News-Record.com

While we're on the subject of polygraph tests, The Washington Post reports today that "the CIA, the FBI and other federal agencies are using polygraph machines more than ever to screen applicants and hunt for lawbreakers, even as scientists have become more certain that the equipment is ineffective in accurately detecting when people are lying."

The Post article adds: "Many researchers and defense attorneys say the technology is prone to a high number of false results that have stalled or derailed hundreds of careers and have prevented many qualified applicants from joining the fight against terrorism. At the FBI, for example, about 25 percent of applicants fail a polygraph exam each year, according to the bureau's security director."

Reactions to the revamped editorial pages have been largely favorable, especially the return of The New York Times columnists.

Many of you also say you're impressed by the 13 new community columnists added to the op-ed pages and the new face of our Sunday Ideas section.

But others of you are not so impressed that Molly Ivins no longer runs in the New & Record. We considered her fit in the overall mix and decided Maureen Dowd filled many of the same needs in terms of voice and political perspective.

What a few of you have had to say in your own words (the headlines are mine):

Thanks for listening
Redesign isn't important at all to me but what is important is that the NYTimes editorial writers are coming back. I guess you got a lot of heat over that decision to drop. If so, thanks for listening to your readers and restoring some degree of significance and intelligence to the paper.
Emmy Mills

No to Noe
Mr. Johnson,
Your new "community columnist" is going to fit right in with the ultra-liberal editorial stance of your pages. America is an evil, racist, place taking advantage of poor Latinos and their black sisters and brothers.

Here is a message for your Mr. Juarez: Those people who have invaded this country and are living here illegally have the same "rights" as a criminal who breaks into my home illegally, NONE. What part of ILLEGAL do Mr. Juarez's constituents not understand? The United
States is not responsible for the ills of Peru or any other
third world slum. I would suggest Mr. Juarez return to his native land and correct the injustices there and cease preaching to the American Taxpayer who is sick and tired and fed up with the host of illegal invaders in this country.

Is this the best you can do, Mr. Johnson, for "community columnists"?

Sincerely,
Charles Davenport Sr.

Yes to Noe
WOW - if Noe Juarez is any indication, the N&R editorial board has cobbled together a real set of doozies as contributors.......Juarez must have taken lessons in demagoguery from Sharpton and Jackson.

He clearly is an activist (at least in words) and he clearly identifies himself more as a Latino than an American ...notice the use of "we" when describing the street demonstrations of Apr 9 and 10...."We cannot wait around for more 'Congressional dithering'." "We" 'cannot stand for any more injustice to Hispanics'.

Where's Molly?
I searched and searched last Saturday’s edition for Molly’s usual column. It was not there!!!

I was thunder-struck! At first I thought there was some error or mix-up. Then it occurred to me that perhaps Molly had missed her deadline OR that her column was cancelled by The News Record…

Please tell me that you have not cancelled her contract, and that her columns will continue to appear each Saturday. If you have cancelled her, then I would definitely cancel my subscription to the News Record.

Hopefully, Richard Zachary

No need to fix paper
You know the expression: "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it."
Well, the News-Record wasn't broken in my view and I find it much less appealing in the new format. It looks more like USA Today now and seems more generic.

And why was Molly Ivins’ column not in last Saturday's paper?

Vera Rooker

Times yes; Molly, oh no
I love the new format and I am delighted that we will have Maureen Dowd and Thomas Friedman back but PLEASE tell me you haven't cancelled Molly Ivins. I look forward to the Saturday morning because of her and Leonard Pitts.

Kathy Mazzola

Bravo for Times, but what about Molly?
I'm pleased to see you've brought the NY Times writers back for the benefit of the general public. I get the Sunday NY Times, so I have Times Select at no cost and can read Friedman et al there. It's very good for the paper however to have them back.

There is a very noticeable omission in the list of op-ed writers you'll be carrying. Molly Ivins??? Yes, she stirred things up and conservatives definitely didn't like her, but her contributions to keeping the public informed from her perspective will be missed.

Guess I'll just have to read her at the Star-Telegram.com. I'm very, very disappointed!

Bill O'Reilly (and no, I'm not related to the other one, thank God)

More notice for Greensboro's Joey Cheek, who is included this week in a special edition of Time magazine as one of 100 of "The World's Most Influential People" -- along with Oprah, Condoleeza Rice, George W. Bush and Katie Couric.

In a short essay on the Olympic medalist, another notable former Olympian speedskater, Dan Jansen (who was a gold medalist in 1994 and has set eight speedskating world records)writes this about Cheek:

"So many sports figures dominate the headlines for the wrong reasons. Many parents have been looking for a worthy role model their kids can look up to. Need we look further?"

If I'm not mistaken, Cheek's photo appears on the Time cover right beside the left edge of the "T."

In a memorably funny commentary on NPR this morning, Frank Deford wonders why most of the former athletes who go into politics are Republicans.

While the Democrats can't muster a decent benchwarmer, Deford sniffs, the GOP keeps churning out former football, baseball and basketball players -- and even cheerleaders -- who run for office.

Of course, NPR followed the commentary with an interview with former NFL quarterback Heath Shuler, who won Tuesday's Democratic primary and will challenge incumbent North Carolina Republican Charles Taylor for his seat.

But Shuler's clearly an exception. The GOP gives us NFL Hall of Famer Lynn Swann running for governor of Pennsylvania, Deford says. The Democrats counter with John Kerry. Wind-surfing.

A reader has inquired as to whether 13th District Republican congressional candidate Vernon Robinson is telling the truth on his Web site, when lists the News & Record as one of the North Carolina papers endorsing him.

He is.

The News & Record did indeed endorse Robinson for state superintendent of public instruction in 1996.

Here is what we wrote:

"Vernon Robinson, the Republican candidate for state Superintendent of Public Instruction, wants to change education as we know it in North Carolina. That commitment to change is what gives Robinson an edge over his Democratic opponent, Mike Ward.

"Since the state superintendent's position has been stripped of almost all but ceremonial duties, it offers Robinson no means to accomplish all that he'd like if elected. But there is a lot to be said for having a voice for change in Raleigh. If nothing else, Robinson will challenge the status quo. Our children deserve an education leader who is committed to asking questions.

"Ward gives every indication that he might suggest a bit of tinkering here and there, but there's not much he'd do differently. A former teacher, principal and superintendent, Ward is the executive director of the North Carolina Standards Board for Public School Administration. His experience gives him a thorough understanding of the educational bureaucracy. It earned the endorsement of the superintendents division of the North Carolina Association of School Administrators. But his instincts are not those of a critic.

"Robinson is a critic. A former Winston-Salem State University professor, he raises valid concerns about the way the education establishment has thrown away money. Instead of 'gold-plating' school buildings he would take another look at standards that make older buildings prematurely obsolete. And at a time when parents here and around North Carolina are clamoring for more schools, Robinson boldly says that the crisis isn't about buildings; it's about the quality of education our children receive inside the buildings.

"Buildings are, of course, a necessity. Unlike Ward, Robinson suggests alternatives to long-term indebtedness, such as private sector leasing and buy-back approaches. Those options could speed up construction and lower the cost to school districts.

"Ward and Robinson differ most sharply on the subject of school choice. Robinson, who heads a foundation that promotes public support of private schools, has been a vocal supporter of vouchers and tuition tax credits. He argues that allowing more parents to send their children to private schools could make public schools more competitive.

"We like the idea of vouchers, but part company with Robinson when it comes to private schools. But this race isn't a referendum on vouchers. It is about shaking up a complacent bureaucracy. It is about change, and perhaps in the end about making the superintendent appointive rather than elective.

"Vernon Robinson will be a voice for reform. His challenge will be to use the platform to work with the state Board of Education rather than to harangue the board."

The state Supreme Court hs finally resolved the long-disputed Trudy Wade-John Parks battle over a county commissioner seat.

After about a year and a half in that seat, Wade the incumbent finally has to yield to Parks.

It's only fair that Parks at last gets to become a commissioner again.

But Wade was much better at the job than Parks will be. The voters weren't very smart on this one.

I read with interest Nancy McLaughlin's article the other day on the local Bible study based on the old 1970s comedy series "Good Times."

Coincidentally, cable's TV land is airing a "Good Times" marathon this weekend.

Reminds me: One of the biggest moral lessons of this series clearly was the boneheaded move to kill off the black father in the series and then, totally against character, to have the mother abandon her children and move to Arizona with her new husband.

The show lost it heart and soul, not to mention its credibility. Absolutely sinful.

A small, prosperous local company has painted my house three times — as well as patched the gaping hole I left when I took an unfortunate plunge from the attic through the ceiling (but we won't dwell on that).

The proprietor, a big, soft-spoken black man with a soothing voice and warm personality, always delivers what he promises, and his work is top-notch.

When I first met him his crew was composed entirely of African Americans. By the third time he was doing work for me, his crew was all Latino.

They were quiet and respectful and only one of them spoke English. "He translates for me," the businessman said. "I tell him, he tells the other guys."

The businessman confided that he very much favored this new crew over his old one; they worked harder and complained less. They did their jobs well and then they went home.

I thought again about the black painter and his brown workers when the immigration debate heated up last week amid the massive demonstrations on May 1, including one in Greensboro. Their display of unity and sheer numbers was impressive.

They also seem to recognize and appreciate the vast opportunity here, even in the worst of times. You can do so much here. You can be so much.

Yet as the Hispanic presence grows, so does a sense of wariness and even resentment among some African Americans.

The "Mexicans" are taking over. They are moving into our neighborhoods and filling up our schools and taking our jobs. They are driving down wages.

The dreaded swim test is no more at UNC-Chapel Hill, capsized by a wave of curriculum reform.

No longer will students have to prove they can swim at least a little bit before they can receive their degrees.

I'm thankful they had the requirement way back when, when I was a UNC undergrad.

It wasn't always convenient to take my afternoon swim class as a freshman, especially when the weather become cold. Not only that, but the chlorine would turn my hair red, just in time for my 2 p.m. Spanish class.

But I didn't know how to swim until I went to Carolina. Gee, I enjoyed my introductory swimming class so much I took the advanced course.

I've got relatives who live in places like Portsmouth and Virginia Beach, and not one of 'em can swim a lick.

This, from a commenter on an earlier post about historically black Hampton University's policy that prohibits "unusual" hair styles for MBA students:

Mr. Johnson,

Please check your facts on this issue....this is not a new policy at HU and other MEAC/HBC have had similiar rules for their business school students. The real issue with is more about professional attire vs hair. Please see comments below from the Dean of the B-School in responding to alum on this matter:

An HU alum wrote the business school dean. Here is his response. The dean's name is Sid Credle.

Shannon:
It is unfortunate that this image issue has just kept going, going and going. Maybe, if you had the background it would allow you and others enough information to respond to some erroneous information currently floating around.

The image and attire rule of the 5yr-MBA program was put into place during fall 2000. It is six years old. Two to three students over the past 6 years have had a problem with the hair policy and have selected to change their major, perform other assignments or cut their hair. The program has grown from 58 to 150 students in the pass 6 years. It has been a real success (we place 22 year olds into $85k jobs). Recently, one student with "buckwheat" braids went to the AP and complained about the policy, indicating that the University was disrespecting him (or something of that nature). Students of the program are of the belief that "Buckwheat" intended to either get his way or destroy the program for all students. I never spoke to the AP regarding this issue. My comments were as a result of a Virginia Pilot article in response to the student's complaint. In any case, this issue is really a dialogue between black male students and black male faculty and has little to do with women's hair styles. Although there has been an effort to make it a women's issue, it is not from my point of view. We have not had a problem with women students and the image code. Although there has also been an attempt to make it so, this is not a black or white issue either.

Whether a black male has a Colin Powell hairstyle or Bob Marley style dreads, has nothing to do with his blackness. For example: actress Bo Derek in the movie "Ten", popularized the shoulder length braid look....does that mean that an African-American women who wears them is attempting to assimilate into a white cultural mirror of West Indian culture?

In any case, students are required to maintain the dress/image code when attending a 45 minute executive seminar held on Wednesdays. The model that we are using reinforces the power of unity each week over a five-year period. There is nothing more inspiring then seeing 150 smartly dressed 18-22 year olds, engaged in dialogue with the senior Vice President of a major corporation. Students are aware that the only way to distinguish themselves in the seminar setting is by performance (and not by how they look, or what they are wearing or the length of their hair). A speaker's training event is held on Monday, which is business casual. The primary goal is to allow students time to acclimate to the style they will be involved in at the highest executive level in the corporation, firm or agency. The policy is in writing and students, faculty and their parents find it to be reasonable. Students select into the program and are aware of the policy going into the program.

We are establishing a brand that includes a curriculum with 5 courses in engineering, 6 in accounting, a 44 hour business core, tennis, golf, chess analysis, two required internships and the martial arts. We have had 28 graduates with 100% high level corporate or firm placement. Note that we have not changed the style of the students of this program. They are the sons and daughters of corporate executives, generals and other professionals who are already aware, and are representatives of, and partial creators of, the model. We are talking about serious students (and it helps that they have a Bob Johnson, Malcolm X, Mandela, Martin Luther King or Charles Drew hairstyle). Don't get me wrong, the Don King, Bo Derek or Rick James look, is fine if you are in the field of fine arts, music, journalism, computer science, entertainment or sports. It is just inappropriate for the higher levels of business. The founding students of the program had significant input into the creation of the image and dress code. The founding group of students Fall, 2000 can be found on our website. .

Over the years, we have prepared the research on the issue of image and attire and are of the belief that we are doing the correct thing. Our policy is based on knowledge and is not arbitrary. We reviewed business leaders as noted in Black Enterprise's Top African-American 75 corporate executives, the Top 50 African-American lawyers, 50 top African-American Corporate Women, and the top 50 African-American Sport Agents. The evidence indicates that all are conservatively dressed and none have extreme hair styles. We recently had a career fair on campus with approximately 200 representatives of 100 corporations, firms and agencies. Ninety five percent of these representatives were black. None had extreme hair; and all were conservatively dressed. Armed with such information from those black men and women who have paid dues for more than 25-30 years, it is only appropriate that we distribute the information to the next generation. The mission is to distribute relevant business education. Name one black male or female who is a senior vice president or above, with dreads, cornrows or braids.

This is the true black code. Our students and the parents of our students appreciate this and understand exactly what we are doing, and why.

Coming soon to an editorial page near you: Several letters taking exception to the News & Record's front-page feature story on "Thirsty Thursdays" at Hoppers games.

Some see the story as glorifying alcohol consumption.

I just see a feature on a huge social event that fills the ballpark.

Of course, the letters run in my pages but the story ran in John Robinson's, so he's responded on his blog.

Am I missing something here or are the Durham police doing their level-best Keystone Kops impersonation?

As if unorthodox lineups weren't enough, the latest curiosity in the Duke lacrosse rape case involves the arrest of the cab driver who has provided an alibi for one of the lacrosse players who allegedly raped an exotic dancer.

The News & Observer of Raleigh (registration required) reports that police on Wednesday arrested cab driver Moezeldin Elmostafa on a tenuous, 3-year-old misdemeanor larceny charge.

The N&O article describes the charges against Elmostafa:

"Elmostafa was charged with a misdemeanor larceny that occurred Sept. 2, 2003, when a woman stole five purses worth $250 from the Hecht's department store at Northgate Mall.

"Elmostafa said Wednesday that he had picked up Lisa Faye Hawkins and her daughter at their home and had taken them to the mall. Elmostafa said he waited in the taxi with the daughter while Hawkins shopped and then he drove the two home.

"Elmostafa said he later received a call asking him to speak with Hecht's security. The security officer at Hecht's said Hawkins had stolen some purses before getting into the taxi, Elmostafa said.

"Elmostafa said he gave the woman's address and a copy of his driver's license to the security guard, who thanked him for his help.

" 'I am not responsible for what she did inside the store,' Elmostafa said. 'I am just a taxi driver.'"

This looks awful, like an act of desperation. And it hardly helps the prosecution's case.

The shout-off Wednesday night between Minutemen and local protesters may have made for pretty good TV footage.

It did absolutely nothing to advance meanningful debate on the illegal immigration issue.

Though I may not have agreed with much of it, I'd like to have heard what the Minutemen had to say.

The Wachovia tower project cleared its most crucial hurdle Thursday night, getting a 8-3 vote from the county commissioners for $1 million in incentives.

Next up is almost certain approval for city incentives at Tuesday night's council meeting.

We interrupt our regular programming about snitches and lie detectors for this brief exercise in vision and leadership.

Having seen the totally unnecessary remake of the disaster flick , "The Poseidon Adventure" today, I want my 100 minutes back.

With interest.

Talk about school choice.

So intent were Fay Thompson and her husband, Delancey, on finding the "right" schools for their daughters two years ago that they sold their home in northeast Greensboro, moved in with relatives, scrimped and saved every penny for a year and bought a new house in north High Point within spitting distance of the objects of their desire: Southwest High and Elementary.

Yet, no sooner had they settled into their new neighborhood off Willard Dairy Road than the Guilford County Schools initiated a lottery system for high school assignments in High Point. Thompson's oldest daughter, Brittany, suddenly found herself enrolled at High Point Central.

And Fay Thompson suddenly found herself in a situation she and her husband had worked so hard and sacrificed so dearly to avoid.
"I was infuriated," she says. "We were in disbelief. We never imagined living this close (to Southwest) and having to change school districts."

In an attempt to add another dimension to the editorial pages, we're inviting you to send us your visual commentaries.

Starting right now, you may submit photos that illustrate your letters to the editor.

If, for example, you have a bone to pick about a clogged intersection, shoot it and send it with your letter.

In some cases, a photo alone may make your point; we’d be interested in publishing it as well.

Please include a complete description with any photo. Please also make sure you’re willing to part with any photo you submit; we’ll be unable to return it.

Include your name, home street address and a daytime telephone number. We will not print letters or photos that are unsigned or have been submitted to other publications.

Send high-resolution photos and letters via e-mail to edpage@news-record.com.

Mail letters and photos to Letters to the Editor, News & Record, P.O. Box 20848, Greensboro, NC, 27420.

You may recall the story about the Omaha, Neb., school districts splitting into three entities: one majority white, one majority black and one majority Hispanic.

The NAACP doesn't buy the plan and is suing. Good for the NAACP.

Here's a story from Lincoln, Neb.

In a totally useless piece of legislation, the Senate has declared in a self-righteous huff that English is the official language of the United States.

How do say "political posturing" in Spanish?

Saw "The Da Vinci Code."

Just as leaden and laborious as the book.

Too much exposition. Too little characterization.

What a waste of Tom Hanks and some other pretty good actors.

There he goes again.

Speaking last week at predominantly black, all-female Spelman College, comedian, actor and now social commentator Bill Cosby advised graduates to all but factor black men out of their equations.

"You have to know that it is time for you all to take charge," Cosby told members of the Class of 2006. "You have to seriously see yourselves not as the old women where the men stood in front and you all stood behind, because the men, most of them, are in prison."

And while some folks suggest, indelicately, that the increasingly dour Dr. Huxtable "ain't all there" anymore, Cosby spoke truth about the bleak outlook for black males.

In fact, I found myself sounding a similar note Wednesday night during my own speech at Dudley High School's National Honor Society induction.

I spoke Sunday morning to the Cokesbury Sunday School class at Greensboro's Christ United Methodist Church in Greensboro. What a fun way to start the week. (It reminds me of a similar class at First Presbyterian Church.)

In a stimulating dialogue, we tackled the topic of faith's place in the editorial pages.

My thesis on theology and public policy: It's nearly impossible these days to separate the two. From Sen. John McCain speaking at Liberty University (after reviling Jerry Falwell during the 2000 presidential campaign); to the renewed debate on a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage; to the Muhammad cartoon controversy, the two are thrust onto the news pages almost every day and have become nearly inextricably tied.

Among my conclusions: "I ... wonder through it all whether man tends to forget who created whom and conveniently remakes God time and again in whatever image suits the current political or social agenda."

The wide-ranging Q&A that followed covered such diverse subjects as Ann Coulter, Molly Ivins, the future of print journalism and "The Da Vinci Code" (the Dixie Chicks may grace the current cover of Time, but Mary Magdalene's front and center on the latest Newsweek.)

My significant other, Eula Aiken, and I appreciated the warm reception and the engaged audience.

Now back to the rough-and-tumble frontier of the blogosphere.

I'm not so sure about the new roundabout taking shape at North Elm Street and Lake Jeanette Road.

The circle is not yet complete but orange cans now outline what will be the completed configuration.

It's a tight fit, folks.

During light traffic after 9 p.m. it was merely awkward to negotiate.

I can only imagine how it'll be in the morning, during rush-hour traffic.

Stay tuned.

We'll be meeting Tuesday for an hour with Greensboro Coliseum Managing Director Matt Brown.

He's got a lot going these days, having secured major commitments from the ACC men's and women's basketball tournaments, going aggressively after the Women's Final Four, and seeking a swim center and $36 million in upgrades to War Memorial Auditorium. Then there's the ACC Hall of Champions plan.

If you've got questions you'd like us to ask, please let me know.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's long-waited report on Nov. 3, 1979, will have to wait a little bit longer.

A spokeswoman said Wednesday that the written report isn't 100 percent completed yet and will not be presented, as originally planned, at a Bennett College ceremony Thursday night.

However, the report's executive summary will be made available tomorrow nihgt and the finished chapters will be posted on the commission's Web site.

With all due respect, this is hardly the smartest way to share such a high-profile documnent with the media and the public.

According to the commission, nearly all the report is finished. But nearly all isn't enough. The commission would be better served to do this right and wait a week. You don't release this kind of information piecemeal.

Its' too sensitive and too important. More important than Thursday's planned speaker and ceremony.

The 1979 confrontation between Klansmen and Nazis and Communist protesters happened nearly 27 years ago. One more week shouldn't matter.

A critical report on the current installment of HBO's superb series, "Real Sports," takes issue with media coverage of the Duke lacrosse rape case, citing the use of misleading generalizations and stereotypes to feed a more compelling story line.

For instance, the piece notes that stories have depicted Duke as a rich white school and N.C. Central as a poor black school, despite the fact that Duke's undergraduate enrollment is 32 percent minority and NCCU's is 13 percent white.

Further,the piece noted the higher education bond construction boom at Central and included footage of buildings that weren't ragged or crumbling, contrary to some out-of-state depictions.

The piece also included an interview with the NCCU student body president, who flatly dismissed the idea that all NCCU students believe that the lacrosse players are automatically guilty. He said he'd simply like to see justice done. (There are interviews with a white NCCU student and a Latina student as well.)

Personally, I've noticed the almost total lack of context about Durham's heritage as a mecca for black business and black achievement, and its formidable black middle class.

You'd expect from some reports that Rod Steiger's big-bellied sheriff from "In the Heat of the Night" was about to swagger in at any moment.

I said the other day that I had misivings about the traffic circle at North Elm and Lake Jeanette.

Never mind.

It's not so bad after all, even at rush hour. Traffic flow is steady and motorists aren't as discombobulated as before, this one included.

Meanwhile, I continue to be aggravated by the congestion at North Elm and Wllloughby. The other day, a woman in a tank-sized SUV pulls out in front of me from Willoughby onto Elm, her arm outstretched, palm flat, as if ordering the oncoming traffic (with the right of way) TO STOP -- "because my vehicle is humongous -- and because I said STOP."

Sheesh.

.

In the company of big-league voices, an unsure novice held her own Thursday night.

She possessed neither the lilting, sing-song rhythms of Bennett College's Sistuh President, Johnnetta Cole, or the seething fire of the Rev. Mazie Ferguson.

At times she paused, as if about to cry, but the tears never came. We'd have understood if they had.

Jackie Clapp was 12 years old when the bullets rained at Morningside Homes on Nov. 3, 1979. And she was near enough Carver Drive and Everitt Street to see things no 12-year-old should see.