Thursday, March 29, 2012

The New York Times - American Dance Festival

"This summer’s 79th edition of the American Dance Festival, the first under its new director, Jodee Nimerichter, will feature world premieres from Jodi Melnick, Helen Simoneau and Reggie Wilson along with performances from festival regulars including the Paul Taylor Dance Company and the Mark Morris Dance Group. Ms. Nimerichter took over the modern dance festival set in Durham, N.C., earlier this year, replacing Charles L. Reinhart, who retired at the end of 2011 after 43 years as director."

- American Dance Festival Unveils New Executive Director's Fist Lineup, The New York Times

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

The New York Times - McKinney, "The Pitch"

"Contestants on reality competition shows perform tasks like seeking spouses, racing around the world, eating bugs, losing weight, living in houses rigged with cameras and working for Donald J. Trump. A new series is arriving with a contest all its own: wooing advertisers to say yes to campaigns...'We went through several weeks of back-and-forth with Studio Lambert and AMC,' said Jeff Jones, president at McKinney, who appears in the episode in which his agency and WDCW LA compete for the Subway assignment, 'but we were willing to take the risk because we ask our clients every day to take risks.'"

Getting Ad Agencies Into Reality TV, The New York Times

Brew Chief - Bull City Burger and Brewery

"When it comes to identifying great beers, image is almost as important as taste. You could be presented with the best beer in the world, but if it’s served in a plastic cup at a dirty bar, you’re not going to get the full experience. This is why we always insist that good beers be served properly. This is why glasses and their shapes are so important. Taste is only one aspect of the better beer process. Ever wonder why a stout tastes horrible if you drink it out of the bottle? It’s because you have absolutely no idea what to expect. You haven’t seen the color, or the thickness, or the head, or the sediment. You haven’t smelled it in the open air. You haven’t taken the time to form any expectations. This is why I love visiting Bull City Burger and Brewery in Durham, NC. They understand the concept of proper presentation."

- Worth a thousand words, Brew Chief

Mother Nature Network - Branford Marsalis

"'We certainly recycle and force our children to recycle and we compost,' says saxophonist Branford Marsalis, adding that his wife's attempts at gardening have lacked success 'because the deer and rabbits and raccoons love the garden more than you do.' He lives in Durham, N.C., 'an environmentally conscious area... I have a hybrid, but I would love a hydrogen car.'"

- Branford Marsalis goes green, finds his roots, Mother Nature Network

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Southern Living - Dame's Chicken & Waffles

"If you're a fan of this combo (or-gasp!-have never tried it), then you simply must visit this gem, where chef and co-founder Damion Moore whips up some of the best fried chicken we've ever tasted accompanied by tender fluffy waffles ($10-$12). What sets this dish apart, though, are the inventive flavored butters he calls "shmears" and creative drizzles like Whiskey Creme and Caramel-Cashew Sauce. The combination of sweet and salty breakfast bread and fowl is simply heavenly. Damion is so passionate about chicken and waffles, he's decorated the walls of his cozy restaurant with images or 1930s Harlem, the era and area in which the dish first gained popularity."

- Fried Chicken and Waffles, Southern Living

Monday, March 19, 2012

StarNews - Durham Bulls Athletic Park

"Like curious students on a field trip, the Wilmington City Council and one county commissioner boarded a city bus and headed early Friday morning to the Durham Bulls stadium for a tour and boxed lunch...By the end of the day as they stepped onto the green grass of the Triple A stadium, the bright sun shining between a giant bull and a historic Lucky Stripe tower, the excitement was palpable. They posed for pictures, walked to the outfield, touched the grass and pretended to take swings at home plate."

- Officials tour Durham Bulls' Park, StarNews

The Black Urbanist - The Bull City

"Durham is known locally as the Bull City... I found that Durham has community characteristics that resemble it’s nickname. These characteristics are not so much in how the city is shaped, but how the city has been shaped by it’s people... First, the city has a lot of spunk... Secondly, the city has a lot of fight... Finally, the city has a heart... But then again, it’s really what’s inside that makes Durham bullish and ready to seize the day."

- Durham, The City as a Bull, The Black Urbanist

The New York Times - Nasher Museum of Art

"In the 21st century, university art museums have become more aggressive in extending their missions and collections to reach deeper into classrooms and curriculums not ordinarily associated with art. At Duke’s seven-year-old Nasher Museum, two members of its 30-person staff are devoted exclusively to finding uses for pieces from the collection to enhance course work in various academic departments. Medical students, for instance, spend a day studying visual art in an exercise intended to hone observation and description skills that Nasher staff member developed with professors."

- Art Museums Giving It the Old College Try, The New York Times

Serious Eats - La Vaquita

"We're not going to lie: as any West Coast or Southwestern transplant can tell you, finding great tacos on the East Coast is no easy task, but it's not impossible. You just have to be willing to go a bit off the beaten path... Carnitas from La Vaquita: You can't miss this spot from the road: a giant cow beckons you from its rooftop. Their soft corn tortillas are homemade with a moistness matched only by their carnitas, which are crisp, fatty, and deeply porky. Order a couple from the takeout window, spoon on some of their fiery red salsa, and pull up a bench at one of the communal picnic tables out front where locals and travelers take a welcome break in the shade."

- The Search for America's Best Tacos: East Coast Contenders, Serious Eats

Complex - bikeCOFFEE

"That's right, you read that headline correctly, bikeCOFFEE is a coffee cart, attached and pulled by a bike, that travels around Durham, NC, keeping the city's hipster population well caffeinated."

- bikeCOFFEE The Bicycle-Pulled Coffee Cart, Complex

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

CraftBeer - Bull City Burger & Brewery

"Jack Tar Dry Irish-style Stout [Bull City Burger and Brewery] is very dark and roasty with deep charred malt flavors. The dark malts in this beer have been kilned at higher temperatures to caramelize the sugars and even blacken the color."

- Craft Beers to Enjoy on St. Patrick's Day, CraftBeer

Slate - Ron Burt (1991-92 Blue Devil)

"On Oct. 15, 1991, dozens of students shuffled into Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium with hopes of making one of the best college basketball teams ever. In the real world, walk-on tryouts aren’t cinematic. As the hopefuls scrimmaged, it became clear who was going to grab the Blue Devils’ single open roster spot: Ron Burt, a senior from Kansas City... Over the next few weeks, you’ll hear dozens of stories about the 1991-92 Blue Devils, who 20 years ago beat Kentucky in the greatest college basketball game ever played en route to their second straight NCAA title. Duke’s dominance that season surprised no one. Burt’s path, on the other hand, was both unlikely and fortuitous."

- Blue Angel, Slate

Monday, March 12, 2012

CBS News - 9th Wonder

"Grammy award-winning producer, 9th Wonder, not only spends most of his days in the studio, but also the classroom. He's co-teaching the "Sampling Soul" class at Duke University, part of a huge movement of hip-hop based classes on college campuses across America."  [VIDEO]

- 9th Wonder: A Wonderful Professor, CBS News

The Daily Meal - La Superior

"One of the best places to eat Mexican food in America today is North Carolina, and especially the city of Durham. The first big wave of immigration from Mexico and Central America came to the region in the early 1980s, in response to a shortage of local agricultural workers. Today, it is estimated that 8.7 percent of the state's population is Hispanic — and there are parts of Durham and the surrounding area, especially along Durham's Roxboro Road, where the taquerias outnumber the hamburger joints and pizza parlors.

There's even a massive Hispanic supermarket, La Superior, on Roxboro, and here, in addition to rows upon rows of canned and other packaged goods, a terrific meat market, and a tortilleria selling freshly made corn tortillas for $0.99 a pound, there's a counter dispensing first-rate tacos, tortas, and gorditas, with all manner of fillings."

- Sandwich of the Week: Carne Asada Gordita at La Superior in Durham, N.C., The Daily Meal

Friday, March 9, 2012

Charlotte Observer - Tourism Value of Minor League Baseball

"Four years ago, Durham tourism officials released a study saying the economic impact of minor-league baseball statewide amounted to tens of millions of dollars...Today, as the Charlotte Knights make a renewed push to leave Fort Mill, S.C., for a new stadium uptown, one argument in favor of a new public subsidy is that it would provide an economic boost for Charlotte...The Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau released its study in 2008, which coincided with efforts to renovate the Durham Athletic Park, the old home of the city's minor-league team, the Bulls."

- Critics skeptical about economic benefits of an uptown stadium, Charlotte Observer

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The New York Times - The Smoffice

"Google kicks off a program to get more North Carolina small businesses online while a contest in Durham offers entrepreneurs the chance to win six months in the “Smoffice” — the world’s smallest office."

- This Week in Small Business: An Immense Fiscal Cliff, The New York Times

INC Magazine - A Small Orange, Douglas Hanna

"Douglas Hanna is the CEO of a multi-million dollar company, but you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at his office filled with mostly empty desks. But Hanna is confident that business is steadily humming—just not there. At least 20 of the company’s 38 employees are hard at work—remotely... Hanna, a junior at Duke University, works in the office—when he doesn’t have to go to class... He puts in about 40 to 50 hours a week toward the business, which he calls a priority over school. Hanna understands this mindset might not be good, but he’s focused on the long run with his business, which he plans to stick with after he graduates in December of 2012."

- A Gracious Host for Bloggers: A Small Orange, INC Magazine

Friday, March 2, 2012

Startup Smart - The Smoffice

"Imagine walking down the street and seeing a start-up entrepreneur working away in a glass-encased box, like some sort of spread sheet-toting version of illusionist David Blaine. This rather bizarre concept is being made reality in the US city of Durham, where a tiny office space, called The Smoffice, has been erected in a prime business area."

- The Smoffice, Startup Smart