“This year’s song better not be lame,” yells Carly Pittman, a preternaturally self-assured 12-year-old with a sandy blond bob and a feisty attitude. The organizers of Girls Rock NC are finishing the theme song for this year’s band camp. One of the most spirited campers, Pittman demands that this year’s song must rule. “It’s a […]
Marc Maximov
Bio: Marc Maximov lives, works and rides his bicycle in Durham.
Posted inSports
It’s no picnic
Over the Fourth of July weekend, a lot of badminton was played in the Triangle. But it wasn’t all the rinky-dink, post-barbecue, one-hand-holding-a-beer variety; some of the world’s top juniors were also here, playing a much higher-caliber version of the game, as Badminton-RTP kicked off its annual clinic week. Between last Sunday, July 5, and […]
Posted inUncategorized
Local initiatives to cover the uninsured in Durham precede national reform
While Congress and President Barack Obama try to craft some version of his campaign promises into health care policy, dedicated people in Durham are working to expand coverage here and now, rather than waiting for help from Washington. At a March 24 “Cover the Uninsured” forum organized by the Partnership for a Healthy Durham, a […]
Posted inCulture
Wanted for Review
Consider this: At last year’s Full Frame, BIGGER STRONGER FASTER*, a fast-paced, rousing dissent from the conventional wisdom about anabolic steroids, won over a large crowd in Fletcher Hall. It had been a hit at Sundance, and seemed to have enough popular appeal to make a splash at the box office. Before screening at Full […]
Posted inCulture
Full Frame Day 1: Remembrance of Festivals Past
Walking up to the Carolina Theater today, at the start of another Full Frame, I couldn’t help but think how much the festival has changed over the years. My first encounter with it was in 2001, when it was called DoubleTake (the name was changed to Full Frame the next year, I believe). I was […]
Posted inArt
Bucking the trends, DSI rebrands and expands its comedy festival
N.C. Comedy Arts Festival Stand-up Comedy Week: Feb. 12-15 Improv Comedy Week: Feb. 18-21 Various venues in Chapel Hill and Carrboro In this time of economic contraction and disappearing jobs, there’s at least one sector that’s experiencing impressive growth, possibly in response to all the bad news: homegrown comedy festivals. Following nine years of steady […]
Posted inFilm & Television
With Alexa, Durham filmmaker Todd Tinkham debuts at Slamdance
It’s the morning after Inauguration Day in Park City, Utah, and attendance at the Anarchy Online Competition screening at Slamdance is sparse. Perhaps due to Obama parties the night before (or non-Obama partiesno excuse is needed for a party during festival time), the audience consists mostly of the filmmakers and their friends. Despite the low […]
Posted inArt
National Humanities Center hosts “What makes us human?” conference
Adults wishing to relive the college experience for less than the cost of grad school can buy CDs of the Great Courses series from The Teaching Company or watch videos of TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) talks online. Last week brought the chance to see some of the leading lights of academia live, in person, as […]
Posted inArt
Last Child in the Woods
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder By Richard Louv Algonquin Books, 390 pp. My mother had a remarkably effective way of encouraging her kids to experience the great outdoors. If we were cooped up in the house too long, our bickering, roughhousing and whining would reach critical levels and trigger […]
Posted inArt
Making Duke safe for sex workers
Valentine’s Day came early to Durham when the Sex Workers’ Art Show arrived with an invitation of libidinous promise. Competing with Super Bowl Sunday for viewers, the Web site teased with blurbs advertising the winner of the “Bishop Award for Best Tit-Tortured Model 2005,” and a “blonde bombshell” who can “mix martinis with her cleavage.” […]