The Bermuda Triangle of Central WV

What can prompt me to end months of blog silence? This story about a special collection of roadside memorials.

If you don't know my history with roadside memorials, nevermind.

Matricide for the Holidays

In West Virginia, sometimes your biggest challenge is surviving your own relatives:

Man burns down trailer with mother inside

Unfortunately, you see many, many stories about domestic violence in West Virginia newspapers, but something about this one really got me. The woman told her 29-year-old son she couldn't care for him any more, and he (allegedly) burns her alive.

Hmmmm, what to get the animal who has everything...

If my pets complain about not getting anything for Christmas, I'm going to pull out this list of "Santa Treats."


(FYI...This was the first line of list of about 8 businesses, most of which were groomers, kennels, etc. But you can guess which one caught my eye.)

Notes on the Never-ending Election

I am so glad tomorrow is election day. I have not yet voted, so I will be charging the iPod to entertain myself while standing in line tomorrow at the local Baptist church.

Get out the Vote - FAIL
My own attempt to "get out the vote" (admittedly feeble) failed because the elderly person I encouraged is -- I believe -- intimidated by the electronic voting machines.

I like you as a boss, but not as a political pundit
There are a few things I don't care to talk to my boss about, and one biggie is POLITICS. I had this awkward situation on Boss' Day when the boss kept trying again and again to engage me in a conversation about the boss' favorite candidate -- who just happens to be my least favorite candidate. Really, there are no good options in that situation. I'm not the best liar, so I just sat silently and smiled. If my candidate loses (and the boss' wins), the only good part will be, perhaps, not having to listen to how stupid people are who voted for the opposition.

Infomercials, blech
Don't like 'em. Not for the perfect push-up device, not for the perfect pasta cooker, and certainly not for political candidates.

23,000? 3 cents?
Am I the only one who finds the great-things-are-happening-here-in-WV commercial by the current governor rather amusing? I admit I know next to nothing about business, like how many jobs there are in the state and that sort of thing, but to me it sounds weird to tout the creation of 23,000 jobs in 4 years. It doesn't sound like much, especially when a research firm announced today that we are in recession and could lose up to 10,000 jobs in the next year.

And then there's the bit about responsible tax cuts and knocking 3 cents off the 6 cent food tax. I'm sorry. I know I'm too pessimistic, but that doesn't make me shout, "Hot damn, we've turned this thing around, Joe!"

Maybe next time dig up some bigger numbers -- anything where you can say millions instead of 3 cents.

We feel your pain, PA

It sucks when Hollywood paints you as bunch of racists (see last post).

It sucks even more when your own congressman calls you racists.

"There is no question that western Pennsylvania is a racist area."
--Rep. John Murtha, to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

He, of course, apologized (well, apologized and then went on to say we can't deny race is a factor in the election).

Express Fiction

When you have a compelling TRUE story, why create fictional scenes -- especially ones that portray others in a negative light?

The Express is a movie billed as being "based on the true story," but there are several very untrue things in the movie, including an incident in West Virginia that apparently never occurred. And of course the fictional incident depicts West Virginians as racists.

Thanks for piling on, Universal Pictures.