The week has wound down, the month is almost over, school has started..the cycle continues.

A stitch in time captures some scenes in Atlanta for us to share. High technology in photography keeps me in awe. Back when I started with film, the only option was black & white. And something new called Kodachrome.

Looks like the Russians have solved the mystery of the recent pirate attack. Oops, I mean ship highjacking. Well, when boarders take over a ship and people are forced to walk planks taken from the cargo….

We know where the ships at Patriot’s Point have gone but not quite sure where the berths will be after repairs are made. Storms come through here and anything afloat has to be protected. Even sturdy warships.

Jack and Jill and Humpty Dumpty have a lot in common. No relation to Li’l Jack Horner though. Maybe Marie Antoinette?

Is Life a Game? Is Gaming Life? Here’s an update on a whole world that co-exists with everyday life.  The evolution of graphics is amazing to me and how realistic things now look on a computer. It’s a CGI* world out there. (I am pretty sure that stands for *Computer Generated Images as we saw in the movie Summer Blockbusters.)

It was a good day for leprechaun sightings with all the scattered rain showers and the colorful arcs created by bending light. Of course, one has to believe in the wee ones to claim that pot o’ gold but those ‘bows really grab your attention. Keep an eye on the road.

Anonymity is an interesting subject and here’s a good explanation  – and exploration -  by a person who does give their name.

Photographers often envy artists who can simply leave out distracting parts of a scene. Here’s a sketchbook filled with lots and lots of the good stuff. Take that Photoshop manipulations.

Let’s close with a story of chainsaws and removing bloodstains from clothing. Hey, there’s even a song by “Weird Al” Yankovic although he does not have a cutting tool.

I’m Chuck , it’s the weekend and I’m pleased we can almost see the official end of summer. Just hang in there.

Next to Wednesday – Hump Day – today is the best day of the week. Of course I’m retired so it means a LOT more to others but I remember to appreciate the end of the work week.

All a Twitter? Afraid of losing Face (book)? Is this the end of Civilization as it is was just becoming? The Social Media folks took a hit yesterday and they are hopeful today is a better day for communications.

If you have no idea what Twitter is, you’re probably more calm than some.

Remember Rosanne? Can you recall she was a stand up comic and had a weekly tv show before the baseball stunt with the National anthem and how outraged people were with her? Well, she’s back. Not exactly in hot water but definitely back in the kitchen.

Have you ever read the instruction booklet that came with your movie camera? Take a peek and see if you can do Timelapse Stop-Action. In fact, I just found out my small digital Canon camera can do videos with that feature. Yeah, I’ve had several of these hang-on-your-belt cameras and did not know that. It’s in the instructions. Really.

Book signings and Farmer’s Markets and Zia and, now Five Guys, this food critic gets around and has some tasty opinions. Holly is a Lowcountry jewel and I like her style. I’ve seen her really lay out an operation and make it take a hard look at itself but I’ve also heeded her suggestions for some some great dining experiences. She walks the walk.

I grew up downtown a block from the fire station on Wentworth Street so my family always was keenly aware when alarms would sound, sirens would moan and the big growling trucks would pull out of the large doors, lights flashing. We also knew that within minutes a white sedan – with FIRE CHIEF marked on the side -  would come by fast, racing to catch up with the crews.

Things have changed a lot since the 1950s.

Kittens discussing the President’s proposed Health plan… Doe, a deer, in the back yard…Thor looking forward to a Loki Sunday?

August: a year ago I was eating free Charleston ice cream and a few days ago it was Charleston Cookies. This being retired can really add on pounds if you are not alert.

Get out there and have a fun TAX FREE weekend. You’ve earned it.

Today’s round up focused primarily on the death of Michael Jackson and Mark Sanford’s folly. As always, remember the opinions highlighted belong to the blog authors and highlighting a post does not signify agreement with opinions contained therein. Got it? Good.

Josh:

Whether you’re young, old , a toddler, or an ancient, you should know at least one Michael Jackson tune.

Mojo Steve:

There’s thousands dying on the streets of Iran, the economy is still in shambles, unemployment is at record highs, North Korea wants to nuke Hawaii, and there’s minute-by-minute scrutiny of the final act of a pop-star’s train wreck on every channel.

Jeft Tompkins:

Viewers were also treated to riveting aerial views of the top of a building, reportedly the hospital where Jackson passed away, but which could have been virtually any large building in any major city in the world.

Coverage of trivial matters, such as the struggling freedom revolution in Iran, was all but forgotten.

Jason Bradford:

Michael Jackson, thanks for recording your life.  Thanks for making some of the best records ever.  You truly were Off The Wall.

Eric Something:

Somewhere along the line the wheels came off, and the public ate it up. He developed the look, which spurred a lot of comaprisons to the then-woeful Atlanta Braves — both wore one glove and no one was sure why.

Rose:

He was the true talent in the family. He kept everyone of them in the luxury they felt they deserved. When he would be with other children, he was trying to get his childhood back, I don’t think he liked or trusted adults.

Pam:

I suppose there is alot to be said.  But this is the Michael Jackson that I’ll remember – a young boy with a beautiful voice and amazing talent.

Mary Morelli:

What a week it’s been. First Ed McMahon and now Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Not to mention the death of mister Mark Sanford’s political career. As for the Sanford thing, I was over it the day it came out. I really don’t care to read the emails or articles about his mistress. Unless something crazy happens; this will be all I have to say about it.

David Farrow:

Jackson’s death wiped Sanford off the international television screens – but not off the local radar screen. Indeed as 12:30 looms, the state holds its collective breath. Will he stay or will he fight on?

Patrick:

Sanford was one who voted for impeachment against Clinton.  So why’s he still the governor?  Not that I dislike the man…he seems quite personable, very friendly.  But either he believes what he said or was playing politics.

Dan Conover:

Of course, my old friend Schuyler Kropf managed to get more out of John O’Connor, and after reading Schuyler’s story this morning it occurs to me that O’Connor should have stuck to his original silence. What The State has revealed about its handling of the Mark-Maria e-mails offers a rare glimpse of the hollow state of the modern American newsroom.

Southern Avenger:

And yet last week, by his own actions, Sanford ended up in the same sort of tawdry, sleazy, and politically predictable place typically reserved for less sincere, less principled and simply, lesser men.

JanetLee:

He was wrong. Clinton was wrong. Every other politician or trusted public figure who has committed adultery is wrong. Just because you identify with one or another doesn’t make it acceptable to try to find an excuse for them.

Well, look who is back. We’d offer a smooch, but we’ve seen where Joan’s lips have been.

Dave is looking for your close encounters of the gator kind.

Mac repairs can be lengthy and expensive. Ouch.

Peas in a pod.

Paul Lester’s photography is home to an interesting discussion on photography critique.

A hard truth:

Shortly after Maybelle was born, a colleague with kids and pets made the surprising claim that kids are much easier. “Kids get bigger and healthier, and chances are they’re going to outlive you. With pets,” she said, “you’re always watching them die.”

Canon of the fans.

Afrogeek:

[D]on’t listen to the haters who are saying the film monkeys with canon; the movie does fool with canon, but in crazy delightful ways that make my fangirl heart really happy

Tuesday evening was abuzz with the news that News 2 has encouraged most of their staff to use Twitter. Jared W. Smith appeared on the 6pm broadcast and assembled a reference for those just joining the medium.

The Connection Maven, Cheryl Smithem, mentions tomorrow’s Web 2.0 Seminar and notes an increase of local users.

Patrick Properties is ready for Pecha Kucha on February 25.

Speaking of events, what were you doing on Valentine’s Day? If you were lucky, you joined fellow bloggers, tweeters, and BBQ lovers for a meat-up. Pictured below: Chrys, Jared, Ian, Patrick, Don, Luke, Heather, Dan, Heidi, Kathy, Mark, Janet, Aidan, Vera. I missed a spouse and a didn’t get all of the bloglings.

Photo Courtesy of Chrys

If you have photos on Flickr from blogger and tweeter meetups, don’t forget to tag them.

Speaking of meet ups, I’m looking to see if anyone else is interested in joining Dan Tennant and I running the i5k on April 16th. We can enter with a team of six and the fee is $25 per person. I’m nowhere near as fast as Dan T, so we can bring up the rear of the group and hope there are still libations left over.

Charleston Moves is disappointed with SCDOT’s response to pedestrian and cyclist needs with the upcoming Ben Sawyer Bridge replacement:

When I explained that we were speaking only about painting lanes on the road, he stood firm, saying he couldn’t be sure that there was sufficient width for bicycle/pedestrian lanes.

Greg Hambrick expects stimulus job creation to be underwhelming locally:

South Carolina’s high unemployment rate means that it will see less of an impact from the jobs created under the stimulus bill than other states. It seems an equitable distribution of the stimulus aid won out over sending more aid to states hardest hit by the economic crisis (That’s not to say that South Carolina would have been smart enough to take the money anyway).

SCIway.net appreciates North Charleston’s efforts toward greener buildings and practices.

Meanwhile Earl wonders about the resignation of the SC Ports Authority Director.

Andra wonders, “Is the Economic Freefall Slowing Down?”

Closing thought from Ian:

I think that sometimes the best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you’ve ever had.

It’s Dan (that’s Dan C., not Dan T., for those of you keeping score at home) back for another quick spin around the local blogosphere:

Here’s South Carolina Citizen Journal’s take on the future of the state’s ports:

What we need at the Port of Charleston to remain competitive is SHARED ACCESS RAIL LINES INTO EACH TERMINAL. If we can’t get that, we might as well start drawing up plans for condos.

The news about Rutledge Coffee and Cream was bad. Now Park Circle Coffee N’ More is shutting down. The news is a bit shocking considering that it hits one of the few areas that seems to be on the upswing these days.

Mike at Shadow of Diogenes has never been unemployed, but he’s thinking about those who are:

The old Protestant work ethic was imbued in me early on in my life by my grand mother and mother. Granny said, “The world don’t owe you a living”. I believe that to be true to this day. However, now millions of hard working Americans are out of work and cannot find work. And the sad prospect is that more will join those eleven million before the situation improves. On unemployed man in Kansas called it an “economic sunami”.  This bad economy has a trickle down effect – it causes problems in marriages and loss of self respect in people who have worked hard all of their lives.

Cameron wants to know about your food and cooking habits. 

Brian Goode had a detailed post about the chance of a snowstorm reaching our area next week. 

As Facebookers have probably noticed, the 25 Random Things About Me meme has spread at a crazy-monkey-nuts rate this month. Here’s Eugene’s, which he posted on the venerable imablog.

About that SC House bill to put a 24-hour waiting period on abortions:

There’s no medical or psychological justification for mandating a 24-hour wait–the only thing that does is make the procedure that much more inconvenient for her. She’ll have to take an additional day off work; she’ll have to brave the nasty hordes of protestors one more time. This is an ideologically-driven bill that’s trying to make a legal medical procedure harder for women to access.

And let me point out that this state is sinking fast. Our financial outlook is a couple of shades worse than dire, our teen pregnancy rate is rising, we’re having to shut schools and gut the budgets of universities, but what our legislators want to work on is time-wasting legislation like this that just makes women’s lives more difficult.

Feeling gloomy? Let Pam’s meditation on camelias put the weather in perspective:

The camellias continue to bloom – while to the north, everyone and everything seems covered in ice and snow.  We’ve been unusually gloomy here – erratic temperatures, clouds and fog – heavy, heavy fog.  I’d best not complain:  my brother oftens reads this, and he lives in northern Vermont.  Our worst days still sound like spring to him.

Joan:

I am not allowed to make pralines when I am alone. House rules. Some people can’t drink alone but it’s brown sugar, cream and butter I can’t be trusted with.

Brian “GQbound” Wilder on Black History Month:

But there is something different about this one, my brothers and sisters. I don’t see any Kwanzaa-inspired streamers hanging from the rafters of various campus buildings. No commemorative drum circle chats at Marion Square held by the same five, grungy, dreadlocked white kids that seem to know more about Bob Marley’s smoking habits than the Rastafarian culture that molded him.

Instead, there is a silence. A dead, eerily calm silence. This same silence, oddly enough, speaks volumes and volumes to those who take the time to listen enough: Black History Month has become a relic. An ancient, often times, mythic occurrence.

This spells both good and/or bad news depending on which side of the fence you sit.

If you haven’t noticed lately, Stephanie Barna’s Charleston Food Deals updates are really getting to be good stuff.  Lotta bargains out there, folks.

Enjoy the day!

Wondering about those torn-dollar-billboards?

The local real estate market is down, but it’s not THAT down.

I’ve been asked by buyers who previously tried to lowball their way into a bargain why their offers weren’t responded to and the short answer is that there offer wasn’t even close to being realistic. One example that I recall was a buyer telling me that he offered 50% off and didn’t get a response. I looked the property up and the house actually went under contract and sold for 6% off list price. Gee, can you imagine why the seller didn’t bother to respond.

Hey, somebody else is in their forties, too:

I’m loving my 40s (and not just because my kid has four years before she graduates high school). I found the calm that I was seeking on many levels. I’m working on balance, while changing the course of my professional life. It feels like I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing.

I’m hoping my 50s will be about adventure, and my 60s will be a free for all. By the time I get ready to head to the retirement community, I plan to have some stories to tell. Don’t worry- I’ll change the names to protect the guilty.

Ian on the future of your phone service:

The bottom line regarding Comcast though is this:

If they’re using different technology to provide their Digital Voice Service, then it could become a telephony service and not simply VOIP, and could be taxed as such; if they’re not doing that; then they need to explain why their service is getting priority over other IP based services on their network, contrary to what they’ve told the FCC after last August.

Shadow of Diogenes Mike:

Descending a mountain trail

In fading sun light,

warm abode below.

Bridget interviews Ross Taylor about his new pizza joint on East Montague…

Babbie’s take on yesterday’s announced school closings list?

Anticlimactic. That’s when the final result doesn’t match up to the sturm und drang that preceded it. Was Charleston County Schools Superintendent Nancy McGinley’s aim “to frighten the audience or imbue them with extremes of emotion,” as the the nineteenth-century literature of sturm und drang attempted? If so, she has succeeded.

Actually, I think a more precise term might be Overton Window. It’s our LCB poli-sci Word of the Day! Happy Thursday, everyone.

Historic events take time to absorb and the posts from yesterday are still rolling in. Before dipping into the reactive rundown, here are a few miscellaneous hits.

Xark awaits the reckoning:

If you’ve been reading the Obama tea leaves recently, it’s fairly obvious that the President has been bracing his supporters for a let-down. If you’ve been waiting for a Truth-and-Reconciliation Commission, don’t hold your breath. That Bush didn’t use his ability to pardon his team may be another tell. Perhaps he’d gotten the word that he need not worry.

Do you remember when Earl Capps’s daughter was struck in a hit and run? Earl updates his readers with what has happened since.

Do you buy dog treats at PetSmart? Eugene has a list of items on the voluntary recall.

Jason Bradford highly recommends the WordPress Plugin FaceBook Connect.

Now, on to the rundown.

Cara Kelly reported back from the Inaugural party at CRAZE.

Franko:

However, for all of the graciousness and goodwill that was purported…President Obama seized the first few minutes of his speech to take what I thought were some pretty obvious swipes at his predecessor.

When I heard these words the first time, I found myself hoping that the cameras would get a shot of President Bush, and that was before I had the chance to really think about it.

Cedar Posts:

Yet every time Obama urged Americans to “choose our better history,” to make decisions according to science instead of ideology, to reject a “false choice” between safety and American ideals, to recognize that U.S. military power does not “entitle us to do as we please,” he signaled a commitment to pragmatism not just as a governing strategy but as a basic value.

Patrick:

We’re a lot closer than we’ve ever been, but we’re not there, yet.  King wanted people judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin, and too many people who are arguing that an Obama Presidency means the dream is here are focused solely on the color of the new president’s skin.

If that’s the acid test used to answer the question, we’ve lost sight of something important.

Liz:

Today was a good day. Today the world changed. Today I saw the candidate I believed in become president, the candidate who inspired me to spend two cold, rainy days in Durham knocking on strangers’ doors, the candidate who I waited in line to see speak at the Cistern in Charleston way back in January. Today I was proud to be American, proud of that giant mass of people waving flags on the Mall. Today I feel excited about what’s to come.

JanetLee:

I thought I’d be excited and tearful and overjoyed but I’m not. It’s more of a deep contented sense of relief that now, maybe, we can get to work on restoring our nation.

Inner Revolution:

I did not vote for President Obama, but I am pulling for him. If he can do the things he said he would do today then I think we could see a brighter day ahead. I don’t think anyone in my lifetime except maybe Richard Nixon in 1969 has stepped into a more difficult job. I am committing to pray for him every day. How about you?

Blissful Vanilla:

Sitting there together, neither of us spoke, yet we felt the incredible gravity of what we saw. How, as a generation that grew up with segregation and so much skin-color-based violence, my father now saw the fruition of what he had believed in for so long; a simple equality that radiated throughout every type of person of every race, creed and culture. For me, I saw exactly what a generation of people can do who were taught that broken promises of harmony and the segregation of people is tragically wrong.

Rose:

I finally see light shining over our country. A time when perhaps our beliefs in what a person can accomplish has nothing to do with skin color or what their chromosomes are. Perhaps I am wrong in feeling that way I do. Perhaps I am jumping the gun. After all, nothing has changed for me personally since yesterday.
But I just feel awesome about our new President! I have no idea what the stand up comics are going to use for material now. The 8 years of Bushisms are gone.

The Dog is Named Gracie:

I get the hope.  I get that we’re all hopeful that it’s a new day in America.  But you can’t hope your way to freedom.  You better be ready to fight for it.

This round up will be updated several times; the freshest reactions will be added to the top. I would like to remind our community members that a link to a post is not an endorsement of the content. The goal in a topical round up is to include as much of the scope of reactions as possible.

Cara Kell watched from Marion Square:

Although they were not speaking out loud, the attendees’ facial expressions said it all: he is one of us, finally. He is a mutt. And at the end of the day, aren’t we all? Most of us can try to trace our family lineage, but for many Americans, the lines have become so blurred it is nearly impossible; if we try hard enough, we can claim some of everything. There is that great great great aunt on mom’s side who was Cherokee Indian, and that crazy cousin who emigrated from Guatemala. But racial lines aside, it is safe to say the majority of people in the crowd had other things in the back of their minds: mounting student loans, mortgages, suffering small businesses, the safety of their jobs. Their hopes and dreams for the future lie with this man, whose blood does not run the color blue of his predecessor and most of his colleagues. He understands us, they are thinking.

Franko:

I interviewed a preacher, who I think captured the history with words, better than anyone so far…essentially I asked him what he just saw meant to him.  He looked up at the statue of John C. Calhoun and said, it means everything. We watched the swearing-in of a black man as president under the statue of a man who stood for slavery.  That’s how far we’ve come, he said.

JJ shares his favorite moment of the day:

Chris Wallace, moron talking head for Fox News, has repeatedly asserted that Barack Obama isn’t the President.

because of the flubs surrounding the oath of office.

it’s people like him what give those of us who aren’t liberals a bad name.

Steve Wood has the transcript of Obama’s speech.

Joan:

I was where I’ve been for most historical moments in my lifetime – gathered with friends in a hospital waiting room, pausing to help visitors find their doctors, watching proud parents go by with new babies, scurrying to find a wheelchair and directing a student to her mentor. We ate our sandwiches watching one of the most exciting events in my lifetime. What a happy day!

Jared has a multimedia rundown from Marion Square.

Brian:

Here is the moment of truth, though. The moment where the streamers stop flying, the confetti is swept up and Sheppard Fairey sulks his way back into the depths of covert, political propaganda. The moment where every man, woman and child will now have to step back and watch with rampant anticipation whether the ‘Last Scion’, er, ‘Great Hope’ (or whatever other nicknames we have adopted for him), can actually pull off one of the greatest comebacks in history since ’86 Mets in the World Series.

Of course, saying that President Obama is going to have his hands full is a gross understatement and should be taken for more than just a grain of salt.

Rev. BigDumbChimp:

Obama did great and personally for me, his call out to bring Science back to the forefront and to acknowledge non-believers was fantastic.

Venti Chocolate Mocha:

I don’t recall this much hype when George W. Bush was sworn in as president. Some of it is Obama’s status as the first black president in a country that continues to face racial divides and tensions. Some of it is the country’s deep desire for a president who will lead us in the right direction.

Uncle Zoloft is ecstatic and shares his sentiment with a video, It’s a New Day.

Both Syd and Kim posted the lyrics of I, too, Sing America.

Becky:

So, DNR employees are apparently unable to watch the inauguration of their president unless they would like to take annual leave time to do it. All streaming video – including CNN – is blocked on our computers,

Amy:

But I’m not watching the inauguration today. I just don’t care. Obama is just like any other president we’ve had and I’ve never watched their inaugurations. I don’t intend on making any changes for him.

Jeff Tompkins liveblogged the Inaugural events on Indigo Journal.

Rita Polk:

I am really excited about our new president and the hope and inspiration that he has, thus far, ignited in people – particularly in my generation and those younger than me. BUT HE IS NOT GOING TO SAVE THE WORLD! I’m glad our new President puts an intelligent face forward for America on a global scale. But my hope is in something higher.

Blissful Vanilla concentrates on the exit of one president.

*Edit 3:22pm*

Signal 46:

I am happy to see the era of Bush stupidity end, which I felt may have been better had it not been marred by a series of pigheaded decisions. I do not think that Obama is the answer to our prayers, nor do I think it’s the coming of the Lord that some people seem to have built him up to be. I just hope he is better than the last, though it’ll be difficult to do worse.

Ashcan Rantings:

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

Tales from the Microbial Laboratory shares the Shepard Fairey poster.

Diva Fiction Bytes:

So, my comment is pretty much to the folks that control the media in this country. Please remember that Barack H. Obama is about to be sworn in as the President of the United States of America, and not as the President of the Black Folks of America.

We share him with everyone.

Photo Courtesy of Vera

Michael Lively:

It is an historic day. That’s not to say we haven’t had our share of history in the past few years…but it’s nice that this is something positive for once.  Today we will inaugurate our first African American as president.  I admit that, politically, this was not the result I was hoping for. But for America, given our history, it’s a pretty cool thing.

Vera has gotten into the spirit of the event.

Janet Edens is manning Charleston.net‘s Inauguration ’09 Blog. She’s currently freezing in Marion Square and hoping for some company.

If you’re wondering what to do or where to go, Greg Hambrick has the rundown.