Monthly Archives: February 2013

Positive Brunch Review for EAT

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The RVA Brunch Club recently visited EAT Oregon Hill, compared notes, and gave it a positive review (click here to see more on their blog)–

Rating: 4
Food – Very Good. Guest bruncher Liz (yay I Heart Vegetables!) was really impressed that there was a vegan breakfast option and that the cauliflower was so flavorful. Nice selection on the menu, and it was obvious that the chef took some chances when putting the dishes together – lots of twists on familiar dishes. Some of us felt like there could have been a few changes to enhance the food, such as avocado on the huevos rancheros, or a few more eggy dishes on the menu, but otherwise, delish!
Service – Good. Our server was friendly, personable, and checked in on us often, bringing prompt refills of our hot beverages. Michele arrived first and was happy that the hostess took her jacket and was ushered to our table right away. However, our party didn’t get our drink orders very filled very promptly. Further, because several of us ordered mimosas, we felt like we should have been alerted to the option to order a pitcher, but we weren’t.
Atmosphere – Good. Not fancy or pretentious, but cute. Mix of booths and kitchenette-style chairs (surprisingly comfy!). Bright colors suited the Caribbean flavors that often are infused in the dishes. However, we found the wall paintings (e.g., a Bob Marley octopus – we called him Bobtopus) to be a bit weird. The overall look to the restaurant didn’t quite match the food quality or price. We were sat at the table closest to the door, so it was rather cold and drafty.
Coffee/Tea – Very Good (C)/Good (T). They serve Blanchard’s coffee. The java drinkers in our group were super thirsty and the caffeine was readily flowing! The tea refills were prompt but guest bruncher Rina wanted a larger selection of flavors to choose from.
Mimosa – Very Good. Traditional mimosa had delicious freshly squeezed orange flavor and a hat of a clementine slice on top.
Bloody Mary – Good. Appreciated that it is customizable, but not quite to Michele’s taste. Great spice to the drink, but also a weird sweet flavor in there.

Peace Essay Contest

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From announcement:

The annual Peace Essay contest sponsored by the Richmond Peace Education Center is now open for entries. The theme for this year?s contest is ?Learning to live in peace.? The writing prompt asks students to think and write about the roles their families or other care-givers play in teaching them about peace. They are further asked to write about how this teaching affects their actions in the community and the world; and to support their ideas with examples from their personal lives and from history and current events.

The contest is open to any elementary, middle, or high school student in Virginia. It offers a top prize of $100 in each of four grade divisions: K-3, 4-5, middle, and high school. Seven additonal cash prizes are also awarded in each division.

The deadline for entries is April 22, 2013. Entry forms, along with contest rules and a conplete description of the writing prompt are available at www.rpec.org, or by emailing rpec at rpec.org.

Paul Fleisher
Asst. to the Director,
Richmond Peace Education Center

‘Letters from the Battlefield’ now on display at the Virginia War Memorial

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From the RVANews.com article:

Letters written by Virginia armed servicemen and sent to loved ones are on display in an exhibit at the Virginia War Memorial through the end of the month.

Items in “Letters from the Battlefield” include V-mail sent by soldiers and sailors during World War II, letters written by ballpoint pen in the jungles of Vietnam, and emails sent from those who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“Letters from the Battlefield” runs until February 25th.

Taking Charge of Our Future Talk

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I mentioned this before, but here’s is it’s own posting:

From the Flying Brick blog:

On Friday, February 15th, at 6 PM, Alexis Zeigler will conduct host slideshow and discussion titled:

Living free of fossil fuel and corporate dependence. Taking charge of our future. Find out how.

How do peak oil, climate change, and the limits of growth affect abortion rights, income equality, and civil liberty? The presentation will examine the hidden connections between ecology, economics, politics, and social justice, and how to use those connections to effect real, long-lasting change.

Human cultures evolve in responses to changes in ecological and economic circumstance. Thus changes in the supply of soil and oil have impacts on our politics, or social structure, and ultimately on our religion and moral attitudes. These facts are very well documented in the anthropological and historical record, yet these same facts serve to undermine the importance of academic, religious and political leaders as agents of change through history, thus they are largely ignored.

We are capable of understanding our own cultural evolution in a whole new way. We can create a social movement that links changes in ecological sustainability to effective changes in community organization and personal attitudes. The tools are in our hands. All we need do is to close our fingers around them. Alexis Zeigler will conduct a presentation and discussion about practical technologies and political strategies that will allow us to consciously choose our own future.

Alexis is the author of a book, Integrated Activism: Applying the Hidden Connections between Ecology, Economics, Politics, and Social Progress (North Atlantic Books, August, 2013).

Smart Phone Tours of Belle Island

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The Friends of James River Park announces summer launch of Smart Phone tours of Belle Isle:

This summer you will be able to listen to a narrated walking tour of Belle Isle. The project is currently in its Beta-testing phase. When complete, 2 geologic tours along the shores of Belle Isle and 1 vegetation guide for the rock pools will be available. The app will include 3 modules for differing populations, the general public, high school, and middle school. Simply download the app, follow the signs, and enjoy the narrated tour this summer.

Constitutional Amendment Introduced in Congress Ensuring Rights for People, Not Corporations

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This topic has been broached here (and here) before. And there has been movement elsewhere in the state. Now, who on Richmond City Council will put forward the resolution of support? Certainly we have seen plenty of corporate manipulation on the local level.

From MoveToAmend.org:

Reps. Nolan & Pocan Respond to Hundreds of Local Resolutions Calling for “We the People” Amendment

(Washington D.C.) – The movement for constitutional reforms that would end what organizers call “corporate rule” has arrived in the chambers of Congress. This morning, two members of the U.S. House of Representatives joined Move to Amend by announcing their sponsorship of the “We the People Amendment,” which clearly and unequivocally states that:

Rights recognized under the Constitution belong to human beings only, and not to government-created artificial legal entities such as corporations and limited liability companies; and
Political campaign spending is not a form of speech protected under the First Amendment.
In making the announcement, lead sponsor Rep. Rick Nolan (DFL-Minnesota), said: “It’s time to take the shaping and molding of public policy out of corporate boardrooms, away from the corporate lobbyists, and put it back in city halls – back with county boards and state legislatures – and back in the Congress where it belongs.”

Ben Manski, a spokesperson for Move to Amend, agreed, saying: “Today, members of Congress join a movement that insists on the fundamental equality of all Americans, and that rejects the idea that the corporate class should have special protections against We the People.”

The Move to Amend coalition was formed in 2009 in preparation for the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision. Today, the coalition of nearly 260,000 people and hundreds of organizations has helped to pass nearly 500 resolutions in municipalities and local governments across the country calling on the state and federal governments to adopt this amendment.

The Move to Amend coalition makes a point of differentiating themselves from the other proposals that have come forward in response to Citizens United. “In every single community where Americans have had the opportunity to call for a Constitutional amendment to outlaw corporate personhood, they have seized it and voted yes overwhelmingly, stated George Friday, Move to Amend spokesperson. “The Citizens Uniteddecision is not the cause, it is a symptom. We must remove big money and special interests from the legal and political process entirely.”

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Read the text of the We the People Amendment by clicking here.