Today is Elon Day – my first as a staff member. It’s set aside as a 24-hour period to drum up support for the university. Students, current and past, are involved in a variety of activities -- on and off campus as are members of the faculty and staff. It’s a big fund-raising day but … Continue reading Spreading the word on #ElonDay
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Don Bolden, the mild-mannered marathon man
Ask most people in Alamance County and they’d say Don Bolden is Burlington’s best example of the mild-mannered reporter. Quiet, unassuming, modest to a fault -- Don is every one of those things. He evolved into a mild-mannered editor, too, then made the transition to easy-going editor emeritus. He’s the quintessential nice guy who’s also … Continue reading Don Bolden, the mild-mannered marathon man
Book review: ‘The Undoing Project’
'The Undoing Project'; By Michael Lewis; W.W. Norton and Co.; 2017; 362 pages. Imagine the thought process of Michael Lewis, bestselling nonfiction author of several of the more analytical and interesting books of the past two decades, a body of work that includes "Moneyball," "The Blind Side," and "The Big Short." All three turned conventional … Continue reading Book review: ‘The Undoing Project’
Talking tacos at Tangent
The “lattice of coincidence” strikes again. Today as I scanned the Food page in the Burlington Times-News I noted a nugget tucked along the left-hand rail of the first page. It was a history question of sorts. What was the original cost of a taco at Taco Bell? 5 cents 10 cents 19 cents $1.50 … Continue reading Talking tacos at Tangent
Vision quest, Part I
"Engaging. Evolving. Indispensable." That description sounded pretty good. Very good in fact. It took us an hour or so to get there but as a vision statement for the future of the Alamance County Public Libraries it seemed like a nice beginning. That was one of the primary jobs given to the Alamance County Public … Continue reading Vision quest, Part I
A former editor photo bomb
Oops. That's the first thing I thought Wednesday morning when I got a first look at the Burlington Times-News print edition. There I was, the former executive editor on the front page and I wasn't in jail or anything. I wound up in a secondary photo on page A1 from the newspaper's coverage of the … Continue reading A former editor photo bomb
How we got here on our next Community Connections
What: Community Connections forum Where: Elon University’s Moseley Center When: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21 Topic: The future role of government and the two-party system Bottom line: Community Connections is panel discussion series co-sponsored by Elon University and the Burlington Times News. The audience is encouraged to participate by asking questions of the panelists. To … Continue reading How we got here on our next Community Connections
The demise of satire in an Unlampoonable Age
Satire is nearly dead. Irony is roadkill. And sarcasm? Well, it decided to go drinking with friends and found it had none. Common sense, by the way, is on life support and not expected to make it. Such is life in a world diving headlong into shallow mockery as a standard. It's impossible to tell … Continue reading The demise of satire in an Unlampoonable Age
Coffee, community and football on Tuesday at Elon
College Coffee is an Elon University tradition that goes back a couple of decades at least. Until Tuesday I had never attended one. It's my fourth week working at Elon as a development writer. It's a good gig so far and I don't expect that to change. It's hard to beat the surroundings or the … Continue reading Coffee, community and football on Tuesday at Elon
Book Review: Kids These Days
Here's another book review from the recent past that I thought was lost in online vapor due to corporate changeovers. It was written by Drew Perry, an Elon professor and was his second novel.I enjoyed both. I have yet to meet Perry in person. I hope to one of these days on campus. Here goes … Continue reading Book Review: Kids These Days
Madison's Avenue 