Virgina Blog Carnival, Chat-style

Welcome to this edition of the Virginia Blog Carnival! Fortunately, I've got quite a few submissions this week (even though I did have to beg a bit [stern look at all my VA blog buddies, LOL]), so it's going to be an interesting round up. Next week, Chris at Spank That Donkey will be hosting (thank you, Chris!), but I need people to step up and host for the Carnival after that...

And, with that bleg out of the way, let's go on and see what's going on this week:

First up, Shaula Evans, over at the Agonist, posts "Formula for Torture." While I'm not certain I agree with her that what happened at Abu Ghraib was torture (and does she know the current situation?), she does link to some very interesting articles which are worth the read. Definitely something to check out to make sure you've got as much info as possible.

Shaula also submitted "2020 Vision Plan," in which she urges the Democrats - as well as Republicans - to get involved locally and plan long term goals and strategies. This is certainly an article BOTH sides of the aisle would benefit from reading, whether you agree with her philosophy or not. Excellent points, Shaula!

Leslie Carbone chimes in with a reminder about "Cell Snobbery." [blushing] Yeah, I need to remember my manners, too... Thanks for the nudge, Leslie!

"Sanity Prevails, But Not Here" is Roci's contribution this week - I remember reading Silent Spring all the way back in... fourth grade (?!), and it made very little impression on me. But then, I didn't "get" "the Emperor of Ice Cream," either... Anyway, make sure you read Roci's post: DDT is not what the environmentalists have tried to scare us with all these years.

I'd like to welcome Bad Rose (who's not bad at all - she's a wonderful lady!) to her first Virginia Blog Carnival! She's submitted "A Love of Words," and talks about communication and parenting, but emphasises the components of respectful dialogue. I really enjoyed reading this post, and I hope Rose will submit more articles of this quality to the VBC!

Don at Save Richmond posts "the Truth About the Hole," a topic with which I'm only passingly familiar. However, Don has some excellent links and commentary, so he's definitely going to educate me on this topic. Save Richmond is going to have to go on my RSS feed, because I need all the info I can get on Virginia, if I'm going to be an informed citizen!

{.... By the way, I'm also noticing that very few of these blogs have trackbacks installed/enabled (Roci does...). *sigh* I wish they would, but I understand about the hassles and irritations of trackback spam. But I still wish I could trackback to more of these blogs [rolls eyes at self]...}

Mooooving right along, our next contributor, is the always controversial and interesting Greg Leticque, of Black Velvet Bruce Li fame. He has submitted two posts, "PWC Joins the Battle" and "Second Manassas," which discuss the serious issue of illegal immigration, and some actions that various cities in Virginia are taking to combat this problem.

Here's another blog that I *must* add to my RSS feed! This is probably my favorite post this week: PJPink, of River City Food and Wine, posts about a "Chincoteague Weekend." It's full of beautiful photos (a current passion of mine, in case you haven't already figured that out), as well as a delightful discussion of hotels, restaurants, sights to see, and things to do. I'm terribly embarrassed to admit that my family never went to Chincoteague while were were living in Chesapeake - but we'll have to remedy that sometime when the Beloved Husband is back in Norfolk on business.

Please make sure YOU bookmark RCF&W, because it's full of excellent posts - and I'd like to see more of this in the VBC, because Virginia is MORE than just politics: we have food, entertainment, wine, culture, history, scenery.... ;-) We've got a great State, ladies and gentlemen: let's make sure everyone knows all about it!

Now, here's another couple of submissions with lovely photos: KT Kat posts "Potomac Yacht Race" and "Newport News Residential Area." KT is NOT a Virginia blogger, but does travel here regularly. This is the second time (that I know of) that KT has submitted, and - as always - the pictures are wonderful. Hm, interesting that KT shows more appreciation of Virginia than I do; I'll have to remedy that! Oh, and *please* make sure you visit KT on a regular basis: he's very upbeat and gracious, and his posts look on the good side of things, which is what we all need to do on occasion. Be warned, though: you may be inducted into the Feline Theocracy! *giggle*

The Father of the Virginia Blog Carnival, Chad Dotson, manages to cover politics, photographs, and food all in one post: "Barbeque." He even sneaks in a final photo with the band... (But, Chad, you didn't say how good the BBQ was, or how much sauce got stuck on the kids' shirts! LOL)

Snoopy at River City Rapids, contributes to this mini-theme of food with "CrockPot Cooking." No, it's not what you're thinking, but he offers some very sensible advice that I need to remember for myself! Yeah, Snoopy, I'm pretty certain that those charts are a bunch of horse-feathers, too.

My friend Jim Hoeft, at Bearing Drift, has been having a tough week. After he broke the news about Kellam last week, lots of people piled on (undeservedly so, IMHO: Jim has clarified and apologized, and ended up removing the post). Nevertheless, Jim points out the irony of the situation in "Now that he's speaking, will he have anything to say?" The Squeaky Wheel also chimes in with "Why Has Squeaky Been Chuckling to Himself All Day?" again discussing this whole Kellam thing. Certainly both sides have their points, but I think that Jim has handled it far more maturely and graciously then his critics. Keep up the good work, Jim - and if you need a break, c'mon out here and enjoy the music of the countryside. I'd be glad to host your family for a weekend!

To finish the roundup this week, Melissa over at the Ditzy Democrats (a.k.a. "Monstrosity") submitted "Race Evaluation, Ditzy Democrats Style." I've always enjoyed Melissa, because even when we disagree, we have always had a civil discussion, and I learn a lot from her. In this post, she takes a lighthearted look at the political races going on all over, and gives each one a wryly humerous poke in the ribs. Way to go, Melissa: it's a good reminder that, when we step back and look at all this, politics is just a big game. It's important, yes, but not so important that we can't laugh at it (and ourselves!).

I also want to link some posts by Vivian Paige (about civility and blogs), Kenton Ngo (internet filters), and Heather's Blogpile (stereo speakers!) which Shauna {ak! SHAULA!!!! sorry for the typo - I just caught it... GRF!!} either reminded me about or pointed me to (thanks, SHAULA!). Heather's site is particularly welcome because - as I've said since I started managing the VBC - Virginia is more than just POLITICS!!!! It's cool that the VBC mainly has politics and current events-related posts submitted, but don't be afraid to send in something completely different, because it will be heartily welcomed!

Now, don't forget: next week's Carnival will be at Spank That Donkey, so keep an eye out for all the Virginia excellence you want to submit!