May 25, 2005
Over on Sample's Site Luke has posted his all new Eurovision review. You can read his verdict on all 24 songs in the final!
The Voice of Southeastern North Carolina
International beach expert Stephen Leatherman, also known as Dr. Beach, ranked Ocracoke Island on North Carolina's Outer Banks second in a survey of USA beaches.
International beach expert Stephen Leatherman, also known as Dr. Beach, ranked Ocracoke Island on North Carolina's Outer Banks second in a survey of USA beaches.
May 10, 2005
Fights For Right To Shack Up - Attempt to challenge the 1805 Fornication and Adultery Statute
In the fine state of North Carolina its illegal for a couple to live together unless they're married. Obviously no-one would want to do this anyway as its clearly living in sin but someone is challenging the law.
"Deborah Hobbs, 40, says her boss, Sheriff Carson Smith of Pender County, near Wilmington, told her to get married, move out or find another job after he found out she and her boyfriend had been living together for three years. The couple did not want to get married, so Hobbs quit."
"The sheriff said that he tries to avoid hiring people who openly live together, but he doesn't send out deputies to enforce the law."
North Carolina is one of seven states that still have laws on the books prohibiting cohabitation of unmarried couples. The others are Virginia, West Virginia, Florida, Michigan, Mississippi and North Dakota. There were roughly three dozen cohabitation-related charges filed in North Carolina between 1997 and 2004, according to state figures.
At least one judge, U.S. Magistrate Carl Horn in Charlotte, regularly asks defendants whether their living arrangements violate the cohabitation ban. Horn has refused to release violators unless they promise to comply.
"We think that it's good to have a law against cohabitation because the studies show that couples that cohabitate before they're married, that their marriages are more prone to break up, there's less stability in the marriage," said Bill Brooks, executive director of the conservative North Carolina Family Policy Council.
But the Rev. Jack McKinney of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, which counts gay couples among its 900-person congregation, said: "I think the state's got better things to do than try to dictate people's private lives to that degree."
In the fine state of North Carolina its illegal for a couple to live together unless they're married. Obviously no-one would want to do this anyway as its clearly living in sin but someone is challenging the law.
"Deborah Hobbs, 40, says her boss, Sheriff Carson Smith of Pender County, near Wilmington, told her to get married, move out or find another job after he found out she and her boyfriend had been living together for three years. The couple did not want to get married, so Hobbs quit."
"The sheriff said that he tries to avoid hiring people who openly live together, but he doesn't send out deputies to enforce the law."
North Carolina is one of seven states that still have laws on the books prohibiting cohabitation of unmarried couples. The others are Virginia, West Virginia, Florida, Michigan, Mississippi and North Dakota. There were roughly three dozen cohabitation-related charges filed in North Carolina between 1997 and 2004, according to state figures.
At least one judge, U.S. Magistrate Carl Horn in Charlotte, regularly asks defendants whether their living arrangements violate the cohabitation ban. Horn has refused to release violators unless they promise to comply.
"We think that it's good to have a law against cohabitation because the studies show that couples that cohabitate before they're married, that their marriages are more prone to break up, there's less stability in the marriage," said Bill Brooks, executive director of the conservative North Carolina Family Policy Council.
But the Rev. Jack McKinney of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, which counts gay couples among its 900-person congregation, said: "I think the state's got better things to do than try to dictate people's private lives to that degree."
May 09, 2005
Eurovision Song Contest Videos are all online thanks to Radio 2 (and found by Luke)! I recomend Austria which has yodelling and everything.
Yay the Elvis TV movie started last night, its a two parter. Yesterday we started with poor Elvis wearing crazy clothes and being laughed at at school, giving his dinner to his Dad, and then becoming a big star, getting Graceland and then ended with him going into the Army.
"I tried to take the things that I was closest to in Elvis Presley and use those, make it as organic as possible to my own experiences," Rhys Meyers said. "He was a poor boy from Tupelo, Mississippi; I'm a poor boy from County Cork, Ireland. He bought his mama a house with the first big amount of money that he got, and so did I. He had a lot of insecurities, wasn't liked in school, felt uncomfortable, was a daydreamer -- and I had all these things."
May 06, 2005
How exciting the bbc was on last night thanks to C-SPAN so I could watch a bit of the election results. It was a BBC simulcast so it was like being at home, cool. It stopped at 10 though which was a bit rubbish. Saw the Southgate result though.
It was a very demanding night for me last night, 2 episodes of the OC (which I taped) at the same time as Sweet Home Alabama (which I watched bits of, I do like that film) at the same time as The Apprentice (which I watched), at the same time as the election stuff and then ER at the same time as project greenlight. AND I had to try and cook some tea. What a night!
It was a very demanding night for me last night, 2 episodes of the OC (which I taped) at the same time as Sweet Home Alabama (which I watched bits of, I do like that film) at the same time as The Apprentice (which I watched), at the same time as the election stuff and then ER at the same time as project greenlight. AND I had to try and cook some tea. What a night!
May 02, 2005
Finger Found in Frozen Custard
"A Wilmington resident is calling a lawyer after claiming to have bitten into a finger that was accidentally packed inside a pint of ice cream...A male employee did cut the tip of his finger off. Before the front of the store could be notified, the finger was packed into a pint of frozen custard."
I've got a $10 voucher to spend at this place, but somehow I'm not so excited about it now.
"A Wilmington resident is calling a lawyer after claiming to have bitten into a finger that was accidentally packed inside a pint of ice cream...A male employee did cut the tip of his finger off. Before the front of the store could be notified, the finger was packed into a pint of frozen custard."
I've got a $10 voucher to spend at this place, but somehow I'm not so excited about it now.
