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Comment Archives: Last 7 Days

Re: “Rezoning the Sergeant Jasper apartment building will have a big effect on what replaces it”

Building out instead of up is an absolute waste of an incredible opportunity. The way to prevent a city like Charleston from feeling more crowded is not sprawling, flatter buildings! Building up allows both residential volume AND use of the surrounding land, such as the nearby baseball field, playground, tennis courts, or even the simply open field adjacent to Lockwood/Broad, which gives the area a more spacious feeling. Not to mention, balcony views of Charleston and the water are incredible, but are sadly few and far between. Charleston's vibrant crowd of young professionals tend not to be millionaires (yet?), and as a student, I can attest to how difficult it is to find an apartment in a safe area, close to campus, with washer/dryer and dishwasher, and for less than $1,000/month per bedroom. A high rise is the only way to achieve such value; otherwise, it will be unaffordable, have a waiting list, or both (Bee Street Lofts). Ashley House is the only other high rise in the immediate area, and while many would consider it outdated (most units do not have W/D & DW), it remains 100 years more modern than the vast majority of other options its area. It blows my mind that it sounds like they've essentially ruled out the concept of building a tall, beautiful, modern, energy-efficient, building to replace an aging one - all in the name of flattening the skyline over affording a positive, attainable experience for the everyday residents who make this city so great. For the "mix of college students, MUSC nurses and interns, young urban professionals, and retirees" you mentioned who currently live there, a flatter development means more of those people would be forced to live elsewhere, which also notably could mean more cars on the road - especially for the first 3 on that list who currently are able to bike/walk to work/class on the peninsula if they move out to West Ashley, James Island, or Mount Pleasant - and I think we can all agree we'd rather have less of that. Efficient use of the land should be a priority - the building can be designed to enhance Charleston's beauty, no matter how tall it is.

6 of 9 people like this.
Posted by Practical Solutions on May 22, 2013 at 1:09 PM

Re: “Mark Sanford rises from the dead”

It's the old "give us Barabbas" (GUB) syndrome..

0 of 1 people like this.
Posted by And if elected... on May 22, 2013 at 1:07 PM

Re: “Stegelin: Who should patrol late-night King St.?”

I'm thinking Hells Agents and the Black Panthers..

Posted by And if elected... on May 22, 2013 at 1:00 PM

Re: “Pickin' and Grinnin' and Cleanin' Up Their Whorin' Act”

Why do some people assume that being crude equates to being funny? Seems this act is all about getting attention.

0 of 1 people like this.
Posted by And if elected... on May 22, 2013 at 12:58 PM

Re: “City Council considers requiring bar security to patrol sidewalks, parking lots”

The public domain is police responsibility. That's why we pay tax dollars. I agree that you do not want a bouncer mixing it up in the streets and in parking lots. If this law passes I foresee a bouncer being attacked in a dimly lit lot. Remember, they don't carry anything to protect themselves besides their fists (maybe pepper spray). Further, if a bouncer tells me to get off a sidewalk I'm not going to listen to him since he does not have the authority to move me from the public space. Employees are going to be hurt and business will be sued. This is dumb.

2 of 2 people like this.
Posted by nattyheavy on May 22, 2013 at 12:40 PM

Re: “FCC may lift TV ban on boobies and F-bombs”

Why not try it on cable (non-premium) from 8pm-5am to start with and just get a feel for how it goes? I don't really anticipate the weather Channel having anchors with their tits out or Al Roker dropping the F-Bomb on "Keeping it Real With Al." I mean, has anyone watched Tosh.0? I fail to see how a woman's breasts could be more inappropriate than some of these shows. And I have two small kids and would never let them watch Tosh, Family Guy, South Park, etc.

1 of 1 people like this.
Posted by alistair_10 on May 22, 2013 at 12:38 PM

Re: “FCC may lift TV ban on boobies and F-bombs”

Regulation and censorship are two entirely different concepts.

1 of 3 people like this.
Posted by mat catastrophe on May 22, 2013 at 12:32 PM

Re: “Rezoning the Sergeant Jasper apartment building will have a big effect on what replaces it”

An old building which has done a lot of good service to the community. I've lived there and it shelters a remarkable, diverse community. Some of these group's determination to drive everyone but the rich out of the city is gradually destroying the living city which once existed here. Almost no children grow up downtown now. Fewer young people live there. We're going to be left with a city which is a luxury experience largely enjoyed by older people who have made their money elsewhere.

After 20 years of relentless damage, during which my family had to leave for Mount Pleasant, Charleston is incapable of understanding that the city a century of poverty could not destroy is being leveled by the rich. The city's cultural institutions are weaker. The once active civic life is a shadow of what it once was. Do we have cooler restaurants? Sure. Can we put on festivals full of tourists and the occupants of trophy houses? Certainly. Do people here still know and honor each other's stories? Children, the young and those who need to earn a living need a city. A city should be devoted to the people who need and love it. It is not a product to be marketed to the highest bidder. Charleston and the Lowcountry's incapacity to comprehend that is why our communities are being obliterated.

Having seen the last strong years of the downtown community, an economically diverse, racially mixed experience and gone on to help attempt to recreated community in I'On in Mount Pleasant, I do understand what is at stake here. It's incredibly hard to maintain today. It is far more important and special than how the places look or how much parking you have.

15 of 15 people like this.
Posted by wjhamilton29464 on May 22, 2013 at 12:00 PM

Re: “Barbecue nonsense, Texas-style”

Yikes. A mini BBQ war is raging.

4 of 5 people like this.
Posted by Patrick C. McCaffrey on May 22, 2013 at 11:57 AM

Re: “City Paper's overview critic Jeffrey Day has some insights into the 2013 festival”

Thanks for letting us all know what you like by using the words "I" or "My or me" over 35 times in this article.

5 of 8 people like this.
Posted by Darrell Edwards on May 22, 2013 at 11:56 AM

Re: “Mark Sanford rises from the dead”

The adage, "Success has many fathers (and, one assumes, mothers) but failure is an orphan," comes to mind while reading the remarks of Heather Higgins here and in other PR published by her group, IWV, since Sanford's victory. At least in this account she did not go so far as to state categorically that hers was the only group which supported Sanford when the NRCC abandoned Sanford's campaign. She only implied it. In truth, other organizations, such as Freedom Works, a large pro-life organuzation, and other groups both large and small jumped into the breach at the same time as, or even before, IWV. It is a shame that in its efforts to garner some (albeit deserved) praise and recognition, IWV would undermine the sense of solidarity and common purpose which attends an unexpected and resounding victory by dismissing or minimizing the efforts of others, including -- it sounds like to me -- the efforts of the candidate himself.

1 of 2 people like this.
Posted by K.H.Mann on May 22, 2013 at 11:56 AM

Re: “FCC may lift TV ban on boobies and F-bombs”

Ah yes. Boobs are great. But violence draws audiences, apparently with fewer public complaints. Most action programs feature sadism and random shootings without any psychological hangovers on anybody's part. It isn't even realistic violence: if you tie somebody to a chair and repeatedly hit him/her in the face with your fists, your poor hands would suffer terribly. Well, maybe that offers a little vicarious high to our sadomasochistic brothers/sisters. But tits, though wonderful, are sinful.
BTW, when does the new season of "Following" begin? Well, in the meantime, there's always "Criminal Minds".

3 of 3 people like this.
Posted by pugnax on May 22, 2013 at 11:20 AM

Re: “Three distilleries pledge to raise spirits with more local booze”

"Is there any particular reason to operate a distillery in a downtown?"

Encourage visitation to sampling room.
Help sell bottles on site, which makes additional profit without the middle man.
Gets the name out there and acts as a form of advertisement.

Personally, I wouldn't open in downtown, but that is because I don't like dealing with traffic and high property costs. However, I can see why they would choose this path.

2 of 2 people like this.
Posted by brewengineer on May 22, 2013 at 11:17 AM

Re: “Three distilleries pledge to raise spirits with more local booze”

Is there any particular reason to operate a distillery in a downtown?

Posted by mat catastrophe on May 22, 2013 at 10:42 AM

Re: “Three distilleries pledge to raise spirits with more local booze”

Wow, two on King Street! I'm looking forward to trying all of them.

1 of 2 people like this.
Posted by factoryconnection on May 22, 2013 at 9:05 AM

Re: “City Council considers requiring bar security to patrol sidewalks, parking lots”

"I don't get the rest of you. You have no skin in this game, and the purpose of it is to preserve relative peace and tranquility in Charleston."

Have you never seen a fight between a bouncer and a drunk patron? These happen all the time, and most of this occurs because the bouncers have no authority. If a cop shows up, even the toughest alcohol fueled badboy will become timid and docile. This is bad for the businesses, as their employees will be involved in additional possibly violent scenarios, which lead to lawsuits. It is bad for for those of us that frequent the bars, since we have to deal with possible increased violence due to less policing. The only people that win are the city government officials, who get to pay less for police presence.

3 of 4 people like this.
Posted by brewengineer on May 22, 2013 at 7:21 AM

Re: “Three distilleries pledge to raise spirits with more local booze”

Can't wait to try some of these.

1 of 2 people like this.
Posted by brewengineer on May 22, 2013 at 7:12 AM

Re: “FCC may lift TV ban on boobies and F-bombs”

I am against all censorship by the Gov. It's called parenting. If you don't want your kid to watch something, don't let them watch it.

3 of 4 people like this.
Posted by brewengineer on May 22, 2013 at 6:58 AM

Re: “Listening pays off for the Charleston Symphony Orchestra”

How can anyone guarantee consistent quality with a per-service arrangement? What about the perdiem costs for those who come from other towns?
Unless you have a substantial "core" - preferably 32 to 35 (6,6,4,4,2 + winds and brass) you're just a band a freelancers. The results would be highly inconsistent and the quality suspect from concert to concert. An orchestra is a team - not a pick-up ensemble! And you cannot fool the audience forever. A well run orchestra and a supportive board can make it happen the right way -- as long as not every concert has some bombastic romantic program that will require 60 to 70 or more musicians every time. That's a recepie for disaster. Where is Haydn? Handel? And just one little Beethoven work? I understand you have six xnadidates and they feel they must prove themselves. A late Haydn Symphony is no less challenging than Sibelius or Thaikovsky - and if you don't agree, you missed the classical period training periods.
And the so called chamber orchestra series has too many non-chamber works that will baloon the size of the ensemble well beyond the "chamber" genre and brake the bank. St. Luke's, Orpheus, English Chamber Orchestra, St. Paul, etc. can do that. Not the Charleston Symphony. After next season you'll again have severy financial issues. You need a more realistic, pragmatic mix. A sense of proportion and less ego. You need 'quality' more than "quantity" -- bigger is not always better. Certainly not six times in a row with a severly curtailed theatre capacity and an expensive, heavy chamber series loaded with romantic works again, performed only once and in a smaller hall yet! Has anyone hear of trios, quartets, quintets, sextets, septets and octets, for instance? The Mendelssohn violin concerto is not chamber and neither is the Fingal's Cave Overture. Who's doing all this overly ambitious programming for an orchestra that not so long ago was in a coma? Never mind. I know the answer and you're all in trouble!

Posted by Liviu Blumenthal on May 22, 2013 at 12:04 AM

Re: “FCC may lift TV ban on boobies and F-bombs”

I'm not sure I have a problem with the existing regs, except that violence seems to be fairly unregulated.

Then again, I'm just a Big Government Commie or something.

3 of 5 people like this.
Posted by mat catastrophe on May 21, 2013 at 9:08 PM
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