E-mail on old subject apparently delivered by the Pony Express

Letter from an N&R reader today who apparently just stumbled on my weeks-old coverage of the Minuteman Project in Greensboro. She seems to be saying that she was there, though it’s not really clear. She has many specifics of what I wrote wrong…so it’s possible she’s upset with someone else’s coverage and is taking it [...]

Real product. Real commercial. Real milk coming out of my nose.

Jesus Christ. I’m going to be buying this company’s products for the rest of my life just because of the little piece of advertising genius that is this video.
If it works as well as it claims to it may be a bargain for $40. I’m just wincing at the thought of anyone listing one of [...]

X-Men III: A perfect storm of crapiness

All right. So I finally saw the third X-Men movie last night.
My sister and my friend John Russell had both seen it first and told me they thought parts of it were disappointing – it wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great.
They were wrong. This film is an almost perfect storm of shitiness. And I’m not [...]

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

I’m a giant James Bond nut.
So of course I’m going to go see the new film, Casino Royale.
But I’m not pleased about the choice of Daniel Craig as the new 007.
Here’s an excellent argument for the blisteringly obvious choice of Clive Owen as Her Majesty’s deadliest weapon.
There is no justice.

This looks (at least marginally) safer than a motorcycle. Would you freak out if I drove one of these, mom…?

Check out the Ecomobile Roch Smith saw on the streets of downtown Greensboro yesterday.

Good news: It gets 52 miles to the gallon and has a top speed of 160 mph.
Bad news: Not yet in mass production and currently costs $80,000 a pop.

The Dixie Chicks and Outlaw Country

Good argument discussion going on at Ed Cone’s blog about The Dixie Chicks, country music fans and Outlaw Country.
The other day I put for the idea that the Dixie Chicks – who right now are getting some shit from country radio stations and some mainstream country fans (though they’re #1 at Amazon and are killing [...]

Intestinal Safari

The NYT’s Frank Bruni went on a 9 day, 15 state fast-food odyssey, consuming and documenting some of the nation’s best (and worst) fast food – including regional favorite like Chic-Fil-A, Whataburger and In-and-Out Burger.
Full piece here. (Go to www.bugmenot.com if prompted for a password)
Frank’s top ten fast food meals here.

Has it really been that long?

Was just putzing around the News & Record office, waiting for the 10 p.m. news to begin, when I came across the April/May 2005 issue of AJR (American Journalism Review).
There’s a piece by White House correspondent Richard Keil about Hunter Thompson’s death – which, I realized as I read it, was more than a year [...]

ACLU requests GPD files on anti-Bush protest

GREENSBORO — The ACLU of North Carolina is asking for information on the Greensboro Police Department’s surveillance of political groups.
The request, submitted May 15, stemmed from a clash between police and protesters at a downtown rally against President Bush in January.
It was submitted on behalf of The World Can’t Wait NC, which organized [...]

Buffy: Season 8

This is just for Sarah Putterman, who has the most impressive store of Buffy the Vampire Slayer knowledge I’ve ever encountered. I have no reason to believe she’s reading my blog, but if she is she may already know that:
The 8th season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is on. And it’s a comic.

Studs Terkel vs. AT&T

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) — A lawsuit filed Monday on behalf of author Studs Terkel and others seeks to stop AT&T from giving customer phone records to the National Security Agency without a court order.
The plaintiffs, who also include a doctor and a state lawmaker, said they rely on confidentiality in their work and are worried [...]

Wine: it’s even good for the monkeys

BUDAPEST, Hungary (Reuters) — Monkeys and apes at the Budapest Zoo drink their way through 55 liters of red wine each year, albeit in small quantities each day, to help boost their red blood cells, the zoo said Monday.
Budapest Zoo spokesman Zoltan Hanga said it was the 11 anthropoid apes who drank most of the [...]

"Life isn’t all beer and skittles, Watson – even for those in Burke’s Peerage"

Today is the birthday of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes detective stories and novels, the Professor Challenger stories and novels (including “The Lost World”).
This is how Google is celebrating:

The Sherlock Holmes stories have long since passed into the public domain and you can read them (and Doyle’s other work) for free [...]

Man Pulls Stranger from Burning Car

GREENSBORO — Donald Pumphreys and his family headed for what promised to be a peaceful Saturday morning May 13: a mother-daughter brunch at Philadelphia Baptist Chapel.
But a serious auto wreck with a young man trapped inside a burning car shattered that promise, transforming Pumphreys’ morning into a test of courage and faith.
According to the Highway [...]

Life 101: Finding a good auto mechanic

It’s the dead of night and you’re driving along a road without a single streetlight. That’s when your oil light comes on and the car lets out a slow, aching whine. You begin bargaining with your car.
“Please, baby — just get me another few miles.”
It never should have come to this. If only you’d had [...]

Tales from the night side

Second week of my new job as a nightside reporter at the News & Record – and while things weren’t as explosive as they were last week I feel I’m beginning to settle into a strange routine that few people who haven’t done this sort of work could imagine.
Unless I’m covering some night event (and [...]

"It’s the right thing to do!"

This is, in fact, a Coca-Cola commercial by Jack White.
Coca-Cola has confirmed to MTV News that White wrote the song specifically for the commercial and that so far it’s only aired in Australia. No word on whether it’s coming to the states.
But it is seriously strange. Several steps up Britney Spears’ Pepsi ads…but fucking [...]

What was wrong with the Fry Guys?

This is apparently an actual McDonalds ad from India:

The ad copy apparently reads: “Just opened, near Kimaya Kothrud.I’m lovin’ it.”
Should read: “Just clawed my way out of the gaping maw of my mother’s vagina, killed the attending physician and his lovely little nurse. Now turning my attentions to Mommy. I’m lovin’ (Stephen King’s) IT…”

Badass rock & soul…and old white guy music.

Create your own Music List @ HotFreeLayouts!
Ben Harper’s new album, “Both Sides of the Gun” is terrific. And outside of the odd song here or there I’ve never really gone for Ben Harper.
I think this is what Lenny Kravitz really wishes he sounded like. But, no matter how many movie stars or supermodels he sleeps [...]

"Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"

This is the 6 minute preview of Aaron Sorkin’s new show, “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” that was shown at the NBC Upfront presentation earlier this month.
The show, which centers around an SNL-style show that has lost its edge and the people who are brought in (or, more accurately, re-hired) to ressurect it, stars [...]