One: Open your eyes, look down and verify existence of limbs. Now assess yourself: Count parts, lumps and features. Consider what is and isn't there. These are your limitations -- forget them.
I'm kidding, but please do.
Two: Locate an atlas.
I'm kidding. Use Google Maps. The effort and design that give print media like atlases and encyclopedias their air of confident authority are the same shortcomings that leave them hopelessly outdated. Big British-y names in bold print and astounding numbers of editions don't mean anything except that a bunch of old white dudes got together and agreed.
Kidding -- Google maps is notoriously unreliable.
Three: Take the atlas back out of the trash can and read the biggest print on the cover. Where are you, and what does that make you? Then find the publishing information. Who makes the objects, gadgets and atlases around you, and how has that made you? Where are they?
I'm kidding, of course. Rand McNally is based in Illinois, and they couldn't care less how you live your life. Throw the atlas away again please.
Four: Try everything until you find something you're truly passionate about, something that makes you forget not just what time it is but that there is even a thing called time that you should be keeping up with. Something that holds your attention so deeply you're unconscious of everything else there is to do and be done.
Nope, kidding. Passion is important but you have to tame it. Keep trying new things, and more importantly, never lose sight of the world around you. You are inevitably involved in and with much more than yourself, and as such you are responsible for your actions and effects far beyond what you know.
Five: Find people who let you be yourself. See who you become when you just throw yourself into relationships, unburdened by your compiled social past. Then find like-minded individuals to share experiences with.
Scratch that. Don't find people like yourself -- find people you want to be, and then surpass them.
Kidding, again. How do you know the person you want to be is anything like the you you'll be looking for when you've had a little more time to look? As long as you're spending time with people, you're doing something right.
And for everyone you meet, stop and try to mentally calculate just how many lucky breaks, unfortunate accidents and biological variations separate them from you. How could you have been them, but why are you now you?
Six: This list is predicated on a false premise. Forget everything I've said. You are not finding yourself but building, building with every person you meet, every risk you take, every word you write, every world you explore.
What you do creates who you will be.
I'm kidding, naturally. Just try to have fun.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/150574744/Mail-Home-Edition-for-New-Students
Friday, June 28, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Quick Hits/Daily Dose (DTH opinion)
Get up, stand up
Texas Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) spoke before her state Senate for a nearly 11-hour filibuster Tuesday night to block comprehensive restrictions on abortion in the state. Not only did she stop the bill in its tracks, but Davis energized the progressive base and shot to national prominence literally overnight. All in a day's work?
Turnin' back the clock
The Supreme Court struck down a section of one of the most famous pieces of civil rights legislation in the 20th century Tuesday on the grounds that the South is no longer racist enough to be overly concerned about. Something tells me we might be getting ahead of ourselves? Paula Deen's generation is a rather vocal one.
The odd couple
As of Wednesday, American fugitive and whistle-blower Edward Snowden was still hiding in a Russian airport. Which, incidentally, is where P.J. Hairston will be in a little more than a week -- looks like all my heroes are going to be in one place! Too bad they're both facing criminal charges, but we'll be fine if the Russians just play it cool.
Paula pays piper
Celebrity chef Paula Deen published a series of YouTube apologies last week regarding her use of racial slurs and allegations of sexism and racism in her restaurant chain. She seemed genuinely sorry about the pain she'd caused -- I almost felt bad. But now is one hell of a convenient time for her to develop some empathy.
Pot-bellied pigs, but actually
If you thought grass-fed meat was already popular, just wait.
A pig rancher in Seattle has started using leftover stems, leaves and seeds from a marijuana dispensary to feed his animals.
Customers in blind taste tests say it gives the pork a "more savory" flavor, and a "marbled, fattier texture," but that might be due more to the drug's effects on the pigs, rather than the drugs themselves.
The drug-fed pigs gained weight 20 percent faster than the straight-edge ones, but not for the reasons you might expect. They don't eat extra food, but they spend most of their time lying around, barely lifting their heads. Some may think that's inhumane, but it just sounds like freshman year to me. Maybe the pigs like it? I'd just worry about their GPAs.
NOTED.
New research suggests dogs form bonds and respond to their owners much the same way babies do with parents.
They're just fuzzy infants who chew things and never grow out of the wild pooping stage, right? Of course, if we gave our babies rawhide bones and let them go on the lawn, they probably would.
QUOTED.
"What's north of north? Nothing."
--Sources close to Kanye West and Kim Kardashian say the newborn North West was named not to pun on the fabled sea route that inspired centuries of exploration, but because she is a high point for the couple ... But I get a feeling spatial orientation will be the least of her worries.
Texas Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) spoke before her state Senate for a nearly 11-hour filibuster Tuesday night to block comprehensive restrictions on abortion in the state. Not only did she stop the bill in its tracks, but Davis energized the progressive base and shot to national prominence literally overnight. All in a day's work?
Turnin' back the clock
The Supreme Court struck down a section of one of the most famous pieces of civil rights legislation in the 20th century Tuesday on the grounds that the South is no longer racist enough to be overly concerned about. Something tells me we might be getting ahead of ourselves? Paula Deen's generation is a rather vocal one.
The odd couple
As of Wednesday, American fugitive and whistle-blower Edward Snowden was still hiding in a Russian airport. Which, incidentally, is where P.J. Hairston will be in a little more than a week -- looks like all my heroes are going to be in one place! Too bad they're both facing criminal charges, but we'll be fine if the Russians just play it cool.
Paula pays piper
Celebrity chef Paula Deen published a series of YouTube apologies last week regarding her use of racial slurs and allegations of sexism and racism in her restaurant chain. She seemed genuinely sorry about the pain she'd caused -- I almost felt bad. But now is one hell of a convenient time for her to develop some empathy.
Pot-bellied pigs, but actually
If you thought grass-fed meat was already popular, just wait.
A pig rancher in Seattle has started using leftover stems, leaves and seeds from a marijuana dispensary to feed his animals.
Customers in blind taste tests say it gives the pork a "more savory" flavor, and a "marbled, fattier texture," but that might be due more to the drug's effects on the pigs, rather than the drugs themselves.
The drug-fed pigs gained weight 20 percent faster than the straight-edge ones, but not for the reasons you might expect. They don't eat extra food, but they spend most of their time lying around, barely lifting their heads. Some may think that's inhumane, but it just sounds like freshman year to me. Maybe the pigs like it? I'd just worry about their GPAs.
NOTED.
New research suggests dogs form bonds and respond to their owners much the same way babies do with parents.
They're just fuzzy infants who chew things and never grow out of the wild pooping stage, right? Of course, if we gave our babies rawhide bones and let them go on the lawn, they probably would.
QUOTED.
"What's north of north? Nothing."
--Sources close to Kanye West and Kim Kardashian say the newborn North West was named not to pun on the fabled sea route that inspired centuries of exploration, but because she is a high point for the couple ... But I get a feeling spatial orientation will be the least of her worries.
Address past injustice: Don't rush to celebrate progress on Rogers Road (DTH editorial)
Headlines cheering steps forward in redressing 40-year-old wrongs on Rogers Road are getting ahead of themselves.
It's been nearly 41 years since local governments promised that community a sewer line. And even if plans fo the new line proceed without further setbacks, it will likely be 2015 before work begins.
The landfill, which is only now about to close, stayed open 30 years longer than the historically black and low-income neighborhood was originally told. And residents say they're experiencing negative health effects from the landfill and contaminated well water.
Our failure to make good on our promises is embarrassing, and our sluggish response to health concerns is simply indefensible.
Leaders in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Orange County should be applauded for working through the many bureaucratic obstructions that make this project so complicated. And the sewer line plans on the table are a good step forward. But nothing should be celebrated until we see material progress.
Financial issues have already limited the feasible proposals, but we need to ensure that the project in its final form truly helps the neighborhood.
It would be far too easy for us to congratulate ourselves now on the little progress we can see, and then to forget our concerns and let justice again be delayed into oblivion.
There will be time to celebrate when we finally see needs being met.
http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2013/06/address-past-wrongs-on-rogers-road
Monday, June 24, 2013
Ex Cops, Reviewed at Local 506 (Chapelboro/WCHL)
It's a lazy Sunday on Franklin Street that is oddly quiet, taken up with an impressive reverent silence only interrupted by the occasional abrupt call across the street or light trickles of conversation from patios and passers-by.
But in the Local 506, there's a different kind of space entirely. A sleek, sonorous bubble of indie pop holds a night together. Brooklyn's Ex Cops is taking a stroll through their setlist. The crowd is small -- you could call it sparse or just intimate -- but their smooth heady sound doesn't need the energy of a massive audience to make it an experience.
Anyway the show is just a stop, a tangent from their ongoing tour, scheduled to give family members in the area a chance to hear them, so the feel is already that of a casual, extra performance.
And in spite of popping mics and an underwhelming crowd of relatives and locals, the eerie vamping strum of their smooth rhythm and the earnestly bright, compact vocal harmonies are still enough to draw you out of the street and into the bubble.
Inside the bubble you're enveloped in the lulling space dream of the music, and you sink in with the cryptic, minimal lyrics and carefully distorted guitar. Weighted down with reverb, you're full but not bloated -- you've just finished a perfectly portioned, wholesome meal, but then you slide along with it as the guitar picks up and the tentative synthesizer melody trips and swoops out from the base of the tall, structured harmonies and you know someone must have slipped something in your drink along the way.
Leads Brian Harding and Amalie Bruun are the lanky, broad-shouldered core of the band, driving the harmonies and conducting the show with their off-handed, effortless urban feel, as if they've just stepped out of a Brooklyn coffee shop, cafe americanos in hand, crossing the street to the Local 506 dutifully but ever-so-slightly begrudgingly. The poppy, upbeat other three behind them, on bass, guitar, and drums, build the momentum and piece together on their own the sonic backdrop for the duo in front, who take charge, tie the aesthetic bundle together, and steer the sound onward to the listener.
Their first full-length album True Hallucinations is available for sale in various places online, and work on the second album will begin soon. The Ex Cops have been playing together since 2011, and their guitars have been repeatedly caled "jangly" ever since. Catch similar bands at the Local 506 on West Franklin all summer.
http://chapelboro.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/ex-cops-reviewed-at-local-506/
But in the Local 506, there's a different kind of space entirely. A sleek, sonorous bubble of indie pop holds a night together. Brooklyn's Ex Cops is taking a stroll through their setlist. The crowd is small -- you could call it sparse or just intimate -- but their smooth heady sound doesn't need the energy of a massive audience to make it an experience.
Anyway the show is just a stop, a tangent from their ongoing tour, scheduled to give family members in the area a chance to hear them, so the feel is already that of a casual, extra performance.
And in spite of popping mics and an underwhelming crowd of relatives and locals, the eerie vamping strum of their smooth rhythm and the earnestly bright, compact vocal harmonies are still enough to draw you out of the street and into the bubble.
Inside the bubble you're enveloped in the lulling space dream of the music, and you sink in with the cryptic, minimal lyrics and carefully distorted guitar. Weighted down with reverb, you're full but not bloated -- you've just finished a perfectly portioned, wholesome meal, but then you slide along with it as the guitar picks up and the tentative synthesizer melody trips and swoops out from the base of the tall, structured harmonies and you know someone must have slipped something in your drink along the way.
Leads Brian Harding and Amalie Bruun are the lanky, broad-shouldered core of the band, driving the harmonies and conducting the show with their off-handed, effortless urban feel, as if they've just stepped out of a Brooklyn coffee shop, cafe americanos in hand, crossing the street to the Local 506 dutifully but ever-so-slightly begrudgingly. The poppy, upbeat other three behind them, on bass, guitar, and drums, build the momentum and piece together on their own the sonic backdrop for the duo in front, who take charge, tie the aesthetic bundle together, and steer the sound onward to the listener.
Their first full-length album True Hallucinations is available for sale in various places online, and work on the second album will begin soon. The Ex Cops have been playing together since 2011, and their guitars have been repeatedly caled "jangly" ever since. Catch similar bands at the Local 506 on West Franklin all summer.
http://chapelboro.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/ex-cops-reviewed-at-local-506/
Thursday, June 20, 2013
More guns, less safety: The NC legislature should not ease gun regulation. (Daily Tar Heel editorial)
The N.C. General Assembly is trying to make it even easier to buy a handgun and carry it with you, but these relaxed gun regulations would be disastrous for public safety.
A bill that could soon land on Gov. Pat McCrory's desk would allow guns in locked cars on all public school and university property, which would endanger faculty, staff and students -- including children as young as preschool age.
School public safety departments would have a harder time responding to gun crimes, especially large-scale ones.
The bill would also let people buy handguns without a permit, and background checks would no longer be necessary for private gun sales.
Some legislators argue that expanding gun access would allow legal gun owners to defend themselves more easily -- but these guns could too easily result in impulsive, spur-of-the-moment aggression.
Proliferating deadly arms allows volatile interpersonal conflicts to fatally escalate without warning.
Any increased sense of security gained by arming residents is outweighed by these risks and the challenges looser gun restrictions pose to law enforcement.
McCrory should recognize what is at stake and veto the bill before more people are needlessly put in danger.
http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2013/06/51c0d4b82148f
A bill that could soon land on Gov. Pat McCrory's desk would allow guns in locked cars on all public school and university property, which would endanger faculty, staff and students -- including children as young as preschool age.
School public safety departments would have a harder time responding to gun crimes, especially large-scale ones.
The bill would also let people buy handguns without a permit, and background checks would no longer be necessary for private gun sales.
Some legislators argue that expanding gun access would allow legal gun owners to defend themselves more easily -- but these guns could too easily result in impulsive, spur-of-the-moment aggression.
Proliferating deadly arms allows volatile interpersonal conflicts to fatally escalate without warning.
Any increased sense of security gained by arming residents is outweighed by these risks and the challenges looser gun restrictions pose to law enforcement.
McCrory should recognize what is at stake and veto the bill before more people are needlessly put in danger.
http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2013/06/51c0d4b82148f
Quick Hits / Daily Dose (Daily Tar Heel Opinion)
Waffle House
Franklin Street will have its very own Waffle House starting Thursday morning. The shiny new interior has been visible to passers-by for weeks, and we expect it to stay that way for just about one more before everything's hidden in a thick layer of grime, syrup, chili and urine. Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe is so unthreatened it's hilarious.
An Irish tussle
The 2013 G8 Summit was held in Northern Ireland this week, marking serious progress for the region long torn apart by political and religious sectarianism. Eight of the most powerful nations in the world got together to recognize this history by endlessly bickering among themselves. But at least Putin wasn't awkward this time.
Bipartisan speeds
A bill in the N.C. House would allow the state to raise speed limits on select roads to 75 mph. It passed the Senate in April 45-1, and it's expected to roll through the House at breakneck speeds, despite the few critics desperately pumping the brakes. We're a little concerned for safety, but we're mostly just excited to see bipartisan support.
First signs of life
Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) wants to ban abortions at 15 weeks because he says he's seen male fetuses masturbating. So that's a natural male instinct, but female fetuses are prudes? Nope, no interpretive bias there! I don't know what's creepier, how long he must spend staring at sonograms, or what he thinks he sees in them.
Worming: The hot new craze
Most middle schools have more than their fair share of impressionable, gross and unabashedly horny adolescents. But now young Japanese students are putting typical teenage sexual shenanigans to shame.
Teachers were curious when they started seeing kids coming to school wearing eyepatches, which are used to hide infections, but they had no way of knowing what was really going on until they saw it in action.
The students call it "worming," or "eyeball licking," which pretty much removes any hint of subtlety or ambiguity about what exactly it is. It's just an innocent display of affection, but doctors say it puts kids at risk for problems like pinkeye or eye chlamydia. You heard me: eye chlamydia.
NOTED.
A 65-year-old woman in Seattle gave up on her attempt to live on water, air and sunlight alone after 47 days.
She says she'll never know if the pain and vomiting were a painful withdrawal from an irrational addiction to food or just slow starvation, but who's to say those aren't the same thing? Oh right, doctors.
QUOTED.
"Tired of voting for rats? Vote for a cat."
-- Sergio Chamorro of eastern Mexico nominated his cat, Morris, for local political office, inspiring a slew of other animal candidacies across Mexico. And while corruption may be less rampant here, Tina the Chicken does sound enticingly trustworthy.
Franklin Street will have its very own Waffle House starting Thursday morning. The shiny new interior has been visible to passers-by for weeks, and we expect it to stay that way for just about one more before everything's hidden in a thick layer of grime, syrup, chili and urine. Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe is so unthreatened it's hilarious.
An Irish tussle
The 2013 G8 Summit was held in Northern Ireland this week, marking serious progress for the region long torn apart by political and religious sectarianism. Eight of the most powerful nations in the world got together to recognize this history by endlessly bickering among themselves. But at least Putin wasn't awkward this time.
Bipartisan speeds
A bill in the N.C. House would allow the state to raise speed limits on select roads to 75 mph. It passed the Senate in April 45-1, and it's expected to roll through the House at breakneck speeds, despite the few critics desperately pumping the brakes. We're a little concerned for safety, but we're mostly just excited to see bipartisan support.
First signs of life
Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) wants to ban abortions at 15 weeks because he says he's seen male fetuses masturbating. So that's a natural male instinct, but female fetuses are prudes? Nope, no interpretive bias there! I don't know what's creepier, how long he must spend staring at sonograms, or what he thinks he sees in them.
Worming: The hot new craze
Most middle schools have more than their fair share of impressionable, gross and unabashedly horny adolescents. But now young Japanese students are putting typical teenage sexual shenanigans to shame.
Teachers were curious when they started seeing kids coming to school wearing eyepatches, which are used to hide infections, but they had no way of knowing what was really going on until they saw it in action.
The students call it "worming," or "eyeball licking," which pretty much removes any hint of subtlety or ambiguity about what exactly it is. It's just an innocent display of affection, but doctors say it puts kids at risk for problems like pinkeye or eye chlamydia. You heard me: eye chlamydia.
NOTED.
A 65-year-old woman in Seattle gave up on her attempt to live on water, air and sunlight alone after 47 days.
She says she'll never know if the pain and vomiting were a painful withdrawal from an irrational addiction to food or just slow starvation, but who's to say those aren't the same thing? Oh right, doctors.
QUOTED.
"Tired of voting for rats? Vote for a cat."
-- Sergio Chamorro of eastern Mexico nominated his cat, Morris, for local political office, inspiring a slew of other animal candidacies across Mexico. And while corruption may be less rampant here, Tina the Chicken does sound enticingly trustworthy.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
The dark future of cellphone bans? (Daily Tar Heel opinion column)
As with all authoritarian, dystopian societies, this one starts with something relatively reasonable and well-meaning. The year is 2015, only two years after the town of Chapel Hill reinstates a ban on cellphone use while operating a vehicle.
Even hands-free devices like Bluetooth are recognized as the profound sources of danger and distraction they are. (Officers themselves are exempt, of course.)
Officers aren't allowed to pull cars over for cellphone use alone. But they see no change in drivers' behavior, so they're told to watch drivers with cellphones extra carefully -- and it's not hard to find an excuse to pull someone over if you want to.
Pretty soon any sort of hand-held gadget or headphones immediately puts officers on the offensive, with or without a moving violation.
Several drivers get arrested for holding food after a new Taco Bell product is mistaken for the newest iPhone model.
One driver is arrested for swerving after spilling coffee on himself, and then the powers that be realize how distracting it really is to pick up fries and dip them in ketchup without looking. Anti-consumption laws follow shortly after -- all in the name of safety.
Without anyone left at liberty to call in, radio programs suffer in quality and ratings. They slip over the edge of relevance, where they had previously been teetering like disco at the drain or Jimmy Carter in the post-Reagan era. They plummet into obsolescence and obscurity, robbing many Americans of their jobs.
With rising unemployment and consistently exorbitant gas prices, carpooling is popular again. Road safety lobbyists realize that, despite their best efforts, people are still recklessly engaging other humans in conversation. They ban conversation.
Left with no one to vent to and nothing to tame their appetites, drivers silently implode with intensely concentrated road rage. Angry accidents turn out to be more violent and thus more deadly than the normal kind, and legislators quickly act to stem the rising tide of DWIs (Driving While Irate).
A government mandate requires new cars be built with a Breathalyzer that measures rage, ensuring that cars shut off if the driver accumulates too much adrenaline or testosterone in his or her blood system.
Increased regulation and reduced speeds bring the transportation system to its knees. Material commerce is frozen, and general infrastructure as a whole begins to collapse.
Fiscal stress and societal need spur technological advancement, and the self-driving car is perfected just in time to save the global economy -- not to mention those drivers still alive and on the road.
All's well that ends well? I think not. What was I talking about again?
http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2013/06/51b79f9a1c346
Even hands-free devices like Bluetooth are recognized as the profound sources of danger and distraction they are. (Officers themselves are exempt, of course.)
Officers aren't allowed to pull cars over for cellphone use alone. But they see no change in drivers' behavior, so they're told to watch drivers with cellphones extra carefully -- and it's not hard to find an excuse to pull someone over if you want to.
Pretty soon any sort of hand-held gadget or headphones immediately puts officers on the offensive, with or without a moving violation.
Several drivers get arrested for holding food after a new Taco Bell product is mistaken for the newest iPhone model.
One driver is arrested for swerving after spilling coffee on himself, and then the powers that be realize how distracting it really is to pick up fries and dip them in ketchup without looking. Anti-consumption laws follow shortly after -- all in the name of safety.
Without anyone left at liberty to call in, radio programs suffer in quality and ratings. They slip over the edge of relevance, where they had previously been teetering like disco at the drain or Jimmy Carter in the post-Reagan era. They plummet into obsolescence and obscurity, robbing many Americans of their jobs.
With rising unemployment and consistently exorbitant gas prices, carpooling is popular again. Road safety lobbyists realize that, despite their best efforts, people are still recklessly engaging other humans in conversation. They ban conversation.
Left with no one to vent to and nothing to tame their appetites, drivers silently implode with intensely concentrated road rage. Angry accidents turn out to be more violent and thus more deadly than the normal kind, and legislators quickly act to stem the rising tide of DWIs (Driving While Irate).
A government mandate requires new cars be built with a Breathalyzer that measures rage, ensuring that cars shut off if the driver accumulates too much adrenaline or testosterone in his or her blood system.
Increased regulation and reduced speeds bring the transportation system to its knees. Material commerce is frozen, and general infrastructure as a whole begins to collapse.
Fiscal stress and societal need spur technological advancement, and the self-driving car is perfected just in time to save the global economy -- not to mention those drivers still alive and on the road.
All's well that ends well? I think not. What was I talking about again?
http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2013/06/51b79f9a1c346
Ineffective extremism: McCrory should reclaim his record as a moderate (Daily Tar Heel editorial)
There is no clearer evidence of the polarization of North Carolina politics than the ongoing Moral Monday protests at the General Assembly, which represent an extreme leftist reaction to an extreme legislative agenda on the right.
Gov. Pat McCrory might not be the most popular figure in some circles, but he should use his central executive position to take the lead in guiding debate toward the center of the political spectrum.
And we believe he is fully capable of doing so. The Daily Tar Heel editorial board endorsed Pat McCrory for governor last year because of his record as a moderate willing to compromise.
He has not struck a moderate path so far, but it's not too late for him to live up to this promise. He should be unafraid to distance himself from polarizing rhetoric and reprimand extremist politics. This would allow him to approach conflicts from a more moderate political position.
McCrory has already spoken strongly against the protests, mostly by echoing comments made by fellow state Republicans.
He called them unlawful and blamed them on outside agitators from other states. He emphasized solidarity with other Republican leaders in stern opposition to the protests.
But he has also shown he can be reasonable and independent from the GOP in his recent resistance to certain General Assembly initiatives and budget considerations.
McCrory openly disagreed with the way the General Assembly neglected pre-K and mental health services in its budget proposals.
In his own budget proposal, he supported the UNC-system strategic plan and compensation for victims of the state's former eugenics program -- issues other legislators ignored.
But McCrory still needs to distance himself further from the radical right, and he should at least be sympathetic to protestors' basic concerns.
Only then can he attempt to bridge the partisan divide that precludes negotiation between the two bitterly opposed sides.
Some protestors hand out bumper stickers that say, "NOT A REPUBLICAN." N.C. Sen. Thom Goolsby (R-New Hanover) publicly labeled protestors "hippies" and "the loony left."
This kind of antagonism assumes no common ground and prevents civil debate. But if McCrory fully asserts himself as an independent, authoritative executive, there is at least hope for some compromise.
If the state government can navigate tight budget troubles and economic upheaval with some degree of concern for the progressive perspective, all of North Carolina will benefit.
This editorial board supported McCrory in the hope that he would bring a balanced perspective to the governorship, and we believe he still has the capacity -- and now the responsibility -- to fulfill this expectation.
http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2013/06/51b7f333956df
Gov. Pat McCrory might not be the most popular figure in some circles, but he should use his central executive position to take the lead in guiding debate toward the center of the political spectrum.
And we believe he is fully capable of doing so. The Daily Tar Heel editorial board endorsed Pat McCrory for governor last year because of his record as a moderate willing to compromise.
He has not struck a moderate path so far, but it's not too late for him to live up to this promise. He should be unafraid to distance himself from polarizing rhetoric and reprimand extremist politics. This would allow him to approach conflicts from a more moderate political position.
McCrory has already spoken strongly against the protests, mostly by echoing comments made by fellow state Republicans.
He called them unlawful and blamed them on outside agitators from other states. He emphasized solidarity with other Republican leaders in stern opposition to the protests.
But he has also shown he can be reasonable and independent from the GOP in his recent resistance to certain General Assembly initiatives and budget considerations.
McCrory openly disagreed with the way the General Assembly neglected pre-K and mental health services in its budget proposals.
In his own budget proposal, he supported the UNC-system strategic plan and compensation for victims of the state's former eugenics program -- issues other legislators ignored.
But McCrory still needs to distance himself further from the radical right, and he should at least be sympathetic to protestors' basic concerns.
Only then can he attempt to bridge the partisan divide that precludes negotiation between the two bitterly opposed sides.
Some protestors hand out bumper stickers that say, "NOT A REPUBLICAN." N.C. Sen. Thom Goolsby (R-New Hanover) publicly labeled protestors "hippies" and "the loony left."
This kind of antagonism assumes no common ground and prevents civil debate. But if McCrory fully asserts himself as an independent, authoritative executive, there is at least hope for some compromise.
If the state government can navigate tight budget troubles and economic upheaval with some degree of concern for the progressive perspective, all of North Carolina will benefit.
This editorial board supported McCrory in the hope that he would bring a balanced perspective to the governorship, and we believe he still has the capacity -- and now the responsibility -- to fulfill this expectation.
http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2013/06/51b7f333956df
Quick Hits / Daily Dose (Daily Tar Heel Opinion)
Oh, (Big) Brother
The National Security Agency has been amassing personal phone and internet records since 2007. Polls show Americans disapprove, but, then again, couldn't care less. In other news, Amazon sales of "1984" rose more than 6,000 percent last week. We're not concerned about totalitarian limits to our privacy, but we'd love to read about them!
A gun for every hand
A bill in the General Assembly would allow people to buy handguns without permits. Permits would still be required for concealed guns, but the guns could be taken virtually anywhere. Because if enough people have guns, the others with guns will be afraid to act? It's like a small-scale Cold War but more impulsive and unpredictable.
Waka Flocka whoops
A 53-year-old woman in Florida ended her three-year marriage because of a Waka Flocka Flame concert. Apparently aggressive black rappers tend to bring out her ex-husband's overtly racist side? They can be a trial for any marriage, but couples who survive are stronger for it. Wait, does this mean I have to like Waka Flocka now?
Stay away team
Violence at soccer matches in Argentina has led officials to ban fans from attending their away games. But all is not lost, as fans can just go elsewhere to watch the game and fight. And in the end, you don't even need a sporting event to brutally assault someone simply for wearing a certain label or color -- oh wait that's gangs.
Merits of a French education
Finding the line between "relaxed-quirky-cool" and "sweet-Jesus-creepy" has always been a serious challenge, especially for the French men of the world.
One math teacher near Paris slipped decidedly into the latter category when he played "Saw" for his class of 11-year-olds. "This will be your first horror film," he said to his students, right before he pulled out his hacksaw and spewed blood all over everything left of their childhood.
The teacher was briefly suspended while the school investigates. But even if he's never allowed in a classroom again, his face (not to mention Jigsaw's) is assuredly written into those kids' memories as if with a steak knife. A note to future educators: torture porn is usually a no-no.
NOTED.
An overworked banker in Germany accidentally transferred a client nearly $300 million when he fell asleep at his keyboard.
Well, I hope he kept his job. Poor bankers -- they work so hard, and they're never appreciated. It's really one of those thankless jobs you have to be passionate about.
QUOTED.
"There are too many tests."
-- Gov. Pat McCrory says excessive standardized testing wastes school time. Now that's the kind of hard-hitting, insightful analysis we've needed all along! What other shocking conclusions has he come to? Education prepares kids for the future? Teachers should be paid?
The National Security Agency has been amassing personal phone and internet records since 2007. Polls show Americans disapprove, but, then again, couldn't care less. In other news, Amazon sales of "1984" rose more than 6,000 percent last week. We're not concerned about totalitarian limits to our privacy, but we'd love to read about them!
A gun for every hand
A bill in the General Assembly would allow people to buy handguns without permits. Permits would still be required for concealed guns, but the guns could be taken virtually anywhere. Because if enough people have guns, the others with guns will be afraid to act? It's like a small-scale Cold War but more impulsive and unpredictable.
Waka Flocka whoops
A 53-year-old woman in Florida ended her three-year marriage because of a Waka Flocka Flame concert. Apparently aggressive black rappers tend to bring out her ex-husband's overtly racist side? They can be a trial for any marriage, but couples who survive are stronger for it. Wait, does this mean I have to like Waka Flocka now?
Stay away team
Violence at soccer matches in Argentina has led officials to ban fans from attending their away games. But all is not lost, as fans can just go elsewhere to watch the game and fight. And in the end, you don't even need a sporting event to brutally assault someone simply for wearing a certain label or color -- oh wait that's gangs.
Merits of a French education
Finding the line between "relaxed-quirky-cool" and "sweet-Jesus-creepy" has always been a serious challenge, especially for the French men of the world.
One math teacher near Paris slipped decidedly into the latter category when he played "Saw" for his class of 11-year-olds. "This will be your first horror film," he said to his students, right before he pulled out his hacksaw and spewed blood all over everything left of their childhood.
The teacher was briefly suspended while the school investigates. But even if he's never allowed in a classroom again, his face (not to mention Jigsaw's) is assuredly written into those kids' memories as if with a steak knife. A note to future educators: torture porn is usually a no-no.
NOTED.
An overworked banker in Germany accidentally transferred a client nearly $300 million when he fell asleep at his keyboard.
Well, I hope he kept his job. Poor bankers -- they work so hard, and they're never appreciated. It's really one of those thankless jobs you have to be passionate about.
QUOTED.
"There are too many tests."
-- Gov. Pat McCrory says excessive standardized testing wastes school time. Now that's the kind of hard-hitting, insightful analysis we've needed all along! What other shocking conclusions has he come to? Education prepares kids for the future? Teachers should be paid?
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Morning Brigade Plays The Station (Chapelboro concert review)
Morning Brigade is one of those bands that give you a lot to look at. They're of that rare musical breed -- the six-piece chain with no weak link -- and every spunky steel spike in this lively railroad of a band has its own energy.
On Friday at Carrboro's The Station at Southern Rail, the members of Morning Brigade played themselves out to an old train depot full of friends and locals. Save for an out-of-practice oldie or two, the band rolled through its meticulously funky and insistently catchy tunes and musical personalities without any setbacks -- casually but emphatically chugging through their set like a train under the stars of the Christmas lights strung above their heads.
Each of them knows exactly what they're doing and when, so they make a party of it on stage, orderly going through the well-rehearsed motions and having a grand old time about it. Watching drummer Nathan Spain is like watching wolf clubs fighting, they move so fast you're not sure which limbs are going where or how many ducks and licks and bites you missed in that split second, but you're just shocked there's no blood -- and if you manage to snag some eye contact with violinist Eli Howells between all his runs, riffs and grand gestures, he'll always fire back with some oddly cryptic but fittingly enthusiastic facial expression, or a knowing look about the ferocious piano breakdown about to ensue.
They have the harmonic and rhythmic precision of Mumford & Sons and a lyrical and melodical complexity approaching that of the Decemberists or Sufjan Stevens. They exercise tight control over their dynamics, like a friendly folk giant who'd accidentally crush you if he didn't so strictly rein in his funky indie swagger until the established hour for raging. It doesn't take another musician to see how central percussion is to the feel and energy of the band, but the rhythm they present doesn't just come from Spain and back-up vocalist/tambourine player/accomplished xylophonist Mary Koenig; in their own way every one of them contributes to the percussive feel.
With a six-member band, at least one musician at every show is bound to get lost, wander off and find themselves buried in the mix. But with Morning Brigade, there is enough going on and enough musical diversity in the players still represented that you have to listen carefully to notice any feeling of absence. And even with their varied styles and instruments, their sounds blend together warmly and sharply, like hot chocolate and whisky or the well-oiled record player they are.
http://chapelboro.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/morning-brigade-plays-the-station/
On Friday at Carrboro's The Station at Southern Rail, the members of Morning Brigade played themselves out to an old train depot full of friends and locals. Save for an out-of-practice oldie or two, the band rolled through its meticulously funky and insistently catchy tunes and musical personalities without any setbacks -- casually but emphatically chugging through their set like a train under the stars of the Christmas lights strung above their heads.
Each of them knows exactly what they're doing and when, so they make a party of it on stage, orderly going through the well-rehearsed motions and having a grand old time about it. Watching drummer Nathan Spain is like watching wolf clubs fighting, they move so fast you're not sure which limbs are going where or how many ducks and licks and bites you missed in that split second, but you're just shocked there's no blood -- and if you manage to snag some eye contact with violinist Eli Howells between all his runs, riffs and grand gestures, he'll always fire back with some oddly cryptic but fittingly enthusiastic facial expression, or a knowing look about the ferocious piano breakdown about to ensue.
They have the harmonic and rhythmic precision of Mumford & Sons and a lyrical and melodical complexity approaching that of the Decemberists or Sufjan Stevens. They exercise tight control over their dynamics, like a friendly folk giant who'd accidentally crush you if he didn't so strictly rein in his funky indie swagger until the established hour for raging. It doesn't take another musician to see how central percussion is to the feel and energy of the band, but the rhythm they present doesn't just come from Spain and back-up vocalist/tambourine player/accomplished xylophonist Mary Koenig; in their own way every one of them contributes to the percussive feel.
With a six-member band, at least one musician at every show is bound to get lost, wander off and find themselves buried in the mix. But with Morning Brigade, there is enough going on and enough musical diversity in the players still represented that you have to listen carefully to notice any feeling of absence. And even with their varied styles and instruments, their sounds blend together warmly and sharply, like hot chocolate and whisky or the well-oiled record player they are.
http://chapelboro.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/morning-brigade-plays-the-station/
Kids don't need cursive: Limited education resources should not be wasted. (Daily Tar Heel editorial)
Thanks to the N.C. General Assembly, the children of our state are going to leave elementary school thoroughly prepared -- for life in 19th-century America, maybe.
A bill passed last week will require schools to teach cursive writing and multiplication tables by the end of fifth grade. There has been no indication that Gov. Pat McCrory might veto it, but he should.
Despite how commonplace calculators have become, one could make a solid argument for the importance of basic mathematical skills like mental multiplication.
Mandating training in cursive, however, is a waste of time and money. And unnecessary additional requirements are the last thing state education needs after all the cuts the legislature has already recommended.
In our modern world of keyboards and texting -- where even email seems to be slowly losing relevance -- cursive writing serves no purpose. Students quickly lose these penmanship skills in middle school because they are given no reason to maintain them.
The practical purposes of cursive are dwindling. Beyond the required pledge on the SAT, the only benefit students might gain from maintaining these skills is a better personal signature or the ability to forge another's.
It might seem hypocritical to attack cursive training for not being directly practical while also supporting the liberal arts and other ventures that aren't oriented toward technical skills -- but there is a basic, fundamental difference between them.
Training in cursive consists of rote mechanical learning -- without any of the critical thinking or intellectual stimulation that comes with other "impractical" education practices.
Instead of taking even more time and money from classrooms all across the state, North Carolina should leave those resources to the educators themselves.
Standardized testing and budget constraints limit teachers enough as it is. How can we continue expecting them to fill their students with a love of learning and a sense of civic responsibility if we never stop piling on mandates and restrictions?
Cursive's historical place as a hallmark of elementary school education tells us nothing about its use or significance for us in this day and age. We should not let an antiquated sense of tradition drag down our children's education. A concern for their growth and development -- not nostalgia -- should be what ultimately guides policy.
http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2013/06/51aecc11bbe0b
A bill passed last week will require schools to teach cursive writing and multiplication tables by the end of fifth grade. There has been no indication that Gov. Pat McCrory might veto it, but he should.
Despite how commonplace calculators have become, one could make a solid argument for the importance of basic mathematical skills like mental multiplication.
Mandating training in cursive, however, is a waste of time and money. And unnecessary additional requirements are the last thing state education needs after all the cuts the legislature has already recommended.
In our modern world of keyboards and texting -- where even email seems to be slowly losing relevance -- cursive writing serves no purpose. Students quickly lose these penmanship skills in middle school because they are given no reason to maintain them.
The practical purposes of cursive are dwindling. Beyond the required pledge on the SAT, the only benefit students might gain from maintaining these skills is a better personal signature or the ability to forge another's.
It might seem hypocritical to attack cursive training for not being directly practical while also supporting the liberal arts and other ventures that aren't oriented toward technical skills -- but there is a basic, fundamental difference between them.
Training in cursive consists of rote mechanical learning -- without any of the critical thinking or intellectual stimulation that comes with other "impractical" education practices.
Instead of taking even more time and money from classrooms all across the state, North Carolina should leave those resources to the educators themselves.
Standardized testing and budget constraints limit teachers enough as it is. How can we continue expecting them to fill their students with a love of learning and a sense of civic responsibility if we never stop piling on mandates and restrictions?
Cursive's historical place as a hallmark of elementary school education tells us nothing about its use or significance for us in this day and age. We should not let an antiquated sense of tradition drag down our children's education. A concern for their growth and development -- not nostalgia -- should be what ultimately guides policy.
http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2013/06/51aecc11bbe0b
Quick Hits / Daily Dose (Daily Tar Heel Opinion)
Dirty American pigs
A Chinese corporation last week took over the world's largest pork company (based in Virginia, of course). There's probably some significant symbolism in there about the rising East forcibly buying out our filthy consumerist lifestyle, but I can't get past "China coming for American pork," which sounds like an epic, international porno.
SCOTUS says swab
The highest court in the country ruled this week that it's legal for police to take DNA samples of anyone they arrest, even without formal charges. Do we have a right to genetic privacy? The Court says it's no different than fingerprinting, but I'd like to hear Justice Alito say that again with a police officer's hand down his throat.
Carrboro up in arms
The Carrboro mayor and half the Board of Aldermen were arrested at the General Assembly protests Monday, meaning they had enough members present to hold a fully legitimate town meeting in the drunk tank. It also means we can honestly say Carrboro is run by miscreants, but they know we mean it in a good way.
Manning the man
The trial of military whistle-blower Bradley Manning started this week, and a lot is at stake, including the future of government opacity and freedom of speech on the internet, not to mention Manning's life. But at least the authorities are being open about such important proceedings -- oh wait that's right never mind no.
Oh, to be a baby once more
Haven't you always wanted to know what was so delicious about breast milk? Babies just can't get enough of it, right?
But there was never any way to find out without being a creep, pervert, sex criminal or all of the above -- until now.
Well, the creepy part is still arguable, but at least now it's legal. A candy company has created a line of breast milk lollipops in an attempt to harness the forgotten flavor. A case of four lollipops sells for $10.
The lollipops contain no actual breast milk (they're vegan) but they were directly inspired by real breast milk provided by real mothers. So rest assured -- no matter how weird you are for wanting one of these, you're still not as creepy as the "flavor specialists" who made the formula.
NOTED.
A Kentucky ad firm has started paying men with copious facial hair to carry advertisements in their beards.
It's opened the door to a whole new world of commercialism and human billboards! I'm going to take some initiative and shoot for a guerrilla advertising deal with my armpit hair -- wish me luck.
QUOTED.
"This particular cancer is caused by HPV, which actually comes about from cunnilingus."
-- The 68-year-old actor Michael Douglas blames oral sex for his throat cancer. Now somewhere in New Jersey a vengeful sex education teacher is waving a dental dam and saying, "I told you so."
A Chinese corporation last week took over the world's largest pork company (based in Virginia, of course). There's probably some significant symbolism in there about the rising East forcibly buying out our filthy consumerist lifestyle, but I can't get past "China coming for American pork," which sounds like an epic, international porno.
SCOTUS says swab
The highest court in the country ruled this week that it's legal for police to take DNA samples of anyone they arrest, even without formal charges. Do we have a right to genetic privacy? The Court says it's no different than fingerprinting, but I'd like to hear Justice Alito say that again with a police officer's hand down his throat.
Carrboro up in arms
The Carrboro mayor and half the Board of Aldermen were arrested at the General Assembly protests Monday, meaning they had enough members present to hold a fully legitimate town meeting in the drunk tank. It also means we can honestly say Carrboro is run by miscreants, but they know we mean it in a good way.
Manning the man
The trial of military whistle-blower Bradley Manning started this week, and a lot is at stake, including the future of government opacity and freedom of speech on the internet, not to mention Manning's life. But at least the authorities are being open about such important proceedings -- oh wait that's right never mind no.
Oh, to be a baby once more
Haven't you always wanted to know what was so delicious about breast milk? Babies just can't get enough of it, right?
But there was never any way to find out without being a creep, pervert, sex criminal or all of the above -- until now.
Well, the creepy part is still arguable, but at least now it's legal. A candy company has created a line of breast milk lollipops in an attempt to harness the forgotten flavor. A case of four lollipops sells for $10.
The lollipops contain no actual breast milk (they're vegan) but they were directly inspired by real breast milk provided by real mothers. So rest assured -- no matter how weird you are for wanting one of these, you're still not as creepy as the "flavor specialists" who made the formula.
NOTED.
A Kentucky ad firm has started paying men with copious facial hair to carry advertisements in their beards.
It's opened the door to a whole new world of commercialism and human billboards! I'm going to take some initiative and shoot for a guerrilla advertising deal with my armpit hair -- wish me luck.
QUOTED.
"This particular cancer is caused by HPV, which actually comes about from cunnilingus."
-- The 68-year-old actor Michael Douglas blames oral sex for his throat cancer. Now somewhere in New Jersey a vengeful sex education teacher is waving a dental dam and saying, "I told you so."
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