One Laptop Per West Virginia Child
Labels: a better wv, one laptop for WV child, West Virginia Day, wv
Things of interest to me.
Labels: a better wv, one laptop for WV child, West Virginia Day, wv

Labels: Art Walk, FestivALL 2009, Purple Moon, Sharon Lyn Stackpole
"I am working various media channels to promote the challenge and greatly appreciate your potential contribution, no matter how large or small. Last year we countered stereotypes. This year the objective is to facilitate conversation about obstacles and solutions in West Virginia.
Thank you for your consideration and feel free to contact me with questions.
Sincerely,
Jason Keeling
p.s. – For those on Twitter, you can update thoughts there using the #aBetterWV tag, which allows everyone’s comments to be tracked.
__________________________________
Keeling Strategic Communications
P.O. Box 7423
Cross Lanes, WV 25356
Mobile | 304.989.3262
Visit our blog at aBetterWestVirginia.com
Labels: #aBetterWV, June 20th, West Virginia Day, wv, wv blogs

Labels: FestivALL 2009
Labels: Art Walk
Labels: 304blogs

Labels: art, Purple Moon, Sharon Lyn Stackpole
Labels: 10 digit dialing, 681, new area code

Why is Sadorra's project different? First is the price point, he said. A move-in-ready, 1,000-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bath loft will start at about $200,000, he said.
His price is based on what people are asking for, he said. He's targeting the young professional crowd, who, in some cases, are already paying $600 to $800 a month for apartment rents, he said.
A $200,000 mortgage wouldn't cost that much more - in the $1,000 to $1,200 range, he said.
"And you own it," he said.
His plans call for movable walls so residents can change the layout if they choose, he said.
There will be on-site parking and other amenities, including a rooftop pavilion and workout room. Also in the plans are a tenant grocery store and room service, he said.
The grocery store will feature carryout pastas and Sadorra's signature sauces once featured at the McFarland Street Delish.
Sadorra admits that downtown living isn't for everyone. With a wife and two small children it doesn't make sense for his family anymore.
But the want is there, he said.
He points out that the recent downtown loft walks by the Charleston Area Alliance's Generation Charleston, a young professional's organization, have had 100 attendees.
For now, Sadorra is finishing up details with a contractor and architect. He doesn't have a start date on the project, but he wants it done sooner rather than later.
Dear Mr. Gardner,
I'm working with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to get the word out about a new website devoted to travel in Appalachia, www.visitappalachia.com, and I think readers of "Oncee@Blogger" would appreciate a chance to see what this site has to offer.
Not only does www.visitappalachia.com provide information about the 13 states that make up Appalachia, it also includes access to the recently released Appalachian Driving Tours Map. Commissioned by the ARC, the map features 28 driving trails throughout the Appalachian region, each of which leads to a broad array of historical, archaeological, cultural, and scenic sites.
Autumn is the best time of the year to visit Appalachia, and taking one of the tours found on www.visitappalachia.com is a great way to catch the foliage and to learn more about the multitude of sights the region has to offer; the website is as useful whether you're journeying across the tree-lined roads of West Virginia or down along the river in Mississippi. What's more, visitors can search for drives by state as well as by theme. As a result, www.visitappalachia.com can just as easily help you plan a trip through Tennessee as through Pennsylvania, while pointing out sights of interest whether you love music or history.
In addition, www.visitappalachia.com has a Google maps feature to help travelers plan their next driving vacation to Appalachia, as well as links to the 13 Appalachian state tourism offices for additional information.
I noticed that your blog speaks about Appalachia so I thought your readers would be interested in www.visitappalachia.com. As such, I was wondering if you would be kind enough to post a link to the site. I can provide you with a button or banner to use for your link.
The Appalachian Region possesses a wealth of scenery and culture and the driving maps featured on www.visitappalachia.com are a great way to discover both. I hope you'll look around the site and pass the information along to your readers.
All the best,
Joe Killiany
Breakthrough Strategies
Joe@btsrategies.com






In 1987, Joe Biden ran as a Democratic presidential candidate, formally declaring his candidacy at the Wilmington train station on June 9, 1987. In his speech, he challenged Americans to step beyond the materialism of the Reagan years. When the campaign began, Biden was considered a potentially strong candidate because of his moderate image, his supposed appeal to Baby Boomers, his fundraising appeal (Biden's $1.7 million raised in the first quarter of 1987 was more than any other candidate, including the then front-runner, Gary Hart), his high profile position as chair of the Senate Judiciary committee during the Robert Bork confirmation hearings, and, perhaps above all, his soaring oratory. Biden often seemed to try to inspire the same hope and idealism associated with 1960s liberals such as Robert Kennedy, especially as related to civil rights. He received considerable attention in the summer of 1986 when he excoriated Secretary of State George Shultz at a Senate Hearing because of the Reagan administration's support of South Africa, which continued to support a system of Apartheid. By August 1987, however, Biden's campaign had already begun to lag behind those of Michael Dukakis and Richard Gephardt.
Then in September 1987, the campaign ran into serious trouble when he was accused of plagiarizing a speech by Neil Kinnock, then-leader of the British Labour Party. Though Biden had correctly credited the original author in all speeches but one, the one where he failed to make mention of the originator was caught on video. Within days, it was also discovered that, while a first year law student at Syracuse Law School, Biden had plagiarized a law review article in a class paper he wrote. Though the then-dean of the law school, as well as Biden's former professor, played down the incident of plagiarism, they did find that Biden drew "chunks of heavy legal prose directly from" the article in question. Biden said the act was inadvertent due to his not knowing the proper rules of citation, and Biden was permitted to retake the course after receiving a grade of F in the course, which was subsequently dropped from his record when he retook the class. Biden also released at the same time the record of his grades as an undergraduate which were C's and D's with the exception of two A's in physical education, one B in a course on English writers and an F in ROTC during his first three semesters. His grades improved later in his undergraduate career but were not exceptional. Further, when questioned by a New Hampshire resident about his grades in law school Biden had claimed falsely to have graduated in the "top half" of his class, (when he actually graduated 76th in a class of 85) that he had attended on a full scholarship, and had received three degrees. In fact he had received two majors, History and Political Science, and a single B.A., as well as a half scholarship based on financial need.
Faced with these revelations, Biden withdrew from the nomination race on September 23, 1987, saying his candidacy had been overrun by "the exaggerated shadow" of his mistakes. After Biden withdrew from the race it was learned that the Dukakis campaign had secretly made a video showcasing the Biden/Kinnock comparison and distributed it to news outlets. Dukakis fired John Sasso, his campaign manager and long-time Chief of Staff.









§17C-11-2. Traffic laws apply to persons riding bicycles. Every person riding a bicycle upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this chapter, except as to special regulations in this article and except as to those provisions of this chapter which by their nature can have no application.
§17C-11-5. Riding on roadways and bicycle paths.(a) Every person operating a bicycle upon a roadway shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable, exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction. (b) Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway shall not ride more than two abreast except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles. (c) Whenever a usable path for bicycles has been provided adjacent to a roadway, bicycle riders shall use such path and shall not use the roadway.
§17C-11-7. Lamps and other equipment on bicycles. (a) Every bicycle when in use at nighttime shall be equipped with a lamp on the front which shall emit a white light visible from a distance of at least five hundred feet to the front and with a red reflector on the rear of a type approved by the department which shall be visible from all distances from fifty feet to three hundred feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful upper beams of head lamps on a motor vehicle. A lamp emitting a red light visible from a distance of five hundred feet to the rear may be used in addition to the red reflector. (b) No person shall operate a bicycle unless it is equipped with a bell or other device capable of giving a signal audible for a distance of at least one hundred feet, except that a bicycle shall not be equipped with nor shall any person use upon a bicycle any siren or whistle. (c) Every bicycle shall be equipped with a brake which will enable the operator to make the braked wheels skid on dry, level, clean pavement.
§17C-11A-4. Requirements for helmet use. (a) It is unlawful for any person under fifteen years of age to operate or be a passenger on a bicycle or any attachment to a bicycle used on a public roadway, public bicycle path or other public right-of-way unless at all times when the person is so engaged he or she wears a protective bicycle helmet of good fit, fastened securely upon the head with the straps of the helmet. (b) It is unlawful for any parent or legal guardian of a person under fifteen years of age to knowingly permit such person to operate or be a passenger on a bicycle or on any attachment to a bicycle used on a public roadway, public bicycle path or other public right-of-way unless at all times when the person is so engaged he or she wears a protective bicycle helmet of good fit, fastened securely upon the head with the straps of the helmet.

An anonymous crocheter has placed colorful crocheted creations in different spots around town, including in City Park by the horseshoe area on a one-way sign, outside the downtown parking garage on a lightpost and by the Wood County courthouse steps on a directional sign to Blennerhassett Island.
In an e-mail sent to The Parkersburg News and Sentinel this morning, a person claiming to be the artist responsible for these creations describes what she is doing by making Parkersburg cozier.
Her work was created to get people to change the way they think of handicrafts, cozies, graffiti, and light poles.
Each piece has a tag which reads "Public Art Courtesy of Los Crochet Locos" and a web address for a blog about the graffiti cozies.

Sohovich, the owner of Blossom and Soho's, has leased a building in the Southridge Centre off Corridor G, a space once occupied by the barbecue restaurant Smokey Bones.
He is set to open his new restaurant, Billy's, right after Labor Day, in the spot near a Red Lobster, an Olive Garden and a Quaker Steak and Lube.
It's quite a departure for the man best known for serving up osso bucco and beef carpaccio to the lawyers and lawmakers who dine mostly within a mile of so of the state Capitol.
"I'm a downtown man, I am," says Sohovich, 56. "My heart and soul is there. I fought coming up here for a long time, what with the traffic and everything, but, man, this is like hitting the lottery. I walked in and I just knew. This was just it."
What is "it?"
Well, don't call it "home cooking" or "comfort food."
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Skip Lineberg lost his blog.
Lineberg is the chief creative officer with the local marketing firm Maple Creative. He has a site on the Web known as Marketing Genius, which he uses to discuss marketing strategies.
Skip Lineberg, 42, is chief creative officer at Maple Creative, a Charleston marketing company. He said Facebook has helped him network, recruit, promote events and notify his friends when his company blog is updated.
Lineberg was a member on LinkedIn, a professional networking system. A friend recommended Facebook, saying it would someday take over the business-networking site.
"I still use both," Lineberg said. "To me, LinkedIn is more of a chamber of commerce atmosphere. It's more professional. Facebook is business after hours."
The fun format and interesting ways of staying connected also appeal to the adult crowd.
While many opt for MySpace, the other major social networking site, Morgado believes that site appeals to a younger crowd. He also finds the design unappealing.
He said Facebook is more aesthetically pleasing and its users have more power over their pages.
Bloggers Beware: Award-Winning Site Hijacked
July 21, 2008 (Charleston, W.Va.) – Since 2004, marketing firm Maple Creative has been sharing professional insights and gaining national recognition via its “Marketing Genius” blog (marketinggenius.blogspot.com). This week, however, Internet cyber-jackers overtook the site and stripped its original content.
Maple Creative’s award-winning blog is now infected with solicitous ads that may be part of a phishing-type scam, according to Skip Lineberg, chief creative officer. He is warning the public not to click on any of the site’s links at present. “Even though I knew what to look for, they still duped me, and I lost my domain,” admits Lineberg. “I am urging all bloggers to be extra careful. I have always been very skeptical of email scams and bogus claims.”
Lineberg says the hackers may have portrayed themselves as Blogger.com representatives, and over the course of several correspondences, they somehow gained control of the “Marketing Genius” blog. Maple Creative is working to regain control of the site, which was hosted by Blogger.com, a subsidiary of Google, Inc. Lineberg contacted Google several days ago to assist in confirming what occurred and helping to rectify the situation. At present, he is still waiting for a response. ”We are going to use this as an opportunity to recover, rejuvenate and re-launch our marketing blog,” Lineberg promised. “Let me be perfectly clear. We will not be deterred by this incident. Instead, we will harness the power of social networks and call upon the tremendous voice of all our friends across the online community to help us prevail. ‘Marketing Genius’ will be up again, soon and stronger than ever.”
For now, readers are advised not to visit the site to avoid potential harm or exposure to malware that spammers have recently placed upon the domain MarketingGenius.blogspot.com. The company plans to notify readers when the blog is re-launched.
About Maple Creative
Maple Creative is a full-service marketing firm based in Charleston, West Virginia. To its diverse clientele Maple delivers comprehensive solutions, which comprise a strategic blend of marketing, advertising, public relations, lobbying and e-business services. Recently, “Advertising Age” recognized Maple’s “Marketing Genius” blog on its Power 150 listing of the most influential media and advertising blogs in the world.
For additional information, please visit MapleCreative.com.
Starting July 26, phone customers in West Virginia should begin dialing 10 digits (the area code plus the seven-digit phone number) whenever a local call is placed from the 304 area code.
Customers who forget and dial just seven digits will still be connected. But this "permissive dialing" period will end Feb. 28, 2009, when customers must use the 10-digit dialing procedure for all local calls. After this date, if customers do not dial 10 digits their call will not be completed. A recording will instruct them to hang up and dial again.
Beginning March 28, new telephone lines or services may be assigned numbers with the 681 area code.
This is all part of the transition to a system whereby the state will have two area codes: 304 and 681.
AT&T sent information about the transition to some business customers last week. Verizon is enclosing a brochure about the transition in its July bills. Byron Harris, director of the state Public Service Commission's Consumer Advocate Division, said information about the transition will be on the division's Web site, www.cad.state.wv.us, next week.
West Virginia is one of 26 states that have below-average public transportation service, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service. That lack of service is felt hardest in rural states; the federal agency reports that 40 percent of rural counties nationwide have no public transportation at all.
"On average, rural Americans drive older vehicles, more fuel-thirsty vehicles, and they travel farther to work and to shop,'' said Brian Dabson, president and CEO of the Rural Policy Research Institute in Columbia, Mo.
With few other options, rural Americans have to drive, which can mean a much bigger expense in areas where per capita income is below the national average.
The comfortable eatery is expanding its business - now selling to customers trekking to town just to eat there - all because of a short clip that aired on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" earlier this month.
Luther said he owes thanks to another local eatery - Hillbilly Hotdogs.
"(The Food Network crew) was here filming Hillbilly Hotdogs and Rocco's and the truck stop in Olive Hill, Ky., and they asked the people at Hillbilly Hotdogs where they could film another place in the area and they sent them down here, so we're very thankful for that," Luther said.
The clip originally aired on the Food Network on June 15, and Luther said he's seen a bit of a change in the amount of customers he's had.
"We've had a small increase in the number of people coming," Luther said. "I'm excited about the phone calls I get...I've gotten calls from St. Louis, Denver - you name it. People just say they're going to be in the area and they want to stop by and they want to know my menu. I don't have fax machines or anything like that so I try to explain to them over the phone what we have here. It's exciting to know that people 2000 miles away are thinking about you."