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Week in Review

It Came From Cleveland: The NRP Affair Resurfaces

by Geoff Kelly

Pedaling Into History

by Buck Quigley

Public Accountabillity Initiative Corrects UB President's Report

by Buck Quigley

Getting a Grip

Now What?

by Michael I. Niman

Once again, Barack Obama provided a most excellent Election Day experience. Now what?

News Analysis

WNY Economy 2.0?

by Bruce Fisher

Trying for a paradigm shift, again: The Western New York Regional Economic Development Council moves closer to a plan for the governor’s promised $1 billion.

Guest Essay

Millions of Dollars in Contracts Flow Through Buffalo City Hall

by Paul Wolf, ReinventingGov.org

Byron Brown, in the early days of his first term as mayor, signed the local law to create the Procurement Policy Board. Brown touted how the board could streamline city purchasing and save the city millions of dollars. Six years after announcing the importance of such a board, the mayor has not made an effort to appoint anyone to the Procurement Policy Board.

Art Scene

The Book of the Night

by Jack Foran

Il Libro della Notte, the Book of the Night, currently on display at the Western New York Book Arts Center, is a fold book consisting of artworks by some 110 artists in various styles and media on the general theme of “night.” Most of the artists are European, but a few Americans participated, including Timothy Frerichs, who teaches art at SUNY Fredonia, and has worked extensively in Europe, on a series of fellowships and grants, including two Fulbright awards.

Music Feature

10,000 Maniacs + 100% funding = 1 New Album

by Cory Perla

The Internet has changed the music industry in a lot of ways. Record labels can no longer guarantee sales, and bands no longer need record labels to get their music out. Another novel industry trend has emerged recently too: People are no longer purchasing an album off of the shelf, fully packaged and ready for them. Instead, they’re purchasing it before it even exists.

Classical Music Notes

Debussy: Wind and Water

by Jan Jezioro

This year marks the sesquicentennial of the1862 birth of French composer Claude Debussy, and in celebration of this event the Friends of Vienna are presenting a recital of the piano music of Debussy on Sunday, November 18 at 3:30pm, by the Swedish-based pianist Susan Yondt, professor of piano at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.

Theater Week

The Irish Curse at BUA

by Anthony Chase

2012: End of the Road

by Anthony Chase

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

by Anthony Chase

Film Reviews

Lincoln

by George Sax

The Sessions

by M. Faust

I Have Always Been a Dreamer

by M. Faust

The Flat

by George Sax

Smashed

by M. Faust

Listings

On The Boards Theater Listings

Movie Times (Friday, November 16 - Thursday, November 22)

Film Now Playing

Featured Events

See You There!

Artvoice's weekly round-up of featured events, including our editor's pick for the week: Cold Turkey, an annual tribute to John Lennon this Saturday the 17th at Nietzsche's.

Book Review

To Live Twice: Town of Shadows by Lindsay Stern

by Woody Brown

A bit of a departure for us this column. Typically I review books that I think the readers of Artvoice will have heard of. I have an interest in increasing the readership of this newspaper and one way to do that is to write about things other people actually care about, even if that means reading a book that is horrifying and lame and in fact a total waste of time.

You Auto Know

Acura Buys a Vowel

by Jim Corbran

I’ve never been crazy about car names which aren’t. Names, that is. The jumble of letters and/or numbers seems to run together in my mind until I can’t distinguish one from the other. And lately it seems that Acura has been (in my mind) one of the worst offenders. Mostly three-letter combinations of consonants. Mostly ending in “X.” Until now, with the introduction of—drum roll, please—the ILX.

Offbeat News

News of the Weird

by Chuck Shepherd

In October, state alcohol agents, assisted by local police in full riot gear, pointing their weapons, raided a bar in Largo, Fla., to shut down the latest gathering of the venerable Nutz Poker League, even though its players do not wager. (They meet at bars and restaurants, where management gives winners token gifts in exchange for the increased business.)

Horoscopes

Free Will Astrology

by Rob Brezsny

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): An environmental organization in New Zealand found that the local fishing industry wastes about 70 percent of its haul. In contrast, Iceland manages to use 96 percent of every fish caught.

Advice

Ask Anyone

I don’t know much about how computers work. I mean, I sort of do, but not really. I use them all the time for all sorts of things, at home and at the office. If something at work goes wrong, our IT department takes care of it. If something at home goes wrong, I wind up talking to customer service until I gradually get tired of being on hold. Then, I give up and walk away, saying I’ll take it somewhere to be fixed—which of course leaves it sitting there, broken for weeks.