Tuesday, February 20
Wines fit for the Queen
Yesterday, 10 wine experts swished and spit for a tasting at White Hall Vineyards, wine expert Dave McIntyre blogs. The oenophiles were in search of Virginia wines to showcase in London as part of our state’s Jamestown 400th anniversary celebration. Having been eliminated of the “aromas of rubber hose, asphalt and vinegar, with flavors of stewed tomatoes” characteristic of old style Virginia wines, it’s hoped the new crop will be found worthy of the mother country. The winners will be announced in May and posted at www.vawineinlondon.com.
Wednesday, February 21
Wrong suitcase at Darden
 The Washington Post covers a UVA Darden School of business class that sought to find the "luckiest student." Hideki Inoue wasn’t—he missed out on a $17,500 check by picking the wrong suitcase. |
If you were wondering what a Darden guy in a Japanese costume was doing on the front page of The Washington Post’s B-section today, the answer is, he was doing his homework. Hideki Inoue took a class at UVA’s Darden School of Business that emphasized the role luck plays in business decisions. Up until the final moment, Inoue had been the luckiest student, making his way through several rounds of challenges. But, when the time came to choose a suitcase with either a $17,500 check—enough for a semester’s tuition—or no money at all, Inoue fell victim to chance. The lesson? Said professor Sam Bodily, “A bad outcome doesn’t mean a bad decision was taken.”
Thursday, February 22
Equine what?
Equestrians, take heed. Six farms in Loudoun County, two farms in Fauquier County and a Culpeper farm are under quarantine after their animals made contact with a horse that carried equine rhinopneumonitis virus, or Equine Herpes Virus-1, at a horse hospital in Leesburg. The virus “poses no known health threats to humans,” according to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and a department spokesman says it is unlikely to affect Albemarle.
Friday, February 23
Run over to our place
The Charlottesville Marathon (www.charlotesvillemarathon.com) is one of several on which today’s New York Times bestows the title “destination marathon”—that is, a 26.2-mile endurance test that comes wrapped up in an awfully sweet setting. Among others, the Times says the San Diego, Big Island (Hawaii), and Big Sur (California) races draw runners because of the views they’ll drink in or the local color they’ll enjoy. The Charlottesville race, says the Times, offers “pretty, forested country”—perhaps a little ho-hum compared to the “hundreds of high school cheerleaders” boasted by Nashville’s Country Music Marathon.
Saturday, February 24
More Beebe?
William Beebe had his conviction handed down in Charlottesville Circuit Court in November for sexually assaulting Liz Seccuro at a UVA fraternity party in 1984, and an Associated Press piece today takes a dramatic, narrative approach to the highly publicized case. The piece, “One man’s quest for forgiveness, one woman’s nightmare,” by Kristen Gelineau (www.cgi.jacksonville.com/cgi-bin), begins, “William Beebe had been haunted by that night for years.” Using e-mails between Beebe and Seccuro, Gelineau attempts to reconstruct the motivations behind the sexual attack and Beebe’s strange apology which led to his prosecution and conviction. Though the piece quotes him as saying he acted alone, local prosecutors are trying to garner evidence of a gang rape. Beebe has agreed to assist, and his assistance will have a bearing on his sentencing in March.
Sunday, February 25
Film fest puts “fun” in dysfunctional
The 20th Virginia Film Festival announces its theme today: Kin Flicks. The festival will feature movies “addressing popular and alternative images of family life.” “Since movies do such a good job of depicting them, we won’t close the door on dysfunctional families,” said festival Director Richard Herskowitz. The festival will also feature unconventional family structures, including gay unions and marriages. Herskowitz is currently taking recommendations for films and speakers at vafilm.blogspot.com. Let the dysfunction begin!
Monday, February 26
The cure for Oscars hangover
 Possibly the most popular guy to ever come out of FluCo, Chris Daughtry poses with other Grammy stars in this week’s People. |
The tuxes, the dresses, the lights, the pancake makeup. If you’re feeling a little let down from last night’s Oscars bonanza, which seems to drag on a bit longer every year, we find there’s no better cure than a little People magazine. If you look hard, you’ll find former Fluvanna darling and “American Idol” star Chris Daughtry in a spread from that other awards show, the Grammys. Other music stars flanking Daughtry include Diddy, Christina Aguilera, Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, Whitney Houston (looking barely able to hold herself up), and Carrie Underwood. Daughtry’s upcoming April 14 performance at Starr Hill reportedly sold out in seven minutes.
