If Malcolm Gladwell would read the links I link to myself, he would know that I know more about Greensboro and social media than him.

Quick! Free porn on TWC!

Announcing first ever EdCone.com raffle for the purposes of raising enough money to help Triadwatch hire Sue or Roch for a web makeover.

I figured it would have been Spag who followed me to Cancun instead of Cheripicker.

I'm glad the health care bill passed, but if it stinks, it's the Republicans fault.

Since no one but Killian is backing his version of the Shaw/Alston brawl, I'm sure it has occurred to Joe to simply post a copy of his notes regarding the Shaw interview.

Dammit, Roy. You couldn't have swallowed your pride a little bit and leased John Wall an Escalade?

From Malcom Forbes to Fec and Dr. J. When exactly did this train derail?

I was going to post about the Large Hadron Collider, but it convinced me not to.

If you call, I won't answer.

Sue, I'll see your alarm and neighborhood watch and raise you a dog and shotgun.

UPDATE: Sykes, where do you suppose the unemployed twenty-something found the white van with a red ladder and VA tags?

Qubein. You're on my radar. No puff pieces or fawning over you on this blog, buddy.

OMG. I really, really, really like True Blood. LOL.

I watch True Blood. Twilight is next.

Michele, baby, we love you.

I think I'll send my kid to Duke.

Jay Rosen. Don't leave me hanging, bro.

In a cab. In Manhattan. Talking on a cell phone (although I don't do that). To my mother. About some frou-frou breed of dog or other. Advised cabbie to call his mother. He advised me to mind my own goddamned business.

Truly, the only reason for me to ever go somewhere touristy like Myrtle Beach or Times Square is so that I can blog about never going there again.

See Shell, this is the part where you think you're doing something good, but I turn it around on you - BAM! Did you see it? See how that worked - BAM! Want to see it again? Didn't think so. Focus groups? I'm the only focus group that matters.

I will now unleash the power of blog comments upon you, AG!

Blogging isn't dead. I blog all the time.

Kudos to Ryan Shell, candidate for City Council, for learning to kiss the appropriate ring so quickly. From blocking porn at the library to erecting more bus benches in less than two weeks. Well done. It usually takes much, much longer.

Although my last post promoting my latest column didn't generate any comments, that doesn't mean that people aren't privately emailing me about it.

Just in case you were wondering.

Full disclosure: I will whore out advice to anyone who will take it.

First, Junior Davenport goes after nurses. Now, teachers. Perhaps beauticians next?

I wish I could quit this blog.

Damn it, Clarey. You know I don't get out of bed for less than a month's worth of dividends in the trust fund.

Sometimes I get comments. Sometimes I get letters to the editor. Sometimes people email me directly. Here's a typical email:

Ed Cone is God.

Thanks for reading.

One random thing about me.

1. I am too pretentious for Facebook.

Recession checklist. Hoard gas. Neglect children. Turn handicap into asset. Get haircut. Chain somebody up.

Recession update. I get so much free stuff, I just give it away.

Despite the trust fund and despite my now being employed, I want you to know that I feel your pain and that I'm frequenting Greensboro's upscale restaurants less often. We'll get through this. Together.

If you'd have told me some years ago that Jeri Rowe would have outlasted Lex Alexander at the News & Record, in fact that Jeri Rowe would still be alive and coherent enough at this late date to write Lex's obituary, I'd have told you that we'd more likely become a socialist republic under a Democratic administration.

You better hope nobody confuses the two of us when I have to go the hospital, Chuck.

It seems that I may have gotten a job.

Have I ever mentioned on this blog that I was a writer at Forbes? It's where one is groomed by those senior to them.

For reasons known only to them, the high schoolers are still coming.

Hey! Guess what, everybody? We decided that ConvergeSouth wasn't boring enough.

As an added bonus, we're bringing in Guilford County's top IT students so we can give them a preview of the rest of their life.

Update: Next year's sponsor.

The next time you get sick, JR, how about checking yourself into the Joe Koury Memorial Hospital.

The GGO is making its way up the Google rankings.

Joe Killian has some obvious thoughts about the silliness of thinking that the Bible is true and predictably some silly people get upset.

Having helped Obama secure the nomination, I will now realize the power of my man-crush fu. The one known as 'Munger' is chosen.

Gentle readers: as if dozens of you would send me the fake Maureen Dowd column.

Anglico: "I want you to join Pricey and others in making mountaintop removal one of the central issues in this year's election cycle. I want Pat McCrory to have to tell North Carolina where he stands on the wholesale destruction of North Carolina mountains in order to get a few more years worth of coal. I want Beverly Perdue to meet that question as well. And Liddy Dole. And Kay Hagan. And Sue Myrick. And Virginia Foxx.

And once we save the North Carolina mountains from the coal miners, let's make the protection of the North Carolina panhandle our next central issue."

It's the calm before the storm, Cavuto. If we can't have Skybus, then Chicago can't have UA.

I had dinner with Paul Begala.

(I will leave it to you, faithful reader, to deduce whether that means Paul and I sat down one-on-one for a three-hour gabfest about the current state of Democratic politics over Shiner Bock and brisket or whether it means I was one of a thousand in a ballroom eating rubber chicken, drinking Miller Lite and listening to Mr. Begala give a speech for which he was paid.)

Clarey attempts to extract money for a French Riviera vacation from Keanu Reeves.

Shadowy figure revealed. It is Ed Cone's mom. She has taken over the flogging. It is particularly brutal.

Still being flogged. Shadowy figure has emerged in the background.

Pretending failed. Now being flogged.

It appears that authorities that are not of the local kind are at my door demanding my Jerry Bledsoe/Mitch Johnson cagefighting videotape collection volumes 1 through 4. I will pretend to not be here.

When I decide to call you an anti-Semite, Sam, you'll know it.

Perhaps Jim Rosenberg will offer to mediate and we can put this whole ugly business behind us.

Someday Cunning Realist will have been right about something and I will have linked to it.

My wife has taken a picture of everything there is to take a picture of. She will now begin again.

Skate or die.

Listened to Woody call the game today.

Greenway. Maybe good. Maybe bad. Who can tell me?

Spitzer hooker.

Clarey, if you're that hard up for material to put between Ogi and the Deep Purple influenced drummer in search of a Slipknot inspired bassist to form a sonic rhythm section the likes of which Pfafftown has never heard, then you have permission to publish this blog in its entirety. You may keep the proceeds from increased ad revenue.

I wish for my kids to grow up to be degenerates.

Fred Lind played a good game once. Long time ago.

Don't go killing yourself because someone typed something.

Hey Zack, how many speeches you gave to the Rotarians, motherfucker.

Zack Matheny, my friend, you think you've been kissing the right Greensboro rings. Care to begin your education?

Lisa Scheer took this photo in Durham. Of course.

The N&R would have you believe that football is a good thing.

I love the smell of chickenshit in the morning. Here's to yardbirds roosting on Willoughby. Simpler times, friends, simpler times.

Lisa Scheer took this picture yesterday.

I'd like to see notes about the 'Black Book.'

Would someone please tell me how to identify the next bubble and when it will pop so that I may get in early, sell at the right time and leave some other poor sap holding the bag.

53-0.

Bledsoe doomed.

America is on its last legs.

NH GOP pulls out of Fox's Paul-less debate.

Happy New Year.

The older I get the more I appreciate the new year. I used to think it was gimmicky - another hallmark of a run amok capitalist society which I hate, but understand, which forces my fellow liberals to always hold me at arm's length and view me with a bit of suspicion. However, as the solstice has passed and the days lengthen, the ice will thaw and the spring planting will begin and renewal comes to all things.

This moment is unique. Maybe no more unique than any other moment, but unique in its own right and it deserves its special place although that place is no more important than any other moment's, mind you, yet, it is important for the moment itself. There's no denying it. However, we also don't want to bruise its fellow moments, but that is neither here nor there. For this one particular moment things are as they should be. Of course, things will be as they should be or things were as they should have been for all other moments future and past, but let's not let that diminish this moment's place in the sun.

At any rate, this moment is easier to remembr than most. As unfair as that might be.

Also: It's possible I've been drinking just about all day.

Huckabee's latest ad.

Liberty thrift store.

But thank God my dog ain't too cool for the room. w00f.

You'd think someone as bright as me could have raised less world-weary kids. w00t.

Why don't one of you funny hipsters go parody someone who actually deserves being parodied.

Greensboro Disease ©.

Ambition + ego + naiveté = Ovittore!

More importantly, can one be a kingmaker without actually ever making anyone a king?

UPDATE: Why don't you ask the trees at Cornwallis and Lawndale.

Somebody, somewhere, Eden maybe, put this photo on their front page. Their taste is exquisite. Love ya, babes.

Abortion.

For the record, let me state that having Bubba for a brother-in-law is as difficult as you might imagine.

Lisa Scheer.

WHOOOOOO! Huckabee!

No N&R column this week. Due to their schedule not your humble author's lack of ideas.

I will continue to link to people predicting a recession, without making such a prediction myself, until one of them, and thus me, gets it right.

If anyone can think of any other way that I might pimp out Jay Ovittore, I'm open to suggestions.

UPDATE: Thanks, Sue.

Someday a local politician with a blog will win an election. Mark my words.

Lisa Scheer took this picture.

CS rocked! If I do say so myself.

Have I noted recently how much I hate the Eagles?

Please, please, please come to ConvergeSouth.

In case you didn't get that last post, what I mean is for you to come to ConvergeSouth.

In honor of the highest energy prices since 1977, there will be a Jimmy Carter fireside chat with Jason Calacanis. Wear your sweater! The thermosat will be set at a balmy 64!

You are hereby commanded to register for ConvergeSouth.

Mortgage brokers are in trouble.