Press Time

With the Comedy Central cameras off, one of Charleston’s most popular favorite sons settled in behind the podium at the commencement for graduates at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Stephen Colbert, whose father was academic vice president at the university in the early ’70s, did not bring his famous alter-ego: the excitable faux talk show pundit of The Colbert Report. Instead, he provided sentimental memories of his dad and the times they spent on campus.

Colbert did make one reference to the character that has launched a thousand fan sites; a failed, comedic presidential campaign; and a New York Times bestseller.

“Traditionally commencement speakers dole out advice on life and careers to students,” he said. “But I’ve made my career as an aggressively ignorant blowhard with a dismissive attitude toward knowledge in general and to science in particular. So, clearly I have no business in giving you any advice.”

And yet, he did. But first he summed up the student experience, gross medical mysteries and all.

“In the last four years you’ve gone from ‘I don’t want to see that,’ to ‘Hey, come look at this,’” he said.

There’s also that introduction to the requisite cadaver.

“That was awkward I have to imagine,” Colbert said. “But you got used to it. Pretty soon you were calling him Ricky. Making him your Facebook photo.”

There’s those relationships that just will never be the same.

“Your pick-up line may be ‘I love you baby,’” he said. “But inside you’re thinking, ‘Proximity to you triggers the release of phenylethamine from my hypothalamus which in turn triggers extra cellular dopamine and suffuses me with a sense of arousal and well being, reinforced by my evolutionary response to your facial symmetry, part of a hard-wired drive to produce adaptive offspring, baby.’”

He gave a shout out to pharmacists.

“How would you have graduated without them?” he asked, prompting laughter and cheers from the pharmacy graduates. “Who was your favorite study partner? Ritalin? Adorale? Provigil? Anyone have a whole study group? Besides giving me an honorary degree, I’m hoping you can also give me an honorary prescription pad. I heard if you mix OxyContin and Cialis, it gives you heat vision.”

By the end, Colbert got back to the advice.

“Whenever I honestly, sincerely give young people advice … the most common thing I say is go make mistakes. The best thing I ever did was to give myself permission to be wrong,” he said. “I can’t really give you that advice. It’s irresponsible for me to tell graduates of a medical college to go out and make as many mistakes as you can.”

So he encourage the students to, instead, lower patient expectations.

“When they walk into the examination room for the first time maybe you should be wearing the gown,” he said. “When they call you doctor, giggle.”

And if that doesn’t work?

“You just tell them at your graduation, Stephen Colbert reminded you that you are humans and, as such, you always have the right to fail,” he said.

Colbert received an honorary degree. Below are additional photos of the sash and degree presentations, as well as Colbert's guiding of a choral "Happy Birthday," to celebrate his recent 45th.

Story By Lindsay Frost

With rising concerns of the spread of the H1N1 virus, also known as the Swine Flu, the U.S. military is using the Charleston Air Force base to ship out 30,000 protection kits to Central America. The military is targeting specific countries in need, including Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

The U.S. has worked with officials to identify countries threatened by the virus and those in need of supplies. The C-17 Globemaster aircraft that left the Charleston Air Force base May 8 is scheduled to deliver about 5,000 kits to the six countries over the next few days. Local officials will distribute the necessary equipment to response units in the event of an outbreak of the virus.

The kits include virus protection and prevention equipment, including virus screening respirators, safety goggles, gloves, shoe-covers, disposable aprons and overalls, and infectious biohazard waste bags.

The supplies were donated from a Department of Defense warehouse in Albany, Ga., and are estimated to be worth $225,000. The shipment is in addition to 100,000 personal protection kits worth over $973,000 sent to Mexico City on May 2.

Story by Lindsay Frost

City To Make Proclamation Tonight
Wake up, stretch out, put on your iPod, and hop on your bike. This month, the City of Charleston is recognizing a gold standard in fuel efficiency: peddling with your own two feet. Whether it be to get exercise, save money on gas, or take in the great outdoors, bike riding is a favored way to travel around Charleston. Mayor Joseph Riley has declared May Bicycle Month in Charleston, and he’s offering up a community action plan to promote bike use as a tool to help the environment and improve fitness.

The City Council will consider a resolution tonight that would adopt a bike-friendly city plan. If approved, the city will pledge to provide convenient bicycle access facilities, educational programs about bike safety and rules, and continue to encourage bicycle use as a major form of transportation. Riley hopes to enforce traffic laws monitoring road rules for both drivers and bicyclists.

Through the declaration of bicycle month, Riley is looking to encourage citizens to safely ride bikes and learn about the importance of bicycles as a major form of transportation.

Bike Month Events
Bike Month in Charleston not only provides educational programs about bicycling, but a number of events will be held in order to advocate bicycle use.

Gas prices are an issue for car drivers, especially when commuting to a job. In order to save money and get exercise, the city is sponsoring Bike to Work Day on May 15. People are encouraged to ride their bikes to work and several pit stops will be located throughout the city with refreshments available as well as bike safety checks. Pit stop locations include Savannah Highway, the West Ashley Greenway, King Street, East Bay Street, and Calhoun Street.

The weekly Farmer’s Market at Marion Square will also take part in bike month on May 16. The Market will include a free bike valet available for visitors, a bike safety course and maintenance clinic, and route maps for bicyclists. The Farmer’s Market will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Distance bike riding events along with the safety courses will take place throughout the month of May. May 17 will be the 2130 Lou Gehrig’s Ride. This is a 100-mile bike ride through the City of Charleston. A $15 donation will benefit ALS research. The ride will begin at Park Circle and cross the Ravenel Bridge to Mt. Pleasant and rural East Cooper and back, beginning at 6:45 a.m.

The final event is the National Ride of Silence. This ride is an annual event practiced nationwide for all ages to raise awareness for bike safety and cyclists killed on the road throughout the country. The ride will begin at Hampton Park on May 20.

For more information and a complete list of events regarding bicycle month in Charleston, visit coastalcyclists.org.

(Also, downtown real estate agent Kristin Walker is helping coordinate a three-mile chic ride on May 15.)

Five Tracks for the Bike Trek Playlist
“Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey — You really can’t go wrong with Journey, especially riding a bike in your own race over the streets of Charleston.

“Helter Skelter” by the Beatles — It is pretty much a rule that bike-riding songs have to be upbeat, and this Beatles song will make you want to ride for days.

“15 Step” by Radiohead — For those long trips across the countryside, Radiohead is your perfect companion.

“Galang” by MIA — For something a little more upbeat that will definitely keep you peddling, try some MIA.

“Boy with a Coin” by Iron and Wine — This group always embraces nature in their songs, so slow down and enjoy the outdoors with Iron and Wine.

"Paulette," as well as two hard-to-pronounce names that make us glad we work in print, were added to the tropical storm name list last week. Meanwhile, a famous wife beater has terrorized his last coastal residents, as he was pulled from the list.

In the aftermath of a particularly tragic storm, the World Meteorological Organization announced recently that it was pulling Gustav, Ike, and Paloma. Due to the damage they collectively wrought last year, those names will be replaced when they were next supposed to be used in 2014 with Gonzalo, Isaias, and Paulette.

It's typically nice to be recognized, except when your name is referenced in headlines like "Hurricane Gustav to become Gulf Coast monster?" or "Gustav's Fury."

For those wondering whose name could coincidentally linked to mass destruction and loss of life, here is the rundown for 2009:

Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Erika, Fred, Grace, Henri, Ida, Joaquin, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor, and Wanda.

Art by Stegelin!

This week's survey has fun questions on the sweet tea vodka wannabes, Star Trek's reboot, and smoking in cars with kids. Here's one survey question and two of the four possible answers.

Reports out this week suggest that the cases of swine flu are going down. Now what do we have to worry about?

C. What to do with that industrial bottle of Purell.

Go take the full survey here.

This week, we look at the earliest stages of the 2010 race for governor. We spoke with three of the candidates that decided they’d enter politics in the state’s biggest race. Because of space, we didn’t get to include all of their comments, so we wanted to give a little more space in this web extra.

Charleston attorney Mullins McLeod, a Democrat, says candidates without former political experience have gone on to successful gubernatorial careers.

“Coming from the private sector will allow me to bring a fresh, new perspective to our issues that the career politicians are incapable of handling,” he says.
The perspective includes knowing first hand the challenges facing small business owners and his work as a lawyer.

“My running for governor is a natural extension of what I’ve done my entire life,” he says.
McLeod has vowed that, if elected, he will not seek another office. Every decision Gov. Mark Sanford makes these days are weighed for the implications on his presidential chances.

“Politicians always seem to be looking at their next seat, and that can sometimes cloud their judgement,” McLeod says. “My job everyday will be to put the people’s interests first.”

The Rev. Amos Elliott, a Democrat who has a church in West Ashley, says he was driven to public office because of continuing struggles with poverty, education, and the economy. He says that people are tired of the status quo.

“It’s the status quo that has us in this economic quagmire,” he says. “I’m in this race to give people an alternative choice. In other words: it’s politics as usual or change.”

He says that good judgement will be experience any time.

Republican Brent Nelsen, a political science professor, says he has entered the race out of frustration, particularly with the leaders of his own party whose infighting he says has distracted the state from addressing issues like the state’s rising unemployment.

“If we can’t be the party of competent governance, the what are we?” he asks.

Nelsen says he recognizes the mountain that he has to climb — with well funded, well known competitors. But he says he’s seeing a change in American politics.

“There’s a growing sense of disillusionment with politicians,” he says. “I’m counting on a backlash to politics as usual.”

The necessities will be in growing a grassroots base and inspiring those socially conservative groups like Latinos, African Americans, and some young people who may have felt ignored or abandoned by the party.

“I’ll have enough money to get the message out,” he says. “I’m not a politician but I have ideas and solutions.”