Archive for April, 2006

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Weekend Plans…

Friday, April 28th, 2006
An interesting weekend is shaping up at Al's abode. Wifey and Little One left this morning, with Wifey's friend and her friends little one, for a road trip to Ohio to visit family. She plan to return on Sunday.



First let me declare that Wifey is strong and brave. She has made this 6 hour trip alone and she has made it with Little One. Today's trip will have 2 adults and a pair of 3 year old girls. This seems like a mismatch to me. To travel with wee ones, I believe you need a ratio of 5 adults to 1 wee one. That way there can be a driver, a navigator, a sleeper, and 2 to occupy the baby. Wifey is strong, brave, and determined...bless her heart. She goes places with Little One almost every day. I, on the other hand, shiver when asked to take Little One to the Wal Mart in Pearisburg, about 10 minutes away, by myself. However as a consolation, I donate blood and Wifey does not.



With Wifey out of town, its up to me and the two dogs to hold down the fort. There are basically two instances that cause me to spend my time on idle pursuits...1) weekends and 2) when Wifey is out of town. So this is a perfect storm for me.



So, I have set low expectations for myself for the next couple of days. They could (not will) include and oil change for the car, unloading the dishwasher, mowing grass, and feeding the dogs. It will include junk food, watching the NASCAR Talladega race on Sunday, computer time, and hopefully, XBOX face time. And if I sacrifice sleep, maybe I can squeeze in a couple episodes of Northern Exposure, gun cleaning, and listening to some old albums really loud. Yes, albums that are played on a turn table.



So much to do...so little time...gotta go and get started.

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Randal McCloy Jr-The Gift of Breath

Friday, April 28th, 2006

Life comes with no real guarantees. You are born, that first breath of air signifies life and each breath following that last one means you are alive, each breath is a gift which gets you on down the road. No one understands this better then Randal McCloy Jr. You will remember him as the sole surviver of the Sago Mine tragedy.



McCloy understands the value of this gift and has in turn passed on a gift of his own. He has written a 2 ½ page letter to each family who lost a miner in the explosion.



"I cannot begin to express my sorrow for my lost friends and my sympathy for those they left behind," he wrote. "I cannot explain why I was spared while the others perished. I hope that my words will offer some solace to the miners' families and friends who have endured what no one should ever have to endure."

McCloy explains with great detail what took place Jan.2 following the explosion. McCloy reports that at least 4 of the air packs the miners were using did not function properly and the men had to double up on the available oxygen. As air grew scarce the men prepared for what they felt was inevitable and as we know today, they wrote notes to their loved ones. McCloy went on to let each family know that Junior Toler led the men in the reciting of the Sinners Prayer.

"Some drifted off into what appeared to be a deep sleep, and one person sitting near me collapsed and fell off his bucket, not moving. It was clear that there was nothing I could do to help him," McCloy wrote. "The last person I remember speaking to was Jackie Weaver, who reassured me that if it was our time to go, then God's will would be fulfilled."

McCloy is the first to state that he has no idea why he survived but we are thankful that he did and that through his understanding of the gift of life he was willing to pass a great gift to others. May God bless you Randal, and may He continue to bless each family touched by coal mining today.

Source Article

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Alleged EMT Grade-Changing Under Investigation at Ohio Fire Academy — Emergency Medical Services (EMSResponder.com)

Friday, April 28th, 2006
So the fix is in. Who wants this kind of liability. Read on. Alleged EMT Grade-Changing Under Investigation at Ohio Fire Academy — Emergency Medical Services (EMSResponder.com):Alleged EMT Grade-Changing Under Investigation at Ohio Fire Academy Story by nbc4i.com A state investigation is under way into alleged grade-changing at the Ohio State Fire Academy in Reynoldsburg. It's raising

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On Frank W. Rogers, Jr.

Friday, April 28th, 2006
The text of SJ 5018:

"WHEREAS, Frank W. Rogers, Jr., of the City of Roanoke, an esteemed attorney for over 50 years, died on July 11, 2005; and

WHEREAS, Frank W. Rogers, Jr., was affectionately called "Bo," in part to denote his close relationship with his twin brother Robert, who was known as "Bob"; and

WHEREAS, while growing up and throughout their adult lives, Bo and Bob Rogers were nearly inseparable and aspired to similar ideals and goals in life; and

WHEREAS, in their childhood, Bo Rogers and his siblings spent numerous hours on Saturdays playing in their father's law office, observing his passion and diligence for the law; consequently, the Rogers children were likewise inspired to make a difference in their community; and

WHEREAS, Bo Rogers, along with his brother Bob, attended Episcopal High School in Alexandria, received their undergraduate degrees from Princeton University, and their law degrees from the University of Virginia School of Law; after deciding to specialize in tax law, Bo earned a master's degree from the Georgetown University Law Center; and

WHEREAS, after receiving his degrees, Bo Rogers honorably served his country with the Judge Advocate General's Corps in the United States Army and was discharged in 1958 as a captain; and

WHEREAS, returning to Roanoke in 1960, Bo Rogers and his brother Bob joined the prominent law firm that his father helped to found (now Woods Rogers PLC); Bo became the senior member of the law firm's tax group; and

WHEREAS, during a long and prestigious career, Bo Rogers was selected for inclusion in both The Best Lawyers in America and Virginia Business Magazine's Legal Elite; and

WHEREAS, throughout a life of significant professional achievement as a practicing attorney for over 50 years, Bo Rogers served his fellow citizens with uncommon dedication; and

WHEREAS, committed to improving the quality of life for all of the citizens of the Commonwealth, Bo Rogers gave his time and considerable expertise to numerous civic organizations, serving as president of the Roanoke Bar Association and as a member of the boards of Hollins University, Episcopal High School, the YMCA, the Roanoke Symphony Society, and the Virginia Historical Society; and

WHEREAS, Bo Rogers was a faithful member of St. John's Episcopal Church and served as a member of the vestry and as a junior warden; and

WHEREAS, Bo Rogers had an extraordinary zest for life, a remarkable gift for instantly making everyone he met feel at ease, and will be fondly remembered for his immense generosity and kindness; and

WHEREAS, Bo Rogers will be sorely missed by his devoted wife of 50 years, Laurine Kunkel Rogers, his son and two daughters, his four wonderful grandchildren, other loving family members, numerous friends and colleagues, and the parishioners of St. John's Episcopal Church; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly mourn the loss of an exceptional attorney and outstanding Virginian, Frank W. Rogers, Jr.; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Frank W. Rogers, Jr., as an expression of the respect in which his memory is held by the members of the General Assembly."

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Friday, April 28th, 2006

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The little spot on the sofa is Sharon's head.  We agreed we wouldn't post any more than that.

Maybe after our showers I'll take a pic before we stroll down by the river for some dinner.

Rain stopped.  Tate got a parking ticket.  Johnny Mercier's is a bit fancier than it was 8 years ago.  Very nice.  We enjoyed the beach.  I bought a new cowboy hat....it's blue.

I hate it's already time for us to pack up....We have to leave very early in the morning to meet Toonces in Gardner for the Triangle Beach Fest.

And lets wish our bud Michelle good luck with her pole thingy tomorrow in the wedding (in the lovely Caymens) and a very Happy Happy Birthday!!!!

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Lawyer gets reprimanded for blog post

Friday, April 28th, 2006
Law.com has this article about a temporary prosecutor in California who was reprimanded by the trial judge for what he wrote on his blog about a misdemeanor case.

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Minority faculty at Virginia Tech

Friday, April 28th, 2006

In my last blog I mentioned how the same statistics can mean completely different things to different people, using the "3 percent is not enough" chant by protesters at Tech last week as an example.

I was able to track down some figures in that blog showing that, while Tech's student body was certainly not diverse by any measure, it wasn't the worst in the state. Now, thanks to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, I have numbers on faculty demographics at Tech and other four-year publics in Virginia. 

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Minority faculty at Virginia Tech

Friday, April 28th, 2006

In my last blog I mentioned how the same statistics can mean completely different things to different people, using the "3 percent is not enough" chant by protesters at Tech last week as an example.

I was able to track down some figures in that blog showing that, while Tech's student body was certainly not diverse by any measure, it wasn't the worst in the state. Now, thanks to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, I have numbers on faculty demographics at Tech and other four-year publics in Virginia. 

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Friday, April 28th, 2006
'Nuestro Himno' My Ass
Frank J Rutherford

April 28, 2006 | Print | Send


This morning started off well enough, sitting in a cane chair at the Green Island Cafe, sipping a double espresso, and watching the parading stream of humanity pass me by through my sunny 18th Street window perch. Adams Morgan is a true American melting pot, so it surprised me not at all to hear the toe-tapping sound of Latin music wafting my way like the smell of a Cinnabons in AnyMall, USA.

Suddenly I sat bolt upright, my ears unable to believe what they were hearing. Or to be more precise, I couldn't believe what my ears were hearing. This was a familiar song, not some routine fluffy piece of Baja Cha Cha.

Oh say can you see, a la luz de la aurora
Lo que tanto aclamamos la noche al caer?
Sus estrellas, sus franjas flotaban ayer
En el fiero combate en senal de victoria...

It was my beloved Star Spangled Banner, bastardized by a Spanish beat. 'Aye caramba!' I shouted, running to the street to discover the source of this vile defilement. There they were, Julio, Carlos, and Juan, three young Mexican hoodlums with an over-sized boom box, laughing and smoking and ogling all the pretty young girls in their spring frocks. "What the hell is that," I demanded, but as you might expect, they replied with Spanish curses and a chaser of (Spanish) laughter, leaving me no choice other than to snatch up their boom box and throw it into the street underneath the wheels of an oncoming Metro bus.

After leaving the emergency room, I began to ponder the meaning of it all. Carefully researching the matter over the internet, I realized that I had been privy to one of the first broadcasts of 'Nuestro Himno', the new Spanish version of the national anthem which translates as 'Our Anthem'.

'Your Anthem' my ass. That anthem belongs to English speaking Americans, not to a ragtag bunch of illegal bean-eaters who want to reclaim California for the glory of Mexico. My president is on the case, saying today (in far too polite language), "I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English, and I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English and they ought to learn to sing the national anthem in English." Right on, right on, right on! Mister Bush, build up that wall!

My God, what do these people want? I've always been supportive of their rights to come into the greatest country on earth to pick our beans and clean our toilets so they can have a few pesos to send back to their s**t-hole of a country, but now they want to march in and act like they own the place with all this 'Nuestro Himno' mumbo jumbo. Well I'm not going to take it anymore, even if it means getting my maid Juanita deported. Enough is enough, and I say that we nationalize all of the nation's busses and send all twelve million of those hijos-de-perras back to Tijuana. I'll be glad to pay extra for my lettuce as long as it's picked by someone who doesn't call it lechuga.

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NFL Draft pool — Little Mexico edition

Friday, April 28th, 2006
As many of you know, the NFL Draft takes place this weekend. A reader suggested that a draft pool might be fun, with a certain twist. I'm inclined to agree. So, give us your best prediction of where Marcus Vick will be selected this weekend. "Not chosen" is a legitimate entry as well. Bonus points [...]

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More about yesterday….The Real Story

Friday, April 28th, 2006

My post yesterday caused a stir. In the comments I was challenged about the Confederate flag and the noose. You will never convince me that owning these two items make you a racist anymore than honoring the Confederate dead means your racist. I was also challenged about why Allen voted against MLK day. Unlike some of my commenter's I was alive and working in 1987. I remember this story well. Allen was not the only person who did not like the idea of the holiday. People across the south had a big problem with it. Not the holiday itself, but the date it was to be placed. They wanted to place it on Lee-Jackson Day . It seems that part of the story has been forgotten after almost 20 years. I still say the writers who rehash this stuff are the real racists. It seems the source of that hit piece on Allen is in question. David Holman has todays must read up at The American Spectator .

Chad is reporting that The Webb Campaign “Gets It”

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Buy low, sell high

Friday, April 28th, 2006

Buy electric power when the cost is low, store it in your home or business, and use it when the price of power is high. Many electric utilities are moving toward differential pricing; during peak use hours (typically daytime and early evening), they charge more for electricity, and charge less in the middle of the night, when they have excess generating capacity.

GridPoint is a startup that makes a filing cabinet size set of batteries with a built in computer which knows your local electric rates. The computer charges the batteries when rates are low, and then automatically puts the power back out when rates are high.

As the price of power goes up, ideas like this would become increasingly attractive. It's an idea that mirrors the Internet--instead of a single huge electric generating facility (think mainframe computer), we'll see more and more decentralized electric systems (think desktop computers). It spreads the cost across a larger number of people, and in the case of Gridpoint, creates no pollution, but makes the electric grid more efficient by creating stored energy points.

Gridpoint is marketing initially to businesses that need reliable power (think Internet access and computers). The Gridpoint box acts as the primary power source during power outages, so it has a dual use, reducing electric costs continuously and by providing an alternative energy source during power interruptions. In the aftermath of Katrina, it was lack of power that crippled many businesses in the region, not flooding.

Gridpoint is a perfect example of a new business opportunity in the emerging Energy Economy. How about your regional economic development plans? Do they include a strategy for leveraging local assets for the Energy Economy? If not, why not?

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Rosary Project

Friday, April 28th, 2006


No time to blog today. I'm working on a rosary project for the kids, and it'll take all my free time. If it turns out to be pretty good, I might post some of it here, I don't know. Maybe. Anyway, I'll get back to my usual nonsense after the weekend. Everybody have a good, safe weekend, and no matter what you do, keep your eyes open for ManBearPig. He's out there somewhere, and he's dangerous. I'm totally cerial.

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Come One Come All

Friday, April 28th, 2006
I'd like to interrupt my regular ranting to let everyone know that, yes, some Roanoke bloggers and readers are actually going to attempt to meet. We're putting our money where our mouth is and aiming for this Saturday from 3:00 - 5, at DeEspresso on Jeffereson Street. I've never been there but I hear it's a good choice, so I am looking forward to it. So anyone interested, blogger, reader,

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Weekend Caption Contest

Friday, April 28th, 2006
It's that time of the week again. This week's photo comes from a loyal reader who saw this pic at the Martinsville Bulletin website last week: The actual caption from the Bulletin: "Mack Davidson and Cindy Price perform their winning jingle at the Economic Development Corp.'s monthly meeting on Thursday." Now, provide your own captions....

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How Low Will We Go?

Friday, April 28th, 2006
This is disgraceful:

Rebate Check Proposal

Associated Press

Senate Republicans say it's a way to do something about high gas prices. They are proposing a 100 dollar rebate check for millions of taxpayers to counter the higher costs of fuel. ( link )

The Republican Party, once known proudly as the party of Reagan, is now best described as being the party of Vanna White and Pat Sajak. "Mrs. Jones, you've just won $100!"



Somebody kill me.

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They Might Have Expected This

Friday, April 28th, 2006
There are things in life we just must endure. George Allen is going to have to explain why he did what every white kid in 1966 was doing (see below) and the University of Virginia lacrosse team is going to have to put up with this:
Good behavior for U.Va. lacrosse
By Jeff White, Richmond Times-Dispatch Writer

CHARLOTTESVILLE - The off-field behavior of men's lacrosse players at Duke and, now, North Carolina has been scrutinized, criticized and publicized this spring. In the Charlottesville area, police say they don't consider the players at the University of Virginia to be a problem in the community.

Asked if there have been serious incidents involving men's lacrosse players at U.Va., Capt. Chip Harding of the Charlottesville police said, "None that have come to my attention."

Capt. John Parrent of the Albemarle County police: "I don't know of any issues with that team." (link)

I know I'm going to rest a little easier now.

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Life As We Know It Is About To End

Friday, April 28th, 2006
Shocking.
Allen: Rebel flag was teen 'attitude'
Magazine reports on the rebel symbols he had in high school
By Peter Hardin and Tyler Whitley, Richmond Times-Dispatch Staff Writers

WASHINGTON -- Sen. George Allen, who has tried to reach out to minority voters in recent years, wore a Confederate flag pin on his shirt collar in a high-school yearbook photo, a national magazine reported yesterday. (link)
I think, unless Allen can prove his association with the NASCAR fan club, 17 million members of which proudly sport the Confederate flag on lapel pins, on hats, on their beer bottles, on their RV's, on their flags, on their butt tattoos, on their tombstones ..., we should hang the bastard.

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The Webb Campaign “Gets It”

Friday, April 28th, 2006
In Times-Dispatch reporting on the hit piece on Senator George Allen that appeared in The New Republic, there's an interesting reaction: Kristian Denny Todd, press secretary for James Webb ... said Webb thought the New Republic article "hit below the belt." She said Webb wants a "campaign about issues, not one filled with [...]

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That’s Going Too Far

Friday, April 28th, 2006
There can sometimes be too much of a good thing:

Reynolds makes big move into smokeless tobacco; profits up

By Tim Whitmore, Associated Press Writer



CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Reynolds American Inc., the nation's second-largest cigarette maker, said Thursday its first-quarter profit rose 23 percent and it is planning a second major push into the smokeless tobacco category with a snuff product under its famous Camel brand.



Camel Snus (pronounced "snoose") will be test-marketed in Portland, Ore., and Austin, Texas, beginning by the end of June, the company said Thursday. ( link )
Seems like a good thing. Right? So what's up with this?

Snus is sold in small pouches that are placed between the lip and gum. The tobacco in them does not require the spitting associated with traditional snuff. [my emphasis]
Say what? What good is it if you don't spit it?



Good Lord. Next they'll be criticizing us for our Confederate flag lapel pins.



By the way, what's a lapel anyway?

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