C-VILLE’s longest running columnist and all-around Answer Man offers some of his expert knowledge on obscure New Year’s traditions. Dear Ace: What are some New Year’s Eve rituals and superstitions regarding luck, prosperity and health?—Spike D. Punch Dear Spike: You’d think that Ace’s notoriously poor fortune would disqualify him from answering this question, but you’d […]
C-VILLE’s longest running columnist and all-around Answer Man offers some of his expert knowledge on obscure New Year’s traditions. Dear Ace: What are some New Year’s Eve rituals and superstitions regarding luck, prosperity and health?—Spike D. Punch Dear Spike: You’d think that Ace’s notoriously poor fortune would disqualify him from answering this question, but you’d […]
It’s grrreat! With the Year of the Tiger upon us, kittens, we recommend catching as many different New Year celebrations as possible. January 7: Sekhmet (Egyptian New Year) January 21: Celtic New Year February 14: Chinese New Year April 13-15: Songkran (Thai New Year) April 14: Puthandu (Tamil New Year) September 8–10: Rosh Hashanah (Jewish […]
INSTEAD OF…Losing weight. RESOLVE TO…Vegetate. Says Jay Leno: “Now there are more overweight people in America than average-weight people. So overweight people are now average…which means you have met your New Year’s resolution.” Holy Spudnuts! Amen! INSTEAD OF…Trying something new RESOLVE TO…Not start what you can’t finish. Here’s looking at you, Landmark. INSTEAD OF…Finding […]
Soon we’ll ring in another new year, and that means many of us will be anywhere from partially to unequivocally hammered in large groups of people. Situations like these demand public speaking—toasts! I know what you’re thinking: “Who the hell are you to give me advice on making toasts?” Let’s just say that I’m the […]
Dear Ace: I was wondering if you’re up on any of the Atkins genealogy from the area? My ancestors came to Surry County, VA on the “Gods Giffte” in 1623, and another ancestor, Ida Atkins, purchased 400 acres in Albemarle County on the banks of the Rivanna around 1740. Any connection?—H.B. Atkins Would that Ace […]
In 2007, following a stint on City Council that included a term as mayor, Maurice Cox took a break from the University of Virginia architecture faculty to become design director at the National Endowment for the Arts. An outspoken advocate of urban planning, increased density and improved public transit options while on Council, Cox leaves […]
Sure, Thomas Jefferson was fervent about a “wall of separation between church and state”—but little did he anticipate the “shadows of the Internet” that would later haunt his beloved Virginia. Last week, state Attorney General Bill Mims announced a partnership with the faith-based community “to protect Virginia’s children.” “There are shadows on the Internet,” said […]
Each November, the New Oxford American Dictionary celebrates one new word that’s garnered serious cultural currency in the past year. In 2008, it was “hypermiling,” or to maximize gas mileage through extreme driving practices. This year, “unfriend”—deleting a friend on a social networking site—got the neologistic nod. Every year new words are welcomed with pomp […]
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Invisible Alphabet Show. The format of today’s program will be 45 revolutions-per-minute 7" vinyl, that tried-and-true audio format introduced 60 years ago by RCA. We’ve got two contestants, each staking their claim on one side of this shiny black record. Both will have approximately four minutes to deliver a […]
Viewers aren’t given a title or theme for this year’s faculty show at Piedmont Virginia Community College, and with 10 different artists united only by the fact that they all teach there, one wouldn’t expect to find much in common. But this year the works—from Rebekah Wostrel’s monotone porcelain with small moments of ornamentation to […]