|
TODAY'S
FOCUS
10 ways to keep kids reading -- even in the summer
By JANA JONES STEVENSON
Children's Services manager, John's Island Regional Library
Special to CharlestonCurrents.com
JUNE
21, 2010 -- School is out and summer fun is in full swing. But now
is not the time to let your guard down, parents.
Jones |
Kids
who do not read all summer will suffer the consequences when they
go back to school. Reading is a skill that requires practice, so
here are some fun tips to keep the whole family reading all summer!
1.
Make sure to have a large variety of books available for
that random moment of entertainment -- short books, long books,
picture books, books about animals and other topics that your
child is interested in! Many boys find it difficult to read fiction
stories and value factual reading more.
2.
Attend Make A Splash Summer Reading programs at your local
library. A schedule of these weekly events can be found at http://www.ccpl.org.
Take this time to stock up on more books, too.
3.
Join the Summer Reading Program at your local CCPL branch.
It's not just for kids! We have programs for teens and adults,
too. Also, check out the programs at the local bookstores. There
are lots of incentives to keep kids reading, like free books,
passes to water parks, ice skating, soccer games and much more.
4.
Magazines are a great way to keep kids occupied, and they
usually have entertaining crafts and activities based on the articles.
Past issues of magazines can be checked out at some of the CCPL
libraries. Ask your librarian if your location does this.
5.
Make a craft or learn a new board game. Kids will have
to read and follow the directions and will be rewarded with creating
something wonderful.
6.
Book Club Party! Invite friends over and have a book club
party. Serve foods and play games that go along with the books.
Everyone can read the same book, or each child can share his or
her favorite book. Meet once a week or every other week like any
other play date.
7.
Make this an opportunity to establish a family reading time.
In the summer the evenings are not so jammed with activities,
and you may have more time to establish a ritual of reading before
bed or after dinner. Take advantage of this time and read with
your child.
8.
If your child is reading for fun (not school related), don't
pressure him or her to complete every book. Reading for fun
is just that! If the child hates the book, then reading it is
no longer fun. If you are having trouble finding something the
child is interested in, visit your local library for suggestions.
9.
Read the newspaper or your favorite news blogs and websites
together. Show your child that it is important to keep up with
world events.
10.
Tie books in with the things you do this summer. If you
go crabbing, get a book about crabs. If you visit the Hunley,
check out a book about this historic piece of Charleston. Follow
up fun activities with a book so your child will have a more solid
understanding of the event.
Jana
Jones Stevenson is the children's services manager at the Johns
Island Regional Library, located 3531 Maybank Highway.
CURRENTS
Haley's
thin record offers little leadership hope
By ANDY BRACK, publisher
JUNE
21, 2010 - - The really bitter irony of the June 8 elections is
that the angry people who voted for Nikki Haley as the GOP’s
choice for governor are in for a big shock one day: Instead of being
a change, she represents more of the same.
Brack |
The
hyper-ambitious Haley is little more than Mark Sanford in drag.
Like
Sanford, she doesn’t get along with the legislature and, quite
frankly, many lawmakers don’t trust her. She’s bickered
with the House and Senate leadership over accountability and internal
voting procedures as if she had the only solution to any problem.
As governor, she’d have the same “my way or the highway”
attitude that’s plugged up progress for the state for the last
eight years. In a state that needs forward progress, Haley would
offer little.
Like
Sanford, Haley swallowed whole the libertarian notion by Washington
insider Grover Norquist that government should be so small that
it can be drowned in a bathtub. She doesn’t respect how government
is the civilizing influence on society that allows us to live at
more than a subsistence level.
Like
Sanford, she’s got a lot of charm. She can twinkle and jab,
smile and joust with the best of the media.
But
unlike Sanford, she’s not got much substance. In a state with
one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, Haley offers
no detailed plan to create jobs. Instead she talks about economic
prosperity in a dozen lines on her Web site. Relying primarily on
rhetoric, she’s riding a wave of Tea Party zeal inspired by
that rocket scientist of a politician, Sarah Palin.
When
our state needs real leadership that will bring in more jobs, solve
a coming budget earthquake and try to get South Carolina off the
bottom of lots of lists, Haley offers nothing more than fluffy lines
to appease people who have seen the movie “Network” too
many times. (“I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to
take it any more.”)
For
example, she says South Carolina – with its Republican governor,
Republican House and Republican Senate – needs to be conservative,
not just Republican. Is she kidding? That South Carolina –
the nation’s testing ground for any whacked out divisive policy
that comes along from school vouchers to prolonged abortion waiting
periods – is not conservative? What’s she smoking?
Here
are some highlights from Haley’s thin record:
-
Little real leadership.
First elected to the S.C. House in 2004, Haley desperately wanted
to be chair of the House Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee
in late 2008. But her zeal for a leadership position backfired
after continued tussling with House Speaker Bobby Harrell, who
eventually reassigned her to the Education and Public Works Committee.
At the time, he noted she was “just pandering to voters and
grabbing for headlines.” (From February through May this
year, Haley attended no meetings of the committee.)
-
Opportunism.
GOP runoff opponent Gresham Barrett highlights an “honest
difference” with Haley in her budget votes. According to
Barrett’s Web site: “[Haley} voted for every state budget
until she announced her campaign for governor – for a total
of $2 billion in budget increases.”
-
Opacity, not transparency.
For all of Haley’s high-falutin’ appeals for transparency,
she refused to release her legislative correspondence, including
email, prior to the June 8 election. Why? Because she was trying
to kill stories about much-denied allegations that she was involved
in an extramarital affair. Also, according to Barrett’s site,
she’s been unwilling to bring her income tax returns into
the light of sunshine like many candidates do.
Nikki
Haley may just win the June 22 runoff. If so, she’ll face more
intense scrutiny in the months ahead. As she does, ask yourself
these questions: Is this really the kind of person that you want
running the state? Is this your best hope for South Carolina’s
future?
Andy
Brack, publisher of CharlestonCurrents.com, can be reached at: publisher@charlestoncurrents.com.
FEEDBACK
Send us
your thoughts
- We
love getting input from you. If you have an opinion you'd like
to share, send your letters to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com.
We look forward to hearing from you!
SPOTLIGHT
Joye
Law Firm
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.
GOOD
NEWS
Want a West
Ashley senior center? County needs opinions
A
group of passionate West Ashley volunteers is surveying local residents
to get their views on a possible senior center to serve West Ashley
area residents age 50 and older. Citizen input will identify which
services, programs and facilities would be most vital and what specific
opportunities would be the most popular.
The
West Ashley Senior Services Coordinating Committee (WASSCC) has
already collected more than 400 surveys from residents. June 30
is the deadline to submit a survey, which can be filled out here
-- http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/seniorcenter.
Citizens who can't fill out a survey online may fill out a printed
version at the Lowcountry Senior Center on James Island, West Ashley
Library, St. Andrews Library, Bee's Landing, Charleston Tennis Center,
Jewish Community Center or St. Andrews Family Fitness Center.
The
coordinating committee was created by citizens who have been meeting
since the summer of 2009 at "Coffee with Colleen and Aubry,"
a weekly coffee get-together at Sojourn Coffee with Charleston County
Councilmember Colleen Condon and Charleston City Councilmember Aubry
Alexander. In addition to the citizens on the committee, there are
representatives from the Jewish Community Center, St. Andrews Parks
and Playground, Roper St. Francis Healthcare, Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester
Council of Governments, Charleston County Housing and Redevelopment
Authority, Trident Area Agency on Aging, and city and county staff.
The
center would serve as a gathering place where activities such as
bridge, book clubs, lectures, fitness, and other programs are offered
to residents over age 50. "Similar centers in Mount Pleasant
and James Island have been extremely successful," says Condon,
"and we should do the same in West Ashley. I believe a partnership
between Charleston County, the city of Charleston, St. Andrews Parks
and Playgrounds, and other agencies can serve this need extremely
well."
Alexander
agrees, adding, "We provide incredible opportunities for our
children in the West Ashley area. Once the funding and the vision
are in place, it is time to promote our existing senior opportunities
and expand on them through a dedicated senior center."
As
of the 2000 Census, there were 17,000 residents who were age 50
and up in the West Ashley area, representing 28 percent of the area
population. Those numbers are expected to grow when data from the
2010 Census are released.
Real
estate firm recruiting new agents solely via Twitter
Charleston
Your Home, a boutique real estate agency, recently decided to take
a different approach to recruiting new agents: a new Realtor Roundup
campaign that offers iPads and accepts applications solely via Twitter.
Company
owners say they believe that the use of the latest technology is
essential for marketing real estate, so they're looking for agents
who are knowledgeable about social media tools. In the Realtor Roundup
campaign, running June 15-July 15, the company will be accepting
applications only via Twitter and will also offer an iPad to any
agent who joins the agency within that time frame and upon closing
of his or her first $250,000 transaction.
The
company will also produce a YouTube video to e-mail to local agents,
taking a lighthearted look at the attempts to recruit agents in
this market.
Charleston
Your Home agents write the Charlestonism blog, maintain a Facebook
page and are active on Twitter, Flickr and YouTube. The agency has
also won a national award for best agent website and sold a home
via Twitter last fall.
"By
recruiting tech-savvy agents, we're reaching consumers in a way
they expect in today's Web-based market place, and that in turn
makes for a long and successful career in real estate for the agent,"
says Diane Szoke, co-owner of Charleston Your Home. "Plus,
who wouldn't want an iPad? They're such a great tool for Realtors
on the go!"
To
apply to join the Charleston Your Home team, send a Direct Message
via Twitter to @Charlestonism
with a link to a resume on the Web or a LinkedIn profile. For more
information and complete details about the campaign, please visit
the
site or call 324-9645.
Blackbaud
establishes Index of Charitable Giving
Blackbaud
recently launched the Blackbaud Index of Charitable Giving, a broad-based
fundraising index that reports revenue trends of 1,400 nonprofit
organizations representing $2.2 billion in yearly revenue on a monthly
basis. The index is based on actual revenue statistics from nonprofit
organizations of all sizes representing the arts, culture and humanities;
education; environment and animals; health care; human services;
international affairs; public and society benefit; and religion
sectors. (Read more about the methodology here.)
 |
"Economic
conditions, natural disasters, and market fluctuations have made
it extremely difficult for nonprofits to make fundraising decisions
informed by the latest donor behavior," says Chuck Longfield,
chief scientist for the Daniel Island-based company. "That
is why we created the Blackbaud Index of Charitable Giving -- to
provide fundraisers with up-to-date data on fundraising trends and
to couple that information with valuable analysis by leaders in
the sector."
The
first index, released last week, reported that overall revenue increased
by 12.1 percent for the three months ending April 2010 as compared
to the same period in 2009. A significant portion of this increase
was related to the outpouring of support to organizations helping
with earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.
The
data show that donations for smaller organizations bottomed out
in July of 2009, remained roughly flat throughout the second half
of 2009, and turned upward starting in January 2010. Donations to
large organizations may have reached bottom in December 2009, but
it is hard to tell which part of the large upturn in March was due
to Haiti versus general improvement in ongoing donations, especially
since donations declined in April.
RECOMMENDED
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
The
Big Apple
This
dance was born in the mid-1930s in a black nightclub operated by
a man named Fat Sam on Park Street in downtown Columbia, in what
was once the House of Peace Synagogue. The Big Apple was popularized
nationally when it was taken to Manhattan by University of South
Carolina students. A combination of the square dance and various
jazz routines of the 1920s, the Big Apple caught the attention of
white college students who, encouraged by Fat Sam, paid 10 cents
to watch dancers from the nightclub balcony. Soon they were repeating
the steps at fraternity parties.
By
the spring of 1937 the Big Apple was attracting more than local
attention. In August of that year several student couples performed
the dance at New York's Roxy Theatre and then toured cities throughout
the Northeast. The Big Apple received such an enthusiastic reception
that it became a brief national craze.
According
to a 1937 report in Time magazine, the routine opened with the dancers
in a circle led by a caller, somewhat like the Virginia Reel. The
fundamental steps seemed to be the Lindy Hop with bits of the Black
Bottom, Suzy-Q, Charleston, Shag, Truckin', and an Indian rain dance
thrown in. It all ended on an irreverent note as the group leaned
back, arms outstretched to the heavens, and shouted "Praise
Allah!"
After
about a year the Big Apple dance faded from view, and so did the
nightclub. The building was moved to its present location adjacent
to the Richland County Library and restored to its former elegance
in the late 1980s. It is operated by the Historic Columbia Foundation
and is rented for various social events.
--
Excerpted from the entry by John H. Moore. 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
Fashion Week
finances
Charleston
Fashion Week has increasingly made a name for itself in the
fashion world, and it's making a significant contribution to the
local economy, too. Here a list of notable stats about the 2010
event, held in March, from the College of Charleston's Office of
Tourism Analysis.
- The five-night
celebration of the region's fashion and design community boosted
the local economy by $1.7 million.
- CFW attendees
say they spend an average of $5,000 per year on fashion and that
they planned to visit the event's participating retailers. And
40 percent of attendees reported an annual household income of
more than $100,000.
- Fashion
Week visitors spent more than the average Charleston tourist --
$202 per day on food, lodging and area shopping, compared to $168
for the average tourist.
- About one-third
of attendees were from outside the tricounty area, and nonlocal
folks stayed an average of 3.6 nights in Charleston.
- The Catwalk
For Kids auction benefiting MUSC Children's Hospital raised more
than $250,000.
QUOTE
On
temptation
"Most
people would like to be delivered from temptation but would like
it to keep in touch."
-- Robert Orben, American magician and comedy writer (1927
- )
CALENDAR:
THIS WEEK
Ocean
Connections: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. June 23, Charleston Maritime
Center. The free family ocean education event and fundraiser will
celebrate how we're all connected to the ocean. Local author and
science educator Merrie Koester Southgate will be featured with
both storytelling and improvisational theater from her new ocean
adventure novel, "Agnes
Pflumm and the Secret of the Seven." Southgate will donate
proceeds of the sales of the novel to the 21st Century Spirit Ocean
Adventure dropout prevention and literacy program offered by the
South Carolina Maritime Foundation. Event also includes a professional
drum circle, food, prizes and tours of the Spirit of South Carolina
tall ship.
Hurricane
Business Plans: 7:30 a.m. to noon June 24, Charleston
Metro Chamber of Commerce, 4500 Leeds Ave., Suite 100. The chamber’s
Business Continuity Planning Council is hosting a workshop to help
businesses prepare for hurricane season, including instruction on
how to write a business continuity plan and how to test it before
a disaster hits. Cost: $25 chamber members, $35 nonmembers. Registration.
Blogging
Tips: 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. June 24, Charleston County
Main Library, 68 Calhoun St. This month's Small Business & Nonprofit
Networking Lunch looks at the differences between blogging, blogging
professionally and having a professional blog. Presenter Heather
Solos of Home-Ec101.com will cover tips and strategies for using
a blog as part of your small business marketing strategy. Registration
is not required. More info: 805-6930.
(NEW)
Face
to Face Social: June 24, Old South Barber Spa, 10 State
St., downtown. Professional singles both male and female are invited
to a Face to Face Charleston event featuring image consultants from
Southern Protocol presenting information on men's style and grooming
trends. Face to Face Charleston is a social network and matchmaking
company for successful professionals. The cost of the event is $10
per person. Event space is limited and reservations are required.
For event time or reservations, call 529-9660 or e-mail martine@facetofacecharleston.com.
Book
Signing: Noon to 2 p.m. June 25, Waldenbooks, Charleston
Place. Authors Daan Muller and Frank Glenn will sign copies of their
book “Charleston from Above,” which features aerial photos
of the Charleston region. More
info.
Kindness
Beats Blindness Auction: 6 p.m. June 26, Joseph P. Riley
Jr. Park on the banks of the Ashley River. The Charleston RiverDogs'
11th Annual "Kindness Beats Blindness RP Auction" raises
money for the MUSC Storm Eye Institute. Live and silent auctions
featuring items such as tickets to a Broadway show, use of an Edisto
Island beach house, fine jewelry, a seven-day cruise for two, and
lots of sports memorabilia. All fans that enter the ballpark are
eligible to bid. More
info online or 577-DOGS.
Food
and Farming Course: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays for nine weeks,
beginning in June. The Food and Farming Entrepreneurship Course
is offered by FastTracSC and Clemson Extension for those who are
interested in becoming food-system entrepreneurs (urban/rural farmers,
local food artisans, chefs/caterers, bakers, food media, processors,
etc.). Cost: $145. More info: elizabeth@lowcountrylocalfirst.org.
Colonial
Art Tour: 4 p.m. each Thursday, Through June 24, Heyward-Washington
House, 87 Church St., downtown. Explore the art of portraiture and
satirical engravings popular with wealthy colonial Charlestonians.
The Charleston Museum's art collection at the house features portraits
by Jeremiah Theus, Samuel F.B. Morse and Henry Benbridge; later
copies by Johann Stolle and George Whiting Flagg; and original,
irreverent engravings of William Hogarth. Cost: $10 adults, $5 ages
3-12; free for Charleston Museum members. Reservations not required.
More info: 722-2996, ext. 235.
CALENDAR:
ONGOING AND SOON
Jaycees
Networking: 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 29, Harbour Club,
35 Prioleau St., downtown. The Charleston Junior Chamber of Commerce
will be hosting a professional networking event with light refreshments.
You do not necessarily need to work in an occupation that sells
goods or services to attend. In addition to mixing, mingling and
networking, there will be a program featuring social media consultant
Ashley Caldwell of Modern Connections sharing a few social media
tips. Cost: $5 per person; benefits Jaycee Camp Hope, a statewide
residential camp for citizens with intellectual disabilities. RSVP/more
info: Jennifer “Juice” Davidson, 343-7578 or jenniferdavidson31@gmail.com,
or Jeremy Mills, 814-5739 or jeremy_mills@ymail.com.
Revolutionary
War Tours: 4 p.m. Thursdays in July, Heyward-Washington
House, 87 Church St. The museum house will offer the special tours,
which focus on the connection the house and its previous residents
had to the Revolutionary War. Cost: $10 adults, $5 children (free
for Charleston Museum members). Reservations not needed. More info:
722-2996, ext. 235.
(NEW)
Revolutionary
War Kayak Trip: 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. July 3, Charleston
Harbor. Spend a morning on Independence Day weekend paddling a sea
kayak in historic Charleston Harbor and getting a look at patriot
sites along the way, including Fort Sumter and the Battery. Sponsored
by Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission. Meet at CCPRC
Headquarters. Open to age 16 and up. Cost: $40 for Charleston County
residents, $48 nonresidents. and travels up the Wappoo Cut with
views of patriotic Ft. Sumter and the Battery. To
register, click here.
(NEW)
Barrier
Island Sampler: 9 a.m. to noon July 10, Lighthouse Inlet
Heritage Preserve. The program is a half-day session of the Charleston
County Park and Recreation Commission's Master Naturalist program.
CCPRC naturalist Keith McCullough, lead instructor of Charleston's
Master Naturalist Program, will teach the group the importance of
undeveloped areas on barrier islands and improve students' identification
skills of seabirds, shorebirds and songbirds, as well as the many
plants and animals of dune systems, salt marshes and maritime forests.
Pre-registration required. Cost: $10 Charleston County residents,
$12 nonresidents. Open to ages 16 and up. To
register, click here.
Fused
Glass Workshop: 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. July 6 and 5:30
p.m. to 7:30 p.m. July 13. The Charleston Museum and Blue
Heron Glass are offering the workshop, in which students will learn
how to cut glass to a pattern, the basics behind the science of
fusing glass (melting compatible glasses together), and how to embellish
with fused accents to create a crazy-quilt effect. Students
will have a decorative 8-inch panel to take home. The workshop
begins at the museum with a tour of “Crazy Quilts.” The
rest of the workshop will take place at Blue Heron Glass in West
Ashley. Participants are responsible for their own transportation. Advance
registration required. Cost: $75 museum members, $90 nonmembers
(includes all supplies). Register
online here or call 722-2996, ext. 235.
FOCUS
ARCHIVES
8/19:
Peters:
Getting lead out
8/16: Frazier:
Magnolia gardeners
8/12: Myers:
Redux art
8/9: Ginn:
Opportunity Next
8/5: Barnette:
Hedwig show
8/2: Deaton:
Lured back
7/29: Hannah:
SCRA center
7/26: Parezo:
Personal chefs
7/22: Bender:
Shark Week
7/19: Witty:
Growth in down market
7/14: Carroll:
Networking
7/7: Blanchard:
Financial planning
7/1: Shaffer:
Picky Eaters Group
THRASH
ARCHIVES
8/19:
Nirvana,
Class of '14
8/12: History
is interesting
8/5: Robert,
Variety Store
7/29: Lazy?
Boiled peanuts
7/22: Purple
Toes book
7/14: Art
opens doors
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
BRACK
ARCHIVES
8/16:
Pharmacy,
juice
8/2: Cherry
juice, Gardner
7/26: Biden
on Hollings
7/19: About
Turkey
7/7: Campaign
trash
6/28: Impatient
electorate
6/21: Haley's
thin record
6/14: Daddy-daughter
trip
6/7: Gulf
spill report
PETER
LUCASH: BUSINESS INDIGO
5/27:
Facebook
on privacy
5/13: Spark
Charleston, more
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
8/19:
5
local blogs
8/16: More
plaudits
8/12: 5
local dog romps
8/9: New
heritage sites
8/5: 5
around Chucktown
8/2: Bedside
reading
7/29: Five
for fall
7/26: Hollings
library
7/22: Wine
+ Food fest
7/19: New
Chas app
7/14: Chas
at top
7/7: SC
films
7/1: Keeping
cool
|
