Hipsters unite It’s a small, cool world after all on Friendster.com Last week graduate student Peach Friedman was waiting to buy a cup of coffee when musician Lauren Hoffman appeared in line behind her. “Hey, I saw you on Friendster,” Hoffman said. “Friendster” has recently entered the local lexicon to define a member of the […]
No scrubsA nursing shortage prompts Martha Jeff to pass the hat In a direct-mail fundraising letter dated April 2003, Martha Jefferson Hospital asked the good people of Charlottesville and Albemarle to make a donation to its Nursing Care Fund, one among dozens of charitable funds at the Downtown hospital. Following the request it stated, “There […]
"All politics is local." It’s a famous declaration from longtime Speaker of the House Tip O’Neil. Had he been speaking about Charlottesville and Albemarle County, he might have added a corollary: "and local politics is boring." That seems to be the consensus anyway, since only about a quarter of all registered voters in the City […]
Gearharts Fine Chocolates’ Maya Holy cow. That’ s the initial reaction to the flavor explosion when you nibble the Maya. Underneath the layer of cocoa dust, the tiny dark chocolate nugget first offers a faint, smooth orange taste quickly overpowered by the spiciness of cinnamon. But that’ s just a precursor to the earthy zip […]
Pole vault Teacher surmounts her Mormon upbringing to teach burlesque – and other dance moves The pole juts seven feet straight into the air from atop a 4’x4′ wood-and-ceramic-tile platform. A lithe, limber Brooke Shields lookalike in 5" heels, stockings and tight gym shorts and matching bra, swings suggestively around the brass fixture. She crooks […]
In American Motel, a short film by local writer and director Alexandria Searls, a man uses a piece of string to illustrate for a young woman the various connections, or "lines," in life. Gently, he wraps the string around her neck, her feet, a lamp on the wall, etc. Then he tugs. "Pull on one […]
Smart guy UVA’s Eric Turkheimer makes sense of race, class and IQ Guess what? Children in poor families face more obstacles in their intellectual development than children from wealthy families. Sounds like common sense, you say? Maybe, but this apparent no-brainer is being hailed as big news in psychology’s ivory tower. The November issue of […]
We know a lot more now about the dangers and disasters of U.S. empire building in Iraq—the ongoing bloodshed on the ground, expansion of terrorist activities, the huge budget-busting costs of occupation, the stretching and undermining of the military and the increased sense of fear and insecurity that many Americans feel as a result of […]
Grounds swell Officials give UVA props for the North Grounds Connector Road The 1.3 miles of eastbound lanes on the Route 29/250 Bypass between the exits for Route 250 and for Barracks Road are as mundane as roads get around here. Two blue rectangular highway signs indicate food (Taco Bell, Ruby Tuesday’s and Arby’s) and […]
Tuesday, September 21 Water, water everywhere About 75 residents gathered tonight at Monticello High School to hear new RWSA director Thomas Frederick outline five different options for expanding the region’s water supply, including projects to expand local reservoirs, dredge sediment from the South Fork Rivanna reservoir, and pipe water from the James River. This winter, […]