News from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Chris Graham

Friday, July 17 – Press briefing by Tony Blinken, national security advisor to Vice President Joe Biden, on the vice president’s upcoming trip to Ukraine and Georgia Thursday, July 16 – Press gaggle with Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton – Vice President Biden highlights Recovery Act progress in Virginia – Statement from the president on…

Earth Talk | Sunspots, solar wind and oil shale

Roddy Scheer

Dear EarthTalk: Don’t some scientists point to sunspots and solar wind as having more impact on climate change than human industrial activity? – David Noss, California, Md. Sunspots are storms on the sun’s surface that are marked by intense magnetic activity and play host to solar flares and hot gassy ejections from the sun’s corona….

In the News

AFP

– Capitol Hill: Perriello sponsors earmark fundraising ban, posted Wednesday, 7:45 p.m. – State News: Park Service announces stimulus projects, including Shenandoah National Park project, posted Wednesday, 7:45 p.m. – State News: Planned Parenthood aims to provide Plan B emergency contraception to teens, posted Wednesday, 7:45 p.m. – Event: Arts Council to present Governor’s School…

David Cox | Advantageous adversity

David Cox

Who wants adversity? I don’t. Fat times are much more fun than lean ones. But down years have certain advantages. They can recall basic values. They can reveal one’s shortcomings—no, that’s not an especially pleasant reality to face, but how can one move from weakness to strength without knowing where one’s weaknesses are? They can…

In the News

Chris Graham

– Local News: Ramp at 247 on I-81 to close two nights next week, posted Tuesday, 2 p.m. – State News: Virginia on iTunes U, posted Tuesday, 2 p.m. – State News: ACLU critical of threat assessment for colleges, universities in fusion center report, posted Tuesday, 2 p.m. – State News: More than 2 million…

Carly at the Movies | What are we doing in this room? (or) Two out of three ain’t bad

Carl Larsen

Sometimes a movie will present you with a blinding moment of truth, a glowing epiphany wherein everything it has to say is suddenly revealed in one character’s line. I experienced such a moment shortly after the beginning of “Duplicity,” currently playing at the Regal Staunton Mall Cinema. Tom Wilkinson, head of a huge conglomerate-type company,…

Transcript and video from the first President Obama news conference

AFP

President Barack Obama held the first prime-time news conference of his presidency Monday night. Obama took questions from reporters on topics ranging from the economic slowdown and discussions in Congress of his proposed stimulus legislation to issues involving Iran and the Middle East and the news that New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez has confessed…

The AFP Blog – Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009

Chris Graham

– Perriello criticizes tobacco tax in SCHIP bill, Wednesday, 1:40 p.m. – Conservation easements top 100,000 acres in Valley, Wednesday, 12:50 p.m. – Treasury announces new restrictions on executive compensation, Wednesday, 12:50 p.m. – House GOP pushing mental-health reforms, Wednesday, 12:50 p.m. – House bill allowing government-sanctioned sectarian prayers at government meetings unconstitutional, ACLU says,…