Latest news with #Keene
Eater
4 days ago
- Business
- Eater
Legendary Beer Bar Tornado Might Not Be Getting Sold to a ‘Crypto Bro' After All
A contentious purchase of longtime Haight Street bar Toronado has gone Secret Lives of Mormon Wives . Days after would-be buyer Orion Parrott visited the bar with a San Francisco Chronicle reporter and photographer — a visit that devolved into chaos and shouts — current owner Dave Keene's lawyers told Parrot that the sale was off, supposedly because Parrot didn't waive 'certain contingencies within a given period of time,' the Chronicle reports. Parrott told the paper that he can't waive those contingencies because he's waiting on paperwork from Keene. So for now, the sale of a neighborhood institution and one of the city's most important beer bars is on ice. Toronado is closing because Keene, who opened the bar in 1987 and also founded the Barleywine Festival, is retiring. Parrott, a former Raytheon employee and current crypto entrepreneur, seemed like an odd match for Tornado, an old-school place that doesn't even take credit cards. When the San Francisco Standard broke the news in March that he was buying Tornado, the paper called him a 'tech bro' and quoted a group chat message where he said that he was trying to build 'the next great San Francisco food & beverage brand in the steps of Blue Bottle.' The Standard also reported that Parrott planned to launch a ToronadoCash crypto coin, but the reaction from the bar's regulars was so negative he gave up on the idea, he told the Chron . The reaction to Parrott himself also seems harsh. The Chron came to the bar with Parrott to interview and shoot photos on Friday, May 30. The atmosphere was tense, and bartenders cursed at Parrott, the reporter, and the photographer — they were particularly annoyed by the idea of the photographer taking pictures of staff and patrons. By the time they left, Keene was calling the reporter to make it clear he was still the owner. 'I own the Toronado! He does not!' Keene told the paper 'over and over.' Parrott told the Chron that his plans for the space included a 3,000-square-foot rooftop bar and that the former Rosamunde location next door is included in the $1.75 million asking price. Parrott plans to open that as a restaurant again. But now it's unclear whether any of those plans will come to fruition. Per the Chron, Keene and Parrott have not spoken directly, only worked together through the brokers handling the sale, and now Keene seems like he doesn't want to sell, or at least not to Parrott. Sign up for our newsletter.
The Advertiser
03-06-2025
- The Advertiser
Trail bike 'wheelie' causes carnage on suburban street near playground
Police are hunting a trail bike rider who crashed into three cars at Kahibah during school pick-up on Monday while doing a wheelie down a suburban street. The crash happened in Hexham Street shortly before 4pm and only metres from Hilltop Kahibah Takeaway and Kahibah Memorial Park, which was filled with children playing at the playground after school. The rider was heading west and initially hit a Mitsubishi Outlander SUV head-on before crashing into two parked vehicles. Several bystanders rushed towards the rider, who miraculously seemed to escape injury. Videos circulating on social media appear to depict the rider fleeing the scene by pushing his bike down Hexham Road as he screamed "don't touch me" to bystanders giving chase. Kahibah resident Mel Owen was at the playground with her children when she heard the trail bike revving up Hexham Street. "He was up on one tyre, going along for a few metres and then crashed into a car that was pulling out from a parked position," Ms Owen said. "He nicked that car and then fell off the bike as he and the bike crashed into two parked cars, which had people in them." Ms Owen said several bystanders rushed towards the trail bike rider, believing he had been seriously injured. "I ran over and he gets up and says, 'Ow'," she said. "He then gets up, pulls his bike up off the road and starts running away from everyone, pushing the bike along and running as fast as he could." Dudley resident Neil Keene was sitting in his car waiting to pick up his son from the school bus when the trail bike crashed into the back of his vehicle. "I heard this screech and a bang and he has bounced off a car he hit front-on, because he was doing a wheelie, and then he hit my car and tried to regain control but couldn't and hit another car and was on the ground," Mr Keene said. The collision damaged Mr Keene's bumper and popped a tyre. Lake Macquarie police were called to the scene and a short time later they located the unregistered motorbike unattended at a housing complex in Hexham Street. The rider was not located, and inquiries to identify the rider are ongoing by Lake Macquarie Police. Mr Keene said illegal trail bike riding has increasingly become a menace across the eastern suburbs of Lake Macquarie. "I almost had a serious collision with a trail bike on a road in Windale when he went straight through an intersection and if it was one second later, he would have T-boned my car," he said. "He obviously would have come off far worse. "I've seen it at Belmont with guys doing wheelies in the middle of the highway." Anyone with information or dashcam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Police are hunting a trail bike rider who crashed into three cars at Kahibah during school pick-up on Monday while doing a wheelie down a suburban street. The crash happened in Hexham Street shortly before 4pm and only metres from Hilltop Kahibah Takeaway and Kahibah Memorial Park, which was filled with children playing at the playground after school. The rider was heading west and initially hit a Mitsubishi Outlander SUV head-on before crashing into two parked vehicles. Several bystanders rushed towards the rider, who miraculously seemed to escape injury. Videos circulating on social media appear to depict the rider fleeing the scene by pushing his bike down Hexham Road as he screamed "don't touch me" to bystanders giving chase. Kahibah resident Mel Owen was at the playground with her children when she heard the trail bike revving up Hexham Street. "He was up on one tyre, going along for a few metres and then crashed into a car that was pulling out from a parked position," Ms Owen said. "He nicked that car and then fell off the bike as he and the bike crashed into two parked cars, which had people in them." Ms Owen said several bystanders rushed towards the trail bike rider, believing he had been seriously injured. "I ran over and he gets up and says, 'Ow'," she said. "He then gets up, pulls his bike up off the road and starts running away from everyone, pushing the bike along and running as fast as he could." Dudley resident Neil Keene was sitting in his car waiting to pick up his son from the school bus when the trail bike crashed into the back of his vehicle. "I heard this screech and a bang and he has bounced off a car he hit front-on, because he was doing a wheelie, and then he hit my car and tried to regain control but couldn't and hit another car and was on the ground," Mr Keene said. The collision damaged Mr Keene's bumper and popped a tyre. Lake Macquarie police were called to the scene and a short time later they located the unregistered motorbike unattended at a housing complex in Hexham Street. The rider was not located, and inquiries to identify the rider are ongoing by Lake Macquarie Police. Mr Keene said illegal trail bike riding has increasingly become a menace across the eastern suburbs of Lake Macquarie. "I almost had a serious collision with a trail bike on a road in Windale when he went straight through an intersection and if it was one second later, he would have T-boned my car," he said. "He obviously would have come off far worse. "I've seen it at Belmont with guys doing wheelies in the middle of the highway." Anyone with information or dashcam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Police are hunting a trail bike rider who crashed into three cars at Kahibah during school pick-up on Monday while doing a wheelie down a suburban street. The crash happened in Hexham Street shortly before 4pm and only metres from Hilltop Kahibah Takeaway and Kahibah Memorial Park, which was filled with children playing at the playground after school. The rider was heading west and initially hit a Mitsubishi Outlander SUV head-on before crashing into two parked vehicles. Several bystanders rushed towards the rider, who miraculously seemed to escape injury. Videos circulating on social media appear to depict the rider fleeing the scene by pushing his bike down Hexham Road as he screamed "don't touch me" to bystanders giving chase. Kahibah resident Mel Owen was at the playground with her children when she heard the trail bike revving up Hexham Street. "He was up on one tyre, going along for a few metres and then crashed into a car that was pulling out from a parked position," Ms Owen said. "He nicked that car and then fell off the bike as he and the bike crashed into two parked cars, which had people in them." Ms Owen said several bystanders rushed towards the trail bike rider, believing he had been seriously injured. "I ran over and he gets up and says, 'Ow'," she said. "He then gets up, pulls his bike up off the road and starts running away from everyone, pushing the bike along and running as fast as he could." Dudley resident Neil Keene was sitting in his car waiting to pick up his son from the school bus when the trail bike crashed into the back of his vehicle. "I heard this screech and a bang and he has bounced off a car he hit front-on, because he was doing a wheelie, and then he hit my car and tried to regain control but couldn't and hit another car and was on the ground," Mr Keene said. The collision damaged Mr Keene's bumper and popped a tyre. Lake Macquarie police were called to the scene and a short time later they located the unregistered motorbike unattended at a housing complex in Hexham Street. The rider was not located, and inquiries to identify the rider are ongoing by Lake Macquarie Police. Mr Keene said illegal trail bike riding has increasingly become a menace across the eastern suburbs of Lake Macquarie. "I almost had a serious collision with a trail bike on a road in Windale when he went straight through an intersection and if it was one second later, he would have T-boned my car," he said. "He obviously would have come off far worse. "I've seen it at Belmont with guys doing wheelies in the middle of the highway." Anyone with information or dashcam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Police are hunting a trail bike rider who crashed into three cars at Kahibah during school pick-up on Monday while doing a wheelie down a suburban street. The crash happened in Hexham Street shortly before 4pm and only metres from Hilltop Kahibah Takeaway and Kahibah Memorial Park, which was filled with children playing at the playground after school. The rider was heading west and initially hit a Mitsubishi Outlander SUV head-on before crashing into two parked vehicles. Several bystanders rushed towards the rider, who miraculously seemed to escape injury. Videos circulating on social media appear to depict the rider fleeing the scene by pushing his bike down Hexham Road as he screamed "don't touch me" to bystanders giving chase. Kahibah resident Mel Owen was at the playground with her children when she heard the trail bike revving up Hexham Street. "He was up on one tyre, going along for a few metres and then crashed into a car that was pulling out from a parked position," Ms Owen said. "He nicked that car and then fell off the bike as he and the bike crashed into two parked cars, which had people in them." Ms Owen said several bystanders rushed towards the trail bike rider, believing he had been seriously injured. "I ran over and he gets up and says, 'Ow'," she said. "He then gets up, pulls his bike up off the road and starts running away from everyone, pushing the bike along and running as fast as he could." Dudley resident Neil Keene was sitting in his car waiting to pick up his son from the school bus when the trail bike crashed into the back of his vehicle. "I heard this screech and a bang and he has bounced off a car he hit front-on, because he was doing a wheelie, and then he hit my car and tried to regain control but couldn't and hit another car and was on the ground," Mr Keene said. The collision damaged Mr Keene's bumper and popped a tyre. Lake Macquarie police were called to the scene and a short time later they located the unregistered motorbike unattended at a housing complex in Hexham Street. The rider was not located, and inquiries to identify the rider are ongoing by Lake Macquarie Police. Mr Keene said illegal trail bike riding has increasingly become a menace across the eastern suburbs of Lake Macquarie. "I almost had a serious collision with a trail bike on a road in Windale when he went straight through an intersection and if it was one second later, he would have T-boned my car," he said. "He obviously would have come off far worse. "I've seen it at Belmont with guys doing wheelies in the middle of the highway." Anyone with information or dashcam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
The Mainichi
02-06-2025
- The Mainichi
Retracing the steps of Japanese literary scholar Keene along 'The Narrow Road to Oku'
It was in the late spring of 1955 that Japanese literature scholar Donald Keene first traveled to northeastern Japan's Tohoku region to follow the steps of Edo period poet Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) in his masterwork "Oku no Hoshimichi," which Keene later translated as "The Narrow Road to Oku." Seventy years later, in April 2025, admirers of Keene including this reporter undertook the same journey. We called it "a journey following the young Keene, who followed Basho." The first leg of the trip took us to the town of Matsushima in Miyagi Prefecture, the town of Hiraizumi in neighboring Iwate Prefecture, and Yamadera temple in Yamagata Prefecture, where we were greeted by cherry blossoms in each location. Keene's initial journey took place near the end of his two years of study at Kyoto University from 1953. In an autobiography, he wrote, "For a time, I had considered actually walking the entire distance. ... In any case, unlike Basho, I could spend only a few weeks on these travels." He also wrote that "at every spot the cherry blossoms had just reached their peak," meaning that he likely traveled there between mid and late April. Details of this journey were published in the June 1955 issue of the literary magazine Chuo Koron under the title "Komo Oku no Hosomichi" (loosely translating as "Westerner's narrow road to Oku). Below, we draw on this travelogue, originally written in Japanese, and Keene's translation of "The Narrow Road to Oku." Shiogama After passing through Nikko and Shirakawa Barrier, Keene arrived in Sendai. At that time, the occupying forces were still stationed in the city, likely reminding him of his past role as a Japanese language interpreter for the military. On arriving at Shiogama Shrine in the evening, he first sought out the "lantern presented by Izumi no Saburo in the third year of Bunji [1187]," and wrote, that he was thrilled to realize that Basho had seen the same lantern. The lantern still stands as it did then, to the right of the main hall. Let's read Keene's translation of "The Narrow Road to Oku." Shiogama Early the next morning we visited the Myojin Shrine in Shiogama. As rebuilt by the governor of the province, the shrine has imposing pillars, colorfully painted rafters, and flight upon flight of stone steps. The morning sun was shining brightly on the vermilion lacquered fence around the shrine. I was profoundly impressed to think that it was typical of our country for the miraculous manifestation of the gods to have occurred in so distant a place, at the very end of the world. Before the shrine is an old lantern. A metal door bears the inscription, "Presented by Izumi no Saburo in the third year of Bunji [1187]." It was strange how these words evoked scenes of five hundred years ago. Izumi was a brave and loyal warrior whose fame has lasted to the present; there is no one who does not hold him in esteem. It has been truly said: "A man should practice the way and maintain his righteousness. Fame will follow of itself." It was already close to noon. We hired a boat and crossed to Matsushima. After another five miles on the water we arrived at the beach of the island of Ojima. Matsushima Keene entered Matsushima, one of Japan's three most scenic spots, via Tagajo, traveling by train. Having heard negative comments like "Matsushima is a dirty place" from people along the way, he boarded the sightseeing boat "preparing to be disappointed." However, a woman's voice came over the loudspeaker carefully explaining the names of the islands, and though it was raining, he said, "I was neither disappointed nor impressed." Furthermore, the twilight view from his inn was magnificent, leading him to conclude, "I was moved no less than Basho was. If 'the finest scenery in the land' exists in Japan, I believe it is in Matsushima." Perhaps this was an example of the large difference between hearing and actually seeing. Below is Keene's translation of Basho's description of Matsushima in "The Narrow Road to Oku." Matsushima No matter how often it has been said, it is nonetheless true that the scenery at Matsushima is the finest in Japan, in no way inferior to Tung-t'ing or the Western Lake in China. The sea flows in from the southeast forming a bay seven miles across, and the incoming tide surges in massively, just as in Che-chiang. There are countless islands. Some rise up and point at the sky; the low-lying ones crawl into the waves. There are islands piled double or even stacked three high. To the left the islands stand apart; to the right they are linked together. Some look as if they carried little islands on their backs, others as if they held the islands in their arms, evoking a mother's love of her children. The green of the pines is of a wonderful darkness, and their branches are constantly bent by winds from the sea, so that their crookedness seems to belong to the nature of the trees. The scene has the mysterious charm of the face of a beautiful woman. I wonder if Matsushima was created by the God of the Mountains in the Age of the Gods? What man could capture in a painting or a poem the wonder of this masterpiece of nature? On Ojima, an island connected to the mainland that thrusts out into the sea, are the remains of the Zen master Ungo's hut, and the rock upon which he used to meditate. I caught glimpses here and there under the pines of priests who had abandoned the world. They live quietly in thatched huts from which even at that moment smoke from the fallen pine needles and cones they use as fuel was rising. I did not know what manner of men they might be, but I felt drawn to them. As I walked in their direction I could see the moon shining on the sea, and the scenery of Matsushima quite unlike what it had been during the day. I returned to the shore and took a room at an inn, a two-story building with open windows looking out over the bay. When I lay down to sleep in the breeze and the clouds, I experienced a feeling of strange pleasure. Matsushima ya / tsuru ni mi wo kare / hototogisu (Sora) At Matsushima / Borrow your plumes from the crane / O nightingales! I lay down without composing a poem, but was too excited to sleep. I recalled that when I left my old cottage I was presented by Sodo with a poem in Chinese about Matsushima, and with a tanka by Hara Anteki on Matsugaura Island. I opened my knapsack and made these poems my companions for the night. There were also hokku by Sanpu and Jokushi. On the eleventh we visited the Zuigan-ji. Many years ago, thirty-two generations before the present abbot, Makabe no Heishiro entered Buddhist orders, went to China for study, and founded this temple after his return to Japan. Later, the seven halls of the temple were rebuilt as the result of the virtuous efforts of the Zen monk Ungo. Now the temple has become a great hall of worship, the golden walls shining with a splendor worthy of Buddha's paradise. I wondered where the temple of the Holy Man Kenbutsu might be. Keene himself visited Zuiganji temple, and was moved, writing, "Having been repulsed by the gaudiness of Toshogu Shrine (in Nikko), I was impressed by the solemn beauty of Zuiganji." This was a typical reaction for Keene who preferred simplicity over extravagance. The row of cedar trees that once stood in front of the temple's gate fell to the tsunami following the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and young trees now grow in their place -- a lone display of the passage of time. Keene noted that he enjoyed the famous "Koren senbei" rice crackers at a nearby teahouse saying they were delicious, so we stopped by as well. Although the building had been newly rebuilt, the delicately flavored senbei remained unchanged. Hiraizumi Keene proceeded to Hiraizumi via Ichinoseki. The persisting rain amazingly cleared, and he visited the local temple Chuson-ji amid the full bloom of cherry blossoms. He wrote, "Until I embarked on the journey of 'The Narrow Road to Oku' I couldn't understand the Japanese attachment to cherry blossoms." He drew a comparison with his visit to Yoshino in Nara Prefecture the previous year (1954). The fact that Yoshino was renowned as one of the best cherry blossom spots in the Kansai region may have raised his expectations, but he was left disenchanted with the cherry blossoms in the tourist area, which had become secularized, writing, "I noticed the lunch boxes, drunks, and vulgar music blaring from loudspeakers." Hiraizumi, on the other hand, offered a different experience. "After the long Tohoku winter, the cherry blossoms blooming in the black forest show their true beauty," he wrote. It was here that his ideal cherry blossom landscape stretched out. Among this, the brilliance of the temple's Golden Hall (Konjikido) was even more stunning. Keene praised it, saying, "Since coming to Japan, I've been captivated by wonderful Buddhist statues, feeling they embody absolute beauty. ... However, it was when I saw the inner sanctum of Chuson-ji that I was struck by beauty to the point of trembling, losing myself and entering a world beyond this one. ... I believe it is one of the finest expressions of paradise created by humans in the world." Later, Hiraizumi would be registered as a cultural World Heritage site, but Keene had already sensed its value. Incidentally, Basho visited Hiraizumi in the fifth month of the second year of Genroku (1689) according to the old lunar calendar, which would have been during the rainy season. How did Basho evaluate Hiraizumi? Let's read the original text translated by Keene. Hiraizumi The three generations of glory of the Fujiwara of Hiraizumi vanished in the space of a dream. The ruins of their Great Gate are two miles this side of the castle. Where once Hidehira's mansion stood there are now fields, and only Golden Cockerel Mountain retains its old appearance. We first climbed up to Palace-on-the-Heights, from where we could see the Kitakami, a big river that flows down from Nambu. The Koromo River circles Izumi Saburo's castle, then flows into the big river below Palace-on-the-Heights. The ruins of Yasuhira's time are on the other side of the Koromo Barrier, seemingly to protect the Nambu gateway from intrusion by the Ainu. It was at Palace-on-the-Heights that Yoshitsune and his picked retainers fortified themselves, but his glory turned in a moment into this wilderness of grass. "Countries may fall, but their rivers and mountains remain; when spring comes to the ruined castle, the grass is green again." These lines went through my head as I sat on the ground, my bamboo hat spread under me. There I sat weeping, unaware of the passage of time. natsukusa ya / tsuwamono domo ga / yume no ato The summer grasses -- / Of brave soldiers' dreams / The aftermath. unohana ni / Kanefusa miyuru / shiraga kana (Sora) In the verbena / I seem to see Kanefusa-- / Behold his white hair! The two halls of the Chuson-ji, whose wonders I had heard of and marvelled at, were both open. The Sutra Hall contains statues of the three generals of Hiraizumi; the Golden Hall has their coffins and an enshrined Buddhist trinity. The "seven precious things" were scattered and lost, the gem-inlaid doors broken by the wind, and the pillars fretted with gold were flaked by the frost and snow. The temple would surely have crumbled and turned into an empty expanse of grass had it not been recently strengthened on all sides and the roof tiled to withstand the wind and rain. A monument of a thousand years has been preserved a while longer. samidare no / furinokoshite ya / Hikari-do Have the rains of spring / Spared you from their onslaught, / Shining Hall of Gold? (Japanese original by Tadahiko Mori, The Mainichi Staff Writer and Donald Keene Memorial Foundation director) This is a spinoff article related to a 60-part Mainichi Shimbun series about Donald Keene, exploring the near-century of the Japanologist's life along with his own writings. Spinoff articles are posted irregularly. The original text of Donald Keene's autobiographies is used with permission from the Donald Keene Memorial Foundation. The foundation's website can be reached at:
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
GOP cuts to food assistance would hit rural America especially hard
Volunteers with Food Bank for the Heartland distribute food in Weeping Water, Neb., in September. The nonprofit, which serves 93 counties across Nebraska and Iowa, is concerned about the impacts of potential cuts to federal food assistance, particularly in rural areas. (Photo courtesy of Food Bank for the Heartland) People in Marsha Keene's community are already struggling to cover the basics. Most of the clients Keene serves at the Susanna Wesley Family Learning Center in southeast Missouri are working but still rely on federal food assistance to keep up with ever-increasing costs. The center provides a domestic violence shelter, parenting education and summer camps to struggling families stretched thin by living expenses. Keene, the center's CEO, worries about how her clients can absorb significant cuts to food stamps, officially called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. 'I don't see communities just being able to absorb that need,' she said. 'I don't know what the impact is going to be yet, but I cannot imagine that it's going to be good.' Billions in cuts to federal food assistance are looming as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a major tax and spending package that would slash federal spending on domestic programs to extend tax cuts passed during President Donald Trump's first term. U.S. House Republicans passed the package in a 215-214 vote, and it's now before the Senate. Federal cuts squeeze already-struggling food banks, school lunch programs Cuts to SNAP would affect residents of every state in all types of communities, but advocates fear the fallout could especially hit rural people, who are more dependent on food stamps, the largest anti-hunger program in the nation. The legislation that passed the House would cut food assistance by an estimated $300 billion, according to the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. One key provision of the bill would expand work requirements to include people between 55 and 64 years old and those with children aged 7 or older. It would also tighten rules for counties with high unemployment rates. Together, the changes would remove more than 3 million Americans from the program in an average month, reducing spending by more than $92 billion over 10 years, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The legislation will likely face changes in Senate negotiations. The measure was endorsed in a letter signed by 20 of the nation's 27 Republican governors. A greater share of rural residents currently rely on SNAP than those in metropolitan areas, according to the Food Research & Action Center, a nonprofit focusing on hunger and health among the impoverished. Rural hunger is already on the rise and grocery stores face an uphill battle to keep going in the most isolated parts of the country. The SNAP cuts are definitely going to make an impact because we already have hungry kids. – — Marsha Keene, CEO of the Susanna Wesley Family Learning Center in Missouri In her corner of Missouri, Keene said, limited job opportunities leave many workers struggling to cover housing and grocery bills. Nearly a quarter of residents live below the poverty line in Mississippi County — almost double the state and national averages. She recalled her own recent trip to the grocery store, where high prices caused her to forgo items on her list such as orange juice and meat. 'And I have a pretty good job,' she said. 'The SNAP cuts are definitely going to make an impact because we already have hungry kids.' The National Grocers Association has opposed the potential cuts, saying SNAP provides not only critical food, but also meaningful boosts to local employment and economies. The organization, which represents retail and wholesale grocers, said cuts will particularly hurt independent and rural stores. 'Cutting SNAP would harm the most vulnerable Americans and threaten the viability of community grocery stores that are depended upon by their local economies and neighborhoods,' the association said in a May statement. Facing competitive pressures from online retailers and big-box stores with lower prices, rural grocery stores are already struggling to remain viable. But deep cuts to SNAP would have an uneven impact on rural stores. For Kay Voss, the cuts would be catastrophic at her Stratton Country Market in southwest Nebraska. She estimates 40% of sales are paid for with SNAP. 'I'd probably close the doors,' she said. That's a possibility with or without federal changes: Struggling to turn a profit in the town of about 340 people, Voss said the market likely won't last much longer. 'There's nothing to be made on the grocery side,' she said. Several grocery store operators interviewed by Stateline were more optimistic. Some said they believed locals were using their federal benefits at chains in nearby cities for cheaper prices or anonymity. 'The lifeblood of the community': States invest to save rural grocery stores Tasha Malay, one of the owners of Malay's Market in western Kansas, said SNAP made up less than 2% of the store's sales last year. While she believes cuts to the federal program are 'a terrible idea' broadly, she said it won't make a huge difference for her store. 'I think the people that qualify are utilizing it, but I think that they're spending the dollars elsewhere,' she said. Profit margins are famously slight in the grocery industry, especially for rural stores facing an onslaught of competition from dollar stores whose bulk purchasing allows them to offer much lower prices. 'When they're operating on such thin margins anyways, that could have a huge impact on whether or not the store can remain open,' said Carlie Jonas, a policy associate at the nonprofit Center for Rural Affairs. The center has worked with lawmakers to preserve rural grocery stores, which provide locals with social connections in addition to fresh meat and produce. Proposed legislation to fund $2 million in rural grocery assistance did not win approval from the Nebraska legislature because of the state's challenging budget cycle, Jonas said. That figure, though, pales in comparison to new costs Nebraska could face if the proposed SNAP changes are enacted. One component of the federal legislation would shift billions of costs from the federal government to states to administer SNAP. A Nebraska-based think tank estimates the state would have to spend at least $39 million a year to make up for the lost federal funds. 'Every single state is going to have to make some really difficult decisions,' Jonas said. Federal cuts affect regional food access; more uncertainty to come In Wisconsin, state officials estimate the changes would cost the state $314 million per year. 'This is over a quarter billion dollars each year that Wisconsin couldn't use for our health care, our roads, our schools, or our economy,' Wisconsin Medicaid Director Bill Hanna said in a May statement. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, downplayed the impacts of the changes. 'We are not cutting SNAP,' he said May 25 on CBS News' political show 'Face the Nation.' 'We're working in the elements of fraud, waste and abuse. SNAP for example, listen to the statistics, in 2024, over $11 billion in SNAP payments were erroneous.' A PolitiFact breakdown published May 29 disputed Johnson's remarks, concluding that three independent analyses show millions of people could lose SNAP benefits. Food insecurity is already on the rise in rural America. Even in heartland areas where farming is central to the local economy, many have trouble accessing fresh and affordable food. 'We're seeing food insecurity across the entire state rise, but really disproportionately in our more rural areas,' said Tim Williams, government affairs and advocacy officer at Food Bank for the Heartland, an Omaha, Neb.-based nonprofit serving 93 counties across Nebraska and Iowa. Williams said cuts to the SNAP program will drive up demand on food banks, especially in rural areas that have long struggled with access and transportation to secure fresh foods. In sparsely populated areas such as western Nebraska, it's difficult to get to grocery stores — if they exist at all. 'There are counties in the state where there are more cows than people, and so things are very spread out,' he said. 'They can be very difficult to get to. Sometimes there's only one pantry or one grocery store in a county.' The federal food program works in tandem with food banks to keep people from going hungry, Williams said. And cuts to federal aid will unquestionably affect nonprofits. 'It will put a disproportionate burden on the charitable food system that they can't sustain because they're already seeing too many people,' he said. Susie Boelter, executive director of the North Country Food Bank, said it's time to expand food assistance — not cut it. She told the North Dakota Monitor her nonprofit has experienced 'staggering increases' in need over the past three years. For every meal the food bank provides across its 21-county service area in North Dakota, SNAP provides nine, she said. 'Any additional cuts will put a ton of pressure on our emergency food system,' Boelter said. 'Food banks are good at getting food into the hands of people who need it, but it's time to sound the alarm.' Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy can be reached at khardy@ SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Los Angeles Times
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
An AI Agatha Christie? The bestselling novelist of all time deserves better than that
There are very few recorded interviews with Dame Agatha Christie, the world's bestselling novelist and generally acknowledged doyenne of crime, for one simple reason: She hated speaking in public. She often described herself as cripplingly shy — she agonized for days when a celebration for the 10th anniversary of her play 'The Mousetrap' required her to give a speech — and she remained morbidly press-adverse after the media swarm that followed her famous 11-day disappearance. (Though in defense of the press, what could one expect when a notable crime writer goes missing for almost two weeks in the midst of a shattering divorce and then, when found, refuses to explain what had happened?) In her autobiography, and through her literary avatar Ariadne Oliver, Christie often described taking great pains to avoid speaking in front of people and she (and Mrs. Oliver) particularly hated being asked questions about her writing. 'I never know what to say,' Mrs. Oliver would wail, echoing sentiments expressed by Christie herself. So when BBC Maestro announced, at the end of April, that it was launching a digital class in which an AI-resurrected Christie would offer lessons in writing, it was difficult not to be outraged. Never mind the whole 'I see dead people'-ness of it all; here was a woman who was on record, multiple times and often at great length, about how much she loathed having to talk about how she did what she did in front of a bunch of people. The creators of the series clearly anticipated such outrage. The prologue to the course features BBC Maestro Chief Executive Michael Levine and Christie's great-grandson James Prichard, chairman and CEO of Agatha Christie Ltd., explaining the care put into the series. The script, we are assured, is rigorously based on Christie's own words; the actor (Vivien Keene) was chosen after a year-and-a-half search; and the set (a library that houses a model of Christie's own typewriter), the costume (a tweed suit accented by pearls, a brooch and duplicates of Christie's engagement and wedding rings) and the hair are models of authenticity. More important, the course has the family's full support. 'At the heart of this project was my father who knew Agatha Christie better than any person living,' Prichard says. 'At times he was astounded by how similar to his grandmother this version was. And my view,' he adds with a mildly challenging air, 'is that if he can enjoy this project, we can all enjoy it.' Challenge accepted. Keeping in mind Christie's fascination with disguise and advanced technology, as well as a passage in her autobiography in which she wishes a friend with more confidence could step in as a substitute during author interviews, I put my fears aside and ponied up $89 for the two-and-a-half-hour class. Which is so respectful I found myself, at more than a few points in the 12 sections, wanting to scream. We meet Keene's Christie behind a desk, and there she stays, smiling and nodding as she walks us through her thoughts on her craft (including, in the introduction, her aversion to offering them). Christie's autobiography is a doorstop. Thoughts about writing, her characters and her career run through it, but they rarely take up more than two consecutive pages. Christie historian Mark Aldridge has done a remarkable job of mining it, as well as other writings, to create a genuine tutorial with an admirable script. Yes, Christie offers the typical anodyne advice — write what you know and the type of book you enjoy reading — but she also gets very granular. A murder mystery is best at 50,000 words, the murderer and important clues must be introduced very early on, settings should be described thoroughly but economically ('sometimes a map works best') and one must never give into an editor who spells cocoa as 'coco.' In portions that include 'characters,' 'plots,' 'settings' and 'clues,' Christie assesses some of her work. She came to think that her first book, 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles,' was over-stuffed with plot, but remained irritated by those who claimed that the twist in 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' was a cheat. She wished she had introduced Hercule Poirot as a younger man, and was very happy to ditch Hastings for a while. She discusses the importance of observation in everyday life, describing, among other things, how an encounter in front of a shop window led to one of her Parker Pyne stories, as well as the usefulness of isolated settings ('snow can also weigh down telephone wires') and second (or third) murders. In the opening minutes, it's kind of neat to see what looks very much like a midlife Christie, smiling and talking in her very British way (the voice is not precise but close enough). Still, there is no getting away from the fact that this is a two-and-a-half-hour lecture, delivered by a woman sitting behind a desk who, with the exception of a very few hand gestures, never moves. The camera moves, shooting her from this angle and that, and occasionally roving over various covers of Christie's books. But Christie's body remains as still as the late Queen Elizabeth II delivering her Christmas address. I began to feel quite concerned for Keene — just how long were these takes? She delivers a vocally expressive performance and gives the digitally recreated face the necessary intelligence, wit and kindliness. The face itself looked fine — a bit glowy at times and immobile around the eyes — but its novelty quickly wore off. I would have happily traded what is essentially a parlor trick for a Christie who would get up and walk around a bit. Have a cup of tea, flip through a notebook. I realize that it is a course, and one I did not have to go through in one sitting. But as the first hour slid into the second, I found myself longing for someone, Aldridge perhaps, to mine Christie's exquisite autobiography more broadly and create an entire one-woman play. An evening with Agatha, free of AI, in which Christie could reminisce about her extraordinary life, from her glorious Victorian childhood to her later years as an archaeologist. Though known as the creator of the manor-house murder story, Christie was, as her books indicate, a voracious world traveler, learning how to surf before surfing was a thing, and dealing with adventures and misadventures (including a 14-hour honeymoon trek by camel and a hideous case of bed bugs on the Orient Express) that would give even the most intrepid travel influencer pause. She lived through two world wars, experienced wildly unexpected success and deep personal loss. She endured a heartbreaking divorce and a nervous breakdown, while raising a daughter and writing books, only to rally again and find love again in the most unexpected place. She wasn't a saint — her work occasionally includes the racist, antisemitic and classist tropes of its time — but she avowed fascism as often as her more political contemporaries and believed, as she says in the course, that she lived in contract with her readers for whom she had the utmost respect. She was a celebrity who never behaved as a celebrity, an artist who never admitted to art (and wrote her books on any steady surface, including orange crates and washstands), a novelist like no other who also wrote the longest-running play in history and whose work continues to sell while being adapted in film and television. Her contribution to the culture is literally incalculable. So surely she deserves more than a course that makes news mainly because of its use of dreaded AI. She's Agatha-freaking-Christie. Give her a movie, a miniseries, a play. Give her an actor who worries less about the face and more about the words, and the life that inspired them.
