Overweight people, for example, are made to endure fat jokes every day of their lves. It begins in elementary school and never abates. But while words and jokes can be hurtful, they are mere “sticks and stones” compared to the real injustice that large people face.

Last week our esteemed governor said, I think we ought to suspend elections for Congress for two years. Perdue apologists claim that the governor was just joking, and Bev echoed that sentiment the following day, telling reporters she was just being sarcastic.

In the early days of television, and for many years thereafter, the Emmy Awards were an intimate affair held in hotel ballrooms and historic theaters. It was a formal celebration where industry insiders honored their peers for artistic excellence. Emmy was prestigious.

I dont know if its the recession, global warming or reality TV, but lately weve had more than our share of strange-but-true happenings.

When I was a kid, my parents took me to New York City for summer vacation. One of the unexpected highlights of that trip was a visit to Macys, where a magician demonstrated many wondrous tricks. I purchased a few of the packaged prestidigitations, and tried them out on my buddies back home.

Heres what Stephen Hess of the Brookings Institute said of the president: He is a process president who places greater emphasis on methods, procedures, and instruments for making policy, than on the content of policy itself. His passion in government is for HOW things are done, rather than WHAT should be done.

Guilford County, like the rest of the state, has been hit hard by unemployment and a weak economy. Given these perilous times (some economists say a double-dip recession is on the way), it is incumbent upon county commissioners to spend our tax dollars wisely, and to look for ways to save.

A few days ago I taped a special edition of Triad Today with seven-term Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory as the sole guest. McCrory was also the 2008 GOP nominee for governor, losing to Bev Perdue by the narrowest of margins.

Recently a task force convened in Raleigh to allow surviving victims of forced sterilization to tell their horror stories to the public. The hearing was held in June, which is appropriate, because it played like a summer rerun.

My Aunt Peg told me the other day never to refer to someone as stupid. The more appropriate thing to say, she advised, is, that the person did something stupid. But I am conflicted because that wise philosopher Forest Gump once said, Stupid is as stupid does. So what, then, should I say about the Republicans in Raleigh who recently passed a new law which will allow North Carolina

Within the past few months, street mobs have burglarized businesses and terrorized bystanders in cities across America. A mob recently swarmed a clothing store in Washington DC and took $20,000 worth of merchandise. In Las Vegas, 20 teens robbed a convenience store.

When news of Kate Middletons engagement to Prince William was first reported, I recall seeing photographs of her on the internet and in magazines. I was struck by what a beautiful and healthy young woman she was. Not so gradually I began to notice a disturbing change.

Earlier this month, Federal Reserve Board Gov. Sarah Bloom Raskin spoke out about the relationship between pay disparity and our economy. Raskin noted that the income gap between CEOs and workers was the widest its been since 1928, just prior to the stock market crash which threw America into a depression.

As I mentioned in last weeks column, Shirley Jones is coming to town for the Western Film Fair. But Shirley isnt the only beauty who will be appearing at the event. Joining her will be screen sirens Julie Adams, Sherry Jackson and Connie Stevens.

Back in 2009, I moderated a Mothers Day Salute to TV Moms for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. It was a great event except that Shirley Jones (on whom I have a huge crush) couldnt attend because she had a concert to give that night.

This year, famed Hollywood filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich is in Winston-Salem to work with aspiring young directors at UNC School of the Arts. His presence couldnt be more timely, as 2011 marks the 40th anniversary of Bogdanovichs masterpiece The Last Picture Show.

Last week while speaking to Jeep workers in Toledo, Ohio, President Obama said that our economic recovery had hit a bump in the road. But later in that same speech he went off script and said, Its like getting hit by a truck; it will take some time to get over.

Last week, a photo of a mans underpants replete with erect bulge was posted on Twitter in such a way as to appear that it had been sent by Democrat Congressman Anthony Weiner to a female college student and perhaps to a stripper named Ginger Lee. The photo was then re-tweeted by a conservative blogger and went viral in short order.

Maybe its a guy thing, but Ive always admired men who master every aspect of their craft. Richard Petty, for example, didnt just drive cars, he could also get under the hood and fix the engine. Likewise there are a handful of filmmakers who dont just direct, they can also get under the hood and do whatever it takes to make a great movie.