Arkansas Times

NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT / JANUARY 30, 2013 / ARKTIMES.COM

FOUR MORE

YEARS!DAVID KOON takes a bus with

300 other Arkansans to the inauguration.PAGE 14

Odessa Darrough of Little Rock

Creating Excellence for Tomorrow

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Rightward pushIsn’t it interesting to watch the

right scramble to try to turn the tide of history? They spent untold millions in the 2012 election trying to buy the White House. Despite their consider-able efforts to keep citizens from vot-ing, to mislead the American people about every aspect of President Obama’s record and agenda and to destroy unions since they tend to support Democratic candidates, they still lost. Americans all over the country stood in lines for hours, jumped through ridiculous hoops the Republicans cynically put in place to diminish Democratic turn-out and saved the United States from a take-over by the radical right and their “corporations are people” hack presidential candidate.

But sadly, the Republican Party apparently has learned nothing from the last election. Instead of examining its policies on immigration and gay rights and religious intolerance and bringing their party into the 21st Century, they have chosen to try to change the way states apportion their electoral votes so they will “win” the presidential elec-tion despite getting fewer votes. I guess stealing the 2000 election and installing the swaggering idiot from Texas wasn’t enough for them. If they can’t win the game by playing by the rules, then they’ll just change the rules. How typical.

All of us, regardless of political affili-ation, should be appalled and horrified by this scheme on the part of the radi-cal right to thwart the will of the peo-ple. Had this scheme been in place in 2012, we would have been inaugurating President Romney on Jan. 21, despite Obama receiving nearly 5 million more votes than did Mr. Romney. Once again the Republican Party shows the world all too clearly that it really cares noth-ing about the will of the citizens of the United States and only about the will of its corporate masters. This must not stand!

Todd HallNorth Little Rock

Clinton in 2016After watching Secretary of State

Hillary Clinton testify before the Senate and House Committees on Benghazi, I have decided that there are two things that would be best for America:

1.) That Mrs. Clinton run for Presi-dent in 2016.

2.) That South Carolina be allowed to secede from the Union.

What an amazing woman she is, and how rude and arrogant the South Caro-lina Republican elected officials were.

Butch StoneMaumelle

From the webIn response to last week’s cover story,

“Controversial frac sand mining comes to Arkansas”:

Don’t believe the empty promises of the mining companies. One only has to look at parts of Appalachia that have been impacted by Mountaintop Removal (MTR) coal-mining. The blasts send toxic dust into the air and there have also been issues with groundwater and stream con-tamination. Not to mention that “recla-mation” results in barren “hilltops” which are all but useless for even growing trees

after these MTR sites are reclaimed. These sand frac mining companies

are going to use MTR techniques in the Ozarks. This needs to stop before these thugs get their nose in the tent, pure and simple for the long-term future of the Ozarks.

LinCo_Progressive

These companies are like the car-petbaggers after the war, they come to Arkansas to get rich off the land but they don’t live here and it isn’t their home. The mines will operate 23 hours a day, lights, noise and trucks polluting our air and

possibly our pristine creeks. Evergreen will be located outside the

city limits and they will be self monitored, local people living close to the mine can only get help after there is an “incident” by sending in a complaint to ADEQ.

It’s a sad, sad day for Izard County.Brenda Eldridge

In response to the dining review, “Mr Dunderbak’s gets a second bite at the brat-wurst” (Jan. 23):

Sorry, but any review of Mr. Dunder-bak’s that is two-thirds focused on the veggie options misses the point. That is NOT what 99 percent of people going there are after. Is there still a Reuben? What else do they have that you didn’t try? The pretzel was an out-the-door afterthought? WTF?

Big Fun

In response to the Big Picture and web feature “Terrible bills from the Arkansas legislature”:

Random drug tests of law-abiding citi-zens violate their Fourth Amendment right to privacy. Will the tests also be conducted for alcohol? After all, it’s as much a drug as any other, and can kill a person’s job performance just as effec-tively. I believe this bill is motivated by a well-known Republican hatred of the poor and minorities.

As far as the guns-in-churches law goes, I would ask how many cases of church-related violence have been reported in Arkansas to justify this bill? I would extend the bill further to allow AR-15s, flame-throwers and grenade launchers in churches. Let’s find out if these people are as responsible with their weapons as they tout themselves to be. After all, if Jesus is on your side, what’s there to be afraid of?

The purpose of the voter ID bills is to make it harder for the young, the elderly and minorities to vote. You know, the people most likely to vote Democrat.

These are nothing but feel-good bills made to pander to the Republican red-neck base, who can’t think for themselves, the fascists of the religious right, who would like nothing more than to have theirs declared a state-sponsored religion, and to the corporate overlords of Arkan-sas who know that a Republican legisla-ture is less likely to raise their tax rates and more likely to remove environmen-tal restrictions on things like “fracking.”

Brad Bailey

Submit letters to the Editor, Arkansas Times, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, AR 72203. We also accept letters via e-mail. The address is [email protected]. We also accept faxes at 375-3623. Please include name and hometown.

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Untouchable

India’s famous sacred cows are roughly handled compared to the reverential treatment given the Chamber of Commerce in this country. The

CofC casually walks on the interests of the American majority to win further privilege for the already privileged, in the form of tax breaks, government handouts, and anti-labor laws, and not only is it not called to account for its misdeeds, it’s allowed to extract subsidies from its victims. That is the case in Central Arkansas, where the governing bodies of both Little Rock and North Little Rock hand over taxpayers’ money to Chamber of Commerce affili-ates that refuse to account for it, other than with vague talk of “economic development.” The secrecy is condoned by mayors and aldermen, timid or indif-ferent or worse. It’s only through other sources, of-ten the news media, that the public learns when the Chamber is using public money to help keep wages low, or to block environmental-protection regulation.

Patience exhausted, a small group of rebels has now filed suit, asking Pulaski Circuit Court to declare illegal the payments made by Little Rock and North Little Rock to the Chamber and its sub-sidiaries. One of the plaintiffs, Jim Lynch, has said:

“This is an issue of just handing over to a private corporation our public money, and then we have no idea what that money goes for; it’s in a big black hole because the Chamber refuses to be transparent.”

The Chamber shouldn’t solicit these donations, and city officials shouldn’t make them, but both have refused to stop. This is what the courts are for.

American Iran?

Locally, freedom of religion has received some reinforcement. Little Rock city government has wisely decided to run a new homeless

shelter itself, rather than pay a private religious group to do so. The Conway School District has, at least temporarily, halted proselytism by clergymen on school property during school hours. There is still hope that the University of Arkansas for Medi-cal Sciences will abandon its rash plan to merge a public hospital with a sectarian one. (And that some patriotic libertarian will file suit if the scheme isn’t scrubbed.) At the national level though, religious freedom is threatened. Hoping to force their own beliefs on everybody else, an aggressive combine of Roman Catholic bishops and evangelic funda-mentalists seeks to nullify the Affordable Care Act’s provision of insurance coverage for birth control. Plaintiffs in a number of lawsuits argue that if an employer is opposed to birth control because of his religion, he’s entitled to deny birth control coverage to his employees, even if they don’t share his faith. Error has not the same rights as truth, they say, and workers not the same rights as bosses. The Supreme Court, with a majority of Catholics, may be receptive to these arguments. The Court did severe damage to this country with its Citizens United decision. A decision knocking down the wall of separation between church and state — the Iranization of America, so to speak — would be worse.

EDITORIAL EYE ON ARKANSAS

McDaniel’s farewellThe 2014 race for governor was turned upside

down Friday when Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced he wouldn’t run for gov-

ernor.Not even three weeks before, McDaniel had said he

remained committed to the race, despite the embar-rassing admission of a past extramarital affair with a Hot Springs lawyer.

I’m willing to believe McDaniel that there were no other shoes to drop. But continuing references to his former girlfriend were inevitable because of her own troubles, including being a witness to a homicide that remains under investigation.

Polling suggested McDaniel was being wrecked by the story. Where his polling showed him barely trailing potential Republican foe Asa Hutchinson pre-admis-sion, the gap had widened to double digits post-admis-sion. Women even favored the anti-choice Hutchinson. Support among black voters was tepid for a Democrat.

McDaniel insisted he could continue raising money — he’d banked more than a million — but his cash reg-ister had slowed. Many Democrats were urging that he step aside, lest he be a weight on the entire ticket in a pivotal year.

It had to be hard to give up a dream. He had the party connections. He had the money. He had the energy. He had at least some of the magnetism that has powered past successful Arkansas Democrats. At a minimum, reality finally set in. So he stepped aside quietly and with as much dignity as the situation allowed. He’s only 40. After a good closeout of his time as attorney general and a few years of quiet personal life, he might still have a political future.

Meanwhile, what now? Former Lt. Gov. Bill Hal-ter, whose allies commissioned the poll that showed McDaniel tanking, couldn’t even wait for McDaniel’s formal, but telegraphed, announcement to be first Democrat in. Highway Commissioner John Burkhalter continues to indicate he’s running. He lacks an outgo-ing personality, but he has $40 million.

Three lawyers once thought to be considering

attorney general — Sen. Robert Thompson, Chancellor Chris Thomason of the UA Hope cam-pus and U.S. Attorney Conner Eldridge — might eventually produce a gubernatorial candi-date among them. Paul Suskie, the former PSC commissioner, has been mentioned, along with former legislator Shane Broadway and UA Chancel-lor David Gearhart. I’d mention former U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder, but a man who left Congress to spend more time with family and a good-paying private industry job isn’t likely to take on this task.

Instant frontrunner in the event of a change of heart would be newly minted lobbyist Mike Ross, the former congressman who had earlier renounced gubernatorial ambitions in the face of McDaniel’s expected corona-tion. He’d be strong — as a God, guns and anti-gay Blue Dog — in a general election. But he might not prove so appealing in a primary likely to be decided this year by real Democrats. Republican primary races are expected to prevent crossover mischief of the sort that upended Halter’s primary race against U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln.

Though the election is 22 months away, it is not too early for candidates to get serious. That’s true for Republicans, too. Hutchinson is in. He may stand alone, though reliable sources say House Speaker Davy Carter is considering a race, complicated though it would be in the GOP primary by his speaker election on the back of Democratic support. Republican primary voters are not long on nuance or bipartisanship.

An opponent with crossover potential should pres-ent an attractive option to Hutchinson, if political cal-culations mattered. The polling showed Hutchinson, three times a loser in statewide races, with low favor-ability numbers even before he became the NRA poster child for putting more guns in schools (another loser with women voters). Against Ross, of course, that gun stuff wouldn’t be a problem for Asa. They’d probably challenge each other to a shooting match.

[email protected]

BIG NEWS: Gov. Mike Beebe and Big River Steel CEO John Correnti shake hands during a news conference Tuesday in which it was announced that Big River would build a $1 billion steel mill in Mississippi County.

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OPINION

The truth about guns

Americans engaged in heated de-bates over guns periodically from 1690 until today, and race was

nearly always a provocation and usually the main one.

It is the reason that, no matter how shrill the lamentations over the slaughter of inno-cents at Sandy Hook, Columbine, Aurora, Virginia Tech, Tucson, Jonesboro or the locales of thousands of daily tragedies, Con-gress will not pass a bill significantly restrict-ing the sale of military weapons and big clips to civilians or do much else to lower the rate of gun deaths.

Not with a black man in the White House. Maybe 2017, after he’s gone and Hillary Clinton or Marco Rubio is presi-dent, but not now.

I’m sorry, but that is how it is. With many fewer provocations, Congress passed a leaky and temporary assault-weapons ban for Bill Clinton. A few Southerners paid the price for their votes, but it will be a rare South-erner or Westerner, aside from the Pacific coast, who will vote for a gun bill that is asso-ciated with Barack Obama. And people will associate any gun bill with Obama.

Arkansas is a microcosm. The only potential vote for an assault-weapon ban in Arkansas is the lone Democrat, Sen. Mark Pryor. No Republican will vote for that or any bill that is seen as an Obama priority.

If Pryor votes for such a bill — he’s not likely to get a chance — it will be the most courageous vote cast by an Arkan-sas lawmaker in many years. It would be like J. William Fulbright or John L. McClellan voting for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or the Voting Rights Act of 1965. They didn’t.

Most Arkansans probably favor an assault-weapons ban — even the state’s most ardent foe of gun restrictions, for-mer Congressman Mike Ross, now favors it — but tens of thousands sense the real-ization of their worst fears, an empow-ered black man taking their guns and establishing a dictatorship.

The Second Amendment cries are fig leafs. Nothing that has been proposed in the wake of Sandy Hook or that the president did in his 23 symbolic executive actions even remotely violates the Second Amend-ment, which mandates the regulation of firearms. Even Antonin Scalia, the right-wing author of the only Supreme Court opinion that ever interpreted the Second Amendment as a protection of an individual right to own weapons outside a militia, said government could and should impose con-ditions on the sale of arms and that govern-

ment could prohibit individual ownership of “dangerous and unusual” weapons. Sca-lia specifically mentioned one weapon that individuals ought not to possess: variations of the semiautomatic M16 rifle, which has been the weapon of choice of mass killers.

The Second Amendment is all about state militias. Patrick Henry, the governor of Virginia, first wrote the Second Amend-ment’s opening proviso, “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state,” in a resolution in the Virginia leg-islature, although James Madison perfected the language in the Bill of Rights. Militias were valuable, particularly in Virginia and the Carolinas, to round up runaway slaves and suppress slave revolts and also to keep Indians under control. Henry and other Southerners worried that the new Consti-tution’s authorization for the federal gov-ernment to raise an army threatened the state militias.

Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia required all white men to keep a gun and ammunition so that they would be ready when they were summoned for slave patrols. They were closely regulated by law. A South Carolina act in 1690 said each white man specifically had to have “a good sufficient gun, well fixed, a good cover for their lock, with at least 20 cartridges of good powder and ball, one good belt or girdle, one ball of wax sticking at the end of the cartridge ox, to defend their arms in the rain, one worm, one priming wire and four good spare flints,

also a sword, bayonet or hatchet.” Before the Civil War, runaway slaves or

revolts were never a big problem here in the natural state, but the territorial legisla-ture in 1824 passed a law requiring every township to keep a militia of up to 11 armed white men to capture and punish fleeing or obstreperous Negroes. There were worries and rumors about blacks getting guns and revolting before and long after the Civil War.

Sure enough, in 1967 the Black Panthers began parading around the public squares in California with guns, alarming the new governor, Ronald Reagan, who became a gun-control advocate. Bobby Seale, Huey Newton and some 30 other Panthers took loaded weapons to the Capitol in Sacra-mento to protest an attempt to outlaw carry-ing loaded weapons in public and got them-selves arrested. The modern gun-control movement was under way. The National Rifle Association wanted stiff gun regula-tion and led the way in enacting the first major gun law, the Gun Control Act of 1968. A coup led by the arms industry changed the NRA’s direction 180 degrees.

Guns were no longer important for hunting but to keep patriots armed so that they could fight a U. S. government led by a tyrant, like you know who. That requires some big weapons and giant ammo caches. After all, the black guy has tanks and the nuclear bomb. That is the mindset that sets public policy in 2013.

ERNESTDUMAS

Obama’s polarizing address

One of the most insightful works of political science in recent years is a book by Marc Hetherington and

Jonathan Weiler, “Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics.” In it, Hetherington and Weiler combine histori-cal research of American electoral politics across the last several decades with quanti-tative analysis of contemporary U.S. voters to show that basic worldview differences that go beyond party or ideology are at the heart of how and why American politics has become decidedly more polarized over the past two generations.

With the rhetoric and actions of can-didates and officeholders prodding them along, rank-and-file Americans have increasingly sorted into one of two camps of voters with some pretty fundamental personality differences — authoritarians and nonauthoritarians. Authoritarians see the political world as a Manichean battle between good and evil, believe there to be great value in respecting traditional author-ity and hierarchy, and express hostility to those groups who threaten to disrupt a tidy American social order. In contrast, nonauthoritarians are quite comfortable with nuance and ambiguity in life and law and embrace societal change includ-

ing the empower-ment of traditional outsiders. In for-eign affairs, these nonauthoritarians promote diplo-macy and negoti-ation as the more proper course while authoritarians are more comfortable with the use of force. Although there are more authoritarians in the American electorate, the growing distinctiveness of nonauthoritarians over the last two to three decades has been just as important in promoting sharp polariza-tion in American political life.

President Obama’s concise second inau-gural address elegantly sampled phrases from the nation’s founding documents and then applied them to 21st century America in making the case that the democratic experiment remains alive in the United States. However, the speech did much more as Obama, more clearly than ever before, expressed his fundamental rejec-tion of authoritarianism. Some have labeled the speech “liberal” or “partisan,” but reac-tions to it from the right show that it hit a nerve even deeper than ideology or party.

First, Obama embraced the inherent

messiness and uncertainty of the American experiment, recognizing that “our work will be imperfect.” Rejecting “absolut-ism,” Obama made the case for a deeply pragmatic progressivism that “does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time, but it does require us to act in our time.”

In embracing the importance of full-fledged “citizenship,” Obama discarded hierarchy and emphasized the power of rank-and-file Americans to reshape the nation. From critiquing obstacles to vot-ing to trumpeting citzens’ “obligation to shape the debates of our time,” Obama emphasized that the fuel for the Ameri-can experiment is the many, not the few.

Finally, a large chunk of the speech highlighted America’s betterment brought about from the inclusion of traditional outside groups. From the personifica-tion of the American dream in “a little girl born into the bleakest poverty” who

“knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else because she is an American” to the alliterative embrace of activists at “Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall,” Obama showed his non-authoritarian worldview. The next step in that struggle for inclusion, the president argued, is to “welcome the striving, hope-ful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity.”

Those on the right expressed full-tilt authoritarianism in their response to the president’s address. One example was Pat Buchanan’s snarky but telling belittling of the inclusion of the key moment in the gay rights movement as “a barroom brawl in Greenwich Village in 1969.” Perhaps most thorough in stating the fears produced by Obama’s worldview was Republican leader Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas who aggres-sively critiqued the inaugural events saying,

“It was apparent our country’s in chaos and what our great president has brought us is upheaval. We’re now managing America’s demise, not America’s great future.”

Obama arrived on the national stage in 2004 with a speech to the Democratic National Convention emphasizing a post-partisan American in which he critiqued those who “slice-and-dice our country into red states and blue states.” Listening to that speech today, one hears a younger Obama who is equal parts inspiring and naïve. Obama’s speech last week showed a maturation of his pragmatic progressiv-ism political thought. It also showed that the president now recognizes that there truly is a key divide in American political life — not between “red states and blue states” but between authoritarian and non-authoritarian citizens — and made clear the side he’s on in the key political battle of our time.

JAYBARTH

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PEARLS ABOUT SWINE

The good, the bad and the ugly

A week’s worth of fodder from Razorback Country is akin to a Leone spaghetti western. To wit:

Il Buono: Bud Walton Arena’s self-affixed label as the Basketball Palace of Mid-America is kind of laughable these days, but it’s nonetheless remark-able how much better Mike Anderson’s troops look when they are at 1270 Leroy Pond Drive. Against a Mississippi State program awash with inexperience, the Hogs were just plain nasty. The 96-70 win had all the flavor of a 1990s-era box score, what with the Bulldogs coughing up possession 28 times and the Hogs employing better scoring balance (four in double figures) than they have all year. The hectic transition game that has been missing reappeared primarily in the form of thunderous dunks, namely one by Marshawn Powell that was eradi-cated by a horrid charging call.

Excitement about Bret Bielema’s inaugural recruiting class is also rising. The Hogs flipped a massive offensive line commit, Dan Skipper, from Ten-nessee, and they are making an earnest push to sign one of the nation’s truly elite tailbacks, Florida product Alex Collins, away from Miami. Even the Bielema detractors here and abroad at least acknowledge his cockiness is vir-tuous, and if he continues his zealous push into Florida and Texas, he’s going to swing more votes in his favor. That said, how does anybody get worked up one way or the other about recruiting season anymore? It is such a ludicrous sport-within-sport, and Bielema’s suc-cesses at Wisconsin are tangible proof thereof.

I digress, though. The past week also featured...

Il Brutto: These are ostensibly the best days in Razorback baseball his-tory. Dave Van Horn’s team rides into 2013 with what most observers regard as the deepest and most gifted pitch-ing staff in the program’s history, and that’s even after All-SEC stalwart DJ Baxendale elected to bypass his senior season. Buoyed by a splendid postseason run, Arkansas therefore commanded the attention of all the amateur baseball pub-lications and has claimed the preseason No. 1 ranking in three different polls.

So, right before the season starts, how about a disciplinary matter to sully these bright waters?

Freshman southpaws Colin Poche and Adam Meyer were arrested and charged with shoplifting for allegedly doing an inherently juvenile thing —

swiping sand-wiches and beer

— in the one place (Walmart) where the phrase “loss prevention” is king. Poche is held in particu-larly high regard, as he was a fifth-round pick of the Balti-more Orioles last June who passed on a cushy bonus to reaffirm his commitment to Arkansas; Meyer probably figured in this season’s bullpen plans as well.

Look, it’s a minor offense and it seems unlikely that it will cost either player his roster spot, and Van Horn’s squad has had a pretty resplendent history as far as criminal scrapes are concerned. But it is still disenchanting news and a poten-tial distraction for a team that is star-ing down the barrel of unprecedented expectations for the coming season.

Anderson also had to mete out in-house discipline recently when he sat sophomore guard Rashad Madden for the South Carolina game. The impetus for the suspension was unknown, and I guess Madden was fortunate to have not been on the court last Saturday, because it was...

Il Cattivo: No team in the country, I would hazard to bet, swings so wildly from the precipice of greatness to utter collapse quite like the Hogs basket-ballers. They are a modest 3-3 in SEC play, their trends home and away being exhaustively documented. Arkansas’s three wins were inside of Bud Walton Arena by an average of 19 points; their three defeats away from home were the epitome of ugliness with an average mar-gin of 17 points. The psyche of the team is clearly and demonstrably affected.

Arkansas sprinted out to a 15-3 lead against the Gamecocks Saturday, only to watch it disappear as South Carolina predictably defied its own conventions by nailing long-range shots and smoth-ering the Hogs’ guards at will. South Carolina’s response to the Hogs’ early jabs was a slew of uppercuts, and by the time the half was over, the Cocks had finished on a 40-11 surge that made Arkansas look like some kind of way-ward midseason out-of-conference breather. Only Marshawn Powell (22 points, 13 rebounds) bothered to give any kind of sustained effort in the loss. The Hogs still have incredible poten-tial, but nothing is clicking consistently at all, and opportunities to salvage the campaign are drying up.

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Please call Sen. John Boozman at (202) 224-4843 and Sen. Mark Pryor at (202) 224-2353.

Ask them to vote against confirming Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense.

Paid for by Christians United for Israel Action Fund.

Senators Boozman and Pryor, stand with us. Stand with Israel.

Stand against those who threaten us both.

CHRISTIANS UNITED FOR ISRAEL ACTION FUND

Dear Senators Boozman and Pryor,

Christians United for Israel Action Fund, the advocacy arm of the largest pro-Israel group in America, calls upon you to vote against confirming former senator Chuck Hagel to be our next Secretary of Defense. We have great respect for the service that Senator Hagel has rendered our country both as a combat soldier and as a United States Senator. But we do not believe that he’s the right man to ensure our security in the future. The greatest threat to American security—and that of our front-line ally Israel—is Iran’s aggressive pursuit of nuclear weapons and regional domination. While we appreciate Senator Hagel’s recent words, we remain deeply concerned about his long track record of actions. During his years in Washington… • Senator Hagel repeatedly opposed economic sanctions, diplomatic pressure, and other peaceful means to

deter Iran from its current course.

• Senator Hagel opposed recognizing Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization despite its well-documented role in killing American soldiers in Iraq and carrying out numerous acts of international terrorism.

• Senator Hagel opposed efforts to further isolate Iran’s most dangerous terrorist proxy—Hezbollah—despite its role in killing over 200 American Marines in Beirut and its repeated attacks on Israel.

If you don’t recognize the greatest threats to our security, how can you defend against them? Senators Boozman and Pryor, your vote and your example can stop this provocative nomination from moving forward. We pray you vote against confirming Senator Hagel.

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Clergy lingo“Chuck Fillay, a reverend at a church

near the massage parlor, spoke in favor of the ordinance.”

The use of reverend as a noun, meaning “a member of the clergy”, was long disap-proved by many stylebooks and some sects. They said that reverend was an adjective only, meaning “worthy to be revered,” and if used in front of a name as part of a title, should be preceded by “the,” as in “The Rev. Chuck Fillay spoke in favor of the ordinance.” But some less formal church groups always accepted reverend as a noun (“I saw the reverend coming out of the massage parlor yesterday”), and I think their view has largely prevailed in nonsectarian usage, though some of us old-timers are still more comfortable using minister or pastor.

Our discussion of the fad — at least I

hope it’s just a fad — of using verbs where nouns belong, apparently because the verb is shorter (as in fail for failure) prompted a comment from Mitzi Davis Mozier, who is concerned about the epidemic of short-ening words. She heard a radio announcer say “pic” for “picture,” saw a columnist use “snap” for “snapshot”, and wonders

“Will we be speaking in shorthand soon?”There always has been, and always will

be, a certain amount of abbreviation of familiar words. The easy, lazy way comes

naturally to many, and the short forms they create are soon adopted by everyone — phone for tele-phone, gas for gasoline, plane for airplane . (Although I once worked for an elderly newspaper editor who didn’t allow the use of gas for gasoline, believing it caused con-fusion with the generic gas, a word much older than the short form of gasoline.)

But that kind of abbreviating is differ-ent from using fail for failure, or reveal for revelation. In these cases, you’re throwing out a perfectly good noun and forcing a verb into a hole it doesn’t fit, changing the very structure of the language. “Some of us like the real words,” Ms. Mosier writes. Indeed.

Stanley Johnson writes: “A short time

back I overheard a New York restaura-teur describe himself in an interview, on some early-morning pseudo-news show on TV, as ‘on premise all the time.’ ‘On premise’ sounds to me like something a good logician or debater might strive to be, but someone who is in the house is ‘on the premises,’ I believe.” And probably hoping for something “on the house.”

DOUGSMITH

[email protected]

WORDS

It was a good week for…A SUPER PROJECT Gov. Mike Beebe announced that Big River Steel plans to build a more than $1 billion steel mill in Mississippi County. It will employ more than 500 people at an average annual salary of $75,000. Con-struction of the mill — which would make Mississippi County the second largest steel-producing county in the country — is contingent on the Arkansas legislature authorizing the state to issue $125 million in general obligation bonds.

A HYPOCRITE Sen. John “Dr. No” Boozman joined a number of Republi-cans in the Senate in opposing disaster aid for Hurricane Sandy victims, even though the legislation was stripped of money unrelated to disasters. Four days earlier, Boozman joined an Arkansas congressional delegation letter seeking disaster relief money from FEMA for Arkansas to cope with winter storm costs.

It was a bad week for…ATTORNEY GENERAL DUSTIN MC-DANIEL He withdrew from the gover-nor’s race, weeks after admitting to an extramarital affair.

BILL HALTER He announced his long-expected candidacy for governor moments before Dustin McDan-iel officially withdrew. What a coincidence.

WOMEN Last year, Sen. Jason Rapert (R-Conway) proposed a bill that would have required doctors providing abortions to test for a detectible fetal heartbeat in preg-nant women. It failed when the Times and others pointed out that, for many women, such a test would involve insertion of a wand into a woman’s vagina against her will. Unmoved, Rapert is back again with a new bill that requires similar testing. But now, under Rapert’s bill, abortion would be prohibited if a fetal heartbeat is detected. It’s almost certainly unconstitutional.

COLLECTION PLATE THIEVES Watch out, would-be robbers. Folks will likely be packing in church following the Arkansas Senate’s 28-4 vote Sen. Bryan King’s (R-Green Forest) bill to allow concealed-carry weapons in church. It’s sure to pass in the House.

RETIRED GEN. WESLEY CLARK He’s facing scrutiny from the Securities and Exchange Commission as it tries to account for billions lost in Chinese stock offerings Clark promoted as chairman of a New York investment firm.

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Mason Christopher Mauldin, 1981-2013MASON MAULDIN WAS one of the first new faces The Observer met when he moved to Little Rock in late 2009. We’d seen him with his band Big Boots, at the Rev Room. A couple weeks later, we met him while working at Boulevard Bread Co. From that first shift, it was obvious Mauldin was not your run-of-the-mill dude. His eyes shone with a mischievous sparkle, and it was apparent immediately that he was incredibly sharp, and not because he went out of his way to show you. No, it was subtler than that. It was the way that nothing got past him, and how he never passed up a chance to crack a hilari-ous joke about something.

Over the next couple of years, we learned just how tight-knit Mauldin and his group of friends were, through music, art, sports and good-ol’ fashioned goofing off. We also saw him as a caring soul who comforted his friends in times of loss.

Mauldin, a longtime fixture on the Little Rock music scene, playing with the likes of Sugar and the Raw and Collin Vs. Adam, died in a plane crash in Louisiana last Thursday. Mauldin was the pilot. He worked for Central Flying Service. Three men from Louisiana also died in the crash.

Mauldin and Rhett Brinkley had been friends since their college freshmen days. “For the past three years we’ve been pretty inseparable,” Brinkley said. “He was this friend that I shared everything with, and I feel like I was that friend to him too.”

Brinkley spoke of Mauldin’s remark-able talent on the soccer field and his enduring enthusiasm for the sport, which wasn’t diminished by ACL injuries. “He was a graceful soccer player. He had natu-ral skill and a passion for the game and the way it should be played in his mind, and he refused to be beaten. He wouldn’t give up.”

Brinkley told a story about watching Mauldin — then playing for the University of Dallas — score two points when his team was down 1-0 to win a game over Hendrix College. “He came over to the sideline with a teammate right after he scored that sec-ond goal, and the teammate got on his knee and Mason stuck his foot in the air and the guy fake shined Mason’s shoe right in front of the Hendrix fans,” Brinkley said with a laugh. “It was really funny.”

Mauldin’s longtime friend Jack Lloyd attested to that sense of humor as well. The

two were finally forbidden from work-ing any more shifts together at Boulevard, on account of the escalating hijinks that ensued.

“They sat us both down at a meeting and [owner] Christina [McGehee] was like, ‘We have to start scheduling you guys away from each other.’ ” Before the meeting, Mauldin had told Lloyd that he was think-ing about quitting that day. “We were try-ing not to laugh out loud, and in the middle of the meeting she said, ‘You’re not going to quit, are you Mason?’ And we both just busted out laughing.”

In the last few years, Mauldin had embarked on a career as a pilot. Like music and soccer and surely other endeavors before it, he took aviation very seriously, learning everything he could, said his long-time friend and band mate Mike Motley.

“He was an equally serious and silly guy — and silly is the right word,” Motley said. “He was an original thinker and he wasn’t afraid to do something bold musically or artistically and to make it work. He wasn’t afraid to stick his neck out.”

“He had tons of friends, and with the amount of support that has come out in last couple days, the outpouring of support to all of us, he would have been blown away,” Motley said. “He was a very popular guy, a very well-liked guy and I don’t know if he realized quite how many people loved him and how many people cared about him.”

It’s a devastating loss, not only for Mauldin’s friends and family, but for the wider community of music lovers, a sen-timent echoed by Mark Lierly, another friend and band mate. “He was a really vibrant, special dude,” Lierly said. “It’s a crushing loss is all I can say.”

There will be a memorial service for Mauldin at 2 p.m. Saturday at Robinson Center Music Hall, with a wake at Stickyz from 3-6 p.m. Attendees are asked to wear red.

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Arkansas ReporterAll in the family

Old habits die hard. We may have a new Republican majority in the leg-islature, but like the old Democratic majority, it still doesn’t hurt to have a lawmaker spouse to land a part-time job during the legislative session.

The list includes nine legislative spouses in the House, three of Demo-crats and six of Republicans: Janie Baltz (Rep. Scott Baltz, D-Pocahon-tas), Jamie Linck (Rep. Kelley Linck, R-Yellville) and Dee Holcomb (Rep. Mike Holcomb, D-Pine Bluff), who work with pages; Susan Altes (Rep. Denny Altes, R-Fort Smith), Lawanda Dale (Rep. Robert E. Dale, R-Dover), Linda Carnine (Rep. Les “Skip” Carnine, R-Rogers) and Tara Douglas (Rep. Dan Douglas, R-Bentonville), who work as receptionists; George Overbey (Rep. Betty Overbey, D-Lamar), who works as sergeant at arms, and Tom Fite (Rep. Charlene Fite, R-Van Buren), assistant chief sergeant at arms.

You might remember Tom Fite because he mounted a race for the legislature two years ago. He was removed from the ballot because of a federal court Medicaid fraud convic-tion. No disqualifier for maintaining order in the House.

The workers are paid from $475 (for Overbey) to $522 (for Baltz) per week.

Among Senate spouses, Deborah Wyatt (Sen. David Wyatt, D-Bates-ville), Sonja Burnett (Sen. David Bur-nett, D-Osceola), Deborah Williams (Sen. Eddie Joe Williams, R-Cabot), Jo Lindsey (Sen. Uvalde Lindsey, D-Fayetteville) and Joan Pierce (Sen. Bobby Pierce, D-Sheridan) all are paid $575 a week as tour guides. Ginger Cheatham (Sen. Eddie Cheatham, D-Crossett) gets $575 a week as a VIP hostess. Mandy Dismang (Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Beebe) is paid $82.14 for each day she works as assistant to the Senate president pro tempore. Democratic spouses out-number Republicans on the Senate side five to two.

‘Circuit breaker’ legalWhen we first asked Gov. Mike

Beebe about the “circuit breaker” idea out of Arizona (automatically opt-ing out of Medicaid expansion if the feds reduce the matching rates in the future), he said it was fine but noted that states can already opt out at any time, an assurance he got in writing from the feds.

But he seems to have warmed up to the plan considerably, calling it a “brilliant idea” on AETN’s “Ask the Governor” last week, and it’s easy to see why — by legislating a trigger

INSIDER

THE

Nurses concerned about NICU rulesCould require risky transport of infants.

BY LESLIE NEWELL PEACOCK

New level-of-care designations for Arkansas neonatal intensive care units being created by a state

Health Department advisory committee are worrying nurses, according to a spokes-man for the nurses’ union.

Paige Yates of Little Rock, a registered nurse who is head of United Health Care Local 22, said the level designations could mean that only the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences or Baptist Health would be designated to handle certain high-risk deliveries, requiring other hos-pitals to arrange risky transport of women in distress or their babies.

Only three states do not have desig-nated levels of neonatal intensive care; Arkansas is one of them.

A petition drive begun by a NICU nurse in Northwest Arkansas who administra-tors say works part-time at in the Willow Creek Women’s Hospital in Johnson, part of the Northwest Health System, alerted nurses around the state to the work of the committee and asks that concerned people contact lawmakers and Dr. Paul K. Halverson, director of the Health Depart-ment. The petition, authored by Christine Picarelli, says that Willow Creek has had a “fully functioning level III NICU for over 11 years,” and has beds for 24 sick or pre-mature infants. “What the committee is proposing will take away this service for our NWA expectant families by limiting the number of preterm babies that can

be delivered here. By transferring these babies to Little Rock, the families will have to travel long distances, be without their homes and family support, incur extra liv-ing expenses, and sacrifice time bonding with their infants due to the inconvenient 3 hour drive. The immediate transfer of these infants seems also unethical due to their extreme fragility in the first few days after birth, increasing the risk for mortality and severe morbidity.”

Willow Creek said Picarelli started the petition drive on her own, without consult-ing the hospital.

Dr. Nate Smith, deputy director for public health programs at the Health Department, said NICUs may describe themselves as offering a level of care based on definitions from states that do define the levels. “Making sure that a baby is cared for at the right level can make a tre-mendous difference in whether and how well that baby survives,” Smith said. “Not all NICUs are created equal.”

Halverson convened the 21-mem-ber advisory group last spring to recom-mend whether Arkansas should adopt the classification system. Represented on the committee are doctors appointed by state agencies; Arkansas chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Arkansas Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; Arkansas Children’s Hospital; the Arkansas Hospital Associa-

tion; families who have used NICUs; the ANGELS program (Antenatal and Neo-natal Guidelines, Education and Learning System at UAMS), the Arkansas Founda-tion for Medical Care and the Arkansas Medical Society.

The new rules would encourage women with high-risk pregnancies to deliver at hospitals with high-level NICUs. The committee is in the final stages of defining levels, Smith said. Unlike the trauma system levels, where Level 1 is the highest level, Level 4 is the highest; only Arkansas Children’s Hospital, with its ability to provide ECMO blood circu-lation and surgical specialists, meets that criteria. ACH is not a delivery hospital, and there is consensus among committee members on the definition of Level 4, as well as levels 1 and 2, Smith said. At issue is what makes a Level 3 NICU.

“That’s where there’s lot of debate,” Smith said. To allow hospitals that have been taking care of sick babies to continue that care, the committee has discussed dividing level 3 into two levels. The high-est, level 3b, would be able to take care of babies weighing under 1,000 grams.

“The idea is mothers, if it looks like they’re going to deliver a baby that small, then most appropriate thing … would be that they would go where they could deliver at a 3b,” Smith said.

“If the mother delivers at a facility where there is a high-level NICU, the baby does better than if she delivers and the baby is transported.”

But Yates, a labor and delivery nurse at St. Vincent for 15 years, said women can go from having a normal pregnancy one minute to a high-risk one the next, and if they come to St. Vincent Infirmary in pre-mature labor the new definitions would require the hospital to transport her or her baby to UAMS in a delicate condition.

“Say … a patient walks in our door at 28 weeks [pregnant]” and delivers, Yates said. “We’d have to transport the 28-week baby,” putting the infant at risk of a brain bleed. Alternatively, if a woman in North-west Arkansas knows she is high-risk, she would have to deliver in Little Rock, far away from family.

The committee is working with defi-nitions provided by the American Acad-emy of Pediatrics. Another determinant in levels would be mortality rates, and Yates said that would present a problem for St. Vincent because, as a Catholic hospital, it admits pregnant women who are going

CONTINUED ON PAGE 34CONTINUED ON PAGE 13


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upfront, you guard against Republi-can concerns that once a program is expanded, it’s politically impossible to pull it back, even if the feds don’t hold up their end of the bargain down the road.

“If [the match rates] ever change, it’s automatically done,” Beebe said. “The state’s automatically withdrawn from the program. ... One of the argu-ments is, well, once you start it you’ll never be able to take it away. Nobody will have the political courage to vote to undo it. But if you put it on the front end where it’s automatic, nobody has to vote on that later. That’s what [Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer] did. She put a trigger mechanism that if the feds change that 10 percent ... then automatically their participation in the program ceases.”

This seems like a perfect answer to conservative fears that some day down the line the feds will renege on their obligations under the law. Republicans have responded that past rulings from the Eighth Circuit would make it legally impossible to reduce Medicaid commitments.

According to the Arkansas De-partment of Human Services, chang-ing eligibility thresholds would not run afoul of the Court and a “circuit breaker” would be legal.

“We are not aware of an 8th Circuit case that impairs Medicaid’s ability to set eligibility thresholds at any point within federally established ranges, or to change those thresholds upon federal approval and compliance with the Arkansas Administrative Procedures Act,” a DHS lawyer said. “There are two well-known 8th Circuit opinions from Arkansas. The first, Arkansas Medical Society v. Reynolds, concerned Medicaid reimbursements to health care providers and has no bearing on recipient eligibility criteria. The second, Pediatric Specialty Care, dealt with the scope of services that must be covered for children under the Early and Periodic Diagnosis, Screening, and Treatment program. That case limits Medicaid’s ability to adjust what is covered for children, but has no bearing on who is eligible for Medicaid.”

In our Jan. 2 story about the cost of inmate phone charges in the Arkansas Department of Cor-rection, we mistakenly reported that inmate calls to attorneys are placed for free. This error was due to what ADC spokesperson Shea Wilson termed “incorrect informa-tion from our procurement office.” In fact, inmate calls to attorneys cost the same as calls to private individuals.

THE BIG PICTURE

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PLOTTING THE GOVERNOR’S RACE RUMOR MILLLast week, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, long considered the frontrunner to succeed Gov. Mike Beebe, withdrew from the race, weeks after admitting to an extramarital affair. News of McDaniel’s imminent withdrawl prompted former Lt. Gov. Bill Halter to declare his candidacy even before McDaniel formally announced his exit. On the Republican side, former U.S. Congressman Asa Hutchinson has announced (as has lightweight Curtis Coleman). Now with the Democratic frontrunner out of the picture and some Democrats still sore over Halter’s tough campaign against Blanche Lincoln, a number of names of potential candidates have surfaced. Below, we offer our wholly unscientific take on the likelihood of their candidacy and what sort of leader they’d be.

VIC SNYDERLiberal lionOnly in our

dreams.

MIKE ROSSFormer congressman

He’d be the frontrunner.

CONNOR ELDRIDGEU.S. Attorney for the

Western District of Ark.A comer, but race for

attorney general seems more likely.

CHRIS THOMASON Chancellor of UA

Community College at HopeBetting’s on AG’s race for this former state rep, prosecutor.

MIKE MALONEPresident/CEO of

Northwest Ark. CouncilWell respected in

NWA, largely unknown elsewhere.

ROBERT THOMPSONArk. Senator

Smart guy, good resume, won a squeaker

to return to Senate.

SHANE BROADWAYInterim director of Dept.

of Higher EdSmart, well-liked, but that

wasn’t enough to beat Mark Darr.

DAVID GEARHARTChancellor of

University of Ark.Knows how to raise

money from the Waltons.

JOYCE ELLIOTTArk. Senator

If you can’t beat Tim Griffin in the 2nd,

probably can’t win entire state. But we still love her.

JOHN BURKHALTEREngineer/developerNo one knows who

he is, but he’s got lots of money!

TOM COTTONU.S. RepresentativeHe’s more likely to

employ his talent for spouting extremist

garbage in a Senate race.

MISSY IRVINArk. Senator

Hard to find anyone more extreme or hardworking.

JOHNNY KEYArk. Senator

Draft Johnny Key for Governor

Facebook page still stuck on 4 Likes.

MARK DARRLieutenant Governor

God help us.

DAVY CARTERSpeaker of the HouseWhen asked if he was

considering a run, offered classic non-denial denial.


A few weeks back, Arkansas Times editor Lindsey Millar hit the staff with a proposal: Did anyone want to take a seat on one of the buses char-tered by the Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr.

Commission and ride from Little Rock to Washington, D.C., with a group of Arkansans for the second inaugura-tion of President Barack Obama?

I had to think about it.There’s a reason I’d never been further northeast than

Knoxville and no further west as an adult than Lawton, Okla. I hate strange bathrooms and strange beds. I hate arranging my toothbrush and travel-size toiletries on hotel vanities. To boot, a little figuring found that it would be over 22 hours to D.C. by bus.

On the other hand, I’m a Democrat, and I know that while America loves to give presidents two terms, they usually don’t give the same party three or more. There’s every chance in the world that I will be north of 50 years old before another president is elected who I’d actually want to see inaugurated.

Above all that, though, was the idea of standing shoulder to shoulder with people from this state I love — some of them old enough to remember the Central High Crisis in 1957, others young enough that their first vote was cast for Obama — when we gave our first black president an encore.

So I said I’d do it. I would go. It was, as a writer much better than me once said: the best of times, and the worst of times.

FreedomridersHope reigns on the road

to Obama’s encore.

BY DAVID KOON PHOTOS BY BRIAN CHILSON


Welcome to the Tour Bus California

This is the bus in the middle of the night, droning east: black hallway where the minutes shuffle past, full of the pained little noises of sleepers

and the whine of the big diesel engine out back. There was nothing to see other than the occasional spray of city lights, or cars swimming dreamily into and out of the glare from the running lamps. We had loaded the six buses in Little Rock at 5 p.m. on Saturday, and were gone by 6 — around 330 souls, with over 100 of those being students from UCA, Philander Smith, Shorter College, Harding and Little Rock’s eStem public charter school.

Standing around waiting to feed our bags to the bus, I’d talked to DeKevious Wilson, a grad student at Arkan-sas Tech University. He said he was going on the trip with friends, but would have gone regardless. While Obama’s first term hadn’t been flawless in his eyes, Wilson said he believed the president had done the best he could.

“To be in the same air that he and the first family are breathing, that’s good enough for me,” Wilson said. “It would make me feel like an American. Of course, I feel like an American every time I vote, but just to be there and see that history will make me even prouder to be an American.”

Loaded up, I soon found myself pressed in closer than I ever wanted to be to Times photographer Brian Chilson, both of us crammed into the very last seat of bus

No. 6. There were televisions, but somehow we wound up watching the same two-hour Gospel Music Awards broadcast twice, on a loop. Later on, we would watch the worst comedy in the history of the world (synopsis: Martin Lawrence stars as a rough-edged NBA coach who takes on a misfit team of junior high basketball players and makes them champions!) and a miniseries about The Temptations, which was a bit too much Tempta-tion even for a diehard fan of “My Girl” and “Papa was a Rollin’ Stone.”

The schedule said we were supposed to stop in Memphis for dinner, but we wound up driving straight through Tennessee other than two brief, sleepy layovers in pitch-black highway rest stops, where big rigs dozed and grumbled alongside our buses in the dark. The miles dragged. At one point, deep down in the night, Brian turned to me after 100 miles of silence and — paraphras-ing The Eagles song about the famous hotel where you can check out but never leave — intoned: “Welcome to the Tour Bus California.” And so Bus No. 6 shall ever be called in my memory.

All the way there and back, we sat on the bus behind Jackie Walker of Little Rock. When I asked her why it was important enough for her to travel 2,000 miles by bus to see the inaugural, she said. “This is his last time running, and I just really wanted to be here. It’s very important to me. ... This is something I’ll never be able

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS: (From top) Odessa Darrough (right, in white coat) with other revelers; loading the bus; dawn over Virginia.


to do again. This is once in a lifetime.” Walker said she’d been happy with Obama as president, and was glad the country gave Obama a second term.

“He has done so much in four years, so why not give him four more years to accomplish more?” she said. “I hope he’ll be more forceful. With the Republicans, he’s able to say there are certain things he won’t back down off of.”

The road stretched out before us. But that night, we would lay down our heads just outside the city where Lincoln wooed the better angels of our nature, where he freed a people, where he held a cleaved nation together and where he died. The next morning, we would walk the streets of the city where Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of his dream, where John F. Kennedy asked us to ask not, and where he lay in the grave. On the way to the National Mall the next morning, we would pass the gray bulk of the Pentagon, where a jetliner tore a hole some years back. A thousand-thousand other American moments, all focused there through a limestone lens. And then my traveling companions and I would see history done again before dusk.

We, the Pe o ple

Inauguration day, we were out the hotel door and on the bus in the dark. The riders were silent, reverent. On the way, I spoke quietly with Nathaniel Noble,

one of an extended family of nine native Arkansans who’d come for the inaugural.

When he was a child, Noble said, the dream was: Every boy can grow up to be president. “Now it’s every woman, every color,” he said. “You have examples of that. You have Hillary Clinton who got so close, you have Barack Obama who actually made it. When I was a kid, it was a dream for me, but for my son, who is 14 years old, it’s a reality for him.”

Noble was in high school when Jesse Jackson ran, so he said he always believed he’d see a black president in his lifetime. “I was never one who said it couldn’t hap-pen, but now it’s not an issue,” he said. “Not only can it happen, it did happen. It happened twice. Even more, he’s able to transcend color because he’s doing the job of president. He’s doing a presidential job.”

Tickets to the inaugural in hand and the buses parked at RFK Stadium, we walked three miles to the Mall. Along the way, I walked and talked with Jared Lar-eau, president of the University of Central Arkansas’s Young Democrats. Asked to give Obama a grade on his first term, Lareau said he’d give the president a solid A considering the hyper-partisan climate in Washington.

“Look at health care reform,” Lareau said. “That’s one of the most significant changes in the past 20 years. Bill Clinton tried to do it and even he failed ... I really like his new Cabinet. I really like John Kerry for secretary of state, so I really think his second term is going to be another A. I think he’s going to position the party even better for another Democrat in 2016.”

While Lareau agreed that many young people — even those who lean left — have been heard to complain that Obama didn’t do more with his first four years, he said that attitude doesn’t take into account what Obama has faced.

“Young people who are disappointed in the president don’t understand the realities of what a president can do and what legislation he can push,” Lareau said. “Either

people are too apathetic or too ignorant of politics in the real world to understand how much he has done.”

Soon, the dome of the Capitol rose up between the townhouses. We worked our way through security, and at last we were there, standing on the Mall in the cold daylight between the Capitol and the Washington Monument. Seagulls turned and wheeled over the pool before Capitol Hill. The balcony where the president and dignitaries would appear was lost in the far dis-tance for cheap-seat ticket holders like us, but there

were Jumbotrons and big speakers set up, and we were glad to be there.

We found college student Arzalious Davis in the throng. A native of Helena, Davis was one of 100 Arkan-sas students chosen by the MLK Commission to attend on the strength of an essay he wrote. Davis, who grew up in poverty, said that when he heard he was going to Washington, it was like he’d hit the lottery.

“I was like: I’m going to see President Obama’s inau-guration — to see this, in person,” he said. “I’m 20, and

AMERICANS: (From left)

Chris Melendez, Arzalious Davis

and Jared Lareau celebrate during

the innaugural speech.


I voted for him, and it’s a great feeling to see him have four more years and to visit this wonderful city.”

Asked if he thought Obama’s re-election meant we’re finally getting past race in this country, Davis said he believes it does. “You can actually see the change,” he said. “There’s progress being made now. We were watch-ing the polls, and we were nervous, but I kept my faith and he won. That lets me know it’s going to be all right ... . When you grow up with nothing, it makes you want to strive for more. That’s what I did, and that’s what he did too. He grew up with practically nothing, and look at what he did.”

Standing nearby was Chris Melendez. Born in the United States to parents who came here from Guate-mala, Melendez, 19, cast his first presidential vote for Obama last year. “Before this, I wasn’t really informed about anything political,” he said. “I wanted to use this as a start so I can become more informed when I vote.”

Melendez said he has followed Obama’s progress on immigration issues, and said that Obama has accom-plished a lot in that regard considering his opposition in Congress. “With his second term, he’ll actually be able to do a lot more of what he actually wants to do,” Melendez said, “because he won’t have to worry about public opinion and re-election. He’s got it already. So I’m pretty sure we’ll see a lot more done with immigra-tion reform.”

Soon, the Mall was so packed it was hard to move. Inching through the crowd, we came upon Little Rock civil rights activist Johnny Hasan, who was standing below one of the Jumbotrons with his friend Odessa Darrough. Hasan said that he was in Washington in the 1990s for the inaugurations of his friend Bill Clinton, and was excited and proud to be there for what he jokingly called “The Second Coming of Obama.”

“He fought the fight, and he established those things that were possible which were possible with the opposi-tion he had,” Hasan said. “This term, he’s going to have to do an even better job of negotiating with those who

oppose his policies, but that’s the goal of any president. His legacy will be a part of the history of America.”

Hasan said that Obama’s election and re-election proved we are finally embracing the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

“The challenge is that people are judged by the con-tent of the character, according to Dr. Martin Luther King,” Hasan said. “In America, Obama represents the manifestation of that. The moment we’re celebrating today is also Dr. Martin Luther King’s holiday. So in my

opinion, the content of his character was what brought him to be the leader he is, for the free world.”

Darrough said she wanted to be part of the day to help Obama know that the country is ready to support him in making a difference. She rated his first term as excellent.

“We elected him not only because he’s African-Amer-ican,” Darrough said, “but because of everything else he brings to the table: intellect, caring, loving, wanting to bring the United States back to the top, where we were in the past. With him as the chief leader of our country, we will get there.”

Unable to budge by then without stepping on toes, Brian and I stood there near Hasan and Darrough as the dignitaries came to the podium, the crowd cheering the First Family and offering up a chorus of boos for House Speaker John Boehner and Congressman Eric Cantor. And when Obama appeared — soon to be sworn in on the Bibles of Lincoln and MLK, and to declaim: “We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths, that all of us are created equal, is the star that guides us still” — such a cheer rose from the assembled million that I would not have believed the sound of it had we not been there.

One America, two men

There is more to the story, of course, but I’ll let Brian’s photos say the rest. The story is: we were there, and saw it done, and laid down that night

glad to have seen it. The next morning, we were up again before daybreak.

With the bus idling at the curb in front of the hotel, ready to swallow another full day of our lives in exchange for having seen the previous day’s events, I talked to Lloyd and Kellie Noble of Pine Bluff — other members of the extended Noble family.

“I wanted my kids to have the experience,” said Kel-lie, who works as a kindergarten teacher, “to be able to say: I went to Washington, D.C. Not only do they get to read about it in history books, they get to say they were actually here.”

Lloyd, Kellie’s husband, owns a small construction company, and attended the inauguration in 2008. He said the inauguration felt different this time — more hopeful, like change is finally happening. Obama’s re-election proves that color is gone, he said, and that we’re finally ready to become the One America that Martin Luther King talked about.

“We all say Obama is ‘a black president,’ but we’re look-ing for a leader,” he said. “At this point, we can’t worry about color. We need a leader. When you read the Bible stories, they say: ‘God, give us a king! Give us somebody to lead, because we’re in trouble.’ When the people of this country realized they were in trouble, that’s what they looked for.”

He turned, and glanced out at the bus in front of the hotel. Arkansas was calling us both hard by then. A youthful 64, Noble said he believed his children and grandchildren would visit a memorial to Barack Obama on the Mall someday, after history had its say. The way he looked when he said it made me see it with him.

“That’s going to be beautiful,” he said. “You look at King and then you look at Barack. I’ve heard them called two black men, standing together. Yeah, they’re two black men, but let’s say this: ‘Two men.’ Leave the color out. Let’s say: ‘Two men.’ ”

AMONG THE CROWDS: Lorenzo A. Gutierrez and Mayra Acevedo came from New Mexico to show support for Obama.


Arts EntertainmentAND

Damn Arkansan takes round oneIn midst of heartbreaking night, Fayetteville band shines through.

BY ROBERT BELL

The Showcase started this year under exceptionally tragic cir-cumstances. Mason Mauldin,

a pilot for Central Flying Service and a longtime fixture on the Little Rock music scene who’d played in Sugar & The Raw and Big Boots, died in a plane crash Thursday. He was supposed to play the showcase that night with his band Collin Vs. Adam. About an hour before the show was supposed to start, the folks at Stickyz got a frantic call from a family member of one of the guys in the band, notifying us that they would not be playing because one of the members had died.

We had no idea what to do. The other three bands and I talked about postpon-ing the show, and they were all fine with that. But after further discussion with the judges, bands and Stickyz staff, we

decided that since everyone was already there and two of the bands and their friends and family members had trav-eled more than three hours for the show, to go ahead. The common thread among everyone was that as a musician, you always want the show to go on. It was a relief to have that confirmed the next day by Mike Motley of Collin Vs. Adam.

Mauldin’s passing is an enormous blow to a tight-knit community of musi-cians and artists. We’ve lost a gifted musician and for many, a dear friend. Please read this week’s Observer col-umn for more about Mauldin’s life.

★★★

Fayetteville’s Damn Arkansan won the first round unanimously on the strength of its high energy set and a sound that fuses early Little Feat and later era Pavement. That might sound

like it wouldn’t work, but the band makes it seem effortless.

Starting off the night was Annal-isa Nutt, a singer/songwriter who was accompanied by Sean Michel on the djembe. Nutt is without question one of the best — if not the best — singers who has played the Showcase in its 21 years. She also can write a confessional weeper that’s as sad as they come. She was in total control of her pure, strong voice, which guest judge Bobby Missile called “powerful and angelic.” Guest judge Bill Solleder was impressed too, but wrote that he’d like to hear more hooks and a little more joy in her music.

The Trey Hawkins Band played next, and brought to the stage a heaping helping of amped-up Red Dirt ruckus. Judge Grayson Shelton noted that Little Rock gets a lot of similar acts that come

through, and the THB could hang with any of them. “Not a lot of pretense,” he wrote, “just good beer-drinking coun-try music.”

Damn Arkansan played last and obviously made a big impression on all of the judges, who noted the sing-ers’ tight harmonies and unrelenting energy. “They’re like a rockin’ Uncle Tupelo,” wrote Judge Mandy McBryde.

ROUND 2 LINEUPTOM & HEBRON: Brothers Tom and Hebron Chester have a spooky-good grasp on ’70s singer/songwriter rock. Think Elton John, The Band, Wings, Emmitt Rhodes and the like. Check out

“Ridge Runner,” which hits so many classic FM sweet spots. They must’ve spent hours with their parents’ record collection, and you can hear how fully they’ve absorbed those dusty grooves.

FLINT EASTWOOD: This hip-hop/indie rock five-piece has only been around since last year, but they’ve wasted no time, releasing an EP and a self-titled full-length in the span of five months. While the band’s influences are all over the place (Kid Cudi, Nirvana, N.E.R.D., Tool, Blink 182, Sade, U.G.K. and Rage Against the Machine), Flint Eastwood nonetheless melds these into a cohesive, if uncommon sound. Exhibit A: the soulful, moody “Stars.”

STEPHEN NEEPER BAND: Post alt-rock electrified blues is the name of the game with the Stephen Neeper Band. The group’s namesake is a virtuoso guit-wailer, to boot. Think Cream by way of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, especially on the blistering “Bad Romance.” The band is fresh off another showcase vic-tory, having just won the Waka Winter Classic at Stickyz, thus securing a spot up on Mulberry Mountain at Wakarusa.

THE BAD YEARS: Anyone who had a huge weakness for the late ’80s/early ’90s East Bay punk scene (such as yours truly) will probably dig The Bad Years in a big way. The young band — most of them are still in high school — has a sound that’s heavily inspired by Jaw-breaker, early Green Day, Samiam, Pin-head Gunpowder and the like. They weave in local influences as well, The Big Cats namely. Check out “Nowhere in Sight,” for a catchy nugg of buzzsaw pop-punk.

BR

IAN

CH

ILS

ON

ROUND 1 WINNER: Fayetteville’s Damn Arkansan.


arktimes.com/showcaseStickyz - 107 River Market Ave, Little Rock | 501-372-7707 | $5 for 21+ & $10 for 20 & younger

ROUND 3, Feb 7Freedom Bureau

Gwendlyn KayThe Revolutioners

Mothwind

ROUND 4, Feb 14Miles Rattz

This Holy House Peckerwolf

Terminus

ROUND 5, Feb 21Bartin Memberg

Sound of the Mountain Knox Hamilton

The Midnight Thrills

FINALS, Mar 1Damn Arkansan

TBDTBDTBDTBD $10 Men’s & Women’s sizes

9pm: Tom & Hebron 10pm: Flint Eastwood 11pm: Stephen Neeper Band Midnight: The Bad Years

grab a t-shirt at the show!

upcoming rounds

Enter the Bonnaroo ticket giveaway at each show!

ROUND 1 WinnerDamn Arkansan

roUND 2january 31

CONGRATULATIONS TO 17-YEAR-OLD CHARLIE ASKEW of Little Rock, who wowed the “American Idol” judges at the Baton Rouge auditions on a recent episode and thus will be going to Hol-lywood.

Askew — who’s performed in pro-ductions by the Arkansas Repertory Theatre’s Young Artist program — sang part of Queen’s “Breakthru” and a touch of the jazz standard “Nature Boy.” It’s fair to say the judges were a bit surprised by his seriously impressive vocal chops.

In the background segment, Askew talks about how he’s always felt awkward and had a hard time communicating with people. Music has been a vital conduit. Askew’s mother said his doctor diagnosed him with “Charlie Askew Syndrome,” because “he didn’t really fit any diagnosis.”

“When I was little I wasn’t able to reach out and connect with people so-cially or verbally,” the young singer said. “Through music, finally I found an outlet, some way I can express myself.” The whole segment is mega-adorable.

THE ARKANSAS LITERARY FESTIVAL ORGANIZERS LAST WEEK announced the author lineup for this year’s shindig, scheduled for April 18-21.

Among those who’ll be speaking, leading workshops and/or participating in panel discussions are renowned poet CD Wright, Richard Ford (“The Sports-writer,” “Independence Day”), cartoonist Ben Katchor, Karen Russell (“Swamp-landia!”), food writer and memoirist Salma Abdelnour (“Jasmine and Fire: A Bittersweet Year in Beirut”), Caro-lyn Briggs (whose memoir “This Dark World: A Memoir of Salvation Found and Lost” was the basis for the film “Higher Ground”) and many more.

More details about participating authors are available at Arkansasliterary-festival.org. The full schedule won’t be out until March, but here are a few of the events you can look forward to. Author! Author! is back, with hors d’oeuvres and drinks for the drinking-age folks. At Write Your Film, Briggs, Raquel Cepeda and Sara Nesson will offer guidance about writing memoirs, documentaries and original narratives.

There’s also one called Grey Me Up, Baby, which is about “Fifty Shades of Grey.” That is of course the best-selling novel about a young woman and her career working at a paint factory where she’s in charge of all the different tones ranging from almost-white to just barely not-quite black. Yeah, that sounds right.

Anyways, it looks like a really good lineup, and we’ll have much more infor-mation as it becomes available and an entire issue previewing the festival.

The festival also announced that Academy Award-winning authors Larry McMurtry and Dianna Ossana (“Broke-back Mountain”) will be in town May 2-3 for a fundraising event and a reading.

ROCK CANDYCheck out the

Times’ A&E blog

arktimes.com

A&E NEWS

check out additional shows at whitewatertavern.com

Little Rock’s Down-Home Neighborhood Bar7th & Thayer · Little Rock · (501) 375-8400

Friday, January 18Trevor Ware Art Auction

and Show Vol. 2

Saturday, January 19Tyrannosaurus Chicken

tueSday, January 22B I G S I L V E R

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THE TO-DO LIST BY ROBERT BELL

THURSDAY 1/31

‘AN EVENING WITH BONNIE MONTGOMERY’10 p.m. White Water Tavern. $7.

This sounds like a delightful way to spend a night out — two sets from the talented and charming Ms. Bonnie Mont-

gomery. Surely by now, Times readers are familiar with Montgomery. She’s been a fixture on the local live music scene since relocating back to her home state in 2009, and she wasted no time in winning over audiences with her sophisticated take on country, folk and roots rock. Oh, and she

wrote an opera about Bill Clinton that won all sorts of attention and earned staged readings in Little Rock and in New York. In recent weeks, she went on tour opening for her fellow Searcy natives in Gossip, playing for packed houses on both coasts and on the Continent. At this show, Montgom-

ery will treat the audience to her quieter, folky side with fiddle accompaniment by Geoffrey Robson, associate conductor of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, and in the second set, she’ll be joined by her band (including Gossip’s Nathan Howdeshell) for a full-bore honkytonkin’ gitdown.

THURSDAY 1/31

PERPETUAL GROOVE9 p.m. Revolution. $10.

If you’re a casual fan of Athens, Ga., jam-circuit heav-ies Perpetual Groove, you’ll want to take note: The band is going on an indefinite hiatus effective April 6, and this run of shows — Wednesday in Oxford, Thursday in Little Rock, Friday in Memphis and Saturday at George’s Majes-tic Lounge in Fayetteville — are among the only ones cur-rently scheduled. Frontman Brock Butler wrote a letter on the band’s website recently that outlined the reasons for the break. “Trying to find balance, break bad habits and develop good ones while continuing a life on the road is something I haven’t been able to do,” he wrote. The other members, Adam Perry, Matthew McDonald and Albert Suttle, will continue to perform as Ghost Owl. As for the hardcore PGroove fans, they’ve probably already made plans to catch all of these shows. The Revolution show is 18-and-older.

FRIDAY 2/1

VANISHING ISLANDS12:30 a.m. Midtown. $5.

Vanishing Islands occupies a rela-tively lonely space in the musical land-scape. Lots of bands seem to want to fit into recognizable genres, and from a marketing standpoint, I suppose that’s logical. But this Memphis synth-bass-drums trio seems to have little use for tidy categories, instead straddling the

line between Devo-esque, herky-jerky post-punk and, in texture if not in over-powering showoff-iness and freakish time signatures, prog rock. There’s a kind of a bummed-out, Van der Graaf Generator vibe going on with “Leben Picchu,” from the band’s “Extended Player #3” EP from last summer. Bass-ist Jason (couldn’t find a last name any-where) has a singing voice that reminds me of Peter Hammill, so that might

be part of it, but Vanishing Islands has several tracks that capture Van der Graaf’s moodiness like few oth-ers I’ve heard. On the band’s Facebook description, they list the following rad, very un-trendy musical influences: The Stranglers, No Means No, Oingo Boingo, Genesis, Alice Donut, Can, Jesus Lizard. If all of that sounds like your bag of skronky weirdness, don’t skip this one.

SATURDAY 2/2

‘THE ONE-LEGGED, ASS-KICKIN’ BENEFIT’9 p.m. Stickyz. $10.

Back in November, Derek Holcomb, of Little Rock, was shot in the leg while he was deer hunting. Holcomb logged a stay of more than a month in the hospi-tal, and after several complications, lost his right leg below the knee. Spending that long in the hospital is not only tax-ing on a physical and emotional level. It’s also costly from a financial stand-point. To help Holcomb with these expenses, his good buddies in The Good Time Ramblers teamed up with Stickyz to put on this benefit concert. Holcomb has been upbeat despite the trauma, tweeting “I’ve used the phrase ‘dodged that bullet’ more times than I can count. I guess I have to shelve that one immediately & indefinitely” and

“Should I get tennis balls for my walker? #behonest.” Holcomb has even man-aged to make it out to see the Ramblers, getting onstage as guest vocalist for the group’s cover of The Band’s “Atlantic City.” You can bet on that happening again at this benefit.

GROOVE ON UP: Perpetual Groove performs Thursday at Revolution.

SKRONKY TRIO: The Vanishing Islands play Midtown Billiards Friday night.


WEDNESDAY 1/30Heavy alt-rockers Trapt play an all-ages show at Revolution, with Acidic and The Action Blast, 8:30 p.m., $12 adv., $15 day of. Canadian pop-punkers Sum 41 play George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville, 8:30 p.m., $20. White Water Tavern hosts Adam Faucett and Austin, Texas, hell-raisers Black Eyed Vermillion, 10 p.m. The Ar-kansas Repertory Theatre’s produc-tion of “Gee’s Bend” continues, 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and Sun-day at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., $25-$40.

THURSDAY 1/31The Meshugga Klezmer Band always offers a lively night out, The Joint, 8:30 p.m., $8. Tire-less alt-country rockers American Aquarium play George’s Majestic Lounge with Fayetteville’s Damn Arkansan, who are fresh off a win in the first round of the Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase, 10:30 p.m., $7. Speaking of the show-case, Round 2 kicks off Thursday at 9 p.m. at Stickyz. It’s an all-ages thing, $5 for 21 and older, $10 for 20 and younger. You can find out all the details over on page 18. Folk-punk duo The Front Bottoms are at Juanita’s, with John Neal and Harlo Maxwell, 9 p.m., $8 adv., $10 day of. Vocalist Brian Tru-bitt and pianist Bob Bidewell will perform Schubert’s song cycle “Die Winterreise.” The concert benefits Lovers of Learning Fellowship, a new Jewish congregation in Hot Springs, Christ of the Hills United Methodist Church, 6 p.m. It’s free, but donations are accepted.

FRIDAY 2/1Vino’s has lined up an evening of totally rad local rock, with The Bad Years, Glittercore and Crooked Roots, 9 p.m., $5. From Lawtell, La., Dikki Du & The Zydeco Krewe returns for another night of wild bayou revelry, White Water Tavern, 10 p.m., $6. From New Orleans comes the Russian folk/punk hybrid Debauche (Gogol Bordello are fans, btw) with Little Rock’s own Dangerous Idiots, 18-and-older, Stickyz, 9:30 p.m., $6. Debauche also plays at Midtown Saturday night, 12:30 a.m., $5.

SATURDAY 2/2Blues-rockers extraordinaire The Sideshow Tragedy come to the Spa City, with Ben Franks & The Bible Belt Boys and Fitra, Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5 adv., $7 door. The Afterthought screens the film “True Delta” and hosts a live performance from Lucious Spiller, 9 p.m., $7. If bull-riding is your jam, don’t miss the PBR Lucas Oil Pro-fessional Touring Series, Verizon Arena, 7:30 p.m., $17-$52.

IN BRIEF

SATURDAY 2/2

JOE DIFFIE8:30 p.m. Juanita’s. $20 adv., $25 day of.

Tulsa native Joe Diffie rose to national prominence during the early ’90s — a golden era for country music, for sure. He got started the way so many country stars have, as a song-

writer working a day job in Nashville, waiting to break through. For Diffie, that happened in 1990, when his single

“Home,” from the album “A Thousand Winding Roads,” hit No. 1 on the Bill-board Hot Country Songs chart. Dif-fie had a long string of hit albums and singles throughout the 1990s, includ-ing four more No. 1s, and in 1993, he

was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. His most recent album is 2010’s “The Bluegrass Album: Homecoming.” The title sums it up: The album finds Diffie getting back to the bluegrass that he started out playing decades before in his native Oklahoma. Openers include Hillbilly Vegas, Ashley McBryde and Big Shane Thornton.

SATURDAY 2/2

‘DRUMLINE LIVE’7:30 p.m. UCA’s Reynolds Perfor-mance Hall. $30-$45.

If you’ve ever been captivated by the sights and sounds and overall amped-up, brassy spectacle of a live

marching band, here’s one you’ll want to consider. “Drumline Live” is a tour-ing stage show based on the rich tradi-tion of the Historically Black College and University marching band experi-ence. According to the producer Half-time Live, the show incorporates “orig-

inal compositions and soul-infused interpretations of top 40 hits,” so if you’ve been wanting to hear marching-band versions of your top-of-the-pop-charts favorites done up with cracking drums and blasting brass and wood-winds, here is your opportunity.

RIMSHOT: “Drumline Live” comes to UCA’s Reynolds Performance Hall Saturday night.


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 informa-tion, to [email protected].

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 30

MUSICAcoustic Open Mic. The Afterthought, 8 p.m.,

free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Adam Faucett, Black Eyed Vermillion. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W 7th St. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Brian & Nick. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Chris DeClerk. The Tavern Sports Grill, 7 p.m., free. 17815 Chenal Parkway. 501-830-2100. www.thetavernsportsgrill.com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m.; Jan. 31, 7 p.m.; Feb. 1, 7 p.m.; Feb. 2, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Ricky David Tripp. Rocket Twenty One, 5:30 p.m. 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-603-9208. www.ferneaurestaurant.com.

Sum 41. George’s Majestic Lounge, 8:30 p.m., $20. 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-442-4226.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capi-talhotel.com/CBG.

Trapt, Acidic, The Action Blast. All-ages. Revolution, 8:30 p.m., $12 adv., $15 day of. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. rev-room.com.

COMEDYDante, Owen Straw. The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m.,

$7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

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

Standup Open Mic Night. Hosted by local come di ans of the com edy col lec tive Come di-ans of NWA. UARK Bowl, 9 p.m., free. 644 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-301-2030. uark-bowl.com.

DANCELittle Rock Bop Club. Beginning dance lessons

for ages 10 and older. Singles welcome. Bess Chisum Stephens Community Center, 7 p.m., $4 for members, $7 for guests. 12th & Cleveland streets. 501-350-4712. www.littlerockbopclub.

EVENTS“Disaster Preparedness and Response.” Panel

discussion including Entergy Arkansas President Hugh McDonald, Arkansas Department of Emergency Management Director David Maxwell and a representative of the Arkansas Red Cross. Clinton School of Public Service, 6 p.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www.clintonschool.uasys.edu.

Science After Dark: “It’s Not the End of the World.” 21-and-older. Downtown Music Hall, 6 p.m., $5, free for members. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com.

POETRYWednesday Night Poetry. 21-and-older show.

Maxine’s, 7 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot

Springs. 501-321-0909. maxineslive.com/shows.html.

SPORTSUALR Women’s Trojans vs. Louisiana Tech.

Jack Stephens Center, UALR, 7 p.m., $5-$38. 2801 S. University Ave.

CLASSESPreschool Art Class: Lines & Shapes. For chil-

dren ages 3 to 5 with a caregiver. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, 1:15 p.m., $30 per session. 600 Museum Way, Bentonville. 479-418-5700. crystalbridges.org.

Studio Studies Series | Figure Drawing from a Thomas Eakins Perspective. Explore the fig-ure-drawing style of the great American painter Thomas Eakins. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, 6:30 p.m., $65. 600 Museum Way, Bentonville. 479-418-5700. crystalbridges.org.

THURSDAY, JAN. 31

MUSIC2013 Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase Round 2. All-ages show, with Tom & Hebron, Flint Eastwood, Stephen Neeper Band and The

Bad Years Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $5 21 and older, $10 20 and younger. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

American Aquarium, Damn Arkansan. George’s Majestic Lounge, 10:30 p.m., $7. 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-442-4226.

Ben Robbins. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. www.maxinespub.com.

Brian Trubitt and Bob Bidewell. The vocalist and pianist will perform Schubert’s song cycle “Die Winterreise.” Benefits Lovers of Learning Fellowship, a new Jewish congregation in Hot Springs. Christ of the Hills United Methodist Church, 6 p.m., free, donations accepted. 700 Balearic Road, Hot Springs Village. 501-922-4503. www.cohumc.com.

“An Evening with Bonnie Montgomery.” White Water Tavern, 10 p.m., $7. 2500 W 7th St. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

The Front Bottoms, John Neal, Harlo Maxwell. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $8 adv., $10 day of. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.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,

Jan. 31, 7 p.m.; Feb. 1, 7 p.m.; Feb. 2, 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.

Meshugga Klezmer Band. The Joint, 8:30 p.m., $8. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Ol’ Puddin’haid. Thirst n’ Howl, 8 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl.com.

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

Perpetual Groove. 18-and-older. Revolution, 9 p.m., $10. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.


Tragikly White (headliner), Jocko (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajun-swharf.com.

COMEDYDante, Owen Straw. The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m.,

$7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

DANCELula Washington Dance Theatre: “The Little Rock Nine.” Phillips Community College Stuttgart, 7 p.m., $12-$27. 2807 Hwy. 165 S., Stuttgart.

EVENTSLive horse racing. Thu.-Sun. every week until

April 13, plus Memorial Day. Oaklawn, $2. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411. www.oaklawn.com.

Seis Puentes 12th Anniversary Reception and Dinner. Honoring Alan Leveritt, publisher of the Arkansas Times and El Latino. Argenta Community Theater, 6 p.m., $75. 405 Main St., NLR. 501-353-1443. argentacommunity-theater.org.

FRIDAY, FEB. 1

MUSIC30-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. 501-301-1200.

The Bad Years, Glittercore, Crooked Roots. Vino’s, 9 p.m., $5. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

Brick Fields Band. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.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. 501-221-1620. www.1620savoy.com.

Debauche, Dangerous Idiots. 18-and-older. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9:30 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

Dikki Du & The Zydeco Krewe. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m., $6. 2500 W 7th St. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Don’t Stop Please. New Delhi Cafe, Feb. 1, 5-8 p.m.; Feb. 3, 5-8 p.m. 2 N. Main St., Eureka Springs. 479-253-2525. www.thenewdelhicafe.com.

‘WHEN YOU’RE A JET’: The Broadway classic “West Side Story” is at Robinson Center Music Hall, courtesy of Celebrity Attractions, Wednesday and Thursday night at 7:30 p.m., $25-$63.

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First Friday. Revolution, 10 p.m., $10 early admis-sion. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Friday night at Sway. Sway, 9 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582.

The Hi-Balls. Thirst n’ Howl, 9 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl.com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, Feb. 1, 7 p.m.; Feb. 2, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliams-steakroom.com.

Midas Coven. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 9 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Opportunist, Perpetual Werewolf, The Sound of the Mountain. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5 adv., $7 door. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. www.maxinespub.com.

Randy Rogers Band. George’s Majestic Lounge, 9 p.m., $18. 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-442-4226.

Rodge Arnold. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m., $3. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-8032. www.beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock.

Synergy, DJ Sleepy Genius. Montego Cafe, 8:30 p.m. 315 Main St. 501-372-1555. www.montegocafe.com.

Taylor Made (headliner), Richie Johnson (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.


Vanishing Islands. Midtown Billiards, 12:30 a.m., $5. 1316 Main St. 501-372-9990. midtownar.com.

Wretched, All is at an End, A DarkEnd Era, SeVeRe HEADWouND. Downtown Music Hall, 7 p.m., $10-$12. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com.

“YOLO.” Featuring four DJs and beach vol-leyball, 18-and-older. Flying DD, $5. 4601 S. University. 501-773-9990. flyingdd.com.

COMEDYDante, Owen Straw. The Loony Bin, 7:30 and 10

p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

The Main Thing: “The Last Night at Orabella’s.” Original two-act comedic play about the resi-dents of tiny, fictional Dumpster, Ark. The Joint, 8 p.m., $20. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Roy Haber. UARK Bowl, 8 and 10:30 p.m., $7. 644 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-301-2030. www.uarkballroom.com.

EVENTSDiana Avi. The president and CEO of Independent

Sector will discuss her research on the topic of community philanthropy and trends in the non-profit sector. Clinton School of Public Service, noon, free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www.clintonschool.uasys.edu.

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.

Live horse racing. See Jan. 31.Table for Two — Chicken Involtini. Includes

overnight lodging and breakfast. Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, 5 p.m., $200 (couple). 1 Rockefeller Drive, Morrilton. 727-5435. www.uawri.org.

SPORTSLittle Rock Touchdown Club Annual Awards Luncheon. Embassy Suites, 11 a.m., $25-$50. 11301 Financial Centre. 501-312-9000.

SATURDAY, FEB. 2

MUSICBob Schneider, The Cadillac Black. 18-and-

older. Revolution, 9 p.m., $12 adv., $15 day of. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Club Nights at 1620 Savoy. See Feb. 1.Debauche. Midtown Billiards, 12:30 a.m., $5.

1316 Main St. 501-372-9990. midtownar.com.Don’t Stop Please, Handmade Moments.

Smoke and Barrel Tavern, 9 p.m., $5. 324 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-521-6880.

“Drumline Live.” Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA, 7:30 p.m., $30-$45. 350 S. Donaghey, Conway.

The Freds (headliner), Gregg Madden (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.

Ginsu Wives. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W 7th St. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertav-ern.com.

Gorilla Battle of the Bands finals. Downtown Music Hall, 4 p.m. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com.

Jam Rock Saturday. Twelve Modern Lounge, first Saturday of every month, 9 p.m. 1900 W. Third St. 501-301-1200.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Joe Diffie, Hillbilly Vegas, Ashley McBryde, Big Shane Thornton. Juanita’s, 8:30 p.m., $20 adv., $25 day of. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

K.I.S.S. Saturdays. Featuring DJ Silky Slim. Dress code enforced. Sway, 10 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501-492-9802.

Moonshine Mafia. All-ages. Cregeen’s Irish Pub, 8 p.m., $5. 301 Main St., NLR. 501-376-7468. www.cregeens.com.

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.

“The One-Legged, Ass-Kickin’ Benefit.” Benefit for Derek Holcomb, who suffered a serious injury while hunting. Featuring The Goodtime Ramblers. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $10. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

Perpetual Groove. George’s Majestic Lounge, 9 p.m., $18. 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-442-4226.

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.

Quiet Company, Black Taxi. Bear’s Den Pizza, 8 p.m. 235 Farris Road, Conway. 501-328-5556. www.bearsdenpizza.com.

Saline County Showcase. With Junior Hill & The Settlement, Justin Brooks, Josh Ivy and Stephan Bishoff. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m., $7. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Sean Austin. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m., $3. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-8032. www.beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock.

Season of Evil. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8:30

p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstone-pub.com.

The Sideshow Tragedy, Ben Franks & The Bible Belt Boys, Fitra. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5 adv., $7 door. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. www.maxinespub.com.

Singer/Songwriters Showcase. Parrot Beach Cafe, 2-7 p.m., free. 9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG.

“True Delta” film screening with Lucious Spiller. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.after-thoughtbar.com.

COMEDYDante, Owen Straw. The Loony Bin, 7:30 and 10

p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

The Main Thing: “The Last Night at Orabella’s.” See Feb. 1.

DANCELittle Rock West Coast Dance Club. Dance

lessons. Singles welcome. Ernie Biggs, 7 p.m., $2. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-247-5240. www.arstreetswing.com.

EVENTS2nd Annual “Coon Festival.” Glenview

Community Center. 4800 E 19th Street, NLR. 501-945-2921.

Argenta Farmers Market. Argenta, 7 a.m.-noon, Main Street, NLR.

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

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

“Learn Bridge in a Day?” workshop. Price includes all materials. Curtis Finch Bridge House, noon, $20. 7415 Indiana St. 501-993-5823.

Live horse racing. See Jan. 31.Organic Farming & Gardening Seminar. Learn

more about locally sourced food with Sue and Rusty Nuffer. Unitarian Universalist Church of Little Rock, 9 a.m., free. 1818 Reservoir Road.

SPORTSPBR Lucas Oil Professional Touring Series.

Verizon Arena, 7:30 p.m., $17-$52. 1 Alltel Arena Way, NLR. 501-975-9001. verizonar-ena.com.

UALR Men’s Trojans vs. South Alabama. Jack Stephens Center, UALR, 7 p.m., $5-$38. 2801 S. University Ave.

UALR Women’s Trojans vs. South Alabama. Jack Stephens Center, UALR, 4:30 p.m., $5-$38. 2801 S. University Ave.

BOOKSCynthia Rose. The author of “The Battle

for Control” will sign copies of her book. Hastings of Jacksonville, 1 p.m. 915 W. Main St,, Jacksonville. 501-982-3027.

SUNDAY, FEB. 3

MUSICDon’t Stop Please. New Delhi Cafe, 5 p.m. 2 N.

Main St., Eureka Springs. 479-253-2525. www.thenewdelhicafe.com.

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Presents FREE Ask ThE DocToR:UpDATEs on LymphomATREATmEnT

opTionsmonDAy, FEbRUARy 4Networking 5:30pm

Program 6-8pm

Winthrop p. Rockefeller cancer institute

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10th Floor, betsy blass boardroom

Off the Pine/Cedar exit on I-630. Parking Deck 3 available at the corner of Capitol Ave. & Cedar St. To locate Parking Deck 3 (level 2b) using your

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Speaking Faculty:pETER D. EmAnUEL, m.D.

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All events are FREE and OPEN to the public.

501 W. Ninth Street • Little Rockwww.mosaictemplarscenter.com

Mosaic Templars Cultural Center is a museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

February 2 • 6pmSpeak Now! Poetry Series:

Poet & Activist Sunni Patterson February 8 • 5:30-7:30pm2nd Friday Art NightFebruary 15 • 5:30pm

Project 1927:The Lynching of John Carter

February 16 • 9amArkansas Black History Quiz Bowl

February 21 • 10amGovernor’s Office Black History

Month ProgramFebruary 22 • 6-9pm

Family Movie Night:Remember the Titans Starring

Denzel WashingtonFebruary 26 • 10am

2013 Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Distinguished Laureate

Lecture Series:Physicist Dr. Oliver Keith Baker

February 28 • 10-11:15amVoices Without Borders:

Dr. Irma Routen’s Children’s Choir

BLACK HISTORy MONTH

Market Street Cinema times at or after 9 p.m. are for Friday and Saturday only. Lakewood 8, Riverdale and McCain Mall showtimes were not available by press deadline. Find up-to-date list-ings at arktimes.com.

NEW MOVIESBullet to the Head (R) — Rambo’s a vengeance-

seeking hitman in this one. Breckenridge: 1:05, 4:20, 7:30, 10:00. Chenal 9: 11:30 a.m., 2:05, 4:30, 7:30, 10:20. Rave: 11:45 a.m., 2:30, 5:00, 7:30, 10:00.

Oscar Nominated Short Films (NR) — Roughly 90 minutes of Oscar-nominated short films. Market Street: 2:15, 4:15, 7:15, 9:15.

Stand Up Guys (R) — Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin are aging gangsters who reunite after a long time apart. Rave: 11:05 a.m., 1:30, 4:00, 6:30, 9:00.

Vishwaroopam (PG-13) — A young couple’s professional aspirations strain their arranged marriage. Rave: 11:35 a.m., 3:10, 6:45, 10:20.

Warm Bodies (PG-13) — Pretty much “Twilight” but with zombies instead of whatever it was “Twilight” had. Breckenridge: 1:10, 4:00, 7:15, 9:45. Chenal 9: 11:00 a.m., 1:35, 4:00, 7:00, 10:30. Rave: 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 8:00, 10:30 (XTreme), 11:30 a.m., 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:30.

RETURNING THIS WEEKBroken City (R) — Marky Mark is an ex-cop PI

hired by Gladiator to see if his wife is cheating on him. Rave: 10:05 p.m.

Django Unchained (R) — Another revenge flick from Quentin Tarantino, with Jamie Foxx and the guy from “Titanic.” Breckenridge: 12:35, 4:40, 9:25. Rave: 11:15 a.m., 2:55, 6:35, 10:15.

Flight (R) — Denzel Washington is a pilot with a substance abuse problem, from director Robert Zemeckis. Movies 10: 12:10, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00.

Frankenweenie (PG) — A young boy resurrects his departed pooch in Tim Burton’s latest goth-lite animated feature. Movies 10: 12:30, 2:40, 4:45, 7:20, 9:30.

Gangster Squad (R) — Hardboiled gangster drama set in 1940s Los Angeles, with Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. Chenal 9: 11:10 a.m., 1:50, 4:35, 7:15, 10:10. Rave: 7:25, 10:25.

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (R) — They’re just running out of ideas, aren’t they? Starring Jeremy Renner. Breckenridge: 4:25, 7:50, 10:10 (2D), 12:20, 1:20, 4:50, 7:05, 9:30 (3D). Chenal

9: 11:00 a.m., 1:30, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00 (IMAX 3D). Rave: 12:55, 3:20, 5:55, 8:30, 11:00 (2D), 11:25 a.m., 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 7:45, 9:25, 10:10 (3D).

A Haunted House (R) — All your favorite mid- to late-2012 pop-culture references, all con-veniently stapled onto a single parody of the “Paranormal Activity” flicks. Rave: 1:10, 3:30, 5:50, 8:15, 10:35.

Here Comes the Boom (PG) — “The Zookeeper” star Kevin James is a teacher in this one. Movies 10: 12:25, 2:50, 5:15, 7:40, 10:10.

Hitchcock (PG-13) — Starring Sir Anthony Hopkins as Hitchcock, Dame Helen Mirren as the director’s wife and Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh. Market Street: 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:15.

The Hobbit (PG-13) — Slate’s headline: “Bored of the Rings – The Hobbit looks like Teletubbies and is way too long.” Ooh … burn. Whatever, it’ll probably gross bajillions. Rave: 11:40 a.m., 3:55.

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. Movies 10: noon, 2:15, 4:25, 6:40, 8:50 (2D), 1:05, 3:15, 5:25, 7:45, 9:55 (3D).

Hyde Park on Hudson (R) — In which Bill Murray is FDR. Market Street: 2:00, 4:20, 7:00, 9:15.

The Impossible (PG-13) — Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts star in this tale of a family that survives the 2004 Asian tsunami. Market Street: 2:15, 4:30, 7:15, 9:00. Rave: 11:00 a.m., 3:35, 6:55.

Les Miserables (PG-13) — Latest version of Victor Hugo’s classic, starring Anne Hathaway, Gladiator, Wolverine and Borat. Breckenridge: 12:40, 4:05, 7:50. Chenal 9: 11:30 a.m., 3:00, 6:30, 10:00. Rave: 12:20, 3:50.

Life of Pi (PG) — Based on the smash-hit book of the same name, from director Ang Lee. Market Street: 1:45, 4:15, 6:45, 9:15.

Lincoln (PG-13) — Steven Spielberg’s biopic about Abraham Lincoln, with Daniel Day Lewis and Sally Field. Breckenridge: 12:45, 4:15, 7:45. Rave: 11:10 a.m., 2:40, 6:40, 10:10.

Mama (PG-13) — From “Pan’s Labyrinth” helmer, rising star Jessica Chastain confronts a bunch of terrifying something or other. Breckenridge: 1:15, 4:35, 7:35, 9:55. Chenal 9: 11:25 a.m., 1:55, 4:25, 7:25, 10:25. Rave: 11:20 a.m., 2:05, 4:40, 7:15, 9:55.

Movie 43 (R) — Probably not as good as “Movie 42,” but most likely better than “Movie 44” will be. Breckenridge: 12:50, 4:10, 7:10, 9:50.

Chenal 9: 11:20 a.m., 1:40, 4:20, 7:20, 10:05. Rave: 12:35, 3:05, 5:35, 8:20, 10:50.

Parker (R) — You’d think movie bad guys would learn to never mess with Jason Stratham, but they just keep messing with him. Breckenridge: 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00. Rave: 11:50 a.m., 2:45, 5:40, 8:35.

Playing for Keeps (PG-13) — Rom-com about a former pro soccer player who returns home to mend fences with his son, only to be accosted by soccer moms because he’s so studly. Movies 10: 12:05, 2:35, 5:05, 7:35, 10:05.

Red Dawn (PG-13) — Not so much a “remake” as an act of cinematic necrophilia — and an unnecessary one at that. Movies 10: 12:35, 2:45, 4:55, 7:05, 9:35.

Silver Linings Playbook (R) — Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence star as two dysfunctional yet charming weirdoes who are just trying to make their way in this crazy world, OK? Jeez! Breckenridge: 12:30, 3:50, 7:25, 10:05. Chenal 9: 11:15 a.m., 2:00, 4:45, 7:30, 10:15. Rave: 11:55 a.m., 2:50, 5:45, 8:45.

Skyfall (R) — An aging Bond still can’t be beat. Movies 10: 12:15, 1:50, 3:25, 5:00, 6:35, 8:10, 9:45.

Taken 2 (PG-13) — Sequel to the kidnapping-based action film, with Liam Neeson. Movies 10: 12:20, 2:55, 5:20, 7:30, 9:40.

Zero Dark Thirty (R) — This is a Major Serious Film that raises Big Important Questions about the implications of … eh, whatever. Let’s just give this the Best Picture Oscar now and call it a day. Breckenridge: 12:30, 4:30, 8:00. Chenal 9: 11:05 a.m., 2:30, 6:00, 9:45. Rave: 11:50 a.m., 3:20, 6:50, 10:20.

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, 758-5354, 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., 753-1380, www.regmovies.com.

MOVIE LISTINGS FEB. 1-2

BRAAAAAAAAINS! That’s what they’re after in “Warm Bodies,” which is basically “Twilight” but with zombies. Starring Nicholas Hoult.


Friday, March 15 2013, 7:30pmVerizon Arena, Little Rock, AR

SEATING IS LIMITED, GET TICKETS NOW!*PLUS APPLICABLE FEES & TAXES

$15*

For Tickets visit www.joelosteen.comor call 1-800-745-3000

Join us for a special Night of Hope with Joel and Victoria Osteen. You will be encouraged by the message and ministryof Joel and inspired by an exciting time of praise and worship.

Irish Traditional Music Session. Hibernia Irish Tavern, first and third Sunday of every month, 2:30 p.m. 9700 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-246-4340. www.hiberniairishtavern.com.

Michael Eubanks. Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon, 7 p.m. 10901 N Rodney Parham Road. 501-227-8898. www.lonestarsteakhouse.com.

Quiet Company, The Fable & The Fury. Juanita’s, 8 p.m., $8 adv., $10 day of. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Successful Sunday. Featuring live music and DJs. Montego Cafe, 7 p.m. 315 Main St. 501-372-1555. www.montegocafe.com.

Sunday Jazz Brunch with Ted Ludwig and Joe Cripps. Vieux Carre, 11 a.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.vieuxcarrecafe.com.

Yvette “Baby Girl” Preyer Benefit. With Nicky Parrish, Ramona Smith, Julia Buckingham Group, Gerald Johnson, Butterfly and more. Revolution, 7 p.m., $10. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

EVENTS“Live from the Back Room.” Spoken word

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

Live horse racing. See Jan. 31.

MONDAY, FEB. 4

MUSIC7th 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.

Jazz at The Afterthought: KABF Jazz. The Afterthought, Feb. 4, 8 p.m.; Feb. 11, 8 p.m.; Feb. 18, 8 p.m.; Feb. 25, 8 p.m., $5. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.after-thoughtbar.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.

EVENTSPaul Hill. The director of Mission Operations at

NASA Johnson Space Center presents the lec-ture “Leading Through Crisis.” Clinton School of Public Service, 6 p.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www.clintonschool.uasys.edu.

Taraji P. Henson. Henson will speak at University Theatre as part of UALR’s 2013 Black History Month celebration. UALR, 6 p.m. 2801 S. University Ave. 501-569-8977.

TUESDAY, FEB. 5

MUSICAdam Faucett. Bear’s Den Pizza, 8 p.m. 235

Farris Road, Conway. 501-328-5556. www.bears-denpizza.com.

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra: “Rockefeller 10th Anniversary.” Featuring Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in D Major, Op. 44 No. 1. Clinton Presidential Center, 7 p.m. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 370-8000. www.clintonpresiden-tialcenter.org.

Gil Franklin & Friends. Holiday Inn, North Little Rock, first Tuesday, Wednesday of every month. 120 W. Pershing Blvd., NLR.

Skip it‘Parker’ a dud.

BY SAM EIFLING

“Parker,” a movie you’ll forget having seen even as you’re watching it, has about three

more weeks in the theaters. Then it’ll be shuffled off onto video and onto cable television, where it rightly be-longs, because this Jason Statham-led heist flick plays as nothing more sub-stantial than an episode of some CBS crime drama. (Perhaps unfairly, the presence of villain Michael Chiklis, from “The Shield” and “The Commish,” only compounds this sensation.) An hour would’ve been plenty long for the hammy acting, the paint-by-numbers cinematography, the tin-eared dialogue and the underwhelming final big score to unfold. Instead, at two hours, “Park-er” has time to remind you repeatedly why it’ll make a decent rainy Sunday movie to fall asleep to circa 2014.

“Parker” starts with a Big Job that feels smallish: sticking up the cash room at the Ohio State Fair, cracking the safe and hitting the road. Through some soupy flashbacks we learn that Parker’s accomplices on this deal are just some dudes that his partner, the imposing slab Nick Nolte, knows only sorta. Well, they turn out to be a touch rotten. They offer him a chance at another big score that requires his share of the state fair spoils to fund. He declines, so they try to shoot him to death, as stupidity would have it, in a moving SUV. He fights back and escapes, if you can count getting shot and dumped in a canal to be discovered by passing tomato farmers as escaping.

Parker recuperates and tracks the gang to Palm Beach. There he assumes the guise of a Texas oil tycoon in order

to get flat-broke realtor Jennifer Lopez to drive him around and show him homes where a bunch of thugs might hole up to stage a jewel heist. The Mob sends an assassin after him, which is less interesting than it sounds because we never learn a single cool fact about the killer other than that he doesn’t bounce when thrown off a high-rise. Realtor Lopez wants a cut of the job and then does the sort of silly damsel-in-distress stuff that should get her fired from a multimillion-dollar robbery.

Perhaps in another movie, the character Parker, who graced two dozen Donald W. Westlake novels, could pull this jalopy. He ought to be compelling enough — a thief who sticks to his word, doesn’t hurt innocents, steals cars as if they’re in a take-a-penny tray, fights like a cornered wolverine — but the script (by John J. McLaughlin, who also wrote “Black Swan”) swerves between pulpy noir and lazy camp. “Parker” is one of those movies in which you can pretty nearly guess each character’s next line of dialogue. Consider it training wheels on the way to watching Elmore Leonard adaptations and Guy Ritchie projects.

Director Taylor Hackford told a reporter in Palm Beach that he was drawn to the Parker character because of the thief’s pragmatism: “He’s a sociopath. He’s a criminal. But he’s not a psychopath.” If only Hackford could’ve brought that Parker from the page to the screen with anything approaching aplomb, we might’ve had something.

‘PARKER’: Jennifer Lopez and Jason Statham star.

MOVIE REVIEW AFTER DARK, CONT.



DiningWHAT’S COOKIN’

A one-stop shopMercado San Jose has it all.

Little Rock may be more than 700 miles from the Mexican border, but after savoring an exemplary

plate of small, street-style carnitas tacos or spicy, smothered chicken enchiladas, we forget. Those who’ve traveled down Geyer Springs Road in Southwest Little Rock know that diners have myriad op-tions when considering authentic Mexi-can cuisine. Weeding out the good from the great can be quite a daunting and laborious task. Among the many avail-able options, we’ve recently become obsessed with one that has it all — a Latino market, panaderia (bakery), car-niceria (butcher shop) and restaurant rolled into a single, nondescript build-ing — Mercado San Jose.

If you visit San Jose for one reason alone, go for the tortas. When stacked up against their more familiar, more fre-quently ordered cousins (tacos, burritos, or enchiladas), the lowly torta is often overlooked. Diners order their tortas filled with the meat of their choice: asada, carnitas, adobada (spicy, mari-nated pork), cabeza (beef head), chicken, and lengua are among the available options. On our first visit, we opted for the carne asada torta with all the fixins’. It took merely one bite to realize

this was truly something exceptional. A standout torta really comes down to the bread, and in this, San Jose’s version is flawless. Some tortas we’ve eaten in the past arrive slightly too bready, the thick, dense roll often overwhelming its flavorful entrails. Not the case at San Jose. Their bread is baked daily in-house, ensuring that each sandwich is made with fresh, quality ingredients and hasn’t been sitting around in a bag

for days waiting for the next unfortu-nate customer. Here the torta rolls are thinner, lighter, but still able to ade-quately buoy up the wealth of ingredi-ents within. The lightly buttered bread is gently toasted. The fillings are no less extraordinary, the perfect blending of cool and hot, spicy and creamy. Our sandwich was filled with tender sliced beef, tomato slices, freshly shredded lettuce, avocado slices, cilantro, refried beans and melted white cheese. A spread of Mexican crema gets slathered across one side of the sandwich; finish it with house-made red and green salsas, and you are assured to have one of the finest tortas you’ll ever bear witness to.

The tacos are no less noteworthy. Diners may order them with a more classic street-style preparation — sim-ply topped with raw chopped onion and cilantro — or opt for the “con todo” approach, which includes the addition of diced tomato, shredded lettuce, Mex-ican crema, and zesty lime vinaigrette. While we’re generally traditionalists in such situations, we found the loaded versions splendid, the flavors complex and varied. Of the meat options we sam-pled, the cabeza proved to be most satis-fying. Composed of the meat (and other nameless tasty bits) of a steamed cow’s head, the taco was intensely flavorful, with a deep, rich beefy flavor. The meat tasted as if it had been stewing for hours in the rendered fats and juices native to a cow’s melon. Corn tortillas do a short stint on the lightly oiled flattop, impart-ing a slightly crisp exterior that yields to a soft, chewy interior.

Burritos are another remarkable option. Fresh, manhole-sized flour tor-tillas are stuffed near-to-bursting with refried beans, lettuce, tomato, rice, sour cream, and a meat of your choice. We chose the pork adobada, spicy reddish-orange strips of marinated pork, juicy and tender, perfectly complemented by its lengthy list of companion ingredi-ents. Devouring one is no small commit-ment as they are hefty enough to double as the anchor of a small watercraft, but every bite is worth savoring and you’ll likely be anxious for another taste soon after it is gone.

Southwest Little Rock is truly a culi-nary hotbed for ethnic and cultural diversity. San Jose is only one of many restaurants of its kind in this corner of Little Rock, but it may well be the fin-est of them all.

WE CAN NOW CONFIRM, GUS’S WORLD FAMOUS FRIED CHICK-EN is coming to the River Market in the former space occupied by Red-bone’s Downtown. Carter Malloy, a research analyst for Stephens, said Tuesday he’s part of a group that has purchased franchise rights for Gus’s for the state of Arkansas. He said the group hopes to expand beyond the River Market location.

Malloy said the food would be “exactly the same” as other outlets, that he expected to be open daily and he’s hoping the restaurant will serve beer, but that a full bar is unlikely. Asked about a timeframe for opening, Malloy would only say “sooner rather than later.”

Malloy was cagey about the make-up of the franchise ownership group, but as we reported earlier in the month, filings with the secretary of state show a Gus’s Fried Chicken of Little Rock, later changed to City Fried, LLC. Officers include DGLR, an LLC that lists Daniel Bryant, who holds the lease of the building that will house Gus’s, as its only officer, and M&S Holdings of Arkansas, an LLC that includes Malloy and his wife, Jennifer Malloy.

Malloy said this was his first restaurant to invest in, but within the partnership, “there’s a wealth of experience in restaurants and restaurant analysis.”

Malloy said he ate at the Memphis location for the first time two years ago, realized it was the best fried chicken he’d ever had and decided to work to bring the franchise to Arkansas.

“CHILI WITH A KICK,” the annual chili cook-off fundraiser for Youth Home, is hunting chili cookers. Register at chiliwithakick.com (also to play in the event’s kick-ball game or enter a jalapeno eating contest).

Chili, kickball, a slate of bands, kids stuff — it all happens 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Feb. 16 at Dickey-Stephens. Admission is $5.

CHEF DONNIE FERNEAU has an-nounced he’s leaving the restaurant that once bore his name. Ferneau, in a Facebook post, said the deci-sion to leave was mutual with “no hard feelings on either side.”

Little Rock businessman Frank Fletcher bought the restaurant in November 2011 and soon changed the name from Ferneau to Rocket Twenty One. No news yet on what Chef Ferneau’s plans are, but his Facebook announcement stated that he has been “working on a venture, looking for investors.” More information as it becomes available.

Mercado San Jose7411 Geyer Springs Road565-4246

QUICK BITETacos, tortas, burritos and quesadil-las are worth dropping in for, but plated dishes such as milanesa, enchi-ladas smothered in mole poblano and tamales are offered as well. In addition, patrons would also be wise to swing by the well-stocked, bus-tling panaderia, where sweet and savory breads such as churros, empa-nadas and pan dulce are served fresh from the oven. They’re among the best bargains in town.

HOURS9 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. daily.

OTHER INFOAll major CC. Beer.

MERCADO SAN JOSE: Go for the tortas, stay for everything else.

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AMERICANACADIA Unbelievable fixed-price, three-course

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.

BLACK ANGUS CAFE Charcoal-grilled burgers, hamburger steaks and steaks proper. 10907 N. Rodney Parham. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-228-7800. LD Mon.-Sat.

BOBBY’S CAFE Delicious, humungo burgers and tasty homemade deserts. 12230 MacArthur Drive. NLR. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-851-7888. BL Tue.-Fri., D Thu.-Fri.

BOSCOS RESTAURANT & BREWERY CO. Along with the tried and true, 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.

BOSTON’S Ribs, gourmet pizza star at this restaurant/sports bar. 3201 Bankhead Dr. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-235-2000. LD daily.

BOUDREAUX’S GRILL & BAR A homey, seat-yourself Cajun joint that serves up all sorts of variations of shrimp and catfish. 9811 Maumelle Blvd. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-753-6860. L Sat., D Mon.-Sat.

BOULEVARD BREAD CO. Fresh bread, fresh pastries, wide selection of cheeses, meats, side dishes; all superb. 1920 N. Grant St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-663-5951. BLD Mon.-Sat. 400 President Clinton Ave. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-374-1232. BL Mon.-Sat. 4301 W. Markham St. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-526-6661. BL Mon.-Fri. 1417 Main St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-5100. BL Mon.-Sat.

BREWSTERS 2 CAFE & LOUNGE Down-home done right. 2725 S. Arch St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-301-7728. LD Mon.-Sat.

BROWN SUGAR BAKESHOP Fabulous cupcakes, brownies and cakes. 419 E. 3rd St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-4009. LD Tue.-Sat. (close at 5:30 p.m.).

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 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 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.

COMMUNITY BAKERY This sunny down-town bakery is the place to linger over a latte, bagels and the New York Times. 1200 S. Main St. No alcohol, CC. $-$$. 501-375-7105. BLD daily. 270 S. Shackleford. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-1656. BLD Mon.-Sat. BL Sun.

COPELAND’S The full service restaurant chain started by the founder of Popeye’s delivers the

same good biscuits, the same dependable frying and a New Orleans vibe in piped music and decor. 2602 S. Shackleford Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-312-1616. LD daily.

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 soup-and-sandwich stop at lunch draws a large and diverse crowd for Friday night dinner, which varies in theme. 201 Center St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-3283. 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.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. 1619 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-9734. LD daily.

FLYING SAUCER A popular River Market hangout thanks to its almost 200 beers and more than decent bar food. 323 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-372-8032. LD daily.

FOX AND HOUND Sports bar that serves pub food. 2800 Lakewood Village. NLR. Full bar, All

CC. $$. 501-753-8300. LD daily.FRANKE’S CAFETERIA Plate lunch spot

strong on salads and vegetables. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-225-4487. LD Mon.-Fri. 400 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-372-1919. L Mon.-Fri.

FRONTIER DINER The traditional all-American roadside diner, complete with a nice selection of man-friendly breakfasts and lunch specials. 10424 Interstate 30. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-565-6414. BL Mon.-Sat.

FROSTOP A ’50s-style drive-in has been resur-rected, with big and juicy burgers and great irregularly cut fries. 4131 JFK Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-758-4535. BLD daily.

IZZY’S Wholesome, all-American food prepared with care, if rarely far from the middle of the culinary road. With full vegan and gluten-free menus. 5601 Ranch Drive. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-868-4311. LD Mon.-Sat.

J & S CAFETERIA Home-cooking, with daily specials. 601 S Gaines St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-378-2206. L Mon.-Fri.

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.

RIVERFRONT STEAKHOUSE Steaks are the draw here — nice cuts heavily salted and peppered, cooked quickly and accurately. 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.

ROUTE 66 DINER Kid-friendly ‘50s diner with a menu of classics, including chicken and waffles. 7710 Cantrell Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-223-3366. BLD Mon.-Sat.

SO RESTAURANT BAR Call it a French bras-serie with a sleek, but not fussy American finish. 3610 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-1464. LD Mon.-Sat., D Sun.

STICKYZ ROCK ‘N’ ROLL CHICKEN SHACK Fingers any way you can imagine, plus sand-wiches and burgers. 107 Commerce St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-7707. LD Mon-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.

W.T. BUBBA’S COUNTRY TAVERN Sloppy Joe’s, a fried bologna sandwich, a nacho bar and burgers and such. 500 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-244-2528. LD Mon.-Sun.

YOUR MAMA’S GOOD FOOD Offering simple and satisfying cafeteria food, with burgers and more hot off the grill, plate lunches and pies. 215 Center St. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-372-1811. BL Mon.-Fri.

ZIN URBAN WINE & BEER BAR Cosmopolitan yet comfortable, a relaxed place to enjoy fine wines and beers while noshing on superb meats, cheeses and amazing goat cheese-stuffed figs. 300 River Market Ave. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-246-4876. D daily.

BELLY UPCheck out the

Times’ food blog, Eat Arkansas

arktimes.com

Information in our restaurant capsules reflects the opinions of the newspaper staff and its reviewers. The newspaper accepts no advertising or other considerations in exchange for reviews, which are conducted anonymously. We invite the opinions of readers who think we are in error.

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

n o s k i n n y s t e a k s

500 President Clinton avenue (in the river Market distriCt)Call for reservations 501.324.2999 • www.sonnywilliaMssteakrooM.CoM

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DINING CAPSULES


ACROSS 1 Some cartoons 5 “___ de Lune”10 Bills, e.g.14 Boomers’ babies15 Out of the way16 Folkie who

chronicled Alice17 ___ de boeuf18 Best Director of

199720 Speech opener,

often22 Michael Jackson

wore one23 Touts’ hangouts24 E.R.

administration26 “Thumbs up!”27 Sudden pain29 Dark area on the

moon30 Windsor’s prov.31 Ecological

communities32 Not so stuffy34 Hospital �uids

35 Egocentric person’s mantra

36 Like some seas and teas

40 Apply pressure to

42 Loy of “The Thin Man”

43 Winner’s take, sometimes

46 Tip sheet �gures

47 Round-tripper

48 Marker letters

49 His, to Henri

50 Cola wars “combatant”

51 Soap star Susan

53 Chose

56 Statistic from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

59 Untalented writer

60 Clears after taxes

61 Have signi�cance

62 School attended by 007

63 Dif�cult journey

64 Awards at which 51-Across was finally a winner in 1999

65 Choosing-up-sides word

DOWN

1 Pearl Mosque city

2 Word in the names of some bright colors

3 Cabinet department

4 Chile relleno, e.g.

5 Sweet-talk

6 Hurdles for future D.A.’s

7 Actress Anouk

8 Bouncers’ requests

9 ___ center

10 Caravan transport

11 Often-dry stream

12 Neatnik’s opposite

13 “No lie!”

19 Correspond

21 Archaeological sites

24 Bizet opera

25 7 or 11, e.g.

27 “Cougar Town” network

28 Golf’s Michelle

29 Predecessors of photocopies

32 Changes constitutionally

33 ABAB, for one

35 Fort ___, Md.

37 Rub the wrong way

38 Bearded antelope

39 Qin dynasty follower

41 Rose-red dye

42 Act the gloomy Gus

43 Flu, e.g.

44 “Speak up!”

45 Acrylic sheet material

47 Batters’ toppers

50 Indiana’s state �ower

52 Cooper’s handiwork

53 Lowlife

54 Business school subj.

55 Designer label letters

57 Clinch, as a deal

58 Pierre ou Jacques

Puzzle by DAN SHCOENHOLZ

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.

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221202

62524232

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ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLEP A N D A C E L E B T B SI N E R T A K E L A A L IK N O W L E D G E I S R O M

H A L R O S E T T EK N O W I N G A T O M A T O

T I E C U T I R O NI S A F R U I T G E LS T R E A M S J U N I O R S

L E A W I S D O M I SE S A I S I N N E TN O T P U T T I N G I T I NJ A N E R O E A T EO R O A F R U I T S A L A DI T O L I E S T O S A K AN O N S T O A T K E B A B

CROSSWORD

THIS MODERN WORLD

EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ

ASIANFANTASTIC 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.

RJ TAO RESTAURANT & ULTRA LOUNGE Upscale Asian and exotic fare — like Kangaroo burgers and African prawns - from the Chi family. 5501 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-603-0080. D Mon.-Sat.

SAIGON CUISINE Traditional Vietnamese with Thai and Chinese selec-tions. Be sure to try the authentic pho soups and spring rolls. 14524 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-868-7770. LD daily.

BARBECUECORKY’S RIBS & BBQ The pulled pork is extremely tender and juicy,

and the sauce is sweet and tangy without a hint of heat. Maybe the best dry ribs in the area. 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. Side orders — from fries to potato salad to beans and slaw — are superb, as are the fried pies. 5231 E. Broadway. NLR. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-945-5551. LD Mon.-Fri., L Sat.

WHOLE HOG CAFE The pulled pork shoulder is a classic, the back ribs are worthy of their many blue ribbons, and there’s a six-pack of sauces for all tastes. 516 Cantrell Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-664-5025. LD Mon.-Sat. 12111 W. Markham. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-907-6124. LD daily 150 E. Oak St. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-513-0600. LD Mon.-Sat., L Sun. 5107 Warden Road. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-753-9227.

EUROPEAN / ETHNICCAFE 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.

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.

LAYLA’S GYROS AND PIZZERIA Delicious Mediterranean fare that has a devoted following. All meat is slaughtered according to Islamic dietary law. 9501 N Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-227-7272. LD daily (close 5 p.m. on Sun.).

TAJ MAHAL Offers upscale versions of traditional dishes and an exten-sive menu. 1520 Market Street. Beer, All CC. $$$. 501-881-4796. LD daily.

ITALIANPIZZA D’ACTION Some of the best pizza in town, a marriage of thin,

crispy crust with a hefty ingredient load. 2919 W. Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-5403. LD daily.

RISTORANTE CAPEO Familiar pasta dishes will comfort most diners, but let the chef entertain you with some more exotic stuff, too, like crispy veal sweetbreads. They make their own mozzarella fresh daily. 425 Main St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-376-3463. D Mon.-Sat.

ZAZA Here’s where you get wood-fired pizza with gorgeous blistered crusts and a light topping of choice and tempting ingredients. 5600 Kavanaugh Blvd. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-661-9292. LD daily. 1050 Ellis Ave. Conway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-336-9292. LD daily.

LATINOBUMPY’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, a step up from what you’d expect from a real cantina. 207 N. University. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-280-0407. LD daily, BR Sun.

LA SALSA MEXICAN & PERUVIAN CUISINE Mexican and Peruvian dishes, beer and margaritas. 3824 John F. Kennedy Blvd. NLR. Full bar, All CC. 501-773-1101. LD daily.

ROSALINDA RESTAURANT HONDURENO A Honduran cafe that specializes in pollo con frito tajada (fried chicken and fried plaintains). With breakfast, too. 3700 JFK Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, No CC. $-$$. 501-771-5559. LD daily.

TACOS GUANAJUATO Pork, beef, adobado, chicharron and cabeza tacos and tortas at this mobile truck. 6920 Geyer Springs Road. No alcohol, No CC. $. LD Wed.-Mon.

DINING CAPSULES, CONT.

Advertising Supplement to Arkansas Times

THANKS FOR VOTING US TWO GREAT HOT SPRINGS CHOICES FOR AWARD WINNING, FRESH, CREATIVE, VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY, FUN, HEALTHY CUISINE

BEST DELI/GOURMET TO GO - AROUND THE STATE

BEST DESSERT - AROUND THE STATE

BEST MEXICAN - AROUND THE STATE

BEST RESTAURANT - HOT SPRINGS

The ArlingTonWe start this year’s section off with what some consider the heart of Hot Springs; The Arling-ton is a self-contained resort with all of the ambiance and hospitality of a traditional, grand old Southern hotel. Established in 1875, it features full spa service and great restaurants. In the past couple of years, under the man-agement of Bob Martorana, the beloved hotel has undergone many changes for the better, not the least of which is the renovation of the Crystal Ballroom to restore it to the grandeur it possessed when the ‘new’ hotel opened in 1924. There is a rich history that accompanies

the beauty of this room, with weddings, galas and balls being attended by guests ranging from presidents and dignitar-ies to notorious gangsters. The recent restoration of the 5,600-square-foot ballroom includes new maple hardwood floors, carpet, beautiful drapes, large mirrors and paint. The gorgeous crystal chandeliers sparkle like new once

again. The ballroom can seat 300 people for dinner, a dance or reception. The capacity for theatre seating is 400. 239 Central Ave., (501) 623-7771.

Angel’s in The PArk & The PArk hoTelThe Park Hotel, located at 211 Fountain Street, just down the street from the Arlington is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and exemplifies the architectural brilliance of the 1920’s and 30’s. While visit-ing, try their in house Italian restaurant Angel’s In The Park (dinner only) or browse through the lobby Civil War Book Shoppe. Also try their sister restaurant Angel’s Pizza and Pastaria for either lunch or dinner located at 600 Central Avenue. (501) 609-3665. Park Hotel - (501) 624-5323

CAfé 1217Winner of Best Deli Gourmet to go in the Arkansas Times’ 2012 Reader’s Choice Awards; Café 1217 prides itself on the fact that anything that comes

Racing season 2013 has people from all over pooling into the beautiful spa city, and while the high energy atmosphere makes the day dash by, should you consider leaving the track, you will find yourself with oodles of pleasing options to choose from.

Left: The Arlington entrance; Right: The Arlington Crystal Ballroom


from their kitchen is created from scratch, using only the freshest, finest ingredients. In this spirit, the café’s menu is changed monthly. However, the café still has its base of customer favorites, such as the Southwest Cobb Salad, Shrimp and Crawfish Cakes and a wide variety of homey desserts. Café 1217 offers catering services in Hot Springs and the sur-rounding areas. Lunch and dinner. 1217 Malvern Ave. #B, (501) 318-1094.

Taco MaMaJust across the way from Café 1217 you’ll find Taco Mama, one of the tastiest Mexican restaurants in the area. Voted Best Mexican in the state in 2012 by the readers of the Arkansas Times, all the food at Taco Mama is hand prepared and made daily. Head there to enjoy daily hap-py hour drink specials with some of the coldest margaritas and draft beer in town. Lunch and dinner. 1209 Malvern Ave., (501) 624-6262.

Rolando’s, Mexican ResTauRanTRolando’s cuisine is authentic Latin Fusion at its finest. Chef Rolando’s recipes, include handmade tamales, traditional Cuban black beans and rice with pulled pork, and their most popular dish, the tantalizing Pes-cado de Mesias (fish of Jesus)— grilled tilapia on a bed of white rice with pureed mango and a buttery caper sauce served with black beans. You’ll come for the food, but you’ll linger for the atmosphere. Adding to the ambiance, there’s live music on Friday and Saturday nights. Rolando’s also caters events and offers a wide variety of dishes, including items not listed on the menu. Lunch and dinner. 210 Central Ave., (501) 318-6054.

loca MaRuja’sJust across the street from Rolando’s is it’s sister restaurant LocaMaruja’s whose offerings include hand cut Ribeye that will melt inyour mouth, homemade beef and pork Tamales and fresh cooked Fa-jitas. Lunch and Dinner. 135 Central Avenue., (501) 620-4735

McclaRd’sMcClard’s Bar-B-Q Restaurant was established in Hot Springs National Park in 1928. All of the barbeque meat is cooked and smoked in the old-fashioned pit style, and everything on the menu is made from scratch using time-honored family recipes. Travelers from across the country have made McClard’s a regular stop on their visits to Hot Springs, and now they can have access to those delicious McClard’s sauces and season-ings they crave without making the trip by visiting McClard’s online at mcclardsbbq.com! Lunch and dinner. 505 Albert Pike, (501) 623-9665.

osakaHot Springs’ largest Japanese restaurant offers up a broad range of selec-tions, always prepared from the highest quality ingredients, with a menu that features delicious hibachi, tempura, teriyaki, noodles and sushi rolls. Osaka just added seven new rolls to their menu of which the Butterfly Kiss Roll and the Sun Roll are favorites. The exotic atmosphere offers a variety

Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar

Lunch Mon-Sun 11am-3pm • Dinner Sun-Tues 4:30-10pm Fri-Sat 4:30-10:30pm3954 Central Avenue (behind Starbucks) • Hot Springs

501.525.9888 • www.osakahotsprings.com

Private Tatami Tables & Party RoomFull Cocktail LoungeDaily Lunch Specials

Hot Springs’ Largest Japanese Restaurant

www.tgmoa.com

McClards


McClard's Bar-B-Q505 Albert Pike • Hot SPringS

866-Mcclardcall us for to-go orders or catering

AS Seen on tHe Food network’S “tHe beSt oF”

An AwArd winning

TrAdiTionSince 1928!

Shop online for sauces, salsa, seasoning and more at

www.mcclards.com

The Heart of Historic Hot Springs National Park

Thermal baths and spa • A national park outside any doorGreat dining choices • Twin cascading outdoor pools

Championship golf courses • Private beauty and facial salon

Relax at The Arlington

For Reservations: (800) 643-1502239 Central Ave. • Hot Springs, AR 71901

TheOriginalAngel’s

Italian Restaurant, Pizzeria & BarMon-Sat Lunch-Dinner

Sun 4-9pm600 Central Ave • Hot Springs

501.609.9323

Eat,Drink& Sleep

Historic Park HotelEst. 1929

Historic RegisteredNational Landmark

Angel’s in the Park Great Italian Food

In A Romantic SettingParty Room Available Mon-Sat 5pm-Close

Reserve Seating Call 501.609.0767

211 Fountain St • Hot Springs501.624.5323 800.895.7275

parkhotelhotsprings.com

of seating options, including private tatami, dining tables, a party room, sushi bar and the always exciting hibachi tables. Lunch and dinner. 3954 Central Ave., (501) 525-9888.

GanGster MuseuM of aMericaTime travel to the days when gambling, boot-legging, prostitu-

tion and hot mineral baths brought people from all over the country to the Spa City. Inside the Gangster Museum you will find relics of the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s as well as photos of once seedy establishments that now hold the gift shops, restaurants and art galleries that define modern-day Hot Springs. You can also relive this bygone era with a one-hour guided tour that exposes the world beneath Central Avenue. And don’t miss the museum’s hatterie, the only one of its kind in the region, which offers an impressive ar-ray of hats for men and women that are now available at tgmoa.com. Stop by the museum dur-ing Oaklawn for a chance to win tickets to the races! Hours of op-eration Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m-6 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. 113 Central Ave., (501) 318-1717.

Sun Roll at Osaka

Continued next page


The Spa CiTy SweeThearTS BurleSque revueThe art of burlesque, with roots extending to the late 1800’s, is enjoy-ing a revival in modern day America. Hot Springs is no exception to the current fascination with classical, theatrical strip tease. Beauti-ful women, in elaborate costumes, often hand-made are timeless high entertainment. “The Spa City Sweethearts Burlesque Revue,” features over two dozen performers, who performed to a sold out audience at Low Key Arts for the first time in February 2011, making it the largest fundraiser of the year for The Valley of the Vapors Independent music festival. The Foul Play Cabaret have since performed regularly in Hot Springs and have entertained crowds in Chicago, New York, and many other cities across the USA. The Spa City Sweethearts Revue returns to Low Key Arts on February 15 and 16, the popularity of the show neces-sitating an additional performance. Doors open on both nights at 7PM, Show at 8PM. Tickets are $10 and are available on-line at www.pre-kindle.com or at Redbeards Tattoo in The Spa City. For more informa-tion contact Low Key Arts at (501) 282-9056. For ages 18 and up only.

hoT SpringS Jazz FeSTival FirST annual Mardi graS parTyThe Hot Springs Jazz Society will be holding its First Annual Mardi Gras Party “Dance to the Beat on Orange Street” on Saturday, Febru-ary 9, 2013 from 6:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. in the old Hot Springs High School Field House at 228 Orange Street. Attendees will enjoy continu-ous music on the dance floor with tunes from Dixieland favorites by the Spa City Stompers, followed by Sweet Mother, back by popular demand from 2012’s JazzFest and finally the Zydeco Stingrays from Dallas, Texas performing their own niche of Zydeco, original compositions for fans of Louisiana music. There will be a costume contest judged by the King and Queen of Mardi Gras, and prizes in value of $500.00 will be awarded. For the more bashful attendees, raffle tickets to win one of the baskets full of wines, spirits and treasures will be offered for only $1 a chance. Cajun food and BBQ will be available along with beverages including beer and wine. There might even be a surprise or two found in King Cup Cakes throughout the evening, provided by Kahn Jewelers. Admission is $20. Become a new Society Member that evening and your entrance will be free. Proceeds will benefit the Hot Springs Jazz Society’s educational programming and the annual Jazz Fest September. Call (501) 627-2425 or visit HSJazzSociety.org for more info and to purchase tickets.

lauray’S, The diaMond CenTerAt Lauray’s, The Diamond Center in historic downtown Hot Springs, buy-ing a gift for your Valentine is always something more than just a piece of jewelry. This year you can purchase a thing of beauty, enjoy a deli-cious meal and feel good about yourself. With any purchase of $199 or more, you’ll receive a $50 gift certificate from the celebrated Central Park Fusion café and a donation will be made to the Garland County Project Hope Food Bank. Lauray’s is at 204 Central Avenue. Call at (501) 321- 2441 or visit online at laurays.com on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

A member of Foul Play Cabaret Burlesque Troupe


Open Daily at 11am 7 Days A Week210 Central Avenue Hot Springs

501.318.6054 www.rolandosrestaurante.com

Let Us Cater Your Event! Items On And Off The Menu • Just Tell Us What You Want.

We Have The #1 Customers In The State!

Restaurant & Catering

Homemade Beef & PoRk TamalesfResH Cooked fajiTas & Hand CuT RiBeyes

deliCious maRgaRiTasopen 7 days a Week

135 Central Avenue • Hot Springs501-620-4735 • www.locamarujas.com

Catering For All Sizes • Private Party Room Available On Site

Feb 1st-28th Art Exhibit “Fabulous Fibers” by Darlene Garstecki & Daffodil DaysGarvan Woodland Gardens

Call 501-262-9300

Feb 9th1st Annual Mardi Gras Party “Dance to the Beat on Orange Street”Hot Springs High School Field House on Orange Street.

Call or visit 501-627-2425, hsjazzsociety.org

Feb 15th & 16thThe Spa City Sweethearts Burlesque RevueDoors open on both nights at 7PM, Show at 8PM. Tickets are $10 and are are available on-line at prekindle.com or at Redbeards Tattoo in The Spa City.

Call Low Key Arts - 501-282-9056

Feb 18thSouthwest StakesOaklawn Racetrack

Call 501-623-4411

Mar 17thFirst Ever 10th Annual World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day ParadeBridge Street in Downtown Hot Springs

Call 1-800-SPA-CITY

aPr 7thBeauty and the Bride Bridal FairGarvan Woodland Gardens. 1-4pm

Call 501-262-9300 or 800-366-4664

109th Annual Live Racing Meet at Oaklawn Racing & GamingTop Thoroughbred from across America; electronic games of skill gaming facility; excellent restaurants.

Call 501-623-4411

Feb 22nd through Feb 24thHot Springs Boat, Tackle, & RV Show

Mar 8th-11thSun Belt Basketball ChampionshipThe Summit Arena

Visit sunbeltsports.org

Mar 15th-22ndThe Valley of the Vapors Independent Music FestivalLow Key Arts and various venues downtown

Call or visit 501-282-9056, valleyofthevapors.com

aPril 13throughJan 11what's bubbling in

hot springs?upcoming events


Jim Dickerson. 7 p.m. Feb. 5-7, 12-14, 19-21, 26-28. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Laundry for the Apocalypse, Whale Fire. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W 7th St. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Lucious Spiller Band. Copeland’s Restaurant of Little Rock, 6-9 p.m. 2602 S. Shackleford Road. 501-312-1616. www.copelandsrestau-rantlittlerock.com.

The Original Harlem Globetrotters. Verizon Arena, 7 p.m., $23-$110. 1 Alltel Arena Way, NLR. 501-975-9001. verizonarena.com.

Ott & The All-Seeing I. George’s Majestic Lounge, 9 p.m., $13. 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-442-4226.

Ricky David Tripp. Rocket Twenty One, 5:30 p.m. 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-603-9208. www.ferneaurestaurant.com.

Tuesday Jam Session with Carl Mouton. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

EVENTSBrown Bag Lunch Lecture: “Aaron Brooks and the 54th United States Colored Troops.” Old State House Museum, noon, free. 500 Clinton Ave. 501-324-9685. www.oldstatehouse.com.

French Wine Tasting. The Joint, 7 p.m., $10. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. the-jointinlittlerock.com.

Peter Brinckerhoff. The trainer, author and non-profit consultant presents “Smart Stewardship for Nonprofits: Making the Right Decision in Good Times and Bad.” Clinton School of Public Service, noon, free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www.clintonschool.uasys.edu.

FILMVino’s Picture Show: “Touch of Evil.” Vino’s,

7:30 p.m., free. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

THIS WEEK IN THEATERAuditions for “The Little Foxes.” The produc-

tion runs from April 5-14. Pocket Community Theater, Sun., Feb. 3, 2 p.m.; Mon., Feb. 4, 7 p.m. 170 Ravine St., Hot Springs.

“Gee’s Bend.” Based on the true story of an isolated rural Alabama community and the interconnected lives of the women who live there and whose quilts are hailed as works of art. Arkansas Repertory Theatre, through Feb. 10: Wed., Thu., Sun., 7 p.m.; Fri., Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m., $25-$40. 601 Main St. 501-378-0405. www.therep.org.

“I Ought to Be In Pictures.” Neil Simon’s play about a screenwriter whose family past comes back to find him. Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, through Feb. 2, 6 p.m.; Sun., Feb. 3, 11 a.m.

and 5:30 p.m.; through Feb. 9, 6 p.m., $15-$33. 6323 Col. Glenn Road. 501-562-3131. murrys-dinnerplayhouse.com.

“Memphis.” Tony-winning musical about a white Memphis DJ who falls in love with rock ‘n’ roll and an electrifying black singer. Walton Arts Center, Feb. 5-7, 7 p.m.; Fri., Feb. 8, 8 p.m.; Sat., Feb. 9, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sun., Feb. 10, 2 and 7:30 p.m., $49-$73. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600.

“The Three Little Pigs and Three Billy Goats Gruff.” Presented by Arkansas Arts Center’s Children’s Theatre. Arkansas Arts Center, through Feb. 10: Fri., 7 p.m.; Sat., 3 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m., $12. 501 E. 9th St. 501-372-4000. www.arkarts.com.

“West Side Story.” Leonard Bernstein’s ver-sion of “Romeo and Juliet.” Robinson Center Music Hall, through Jan. 31, 7:30 p.m., $25-$63. Markham and Broadway. www.littlerockmeet-ings.com/conv-centers/robinson.

GALLERIES, MUSEUMS

NEW EXHIBITIONS, EVENTSMore art listings can be found in the calendar at www.arktimes.com

ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, MacArthur Park: 55th Annual “Wendy Maruyama: Tag Project/Executive Order 9066,” work inspired by the mass internment of Japanese during World War II, Feb. 1-April 21; “Edward Weston: Leaves of Grass,” 53 gelatin-silver prints, Feb. 1-April 21; “Delta Exhibition,” through March 10; “Museum School Faculty Exhibition: Past and Present,” through March 10. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. 372-4000.

COMMUNITY BAKERY, 1200 Main St.: “Beauty in the Natural State,” Arkansas landscape paintings by Jeannie Stone, Feb. 4-March 2, artist’s reception 5-8 p.m. Feb. 8. 375-7105.

LAMAN LIBRARY, 2801 Orange St.: “For All the World to See,” the struggle for racial equal-ity 1940s-1970s in photographs, television clips, artifacts, through March 16; with talk by Emmett Till’s cousin Simeon Wright about Till’s abduction and murder, Tales from the South Dinner and a Show, 5-8 p.m. Jan. 31, $8.90, Starving Artist Cafe. 758-1720.

EL DORADOSOUTH ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, 110 E. 5th

St.: “Beyond Reality,” mixed media by Dan Thornhill, “Pottery by Zach,” ceramics by Zach Graupner, “Painting Dot to Dot,” work by students of Melinda Cameron-Godsey, all Feb. 1-27. Artists reception for students 5-7 p.m. Feb. 5. Artists reception for Thornhill and Graupner 6-8 p.m. Feb. 9. 870-862-5474.

FAYETTEVILLELALA LAND GALLERY, 641 W. Martin Luther

King Blvd.: Architectural drawings by UA stu-dents Paul Mosley and Scott McDonald, 5-8 p.m. Jan. 31. 479-790-7519.

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS: Lecture by Tim Hale, Fossil watch designer, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 5, room 213, Fine Arts Building.

HOT SPRINGSBLUE MOON ART GALLERY, 718 Central

Ave.: “Steel Creations,” sculpture by Wayne Summerhill, through March, reception 5-9 p.m. Feb. 1, Gallery Walk. 501-318-2787.

GALLERY CENTRAL, 800 Central Ave.: Tracee Gentry, new paintings. Gallery Walk reception 5-9 p.m. 501-318-4278.

JUSTUS FINE ART, 827 Central A: Paintings by Donnie Copeland, Robyn Horn, Dolores Justus, Emily Wood and Rebecca Thompson, textiles by Jennifer Libby-Fay. Gallery Walk reception 5-9 p.m. Feb. 1. 501-321-2335.

TAYLOR’S CONTEMPORANEA SALON, 204 Exchange St.: New work by Warren Criswell, Darrell Loy Scott and others. Gallery Walk reception 5-9 p.m. Feb. 1. 501-624-0516.

PINE BLUFFARTS AND SCIENCE CENTER, 701 Main St.: “Women to Watch,” Arkansas chapter of National Museum of Women in the Arts’ exhi-bition of textiles by Louise M. Halsey, Barbara Cade, Jennifer Libby Fay, Jane Hartfield and Deborah Kuster, Feb. 1-April 13. 870-536-3375.

CALL FOR ENTRIESThe Thea Foundation, 401 Main St., North Little

Rock, is taking submissions for its 11th annual scholarship competitions for high school seniors. Competition and submission dead-lines are Jan. 30 (performing arts), Feb. 1 (cre-ative writing), Feb. 2 (performing arts), Feb. 23 (performance poetry) and April 5 (filmmaking). For more information, go to the theafounda-tion.org/scholarships or call 379-9512.

Thea is also taking applications from artists who want to set up booths for the 2nd annual Thea Arts Festival to be held April 27 in Argenta. Deadline to apply is Feb. 1; there will be an anonymous jurying process and successful applicants will be notified Feb. 28. For more information, go to theafoundation.org/artist-signup.

CONTINUING EXHIBITSBOSWELL-MOUROT, 5815 Kavanaugh Blvd.:

“Exodus of Dreams — Cuba to America,” works by Ernesto Capdevila, Eloy Perera, Maydelina Lezcano and Lourdes Porrata, show through Feb. 16. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 664-0030.

BUTLER CENTER GALLERIES, Arkansas Studies Institute, 401 President Clinton Ave.: “Clinton for Arkansas 1974-1992.” 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 320-5700.

CANTRELL GALLERY, 8206 Cantrell Road: “ELEMENTAL Copper. Zinc. Clay. Wood. Bone. Stone. Oil. Watercolor,” multimedia work by Bob Crane, through March 2. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 224-1335.

GALLERY 221, 2nd and Center Sts.: “Expressions of Light,” work by Sean LeCrone, Jennifer Cox Coleman, Jennifer “Emile” Freeman and Peggy Roberson, also work by Michael Freeman, Mary Ann Stafford, Laurens Hare, Carolyn Hendrix and Amanda Wyman, through January. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri. 801-0211.

GALLERY 360, 900 S. Rodney Parham: “Bunker Dogs Art Expo Opening,” paintings, draw-ings, comics and more by Matthew Castellano, X3MEX and Everett Gee, through Feb. 23.

HEARNE FINE ART, 1001 Wright Ave.: “Celebrating Cultures, Liberating Minds,” 2013 V.I.T.A.L. artist collective exhibition, work by Arkansas artists Rex Deloney, Melverue Abraham, Ariston Jacks, LeRon McAdoo, LaToya Hobbs and Michael Worsham, through Feb. 4. 372-6822.

BentonvilleCRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, 600 Museum Way: “Abstractions on Paper: From Abstract Expressionism to Post Minimalism,” through April 29, works from the collection of the Arkansas Arts Center by Lee Krasner, Helen Frankenthaler, Ellsworth Kelly and others; permanent collection of American masterworks spanning four centuries. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon., Thu., Sat.-Sun.; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wed.-Fri. 479-418-5700.

ONGOING MUSEUM EXHIBITSCLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CENTER, 1200

President Clinton Ave.: “Making Politics Personal: Arkansas Travelers,” exhibit about supporters who traveled the country to cam-paign for Clinton; “In Pieces,” multimedia exhibit of Nathan Sawaya sculpture and Dean West photography, through Feb. 1; “Tokens of Friendship: Foreign Heads of State Gifts,” through Feb. 24; permanent exhibits on policies and White House life during the Clinton admin-istration. 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.

HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM, 200 E. Third St.: “Perfect Balance,” paintings by Marty Smith; “Beyond the Expected: Norwood Creech, Paulette Palmer and Edward Wade Jr.,” through Feb. 3; “A Collective Vision,” recent acquisi-tions, through March. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9351.

Continued from page 12

into labor too early on the barest chance the baby could survive. “We’re going to put you in a bed and watch you,” Yates said. “When that patient delivers at 20 weeks, those numbers count against St. Vincent,” Yates said.

According to Health Department data, Arkansas’s infant mortality rate is consistently higher than the national average. In 2009, 39,665 babies were born to Arkansas mothers; 290 of those died before their first birthday. Only .7 per-

cent of all babies delivered were deliv-ered before 28 weeks, but those infants accounted for 36 percent of infant deaths. If 80 percent of all newborns less than 28 weeks were delivered in a level 3 NICU, 15 to 25 babies could be prevented from dying.

Yates said she understands that St. Vincent would be a level 2 under the level definitions, because it does not have a perinatologist, a specialist in high-risk pregnancies, on staff 24 hours.

Smith said hospitals could choose to staff their NICUs to meet criteria.

Other complicating factors: If the lev-els are voluntary, the Health Depart-ment would not have to seek legislation to put them in place. That might, however, affect reimbursement if Medicaid applied the criteria, refusing pay for lower lev-els of care for very sick babies. But if the state were to legislate the levels of care, as it does the trauma system, that would require inspections, which in turn would require funding.

Smith said Picarelli’s petition brings up a “legitimate concern about want-ing to have a high-level NICU as close

to home as possible.” He said the com-mittee is working to address that con-cern. But the committee also has as a priority “that all babies born in Arkan-sas have access to the best care that’s going to give them the best chance at life.” The rules could affect hospital finances as well, if they are required to send patients away. But, Yates said, “that is not what this is about at all. It’s a quality of patient care issue for babies and mamas.” She said even if St. Vincent had to downsize its NICU, “every one of those nurses will find a job at St. Vincent.”

AFTER DARK, CONT.

NICU NURSES, CONT.

february 8The 2nd friday Of each Month, 5-8 pm SponSored by

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

Gourmet. Your Way. All Day.

Gypsy Bistro200 S. RIVER MARKET AVE, STE. 150 • 501.375.3500DIZZYSGYPSYBISTRO.NET


Join Us 5-8pm

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

Pyramid Place2nd & Center St(501) 801-0211

GRAND OPENING GALLERY 221 & ART STUDIOS 221

“HOT SEAT” BY CATHERINE RODGERS

JOIN US TO

CELEBRATE!

5-8PM

Fine Art Cocktails & Wine Hor d’oeuvres

Pyramid Place 2nd & Center St (501) 801-0211

“A Mover & A ShAker”by eMILe

(Left)

“the entertAIner”

by eMILe(top rIght)

“LongIng”by eMILe

(bottoM rIght)

Featured artistJenniFer “eMiLe” FreeMan

Featured exhibit“PeoPLe, PLaces and eMotions”

And 40 Years of fortitude

An Exhibit Honoring African Americans in Arkansas’s Modern General Assembly

(1973-2013)

501 W. Ninth St. • 501.683.3593 • mosaictemplarscenter.com

Friday, February 8 • 5:30 pmFree & Open To The Public.

Galleries www.butlercenter.org • 320-5792

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

Featuring works of art from ArtGroup Maumelle.

Limited time ONLY!

George Washington’s Inaugural BibleGeorge Washington’s Inaugural Bible

On exhibit during 2nd Friday Art Night and the following day only.

200 E. 3rd St. 501-324-9351

HistoricArkansas.org

Drivers Legal Plan

Drivers Legal Plan

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

Love is in the air! Celebrate valentine’s Day early with decadent chocolate treats

and a make a valentine for someone special.

Live Music by Dana Falconberry

cOMe rid

e The free

TrOlley!

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!

Free parking at 3rd & Cumberlandfree street parking all over downtown and behind

the River Market(Paid parking available for modest fee.)

➧

36 JANUARY 30, 2013 ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES

BY JANIE GINOCCHIO

Valentine’s Day is something you don’t want to try and throw together at the last minutes, lest you and your beloved end up getting burgers at the local fast food place because every restaurant in town is packed. As

a public service, we’ve rounded up a few suggestions for places to visit Feb. 14.

MAKE SOMEONE HAPPY

AND FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF

Offer valid February 4-14 , 2013. Does not apply to previous repairs, previous purchases or Pandora merchandise.

402 Central Avenue Hot Springs, ARPhone (501) 321-2441

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A donation will be made to the Garland County

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Antiques501.982.0064

1101 Burman Dr. • JacksonvilleTake Main St. Exit, East on Main, Right on

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JANUARY 30, 2013

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AMERICAN PIE PIZZA9709 Maumelle Blvd, North Little Rock501-758-8800 4830 North Hills Blvd, North Little Rock501-753-008110912 Colonel Glenn Rd #7000, Little Rock501-225-1900

www.americanpiepizza.netSpecial menu: American Pie’s making 10-inch, heart-shaped pizzas throughout February. It’s a perfect way to surprise a loved one for lunch or for a romantic evening in.Cost: $10.99Reservations required: No

ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES JANUARY 30, 2013 37

THE ARLINGTON RESORT HOTEL AND SPA239 Central Ave, Hot Springs1-800-643-1502www.ArlingtonHotel.comSpecial deal: The Arlington’s Romance Package includes a one-night stay for two adults, a bottle of California champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries and break-fast for two. They’ll also will work with you to custom-ize a plan for activities. The Arlington Dining Hall will also be serving a special valentine’s Day menu on the 14th and 16th.Cost: Standard room plus tax, $159; Junior suite plus tax, $199Reservations required: Yes

COPELAND’S 2602 S. Shackleford (Shackleford Crossing Shopping Center), Little Rock501-312-1616

copelandsrestaurantlittlerock.comSpecial menu: Copeland’s is offering a special limited Valentine’s Day menu that includes happy hour drink and appetizer specials and a very special red velvet cheesecake dessert.Reservations required: No reservations taken.

RJ TAO RESTAURANT AND ULTRALOUNGE5501 Kavanaugh Blvd., Ste G, Little Rock501-603-0080www.rjtaorocks.comSpecial menu: RJ Tao, which specializes in Pacific Rim cuisine, is offering a special four-course prix fixe menu, as well as live entertainment all night long. The DJ starts at 9:30 p.m. You can view the menu on their Facebook page.Cost: $25-$50 per personReservations required: Call 501-603-0080 or message them on Facebook to secure reservations.

FADED ROSE1619 Rebsamen Road, Little Rock501-663-9734www.thefadedrose.comSpecial features: A comfortable, sometimes intimate, restaurant that’s never stuffy, Faded Rose serves steaks and seafood, along with great wines and premium liquors.Cost: ModerateReservations required: No reservations taken.

LAURAY’S, THE DIAMOND CENTER204 Central Ave., Hot Springs501-321-2441Laurays.comSpecial offer: With any purchase of $199 or more, you’ll receive a $50 gift certificate from the celebrated Central Park Fusion café and a donation will be made to the Garland County Project Hope Food Bank.

➥ GUILLERMO’S GOURMET GROUNDS isn’t all about coffee – the café will host a wine tasting from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 4, and its first beer tasting Feb. 11. Check out their www.g3coffee.com for details.➥ THE TOGGERY’S one cent sale is now on: purchase two pieces of clothing, shoes or boots at 50 percent off and the third is only one cent. The sale is for a limited time, so head out to their locations in the Heights and at Pleasant Ridge Town Center to scoop up the best deals.➥ L&L BECK GALLERY’S February exhibit will focus on ducks in Arkansas. This month’s giclee drawing will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 21 at the gallery.➥ DREAMWEAVERS’ Second Saturday sale will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb.

8 and 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Feb. 9. Pick up fabulous home décor, rugs and art at deep discounts.➥ UALR’S OFFICE OF CAMPUS LIFE will host actress Taraji P. Henson at 6 p.m. Feb. 4 at the university’s Center for Performing Arts. Henson will serve as the keynote speaker to kick off UALR’s 2013 Black History Month activities. Seating is limited; visit ualr.edu/campuslife for details.➥ There are still a couple of days left to take advantage of STRIPPAGIO’S Janu-ary specials, which include 30 to 50 percent off Lark Fine Foods Scourtins Olive Wafers, Lark Fine Foods Cha-Chas Chocolate Cookies and Squirrel Brand Cafe Carmellata Au Sel Pecans. Strippagio is located in The Promenade at Chenal.

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Celebrate Valentine’s at The ArlingtonWhen you want a romantic getaway

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For Reservations or Information1-800-643-1502

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Standard Room plus tax

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Junior Suiteplus tax

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Just like HitlerI remember in the famous book “Brave

New World” how they worshipped Henry Ford where it had once been

God, so they’d say “Oh Ford!” instead of “Oh God!” and on their Facebook and phone texts it would’ve been OMF in-stead of OMG. But Henry Ford never caught on as a deity so we still have OMG.

I’ve been thinking too about how we used to relate everything bad that hap-pened to us or even to people overseas to the Devil but now it’s Hitler. You wouldn’t even say damn or hell because that might get the Devil’s attention and next thing you knew you’d be shooting pool or a drunk or carnally entwined out on the One-Two Road. Doomed, in other words.

It’s been Hitler running just barely behind the Devil for a long time now, all my life, but just lately Hitler has found his second wind and sprinted into the lead. Whenever the topic is how bad things are going — or how bad some-thing specific is going — the very next thing you hear is yeah, it’s just like Hitler.

If it’s somebody wanting to confiscate all the guns, they’re just like Hitler. If it involves kicking God even farther out of the classroom, they’re just like Hitler. If it’s some kind of socialism, like food

stamps or these tramp women that want the company to have to pay for their birth control, that’s just like Hit-ler too and I’ll tell you how — it’s because Nazi was just German short-hand or a German abbreviation for National Socialism, which was Hitler’s personal brand of it.

If it’s a problem with a German Shep-herd dog, you refer that back to Hitler because that’s the breed he was famous for — and even if your problem is with a pit bull instead of a German Shepherd, you have to refer it back to Hitler because you have to refer everything back to Hit-ler or nobody pays any attention to what-ever you’re complaining about.

There’s a not-guilty plea they’re tak-ing in court cases now — innocent by reason of being just like Hitler.

Or if you have trouble with your Volk-swagen.

Hitler this and Hitler that. Lou Dobbs is the real expert on this. He can see Hitler where not even the NRA or Rand Paul can. He’s not as good at it as Glenn Beck was, but there you go.

The problem with modern art is it’s gone back just like it was with Hitler, who called it bow-house, or something like that. You know he painted pictures, too, and it was pretty grim but the kind of stuff your art critic of today would look at and say, “Boy, hidey, that’s good!” They always want to suck up. Hitler’s pictures weren’t anything like Soviet realism, which was about the same time and had all these musclebound liberated peasants hammering and sickling, while Hitler was just a little scrawny bastard, one of his testicles gone, and his pro-paganda man just a bid old tub of lard.

The problem with (fill in the blank) is it’s just like Hitler, whose big hero was this old boy Kneechee who said if you followed their program you’d become Superman. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, I guess. Kneechee got to be his hero because he had about the biggest mustache you ever saw while the best Hitler could do was that dinky little rat’s butt spot on his upper lip. Why he would want that has always been a mystery to me. It didn’t make him look tough, it made him look ridiculous.

Note the contrast with the real Superman, who arrived from Krypton about that same Beer Hall time and was always super-clean shaved, even in the late afternoon, when he’d been fighting crime all day and when the rest of us get

to looking not so much like Hitler as like Richard Nixon. Five o’clock shadow, it used to be called, and it’s come back into style now, and that probably has some-thing to do with Hitler, too.

It proves that what goes around comes around, which was one of Hitler’s favorite sayings. He might have been the one that thought it up. Or maybe that was Faubus. One of them old social-ist Demo(crat)gogues from that time before we realized Republican was the right way to go.

You’re also being just like Hitler when you say it’s my way or the highway. That was another saying he thought up himself. Only his version was my way or the autobahn. That’s not as good as my way or the highway because there’s no catchy rhyme in it. Hitler was not par-ticularly catchy. Wit was not his forte. Wit and rant are not usually buds.

Hitler’s original original version of my way or the autobahn was my way or the firing squad, which sounds more like him than the autobahn. My way or the firing squad isn’t catchy either, but it sums up his political philosophy nicely in just a few words, and gives you a broad hint of what a crazy son-of-a-bitch he was.

So it’s not a compliment when they say you’re just like Hitler. Unless you’re Ann Coulter or a nut like that.

BOBLANCASTER

38 January 30, 2013 ARKANSAS TIMES

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GPM, Inc., in West Alton, MO is hiring 15 temporary Farm-workers from 02/25/2013 - 11/30/2013: 40 hrs/week. Work-ers will drive trucks and tractors and perform a variety of crop raising tasks. Plows, harrows, cultivates, seeds fields for grain crops. Also, working on tree farm, transplants tree seedlings, fertilizes and waters seedlings. Prunes as needed for correction of growth. One month experience is required. $11.41/hr. (prevailing wage). Guarantee of 3/4 of the workdays. All work tools, supplies, and equip-ment furnished without cost to the worker. Free hous-ing is providedto workers who cannot reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the workday. Transportation and subsistence expenses to the worksite will be provided or paid by the employer, with payment to be made no later than completion of 50% of the work contract. Send resume or contact Arkansas Department of Workforce Services Foreign Labor Certification Program #2 Capitol Mall, Room 434 Little Rock, AR 72201, Phone (501) 683-2372 or the nearest State Workforce Agency and reference job order #9747193

Denton E. & Mona B. Hadley PRTN in Maringouin, LA is hiring 10 temporary Farm workers from 3/15/2013 - 1/15/2014: 40 hrs/ week. Workers assist with loading planters for soybeans and wheat. Hand plant sugar-cane. Assist with spraying crops, cutting water drains and minor repairs on equipment. Changing oil, greas-ing, and washing farm equipment. Also assist with fer-tilizing crops and preparing the land to plant. Workers must be able to lift 50 pounds and work in all weather conditions. $9.50/hr. (prevailing wage). Guarantee of 3/4 of the workdays. All work tools, supplies, and equipment furnished without cost to the worker. Free housing is provided to workers who cannot reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the workday. Transportation and subsistence expenses to the worksite will be provided or paid by the employer, with payment to be made no later than completion of 50% of the work contract. Send Resume or contact Arkansas Department of Workforce Services Foreign Labor Certification Program #2 Capitaol Mall, Room 434 Little Rock, AR 72201, phone (501) 683-2372 or the nearest State Workforce Agency and refernece job order #439618

It’s happening right now on

ArkAnsAs Blogwww.arktimes.com

NOTICE OF FILING APPLICATIONS FOR RETAIL

BEER OFF PREMISES & SMALL FARM WINE –

RETAIL PERMITSNotice is hereby given that the undersigned has filed applica-tions with the Alcoholic Bever-age Control Division of the State of Arkansas for permits to sell wines produced at Small Farm Wineries and beer at retail to be carried out and not consumed on the premises described as: 1624 S. University Ave, Little Rock, AR Pulaski Said application was filed on January 15, 2013. The undersigned states that he/she is a resident of Arkansas, of good moral character; that he/she has never been convicted of a felony or other crime involving moral turpitude; that no license to sell alcoholic beverages by the under-signed has been revoked within five (5) years last past; and, that the undersigned has never been convicted of violating the laws of this State, or any other State, relative to the sale of controlled beverages. Name of Applicant: Abdul Aziz Farishta for Jseph’s Discount Store

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ADVERTISING DIRECTORThe Arkansas Times is looking for a highly motivated person to fill the position of Advertising Director for Savvy Kids, a growing monthly magazine. Must be focused and have excellent organizational and communication skills. If you have strong leadership skills, extensive sales experience and are interested in this great opportunity, please send your resume to [email protected] or call Alan at 501-375-2985.

CITY OF NORTH LITTLE ROCK CAREER OPPORTUNITY

www.northlittlerock.ar.gov

General ManaGerelectric DepartMent

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DUTIES: Directs and coordinates the activities of the North Little Rock Electric Department to obtain optimum efficiency and economy of operations and maximize service to citizens.

MIN. REQ.: Masters in Business Administration (MBA) or 5 years of experience managing a large organization; AND a BS/BA in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering or 5 years experience in operations of an electric utility; AND 5 years of experience in financial risk management; AND 5 years of electric utility management. As well as, a valid Arkansas Class D driver’s license.

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AS AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER, THE CITY OF NORTH LITTLE ROCK IS SEEKINg QUALIFIED BLACK AND FEMALE APPLICANTS.

CITY OF NORTH LITTLE ROCKCAREER OPPORTUNITY

www.northlittlerock.ar.gov

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & BUDgET

Open Until Filled

DUTIES: Directs the City’s financial planning and accounting practices as well as its relationship with lending institutions, the financial community, and taxpayers of the City.

MIN. REQ: Bachelor’s degree (BA/BS) in Accounting or a related field, Certified Public Accountant (CPA) status or license, and seven years directly related experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience. Basic knowledge and understanding of computerized accounting systems.

SALARY: Negotiable

EXCELLENT BENEFIT PACKAgE: Paid Health Insurance (100% employee, 75% family); Paid Employee Disability & Life Insurance, Pension Plan, Generous Leave Benefits, Credit Union, Optional Employee Contributed 457 Deferred Comp. Plan.

Applications obtained: Human Resources Dept. 3rd floor, 120 Main St., NLR, AR

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