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Issue
4.49 | Monday, Oct. 8, 2012 TODAY'S
FOCUS CURRENTS 150
YEARS AGO GOOD
NEWS HISTORY
ALSO INSIDE :: FEEDBACK: Letters on ethics, voting :: SPOTLIGHT: Piggly Wiggly :: BROADUS: Saving childrens' lives :: CALENDAR: This week ... and next :: THE LIST: 10 great American streets :: QUOTE: Don't forget your roots |
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 WHERE IS IT?
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OCT. 8, 2012 -- If we all open our eyes to the growing problem of senior hunger and malnutrition, we would be surprised and saddened. It is much more prevalent than you think, and you will not have to look far. It could be a neighbor or a family member.
Putting a personal face on senior hunger is unavoidable for the staff at ECMOW and for our volunteers. It is also a welcome experience that will enrich your life. This summer,
we did a feature story on Miss Aggie (Agatha Thomas), who has lived all
of her 101 years on Sullivan's Island. You cannot spend a few minutes
with this warm, spunky and joyful lady without being impacted. You come
to her doorstep with a hot, nourishing meal and you leave with the gifts
of her amazing zest for life, appreciation and, hopefully, some of her
wisdom and amazing stories. If you stop for a short while and spend the time to connect you will be so rewarded. You quickly understand the secret to her longevity -- a love of life and all the people around her.
Our volunteers leave with much more than they came with. Across the 17 daily routes we serve in East Cooper communities, there are many others like Miss Aggie. They are beautiful people who have lead fascinating and giving lives. They will give so much to you if you get involved and knock on their door. What ECMOW gives to all like her is a chance to live with security, independence and health-sustaining nourishment that they can no longer provide for themselves. Being in their own homes is what really matters. East Cooper Meals on Wheels has more than 300 dedicated volunteers who five days a week pack and deliver mid-day, nutrition-dense meals to homebound seniors and those who are disabled. This service allows seniors to remain in their homes in the familiar surroundings they know. The most
vulnerable also receive evening meals, weekend meals and daily nutrition
supplement drinks to fortify health and well-being. Many also receive
pet food to take care of their beloved companion pets. In 2011, we delivered
135,762 meals and we will significantly exceed this number in 2012. If you
want to give back, please call or email us to volunteer to pack or deliver
meals or assist in the office. Volunteers who deliver to our appreciative
recipients find that they are quickly rewarded by the warmth of appreciation,
the smiling faces and friendship offered by those we serve. Deliveries
are more than providing nourishment, they are about impacting lives and
caring. Ask about riding along one morning with one of our experienced
drivers. You will enjoy the experience. As our population ages and the economy challenges those on fixed incomes, food and financial insecurity will continue to escalate. To continue serving our most vulnerable seniors as they deserve, East Cooper Meals on Wheels needs your help and your gifts. Please call 8843-881-9350 or email us. Please learn more at www.ecmow.org and at our Facebook page. Please get involved!
OCT. 8, 2012 -- Gov. Nikki Haley inked a deal for a memoir less than six months after taking office. The book, a masterful exercise in self-promotion, came out nine months later.
“I just don’t know how y’all can expect me or (Haley’s husband) Michael to know that kind of decision when we haven’t even hit the second anniversary,” Haley told The Post and Courier last week. “What I will tell you is the consultants and the people that I talk to want to keep the trains moving. But they also understand I have the right to make that decision.” It certainly sounds like she’s weighing different options beyond the governor’s mansion already, despite telling The New York Times in April that she wasn’t a planner: “I didn’t know I was going to run for the State House. I didn’t know I was going to run for governor. I don’t know what’s next, and I love not thinking about it because the doors open at a certain time. If you had told us [Michael and I] 10 years ago that elected office would be in our life, we would have both laughed. I don’t think past today.” One thing that good politicians do -- and Haley is a good politician -- is that they keep their doors open. Perhaps that’s why, in part, her closest advisor, former campaign manager Tim Pearson, left the state payroll as chief of staff more than two years before the gubernatorial election. But if he were going to run a statewide gubernatorial election, two years is way more prep time than campaign operatives generally say is needed to get a campaign off the ground. [Wags suggest that Haley’s campaign mode never has ended, so such ramp-up time for a 2014 gubernatorial bid is even more suggestive.] Furthermore, a political organization that has raised $550,000 from four individuals recently came to light. The Movement Fund, a 527 organization or super-PAC, has close ties to Haley’s political operation. Even though such an organization cannot coordinate with Haley, it could provide resources to fuel ambitions beyond the confines of the Palmetto State. 
So what’s going on? More than likely, Haley, who says she doesn’t plan, is doing just that. To quench a growing thirst for the national spotlight, she is weighing options as she skips from Columbia to cities across the country as a campaign surrogate for GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Among the possibilities:
If you’ll remember, “Can’t Is Not an Option” for Haley [her book’s title]. But today, there’s no way that she cannot be considering other options these days for her own political future.
To Charleston
Currents: Andy Brack's
recent
op-ed notes that the recent State Integrity Investigation ranks South
Carolina as fifth most corrupt state in the nation.
Senate
District 41 candidate Paul Tinkler has been promoting ethics reform since
March when his campaign began, and he supports (a) abolishing both Senate
and House Ethics Committees with (b) investigation and adjudication of
ethics complaints against legislators transferred to a strengthened (and
better funded) State Ethics Commission. Sen. Mike
Rose (R-Dorchester) introduced such legislation in the 119th Session (S.
306 and S. 1373) but the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman didn't assign
them to a subcommittee for public hearings - the first step of a bill
becoming law. Rose, eight
other Republicans and one Democrat co-sponsored S. 258, which was introduced
by Democratic Sen. Vincent Sheheen, to create the state Office of Inspector
General. The notion that corruption belongs to just one party -- or that
parties should be adversarial -- is wrong-headed. I'm an independent. Tinkler's campaign for ethics reform, including the S.C. Policy Council's 8-Point Ethics Plan -- on the radio, at his website, and neighborhood talks -- is truly fresh air.
Why you should "vote every day" To Charleston Currents: About four years ago I heard a storyteller, Donald Davis, for the first time. He was wonderful. A few weeks ago, during a storytelling festival I attended in Utah, I was lucky enough to hear his stories again. He is a retired minister who has been telling stories for over 30 years. His stories can be so funny that you will howl with laughter until tears run down your cheek. He can also tell stories that are so tender and heart-wrenching that you feel the beginnings of sobs rising in your throat while your eyes well up once again. He takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride. This weekend, I was lucky enough to also attend the 40th anniversary of the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tenn. I heard a lot of great performers, but also had the opportunity to listen to Donald Davis once again. One of his stories touched my heart deeply. It is one you would have to hear from his lips to really understand but I took away some of his wisdom. It was about a woman and her family who had to carry on with their lives after her husband ended his own life. Being the minister in a county of western North Carolina, Donald Davis had learned that this woman had gotten a job, saved to buy a house and raised four children by herself. He had learned her story over time. One day he asked her how she had done it and she said, "by voting every day." He asked her to explain and she pulled out and unfolded a dirty worn piece of paper with eight words written on it. It was two columns made up of the following pairs of words: sick -- well; sad - happy; poor - rich; and die - live. Every morning, she and her children looked at the list and voted on how their day was going to go. That is how they had the strength to make it in their lives. There is much more to this powerful story but this is the central theme and one that all of us would do well to think about as we decide how we want to face each day We all have choices to make. I know how I will vote. What about you?
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.
The
return of Beauregard
Confederate General John C. Pemberton believed that Charleston would best be defended at the peninsula city itself. The broad disagreement with his strategy by military and civilian authorities eventually led to President Jefferson Davis' decision to relieve him of command in Charleston on Sept. 17, 1862. General P. G. T. Beauregard arrived in Charleston and assumed command on September 24.
With limited opportunities provided by Davis, Beauregard chose to return to Charleston. In a letter to Governor Pickens, Beauregard wrote, "As I understand it is the wish of all, people and Government, that the city be defended to the last extremity; hence, I desire to be in all respects ready to make its defense equal to that of Saragossa." Saragossa was a Spanish city twice besieged by French forces in the Napoleonic Wars, 1808-09. In a tenacious defense, the Spanish resisted the French with weeks of "street to street fighting."
Immediately, Beauregard began initiating changes in the defense of Charleston. Beauregard understood that James Island was the key to Charleston. He worked with his engineers to develop a plan for new shorter defensive lines on James Island and increased the firepower in the harbor forts. Though it did no good, Beauregard lobbied Richmond for more troops and ordnance. Beauregard also believed that the next Federal assault on Charleston would be a naval attack. He designed a harbor defense utilizing three interlocking circles of fire. Fort Sumter was the center of the first line, which also included Batteries Gregg and Wagner on Morris Island to the south and Fort Moultrie, Fort Beauregard, Batteries Bee, Marion, Marshall and four small batteries, all on Sullivan's Island. The second circle of fire included the James Island fortifications; Fort Ripley and Castle Pinckney in the harbor; a battery on Hog Island; and two batteries in Mount Pleasant. The final circle of fire utilized batteries under construction in Charleston. Artillery crews placed range buoys in the harbor to aid in firing on any Union ships moving through. Later in the fall, one Charlestonian noted that on Sullivan's Island, "all of the houses nearly up to the church have been torn down, and batteries erected on their sites…There is also a new and very heavy battery from the Moultrie House, extending along the beach, and bearing directly on Moffett's Channel." One Confederate officer in Charleston observed, "[The] city is enveloped with earthworks, most handsomely constructed." With the Union troops withdrawn to Hilton Head, the immediate fears in Charleston were diminished. Beauregard lifted martial law that was in place since the spring, and taverns and gambling houses were allowed to reopen.
Beauregard
was fascinated by the many new military technologies being developed by
both sides of the war. He was particularly intrigued by a "torpedo
ram" designed by Captain Francis D. Lee. Lee's design utilized a
torpedo as the primary weapon, as opposed to the large guns planned for
the ironclad gunboats. In a letter to Governor Pickens on Oct. 8, 1862, Beauregard informed him: "Captain F.D. Lee submitted to me yesterday a plan for a "torpedo ram," which I believe would be worth several gunboats. I can only express my regret that it was not adopted at once by the naval department at Richmond when submitted to it several months ago, as he informs me. I fear not to put on record now that half a dozen of these "torpedo rams," of small comparative cost, would keep this harbor clear of four times the number of the enemy's ironclad gunboats."
With a chill in the air (finally), thoughts turn to fall, Halloween, cornucopias, turkey and Thanksgiving. Every year, this is the time of year for us to give thanks for the season's harvest. Two November events give us a chance to do more.
Foundation makes $226,400 in general scholarship grants The Coastal
Community Foundation awarded $226,400 in scholarships in 2012 to honor
120 deserving students and help with their aspirations for a college education.
"Ever
since the 9th grade, it has been a dream of mine to continue my studies
as a musician at a conservatory," said Jonathon Heyward, one of 67
grant recipients from Charleston County who has received support since
his freshman year. "The Coastal Community Foundation has truly made
my dream come true, and I am so grateful for the continued support. I
am currently a junior studying Cello Performance at The Boston Conservatory
of Music. I hope to continue my education with a master's of music in
orchestral conducting and to later become a music director of a symphony
orchestra. My aspirations as a music director consist of building a strong
education and community outreach program, making music more accessible
to everyone." The process
by which scholarship beneficiaries are selected is competitive and meticulous.
Recipients are selected based upon academics, school and community activities,
and ambitions for the future. Although their backgrounds vary, students
are alike in their plans to better the whole community, often pursuing
majors such as nursing and teaching. Students
from Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton and Dorchester counties are invited
to apply for the awards, which range from $500 to $10,000. Although some
of the scholarships are limited to those from a certain geographic area,
those pursuing a specific type of degree or those attending a specific
college, several are unrestricted and open to all who apply. Application
deadlines are generally in mid-March each year. Updated application details
and other scholarship specifics for 2013 will be available
here on Coastal Community Foundation's website by December 15.
SCRA
wins big economic development award SCRA received the Gold Excellence in Economic Development Award Oct. 2 in Houston for how its innovation centers promote job and company growth. The award,
given by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), was in
the Real Estate Redevelopment & Reuse for communities with populations
of greater than 500,000 category. Mount
Pleasant firm recognized as one of nation's top Motley
Rice law firm in Mount Pleasant is one of one of 19 firms across the
nation selected for The National Law Journal's 2012 Plaintiffs'
Hot List. "All
of us at Motley Rice are very honored to be nationally recognized,"
said firm co-founder Joe Rice. "We are fortunate to have the human
resources of talented and committed attorneys and staff who work at this
high level and believe their work for our clients does matter and will
make a difference." In its
Oct. 1 announcement, The National Law Journal said Motley Rice
"has scored major wins representing the families of victims of the
September 11, 2001, attacks; Gulf Coast businesses, workers and residents
hurt by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill; and thousands of people allegedly
hurt by a hernia repair patch." Rice noted,
"We've developed the idea that there are things we do because they're
the right thing." Rice said in the announcement.
McEntire Air National Guard Station is a 2,400-acre airbase in Richland County near Eastover. It is the home of the South Carolina Air National Guard. The airfield, originally called the Congaree Army Airport, was activated on January 31, 1943. Since World War II it has undergone numerous renovations and name changes as military aviation has evolved. In 1944 the field was transferred to the U.S. Navy and became the Marine Corps Auxiliary Air Facility. The Marines used the base as a fighter pilot training facility until November 1945. On December 9, 1946, the base became the home of the South Carolina Air National Guard and was renamed Congaree Air Base. The base was transferred to the South Carolina Air National Guard on November 8, 1955. In 1960 the air installation was briefly renamed the Congaree Air National Guard Base, but on October 16, 1961, its name was changed to McEntire Air National Guard Base to honor Brigadier General Barnie B. McEntire, the South Carolina Air National Guard's first commander, who had been killed in an air accident in May 1961. During takeoff from Olmstead Air Force Base, the engine on his F-104 Starfighter failed. McEntire managed to guide his jet away from a heavily occupied area of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, before crashing the fighter on an island in the Susquehanna River. The base was renamed McEntire Air National Guard Station on October 1, 1995.
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Great American streets Charleston's Broad Street is America's ninth greatest street, according to a new list by the American Planning Association. The top 10 great streets in the group's lists of 2012 Great Places in America are:
And Charleston is
also a SuperCool
community (but you already knew that)?
Don't lose sight of your roots “When a nation goes down, or a society perishes, one condition may always be found; they forgot where they came from. They lost sight of what had brought them along."
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(NEW) SuperHero Soiree: 7 p.m., Oct. 11, Hibernian Hall, Charleston. Fun fund-raiser by the Sustainability Institute. More. Red Cross Tour
of Duty: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Oct. 12, North Charleston Convention
Center. The 2012 American Red Cross Tour of Duty will showcase what the
organization does and how it works with the community when disaster strikes.
More. That BIG Book Sale: Oct. 12 to Oct. 14, Omar Shrine Auditorium, Mount Pleasant. More than 60,000 used books, CDs, DVDs and more will be on sale to benefit the Charleston County Public Library. More. (NEW) Autumn on the Ashley: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Oct. 13-14, Magnolia Plantations and Gardens, Charleston. The two-day crafts fair will offer vendors with stained glass, jewelry, pottery, folk art and more. Master gardeners will offer answers to questions. More. (NEW) Dershowitz to speak: 7 p.m., Oct. 14, Sottile Theatre, 44 George Street, Charleston. Renowned lawyer Alan Dershowitz will speak at this event by the Charleston Jewish Federation. Free, but reservations required. More. CALENDAR: ONGOING AND SOON McCray tribute: 4 p.m., Oct. 17, Memminger Auditorium, 56 Beaufain St., Charleston. Vocalist Rene Marie is a special guest during Jazz Artists of Charleston's special tribute for the late jazz enthusiast and journalist Jack McCray. The orchestra's 17-piece resident big band will perform. Tickets are from $25 to $250. More online. (NEW) Folly Beach Challenge: 8 a.m., Oct. 20, Folly Beach Boat Landing. The annual alternative to a traditional triathlon features a three-mile paddle, 8.5 mile bike ride and three-mile run on Folly Beach. Participants can compete individually or as one leg of a three-person team. Limited to 300 participants. To learn more, including a course map, registration details and costs, go online. Museum picnic: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Oct. 21. The Charleston Museum will host its annual family picnic at Dill Sanctuary, 1163 Riverland Drive, James Island. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children. On tap: a nature walk with naturalist Billy McCord, a butterfly release, music, Lowcountry food, games, hayrides and more. Advance reservations are required. More. Free notary public training: 6 p.m., Oct. 22, Building 920 Campus Center, Trident Technical College, 7000 Rivers Ave., North Charleston. The Secretary of State's office will offer a free regional seminar for anyone interested in being a notary. This seminar will address state laws governing the duties and responsibilities of notaries. The unauthorized practice of law will also be addressed in a joint session with a representative from the South Carolina Bar. To register in advance, contact Renee Daggerhart online. (NEW) Italian Chiavari Day: 4:30 p.m., Oct. 25, Physicians Auditorium area, College of Charleston. The college will host this day of cultural celebration of the northern Italian Riviera with vintage cars, a performance by Grammy award-winning percussionist Glen Velez and clarinetist Nina Stern, food by Italian chefs and a couple of art workshops. The event is free. (NEW) Art on Paper Fair: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Nov. 3, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Nov. 4, Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston. The museum has partnered with the Charleston Fine Art Dealers Association to offer the first Art on Paper Fair as part of the association's Fine Arts Weekend. On sale will be prints, pastels, watercolors, photos and drawing. More. Fiber artist exhibit: Open daily Tuesday through Sunday through Oct. 28, City Gallery at Waterfront Park, Charleston. Curator Cookie Washington has curated "Mermaids and Merwomen in Black Folklore: A Fiber Arts Exhibition." It features the works of more than 50 of the country's premiere African-American fiber artists including internationally-known artists Donna Chambers, Marion Coleman, Arianne King Comer, Michael Cummings, Dr. Deborah Grayson, Dr. Kim Hall and Patricia Montgomery. 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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pleasure 10/29:
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TravelOrMove site More Andy Brack in the archives ANN
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Many
seniors live alone and they face this adversity every day - and we can
do better for those who deserve better. At 
Now
after less than two years in office, the seemingly blindly ambitious Haley
hints she might not seek re-election in 2014 and that she’ll make
a decision by next summer. 
The
Beauregard
had requested a command in the West or at Jackson, Mississippi, where
General Braxton Bragg was commanding the Confederate troops. Davis declared,
"If the whole world were to ask me to restore General Beauregard
to the command which I have already given to General Bragg, I would refuse
it." Beauregard had enraged Davis in the previous year when the general
suggested that Davis's interference and poor judgment "prevented
the pursuit and full destruction of McDowell's army and the capture of
Washington" after the first Battle of Bull Run. 
The
11th Annual Harvest Festival will be 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Mullet
Hall Equestrian Center on Johns Island. In addition to a day of feasting,
five bands' worth of bluegrass music, games and fun, the Charleston
County Park and Recreation Commission event this year will offer a barbecue
cook-off by local restaurants. Visitors will be able to sample portion's
of each restaurant's barbecue for $1 each. Participants scheduled include
the Barbeque Joint, Bayou Bar B Q Boys, Ted's Butcherblock and Blind
Hog BBQ. Admission is $5 per person with kids 12 and under for free.
Scholarships
provide donors an opportunity to plant seeds for future community leaders.
Since the J. C. and Alberta Long Scholarship Fund was established 30 years
ago, almost 50 other scholarship funds have been created with the foundation,
often to honor a living or departed friend or family member. 
"We
recognize SCRA for creating innovative and successful strategies to promote
economic development in this period of global recovery," said Jay
Moon, IEDC chair. "SCRA demonstrates that they are at the forefront
of the economic development profession and are using cutting-edge, effective
practices that can be replicated in other communities."
