Month: August 2010

Virginia’s Attorney General is within his right to investigate grants from the Commonwealth of Virginia to faculty members of public universities, provided a sound "objective basis" for the investigations. Unfortunately for AG Ken Cuccinelli, his recent investigations of former climate scientist Michael Mann under the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act failed to sufficiently explain suspicions of fraud in Mann’s work.

In a six-page opinion released this morning in Albemarle County Circuit Court, Judge Paul M. Peatross writes that, while UVA is subject to future Civil Investigative Demands, Cuccinelli’s two CIDs for information related to five grants awarded to Mann will be "set aside…in their entirety."

"What the Attorney General suspects that Dr. Mann did that was false or fraudulent in obtaining funds from the Commonwealth is simply not stated," says Peatross. While the court "understands the controversy regarding Dr. Mann’s work on the issue of global warming," Peatross writes that "it is not clear what [Mann] did that was misleading, false or fraudulent in obtaining funds from the Commonwealth of Virginia."

In his CIDs, filed in April, Cuccinelli sought information from UVA concerning five grants that funded climate research conducted by Mann while he was employed by the school. Mann was previously criticized by climate change skeptics following "Climategate," in which a group of climate scientists including Mann were alleged to have falsified data following the release of e-mail correspondence among researchers. Subsequent investigations into Mann’s work cleared him of any wrongdoing.

The University of Virginia is currently working on a response to Peatross’ ruling. Your response? Leave it below.

UPDATE: UVA’s response, from the Office of Public Affairs, is copied below, in full:

Statement from the University of Virginia about Judge Peatross’ opinion on the CIDs
 
"The University of Virginia is pleased and gratified by the court’s decision to set aside the CIDs in their entirety.
 
"In reaching its conclusion, the court made several important findings: that the attorney general failed to sufficiently support any allegation that Dr. Mann engaged in fraudulent conduct; that academic freedom should inform the propriety of an inquiry into the conduct of University faculty; and that the scope of any future inquiries by the attorney general would have to be substantially more narrow than these CIDs.
 
"The University’s case was also bolstered by the strong support from its Board of Visitors, the University’s faculty and the many individuals and groups around the country who let their voices be heard on this issue."

If you’ve watched “The Jersey Shore,” “The Biggest Loser,” “My Super Sweet 16,” “Britney and Kevin: Chaotic,” “The Littlest Groom,” any of the “Real Housewives” shows, “The Swan,” “Amish in the City” or any “Real World” season since 1992, you probably know that reality television has a way of casting humanity in the most unflattering light possible. But the documentary style has opened the airwaves for three shows with local ties in more flattering ways.

• Jackson Landers, the 32-year-old local man who garnered a writeup in the New York Times for his classes that offer a link between hunting and the local food movement, says that he is working on a pilot for Animal Planet, tentatively called "Eating Aliens." The show would follow Landers as he travels the world finding creative ways to hunt and, with the help of a chef, eat invasive species. (Zebra mussel stew, anyone?) Landers’ first book, A Locavore’s Guide to Deer Hunting, will be out in 2011.

• I followed a tip this morning that one Prince Poppycock, the flamboyant pop-opera singer who has become a finalist on “America’s Got Talent,” was from Keswick. As it turns out, Poppycock—born John Andrew Quale—grew up in Northern Virginia, and his mother Kathleen Quale lives in Keswick and works at Monticello. So if nothing else, let this be a warning to you: If you see a man dressed in the style of the 18th century French aristocracy, his face caked in thick white makeup, never fear. He’s only a singer, passing through to visit his mother. "Talent" shows Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 9pm on NBC.

Masculinity’s answer to Lady Gaga has local ties. More below.

• This is just in from UVA Today’s news blog: Phil Plait, who earned a Ph.D. in Astronomy from UVA in the ’90s, hosts a new show on the Discovery Channel called “Bad Universe,” which first airs on Sunday at 10pm. In it Plait, in the mode of the “Mythbusters,” puts claims about astronomy to the test. Who said that stargazing never got anyone anywhere?

Dude’s got his head in the clouds.

Any other folks with local ties on TV lately?

In anticipation of a series of professors retiring, the UVA College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences established the Legacy of Distinction Fund to help recruit new faculty. The College hopes to attract $5 million in private funds.

According to UVA Today, the College counts 88 tenured faculty age 65 or older, and 33 older than 70.

The mechanics of the fund are simple: Departments can make “bridge hires,” where new faculty members are paid for the time their teaching commitments at UVA overlap with those of retiring professors. 

"As institutions across the country struggle with their own budgetary pictures, we saw a short-term opportunity to gain an advantageous hiring position—if we could muster the resources to make hires," said Meredith Woo, dean of the College.

"We like to think we have a strong hiring position every year, but in these next couple of years, with these resources, that position is going to be even stronger."

Four professors hired as part of the Legacy of Distinction fund are starting the transition: Timo von Oertzen, in the Psychology Department (following John Nesselroade); R. Craig Group, in Physics (following George Hess); Elizabeth Varon (following Joe Kett) and William Hitchcock, both in the History Department.
 

During Al Groh’s nine seasons in Charlottesville, Virginia ran a very unusual college defensive scheme. Gone is Groh and the Bill Parcells/Bill Belichick/Bill Cowher NFL style 3-4 defense. In is Mike London and defensive coach Jim Reid’s more conventional 4-3 front.

In the 4-3 stack alignment, the Virginia defense will be able to rely more on the instinctive nature of football players, and less on complex, read-and-react schemes which are much more suitable for NFL players that have all day to study the game. College linebackers, the quarterback of the defense, also have to go to class at UVA. The more you have to think about where you are supposed to be out there as a young football player, well, the more mistakes you are very likely to make on the field, and the more out of position you will will often end up.

Virginia’s new defense is championed by Jim Reid, who sometimes sounds like he’s actually faking his Boston accent because it’s so damn authentic. Reid, by all accounts is  a “players first” type of coach that trusts his players to be in the right place at the right time both on and off the field. In his 36th year of coaching, Reid has been a head coach three times, most recently at VMI in Lexington, and loves the game as much as anyone on the planet. He’s the kind of guy I’d enjoy sitting down with a bottle of Maker’s Mark and talking football on my back porch till the sun comes up.

Also coaching the defense will be Virginia’s legendary safety Anthony Poindexter, who will coach the safeties and special teams. Vincent Brown, who played for the New England Patriots for eight years, will coach the linebackers. Jeff Hanson, who has on the the best coaching scowls I have ever seen, will handle the defensive line, as well as also coordinating the recruiting. Chip West, a native of the ever-important Tidewater region, will coach the cornerbacks.

As I mentioned earlier, the linebackers are the quarterback of the defense. The heart and soul of any good defense does not start here, that’s the defensive front, but linebackers have to play almost every position on the defense at some point in the game. They rush the passer, defend the run, battle much faster wideouts, defend 6-6 tight ends over the middle and in the flat, and must play stopper against the run. The LB’s especially in the 4-3 defense, since there are only 3 of them out there at one time, must fully understand every coverage on the defense. More often than not, they are the captain of a defense, and relay the call in the huddle from their coach to their teammates. Linebackers must be outstanding open field tacklers, as well as being able to be violent pass rushers up front, as well as sometimes from the edge. See former Tar Heel Lawrence Taylor in his career in the NFL, or Ray Lewis in his first 10 to understand how much a great linebacker can help a team win.

Gone from last season’s three-win season linebacker spot is 6-4, 260 pound Cam Johnson, a beast who has moved to defensive end. Johnson should be much more suited for the end spot as he pretty much outgrew the LB position. Second year LaRoy Reynolds has moved from safety to linebacker, a position he excelled in for Maury HS in Norfolk.

One of the most surprising players this offseason has been Aaron Taliaferro, the 6-2 225 pound player out of Gloucester HS. Taliaferro received a Rock Weir Award (fullback Fell-Danzer won the other) as one of the most improved players on the team this offseason. The light has turned on for Aaron, and he could see valuable minutes on he field this year for the first time in his career here in Charlottesville.

Also changing positions was the teams leading tackler Steve Greer. Greer has moved from inside backer to the outside, and he reminds me of the gritty, gutty Ohio version of former Virginia linebacker Jon Copper. Smart, hard working, a huge student of video, and with a eye on making the play, 6-2 230 pound Greer has battled injuries while at UVA. If he can stay healthy, he just might become one of the stars of Reid’s defense.

New Jersey native and sophomore Ausar Walcott is another guy battling to see the field at linebacker. Last season, he only played sparingly on special teams. But this year, the athletic Walcott should be battle Jared Detrick for playing time. Detrick, who is very talented, but often injured, looks to be a guy that fits London’s system quite well. A senior, Detrick has only been on the field for about 150 plays in his time in Charlottesville hopes he can put the injury bug behind him.

Sophomore and Charlotte native Tucker Windle earned his first start of his career against the dreaded Hokies as he made five tackles, and he should make the rotation. Tucker’s dad played for UVA in the mid 70’s. Bill Schautz, who blocked a punt last season against the Miami Hurricanes, will battle for time on the gridiron as well.

True freshman Henry Coley could see action if Virginia suffers multiple, serious injuries at LB, but most likely will redshirt. I’m psyched to see the athletic Coley hit the field after hearing such good things from my friends in Virginia Beach who watched him play in high school at Bayside.

I think this group could be one of the strengths of the team if they stay healthy, and if the defensive front is better than advertised. Detrick, and Green must come back from their injuries at 100%, and Reynolds needs to be quicker to the ball. But I’m certain of one thing: coaches Vincent Brown and Jim Reid are going to get more from less with this group of young men. These guys can flat out coach! Go Hoos, beat those damn Hokies. 

A new survey issued by the Justice Department lists a high rate of sexual misconduct reported by inmates at the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women (FCCW), according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The roughly 1,200-inmate facility came under fire earlier this year amidst allegations of inmate discrimination and segregation.

The survey, titled "Sexual Victimization in Prisons and Jails Reported by Inmates, 2008-2009," is the product of interviews with more than 81,000 inmates from 167 state or federal prisons, 286 local jails and 10 special correctional facilities. Included in the study, according to the website for the Bureau of Justice Statistics, are "estimates of nonconsensual sexual acts, abusive sexual contacts, inmate-on-inmate and staff sexual misconduct, and level of coercion."

As the Times-Dispatch points out, the FCCW is the only women’s facility classified as having "both high rates of inmate-on-inmate sexual victimization as well as staff sexual misconduct." A total of 199 FCCW inmates repsonded to the Justice Department survey. Of those surveyed, 11.4 percent reported incidents of inmate-on-inmate sexual victimization, while 6 percent reported incidents of staff sexual misconduct.

The survey may be viewed in its entirety here.

Nas and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley hit the Charlottesville Pavilion tomorrow night for a rare hip-hop show on the Downtown Mall. The two collaborated recently for an album called Distant Relatives that, it seemed, most people thought would be bad, but has in fact been well received. Check it out. The worst case scenario? You get to see two modern music legends in the making.

Sometimes it seems like ’80s is just as sure a bet as nighttime itself. But that should be no reason to delay, since ’90s nostalgia is welling up fast. To that end, don’t go to

Rapture’s ’80s Dance Party

tonight requesting Soul Coughing, Alanis Morissette or Hootie and the Blowfish. Instead, go and…

Request this.

One of my favorite Friday evening activities is to take a trip to the Library of Congress’ Packard Campus, in Culpeper, to watch a beautiful print of a classic film in a classy art deco theater—for free. Tonight, it’s David Lynch’s totally bizarre Wild At Heart, from a time when pre-Wicker Man Nicolas Cage had that thrilling combination of panache and swagger.

Nic Cage sings "Love Me Tender" in Wild at Heart.

Just as summer starts to taper off, it’s time for the Nelson County Bike Festival at Devil’s Backbone Brewery. Check your tire pressure, wear a helmet, and don’t drink and ride.

What’re you up to this weekend?

UVA has released a statement to correct an earlier report concerning the school’s efforts to encourage self-reporting of arrests and criminal convictions among students. The  system will launch Monday, and the launch delay is not due to a technical glitch, but rather due to tests of the program.

According to UVA, students will have about a week to complete the form. If a student fails to turn in the form by the deadline, he or she will be blocked from sending or receiving e-mails.

A program devised by UVA to require students to self-report arrests and criminal convictions may not be working.

According to NBC29, the online disclosure system has encountered a technical glitch and is not popping up at the time a student logs into UVA’s NetBadge system for the fist time this semester. As originally planned, students were to be prompted by the program to disclose any arrests or convictions when they first accessed NetBadge to check e-mail or access course materials.

The wait, it appears, has to do with final technical support for the system. A University spokesperson told NBC29 that the system should be working on Monday.

The self-reporting program is a safety measure implemented three months after UVA student Yeardley Love’s death. Fellow student-athlete George Huguely, charged with first-degree murder in Love’s death, had a criminal history unknown to UVA officials at the time of Love’s death.
 

Sorting through the healthy backlog of music stacked in piles over at Feedback HQ, folks. Here’s some highlights.

• The Invisible Hand releases a split 7" single with Borrowed Beams of Light, the brainchild of Hand drummer Adam Brock, early next month. Head over to Funny/Not Funny, a Harrisonburg-based label to check out Borrowed Beams’ track. "Julie (What’s that Spell?)" is a love song that starts when the song’s protaganist "locks eyes" with Julie, the beloved, in "a park in Ibiza." Soon enough, she’s "turning my dogs into biters," "cats into panthers." Come on guys—who hasn’t been there?

Borrowed Beams of Light’s "Julie (What’s That Spell?)"

• Ned Oldham releases a three song EP next month on Gold Robot Records, advertised on the site as his first proper recordings since 2004. Lead track "The One Light," sounds like a lost cut from Neil Young’s Hawks and Doves. Behold the magic below.

Ned Oldham’s "The One Light"

• While Oldham has been busy putting this EP together, Matty Metcalfe—also a member of Old Calf—has been hard at work putting the finishing touches on a 19-track double album that has to be one of the most distinctive recordings to cross the ol’ desk. Musette Moderna/Tango a’ Tiempo grew from a desire, Metcalfe writes in the liner notes, "to put together fresher more modern sounding arrangements of beautiful old French Musettes (fast waltzes) and Argentine Tangos—to essentially bring these wonderful songs into the new century…" In doing so, Metcalf gives Cindy Lauper and Madonna the accordion medley treatment—and it works. Stay tuned for more on this amazing recording; it’s going to take some time to parse out. In the meantime, Metcalf releases the record at Louisa Arts Center on Sunday afternoon.

• Local songwriter/producer extraordinaire Lance Brenner hit the e-mail account with a noteworthy piece of news: Travis Elliott‘s new Brenner-produced Swan Dive EP is being featured as "New and Noteworthy" page of iTunes. Click here to check it out (Caution: the link activates iTunes), or to buy it for a very reasonable $6.93.

 What else is happening in local music?

The finds keep coming! I love thrift-shopping, as I am sure that I’ve mentioned before, and one of my favorite thrift activities is upcycling used clothing, especially t-shirts. In essence my definition of ‘upcycling’ is reworking some existing thing in a new and exciting way, giving it new purpose and value. Example: giant, baggy t-shirt sewn into flattering, funky top.
A choice local spot for all things donated (no, I won’t give away my secrets!) offers t-shirts in wire bins at five for a dollar! Even if you just need some cotton rags, a twenty-cent double XL can go a long way. Usually, I gravitate towards the vintage, campy or just plain silly ones.

Once I get my T’s home I get out my dress form (from college fashion-class days), chalk and scissors. I draw a new neckline and eyeball the sleeve cuts. To make a shirt more fitted I will use straight pins to mark out haphazard darts, which I then stitch on my sewing machine.

T-shirt into halter-top

Derby-bout freebie altered

Not a t-shirt, obviously, but another way to alter a thrift store find

My favorite shirt of the moment is a bright blue number with “Holland” screen-printed in orange in its front. I cut a more flattering boxy neckline with a “v” back. I loped off the sleeves and stitched them back on so they are ruffled and poofy. Using a piece of the original neckline, I added a horizontal line through the open part of the back. Using my trusty dress form I was able to add what could almost pass for princess seams down the front. I top-stitched the added seams and cut off the remaining fabric leaving short, raw edges on the outside of the shirt. The finished top is fun, odd, and personal.

Altered ‘Holland’ t-shirt 

The key to any upcycling effort is to not let the original material become too precious. Yes, it may be one of a kind as it is but it won’t be fabulously unique unless you are willing to get messy. You may have to hack off pieces and cut holes in others. True, a shirt may become inappropriate for public display with one ill-measured snip so keep your vision flexible. In the end, even if you can’t wear your upcycled adventure as a shirt you can always use it as a headband, dog collar, purse, hat, belt, quilt square, framed art, wallet, pillow, stuffed animal, pot holder, book cover, or, of course, a rag.

If you would like to take a more directed approach to t-shirt mutilation check out this book. Or maybe I’ll let you borrow the one I found the other day in the book bin at the Salvation Army…

99 Ways to Cut, Sew, Trim & Tie Your T-Shirt

Have you had any adventures in upcycling?
Repurposed any t-shirts?
 

Make your own dress form using duct tape and a willing friend: http://www.instructables.com/id/Duct-Tape-Dressform/

Weeks after celebrating his 37th anniversary as an Albemarle County employee, County Executive Bob Tucker announced today that he will retire at the end of 2010.

"It has been an honor to serve Albemarle County’s citizens for the past 37 years, and I am particularly grateful to the dedicated and professional county employees and members of the Board of Supervisors that I have worked with since 1973," said Tucker in a press release. More after the photo.

Albemarle County Executive Bob Tucker

What did those 37 years entail? During his time as planning director, Tucker led the construction of the 1980 Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (along with a few amendments to differentiate between development areas and rural areas), managed every update to the county’s Comprehensive Plan after 1972,  and steered Albemarle through its worst revenue shortfall in decades.

The entire text of Tucker’s announcement is available here. With Tucker gone by 2011, what should Albemarle County look for in a new county executive? And who should take the reins? Leave your thoughts below.