An N.C. delegate to the Democratic National Convention, Raleigh’s John Verdejo sees similarities between his personal history and Barack Obama’s. Originally published in Indy Week. UNTIL HIS PLANE TOUCHED DOWN in Denver for the Democratic National Convention, John Verdejo had never in his life reset his watch. The 29-year-old’s personal history was contained entirely within the Eastern time […]
RNC Day 1: Big Bash Despite Big Hurricane
N.C. GOP delegates: Veep nominee Palin an “inspired choice”; Bush’s handling of Katrina: “Thou shalt not judge.” Originally published in Indy Week. WITH HURRICANE GUSTAV POISED TO HIT the Gulf Coast today, Sen. John McCain has announced that this week’s Republican National Convention would be a scaled-back affair without the usual troop-rousing speeches or over-the-top parties. […]
Messianics are praying the ‘Shema’ and preaching Jesus
Part 2 of the three-part “Messianics Rising” series. Originally published by JTA. CARY, N.C.—THE SHABBAT MORNING SERVICE at Congregation Sha’arei Shalom in this suburb of Raleigh has a familiar feel to anyone who grew up in a mainstream American synagogue. Sixty adults and a handful of children have gathered in a sanctuary adorned with seven-branched menorahs and an […]
What Makes Elizabeth Run
She doesn’t agree with her husband on every single issue. She doesn’t hesitate to say so publicly. And she doesn’t walk away from a fight. Elizabeth Edwards might just be the most refreshing political spouse since Eleanor Roosevelt. Originally published in O, The Oprah Magazine. IF ANYONE HAD QUESTIONED ELIZABETH EDWARDS’ credentials as America’s most outspoken […]
Leap of Faith
Can academic rigor, firm discipline, and a daily dose of religion turn boys from poor families into scholars? An intimate look at one such attempt. Originally published in Duke Magazine. AS AN AUGUST DRIZZLE falls outside, thirty-one middle-schoolers sit at long tables in a North Carolina mountain lodge. It’s the end of summer vacation: Next week […]
Strong Medicine
Writing fiction was a bittersweet remedy for novelist Lee Smith. But it led to her triumphant return from tragedy. Originally published in Pages. FOR MOST OF HER LIFE, THE CIVIL WAR held little fascination for Lee Smith. The daughter of a dime-store owner, she grew up in the Appalachian coal town of Grundy, Virginia, which had no […]
Schweitzer’s Dangerous Discovery
When this shy paleontologist found soft, fresh-looking tissue inside a T. rex femur, she erased a line between past and present. Then all hell broke loose. Originally published in Discover. EVER SINCE MARY HIGBY SCHWEITZER peeked inside the fractured thighbone of a Tyrannosaurus rex, the introverted scientist’s life hasn’t been the same. Neither has the field of paleontology. […]
Creation Nation
Ken Ham says creationism and the inerrancy of the Bible are the solution to the world’s ills. Welcome to the world of Answers in Genesis. Originally published in Indy Week. ON THE RED-CARPETED DAIS of a church the size of a department store, a man with a Lincolnesque beard is addressing a sanctuary full of evangelical […]
Whitewash
In his new autobiography, Jesse Helms sees himself as a humanitarian—not a racist supporter of brutal right-wing regimes who turned obstructionism into a foreign policy. Originally published in Indy Week. I’VE ONLY MET JESSE HELMS ONCE. I was profiling him for two national magazines during his 1996 Senate race, and for two days I shadowed him […]
If I Were a Rich Man
Scenes from the 2004 Republican convention. Originally published in Indy Week. Sunday afternoon The most important men in town would come to fawn on me! They would ask me to advise them… And it won’t make one bit of difference if I answer right or wrong. When you’re rich, they think you really know! —Tevye, […]
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