Commentary: To Friend Or Not To Friend On Facebook
Social media produces many dilemmas. What's OK to say? Whom should you connect with? And who should you stay away from? Sometimes, hurt feelings can result. Mary Struble Deery of Charlotte relays one such experience in this commentary. More Listen
Commentary: Homecomings Are Important
Commentator Gus Succop has some advice if you're going to visit family or friends you haven't seen in a while. Take advantage of it, even if it means going home. More Listen
Hosting The DNC: Hype And Reality
Democratic National Convention organizers and Charlotte boosters are reaching out to spread the good news. Their message is that great things are looming for the region because of the 2012 convention. Dan Murrey, the head of the Charlotte in 2012 host committee, says the convention is an endorsement of the city.
"The impact for us is not just that week. The impact is going to be throughout the future and having a reputation as a national city as opposed to a regional city," Murrey said last week at a forum sponsored by the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce.
Some of the comments made at the forum got the attention of Charlotte Observer columnist Ron Stodghill. He stopped by our studios and recorded this commentary. More Listen
Running In Circles
WFAE asked Charlotte students to share their thoughts on the education they have received in the CMS system. This is one of those essays. More
Getting Old Is Hell
We dread getting old and the limitations that come with it. Retiree Mary Struble Deery has learned there's no shortage of reminders that those limitations are coming.
Cell Phones Integrated Into Easter Service
Churches will be busier than usual on Easter. Rev. Gus Succop says the larger crowds mean there's a greater likelihood of being interrupted by a cell phone. Yes, it's annyoing, but he's come to learn the interruptions also provide a teachable moment.
NAACP's Call For Boycott Embarrassing
On Monday, Charlotte NAACP President Kojo Nantambu led a protest in Uptown Charlotte. He's upset that CMS had a snow make-up day on Martin Luther King Day. He referred to Charlotte as a "racist bastion" and called for organizations to boycott the city. Toreka James of Charlotte isn't impressed with his comments, and recorded this commentary. More Listen
New Strategy On New Year's Resolution
We're now one week into 2011. How are your New Year's resolutions going? If you're like WFAE commentator Sally Phillips, not well. But this year she's changing strategy to make sure she doesn't fail to keep her resolution. More Listen
Job Well Done, Ed Sanders
The integration of our schools generated a lot of uncomfortable memories in our nation's history. The process brought out the worst in a lot of people.
But it also brought out the best in some, like Ed Sanders of Charlotte. Mr. Sanders died last week at the age of 88.
WFAE commentator Mary C. Curtis tells us what made him stand out. More Listen
The Spaces Between
Are you focused on Christmas? Or perhaps there's a big meeting after the Holidays you can't get out of your mind. WFAE commentator Jim Cunningham has some advice. More Listen
Airport Motto: Mum's The Word
This week, Charlotte-Douglas Airport officials requested CMPD to head an investigation to see how 16-year-old Delvonte Tisdale may have been able to climb into the wheel well of a plane. Tisdale's body mysteriously showed up last month in a suburban Boston neighborhood.
The request by airport officials marked a change. For weeks, they avoided media questions and said they weren't investigating anything even after it was clear that Massachusetts authorities were looking into the possibility that Tisdale was a stowaway and dropped from a plange.
The communications strategy inspired Charlotte Observer reporter Mark Washburn to write this commentary. More Listen
Holiday Drear
Now that it's the Holiday season, WFAE commentator Jean Roznik is thinking about family togetherness and the cheerfulness that's expected this time of year. She wonders if her family fits that image. More Listen
A Need For Socks
Most of us put on a pair of socks every day and don't think much of it. That's changed for WFAE commentator Sally Phillips. More Listen
What Campaign Money Didn't Buy
Of course, a lot of money was spent on last week's election across the political spectrum. What a waste, according to WFAE commentator Gus Succop. More Listen
Still Learning How To Control Kids' Use Of Texting
Like a lot of parents, WFAE commentator Lynn Trenning is concerned by how much her kids text. Learning how to regulate their usage has been quite and education - an education that's continuing. More Listen
Let Us Have Freedom... From Fear
This month marked the 230th anniversary of the Battle of Kings Mountain. It was a battle entirely between Americans - those who sided with the British, and those who wanted independence.
For Scott Hicks of Charlotte, the battle site stirred thoughts of freedom, courage and fear. The result is this essay.
Professor Helped This Gay Man Accept Himself
In the last couple weeks there have been some high-profile stories in the news that highlight the challenges and prejudices that gay people endure.
Just yesterday, eight people were arrested in New York City for a series of anti-gay hate crimes. In another case, a Rutgers University student committed suicide after his roommate and another classmate broadcast a sexual encounter over an internet chat room.
Deciding to come out can be a difficult decision, to say the least. In this commentary, Miles Christian Daniels discusses his journey.
Turning Humiliation Into A Social Asset
Have you ever been in a conversation in which a friend or acquaintance goes on forever about something their child achieved in school? Perhaps you're guilty of doing the same thing yourself.
These can be one-sided conversations. WFAE commentator Jean Roznik has an idea to change that. Just talk about your kid's failures. More Listen
The topic motivated WFAE's Elizabeth Shaffer to reminisce about a cooking byproduct that she didn't want to share with the public - until now. More Listen
Last week, we aired a story about speech and hearing centers that teach people how to lose their accents. It's called accent reduction. These services help people lose their foreign and American accents, like the Southern drawl.
And that raises the gander of WFAE commentator Elizabeth Richardson. More Listen
Throw Away Invitation To DNC
Some consider politics a form of entertainment - and a few other things (depending on your point of view). Charlotte boosters and political leaders want the city to host the 2012 Democratic National Convention. Mark Washburn of the Charlotte Observer has a hard time sharing their enthusiasm. More Listen
In Loving Memory Of An Old Oak Tree
If you walk through some of Charlotte's historic neighborhoods, with their well-shaded streets, it may be hard to imagine this fact: the city has lost nearly half of its tree canopy in the last 25 years. That information comes from a new study the city commissioned. Population growth and economic development are the main culprits. The Charlotte City Council is now considering a new rule that would require developers preserve more trees. A public hearing is schedule on the ordinance next month.
Long-time Charlotte resident Susan Turner offers a personal take on the value of a tree. More Listen
The Cure For Market Volatility? Vertigo Support
If you've been following the stock market, you know it's been volatile. The Dow Jones Industrial average dropped 10 percent in the second quarter that ended yesterday. It was the first quarterly drop since the first quarterly drop in more than a yeart.
If this concerns you, listen up. WFAE commentator Martha Catt thinks she's come across something that will help. More Listen
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