Turn Your Home or Business into a Gun Free Zone: Instructional Video

It is easy to turn your home or business into a gun-free zone; the following video explains how as well as the functionality of such zones:

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Any Questions?

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I Won the Election Day Lotto!

For the first time in my recollection, everyone for whom I voted won.  What a great feeling! A personal first!  My election day red letter date.

Locally we have the professionalism of both Sharon McDonald as continuing Commissioner of the Revenue and Bob McCabe as Sheriff. Not only did the two of them win, but we won big by having them continue in office. 

It would have been so easy for a candidate opposing Kenneth Alexander to get my vote, but Anthony Triplin, his lackluster opponent, showed me nothing; had he only tried . . .  Oh well, maybe next time.  Maybe one of these days I'll throw my hat into the ring for that seat as a Libertarian. 

At the state level, I am thrilled that we are to get what appear to be strong leadership who have definite plans for further improvement of our Commmonwealth.  Let's hope they are able to accomplish what they promised.  Let's see that they do.

Now that the election is over, let's let sleeping dogs lie.  We fought hard; some of us won, some of us lost, but we should now do all we can to support our system of government by being active.  Being active means communicating with elected officials at all levels of government.  Write, phone, visit, e-mail and let them know what you want them to do on the issues that matter to you.

And for those of you who were eligible to vote and did not vote, Shame On You!

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Be a Smart Voter

It is important that you vote; it is even more important that you are informed before you vote.  One site that I highly recommend to bring you up to speed on candidates is Vote Smart.  Vote Smart is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that has a plethora of information on candidates, including which PACs support them, who is donating to their campaign, and how they have voted in the past if they have held office before. So, before you vote, check out Vote Smart at http://www.votesmart.org and gather together as much information as possible before casting that all important vote tomorrow.

See you at the polls!

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Knack: Sour Grapes Candidate

The Norfolk Commissioner of the Revenue Race is interesting, not so much for the issues; the issues are discussed pretty much only by the incumbent, but for the high incidence of sour grapes in the opposition's campaign. The opposition to Commissioner McDonald feels his wife was wrongly taxed; sour grapes.  Note that the opposition is supported by another sour grape politico who was not supported by Mcdonald during her run for Treasurer years ago.  Grudges from the opposition and issues from Sharon McDonald. 

Indications are strong that Sharon McDonald is serious about winning, giving us facts, figures and examples of how she has shined during her terms in office.  It is obvious to the most casual obseerver that Sharon McDonald has always served the people of her city, Norfolk.  She has managed to steer clear of her mudslinging opposition whose attacks are single issue, whose campaign slogan should really be, "You wronged my wife."  That's about all he talks about.  I wonder what he would do if he were elected; he has not told us; he has only complained about his wife's business being unfairly taxed, allegedly unfairly, let me add.

One of opponent Doug Knack's implications is that businesses will leave Norfolk as a result of McDonald's performance as Commissioner of the revenue.  In an interview by Jim Newsome (Making an Assessment: Is Norfolk Commissioner of Revenue Race a Grudge Match), Knack is unable to point to even one business that has left Norfolk as a result of McDonald's performance of her duties.  Several other charges brought by Knack are addressed and disproven in the Newsome article; I recommend voters read the article linked to above, as well as numerous other news articles about McDonald's enhancement of the office she holds, all for the good of the taxpayers of Norfolk..

On to why we should vote for Sharon McDonald to continue her superb performance as Norfolk's Commissioner of the Revenue:

• McDonald has made DMV easier to visit; that alone should make her saintly, and a miracle worker.  Further, she has reorganized the Commissioner of the Revenue office in a way that has streamlined their various functions, having teams of speicilists handle specific issues coming through her office.  All the teams are geared toward and mandated to "serve the customer," whether the customer be an individual or a business.

• McDonald discovered a discrepancy in the state's tax laws regarding service stations that sold gasoline.

• McDonald is a tax sleuth who searches out those who are slipping through the holes in the radar, avoiding the payment of taxes.  to McDonald, this is not fair and it makes the rest of us pay more to make up the difference.  She finds those holes and plugs them.  Thirty-Five Million Dollars worth of holes discovered and plugged, money we will not have to pay thanks to McDonald's tax sleuthing experience and expertise.

• McDonald has personally gone out of her way to help individuals as they deal with her office.  Read just one of many examples:  McDonald vs. Knack, which is written by a neighbor of mine, and a fellow blogger, an ordinary citizen who keeps up with who is doing what.  We need someone who, as Commissioner of the Revenue, takes good customer service seriously, and Sharon McDonald is that person.

Check out McDonald's Campaign Page and you will see for yourself what her accomplishments are, and don't just believe what the campaign page says, check it out for yourself, and you will see that the things McDonald promised are being accomplished and that her performance of the duties of Norfolk's Commissioner of the Revenue has been superb, and I expect her to maintain her proven high standards of performance when she is chosen to continue serving Norfolk as Commissioner of the Revenue.  Take a look at the official Norfolk Commissioner of the Revenue web site and get a picture of the responsibilities and accomplishments of Commissioner of the Revenue Sharon McDonald.

Read the facts, look under the carpets, kick the tires, look at motivations, squeeze the sour grapes, and you will see that Sharon McDonald is clearly the person we want to serve as Norfolk's Commissioner of the Revenue. 

By the way, for those of you who may wonder, I am not working for the McDonald Campaign, which has had no part in my writing of this blog.   It is purely my opinion as a citizen of Norfolk and a voter.   Just in case  you wondered.

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Religion is a Lot Like Monopoly

It is all a game with rules and policies and procedures and definitions and expectations and mores and rituals and hierarchies and mysteries and, for me, gobbledygook.  (See Related Pilotonline Story)  As you will discern from reading the story's comments at Pilotonline, the dissention between believers is no small thing.  They are already at each others's throats, figuratively of course.

It seems that the Pope has graciously opened the Vatican doors to Anglicans.  That really confuses me.  Is Martin Luther Turning over in his grave over this?  Who knows what the reason was for Protestants to break away from "Mother Church"?   Has that been rectified?  Will Anglicans and Episcopalians who accept the Pope's most generous offer be real Catholics, or just play Catholics, as they seem to have been anyhow?

Another confusing item for this non-believer is the acceptance of things Protestant by the Vatican.  It will be okay for Episcopal ministers to be married, but still not Catholic priests?  That hardly seems fair.  Were I of the priesthood type, I'd become an Episcopal, which, apparently, would make me some sort of Catholic as well.  Would I be able to transfer over to become a fully acknowledged Catholic priest, with a wife? 

What does this tell me?  The Catholic church is in trouble and needs bolstering.  The Pope is willing to bend a few rules and policies to make it more friendly to have people annex their beliefs onto the church beliefs, Mod X.  I use "X" because this is not the first time the Catholic church has strayed from what they were to morph into something else for the expediency of one thing or another.

This is really a good sign.  Religion is slipping away from human need.  It has always been a crutch, a needed crutch, but a crutch nonetheless.  Perhaps we are becoming healed, able to handle our universe without the magic and ritualistic nonesense the church uses to limit our horizons. 

For Christians, this could also be a good sign.  It could be an indicator that "the end times" are nigh about us.  Armageddon is pressing against our world and we are about to be raptured, er, you are about to be raptured.  I'm not qualified, thank goodness. 

So are the rules of gods maleable?  Does a deity change his or her mind about what sins are, what we should believe, what is "kosher," so to speak?  And why would an omniscient deity need to change those rules?  Did he or she err in the original down-putting of religious laws?  Or is it all part of a plan, kind of like the 12-step AA program where we do different things at different times of our evolution into enhanced god-like creatures?  By the way, the term, "evolution," in the previous sentence was used in the kindest, most benign way.

Bottom line to me?  This is yet another indication that religion is nothing more than a set of man-made rules to gain power, money and is not at all related to whatever source of salvation there may be.  Perhaps it is time for the Religionist Monopoly Players to cash in their houses, put away their play money and get involved in the world or rationality.  It doesn't matter; it is only a game, and old, tired, long-suffering game at that.  Cash out and join reality.

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Move Away From Your Car!

No.  Not immediately; you'll need that car for a while yet.  But start thinking about how much better your life would be without having to use a car to go to work, shop, visit friends, go to restaurants and movies, and so on, and so on.

First, for those of you who feel you are frugal, rational and who do not realize how much your car costs, take a look at the cost of operating a car:  The True Cost of Owning a Car

If that isn't daunting, compared to the cost of riding a bus, I don't know what is.  If you were to use Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) your transportation costs would plummet.  Take a look at HRT fares:  GoHRT.com Fares.   If you purchased day passes for only the weekday, say for 50 weeks a year, the cost would only be $825 for the entire year.  Conmpare that to the cost of operating your car for the year.  On the other hand, looking back at the HRT ride cards, if you purchased 12 30-day ride cards, the cost would only be $600 for the entire year.  Again, compare that to what it costs to operate your car.  And, if like me, you are 60 years old or older, the costs really plummet for riding HRT; the 50 weeks of day passes would come to only $437.50 for the year and $420 for the 30-day ride cards.  The cost of operating your car remains the same no matter your age.  The most one would pay for annual unlimited rides on HRT, including the MAX buses, is $1140, still substantially less than it takes to operate even the smallest car you may choose to own.

So why is it that so many people hang onto their cars for everything and wouldn't consider riding the bus except in a dire emergency?  Dunno.   Otherwise intelligent people would rather pay the enormous costs related to owning and using a car and add to our polluted air each day than ride a bus.  Tell me why in the comments because I am truly curious.  We identify too much with what we drive.  Lets try, instead, to identify more with how we have built our good character, how well we care for our family, and how well we perform our jobs. 

HRT Driver:  Route 11 in Norfolk Photo © 2009 by Archie R. Whitehill

Granted, some people just cannot ride public transportation because they need their cars for work.  Perhaps such people can try public transit on weekends, just a few trips a month will save you money, and nerves.  Nerves?  Yes.  When I ride the bus, I can relax, read, watch the scenery go by, talk to someone on the bus, make phone calls, surf the internet with my netbook and wi-fi card, or just zone out into my innner spaces until I get to my stop.  Wait, some drivers do that, zone out, while they are driving.  But that is another blog.

Granted, buses do not run as many places nor as frequently as you need to get your business accomplished.  That is a function of use and of citizen demand.  We can demand that more routes be established and that buses run more frequently.  don't harrass HRT on this though.  It is your respective city councils who determine how much HRT service they are willing to pay for.  Tell them you want, need, and demand public transportation services that meet your needs. 

Another savings could easily be realized in where your tax money goes.  How much does it cost and how inconvenient is it to continue expanding and repairing highways as the number of cars on the road increases?  Much more than it would cost to enhance our public transit services in the Hampton Roads area. 

Portsmouth Downtown Shuttle Photo © 2009 by Archie R. Whitehill

Our regional transit system includes buses, shuttles, ferry services, and, soon, light rail.  We are growing a viable transit service; it is coming and people will use it, and it will grow to fit our needs.  Why not hurry that along by giving public transit a try?  My neighborhood alone, Colonial Place in Norfolk, is served by three routes.  It is not a challenge to catch a bus going where I want to go.  Truthfully, the challenge is in convincing people, family and friends, to come along with me on the bus, and that I do not understand.

There are many events in the downtown Norfolk and Downtown Portsmouth area and getting to the one in the city you do not live in can be a challenge.  If you live in Portsmouth, getting to the event in Norfolk and vice versa.  How about this as an example of just a little savings, drive to Waterside Garage in Norfolk if you live in Norfolk and park there.  Then ride the ferry to Portsmouth.  Save on wear and tear of nerves resulting from that darn ride through the tunnel and over a drawbridge and sometimes overwhelming traffic between the two cities.  It is a pleasant and inexpensive ride, particularly if you have an HRT pass.

Start small.  Use public transit for small trips, maybe once or twice a month for work; then build up as you get comfortable with the concept of not having to use your car and spend all that extra money.  Think about it, you can read the paper as you ride to work.  Again, I have seen drivers do this on the interstates, but it is not adviseable.

People have told me that it is because of  their perceived complexity of the HRT system that they do not use buses, "How do I know which bus to take," they ask.  The solution to that question is easy, as easy as visiting the HRT Trip Planner at www.gohrt.com where you just input in your location address, the address of the location to which you want to go and either the time you want to leave or the time you want to arrive.  Voiala!  A map and written directions which you can printo out and take with you appears on your screen.  It tells you where the nearest HRT stop is, which bus and at what time to catch it, transfer information if it is not a direct shot, and arrival location and time.  What more could you want to make trip planing any easier?  It is so simple that even the average automobile driver can use it.

One of my favorite eating places in Norfolk, Cogans Restaurant, is on the Number 11 route which slices through my neighborhood two blocks from my home and stops right in front of cogans.  An afternoon of pizza, Guinness Stout, conversation and a safe ride back are easy, safe and cheap.  (Route 11 in Norfolk Schedule)  The downside is that the last Route 11 bus taking me home leaves the vicinity of Cogans at 6:21 in the evening.  I will petition my city to increase that, as well as the Route 4 which goes from a block from my home through Ghent where there are more fine restaurants, the Naro Theater and many small shops, benches, coffee places and so forth.  (Route 4 in Norfolk Schedule)  Route 4 also stops running before 7:00 PM, alas.  So we need to beef those, and more, as more of us start discovering the convenience and savings related to bus service.  I would think the business owners along those routes would also benefit from having the buses run more often and later into the evening.

Number 4 Route in Norfolk's Ghent Area Photo © 2009 by Archie R. Whitehill

Forget the pollution, the cost to you, the overall benefit to the community and think of your ease of mind as you ride to work, arriving in a relaxed state having just finished the paper, or surfed your favorite sites, or, as I have done, in the past, written a blog as you go to work.  That is priceless and a feeling that will keep you from issing your car.  It will take getting used to, yes it will, but the benefits are tremendous to you, your family and your community.

If you use the bus, your comments concering your experiences would be welcome; if you don't use the bus, your comments would be welcome.  And, I would like to know what you see in the future of public transportation of Hampton Roads as it pertains to your needs.  Forget all the fancy reasons you read in the newspaper, on line, in my blog; how would public transportation best serve you as an individual?

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Feckless Followers Foster Fear Fest Falderal

Wonderful article by Joanne Kimberlin, The End is Nigh! (Maybe) Maya Prophecy Gains a Following, which was funny, informative, and sad.

Mostly funny.

2012 is almost upon us and we have people who probably believe themselves intelligent who believe in an ill-founded idea that the world will end by some disasterous means on December 21st, or the 23rd, of 2012.  If that isn't bad enough, a number of them are preparing in the following way:  They are building shelters!  Shelters!  Can you believe it, building shelters to protect from the end of the world!

One question, if the world ends, where will your shelter end up, even if it survives?  Is that not one of the more laughable things that you have heard?  Building a shelter for the end of  the world?   When the world ends, will astronauts from other planets visiting where Earth used to be find only shelters orbiting the sun?  And even if that happened, loose shelters in Earth orbit, re-supply of food and water and other necessities would, I'd wager, present somewhat of a problem.

I have read elsewhere that people are planning on having a great time that fall by runnig up their credit card balances on frivolous fun, cruises, Las Vegas trips, expensive dinners, whatever they have desired but could not afford. The reasoning is that when the world ends, they will no longer owe on the balances of their cards.  Two things.  First, it is not going to happen so there may be an uprise in banckrupcy filings in early 2013.  Second, your credit rating follows you into the afterlife.

The foolish things believed in by mere mortals.  If there were a god, then the blueprints used omitted intelligence in a large number of people. 

Of course, entrepreneurs are loving this, those who are writing books, building shelters, holding conferences, making movies, and, probably, selling protective clothing for that fateful day. Right.  Steel-toed shoes to protect your tootsies at the destruction of the Earth event.  I was considering going to my Zazzle site and design a T-Shirt with the Message, "2012 is Near -- Call me in 2013." 

The end is near, indeed, but it is in a few billion years when the sun goes nova or shrinks to a dwarf star.  Perhaps sooner if we get hit by an astroid, but none is on the near time horizon.  Of course, environmentalists wrongly believe we are destroying the Earth with our waste and our industry.  Hardly.  Granted, we may kill ourselves off, but the Earth will survive us easily and in a few billion years a new intelligent species will evolve, if the sun doesn't nova first.

The sad part of this story is the indication to me that our science knowledge and science education are paltry shadows of what they should be, and that we put falderal ahead of facts.

Party on, fools, for the end is nigh!

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Girlfriends All Over Town

This is not really a big secret; I have girlfriends all over Norfolk, and this blog will allow you to see just a few of the many.  Of course, there are so many that I have not had the opportunity to photogrpah them all, but this will give you an idea and perhaps entice you to search these and others out as you travel about the city.  By the way, if you click on the photos, you will be linked to a larger version of that photo, so enjoy looking at these fine ladies of the sea, beautiful and apporpriate representatives of the City of Norfolk. 

 For a look at many, many more Norfolk Mermaids, wander about town, and don't forget your camera.  I can think of no more fitting icons than mermaids for Norfolk, a city bound to the sea for centuries past, centuries to come.

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Homearama: Abundant Temptations -- Right Now!

My wife and I are about to go to visit Homearama 2009.  We attend this event every other year or so.  The homes are always amazing, and amazingly expensive.  I've read this year is different, that homes are in more reasonable price ranges for average families.  Our last Homearama was in 2007 (See Photos of Homearama 2007) and we were dazzled.

BTW, I hope to take more photos today and may post a link to those photos later.  Meanwhile, back to the topic, temptation.

No.  I love the home we have and cannot conceive of ever moving, so the temptation of purchasing a Homearama home is not so strong.  That is not the temptation.  The real temptation is Instant Gratificaction Syndrom, let us call it IGS since every syndrom needs an acronym.  Just look at the ads on television, it it does not have an acronym, it isn't really a disease.  I have IGS; I admit it freely.

What are some of the symptoms?  They are wide ranging, but I will stick to Homearama for examples:

• Wanting to check the refrigerators
• and fix a meal in one of the high-tech kitchens
• Wanting to, er, use the, er, um, fantastic er, facilities; they look sooo comfortable and inviting
• Wanting to climb into one of those lusciousloy inviting beds, especially the ones with the thick comforters, for a nap
• The desire to plop down in one of the dens with the gigantromous television sets to watch a DVD or favorite TV show
• The irresponsible urge to wade in the fish ponds and fountains
• The strong desire to take off shoes and slide down the immaculately polished wood floors
• The absoloutely unforgivable urge to take a shower in one of those magnificent stalls with water coming at all directions
• The similarly monstrous urge to soak in one of the gigantron tubs with a glass of Scotch, a good book and bubbles

You probably get the idea of the temptations we IGS sufferers have to control at Homearama.  So, if you see me in one of the houses takeing part instead of just looking, just turn your head and leave me alone.  And, please, please, do not call security.  Don't tellme that none of you ever get such IGS urges.

See you at Homearama 2009?

Addendum:

Click following link for photos:  Homearama 2009 Photos

Comments, as always, are welcome.

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Rethinking My Stand on President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize

Perhaps I was a bit to hasty, too harsh, on President Obama's receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.  Looking at facts behind the prize, its history and listening to what people with different opinions than mine have caused me to move a bit more to the other side on this issue.  Mind you, this issue only! 

For those of you still on the side that doubts President Obama deserved the Nobel Peace Prize, please watch and listen to the following video, and listen with an open mind and with a closed mouth.  It expresses my reasons for reconsidering in an excellent manner:

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I am still not a true fan of Mr. Obama's policies, so rest easy on that if you think I have gone completely bonkers, but it is a proud day for us that yet another of our Presidents has won the Nobel Peace Prize.  Remember, even if you disagree with him, even if you didn't vote for him, in our system of government he is, and will remain, our president, and we should be proud that he has been recognized as a peacemaker.

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