by staff on September 3, 2010
For 23 years in Charlottesville, the public has been treated to an annual event named… aptly… Men Who Cook. It’s been sponsored by MACAA (the Monticello Area Community Action Agency) each year in the spring, and over the years it’s been held in various venues as it has grown in popularity and size.
Men Who Cook brings together male volunteer chefs from all walks of central Virginia life, for a fun evening of fund raising and dancing… and of course, the sampling of specialty foods created by area men.
sponsored by the Monticello Area Community Action Agency
MACAA has tried to hold the festivity in ‘real’ neighborhoods and facilities, rather than in clubs or other places that would suggest exclusivity… because this event truly celebrates the cooking talents of Every Man.
Before dinner there is a silent auction fund-raiser, where donated items of art and interest are displayed for bidding. This past year there were approximately 60 Men Who Cooked. They assemble their stations in a circle of serving tables around the room, where they do all of their cooking and serving…. the guests are free to mix and mingle and graze from one cook to another.
Yes, real men serve salads too… wonderful salads. There are roasts and casseroles, appetizers and vegetables, stews and chili and polenta … and they’re all great. Men Who Cook also seem to share our penchant for chocolate…. the desserts are exquisite, from baked goods to homemade decorated specialties…. a good percentage of which are fudge or chocolate.
One of our favorite cooks is a gentleman who brings his saute skillet and serves each diner a single marinated “shrimp” that he grills on the spot. We put the word ’shrimp’ in quotes because one of his so-called “shrimp” is so large that it fills an entire salad plate, and the result is absolutely mouth-watering (yes, we went back for 2nds and 3rds).
This is an event where everybody wins. The funds from Men Who Cook benefit MACAA. The public is treated to the best dishes that area men can create. There’s an opportunity to meet interesting people from all over central Virginia at your dinner table. And for the participants, there’s not only the appreciation from the diners… there’s also an annual gift such as an apron or a spatula presented to each participant, which has served to be a collector’s item as the years have passed…. their medal authenticating that the man is truly a Man Who Cooks. We want to be sure to acknowledge the efforts of Antonio Rice, who has successfully organized the Men Who Cook function for many years… job well done!
by staff on September 3, 2010
We want to explain a little story to you about how it happened that Realtors appear to be a group of people who “shout” online occasionally. Really we aren’t shouting.
It has everything to do with those grand old Olden Days. In case your age allows you to regard the Olden Days as anything prior to 1995, let’s put this in perspective. Brokers, agents and transaction coordinators have been in the middle of Buyers and Sellers for centuries, even though they may not have been called that. Think of it as a middleman… a neutral person who can facilitate an agreement to sell.
Well, some individuals looked around and decided that they wanted to have an organization of people who could assure the public that their ethics and standards were pledged to be a notch higher than the usual middleman…. and thus the National Association of Realtors (NAR) was born. And in the Olden Days of 1950, Realtors won the right to use a trademark version of their name…. in all capital letters with a circle/R afterwards to indicate that only members of NAR in good standing with their brokerage would have the right to use the term.
Thus, a realtor.. became a Realtor.. and then became a REALTOR®.
The term REALTOR® is a federally registered collective membership mark owned exclusively by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). A trademark, if you will. REALTOR® is the correct and required version that a member of NAR will use to refer to him/her self. REALTORS® use the term proudly and are always happy to tell you about their Code Of Ethics that sets them apart from wheeler-dealers.
But…. online, the use of all caps is considered ’shouting’… and is also considered bad manners. Additionally, editors and publishers have resisted the requirement to add the caps and the registered R trademark in print. The use of a trademark word became one idea to members of NAR and another to the journalists who write about them.
So though the REALTOR® trademark is still the current and required use of the term, the age of the internet and email has required a slight rule change. As all things eventually pass into the Olden Days, so too did the requirement to use all caps and the registered R trademark in all cases. Now there are revisions allowed for domain names, internet addresses, and some other online usage.
Proper use of the term REALTOR® on the Internet
REALTORS® often want to use the REALTOR® marks as part of their domain name or address to distinguish themselves, but there are rules governing proper use of the REALTOR® marks that must be adhered to at all times regardless of the media used. These rules are found in the National Association’s Membership Marks Manual. Here is a brief summary of the principal rules affecting use of the REALTOR® marks in domain names:
- The term REALTOR® , whether used as part of a domain name or in some other fashion, must refer to a member or a member’s firm.
- The term REALTOR® may not be used with descriptive words or phrases. For example, Number1realtor.com, numberone-realtor.com, chicagorealtors.org or realtorproperties.com are all incorrect.
- For use as a domain name or email address on the Internet, the term REALTOR® does not need to be separated from the member’s name or firm name with punctuation. For example, both johndoe-realtor.com and johndoerealtor.com would be correct uses of the term as a part of domain names and jdoe*realtors@webnetservices and jdoerealtors@webnetservices.com are both correct uses of the term as part of an email address.
- The REALTOR® block R logo should not be used as hypertext links at a website, as such uses can suggest an endorsement or recommendation of the linked sited by your association. The only exception would be to establish a link to the National Association’s website, Realtor.com.
So the next time you’re puzzled about why your REALTOR® uses the capitalized type and the funny R, you can refer to the history of the Olden Days of 1950 and how it all came about. And for reference, all REALTOR® ads will include the REALTOR® logo…. an R in a block… to let you know of their affiliation with the Code of Ethics of NAR.
NAR REALTOR® Logo
by staff on September 3, 2010
Co-housing is a growing trend that might be mistaken for yesteryear’s communal living, but they are not the same. A co-housing community is a planned set of homes and facilities which are designed so that the owners likely have their own private homes (and sometimes but not always, their own kitchens)… but the community itself is set up to maximize their interaction with their neighbors. There may be shared spaces where people rotate duties for cooking or child care, or such amenities as a pool or playground or a shared garden. Buildings are planned with a size and scale that allows neighbors to interact frequently, for the purpose of social interaction and intergenerational contact. Often the structures are clustered to enhance the community ‘feel’ of the spaces, but there is more emphasis on also providing individual spaces than there is with communal living. Sustainable living, green construction and environmental sensitivity are keynotes to most co-housing plans. The organizational structure of co-housing can be set up as condo ownership or with a Homeowner’s association…. in both instances the documents will spell out specifically what is meant in the individual and shared responsibilities.
As with communal living, there is an effort in co-housing to make decisions with all neighbors as equal participants. To enhance their satisfaction with the co-housing choice, residents should welcome contact with other residents and should enjoy the process of group sharing. Though there are financial savings when co-housing eliminates the duplication of spaces that otherwise exist in most neighborhoods, in many cases co-housing does not offer savings in its initial stages.
Nearby Virginia we have a few functioning examples of co-housing, but none in the immediate Charlottesville area. The closest to central VA at this time is Shadowlake Village in Blacksburg. There’s also Takoma Village near D.C. and Eastern Village in Silver Springs MD.
There was a sustained effort in the Charlottesville area to produce a co-housing community near Crozet. Land was purchased and zoning was approved, a majority of the potential residents had already paid thousands of dollars to become equity partners in the community…. and then the housing/financial downfall began. With the financial crunch came an inability to secure the final funds, banks backed out, and the project is largely on hold at this time. Due to the extended timeframe with no groundbreaking in sight, many of the original partners have been forced to move on to other parts of their lives, leaving Charlottesville with an approved co-housing community that is unlikely to become a reality according to one of its developers, Jay Perry.
by staff on August 30, 2010
Albemarle County has just received a AAA rating from Standard and Poor’s credit issuer. This is a great reflection of the value of the county and of its examined desirability in several categories. You can learn the details HERE. This rating allows Albemarle County to borrow for county projects at reduced rates, and it signals an approval of the overall stability of the area.
