 |
|
|
|
|
|
Issue
4.11 | Monday, Jan. 16, 2012 TODAY'S
FOCUS CURRENTS THE
LIST FOOD
AND DRINK GOOD
NEWS HISTORY
ALSO INSIDE :: FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts :: SPOTLIGHT: Kaynard Photography :: CALENDAR: This week ... and next :: QUOTE: Developing wisdom |
ABOUT US CharlestonCurrents.com offers insightful community comment and good news on events each week. It cuts through the information clutter to offer the best of what's happening locally. What readers say |
|
JAN. 16, 2012 -- Nearly 47 percent of South Carolina organizations have no women in decision-making roles according to a 2008 report by Clemson University's Arthur M. Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership.
To prepare more women to step into decision-making roles, the Charleston, S.C., Center for Women has launched a new Women's Leadership Institute. The Institute is designed to teach Lowcountry women the skills and strategies necessary to beco me capable leaders. The Center for Women, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization and the only comprehensive women's development center in South Carolina, focuses on making personal and professional success an everyday event for women in the Lowcountry. "A report from Catalyst, a research organization specializing in expanding opportunities for women and business, reveals that companies having more women in their leadership team have a 34 percent higher return to shareholders," says Jennet Robinson Alterman, executive director of the Center for Women. "Business, government and communities all face a multitude of critical issues and need a pool of women leaders and decision-makers who can resolve pertinent issues and help deliver improved financial performance. We believe the Center can play a key role in equipping local women with the right mix of knowledge, skills and abilities to help prepare them for these positions."
This is the first intensive skill development program offered by the Center for Women. Topics covered in the monthly sessions will assist local women in building a wide array of leadership skills as well as gaining a broader and deeper business perspective for their increased workplace, community, home and personal effectiveness. Women can choose to take as many or as few classes as their schedule permits. Each course adds value as a stand-alone session or as part of a comprehensive year-long program. Based on feedback from recent Center for Women program and event participants, the women's leadership classes will be held Saturday mornings, starting at 9:30 a.m. and will run for three hours. For companies in the tri-county area who may not have learning and development opportunities or personnel in-house, this program provides them with affordable access to resources that would cost tens of thousands of dollars to create and deliver. "A Women's Leadership Development study conducted in December 2011 by Mercer Consulting revealed that 71 percent of firms do not have a clearly defined plan for developing women for leadership roles," noted Doretha Walker, past president of the Center for Women board of directors and also a leadership program faculty member. "This new program will provide a distinct cost effective advantage for Lowcountry employers looking to get ahead of the curve in training their female employees."
 The dream that still inspires a nation By ANDY BRACK, publisher JAN. 16, 2012 -- Today when you hear mention of the name "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.," it will be easy to recall the sound, captured on black and white film, of his powerful, mellifluous voice in August 1963 urging freedom to ring on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. His "I Have a Dream" speech cemented his place as one of the greatest orators of all time.
Interestingly, this speech that touched America's soul evolved right up until the time King delivered it on that warm day in August. As Seattle lawyer Drew D. Hansen described in his 2003 book, "The Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Speech that Inspired a Nation," King started working on the speech four days before delivering it. A few aides offered themes. King worked on the speech and made revisions through Tuesday, when he traveled to Washington. But when he checked into his hotel, he didn't have a final draft and wasn't satisfied with what he had. Hansen wrote, "A side-by-side comparison of the speech he prepared with the speech he actually gave illustrates how King improvised minor alterations throughout his prepared text before finally deciding to abandon it completely." Surprisingly, King's prepared draft didn't include its most famous repetitive phrase, "I have a dream" Hansen noted. That now-famous phrase was just one of many repetitive, rhetorical Biblical verses, past sermons, stories and quotes from others that King the pastor had used successfully in his hundreds of past sermons and speeches. At the end of the prepared text, King was expected to say:
* * * In both the prepared and delivered versions, King ended with, as he said, words from the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" But what a difference in how he got to that ending. In the prepared text, he had just one sentence that preceded the quote -- "Let us work and march and love and stand tall together until that day has come when we can join hands and sing …" Compare that to the magnitude of vision and repetitive power of his oratory in an excerpt of the 12 sentences he delivered on the fly to whip the crowd into a frenzy:
Today, more than 48 years after King's challenging and uplifting speech, let us ponder how each of us can work to make freedom shine stronger every day.
Kaynard Photography grew from Michael's love of walking the streets of the Charleston's historic district. It developed into a passion for capturing everything Charleston through a camera lens. Kaynard can be seen walking the streets of Charleston many days from dawn to darkness. He calls his work "At Street Level". His photos are available for viewing and sale at kaynardphotography.webs.com.
JAN. 16,
2012 -- In a great restaurant city like Charleston, most of us perpetually
have a place or three in mind that we want to try - maybe a buzzed-about
new place downtown or an old favorite that's across a bridge from wherever
we live and that we haven't been to in a while. If you've been carrying
around that mental list like I have, now's the time to stop thinking about
it and start doing something about it: It's Restaurant Week in the Lowcountry.
Restaurant
Week only lasts until this Sunday, so eat up -- and eat out! Restaurants
team to help Keegan-Filion Farms The restaurant
community has really stepped up to the plate to help raise money for some
local farmers who recently lost a barn - and much of their livelihood
- to a devastating fire. Annie and Marc Filion of Keegan-Filion Farms,
a supplier to many local restaurants, lost the barn in an early-December
fire that also claimed about 100 young turkeys, along with feed and a
number of tools. On Jan. 22, many Lowcountry restaurants will team up for a "barn raiser" to help raise money for the Filions to rebuild. The event will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Lowndes Grove Plantation on the banks of the Ashley River. Local chefs will be serving up their best, and there will be an oyster roast as well. Tickets are $50 per person and include admission and food; beer and wine will be available for purchase. For more information, visit this site. In addition
to the barn-raising event, one local restaurant group, Maverick Southern
Kitchens, is offering a new cocktail called the Barn Raiser to help the
Filions. Through Jan. 22 at Slightly North of Broad, the Old Village Post
House and High Cotton, you can get the cocktail -- a blend of local-honey-infused
Maverick Bourbon, Blenheim ginger ale orange bitters - for $9, with $2
going toward the fundraising effort. Cooking
class spotlight
Efforts
to renovate Allan Park on Ashley Avenue got a boost with a $30,000 donation
from Robb Allan, a direct descendent of the family that developed the
eastern half of Hampton Park Terrace and later donated the property to
the city.
"When
neighbors get behind a project, they have such a sense of ownership in
the park," said Jim Martin, Conservancy executive director. "As
an organization, our goal is to partner with the community to create public
parks and green spaces that are truly integrated into the community and
part of the fabric of a neighborhood." In making
his donation, Robb Allan said it was important for the park to be maintained
as beautifully as possible, since his family was intimately connected
to its creation. "It is my great hope that doing so will stimulate
an involvement by the local residents in preserving the park, and that
this will enhance the beauty, enjoyment and value of the neighborhood
and the homes in it."
Charleston Film Festival set for March 1-4 at Terrace The third annual Charleston Film Festival at the Terrace will be held March 1 to March 4 in a collaborative effort with a Columbia event, the Indie Grits Film Festival, to bring more quality films to the Lowcountry.
Each festival will include a selection of films and shorts from the other festival. Charleston Film Festival Director Paul Brown added, "Andy and I have come to appreciate our mutual admiration for all good movies. We totally respect and admire The Indie Grits Festival and hope that our festival will continue in their tradition." The Charleston festival has its largest package of prizes ever. Not only will prizes be awarded to the best regional feature film and best regional short film, but the first-prize winner will get a cash prize of $2,500 and a week of exhibition at the Terrace Theater.
Charleston
veterinary center wins national design award Veterinary
Economics magazine has named Charleston
Veterinary Referral Center (CVRC) as winner of the 2012 Hospital Design
Competition Award for best facility conversion, the center said.
"We
are proud to put Charleston on the map, in terms of a nationally-recognized
world-class veterinary facility," says Dr. Alan Green, founder and
chief of staff at the Charleston center. "The entire staff at CVRC
is honored and thrilled to be recognized with this prestigious award from
such a respected magazine in our industry. "When
we designed the hospital, the goal was to transform the 16,000-square-foot
space into a state-of-the-art facility that would provide patients with
the highest quality of care, improve medical and surgical outcomes, and
enhance the overall client experience." Some of
the center's special design features include: a waiting area designed
with client comfort in mind such as private sitting areas, TV and wireless
Internet access, refreshment area and a designated discharge area for
patients to receive medical instructions before they return home. To improve
patient outcomes, the design includes an air exchange system for a healthier
hospital and work environment, and a floor plan that focuses on patient
visibility to all doctors and staff at the hospital. "The
judges were particularly impressed with the CVRC partners' ability to
identify an existing facility and utilize it," said Ashley Barforoush,
associate editor of Veterinary Economics magazine. "Charleston
Veterinary Referral Center is an outstanding example of a conversion facility." Bad
Day at The Dock Jan. 28-29 A great
and funny children's book will come to life at the Dock Street Theatre
during a two-day run at the end of the month when Charleston Stage's actors
offer "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day."
"Sometimes
we just need to get away. Sometimes we need to hear a lullaby from Mom
or get a pat on the back from our brothers to make everything better.
I'm thrilled to direct this musical for Charleston Stage's young audiences."
Alexander's daily struggles with life's obstacles will not only entertain but educate young audiences as they relate to Alexander and the obstacles he encounters. The play will encourage them to talk about their feelings and to realize that bad days happen... even in Australia! The cast
consists of an all adult cast featuring Charleston Stage's Professional
Resident Acting Company with Derek T. Pickens as Alexander; Josh Harris
playing the roles of older brother Nick and classmate Paul; Jillian Kuhl
in the roles of Mother and Alexander's teacher, Mrs. Dickens; Vanessa
Moyen as his classmate Becky; and Gabriel Wright in the roles of Father
and the Shoeman. Also joining the cast are local actors Anthony Massarotto
playing the roles of Alexander's brother, Anthony, and his classmate Albert;
and actress Shelby Smith playing the role of his classmate Audrey. The play, sponsored through the Piggly Wiggly Family Series, has performances at 3 p.m. on Jan. 28 and Jan. 29 at the Dock Street Theatre, 135 Church Street, Charleston.
Carlisle Sessions Floyd was born in Latta on June 11, 1926, the son of a Methodist minister. He entered Converse College in 1943, studying piano with Ernst Bacon. Floyd followed Bacon to Syracuse University in 1945, eventually earning a B.M. (1946) and an M.M. (1949) in piano and composition.
Susannah
is the second most frequently performed opera by an American composer,
behind George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. A recording on the
Virgin Classics label won a Grammy Award in 1994. His opera Of Mice
and Men (1969), based on the John Steinbeck novel, has had numerous
productions by such opera companies as New York City, Utah, San Diego,
and Cleveland. His opera The Passion of Jonathan Wade (1962, revised
1990) is set in Reconstruction-era Columbia. In addition
to being his own librettist, Floyd has composed more than ten stage works,
song cycles, music for orchestra and chorus, and music for piano. He is
the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship
(1956), an honorary doctorate from Dickinson College (1983), and the National
Opera Institute’s Award for Service to American Opera (1983). Along
with David Gockney, he is codirector of the Houston Opera Studio, a training
program for young, aspiring singers and accompanists.
SISTER PUBLICATIONS We encourage you to check out our sister publications:
CREDITS Charleston Currents is provided to you twice a week by:
UNSUBSCRIBE We hope you'll keep receiving the great news and information from CharlestonCurrents.com, but if you need to unsubscribe, click here. © 2008-2012, Statehouse Report LLC. All rights reserved. Charleston Currents is published every Monday and Thursday by Statehouse Report LLC, PO Box 22261, Charleston, SC 29413. |
Remembering Martin
"We should not devour each other to the delight of onlookers who would have us corrupt and sully the noble quality of our crusade."
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial 'outside agitator' idea."
"I have a
dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where
they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content
of their character. I have a dream today!"
"Civilization
and violence are antithetical concepts."
"We must come to see that the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience. That will be a day not of the white man, not of the black man. That will be the day of man as man."
"My favorite
poem, my -- my favorite poet was Aeschylus. And he once wrote:
"What we need
in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States
is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness,
but is love, and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling
of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they
be white or whether they be black."
(NEW) Restaurant Week: All week through Sunday. Dine at a hip restaurant -- and get good special prices -- this week during Charleston Restaurant Week. More. "The Last
Flapper:" 7:30 p.m. Jan. 20 and 21; 3 p.m., Jan. 22, 1080
East Montague Ave., North Charleston. The
South of Broadway Theatre Company will present this one-woman show
starring Leslie Vicary that's based on the writings of Zelda Fitzgerald.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for students. More: 745.0317. CALENDAR: ONGOING AND SOON. (NEW)
Bird walks:
8:30 a.m. to noon, every Wednesday and Saturday. This is the time
of year that a great variety of migrating birds fly through the Lowcountry
so what better time to take part in one of the regular early morning bird
walks at Caw Caw Interpretive Center in Ravenel. Pre-registration is suggested.
Cost is $5. Learn
more online. Open houses: Throughout January. Palmetto Scholars Academy, the state's first gifted and talented charter school, will hold six open houses between Saturday and Jan. 31 for potential students. The school, which will have students in grades six through 10 next year, has an enrollment period through Feb. 8. More on times and the process here. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
FOCUS ARCHIVES
5/29: Laird:
After-school programs 4/30:
Geiger:
Mobile payments 2/27:
Curley:
"Inga Binga" 1/30:
Tisdale:
Home House Press DOUG
BOSTICK: 5/21: Robert
Smalls ANDY BRACK 5/29:
PeopleMatter,
more 3/26:
Mutant
bugs attack 2/27:
South
is changing 1/30:
Carrier
visit is awesome MARSHA GUERARD 9/1:
Bill
Regan, more ANN
THRASH: 5/21:
Local
connection for Star GREG
GARVAN: 4/30: Waterkeeper
event LIST ARCHIVES 5/14:
Tips
for fresh flowers 4/30:
Gifts
for grads 3/26:
Joe's
accomplishments 2/27:
Charleston
history 1/30:
Enterprising
fun facts IN OUR SISTER PUBLICATION
Twitter
feeds via TweetsWind:
a Twitter widget
|
National
research into women in business conducted by Braithwaite Innovation Group,
a local professional development organization, shows that business women
skilled in communications, negotiations, conflict resolution, and general
leadership abilities are better positioned to assume more responsibility.
I found the Lowcountry full of professional and executive women -- educators,
entrepreneurs and former Fortune 100 company executives -- who have these
skills and who are willing to pay it forward to improve the status of
women in South Carolina. We have designed the Women's Leadership Institute
sessions to be highly interactive, using discussion, practical application,
assessments and experiential exercises. Our goal is maximizing learning
about leading oneself, leading others and leading within organizations.
But
he delivered something else - something quite remarkable - when he outlined
his dream to the 250,000 people in the Mall in Washington. He quoted from
"My County 'tis of Thee." And he shouted for freedom to ring.
Instead of asking people to return to their communities as members of
"the international association for the advancement of creative dissatisfaction,"
a phrase that is easy to forget, listen to the ring of power in the words
he roared:
The
public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring Charleston
Currents to you at no cost. Today we shine our spotlight on a brand new
underwriter: Kaynard Photography, a business run by contributing
photographer Michael Kaynard of West Ashley.
Bunches
of local restaurants are offering special menus at greatly reduced prices
this week: think three courses for $40 at Peninsula Grill or the Woodlands,
or three for $30 at Anson or Fulton Five, or three for $20 at Butcher
& Bee or Five Loaves. Go to the 
Mount
Pleasant writer and editor Ann Thrash can be reached at: 
The
Charleston Parks Conservancy has partnered with the community to complete
a major park renovation at the small neighborhood park, which has a water
fountain and benches. The community has pledged to raise $15,000 to give
the park a facelift with renovated green spaces and an irrigation system
upgrade. This effort comes just in time for the Hampton Park Terrace Centennial
this year. New plants will be installed in the park in early spring.
"One
of the goals of Indie Grits is to foster the development of a strong film
culture here in South Carolina," said Andy Smith, director of the
Indie Grits festival. "Partnering with the Charleston Film Festival/Terrace
Theatre is just a natural step in that direction. We couldn't be more
excited to work together to help burgeoning filmmakers in our region get
exposure and to help daring audiences find quality, edgy work."
An
independent panel of judges evaluated hospitals from across the country
on site plans, outpatient and inpatient areas, quality of interior finish
materials, mechanical, plumbing, electrical and overall features. 
"I
loved the book growing up," said director Amanda Wansa, "because
I imagined, like Alexander, going to far off places, like Australia, when
the dentist and the social pressures at school were just too much to handle.
After
serving on the music faculty at Florida State University (1947–1976),
he was professor of composition at the University of Houston from 1976
until his retirement in 1996. While at FSU, Floyd composed and, in 1955,
premiered his opera Susannah. Based on the biblical story of Susannah
and the Elders but set in 1950s Tennessee, the work won the New York Music
Critics’ Circle Award in 1956 and was the American operatic entry
to the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958.
With
today being the holiday commemorating the life and works of Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr., we thought a good list might be five favorite quotes
from the Nobel Prize winner:
