Convention Diary: Rooms with a grim view?

The life of a network TV legend isn't all room service and starched linen sheets. Veteran anchorman Dan Rather was being picked up by limousine yesterday morning from an unlovely Microtel near Charlotte airport. TripAdvisor reviews of his humble billet include the words "filthy", "scary," "dreadful" and "cockroaches". Guests' bedrooms meanwhile contain public information notices asking: "Have you witnessed young girls being prostituted?"

Just drop the umbrella or you're busted

It may be raining buckets in Charlotte, but don't go trying to keep dry. Security officials have banned umbrellas from the convention. It's 34 years since Georgi Markov was fatally stabbed with a poison-tipped brolly, but in the US Secret Service, Cold War habits die hard.

It's not easy being green…

Delegates are being screened by "bin police" who ensure waste is chucked out in an eco-friendly fashion. There is a "compost" bin, a "landfill bin" and a "recycling" one. Chances of getting a ticking-off are heightened by the fact that some food outlets use compostable containers, while others boast recyclable ones. It's not easy, being green.