First things first: BLOGNIC!

HERE & THERE

Firefighter Hourly has a thought-provoking post about how not talking about “sensitive” issues is a bad idea when people’s lives and safety depend on good answers.

The fraternity of chief officers is the most frustrating. In the Charleston area only one chief officer spoke up about the disastrous operations at the Sofa Super Store on June 18, 2007. The others sat back and watched and each had their own reasons. Privately they were fuming but publicly they were mute or, in the case of one upstate chief, effusive in praising the operation of a department found with substantial issues.

Chuck covers the 3rd Annual American Music Celebration at Kiawah.

A cool poem at the road less traveled by Nikki. I can’t do it justice here, so check it out there.

Heidi has written a very personal, very honest and rather fascinating account of her relationship with food and weight. Recommended.

Nick Smith’s spooky video for Boone’s Hall.

Steve Wood:

What if the church conceived of its ministry as a service it provided in the marketplace? How would we market it? What would the price point be for its services? Would anyone line up to by it?

Theo has lost 63 pounds. That’s six months of discipline. Congrats!

Any one of my four teenage children (World of Warcraft players all) would do a better job of reviewing the latest from Honor’s Code, and I’m sure that if you play you’ll be very interested in this extremely technical and helful post (Preparing Your Tankadin for Patch 3.0: Part 4: New Toys), which is part of a technical and helpful series. But I’m just nodding and saying… “Um… COOL!”

Moving on…

RECIPE BREAK

Crabmeat-Crowned Tilapia Fillets.

Yum…

MORE HERE & THERE GOODNESS

Bye-Bye to The Trusted Palate (a.k.a. “The Busted Wallet”). Closed as of last Friday.

Hey, this is cool: The Great American Paint Out took place here on Sunday!

SELF-PROMOTION ALERT: I put together a new banner at Xark this week (part of a long-overdue tuneup that’s still ongoing). The concept involved using as many faces as I could work into a banner that’s 677 px x 202 px… and that number (for those of you keeping score at home) is 92. There are some locals in the mix, of course, and I’ve uploaded a larger version for those who want to try to spot everyone on the list. Have at it!

And, in other major Xark news, Janet has launched a separate blog: XarkGirl. Her slogan: “Same principles; more estrogen.”

Another one of Heather’s Household Truths:

The ratio of your home’s condition to a state of complete chaos is inversely proportional to the likelihood of uninvited guests arriving.

Looks like I’d better start cooking, because there’s obviously a big crowd headed my way…

AND ON TO POLITICS…

Babbie from The Newsless Courier:

Now well into the high school football season, the promised new scoreboard for Stoney Field, where the Burke Bulldogs play, has yet to materialize! How low a priority is Burke for CCSD?

Mike at SoD has another poem:

Eatin’ moose burgers ?
You betcha she’s the gal -
Our winking barracuda
Makes Johnny Mac blush
Like a Maryland farmer.
Gotta love her so say the hockey moms
Up Wasilla way.
Give me Barack and Joe,
Because at least I know what they are.

Addison’s mind has been on biology quite a bit these days, which led him indirectly to some thoughts about politics and Barack Obama. His conclusion:

He is, in reality, further removed from the prime meridian of politics than his opponent. Yes, he is charming, suave, and glib. His opponent is a crusty curmudgeon, who can barely bring himself to shake Obama’s hand. Maybe this letter provides a clue to the reluctance. But the fact is that Obama, as defined by his choices in life, is a candidate whose very leftward tilt should be of great concern to all voters come November, 2008.

Kim at The Punkin Patch writes about the recent tone of the McCain/Palin campaign:

What’s McCain gonna do at the last debate? Call him ‘boy’? Too obvious? How bout ‘uppity’. Its been used before by a McCain supporter. It is amazing to me just how nasty the McCain campaign has become. And just I love the coded language McCain and Palin have been using.

“I am just so fearful that this is not a man who sees America the way you and I see America.” Palin has said.

In other words he’s not like you and me — you know, white. Keith Olbermann referred to this in his special comment Monday night saying,”it’s a nifty trick to remind the white folk that (psst) Obama is black.”

Jeff Tompkins is on the same track.

Jim Wallace:

I believe most people feel they are pretty darn lucky to be living the life they are living. If their life does need change the last thing they want is change dictated by Washington. Does anyone think that the feds will improve schools? Health care? Roads? Agriculture? Banking? Living conditions? Food prices? Retail prices? When Uncle Sam says he is going to make changes the first thing you should do is grab your wallet.

And to wrap today’s political section, Babbie points out that while the AP has identified Linda Ketner as gay, The Post and Courier has not. 

PARTING SHOT

Blue Ion explains Google’s new GMail “Mail Goggles,” which uses math problems to prevent you from sending drunken e-mails to your friends at 3 a.m.

Too bad they don’t have that setting for blog posts. I could use it.

Blackbaud is definitely making an effort to expand its use of social media. I wonder why more companies aren’t following suit? Perhaps they’re waiting for a high-priced consultant to explain it to them. /sarcasm.

While most companies remain firmly entrenched in the 20th century, more of us migrate across the digital divide every day. Today’s convert is Eric, who just made the move to Twitter (Memo to non-Tweeters: You will be assimilated)…

Speaking of Eric, here’s his theory about a sign that an economic crash is coming:

The 1920s were another season of the fast buck, janitors were looking at the stock market, the good times were rolling. Then the bottom fell out.

I saw this phenomenon close-up during the early 1980s gold fever. I worked part time for a silver and gold broker, and a lot of ordinary folks were scraping their money together to buy Krugerrands (if y’all remember those things). The gold market topped out at around $850 per troy ounce, then did an unbelievable swan dive to the $300-something range, practically overnight. This taught me something: When you see taxi drivers looking at a certain investment, expect it to crash. (Back then, I used the term “taxi drivers” as my metaphor for average Joes, and this was nearly 20 years before I became one of those taxi drivers. How prophetic is that?)

Alligators in your hotel lobby? No, this isn’t a St. George joke, it’s Louisiana…

PALIN-DRONE

The Governor of Alaska continues to serve as a national litmus test for… well, SOMETHING. Write your own tag. And with tonight’s debate promising to be a ratings smash, she’s on a lot of minds at the moment.

Marianne of Conservative Amazons tells us why she thinks Palin supporters like the woman so much: Character.

World politics, to some extent, can be taught.  That is, after all, the point of my (useless) poli sci degree.  Character can’t.  And while a good president can surround himself/herself with very knowledgeable advisers, they can’t really borrow the courage to make a tough decision.

Meanwhile, Saphyre Rose gets in a zinger about the new Sara Palin doll:

I was wondering with the list of things that came with this doll and stand, podium, Alaska state seal, microphone, stage, 2 US flags, 3 floral arrangements and a nice backdrop portrait.

Where is the folder of her ex-brother-in-law’s employment records when he was a state trooper or the fistful of cash from Citicorp, Goldman Sachs, Meryl Lynch et al and most importantly where is the screw that we all know is loose on this woman?

TODAY’S RECIPES
Pecan Cheddar Biscuits

Asian Sunflower Seed Curry

ETC., ETC.

Jared has a new Wii, which in a roundabout way leads to a very interesting observation about Opera. Is there new reason to remember this pioneering browser?

The Wii fascinates me. It can’t play DVDs without a hack, but yet it can run — and run quite well, I say — rich websites. (I also like the Forecast Channel for obvious reasons. ) The Wii is quite a powerful little box and I’m looking to experimenting with it more.

I think devices like the Wii stress the importance of embracing Web standards and a strong commitment to testing sites on multiple platforms, including Opera. Opera’s a nifty little browser; few people use it on their PC, but it’s literally everywhere else, whether it be in the Wii or on portable devices (many BlackBerry users, including myself, use Opera for the Web instead of the built-in RIM browser). Its share on traditional desktop machines may be low, but anything outside of it and you’ll run into Opera. It’s increasingly in any developer’s best interest to ensure that a site they create is accessible not just by computer but by mobile devices and other specialty devices like the Wii; anytime those devices fail to work, that’s lost audience.

Today’s funniest flowchart comes via The Rev. BigDumbChimp, but you’ve kinda gotta be in on the whole Richard Feynman thing to get the laugh…

Check out Farrah’s cause documentary for the SC Burned Children’s Fund.

PARTING SHOT

So let me get this right: Jim Wallace was riding his bike, got hit by a truck and transported to the hospital with head trauma, and the cop GAVE JIM A TICKET FOR NOT HAVING AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE?

I’m sure somebody has a rationalization for this, but to put it bluntly: I don’t care. Rationalized official stupidity is still stupid, no matter how rationalized, no matter how official. Thank you for listening to today sermon, and please tip your ushers on the way out…

There are a few Big Stories afloat out there today — a fight over the market bailout, the various permutations of John McCain’s decision to “suspend” his campaign (quotation marks because at this hour it’s not clear that this has actually happened), etc. — but the local blogging scene is surprisingly placid this morning.

Maybe it’s the weather…

Technically this system is subtropical or extratropical. I even saw it called a hybrid subtropical storm. So what makes a storm subtropical? Well where it forms is one thing. If it forms north (like this one did) or south of the latitude range for a tropical system, it may be categorized as subtropical. In subtropical systems, the heaviest winds and rain aren’t concentrated around the center and the core of the storm may consist of cold air, where tropical systems have warm air in their core and the heaviest rains and winds are close to its center. The designation of tropical vs. subtropical is somewhat subjective and it really doesn’t matter to you and me. It will be rainy and windy for the next 24 hours no matter what they dub this thing.

Jay Lowry of Firefighter Hourly endorses his choice for Charleston Fire Chief: Thomas Carr.

An exceptional leader with experience in a busy department with over 2000 members, a person devoted to firefighter safety and someone with the vision to move the department forward, Thomas Carr doesn’t need to wait to hear his name called. In fact, not calling his name may weaken the bright light shining on the city and its firefighters.

Hungry? Here’s Doug’s Recipe Corner at Hugging the Coast: Jalapeno Mesquite Boiled Peanuts.

Earl Capps takes Bobby Harrell to the woodshed.

Pedicab Man Jim Wallace posts a picture of himself after an accident involving his bike and a truck.

I was knocked out for several hours, have three broken ribs and have a enough road rash to last a several life times. I have no idea what happen but Nick saw me a little earlier and I was in my lane, the guy who hit me says I pulled in front of him. Not likely considering the location.

Pretty horrific stuff, but let me just speak for everyone who has been following Jim’s adventures and say best wishes on a quick recovery.

JJ parses the Citadel/Princeton band dust-up:

the blame lies almost completely with the Citadel’s administration. whether from a lack of understanding of the Princeton band culture or that of their own student body, they were remiss in their duties. if the Princeton band was to be allowed access to the campus, they should have been provided with guidance on what was and was not acceptable. in addition, the Corps of Cadets should have been warned that the band would be coming. to expect cadets, already involved in the competitive activities of a Field Day, to simply ignore an apparent “invasion” by the Princeton band is ludicrous.

neither side seems to be able to look at the other’s point of view. the Princeton boosters feel their band did nothing wrong and were needlessly assaulted – and they’re right. the Citadel cadets and supporters feel their honored traditions were being trampled and the Corps rightly defended them – and they’re also correct.

but two rights can still make a wrong.

And I’ll also pass along my own post from this morning. My final assignment at the local daily was to write an essay about the changes in mass-media journalism for the newspaper’s weekly Faith & Values section. This morning the man who requested the piece wrote to say that senior editors had chosen not to run it, and that I was free to publish it as I saw fit.

Which is the wonderful thing about having a blog. Hence, my take on The Media Interregnum.

Y’all have a great Thursday.

While South Carolina has a reputation for dirty politics, it’s always seemed to me that the political climate here changes dramatically as you cross county lines or leave this city for that town. And frankly, I’ve always wondered if Charleston is actually all that interested in politics anyway, given that it tends to interfere with our other vices.

Nevertheless, the political discussions continue, because it’s that time of year.

But before we get to that, a reminder:

The weather just got better, and it’s finally starting to feel… civilized out there.

This morning is the first clear indication that fall is on the way. The temperatures are in the upper 60′s and the high today will be around 80 F. That trend will continue through the weekend with a brisk NE wind.

It just has that fall feeling in the air too. The shadows are longer and the days shorter.

And now, food…

Sure, we’re supposed to be talking about politics (and the markets, and the economy), but this being the Lowcountry, what we really want to talk about is food.

Everyone’s favorite Tartlette has Saffron and Vanilla poached pears. Kinda makes you feel bad about how much you just enjoyed that Snickers, doesn’t it?

Sean (from McCrady’s) is back from his annual star chefs trip to New York. Just reading his bullet-point memories is enough to make you want to get on a train to the Big Apple.

Charleston Girl gives a thumbs up to Smokey Bones BBQ.

But the big buzz seems to be about Trattoria Lucca on Bogard Street. A late-night, neighborhood restaurant on Bogard Street? My, how things have changed in Charleston.

Politics, etc.
This isn’t exactly timely, but if you just can’t get enough pictures of local politicos having fun at conventions, Earl’s got some photos from Denver.

Andy Brack has the S.C. ETV House and Senate debate schedule. Other than the Senate debate between Lindsey Graham and Bob Conley on Oct. 29, the only debate of any real interest locally is the 1st District show down on Oct. 1 between GOP Incumbent Henry Brown and challenger Linda Ketner. By the way, Ketner went after Brown Wednesday with a challenge to meet in three debates (Brown campaign guru Rod Shealy quickly rejected it), and generally spent the day turning up the heat on “The Republican Workhorse.”

And this wasn’t blogged, but I just have to mention it, anyway. Conventional wisdom says that if you’re the challenger, you want debates because it’s free media and the format puts you on even footing with the incumbent. So what kind of challenger declines an invitation to an ETV debate? GOP 6th District “challenger” Nancy Harrelson, who apparently is running for something other than Jim Clyburn’s seat in the House. Just sayin’.

Patrick doesn’t like the tenor of the presidential race:

Here’s an idea: let’s focus on issues. Let’s talk about what’s wrong with the country, and the specific plans to fix it. Sure, resumés are interesting, but if the most experienced candidate is on the opposite side of the things you care about, are you better off voting for experience?

I’d like to ask if the electorate is generally dumb enough to fall for such a ridiculous tactic…but unfortunately, I know the answer.

Jeff Tompkins takes a look at the economy and John McCain’s economic team:

In 1999, McCain was one of 54 Senators (53 Republicans, 1 Democrat) to vote for the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (a.k.a. the “Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act”), a major deregulation bill that many leading economists argue lead to the subprime mortgage crisis and put other sectors of our economy at risk, some of which we are seeing now in the financial services sector.

In case you were wondering who that bill was named for, the “Gramm” part is Phil Gramm, former Senator, and McCain’s economic adviser who said that the country is just in a “mental recession” and that we have become a “nation of whiners.” This is the guy who could very likely become the next Treasury Secretary if McCain is elected.

Closer to home, Jay at Firefighter Hourly has a podcast talking about who might get the Fire Chief job in Charleston.

Charleston Moves is a transportation group that advocates the benefits of cycling. It posted a truly pathetic example of poor planning.

For cyclists and pedestrians (perhaps especially those with very limited finances), the Cosgrove Avenue bridge is an in-your-face example of inequities in our local approach to transportation.

This and that…

Looking for a job that actually pays real money (Why yes!)? Mike posts several careers with excellent outlooks. Who knew dental hygienists could make so much money?

Seen a fuzzy, off-white caterpillar around your yard? Pam did, and with her usual curiosity discovered that there are spines in its fur that release a toxin that, when injected into the skin, produce “excruciating, unrelenting pain.” So now you’ve got that to worry about, too.

Why is King Street all torn up down in the the antique district?

Lori loves obits…

I’m not morbid, but I love the obituaries. I read them every day. I don’t know what I find so fascinating about them, but I cannot NOT turn to that section … before I look at anything else … to check things out. Been doing it since I was a kid.

There’s a literary piece on a late night truck stop over at Cedar Posts…

There are no friends at the Pilot truck stop at 3 am, no families on vacation, no smiling faces going to beautiful places in South Carolina as this is the last rung of the ladder of life.

Parting shot…

And since blogging is supposed to be about pajamas and cats (that’s what The Media said, so it’s got to be true), here’s a silly photogallery of Thor, Charleston’s most famous feline blogstar.

Since the Hanna threat has backed off considerably in the past 12 hours, I figured I give the weather blogging a rest for a day. We’ll need to be fresh for all the worrying Ike will bring, so take it easy while you can, campers!

Last night’s GOP lineup prompted some local commentary, though not quite as much (and not quite as positive) as I expected. That could be because Gov. Sarah Palin’s speech ran so late and so many of our number have jobs to attend, which could mean an echo-boom of political posts for the Friday round-up.

Was last night’s scene a sign of the Apocalypse?

Jennifer praises Palin’s performance, though not its substance.

Alright, I’ll say it – she hit it out of the park. I know I’m gonna take a lot of heat from my left flank for this, but you’ve gotta give the lady some credit: sassy, sarcastic, and at times, downright brutal, Palin brought it and she brought it hard last night at the RNC.

While I didn’t agree with almost anything she said, Palin did a great job hammering home each one of this year’s enlightened GOP talking points before her obnoxiously energized conservative base. Moreover, she earned some serious political street cred with her vicious attacks against Obama and the darn “liberal media.”

Mike from Shadow of Diogenes didn’t take to the “picking on Palin” narrative.

First of all I think that there are women who are qualified to be Vice President ; however, I am not prepared to say that Sarah Palin is one of them.

Uncle Zoloft has fun with Sarahs.

JET wasn’t buying whatever Mitt Romney was selling…

oh Mitt, you shouldn’t have-all of this talk about Liberals depending on the largess and expansion of government when you know the Republicans have used the government’s trough quite well for the past eight years, making their friends and sponsors quite wealthy and President (George W.) Bush has expanded the government more than any president since (FD) Roosevelt. Yet, continue passing out the Kool-Aide to the kids at the convention before they realize (those poor geographically challenged souls) that Massachusetts is in the East and you sir are a dyed-in-the-wool “Eastern-Elitist”.

Meanwhile, Earl Capps continues his coverage of the local delegation to the RNC…

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

Reminder: Recycle your old phone books.

Southern Living notices Upper King Street as a design Mecca.

I didn’t realize Chuck was overseas…

Babbie really doesn’t like the Rev. Joe Darby…

JimRigney, better known as author Robert Jordan, was a Charlestonian, a Citadel graduate and well-known for his collection of edged weapons. Now comes a post on his old blog announcing that his collection is up for bid on eBay.

PARTING SHOT

A special shout-out to this post: My child is not his medication. Amen, sister.

For those of you keeping score at home, this is my first local blog roundup in more than a year, and the expansion of our blogroll is rather impressive. Thank you, Heather and Dan T.

POLITICS

Yes, we’re writing about it…Raymond, who doesn’t support Barack Obama, thinks his nomination is a good thing.

I’ve thought for years that if a serious candidate who happens to be black ran for President, he/she would have as good a shot as any white man of winning. I didn’t realize how black Americans thought about that until the primary results began to come in and little by little, it was proven that white Americans were willing to vote for a black candidate. I can’t tell you how many black friends of mine reacted with shock that white people WOULD vote for a black candidate. If for no other reason than that, I can say Obama winning the primary was a good thing.

Also, for the record, Raymond thinks many Democrats (or at least the Clintons) secretly want Obama to lose.

Others had a more favorable impression.

Linda Ketner’s got two new ads out for her First Congressional District Race against Henry Brown.

Andy Brack used to cover politicians. Then he worked for them. Then he became one. Now he’s back to writing about them again, and he’s got quite a bit of content from the Democratic side of things in the past 24 hours. Here’s a sampling.

“WHAT THE HELL?” DEPARTMENT
If you’ve ever covered the arts, you know how significant that coverage feels to the local artists who depend on it (many can’t afford much advertising, or marketing of any kind, and relying on buzz and positive word-of-mouth). Many kvetch privately about perceived slights, but they say they don’t want to complain to the local arts writers because they don’t want to be blacklisted.

So you sit up and go “Huh?” when a you see something like this: Jill Eathorne Barr of the Charleston Ballet Theatre blogging Kyle Barnette’s (the CBT’s Administrative Director) letter to The City Paper.

After viewing this issue, I do not feel it is in our best interest to advertise with The City Paper. This kind of arts coverage is contradictory to what you relayed as your goal for the paper in our meeting, which was to be an all encompassing arts publication. Exploring the lack or professional arts opportunities in this city while failing to acknowledge the three largest arts employers did not serve to bolster your local arts community at all, one that depends on your paper regularly to represent them to the masses. I think while your intentions in the issue may have been one thing, it ended up as a missed opportunity and a disservice to the many arts groups in town hungry for coverage and publicity of their upcoming seasons.

Jill says that there’s been “a heated thread all day from many members of the arts community,” but I can’t find any evidence of it over at The City Paper or at Jill’s blog. Is this just a dust-up or something more? Stay tuned…

Here’s something good and non-controversial: The Back Channel is adding book reviews.

NUMS

I’ve got an anti-butter cookie bias. But these might just convert me…

Hugging the Chef has an interesting and off-beat post on famous people who were also chefs or cooks. I dig it, but seriously: Is Sebastian Cabot really still famous? Was he ever? To test, here’s a trivia question: What was the name of the oft-lost doll on Family Affair that Mr. French was so often involved in rescuing? Answer at the bottom.

Ya Damn Pastry Chef breaks down and gives up a recipe.

Duke’s Bar-B-Que in NChas sounds like my kind of place…

Whoever thought of doing this should burn in everlasting hellfire…

And finally, all this eating has consequences. Here’s Becky Ray with an idea for winning the battle of the bulge:

Now there’s money on the line. The competition starts on Monday. The entrance fee is $50. For the next three months (Sept. – Nov.), whoever decides to join in will compete to lose the greatest percentage of their original weight. The winner will get all the money.

THIS AND THAT DEPARTMENT

Carolime lists eight things every man should have. For the record, the only thing I had from her list was “Vocabulary.”

Pam’s got pictures from the Great Barrier Reef, and in true Pam style, matching poems.

A Charleston couple is biking around the world to promote a green lifestyle and raise money for sustainable housing.

The Eye has noticed Ubiquity, the most buzzworthy item on this week’s tech horizon.

I love it when people write about hair. Hair has so much to do with identity, politics, self expression, yada yada yada. So: Have you ever celebrated a “naturalversary?”

Is blogging an independent literary form, with its own rules and structures, urging us on to fill the void with new creation? Not most of the time. But then there’s this:

JJ: “Texas joke – Q: ‘Why did the chicken cross the road?’ A: ‘To show the armadillo it could be done.’”

Kevin Harrison of Production Design Associates will be traveling to India to document the journey and inspritation for Putumayo’s clothing line. In an unrelated story, I may be driving to Round O to look for armadillos to videotape… If I can raise the gas money…

PARTING SHOT DEPARTMENT
Helen Rice caught a possum inside 10 Storehouse Row and gently took it outside. Because she’s a sweetheart, in addition to being a talented designer.

Trivia answer: Mrs. Beasley (no relation to David Beasley)