First, refresh your internet memeory with this video..
Ok, now that you have rotted your brain, you will be able to understand what’s going on here. According to the Daily Progress, Charlottesville has been trying to “steal” a 1.5 acre piece of land which will enable the Whole Foods development to be finalized. Charlottesville doesn’t call it stealing. They call it “eminent domain” which is a hotly debated legal issue. According to wikipedia,
The power of governments to take private real or personal property has always existed in the United States, being a part of the common law inherited from England. This power reposes in the legislative branch of the government and may not be exercised unless the legislature has authorized its use by statutes that specify who may use it and for what purposes. The legislature may so delegate the power to private entities like public utilities or railroads, and even to individuals for the purpose of acquiring access to their landlocked land. Its use was limited by the Takings Clause in the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1791, which reads, “…nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation”. The Fifth Amendment did not create the national government’s right to use the eminent domain power, it simply limited it to public use.
The important thing being that eminent domain only applies for the benefit of the public. Charlottesville wants to build a road which would connect Hydraulic Road to the Seminole Square shopping center to Hillsdale Drive (anyone have a map?) as part of the new Whole Foods development. Of course city officials say that this 1.5 acre land would benefit the public, but it sounds like it’s benefiting Whole Foods more than anything.
After a wonderful week if internally celebrating in our heads, we can finally put all that pent up sexual energy to use, its Friday after all. So here, we go…
Friday
Drink wine for charity: well sort of…drink 5 wines at 5PM for $5 at Whole Foods this afternoon to benefit the C’VILLE BIKE MENTORS, a group of “expert” riders that educate us lame car driving folk how to bike better and ultimately save the world.
Checkout cvilleMuse for info on gallery exhibits and a movie about our favorite Charlottesville Lady Arm Wrestlers (AKA CLAW)
Girls in short shorts: UVa volleyball plays UNC tonight. This ain’t your high school gym class style of playing. If you have never been to a real volley ball game you should
X-Lounge: live music and dinner bail out (one small and one big plate for $21, tues-sat 530-8pm)
Whole Foods Market plan to move to the corner of Hydraulic Road and Hillsdale Drive has been approved by the Charlottesville Planning Commission. The new store, along with a three story parking garage, will be built next to the K-Mart. There was some debate over traffic congestion and apparently they resolved these issues.
Now, we only have to wait another year to save 10 minutes of driving to get our overpriced non-organic, non-local food!
