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TODAY'S
FOCUS
A parable of hawks and
doves: Who's eating your lunch?
By CHERYL SMITHEM
CEO, Strategic Marketing and Charleston PR
Special to CharlestonCurrents.com
APRIL
29, 2010 -- In the world of nature everything is about opportunity.
This truth was apparent the other day when we heard a thump on the
roof of our office. As I looked out of the window, a red-tailed
hawk rolled off the roof with a mourning dove in his talons. They
rolled around in the underbrush and then the hawk took flight to
the cover of a low-growing live oak. There he perched to feast on
his meal of opportunity: the mourning dove.
Smithem |
Many
reading this will think the hawk cruel for devouring the dove, and
some might wish for the demise of the hawk. From where I sit, I
think this is a lesson in seizing opportunity.
As
a small-business owner, how hungry are you? If you are hungry, how
do you find your next project? Do you do as the hawk and fly across
your territory, watching for the slightest twitch or negligence?
The truth is that the dove only became hawk food because he was
not placing his attention where it needed to be: on being aware
of what was happening around him. It's the same in business. If
someone "eats our lunch" in business, it's because we
may have been negligent one too many times.
Whether
we are in an economic recession, depression or boom, being too satiated
keeps us from being aware. Throughout nature, critters have a way
to know when opportunity arrives. Spiders sense the filaments of
their web twitching; fish feel the vibrations of the water moving
as flies land on its surface. Animals have a territory that they
diligently monitor, making it their business to know what happens
in their territory.
We
may not need to act on all the intelligence we gain, but it is our
responsibility to know. And we must be prepared to respond to our
intuition and the cues we gather from our intelligence.
Here
are a few tips to keep the business hawks out of our dovecote:
- Be
vigilant to all opportunities."
- Follow
up on all leads.
- Respond
in a timely manner to inquiries.
- Even
when you don't think you need to, circulate.
- Remain
powerful; not only physically, but mentally. Knowing you are capable
is half the way to gaining the opportunity.
- Don't
judge until you have all the information needed to make a decision.
Cheryl
Smithem is the CEO of Strategic
Marketing & Charleston PR, which provides marketing communications
services to small businesses and entrepreneurs in the Carolinas.
CURRENTS
Paddling
like crazy for some good causes in the Duck Race
By
ANN THRASH, editor
APRIL
29, 2010 -- If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, quacks like
a duck and falls off the Wando River bridge with 29,999 other ducks,
then it must be a duck … that is, it must be a duck in the
Charleston Duck Race.
Thrash |
It's
a one-of-a-kind event that raises money for four worthy local causes
while offering some mighty nice prizes, like cash and a cruise --
and, oh yeah, possibly a million bucks if anyone happens to adopts
a particularly lucky duck in that flock of 30,000.
The
race is coming up on June 12, and it's an event that's close to
our hearts at CharlestonCurrents.com because Publisher Andy Brack
and I have a little rivalry about it. We belong to two of the five
local Rotary Clubs that are sponsoring the race, and we're in a
little race of our own: to see which of us can sponsor the most
duck adoptions through CharlestonCurrents.com. (See the box with
this column and choose up sides.)
Here's
how the duck race works: On June 12, part of the Mark Clark Expressway
will close down, and a huge tractor-trailer truck with 30,000 little
yellow rubber ducks inside will lumber into position on the bridge
over the Wando River. On the bottom of each duck will be a number
that corresponds to a person who "adopted" a duck.
The
truck will dump all the ducks off the bridge and into the Wando,
and they'll float down the river as fast as the current carries
them toward the finish line, which will be set up at Daniel Island
Waterfront Park. (A really big floating boom is used as the outlines
of a racecourse, keeping the ducks within a broad but contained
area so they don't float off and pollute the waterways.)
|
THRASH
VS. BRACK
HOW TO ADOPT A DUCK
To
adopt a duck in the Charleston Duck Race and have a chance
to win part of $30,000 in cash and prizes -- and maybe $1
million -- go
to this Web site. Then complete these steps:
- Click
on the registration link and fill out the online form to
adopt a duck of your own.
- In
the drop-down menu beside "Name of Rotary Club,"
select "East Cooper Breakfast" for Ann or "Rotary
Club of Charleston" for Andy.
- Then
fill in Ann's or Andy's name as the "Rotarian to Be
Credited."
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The
first 30 ducks across the finish line win cash or other prizes for
the person who adopted them: $15,000 for first place, $3,000 for
second place, a cruise for third place, and so on down the line.
And one of those ducks might win a cool $1 million for the person
who adopts it. Before the race, a number is randomly selected by
an agency called OddsOn Promotions, and it's sealed away securely.
If the duck bearing that number is one of the first ten across the
finish line, then the person who adopted that duck wins the million
bucks.
The
Rotary Club of Daniel is the presenting club, and four other local
clubs are helping sponsor the race- - the East
Cooper Breakfast Rotary Club (my club), the Rotary
Club of Charleston (Andy's club), Summerville Rotary Club and
the Rotary Club of North Charleston-Breakfast.
It
costs $10 to adopt a duck, and the money raised goes to four local
nonprofits -- East Cooper Meals on Wheels, My Sister's House, East
Cooper Community Outreach and Windwood Farm Home for Children -
as well as for Rotary programs.
The
Duck Race is crazy and exciting. You don't have to be present to
win, but there's a very fun festival to enjoy out at the park on
the day of the race, with food, music, jump castles, face painting
and more general merriment. It's the kind of day the Lowcountry
loves -- enjoying the outdoors with friends and families while supporting
local agencies that make life here better for all of us.
Ann
Thrash is editor of CharlestonCurrents. She can be reached at editor@charlestoncurrents.com.
FEEDBACK
Send us
your thoughts
SPOTLIGHT
Rural
Mission
 |
The
public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring CharlestonCurrents
to you at no cost. This issue's featured nonprofit partner is Rural
Mission on John's Island. The organization is many things to
man people: a hand up in times of crisis and need … a mission,
service and faith volunteer experience for the young and older …
a caregiver and advocate for young migrant children and a support
system for migrant families … a provider of a warm, comfortable
home in winter and … a greatly appreciated giver of desperately
needed home repairs to make low income homes safe, healthy and decent.
For all, Rural Mission is a source of hope for low- and very low-income
residents, the elderly and families living in the rural underserved
Sea Islands of Charleston County, from Johns Island to Wadmalaw
to Edisto and Yonges Islands. To learn more about this extraordinary
organization, visit
Rural Mission online. To talk to someone about giving your time
or money to help, phone: 843.768-1720.
GOOD
NEWS
Local
residents can get deals on Spoleto tickets on Saturday
If
you're a resident of the Lowcountry, May 1 is your chance to get
a great deal on Spoleto Festival tickets. Saturday's one-day-only
opportunity allows residents to get reduced prices on selected Spoleto
Festival USA events.
The
reduced-price tickets will be available at the Spoleto Festival
box office at Gaillard Auditorium, 77 Calhoun St., from 10 a.m.
until 6 p.m., and additional promotions will be available between
10 a.m. and 1 p.m. The complete list of specially priced performances
will be posted on May 1 and will include "Giselle," "Present
Laughter," Wachovia Jazz concerts and more.
The festival will take place May 28 through June 13. For details
or a schedule of performances, go to http://www.spoletousa.org
or call 579-3100.
Local
residents honored by Verizon for volunteer work
Six
employees of the Verizon Wireless Charleston Call Center were honored
by the company - and earned some cash for their favorite causes
- last week during National Volunteer Week.
The
company recognized the employees for their volunteer work during
2009, when they volunteered nearly 400 hours of their time. Employees
can track their hours online, and if they volunteer at least 50
hours for a nonprofit of their choice, they earn a $750 grant (up
to two grants a year) for that organization through the Verizon
Foundation. The employees and their organizations were:
-
Lorne Shumak - $750 grant for Boy Scouts of America, $750 grant
for Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians.
- Suzanne
Weller - $750 grant for Alliance for Full Acceptance.
- Catherine
Yu - $750 grant for John Ancrum Society for Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals (Charleston Animal Society).
- Angela
Christian - $750 grant for Charleston Orphan House.
- Monica
Woods - $750 grant for Girl Scouts of Eastern South Carolina.
- Erin
Leininger - $750 grant for American Lung Association of South
Carolina.
CBT
choreographer Bahr appointed to NEA Dance Panel
Charleston
Ballet Theatre Resident Choreographer Jill Eathorne Bahr has been
appointed to the Dance Panel for the National Endowment for the
Arts in Washington, D.C. Doug Sonntag, staff head of the Dance Panel
for the NEA, recommended Bahr based on her national reputation as
a choreographer and dance advocate, according to a release from
the CBT.
Bahr |
As
a member of the panel, Bahr will travel to the nation's capital
in June for a week filled with daily reviews of applications from
hundreds of arts groups throughout the nation. The panel will review
the material and make recommendations to NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman
about which projects should receive NEA funding.
Bahr
has been the CBT's resident choreographer since its inception as
a professional dance company in 1987. She is a recipient of the
Elizabeth Verner Award, the state's highest honor for artistic excellence,
and is a two-time winner of the S.C. Arts Commission's Choreography
Fellowship. She also has twice been awarded the NEA Choreography
Fellowship, is a two-time winner of the William Habich Choreography
Award, and a four-time winner of the Monticello Choreography Award.
City's first
'pirate treasure gallery' to open on King Street
Galleons
Lost, a new gallery featuring investment and museum-quality pieces
recovered from shipwrecks, will hold a grand opening reception at
the store, 165 King St. downtown, during the May 7 French Quarter
Art Walk. Rich Mutschler, an ethnographic art dealer, expedition
leader and collector, says the store will offer authentic artifacts
and rare objects from the spice routes to China dated back to the
16th and 17th centuries in a unique gallery setting.
"The
treasure gallery offers investment and museum-quality sunken pirate
treasure, including shipwreck coins, gold doubloons, pieces of eight,
black pearls, gold treasure and jewelry, Spanish and Portuguese
canons and armaments, and more," according to a press release.
Charleston
has historic ties with piracy on the high seas, says Mutschler,
noting that in 1718, the notorious Blackbeard blockaded the port
here. Galleons Lost will feature the types of plunder the pirate
would have sought on the Spanish Main, he says, adding that today
treasures from Spanish, British, Dutch and Portuguese vessels are
being recovered from shipwrecks beneath the waters of Southeast
Asia.
The
grand opening reception will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. May 7.
To learn more about the store, go to http://www.galleonslost.com
or call 577-3875.
RECOMMENDED
Send
us your reviews
HAVE
A REVIEW?
If you have a review or recommendation 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.
SC
ENCYCLOPEDIA
Quakers
The
Society of Friends (more commonly known as the Quakers) experienced
a fragmented history in South Carolina. This was due in large part
to the isolation they faced living as antislavery pacifists in a
slave economy and their distance geographically from more prominent
Quaker settlements in the North. … Founded in England in 1652,
the Religious Society of Friends emphasized a personal religious
experience and the presence of God in every individual, which encouraged
a belief in the equality of all regardless of sex, race, or economic
status. ...
Quakerism
came to South Carolina in the 1670s, and a meeting, the organizational
unit of the Society of Friends, was established in Charleston by
1682. John Archdale, Quaker governor of Carolina from 1695 to 1696,
promoted religious toleration and peace with the Native Americans.
However, Friends' involvement in and influence on South Carolina
politics came to an end with oath requirements for officeholders.
Quakers testified against the taking of oaths due to their belief,
based on the teachings of Jesus, that individuals should be truthful
in all matters and affirm rather than swear to an oath.
Charleston
Friends held ties to London and Philadelphia Yearly Meetings and
remained separate from the other South Carolina Quaker settlements,
which were affiliated with North Carolina Yearly Meeting. …
The Quaker population in South Carolina peaked by 1800, and suffered
dramatic decline due to out-migration to slave-free Ohio. By 1822
only a weak Charleston Meeting remained, and it too ceased to exist
by the time of the Civil War. Except for some northern Quaker women
caring for newly freed slaves during the Reconstruction period,
South Carolina was without a Quaker presence for more than one hundred
years.
Beginning
with Columbia Meeting in 1967, several small worship groups formed
in South Carolina during the late twentieth century. By 2003 there
were an estimated eighty-five meeting members and regular attendees.
South Carolina Friends have met annually since 1999 for the Palmetto
Friends Gathering. Three of the seven small meetings are affiliated
with the Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting, and all practice the
distinctive silent worship traditionally associated with Quakers.
--
Excerpted from the entry by Gwendolyn Gosney Erickson. 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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THE
LIST
High five
for fiber
Do you get
enough fiber in your diet? Chances are the answer is no. Most folks
get only one-third to one-half of recommended daily amounts (which
for women are 21-25 grams and for men are 30-38 grams- the lower
amounts are for people over 50). What does fiber do besides helping
with digestion?
Milkereit |
Charleston
registered dietitian Joanne Milkereit says fiber also helps lower
bad (LDL) cholesterol and contributes to blood sugar control. "Choosing
foods that still have their natural fiber also gives you more of
the vitamins and minerals these foods were born with," she
says. Here are Joanne's five tips for boosting fiber:
1. Start
you day with a high-fiber (5 grams or more) cereal. Top
it with fruit. Strawberries are one of the best fruits for fiber
(and local strawberries are in season right now).
2. Read
ingredient lists. Breads, cereals and other whole grain foods
will list a whole grain first under "Ingredients." Comparing
"dietary fiber" amounts on the Nutrition Facts labels
is also helpful.
3. Eat more
beans, such as garbanzos, pintos and black beans. Soak, cook
and freeze batches of beans. Thawed beans can be added pasta sauces,
salads and rice dishes. Roll some up in a tortilla; top with salsa
for a quick lunch or snack.
4. Eat whole
fruits. Fresh is best, but frozen and canned retain all their
fiber. On the other hand, fruit juices have nearly no fiber.
5. Store
canned beans on your kitchen shelf. Canned beans have all the
fiber of those you cook yourself. Though more convenient, they do
cost more and have less flavor than those you cook.
QUOTE
On
virtue
"To be
able under all circumstances to practice five things constitutes
perfect virtue; these five things are gravity, generosity of soul,
sincerity, earnestness and kindness."
-- Confucius,
Chinese philosopher and reformer (551 B.C. - 479 B.C.)
CALENDAR:
THIS WEEK
Double
Dig: April 28 through May 1, downtown Charleston parks.
Sponsored by the Charleston Parks Conservancy, the Double Dig offers
five volunteer opportunities in which local residents can pitch
in to help spruce up local parks while getting gardening tips and
tricks from experts. Dates and locations are: April 28, 9 a.m. to
noon, Chapel Street Fountain Park, and 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Elliotborough
Park; April 29, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Hazel Parker Playground; April
30, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Cannon Park; and May 1, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.,
Windermere Community Garden. Bring your own gloves, bucket and pruners.
For questions or to sign up, contact Paul Wentz, 724-5003 or by
email.
'Take
it to the Street': 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. April 29,
in front of the Gibbes Museum of Art, 135 Meeting St. Preview party
for the new exhibit "Modern Masters from the Ferguson Collection"
includes live entertainment, an open bar, and creative "street
food" crafted by the chefs from some of Charleston's best restaurants.
Tickets: $75 museum members, $100 nonmembers; buy
online here.
"A
Class Act":
Various days and times, April 30 through May 16, Footlight
Players Theater, 20 Queen St. The Footlight Players show focuses
on the heartwarming and inspiring tale of lyricist Edward Kleban,
who's responsible for the music and lyrics from "A Chorus Line."
Tickets: $30 adults, $25 seniors, $15 students. Call the box office
at 722-4487 or go
online here.
(NEW)
Stand
Against Racism: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 30, YWCA, 106
Coming St., downtown. The YWCA of Greater Charleston is sponsoring
the Stand Against Racism event to raise awareness and to celebrate
different cultures within the Charleston community. The event is
free and open to the community, and is part of a national YWCA initiative,
with similar events taking place across the nation that day. There
will be speakers, Bollywood dancing, a poetry slam performance,
music, henna tattooing, food and videos.
Preservation
Tech Tour: 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. May 1 (and the first
Saturday each month), Drayton Hall, Ashley River Road. The new Preservation
Tech Tour program offers those interested in architecture, history
and preservation a better understanding of the technical aspects
of the site's design, construction and preservation. Participants
get a behind-the-scenes exploration of the house, including areas
normally closed to visitors. Cost: $25 per person, $20 for Friends
of Drayton Hall; light breakfast included. Reservations (required):
Natalie Baker, 769-2638 or natalie_baker@draytonhall.org.
Run
Forrest Run 5K: 5 p.m. May 1, Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. The
seventh annual run, which benefits the MUSC Storm Eye Institute,
is a fun, family-oriented race that starts in front of The Joe and
ends at home plate, where runners are greeted by RiverDogs players.
The course is TAC certified and features split times at each mile
marker, as well as a water station at the halfway point. Registration:
$30; includes a T-shirt while supplies last. To register, learn
more or buy tickets to the RiverDogs-Crawdads game that follows
the run, go
to this Web site or phone: 723-7241
Chefs'
Pot Luck: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. May 2, Middleton Place, 4300
Ashley River Road. Third annual celebration will feature food from
some of Charleston's top chefs preparing dishes using local ingredients
from area farmers and fishermen. Restaurants include Alluette's
Café, Blossoms, BBQ Joint, Clammer Dave's Sustainable Seafood,
Closed for Business, Coast Bar and Grill, Cru Café, Cypress,
Duvall Events and Catering, Fish, Glass Onion, Maverick Southern
Kitchens and Middleton Place. Live music from Elise Testone and
Friends, beer from Coast and Palmetto breweries, wine, ice cream,
handmade chocolates, silent auction and a farmer's market tent as
well. Sponsored by Lowcountry Local First. Tickets: $45 LLF members,
$50 nonmembers; available
online here.
CALENDAR:
ONGOING AND SOON
(NEW)
Blues by the Sea: 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. May 8, Freshfields
Village. Free performances by popular blues artists, including Bobby
Parker & the Blues Night Band, the Shane Pruitt Band and Skyla
Burrell Blues Band. Freshfields Village is located between the crossroads
of Kiawah, Seabrook and Johns islands. Directions/more
info.
Yacht
Affair: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. May 16, Charleston City Marina,
17 Lockwood Drive. Benefit for Communities In Schools (dropout prevention
programs) features tours of exclusive yachts, a silent auction,
entertainment and food by some top local chefs. Tickets: before
May 10, $85 per person or $150 per couple; at the door, $95 per
person or $170 per couple. To purchase: 740-6793 or go
online here.
FOCUS
ARCHIVES
7/1:
Shaffer:
Picky Eaters Group
6/28: Bender:
Fishy Fourth
6/24: Belden:
Society 1858
6/21: Stevenson:
Summer reading
6/17: Handel:
On Jim Fisher
6/14: Reeves:
Summer dress
6/10:Martin:
Garden tips
6/7: Dubrofsky:
Green homes
6/3: McCutcheon:
Young pros
5/31: McFaddlin:
Health benefits
5/27: Ledbetter:
Senior riders
5/24: Myers:
Microloan's impact
5/20: Gadson:
Rural Mission's needs
5/17: Bender:
Bocce bashing
5/13: DeMarco:
Homeless help
5/10: Spencer:
Ending violence
5/6: Westmeyer:
Fish to buy
5/3: Maas:
Spoleto tips
THRASH
ARCHIVES
7/1:
Lots
to do on 4th
6/24: Ways
to nab skeeters
6/17: Dump
the Pump, more
6/10: Lots
to do locally
6/3: Dancin'
for dollars
5/27: Locals'
15 minutes
5/20: Strawberry
season
5/13: New
for foodies
5/6: Poll
managing
4/29: Adopt
a Duck
4/22: Indelible
ink
4/15: Grab-bag
of items
4/1: In
jingle semifinals
3/25: Blues
and birds
3/18: Recalling
"The Charleston"
3/11: East
Cooper hospital
3/4: Green
mowers
2/25: Get
outdoors
2/18: Local
guide book for kids
2/11: Reviewing
Jenny's book
2/4: MSNBC
looks at success
1/21: Tell
Mt. Pleasant
1/14: Winter
plant tips
1/7: New
books
BRACK
ARCHIVES
6/28:
Impatient
electorate
6/21: Haley's
thin record
6/14: Daddy-daughter
trip
6/7: Gulf
spill report
5/31: New
SC poll flummoxes
5/24: BBQ
should be state meat
5/17: Advice
to new grads
5/10: Bad
Spoleto poster
5/3: First
District candidates
4/26: Don't
veto cigarette tax
4/19: Great
weekend of fun
4/12: Remembering
Civil War
4/6: Be
counted in Census
3/29: SC
economy is recovering
3/22: Meeting
Turkish neighbors
3/15: Clyburn
whips up support
3/8: The
Wreck rec
3/1: Cut
all of the cuts
2/22: A
look at summer camps
2/15: School
district Einsteins
2/8: About
mules
2/1: Bauer
should get out
1/28: Gibbs
at White House
1/25: Friend's
new show
1/18: Rockwell
painting
1/11: Palmetto
Priorities
1/4/10: Piggly
Wiggly visit
BUSINESS
INDIGO
4/22:
Green
Wizard, more
4/1: Encouraging
biz signs
3/18: Biz
fair, CED venture
3/4: Lowcountry
tech hub
2/4: Advice
on working with Boeing
1/21: Co-working
group
1/7: Free
library text questions
LIST
ARCHIVES
7/1:
Keeping
cool
6/28: LinkedIn
tips
6/24: Be
an Angel
6/21: CFW
finances
6/17: Pirate
facts
6/14: Gadsden
Flag
6/10: Butterfly
tips
6/7: 1773
awards
6/3: Good
reads
5/31: 5
Southern artists
5/27: Local
jazz legends
5/24: Piccolo
for kids
5/20: Pats
on back
5/17: Tea
tips
5/13: PeaceLoveHipHop
5/10: Myth
detector
5/6: Cooking
with Mom
5/3: Turtle
tales
|
