Charleston Currents – Andy Brack

Articles by: Andy Brack

BRACK: Go the extra mile, do the extra work and exceed expectations

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | With hundreds of thousands of South Carolina students headed back to classrooms now, here’s hoping that it will be their best year ever, a year in which they exceed the expectations of their parents and teachers, a year in which they work harder to achieve excellence.

If we all exceed expectations, we’ll change the places where we learn, work and play. Imagine if 700,000 public school students did better in the classroom.

by Andy Brack · 08/19/2018 · Comments are Disabled · Andy Brack, Views

Clinton and Riley at the Aug. 6 event. Photo ©University of South Carolina

BRACK: Dick Riley reminds us what decency in leadership is all about

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | Good old-fashioned decency in political discourse is a rarity in these times of electronic and highly-partisan discontent.

But good old-fashioned decency was on full display Aug. 6 in Columbia as the University of South Carolina commemorated the life and work of former Gov. and U.S. Secretary of Education Dick Riley during the official opening of his political collection. Part of it is now on public exhibition in the Ernest F. Hollings Special Collections Library and includes thousands of photographs, speeches, notes and more that give insights into Riley, a quiet lion of a leader.

by Andy Brack · 08/13/2018 · Comments are Disabled · Andy Brack, Views

BRACK: S.C. leaders suggest history, fiction titles for summer reading

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | Summertime and vacation conjure images of spending time with a light novel – a “beach read” – to while away the time and recharge the brain’s batteries.

But what if someone wanted to read something a little more substantive to learn about South Carolina’s history or politics? Or read a great novel that inspires?

At the top of the history list should be “The Palmetto State: The Making of Modern South Carolina,” a 2009 examination of modern South Carolina history by Jack Bass and Scott Poole that gives context to everything going on today.

by Andy Brack · 08/06/2018 · Comments are Disabled · Andy Brack, Views

NEWS BRIEFS: Red Cross has emergency need for more blood

Staff reports | While thousands of people have responded to an emergency call by the American Red Cross for blood and platelet donations, there continues to be an emergency need for donors of all blood types, especially type O, to give now to address a severe blood shortage.

According to a press release, Red Cross blood donations are being distributed to hospitals faster than they are coming in, and right now there is less than a five-day blood supply on hand. The Red Cross strives to keep a five-day supply of blood to meet the needs of patients and to be prepared for emergencies that require significant volumes of donated blood products.

by Andy Brack · 08/06/2018 · Comments are Disabled · Good news, News briefs

FOCUS: National Lighthouse Day is Aug. 4 on Sullivan’s Island

Staff reports | You can celebrate National Lighthouse Day on the grounds of the U,S, Coast Guard Historic District from noon to 4 p.m. on Aug. 4.

“We hope that people from the local communities and those from afar will come out and explore the grounds of the U.S. Coast Guard Historic District and learn about Charleston Light,” said Chief of Interpretation Paula Ogden-Muse.

Visitors may view exhibits in the historic life-saving station boathouse, according to a press release from the National Park Service. Activities for children include boat building and a special junior ranger activity to earn a badge. Additional exhibits will focus on water safety and lighthouse preservation.

by Andy Brack · 07/30/2018 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

Part of the Equal Justice Initiative memorial to people who were lynched in Alabama because of their color. An Alabama museum tells the story of injustice and terror endured by people of color during long struggle from slavery until today. Photo by Bill Sutton (Lynched in Alabama eji, Montgomery) [CC BY 2.0] via Wikimedia Commons

BRACK: Markers needed to remember victims of S.C. lynchings

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | As part of Renaissance Weekend several years ago in Charleston, some participants gave downtown walking tours to visitors wanting to know more about the Holy City.

Mine was called the “Liar’s Tour.” The dozen people in the group were told that everything they heard on the tour was true – except for one thing. Their job was to figure out the lie.

So they heard about the Big Brick, a high-end brothel on Fulton Street that now is a fancy restaurant. They learned about the fire that destroyed a Catholic cathedral in 1861, an inn that was home to a signer of the Declaration of Independence, the Four Corners of Law and the nation’s oldest theater.

by Andy Brack · 07/30/2018 · 1 comment · Andy Brack, Views

GOOD NEWS: Literary festival lasts through Saturday, more

Staff reports | The Charleston County Public Library (CCPL) is celebrating writing this week through Aug. 4 with the Write On! Literacy Festival with talks with authors, workshops and other writing activities.

On July 28, the festival included the first OtrantoCon 2018, a free event for all ages who love anime, comics, science, fiction, fantasy and cosplay, at the Otranto Road Regional Branch.

by Andy Brack · 07/30/2018 · Comments are Disabled · Good news, News briefs

BRACK: Trump on Russia makes S.C. GOP leaders squirm

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | It’s been pretty easy to vote Republican in South Carolina for the last two decades thanks to the recurring mantra about less government and lower taxes.

But now with President Donald Trump’s European Summer Vacation blitzkrieg across Brussels, London, Scotland and Helsinki, mainstream, old-school Republicans are finding support of the Trump GOP to be somewhat uncomfortable.

by Andy Brack · 07/23/2018 · 2 comments · Andy Brack, Views

BRACK: Teach your children to swim

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | While the world marveled at the miraculous rescue of 12 Thai boys and their coach, the drowning deaths of three South Carolinians years ago haunted my thoughts.

In June 1989, three girls and a boy played in the Edisto River in Charleston County about four miles upstream of U.S. Highway 17. It was hot. Suddenly, three girls, all cousins, got pulled into a swift undercurrent where the 3-foot-deep water sharply dropped. One of the girls’ father jumped in to try to save them. Two other men pulled an 11-year-old girl from the river. The 13-year-old boy got out on his own.

by Andy Brack · 07/16/2018 · 2 comments · Andy Brack, Views

A ship in Charleston harbor. Photos via Charleston Branch Pilots Association in Charleston Currents.

BRACK: Use smarter tools to be tough on trade

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | President Donald Trump is the bully in the China shop of global trade. If a new trade war sparked by tariffs on goods from China, Canada, Mexico and our European allies continues, South Carolinians will lose jobs – lots of jobs.

“The South Carolina economy is placed at high risk in the current tough talk about trade,” said economist C. Bruce Yandle, dean emeritus of the Clemson University College of Business and Behavioral Science.

by Andy Brack · 07/09/2018 · Comments are Disabled · Andy Brack, Views