Archive: Arts & Entertainment

SMART TALK
by Dr. Amelia Raitt Payne

DRINK LOTS OF LIQUIDS: As the staff physician at the Institute for the Linguistically Impaired, I'm kept busy mostly with the routine illnesses of therapists, their families, and their patients.  Dr. Ced Riley came in last week for his physical and told me a story I want to share (with his permission, of course).

While at a conference up in New York, Dr. Riley began to get headaches and mild fevers and went to a doctor there.  He needed to know whether he were coming down with a flu or suffering too much stress from being in the big city.

The doctor diagnosed a bad cold, probably brought on by lack of sleep, travel, and the new environment, all of which compromised his immune system.

"Drink plenty of liquids!" was some of the doctor's advice.

"So that's why I'm sick!" Ced Riley replied.  "I've been drinking solids!"

Now you know why I, given the patients I have, always advise them simply to "Drink all you can."



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Running to Places Theatre Company continues its 2010 Season with Singin’ in the Rain!  A cast of the brightest young talent from across the county brings to the stage big laughs, soaring romance, and delightful songs and dances.

Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont are the greatest silent film stars of their day, until the talkies come on the scene. With the help of wacky pal Cosmo and love interest Kathy, can Don reinvent himself as a singing star of the silver screen? The American Film Institute called Singin’ in the Rain the best movie musical of all time – featuring favorites like Make Em Laugh, Good Mornin’, Moses Supposes, and of course that unforgettable title song.

SMART TALK
by Dr. Shirley Glibb

DOWNFALL:  The William Safire Center at the Institute for the Linguistically Impaired treats patients whose downfall is an affliction that Dr. Weiss N. Heimer likes to call Down Syndrome.  Of course, such a label is neither politically correct in this context nor scientifically accurate in any context.  He uses it only as a quiet joke with fellow therapists.  He doesn't want an uprising.

After treatment, our patients realize how silly they sounded saying fall down (as opposed to fall up?), kneel down, dwindle down, cool down, die down, and descend down.  See why Dr. Heimer borrows that label?

All those verbs should stand alone.  Simple language is better language.

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While many of you only eat cabbage after it has been rendered into coleslaw or as sauerkraut on your hotdog, it should be used much more frequently. I know, I know… it is one of the vegetables in the veggie isle of the supermarket that makes one wonder, “Even if you like cabbage, how can one make it through that giant green head in a timely manner?”

Well, let’s start from the beginning. “Why buy it?” Cabbage is still a staple in many poorer parts of the world because it lasts in freshness for months and is loaded with essential nutrients. Cabbage is extremely diverse. You find it in the Chinese supermarkets as spicey, pickled ‘Kimchee’- the hot, garlicky, pickled version used as a staple in million of Asian households. Eastern Europeans use whole cabbage leaves wrapped around a mixture of ground meat and rice, simmered in tomato sauce, and brought to the table as ‘Pigs in a Blanket’.  Cabbages are in great demand for the famous St. Patty’s Day meal and for many this boiled dinner is the only time of the year the cabbage is espoused, and “Why Not?’ in the company of corned beef.

Aurora, New York—The Wells College Visual Arts Department announced its featured spring exhibition of the 2009–10 academic year, "monotypes and paintings" by Brooklyn-based artist Neil Berger. The paintings and prints will be on display in the String Room Gallery (SRG) from March 31 through May 9. The exhibit is free and the public is cordially invited to view the show. An opening reception on Wednesday, March 31 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. offers an opportunity to meet the artist; light refreshments will be served.

Most of the exhibition’s works feature landscapes, though portraiture and cityscapes are also included. The SRG’s Director, William Ganis, notes, “these are decidedly our views—of mud season, sunrises yielding to cloudy days, transient vernal streams, and a January thaw’s patchy snows. These are the spaces of quiet beauty that we all know.” Berger once called Ithaca home.

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SMART TALK
by Dr. Viva Palaver

DOOMED TO FAILURE:  Media monitors at the Institute for the Linguistically Impaired have noticed this redundancy a lot, even on the few TV and radio stations that reach Underbelly, Texas.  As staff psychologist at the institute, I find this faux pas worrisome for more than linguistic reasons.

Partisan news writers and commentators can't just say the President's plan is doomed, which means headed straight to failure, but they must beat a dying plan and call it doomed to failure.  Is this linguistic impairment or sadism?

Or does this focus on failure say more about the speaker?  Perhaps he or she feels abiding fear and anger, which are clear symptoms of depression.

Either way, I hope they get help from a qualified professional.

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'Women and Their Telephones' begins with Brad Hougham and Amanda DeMaris in 'The Telephone' by Gian Carlo Menotti, then Deborah Lifton takes the stage with the deeply dramatic solo turn 'La Voix Humaine' by François Poulenc. Four performances will be gracing the Kitchen Theatre stage March 17, 18, 20, and 21.

Ithaca College music faculty members Brad Hougham and Amanda DeMaris will start the evening off with 'The Telephone'. Ben (Hougham) has come to Lucy's (DeMaris) apartment to propose, if only he could keep her attention long enough between an endless series of telephone calls. Written in 1947, 'The Telephone' is a comic love story for two plus telephone.  

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They say it's impossible to herd cats.  If that's true audiences next week will witness a miracle when 47 Lansing High School students perform the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical 'Cats, based on T.S. Elliot's 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.'  The show features many show-stopper songs and a lot of dancing.

"It's very Webberish," says director Cindy Howell.  "It's a definite style of music, but it's also very exciting.  Every number has its own special thing.  That was one of the reasons I picked 'Cats.'  We have 47 kids, 20 of which in any other school would be their lead.  We have a lot of really talented kids in this show, and 'Cats' has a lot of different 'lead' numbers, so there are a lot of different things that kids were able to create."