Comment Archives: Stories: Last 30 Days
Re: “Blade running”
I'm embarrassed to say that when I replaced my defunct Gravely with my BCS mower/tiller/garden plow, I also bought the snow blade attachment. I grew up in western Massachusetts, just a snowstorm or two south of Middlebury. Johnny, would you like a second blade for your collection?
Norm Budnitz
Re: “UNC-CH senior arrested at the General Assembly: "I cannot in good conscience stand idly by"”
I admire Zaina for speaking out so passionately for public education. I daresay most of our legislators owe their success to the public education system. Their boilerplate, ALEC driven legislation is indicative a selfish, racially biased agenda which clearly wants to close opportunities these same legislators have enjoyed. shame on them.
Re: “13 documents you should read about the JFK assassination”
Note to Sour Peppers: Based on your recommendation, I am buying the book you recommend. Do you know anything that will verify or deny the role of Senator B. Everette Jordan, NC (deceased). Ben Bulla (dec) who wrote the false autobiography, told, me "Honz I found out some extremely negative stuff about Jordan. I don't know what to do about printing" About a year later, he denied conversation ever existed and became a different person...He did not appear to enjoy finishing the book....and the Jordan family seemed to be the prime editors....Two different attempts on Bulla life, burning of his buildings, disappearance of his brother James Bulla, who was reported "sent to Texas" to live. Ben Bulla and his sister Elizabeth died in Alamance County Hospital. I am curious that Blanche Moore, serial murdered, (Bulla's wife maiden name is June Moore in same county). Elizabeth Bulla died of cancer in the same hospital. Reverend Dwight Moore was in the hospital at the same time dying from Blanche Moore ant poison. However Rev. Moore was the only one that lived due to intervention by another hospital. When my wife and I visited Elizabeth Bulla she was dying of cancer with no obvious treatment plan at all. Ben Bulla died there. Could Alamance County Hospital be the "killing fields" to dispose of Senator Jordan's deeds? Never has understood the non-treatment of patients I saw in that hospital. Thanks you, Honz
Re: “The bleakly hilarious Cripple of Inishmaan at Deep Dish Theater”
Everything in your review makes me want to see for myself. From past experience Tom Marroitt's direction alone is reason enough to come.
Re: “Radius Pizzeria: An exciting menu that falls short on execution”
I have been several times and have yet to be disappointed. How in the world can anyone give an honest review with 4 kids under the age of 5 at the table? I know if I brought them to my job it would be impossible to get anything of any value done. Perhaps next time you spring for a babysitter, bring your husband and don't go on a last Friday! You set yourself up for the perfect storm with your choices! As for the server placing the pie close to your 7th month old... You had 6 people at a table, 4 of them under the age of 5 and 5 pizzas, where exactly should they have put it....the bathroom? Ridiculous!
Re: “Radius Pizzeria: An exciting menu that falls short on execution”
Having been several times I have not be disappointed. How can one write a serious review of a meal with 4 children under 5 in tow? If I brought them to my job I certainly wouldn't get anything of great value accomplished! The first last Friday of the season is not the night to try and capture the true abilities of any resteraunt in downtown Hillsborough! Next time spring for a sitter, take your husband and savor the experience! By the way, with 6 people at a table and 4 of them under 5 and 5 pizzas ordered. Where exactly should the server have placed the pizza.... In the rest room? Ridiculous!
Re: “The week in music: May 1-8, 2013”
Oh, and why is Rush not listed?
Re: “The week in music: May 1-8, 2013”
It's a travesty not to have Besnard Lakes show at Cat's Cradle tonight on this list.
Re: “The populist plea bargain of Rush”
He certainly needs to get busy with the facts.
Re: “Radius Pizzeria: An exciting menu that falls short on execution”
give the place another chance on a weeknight not during a last friday
Re: “This week in disappointment: guns, housing and energy”
The article on the PRIP program is disingenious at best. The reason you don't see Durham politicos signing on at the state level is because the income the licenses will generate is too enticing. The fact is, across the country, cities and counties have long had the ability to "keep tabs on slumlords, protect renters and allow responsible landlords to maintain their property values"'; they failed to do so. This, like other rental programs around the country, just creates another "license" fee (i.e. - another tax) for ALL landlords to pay whether they've had complaints or not (read the program FAQ's more closely, it's not just for those with violations - http://durhamnc.gov/ich/cb/nis/Pages/NIS_P…). It's a fairly typical government approach to finally getting around to dealing with problematic issues; don't use the tools available to them for years to deal with troublemakers and then create a new ordinance or law that applies to all, even those who have never had issues. If they're doing this to "protect the renters", what's to keep them from extending this to annual "proactive" inspections of owner-occupied housing? They already have the right to perform inspections of poorly maintained owner-occupied housing. I would imagine that those that have worked so hard to renovate or build new homes in the "designated" area would be up in arms if they were asked to pay an annual license fee and be subjected to annual inspections all because the City didn't do its job enforcing an existing code on the house down the street.
Re: “N.C. State finds buyer for 80,000-acre Hofmann Forest”
The sale strategy of the Hoffman Forest in Onslow County, NC reflects the corporate mentality of the current board and dean of the DNR at NCSU. The sale represents the conflict of ideas between the two sectors in society. A corporation analyzes an asset in terms of what it needs at the moment with the assumption that it paid for it at one time. The college received a gift which cost it nothing and generates $2 million a year.
Placing an investment in the stock market, which may return 3% per year on average, may boost the income from yield to 3.5%. The logic seems sound, almost doubling the yield without maintenance costs of land, depending on portfolio costs by the broker. The stock market looks promising. Yields are high. Profits of certain sectors and companies are good. Forecasts are splendiforous, as expected. The timing, however, is questionable.
Washington pundits say that there is recovery, yet there are few jobs being generated. Another school of experts say that the American economy is perilously close to disaster. The real estate and banking collapses demonstrate credible examples of the second condition. Asset analysis of both private and public sector enterprises reveals an unsure footing for recovery and growth. Most of the faulty decisions made by corporations were prefaced by a change to short term thinking, not toward long term gain and stability.
What would be the harm of holding the forest until the economy demonstrates stability and proven growth as an interim strategy? If, at that time, the sale and reinvestment is desired, then, sell the parcel.
The losses experienced in 2008-9 were catastrophic for some investors and retirement funds. Whole stock broker companies failed, Banks failed. Some lost all in the precursor to the promise of a massive economic melt down. The Dow Jones index lost more than 50%, an event unseen in the last fifty years of reports.
Until we return to the stability of the 1950's, the model for increasing revenue for the college is flawed by the potential for loss of value on the market. The trees standing in the forest will remain until harvest, barring forest fire. The market for lumber is relatively constant. The "asset" will continue to grow no matter what happens to the stock market.
Compare the risks and rewards without the cloud of current corporate cogitation.
Re: “The populist plea bargain of Rush”
"Rolling the Bones"? Yeah...this guy shouldn't be writing about Rush.
Re: “Radius Pizzeria: An exciting menu that falls short on execution”
Gee, you think that taking four kids under 5 years old is a good recipe for a thoughtful restaurant review? Not to mention going on a super busy night right after the place opens? I have not been to Radius yet, but I know several people who have including other INDY Staffers, and the reviews have been unanimously fantastic. I am an ad rep for the INDY.
Re: “LiLa's IV”
LiLa's music is unbelievably hype and I think that IV supports this claim. It certainly doesn't "eat away at one's listening time". LiLa is awesome, and IV, along with the rest of their music, is worth listening to. The show on Friday was incredible. I agree with some of the previous comments, I don't think anyone will be outgrowing LiLa's music or energy.
Re: “LiLa's IV”
I'm not a longtime Lila fan, so I don't feel the need to defend their honor like some other commenters. That said, as a reviewer, you should know a term like "bro band" is a loaded term that comes with connotations - primarily negative ones. If that's what you meant, you should own up to and explain your reasoning up front. Instead, you bury it in a clause of a complex sentence. That's not fair to Lila or any band you review.
Personally, Lila's rapping veers a bit too close to the rap-core style of Linkin Park for my own tastes. But see how I did that? Explained WHY I liked/disliked something before unilaterally declaring it as "_______"?!
I recognize that all reviews are opinion pieces, but casually dropping such a definitive (& possibly the review's strongest) assertion strikes me as irresponsible, careless, or both.
Re: “Affordable housing takes a hit in Chapel Hill”
You imply town leaders are the ones working to solve the problem, but fail to recognize that it is town leaders who CREATED the problem.
In Chapel Hill, you can't build up and you can't build out. So, by design, elected leaders have created an artificial island, inflating prices by restricting supply. As all zoning and land-use restrictions do, these policies benefit the current stakeholders (property owners) at the expense of future ones (renters, those in the lowest quintiles, those who hope to one day own).
'Inclusionary zoning' is the latest fad among planners and policy makers who somehow fail to recognize that requiring developers to sell some % of units at a LOSS, forces them to RAISE prices on the other units. Thus, it makes housing LESS affordable for all but a lucky few. It adds to the problem. It does the exact opposite of what it's intended to do.
For the very very very few who get to live in these affordable units, they just hit the lottery. They are getting a mid-market product for a sub-market price. Those advocating such solutions are celebrating lottery winners, not solving any problem.
So long as Chapel Hill remains anti-development, affordable housing will remain under-provided. No silver-bullet policy or tinkering by the 'experts' is going to change that.
Re: “Monuts Donuts: Show up early and often”
You missed their best kept secret (and Durham's best breakfast sandwich). The bagel sandwiches are AMAZING, especially with the maple Sriracha!
Re: “The climate change movement is not resonating with the public”
Bob, bad call. You should have gone to the real deal-- the Boston memorial run in Raleigh. It was a beautiful day, very moving, raised money for victims of a real tragedy, and it felt good to be with over 2,000 regular folks running. I am not much a flag waiver but it was awesome to run under the huge American flag hoisted by a construction crane.
Instead, you went to hang with a small scrum of ideologues who have swallowed -- hook, line and sinker -- the fraud of climate change. OK, its a choice but I suggest to you and your readers that the people have already made their decision on this -- climate change is not only not a threat, all the proposed 'solutions' (to a non-problem) can easily be dismissed as self serving for those invested in the fraud. If the East Anglia emails didn't work for you, just think Al Gore. If that still doesn't convince you, ask yourself a simple question: if climate change is really a clear and present danger, why are we not working non-stop to solve the problem as quickly as possible in a cost-effective manner? This is the way real problems are addressed. Fraud, on the other hand, not so much.
Re: “Radius Pizzeria: An exciting menu that falls short on execution”
Before reading this review, I had talked to several people who had tried Radius, and they all said the same thing: the food is delish, but the service is seriously lacking. For this reason, I have only ever gotten food to go, and I will agree-it's worthy. In response to the comments made above-anyone who frequents Hillsborough should know that the majority of the restaurants in town are geared towards an older crowd- not children. It was refreshing to see that a place was opening up that children could enjoy as much as adults. Let's be honest here-if anywhere would welcome a group with 4 children under 5, it should be a pizza place, although I do agree that Last Friday was probably not the best night to go. The service seems to be the missing link here. Bottom line: the owners of Radius seem to have a potentially great thing going here-keep it going by making sure you hire experienced, competant staff who will get orders right the first time around, because the quality of your cooks and servers should be equally important as the quality of someone's meal.