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Tuesday, November 11, 2014
News / Opinion On Veterans Day, politicians play, but we need to take care of business!
Posted By Jerry Klein on Tue, Nov 11, 2014 at 11:13 AM
If you needed any evidence that the 2016 elections campaigning has already begun (before the print is even dry on last week’s ledgers), you got it in flashing neon signs yesterday. Locally, you can thank Gov. Pat McCrory, and where the rest of the country is concerned, the Obama administration.
As is typically the case — and in advance of the state and federal recognition today of Veterans Day — both exhibited absolutely no shame in pandering to and using our servicemen and women as backdrops in pursuing their goals. Making patriotic-sounding announcements from a stage wrapped in red, white and blue, while military planes soar overhead, is always worth a few extra votes on Election Day, am I right?
From the White House, President Obama’s newly appointed head of the embattled Veterans Administration, Robert McDonald, announced Monday a top-to-bottom overhaul of the agency. This, after many months of headlines in which we learned that those who had risked their lives for our safety have been getting sub-standard health care, or worse, here at home. And in visiting the NC Veterans Home in Salisbury yesterday, McCrory announced the creation of NC4VETS, which he described as a “one-stop shopping” Web and print resource center to help provide vets with the information they need in figuring out what services are available across various agencies. (Pay no attention to the barely muffled guffaws coming from those vets over in the corner; they’re just a tad cynical after having been told help was on the way for at least the past four decades now.)
Arts Dave Chappelle offers pop-up show tonight at the Fillmore (UPDATED)
Posted By Kimberly Lawson on Tue, Nov 11, 2014 at 9:39 AM
Either Dave Chappelle really loves Charlotte or Charlotte really loves Chappelle. The comedian was in town last night for a show at Ovens Auditorium ... and apparently he's still in town. He's offering a pop-up show tonight at the Fillmore, 7:30 p.m. Tickets ($55) go on sale at 10 a.m.
Update (1:12 p.m.)
Oh, OK, this is getting a little out of hand. Just got word that Chappelle has added a second show tonight for 9:30 p.m. Tickets were available 12 minutes ago. They're probably gone now.
First Drip First Drip (11/11/14): Charlotte charters miss marks, Obama pushes FCC on Net Neutrality
Posted By Emiene Wright on Tue, Nov 11, 2014 at 9:17 AM
The nine new charter schools that opened in the Charlotte area this fall amid a rapid expansion now enroll about half the number of students they had projected, according to data released by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. Since fewer students enrolled in charter schools and more students enrolled in CMS schools, the district had less money available at the beginning of the year for teachers. The state should even up with CMS, but district leaders warned there was no guarantee they would be made whole.
More than 50 years after he led the integration of professional golf in the United State, Charlotte native Charlie Sifford will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama on Nov. 24 at the White House.
President Obama said on Monday that a free and open Internet was as critical to Americans’ lives as electricity and telephone service and should be regulated like those utilities to protect consumers. The Federal Communications Commission, Mr. Obama said, needs to adopt the strictest rules possible to prevent broadband companies from blocking or slowing down legal content and from allowing content providers to pay for a fast lane to reach consumers.
In a #serenafriday Twitter chat, the usually tight-lipped Serena Williams opened up about several personal issues, saying that she "desperately" would like to settle down and start a family, and that she's not single by choice.
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Tuesday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Tue, Nov 11, 2014 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Nov. 11, 2014 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Evil Dead The Musical at Knight Theater
• Personally Speaking with James Tabor: Paul and Jesus at UNC Charlotte Center City
• Country Tuesday at Snug Harbor
• Trivia at Big Ben British Pub & Restaurant
• Horizon Line exhibit at Queens University
Monday, November 10, 2014
News Bring back #BringBackOurGirls
Posted By Emiene Wright on Mon, Nov 10, 2014 at 5:48 PM
On Monday, a bomb blast snatched the lives of 48 and wounded 79 more at a school in Potiskum, Nigeria. Officials suspect Boko Haram, the terrorist group that raided a Chibok school and kidnapped close to 300 girls in April of this year, is behind this fresh violence. The brazen attack on Chibok sparked global outrage as millions rallied behind the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls. But that movement has fallen widely silent, leaving the girls’ families in Nigeria desperate to save their loved ones.
Kevin Winston, a Charlotte chef, and nDemand business consultants Oscar and Kiya Frazier organized a #BringBackOurGirls rally in May, in Marshall Park uptown. Winston got involved in the movement as part of a national initiative, sparked by a friend in Los Angeles. The idea was to put out “a sort of global amber alert” on the kidnapped girls.
“Our overall goal was to raise awareness, and getting people to sign a petition we sent to the Senate,” Winston says. But once the petition was delivered, months dragged on with no action and interest waned. It’s now been over 200 days since the girls were taken. The Charlotte group is dormant, though the national organization’s Facebook page, is still posting news and has a daily countdown.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian government embarrassed itself last month with a premature announcement Oct. 17 from the office of President Goodluck Jonathan, which stated that a ceasefire agreement had been reached stipulating the return of all of the young women. The announcement was greeted with skepticism amid rumors the talks had occurred with a separate arm of Boko Haram based in nearby Chad, rather than the northern Nigerian group responsible for the assault on Chibok. Many Nigerians had little faith that the government, with its haphazard communications and contradictory reports, ever brokered a deal at all.
First Drip First Drip (11/10/14): AG nominee has Charlotte ties, Boko Haram may be behind bombing
Posted By Emiene Wright on Mon, Nov 10, 2014 at 9:01 AM
Loretta Lynch, nominated by President Barack Obama to be the next U.S. attorney general, is sister to the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, on Sugar Creek Road. “Loretta has spent her life fighting for fair and equal justice that is the foundation of our democracy,” Obama said in remarks Saturday. If confirmed, she would replace Eric Holder, who is stepping down.
Flight attendants at American Airlines rejected a five-year contract Sunday, forcing the world's largest carrier and its union for cabin-crew workers into binding arbitration. Just 16 votes blocked the contract — with 8,180 voting for and 8,196 voting against, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants said in a statement. The rejection of the contract affects roughly 24,000 workers and complicates the integration of American Airlines and US Airways. The two merged last year to form the world's biggest airline operator. The proposed contract included guaranteed raises but ended a profit-sharing plan.
At least 47 people were killed and 79 were wounded Monday by a suicide bombing outside a school in northern Nigeria, police said. The attacker was disguised as a student when he set off the explosion in a government boarding school in the town of Potiskum, police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu said. Although no one has yet claimed responsibility, "We suspect Boko Haram is behind the attack," Ojukwu said.
Furious protesters attempting to break into Mexico City's National Palace set fire to its doors during nationwide demonstrations over the apparent massacre of 43 students who were allegedly kidnapped by local police and handed over to a gang. The unrest is the steepest challenge yet to face Pena Nieto, who took office two years ago vowing to restore order in Mexico, where about 80,000 deaths have been linked to organized crime since 2006. The students had gone missing in Iguala on Sept. 26 after clashing with police on their way to a rally to protest proposed government educational reforms.
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Monday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Mon, Nov 10, 2014 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Nov. 10, 2014 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Dave Chappelle at Ovens Auditorium
• Find Your Muse Open Mic f. Paulo Franco at Evening Muse
• So You Think You Can Dance at Belk Theater
• Trivia at Sir Edmond Halley's
• Knocturnal at Snug Harbor
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Sunday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Sun, Nov 9, 2014 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Nov. 9, 2014 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Buddy Guy at Knight Theater
• Tone X at The Comedy Zone
• The Power of People: 25th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall at UNC-Charlotte Center City
• Screening of The Spook Who Sat By The Door at Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture
• Screening of Numbered at Levine Jewish Community Center
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Saturday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Sat, Nov 8, 2014 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Nov. 8, 2014 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Sumi-e Workshop at Charlotte Fine Art Gallery
• Backcountry Beer Fest at Charlotte Museum of History
• Beards BeCause Finale Party at NoDa Brewing Company
• Chrissie Hynde at Ovens Auditorium
• Disco for Diabetes at Roxbury
Friday, November 7, 2014
Arts Cheap list: Finding Vivian Maier, Masquerade Ball, Chili Cookoff and more
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, Nov 7, 2014 at 12:57 PM
Going out in Charlotte doesn't have to be expensive. In fact, to prove that statement, we've compiled a list of cheap - $10 or less - things to do in the Q.C. this weekend. These events may vary, but they're all entertaining and they won't break your bank (piggy banks excluded).
Charlotte Art Collective Show and Sale at Avondale Presbyterian Church: The one-day juried show features a variety of fine arts, including paintings, collages, photography, pottery, jewelry, book arts, prints, wood, metal, fiber, mosaics, sculptures and more. Come to buy or browse. Free admission. Nov. 8, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Avondale Presbyterian Church, 2821 Park Road.
Finding Vivian Maier at Wells Fargo Auditorium: As part of Charlotte Film Society's Charlotte Film Lab Series comes this intriguing documentary about Vivian Maier, a nanny turned street photographer. The film's Los Angeles-based director Charlie Siskel will also be attending. $5-$10. Wells Fargo Auditorium (lower level of Knight Theater), 430 S. Tryon St.
Beards BeCause Finale Party at NoDa Brewing: The event, benefitting Beards BeCause, will feature music, food, beer and a silent auction. For more information, visit www.beardsbecause.com. Sat., Nov. 8, 7-10:30 p.m. NoDa Brewing Company, 2229 N Davidson St ., Charlotte. (704) 451-1394. www.nodabrewing.com/.
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