Debris
«chaque notaire porte en soi les débris d’un poète.»Archive for greensboro
Greensboro Goddam
In the crush of a busy week, I nearly overlooked the fact that Tuesday marked the 30th anniversary of the Greensboro Massacre, in which neo-Nazis and KKK members murdered five anti-racist and labor activists and wounded another eleven. As far as I can tell, the anniversary passed without any official public commemoration in Greensboro. I can understand that residents might be reluctant to recall that dark moment in our city’s history. A Truth & Reconciliation Commission held public hearings and issued a detailed report just a few years ago. But my sense, as a newcomer to the city, is that sentiment remains divided, both about the massacre itself and about the commission.
However painful, it is essential that we remember.
The authoritarian personality on display
Gang leader Jorge Cornell is running for City Council in Greensboro. Yesterday, he was arrested and charged with “obstructing and delaying a law enforcement officer.” As the video shows, he was doing nothing more than talking to the police, in a reasonably calm and non-threatening manner. As with the Gates brouhaha, this is another example of how the police simply can’t abide the idea of anyone not bowing down to their authority.
If this happened in Iran, there would be howls of protest across the U.S. media. Because it happened here, and because Cornell is a “gang leader” rather than an “opposition figure”, the incident will attract almost no notice.
They’re all as mad as hatters
By way of Ed Cone, I learn that the “tea-party movement” — which is a movement in precisely the same sense as a bowel movement, being likewise full of shit — is coming to Greensboro next month. Amusingly enough, the organizers have had to move the event from Center City Park (which is on private property) to the public plaza outside of City Hall. The irony is, no doubt, entirely lost on the tax-hatin’ party-goers.
Everything’s OK, thanks to the Everybodyfields
I just got home from seeing The Everybodyfields at the Eastern Music Festival Fringe. It was simply incredible.
Greencards in Greensboro
The Greencards gave an outstanding show on Friday evening as part of the Eastern Music Festival. I’d enjoyed their music before, but until seeing them live, I hadn’t fully realized what virtuoso musicians they are.
Here’s a short clip from Friday’s show.
Sorry About Dresden live at dotmatrix project
Sorry About Dresden played the inaugural dotmatrix project show in Greensboro in April. Because of a babysitter snafu, I missed it. Fortunately, I now have a taste of the experience, thanks to the live recording that Sean’s made available on Amie Street (a terrific source for independent music). The early bird gets it cheap (currently $0.18 as of this writing, but increasing as the clock ticks).
This explains why I feel like crap
For the past few weeks, I’ve been astounded by the sheer volume of pollen everywhere, like a yellow blizzard that doesn’t melt away. I thought perhaps that my perspective was skewed after three years in relatively pollen-free San Francisco. But, it turns out that Greensboro really does have it worse than nearly everywhere else.
Sorry About Dresden headline inaugural Dotmatrix music show
Sorry About Dresden are a band I discovered haphazardly a few months ago. I had no idea that they were from nearby Chapel Hill.
Now, thanks to local music impresario Sean Coon, I’ll get the chance to see Sorry About Dresden, along with opening act The Radials, live in the nice intimate setting of Greensboro’s Green Burro, at the very first Dotmatrix Project monthly live show this Friday, April 25th.
If you live in or around Greensboro, I hope you’ll come check it out. If you ask nicely, I might even buy you a beer.
Local man nets big haul in fantasy fishing
Though I do enjoy watching bass fishing tournaments on TV, I’ve never quite see the lure of “fantasy fishing“. However, this story in the local newspaper may be enough to change my mind:
Greensboro man reels in $100K in fantasy fishing league
[...]Reginald Pickett of Greensboro won $100,000 in FLW Outdoor’s Fantasy Fishing tournament.
Fantasy fishing officials will hand over the check Thursday morning.
Get this: If the professional anglers on Pickett’s imaginary team keep on catching big, fat bass, then he could win $1 million.
[...]
Fantasy fishing is similar to fantasy baseball (except for the fish). You draft a team of pros and win points based on their performance in various fishing tournaments.
[...]
It’s pretty easy, Pickett says, especially if you keep an ear out for what the fishing pundits are saying — evidently there are fishing pundits out there.
Snow and behold!
What a surprise to find Greensboro covered in a bona fide blanket of snow. It looks like nearly an inch accumulated on my back porch.
UPDATE (10:00 am): The snow was enough to shut my son’s school for the day (it doesn’t take much around here). We took advantage of the opportunity to make his first snowman.
