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Issue
3.22 | Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011 | Please
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TODAY'S FOCUS :: Chamber sets legislative agenda CURRENTS :: SEWE looking for good year, no snow THE
LIST CHARLESTON
GREEN GOOD
NEWS FEEDBACK ALSO INSIDE ___::
CALENDAR: This week ... and next |
ABOUT US CharlestonCurrents.com offers insightful community comment and good news on events twice each week. It cuts through the information clutter to offer insight and news on the best of what's happening locally. What readers say |
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JAN. 20, 2011 - The Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce has completed its Legislative Agenda for 2011, including positions on local, state and federal issues that will face the region's business community in the coming year.
The Chamber intercedes as the voice of its members knowing that laws and regulations passed each year directly impact our members' ability to grow and succeed. Government affects all aspects of business from taxation, regulation and infrastructure development to education funding and workforce development. The Chamber advocates on each of these issues throughout the year at local government meetings, the Statehouse and in Washington, D.C. The Chamber has also retained the firm of Nexsen Pruet, LLC, to represent it during the General Assembly session, beginning in January. Nexsen Pruet's Stephanie Eames will be the primary contact working on behalf of the Chamber. In addition to Eames, the Chamber will also have access to Nexsen Pruet's strong public policy team. A few priorities
on the agenda include:
Legislative Reception Tonight: Don't miss this unique opportunity for informal networking with your town council, mayor, state legislators and federal legislators. This will also be your first chance to meet those newly elected to office in November 2010. Take advantage of the opportunity to have your voice heard on issues that are important to you. The Chamber will make a special presentation during the reception to Congressman Henry Brown for his years of service to our region, state and nation. The reception will be from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight at the South Carolina Aquarium, 100 Aquarium Wharf. The cost is $45 for members, $65 for non-members. To register, visit www.charlestonchamber.net/orgcalendar or email Corrin Hoffmann at choffmann@charlestonchamber.org.
JAN. 20, 2011 - Many of us remember the big snowfall last February because it happened on Valentine's Day weekend. Ashley Slane remembers it because it happened on the weekend of the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition -- and for the marketing director of one of the city's major annual economic engines and tourist draws, there wasn't much to love about the winter storm. "Last year, with the economy and then the unexpected weather, it was kind of a down year," says Slane, SEWE's veteran marketing director. "We don't do well with any type of frozen precipitation in Charleston, and we had people whose flights were grounded, people who had to change their plans for day trips here, and local people, too, who didn't want to try to come downtown, so that skewed our turnout."
This year, with signs that the economy might be lumbering back into a more comfortable position, Slane says she is "cautiously optimistic" about the 2011 expo, which runs Feb. 18-Feb. 20. "We're hoping that we'll have a good, solid year this year," she told Charleston Currents this week. SEWE, now in its 29th year, is one of the nation's largest wildlife art and nature events, attracting more than 30,000 attendees each year. "As an event, its estimated $63.8 million annual economic impact is unparalleled in the state, bringing life to the area at a traditionally slow time for the Lowcountry tourist industry," SEWE's Web site says. Expo organizers always do a great job introducing new events each year while bringing back the crowd pleasers from the past, and that's the case again for 2011. Among the old favorites that will be back - in addition to the usual standout lineup of wildlife artists, photographers, exhibits and talks - are smash hits like the Dock Dogs, retriever demonstrations, and flight demonstrations by the raptors from the Center for Birds of Prey. Among the new venues and programs are these:
There are
also a couple of special events that you can still get tickets for - but
they're limited, so don't delay. These include a wild game cooking class
on Feb. 18 at Charleston Cooks; a game dinner on Feb. 16 at Hall's Chophouse;
and a brunch Feb. 19 at the Francis Marion with Jim Elliott of the Center
for Birds of Prey. Also sure to be very popular is the BlackJack Barbecue
'Cue Camp in Marion Square at 5 p.m. Feb. 19, where local pitmaster Jimmy
Hagood will share some backyard cooking advice and serve up his great
food.
To Charleston Currents: Spanish moss is not a parasite, as the comments under its picture states. It is an epiphyte. Let's not demean the lowly plant.
The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring Charleston Currents to you at no cost. In this issue, we turn the spotlight on West Of newspaper, the West Ashley's community newspaper that highlights community news, opinions, schools, dining, arts and more for the 62,000+ people who live west of Charleston's Ashley River. West Of also publishes the James Island Messenger for people who live on James Island. Visit West Of online or via Twitter.
JAN. 20, 2011 -- As of July 1, South Carolina law will prohibit dumping of computers, monitors, TVs and the like into landfills. Luckily for Charleston, the county has been offering electronics recycling at seven different sites, including the Bees Ferry landfill. For you "dumpster divers" out there, be sure and continue doing your part to check out the electronics being recycled. And for the folks just upgrading and getting rid of old electronics, think of all the chemicals we are keeping out of the landfill this way. More organics: Trader Joe's is coming to Charleston, via Mount Pleasant, sometime this summer. For those of you who haven't experienced a TJ store yet, it will be a treat. Small in size, but large in savings, especially on green products, organic foods, etc. Children's Garden Project: Whole Foods continues its quarterly "green local fundraiser" this month by donating 5 percent of sales to the Children's Garden Project. One of their efforts is to help establish gardens in lower income neighborhoods, to help the locals access fresh food and save money. If you want to help out, contact the Children's Garden Project directly and offer your services. New solar plant: AQT Solar is opening a new manufacturing plant just north of Columbia that expects to have 1,000 employees in the next 3 years. AQT is based in California and does not use silicon, which most solar cell manufacturers do, but rather a copper composite. Good news for South Carolina and the alternative energy future.
Using the larger bins, which can be lifted by a robotic arm on the recycling truck, residents no longer have to separate their cardboard and paper from their glass and aluminum. The center will assess the new system for its effectiveness and may expand it to the rest of the county later. Free osteoporosis, cholesterol screenings offered East Cooper Medical Center is offering free osteoporosis and cholesterol screenings today and Friday, but participants must call to reserve a spot. Statistics indicate that while osteoporosis is more common in older people, it can strike at any age and millions of people are at risk. Having high cholesterol puts you at risk for heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. The osteoporosis screening will take place from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. today in the medical center's first floor classroom. Call 843-884-7031 to reserve a spot. The cholesterol screening will be available from 9 a.m. to noon Friday, also in the first floor classroom. Call the same number to reserve a spot. Free tax preparation, financial counseling available Come to Northwoods Mall on Jan. 29 and get your taxes done for free, sit down with a mortgage counselor, sign up for job training and find out about other resources in the community. That and more will be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. as part of National Earned Income Tax Credit Day. Working families earning less than $49,000 may qualify for free tax preparation and the Earned Income Tax Credit, worth as much as $5,000.
Among the services available at the fair will be life counseling from the Center for Women, job help from Increasing H.O.P.E and community connections from 2-1-1 Hotline. Free tax preparation also is available throughout the three-county area. Information and a list of sites can be found online. (http://www.tuw.org/taxprep.asp) Local firm wins international Web design award WSI B2B Marketing, an Internet marketing company headquartered in Charleston, has received the Web Marketing Association's international 2010 WebAward for Outstanding Achievement in Web Development.
In the Web Marketing Association's annual WebAward Competition, independent experts from around the world review sites in 96 industries. The best are recognized with a WebAward, considered the premier award recognition program for Web developers and marketers worldwide. "I'm
very proud of our team and the technical and design acumen they possess,
which led us to this award," Hube Hopkins, WSI B2B Marketing owner
and president, said. "We are humbled by this recognition, but also
recognize that our primary focus as a business is to create wealth and
profit for our clients. Great looking Web sites are a big first step in
creating successful digital marketing campaigns, which certainly can lead
a company to greater revenue and profitability." Food innovators and those who love them have until Feb. 1 to apply for the Food Innovators Award, established by Lowcountry Local First and the BB&T Charleston Wine + Food Festival. The award recognizes the achievements of a local visionary in the food community whose professional efforts are making the Lowcountry a better place to live, work and eat. The winner, who will receive $3,000 to put towards their professional endeavors, will be selected by a panel of local chefs, including Jeremiah Bacon, Sean Brock, Craig Deihl, Mike Lata, Frank Lee and Michelle Weaver, all of whom were selected as recipients of the 2010 Ultimate Critics Award. The top
three applicants will be featured at the Lowcountry Local First tent during
the BB&T Charleston Wine + Food Festival March 3-6. All finalists
will be notified by Feb. 15, and the winner will be announced at the Opening
Ceremonies of the Festival on March 4. "Creating value-added products, looking at farming in new and creative ways and reweaving the local food web are all necessary for a strong local food economy," Elizabeth Beak, director of sustainable agriculture at Lowcountry Local First, said. "We are seeing this happening in many exciting new ways and this award was established to highlight those forward thinkers." To download
an application and review the rules, visit
the Web site. For more information, call 843-740-5444.
He briefly taught high school English in Virginia before joining the faculty at the College of William and Mary in 1921. In 1926 Babcock came to the University of South Carolina on a year's sabbatical leave. He found the people, school, and state so hospitable that he stayed 38 years, joining the English department and becoming a fixture at the university. At USC, Babcock was an institution about whom truths and legends were freely circulated. He might begin a class with "I'll give twenty-five cents to anyone who can spell Houyhnhnm," and reportedly he greeted students with a broadside of snowballs after a rare Southern snowfall. His jovial bond with students made his courses the most sought-after at the university, causing students to sign up a year in advance for his English 129 course entitled "I Want a Word." In this vocabulary and semantics course, students learned of the charm and power of words as they listened to Babcock reveal their nuances and connotations. Babcock was equally at home in the field as at the blackboard. He used the outdoors as a canvas to draw a vast array of colorful characters, becoming a master of the hunting-fishing tale. His stories were replete with references to English and American literature. More than one hundred of his stories found their way into print in a variety of newspapers and magazines, including Field and Stream. Anthologies of his works include My Health Is Better in November (1947), Tales of Quails'n' Such (1951), I Don't Want to Shoot an Elephant (1958), and Jaybirds Go to Hell on Friday, and Other Stories (1964). His writing traveled the literary spectrum with ease. In his novel The Education of Pretty Boy (1960), Babcock wrote of a young boy's gun-shy bird dog because he thought the dog "was too pretty not to be immortal." Babcock's writings continued their popularity years after his death. A reviewer from The New York Times once compared his writing to "a rare old Bourbon you want to make last as long as possible." Babcock died in Columbia on December 10, 1964, and was buried in Appomattox, Virginia.
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Five tips on feet
We rely on them to
get us to work, school and around town. Often, we take them for granted
until they are injured or hurt ... our feet. With 26 bones, 33 joints
and more than 120 muscles, ligaments and nerves in each foot, there's
a lot going on. Seventy-five percent of Americans experience foot pain
at some point in their lives, so it's key to know the signs of when your
feet need attention. Andrew Saffer, DPM, of Carolina Foot Specialists
gives us five reasons to see a podiatrist:
For more visit on foot and heel pain, visit www.carolinafootspecialists.net. "There is one vulnerable spot in the armor of my sales-resistance, one weakness that has brought me within two-whoops-and-a-holler of the poor-house and threatened to loosen the blessed ties that bind; that has at times warmed the cockles of my heart and at times filled me with the bile of disillusionment. I can't help buying bird dogs."
Puzzle Palooza: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Jan. 20, Hutchinson Square in Summerville. Summerville DREAM and downtown merchants are holding their first 2011 Third Thursday event with a Puzzle Palooza offering a grand prize of $1,000 in gift certificates. The event also will feature store sales and horse and carriage rides. Players can pick up a game board and puzzle pieces at any participating downtown merchant starting at 10 a.m., and must go to participating businesses to pick up more puzzle pieces. After putting the pieces in the correct order, players must turn the puzzle in at the lobby of First Citizens Bank, 218 S. Main St., by 5 p.m. Jan. 24. All correct entries will be put into a drawing for the prize. For more information, call 843-821-7260. Legislative Reception: 6 to 8 p.m., Jan. 20, at the South Carolina Aquarium. The Charleston Metro Chamber's Legislative Reception offers the opportunity for informal networking with your town council, mayor, state legislators and federal legislators. Cost: $65 non-member, $45, Chamber member. Register. Auditions for Summer Residency: 1 to 3 p.m., Jan. 22, 1080 East Montague Ave., North Charleston. New York City film, television and Off-Broadway actor Neal Lerner will attend the "Summer In The City" auditions for music, theater and dance students ages 14-19 at the South of Broadway Theatre Company. Lerner and South of Broadway director Mary Gould will view each student's five-minute audition performance and select participants for the company's month-long artistic residency in New York City set for June 5 -July 2. Students should call SOBTC at 843-814-4451 in advance to arrange an audition. More. Community
Shred Event: 10 a.m. to noon, Jan. 22, at the Habitat For Humanity
ReStore, 469 Long Point Road, Mount Pleasant. The Charleston Chapter of
the National Association of Professional Organizers celebrates GO Month
(Get Organized) this January by partnering with Shred-It and Habitat for
Humanity ReStore to sponsor a local community shred event. Clear out your
clutter and donate your unwanted items to Habitat for Humanity, and shred
those sensitive documents you need to dispose of. There will be a maximum
of 5 boxes or bags per person. Local NAPO professional organizers will
be on site. For more information on donation pick-ups, call 843-849-8002.
CALENDAR: ONGOING AND SOON Azalea Society: 6:30 p.m., Jan. 24, Carriage House at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. The Rev. John Drayton Chapter of the Azalea Society of America will focus on hybrid azaleas at this month's meeting. The society meets the fourth Monday of each month. For more information call 571-1266. Women and Power: 6 to 8 p.m., Jan. 25. Why don't more women embrace power? Women traditionally have had a conflicted relationship with power. Learn how to define power as a personal value and how to use it to serve your community, influence decisions and accomplish much more personally and professionally. Jennet Robinson Alterman, executive director, Center for Women. Registration required: $25 C4W Members/$35 Non Members. Light supper by Dish & Design is included in the fee. (NEW) Healthy cooking class: 6 p.m., Jan. 25, Whole Foods Market in Mount Pleasant. Already given up on your new years resolution to lose weight? No worries, get back on track with a free healthy cooking class. Join Holistic Chef Ken Immer of gRAWnola and OM cooking for an evening of mindful eating. Combining recipes from his own repertoire and from the Whole Foods Market's "Health Starts Here" initiative, this free class will serve up seasonal and local ingredients. The class will include a Q&A session at the end. More. Happy
Hour: 5 p.m., Jan. 27, at Oak Steakhouse. Lowcountry Local
First celebrates Happy Hour. Business After Hours: 5:30 to 7 p.m., Jan. 27, at Crowne Plaza Hotel, 4831 Tanger Outlet Blvd. Hosted by the Charleston Metro Chamber. Cost: $40 non-member, $20 Chamber member. Register. (NEW) Knitting for beginners: 6 p.m., Jan. 27, Knit, 87 Wentworth St. Have you always wanted to learn to knit? Join us for a two-hour beginners' class. You will learn how to cast on (put yarn on the needles) and the basic knit stitch. After taking the class, you'll be able to start your first scarf or other knitting project. A starter kit with knitting needles and yarn will be provided that you can take home. Instructor: Faye Slater. Registration required: $25 Center for Women members, $35 for non-members. Silence, Creativity with Anne LeClaire: 6:30 p.m., Jan. 28, 297 East Bay St. Theologians, poets, artists, writers and philosophers have long known that in order to create anything, including a deeply fulfilling life, the first requirement is that we become quiet. It is in this space of stillness that truths surface, understandings expand, and we discover in the silence of our hearts answers to living authentically. Begin the new year by joining Anne in exploring the possibilities of silence and its connection to creativity and to living not just to survive but to thrive. Tuition: Evening lecture only, $25 in advance and $35 at the door. Weekend workshop (includes lecture): $195 by January 5, $250 after. Register online.
Conscious Evolution: 6:30 p.m., Feb. 4. What does conscious evolution mean? How can we live it in our relationships and spiritual unfolding, and use it to discover our vocations of destiny? How do we follow the compass of joy: the Law of Attraction to What We Want to Give? Futurist and evolutionary pioneer Barbara Marx Hubbard tells her powerful personal journey of transformation, emphasizing the discovery of life purpose, the evolution of motherhood, a vision of our future, the importance of Evolutionary Spirituality, and the discovery of Regenopause in post-menopausal women. Tuition: evening lecture only, $25 in advance and $35 at the door; weekend workshop (includes lecture): $250 by January 4, $295 after. Register online. Cuban Exhibit: Feb. 4-March 28, City Gallery at Waterfront Park. An opening reception for Polaridad Complementaria: Recent Works from Cuba, an exhibition that introduces North America to the new generation of influential artists from Cuba, will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 4. The exhibit offers more than 40 works of painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, video and installation art to provide a sense of the serious aesthetic and conceptual concerns that characterizes Cuban art today. The City Gallery, at 34 Prioleau St., is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Window Exhibit: Through Feb 28, 2011, The Meeting Place, 1077 East Montague Ave. North Charleston. In his exhibit, "Sea and Shore," local artist David Springer will present metal sculpture depictions of Lowcountry birds, plants, and wildlife. Window viewing, free parking. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
FOCUS ARCHIVES 1/27:
Howard:
Shoes for needy ANN THRASH ARCHIVES 1/27:
Home
cooking ANDY BRACK ARCHIVES 1/24:
Use
more budget tools MARSHA GUERARD ARCHIVES 1/3: Spoleto plans12/27: Hunger, homeless 11/11: Veterans Day 10/21: Charleston: good performer 8/19: How many med schools for SC? PETER LUCASH: BUSINESS INDIGO 1/13:
Health
care reform GREG GARVAN: CHARLESTON GREEN 1/6:
Green
initiative LIST ARCHIVES 1/27:
6
to get out of house |
Mount
Pleasant native and contributing editor Ann Thrash can be reached at:
Greg
Garvan of James Island is president of Money with a Mission, an 18-year-old,
fee-only financial planning firm that specializes in socially responsible/
'green' asset management. On the Web: 
Crews
from the Charleston County Recycling Center dropped off new, bright blue
wheeled bins in the Candlewood neighborhood of Mount Pleasant on Tuesday
as part of the center's six-month pilot program with single stream, or
commingled, recycling. 
Lowcountry
residents fail to claim about $16 million a year in Earned Income Tax
Credits. That costs roughly $50 million in local economic activity. So
Trident United Way, Trident Urban League and the IRS are offering free
tax preparation to families that qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Progressive
flattening of the arch of the foot. Possible indication of a ruptured
tendon, which can lead to arthritis.
South
Carolina Premiere of "Blue": 7:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday
matinee, Jan. 21-30, at the Historic Dock Street Theatre. Charles
Randolph-Wright's acclaimed play "Blue" chronicles the life
of an affluent and prominent African-American family that runs a funeral
home in a rural South Carolina town. The story centers around a relentlessly
driven and highly stylish woman, Peggy, who is mesmerized by the music
of the great jazz singer Blue Williams. Tickets, $22 to $48, may be 
Children's
Ballet Series: 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Jan. 29, and 3 p.m., Jan.
30, at The CBT Black Box Theatre, 477 King St. Charleston Ballet Theatre's
popular Children's Series of family-friendly ballets returns with its
second show of the season, "Angelina Ballerina Goes to the Circus."
Everyone's favorite ballerina mouse pirouettes onto the stage with a brand
new dance adventure that takes her into the colorful world of circus animals
and sideshow oddities. Tickets: Adults: $22 Child: $12. Box Office: 477
King Street M-F 10am - 4pm 723.7334 or