A totally biased and unreasonable list of blogs that I think you might enjoy reading.
It was only a matter of time before it happened, given our town’s reputation for tolerance, free inquiry, and intelligence, but the inmates of the insane asylum known as Westboro Baptist Church (motto of divine compassion: ”God Hates Fags”) are comin…
Continue reading " Crazy Homophobes to Picket Charlottesville "
Last year, just before Thanksgiving, I wrote about the origins of “Black Friday” — the legendary “busiest” shopping day of the year (which is not true; that happens on the Saturday before Christmas) on which retailers account books shift from red to b…
Although cold weather and “snow flurries” made it seem normal, Charlottesville illuminated its downtown Christmas tree last night, and Santa Claus arrived in a horse-drawn carriage, both about a week earlier than in previous years. (The tree-lighting …
Continue reading " Charlottesville Starts the Holiday Season "
On November 22, 1963, I was only four years old and living with my family in Appleton, Wisconsin (the hometown of Joseph McCarthy). We only lived in Appleton for about 14 months, and — being so young — my memories are generally dim.I do have some vi…
Brian Riedl of the Heritage Foundation had a terrific article in Friday’s Wall Street Journal that explains why “stimulus programs” generated by Congress are ultimately futile exercises.Such programs do not create wealth; they just move it around. As …
Mexican novelist, screenwriter, and film director Guillermo Arriaga was a special guest at the 2008 Virginia Film Festival.Babel, for which Arriaga wrote the screenplay, was shown on the afternoon of October 31. I had not seen it previously, and almos…
Continue reading " Guillermo Arriaga at the Virginia Film Festival "
Isn’t sports supposed to make you more healthy?Well, yes. Playing sports is a healthy activity. Watching sports? Not so much.So reported the Los Angeles Times yesterday:Listen up sports fans: Being passionate about sports — watching it, that is — …
Word comes from the frozen north that gay conservatives are making their presence known in Canada, following the example of Log Cabin Republicans in the United States and TORCHE (gay and lesbian Tories) in the United Kingdom. (It goes without saying t…
The past couple of weeks have been unusually busy for me, so it has taken some time to edit the video recordings I made of several of the introductions and post-screening discussions that took place at the Virginia Film Festival during the last two day…
Continue reading " More Video from the 2008 Virginia Film Festival "
With the return of Camelot to the White House, we will no doubt see renewed emphasis on voluntary service opportunities for young people in the Peace Corps and other organizations. (This is not limited to youth, of course — remember how Lillian Carte…
Continue reading " Looking for Volunteer Opportunities Abroad? "
The folks at ReasonTV have hit another home run with this video about smoking bans — including an ordinance in Belmont, California, that prohibits people from smoking in their own homes.The arrogance of nanny-statists knows no bounds. Will somebody p…
Continue reading " The Ever-Expanding Reach of the Nanny State "
As the nation enters the Obama-Pelosi-Reid years, a small group of political activists has its eyes on the next presidential election cycle. Since the campaign for 2012 begins today, I am interested in your views on will win the Republican presidentia…
Perhaps the most surprising result from Charlottesville’s precinct reports this year is that there were no write-in votes for Waldo Jaquith. Is the ur-blogger losing his touch with the hometown electorate?This lacuna may be no accident. The overall w…
Continue reading " Election Day 2008 Photoblog and Write-In Report "
As noted here yesterday, the Virginia Film Festival opened its four-day run on Thursday evening with the regional premiere of Lake City, a new film starring Oscar-winning actress Sissy Spacek (who calls the Charlottesville area her home) and Troy Garit…
The Libertarian Party’s candidate for the U.S. Senate in Virginia, William Redpath, has launched a series of radio ads around the state, urging voters to cast their ballots for him on November 4.There are three ads in the series: one addresses badly n…
Oscar-winning actresses Sissy Spacek and Jane Fonda will be among the guests tonight as the 21st annual Virginia Film Festival opens in Charlottesville. The festival continues through Sunday evening.Special events include a rebroadcast of the Orson We…
On Wednesday afternoon, I joined Lee Catlin, the spokesperson for the Albemarle County government, and Will Harvey, secretary of the county’s Electoral Board, at a news conference where we discussed the preparations we are making to make Election Day a…
Continue reading " Local Election Officials Discuss Preparations for November 4 "
The graduated income tax, which has been imposed on American citizens since the Sixteenth Amendment was ratified in 1913, has advantages and disadvantages. Economists and policymakers can argue about it in a rational and civil manner.As for myself, I …
Joshua Kurlantzick, whose byline is usually attached to articles about foreign policy in The New Republic and other opinion journals, has written a travel article for the New York Times, suggesting that readers might enjoy “36 Hours in Charlottesville,…
In most parts of the country, politicians have sex scandals. Look at Florida Congressman Tim Mahoney, whose trouser-snake escapades have torpedoed his chances of re-election. Tap your toe toward Senator Larry Craig and see how he responds. Offer to …
Continue reading " ‘I Am Not a Vegetarian,’ Says Candidate "