I'm a son of the Carolinas. I was born in Greensboro, and lived withing a hundred miles of there until I was twenty-eight years old. Then, I spent thirteen years in California before moving back. Fortunately, I'm bilungual: I'm pretty equally conversant in both Western English and Southern English. I can even speak a few words of Yankee when required. Thus, I can write these columns without facing quite so much of the "We don't care how you did it back in (insert non-Southern place name)" hostility. Maybe.

I would like to voice my strenuous opposition to the proposal to build another taxpayer-financed ballpark in Winston-Salem.

Public projects which benefit a specific demographic are undeniable failures across our country. The laws and policies used by cities and governments to obtain and clear land for their use are almost universally biased against poor inner-city communities in favor of "bringing in" populations from outside the affected community.

I don't think Roanoke is at the top of anyone's "must see" list. And that's too bad. This Virginia city offers an old school urban feel with a mountainous backdrop, but without the annoying "granola factor" of, say, Asheville. It's a great place for a day trip or a weekend visit.

A timeline of events in Twin City history, complied from Winston-Salem: A History by Frank V. Tursi, and other sources.