Month: October 2016

Categories
News

In brief: Angry administrator, unwise Facebooking and more

Courtesy Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone cries foul

Days before UVA former associate dean Nicole Eramo’s 12-day defamation trial is set to begin October 17, the magazine accused her of improperly releasing video depositions to ABC’s “20/20” to air October 14, and sought relief in an emergency motion. The judge ruled October 11 that Eramo can’t use leaked videos in court, according to the Daily Progress.

Poorly spelled, as well

Bella owner and UVA lecturer Douglas Muir burned up Facebook with his post last week: “Black lives matter is the biggest rasist (sic) organisation (sic) since the clan (sic). Are you kidding me. Disgusting!!!” UVA’s School of Engineering and Darden scurried to distance themselves from Muir, now on leave from the university, and some locals have called for a boycott of the restaurant.

festysmokeFesty ends with a bang—literally

As if two days of rain weren’t bad enough, when the sky finally cleared Sunday, a food vendor’s propane tank exploded, sending one person to the emergency room and evacuating the Arrington site for several hours.

Epic fail

Gordon Goines’ call to Waynesboro police about a theft in 2014 resulted in him handcuffed and involuntarily committed to a mental health facility for five days. Goines, who has cerebellar ataxia, which makes it difficult to walk and speak, sued and the case settlement was announced October 6, according to the News Virginian.

m-obama-whitehouse-photoAmanda Lucidon
White House photo by Amanda Lucidon

Landscaping for Michelle Obama

The first lady called upon UVA landscape architects to spiff up the White House kitchen garden area, and a team led by Elizabeth Meyer added tables, benches and paths to accommodate hanging out in the garden as the Obamas prepare to exit.

Living the high life

5thSt-wallThere’s a beacon of hope for grocery fanatics hoping to move closer to Wegmans, and you may have seen it perched atop several layers of massive rounded retaining walls while heading out of town. A new upscale apartment complex by Castle Development Partners, called Beacon on 5th, will begin leasing in January with move-in this spring.

  • Rents start at $1,200
  • 207 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments
  • 34 two-, three- and four-bedroom townhouses
  • Located two minutes from 5th Street Station (aka Wegmans)

By the numbers

Voter swell

27,616

Active registered voters in Charlottesville as of October 3

Almost 1,900

Voters registered since September 1

60%

increase since January 1

October 17

Deadline to register for November 8 election

27,319

Voters on Election Day 2012

27,570

Registered voters in 2008

Source: Charlottesville Registrar Rosanna Bencoach

Quote of the week

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”
—State Senator Tom Garrett quotes Hitler propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels in his October 10 debate against 5th District opponent Jane Dittmar about whether he was influenced by donations from uranium mining interests.

Categories
News

Legal opinion: Don’t clutter the Constitution of Virginia

Bad idea: Constitution of Virginia author Dick Howard advises against amendments, especially for social and economic issues. Photographed here in 2006, when he warned against the now-unconstitutional definition of marriage amendment. JACK LOONEY

Virginia voters will notice two constitutional amendments on the ballot in November, and given past history, they’ll probably pass them, despite legal experts concerns that such amendments clunk up the state constitution.

The first amendment on the ballot enshrines an existing right-to-work statute that prohibits employers from requiring union membership. The second allows spouses of first responders killed in the line of duty to be exempt from property taxes if their localities agree.

UVA law prof Dick Howard drafted the current constitution, which was approved in 1971. “The constitution embodies fundamental law—the branches of government, local government, the bill of rights and individual rights,” he says. “The more you load the constitution with policy judgments, the more it’s like a code.”

Howard also says it’s a mistake to put social issues into a constitution, and points to Prohibition as exhibit A for bad amendment ideas in the U.S. Constitution. More recently, Virginia’s definition of marriage amendment in 2006 is another example of an issue upon which American public opinion quickly changed and which has been struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.

While Howard thinks the effect of the property tax amendment is inconsequential, he says, “In principle, that should not be in the constitution. Don’t use the constitution to rewrite the tax code.”

He calls the right-to-work amendment “highly controversial,” and notes there is no constitutional challenge to the statute. “It’s a non-issue,” he says. “Some are arguing the attorney general of Virginia, Mark Herring, is not to be trusted to enforce the statute. I think that’s a chimerical concern.” Some Republicans voiced concerns after Herring refused to defend the state’s same-sex marriage ban, which was being challenged as unconstitutional.

Delegate David Toscano (D-57) says there’s no indication the attorney general will not enforce the statute. “That’s a red herring,” he puns. The amendment “is a clear case of trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist” for a statute that has never been challenged in a state with few unions. Its main purpose, he says, seems to be “to get people to the polls.”

However, Delegate Rob Bell (R-58), who is running for attorney general next year, says right-to-work is “fundamental” to Virginia’s business competitiveness, and by putting it into the constitution, “it’s less subject to change by subsequent legislatures.”

Bell says he’s “puzzled and concerned” by people who don’t think right-to-work is an issue, and that the constitutional amendment is like seat belts in cars: “We want to have protections in place.”

The property tax break for surviving spouses of first responders has a much smaller impact, says Bell, but without the constitutional amendment, localities can’t offer that break if they choose to do so.

To get an amendment on the ballot, the General Assembly must pass it two consecutive years with a House of Delegates election in between.

Recent amendments have tended to give property tax breaks to veterans or the elderly with disabilities. Bell carried an eminent domain amendment that passed in 2012. As for cleaning up now-unconstitutional amendments like definition of marriage, says Bell, “I’m not on that committee.”

For Howard, amendments typically are “good examples of how people misuse the constitution.” He mentions the right to hunt and fish amendment. “If ever there was a practice in no danger,” he says. “A lot of these are feel-good issues.”

And they almost always pass, he says.

Categories
News

Funny business: Good clowns protest bad rap

Terra Glick has been clowning around since she was a kid, hanging with Patch Adams’ son. She's photographed in Armenia in 2015. Submitted photo

A call about a clown allegedly living in some Albemarle County woods came into the Emergency Communications Center on September 29 around 4pm. They’re here.

And one local clown—however mischievous she may be—says these incidents are giving her and her cheery friends a bad rap.

The widespread clown craze originated in Greenville County, South Carolina, where reports of disturbing jesters trying to lure children into the woods were documented by the local police department. Though investigators never found any evidence to substantiate those claims, similar sightings have since been reported in more than two dozen states, including Virginia.

Spawned by a recent report to university police, a mob of James Madison University students calling themselves the “clown patrol” took to the Harrisonburg campus October 4 to go “clown hunting,” they said. Videos and photos of the students carrying baseball bats and pepper spray surfaced online, but the following morning, JMU administration released a statement that said the clown sighting was a hoax.

Likewise, the majority of malicious clown sightings have never been verified. And the Albemarle police patrol officer dispatched to the wooded area in which a clown was allegedly spotted found nary a rubber nose nor an oversized shoe.

“That’s such a stereotype,” says Terra Glick, a 29-year-old Charlottesville resident with a clowning habit. “I have five or six different pairs of clown shoes. One of them has curly toes like the old Harlequin style, and I have neon hot pink shoes that are cutesy and cowboy boots that are silly, but no big shoes because that’s so ’80s and horrible.”

Glick began clowning with The Gesundheit Institute in high school when her dad, a well-known clown who lives across the mountain in Rockingham County, encouraged her and some of her friends to dress up in silly clothes and visit a local nursing home with him.

Gesundheit was founded by Patch Adams, with whom Glick’s father, John, went to medical school.

“Patch has a son my age,” she says. “We grew up being friends and playing together. We kind of got into clowning at the same time because of our dads clowning together. So now there’s this second wave of the children of hippies who are into clowning. We’re all kind of a clown family.”

For a group that aims to bring joy and silliness to those around them, the recent creepy clown sightings have everyone on edge, she says.

“I think of it like clown terrorism,” Glick says, comparing it to the narrative of a few misguided Muslims tainting the reputation of the majority of innocent people who share the same religion. “The clown who’s scary and trying to hurt people, they’re doing bad things in the name of my religion.”

Glick admits that, though her aesthetic is “a 5-year-old dressing up like a princess” covered in glitter and with a big red nose, her clowning isn’t all innocent.

“I like to get into trouble,” she says. “But it’s mainly the kind of trouble where I get to flirt with policemen when I’m dressed as a clown, or kiss old men on the cheek.”

She invites those who are interested in experiencing real clown culture to go on an international humanitarian trip with her organization, which defines clowning as “spontaneous improvisational play.”

“The clown life’s all about adventure,” says Glick. “I think everybody should break out of their shell every once in awhile and do something crazy—and why not play dress-up and put a nose on, too?”

Categories
Opinion

Off the rails: The Trump train goes over a cliff

Donald Trump now faces members of his own party, like Virginia’s U.S. Representative Barbara Comstock, calling for him to step aside. Photo by: Amanda Maglione

Wow. Just wow. We have been following politics for a very long time (too long, perhaps), and we honestly have never seen anything quite like the insane gyrations currently rocking the presidential race. We always knew that the triumph of Donald J. Trump over a field of hapless Republican losers in the primaries was going to be the gift that kept on giving, but never in our wildest dreams did we expect things to get as truly unhinged as they are right now.

With so many choice events to choose from, it’s hard for us to pick our favorite recent political development, but there’s definitely one thing that perfectly encapsulated the volatile, unprecedented position the elephants find themselves in. It happened outside the Republican National Committee headquarters, where Trump’s Virginia campaign chair Corey Stewart recently staged a protest against the RNC for purportedly failing to support The Donald. The Trump campaign responded by immediately firing Corey Stewart.

Think about that. Trump’s state chairman actually organized a protest against his own party’s national committee, even though RNC chairman Reince Priebus is one of the few GOP talking heads still offering unqualified support for the unstable, foul-mouthed, misogynistic rage machine who sits hunched atop the Republican ticket like a coked-up King Kong, unwilling (or unable) to admit that he’s mortally wounded. And Trump rewarded Stewart’s initiative by throwing him off the campaign’s swiftly sinking ship.

Although we have never wavered in our conviction that Hillary Clinton will be our next president, we would be lying if we didn’t admit to a few moments of nervousness leading up to the first presidential debate. The negative narrative that the press has long loved to spin around Clinton seemed to be hardening, and Trump’s relentless hammering of her was dragging her down to his subterranean level.

But then came Clinton’s masterful debate performance. And Trump’s meandering meltdown. And his unhinged attacks on a former Miss Universe. And his 3am tweets telling the world to check out a fictional sex tape. And the leaked “Access Hollywood” audio of Trump bragging that he likes to sexually assault women. And the second presidential debate, which Trump kicked off by appearing with women who had accused former president Bill Clinton of sex crimes, and capped off by threatening to abuse the power of the presidency by sending his political opponent to prison.

The result? A stampede of Republican rodents fleeing the S.S. Trumptanic as fast as their little feet could carry them. It began as a trickle, with Virginia’s very own U.S. Representative Barbara Comstock, who is locked in a tight race to retain her congressional seat, taking to Facebook to urge Trump to quit the race in the wake of his hideous “locker-room talk” scandal. It swiftly ballooned, however, until even Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, in a conference call with colleagues, declared that he would no longer defend his party’s pumpkin-hued, presidency-seeking pustule, and informed members fighting for political survival that they were free to run as far and fast as possible from Trump’s dumpster fire of a campaign.

This, of course, sparked a huge backlash from Republican base voters who still love Trump, and think Clinton is the devil incarnate. And thus does one of America’s most successful and durable political parties find itself coming apart at the seams, with a monster dragging it steadily into darkness, and a horrified host of now-regretful enablers struggling fruitlessly toward the light.

But for Donald Trump’s Republican Party, that light is fading fast.

Odd Dominion is an unabashedly liberal, twice-monthly op-ed column covering Virginia politics.

Categories
News

Fake cancer survivor gets 14 months

The Greenbrier was bilked by its former fine dining director, who took a job at Darden while the hotel thought he was seeking cancer treatment. Photo Bobak Ha’Eri

Carmelo “Carmine” Carrozza, who claimed he had cancer and collected paychecks from The Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs while taking a job at the Darden School Foundation, was sentenced October 5 to 14 months in prison for wire fraud and ordered to pay more than $48,000 in restitution, according to a release from the U.S. attorney in Charleston, West Virginia.

Carrozza, 57, began working at the high-end hotel in May 2013 as director of fine dining. He was there barely a month when he claimed he had cancer. He took a job at Darden in August 2013 and rented a house from a former C-VILLE Weekly editor. At the business school, he was in charge of hospitality and conventions at its 69,000-square-foot conference center, which includes the 177-room Inn at Darden and the Abbott Center Dining Room.

While no one in Charlottesville suspected anything amiss, Carrozza continued to collect paychecks through December 2013, when The Greenbrier became aware of his double-dipping.

Carrozza entered a plea agreement, and faced up to 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.

Categories
News

R.K. Ramazani: U.S. ‘dean of Iranian foreign policy studies’ dies at 88

Ruhi Ramazani became a U.S. citizen in the 1950s, and was a regular at the naturalization ceremony at Monticello on the Fourth of July. He’s photographed here in 2008, when President George W. Bush was the speaker. Photo Ryan Hoover

UVA professor emeritus Rouhollah K. Ramazani, better known as Ruhi, died October 5 from complications of a fall at age 88.

The Edward R. Stettinus professor of government and foreign affairs at UVA came to the school in 1952, after decamping quickly from Iran, where his life could have been in danger had he stayed. During his long career, he always said freedom of speech was the main reason he immigrated to the United States.

“Absolutely,” confirms Nesta Ramazani, his wife of 64 years, who came with him from Iran.

“It’s hard to imagine the University of Virginia without Ruhi,” says Center for Politics founder Larry Sabato. “He’s been here forever and was always deeply involved with the university. He was one of the first people you consulted before you did anything.”

Ramazani taught UVA’s first course on the Middle East in 1953, joined the faculty in 1954, and wrote a dozen books on Iran’s foreign policy, scores of articles and founded the Middle Eastern Studies department.

During the Iran hostage crisis in 1979, President Jimmy Carter consulted him, and he became known as the “dean of Iranian foreign policy studies” in the U.S. “He played an important advisory role,” says Sabato, and he used his contacts in Iran to work toward improved relations with the United States, for decades, as it turned out.

When the U.S. reached a nuclear deal with Iran in 2015, “he was delighted to see that finally happen,” says Sabato. “Ruhi deserves credit for it.”

Sabato has described Ramazani as his mentor. “He hired me,” says Sabato. “He was chair of the politics department. I was at Oxford and getting ready to go to Yale Law School. He talked me out of it. He said, “Try teaching for a few years and see if you like it.’ Ruhi was really persuasive.”

“He took great pride in nurturing faculty and he supported promising young scholars,” says his son, Jahan Ramazani, who is a professor in the English department at UVA. “He’d point to teaching as fundamental to what he did. He was energetic and demanding.” And when some of his students became ambassadors to the Middle East, they were well-equipped with an understanding of the region, he says.

Ramazani always subscribed to the Jeffersonian ideal of the university as a site for “illimitable freedom of the human mind,” says his son, and he was profoundly committed to the school. “The university when he first arrived was not globally oriented. He and others gave it a more international profile.”

Jahan Ramazani notes his father’s “amazing” diplomatic skills and his collegiality.

Sabato says that whenever there was a crisis at the university, the elder Ramazani was in the mix. “I consulted him, I can tell you, I don’t know how many times. He was an enormously wise person who knew instinctively what needed to be done. Ruhi had it all planned out, and if you followed his instructions, things usually worked out.”

Ramazani was awarded the university’s highest honor, the Thomas Jefferson Award, in 1994. In 2011, Jahan Ramazani also received the award, and making the pair the first father and son to do so.

When Ruhi and Nesta Ramazani sailed to the United States in 1952 on the Ile de France, they left Iran during a time of intense and often deadly political turmoil. He has recounted being a student at the University of Tehran when thugs charged in, killing a dean and a classmate and then looking for him. Ramazani chanted, “Get Ramazani,” along with the mob running through the halls, and escaped.

“You could easily get killed for not having the right political views,” says Jahan Ramazani. “I think he realized with his devotion to freedom of the mind and truth seeking, that wasn’t an environment where that could be tolerated or fostered.”

 

 

Categories
Real Estate

Blue Ridge Home Builder’s 53rd Annual Parade of Homes Continues this Weekend

It’s not too late to see the best of Charlottesville’s new construction as the Blue Ridge Homebuilders Association’s 53rd Annual Parade of Homes continues this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, October 8 and 9 from noon to 5:00 pm.

This year’s Parade features 38 homes from 18 builders, up from last year, reflecting our region’s active new construction market. In addition, Parade goers can explore the amenities available in three featured neighborhoods and stop off at the Southern Development Homes Design Center to see what is new in the way of counter tops, cabinets, floors, fixtures and carpet. Professional designers will be on hand during the event to give advice and answer any and all questions.

Even if building a home is not in your immediate future, the Parade builders and agents look forward to answering questions about the latest in energy saving technologies and design features, many of which may be applicable to your present home.

As always, the Parade is free and all visitors are welcome. Come and take advantage of this special opportunity to enjoy an easy and relaxed time learning about new construction from professionals eager to be of service.

Information and Parade maps are available in the Parade of Homes Magazine in the CAAR Real Estate Weekly, C-VILLE Weekly and the Daily Progress, or online at the BRHBA website and Parade of Homes Facebook page. Maps are divided into four areas with homes identified by a number, address and builder’s name. Each home also has its own page with the name of the builder, the site agent and more, making it easy for visitors to plan a trip that includes all of the homes, neighborhoods and builders of greatest interest.

New Home Trends
One of the main highlights of the Parade is the chance to see what is new in the way of home styles, floor plans, color schemes and design. And with this many builders and homes there is something for everyone.

For example, Susan Stewart with Roy Wheeler Realty Co. has noticed a trend of “seasoned buyers moving from Northern Virginia, New Jersey and other places up north…looking to escape the traffic and congestion and ultimately wanting a quieter area still close to shopping, doctors, vets, etc.” Most of these buyers are 50+ looking for one level homes. On the other hand, many younger buyers prefer a two-story design with all the bedrooms on the same floor so parents can be near their children. Look for examples of both in the Parade.

“Contemporary design and energy plus features are always in high demand,” Stewart said, adding that today many buyers prefer open floor plans set on private lots. The seasoned buyers are also choosing granite countertops, hardwood floors and other upgrades while first timers are more interested in getting “the best bang for their buck.”

“The “modern look,” is popular said Jodi Mills with Roy Wheeler Realty Co., representing Stony Point Design/Build’s Parade entry. She added that screened porches and outdoor living areas are also in demand.

If adding outdoor living space to your new or existing home is one of your priorities, learn about some of the impressive options available when you attend this year’s Parade. For example, Tom Brannock with Loring Woodriff Real Estate Associates, and a Customer Representative for Craig Builders in Old Trail, invites Parade goers to come see “our Old Trail Parade home that has a blue stone patio with stone sitting walls, a built-in gas grill, and even an outdoor TV to add an additional entertainment space.”

Like other design features, color schemes come and go. Mills explained that there are lots of new siding colors available for home exteriors this year, of which “beautiful grays are very popular.” Grays are being used more and more in interiors as well, Mills said, citing their popularity among buyers of Stony Point Design/Build’s new homes. “We’ve been dealing with the same colors for years,” Mills said, expressing excitement about working with colors not previously available.

“We’ve had a fair amount of customers ask for gray or tan painted trim and doors rather than the white that you typically see,” said TJ Southmayd with Nest Realty representing Craig Builders in the Parade. He invites you to view their Foothill Crossings Parade entry that features a “mushroom” trim color.

Another decor update is the return of brass fixtures, Mills said adding that these are a toned down color compared to what may have been in common use previously. Look at drawer and cabinet pulls and light fixtures to see more of these new shades of brass.

Parade goers can view many of these design elements all in one place at the Southern Development Homes Design Center. Kendra Dunn, Sales and Marketing Administrator, described many of these including gray cabinets and frieze carpet, an updated and shorter version of old style shags.

For buyers who like multi-level living, but don’t want to climb stairs, another trend is residential elevators. According to Kate Colvin with Roy Wheeler Realty Co. representing Craig Builders, “In our Out of Bounds Parade Entry we’ve improved multiple level living with the addition of elevators that are included in the price and serve all four levels.”

Still another interesting feature you can view at this year’s Parade is roof top terraces or balconies, explained Kristin Sorokti, Executive Director of the BRHBA. In a list of some of this year’s interesting features she also included outdoor kitchens and fireplaces, wrap around porches and see-through gas fireplaces.

A trend that goes hand-in-hand with one level living is a focus on building better rather than bigger and using more sustainable materials said Rob Johnson with Green Mountain Construction. Johnson is the builder of two spec homes in Bundoran Farms in North Garden, one of the featured communities in this year’s Parade. He believes that, more and more, people buying new homes are making decisions based on the intention to stay for awhile and the desire for long term payback.

Energy Efficiency A Big Focus
Saving energy continues to be of major interest to new home buyers, and the builders are responding. “Green building is hot,” Mills said, “It’s what everyone is expecting.”

“The overwhelming majority of builders in our marketplace now feature energy efficient construction methods as a core part of their offering,” said Greg Slater with Nest Realty who represents Bramante Homes. He added that a standard way to evaluate a home’s energy efficiency is its HERS (Home Energy Rating System) Index, which he described as a performance measure. A home built to code has a HERS score of 100, while lower scores reflect higher degrees of energy efficiency.

“Higher performing homes are proven more valuable in the marketplace,” Slater said. The Bramante Homes Parade entry has a HERS score of 25, a very efficient rating due in part to use of solar panels. “Solar is catching on at the builder level,” he explained, stating that with 30-year financing, tax credits and low interest rates it pays for itself.

Many of the homes in this year’s event are also EarthCraft certified. To achieve this certification homes are rated according to a variety of measures such as energy efficiency, indoor air quality and efficient use of materials. River House Condominiums, at Stony Point Design/Build’s Riverside Village, will be the first EarthCraft Multifamily project in Charlottesville, Mills said. Ask for details at the Riverside Village Parade model.

All of your questions about green building are welcome at the Parade where builders and agents are prepared to advise on how energy saving innovations can benefit you.

Parade Features Three 
Neighborhoods
Neighborhoods featured in the Parade are an opportunity for visitors to see new developments and learn about what’s coming in different parts of town.

This year’s featured neighborhoods include Stanley Martin Homes’ Chesterfield Landing in Crozet, and Hollymead Walk on 29 North. The third neighborhood is Natural Retreats’ Bundoran Farms in North Garden south of Charlottesville. Each of these new communities has something unique and different to offer.

If living on a half-acre wooded lot in Crozet appeals to you, take the time to visit Chesterfield Landing, a new community with a variety of floor plans starting in the mid-$400,000s. Designs with first floor owner suites or one level living are available in this new community just 20 minutes from Charlottesville.

If you want to walk to shopping and restaurants, Hollymead Walk, a townhome community that is walkable to Hollymead Town Center might be just what you are looking for. This community, which is also just minutes from the airport, has prices starting at $269,900. One of many options is a rooftop terrace with mountain views.

Bundoran Farms is a conservation based community with 99 home sites and a century-old working farm with 260 head of cattle and an orchard with 25,000 apple trees. Conservation easements protect the property from further development. Hiking and bridle trails wind through the property, which also includes two private lakes for kayaking and fishing.

Johnson, whose Green Mountain Construction is building two spec homes in this community, described Bundoran Farms as “the quintessential Virginia countryside.” He added that residents will enjoy home sites that are private and designed to preserve views and minimize light pollution.

Builders and REALTORS® Collaborate for a Successful Parade
While Parade builders love to welcome customers into their models every year, they are also happy to see and network with local REALTORS®.

Michael Guthrie, Principal Broker of Roy Wheeler Realty Co., the Parade’s Presenting Sponsor, always expresses appreciation for the good working relationship between agents and builders in our community. His company believes in the Parade, which he described as important for the builders as well as for the real estate community throughout central Virginia.

The BRHBA also nurtures the builders’ relationship with REALTORS® through its annual sponsorship of the REALTOR® Home Tour. This special event, exclusively for REALTORS®, is a unique opportunity for them to see the Parade homes and familiarize themselves with what is new prior to the public having access during the Parade. It also allows for agents to have more “personal one on one time with the builders,” Sorokti said.

The REALTOR® Home Tour is also an opportunity for the agents to network with each other and learn what their respective clients are looking for in homes and neighborhoods.

Builders, agents and other associate members of the BRHBA also get a chance to network at the annual Parade kickoff event at the King Family Vineyards. “When we get together at the gala, it is a chance to network, enjoy each other’s company and be grateful for all our business,” Guthrie said.
Bring a friend and a list of questions and take advantage of this weekend’s opportunity to attend the Parade and talk to site agents and builders. Details are available in this edition of the CAAR Real Estate Weekly and at the BRHBA website and Parade Facebook page. Or consult your favorite REALTOR®.

Celeste Smucker is a writer, blogger and author who lives near Charlottesville.

Categories
Living

Say no to the sweet stuff when quenching your thirst

Ayran is an all-natural drink made with Greek yogurt, salt, dried mint and water. Photo courtesy Claudia Hanna

We’ve all heard it before: We need to replace all those lost electrolytes with…a sugar-infused “sports” drink (whatever that means)? But there is a healthier alternative to that sugar-laden drink that those in the West consider critical in replacing all those lost electrolytes.

Before we begin, though, let’s break down the story of electrolytes. According to WebMD, electrolytes are minerals in your body that regulate blood pressure, the body’s water content and our nerve and muscle function. We lose electrolytes through normal, daily activities. However, when we perspire, we lose electrolytes at a faster speed. Now, here’s the fun part: which minerals in our blood system makeup these oh-so-important electrolytes? Sodium, potassium, calcium and bicarbonate.

Notice that sugar is missing from that list. So, can someone please explain to me why we give our kids a whopping 56 grams (or 20 percent of the RDA) in a 32-ounce bottle of Gatorade? (Sucrose syrup and glucose-fructose syrup are two of the three first ingredients.) May I suggest an alternative thirst-quencher, with organic, healthy roots that is easy to make and involves only a handful of ingredients?

For my family, summertime in the Mediterranean means long, hot summer days at the beach or pool, cooling off with a tall glass of homemade ariani (Greek) or ayran (Turkish).

What is ariani/ayran? 

I learned about ariani while living in Cyprus. When the heat soars, the younger generation of moms reach for juice boxes and ice cream to hand to their kids. However, the older generation pulls out the yogurt and the blender. They know how to quench their thirst naturally and organically using an age-old method.

Ariani is a refreshing summer drink made from diluted Greek yogurt, salt and dried (or fresh) mint. It originated in Turkey and is served all over the country. From five-star hotels to fast-food restaurants and everything in between, ayran is a national drink in Turkey. During the Ottoman Empire, the drink was introduced to other lands, and is now widely consumed in Greece, Lebanon, Iran and beyond.

Slightly salty rather than sweet, it may take some getting used to. But it’s worth it. Here’s a comparison of Gatorade versus ayran:

Nutritional/mineral content Gatorade (8 ounces) Ariani/Ayran (8 ounces)
Calories 50 42
Sugar 14 grams 3.2 grams
Sodium 110 mg 191 mg
Potassium 30 mg 141 mg
Calcium – 106 mg
Protein – 10 grams

Notice any differences? Aside from calories and sugar content, Gatorade falls far below Ayran’s nutritional/mineral content. Please note: This is only for an 8-ounce bottle/glass of both Gatorade and Ayran. Most Gatorade bottles come in 20-plus ounces, so please do the math.

There’s no comparison: Ayran is a natural, healthier alternative to Gatorade—it’s also super simple to make.

Recipe: Make your own Ayran

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup water
  • Salt to taste
  • Dried mint, if desired

Add ingredients in a blender and mix together for a couple of seconds. Serve over ice.

Kefir versus ayran/ariani

Some often confuse the recently “discovered” super-drink kefir with ayran. However, they are not the same. Ayran is made from Greek yogurt that has been diluted with water, add a touch of salt (to taste) and blend. It is generally served chilled or over ice. Kefir, on the other hand, is made from kefir “grains” (a yeast/bacteria starter) that resemble tiny cauliflower. Kefir is made from milk rather than yogurt. Personally, I find ariani easier to drink than kefir. In the West, many people add sugar or fruit syrups to the kefir. Otherwise, kefir may be considered a bit too sour, bitter and strong. Ayran, alternatively, has a diluted yogurt taste. If you like yogurt, you will probably likely like the taste of ayran.

 

Claudia Hanna earned a bachelor of arts in economics and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia and an MBA in corporate finance from Emory University. She was a management consultant for years before trading power suits for flip-flops and beach sarongs for a simpler, healthier life in Cyprus. She now writes her own blog, Live Like a Goddess.com, and is working on her book, Live Like a Goddess: Discover Your Inner Aphrodite.

 

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In brief: Bavarian getaway, creepy clowns and more

photos K. Wyner

City goes Wild West over weekend

Three people were shot early October 1 in a Corner parking lot during a disorder, according to Charlottesville police. The wounds were non-life-threatening, and Lewis Alexander Tyree Jr., 23, was arrested as a felon in possession of a firearm. That same night, shots were reported at Crescent Halls on Monticello Avenue, and police found a bullet hole in the building and shell casings, NBC29 reports.

Finally, a voter fraud case

A JMU student reportedly has confessed to registering 19 people who are dead, including a judge’s prominent father, in Harrisonburg. No charges have been filed and no word on how he planned to obtain 19 fake photo IDs and elderly impersonators to actually cast ballots.

Losing streak broken

Eighteen was the lucky number that broke the away-game record of defeat for the Hoos October 1 with a 34-20 win over Duke in Durham, UVA’s first win there since 2006.

Creepy clown sightings

As reports of unfriendly looking clowns have begun pouring in across Virginia and as close as Waynesboro and Harrisonburg on multiple occasions (a mob of JMU students with baseball bats formed on the night of October 3 to search the college campus for clowns), both Charlottesville and Albemarle County police report no local clown calls.

Urban Outfitters filming scandal

JamersonAdam Jamerson, 25, a Buckingham County man and former member of the Seminole Trail Volunteer Fire Department, allegedly was caught videotaping a nonconsenting girl while she tried on clothes around 1pm September 22. Store management spoke with Jamerson, who was later arrested September 26 and is awaiting his first court appearance.

Adam Jamerson was caught allegedly fliming a female changing clothes at the Downtown Mall's Urban Outfitters. Staff photoScene of the unlawful dressing room filming on the Downtown Mall. staff photo

Oktoberfest getaway

fentoninnWith the scent of autumnal beer in the air, Munich beckons, but a much more convenient scootaway is the recently opened Fenton Inn. Located between the Blue Ridge Parkway and Wintergreen, the  Bavarian village was inspired by Will and Lilia Fenton’s travel to Germany and the realization the mountains there resemble the Blue Ridge. Will Fenton, who has done historic restoration at Monticello, Colonial Williamsburg and Poplar Forest, threw octagons, cobblestone streets and medieval German details into his village design.

  • Five rooms and the two-bedroom
    Wilhelm’s House in the 10,000-
    square-foot village structure
  • $199 to $349 a night
  • swallows nest 2 high
    Swallow’s Nest comes with views.

    Two-person shower with views in  the Swallow’s Nest suite

  • Massage room, movie theater, meeting space, outdoor-patio hot tub
  • 2,000’ elevation
  • 40 minutes from Charlottesville
  • Half a mile from the AppalachianTrail
  • Five miles from Devils Backbone Brewing Company

Quote of the week

1926_7_Warner“Loose lips sink ships. You got that, Trump?”—Virginia’s five-term Republican former U.S. senator John Warner in his endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton September 26 calls up a slogan from World War II.

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Night lights: Munitions company shines in Rockfish Valley

More lights are going up at Zenith Quest’s facility on Route 151 in Nelson County. Anna Kariel/SkycladAP

David Connolly used to gaze out the windows of his Afton Mountain home and see twinkling lights and the occasional headlight in the valley below. That was before Zenith Quest International “fired up the lights,” he says, of its already controversial, 84,000-square-foot firearms and ammunition distribution warehouse smack in the middle of Nelson County’s scenic wine and beer byway.

“Although we’re 800′ above them, they shine right in our windows,” says Connolly, who has lived on Stagecoach Road—a couple of miles away from the warehouse—for 13 years. “To me, it’s lit up like a landing strip. You can’t escape.”

The warehouse already stands out in the viewshed as the largest structure visible on Route 151, says Connolly. On September 24, only two of the lights were on, which was “much better,” he says. “Come Monday, they were on full blast.”

And there are more lights to come, according to Zenith Quest project manager Ray Miles. The six lights currently on are to light up the turnaround area for big trucks, he says. Ten more lights are going to be installed in the employee parking lot, and there will be security lights around the perimeter.

“We’re using what was approved in the site plan by the county,” says Miles, a plan that includes “two pages of metrics” on the lighting to be used. “If someone told us they were no longer approved, we’d study it.”

He’s already heard from a local supervisor. “The folks complaining, it’s brand new lighting,” says Miles. “They’re not used to it.”

Tim Padalino is Nelson’s director of planning and zoning, and he says the county’s zoning ordinance and comprehensive plan have requirements that are analogous to dark-sky certifications. Exterior lighting can’t shine onto adjoining properties or the public right of way and it must have full cut-off fixtures.

“Both are designed to prevent light pollution (i.e. light traveling up into the night sky instead of down onto parking areas, sidewalks, patios, etc.), and to preserve dark skies at night,” he writes in an e-mail.

Padalino says he was contacted by Supervisor Tommy Harvey, “who relayed significant concern from Afton residents who are very upset about the lighting at Zenith Quest.” Padalino planned a nighttime visit October 3 to make sure the lights were in compliance with the site plan.

Harvey and Supervisor Allen Hale had not returned calls from C-VILLE at press time, but in an e-mail to Connolly, Hale wrote, “I share your unhappiness over light pollution of the night sky.”

He also says there’s little that can be done about the warehouse, which was a by-right use of the industrial-zoned parcel and did not require Board of Supervisors’ approval.

Connolly, a building professional, acknowledges the building is a done deal. “They have the right to do it, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do,” he says. “They’re not being a good neighbor to Rockfish Valley and Nelson County.”

The warehouse is two-thirds complete—they’re still working on the firing range—and Zenith Quest is waiting for its temporary occupancy permit, says Miles. “We’re getting ready to add landscaping. Trees will cover 80 percent of the front of the building.” That exceeds the 50 percent required on a scenic byway, he says. “When people drive by, they probably won’t see our facility.”