Archive for February, 2010

I would like to thank the Blue Ridge Leader for posting Mr. Bill Druhan’s speech at the Purcellville town council meeting on February 16 . At this meeting, former mayor and current member of the Purcellville Planning Commission, Bill Druhan, openly threatened Hirst Farm residents. Equally disturbing is the lack of outrage displayed by the… »

Here is a brief summary of those physical factors which influence a planet’s climate and in the case of Earth, make life possible. These are included in the anthropogenic global warming theory presented in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports [IPCC, 2007].

Solar luminosity
Atmospheric greenhouse effect
o Carbon dioxide
o Methane
o Ozone
o Water vapor
o Nitrous Oxide
o Others…
Earth orbital… »

As much as half of the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. Making smart decisions about your home’s heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system can have a big effect on your utility bills - and your comfort.
There are several ways you can cut down on your energy consumption.
A programmable thermostat… »

Republican Party Canvass will be held on Saturday, March 6 at Belmont Ridge Middle School between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The official call can be found at http://www.loudoungop.com/2010OfficialCall.html
All county Republicans are eligible to vote. One must be a registered Loudoun County voter and sign the following loyalty pledge in… »

Missions trips to China or Haiti, attending Pre-College at Brown University, or Governor’s School, are options that high school students have to occupy their summers. With the end of February fast approaching, students are beginning to think about summer plans, and are in the process of filling out applications and attending interviews to… »

Hard as it may be to imagine, my loquaciousness isn’t impervious to fatigue. There are times, when I need a respite from talking. All of it, even my twiddly little fingers on the keyboard, stop. When I come to this point of stillness, the sounds around me flood my senses. To tune out the… »

Searching for God in the Sixties

This paradigm-breaking book dares to rethink the whole of the ’60s experience, not from a political or sociological but from an historical/theological perspective. Camille Paglia wrote that “the spiritual history of the sixties has yet to be written.” This is that book. For now that the academic theorists have… »

Loudoun Lyric Opera announces auditions for “Don Giovanni” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to be presented June 4, 5 and 6 at Franklin Park Performing Arts Center in Purcellville.
Auditions for principal and chorus roles will be held by appointment at the following times and locations:
Saturday, March 6 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Northern VA Community… »

OK, I dreamed of a white Christmas. A white February? Not so much.
Snow, it’s everywhere and all we have thought about for weeks. Daily routines have been flipped on their heads and just when life seems to be returning to normal, we get predictions for even more!
Even the arts, living by the code, ‘the show… »

Dear Adversity,
Why must you embarrass yourself like this? It’s obvious you keep trying, and yet consistently I laugh in your face. Ha. Like so.
You have made my long, winding, and steep driveway impassable to all but the most impressive of machines. Did you think I would wither away for want of… »

When all was said and done, it was a pretty simple decision. The Blizzard of ‘10 would have limited our audience to those brave enough to conquer ice and snow to get to us Valentine’s weekend. Simply too much to ask of anyone — cast, crew or audience —so then it was a… »

Dear Neighbors,
I am initiating another series of community meetings throughout the district this winter. My office is still putting the finishing touches on the final schedule and I will be sending out a complete schedule in the near future.
The next scheduled meeting is St. Louis. The meeting will take place on… »

“Come wander with me,” she said,
“Into regions yet untrod;
And read what is still unread
In the manuscripts of God.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The woman in Longfellow’s poem is Nature and the man she is addressing is Louis Agassiz, the discoverer of the Ice Ages. And of course God’s manuscripts are the rocks from which we humans have… »

“Nature cannot be fooled” Richard Feynman, Lectures on Physics
Toulouse, France, February 6, 2010 – The reason I’ve been in France all week is business. Toulouse, in the south of France nestled beneath the Pyrenees, is the hub of the French aerospace industry.
The reason I’m still here is the historic snow storm you all are… »

Dear Neighbors,
I wanted to provide you with an update of VDOT’s efforts to open up the roads in Western Loudoun and to get a sense of your situations out there that I can share with VDOT and the County’s Emergency Operations Team.
As of 7:30 this morning, I received news that 80 percent of the gravel/unpaved… »