Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia has declared that we observe a moment of silent and a statewide day of mourning for the fallen students of Virginia Tech University. As I understand it, many other states are joining Virginia in the moment of silent. Even though I am a Blackbird (Long Island University), since this tragic happened, I am a Hokie.
We went to the gym early this morning and many people were wearing the Hokie colors. Afterward, we went to the supermarket and the grocery bagger was wearing a Hokie t-shirt that read "Hokie Hope."
Hope is the common theme of today and every day going forward. We hope and pray that the families, friends, and community will find the strength to overcome the tragic loss of loved ones. We hope that our freedom to live life will not be eliminated the act of one troubled soul. We hope the heroic stories are not forgotten. We hope that we will learn from this tragic situation so that we become a better, stronger society by taking the t
Seung Hui Cho was an assassin who was mind-controlled by other parts like computer games, internet and drugs. He was student at Virginia Tech where he commited 32 murders. He killed his colleagues and injuried other 25 peoples. Seung Hui Cho commited suicide when the law agents founded him.
Cho used a Glock 19 pisto, and [...]
Greetings esteemed members of the Elections subcommittee of the House Privileges and Elections Committee,
I am writing you in regards to the subcommittee meeting to be held tomorrow morning, specifically SB 38 proposed by Creigh Deeds - bipartisan redistricting.
While I personally prefer nonpartisan redistricting, I believe that the current bill is the best option currently at hand to restore
Now the question is: will he win a crushing victory, or merely a huge one?
Developing...
[PS: I REALLY enjoyed voting for Obama today! I can't wait to do it again in November!]
Update: Crushing.
During the first 87 days of 2006, Virginia has experienced more fires and had more acres burned than for all of 2005, according to officials with the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF).
Sunday afternoon, about 60 homes were briefly evacuated as a fire sent smoke billowing above this city of about 11,000 people, about 15 miles northwest of Myrtle Beach
Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine declared
Last week, Andy and I had the privilege of speaking and touring two terrific Main Street communities in West Virginia. In Morgantown, WV, we stayed in a terrific boutique hotel in downtown called the Hotel Morgan - we experienced service...
Here is an email I just got from the Virginia State Director of Obama for America:Dear Robb,
What we do in Virginia over the next nine days can change America.
After Barack's overwhelming victory in South Carolina, the spotlight has turned to the 28 states -- including Virginia -- holding primaries and caucuses in the next two weeks.
Thanks to your work, we've built an unprecedented grassroots
These lawmakers just have to be kidding me. They just have to, is all.
I mean what part of children and guns do not mix don't these irresponsible lawmakers there in West Virginia understand???!!!
Have they not seen enough of their childrens' blood being shed to want to actually ADD to their already outlandish, inappropriate and bizarre gun laws already in effect?
While I agree that all human beings should have the right to self-defend their lives, when it comes to LETHAL self-defense (especially in the case of minor children), I become absolutely livid at the prospect of adults wanting to educate their children that a lethal weapon such as a gun, is the best form of self-defense.
What I REALLY find difficult to understand is:
1) Why aren't more state lawmakers pushing for manditory education in the schools on the subjects of non-violence and conflict resolution instead of teaching our children how to handle a killing machine like a gun, for goodness sakes?!
2) If the state lawm
Virginia Delegate Lionell Spruill wants the nuts off your truck. And who can blame him?
My childhood dog's love affair with Aunt Pearl's leg every time she fell asleep was cute and strangely tender at times but that didn't make it right. We weren't really that concerned for Aunt Pearl, it was just my sister's doll, Mr. Raggamuffin, couldn'5 Zoom(s)
Next week, Andy and I travel to West Virginia for our first time to speak in two top Main Street destination cities - Morgantown and Fairmont, West Virginia. In a format familiar to our Main Street visits, we'll teach a...
There was plenty going on in the D Tuesday. The biggest news being the Republican and Democrat primaries. I'm not going there, as lefties, righties, and moderates are all welcome here at TWFE. I'm keeping this a politics free zone.On the sports side, the Pistons, led by Rip Hamilton's 39 points, beat the Raptors, the Red Wings lost badly to the Thrashers, for their 3rd consecutive loss, and the NFL released a list of teams the Lions will play, and lose to,in 2008.But it was all overshadowed by one story. The Rich Rodriguez "Filegate" scandal.If the entire state of West Virginia didn't want RichRod's head on a pike before yesterday, they sure as Hell do now. Once yet to be named sources at WVU let the West Virginia MSM know of Rodriguez's alleged shredder party, the confetti hit the fan.In response to WVU's allegations, Rodriguez's agent gave his client's version of events at Mlive.First, Brown said, Rodriguez did not maintain files on each individual player. As far as contact informati
This is awesome… From Redstate:
Here’s a case study on why the GOP is failing in Virginia. It has taken me some time to compile this. I wanted to talk to representatives of the various candidates. They confirm what I report below. Likewise, I talked to a Democrat who confirms that the Democratic Party of Virginia [...]
“T’was the day after Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, for fear of waking papa, the drunken louse.”We here at TheSharkBook.com having neglected to wish you, our loyal readers, a happy holiday season would like to at least wish you a happy Boxing Day: may the bargains you meet be plentiful, and the exchange policies on some of the crappier gifts you received lenient. For our final X-mas-related blog of this year, we wanted to touch on a trend that our book, The Man Who Scared a Shark to Death (and other true tales of drunken debauchery), was, to our knowledge, the first to chronicle: the seeming appeal of donning a Santa Claus outfit and making a sorry-ass drunken public nuisance of oneself. (Editor’s Note: For more on this theme we recommend the excellent Billy Bob Thornton film “Bad Santa”, one of the very best boozing comedies ever made).We covered more than one such case in The Man Who Scared a Shark to Death – the most disgraceful of a
I don't know if Bethany Laccone wore any one of these above t-shirts or not, but I DO know that her teacher and the school's administrators are clearly showing their bigotry against her choice of sexual orientation and this is undoubtedly unconstitutional.
Ah conservative family values...so disrespectful and intolerant of ALL types of families, aren't they? SIGH.
Good luck to the ACLU and the national ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project with this case, you guys. A new year is beginning very shortly and it is the perfect time for a more openminded attitude.
READ ABOUT THIS HEREPractice non-violence in your lives. You will be leaving your children a beautiful legacy.
My sister (a chemist) recently sent me an e-mail requesting some wine advice:"I've got a friend at work who has been looking for a sulfite-free wine. Do you know of any that are any good?"My answer: "Nope."Not that a sulfite-free wine might not be any good, it's just that right now, sulfite-free wines are like governments that don't tax - they don't exist!Why this is has a lot to do with chemistry (lucky for me my sis is a chemist!). Which is one of the many splendid things when it comes to learning about wine - wine exposes you not just to the sensory pleasures of drinking it, but to the art/magic of constructing a good one along with the chemistry, agriculture, geography, and geology that go into making good wine. Lucky for you Dude has already done his homework in these areas (otherwise he'd have failed all those pesky wine certification exams...), so you don't have to!...But before we delve into the chemistry, let's examine a bit of background on the whole wine / sulfite thang:My
One of the things about living in a small community is the newspaper doesn't take itself too seriously. I'm sure the people involved work very hard at what they do, but the fact is that they don't have a lot of valuable news to report. That means that every birth, death and arrest gets reported. It means sometimes we read more about the local township meeting than anyone really finds interesting. But the best part is that sometimes we get to have petty arguments in the "Letters to the Editor" section.I've got a confession to make. When I get the local paper on Friday afternoons i really only read two things. The first is an article written by a friend of the family. I don't like her one bit, and normally her article has me seething by the first paragraph, but i keep coming back. The other is the letters to the editor section. I skip over the crap about why we need more snowmobile trails or the graffiti at the skate park (isn't that where graffiti is supposed to go?) and scan for
A Virginia legislative committee releases an interim study of the effects of the controversial abusive driver fees. The Joint Commission on Transportation Accountability yesterday released an interim analysis of the effect of Virginia's so-called abusive driving fees that add taxes of up to $3000 to various motoring offenses ( fee details). Courts began collecting the fees in July, driving 177,000 voters to call for their immediate repeal in an online petition. The report's figures show that the majority of revenue actually collected will come from speeding offenses that are subject to the new fees ($22 million). Both driving under the influence of alcohol ($20 million) and serious driving felonies ($38,000) will generate less revenue, contrary to the assertion of fee proponents. While the study finds it too early to conclude the program has had any positive effect on safety, the ticket tax appears to have changed the way some police handle traffic stops."The magnitude of
We have all been taught that the first Thanksgiving washeld by the pilgrims of Plymouth Colony in 1621, but that is not true...From Wikipedia:On December 4, 1619, a group of 38 English settlers arrived at Berkeley Hundred, comprised of about eight thousand acres (32 km˛) on the north bank of the James River near Herring Creek in an area then known as Charles Cittie (sic) about 20 miles upstream from Jamestown, where the first permanent settlement of the Colony of Virginia was established on May 14, 1607.The group's charter required that the day of arrival be observed yearly as a "day of thanksgiving" to God. On that first day, Captain John Woodleaf held the service of thanksgiving. Here is the section of the Charter of Berkeley Hundred which specifies the thanksgiving service:"Wee ordaine that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually keept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God." [6]During the India
Author Maureen Adams wrote a wonderful overview of these famous women writers in her book Shaggy Muses. She explores each writer's life within the context of their relationship and dependence on their dog(s). If you are a dog lover, you can connect to the strong bonds between the women and their dogs. A dog is always accepting and incredibly tolerant. These dogs were no different and constantly, devotedly listened to their mistresses recite their work without ever appearing critical. They also kept the writers from feeling too much loneliness during their literary solitude.Even if you are not a dog lover, this book offers a great overview and introduction to some of the most famous women writers of English literature. I do have to warn you; however, some of the experiences these women went through were painful.Pick up a copy of "Shaggy Muses: The Dogs Who Inspired Virginia Woolf, Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Edith Wharton, and Emily Bronte" by Maureen Adams.Published 20
Today I stumbled upon another news article that touches on some topics worthy of note. Net-metering isn’t going to get us everywhere we need to go, but I am certainly glad to see that it is catching on in more areas. The most important part of the article though I believe, was more or less [...]
On a side note, clearly these people are dangerous, violent, and disgusting, but they didn’t do this because the are Appalachians, rural whites, or poor whites. They did this because they are criminals, thugs, and racists.
Recently there was a horrific home invasion in sleepy Cheshire CT, deep in the heart of prosperous Yankee-land, committed in [...]
On the day of this horrible, horrible event, as soon as I heard the details on the news, I immediately condemned the school officials for their lax response in notifying the student body.
As I had said in my blog post right after the shooting, there is a service called Lockdown Alert, where parents can receive a school lockdown notice on their cell phone or via email by using this free service.
My heart goes out to the families and friends of the people who were killed and are reliving this devastation again.
"The great aim of education is not knowledge, but action."
- Herbert Spencer (British social Philosopher, 1820-1903)
READ ABOUT THIS HEREPractice non-violence in your lives. You will be leaving your children a beautiful legacy.
From the Atlantic Ocean on Virginia's eastern border, to the towering Mt. Rogers at its southwest corner, the Commonwealth includes every bird and animal habitat that occurs naturally between Maine and Florida. The state also offers a long history, rich culture, and tradition of warm hospitality to welcome visitors.Within Virginia's 43,000 square miles of diverse natural habitat, you can find some 400 species of birds, 250 species of fish, 150 species of terrestrial and marine animals, 150 species of amphibians and reptiles, and a wide variety of aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates. The Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail celebrates this diversity. In fact, it is the first statewide program of its kind in the United States. In Virginia, three phases of the trail link wildlife viewing sites throughout the state.The Coastal Area was the first to be developed. It features untouched barrier islands, cypress swamps, great stands of pine forest, and bayside salt marshes. There are 18 loo
Pete Yadlowsky at the University of Virginia is teaching a short course in Ruby to some of his co-workers. The class meets 2 hours once/week for six weeks. It presently meets on Tuesdays, and so he calls it “Ruby Tuesdays” (a humorous allusion to the famous Rolling Stones song and to a restaurant chain). He [...]
New York, NY — The American Kennel Club® announced today that Donna and Bernie Thompson of Cross Junction, Virginia have been named recipients of an AKC® Community Achievement Award. The Thompsons were recognized for their commitment to dogs as well as their dedication to animal-assisted therapy programs. The Thompsons are one of three award recipients this quarter; the Gloucester County Kennel Club of New Jersey and the Putnam Kennel Club of New York also received recognition.
The AKC Community Achievement Awards support and recognize outstanding public education and legislation efforts of AKC-affiliated clubs, AKC-recognized federations and their members. The AKC selects award recipients who promote purebred dogs and responsible dog ownership within their communities or who have successfully introduced, monitored and responded to legislative issues affecting dog ownership.
The Thompsons, retired teachers who have been married for 47 years, raise English Springer Spaniels under t
In Virginia Beach this week, it was 82 degrees and I was talking about turning on the air conditioning. Later in the week, Bill O'Reilly was taking advantage of a very unfortunate situation in Virginia Beach to further his agenda. Today, it's 32 degrees and snowing. Who would have thought all this would happen all in one week?
Snow Virginia+Beach Bill+O'Reilly
Sporting Group:1St Place -- Golden Retriever -- CH HAPPY HR HIGHMARK BAD NEWS BEARS JH2nd Place -- Weimaraner -- CH SMOKYCITY DEVIL MAY CARE3rd Place -- Spinone Italiano -- CH COUCHFIELDS PODERI JH4th Place -- Field Spaniel -- CH CORALMIST CLOSE ENCOUNTER
Hound Group: 1St Place -- Beagle - 15" -- CH K-RUN'S PARK ME IN FIRST2nd Place -- Afghan Hound -- CH SILHOUETTE'S SHAME SHAME SHAME3rd Place -- Irish Wolfhound -- CH SALUTARY ROSE ANNE OF EAGLE4th Place -- Dachshund - Smooth -- CH BRODNY SCHOOLHOUSE ROCKETMAN
Working Group: 1St Place -- Great Dane -- CH HARLEY D HARDT'S A FIRE2nd Place -- Doberman Pinscher -- KOCHAM'S CONQUISTADOR OF DABNEY3rd Place -- Akita -- CH WICCA'S-CR LETHAL WEAPON4th Place -- Bernese Mountain Dog -- CH L-SIN'S DARK BLUE MOON CD RN
Terrier Group: 1St Place -- Airedale Terrier -- CH STIRLING COOL HAND LUKE2nd Place -- Kerry Blue Terrier -- CH SYMPHONIE'S BLIND DATE3rd Place -- West Highland White Terrier -- CH LEONHARD'S TRAVELER F'MKC4th Place -- Welsh
There's been some discussion of late over at Blue Ridge Muse in which a false distinction has been made between the washed and the unwashed of Floyd County. Who goes in which camp can be biased by a prejudice against "outsiders" who weren't born here.If you'll come to the Oak Grove Pavilion performances this summer, any perceived barriers between these two populations of Floyd County residents will crumble. The long-time locals and the recently-arrived locals sit side by side, enjoying each other's company, the music, and the summer darkness under giant oaks, punctuated by the amber flash of fireflies.This week, our buddies, Mac and Jenny Traynham, perform. They're sure to do quite a few cuts from the newly-released CD compilation of some of their way-back tunes, gospel and otherwise, that have become favorites of ours.There's plenty of seating under the pavilion, more out under the stars. Bring a folding chair and a picnic dinner if you want, and get to know your neighbors--in
Yesterday a gunman went on a rampage and killed at least 33 people and injured many more on the campus of Virginia Tech. University in Blacksburg Virginia. It is considered the worst massacre killing spree in U.S. history. This is the second time in less than a year the school was closed down because of a shooting. I have spent time on that campus and had friends with ties to that school. My heart goes out to the victims and their families and I will burn a candle in their memory. Click here for timeline of the event.
Filed under: Cellphones
We're not really certain why anyone's surprised by the iPhone libtiff exploit at this point -- it's the entire basis of the 1.1.1 jailbreak, after all -- but apparently Fast Company didn't get the memo, because it just posted up this video of "self-employed security consultant" Rik ...
Show All