Here we help you connect more deeply with your community and/or waste time at work. All the stories from the past 7 days on AltDaily, for your enjoyment.

“They don’t start off bad,” Lisa said. “There are no dogs that are born bad. But life, and what happens, and people’s reaction to them can turn them.”

Easy and good for you.

Thanks for donating your dollahs. You guys are a-ma-zing

We had some real characters show up, I’ll tell you.

Self-evaluation: “VOTED AS 1 OF THE TOP 800 DINERS ACROSS AMERICA, CHARLIE’S CAFE IS LEADING A GREASE ROOTS CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES AND BUY AMERICAN PRODUCTS.” 1800 Granby Street | (757) 625-0824 | Sun-Thurs 7-2. Sat 7-7 Website Readers’ Reviews: 1. 2. 3. Leave your review of Charlie’s Cafe in the Facebook box below to share [...]

That’s 3 great shows. 6 tickets total. For as little as $10. Plus, you’re helping AltDaily. Dig it.

4. Let your city turn your tree into mulch.
7. Remove all the branches. Sharpen the base. Impale as you see fit.

You will find a story in this post that you love. Click it. You will. Trust us. Go on.

Yesterday we set up a camera and filmed the council in action. It’s not the best video in the world, and sometimes the audio isn’t perfect, but it’s a start.

For the next six weeks we will be campaigning to raise $50,000, which can basically make AltDaily happen for the year 2012. Obviously, that amount is not gonna cover a 3D movie every week for our staff or anything, but it’s what we’re looking at for a shoestring budget.

Norfolk’s answer to The Mamas & the Papas plays With Lavender and Lace. Enjoy.

A retail value of over $200! (Rod Roddy voice.)

“‘Tim Burton’s the Nightmare Before Christmas’ is fun for the whole Addams family, as well as for anyone else inclined to appreciate the spectacle of Santa Claus being kidnapped and harassed.”

Plus some trifling/awesome animal videos because it’s the weekend and we just don’t know anymore.

Occupy Norfolk, in temporary exile, continues onward. We are energized and stronger and more united than ever. We are highly active and reactive. We are receiving increased local, regional, national and international support.

City leaders made the decision not to re-issue the camping permit for several reasons…

OP-ED: Ralph Northam is Right for the 6th District

Please abide by the laws of the land, but ignoring ignorant moral laws “society” has put on us is encouraged.

Proposals are being solicited for projects, hands-on activities, performances, multimedia art works, sidewalk/store-front installations, written word and any other creative temporary art project ideas.

Arriving in Norfolk in the midst of Norfolk’s Post-war transformation, Kenneth Harris began to make watercolors of the city’s monuments and areas of decay. Here is some of what he painted.

But first you have to tape yourself and/or others listening to “First Day of My Life.”

As cleanup from Hurricane Irene begins, the Department of Public Works has announced debris collection and clean-up procedures.

City of Norfolk Declares State of Emergency and Mandatory Evacuation

The founding purpose of this team will be to advise Generation Norfolk on how their program should be structured to best facilitate small business development and economic advancement for the greater Norfolk community.

We talked about Alternative Media, of course.

Ideally our editorial board will be composed of writers, journalists, artists, professors, community and business leaders, and other stakeholders in the Hampton Roads community who see the worth of AltDaily and believe that its potential is perpetually greater than its current form.

Our goal with this project is, over time, to facilitate the creation of dozens of cool small businesses in the Norfolk metro area, along with a slew of initiatives and task forces that better the quality of life, increase the tax base, and plain old make Norfolk more fun.

Encouraging thoughts on Norfolk’s cycling future from the city council, along with city manager Frank Duke’s presentation on ‘Bikeability in Norfolk.’

Howard Tarpey’s pictures of Charlie Restless’ of Heart of NFK at Art l Everywhere closing night.

A presentation at the Norfolk City Council’s informal session by Frank Duke, Norfolk City Planner.

The present and future of Virginia Beach, according to Mayor Sessoms.

Want to be a writer, publish a magazine, put on events, or develop a website? We can teach you how.

Here is a comprehensive list of the city council members in the cities of Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Portsmouth and how to contact them.

Zucchini fries are all-the-rage. Hannah stops by to learn from Mike Farrell, executive chef at Still. Plus Portsmouth Restaurant Week arrives full-force.

We are constantly reminded of our limitations and the many things that keep us from delivering more. This list reflects our desires, for anyone who feels the Love and has the ability to grant wishes.we are constantly reminded of our limitations and the many things that keep us from delivering more. This list reflects our desires, for anyone who feels the Love and has the ability to grant wishes.

Remarks of Mayor Paul D. Fraim, Norfolk State of the City of Norfolk, February 4, 2011, Norfolk Waterside Marriott Hotel.

A critique on the Pilot article titled “Audit: City Officials Knew of Overruns, Kept Silent” from City Manager Regina V.K. Williams.

The City needs to identify a list of possible short-term uses and put those plans in action as soon as possible, while working toward the best long-term solution the best minds in the world have for the space.

Let’s celebrate the people who left their houses on Sunday and came out to Ghent to physically make their world better and more beautiful.

Three fans give their take on the Interpol show.

Works currently on view at ArtGallery on 21st Street in a two-man show with local artist Jason Levesque.

The spankin’ new AltDaily podcast featuring our thoughts on local events, a discussion on what Norfolk’s “thing” should be, and a live performance from Newport News’ Momentary Prophets.

How to develop a “Sense of Place” in Hampton Roads. We have some stellar ideas. (And some really dumb ones… you decide which is which.)

Hannah (local girl) and Jesse (NYC-area snob) have a conversation about last night’s show.

Mangia at Portsmouth Restaurant Week, which started yesterday and goes through Saturday.

Full text of Mayor Alan P. Krasnoff’s speech.

Easy Rider, Paradise Now and Fitzcarraldo–each previewed by the faculty member who will introduce it at this year’s OnFilmFest.

The full text of Mayor Sessoms’ speech last week at his State of the City address.

So we have some ideas. We are offering these as both ideas for which we seek partners, and also for other small indie outlets to steal.

Local artist, Jason Levesque–better known as stuntkid–was chosen to be the cover artist for the The Many Loves of the Amazing Spider-Man Issue #1. We spoke to him about the process of being selected, working with Marvel, and drawing in the shadow of a great.

A relatively comprehensive and an extremely well-researched look back at the year that was, with allusions to what the future has in store for Norfolk.

The newest 48 Hour Film Project by Hampton Roads-based Idyl King Entertainment, to compete in the Panasonic HD Showdown in Las Vegas. It centers around two hitmen on April Fool’s Day.

A Walk through the Woods We had a miscommunication with our two guides through the Chesapeake Arboretum, so we ended up arriving an hour later than they did. “It’s okay,” said Miklos Lestyan, the City Arborist/Urban Forester, with a broad smile. “We were just out in the woods. We’re happy there.” Mik handed me a [...]

A Saturday in Chesapeake: Part 2 of our Weekend in Chesapeake series.

Tell us what you love the most about Downtown–or what you *would* love the most–and win mini-memberships to The Gym Downtown.

Your pictures and ours from this beautiful, blustery, snowed-in weekend.

The Indie Venue If you’re into the local music scene in Hampton Roads then you probably already know about Winstons Cafe. In fact, Winstons is where I first saw local band Astropop 3. It’s also where Chesapeake noise band Long Division often play. And on this night, it hosted Virginia Beach rockabilly band Two Tone [...]

The Local Dive I’m taking a risk here, but I’m going to call out one of the most feared subcultures in modern American history. They wear leather. They walk tough. They have menacing tattoos of things like fire-breathing dragons being ripped apart by a squadron of red, white and blue eagles. They are bikers, and [...]

Herrin and a couple other guests recommended the Daikichi Roll ($6.50) as the thing to get, so after our standard appetizer orders of edamame and seaweed salad (beautifully presented, may I add; pictured at left), I went for it. The Daikichi Roll is a California Roll topped with shrimp, scallions and spicy sauce, “baked until [...]

Before I even say a thing about it, I do need to put this fact right out there: I am a sushi snob. I worked for a while at a very upscale, traditional Japanese restaurant where in order to be hired I learned to identify every piece of nigiri (the raw fish that sits atop [...]

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Amenities The Pool: I’m going to try to put this delicately: Sometimes when you’re getting away, you need to get away just a little bit farther from the person you’re traveling with. That’s why I loved the pool area at aloft. As much as I liked the pool, the comfy chairs, and the soft towels, [...]

The Overall Vibe Aloft is in a flat area dominated by industrial parks and the kind of truly crappy-seeming, cookie-cutter hotels and motels that lead business men and women to question the meaning of their life at night. After driving through this, it’s not quite hyperbole to say that the overall vibe at aloft is, [...]

Sane-cation: A Weekend at aloft When the tourism commissions and hotel marketing geniuses came up with the word ‘staycation’, I think they were a few letters off. After recently having spent the better part of a weekend at aloft in Chesapeake, I can attest that the word they should have chosen is sane-cation. For working [...]

From lush forests to dive bars and luxe hotels to strip mall sushi joints, Chesapeake is a world of its own in our own backyard.

Photographers Eric Fadden, Jessica Riehl and Laine Rutherford made us and the Granby Theater look goooood.

For Hampton Roads, major High Speed Rail questions will confront us very, very soon. Are you ready to advance your druthers? If not, who will? As is always the case, we need to brush up and get ready.

And… my husband actually disgusts me a lot of the time. What should I do, Advice A Toi?

Here’s a hint: there’s a lot of nudity involved.

Are you our new writer?

Okay, maybe not ALL. But damn close.

In celebration of all the great deals to be had at local thrift stores, Hannah and Jesse spent $16 at the VB JCOC shop. Behold our far-too-self-serious fashion show.

It’s easy to support our community-oriented brand of indie journalism.

“Seven Cities, Say What?!” is the place where, when you overhear something hilarious, ridiculous, poignant, or just plain odd in your travels aroundst the 757, you share it here.

Check back over the next couple hours for our tipsy insights from the party in P-Town.

Tonight @ The Naro: The Beginning of The Festival of Peace, including a talk with host Frida Berrigan.

AltDaily’s editors, writers, friends and favorite locals give thanks.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday many of you will be meeting the people who had sex to create the person you’re having sex with. Here’s how you should act.

So maybe you’re not lazy, but a terrible cook. Maybe the turkey doesn’t turn out right, or maybe a pack of dogs from next door stampede your kitchen and eat all the turkey, as in the holiday classic, A Christmas Story. Here are some back-up plans.

Let AltDaily and NASA introduce you to some ideas worth spreading at Ted.com. (And also Mitch Albom. We’ll introduce you to him too.)

Here’s help.

Ten costumes to find and photograph. And they’re not so easy.

#2 Patrick Swayze in Ghost…

Think of it as getting all the good/smart/engaged people in Hampton Roads in a room, and seeing what happens next. And you’re invited.

Plus, our top calendar picks and what’s new with us.

The Civil War at Sea was planned as an eight-book series, but Simon & Schuster cut it off at three books because of declining sales with each volume. Which was shattering to me.

Location: I-264

Location: Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Location: Mount Trashmore

Location: First Landing State Park

Location: 15 St Pier

Location: Oceanfront

Location: Oceanfront

Location: Pungo

Location: London Bridge Rd.

Our first ever photography set is by up-and-coming artist John Suarez and features all images from his hometown of Virginia Beach.

Tuesday, October 6 11 am Norton Girault University Village Bookstore 45th Street and Monarch Way 2 pm Writers in Community Veterans’ Stories University Village Bookstore 4 pm Dalia Sofer University Village Bookstore 7 pm Reception Diehn Atrium Sponsored by the University Village Bookstore 7:30 pm Jane Mayer Chandler Recital Hall Diehn Fine & Performing Arts [...]

Click on images for an expanded view of illustrations.

Party pics is what’s going on.