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Issue
1.31 | Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009 |
How 'bout those penguins?
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LIST GOOD
NEWS ALSO INSIDE ___::
CALENDAR: Coming events |
ABOUT US CharlestonCurrents.com is a new online twice-weekly publication that offers insightful community comment and good news on events. It cuts through the information clutter to offer insight and news on the best of what's happening locally. More. |
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TODAY'S
FOCUS FEB. 26,
2009 -- Max Factor, the cosmetics icon, was asked in an interview, "Mr.
Factor, what do you sell?" His answer was simple and profound: "I
sell hope." There are many ways to infuse hope into both our business
and personal lives. Taking positive and meaningful action, especially
during these economic times, can provide hope for our businesses and ourselves:
hope for moving forward, protecting our assets and positioning us for
better times. What can we do beginning today?
Watch expenses. Determine which expenses can be reduced, but be sure that a short-term gain is not offset by a long-term loss. Keep your name in front of your customers. One of the first expenses many companies are tempted to reduce is advertising. Evaluate your advertising and determine if there are more effective means of reaching your customers. Keep your name and image in the minds of your consumers regardless of the economic conditions. Maintain an effective employee base. Employees are usually the next expense on the chopping block. Making a 10 percent or 15 percent cut in employees "across the board" is not an effective way to trim labor costs. Consider these alternatives:
Minimize reducing prices. Once you reduce the price of an item, it is very difficult to increase it. Having only sale promotions to increase business teaches the customer to buy only when a sale is taking place. Reducing prices might reduce inventory, but it typically reduces profits. If price reductions continue, a business may reach the point that it is only "swapping dollars" with the customers. Utilize the "bundling" concept. Instead of cutting prices, combine one or more items to make a sale. Examples: Buy a sport coat and receive a pair of pants at half off. Buy a bag of cement and get a trowel at no charge. Buy a burger and get a complimentary drink. These are examples of giving the customer extra values without marking down the prices. Bundling requires that the customer is receiving something he considers a value or a "good deal." Improve morale with a purpose. Ask for cost-saving ideas from your employees and give the winner a "dinner for two." Often a deal can be made with a restaurant - buy one meal gift certificate and get the second one free. (They are bundling.) Now the dinner prize for two costs only the price of one meal. Make this a monthly or quarterly event. If one great idea is implemented, it is certainly worth the effort. Have a monthly "pot luck" luncheon. Each person brings an assigned food, and the event is used for recognition of an employee for either a cost-saving suggestion or for generating additional revenues. Give these suggestions some thought and be creative in determining how you can save dollars and increase revenues. Al Katz is the founding and managing partner of The Next Level, LLC. He has been a business coach for more than 20 years, working with over 600 organizations throughout the country. Additionally, he continues to teach in both the undergraduate and graduate programs at The Citadel and just published his first book, "A Journey With Mac: Rediscovering the Fundamentals of Business." Contact him at http://www.ajourneywithmac.com. 'CURRENTS FEB. 26, 2009 -- One of these days, I'd like to look out into my back yard and see a bird that isn't brown. Or black. Or grey. The brightest color in my yard lately? Red- - on the roof of one of our bird feeders, but not on the birds themselves.
When I used to write the Almanac column in Sunday's Post and Courier, people would send me e-mails and photos of all the colorful birds on their feeders. They'd tell tales about the joy of watching the birds' antics around feeders and fountains, and the thrill of seeing babies fledge. Bluebirds, goldfinches, orange-breasted Baltimore orioles, yellow-rumped warblers, rosy-red summer tanagers -- it felt as if they were at every house in the county but mine. We've tried everything -- and spent a small fortune doing it -- but we just don't see any of these colorful types. Seed smorgasbords have been pretty useless. Cut orange halves and bowls of grape jelly haven't lured the first oriole. Planting appropriate native plants that bear the kinds of fruits birds supposedly love -- nope, no good. My father-in-law built a beautiful bluebird house for us several Christmases ago, and I had hopes that it would make us as successful as he is at attracting them. But now I'm starting to consider it a personal failure that I have yet to be able to get a bluebird -- or anything else -- to nest in it.
The bird I think I'd most like to see in my yard is a painted bunting. This teeny little bird looks like a kindergartener got hold of it and went crazy with the finger paints. The head is deep blue, the breast is orange-red and the wings are varying shades of green, from light lime to almost olive. I've only seen one -- not at my house, of course. It was out at Folly Beach. So what kinds of birds do I have? Well, I'd say the phrase "little brown birds" just about covers it. A couple of types of finches, sparrows, that sort of thing. We also see a good many birds that are mostly black or gray: doves (mourning and Eurasian collared), red-winged blackbirds (the small yellow and red patches on their wings are about the best color I see on a regular basis) and grackles -- oh, so many grackles. The backyard favorites of my childhood, such as cardinals and blue jays, seem to have been in short supply lately. What we lack in color, though, we make up for in drama. A marsh hawk or two seem to have our house under surveillance, and every now and then we see one swooping in toward the feeders. That move is invariable followed by a rush of frantic wing flapping as the doves (the hawk's favorite targets) speed off to safety. Keep your bird feeders full and your camera handy, and if you get a cool photo, please e-mail it to me. I'm always interested in good photos to remind me of what I'm missing -- and you might even see one or two of the best shots posted here at CharlestonCurrents.com. Andy Brack is publisher of CharlestonCurrents.com. He can be reached at: publisher@charlestoncurrents.com FEEDBACK
SPOTLIGHT
The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring CharlestonCurrents to you at no cost. In this issue, we highlight the Joye Law Firm. Committed to fighting for the rights of the wrongly injured in South Carolina for more than 40 years, the experienced, dedicated personal injury lawyers of the Joye Law Firm want to help you get every dollar you truly deserve for the injuries you've suffered. Whether you've been injured in an auto accident, by a defective product, in a nursing home, or on the job, we may be able to help you. For more information, contact Joye Law Firm at 843.554.3100 or visit online at: http://www.joyelawfirm.com.
Oh say can you sing? RiverDogs to hold anthem tryouts
Think you've got the chops to sing or play the national anthem in front of thousands of people? If so, the Charleston RiverDogs want to hear from you -- and they want to hear you, too. Our local Class-A affiliate of the New York Yankees will host auditions on March 10 for those wishing to perform the "Star Spangled Banner" during the upcoming season at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Tryouts
will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. behind home plate at "The Joe."
Vocalists and instrumentalists who are interested in performing should
show up at the ball park ready to perform. The S.C. Department of Natural Resources recently received a donation of $101,925 from the Harry Hampton Memorial Wildlife Fund to support projects and activities that promote conservation and wildlife education in the state.
The fund is a private, nonprofit corporation that partners with DNR on efforts that support education, research, management and the administration of game and fish laws that benefit wildlife, marine and natural resources. Projects supported by the fund include marine education and the educational vessel Discovery, which is regularly docked at DNR's Marine Resources Division in Charleston; Operation Game Thief; Hooked On Fishing, Not On Drugs; Project WILD in state schools; the Camp Wildwood conservation camp; habitat enhancement and protection; and fisheries research. The fund is named for Harry Hampton, an avid conservationist and writer whose syndicated column was written for The State newspaper in Columbia. Charleston Young Professionals to launch green events The Charleston Young Professionals group is launching a series of green events in March and April for local members of the business community who are ages 22-39. The first is "Fishy Business," planned for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 4 at the South Carolina Aquarium. The event, part of CYP's monthly social networking, will focus on the aquarium's conservation efforts, green practices and the Sustainable Seafood Initiative. Those who bring donations for the aquarium's sea turtles will get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Sea Turtle Hospital. Items that can be donated include bleach, dishwashing detergent, 2X concentrated laundry detergent, dish sponge/scrub pads, small trash liners, black Sharpies, mechanical pencils or gift certificates to Lowe's, Home Depot or Wal-Mart.
There will also be eco-friendly exhibitors and recycling stations that will be accepting cell phones (any kinds, including chargers); screw-top, soft-drink-style bottle caps; disposable alkaline batteries; rechargeable batteries (NiCd, NiMh, lead, silver, mercury and lithium); and power-tool batteries. On April 1, CYP will tour Mixson, a new neighborhood of "smart" homes in North Charleston with the latest green technologies and materials. On April 22, Earth Day, the "Get on the Bus with CYP Green Expo" will offer a tour on the LEEP Biodiesel Bus around the Navy Yard at Noisette and surrounding eco-friendly businesses and neighborhoods in North Charleston. Following the bus tour, there will be a green expo at 10 Storehouse Row with sustainability tips from companies, nonprofits and developers who have expertise on going green. CYP was launched in 2006 as an initiative of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce to establish a network that could help attract and retain the number of young professionals ages 22-39 who live and work in the Charleston area. CYP's goal is to cultivate and empower young professionals by providing them access to local industries and government, constructive networking and professional development opportunities. For more information on CYP or to register for the green events, go to http://www.charleston-yp.com. Antiques forum reports ticket package sales up Ticket package sales for the Charleston Art & Antiques Forum are 12 percent ahead of last year's pace, the event's chairperson announced this week. "We anticipate another sell-out program," Jean Y. Helms said in a press release. Last year's forum attracted participants from 22 states and three foreign countries. Now in its 12th year, the nationally acclaimed forum benefits education programs at the Gibbes Museum of Art.
The Art & Antiques Forum, part of Charleston's Antiques Week, is planned for March 18 to March 22, and the theme this year is "Town and Country: Life in Early America." A number of notable speakers and programs will look at life in urban and rural America before 1860 through its material culture, including architecture, furniture, paintings, silver and ceramics. One of the highlights of the event is expected to be an afternoon spent on-site with curators at Drayton Hall. Single tickets are available for a number of events, ranging from $25 for walking tours and $45 for lectures at the Gibbes to $95 for a plantation tour and lunch. "Connoisseur Packages" are available for $525. To buy tickets or learn more, call 722-2706, ext. 22, or go to http://www.charlestonantiquesforum.org. REVIEW
HISTORY
SPOTLIGHT (Second of two parts) The emergence of Southern rock in the early 1970s brought to national attention the Marshall Tucker Band, a Spartanburg-based group whose semi-Western swing sound included multiple guitars and a flute. Signed to the successful Capricorn Records label, the home of Southern rock pioneers the Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker released a string of gold and platinum records and scored such hits as "Can't You See," "Fire on the Mountain," and "Heard It in a Love Song." Spartanburg was also the home of Marshall Chapman, who began her career as a country-rock singer and guitarist in the early 1970s but is best known as a songwriter, penning songs for Jimmy Buffet, Crystal Gale, Joe Cocker, and others.
The most successful South Carolina-based rock act, in terms of both sales and Grammy awards, to emerge in the latter part of the twentieth century was Hootie and the Blowfish. Like the Swinging Medallions, Hootie and the Blowfish began as a frat-party and bar band. In 1994 the quartet, led by singer Darius Rucker, released their debut album, Cracked Rear View, on Atlantic records. The album sold more than seventeen million copies and earned the group Best New Artist awards from both MTV and the Grammies. The group won a second Grammy for the single "Let Her Cry." The success of Hootie prompted record companies to scout South Carolina for other possible superstars. Atlantic Records signed Charleston native Edwin McCain, who scored hits with the power ballads "Solitude" (1995) and "I'll Be" (1997). Atlantic also partnered with members of Hootie and the Blowfish to establish the short-lived Breaking Records label. Among the first bands signed to the label were Charleston's Jump! Little Children and Columbia's Treadmill Trackstar. After Atlantic dropped the label in 2001, Hootie and the Blowfish established Handpicked Records, an independent label based in Columbia, and released two compilation albums featuring the South Carolina acts Five Way Friday, Danielle Howle and the Tantrums, Moviestar, and Tootie and the Jones.
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© 2008-2009, Statehouse Report LLC. All rights reserved. CharlestonCurrents.com is published every Monday and Thursday by Statehouse Report LLC, PO Box 22261, Charleston, SC 29413. |
Got some basic computer skills but want to kick everything up a notch? Here are five free classes being offered this month at the main branch of the Charleston County Public Library, 68 Calhoun St. Go here for details and registration info, or call 805-6930. (Note that most classes do require basic computer experience.)
"Beware of the young doctor and the old barber."
'To Kill A Mockingbird': Today through Feb. 28, Memminger Auditorium, 56 Beaufain St., Charleston. Charleston Stage production of Harper Lee's moving novel is directed by Julian Wiles. Tickets: $15-$29. For show dates and times, visit Charleston Stage online. Food + Wine Festival Preview Party: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Feb. 27, Renaissance Charleston Hotel, 68 Wentworth St. Get the scoop on the upcoming festival while raising money for the Lowcountry Food Bank's Kids Café program. Hors d'oeuvres provided by Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q; wine provided by Whole Foods Market. Tickets: $15 at the door, cash or check; reservations not needed. More info. PRC Job Fairs: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 28 (James Island County Park) and March 7 (Palmetto Island County Park). Seasonal and part-time employment opportunities include positions at the campground and cottages; food concessions; group services and picnic planning; the climbing wall; maintenance and landscaping; lifeguarding (ocean and waterpark); day camp counselors; adventure based counselors; boat, bike, and beach rentals; gate and ticket operations; and custodial services. Applicants must be at least 15 years old (at least 18 for maintenance and camp counselor positions). More info/online applications. (NEW) Sustainable Seafood Dinner: 6 p.m. Feb. 28, The Restaurant at Middleton Place, 4300 Ashley River Road, Charleston. Sponsored by the restaurant and the South Carolina Aquarium's Sustainable Seafood Initiative, the four-course dinner will feature sustainable tilefish. The Southern-inspired meal, accompanied by wines and prepared by Executive Chef Micah Garrison and Sous Chef Chip Alich, will include Tilefish Chowder, Tilefish 'N' Chips, Tilefish Au Poivre and Lemon Curd Napoleon. Cost: $65 per person (inclusive). Reservations (required): 266-7477. CALENDAR: ONGOING AND SOON Sea and Save: Throughout February, S.C. Aquarium, 100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston. Reduced admission fee of $10 for all South Carolina residents during the month, a savings of $7 off regular adult admission. Proof of residency required. More info online or at 577-3474. 'Uptown in Downtown Charleston': Throughout February, Saul Alexander Gallery, Charleston County Library Main Branch, 68 Calhoun St. Watercolors by artist Andrea Hazel, a native Charlestonian, will focus on the neighborhood people, corner stores and small businesses that becoming harder to find in downtown Charleston. The paintings are part of an ongoing series that reflects Hazel's love for her hometown and the streets where locals live and hang out. (NEW) Kids and Global Education: Noon to 1 p.m. March 5, Memminger Media Center, 20 Beaufain St., Charleston. "What Can A Global Education Do For Your Child?" is a brown-bag lunch and open house at Memminger Global Studies, a University Partnership School, focusing on global education and how it prepares students for the future. Speaker: Amanda Weingarten, College of Charleston School of Languages, Culture and World Affairs. Tour of the school and overview of its plans for the 2009-10 school year will follow the discussion. More info: Principal Anthony Dixon, 724-7778. BB&T Charleston Food + Wine Festival: March 5-8, various venues. The fourth annual festival highlights Charleston's distinctive restaurants, culinary history and cuisine while allowing guests to meet stars of the food world from around the nation, including chefs, authors, wine makers and pitmasters. Events include dinners, a gospel brunch, tastings of food and wine, cooking demonstrations (including a burger demonstration with Food Network star Bobby Flay) and more. MUSC's Children's Hospital is the signature charity for the festival. Details, tickets and more info: click here. Local Food Block Party: 6 p.m. March 7, Ted's Butcherblock, 334 East Bay St., Charleston. Sponsored by Ted's and Lowcountry Local First, a Charleston nonprofit that promotes shopping local, the event features food, beer and wine from local and regional purveyors, along with live local music. Cost: $25 (includes a plate of food, beverage and samplings). A portion of the proceeds will benefit Lowcountry Local First's Sustainable Agriculture Initiative, which works to strengthen local farms and producers by creating partnerships with local restaurants, institutions and the community. RiverDogs Job Fair: 9 a.m. to noon March 14, Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Apply for game-day working positions, including ushers, ticket-takers and Kidz Zone staff, with the RiverDogs, the Class-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. More info: Jake Terrell, 723-7241. (NEW) Gospel Choir Fundraising Concert: 5 p.m. March 14, Ashley River Baptist Church, 1101 Savannah Highway. The Charleston Symphony Orchestra's Gospel Choir, featuring new music director Sandra Barnhardt, will present African-American sacred songs. Tickets: $10 per person. Available at the Gaillard Auditorium Box Office (cash only), 77 Calhoun St., from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or at the church beginning one hour before the performance. Photographing Your Baby: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. March 15, Charleston Center for Photography, 654 King St., Suite D, Charleston. Portrait photographer Julia Lynn will lead this workshop, giving demonstrations and teaching students how to choose the right location for shooting, properly position the baby and get a great exposure every time. Aperture, shutter speed, ISO and lens selections will be discussed as well. Cost: $125. Register here. Nature Photography Workshop: March 18-March 21. Through the Charleston Center for Photography, nature photographer Kenny McKeithan will lead a workshop called "Nature of the Lowcountry." Participants will travel around the greater Charleston area photographing various sites. Sessions include hands-on instruction for each student along with critiques. Cost: $300. Details/registration: http://www.ccforp.org or 577-0647. Penguins 'n' Pajamas Family Sleepover: 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. March 20, S.C. Aquarium, 100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston. Sleep with the penguins at the aquarium on the night that the new Penguin Planet exhibit opens. Family sleepover will offer special chances to watch the penguins dive underwater, learn about penguin colonies and discover what makes them march. One adult required per two children attending the event. Reservations and advance payment required. Cost: $30 per member child, $40 per member adult; $40 and $50 for nonmember child and adult, respectively. Reservations: 577-3474. More info. Mom to Mom Sale: 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. March 21, National Guard Armory, 245 Mathis Ferry Road, Mount Pleasant. Sponsored by three Mount Pleasant MOMS clubs (Moms Offering Moms Support), the sale will offer new and gently used children's, baby and maternity items from 80 different consigners. Ten percent of proceeds will go to Windwood Farms, a local group home for boys ages 5 to 16 who have been removed from their homes because of unstable family situations. Cost: $1 entry fee for sale. Details. Walk for Water: 9 a.m. March 21, Cannon Park, downtown Charleston. Join Water Missions International for an educational, 3.5-mile walk inspired by the experience of women and children who are responsible for fetching water for their families every day. Walkers are encouraged to form teams and recruit as many supporters as possible. After the walk, enjoy refreshments and family-oriented activities and entertainment. More info. (NEW) Mount Pleasant Arts Festival: Noon to 4 p.m. March 21, Mount Pleasant Towne Centre. Festival is sponsored jointly by the town and Towne Centre to celebrate the arts in Mount Pleasant. Features live entertainment, performing arts, a juried art exhibit, Mount Pleasant Artists Guild entries, roving entertainment, games and activities for kids. Free admission and parking. More info: 884-8517. Pet Fest: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 28 and noon to 4 p.m. March 29, Palmetto Islands County Park, Mount Pleasant. Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission's annual pet event expands to two days this year. Dock diving will be featured for the first time, along with past fest favorites such as Lowcountry Dog magazine's "cover model contest," a dog show, Frisbee dogs, a microchipping clinic and several dog contests. Cost: $5 or three Greenbax for adults, per day; free for kids age 12 or younger, leashed pets and Gold Passholders. More info or 795-4FUN. In this section, we offer a list of good reads that you might want to consider reading:
FOCUS ARCHIVES 8/20:
Yarian:
New local music CD THRASH ARCHIVES 8/20:
Good,
bad, spineless BRACK ARCHIVES 8/17:
RIP
to old clunker LIST ARCHIVES 8/20:
You
know you're from... SISTER PUBLICATIONS We encourage you to check out our sister publications:
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