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It was a beautiful day for a march and the lack of turnout didn’t diminish the enthusiasm of the thirty or so anti-war protestors. They started at Marion Square led by a guy with a missle on his head and made their way down King to the Customs House and then down East Bay for a loop. I guess this the most visible dissent Charleston can muster in the face of war fatigue. What was strange to me was the few signless stragglers who stripped a palm tree and held the leaves aloft shouting “join us”. I was really looking forward to seeing some downtown shopper drop their bags of J.Crew goodies and jump in line with the trumpet spouting peacniks and actually “join them”.
Anyway, here’s some shots:
March 13, 2008 – 12:38 pm
This is the most bizarre and disturbing use of portrait photography I have ever seen and apparently I’m the last to hear about it. An organization called Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS) maintains a list of photographers who offer Infant Bereavement Photography. They have a complete collection of softly lit and sentimental treatments of babies who died during birth, shortly after, or even BEFORE being born.
In no way would I make light of the loss of a child, but I don’t see the purpose of this kind of portrait. The images might have a different effect on the mothers, but I found them morbid and ultimately repulsive.
Out of respect for the mothers (and copyright) I’m not going to post any of them here, but I am sharing the link:
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep
I am really interested in reading what any of you might think about this.
February 21, 2008 – 1:46 pm
When living in Atlanta, I had a spot in an old warehouse district that would blow transformers 2 or 3 times a year. When the power went out, the cinder block boxes we lived in were pitch black. So, my neighbors and I would slowly wander out into the street and alleyways to wait it out. It was the only time I met many of them and it usually ended up being a little street party.
Last night the 10 o’clock news led with details of the lunar eclipse, so I grabbed my camera and tripod and wandered out to get a shot. Sure enough, many of my neighbors had the same idea. This little cul-de-sac is not exactly a “howdy neighbor” kind of place, so I was not surprised that everyone basically stayed by their doors and stared at the moon.
I set up and got a few cloud obscured shots, but had a hard time keeping it zoomed in (that’s why I will never by another one-touch zoom). My next door neighbor’s boyfriend drove up and decided to have his dinner on his car while watching me shoot. So, cheeseburger dude spent the next ten minutes telling me how I should have seen it earlier and I wasn’t going to get anything good, blah blah.
Well, here’s what I got. Not exactly ready for Astronomy magazine, but it’s something.
February 1, 2008 – 11:34 pm
So, here it is, my plan for the new charlestoncitypaper.com:
Leverage local listing databases with augmented folksonomic tag cloud phrasings to invigorate Twitter chatter blocks using widgetized Facebook API classes. Then, initiate an intermediary custom CMS development program that prioritizes multi-tabbed thematic query forms in a cross-column stack sytem followed by rotating Flash video clips with hybrid pre-roll categorization.
Establish new editorial protocols that re-purpose pre-exisiting “pithy” and “witty” headline writing methodology to include known keyword rank boosters such as “big cock” and “nude beach” that translate into high value SEO traffic conversions. Maximize diversified platform convergence by recontextualizing content assets into truncated XML feeds suitable for redistribution into device independent content delivery technologies.
Automate self-monitoring banner inventory delivery caps as defined by maximum deliveries per IP address range filtered by a combed MaxMind Geotargeting database. Monetize remnant zone inventory by partnering with national CPM microscale banner wholesalers.
Uh, yeah. Strange, but inevitable, and somewhat true.
January 25, 2008 – 1:32 pm
It’s pretty rare that spot news happens so close to a newsroom, but that’s exactly what happened today. A hauling truck got smacked in the rear by a slow moving train on East Bay st., one block from the newsroom. The train operators were tight lipped and the truck driver was being checked out in an ambulance. From what I could tell, it looked like the truck made a run for it, trying to beat the train across the intersection. Trains are a common sight around here and are usually more than vocal about their presence. The driver wasn’t hurt and I overheard a paramedic say they weren’t even going to transport him. Here’s some shots.
  
January 21, 2008 – 10:57 am
After a weekend filled with laughter, pizza, and muscadine wine, the Charleston Comedy Fest has come to a close. Saturday night’s finale at Theatre 99 brought many of the performers together for one big gang-bang blowout. Hot Sauce, The Have Nots!, The Apple Sisters, and many more got on stage to share a last laugh. Here’s some shots of that performance:
Click here for complete gallery…
January 7, 2008 – 12:05 pm
The Map Room was invaded on Saturday by Pour It Now’s latest fundraising monster, the Battle for ‘Crete. 8 bands over 6 hours kept the energy up for a multi-generational skatefest. Highlights included Motormouth Mabel’s irritating yet effective wierdness, girls with hula hoops rocking out to Hybrid Mutants, a slamming full Sabbath set by A Decent Animal, crowd favorite FLK getting the pit in motion, and a closer by White Boy Crazy that lived up to it’s name.
John Pundt made screenprints on the spot and sold them for a dirt cheap 5 bucks. Kevin Taylor’s nostalgic look at a centerpiece of 80s skating in Charleston, the municipal pool downtown, brought in the old-schoolers to swap Vans high top stories. Closing out the night was a screening of the sick video from Lakai called “Fully Flared”.
January 7, 2008 – 11:29 am
I got a chance to see the newly re-united Snake Oil Medicine Show at the Pour House on Saturday. They decorated the stage with all kinds of toys art and blacklights, creating a surreal glow around happy people playing happy music. Frisky fiddler Caroline Pond shined with one of the most distinctive voices I’ve hear out of a bluegrass band. Think Betty Boop twinged with Maria from West Side Story. Here’s some shots from the night:
  
December 17, 2007 – 4:52 pm
Bert’s Bar held a final blowout on Friday night to celebrate 30 years of good times and old friends. Hundreds of people showed up to bid farewell to the legendary Sullivan’s Island watering hole. Locals and wellwishers paraded through downtown from the bar to the Firehouse, escorted by a brass band and hoisting a coffin to memorialize an old friend. Below are some photos I got that night.
From Music Editor T. Ballard Lesemann:
Bert’s Bar (a.k.a. Bert’s Island Characters) epitomized the Lowcountry beach bum hangout. No frills, cold beer, greasy grub, sandy floors, and colorful local characters with strong geechee accents. It was an institution in its own shabby way, a beachfront watering hole for many year-round regulars and seasonal visitors. After 23 years in business, it’s sad to hear about the Sullivan’s Island bar’s closing last week. Bar owner Tim Runyan blames a forthcoming step hike in the rent, the recent smoking ban, and the influx of wealthy immigrants to the Sullivan’s for the bar’s recent problems. With live blues, bluegrass, and rock music throughout the week and a low-key grill menu, Bert’s was the antidote to the more yuppified bars on the same block (Poe’s Tavern and Off The Hook, in particular). In my recent years back in Charleston, it was fun occasionally stroll right past those hotspots and into Bert’s for a cold beer and surly chat with a bartender or regular. It was easy to chat in Bert’s. There were few distractions, few attitude problems, and plenty of local color. The place will be missed.
From staff writer Stratton Lawrence :
Bert’s was one of the few reasons I had to travel east of the Cooper. On an island of million dollar Cadillacs, Bert’s was the old VW with the pop-top. I was never a local or a regular, but I enjoyed the aura of a place that certainly catered to its own family. As a music venue, the small stage and cramped dance floor lent itself to more collaborations and special guests than any other performance space in Charleston. Sullivan’s Island has lost more than a piece of its soul — it may have to survive on just a pulse (and Yankee dollars) from here on out. I worry that Bunky Odom will now only make rare appearances away from his RadioFreeCharleston listening room, and am collecting donations of Pabst Blue Ribbon to tide him through these trying days.
November 18, 2007 – 3:23 pm
Tired of unruly tenants on our previous server, we decided to a get place of our own and here it is. You might have noticed that the blogs have been pretty rocky over the past week and they’ve been silent for the past 24 hours. Now we’ve got a little black box all to ourselves somewhere out in Los Angeles. I had to personally get digitized and fight my way through the Master Control Program’s game servers and then…um, well that’s actually the movie Tron, but you get the idea. So, nerd humor aside, it’s nice to have things working again.
Bad Behavior has blocked 96 access attempts in the last 7 days.
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