I have two tickets to this event, benefits go to MUSC Children’s Hospital. If you’re on Twitter follow #FOW.

To enter, leave a comment and I will randomly select a winner tomorrow at noon.

As I’m sure many of you have noticed updates here at LowcountryBloggers.com have become more and more infrequent. I want to thank everyone who has been involved with the community in all of its forms over the past few years

Dan Tennant has moved to Pennsylvania and I have had as much as I can handle with the growth of Home-Ec101.

The community has also grown, blogging is no longer the only game in town. We have Twitter, Facebook, Friendfeed, 21st Century Photography, and even some activity on Google Wave. There is also  Social Media Club Charleston a group that works to help locals understand and use various social media platforms. I have been talking with Ken Hawkins at TheDigitel to see if there would be ways this community could be taken under their wing, but there isn’t a definitive plan at this moment.

Speaking of The Digitel, they are looking for a few writers and this may be something some of you are interested in:

Well then you might have the right stuff to join TheDigitel’s writing team. We’re looking for a few folks to spend 5 to 10 hours a week writing about their community.

Your time will likely be spent covering live stories, interacting on social media, reporting about other great local reporting, and everyone’s favorite: rewriting parts of press releases.

If you’re not yet familiar with us, TheDigitel.com is a hyperlocal online media site that does primary reporting and “context aggregation” in Charleston. What this means is that we’re the gateway for all things local.

Last item on the table. Google is hosting a picnic tomorrow (Saturday November 14) at Cypress Garden, here is their press release along with contact info to learn more. The weather should be gorgeous, so maybe we’ll see you there.

Community Benefit Event Set for Cypress Gardens

Proceeds will be donated to The Supporters of Historical Cypress Gardens

(BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.) – The Supporters of Historical Cypress Gardens and Google, Inc. will team up to host a Community Benefit Event on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The benefit – featuring live music from the Hot Shots and Shakin’ Martinis, an inflatable castle, children’s fossil dig and swamp fishing, face painting, balloon art, a raffle and other surprises – will be held throughout Cypress Gardens.

The Palmetto Bar-B-Que Company will sell food at the event with 20 percent of the proceeds benefiting the Supporters of Historical Cypress Gardens, the non-profit organization that supports Cypress Gardens.  Raffle tickets can also be purchased at the event. The raffle is sponsored by The Supporters of Historical Cypress Gardens. Raffle prizes will be provided by Google, Inc., who will also match proceeds from the event up to $5,000.

Cypress Gardens will offer reduced admission for attendees — $5 for adults and $2.50 for children. These special admission prices are only valid with a discount coupon, which is available at any Berkeley County library while they last. Attendees can bring the discount coupon to Cypress Gardens on Nov.14 and purchase a discounted ticket at the door. Without the coupon, tickets to Cypress Gardens will cost $10 for adults and $5 for children. The discount coupon is only valid on Nov. 14. On the event day, the park will be open only for those with a ticket.

For more information about the event, please visit www.google.com/berkeleycounty or call 843-553-0515.

WHO:              The people of Berkeley County, community leaders, representatives from Google, Inc. and the Supporters of Historical Cypress Gardens

WHAT:             Google Community Event to Benefit Cypress Gardens

WHEN:            Saturday, Nov. 14 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WHERE:           Cypress Gardens is located at 3030 Cypress Gardens Rd., Moncks Corner, S.C. 29461

EVENT DETAILS:

Parking: Free parking will be available at Cypress Gardens

Tickets: The admission price is $5 for adults and $2.50 for children with discount coupons available at any Berkeley County library.

About Cypress Gardens

Beautiful Cypress Gardens has been a preferred group and family destination since 1951. Visitors from all over the country come to experience this unique and exciting attraction, which has been featured in numerous national magazines and has offered the setting for some of the most memorable scenes in motion pictures such as The Notebook, The Patriot and Cold Mountain. Nestled within a genuine black water cypress swamp, Cypress Gardens offers a variety of adventures for adults and children of all ages, including thrilling swamp boat rides, 4.5 miles of scenic nature trails and an amazing Butterfly House.

A chance encounter has changed Wendy’s outlook:

The night after that happened I made a decision that I would never make anyone feel the way that woman made me feel. I made a conscious decision to live Joyfully. That decision has had a profound impact on my life. I feel like I have been liberated from stress.

A familiar face can be found at the Navy Yard, where they have  interviewed fellow blogger Leigh Webber.

Phish stories.

Simple Cents recommends FinanceWorks as a budgeting tool.

Content management can be overwhelming, but here’s a layman’s rundown of folksonomy through tagging.

Parting shot: recipes to celebrate Octoberfest from Hugging the Coast.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for Oct 17th for our yearly Blognic and October 24th, Barcamp Charleston has released another 50 tickets after nearly selling out earlier today.

An important anniversary will soon be here and the Post and Courier wants your photos from Hurricane Hugo.

Simply Cents wants to know if you have a disaster plan in place, as there will be another storm. Someday.

Local blogs joining forces? Well, it’s sort of like that. BeliefNetwork will be providing information technology to Rehava and both have a presence in our blogging community. (Hat tip to MyStyleeLife)

So, now that we’re talking networking, Patrick’s not really feeling Linked In.

Are you having trouble choosing your social medium?

Unrelated, the old school Nintendo theme in theses photos just tickles me. We played 8-bit and liked it, now get off my lawn.

Lock-ins are apparently not just for giggling youth groups, Eye Level Art is hosting another artist lock in.

I can’t ignore the foodies, tonight I stumbled on Asian pork burgers and Creazes; I never knew the world was so full of things to crave.

Heather Solos appears to be busy at Home Ec 101, but can be caught slacking at home.

President Obama’s speech to school children has been the subject of many posts. As always opinions belong to the quoted bloggers.

Brad Franko:

For those of you charging that this is a Socialist agenda, keep in mind Presidents Reagan, and H.W. Bush also addressed America’s students.  They too were met with critics for doing so.

And, on the other side, releasing the transcript when the media first started asking for it, would have likely prevented a lot of the outrage.

Simple Cents:

In his talk the President says “You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.” Those in our state impacted by layoffs and the economic downturn can certainly understand the importance of this message.

Jamie Sanderson:

Here we go. The South Carolina GOPher patrol is at it again. And they want to use your taxpayer money to send them to the statehouse to work on, get this, legislation to “prevent further efforts by the President to influence school kids.”

JanetLee:

Personal responsibility, developing goals, not using circumstances as an excuse, hard work, respect for yourself and others, wow that’s some scary stuff there! Oh wait, no it isn’t. It’s what we’ve been telling our children for generations.

Patrick:

The parents who were so sure, absolutely convinced that there were unimaginable levels of improper politics that were going to be “sold” to unsuspecting children will never, of course, admit that their suspicions were the slightest bit unreasonable. They’ll only sit back with a big smile on their face, confident that the stink they raised was the only thing that prompted Obama to post the text of the speech to begin with. (Despite the fact that it’s practically routine that a president releases the complete text of a major address before he sits down to deliver it…it is the Information Age, after all.)

Geekgasm:

And this semester I find myself, for the second time, teaching a course on the graphic novel. Today was the first day of class and I woke up in a panic feeling wildly unqualified to teach a course about comic books.

Facebook ProTips from Katie Wells, alternately titled one person’s opinion on how not to use Facebook.

Geoff is still out wandering the country and checks in from the Mojave Desert, where there used to be a phonebooth. Why yes, there is a geektastic connection, however did you guess?

The Charleston Chapter of the AMA is hosting a Twitpic contest with 4 tickets to the next Pecha Kucha for the winner.

I can’t skip a post that randomly quotes a Discworld Novel.

Baxter Sez: A year of Maybelle.

New to the blogroll Hunter Boone shares his video entry to the Jimmy Fallon Intern contest.

Charleston Park Angels check in.

JanetLee on living wills and the healthcare debate:

And just like the retail store that raises prices to cover for losses due to shoplifting, the hospitals raise prices to cover the losses for treating the uninsured. And insurance companies raise the price of premiums and cut services to cover for the larger hospital costs.

So, we are paying for the uninsured right now. The problem is that instead of paying for a doctor’s visit to have blood pressure checked and then paying for blood pressure medication, we are paying for a person to come in with a full blown stroke due to sky-high blood pressures. We are paying for emergency department bills, ICU care for weeks, rehab if the person survives, then home care and now we have a person on disability who we will continue to pay the medical costs for.

Seriously steamed? Andra has steps to get back in control.

David Farrow recommends the forum The Charleston Times.

Local weather geek Christopher Donahue shares a fantastic photo of the eyewall of Hurricane Bill and suggests visiting Dr. Jeff Masters Wunderblog.

Set your alarm, kids tonight may be one of your last chances to see a night launch of the space shuttle.

What’s happening with the Georgetown Steel Mill? The Politics of Jamie Sanderson has some details on the negotiations.

Events

Tomorrow, August 19th,  join Social Media Club Charleston for Social Media 101. It’s a free event at the College of Charleston’s Wachovia Auditorium. The panel starts at 6pm and at 8 we’ll head over to Mellow Mushroom for an extended happy hour. Feel free to drop in or follow the hashtag #smcchs to keep up with the event.

August 25th the Charleston Arts Coalition is hosting a Creative Town Hall Meeting, “Nursing Creativity Through an Economic Slump.”

Hurricanes

Bill reminds us big storms can happen in slow seasons.

Flora and Fauna

Photo Credit: Audubon South Carolina

You may have been to Mepkin Abbey, but have you taken the bug tour?

Are your coneflowers fading? Offshoots explains a possible reason.

Quick Tips

Recycle your phonebook (and stop new ones from arriving).

Social Media

Need an update about traffic or construction on I-26 due to the expansion project? You’re in luck, there is a Twitter account.

What could have happened if Best Buy had responded positively to their $9.99 pricing error?

Impersonal social networking?

We like Meta.

Helen, of Tartlette, shows off her new digs.

Pink Wallpaper got some love from Design Dazzle.

New to the blogroll the Navy Yard Blog.

Random

Bummed out? Try Bejeweled.

Subtle humor from Patrick’s Place.

A hard sell can lead to bad publicity.

Heather is starting to get nervous, but that doesn’t stop her from blogging at Home Ec 101 or at home.

The only reason we’re not outside watching the Persieds is, well there’s nature and bugs out there (and clouds).

Set your DVR to the Travel Channel on August 19th at 10pm to catch some local flavor.

No, you won’t be home, you’ll be out enjoying yourself with the fine folks from SMC Charleston after the Social Media 101 panel.

Have you seen Charleston Today?

Paul the photographer spends his time freaking out the pharmacist’s assistant:

Hi. How may I help you?
Paul: Hello. I’d like to buy one syringe, no sharp (needle) please. Enough to hold about 10 ml.
P.A.: (looks at Pharmacist quizzically, then back at me like I had two heads!) – Ummmm. OK?
Paul: (Let’s them dangle in the wind a bit knowing that they want to ask why.)

Congratulations to the fine folks at Hook, they have been featured by Smashing Magazine.

Charleston Health Care Stories will premiere August 20th.

Hurricane season is not over and WCSC notes that it is time to watch the tropics.

Have you tried a CSA, City Reimagined reminds us of the option.

Copyright law, always a fun topic, who owns the raw footage of a photo shoot?

We’re bloggers, you know someone had to mention the Volt’s 230 mpg.

Compost in my Shoe celebrates his first year at the blog.

What’s a round up without a little pie?

We can’t completely neglect politics, Earl on divorce and the public eye:

Sooner or later, you come to learn two things:

1) There’s rarely ever a case where someone is completely blame-free, and
2) No matter how much you may want to protect them, the kids always get caught in the middle.

… and that’s even without the entire world surrounding you, trying to pile it on and make it as visible and hurtful as they can.

Heather hangs at Home Ec 101 and in the Corner.

Have you seen Kate Waring? She was last seen being taken home from Wasabi’s on State St.

Barcamp Charleston has a date and venue. Now it’s time for you to help organize the event.

Mark your calendars, Robert Donovan’s first photography show is set for August 18 at Farringdon’s Bistro Pub, stop by, enjoy a beverage and support one of our own.

Read Charlie? Stop by and meet the interpreters of MUSC:

They spend their days visiting clinics, dropping by birthing rooms and racing to the ER. Never mind the fact that they have little-to-no medical or social work training. They’re still the lifeline for Charleston County’s 11,000 plus Spanish speaking residents. In fact, they’re the area’s only group to provide in-person medical translation.

After spending a recent Monday morning with these caring souls, we’ll be the first to tell you their job’s not an easy one. Like many of the hospitals’ physician teams, the Interpreter Services office is always open, through daybreaks, weekends and holidays.

Speaking of photos, Jenna shares a rare and elusive sighting at the South Carolina Aquarium.

Addison muses on the demise of serendipity:

What has drawn me to the great inter-tube, and has kept my interest for the past 5 years, is that each visit brings the likelihood of learning something new, or being exposed to a different perspective which might open me to new possibilities, or just giving me something else to think and chew on. Rarely have I been disappointed.

Recently, my friend Xark mentioned that he was, if I may paraphrase, reconsidering his usage of his reader, which I took to mean that he was reducing his reading of blogs in response to the powerful force of social media, i.e., Twitter, Facebook, et al. The further implication being, to my ears at least, that blogs might not be as good as the newbies in terms of delivering timely, relevant information. . .

I hear congratulations are in order for our favorite blogging wedding planner.

Book lovers are a special kind of nut.

Have you tried flash fiction? Dark Sky Magazine shares a twisted little piece, Hog Ripping.

While we’re talking twisted, one of Manson’s cohorts has been paroled.

Since our blogosphere is such a small, interconnected world, it’s only appropriate that we now move on to Chuck’s. You do know he covered the Manson trial, right? No worries, today he was covering (and sampling) a cookie contest.

High tech penny pinching.

MojoSteve rants on our “local species of idiots.”

Holly Herrick is back in town to sign copies of her first cookbook.

Stop by and wish James well, he is going back to school:

I have two teenagers left at home and I have been preaching to them the importance of getting the best education possible. The best education possible includes making good grades in high school so that they hopefully can pass an SAT and get into college and get a four year degree in something other than basket weaving. When I am telling my kids about the importance of college I have always been very real with them and used my life as an example.

Before you slip off to bed, keep these words from Syd close at hand:

Instead I’m glad to find that contentment is not dependent on circumstances or other people. Instead, it depends on my outlook. Circumstances may color the world around me but joy comes from deep within. And the extraordinary is everywhere around me if I just take the time to look. A jewel can be as bright as a diamond or be the dew on morning grass. Music can be the sound that comes from a Stradivarius or the rain on the roof. Taste can be a five-star meal in a fine restaurant or a hot dog cooked over a camp fire.

Sleep tight.

Heather says she’s been tweaking the template her usual place, but it won’t belong before she’s back in the writer’s seat.

Tarred, that’s Southern for tired or so I’ve heard. Today’s lesson, if you spend all day wearing the kids out for a quiet evening, you just get tired parents.

What’s happening in the blogosphere?

With my currently craptastic Internet connection I have to tell you that Adam Boozer’s latest video selection is great based solely on my previous experiences. You tell me, what is this video?

What if it was called Insurance Reform?

Oh those no-account do-gooder bloggers.  Tweet in the City is helping Lowcountry Orphans and Kristin is running to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Lies and damned statistics.

Don’t forget about Swine Flu.

Sometimes what we need is for someone to care:

I don’t think it matters how old we get, it always feels beyond good to have a Mother send us on our way with food to nourish us.

Heather Solos writes for Home Ec 101 and her personal blog, when she’s not off galavanting.