Buttermilk & Molasses

The Boho Muppet Rhapsody

It's been all over Twitter, but the recently released video by Muppet Studio is an impressive bit of puppetry. And the music isn't bad, either. They even get away with a fair amount of Muppet-inspired reworking of the original material.

Biden More Than Fills Cheney's Shoes (and scrapes some shit off in the process)

The NYTimes Magazine once again proves the value of long-form journalism in its lengthy piece by James Traub on the ways in which Vice President Joe Biden has comfortably transitioned into being one of the most influential vice presidents in history. The piece begins with a look at Biden's critical on-the-ground role in Iraq, transitions to an exploration of his evolving relationship with President Obama, and delves into his impact on daily policy discussions in the White House.

I've always liked Biden -- as far back as his flubbed presidential run in 1988 -- and suspect that he's far better suited to a policy-driven backseat driving role than a full-time position in the Oval Office. How much time is he spending in the back seat? Plenty, it seems, and he's spending it much differently than his predecessor, Dick Cheney:

The president and the vice president are very different men both temperamentally and generationally, and they move in different social circles. “Everyone wants this to be some kind of buddy movie — ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,’ ” as one senior White House official, who asked not to be named so he could speak freely, put it. “Presidents and vice presidents are never close friends. It’s a working relationship; it’s more like the C.E.O. and the chairman of the board.”

Yet, on foreign policy, Biden has largely realized his wish to be the president’s all-purpose adviser and sage. He attends the president’s daily briefing every morning with James L. Jones, the national-security adviser; often Biden will stay behind for a few minutes to raise other issues. He has a weekly lunch with the president and no staff members. He sits in on most of the “principals’ meetings” of top national-security officials, which occur about once a week; unlike Cheney, a silent presence at these sessions, Biden has plenty to say. Biden attends every important meeting on foreign policy the president holds. “It’s me and him, and the cast of characters changes a little bit,” Biden told me not long ago during a conversation in his White House office. “I have the benefit of watching him react, and him watching me react. Very seldom a week goes by that he doesn’t call me down to his office, or wander in here and close the door and say, ‘Wait a minute, what about this?’ ”

Empire-building is not encouraged in the Obama administration. Biden has five aides who focus on foreign affairs, a large number save in comparison to Cheney, who had more than a dozen. No vice president had ever sought, or gained, the autonomy, or the supremacy over other power centers, that President Bush granted to Cheney. “He was his own separate branch of government,” as Ron Klain, Biden’s chief of staff, puts it. “He took the office of the vice president out of the White House phone directory, and out of the White House budget.” Biden is seeking to “normalize” that relationship, Klain says. At the same time, people around Biden point out that he benefits from Cheney’s self-aggrandizement: Biden can reduce the scope of the office to something like its historic dimensions and still be the second-most powerful vice president in history.

Business Opportunity. Must Sell 10,000 Cupcakes. A Month.

The cupcake scourge that has been sweeping the American retail landscape for the past several years has become a full-fledged industry. (Brandon Fox was so on top of things way back in 2005 when a cupcakery was something novel and fascinating.)

In fact, Richmond is home to a number of cupcake outfits struggling to churn out a host of uniquely lip-smacking muffins -- including Sally Bell's Kitchen, which has been doing so long before actual trends were even invented.

The NYTimes delves into the sweet business of cupcakes with an article that explores four different models that have emerged in the marketplace -- chains, web-only, cupcakes-plus and the sole bakery. It all sounds rather exhausting, especially the life of Austin's successful cupcake maven, Tiffany Bacon:

Ms. Bacon pays her $2,400-a-month rent by selling an average of 10,000 cupcakes a month. She charges from $1 to $2.50 a cake, depending on the size. Business had been increasing 300 percent each month until last spring, when Dell Computer shut down a nearby manufacturing operation. After that, business fell off 10 percent in June.

Ms. Bacon and her husband, who works with her, take a combined salary of $36,000 to $50,000 a year. Any extra money is rolled back into the business. “There are no vacations,” said Ms. Bacon. “We’re working 80-hour weeks.”

A few other places to get your cupcake fixes around Richmond -- and to help the fledgling industry hit its 10,000 cupcakes a month margin goals -- include:

• Short Pump's Too Sweet cupcake boutique

• Short Pump's Frostings cupcake shop

• The newly opened Carytown Cupcakes

Life of Freelancing Is No Slice of Pie

Freelancers around the globe will be busy during this time of recession repopulating this pie chart with their own saucy messages for clients who aren't paying their bills in a timely manner -- yet continue foisting work their way. (Thanks to Richmond designer Carrie Fleck and Boing Boing for this one.)

As cute as the pie chart is, the email exchange captured on the original site is a stitch. Hard to tell whether it's satire or a tragically realistic look into the life of freelance design. But there are more pie charts to clarify matters.

Richmond Habitat Changes the Land Game in Town

I'm admittedly no expert in land trusts, but I've been struck by a recent news story on Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity's new community land trust initiative. (sorry, I missed the press conference, Chris!)

Essentially, the organization has placed about 20 parcels of land in a South Richmond neighborhood into the trust. Houses will be constructed on the parcels, and sold to low-to-moderate income individuals and families. The homebuyers will lease the land -- which will lower their mortgages (they're not buying the land) and offsets increasing land values.

Carol Hazard's story lays it all out.

The Great Makeover: Part One

By the sound of the post's title, this makeover will go on for weeks, but the reality is that it ends around noon today when I sadly ball up the snappy clothes on loan from various stores around town and hurl them into the corner -- to be put back on the racks for those of you with a lot of disposable cash to purchase.

But I get to keep the haircut.

My participation in Richmond Magazine's fashion makeover was the result of a random tweet I threw onto Twitter early one morning. Something along the lines of needing a haircut and a fashion makeover.

Moments later -- the sheer power of the Internet to traverse time and space! -- I received a DM (direct message) over Twitter from Susan Winiecki, the editor-in-chief of Richmond Magazine, asking if I'd be interested in being spotlighted in their January issue's makeover feature.

Why the hell not?

Fast forward a few weeks, and I'm on the phone with Tina Eshleman, editor of the RHealth and Beauty quarterly that is set to run the feature. A week after that and I'm chatting it up with Megan Marconyak, a former Richmond Magazine editor who does freelance fashion work for the magazine.

Megan nailed it in our discussion when she said it sounded like I was looking for an answer to the space between kicking around in jeans (with the family, or on days when Floricane doesn't have me actually out in public) and in a suit (the less frequent ensemble worn for serious client meetings and presentations).

We chatted, exchanged a few emails and then she went shopping.

On Wednesday, I met Megan at Richmond Magazine to check out the clothes. She arrived with four different looks -- including a khaki pants/pastel shirt combo that immediately went into the "not that much of a makeover" pile.

We played around with the rest of the clothes before settling on what I'm now calling the "moderate makeover" look -- black boots, black cords, black suit jacket over a grey sweater, purple Oxford and purple/grey tie. The woman who told me months ago that my body structure and skin coloring demanded I look to the actor who plays House on TV as a fashion template would be proud. Apparently, I still need a cane.

We ended the day with my "before" photo -- scuffed boots, scuffed jeans, wrinkled button-down and shaggy hair. They told me to look sad and miserable, so I slouched a lot while the photog shot away.

Megan's gone on an additional run for accessories -- I'm thinking an amethyst ear stud -- and I'm off to yy for my makeover hair appointment with Phillip. (Someone told me last night that haircuts there are well north of a hundred dollars. I hope the lady at the William Byrd can carry the new look forward for the $15 I give her every six weeks!)

Then I head to Jay Paul's studio for my "after" photo shoot.

In January, the results will appear in Richmond Magazine.

Is Virginia Journalism Shovel Ready?

Reading Eric Morris' post on the Freakonomics blog at the NYTimes today made me wonder what has been happening with Virginia's shovel-ready transportation projects that may or may not be funded as part of the transportation stimulus package. Morris takes a look at California, which has only distributed about 45% of the $2 billion-plus in funds allocated back in February.

That got me thinking about Virginia. Way back when I was working in the construction materials industry (about 15 months ago), I dropped a couple of emails to Virginia's Secretary of Transportation suggesting that Virginia ought to pull together a slew of engineers to rush some major transportation projects through the evaluation, planning and design phases so they'd literally be "shovel ready" when large sums of cash were shipped from Washington to Richmond.

He insisted that Virginia was more than ready with work in the pipeline.

Morris' post -- California specific as it was -- made me wonder. Where does Virginia's struggling transportation infrastructure stand in terms of actually turning stimulus money into steel and concrete?

It's a great story waiting for a journalist with a few days of free time and some solid sources.

Richmond Should Be a Verb Again

We spend a lot of time in the Richmond region wishing we were stuck in another part of the country, or in time, or just plain ol' somebody other than who we are.

Welcome to the Richmond Region website, a bit of a grassroots endeavor with the hearty, bold and confident tagline of "Richmond: If It Matters, It Happened Here. Still Does."

Matter. Or happen here. I presume both.

The collaborative approach has already pulled a lot of people to the table to discuss why Richmond is so rich with potential -- and why our region's history is littered with amazing stories that we pretend not to know.

I'm particularly loving the new line of stylish posters the group has started publishing, as a way to illustrate both the depth and power of our regional history -- and the rich tension that punctuates it. You can find most of them on the group's Facebook page, or over at Shared Air. The video, above, explains more.

Here are a couple of the posters I really enjoyed:

 

Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson in tha House

About a month ago, I quietly kvetched to my wife that my favorite physicist (of the three I avidly follow, sort of avidly) was coming to town as part of the Richmond Forum. I'd attended the Forum twice over its 20+ years of bringing talking heads to town -- on a press pass when a German chancellor came through town in the early 90s, and to hear social historian Jared Diamond depress the hell out of me three or so years ago.

Two weeks later, a friend emailed to see if I wanted to join him and two of his friends for dinner and an evening of galactic banter -- courtesy of astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson. November suddenly felt complete.

We had dinner at the Black Sheep (excellent, as usual) and then climbed four flights of stairs to the roof of the Landmark Theater (nee, Mosque). No, really, I could actually touch the ceiling from my seat.

Tyson did not disappoint. Tyson is the master of interstellar understatement, an ebullient speaker and a crackerjack thinker. I didn't take notes, and turned to the Times-Dispatch and to the student paper at Oklahoma State University for their take on his traveling roadshow.

When it comes to total science output, the U.S. ranks among the top in the world.

"The United States is good and fat, chubby even," scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson said to chuckles from the packed crowd at the Landmark Theater last night. "That's because we're a big producer of science. Not a problem."

But when it comes to scientific output in the past decade, the science of tomorrow, which is what matters, things look grim for the United States, Tyson said.

"America has shrunken embarrassingly on this world stage," he said. "What's happening is that America is fading in the world stage."

Our friends at RVA Magazine included two great Tyson-themed videos in their pre-coverage, including a great piece on stupid design. It's a wonderfully depressing segment that will either convince you that we are truly doomed, or remind you that we are pretty luckily to be here.

A Social Media Trifecta Hits the RVA

The Social Media Club of Richmond is beginning to demonstrate some real staying power with three events in November alone -- an election wrap-up discussion about social media and politics; a Tweetsgiving karaoke and bowling charity mega-event; and next week's SMCEDU-RVA event at the University of Richmond.

The election event should be unveiled within the next day or so, but is slated to feature campaign workers from both major parties and political analysts engaged in a round table discussion about the role of social media in the recent Virginia gubernatorial bloodbath. It's scheduled for Tuesday, November 17. (If you follow SMCRVA on Twitter, you'll get the scoop as soon as we do!)

That happens to be the same night that the education arm of the social media club (SMCEDU-RVA) hosts a round robin event at the University of Richmond:

Individuals will group together and be given the opportunity to engage in a Round Robin of Social Media. Start the night off at a Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn Hot Spot and engage in conversation with other individuals on Social Media topics and how these media outlets have impacted your life. When the buzzer sounds, be ready to move to the next Media Hot Spot and continue the discussion! Students, Professors, Administators, and Business people are all welcome.  New perspectives keep us all learning from each other.

And a week later, all hell breaks loose at the Plaza Bowl lanes at Southside Plaza when the Social Media Club hosts Tweetsgiving RVA:

Come support Epic Change http://tweetsgiving.org and gather with your friends as we put the fun back in FUNdraising. Sing karaoke, bowl and carry on as we celebrate gratitude for a great cause!

The Tweetsgiving event happens from 8:00 p.m. until 12:00 midnight on November 24 at Plaza Bowl and combines three great American traditions -- giving back to a good cause, duckpin bowling and karaoke. The amazing Kindness Girl is working with the group on fun ways to help participants express their gratitude during this time of thanksgiving.

Ready for December? Mark your calendars for the December 10th SMCRVA event, focused on using social media to build independent film and music communities.

Nonprofit with a Board? Civic-Minded with Nowhere to Turn?

Hands On Greater Richmond's Board Link is another great idea from one of the region's snappiest organizations. Hands On started out several years ago connecting volunteers with organizations looking for a pair of hands (or three) to get some work done. They're raising to bar with Board Link, which connects individuals with nonprofits looking to fill board positions.

As someone who has spent a lot of time recently talking about staffing nonprofit boards, I know exactly how challenging a process it can be.

Organizations can create an agency profile, and then participants in Hands On's new training program for individuals interested in volunteering for board work can have their resumes circulated among participating organizations. Win, win.

Part of a nonprofit looking to staff a board? Engaged resident of the region interested in helping an organization grow and succeed? Go check out Board Link.

Southside Plaza: Retail Success in the Shadows

Nice piece in this week's Style Weekly showing how one of the forgotten retail corridors of Richmond -- the shadowy Southside Plaza -- is actually a pretty amazing success story, one which has built a relatively firm financial foundation by (wait for it...) serving its community.

In addition to spotlighting the amazing (and amazingly commonsensical) approach to operating a grocery store -- that of Maryland-based Farmer's Foods and its local manager Rodney Saunders -- the Style piece reveals some insightful discoveries made by a group of VCU urban studies students surveying the area:

“I thought Southside Plaza was dead also, until the students started doing some research and observations and found that it is quite vibrant,” Gulak says, explaining that the vehicle traffic along Belt Boulevard, between Hull Street Road and Midlothian Turnpike, was much higher than they expected. “There is a lot of traffic. We’re trying to figure out where it’s all going.”

McGuire Veterans Hospital is nearby, which helps explain some of the traffic, Gulak says, but there are larger forces at play as well. While the area still has its share of problems — crime and used-tire shops, for instance — the Plaza appears to be doing what any successful retail center should do: serving its market.

The Plaza just might offer an important lesson for hands-on government planners prone to enforcing their own retail visions on older centers — typically destination retailers that attract shoppers from outside the area — which can lead to government-fed “gentrification of shopping centers,” Gulak says.

Owned by Saul Centers, based in Bethesda, Md., the Plaza has been luckier than most not to have an absentee property owner. LeeAnn Feltman, the Plaza’s property manager, visits at least once or twice a month, and has in five years overseen more than $800,000 in renovation work, including repainting the green façade. Last week she was in town to check on the $700,000 renovation of the new Shoe City store, damaged in a fire earlier this year. New tenants are on the way to fill three of the six vacancies, Feltman says, and she envisions a pizzeria and a pharmacy in the not-too-distant future.

“To me, it’s a great center,” she says.

And it's a great story. Well worth reading.

Style Helps Scoot Close Case

Never friend Chris Dovi. That's the lesson I learned from this week's edition of Style Weekly, which reveals that a reporter (possibly Dovi himself!) with Richmond's intrepid weekly friended a former employee of Scoot Richmond on Facebook -- and helped police move her into lockup.

The former employee has been accused of embezzling nearly $50,000 from Richmond's favorite Southside scooter dealer, and went into hiding earlier this year. Richmond detectives were hard-pressed to track her down.

Enter Facebook.

Two weeks ago, Style Weekly ran a Google search for Tourtelot and found her Facebook page. Tourtelot responded and accepted a request from a Style reporter to be her online friend within 40 minutes.

With access to her Facebook page, Style found Tourtelot had posted pictures of a new car — a green Firebird — with a clearly visible license plate. The page included pictures identifying friends by name, showed her working on set in Chesterfield during a production of ABC’s “Supernanny” television show, listed New Millennium as her employer, gave a phone number and indicated that she lived in Midlothian. Tourtelot even revealed a love for online poker sessions, in which she spent hours each night.

After learning of Style’s new friend status, Bagent staked out Tourtelot’s Midlothian house and eventually contacted her with a false story of having found one of her credit cards. Tourtelot took the bait. Last Thursday, Bagent, with assistance from Chesterfield police, met Tourtelot and took her into custody.

Happy Birthday, Falling Berlin Wall

A funny thing happened on the way to the Berlin Wall's ultimate demise. Actually, the entire collapse of the Berlin Wall early in November of 1989 was a funny thing. Unless you were a Soviet or East German political or military leader.

As Mary Elise Sarotte describes it in her piece in the Washington Post, the entire collapse was an odd confluence of events -- a bit of barely noticed bureaucratic misspeak intersected with the time of day, essentially. Sarotte is the author of the forthcoming book "1989: The Struggle to Create Post-Cold War Europe." What seemed like breaking news during a press conference elicited barely a peep initially.

In fact, as West German news reports lauded the opening of the border, there was little movement. It didn't take long for that to change:

At the Bornholmer Street border-crossing station in East Berlin, guard Harald Jäger, on the job since 1964, had watched Schabowski on television. Dumbfounded by the remarks, he told his fellow guards that the official's words were "deranged," and he started calling around. His superiors assured him that travel remained blocked, and he and his colleagues were armed as always.

But soon Jäger and his team were busy waving back some would-be crossers who had heard the western reports. A police car arrived and an officer announced over a loudspeaker that it was not possible simply to exit, but the crowd kept swelling.

Before long, the guards at Bornholmer Street were outnumbered by thousands of people; the same thing was happening at several other checkpoints. Overwhelmed and worried for their own safety, Jäger and his fellow guards reasoned that the use of violence might quickly escalate and become uncontrollable. They decided instead at around 9 p.m. to let a trickle of people cross the border, hoping to ease the pressure and calm the crowd. The guards would check each person individually, take notes and penalize the rowdiest by refusing them reentry. They managed to do this for a while, but after a couple of hours the enormous crowd was chanting, "Open the gate, open the gate!"

The gates opened, and they were soon followed by gates at other crossings, in part because the East German officials who could have provided clear direction to border guards were locked behind doors in meetings.

And that's how history happens.

Washington Post Takes Another Stab at Local

Like most daily newspapers of any heft, the Washington Post has been searching for years for the right mix of content, design and technology to give their local readers a close and personal window into the news. It's probably been close to twenty years since they launched their first batch of regional printed inserts; this week, the Post unveils its new "local" online edition for readers in DC, Maryland and Virginia.

All in all, it's not a bad looking page.