On April 10, the University of Virginia announced that billionaire alum Paul Tudor Jones and his wife Sonia had donated $12 million for the creation of the Contemplative Sciences Center (CSC). Set to begin this fall, the center will be dedicated to the study of meditation, yoga, and mindfulness training and how these practices can […]
On April 10, the University of Virginia announced that billionaire alum Paul Tudor Jones and his wife Sonia had donated $12 million for the creation of the Contemplative Sciences Center (CSC). Set to begin this fall, the center will be dedicated to the study of meditation, yoga, and mindfulness training and how these practices can […]
An eventful day here in Charlotte. For me, it started with a Planned Parenthood rally at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Yes, this is probably the first time in history that those two organizations were mentioned in the same sentence. A human pillpack led the proceedings: Rush Limbaugh’s favorite slut Sandra Fluke was on hand […]
You can follow Jen Sorensen’s DNC Twitter feed here. Excerpt: “Welcome to the show. Same lofty seats I had last time.”
Remember what I said yesterday about getting around easily? Forget it. The bus route I’d mastered practically ceased to exist, thunderstorms pounded the city, and the sidewalks were packed. At one point, I slipped in behind a guy pushing a cart full of ponchos just to get through the crowd. I wound up waiting out […]
Who doesn’t love looking out the kitchen window at all the feathered friends Central Virginia’s backyards have to offer? Unfortunately, due to declining grassland and shrubland areas in the region, a number of native Virginia bird species, like the bobolink and bobwhite quail, are in danger of becoming extinct. The Piedmont Environmental Council’s James Barnes, […]
Ongoing discussions about rural county schools have raised one question over and over: Are small schools worth preserving for the sake of community, even if it means spending more money? This summer the Albemarle County School Board voted in favor of funding renovations to keep three small elementary schools open, a decision widely supported by […]
Well, here we go again. With the Democratic party spending this week in North Carolina celebrating the re-nomination of President Barack Obama, and the Republicans still cleaning up from their hurricane-shortened coronation of Mitt Romney in Florida, we are once again forced to endure two weeks of tightly scripted, substance-free political theater that combines the intellectual […]
I spent Sunday getting my press credentials and my bearings in uptown Charlotte, the convention epicenter. The city is festooned with cops and barricades, but I didn’t have any problem getting around. There was plenty of Obama swag for sale at the Convention Center, including some $65 hoodies: I wasn’t sure about the symbolism of […]
I arrived in Charlotte last night amidst hordes of bubbly convention-goers. Before I begin covering the week’s events in earnest, I’d like to say a few words about my own perspective. Those of you who are familiar with my comics know I have fairly strong political convictions, and I’m going to let ’em rip as […]
In Norway last Friday, Anders Breivik was sentenced to 22 years in prison for killing 77 people and wounding 242. Six days later I sat in court and watched as George Huguely’s jury-recommended sentence of 26 years for the murder of one woman, Yeardley Love, was reduced to 23 years. American prison sentences start big […]