How Come the Nazi's Get All the Bad Press?
Dennis Prager [click to read] asks the question. "Why Doesn't Communism Have as Bad a Name as Nazism?" Sadly history seems to have little to say about world leaders who murder millions of their own people.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Bull Run Conservancy
Wilderness Near Washington
Self portrait on the white rocks of Bull Run Conservancy.
This weekend was the end of my son's spring break from Moody Bible Institute. We're driving to Dulles for him to catch his plane Sunday afternoon when we catch a glimpse of the white rocks on the last ridge driving in on interstate 66. I said "I'll be waving to you from up there when you take off." After our goodbye at the airport I drove out to where you could get over to Virginia route 55 and made my way to Chapman's Mill where the trail starts.
The parking area was full. I expected little solitude and almost bailed out for the North District of Shenandoah. I'm glad I stayed though. Most people were coming off the mountain by the time I got there and my visit to the white rocks was shared with one young couple. I had passed them twice [I stopped to take pictures]. We got to talking and they asked me if I knew anything about Old Rag. "That's our next hike we want to do" she said. "Yes, I do as a matter of fact. We take the church youth there every year." I replied. "I hear it's pretty tough. Do you think we'll be able to do it?" the young woman asked. "Oh, you'll do fine," I answered and described the moves necessary for some of the trickier climbs.
Its not a very long hike to the rocks but the map the Conservancy publishes doesn't really tell you where they are. You need to follow the Ridge Trail and pass onto private land for a bit before you get to the rocks you see from the road.
The rocks really were interesting. They would have been an interesting place to take in the sunset but the Conservancy closes at sunset. Reluctantly I made my way back so as to be off the trail in time.
Hiking Bull Run Conservancy:
If you want to hike Bull Run Conservancy Here is an Exellent Guide [click to read] with printable trail map from Hiking Upward. The Conservancy's Website [click to read] also has a lot of good information.
Self portrait on the white rocks of Bull Run Conservancy.
This weekend was the end of my son's spring break from Moody Bible Institute. We're driving to Dulles for him to catch his plane Sunday afternoon when we catch a glimpse of the white rocks on the last ridge driving in on interstate 66. I said "I'll be waving to you from up there when you take off." After our goodbye at the airport I drove out to where you could get over to Virginia route 55 and made my way to Chapman's Mill where the trail starts.
The parking area was full. I expected little solitude and almost bailed out for the North District of Shenandoah. I'm glad I stayed though. Most people were coming off the mountain by the time I got there and my visit to the white rocks was shared with one young couple. I had passed them twice [I stopped to take pictures]. We got to talking and they asked me if I knew anything about Old Rag. "That's our next hike we want to do" she said. "Yes, I do as a matter of fact. We take the church youth there every year." I replied. "I hear it's pretty tough. Do you think we'll be able to do it?" the young woman asked. "Oh, you'll do fine," I answered and described the moves necessary for some of the trickier climbs.
Its not a very long hike to the rocks but the map the Conservancy publishes doesn't really tell you where they are. You need to follow the Ridge Trail and pass onto private land for a bit before you get to the rocks you see from the road.
The rocks really were interesting. They would have been an interesting place to take in the sunset but the Conservancy closes at sunset. Reluctantly I made my way back so as to be off the trail in time.
Hiking Bull Run Conservancy:
If you want to hike Bull Run Conservancy Here is an Exellent Guide [click to read] with printable trail map from Hiking Upward. The Conservancy's Website [click to read] also has a lot of good information.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Into the Blue Ridge
Some of My Favorite Hikes in Shenandoah National Park
Hiking Guide [click to read] that I wrote a while back. I still enjoy heading out on these trails and many others.
Into the Wild
One Young Man's Tragic Journey
My son gave me a copy of Jon Krakauer's "Into the Wild." I couldn't put it down. It is the true story of a young man named Chris McCandless who dissappeared into the wilds North of Denali. It is a sad story and one worth reading. More than once I recognized myself in McCandless' adventures. All young men who are honest must have some. Who hasn't read a bit of Jack London and wanted to follow Buck's trail into wildness? Krakauer writes for 'Outdoor' Magazine where the story first appeared. Outdoor is a great publication featuring stories of raw adventure interlaced with articles on proper gear and technique. Of course that wonderful tension between preparedness and following your wits is where "Into the Wild" takes us off the trail. Krakauer had written the initial story of McCandless for Outdoor and expanded it for the book. The expanded work is a wonderful examination of the relationship of man and wilderness, preparedness and risk and the whole range of emotions and experiences surrounding our venturing into the uncharted realms of our world and our souls.
'Baptizing the Devil'
The Amazing End of the Hatfield-McCoy Feud
I'll Bet You Haven't Heard This [click to read] even though the names Hatfield and McCoy are household words synonymous with conflict.
I'll Bet You Haven't Heard This [click to read] even though the names Hatfield and McCoy are household words synonymous with conflict.
Friday, March 20, 2009
The Teleprompter Has a Blog!
The President's Telepromter in His Own Words
The Offical Blog of the Teleprompter of the United States [click to read]
As featured on Rush! It had to happen. After the Prime Minister of Ireland and the President read each other's lines by mistake its time we hear from the teleprompter himself!
The Offical Blog of the Teleprompter of the United States [click to read]
As featured on Rush! It had to happen. After the Prime Minister of Ireland and the President read each other's lines by mistake its time we hear from the teleprompter himself!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
This is Just Wrong!
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Missile Range Should Concern You
Here's how far Mahmoud Ahmadinejad can shoot.
Investors Business Daily/TIPP poll found that:
65% of Republicans favor using military force against Iran, while 23% oppose
48% of Democrats favor the use of force, while 43% oppose
44% of Independents favor a military option, while 45% oppose
Here is a man who openly advocates the destruction of Israel and the United States. Yeah, like we can just sit down and talk with him with no preconditions, right?
Here's how far Mahmoud Ahmadinejad can shoot.
Investors Business Daily/TIPP poll found that:
65% of Republicans favor using military force against Iran, while 23% oppose
48% of Democrats favor the use of force, while 43% oppose
44% of Independents favor a military option, while 45% oppose
Here is a man who openly advocates the destruction of Israel and the United States. Yeah, like we can just sit down and talk with him with no preconditions, right?
This is Just Wrong!
President Tells Wounded Vets to Take Their Care to Private Insurers
Here's a story that should anger all of us. When soldiers go into harm's way for us they deserve to know that we will be there for them when they need us. This Story [click to read] in World Net Daily shows how the president is wanting to tell our wounded soldiers to 'take a hike' when it comes to their healthcare.
First of all, as a freelancer I can tell you this; when you show up to get insurance with a pre-existing or chronic condition, you'll pay through the nose for the coverage in the first place. OK, the government can mandate the insurance companies, then everybody's rates rise. Really this could be nothing more than a gutless tax increase.
Second, the VA hospital system gives us a microcosm of government run healthcare. Shouldn't it do such a wonderful job with such efficiency that we aren't having this discussion? Ask anyone who has to travel out of their community to get care, driving past the local hospital in the wee hours of the morning on their way to Roanoke or Bluefield for health services. I've often wondered if the VA benefits would work better if we let them be used in the private system like other insurance. Privatize the treatment but not the coverage. Then the market will provide better care and hopefully real savings.
Third, and most important. We made an agreement with our soldiers and its a matter of honor.
Saving Acorn Instead of Private Ryan
The administration hopes to save $540 million with this change. I just looked at what they want to give activist groupa like ACORN and the veterans' healthcare is a fraction of that money. Some estimates have as much as $4 BILLION going to administration interests like ACORN.
One of My Mentors
Back thirty years ago I worked with a man who had served in the great war. He liked to tell stories. When he returned to civilian life he was still suffering the ravages of milaria and he would have had a tough time working a 9 to 5 job. He was a gifted artist though and found work as a sign painter for a small outdoor advertising company.
His boss understood his condition well enough to tell him what had to be done and send him out. When my friend's condition required, he often lay down behind the billboard untill his condition improved and he finished many a sign in the light of a late summer evening. Both employer and employee benefited from an undocumentable work pattern that served them both.
It would be hard to find such grace in the modern workplace. This insurance mandate will only further discourage such partnerships.
Here's a story that should anger all of us. When soldiers go into harm's way for us they deserve to know that we will be there for them when they need us. This Story [click to read] in World Net Daily shows how the president is wanting to tell our wounded soldiers to 'take a hike' when it comes to their healthcare.
First of all, as a freelancer I can tell you this; when you show up to get insurance with a pre-existing or chronic condition, you'll pay through the nose for the coverage in the first place. OK, the government can mandate the insurance companies, then everybody's rates rise. Really this could be nothing more than a gutless tax increase.
Second, the VA hospital system gives us a microcosm of government run healthcare. Shouldn't it do such a wonderful job with such efficiency that we aren't having this discussion? Ask anyone who has to travel out of their community to get care, driving past the local hospital in the wee hours of the morning on their way to Roanoke or Bluefield for health services. I've often wondered if the VA benefits would work better if we let them be used in the private system like other insurance. Privatize the treatment but not the coverage. Then the market will provide better care and hopefully real savings.
Third, and most important. We made an agreement with our soldiers and its a matter of honor.
Saving Acorn Instead of Private Ryan
The administration hopes to save $540 million with this change. I just looked at what they want to give activist groupa like ACORN and the veterans' healthcare is a fraction of that money. Some estimates have as much as $4 BILLION going to administration interests like ACORN.
One of My Mentors
Back thirty years ago I worked with a man who had served in the great war. He liked to tell stories. When he returned to civilian life he was still suffering the ravages of milaria and he would have had a tough time working a 9 to 5 job. He was a gifted artist though and found work as a sign painter for a small outdoor advertising company.
His boss understood his condition well enough to tell him what had to be done and send him out. When my friend's condition required, he often lay down behind the billboard untill his condition improved and he finished many a sign in the light of a late summer evening. Both employer and employee benefited from an undocumentable work pattern that served them both.
It would be hard to find such grace in the modern workplace. This insurance mandate will only further discourage such partnerships.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Chris Lassiter's Grand Idea
New Life for a Downtown Store
Sketch by Bob Kirchman, The Kirchman Studio.
Grand Furniture is leaving downtown Staunton and News Leader Columnist Chris Lassiter has a grand idea for filling the vacant store. He proposes a Childrens' Museum similar to the ones in Richmond, Harrisonburg and Charlottesville. Here's What Mr. Lassiter Has to Say [click to read]. Here's an even better idea: Let's do it without government help. Oh, we'll take the tax credits for our in-kind donations, but I'd love to see this happen simply because the people of Staunton and their businesses want it enough to build it. Remember how the Gypsy Express was rebuilt because the people wanted it. The city cut it out of the budget, remember?
For too long we've come up with grand ideas and assumed we needed the government to step in and fund it. I think we can reclaim civic pride and have some fun in the process!
Now, what do you think the BAR will think of my caryatids?
Lynn [click to read] likes the idea.
Sketch by Bob Kirchman, The Kirchman Studio.
Grand Furniture is leaving downtown Staunton and News Leader Columnist Chris Lassiter has a grand idea for filling the vacant store. He proposes a Childrens' Museum similar to the ones in Richmond, Harrisonburg and Charlottesville. Here's What Mr. Lassiter Has to Say [click to read]. Here's an even better idea: Let's do it without government help. Oh, we'll take the tax credits for our in-kind donations, but I'd love to see this happen simply because the people of Staunton and their businesses want it enough to build it. Remember how the Gypsy Express was rebuilt because the people wanted it. The city cut it out of the budget, remember?
For too long we've come up with grand ideas and assumed we needed the government to step in and fund it. I think we can reclaim civic pride and have some fun in the process!
Now, what do you think the BAR will think of my caryatids?
Lynn [click to read] likes the idea.
T. J. Collins and Son
These Architects Gave Staunton Much of its Character
The T. J. Collins Studio. Photo by Bob Kirchman
More Photos [click to view]
The T. J. Collins Studio. Photo by Bob Kirchman
More Photos [click to view]
Reinvigorating the Value of Virtue
Brilliance is Overrated, Virtue is Underrated in Our Day
Do you remember when Dangerous Home Schooler [click to read] Noah Riner who was then student body president delivered this address to the incoming freshmen at Dartmouth?
"You've been told that you are a special class. A quick look at the statistics confirms that claim: quite simply, you are the smartest and most diverse group of freshmen to set foot on the Dartmouth campus. You have more potential than all of the other classes. You really are special.
But it isn't enough to be special. It isn't enough to be talented, to be beautiful, to be smart. Generations of amazing students have come before you, and have sat in your seats. Some have been good, some have been bad. All have been special.
In fact, there's quite a long list of very special, very corrupt people who have graduated from Dartmouth. William Walter Remington, Class of 1939, started out as a Boy Scout and a choirboy and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He ended up as a Soviet spy, was convicted of perjury and beaten to death in prison.
Daniel Mason '93 was just about to graduate from Boston Medical School when he shot two men – killing one – after a parking dispute.
Just a few weeks ago, I read in the D about PJ Halas, Class of 1998. His great uncle George founded the Chicago Bears, and PJ lived up to the family name, co-captaining the basketball team his senior year at Dartmouth and coaching at a high school team following graduation. He was also a history teacher, and, this summer, he was arrested for sexually assualting a 15-year-old student.
These stories demonstrate that it takes more than a Dartmouth degree to build character.
As former Dartmouth President John Sloan Dickey said, at Dartmouth our business is learning. And I'll have to agree with the motto of Faber College, featured in the movie Animal House, "Knowledge is Good." But if all we get from this place is knowledge, we've missed something. There's one subject that you won't learn about in class, one topic that orientation didn't cover, and that your UGA won't mention: character.
What is the purpose of our education? Why are we at Dartmouth?
Martin Luther King, Jr. said:
"But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society…. We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education."
We hear very little about character in our classrooms, yet, as Dr. King suggests, the real problem in the world is not a lack of education.
For example, in the past few weeks we've seen some pretty revealing things happening on the Gulf Coast in the wake of hurricane Katrina. We've seen acts of selfless heroism and millions around the country have united to help the refugees. On the other hand, we've been disgusted by the looting, violence, and raping that took place even in the supposed refuge areas. In a time of crisis and death, people were paddling around in rafts, stealing TV's and VCR's. How could Americans go so low?
My purpose in mentioning the horrible things done by certain people on the Gulf Coast isn't to condemn just them; rather it's to condemn all of us. Supposedly, character is what you do when no one is looking, but I'm afraid to say all the things I've done when no one was looking. Cheating, stealing, lusting, you name it - How different are we? It's easy to say that we've never gone that far: never stolen that much; never lusted so much that we'd rape; and the people we've cheated, they were rich anyway.
Let's be honest, the differences are in degree. We have the same flaws as the individuals who pillaged New Orleans. Ours haven't been given such free range, but they exist and are part of us all the same.
The Times of London once asked readers for comments on what was wrong with the world. British author, G. K. Chesterton responded simply: "Dear Sir, I am."
Not many of us have the same clarity that Chesterton had. Just days after Hurricane Katrina had ravaged the Gulf Coast, politicians and pundits were distributing more blame than aid. It's so easy to see the faults of others, but so difficult to see our own. In the words of Cassius in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, "the fault, dear Brutus is not in our stars but in ourselves."
Character has a lot to do with sacrifice, laying our personal interests down for something bigger. The best example of this is Jesus. In the Garden of Gethsemane, just hours before his crucifixion, Jesus prayed, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." He knew the right thing to do. He knew the cost would be agonizing torture and death. He did it anyway. That's character.
Jesus is a good example of character, but He's also much more than that. He is the solution to flawed people like corrupt Dartmouth alums, looters, and me.
It's so easy to focus on the defects of others and ignore my own. But I need saving as much as they do.
Jesus' message of redemption is simple. People are imperfect, and there are consequences for our actions. He gave His life for our sin so that we wouldn't have to bear the penalty of the law; so we could see love. The problem is me; the solution is God's love: Jesus on the cross, for us.
In the words of Bono:
[I]f only we could be a bit more like Him, the world would be transformed. …When I look at the Cross of Christ, what I see up there is all my s—- and everybody else's. So I ask myself a question a lot of people have asked: Who is this man? And was He who He said He was, or was He just a religious nut? And there it is, and that's the question.
You want the best undergraduate education in the world, and you've come to the right place to get that. But there's more to college than achievement. With Martin Luther King, we must dream of a nation – and a college – where people are not judged by the superficial, "but by the content of their character."
Thus, as you begin your four years here, you've got to come to some conclusions about your own character because you won't get it by just going to class. What is the content of your character?
Who are you? And how will you become what you need to be?"
Brilliance alone is not enough. In fact Read What Dennis Prager Has to Say [click to read] and you may come to the same conclusion. Our brilliance is wasted if it has no light to guide it.
Noah Riner.
Do you remember when Dangerous Home Schooler [click to read] Noah Riner who was then student body president delivered this address to the incoming freshmen at Dartmouth?
"You've been told that you are a special class. A quick look at the statistics confirms that claim: quite simply, you are the smartest and most diverse group of freshmen to set foot on the Dartmouth campus. You have more potential than all of the other classes. You really are special.
But it isn't enough to be special. It isn't enough to be talented, to be beautiful, to be smart. Generations of amazing students have come before you, and have sat in your seats. Some have been good, some have been bad. All have been special.
In fact, there's quite a long list of very special, very corrupt people who have graduated from Dartmouth. William Walter Remington, Class of 1939, started out as a Boy Scout and a choirboy and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He ended up as a Soviet spy, was convicted of perjury and beaten to death in prison.
Daniel Mason '93 was just about to graduate from Boston Medical School when he shot two men – killing one – after a parking dispute.
Just a few weeks ago, I read in the D about PJ Halas, Class of 1998. His great uncle George founded the Chicago Bears, and PJ lived up to the family name, co-captaining the basketball team his senior year at Dartmouth and coaching at a high school team following graduation. He was also a history teacher, and, this summer, he was arrested for sexually assualting a 15-year-old student.
These stories demonstrate that it takes more than a Dartmouth degree to build character.
As former Dartmouth President John Sloan Dickey said, at Dartmouth our business is learning. And I'll have to agree with the motto of Faber College, featured in the movie Animal House, "Knowledge is Good." But if all we get from this place is knowledge, we've missed something. There's one subject that you won't learn about in class, one topic that orientation didn't cover, and that your UGA won't mention: character.
What is the purpose of our education? Why are we at Dartmouth?
Martin Luther King, Jr. said:
"But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society…. We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education."
We hear very little about character in our classrooms, yet, as Dr. King suggests, the real problem in the world is not a lack of education.
For example, in the past few weeks we've seen some pretty revealing things happening on the Gulf Coast in the wake of hurricane Katrina. We've seen acts of selfless heroism and millions around the country have united to help the refugees. On the other hand, we've been disgusted by the looting, violence, and raping that took place even in the supposed refuge areas. In a time of crisis and death, people were paddling around in rafts, stealing TV's and VCR's. How could Americans go so low?
My purpose in mentioning the horrible things done by certain people on the Gulf Coast isn't to condemn just them; rather it's to condemn all of us. Supposedly, character is what you do when no one is looking, but I'm afraid to say all the things I've done when no one was looking. Cheating, stealing, lusting, you name it - How different are we? It's easy to say that we've never gone that far: never stolen that much; never lusted so much that we'd rape; and the people we've cheated, they were rich anyway.
Let's be honest, the differences are in degree. We have the same flaws as the individuals who pillaged New Orleans. Ours haven't been given such free range, but they exist and are part of us all the same.
The Times of London once asked readers for comments on what was wrong with the world. British author, G. K. Chesterton responded simply: "Dear Sir, I am."
Not many of us have the same clarity that Chesterton had. Just days after Hurricane Katrina had ravaged the Gulf Coast, politicians and pundits were distributing more blame than aid. It's so easy to see the faults of others, but so difficult to see our own. In the words of Cassius in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, "the fault, dear Brutus is not in our stars but in ourselves."
Character has a lot to do with sacrifice, laying our personal interests down for something bigger. The best example of this is Jesus. In the Garden of Gethsemane, just hours before his crucifixion, Jesus prayed, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." He knew the right thing to do. He knew the cost would be agonizing torture and death. He did it anyway. That's character.
Jesus is a good example of character, but He's also much more than that. He is the solution to flawed people like corrupt Dartmouth alums, looters, and me.
It's so easy to focus on the defects of others and ignore my own. But I need saving as much as they do.
Jesus' message of redemption is simple. People are imperfect, and there are consequences for our actions. He gave His life for our sin so that we wouldn't have to bear the penalty of the law; so we could see love. The problem is me; the solution is God's love: Jesus on the cross, for us.
In the words of Bono:
[I]f only we could be a bit more like Him, the world would be transformed. …When I look at the Cross of Christ, what I see up there is all my s—- and everybody else's. So I ask myself a question a lot of people have asked: Who is this man? And was He who He said He was, or was He just a religious nut? And there it is, and that's the question.
You want the best undergraduate education in the world, and you've come to the right place to get that. But there's more to college than achievement. With Martin Luther King, we must dream of a nation – and a college – where people are not judged by the superficial, "but by the content of their character."
Thus, as you begin your four years here, you've got to come to some conclusions about your own character because you won't get it by just going to class. What is the content of your character?
Who are you? And how will you become what you need to be?"
Brilliance alone is not enough. In fact Read What Dennis Prager Has to Say [click to read] and you may come to the same conclusion. Our brilliance is wasted if it has no light to guide it.
Noah Riner.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Reinvigorating Religion
G-d Will Provide Unless the Government Gets There First
Brad Wilcox in the WSJ [click to read].
"48 million people between the ages of 18 - late 30’s in the U.S. with energy, ideas, creativity, and passion. It must be the priority of the Church to empower this generation to use their gifts for the benefit of people and the purposes of God." -- Young Adult Ministries
Update:
Victoria Cobb Comments on Mr. Wilcox's Article [click to read] Exellent!
Take note of the disturbing rise in problems for children when families participate less in the community of faith.
"So, bigger government means less religious participation and less religious attendance means behavioral and educational challenges for children. As we continue on the road to the great welfare state, let’s be sure we know the end game." -- Victoria Cobb
Update:
Do We Really Want to Be Like Europe [click to read] by Suzanne Fields
Brad Wilcox in the WSJ [click to read].
"48 million people between the ages of 18 - late 30’s in the U.S. with energy, ideas, creativity, and passion. It must be the priority of the Church to empower this generation to use their gifts for the benefit of people and the purposes of God." -- Young Adult Ministries
Update:
Victoria Cobb Comments on Mr. Wilcox's Article [click to read] Exellent!
Take note of the disturbing rise in problems for children when families participate less in the community of faith.
"So, bigger government means less religious participation and less religious attendance means behavioral and educational challenges for children. As we continue on the road to the great welfare state, let’s be sure we know the end game." -- Victoria Cobb
Update:
Do We Really Want to Be Like Europe [click to read] by Suzanne Fields
Reinvigorating Suburbs
It's Time for Creating Jefferson's Nation of Villages
Proposed Renewal of the Crozet Shopping Center.
Suburb bashing has always been a fashionable intellectual pastime.That is one reason I like Robert A. M. Stern. He sees the reasons people seek out single family dwellings of a traditional form. I have a friend who lives on the upper West side and his penthouse with a view of the Hudson is very nice but give me my gardens.People put up with the wretched infrastructure overload and strip centers because the village is still appealing. The residential areas become landscaped oasis for their residents. Kids play outside the house in view of the kitchen window. People visit at the back fence.Moreover the suburbs are seen by their dwellers as affirming opportunity and safety. If people had no emotion for their homes they would be fine with Le Courbusier type high rises but that is simply not the case.The problem is really one of infrastructure and public space [or lack therof]. Strip malls and box stores create a sterile wasteland but they may become the village centers of the future.
Time magazine features a piece called 'Repurposing Suburbs' which shows some fine examples of recreating this type of public space. This Crozet project turns a tired strip mall into a village center. One cannot wait for Crozet's redesigner to get his creative hands on some of the new "Town Center" projects which are now just collections of big box stores. Some time ago I drew a concept where the CSX tracks between Staunton and Charlottesville became a light rail line connecting Staunton, Fishersville, Waynesboro, Crozet, Ivy, The University of Virginia Medical Center and Downtown Charlottesville. The result would be a series of village centers and a better utilization of existing infrastructure.
City Journal's writers draw conflicting conclusions. Houston is touted as encouraging its middle class while Gotham offers limited options. Dense urban areas do tend to create energy efficiency. The trick is to see opportunities to improve the communities we have already created.That would certainly involve offering condominiums and a pedestrian friendly center to suburban communities and reclaiming all those wonderful old low density neighborhoods of our cities.
Proposed Renewal of the Crozet Shopping Center.
Suburb bashing has always been a fashionable intellectual pastime.That is one reason I like Robert A. M. Stern. He sees the reasons people seek out single family dwellings of a traditional form. I have a friend who lives on the upper West side and his penthouse with a view of the Hudson is very nice but give me my gardens.People put up with the wretched infrastructure overload and strip centers because the village is still appealing. The residential areas become landscaped oasis for their residents. Kids play outside the house in view of the kitchen window. People visit at the back fence.Moreover the suburbs are seen by their dwellers as affirming opportunity and safety. If people had no emotion for their homes they would be fine with Le Courbusier type high rises but that is simply not the case.The problem is really one of infrastructure and public space [or lack therof]. Strip malls and box stores create a sterile wasteland but they may become the village centers of the future.
Time magazine features a piece called 'Repurposing Suburbs' which shows some fine examples of recreating this type of public space. This Crozet project turns a tired strip mall into a village center. One cannot wait for Crozet's redesigner to get his creative hands on some of the new "Town Center" projects which are now just collections of big box stores. Some time ago I drew a concept where the CSX tracks between Staunton and Charlottesville became a light rail line connecting Staunton, Fishersville, Waynesboro, Crozet, Ivy, The University of Virginia Medical Center and Downtown Charlottesville. The result would be a series of village centers and a better utilization of existing infrastructure.
City Journal's writers draw conflicting conclusions. Houston is touted as encouraging its middle class while Gotham offers limited options. Dense urban areas do tend to create energy efficiency. The trick is to see opportunities to improve the communities we have already created.That would certainly involve offering condominiums and a pedestrian friendly center to suburban communities and reclaiming all those wonderful old low density neighborhoods of our cities.
Google Earth for Tax Assessors
Beta Test Version Released
Screen shot from Beta Test Version of Google Earth for Tax Assessors.
It should be pretty obvious that now that the BOS have 'preserved' the questionable assessment that now they'll meet and lower the rate. This will in all likelihood be somewhat revenue positive but will [they hope] accomplish a degree of rage-reduction. Since the assessments vary so much, you reduce the number of really angry citizens [they hope] at this stage.
But let's visit Michigan where the State Senate is even now considering a new form of taxation designed to get you in the end. This bill creates a new government bureaucracy to oversee the ongoing inspections of septic tanks. Home and business owners would be responsible to pay the fee for these inspections. The cost of new construction would also increase as a result of the additional fee. The taxpayer would also be on the hook to pay for the newly created On-site Wastewater Treatment System Advisory Council and the Alternative System Technical Advisory Committee. Eternal vigilence right?
Update: Absurdity Illustration Gone Scary
It happens a lot to Rush Limbaugh, he sets out to illustrate the absurdity of some policy by making a joke only to find it playing out in reality. So check out How Tax Assessors are Using Google Earth [click to read] from their own blog!
Screen shot from Beta Test Version of Google Earth for Tax Assessors.
It should be pretty obvious that now that the BOS have 'preserved' the questionable assessment that now they'll meet and lower the rate. This will in all likelihood be somewhat revenue positive but will [they hope] accomplish a degree of rage-reduction. Since the assessments vary so much, you reduce the number of really angry citizens [they hope] at this stage.
But let's visit Michigan where the State Senate is even now considering a new form of taxation designed to get you in the end. This bill creates a new government bureaucracy to oversee the ongoing inspections of septic tanks. Home and business owners would be responsible to pay the fee for these inspections. The cost of new construction would also increase as a result of the additional fee. The taxpayer would also be on the hook to pay for the newly created On-site Wastewater Treatment System Advisory Council and the Alternative System Technical Advisory Committee. Eternal vigilence right?
Update: Absurdity Illustration Gone Scary
It happens a lot to Rush Limbaugh, he sets out to illustrate the absurdity of some policy by making a joke only to find it playing out in reality. So check out How Tax Assessors are Using Google Earth [click to read] from their own blog!
King Solomon and Bernie Madoff
Finally, a Rabbi Makes the Story Meaningful
The Bernie Madoff story never grabbed my interest in spite of the media's obsession with it. Perhaps it was because of the media's obsession with it. Then I read Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz's Piece on the Real Lessons [click to read] in Jewish World Review. We seem to be constantly tripping over our obsession with the trappings of success. We seem to have an apalling lack of curiousity about its real roots.
Consider the two greatest rulers in history. King Solomon and his father. My morning reading was the story of Solomon asking G-d for wisdom as told in 1 Kings:3:
"5In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. 6And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. 8And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. 9Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
10And the speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; 12Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
13And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. 14And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days."
Then there is the story of his father from 1 Samuel 16:
"1And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. 2And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD. 3And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee. 4And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably? 5And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
6And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD's anointed is before him. 7But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
8Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this. 9Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this. 10Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.
11And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. 12And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. 13Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah."
Rabbi Lipschutz is right. We have better qualities to look to than the ones we tend to revere in our leaders.
The Bernie Madoff story never grabbed my interest in spite of the media's obsession with it. Perhaps it was because of the media's obsession with it. Then I read Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz's Piece on the Real Lessons [click to read] in Jewish World Review. We seem to be constantly tripping over our obsession with the trappings of success. We seem to have an apalling lack of curiousity about its real roots.
Consider the two greatest rulers in history. King Solomon and his father. My morning reading was the story of Solomon asking G-d for wisdom as told in 1 Kings:3:
"5In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. 6And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. 8And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. 9Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
10And the speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; 12Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
13And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. 14And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days."
Then there is the story of his father from 1 Samuel 16:
"1And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. 2And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD. 3And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee. 4And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably? 5And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
6And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD's anointed is before him. 7But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
8Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this. 9Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this. 10Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.
11And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. 12And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. 13Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah."
Rabbi Lipschutz is right. We have better qualities to look to than the ones we tend to revere in our leaders.
Warren Buffet's Buyer's Remorse
Even Rich Guys Regret Some Investments
Remember back during the election when a lot of bloggers who lean in a different direction than I do were saying things like: "Warren Buffet's smart, he's got to know something here." This in reference to his support of the young candidate from Chicago. Well, I'll leave it to you decide if Warren Buffet was smart or drank the coolaid, but This Piece in American Thinker [click to read] makes you think Mr. Buffet is having some serious 'buyer's remorse.'
Issue by issue, Buffet has some strong disagreement with the president. Rush Limbaugh [click to read], who we're not supposed to listen to, brought this news to light last week. He's critical of Cap and Trade [click to read], the Energy Rationing and Taxation Redistribution Cleverly Disguised as Free Market Action program. Likewise Card Check [click to read], the Union Thug Relief Act has some bad financial reprocussions.
"If you're in a war, and we really are in an economic war, there's a obligation to the majority to behave in ways to not go around inflaming the minority. If on Dec. 8, or maybe it was Dec. 7, when Roosevelt convened Congress to vote on the war. He didn't say, ‘I'm throwing in about ten of my pet projects,'" Buffett says.
Still, Mr. Buffet says it is important to support the president. I say we support him best by making sure he sees the facts of our present economic situation.
Rush's Required Reading List:
(straight from the colossal stack of stuff)
• American Thinker: Obama supporter Buffett strongly criticizes the president
• New York Times: Buffett: Cap-and-Trade Is a 'Regressive' Tax New
• NewsBusters: Kernen Asks Buffett: 'You Might Not Have Fixed Global Warming' After D-Day
• Wall Street Journal: Buffett Says Economy Has 'Fallen Off a Cliff'
• American Thinker: What the Government Worker Unions Know
• Heritage: Card Check Creates Government-Run Workplaces
• Heritage Jobs Report: February Employment Losses Would Be Worse with Card Check
• American Spectator: Card Check's Bounce
• HotAir: Card Check Fading in the Senate?
Remember back during the election when a lot of bloggers who lean in a different direction than I do were saying things like: "Warren Buffet's smart, he's got to know something here." This in reference to his support of the young candidate from Chicago. Well, I'll leave it to you decide if Warren Buffet was smart or drank the coolaid, but This Piece in American Thinker [click to read] makes you think Mr. Buffet is having some serious 'buyer's remorse.'
Issue by issue, Buffet has some strong disagreement with the president. Rush Limbaugh [click to read], who we're not supposed to listen to, brought this news to light last week. He's critical of Cap and Trade [click to read], the Energy Rationing and Taxation Redistribution Cleverly Disguised as Free Market Action program. Likewise Card Check [click to read], the Union Thug Relief Act has some bad financial reprocussions.
"If you're in a war, and we really are in an economic war, there's a obligation to the majority to behave in ways to not go around inflaming the minority. If on Dec. 8, or maybe it was Dec. 7, when Roosevelt convened Congress to vote on the war. He didn't say, ‘I'm throwing in about ten of my pet projects,'" Buffett says.
Still, Mr. Buffet says it is important to support the president. I say we support him best by making sure he sees the facts of our present economic situation.
Rush's Required Reading List:
(straight from the colossal stack of stuff)
• American Thinker: Obama supporter Buffett strongly criticizes the president
• New York Times: Buffett: Cap-and-Trade Is a 'Regressive' Tax New
• NewsBusters: Kernen Asks Buffett: 'You Might Not Have Fixed Global Warming' After D-Day
• Wall Street Journal: Buffett Says Economy Has 'Fallen Off a Cliff'
• American Thinker: What the Government Worker Unions Know
• Heritage: Card Check Creates Government-Run Workplaces
• Heritage Jobs Report: February Employment Losses Would Be Worse with Card Check
• American Spectator: Card Check's Bounce
• HotAir: Card Check Fading in the Senate?
Saturday, March 14, 2009
We Surround Them
Thoughts on the Glenn Beck Meetup
See the mosaic Here [click to view]
Friday's get together in Waynesboro was one of those 'crowd in with people you really like to be close to' type of events. It's like the folks at church, or fellow sports fans, or fellow citzens packed together at the County Government Center. You have a good time being there!
I squeezed in next to a really nice gentleman from Staunton and we enjoyed our conversation together. Commercial breaks were where I learned about his work, his thoughts and his views. It was really a positive time. Both of us loved the story of Chris Gardner who overcame destitution to become a millionare. When he came on we were enthused to say the least. We'd both listened to the rebroadcast earlier that day of Rush Limbaugh's CPAC speech and shared his desire that those with a podium and a voice encourage Americans to be the best that they can be. He's fed up with the mass marketing of despair and I think most of us would relish the kind of encouragement Rush is talking about.
So I was a bit surprised to read Sara for America's Take [click to read] on the Richmond Meetup. It is offered merely as an example of how different people see things. To me the whole thing was not about Glenn Beck as much as it was about the gathering of Americans. I don't really expect Glenn Beck to do more or less than what he does so well. I do graphic design and I liked the collage.
They had 300 people and little old SWAC had 200. SWAC Girl [click to read] had a similar experience to mine. But looking forward to September 12, it is going to be up to us to make it special.
Next Up: April 15
"We must not let our rulers
load us with perpetual debt."
--Thomas Jefferson in a letter
to Samuel Kercheval , July 12 1816
TAX DAY TEA PARTY, RICHMOND, VA
April 15, 20096:00 - 8:00 pm
Kanawha Plaza, South 8th Street
*Near Richmond Federal Reserve Downtown Richmond
“Never let a serious crisis go to waste … What I mean by
that is it’s an opportunity to do things you couldn’t do before.”
-- Rahm Emmanuel
Now check out his 40 Year Wish List [click to read] in the Wall Street Journal. Warren Buffett is now expressing honest opposition to policies like 'cap and trade' and other administration programs. I wonder if he's feeling 'buyers remorse' about the guy he supported for president?
See the mosaic Here [click to view]
Friday's get together in Waynesboro was one of those 'crowd in with people you really like to be close to' type of events. It's like the folks at church, or fellow sports fans, or fellow citzens packed together at the County Government Center. You have a good time being there!
I squeezed in next to a really nice gentleman from Staunton and we enjoyed our conversation together. Commercial breaks were where I learned about his work, his thoughts and his views. It was really a positive time. Both of us loved the story of Chris Gardner who overcame destitution to become a millionare. When he came on we were enthused to say the least. We'd both listened to the rebroadcast earlier that day of Rush Limbaugh's CPAC speech and shared his desire that those with a podium and a voice encourage Americans to be the best that they can be. He's fed up with the mass marketing of despair and I think most of us would relish the kind of encouragement Rush is talking about.
So I was a bit surprised to read Sara for America's Take [click to read] on the Richmond Meetup. It is offered merely as an example of how different people see things. To me the whole thing was not about Glenn Beck as much as it was about the gathering of Americans. I don't really expect Glenn Beck to do more or less than what he does so well. I do graphic design and I liked the collage.
They had 300 people and little old SWAC had 200. SWAC Girl [click to read] had a similar experience to mine. But looking forward to September 12, it is going to be up to us to make it special.
Next Up: April 15
"We must not let our rulers
load us with perpetual debt."
--Thomas Jefferson in a letter
to Samuel Kercheval , July 12 1816
TAX DAY TEA PARTY, RICHMOND, VA
April 15, 20096:00 - 8:00 pm
Kanawha Plaza, South 8th Street
*Near Richmond Federal Reserve Downtown Richmond
“Never let a serious crisis go to waste … What I mean by
that is it’s an opportunity to do things you couldn’t do before.”
-- Rahm Emmanuel
Now check out his 40 Year Wish List [click to read] in the Wall Street Journal. Warren Buffett is now expressing honest opposition to policies like 'cap and trade' and other administration programs. I wonder if he's feeling 'buyers remorse' about the guy he supported for president?
What's Happening at the Kirchman Studio
The Economy is Slow, But the Work is Still Interesting
Rendering of Zion Baptist Church
Check out Case Studies [click to read] and you will see that some projects are still being drawn up. Things are still really slow but I did pull an all-nighter Thursday! That seems like a good sign.
Rendering of Zion Baptist Church
Check out Case Studies [click to read] and you will see that some projects are still being drawn up. Things are still really slow but I did pull an all-nighter Thursday! That seems like a good sign.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Glenn Beck Meetup in Waynesboro
Just When You're Starting to Feel Alone...
Chris Gardner, his true story was portrayed by Will Smith in 'Pursuit of Happyness' and his story encouraged Glenn's viewers!
...You find out We Surround Them! [click to view]. This is totally cool! You've got to see for yourself what they did with all the pictures!
The Nine Principles:
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.
The 12 Values:
Honesty
Reverence
Hope
Thrift
Humility
Charity
Sincerity
Moderation
Hard Work
Courage
Personal Responsibility
Gratitude
Chris Gardner, his true story was portrayed by Will Smith in 'Pursuit of Happyness' and his story encouraged Glenn's viewers!
...You find out We Surround Them! [click to view]. This is totally cool! You've got to see for yourself what they did with all the pictures!
The Nine Principles:
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.
The 12 Values:
Honesty
Reverence
Hope
Thrift
Humility
Charity
Sincerity
Moderation
Hard Work
Courage
Personal Responsibility
Gratitude
Public Servants
Thankfully There Are Those Who Take this Trust Seriously
...And we thank them!
It is a good thing to Remember the Hour of Hard Work [click to read] by Francis Chester on behalf of the good citizens of this county. It is good to remember the people in government who endure the scorn of their peers when the serving of the public good is more urgent. It is good to remember the young supervisor who listens to the assembled voices and votes to affirm them.
Those who distributed and collected petitions, tried to educate your neighbors, held to your convictions; Thank you all!
...And we thank them!
It is a good thing to Remember the Hour of Hard Work [click to read] by Francis Chester on behalf of the good citizens of this county. It is good to remember the people in government who endure the scorn of their peers when the serving of the public good is more urgent. It is good to remember the young supervisor who listens to the assembled voices and votes to affirm them.
Those who distributed and collected petitions, tried to educate your neighbors, held to your convictions; Thank you all!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
A 'Green' Revolution We Need
Fighting Famine with Genetic Engineering
Bjørn Lomborg Writes in City Journal [click to read] yesterday about exciting advances in science that could help ease World famine. Unfortunately there is a lot of hysteria about Genetically modified food that might limit its application.
Bjørn Lomborg Writes in City Journal [click to read] yesterday about exciting advances in science that could help ease World famine. Unfortunately there is a lot of hysteria about Genetically modified food that might limit its application.
Timing is Everything...
Assessors Hearing Notification Mailed March 11
The envelope was in today's mail.
"Based on your recent appeal at the Board of Assessors' hearings, the assessment of the above described property has been carefully reconsidered. It has been concluded that no justification exists for further adjustment to your valuation. Therefore, no changes to your assessed value has been made."
Date of Mailing: March 11, 2009
Coincidence? If you got your notification today too Let Me Know [click to email].
The envelope was in today's mail.
"Based on your recent appeal at the Board of Assessors' hearings, the assessment of the above described property has been carefully reconsidered. It has been concluded that no justification exists for further adjustment to your valuation. Therefore, no changes to your assessed value has been made."
Date of Mailing: March 11, 2009
Coincidence? If you got your notification today too Let Me Know [click to email].
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