RedWolves notebook

The RedWolves announce the signing of two outfielders for the 2008 season. Alec Lowrey, 6'1" 220lb Jr. from the University of Louisville and Blake Walker, 6'1" 195lb Jr. from Texas Wesleyan University. (Wes will get you bio info.)

Host Families needed. The RedWolves are looking for two host families to house the coaches for the summer. "Both of our coaches are married and their wives are coming with them to Florence for the summer." "We are looking for a couple of families that have a large home, garage apartment, pool house, etc. and would be willing to allow the coach and his wife to live there for the summer." "They will be here from late May through mid August, if anyone is interested they can call the RedWolves office for more information."

Former RedWolves make the Baseball America top fifty draft prospects list for 2008. Clemson's Doug Hogan (Florence 04 & 05), South Carolina's Phil Disher (Florence 06) and College of Charleston's Michael Kohn (Florence 05) are listed as three of the top senior's in the country going into the June draft.

Hunting Island State Park on TripAdvisor’s Top 10 Beach List

BEAUFORT – The beach at Hunting Island State Park has been named one of the top 10 in the United States by TripAdvisor.
Hunting Island was eighth on the list compiled by TripAdvisor’s Popularity Index and its travel Web sites’ editors.

“Hunting Island beach is part of a lush and protected nature reserve, and this secluded barrier island is home to an enormous variety of wildlife. Great for hiking, biking and camping, visitors will also want to check out the historic Hunting Island Lighthouse. According to one TripAdvisor member, ‘"Hunting Island State Park is one of the true gems of the South Carolina coast,"’ TripAdvisor said in its announcement of the top 10 list.

In addition to Hunting Island, the list includes four beaches in Florida, three in Hawaii, one in California and Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia.

"These spectacular beaches stand out for their world-class sand, breathtaking water, and all-around relaxing environments," said Michele Perry, director of communications for TripAdvisor. "Many of these beaches are off the beaten path, so travelers should pack their beach bags and head there before word gets out."

Hunting Island State Park at the southern terminus of U.S. 21 about 20 miles east of Beaufort is a 5,000-acre, semi-tropical barrier island that also includes maritime forest, marsh and creeks. Camping and cabins are available. For reservations, call 1-866-345-PARK or go to www.SouthCarolinaParks.com.

Air Buddy: New Footage

Air Buddy

A Timmonsville dog entertained local viewers with his special talent--basketball--on a recent Cecil's World segment. Buddy, a Jack Russell terrier owned by Tommy and Eloise Taylor, has been an athlete since before the couple adopted him. The News and Press decided to follow up on his story, and the article will run in our next paper, scheduled for release on February 28. While interviewing the Taylors, I got some additional footage of Buddy. Look for it here on the blog.

RedWolves notebook

The RedWolves announce the signing of two players from Seward County Comm. College in Liberal, KS for the 2008 season. Keegan Morrow is a 5'10" 160lb freshman LHP/OF and Bobby Doran is a 6'6" 225lb freshman RHP.

2008 RedWolves tickets are now on sale and the RedWolves have a new area of box seats. "A lot of people stand against the wooden fence down the first base line to watch our games, so for this season we have poured a cement slab and we'll have 10-12 seat areas for fans to purchase and make this area their season ticket seat." "Obviously with so few to offer they may go pretty fast, so we invite our fans to come out and see this area and take advantage of this unique seating." Call the RedWolves office at 629-0700 for more ticket info.

Mike Rowe comment on Darlington Raceway

Political "Discovery"?

A large number of area TV viewers watched the February 12 episode of "Dirty Jobs," the hit series airing on Discovery Channel. One of the segments featured Darlington County's own Campbell Coxe and his rice farming operation at Plumfield Plantation.

During the opening of the segment, host Mike Rowe said that the crew had originally traveled to the Pee Dee to engage in some cotton harvesting, but by the time they arrived, in December 2007, the fields were lamentably bare.

What Rowe failed to mention, however, was the show's intention to do a story at Darlington Raceway, featuring the ongoing track repaving project.

The omission might have gone undetected and Darlington residents may have never known the Raceway had been considered and dismissed by Discovery Channel if not for the fact that Rowe was the subject of an exhaustive "Fast Company" magazine interview while he was in town. One could surmise that Darlington Raceway may have fallen victim to Rowe's personal value system.

The following is an excerpt from the interview:

Today, on a loop through South Carolina, the last shoot of 2007 is a repaving of the NASCAR track at the nearby Darlington Speedway. It has an obvious synergistic appeal: NASCAR has a lot of fans, many of them holding down dirty jobs of their own. But Rowe is uncomfortable.

"Forget the fact that we're at war in an oil field, and these cars are burning fuel," Rowe muses when we talk about it. "This is a slickly packaged, multimillion-dollar corporate enterprise with millionaires driving 200 miles an hour on a curved track that regular people can't drive on."

He searches for his next thought. "Is that really the mission of the show?"

Still, saying no is hard. This segment was something that the suits on both sides were eager to make happen. But "for the show to work," ['Dirty Jobs' field producer Dave] Barsky explains later, "we need unique characters who are engaging in a process that we can follow."

If they're using a method or technology they've cobbled together themselves, so much the better.

"It's Discovery Channel. Our viewers have to learn something at the end of it." Barsky eventually decides that the repaving doesn't fit the bill. Rowe is relieved. "I was looking for an elegant way to kill it," he confesses.

(Read the entire interview at the following link: http://biz.yahoo.com/fastco/080121/fc1199710831614.html?.v=1)

Sign of Spring

On a trip to the Ovis Hill Farm on Weaver Street Saturday, I saw a lamb that was just a few day's old, born on Valentine's Day. What a gift for that proud mom.
Amazing.

This sign of spring, in spite of the groundhog's prediction that we'll have six more weeks of winter, reminds me of all the things in nature that we forget about as we whiz through life online, on cell phones, but not really "on." Perhaps on your next trip out the door, you will feel the sun on your skin or stop and smell the roses.

RedWolves notebook

The RedWolves announce the signing of a couple of Tarheels for the 2008 season. Freshman LHP Logan Munson and Freshman 1st baseman Brett Thomas will be coming to Florence this summer. Munson is a 6ft 200lb pitcher and Thomas is 6'4" 215lb lefty handed 1st baseman. Munson was one of the top left haned arms in South Carolina last year. He has a good fastball, excellent change, mature mound presence, and plus command. He will be a big part of our staff this summer. Thomas is a big first baseman that will provide some pop from the left side of the plate. He was rated the best first baseman in the state as a senior in high school. Brett should be a production guy in the heart of our lineup.Both players attended A.C. Flora High School in Columbia. "We are very excited to get a couple of UNC players on our team" "The obvious success of the program over the years shows that they have a strong team up and down, and to get a couple of there players should be great for us on the field." "We have alot of Tarheel fans in the Pee Dee and hope they'll come out and support the RedWolves and their team's players."

The RedWolves fan club "Homer's Heroe's" is getting wound up for the 2008 season. Go to the team website, florenceredwolves.com, to get information on how to join the club and keep up to date with activities and events going on. "We hope that all of our fans of all ages will join the club and participate in the great activities that the club leaders have in store for this season."

Darlington County featured on "Dirty Jobs"

Plumfield Plantation and their wonderful Carolina Plantation rice were featured on the show "Dirty Jobs" last night on the Discovery Channel. The show was great, as always.

Rumor has it, though, that it all came together pretty quickly due to the fact that Plumfield was not their first choice of a location in Darlington.

Can you imagine having "Dirty Jobs" interested in showcasing your business, and letting them get away? If Mike Rowe and his film crew came anywhere near my office, I would hunt him down, put him in a stanglehold, and find something for those guys to film.

"Dirty Jobs," in my opinion, is the very best program on Discovery Channel and it was quite a coup for Plumfield Plantation to be selected. Kudos and congratulations to the Coxes!

I hope there will be a rebroadcast for those of you who missed it. I'll check the DC website and post the information later today.

Malware ruining Valentine's Day?

From the FBI:

Internet Alert: St. Valentine’s Day E-Card Carries Storm Worm Virus

If you unexpectedly receive a Valentine’s Day e-card, be careful. It may not be from a secret admirer, but instead might contain the Storm Worm virus.

With the holiday approaching, be on the lookout for spam e-mails spreading the Storm Worm malicious software (malware). The e-mail directs the recipient to click on a link to retrieve the electronic greeting card (e-card). Once the user clicks on the link, malware is downloaded to the Internet-connected device and causes it to become infected and part of the Storm Worm botnet. A botnet is a network of compromised machines under the control of a single user. Botnets are typically set up to facilitate criminal activity such as spam e-mail, identity theft, denial of service attacks, and spreading malware to other machines on the Internet.

The Storm Worm virus has capitalized on various holidays in the last year by sending millions of e-mails advertising an e-card link within the text of the spam e-mail. Valentine's Day has been identified as the next target.

Be wary of any e-mail received from an unknown sender. Do not open any unsolicited e-mail and do not click on any links provided.

To receive the latest information about cyber scams please go to the FBI website and sign up for e-mail alerts by clicking on one of the red envelopes. If you have received a scam e-mail, please notify the IC3 by filing a complaint at www.ic3.gov . For more information on e-scams, please visit the FBI's New E-Scams and Warnings webpage.

Way to ruin an easy avenue to send your significant other a love note. Of course, how much care and thought does it take to click and type? Not much.

Perhaps a penned card is best afterall.

Hardees construction update

Workers continue construction on Hardees at Main and Broad streets in downtown Darlington.

Business Travelers Beware: Free Wi-Fi Scam Strikes at Airports

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns that hackers are now taking advantage of this convenience and setting up fake Wi-Fi connections designed to steal your personal information and files without you even knowing.

The BBB offers the following advice on how to keep yourself safe when you go wireless:
Never connect to an unfamiliar ad-hoc network.
Make sure that your computer is not set up to automatically connect to non-preferred networks. Otherwise your computer could automatically connect to the hacker’s network without your knowledge.
Turn off file sharing when you’re on the road to prevent hackers from stealing entire documents, files and unencrypted e-mail from your computer.
Create a Virtual Private Network (VPN) for your business. A VPN establishes a private network across the public network by creating a tunnel between the two endpoints so that nobody in between can intercept the data. Many companies allow remote users to connect to corporate networks as long as they use VPN. This keeps the users' communications just as secure as if they were sitting at a desk in the building.

The BBB is here to help with advice you can trust. For more information on identity theft, fraud prevention, and keeping your company secure online, visit www.bbb.org.

Liberty Fellowship Announces Liberty Prize Winner

Liberty Fellowship, the statewide leadership program that seeks to inspire values-based leadership among young South Carolina leaders, today announced that Fred F. “Trip” DuBard, III, a member of Liberty Fellowship’s inaugural Class of 2006, has won the first annual Liberty Prize, $50,000 is to be used to sustain and expand the winning Fellow’s community leadership project.

DuBard initiated and led local efforts to create the Eastern Carolina Community Foundation (ECCF) to fill local needs in Chesterfield, Marlboro, Marion, Dillon, Florence, Darlington and Williamsburg counties, South Carolina’s largest area previously not served by a community foundation. Ultimately ECCF will be a collection of charitable gifts and bequests that help Pee Dee citizens help each other by offering donors enormous flexibility and encouraging philanthropy.

DuBard commented, “We don’t need a fish, or be taught how to fish. We need help building a fishing pole so that we can help ourselves. This vote validates the importance of the Eastern Carolina Community Foundation not just to our area, but to the state as a whole. We’ll use the prize to make it easier for neighbors to help neighbors in the Pee Dee.”

Liberty Fellowship is a partnership of Hayne Hipp, The Aspen Institute and Wofford College. For more information, please visit www.libertyfellowshipsc.org.

Nominations for the fifth class, Class of 2010, will be taken until March 31st.

SPC Thanks Members & Community for Support of Holiday Projects

SPC employees, from left, Allyn Hall, Cathy Israel, Jenny
Morrell and Danielle Engelbert help deliver more than 100 toys to the
McLeod Children's Hospital on December 17, 2007.

The Community Service Committee of SPC, a group of employee volunteers dedicated to community service and fund-raising, were busy playing Santa during the month of December. Through the help and donations of many SPC members and the community, SPC employees delivered more than 100 toys to patients in McLeod Children’s Hospital during December. This same group of dedicated volunteers raised $2,700 for the Children’s Miracle Network by selling Holiday Portrait packages. SPC extends a big “Thank You” to their members and the community who made these two projects a success.