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Issue
3.27 | Monday, Feb. 7, 2011 | Cheeseheads
unite! |
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TODAY'S FOCUS :: Seniors go online at Charleston JCC CURRENTS :: From tort reform to halftime to voting THE
LIST FOOD
& DRINK (new) 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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FEB. 7, 2011 -- Since 1945, The Charleston Jewish Community Center has nurtured and enhanced Charleston's Jewish community by focusing on culture, education, social/physical development and service.
As home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in North America, Charleston is deeply rooted in Jewish culture. The JCC strives to enrich, preserve and grow local Jewish culture by bringing together all age groups under one roof and offering programs to toddlers, seniors and everyone in between. The JCC provides a space for Jewish culture and tradition to be passed from generation to generation. Myriad senior programs are offered at the JCC that strengthen the bond among seniors and provide participants with meaningful opportunities to keep active. The JCC hosts key note speakers who address topics of interest, organizes outings to local sites and cultural events, and provides a general social outlet.
The JCC is excited to announce the launch of its newest seniors program, made possible from a grant from BJH Foundation for Senior Services, an organization that is dedicated to creating a higher standard of living for Jewish seniors. The BJH Foundation grant of $5,000 is funding a comprehensive computer training program. The program will teach seniors programs such as Microsoft Word, computer games and puzzles. In addition, they will learn how to download publications and navigate the Internet to stay connected with family and friends.
The Charleston
Jewish Community Center owes the success of the senior programs in large
part to Louise Petkov, our senior director. Louise has a degree in gerontology
and is an ACSM certified personal trainer and dance instructor. The JCC
Senior Services Program is growing at a tremendous rate and will continue
to offer new and innovative opportunities.
FEB. 7, 2011 - A lot of lawyer bashing is on tap this week in the S.C. House where members are expected to pass a new tort bill. Proponents say they're just trying to move forward with a pro-business measure to make our job-starved state more competitive so it can land more jobs. What's worrying, though, is how the bill could take away citizen rights and protect bad companies. In the bill, lawmakers are trying to cap punitive damages - monetary awards for companies acting recklessly - to $350,000. Can you imagine if you were a shrimper in Louisiana that you would want BP's exposure to be capped at $350,000?
To say capping damages is needed to "develop the environment" to make the state more attractive to businesses is disingenuous in three ways. First, good companies don't worry all that much about being involved in civil lawsuits that seek huge punitive damages. Why? Because they're good companies. Second, South Carolina is very competitive in many business sectors. On Oct. 28, 2010, House Speaker Bobby Harrell, who sponsored the tort reform bill, highlighted 18 areas where South Carolina was in the top 10 most competitive business climates. Among the rankings: Economic growth potential, 2010 (#1 nationally); Health care policy cost index 2009 (#1); Average state gas prices, 2010 (#1 lowest); Automotive manufacturing strength (#3); and best business climate according to Business Facilities ranking, August 2010 (#4). Third, there are better ways to improve the business climate than fiddling with the civil justice system. The Beacon Hill Institute's 8th annual report on state competitiveness ranked South Carolina low -- 46th -- not because of its civil justice system, but because it had high rates of crime, unemployment, people without health insurance, infant mortality and unprepared students, as well as low rates of technological prowess, venture capital, bank deposits per capita, air quality and infrastructure development. Over the next week as you hear a lot of politicking and hot air about lawyers and the tort system, what should be as clear as the nose on your face is that politicians again are talking about another non-issue instead of leading and focusing on real issues that will grow real jobs. * * * * * PEA SOUP. Maybe it's because I'm growing older and still can't see any socially redeeming value to hip hop music, but that halftime show by the Black Eyed Peas at last night's Super Bowl was horrible. As I posted to Facebook, the big thing I learned was to never, ever, buy any of the group's so-called music. Maybe it was good that the Bowl's sound system was a mess. * * * * * VOTING RIGHTS. The Feb. 5 issue of The Economist magazine features a story on whether it is time to retire the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was put in place to stop voter suppression and open voting to all.
Local attorney Larry Kobrovsky, who lost to Scott in the primary, is mentioned in the story for his plans to sue the federal government that the law is unconstitutional and " imposes an unfair burden on jurisdictions subject to it." Times may
have changed and pure racism may be waning, but to do away with constitutional
protections for voting, particularly in a state political environment
that would curb voting by requiring photo identification, seems a little
hasty. Slow down.
FEB. 7, 2011 - The Green Bay Packers' appearance in the Super Bowl yesterday reminded me of Frogmore stew. Weird, right? Well, in late 1999, while working as the food editor at the newspaper here, I got an out-of-the-blue phone call from the company that provided food-and-beverage service at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. The company's executive chef wanted to make Frogmore stew to serve in the stadium's luxury boxes on the day the Carolina Panthers were coming to town to play the Packers. I told
them how simple Frogmore stew is here -- basically shrimp, corn on the
cob and smoked sausage -- and that we usually eat it in the summer, not
in December. The chef ended up doing sort of a frozen-tundra Frogmore
stew that featured things we'd probably never include, like oysters and
crawfish. To see the recipe the chef ended up using, click
here.
Green will
present an illustrated talk with a colorful look into the heart of Gullah
culture at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Bond Hall room 165. Noted art critics
and reviewers consider Green one of the most important painters of the
Southern experience. His work, which has been exhibited in major venues
nationally and internationally, reflects an intrinsic sense of history
and place. Smalls,
the executive vice president of public affairs and chief of staff for
Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, TV Land and Noggin, will be the keynote speaker
at the month's conclusion at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 24 in Copeland Auditorium,
Grimsley Hall.
A native South Carolinian, Smalls has a master's degree in public administration and a bachelor's degree from the University of South Carolina. Under her leadership, Nickelodeon's pro-social campaigns have been recognized by presidential administrations and have garnered the support of top names in the entertainment industry. Smalls will discuss the importance of social responsibility in African American entertainment. Other Black
History Month events include:
All Black History Month events are free and open to the public. Charleston
Fashion Week releases schedule of events
New York
Fashion Week creator Fern Mallis will join the CFW Fashion Panel on March
26 to select the next Emerging Designer Competition: East winner. Mallis,
president of Fern Mallis LLC, is credited for establishing 7th on Six,
which organized, centralized and modernized the American runways, allowing
American designers to compete head-on with Milan and Paris. New
arts award named in honor of three locals
The Summey
Barkley Rucker Medallion award, sponsored by the South of Broadway Theatre
Company and presented annually, will recognize group or individual efforts
at training and developing young artists. A selection committee will name
the award's first recipient by early March. Since 2005,
the theater company has sponsored the Summer In The City program, a month-long
artististic residency for aspiring Lowcountry actors, dancers and musicians
ages 14-19. Participants reside at The Juilliard School in New York City
while taking master classes with teachers from various performing arts
institutions. According to Gould, about 10 students make the trip each
year, however, the increased student turnout at SITC auditions held last
month is expected to boost this year's June 5 - July 2 residency to its
highest enrollment. Participants will be announced later this month. "Mayor
Summey is leading a transformation in North Charleston's commercial and
cultural appeal, which impacts our work every day," Gould said. After
taking office in 1994, Mayor Summey restored the city's previously disbanded
Cultural Arts Department to a full stand-alone department that now has
13 employees and in 1999 established The Coliseum and Convention Center
Complex, the Lowcountry's largest events arena. Girls Night Out offers fun and fashion Girls Night Out, a night of fashion, music, food and fun, is bringing the season's hottest new fashions to the runway at EdVenture Children's Museum in Columbia on Feb. 17.
The show was a sell-out last year. To meet demand, the number of VIP seats has been increased this year and more reserved seating options have been created. A VIP cocktail hour will kick off the night. Top it off with a fabulous swag bag and of course, a night out with your best girlfriends. Early ticket purchase is recommended. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.edventure.org or by phone at (803)400-1152. Ticket prices per person are $45 general admission, $65 reserved seating and $95 VIP runway seating. VIP admission begins at 7 p.m. and general and reserved seating admission begins at 7:30 p.m.
Soldier,
planter and statesman Pierce Butler was born on July 11, 1744, in county
Carlow, Ireland, the son of Henrietta Percy and Sir Richard Butler, fifth
baronet of Cloughgrenan. His parents purchased a commission for Butler
in the British army, and he rose through the ranks quickly. In 1766 he
attained the rank of major, and in 1768 Butler's regiment (the Twenty-ninth
Foot) was transferred to South Carolina. Butler gained entry into Charleston
society through his marriage to Mary Middleton on Jan. 10, 1771. When
his regiment returned to England in 1773, Butler sold his commission and
remained in Charleston.
While proud of his aristocratic heritage, Butler nevertheless supported the patriot cause during the Revolutionary War. Governor John Rutledge appointed Butler as the state's adjutant general in 1779, placing him in charge of organizing, training and mobilizing the South Carolina militia. Though given the rank of brigadier, Butler preferred his previous title of "major." After the fall of Charleston in May 1780, Butler joined the army of Horatio Gates in North Carolina and remained with the Continental army until the end of the war. Butler returned to South Carolina to find his family exiled, his plantations burned and some two hundred of his slaves confiscated by the British. Despite these deprivations, he still favored leniency for the state's Loyalists and supported the return of their confiscated property. Although Butler served in the General Assembly from 1776 to 1789, his most significant political accomplishments came at the national level. In 1787 the Legislature appointed Butler to both the Confederation Congress and the constitutional convention scheduled to meet later that spring in Philadelphia. In the constitutional debates, Butler generally supported proposals for a strong central government, a single executive, and wealth rather than population as the basis of representation. He also championed South Carolina interests, especially slavery, and vigorously opposed the three-fifths compromise, arguing that slaves represented property wealth and should be counted fully for purposes of representation. "Money is strength," he argued, "and every state ought to have its weight in the national council in proportion to the quantity it possesses." Butler also proposed the measure that would eventually be incorporated into the Constitution as the Fugitive Slave clause. Though not entirely satisfied with the final document, he urged its ratification as an improvement over the ineffective Articles of Confederation. After the
convention, Butler returned to the state Legislature, where he upheld
the interests of the emerging backcountry. His services were rewarded
by his election as South Carolina's first U.S. senator, and he took his
seat in New York in June 1789. During his term Butler allied himself with
the Federalist Party, supporting the financial program of Alexander Hamilton.
Concern for South Carolina interests also was a Butler priority, with
one Senate colleague, William Maclay of Pennsylvania, calling him "the
most local and partial creature I ever heard open a mouth." Butler came out of retirement briefly in 1816 to become a director of the Second Bank of the United States. Declining health forced him to refuse a second term. After an extended illness, Butler died on February 15, 1822, and was buried in Philadelphia's Christ Church Cemetery.
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Five favorite books
Whenever we venture
into a wonderful bookstore, we always wonder what books the owner loves.
Since there's no better bookstore in Charleston, we decided to ask Jonathan
Sanchez, the owner of Blue Bicycle Books at 420 King St. Here is his list
of his five favorite books:
Find out more about Jonathan Sanchez and Blue Bicycle Books by calling 843-722-2666 or by visiting www.bluebicyclebooks.com, www.beingsanchez.com/news, or www.writeofsummer.com, a camp for kids in Charleston and Orlando. "I tended to
place my wife under a pedestal."
Black History Month: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Feb. 9, Trident Technical College Main Campus Student Center. African American Vendor's Day. (NEW) Mount Pleasant Update: 8 a.m., Feb. 9, Zeus Bar and Grill, 725 Johnnie Dodds Blvd., Mount Pleasant. The Charleston Metro Chamber's Community Connect will allow the public to hear Mount Pleasant Mayor Billy Swails give a town update. Swails will discuss important projects and programs and participate in a question and answer session with the audience.?The cost for each meeting is $40 for non-members, $20 for Chamber members and includes breakfast. Register here.
(NEW) SEWE Kick-Off on the Creek: 5:30 p.m., Feb. 12, at The Lighthouse on Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant. The event will feature live music from national recording artists Ken Block & Drew Copeland of Sister Hazel, as well as Tyler Mechem of Crowfield. Guests will dine on steamed local oysters and a buffet, plus unlimited adult beverages. Barrier Island Marine will have new 2011 model boats in the water offering free sunset cruises to event-goers. This event is sponsored by Red's Ice House, Barrier Island Marine, Miller Lite and WEZL. Tickets are $40 in advance, available at Red's Ice House on Shem Creek or by calling SEWE at 843-723-1748, or $50 at the door.
CALENDAR: ONGOING AND SOON
Black History Celebration: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Feb. 23. Trident Technical College's Berkeley Campus in Moncks Corner will hold its celebration of Black History Month in the library. 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. Cuban Exhibit: Through 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. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
FOCUS ARCHIVES 4/21:
Gilbert:
Uganda trip ANN THRASH ARCHIVES 2/7:
Frozen
Frogmore stew ANDY BRACK ARCHIVES 4/18:
Better
redistricting 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 1/27:
Levelwing
head to speak GREG GARVAN: CHARLESTON GREEN 1/6:
Green
initiative LIST ARCHIVES 4/21:
5
on SC Path |
Enabling
seniors to use computers has the potential to greatly improve their quality
of life. From games and puzzles to the ability to read articles and e-books
in an easier-to-read font, computers can provide numerous ways to keep
seniors' minds active and agile. Additionally, the Internet makes it possible
to easily keep in touch with family and friends. Seeing the joy on a senior's
face as they video chat with their children or download a picture of their
newborn grandchild is infinitely rewarding. We are confident the class
will greatly impact the participants.
Many
plaintiff's lawyers will tell you to watch out if punitive damages are
capped. Why? Because for a small percentage of businesses, that's a write-off,
which could encourage them to be less careful with what they do.
As
evidence that times have changed, the article pointed to how the Charleston
congressional district once represented by "ardent segregationist"
Mendel Rivers is now filled by new U.S. Rep. Tim Scott, a black Republican.
Andy
Brack is publisher of Charleston Currents and 
(new
feature)
Mount
Pleasant native Ann Thrash is a contributing editor. She can be reached
at: 
In
its ninth year, Girls Night Out has become a signature fundraiser for
the museum. Each year, Coplon's presents the season's hottest styles and
accessories in a high-energy runway show. The evening includes music from
DJ Chris Wenner, hors d'oeuvres and specialty drinks from local favorites.
From class clown to artist: 6:15 p.m., Feb. 9, Dart Branch
Library, 1067 King St. Award-winning artist E.B. Lewis, known for his
rich watercolors and lush detailed illustrations in more than 50 children's
books, is a self-described class clown. But Lewis realized as a sixth
grader that he needed to straighten up if he was going to make something
of himself. He will share his story of inspiration and sacrifice, explaining
how a class clown can turn himself into a serious artist and winner of
both the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for "Talkin' about
Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman" and the Caldecott
Honor Award for "Coming on Home Soon." Free.
(NEW)
Nerds at the Dock: 7:30 p.m., Feb. 11-19, 3 p.m. matinees
on Sundays, Feb. 13 and 20. Fresh off of Broadway, the Tony
Award-winning musical comedy "25th Annual Putnam County Spelling
Bee" follows six young people in the throes of puberty, overseen
by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves. Charleston
Stage's production will feature local celebrities as guest spellers each
night. The show, which contains adult language, is recommended for theater-goers
13 and over. For more information and to buy tickets, 
Book
signing: 4 to 6 p.m., Feb. 12, Blue Bicycle Books, 420 King
St. Fans of Nicole Seitz's highly acclaimed novels "Trouble The Water,"
"The Spirit of Sweetgrass," "A Hundred Years Of Happiness"
and "Saving Cicadas" will treasure "The Inheritance of
Beauty," a poignant story of Maggie and George, childhood sweethearts
whose 70-year marriage is forged of their devastating shared secrets from
the tragic events of the summer of 1929. 
A
night with Duke Ellington: 7:30 p.m., Feb. 12, Charleston Music
Hall. Charleston Ballet Theatre and the Charleston Jazz Orchestra join
forces for a one night only performance of Duke Ellington's landmark 1966
album "The Far East Suite" in its entirety. Tickets, $25 to
$45, can be purchased at the Box Office, 477 King St., by calling 843-723-7334
or online at 
Artist demonstration and lecture: 7 p.m., Feb. 15, Bond
Hall room 165, The Citadel. The Citadel School of Humanities and Social
Sciences and the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition educational partnership
sponsor a demonstration and lecture by SEWE artist and Citadel alumnus
Larry Seymour. Seymour was voted South Carolina Wildlife Federation Artist
of the Year in 1986, and has participated in SEWE for many years. Free.