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Issue
4.19 | Monday, March 12, 2012 TODAY'S
FOCUS CURRENTS THE
LIST GOOD
NEWS HISTORY
ALSO INSIDE :: FEEDBACK: On education, baseball :: SPOTLIGHT: Piggly Wiggly :: CALENDAR: This week ... and next :: QUOTE: Resignation :: BROADUS: Hard at work |
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MARCH 12, 2012 -- Seeing the world around us - the beauty of nature, the smile of a loved one, the vibrancy of artwork - is something we tend to take for granted until it's impaired or completely gone.
Our eyesight is truly one of our most precious gifts. When you think of all the amazing sights you've seen over the course of your life, you realize just how important your eyes are. And like the rest of our physical body, our eyes need proper care. Regular exams. The easiest and most effective way to care for your eyes is through regular eye exams. Particularly as you age, you should visit the eye doctor more frequently. Typically in your 20s and 30s, you can schedule an eye exam every three to five years and two to four years in your 40s through mid-60s. Once you hit age 65, you'll want to have your eye examined every one to two years. You'll want to have your eyes checked more frequently if you have such risk factors as diabetes or a family history of glaucoma. Sunshine
smart. Here in sunny Charleston, we spend a great deal of time outdoors.
That means proper eye protection is critical - whether it's sunglasses
to protect your eyes from damaging UV rays or protective eyewear when
doing yard work or other projects where flying debris is a risk. Both UV-A and UV-B rays are harmful to your eyes so it's important to select a pair of sunglasses that protects your eyes from both. Damage from UV rays typically isn't immediate but rather develops over time. And the more time you expose your eyes to UV rays the worse the damage. Potential problems can include macular degeneration, cataracts, skin cancer around the eyelid and corneal sunburn. Know the signs. As with any health condition, you should be familiar with the warning signs so you can recognize potential problems and contact your doctor. Some common eye-related symptoms that could warrant a trip to the doctor include frequent/infrequent blinking, blurred vision, double vision, light sensitivity, itchy or dry eyes, a spot on the eye, clouding of the eye's surface or overall eye pain or discomfort. The early
signs of cataracts are usually gradual and may simply be attributed to
growing older. Common signs include glare while driving at night, difficulty
reading or trouble following a golf ball. The good news is that cataracts
don't have to impact quality of life and are treatable with glasses, contact
lenses or sometimes surgery. Daily habits. In addition to eye protection and regular exams, you can incorporate good eye care habits into your daily routine. Sure, we all know carrots have a good reputation for giving us a dose of beta-carotene that helps with night vision, but dark, leafy greens are even more important as powerful vision foods because they are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, which can help protect your eyes and ward off problems. Other foods to incorporate into your diet are: essential fatty acids (fish, whole grains, eggs), Vitamin C (oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, tomatoes), Vitamin E (almonds, pecans, sweet potatoes sunflower seeds) and zinc (extra-lean red meat, poultry, liver, shellfish, milk, baked beans). Also, don't forget to give your eyes a break. So many of us spend our days staring at the computer screen and that puts a strain on our eyes. Take breaks from the computer and ensure you have proper lighting and screen resolution.
MARCH 10, 2012 -- Pound for pound, South Carolina weighs in more than any other state for the amount of political intrigue and rascally scandal it serves up for free to the national press. By now, the Palmetto State has passed old stalwarts for disgrace like Louisiana and New York.
"Thank you, South Carolina," comedian Jon Stewart says over and over and over like the Energizer bunny. Friday's orchestrated resignation-indictment-sentencing of now-former Lt. Gov. Ken Ard is the latest installment of the political made-for-TV reality show called "South Carolina." After being accused of 107 counts of violating state ethics rules, Ard last July paid a $48,400 ethics fine (the second largest in state history), $12,500 to reimburse the state for its ethics investigation and $12,121.35 to his campaign account for personal expenses like clothes, fuel, lodging, football tickets, limo services, cell phones, TVs and computer equipment. Then his case went to South Carolina's statewide grand jury to determine whether he broke any state laws. During a second investigation, state officials interviewed 70 people. The grand jury issued 46 subpoenas, heard from 18 witnesses and received 113 documents totaling about 7,000 pages, according to state Attorney General Alan Wilson.
More than likely, it happened so quickly because state Republicans like Wilson want the latest installment of scandal to disappear from voters' memories as quickly as possible. And who knows? It might work. Just consider that voters continue to kowtow to the Republican Party despite a rollicking history of disgrace. See if you can remember the names of Republican stars who have kept Comedy Central focused on the Palmetto State:
Those six incidents have been since 2008 -- and don't include the state treasurer (Thomas Ravenel) who had to step down in 2007 after being indicted on felony cocaine charges for which he later served time in prison. To South Carolina politicians, all that a columnist like me can do is say, "Thanks. Thanks for keeping life interesting and providing me with job security. This is one time, however, when I'd rather not to have to say thanks."
To the editor, in response to your 3/5 education commentary: President Obama has challenged governors to invest in education within their respected states. Governors across the nation must to do their part to ensure American students and workers have the education and training they need so there will be an always-ready workforce prepared for the jobs of the 21st century and the critical skills needed for them to be successful.
Regardless of what we hear during the Republican presidential nominating process, over the past 23 months American businesses have created 3.7 million jobs and last year businesses added the highest number of private sector jobs since 2005. American manufacturing is creating jobs for the first time since the late 1990s. This is clearly an indication that economic recovery is moving in the right direction and now is not the time to cut back on educating our children and young adults and training eager individuals who want to learn, work, provide for their families, play their roles in society, and contribute to their communities. The strength of the American economy has always been linked to the strength of America's education system. Particularly in times of economic challenge-times like today-the American economy needs a workforce that is skilled, adaptable, creative, and equipped to compete globally. The President believes that educating our way to an economy built to last requires a shared commitment from everyone. In addition to challenging the governors, the President asked them to keep pressure on Congress to pass his proposal to prevent further layoffs and rehire teachers who had lost their jobs. In addition to government, the private sector, too, must continue to be engaged and supplement what government is doing. Individuals must take personal responsibility to ensure that they are doing their rightful part. If our nation is to lead in science, engineering, technology, and math, we must invest in education and in teachers. If we want to have a skilled workforce, we must invest in the opportunities that only a quality education can provide. If we want the generation yet unborn to do better than we are doing, we must invest in the foundation that will be there for them today. We cannot afford to make cuts today that will jeopardize our well-being tomorrow. If South Carolina wants to be competitive in the 21st century, it must solve its $700 million education shortfall, stop cutting this part of the state's budget, and stop gambling with the threat of having a public education system that will not produce the workforce we need. Our state must realize that the dividends are higher when we invest in education.
Doubleday: Baseball's early connection to Charleston To the editor: This time of year with azaleas starting their bloom, I smile, because I am always reminded that "the boys of summer" cannot be far behind. Thus, I enjoyed your entry from the SC Encyclopedia on the connection between South Carolina and baseball. I did note a glaring omission, the initial connection of baseball and baseball's inventor to Charleston. In 1858 Abner Doubleday, who had spent much of his youth in Cooperstown, N.Y., was assigned to Fort Moultrie. He was promoted to the rank of captain and then served as second in command in Charleston harbor at Fort Sumter. He is said to have "aimed" the cannon that fired the first return shot to answer the Confederate bombardment on that fateful day of April 12, 1861. After that order, it is a matter of historical record that Major Anderson and Captain Doubleday and their men were asked to leave without the usual grace of Southern courtesy. Perhaps this is why it took so long for professional baseball to find its way South as late as the 1960s -- a full century later.
Founded in 1947 in Charleston, Piggly Wiggly Carolina Company proudly serves customers at more than 100 stores throughout South Carolina and coastal Georgia. Piggly Wiggly offers the finest quality meats, cut to order by skilled, in-store butchers, more local produce than anyone in the state, and freshly prepared deli foods that satisfy the Southern soul. The Piggly Wiggly family provides legendary customer service, delivered every day by the Employee Owners of our 100 percent employee-owned company. By using their Pig Card, customers earn Greenbax that returns incredible value by offering free gas, free groceries, free gift cards, and many other opportunities to cash in and save. Piggly Wiggly remains deeply committed to investing in the communities we serve by supporting not-for-profit organizations of all missions and sizes to enrich the region’s quality of life. Piggly Wiggly’s roots run deep in the Lowcountry, and Mr. Pig invites Charleston Currents readers to invest in our local economy by shopping The Pig! More: http://www.thepig.net.
Charleston Ballet Theatre's 25th Season Finale performance has been moved up a week to March 17, officials have announced. The performance, which now will be held at the Charleston Music Hall, originally was scheduled with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, but now be presented without the live accompaniment. Instead, there will be a stunning lineup of a variety of the company's most celebrated presentations over the last 25 years.
With the CBT and Charleston Symphony Orchestra still rebounding from the Great Recession, both groups agreed to forgo a joint production this month. 'We tried very hard to make this work, but at a time when we are striving and succeeding at being fiscally responsible this performance simply would not be cost effective for our organization," CSO Executive Director Daniel Beckley said in a press release.
Local start-up gets $200,000 from SCRA SCRA's Technology Ventures program, SC Launch, on Friday presented a $200,00 investment to Charleston-area start-up company ISI Technology during a Charleston Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours hosted at the SCRA MUSC Innovation Center. Businesswoman
Anita Zucker was also recognized for her commitment to South Carolina's
innovation economy and was given an SCRA Knowledge Economist Award during
the event.
"We
are delighted to be the recipient of this support as we work aggressively
to bring our product to market, which saves significant amounts of energy
and water compared to existing water heating technologies" said founder
and chairman Jerry Callahan. "We are thankful to have these resources
that strengthen and enable our company to grow here in South Carolina."
The City
of Charleston will provide all Cooper River Bridge Run participants the
opportunity to park free for two hours at the Visitor's Center, Gaillard
and Aquarium Parking garages during the Bridge Run Expo and Packet Pick-up
at the Gaillard Auditorium from noon to 8 p.m. March 29 and all day on
March 30. Overflow parking will be provided if necessary. A special
rate of $5 will be charged at the same garages from 5 p.m. March 30 to
2 p.m. March 31 for participants who want to park their vehicles. Trident
Health to highlight newborns on digital billboards Trident Health will showcase a different newborn baby each day on digital billboards throughout the Charleston area.
"This
gives families the option of sharing the joy of their new addition with
the entire Lowcountry," said Bob Behanian, director of PR and Marketing
for Trident Health. Babies
born at Trident Medical Center will be shown on a digital billboard at
I-526 and Leeds Avenue. Newborns from Summerville Medical Center can be
seen at U.S. Highway 17A South of Berlin G. Myers Parkway. Only the first
name and picture of each newborn will be visible. Parents must consent
for the picture to be show.
The minor league system that fed players into the major leagues has given excitement and pleasure to South Carolina fans since the 1900s. One of the most endearing of these has been the South Atlantic League, which began play in 1904. Initially consisting of teams from South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, franchises have come and gone from Columbia, Charleston, and Greenville during a century of play. Other minor leagues that flourished at one time or another in the state include the Carolina League (Greenville, Spartanburg, and Greenwood) and the Palmetto League, ca. 1934-1951 (Orangeburg, Hartsville, Lake City, Kingstree, Georgetown, Camden, and Sumter). Until the 1950s these minor and amateur leagues were segregated, allowing only white ball players. Black amateur leagues flourished in many areas of the state, but little documentation of their history remains. The earliest documented black textile league game occurred on September 4, 1895, in Newberry County between Newberry Mills and their counterparts from Anderson. Black textile teams disappeared for the same reasons that their white counterparts did during the 1950s. While Jackie Robinson integrated the major leagues in 1947 and South Carolina native Larry Doby followed three months later as the first African American in the American League, the desegregation of baseball in South Carolina took longer. In 1955 one of the first African Americans to play professionally in the state was Frank Robinson, who starred with the Columbia Reds and later had a Hall of Fame career in the major leagues with the Cincinnati Reds and the Baltimore Orioles. Youth baseball took the longest to integrate. When the black Cannon Street YMCA team from Charleston fielded an all-star team to compete in the 1955 Little League, white teams in the state refused to play against them. Other teams from the Southeast followed South Carolina's lead, ignoring instructions from Little League headquarters in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, directing that they play. Although the Cannon Street team was declared the winner by default, they could only watch the Little League World Series after being declared ineligible because they had not earned the right on the playing field. Having refused to accept Little League directives to allow black teams, white officials from South Carolina and other southern states formed an independent organization called Little Boys Baseball, Inc. In 1956 a Greenville entry won the league's first World Series. The fledgling league changed its name to Dixie Youth Baseball in 1962 after Little League officials protested that Little Boys Baseball infringed on their trademark. By the middle of the decade Dixie Youth Baseball finally desegregated.
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Five spring festivals for your to-do list With spring around the corner, thoughts are turning to the coming season of festivals. Here's five that you should be sure not to miss:
"I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is opposed to every instinct in my body. But as president I must put the interests of America first Therefore, I shall resign the presidency effective at noon tomorrow."
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(NEW) RiverDogs tickets: You can start purchasing individual tickets for RiverDogs' games online March 13, including tickets for the June 19 annual All-Star Game of the South Atlantic League, which will be held in Charleston this year. Tickets will be on sale starting March 14 at the RiverDogs' box office. More. Summerville's spring: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., March 15, downtown Summerville. The town's Third Thursday and Art Walk are back with outdoor music and entertainment. More.
Free admission: March 18. Charleston County's parks will be open for free March 18 during Customer Appreciation Day. The Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission says it's a way for it to say "thank you" by offering free gate admission to Ravenel Caw Caw Interpretive Center, North Charleston Wannamaker, Mount Pleasant Palmetto Islands and James Island County Parks. Plus, delight in free parking at Kiawah Beachwalker Park, Isle of Palms County Park, and the Folly Beach Edwin S. Taylor Fishing Pier, where fishing is also free for the day! The Mount Pleasant Pier will also offer complimentary fishing on March 18, but parking fees will still apply. More: www.ccprc.com CALENDAR: ONGOING AND SOON (NEW) Magnolia's photo contest: Entries due June 6. If you want to submit pictures to the 2012 photo contest by Magnolia Plantations and Gardens, you can start taking picture now. Submissions start April 1 for photos taken between March 5 and May 31. More info. (NEW) Charleston Fashion Week: March 20-24, Marion Square. Emerging designers and models from the East Coast will meet in tents for five nights of more than 30 runway shows. Learn more and get tickets online. Gardening school: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., March 24, Charleston Exchange Park, Ladson. The 2012 Carolina Yard Gardening School by Clemson Extension and Tri-County Master Gardeners includes two garden lectures, two hands-on workshops, one soil test, lunch and refreshments, educational exhibits, plant problem diagnosis clinic, a chance to win a door prize, books and plants for sale on site, plus complimentary compost. Cost: $75. Space is limited. To register and learn more, go online here. 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. Paint a turtle: 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., March 24, S.C. Aquarium, downtown Charleston. Children ages 9 to 14 are encouraged to join the "Fear No Easel" painting workshop and get free painting guidance from Fear No Easel instructional artists. Participants will paint the South Carolina State Reptile, the Loggerhead Turtle with acrylic paints. Members $15/Non-members $20. Space is limited. Reservations required. More: Call (843) 579-8518 or go online. 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. "Inga Binga:" Through March 25, Dock Street Theatre, 135 Church Street, Charleston. Charleston Stage offers this play featuring a young JFK and his Danish bombshell. More: www.charlestonstage.com. Read the story about it in our Feb. 27 issue. (NEW) Great Migration concert: 5 p.m. April 1, St. Matthews Lutheran Church, 405 King Street Charleston. The CSO Gospel Choir will present a Palm Sunday performance of "The Great Migration: 1915-1930 African-American Southern Exodus," a musical story of the southern African-American exit from oppressive post reconstruction Jim Crow laws. More. Fun
Easter promenade: 11 a.m., April 7, Meeting Street, Charleston.
You can see lots of great hats as the Hat Ladies of Charleston stroll
along Meeting Street to White Point Gardens during their 11th Easter Promenade.
The parade starts at the Four Corners of Law. More
online or phone 843-762-6679. 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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At
10 a.m. Friday, Ard resigned. Three hours later, Wilson detailed a 
The
White House recently released "
The
evening will include Jill Eathorne Bahr's passion fueled "Firebird,",
set to the music of Stravinsky along with George Balanchine's Gershwin
tribute ballet "Who Cares?" Longtime audience favorite "Bolero"
will round out an evening of three completely contrasting pieces that
truly represent the best of what CBT has to offer. 
ISI
Technology has developed an innovation breakthrough for electric water
heaters that delivers best in class energy, water and space savings, according
to a press release. The company's unique technology solves the quality
and reliability shortcomings associated with existing products and enhances
the operational experience with highly accurate temperature control from
low to high flow rates. 
The
display showcases a different baby each day from Trident and Summerville
Medical Centers. This innovative campaign allows parents to celebrate
their child's birth in a unique way. 
By
the late nineteenth century the University of South Carolina and Clemson
began their long baseball rivalry. Other schools also organized varsity
squads around the same time, including Benedict, South Carolina State
College, the Citadel, Furman, and Wofford. Competition centered on in-state
schools and neighboring ones in North Carolina and Georgia. In 1958 Clemson
became the first South Carolina school to reach the College World Series.
Since then, competition for honors and star players accelerated at all
levels of college baseball as each of the state's schools competed to
reach the College World Series. Several college stars have advanced to
play professionally.
We
had a couple of good guesses about the location of the musical nymph statue
captured recently by photographer Michael Kaynard. It's located in the
Longborough development just north of Hampton Park, a Charleston locale
filled with all sorts of statuary, Kaynard says.
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: 