Author Archives: Liz Miller

Help build a home for LCpl Martinez in Purcellville

Invitation to help build a home for LCpl Martinez in Purcellville

From my inbox:

Homes for Our Troops will be building at NO COST to the veteran a specially designed brand new home for a disabled veteran.   The recipient of this new home will be Marine Lance Corporal Michael Martinez.   LCpl Martinez was 5 months into his first deployment when he lost both of his legs in an IED blast in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on March 11, 2010.

This organization is need of volunteers and supplies including donations for tent/chairs/pa system and food donation requests. We will also need an honor guard, national anthem singer, escort and key speakers.  Most importantly, we are looking for someone who will donate the flag pole that will be placed in the front yard of this hero’s new home.

If you know anyone that would be willing to donate these items, or volunteer supplies or their time on this weekend to help in the build, please forward this email along.

You can contact Christopher West or Renee Larsh for more information.

I’m going to help out, won’t you?

 

EZPass service charges? Oh hell, no.

In my inbox this afternoon, I found a note about the proposed $1/month service fee that VDOT is considering charging for the privilege of using EZPass (full text below the fold).

I resent being charged extra for a “convenience” when the “convenience” actually allows VDOT (or banks in the case of ATMs) to hire fewer workers, thereby saving VDOT money. Money that amounts to millions a year.

I further resent being charged extra when the Greenway, already exhorbitant, and privately owned, doesn’t have any toll collectors at all, and takes no cash. Because I have a height deficiency, I have to actually get out of my car to use the credit card machines on the Greenway, which feels unsafe. I generally try to avoid the Greenway on principle, but when I use it, I have no choice but to use EZPass. To be charged extra to use something that enables a FOR PROFIT company to avoid hiring workers really frosts my cookies.

I will be discussing this at home and, if the charge is implemented, will probably be turning in my EZPass in protest.

Go to the VDOT webpage and register your disgust with proposed charge. I did.

Continue reading

Links for May 10. Ten full days of reading material.

These come from my twitter, face book, and blog roll feeds.

Lots of links on North Carolina, and on Romney’s and Obama’s very different attitudes towards LGBT folks.:

Reproductive rights (and War on Women generally):

Hunger/Food Safety:

Politics:

Health:

Disability:

Virginia, oh Virginia:

And finally, on Maurice Sendak:

Links for Monday, April 30 (what I’ve read since my last links post)

These come from my twitter, face book, and blog roll feeds.

Reproductive rights (and War on Women generally):

Agriculture (and food generally):

Politics and Elections:

Parenting and School:

Media (and books, but only slightly):

LGBT:

Disability:

Religion:

Race:

Economy:

And Locally:

And last but not least, I’m going to give a reverse shout out to Loudoun.gov. Their new website is atrocious. One would think clicking on Community Services on the menu would take one to the Loudoun Community Services Board page, but it doesn’t. And there is no link that specifically says “Developmental Services”. The CSB page header says, “Mental Health, Substance Abuse & Dev. Services”. How is that helpful for people looking for services for their mentally challenged family members? Somebody in the Loudoun government, please fix that mess.

 

Links for Tuesday, April 24 (aka what I’ve read since the last links).

Links from Twitter, Facebook, and my blogroll.

What I’ve been reading since my last post about what I’ve been reading

These are from my Twitter and Facebook feeds and from folks on my blogroll at my blog.

Speaking of being a woman geek, I can’t get enough of OK Go. It helps that I think that one of the members of the band bears an uncanny resemblance to The World’s Best Campaign Manager, Bar None.

What I’ve been reading since yesterday’s post

From my Twitter feed*:
First up, my very favorite link of the day. From Jim Rigby (who, I am assured by a friend who knows him, is the smartest person you will ever meet and who is a minister in Texas): Ten Things I wish the Church Knew About Homosexuality

And now, in no particular order:

*I may spend too much time on Twitter.

What I’ve been reading, links worth following

These are links from my Twitter Feed from today*.

*I may spend a smidge too much time on Twitter.