| Horvitz roots out a fun folk-rock outlet
The first half of 2008 has not yet been named Wayne Horvitz Season, but perhaps it should be. Horvitz has four albums coming out between now and May, is embarking on a long-form collaboration with author Sherman Alexie based on the James Welch novel "The Heartsong of Charging Elk" and just got a remarkable review in The New York Times. Writing about Manhattan's Winter JazzFest at the Knitting Factory, New York Times jazz critic Ben Ratliff wrote, "Mr. Horvitz should have a room named after him at the club ... his aesthetic and his music encoded the notion of 'downtown jazz.' " One "downtown" notion was the idea that genres — whether jazz, classical or klezmer — need not be pure, hierarchical or, for that matter, even relevant. One genre that continually inspires Horvitz is traditional American folk-rock, including the lyrics, the kind done so well by Bob Dylan and his former group, the Band.
Neil Stein is a man with a plan - and a debt
Every entrepreneur has ups and downs. Few highs and lows in Philadelphia have been as public as Neil Stein's: On one hand, there are the openings of his restaurants, which helped define Philadelphia. On the other is his 10-month stay in federal prison for tax evasion, capping his empire's collapse. "At this moment," Stein said in a recent interview, "I'm very alive and very up." Stein, a year out of prison, is planning a comeback with a place called Cabaret in the restaurant space at the Morris House, a boutique hotel near Washington Square. As Stein was at Fish Market (1973), Marabella's (1984), Rock Lobster (1992), Striped Bass (1994) and Rouge (1998), he's the idea man. Not the money man. "I still owe a few dollars," he says, although Philadelphia court records show more than $1 million in active judgments against him and his former corporations - largely from unpaid city taxes.
MOTOR CITY STRUTTIN'
In downtown Detroit Friday night, all roads led to Cobo Center and the 39th annual auto show Charity Preview. Neither the $400 price tag nor the biting cold was any concern on this gilded evening, where evening gowns in rainbow tones competed with gleaming, candy-colored cars. Clearly enjoying herself was Aretha Franklin, who said she had just been out with her entourage for dinner at Wolfgang Puck's at the MGM Grand. ("The food was wonderful!") .
Bugs on the menu at UN meeting in Thailand Áp¦X°ê ...
Insects were on the menu last week at a UN meeting in Thailand. At the meeting experts talked about the dietary value of bugs, which are delicacies in some countries. Eating bugs is limited to gross-out TV shows in many countries. But the UN Food and Agriculture Organization says that 1,400 insect species are eaten around the world. Among the most popular insect munchies are beetles, ants, bees, crickets and moths. Bugs can be nutritious, sometimes offering as much protein as meat and fish. The three-day meeting in Chiang Mai was organized to look at how nutritious insects are. Scientists at the meeting said not enough is known about most edible forest insects. Farming insects could provide new sources of income for rural populations. Thailand, where 200 insect species are eaten by humans, would benefit greatly.
Astrakhan Region
Winter precipitation is in the form of snow, wet snow, and rain. In summer, torrential rains are accompanied by thunderstorms and sometimes hail. The average yearly temperature is from 8.5 to 10 C with a maximum of +42 C and a minimum of -30 C. About 70% of the region is desert or semidesert. The topography is flat with salt dome uplifts.
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Cops, fire are the 'right priorities'
When the household income shrinks, you eat more meat loaf and less steak.It's also disingenuous to neglect to mention Hammond, while losing property tax money, will be getting a big chunk of that back in the form of the increase in sales tax.Hammond doesn't need to cut cops and firefighters. It needs the right priorities.Now where have I heard that before?The opinions are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at markk@nwitimes.com or (219) 933-4170. .
Breaking Barriers: Willie O'Ree breaks the ice
Sometimes, history happens slowly, even for those who make it. That night, the big news at the Montreal Forum was the Boston Bruins' 3-0 shutout win over the mighty Canadiens. It was Jan. 18, 1958 -- the night the first black man skated in the National Hockey League. For the "Jackie Robinson of hockey," there was no commemorative ceremony, no postgame tribute, no banner headline. Even the official scorer got his number wrong. But Willie O'Ree didn't notice, or care. "Back then," he says, "it just didn't dawn on me. I was just concerned about playing hockey." As with history, a perspective on his own sense of accomplishment took some time to develop.
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