Governor McDonnell Announces Development of the Super NoVa Transit and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Action Plan

Amsterdam Horse and Buggy (Photo credit: BRODICK)

RICHMOND – In 2011, Governor Bob McDonnell charged the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) with creating the Super NoVa Transit and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Vision Plan. The goal of the Vision Plan was to recommend solutions to enhance transportation choices, improve connectivity between modes of public transportation and reduce congestion for anyone living or traveling through the Super NoVa region.

Today, Governor McDonnell announced that DRPT will work with stakeholders, policy makers, and local, regional and state agencies to develop the Super NoVa Transit and TDM Action Plan. The Action Plan builds on the framework already established in the Vision Plan.

“Commuters in Northern Virginia face significant challenges as they travel through the most congested region in the Commonwealth,” said Governor McDonnell. “The Action Plan is designed to achieve increased transportation options and provide a forum for policy makers to continue regional dialogue, ensuring long-term collaboration to advance the Vision Plan recommendations.”

“DRPT’s mission is to improve the mobility of people and goods while expanding transportation choices in the Commonwealth,” said Secretary Sean T. Connaughton. “This Action Plan will provide travelers throughout the Northern Virginia area a seamless journey to their destinations, greater connectivity within the region and more mobility options for residents and visitors alike.”

“In order to continue the positive regional collaboration, a Super NoVa Transit and TDM Regional Consortium convened for the purpose of providing leadership and continuing communication on transit and TDM policies, programs, and projects that will lead to reduced congestion in the Super NoVa Region,” said Thelma Drake, director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation.

Secretary Connaughton led the Super NoVa Regional Consortium kickoff meeting, as the Commonwealth continues to engage its partners in addressing the region’s current and future transportation challenges.

The Super NoVa area comprises Northern Virginia and the localities extending from Northern Virginia to Caroline County on the south, Culpeper County on the west and Frederick County to the northwest.  Travelers in the region will be able to look forward to more options, including: coordination of local bus services to interface with regional transit services; development of a system of hubs that connect people and places; increased commuter buses and additional carpool and vanpool opportunities.

The goal for completing the Action Plan is winter 2013.  Over the course of the next several months, DRPT and its partners will continue to work toward the development of the Action Plan through a series of Super NoVa Regional Consortium and stakeholder meetings.

Waiting-area/Lobby at BFL, with a full-scale replica of Space Ship One above and the Baggage Claim in the distance (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Dragnet, The Big Mother - Classic TV Mondays

Dragnet with, The Big Mother.  Classic TV here on GVLN.  Friday and Jacobs investigates the kidnapping of one twin from a hospital in Los Angeles.  Watch Dragnet every Monday right here on GVLN.  

Photo of Jack Webb and Harry Morgan from the television program Dragnet. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Congressman Rob Wittman On Federal Sequestration

This is not a democratic issue, it's not a republican issue, we do not play the party blame game here on this site.  This is simply big government playing hardball politics to pacify political desires.  Our leaders need to once again understand that their jobs are to govern the nation on behalf of the people as we are a nation by the people and for the people.  Not by the people for special interests, not by the people for corporations, not by the people for government officials.  Those ideals be damned and those who would believe in them also be damned.

  Our founding fathers must be clawing inside their graves at this kind of garbage.   We have to give credit to Congressman Wittman for his stands and leadership.  He's at least looking like he it trying to do what is right for this nation in this video.

English: Congressional portrait of Congressman Rob Wittman, 112th Congress. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Congressman Rob Wittman - News Updates

English: (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

June 05, 2013


Respect for military tradition and public service was evident all over Virginia’s First District last weekend. I was pleased to gather with so many of you to commemorate Memorial Day and to honor the memory of the many Americans who have given the ultimate sacrifice in defense of this nation. At Memorial Day events in both Williamsburg and Yorktown, I heard so many inspiring stories of phenomenal American heroes. We must never fail to honor their service, and we must never take their sacrifice for granted. To the men and women of our armed forces, both past and present, and to your families – thank you for all that you’ve done for this great nation.

On Tuesday, I was pleased to spend time with a fantastic group of veterans in Dale City. The Prince William Chamber of Commerce Veterans Council hosted Delegate Rich Anderson and me at an event to discuss the important issues facing our Commonwealth and nation. Some of these issues will be coming up soon in consideration of the annual National Defense Authorization Act. Del. Anderson and I served together in the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech, and I was pleased to be with him and with the many dedicated patriots in attendance. Being able to take questions and clarify my views on various subjects is always important, but I particularly value the opportunity to hear specific ideas and opinions from citizens. That’s why I meet frequently with constituents in my district offices and visit so many workplaces and organizations across the district. That’s also why I drive home to the Northern Neck each night, even when Congress is in session. The best ideas to address our nation’s challenges come from places like Yorktown, Tappahannock, and Fredericksburg – not Washington.

Another great discussion this past week came at the Quantico/Belvoir Regional Business Alliance’s quarterly luncheon in Woodbridge. This region of the First District has seen significant growth in recent years, and this was a tremendous opportunity for me to discuss some of what’s going on in Congress now and to answer questions regarding the way these potential policies can affect folks and small businesses in the First District. The recent, across-the-board budget cuts, known as sequestration, are of particular concern to folks in this area, and I stressed to the group my continued resolve to replace these cuts with more responsible, commonsense solutions.

Finally, I was honored this week to attend a government class at Kettle Run High School in Nokesville. I am always inspired by the optimism and civic engagement of our youth, and I enjoyed speaking with these talented students about my own background and about how issues being addressed in Congress today will reverberate for years to come. This generation has the enthusiasm and intelligence to take our nation to new heights, and I will continue each day to pursue policies in Washington that strengthen and enhance the opportunity that America offers.

The main streets of Virginia’s First District are full of ideas to get our economy back on track, and your feedback is so important to me as I serve you. I can be reached by telephone at (202) 225-4261, through my website (www.wittman.house.gov), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/reprobwittman), and via Twitter (www.twitter.com/robwittman).

Congressman Rob Wittman represents the First District of Virginia. He serves on the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Armed Services Committee where he is the Chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee.

http://wittman.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=804&Itemid=75  Link back to Congressman Wittman's page with this story.

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Epic Cinematic Symphonic Orchestra - Free Song Of The Day

Royalty-free music for professional licensing

Epic Cinematic Symphonic Orchestra, the music track is considered newage, yet sounds very classical in nature.  It's objective is to create a mood.  What kind of mood?  An epic journey type mood.  Check it out.  Play it here and if you like it, download a free copy.  If you don't then we will give you your money back.  Since it's free, you can get your money back and download it for free too.  GVLN, where free really means free.

English: The Cinematic Orchestra live at Cracov (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Turmeric, The Spice That Heals - Natural Health Tips

Curry in the spice-bazaar (egypitan) in Istanbul (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Dr. Mercola

Most spices have powerful medicinal properties, which is precisely why they've been used to promote healing for thousands of years prior to the advent of modern, synthetic drug-based medicine.

One such spice is turmeric, the yellow-pigmented "curry spice" often used in Indian cuisine. Turmeric contains curcumin, the polyphenol identified as its primary active component and which exhibits over 150 potentially therapeutic activities, which include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.1

Curcumin is capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier, which is one reason why it holds promise as a neuroprotective agent in a wide range of neurological disorders. Researchers have investigated curcumin for its potential role in improving Parkinson's disease .

Preliminary results indicate that it may hold even more promise than the drugs currently used for this disorder, many of which (ironically) have serious neurotoxic side effects, including dyskinesia – a movement disorder identical to the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Natural Curcumin Extract Outshines Parkinson's Drugs

Parkinson's is a neurodegenerative disease caused by a steady depletion of dopamine-producing nerve cells, particularly in the area of your brain referred to as the substantia nigra. Most of the current drug treatments for Parkinson's disease, known as dopamine agonists, focus on replenishing dopamine.

Although such treatments provide symptomatic relief during early Parkinson's disease, they are ineffective in the long term where they may actually increase symptoms such as tremor, postural instability and cognitive deficits that are common with this disease. They are also associated with motor complications and a laundry list of other strange and disturbing side effects, including:

Euphoria	Nausea
Hallucinations	Insomnia
Causing or worsening psychosis	Unusual tiredness or weakness
Orthostatic hypotension (a dizzy spell caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure)	Dizziness, drowsiness, lightheadedness, or fainting
Increased orgasmic intensity	Twitching, twisting, or other unusual body movements
Weight loss	Pathological addiction (gambling, shopping, internet pornography, hypersexuality)

As researchers noted in the journal Current Pharmaceutical Design:2

"Most of the current pharmacotherapeutic approaches in PD [Parkinson's disease] are aimed at replenishing the striatal dopamine. Although these drugs provide symptomatic relief during early PD, many patients develop motor complications with long-term treatment. Further, PD medications do not effectively tackle tremor, postural instability and cognitive deficits.

Most importantly, most of these drugs do not exhibit neuroprotective effects in patients. Consequently, novel therapies involving natural antioxidants and plant products/molecules with neuroprotective properties are being exploited for adjunctive therapy."

Unlike Parkinson's drugs, curcumin is neuroprotective and several studies strongly support its use for the treatment of Parkinson's. For example:

• Curcumin showed neuroprotective properties in an animal model of Parkinson's disease; the beneficial effect was thought to be related, in part, to its antioxidant capabilities and its ability to penetrate the brain.3
• Curcumin alleviated the effects of glutathione depletion, which causes oxidative stress, mitochondria dysfunction and cell death – and is a feature of early Parkinson's disease.4
• The c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway is involved in dopaminergic neuronal degeneration, which is in turn associated with Parkinson's. Curcumin prevents dopaminergic neuronal death through inhibition of the JNK pathway, and thereby offers a neuroprotective effect that may be beneficial for Parkinson's.5
• Slow-wriggling alpha-synuclein proteins can cause clumping, which is the first step for diseases such as Parkinson's. Curcumin helps prevent the proteins from clumping.6

Curcumin Is a Powerful Ally for Your Brain Health

For years now turmeric, and its active ingredient curcumin, have shown powerful benefits to your brain health. One of the ways that it works, similar to vitamin D, is modulating large numbers of your genes; in fact, curcumin has been shown to influence more than 700 genes.

The potential healing power of this spice, which is an important part of Eastern cultural traditions including traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda, perhaps first came about when it was noticed that the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease among older adults in India is more than four times lower than the rate in the United States.   

Why such a significant difference?

Some researchers believe the answer for this drastic disparity in Alzheimer's disease prevalence is a direct result of curcumin. Research has shown that curcumin may help inhibit the accumulation of destructive beta amyloids in the brain of Alzheimer's patients, as well as break up existing plaques. People with Alzheimer's tend to have higher levels of inflammation in their brains, and curcumin is perhaps most known for its potent anti-inflammatory properties. The compound can inhibit both the activity and the inflammatory metabolic byproducts of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) and 5-lipooxygenase (5-LOX) enzymes, as well as other enzymes and hormones that modulate inflammation.

And that's not all. The growing interest in curcumin over the past 50 years is understandable when you consider the many health benefits researchers have found when studying this spice. According to an ever-expanding clinical body of studies, curcumin may help:

 http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/08/curcumin-vs-drugs-for-parkinsons.aspx  Link back to the rest of the story.

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Chicken Tamales - Recipe Of The Day

#3238 chicken lunch (Photo credit: Nemo's great uncle)

Soak some trimmed corn husk (bought in Mexican stores) for several hours
in cold water, then boil until soft, remove; dry on cloth, and rub with
lard. Cut up a fat chicken, cook until very tender in just enough water
to leave about four cups. Chop up cooked chicken, add corn meal or masa
to boiling hot chicken broth until a thick dough; add salt to taste, one
tablespoon chile powder, or chile sauce No. 1; add tablespoon of lard
and knead all together until light and smooth. Now to all the chicken
add enough chile sauce No. 1 to mix thickly together; add about
one-fourth cup of sliced olives and a few whole ones and one-fourth cup
seedless raisins, and a few whole ones, salt to taste and cook together
for five minutes; spread corn dough evenly over shuck or husk about
one-eighth inch thick. In center of one larger husk place a large
kitchen spoonful of chicken; spread over this one tablespoonful of
dough; place another husk spread with dough; continue placing husk
around on all sides until about ten are used. Tie ends together with a
strip of husk and place on end in a colander over boiling water for two
or three hours, or place some corn husk in bottom of vessel, pile
tamales on top, pour in about a quart of water, bring to a boil and
steam slowly for three or four hours.

Make something extraordinary tonight.

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ESPN Sports Updates - NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, Boxing, Golf, Tennis - More

ESPN (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

National Blackout in effect while Russian Troops to stand on American soil policing US national events.  We will not support this activity.

The Lexington Invasion - Liberty Education Series

Today we are beginning an all new series.  It's the Liberty Education Series.  It's designed to make learning history fun and exciting and bridge the gap of the very serious lack of historical education the citizens of these United States suffer from. We are using the best forms of educational entertainment we can find.  Nothing dusty or dry.  We have been watching the Liberty's Kids series to check on the level of factual information and have found them to be very well researched and presented which is why we will now be posting them into this site.

  Along with the videos we will be including free e-books that back up what you have seen.  This helps to make learning more fun and it does not seem like learning until you discuss the ideas.  The e-books will all be presented on this site and also made available for download to be read at a later time.  If you miss any copies, we are also posting the title along with the link on our e-books page.  All again are free.

  We hope you enjoy this new series.

The King's Men Move To Lexington from Chuck Thompson

Liberty's Kids (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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