Archive for December, 2005
Friday, December 30th, 2005
I’m on a short family holiday to Baltimore, Maryland. With the help of a local friend, we discovered the brewpub The Brewer’s Art. They brew just a few beers, but the three I tried were all uniformly excellent, especially the “Resurrection.”
House Pale Ale
Our pale ale is the sort of «session» beer found in most bars in Belgium or Holland. Well balanced and mild, it is our most accessible beer.
5% alcohol by volume (abv)
«Resurrection»
During the fermentation of the first batch of this Abbey-style dubbel, the yeast «died» and was
«resurrected» by brewer Chris Cashell. Made with five types of barley malt and lots of sugar, this beer is quite strong and flavorful, without being too sweet.
7%abv
«Proletary Ale»
After much demand for a seriously dark beer, we came up with this delicacy. Black, smooth and
easy to drink, this is our beer for the people!
5%abv
If you’d like some more recommendations from my friend, visit his website: Barbeerian.com.
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
You thought public outrage had killed "The Bridge to Nowhere?" Guess again. Like the thriller, it has risen from its grave. And lives.From an editorial in The Wall Street Journal:Half-Baked in Alaska
Arguably one of the most followed spending stories of 2005 was the "Bridge to Nowhere." This planned $223 million span, which bubbled up from the congressional swamps, was made infamous by the fact it would connect the city of Ketchikan to an island with only 50 residents. First it was up, then it was down. Well in Alaska, you can't keep a good bridge down.
Notwithstanding the outrage over federal spending such as this after Hurricane Katrina, Alaska's junta of leading politicians is determined to have their bridges. Earlier this month Governor Murkowski proposed a downpayment of $91 million on the project -- to be built with federal, albeit non-earmarked, dollars of course. Some $94 million was allocated for another bridge to be called Don Young's Way, after the state's only Congressman.
What's especially suspicious here is that Governor Murkowski's wife Nancy and three of her siblings own 33 acres of land on the island that would benefit from the first bridge. A relative of Mr. Young's, meanwhile, owns land that would benefit from the second. [my emphasis] (link requires subscription)
The Journal goes on to suggest that it's the responsibility of Alaska's voters to run this bunch of crooks out of office. I beg to differ. This cries out for immediate action. Every one of these sunsabichas (all Republicans, by the way) should be imprisoned. On their island. No bridge. No paddle.
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
Most of you don't remember what happened to the tire industry in the USA back in the 70's and 80's. Until that time, Goodyear, Firestone, and BF Goodrich were riding high and had nearly total U.S. market share. Then two forces collided to destroy their dominance - radial tire technology and labor unions. The Big Three had been proudly offering their old bias-ply tire lines to GM, Ford, Chrysler, and American Motors for decades when suddenly there emerged this radically new design - the steel-belted radial. America's tire manufacturers began to experience serious competition from the likes of Michelin and needed to retool their aging American plants and retrain their American workforce. Their heavily unionized (some would say militantly unionized) workforce. Management took its retooling/retraining plans to the various unions, the unions summarily rejected them all, and 32 tire plants closed over the next twenty years, throwing thousands of union men and women out of work. Akron, Ohio has never recovered.Fastforward to Detroit, 2006. GM, Ford, and Chrysler (which had absorbed American Motors along the way) face daunting competition from foreign automobile manufacturers. Toyota in particular. The Big Three have far too much cost built into the automobiles coming off the assembly line to compete with their foreign rivals head to head or to provide the necessary capital for research and development - the lifeblood needed for sustaining growth and competitiveness.Management has begun formulating plans that include cutbacks in union bennies. The UAW and other unions will have to decide whether they choose to give up some of that which they'd fairly negotiated in the past or be thrown out of work.If I were a betting man ...UAW Dissidents Add to Pressure On Union's Chief
Dealings With Auto Makers Could Damage Gettelfinger; Close Vote Raises Questions
By Jeffrey McCracken, Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal
Growing resistance from auto workers is putting pressure on the head of the industry's most powerful union and threatening the tenuous ties he has forged with Detroit's Big Three.
United Auto Workers union President Ron Gettelfinger recently agreed to make concessions on health-care benefits to General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., which have been battered by heavy losses. But union members ratified both deals by
relatively slim margins.
Now, some UAW workers and plant-level union officials are questioning the accuracy and integrity of the vote tally. Two officials said they are considering challenging the results and pushing for a recount. UAW spokesman Paul Krell declined to comment.
The matter, which could come to a head next week as union members return to work from their holiday break, is another sign of the complex challenges facing Mr. Gettelfinger. In finding ways to cut costs -- and try to save jobs -- at GM, Ford and their respective former parts-making units, Delphi Corp and Visteon Corp., he is taking increasing flak from union members who think he has already given away too much. One dissident group has threatened to picket the Detroit auto show on Jan. 8, when the automotive press arrives. (link requires subscription)
Will the UAW rank-and-file come to their senses and choose to save their jobs or will they vote themselves out of existence as did the rubber workers back in the 80's?For what it's worth, and this may be a harbinger of things to come, those Firestone tires you're riding on were manufactured in a plant now owned by the Japanese ...
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
Students at the University of Michigan have successfully forced the administration there to cancel its contracts with Coca Cola. It seems the soft drink manufacturer's labor practices in Colombia (do they even know where it is?) don't measure up to what the students - the experts on such matters - believe to be proper.
Good grief.
U-M suspends Coke contracts
School won't renew with company after students allege human rights, environmental violations.
By Doug Guthrie, The Detroit News
A cold Coke will be harder to find for University of Michigan students when they return to campuses in Ann Arbor, Flint and Dearborn after holiday break.
The university on Jan. 1 will suspend more than a dozen contracts worth about $1.4 million with Coca-Cola Co. in response to student complaints alleging human rights violations and hazardous environmental practices by the soft drink giant in its Colombia and India operations.
The university attempted to investigate the complaints that would conflict with the schools Vendor Code of Conduct — rules for the ethical behavior of contactors enacted by the university in 2004. U-M already confirmed some environmental violations in India, and the school pulled the plug on renewing all contracts when the company said it was unable to meet a Dec. 31 deadline to cooperate in an investigation of circumstances in Colombia. (
link
)
So what is Coke accused of doing to prompt such action?
Students said Coke overdraws groundwater in India, causing farmers' irrigation sources to go dry; distributes contaminated bottling plant sludge to Indian farmers as fertilizer; and sells products that contain pesticides. In Colombia, the students said the company conspires with paramilitary groups to control and harm union workers.
I don't doubt that a handful of U of M students believe all this. But it's kind of a struggle to take seriously a bunch of teenagers who one minute campaign for social justice in Bombay and the next minute run naked down the streets of Ann Arbor in triumphal procession, celebrating ... well, its hard to say ... tiny breasts and embarrassingly miniscule phalli is the only image that stuck in my mind when I lived nearby and perused the photos each year that were taken of the participants in the
Naked Mile
. You see these people in the nude lumbering down the street (Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt they ain't) and it's hard to ever look at them in a sober manner when they (clothe themselves and ...) profess their undying determination to right wrongs ... in India and Colombia. And it's not just that. These are the same youngsters who - just a few years before - believed passionately in the tooth fairy.
University administrators today are a cowardly lot. Had someone with backbone been in charge, he or she would have (after getting past the uncontrollable outburst of laughter at the imagery conjured) told the young crusaders to get back in class and shut up.
But not today. Not in Academia USA. They ban coke. And join our leaders of tomorrow in their naked romp down the street.
For the love of God.
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
I just found a very handy website,
here, which tracks all legislation for the upcoming Virginia General Assembly session. I'm just now starting to digest all the information on here (of which there is a whole lot), but I found several bills I'm in favor of. Allow me to run over them quickly (all summaries from the LIS website):
HB 5: Trout Fishing, Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries to issue special permits for handicapped. Introduced by Del. Bill Carrico (R-5th)
Requires the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to issue permits to organized groups of physically or mentally handicapped persons to fish on the second Saturday in May in designated waters stocked with trout, without members of the group having to obtain individual licenses. This is emergency legislation.
HB 28: Methamphetamine; unlawful manufacturing and distribution, penalty. Introduced by Del. Bud Phillips (D-2nd)
Raises the punishment for a second offense of manufacturing, distributing, etc., of methamphetamine to include a one-year mandatory minimum term of incarceration and for a third or subsequent offense, increases the mandatory minimum term from three to four years. The bill also raises the penalty for a violation involving 200 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine from a 20-year mandatory minimum sentence to a 25-year mandatory minimum sentence.
HB 124: Farm produce; allows farmers to sell if they meet certain conditions, penalty. introduced by Del. Terry Kilgore (R-1st)
Allows the sale of food or food products without regulation provided sale occurs on a farm direct to the final consumer and products are marked "Not for Resale, Produced Without State Inspection." accordingly. Any person that resells such products shall be guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor.
HJ 1: Constitutional amendment; Governor's term of office (first reference). Introduced by Del. Bob Purkey (R-82nd)
Permits the Governor to succeed himself in office. The amendment allows two four-year terms (either in succession or not in succession) but prohibits election to a third term. The amendment allows Governors elected in 2009 and thereafter to serve two successive terms. Service for more than two years of a partial term counts as service for one term.
SB 15: Criminal history records check; vendor to perform on transferee before sale of firearm, penalty. Introduced by Sen. Henry L. Marsh (D-16th)
Adds a definition of "firearms show vendor" and requires that a criminal history record information check be performed on the prospective transferee before the vendor may transfer firearms at a gun show. Under current law, only licensed dealers must obtain such a check.
SJ 15: Constitutional amendment ; restoration of civil rights for certain felons. Introduced by Sen. Yvonne Miller (D-5th)
Authorizes the General Assembly to provide by general law for the restoration of civil rights for persons convicted of felonies who have completed service of their sentence including any period or condition of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. The present Constitution provides for restoration of rights by the Governor. The amendment retains the right of the Governor to restore civil rights and adds the alternative for restoration of rights pursuant to general law.
You may notice I've picked three by Democrats, three by Republicans, and for a simple reason; good ideas come from both sides of the aisle.
Thoughts on these?
------------------------------------
VOTER REGISTATION
I have several questions perhaps someone can answer for me. I'll turn 18 on January 7th, which will be a Saturday. I intend to go register to vote on January 9th, first thing in the morning. That evening at 5:30, the city Democratic Committee meets to hold its caucus, to elect members. The requirement to be a member is this: 6 from each precinct (we have 4), and at-large members may also be elected, with a minimum of 28 total. So that works out to 24 from precincts, at least 4 at-large members. I happen to fall into the same precinct as the Sheriff, Vice Mayor, a senior city council member, and a powerful school board member. But, with 25 people showing up on average at meetings, I could run as an at-large member.
My question is this: How long does it take to be registered to vote? Will I be eligible at 5:30 pm if I register at 9:00 am? Or will I have to set this one out and wait until 2007?
-Neal
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
I've got a new poll (this one returns to being politics-oriented) on who should run against George Allen in 2006. Hurry up and vote!
For the last poll, which wasn't much of a success (15 votes total). Perhaps I'm in the minority when I say I'm a big country music fan? Looked like it. But, anyway, here's the results:
June Carter-Cash - 33%
Bashful Brother Oswald - 13%
Jim and Jesse McReynolds - 13%
Hank Williams Jr.,
Jimmy Martin,
George Strait,
Doc Watson,
Jerry Reed, and
Ray Charles - 7% each.
Bobby Bare,
Mel Tillis,
Kenny Rogers,
Dottie West,
The Osborne Brothers,
Gene Watson, and
Garth Brooks - No votes whatsoever.
Well, I assume part of the fact June got the most votes is the Walk the Line movie, but she certainly is worthy. For the record, all but probably 3 of these people should be in the Hall of Fame, and those 3 very likely will earn it eventually (Hopefully all these people will eventually).
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
Ron Brownstein of the LA Times handicaps the Democratic presidential field here, almost gushing over Virginia Governor Mark Warner.
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
A few eyebrows were raised yesterday when Governor-elect Tim Kaine appointed staunch Democratic partisan and Virginia AFL-CIO President Daniel LeBlanc as Secretary of the Commonwealth. Is this a glimpse of the "real" Tim Kaine, a proud liberal, that so many warned about during the Warner II - Kilgore campaign?
Chris Jenkins of the Washington [...]
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Friday, December 30th, 2005
No surprise, but the Richmond Times-Dispatch has endorsed Del. Ryan McDougle to replace Lt. Gov-elect Bill Bolling as 4th District Senator. "His campaign platform of low taxes, student-centered education reforms, and safer neighborhoods charts the proper course."
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Thursday, December 29th, 2005
We did it, we went to see King Kong. There should be a rule that movies which are three hours long are not allowed to have twenty minutes of previews. This movie is full of amazing special effects including a...
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Thursday, December 29th, 2005
Wow! That is all I can say at the Bristol Herald-Courier’s endorsement today of Republican Shea Cook in the 3rd House of Delegates Special Election on January 3rd.
Given the BHC’s recent track record of taking Liberal stances, I expected them to side with anybody but a Republican in making an endorsement in this described “Democrat” district.
Shea Cook’s credentials are indeed very, very impressive. I’m glad the BHC had the sense to make that endorsement. Let us hope it helps Cook at the polls on Tuesday.
According to another recent report from the BHC, of the 4 candidates Cook has collected the largest amount of campaign money thus far.
Kilo at Spark It Up! also has some interesting viewpoints on this.
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Thursday, December 29th, 2005
In looking at the legislation pre-filed today in the Virginia General Assembly I see an interesting resolution introduced by Del. L. Scott Lingamfelter (R-District 31, Woodbridge).
The resolution is HJ 28 and is “Memorializing Congress to propose an amendment to the United States Constitution to set terms of service for federal circuit and district court judges.” The resolution calls upon imposing terms of 8 years upon federal district and appellate judges. Members of the Supreme Court would still serve life terms.
I think this is a good idea. Federal district and appellate judges should have to stand for re-appointment every so many years. This would give local citizens and those involved in the judicial process a way to express their opinion on the judges. These judges usually are on the front-line of many decisions that ultimately have a great impact on daily lives. While the “big” issue cases make it to the Supreme Court, many cases aren’t pursued that far. Case in point is the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California. In recent years, that court has issued decisions that are so absurd. Thankfully, the Supreme Court usually steps in and reverses them.
If this system was implemented, I also think we would see the contentious confirmation battles in the U.S. Senate over “controversial” (usually Conservatives are termed this by the Liberals) nominees disappear. Granted, the confirmation process for a Supreme Court nominee should stay much the same it presently is with the exception of the minority being able to impose a filibuster.
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Thursday, December 29th, 2005
The ODBA (Old Dominion Blog Alliance) is growing like a deer's antlers. To those of you who are not familiar with that analogy, it means fast!
Let's welcome our newest member Brown Hound. I tried to find a link to the hound's profile, but was unsuccessful. If you know who this is, (information need not be too specific, just a location and gender would suffice) or if the hound himself (herself?)
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Thursday, December 29th, 2005
Residents Lash Out At Houston Fire Department - Firehouse.com News:
Community leaders said Tuesday they will seek an independent investigation of how firefighters responded to a southwest Houston apartment fire that killed three children.
Quanell X said apartment residents and the children's family repeatedly told firefighters the children were still inside, but twice came out of an apartment saying no one was there. On a third attempt, a witness said, firefighters found the children.
Nation of Islam Minister Robert Muhammad described the conduct of some firefighters at the scene as "cavalier," and that they were seen laughing.
"They would not have demonstrated the behavior that they did had this fire been in River Oaks. They would not have carried on the way they did laughing and joking," said Quanell X, who said he will submit a formal request for an independent investigation today.
This is interesting. Although I was not there, I would like to comment on this article. This is a case of the public not knowing exactly who we are, or what we do. They don't know the extent of our training, and the acceptance of our own limitations. They don't know that each time firefighters enter a structure, we know we may not come back out. They don't understand what we do once we are in a burning building. They don't understand how hard it is to work in these conditions.
I was not there at the fire in Houston, but I can assure the residents that the firefighters did everything humanly possible to save the children.
I understand it is hard to grasp the loss of these families, however the answer is not berading the firefighters who risked their lives for these children.
The article, the words of these citizens, and the misinterpretation of what was actually going on are unfortunate. These actions could possibly scar the Department and some of its members for some time.
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Thursday, December 29th, 2005
Here's a warm and touching Christmas story from the war front:
Christmas Stockings Cheer Soldiers On The Way To War
By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service
BAGHDAD, Dec. 26, 2005 – It was 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and it was raining at an air base in Kuwait. The "moon dust" that overlays everything in the country was now a gooey mire that stuck to everything. Contrary to popular belief, it does get cold in the Middle East, and it was wet and cold.
About 60 soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division waited in a tent for a flight to Baghdad. They had been there a while, as previously scheduled flights were diverted or cancelled.
They sat or stretched out on aluminum Army cots, and slept or talked or read. Some were seasoned noncommissioned officers who had been with the division in 1991's Gulf War. Others had made the run "from the berm to Baghdad" in 2003.
But many other soldiers were just out of the advanced individual training that followed their basic training. It wasn't so long ago that they believed in Santa Claus themselves, one NCO observed, and now they were spending Christmas Eve getting ready to go to a war zone.
Finally, everyone boarded a bus to drive to the Air Force C-130 Hercules transport that would take us to Baghdad. On the way to the aircraft, the radio crackled, "Merry Christmas, everyone." It had just struck midnight.
As the bus approached the aircraft, the soldiers could see a flash of color on the open ramp. Some of the C-130's crewmembers had Santa hats on and were crouched next to a box. As the soldiers approached the aircraft from the bus, the crew hauled out Christmas stockings and passed them out.
The soldiers, who had been silent, livened up and joked a bit. "I must have been a better boy than I thought," said one soldier as he examined the stocking. "Isn't this so nice?" said a young sergeant as she opened a packet of chocolate chip cookies. "This is a bit of home."
Amid the chocolate and cookies were a couple of nontraditional stocking stuffers: foot powder, wet-naps, waterless soap and the like. Soldiers began trading the goodies back and forth, and laughter -- which had been noticeably absent -- filled the aircraft, at least until the engines started up.
Where did the stockings come from? "Don't know," said the C-130's crew chief. "They showed up at the ramp and people asked us to pass them out."
"Some guy in a sled dropped them off," said another Air Force NCO.
It may well have been Santa, but a short note in each stocking indicated the jolly elf has a branch workshop in the United States. "Happy holidays!" the note read. "Please know that there are so many people back home that appreciate your service to our country and the daily sacrifices you make while being deployed. Love, A Few Virginians."
The small, heartfelt gesture made all the difference for the soldiers. Many of them were spending their first Christmas away from their families and friends - and all of them were on their way to war.
"I wish I knew who to thank for this," said a young private. "We don't know what we're heading into, but we know that people care." (
link
)
A Christmas gift to our fighting men and women from Virginians who chose to remain anonymous and, therefore, be able to accept no thanks, fame, or fortune for their efforts. The essence of Christ's message at Christmas time.
Compare this wonderful story to my next post ...
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Thursday, December 29th, 2005
Cook is pick in 3rd district
Bristol Herald Courier
Dec 29, 12:06 AM EST
"Republican Shea Cook has impeccable credentials, energy to spare and a well-articulated, if a bit ambitious, platform.
In a crowded field of quality candidates seeking to replace retiring 3rd District Delegate Jackie Stump, he rises above the rest. He is eager to go to Richmond and fight for Southwest Virginia. Voters should give him that opportunity."
This article is better than the one yesterday. The BHC has nothing but praise for Cook. The article does say Democrat 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.â€
The Democrats pounded their chests over newspaper endorsements a couple months ago. Brian had this a couple days back saying: “The word on the street is that Bowling will beat Shea Cook by at least 10 percentage points.†He also had this about the importance of a good showing at the forum: “A good showing at events like the forum could make the difference in quick campaign like this one.†If Brian is right, it could mean a Cook victory.
Raising Kaine has this.
Technorati : News, Politics, Virginia Politics
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Thursday, December 29th, 2005
A contributor to the Charleston (WV) Gazette, one John Warner, felt compelled this morning (see "
Left or right? Doctrine of exclusion does not reflect Christ
") to lash out at "the right side of the Christian community" and, in the process, fling the most hate-filled bile I've ever read at those who consider themselves to be "born-again" Christians.
Here's a portion of his rant:
... I consider the growing political power of the right-hand side of the Christian community, the fellows who ask you, “Have you been born again, brother?†and then announce that if so you will surely want to support the war effort our “born-again†Christian president so proudly champions. And you will surely want to help Congress deliver that trillion-dollar gift to the wealthy 1 percent or 2 percent of our affluent society. And you will want to do all you can to destroy Social Security, and to reduce financial aid to our struggling university students, and take away Medicaid support for the poorest of our people. You will naturally want to take pride in the new Medicare law, written entirely for the benefit of drug companies. You will want to support the torture we impose on prisoners of war. And you will want to cheer him on as our president plunges our nation into a debt so deep that we face a “financial
holocaust,†as more than one economist describes our economic fate, borrowing from China to pay our most opulent citizens.
And yet these “born-again†Christians — whose unconscionable political and social “values†reflect nothing of the teachings of Christ and refute the biblical injunction to seek “justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God†— will be the first to tell me that the Jewish community to which my daughter has bound herself will be excluded from the Kingdom in the Final Days.
In 1943, a Nazi physician by the name of Josef Mengele was assigned to the death camp at Auschwitz, Poland. His task was to stand at the train station and send the disembarking Jews to the left or to the right. He was nicknamed Todesengel, or Death Angel, by inmates at the camp. I wonder: All of you “born-again†Christians who believe in that shibboleth as the ticket to heaven — will you send my daughter to the left or to the right?
His words speak of born-again Christians being akin to nazi death camp physicians. And the Charleston Gazette provides this mean-spirited man a prominent forum in its paper.
To make matters worse, this small-minded, hate-consumed person is professor emeritus at West Virginia Wesleyan College up in Buchkannon. Knowing nothing about the school but being curious as to how a man the Ku Klux Klan would be proud to take in as one of its own could be a professor there, I felt obliged to learn something more about this institution of higher learning.
The school, as it turns out, has a website (
here
). When I began to search the site, the first thing I noticed in its mission statement (
here
) was that WVWC is "closely related to the United Methodist Church." This all then started to become clear. You may recall, it is The United Methodist Church that has driven two and a half million of its members away in the last thirty years, a loss of one quarter of its original membership. (
link
)
Read the contemptible - and quite honestly - shocking words of professor emeritus John Warner. Does anyone now wonder why?
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Thursday, December 29th, 2005
Cook is pick in 3rd district
Bristol Herald Courier
Dec 29, 12:06 AM EST
"Republican Shea Cook has impeccable credentials, energy to spare and a well-articulated, if a bit ambitious, platform.
In a crowded field of quality candidates seeking to replace retiring 3rd District Delegate Jackie Stump, he rises above the rest. He is eager to go to Richmond and fight for Southwest Virginia. Voters should give him that opportunity."
This article is better than the one yesterday. The BHC has nothing but praise for Cook. The article does say Democrat 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.â€
The Democrats pounded their chests over newspaper endorsements a couple months ago. Brian had this a couple days back saying: “The word on the street is that Bowling will beat Shea Cook by at least 10 percentage points.†He also had this about the importance of a good showing at the forum: “A good showing at events like the forum could make the difference in quick campaign like this one.†If Brian is right, it could mean a Cook victory.
Technorati : News, Politics, Virginia Politics
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Thursday, December 29th, 2005
It's quiet around most fitness clubs in the States right now - anyone taking a workout pretty much has the place to themselves, the tranquil peace broken only by the occasional clatter of plates from somewhere across the building. Want to run on the treadmill for an hour or more? No problem. Take in a class? The choice is yours. In fact, you could probably spend the entire day at your local club and never once have to wait in line for anything. Yes, it's your own personal slice of heaven, isn't it?
But we all know what's just around the corner. See - here in the States, at least - January is by far the biggest sales month for fitness clubs across the country. Nothing even comes close, not by a long shot. Why? Getting into shape is tops on many New Year's Resolutions lists. Classes are full, workout stations get queued, and don't even think about getting a shower. Even though it can be aggravating sometimes, I actually look forward to the madness of it all in a warped sort of way. Sadly, it'll all be over before the end of February.
So, if you're one of those folks just joining the fitness community, we hope you feel welcome. But more than anything else, we hope you'll stick around for awhile...
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Thursday, December 29th, 2005
Breaking News
Morning accident kills one on I-581:
The Roanoke Times
Photo by Sam Dean | The Roanoke Times
Rescue workers and police investigate the scene of an accident on 581 North near the northbound Peters Creek road exit.
A two-vehicle accident on Interstate 581 this morning resulted in at least one confirmed fatality, according to Sgt. Bob Carpentieri, spokesman for the Virginia State Police.
The accident occurred at approximately 9 a.m. on northbound I-581 south of the Peters Creek Road exit, Carpentieri said.
Check out the link for the article on Roanoke.com. I will update any information I receive.
UPDATE: You can view 3 more pictures
HERE.
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