Charleston Currents – 2016

CALENDAR, May 23+: Cycling, festivals, Gibbes, more

Calendar events for week of May 23, 2016: Gibbes Museum reopens; Piccolo Spoleto and Spoleto Festival USA commence; Cycling talk, Nunsense, Grace Tea Room, more

by Andy Brack · 05/23/2016 · Comments are Disabled · calendar

FEEDBACK: On ferries, candidates’ homes

Judy Carberry, Charleston: “What is the old saying – what goes around, comes around? Maybe a new ferry system would provide people with a pleasant commute and lighten the traffic issues? If places as busy as NYC and Seattle can do it, we should certainly be able to figure out a way to utilize what we have so much of — waterways.” Also, letters by Amelia Dias and Justin Alexander.

by Charleston Currents · 05/23/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Feedback

REVIEW: Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending

Reviewed by Jennifer McQueen: Happy Money, nonfiction by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton

Happy Money explains how to get the best bang for your happiness buck by answering questions such as: Would you be happier spending money on an expensive car or a pricey vacation? Should you frequent expensive restaurants, or purchase a Roomba? Is time money? Should you volunteer, spend an extra hour at work, or go to the gym?

by Charleston Currents · 05/23/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Features, Reviews

HISTORY: Hogs

S.C. Encyclopedia | Pork has been important to the diet and economy of South Carolina since colonial times. Hogs were probably introduced to South Carolina in the sixteenth century by Spanish explorers. Indians acquired some of these animals, and English settlers purchased swine from the natives when they arrived at Charleston in 1670.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 05/23/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Features, S.C. Encyclopedia

This photo shows the scaffolding that was put into place to allow artisans to restore the dome of the Gibbes Museum of Art during a two-year renovation. The museum reopens this week capping a full week of arts in the Charleston area, as outlined in our Focus piece in the new issue. (Photo provided.)

FOCUS: It’s the season for the arts

Staff reports | If there ever were a week for the arts in Charleston, it’s this week, which marks the May 28 reopening of the Gibbes Museum of Art after a two-year renovation and the start of the annual 17-day festival season featuring Spoleto Festival USA and the 2016 Piccolo Spoleto Festival.

Four new shows opening May 28 (of course they’re new … the museum has been closed for two years!) include:

* The Things We Carry: Contemporary Art in the South (Gallery 8), which features paintings, sculpture, photos and mixed media by a diverse group of artists who address the South’s troubled history, including responses to the 2015 Emanuel AME Church tragedy.

* Beyond Catfish Row: The Art of Porgy and Bess (Gallery 9) celebrates the George Gershwin opera as interpreted by visual artists. …

by Charleston Currents · 05/23/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

BRACK: Legislative turtles enough to make some run for office

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | There’s so much frustration with politics as usual that maybe this is the year for grassroots candidates who are trying to win without big piles of money.

Anybody with a lick of common sense has got to be more than a little annoyed by what’s been going on in the Statehouse. Just look at the recent week as GOP lawmakers, knowing a primary is just three weeks away, trotted out the always divisive abortion issue to throw a little red meat to voters and prove their “conservative credentials.” At issue is a ban on abortions after 19 weeks, a measure that opponents are shouting is unconstitutional and scary because it will harm women (not to mention that men again are making decisions about women’s bodies).

by Andy Brack · 05/23/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Andy Brack, Views

GOOD NEWS: Hands Across the Sand draws 100 on Saturday

Staff reports | Hands Across the Sand: About 100 people joined hands Saturday to “draw a line in the sand” and support efforts to cancel plans for Atlantic offshore drilling and to raise awareness of the dangers of seismic airgun blasting off the East Coast. Also: Online Emanuel tribute, Pinckney portrait, summer reading, shade tree, poll managers.

by Charleston Currents · 05/23/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Good news, News briefs

MYSTERY: “Guida”

You may have seen the word “guida” on the side of a building somewhere in Charleston County, but where? Contributing photographer Michael Kaynard of Kaynard Photography sent along this perplexing image. Send your best guess to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com — and make sure to include the name of the town in which you live. First to guess correctly gets a pair of RiverDogs’ ticket vouchers.

by Michael Kaynard · 05/23/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Mystery Photo, Photos

CALENDAR, May 16+: Friday lunch to Bulls Bay Nature Festival, more

Calendar for the week of May 16 and beyond: Lunch in Hampton Park with the Charleston Parks Conservancy; Bulls Bay Nature Festival; Cycling speech; Gibbes Museum to reopen; more.

by Andy Brack · 05/16/2016 · Comments are Disabled · calendar

FEEDBACK: Surprise — Jasper has family left

Carol Jordan: “The article (History: Sgt. William Jasper) says that there appear to be no living relatives even though he apparently had at least two children. I would like to inform you that there are actually quite a few of us. “

by Andy Brack · 05/16/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Features, S.C. Encyclopedia