Alone in his huge, Antebellum house built in 1853 in Holly Springs, Miss., Paul MacLeod is living his vision of the American dream. He’s a 67-year-old former assembly-line worker, and it shows—his face slumps like a wet towel. He subsists on two cases of Coca-Cola a day. His wife, Serita, left him years ago, and he hasn’t seen her since. His son, too, left long ago . But MacLeod doesn’t mind living alone: He’s got Elvis Presley.
For 20 years, MacLeod has operated his own live-in Elvis museum called Graceland Too. Every corner, wall and inch of ceiling in his two-story mansion is covered with Elvis memorabilia, from The King’s high school report card (he failed music) to plush tigers (in honor of Elvis’ martial-arts name) and thousands of posters, clippings and photographs. MacLeod keeps Graceland Too open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. If he’s slipped into a light sleep at 4 a.m., knock loud enough and he’ll give you a tour. Only five bucks.
Graceland Too isn’t really about Elvis Presley. It’s about creating another world, one in which Paul MacLeod is king, slap-happy and in love with his favorite rock star, blissfully unaware of the faster, meaner, grimier world beyond his property. “I’m prepared to die right now if I could bring that guy back,” he tells me with a voice that sounds like he’s gargling maple syrup. While outisders—368,000 people since 1990, by his count—stop by and see him as an oddity, an old man gone batty, MacLeod says he’s “doin’ just what makes me happy.”
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What’s in a name? For Rodef Shalom Congregation, the answer is quite a lot — especially come June 27. That night, the Shadyside congregation will give Bishop David Zubik, of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, the first ever Pursuer of Peace award, named after the translation of Rodef Shalom. It’s an honor that’s a full year in the making.
As its annual major fundraiser, Rodef Shalom long recognized a deserving congregant with a dinner. “The time was right,” for a change, said Rabbi Aaron Bisno. “I had been speaking with our leadership about creating an award we could provide to somebody in the wider community beyond the finite membership of Rodef Shalom, using the congregation’s profile to recognize good works in the community.”
The June 27 event will feature a dinner, followed by an address given by Bishop Zubik. A portion of the night’s proceeds will be split between the diocese and synagogue and donated to immigrant and refugee aid organizations chosen by each group. Michelle Bisno, the Pursuer of Peace tribute chair, said she expects 300 people for the meal, but that Rodef Shalom’s 1200-seat congregation will fill to capacity for Zubik’s address. Continue reading
Ron Minor doesn’t have skeletons in his closet, but he does have records in his basement.
And just like a relic of the past creeping into the present, the records in Minor’s basement play only a small role in his current life. As DJ Indiana Jones, one of the city’s most well-known and established DJ’s, Minor has, like so many old-school music masters, switched from vinyl to digital DJ-ing to keep up with — and ahead of — the young talent constantly nipping at his heels.
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For Alphonso Wright, Christmas really does come in July.
The longtime owner of Player’s Modern Clothing, an upscale Northeastside Indianapolis men’s fashion boutique, said that in the weeks leading up to Indiana Black Expo, he sells more merchandise than during any other season — including Christmas. Even as the recession thins many Americans’ wallets, Wright’s business has increased nearly 35 percent, he said.
With finances tighter than in previous years, shoppers and businesses alike are still bracing for a big week of spending, albeit less than years before, some predict.
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A&E Editor Justin Jacobs traveled to Guatemala during Spring Break, volunteering with 10 other Pitt students to help build a reservoir in an impoverished town. These three columns ran in The Pitt News on March 25-27, 2009.
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Pitt sophomore Rose Kalgren and senior Yanni Hronas are bobbing in the deep end of the Trees Hall pool waiting patiently for Intermediate Swimming class to end. Four minutes left. The rest of the class has already quit treading — the final exercise of the day — and hangs, near-silently, onto the side.
“Trickle down economics is the only plan that’s ever worked in this country,” says Hronas, his right arm coming out of the water to emphasize his point.
“But the wealthy can afford a few thousand more in taxes that are going to be cut from the middle class,” retorts Kalgren. “They need that extra money so much more.”
The discussion escalates, but only a bit; it’s hard to carry on a full economic debate while treading water.
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Depending on who you ask, Jerry Garcia, like Elvis Presley before him, is not really dead.
And if you ask any of the scores of music fans who’ll descend on Marvin’s Mountaintop in Masontown, W.Va., this weekend for the 12th annual All Good Music Festival, you’ll find out that he’s not only alive, but he’s still kicking out the jams — in the form of the 30 or so bands who’ve taken a page from Garcia’s legendary Grateful Dead to create a music scene just as vibrant as the late 1960s.
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