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Rochester NY Spotlight
jcc centerstage
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Parade at JCC CenterStage
Posted May 15, 2012 by Pete Tonery
When I review theater I like to leave myself out of it. That’s not possible but I endeavor to apply dramatic standards to a show and confine my analysis to how well the production meets traditional, classic rules. I am usually annoyed at critics who constantly refer to themselves as if they alone own the criteria of criticism. [...]
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Medley Center & the RBTL
Posted May 12, 2012 by Adam
The Medley Center mall in Irondequoit is in the news again. Developers want taxpayers to further finance the project, which is not an unusual debate in Rochester. And I am generally in favor of financing those projects that will help Rochester recover some of what she has lost. But as a two-time entrepreneur, I also know that capitalism has as one of its foundational principles the concept of RIS. [...]
rochester wegmans
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Wegmans does make mistakes
Posted May 05, 2012 by Adam
According to internal Wegmans documents from 2004 the business claimed that its largest stores grossed $960,000 A WEEK, almost three times the national average for grocery stores. [...]
rochester theater
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GEVA: Local playwright readings
Posted April 29, 2012 by Pete Tonery
Tomorrow Night GEVA Theater continues its long tradition of presenting staged readings of works written by local playwrights. In association with Writers & Books, Jean Gordon Ryon, New Plays Coordinator, has been mounting these performances for 18 years as part of Geva's American Voices New Play Reading Series. [...]
new york happiness
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Is Happiness Political
Posted April 17, 2012 by Adam
The Siena Consumer Confidence Survey for March is out and New Yorkers are feeling more positive about the economy for the second straight month. Indeed, Consumer Confidence continues to climb above the boundary between pessimism and optimism. A slight majority now feels more hopeful about today’s economy and the economic future. [...]
Rochester Says
Superior Doughnuts at GEVA
GEVA Theater begins to conclude its Main Stage season with the next-to-last production of “Superior Doughnuts” by Tracy Letts. Letts is the acclaimed author of “August, Osage County” the biting, dark and hilarious Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning play that is a favorite in regional theaters across America.*
Rochester Biofuel
A story on NPR really caught my attention this week. It was about biofuels, specifically the effort to covert algae into to jet fuel. This technology is still in its R&D stage but great progress is being made. Last fall two airlines began testing new biofuel mixes with their jet fuel. Continental is testing a blend made from algae and Alaska Airlines is trying one made from cooking oil!
Cash Mobs Encourage People to Support Local Business
Last week I heard a story on NPR about cash mobs. You've heard of flash mobs, where a bunch of people get together in a public place and spontaneously dance and sing in unison. Cash mobs are when a bunch of people rally together to infuse a local business with cash. The Wall Street Journal called it a "social-networking-and-shopping movement." But I see it as a symbol of something way more important -- community.
Rochester Brain Drain
Over the past few years we have heard a lot about a “Brain Drain” out of the Greater Rochester area. The claim is that young people are moving away, ostensibly to find better jobs. This alarm has resulted in calls for lower taxes, tax breaks (like COMIDA) for wealthy corporations and an array of other pro-business actions by government. But is it true? Does a Brain Drain actually exist and, if so, are those the causes and solutions?
Survey Says: Happy Rochester
Rochester area residents have some new reasons to feel good about their community. Several interesting surveys have recently come out that position Rochester against other metropolitan areas in the areas of community optimism and our sense of well-being.
Last Chance for 13 Cataract St. -- Hearing April 4th
It may be coming down to the last days for the building at 13 Cataract St. The preservation board and planning commission will meet April 4th to vote on whether or not the building will be designated as a landmark and, hence, saved from demolition. The tally will need to be 12-0 in favor of landmark designation. If not, the building will not be saved.
A Parade of Possibilities
Saturday we joined an estimated nearly 100,000 people downtown to watch Rochester's 35th annual St. Patrick's Day parade. It was our third parade since moving here. The first year, we walked down to Alexander and East to watch (in the cold and sleet) from there, and learned that it was a great spot to teach our kids to talk like sailors. So last year and this year, we found a spot inhabited by more families at Clinton and Main.
The State of Rochester Debate
We at Rocville occasionally comment in the D&C on issues that are important to us. A few months back the paper changed its policy for commenting requiring people to use Facebook to sign in. It was thought that this would reduce or eliminate the ugly, demeaning and derogatory comments some writers were submitting.
Imagining Madoff - CenterStage at the JCC
The title of this remarkable play is accurate. The show isn’t a “documentary” or derived from interviews; Madoff has given almost none, and has never tried to explain his actions. Rather, the Obie Award winning playwright, Deborah Margolin, has “imagined” what might have motivated Bernie Madoff to do the terrible, destructive things he did.