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TODAY'S
FOCUS
Literacy
Association to burn books -- unless you save them
By CHERYL MONIZ
Marketing director, Trident Literacy Association
Special to CharlestonCurrents.com
JUNE
1, 2009 -- The Trident Literacy Association is going to burn books.
Shocking, but not nearly as shocking as the rate of illiteracy in
our community and our nation.
Moniz |
Why
would an organization dedicated to improving literacy want to burn
books? Because if something doesn't happen soon, we won't need books
anymore. They will just take up space, increase the hazard of fire
and serve less of an actual purpose.
In
the United States, 42 million adults can't read, and 50 million
adults read at a fourth-grade level. In the Lowcountry, 20,000 adults
have less than a ninth-grade education.
In
the past, people have burned books to keep you from reading them.
We're burning books because fewer people are able to read them.
And soon, the piles of unread books will be an eyesore - a reflection
of what our society has become and a reminder of the suppression
of knowledge that is illiteracy.
Our
flame will be lit at 7 p.m. Oct. 24 unless you stop it. What can
you do? Simply, save the books you love. Visit LowcountryBookBurning.org
and sponsor a book to protect it from the flames (you can also see
the books that others in our community have chosen to save). Your
donation will not only keep that book safe, but also help extinguish
the burning fire of illiteracy in our community before time runs
out.
Why
should you care about illiterate people? Because they are subject
to social and financial intimidation, health risks, poverty and
many other pitfalls associated with their reading and writing deficits.
Low literacy is the root cause of poverty, welfare dependency, medical
costs and increased incarceration. In fact, 78 percent of all inmates
in Charleston's correctional facilities are functionally illiterate.
People with low literacy impact the well-being of the entire community.
Philanthropist
Anita Zucker has issued a $25,000 challenge grant and has saved
all of the Dr. Seuss books. Help Trident Literacy meet that challenge,
and more, as we strive to raise $100,000.
In
support of the Lowcountry Book Burning, Trident Literacy is sponsoring
a series of Read-A-Thons at bookstores and libraries across the
Lowcountry, starting June 18 and running through mid-August. Local
authors, civic leaders and friends of literacy will read from their
favorite books in an effort to save them from the fire. Check with
your local bookstore or library for dates and times of readings,
or check Trident Literacy's Web site,
http://tridentlit.org, for the complete schedule.
Cheryl
Moniz is the marketing director for the Trident Literacy Association.
CURRENTS
Recharge your batteries with public television
By
ANDY BRACK, publisher
JUNE
1, 2009 - With all things green being hip, I had planned to recycle
my Friday
political column today in this space. (It's pretty good, that
is, if you want to read something wonky about how state higher education
funding is on a roller coaster.)
Brack |
But
after watching Masterpiece
Mystery last night on SCETV,
I decided to do something else for this morning's edition: Wax poetic
about public television.
Last
night's broadcast of "Wallender," a British dramatization
of mysteries featuring a Swedish detective played by Irish actor
Kenneth Branagh, was just plain good. Next week's Masterpiece show
will be an episode of "Foyle's War," a mystery series
starring Michael Kitchen that shows the exploits of a British detective
during World War II. Thanks to DVDs at the Charleston County Public
Library, I spent many spring nights viewing brilliant acting and
stories of "Foyle's War."
What's
remarkable about both shows is the patience shown by the director
and acting team. Rather than quick scenes spliced together in a
jerky fashion like much of what comes out of Hollywood, these British
dramas take time to show each actor's struggles with the cases on
which they're working. They show beautiful scenery. They build characters
by letting scenes develop. In short, these shows, brought to America
by public television, offer high-quality acting and entertainment
that just can't be found anywhere else.
And
it is consistent in its excellence (although I'm still not too crazy
about all those old Lawrence Welk rebroadcasts.) While preparing
for bed last night, I surprisingly got caught up in the nature show
that followed Masterpiece Theater. This show, "Ribbon
of Sand," is a beautifully-photographed discussion of barrier
islands along the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I didn't intend
to watch it, but it provided such compelling photography and information
that bedtime had to wait.
From
the old episodes of Sesame Street still watched by children to nature
and travel shows, to mysteries, the offerings by public television
in South Carolina through SCETV are resources that enrich our lives.
If we didn't have them, we wouldn't be as well off. We should be
more grateful for them.
Now
that I'm starting to sound like one of those guilt-ridden pleas
by public TV when it is raising money, I guess I need to give into
the guilt and do what I always mean to do. Let me go get my checkbook
and make that contribution…
Andy Brack
is publisher of CharlestonCurrents.com. He can be reached at: publisher@charlestoncurrents.com.
FEEDBACK
Vent:
Send us your thoughts on community issues
Our
policy:
We encourage readers to submit feedback or letters to the editor.
Send your thoughts to editor Ann
Thrash. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
One submission allowed per month.
Make sure to include your name and phone number. Submission of
a comment grants permission to us to reprint. Please keep your
comment to 200 words or less.
SPOTLIGHT
The
public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring CharlestonCurrents
to you at no cost. This issue's featured underwriter is the Charleston
RiverDogs. The Lowcountry’s leader in sports entertainment,
Charleston RiverDogs baseball is an attractive, affordable medium
for your group or business. The RiverDogs develop the next major
league stars for the 26-time World Champion New York Yankees at
one of the finest ballparks in Minor League Baseball -- Joseph P.
Riley, Jr. Park. Three short words sum up the every day approach
taken by the Charleston RiverDogs front office. The brainchild of
club President Mike Veeck, the nine-letter phrase “Fun Is Good”
is meant to be a guideline and daily reminder of how employees should
approach their jobs and in turn capture the imagination of the fans
to turn them into repeat customers. Call them today at (843) 723-7241
or visit online at: www.RiverDogs.com.
Next game at home: June 6.
- To learn
more about all of our underwriters and nonprofit partners, click
here.
GOOD
NEWS
Volunteers
needed for Piccolo finale recycling effort
Charleston
city and county are looking for a few good men and women to help
manage recycling efforts during the Piccolo Spoleto finale, which
will be held from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. June 6 in Hampton Park. Charleston
County's Environmental Management Department and the city of Charleston's
Green Committee are cooperating in the project.
Volunteers
are needed to help encourage festival-goers to recycle bottles and
cans and to make sure that recyclable materials are separated and
put into the correct bins.
"We'd
like for this event to become a fully sustainable undertaking and
ultimately serve as a model for other events in this region,"
says Dan Dickison, who helped coordinate the inaugural recycling
initiative at last year's Piccolo finale and is also coordinating
this year's effort. "Because such a broad spectrum of people
from the community attends the finale, it also presents a great
opportunity to educate the public about the importance of recycling,
as well as the details about what can and can't be recycled in Charleston
County."
Dickison
says last year's effort kept 280 pounds of recyclable material from
going to the Bees Ferry Landfill.
Charleston
County will provide the recycling bins for the finale. There will
be 10 to 15 stations around the finale site at Hampton Park, and
each station will have one trash can and one recycling bin placed
together. Attendees will be encouraged to use the recycling bins
for their empty plastic bottles (only No. 1 and No. 2 plastic),
aluminum cans and glass bottles.
To
volunteer or find our more, contact Dickison by e-mail at dwgd82@juno.com
or call 607-0365.
HR
concerns to be focus of Chamber workshop
The
Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce's Chamber Labor Climate Network
will sponsor a human resources workshop, "Managing the Storm:
HR Strategies and the Roadmap to Recovery," to help teach business
owners how to retain top talent and keep their companies running
during these tough economic times.
The
workshop will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. June 4 at the
chamber offices, 2750 Speissegger Drive, North Charleston.
Industry
experts will teach attendees how to create a recovery plan and how
best to manage day-to-day human resource operations along with new
employment and labor laws. Guest speaker Kenneth T. Lopatka, formerly
the chief legal counsel to the National Labor Relations Board chairman,
will share the latest from Washington, D.C. on the evolving labor
agenda.
The
cost of the program is $55 for chamber members, $95 for nonmembers.
HR certification credit will be available to HR professionals who
attend. To register, contact Emily Brown at 805-3042 or ebrown@charlestonchamber.org,
or visit
here online.
Footlight
announces new shows; season tickets on sale
The Footlight Players will present their 78th season this fall,
and the group is now offering season ticket subscriptions at a 15
percent to 25 percent discount. New this year is a subscription
plan that lets ticketholders choose which shows they want to see.
Children's tickets are also offered at a discount with season subscription
plans.
The
new season will begin in August with the Neil Simon humorous whodunit
"Rumors." Next up will be "Frost/Nixon" in October,
"The Sound of Music" in December, "The Miracle Worker"
in January, "5 Women Wearing the Same Dress" in March
and "A Class Act" in May.
"LateNight
@ the Footlight" opens in October with "Annoyance,"
followed by "The Altruists" and "Eat The Runt."
In the latter, the audience decides which of eight actors will play
each role, creating a different show for every performance.
To
order a season subscription, call the Footlight Players Box Office
at 722-4487 or go to http://www.footlightplayers.net.
REVIEW
Send
us your recommendations
HAVE
A REVIEW? If you have a review of a book, movie, restaurant
or local arts endeavor, please send no more than 150 words to
editor Ann Thrash.
Make sure to include your name and full contact information.
HISTORY
SPOTLIGHT
Drovers
From
around 1800 until the 1880s, livestock from Kentucky, Tennessee,
Georgia and North Carolina were driven through Greenville County
to the seaport of Charleston, destined for northern markets in Baltimore,
Philadelphia, and New York or south to Florida and the West Indies.
These drives were made possible by the completion of a road from
Greenville County across the mountains and into Knoxville, Tennessee,
in the late 1790s. Herds consisted primarily of cattle or hogs but
also included sheep, mules, horses, and turkeys.
There
were some standardized practices in being a drover. A typical cattle
drive consisted of 100 to 120 head of cattle attended by three drovers:
one on horseback and two on foot. Drovers became expert whip-crackers,
and the term "crackers" may have derived from the long
whips they used. Turkeys were driven in flocks of 400 to 600, which
roosted in trees at night and were guided during the day by whips
with strips of red flannel attached.
Drovers
contributed to the prosperity of the districts through which they
passed, as taverns, stations, and farms provided feed, pens, and
accommodations. Expenses for a drive of 100 cattle from Kentucky
were about $1,500. Hogs were driven about eight miles daily. One
thousand swine consumed about twenty-four bushels of corn a day,
which had to be purchased along the route. There were reported instances
of drives consisting of 5,000 head, and some stations boasted of
handling more than 150,000 head in a year. Taverns and campsites
appeared along the drive route, with some gradually developing into
significant settlements, such as the town of Travelers Rest.
The
expansion of railroads into the upcountry and across the mountains,
coupled with the gradual decline of open-range grazing, led to the
demise of the droving trade. It had largely disappeared from South
Carolina by the mid-1880s.
-- Excerpted
from the entry by Sallie D. Clarkson. To read more about this
or 2,000 other entries about South Carolina, check out The
South Carolina Encyclopedia by USC Press. (Information used
by permission.)
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CREDITS
CharlestonCurrents.com
is provided to you twice a week by:
Address:
P.O. Box. 22261 | Charleston, SC 29413
©
2008-2009, Statehouse
Report LLC. All rights reserved. CharlestonCurrents.com is published
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 THE
LIST
Five for
duck day
This Saturday's
Rotary Club Charity Duck Race is a one-of-a-kind event for a great
cause. The Daniel Island Rotary Club, with support from the East
Cooper Breakfast and Summerville Rotary Clubs, have made approximately
15,000 rubber ducks available for adoption by local residents, and
after registration closes at 5 p.m. Friday, numbers will be assigned
to each duck.
At 11 a.m.
Saturday, the ducks will be dropped into the Wando River from the
I-526 bridge. If your duck is the first across the finish line,
you win $15,000 - and perhaps as much as $1 million. The first 25
ducks to finish will share a guaranteed prize package of $28,000.
To adopt a duck or learn more about race-day festivities on Daniel
Island, go
here online. Duck race proceeds benefit Rotary service projects
as well as the following five local agencies:
- Down Syndrome
Association of the Lowcountry
- East Cooper
Community Outreach
- East Cooper
Meals on Wheels
- Friends
of the Berkeley County Library
- Junior Achievement
of Coastal South Carolina
QUOTE
No
sweat
Kingston |
"The sweat
of hard work is not to be displayed. It is much more graceful to
appear favored by the gods."
-- Author
Maxine Hong Kingston (1940 - )
CALENDAR:
THIS WEEK
'Driftwood
Summer' Book Signing:
7 p.m. June 3, Barnes and Noble, Towne Centre, Mount Pleasant.
Author Patti Callahan Henry will be signing copies of her new novel,
"Driftwood Summer." More info: 216-9756.
HR
Strategies Workshop: 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. June 4,
Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, 2750 Speissegger Drive, North
Charleston. "Managing the Storm: HR Strategies and the Roadmap
to Recovery" will help businesses create a plan to ensure that
they retain their talent during the economic downturn and keep their
businesses up and running. Cost: $55 members, $95 nonmembers. Registration.
(NEW)
'Green'
for the Girls:
6 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 4, Coco's Café, Whole Foods
Shopping Center, 863 Houston Northcutt Blvd., Mount Pleasant. Green
Drinks Charleston, Coco's and Carolina's Eco-Unit, a company that
provides eco-friendly building services, are sponsoring the get-together
to help fund energy-efficiency upgrades and retrofits to the building
that houses the Center for Women on Cannon Street downtown. Cost:
$20 at the door (includes appetizers and a "green" martini).
More info.
Beatles
at Piccolo: June 4-6, Charleston Ballet Theatre,
477 King St. The Charleston Ballet Theatre's "Magical Mystery
Tour" offers dance interpretations of Beatles classics such
as "Lady Madonna," "Blackbird, "Yellow Submarine"
and "Help." Show lasts an hour. Midday, early-evening
and late-evening performances are offered. Tickets: $30 online
or call 554-6060.
Nighttime
at the Museum: 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. June 5, Charleston
Museum, 360 Meeting St. Family event with museum staff bringing
history to life in unusual ways. Kids might bump into a band of
pirates, a unit of Revolutionary War soldiers, a Viking, George
Washington or King Tut during the adventure. Curators and staff
will be stationed throughout the dimly-lit galleries (bring your
own flashlight) to share stories and tell tall tales. Event includes
a light supper. Tickets: $10 member adults, $20 nonmember adults,
$5 member children, $10 nonmember children, free for those younger
than 3. Reservations available online
or by phone, 722-2996, ext. 264.
Bluegrass
Cookout: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. June 5, Farmhouse Pavilion
at The Ponds, 326 Hundred Oaks Parkway, Summerville. Yeehaw Junction,
a top local bluegrass act, will perform traditional bluegrass music
during this free, family-friendly, picnic-style event. Bring blankets
and lawn chairs. Food and soft drinks will be available for purchase.
More info.
Women
Writers Forum: 10 a.m. to noon June 6, Center for Women,
129 Cannon St., Charleston. Editors Darcy Shankland of Charleston
Magazine and Nikki Hardin of Skirt! will shed light on how to get
an article published in a magazine. Cost: $25 Center for Women members,
$50 nonmembers. Registration
(required).
Sweetgrass
Cultural Arts Festival: 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 5 and noon
to 8 p.m. June 6, Laing Middle School, 2213 Highway 17 North,
Mount Pleasant. Gullah-Geechee skits, gospel groups, storytelling,
folklore, music and dance performed by local entertainers. The largest
showcase of diversified sweetgrass baskets in the Lowcountry will
be displayed by local basket makers, along with handmade quilts,
paintings and crafts. Kids' activities include jump castles, water
slides, face painting, and arts and craft. Lowcountry foods will
be provided by local restaurants and vendors. More
info.
Piccolo
Spoleto Finale:
4 p.m. to 9 p.m. June 6, Hampton Park, 30 Mary Murray Blvd.
Free, high-energy celebration to conclude the Piccolo Spoleto Festival.
"A Global Village of World Music" is the theme, with local
performers as well as national and international acts. Food, kids
activities and other entertainment offered as well. Coolers with
alcohol are prohibited in the park. More
info.
CALENDAR:
ONGOING AND SOON
Moonlight
Mixers: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. June 12 and June 26,
Folly Beach Fishing Pier. Local DJ Rob Duren will serve up beach
music and oldies for shagging on the pier. Beverages will be available
for purchase on-site, and food and snacks will be available for
purchase at Locklear's Beach City Grill and the Gangplank Gift &
Tackle Shop. Tickets: $8 Charleston County residents, $10 nonresidents,
in advance. Only 600 tickets will be sold; if any are available
at the gate, they'll be $10 for all. More information: 795-4FUN
or online.
Pirates
of Charleston: 10 a.m. to noon June 13, Charleston Museum,
360 Meeting St. Kids will come face to face with pirates as they
search for buried treasure through the Charleston Museum. Family-oriented
event includes presentations and craft projects suitable for all
ages. Free for museum members; for others, free with regular admission
of $10 adults, $5 children, free for those younger than 3. More
info: On
the Web or via email at sthomas@charlestonmuseum.org.
(NEW)
Friends
of Library Sale: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 13 and 2 p.m.
to 4 p.m. June 14, Charleston County Public Library, 68 Calhoun
St. Sponsored by Friends of the Charleston County Public Library
to raise money to support the library system. All categories of
books, DVDs, CDs and Books on Tape/CD will be on sale with prices
starting at 50 cents. On June 14, DVDs, CDs and Books on Tape/CD
will be half-price. Payment must be made by cash or check. Preview
sale for Friends members only will be held from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
June 13. More info: online
here or by calling 805-6978.
Charleston
Harbor Fest: June 26-28, Maritime Center complex, downtown
Charleston. Free festival featuring tall ships open for touring,
maritime arts and crafts, an "Old Charlestowne" living
history camp, wooden boat displays, free sailing, air shows, live
music, food and, at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, a "Harborpalooza."
Schedules/more
info.
(NEW)
Farm
to Plate Picnic: 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 28, Thackeray
Farms, 1364 Harts Bluff Road, Wadmalaw Island. Picnic is a fundraiser
for Slow Food Charleston's Organic Garden Project at Sanders-Clyde
Elementary School. Guests should bring their own picnic dinner,
beverages and a blanket. Slow Food will host an "American Pie
Auction" featuring homemade pies that will be sold to the highest
bidder. Farm tours, live bluegrass and a book signing by local author
Holly Herrick are also planned, with a portion of book sales benefitting
Slow Food Charleston. Tickets: $10 for Slow Food members, $20 for
nonmembers. More info: 225-4307 or by
email.
ON
THE BOOKSHELF
In this section,
we offer a list of good reads that you might want to consider reading:
- A
Short History of a Small Place, T.R. Pearson
- The
Book of Marie, Terry Kay
- Charleston
Jazz, Jack McCray
- I'll
Be Sober in the Morning: Great Comebacks, Putdowns, and Ripostes,
Chris Lamb (List)
- Plain
Speaking: An Oral Biography of Harry S. Truman, Merle Miller
- Suggest
a book to us
FOCUS
ARCHIVES
9/3:
Deaton:
Thrive Prize
8/31: Rawl:
Charting courses
8/27: Jurcova-Spencer:
Creatives
8/24: Brooks:
Rural Mission
8/20: Yarian:
New local music CD
8/17: Fisher:
Uses of social media
8/13: Hall:
Time for renovations
8/10: Morris:
Dog days at Drayton
8/6: Lindbergh:
Gifted school
8/3: Jackson:
Insurance tips
7/30: VanBogart:
Singles
7/27: Stewart:
Get it clean
7/23: Rosenberg:
Elect women
7/20: Nathan:
Turtle release
7/16: Johnson:
Online school
7/13: Thiers:
Protect skin
7/9: Lee:
Scoring supplies
7/2: Shockley:
Company wellness
THRASH
ARCHIVES
9/3:
Cold
comfort, more
8/27: Being
a fan
8/20: Good,
bad, spineless
8/13: Locals
on Runway
8/6: Cookie
contest
7/30: Vote
on car tags
7/23: True
confessions
7/16: New
way of tithing?
7/9: Lookout
for manatees
BRACK
ARCHIVES
8/31:
This
and that
8/24: SC's
treasures
8/17: RIP
to old clunker
8/10: Lots
to squeeze in
8/3: On
flying Delta
7/27: Conspiracy
theories
7/20: Protect
carriage animals
7/13: Economic
thaw here?
LIST
ARCHIVES
9/3:
Free
legal clinics
8/31: CofC
Class of 2013
8/27: Citadel
Class of 2013
8/24: 7
stores, 7 days
8/20: You
know you're from...
8/17: On
the school menu
8/13: Wines
for grilling
8/10: First
Day Fest facts
8/6: Sales
tax holiday
8/3: Twittering
tips
7/30: Fall
planting
7/27: 5
for teens
7/23: Consignments
7/20: Beach
reads
7/16: Save
the books
7/13: Hot
plants
7/9: Staying
cool
7/2: Old
Exchange 5
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