Archive for December, 2005
Saturday, December 31st, 2005
I guess John Murtha, Howard Dean, and the Democratic Party will now demand that we retreat from Indonesia:
Bomb Blast at Indonesian Market Kills at Least 8
By The Associated Press
PALU,
Indonesia
(AP) -- A bomb ripped through a crowded meat market Saturday in an Indonesian province that has been plagued by sectarian violence, killing at least eight people and wounding 45, officials said. Many of the victims were believed to be Christians.
The attack occurred in the town of Palu on Sulawesi island as people were preparing for New Year's Eve celebrations, flocking to the morning market that sold and slaughtered pigs, said Brig. Gen. Oegroseno, police chief of Central Sulawesi province.
Police said it was too early to say who was behind the attack, but it followed repeated warnings that members of the al-Qaida-linked militant group Jemaah Islamiyah were plotting strikes in the world's most populous Muslim nation over the holidays. (
link
)
"Retreat! Retreat! "
"What? We have no troops there?"
"Why didn't Bush put troops there? Why didn't Bush put troops there?"
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Saturday, December 31st, 2005
Think the New York Times might be flailing these days in its attempt to redefine itself? I'm beginning to wonder. Here's front page news this morning:So, Guy Walks Up to the Bar, and Scalia Says...
By ADAM LIPTAK
Justice Antonin Scalia's wit is widely admired, and now it has been quantified. He is, a new study concludes, 19 times as funny as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. (link)
And this breaking news:In a Daring Leap, Ringling Loses Its Three Rings
By GLENN COLLINS
TAMPA, Fla., Dec. 29 - And now, ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, step right up and meet the no-ring circus.
For the first time in its history, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus will present a new show to its audiences without three rings, or two - or even one. (link)
If you're like me, you find yourself blowing through the Times in a matter of minutes these days and wonder, even with that, why you devoted precious moments to the effort.Something is going on over there and it is not good.
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Saturday, December 31st, 2005
Charlie of SW Virginia Republican fame has created a new weblog and has given it the kind of title I like: The Virginia Partisan (pay him a visit
here
). Charlie could be counted on to keep us informed on the goings on here in Southwest Virginia . Now we will be treated to Charlie's views on a wide range of conservative subjects - from a partisan's point of view.
I think we will all enjoy his getting back into the fray.
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Saturday, December 31st, 2005
There is more controversy and dissatisfaction surrounding the appointment of Daniel LeBlanc as Governor-elect Kaine's Secretary of the Commonwealth than the year's end skeletal crew of MSM reporters have explored.
I have heard from several sources that some House of Delegates members are considering voting against LeBlanc. "No" votes are rare, as most cabinet [...]
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Saturday, December 31st, 2005
If you blog or comment on blogs, read this post by Norman Leahy.
Resolve for 2006 that you will try to elevate the blog form by writing like a Shakespearean hipster or a cynical Emily Dickinson.
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Saturday, December 31st, 2005
The ODBA adds
Brown Hound
to the blogroll this week. His header reads:
Thoughts of a Father, Virginian, Mustang Coastie, conservative, Episcopalian and dog lover.
Welcome John! Feel free to enjoy all the benefits of the ODBA. With Chad gone and Will at the controls, he could post about you and start a
"Chadalanche"
on your traffic meter.
Technorati : Blogging, Virginia
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
Don’t forget to submit your posts to the Virginia Blog Carnival. See my post here with all the details.
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
While I generally am not a supporter of unfunded mandates, I do think Virginia needs a law requiring all localities to post (and keep up to date) certain information on the Internet.
The type of information I am referring to that should be required of localities to be posted on a web site accessible to the public (free of charge) are as follows:
Minutes of all governing body meetings (boards of supervisors, school boards, town/city councils).
Agendas of governing body meetings.
A Complete (not summarized) copy of the locality’s operating budget.
Important public notices.
A full copy of any ordinances of the locality.
The law should further encourage localities to use the Web and Internet resources to further e-government.
Virginia has been a leader in the last few years in the public disclosure of information on the Internet. While many Virginia localities should be commended for already providing this information online, so many do not. I don’t know why some localities have not moved into the digital age. I guess some may not be as open to computers or just don’t want to do it.
In researching stuff for school and just for curiosity purposes, too often I find I cannot find anything online about a local government that I need. Here in Smyth County, getting information out of public officials can be very difficult. When information does get out, it often turns into disinformation or becomes too late to act on.
Such a law would serve Virginia well.
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
Brian Patton responds
to the BHC endorsement of Shea Cook. I dont agree with Brian often, but I do respect his loyalty to his party. We both think
our views
are the right views and we both want a better SWVA. Brian is upset at the rumor statement by the BHC. I would be too if it was a news article. But it is opinion and endorsement. The BHC researched, talked to people, and conducted a forum, then gave their opinion as to what they learned and witnessed at the forum. They picked Shea Cook with nothing but praise. I will concede the Democrats have the advantage in the 3rd if you look at history. But with Jerry Kilgore turning Dickenson County red this past Nov ( I am still in shock) the tide could be changing. Shea Cook stands a good chance of winning. His fundraising efforts are tops according to this
post by GOPHokie
showing Cook with 41k to Bollings 27k. The GOP may pick up a seat.
Technorati : Blogging, News, Politics
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
I was more than a little surprised by the Bristol Herald-Courier’s endorsement of Republican Shea Cook yesterday.
Kilo honed in on a strange quote by the BHC editor.
The editor said:
Democratic candidate Dan Bowling didn’t distinguish himself at the forum, looking and sounding like he would rather be somewhere else. He is to be commended for offering himself as a candidate, but his lack of enthusiasm lends some credence to rumors that he was nudged into the race by party leaders rather than entering it of his own volition.
Any “rumor†suggesting Bowling did not want the nomination is more than unfounded - it’s blatantly incorrect. To the contrary, Bowling won the nomination by just a few votes after working for the nomination for five hours at the caucus to defeat Mickey McGlothlin.
The Tazewell County Democratic Chair, Tom Brewster, sent this response to the BHC editor.
Dear Editor,
After reading Thursday’s editorial article from the Bristol Herald Courier, I would like to correct some rumors and misconceptions articulated by the author.
Dan Bowling is an eager and enthusiastic candidate who has been an active public servant and community volunteer for most of his life. His motivation to seek this office derives from his desire to serve the citizens of the Third Legislative District.
As Chair of the Tazewell County Democratic Committee, I know that Dan aggressively pursued the Democratic nomination. After spending time with Dan over the course of this campaign, I have witnessed first-hand his enthusiasm, hard work, and integrity. Make no mistake, Dan has a strong desire to serve the citizens of the Third Legislative District.
Sincerely,
Thomas Brewster
Chair, Tazewell County Democratic Committee
Falls Mills, VA
Even though I was disappointed by the BHC’s decision to endorse Cook, I would encourage it to stick with praising Cook (if they must) instead of making incorrect assertions about Bowling’s candidacy.
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
Ooops...
Would-be suicide bombers blown up in Afghan blast - Yahoo! News
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
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Picture courtesy of Chief Tartaglia
Here is a picture of an extrication today. I am short on time. I will post more pictures later. I apologize for giving the wrong credit for the photos. I have added one of Captain A.P. Wallaces below. I will post more later, of course if someone would like to fill me in on what happened that would be nice too. Email me or leave comment on the accident.
Update: all of the pictures have been added to a slideshow at
Local 1132 Incidents.
Thanks to A.P. Wallace and Ralph Tartaglia for the pictures. Keep the pictures and information coming in.
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Photo courtesy of Captain A.P. Wallace
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
The ride home from the airport is always so silent. I'm trying to decide if we are all melancholy or just plain exhausted. We tried talking my dad into staying and going to the big New Year's Eve event in Roanoke, the re-lighting ceremony of the Dr. Pepper sign. Even the promise of drinking free hot horrible soda while listening to bluegrass music couldn't persuade him. He was afraid the excitement would be just too much for his 73 year old heart, and opted to take the chance of not having any portable toilets available, and will head to Times Square in NYC instead.
Man, when the flights run well out of here it's an amazing thing. By the time we dropped him off, had a run-in with a moron at Sam's, stopped at the shop to pay a couple of bills and come home, he had already landed. You know you've had a great visit when you feel like he just got here and realize you didn't have one argument. If the flights were cheaper, I wasn't so afraid to fly and I liked his girlfriend, even a little bit, I would definitely go up there more often.
My daughter said she had a great birthday. She loved her presents, and has even talked me into competing against her on the dance pad video game. What a work-out, either I will lose some weight or die. She even liked playing Pong on the Atari Flashback system I talked my son into giving her. I talked it up and remember it a little different than it appears now. He was amazed at how primitive it was (so was I) and remarked he could see why my generation smoked pot.
I'm just glad the holidays are almost over and I can start tearing down all this crap. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, or what I refer to as Amateur's Night Out, and look forward to staying home and listening to Patti Smith perform Live from the Bowery Ballroom in NY on Sirius Disorder. I've never attempted to go out here on that night, and seeing how the lighting of a soda sign is such a big deal, it's no wonder. Even when I lived in NY though, the last place I wanted to be was Times Square. It was just too many psychos and too much of a risk to drive amongst all the drunks. I think it's probably worse in Roanoke, as people could barely drive sober. How many shades of green does it take for you to move, and why must you always put your foot on the brake when you are driving past an intersection? Anyway, combine those driving skills, yapping on their ever-present cellphones, music blasting and being tipsy to boot, and I could only imagine what tomorrow night brings. No thank you. Instead I will play some cards, eat some delicacies, pop some bubbly and crackers, all the while listening to a great show, and stay at home watching the ball drop with the ones I love. Whatever your plans, enjoy, but please be careful out there. That life you save could be your own.
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
It's not an "Instalanche", but a link from RealClearPolitics will completely destroy the symmetry of your graphical hit display.
In his post, Thursday Morning Observations: Always Follow Cheney's Advice, Tom Bevan saved the best for last.
Heh
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
Mark Warner is rated here as having the best 2005 of all the presidential contenders in both parties, while George Allen is rated "Best of the Rest."
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
The New York Times (registration required) has an article on the growth of online shopping during this holiday season.
Two numbers stand out: There was a 25% increase in Internet sales over last year, and about a third of all U.S. households bought something online. And L.L. Bean took more orders over the Web than over the phone, which is a watershed.
I have thought, since the early days of the BEV, and still think that local and small businesses are missing out on this boom. Many have never tried to sell anything online, and others were burned in the go-go dot-com days by the then high expense of online catalogs and the low sales rates.
Anecdotally, I see lots of small businesses doing very well on the Web when they have identified a unique product or service *and* develop a marketing strategy around it.
Economic developers ought to be doing a lot more to help local businesses grow in this area, but still see very little effort being made here.
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
I'm back, but just long enough to post a Caption Contest. Submit your best captions to this pic:
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
I totally forgot the CC guestblogger's absolute requirement: Wahoo blogging.
Virginia and Minnesota are knotted in a 31-31 tie in the 4th quarter of the Music City Bowl. Looks like Marques Hagans is having a tremendous game.
A thousand pardons!
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
The Chairman of the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors, the proximate cause of a recent dust-up at the South of James blog, has been arrested and charged with sexual battery of a minor.
Whatever the facts of this case and its adjudication turn out to be, this is a sad day for Chesterfield, my county [...]
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
Pileated Woodpecker Originally uploaded by ocracokewaves. One of the advantages of living on the side of a mountain is that you get to meet some interesting neighbors. Perhaps the neighbor whom we often hear but only occasionally see is...
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