Charlestonian Blog

Flashback: Ousted CVB chief was Danny Jones' hand-picked hire

2011-12-08T09:25:00.000-05:00

When Patricia Bradley Pitrolo resigned from the Charleston Area Alliance in 2005 because she was upset about her salary, Danny Jones was vocal about how wonderful she was. Here's how Eric Eyre reported it in a Gazette article:

Alliance board members said they were stunned that Pitrolo would abruptly leave the organization.

"To me, Patty Pitrolo was the most talented person in that building," said Charleston Mayor Danny Jones, who also serves on the Alliance's executive board. "I'm really upset about this."
"She's a dynamo," said Jones, who served in the House of Delegates with Pitrolo in the late 1980s. "I'm just very distressed about this. I wish I had a place for her in the city."

Jones said he would have asked the City Council to give money to the Alliance to increase Pitrolo's salary, if he had known earlier that she was upset.

This support, in spite of the fact that she was convicted of tax evasion stemming from an offense that occurred while she held public office:

In 1990, Pitrolo, a former delegate from Hancock County, was charged with failing to report on her taxes that she accepted money from a lobbyist representing Tri-State Greyhound Park.
Before accepting a $376 payment, which helped cover expenses for a vacation, Pitrolo had supported a law that would have allowed Tri-State and other racing tracks to get a bigger share of the money wagered by bettors. She was convicted of a misdemeanor, paid a $1,000 fine and served two years' probation.

Again, look at what the mayor said:

Jones, who served in the House of Delegates with Pitrolo in the late 1980s. "I'm just very distressed about this. I wish I had a place for her in the city."

Of course, he did find a place for her. Jones publicly ridiculed the previous president and helped create an air of dissatisfaction with other CVB board members until she was terminated under what amounted to be a "no confidence" vote. Patty Pitrolo was immediately hired as "Acting President." It's not clear when the "acting" part of her title was removed.

It's amazing that no one in the media has picked up on this aspect of the story.

Moxxee Coffee is finally open - All is forgiven!

2011-10-05T14:24:00.000-04:00

I know I was hard on them, but only because I care so much. Moxxee Coffee opened this week. I had my first cup yesterday and while it wasn't worth the wait, it was very nicely done. I look forward to spending a lot of time and money there from now on.

Sorry I was so rough; you know how I am before I've had my coffee.

MOXXEE Coffee news...sort of.

2011-08-22T09:02:00.000-04:00

Perhaps in response to the grousing of Facebook likers and Twitter followers (and perhaps even this blog) Moxxee Coffee had a kinda sorta open house on Saturday, August 16 where they gave away coffee and cupcakes to a few people who heard about the event via social media.

Now it might seem that an open house would be a precursor to an actual opening, but as most things relating to Moxxee, there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason in why they chose to hold this event. Many people came expecting to be told that the coffee shop would be open the following week, but that was not the case. Attendees found out that this open house was not tied in any way to the actual opening, which is still unforeseeable.

The Moxxee folks say they can't find anyone to hire and therefore can't get the shop open. This is probably true; If someone applies for a job they usually need to be employed right away. With Moxxee's track record there is no way for a prospective employee to predict when they might begin to work.

At the event, though, we were able to get a look inside the shop and take a peek at its systems. The shop looks nice albeit a little barren of art and decor, but there are no systems. They do not seem to have given any thought to taking a customer's order or their money. There is no designated ordering spot or a pick up spot: a tried and true proven staple of coffee shops everywhere. The creaming and sugar station is hidden from view and hard to find.

My coffee seemed like the beans were stale; not surprising since they were probably roasted in anticipation of the original opening date two years ago.

Moxxee is a train wreck. A sad, disappointing train wreck. A good manager could get it back on track, but every day it remains closed makes that prospect more unlikely.

Moxxee Lies Again!

2011-08-12T08:38:00.002-04:00

WCHS TV8 News ran a story the other night about a new cupcake business that seems to be doing well, but has unfortunately joined forces with MOXXEE. In the story the MOXXEE folks say they will "probably" open the third week of September, but if you believe that I have a bridge on Patrick Street you might be interested in buying.
Here are Moxxee's previously stated "probably opening" dates:
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
October 2009
Spring 2010
Mid-Summer 2010
October 2010
November 2010
Spring 2011
Mid June 2011
July 2011
You can see the story here:
http://www.wchstv.com/newsroom/eyewitness/110809_6144.shtmlhttp://www.wchstv.com/newsroom/eyewitness/110809_6144.shtml">http://www.wchstv.com/newsroom/eyewitness/110809_6144.shtml>

MOXXEE Coffee is RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-07-14T08:40:00.002-04:00

OK, that made me feel better. It's just that I have to pass by this place every day and wonder when in the hell - if ever - it is going to open?!!?!??!

Let's review:

Early 2009 - Building permit taken out to renovate this very small building. Reasonable length of time for this kind of renovation would be a month or two.

March 2009 - MOXXEE begins posting on Twitter and Facebook about this great new coffee place that will be opening "soon". Sign goes up outside that says "Coming Soon."

April 2009 - Twitter posting about building progress and parking communicates an impending opening. I can't wait!

June 2009 - Posts about the exciting technology that MOXXEE will have keeps my enthusiasm high, but I'm starting to be concerned about the progress I see on the building.

July 2009 - Silence.

August 2009 - Excitement returns. Posts about how committed MOXXEE is to having a great product staves off frustration of waiting for it to open.

September 2009 - First post that gives us a hint of what is to come: "We have a very mobile opening date, we are trying not to rush, we want it to be just right, so it keeps getting pushed back." But another post gives us hope: "hopefully opening first of the year "

November 2009 - Yadda, yadda, yadda. More posts about quality coffee and veiled comments about exterior building treatments.

February 2010 - Post about bar being built by a metal artist. Really? Set up some plywood on sawhorses and open your damn doors, MOXXEE!

June 2010 - The people behind MOXXEE come out of hiding to set up shop at Taste of All. Say buildout will be complete in a month and they will begin to hire and train staff! Whoo hoo!

July 2010 - Another post about hiring staff soon.

August 2010 - Silence.

September 2010 - Silence

October 2010 - Silence

November 2010 - Posts about bar, more coffee beans purchased and fancy cups from Italy. Big F'n Deal. I am so very tired of getting jerked around by these morons.

December 2010 -April 2010 - Silence. People seem to be working inside but no apparent progress.

May 2011 - Post about hiring staff. Heard this before. Not excited.

June 2011 - More hyperbole about the quality of MOXXEE's equipment and coffee. I no longer care.

July 2011 - I would post a picture of MOXXEE taken today, but it would look identical to the one posted over a year ago. Why bother?

Screw you, MOXXEE Coffee. You have disrespected your potential customers and you will be fortunate if ANYONE ever comes into your place if indeed it ever opens.

Sticky Situation at the Clay Center

2011-02-17T19:04:00.000-05:00

Hallelujah Attacks!

2010-10-27T08:37:00.007-04:00

Stanton asked me to post his shameless advertisement here so he can get back to to hot dog blogging:

"The most controversial piece of public art in Charleston comes to life and takes its revenge on naysayers!" Buy your print at Zazzle!

MOXXEE Coffee Update

2010-10-27T08:19:00.004-04:00

While there have been signs of life at Moxxee Coffee lately, a peek in the window reveals that while it is no longer an empty shell it is certainly nowhere close to opening.

The last post on Facebook was in September: "Unfortunately, we hit a snag on the interior design, something we are using took a little longer than anticipated, and we cant move forward until it is in place. Sorry for the delays, but we are still trying to put on the finishing touches."

Seriously, Moxxee folks; It's almost November - the next November after you promised to be "open soon." Perhaps a realistic update? Leave a comment here or post to your Facebook page.

Just give us a sign.

It's September - Do you know where your Moxxee Coffee is?

2010-09-03T16:48:00.002-04:00

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Charleston-WV/Moxxee/124540066134

The wait continues. They promised a soft opening in August. The place looks no closer to opening than it did in July.

A year and a half is a long time to wait on anything. To continue to lie to your potential customers about when you are opening is bad business.

At this point I have serious doubts about this place ever opening. This happens all the time in the business world: Someone is a good cook and opens a restaurant: Six weeks later it closes. Apparently these guys really like coffee: Really liking coffee doesn't mean you know how to open a business. Perhaps this book should be on their reading list.

Hallelujah at Night

2010-08-26T09:15:00.004-04:00

In October 2009 the Clay Center dedicated a 64 foot tall, 198,000 pound Albert Paley sculpture entitled "Hallelujah". Hallelujah has been a polarizing piece of art in Charleston since its installation last year in the center of the Clay Center's circular driveway. Many people say it looks like rusted wreckage of some kind while some are enthralled by its size and mixed-metallic finishes. Personally I like Hallelujah, although I don't think it goes well with the facade of the Clay Center. I'm sure that the museum architect groans every time he sees his work being dwarfed by the imposing presence of this huge sculpture. It looks like an afterthought - which is exactly what it is.

Hallelujah at night, isolated from the Clay Center building by darkness, takes on a completely different look. Ever since the lights were installed I have been wanting to get some photos of the sculpture against the black nighttime sky. Last evening I finally got the chance.

MOXXEE Coffee Still Not Open

2010-08-25T09:59:00.001-04:00

MOXXEE (MOXXEE) on Twitter: "Metal artist is completing bar. We will put finishing touches on and train staff. Then free soft open for twitter followers." That was their last post on July 12.

They have put a lot of money into this little building and while I can't say I like their exterior design choices, they seem to know what they want. These folks must have a huge bankroll to be able to let an investment sit this long with no return.

Their facebook page previously indicated a soft opening in August. It's late August and no sign of life.

Come on guys, you can't keep treating us like this. Tell us the straight scoop.

Moxxee Coffee Progress

2010-06-18T08:39:00.002-04:00

While I'm not advocating holding anyone's breath due to their previous track record for slowness, there are signs of life to report at Moxxee Coffee: Some concrete and asphalt has been laid outside, a little work on the rear of the building has been done and Pray Construction have been sporadically onsite over the past several weeks. This could mean that the owners are finally serious about opening.

On June 8th their Twitter feed said "Finishing buildout within a month, then we will start training and perfecting cappuccino for you so we can aid that walk."

This tiny building could have been built from scratch four times in the 15 months that the "Coming Soon" sign has been up. If Moxxee's committment to training is anything like their committment to construction, look for the first cappuccino to be served in time for the next presidential election.

Pies and Pints Opening August 1

2010-05-11T08:27:00.002-04:00

In today's Daily Mail there is a story about the August 1 opening of "Pies and Pints" on Capitol Street. I wish them well. We need more downtown evening dining spots in Charleston.

I hope that August 1 is a realistic date, that building has a LOT of problems. It is a very bad thing when an eatery advertises an opening date and then misses it. It makes people lose enthusiasm and become disinterested or even somewhat disdainful.

And speaking of delayed opening, Moxxee Coffee is showing signs of life again. It looks like they have hired Pray Construction. This is a good move: Pray is expensive but they know how to finish projects. Who knows? Maybe - just maybe -we'll be able to warm up with a hot cup of Moxxee coffee sometime this winter. But I'm not getting my hopes up.

Oh, and one more piece of news on East End openings: "Frutcake" is now open in the former location of Delish Express. If anyone has tried it fell free to leave a comment/review.

Apparently "Moxxee" is a word that means "slow"

2010-05-05T14:46:00.004-04:00

While the definition of "moxie" is "The ability to face difficulty with spirit and courage" I could not find a definition of the similarly sounding "Moxxee". But the East End coffee shop that first said "Coming Soon" over a year ago named "Moxxee Coffee" is quickly providing a new adjective for the Charleston lexicon. Here's how to use it in a variety of sentences:

"I64 west is a Moxxee every evening from 5:00 till 6:00. I can't wait for that new bridge to open."

"The library fundraising sure is Moxxeeish. You think they will ever raise the money now that the Clay Foundation is gone?"

"Boy were those checkout lines at the Deleware Avenue Kroger were Moxxeed up last night!"

Charleston sure is Moxxee to get a decent coffee shop.

Jones, Richardson and Hardy

2010-04-26T07:50:00.002-04:00

This should be interesting.

The article in today's Daily Mail expands on a brief mention in the weekend paper that Mayor Jones has publicly endorsed Andy Richardson for County Commissioner. This might seem surprising to some, since Dave Hardy is such a well respected and popular commissioner. Why would Mayor Jones take a chance on aligning himself with a losing candidate? Especially one from another party?

The following facts make it not terribly surprising:

First, and most importantly, Jones and Hardy had an open feud not too long ago. Anyone who knows the mayor knows that if you openly disagree with him that he will vehemently strike back. Ask any of the current or former City Council members who have ever stood in opposition to anything Danny wanted. Jones' vehemence can be heard in his statement to the Daily Mail:
"I don't think it's even close." Jones said, comparing Richardson to Hardy; "He's a seasoned person who has actually done something." The implication, of course, is that Hardy has done nothing.

Secondly, don't discount that Andy Richardson was part of the Underwood family (formerly married to Cecil's daughter) and even though he was a member of the Caperton cabinet, he is still a beneficiary of at least some of the Republican political machinery that remains. Since Jones is arguably the leading Republican in the state he might be somewhat obliged to support Richardson.

That said, Andy Richardson is certainly not unqualified for the position. He worked in the public sector for many years and served on South Charleston's City Council. While Dave Hardy has made the upper Kanawha Valley his focus, Richardson is a lower KV guy with his roots in Charleston and South Charleston. Both are seemingly well respected in the lawyer community and should have the ability to raise some major bucks.

I don't care who wins, I just hope the race is close so we can see more of Danny's meddling on display.

Giving the Devil his Due

2010-04-26T07:41:00.002-04:00

In my last post I speculated that Mayor Jones would torpedo the resurrection of the Quarrier Diner because it will interfere with the library plans. A couple of days after I wrote that, the mayor said that he would prefer spending money on a new civic center instead of a new library. So either he made the statement before he checked with his old money friends who are heavily into the library fundraising mode or he earnestly is opposed to it. If it is the former, expect to see him crawfishing soon; if it's the latter, kudos are in order.

I love books, and I love the library, but Charleston does not need to spend $30 million on a new library. Period.

Positive News for Downtown - but wait...

2010-04-15T11:26:00.005-04:00

Although it was by sheer accident, real downtown revitalization took a major step forward yesterday.

CURA, who has a history of creating "economic development" opportunities by creating vacant lots, paved the way for the re-opening of the former Quarrier diner by agreeing to sell a 12' strip of land to the new owners of the Quarrier Diner building. I say it was an accident, because it was only because the FBI decided against the next door site for their new office building than enabled CURA to make the transfer.

The Quarrier Diner is a beautiful Art Deco building that deserves preservation and the downtown is in desperate need of after hours dining options, so this is a win-win for downtown.

But hold on: Mayor Danny Jones is concerned -according to the article in today's Gazette - about parking for the restaurant. Come on, Mayor; most people who will eat there for lunch are already parked downtown, and the dinner crowd will have no competition for parking any night of the week. There are dozens of on-street spaces and there is a parking garage on the next block. Please, Mayor Jones, do not start your anti-business bellyaching and run these investors off before they even get started!

One might suspect that the library fundraising people will not be happy that the Quarrier Diner will remain to mess up their $30 million facade. The names on the library supporters list are also major supporters and allies of the Mayor. Could it be that his parking objections are the first indication that the administration will do whatever they can to torpedo the Quarrier Diner project?

The Lethargic Tendencies of New East End Food Establishments

2010-04-12T11:59:00.004-04:00

It's peculiar to watch how slow new business openings take place on the East End. When Blue Grass Kitchen opened several years ago, about nine or ten months lapsed between the advance newspaper publicity and the actual opening. Then, Tricky Fish took almost two years to open. Now, the Steele's are working on their third eatery, called "Fruitcake," which will be in the former location of "Delish Express". This place was already restaurant ready, but in the two months or so since the new place has been under construction it looks like it has taken a step backward in readiness.

But lest you think it is just the Steele's that are so deliberate in opening, I submit you "Moxxee Coffee." This tiny stand alone building on the corner of Morris and Lee Streets has been under construction for well over a year. They have a Facebook page and a twitter account where they give updates on their ever more distant opening date: Last May they predicted September; Then in September they said "first of the year"; In November, they said "hopefully March". It's now mid-April and the facebook and twitter pages have been silent since February and no visible changes have been made to the building since November. Since I live about a block away I was pretty excited for a while to have a coffee shop nearby, but not so much anymore.

Besides, their logo looks strangely like a biohazard symbol to me.

Will Charleston FInally Have Minority Representation in District 31?

2009-12-07T22:43:00.003-05:00

In 1991 a "minority influence district" was created by the legislature when they re-drew boundary lines to include census tracts that contained the largest concentration of African-Americans. This affirmative action gerrymandering was done in broad daylight and was met with approval by most Charlestonians, except for some Republicans who said it was simply a Democratic ploy to insure an extra seat in the legislature.

The move was greeted particularly well by members of the African-American community who saw it as a chance to have real representation in the state legislature. Several political newcomers tossed their hats in the ring in the first two elections after the creation of the district. They found out the hard way that it takes money and influence to win even in a small, targeted district like 31.

Unfortunately for minority candidates, the gerrymandering included the more affluent sections of the East End that has become an attractive place for young attorneys and other professionals to make their residences. This comparatively well-to-do minority of the district has dominated, politically. There has never been an African-American, nor any other minority candidate, elected to represent the district. White and affluent Carrie Webster has held this seat for several years.

But now that Carrie Webster has been named as the replacement for Circuit Court Judge Irene Berger (who was recently named to the federal bench) perhaps we will finally see a minority in the seat. In the last election Webster was challenged strongly by Meshea Poore, an African American attorney and former public defender, and Poore is being talked about as the likely replacement for Webster. To solidify her candidacy, she has already filed her candidacy papers with the secretary of state's office.

Poore seems to be a good choice for the seat, and if it had not been for Webster's incumbancy and the help of her affluent lawyer friends and donors, she might have already owned it. It would be a shame if the governor did not appoint Poore to this unexpired seat 18 years after an intentional act of the government set the stage for much needed change in representation in this, the most concentrated minority district in the state.

Do the right thing, Joe. Show us that you are abve the good ol' boy system.

Coal Country Movie Premiere

2009-07-11T22:08:00.003-04:00

The world premiere of the long awaited (or long dreaded for some) documentary "Coal Country" was held this evening at the Cultural Center theater. The premiere was originally scheduled for the LaBelle Theater in South Charleston, but that theater's board of directors canceled the show due to "security concerns" and the Cultural Center came to the rescue. As it turns out there were no security issues, and except for some shouting back and forth during the movie, the crowd was well behaved.

Unfortunately the Cultural Center holds less than 500 people and there were probably 600 or more that showed up. The cultural center staff was extraordinarily accommodating and allowed a few people to stand near the theater doors and even rigged an extra loudspeaker in the lobby so people could at least hear the audio. Kudos to them and to the movie's executive producer who walked through the lobby thanking people for coming and apologizin for the lack of seating.

There were people from both sides of the coal mining debate present, but as you might imagine the environmentalists certainly had the larger contingent. The pro-mining folks were a little louder though, and first made their presence known when one of the producers made a special mention of Ken Hechler. "No one loves this state as much as Ken Hechler," she said and the crowd applauded, except for some very loud voices saying "we love this state, too!" Most of those were wearing the tell tale camouflaged ball caps or mining company t-shirts. After the movie began, theses folks were not shy to roar with approval every time someone on screen shared an opinion or sentiment that they liked.

The people on the other side were quick to shout "grow up!" whenever the pro-mining would get vociferous, but whenever one of their people would say something onscreen they would be just as obnoxious.

The movie was remarkably well-balanced and the cat calls were pretty much even for the balance of the movie.

I enjoyed the movie. Certainly I was expecting an anti-mining propaganda piece, and that's pretty much what it is, but it was done with grace and sincere appreciation for the miner's point of view. The movie was edited without narration, one of those "in their own words" kind of documentaries. I didn't put a clock on it, but the screen time given to those with pro-coal views were pretty much equal to the anti-coal voices, although it's difficult to say that the strength of their rhetoric was comparable; Certainly the anti-coal people were the stronger. The producers explained before the screening that they couldn't get enough people from the coal industry to speak to them on camera to have a true representation. But there were a few authoritative and persuasive pro-coal voices in the film.

Overall, I think if you drive a Volvo covered with bumper stickers you won't be quite satisfied with the strength of the anti-coal rhetoric. If you drive a truck with a "Coal Keeps The Lights On" license plate, you will be pleasantly surprised that your views are represented, but still will feel that the movie was unfairly slanted. That everyone will be a little dissatisfied is the sign of a good compromise. And while you might say that a film like this shouldn't compromise, I far prefer this approach to an in your face propaganda piece that goes to any length to win converts. This film probably didn't change anyone's mind, but it did fairly frame the discussion.

Smoke Screen in Cross Lanes

2009-06-26T09:20:00.003-04:00

It seems that the Gazette and other media are quite content to accept Tri State Casino's 15o room hotel as payment in full for the promise that Tri Sate made to get us to approve table games in Kanawha County.

Let's review what was said before the election:

From The State Journal Monday, March 26, 2007
"We're thinking about a 200- to 250-room hotel, a spa, a huge convention space and entertainment space for shows and boxing events, other sporting events along with we're looking at a state of the art billiard center so this issue goes beyond gaming. We're going to become a true tourist desitination and resort really quickly," Adkins said.

From Lawrence Messina, August 12, 2007:
Owned by Michigan-based Hartman & Tyner Inc., Tri-State linked passage to 1,000 new jobs and a $250 million upgrade that would include a 250-room hotel and 6,500 seat arena.

And now what are they saying?

From The Charleston Gazette, June 24, 2009

Backhoes and power shovels clawed the first scoops full of dirt Wednesday as construction began on a 150-room hotel at Tri-State Racetrack & Gaming Center.

Adkins said Wednesday Hartman & Tyner will pay for the hotel out of company revenues.
"There is no budget for this project," he said. "What it takes [to build it] is what it takes."

Doesn't seem to add up to me.

Why I hate the Purple Onion, part 2

2009-06-25T09:53:00.004-04:00

The Purple Onion is the primary produce dealer at the Capitol Market, the only one inside and therefore the only one in the off-season when the farmers are selling flowers, pumpkins and Christmas trees.

The last time I wrote, I said that I despised their practice of bulk packaging their vegetables because it made me buy way more than I needed. That practice has seemingly changed a little and once again I can go in and buy one turnip if I only need one turnip. So that's an improvement, but I still have two major bones to pick:

1. The Purple Onion's motto is "Buy Local, Buy Fresh." In reality the produce they sell is of no different origin than what is sold at Kroger. Occasionally they will have a basket of "W.Va. Apples" or locally grown corn, but most of the time they have the same California/Mexico/South American produce that Corey Brothers delivers to them and every other grocery store in the area. The only thing local about it is the ownership of the store, which is a good thing I guess, but the slogan is misleading.

2. The merchandised retail space in the Purple Onion is approximately divided thusly:

Fruit - 100 square feet

Vegetables - 180 sq. ft.

Beans, peas etc. - 60 sq. ft.

Assorted pre-packaged crap - more than 300 square feet.

The Onion has taken a real shine to packaging everything from nuts to cookies (even individually cellophane wrapped chocolate chip cookies) in little plastic boxes and labeled them to sell by the pound. Stacks and stacks of these things.

Every time I see the FestivALL logo I get a strange craving for Italian food

2009-06-19T22:16:00.002-04:00

Oh, now I see...

Wanted: Ignorant Voters

2008-10-20T07:40:00.002-04:00

I find an interesting dichotomy that has surfaced in the reporting of the presidential political landscape of this past week.

First, close to home, it seems that some politicos are seeing that the voters of West Virginia might be softening their stance against Obama. Bloggers and reporters are asking if West Virginians have decided, suddenly, that they are no longer racist, or rather if it's the worsening economy that is convincing them to vote against their racial bias and in favor of their pocketbooks.

Over in Ohio the group ACORN is busy trying to find all the people they can to load up the polls come election day. They are offering all kinds of inducements - from discount coupons to businesses to free concert tickets - to get people to register to vote. They will also be providing transportation to the polls for those whom they sign up.

Ostensibly ACORN is fulfilling a noble purpose: Getting people involved in the democratic process. Of course, in doing so they are inducing people who have zero interest in - and knowledge of - politics to vote. The Democratic Party leaders are thrilled with ACORN's efforts because they know that the politically ignorant voters in the mostly urban areas where ACORN works are going to vote Democrat 90% of the time. Of course, Republicans see this as nothing short of election fraud.

Meanwhile, back in West Virginia, our ignorant voters are going to massively support John McCain; not because they like him, but because they don't trust a guy with a name Barack Hussein Obama, who by the way is black.

So both parties are rooting for ignorant voters to show up at the polls. Republicans love our idiots and Democrats love the Buckeye imbeciles.

This dichotomy would be much more interesting if West Virginia had the same same Electoral College weight as Ohio. As it is, it really doesn't matter what our idiots do. If McCain wins W.Va., then so what? If Obama wins it will be a moot point. Ohio's idiots are much more important in this election.

This is a good argument for voter qualification. People should have to prove their worthiness to vote before they are given a voter's registration card. Some kind of test should be given that would evaluate the voter's IQ and ensure that the voter possesses at least a modicum of understanding about the United States political system before they are given their turn in the voting booth.

Oh yeah, you want to call me a bad person for saying that, but you know that deep down you agree with me.

Lots of Smoke at Blackhawk Saloon

2008-10-08T22:20:00.002-04:00

The leader of the local fight against the Kanawha County Health Department's smoking ban is Paco Ellison, owner of The Blackhawk Saloon, a little dive off Piedmont Road just east of Charleston. Interestingly enough the place is, at this writing, burning down.

Paco's last quote in the Gazette was ironic: "I think they're bluffing," Ellison said Wednesday. "We're going to continue to smoke here until they prove to me I can't. I'm going to stay right where I'm at until they take action."

As I see it there are two possible explanations for the fire:

1. The militant anti-smoking activists torched it (unlikely).
2. Friction Fire - a bad investment rubbing up against a good insurance policy (likely).

It will be interesting to see Paco's public reaction to the fire.

What Happened to this $316,000?

2008-06-29T21:49:00.003-04:00

From the Charleston Daily Mail, Tuesday, July 11, 2000:

State grant to fund bulk of new I-64 visitors center

GEORGE HOHMANN

DAILY MAIL BUSINESS EDITOR

A new visitors center is planned for Interstate 64 in South Charleston, with the bulk of the funding coming from a state grant.

The South Charleston Convention & Visitors Bureau and the city of South Charleston today expected to receive $316,000 from the state Department of Transportation for the travel and information facility.

The leading site for the center is a triangle-shaped lot off the Montrose Drive exit of I-64. The entrance would be on Kanawha Turnpike.

More than 75,000 vehicles pass the interchange daily, according to Jerry Legg, head of the traffic analysis section of the state Department of Transportation's Planning and Research Division.

"The Montrose Drive exit appears to have the priority but certainly, in West Virginia, property is always at a premium - so I would imagine the Jefferson Road area would be an alternative," South Charleston Mayor Ritchie Robb said this morning.

Sites off the Jefferson Road exit of Interstate 64 that should also be considered include a lot on Jefferson Road, across from McDonald's, and a lot on MacCorkle Avenue, near the Red Roof Inn, Robb said.

The lot off Montrose Drive seems to have the upper hand, Robb said, possibly "because it is viewed as closer to Charleston, and the center may serve as a sort of welcoming point to the state capital. It also might be the priority because the Jefferson Road area, in the past, has experienced some traffic problems. From my perspective, we should keep the Jefferson Road exit open for discussion.

"We'll be looking to find a suitable location that will maximize the benefits of the grant," said Robb, who added that he believes the state will ultimately make the site location decision.

Gov. Cecil Underwood was scheduled to present a check for the center today at the Wingate Inn in SouthCharleston.

Bob Anderson, executive director of the South Charleston Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Larry Green, chairman of the bureau's board of directors, said they hope all of the communities in the area will participate in the staffing and operational funding of the center to promote historical sites and attractions throughout the Kanawha Valley.

"I would like to see it bring additional people into our community - not just to the center itself - but so people will take the time to visit our stores and shop, visit our hotels and restaurants. I hope it will spin off visitors into the rest of the community," Robb said.

Anderson added, "This has been one of our dreams for almost 25 years.

We're thrilled to get this off the ground. It's the largest grant we've ever received. I think it will be great for the whole valley." Green pointed out that the closest visitors' centers are in Huntington and Parkersburg and along the West Virginia Turnpike. "I see Charleston flourishing from this, as well as Dunbar and St. Albans," he said.

Dr. William Crigger, a member of the bureau's board of directors, will serve as chairman of a committee charged with spearheading the project.

"Because of where it will be located, I think this will help Charleston a lot," he said.

Plans call for construction of a building with 2,000 square feet of space. According to a rendering by N Visions Architects, South Charleston, there would be room for 67 parking spaces on the Montrose Drive lot.

Total estimated cost of the project is $395,000. Of the $79,000 in local funds needed, Anderson said his organization has $50,000 "set aside, in the bank, committed to the project. We'll probably ask the city for the rest of the money." An environmental impact study and an archeological study must be done and there must be a public comment period before work can proceed, Anderson said. It will be five or six months before ground is actually broken, he predicted.

-------end article-------------

OK, first of all I remember thinking when this story broke that there was no way that a visitors center could ever be built on this piece of land; it just looked too small for a typical interstate rest area. Here's an aerial shot. The yellow question mark is situated on the prospective site:

Since I was so skeptical of the site, I have been watching for the commencement of this project. Bob Anderson is quoted in the article that it would be 5 or 6 months before ground was broken. It's been 8 years. Does anyone know where the money went?

Seriously, someone should look into this.

Happy Birthday, West Virginia!

2008-06-20T00:01:00.000-04:00

When I was in third grade I found out that my cousins in Ohio didn't celebrate West Virginia Day.

It seems silly now, but when I was a kid West Virginia Day was a big deal in my community. People were off work and there were special things that happened around town. The radio station would play "My West Virginia Hills" and people would sing along. A nine year old kid thinks the whole world is just like the part of the world immediately around him, so I thought West Virginia Day was something that people all over the country celebrated. It never seemed strange to me that we didn't celebrate Ohio Day, because I'd been to Ohio and it was nothing special to my eyes. I had been taught my whole life that West Virginia was indeed something special and so I thought it was logical that the whole world would pause on June 20th and observe the momentous occasion of its founding.

"We're the most northern southern state," my mother told me, "and the most southern northern state; the most eastern western state and the most western eastern state." Surely that alone was a designation that was worthy of a national holiday, I thought.

And my eyes could see the beauty that was all around me, and in my travels to other states I had never seen anything as wonderful as Cranberry Glades, Blackwater Falls, Canaan Valley, Spruce Knob, Seneca Rocks, Summersville Lake or a dozen other places that I had seen as a young child. I was certain that the state we lived in was a blessed gift to the world and it was worthy to be celebrated.

It was only after I became a young adult that I began to realize that West Virginia was not universally loved and appreciated. At some point I began to realize that people from other places mistook our unique way of speaking for ignorance. They mistook our simple lifestyle for abject poverty. They mistook our preference for staying in West Virginia to find a way to make a living for lack of ambition. And with all of these mistaken presumptions came a negative view of our people and by association, our state.

But I know better, and so do most West Virginians. While some of our own people buy into this fatalistic self-view, I believe that many more of us are quietly counting our blessings that come with living in a place so richly blessed with beautiful natural resources and wonderful people. We grouse about our politicians like people in every state in the union, and we wax nostalgically for the good old days like people do everywhere. But at the end of the day there is no place we'd rather live and that is why we stay.

If people around this country were allowed to see the real West Virginia, I'd bet they all really would celebrate this day.

Insane Balancing Act in South Charleston

2008-06-14T23:28:00.002-04:00

A while back I read an article about the innovative construction technique being used on the new I64 bridge from Dunbar to South Charleston. It seems this concrete structure is being poured in place, extending from the piers outward. It has been slow going on the Dunbar side, but the part of the bridge that will cross MacCorkle Avenue is growing by leaps and bounds. It's really begin to start to look scary as both sides of the cantilever have begun to extend past the limits of what looks like common sense. I really hope the engineers have done their math correctly.

Danny Jones Congratulates Special Olympic Athlete?

2008-06-08T22:18:00.003-04:00

Or is he twisting his arm in an attempt to collect a $2 user fee?

Gazette photo by Chip Ellis.

What is the Real Story at Tri-State Casino?

2008-05-30T22:11:00.002-04:00

Today's news that Cathy Brackbill has resigned from Tri-State Racetrack and Gaming Center is more evidence that things are not as they seem to be at our local casino. Let's review:

In the early days of the public relations campaign to convince the voters of Kanawha County to approve Tri-State's wishes to become a full-fledged table games casino, Cathy Brackbill was trotted out as the public face of the track. Up until that time (2006) she had been serving as Director of Marketing and it was surprising to a lot of people that she was named General Manager. Some said that she was "window dressing" and had been promoted after a focus group didn't like Dan Adkins as the public face of the track during the campaign. These same people asserted that since it looked suspicious having a person who was known as the PR person leading the effort while the real boss hid in the shadows, Brackbill was given the title "General Manager" and suddenly became the face of the campaign. She remained in that role through the campaign.

The next phase of the project was the lead up to construction - or rather the explanation of why construction wasn't happening. You see, during the campaign the track had been saying it would build a $250 million "tourism and entertainment complex" and it would begin within 60 days of the election if the measure was approved. About 59 days after the election the track, through Ms. Brackbill, began crawfishing as excuse after excuse came out as to why construction hadn't started. It's good to have a PR specialist as the point person when the questions are tough and the answers aren't very good. She continued in this role until, well, we really don't know when it changed.

All we know is that in February it came to light that she was no longer the boss, that a new person had been installed over her: Rich Tesler had been appointed to the new position of Executive Director of Casino Operations. When a Gazette reporter inquired in response to some rumors that were circulating at the track, Dan Adkins said that there had been no announcement and would be no announcement, that the employees would read about it in the paper with the rest of the world. He said there might be a change in Brackbill's title, but he wasn't sure.

As of this writing, the Tri-State website lists Brackbill as Coordinator of Community Affairs. That doesn't sound like another name for General Manager, now does it? Sounds more like a PR person, doesn't it?

I hope the real story comes out, but I think reasonable people can deduce from the facts in evidence that something a little shady has been going on in Cross Lanes. Imagine that, dishonesty from a gambling institution.

As for me, I'll go on record saying I don't think there were ever plans for a $250 million anything and that Cathy Brackbill was a pawn in an elaborate scheme to swindle a gambling license out of Kanawha County voters and officials.

Pfaff & Smith

2008-05-26T22:22:00.004-04:00

As long as I can remember the east end of Spring Street has been dominated by Pfaff & Smith builders supply, but last week the familiar yellow and black painted sign that adorned the side of the building along Spring Street was painted over as the new owner, Arrow Concrete, came in and began the process of re-naming the business. I understand that many long-tenured employees were let go and several others quit in solidarity.

Here's a shot of the last remaining Pfaff & Smith sign. I'm sure it'll be painted over soon.

It's a sad when old businesses like this get bought out by larger competitors and we lose a piece of our local history in the process. Pfaff & Smith has supplied concrete for every major building project since in Charleston since the state capitol was built.

Alas, free enterprise vs. culture and history: Culture and history is no match.

Dear National Media,

2008-05-21T07:42:00.002-04:00

The movie "Deliverance" was set in Georgia. Georgia is a state in the southern U.S. While a tiny portion of Georgia is included in the region commonly called "Appalachia", the vast majority of the state is located outside this region and shares little to no cultural traits with the rest of Appalachia.

Based upon this information, which has heretofore obviously escaped your legendary powers of fact-finding, please refrain from referencing the movie "Deliverance" or its main musical theme "Dueling Banjos" in your stories about Appalachian voters. We're asking politely. For now.

Sincerely,

Charles

So You Wanted WV to be in The Spotlight, Did You?

2008-05-18T21:26:00.005-04:00

During the run up to the presidential election year there was lots of talk about moving the West Virginia Primary to a spot earlier in the year so our state's voters would be more relevant. By moving the election to January or February it would tend to focus the eyes of the country on us because the contest would still be undecided, which is rarely the case in May when we vote. Except this year, obviously.

OK, we had a test run this year. We got our moment in the national spotlight. Please, never, ever bring up the subject again. If the temptation to pass some new legislation overcomes our legislators, instead of fiddling with the primary date, let's hope they tackle a new state slogan. Here's what Jon Stewart suggested on the Daily Show:

"West Virginia: No Interviews Please!"

I quite agree.

In the Daily Show report on the Clinton landslide victory (you can see the video here), Stewart took a few really good shots at our stereotypical reputation and was aided greatly by three West Virginia women who had been interviewed by some national news media outlet. Here they are in order of their appearance:

First we have Mrs. Racist Yokel explaining why she wouldn't vote for Obama: "I guess it's the race thing. I just don't trust people of another race." For a really spirited discussion of whether race played a significant role in the election, see this post and comments over at Buzzard Billy's excellent blog. I gotta tell you, Billy, this woman sure takes a hard whack at your argument that our state isn't full of racist nut jobs.

Next comes Mrs. Religious Xenophobe, who says the reason she didn't vote for Obama was because he was a Muslim. She said it so matter of factly that it was clear in her mind that it was true. I wonder what she would have said if the reporter had told her he wasn't Muslim? I would like to have seen her reaction - who knows? Maybe she would have said "Oh, he's not? Well I'm still voting for Hillary", but that wouldn't have made as fun a story. Hillbillies are one of the last groups of people that it is politically correct to ridicule, so why miss a good opportunity like this one?

Then, we have this one, for whom I can't come up with a name. She says it's because his middle name is Hussein. "I've had enough of Hussein" she says vehemently. Obviously she has a bias against Arabs. I wonder if she voted for Nick Rahall?

These three spokeswomen really made me cringe. An especially nice touch is that they picked people whose accents were so pronounced that they had to have subtitles.

You might say, "But the Daily Show is satire and supposed to poke fun at stereotypes." Agreed, and the piece was quite funny, but it wasn't was just the Daily Show. Watching the Sunday news talk shows today was torture as West Virginia was pounded by pundit after pundit as being a racist and backward state. Every network had its examples.

My question is this: Do national media types look for people to interview who they think will fit the stereotype they are reporting on? This is not a new, post-CNN phenomenon: I recall when I was just a lad seeing a CBS news report on the famous "Pot Plane" crash at Yeager (then called Kanawha) airport. This happened in Charleston, on Keystone Drive. I know people who live on Keystone Drive and they are normal folks who look and sound much like I and most Charlestonians do. But they found a guy to talk on camera who honestly sounded like the village idiot from some holler in Mingo County. I remember thinking then how it seemed that every time we hit the national news we have very poor spokespeople.

And so it goes. And I fear it will go this way for a long, long time. So please, let's rethink the idea of intentionally putting our voters in the national spotlight.

We ain't ready for prime time.

Wireless, yes, but do they have a grammar checker?

2008-05-13T21:58:00.002-04:00

Sign at the corner of Jefferson Road and Kanawha Turnpike.

An Open Letter to Unlikely West Virginia Voters

2008-05-09T12:28:00.002-04:00

We can make a difference this time. A HUGE difference.

Our Democratic primary election is almost always irrelevant, coming too late in the season to really matter. I recall my mother and father being proud that West Virginia made such a huge difference in the 1960 presidential election because it was thought that a Roman Catholic JFK couldn't possibly win here, and when he did - by a landslide - it put him over the top in the eyes of the country's pundits. The meager number of delegates he won didn't do it; rather it was the statement that was made by the way we overcame our stereotypes, xenophobia and prejudice and said that this candidate transcended those things because we thought he was the right person for the job.

This time it could be bigger.

According to all the pundits Hillary Clinton should dominate Tuesday's vote in West Virginia because of simple demographics and the the perception that we won't vote for an African-American. She is sitting precariously on the edge looking down into the abyss of defeat in this nomination process. She is clinging to the "certainty" of a victory in our state to keep her life support going for one more week, to keep the fund raising going for one more week, to keep the contest alive for one more week.

We can end it.

If all of the people who are unlikely to vote (which sadly is the majority of our registered voters) were to show up on Tuesday and drop Obama's name in the ballot box the race will be over by Wednesday morning. Add a few "undecided"voters to the total and the defeat would be stunning. It would be of historical proportions. We could tell our grandchildren about the time that West Virginia made a huge difference in the outcome of a national election. We could tell them about the time when people put aside their prejudice and voted with the majority of the country for a presidential candidate.

I can't change your mind if you are for Hillary, and I don't want to. Vote your conscience. And if you have strong ideological reasons to vote for either candidate I am not tryng to convince you otherwise. But if you are undecided or one of those people who won't go to the polls on Tuesday (or before!) because you aren't interested or have been disillusioned in the process, go vote for Obama because it could be the most inluential vote you will ever make. This is your opportunity to make a difference and do it on the national stage.

We can put West Virginia on the map. Just think of the real benefits we would reap if we asserted ourselves as political players. Who knows? Maybe, just maybe, people will quit asking us if we know their aunt in Richmond.

Theater Review

2008-05-02T23:11:00.002-04:00

I think I go to more live theater performances than the average Charlestonian, probably 6 or 7 shows per year on average. That probably qualifies me as an expert (West Virginia law, so I'm told, allows anyone who knows more about a subject than the average person to be admitted in court as an expert, so if anyone out there needs a theater witness just let me know). Tonight I attended Capital High School's production of "Phantom." The show was as good as one could expect from a high school theater department and featured some phenomenal talent, including two girls who were finalists in the Symphony Idol competition held earlier this year.

The most powerful performance of the evening was put on by the air conditioning in the theater. It ran full blast from the time I sat down 30 minutes before the show started until 15 minutes before the 2 1/2 hour show ended. For nearly three hours I got to experience what it must be like to be the ice trays I keep in my freezer. I sat right under the vent and despite my best efforts at shielding myself from the constant assault from the frigid wind I felt positively hypothermic by intermission and deep into the second act I felt as if I had ice crystals in my hair. It was a miserable experience. When the air finally went off I began to warm up and soon I was drifting off to sleep.

But I was awakened by the real reason I felt moved to blog this evening: Rude people who talk during performances.

At "Phantom" I found myself sitting in front of two women and a man who seemed to be oblivious that there was anyone else in the theater. They spoke in normal voices as if they were sitting in their living room and discussed the quality of the voices of the players, the props, the music, EVERYTHING! They started talking shortly after the house lights went down and had comments on each new development on stage throughout the show. "Oh, she has a pretty voice" they said after the lead (Sarah Pauley as Christine) began to sing her first aria. Well, duh?! They usually give the lead to the best singer, don't they? Does it require a play by play commentary from you?

I've noticed that more and more people talk during live performances than they used to. I think that people are so used to watching TV and chatting through programs that they just have developed an insensitivity that makes them forget that they are disturbing others and sometimes they actors with their banter. But then there is the whole answering the cell phone during the movie thing to give weight to the argument that people are just stupid, thoughtless and insensitive.

Anyway, go see Phantom if you're a fan. It plays twice more this weekend. But take a parka, mittens and a hat. And perhaps a "Quiet Please" sign.

WSAZ TV Weekend News

2008-04-14T01:55:00.002-04:00

It really frosts me when I try to watch channel 3 news on the weekends. During the week they have a nifty split newscast with a 10 minute Charleston only news segment (hosted by Penny Moss at 6 and the lovely Jessica Ralston at 11) that focuses on what's important to us here in the Capital City. But on weekends and holidays they scrap the Charleston cast and show only the Huntingtonized version, which has a ratio of about 4 Kentucky stories and 3 Ohio stories to 2 Huntington stories to maybe one Charleston story. I can always find out whose dog got run over by the volunteer fire department's truck in Paintsville, but I can't get a follow-up on the murder investigation on the West Side.

And it pisses me off!

This is the Capital City, darn it, and we deserve a newscast that tells us what's going on, don't we? OK, we have WCHS and WVAH (ABC and Fox) who seldom venture beyond the city limits for a story, but their weekend anchor team makes those Sunday afternoon Public Broadcasting college news shows look like network pros by comparison: They giggle like middle school kids through most of the newscast and act like it's the first time they ever read from a teleprompter every weekend. It is unwatchable.

Channel 3 usually has a more seasoned person in the anchor chair at least. It would just be nice if they weren't setting up some cub reporter's story about farmer Brown's cow getting stuck in the mud in Grayson.

Charitable Giving is Rewarding. Very Rewarding.

2008-04-04T20:37:00.003-04:00

The Clay Foundation is without a doubt the largest private foundation in Charleston and gives a lot of money every year to many deserving charities and community groups who are trying to do good things for our City. Started by the late Lyell Clay in 1986 with money he made in the newspaper business, the foundation has been run since its inception by Charles Avampato, who was an accountant with the newspaper's publishing company and a relative of the Clay's by marriage. Mr. Avampato has become a recognizable name in the Valley largely because his name is on the Avampato Discovery Museum inside the Clay Center, but he is also well known because he controls the purse strings on the biggest purse in town when it comes to people and organizations looking for funding for community projects. Avampato is well thought of by those to whom he has doled out mucho denaro over the years.

Having a job like this must be rewarding. To see your name on a museum must be rewarding. To know you have had a hand in some large community projects that have made Charleston a better place to live must be rewarding. It must give him a good feeling to know he's done a lot for the community.

But the Mercedes dealership doesn't accept warm and fuzzies for payment. I guess that is why Avampato is rewarded handsomely in more tangible ways. How, you ask? How about $260 per hour? Rewarding enough?

According to IRS records, Avampato works 26 hours per week on average and in fiscal year ending 2006 was paid $296,000 in salary plus a retirement contribution of $44,000. $340,000 for 26 hours per week! That year was no fluke, either: His pay has steadily increased over the last few years, but it has been in the $300K range for the past 3 years at least.

For 26 hours per week.

Just think if he decided to go full time!

Recycle, Reschmycle: Garbage is Garbage, Right?

2008-03-28T22:02:00.002-04:00

On several occasions in the past year I have witnessed, or I should say I thought I witnessed Charleston City sanitation workers dumping recycle bins into the same garbage truck where they where throwing other trash bags. I really just thought I was misunderstanding what I was seeing because surely to goodness the City wouldn't ask us to separate out or recyclables and then just indiscriminately toss them in the landfill would they? Would they?

Today's Gazette has the following "Reader's Voice" blurb:

"I just observed the city of Charleston trash collectors empty all of the recycling bins on my block of Virginia Street into the regular garbage truck with all other garbage. I had a feeling this was happening but to actually see it makes me sad. I will continue to wash all plastic and cans and stack all paper neatly into my bin and hope that our mayor will take care of this problem."

Now I would normally be the first one to laugh off a "Reader's Voice" or a Daily Mail "Vent Line" complaint, but when it corroborates what I have seen happen I might give it a little credence.

The City's Refuse Collection website says "Recycling occurs on each regular trash day." Hmmm.

I think it would be interesting for anyone who reads this to pay attention and report back as a comment if you see this happening in your neighborhood. With all of the work that community groups and government agencies do to promote recycling it would be a shame if the war was being lost on the front lines in the name of expedience, but it would not surprise me if it is happening.

Math Challenged Administration?

2008-03-19T09:59:00.003-04:00

Debate 101: Don't risk losing credibility by basing any part of your argument on an assertion that can be easily demonstrated to be false.

Mayor Jones thinks that the Health Department's claim that they need 85 parking spaces is an excuse for not wanting to move to the space the City is suggesting in the old Morris Square building at the ballpark. According to the article in today's Gazette:

Jones sent a city employee to the health department building on Lee Street to count parking spaces Tuesday afternoon. Health officials said the department needs 85 parking spots at its new location.
Jones said the department has only 20 parking spaces now.

Health department administrators said the agency has 59 spaces (20 at the front of the building and 39 behind). The department also leases another 25 spaces at the city-owned parking garage across the street.

A quick drive by the Health Department building will confirm the existence of the 20 spaces on the Lee Street side and the 39 on the Washington Street side. I would assume that the City would know about the other 25 it leases to the Health Department, but then I also assume that any City employee could count as high as 59.

Danny says he wants to play hardball with the Health Department. He should first solidify his arguments.

Blogging as Art?

2008-03-15T22:03:00.004-04:00

I was looking for an outlet. That's the whole reason I began blogging. I like to write, but a private journal always seemed silly to me; if there isn't at least some chance someone will read what I write I find it difficult to apply much effort to the process. Of course this blog doesn't have a New York Times magnitude readership but when I write here I know that people might read it and that, like taking the road less traveled, makes all the difference.

Still, I don't really labor over the words that get posted here. I don't concern myself with technicalities of sentence structure. I prefer to write as I might speak and in doing so I am prone to have a run-on sentence or some awful alliterations, and I use commas inappropriately from time to time, but hey, it's my blog.

I really think I get from this blog, when I make time for it, the same thing that painters get from creating images on canvass. Even if what I put down here isn't going to change the world, it does change me. It helps me get things out of my system, or sometimes deeper into my system. Some of my more curmudgeonly political posts just make me feel better because sometimes somebody ought to say something; and when I do it makes me feel better. But rarely do I feel I've made a difference in what I do here.

I really like it, though, when I find this blog listed on a blogroll of a blog that I enjoy reading. This is especially nice when it's not a "West Virginia Blogger" list or a roll that I am a member of because of some other demographic criterion. I like it best when I'm just included because someone likes to read what I write. It is as flattering as anything else in my life, particularly when the other blogger is a really good writer. And there are some pretty good writers who have this blog on their blogroll.

Yes, I enjoy tracking referrals to this blog and looking at the blogs that referred readers to this one. Some of the bloggers that have this blog on their blogroll are really terrific writers and I am proud to have them included in my readership. I've never really maintained my blogroll very well but I think I'm going to change that. There are some wonderful things written in the blogosphere and I have been the recipient of many gifts in the reading of them. The least I can do is to pass it on.

In the meantime, here are two bloggers that send me readers from time to time. They are both wonderful writers and share their gift selflessly through their blogging:

http://sneakpeeks.typepad.com/

http://sharonlyn.wordpress.com/

Steeples of Charleston

2008-03-05T21:40:00.005-05:00

OK, here is a shot that has become a bit cliche' , but it's still awfully nice. WVSky sent this one, but photos of the same shot from the same angle have been featured on many Charleston area blogs and adorn the walls in the homes of some of my favorite people.

The steeples in this picture are on buildings of different denominations. From nearest to farthest they are: Sacred Heart, where they worship God and downtown real estate; St.John's , where they worship God and England; Christ Church United Methodist where they worship God and John Wesley; The Baptist Temple where they worship God (you know, the REAL God); and the State Capitol where they worship Democrats.

Healthy Revenge for Mayor Jones

2008-02-27T20:10:00.003-05:00

I knew this was coming. Ever since the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department investigated the facilities that Danny Jones used to prepare his barbecue ribs for a big firefighters dinner last year, it has been a foregone conclusion that the mayor would exercise his power in a punitive way. Today the Gazette reported that the honorable mayor has decided to direct his vengeance toward Board of Health president Steven Artz.

"He's getting in the way," Jones said. "We don't need his help. When his term ends, I'm going to replace him."

While I'm sure there is disagreement about the job that Dr. Artz has done leading the Health Department (he has been the leading voice in promoting smoking bans - an unpopular position), I would hope there would be some agreement that a person shouldn't be summarily whacked in such an obvious act of revenge. It seems that Mayor Jones is becoming more and more open about his proclivity to seek harsh retribution against people who offend him.

Kanawha County Courthouse at Night

2008-02-09T09:16:00.000-05:00

Another contribution from wvsky.

This is a very well done portrait of one of Charleston's oldest buildings and the place from which all of the shenanigans of county government emanate.

From Staggering Success to Bankruptcy

2008-02-05T07:45:00.001-05:00

The Charleston Gazette reports today in its "On File" blurbs that Eimors Construction has filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy. This means that the company will be liquidated. Sad.

Eimors rocketed to prominence in the Charleston construction industry over the last few years. For a while it seemed that every construction project in downtown Charleston was being done by Eimors and half the pickup trucks on the road seemed to have the Eimors name lettered on their side doors. The company was a real local success story and it employed a whole bunch of people in all aspects of the construction trade. Among their many projects of the past few years was a major rehab on the Capitol Street building where The Manahan Group has its offices. It seems now that it was that project that was the beginning of the end for Eimors.

When the restaurant Cazon, which resides in the same structure as Manahan, closed abruptly last year the story came out that the newly renovated building was woefully inadequate, both structurally and electrically. Cazon, the stories said, was forced to close because the building was unsafe. I never heard any scuttlebutt as to the final resolution of these claims, but it certainly cast a shadow over Eimors quality of work.

About the same time the Manahan building was finishing up, and at the height of Eimors' success, the contractor signed on to take the lead in the St. Jude Children's Hospital fundraiser house built in Putnam County. Once that highly publicized project was finished it didn't take long for the stories of unpaid suppliers and subcontractors to hit the papers, putting a real damper on all of the positive press that Eimors might have gotten otherwise. That was the straw that left the formerly proud company crippled. Eimors told the Gazette in October they would be going out of business. Today's report puts the final nail in the coffin.

Business 101: Companies that exhibit skyrocketing success in a short time nearly always fall to the ground with a thud just as quickly. It's sad that all of Eimors employees had to learn this lesson the hard way.

By the way, this story isn't over. There are other businesses who were in partnerships with Eimors who are reeling from the experience. Barring outside intervention, one or two of those will probably fall to the same fate as Eimors in the next year or so. Watch Capitol Street closely over the next few months and you'll see what I mean.

Andy & Company - Out of Business

2008-02-01T23:31:00.000-05:00

I didn't hear it for myself, but it's my understanding that Andy Albertini called it quits today, resigning on the air. The reason for his abrupt departure might be the new Arbitron Ratings:

ARBITRON Quarterly Report
12+ Mon-Sun, 6a-12mid
Pop: 214,100
Black: 0 (0%) Hispanic: 0 (0%) Asian: 0 (0%)

Station Format Owner Spr 06 Fall 06 Spr 07 Fall 07
WQBE Country Bristol 20.5 20.2 18.1 14.4
WVAF AC West Virginia 11.3 11.7 11.1 12.8
WVSR Top 40/M Bristol 6.7 5.0 9.1 9.3
WCHS-A News West Virginia 5.3 9.2 6.4 8.2
WKWS Country West Virginia 7.1 10.3 7.7 8.2
WKLC Rock LM Communications 5.3 6.7 6.4 7.4
WKAZ Adult Hits West Virginia 3.2 1.8 5.7 5.1
WRVZ Top 40/R West Virginia 6.7 4.6 4.4 4.3
WZJO Alternative Bristol 3.5 2.5 4.4 4.3
WMXE Classic Hits LM Communications 4.2 2.5 3.4 3.1
WAMX Active Rock Clear Channel 1.1 1.1 0.7 1.2
WEMM Religious Mortenson 1.1 1.8 1.0 1.2
WKAZ-A Oldies West Virginia 1.1 1.1 2.0 1.2
WRYV Classic Rock Connoisseur 1.1 1.1 0.7 1.2

Note that WVTS (the station that carried Andy & Co.) doesn't appear anywhere on this list.

Can someone please start a decent local talk show? Please?

View from the Other Side

2008-01-30T21:10:00.000-05:00

It seems that most every published photo of Charleston's skyline is taken from the south side of the river. There are places on the West Side and Capitol Hill that are just as dramatic. Here's a shot sent by Jackie taken from the Market Drive area of the West Side Hill. The original shot was wider but I cropped it down because I like the way it makes the perspective makes South Hills look like it's almost part of downtown.

For those not familiar, this shot shows the three tallest buildings in town. From left to right they are BB&T (originally named "One Valley Square"), Chase (originally "Charleston National Bank") and Laidley Tower (originally "Laidley Tower"). These three buildings are just about the same height, give or take the flag poles and rooftop mechanical shacks. For years there was an FAA imposed regulation against buildings taller than 200' (about 17 stories) in downtown Charleston since it sits in the glide path of Yeager Airport. I'm not sure if that prohibition is still in effect, but the occasional jumbo jet that lands at Yeager comes in pretty low over the city on approach. There would definitely be a point at which a building would be too tall in the downtown area. I'm guessing 50 stories would be too much.

A Computer Discussion with Myself

2008-01-28T20:05:00.000-05:00

I awoke late one night, at least I think I awoke, to find myself in conversation with a much younger version of me. The young me was from about 1986 and the subject of the conversation was computers. It was quite an interesting conversation and I thought it should preserved here for posterity.

As I a began to wake up, it seems that the conversation was already in progress and I fell asleep before it was over, so forgive me if it seems to begin and end somewhat abruptly:

Young Charles: "Oh yeah, I bought a memory upgrade."
Old Charles: "You can never have too much RAM."
Young: "I agree. Timex Sinclair makes it easy. I now have a full 16K. That's like 8 times more memory than I had before."
Old: "Ah, that's right, I remember. The Timex Sinclair came standard with 2K of memory."
Young: "Yes, but it wouldn't even run a lot of programs. I had to have it in order to run a flight simulator."
Old: "You mean Microsoft Flight Simulator?"
Young: "Micro-What?"
Old: "Microsoft. You know, Bill Gates? The ones who make the IBM operating system."
Young: "Operating System?"
Old: "Yes, You know: DOS?"
Young: "Whatever, dude."
Old: "Well, where did you get your flight simulator? Who makes it?"
Young: "Out of a magazine. It was about 10,000 lines and it took me two days and nights to type it in."
Old: "Sheesh, I remember now: BASIC! Man, I - er, you - spent a lot of time just typing in all that 'if X=Y then goto Z; else goto A; plot xsin'. "
Young: Yeah, it's a pain, but at least you only have to do it once. After that you can save it and just load it the next time you want to run it."
Old: "How big is your disk drive?"
Young: "My what drive?"
Old: "How do you save it?"
Young: "With the tape recorder."
Old: "Oh yes, I remember. You plug the cord in to the output jack and start the recorder."
Young: "Yes, then you press play to load it."
Old: "And remind me: How long does it take to save and load a 10,000 line program?"
Young: "About 20 minutes. It's pretty fast."
Old: "Um, yeah: 16K in 20 minutes. Fast."
Young: "So, tell me about your rig."
Old: "You wouldn't believe it."
Young: "Sure I will. A friend of mine has a Commodore 64. It's got a ton of RAM: I think it's like 128K or something like that. He's got a modem and everything."
Old: "Mine's a little more than that."
Young: "How much more."
Old: "Well, for starters I have a gigabyte of RAM."
Young: "What's a gigabyte?"
Old: "It's um, a million K."
Young: "Yeah, right."
Old: "It's true. And I've got a 80 gigabyte hard drive."
Young: "A what?"
Old: "Tape recorder."
Young: "It must take a long time to type in that many lines of program."
Old: "Yeah, but we don't really do that any more. We go to the store and buy disks with the programs already on it. Or we download it."
Young: "You what?"
Old: "Never mind. You really wouldn't understand."
Young: "I'm thinking about getting a modem. You can dial into other computers and leave messages for people and read stuff."
Old: "Yes, I remember."
Young: "Do you have a modem?"
Old: "Yes, but I really never use it. I connect through a wireless broadband connection."
Young: "Huh?"
Old: "Like I said, you really wouldn't understand..."

One Bridge Place

2008-01-27T09:22:00.000-05:00

When I mentioned this building in another post, wvsky came through with this great shot that shows its charm. As I said, I have had many, many people over the years tell me that this is the thing they remember most about their visit to Charleston.

For those of you who haven't seen it in person, this was the unadorned back side of a building that was left exposed after the adjoining building was razed. The detail is all painted, but in a very strategic way to incorporate actual windows and faux windows into a flawless pattern. Even in person it's difficult to see which are the real windows and which are fake.

The Great Blue Fog of 2008

2008-01-25T22:40:00.001-05:00

wvsky sent this photo of today's blue fog that covered the whole valley. No one is admitting that they caused the problem. It definitely smelled like chlorine, so there are only a couple of suspects.

Hey, we made Drudge!

A Nice Mix

2008-01-24T15:59:00.000-05:00

I count eleven buildings in this nice geometrically diverse shot from wvsky. Lots of architectural styles to pick from. This shot is taken from the South Side Bridge looking north.

At the left-center of the shot you can see the muralized building scape of One Bridge Place. I can't tell you how many people over the years I've talked to who have visited Charleston and remember that building more than any other in town. Is it really that unique? I've not seen any other like it, but you'd think someone somewhere would have copied it by now. I'll try to get a straight on shot of it to post sometime.

"And Don't You Forget It!"

2008-01-23T08:27:00.000-05:00

Mayor Jones has been strangely serene in his dealings with Council lately. I had begun to think that having a new wife and child had brought him some new perspective and a kinder, gentler manner vis-a-vis his fellow elected officials. Apparently not.

At last night's City Council meeting, Councilman Cubert Smith joined the ever-growing list of city council members that have been publicly chastised by the mayor. Read the whole story in this morning's Gazette here.

Now to be fair, Cubert Smith is an odd nut: I mean that in the most endearing way possible. He is an artist (which automatically qualifies him as quirky) and ran unsuccessfully for City Council many, many times before finally succeeding in the last election. And for him to try to attend a meeting between the mayor and his employees is a little out of the ordinary, but so is the mayor's vehemently denying him access to the meeting. But Smith did not deserve the cold-blooded attack at the end of last night's meeting, when Mayor Jones publicly scolded the councilman for writing him a "pretty nasty letter" calling into question his exclusion at the mayor's meeting with police officers.

I have personally read other letters that the Mayor has characterized as "nasty" and I have to say that Mayor Jones must have a different definition of "nasty" than I do. I have also read letters that the mayor has written to other council members and they seemed to me to be very nasty.

According to the Gazette:

Smith said he didn’t come to the meeting to be adversarial. He said he was
appointed to a council committee on employees and a black caucus, and allowed to
meet with employees.
“Well you’re not,” Jones said. “I want you to understand
that. You’re not going to intrude on meetings of mine, and don’t you forget
it.”

Anyone who has observed Mayor Jones for very long knows that this was Cubert Smith's induction into the "Danny Jones Political Enemies Club", a club whose membership continues to grow and grow.

Welcome aboard, Cubert!

Union Building Pedestrian Death Trap

2008-01-20T21:10:00.000-05:00

Here's a shot, courtesy of Morgan, that shows very graphically the danger of exiting the Union Building onto Kanawha Boulevard. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, the Union Building is the only building that was left on the South side of the boulevard when it was revamped in the mid 1900s. The boulevard curves around the Union Building and sits way too close to the entrance. The speed limit on the boulevard is 40 MPH but cars frequently go much faster. The car in this picture is actually in the left lane of traffic, so you can imagine how it looks when one zips by in the right lane. I'm not sure how many car vs. pedestrian incidents there have been here over the years, but it's not surprising that they happen.

One Last Night Shot

2008-01-18T21:49:00.000-05:00

Since we started a little controversy about light pollution, here is a great night time shot of Charleston taken from one of the best vantage points in town. (click on picture for a larger view)

I don't know: As bad as the haze and long exposure makes it look like in this shot, it seems to me that Charleston isn't as brightly lit as many similar-sized cities I've seen.

Brawley Walkway at Night

2008-01-17T21:29:00.000-05:00

You can tell an old Charlestonian because they will say this picture is of Fife Street. Once in a while I'll catch myself saying Fife Street, but it's been Brawley Walkway long enough now that I'm starting to come around.

This shot is just outside Ellen's Ice Cream, the best ice cream shop on the planet.

Thanks to WV Sky for this one.

More Downtown Illumination

2008-01-13T16:47:00.000-05:00

Since you mentioned it, SagaciousHillbilly, here is a shot of the all lit up South Side Bridge. I remember the night in March of 2000 when the first threw the switch on the lights. It was supposed to big deal, but it wasn't so much. Still isn't, at least by itself but I think it compliments the other city lights nicely - if you like that kind of thing.

Thanks to WV Sky for this nice shot. Remember folks, feel free to send me your Charleston pics (charlestonianblog at gmail.com) and I'll post them here.

Andy Albertini Hates Saving for College

2008-01-11T07:38:00.000-05:00

It seems to me that conservative talk show hosts get more arrogant the longer that they are on the air. I've seen this happen over the years again and again (to be fair, it might happen to liberal talk show hosts too, but there really aren't any of those who stick around long enough to see a change). Charleston talk radio host Andy Albertini is a perfect example and is a work in progress.

When Andy first hit the airwaves after the demise of Jerry Waters he seemed to be a reasonable person most of the time, but the longer he stays on (and I have to admit, I am very surprised he is still on) the more of a blow-hard he becomes. This morning he pontificated for quite some time about the evils of "529s". He talked about the genesis of 529s and how liberals had used them for all kind of improper political gain. He pointed at the McCain-Feingold Campaign Reform Act as the reason he could not vote for John McCain because that was the act of congress that created 529s. He went on and on. He must have said the number "529" thirty times in about two minutes as he worked himself into a frenzy about this great evil that has been perpetrated on the citizenry.

What's wrong with saving for college, Andy?

Just yesterday I heard him talking about being proud of having and paying student loans with which he paid for his education. Does he think that debt-financed education is better than that which is saved for? What a non-neo-con position that is!

This is just inexplicable, unless Andy was wrong. Nah, couldn't be. At the very moment I am writing this he is talking on the radio about how he is always right; a subject introduced by the "Mr. Know-it-All" fanfare from the "Rocky and Bullwinkle Show."

Of course, he coud have meant "527" which is the IRS designation for certain politcal action committees, the creation of which was provided for by McCain-Feingold. But wouldn't that mean he was wrong about something?

Now I don't mean to bust Andy's chops too much, but I would like to use this incident to point out to him and his fan that people sometime mispeak. If Hillary Clinton, John Edwards or any other Democrat/Liberal would have committed this same faux pax he would have railed about how out of touch and stupid they were.

Intellectual honesty: It's what's lacking in talk radio.

Charleston at Night

2008-01-10T19:40:00.000-05:00

Thanks to WV Sky, who took me up on my offer to post photos of Charleston to compensate for the demise of the "Downtown WV" blog. Here is a great nighttime shot of the United Bank building. This building is illuminated by a mechanized lighting system that is hidden during the day and then swings over the edge of the building at dusk. If you are ever downtown just as the sun goes down you should take the time to watch the lights as they begin to move into position: It's a little ghostly.

School Shooting Angers Parents

2008-01-09T07:34:00.000-05:00

According to the story in this morning's Gazette, several Sissonville Middle School parents are upset that John Adams Middle School students were used in a TV commercial shot on location at the new Sissonville school building. According to the story:

Sissonville parent Kimberly Parsons said she visited the school for a
parents meeting Friday and saw a crew filming students as they walked into
the school. An office worker and a teacher told Parsons that the crew was
filming students from John Adams Middle, she said. “It made me [upset],
obviously,” she said. “It didn’t have to be my child, but it should have
been some of the students that went to school there. “I’ve talked to other
parents about it, and they were shocked.”

I don't know why she is shocked. It is well known that the kids that go to John Adams are far above average and much better looking than kids at Sissonville. They also are far more intelligent and would therefore take direction better than those hoodlums that live up I77.

Let's face it: John Adams students live in South Hills, an area known for its upper-crust breeding stock. If you were going to shoot a commercial that was going to show off the nicest, newest and most wonderful school in the county, wouldn't you want to have the best looking and most intelligent kids starring in it? There's no reason to be petty, Ms. Parsons. Think of the greater good.

Really, it's amazing that the county even built those folks a school in the first place. They should be more appreciative.

Draconian Abortion Laws?

2008-01-07T19:33:00.000-05:00

One of the interesting things about our shared TV market is that we get to hear news from that mysterious place across the Big Sandy and Tug Fork Rivers to the west called Kentucky. If you've read the novel "Crum" then you know the colorful way in which the author of that book labels Kentucky. I can't really write it in this family-friendly forum, but um..., he calls it the land of..., well..., people who fornicate with pigs. I won't go that far, but I will say that once in a while I hear things from over there that really make me wonder what kind of people inhabit the place.

The latest is a story that I thought I heard on Channel 3 about a bill that will be introduced in the Kentucky legislature this session. The report said that the bill would require a woman to view ultrasound images before she could receive an abortion. I thought that this sounded completely absurd, even for Kentucky, and so I did a little research. It turns out that this is not the first time a bill like this has been introduced in a state legislature: Last year a similar bill was introduced in the South Carolina legislature and actually passed through the senate there.

But then I found out that it is Ohio, not Kentucky, that is considering this measure. Call me prejudiced or ill-informed, but I had a higher opinion of the Buckeye state.

I'm not trying to start a discussion on abortion; those discussions are fruitless. But I would like to pose the question, "What the hell is wrong with you people?" How close is this to "cruel and unusual punishment"?

I can't even begin to comprehend what kind of sick mind it would take to defend this.

Downtown WV Photo Blog

2008-01-05T09:59:00.000-05:00

I'm sad to note the passing of "Downtown WV", one of the blogs in The Gazz stable. The blog featured photographs taken in and around our beautiful home town that were always entertaining if not technically excellent. Unfortunately not only is the blog no longer being updated but all of the former content has been removed.

So as a public service I will be glad to help fill the void left by this departure. While I don't have much time to go around town snapping photos I will be glad to post some of your shots here for the world to view. You can email photos to me at charlestonianblog@gmail.com . I would appreciate it if you would limit the file size to 1MB or less.

Things I Can't Understand

2008-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

I know there are a lot of things that I don't understand. Many of these things are simply outside my field of expertise, like how much thrust does it take for a Delta IV rocket to achieve escape velocity? Some of these things can be solved by a quick Google search. while some are just too mysterious to be solved so easily. Here are few that are on my mind this evening:

Why does Cabell County Schools run TV ads? Do they think they are going to get more students by advertising that they have good teachers? Who pays for the ads? Since I live in Kanawha County I really don't have a dog in the fight, but it seems to me that someone's money is being wasted down Huntington way.

Why does the Charleston Police Department broadcast the location of their DUI checkpoints? Do they just want to catch the stupid and/or uninformed drunks? Wouldn't it be better if people didn't know where they were?

Why does every TV news broadcast have to have a health report? Most of these reports are just fillers, and many of them seem to be better suited for publication in the "Medical Journal of Duh!" (This just in: People who eat large quantities of chocolate are likely to be obese.)

And speaking of TV news, why do we have to see the following reports on every station, year after year?

Video of reporters standing by the interstate showing the heavy traffic the day before every holiday.
An interview with a Lowes or Home Depot associate about how they are running out/have plenty of spaces heaters, ice melt, snow shovels, etc. in response to whatever the current weather threat is.
A visit to homeless shelters the first time the temperature dips into the single digits.
A reporter shown wiping the snow off of a car where snow has collected a half-inch deep for the first time each season.

But the biggest question I have this evening is the same one I have every January 1: How long into the new year am I expected to tell people "Happy New Year"? Days? Weeks? Months? How am I supposed to keep track of whom I have and have not wished a happy new year? It all gets a little maddening, these holiday traditions.

If anyone has any answers to these burning questions of mine, please let me know.

Oh, and Happy New Year.

The West Virginia Uglies

2007-12-27T21:20:00.000-05:00

I think that Charleston is a pretty city. From some vantage points it is a beautiful city. The postcard- esque, if somewhat cliche, view from Cantley Drive (Fort Hill) is classic, and the view from Sunrise is nearly as nice. I really enjoy the view from the YMCA road off Hillcrest Drive, but the view of the town is fleeting as you round the curve near the top of the hill.

One of the reasons our city is so pretty is the massive amounts of vegetation that grows in and around town (this is also why people suffer so badly with seasonal allergies around here). The vegetation, especially the leaves on the deciduous trees, provides a beautiful green backdrop to the man-made portions through most of the year, and then it really comes to life in the fall.

But from late November through mid-April that backdrop changes, and it changes for the worse. In fact, the whole region loses much of its appeal as the leaves fall to the ground, leaving behind the skeletons that invisibly support them throughout most of the year. The green hills turn an ugly shade of gray, the ground turns muddy brown and the whole character of the landscape changes from cheery to dreary. I've heard people call this time of year "The West Virginia Uglies."

I'm sure that there are folks who like the change, but I do not count myself among them. I guess the best thing I could say about it is that the "Uglies" at least provide the contrast that helps us appreciate the amazing transformation that happens around us in the springtime. But that is really stretching optimism to its limits. It's just ugly. And it lasts too long.

Of course, a nice blanket of snow can really cover up the ugly and make the city look presentable for a while, but the snow comes with its own stress: Bad roads, shoveling walks and driveways, etc. Then when the snow begins to melt it is even uglier.

Can someone put in an order for an early spring?

Xmas Wishes

2007-12-22T22:22:00.000-05:00

I don't like Christmas. That's not exactly true; I like Christmas as it should be, but I despise it as it is. If Christmas would begin on the evening of December 24th and wrap up at bed time on the 25th I could be a real fan. But the excess it has become is offensive to me, and I therefore quite involuntarily maintain a chronic state of crotchetiness throughout the month of December.

You know that Dr. Suess story about the big green thing that stole Christmas? I hate that story: The ending is so tragic. The Grinch, a creature with what I think is a perfectly understandable attitude toward the foolishness of Christmas, ultimately gets wooed by the sappy and sentimental Whos and is brainwashed into joining the party. I see this story as a parable or myth that explains why all humanity loses its collective freaking mind for the entire month of December every year. We all, I believe, are naturally like the Grinch. We can see the folly and meaninglessness in the obligatory giving and receiving of gifts. We all recognize that we only do it because Madison Avenue says it's what we should do. Everyone, if asked in the right way and in the right time (at least every sane person) will admit that Christmas is overblown and far too commercial. Some people, like the Grinch, resist the hyperbole for a while but then they are finally seduced by the materialism, the orgy of excess that is Christmas in America. We end up holding hands with all the other inmates in the asylum, circling the tree and singing "Fah who for-aze! Dah who dor-aze! Welcome Christmas, come this way!"

So now that we've established the fact that I'm not a fan of the holiday, allow me to wax maniacally and share with you some specific things I dislike the most about it:

First of all, I don't like the way that Christians have commercialized this nice quiet little pagan festival and turned it into something it isn't. If I were a pagan I'd be really pissed: They had a perfectly good party for centuries until all of the sudden it gets the incarnation of a deity ascribed to it and it gets blown all out of proportion.

Now before you start the flames, hear me out: I'm a Christian and I know how sensitive people are about this subject, but those people are mostly idiots. They get bent out of shape about things that they simply don't understand. Their outrage is usually fueled by some completely uneducated preacher or talk show host who has told them they should be offended if someone wishes them "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." They take this righteous indignation to the streets and strike out at the infidels who threaten to "take Christ out of Christmas." They frequently lash out at people who say or write "Xmas," thereby proving their ignorance. If they studied their own church history they would recognize that the "X" is an ancient way of writing the name of Christ, and using it this way actually is a more respectful way of ascribing His name to this holiday than calling it "Christmas" since that name has taken on a completely secular meaning (or so says the supreme court of the United States). Using the X as a monogram for Jesus Christ is a sign of reverence for the deity of Christ since it embraces the spirit of the Jewish prohibition against using the name of God; recognizing that God can't be understood or labeled with human words.

Then there are those people on the other side who invoke the tired old "Jesus wasn't born on December 25th" argument which is equally as stupid. It's metaphorical of another thing I despise about this holiday: That it provokes more religious intolerance than any other thing in our culture. Secularists and atheists take great joy in trying to use the occasion to ridicule the beliefs of Christians. No one with a brain thinks that Jesus was born in December: The reason that The Nativity is celebrated in December has nothing to do with the lunar calendar, but the church calendar which uses a year-long cycle to portray the entire life, death and resurrection of Christ. I won't go into it here, but you folks who want to use this argument should understand that any Christian that has a brain already understands this: It's arguing apples and oranges. Enough already.

But there are more than enough things to dislike about the holiday without even bringing up religion. I've used popular Christmas songs and carols to help put them into some kind of order:

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! - This is a lie on several fronts: First, weather-wise, Christmas just happens to fall a few days after the first day of winter. This means we get to go out and and freeze ourselves to death buying presents we can't afford, that nobody needs and only a few people (most under the age of 17) even want. It's also the most hectic time of the year, filled with way too many activities, too much travel, too many calories and far too many expectations that it is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year and we had better by golly enjoy ourselves.

Silent Night, Holy Night - Most Christmas memories from my youth are of loud obnoxious relatives crowded into a too small house with their kids screaming, first "When can we open our presents?", then screaming about their presents or screaming while they played with them.

The Twelve Days of Christmas - What I wouldn't give if Christmas were limited to 12 days! The current Christmas season begins shortly before Halloween, when Wal Mart opens their Xmas department. Christmas music CDs usually begin to advertised for sale in about mid-November. Of course, Thanksgiving Day (a day that used to be set aside for reflecting on one's blessings) is now the official start of Christmas shopping season.

I'll Be Home for Christmas - Let's be honest: There is nothing more stressful for parents and children than being forced to be cooped up in the house with each other pretending that they want to be together for hours on end. Add grandparents, aunts, uncles and in-laws and you have a recipe for disaster. With this kind of pressure even the best families can find themselves on an episode of "Cops."

O Christmas Tree - Imagine yourself, if you can, as an alien from another planet who lands on earth at Christmas time. You know nothing about the culture and practices of the people. Now, try to understand why anyone would cut down a perfectly good tree, bring it inside where it will become tinder-dry in a matter of days and then string electric wires all over it? Oh, and don't forget to put bunch of paper underneath for kindling!

Joy to the World - Yeah, right.

Coach Rod Adds to Our Fatalistic Self-View

2007-12-16T16:34:00.001-05:00

It's legendary. No, not the football program at the University of Michigan, I'm speaking of what might be the single most important dynamic of our shared Appalachian psyche: Our fatalism. And this fatalism is best seen in world of sports fanaticism. Ask any WVU Mountaineer Football fan tomorrow after the news spreads about the defection of our beloved native son, Rich Rodriguez, to greener football pastures. They will be answering in platitudes and cliche`s that are chock full of fatalism.

Rather than expound on it here, let me point you all in the direction of a great post on the subject over at The Jacknut Chronicles.

So long, Coach Rod: We knew you'd be leaving eventually. Nothing good ever lasts for us.

See This Show!

2007-11-23T23:04:00.000-05:00

The Contemporary Youth Arts Company opened the eleventh edition of Scarpelli and Kehde's rock opera "Mary" on Friday at the Capitol Theatre. The play will continue with performances on Saturday and Sunday this weekend and then Thursday - Saturday next weekend. If you have never seen it you should. If you have seen it before, see it again! It's a great show with some very talented young actors. It is a Charleston original and a Christmas tradition for many around town.

This year's show features 16 year-old Liz McCormick for the second consecutive year as Mary. She is an unbelievable talent with a voice that is far better than a 16 year-old ought to have. Her vocal performance alone is worth the price of admission, but there are at least a dozen other talented singing and dancing kids supporting her.

Tickets are 9:50 at the door, 5.50 for students and adults.

In Defense of Leaf Blowers

2007-11-17T18:51:00.000-05:00

Several years ago my stepfather bought himself a new leaf blower. There was nothing wrong with his old one, he just always liked to have the best, newest and shiniest toys on the block, so when a new model came out he bought it. I inherited the old one.

I had never owned a leaf blower before. I never thought I needed one. My yard is rather small and it seemed silly to me to spend the money on an appliance that I would probably use one day per year. But after using my new toy one time I was hooked. "I'm never raking leaves again," I thought. This thing not only blows the leaves effortlessly into a large pile, it also then reverses to a mulching vacuum that sucks up the leaves and deposits them into a waiting receptacle, in my case a 30 gallon trash can. You can fit 100 gallons of leaves into the 30 gallon can because of the chopping and compression effect of the vacuum. Then I can carry the can full of half-digested leaves to my compost pile. It made quick and easy work of a boring and laborious job.

So I was telling someone today that I was going to blow my leaves this weekend was completely surprised by her response: "You have a leaf blower?" She asked in an accusing tone of voice.

"Yes", I replied sheepishly, not sure of why she seemed to think this to be a bad thing. So I asked her, "what's wrong with leaf blowers?"

"Why, leaf blowers are bad for the environment!" she said with a note of disdain.

"They are?" I asked. "Why are they bad for the environment?" The only salient point she made in opposition was that it was bad to suck up your leaves, put them into trash bags and then sent them to a landfill.

"But, I put mine in a compost pile!" I protested. She didn't care. The judge had already convicted me.

But being a man of principle and interested in environmental matters, I decided that I would rake my leaves today instead of using the evil leaf blower. After a couple of hours of raking, though, I began to develop a case in defense of the maligned power tool.

Googling "leaf blowers bad for the environment" yields quite a few arguments against leaf blowers. Here are a few. I do not know if these are the ones that my friend was thinking about, but apparently these are pretty common. I'll offer my refutation after each point:

Blowers use fossil fuel needlessly. My leaf blower is electric powered. Sure, it does require some coal-fired produced electricity to operate, but if I turn off my lights and TV while I'm using it, it's probably about a wash.

The American Lung Association says that a leaf blower causes as much smog as 17 cars. As much smog as 17 cars? OK, this is just silly. I'm not even going to respond to this one.

A study of 9535 workers exposed to noise greater than 85dB with modern hearing protection programs indicates that 34% had noise-induced hearing loss. Fourteen percent had severe hearing loss. (The September 2003 CONSUMER REPORTS indicates that very few brands of leaf blowers emit less than 90dB to the person using them.) Granted they are noisy, but I have a dog that lives next door to me who barked the entire time I was raking leaves. His bark is much louder than my leaf blower.

A German study indicates that cardiac patients have a 25% greater chance on hearth attacks in environments that were persistently exposed to noise above 65 decibels. According to the September 2003 CONSUMER REPORTS very few brands of leaf blowers are less than 65 dB at 50 feet. There is a cardiac patient that lives next door to me, but he's further than 50 feet away so I don't think I'm endangering him too much.

A Japanese study of 1000 babies produced evidence of high proportion of low-weight babies in noisy areas. OK, I am pretty sure there are no pregnant Japanese women in my neighborhood.

And then there is that bagged leaf argument already admitted as evidence above, and rendered moot by my composting.

Now it's my turn to go after the rake users:

Blisters - What about all of the oil used in the production of the ointments and antibiotics thatI need for my hands? And the packaging? And the fuel used to produce it and transport it to Rite Aid? Treating my blisters is bad for the environment.

Aching Muscles - I know that tomorrow I am going to be paying the price for my labor. I'll have to break out the Icy Hot. That would mean a whole other list of petrochemicals and resident energy it took to produce and deliver it, but enough is enough. I'll tough it out for the sake of the Northern Water Shrew.

Electricity - Since the raking took me until after dark to complete, I had to turn on the floodlights in the back yard to see what I was doing. I felt guilty using the several hundred watts that it took for the hour or so to finish up, but at least I wasn't using a leaf blower.

Wear and Tear on the Lawn - Who knows how much money, time and chemicals I'm going to have to spend on my lawn next spring to repair the damage that the rake did, tearing out the grass by the roots.

All in all, I think the environmental impact of my leaf blowing would be difficult to measure and prove worse than say, the impact of smoking a cigarette or two a few times a month.

I think I'm keeping my leaf blower, thank you.

Hat Tip to a Great Blog

2007-11-11T21:58:00.001-05:00

I could count on one hand the number of times I've been tempted to write a post about another blog, but this is overdue.

I want to thank Lawrence Messina for his work on "Lincoln Walks at Midnight", the premier W. Va. political information source on the internet. I can't imagine how he comes up with so many ideas and so much information, but I'm glad he does. With the start of the legislative session just a couple of month away I am thankful for "Lincoln Walks" and feel confident that I will be far ahead of the curve when the political hay begins to fly in January.

You know, sometimes when I read "LWAM" I feel like I'm stealing. The amount of great information and excellent writing you get there for free is better than any source I know of regardless of the price.

Great Job Lawrence! Keep it up.

Malik Shabazz is in da' hizzouse!

2007-10-30T21:24:00.000-04:00

It's always great when a World Class troublemaker makes an appearance in our fair city. Because of the horrific Megan Williams kidnapping and torture case in Logan County, Malik Shabazz has decided to come and bring his bad news brethren to Charleston for a protest march this weekend. The Daily Mail has an informative article in today's edition about his exploits.

The really sad thing about the way Shabazz is going about his hate-mongering is that he has decided to defame members of the Black Ministerial Alliance by accusing them of accepting bribes from Danny Jones to stay out of Shabazz's circus event this weekend. Anyone who knows the leaders of the BMA knows what an absurdity this claim is. A few facts to help the uninitiated understand just how absurd it is :

The Black Ministerial Alliance is the only ministerial association currently active in Charleston (the Charleston Ministerial Association disbanded during the 1972 textbook controversy and never got started again). Over the years it has been a strong and progressive voice in human rights issues and has been at the forefront of neighborhood issues on the East End and the West Side. They have never been on the right side of the fence, politically, with City government - seemingly preferring the role of the prophetic voice of opposition to a myriad of City initiatives that they saw as oppressive.

The current president of the BMA, Rev. Lloyd Alan Hill, has been constantly in the face of the last two administrations over several East End issues. He is no friend of Danny Jones and would never accept anything from him that would somehow obligate himself or his organization. Knowing Rev. Hill as I do, I would expect if such an offer was made that he would immediately organize a press conference to expose the Mayor. He is a man of honor and principle. He has a checkered past, to be sure, but anyone who knows him now understands who he is.

Other members of the BMA like Rev. James Ealy, Rev. Robert Davis and Ron Thaxton (who, by the way, is Caucasian and for some folks is the reason that the BMA is suspect in this case) are also strong leaders who would never abide with political shenanigans such as the ones Shabazz alleges.

Late today, the NAACP announced that they would also not be participating or supporting the march.

It's a shame that some folks will be seduced by the fame of Shabazz and Sharpton and participate in this march that has more potential to hurt than to heal. Megan Williams will be no better off at the end of this march. The cause of racism will surely be advanced by the negative feelings that result from the press coverage. It's a lose/lose for our city.

How Big is MTR Mining?

2007-10-20T20:41:00.000-04:00

I've been on several recent flights out of Charleston's Yeager Airport to various points south. Most of these depart early in the morning while it's still pretty dark, but on one return flight a few weeks ago I was able to get a good look at one of the largest Mountain Top Removal mine site I've seen. People who know tell me it's the Hobet mine near Danville. Here's what it looks like on Google Earth:
Now, here is the same view but with an outline added to define the extremities of the site:
While you can tell it's big, this view lacks any reference points from which you can draw a sense of scale. So let me take the outline off the picture, rotate it a little and plop it down on a picture shot in the same scale of something more recognizable to most of us.

That's the city of Charleston. This MTR sight covers an area that would stretch from the Yeager Bridge on the W.Va. Turnpike to the Patrick Street Bridge, and is wide enough to encompass the whole valley floor, the West Side Hill, and most of South Hills.

You can make up your own mind about how this makes you feel. Please post your comments.

From the "I Can See It Coming From A Mile Away" Department...

2007-10-19T07:33:00.000-04:00

I wondered what the excavation equipment was doing in front of the Clay Center when I passed by yesterday. This article in the Gazette solved the mystery. They are moving ahead with the first phase of the landscaping plan that will provide a softer look to the large sterile front lawn, and part of that plan is for a bunch of low granite seatwalls that will "give schoolchildren that extra place to sit and eat their lunch."

I don't it takes a rocket scientist to see what is going to happen soon after the project is completed.

Remember Slack Plaza? Remember how Mayor Jones, tired of the rabble sitting around on the low seatwalls there had "loafer rails" installed to make it less comfortable for people to sit on them? Then he had the shade-providing trees cut down to make it less hospitable. Have we forgotten? It was only last year.

I would like to remind us all that the Clay Center is located less than two blocks from three homeless facilities, soon to be four with the addition of the new veteran's shelter. Once the landscaping plan is finished there will be dozens of homeless folks who will want to use the nice shady area as their daytime gathering area. I don't blame them; it looks like it will be a nice place to sit and relax.

But how long will it be before people will complain about the large gathering of homeless people on the corner that will serve as the primary gateway entrance to the city? How long will it be before those school children are denied the use of the seating because of the homeless patrons who claimed it first?

How long will it be before the Clay Center calls up the Mayor to ask him where they can buy loafer rails and chainsaws?

Why are Clay Center leaders so oblivious to issues in our city and out-of-phase with City government? Are they really that "pie-in-the-sky" in their planning processes?

Years ago in the "B.C." cartoon series, B.C. was often shown leaning on a rock that had the word "Answers" scrawled on the front. Other characters would come and ask questions and he would provide a snappy answer. In one cartoon Peter asks B.C "What makes you think you're so smart?", to which B.C. replied, "Your questions." That's kind of how I feel about this blog - "why do I think I am qualified to make criticisms of the Clay Center's and City government decisions?" Well, it's simply because they keep making me feel smart.

Not in HIS Backyard!

2007-10-10T07:54:00.000-04:00

According to the story in the Gazette, a lawsuit was filed on Tuesday by Mark A. Toor and Allyn Turner against the Rae of Hope Fellowship, an East End women's shelter. The suit claims that residents of the shelter have created a nuisance and the plaintiffs are seeking to have it shut down.

There is more to this story than meets the eye. Much more.

If you have casually followed the story in the paper, you might know that Mr. Toor was the subject of a court order to stay off of the shelter's property. He also failed to appear in court in the matter and was fined $500.

So now Mr. Toor and his wife, both lawyers, have decided to escalate the fight and use their their legal expertise and contacts to try to force the shelter from its home.

Mr. Toor is a legal manager at Legal Aid, which makes it sound like he's one of the good guys. After all, Legal Aid is all about helping the poor, powerless and needy with legal assitance. It would follow that the people who work there are kind, compassionate souls who are altruistic in all their endeavors, right?

But a quick Google search reveals that Mr. Toor spent time laboring as a corporate attorney for coal industry interests. Turner works for the WV Coal Association. Not that makes them bad people, but in the culture of Left vs. Right we find ourselves living in where every person's actions are judged on where they stand ideologically and politically, it is interesting that the industry that is most often seen as the villian by West Virginian liberals is where these two lawyers made a lot of money. And now it seems they are showing their true Snidely Whiplash colors and foreclosing on the family farm because it has inconvenienced them.

If I were in charge of public relations or the Coal Association, I would not want these two employees pursuing this suit.

But this is really nothing new. All over the country there are examples of people, quite often lawyers, doing their dead-level best to get shelters, housing projects and social service agencies thrown out of their homes because they make neighborhoods less perfect. We can't have all of THOSE people milling about outside our Victorian fixer-upper when we have our wine and cheese receptions, can we? The concept is called NIMBY: Not In My Back Yard. Every housing agency and social service agency deals with it every day.

A few years ago, a friend shared with me this little parable he wrote. He intended to send it to the Charleston Gazette as an op-ed piece but decided against it because he knew it would ruffle too many feathers on City Council and he sometimes has to deal with them. So it has sat on my computer hard drive all these years waiting on a blog where it could be posted in anonymity. I thought about it as I read this story, and thought it's high time it was published:

Somewherelse

Driving through Charleston's East End recently, I suddenly had an epiphany: There truly are too many social service agencies located in that area. Driving past Sojourner's I realized what a horrible shame it is that we have taken a perfectly good old building and have turned it into the eyesore that it is. Just think, if we had left it alone the 1500 block of Washington be a much more historical-looking neighborhood - just like the 1600 and 1700 blocks.

Yes! History! That's what we should strive for! As the buildings
begin to rot away we should rebuild them to original standards, using as much lead-based paint and asbestos as we can lay our hands on! We should make any new residential buildings in the area three or four thousand square feet with 10 foot tall ceilings. Of course, all of this cubic feet would require more energy, but it's a small price to pay. After all, we're talking history.

But I digress…

In the past few years I have noticed that City Council Persons from the West Side, from the East End, from North Charleston and South Hills, not to mention Kanawha City and the Elk River area (did I miss any?), have all expressed their resistance to having Social Service Agencies located in their wards. In so many community meetings I have attended I have heard these council representatives go to bat for their constituencies to keep "shelters", "soup kitchens" and other such pesky
organizations out of their neighborhoods. I have heard time and time again that social service agencies and their activities drive down real estate prices and drive up crime rates.

Social service agencies have their place, and surprisingly it's the only thing that everyone seems to agree on. The name of this place is "Somewherelse." I can't seem to find this place on any map, but
I know it exists because so many people agree that's where the social service agencies should be located. It sounds perfect, because from what people say about it no matter what you do there, property values will not be affected. Obviously inhabited by a very compassionate people, no one who lives in Somewherelse is bothered by the idea of poor people being visible in their neighborhood. The land must be very flat and the soil conditions must be ideal for construction, because according to the people who seem to know, anything can be built cheaper Somewherelse.

Affordable housing (which everyone knows is code for "low income housing projects") could be built very effectively in Somewherelse because that's where poor people want to live since it's close to all the social service agencies. Small, simple houses built with maintenance free exteriors like vinyl siding are simply not compatible with the historical look we want in our neighborhood, but it will fit in perfectly with a Somewherelse neighborhood.

As I said before, I don't know where Somewherelse is, so I haven't been there. But from what people say it sounds like everyone has enough to eat, everyone receives proper medical care, and everyone who gets sleepy at night has a place to sleep. Because there is job training and inexpensive housing being built by the non-profit builders that weren't allowed to build anywhere else, people can afford to own their homes making the neighborhood more stable. Sounds to me like a nice place to live; If you like that sort of thing.

I hope the citizenry of Somewherelse doesn't get fed up with every one else sending their poor and downtrodden to their community. If that happens, they might begin to resist the influx of social service agencies. The good news is that if that happens, we can always move them to Anotherplace.

Let's see…does anyone know where that is on the map?

Enjoy Your Hair, Teddy! The Slogan is Right!

2007-10-07T21:05:00.000-04:00

This sign makes me crack up every time I see it.

I Don't Mean to Harp on Andy, but....

2007-10-01T22:46:00.000-04:00

OK, I listen for maybe 10 minutes a day every day. This happens on my morning commute. Some days when I have other places to be or have to run out for an errand I'll listen a bit longer. Once in a while - a very rare while unfortunately - some caller or guest will be talking about something interesting when I get out of my car and I'll turn on the radio when I get in the office. So having properly qualified myself as a minimal listener, I will now begin my rant:

Andy, you are not Rush Limbaugh. You can't carry the show with a long-winded tirade about how evil Democrats and Liberals are. No one listening to local talk radio wants to hear you do 10 - 15 minutes every morning on Hillary or John Edwards. PLEASE! GET ON TO SOMETHING INTERESTING! To US!

Here's an idea: Talk about a local issue without trying to reduce it to partisan politics. Maybe Dave Hardy has a good idea or has done something good, even though he is a Democrat. Maybe there are things that happen every day that are really worthy of discussion even though by discussing them it might make a liberal sound like a human being. Just maybe there are things that happen in our community that have absolutely no partisan meaning. Open the newspaper, for Pete's sake!

I know you are challenged when it comes to speaking to our local audience because you are not from around here, but maybe you can get someone (other than Kent Carper) that is local to call in and talk about something, anything of interest!

Why do I listen if I don't like it? Because I like talk radio, God forgive me, and Andy is the closest thing to local talk we have left.

I'm begging. Really.

Parent of the Year Nomination

2007-09-30T12:25:00.001-04:00

Scene: A High School football game at Laidley Field on Saturday night.

The Cast:
Me - An Observer
The Mother - Maybe 30 years old.
The Mother's Friend - A Little older.

The Story: It is an exciting game. Early in the 2nd quarter the home team is ahead but the visitors are threatening to close the gap. A real nail-biter. The Mother obviously has a son on the team and she is really into the cheering, especially when her son is on the field. She screams very loudly and very enthusiastically, and very annoyingly to everyone around her.

Suddenly, over the PA system: "There is a 4 year old child wearing a Spiderman shirt who has been separated from his parents. If this could be your child, please report to the stadium office."

The Mother - looking around: "Where is Chris? Have you seen Chris?"
The Mother's Friend: "I don't know. He was right up there. (points to the top of the stadium). I don't see him now."
Mother - returns to cheering: "Go Offense! Take that ball down the field!"
Friend: "You think that could be Chris they're talking about?"
Mother: "No, they said he's 4. Chris is 5."
Friend: "Didn't he have a Spiderman shirt on?"
Mother: "I don't know. He has a Spiderman shirt, but I didn't notice what he was wearing - GO! RUN, RUN, RUN!!!"

5 minutes pass

PA Announcer: "There is a 4 year old child wearing a Spiderman shirt who has been seperated from his parents. If this could be your child, please report to the stadium office."

Friend: "You think that's Chris?"
Mother: "They said he's 5. Chris is 4. GO! RUN! FIRST DOWN!"
Friend: "I'm going to check to see if it's him."
Mother: "GO!!!!! RUN THAT BALL!"

Friend disappears toward stadium office.

Five more minutes pass. Friend returns.

Mother: "Was it him?"
Friend: "Yeah, I told him to get his butt back up there (points to the top of the stadium) and stay there with the other kids."
Mother - turns around and looks toward the top of the stadium: "Chris! I'll bust your butt when we get home if you leave again!"

Me- Sinks into depression over the future of the world.

See This Show!

2007-09-22T09:36:00.000-04:00

Every West Virginian needs to go to the Capitol Theater this weekend or next to see "ABBR HST OF WV" (that's the Abbreviated History of West Virginia, for those of you who might be Stonewall grads). It is another great musical by Dan Khede and Mark Scarpelli performed by the Contemporary Youth Arts Company (CYAC). Billed as the "fastest, funniest, easiest way to learn West Virginia history ever!" it is 90 minutes of everything you learned in 8th grade WV Studies, only much more fun.

The show opened Thursday and continues with a matinée performance at 2PM on Sunday Sept. 23, and then at 8PM on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Sept. 27-29)

Tickets are 9.50 at the door.

Goodbye, Delsie Mae

2007-09-16T22:58:00.000-04:00

I've been going to the Southern Kitchen all of my life. When I was a kid, and I mean a real little kid - like before kindergarten age- it was Delsie Mae Hershman who greeted us when we arrived and took or money when we left. I've eaten there hundreds of times over the years and it's always been Delsie Mae who took my money.

Delsie Mae died over the weekend. She'll be missed.

The Southern Kitchen is a Charleston institution. It isn't a great restaurant. It's always had decent food, but nothing too special. The decor hasn't changed in a lifetime. But there is something about the place that makes you feel safe. At least that's the way I felt there. Maybe it's because of all the times I ate there with my mother and father.

The memories of the place as it was in the mid 1960's to early 1970's are vivid in my mind. I remember the jukebox with those little selection consoles at each table where you could flip through all the songs without getting up from your seat. I remember the W. Va. Tourism Department paper place mats with all of the fun facts on them (to this day I believe they were why I excelled in West Virginia studies - how else could I have known that natural gas was first discovered at Burning Springs?). I remember the chicken and egg motif that is still around today. Maybe the reason the memories are so vivid is because nothing much has changed after many, many years.

My teenage daughter and her friends now love the place, but didn't really discover it until she was old enough to stay out late with her friends. The Southern Kitchen is one of the only 24 hour restaurants in Charleston and its family friendly atmosphere is even accepting of a booth or two full of boisterous teenagers after midnight. It is really neat to see this new generation embrace an old place like The Southern Kitchen.

It's a shame that Delsie Mae won't be around to see the next generation. I really hope, though, that someone keeps it going and keeps everything just the same as it was when Delsie left there on Friday. As long as that happens Delsie will still be there with us, even if someone else is collecting the money.

Remembering the 1974 Kanawha County Textbook Controversy

2007-09-11T22:15:00.000-04:00

In April 1974 the five members of the Kanawha County Textbook Selection Committee, supported by teacher readers from elementary and secondary schools, recommended the adoption of new textbooks designed to support an English Language programme to be taught in the County’s schools. The textbooks included a wide diversity of views and opinions and exposed children in the Appalachian region to other cultures and new ideas. Following the impact of the civil rights movement across the USA during the 1960s, the textbooks included stories and poems by, and about, African-Americans and other minorities and narrative stories emphasising tolerance and the acceptance of alternative and different traditions and cultures. The books also included approaches to pedagogy which included simulation and the development of critical thinking skills. The recommended list was presented to the Kanawha County School Board on 12th March 1974, and the books were displayed in the Kanawha County Library for public examination.
On 16th May when the Textbook Selection Committee presented its adoption justification the School Board agreed to make a final decision on 27th June regarding the formal adoption of the books. The decision to consider adopting the books caused uproar in the community and in a nine month period between April 1974 and January 1975, mobs throwing rocks forced the County’s one hundred and twenty four public schools to close, demonstrators surrounded schools and blockaded school bus garages, two people were shot, schools were dynamited and firebombed and teachers were threatened. Coal miners went on strike in support of the protest, the Ku Klux Klan demonstrated in the streets of Charleston and a preacher and his followers discussed murdering families who wouldn’t join the school boycott (Charleston Gazette, 12th October 1993).

As a student at John Adams Junior High School in 1974, I saw firsthand the great Dirty Schoolbook war. Most days my classmates and I had to walk through a picket line of Bible Thumping Fundamentalist Crazies on our way into the school from the bus. Some of the people in the picket lines were parents of some of the kids on the buses. My stepmother was a frequent protester as was the father of one of my best friends. It was humiliating to say the least.

John Adams, though, was probably the least affected school in the County. Being well out of the Eastern Kanawha County Bible Belt and fairly isolated, there were relatively few protesters that showed up every day. But the TV reports from schools in the East Bank and DuPont districts were downright scary, with video of grown adults verbally assaulting kids who were only trying to go to school.

I have so many frightening memories of that time: The shots fired at picket lines at Smith Transfer in Belle where my uncle worked, a car burned on my street because it had a bumper stickers that might have indicated support for the school board, trees cut down to block roads so our buses couldn't pass and the fire-bombing of Loudendale Elementary where my cousins went to school. There was at least one case of a dynamite attack on a school (Midway Elementary). As a 14 year old I didn't understand it. As a 47 year old, I understand it less.

I think about the episode from time to time, but the memories are more fleeting each year. Thank God for Google. A quick search on "Kanawha County Textbook Controversy" brings up a whole host of blurbs on this site or that about the events surrounding the battle for the books. Here is one I found particularly interesting, a scholarly treatment of the subject done by Dr. Keith Crawford who is apparently from the United Kingdom. This essay has some great pictures, too.

Someone really ought to make a movie. But then again, please don't: I just couldn't take seeing Sean Penn as Ezra Graley, or more properly, hearing him using an exaggerated Appalachian accent as I know he or just about any other Hollywooder would do. Let's just leave well enough alone. Afterall, we already have "Inherit the Wind."

Charleston Area Barbies

2007-09-11T08:07:00.000-04:00

Disclaimer: I did not write this. This list circulated via email a few years ago. It's a little mean-spirited, but it's pretty much an equal opportunity offender.

Charleston Area Barbies

Elkview Barbie: This pale model comes dressed in her own Wrangler jeans two sizes too small, three kids, a NASCAR shirt and has a tattoo of a Tweety bird on her shoulder. She has big, stiff hair, a six pack of Bud Light and a Hank Williams, Jr. CD set. She can spit over 5 feet and can kick Mullet-haired Kenny doll's ass when she's drunk. Purchase her pickup truck separately and get its Confederate flag bumper stickers absolutely free.

Woodbridge Barbie: This trendy homemaker Barbie is available with your choice of Lexus SUV or Ford Windstar minivan. She gets lost easily and has no full-time occupation or secondary education. Brags about area museums, though she's never been to one. Traffic jamming cell phone, real estate license sold separately. Optional matching gym outfit and large, untrained dog available.

Clendenin Barbie: This snuff rubbing, brassy-haired Barbie has a pair of her own high-heeled sandals with one broken heel from the time she chased her beer-gutted boyfriend out of Elkview Barbie's house. Her make-up is dark red lip liner with your choice of lips covered in a sparkly pink. Her ensemble includes low-rise acid-washed jeans with assorted colored G-strings that stick out the back and a white see-through halter-top. Accessories include: CD-player equipped with Bon Jovi and a rusty old Chevy Corsica.

Sissonville Barbie: Comes with an older SUV with "my kid can kick your honor student's ass " bumper sticker on the back. She comes with extra wide hips from all the kids she has had. Also has a trailer hitch on the SUV for the Jon Boat or camper that "Drunken Ken" tows to the lake and fishes on once a year. Works at Wal-Mart.

South Hills Barbie: This yuppie Barbie comes with choice of a BMW sports car or an entry level Mercedes. Included are her own platinum credit card, a Berry Hills membership from a generous settlement from her ex, and a map to find her way to the beach. Also available for this set are Shallow Revenge Boyfriend Ken and Spoiled Rotten Private School Skipper.

West Side Barbie: This recently paroled Barbie comes with a 9mm handgun, a Ray Lewis knife, a Chevy with tinted windows and her own Meth Lab kit. This model is available after dark and can be paid for only in cash. Preferably small, untraceable bills. Unless you're a cop. Then we don't know what you're talking about.

Kanawha City Barbie: This Barbie is the most expensive, due to her extravagant outfit: Mink full-length coat and 5 carat diamond ring, Prada shoes and Versace pantsuits bought on "sprees" in New York. This Barbie also has a blank stare due to weight-reducing insulin injections and is nicknamed "Botox Barbie".

Edgewood Barbie: This Barbie drives a BMW SUV that has never seen a dirt road but travels to Huntington for brunch. Edgewood Ken also comes with an assortment of polos, 5 putters, and is available with a snifter glass of brandy, a Cuban cigar, and a 48-foot Hatteras Sport Fisher permanently parked in his back yard.

East End Barbie: Attire includes Low-waisted jeans, too long with rips along the cuffs, a T-shirt 2-sizes-too-small purchased in the little boys section of the thrift store, flip-flops & horn-rimmed glasses. Hair is cut asymmetrically & dyed dark burgundy. This Barbie is pierced and tattooed and mixes equally well with the arts crowd and the downtown gays.

Winfield Barbie: This average looking, cigarette smoking, bleached-blonde Barbie comes with pumps, tight pants, and a red spaghetti strap half shirt to show off her belly button ring and lower back tattoo. This Barbie comes with a Ford Mustang GT, a cell phone with an assortment of annoying ring-tones, as well as a night bag. She also comes with three "good-guy banker" dolls to match the local gender statistics. Serves as unofficial hostess for visiting General Assemblymen in the spring. Additional options include the "get out of the DUI free" card.

Quarry Creek Barbie: This larger city transplant from mostly NYC and California comes dressed in almost designer clothes out of TJ Maxx. This model speaks phrases like "Everything is better in NYC" or "In California we don't have to do that." She can also bitch up a storm about what Charleston doesn't have, but forgets that this is her new home and moved here for a reason, meaning a job with lower cost of living. She comes with her own 10,000 sq. ft. mansion that was paid for by selling her 1,500 sq. ft. home at $900,000. She enjoys not working and spending Ken's money. You can purchase separately a local Charleston doll that has lived here for more than 5 years holding a sign that says "If you don't like it here, move the hell back."

Christians for the Mountains

2007-09-09T22:56:00.000-04:00

In an opinion piece in Sunday's Gazette-Mail, Allen Johnson of Christians for the Mountains decries a Bush administration decision to apparently issue a regulation that would "enshrine the coal mining practice of mountaintop removal.”

I am definitely against the practice of mountain top removal mining. This post is not about that.

This post is about a dichotomy that exists in the Christian world that I find escapes the notice of a lot of people. We hear a lot about the power and influence of the oft-vilified "Religious Right" but I find many people don't realize that there is a strong Religious Left. Christians for the Mountains is one part of the latter group. Another is the West Virginia Council of Churches, even though they are far less liberal than the National Council of Churches of which they are an affiliate of sorts.

When I wrote in July about the way the WV Council of Churches found themselves in the same camp as the Religious Right on the table games issue, I was surprised at the number of people who were not aware of the Religious Left. So let me provide a quick overview:

The hallmark of the Religious Left is a world view that transcends national borders and boundaries. The ideology of the Religious Left is viewed by people on the Right as socialistic in its approach since it is a no-holds-barred social aid ideology. The Christian Left would say that Jesus' ministry, and therefore our ministry, was all about helping the poorest and most powerless among us and that the primary role of government should be relieving poverty in all its forms. That is a very simplistic synopsis, but time doesn't permit a more thorough treatment.

A while back I went to an event sponsored by Christians for the Mountains. I figured I'm a Christian and I'm for the mountains, so I thought I'd feel at home.

I didn't.

About five minutes into the presentation, one of the leaders of the evening made the statement that "there is a special place in Hell for [Massey Energy CEO] Don Blankenship." The crowd responded to the statement with a loud cheer. They really, really liked the idea of Don Blankenship burning in perpetual torment. How nice.

After a few minutes I got up and left the event without speaking to anyone. I didn't want to be a part of that crowd. You see, the bible I read says that it is God's will that none shall perish without knowing the love of God. The teaching of the church has always been one of grace and forgiveness, but that is apparently not a teaching of Christians for the Mountains.

Granted, there are many conservative churches (I might even say "most") that do not speak words of grace and forgiveness. But the overall message of the Christian Left has always been much more compassionate than fundamentalists. I expected to find that same gentle spirit at the Christians for the Mountains event, but apparently God's redeeming grace is not available to sinners as great as Don Blankenship.

It is sad when hate invades and takes over organizations that were built on foundations of love.

Matt and Company

2007-09-05T21:31:00.001-04:00

Imagine my surprise as I was driving to work this morning and heard my name and this blog mentioned on the radio. My Sim City post scored some points with the host.

Evidently my omission of the name of the co-host in a previous post had been noticed and maybe hurt someone's feelings a little bit.

Sorry, Matt.

(I wish I knew his last name.)

U$er Fee - Here We Go Again!

2007-09-04T23:05:00.000-04:00

According to the Daily Mail , City Manager David Molgaard's office is busy analyzing the city's finances to see if it's feasible to double the $1-a-week user fee. Dave, if you're reading, here's a tool you can use. Anyone who has ever experimented with Sim City knows that one of the fundamental rules of the Sims universe is that when you raise taxes too much you lose business and population. Maybe Mayor Jones should play, too.

I don't want the user fee to go up, but I also despise straw man arguments so I have to speak out: The reason it's not right to raise the user fees is not because it will be a hardship on low income families. four dollars isn't going to make or break anyone. If you are down to your last four dollars at the end of the month you have other problems. It sounds compassionate, but it's not real.

The real reason the user fee shouldn't go up is the same reason I give my kids an allowance: They need to learn to live on what they have because life isn't such that you can just reach out pluck more money off of the mythical money tree in the backyard anytime you have overspent your budget or lived beyond your means.

Of course, Mayor Jones might have really had a money tree in his backyard. Or at least a big trust fund!

The Sternwheel Regatta is Over - Forever

2007-09-03T10:30:00.000-04:00

Last year I wrote about the first indications that sternwheelers would soon be a thing of the past at the Regatta. Now it is a certainty since the leaders of the Regatta Commission have made it public knowledge that there will most likely never be another "Sternwheel Regatta", but instead something called a "Charleston Regatta." Why "Regatta" at all? Once the sternwheelers are gone then only river activities that will remain will be the swim and the Anything That Floats Race. That certainly doesn't deserve the designation "regatta."

Regatta Jumped The Shark in 1986. That was the year that The Beach Boys came and drew such a crowd that City leaders made the decision to steer away from big name acts because the size of the crowd was way too much for the CPD to handle. The next year it was rumored that Jimmy Buffett was interested in coming and bringing his Parrot Head army but that show never materialized. It was that year that a national magazine voted the regatta as the best festival in the southeast, but by the time the magazine was published the festival was already in it's decline.

Originally a one day event consisting mostly of boat races and other river activities, it soon grew into a three-day weekend full of activities (although Labor Day itself has always been nothing but the car show at the capitol). Most of its life was spent as a ten day festival, with opening ceremonies in the evening of the Friday before Labor Day weekend. If I'm not mistaken the festival reached its maximum duration in about 1985 of twelve days. The reason for the extra couple of days was that so many downtown businesses had their own events that they wanted at certain places, and as a result they held a few meaningless events on Wednesday and Thursday.

One of the worst decisions ever was the moving of events away from the riverfront. For a while there were events held in the Elk City section of the West Side, and even some in South Hills and Kanawha City. It was these far-flung events that took the focus off the river and that was the beginning of the end of the sternwheeler's participation.

I recall walking down amongst the sternwheelers as a teenager and young adult. The barges that Amherst Industries provided every year to serve as docks for the big boats were supposed to be closed to the public, but security was porous and anyone could walk right on. I met some nice folks and got to see some of the sternwheelers up close and personal. The arrival of the sternwheelers to the Regatta on the Wednesday before each Labor Day was a festive and thrilling event. Suddenly the levee area was transformed from a little street party into the grand festival it was because the guests of honor had arrived.

The river activities like the Line Handlers Contest, The Pushers and Shovers Contest, the Whistle Blowing Contest and, of course, the Sternwheel Races, those were the things that gave the event its spice. Even Just as a visual backdrop the sternwheelers made the Regatta special. The colorful boats and the flags they flew transformed the levee into a work of art. Add in the sounds of an occasional whistle blast or a ship's bell ringing and you had a full sensory experience.

When Amherst got fed up with the shenanigans of the Festival Commission it was the death knell for the sternwheelers. The festival that had been the brainchild of Nelson Jones, a child of one of the owners of Amherst Industries, was cut off from its largest supporter of river activities. This was in the late 1990's. The festival has hung on for a few more years.

But it's all over now.

I suspect that we'll have a few more Charleston Regattas, but if it's still around in five years in any recognizable form I will be surprised. It seems that the City has thrown all of its eggs into the FestivAll basket. unfortunately it is already showing signs of Regatta-cization, mainly the spread-out nature of the events that gives it a lack of focus.

Nothing lasts forever, but the Regatta deserved a better effort. Preserving the traditions of the river that gave birth to Charleston and celebrating the big wheeled boats that were such a part of its history was a worthy endeavor. Political tides roll in and then they roll out again, taking with them a little piece of our City's culture with each ebb. Will the Jones administration be the one to put the final nail in the coffin? That would be ironic since it was Nelson Jones who gave the festival life.

The late, great, Charleston Sternwheel Regatta Festival: My she live in our memories forever.

Virginia Street Beautification

2007-09-01T12:55:00.001-04:00

Especially for Chris James: Here's a picture of Jessica Ralston in today's Regatta Grand Feature Parade.

Progressives and Liberals

2007-08-30T18:19:00.000-04:00

Two people have accused me of being a "progressive" in the past few days. Well, I'm not and what's more, I really detest that label. I'm not liberal, either. Nor a Conservative, although popular belief seems to dictate that I be one or the other. Either that or the dreaded middle of the road "moderate." I'm not one of those either.

I have a friend that is very opinionated about people who label themselves. He gets very irritated with people who identify themselves as "conservative" or "liberal" because, as he says, "people let the label inform their ideologies." He says that people who proudly proclaim they are a liberal will nearly always reserve their opinions on a new issue until they ascertain what the correct liberal stance should be. Same with conservatives.

I dislike labels, too; some more than others. I really dislike that people who used to call themselves "liberals" now call themselves "progressives." To call oneself a Liberal used to mean that you ascribed to certain ideologies that challenged the status quo. It meant that you were one of the revolutionaries that would throw off the shackles of tradition and push the envelope of socially acceptable mores. It meant burning your draft card or your bra, and being against any effort to preserve traditional controls on society. In other words it meant refusing to act like a grown-up, and being damned proud of it.

"Progressives", it could be assumed, are for progress. Well, who isn't? Why do people formerly known as liberals have a corner on this word?

When people advocate for change, such as implementing a new law, they usually do so because they feel it will bring progress. But in today's label obsessed lexicon we ascribe different labels to different laws based on how they fit into our understanding of political ideologies. For example, if the law was for stricter gun controls then it would be called "progressive." But if the law was to increase controls over people who commit crimes by using illegal drugs it would not be called progressive; It would be called "conservative". Why? Both are to make a safer society. Both would be progress, wouldn't they?

The real reason that liberals are calling themselves progressives these days is because Rush Limbaugh and his ilk have made "Liberal" a dirty word. I know very few people these days who proudly say they are a liberal. Thus the switch to "progressive." It was a smart move, I confess, because who can object to someone being for progress?

But it still ticks me off. Especially when Mayor Jones says things like "our City is progressive" like he did in the days after the recent table games vote. Don't lump me in, Mr. Mayor, with people who vote for table games for no other reason than the money it will bring. Don't label me as a "progressive" that would vote to ignore the pleas and warnings of people whose lives have been destroyed by gambling in favor of a larger balance in the B&O fund.

Progress? Only time will tell.

I Demand A ReKent!

2007-08-29T19:23:00.000-04:00

Kent Carper came as close as I've ever seen him get to smiling this afternoon after he realized that the recount of the table games vote didn't change the outcome. After all the fuss, delays and expense the aginners gained only 4 votes. Let the games begin!

Kent has been a picture of anxiety since the election, seemingly terribly afraid that the canvass or the recount would uncover too many "no" ballots. This evening he said he didn't mind if his support of the initiative cost him political points. That's probably because the cash he got from Tri-State Casino (in the form of campaign contributions) will more than make up for the lost votes. Now he can relax since Big Gambling won't be sending The Boys to visit Kent to express their disappointment with a loss.

Now, who wants to bet that Jay Goldman's old idea of annexing Cross Lanes gets resurrected by Mayor Jones? While he can't annex the casino itself (since it is in Nitro) he can surely get his hands on the user fees of the employees of the hotels and restaurants that will pop up nearby.

Our political leaders are so happy they can hardly count.

The Sorry State of Local Talk Radio

2007-08-28T07:42:00.000-04:00

I've been listening to local talk radio since the advent of "The Morning Exchange" on WCHS 580 in the early 1990's. It has undergone many changes over the years and I have found something that I liked about each new expression of the medium, at least until now.

Other than a couple of different sports talk shows that are scattered through the weekly schedule, 580's talk show offerings are:

1. The infomercial-like "Ask The Expert" show where local egomaniacs and narcissists pay money to be on the air for an hour a day to promote their particular interest; or

2. "58 Live" in the afternoon where neo-con Mike Agnello and flaming moderate Rick Johnson host 3 hours of milquetoast banter every day. Agnello is always bringing on conservative guests who spew right-wing propaganda about the hot topic of the day, but the listeners and callers seem to only want to talk about the most innocuous of topics. The result is 3 hours of nothing every day. It is the single most dreadful show I have ever heard. While on the way home from work most days I will switch to one of our two sports stations to listen to commentary on the latest misadventures of Pac Man Jones or Michael Vick, ad-nauseum.

The other talk station, 950 on your dial, has Andy Albertini's "Andy & Company" that I posted about last week. The good thing about this early morning show is you only need to listen to it for about five minutes per hour to hear everything they have to say. You could pick up a copy of "Conservatism for Dummies" and pretty much figure out what Andy's going to say about everything. Andy's co-host and one-man "Amen Corner" does little to create interesting counter-point. The incessant drumbeat of "our government is oppressing us and our leaders are selling us out" gets very old, very quickly.

Even Jerry Waters, the nattering nabob of negativism that he was, was at least entertaining because his rhetoric raised the hackles of enough people on both sides of an issue to induce them to call the show. His downfall, in my opinion, was having school board member Pete Thaw on the air virtually every day. Pete's laugh (which, incidentally, sounds just like The Penguin from the Batman TV series) was grating and his commentary was beyond dull.

I can't believe it, but I am actually nostalgiac for the days of Danny Jones' show on 950 every morning as it was in the late 1990's. He was so much better as a talk show host than he is a mayor.

Cash Crop

2007-08-26T21:28:00.000-04:00

Police made an interesting agricultural discovery on an obscure little street on the West Side.

Lt. Chuck Carpenter of the Metro Drug Unit said "They were very, very nice plants."

The plants were later burned before several high police officials.

The Black and White World of Andy Albertini

2007-08-21T23:10:00.000-04:00

When Jerry Waters was unceremoniously removed from the airwaves of Charleston talk radio earlier in the year, his spot was soon filled by one Andy Albertini. Andy is a transplant from Ohio County and his show is described as "Hard Core Patriot Talk Radio." His shtick is basic neo-con with a little bit of motivational speaker rhetoric thrown in for good measure. Andy has a sycophant sidekick, whose name I don't recall. His job is apparently to make Andy sound smarter.

Lately Andy has been really out there against the smoking ban. He claims that any regulation of smoking in private buildings and businesses is tantamount to being forced to have government as one's business partner. I believe he is a cigar smoker, which would explain his commitment to smoker's rights. He isn't swayed by any theory of public health and smoking. When a caller recently tried to advocate for the public health aspect of the smoking ban, Andy accused the caller of being "the pleasure police" and against anything enjoyable. He was, in my view, unnecessarily harsh to the caller, who was only trying to explain the public health ramifications of second hand smoke.

Andy is a classic "aginner". He's against just about anything any governmental unit says or does.
For the past couple of days he has been on the Regatta Commission pretty hard because of their decision to ban the use of lawn chairs in front of the stage during Regatta performances. He has really gotten a kick out of the phrase "mosh pit" that was used to incorrectly describe the area directly in front of the stage at the concert, and he has been relentless in his ridicule of the person who used the term. Andy thinks that the logic behind the lawn chair ban is stupid (the logic being that emergency workers would have a harder time reaching the stage if there were a sea of lawn chairs to wade through), and the "mosh pit" comment is apparently proof-positive that city government is hopelessly out of touch.

In Andy's world, there is no merit in anything he doesn't understand or agree with. If he's against it, it's the most ludicrous thing in the world. If he's for it, there is no way anyone with a brain could disagree with it unless they have ulterior motives.

At least that's the impression I get from his show. Andy's world is all black and white; no shades of gray.

Seems like an uninteresting place to live.

Our long nightmare is not over...

2007-08-14T08:53:00.000-04:00

Remember last week when the prevailing sentiment about the table games vote was "I can't wait until Saturday so this thing will be over with!"? Well, it's Tuesday and it's not over with.

Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper, as is his manner and custom, has put himself in the middle of this controversy by:

Demanding the County Commission vote on a resolution supporting table games, and then;
Joining Danny Jones in beating the drum to pass the table games resolution, and then;
Prematurely announcing that all ballots had been counted, and that the measure had passed by 60 votes, and then;
Announcing that the final numbers meant that the measure had passed by 33 votes and proclaiming it a "great day for Kanawha County", and then;
Saying that he felt the 64 ballots found on Monday should not be counted.

While he later relented and said the ballots should be counted, it was his shoot-from-the-hip original answer that reveals his true thoughts on the matter.

Could it be that his allegiance is swayed by the money that Tri State Casino donated to his election campaign?

I don't seriously think Commissioner Carper is corrupt, but he would be the first to exclaim, "Avoid the appearance of impropriety!"

He should practice what he preaches.

Table Games Pass

2007-08-11T22:31:00.000-04:00

44,000 people in Kanawha County went to the polls to vote for or against allowing table games at the Tri State Greyhound track in Cross Lanes. A razor thin margin of 33 votes passed the measure. With a bunch of provisional ballots to be counted this thing is still close enough that it could turn out differently, but for now it seems Big Gambling has won.

Time will tell if this was good or bad for the economy, but I know already it is not good for the soul of our community. We have one of the greatest places in the country to live, but our government officials want to live beyond our means. They want multi-million dollar arts centers and libraries even though we can't afford them. They want to spend more and more money on a population that is shrinking. So they look to an economic development project that, in order to succeed, it's customers have to lose.

Certainly there are people who gamble for entertainment and can afford the losses they most likely will incur, but there are many people who can't afford it that will lose the grocery or rent money because they can't control themselves. No worries, though, because their grocery money will help finance the next big project and we'll all benefit.

But what happens ten years from now when we've gotten used to the gambling income and our government begins to live beyond its means again? I guess we'll have to look at other revenue sources.

It will be interesting to see what those are.

The Gambling Debate Makes Strange Bedfellows

2007-07-23T20:22:00.000-04:00

The upcoming "Table Games" election in Kanawha County is creating some interesting alliances and dividing some former allies, irrespective of party lines and ideological labels. Instead of being a Conservative vs. Liberal issue, or a Democrat vs. Republican issue, this election has created a whole new voting block from the extremities of the political spectrum. Ultra right-wing, bible-thumping evangelical preachers are on the same side as left-wing, cradle-to-grave social liberals. What's interesting is that virtually everyone between the two extremes is on the same side of the issue, too.

But while it is true that extreme liberals and extreme conservatives find themselves in agreement, they come to the same position for completely different reasons.

Most extreme conservatives are morally against gambling for religious reasons. Some fundamentalist Christians are of the opinion that gambling is sinful because the Bible tells them that the Roman guards cast lots for Jesus' clothing after his crucifixion (I've always found it interesting that these same people conveniently overlook the passage where the Apostles also cast lots to decide who would replace Judas). "Casting Lots" equals gambling and therefore is sinful behavior in their eyes. Interestingly enough, most non-religious conservatives are not against gambling, except in symbolic "solidarity" with their parties majority position.

Extreme liberals are against gambling because of the social costs. We should not be providing state-sponsored gambling any more than we should be providing heroin to schoolchildren. Gambling is a drug and there are powerless people who should be protected from that drug.

Now the wild card, the unknown, in all of this is the question of how big the middle group is. There is some serious courting going on from both sides, but the heavily-funded gambling industry has too much firepower. They are on TV and radio constantly bombarding the undecided with promises of jobs and economic prosperity if only the issue passes. The other side has only the argument that gambling is wrong.

Morals vs. Money - History predicts the outcome - Money usually wins.

Charleston Round-Up

2007-07-11T19:32:00.000-04:00

A few things happening under the radar in Charleston recently:

- Mayor Danny Jones got a pretty good spanking by some old-money Charlestonians for trashing up Mountain View Cemetery with the Fourth of July Fireworks. Although in his public statements he made it sound like no big deal, the fact is that he was read the riot act by several City "Mothers." Rod Blackstone took the blame. If it had been a big hit he wouldn't have been credited.

- Keep your ears open for at least one City Councilman to announce his resignation soon - or at least announce his intention to not seek office again. Butting heads with Mayor Jones can make one lose one's taste for local politics. There are two councilmen who are at odds with the mayor presently and rumor has it that at least one of them is talking about making a big stink when he leaves office. It should be interesting.

- "Friday Night at the Levee" attendance is dismal. You gotta wonder how long the city can spend the money on street crews and police for a party for 100 people or less every Friday night. But since this was Tom Lane's idea, you can be sure that it will get every consideration before it's axed.

- I wrote about the boondoggle park on the East End, but another proposed park for the West Side is nearly as stupid. The next time you are down West Washington Street look at the steep, grassy hillside at the Barton Street intersection and try to figure out what the hell they are thinking.

- In a bizarre, almost reality show type of behavior, former radio talk show host Jerry Waters can now be found sitting on the sidewalk outside Taylor Books almost every day. He sits and snidely comments about passers-by the same way he did about virtually everything in his talk show days.

That's all for now, I think my FiberNet service might be coming back online soon and I have a few hundred phone calls to make!

Free Wi-Fi for the East End

2007-07-09T22:05:00.001-04:00

In an announcement heralded by state and city elected officials and the Charleston Area Alliance, it was made known today that the East End Main Street folks have secured a grant to provide free Wi-Fi internet for the entire East End of Charleston.

On the surface this sounds like a great idea. I am totally psyched about being able to sit down and blog or answer email anywhere on the East End where I live. I can get rid of my $39.95 per month Suddenlink internet bill!

But I'll bet if I worked for Suddenlink, FiberNet or Verizon and was looking at losing thousands of DSL or cable internet customers I would be singing a different tune!

How can the Charleston Area Alliance be happy about the government getting into competition with business? What's next, city-run coffee shops?

Far Werks!

2007-07-03T22:04:00.000-04:00

Mayor Jones decided to move the City's 4th of July fireworks show from its traditional river front location to Spring Hill Cemetery on the North Side of the valley. Ostensibly this move was to save a bunch of bucks by combining the show with those that The Power were going to be shooting off that evening.

Some people around town are upset that the fireworks would be launched from a sacred place like a cemetery, and a lot of boaters are mad because one of the main reason people have boats in Charleston is to get up close to the two or three fireworks displays that are launched from either barges on the river or on trucks on the banks.

This is another one of those Jones Administration decisions that is curious in its apparent lack of thought. Here are the problems I see with the new location:

1. For more than thirty years, the fireworks have been at the riverfront. People have traditional places they meet to watch them. People always line the riverbank from the Clendenin Street nearly to the Capitol, and hundreds of people watch from boats. For thousands of people this is their family 4th of July tradition. There will be a lot of scrambling this year to find new places to watch from, but;

2. There are less places to watch from. Although the idea of using the elevation of the hilltop sounds good, the angles will make it difficult to see the fireworks from traditional places like Fort Hill, the West Side hill. The river will be a terrible vantage point and boaters will have to get out of the water to see the show. Outside of Appy Park, I can't think of a single vantage point that will be a decent place to watch from.

3. As dry as the foliage and grass is right now, putting the show on the hillside is a recipe for a brush fire. One of the great things about the riverfront show is that the ashes and embers fall harmlessly into the Kanawha.

4. Cars on the interstate will be right under the show. I would not be surprised if we have fender-benders or worse during the display.

I could write a dozen more reasons this is a bad idea, but what's the point?

Snob Knob

2007-06-29T19:38:00.000-04:00

South Hills has the reputation of being the rich side of Charleston. Even though the largest, most ostentatious homes in town are found in places like Foxchase and Quarry Creek, it is South Hills that retains the reputation of the stomping grounds of the rich. Many people hold the erroneous belief that everyone who lives in the 25314 zip code is filthy rich. But I know better.

I grew up in South Hills. I went to John Adams Junior High and George Washington High. I know every street in South Hills, having ridden my bike as a teenager on every one of them. There is indeed some enormous wealth scattered about the hills, but there are also a few pockets of real poverty. A large segment of the area's population has always been working-class folks with incomes at or below the Charleston median. Growing up there I didn't know of the stereotypes until I was in high school, and by then I was so familiar with the truth that I didn't pay much attention to the myth. The bottom line for me was I lived in South Hills and I was definitely not rich.

Although my family's economic station was no where near the median of the families of my peers I had no trouble fitting in during elementary, junior high and about one-fourth of high school. Then things changed. Big time.

Looking back, I now know what was the trigger for the change, but I was oblivious then. All I knew was that many - OK, most - of the people who had been my friends since second or third grade were quite suddenly aloof. Guys that I had played little league baseball with were all of the sudden too preoccupied to take in a Charlies game with me. My buddies wouldn't go to the Kanawha State Forest pool with me any more and didn't invite me to go to Windemere or South Hills Pools with them. No more golf at Coonskin or Shawnee for the ol' gang: Nothing but Berry Hills would suffice any longer. Girls that I had known for years and years, and even dated, would act as if they didn't remember my name if we were to meet in unfamiliar places when they were with unfamiliar friends. It was very clear: I was no longer on their level.

It seems that these striations were revealed in the second semester of tenth grade.That was when there was no more denying that there were marked differences in the societal landscape between the "haves" and the "have mores." That's when the truly upper crust kids began to disappear from school one by one. We never knew where some of them went, and some were rumored to have been shipped off to Linsly or another far-away boarding school with names I did not know. These were the future leaders of Charleston, West Virginia and the Nation: They had to be schooled accordingly.

The next lower tier were less likely to be sent away to school unless they got into some trouble, but they were still separating themselves from the chaff with the clothes they wore and, more importantly, the cars they drove. In fact it was the introduction of cars into the high school society mix that triggered all of the separation of the classes - socioeconomic class, that is.

Now there were basically three levels of vehicular status at George Washington High School in the late 1970s. There were those with no car (I would reside in this class my entire high school career), those with cars and then there were those with really expensive cars.

The No Car people, my people, were carless for a variety of reasons, but none of them would be kids from affluent families who denied their offspring a car; no, that never happened. The carless class was made up of those whose parents couldn't afford cars for them, those whose parents thought cars were an unnecessary luxury, those whose parents felt that cars corrupt kids, those who had once had cars but had lost them because they wrecked them or had some run in with the law. There were probably many other reasons that our group had so many members (lack of driver's licenses for one), but we didn't discuss it amongst ourselves.

The largest group were the regular Car Kids. They drove anything from shiny new Trans Ams or Camaros, to the ten year old Datsun Uncle Ralph had given them. This group also had lots of pick up trucks and four-door Caprice Classics, Monte Carlos and an Olds Cutlass or two. Most of these cars were second hand or were daddy's toys that the kids were allowed to drive to school.

The chasm between the Car Kids and the Expensive Car Kids was vast. The lowest of the expensive car kids had new Corvettes. Porsche, BMW, Audi, Mercedes were typical for this group. These are the people who now, 30 years later, drive the highest priced Mercedes and Lexus models, and whose wives all drive Escalades.

And they all eat pizza at Lola's; which is actually what I wanted to write about this evening.

I finally made it to Lola's. I've been trying to get there since I first heard about it last Summer, but the place is tiny and always full to overflow. So my wife and I went a little early recently and got a table with no problem. Nice little place with interesting and expensive gourmet pizzas and lots of interesting and expensive imported beer and wine to wash it down. We had two 10" specialty pizzas and water to drink. The bill? $30. That's-a some-a pricey pizza!!

The little old house that is home to Lola's sits below Bridge Road in the curve that signals the end of the Bridge Road Business District. Its tiny parking lot and the overflow lot across the street is full of expensive machinery anytime the restaurant is open and especially on Friday night. The drivers of said machinery sit or stand around on the front porch waiting for one of the eight tables and few bar stools inside to become vacant, or for their to-go order to come out of the oven. Inside the patrons order from the pricey menu and sip their wine and guzzle their beer until their pizza comes, then they eat their crispy crust pizza with Gorgonzola cheese and caramelized onions with a knife and fork. They chat with their neighbors about the trip they took to Tuscany last summer and how dreadful the champagne is that is served in Delta's first-class.

It was like deja-vu. Like I was back in the GW cafeteria, except that none of these people would have eaten in the cafeteria.

By the way, the pizza at Lola's is good. Not to die for good, but very good indeed. All things considered I think I'd rather go to Lorobi's in St. Albans: They have pizza that is to die for, and my Ford would fit in better in the parking lot.

Festivallgone

2007-06-26T23:04:00.000-04:00

Other than the way cool sidewalk drawing at Appy Park I did not partake of a single event at this year's Festivall. I'm not sure why - kids, work, weather all seemed to conspire to keep me distracted and when I did venture downtown at around 6:00 Saturday evening the sidewalks seemed to have already been rolled up.

There are several bloggers who wrote and posted photos of the events, and Oncee has a round up of the posts.

Last year's event was great for the first time and I was hopeful this year would be even better. But I'm wondering how the attendance was this year. A friend told me he went down to Capitol Street Sunday afternoon and the place was deserted. I heard that the Wine and Jazz event was well attended, but I know no one that went to the Blues, Brews and BBQ on Friday (I really wanted to go to see Robert Cray, but alas).

Having events scattered around town might seem like a good idea on the surface, but I think it tends to suppress attendance overall. Many of the venues are too far apart to walk and it's difficult to drive and park to all the different places. The trolleys aren't frequent enough to encourage a steady stream of riders (and I didn't know about the trolley plays until I read about them in the paper!). The "river taxi" to UC is an insufficient solution to the event-to-event commute for many folks since it only ran every 90 minutes.

The Regatta went through this same wierd tranformation in the 80's. A sponsor would step forward and want to hold the event in its neighborhood, and the sponsor hungry festival commission would acquiese. We ended up with events for this "River Festival" scattered all over town and everything just felt watered down after a while. I wonder why we always do this in Charleston? A word of advice to Larry Groce and other Festivall organizers: Pick an area and focus the activities there. The two and three-hundred blocks of Capitol and Summers Streets would be plenty of room for Festivall. Go ahead with the two big pay events at UC, but keep downtown open a little longer into the evening for those of us who can't or don't want to pay.

Just my $.02. Take it or leave it.

Charleston's U$er Fee

2007-06-19T09:41:00.000-04:00

As I predicted a year ago, on the very day that Danny Jones took the oath of office to begin his second term as mayor, he proposed a doubling of the user fee.

Read the whole sad story in today's Gazette:

http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/2007061835

Imagine how easy it would be to run a business if you could just have an extra few million when you wanted it. Instead of being fiscally responsible and living within your means, just grab more money from your constituency.

East End Boondoggle in the Making

2007-06-06T21:31:00.000-04:00

I am not an "aginner." I'm not one of those people who nay-say every idea to make the community a more enjoyable place to live. I don't have a problem with spending tax dollars on projects whose only benefit is quality of life. And God knows that we have a dearth of greenspace in Charleston and recreation space is at a premium. But there is a project in the works in Charleston right now that is a terribly bad idea on so many levels it's difficult to see how anyone could think it will work.

I'm talking about the park that is being proposed for land that sits tucked away in a dreadful little corner of the East End. Here's an aerial photo. (click to enlarge).

The circled area that sits right across the railroad tracks from Laidley Field is the site that has been proposed for this park. Notice how it is bordered by a very dense neighborhood to the south. Here is a street view of that neighborhood.

This shot is taken one block from what has historically been the worst drug corner in the city: Lewis and Thompson. The row houses you see are along Dixie Street and behind these houses are other houses as you can see in the aerial shot. Almost all of these houses are rental units owned by some of the worst slumlords our city has to offer. Many of these houses have been illegally subdivided into multi-family units and the whole area is as densely populated as any section in the city. And the back doors of these houses look out onto the proposed park site.

So, some reasonable people might say, maybe a park will make a difference. Maybe it will be what the neighborhood needs to turn around. History would predict otherwise:

In the mid 1990's, a fantastic community playground, called "Celebration Station" was built not to far from the proposed park site. This wider aerial shot shows both sites. Celebration Station is at the lower left corner

Celebration Station was an amazing community project that utilized hundreds of volunteers to build an awesome playground adjacent to Piedmont Elementary School. Here is a photo taken there on a recent beautiful early summer evening.

Note how many kids are in the picture? None. Other than the basketball courts, the place is desolate most of the time, except for a few neighbor kids who live directly across the street and some rough talking teenagers that seem to always be around. (shortly after snapping this photo I was nearly hit by a shoe that was thrown in my direction by teenagers who were rough-housing on one of the children's swings - I obviously wasn't welcome on their turf). Trash is strewn about the place and graffiti covers the once-beautiful and ingeniously designed structures that were built with such care and hope. When the place was first opened I would take my kids a few times a month, but as the years went by it felt less and less safe. I don't know anyone who takes their kids there now because it just doesn't feel safe.

And Celebration Station is in a much, much safer and more accessible neighborhood than the proposed park.

People in the East End have been clamoring for recreation facilities for years and years. Mayor Jay Goldman, whenever confronted with these requests, would point at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center and say it was on the East End. Only someone who had always lived in South Hills would consider the King Center, which sits on the bank of the Elk River, as being on the East End.

The residents of the East End need and deserve a park, but not here. Granted, land is in short supply on the East End, and this land has little potential as a business location or other economic development project. But the bottom line is that, if this park is built, will be the most phenomenal waste of money we've seen in decades. And after a while residents of the East End will be run out of this park by the criminal or unseemly element that will no doubt thrive in this isolated part of town with a dense area of low and very low income housing surrounding it. And when they complain that the park has become unusable, the city fathers will say "we built you a nice park and you don't use it!"

My opinion is that this is a ploy to pre-empt the uprising that will certainly occur when the City throws several million dollars into the new library. Either that or it is a misguided attempt to fulfill a Danny Jones campaign promise. Or it might be both. Whatever the motive, it is a bad idea.

The Vandalia Gathering

2007-05-26T22:31:00.000-04:00

One of the very best things about living in Charleston happens every Memorial Day weekend. It is like an old fashioned homecoming or family reunion, except that the family is pretty darn big.

You can read all you want to about the purpose of The Vandalia Gathering on its website, so I won't go into it here. Suffice it to say that a whole bunch of really talented West Virginians who are keenly interested in passing on our culture to future generations have been flocking to Charleston for the past thirty years.

Like any family reunion, there is food a plenty. Just about every traditional West Virginia food is available including hot dogs, hot bologna sandwiches, home made ice cream and funnel cakes.

You can also find West Virginia made food items like salsa, jellies and jam, honey and peanuts.
The site of the gathering is the grounds of the State Capitol with its beautiful lawn and magnificent shade trees. Under virtually every one of these shade trees you will find a handful of musicians jamming some old time tune on various combinations of fiddle, guitar, banjo, dulcimer and upright bass.

Year after year the same players and pickers sit or stand under the same trees and sing the same songs. Some of the larger trees hold two or more groups.

After a few years you begin to have some favorites and you can always find them right there under than same tree. The dependability of it all is comforting.

If you are inspired by all of the excellent music, you can find a few places to buy a traditional mountain dulcimer; hand made by West Virginians, of course.

On of the favorite foods at Vandalia is always roasted ears of corn. When I was a kid we always called called ears of corn "roesuneers." It wasn't until I was an adult that I figured out that the word was a corruption of "Roasting Ears."

Roasting ears of corn is hot work when the temperature is already in the upper 80's, which it nearly always is at Vanadalia.

And they roast a lot of them!

Eating a roesuneer is messy work. They are juicy and covered with melted butter that runs down your arms when you eat them. The proper form is to sit or stand, leaning sharply forward from the waist to allow the juice to drip to the ground.

I'll try to post more about Vandalia in the days to come.