Coming soon: first virtual state dinner

It seems the nation of Sweden is opening an embassy inside Second Life.
No, really.

Taking a closer look at Guilford College

I covered the alleged beating of three Palestinian students at Guilford College students all week.
Robert Bell’s weekend piece is the best possible wrap-up for the week’s coverage – thoughtful, expansive, asks good questions, looks for answers, delves into the larger issues here.
Great stuff.

Students charged with ethnic intimidation in Guilford College assault

GREENSBORO — Three Guilford College students were arrested Monday in connection with a group assault on campus, according to court documents.
The documents, which were reviewed late Monday, said those arrested are accused of beating three Palestinian students with fists, feet and brass knuckles while calling them “terrorists” and using racial slurs. The documents also indicated [...]

Blogging her arrest

Isabell Moore, one of the protesters arrested in downtown Greensboro last week, has blogged her version of the whole thing.
It’s interesting to hear about the build up to the protest – what was behind the decision to get arrested, how calmly it was made.
It’s also interesting to hear that she heard a GPD officer say [...]

Random thoughts on newspaper work

A couple of observations about newspapers (these are, of course, generalizations):
1) Women over 60 are good for story ideas. They’ve always got a story for you. Even if half of them don’t pan out there are going to be a few in there that are good. And they’re laying them on you constantly. I rarely [...]

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in…

Oh, man.
Some time ago I wrote about the societal shame of being a straight guy who loves Project Runway.Now the Bravo network has given Runway’s Tim Gunn his own show, Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style.
For the uninitiated: Gunn, the Chair of Fashion at Parsons The New School For Design in NYC, is one of the [...]

Throwing down the (barbecue) gauntlet

My friend and Go Triad’s Cheap Eats columnist Luke McIntyre declares you need look no further for the best barbecue.
This, no matter what restaurant he’s talking about, is bound to stir some controversy. North Carolinians take their barbecue VERY seriously.
But one of the nice things about writing about food or drink (and the anger that [...]

The blog problem

Thanks for the kind words about the protest post.
Got some nasty letters about the article itself. I’m a little surprised I’ve only gotten two negative comments about the blog post.
But it has made me think…
A number of people have said they’d like to see this kind of thing in the N&R itself. I don’t disagree…but [...]

The most fun you can have without being Tasered

Nine protesters were arrested Thursday during a demonstration downtown against President Bush’s decision to increase troop levels in Iraq. One was taken to the ground with a Taser.I wrote the story.
That afternoon I didn’t particularly want to write the story. I had a number of other things I needed to work on – including a [...]

"And when they grab you their metal claws you won’t be able to get away. Because robots are strong. And they are made of metal."

Hitachi has developed a technology that can tell what you’re thinking by analyzing the subtle changes in bloodflow to your brain.
As was recently pointed out to me:
We now have robots that can outthink us.
We have robots that can power themselves through eating living things.
Also, they think we taste like bacon.
We have robots that are virtually [...]

You have to admit…you wanted to be at the birthday party

Interesting piece over at Slate about Jimmy Buffett at 60.
I’ve always personally thought that it’s worth wading through all of mediocre and really pretty awful stuff Buffett’s done over the years for the handful of really great songs. Feel the same way about James Taylor.
I always feel sort of bad about saying you can get [...]

What’s up with the Scouts?

This is an AP picture of Boy Scouts (some look like Eagle Scouts) saluting President Gerald Ford’s coffin.
It seems the Ford family, long involved in Scouting, wanted 200 plus Eagle Scouts in full uniform, medals and all, to line the road to the Presidential Museum today as the casket passed and all Boy Scouts everywhere [...]

Praying for Peace

GREENSBORO — Bars teemed with New Year’s Eve crowds, hired limos brought partygoers to nightclubs where champagne corks were popped and everyone waited for midnight.
But not far away, on West Friendly Avenue, Quakers from the First Friends Meeting welcomed the new year in a different way — with their annual 24 hours of prayer for [...]

"Have something to say? I don’t care"

This column, via Ed Cone, made water squirt out of my nose.
It would be a great piece for The Onion and yet I really sympathize with some of it.
It’s becoming a very strange world…

Because every movie needs to be a TV show, every TV show a movie

“ABC has given the green light to “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” a one-hour pilot based on the hit feature.
The film’s writer, Simon Kinberg, penned the pilot script, about John and Jane Smith, a married couple who both work as assassins.
The film’s director, Doug Liman, is on board to helm the pilot and executive produce with [...]

Bartenders pitch in toward DWI reduction

GREENSBORO — Of course, Plum Krazy’s Sports Bar & Grill is having a New Year’s Eve bash. But owner Frank Fiore said he’s doing everything he can to make sure everyone wakes up safe the next morning.
“If they’re drunk, we’ll take their keys, we’ll call them a cab and we’ll pay for it,” Fiore [...]