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Issue
4.16 | Monday, Feb. 20, 2012 TODAY'S
FOCUS CURRENTS THE
LIST CHARLESTON
GREEN GOOD
NEWS HISTORY
ALSO INSIDE :: FEEDBACK: Letters on bikes, ship :: SPOTLIGHT: SCRA :: CALENDAR: This week ... and next :: QUOTE: What yawns mean :: BROADUS: Tight squeeze |
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 |
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FEB. 20, 2012 -- We all know people working for an organization or charity. It feels as though we have people asking for monetary donations and sponsorships almost weekly for various "good causes."
But for me, and the hundreds of girls that ultimately benefit from the Cinderella Project, this is not just another charity. This is not just about giving away free dresses to girls who need them. And it is not simply calculating how it will factor into our deductions at tax time. It is about building a community. It is about how a small effort, when taken cumulatively, results in an extraordinary event. I started volunteering with the Charleston Cinderella Project in 2004. I was already volunteering with the after-school program at the Outreach Center and I thought the project would just be another activity to which I could contribute. I had no idea that eight years later I would not only still be volunteering with the project, but also serving as the project chair.
The Saturday event literally takes months plan. A committee is formed and responsibilities are delegated. There's public relations and media plugs; securing drop off sites and soliciting those donations; contacting over 50 high schools and inviting the girls to attend; and of course finding dozens of volunteers. There's set up and break down. And at times I feel as though I'm drowning in dresses.
So why do I do it? I do it for hugs that mamas give me when they leave with their daughter who now has a beautiful dress to wear to prom. I do it for the smiles seen throughout the day on girls as they spin around excitedly showing off their new dress. I do it for moments like the one last month where I received an e-mail from someone who wanted to contribute. Her daughter attended the event in 2010 and received a prom dress. Now, the mother's company has become successful and she remembered those who helped her along the way. She's decided to pay it forward and donate corsages and boutonnières to this year's project. As clichéd as it sounds, I do it to make a difference. I don't have a lot money. And after volunteering with the project for so many years, I don't even have any dresses to donate. But what I do have is time and a passion to help others. I see that there's a population of girls who need help affording that special dress and a population of people who have the means to help. I simply serve as the conduit between the two.
FEB. 20, 2012 -- Seven months ago, Lt. Gov. Ken Ard signed a consent order admitting 107 counts of violating state ethics rules by using campaign funds for personal items after his November 2010 victory. In the order, Ard agreed to pay a $48,400 ethics fine -- the second largest in the state's history. Ard also agreed to pay $12,500 to reimburse the state for its ethics investigation and $12,121.35 to his campaign account for personal expenses.
Seven months ago, state Attorney General Alan Wilson sent Ard's case to the statewide grand jury to review whether any criminal charges would be brought. Since then, the people of South Carolina have heard virtually nothing. His communications director isn't talking: "That's not something the lieutenant governor is able to comment on." His lawyer isn't returning calls. And the attorney general's office is mum: "This office is prohibited by law from commenting on matters that are before the state grand jury," a spokesman said. And oddly, the Statehouse gossip mill isn't churning: "We're not even hearing rumors, which is even weird around here," one insider observed. As best as can be determined, the state grand jury continues to meet monthly on the matter and continues to probe. And Ard, disgraced and reprimanded, continues to put on a purple robe when the state Senate is in session to serve as its presiding officer. This is not a good way for government to run. The whole mess has created an untenable situation that the public needs resolved. People deserve more than to be kept in a holding pattern about whether the state's number two officer is going to face criminal charges. As South Carolina continues to try to attract new businesses and move about its business, it's not helpful for her lieutenant governor to have a black eye that doesn't seem to ever go away.
So here are the options. First, Ard could resign and deal with the situation as a private citizen. Then the Senate would shuffle into action because its president pro tempore would rise to fill the lieutenant governor's shoes. (The current occupant of that job, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, reportedly doesn't want the number-two job and would resign so that another person could be elected president pro tem and then become lieutenant governor, but that's drama for another day.) Under this option, the Charlie Brown-like cloud that's been raining on Ard would dissipate. Whispering and acting as if nothing were wrong would be over (as much as it can be in Columbia). Things would return to what goes for normal. Second, we can keep waiting. If Ard is not indicted, the cloud would go away, but his effectiveness would forever be in question because of the $72,000 black eye he got from the ethics probe. If he is indicted, he very likely would be suspended on the constitutional grounds of "moral turpitude" until he was acquitted. If later convicted, he would be removed from office. Third, the grand jury can issue its report -- and sooner rather than later. While it would be best for the state for Ard to resign, it's easy to understand why he wants to stay on. More than likely, he feels he has paid the price for a bunch of dumb mistakes and a misunderstanding of what campaign funds can be used for. More than likely, he doesn't believe he had criminal intent to defraud. Regardless, one thing is for sure: it's time for the whole thing to come to a head so we can all move on.
To the
editor: Tom Bradford's
fine story on bike usage [2/13: "Red
state roads don't need red state thinking"] brought to mind
this photo. This is a bike garage in Amsterdam[ that holds thousands of
bike from commuters every day. Might be a good follow up to the story.
Bike path debate highlights community priorities To the editor: Concerning Mr. Bradford's article on funding for bicycle paths, et al.: While one could not say nay against such ideas, there is a question of priorities in terms of the general public. Our roads and bridges need a lot more work than laying out separate two-wheeler ways. For one, bikers do not pay any registration fees (like cars) to use the roads ... and far too many bikers pay no attention to traffic rules (like red lights, which they ignore like monks in Amsterdam.) Priorities are the realities of our present status. Oh, and you do know that "RED" in red state is not a color. It stands for "Refuse, Exclude, Deny."
Great story on the "Big E"
Loved your article on Enterprise. I am a retired naval officer who spent 27 months aboard the Big E during the Vietnam War. I would love to tour her again with my wife.
The county's food waste program seeks to increase the intake of food waste tonnage to help it achieve its 40 percent overall recycling goal. As an added benefit, it will help the county's Environmental Management Department through sales of finished compost, which can be purchased at its Bees Ferry Compost Facility. Also of note:
Crisis
Ministries is challenging area business leaders through a new volunteer
program to lend a hand at the shelter. Today at
lunchtime, for example, some of Roper St. Francis Healthcare's senior
executives will serve at from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to get the new VIP Volunteer
Program started.
Charleston
area business and healthcare executives who would like to become involved
with the new Crisis Ministries VIP Volunteer Program are invited to contact
Steffanie Dohn. Founded in 1984, Crisis Ministries houses 1,200 guests annually and serves 200,000 meals to guests and area residents. The shelter offers a variety of serves like employment and educational services, legal assistance, health clinic and others. More. Magnolia
Gardens wins prestigious international camellia honor CHARLESTON, S.C. - Magnolia Plantation and Gardens has been awarded the prestigious Camellia Garden of Excellence with honors by the International Camellia Society. The award was announced recently during the ICS biennial congress in Chuxiong, China. Magnolia is the fifth garden in the United States, the only garden in South Carolina and one of 18 gardens worldwide to receive the honor since the first award was given in 2001.
Miles Beach, director of Magnolia's Camellia Collection, and a team of master gardener volunteers have spent the last three years developing the camellia collection to meet the strict requirements to receive the award. Johnson said the work by Beach and the master gardeners made it possible for Magnolia to garner the honor. Magnolia has 25,000 camellias growing throughout the gardens, making it one of the largest camellia collections in the world. In 2001,
the International Camellia Society launched a program to recognize camellia
gardens of excellence that meet a set of criteria developed by the ICS
to encourage excellence in the growing of camellias, to ensure that visitors
will see camellias at their best. Charleston
County Council seeking volunteers for 54 positions Charleston
County Council has 54 vacancies on area boards and commissions. It is
accepting applications, which will be considered at a council committee
meeting on March 22. Applications are being accepted until Feb. 29. A
vote is expected by council on March 27. Among the open positions:
To apply
for an appointment, visit this
Web page. Or click
here for more info. Leap
into activities for West Ashley seniors The West
Ashley Senior Services Coordinating Committee is hosting a free Feb. 29
event to introduce a wide variety of activities available to seniors in
the West Ashley area. The free
event, called "Up, Up & Away," will be held from 4 p.m.
to 7 p.m. at Charles Towne Landing in Founders Hall (1500 Old Towne Road).
Several instructors currently teaching classes in the West Ashley area
will be on hand to demonstrate their specialties and create opportunities
for attendees to participate in activities of their choice. Among highlights:
card games, Pilates, yoga, dancing and more. "We
encourage everyone to come out on Feb. 29 to share in this opportunity
and have fun participating in the activities being offered now and in
the future in West Ashley," said Charleston County Council member
Colleen Condon.
Traveller
joins Robert E. Lee Robert E. Lee continued the preparation of the Confederate defenses from Charleston to Savannah in February 1862. The many defenses at Charleston and Savannah harbors were reinforced and small earthwork batteries were constructed at strategic points along the Charleston to Savannah Railroad lines. With an insufficient numbers of troops to defend the long South Carolina coastline, Lee resolved to transport troops along the railroad lines as needed to defend an attack. When Lee arrived in South Carolina he brought a horse purchased in Virginia named Brown Roan. Brown Roan served Lee well but a horse he had encountered in the 1861 western Virginia campaigns fascinated him. Lee met Major Thomas Lee Broun of Charleston, Virginia. Broun was riding a young colt named Greenbrier, raised in Blue Sulphur Springs in Greenbrier County. Lee offered to buy the colt, but Broun indicated the horse was not for sale. Lee never forgot the encounter.
Not only was Lee sent to South Carolina in November 1861, but Broun's unit, the Third Virginia Infantry, was ordered to the South Carolina coast to supplement local troops. Major Broun was on sick call in Virginia, but he sent Greenbrier with his brother. Lee was surprised to encounter the brother and the colt near Pocatalico, South Carolina, in January 1862. Broun offered Greenbrier to Lee as a gift, but Lee responded, "If you will willingly sell me the horse, I will gladly use it for a week or so, to learn its qualities." Broun sent his colt to General Lee's stable at his headquarters. Lee returned Greenbrier to Broun in February indicating that he greatly admired the horse but said he was much too fine and valuable a horse to use if it were not his own. Again, Broun offered to present the horse as a gift, but Lee politely declined. Broun then offered to sell the horse to Lee for the same price his brother paid for him in Virginia. Lee gratefully accepted. Lee was excited to finally have this prized colt as his own. He re-named the colt Traveller, preferring the English spelling of the name. Though he typically traveled with as many as four horses, Traveller was Lee's preferred mount from February 1862 until the end of the war. Traveller
was not the only thing in South Carolina that changed Lee's life. While
in the Palmetto State, Lee, for the first time in his life, grew a beard.
In writing to his daughter, Lee offered, "I have a beautiful white
beard. It is much admired. At least, much remarked on…" Of course,
the bearded Robert E. Lee is the iconic image that is recognizable to
many Americans. Traveller
remained Lee's faithful constant companion through the remainder of his
life. Lee succumbed to illness and died in the fall of 1870. Traveller
died less than a year later. Robert E. Lee is buried in the chapel of
the university that now bears his name. Traveller is buried on the grounds
of the chapel, just outside the door to Lee's tomb.
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Tips for a safe spring break Spring Break is a
time when many college students like to cut loose and forget about exams
for a few days, but unfortunately, focusing too much on fun and not enough
on personal safety can have tragic consequences. To help college students
stay safe while on Spring Break, Marcia Peot, full- time police officer
and chief safety officer at StreetSafe,
offers the following safety reminders:
(NEW) Sustainable seafood: 6 p.m. Feb. 25, Middleton Place. The historic landmark will host the SC Aquarium's next Sustainable Seafood Dinner 6 p.m. Feb. 25. On tap: A six-course meal by chef Micah Garrison and wine pairings. Cost: $60 per person. Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.middletonplace.org; if available, tickets may be purchased at the door. Ten percent of the proceeds will go to support the Aquarium's Sustainable Seafood Initiative. (NEW) Last Train to Nibroc: 8 p.m. on Feb. 23-25, and March 1-3; Matinee at 3 p.m. Feb. 26, at the Charleston Acting Studio, 915 Folly Road, James Island. Midtown/Sheri Grace Productions will offer Arlene Hutton's "funny, touching portrait of two people searching for happiness" in several performances. Tickets are $14 to $18. Hooper exhibit
music: 4 p.m., Feb. 26, Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston. The
Charleston Symphony Orchestra Woodwind Quintet will perform chamber music
by Debussy, Handel and others as a musical response to a current exhibit
at the Gibbes Museum, "Jill Hooper: Contemporary Artist." Tickets
are $15 for museum members; $25 for others. More: 843.722.2706 or online
here. CALENDAR: ONGOING AND SOON (NEW)
Free pancakes:
7 a.m. to 10 a.m., Feb. 28, participating IHOP restaurants. Children's
Miracle Network Hospitals and IHOP restaurants will celebrate National
Pancake Day by offering a free short stack of its famous buttermilk pancakes
to each guest. In return diners will be asked to leave a little something
behind for Medical University of South Carolina Children's Hospital. To
find a local IHOP or to donate online, visit www.ihoppancakeday.com.
(NEW)
Master plan
input: 5:30 p.m., March 1, Military Magnet Academy, 2950 Carner
Ave., North Charleston. The Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of
Governments invites area residents and business owners to participate
in an open house discussion of Partnership for Prosperity: A Master Plan
for the Neck Area of North Charleston and Charleston. More: Partnership
for Prosperity Web site. Southern politics symposium: March 1-2, The Citadel, Charleston. The 18th Citadel Symposium on Southern Politics will feature a roundtable discussion of the 2012 presidential election as well as participation by about 100 noted political scientists and students from around the country. Schedule. Charleston Film Festival: March 1-4, Terrace Theatre, James Island. Partnering with Columbia's Indie Grits Festival, the Charleston festival will offer a $2,500 first-place prize and a week of exhibition at the Terrace. Both festivals will release their line-ups and schedules soon. Click here for more. Otranto Book Sale: Starting at 9 a.m., March 2 and 3, Otranto Regional Branch Library, 2261 Otranto Road, Charleston. Friends of the Library will have their first book sale of the year. More online. (NEW) Oyster roasting for books: 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., March 3, Island House on the Stono River, 2658 Swygert Blvd., Johns Island. Begin With Books is having an oyster roast fundraiser featuring live music to help fund book purchases on Johns and Wadmalaw islands. Tickets are $25 for adults and $5 for children ages 6 to 12. Kids under 6 are free (hot dogs will be available.). More. (NEW) Mullet Haul Train Run: 10 a.m., March 10, Mullet Hall Equestrian Center, Johns island. The second annual run encourages runners to sport either real or imitation mullet hairstyles during their participation in the race. The race will feature both a 5- and 10-mile off-road race. A prize will be awarded for the best mullet in the race. Fees to participate in the 5-mile run are $34 or $28 for residents of Charleston County. Fees to run the 10-mile leg are $44 or $36 for residents of Charleston County. Register.
(NEW) Walk for Water: 9 a.m., March 24, Cannon Park, Charleston. Water Missions International will have its sixth annual Walk for Water to help raise money to provide safe drinking water around the globe. During the 3.5 mile walk, participants carry a bucket of water to symbolize the trek made daily by women and children in developing countries to collect water. Registration is $15 and includes a free T-shirt. Children under 10 are free. More. Charleston Jazz: 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., March 24, Charleston Music Hall, 37 John Street, Charleston. Join the Charleston Jazz Orchestra for "Swingin' Soul," a big-band tribute to the golden era of rhythm and blues. Tickets: $30 to $40. More: Jazz Artists of Charleston. 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. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
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Heck,
the lieutenant governor deserves better than to face the constant strain
of wondering what's going on. Remember, he's faced the music at the state
Ethics Commission and paid more than $72,000 in fines, costs and reimbursements
for his post-election spending spree on fuel (18 expenditures over 50
days), meals (42 expenditures), lodging in five cities, football tickets,
airfare, limo services, clothing (including a dress for his wife, men's
shoes, a jacket, pants and two T-shirts), cell phones and computer equipment
(including a Playstation 3, flat screen TV, iPod Touch and two iPads).
To
the editor:
The
public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring Charleston
Currents to you at no cost. In this issue, we shine the spotlight
on SCRA, a global leader in applied research and commercialization
services with its headquarters in North Charleston. SCRA collaborates
to advance technology, providing technology-based solutions with assured
outcomes to industry and government, with the help of research universities
in South Carolina, the U.S. and around the world. Managing more than 100
national and international programs worth over $1.3B in applied R&D
contract value, SCRA has a results-based management approach that assures
delivery of technology solutions to complex client challenges. 
FEB.
20, 2012 -- Charleston
County is working to reduce commercial food waste from landfills after
being the first state in the county to be approved for a "Food Waste
Composting Pilot" project. A 2009-10 study showed 22 percent of the
county's waste consisted of organics, such as food and yard waste. By
removing organic waste from the stream that is landfilled, the county
should be able to reduce the cost of garbage disposal, according the 
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: 
"Roper
St. Francis Healthcare has had the privilege of partnering with Crisis
Ministries for many years," said CEO David Dunlap. "Today in
an effort to expand the visibility of and support for this commendable
organization that literally helps fortify our community, we are challenging
our friends and colleagues in executive offices across the Lowcountry
to serve for a day in 2012 as part of Crisis Ministries' new VIP volunteer
program."
Tom
Johnson, director of gardens, said the honor validates Magnolia's ongoing
effort to collect and preserve ancient varieties of camellias to restore
the gardens to the style envision by the Rev. John Grimke Drayton. 
Charleston
Center Advisory Board (4 vacancies) 
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.
Beautiful
bulldog contest: 12:30 p.m., March 17, Johnson Hagood Stadium.
The Citadel Football Association is holding its second annual Beautiful
Bulldog Contest before the school's spring football game. They're looking
for English bulldogs to participate (last year they had 54 dogs). You
can visit with dogs and owners starting at 11 a.m. Cost: $5, with proceeds
to provide support for The Citadel's bulldog mascots and the school's
athletic scholarships. More: 