doing poorly in public education. She has taken aim squarely at Gov. Mike Beebe’s advertising for the Democratic Party and its candidates that touts an Education Week evaluation placing Arkansas No. 5 in the country in a ranking based on six education categories, from policy to performance. (Her group claims to be nonpartisan. Any attack on a Democratic talking point during the election season is purely coincidental, onlookers are supposed to believe, even if the Republican Party is committed to the Walton/Murphy/Stephens/Hussman “education reform” agenda.) Lee wrote in a recent e-mail: “Some politicians don’t want you to know that Arkansas’ schools are in crisis. They are using this report to claim that Arkansas’ schools rank 5th in the country — but 5th in what? “They don’t want you to know that Arkansas received a “D” in the most important category — K-12 Achievement. We are ranked 33rd in the nation.” Math and reading comprehension apparently aren’t among this “education reform” group’s strong suits. Lee linked to the Education Week study. It clearly listed the categories on which the ranking was based, including the one on K-12 achievement. It also notes that the contributing categories were ranked equally, with none considered “most important.” It’s called averaging. (A 33rd student achievement based on testing, a fact readily acknowledged by the governor, is a number of notches higher than Arkansas’s customary place down near the bottom among the states.) Said a defender of the governor’s efforts: “Ironic that an e-mail decrying our advances in education chooses to ignore basic mathematics.” It’s not the first or last time “reformers” will ignore numbers on school performance. www.arktimes.com

OCTOBER 31, 2012

THE OBAMA EFFECT

Republicans try to take the state legislature for the first time since Reconstruction by nationalizing the election. BY LINDSEY MILLAR

NELSON CHENAULT

BROTHERS FROM ANOTHER MOTHER: Or so Republicans would like voters to believe about Gov. Beebe and President Obama, who hasn’t visited the state since this rally for Beebe in 2006.

OCTOBER 31, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

emocrats have held majorities in the Arkansas House and Senate for 138 years, and the state remains the only one in the old Confederacy where Democrats control both houses of the legislature and the governor’s office. But Republicans believe they’re well positioned to make history on Nov. 6, when every seat in the 100-member House and 35-member Senate is on the ballot for the first time in 10 years. “I don’t think it’s in doubt,” said Republican pollster Keith Emis, who said his firm, Diamond State Consulting, had polled every competitive race in the state. “The question is simply how big of a majority. It’s going to be very large in both chambers.” Meanwhile, Democrats, who currently control 53 House seats and 20 Senate seats, express confidence they’ll hold onto the majorities. But they acknowledge it will be difficult. “We’ll have the majority in both houses,” a Democratic strategist involved in several campaigns said recently, before adding, “I’m not saying it’s going to be pretty.” Six years ago, the Green Party ran more statewide races than the Republican Party. Four years ago, Barack Obama lost to John McCain by almost 20 percentage points in the state. Yet the presidential election had little effect down ballot. Republicans gained no seats in the state Senate and only three in the House, leaving Democrats in control of 71 percent of the voting share of the house and 77 percent in the senate. In 2010 in a wave mid-term election that saw Republicans take control of the U.S. House of Representatives and state legislatures across the country, Arkansas Republicans made historic gains, winning constitutional offices the party hadn’t held since Reconstruction, and picking up seven seats in the state Senate and 17 in the House. The race for president is not competitive in Arkansas, and Gov. Mike Beebe isn’t up for re-election, but you wouldn’t know it if you got all your information from TV or mailbox. Democrats say the election hinges on individual races, where naturally they believe they have the edge in candidates. But invariably Democratic candidates make sure to wrap themselves in promises to continue working with Beebe, whose favorability rating has been more than 70 percent since he took office (a strategy called into question by the results of a recent poll that asked if Beebe’s endorsement of a legislative candidate would influence voters in a positive way; 29 percent said yes, 48 percent said no and 23 percent said they didn’t know). After Americans for Prosperity, a conservative advocacy group based in Virginia and funded by the billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch, aired an ad on TV suggesting that Arkansas is struggling because of a high tax rate and debt, Beebe filmed a commercial of his own, attacking the ad for “trashing Arkansas” and defending his record.

Meanwhile, Republicans want legislative races to be a referendum on President Obama. At a GOP rally on Oct. 27, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said if Republicans take control of the legislature, they owe their victory to the president, telling the crowd, according to an Associated Press report, “Folks, there is one thing he has done right. We should say, ‘Barack Obama, you may have messed up being president, but thank you for what you have done to help Arkansas finally become a Republican state.’ ” That idea is central to messaging by state Republicans and national conservative groups like Americans for Prosperity, the Faith and Freedom Coalition and the 60 Plus Association, which are pouring amounts of money previously unseen in an Arkansas legislative election into this election cycle. All are classified as 501 (c)4 non-profits under the U.S. tax code and are required to operate “exclusively for the promotion of social welfare.” By law, they’re not required to reveal their donors, so the money they spend on issues surrounding elections (the groups can’t legally endorse candidates, but their messages are clear) is often branded as dark money, because it’s largely impossible to track. Teresa Oelke, state director of Americans for Prosperity, has said her group has likely spent more than $1 million in Arkansas over a two-year period. Mailers from 60 Plus have targeted state Democratic incumbents for voting “to support President Obama’s health care plan,” while Americans for Prosperity has distributed postcards congratulating state Republican incumbents for standing against “President Obama’s trilliondollar, Washington-centered healthcare plan.” Never mind that state Republicans merely blocked a bill that would’ve allowed the state to set up its own health care exchange. For all the Republican talk of states’ rights, blocking the bill ceded much state control of the exchange to the federal government. Meanwhile, GOP party chairman Doyle Webb and other state Republicans try to paint their candidates as deficit hawks. In one editorial, Webb wrote that state Republicans “have gone on the record to end Pres. Obama’s massive expansion of debt.” Never mind that the Arkansas Constitution requires a balanced budget and state Republicans lack the power to control the national debt. CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

RACE CARDS: Mailers targeting Democratic incumbents from the state Republican Party (above) and the 60 Plus Association.

www.arktimes.com

OCTOBER 31, 2012

By linking Obama’s policies to state legislators, Republicans are playing off Americans’ long-held weakness in political knowledge, said Janine Parry, professor of political science at the University of Arkansas and the director of the annual Arkansas Poll. “I had a student, a really good student and a native Arkansan, four or five years ago, approach me halfway through an advanced class on Arkansas politics, and say, ‘I’m so sorry I’m asking you this, but you’re telling me that there is a Capitol and state legislature in Little Rock that’s just in charge of the state?’ “I think he’s probably an extreme case, but in American national government class, people are shocked all the time to learn that there is a Capitol in Little Rock. The conflation of [state and federal government] has long been with us, and it seems to grow worse with the penetration of national media and national campaign tactics. Republicans are wisely if cynically playing off that weakness. Right now for Arkansas Democrats that’s a disaster.” By linking Obama to state legislative races, Republicans also leverage whatever antipathy Arkansans have towards the idea of a black president. To what degree racism plays a factor is difficult to know, but it’s certainly been evident this political cycle. At a rodeo in Greenwood in July, an effigy of President Obama was kicked by a rodeo clown and knocked around by a bull after an announcer reportedly asked the audience, “Who wants to rip Obama’s head off?” A month earlier in Mountain Home, a board member of the Ozark Tea Party was recorded telling a joke to a Tea Party rally about a black child asking his mother the definition of democracy. “ ‘Well, son, that be when white folks work every day so us po’ folks can get all our benefits.’ ‘But mama, don’t the white folk get mad about that?’ ‘They sho do, son. They sho do. And that’s called racism.’ ” Episodes like those alone don’t explain why Arkansas voters don’t like the president. But as The Atlantic’s Ta-Nehisi Coates has observed, “Racism is not merely a simplistic hatred. It is, more often, broad sympathy toward some and broader skepticism toward others.” In the state Democratic primary in May, an unknown lawyer from Tennessee named John Wolfe won 36 counties and 42 percent of the vote for the Democratic presidential nominee. He explained why voters supported him and not the president in an interview with The Weekly Standard: “He says ‘Chil-ay’ and “Pah-kee-stahn,’ ” Wolfe said, imitating Obama’s pronunciation of Chile and Pakistan. “I say ‘Chil-ee’ and ‘Pack-a-stan.’ They like a person who talks like them.” Regardless of the degree to which race informs Arkansas voters, state Republicans and conservative third-party groups clearly hope to exploit it. Postcards sent to 16

OCTOBER 31, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Arkansas voters from the Arkansas Republican Party and advocacy groups Americans for Prosperity and 60 Plus contain obvious racial messages. The State Republican Party clearly hopes to undermine any help Beebe might provide state legislators with a postcard headlined, “The Obama agenda.” It includes a large picture of Gov. Beebe and then-Sen. Obama fist-bumping at a 2006 campaign rally for Beebe. An arrow with the words “More of the same with” points to targeted Democratic state legislators. The background is a charred American flag. On a mailer from 60 Plus that attacks state legislators for supporting Obamacare, the most prominent image is of an unsmiling black doctor. On one side of a postcard from Americans for Prosperity, a multi-generational white family sits in the grass. Young, attractive parents each hold young children. Resplendent between them, white-haired grandparents smile toothily. On the other side, a brownskinned woman wears a lab coat and holds a clipboard. Next to her, the words: “A trillion-dollar, Washington-centered plan … Can we afford it?” Above the glowing

Gazette, he wrote, “... If slavery were so God-awful, why didn’t Jesus or Paul condemn it, why was it in the Constitution and why wasn’t there a war before 1861? The South has always stood by the Constitution and limited government. When one attacks the Confederate Battle Flag, he is certainly denouncing these principles of government as well as Christianity.” In another letter, he compared Abraham Lincoln to Joseph Stalin and Karl Marx. After the Arkansas Times Arkansas Blog excerpted from Hubbard’s book, Mauch’s letters and a book by Charlie Fuqua, the Republican challenging Rep. James McLean in District 63 — in which he suggests parents should be allowed to execute rebellious children and all Muslims should be expelled from the United States — the views of the three Republican legislative candidates became international news. In a statement released before the Arkansas Blog excerpted Mauch’s letters, Republican Party chairman Doyle Webb said, “The reported statements made by Hubbard and Fuqua were highly offensive to many Americans and do not reflect

“I had a student, a really good student and a native Arkansan, four or five years ago, approach me halfway through an advanced class on Arkansas politics, and say, ‘I’m so sorry I’m asking you this, but you’re telling me that there is a Capitol and state legislature in Little Rock that’s just in charge of the state?’ ” grandparents, the words “Jon Hubbard stood with us.” Hubbard, a state representative from Jonesboro running for re-election against Democrat Harold Copenhaver in District 58, prominently includes excerpts from his self-published book, “Letters to the Editor: Confessions of a Frustrated Conservative,” on his website. In a section entitled “The Black Blessing in Disguise,” he suggests slavery “may actually have been a blessing in disguise,” and wonders, “Wouldn’t life for blacks in American [sic] today be more enjoyable and successful if they would only learn to appreciate the value of a good education? Also, wouldn’t life for blacks in America today be more successful if they would only see government entitlement programs as a last resort …?” Rep. Loy Mauch of Bismark, who is running for re-election in District 26 against Malvern city attorney David Kizzia, was featured on an otherwise identical mailer from Americans for Prosperity. He’s also written a host of letters to the editor. In 2009, in a letter to the Democrat-

the viewpoints of the Republican Party of Arkansas. While we respect their right to freedom of expression and thought, we strongly disagree with those ideas. It’s unfortunate the Democratic Party of Arkansas is attempting to hold onto one-party control by engaging in distractions that do nothing to put hardworking Arkansans back to work and rebuild our economy.” In a statement released to KAIT-TV in Jonesboro, Hubbard defended himself, “Obama-Pelosi-Beebe Democrats, led by left-wing bloggers, have attacked me over a book I wrote in 2008. They attacked me because I’m a conservative, and they’ve taken small portions of my book out of context, and distorted what was said to make it appear that I am racist, which is totally and completely false.” Later in a letter to the Jonesboro Sun, he compared Governor Beebe and Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, each of whom had criticized Hubbard, to Hitler. Clint Reed, a Republican political consultant and pollster in Little Rock, said he

doubted the publicity surrounding the extremist views held by Fuqua, Hubbard and Mauch would make a difference in their individual races. “I think it has had an impact in terms of the overall narrative of the election, but I’m not sure it’s going to make a difference in their individual races. For the people that know Loy Mauch in Bismark, who’ve ridden bulls with him or whatever, it may be solidifying Loy’s support. We’re talking about a small percentage of undecided voters on that local level.” Strong campaigning could overcome the ill effects of the publicity, one Democratic strategist suggested. “People underestimate Jon Hubbard. He’s crazy, but he works his ass off. Jon Hubbard shows up at every voter’s business and goes into every small business and sits in the break room. It’s a lot harder to say he’s crazy after you spend 20 minutes talking to him about your kid’s soccer game.” “I don’t see where anybody on the other side — aside from one representative [Davy Carter, of Cabot, who Tweeted his support for Rep. James McLean] — has said that these guys shouldn’t be elected,” Democratic Party chairman Will Bond said recently in an interview. “The silence is deafening. These three don’t want to take us a little backwards, they hold views that were popular before the Civil War. It shows a stark contrast between the views of the two parties. I just don’t believe that Arkansans share these views and expect all three to be beat, and I hope for the sake of the state that they are.” Republican pollster Emis recently Tweeted, “If I were betting I would not bet against Jon Hubbard.” Asked about the prospects of Hubbard and Mauch in a recent interview with KARN, Republican state chairman Doyle Webb said, “I would anticipate that the voters in their districts will send them back to the legislature. Once again, we are a representative democracy and those candidates have done a good job at working for lower taxes, for job creation, for economic development, better education.” HHH

n the money battle, Republicans, abetted by third-party groups, have a clear advantage. But Democrats say their targeting — the means by which voters are sorted based on all sorts of demographic information that indicates their political preferences — could help make up some of the money gap. According to one Democratic insider, “The Democratic Party of Arkansas is the model for voter files. We have other states that call to find out how we do ours so well. I won’t say it’s the best — because there are a couple others that are as good — but there are none better.”

Michael Cook, a Democratic political consultant, made modernizing the voter files his chief priority when he became executive director of the state party in 2002. “When I came aboard, the state party only had a voter registration list. Because of the way the data was collected at the state level, I couldn’t tell if individual voters voted in state primaries or not. Of course primary voting is a fabulous way of very basic targeting. So we went to all 75 county clerks to get the voting history and then we added that to the file. Then we started adding everyone who was a teacher on the file, everyone who has a hunting license — we took all these publicly available lists and merged them into one file. Since then, the party has continued to add more data and election lists and more high-tech lists into the file. It saves time and money. You don’t need to talk to people who already are with you or people who are against you.” Asked if he ever invested in the highly detailed consumer information companies like Acxiom sell, Cook said, “There are some things I just don’t talk about.” Republicans counter that their targeting, in terms of allocating resources, is better than Democrats’. They say Democrats are pouring resources into races that are out of reach and ignoring highly contested ones still in reach. But at least in terms of direct mail targeting, anecdotal evidence suggests an edge for the Democrats. Lifelong Democrats have reported being flooded with mailers from thirdparty groups and the state Republican Party on behalf of state legislative candidates. One direct mail postcard, paid for by the state Republican Party, which attacked Sen. Steve Harrelson of Texarkana, who is running for re-election in District 11 against Republican Jimmy Hickey Jr., went to Harrelson’s mother’s address in Texarkana. Beyond targeting, with Arkansas the last blue speck on the map in much of the Midwest and nearly all of the South, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) is committing resources in the state for the first time in recent history. The DLCC is a 527 organization that, unlike 501 (c)4 groups, must disclose its donors. Asked how much money the DLCC planned to invest in this political cycle in Arkansas, the organization’s communications director Dan Roth said, “The DLCC is investing a considerable amount to compete with out-of-state billionaires who will stop at nothing to get their way. Beyond that, we do not discuss our specific strategies.” HHH

epublicans, already claiming victory, see their ascendancy in state politics as the culmination

of years of growth. “I think it’s a long term trend that’s come to fruition,” said Emis. “It’s not a linear motion. It’s like a stock chart. There are peaks and valleys as you go, but it’s trending upwards all along. In 1998, for instance, the Republicans had 11 members in the state House. In 1999, they had 24. There have been wins that were percentage-wise much larger than we’ve seen in the last two years. You start from zero, it takes a lot of time.” Parry, the University of Arkansas political scientist, said this recent Republican surge in the legislature could be the latest development in another trend. “If you look at Arkansas politics since the 1960s, there’s a pattern in which everyone talks about the great Republican window. It could be Rockefeller showering the state with money to create a Republican Party. It could be the adoption of term limits, which was supposed to level the playing field because the Republicans couldn’t get a fair shake. Huckabee was supposed to be a window. But every time it was a flash in the pan.” Because of that history, Parry said she’s not ready to predict that Arkansas has become solidly Republican, though she said the last three years of polling data from her Arkansas Poll has demonstrated a rightward shift in independent voters, which convinces her that, at a minimum, the state finally has a competitive twoparty system. Republican pollster Clint Reed agrees. “I think you’re seeing a very healthy two-party system. If and when Republicans get the majority, I think you’re looking at a pendulum that’s going to swing back and forth much more often than it has certainly in our lifetime.” Asked in an interview if a healthy twoparty system was on the horizon, Gov. Beebe said, “I don’t know how healthy it is, but I think it’s already here. You saw it in the last [session]. It was relatively close. Under any scenario, these people are going to have to work together, or it’s going to end up like Washington, and I don’t think that’s going to go over too well with the people of Arkansas.” Even if Republicans don’t take control, Beebe said, he believes the legislature will block the expansion of Medicaid in Arkansas under a provision in the Affordable Care Act that would add between 200,000 to 250,000 Arkansans to Medicaid rolls because it requires a three-fourths supermajority to appropriate federal money. “If Republicans don’t want it, it’s not going to happen. Having said that, by the time folks figure out that there’s a likelihood that their federal tax dollars are going to go to New York and Minnesota and Virginia and elsewhere and not going to go to Arkansas, that’s going to have some effect on people.”

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CONTINUED ON PAGE 19 www.arktimes.com

OCTOBER 31, 2012

BRIAN CHILSON

KELL: “You’d think elected officials would listen.”

Don’t light up yet Marijuana fight will continue no matter how the vote goes. BY DOUG SMITH

ven if Arkansas voters should approve of Issue 5, the Medical Marijuana Act, in the Nov. 6 election, therapeutic weed won’t be accessible soon. “Issue 5 is not a get-out-of-jail-free card,” says Jerry Cox, who heads the Family Council, a coalition of fundamentalist churches who oppose marijuana in the same way they oppose abortion and gay marriage. Regardless of Issue 5, possession of marijuana for any purpose will still be illegal under federal law. (Though that hasn’t stopped 17 other states from legalizing medical marijuana, with varying results. Medical marijuana is legal also, through congressional action, in the District of Columbia. Arkansas, generally considered a backward sort of state, would experience a change of image should it become the first Southern state to approve medical marijuana.) Issue 5 was placed on the ballot by initiative, which is to say by regular people, not by the state legislature. Almost certainly, there would be legislative attacks on a voter-approved Issue 5, prompted by the Family Council and other opponents. 18

OCTOBER 31, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Supporters of the act say the measure is self-enabling and that legislative action to implement it is neither necessary nor permissible. But the legislature still has authority to amend the substance of the proposal, perhaps drastically, although a twothirds vote would be needed to amend, and a two-thirds vote is usually hard to achieve. Legislators seem overwhelmingly opposed to Issue 5, at least publicly, but many of them will be reluctant to override a vote of the people. (They may be less reluctant if Republicans gain a legislative majority in the Nov. 6 election. Republican legislators tend toward the reckless.) In any case, there are ways the legislature can make it difficult for legalization to go smoothly, and legislators would be urged to do so by the Family Council and perhaps the Chamber of Commerce, two strong lobby groups. The Chamber is opposed to Issue 5, and the Chamber usually gets what it wants from the legislature, but nullification of a voter-approved act might not be a high legislative priority for the group. The Chamber has fingers in many pies.

Whatever the legislature might do with Issue 5, its approval by voters would reveal a huge gap between the people and the officials who are supposed to represent them. Even a close vote against marijuana would expose a legislature badly out of step with constituents. Chris Kell, campaign strategist for Issue 5, professes to believe that if the act is approved by the voters, it will take effect more or less unhampered by the legislature, but he could hardly say anything else at this preelection point. Why borrow trouble? “I hope the legislators listen to their constituents,” he says. “You’d think elected officials would listen.” Many a reformer has found otherwise. Gov. Mike Beebe has said he’ll vote against Issue 5, and members of his administration, including a state “drug czar,” are openly campaigning against the act on state time, using taxpayers’ dollars, a commitment to keep ill citizens suffering that is questionable if not, as Kell claims, outright illegal. But Beebe, a moderate Democrat — the only kind of moderate these days — isn’t the sort to crusade against an

act once the people have approved it. The Obama administration’s attorney general, Eric Holder, has said in effect that enforcement of the federal law against medical marijuana is not a high priority with the Justice Department at the moment. But it’ll be a high priority if Holder is replaced by a Republican attorney general in January. States’ rights will count for little then in states that have approved medical marijuana. When Asa Hutchinson, an Arkansas Republican, was the federal drug czar, under the second President Bush, he was relentless in cutting off cancer patients from their prescribed pain relief. Another possibility, one that could tip in the patients’ favor, is that the federal Drug Enforcement Administration could reclassify marijuana so that doctors could legally prescribe it, and pharmacies legally fill those prescriptions. The DEA has so far refused to do that; its refusal is being appealed in federal court. Regardless of how this year’s medical-marijuana election comes out, there’ll be another. If marijuana opponents lose this time, they’ll arrange a rematch, either by initiative or legislative collusion. The Family Council opposes Issue 5 on religious grounds. The Chamber of Commerce argues, more or less, that legalizing medical marijuana would increase the use of marijuana generally, and that workers under the influence of marijuana might come to work and cause accidents, slowing production and exposing employers to lawsuits. If medical marijuana becomes legal, the chamber will likely demand legislation limiting or eliminating employers’ liability in marijuana-related accidents. If they lose this year, medical-marijuana supporters will try again at some point, too. Time is on their side, younger voters more willing to accept medical marijuana than their elders. And not even the Family Council and the Chamber of Commerce can stop time’s inexorable march. The Family Council might call on a higher power, but some think He’s on the other side. Hard feelings will continue. When Cox looked on at a pro-Issue 5 rally at the Capitol, and was interviewed by reporters afterward, one of the Issue 5 supporters stood nearby delivering unpleasantries, including, “You’re a coward!” Cox gave no sign he heard. He may be the most hated man in Arkansas, and seems to thrive on it. To a reporter who asked what the Family Council would do if Issue 5 is approved, he said “I don’t think it’s going to be approved,” and scurried away on his rounds. He stays busy.

THE OBAMA EFFECT, CONT. The separate issue of how the state shores up the projected $350 million to $400 million shortfall in the Medicaid trust fund will likely be the focus of the upcoming legislative session. Beebe, who plans to unveil his budget proposal in the coming weeks, said he’s looking to projected revenue growth and strategic cuts to Medicaid services without wholly eliminating programs to make up at least some of the difference. But additional money will be required. A tax is a non-starter in this legislative climate, he said. Meanwhile, Republicans have put forward a “SIMPLE Plan” that seems to be a mix of policy favored by the Koch brothers-funded American Legislative Exchange Council and typical Republican planks — vouchers for private schools, less regulation, tax reform. Beebe said Republicans’ general plans with regard to cutting taxes do not take into account the financial impact cuts would have on essential state services. “Obviously if we have a Medicaid shortfall that can’t totally be covered and is going to require some cuts then any additional loss of revenue by changing the income tax would exacerbate the situation.” Otherwise, Beebe said he’s hoping to continue to push for more economic

development and improving education in the state in the upcoming session. He said he also has a plan to further reduce the grocery tax, but he’s not ready to share the details. Should Republicans take control of the legislature in November, he will be hard-pressed to get anything done, but his ability to articulate why Republican policies are bad for the state could prove crucial to the future of the Democratic Party in Arkansas. Regardless of their party affiliation, Arkansas political observers agree that the state has remained in largely Democratic control for so long because of “uncommon talent,” as University of Arkansas political scientist Parry terms it, leading the party, charismatic figures like Gov. Dale Bumpers, Gov. David Pryor, President Bill Clinton and Gov. Beebe. The future of the party will require emulating those leaders, Parry said. “The Democrats who will succeed in this new competitive environment will focus on economic issues. They’ll focus on what they’ll call investment in the people resources in the state. They’ll do it in a way that happens one person at a time, the old-school retail politics that’s helped keep Democrats in power here for so long.”

TECH PARK CHECK LIST, CONT. doctor, proponents for a 10-acre property on Collins Street east of Interstate 30 downtown, for a 30- to 40-acre site on John Barrow Road and for 84 acres at Asher and University commended the Authority board for dropping the Forest Hills and Fair Park neighborhoods and touted the benefits of their sites. (There was no representative for the former Alltel building in Riverdale. Formal presentations for all four sites are scheduled at the tech park board’s November meeting.) Despite all the amenities of downtown and enthusiastic backers of the John Barrow site and the proximity to UALR of the Asher Avenue site, Dilks repeatedly noted the fault in their distance to sponsors — even the Asher site, which Dilks said was so close to UALR (right across the street) that UAMS and Arkansas Children’s Hospital might feel alienated and lose interest in the park. Only the neighborhood sites — those the city maintains are “off the table” — meet the “five-minute” factor that Dilks and the tech park board have maintained is “the highest success factor,” as Dilks wrote in his report to the board, “because the likelihood and willingness of researchers to engage in technology developments in the park can be facilitated or constrained by park location.” “There’s nothing magical about a five-minute travel time,” UAMS’ Rahn said Wednesday. “I like the downtown proposal, next to the

Clinton School [for Public Policy] and Heifer [International], its proximity to 30 and 630.” He likes the Riverdale site as well, which would just be a matter of “going over the hill” from UAMS. Pressed by a UALR professor on whether a location across the interstate from UAMS (like the Forest Hills neighborhood site identified by Dickson Flake as a possibility, but off the table) would have the same disadvantage as the Asher site, Dilks said yes, but added, “If I had my choice, [the park] would be between the two [UAMS and UALR] and connect them.” What if the board chooses a site that UAMS — which has only two votes on the board — doesn’t like? “That would be really awkward, right?” Rahn said. “We’re the sponsor but the board is the governing board. It would be hard for us to sponsor a direction that doesn’t serve the needs” of the community UAMS serves. The chancellor believes, for that reason, that the board and tech park sponsors will eventually reach consensus. Another questioner asked Dilks what he was being paid for his work in Little Rock. He said he didn’t know if that was an appropriate question and mentioned the chamber, but was cut off by Flake, who said it was a matter of public record. Apparently, Dilks wasn’t clear on that fact.

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novemBER 9

The 2nd Friday Of Each Month, 5-8 pm

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

The Old State House Museum

These venues will be open late. There’s plenty of parking and a free trolley to each of the locations. Don’t miss it – lots of fun!

Presents

Live Music

Galleries

The Good Time Ramblers Enjoy Festival Fall Treats: S’Mores, Kettle Corn & Spiced Cider

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The Old State House Museum is a museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

Featuring works of art from ArtGroup Maumelle.

Join us for the opening of two new exhibits with work by Norwood Creech, Paulette Palmer, Edward Wade, Jr. and Jared Hogue. Enjoy barbecue from Jones Bar-B-Q Diner in Marianna, winner of a 2012 James Beard America’s Classics Award.

Annual open house

GRAND OPENING

A museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage

521 President Clinton Ave. River Market District (501) 975-9800

www.butlercenter.org • 320-5792

200 E. Third St 501-324-9351 HistoricArkansas.org

GALLERY 221 & ART STUDIOS 221 JOIN US TO

“Fall Fat Cat” by Lauri Kraft (left)

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“Female Portrait” by Gino Hollander

Gracie and Gomez by Paulette Palmer

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 Fine Art  Cocktails & Wine “Landscape #2” by Adell  Hor d’oeuvres

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KEVIN COLE

“And the Band Played On”

Mixed Media Paintings & Sculpture Continuing through December 1, 2012

come ride the free trolley!

ARKANSAS TIMES

♦ Fine Art ♦ Cocktails & Wine ♦ Hors d’oeuvres ♦

Join Director Garbo Hearne for a guided tour of Kevin Cole’s 25 Year Retrospective:

NOV. 9 20 October 31, 2012

Pyramid Place ndPyramid Place 2 & Center 2nd & Center St St Custom framing & preservation specialist, Pat (501) 801-0211 Collins, will be providing advice on preserving and (501)801-0211 “H OT for SEAT ” BY caring art works on paper. Featured ExhibitR“Works on Paper” CATHERINE ODGERS

presents Arkansas Native

“Straight From the Soul” UAPB & The Arts and Science Center November 19th and November 30th Please call for details

“Dreams Overcoming Circumstances II” Etched Aluminum & Copper 27” x 41” x 9”

1001 Wright Ave. Suite C, Little Rock, AR 501-372-6822 • www.hearnefineart.com Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday 9am – 5pm • Saturday 10am – 6pm

Gourmet. Your• 501-375-3333 Way. All Day. 300 Third Tower coppergrillandgrocery.com

VE I N

R A F O TY I S R

KANSAS AT L ITTL ER OC K

DONAGHEY SCHOLARS PROGRAM

ALR’s Donaghey Scholars Program started in 1984 as the University Scholars Program for the best and brightest students, not another run-of-the-mill collegiate honors program.

The founders wanted small classes, strong faculty-student interaction, lots of writing, and independent research. But unlike typical honors programs, the UALR plan was to build a top learning community based in interdisciplinary studies with a pronounced international dimension. The program would be built around a core of team-taught seminars that crossed disciplinary boundaries to promote critical thinking. “Being small – no more than 20 or so new students each year – the program could achieve a special intimacy and aspire to be an authentic community,” said Dr. C. Earl Ramsey, the program’s director for the past 24 years. “But perhaps no single component has been more important to the success of the program than its generous funding by the Donaghey Foundation.” The scholarship award offers a generous financial package with study abroad opportunities as well as a supportive and nurturing environment that fosters intellectual and personal growth. The financial package includes: • • • • •

Full tuition and fees for up to 18 hours per semester for up to eight semesters Stipend of $6,000, $8,000, or $10,000 per year, dependent upon qualifications Study abroad financial assistance On-campus housing subsidy Laptop computer

International and out-of-state students are eligible for a stipend to cover the in-state portion of tuition and fees. When funds permit, non-Arkansas students may receive full tuition. Two past presidents of the National Collegiate Honors Council visiting UALR for an on-site review in 2008 called the Donaghey Scholars program, “unique in the country.” “The combination of a rigorous, interdisciplinary, team-taught sequence of courses, foreign language and study abroad requirements, and final project provides academic breadth and depth as good as – and probably better than – any other program in the country,” said evaluators Drs. Ada Long and Rosalie Otero. “We feel that Donaghey Scholars are getting a liberal arts education that matches or surpasses what they could get at the most prestigious – and most expensive – universities in the country. And they are getting it for free.” Honors Program | continued on page 3

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK

Donaghey Board Support Helps Build Scholars Program

orn a farmer’s son who worked as a youth punching cows on the Chisholm Trail, George Washington Donaghey never acquired more than a semester or two of higher education. But his life’s work as a building contractor and 22nd governor of Arkansas made sure that thousands of others had opportunities for higher education.

As a carpenter and building contractor in Conway, he donated one-third of his assets in 1890 to start a fund to bring Hendrix College to Conway, pledged more to bring Arkansas State Normal School (now UCA) to Conway. By the time his service as governor ended, Donaghey helped establish and fund four agricultural high schools that later became Arkansas State University, Arkansas Tech University, Southern Arkansas University and the University of Arkansas at Monticello. He and his wife of 44 years, Louvenia Wallace, never had children, so towards the end of their lives, they created a foundation and transferred their assets to Little Rock Junior College – now UALR – its sole beneficiary. “At Little Rock Junior College, Little Rock University, and at UALR, private philanthropy is synonymous with the Donaghey name,” said Bob Denman, vice chancellor of development at UALR. “Over the last 37 years, UALR has received more than $26 million from the Donagheys.” The endowment has been responsible for building the campus, not only with brick and mortar, but programs enriching students and the community – the Donaghey Scholars Program, the Donaghey Student Center, and the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology, and more. Born in Louisiana, Donaghey moved as a child to Union County. He made his fortune as a railroad contractor around the turn of the 20th century when the Indian Territory was opened for settlement. He moved to Little Rock in 1908 and ran for governor in 1908. During his administration, he oversaw construction of the State Capitol – he personally built the big conference table in the governor’s conference room – and pushed a constitutional amendment to establish the right of the people to initiate laws and constitutional amendments by referendum. After four years as governor, Donaghey continued to build Little Rock’s skyline, building the Waldron, Donaghey, and Wallace buildings downtown, and became president and founder of First National Bank of North Little Rock.

Best Job at a University

teacher for a half century, Dr. C. Earl Ramsey said his stewardship of UALR’s Donaghey Scholars Program has been the culmination of his professional life. “Being director of the Donaghey Scholars Program is the best job at UALR,” said Ramsey. “The heart of the job, for me, is the recruitment and mentoring of talented and highly motivated students. I am willing to assert that UALR’s Donaghey Scholars are the equal of students I have taught at Yale and Bryn Mawr. Moreover, our scholars are more diverse.” Now in his 24th year as director of UALR’s top honors program, Ramsey has made a lasting mark on its development by sustaining an interdisciplinary approach. A literary critic and theorist, Ramsey has taught a wide variety of courses throughout his career – from 18th century literature to the writings of Michel de Montaigne, William Shakespeare, William Faulkner and Virginia Woolf. He teaches the course, “History of Ideas,” in the Donaghey curriculum.

Ramsey has been the pivotal “ Dr. figure in the great success of the

Donaghey Scholars Program,” said UALR Chancellor Joel Anderson. “He has led it effectively, working cordially with many faculty members, department chairs, and deans to offer an outstanding interdisciplinary curriculum. He has been a teacher, mentor, and friend to all the students.

A product of public schools in Fort Worth, Ramsey earned a B.A. in history and an M.A. in English at Rice University and a Ph.D. in English at the University of Florida. He was the first professor with a Southern Ph.D. hired by Yale University’s Department of English. His full-time teaching career began at Yale, then he taught at Bryn Mawr. He joined UALR in 1973 as an associate professor and earned full professor status in 1977. The Student Government Association named him Faculty Member of the Year in 1999, and he received the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences’ Faculty Excellence Award for Teaching in 2005.

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK

”

Honors Program | continued from page 1

This year, UALR celebrates the 25th year of Donaghey Foundation support for the honors program and the first graduates of the Donaghey Scholars Program. The program’s graduates define the success of the program. More than 90 percent of Donaghey scholars who complete the program graduate with honors – cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude. For 20 consecutive years, a Donaghey Scholar has been selected as UALR’s Whitbeck Award recipient, the outstanding graduating senior. An impressive 70 percent of the program’s graduates go on to graduate school, at schools such as Stanford, Yale, Harvard, Vanderbilt, Tufts, Syracuse, Rice, the London School of Economics, Washington University, Georgetown, Notre Dame, University of Michigan, UAMS, and UALR. Post-graduate scholarships and awards won by Donaghey graduates include several Fulbrights, Rotary Fellowships, Phi Kappa Phi National Fellowships, Goldwater Scholarships, National Science Foundation Fellowships, a Mellon Fellowship, a Truman Scholarship, a Mitchell Scholarship and a Rhodes Scholarship. The dream of a world-class honors program at UALR, unlike any other in the country, was initiated by former Chancellor James Young. The program has been exceedingly successful thanks to the nurture of former Chancellors Young and Charles Hathaway, current Chancellor Joel E. Anderson, Dr. C. Earl Ramsey, dedicated faculty, the Donaghey Foundation, and the hundreds of academically talented graduates who have completed the program. The Donaghey Scholars Program has much to celebrate on its 25th anniversary.

Emily Dobson– Little Rock She is a National Merit finalist and a Governor’s Distinguished Scholar who loves to travel internationally and volunteers at Heifer Village. To this graduate of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, the Scholars Program is the whole package. “Being a student at UALR means having access to fantastic academic opportunities, and, thanks to the university’s location in the capital city, I am surrounded by rich cultural resources, volunteer and career opportunities, and local events. The Donaghey Scholars Program is a small program made up of a diverse group of curious, engaged students, and it’s both a privilege and a pleasure to be a member of this community.”

Study AbroAd 3

growth Kerissa Accetta – Arlington, Texas As a student at the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, Kerissa Accetta got a head start in college. Through her high school, she began taking college courses at the University of North Texas. There she decided to study American Sign Language and major in interpreting. “I discovered the Donaghey Scholars Program last fall while researching UALR’s Interpreting Education program. At first, I thought the deal was too good to be true,” she said. “UALR had a degree program that fit my interests and a scholarship that paid for me to attend the school.”

Hamza Arshad – Little Rock Hamza Arshad had a dollars-and-cents reason to become a Donaghey Scholar: a full ride, a stipend, and study abroad. What he didn’t expect was to find his life’s calling. “I entered the Donaghey Scholars Program as a hard sciences guy with full intentions of graduating with a degree in biology or chemistry. But the Scholars program opened my eyes to the world of humanities and allowed me to find my second love: philosophy and ethics. My long-term goal after graduation is becoming a physician and a medical ethicist.”

Kayla Burns – Flippin, Arkansas Freshman Kayla Burns is the first member of her family to go to college. UALR’s Donaghey Scholars Program is opening a new world for her. “I never would have predicted that I would have so many amazing opportunities available to me, but the Scholars program has helped make it possible. The opportunities for a stronger education drew me to this program. The core courses involve deep, critical thinking and smaller class sizes. There are so many opportunities for research and internships, both stateside and abroad, which will add to my training for a future career. To be a part of such a distinguished program is an exciting honor for my family and me.”

Amber Jackson – Camden, Arkansas Amber Jackson chose UALR for its location in the capital city and the variety of shadowing and internships in her chosen field of social work. “The Donaghey Program further enriches the UALR experience. The instructors are passionate about the material they teach, they are committed to the students, and are regularly accessible, which speaks to the intimacy and uniqueness of the program. The holistic perspective, respect for diversity, and focus on the development of critical thinking skills that are so central to the Scholars Program have been an integral part of my continuing preparation for graduate school.” 4

Alex Leme – Brazil Growing up in Brazil, Alex Leme loved to take pictures during family trips around the country, but it was never more than a pastime. After quitting his job as a stockbroker, he enrolled at UALR as a Donaghey Scholar with a goal to become an art history professor. Already he is developing a name for himself nationally and internationally for his evocative photographic portraits of small town life in America. His photographs are on exhibit in galleries from Seattle to Brazil and from New York to China while he pursues a degree in art history with a minor in photography, and he was selected by Oxford American magazine as one of the “100 under 100 New Superstars of Southern Art.” “It should go without saying that this has only been possible because of the type of guidance I have received from my photography professors Gary Cawood and Carey Robertson and the support that the Donaghey Scholars Program has provided me. UALR has certainly played – and continues to play – a very important role in my success as a photographer. The Donaghey program is the best thing that could ever have happened to me.”

A SpeciAl Supplement from the univerSity of ArkAnSAS At little rock

Kari Payton – Bastrop, Louisiana She had been playing basketball competitively since the seventh grade, but Kari Payton knew after playing Division 1 ball for the Trojans, she preferred to concentrate on academic challenges. “The Donaghey Scholars Program was appealing to me, because it offered the opportunity to get more out of college. The staff is here to help us face the challenges of life inside and outside of the classroom. By using a community of teachers and students who care about the future, the Donaghey Scholars Program helps us excel in our studies. Attending graduate school is now my primary goal after graduation... something I had never considered before joining the scholars program.”

Kelly Singer – North Little Rock First-year Donaghey Scholar Kelly Singer, a graduate of Episcopal Collegiate, is majoring in French with a double minor in music and linguistics and enjoying singing in the UALR Community Chorus and Concert Choir. “To be honest, I loved the prospect of being in small classes with super-smart people. Graduating from a small high school enabled me to be very comfortable with the low student-professor ratio that is characteristic of the Donaghey Scholars courses. It’s difficult to limit my sights this early in my journey, but I would love to be a translator/linguist for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Donaghey Scholars Program has honed my determination by testing my limits; this will help me persevere further than my competition and strive to achieve my wildest goals and dreams.”

Bruce Stracener – Little Rock Lucas Murray – Little Rock Central High graduate Lucas Murray didn’t take to his first college experience at a northern liberal arts institution, so he tried a “somewhat indulgent year-long hiatus.” That didn’t last long either. Murray, a National Merit finalist, is being nominated by UALR for the Rhodes scholarship. “I honestly didn’t consider the scholars program when applying for college the first time, but it has proven incredibly fulfilling, and I would absolutely recommend that anyone currently applying for college give serious consideration to this relatively unknown scholastic gem. I have been incredibly enriched by the broad curriculum, outstanding teachers, summer in France, and relationships with other scholars.”

In junior high, Bruce Stracener failed pre-algebra three times. In high school, he dropped out after his junior year. Today at 34, Stracener is in his third year as a Donaghey Scholar and is double majoring in mathematics and systems engineering. He won three consecutive student undergraduate research fellowship grants through the Arkansas Department of Higher Education and plans to earn a Ph.D. and become a university professor. “I’ve developed extremely close relationships with certain professors tied to the Donaghey Scholars Program. Not only has their collective impact been beneficial, I also take great solace in knowing that should I have a problem ─ ANY sort of problem — that these faculty members continue to be willing to make themselves available to me. They have my best interests at heart. People like that are rare.”

A SpeciAl Supplement from the univerSity of ArkAnSAS At little rock

Joy Matlock, 1996

Ryne Ramaker, 2012

With a father from Stamps, Ark., and a mother from Ghana, Joy Matlock learned early in life to appreciate the differences and similarities in cultures. It wasn’t until she traveled to Honduras for a church mission trip that she found her life’s purpose.

This spring, Ryne Ramaker led the procession of students and faculty at UALR’s commencement wearing the silver robe as winner of the Edward L. Whitbeck Memorial Award, the university’s top academic prize.

“That trip was an epiphany for me,” she said. “I knew from that trip that I wanted my life to somehow have an international mission to it.” In searching for the right college, she wanted a rigorous program. A counselor at Mount St. Mary’s High School suggested she look into UALR’s Donaghey Scholars Program, a demanding honors program with an interdisciplinary core curriculum, study abroad opportunities, and supportive learning community. “When it came down to deciding which scholarship offer to accept and which school to commit to, I could not turn down the Donaghey Scholars Program award,” Matlock said. “I remember the exact moment (when I got the call) because I knew that I was being offered the absolute ‘Cadillac’ of scholarships in the state, and I couldn’t pass it up. I thank God above often that I did.” Matlock said the program stretched her intellectually and continued to feed her thirst for knowledge. “The scholars program sharpened my focus on an already broad perspective on my world,” she said. “I honed the skills of critical thinking, analysis, debate, and evidence that serve me to this day. Not only that, but the program allowed me the space to continue to ask questions and reinforced for me over and over that you can never know the complete answer to the question ‘Why?’ but the pursuit of it is one of life’s greatest gifts.” The rigorous courses and the strong bonds formed with her fellow scholars led Matlock to Washington University where she earned a juris doctor degree and a master’s degree in international affairs. Her educational experiences led Matlock to Heifer International, where she is now legal services liaison. “Upon returning to Little Rock to begin my career, my connection to the Scholars program and what I gained there has opened many doors for me – both personally and professionally,” Matlock said. “In the program and the years that followed, I gained many things – certainly knowledge, a degree, an education – but more than that. It was pride, reinforcement, and validation that our world is vast and interconnected, and I have a place for my gifts, talent, interests and passion within it. “UALR and the Donaghey Scholars program are hidden jewels.” 6

Today, he is enrolled at the University of Alabama at Birmingham on a National Institute of Health Medical Scientist Training program fellowship. It’s a heady academic leap for a newly minted bachelor of science. But Ramaker, a UALR Donaghey Scholar, has been engaged in cutting edge cancer research, working alongside doctoral level researchers, since he was a sophomore. The Bentonville native who earned degrees in biology and chemistry with a 4.0 GPA in May arrived at UALR in 2008 and became the first student accepted as both a Donaghey Scholar and Science Scholar. “He is one of the best, one of the very best,” said Dr. C. Earl Ramsey, director of the Donaghey Scholars Program. “I rank him in the upper 1 to 2 percent of all the students – including doctoral students – I have encountered in a half century of teaching at Yale, Bryn Mawr, and UALR.” Ramaker was named the top freshman chemistry student and top organic chemistry student. The biology department named him the Thomas Hogue Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher and the Martha Couch Givens Outstanding Graduate Senior. As a sophomore, he received an internship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham to conduct biomedical research under the director of oncology and chair of the research, which led to Ramaker co-authoring a widely read research paper in the British Journal of Cancer. As a junior, Ramaker worked with UALR’s Dr. Stephen Grace on his project aimed at developing a method for measuring and identifying potentially nutritious compounds in tomatoes. He has presented his research at numerous conferences, including the Phytochemical Society of North America and the fifth annual BioNanoTox Conference and was nominated for the national Goldwater Scholarship for undergraduate students with research potential.

Rain Story, 2006 Rain Story came to UALR with a love of storytelling but she was concerned that an English major wouldn’t lead to a paying job. She didn’t need to worry. The 2006 Donaghey Scholar and recipient of the William Cooper Honors Program who graduated with double majors in English and Spanish today is living in Beverly Hills, Calif., working as a screenwriter, script consultant, and actor. “I am fully enjoying the passion that I’ve had all my life in shaping and telling stories that change people’s lives,” she said. She credits the education she acquired at UALR. “Through the Donaghey Scholars Program and the William Cooper Honors Program, I gained education, insight, and skills that catapulted me into a whole new lifestyle,” she said. “My education at UALR was the key that opened the door to the future that I have always dreamed about.”

A SpeciAl Supplement from the univerSity of ArkAnSAS At little rock

success Dominick Mjartan, 2002

UALR Grads @ Work

Dominick Mjartan came to Camden, Ark., as an 11th grade exchange student from the formerly communist Czechoslovakia, ready to earn his American Dream. After high school, he said, “I really wanted to stay, but my parents had saved up for that first year. They bought my plane ticket and gave me a little bit of spending money, and that was years of saving for them. I couldn’t go back to them and say, ‘Can you send money?’” he said. “I had to work.” While finishing an associate degree in south Arkansas and working odd jobs from tutoring to yard work, he searched for a way to get a bachelor’s degree. “It was an interesting challenge,” Mjartan said. “I pursued several scholarships at a lot of other schools, but the Donaghey Scholars Program was by far the most generous and supportive, and so I decided to move to Little Rock.” He was one of the first business majors to join the Scholars program and ended up with more than 200 credits while working 50 hours a week and courting his future wife, Donaghey alumna Georgia Miller Mjartan. They married just days after graduation and headed to the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, where she was a Mitchell Scholar – one of 12 in the U.S. – and he earned an MBA, graduating at the top of his class. Right out of school, he was offered a job running Perks.com, a high-tech, start-up company managing sales incentive systems. “When I was at UALR, I was a lab supervisor in computing services,” he said. “So graduating with an MBA and having this background in technology, it was a perfect fit. Working on Fortune 500s, working onsite with companies like Microsoft and Dell and a couple of bank clients helping them manage their systems was a lot of fun.” Today, Mjartan is senior vice president of Southern Bancorp Inc., managing the bank’s marketing, capital development, social metrics, public policy, and investor relations.

• Wright, Lindsey & Jennings • Aristotle • Nabholz Construction • Northwestern Mutual • LM Windpower • KARK • Baptist Health • Entergy • American Chemistry • FIS • Arkansas Department of Health • Molex • Southern Bancorp Inc. • Stephens Inc. • Acxiom • UAMS • AT&T • KTHV • Jones Productions • Clinton Presidential Library • eStem High School • Searcy Daily Citizen • BKD • Welspun • Arkansas Supreme Court • Caterpillar • VCC • Windstream • Lockheed-Martin • Delta Trust & Bank • Historic Arkansas Museum • St. Vincent Infirmary • Verizon • ESPN • Mitchell Williams • U.S. Marshals Museum • Arkansas Attorney General’s Office • Hewlett-Packard • U.S. Army • Arkansas Democrat-Gazette • Southwest Power Pool • Mosaic Templars Educational and Cultural Center • Little Rock School District • Raytheon • U.S. Bank • Walmart • The Communications Group • Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield • Frazier, Hudson & Cisne • Arkansas Governor’s Office • Arkansas History Commission • Central Arkansas Library System • William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace National Historic Site • KATV • BAE Systems • Heifer International • Arkansas Department of Information Systems • Arvest Bank • Pulaski County Special School District • Schueck Steel • Friday, Eldredge and Clark • Clinton School of Public Service • North Little Rock Police Department • Arkansas Children’s Hospital • Arkansas Business • Arvest Mortgage • North Little Rock School District • Arkansas Department of Human Services • MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History • Arkansas State Police • Central High School • Arkansas Department of Workforce Services • Williams and Anderson • Little Rock Central High National Historic Site • Arkansas Times • KLRT • Arkansas Historic Preservation Program • State of Arkansas • Mainstream Technologies • Old State House Museum

Dominik Mjartan Senior Vice President

Make a difference in your career. Apply Now! ualr.edu/success

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK

Created in 1986 by a group of Arkansans that included Hillary Clinton, Rob Walton, Walter Smiley, Thomas F. “Mack” McLarty, and more, the socially driven bank takes capital created in communities and plows the profits back into the community. Instead of generating profits for shareholders, it seeks social returns for the social good. Mjartan said the bank is building communities in Arkansas and Mississippi in an innovative way. “I came to America believing that the American Dream existed. UALR helped me earn that American Dream,” he said. “More than the financial support that I received, the Scholars Program provided me with just unprecedented opportunity to learn from folks with equal interests and aspirations and expectations for themselves. It’s a group of people who expect a lot more of themselves than just a college degree. They are people who want to change the world... and many of them do.”

Jacqueline Wernz, 2004 Graduating near the top of her class at Parkview Arts Magnet High School, Jacqueline Wernz was a good student, but not one who could have attracted the attention of the top 10 national university programs. She graduated from UALR summa cum laude with degrees in history, English, and French. As part of her Donaghey Scholars experience, she studied abroad twice in Orléan, France. After finishing the Donaghey program, she was accepted to a number of top 10 law schools – Harvard, Stanford, Georgetown, and the University of Virginia, and chose Virginia where she accepted the Hardy Cross Dillard Scholarship, a full ride scholarship plus stipend. She went on to make the Virginia Law Review. Wernz began her legal career at a law firm in Washington, D.C., where she assisted in representing educational institutions and nonprofit organizations on various matters, including as friend of the court before the U.S. Supreme Court. Today, she represents educational institutions, including public school districts, private schools and institutions of higher education, in a variety of general education law matters as an associate for a Chicago firm. She was recognized by Illinois Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star in Schools and Education” for 2012. She is co-chair of the Education Committee of the Young Lawyer’s Section of the Chicago Bar Association. “I also volunteer actively with my church and in the community, and believe that the Donaghey program helped instill in me a love for public service,” she said. “I believe it paved the way for me. I can’t imagine a better preparation for my career and for life than the program.” A SpeciAl Supplement from the univerSity of ArkAnSAS At little rock

Want to Be A Donaghey Scholar? Distinctive Curriculum

The Donaghey Scholars Program has a core curriculum that replaces UALR’s general education core. Classes are generally limited to Donaghey Scholars to ensure small classes and faculty engagement. The courses are seminar style, emphasizing vigorous discussion, extensive writing, and independent study.

Admission

Approximately 25 students are admitted into the program each year. An admissions committee doesn’t standardize minimum requirements but selects the strongest students in the applicant pool. High school performance and activities, test scores, recommendations, demonstrated ability in college courses (if applicable), essays, and interviews are important factors in the selection process. The median ACT score of Donaghey Scholars is 29, with a median GPA of 3.7.

How to Apply

High school seniors, transfer students, and current UALR students may apply for the Donaghey Scholars Program. Applicants are encouraged to apply by the Feb. 1 priority deadline; however, applications will be accepted through March 1. Requirements include two letters of recommendation and two essays.

Apply online

Students interested in applying to become a Donaghey Scholar may want to attend Scholars Sampler Day on Nov. 8. To register, call 501-569-3389.

ualr.edu/scholarships

ualr.edu/donagheyscholars 501-569-3389 • dsp@ualr.edu

Calling All Donaghey Alumni 25th Anniversary Event All graduates of the Donaghey Scholars Program are invited to attend a silver anniversary event on June 1, 2013. Coordinated by the Donaghey Scholars Alumni Society, the event will be on the UALR campus in the Calvin R. Ledbetter Jr. Assembly Hall of the Donaghey Student Center from 6 to 9 p.m. Cost is $50 per ticket.

For more information, call the Alumni Association office, 501-683-7208, or email cxoneal@ualr.edu. Visit ualr.edu/alumni for updates. 8

A SpeciAl Supplement from the univerSity of ArkAnSAS At little rock

Hey, do this!

AUGUST 30-SEPT 20

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

november FU N !

Food, Music, Entertainment and everything else that’s

➧

Nov 1

The Old State House Museum hosts its “Annual

Supper 2012: Two Party Arkansas, Then and Now” with special guests U.S.

Senator David Pryor and U.S. Congressman Ed Bethune. The supper kicks off with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. Dinner will follow in the 1885 House of Representatives Chamber. Tickets are $100 per person. Tables are also available. For tickets, call 501664-1879 or email SammyeJohnston@sbcglobal.net.

Nov 7-10

Holiday House 2012 will be

held November 7-10 at the State House Convention Center. Our general shopping hours are: Thursday, November 8- Noon to 9p.m. Friday, November 9- 9a.m. to 9p.m. Saturday, November 10- 9a.m. to 6p.m. For more information visit www.jllr.org.

Nov 8

Six Ten Center hosts 2nd Thursday Business After Hours from 4:307:30 p.m. Professionals are invited to network while enjoying complimentary hors d’oeuvres along with Happy Hour drink specials. Six Ten Center is located at 610 Center Street in downtown Little Rock. For more information about upcoming events, visit www.traxnlr.com.

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Nov 9-11

Travis Ledoyt, “The World’s Best Young Elvis,” performs at Murry’s

Dinner Playhouse. Travis looks, sounds and moves like The King himself. Tickets are $25-31. For show times, visit www.murrysdinnerplayhouse. com or call 501-562-3131.

Nov 10

Nov 8

Verizon Arena presents Disney Live! Mickey’s Music Festival at 7 p.m.Tickets are $20.75-$55.75 and available online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 800-745-3000.

Nov 10

➧

Annual Holiday Show and Sale with more than 50

artists showcasing a variety of work. The opening reception is from 7-10 p.m. The show runs through January 12. Also that evening is the Hillcrest Holiday Open House and Art Walk from 5-9 p.m.

“Cirque Holidaze” brings Christmas to life with

Arkansas Times and the Argenta Arts District presents the first-ever Craft Beer Festival featuring more than 150 beers from more than 30 breweries, food by Cregeen’s Irish Pub, Cornerstone Pub & Grill and Reno’s Argenta Café and music by Funkanities, The Salty Dogs and Weakness for Blondes. Tickets are $35 in advance and available online at www.arktimes.com/craftbeerfest. The event will take place at the Argenta Farmers Market from 6-9 p.m.

Boswell Mourot Fine Art hosts an opening reception for “Structure,” an exhibit featuring the works of Jason McCann (oil and mixed media on canvas), Dennis McCann (pastel on paper) and Ron Burcham (wood sculpture). The reception is from 6-9 p.m. and includes live music, wine and light hors d’oeuvres. Boswell Mourot is located at 5815 Kavanaugh. For more information, visit www.boswellmourot.com.

Gallery 26 hosts its 18th

Nov 27-29

Nov 2

astonishing acrobatics and dance performances, an original musical score, hundreds of bright costumes and holiday scenes in a magical wonderland of gigantic gifts, colossal candy canes and towering toy soldiers creating an unforgettable holiday experience. Performances takes place at Robinson Center Music Hall and begin at 7:30 p.m. with a special 10 a.m. show on Thursday, November 29. Tickets are $25-$67.30 and available online at Ticketmaster.com or by phone at 501-244-8800.

Nov 9

It’s 2nd Friday Art Night in downtown Little Rock at these venues: Old State House, Cox Creative Center, Butler Center, Courtyard Marriott, Historic Arkansas Museum, Gallery 221, Hearne Fine Art, Dizzy’s and Copper Grill. This month the Old State House Museum hosts a festive fall-themed event with s’mores and hot cider and music by the Good Time Ramblers. Admission is free.

Nov 10-11

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Arkansas Symphony Orchestra presents “Beethoven & Blue Jeans” at Robinson Center Music Hall. Wu Man, the world’s premier pipa virtuoso, will perform. Show times are 8 p.m. on Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $14-$52 and available online at www.arkansassymphony.org or by phone at 501-666-1761.

Nov 13

Nov 16

Dinner Playhouse. This comedy follows a philandering husband who plans a business trip while his wife secretly invites the same girl to spend the weekend with her. Tickets are $25-31. For show times, visit www.murrysdinnerplayhouse.com or call 501-562-3131.

Sway offers an elevated club experience with high-energy dance music, signature drinks and more. Guests who checkin on Facebook get in the door for free. Sway is located at 412 Louisiana Street and open from 9 p.m.-2 a.m.

Pajama Tops opens at Murry’s

Every Friday night

Nov 28-Dec 30

The Arkansas Repertory Theatre presents “White Christmas,” based on the Paramount Pictures classic. Following World War II, a pair of song and dance men follow a duo of beautiful singing sisters en route to their Christmas show at a Vermont inn. Once they arrive, they realize the inn is facing hard times. Through delightful plot twists and a dazzling Irving Berlin score that includes “Blue Skies,” “I Love a Piano,” “Happy Days,” “It’s Cold Outside” and of course, “White Christmas,” they attempt to save the inn and win the sisters’ hearts. Evening shows are at 7 p.m. Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. For tickets, visit www.therep.org or call 501-378-0405.

www.arktimes.com

OCTOBER 31, 2012

Arts Entertainment AND

THE LONG VIEW Converge’s Jacob Bannon on the business realities of hardcore.

BY ROBERT BELL

mation of a bunch of different kinds of music, a bunch of subgenres and classifications. We’re a melting pot that’s hard to describe, so in a way, we embody what contemporary heavy music is; it’s a whole bunch of subtle genre styles all blending together. They’re not fragmented, it’s not like we’re a band that jumps from rap to rock or something like that, but sometimes it’s the character of something, sometimes the spirit of something that you carry, but more importantly, it’s your own voice that you express. It seems like, compared to especially the ’90s, things aren’t nearly so hidebound and puritanical, not only in terms of politics, but music. Would you agree? The political end is interesting. I think a lot of that has to do with how people have a fairly difficult time just wanting to speak their mind publicly about anything. There are a lot of bands that come out there that are numb or devoid of any personal stance, because their goal is popularity or their goal is to not shake up the foundation of their supporters or followers. I think you have a little of that, people playing it safe. You have music getting even more refined over time, ideas that don’t work, things that don’t artistically fit that well, they kind of tend to just go away over time.

he conventional wisdom on hardcore holds that the best bands are brief flare-ups of loud-fast-andangry that exist just long enough to leave a legacy of some blurry black and white photos and a couple of rare 7” records or demo tapes. But Converge has spent more than 20 years smashing away any and all traditions, rules or calcified conventions. Their brutal, whirlwind mix of hardcore, metal, noise and punk has earned them a devoted, worldwide fanbase. And not only have they stuck it out for years, they’ve consistently upped the

OCTOBER 31, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

ante with each release. The band’s latest LP, “All We Love We Leave Behind,” is another collection of blazing, structurally complex hardcore that could’ve only come from them. The Times recently caught up with singer Jacob Bannon, a visual artist who’s also responsible for striking album artwork for Converge and many other bands and who runs the label Deathwish Inc. Converge plays a Nov. 4 show at Downtown Music Hall with tourmates Torche and Kvelertak (see calendar for more details).

You guys have been at this for more than two decades now. What are some of the biggest changes you’ve noticed in the realm of hardcore over the course of Converge’s existence? Changes? It really depends on how you define it. There are hardcore purists out there that would say that hardcore music hasn’t really existed since ’81 or ’82, or that punk rock was a reactionary thing that was a specific date in time, and they live by those diehard belief systems. For us, we’re a weird amalga-

What are small-venue hardcore shows like nowadays versus in, say, 1994? They’re a lot different. They’re different in the sense that there aren’t that many small venues that are independent venues anymore. Most have some sort of affiliation with a larger business, whether it’s a larger conglomerate or a smaller subset of club owners. So it’s changed a bit, it’s a lot safer in that regard, whereas before all the way up to the mid ’90s, you would definitely run into unscrupulous characters and you’d have less-than-legitimate promoters all over the country waiting to screw over bands. And you’ll always have people who think they can get rich quick, come in, set up a venue and treat bands like dog shit and move on with some money in their pocket. I remember five or six years ago, we were driving to a festival in upstate New CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

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Thursday, November 1

A&E NEWS BEEBE NATIVE CODY BELEW TRIUMPHED over his fellow Team CeeLo member Avery Wilson Monday night on NBC’s “The Voice.” Wilson opted for Chris Brown’s “Yeah 3X” while Belew took on Dolly Parton’s classic “Jolene.” The judges were unanimous in their assessments. “You’re kinda shining through as a unique artist and I think you won this,” Adam Levine said to Belew. Blake Shelton was likewise impressed. “That was the best I’ve heard you sing so far,” he said. But the only opinion that mattered was CeeLo Green’s. “Cody, it takes a brave man to sing ‘Jolene,’ I thought you did a great performance today,” he said, before naming Belew the winner. IT’S OFFICIALLY FALL NOW, AND IN ADDITION TO the nice cooler temperatures, majestic golden foliage and gusty, autumnal splendor all around us, it’s also time for a new season of “AETN Presents,” showcasing some of the state’s finest entertainers. The debut of “AETN Presents: On the Front Row” features the folk- and jazz-informed multi-instrumental sextet Don’t Stop Please. Their performance airs Nov. 2 at 6:30 p.m. and again Nov. 4 at 1 a.m. Blazin’ bluegrass combo Runaway Planet is up next, on Nov. 9 at 6:30 p.m. and again Nov. 11 at 1 a.m. On Nov. 16, you can see highlights from the live recording of Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour, recorded earlier in the year at the University of Central Arkansas’s Reynolds Performance Hall. The nationally syndicated folk show featured performances from Blue Rain, fiddling champ Tim Crouch and blues prodigy Nathan A. The show airs again Nov. 18 at 1 a.m. You can catch a performance from Heber Springs natives Grand Serenade on Nov. 23 at 6:30 p.m. and again on Dec. 16 at 1 a.m. The new season wraps up with a chat with travel writer and TV host extraordinaire Rick Steves, on “AETN Presents: On the Same Page with Rick Steves,” Nov. 30 at 6:30 p.m. Steves was at UCA earlier this year, and in this episode, he’ll talk about his recent book “Mediterranean Cruise Ports.” YOU’LL RECALL THAT THE TIMES SPOKE with local writer and filmmaker Levi Agee recently about the realities of raising money to make a movie. Agee’s “Rapture Us” had been accepted by the nonprofit crowd-funding site USA Projects, seeking to raise $1,750 by Nov. 1. As of Tuesday afternoon, Agee had raised $2,539, meaning he’ll get to keep the money pledged by donors. You can still donate to the campaign at arktimes.com/raptureus. After all, while Agee raised the minimum amount necessary to make “Rapture Us,” additional money never hurt a film. Except maybe “Waterworld.”

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OCTOBER 31, 2012

THE TO-DO

LIST

BY ROBERT BELL

WEDNESDAY 10/31-SATURDAY 11/3

65th ANNUAL OZARK FOLK FESTIVAL

Various times, venues and cover charges in Eureka Springs.

For the folk fan, this annual weeklong shindig is a must-do, and this year’s lineup keeps that tradition rolling. It got started

Monday and continues through Saturday. On Wednesday, the Basin Park Hotel hosts this year’s Barefoot Ball, with a “Hillbilly Halloween” theme and music from old-time country and bluegrass trio The Carper Family ($10 adv., $15 door). On Thursday, there’ll be a screening of “Deliverance” at the Carnegie Library Annex,

followed by a Q&A with actor and musician Ronny Cox, who starred in the classic film (free, donations accepted). Friday boasts a performance at The Auditorium from longtime folk duo Trout Fishing in America, with openers Karen Mal and Jack Williams ($20 adv., $25 door). Saturday has a full lineup, with a singer/song-

writer contest at 11 a.m. at Basin Spring Park followed by a free performance from Trout Fishing in America at 1 p.m. and a parade through downtown starting at 2 p.m. That night, Cox will perform at The Auditorium with Mal and Radoslav Lorkovic, Jack Williams and Michael Cockram ($25 adv., $30 door).

THURSDAY 11/1

THE SWORD, GYPSYHAWK, EAGLE CLAW

7:30 p.m. Downtown Music Hall. $15 adv., $17 day of.

Gary slammed the door shut on his now ex-girlfriend and strode across the parking lot of the fleabag motel they’d been crashing at. He opened the back doors of his purple ’71 Ford Econoline and tossed a satchel containing two kilos of pure, uncut Plutonian Nyborg into the hidden compartment he’d cut out of the panel above the back passenger wheel well. The Nyborg’s street value was 20 large. Just gotta boogie out to Albuquerque, hook up with Stash to make the sale and then head down to San Miguel for an extended holiday. Stay down there long enough to sort things out, forget about the last year and get his head straight. With that in mind, he pulled out the jernt

he’d tucked into his bandana and fired it up as he was passing the city limits, endless highway stretching out before him. Adios, Wichita. Vaya con Dios. Some tunes, man — that was what he needed now. He reached into the glove box and rifled around for an 8-track, pulling out one after another. James Gang? Good stuff, but eh, not right now. “Houses of the Holy?” Nah, been playing that one too much lately. The next one hadn’t been opened for some reason. “The Sword,” he said aloud, eyeing the outer space warrior chick on the cover. “Huh, don’t remember picking this up.” He bit into the shrink wrap, tore it off and ka-chunked the tape into the player. As the sun faded from the sky, Gary cranked the stereo. The Sword’s bitchin’ riffs and cosmic grooves washed over him. “Yeah man,” he thought as the darkness fell around him, “things are gonna be all right.”

STRFKR

That right up there is the slightly sanitized shorthand for the band’s name. You might think that sort of handle would preclude things like record deals and having your tunes used in Target commercials, but you’d be wrong. You see, Starfucker’s sparkly, psychedelic, electro-tinged pop

FRIDAY 11/2

THE ALPHA RAY

is so catchy and appealing that they can have a career despite the mildly risque name. The band’s latest, “Reptilians,” is 10 tracks of the type of thing that is the ideal accompaniment to youthful revelry. Need a soundtrack for next weekend’s pharmaceutically enhanced night out? Dial up “Reptilians” or maybe the band’s previous album “Jupiter” and blast off. The opener at this all-ages show is Onuinu.

The Alpha Ray is the latest project from songwriter Bryan Frazier. It’s a collaboration with guitarist Jonathan Teague (of the outstanding Many Persian Z’s) and David Stone (of Hot Springs indie faves Landrest). The group’s new album, “Follow the Ghost,” is Frazier’s fifth release on Thick Syrup Records, following several solo albums and EPs. And while it’s a touch darker than some of Frazier’s past records, it’s not a radical departure from the sort of smart, hook-filled guitar rock he’s been making for years now. Nine of the album’s 12 tracks were mixed by Ken Stringfellow, of The Posies, The

Minus 5 and the latter-day lineup of Big Star. Stringfellow also added backing vocals and keyboards of several varieties, including Wurlitzer, glockenspiel and Fender Rhodes. Alex Piazza provides some gorgeous, spectral pedal steel on the brief “Minnesota Radio.” The whole album is very solid, but my personal favorite cuts are the last two. “Picture House” is subtly forlorn, with moments of tension and guitar heroics that, to my ear, recall Crazy Horse. The final track is “Thundersnow,” a stunningly beautiful number featuring more of Piazza’s pedal steel. Opening the show are Ezra Lbs. and Collin vs. Adam. There’ll be a listening party on Thursday at Ciao Baci at 7 p.m.

Gen-Y head-scratcher that sounds like nothing else anywhere ever. The band’s latest album, “Ruining it for Everyone,” is shot through with machinegun riffs and even machinegun-ier drumbeats, not unlike a good many of their math-metal peers. But there’s quite a bit more going on with Iwrestledabearonce. The band

has a pronounced ambient electro-pop influence, with beautiful female vocals soaring throughout and mixing in with the throat-shredding screams, weedlyweedly-wee guitars and prog-metal craziness. The closest comparison I can come up with is if Lady GaGa hired The Dillinger Escape Plan as her touring band.

If that sounds like your jam, these guys and girl have your fix. You might want to order tickets ahead of time at arkansaslivemusic.com, because the band has a substantial following and this show will likely sell out. Also playing are Oceano, Vanna, Within the Ruins, The Plot in You and Surrounded by Monsters.

THURSDAY 11/2 8:30 p.m. Revolution. $12 adv., $15 day of.

RAY OF SUNSHINE: The Alpha Ray plays an album release show Friday at White Water Tavern.

9 p.m. White Water Tavern.

FRIDAY 11/2

IWRESTLEDABEARONCE

5:30 p.m. Downtown Music Hall. $17.

Iwrestledabearonce takes gnarly metalcore, glitch-y synth pop and an avantrock element or two (Henry Cow, say, or maybe Zappa at his knottiest) and tosses it all in a blender with about 5,000 mg of Adderall. The resulting concoction is a 32

OCTOBER 31, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

IN BRIEF

WEDNESDAY 10/31

Maxine’s has a huge Halloween blowout planned, with anti-folky Jeffrey Lewis and The Junkyard, White Glove Test, Little Ruckus, The Depaysement and Mumford’s, 9 p.m., $6 adv., $8 door. Avant-metal duo Jucifer plays Downtown Music Hall, with Chronic Ritual, The Sinners and Peckerwolf, 8 p.m., $10. Movies in the Park has Fright Night 2012 in store for fans of all things spooky, with Hitchcock’s “The Birds” and the modern horror classic “The Ring,” Riverfest Amphitheatre, 6:30 p.m., free.

FRIDAY 11/2

ARKANSAS TIMES CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL

6 p.m. Argenta. $35 adv., $40 d.o.e.

THURSDAY 11/1

MICHELLE MARTIN COYNE

Ah, craft beer, you delicious, nectar-of-the-gods you. If you’re reading this, odds are good that those two words will have you eyeing the clock and checking for the closest happy hour. The Times has put together this celebration of suds and it is going to be awesome. There’ll be beer from more than 30 national, regional and local brewers, including big names like Sierra Nevada and New Belgium, newer arrivals to the area such as Tallgrass and Schlafly and local stalwarts Vino’s, Boscos, Diamond Bear and many more. Of course, you’ll need some tasty chow to soak up all that beer, and we’ve got you covered there, too. Cregeen’s Irish Pub, Cornerstone Pub & Grill and Reno’s Argenta Cafe will serve it up. Music also pairs well with beer and food, so we’re bringing in The Funkanites, The Salty Dogs and Weakness for Blondes. It’ll be a good time, so come on out and celebrate beer with us. Get more info at arktimes.com/ craftbeerfest.

DUE TO HIGH EXPECTATIONS: The Flaming Lips are playing Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville Sunday night.

SUNDAY 11/4

THE FLAMING LIPS

8 p.m. Barnhill Arena. $35.

The University of Arkansas’s Headliner Concert Committee scores again on this one. The Flaming Lips probably need little in the way of introduction, but if you haven’t been paying attention since “She Don’t Use Jelly” was in heavy rotation, here’s the deal: The Flaming Lips are one of the most adventurous, restless, improbably long running bands

to come out of the American underground rock scene. How many observers back in the mid ’80s would’ve pegged that a trio of acidfried Oklahomans with a serious penchant for The Butthole Surfers would not only survive, but evolve over the decades, mutating from deliriously over-driven guitar pop to widescreen, sophisticated psych-pop majesty to daringly weird and dark noise rock and collaborations with artists from across the pop spectrum?

MONDAY 11/5

LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM

9 p.m. Juanita’s. $45 adv., $55 day of.

Of all the awesome creative forces in Fleetwood Mac, I think you’ve got to give the nod to Lindsey Buckingham as the crucial factor that led the band to the creative and commercial heights it achieved. He was not only the architect of many, many of the band’s finest songs, but he was also the mechanic, tinkering with the overall machinery and keeping it running at top performance. He’s also a wickedly talented and innovative guitar player who doesn’t always get the credit he deserves in that department (check out “I’m So Afraid,” from either of his recent live albums; it smokes). He’s no stranger to solo albums. His first was 1981’s “Law and Order,” a sublime, rewarding col-

Dunbar Community Garden hosts a Dias De Los Muertos celebration, with food and beverages for sale and music from Rural War Room, Opera and Them Tater Babies, 6 p.m., free. Get your rock nostalgia fix with Gary Puckett and The Union Gap at Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA, 7:30 p.m., $30-$40. “Nebraskansas” is how they’re billing it. That’d be Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska” album performed live by Justin McGoldrick, Amy Garland, Mandy McBryde, Jonathan Wilkins, Reade Mitchell, Mark Scarf, Mitchell Crisp, Greg Spradlin, Jimmy Young, Robert Arnold and more, White Water Tavern, 9 p.m. Beer & Brats has you covered for suds and bratwursts (from Hot “Brats” Mike), with music from Swamp Donkey, north lawn of MacArthur Park, 5 p.m., $15. This is your last chance to catch the WM3 doc “West of Memphis” for free at Market Street Cinema, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY 11/2

The Weekend Theater’s production of “Raft of the Medusa” opens at 7:30 p.m., $12-$16. Joe Pintauro’s acclaimed play examines the ways the AIDS epidemic affects a diverse group of people. The production runs Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 17. Singer/songwriter and rising country star Brantley Gilbert plays at Barton Coliseum, 7:30 p.m., $25-$43. Critically acclaimed singer/songwriter David Olney returns to Maxine’s, with his musical collaborator Sergio Webb and Franz Nicolay, 8 p.m., $5 adv., $7 door.

SATURDAY 11/3

FLYING SOLO: Lindsey Buckingham plays at Juanita’s Sunday night.

lection. His recent shows are truly solo affairs, with Buckingham performing with a drum machine and an array of gui-

tars. What a great opportunity this will be to see one of rock’s brightest, longestrunning talents in a small venue.

Battle of the Bars is an MC battle with three rounds, hosted by Epiphany, with DJ D-Dirt, Downtown Music Hall, 9 p.m. Barroom rockers Lucero are at Maxine’s, with The Bohannons, 8 p.m., $17 adv., $20 door. Red dirt fave Charlie Robison is back at Revolution, with Dry County and The Chris Alan Craig Band, 18-and-older, 8:30 p.m., $12 adv., $15 day of. Discovery Nightclub brings in the Ying Yang Twins, hosted by Power 92’s Cain da Ladies Man and DJ Feelgood, 9 p.m., $8-$15.

SUNDAY 11/4

Stickyz has a big night, with Heartless Bastards, Wussy and Amasa Hines, 18-and-older, 8 p.m., $12.

www.arktimes.com

OCTOBER 31, 2012

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

THURSDAY, NOV. 1

War Room, Opera and Them Tater Babies. Dunbar Community Garden, 6 p.m., free. 1800 S. Chester. Ed Bowman & The Rock City Players. The Joint, 9 p.m., $7. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-3720205. thejointinlittlerock.com. Gary Puckett and the Union Gap. Part of UCA’s Public Appearances series. Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA, 7:30 p.m., $30-$40. 350 S. Donaghey, Conway. 501-450-3265. uca.edu.ticketforce.com/eventperformances. asp?evt=112. Hillbilly Hootenanny. Chelsea’s Corner Cafe, 9 p.m. 10 Mountain St., Eureka Springs. 479-2536723. www.chelseascornercafe.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, through Nov. 15: 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com. Krush Thursdays with DJ Kavaleer. Club Climax, free before 11 p.m. 824 W. Capitol. 501-554-3437. Mr. Lucky (headliner), Brian Ramsey (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www. cajunswharf.com. “Nebraskansas.” Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska” album preformed live by Justin McGoldrick, Amy Garland, Mandy McBryde, Jonathan Wilkins, Reade Mitchell, Mark Scarf, Mitchell Crisp, Greg Spradlin, Jimmy Young, Robert Arnold and more. White Water Tavern, 9 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com. Open jam with The Port Arthur Band. Parrot Beach Cafe, 9 p.m. 9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994. Starfucker, Onuinu. Revolution, 8:30 p.m., $12 adv., $15 day of. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com. Tauk. 18-and-older. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $6. 107 Commerce St. 501-3727707. www.stickyz.com. Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG.

MUSIC

COMEDY

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 31

MUSIC

Acoustic Open Mic. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com. Ben Miller Band. 18-and-older. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $6. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com. Chris Henry. The Tavern Sports Grill, 7 p.m., free. 17815 Chenal Parkway. 501-830-2100. www. thetavernsportsgrill.com. Darril Harp Edwards. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 6 p.m. 107 Commerce St. 501372-7707. www.stickyz.com. Grim Muzik presents Way Back Wednesdays. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8:30 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com. Halloween Barefoot Ball with The Carper Family. The 1905 Basin Park Hotel, 7:30 p.m., $10 adv., $15 door. 12 Spring St., Eureka Springs. 479-253-7837. www.theauditorium.org. Jeffrey Lewis and The Junkyard, White Glove Test, Little Ruckus, The Depaysement, Mumford’s. Maxine’s, 9 p.m., $6 adv., $8 door. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. www.maxinespub.com. Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, through Nov. 15: 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com. Jucifer, Chronic Ritual, The Sinners, Peckerwolf. Downtown Music Hall, 8 p.m., $10. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com. Mayday By Midnight. 18-and-older. Revolution, 9 p.m., $6. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-8230090. revroom.com. Midtown’s Halloween Bash with Cadillac Jackson. Includes costume contest at 2 a.m., with drink specials all night. Midtown Billiards, 12:30 a.m., $5. 1316 Main St. 501-372-9990. midtownar.com. Ricky David Tripp. Rocket Twenty One, 5:30 p.m. 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-603-9208. www. ferneaurestaurant.com. Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. Tragikly White. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m., $10. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

COMEDY

The Joint Venture. Improv comedy group. The Joint, 8 p.m., $5. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com. Lucas Bohn. The Loony Bin, -Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 2, 7:30 and 10 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www. loonybincomedy.com. Standup Open Mic Night. Hosted by local comedians of the comedy collective Comedi ans of NWA. UARK Bowl, 9 p.m., free. 644 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-301-2030. uarkbowl.com.

DANCE

Little Rock Bop Club. Beginning dance lessons for ages 10 and older. Singles welcome. Bess

OCTOBER 31, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

PUNK ANTHEMS: Florida’s Against Me! bring their fiery punk rock anthems to Juanita’s, with Fake Problems and Water Tower opening the show, 8 p.m., $15. Chisum Stephens Community Center, 7 p.m., $4 for members, $7 for guests. 12th & Cleveland streets. 501-350-4712. www.littlerockbopclub.

EVENTS

After Dark in the Park. Includes spooky storytellers, costume contest, candy and more. Ozark Folk Center State Park, 6:30 p.m., free. 1032 Park Ave., Mountain View. Bobby’s Fright Hike: Bike Ride & Costume Party. Free bicycle ride around the city’s most haunted locales. Post Party after the ride is for ages 21 and older, $12 with beer, wine, music, dancing and a costume contest. River Market Pavilions, 6 p.m., free. 400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. www.rivermarket.info. Boo at the Zoo. Trick-or-treating in a safe environment, with rides, concessions, a haunted house and more. Little Rock Zoo, 6 p.m., $7-$15. 1 Jonesboro Drive. 501-666-2406. www.littlerockzoo.com. The Haunted Cathedral. Not recommended for people who are pregnant or have a history of seizures. EMOBA Museum, 7:30 p.m., $10$20. 1208 Louisiana St. 501-372-0018. www. emoba.org. The Old Haunted Warehouse. Haunted house tour, with portion of proceeds to benefit the Spirit of Children Program and the Watershed Project. The Old Haunted Warehouse, 8 p.m., $10-$20. 3400 Brown St.

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

FILM

Movies in the Park Fright Night 2012. Featuring “The Birds” and “The Ring.” Riverfest Amphitheatre, 6:30 p.m., free. 400 President Clinton Ave. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Includes costume contest, participation kits included with admission. Market Street Cinema, 7, 9 and 11 p.m. 1521 Merrill Drive. 501-312-8900. www. marketstreetcinema.net.

POETRY

Wednesday Night Poetry. 21-and-older show Maxine’s, 7 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-321-0909. maxineslive.com/shows. html.

Darril Harp Edwards. Luigi’s Pizzaria, 6 p.m. 8310 Chicot Rd. 501-562-9863. Dias De Los Muertos celebration. Day of the Dead celebration, with food and beverages available for sale, plus music from Rural

Danny Browning. UARK Bowl, Nov. 1, 8 p.m.; Nov. 2, 8 and 10:30 p.m., $7-$10. 644 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-301-2030. www.uarkballroom.com. Lucas Bohn. The Loony Bin, through Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m.; through Nov. 3, 7:30 and 10 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

DANCE

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

EVENTS

Beer & Brats. Beer and bratwursts from Hot “Brats” Mike, with music from Swamp Donkey. On the north lawn, RSVP at 501-375-0121. MacArthur Park, 5 p.m., $15. 503 E. Ninth St. Hillcrest Shop & Sip. Shops and restaurants offer discounts, later hours, and live music. Hillcrest, first Thursday of every month, 5-10 p.m. P.O.Box 251522. 501-666-3600. www.hillcrestmerchants.com. “Two Party Arkansas, Then & Now.” Featuring

U.S. Sen. David Pryor and former U.S. Rep. Ed Bethune, moderated by Jessica Dean of KARK. Includes supper, beverages, auctions of political cartoons and more. Old State House Museum, 6 p.m., $100. 500 Clinton Ave. 501-664-1879. www.oldstatehouse.com.

FILM

Screening of “Deliverance.” Includes Q&A with “Deliverance” star Ronny Cox. Eureka Springs Carnegie Public Library, 7 p.m., free, donations accepted. 194 Spring St., Eureka Springs. 501-253-8754. “West of Memphis.” Admission is first-come, first-serve. Market Street Cinema, 7 p.m., free. 1521 Merrill Drive. 501-312-8900. www.marketstreetcinema.net.

LECTURES

“Nobody is Poor.” Saul Garlick, CEO of ThinkImpact, will discuss the global social enterprise’s work. Clinton School of Public Service, 6 p.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-6835239. www.clintonschool.uasys.edu.

BOOKS

Garry Craig Powell. The author of “Stoning the Devil” will read from and sign copies of his book. Faulkner County Library, 7 p.m. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www.fcl.org. Henry Petroski. The author of “To Forgive Design: Understanding Failure” will discuss his work and sign copies of his books. Main Library, 6:30 p.m., free. 100 S. Rock St. www. cals.lib.ar.us.

FRIDAY, NOV. 2

MUSIC

3 Divas Rock. Featuring Nicky, Butterfly and Jeron. Revolution, 9 p.m., $10. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com. 30-Something Party Fridays. Twelve Modern Lounge, first Friday of every month, free before 10 p.m., $5 after 10 p.m. 1900 W. Third St. 501301-1200. The Alpha Ray, Ezra Lbs., Collin Vs. Adam. White Water Tavern, 9 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com. The Ariels Band. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 9 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com. Bluesboy Jag & the Juke Joint Zombies. Reno’s Argenta Cafe, 10 p.m. 312 N. Main St., NLR. 501-376-2900. www.renosargentacafe.com. Brantley Gilbert. Barton Coliseum, 7:30 p.m., $25-$43. 2600 Howard St. www.arkansasstatefair.com. Brown Soul Shoes (headliner), Richie Johnson (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-3755351. www.cajunswharf.com. Club Nights at 1620 Savoy. Dance night, with DJs, drink specials and bar menu, until 2 a.m. 1620 Savoy, 10 p.m. 1620 Market St. 501-2211620. www.1620savoy.com. Cold Dark Highway. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com. Dan & Chris. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m., $3. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-8032. www. beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock. Darril Harp Edwards. El Chico, 8 p.m. 8409 Interstate 30. 501-562-3762. David Olney and Sergio Webb, Franz Nicolay. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5 adv., $7 door. 700 Central

Ave., Hot Springs. www.maxinespub.com. Don’t Stop Please, Tyler Gregory & The Bootleg Bandits. Smoke and Barrel Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 324 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-521-6880. Friday night at Sway. Sway, 9 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582. Iwrestledabearonce, Oceano, Vanna, Within the Ruins, The Plot in You, Surrounded by Monsters. Downtown Music Hall, 5:30 p.m., $17. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com. Jeff Coleman. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, Nov. 2-3, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com. Joe Pitts. Thirst n’ Howl, 8:30 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl. com. “Karma.” UCA Homecoming Stepshow afterparty, featuring Mike Larry, Courtney G, T-Will, Donny Don, Motivation Los, DJ Klassik and more. Drink specials and free admission with “I Voted” sticker. The Ford Theater, 9 p.m. 1020 Front St., Conway. 501-358-1755. thefordtheater.com. Michael Eubanks. 1620 Savoy, 6 p.m. 1620 Market St. 501-221-1620. www.1620savoy.com. Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. Trout Fishing in America, Karen Mal and Jack Williams. The Auditorium, 7:30 p.m., $20 adv., $25 door. 36 Main St., Eureka Springs. VJ g-force. The Tavern Sports Grill, 7 p.m., free. 17815 Chenal Parkway. 501-830-2100. www. thetavernsportsgrill.com. Wes Jeans. 18-and-older. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $6. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com. “YOLO.” Featuring four DJs and beach volleyball, 18-and-older. Flying DD, $5. 4601 S. University. 501-773-9990. flyingdd.com.

COMEDY

Danny Browning. UARK Bowl, 8 and 10:30 p.m., $7-$10. 644 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479301-2030. www.uarkballroom.com. Lucas Bohn. The Loony Bin, through Nov. 3, 7:30 and 10 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com. The Main Thing. Two-act comedy play “Electile Dysfunction.” The Joint, 8 p.m., $20. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

EVENTS

Arkansas Times Craft Beer Festival. Sample from more than 150 different craft beers, with food from Cregeen’s Irish Pub, Cornerstone Pub & Grill, and Reno’s Argenta Café and live music from The Funkanites, The Salty Dogs, and Weakness for Blondes. Argenta, 6 p.m., $35. Main Street, NLR. “The Haunted Evening Tour.” Tour of some of the city’s “most haunted locations.” MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, 7 p.m., $30. 503 E. 9th St. 501-681-3857. www.hauntedtoursoflittlerock.com. Homeschool Friday Fun — Artful Architecture. Register at crystalbridges.org. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Nov. 2, 2-3:30 p.m.; Nov. 9, 2-3:30 p.m.; Nov. 16, 2-3:30 p.m., $45. 600 Museum Way, Bentonville. 479-418-5700. crystalbridges.org. LGBTQ/SGL Youth and Young Adult Group. Diverse Youth for Social Change is a group for

LGBTQ/SGL and straight ally youth and young adults age 14 to 23. For more information, call 244-9690 or search “DYSC” on Facebook. 800 Scott St., 6:30 p.m. 800 Scott St. North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce luncheon. Featuring stories from World War II B-17 pilot, 1st Lt. Thurl Harber. North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, 11:45 a.m. p.m. 100 Main St., NLR. 501-371-0116. www.nlrchamber.org. Sandwiching in History: Faucette Brothers Bank Building. Faucette Brothers Bank Building, 12 p.m. 405 Main St., NLR. Table for Two. Culinary classes taught by chef Robert Hall, 5 p.m., cost includes overnight lodging and continental breakfast. Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, 5 p.m., $200 (couple). 1 Rockefeller Drive, Morrilton. 727-5435. www. uawri.org.

SATURDAY, NOV. 3

MUSIC

AC Connections. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 9 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com. Battle of the Bars. Mic battle with three rounds, hosted by Epiphany, with DJ D-Dirt. Downtown Music Hall, 9 p.m. 211 W. Capitol. 501-6129399. downtownmusichall.com. The Blackberry Bushes Stringband. Faulkner County Library, 7 p.m., free. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www.fcl.org. Bluesboy Jag & Jawbone. Prost, Nov. 3, 9 p.m.; Nov. 15, 8:30 p.m. 322 President Clinton Blvd. 501-244-9550. Charlie Robison, Dry County, Chris Alan Craig Band. 18-and-older. Revolution, 8:30 p.m., $12 adv., $15 day of. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com. Chris Henry. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m., $3. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-8032. www. beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock. Club Nights at 1620 Savoy. See Nov. 2. Fossils of Ancient Robots. Vino’s, 9 p.m., $5. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com. FURR Benefit with Brenda and Ellis. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., $10. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com. The Hi-Balls. Thirst n’ Howl, 8:30 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirstn-howl.com. Jam Rock Saturday. Twelve Modern Lounge, first Saturday of every month, 9 p.m. 1900 W. Third St. 501-301-1200. Jeff Coleman. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com. K.I.S.S. Saturdays. Featuring DJ Silky Slim. Dress code enforced. Sway, 10 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501-492-9802. Lucero. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $17 adv., $20 door. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. www.maxinespub.com. The Marching Championship at the Rock. Marching band competition featuring high school bands from Gosnell, Bigelow, Mountain View, Nashville, Gurdon, Harrisburg and Star City. War Memorial Stadium, 10:30 a.m., $5. 1 Stadium Drive. 501-663-0775. New Era Saturdays. 21-and-older. Twelve Modern Lounge, first Saturday of every month, 9 p.m., $5 cover until 11 p.m. 1900 W. Third St. 501-301-1200. CONTINUED ON PAGE 37

GRAND PRIZE WINNER RECEIVES A TRIP FOR TWO TO L.A. Adult & Youth categories All Genres accepted

gueusdtge j Mary Steenburgen Accepting submissions

Oct. 1 – Nov. 1

Www. Thealchemycompetition .ORG Proceeds benefit: www.arktimes.com

OCTOBER 31, 2012

THE LONG VIEW, CONT. York, Poughkeepsie. We were on tour, we left from Baltimore and did an overnight drive because it was an important show, and on the way there, we were getting messages saying, “Hey, we think the promoter bailed, nobody can find him.” And it turned out he bailed and fled the country and he took twenty grand with him that was supposed to pay the bands. So we didn’t find out that we didn’t need to be there until we were there. Because you’re gonna gamble. What are you gonna do, pull over and then have the show possibly happen? So you deal with lots of little things like that. It’s definitely changed, parts for better, parts for worse. How have the business realities of being in an independent band changed? Gas is four bucks a gallon or more, and yet it seems like punk economics have not kept up with overall inflation. Yeah, economics haven’t, they haven’t kept up with anything when it comes to independent music. If anything, it’s gotten harder. We never knew the age in which bands truly made significant amounts of money from records. We weren’t part of that. We never sold enough records or were around in that time for that to even matter. We only know the uphill battle and that’s a little bit about being punk rock and hardcore and being a bit adversarial with things. Now, I find it a bit bizarre that we have to spend our time and energy not just creating, but also educating people and convincing them that our art is worth something to purchase. And I also think that the system is completely fucked, where it’s easier to steal our record than it is to purchase it. What kind of message are you sending if people can’t purchase an album in two clicks and support an artist, but they can steal the whole thing or steal our whole catalog in 30 seconds? It’s a little strange. What about streaming? I watched an interview with you where you said you were a fan of streaming. Is that something you still feel? I’m a huge fan of all of it. If people can experience music in any way, shape or form, I’m a fan of it. If they steal it, they steal it. What are they gonna do? More often than not the people who are stealing massive amounts of records usually don’t have the financial resources to buy the records that they want. And I’ve got to say “want,” because sometimes they say they need them. They don’t need them. They want them. If you really need something or 36

OCTOBER 31, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

if something means that much to you, then you purchase it and you support it. I think what’s going to happen, and it’s slowly starting to happen and you’re seeing this with streaming services like Spotify and even iTunes, is that it’s slowly going this way as well and Apple’s working on this model where everything’s going to be cloud-based. Rather than trying to miniaturize technology and try to have storage devices and phones and whatnot that can hold a lot of media, they’re just going to be in the cloud and we’re going to depend on the streaming technology. You’re going to pay X amount of dollars a month for that service to use it and it’s going to be identified specifically to you. I’ve been subscribing to Spotify, and it’s amazing how natural that feels now. Yeah, you’re used to it, and your listening habits have changed because of that. Absolutely. Yeah and listening habits for myself are still rooted in a bit of an older model, because that’s what I grew up in. I grew up purchasing cassettes, vinyl, CDs. Yeah, I used to scour the back pages of Maximumrocknroll’s classifieds, you know? Exactly. You’d mail order for a record and hope you got it. I find that to be really kind of funny now too, because you have kids that will order a record, and if they don’t get a confirmation e-mail that it was shipped within the hour, they’ll start sending angry e-mails to you. I remember mail ordering records and just never getting them. I’m sure I spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars as a kid, of my

hard-earned money, sending stuff out, and you had no recourse. You were ordering things on a whim and a prayer. From an economic standpoint, what’s it like a running a label? I saw that Hydra Head had recently decided to cease operations, so I know it can be tough. What are some of the keys to a successful long-term operation in your experience with Deathwish? It’s intense, it’s rough but we also don’t know anything else, much like our band has always known the world we live in. Deathwish started 10 years into the band. So we started when Napster was at its peak. You know what I mean? The worst time to start a record label, right? Yeah, yeah. Our goal definitely wasn’t to become rich, because No. 1, we wouldn’t be dealing with this, we’d be dealing with stocks and virtual money, you know (laughs). All we want to do is just release music that means something to us. I think the one thing that we’ve had to be really careful of is the overspending, which gets a lot of bands and artists and record labels in trouble. You see it with bands all the time that we know that spend tons and tons of money on tours, on vehicles, on equipment, on unnecessary comforts and they spend all their hard-earned capital before they actually get home. And that’s a sad thing to me. You see bands break up over stuff like that, and over the stresses that it causes. It’s already hard enough just to be a band. I wouldn’t want to add that into the equation. As far as the label goes, it’s similar. We don’t sell a whole lot of records.

We’re a boutique-style label. We sell a few thousand records here and there. Some titles are larger, but it takes a lot of effort and a lot of time and if we looked at putting a dollar value on all the time and effort that we put into promoting and publicizing the artists that we work with, we’d probably be hugely in the negative. I was working on some old taxes today because I’m an idiot and basically leave things until the last second because I have to. And I was working on stuff and I lost like twenty grand from the business in 2011. I don’t care, that’s fine, there’s an ebb and flow to things. But it puts into perspective. When records are downloaded, when people steal, when people do a lot of things that are not conducive to supporting artists and labels, there is a direct effect. That’s not only twenty grand that my business lost, it actually lost more than that, it lost like $40,000 that year. But it’s a significant amount of money that bands don’t also get as well. And it’s not to say I would have made that. If we’d made $40,000 more, I would have made zero that year (laughs). That’s pretty depressing, but here’s the thing: Deathwish employs a few people and it’s a great working environment. We all believe in what we do, we believe in the artists that we work for, so we’re OK with working really hard and having little return, as long as it usually pays for itself in some way. Some years it does and some years it doesn’t. That’s the way business is with any small business. You’re taking the long view, though. Yeah, you have to. If you don’t you can’t stay in this community. Just on a local note, I was looking through your tour schedule and I noticed that Little Rock is probably the smallest metro area on the whole tour. How did that come about? Did we just get lucky over New Orleans or somewhere else? I think we had to cancel a show a couple years ago there, because our van broke down on tour. Although, actually (to bassist Nate Newton: “Hey Nate, when you got sick, did we cancel Arkansas?”) Yes. We had a health issue in the band and we had to cancel a few shows. So we’ve been trying to get back and this routing was taking us basically through Little Rock. So we were like, “Let’s play Little Rock, it’ll be fun.” I don’t care if there are 10 people or 10,000, just as long as there are people who care about hearing the music we make, then we’re cool about it.

AFTER DARK, CONT. Pickin’ Porch. Bring your instrument. All ages welcome. Faulkner County Library, 9:30 a.m. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www.fcl.org. Raising Grey (headliner), Ben & Doug (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www. cajunswharf.com. Ronny Cox & Friends, Jack Williams, Michael Cockram. The Auditorium, 7:30 p.m., $20-$30. 36 Main St., Eureka Springs. The Salty Dogs. White Water Tavern, 9 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com. Sara Grey and Kieron Means. Thompson Hall, $8-$15. 1818 Reservoir Road. 501-663-0634. Singer Songwriters competition. Following the contest, the judges from Trout Fishing in America will perform a free show until 2 pm. when the annual Folk Festival Parade will roll down Spring Street. Basin Spring Park, 1 p.m. Downtown Eureka Springs, Eureka Springs. Singer/Songwriters Showcase. Parrot Beach Cafe, 2-7 p.m., free. 9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994. Starroy, Interstate Buffalo. 18-and-older. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com. Subdue. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717. Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www. capitalhotel.com/CBG. Ying Yang Twins. Hosted by Power 92’s Cain da Ladies Man and DJ Feelgood. Discovery Nightclub, 9 p.m., $8-$15. 1021 Jessie Road. 501-664-4784. www.latenightdisco.com.

COMEDY

Lucas Bohn. The Loony Bin, 7:30 and 10 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com. The Main Thing. Two-act comedy play “Electile Dysfunction.” The Joint, 8 p.m., $20. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

DANCE

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

EVENTS

2nd Annual Cornbread Festival. Includes a variety of cornbread competitions, vendors, live music from Mockingbird Hillbilly Band, Rodney Block & The Real Music Lovers, Buffalo City Ramblers, Tsar Bomba, Don’t Stop Please and Tyrannosaurus Chicken. The Bernice Garden, 10 a.m. p.m., $3-$7. 1401 S. Main St. www.thebernicegarden.org. 5th Annual Meeting of the Arkansas Community Theater Association. Registration begins at 8 a.m. More information at arcta.net. Rialto Community Arts Center, 9 a.m. p.m., $35. 213 E. Broadway St., Morrilton. 901-581-2355. www.rialtoartscenter.com/. Argenta Farmers Market. Argenta, 7 a.m.-12 p.m. Main Street, NLR. Asian Festival 2012. Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas, 10 a.m. p.m., $3. 6420 Col. Glenn Road. 501-562-3336. www.mosaicchurch.net/. Fall Craft Fair and Used Book Sale. Grace Lutheran Church, 9 a.m. p.m. 5124 Hillcrest Ave. 501-663-3631. Falun Gong meditation. Allsopp Park, 9 a.m., free. Cantrell & Cedar Hill Roads. “Guns ‘n’ Hoses Chili Cook-Off.” Proceeds go toward September Fund, which benefits Arkansas firefighters, law enforcement officers, paramedics, and related support organizations. Clear Channel Metroplex, 11 a.m. 10800 Col.

Glenn Road. 501-217-5113. www.clearchannelmetroplex.com. Hillcrest Farmers Market. Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, 7 a.m.-noon. 2200 Kavanaugh Blvd. Naturally X-Pressive Hair & Wellness Expo. Statehouse Convention Center, 10 a.m. p.m., $10. 7 Statehouse Plaza.

SUNDAY, NOV. 4

MUSIC

Against Me!, Fake Problems, Water Tower. Juanita’s, 8 p.m., $15. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com. Converge, Torche, Kvelertak. Downtown Music Hall, 7 p.m., $15. 211 W. Capitol. 501376-1819. downtownmusichall.com. Fire & Brimstone Duo. Performing on the patio or inside restaurant. Revolution, through Nov. 25: 6-9 p.m., free. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com. The Flaming Lips. Barnhill Arena, University of Arkansas, 8 p.m., $35 plus taxes and fees. 131 Barnhill Arena, Fayetteville. Handmade Moments. Bear’s Den Pizza, 9 p.m., free. 235 Farris Road, Conway. 501-328-5556. www.bearsdenpizza.com. Heartless Bastards, Wussy, Amasa Hines. 18-and-older. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8 p.m., $12. 107 Commerce St. 501372-7707. www.stickyz.com. In This Moment. Revolution, 7:30 p.m., $15. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com. In This Moment, Saint Diablo, Red Tide Rising. All-ages. Revolution, 7:30 p.m., $15. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com. Irish Traditional Music Session. Hibernia Irish Tavern, first and third Sunday of every month, 2:30 p.m. 9700 N Rodney Parham Road. 501246-4340. www.hiberniairishtavern.com. Laurie McClain, Jones Van Jones. Eureka Springs Unitarian Universalist Church, 5 p.m. 17 Elk St., Eureka Springs. 479-253-0929. North Little Rock Community Concert Band. Patrick Henry Hays Center, 3 p.m., free. 401 W. Pershing, NLR. www.northlr.org/departments/senior-citizens.asp. Stardust Big Band. Arlington Hotel, Nov. 4, 3 p.m.; Dec. 2, 3 p.m., $8, free for high school age and younger. 239 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-7771. Sunday Jazz Brunch with Ted Ludwig and Joe Cripps. Vieux Carre, 11 a.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.vieuxcarrecafe.com. “Voices of Reason, Voices of Change.” Featuring Still on the Hill, Dave Rosengarden Baer, Arkansas Red and Bossa Screwnova. Basin Spring Park, 1 p.m. Downtown Eureka Springs, Eureka Springs.

Art, 12 p.m., free. 600 Museum Way, Bentonville. 479-418-5700. crystalbridges.org.

MONDAY, NOV. 5

823-0090. www.revroom.com. Soul Spirit Zumba with Ashan. Dunbar Community Center, 6 p.m., $5. 1001 W. 16th St. 501-376-1084.

MUSIC

EVENTS

7th Street Peep Show. Featuring three or four bands per night. Bands sign up at 6:30 p.m. and play 35-minute sets (including setup) on a first-come, first-served basis. House band is The Sinners. Solo artists, DJs and all other performers welcome. Vino’s, 7 p.m., $1. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com. Chris Gulley and Co. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com. Lindsey Buckingham. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $45 adv., $55 door. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com. Reggae Nites. Featuring DJ Hy-C playing roots, reggae and dancehall. Pleazures Martini and Grill Lounge, 6 p.m., $7-$10. 1318 Main St. 501-376-7777. www.facebook.com/pleazures. bargrill.

LECTURES

James K. Galbraith. The author of “Inequality and Instability: A Study of the World Economy Just Before the Great Crisis” presents the lecture, “The Bleak Past and the Grim Future.” Clinton School of Public Service, 6 p.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www.clintonschool.uasys.edu.

SPORTS

Little Rock Touchdown Club: Clint Conque. Embassy Suites, 11 a.m., $10-$25. 11301 Financial Centre. 501-312-9000.

TUESDAY, NOV. 6

MUSIC

9th Annual Pumpkin Roll. At the corner of Hill Road and Midland Street, with prizes for top three longest rolls. Benefits Camp Aldersgate Foundation Inc. Bring your own pumpkin, $5 per pumpkin. Knoop Park, 2 p.m. Ozark and North Martin Sts. 371-4770. Dollar Day at the Museum. Museum of Discovery, 1 p.m., $1 for first 1,000 visitiors. 500 Clinton Ave. 396-7050, 1-800-880-6475. www.amod.org. “Live from the Back Room.” Vino’s, 7 p.m. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

Arkansas River Blues Society Blues Jam. Thirst n’ Howl, 6 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl.com. Atom Age, The Dollyrots. Maxine’s, 8 p.m. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. www.maxinespub.com. Boy Hits Car, Exotic Animal Petting Zoo. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $10 adv., $12 day of. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www. juanitas.com. Gil Franklin & Friends. Holiday Inn, North Little Rock, first Tuesday, Wednesday of every month. 120 W. Pershing Blvd., NLR. Jeff Long. Khalil’s Pub, 6 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com. Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, through Nov. 15: 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com. Lucious Spiller Band. Copeland’s Restaurant of Little Rock, 6-9 p.m. 2602 S. Shackleford Road. 501-312-1616. www.copelandsrestaurantlittlerock.com. Ricky David Tripp. Rocket Twenty One, 5:30 p.m. 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-603-9208. www.ferneaurestaurant.com. Top of the Rock Chorus rehearsal. Cornerstone Bible Fellowship Church, through Nov. 13: 7-10 p.m. 7351 Warden Road, Sherwood. 501-2311119. www.topoftherockchorus.org. Touch, Grateful Dead Tribute. Ernie Biggs, 8 p.m., $5. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-372-4782. littlerock.erniebiggs.com. Tuesday Jam Session with Carl Mouton. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

CLASSES

DANCE

EVENTS

Drop-In Drawing. All ages, no registration required. Crystal Bridges Museum of American

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

Election Night Party. The Joint, 8 p.m., $10. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com. Election Night Watch Party. White Water Tavern, 7 p.m., free. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com. Live Trivia by Challenge Entertainment. The Tavern Sports Grill, 7 p.m., free. 17815 Chenal Parkway. 501-830-2100. www.thetavernsportsgrill.com. Tales from the South. Authors tell true stories; schedule available on website. Dinner served 5-6:30 p.m., show at 7 p.m. Call for reservations. Starving Artist Cafe, 5 p.m. 411 N. Main St., NLR. 501-372-7976. www.starvingartistcafe.net. Trivia Bowl. Flying Saucer, 8:30 p.m. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-8032. www. beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock. Wiggle Worms: “Crazy Corks.” Museum of Discovery, 10:30 a.m., $8-$10, free for members. 500 Clinton Ave. 396-7050, 1-800-8806475. www.amod.org.

THIS WEEK IN THEATER

“The Beaux’ Stratagem.” Comedy by George Farquhar, adapted by Thornton Wilder and Ken Ludwig. University of Central Arkansas, Snow Fine Arts Center Recital Hall, Nov. 1-2, 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 7-9, 7:30 p.m., $10, free for UCA students. 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. “Bunnicula.” Based on the classic children’s book. Arkansas Arts Center, through Nov. 11: Fri., 7 p.m.; Sat., 3 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m., $12. 501 E. 9th St. 501-372-4000. www.arkarts.com. “Busy Body.” Comedy about a corpse that goes missing. Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, through Nov. 4: Tue.-Sat., 6 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., $15-$35. 6323 Col. Glenn Road. 501-562-3131. murrysdinnerplayhouse.com. Hank and My Honky Tonk Heroes. Musical revue celebrating the songs of Hank Williams, featuring 20 of his classic country numbers. Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, Nov. 6-8, 6 p.m., $15-$33. 6323 Col. Glenn Road. 501-562-3131. murrysdinnerplayhouse.com. “Raft Of The Medusa.” Joe Pintauro’s play examines the ways the AIDS epidemic affects a diverse group of people. The Weekend Theater, Nov. 2-3, 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 9-10, 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 16-17, 7:30 p.m., $12-$16. 1001 W. 7th St. 501-374-3761. www.weekendtheater.org. “The Rocky Horror Show.” Live musical by The Petite Roche Players. Audience participation is encouraged, but no outside props. Not recommended for children. Unitarian Universalist Church of Little Rock, 7 p.m.; Wed., Oct. 31, 10:30 p.m., $20. 1818 Reservoir Road. 501563-1600. “Shrek the Musical.” Walton Arts Center, Wed., Oct. 31, 7 p.m.; Thu., Nov. 1, 7 p.m.; Fri., Nov. 2, 8 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 3, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sun., Nov. 4, 2 and 7:30 p.m., $39-$69. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600. This all new musical is based on the book by famed New Yorker cartoonist William Steig and the Oscarwinning DreamWorks film. It features a score of all-new songs, breathtaking scenery and costumes and a cast of over 25 of Broadway’s brightest talents. Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA, Mon., Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m., $30-$40. 350 S. Donaghey, Conway. 501-450-3265. uca. edu.ticketforce.com/eventperformances. asp?evt=113. CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

www.arktimes.com

OCTOBER 31, 2012

MUSIC REVIEW

AFTER DARK, CONT. “Singin’ on a Star.” The Rep’s Young Artists Program production, conceived and directed by Nicole Capri. Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Thu., Nov. 1, 7 p.m.; Fri., Nov. 2, 7 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 3, 2 and 7 p.m. 601 Main St. 501-378-0405. www.therep.org. “The Woman in Black.” Stephen Mallatratt’s thriller based on Susan Hill’s book of the same name stars El Dorado native and stage and screen actor William Ragsdale. Rialto Theater, through Nov. 2, 7:30 p.m.; through Nov. 4, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.; through Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m.; through Nov. 11, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., $16-$34. 113 E. Cedar St., El Dorado. 877-725-8849. www.eldofest.com.

GALLERIES, MUSEUMS

BRIAN CHILSON

NEW EXHIBITIONS, EVENTS

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS: Playing the hits.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Verizon Arena, Oct. 25 BY KELLEY BASS

he Red Hot Chili Peppers took a slightly different musical path to its May induction into the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame than most of their fellow honorees. Yes, they have had a boatload of hits and sold tons of albums — precursors for Hall consideration — but they’ve done that with music that mixes more styles than most hit bands. The RHCPs are all about rock … and funk … and hip-hop/rap (or at least what passes for hip-hop/rap for old white folks) … and punk … and metal. And they’ve always been about energy — frenzied energy — that is infectious and keeps its fans on their feet and into the music. The 10,479 who attended the Peppers’ concert Thursday night at Verizon Arena were treated to a greatest-hits type show — it included almost all the big songs along with an up-tempo, thumping cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” and four of the best tracks from “I’m With You,” the album that debuted in August 2011 and the band’s first album in five years. The record’s release spawned this epic, grueling tour that started Sept. 11, 2011, in Bogota, Colombia, and ends Feb. 5, 2013, in Cape Town, South Africa. It included only one extended break (three months) and made its way to six continents (all but Antarctica — unlucky penguins), including three European legs. The Verizon concert was the 106th of 128 on the tour, which means the band was absolutely skin-tight. Practice makes perfect, which the Peppers proved in an 18-song, 105-minute set. RHCP may be the only band whose bass player is the 38

OCTOBER 31, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

undisputed leader. Flea (born Michael Peter Balzary) is the band’s musical and emotional spark plug, and nine days after turning 50 he was non-stop action — flitting to and fro across the stage, his trademark slap-bass style establishing the crucial bottom end to the band’s funk-filled hits. Catalysts to the high-energy atmosphere were well-choreographed videos displayed on a number of smaller screens staggered at different depths relative to the front and back of the stage. Typically, they sometimes showed live concert footage, but many times cartoons and other images accentuated the songs’ themes. And, oh the songs. After “Monarchy of Roses,” the first cut on “I’m With You” and the tour’s usual show-opener, the band moved through “Dani California” and “Scar Tissue.” Lead singer Anthony Kiedis, whose foot surgery postponed this show from March to October, showed off both his full-throated and more subdued styles, respectively, on these hits, two of the band’s three Billboard Top 10 singles. The show never really lost momentum, but it picked up noticeable steam in the homestretch, a five-song closing set that kept the always-standing crowd at a fevered pitch: “Under the Bridge” (the third Top 10 hit), “ Factory of Faith” (one of the rockingest songs off the new album), “Higher Ground,” “Californication” and “By The Way,” another huge hit. The three-song encore ended the way all RHCP shows do, with “Give It Away.” The band’s quintessential anthem, though not one of its biggest pop hits, revolves around its most famous line — “What I’ve got you’ve got to get it, put it in you” — and shows off almost all the musical themes that make up the Chili Peppers’ blended style.

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSEUM VISITOR CENTER, Bates and Park: “American Spring: A Cause For Justice,” quilts dealing with societal issues such as racism, civil rights, violence, discrimination, social justice and intolerance, in partnership with Fiber Artists for Hope and Sabrina Zarco, through Nov.; exhibits on the 1957 desegregation of Central and the civil rights movement. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. 3741957. HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM, 200 E. Third St.: Cornbread Festival Kickoff event: “Cornbread, Beans and Collard Greens,” lecture and lunch with culinary historian Jessica Harris,” noon Nov. 2, light lunch and booksigning to follow,; “Arkansas Contemporary: Selected Fellows from the Arkansas Arts Council,” work by 17 artists, through Nov. 4; “Barbie Doll: The 11 ½-inch American Icon,” through Jan. 6, 2013; “A Collective Vision,” recent acquisitions, through March 2013. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9351. LAMAN LIBRARY, 2801 Orange St.: “Norman Rockwell’s Home for the Holidays,” exhibition from the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass., Nov. 2-Dec. 9. 758-1720. L&L BECK GALLERY, 5705 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “Still life,” through Nov.; drawing for free giclee 7 p.m. Nov. 15. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 660-4006. MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY, 500 President Clinton Ave.: “Science After Dark,” the science of illusion, 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31, for ages 21 and older; “GPS Adventures,” ages 6 to adult, through April 1; “Wiggle Worms,” science program for pre-K children 10 a.m.-10:30 a.m. every Tue., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun., $10 ages 12 and older, $8 ages 1-11, free under 1. 396-7050. OLD STATE HOUSE MUSEUM, 300 W. Markham: “Two Party Arkansas, Then and Now,” annual fund-raiser supper, 6 p.m. Nov. 1, $100; “Battle Colors of Arkansas,” 18 Civil War flags; “Things You Need to Hear: Memories of Growing up in Arkansas from 1890 to 1980,” oral histories about community, family, work, school and leisure. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9685. PULASKI TECHNICAL COLLEGE, 3000 W. Scenic Drive: “It’s About Time,” work by Warren Criswell,” Nov. 1-Dec. 15, Bank of the Ozarks exhibition space, Ottenheimer Library, talk by the artist 10 a.m. Nov. 1, library; lecture and animation presentation, 12:30 p.m., R.J. Wills Lecture Hall. 812-2200. UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK: “Faces of the Delta,” drawings by Aj Smith, through Nov. 16; “Photographing the Landscape,” work by Jay Gould, Frank Hamrick, Chad Smith and Luther Smith, through Dec. 5; “BA and BFA Senior Exhibitions,” Gallery III, Nov. 4-mid-December. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.Fri. 569-3182.

FAYETTEVILLE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS: “Topiary: The Art of Improving Nature,” nine etchings by Louise Bourgeois from the Louise Bourgeois Studio, Nov. 7-Dec. 13; lecture by ceramicist Pattie Chalmers, 7 p.m. Nov. 1, Room 213, Fine Arts Center, reception for the artist at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 1; “Tenses of Landscape,” invitational group painting show, through Nov. 4, Fine Arts Center gallery. 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon.Fri., 2-5 p.m. Sun. 479-575-7987. HAMBURG ASHLEY COUNTY MUSEUM, 302 N Cherry St.: “Small Works on Paper,” Nov. 5-30. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Wed. and Fri. 870-853-2244 HOT SPRINGS BLUE MOON, 718 Central Ave.: Work by Randall Good, through Nov., artist talk 3 p.m. Nov. 3. 501-318-2787. FINE ARTS CENTER, 626 Central Ave.: “Nature Transformed,” quilts by Martha Maples, fiber art by Donna Dunnahoe, glass and multimedia by Patty Collins, opens with gallery walk 5-9 p.m. Nov. 2, through the month; “Self Portraits,” through Oct. 27. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 501-624-0489. GALLERY CENTRAL, 800 Central Ave: Blown glass and personalized Christmas ornaments by James Hayes, “Spiritiles” by Houston Llew, open 5-9 p.m. Nov. 2, Gallery Walk. 501-3184278. GARVAN GARDENS: Work by Bob Crane, Nov. 1-30. 501-262-9300.

CALL FOR ARTISTS

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

CONTINUING EXHIBITS

ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, MacArthur Park: “50 for Arkansas,” work donated by Dorothy and Herbert Vogel, through Jan. 6; “Multiplicity,” exhibition on printmaking from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, through Jan. 6; “Formed from Fire: American Studio Glass from the Permanent Collection,” through Nov. 4. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. 372-4000. BUTLER CENTER GALLERIES, Arkansas Studies Institute, 401 President Clinton Ave.: Arkansas League of Artists exhibition, through Jan. 26; “Solastalgia,” work by Susan Chambers and Louise Halsey, through Jan. 26. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 320-5700.

ONGOING MUSEUM EXHIBITS

CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CENTER, 1200 President Clinton Ave.: “Dorothy Howell Rodham and Virginia Clinton Kelley,” through Nov. 25; permanent exhibits about policies and White House life during the Clinton administration. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $7 adults; $5 college students, seniors, retired military; $3 ages 6-17. 370-8000. MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER, Ninth and Broadway: “A Voice through the Viewfinder: Images of Arkansas’ Black Community by Ralph Armstrong,” through Jan. 5, 2013; permanent exhibits on AfricanAmerican entrepreneurial history in Arkansas. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 683–3593. More art listings can be found in the calendar at arktimes.com

DINING FEATURE

SYMPOSIUM PANEL: Discusses trends in food and commerce in Arkansas.

Food truck v. restaurant A sustained conflict. BY CHEREE FRANCO

he Arkansas Journal of Social Change and Public Service, a volunteer effort by students at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Bowen School of Law, held its first public symposium Oct. 26. The topic was food, policy and community in Arkansas, with solid discussions on how to broaden access to local food. The 40-person audience was a mix of food service distributors, chefs hoping to get into the food truck business, representatives from Heifer International and other hunger relief organizations and folks from the Department of Human Services, the Boozman College of Public Health, the Clinton School and the law school. A familiar recitation of the friction between food trucks and standing restaurants dominated the discussion “Food trucks in the Little Rock landscape.” Eric Tinner, owner of Sufficient Grounds Cafe and The Sports Page, represented downtown restaurants. He cited the significantly higher overhead for brick and mortar businesses, and how, on Food Truck Fridays, some of his colleagues have lost 20 percent of their business. “We need smaller businesses [filling the empty storefronts downtown] to draw people in, and food trucks are not it. They’re a temporary solution. They don’t invest in the infrastructure,” he said. Specifically, he named El Jalepeno, a food

truck turned downtown brick and mortar, that recently closed, and All American Wings, which left its downtown location because, according to Tinner, “he could not compete with the lower prices [of food trucks].” Tinner maintains that the city of Little Rock and the Downtown Little Rock Partnership have only aggravated the situation. But Downtown Partnership director Sharon Priest said the Partnership’s mission “is not to bring food trucks into downtown … . We’re trying to bring downtown back to life. That’s our goal, and we’ve been pretty successful thus far.” The Partnership sponsors Food Truck Fridays at the Capitol and Main intersection in autumn and spring and has held two food truck festivals so far. The first festival had 17 food trucks and a crowd of 5,000. This year’s festival had 29 food trucks, a cold, constant drizzle, and 2,700 in attendance. “I’m a member of the Partnership, and it’s difficult for us to pay dues every month to something that undermines our business,” Tinner said. Panelist Justin Patterson, with food truck Southern Gourmasian, said, “No scientific evidence exists that indicates food trucks hurt businesses.” Assistant City Manager Bryan Day and Planning Director Tony Bozynski agreed that the city has done little to address the food truck boom issues beyond basic health, zoning and licens-

ing requirements. They acknowledged that they get complaints, not just from brick and mortar restaurants but from other neighborhood business owners and residents who claim that food trucks are disrupting business or blocking traffic. Day said that the city will probably have to address these issues in the near future, and that they have looked at other municipalities that charge food trucks higher licensing fees or, in the case of Las Vegas, don’t allow food trucks within a certain distance of brick and mortar restaurants. “A lot of the policies have been enacted against food trucks to protect brick and mortar restaurants,” Patterson said. “That can’t just be what it’s about.” Jennifer Harrison of University Market@Four Corners, a food truck court managed by Mosaic Church in Southwest Little Rock, said that their mission is “to bring more affordable food to an underserved area. We charge very little for food trucks to park there, so they can pass their savings on.” The goal, which she judges successful thus far, is to get people outside, socializing (they have picnic tables), and help residents reclaim the public sphere in a somewhat dangerous area. The court offers a range of meals — anywhere from $3-$10, Harrison said. Amanda Philyaw-Perez, with UAMS, pressed Harrison on the issue. “Have you looked at customer demographics, because food trucks tend to serve a specific [white, upper income] demographic — is Four Corners really serving that [Latino, lower income] community?” Harrison said it serves people who work locally as business professionals. Someone in the audience said food trucks aren’t donating food to pantries like restaurants do. Patterson noted that food trucks waste a lot less food and don’t have the excess of restaurants. Philyaw-Perez’s point about the demographics served by food trucks (and local food) was illustrated by both morning panels (all white) and the audience (99 percent white). On the “trends in food and commerce in Arkansas,” there were two restaurants represented — the Root and Boulevard Bread — which largely cater to the same clientele. The discussion was productive in that it raised important questions, but there was a lack of perspective from the minority and lower income communities that the Arkansas Journal of Social Change and Public Service is hoping to enfranchise. (Other panelists were Damian Thompson, coordinator of Dunbar Gardens, and Jody Hardin,

a fifth-generation farmer who founded the Certified Arkansas Farmers Markets.) Philyaw-Perez mentioned that even though organic and local foods have become trendier, Arkansans as a whole consumed less produce in 2009 (20 percent getting the recommended five daily servings) than they did in 1996 (34 percent getting five servings). “This movement is only growing in certain socioeconomic demographics,” she said. The panel consensus was that perhaps restaurants and institutions, such as school and hospital cafeterias, would use local food if the infrastructure were in place. Perez, Hardin and other individuals and nonprofits are trying to organize a group of small local farmers that would handle administration, food storage and distribution for a more consistent supply of local food to Central Arkansas. Thus far, most Arkansas farmers have to choose between distributing hyperlocally, via farmers’ markets, or growing for a large corporation. Food safety regulation is inarguably important, but it some ways, it is part of the problem. The cost of certifications and inspections — farmers must pay to have every crop individually inspected if they want to supply public institutions — is part of why grocery stores and public schools serve and sell food that comes, largely, from beyond the state’s borders. According to Hardin, Arkansas exports 8 million food dollars that could be funneled back into rural communities and consumes about one percent of what it grows. Access is a problem in cities and rural areas. Some towns are too small to support big supermarkets or even farmers’ markets; some urban neighborhoods offer plenty of convenience stores and fast food restaurants within walking distance, but no supermarkets with fresh produce. Jack Sundell of The Root mentioned that there is not enough local food grown to meet all the needs of even the few restaurants that are choosing local suppliers, and that a small farm development technology center to encourage people from all backgrounds to choose careers in sustainable farming could address that. Americans spend about 9.4 percent of income for food. A family of three earning just above $25,000 (the cut-off for food assistance from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), spends about $200 a month on food, or a little over $2 a person per meal. Local food is expensive because operations are too small to benefit from subsidies or to easily absorb business costs. www.arktimes.com

OCTOBER 31, 2012

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OCTOBER 31, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

MOVIE LISTINGS

NOV. 2-3

Market Street Cinema times at or after 9 p.m. are for Friday and Saturday only. Rave showtimes are valid for Friday only. Chenal 9, Lakewood 8, Regal McCain Mall and Riverdale showtimes were not available by press deadline. Find up-to-date listings at arktimes.com. NEW MOVIES Flight (R) — Denzel Washington is a pilot with a substance abuse problem, from director Robert Zemeckis. Breckenridge: 1:05, 4:05, 7:05, 10:05. Rave: 8:00, 11:00 (XTreme), 10:25 a.m., 12:30, 1:30, 3:45, 4:45, 7:00, 10:15, 11:30. The Man with The Iron Fists (R) — Martial arts action flick, directed by and starring RZA, from producer Quentin Tarantino. Breckenridge: 1:35, 4:25, 7:25, 9:50. Rave: 10:25 a.m., 12:45, 3:15, 5:55, 7:35, 8:30, 10:00, 11:00, 11:45. The Other Dream Team (NR) — Documentary about the Lithuanian Olympic basketball team. Market Street: 2:15, 4:30, 7:15, 9:00. Restless Heart: St. Augustine (NR) — Religious movie. Market Street: 1:30, 4:05, 7:00, 9:20. Wreck-It Ralph 3D (PG) — Animated movie about a video game character. Breckenridge: 1:45, 7:35 (2D), 4:45, 10:10 (3D). Rave: 11:10 a.m., 1:45, 4:30, 7:15, 9:55 (2D), 10:40 a.m., 1:15, 4:00, 6:45, 7:45, 9:30, 10:30, midnight (3D), 11:40 a.m., 2:15, 5:00 (3D XTreme). RETURNING THIS WEEK Alex Cross (PG-13) — Pretty much “Tyler Perry’s ‘Death Wish’ meets ‘Seven.’ ” Breckenridge: 1:50, 4:40, 7:40, 10:05. Rave: 11:25 a.m., 2:00, 4:40, 7:30, 10:10. Arbitrage (R) — Finance thriller in which Richard Gere must juggle his crumbling hedge fund, his mistress and a bloody crime. Market Street: 2:00, 4:20, 7:00, 9:15. Argo (R) — A group of Americans in revolutionary Iran make an improbable escape, based on actual events, from director Ben Affleck. Breckenridge: 1:15, 4:20, 7:20, 9:55. Rave: 11:00 a.m., 2:20, 5:20, 8:20, 11:20. Brave (PG) – Animated fantasy tale of a Celtictype girl who must save her kingdom from something or other. Movies 10: 12:20, 2:40, 5:00, 7:20, 9:40. The Campaign (R) – In which Ricky Bobby goes to Washington with the weird-beard from the “Hangover” films. Movies 10: 12:45, 2:55, 5:20, 7:25, 10:10. Chasing Mavericks (PG) — Two surfers — one an up-and-comer, the other a veteran — bond during their quest for massive waves. Breckenridge: 1:25, 4:15. Rave: 12:10, 10:25. Cloud Atlas (R) — Based on the sci-fi novel, with Tom Hanks and Halle Berry. Breckenridge: 1:00, 4:35, 8:05. Rave: 11:35 a.m., 3:20, 7:05, 10:50. The Dark Knight Rises (PG-13) – Third gloomy Batman flick from director Christopher Nolan. Movies 10: 12:30, 4:00, 7:45. The Expendables 2 (R) — Sequel to the film in which a bunch of current and former action movie stars get together for tea and cake and explosions and cheekily self-referential jokes. Movies 10: 12:05, 2:35, 5:05, 7:35, 10:00. Fun Size (PG-13) — A smart-alecky high school senior loses her younger brother while trickor-treating, then she has to find him and this is supposed to be funny. Breckenridge: 1:30, 4:35. Rave: 3:00, 5:25, 7:55. Here Comes the Boom (PG) — “The Zookeeper” star Kevin James is a teacher in this one. Breckenridge: 1:05, 7:15. Rave: 10:30 a.m., 1:05, 3:40, 6:40, 9:15.

‘THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS’: OK, it’s a martial arts action flick directed by and starring RZA, produced by Quentin Tarantino, with Lucy Liu? Even if it’s terrible, you know it’s also going to be totally awesome and fun. Hotel Transylvania 3D (PG) — Animated kids movie in which Dracula is an overprotective father who hosts a big monster mash, starring the voice of Adam Sandler, of course. Breckenridge: 1:10, 4:10, 7:05 (2D), 9:30 p.m. (3D). Rave: 1:40, 6:30, 9:00 (2D), 11:05 a.m., 4:05 (3D). Ice Age: Continental Drift (PG) – Latest iteration in the series about a crew of wacky animated animals. Movies 10: 12:35, 2:50, 5:15, 7:30, 9:55. Looper (R) — Time-travel action thriller with Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Rave: 10:45 a.m., 4:50, 10:20. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (PG) — The Dreamworks franchise rolls on, with Chris Rock, Ben Stiller and other people who make stupid amounts of money as talking animals. Movies 10: 12:10, 2:30, 4:45. The Master (R) — Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest masterwork about a Scientology-type cult, with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Joaquin Phoenix. Market Street: 1:30, 4:05, 6:45, 9:20. The Paperboy (R) — OK, so, Matthew McConaughey is an investigative reporter and John Cusack is a psychotic swamp-dweller and Nicole Kidman is a hot-but-scary nympho? Huh. Market Street: 2:00, 4:15, 7:00, 9:00. Paranormal Activity 4 (R) — Part four of the “Paranormal Activity” franchise finds this asdffzzzz … Oops, fell asleep at the keyboard on account of powerful boredom. Breckenridge: 7:00, 9:25. Rave: 11:20 a.m., 2:05, 4:35, 7:10, 9:35, 11:55. ParaNorman (PG) — Stop-motion animated film about a kid who talks to ghosts, from the studio that made “Coraline.” Movies 10: 12:15, 2:25, 4:35, 7:10, 9:30 (2D), 1:20, 3:30, 5:40 (3D). The Perks of Being a Wallflower (PG-13) — Based on the bestselling coming-of-age novel,

with Emma Watson. Rave: 11:30 a.m., 2:10, 4:55. Pitch Perfect (PG-13) — Competitive groups of singers have singing competitions and so forth. Breckenridge: 7:30, 10:00. Rave: 1:35, 7:40. The Possession (PG-13) — A family must confront a terrifying something or other but more importantly, this stars Matisyahu. Yes, really. Movies 10: 12:25, 3:00, 5:25, 7:50, 10:15. Resident Evil: Retribution (R) — Video game movie. Movies 10: 7:00, 9:15 (2D), 8:00, 10:20 (3D). Silent Hill: Revelation (R) — Just what in the Sam Hill are Ned Stark and Jon Snow doing in this cheesy-looking horror flick about Hell or something? Breckenridge: 1:20, 7:15 (2D), 4:05, 9:40 (3D). Rave: 5:45 (2D), 12:35, 3:05, 8:15, 10:45 (3D). Sinister (R) — Bunch of terror happens to Ethan Hawke and his family. Breckenridge: 4:30, 9:40. Rave: noon, 2:45, 5:50, 8:45, 11:25. Taken 2 (PG-13) — Sequel to the kidnapping-based action film, with Liam Neeson. Breckenridge: 1:40, 4:00, 7:10, 9:45. Rave: 12:05, 2:40, 5:35, 8:10, 10:40. Chenal 9 IMAX Theatre: 17825 Chenal Parkway, 821-2616, www.dtmovies.com. Cinemark Movies 10: 4188 E. McCain Blvd., 945-7400, www.cinemark.com. Cinematown Riverdale 10: Riverdale Shopping Center, 296-9955, www.riverdale10.com. Lakewood 8: 2939 Lakewood Village Drive, 7585354, www.fandango.com. Market Street Cinema: 1521 Merrill Drive, 312-8900, www.marketstreetcinema.net. Rave Colonel Glenn 18: 18 Colonel Glenn Plaza, 687-0499, www.ravemotionpictures.com. Regal Breckenridge Village 12: 1-430 and Rodney Parham, 224-0990, www.fandango.com. Regal McCain Mall 12: 3929 McCain Blvd., 7531380, www.regmovies.com.

MOVIE REVIEW

‘FLIGHT’: Denzel Washington stars.

Take ‘Flight’ Latest from Zemeckis and Washington sure to be an Oscar nominee. BY SAM EIFLING

he first five minutes of “Flight” play as if director Robert Zemeckis, the wizard of PG-13 mainstream fare like “Forrest Gump” and the “Back to the Future” trilogy, wants to underscore the R-rating on this, perhaps his darkest film to date. We see that Denzel Washington is trying to pry himself out of bed with an open beer and a line of coke, while arguing with his ex-wife by phone, all while a topless/bottomless Nadine Velazquez gets ready for the day. They’re in a hotel room post-binge, and are steadying themselves before work — taking a commercial flight from Orlando to Atlanta through a severe storm. He’s the captain and she’s an attendant. You don’t know whether to laugh or to cringe. Along the way, as it would happen, something goes wrong with the flight, not long after Washington’s pilot, Whip Whitaker, has helped himself to yet more booze, from the galley. The plane, for all appearances, is lost. A hundred people are going to die. But Whitaker proves to be as brilliant a pilot as he is functional as an alcoholic. He sets the airliner down in a field — a hard landing for sure, but a soft crash, and with only a few fatalities, he’s a hero. When he awakes in the hospital, a federal crash investigation has already begun. Blood has been drawn and analyzed. And it’s here that “Flight” pivots from a story of unlikely heroism to one of abysmal addiction. Whip’s life outside the cockpit was a mess already, and it gets worse. He meets a recovering addict named Nicole (Kelly Reilly, the picture of sunken-eyed redheaded Southern hard living) who tries to straighten Whip out as the feds and the media circle him. Both his attorney Don Cheadle and his union rep Bruce Greenwood try to convey the gravity of his drinking: Continue, and it could mean prison. But Whip’s relationship with the bottle endures. Maybe not since Nicolas Cage

won an Academy Award for two hours of guzzling vodka in “Leaving Las Vegas” has a star imbibed more than Washington does in “Flight.” As the grieving pilot drinking to escape, Washington’s strengths are all on display: an ineffable charm and a selfimmolating rage, separated by a scant membrane of feigned sobriety and bald lies. If Hollywood is fairly criticized for glamorizing drinking, or smoking, or drug use, or sex with celebrities, or whatever else monkeys see and then proceed to do, then let “Flight” join the pantheon of films that tack hard against the trend. After you stand up from this one, you’ll never want to so much as see a beer again. Where “Flight” wavers is in its tone. Its religious themes are clunky. The soundtrack, a collage of classic R&B and ’60s rock, makes the cocaine pep all the more visceral but veers toward the feel-good when everything else points to feeling bad. (The choice of a certain Beatles track as elevator music after a key scene of illicit drug use, for one, comes across as a shade self-indulgent.) John Goodman’s appearance as a friend and dealer hits most of the right notes — but similarly feels like comic relief at moments that could stand a somber touch. It’ll land either as cathartic gallows humor or a flat attempt to be all things to all people. This is how you can tell “Flight” is a Zemeckis movie: For as deep as it plunges into a complex disease, it doesn’t stray far from what audiences (and Oscar voters) will find comforting. He wants to have it both ways, making a gripping, realistic film about addiction, telegraphing his supposed grit, and yet remaining palatable for multiplexes. Even if the film arrives, smoking and damaged, at a place of pat redemption, “Flight” at least has the gall to venture into the shadows of alcoholism. It’s far from perfect, but it’ll probably be named a Best Picture nominee in a few months, for good reason.

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OCTOBER 31, 2012

Dining WHAT’S COOKIN’

COMPETING COOKS will be rolling up their sleeves and oiling up their skillets for the Arkansas Cornbread Festival coming Saturday, Nov. 3, to SoMa, on Main between 13th and 16th streets. Festival-goers will be able to munch cornbread samples from professional competitors Big Daddy’s Hotwater Cornbread from the Old South Cornbread Co., Whole Foods, the Governor’s Mansion, and Redbone’s (all in the traditional category); the Savory Pantry, Loblolly Creamery, Pizza D’Action, and Dogtown Coffee and Cookery (all non-traditional); and Boulevard Bread, Brown Sugar Bake Shop and Dempsey Bakery (sweet cornbread), as well as amateur competitors. Food trucks will serve up main courses and more, craft vendors will line Main and there will be music to eat by from (in order of appearance) the Mockingbird Hillbilly Band, Rodney Block and the Real Music Lovers, the Buffalo City Ramblers, Tsar Bomba, Don’t Stop Please and Tyrannosaurus Chicken. Tickets are $7 adults and $3 for children. It’s the 2nd annual festival and a lot of the action will be at the Bernice Sculpture Garden, Daisy Bates and Main. PANERA BREAD opened its latest Little Rock location at 10701 Kanis Road on Monday. The phone number is 954-7773. Its hours are 5:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 6:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. Sunday.

DINING CAPSULES

AMERICAN

ACADIA Unbelievable fixed-price, threecourse dinners on Mondays and Tuesday, but food is certainly worth full price. 3000 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, CC. $$-$$$. 501-603-9630. D Mon.-Sat. BIG ORANGE: BURGERS SALADS SHAKES Gourmet burgers manufactured according to exacting specs and properly fried Kennebec potatoes are the big draws. 17809 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-821-1515. LD daily. BOSCOS RESTAURANT & BREWERY CO. Along with tried and true things like sandwiches, burgers, steaks and big salads, they have entrees like black bean and goat cheese tamales, open hearth pizza ovens and muffalettas. 500 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-907-1881. LD daily. BR Sun.

OCTOBER 31, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

DON’T FORGET THE Arkansas Times Craft Beer Festival this Friday, Nov. 2 on the Argenta Farmer’s Market grounds in downtown North Little Rock at Sixth and Main streets. Tickets are $35 in advance or $40 at the event if tickets remain. Read more about the festival on pages 9 and 32.

1620 SAVOY: Now more hip.

Swank reboot 1620 Savoy gives Little Rock something new.

here’s nothing wrong with being in Little Rock. We live here for a reason — a bunch of reasons. But it’s still fun sometimes to hang out at a place that makes you feel like you’re somewhere else — somewhere that’s a bit more hip, more cosmopolitan, swankier … with food to match. That’s 1620 Savoy, the new incarnation of the West Little Rock landmark that for almost 25 years was one of the city’s best restaurants. 1620 closed at the end of June and reopened in late September as 1620 Savoy. On a Saturday night almost exactly one month into its new life, the place was packed, making us glad we’d called a few days earlier for a 7:30 p.m. reservation. Make no mistake — while 1620 is still part of the name, this is Savoy — a new concept with a new look and feel. There are two distinct dining areas. Patrons enter into a fancy dining room, which includes at its rear a small bar area with a couple of tables and this night a duo playing muted jazz trumpet and guitar. Beyond, the more casual dining area is still plenty

nice but different. However, it seems management is unsure exactly how it wants that side to be different. Preopening reports made it sound like there would be more of a “bar” menu over there — chicken strips were actually mentioned. But this isn’t really a “bar area” — it’s another large dining room; there’s only a tiny bar there with a couple of stools, smaller than on the fancier side. The guess is the demand for the main menu is so strong that it

1620 Savoy

1620 Market Street Little Rock 221-1620 1620savoy.com QUICK BITE If it matters to you, request one of the two dining room options when you make a reservation. Otherwise you’ll be leaving it to the restaurant to make that choice for you. HOURS 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. OTHER INFO Full bar, all CC.

only makes sense to serve it throughout the restaurant. Given that, it might be wise to kill the trio of flat screens playing college football and the World Series (sans volume), a visual and moodaltering distraction with few diners paying much attention to the games. Still, there’s a cool, trendy vibe on both sides — a vibrant atmosphere that’s neither too noisy nor too subdued. The lighting and other fixtures on both sides are sleek and smart, and the bathrooms feature sleek black finishes and add to the cosmopolitan feel. There’s an outside patio with fire pit that after 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights becomes Club Savoy with a DJ playing hip, thumping music. After checking out the menu in advance at 1620savoy.com , we’d plotted our dining strategy, but it was tempting to change course and try one of the collection of nightly specials: Philly cheese steak soup, a wedge salad with crumbled bacon, a crab claw appetizer and the richest sounding entree imaginable — Beef Wellington with a foie gras mousse. Yeasty, slightly sweet rolls were served with butter as well as a tapenade that was more subtle and less salty than most. Our resident beet fan couldn’t help herself and went for the beet and goat cheese salad ($8), declaring the pickled beats very earthy and delicious — the beets surrounding a mesclun mix with roasted pistachios and a battered-and-fried, then quartered, goat cheese puck that offered a crispy-gooey, pungent taste complement to the subtly flavored vinaigrette and greens. We chose the tuna crudo ($12) and were happy with our own puckshaped appetizer — this one a tuna tartare mixed with celery, green pepper, onion and spices and sprinkled with black sesame seeds. The tuna was rich and flavorful, and the accompanying homemade cracker with those same black sesame seeds supplied a nice crunch. Both entrees were well executed, but they presented a stark contrast relative to bang for our culinary buck. The 1620 Scallops ($24) includes five portions of scallop, which is not the same as saying five scallops. These must have been scallop sections, as they were much thinner than the usual

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.

plump scallops most restaurants offer. Our guess is they were split on the horizontal, so this must have been a 2.5-scallop portion, served with three half spears of asparagus, three mushroom caps, three jalapeno slices and a nice-sized pool of dreamy-rich hollandaise. Though thin, the scallops weren’t overcooked, and the sauce provided a very rich accompaniment to the lightly seasoned mollusks, but there just wasn’t much food. The prime filet of beef ($25 for the six-ounce portion, $35 for eight ounces) was as good a steak as we’ve been served in a very long time. The six-ouncer — almost as tall as it was wide — came medium, as ordered, but clearly had been cooked very quickly. It featured a nice, salty char while remaining tender and pink inside. A chef friend once told us a very heavy hand with salt and pepper was the key to a good steak, and the chefs at Savoy clearly ascribe to that theory. The accompanying potato pave — a layered scalloped potato type dish — was decadently creamy, rich and downright luscious, full of cream and butter with a garlic kick. The diced roasted vegetables were fine but didn’t get a lot of attention. There is a dessert tray, but nothing there thrilled us; besides, we had already pre-ordered a Jamaican chocolate souffle ($8) as the menu suggested and were full enough that splitting it would be fine. (There’s also a Grand Marnier souffle.) Our waitress punctured the hot, fluffy souffle and poured a fabulous creambased sauce into and over it. This dessert is subtle — not overly chocolaty, not overly sweet, but still rich, good and satisfying. Chef Tim Morton is a long-time 1620 veteran and provides the continuity between Savoy and its muchloved predecessor. His kitchen partners — Payne Harding and John Masching — are both young, classically trained chefs with some big-city restaurant experience under their belts. General manager Rick Qualls, who also worked at pre-Savoy 1620, has New York and international restaurant experience. Together they’ve created a unique opportunity in our town — a Little Rock dining experience that doesn’t feel much at all like you’re in Little Rock.

BELLY UP

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

BUTCHER SHOP Several menu additions complement the calling card: large, fabulous cuts of prime beef, cooked to perfection. 10825 Hermitage Road. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-312-2748. D daily. CAJUN’S WHARF The venerable seafood restaurant serves up great gumbo and oysters Bienville, and options such as fine steaks for the non-seafood eater. 2400 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-5351. D Mon.-Sat. CAPERS It’s never been better, with a menu that covers a lot of ground — seafood, steaks, pasta — and does it all well. 14502 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-868-7600. LD Mon.-Sat. COAST CAFE A variety of salads, smoothies,

Check out the Times’ food blog, Eat Arkansas arktimes.com

sandwiches and pizzas. 400 President Clinton Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-371-0164. BL Mon.-Sat. COPPER GRILL Comfort food, burgers and more sophisticated fare. 300 E. Third St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-3333. LD Mon.-Sat. DAVE’S PLACE A popular downtown soupand-sandwich stop at lunch draws a large and diverse crowd for the Friday night dinner. 201 Center St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-3723283. L Mon.-Fri., D Fri. DAVID FAMILY KITCHEN Neckbones, ribs, sturdy cornbread, salmon croquettes, mustard greens and the like. 2301 Broadway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-371-0141. BL Mon.-Fri., L Sun. DELICIOUS TEMPTATIONS Decadent break-

LITTLE ROCK’S MOST AWARD-WINNING RESTAURANT 1619 REBSAMEN RD. 501.663.9734 • thefadedrose.com

fast and light lunch items that can be ordered in full or half orders to please any appetite or palate. 11220 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-225-6893. BL daily. DIZZY’S GYPSY BISTRO Interesting bistro fare, served in massive portions at this River Market favorite. 200 River Market Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-3500. LD Tue.-Sat. THE FADED ROSE The Cajun-inspired menu seldom disappoints. Steaks and soaked salads are legendary. 1619 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-9734. LD daily. FRANKE’S CAFETERIA Plate lunch spot strong on salads and vegetables, and perfect fried chicken on Sundays. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-2254487. LD Mon.-Fri. 400 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-372-1919. L Mon.-Fri. GADWALL’S GRILL & PIZZA Mouth-watering burgers and specialty sandwiches, plus zesty pizzas with cracker-thin crust and plenty of toppings. 12 North Hills Shopping Center. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-834-1840. LD daily. IZZY’S Sandwiches and fries, lots of fresh salads, pasta about a dozen ways, hand-rolled tamales and (night only) brick oven pizzas. With full vegan and gluten-free menus. 5601 Ranch Drive. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-8684311. LD Mon.-Sat. KIERRE’S KOUNTRY KITCHEN Excellent home-cooking joint for huge helpings of meat loaf and chicken-fried steak, cooked-down vegetables and wonderful homemade pies and cakes. 6 Collins Place. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-758-0903. BLD Tue.-Fri., BL Sat. RED DOOR Fresh seafood, steaks, chops and sandwiches. 3701 Old Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-666-8482. BL Tue.-Fri. D daily. BR Sat. REDBONE’S Piquant Creole and Cajun food that’s among Little Rock’s best. 300 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-3722211. LD daily. RIVERFRONT STEAKHOUSE Steaks are the draw here — nice cuts heavily salted and peppered, cooked quickly and accurately to your specifications. 2 Riverfront Place. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-7825. D Mon.-Sat. ROCKET TWENTY ONE Great seafood, among other things, is served at the Ice House Revival in Hillcrest. 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$$-$$$$. 501-603-9208. L Mon.-Fri., D Tue.-Sat. RUDY’S OYSTER BAR Good boiled shrimp and oysters on the half shell. Quesadillas and chili cheese dip are tasty and ultra-hearty. 2695 Pike Ave. NLR. Full bar, All CC. 501-7710808. LD Mon.-Sat. SO RESTAURANT BAR Call it a French brasserie with a sleek, but not fussy American finish. 3610 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-1464. LD Mon.-Sat., D Sun. TRIO’S Fresh, creative and satisfying lunches; even better at night, when the chefs take flight. 8201 Cantrell Road Suite 100. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-221-3330. LD Mon.-Sat., BR Sun. VIEUX CARRE Specialty salads, steak and seafood. The soup of the day is a good bet.. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-1196. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat., BR Sun. CONTINUED ON PAGE 44

www.arktimes.com

OCTOBER 31, 2012

CROSSWORD

DINING CAPSULES, CONT.

ASIAN

EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ ACROSS

1 Some are square 6 G.I. rank

9 Mardi ___

13 It might keep you up at night

14 Feel bad

15 Vile

16 “And that’s ___!” 17 Morgantown’s locale: Abbr.

18 Some mirages

19 John Lennon, e.g.

20 Dandy

27 Curiosity’s launcher 28 Los Angeles district 30 Deleted 31 Bangkok native 35 With 37-Across, events described by 23-/44-Across 36 Abbr. after a phone no. 37 See 35-Across 38 Rain delay sight 39 Peace, to Pliny 40 Middle manager? 41 Jr. in an office 43 One of two on a short date? 44 See 23-Across 48 Custodian’s tool 51 Flick not shown on network TV 52 Lunkhead 53 Greenhouse square 54 Silver, in the Sierra Madres

55 “Lord, is ___?”: Matthew 26:22 56 Adhering to Strunk and White’s advice “Omit needless words” 57 Mojito garnishes 58 X-ray unit 59 “Family Matters” role 60 Alumni grouping 61 “Very funny” cable channel 62 Short blasts

DOWN 1 Omertà organization 2 Works inspired by 23 With 44-Across, Calliope, e.g. common 3 One saying broadcasting 23-/44-Across phrase related to this puzzle’s 4 Request to a outer circled butcher letters 5 Mineo of film 25 To a huge extent 6 In hock 7 Shortish race, for ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE short 8 Pete Fountain R O S T O V F A T C A T played it O N P A P E R O R I O L E L E O N T I E F O R N A T E 9 Lions’ foes A C K N E O L E T S O N 10 Knolls I R A Q I F O R M A T O P 11 “Would you like to D O N U T S L E E R E N O see ___?” S P E E C H M N O T R A P 12 Online honcho S H A M E O N M E A T I T M O T C E R I S E 15 Rips off, in a way D A T M E O W E A R W A X W P A T O N I C N A O M I 20 “Here we go again!” O I L M E N C A B J O G M O I E T Y E L E C T I V E 23 Work, as a bar A C C T N O F R E E M A N 24 Probably not Mr. N A S S A U G O C A R T Right 21 Glandular prefix

22 Sun Devil Stadium’s sch.

30 36

23 25

Puzzle by Peter A. Collins

26 Manet or Monet 28 Pond denizen 29 Vardalos of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” 30 Pigskin stitching 32 They appear at one-yard intervals 33 The “A” in IPA 34 Verb after “das”

36 Grovels

46 Miller product

37 Prod

47 Scored in the 80s

40 Circulation blocker

50 Bares fruit?

39 Tire spec abbr.

42 Greek walkways 43 Pool side 44 Put on

45 “I swear!”

49 Beginning 53 Country mentioned in Sinatra’s “Come Fly With Me” 56 Yank

For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554. Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS. AT&T users: Text NYTX to 386 to download puzzles, or visit nytimes.com/mobilexword for more information. Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 2,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay. Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.

THIS MODERN WORLD

CRAZY HIBACHI GRILL Tapanaki cooking, sushi bar and sit-down dining with a Mongolian grill. 2907 Lakewood Village. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-812-9888. 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. $$. 501-663-8999. LD daily. LILLY’S DIMSUM THEN SOME Innovative dishes inspired by Asian cuisine, utilizing local and fresh ingredients. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-716-2700. LD Tue.-Sun. OSAKA JAPANESE RESTAURANT Fine-dining Japanese dishes and a well-stocked sushi bar near Chenal off Highway 10. 5501 Ranch Dr. $$-$$$. 501-868-3688. LD Sun.-Thu., D Fri.-Sat. SAIGON CUISINE Traditional Vietnamese with Thai and Chinese selections. 14524 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-868-7770. LD daily. SUSHI CAFE Impressive, upscale sushi menu with other delectable house specialties like tuna tataki, fried soft shell crab, Kobe beef and, believe it or not, the Tokyo cowboy burger. 5823 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-9888. L Mon.-Sat. D daily.

BARBECUE

CHATZ CAFE ‘Cue and catfish joint that does heavy catering business. 8801 Colonel Glenn Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-562-4949. LD Mon.-Sat. CORKY’S RIBS & BBQ The pulled pork is extremely tender and juicy, and the sauce is sweet and tangy without a hint of heat. 12005 Westhaven Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-954-7427. LD daily. 2947 Lakewood Village Drive. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-753-3737. LD daily, B Sat.-Sun. WHITE PIG INN Go for the sliced rather than chopped meats at this working-class barbecue cafe. 5231 E. Broadway. NLR. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-945-5551. LD Mon.-Fri., L Sat.

EUROPEAN / ETHNIC

CAFE BOSSA NOVA A South American approach to sandwiches, salads and desserts, all quite good. 2701 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-614-6682. LD Tue.-Sat., BR Sun. DUGAN’S PUB Serves up Irish fare like fish and chips and corned beef and cabbage alongside classic bar food. 401 E. 3rd St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-244-0542. LD daily. GEORGIA’S GYROS Good gyros, Greek salads and fragrant grilled pita bread highlight a large Mediterranean food selection. 2933 Lakewood Village Drive. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-753-5090. LD Mon.-Sat. HIBERNIA IRISH TAVERN This traditional Irish pub has its own traditional Irish cook from Ireland. Broad beverage menu, Irish and Southern food favorites. 9700 N Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-246-4340. D Mon.-Fri., BR, L, D Sat.-Sun. TAJ MAHAL Offers upscale versions of traditional dishes and an extensive menu. Dishes range on the spicy side. 1520 Market Street. Beer, All CC. $$$. 501-881-4796. LD daily. THE TERRACE MEDITERRANEAN KITCHEN A broad selection of Mediterranean delights. 2200 Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-217-9393. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat. YA YA’S EURO BISTRO Translates 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

GRAFFITI’S The casually chic and ever-popular Italian-flavored bistro avoids the rut with daily specials and careful menu tinkering. 7811 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-224-9079. D Mon.-Sat. RISTORANTE CAPEO Familiar pasta dishes will comfort most diners, but let the chef entertain you with some more exotic stuff. 425 Main St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-376-3463. D Mon.-Sat. ROCKY’S PUB Rocking sandwiches and a fine selection of homemade Italian entrees, including as fine a lasagna as there is. 6909 JFK Blvd. NLR. Beer, Wine. $$. 501-833-1077. LD Mon.-Sat.

LATINO

BUMPY’S TEXMEX GRILL & CANTINA The menu includes Tex-Mex staples but also baby back ribs, fried fish and a grilled chicken salad. 400 N. Bowman Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-379-8327. LD daily. CANTINA LAREDO This is gourmet Mexican food. We can vouch for the enchilada Veracruz and the carne asada y huevos, both with tasty sauces and high quality ingredients perfectly cooked. 207 N. University. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-280-0407. LD daily, BR Sun. JUANITA’S Menu includes a variety of combination entree choices plus creative salads and other dishes. 614 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-372-1228. LD Mon.-Sat. ROSALINDA RESTAURANT HONDURENO A Honduran cafe that specializes in pollo con frito tajada. With breakfast, too. 3700 JFK Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, No CC. $-$$. 501-771-5559. LD daily.

OCTOBER 31, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Sick list

’m bedfast, laid low by a mysterious and elusive ailment, and I asked for sick leave this week. Editor Phil D. Hole, denying it, said: “Sick? Sick of what?” I suspect a slow-working animalcule, holed up in a gut or organ cavity or innardlining, but I’m no diagnostician and I saw the opportunity here to make a broader, more existential riposte. I’m sick of the politicking, I told him. Sick not so much of having to follow it as of it following me. Haunting me, to speak seasonally. Dismal. Sick of the requisite posturing. Sick of the lying liars and their lies. Sick of scenarios. Sick of narratives. Sick of spin. Sick of snark. Sick of the rodomontade. Sick of the phony baloney. Sick of the mean-spiritedness. Sick of the insincerity that inheres in playing to the base. Sick of the stupidity. Really sick of the stupidity. So stupid that resistance is futile, like with the Borg, and you just have to shake your head. Sick of reading puff where there used to be news. Sick of the bloviation.

Sick of the strut of exceptionalism. Sick of the pencilneck geeks. Sick of surrogates surrogating, or whatBOB ever it is that they do. LANCASTER Sick of the posse weasels. Sick of think-tankery. Sick of them that has, get. Get all that gets got. Sick of dog-peter gnats getting in the sorghum molasses. Sick of muddy trucks. Sick of quiet desperation. Sick of the lurid fabulizing of latter-day saints. Sick of squirrel dumplings (except that’s about the only haute cuisine Maw remembers how to whomp up). Sick of the constitutional sag — even your ear lobes, maybe especially your earlobes —that comes from too-long exposure to the gravitational pull. Sick of it seeming like an Everest scaling just to climb a flight of stairs. Sick of the uncalled-for belligerence of the fire ants. Sick of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Sick of the chewing gum losing its flavor

on the bedpost overnight. Sick of legislative doofi who want to execute rebellious children and bring slavery back. Sick of the Purposelessness-Driven Life. Sick of the Dark Age descending. Sick of the squalor of violence, of no country for old men, of clown-haired gun nuts on shooting sprees. Sick of nostalgia for the good old days of color-coded terrorism alerts, of huddling behind duct tape and visquene in the Homeland Security bobundmarthabunker. Sick of Duggars, of mindless abandonment to unrestrained fecundity. Sick of the weird sisters (I think it’s Ann C., Phyllis S., and Michelle B.) cackling aboard their broomsticks while making low moonlit passes just above the chimney-tops hereabout, scaring the bejesus out of feebs, dogs, and trick-or-treaters Sick of skew. Sick of power surges, of power outages. Sick of the riding mower shooting gumballs like Gatling gun ammo at postmen, meter readers, and litigious-looking passersby on the street out front. Sick of the beeves staring dumbly over the pasture fence, not even dimly cognizant of why they are here. Sick of fried-chicken homophobia. Sick of pompous pundits that you know would rather be out sucking toes. Sick of those ugly new game uniforms. (Where is Mae Horn?)

Sick of no class and of those who are stifled and angry because they can’t just go out and buy some. Sick of the new respectability afforded rape and rapists by political slinkards courting their vote. Sick of this one particular hoot owl. Sick of gouging at the pump. Sick of just about everything Texican. Sick of just about everything Huckabee. Sick of just about every aspect of telephonery. Sick of Negrophobia pretending that it’s not. Sick of flipflopping. And flopflipping. Sick of those who think God needs their help. Sick of road-hazard deer. Sick of the schadenfreude when you don’t hit the lottery either. Sick of the contest between weddings and funerals to see which can cost more. Sick of It is what it is. Sick of my pyloric valve. Sick of tilapia. Sick of candidates bought and sold like hogs. Sick of those who want to make everybody else’s birth-control decisions for them. Sick of the sanctimonii, of those who claim license from the Almighty to be insufferable pricks. Sick of their fake tans. Sick and tired, Fannie Lou described it, of being sick and tired.

ARKANSAS TIMES CLASSIFIEDS Employment ACTORS/MOVIE EXTRAS Needed immediately for upcoming roles $150-$300/day depending on job requirements. No experience, all looks needed. 1-800-560-8672 for casting times/locations

HELP WANTED!! Extra income! Mailing Brochures from home! Free supllies! Genuine opportunity! No experience required. Start immediately! www.themailingprogram.com (AAN CAN) HELP WANTED!!! Make $1000 a week mailing brochures from home! FREE Supplies! Helping Home-Workers since 2001! Genuine Opportunity! No experience required. Start Immediately! www.mailing-usa.com (AAN CAN)

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SHORT SALE AND FORECLOSED HOME AUCTION

330+ SOUTHEAST & FLORIDA SHORT SALE AND FORECLOSED HOME AUCTION

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BID ONLINE NOVEMBER 6-10 OPEN HOUSE TODAY & NOVEMBER 4 SHORT SALE OPEN HOUSE: SEE WEBSITE BID LIVE OR ONLINE | FINANCING AVAILABLE FEATURED SHORT SALE AND FORECLOSED HOMES

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2,173 SF

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31, 2012 ARKANSAS TIMES 46 OctOber 46 OCTOBER 31, 2012 ARKANSAS TIMES

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A Reputable Dallas Company is expanding in Little Rock, AR and looking to immediately hire qualified, ambitious, hard working Customer Service Representatives. CAnDiDAte muSt: 1. Be HoneSt AnD tRuStwoRtHy 2. BiLinguAL iS A pLuS 3. wiLLing to woRk 6 DAyS A week Compensation is basic hourly rate plus commission. intersted Canditate please send resume to Lucy.ramirez18@yahoo.com

FLIPSIDE Perfect carriage home for singles or couPles

OPEN HOUSE TIMES: sat 10-4pm address 501 W. 22nd street, little rock $105,000 Listed with McKIMMEy ASSOcIATES REAlTORS (501) 613-2513

Maxie Needs A Home

Dell, Maxie’s devoted owner passed away a few weeks ago and Maxie needs a home. He is a Minx cat, great personality and very affectionate. He is about eight years old, fixed and has all of his shots. See, there advantages to being a ‘mature’ cat. Please call Kaytee at 501-607-3100 or email her at kaytee.wright@gmail.com. He really misses Dell and misses her attention.

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ARKANSAS NUMISMATIC SOCIETY, INC. presents its annual

Coin Show

JACKSONVILLE COMMUNITY CENTER Municipal Drive & W. Main St.

8211 Geyer Springs Ste P-4 Little Rock AR 72209 (501) 562-1665

Dealers from all over the US on hand, buying and selling US and foreign coins, medals, tokens, currency, gold, silver, jewelry, & supplies

Nov. 9, 10, & 11, 2012 Admission $2 ~ Friday - 2pm-6pm, More info: Saturday - 9am-5pm, Sunday - 10am-2 pm 501-985-1663

For Nurses and Nursing Students Only S I NG A NURCARE P ND ROF H ESS ALT HE I

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It’s happening right now on Arkansas Blog www.arktimes.com

Find out how! Call VICTORIA now at 375-2985 www.arktimes.com October 31, 2012 47

The finest food and wine pairings from Eureka Springs Arkansas’ most elegant restaurants. Enjoy extraordinary dining with some of the region’s most critically acclaimed chefs. Sommelier handpicked international and regional wines highlight this Eureka Springs tradition.

Book your lodging now and expect the best! Wednesday • November 7th

Saturday • November 10th

"First Sip" Raimondo Wine Release Party at DeVito's

Raimondo Wine Flights at DeVito's • The Stonehouse "Cabernet-Off" • Grand Taverne Special Menu Cottage Inn California Wine Dinner • Keels Creek Barrel/Tank Testing • Cuisine Karen Cooking Class Ermilio's Special Menu • Vintage Cargo Vietri Event • Eureka Thyme Gallery Stroll Railway Winery Open House • The Jewel Box Gallery Sale

Thursday • November 8th Raimondo Wine Flights at DeVito's • "California Uncorked" at The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow • Grand Taverne Special Menu The Stonehouse "Cabernet-Off" • Cottage Inn California Wine Dinner The Jewel Box Gallery Sale

Friday • November 9th Raimondo Wine Flights at DeVito's • The Stonehouse "Cabernet-Off" Grand Taverne Special Menu • Ermilio's Special Menu Cottage Inn California Wine Dinner • Foundation Farm Tour Crescent Hotel Tapas & Spanish Wine • Railway Winery Open House Cuisine Karen Cooking Demonstration The Jewel Box Gallery Sale

Sunday • November 11th Raimondo Wine Flights at DeVito's • Raimondo Wine Dinner at DeVito's The Stonehouse "Cabernet-Off" • Cottage Inn California Wine Dinner • Crescent Hotel Sunday Brunch Caribe Restaurant Veteran's Day Art Show • Railway Winery Open House • Cravings by Rochelle Brunch & Cupcake Decorating Class • The Jewel Box Gallery Sale

Visit EurekaSpringsFoodandWine.com for participant info and specific event times and fees.