Friday, December 28, 2007

In case you missed it

From Judiciary chair, Senator Leahy, in his statement of December 18:

"President Bush nominated Duncan Getchell to one of Virginia’s Fourth Circuit Vacancies over the objections of Senators Warner and Webb, one a Republican and one a Democrat. They had submitted a list of five recommended nominations, and specifically warned the White House not to nominate Mr. Getchell. As a result, this nomination that is opposed by Democratic and Republican home-state Senators is one that cannot move."

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Of geography and such

Here, the NY Times reports on a NLRB decision that allows employers to limit the use of e-mail for unionization purposes.

Here those shills at the evil Verizon Wireless empire brag on providing "high-speed" wireless connectivity to Southwest Virginia, defined thus: "The network extends from Fairfield, W.Va., through Lexington, Roanoke, Salem, Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Radford and Pulaski. It also extends along Interstate 64 to Covington and includes portions of Alleghany, Bath, Bedford, Botetourt, Carroll, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Roanoke and Rockbridge counties." Which portions, the hilltops? What about the rest of us?

Over in Kentucky, the NY Times says here, one in ten has no teeth.

Here it says that Virginia and Tennessee are going to gang up on the Clinch and the Powell Rivers. The coalfields are defined by the Clinch River. You can look it up - e.g., that statute that says: "Tenants in common, joint tenants, executors with the power to sell, and coparceners of real property, including mineral rights east and south of the Clinch River, shall be compellable to make partition and may compel partition, but in the case of an executor only if the power of sale is properly exercisable at that time under the circumstances; and a lien creditor or any owner of undivided estate in real estate may also compel partition for the purpose of subjecting the estate of his debtor or the rents and profits thereof to the satisfaction of his lien." I think they quit mining coal east and south of the Clinch River not long after Chesterfield County adopted as its seal "a coal miner leaning on his pick under a pine tree with a flowing river at his feet."