Tuesday, October 25, 2011

The Atlantic - Durham's Startup Culture

"Durham is a fascinating example of what happens when a community bands together to try to attract entrepreneurs. They've set up all the mechanisms and institutions to foster innovation and now they're waiting to see if startup culture can take root. The city itself has "great bones," as they say, with a dense downtown core filled with beautiful old-timey architecture... Durham is one big, Groupon-like success story away from a wave of coverage about how good the area is for tech companies."

- Durham's Innovation Ecosystem, The Atlantic

The Atlantic - Bull City Startup Stampede

"While the industrial-chic American Tobacco Campus seems like a natural magnet for entrepreneurs, the newest and scrappiest companies in town make their home a few blocks away on the second floor of the Durham Chamber of Commerce. The Bull City Startup Stampede program provides sixty days of support for a select group of entrepreneurs, with the goal of establishing and retaining new businesses in the city center."

- Durham's Kickstarter Kids, The Atlantic

Friday, October 21, 2011

The New York Times - The Nasher Museum Acquires a Work by Ai WeiWei

"The empty chair has always been a profound metaphor for Ai Weiwei, the Chinese artist and dissident who was detained by Chinese authorities in the spring and released under close surveillance in June... That is the shape he recreated in a 2008 series of sculptures called “Marble Chair.” Each work is carved from a single block of marble. One was just acquired by the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University in Durham, N.C., and put on view. The marble chair, a symbol of both continuity and changing traditions, is the first work by Mr. Ai to join the Nasher Museum."

Sotheby’s as a Gallery; an Ai Weiwei at Duke, The New York Times

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Philanthropy Roundtable - James B. Duke & the Duke Endowment

"Born on a small homestead, and interred in the chapel of the university that bears his name, [James B.] Duke was a man of the Carolinas... Unlike Carnegie and Rockefeller, Duke focused his largesse in just two states—to give elsewhere, he thought, “would be productive of less good by reason of attempting too much.”...In the 86 years since its creation, the Duke Endowment has distributed more than $2.7 billion."

- Duke of Carolina, Philanthropy Roundtable

Friday, October 14, 2011

Eater.com - Megafaun

"There are bands that probably choose landmarks or nature in terms of how to see the world on their own when they're on tour, but food is the one luxury we try to seek out when we are going around the country. There's this sense of comfort when you come back to a place you really know and trust."

- Megafaun's Brad Cook on Stunt Sushi and Cooking Like Thomas Keller, Eater.com

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Sports Illustrated - Duke Blue Devils #1 Backcourt

"Austin Rivers, Seth Curry, Andre Dawkins, Quinn Cook, Tyler Thornton Rivers, whose father is Celtics coach Doc Rivers, is expected to be one of the college game's most electric scorers as a freshman. Curry, who had to take a backseat to star Nolan Smith last season, can light it up as well, and Dawkins is a sharpshooter who spreads the floor. If Cook and Thornton can give the Blue Devils quality minutes at the point guard spot, they'll be even scarier."

- Luke Winn's Top 16 Backcourts, Sports Illustrated

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Florida Info Guide - Downtown Durham

"There's always a lot going on in Durham. In a half mile radius of downtown, you have 25 locally owned restaurants that you cannot find any where else on the planet."

- Durham, North Carolina, The Florida Info Guide

Consequence of Sound - "Weird Al" at DPAC

"'Weird Al' is notable in the music industry for courteously receiving permission from artists before using their material in a humorous fashion, and even more so for providing a discography of laughs beyond any rational measure…and last night he brought the weirdness to Durham, NC without fail... It even ended shortly after 9:00 p.m. on a Sunday night. Those of you in Raleigh who missed it, you have no excuses."

- Live Review: “Weird Al” Yankovic at Durham, NC’s DPAC (10/9), Consequence of Sound

Monday, October 10, 2011

Rejuvenate Meetings - Corey Bizzell

"Corey Bizzell believes it’s important to enter an organization or job from the bottom to learn it all. Potential employers have puzzled over this, but he’s managed to keep climbing upwards every time... Repeat the scenario several times, and you’ll follow Bizzell’s path through to hotels and a third-party event management group to the Durham CVB... His local MPI chapter recognized his winning recipe in May, naming Bizzell Supplier of the Year."

- 40 Under 40: Corey Bizzell, Rejuvenate Meetings

Convention South - Durham, NC

"Home to Research Triangle Park and Duke University, Durham keeps at the forefront of innovation and that remains true for its hospitality sector."

- Insider's Guide to the North Carolina Triangle, Convention South

BusinessNews Daily - School House

"Instead of looking for a job after graduation, Rachel Weeks created one. For Weeks, founding School House, a socially responsible clothing company specializing in collegiate apparel, was a passion of hers since her time as an undergraduate at Duke University, but her journey was anything but simple."

- Entrepreneur Brings Manufacturing Back Home to N.C., BusinessNews Daily

Friday, October 7, 2011

Wine Enthusiast Magazine - Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Cameron Indoor Stadium

"Basketball fans will want to pay homage to Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke University, where the Blue Devils hold court. Nature lovers should stroll through the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, a 55-acre spread of colorful terraces and chirping songbirds."

Destination: Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, Wine Enthusiast Magazine

Thursday, October 6, 2011

The Republic - School House

"A North Carolina clothing company that wants to help revitalize the state's textiles industry has its first fully made-in-America delivery ready to go. School House, the fashion brand based in Durham, said Wednesday that it has orders for schools including Stanford University and the University of Oregon that were entirely made in the United States."

Durham-based collegiate clothing company announces first 'made in USA' delivery, The Republic

Prefix - 9th Wonder

"It must be 9th Wonder's work ethic that makes him such an obvious choice for documentarians. Along with a proper film dedicated to a year of his life, the producer/rapper/label head/professor was also recently the subject of a mini-documentary by some students at Chicago's Columbia College. They spent the day with the multi-talented Durham, N.C. native... This is essentially a must-watch for aspiring hip-hop artists and, of course, anyone interested in 9th's career."

- Watch: A Mini-Documentary On 9th Wonder, Prefix

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

NPR Music - Mount Moriah

"What Mount Moriah's "Lament" lacks in complexity, it gains in clarity and sharpness... The North Carolina band came about after McEntire and Miller began digging deeper into their Southern roots. "Lament" is from their self-titled debut, an infectious brew of gospel, folk, rock and country that asks questions of the establishment while looking at love from every angle."

- Mount Moriah: Love From Every Angle, NPR Music

The Salt Lake Tribune - DPAC

"Cavernous performing arts centers — similar to Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker’s proposed 2,500-seat mega-playhouse — buoy business, pose no threat to traditional arts groups and are thriving. So say theater experts from Denver; Durham, N.C.; and Dayton, Ohio... "We have continued to have success and sellouts, even in this economy," said Reginald Johnson, interim director of the Durham Department of Community Development."

- Big theaters are big winners, experts tell Salt Lake leaders, The Salt Lake Tribune

AirTran Magazine - Only Burger

"This Durham grill spent its first few years of business on four wheels, before settling into its current brick-and-mortar location. The simple concept— creating the best burger around without any bells and whistles—has earned them raves just shy of ecstatic."

- Go Eat, AirTran Magazine

AirTran Magazine - Casbah

"In its short lifespan, this florist’s shop-turned-midsized music hall has played host to an impressive roster of nationally recognized artists as well as the local acts most likely to go big. The well-stocked bar and proximity to some of Durham’s best restaurants make this a near-perfect spot to end up on a weekend night."

- Go Party, AirTran Magazine

Monday, October 3, 2011

The New York Times - John Williams III, Teacher at Glenn Elementary School

"Mr. Williams [fifth grade teacher at Glenn Elementary School in Durham, NC], who has spent 14 years teaching poor children, said: “I want to do everything I can to keep that child in class. If he’s sitting in the principal’s office, he’s not learning...”  In 1993, when Mr. Williams graduated from high school in Goldsboro, N.C., with an A average and a 1,320 on his SATs, he had many options, but he chose the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program. The idea is simple: the state pays top academic students to attend a public college, and in return they spend at least four years teaching in a public school."

A State Grooms Its Best Students to Be Good Teachers, The New York Times