Governor McDonnell Announces Matching Tourism Grants, Gloucester Gets Nothing

English: The state seal of Virginia.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Program will generate nearly $4 million in marketing initiatives

42 local tourism partners to receive public-private marketing dollars to bolster economy; grants will impact at least 184 statewide tourism entities

RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell announced today that more than $750,000 in matching grant funds will be awarded to 42 local tourism initiatives as part of Virginia Tourism Corporation’s (VTC) Marketing Leverage Grant program. The grants are designed to help local and regional tourism entities attract more visitors by leveraging local marketing dollars, and will ultimately impact at least 184 other statewide tourism entities. The local organizations match the state grant funds by a minimum of 2:1 in order to support marketing projects. This funding cycle, the local partners will match the VTC grant dollars with nearly $3 million, providing nearly $4 million total in new marketing to increase visitation to Virginia.

“These grants are an important tool that will enable our localities to more effectively market themselves to potential visitors,” said Governor McDonnell. “More visitors in Virginia mean greater tax revenue, a better business environment, and more good jobs for Virginians.”

Tourism is an instant revenue generator for Virginia. In 2012 tourism generated $21.2 billion in revenue, supported 210,000 jobs and provided $1.36 billion in state and local taxes. Dollars invested in tourism are proven to provide a 5:1 return in tax revenue for Virginia, and the grant awards and matching funds provide a stimulus to localities seeking to increase tourism visitation and revenue.

VTC’s Marketing Leverage Program is designed to increase visitor spending by leveraging limited marketing dollars, stimulating new tourism marketing through partnerships, and extending the “Virginia is for Lovers” brand.  A minimum of three Virginia entities must partner financially to apply for a grant.  Partners may consist of Virginia cities, towns, counties, convention and visitors bureaus, chambers of commerce, other local or regional destination marketing organizations, private businesses, museums, attractions, cultural events, and other not-for-profit entities.  In total, VTC awards approximately $1.7 million annually - matched and leveraged on average 3:1 by partner dollars - to more than 80 communities across the Commonwealth.

“These grants enable local tourism partners to pursue projects that might otherwise be beyond their budget,” said Rita McClenny, president and CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation. “The Marketing Leverage Grants program is a powerful tool in helping to support and grow a robust economy in Virginia. Our local partners are working on amazing projects and campaigns that will help to beautify communities, bring more visitors to Virginia, and create even more outstanding tourism products that visitors will continue to fall in love with year after year.”

Details on the grant awards are below. The next round of VTC Marketing Leverage Program grants will open in spring 2014. Localities interested in applying may visit www.vatc.org for more information.

Organization	Project	Amount
Town of Big Stone Gap	Big Stone Gap The Movie Regional Promotion	$ 5,000.00
Garth Newel Music Center	Great Escapes: Garth Newel Music Center and Fort Lewis Lodge	$ 25,000.00
Abingdon Convention and Visitors Bureau	Create Repeat Visitation Through Stellar Customer Service	$ 50,000.00
Heart of Appalachia Tourism Authority	Appalachian Backroads - Motorcycle & Scenic Driving Tours/Trails	$ 10,000.00
City of Salem-Tourism Office	Summer Love in Salem	$ 50,000.00
Museum of the Confederacy	Countdown to the Sesquicentennial	$ 14,500.00
Wytheville Convention & Visitors Bureau	Fun for Everyone: Festivals & Events in the Wytheville Area	$ 50,000.00
Montgomery County Regional Tourism Office	Content Creation for Inaugural Montgomery County Regional Website and Visitor's Guide	$ 20,000.00
Virginia Arts Festival	Engage, Inspire, Build - Embracing Social & Digital Media to Expand Audiences	$ 50,000.00
Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation	Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District 2014-2016 Marketing Campaign	$ 25,360.00
Friends of the Culpeper County Library	Culpeper Tells…A Festival of Words	$ 8,750.00
The Crooked Road	Miles & Miles of Music Festival	$ 50,000.00
Surry County Government	Branding Surry County: Yes, Virginia, There is a Surry County	$ 50,000.00
Appalachian Sustainable Development	Get Rooted in Appalachia - Local Food Campaign	$ 31,900.00
Visit Loudoun Foundation	Visit Loudoun Research Program	$ 25,860.00
Paralyzed Veterans of America, Mid-Atlantic Chapter	The Richmond Regional Ride Center (RRRC)	$ 10,000.00
Halifax County Dept. of Tourism	Halifax-Mecklenburg Blueway	$ 10,000.00
City of Alexandria, Office of Historic Alexandria	Alexandria War of 1812 Commemoration	$ 10,000.00
County of Mecklenburg	Petersburg to Appomattox Campaign	$ 13,500.00
Abingdon Main Street	Shop, Dine, Play and Stay Downtown	$ 5,000.00
Waynesboro Parks and Recreation	Valley Race Series Promotion	$ 2,500.00
Historic Manassas Inc	Visitmanassas.org Website Makeover	$ 4,250.00
Martinsville-Henry County EDC's Tourism & Film Division	Martinsville-Henry County, Virginia: A Visual Tour	$ 3,516.50
Smyth County Tourism Association	Southwest Virginia Flyfishing Trail	$ 15,310.33
Visit Loudoun	Epicurience Virginia	$ 50,000.00
Luray-Page County Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center	Luray and Page County: Beauty and Adventure on Every Level	$ 25,000.00
Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival	87th Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival ‘The Land of Pink & Green!’	$ 25,000.00
Rassawek Vineyard	Visit Goochland/Rassawek Spring Jubilee	$ 2,500.00
Starr Hill Brewery LLC	Starr Hill Brewery 2013 Marketing and Events Program	$ 25,000.00
City of Poquoson	Poquoson is the Place for Tourism	$ 2,557.50
VistaGraphics	Coastal Virginia Wine Fest	$ 12,500.00
Out of the Woodwork Productions	The Virginia Renaissance Faire Marketing for 2013-14	$ 4,988.27
Mountain Cove Vineyard	Jefferson Heritage Trail	$ 5,000.00
Virginia Highland Festival	Get Your Kicks	$ 6,281.50
Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission	Fields of Gold - Shenandoah Valley's Farm Trail	$ 3,250.00
Ashland Main Street Association	Find Your Passion in Ashland: The Center of Universe	$ 5,000.00
ESVAF Inc	Tall Ships at Cape Charles Festival 2014	$ 5,000.00
Madison Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center	Madison County Tourism “Ride, Hike, Taste, Stay”	$ 5,000.00
The Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce	Good Times, Tastes & Traditions; featuring Farming in the Valley	$ 5,000.00
Orange Downtown Alliance	edible Food Fest in Orange	$ 5,000.00
Virginia Beach Resort Hotel and Conference Center	Tennis is for Lovers in Virginia Beach	$ 25,000.00
Cove Ridge Foundation	Virginia Is For Lovers of Southwest Virginia Mountain Parks	$ 2,500.00

Love is at the heart of every Virginia vacation. Visit www.Virginia.org to start planning a vacation or call 1-800-VISITVA to request a free, Virginia is for Lovers travel guide.

Our Notes:

We have noticed that Gloucester, VA did not get one penny for matching funds from the state?  One has to wonder why?  Did local officials fail to apply?  Did local officials apply but because of activities we constantly report on here the county was refused matching funds for their lack of compliance in so many areas?  We think these are valid questions to ask.  It looks like the county missed out on some very serious money and opportunities to pull in additional revenue for the county.  One has to wonder.

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Let's Talk Bitcoin, Movers and Shakers, Podcast E-13

The bitcoin logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Movers and Shakers, Let's Talk Bitcoin podcast.  Now this is from back in the late spring of 2013, however, the objective is to catch people up on the news and information all surrounding the Bitcoin revolution.  Don't have time to listen to the show here on the site?  Download an Mp3 copy to play later when you do have the time.  The show is an hour and a half long.  We have found these shows to be very helpful and informational in understanding everything going on in the Bitcoin revolution.  As we go to print on this post, the present Bitcoin to dollar ratio is about $778.00 per single Bitcoin.  It's been pretty well all over the board of the 700's these past few days.

  From the point of speculation, Bitcoin is a very wild ride.  How do you hedge against it's constant price swings?  Stack your buys and or sells.  (What?)  Do not buy all your coins or sell all your coins on one single order at one time.  Spread out either the purchase or selling of Bitcoins over a period of several days, weeks months or what have you.  Do not seek to buy 10 bitcoins at one time.  You will suffer the market fluctuation swings more harshly if you do.  If you buy or sell over a period of time, you will have a more stable holding that is not being scrambled to death by these market shifts.  Within a 10 minute period we have seen swings of up to $10.00.

  The very good news is that you can buy or sell fractions of a single coin.  You are not locked into buying a full coin at anytime.  So if you want to put say one thousand dollars into Bitcoins?  Stack the buy to spread over several days.  Buy at $50.00 or $100.00 intervals.  Is there any time of day better than another?  No.  It's a world market and so as one nation sleeps, another is actively trading.  This isn't crude oil futures where the market closes at 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.  This is a world market that is 24/7.

  Bitcoin as an investment vehicle in our own opinion is insane at this point and not really recommended.  Bitcoin as a speculation is also insane.  Bitcoin wallet setup is incredibly easy.  Buying or selling Bitcoin, at least in the US is still a nightmare however and has a long way to go.

  Any business can set up an account to accept Bitcoin payments.  Once you start taking Bitcoin payments, you can also refund Bitcoin payments as easily as you accept them.  But how do you know if you are making any money with the wild swings in the market that can wipe out 10% of your holdings in a matter of hours or even minuets?  It's going to be a long time before you can stabilize Bitcoin like other real world currencies.  Here is the issue.  Let's say you sell an item for the Bitcoin equivalent of $100.00 US.  Let's say that Bitcoin was trading at $1,000.00 per coin.  The next day you need cash for whatever reason and need to cash out your Bitcoin.  Some country decides that Bitcoin has violated some International law and now your Bitcoin holding that was trading at $1,000.00 US yesterday is now only $500.00 US today.  You just took a major 50% loss.

  Now Bitcoin is supposed to make life and accounting much easier for everyone.  If it is the only currency, we would agree.  If you have to translate every transaction with it's subsequent inventory and dollar conversion value, then you have just created one of the worst accounting nightmares anyone could ever imagine.  How can anyone possibly do that?  If you only sell one item a day, you spend half the day just doing the accounting for that one sale.  How could Wal Mart, with thousands of sales per minute, ever do that with all of these wild fluctuations in the Bitcoin to dollar value?

  This is why businesses are not jumping in on accepting Bitcoin as a form of payment, especially in the US.  At the moment there are to many issues that are not addressed that need to be looked at more closely.  Most US businesses simply can not afford all the hits from the accounting perspective, legal and government intervention perspectives and possible need for an influx of specialists that do not exist to handle all of these new issues.  More to come.

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Is Monsanto Using 4-H to Brainwash Your Children About GMOs?

4-H Stamp (Photo credit: Hacktweeters)

By Dr. Mercola

Monsanto is boasting its partnership with 4-H programs by giving a shout-out to “National 4-H Week.”1

This is not the first time Monsanto has used its clever propaganda to influence our nation’s youth. The Council for Biotechnology Information widely circulated aBiotechnology Basics Activity Book for kids, a disturbing and brightly colored obvious intent to 'educate' the children.

4-H is the country’s largest youth organization with more than 6 million members in 80 countries around the world, involving children from elementary school age through high school.

The organization is extremely influential to children, impacting their intellectual and emotional development through their numerous programs and clubs. Unfortunately, Monsanto is using its partnership with 4-H as a vehicle to worm its way into your child’s mind in order to influence her developing beliefs and values.

Children are like little sponges, soaking up everything they see and hear, which makes them particularly vulnerable to being sucked in by propaganda.

And the effects could be life-long—at least they’re intended to be. Indeed you’d be hard-pressed to convince an adult, who from childhood was taught the merits of genetically engineered foods, that there’s anything wrong with such alterations of the food supply.  

If your child is involved in 4-H, it would be wise to monitor the messages she’s getting, given this organization’s  corporate sponsors and alliances.

4-H is really the perfect vehicle for Big Ag to manipulate an entire generation, using tactics not that different from the youth indoctrination strategies employed by political extremists in order to gain children’s trust and then “groom” them however they wish.

Think about it—what better way to control the future of our food system than to brainwash 6.8 million impressionable youth into believing that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are safe and beneficial, if not the answer to all the problems of the world?2

4-H Volunteers are Being Trained by Monsanto

The 4-H Youth Development Organization was originally set up by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to train the rural youth of America in hands-on skills like agriculture and raising animals, including the promotion of responsible animal husbandry and the cultivation of food resources in a responsible, ethical way.

The 4-H emblem, a four-leaf clover, is supposed to symbolize four actions (head, hands, heart, and health) as stated in their pledge:

“I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, myhands to larger service and my health to better living, for my club, my community, my country, and my world.”

However, as noble as their original vision is, it remains vulnerable to the influences of its funders. Just as the USDA and other government agencies have a carefully crafted and well established revolving door arrangement with industry, 4-H is increasingly in the grips of the corporations that fund it—specifically, the agricultural, biotech, and junk food industries.

According to its 2012 Annual Report,3 4-H’s funding comes from a long list of donors that include Monsanto, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Cargill, DuPont, United Soybean Board, Coca-Cola, and Pfizer. It doesn’t take much imagination to predict what sort of agenda 4-H would need to promote to keep its donors happy.

Pro-GMO propaganda would be easy to weave into 4-H’s program since they already occupy the role of teaching children the art of farming, and in their position of authority, children would never question it. Monsanto is now also training tens of thousands of 4-H volunteers, according to an article in 4-Traders:

“In 2007, Monsanto expanded its 4-H volunteerism support by funding state and regional development. More than 52,600 volunteers have attended Monsanto-supported forums and training events in 50 states, three US territories and four Extension regional forums.”

Monsanto Hijacks Government, Education and Science

Corporations like Monsanto are employing increasingly underhanded strategies to spread their self-serving propaganda across broader segments of society. Here are three prime examples:

• Hijacking Government Regulators: Conflicts of interest are rampant in government agencies, which have a revolving door with US federal regulatory agencies like the USDA, FDA, and EPA.
• Hijacking Higher Education: An ever-increasing percentage of funding for research at land grant universities now comes from private corporations, giving big companies a stronger foothold than ever in higher education. Corporations wield power over educational institutions by giving college leaders positions on their corporate boards, and by hiring scientists as paid consultants. As a result, academic freedom has gone out the window, conflicts of interest are rampant, and bias eclipses objectivity.
• Hijacking the Media: Organizations such as Science Media Centre and American Council on Science and Health feature scientific “experts” that are anything but independent, and have undisclosed and far-reaching affiliations with the biotech industry.

Of course, if you are a large corporation trying to control the food supply, the younger you Consider the “Biotechnology Basics Activity Book” for kids, circulated by CBI (Council for Biotechnology Information).4 Its colorful pages and friendly cartoon characters spew outright lies about the “benefits” of genetic engineering for health, environment, world hunger and the future of farming. Monsanto is one of eight biotech companies behind the release of this 16-page children’s activity book, demonstrating just how low it will stoop. CBI claims to promote science-based information but is really just a shill for the biotech industry, for the purpose of advancing the pro-GMO agenda.  Brainwashing children is a new low, even for Monsanto. They’re not satisfied with just poisoning our children’s bodies—now they’re trying to poison their minds as well. And history is quite clear about how easy it is to poison the minds of the young.

Hijacking the Minds of Our Youth

It is difficult to ignore the parallels when looking at how 4-H, the largest American youth organization, is being hijacked by big biotech corporations to fulfill an agenda—the worldwide takeover by GMOs. But when you consider that Monsanto has no problem with poisoning our children, destroying farmers, polluting oceans, and ruining the earth’s topsoil, it seems there is no limit to their avarice.

If the Nazi analogy seems far-fetched, consider that the German people would have felt the same way before they realized what was happening to them. These manipulations can be masterful and insidious. The best way to protect your child from corporate brainwashing is with YOUR watchful eye.

If corporations like Monsanto are successful in hijacking the minds of our youth, they will essentially be in control the decisions and behavior of the next generation—and there is nothing to stop them until a great deal of damage is done to you, your children and grandchildren, and our planet. This is why it is so critical for you to be involved in your children’s activities and take an active role in their education. Do not fall into the trap of assuming that, just because they are involved with a “reputable” organization like 4-H, that they are getting unbiased and truthful information.

Vote with Your Pocketbook, Every Day

The food companies on the left of this graphic spent tens of millions of dollars in the last two labeling campaigns—in California and Washington State - to prevent you from knowing what’s in your food. You can even the score by switching to the brands on the right; all of whom stood behind the I-522 Right to Know campaign. Voting with your pocketbook, at every meal, matters. It makes a huge difference.

I encourage you to continue educating yourself about genetically engineered foods, and to share what you’ve learned with family and friends. Remember, unless a food is certified organic, you can assume it contains GMO ingredients if it contains sugar from sugar beets, soy, or corn, or any of their derivatives.

If you buy processed food, opt for products bearing the USDA 100% Organic label, as certified organics do not permit GMO’s. You can also print out and use the Non-GMO Shopping Guide, created by the Institute for Responsible Technology. Share it with your friends and family, and post it to your social networks. Alternatively, download their free iPhone application, available in the iTunes store. You can find it by searching for ShopNoGMO in the applications. For more in-depth information, I highly recommend reading the following two books, authored by Jeffrey Smith, the executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology:

• Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating
• Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods.

For timely updates, join the Non-GMO Project on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter.

Please, do your homework. Together, we have the power to stop the biotech industry from destroying our food supply, the future of our children, and the earth as a whole. All we need is about five percent of American shoppers to simply stop buying genetically engineered foods, and the food industry would have to reconsider their source of ingredients—regardless of whether the products bear an actual GMO label or not.

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