Chapel Hill Comics showcases work of local artists
Just a few blocks west of Columbia Street, adventure and intrigue lurk.
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Just a few blocks west of Columbia Street, adventure and intrigue lurk.
Efforts are being made to lower the average emergency response time for Orange County after it was scrutinized for falling below the state average.
For 14 years, the Chapel Hill Museum has provided visitors a look into the town’s rich and unique history.
In the Nov. 2 elections, residents of Orange County will have the chance to vote on a sales tax increase — but some residents are concerned about how the money will be spent.The Orange County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to place a referendum on the election ballot concerning the levy of a one-quarter cent county sales-and-use tax.Taxes on services and purchases would increase, while taxes on food items would not.The one-quarter cent county sales-and-use tax was created during the N.C. General Assembly’s 2007 legislative session.Its goal is to expand county revenue options and lessen the reliance on property tax.Fifteen out of 100 N.C. counties have approved the tax increase.The board had to make a decision on or before Aug. 6 so the referendum could appear on the November ballot.“I do think it is something that we should put on the ballot so voters can decide,” Commissioner Alice Gordon said. She said there should be neutral educational campaigning in the fall before the public votes on the referendum.But residents at Tuesday’s meeting questioned how the revenue gained from the tax increase would be used.Aaron Nelson, president and CEO of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, said some of the funds should be devoted to economic development.He said he thinks residents will be supportive with the promise of improving the local economy.“I would like to see the money to be used, if it is passed, towards economic development and libraries,” said Commissioner Mike Nelson. But Commissioner Pam Hemminger said they should not decide how the money is to be used until they hear input from different groups.Chairwoman Valerie Foushee agreed with Hemminger and said she would like to hear more from the public about how the money would be used should it be passed.The board also passed a draft resolution in support of UNC’s co-generation facility’s decreased use of coal as an energy source. The facility, located on Cameron Avenue, provides power to 175 campus buildings and is responsible for 58 percent of the university’s greenhouse gas emissions.The resolution aims to move UNC away from the use of coal and toward alternative energy sources by the year 2020. The 2010-11 budget process for Orange County was also completed Tuesday night.A smattering of claps and sighs of relief came after the Commissioners voted unanimously in approval of the county budget.“There were a lot of cuts in there that hurt,” Commissioner Mike Nelson said about the final budget.Many of the commissioners agreed with one another that this year’s budget process was clearer than it had been in previous years. Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Correction from June 3, 2010: Due to a reporting error, an earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the Philadelphia Lutheran Settlement House moved to a former nursing home. The location was discussed, but the shelter remained in its original location after repairs. The Lutheran Settlement House serves women and children, not men. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.
In the time it takes to read this sentence, MacGruber has probably been blown up.The Saturday Night Live sketch that — like its protagonist — has exploded in popularity has been made into a feature-length film, and UNC is the first stop in the promotion tour at college campuses.The sketch is a takeoff of MacGyver, a popular television series in the late 1980s. Richard Dean Anderson played an action hero who could use everyday objects to fashion weapons and tools.
Wearing the same red parka that she wore during her explorations, artist and polar explorer Nerys Levy showed her travels to an eager crowd from young children to grandparents Wednesday night.Levy and others spoke at “Polar Exploration: Captivating Tales of Polar Explorers,” an event in conjunction with UNC Earth Week 2010 and the ongoing exhibit “Ice Counterpoint: Encounters in Antarctica and the Arctic” at the FedEx Global Education Center.Ice Counterpoint showcases paintings by Levy, photographs by UNC music professor Brooks de Wetter-Smith and sculptures by McDougle Middle School students.Levy said she helped the students create the sculptures while she was the artist-in-residence at the school.Laura Griest, events coordinator for the Office of International Affairs, said the event was geared toward children, but both children and adults turned out to hear the speakers.Levy opened the event with a 20-minute slide show on the history of polar exploration.De Wetter-Smith followed Levy with a solo flute performance.The sounds of Arctic nature played as images of Antarctica and the Arctic, including glaciers, packed ice, seals and penguins, flashed on the screen.“Penguins in Antarctica are about as common as trees in America,” said de Wetter-Smith when pictures of penguins were shown.Jose Rial, professor of geophysics, and Rose Cory, assistant professor in environmental sciences and engineering, have both conducted scientific studies in Arctic lands, and they recounted their adventures in the cold and blustery places.In addition to the stories from the polar explorers, there was discussion on global warming.Rial said that the ice in Greenland is melting, causing the sea levels to rise, and that it is our choice to protect the planet.The future of the planet and the human race are permanently embraced, de Wetter-Smith said.Despite the serious discussion on global warming, the overall mood of the event was inspiring. Brynn Presler-Marshall, a sixth grader at Smith Middle School, attended the event.“I liked the flute music and the picture of the penguin,” she said.Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
Many people dream of being chased by paparazzi and having their names in flashing lights. But the reality of success in show business requires a little more than just talent.Hannah Grannemann, the managing director for PlayMakers Repertory Company, said it also takes persistence, bravery and entrepreneurship.“You have to be willing to make it happen on your own,” she said. “If you sit back and wait for someone to knock on your door, you won’t get anywhere. You make your own opportunities.”For many, the first step is honing their acting skills through groups on UNC’s campus.The Lab! Theatre Company, the musical theater group Pauper Players, Ebony Readers/Onyx Theatre and Student Television are a few outlets at UNC through which students can gain acting experience.Sophomore Ramey Mize, who is involved in Lab! and STV, said it is important to take every opportunity to improve one’s own talents.Other students are finding experience outside of campus groups.A year ago, sophomore Astin Barnes said she started working with a production company in Greensboro to produce a web drama titled “The Hive.”Barnes said she ultimately wants to attend medical school, but acting is something she enjoys outside of school.She said she got involved with the web drama when searching for local acting jobs.She said no one involved with the drama had experience, but the show has provided that opportunity.UNC alumna Julia Yarwood graduated in 2008 with a B.A. in dramatic arts. She is currently on tour with Periwinkle Theatre for Youth, a theater group designed to educate youth about pertinent issues. She plays an addict in “Halfway There.”She moved to New York City after graduation, and said she faced a number of struggles trying to get exposure.She did acting jobs for free, took lower-paying acting jobs and even picked up other jobs outside the entertainment industry to help with her acting career.Even with setbacks, she said she kept pushing and kept auditioning.“Nobody is going to make your career for you when you are actor. It’s all in your own hands,” she said.Yarwood said it is also important to build contacts. Half of her jobs, she said, were a result of maintaining relationships with people she had previously worked with.Sarah Berk, a senior double majoring in English and dramatic arts, said she is moving to New York City after graduation to work with a company she interned with last summer.She said meeting people face-to-face is more beneficial than connecting with people in less personal fashions, such as calling a company or sending a head shot.While interning with an off-Broadway company last summer, Berk said she showed her coworkers that she was reliable and easy to work with by completing office work and transporting set pieces across the city.But knowing people and being persistent aren’t the only things needed to break into the drama business.Auditions are still a necessary part, and actors must express themselves well, Berk said.Grannemann said actors must have an accurate knowledge of the type of actor they are so they don’t misplace their energy into a role they aren’t suited for.“If you know this is what you want to do, you need to go into it with no reservations. You take the plunge, basically,” Mize said. “Just give everything of yourself and be very willing to fail over and over again until you succeed.”Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
Memorial Hall will be filled with the sound of samba fused with rock ’n’ roll March 14 for Gilberto Gil’s “The String Concert.”The concert, which starts at 7:30 p.m., features Gil accompanied by Jaques Morelenbaum on cello and Gil’s son Bem Gil on guitar.The acoustic performance will display Gil’s unique musical combination of bossa nova, samba and salsa with rock and folk music.Gil is one of the founders of the Tropicalia movement — a Brazilian arts movement that arose in the 1960s.Harry Kaplowitz, marketing manager for Carolina Performing Arts, said the movement was both cultural and musical.Tropicalia began in the late ’60s when Gil and Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso fused elements of music not native to Brazil.The Tropicalia cultural movement continues today because both founders — Gil and Veloso — are still performing.“The music he put out in the ’60s is still influential today, and the fact that he is still making new music is equally important,” Kaplowitz said about Gil.Reed Colver, director of campus and community engagement, said she is excited about Gil coming to UNC.She said he has been a huge cultural influence in Brazil with his music and activism.“He has crossed boundaries by being involved with the politics of his country,” Colver said. “He is someone that has been a musician, politician and activist.”Tickets are still available for the performance, but space is limited. Contact the Memorial Hall Box Office for more information.Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
The sounds of saxophones, trombones and trumpets will fill the air as the 33rd Carolina Jazz Festival kicks off today.The North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra, participants of the Essentially Ellington Regional High School Jazz Festival, Charanga Carolina and UNC Jazz Band and Jazz Combos will join with three professional jazz acts to bring a wide array of jazz music to campus for the four-day festival.Festival historyJim Ketch, UNC professor of music and director of jazz studies, began the festival in the spring of 1978. He said he first started the festival in part to elevate the status of the university’s jazz program.Ketch said the festival began as a modest event. But as residents from around the area came to perform and bigger artists traveled to Chapel Hill, it became a community event.“The Carolina Jazz festival is not only exciting because of what it gives musically to the community, but that it also brings in world-renowned artists throughout the country or from different parts of the world,” said David Garcia, the director of Charanga Carolina — a student ensemble that plays Cuban music.Featured performersThis year’s featured musicians will be the Terence Blanchard Quintet, Jason Marsalis and Ivan Renta.Ketch said he is excited to have the jazz trumpeter Blanchard perform. Blanchard has won two Grammys and been nominated for a Golden Globe.The other featured artists, Marsalis and Renta, will perform with the UNC ensembles and the jazz orchestra throughout the festival.The guest artists also will be judges for the high school jazz competition on Thursday at the Great Hall and Cabaret of the Carolina Student Union.There will also be jazz sessions after the concerts Friday and Saturday night at the West End Wine Bar.Ketch said Marsalis and Renta will be present, and Terrence could make an appearance.New jazz pairingThis year, two local ensembles will share the stage together for the first time.Charanga Carolina and the UNC Jazz Band will perform together with Marsalis and Renta Saturday night in Memorial Hall. UNC Jazz Band member Ryan Raven said he is excited about the chance to play with Charanga Carolina. He said both ensembles have been practicing and learning about each other’s different styles for the past few weeks.“It’s almost illegal how much fun we are having,” Raven said, “and I know that it’s going to get that much better with the guest artists.”
Since the launch of his YouTube video “Web 2.0...The Machine is Us/ing Us,” cultural anthropologist Michael Wesch has become a YouTube celebrity through his exploration of the effects of new media on society and culture. The Kansas State University professor spoke Thursday about rethinking the use of new media in his speech titled “From Knowledgeable to Knowledge-able: Why ‘critical thinking’ is not enough.” The speech was part of the Collaborations: Humanities, Arts & Technology festival at UNC.During the speech, Wesch explained how media has changed over the years. He said the new media landscape is editable, meaning people can change it if they don’t like the way it is.“We need to make sure it is something we want it to be,” he said of new media, like video and the Internet.He wants students to become “knowledge-able” by having them find information and then analyze and criticize it.Wesch has already done this in his classrooms at Kansas State. He has had his students create videos, write blog posts and collaborate on papers through Google Documents.Instead of laying out a plan for the audience to follow, Wesch’s speech was inspiring to listeners.Audience member Ashley Hall, a graduate student in the English Department at UNC, said she has been following Wesch since the launch of his “Web 2.0...The Machine is Us/ing Us” video. She said his videos have influenced her in graduate school and in her classroom.“One of my goals of teaching is to have students think about engaging in conversation with the work they are producing, and I think he does a great job of that,” she said. Hall has used Wesch’s videos in her classroom and has seen her students move past the critical phase and into the productive phase, meaning they are responding to the video rather than just receiving it. For one of his classes, Wesch required his students to create and edit a video of themselves performing random acts of kindness.Unlike a bluebook exam, Wesch said that this wasn’t an assignment that could be tossed in the trash when finished. The video was posted on YouTube and students were able to see how they are contributing to the world.Erich Werner, a graduate student in the English department, said he had also seen Wesch’s videos before. Werner said he tries to implement Wesch’s ideas into his role as an English professor. Instead of listening to him lecture at the lectern, Werner said he wants his students to learn through doing and collaboration.Werner said that Wesch provides challenging questions for teachers working at the college level. “It’s not a question of new insights but of degree,” he said. “He challenges us to take those principles that are already in the writing program and to take them to the next level.” Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
After running an unopposed campaign in this year’s student election, Laura Blue finally claimed victory Tuesday as president of the Graduate and Professional Student Federation.The third-year doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry said she is excited to represent graduate students on a campus dominated by undergraduates. She said she wants to get the word out about GPSF.As president of GPSF, Blue hopes to create unity among graduate students and solidify the relationship between student body president and GPSF.“I’m really excited to work with the student body president and establish better communication and relationships.” Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Ryan Collins has been involved with the Residence Hall Association since his freshman year, and now he will hold its top position.As president of RHA — elected Tuesday night in an uncontested race — the junior political science and economics major will work with resident advisers, members of community government and residence hall governors to improve the 16 on-campus residential communities.“I’m really excited to get started and to start officially working with our RHA advisers to start formulating ideas to make sure they get started as soon as possible,” he said.Collins wants to make sure students have stronger representation both with the Department of Housing and Residential Education and with University administration.“I think with the great pool of people working within the organization and positive feedback from other people on campus, there is a lot of potential.” Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
The tuba has a dent. The drumhead rips open. The violin neck is severed from its body.Even with attentive care from musicians, bad things happen to good instruments.“I have seen a trumpet held together with duct tape and slides held on by pieces of string,” said Doug Crandell, a junior biochemistry major.Broken instruments are a musician’s nightmare, but the injuries don’t have to be fatal.Musicians can repair an instrument on their own or take it to a trained repairman. Not all instruments are the same. String, brass and wind instruments each require different treatment. Here’s a look at some common problems and how to keep your instrument in top shape.
This article was published in the 2009 Year in Review issue of The Daily Tar Heel.
From New York to Egypt to New Hampshire — then finally to North Carolina, graduate students Emily and Ben Danforth have traveled all over the world to stay together. Now the married couple has taken the time to both serve on Student Congress — something Emily feels surprises people.“People seem surprised that we are both students here and married,” she said. “But it’s not that uncommon among graduate students. Graduate students do have families and life outside of school.”After running as write-in candidates in the last student election, the Danforths were elected to be representatives for graduate students.But their journey together began in 2005 when they met each other at Cornell University. Emily was a junior, and Ben was a senior. After graduating in May 2005, Ben moved to Cairo, Egypt. Emily followed Ben to Egypt that December.After six months in Egypt, the two moved back to the U.S. to live in New Hampshire. A year and seven graduate applications later, they decided on UNC. They married in June 2007 before moving to North Carolina.Emily, who studies sociology, and Ben, who studies political science, became members of UNC’s Graduate and Professional Student Federation in 2008. The GPSF began to advocate graduate students joining Student Congress, and Emily and Ben became interested in running. But it wasn’t until Election Day that the two pursued Student Congress as write-in candidates.Currently, the two serve on different committees within Student Congress.Ben is a part of the rules and judiciary committee, and Emily is a member of the ethics committee.“It’s nice because we are on two different committees,” Emily said. “So we hear about what’s going on in each other’s committees and have time to think about upcoming legislation before the meetings.”Student Congress Speaker Joe Levin-Manning said he thinks having a married couple in Student Congress makes for an unusual dynamic.“It’s been interesting,” Ben said. “Our discussions continue on after Congress meetings.”Philip Cohen, an associate professor of sociology at UNC and Emily’s advisor, said he was also married when he was in graduate school. “I was very glad to be married in graduate school because it gave me a sense of stability,” Cohen said. “It was better for me and it’s better for Emily and Ben.”Emily and Ben are not sure if they will be able to participate in Student Congress next school year. They are hoping to do fieldwork for a year in Sweden.“If we receive those fellowships, we won’t be here for one year,” Emily said. “If we don’t, I’m hoping to be here again.”Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
Student leaders approached artists including Kid Cudi and Girl Talk to perform at this year’s Homecoming concert but had to settle for hip-hop artist Fabolous as time ran out.The Carolina Union Activities Board announced Fabolous on Monday, less than a week before his Sunday concert. The announcement is uncharacteristically late. Past Homecoming acts have typically been announced in September.At least two members of Student Congress are questioning the decision to bring in Fabolous, pointing to the high price tag he comes with and the fact that only one act has been announced, instead of the two they said were promised.The Homecoming concert committee has a $65,000 budget to pay for the concert. The concert is funded jointly by CUAB and the Carolina Athletics Association. Those two groups put up some of the money, then asked Congress for the rest. This year, Congress provided $25,000.CUAB is funded through a student fee. CAA’s money comes primarily from the athletic department.Amanda Kao, CUAB president and member of the selection committee, would not say the exact amount they spent on Fabolous, only that it cost about three-fourths of what they expected to pay two acts.Congress representative Emily Danforth, who voted against appropriating money toward the concert on Sept. 15, said she was under the impression that there were going to be two artists.“They wanted this money so they could have two concerts, two big artists, and hopefully sell out both concerts,” she said. “I feel we were misled because they used it to book one act, and they only advertised it three days in advance of the general ticket sales.”But John Russell, president of the Carolina Athletic Association, said the group did not promise anyone two concerts.He said they prefer to bring two acts to appeal to UNC’s diverse campus.Kao said the committee first asked Kid Cudi and Girl Talk to perform.“Those were our two acts that we had sent offers in, and they just didn’t go through,” she said. “We would have had a perfect amount of money if those came through.”Kao said they asked for the extra $25,000 in case they needed more money to secure two acts.When they found out that Fabolous was available for a higher price than previous individual acts, they decided to go for it, she said.Compared to past Homecoming concerts, Fabolous cost just a little more than The Roots and Common. Each netted $40,000.Last year, it cost $70,000 to get both The Avett Brothers and Gym Class Heroes.But Kao and Russell both said they are negotiating a deal with a second artist. This concert would be held the weekend of Nov. 7, which is the date of the Homecoming football game against Duke.“The second concert is in the final stages,” Russel said. “We will be announcing it shortly to give students ample time to get tickets to the concert.”American Idol star and former UNC Clef Hanger Anoop Desai announced on Twitter that he would be performing at the Homecoming concert, but organizers would not confirm the appearance.Arts Editor Katy Doll contributed reporting.Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
Adam Bliss, the 42-year-old owner of Hookah Bliss, reclines in his seat and smokes his favorite shisha, Kashmir Peach.But that public pastime, and his livelihood, now depend on finding a way to get around the anti-smoking law that will go into effect in a matter of months.The law, which bans smoking in restaurants and bars, was ratified May 14 and will take effect Jan. 2. Exemptions are made for cigar bars, country clubs and tobacco retailers — but not hookah bars.“If you look at the exemptions, they’re generally all places that rich, older white men like to smoke,” Bliss said.“If our representatives liked to smoke in hookah bars, hookah bars would have been exempt as well.”Hookah smoking is a tradition that originated in India. People smoke flavored tobacco, known as shisha, through multi-stemmed water pipes.After unsuccessful lobbying to keep the popular tradition alive in Chapel Hill, Bliss is now trying to find loopholes in the law.Bliss said one idea is to stop serving food and alcohol and start selling only specialty sodas and slushies. If Hookah Bliss received at least 75 percent of its annual revenue from tobacco sales and did not sell food or alcohol, it would qualify as a tobacco shop and be exempt from the ban. But the price of hookah would increase as a result.“I’m extremely angry,” Bliss said. “I have never been politically involved in anything in my life, and this whole situation has awakened the political activist in me.”He refuses to give up and said he will not close Hookah Bliss, which opened in 2007.Before he landed on hookah, Bliss graduated from UNC in 1990 as an anthropology major with a concentration in archaeology.He worked as a contract archaeologist for six years. Later, he was hired by the Northeast Raleigh Charter Academy, where he taught fourth and fifth grade for half a school year.Bliss worked at a Raleigh bookstore until almost four years later. Bliss’s wife, Teresa, gave him his first hookah for Valentine’s Day while he was working at the bookstore.Through trial and error, he mastered the art of smoking it. He had always wanted to open a small neighborhood bar, and hookah seemed like a profitable venture, he said.And until recently, it was smooth sailing.But for the last several months, Bliss has been focused on more than business. He has circulated petitions, attended hearings and attempted to reason with N.C. representatives.Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange, said she tried her best to help Bliss stay open but has run out of ideas.“He put his life savings into this business, and he’s worked hard,” she said. “I certainly understand where he’s coming from.”Staff and regulars at the hookah bar said they stand by Bliss.“He’s got a level head on his shoulders, trying to provide a venue that is appreciated by its patrons and make enough to get by,” said Garrett Lagan, a second-year graduate student and Hookah Bliss regular who helped petition against the smoking ban.“Whatever Adam has to do to stay in business, I’m going to support it.”Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
To rush, or not to rush: It’s one of the questions that crosses nearly every freshman’s mind.Greek life at UNC involves more than 2,900 students — about 17 percent of undergraduates.But involvement in the Greek system can be expensive. Membership averages about $2,040 for new Panhellenic sorority members and $1,792 for new Interfraternity Council members.And due to the current economic situation, many students said they considered money when making their decisions.High hopes for a rush classCasey Cowan, Panhellenic vice president of recruitment, said in an e-mail that she was worried the economic situation would cause the number of people registered for Greek rush to dwindle.Representatives at the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life would not say how many students have registered to rush. But Cowan said it was more than she anticipated.“I am pleasantly surprised at the number registered because — as you know — the economy is not that great right now, and …sorority dues can be expensive,” Cowan said in the e-mail.To rushFreshman Gabi Browne from Florida said she is rushing because she liked the Greek life that people were involved with in her home state.“I think being an out-of-state student, it’s a more helpful way to meet people,” she said.But Browne said she is not sure if she will pledge even though she is rushing.But if she decides to join a sorority, she said she will have to pay her own dues.Not to rushMelina Silva, a freshman biology major, said she is not rushing because her out-of-state tuition is enough to handle.“Since I’m from out of state, my tuition is expensive, and I can’t afford it,” she said.Silva also said she isn’t interested in paying a lot of money to be part of the “in crowd.” She said sororities are a major part of campus life in Florida, where she is from, and she wanted to distance herself from them.Expensive, but worth itJessamy Nichols, a freshman from Winston-Salem, agreed that Greek life can be expensive, but plans to rush. Nichols also said she will have to split the cost with her parents if she does decide to join a sorority.“It’s something that’s hard to do with the economy,” she said. “But if it’s something that’s worth it, I can deal with the monetary issue.”Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
When it comes to tattoos, some people don’t think twice about permanently marking their skin. But for UNC sophomore Sabrina Faubert, the decision was more than just a passing whim.Faubert, a geography major from Washington, D.C., has the Christian fish symbol tattooed above her right ankle. She said the design reveals something extremely important in her life — her faith. “I didn’t really know what it meant to be walking for God until probably my senior year of high school,” she said.Faubert said high school is when she thought of the concept for the tattoo. She began to draw the design on her foot with pens and markers to get accustomed to the idea. But not everyone was thrilled about her plan.Faubert’s mother, Jasmine Faubert, said she was concerned with the consequences of a tattoo.“When you go to an interview, they get an idea of you,” Jasmine Faubert said. “Ask yourself a question: What would future employers think of you?”Faubert got the tattoo on her 18th birthday. She had been in college for a little more than a week.But despite not knowing many places to get a tattoo, she proceeded to permanently mark her leg with ink. Once the tattoo artist was finished, she was ecstatic about her decision. “I’m never going to regret it,” she said.Faubert said she is proud of the statement she is making with her tattoo.“I realize every day my life is more about this thing,” she said. “When people look at my tattoo, I want them to know who I’m living for, because it’s not me.”Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.