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Features
Features
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From whqr
On Radio
On Radio
 Studio 360 In Verse, David Hockney
This American Life
(Fridays, 8 pm)
Car Talk Puzzler
(Saturdays, 10 am)
Riverwalk Jazz
(Saturdays, 8 pm)
View Archives in Thursday Commentaries
View Archives
Retro Thanksgiving
November 18, 2009
"After forty-something years of it, I am happy to watch the gravy spill on somebody else's tablecloth."
whqr
Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall
November 12, 2009
"The mirror always had a knack for showing me what I didn't want to see. Somehow, that dark wood managed to house each insecurity I had."
whqr
Wedgwood: A Man of Parts
November 5, 2009
“But Josiah was born on the cusp of the Industrial Revolution and he changed the potter cottage industry into a factory system.”
whqr
Nine Lives: Genesis
October 7, 2009
"As he hit the water, it struck him that he had just done a foolish thing. He was not tethered to the boat. He did not anticipate the wind that blew up and caught the bimeni top and propelled the whaler off into a current that quickly sped north. He watched as the boat receded over the waves."
whqr
The Princess Bride
October 1, 2009
"Once upon a time, in a wholesome American land, there lived a young princess. She met a handsome prince who bestowed her with a sparkling diamond ring and asked her to be his bride..."
whqr
Gribbit
September 24, 2009
"A Wilmington native, Claude Howell was instrumental in establishing the art department at UNCW and for many years was the southern voice in the early days of WHQR commentaries. He knew Wilmington as few did."
whqr
A Party of Five, Please...
September 9, 2009
"Names for groups of animals, birds, people, sea creatures are more imaginative. We are familiar with some, but others are startling in their poetry. Lions, we know, come in a pride when congregated. The onslaught of our coastal jellyfish at the beach is known as a smack of jellyfish."
whqr
Shoe Funeral
September 3, 2009
"We should be more respectful of our shoes. They work so hard for us, putting up with our disgusting feet everyday, protecting us from broken glass, chewing gum, and mysterious puddles."
whqr
And Beyond...
August 27, 2009
"In huge, black, quivering letters, it read: Sylvia's Birdbath and Beyond. I laughed out loud at its whimsy, proud to be a native of this quirky part of the world." whqr
The Navelectomy
August 12, 2009
"What will I do with with my wardrobe of Britney midriff tops? How will I stroll along Wrightsville Beach in my pink bikini?"
whqr
Mugged!
August 5, 2009
"I've never been mugged. I've imagined it, though... I'm always wearing sunglasses since it's my fantasy and I get to stay dignified."
whqr
The Geriatric South
July 15, 2009
"It's all a matter of perspective... I'm talking old age here. Forty is the new thirty, they say. My math skills are marginal but I'm holding that seventy is the new fifty."
whqr
Bathroom Lit
July 8, 2009
"Countless girls and women had chosen this as an arena to express their love for men and their hate for each other... concepts of sisterhood did not exist in this stall."
whqr
She Coulda Been a Contenda!
July 2, 2009
"I like to think she was an early Susan Boyle, without the bad hair... an unlikely candidate for public success having been raised in the tiny town of Greensboro, Alabama."
whqr
That's So Gay!
June 24, 2009
"When did people start using that word to describe something weak or lame? It doesn't even make sense if you really think about it. To be openly gay in our society is one of the bravest things a person can be."
whqr
Mad Bricks
June 10, 2009
"Despite my good intentions, these bricks seemed to be taking their frustrations out on me... they weren't angry at me personally. I just represented a population of apathetic people who preferred to build new neighborhoods instead of investing in the existing ones."
whqr
Sumter and the Serpent
June 3, 2009
"We've had a long history of peculiar cats: one potty trained, one a contest winner, and now, Sumter, the semi-feral cat continues to amaze us as she enters her senior years."
whqr
Happy Birthday, WHQR
May 7, 2009
"We weathered our birth in the year 1984, the Orwellian year when Desmond Tutu won the Nobel Peace Prize and the first Macintosh computer was introduced. It is also the year the African Republic of Upper Volta changed its name to Burkina Faso."
whqr
Cable Guys: Dr. Time and Dr. Warner Will See You Now...
April 22, 2009
"Replace the modem? Which lights go off? Which stay on? Replace the cable under the house, replace the cable from the box to the house, check the box... go back to square one...."
whqr
The Check is in the Mail: Dear Recipient
April 8, 2009
"No need to sit around wringing your hands over the economic angst. Just read the spam that comes onto your computer."
whqr
The Little House of New Hanover County
March 11, 2009
"Like the Little House, we too should still be able to see the moon and the seasons roll by."
whqr
Baby Bibles: Back in the Day for Baby
February 25, 2009
"Her book sold an impressive 100,000 copies and was translated into French, German, and Arabic."
whqr
Codebreaker
February 11, 2009
"My husband informed me that OBE was an acronym for 'Overtaken By Events.' The information is invalid because it is OBE."
whqr
The Dionne Quintuplets
January 28, 2009
"They were the princesses of the Depression, featured in four Hollywood films by the time they were four years old."
whqr
The Gift
December 31, 2008
"What is in store for you and for North Carolina in 2009? This brand new, yet unwrapped year? Open with care, and consider the gift."
whqr
Past People from the Twilight Zone
December 3, 2008
"It has been happening all my life, but lately is seems to be a more frequent occurrence. That circular thing where people from the past reappear without rhyme or reason... people you have not been in contact with or seen for decades."
whqr
Pigs at Parlange
November 19, 2008
"Page after page, year after year starting with the first pig drawings from the late 1930s, the pages chronicled decades of pig drawings and the guests who drew them."
whqr
Wilson Redux
October 9, 2008
Wilson is known for its antique shops. In a twist, the antique went looking for a person...rather than a person looking for an antique, says commentator Nan Graham, after a recent trip to Wilson...and to the past.
whqr
Nan Graham
September 25, 2008
Commentator Nan Graham feels that a great escape need not be a trip to Europe or the Caribbean. It may be right here in our own YWCA.
whqr
Horsettes
September 10, 2008
"I have no idea what you do with these charming animals. Too small to ride or to pull anything, they spend their days grazing in lush meadows and breeding."
whqr
Thalian Hall turns 150!!
September 3, 2008
"Everyone takes their seats in the colorful hall. The lights are lowered, the crowd hushes, the curtains rise, the footlights glow. The show begins. And now, 150 years later, this venerable theatre continues to delight the audiences of Wilmington."
whqr
Fat Cat
August 28, 2008
"Bullet's headshot, in a circle with a diagonal dash through it, was posted on most of the groomers' walls throughout Wake County."
whqr
Hannah Block
August 7, 2008
Commentator Charles Boney pays tribute to one of the founders of the Historic District
whqr
Re-calculating...
July 30, 2008
"Winnie's only character flaw is that when you do not follow her directives, she gets annoyed and sometimes downright hysterical when I deviate from the instructions."
whqr
SUV: Subversive Unwanted Vehicle
July 16, 2008
"When sandwiched between two such giants, the driver of the normal-sized car has to ease out with zero visibility into the road behind. It tends to make the drive of the regular car a bit huffy and the word "bully" frequently hisses between clenched teeth."
whqr
The Glorious Fourth
July 2, 2008
"One gleeful lad of about seven holds a flag while he shoots multiple firecrackers at a terrified cat, beating a hasty retreat."
whqr
Becoming a Card-Carrying Southerner
June 19, 2008
"There is really a need for a card for newcomers..."those from someplace else" as I like to call them, since I consider the "Y" word unkind. Laminated, this card could be carried in your wallet like a tip card."
whqr
I.M. Pei
June 12, 2008
"That, in Pei's 91st year, is what he gave us. He gave us a commitment to create spaces, and places, that respond to and evoke human interest."
whqr
Van Gogh's Relatives
June 5, 2008
"I have never heard it reported that Vincent Van Gogh had a knee-slapping sense of humor."
whqr
Smoke, Smoke, Smoke that Cigarette
May 22, 2008
"Then the lungs were trotted out. Grisly specimens that resembled smoked Swiss cheese were passed around. We were assured that if our lungs didn't look like this now, they soon would. On the way home I restocked my cigarette supply at the 7-11."
whqr
YMCA
May 15, 2008
"My father and I explored those rooms in 1970, moments before the building was demolished, and that vision of peeling paint, a striped mattress, and depression-era lodging is etched into my memory beside Bogart and Becall."
whqr
Chicago Tribune Tower
May 1, 2008
"The Tribune's carved limestone base is enriched by statues and gothic arches, and its lantern-like top is a symbolic beacon for the free press."
whqr
O Lost...
April 24, 2008
Commentator Nan Graham keeps losing things. More and more these days...
whqr
Denver Airport
April 3, 2008
Architect and commentator Charles Boney takes us to Denver for pledge week.
whqr
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