Limiting human population IS necessary

Neil Williamson of The Free Enterprise Forum (TFEF) spoke against Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population (ASAP) [“Albemarle County: Whom are you going to vote off the island?” Opinionated, May 29, 2007]. For the record, I am not affiliated with ASAP. However, I do understand the necessity of ecological preservation, something which Mr. Williamson seems […]

As Goode as it gets

You know, there was a time when we thought we might get sick of writing about Virginia’s Fifth-District U.S. congressman,

Man of mystery

Dear Ace: Who’s that guy who’s always holding book signings in front of CaféCubano?—John Lee Booker John: Wait, you’re telling Ace that’s not John Grisham? No wonder the dude looked unnerved when Ace said, “A Time to Kill” with a knowing wink and walked away. But no, not only is he not Grisham, the mystery […]

The Screaming Infidels

music Let’s start off with the good: The highlight of the night was a two-person mosh pit that broke out during a rendition of what I believe was the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” theme song. Another memorable moment was a guy hopping up from his bar stool to accompany the Screaming Infidels’ guitarist in singing […]

Icky Thump

cd A solid 10 years into the mix as a band and the mythology of the White Stripes has completely taken hold: the “family members or former lovers” history of Jack and Meg White; the blood, bone and black wardrobe colors; and the duo’s adherence to the number “3,” from Jumpin’ Jack’s arrangements to his […]

Littlefoot

book A Zen monk senses death approaching, slowly stalking up the mountainside towards his temple. Languid and contemplative, the monk picks up a pen, unrolls a parchment and, like generations of monks before him, writes a jisei, a death poem. The jisei’s writer doesn’t dwell on death explicitly; he contemplates endings, the course of life, […]

Well above average

Hang on. Don’t ready those Rant-dialing fingers yet. We really like this place, and there are at least a dozen reasons why. Herewith, a brief list of the areas where Charlottesville goes above and beyond what anyone could expect of our humble town. It’s not what’s missing, it’s what’s here. Headliners We know of no […]

What is Charlottesville missing?

Alex StarksCrew chief at Servpro“We need a minor league baseball team.” Cathrine RatliffBartender at West Main—A Virginia Restaurant“We need a convenient recycling center.” Molly O’BrienHappily unemployed“We need a downtown grocery store.” Tim BotlerUVA student“We need a night club." Tyler Jo SmithAssistant professor of art history at UVA“We need a zoo.” Allison MoormanUVA student“We need a […]