From a little birdie…
We were walking down the Mall last night around 8:30 and noticed a firetruck by Timberlake drugstore. There were a bunch of firemen around one of the red Hook (UNCUS) boxes and it was all wet like they had to hose it down. I think somebody started a fire in it.
Best headline wins a $10 Cane’s Gift Certificate! Winner will be chosen on Sunday at Midnight!
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A little birdie friend let me know it appears that The Hook has published next week’s article this week.
The Article titled “GREEN- Double-speak: How Charlottesvillians destroy the plane” lists a publishing date of April 17th, 2008.
In case the article is taken down, here is a screenshot:
Ok, so there are three possibilities:
1. I slept a week last night.
2. UNCUS has bought a time machine and used it to publish in the future.
3. Springtime has created a space-time flux.
What is going on?!
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TONIGHT
Corey Harris at Gravity Lounge
I’ve not seen him perform live, but an old friend from my past life recorded with him and described it as life-changing.
Read the Hook’s advance
Corey Harris on Myspace
Gravity Lounge
Accordion Death Squad at Mono Loco
Self-described sound: “music to drink rusty red wine from a broken bottle on the railroad tracks with or cicadas in an orchestra pit.” Wicked fun with the Ratsylvanians.
Accordion Death Squad on Myspace
Mono Loco
SATURDAY
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It all started yesterday at 3:51pm. Parlie wrote about dating a girl from Myspace who was married and in a cult, and 24 hours later, we can’t get enough of the cult talk. You guys asked for a cult post. I’ve done my research, and I’ve got to tell you, after more than two hours of research, I feel really attached to this story. I was hoping to make “I want to be your leader” jokes, but I will leave that to you.
IF you are experiencing depression, feelings of hopelessness, or loneliness, please consider asking for help. It has always been frustrating to me that our culture attaches a stigma to treatment for mental illness and depression, because it’s curable, and everyone deserves to be happy. I recommend local resources like Region X and HELPline (434) 295-TALK. Many insurance companies have greatly improved coverage for counseling, often eliminating the need for hospital referrals/authorization. Now, without further ado, your cult post.
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I just want to thank C-VILLE and the Hook for their recent mentions. I would high-five you if I could.
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After reading the latest in the Hook this past Thursday after what feels like a summer of arrests, I want to know:
Are there more child pornography perpetrators in central Virginia than elsewhere, or are police going after perp(v)s more? I’m all for the crackdown. Keep it up.
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The Hook: WALKABOUT
Saturday, September 22
Pagan Pride Day: Celebrate earth-based spiritual practices. Food item donation requested. 2-6pm. Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church, 717 Rugby Road. 919-452-6757.
Does the church know about this? 
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I was planning not to respond to the Dish at all. It’s not my style! I’d rather take the publicity than not, but they referenced my first post, ever. The piece was more prose than exposition, so the reference seemed to come out of context. Admittedly, I was embarrassed! (Let’s not get into the meta of being embarrassed about an anonymous alter-ego; I do lose sleep over this.) I have a lot of respect for the writing in the Hook (and I liked the site), so this seemed out of character for them. Overall, I see our site building consensus about local businesses. Look at the discussion of pizza that’s been taking place for almost a week”unlike a food column that makes bold statements about restaurants based on isolated experiences from which readers will form definitive plans for whether or not to patron it, we collect many experiences for readers to reference without claiming to be an authority. I use the word experience because we’re seeing comments about tables not being cleared and sides never arriving. Our regular commenters seem loathe to write, It sucked. We promote objectivity through anecdotal evidence. Interestingly enough, restaurant reviews are in the minority on the site. Event promotions, reviews, and general discussion draw the most attention.
Blog culture is inherently democratic. I hope writers own their words and don’t make apologies for their opinions. I have the most fun writing about innocuous topics, from cauliflower to Saturday nights. As the Hook and all journalists know, caustic topics are really difficult. I spent a lot of time writing my response to what I perceive to be a serious flaw in my generation and was supported and validated. Later, I genuinely wondered about the effect of the location of a business I support on a demographic I’m no longer a part of, essentially testing an external variable of dubious legitimacy, and I was criticized repeatedly, with profanity, because those commenting can do so here and no where else. Good. That discussion would not happen over brunch in those words among strangers or friends, but it is supposed to happen here. Trust me, I feel very accountable for what I write because I’m made accountable for it.
I also want to thank Waldo for the nod. It meant a lot.
Other than that, yeah, the review seemed about right. We have fun, don’t we?
While the specific fate of public broadcasting can be characterized as small potatoes in the big scheme of things, the principle it represents goes directly to the question of what type of society will dominate in the United States and globally for the coming generations Will we have a society where people are regarded primarily as fodder for corporate profitability, or will we have a society where citizens have the right to actually determine whatever economic and media systems they regard as best?”
Robert W. McChesney, Rich Media, Poor Democracy: Communication Politics in Dubious Times, 1999
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So, apparantly, the Hook doesn’t like the fact that we publish things anonymously. You can read the article here. My favorite line:
Of course, unlike the local media, the folks at cVillain aren’t accountable for what they publish, and the creators of the site have chosen to remain anonymous. (Dish asked “lilith” and “Thor” if they would agree to be interviewed under their real names, but they declined.) As a result, they have been emboldened to publish gossip and unproven claims without catching hell the way Dish would…
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