We just got word via David Swanson and  confirmed by the Daily Progress that Cindy Sheehan will be speaking at the Omni Hotel on May 22nd from 7PM to 9PM.  Tickets will be available at the door and cost $10 for students; $20 for general admission; $50 for admission and a photo with Sheehan; and $100 for admission, a photo with Sheehan and priority seating.

Seriously, $100 for a photo?  I guess now that she’s trying to be an elected politician, she needs the money, but this seems a little odd.  Where is that money going? To her California campaign or to anti-war stuff.  I guess this time, the pro-war protesters won’t be present.  Or will they?

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Popularity: 22% [?]

**Please read the update to this thread**  

I recently stumbled upon a site by the name of Legistorm. If you go to the site, you will discover that does strive to be “transparency’s sidekick” as an informative resources about congressional staff salaries and many other things.

As a sister site to our recently reviewed Richmond Sunlight, you can find all sorts of crazy things on Legistorm. You can learn about salaries of congressmen and their assistants, you can learn about trips they took and you learn that most expenses are not itemized and, I quote, “good faith estimates.”

While the good faith estimates opens a whole can of worms, I was searching around and apparently, you can see all tax payer money that has sent politicians on trips to Charlottesville.

You can also see who invited the politicians and the reason for the event. Take for instance a trip on May 22nd, 2005 in which Senator Evan Bayh spoke at the UVa Law Graduation Ceremony. He charged taxpayers $821.41 for this trip.

Shouldn’t UVa have paid for his trip, not the federal government? It seems like a waste of money to me and somehow doesn’t seem right.

Check out the list for yourself. You can see taxpayers have given politicians almost $100,000 to come to Charlottesville since 2000. What do you think? Did you find anything else interesting on the site?

Important Update: LegiStorm chimes in and lets us know that this trip and many others were paid for by the sponsor… although it isn’t very clear on the site.  Sorry for the mixup!
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Popularity: 29% [?]

Apparently this guy named Eagleburger (this guy?) said the following about Charlottesville peeps:

In a response to a question about the religious right, an important component of the Republican coalition, he said that it was, indeed “a serious problem,” and reminded his listeners that he now lives in Charlottesville, surrounded by such people that he needs to fight.

I have no idea what he means.  Who is he fighting and why?

If it is this guy from the wikipedia link he does have 3 sons who share the same name with him.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

Popularity: 17% [?]

In case anyone hasn’t seen Richmond Sunlight, you should check it out.

So, let’s take a recent C-Ville Weekly story about the upcoming banning of Salvia by Virginia legislatures. It’s a good read if you are into drugs (and I mean in a purely academic way). Salvia is a “drug” that for some reason, has passed under lawmakers eyes for the last century. You can still buy it online and the effects are supposed to be similar to LSD. If anyone gets it can you make sure to write us a testimony?

So, what is this bill? Enter Richmond Sunlight.

A quick search for Salvia reveals the HB21 bill. On this page you can find the status of the bill (salvia is no longer legal in Virginia and is classified as a Class 1 Hallucinogenic), the entire history of the bill, video records of the bill, RSS feeds to update you regarding bill changes, commentary, lists of those who approved it, and a lot more.

Our friend at cvillenews, Waldo, built the thing together with funding from the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. Anyway, you should absolutely use Richmond Sunlight if you need to see details about any bill in Virginia. This thing is really cool and I love how easy it is to find out who is accountable for things. I wonder if the politicians are a little nervous about the ease of these public records. Well done!

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Popularity: 23% [?]

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Ladies and Gentlemen, step right up for your week in review.

We got villains dissing on wine bars, gunshots at the Outback and some Grecian food. Don’t forget to stop around back to sample our smelly PR move, celebrity wannabies, and your favorite musical acts. When you leave, grab the gift bag– it’s full of tats, lawsuits, and monkey sex. Enjoy!

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Popularity: 38% [?]

[image from Truck Nuts]

First, it was a texting ban, now it’s a ban on Truck Nuts. Truck nuts are those fake balls that hang from the back of your trailer hitch and attract unsuspecting ladies to your “ride.” Now, a politician is trying to get rid of them for good.

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Popularity: 6% [?]

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Burgers, fries, pizza to vanish from Virginia schools? I think this would be a good thing. We had little threads of this discussion the smoking ban post, but I think this one earns its own debate.

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Popularity: 4% [?]

Ethan writes:

If people want to vote in our February 12th primary, they must register by the end of the day TODAY (monday, 1/14). I’m about to go do it now. It all might be over by then, but then again, it might not.

Find more information here.

Popularity: 3% [?]

I’ve witnessed strands of political banter on this site. I’m not sure exactly how to focus our discussion, so I’d figure it’s a good idea to start with the Iowa Caucus. I’m sure you all know the results. They are summarized below (source):

Democrats:

Barack Obama (38%), John Edwards (30%), Hillary Clinton (29%), Bill Richardson (2%), Joe Biden (1%), Chris Dodd 0%, and Dennis Kucinich 0%

Rebpublicans:

Mike Huckabee (34%), Mitt Romney (25%), Fred Thompson (13%), John McCain (13%), Ron Paul (10%), Rudy Giuliani (4%), and Duncan Hunter (1%)

New Hampshire doesn’t happen until January 8th, so these results mean very little in the great scheme of things; but the Republican results surprised me.

While I will never reveal my political affiliation on this site, I am going to rip on both winners. In fact, I’m going to be the ANTI-POLITIK for 2008. That’s right candidates, I will make fun of all of you! Ready, set, go… »Read More

Popularity: 3% [?]

I don’t think any of these things are shocking or cutting edge or insightful (it’s been noted that I have no literary talent), but I’m tired of reading about OXO and X-Lounge so I figured I’d throw a few things out there. I imagine there won’t be many comments until someone insults or flirts with someone else, but what the heck.

• Mel’s- I love Mel’s. I’ve said before that their Meta Burger is my favorite burger in town. Mel and the crew are really nice folks and their food is darn tasty.
• The Rivanna Trail- I think this is really under-appreciated by the masses. The thing goes all the way around Cville for about 22 miles or so. It is broken up in a few places, but just ask someone if you get off track and you should be able to find your way. I wish it wasn’t so rocky in some places, but overall I think it is great.
• Cheeseballs w/ ranch at Riverside.
• Wayside Chicken. Their chicken tenders and combo meals are some of the best values in town.
• Carter’s Mountain Orchard- I can’t believe I missed peach/nectarine season. I definitely do not take enough advantage of this place in season.
• The City Market- Ok, most of it is overpriced. But, there are a couple vendors that sell sweet peppers for a very reasonable per pound price ($2 i think?), regardless of type. I miss being able to load up on red peppers without paying an arm and a leg.
• Crabtree Falls- Some say these falls have the biggest elevation drop of any east of the Mississippi. They aren’t mindblowing, given the twists and turns and pools that prevent you from seeing it in its entirety, but it is still a pretty cool place.
• Black Friar Theatre- ok so this is about a half hour away in Staunton, but I like this place. I’m no theatre buff, but the shows are entertaining and funny and I’m a huge fan of the musical interludes.
• Blue Hole- Nothing spectacular, but I’ve always had a good time going out there. The water always seems to be freezing, but after walking up to the swimming hole on a hot day it’s just what you want.
• $1 games of bowling at Wayne Lanes- I bowl maybe once every two years, but I can appreciate the cost effectiveness of this.
• Bruce coming to town.
• Virgil Goode representing me in Congress. Just kidding.

Popularity: 4% [?]