Month: April 2007

Categories
Arts

1st Friday: May 4

Abundant Life Gallery “Interdisciplinary,” paintings by Dave Moore, with collages by Michele White, 6-9pm.

Angelo “Amsterdam: A Personal View,” collage by Marijk Wilcke and Loes Van Riel, 5:30-7:30pm.

Art Upstairs “Mostly Piedmont: Recent Landscapes,” oil paintings by Anne Warren Holland, 6-9pm.

Batteau Custom Framing “Color Harmonies: Landscapes in Pastel” by Diane Velasco; oil paintings by Tom Tartaglino; watercolors by Lee Alter, 6-9pm.

Ben Around Tattoos and Offbeat Gallery Oil paintings by Jenny Lee, 6-10pm.

BozArt Gallery “A Multitude of Images,” oil paintings by Sue Sencer, 6-9pm.

The Bridge/Progressive Arts Initiative Photography by fourth-year students at UVA, 6-9pm.

C’ville Coffee Paintings by S. Kelly Beard, 5:30-7:30pm.

C&O Gallery Drawings, paintings and sculpture by Roger Rogan, 5:30-7:30pm.

Café Cubano “Finished Paintings from an Unfinished Life,” paintings by various artists completing the work of the late Georgia Barbour, 5-8pm.

Charlottesville Community Design Center Architectural designs by members of reCOVER, 6-8:30pm.

Eppie’s Paintings by Eliza Martin, 6-9pm.

The Fifth Floor Gallery at Keller Williams “Radiance from Within,” acrylics and watercolors by Joanne K. Coleman, 5-7pm.

The Gallery at Fifth & Water “Alternate Vision,” Polaroid manipulation photography by Bonny Bronson, 5:30-8pm.

Java Java Photography by Kelli Joseph, 6-8pm.

La Galeria Fifth Annual “Spring Art Fling,” paintings, pastels and photography by various artists, 5-8pm.

Les Yeux du Monde “Paintings and Drawings from the Adriatic” by Herb Jackson, 5:30-7:30pm.

McGuffey Art Center Works by Jane Larew, Irene Fritz, Susan Patrick, Lindsay Michie Eades and more, 5:30-7:30pm.

Migration: A Gallery Paintings on copper by Brooke Marks-Swanson, 5:30-8:30pm.

Mudhouse Watercolors by Drew Adler, 6-8pm.

New Dominion Bookshop “Country Roads,” oil paintings by Page Peyton, 5:30-7pm.

Renaissance School “Studio Art Portfolio Student Show,” works by Megan Ballenger, Keely Breeden, Katie Koch and Linnea Saby, 5-7pm.

Sage Moon Gallery “Hartwell Priest…A Fond Farewell,” a retrospective of lithography, etchings and paintings by the late Hartwell Priest, 5:30-8pm.

Second Street Gallery “Infrastructures,” paper constructions by Jane South, 6-8pm.

Sidetracks “Recent Paintings,” abstract art by Darrell Rose, 5:30-7pm.

Transient Crafters “Life in Pieces,” mosaic art and objects by Virginia Gardner, 6-9pm.

UVA Off Grounds Gallery “personal affects,” mixed media by Kelsey Mosley; “Alternate Towers,” performance art by Maggie Sullivan, 6-8pm.

Categories
News

"Brothers Manor" by Han West

The following trailer is courtesy of Han West. His film, "Brothers Manor," will be premiering on Wednesday, May 2nd. [Read more in this week’s C-VILLE story Casting Movies in a New Light]

 

For more work by Han West go to:
www.irisincus.com

Categories
News

After the Cook shooting, now what?

On August 21, 2004, a resident of Friendship Court called the police for assistance in a domestic dispute. When the officers arrived on the scene, the suspect, Kerry Cook, though unarmed, resisted arrest. The subsequent scuffle ended when one of the cops shot Cook, a 31-year-old African-American man, once in the stomach—resulting in a coma that left Cook hospitalized for three weeks.

Questions, suspicions and accusations of excessive force ensued and, as a result, last October the City Attorney’s office organized a grand jury to investigate. Over the next five months, the jury met 19 times, taking sworn testimony from 38 people about the incident.

In the end, when the grand jury released their report on March 7, they ruled the police officers who responded to the call had not, in fact, used excessive force. However, the jury went beyond a simple ruling. They also assessed police department relations with the African-American community. They said, in short, that those relations need attention and improvement, and need it stat.

The relationship between Charlottesville’s African-American community and city police has always been tenuous—the result of a long history of missteps, misunderstandings and Southern race relations. With the arrival of Police Chief Timothy Longo in early 2001, hopes for an improved situation ran high, and still do.

“Our current police chief is very different from people that have held the job in the past [in a good way],” says City Councilor Kendra Hamilton, “We’re very lucky to have what we have now.”

However, longstanding suspicions were ignited anew after the 2003 DNA dragnet (in which, as a means of catching the ever-elusive serial rapist, African-American males were asked to submit to cheek swabbings for DNA samples). The Cook shooting only made it worse.

In their report, the grand jury set forth six recommendations for ways the police department could repair relations with
the black community. Recommendations included more police training on community relations; a request that the Thomas Jefferson Area Community Criminal Justice Board (CCJB) adopt race relations as a priority for research and action; increased hiring and promotion of African-American officers, continuing support for calls concerning domestic violence; enhancing the police department’s computer system; and expanding the community policing concept.

Suggestions are all well and good, notes Hamilton, but at this point they’re just words on paper. The question now is whether something’s going to get done.

One African-American woman, a former 14-year resident of Friendship Court who requested anonymity, has no hope of improved relations between the black community and the police department.

“It’s only going to get worse,” she says. “The more the police push, the more the drug dealers push back.”

As she says this, she’s sitting with a friend enjoying the afternoon sun on a stoop a couple doors down from where the Cook shooting occurred.

The two women name particular complaints, specifically frustration at what they see as police officers patrolling the community with a preconceived notion that all the residents there are suspicious. A third resident, Michelle Burnley, joins the two women. She offers that trying to talk to the police “is like talking to the air.”

Pessimism and frustration like this are understandable and hard to debate, but Karen Waters, executive director of Quality Community Council, an advocacy and networking organization targeted at the city’s poorest neighborhoods, is optimistic.

Pointing to the closeness of Friendship Court’s community as an asset, “it’s up to [the Friendship Court community] to come up with their own ideas and it’s up to us to listen and to act,” Waters says.

Everyone seems to agree that the issue is communication. It’s no coincidence then that such is precisely what the grand jury’s recommendations address. Chief Longo, in fact, says that the police department has already acted on two of the grand jury’s recommendations and has plans to further implement others in the future.

According to Longo, the entire department just finished its first weeklong training session with officers from the Virginia Community Policing Institute. In addition, since the grand jury report, the department tweaked and improved its computer system to make it easier to identify potentially problematic behavior among officers.

With help from Waters, and other community leaders, Longo is also planning a series of meetings with the residents of Friendship Court to discuss what the problems are and how to solve them.

Citing the way talking things through and being open to criticism helped the police department weather the DNA dragnet storm, Longo says, “One of the ways you [create trust] is to open doors and windows to communication and operate in a very transparent way.

“It’s going to take a lot of time, a lot of work, and I’m committed to do that because relationships are the essence of life.”

Categories
Living

We caught you looking sweet!


Hala Matar

Occupation: Filmmaker and art director

Where we spotted her: UVA Grounds

Style sense: Matar loves mixing eras in a “unique and vintagey” look. We love her bold pairing of a mod (vintage) mini with old Hollywoodinspired halter and big shades.

Categories
Arts

“Shear” perfection

“American Idol”
Tuesday and Wednesday 8pm, FOX

All season long Ryan Sea-crest has pestered us about “Idol Gives Back,” the talent contest’s new charity program. Now it’s here. You know how distrustful you are of that really shallow friend who suddenly does something generous? Yeah, ditto here. I’m all for ending poverty in Africa and in the states, but there’s something slightly offensive about the most greedy show on TV telling me to “do my part” or whatever. On Tuesday, the Top 6 (bye, Sanjaya! You will be missed! Really!) sing inspirational songs; for every vote cast, “Idol” sponsors pony up bucks for the cause. On Wednesday, legitimate music stars join the fray, with Annie Lennox, Celine Dion, Gwen Stefani, Kelly Clarkson (!) and, oddly, Sacha Baron Cohen taking to the stage, plus a pairing Seacrest claims will “make pop music history.” Oh, please let it be Clay Aiken and his creepy doppelganger from last season…

“Shear Genius”
Wednesday 10pm, Bravo

Many reality contests have tried to fill “Project Runway”’s fashion-forward pumps. Some have been good (“Top Chef” is at least interesting), some have been bad (“Top Design” was a disaster). But Bravo has finally found a worthy successor in every way. “Shear Genius” features 12 hairstylists competing for prizes, a title—you know the drill. The contestants are engaging (one goes by Dr. Boogie, and he actually wears scrubs—I am kind of in love with him), the challenges fascinating, the results inventive and the judges awesome. Original “Angel” Jaclyn Smith is the host. Yeah, she’s slightly wooden, but she’s 59 years old. Fifty-nine! And she is fierce. Also: I know she’s supposed to be the “villain,” but go Tabatha!

“The Real Wedding Crashers”
Monday 10pm, NBC

So the creators of “Punk’d” have quit tormenting B-grade celebrities and instead turn their badgering skills on unsuspecting wedding guests. A group of “comedic” plants interrupt various real-life weddings and generally wreak havoc for your entertainment. For instance, a fake priest could take a phone call while reciting the vows, a parachuter could go out of control and land in the middle of a reception, etc. The couples getting married are apparently in on it, but if I was a guest I’d totally want my gift back. The whole thing reeks of shamelessness.

Categories
Living

Splurge, squared

Butter, cream, powdered sugar, granulated sugar, corn syrup, chocolate, more butter. It’s like the seven deadly sins, with some walnuts thrown in. (I love when people scarf down three pieces of pecan pie and then say, “What? Nuts are good for you! Protein!”) But this kind of indulgence is most definitely worth it from time to time, and HotCakes can prove it: They’ve had to send out this recipe before, to faithful customers who moved out of town and couldn’t quell the toffee jones.


Working with caramel and toffee is sticky, tricky business, but what sweet rewards!

Lisa McEwan, whisk-master at HotCakes, notes that working with caramel is a tricky business—firstly, you want to avoid touching it, since it will stick on you like hot lava. There are other tips for getting it just right: Use a high-sided, heavy gauge metal pan to keep it from burning, and keep a moistened pastry brush around to prevent crystals from forming on the side of the pan (they’ll make it gritty). You’ll have to have all your ingredients out and ready to go, too, because caramel waits for no one. Once you’ve stirred it to a gorgeous dark amber, don’t delay with the butter-cream mixture; the flavor depends on good timing, even if you are smothering it in chocolate.

HotCakes’ Chocolate Toffee Squares

22 Tbsp. (2 sticks, plus 6 Tbsp.)
   unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
3 1/3 cups walnuts
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/3 cups heavy cream
2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
12 oz. chopped semisweet chocolate

Part 1, Shortbread Crust:
Combine 12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, confectioner’s sugar, and flour in a mixer or food processor. Press into an even layer in a 9"x13" baking pan or sheet. Bake at 350° until the crust has a pale golden color. Scatter 3 1/3 cups of walnuts evenly over the surface. Set aside.

Part 2, Caramel Filling:
In a BIG pot, over low heat, cook to dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup water. Stir until all sugar crystals are dissolved. Raise heat, bring to a boil and cook until the syrup takes on a golden color. Continue cooking a couple more minutes until the color is deep amber, almost mahogany. The syrup will quickly burn and turns bitter, so be watchful. Meanwhile, in a smaller saucepan, melt 5 Tbsp. sweet butter. Add 1 1/3 cup heavy cream and heat until it just comes to a simmer. Slowly and carefully add this to the caramel. This is the point we refer to as the “Volcano Stage:” The hot caramel will bubble up very energetically as the cream is added. Continue to simmer the caramel over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Then, very carefully, pour the caramel oven the nuts and crust. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the entire surface is bubbly. Cool at room temperature. 

Part 3, Chocolate Glaze:
In a heavy saucepan, melt 5 Tbsp. sweet butter. When the butter is melted, add 1 cup heavy cream and light corn syrup. Bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and add semisweet chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Pour the glaze over the cooled and firm caramel, spreading evenly with a spatula. Refrigerate until set. 

Categories
Living

I feel a draft

For months on months, NFL general managers, personnel directors, scouts and head coaches have been stewing over game films, combine-workout results, 40-yard-dash times, and bench-press reps. Among their top priorities in this year’s scouting reports will be “individual character.”

This weekend, while you’re watching Mel Kiper Jr. (and his amazingly perfect hair) break down the draft, analysts will be informing you of the draft selections’ highlights and lowlights on the field. Don’t be surprised if you find out more about their personal lives and troubles off the field than you care to know.

Two weeks ago, new NFL commissioner Roger Goodell issued a landmark decision when he suspended troubled Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones for the 2007 season and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry for eight games.

Goodell’s new conduct policy, supported not only by owners but also by players, is a no-joke decree to the league to clean itself up. It provides some food for thought for personnel directors when they’re deciding whom to select and whom to avoid.

WWJD (What will Joe Do)?

It should be interesting to see what Joe Gibbs decides to do with the Washington Redskins‘ sixth overall pick.

Although Gibbs says it’s still Jason Campbell’s team, recently the Redskins talked to quarterbacks JaMarcus Russell (LSU) and Brady Quinn (Notre Dame).

And don’t rule out another phone call to the Chicago Bears about Lance Briggs or a possible draft selection that could bring Clemson defensive end Gaines Adams or Louisville defensive tackle Amobi Okoye to the nation’s capital.

Ready to receive


Calvin Johnson has the hands and the attitude to be a draft darling.

Sadly, Virginia and Virginia Tech fans know Calvin Johnson (Georgia Tech) all too well. Good news is, his collegiate days are done. At 6"5′ Johnson is better RIGHT NOW than half of the current “number two” wide receivers in the league. He has a Spider-Man leap, a Terrell Owens build and a better (actually terrific) attitude. Reggie Bush was the star of last year’s draft. Johnson is the star this year. It will be interesting to see which NFL quarterback gets to help him shine.

Saving the best for last

Sometimes the most interesting part of the draft occurs towards the end and not the beginning. A prime example is New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston (Hofstra). Colston was a key element in the Saints’ offense last season. As the Saints reached the NFC Championship game, Colston hauled in 70 receptions, 1000-plus yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games.

In the end, Colston was a finalist for Rookie of the Year along with the top pick, Titans quarterback Vince Young, and Saints teammate Reggie Bush. Not bad for a guy who was not selected until the draft reached its final picks in the last round. Who knows what the 252nd pick of this year’s draft will accomplish?

Wes McElroy hosts “The Final Round” on ESPN 840am. Monday-Friday 4pm-6pm.

Categories
Arts

Birth announcements

Springtime is a time of birth and renewal. When goats kid and horses foal. It is also the time of year when new CDs start popping up around town. And like children, CDs always have interesting stories of gestation and labor. They closely resemble you. You can love them and hate them at the same time. They can keep you company in your dotage. With these releases music fans have a variety of opportunities to see what buns musicians have had in the oven this past year.


First-born: Kate Starr releases her debut CD, Questing Through Chaos,
Thursday at Gravity Lounge.

Here they are in chronological order only! Thursday, April 26, Kate Starr releases her debut CD, Questing Through Chaos, at the Gravity Lounge. The first 100 paying customers get a special edition EP and one of her great t-shirts. One of Charlottesville’s very best bands, The Naked Puritans, open.

On Friday night, Trees on Fire releases its debut CD at Starr Hill. The Green Room was recorded at Monkeyclaus and at the studio of The Naked Puritans’ Lance Brenner. The Trees’ regular Tuesday night gig at Gravity Lounge is on hold at present.

On Saturday night, Robin Wynn releases her second full-length CD, A Few Dusty Miles. The title of Wynn’s new disc alludes both to the fact that her band played 100 gigs in 2006 and that the band played a much bigger role in the writing of the new tunes. Wynn says, “Writing with a rock band in mind is just a broader experience and I love it.” The new disc definitely has more of a rock feel than her debut, Oblivion, but it also manages to retain the strong songwriter perspective. Producer and guitarist Mark Goldstein says, “It’s a snapshot of a couple of years of our lives, but it’s also a record of a period of real change and growth for us as musicians. We play under her name, but this really is a band.” You can also find Goldstein involved with a variety of new musical and recording projects around town. Musicians seem to always agree that he is great to work with. The Naked Puritans (again) and Dirty Dishes open.


Helen Horal used her winnings from The First Amendment Writes contest to fund the release of her CD Words Unbroken.

On May 4, Helen Horal, winner of The First Amendment Writes contest, releases Words Unbroken, a CD that the prize helped finance. Horal, who started playing at 17, came to UVA from Florida.  She approached drummer and producer James McLaughlin about making some demos. Mclaughlin introduced her to the very fine band that helped make the record: Darrell Muller (Old School Freight Train), Sam Wilson (Sons of Bill), Daniel Clarke (Mandy Moore, Modern Groove Syndicate), Anne Marie Calhoun (Jethro Tull, DMB), Andy Thacker (High Society), Brian Chenault, and Stewart Myers (John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Rachael Yamagata). He also encouraged Horal to enter the contest. Since her win, ATO exec Bruce Flohr has offered his help. Horal says, “I have to pinch myself sometimes. He has been so generous in his advice; he is always willing to speak with me about recording, gigging, short-term and long-term goals, and any questions about music in general.” Horal’s friends Sparky’s Flaw open the show. The Naked Puritans appear to be nowhere on the bill.

Paul Curreri and Devon Sproule both have newly released music. Sproule is back from a British tour with Richie Havens and will very soon release the excellent Keep Your Silver Shined. She recorded the CD last year at Greenwood Studio with another musician’s favorite, Jeff Romano. Sproule is getting very good acclaim in Europe and is featured in a cover story in fRoots magazine. Curreri’s new disc, The Velvet Rut, was recorded at home and features the guitarist playing every instrument. He just returned from his first headlining trip in Ireland. Look for both CDs to be available within the month.

Matthew Willner is releasing the first of his recent recordings, a jazz fusion project featuring James McLaughlin, Darrell Muller, John D’earth and Bobby Read. Buy it when you see Willner out playing.


South African singer-songwriter Vusi Mahlasela will celebrate his new CD, Guiding Star, at Starr Hill on May 13.

South African singer and ATO recording artist Vusi Mahlasela’s new CD, Guiding Star, also comes out in very early May. The singer will perform those tunes and more live at Starr Hill on May 13.

Finally, Alex Caton, who led Las Gitanas for many years, has a new disc on the near horizon and a new band, Verbunk. Look for both at Gravity in May.

How lucky we are to live in this town. Please e-mail me if I missed your CD.

Categories
News

Chances are…

Dear Ace: I know gambling is illegal in Virginia. Is online gambling O.K.? —Tex S. Holdem

Tex: Kenny Rogers’ rotisserie chicken chain may have gone belly-up, but his wisdom springs eternal: You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away and know when to run. But if you’re playing online poker, are you gonna have to know when to run from the cops? Ace went to the law to find out.


The virtual showdown has so much less flourish, but online poker play has its advantages (and legality for now).

The Code of Virginia has a long, boring definition for gambling that boils down to placing a wager on anything that has the potential for profit based on chance. With a few exceptions (“contest[s] of speed or skill between men, animals, fowl or vehicles” and bingo), anything that falls under that definition makes the bettor guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor. But don’t start frantically deleting your Internet browser history yet, ‘cause there’s a big loophole.

Section 18.2-334 of the Virginia Code mandates that the law doesn’t apply to any “game of chance conducted in a private residence, provided such private residence is not commonly used for such games of chance.” The law does go on to say that if there’s a gaming operator in your house who “conducts, finances, manages, supervises, directs or owns all or part of an illegal gambling enterprise, activity or operation,” you’re in trouble. In the context of online gambling, however, that means you’d have to be running AlbemarlePoker.com to raise the Commonwealth’s suspicions. Clearly, the law was enacted to ensure that smoky five-card stud games played around a buddy’s kitchen table are kosher, but it should also set you in the clear as far as online gambling’s concerned. Right?

Well…sort of.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Act of 2006 was Bill Frist’s pet project at the very end of last year’s Senate session. It ties the hands of banks in funding online gambling sites, but the law doesn’t explicitly apply to individual poker players. So you’re entering some murky legal territory, Tex. Provided you can find a legit way to pay to place your bets, however, and provided you’re playing a game like poker that involves some degree of skill (it’s the pure chance stuff that can get you in trouble), then game on. And hell, no individual has ever been prosecuted for online gambling, so Ace puts the odds of your arrest at, let’s say, 1 million to one. Any takers?

Categories
The Editor's Desk

No swearing!

No swearing!

Your last paragraph [“Black is White,” The Odd Dominion, April 10, 2007] was a mess: What law is Webb flouting? What law is he sworn to uphold? He is sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States. Mr. Thompson (not Senator Webb) was charged with violating a Washington, D.C. law (a law, incidentally, recently called into question by a federal court ruling). Webb is NOT sworn to uphold the laws of Washington, D.C., as your last sentence erroneously states. Your points contrasting the expected behaviors of John Warner, a maverick Republican, and Jim Webb, a maverick Democrat, were interesting. Also on a political note, no one ever lost a vote in Virginia being FOR the Second Amendment and against gun control. Webb will never have to do a Mitt Romney and join the NRA a month before running for re-election.

Mike McCaffrey
Trevilians

__________________________________________________________________

Rally for Regent

Oh, come on! There are religious fanatics who want to take over the world and yet you publish an article like this one [“Justice for Jesus.” The Odd Dominion, April 17, 2007]. Pat Robertson has never been secret about what he would like to see—in fact it is what the Bible teaches. I resent greatly the implications that graduates from Regent are “sleeper cells.” When will you run an article about Islamofanatics? They are much more dangerous.

I am really tired of Christians being seen as a threat more dangerous than others, being secretive, etc. These folks want only the best for this country. They are willing to work for it, and yet you publish an article linking them with the likes of Juice Newton and Edgar Cayce. Please!!

Oh yes, my oldest son is a 1999 grad of Regent with a degree in public policy and law. He is not out to subvert this country but to serve it in the political arena as a heartfelt response to the call of God on his life.

Jacob Eige
Raleigh, NC

__________________________________________________________________

Odd supporter

To Cathryn Harding and Dan Catalano: Enjoyed our phone visit as I did your article [“Clash of the titans,” The Odd Dominion, March 27].

Well written with a keen balance between the serious and humor—an essential quality for politicians and political writers. Could you find an original copy and send it?
   
Gratefully,
Sen. John Warner
“Old Warhorse”

(Editor’s note: Senator Warner called C-VILLE on March 30 to express his delight with Catalano’s column, which he read online, and since then has been sent a copy of the paper.)


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