Categories
Miscellany

President’s message to the schoolchildren

The White House has released the text of the president’s address to our nation’s schoolchildren. Controversial ideas encouraged include staying in school, working hard and giving it your best effort.

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event

Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009

The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.
I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.
I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.
Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”
So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

Categories
Miscellany

NCPW: American Capitalism Day

Rob Schofield at NC Policy watch has a suggestion regarding Labor Day:

But there is one thing that you can say for sure about the idea of an American Capitalism Day holiday: if, over time, it fizzled and simply turned into another shopping day, at least the name would fit.

Categories
Weather

Cool start to week

Soggy and a high of 66 today. Yes, it is still August (for another day)
This week in weather from the NWS:

Today: Periods of rain. High near 66. North wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Tonight: A chance of rain before 2am, then a chance of drizzle. Cloudy, with a low around 60. Northeast wind between 5 and 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tuesday: A chance of drizzle before 11am, then a slight chance of showers after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. Northeast wind between 6 and 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. Northeast wind around 6 mph.

Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 78. Northeast wind between 7 and 9 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60.

Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 80.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 61.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 62.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85.

Categories
Community

Can’t touch this

MC Hammer dancin’ Flashmob at the Saxapahaw Farmers’ Market.

Categories
Community

Garden and Gun on ‘Life on the Hill’

Really extensive write up of the lifestyle of Carrboro and Chapel Hill in this month’s Garden & Gun by a Wells Tower who worked with Nic Brown to try to and describe our deal here (as in ‘what’s the deal around here?’) — something I’ve always found very difficult to put into words. Nice pic of the Neals, too.
Life on The Hill

To my mind, Chapel Hill’s highest virtue is not its brittle preoccupations with sports or provincial tradition but the limberness of the place. It is a Shangri-la of indeterminacy: neither fusty Old South sanctum nor soulless New South suburb, neither metropolis nor boondocks. To live easefully in New York or New Orleans, one must strive to be a New Yorker or a New Orleanian. In Chapel Hill, a town too genial to demand much of its people, one can simply be.

Categories
Miscellany

Arcade Fire gets furry

For all our friends at Merge:

Funny, they look different from when they played at Town Commons.

Categories
Miscellany

East Franklin Street closed due to accident

Update: Street has been reopened.

Via CHPD:

East Franklin Street will be closed to through traffic between Boundary Avenue and Glendale Drive until approximately 2::00 pm today. A utility pole was struck in a single vehicle accident and utility crews will replace the pole prior to the street being reopened.

There were no serious injuries. Names of those involved are not being released at this time. The investigation is ongoing. No further details at this time.

Categories
Arts & Music

Carrboro Film fest deadline

Via our friend Selena Lauterer:

Deadline Alert!
Carrboro Film Festival’s First Deadline This Week
August 24, 2009 – Carrboro, NC — The 4th annual Carrboro Film Festival is now calling for submissions from filmmakers who have breathed in the good, local air of Orange County.
The deadline for submissions is August 28th, $10 per submission. Late deadline is September 21st, $25.
The only requirements are that the filmmaker at one time in life had a brush with Orange County and that the film is 20 minutes or less.
“We can’t wait to see what this year’s fest holds. Last year knocked everybody’s socks off with stellar content and outstanding audience attendance, “ says Carrboro Film Festival Chair, Selena Lauterer. “At the after-festival gathering, a filmmaker pulled me aside and said the Carrboro Film Festival was his favorite to be a part of because of our welcoming vibe and excellent presentation. That made my day and pretty much sums up the fest!”
This year the festival is giving out cash prizes for the winners.
Submission forms are on www.carrborofilmfestival.com.
The film festival will be held on Sunday, November 22nd at the Century Center in Carrboro, NC.

Categories
Weather

Cooler, dryer week ahead

Via the NWS:

This Afternoon: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. East wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. Calm wind.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. Calm wind.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 68.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 94.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 69.

Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 87. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Saturday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 86.

Categories
Miscellany

Castillo sentenced to life without parole

Alvaro Castillo was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life without parole Friday in Hillsborough.
After shooting his father on August 30, 2006, Castillo, who had a history of mental illness and was obsessed with the Columbine school shooting, drove to Orange High School where he began firing at students. He was subdued by an Orange County Sheriff’s deputy and an off-duty highway patrol officer.
Castillo’s lawyers mounted an insanity defense, but jurors sided with prosecutors who detailed Castillo’s planning.
In-depth stories and the latest stories here, here and here.
Because of its association with Columbine the trial has been heavily covered.
Following are video links to key sections of the trial.
Reading of verdict and sentencing.

WRAL’s report on Friday with Castillo’s statement after sentencing.

Closing arguments.

Categories
Weather

Major storms in area

Most of you in western Orange already know that.

NWS is warning about the band of storms passing through now.