by Oyster Shell | Jul 19, 2013 | Alabama, Mobile, Uncategorized
Mobile Arts Council is pleased to announce the recipients of the Tenth Annual Greater Mobile Arts Awards. The awards acknowledge the important contributions that individuals, groups and businesses make to the cultural life of our community.
The awards will be presented in a ceremony to be held Thursday, August 29, at 7:00 p.m. in the 1927 Room at the Saenger Theatre with a reception honoring the recipients immediately following. This event is free and open to the public.
This year’s recipients include:
Artist: Mike McKee
Business: Crescent Theater
Educator: Lori Bilbry Vaghefi
Patron: Dr. Thomas Rosandich
Organization: Mobile Symphony
Volunteer: Dan Silver
Additional Awards for 10th Anniversary:
To celebrate ten years of the Arts Awards program, the Awards Committee, chaired by local artist/educator Katherine D. Seawell, has created two additional awards:
Emerging Artist Riley Brenes
This award acknowledges the exceptional contributions of an early-career artist to the local creative community.
Lifetime Achievement Carmen Brown
This award acknowledges individuals who display an extraordinarycommitment to the overall health and vitality of the Metropolitan Mobile Area through creative means during the course of their lifetime.
Each year a different local artist is commissioned to create the awards. This year, the awards have been created by glass artist and previous Arts Awards recipient Rachel Wright.
The Mobile Arts Council is a private nonprofit organization that serves as an umbrella organization for arts and cultural organization in the Greater Mobile Metropolitan Area, receiving financial support from the City of Mobile, Mobile County Commission, Alabama State Council on the Arts (a State agency), the National Endowment for the Arts, and from local corporations, businesses and individuals.
For more information, contact Bob Burnett, Executive Director, Mobile Arts Council, 251-432-9796 or bburnett@mobilearts.org.
by Oyster Shell | Jun 26, 2013 | Alabama, Divorce, Family, Family Law, Legal Advice, Mobile, Significant Decisions
The US Supreme Court announced its ruling that the Federal Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional. What does this mean for gay couples? The Court’s decision applies to certain federal rights that were restricted or eliminated depending on whether a married couple is heterosexual or homosexual.
Rights that will be affected include:
1. Social Security Benefits
2. Immigration Status/Rights
3. Federal Income Tax Benefits & Obligations
4. Estate Tax
5. Employer-Provided Health Insurance Benefits
6. Military Family Benefits.
What does the decision mean for gay couples in Alabama and Mississippi? Right now, not much. The changes only affect the rights of gay couples who are legally married, and gay marriage is only legal in Washington DC, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Maryland, Maine, Washington, Rhode Island, Delaware, and Minnesota. It remains to be seen how the other states will respond as this issue develops, but it will be interesting to watch from a legal, political, and social point of view.
by Oyster Shell | Jun 9, 2013 | Alabama, Children, Family, Mobile, Visitation
Mobile Arts Council & The Family Center Present — Fatherhood: Creating a Positive Legacy
The event is June 15, 2013 from 9am until Noon in Cathedral Square in Downtown Mobile. Activities include:
Station One – FHC – Legacy Workbox (toolbox)
Station Two – Mobile Arts Council – Father-Child Legacy Notebook – Riley Brenes
This will also include Photograph of Fathers with Children for cover of Notebooks
Station Three – Mobile Arts Council – Recycled Legacy – Shane Reynolds
Create tabletop sculptures from recycled material
Keep Mobile Beautiful
Station Four – Mobile Arts Council – Legacy Medallion – Alexi Kazantsev
Create Family Crest
Father/Daughter dancing – near fountain
These events conclude at 12:30 with the Dedication of Father –Child Mural at Gayfer’s Building across from Bienville Square. The mural was produced by Riley Brenes and members of the Boys & Girls Clubs at Semmes, Cody Road, and Mae Eanes. The mural is the culminating activity for the visual arts program created by Mobile Arts Council and was designed by the children. This project was made possible by grants received by Mobile Arts Council from PNC Bank and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Refreshments are provided!
by Oyster Shell | Jan 11, 2013 | Alabama, Children, Family, Mobile
I recently attended the Child Protection Class in St. Dominic’s which is conducted by the Archdiocese of Mobile. The class provided some really useful information, including the following list of Internet Safety Tips for Children, which I wanted to share:
Keep the Computer in a family common space, making it easier to what sites the child is visiting online.
Talk to your child about where he/she has been and what he/she has seen online.
Talk to your child about what to do if he/she ends up on a site that makes them feel uncomfortable or if they receive messages that are inappropriate. Turn off the monitor and tell you about the incident.
Become familiar with the way the Internet works and with popular teen sites.
Check into and use filtering or tracking software and parental controls.
Limit the amount of time your child spends on the Internet.
Use Internet “incidents” as opportunities to communicate — not as platforms for endless lectures.
Young people are curious. Don’t be surprised if your child has deliberately or accidentally viewed inappropriate things online. Let them know they can talk to you.
Make sure your child has a clear understanding of how you feel about online pornography and your expectations for responsible Internet use.
*Tips adapted from the Archdiocese of Mobile Children and Adolescents Protection Program training manual.
by Oyster Shell | Jan 3, 2013 | Alabama, Family Law, Legal Advice, Mobile, Uncategorized
Alison Baxter Herlihy is teaching Legal Writing for paralegal of the university of South Alabama beginning January 16, 2013. The class is an eight-week survey course designed to give paralegal students the skills necessary to competently assist an attorney by presenting various written forms of legal analysis for the benefit of attorneys, clients and Courts.
Legal Writing skills are beneficial to both new paralegals and anyone who needs to refresher. Register now at www.usacontinuinged.com or by calling 251-405-9928.
