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The Spark
12:03 pm
Mon March 4, 2013

Scholarly Journal's Twittery New Look

Image: WMRA News (tw) composite illustration from VQR sources

The grand old academic journal, the Virginia Quarterly Review, has boldly uploaded itself into the iPhone era with a zazzy website brimming with eyecandy.  We'll meet the VQR web-editor, Jane Friedman. 

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The Spark
8:00 am
Mon March 4, 2013

Artistic Appropriation or Just Inappropriate?

At Harrisonburg arthouse café,  The Artful Dodger, a painting in a Rashidi Barrett art exhibit struck one visitor as  disturbingly familiar --maybe another artist’s concept.   It was.  Soon news media from Norfolk to Richmond to the Shenandoah Valley were noticing.

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Virginia Insight
3:30 pm
Fri March 1, 2013

Got Karma?

Sunlit Buddha by Robert Piemme

You’re not superstitious, are you? How sure are you about that?

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The Spark
12:00 pm
Fri March 1, 2013

How On Earth Does This Not Sink?

Boatmaker Dave Gentry's surprisingly durable designs make the ancient gossamer "skinboat" (skin or fabric over a wooden frame) doable for home-crafters. 

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Virginia Insight
4:00 pm
Thu February 28, 2013

Viewing Jefferson Through a Different Prism

Lucia Stanton spent years studying the life of Thomas Jefferson without giving much thought to the issue of slavery.

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The Spark
12:03 am
Thu February 28, 2013

Big LOVE (Web Extra)

Student-decorated LOVE letters

schoolkids' art project we mentioned on The Spark involved decorating giant letters that spell LOVE --evoking the state tourism slogan, "Virginia Is for Lovers." Long after their scheduled appearances, the finished creations went on display the breezeway of the WMRA Harrisonburg site --part of the station's long-running effort to provide exposure to regional art activity.



 

Virginia Insight
4:00 pm
Mon February 25, 2013

Humans, Philosophy, and Animals

When it comes to animals, we humans can be a bit... well... schizophrenic.

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The Spark
11:47 am
Fri February 22, 2013

Is That A Jujube? Edible Landscaping

One can find unusual plants like gooseberries, quinces, jujubes, and hops  along with traditional items like cherries and apples. We meet Michael McConkey from Edible Landscaping in Afton. 

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The Spark
11:32 am
Fri February 22, 2013

A Real "Hunger Game"

In much of the world, famine and drought are real.   Through a new board game, international student Jacob Mayiani, with JMU ecology professors, is trying to teach his fellow Maasai people in Kenya that their own cattle-grazing practices might contribute to the climate-conditions which cause so much suffering.    

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Virginia Insight
4:00 pm
Thu February 21, 2013

The Activists Who Call Themselves ‘Appalachian Voices’

They began 15 years ago with one small office and an ambitious agenda.  

Today their environmental efforts spread across much of the Southeast.  And are part of a national dialogue on everything from coal mining to clean air.  

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