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[Nerdspresso] A Tale of Two Road Houses
It was the Summer of 1989 and in between Batman, Field of Dreams, Dead Poets Society, Ghostbusters II and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, along came Patrick Swayze as a philosophical bouncer, who advocated to “Be Nice” while kicking ass in Road House. I saw this flick as the fifth wheel on a friend’s…
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[Nerdspresso] A Long Time Ago in a Movie Theater Far, Far Away: Confessions of a Middle-Aged Star Wars Fan
It was 1977. My dad took me to the movies, which was a rare treat. My mom had friends over so it was boys’ night out. We hopped over to the General Cinemas at Fashion Square Mall near the Navy base. I wasn’t really sure about this movie. I had wanted to see a documentary…
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[Nerdspresso] The Cheesecake Factory of Cinema: Rebel Moon and Other Misadventures in the Snyderverse
There was a time when I approached a Zack Snyder movie with a certain amount of enthusiasm, but now it’s with a mixture of morbid fascination and an impending sense of dread. His directorial debut in 2004 was promising. It was a visceral reimagining of George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, which blended classic tropes…
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[Nerdspresso] Movies from a Different Point of View
They say there are three sides to every story: yours, mine, and the truth. Well, there’s also several ways to watch the same movie if you look at it from the point of view of the different characters. Let’s try something. Think of your favorite movie. Then latch onto a character in the flick, but…
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[SoDu Reading Room] How Effective Are Education Innovations?
In the latest SoDu Reading Room installment, we check out an article shared by KQED that was written by Jill Barshay and produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. The short version: Federally funded education innovations don’t seem overwhelmingly effective for students, with about 26%…
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[Nerdspresso] Dragon Impresses as “Damsel” Distresses
Who doesn’t love a movie with a dragon in it? I’ve been known to check out dragon flicks. There’s Pete’s Dragon (both versions), Dragonslayer, Dragonheart, Reign of Fire and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Dragons are cool. They are scary. Dragons can be ominous predators or mysterious antiheroes. And sometimes they speak in British…
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[SoDu Reading Room] EPA Aims to Make NC Drinking Water Safer
Our latest installment of SoDu Reading Room comes courtesy of Durham’s own Lisa Sorg, a tireless environmental journalist, writing for NC Newsline. In this monumental development, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will formally regulate PFAS in drinking water. What Does PFAS Mean? PFAS stands for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances. These are a large group of…
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[SoDu Reading Room] Facts Don’t Have Two Sides
Our latest installment of SoDu Reading Room turns its attention to Chris Quinn, editor of Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, who writes about the challenges and responsibilities of journalism in the current political climate. He addresses criticism from readers who question the publication’s treatment of Donald Trump and other politicians, with some accusing the media…
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[SoDu Reading Room] Exploring the Private School Voucher Controversy
On our radar for the first installment of SoDu Reading Room is an article by my former Herald-Sun colleague Greg Childress, who now covers education for NCNewsline.com. For this piece, he writes about Gov. Roy Cooper’s increasing criticism of North Carolina’s private school voucher program, which Cooper has called a “reckless waste of taxpayer money.”…
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[Nerdspresso] Arnold, Guns, Blood, and Hobo Pants: The Terminator at 40
The Terminator turns 40 this year. It came out in theaters in 1984 when I was in high school. I first discovered it’s b-movie brilliance on VHS at a friend’s house. It was a wrap party for our high school musical. Us drama nerds played hard. There were a lot of chips and some Jolt…
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[Junction 54] Pearsontown Bus Scare – Editor’s Column/Audio Note
You’ve probably heard by now, Pearsontown Elementary School students on their way home from school on the bus got a scare today. One of the children took a toy gun from his backpack in front of other passengers. Principal Asia Cunningham called families about the incident, saying that the bus driver acted quickly and confiscated…
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[Junction 54] Mission Not Quite Accomplished – Editor’s Column/Audio Note
If you hadn’t been paying attention for the past six weeks, you’d be forgiven for breathing a sigh of relief after reading this line in a statement issued Friday by Durham Public Schools: “This vote ends a period of uncertainty and anxiety for our classified employees, but it does not end our commitment to providing…
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