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AUG. 11, 2011 — The Charleston Jaycees are throwing the 4th Annual Bachelor Bid Bash Aug. 20 to benefit S.C. Jaycee Camp Hope, a statewide camp for mentally handicapped citizens.
During each session, campers have the opportunity to enjoy an overnight campout. Some campers participate in our outdoor adventure program, which involves group initiatives, rope courses, a climbing wall and special trips. The S.C. Jaycees sponsor over 200 very special individuals each year who come from your community and those around you. Each year, the South Carolina Jaycees are committed to raising $50,000 for Jaycee Camp Hope. The Charleston Jaycees have committed to raising $15,000 of that amount.
In order to reach that goal, the Charleston Jaycees host their Annual Bachelor Bid Bash — an event that’s nearly as much fun as the campers have. On Saturday, Aug. 20, the bachelor/bachelorette auction will be held at the Music Farm at 32 Ann St. in downtown Charleston. Doors open at 7 p.m., with the live auction, including date packages, kicking off at 8 p.m. Bachelors and bachelorettes will be auctioned off by famed auctioneer Craig Simmons. There will also be a silent auction, which includes excursion packages and local activities from around South Carolina. All tickets are $30 per person or $50 for couples and include general admission seating and standing room, heavy hors d'oeurves from local Charleston restaurants and an open bar. Tickets can be purchased online via eTix at www.bachelorbidbash.org. The official After Party will be at Market Street Saloon, located at 32 N. Market St. immediately following the event. If you would like to donate to Jaycee Camp Hope but are unable to attend the Bachelor Bid Bash, you may make an online PayPal donation. About
the Charleston Jaycees: 
When it comes to violence, do we rule out redemption? By MARSHA GUERARD, editor AUG. 11, 2011 — Watching the nightly news this past week about the riots in London triggered memories of the novel, “A Clockwork Orange.”
A few days ago, a terrified London woman whose third-floor apartment was burned told an interviewer that looters laughed at her struggle to escape the flames as they carried rugs away from the burning first-floor store below. The sheer cruelty brought out the Clockwork Orange mental reference for me. A bit of research about that novel revealed a surprising irony, as well. The novel by Anthony Burgess — which was at once indecipherable and brilliant, horrifying and funny — was published 49 years ago. Stanley Kubrick’s incredibly disturbing movie was re-released this year on Blu-Ray to celebrate its 40th anniversary. I was 7 when the book was released, so I read it and saw the movie when I was older. I was changed by them. While it is not a movie I would want to buy, it is one I will never forget. A quick synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Alex is the classical-music-loving leader of a vicious gang that robs, beats, rapes and murders at random in an England of the future. Alex is caught by police, and as he takes part in the state’s experimental psychological rehabilitation, he’s physically forced to watch extremely violent films while drugged with a substance that makes him nauseous.
While researching the novel this week, I learned something I had never known. The American publisher of “A Clockwork Orange” eliminated Burgess’ final chapter. In the British edition, Alex comes of age in the symbolic 21st chapter, grows tired of the violent life, and vows to settle down. But the U.S. publisher said that American audiences would never buy that ending. Instead, the novel I read ended at chapter 20 with Alex again a violent man. Kubrick, too, rejected that final chapter in writing the screenplay. For 24
years, until a complete version of the book was finally released here,
the U.S. publisher did a bit of psychological experimentation of its own
on American audiences. The possibility of choosing moral rehabilitation
was edited out. In the name of realism, our movie entertainment became
more narrow. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that happily-ever-after endings can prevent the class and racial division we’re suffering. We’re on the brink of a second economic collapse in this country and class divisions will only get worse. But decades of denying the possibility of making moral choices – no matter who you are — doesn’t seem to be helping.
To Charleston
Currents:
I know
someone who moved here from Texas and spent two years and seven trips
to the DMV trying to get a South Carolina license because she had been
married twice, with name changes each time. Many people in South
Carolina – especially rural folk – don’t have birth certificates.
Other essential documents have been lost or destroyed in fires. It
sometimes takes a costly trip to court to get it all straightened out.
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.
Two professors in the College of Charleston’s School of Education, Health, and Human Performance will serve as co-editors of The Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy beginning this month.
The journal has an international readership of more than 14,000 and is the only literacy journal published exclusively for literacy advocates of older learners. Teacher education professors Margaret C. Hagood and Emily N. Skinner will serve as co-editors through 2016. “The opportunity to provide intellectual leadership for such an internationally well-respected journal reflects a great deal of confidence in two of our most outstanding faculty in the School of Education, Health and Human Performance,” George Hynd, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, said. Hagood and Skinner have served on the journal’s Editorial Review Board and are active members of the journal’s publisher, the International Reading Association. They will adjudicate manuscripts beginning this fall and their first issue as co-editors will be in August 2012. “Our vision for the journal is to make connections across literacies, melding old with new, foundational with digital, print texts with digital ones and to open up conversations among various stakeholders, including students, content area teachers, media specialists, literacy coaches, researchers, administrators, and policy makers,” Hagood said. JAAL is published online and in print eight times a year: monthly from September through May, with a combined issue in December/January. Goodwill collects materials for Teacher’s Supply Closet On behalf of the Teacher’s Supply Closet, Goodwill Industries of Lower South Carolina will accept donations of new and gently used office, school and art supplies through Aug. 31.
For more information about Goodwill’s programs and services, visit www.palmettogoodwill.org and for a wish list of items and/or additional information on the Teacher’s Supply Closet, visit www.teacherssupplycloset.org. Online high school to hold public meetings here Provost
Academy South Carolina, a tuition-free public online high school, will
host two community information meetings on Aug. 15 at the Charleston County
Public Library Main Branch. Provost
Academy is enrolling students for the 2011-2012 school year. Parents and
students seeking more information about Provost Academy, how to enroll,
or when Community Outreach Specialists will be in their area should visit
the Web site or call 877-
265-3195 toll free. Summer
weather finds many homeowners working in the yard and planning new landscaping
projects. Whether it’s a do-it-yourself job or one that requires
a professional, make sure to call 811 before any digging work begins.
As the national “call before you dig” number, 811 calls are answered in our state by South Carolina 811, the new name for the state’s call center. Previously known as Palmetto Utility Protection Service Inc., SC811 coordinates with the appropriate utilities to have company-owned underground lines located and marked, all free of charge. By calling 811, homeowners help keep themselves and their neighbors safe from serious injury and possible service disruption. Last year, SCE&G responded to numerous incidents in which the natural gas company’s underground pipeline system had been damaged by a third party. In a majority of these cases, the unintentional damage could have been prevented if the pipe had been located and marked before excavation work began. For more information about working safely around underground pipeline, visit sceg.com/digsafely, and for more information about the 811system and SC811, visit www.sc811.org. Second Sunday features music, dining, book signings Charleston's popular shopping, dining and cultural event, 2nd Sunday on King Street, continues from 1 to 5 p.m. Aug. 14. King Street
will be closed to all vehicular traffic from Queen Street north to Calhoun
as businesses invite everyone to enjoy the best shopping, dining and services
the region has to offer on the sidewalks and in the street. Some school-age
children may dread their summer reading assignments, but many more embrace
it to expand their horizons and become wrapped up in a world outside their
own.
I finished reading a nonfiction book, “Unbroken,” by Laura Hillenbrand who also wrote “Seabiscuit.” It is the story of Louis Zamperini, a young man from California. He is a very accomplished runner who competed in the 1936 Olympics in Germany and finds himself in a B-24 bomber over the Pacific Ocean during WWII. His plane is shot down and he and two other survivors are on a life raft for over a month and a half eating birds raw and fighting off sharks constantly circling them. He is forced to suffer greatly on the raft after drifting some 2,000 miles toward the Japanese-held Marshall Islands. He and the other two survivors are captured and are forced to deal with unspeakable abuse at the hands of the Japanese.
The book detailed Louis Zamperini’s life as a child and young man prior to fighting in WWII. To me, it highlighted his strong family ties and the sacrifices our servicemen and women made. The devotion of the two brothers was especially moving. The whole point was to tell the story of this man’s survival and ability to remain unbroken. I felt like I was on the raft with them bobbing in the Pacific. Not only was it a story of strong family ties and Louis Zamperini’s ability to remain unbroken but also a strong reminder of what this country is all about, freedom. We take it for granted. I think everyone should read this book, especially our elected representatives. After witnessing the most recent embarrassing farce we had in Washington, it makes me think we have forgotten what is really important to us. We need to remember why we fought WW II. The bickering and political infighting is an affront to every veteran who has shed blood for our nation. We have taken our eye off the ball and had better focus on what is really important. We, as a nation, need to come together so we can remain unbroken.
Ohio
native plays key role in Confederate Charleston By early August 1861, Union brigadier general Thomas W. Sherman was ordered by the secretary of war to start recruiting an army in the New England states for an attack on the Southern coast. Flag Officer Du Pont was assigned the responsibility for the naval expedition to coordinate with Sherman. The army assembled 12,653 troops and 36 transports at Annapolis, Md., while Du Pont used New York to organize 15 warships with a total of 148 guns. Sherman and Du Pont rendezvoused at Hampton Roads, Va.
On August 21, 1861, brigadier general Roswell S. Ripley was given command of all Confederate forces in Charleston. Ripley was a native of Ohio and served in the U.S. Army during the Mexican War. In 1852, he married a woman from Charleston and moved there to join her. He established a successful business in Charleston and became a devoted advocate for states’ rights. As tensions increased between South Carolina and the Federal government, Ripley volunteered for the South Carolina militia and, due to his previous military experience, was given the rank of major. When South Carolina seceded in December 1860, Ripley was made a lieutenant colonel in the Army of South Carolina and given command of South Carolina forces at Fort Moultrie. After the Union evacuation of Fort Sumter on April 15, 1861, the honor to occupy Fort Sumter the first night of Confederate control was given to the Palmetto Guard and Company B, South Carolina Battalion of Artillery, commanded by Ripley. On August 15, 1861, Ripley was promoted to brigadier general. He earned his reputation as a capable officer, though one with a hot temper. Anytime his superior officers disagreed with him, Ripley had difficulty “holding his tongue.” On assuming command in Charleston, Ripley began strengthening and adding to the Confederate defenses in the city. Though he was determined, progress was slow. Most of the region’s slaves that were instrumental in constructing the defenses of Charleston had been pulled by their owners for the pending harvest of cotton and rice. Ripley urged the Confederate command in Richmond to send him additional supplies of guns, arms and ammunition. However, with no base of operations yet established for the Union army and navy, an attack on Charleston did not appear imminent and Ripley’s requests were refused. Finally, on August 31, Confederate lookouts spotted several new Union troop transports near the Charleston bar scouting the harbor entrance. Ripley correctly assumed that they steamed to Charleston from a newly established base at Cape Hatteras. In writing to the Confederate Adjutant General Cooper in Richmond, Ripley offered, “If from one to four officers, having knowledge of ordnance or artillery duty, can be sent here, they will assist greatly.” Despite his urgent pleas, additional guns, arms, ammunition or experience artillery officers would not be forthcoming.
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Five reasons to pass the bottle
"In my many
years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two
is a law firm, and three or more is a congress."
Skin Cancer Screenings:
9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Aug. 13, the Splash Zone Waterpark at James Island
County Park. Dermatologists with the MUSC Mobile Health Unit will offer
free skin cancer screenings. Mad Science Saturday: 10 a.m. to noon, Aug. 13, The Charleston Museum. Learn about Newton's first law. Explore gravity, centrifugal force, and use a gyroscope. Join us each month for a different themed event including presentations and craft projects for children of all ages. Admission is free for museum members; $10/adults, $5/children, under 3 free. Charleston Young Professionals Anniversary: 8 p.m., Aug. 13, Johnson Hagood Stadium Club Level, The Citadel. Charleston Young Professionals will celebrate five years of professional development with an anniversary party Enjoy live music, dinner and cocktails for $50 CYP member, $75 non-member. To register, visit here. First Day Festival: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Aug. 14, Liberty Square near the S.C. Aquarium and the Maritime Center. The ninth annual First Day Festival will celebrate education as students prepare to return to school. There will be exhibits, school supplies, healthy foods, celebrity chef demonstrations, recreational activities, entertainment, free boat rides, and a misting festival. Free. Park for a flat rate of $1 at the Aquarium and Gaillard garages. Book Cart Sale: 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Aug. 14, Charleston County Public Library Main Branch, 68 Calhoun St. The Charleston Friends of the Library will offer a taste of their larger book sales. Fiction and non-fiction books will be available for $1 and $3, and children's books for 50 cents and $1 at the Information Desk every second Sunday of the month. CALENDAR: ONGOING AND SOON Family Fun Weekends:
Saturdays and Sundays in August. South Carolina residents who want to
enjoy a "staycation" can take advantage of reduced admissions
at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. Weekend admission to the gardens and
a nature train ride will be $40 for each vehicle carrying up to five passengers.
Free snow cones and popcorn will be served at the Peacock Café.
For more information, call 571-1266. Business Before Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., Aug. 18, ITT Technical Institute. The Charleston Metro Chamber presents Business Before Hours to allow businesses to work on relationship building while being exposed to a variety of industries and professionals. Cost: Chamber members $20 non-members $40 includes breakfast. Register online. Port Briefing and Tour: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Aug. 18. The Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce hosts an update from Port leadership at the Chamber then a bus tour of the new terminal and by boat, waterside views of all the Port terminals. Cost: $75 for Chamber members $150 for non-members. Register online. (NEW)
Summerville
Third Thursday: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Aug. 18, historic downtown.
Come celebrate the end of summer in Summerville as the stores and restaurants
feature great meals and good deals. There will be live music on in several
venues, the Art Walk on Short Central, fun new entertainment to try called
Bopping Heads and entertainment by a local dance studio. More info: by
email or (843) 821-7260. (NEW)
Louie’s
Kids Benefit Dinner: 6:30 p.m., Aug 18, Circa 1886, 149 Wentworth
St. Joining Chef Marc Collins of Circa 1886 will be Chef Bob Waggoner
of U Cook With Bob, and Chef Scott Crawford of the Umstead Hotel and Spa.
Cost is $75 per person, $50 of which goes directly to Louie’s Kids
and is tax deductible. To make a reservation, call 843-853-7828 or online.
Art Exhibit Opening Reception: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Aug. 19, The Wells Gallery at the Sanctuary on Kiawah Island. Opening of Rothwell/Reinert, a new show of works inspired by the scenery of the Lowcountry. The artists, Junko Ono Rothwell and Rick Reinert, both inspired by nature and sunlight, have created numerous new works that will be on display in the gallery Aug. 19 to Sept. 2. Both artists will attend the Opening Reception on the evening of Aug. 19.
Auditions for Youth Plays: 1:30 p.m., Aug. 21 and 22, and 5:30 p.m. Aug. 22, South of Broadway Theatre Company (a non-profit organization),?1080 E. Montague Ave.,North Charleston. Ages 13-18: Power Play, remounting last year's popular production, with additional school performances in discussion. Ages 9-13: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a creepy musical experience. Power Play performance dates: Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 20 at 3 p.m. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow performance dates: Nov. 12 at 7 p.m., Nov. 13 at 3 p.m. Facebook Seminar: 9 a.m. to noon, Aug. 23, Charleston Digital Corridor Flagship, 475 E. Bay St. (corner of East Bay and Calhoun streets). Step Ahead offers two seminars sharing tips for successfully using Facebook to promote and grow your business. Part 1 will focus on the basics of setting up a Facebook page, behind-the-scenes functions, posting strategy, photos, videos and tagging. The second will explain how to customize your page, strategies for generating results, Facebook apps and Insights (analytics). Each seminar is $65 or register for both and save $10 ($120 for both). For more information or to register, visit here or email here. Hurricane & Earthquake Expo: 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Aug. 24, at SCRA MUSC Innovation Center, 645 Meeting St. The Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce hosts a Hurricane and Earthquake Awareness Expo. Get resources on how to prepare for and protect your business from natural and man-made disasters. Also speakers on how Charleston prepares for a disaster, how to protect your employees and more. Cost: $55 Chamber Members, $95 Non-Members. Register online. Grape Stomping Festival: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Aug. 27, Irvin~House Vineyards, 6775 Bears Bluff Road on Wadmalaw Island. Join in the yearly harvest and stomping of the grapes at Charleston's only winery, Irvin~House Vineyards. Bring lawn chairs or a blanket to picnic on the expansive lawn, but no coolers. The highlight of the Grape Stomping Festival is the Lucy Look-A-Like Contest. For more information, visit www.charlestonwine.com. Admission is $10 per car. (NEW) Wine and Beer Festival: 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Sept. 4, on the Green at Freshfields Village on Johns Island. The 5th Annual Lowcountry Wine and Beer Festival will benefit the Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic, Inc. Guests will enjoy an array of wines and beers, Lowcountry cuisine, a silent auction, and live jazz music will be provided by the Cobblestone Quartet. Tickets are $35 in advance, and $40 at the gate. Junior tickets (age 10 to 20) are $20, and children under 10 are free. Tickets may be purchased at Hyams Garden and Accent Store, Paul's Hairstyling, Forsberg's Wine and Spirits, the Johns Island UPS Store, Schoen Ace Hardware, Indigo Books, Freshfields Village Guest Services, Seabrook Island Real Estate and Kiawah Island Town Hall. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
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The
camp operates a total of six weeks with four one-week sessions and one
two-week session. Campers eight years and older are accepted. Throughout
the summer, campers participate in many activities such as swimming, canoeing,
sailing, hiking, fishing, pontoon boating, archery and crafts. They also
play games including volleyball, tetherball, horseshoes, Frisbee, golf
and much more.
The
rehab, unfortunately carried out to a soundtrack of Beethoven’s Fifth
Symphony, works. Alex is revdolted by violence and cannot pursue his old
proclivities. The prison chaplain points out that he’s less than
human now because he’s lost the element of moral choice, but prison
officials are thrilled with the results. Alex is left defenseless against
the violence around him. He’s also revolted by Beethoven, perhaps
the one sign of humanity in his former life. Before long, he returns to
the violence of his past.
In
Donation
bins will be set up at every area Goodwill store with donations going
directly to the Teacher’s Closet. 
At
each meeting, Community Outreach Specialists and Provost Academy staff
will be on-hand to host guided tours of the school’s virtual classroom,
curriculum and assessment tools. Prospective high school students and
their parents or guardians will have the opportunity to learn and ask
questions about the online high school and its wide selection of classes,
including honors and AP courses. Students currently enrolled at Provost
Academy are also encouraged to attend.
The
Charleston Preservation Society Book & Gift Shop features three local
chefs and authors with Charleston's own Nathalie Dupree, author of Southern
Biscuits, Charlotte Jenkins, Gullah Cuisine, and Patricia Branning,
Shrimp, Collards & Grits. They will serve biscuits and other Southern
treats on site. 
The
book really hit home with me. I am 60 and have never served in the
military. I have the highest respect for those who have fought our
wars. No one knows the horrible things they saw and may revisit
every day and night. I can understand how war can wreck the lives
of these young men and women. When I see a homeless person on the
street, I wonder if they are vets and if their plight is tied to their
service.
Douglas
W. Bostick grew up on James Island, and his ancestors in South Carolina
date back to colonial America. He is the author of several books and numerous
articles that have appeared in historical journals, magazines and national
newsletters. A graduate of the College of Charleston, Bostick earned a
master's degree from the University of South Carolina. He is a former
staff and faculty member of the University of South Carolina and the University
of Maryland.
Here
at Charleston Currents, we’re as tickled about having our
very own Lowcountry distillery as we are about the many breweries foaming
up locally. Firefly Distillery is introducing its newly designed Sea Island
South Carolina Rums, handcrafted on Wadmalaw Island. Here are a few
reasons they might be worth a try:
Book
Signing: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Aug. 19, Blue Bicycle Books, 420
King St. Author Maurita Corcoran will sign her book, A House Interrupted,
a can't-put-it-down read about a wife's devastating discovery that her
physician husband had been living a double life. Recently, Maurita and
her husband appeared on national television on The Dr. Drew Show, where
they discussed their successful efforts to rebuilding their lives together.