Bon Appetit

By John Macsai

Since Evanston is rapidly becoming the restaurant capital of the North Shore, I feel it is appropriate to use culinary terminology in describing architecture and urban design. In fact, in the past I have already compared a building of stylistic confusion to a "smorgasbord."

Actually, the idea is also embedded in current usage of the language when it comes to architecture. We talk about buildings as "tastefully" designed, we think some designs are "schmaltzy," we talk about "gingerbread" houses, and architects call excessive ornamentation "frozen garbage."

We should call architects "chefs" and contractors "caterers." Buildings would be thought of as "dishes," drawings and specifications as "recipes." Early design sketches could be "appetizers" and very poor buildings would be considered "junk food."

Aldermen would act as "tasters" in approving buildings, even though some of them have no "taste buds." They would not consider sharing this process with real design professionals even though those are the real "gourmets."
 
High-rise condominiums could be called "layer cakes," interiors "stuffing," and an ornamented building "garnished." Green architecture would be sold as a "vegetarian dish."

Architectural history need not escape the new language. Traditional buildings would be advertised as "vintage," modern as "nouvel cuisine."

Buildings with exposed concrete frames - like Optima Views across the street from the movie theater - would be considered "rare" and aluminum-clad frames, such as those at Optima Horizon would be thought of as "well-done," as are steaks. Stylistic confusion such as Sherman Plaza would be thought of as a dish that is "overdone." Average buildings, neither good nor bad, could be considered "medium rare."
 
A top floor handled differently from the rest on a multi-story building could be considered "glazing," and special treatments such as Mansards or the cupola on the upcoming Mather project would be "frosting."

Very poorly done buildings could make us "nauseated" and good ones would look "appetizing." City Council or the Plan Commission would want to know from developers and their architects "What's cooking?"

Unfortunately, unlike the Romans who used to tickle their throats with a feather to get rid of bad food, we have to learn to live with what is served. We cannot expectorate poor buildings; they remain with us for a very long time and continue to give us aesthetic indigestion.

Anyone for Tums or Pepto Bismol?

Experience Countries Around the World at the Ethnic Arts Festival

Sample the sights, sounds and savories of countries around the world at the 22nd annual Evanston Ethnic Arts Festival, July 21-22. For that weekend only, Evanston's lakefront Dawes Park, Sheridan Road and Church Street, is transformed into a global village with song, dance, food and arts and crafts from countries near and far. Open noon to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, the family festival allows visitors of all ages to travel the globe without needing a passport.

Among the highlights of this annual event are a juried arts and crafts sale, artist demonstrations, interactive workshops for children, ethnic foods and live entertainment on two stages. This year's Central Stage features such performers as the Trinity Dancers, Sones de México, Muntu Dance Theater and Khav Khaz. Among the performers on the Family Stage are a Quartet of Lira Singers, Ensemble M'Chaiya, storyteller David Hernandez, and S.O.U.L. Creations.

Admission to the Ethnic Arts Festival is free, and complimentary shuttle bus service is provided from the Northwestern University parking garage, three blocks north of the festival. More information is available at www.cityofevanston.org/arts, or call 847-448-8058. The festival is sponsored by the City of Evanston's Cultural Arts Division and partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Additional support is provided by The Homestead, ABC-TV Channel 7 Chicago, The Cherry Family Foundation, the Chicago Reader, the Evanston RoundTable and Chicago Public Radio.

The festival is sponsored by the City of Evanston's Cultural Arts Division and partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

Additional support is provided by The Homestead, ABC-TV Channel 7 Chicago, The Cherry Family Foundation, the Chicago Reader, the Evanston RoundTable and Chicago Public Radio.

'It's Thursday!' Dancing Returns To Downtown Evanston

Dance lovers or wannabes can learn basic steps to popular rhythms in the only outdoor dance floor north of downtown Chicago at "It's Thursday!"

The first dance night will be held on Sunday, July 22, to celebrate the finish of the Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Grand Prix of Cycling. Beginning at 7:30 p.m., Chicago long-time favorite Dave Weld Blues Band will lure racers from their bikes and spectators from the sidelines and onto the dance floor at Fountain Square, Davis Street at Orrington Avenue, in downtown Evanston.

Five Thursday evenings of music and dance will follow, July 26 through Aug. 23, at last year's location, the 909 Davis Plaza, Maple Avenue at Church Street, near the Davis el stop. Each program features the music of a live band and instruction by a professional dance teacher. All are welcome at this free event; visit www.evmark.org for a complete schedule.

Dance instruction lasts from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., and the band will play from 7:30 until 9 p.m. for dancing or listening. R&B, salsa, oldies, swing, Cajun and rock/pop classics will be featured.

Jim Parks returns to host "It's Thursday!" with his on-the-spot humor and entertaining personality.

Evmark, the organization that manages and markets downtown Evanston, devised the dance series to bring people to downtown Evanston to enjoy its entertainment and unique restaurants and shops. Diane Williams, executive director of Evmark, said, "I am particularly pleased about adding the spirit and joy of music and dance to the excitement of the Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Grand Prix of Cycling. Evmark is pleased to provide this wonderful ending celebration to an event which will bring thousands of people to downtown Evanston."

Introducing the Golden Raintree (Koelreuteria paniculata)

By Libby Hill

That medium-sized tree about 25-30 feet tall, well-rounded, about the same width as height and blossoming with dazzling yellow flowers in July or August is a summer spectacular, aptly named golden raintree or panicled golden raintree (Koelreuteria paniculata). The glowing sprays of flowers, called inflorescences or panicles, can grow to 20 inches long. The panicles consist of innumerable small flowers that open gradually over a two-week period. The tree's other common names include Varnish Tree, Pride of India and Chinese Flame Tree.

The species name paniculata refers to the plant's elongated flower clusters. Its genus name Koelreuteria was conferred in honor of botanist Joseph Gottlieb Koelreuter who lived in 18th-century Germany. Mr. Koelreuter was the first to perform scientific studies on plant hybridization, conducting his experiments on the tobacco plant between 1764 and 1766. He recognized the importance of the pollen grain in hereditary characteristics. He also noted the important role of insects, insect-attracting nectar and wind in pollination. Today we take the mechanisms and effects of pollination for granted. As with many new scientific theories, however, Mr. Koelreuter's discovery was dismissed by skeptical peers. Gregor Mendel's studies on genetics in the pea came exactly a century later, and he, too, was ignored in his time.

The golden raintree is a member of the Sapindaceae, or soapberry family, plants that contain "saponins," or substances that foam when combined with water. Most of the more than 1,300 species in the family contain toxic saponins. Sapindaceae are mostly limited
to the tropics and may be vines, shrubs or trees and may be deciduous or evergreen.

In appearance, the deciduous golden raintree appears dense when in leaf and spare in winter because of its sparse branching, which often begins near the base of the trunk. The bark color is coppery-brown, and its texture becomes ridged and furrowed with age.

Leaves alternate on the stems and are pinnately compound (composed of small leaflets). In spring, new leaves are reddish-copper-colored. They turn medium-green in summer and, in a good year, their fall color is golden yellow. The leaf edges are softly and roundly toothed, making the leaf itself unusually picturesque.

In late summer, the flowers become papery, walnut-sized seed capsules, which change color from lime-green to yellow to brown by fall. They can linger on the tree throughout winter. The capsules have three chambers, each of which typically contains one hard, dark-brown seed resembling a small pea and similarly attached to its pod. The capsules themselves are often said to resemble Japanese lanterns. Some enthusiasts describe the capsules as "of decorative interest"; others think the clusters give the autumn tree a messy appearance.

Golden raintree seeds that have fallen to the ground around the plant attract golden raintree bugs (Jadera haematoloma), which concentrate in large numbers. Although they pose no danger to either plants or people, they are considered a great nuisance. The tree is best planted in a cool climate like ours, where seed production and bugs are scant - at least so far.

A fast-growing tree, its growth rate seems correlated with its locale and soil quality, and it does best in full sun. Golden raintrees are hardy in the urban landscape, tolerating drought, heat, wind, alkaline soils, soil compaction, air pollution and salt. They are appropriate for restricted spaces, but their dense shade inhibits the growth of grass underneath unless the tree is thinned.

Golden raintree is native to China, Korea and Japan. According to Michael Dirr's "Manual of Woody Landscape Plants," it was introduced in the United States in 1763. According to a University of Evansville, Ind., website, it was introduced at Monticello in 1809 by Thomas Jefferson, who probably received it from
a French friend.

The golden raintree was immortalized by Indiana native Ross F. Lockridge, whose ambition - which many believe he fulfilled - was to write the great American novel. He titled his 1948 magnum opus "Raintree County." The 1957 movie starred Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift.

Mr. Lockridge endowed the golden raintree with biblical qualities. The quest for the golden raintree "that dropped a rain of yellow pollendust and petals" and brings love and happiness to those who find it represents a quest for the lost Eden. It provides the spiritual anchor for both the book and movie.

Mr. Lockridge needed an explanation for the name of his fictional location, which was based loosely on his ancestral Henry County, east of Indianapolis. In his novel, he relates a "popular legend," that Johnny Appleseed carried in his otherwise pure stash of apple seeds one exotic Oriental kernel of a golden raintree. Believing central Indiana (Raintree County) to be the perfect place for it to thrive, he planted it. No one ever saw the raintree, but the name stuck and Mr. Lockridge's protagonist, Johnny Shawnessy, never doubted its existence.

Indiana did get golden raintrees, courtesy of the eminent naturalist Thomas Say. He introduced them around 1825 at the utopian community of New Harmony in Posey County, in the extreme southwestern corner of the state. Since that time, the golden raintree has been abundant in that county, its moniker on bed and breakfasts, a book store, and the annual June antique fair.

Golden raintrees are planned for Evanston's parkways as soon as local nurseries supply them. A fine specimen grows at the Chicago Botanic Garden next to the steps to the English Walled Garden.

BOOK REVIEW

"Body Surfing"

A Book Review By Sue Brooke

"Body Surfing," by Anita Shreve, is a wonderful little novel about resilience. Sydney Sklar, though only in her mid-20s, has already been married twice.

She divorced her first husband, an airplane stunt flyer, because she could not live with the dread of his demise. Ironically, her second husband, a stable and reliable doctor, died of an aneurysm in his own hospital.

The shock of Daniel's dying has left her numb. Taking time off from her graduate work to try to make sense of her life, she has taken a summer job working for the Edwards family, whose New Hampshire summer home has also featured in Ms. Shreve's previous novels, "The Pilot's Wife," "Fortune's Rocks" and "Sea Glass."

Sydney is tutoring 18-year-old Julie Edwards in math and science to fulfill Ms. Edward's aspirations of her daughter's going to Mount Holyoke or Swarthmore.

But Sydney realizes that, although Julie is beautiful, sweet and eager to please, she is also slow. No amount of tutoring will get her into college.

Mrs. Edwards stiffens when hearing that Sydney's father and second husband were Jewish. Mr. Edwards, on the other hand, seems totally at ease and appears to be a "man incapable of deceit."

The family is spending the entire summer in their old Victorian beach house. Relaxing while she body surfs in the ocean waves, Sydney finds peace and healing in the natural beauty of the place.

Then one weekend the two older Edwards sons arrive, disrupting the harmony of the place. Ben, the older brother, is nice looking, successful - and intrigued by Sydney.

But it is the younger brother, a professor named Jeff, who charms Sydney and awakens her body to the urges she has forgotten in the two years since Daniel died. Jeff, however, has a serious girlfriend and has brought her to the shore, supposedly to propose.

While the tensions created by the love triangle simmer, Julie Edwards discovers a talent for art - and begins to rebel against parental constraints.

Against a backdrop of dinner parties where a procession of weekend guests enjoy lobster and fine wine served on a porch overlooking the ocean, family dynamics change as the crisis develops. "Body Surfing," with its fast-paced plot and beautiful setting, is a good summer read.

FILM REVIEW

"Sicko"

A Film Review By Joe Linstroth

Fifty million Americans are uninsured. Lack of health insurance is the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States. According to the World Health Organization, the United States is ranked 37th in the world in health-care. Such statistics need not be delivered snidely to make their point: The health care system in the United States is broken and in desparate need of fixing. Though Michael Moore's compelling documentary "Sicko" has its share of snarky, and often funny, commentary, the writer/director wisely steps aside for much of the film, letting the victims of the fractured system and the success of public health care in other countries make the arguments for him.

Before he began filming, Mr. Moore set up a website to which people could send in their personal healthcare horror stories. He received more than 25,000 responses in one week. Rich, for example, sawed off two fingertips and, without health insurance, could only afford to reattach one.

A wife recounts watching her husband die after treatment for kidney cancer was repeatedly denied by their insurer. A mother tells of holding her dying child in her arms in an emergency room as hospital officials refused to treat her daughter. There were videos of homeless people dropped off on Skid Row in hospital gowns and with IVs still in their arms.

He heard from people who worked in the health insurance industry who received bonuses from their employers for denying the most claims. As they recount their experiences, Michael Moore mostly listens and records their appalling and heartbreaking stories.

Mr. Moore visits England, France and Canada to see how health care is provided to citizens of those nations. A London doctor can focus solely on patient care and still afford to live in a million-dollar home and drive an Audi on a government salary. In France, doctors make free house-calls. Even conservatives in Canada believe in public health care for everyone.

In the movie, the citizens of these countries cannot fathom having to pay for their health care, and their doctors cannot fathom being unable to treat someone because they could not afford it. Though he fails to show the problems with these countries' health care systems,

Mr. Moore's main argument is clear: It is possible to have a system where no one goes untreated.

With his familiar cynicism, Mr. Moore argues Americans should look to these countries for help in solving the problem.

"We're Americans," he says. "We go into other countries when we need to."

For the finale, he gathers a group of 9/11 rescue workers who are unable to receive medical treatment for the illnesses (mostly pulmonary) they contracted while working at Ground Zero. He takes the group to Cuba where they get the X-rays, treatment plans and inexpensive medication they could not get back home.

Doctors from Cuba - the impoverished, socialist country and longtime adversary of the United States - are able to take better care of "America's heroes" than American doctors. Though a bit contrived, the power of such a statement is undeniable.

Love him or hate him, Michael Moore stimulates public debate on important issues in America, whether it is corporate greed, gun violence, war or health care.

With four times as many health care industry lobbyists in Washington than congressmen, "Sicko" offers a rare point of view that is not funded or influenced by those getting rich off the broken status quo.

2 hours. Rated PG-13 for adult themes and some language.

FILM REVIEW

"Live Free or Die Hard "

A Film Review By Brian Murphy

"Show me the money!"

Cuba Gooding Jr.'s famous "Jerry Maguire" line could aptly be used to describe the careers of most actors. No matter how much revenue a film star has generated, most continue to be subjected to the financial scrutiny of the massive film companies.

To a major action film star of the 80s and 90s, such as Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis, it must be frustrating to earn hundreds of millions of dollars for a film industry that turns around and asks, "What have you done for me lately?"

Sly went to the well, resurrecting bankable, iconic characters, as in last year's "Rocky Balboa," and in the upcoming "John Rambo." Mr. Willis, desperately needing a hit after the lukewarm audience response for the under-appreciated "Lucky Number Slevin" and for "16 Blocks," wisely followed suit, reviving his wisecracking John McClane for a fourth installment of the "Die Hard" series.

While "Rocky Balboa" was essentially a greatest-hits of the previous "Rocky" films "Live Free or Die Hard" portrays a John McClane at odds with the alcoholic misanthrope we saw in the 1995 "Die Hard: With a Vengeance."

Now we get an honest New York Police Department detective eager to reconnect with his teenage daughter, about whom he has talked since the first "Die Hard" film. We meet her in a car with an overzealous date; Mr. McClane humorously and abruptly ends the evening.

Director Len Wiseman ("Underworld") handles the action in this film with flair, allowing the screenwriters proper time to build the tension.

The first gunfight occurs after cyber-terrorists have tapped into the FBI's computers and have begun eliminating a group of elite hackers that have enabled them to mobilize their dastardly plan.

Mr. McClane is assigned to pick up Matt Farrell, a New Jersey hacker (Justin Long of "Dodgeball" and the Mac vs. PC commercials), who may know something about the possible terrorist plot.

When the bad guys try to intervene, the spark in Mr. McClane's eye comes to life, and no criminal is safe. A shootout in Mr. Farrell's apartment is reminiscent of the shootouts in the Nakatomi building of the original "Die Hard" - enthralling and vividly entertaining.
Every good action film needs a good villain, here Timothy Oliphant, the hard-as-nails sheriff Bullock from the brilliant HBO series "Deadwood." Mr. Oliphant provides a calculating, former Department of Defense employee looking to show up his former employers by outsmarting them, and making some money in the process.

Mr. Oliphant's Thomas Gabriel might not be on par with the original "Die Hard's" Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman, the villain of all action-movie villains,), but he is right up there with other "Die Hard" bad guys - DH2's Colonel Stuart (William Sadler) and General Hummel (Ed Harris) of "The Rock" - as a disgruntled employee and former patriot looking to shame his country by exploiting their ineptitude.

The real treat here is the interaction between Mr. Long and Mr. Willis. When Mr. McClane jams Credence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son" while transporting his prisoner, Mr. Farrell asks, "When was the last time you listened to popular music? Just give me a decade. The 70s?"

Their interaction is sublime. The action is superb. The message may yet be validated: The most logical form of terrorism will come not from a nuclear weapon but from a computer geek with a bone to pick.

Some ridiculous action sequences aside - such as Mr. McClane's surfing a fighter jet - the film is funny and furious, a worthy addition to the "Die Hard" franchise.