text:
Free Peter: Fenwick rallies support for recycler

news-fenwick-mooney0850Betty Mooney and Bob Fenwick called on the community to support recycler Peter Van der Linde in his legal fight with the Waste Authority

At the Downtown Mall’s Free Speech Monument today, former City Council candidate Bob Fenwick led a small rally in support of recycler Peter Van der Linde, calling the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority’s $20 million RICO lawsuit against him an “atrocity.”

About a dozen people holding signs that said “Free Peter” and “Stop the Waste” stood behind Fenwick as he addressed about a half-dozen members of the local media and few spectators curious about all the fuss over Van der Linde.

“They have branded this man a federal criminal in front of the entire community by using a legal device tailored to combat organized crime,” said Fenwick. “This is a mean-spirited attempt by two governments, who are spending our money to do this, to ruin a man and his business.”

“It seems pretty wrong to me,” said Charlottesville resident Richard Stanley of the RSWA lawsuit. “We should be jumping on the Van der Linde bandwagon.”

Van der Linde opened an $11 million Materials Recovery Facility in Zion Crossroads last year, which now accepts household trash for recycling. The RSWA has accused Van der Linde, who also owns a dumpster rental business, of defrauding the Authority out of approximately $1 million in fees before he opened his own disposal facility.

Fenwick called on the community to support a man who is “building a truly green business” and “creating jobs and helping our community improve the quality of life in the area” with his new facility. He also said there would soon be a new website dedicated to supporting Van der Linde called

“We demand that this lawsuit be dropped today,” said Fenwick.

Van der Linde, who had planned on attending the rally, was busy being deposed this week by RSWA lawyers from McGuire/Woods, who have already billed the tax-payer supported Authority over $340,000 for their services, with the trial date scheduled for June 2010.

“By the time this lawsuit is done, they’ll have spent a million dollars,” said speaker Betty Mooney. “We as a community can stop this. It is so wrong. I’ve been here 40 years, and I’ve never seen something so bad that our government has taken on. Communities would die to have a facility like Peter’s, and we have it right here.”

Tomorrow, the RSWA has scheduled a special meeting to discuss their plan to privatize the Ivy Transfer station. Fenwick and Mooney encouraged people to attend the meeting, which will be held at 4pm at the Albemarle County Service Authority Administrative offices on Spotnap Road.

–Story last updated 6:24am, added "million" to lawsuit and price of Van der Linde's facility.

My understanding, from reading the Hook articles and listening to Mr. Van der Linde on Rob Schilling and Coy Barefoots shows ( WINA), is that BFI had no idea where the trash came--they didn't ask the haulers. They totally mismanaged the contract with RSWA and there is a document from 2005 showing that RSWA threatened to sue them if they didn't keep better records. Mr. Van der Linde has handed out memos showing that he is owed money by RSWA, because BFI overbilled him and all the other haulers as well --sounds like BFI ran a sloppy bookkeeping operation and they're the ones that owe taxpayers many millions, if they billed incorrectly. Why aren't Blank and Krueger going after them? And if BFI ran a don't ask don't tell operation what about all the other haulers they didn't ask ? Going afer Van der Linde, who is shutting them down with his new recycling center, only makes sense for one reason, eliminate the competition.

Have you actually read the Hook articles. They are reporting on a lawsuit and have reported both sides of the story. Yepper, you are the one calling it corruption .

I just don't see what all the fuss is about here. If this article above is accurate it is only a $20 lawsuit and a $11 recycling facility. Not a big deal right? Unless of course you meant to say millions after the 20 and 11. Or is this another weak attempt at humour by the hook maybe we should put the RSWA in the stocks for this. Hire some new writers and a proofreader tis the season.

Yepper, I agree with Mr. Smith. If you want your opinions taken seriously please identify who you are. Otherwise, you could be anyone, and suspicions would be that you are a member of the McGuireWoods legal team.

Just in case there is any doubt, I typically operate on an elementary level.To solidify the fact , I must ask , what is the lady adverting for on the downtown mall in the picture accompanying this article ? That pic is headed to Jay Leno :)

Councilor David Brown and Supervisor Ken Boyd voted for the lawsuit to proceed and for their citizens money to be used to pay for it, how can the Council and Board of Supervisors not be involved ?

I would appreciate an answer to this question.

--Story last updated 6:24am, added "million" to lawsuit and price of Van der Linde's facility. (Thanks, Really?)

So then is there evidence that BFI lied, Betty?

Here is where you have a chance to put your money where your mouth is. You can, using your true and verifiable identity, allege on this public forum that BFI committed a crime. This will be a good test of your "only people that use their real name should post comments" philosophy. Please feel free to answer my above question at your earliest convenience.

Yepper, Lonnie Wood, director of finance for RSWA said this :

Ã¢â?¬Å?Proper charging and accounting of customers has been inaccurately managed,” RSWA finance director Lonnie Wood told Allied officials in a November 2005 letter. Ã¢â?¬Å?[T]here has been and continues to be a breach of contact.”--quoted from the article below

Wasted revenue? Authority realized in 2005 station didn’t track origins
by Dave McNair
published 3:22pm Monday Apr 20, 2009

"The Rivanna Solid Waste Authority is suing Peter Van der Linde, who recently opened a major recycling facility in Zion Crossroads (right next to the RSWA-sponsored facility), to retrieve millions in fees the outspoken hauler allegedly avoided paying by lying about the origins of his trash. However, Authority documents recently obtained by the Hook show that the Authority may have been fleeced by its own partner in trash.

In 2005, seven years after the RSWA inked a deal with a firm called Allied Waste (then BFI and now part of a publicly held company called Republic Services) to send area waste to Allied’s waste station in Zion Crossroads, RSWA officials learned that Allied employees were Ã¢â?¬Å?completely unaware” of their duty to collect a $16 Ã¢â?¬Å?service contribution fee” for the Authority every time in-district (i.e. Charlottesville and Albemarle) waste crossed company scales.

Ã¢â?¬Å?Proper charging and accounting of customers has been inaccurately managed,” RSWA finance director Lonnie Wood told Allied officials in a November 2005 letter. Ã¢â?¬Å?[T]here has been and continues to be a breach of contact.”

Wood chafed that Allied kept customer accounts directly with area haulers, including Van der Linde, in violation of its RWSA contract, and he said the Authority was Ã¢â?¬Å?prepared to take legal action.”

Betty, thank you for that post. So would you say that the RWSA should attempt to recoup these fees from BFI/Allied/Republic Services instead?

I guess my questions would be: Did Van Der Linde's drivers have a responsibility to state where his trash came from? Did they do so? Does BFI's 'mismanagement' result in a breach of contract to the point where legal action could be taken against them instead of Van Der Linde?

I haven't heard anyone say that the RWSA isn't owed this money. I guess the question is "by whom?"

Who is to say that after the case against Van Der Linde they don't go after the other private haulers?

I just signed the Schilling Show petition and I urge everyone to do likewise.

Betty I disagree with the mayor too but not respectfully.

I believe the Hook should not allow comments to articles without people using their real names. If you don't have enough courage and conviction of your opinions to identify yourself then you should just keep quiet.

I must I had better get my butt in gear and write that letter to the Attorney general. If anybody else wants to write the address is:
Office of the Attorney General
900 East Main Street
Richmond, VA 23219

yepper, I'm not interested in who you are unless you have a vested interest that goes beyond that of the public. I found nothing offensive about your questions and I think they were satisfactorily answered.
This blog is as successful as it is because there is a freer flow of ideas simply because most of the commenters do not use their real names and thus do not add another dimension to the conversation. Charlottesville is a very small town and too many people talk about people and not concepts.
Let's get back to the thread.
Doesn't van der Linde have audio tapes showing that BFI was not asking the drivers for the source? Is this the same company that was not disposing of our recycling properly a few years ago? Face it, trash disposal is a dirty business.

Thank you to everyone who turned out yesterday. You have another chance to be heard today at 3:30pm at the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority Board Meeting. Located at the office of the Albemarle County Service Authority.

I respectfully disagree with the Mayor's comment above, and do believe, in our representative form of government that our elected officials have an obligation to protect the citizen's from unjust use of their money and from unjust lawsuits against citizens. I had thought the reason elected representatives Brown and Boyd were placed on the RSWA board was to provide accountability for the citizens, the same way that Edwards and Thomas were put on the RWSA board. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Directions to today's meeting:

st. halsey, maybe the 'free peter' sign refers to the allegation that he didn't pay the proper fees? Perhaps Ms. Moony meant to put "Peter Dumps For Free" but got the words mixed up. Perhaps the the back of the sign says "dumps for" and you are supposed to start reading at the word "Peter".

I for one am pleased that our public officials are trying to recoup public moneys that may have been improperly withheld by alleged dumping scofflaws.

cr, Yes I have read the stories and I'm not saying they aren't correct. I'm asking my questions in good faith. I don't have an axe to grind. Your post explains the whole brouhaha in a concise manner for me. I was lacking such a concise understanding previously. Thank you.

If you read some of the comments prior to mine it is quite clear that some are implying less than pure motives for both the lawsuit and the city council's silence. It certainly smells like corruption if it all is to believed, doesn't it?

the man with a paper a-hole makes some good points. however, a contrary point would be that if the RWSA simply allowed whomever to not pay the appropriate fees, then what is stopping others from doing so?

Some public institutions are required by law to recoup any and all moneys owed. Perhaps RWSA is in a similar bind?

I believe the time has come for our elected officials, including those of the City of Charlottesville, County of Albemarle, Commomwealth of Virginia, and U.S. representatives, to take a long hard look at the RWSA (in all its solid waste as well as water and sewer activities) and it's dealings with a legitimate private provider (Van der Linde), it's contracts, it's customer satisfaction record as a sole utility provider, and it's "studies". There has simply been a seemingly never-ending litany of questionable activities and the appearance of multiple conflicts-of-interest.

So Blank and Krueger are partners in the same law firm, and Krueger is the RSWA legal counsel; he hired his own partner from McGuireWoods to prosecute the suit against Van der Linde and then upped it to a RICO assuring astronomically higher profits for his firm,( for which he gets a cut), and a far higher cost to the taxpayers--lordy, lordy what have we got here ?

Is there an ethics specialist in the house ?

Krueger charges over $500 dollars an hour. Is that the going rate in your town for a descent lawyer of an authority funded with public dollars ?

Confused about the Mayor and Councils silence. Maybe this will help

"Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris stated that the City Council does not get involved in these types of legal matters. "( reported at Chn 29)

City Democratic Co-Chair Jonathan Blank

from the Hook by By DAVE MCNAIR
Published 4/2/2009 12:00:00 AM in issue 813 of the Hook

"Prepared by Jonathan Blank of the McGuireWoods law firm the suit

from the Hook
by Dave McNair
published 11:14am Monday Aug 17, 2009

"On July 31, the two sides squared off at a hearing in Charlottesville Circuit Court, part of the discovery phase of a jury trial scheduled for next June, during which Authority lawyer Jonathan Blank with McGuireWoods presented documents, provided by BFI,"

Jonathan T. Blank
Partner McGuire Woods - Relationships That Drive Results
Court Square Building, 310 Fourth Street, N.E., Suite 300
P.O. Box 1288
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902-1288

Lawyers in the News « Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Sep 14, 2009 ... Jonathan T. Blank, managing partner of the Charlottesville office of McGuireWoods, has been appointed by Gov. Timothy Kaine to serve on the ...

Kurt Krueger is a Charlottesville attorney with McGuireWoods and the legal counsel for the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority-

Kruger serves as the Chairman of the Piedmont Family YMCA.

Kurt J. Krueger
Partner McGuire Woods - Relationships That Drive Results
Court Square Building, 310 Fourth Street, N.E., Suite 300
P.O. Box 1288
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902-1288

Do not forget the Virginia Attorney General. His office is key. Check US Code Title 18 Section 96 which includes this;

(7) "racketeering investigator" means any attorney or
investigator so designated by the Attorney General and charged
with the duty of enforcing or carrying into effect this chapter;

Anyone so inclined may read

I'd spend a million taxpayer dollars to eliminate the RSWA from our civic structure. If there ever was a time for it, its over.

what I've not heard is anyone commenting on the merits of the suit, whether or not the RICO statutes are appropriate.

Did Van Der Linde defraud the RWSA and therefore the taxpayers? Simply because he's a private businessman should we automatically assume that he wouldn't have done this? Couldn't he have filed a motion to dismiss the case prior to discovery? If the case is so meritless, why wasn't it dismissed?

Surely he didn't want to be deposed. Surely this is a waste of his time. Surely he doesn't actually WANT to go to trial. A judge has the discretion to dismiss a case without merit. Why hasn't that happened in this case?

Implying that the RWSA, the City Council and Macquire Woods are all trying to railroad Van Der Linde because he provides a better service than the RWSA sounds a little fishy.

I mean, if there's truly nothing to this case, why hasn't it been dismissed? Why is the Hook the ONLY media outlet that has apparently discovered this case of corruption by the RWSA?

The hook has been reporting on it for a while, the other media outlets are not ignorant of this, but no one else is making these connections. Could it be that the hook is only presenting one side to this story and is using the silence of the city council (which is entirely appropriate, btw) as a smoke screen to filter out the fact that there's not much to this story?

Maybe the fraud case against Van Der Linde has merit.

Remember the water plan debate--the Hook was first with that too --luckily we have one newspaper in town willing to do investigative reporting and not print press releases and misleading info from officials without checking the sources. I'd believe the Hook's reporting any day of the week over the other media outlets--who, as you will notice, all picked up the story today and are just beginning to comprehend what this is all about. As to your legal questions, I hope a lawyer will respond, I'm sure there is a reason why the suit couldn't be dismissed. What do you think of their only witness being jailed ?

I'm just saying that maybe there's something to the case. As far as the only witness, I would only know that from the hook's website. But from that same article:

Ã¢â?¬Å?The verdict,” says director Frederick, Ã¢â?¬Å?does not change the fact that Mr. Van der Linde and his companies deposited tens of thousands of tons of waste at the BFI transfer station that originated in Charlottesville and Albemarle but were declared as coming from other jurisdictions, thereby avoiding the Authority’s service contribution fee, and depriving the Authority, and by extension the taxpayers of our community, of at least a million dollars in revenue.”

I mean, that's a pretty straightforward summation of facts. Should be easy to refute or substantiate. If this constitutes fraud on the part of Van Der Linde, then are we now saying that it is ok to defraud the taxpayer if you provide a decent service to the public?

I'm not talking about the timing of the suit or whether or not the RICO statutes are appropriate. The core of the suit seems cut and dry. It is either true or false.

Just because someone was convicted of extortion doesn't mean someone else's allegations are necessarily false just because the extorter was involved.

Sounds like Van Der Linde has a great facility. Sounds like this truck driver tried to extort him.

It also sounds like Van Der Linde may have cheated the RWSA.

All three of those facts can be true.

If you've not already done so, please sign the online petition: Drop the Van der linde lawsuit on

How in the heck can you "free Peter" before he has had his day in court? Sounds to like Van der Linde is better at PR than juris prudence. He admits he didn't pay the money he was suppose to- the only question is "who is lying Van de Linde or BFI"? Did BFI lie by not asking or did Van de Linde by not offering the truth.

I am kind of stunned how a rabid group of defenders can't get by those very simple fact. The county should have had fees from garbage taken out of this area- the only question is who. I like the courts to find out which one of these folks is responsible because my rates are higher because the tipping fees were never collected.

Betty, I believe that the questions I've asked are relevant and pertinent. It's interesting that you explicitly ask me to be quiet!

Why do you not like my questions? Are they unfair in some way? Show me how.

I have posted on the hook's message board many, many times as the hook staff would attest. I have done so for a long time as they would attest. The anonymity of the internet allows for the free exchange of ideas. If you are uncomfortable with this, I suggest that YOU should be the one that doesn't post your opinion.

City resident had some excellent points in his comments but he was anonymous. Do you wish to see his posts wiped off this page too?

However, city resident seems to be saying that NO ONE was paying these fees so why is Van Der Linde being punished. It's the old, "everyone is speeding so why can't I?" excuse after getting pulled over.

Yes, maybe he is being singled out because the RWSA has a different axe to grind with him. However, this does not seem evil or wasteful to me, but the way the world works. I would expect nothing less from humans; it is human nature.

If Van Der Linde had paid the fees that were due it should be very easy to prove, right? Why are all these OTHER issues regarding this story brought up time and time again?

If you want to believe that I am an interested party other than an unbiased observer go ahead. I've been following the case on the hook and I posted comments and questions because something about it didn't add up. I posted a comment on another article using the 'yepper' moniker.

I believe my comments and questions were dead on. The fact that you and others literally want to silence me leads me to believe that your side's motives aren't as pure as the driven snow and that maybe the suit has merit.

If you want to enforce a "real name verification" policy on a weblog, go ahead and start a weblog and do so. The hook is run by staff intelligent enough to know that one of the reasons why their website is so popular is that they DON'T enforce such a policy.

There is no evidence that Van der Linde lied to anyone. The only witness for the RSWA case, that claimed he lied, now sits in jail, his testimony deemed not credible by a 12 member jury, and charged as a convicted felon with attempted extortion. If you are worried about your money being wasted the RSWA lost over $700,000 of revenue last year. You should also be worried that the trash haulers have been overpaying because of probable mismanagement at BFI, and could have a case of their own against RSWA and their partners.

The only winners in this case will be the lawyers, who will make more money than is ever recouped for the public.

Yepper you are a coward. I am not singling you out. My comment was aimed at all anonymous posters whether I agree with their posts or not. Your rational about the free exchange of ideas is crap. By hiding behind an alias you can spread rumors and lies with no repercussions. By hiding your identity you can also hide the fact that you have a vested interest which if known would discredit your comments. Anyone who posts anonymously will not be taken seriously.

Downing Smith, now you are attempting to insult me? First you want me to keep quiet but when I continue to post pertinent comments and questions now you resort to insults.

Is your argument truly that weak?

Show me where I've posted a lie or a rumor (other than what I've read on this website).

All of these personal posts by Betty Mooney and Downing Smith are off topic, frankly. People are free to take seriously any and all comments, regardless of the moniker used to post them.

I believe I have not spread lies or rumors but, in good faith, asked questions about this case to try to get at the truth. Downing Smith and Betty Mooney apparently feel threatened by this. Perhaps they have an axe to grind of their own? Perhaps they are using this issue as a red-herring because they have an ulterior motive regarding the RWSA?

These are just questions but they seem pertinent due to the other comments on this page.

You two(Downing & Betty) should start a campaign to abolish anonymous voting too. From my prospective your idea and mine aren't too far apart and obviously both are ridiculous.

I think we should recoup all costs from the lawyers who advised this suit in the first place. What a mess ! I agree with Kevin, I'd pay to get rid of RSWA altogether.

Never mind recouping the costs. How about just stop the bleeding. Swallow some pride. Be the bigger man. Let it go. Of course that will never happen because government funded movements have endless funds and the people(Frederick) behind those movements recognize this, therefore giving them no reasonable motivation to wave the white flag.

If you want to believe that Van der linde is telling the truth you have to believe one thing. That is when Albemarle passed the tipping fees Van der linde never heard about it and that BFI never asked. Otherwise Mr. Van de Linde and his drivers are suffering from a lie of omission (not telling the truth is sometimes the same as telling a lie". Somebody owes the RWSA money, it's either BFI or Van de linde

If Van der linde lost he would have to pay those lawyer fees and then the RWSA would in fact have made a wise decision. Unlike Betty or Downing I don't know enough facts to tell you who lied and think that court might be the only place the truth might come out. I wouldn't be upset if this were settled either.

Given the information that has been disseminated thus far, that sounds like a high risk gamble to me. If it were your money alone and not a collective of the those tax payers that contribute, would you still make that bet? I wouldn't. It's a coin toss at best.

$20,000,000! I'd say that would keep the RSWA in the black for a good many years. That doesn't sound like recouping monies to me at all. Sounds more like tax payer funded extortion. Apparently it's contagious. Is there a vaccine for that?

I recognize that Van der Linde's motives certainly fall short of altruistic, but in the end, I just hope whether or not he wins, loses, settles, etc., that he isn't squeezed penniless and forced out of business. Regardless of whether he's done something wrong, that facility is good for the community. The RSWA is a huge tax drain. The recycling facility is a tax windfall in many ways and solves a HUGE problem that the specialized "authority" assigned to the task of waste management can't manage.

I don't have a dog in this race, but the RSWA is an absolute detriment to the community in every imaginable way.

Yeah, I guess I do have a dog in the wallet!

...and it's getting skinnier by the passing ($500/hr lawyer) hour.

RSWA's contract with BFI obligated them to collect an additional fee for all trash from Alb/Ch'ville. Constructively, if not actually, that creates a duty upon BFI to ask trash haulers where their trash is from or determine its origin in some other manner. They clearly failed to do the former, and their principle, RSWA is now seeking to determine the source of van der Linde's trash trough sworn testimony. Four years after the fact. I'd hardly call that reasonable. If this was a criminal RICO case, I think van der Linde would have a compelling argument that he was entrapped by BFI, because they failed to ask him where his trash came from at the time. As it is, I think RSWA should be estopped from proceeding against him by the equitable doctrine of unclean hands, as their agent, BFI breached its own duty to determine, in a reasonable manner, where his trash was from, and thus which fees to apply to it. Just my $.02

cville eye, I agree that my questions have been answered and I certainly have a greater understanding of the issue having read the posts in this thread. ironically, by asking my questions and having them answered, I am more sympathetic to the argument espoused by those that sought to stifle my posted messages!

****, I think you hit that nail squarely on the head.

Even if one were to successfully argue that Van der Linde committed a sin of omission, I think most everyone agrees that this suit is waaaaay over the top. It seems pretty clear that we, the people, do NOT want to spend our hard-earned scratch on this foolish adventure.

If the RSWA wants to go gunning for someone, it should target BFI for its shocking mishandling of their end of things. One has to wonder, however, if the RSWA would want to take on the terrifying legal team that BFI's corporate overlords no doubt have at their disposal. Hence they're going after the little guy? Tsk tsk, not sporting, that.

Agreed, Reality check. I thought van der Linde had third-partied BFI into his litigation with RSWA though, no? Maybe someone can answer the following: how many people were fired/forced to resign in 2005 @ RSWA after it was learned that BFI had gone YEARS without collecting the service contribution fee or whatever it was called? Exactly what do we pay these fools for?

Just a thought but has any body ever said who is responsible from when the dumping fee was passed (what the law actually states).

Is the hauler or the collecter ultimately responsible? Without this information the BFI vs Van Der Linde of who pays, I can't really support a side here. If the law says that the hauler must pay then Van der linde is guilty no matter what BFI asked/didn't ask. If BFI was suppose to ask everyone who came where the garbage and didn't, then BFI owes the money. Perhaps they both do. I don't know and would like to have someone who KNOWS help me out. thanks

What I can't yet believe is Van der linde didn't know he owed the fees, perhaps that is how he afford to build his brand new digs.

OK, so if you went into Best Buy and bought a TV for 400 bucks and they asked you for 400 bucks and you gave them 400 bucks and took your tv home who's fault is it that they didn't charge you tax?

Are you under a LEGAL obligation to ask them to collect the tax from you? NO
Are you under a moral obligation to ask them? MAYBE

Can the state take you to court to pay the tax that Best Buy didn't collect? DOUBTFUL

Can they force Best Buy to pay the tax they didn't collect? PROBABLY

Can Best Buy sue you for the taxes they forgot to collect? DOUBTFUL

Especially since there is no direct paper trail. Does BFI have direct written proof of any violation? Supposition is not evidence.

Was BFI paid a fee to collect the tax? If not, holding them accountable is real iffy on its face. Asking questions and tabulating taxes is a little different than withholding from payroll. What was BFI supposed to do if a hauler lied.Did they have instructions or authority to accuse a hauler of a crime?

Seems to me that this is just another example of incomptent government in action. They should drop the case now and get it behind them.

and these folks want to be our latex salesman.......

CT not for me, it was my understanding that it is a contract between RWSWA and BFI. I don't recall any ordinance that was passed that would allow RSWA to collect the fee on any trash that orginated from Chalbemarle. That would have required an ordinance to be passed by both the city and the county. How RSWA can charge anyone for a service it doesn't provide I have no clue.

"Seems to me that this is just another example of incomptent government in action." This bears repeating over and over.

I just searched the City's Code for"service contribution fee" and nothing showed up. I doubt if there is any legal ties between RSWA and the trash haulers, just those between RSWA and BFI.

Let's see. van der Linde's operation is in Zion Crossroads, either Louisa for Flubann, if I'm correct. BFI is also in Zion's Crossroads. Is RSWA's argument that if someone from Budkingham County ahuled my tras to Buckingham's or Nelson's landfill, the hauler is supposed to give BFI the service contribution fee to give to RSWA? Just how much jurisdiction the City and Albemarle have over our trash? Would the onus of payment be upon the hauler or BFI to find him and collect the fees?
To tell the truth, if anyone is guilty of racketeering, it's RSWA. Get rid of this dsgraceful entity. Too bad we have no one on Council that cares enough to question.

I haven't read all the comments for all the stories on this topic and this may already have been addressed, but it occurs to me that there's an undeniable conflict of interest here. How can BFI possibly be trusted to do the right thing when the competition (Van der Linde) has to essentially report directly to them? In my business ventures, it's my job to crush the competition. Unfortunately for me, the government hasn't handed me the golden scepter with which I could do this oh so easily. BFI on the other hand holds a mighty fine government issued scepter. You can figure out the rest of my thoughts on your own. I'll stop short of anything libelous so my post doesn't go bye bye.

"Flow control" is what our honorable officials at RSWA are considering.

When RSWA went into business with BFI and made them, the only ones that DIDN'T HAVE TO PAY the $16 tipping fee, when all the other haulers did, that is when they started down the path that would lead them into this mess. Not only did BFI not have to pay the tipping fee, but they could make more money according to the Hook articles and Mr. Van der Linde's statements on the Coy Barefoot show, by not asking where the trash came from. Then they could add on other fees, that RSWA would not allow, and bill the haulers for even more than if the trash was coming from Charlottesville or Albemarle. No wonder they didn't ask.

You are correct jeff. This story seems to evolve on a weekly basis now and somehow that fact managed to escape my brain in the passing weeks. It certainly backs my point.


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Type: response

text:
Why? Weight, moods prompt women to puff

Caren Chesler, 40, is no dummy. She's well aware of the health risks associated with smoking: She even lost her father to a form of esophageal cancer thought to be linked to cigarettes. Yet she continues to light up– sometimes smoking as many as 35 cigarettes a day.

"I think about my father's death, and the increased probability that I'll get cancer," she says. "Does it make me stop?" she asks. "No."

Like Caren, most female smokers can practically recite the statistics in their sleep:

*They run up to six times the risk of heart attack that nonsmoking women do.

*Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women and will kill an estimated 68,800 women this year (about 29,000 more than will die of breast cancer).

*Smoking-related illnesses, such as lung cancer and heart disease, will kill close to 178,000 women each year.

*Women who smoke have an increased risk of cervical cancer and difficulty conceiving.

Despite these sobering statistics, a quarter of all American women in their 30s smoke, the highest percentage of any age group. (Twenty-one percent of women smoke overall.)

What's behind our predilection to puff?

Experts say there are a number of factors that can make it extra tough for women to kick the habit. In fact, women are one-third less likely to be successful at stopping than men, according to Saul Shiffman, director of the Smoking Research Group and the Clinical Psychology Center at the University of Pittsburgh. Why do women find it so challenging to give butts the boot? Is it possible for a woman to become a quitter for life? Read on.

"I'm afraid I'll pile on pounds"

A significant number of female smokers say they want to quit but are afraid they'll gain weight if they do. (One of the reasons teen girls start smoking in the first place is to avoid gaining weight.) They're right to be concerned. Smokers tend to have diets low in fruits and vegetables and high in fat, according to Nancy Betts, professor of nutrition and health sciences in the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Plus, nicotine speeds up your metabolism, so when you quit, your body slows down the rate at which it burns calories. Smoking may also affect levels of serotonin, the feel-good hormone that regulates mood and appetite (in fact, smoking itself may act as a mild antidepressant).

When you come off cigarettes, it's tempting to reach for sweets and carbs in an attempt to improve your mood. It all adds up to a possible weight gain of 5 to 15 pounds, according to Robert Klesges, lead author of the book How Women Can Finally Stop Smoking.

It's no surprise that women who try to quit often consider starting a diet at the same time, but experts say this double-barreled approach will probably fail. "Women need to focus all their energies on quitting smoking first and worry about the weight gain later," says Klesges. "In fact, I tell them not even to step on the scale for six weeks."

"I'll become a total crab"

Men who quit smoking get cranky, too, but women seem to be hit with an extra whammy. The mood-elevating properties of nicotine are stronger for women, making their pre-quit highs higher and post-quit lows lower. Plus, the side effects of stopping– lowered concentration, heightened anxiety, depression, and irritability– often mimic the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and, in a cigarette catch-22, PMS often makes those symptoms worse.

About 60 percent of relapses occur during the first 14 days after someone has kicked the habit, according to Klesges. "Women should quit smoking a few days after their period ends so they're not hit with PMS at the same time," he says.

Even so, a woman trying to quit may feel extra vulnerable to remarks from others during the first two weeks after she stops. While a man might brush it off when a friend says, "You're so grouchy now that you've quit," statements like that can cause some women to ditch their efforts. Instead, women should say: "The first few weeks are the hardest, so I hope you'll understand if I'm stressed."

"I've tried to quit– and I can't"

Stress reduction is often cited as one of the biggest benefits of smoking. A fight with a friend, a harried day, or an unexpected traffic jam become reasons to light up. Indeed, a deep drag can help a smoker chill out, concentrate better, and feel more energetic when she's tired.

Once nicotine enters the brain, it results in a temporary change in chemistry that the smoker experiences as enhanced pleasure, decreased anxiety, and a state of calm alertness. "It goes straight into the brain in a very immediate, sharp spike," says Dr. Corinne Husten, medical officer of the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) Office of Smoking and Health. "It's much more reinforcing than other drugs, such as heroin, that have a slower delivery to the brain."

"My friends all smoke"

A strong sense of connection often comes with smoking. While tobacco company ads 30 years ago emphasized the independent woman ("You've come a long way, baby!"), today's product pitches feature groups of gregarious friends chatting, laughing, and bonding over cigarettes. For many women, kicking the smoking habit often means limiting contact with or moving away from those relationships– a decision that may be as tough as actually giving up cigarettes.

Although having pals who smoke can make it more difficult to quit, it's not impossible, says Steve Wood, a therapist who counsels patients at the live-in nicotine addiction program at St. Helena Center for Health in Napa Valley California. "Ask your friends to work with you by not smoking around you and by certainly not offering you a cigarette," he advises. "As you continue to succeed, you'll get a lot of reinforcement from others wanting what you have."

"Smoking is my identity"

"Women almost always start smoking in their teen years because they want to be cool or sexy," says Wood. In fact, many women in their 30s who light up started as teenagers. And the rebellion that played a part in the first puff remains decades later, but with a slightly different face.

"The young rebel is closely connected to a strength I see in successful adult women who smoke: They are highly independent decision makers in both career and family" Wood explains. "The rebel transforms over time and becomes the modern woman managing life in the early 21st century– career, mother, wife, often divorced, and on her own or never married."

Smoking is a constant for these women. So while they might change their romantic relationships or move or get a new job, cigarettes remain, literally, as pocketsize friends. "The one companion for these women throughout the years is their cigarettes," says Wood. "They are, in some ways, more dependable than these other aspects of their lives."

 Quitting is tough, no doubt about it. The typical long-term rates for those who rely on nothing but their own willpower are a dismal five to eight percent. But the good news is, experts say you get better, not worse, at kicking the habit each time you try because you learn what pushed you to begin again.

Before you try to quit (whether for the fourth or fortieth time), it's crucial that you prepare. "Often it takes a glimpse of reality for a smoker to be ready to take that step," says Shiffman, who has studied smoking addiction for more than 30 years. "It could be that they see someone get cancer or heart disease, or they run for a bus and realize how winded they are."

Once you're ready, the best approach is to use several of the strategies below, not just one:

1. Buddy up. Tell one or more friends, family members or co-workers you're quitting and ask them for help. Often, simply sharing your intention to quit can make you more committed. Choose people who can sympathize with your situation. "A nonsupportive partner who continues to smoke is one of the most difficult problems to overcome," says Marc Manley, executive director of the Center for Tobacco Reduction and Health Improvement at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. If your husband won't quit, says Dr. Manley, at least suggest that he smoke away from the house.

2. Go to a pro. "Whether one-on-one with a doctor or through a support group, counseling is key" says Dr. Husten of the CDC. "Together you'll develop a plan that includes practical strategies for quitting."

One of the newest-and best-twists on professional counseling is telephone quit lines. Thirty-three states have them, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has set up system-wide phone programs for its members. Callers to the Blue Cross and Blue Shield program are immediately connected with someone who will help them create a plan of attack, with tailored homework plus follow-up appointments. Most telephone quit programs are free, and a study of smokers who called a California-based line showed that telephone counseling roughly doubled abstinence rates even 12 months after the smokers had given up cigarettes. (The American Legacy Foundation's Circle of Friends Web site, join-the-circle.org, has a list of state telephone quit lines, as well as lists of other national quitting resources.)

Computer-based counseling programs are becoming more prevalent. The American Lung Association's (ALA) Freedom From Smoking online cessation clinic (ffsonline.org) is free 24 hours a day. Another online effort, Committed Quitters (committedquitters.com), is a personalized support program available free to purchasers of certain nicotinereplacement products (you must enter a code from the inside of the product box). It creates a targeted plan based on your responses to a series of questions, ranging from readiness to quit to the number of cigarettes smoked per day.

3. Don't dismiss meds. Quit rates using any one of the six available medications to help people stop smoking are around 25 percent. These meds fall into two categories: nicotine replacements (patches, inhalers, gums and nasal sprays) and medication (the antidepressant bupropion hydrochloride, marketed as Zyban). "Pick one based on your preference and on your previous usage and failure patterns," says Dr. Husten. For example, if you're prone to depression when quitting, Zyban may be your best bet.

There's also evidence that combining different medications-a patch with nicotine gum, for example-can be particularly effective. "The patch provides a low, steady amount of nicotine, to reduce withdrawal symptoms. Nicotine gum can then provide more nicotine when needed," explains Dr. Husten.

4. Track your triggers. Many smokers associate a cigarette with a morning cup of coffee, the drive to work or an afternoon break at the office-routines that, when repeated day in and day out, can make lighting up a kneejerk reaction. Similarly, certain situations, like drinking alcohol or socializing in a smoky bar, can prompt you to reach for a pack.

"You need to change the routines that might lead you back to cigarettes," warns Shiffman. "Be vigilant. Ask yourself, `Are there any triggers coming up, such as a stressful meeting with my boss?' and have a plan in place for dealing with them." For example, you might chew a stick of nicotine gum before the meeting.

5. Try. . . and try again. No matter which methods you choose, it's crucial to stick with them-and to try again if you fail. Experts say it can take between five and 11 attempts before a person's efforts to stop smoking finally stick.

It's well worth it. Quit now and your body will begin to repair part of the damage almost immediately-some benefits, such as lowered blood pressure and pulse rate, appear in as little as 20 minutes after your last cigarette. After about 15 years without cigarettes, an ex-smoker's risk of getting lung cancer is only slightly greater than that of someone who's never puffed. Now that's news that can help you breathe easy.

Jennifer Pirtle writes about health, fitness, nutrition and other lifestyles topics for Self, Health, Lifetime, Martha Stewart Living, Fitness, Cosmopolitan, and Lifetime Magazine where this article originally appeared.

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-153-172-175.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)/CC WarcExport 1.0
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2016-36
operator: CommonCrawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for August 2016
publisher: CommonCrawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


text:
Community calendar, September 29-October 5, 2005

THURSDAY, September 29
Shenandoah Shakespeare
10 S. Market St., Staunton. 540-885-5588
All's Well that Ends Well:
Helena, the beautiful daughter of a deceased physician, is in love with Bertram, whose lack of redeeming qualities makes no difference to her. Oblivious to the whole situation, Bertram goes to live with the ailing King of France. Helena pursues him and miraculously cures the King, earning his undying gratitude and his decree that she can marry anybody she wants at the French court. Guess who she chooses? But Bertram not only refuses to get it on with Helena, but flees, sending word that he will not recognize her as his wife until she becomes pregnant with his child and captures the heirloom ring from his finger. How can you not go? Stay after tonight's 7:30 show to chat with the actors.

Noises Off: Live Arts presents this wildly successful British Farce by Michael Frayn. Larry Goldstein directs the play through October 15. $10-17. 7:30pm. 123 E. Water St. 977-4177.

Tales for Tots:
The 5 and under crowd can enjoy mysterious storybook favorites at Barnes & Noble's preschool story time. 10:30am. Free. Barracks Road Shopping Center. 984-6598.

More Social, Less Security?:
Newsweek contributing editor Robert Samuelson discusses "Why the Social Security Debate Should Be About More Than Social Security, and Why It Matters More Than the Budget Deficit" at a Miller Center Forum. 11am. Free. 2201 Old Ivy Road. 924-7236.

Sankofa - History on Wheels: One of the foremost collections of African-American history in the United States comes to Charlottesville for a two-day display and lecture. The exhibit showcases the heritage, legacy, and challenges of African-Americans, spanning black history from 1860 to the present with art and artifacts from West Africa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Europe. 7pm at the Dickinson Building at PVCC. Free, no tickets needed. Details:

Found magazine creator Davy Rothbart, a writer and contributor to public radio's This American Life, unearths some of the wackiest discarded letters, notes, and grocery lists you've ever read. His friend, local singer/songwriter Devon Sproule, offers an extended set to supplement tonight's show at Gravity Lounge."It's become such a popular project that every week he gets boxes of mail from around the world, so he has really choice stuff," says Devon.

It's easy to think that this is a relatively straightforward multimedia partnership until you hear about how Davy– umm– found her: Apparently Rothbart was involved in an unfortunate car crash that led to an even more unfortunate head injury. He attempted to stop the profuse bleeding with a newspaper featuring a story about Devon. When the clotting had stabilized, he looked her up and fell in love with her music.

"The cool thing about Davy is that you never want to question his stories because they're so awesome. You never want to know if he's exaggerating," says Devon. Ain't that the truth. Go hear some longer ones tonight and be sure to bring your own Found flotsam for the audience participation portion of the program.

Peter Rothbart, Davy Rothbart, and Devon Sproule at Gravity Lounge. 8pm. $5. 103 S. First St. 977-5590.

Kingdom of Priests at Atomic Burrito. Free, 11pm.

The Pixies at the Charlottesville Pavilion. $35, 7:30pm.

Silent Diner at Coupe DeVille's. No cover, 10pm.

George Melvin at Fellini's #9. No cover, 6:00pm.

Bad Karma at Kokopelli's. $3, 7pm.

Bullistic and Memory Fade at the Outback Lodge. $5, 10pm.

Club Retro with DJ Stroud at R2. $3, 21+.

The Falsies, Mark Rock, and Cooter Small at Southern Culture. $0, 10:15pm.

Thompson/D'earth at Miller's. $4, 10:30pm.

Karaoke at Fat Daddy's. $5/Free 21+, 8:30pm.

Karaoke at Damon's Sports Grill. No cover, 9pm.

The Nice Jenkins at Mellow Mushroom. No cover, 10:30pm.

Acoustic Groove Trio at Mono Loco. No cover, 10pm.

FRIDAY, September 30
Hands-on History:
Be there when the City of Charlottesville unveils its latest state historic marker, commemorating the site of the former Monticello Wine Company. Enjoy remarks from local VIPs, followed by a reception at Greek Orthodox Church. 3pm at the intersection of McIntire Road and Perry Drive. Free. 970-3130.

Dance Party:
Terry Dean Dance Studio gets everybody ready for a winter of indoor fun. Dance classes teach the basics and dance parties help you practice. There's a party tonight! $10. 9pm. 1309 A. Seminole Trail. Details: 977-3327 or

Staged Reading:
Engaged– a witty and cynical appraisal of love, marriage, and money by W.S. Gilbert (of & Sullivan fame) is part of the Victorian Studies Conference (NAVSA) at UVA this weekend. Directed by Betsy Tucker, Engaged will be presented as a staged reading by faculty, students, and friends of the Department of Drama in Culbreth Theatre. 8pm, $5. Culbreth Road. 924-6677 or

Shenandoah Shakespeare
10 S. Market St., Staunton. 540-885-5588
Comedy of Errors:
Shakespeare's shortest play concerns twins– both named Dromio– and another set– both named Antipholus. The twin Dromios are slaves, employed to look after the Antipholus two, but then there's a shipwreck, a ransom, much falling in love and escaping to convents. Hence the name of the play. As expected, at the end everyone is saved, rescued, or married. 7:30pm.

Noises Off: See Thursday, September 29. Tonight the show is at 8.

Glad That's Over:
One of Malcolm Holcombe's previous albums scored a four-star review in Rolling Stone, but the folk singer is glad to be done with the hassle of a major label contract. "I had no control over it, and I got tired of listening to everybody else running their mouth," he says. "Everybody can talk, but the proof is in the pudding."

Nevertheless, he's still inspired enough to keep trying to write better songs. "If you designed a great mousetrap," he says, "I might try to make a better one. With all the rats in the music business, I'm just glad that there's enough cheese around." And with all the figurative speech in those two comments, you should be glad that this is in print.

Malcolm Holcombe and Stereocrash at Gravity Lounge. $8, 9pm.

The ADDJ at Atomic Burrito. Free, 11pm.

George Turner and Royce Campbell at Bashir's. No cover, 7pm.

William Walter and Company at the Buddhist Biker Bar. No cover, 10:30pm.

Intense City at Coupe DeVille's. No cover, 10pm.

Eli Cook's Red House Blues Band at Fellini's #9. No cover, 10pm.

Jimmy O and Calf Mountain Jam at Fridays After Five. No cover, 5pm.

Fletcher Bridge at Kokopelli's. $5, 8pm.

Missing Mason at the Outback Lodge. $6, 10pm.

Arlo Guthrie at The Paramount. $45/$42/$39, 8pm.

Matt Haimovitz at The Prism. $22/$18, 8pm.

Bluegrass open mic at Rapunzel's. No cover, 7:30pm.

The Devil's Music Ensemble scoring the silent vampire movie Nosferatu at the Satellite Ballroom. $10/$8, 18+, 8pm.

Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen with Slaid Cleaves at Starr Hill. $18/$15, 9pm.

Tiger Saw, Jason Anderson, and Casey Daniel at the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar. $5, 9:30pm.

Beleza Brasil at the Blue Bird Café. No cover, 6pm.

SATURDAY, October 1
Planting the Future:
United Plant Savers presents this one-day conference on "the cultivation, preservation, and use of native medicinal plants." Experts speakers, hands-on workshops, and more. 8:30am-5pm at Bracketts Farm in Gordonsville. $70. Contact Kathleen Maier at 295-3820 for details.

Creative Auction:
Dance the night away and bid on over 400 items at the AIDS/HIV Service Group's 15th annual Creative Charlottesville Auction. Food from local restaurants, wine tastings, and much more. 6pm-midnight. $40 tickets available from ASG. For a list of auction items, see or 979-7714.

Walk-a-Long: The Charlottesville Chapter of The Links, Inc. hosts the 7th Annual walkathon entitled "Project Walking Fete: Make Health A Habit," to benefit the Westhaven Nursing Clinic. Registration starts at 8:30am at UHall, followed by a spirited and music-infused warm-up. The walk begins at 9am. $10 registration fee. The walk happens rain or shine. Details: 977-1929.

High Steppers: Charlottesville High School hosts the annual cavalcade marching band competition. Gates open at 8:15am with the first band starting at 9am. Thirty regional bands with 3,000 competitors strut their stuff all day. Concessions available. $5 adults, $3 senior citizens and children under 12. 295-8453.

First Saturday Bird Walk: The fall migration is the highlight of the October bird walk at the Ivy Creek Natural Area, led by Peter Brask of the Monticello Bird Club. Beginners welcome. Meet in the parking lot. 7:30am. Free. Earlysville Road. 973-7772.

Music of the Blue Ridge: The prize-winning old-time band, Breakin' Nu Ground, from Lexington performs traditional music at the Humpback Rocks farm. 2-4pm. Bring a lawn chair and hang out. Free. Blue Ridge Parkway. 540-943-4716.

Dig In: Ash Lawn-Highland celebrates Virginia Archaeology Month with a series of workshop digs on the estate. Participants learn the basics of the trade as they excavate, screen, and wash artifacts. House tour and exhibit included. Tools provided. Two sessions: 9am-1pm and 1-5pm. $20 adults, $12 children ages 6-11. Call for reservations. 1000 James Monroe Parkway. 293-9539.

Military History Weekend: A living history program on the front lawn of the Albemarle County Office Building featuring re-enactors from almost every war America has fought. 401 McIntire Road. $3 per family. 9am-5pm.

Don't Forget: The local Alzheimer's Association hosts the annual Memory Walk at "The Park" at UVA Law School. Come out to walk or call to support members of the more than 60 teams who've signed up so far. 9am-noon. 973-6122.

Eyes and Ears: The Rivanna Lions Club offers a free sight and hearing screening today at Old Farm Day at Pleasant Grove. No appointment necessary. Thomas Jefferson Pkwy, Rt. 53, in Palmyra. Details: 589-1397.

Printing and Sketching in the Garden: This painting workshop demonstrates simple line drawing and basic watercolor techniques with a focus on the flower and vegetable gardens at Monticello. Materials provided. 9:30am in the Garden Shop. $10; reservations required. 984-9822.

Wine Trail Festival: Every winery seems to have its own festival, but here several local winemakers band together for a fun little gig around the lake with food, crafts, and more. 11am-5pm at the Boar's Head Inn. Fee. 296-4188 ext. 21.

First Saturday Walk: Take in the fall colors at the State Arboretum of Virginia. Join a volunteer docent for a guided tour of seasonal features of the Arboretum. 10am-noon. Suggested donation: $4 members, $6 nonmembers; under 12 free. No reservations needed. Meet at the information pavilion. 540-837-1758.

Experience Ireland:
The Blue Ridge Irish Music School offers a fun and informative afternoon of Irish music, song, and dance at The Senior Center. In addition to a performance by students and instructors at 2:15, admission includes a tin whistle class and an Irish dance class. 2-5pm. $5, children under 9 free. Family rate $20. 1180 Pepsi Place. 263-6288.

Fall Fiber Festival: Sheep-shearing, spinning, knitting, rug-weaving, a fiber fashion show, and sheep dog trials&endash; all at Montpelier in Orange County. $5 adults; under-16 free. Saturday 10am- 5pm, Sunday 10am- 4pm. 540-832-5526.

String Theory: The Fall Fiber Festival and Sheep Dog Trials at Montpelier celebrates rural life in the Virginia Piedmont with weavers and spinners, sheep shearing (kids can get up close and really see what is happening), border collie demonstrations, workshops on the various aspects of using natural fibers, and touchy time with many of the animals that provide the world with wool. Scottish dancing, music, and bagpipes are also part of the fun. Festival-goers get a discount on tours of Montpelier. 10am-5pm. $5 adults, children under 16 free. Rt. 20 in Orange County. 832-5526.

Stir It Up: Nelson County apple growers are making a party out of stirring the apples at Flippin-Seaman's Apple Butter Festival. Live music, pick your own pumpkins, pony rides (from 11am-2pm), games, food, clown, crafters, and more. 10am to 5pm. Free admission. Rt. 250 west, left on Rt. 151, right on Rt. 56 west, apple shed is 6 miles on the left. 1-434-277-5824.

Ride the Trails:
Today is the second annual Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day, and Charlottesville Area Mountain Bike Club members are taking kids for a ride at Walnut Creek Park. Rough riders ages 8-18 must come with their own bikes and helmets in good working order, and guides will address topics such as trail etiquette, safety, and basic skills. Parents must sign a release for their kids and may ride along, but are not required to do so. Meet at the beach parking lot. 2-4:30pm. Free. Reservations required. 540-456-7338.

Tasty Tomes: Teens who love to read come together for Chips and Chapters, the teen book discussion group at the Central Library. Kids in grades 6-12 meet once a month to discuss a different book at each session, have a snack, and help choose titles for later sessions. Today's first meeting discusses Avi's Nothing But the Truth. 2-3pm. Free. 201 E. Market St. 979-7151, ext. 3.

Pigs Party Down: Wee ones can enjoy cookies and stickers at the Storytime Theatre at Barnes & Noble as they listen to the new favorite from Laura Numeroff, If You Give a Pig a Party. Children will make a birthday hat and have a snack. 11:30am. Free. Barracks Road Shopping Center. 984-0461.

Out on a Limb: Young field hands can join in the harvest fun by picking their own apples, sampling fresh cider, and nibbling the famous cider donuts at Carter Mountain Orchard's Apple Harvest Festival. Arts and crafts, hayrides, picnicking, apple butter, pumpkins, and much more fun included. You can also come pick your apples during the week until the apples run out– usually in late October. 9am-6pm. Admission free. Rt. 53. 977-1833.

Pound It Out: The Frontier Culture Museum hosts a Hammer In featuring traditional and modern blacksmithing. There will be contests, presentations, and a sale. 9am-5pm. Included in the price of admission. Rt. 250 west in Staunton. 540-332-7850.

Name Game:
Naming the troll is of utmost importance to a particular princess as Rumpelstiltskin dances onto the stage at the Old Michie Theatre. The classic Grimm's fairy tale comes to life as a marionette puppet play featuring hand-carved marionettes from the Czech Republic, sound effects, and a flying magical spoon. 11am and 2 and 4pm. $5. 221 E. Water St. 977-3690.

Shenandoah Shakespeare
10 S. Market St., Staunton. 540-885-5588
Anyone who needs to read a description of what this play's about definitely needs to get on over to Staunton and check it out. Prince of Denmark, Ophelia in the stream, Laertes, and alas, poor Yorick! It's all here. 2pm.

The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan heads for Paris with an old horse, his father's letter of recommendation to the head of the King's Musketeers, and a recipe for a miracle wound-healing salve. Although he loses the letter and sells the horse, he's allowed entrance into the Musketeers and is accepted into Athos, Porthos, and Aramis' ranks. The story follows the four friends' heroism in saving an Englishman (Buckingham) and acting valiantly at every opportunity until we learn whether D'Artagnan will become a true musketeer. Prices vary. 7:30pm.

Noises Off: See Thursday, September 29. Tonight's show is at 8.

Argentine Tango:
Two hours of South-of-the-Border fun at the Terry Dean Dance Studio. First hour instruction, second hour dancing practice. 7-9pm. $10. 29N, just behind the Flaming Wok. 540-456-6635

The Lascivious Biddies:
The four luscious babes in the Lascivious Biddies return to Gravity Lounge this week to blend jazz chops with pop sensibilities. Vocalist Lee Ann Westover doesn't really have a problem using the "rock and roll chicks" angle for marketing purposes.

"It's a gateway, I guess," she shrugs. "Some people interpret it as a gimmick, but it really did happen organically." The project grew gradually out of four loosely connected traditional jazz players who decided to do something a little more wild and intriguing. Nevertheless, they still play for serious audiences. "We play for the most part in elegant listening rooms," says Westover. "We like to have a nice rapport with the audience and have a relationship with them."

The Lascivious Biddies at Gravity Lounge. $10/$8, 8pm.

Punk Rock Matinee: Viking's Deli and the Deadend Kids at Better than Television under the Jefferson Theater. $3, 6pm.

Big Bob and the Night Cats at Atomic Burrito. No cover, 11pm.

Carbon Leaf and Sparky's Flaw at the Charlottesville Pavilion. $17/$15, 7:30pm.

Sconch at Coupe DeVille's. No cover, 10pm.

Worn In Red at the Garden of Sheba. $5, 10pm.

The John Wyant Band at Kokopelli's. $5, 8pm.

Acoustic Charlottesville at Live Arts. $7, 8pm.

Daylight Tragedy and Brickbath at the Outback Lodge. $6, 10pm.

The Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra at Old Cabell Hall. $25-$11, 8pm.

The Jake Amerding Trio at The Prism. $15/$12, 8pm.

McAvoy, Kaylor, and Crowe at Rapunzel's, 7:30pm.

The Blue Ridge Irish Music School at The Senior Center. $20 per family/$5 per person, 2pm.

Mount Eerie and Thanksgiving at the UVA Chapel. $5, 9:30pm.

Bennie Dodd at the Wild Wing Café. No cover, 9pm.

The Matthew Willner Four at the Buddhist Biker Bar. No cover, 10:30pm.

Evergreen Music and the 2nd South Carolina String Band at the Battle of Stanardsville Civil War Reenactment in Greene County (1.5 miles west of US 29 on US 33). $5 advance/$7 door day pass. (Weekend pass: $8 advance/$12 door).

Sal Milione, David Tewksbury, Melissa McClain, and Nickeltown at Live Arts Upstage. 8pm, $7.

SUNDAY, October 2
Shenandoah Shakespeare
10 S. Market St., Staunton. 540-885-5588
All's Well that Ends Well:
See Thursday, September 29. Today's show is a 2pm matinee.

Noises Off: See Thursday, September 29. Today's show is a 2pm matinee.

Magical History Tour:
Nineteenth century plantation life comes alive with costumed crafters preparing for autumn with hands-on activities for youngsters (candlemaking, quilling, Scottish dancing, colonial games), Highland dancing, and more at the home of President James Monroe Ash-Lawn Highland. Bring a picnic. 1-5pm. Included in the cost of admission. 1000 James Monroe Parkway. 293-9539.

String Theory: See Saturday, October 1. Time today is 10am-4pm.

Geo Trekking:
Walk with geologist Aaron Cross as he explores the relationship between the area's geology and its human history at the Ragged Mountain Natural Area. This will be a moderately strenuous hike, so bring water and sturdy shoes. 2pm. Free. 973-7772.

History Weekend: See Saturday, October 1. $3 per family. 9am-5pm.

Wine Trail Festival: See Saturday, October 1. 11am-5pm at the Boar's Head Inn. Fee. 296-4188 ext. 21.

High on the Mountain:
Start your week in old-fashioned form, with some fine mountain music and country gospel, live at the Humpback Rocks farm. 11:30am-1:30pm. Free. 540-943-4716.

All Original:
Jae Sinnett was last here in March 2004 to host a clinic for the UVA Music Department, but this week he returns to Charlottesville to lead a trio performance at Live Arts. Most jazz performances involve playing standards from a set canon, but Sinnett takes particular pride in his abilities as a composer and will be playing all originals. "I'm a big advocate of drummers writing and getting into the theoretical side of music," he says. "I got tired of being the perpetual sideman and the timekeeper for musicians who couldn't keep time. In many ways, this is like a tribute to drummers."

Jae Sinnett with John D'earth and Steve Wilson at Live Arts. 8pm.

Criminal: The things Keller Williams does to his acoustic guitar almost qualify as crimes against nature. Often called a "one-man jamband," Williams plays solo shows by layering guitar parts on top of one another using on-the-fly loop-recording technology. This gives him a lot of improvisational freedom.

"A lot of times when I don't remember the lyrics, I'll make them up as I go," he laughs. One of his more obscene violations of performance convention was made possible by a Charlottesville native known only as Max, who gave Williams a small musical toy a while back. "It had a little earphone jack, and we rigged it up to where it could come through the P.A. system," says Williams. "It broke after about three weeks." No word yet on whether he's looking for a replacement, but feel free to bring your most absurd musical contraptions down to the Pavilion on Sunday just in case.

Keller Williams at the Charlottesville Pavilion. $22, 7:30pm.

David Ross MacDonald and Jess Klein at Gravity Lounge. $5, 7pm.

Sentai Mathematics and Les Angeles Mort at Better than Television under the Jefferson Theater. $5, 5pm.

King Golden Banshee at Fellini's #9. No cover, 6pm.

Warmed Over Boys at Kokopelli's. $5, 7pm.

The Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra at Old Cabell Hall. $25-$11, 3:30pm.

Dan Sebring at the Blue Bird Cafe. No cover, 6pm.

B.C. at Miller's. No cover, 11pm.

The 2nd South Carolina String Band and Smokin' Trout at the Battle of Stanardsville Civil War Reenactment in Greene County (1.5 miles west of US 29 on US 33). $5 advance/$7 door.

MONDAY, October 3
Give and Take:
Lois Lowry's Newbery Medal winning book, The Giver, is the focus of this month's discussion at Crozet Library. Even if you haven't read the book, come for a good discussion at 7pm. Free and open to the public. 5791 Three Notch'd Road. 823-4050.

Kokopelli Journals: Visit ACAC's gym in Albemarle Square to meet Laura Cockerille Giannini, author of the Kokopelli Journals, about a "reservation dog" and all the adventures he prompted, hear her read, and get her to sign your copy of the book. $5 from the sale of each book goes to Katrina relief. 6-9pm. 540-832-7048.

Club Fantasy:
Fans of fantasy can explore magical worlds and alternative realities in Northside Library's fantasy book discussion group for teens. Snacks are involved along with great books and lively conversation. 6:30-7:30pm. Registration required. Albemarle Square. 973-7893.

Parkway No, Transit Yes:
Help make the switch from subsidizing endless sprawl to supporting walkable development with convenient transit, bike paths, and sidewalks. Come plan the rally, sign up to table, or for more information. 5:30-7pm. McIntire Room in the downtown library. 882-1069.

Three Fine Lines and The Points at Atomic Burrito. No cover, 11pm.

Street Legal at Coupe DeVille's. No cover, 10pm.

Open mic night at Baja Bean. No cover, signups at 8:30pm, show at 9pm.

Matthew Willner at Miller's. No cover, 10pm.

Travis Elliott at The Virginian. No cover, 10pm.

TUESDAY, October 4
Dancing 'Round the World:
International folk dancers meet every Tuesday 6-8:30pm at the Senior Center to learn dances from Russia, Israel, Bulgaria and France. Pepsi Place. Free. Beginners welcome. Info: 960-2227.

Go for It: Young dancers ages 12-18 can try out today for a spot in the new Miki Liszt dance company II. Come prepared to show a dance of any style lasting 90 seconds maximum. Be prepared to learn a new combination. 4:15-5:30pm. Studio 20, McGuffey Art Center, 201 Second St. NW. 973-3744.

Love Life:
Susan McKinnon, an anthropology professor at UVA, discusses "Marital Signs of Progress: What's Cousin Marriage Got to Do with Modernization?" at the monthly Fellows Seminar sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. 4-5:30pm at the VFH, 145 Ednam Drive, near the Boar's Head Inn. 924-3296.

Travis Elliott at Atomic Burrito. No cover, 11pm.

The Greg Ward Project at Coupe DeVille's. No cover, 10pm.

Mark Hamelin at Old Cabell Hall. $24/$20/$10/$5, 8pm.

Joel Harrison at Gravity Lounge. $10/$5 advance, 8pm.

David Grisman and Old School Freight Train at the Paramount

Dar Williams and Girlyman at Starr Hill. $20, 9pm.

Joseph Mills at Fat Daddy's. No cover, 9pm.

Matthew Willner and Friends at the Buddhist Biker Bar. No cover, 10:30pm.

Ezra Hamilton at Mono Loco. No cover, 10pm.

WEDNESDAY, October 5
Shenandoah Shakspeare
10 S. Market St., Staunton. 540-885-5588
Comedy of Errors:
Dr. Ralph lectures on the play at 6pm, and then the performers put it all into practice at the 7:30 performance.

Noises Off: See Thursday, September 29. Tonight's show is at 8pm. Pay what you will.

Autumn Table:
Appalachian Sustainable Development hosts this first-annual evening of fine food, local wines, and live music at Ash Lawn Highland. Enjoy chef specialties from the area's best restaurants, with a rare local appearance by singer-songwriter John McCutcheon. Anthony Flaccavento presents the keynote address on building a healthy and sustainable world. 6:30pm. $30 per person, advanced tickets required. 978-7446.

Talkin' Politics:
House of Delegates candidates David Toscano and Thomas McCrystal participate in a public debate at the Charlottesville City Council Chambers. Sean O'Brien, executive director of the Sorenson Institute, and Steve Rappaport with 29 News will be co-moderators. Free and open to the public. 7pm. 972-9090.

Book It:
October is National Book Month. Young writers and others can learn how books get published, meet a real writer or two, and design a book of their own at Northside Library. Local children's writers Jennifer Elvgren, Kathy May, and Mara Rockliff will be there talking about their books and how it got published. 4pm. Free. Registration required. Albemarle Square. 973-7893.

Soap Bubble Science: Blowing bubbles isn't just fun; there's a lot of science involved in surrounding circles of air with soap. Young Einsteins can mix up a super bubble brew, make different kinds of blow toys, and perform a few simple experiments that will blow your mind. 4pm. Free. Gordon Avenue Library. 296-5544.

More Tales for Tots: The 5 and under crowd can storyteller favorites at Barnes & Noble's preschool story time. 10:30am. Free. Barracks Road Shopping Center. 984-6598.

O.A.R. at the Charlottesville Pavilion. $25, 7:30pm.

Kate Campbell and Mary Gordon Hall at Gravity Lounge. $15/$10 advance, 7pm.

Nanci Griffith and the Blue Moon Orchestra at the Paramount. $29.50/$25.50/$22.50, 8pm.

B.C. at the Buddhist Biker Bar. No cover, 11pm.

Bennie Dodd at Coupe DeVille's. No cover, 10pm.

Josh Mayo at Fat Daddy's. No cover, 9pm.

Karaoke at Jabberwocky. No cover, 21+, 10pm.

The Mike Rosensky and Jeff Decker Quartet at Miller's. No cover, 10:30pm.

Open jam at Rapunzel's, 7pm.

Chris Jamison and William White at The Virginian. No cover, 10pm.

THURSDAY, October 6
Shenandoah Shakespeare
10 S. Market St., Staunton. 540-885-5588
The Three Musketeers:
See Saturday, October 1, Stay after tonight's 7:30 performance to chat with the cast.

Noises Off: See Thursday, September 29.

Learning Curve:
Psychologist Anita Remig talks about "Creating Successful Functioning Children with Developmental Disorders" at the Little Keswick Foundation for Special Education's 8th annual Education Symposium. The talk offers insights and tools for helping kids challenged by Asperger's, autism, bipolar disorders, ADHD, OCD, and tic disorders. 7-9pm. Free. Glenmore Country Club, Keswick.

More Tales for Tots: See Wednesday, October 5.

Another World:
Disgrace, by J.M. Coetzee, is the focus of this month's meeting of the Greene County Library's Book Discussion Group. It's a story about middle-aged professor David Lurie and his life in the shifting landscape of post-apartheid South Africa. Winner of the Booker Prize. 7pm in the Library Meeting Room. All are welcome. 985-5227.

Bueno! at Coupe DeVille's. No cover, 10pm.

Seamus Kennedy at Gravity Lounge. $5, 7pm.

The Rogan Brothers at The Satellite Ballroom. $5, 9pm.

Thompson/D'earth at Miller's. $4, 10:30pm.

Karaoke at Fat Daddy's. $5/Free 21+, 8:30pm.

Karaoke at Damon's Sports Grill. No cover, 9pm.

The Nice Jenkins at Mellow Mushroom. No cover, 10:30pm.

Acoustic Groove Trio at Mono Loco. No cover, 10pm.

Stable Roots at the Outback Lodge. $5, 10pm.

Upcoming and Ongoing
Cut a Rug:
Terry Dean Dance Studio gets everybody ready for a winter of indoor fun. Dance classes in Viennese waltz and advanced rumba(!) (Monday), beginning cha-cha and intermediate tango (Tuesday), beginning rumba and advanced foxtrot (Wednesday), beginning swing and intermediate waltz (Thursday), beginning salsa (Friday). Practice at dance parties every Friday at 9pm. Individual classes $10 per person per class. Dance parties: $10. 1309 A. Seminole Trail. Details: 977-3327 or

Pole Dancing: Slither like a sleek snake at the Shergold Studio's pole dancing class every Thursday. Beginners at 7pm, Intermediate at 8pm and Advanced at 9pm. Or if flamenco is more your style, try that on Thursdays, too. Former Berkmar Ballroom spot on Rio Road. 975-4611.

Square Dance Classes: Learn to do-si-do with the pros. The Virginia Reelers Square dance club offers beginning square dance classes on Tuesday nights. 7pm at Woodbrook School. Open to all, no experience necessary. Details: 296-9704.

Dancing 'Round the World: International folk dancers meet every Tuesday 6-8:30pm at the Senior Center to learn dances from Russia, Israel, Bulgaria and France. Pepsi Place. Free. Beginners welcome. Info: 960-2227.

Sunday Salsa: The Charlottesville Salsa Club sponsors a weekly opportunity to learn and practice salsa and other dances in a smoke-free nightclub atmosphere. A basic lesson (usually salsa) gets the evening started at 8pm. Complimentary water and sodas. The Outback Lodge, 917 Preston Ave. 8pm-midnight. $3-5. or 979-7211.

Improvement Ed:
FOCUS Women's Resource Center presents a series of five workshops in Assertiveness Skills Training. Learn to improve communication, increase self confidence, gain respect, express positive emotions, and much more. Wednesday evenings, October 19- November 16, 7-8:30pm. 1508 Grady Ave. $50 includes materials and light refreshments. Info: Bebe Heiner, 293-2222 x 192.

Humpback Rocks: Stroll through a re-created 19th century Appalachian farm, complete with traditional music (see Tunes September 17-18 for performers), on your way up to the breathtaking view from the Humpback Rocks overlook. Visitor's Center open every day 10am-5pm. Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 5.8. 540-943-4716.

Volunteer Training: Shelter for Help in Emergency is seeking volunteers to participate in their Summer Volunteer Training program. Learn what you can do to help out in the local community. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6-9pm through October. 963-4676 for registration and details.

Yes, Yoga: Kundalini yoga purifies the body and liberates the spirit. Experience it for yourself for $5 per class, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30pm in the attic of the Glass Building, 313 Second St. SE. 293-7439.

Eye for Art:
Those with an eye for a good story can put their talent to work in the 18th annual Writer's Eye Competition at the University of Virginia Art Museum. Now through November 18, children in elementary through high school can view a selected group of art works at the Museum and write an original poem or short story in response. Forms and instructions are available at the Museum. Tuesday-Sunday, 1-5pm. Free. Rugby Road. 924-7458.

Get Real:
Teen Read Week starts October 16, and kids in grads 6-12 are advised to get real and write about it. Jefferson-Madison Regional Libraries are collecting prose and poetry on the topic of what's real to you for their Teen Read Week Writing Contest. Prizes will be awarded, and entries must be submitted by October 22. Details at any branch. 979-7151, ext. 3.

Take a Hike: Young outdoorsmen can discover what camping is all about at a new exhibit at the Back Gallery at the Virginia Discovery Museum. Visitors can follow a map to their campsite in the deciduous forest of the Blue Ridge, pitch a tent and settle into a sleeping bag, or enjoy all the outdoors has to offer including hiking, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and wildlife. Through January 15. Included in the price of admission. East end of the Downtown Mall. 977-1025.

Playing Doctor: The Health Hut comes to the Virginia Discovery Museum from its former home at the UVA Children's Hospital. This interactive collection of activities helps kids learn about their bodies, health care, and making healthy choices. Slim Goodbody, for example, gives the inside scoop on the heart, lungs, and other organs. In the doctor's office, kids can view x-rays and examine patients. Discover the five senses, find out how much you weigh and how tall you are, and much more. This exhibit will be displayed in the Back Gallery for the next year. Included in the price of admission. East end of the Downtown Mall. 977-1025.

The University of Virginia Art Museum currently offers "The Power of the North: German, Dutch and Flemish Old Master Prints," featuring works created between 1500-1700, plus "Insistent Absence: the Unacknowledged Influence of Ukiyo-e on Modern Japanese Prints." Both shows run through October 16. Also on view: "A Jefferson Ideal: Selections from the Dr. and Mrs. Henry C. Landon III Collection of American Fine and Decorative Arts," which will remain on display through November 23. 155 Rugby Road. 924-3592. See Art feature.

Piedmont Virginia Community College Gallery hosts "The Evolution of Ideas: Experience, Influence, and Affinity," a retrospective of work by emeritus professor Chica Tenney (whose art will be on view all over town in October). V. Earl Dickinson Building. 434-5203.

The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection offers "Above and Beyond: Perspectives in Aboriginal Art," examining how Aboriginal artists use perspective and point-of-view to depict landscapes and traditional stories. The show is on view through November 5. 400 Worrell Drive. (Pantops). 244-0234.

The new venue Abundant Life Chiropractic and Gallery closes its September show of work by Diana Arge and opens an October exhibition, "Love Cards," by Virginia Reiley and Elize Evans. 201 E. Main St., Suite Q. 979-5433.

Angelo presents photographer Ben Greenberg's exhibition, "Where Land and Water Meet," through October 30. 220 E. Main St. on the Downtown Mall. 971-9256.

Charlottesville-Albemarle Art Association members Sandra Austin, Blake Hurt, Ed Mochel, Gigi Payne, Coy Roy, and Ralph Schultz have work on view at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Airport through November 7. Airport Road. 295-2486.

Through October 31, Michael's Bistro displays "Places Foreign and Familiar," an exhibition of photographs by Michael Shveima. 1427 University Ave. (on the Corner above Littlejohn's). 297-8032.

Glo is currently showing paintings by Christian Peri. 225 E. Main St. on the Downtown Mall. 295-7432.

Blue Ridge Beads & Glass displays new paintings and art glass by Jerry O'Dell. 1724 Allied St. 293-2876.

L'étoile Restaurant displays paintings by local artists Barry Gordon, Malcolm Hughes, and Christian Peri. 817 W. Main St. (across from the Amtrak Station). 979-7957.

Sweetbriar College presents "The Madness of Paradise," featuring the photographs of Gregry Crewdson, Annabel Elgar, and Justine Kurland, in the Gary Pannell Art Gallery through October 1. Also, "Paula Helenveld: Ancient Wisdoms and Natural Actions at Akrotiri 1500 BC" hangs in its Benedict Hall Gallery. The show remains on view through October 30. And in the Babcock Gallery, Sweet Briar presents "Sue Johnson: Fragments from the Alternate Encyclopedia," through October 16. 800-381-6100.

The Williams School of Commerce at Washington and Lee University in Lexington offers a dual exhibition entitled "North and South," by painter Eric Fitzpatrick. The show remains on view through December. 540-458-8602

Nellysford's Basic Necessities presents "Gallic Dream," Ted Pfaltz's photographs of France. Route 151. 434-361-1766.

Richmond's Virginia Museum of Fine Arts features a rotating series of paintings under the umbrella title of "An Enduring Legacy: Paintings Acquired Through the J. Harwood and Louis B. Cochrane Fund for American Art." 200 N. Boulevard. 804-204-2704.

The Walker Fine Arts Center– Baker Gallery at Woodbury Forest School presents Werner Sensbach's "Paces of the Piedmont" and Chris McAndrew's "Sculpture in Stone." Both shows hang through October 28. Woodbury Forest. 540-672-3900.

The new Virginia Holocaust Museum Art Gallery presents an exhibition of paintings by G. Roy Levin, through December 31. 2000 E. Cary St., Richmond. 804-257-5400.

The Arts Center in Orange features "Visual Phrases," an exhibition of work by Bill Moretz, Janice Breeden, and Aggie Zed, through October 29. 149 E. Main St., Orange. 540-672-7311.

Staunton's Middlebrook Gallery presents the clay miniatures of Lou Greiner through October 23. 5 Middlebrook Ave. 540-885-9955.

During October, Barboursville's Sun's Traces Gallery showcases Paula Brown-Steedly's pottery, Charlottes LaRoy's basketry, and Sarah Lock's silver work. 5449 Gov. Barbour St. 973-3700.

The Barn Swallow has pottery by Janice Arone and Mary Ann Burke, plus other handcrafted artwork for sale. Route 682 off 250W. 434-979-4884.

The Ed Jaffe Gallery features paintings and marble sculptures by Ed Jaffe, plus abstract photographs by Marc Jaffe. 108 W. Main St., Orange. 540-672-2400.

The University of Virginia Art Museum is currently accepting entries for the 18th annual Writer's Eye competition. Writers of all ages are invited to submit poetry and prose in response to any of 21 works currently on view. All entries are due by 5pm, November 18. Application forms, regulations, and images of the works are online at Info: 243-2050.

The Mental Health Association seeks artists and writers who have an interest in mental health to submit works for an art show and public reading to celebrate World Mental Health Day. The art will be on view during October, and the reading is scheduled for October 10, 1-4pm. Submit works on October 8, 10am-12pm at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church. 717 Rugby Road. For more information, 977-4673.

Daunting Durer: Old masters' stunning prints
I didn't expect to see my dog at the University of Virginia Art Museum when I went to view "The Power of the North: German, Dutch and Flemish Old Master Prints." But there he was– or rather his 16th century twin– in all his mongrel glory, sitting face-forward, nose down in the lower right corner of Albrecht Dürer's engraving, "Saint Eustace."

The musculature of his chest and the slightly crooked ridge of fur running down its center, along with the way his ears flop and how his haunches splay– it's all there. Meanwhile, above, Saint Eustace drops to his knees before a stag sprouting the crucifixion from its forehead as it stands in the middle of a forest, with a castle-topped town looming in the background.

This combination of naturalistic observation and religious imagery exuding an eerie fairy-tale flare is what, according to UVA's Stephen Margulies, distinguishes Northern European printmakers of the era from their more florid Italian counterparts.

Curated in response to last year's exhibition of Italian Old Master prints, the current show encompasses woodcuts, engravings, and etchings by Dürer, Lucas van Leyden, Leonhard Beck, and Hendrick Goltzius, among others. It invites viewers to compare the techniques and themes of contemporaneous printmakers responding to the same influences. Unlike today, artists of the period embraced rather than derided imitation, so the deviations and innovations become that much more intriguing.

It may be hard to imagine, but printmaking was as revolutionary for 15th and 16th century Europeans as the Internet is for us today. Printing techniques– from the movable type of the Gutenberg Bible to carved woodblocks to precisely chiseled engravings– for the first time enabled people in different locations to absorb the same visual information.

How the Old Masters developed artistry within such precise craftwork and what they chose to depict is fascinating. The exquisitely detailed Dürer works, for instance, reveal the German artist's interest in science and the natural world, whereas the images by his Dutch rival and imitator Lucas van Leyden showcase the latter's celebration of everyday life and social interactions.

Throughout the exhibition, Margulies' always-informative signage offers viewers in-depth insights and poses questions for reflection.

But if you go for nothing else, go for the Dürers. I repeatedly found myself slack-jawed before his images, staggered by how chiseled and inked plates could so perfectly capture the folds of a lady's sleeve or the twist in a tuft of fur.

"The Power of the North: German, Dutch and Flemish Old Master Prints" is on view at the University of Virginia Art Museum through October 16. 155 Rugby Road. 924-3592.

Oh, freedom: Guthrie relishes big issues
Arlo Guthrie became a well known social commentator and musician during the '60s folk scene thanks in large part to "Alice's Restaurant," an 18-minute rambling musical narrative about his experiences with police and military recruiters during the Vietnam era.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the song, and he's bringing the celebration to The Paramount on September 30. Faced with The Hook's questions about the society that emerged from his activism 40 years ago, Guthrie began to gush.

"There were a lot of people engaged in all kinds of stuff 40 years ago. It wasn't just the war– the war was only one thing in the cultural revolution– the civil rights movement, people concerned about the war, people worried about nuclear power, and people burning lingerie– it was a lot of the same people, even though we tend to isolate these events and think of them as separate. It wasn't just about the war, it was taking stock of the nation as a whole and wondering what kind of country we were going to have.

It's no different now from the way it was 40 years ago. It's not just the war– people are concerned about who you can marry or what you can grow in your backyard.

These are the issues that concern the times, and there are people heavily involved in all of them, and right or left, that's terrific. Every individual doesn't have to be right about everything, you just have to engage in the discussion of the times. If enough people do that on the left and the right and the top and the bottom, we'll do alright.

I think we have accomplished exactly what we had hoped to, which is to continue to make people feel like their voice counts. Forty years ago, there were people telling us to shut up, get out of the country if you don't like it, but we got up and we said, "No. You've gotta speak up. If you're American, you have an obligation to present your point of view, and by doing so you make the country free."

You have to use the freedoms you have, or you lose them. There are people telling people to shut up now, and I'm opposed to those people.

Before the war in Iraq, millions of people all across the world took to the streets. Some of them were saying, "Don't go," and some of them were saying "Let's roll."

That's when I knew what we had accomplished. In every community now, there are groups concerned about nuclear energy and the environment, civil rights, and women's rights. All the things that were controversial 40 years ago have become part of the fabric of the culture. They've become ordinary. That's the ultimate success of the activism of those times.

BUZZ BOX - Buried hatchet? Pixies reunite for… $?
The Pixies, perhaps second only to Nirvana in toppling the tyranny of hair metal in the early 1990s, broke up under less than amicable circumstances due to the constant bickering between singer Black Francis and bassist Kim Deal. Now, a reformed Frank Black has re-formed the band for a reunion tour that promises to be as exciting and neurotic as it is profitable.

The Hook: How's the situation with Kim?

Frank Black: Oh, that's not a situation. That's an ongoing dynamic.

The Hook: What is it that made you want to re-unite?

Frank Black: Well, I suppose... the money.

The Hook: But you're one of the fathers of alt rock.

Frank Black: Am I? I thought it was Iggy Pop.

The Hook: Well, the Pixies are often credited with starting the wave that allowed Nirvana to break. What's it like to have outlived them by more than 10 years?

Frank Black: I'm very glad to be alive. It's always good to outlive anything.

The Hook: Of course, but what does it mean for you guys as artists?

Frank Black: That's like someone saying, "The word is that the Pope just bought your record." What do you even say to that? It doesn't mean I'm thinking about converting to Catholicism.

The Hook: Is there anybody out there whom you view as the logical extension of what you were doing?

Frank Black: Not really. You might hear similarities, but we're a little too willing to be dorks. It's a schizophrenic potpourri.

The Hook: Are you a dork?

Frank Black: I have clogs.

The Hook: You just played Lollapalooza in Chicago, which has devolved from a traveling festival in the '90s to a one-shot concert because of slow ticket sales. What was your reaction to that change?

Frank Black: That's showbiz.

BUZZ BOX- Empire angst: Williams waiting to exhale
New England songwriter Dar Williams released her first album in 1993, and by the end of the decade she had become one of modern folk music's most fearsome warriors. She arrives in town this week to pitch her newest album, My Better Self, which is heavy on electric guitars and rock-oriented arrangements and even features a cover of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb."

The Hook: You were in Charlottesville recording with DMB bassist Stefan Lessard in 2002. What was that like?

Dar Williams: It was nice and easygoing– it's hard to say what it was, really, because it was so much fun. Stefan has to wrestle with all the weirdness of being a superstar, but he does it well. His bass playing is extremely melodic and poetic and almost lyrical in a way– it's a lyric writer's dream to have that sort of bass playing available.

The Hook: You've been back to Starr Hill a couple of times since then. Are you still playing that material as part of the show?

Dar Williams: I think we'll be doing only one of the songs he was on. We're not doing that whole album these days when we play live.

The Hook: What kind of lineup do you bring with you on tour now?

Dar Williams: It's almost the same as last time– keyboards, bass, drums, and guitar.

The Hook: So is Out There Live still an accurate representation of your live show?

Dar Williams: Not as much, because it's a different band. The band kind of used the live album and my studio albums as a jumping off point. These guys have taken it and made it their own. They nod to the arrangements that are there, but they give it their own thumbprint.

The Hook: "Beautiful Enemy" is pretty hard compared to "calling the Moon," and you've moved back and forth in terms of dense orchestration over the course of your career. How do you see that developing in the future?

Dar Williams: This is my third album with the band from Green World– so we were just kind of digging in. It's just a trust exercise. The lyrics are also a little harsh– harsher than the production, even.

The Hook: Speaking of interesting production, the Pink Floyd cover is pretty captivating. Why did you choose that song?

Dar Williams: It works on a lot of different levels. As a performer, it's an interesting song about having to lose some of your consciousness in order to make sure you can make it up on stage. That contradiction can happen, although it hasn't happened in my career (I'm pretty lucky). It came about right after the election, and I think that the world was in shock. It wasn't that we couldn't have our cappuccinos, but there was this aspect of surprise, the realization that we're going to have more of the same. There's not going to be an exhale at the end of the inhale, we're going to keep inhaling. We got to go back to our comfortable lives, but there was a sense of loss, and that song is about keeping on in the face of loss.

The Hook: That's an interesting spin to put on such a classic, well established song. It sounds like the same emotions that were probably behind "Empire."

Dar Williams: Again, I wrote that right after the election, and I wanted to lay bare what I thought was a just position. When you are building an empire, you raid the coffers of your civilization to it. It's really empire versus civilization, even though we're so used to seeing it as empire as a part of civilization. You sacrifice your civilization in order to further your goals of building an empire. You raid the financial coffers, and also the moral ones– civil liberties and so on. Nazi Germany sacrificed its morals tremendously to follow it's grand scheme. The British Empire certainly had an element of racism that allowed them to pursue empire building. Now, we have to decide what to sacrifice.

The Hook: So do you ever worry about alienating your listeners with all this?

Dar Williams: No. To say that inevitably, "This empire will fall on its own ass, like every empire does," was a matter of stating a fact. I wrote this as a student of history: there are references to other empires, but no mention of us. If you say that this is about the United States, that's a very self-exposing observation, because one could argue that we're not in there at all. I do believe, though, that this government is criminal. Every other presidency has had elements of it– the United States is very powerful, and so it has had its moments of imperialism with other presidents– but this one is only about expanding their own oligarchy.

The Hook: In an ideal world, what effect would the song have?

Dar Williams: I don't mind reinforcing something, but I don't expect to convert anyone. I can be a part of something. It's not one person who does it, it's everyone. I don't consider myself to be even half a drop in the bucket.


text:
Statement from Dragas/BOV to faculty

Statement from Rector Helen Dragas to:

-University Faculty
-Faculty Senate Executive Committee
-College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Department Chairs and Program Directors
-Faculty of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Steering Committee
Dear Faculty Members:
Thank you for your recent correspondence regarding the events of this week.  The Board of Visitors understands the serious concern and anxiety raised by the announcement of President Sullivan’s agreement to step down. We comprehend how deeply the entire University family feels a sense of loss and distress at what appeared to be an abrupt turn of events.
We have heard your concern that our deliberation on this matter was not inclusive of the faculty or transparent to the University community.  The Board publicly and continuously provided support to President Sullivan in order to advance her success in all aspects of her job, and we continued to do so throughout her tenure.  We admire President Sullivan’s broad popularity and acknowledge with much gratitude the many contributions she made to improve the University of Virginia.
Yet, consistent with sound employment practices, it is the policy of the Board to keep confidential matters of disagreement and those relating to evaluation of progress against mutually agreed upon goals. Nevertheless, the Board can assure you that there was ongoing dialogue with the President over an extended period of time, regarding matters for which we are responsible.  These include ensuring the long-term health and well-being of the University through development of a credible statement of strategic direction and a long-term resource plan.
In considering the sustainable excellence of this University, the Board acknowledges the central role of faculty governance in matters of academic programming and curriculum. We are very clear on the scope of our fiduciary duties and the limits of our role. The Visitors should not, and will not, reach past or around a president to direct a specific strategic plan or manage its implementation.  Rather, the president is expected to engage the academic enterprise in order to ensure a strategic and comprehensive charting of the organization’s future.
The Board has been especially insistent on responsiveness in light of the drumbeat of intense pressures facing the University of Virginia.  Among the many challenges, we are especially concerned about the recruitment and retention of you, our esteemed faculty.  In fact, recent correspondence to us from a large body of the faculty called for urgent and immediate action, a focus on long-term solutions, and a concrete strategy. It called for plans for raising or redirecting revenue.  These calls should be answered by a renewed strategic plan for the University, guided by the president and provost, and created alongside the faculty and deans.
The University has had many longstanding presidents who have advanced its stature.  We expect we will find another such successful leader through a thoughtful and deliberate process that will include faculty representation.  This Board is not alone among institutions of higher education, public and private, non-profits and corporations that have faced such difficult transitions early in the tenure of a leader.
We can, and will, recruit a stellar new president. Of him or her, we will expect strong, inclusive faculty governance.  We also expect that our next leader will help secure the resources and set clear priorities to incent and reward excellence through faculty salaries, support, and sustenance of an engaging and rewarding academic environment.
Collectively we can advance Mr. Jefferson’s University in a way that fulfills his original vision for it to be the most eminent in the United States.  The Board of Visitors believes that the future – perhaps the survival – of our country is in the hearts and minds of our young ones.  We must, without fail, inspire and lead them to their maximum potential.
We ask for your commitment to join us, the forthcoming interim leader, and our next long-standing president in partnership to create that bright future.
                               Helen E. Dragas, Rector
                               On Behalf of the Board of Visitors

–June 13, 2012