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July 16 marks the 66th anniversary of the first nuclear weapons test explosion. The United States’ test, code-named “Trinity,” was exploded in the desert of New Mexico and ignited the nuclear age. The bombing of Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9 were followed by some 2,050 nuclear tests worldwide, with over half…
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American Meat, a feature documentary about a grassroots revolution in sustainable farming starring Virginia’s own Joel Salatin and his Polyface Farms, will have its world premiere July 9 at Waynesboro’s Zeus Theater and July 10 at Staunton’s Visulite Theater. Reported and directed by filmmaker Graham Meriwether, the movie explains how America arrived at its current…
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We politicians like to take credit for accomplishments even when our connection to what has been achieved may sometimes seem less than clear. We also tend to ignore things that are not going as well as they might. For example, Governor McDonnell as most governors before him regularly announces new jobs that are created in…
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Dr. James McClintock, a renowned University of Alabama-Birmingham marine biologist who has conducted research in Antarctica for more than 25 years, told me the following story. “You work in a scientific lab in the quietest place on Earth — Antarctica. “There’s a Crack! Boom! “You rush to the window of your remote lab with a…
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U.S. Sens. Jim Webb and Mark R. Warner today introduced legislation that would allow oil and natural gas exploration and production off of the Virginia coast. Both senators have consistently supported safe and responsible energy exploration on Virginia’s outer continental shelf. The Virginia Outer Continental Shelf Energy Production Act of 2011 would also expand the…
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The resurgence of Cimex lectularius, the common Bed bug, is being reported across the Commonwealth of Virginia. VPMA-member pest control companies who received one or two bedbug calls a year are now reporting one to two each week. That’s 50 times more calls! Experts say the bed bug resurgence started with international travel with bugs…
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Recently I had the tremendous honor of attending Virginia’s 85th state FFA convention on the campus of Virginia Tech. What a wonderful opportunity to see more than 1,700 bright, eager and enthusiastic young agricultural leaders in action. As I sat there in Burruss Auditorium, I found myself reflecting back to my own days when I…
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I’ve lived in the heartland for more than two decades. And I can tell you that there’s nothing like a sultry July night at the local ballpark, rooting for the home team, eating hot dogs and quaffing beer, watching fireworks viewed from damp, warm infield grass. This time of year, the Midwest is awash in…
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USDA NRCS has approved $50,000 in funding to sustain ongoing partnership activities with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to improve water quality in the Shenandoah Valley. Authorized through the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI), this project is part of a multi-stakeholder effort to target technical assistance and funding in the high-density animal production regions of Page,…
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A year ago, in the midst of over nine percent unemployment and a quickly escalating 13 trillion dollar national debt, the White House launched its “Recovery Summer” tour in an effort to gain support for its failed trillion dollar stimulus plan. Since the stimulus was signed into law, what we have seen is anything but…
