Savonrola is no doubt getting all excited over this one

The Sunlit Uplands, whom my esteemed blogging colleague Waldo has so cleverly nick-named Savonrola, will no doubt have his fancy tickled by this:

England's famed Canterbury Cathedral Choir, one of the oldest choruses in the world, will visit the U.S. for the first time in 10 years. Its nine-city tour was organized primarily to raise money for critical and costly restoration work. The cathedral structure has deteriorated dramatically due to years of benign neglect, and it requires repairs to its walls, towers, roof, organ and historic stained-glass windows, say organizers.

The goal is to raise the equivalent of $90 million over 10 years, according to Capers Cross, organist and choirmaster at St. Philip's Episcopal Church. Cross is responsible for securing the choir's visit to Charleston.

"If American churches don't step up to the plate, I don't know where they're going to get the money," he said.

The Canterbury Cathedral Choir is led by David Flood and consists of 12 professional adult male singers and 30 boy choristers ages 8-13 who attend St. Edmund's School in Canterbury. Young choir members receive a scholarship toward their education and boarding at the Choir House on cathedral grounds. The choir sings at services six days a week and at special events, performing music from the 13th century to the present.

Premium seats for the 3 p.m. April 19 concert cost $75, which includes an invitation to a reception following the event. Other tickets are $25 and $10 (restricted view). Tickets can be purchased at www.dioceseofsc.org or at the St. Luke & St. Paul office. Call 722-7345.

The Group will be in town for the Charleston International Choir Festival. What'll really get Savonrola moist is the fact that they'll be performing in a Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina Church - a diocese who's previous and current Bishop have share no love loss for the national Episcopal Church and Conference and who have been making overtures towards the GAFCON and Southern Cone folks.

Sphere: Related Content

After row over deaths, Agency reforms itself - but is it enough?

Earlier this year we commended fellow blogger extraordinaire Earl Capps for pointing out the hypocrisy of the Sanford Administration over the lack of oversight at the Department of Social Services. It appears that in the wake of such a travesty of mismanagement and, yes, even death the agency has sought to reform itself.

According to the State Newspaper in light of the unfortunate deaths the agency:

• Issued new, streamlined guidelines on dealing with drugs in families. They take effect Monday and will be an interim change while national experts conduct an in-depth evaluation.

• Made mandatory employees’ completion of a four-hour, online training program by May 15. It had been voluntary for all 1,000 child welfare workers.

• Sought help from USC experts in better evaluating risks of abuse or neglect in all families. This month, the experts will focus on drug abuse.

• Scheduled an April 27 meeting in Columbia with experts from the National Center for Substance Abuse and Child Welfare and the Children’s Welfare League of America to begin an in-depth review of procedures dealing with drugs in families.

• Decided to enact by April 30 new procedures for better communication with the Child Fatalities Review Committee and to document DSS responses to the panel’s concerns.

Since September ...

• Trained 84 caseworkers or supervisors in a new, voluntary course on the dynamics of drug treatment and recovery.

• Trained 159 additional caseworkers and supervisors in the effects of specific drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana and prescription medications. (DSS employs 805 child welfare caseworkers and 194 supervisors.)

• Scheduled three additional training sessions for this spring in the state’s three major cities.

• Trained 88 foster care or adoptive parents in prenatal drug exposure.

But despite all the "reforms," these are only preliminary steps needed to overhaul the beleaguered child services agency. The agency, who has over $1 billion dollar budget has suffered cuts and looks to suffer more as the Governor continues his brinkmanship over the stimulus money. Potential foster parents have complained as much as the employees that the system is to jammed bureaucratically and there are not enough social workers to handle the case loads.

Only time and, and the Governor, will tell whether the agency can modernize, stream line and more effectively protect South Carolina's children.

Sphere: Related Content

QOTD: Calling them out

Personally, I’d like to see and hear from other bishops. I’m getting tired of the Chaput, Rigali, Burke club. They lack political and public relations savvy. They insist theirs is the only way, the only hope. They are blind to their own faults and are all too willing to pin the blame on the poor, dumb, apathetic Catholic laity. They were convinced it was a good move to hitch their wagon to the Republican party. Thanks to incompetence, they circled the drain last November. But clearly, the speaking circuit is not lacking for giving out little jobs.

The hubris makes it impossible for these guys to receive new and potentially more effective ideas. The same True Believers offer the same plane tickets, honoraria, and book sales. It looks like the past few decades to me–and they haven’t been very effective, have they?

- Catholic Sensibility,
Chaput Plays the Game

And I couldn't agree more...

A pretty smart read from a level headed pro-lifer. I discovered this site today after reading a post at the Siena Institute which quoted another biting yet humorous post from CS.

Sphere: Related Content

Columbia Media: A regular Animal Farm

The Editor of the Porcine Scoop, Adam Fogle, now fancies himself the Napoleon among Columbia's Arts Critics now that the State Newspaper has cut down the Arts & Entertainment staff,

I can’t answer those questions for Mr. Roefs, but I can tell him that The Palmetto Scoop will be picking up where The State is leaving off.

And that includes arts. Of course, I don’t know a damn thing about the local arts and entertainment scene, so he’s more than welcome to send stuff my way and I’ll cover it.

Just send it to the Tip Line. The password is Fidelio.

Waldo, meanwhile, takes the time to offer a couple of rejoinders why such an assumption is completely wrong.

But a bigger question looms, especially in light of Wesley Donehue's twittering assessment of the newly redone Scoop site,

"As I said, new @palmettoscoop design, same ole hatred,"

Is this reformatting going to be to much for even Fogle to chew? Or are the Quinns going to fork over even more resources and expand the scoop staff? One man

Sphere: Related Content

2nd Presser Stem Cell Question, another "Paygrade" moment?

The President was asked by a Washington Times Reporter if he wrestled with the Stem Cell Decision. While there were usable quotes such as these picked up by the liveblogs:

The Swamp
"By the time an issue reaches my desk, it's a hard issue."

The Politico
"I have no investment in causing controversy. I'm happy to avoid it - if that's where the science leads us"

It's the 'connective tissue' of his response and back and forth with the WT reporter that will generate the most grief from certain quarters of conservatism and pro-life liberalism. I picked it up and was left with a sour taste in my mouth.

But it cuts both ways, as Washington Post live blogger Alec MacGillis summarizes, "He also resisted pointing out an inaccurate phrasing in the question, which suggested that research on adult stem cells has so far proven more fruitful than that with embryonic stem cells. This is not the case. There have been some breakthroughs with adult skin cells, but the vast majority of scientists agree that embryonic stem cells hold far more promise. If they haven't produced more breakthroughs, that is partly because the biggest funding source in the world, the NIH, has been prohibited from funding most research involving embryonic stem cells -- until now."

Admittedly though that information does not matter to those of us who would rather not have the embryos destroyed in the first place, or in reality, created.

The point being is that the question, for this President, is a damned if you do - damned if you don't moment.

I also look to the usual sources to sound the alarm and call to arms tomorrow.

Sphere: Related Content

A Sunday Update

Hello all, sorry it's been so long I'm having the worst case of blog-block I've ever had. I've found neat things to write about but have not had the energy or desire to move forward with writing about them. It's a self perpetuating problem. So at some point hopefully I'll return with full gusto!

Sphere: Related Content

Uncalled for.

That's completely uncalled for.

My new tumblr page for, well, all those things completely uncalled for.

Sphere: Related Content

That's gotta smart

Ouch, this is what happens when you assume that your opponent is the 'stereotypical liberal,' who bases arguments in relativistic terms - you get the shit beat out of you, intellectually.

Kudos to Waldo for shaking down the TPS, the same vigor and intellect that's in this post is present throughout and is what makes WLJ one of the must reads in the South Carolina Blogosphere. No Spin, No Bull - just the goods.

Sphere: Related Content

Cats are always doing shit

One time me, Adrienne, Tori and Jamie made a miniture cat office for Beetle.I miss that time.

My friend Claire from over at But Seriously posted this Cat Photo with the caption, I found it hilarious.

She linked to another site, Cats are always doing shit, where I found this - definitely not I can haz Cheezburger these Pussies have a little more polish, but only a little.

Banker cat seizes foreclosed properties

It made me chuckle.

Sphere: Related Content

You have been weighed and are found wanting.

Earl Capps is leveling some righteous anger towards the hypocrisy of the current Governor and his Administration.

And while it's easy for folks to pin my motives to Partisanship because I choose to affiliate with the party opposing the Governor, Mr. Capps is a Republican - yes a REPUBLICAN - and in standing up and uttering against Sanford and his ilk, Mr. Capps has drawn the ire of his own co-politicists throughout the Palmetto State. A prophet indeed.

How exactly does Mr. Capps issue such divine utterances, calling his party - calling our state back from the wilderness, the madness and slavery of political entitlement and civic apathy? In civil discourse, by asking prescient questions and covering the stories that the mainstream media - driven by the whispers and misdirection of various factions and consulting firms - are want to cover. And by goading us, not only other bloggers, but state officials and ordinary citizens.

Like the Prophet Daniel, Earl has seen the writing on the wall, he has deciphered the words and has found the actions (or rather inaction and misactions) of this Administration wanting on the scales of competent governance.

So take the time to read the following two posts by Mr. Capps and don't sit idly by - but do something. Call your representative, or call the Governor and voice your displeasure with the way he's managing our Government and our state.

DSS problems challenge the credibility of Sanford's restructuring agenda

For the six years, Governor Sanford has engaged in considerable political posturing over the issue of restructuring. However, in looking at the part of state government which is already under his control, one has to wonder if Sanford can be trusted with control over any part of state government.

One example is the state’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, which some jokingly refer to as “PRT – Prosser’s Rarely There”, referring to Chad Prosser, he agency’s director. Another is the Department of Corrections, an agency which has long been ignored, underfunded and understaffed, especially during Sanford’s tenure, creating unmanageable conditions which have become the subject of numerous complaints and lawsuits.

The worst example of Sanford’s “do as I say, not what I do” approach to governance has been DSS, where the failures are counted in the lives (and sometimes deaths) of children who have been let down by this poorly-run agency. When twenty-nine month old Samuri Hayes died in DSS custody, some asked why Sanford was silent about the problems in the agency.

During the trial of the former DSS Finance Director, along with seven co-conspirators, questions have been raised about the financial accountability of that agency. Strangely, Sanford, who is usually all about "accountability" has rebuffed calls for investigations into the agency.

But there's even more hypocrisy in how DSS is being mismanaged under this administration. Reports indicate that the state lags far behind the rest of the nation in child support collections. According to the ACES website, South Carolina's collection rate was only 44% of child support due, lagging far behind the national average of 53% - roughly 25% worse than the national average.

This is due in part to the failure of DSS to modernize its child support system. California and South Carolina were the only two states to not meet new federal standards, for which the feds were providing funding. As a result, the
South Carolina agency was penalized $47 million about one-tenth of last year's budget shortfall which Sanford complained about. We've been told by legislators that another $30 million in penalties may be levied before South Carolina's system can be made compliant.

Instead of trying better manage his part of state government and avoiding these fines by demanding DSS meet higher standards, Sanford, who loves to rant about frivolous lawsuits, responded by filing a frivilous lawsuit of his own to avoid being held accountable by the feds.

When children are dying, millions of dollars are being stolen and tens of millions are being lost in unnecessary penalties, the Governor's silence is puzzling indeed. If this was taking place in some part of state government that was not under the Governor, every resident of the Riverbanks Zoo would be likely be under imminent threat of abduction for use in press conferences to lambaste the guilty parties.

The ongoing problems at SC DSS serve as yet another example of the difference between the often-empty rhetoric and craven political thuggery that has defined much of the Sanford administration and the real reform-oriented leadership that this state desperately needs.

and the follow up for this post is Earl's post on State House freshmen demand answers from SC DSS.

For this particular one you'll just have to go to Earl's site to read it, and I can't encourage you enough to do so!

For more of my own writing about Sanford, which is usually about his abysmal record on 'economic development,' click here.

Sphere: Related Content

Intentionally Unflattering, what else is Drudge to do?

Matt Drudge is just as bad as those folks at Fox. First it was Henry Waxman, and now Joe Biden and ... yeah he even went after Michelle Obama. Umm... really? The First Lady? Just another eye rolling day in the conservative media. This is what happens when you're ideologically bankrupt and can't offer worthwhile opposing ideas, you have lots of free time for this kind of petty stuff.

Sphere: Related Content

Inauguration Week Redux

Providentially my computer broke down towards the beginning of my stay in DC. In fact I only got in one post on Sunday/Monday about the potential for various dinners while staying in Old Towne Alexandria.

I say Providentially because I know that I would not spend much time in the District and stead stay holed up (albeit warm) in the house blogging and obsessively surfing the Internet and checking e-mail (as of yesterday after fixing the laptop I had over 100 e-mails in both my personal account and the mattheusmei@gmail.com account. Needless to say it's been a chore going through and sifting the messages (don't get me wrong I appreciate the mail, but still). At any rate.

So last week, obviously the crowning of the week was, Tuesday, but the other days were jammed pack full of fun and excitement. Monday night we went to one of those infamous "Georgetown Cocktail Parties." I slurped down dirty vodka martinis and munched on various non South Carolina hors d'oeuvres. I spent most of the time talking with two gents - one Gabor Steingart, and Clifford Block. Gabor is the Senior Correspondent in Washington DC for Der Spiegel, and Clifford works in the Berkley, CA area for NutritionQuest.

Wednesday I got to spend some QT with a dear friend who works in nonprofits, we had lunch at Proof. After that I spent the afternoon in the National Portrait Gallery. The Gallery had only recently obtained this infamous Shepard Fairy original.

Unfortunately the Stephen Colbert painting had been moved. After wandering around the entire museum late in the afternoon I met up with my friend's wife who was at her office and couldn't join us for lunch.

Thursday was a whirlwind day when I went to the mall and the American History Museum to get a glimpse of the Stephen Colbert painting which, appropriately or not, was across from the Dumbo exhibit. It's then that I got caught up in the mix of the pro life march. Just an observation, what a white bread crowd. I agree with them mostly, but it was strange to see a crowd of mostly high schoolers and elderly and practically all white. The day before my friend who I lunched with cynically remarked that most of the kids were there to get out of school for a couple of days. I don't know if that's the case for all or even most though I'm sure there was some joy by more than a few hapless teens to get the hell out of dodge as they say. After glimpsing the iconic Colbert I headed up the metro to meet a college friend, who now works for a defense contractor, for lunch. He had a head cold (which in retrospect probably explains my own cold more so than the exposure to the weather)

Later that afternoon after a brief respite, I met up with a seminarian friend of mine - one of the few persons of colour, that I noticed - involved in the Pro-Life March along with some brothers of his. We walked to an Irish bar in Chinatown (yeah I know) and had a few beers. Afterwards I had to meet up with PS and our hosts and some other friends for our final dinner at Bombay Club.

But you're not here for all those activities, you want to know about Tuesday I'm sure. The few tweets that got out that day can't begin to paint the picture of what it was like to experience Inauguration Day. It was so cold my phone actually froze and kept cutting off. It had a full charge when we left the house but the frigid temperatures actually zapped the juice out of it and ultimately I gave up on what was becoming a futile effort and just enjoyed the day.

We got a relatively late start on Tuesday morning. Considering that lines were forming at the Metros as soon as they opened at 4:30 and just as large of crowds were already filling the mall before even the dawn's early light (heh). We made it to the metro around 8:30ish and only had to skip two trains before hopping on the yellow line to head into the district. And while the metro wasn't packed to Bombay's standard - as one friend noted - it was crowded enough to not want to get on if you suffer anxiety disorder. I had to keep my eyes focused on PS or my right arm for most of the ride myself just to keep from feeling to claustrophobic. We were already aware of certain closures for security purposes. We had initially planned to get off at L'Enfant plaza, unfortunately the operator announced that the crowds were too thick at that stop that they literally couldn't fit anyone else on the platform as the lines were slow as people were being deposited into a secure area already overflowing with even more people. So we got off at the next stop which was Chinatown.

We maneuvered from entrance to entrance, only to find amazingly thick crowds milling about organizing into, not lines but, waves in an effort to get onto the mall. It was at the entrance to the mall closes to Ford's Theater (yeah these waves "lined up as far as four large city blocks away from the mall to get in). At this point in time it was decided, and pretty much confirmed by the movement of the crowds and the directives of the security that the entrances all the way to the Washington Monument were overwhelmed with people trying to get in. This was at 9:30 AM.

Approaching the entrance to the mall several blocks away on 19th street near H street.

So we headed away from the mall and as the crowd began to thin, relatively, and began the long trek down the mall past the Washington Monument towards 19th street. As we approached what was our entrance point the crowds became as thick as honey, and just as sweet. Cheers would erupt spontaneously along the route, and it made me chuckle when I heard what sounded like a shofar, in the distance. Upon closer examination it was a little kid blowing on a horn, but not a shofar. The pictures I tried to take do the crowds no justice. The camera just couldn't pick up the depth and scope of this sea of happy humanity. As I said you could feel the emotion in the air. The frustrations along with the hope. At one point as we were approaching the mall I heard children singing. Yeah children singing, angelic and sweet, gushy I knnooowwww.

We worked ourselves around a frozen Constitution Gardens Lake where people were - foolishly methinks - walking on the Ice around towards the Lincoln Memorials long reflection pool - also iced over. I'm not sure that I can accurately paint the picture of just how cold it was that day. Granted I'm a South Carolinian and we wear fleece pull overs and jackets as soon as it drops below 55 degrees. At this point we could still move forward towards the Washington Monument even as you looked back and saw that the Lincoln Memorial itself was filling with folks. The authorities had Jumbotrons placed intermittently up and down this portion of the mall and apparently even beyond the national obelisk. We decided to move forward as we already began planning our route of exit as the crowds swelled around us.

We moved up to the World War II memorial. This was my first time seeing this monument. It was very nice and actually rather practical as folks were sitting on it's steps, had crawled up its ramparts found seats on it's pedestals. It's here we found a space near enough to a jumbotron. The crowd was very responsive to what was being shown on the jumbotron as well as to the sounds from the mall around. At one point in time a loud cheer went out as the motorcade began its seemingly slow approach to the capitol up Pennsylvania Avenue. Then there was the loud resounding *thud*thud*thud* of gloved hands as Colin Powell appeared on the screen. It was like a low rumble of thunder that became louder as it the clapping spread from the Capitol end of the Mall to us.

The entire ceremony and ritual was beautifully orchestrated and performed. Diane Feinstein was an excellent speaker and in the cold listening intently, because that's what you do to keep your mind of the cold, I can tell if she runs for Governor of California - she'll do well, though I hope she stays in the Senate. Then came Rick Warren's peculiar prayer where the way he emphasized the names of the Obama children came across... well, it just seemed peculiar. Then Aretha came forward and had nearly everyone around me in tears of ecstasy. And on that note of tears I should say that several times throughout the morning I came near tears as I was emotionally overwhelmed by the crowds and collective emotions of the city. As funny as it sounds I've never felt so intune with the emotions of a crowd in the way that I did that morning. But I digress.

After Aretha came Joe Biden's swearing in which elicited an eruption of cheers and cries of joy from the crowd which were only bested by the swearing in of his commander in chief after the musical interlude arranged by John Williams. I managed to capture the swearing in and a portion of the reactions for Barack Obama on my camera's video option. It's dizzying to watch but sums up the crescendo of emotion for the day - indeed the collective catharsis of the past 8 years.

The crowd fell silent after nearly exhausting itself cheering and listened intently to the President give his inaugural address.

Others with more schooling have analysed the speech enough already, needless to say my own reaction is we finally have a President who people want to listen to what he has to say. Who challenges and engages people as opposed to talking at them. I spent my formative years in the cocoon of Cheraw, SC and my impressionable young adulthood under the heel of the Bush-Cheney axis, for me it was a totally new experience, and to have one that does it so eloquently and poetically. I read a review of that very post modern prose poem delivered by Elizabeth Alexander after Obama's address. Suffice it to say the image is telling in so many ways when the poem for the inauguration is more prose and less poetry than the address given by the President. It was during Ms. Alexander's speech that our crowd began heading towards the road.

We walked around the Tidal Basin up the 14th street ramp onto 395, across the Potomac to the GW Memorial Pkwy. As we crossed the Potomac another large rumble from the crowd arose and we looked off to the north and saw why -- George and his entourage aboard Marin 1 were flying to Andrews to depart from DC. Around the waterfowl sanctuary where all manner of Canadian Geese and terrorist mallard live plotting to bring down the planes of the nearby by Reagan National Airport. And finally to the airport where we opted instead of riding the metro which was by this time already slammed packed (reports were being twittered of lines 100 people deep just to get on ). We hopped in a cab went back to old towne, got a quick lunch and I quickly passed out from exhaustion. I'll always remember that day and look forward to telling my descendants about it.

Sphere: Related Content

It's Restaurant Week in Alexandria, VA

We got in to Alexandria last night around 7 o'clock. That put our trip right at 8 hours if you discount the extra long lunch stop we made in Radford at Macado's (Mac-a-dues), which is in the same restaurant group as Macabob's.

Any who, in honor of Inauguration week it's Restaurant Week in Alexandria. And on our first night in town the bf and our hosts went to Chadwick's on the waterfront. This is promising for the rest of the week because I've yet to eat at a restaurant in Alexandria (in my few visits) that I've found unfavourable and because DC is such a madhouse I have no idea what if any restaurants will be open or not packed. As our hostess said last night, what restaurant would you like to go downtown and not eat at?

Also since I'm on the subject of food, my favourite cheese monger - Cheesetique - is having a special this week, which only adds to the excitement that they're now serving lunch and dinner: Inauguration Station.

In honor of Presidents past and present, Cheesetique will feature "Inauguration Station", complete with the following "presidential" products:

1. "Barick Obama", an assertive cow's milk cheese hand-crafted in Vermont. In honor of our new President.
2. "Lincoln Log", a surface-ripened goat cheese hand-made in Wisconsin. In honor of President Abraham Lincoln.
3. "Cider Soaked Plymouth", a cheddar-like cow's milk cheese made on President Calvin Coolidge's family farm in Vermont.
4. "Brick House Chardonnay" from Oregon, President Bill Clinton's favorite wine.
5. "Jefferson Vineyards Merlot", grown in the vineyards surrounding Monticello. In honor of President Thomas Jefferson.
6. In honor of President Ronald Reagan: free jellybeans for all!

Say it with me now mmmm. Cheese.

Sphere: Related Content

Meta post

Greetings from a moving vehicle. The bf has an AT&T 3G/Wireless card and I'm utilizing it to blog... from the road. We're on I-66 right now and the traffic is, clear. Yup, knock on wood it's clear coming into Washington from the West. Thanks to our hostess and car companion for suggesting the western route over the vehicular graveyard that is probably I-95. If traffic holds, we should be getting to our destination in the next hour. With a warm cup of tea from Starbucks by our side I've no doubt we'll make it quicker than that.

Don't forget to follow the twitter feed for more regular updates.

That picture is of me blogging from the car as taken by the bf.

Sphere: Related Content

The Question is, can we get it on A&E

Wesley Donehue, after reading this, I think it's time to have an intervention. You may have a problem.

DO ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS FIT YOU?

• Blogaholism. Do you plot out your day so that it will generate as many blog postings as possible?

• Twitteritis. Did you Twitter this morning as you made your morning coffee? And then later as you trimmed your toenails?

• Reviewing Addiction. Do you spend every lunch hour pumping up your ranking as an Amazon reader-reviewer?

• RSS Dependency. Did you simplify your life by subscribing to RSS feeds only to discover yourself spending more time than ever commenting at blogs?

• Status Update Disorder. Have you made plans to self-publish a collection of your Facebook Status Updates?

If so, you’re almost certainly suffering from from one of the great underdiagnosed ailments of our time. That’s right, you may well have ... Unblocked Writer Syndrome.

Sphere: Related Content

God Bless that Waldo Lydecker

Talk about fisking.

Some folks are just soooo gay.

Sphere: Related Content

I'm back in the high life again

I want to thank all of the loyal readers of Leonardo's Notebook for checking in and for all the well wishes and greetings during this Christmas Season as we took a hiatus from blogging.

But now, much like Steve Winwood, we're back in the high life again and Mattheus is ready to blog once more.



It's a new year with a lot of new promise, and lots of new activities as well as past times to contend with. Here's wishing a Happy New Year to all this Epiphany 2009.

Sphere: Related Content