Make something extraordinary.
Defending The Republic, Not some Democracy, and enjoying some of life's rewards along the way.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Amherst Pudding - Recipe of the day
Make something extraordinary.
Governor McDonnell Announces Sales of Virginia Wine Reach New All-Time High
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| No support of Virginia wine? (Photo credit: cizauskas) |
~ Continued Growth Push Sales Across the Half-Million Case Benchmark~
As Administration Puts Focus on International Marketing Efforts, Export Sales Increase By More Than 74%
***Sales Up More Than 23% Since FY10***
MACHIPONGO – During a visit to the Eastern Shore’s Chatham Vineyards on his “This Commonwealth of Opportunity” tour, Governor Bob McDonnell today announced that sales of Virginia wine reached another all-time high in Fiscal Year 2013, increasing by more than 5 percent from FY2012. Virginia wineries sold over 511,000 cases of wine in FY13 versus almost 485,000, the previous record high, in FY12 according to newly available sales figures compiled by the Virginia Department of Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) and the Virginia Wine Marketing Office. Since FY2010, when almost 415,000 cases were sold, sales of Virginia wines have increased by more than 23 percent.
Speaking about the new sales record while at Chatham Vineyards, Governor McDonnell said, “At the beginning of my administration, I pledged to work with the Virginia wine industry to make the Commonwealth the East Coast capital for wine and wine tourism. Today’s announcement is further proof that we’re well on our way to reaching that goal. Sales have reached a new record high and tourism to our wineries continues to grow. With the outstanding product being produced by our grape growers and wine makers, it’s no surprise that more and more people are buying Virginia wines and experiencing our wineries and vineyards. I’m pleased our administration’s focus on promoting Virginia wines and wine tourism both here and abroad is helping the Commonwealth's wine industry to grow and expand. From serving only Virginia wines at the Executive Mansion to marketing them during all domestic and international trade missions, we have taken every step possible to help create new sales and generate more jobs and economic opportunities all across the Commonwealth.”
In-state sales of Virginia wine increased by almost 3 percent from FY12 to FY13, while wine sales through Virginia wineries increased by approximately 6 percent during the same period, indicating increased interest in visiting Virginia wineries. Wine sales to distributors outside of Virginia increased by more than 60 percent from FY12 to FY13. Today, Virginia wines are being sold in numerous states including Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Washington, D.C., one of the Virginia Wine Marketing Office's top strategic growth regions. In addition, Virginia wineries sold more wine out of state, directly or through a wholesale distributor, and internationally during the most recent fiscal year. Specifically, these sales increased by 69 percent from FY12 to FY13.
Specific to exports, international sales of Virginia wines grew by more than 74 percent, increasing from just over 3,300 cases in FY12 to more than 5,800 in FY13. A significant portion of the international sales were driven by new sales to China, an area where the McDonnell administration has focused its global marketing and export growth strategic plans. The first commercial sales of Virginia wines to mainland China were completed in FY12 and new export agreements have been reached since then, including several facilitated during Governor McDonnell’s trade missions to China in 2011 and 2013. Sales of Virginia wines to Great Britain and London, the world's largest wine import market, continued to grow during the last fiscal year as well. The McDonnell administration and the Virginia Wine Marketing Office have focused heavily on marketing to this region as well.
“The continued impressive sales growth of Virginia wine starts with our growers and wine makers, who are creating wines that more and more people want to enjoy," said Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd Haymore. "From Wine Enthusiast naming Virginia a top ten global wine destination last year to the recent multi-page features in the New York Times and Decanter, the Virginia wine industry also is garnering more well-deserved attention in the global marketplace. The Governor, First Lady, and I have been proud to partner with the industry, as well as our colleagues at the Virginia Wine Marketing Office, the Virginia Tourism Corporation, Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, to promote our outstanding wines around the country and world over the last three years. This strategic focus has led to new sales and opportunities for our wineries, and we expect that we’ll see continued growth in the years to come.”
According to figures from ABC, total sales of Virginia wine amounted to more than $1.7 million in wine liter tax collections during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013. The Virginia wine liter tax is applied at a rate of $3.60 per case of wine. This is the second fiscal year that the Virginia Wine Marketing Office is capturing Virginia wine sales outside of the Commonwealth that are not captured in ABC figures.
Domestic and international promotion of the Virginia wine industry is one of Governor McDonnell's top economic development and jobs creation initiatives. Since 2010, the McDonnell administration worked with the General Assembly to establish a reimbursable tax credit program for the establishment or expansion of vineyards and wineries and to almost triple the amount of funds placed in the Virginia Wine Promotion Fund for research, education, and marketing programs. Governor McDonnell also promotes the sale of Virginia wines in Virginia, around the country, and during multiple trade and marketing missions to Europe, Canada, Israel, India, and Asia. The Governor also launched the first ever Virginia Wine Summit in October 2012 where world famous wine connoisseur Steven Spurrier served as the keynote speaker. In addition, First Lady Maureen McDonnell makes the promotion of Virginia wines and winery tourism a component of the First Lady's Initiative Team Effort (FLITE). This focus on Virginia wine was furthered in late June when the Governor and First Lady unveiled the historic bicentennial-themed blended red wine, ‘1813.’
Virginia currently ranks fifth in the number of wineries in the nation with more than 230. Virginia is also tied with Texas as the nation's fifth largest wine grape producing states. According to a 2012 economic impact study, the Virginia wine industry employs more than 4,700 individuals and contributes almost $750 million to the Virginia economy on an annual basis. In addition, more than 1.6 million tourists, a record high, visited Virginia wineries in 2011.
For more information about the Virginia wine industry, please visit the Virginia Wine Marketing Office's website athttp://www.virginiawine.org/ or call 804-344-8200.
Pocahontas - Super History
We are starting off the story of Pocahontas with the above video from Nova. It explores in more detail the real story behind the legend. We also have 2 e-books that are new editions in our collection of digital publishing. One is more along the lines of a childrens story and the other covers more detail and geared more towards adults. It's an overall well rounded view of the Princess.
To read this in an easier manner, please click on the icon at the bottom right hand side of the container to open the document to full screen view. You are free to download a free copy from our SlideShare site by signing into SlideShare with your Facebook account or LinkedIn account or by signing up for a free account.
You can also pick up a free copy of this e-book as well. We had another video scheduled to go along with all of these books, however, the video was taken down off of YouTube for copyright violations. Animated Classic Hero's has an interesting albeit historically questionable version of Pocahontas we were going to show. The owners of those videos had YouTube pull down all copies of their videos due to said copyright violations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animated_Hero_Classics Here is more information on the video we are not able to show. We guess money is more important than education? DVD sales must come first. We saw the film, it isn't worth buying anyway.
Gloucester, VA Board of Supervisors Guilty of Suppression?
Some topics have open discussion from the public for 5 minutes per person while others we have seen have 10 minutes of time allocated to the public. The questions we started to ask is what gives the Board of Supervisors the power to make and or change these times for public speaking? So far we have seen no law that supports time limitations for how long any member of the public is allowed to address any topic before the Board of Supervisors. All we have been able to ascertain is that the time limitations are only requests made by the Board of Supervisors to give enough people the chance to speak and nothing more.
Stopwatches should never be used against the public as we have seen Louise Theberge use time and time again. What we have been able to determine is that Louise uses the stop watch and request as though it is a mandated law and that she is the dictator in charge of suppression over anyone who would dare speak out against any plans that either she or anyone else on the board wishes to push through. What Louise and other Board members seem to fail to remember is that the time limitations can only be requested of the public. Neither the Federal nor the State government imposes these time limitations on anyone, why should anyone allow county officials to get away with this? It's an act of suppression and a tool of tyrants violating the public trust.
Here is one Gloucester citizen that went to speak before the Board of Supervisors and had the same 5 minutes to speak as everyone else. He was not even accorded 4 minutes before he was so rudely interrupted by Louise Theberge causing him to lose his concentration. That was very clear suppression. Louise Theberge did this again in August to Theresa Altemus during the School Bond hearing. We have the video posted at the bottom of this site and you can see where Theresa Altemus is cut off by Louise Theberge from continuing on with her arguments in opposition to the Board's plans to pass the new school bonds. Theresa Altemus was once a member of the Board of Supervisors and privy to a lot of information that most others would be very pressed to get. That meant that Theresa was a threat to the present Board of Supervisors and probably why she was suppressed in her arguments against the school bonds.
We are asking the Board of Supervisors and Twitching Ted, (I'm not an attorney) Wilmot, county attorney, to show where in Virginia Code they have a right to limit, hence, suppress the people from speaking for longer periods other than the county's request for self limitations in order to give others a chance to speak.
In other words, we want to see these abuses stopped once and for all. County government is not a dictatorship by the few for the few. County government is granted by the governed and is for the governed and at the consent of the governed. Would be dictators need not apply.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
The Lucy Show, Lucy and Viv Learn Karate 1963
The Lucy Show, Lucy and Viv Learn Karate, 1963. Classic TV here on GVLN.
While all the networks keep putting out more and more garbage, we are bringing back the good old fashioned entertainment. Shows and movies that made sense and not filled with tons of propaganda messages. Sure, propaganda has always been a part of Hollywood, but it's more prevalent today than it used to be.
The old stuff made more sense and was more geared towards the American way of life and not trying to destroy it. Beside, looking at the fashions of the period and how life used to be is incredibly interesting. No cell phones, no computers, no security cameras, not a lot of issues.
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| Publicity photo of Lucille Ball and Clint Walker from the television program The Lucy Show. The episode is "Lucy and the Sleeping Beauty". Walker takes Lucy to a skyscraper under construction and Lucy discovers she's afraid of heights while on the girder. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Governor Bob McDonnell Announces Contract for U.S. Route 460 Phase II Project in Buchanan County
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| English: The state seal of Virginia. Српски / Srpski: Застава америчке савезне државе Вирџиније. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Design-build contract will use coal synergy to reduce project costs by 50%
BUCHANAN COUNTY— On-site of the U.S. Route 460 Connector Phase I construction project in Buchanan County, Governor Bob McDonnell announced today a contract has been signed to begin the second phase of U.S. Route 460 construction.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), in coordination with the Office of Transportation Public-Private Partnerships, recently signed a contract with Bizzack Construction, LLC, Lexington, Ky. to design and build the 6.2-mile section to rough grade. Bizzack Construction, LLC, also serves as the design-build contractor for Phase I.
“Creating new access through better transportation will fuel economic development and tourism opportunities never available with the current network of roads,” Governor Bob McDonnell said. “The Route 460 Connector and the Coalfields Expressway are key connections that will open southwestern Virginia to more job and business opportunities.”
Transportation Secretary Sean T. Connaughton added, “By executing a design-build contract, the Commonwealth is able to deliver this project at a much reduced cost. This contract brings Virginia one step closer to creating an improved highway network and connectivity between Route 460 in Virginia and Kentucky, which are federally-designated as Corridor Q, and the Coalfields Expressway. ”
Bizzack recently acquired Rapoca Energy, succeeding Rapoca Energy in the partnership with VDOT to build the Route 460 Connector Phase II to rough grade. VDOT entered negotiations with Bizzack in 2012, and in June the Commonwealth Transportation Board authorized VDOT Commissioner Greg Whirley to award and execute a $108 million design-build contract to construct the road bed to rough grade.
U.S. Route 460 Connector Phase II will be a 6.2-mile limited access four-lane highway, connecting to Kentucky’s newly constructed Route 460. The connector in Virginia is broken into two sections, the first already under construction at the Kentucky line near Breaks Interstate Park.
The west end of the U.S. Route 460 Connector in Virginia will connect to a proposed interchange for the Coalfields Expressway.
The design-build contract will use the coal synergy concept to provide a rough grade road bed at a reduction of over 50% in costs.
The estimated cost of the design-build contract – taking into consideration the savings from coal synergy - is approximately $108 million.
Coal synergy reduces road building costs substantially by using the coal companies’ larger-scale earth moving equipment and construction techniques common to the coal industry to prepare the road bed to rough grade, and allowing the companies to recover marketable coal reserves during the road bed preparation.
In August 2009, VDOT awarded the $113 million design-build contract for the construction of the .8-mile section of Phase I of the connector, which includes the construction of twin high-level bridges that will be the tallest in Virginia when completed.
The bridges will be over 250-feet-high and 1,700 linear feet in length. They will span Route 610 (Conaway Road) and Grassy Creek. The .8-mile Phase I project begins at the Kentucky state line, meeting up with the improvements Kentucky is making to Route 460.
An access ramp to Route 80, improving access to Breaks Interstate Park, is part of the U.S. Route 460 Connector Phase I. Secondary connections to Routes 609 and 693 from Route 80 are also being constructed.
Governor McDonnell Praises Collaboration, Innovation, Research and Entrepreneurs for Creating Jobs in Southwest Virginia
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| English: Governor of Virginia at CPAC in . (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
“This Commonwealth of Opportunity” Tour Visit to WireTough Showcases Growth of Technology Economy in Region
BRISTOL - During a tour of WireTough Cylinders in Bristol’s industrial area, Governor Bob McDonnell discussed the results of his administration’s economic development initiatives that have focused on growing innovation and entrepreneurship all across Virginia, including in Southwest Virginia by companies and organizations advancing energy-efficient and clean technologies.
Speaking about the visit, Governor McDonnell remarked, “All across the world, innovation is recognized as the premier path to economic expansion and job creation. And the drivers of innovation in our economy are entrepreneurs and workers at emerging, high-growth technology companies – individuals like Amit Prakash and the dedicated employees of his company, WireTough. These companies produce up to 33% of the new jobs being created today. That is why, as part of our economic development efforts, we pushed reforms and investments in seed-stage funding and research commercialization – two areas of innovation that are crucial for entrepreneurship to flourish. Additionally, instead of re-creating new programs, we have leveraged existing resources, such as the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center Foundation and Clean Energy R&D Center, the Secretary of Technology and the Center for Innovative Technology to create a collaborative ecosystem that is fueling innovation and company and job creation in Southwest Virginia.”
“In addition to recognizing the new technologies and companies, the region is helping create and take advantage of new market opportunities,” Secretary of Technology Jim Duffey said. “What we are seeing today is that when we unleash the entrepreneurial spirit, we are successful at creating opportunities to support the expansion of private-sector businesses and create new jobs here in the Commonwealth.”
Working with the General Assembly, Governor McDonnell advanced reforms and additional funding for the CIT GAP Funds and the Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF).The CIT GAP Funds make seed-stage equity investments in emerging technology companies with high growth potential. The Funds rely on an Investment Advisory Board to approve the investment, and then to attract additional private sector investments, sometimes with a leverage of 13:1, depending on the stage of the company. Since 2010, the Funds have helped 50 companies reach new growth levels, and Virginia saw significant growth in early-stage investments and new startups.
One of those companies was WireTough, which in 2012 and again this year, received investments from the CIT GAP Funds’ Commonwealth Energy Fund for its proprietary technology that manufactures compressed natural gas (CNG) cylinders that are lighter, safer and increase fuel-efficiency for vehicles.
Amit Prakash, WireTough CEO, said, “WireTough’s economical and safe tanks accelerate acceptance of natural gas vehicles while reducing a dependence on foreign oil. I am grateful to the McDonnell Administration’s focus on emerging technology companies like mine, and for the CIT GAP Funds’ investment that gives the opportunity to generate these unique technologies and to grow our company. ”
Governor McDonnell noted that in addition to making seed-stage investments, “innovation requires commercialization. Although Virginia has been fortunate over the years to receive billions of federal dollars, including research investments, the investments in accelerating the commercialization of that research has been episodic and uncertain. That is why we also worked to reform and invest in the Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund.”
The CRCF is administered by CIT to facilitate research commercialization to build new companies and create jobs. To prioritize those investments, the McDonnell administration and General Assembly created the Research and Technology Strategic Roadmap (the R&T Roadmap), a strategic planning tool aligned with the CRCF that links investments to regional industry sector priorities with commercial promise that are worthy of institutional focus and economic development. Lastly, they also established the Commonwealth Research and Technology Investment Advisory Committee (RTIAC), a body of public and private sector research experts, that advises the Board of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Investment Authority (IEIA) on CRCF investments. Altogether, these programs outline a strategic direction that aligns the Commonwealth’s strengths with short- and long-term goals; drives smart investment decisions and innovation; and creates future job and company creation, and higher wages.
Since FY2012, the first fiscal year the reforms took place, 89 awards have been executed totaling $8.8 million in investment from the CRCF. The projects varied, from cybersecurity to modeling and simulation applications for homeland security to biolife technologies and therapies for the early detection and treatment of cancer. The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center Foundation and the Clean Energy R&D Center received a $100,000 CRCF award, the first for Southwest Virginia for a project entitled “Tazewell County Renewable Natural Gas.”
Governor McDonnell further remarked, “These investments show that innovation and entrepreneurship are strong, and alive and well in Southwest Virginia, and we need to make sure that we have the tools in place to help companies like WireTough and research at the Clean Energy R&D Center and the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center Foundation, which will bring new economic opportunities to the people who live and work here, and who are trying to create a better life and future for their families.”
Silver by the Grey Havens, Free MP3 Song of the day.
The Grey Havens from their album, Where Eye's Don't Go comes this song, "Silver". Pop rock with a nice beat. It's a song that grows on you. Slow to start out but picks up pretty well. Check it out. If you like it, feel free to download a free copy for yourself. Free music everyday here on GVLN. Check out our free coupons as we have pages and pages to help you save a great deal of money in these tough economic times. It's like printing your own money.
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| Silver Springs (song) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Botanical Tree Tulip - Art of the day
Our art of the day is this botanical tree tulip.
PLease feel free to grab a copy for yourself.
Right click and save as to add it to your computer files.
Enjoy.
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