"Postcards from Charlottesville," my 7-month-old little hobby of a TV show, got its first review a few days ago on the beta version of the new C-Ville Weekly blog -- see here. Guess I've hit the big time now. Watch out Stephen Colbert. (I'm always surprised when people tell me they've seen the show -- maybe because I don't have cable TV and have never actually seen it televised myself...)
Lisa Ferrari reports on today's return of the Monticello Guard, back in Charlottesville after 7 months in Iraq. No injuries, no fatalities -- a welcome homecoming for many happy families.
In the spirit of Earth Day, local activisits Stratton Salidis and Elena Day join me to talk about ecological health and the kinds of decisions we make as a community to either undermine or support our commitment to environmental sustainability. Two projects in particular -- the proposed expansion of the North Anna nuclear power plant, and the proposed Meadowcreek Parkway -- draw much of my guests' ire and compel them to promote more ecologically sound alternatives.
Click here to see the show:
http://charlottesville.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=95
In the news today was a round of stories about Hillary Clinton being booed for her anti-Obama remarks at an event in Pittsburgh this morning. It struck me that this was hardly the first time that I'd read of Hillary facing boos from a crowd during this campaign. Curious, I did a quick round of Google searches just now and came up with the following results:
"Hillary booed" -- 6,980 hits
"Hillary Clinton booed" -- 4,060 hits
"Hillary was booed" -- 1,600 hits
"Hillary Clinton was booed" -- 2,290 hits
"Barack booed" -- 4 hits
"Barack Obama booed" -- 8 hits
"Barack was booed" -- 3 hits
"Barack Obama was booed" -- 1 hit
What does this tell us? Either (a) Barack's supporters are exponentially more rude than Hillary's, or (b) people just don't like Hillary Clinton, and don't mind saying so. And remember, these have been DEMOCRATIC audiences for the most part.
You are welcome to arrive at your own conclusion.
In honor of tax day tomorrow, I refer you to legislation submitted last year by U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va. 06) called the "The Tax Code Termination Act." The idea is gimmicky, yes, but still worth pursuing: set a date certain (he recommends Dec. 31, 2010) at which point the federal Tax Code will cease to exist, and in the meantime force Congress and the White House to come up with a simpler alternative to the current monstrosity. (I still think Jerry Brown had it right back in 1992 when he said we should all be able to compute our taxes by filling out the back of a postcard.)
Rep. Goodlatte's proposal is so simple, it may just work -- though it will never, unfortunately, be enacted. There are powerful interests in this country whose livelihood and profits depend on keeping our tax system as complex and loophole-rich as possible, so the natural course of things is for the Tax Code to get larger and more abstruse each year. As far as I'm concerned, both parties are at fault and it's we the people who suffer the consequences.
Thanks to Marijean Jaggers (perhaps better known in these parts as "STL Working Mom") and the other good folks at the Standing Partnership public relations firm, PACEM has a brand-spankin'-new, updated, all-in-one blog/website -- entitled, appropriately enough, "Cville Shelter." Same location as the old site (www.pacemshelter.org), but with more content, more visual appeal, and more interactive capabilities. Standing Partnership chose PACEM as one of its 2008 Community Partners and is donating $4,000 worth of site design, construction and maintenance services to the cause. I cannot thank them enough -- Marijean, you're a saint. And thanks as well to PACEM volunteer Chris Clarke for stepping up to keep our old site going the past couple of years. PACEM would not be what it is without the dedicated volunteers and community supporters who make it all happen.
* The PACEM celebration on Friday was a big success. Standing-room-only crowd, inspiring speakers, excellent media coverage, profitable silent auction, etc. Thanks to all who helped put it together. Only downside of the night is that I got outbid on Mackie Kudravetz's beautiful "A Nest for Every Egg" by a certain scoundrel who shall not be named (cough *Ed Bain* cough).
* Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center at UVa. Like many folks in Charlottesville, I was a big admirer of Emily Couric's and firmly believe she would have become Virginia's first female Governor; this Center will be an apt legacy. Katie Couric was on hand for the occasion and she was kind enough to say hi and introduce me to her family.
* Saturday night, thanks to a feline friend of mine, I got to hang with Keith and Jen Morris (among some other cool folks) out on the Mall. I've been listening to their new album ("Songs from Candyapolis") a lot lately and it was great to make their acquaintance. Check them out this coming Saturday at Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar.
* Sunday opened with the "Run in the Name of Love" 5K race benefitting the Arc of the Piedmont. Good course, about 75 runners, I came in 37th and set a new personal record -- 8 mins. 43 secs./mile. Kevin Cox (who also set a personal record today, albeit much faster than mine) sold me on doing the "Run for Autism" 5K next Saturday to benefit another wonderful cause, the Virginia Institute of Autism. I'm becoming a regular runner now -- who knew?
* Sunday afternoon I was pleased to officiate at the annual Young Writers Competition awards ceremony at Second Street Gallery. What an incredibly talented pool of prose and poetry writers we have in our local high schools! Congratulations to honorees Anna Bninski, Melina Schoppa, Helen Alston, Joanne Moody, Indu Chelliah, Jo Blount, Sylvia Kates, and Erik Szaloki-Johnson. I was particularly proud to note that 6 of the 8 finalists in this year's region-wide competition are students at Charlottesville High School. Go Black Knights!
* Got lots of work done around the house this weekend. Needed it desperately. My poor yard, which is a perennial nightmare, is now slightly less nightmarish. That counts as progress around these parts.
* Still looking for a summer sitter if you know of anyone who might be interested....
PACEM's vision statement is "A Pillow for Every Head."
Local photographer McCrea Snyder Kudravetz of the McGuffey Art Center has created a beautiful photo collage as her contribution to the Silent Auction at our end-of-season recognition event tomorrow. It's called "A Nest for Every Egg." Just a taste of one of the many wonderful items we'll have up for auction. All proceeds benefit PACEM and our year-round efforts to help the homeless. Many thanks to Ms. Kudravetz and the other contributors for their generosity!
Not to brag, but I would imagine that there are few organizations in Charlottesville that can claim as many volunteers as PACEM can. Between our 50+ host and partner congregations and all of the other civic groups, businesses, community agencies, financial supporters, etc. whose selfless donations of time, energy and money contribute to the success of our winter shelter program for the homeless, we involve thousands of Cville-area residents each year in the life of our ministry.
This Friday, April 11, is our chance to thank each and every one.
That evening, we are having our annual end-of-season Recognition Event, from 6-8pm at the John Paul Jones Arena at UVa. Good food, live music, stirring speakers, and a special tribute to our volunteers -- plus a silent auction with many wonderful items up for bid. Also this year, we're debuting our first annual PACEM "Golden Pillow" and "Hope and Hospitality" Awards to honor folks in our community who've gone 'above and beyond' to help the homeless.
This will be a very special night, but...this is no ritzy/black-tie affair. We got a discounted rate on the facility and the musical entertainment (courtesy the singing group "Fire") is being provided free-of-charge. Volunteers have done most of the work in pulling the event together, and business sponsorships have covered what costs we did incur. We believe in celebrating the people who make PACEM possible, but we don't believe in spending a grandiose amount of money doing it. Our dollars are better spent ensuring that no one has to sleep outside on the streets of Charlottesville during the dead of winter.
If you yourself were involved with PACEM this past winter in any way, hopefully you've already received an invitation to join us on Friday -- if not, please consider this an open invitation to attend. The event is free and there will be plenty of free parking available. Hope to see you then!
I am pleased to be serving as the Honorary Chair for this year's 4th Annual "Run in the Name of Love" 5K Race, which benefits an outstanding community organization, The Arc of the Piedmont. Not only will I be welcoming the runners to the event this coming Sunday, April 13 (start time is 9:00am from the Newcomb Hall Plaza at UVa), I will also be running in the race myself. Should be fun -- come join us! (To register, click here.)
This race is held each year in memory of a young man named Brian Love, who was taken from us far too soon. From the press release:
Brian Love was a fourth year student at UVa and captain of the Virginia Alpine Ski and Snowboard Team (VASST) when, four years ago, he tragically died in a snowboarding accident. In an effort to capture Love’s generous spirit and contagious energy, his family and friends created this event to support The Arc, an area charity with which Brian had been associated in life. The Arc is a 501-c-3 organization providing advocacy, hope and support for people of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The vision of The Arc is for people with disabilities to be fully participating members of the community.
Susan Love, Brian’s mother, is flying in from California to once again be present to thank and support the many participants who will be Running in the Name of Love. In her words, “It is bittersweet for me but I am so proud that my son was of such character that he lives in the hearts and minds of so many, that he is memorialized by this special race, and that his desire to assist those less fortunate is being manifested in such a meaningful and special way.”
Courtesy of Fellini’s #9 Restaurant, The Arc and VASST will also be hosting a pasta dinner at the Wesley Foundation Saturday evening, April 12, at 6:00, including dessert by Ben & Jerry’s of Barracks Road. Ms. Love, who is a marathon runner and a motivational speaker, will be the guest speaker.
For more information on The Arc, the dinner or on the Run in the Name of Love 5K, contact David White at 434-977-4002, ext. 36, dwhite@thearcofthepiedmont.org. Registration forms may be picked up at The Arc at 515 Park Street, Charlottesville or at the Ragged Mountain Running Shop on the University Corner, or register online at http://people.virginia.edu/~crd5f/blove, or http://skiuva.org/blove5k.
We in Charlottesville like to brag that we have it all.
Until yesterday, there was one thing we couldn't brag about though. Until yesterday, Charlottesville was the largest municipality in Virginia without a chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America -- the nation's largest and most well-known youth mentoring initiative.
Until yesterday.
Yesterday I had the enormous pleasure of participating in the kick-off event for the new Charlottesville chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Local resident Jeff Mitchell deserves a whole heap of praise for his role in getting this new chapter off the ground; many Charlottesville kids will benefit as a result of his vision and leadership. As I've said on many occasions, youth mentoring programs have demonstrated time and again their ability to change lives for the better. Statistics show that young people who are in long-term mentoring relationships with reliable, caring adults are more likely to make good life decisions.
Several years ago, I helped to create an on-line guide for Charlottesville-area residents who wanted to either become a mentor or find a mentor for a child. The site, called "Mentorville," has been dormant for some time now, but yesterday, in conjunction with the Big Brothers Big Sisters event, we re-launched it at www.charlottesville.org/mentorville. Many thanks to Catherine Tobin, our wonderful UVa student intern, and to Joe Rice in the City Communications Department for their efforts to dust off the old site and bring it back to life. Once Big Brothers Big Sisters of Charlottesville is actually in operation (any week now), their info. will be added to the site as well. For now, interested residents can contact them here.
With yesterday's big announcement, there are now even more opportunities in Charlottesville for caring adults to get involved and make a real impact in the life of a child. Now that's something to brag about.
