Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Open Source RVA: Podcasts Are Go!

Submitted for your approval: Four more action-packed, ready-to-download podcasts from Open Source RVA, Richmond's audio news digest.

Shall we begin...?

Our May 24 broadcast asks big questions. Like: Why do city leaders have to take an annual "road trip" to somewhere else in order to get ideas for Richmond? And why do these ideas tend to suck, ignore what's already happening and/or correspond with the same old bad ideas from last year's trip? Hear from our distinguished panel (Rand Burgess, Charlie Diradour, Paul Goldman) as they discuss this year's bigwig intercity jaunt to Denver. Also: Meet Andrew Cothern of rvaplaylist.com as the informative music blog celebrates its 3rd birthday. On top of all that, get to know local artist Thomas Van Auken. You can see his evocative "Warehouse in Fulton Bottom" pictured here.

Click here to download the May 24, 2013 Podcast of Open Source RVA.


On the big May 17 broadcast, we speak with Martha Mullen, the woman who paid for the Doswell burial of Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarvaev. Unitarian minister Alaine Cameron Miles joins the conversation.  We also interview Philip Crosby, the managing director of Richmond Triangle Players, about 20 years of the gay-flavored RTP and how the theater company's current production of "La Cage aux folles" is its biggest show yet. From tragedy to comedy...


Click here to download the May 17, 2013 Podcast of Open Source RVA.

Assess this podcast! Listen in to the May 10 installment of OSRVA as we query Richmond City Council President Charles Samuels about the current state of council and the limits of mayoral authority. Also: city assessor Jim Hester and developer Louis Salomonsky square off on the uses (abuses?) of historic tax credits in the Richmond region. A delicious hour of news, seasoned with our special Source.

Click here to download the May 10, 2013 Podcast of Open Source RVA.

"Let's all go to the Podcast." Grab an earful of the May 3 episode of Open Source RVA and meet Susan Barstow, Irene Carney and Tom Shields from Sabot at Stony Point, who talk about their plans for an education revolution. Also: John Heidel, the owner-operator of the Goochland Drive-In Theatre joins us to talk about the future of movie viewing under the stars. Indoors or outdoors, the Source has you covered.

Click here to download the May 3, 2013 podcast of Open Source RVA.


And you can have access to ALL of our past shows by going right here. And don't forget to catch the big broadcast each and every Friday at 4PM on WRIR 97.3 FM or http://wrir.org. You can also get breaking news updates at http://rvaopensource.com. You want to be fully informed, don't you?

Richmond Magazine: Preventive Maintenance

One pleasing thing about being a writer is that you sometimes get to tackle challenging subjects that are out of your normal comfort zone. Case in point is my latest feature for Richmond Magazine, which probes -- sorry -- the life-saving benefits of modern colonoscopies.

It’s the second most deadly form of cancer, but Dr. Doumit S. BouHaidar maintains colorectal cancer is one you can do something about. 
The gastroenterologist at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Cancer Center is something of a pied piper for colonoscopies. They work, he says. “Screening is a very important strategy to fight this cancer.”

Seriously, it's an important subject. Click here to read "Preventive Maintenance" or pick up the May issue of Rich Mag, on newsstands now (as one might say). 

Monday, May 6, 2013

Sifter: Handicapping the Cultural Purge

My pal Jerry Williams has updated and revamped his excellent TVJerry website into a new heady internet concoction called Sifter.

He's got some ace contributors on board for the overhaul, including my old Style colleague David Hintz Timberline, writing about the city's arts and culture. And occasionally, you'll find me doing a column called "The Sevens."

The second installment of "The Sevens" is up right now.  Read it by clicking here.