Don't throw it all away

Ace: I overheard someone talking about “freecycle” the other day. What is it? Some sort of biking initiative?—Stu Wheeler Stu: In his later, ahem, 30s, Ace assisted a professor of private investigationism at a local university. From time to time, he would notice a group of hipster students assembling themselves on campus. There, in a […]

Walls of shame

Complaining about new buildings is a great, if unsung, American pastime. New condos on the corner? “Ugly!” New strip mall where there used to be trees? “Atrocious!” Everybody does it. And if they don’t, they’re boors who wouldn’t know a Parthenon from a Panera. In the spirit of that noble tradition, we at C-VILLE have […]

Still an attractive metal

I have a personal and rather embarrassing standard for Metallica. It hinges on one question: Does the song lend itself to the daydream in which I stand on a stage, 32nd-note riffs sparking from my guitar, and snarl vocals that proceed to both impress and frighten the crowd, which—incidentally—is composed in equal parts of people […]

The Force is strong with this one

We’ve all known, ever since Obi-Wan Kenobi first clued us in way back in Star Wars: A New Hope, that the Dark Side has an irresistible allure. And now we know exactly why. Absolute power may corrupt absolutely, but it’s a total blast to throw around. The developers at LucasArts have described Star Wars: The […]

Way beyond a shadow…

Doubt: A Parable was written by John Patrick Shanley and marks a serious departure for the man who also penned screenplays for Moonstruck and Joe Versus the Volcano.

In reverse

Faced with a hugely unpopular president, a cratering national economy, an energized Democratic opposition and an increasingly restless electorate,

Only a Gooney Bird fouls his own nest

What were they thinking? I’m not really surprised when the managers of large corporations do something dishonest. But I’m surprised when they  do dumb things—against their own self-interest.   During the past few months, we have been learning more and more about the mortgage scandal. And major corporations have gone bankrupt, gotten billions of dollars […]

State A.G. lauds local drug court

Republican Attorney General Bob McDonnell is banking on his tough-on-crime stance to help propel him to the governor’s mansion in 2009, but he made an unusual trip to Charlottesville on September 25 to address the local drug court program, the state’s second oldest and among the most effective at reducing recidivism. The program was almost […]

Your tax dollars, at work

Worked for the county for: 2 years Resides in: Albemarle County Job title: County registrar, overseeing the election process. Best of times: The end result. “The best is having people registered and hopefully we’ve kept the process as smooth as possible.” Jake Washburne Worst of times: Election day. “Things get pretty hectic. The phone is […]