Folbot, the American folding kayak manufacturer, is thinking pink. To help raise money to aid in the fight against breast cancer, all Folbot models are now available in pink — and 10% of the price of any pink kayak sold will be donated to a national breast cancer research organization.

Visit Paddle with a Purpose to view all Folbot models in pink.

The Folbot family with the first pink kayak

Green Car by DesignWorks

Dog park with Hook mascot, Larry Dog

Ping-pong

Sunflower field

ABC News 4 video clip: <http://cfc.wciv.com/videoondemand.cfm?id=23190>

This is an interesting idea to get new information on unsolved cases-create a deck of cards with unsolved cases, mostly homicides, and sell and give them away to prison inmates. The state Department of Corrections and S.C. Crime Stoppers unveiled the playing cards Wednesday and said they would be distributed throughout the state’s 28 correctional institutions in the hopes that inmates might hear or know something that could help solve the crimes. Each card details an unsolved crime — mostly homicides — and features the photograph of the victim and phone numbers for both inmates and the public to report anonymous tips.

The state’s 24,000 prisoners bought over 14,000 decks of cards last year, so why not make the card decks useful? 10,000 decks were printed for the first round and a second edition should be printed in the next six months and may be available for the public to purchase. The first deck has two cases from Charleston County. Moore said he hopes 10 local cases will be included in the next batch.

Three polar bears at Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Japan have had green fur since swimming in a pond with an overgrowth of algae. Zoo officials say “high temperatures in July and August and less-frequent water changes because of the zoo’s conservation efforts caused an algae growth in the bear pond and safety moat.” The bears should be white again when the algae growth subsides in November.

I’ve never had the urge to be famous or become a reality TV star. I don’t have cable or listen to the radio, and rarely do I see a movie at the theater, but celebrity life still fascinates me. I used to have a gossip magazine fixation and now I am a self-admitted Perez Hilton-a-holic. I don’t know why I watched Britney Spears drive over a sheriff’s foot or shave her head (but I can say I’m happy she’s gotten out of the spotlight long enough to clean her act up), so it caught my attention when I saw a New York Times Magazine article about Narcissistic Celebrities. I have always know it takes a certain type of person to become a celebrity and figured celebrities are self-obsessed, but now a study proves this notion. Dr. Drew Pensky, the host of the radio show, “Love Line,” and the doctor on the VH1 reality show, “Celebrity Rehab,” conducted a Narcissistic Personality Inventory of 200 celebrities. This inventory ranks individuals on a scale of 1 to 40, with 40 being “extremely narcissistic.”

• On average, celebrities scored 17.84 — about 17 percent higher than the general public — with females ranking significantly higher than males.
• Celebrities with the most skill (musicians) were the least narcissistic; those with no skill (reality-show stars) were, as Pinsky says, “off the narcissism charts.”

“Narcissism is not about self love,” Pinsky says. “It’s a clinical trait that belies a deep sense of emptiness, low self-esteem, emotional detachment, self-loathing, extreme problems with intimacy.”

We now have a group for Tristan on Facebook. Be the first to know about Tristan news and events. Facebook group members will receive some special perks too!

Click here to view the group.

Commander’s Wild Side Dinner

Saturday, October 18

7:30 p.m.

$75 per person plus tax and gratuity

Chef Aaron Deal of Tristan welcomes Chef Tory McPhail of Commander’s Palace in New Orleans to create an evening filled with wild game, Wild American Shrimp and Wild Turkey bourbon pairings.

Hors d’oeuvres

Shrimp and Tasso Henican, Grilled Oysters on the half shell, Black Bear Turnovers

First Course

Creole Lobster Bisque

Second Course

Wild Shrimp and Cognac

Third Course

Mushroom Crusted Venison

Dessert

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Molasses Frosting

The Commander’s Wild Side dinner is inspired by Chef McPhail’s Commander’s Wild Side cookbook, which features over 100 wild game and seafood recipes. Available in bookstores nationwide on October 14, 2008, Chef McPhail co-authored the cookbook with Commander’s Palace managing partner, Ti Adelaide Martin.

The third annual National Park(ing) Day will take place on Friday, September 19 at various locations in Charleston. The purpose of Park(ing) Day is to turn public parking spaces into temporary parks to celebrate parks and promote the need for more parks in urban areas. Trust for Public Land park(ing) spaces will be at the corner of Church and Market Streets, and will include different mini-parks, including:

• Farmer’s Market Park - sponsored by Stono Market
• Mini-Dog Park - bring your (small) dog! Sponsored by Alpha Dog Omega Cat
• Music-the-Park - bring your guitar! We will have live music.

We are also excited to see what the folks over at DesignWorks come up with for their park(ing) space (we think it might involve Ping Pong or a junked out car turned ‘green’). Other partners include I’on Group and the City of Charleston.

We need volunteers! If you love parks and want to be a part of this fun event, we will need people throughout the day on Friday September 19th. Come help set-up in the morning (8-10ish), staff the event from 10-3, or help break down at the end of the day (3-4:30).

Email lauren.gellatly@tpl.org or call me at 853-5880.

Patagonia Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival that the Coastal Conservation League is hosting and Half Moon Outfitters is sponsoring at the Terrace Theatre September 18th at 5:30pm, that’s a Thursday.

Tickets are available through CCL (Angela) (843)723-8035, or through either Half-Moon store (downtown: 843-853-0990) (Mt. P: 843-881-9472). They’re $25 each and include food, three tasty beverages (the alcoholic kind) and two short films, and one featured film. Tickets are limited.
It also includes music performed by Charleston’s very own… Jupiter’s Garden.
www.myspace.com/jupitersgarden.

Check out the info on each of the films:
Gimme Green – 27min.
Isaac Brown, Eric Flagg

Lawns are undeniably an American symbol. But what do they really symbolize? Pride and prosperity? Or waste and conformity? Gimme Green is a humorous look at the American obsession with the residential lawn and the effects it has on our environment, our wallets and our outlook on life. From the limitless subdivisions of Florida to sod farms in the arid southwest, Gimme Green peers behind the curtain of the $40-billion industry that fuels our nation’s largest irrigated crop—the lawn. College Television Award, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences; Best Documentary Short, Beverly Hills Shorts Festival; Best Documentary Short, Phoenix FF; plus more.
(USA, 2006, 27min) www. gimmegreen. com

Fridays at the Farm – 19min.
Honorable Mention – Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2008, Richard Power Hoffman

Feeling disconnected from their food, a photographer/filmmaker and his family decide to join a community-supported organic farm. Moving from passive observer to active participant, the filmmaker photographs the natural processes of food cultivation. Featuring lush time-lapse and macro photography sequences compiled from nearly 20,000 still images, this personal essay is a meditation on the miracles of life. Best Short, Green Film Festival, Seoul, Korea. Best Documentary, Sapporo Short Film Festival, Japan.
(USA, 2006, 19min) www. coyopa. com

Mountain Top Removal – 74min.
Jury Award - Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2008, Michael O’Connell

At times, it seems news of environmental and ecological exploitations of other nations is at the forefront of our awareness. What’s happening in our own country, our own backyard, is neglected or ignored. Director Mike O’Connell, though, points a sharp lens at the harsh coal-mining practice called mountaintop removal, a process that involves clear cutting and then the removal of up to 1,000 vertical feet of mountain by explosives. He is there when citizens, students and evangelical environmentalists confront the nation’s fourth largest coal company. Best Documentary, Charlotte FF, Best Environmental Film, Mion Solutions.
(USA, 2007, 74min)

***********************************************
Schedule for Thursday, September 18th:
5:30pm: pre-party with Jupiter’s Garden, happy hour drinks and food
6:20pm: seating
6:30pm: film screening

If you would please forward this to as many locals as possible, that would really be helpful in getting the word out.

About a month ago I noticed Charleston Green Taxi, which has a a Prius and Camry Hybrid. This week I saw an article about how Boston is requiring that all taxis are hybrids in the next seven years. The Mayor estimated that within two years, 50% of Boston taxis will be hybrids. Apparently this is a trend because New York and San Francisco are also requiring taxis to convert to hybrids and low emission vehicles over the next few years. Boston estimates that cab drivers will save $1,000 a year on gas and will reduce emissions by 50% by converting to hybrids. Click here to view the whole article.

I’ve always been partial to Charleston Black Cab, but I can’t wait to see more hybrid cabs in Charleston!