 |
|
|
|
|
|
Issue
4.50 | Monday, Oct. 15, 2012 TODAY'S
FOCUS CURRENTS FOOD
+ DRINK GOOD
NEWS HISTORY
ALSO INSIDE :: FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts :: SPOTLIGHT: Magnolia Plantation :: BROADUS: Groundbreaking :: CALENDAR: This week ... and next :: THE LIST: What to do in earthquakes :: QUOTE: The secret |
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?
|
|
COLUMBIA,
S.C. -- While I love my native state as much as anyone, I know in my heart
that she was born in the original sin of human bondage and we are stained
with it to this day. To me, that is the long and the short of it. U. S.
Senator James Louis Petigru was right when he heard the church bells of
Charleston announcing the state had seceded from the Union and said "We
are too small to be a separate nation and too large to be an insane asylum."
Hope. It
is all about hope. Hope is
the most potent, unyielding emotion. Love fluctuates. Anger fades. Even
faith tests us and abandons us from time to time. Hope can't do that.
If you have a glimmer of hope, you have all you need. Anyone
who imagines something better for just an instant has a kind of hope.
A break in the heat. A kiss goodnight. The sound of the front door opening
when your child has been out late. Hope … when the doctor says the
test results are good and the tumor is not malignant, the yellow ribbon
on the tree in the front yard that cries out for the safe return of a
loved one in harm's way. Hope is
getting a high school diploma, a letter of acceptance from college - maybe
the first in your family to get one - the call to come back for a second
interview for a first job. Hope runs
on our species' unique ability to create something that wasn't there before.
That's why its power is unassailable. Feeling
hope doesn't always call us to action but it is the only thing we need
to begin to change from who we have been to who we must become. And the
moment we feel it, everything is changed. That makes hope a source of
nearly infinite power. Hope is not weak; it is so very strong.
Hope is
the roadside vagabond with a glint of armor and the sword of justice under
his coat. Hope is never running out of matches to light the fires of social
justice and educational excellence. Hope is
a South Carolina where all of us turn away from a difficult past, begin
the process of forgiveness we have avoided for so long and embrace a future
of mutual respect and reconciliation, a movement that can yield a second,
final, successful Reconstruction. And yes,
hope is that little girl you've heard tell about who went to a crumbling
school in Dillon and wrote so powerfully and simply that she just wants
the opportunity "to grow up and be a doctor, or a lawyer or President
of the United States." Hope is
believing in the day when every school in South Carolina is a launching
pad of 21st century of learning, learning with no limits, a source of
enlightenment and engagement for every community, the production line
of this state's workforce and never again the basis of national shame. Finally,
hope is the thing we should stop saying we breathe and start holding it
out, holding it high and living it, for all the world to see from little
South Carolina: that we have finally risen from the divisions of the past,
that we have rejected the low aim of a minimally adequate education and
embraced the blessings and opportunity at last, at last, at last for "all
the children of all the people" from the mountains to the sea.
OCT. 15, 2012 -- Our hearts go out today to the family and friends of Rita Louise "Peatsy" Hollings, who passed away Sunday evening.
A 1984 story from when Hollings ran for president serves as an example. Seems that the senator had an appearance on a national morning news show. The phone rang in the early morning hours to wake him up. (One version claims this was in New Hampshire; another says it was in California during the Democratic convention.) When Peatsy answered the phone, the caller asked, "Umm, is Senator Hollings there?" Without missing a beat, Peatsy replied as if talking to the senator, "Honey, your name Hollings?" Born Rita Louise Liddy on the last day of 1935, Peatsy became a teacher. Often at events in Washington or Charleston, former students would approach "Miss Liddy," grasp her hand and tell her how much she meant to them and how she made civics come alive during classes at St. Andrews High School. In 1964, her zeal for politics poured over into her after-school life as she chaired the Charleston County Democratic Party. In the late 1960s, then an aide to Hollings, she helped research and edit what became a groundbreaking policy book by Hollings, "The Case Against Hunger." That book helped change the debate about need for maternal feeding in the country and led to the creation of the Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, supplemental nutrition program for low-income pregnant and breastfeeding women. It has provided help for millions of American children and gave them the fuel to allow their brains to develop as babies. According to a USDA Web site, WIC serves 53 percent of all infants born today in the United States.
Married
to Hollings in 1971, Peatsy helped with numerous charitable causes, such
as the American Heart Association, March of Dimes and American Cancer
Society. From 1990 to 2000, she co-chaired an annual gala salute at Ford's
Theatre for the President and First Lady. In 1991, President George H.W.
Bush nominated her to a four-year position on the National Advisory Mental
Health Council, which she tackled with enthusiasm and passion. But public
education was always her chief passion. As related in a 2004
story on how Peatsy redefined the role of being a senator's wife,
she didn't hold back when asked what issue she would trumpet if Hollings
became president: "Public education. I am definitely against a tax
exemption for private schools. Private schools are one reason people are
unequal -- they don't take everybody and most people can't afford them.
Public schools should be the main concern of this nation because they
teach different types of people how to live with each other. Certainly
the cutbacks in education are criminal." Soon after Hollings retired from the Senate in 2004, Peatsy started a long struggle with Alzheimer's Disease. For years, she'd be with him in an office on Calhoun Street at the Medical University, where the senator continues to champion funding for cancer research. In later years, she enjoyed drives through the countryside. Rita Louise Liddy Hollings, 1935-2012. You enriched the lives of South Carolinians. We'll miss you. Rest in peace.
What's on your mind? Drop us a line and tell us what's on your mind or what's bothering you? Or send us other thoughts. We love getting input from you. If you have an opinion you'd like to share (150 words or less, please), send your letters to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
OCT. 15, 2012 -- Want a sneak peek at the newest restaurant from one of Charleston's best chefs? Then get your tickets now for Guerrilla Cuisine's fifth anniversary dinner, which will be held at chef Robert Carter's soon-to-open venture, Rutledge Grill, located at 1300 Rutledge Ave. in the Wagener Terrace area.
The dinner is set for Sunday, Oct. 28. Check-in is at 5:30 p.m. with a half-hour of passed hors d'oeuvres, and the multi-course dinner starts at 6. As usual with Guerrilla Cuisine events, it's BYOB, so you'll need to bring the beverage of your choice.
Carter has been a fixture on the Lowcountry restaurant scene since 1997, when he was the opening chef for Peninsula Grill. He left the acclaimed restaurant last fall and, in February of this year, opened his own place, Carter's Kitchen, in the I'On neighborhood in Mount Pleasant. The restaurant was just named one of Esquire magazine's Best New Restaurants in America for 2012.
New Cooking Channel show in town "Man Fire Food," a new series airing on the Cooking Channel, was in Charleston recently, and the highlights of that visit will be featured this week. The episode will air at 10 p.m., Oct. 16. The show features chef Roger Mooking traveling the country to discover inventive ways to cook with fire. A press release from the network says of this episode, "It's a trip to Charleston, South Carolina, to visit the Big Red Rig, a bright red, double-decker, 30-foot trailer tricked out with two massive smokers cooking traditional pulled pork, ribs and chicken for barbecue competitions across the country." The show also spent time in Columbia looking at other food-truck barbecue fare. Cooking class spotlight Cooking with Garlic: 6:30 p.m., Oct. 29, Charleston Cooks, 194 East Bay St., downtown. Put those Halloween vampires in their place with this garlic lover's class. The menu includes Grilled Romaine and Broccoli Salad with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette; Garlic Shrimp Scampi; 40-Clove Garlic Chicken; Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Garlic Cranberry Chutney; and Garlic and Comte Cheese Souffle. Cost: $60 per person. To learn more or register, call 722-1212 or visit this Web site.
More than 120 students and staff this year participated in Jumpstart's worldwide Read for the Record campaign last week by reading to more than 1,500 children ages 2 to 4 throughout the tri-county area.
Participants included students in the college's EDC 101 class and staff who read at more than 20 locations, including local elementary schools, child care centers and bookstores. In the picture above, Trident Tech student Lauren Ramsey, dressed as a ladybug, reads to the 2-year-old class at Magic Kingdom Childcare Development Center in North Charleston. Apply now to perform in Piccolo Spoleto 2013 If you'd like to perform in Piccolo Spoleto during its 17-day run next May and June, you will need to submit an application by Nov. 16, 2012.
There are separate applications for performers who want to be part of the L'Organo Organ Recital Series and Theatre Series.
CofC prepares for "Great Shakeout" The College of Charleston is preparing to participate Oct. 18 in a national earthquake drill called the "Great Shakeout."
The school will hold discussions at 6 p.m. Oct. 17 and 4 p.m. Oct. 18 on Charleston's earthquake risk and the importance of the drill at the New Science Center Building across from Addlestone Library. Earthquake preparedness is particularly important in the Charleston area because of a significant fault in the Summerville area. In 1886, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck the area causing millions of dollars in damages and about 100 deaths. Officials say the chance of an earthquake that size is small today, but it's not unrealistic that the area could suffer a 5.0 or 6.0 magnitude earthquake, which would cause significant losses.
The purpose
of any state judicial system is to resolve civil disputes among residents
and to determine the guilt or innocence of persons accused of crimes and
infractions. Article V of the state constitution provides for a uniform
system of justice throughout the state. Although the contemporary courts in South Carolina are more or less "uniform," this is a recent occurrence. Judicial systems developed in a haphazard fashion over the centuries. As new forms of disputes arose-such as traffic violations, domestic disturbances, and massive amounts of civil litigation-new courts were created to meet specialized needs. Predictably, this process led to a state judicial system that was fragmented and lacked consistency.
Following
a model that is present in every state, the South Carolina judicial system
is now structured hierarchically. The two highest courts are both appellate
bodies, meaning that they almost exclusively adjudicate cases that have
been referred to them from lower courts. Appellate courts do not establish
facts, as do trial courts. Instead, they apply the facts that have been
established at lower levels to the relevant laws or policies, and/or they
ascertain whether appropriate procedures were followed in the courts below. The highest court in the state is the South Carolina Supreme Court, which consists of one chief justice and four associate justices. These are selected by the General Assembly to ten-year terms. As the final level of appeal within South Carolina, the state supreme court exercises two types of jurisdiction, mandatory and discretionary. Cases that the court must hear (mandatory) arrive by writ of appeal from lower trial courts and include such topics as the death penalty, public utility rates, public bond disputes, and election law violations. A far larger amount of the court's time is devoted to discretionary appeals-cases that arrive by writ of certiorari and which may or may not be decided, depending on the preferences of the justices. In an average year the court will review about three thousand cases and issue about 250 full opinions. Additionally
the state supreme court exercises broad administrative powers over the
other courts in the state. With the assistance of the Office of the South
Carolina Court Administrator, the court prepares the judicial system budget,
allocates resources, and assigns lower court judges on the basis of workloads.
The S.C. Supreme Court is also responsible for admitting persons to practice
law in the state and for disciplining lawyers and judges who commit ethical
misconduct.
SISTER PUBLICATIONS We encourage you to check out our sister publications:
CREDITS Charleston Currents is provided to you twice a week by:
Address: P.O. Box. 22261 | Charleston, SC 29413 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. |
What to do in an earthquake You are safer in an earthquake under a sturdy table than under a doorframe, says Shakeout.org. Here are some tips about what to do if there's an earthquake:
If you're in a bed, stay where you are and protect your head. In a store, move away from heavy items; you can protect yourself with a shopping cart. If you're driivng, pull over and set the parking brake. Avoid overpasses, bridges, power lines and signs. Stay inside the car until the shaking is over.
"People always wonder how Peatsy and I stay together, with so many divorces around us. And a friend of ours used to say, 'It's simple. They have a lot in common. They're both in love with the same fella.'"
Loading
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) Fall design walk: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Oct. 19, along upper King Street. Shops, showrooms and galleries along the street will feature great new stuff, including knives made by Quintin Middleton at Siematic (444 King), a reception for artist Marissa Vogl at Michael Mitchell Gallery (483 King) and the grand reopening of Circa Lighting (426 King). 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. CALENDAR: ONGOING AND SOON 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. (NEW) Benefit concert: 6 p.m., Oct. 23, Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, 90 Hasell Street, Charleston. The Charleston Academy of Music will showcase its young stars with music by Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky and Lalo. Performing will be the unique Kidzsymphony Orchestra as well as pianist Micah McLaurin and violinists Rachael Dawson, Shannon Fitzhenry and Ashley Yoon. More. 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. 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. (NEW) Golden Nugget Paddle 'n Party: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Nov. 4, Lighthouse on Shem Creek. The Mount Pleasant Land Conservancy will celebrate the natural beauty of Shem Creek during this benefit that will include paddleboard races, good, local beer and live music. Tickets are $25 in advance. More. (NEW) Fun run and walk: 6:30 p.m., Nov. 7 and Nov. 8, James Island County Park. You can be the first to see the 600+ light displays at the Holiday Festival of Lights during a fun run and walk that will happen twice on successive days. To guarantee a spot, register online and learn more at: www.ccprc.com/funrun (NEW) Garden workshop: Nov. 10, Cypress Gardens. Clemson Extension and Cypress Gardens will team for a one-day garden-based workshop with several classes and a wreath-making session with Amanda McNulty of "Making It Grow." Cost: $60. Pre-registration is required and ends Nov. 5. Register online. 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
FOCUS ARCHIVES
12/24: Abrams:
Holiday time 11/26:
Stevens:
Thank you letters 10/29:
Herrick:
Saucy new book DOUG
BOSTICK: 12/17: Charleston
Christmas ANDY BRACK 12/24:
Looking
back at 2012 11/26:
Guilty
pleasure 10/29:
16
days, Gov. Haley? 9/24:
New
TravelOrMove site More Andy Brack in the archives ANN
THRASH: 10/15:
Guerrilla
cuisine GREG
GARVAN: 9/24:
Permaculture,
more LIST
ARCHIVES 12/24:
Last-minute
gifts 11/26:
Giving
back winners 10/29:
Anti-hacking
tips IN OUR SISTER PUBLICATION
Twitter
feeds via TweetsWind:
a Twitter widget
|
It
is long past time, for South Carolina to let go of its crippling past,
which the world knows all too well, and embrace a more enlightened and
hopeful future. After all, our state motto is "While I breathe, I
hope." We should start breathing the fresh air of inclusion, of racial
reconciliation, of honest dialog and mutual problem-solving before other
generations of children in our rural schools are lost. That's my hope.
That's my hope.
Peatsy,
wife of retired U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings, served as the gold standard
of a senator's wife. Not content to simply write thank you notes for social
occasions, she was a full participant in Hollings' political career, his
most trusted advisor. As past aides note, Peatsy "grounded"
Fritz -- she kept him in touch with what people felt, what they dreamed.
She did it with aplomb and a streak of humor that served well as she and
her husband traveled the halls of power and backroads of South Carolina.
The
public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring Charleston
Currents to you at no cost. Today we shine our spotlight on Magnolia
Plantation and Gardens, founded in 1676 by the Drayton family. It
has survived the centuries and witnessed the history of our nation unfold
before it from the American Revolution through the Civil War and beyond.
It is the oldest public tourist site in the Lowcountry and the oldest
public gardens in America, opening its doors to visitors in 1870. Open
365 days a year, Magnolia offers its visitors splendid tours of nature
and history and the role African-Americans played in the development of
its award-winning Romantic-style gardens. Visit 
Announcing
the dinner location up front is a departure from Guerrilla Cuisine's usual
format. Typically, guests buy their tickets but don't find out the location
of the dinner until just before the event. But the folks at GC decided
their fifth anniversary was time to throw in a twist -- hence the sneak
preview at Rutledge Grill. 
Tickets
are $100 per person. In lieu of gratuities, charitable contributions will
go to Charleston Community Impact, a charity of Rutledge Grill's next-door
neighbor, the Church of Christ. The program supports children from single-parent
homes and foster-care settings by offering mentoring, after-school programs
and literacy development. It also supports young, single mothers and helps
them with job and interviewing skills, as well as character development.
The
event, part of an effort to break last year's record that saw 2 million
children across the world hear the same book on the same day, involved
the book, "Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad," by David Soman and
Jacky Davis. 
Piccolo
Spoleto's traditional program offerings include visual arts exhibits,
classical music, jazz, blues, dance, theatre, poetry readings, children's
activities, choral music, ethnic cultural presentations, crafts and film.
Piccolo Spoleto offers something wonderful for everyone from classical
to contemporary, from traditional to cutting edge.
At
10:18 a.m. that day, students, faculty and staff will be asked to "drop,
cover and hold" -- to get on the floor, seek cover under a sturdy
desk or inside wall, and hold on to that object since objects tend to
move during an earthquake. 
At
least six types of trial courts existed by the early 1970s, yet no single
judicial district contained all of the types represented. Moreover, the
lines of appeal varied. Cases appealed from municipal courts could, in
some counties, be taken to the county courts, while in other counties
these cases were reviewed by circuit courts. Meanwhile, county courts
in one county might have jurisdiction over civil suits of $5,000 or less,
while these courts in other counties could hear cases exceeding $11,000
in value. This chaotic situation was finally resolved during a reform
movement that occurred between 1975 and 1990. Grounded in recommendations
from the American Bar Association, the state constitution was revised
to eliminate most of the specialized courts and to provide greater consistency
in procedure and jurisdiction.
