Assembling the class for ‘School of Rock’

By R.J. Donovan, Special to the BIR
January 30, 2019
R.J. Donovan, Special to the BIR

What would “The King & I” have been like without Yul Brynner?  Or “Evita” without Patti LuPone?  Or “Music Man” without Robert Preston?
It’s obvious that casting is essential to theatrical success.  The casting director works closely with a show’s director, producer, writer, and creative team to help find the perfect actor for just the right role.  That includes everyone from the ensemble to the star.

WHAT’S IN A NAME? Irish America’s ‘Baghdad Bob’ Is A Man Named Mick

By Peter F. Stevens, BIR Staff
January 30, 2019
Peter F. Stevens, BIR Staff

It’s over, at least for now.  As of this writing, the partial shutdown/presidential temper tantrum ignited by Donald Trump’s demand for a border wall or bust is over until Feb. 15. Still, as the president is already making noise that another shutdown or his declaration of a national emergency to strip defense spending to finance his wall is in the offing, his currently preferred mouthpiece is an Irish-American enabler who is serving as the quintessential “yes man” for his erratic boss.

Work is continuing on Famine Memorial for Deer Island site: May 25 dedication planned

By
January 30, 2019

An ad hoc Irish Great Hunger Deer Island Memorial committee last month continued to plan for the installation of a Celtic Cross to memorialize the Famine-era Irish buried in unmarked graves on the island. The memorial stone, currently being cut in a Pennsylvania quarry, is expected to be delivered to Deer Island in the early spring.

Criminal justice reform has come full circle; the ‘fixing’ never ends

By Ed Forry
January 30, 2019

By James W. Dolan
Special to the Reporter

Good public policy is all about establishing a sensible balance between often opposing views. In the attempt to achieve that balance, we too often go from one extreme to another. Criminal justice reform is an example. In the 1970s, rising crime rates prompted a reform emphasizing stiffer sentencing, including mandatory incarceration for drug dealers and repeat offenders. In so doing, policy makers were responding to complaints of community residents.

No matter what, the British will come to regret leaving the European Union

By Joe Leary, Special to BIR
January 30, 2019
Joe Leary, Special to BIR

When the people of Britain voted to leave the European Union in June of 2016 they had no idea that it would cause so much harm to themselves and to their country. Their leaders had no idea, either. Two years later, the European Union and the British Parliament cannot agree on the terms of the separation.

As it currently stands, in just about two months (March 29), Britain is scheduled to formally leave its European neighbors and break the agreement they have had since 1973, when the British people voted to join the Union by a vote of 67.2 percent to 32.8 percent.

JFK Library re-opens after long government shut-down; offers free admission until Feb. 2

By Dan Sheehan, Reporter Staff
January 30, 2019
Dan Sheehan, Reporter Staff

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum reopened Tuesday after being closed since December 22 due to the government shutdown.
With federal funding cut off, the the Columbia Point facility saw its programming and activities suspended for over a month, while the building remained vacant and its staff went furloughed without pay. Library Director Alan Price said he was excited to be back open, but acknowledged the hardships enacted upon his employees by the shutdown.

May wins a Brexit point; Irish prep for ‘no deal’

By
January 30, 2019

Speaking late last month after British lawmakers had backed a move to reopen negotiations with the European Union over the so-called Northern Ireland “backstop,” Prime Minister Theresa May said that it was now “clear that there is a route that can secure a substantial and sustainable majority in this house for leaving the EU with a deal.”

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