Tag Archive

Video-O-Rama: Fuji Reviewed, Student News, South29 Exposed, Dance Party and Some Irish Tune

By Steve Shanafelt

I’m not sure if it’s our repeated appeals for more local video blogs, a result of my not having scanned the local video scene in a few months (thanks Chris!) or just the video zeitgeist of our day, but there appears to be a much more robust collection of local vlogs and videos online... »

Miss Mom: The Movie

By Sylvie Galloway

Have you ever tried to do a simple task only to have so many interruptions that you pretty much want to give up and walk away from that task? If you are a parent, I am sure that the answer could be a resounding YES. So with that scenario in mind, I decided to... »

Sparkle City Headlines: SH-J’s Suprisingly Deep New Year’s Eve Coverage

By Steve Shanafelt

Seeing as how I gave the Spartanburg Herald-Journal such a hard time earlier this week for their top-down coverage of downtown’s new “vibrancy,” I thought I’d give them props for something they actually did right. No … better than right … for something they totally schooled the Spark on. Their coverage of the New... »

Big Idea: Your Local New Year’s Resolutions

By Steve Shanafelt

Friday morning, most of us will be looking bleary-eyed and slightly hungover at a the first day of a New Year, and the start of a new decade. (At least if most of us will be. Some will contend that it’s not really a new decade until 2011, but those people also won’t be... »

Flying Oskar: Rep. Bob Inglis Meets The Mob

By Christopher George

I’ve never been a fan of Bob Inglis. In one the first blog posts I ever wrote— back in 2003 when Inglis was gearing up for his run at a second stint as our U.S. Representative—I wrote about his hypocrisy in running for the old Congressional seat he’d vacated back in ‘98 because... »

Flying Oskar: Deconstructing the Redneck Games

By Christopher George

Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines the word redneck as “a white member of the Southern rural laboring class.” While it may be technically correct, that’s a pretty dry definition if you ask me. The word redneck conjures a certain image in many people’s minds that’s a little more specific than the dictionary definition... »

Flying Oskar: The News Channel 7 Challenge

By Christopher George

Last Monday, I began my week with a mission. As much time as has been spent on the Spark criticizing local media coverage, our local television news on WSPA News Channel 7 has gotten precious little attention. At first it seemed odd to me that that would be the case, and I... »

The Weekend Groove

By Steve Shanafelt

It’s Thursday again, and that means it’s once again time for me to ask you about your weekend plans in an attempt to get the big picture of weekend activities here in Spartanburg. There’s plenty of live music to check out this weekend, as well as many other events, but even having a... »

Flying Oskar: A Hitch in the Herald-Journal’s Stroll

By Christopher George

Ever since I was old enough to read, I’ve read the Spartanburg Herald-Journal. When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time two houses over from my house at my great uncle’s place. For whatever reason, I took up with him and his wife at a very young age so... »

Flying Oskar: The End of the Mark Sanford Era

By Christopher George

Oh what a difference a few months can make. Back in March, I wrote a piece called “Introducing Presidential Candidate Mark Sanford”. Back then, if I’d been asked to choose one Republican leader who was best tapping into the anger of the conservative base I wouldn’t have hesitated to name our own... »

Flying Oskar: Truth, History, and the Preservation Way

By Christopher George

When is history worth preserving? My gut reaction is to say “always”, but that’s not realistic. The decision of what old thing to save versus what old thing not to save is most often a decision based on—among other things—historical significance. Historical significance though, is in the eye of the beholder.... »

Flying Oskar: Pride in Spartanburg

By Christopher George

Writing this column every week is not a happy endeavor. More often than not, I’m complaining about something in Spartanburg’s political scene, and while there’s certainly no shortage of things to complain about, it can get a bit tiring at times. Don’t misuderstand; I think the complaining is very important. In... »