Its that great shopping Nirvana again–Black Friday.  Black Friday actually got its name from being the day that the stores would go in the black from all the Christmas shopping.  In fact, during the Depression, FDR moved Thanksgiving up a week to have a  extra shopping days.  People were furious.  Thanksgiving finally became etched in stone as the 5th Thursday in Novemeber.  I personally enjoy Cyber Monday a lot more.  I hate to shop.  Shopping brings out killer rage in me.

On a not so light note, a friend of mine said there was a huge fight in one of the Walmarts  in the electronics department.

 

147 Thoughts to “Open Thread Black Friday November 29, 2010”

  1. Lafayette

    Censored,
    Sympathy is hard to come by when neighborhoods vary so much within the county. I don’t recall you be very sypamthetic to my neighborhood. 🙂 The NW’s are just one solution with neighborhood issues. Like you’ve said many times, invest in Neighborhood Services. The investment in NS is not only monetary, there needs to be an investment from the concerned citizens to work with NS. Just look at the increase of complaints in PW, but the turn around time was cut in half and investgations of violations improved. However, that came from citizens educating NS, and NS educating the citizens.

    Wolverine,
    Have Moon give you my contact information. Like I said yesterday, it sounds like our neighborhoods are mirror images of one another.

  2. Enjoying Wolverine’s posts. Neighborhood Watch is probably one of the best tools out there for improving quality of life, followed by CERT and Fire Corps because you are trained by and continue to learn from your local police, fire and emergency management professionals how to keep your neighborhoods clean and safe. In the process, you get to know your neighbors and feel more comfortable talking to them about any issues that come up. You also learn what to let go of. If it’s a safety issue, address it. If there are cultural differences, look for common ground — gardening, community yard sales, block parties, pets. Wolverine says it all much better. I’m learning from him/her.

  3. And yes, Layfayette. Neighborhood Services! All you need to know is right there on the City of Manassas and Prince William County websites, but the best experiences are when you come together and network with other neighborhood leaders at the monthly meetings and the neighborhood conferences. PWC has a conference coming up in February.

    Also websites for Roanoke, Lynchburg and Hampton Roads — they’ve done phenomenal work in their neighborhoods. Virginia and Florida are the only states in the US who have statewide neighborhood conferences. The next one is May 2011 in Suffolk.

  4. Need to Know

    It’s also informative to see just how little the current BOCS has done to improve transportation in Prince William County. Many projects have been completed, but they were initiated and funded prior to Corey Stewart’s election. Also, Wally Covington, who portrays himself as the champion of improving transportation in Prince William County, is resting on the laurels of previous boards.

    Stewart, Covington and Nohe, three of strongest supporters of developer interests in Prince William County, were elected in 2003. The vast majority of road projects were funded by bond referenda in 2002 and earlier years. See the first page of the linked document for a schedule of the projects and when they were funded:

    http://www.pwcgov.org/docLibrary/PDF/005437.pdf

    The 2006 bond referendum added some important projects also, but their impact is marginal compared to the projects initiated prior to the election of Stewart, Covington and Nohe.

    The main contributions of these three has been to champion Comp Plan amendments and rezonings for massive new amounts of residential units that are quickly overwhelming the relief Prince William County residents got from the projects initiated by others.

    Now, Corey wants to spend hundreds of millions of Prince William County taxpayer dollars to fund a developer Road to Nowhere that will make the problems even worse.

    Next time you are sitting in congested traffic going nowhere, give some thanks to Stewart, Covington, Nohe, Caddigan and Jenkins for their efforts on behalf of the region’s developers.

  5. Need to Know

    I would add also that this incredibly poor performance on transportation reflects also the bad management and “leadership” of Craig Gerhart and Melissa Peacor. Both were also focused on services to developers rather than citizens. One of their major accomplishments was construction of that massive building behind McCoart dedicated to serving the interests of the region’s developers.

    Gerhart and Peacor worked hard also to build a Planning Office headed by someone who considered the region’s leading developer attorney and lobbyist his “best friend,” purged all Planning Office professionals who refused to play along with their schemes and conflicts of interest, and protected the lackeys who did despite numerous incidents of sexual harassment and discrimination.

    We know that neither Gerhart nor Peacor was spending much time watching what was going on in OIT.

    Thanks Corey, for ramming through continuation of this disastrous management “team” when you had an opportunity to clean house.

  6. Big Dog

    http://www.roanoke.com/politics/wb/26620

    Go Brandy! Meg Wittman spent millions and didn’t taste the sweetness of victory – you did.

    (But next election, try and find time to vote – sets a good example.)

  7. Wolverine, is there a link to the loudoun county budget? I would like to check a few things. I can’t even find it for Prince William. (the % of money the school board gets)

  8. Raymond Beverage

    Moon, for PWC Budget, the link is http://www.pwcgov.org/budget

    That will take you to the page where you will find the initial stuff for FY2012, and the current FY2011, and all past budgets. PWC is a tough site to get around as how they organize it is a pain. Budget Office is under Executive Management, and even the documents you are looking for are under General Information and also Publications tabs on the menu.

    But the shortcut I gave you works just fine.

  9. Censored bybvbl

    Lafayette, you’re right about my lack of sympathy. 😉 I had all the same problems at one time or other – created by good old boys. My objection was to HSM’s tactics and rhetoric. As has been said ad nauseum – no one can tell immigration status by looking at anyone.

    I agree that residents had to educate NS. That place sucked for quite some time -to the point of being practically useless. I had to get my complaints addressed by threatening to go to the BOCS with them. I think problems were allowed to fester to a point that they could be ignored no longer.

  10. Need to Know

    Raymond’s link to the full budget is correct. The following link takes you to a summary:

    http://www.pwcgov.org/docLibrary/PDF/12668.pdf

    Revenue and real estate documents can be found at:

    http://www.pwcgov.org/default.aspx?topic=04006000070

  11. Mom

    Without commentary:

    Manassas businessman Creston Owen died of a gunshot wound Tuesday night at his farm in Catlett, police said.

    Owen was found dead in a detached garage at his farm, Saturday Acres, in Catlett about 6 p.m., said Fauquier Sheriff’s Lt. John Hartman.

    Hartman said detectives are treating the case as an accidental shooting, but are awaiting the results of an autopsy this morning before making an official ruling.

    Owen was former treasurer of Historic Manassas, Inc., and owned Falcon Communications Services in the city. He was also a past president of the Prince William-Greater Manassas Regional Chamber of Commerce.

    He owned and lived at Saturday Acres Farm in Fauquier County with his wife. There they ran a real estate business and bred and sold horses and Jack Russell terriers.

  12. @Raymond Beverage

    Raymond, thank you. Can you find Loudoun Co’s for me or is that too much to ask?

  13. Regarding the death of Creston Owen– what sad news. I know he was very involved with City of Manassas affairs and such and that he spent a great deal of time and effort on making the City a better place to live, work and play.

    Many people are devastated by this sad news. Moonhowlings extends its deepest sympathies to the family, friends and business acquaintances of Creston Owen. May he rest in peace.

    Elena and Moon

  14. PWC Taxpayer

    Prince William County and Manassas have lost a real friend and benefactor today. Creston was bigger than life; while others saw problems and contraints, Creston saw the possibilities. He will be sorely missed.

  15. Raymond Beverage

    Loudoun County Budget Link is: http://loudoun.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=3240

    Moon, you have me stealing Wolverine’s Thunder 🙂

    That page has the full budget and if you scroll down to “Other Funds”, the School Fund is the bottom of the list – too big of a link to post to take you directly there.

  16. Mr. B, here is my problem. Not being a finance person, I don’t know what I am supposed to be looking at. I want to compare the % tax revenue PWC gives its schools to the % of tax revenue Loudoun gives its schools.

    I am too lame to do it. Can you ferret it out?

  17. Mom

    If I read their pie chart correctly, the School Operating Budget accounts for 54.1% and the the School Capital and Debt Service for 13.1% for a whopping total of 67.2% of the total budget (and I thought PWC was out of whack).

  18. Juturna

    Moon

    Go to the section entitiled “County and School Appropriations, FTE Allocation and Local Tax Funding”. Page E-31. The pie chart at the top of the page shows the total general fund collection and how it’s divided between county and schools.

  19. Thank you all. I am glad the finance army is here to rescue me!!!

    MoM, was that for Loudoun or Billy Bob?

  20. So what is PWC’s? I see 48% but that is too low?

    Is there a chart that tells me the same thing Loudouns tells me?

  21. It looks like Loudoun expends 54.1 % plus 13.1 % for debt. Total 67.2%

    Prince William includes the debt for a total of 62.8%?

    Am I doing this right ?

    Holy cow no wonder no one ever knows what is going on.

  22. Mom

    It would appear you are doing it correctly, I’m kicking myself for just assuming that the School’s capital and debt service costs were covered by the transfer agreement, it would appear that they are not. If that is indeed the case then I want all the money they have squirreled away for land acquisition and CIP returned to the BOCS since it looks like the county is paying the freight out of the general fund anyway. Just don’t know who to be more P.O.ed at, the County Exec., the BOCS, the SB, Dr. Walts or myself for not noticing.

  23. Wolverine

    Raymond, my thanks for stealing the thunder. The pie chart for the entire Loudoun budget shows 73.2 % total for the educational system. Where we would get the funds for quality of life is combined in just two different slices totalling less than 9%. Given the competition among agencies and between the various parts of such a diverse county, you will understand that budget time means the long knives come out around here. That small slice of less than 9% has become the proverbial turnip with not enough blood. And I tell you, budget time means that the “education army” headed by a long-time schools chief who now has national stature faces off against some angry critics; and it becomes a battle royal around here every time.

    But there is also another battle within the battle. Along with the overall problems in the East comes that of trying to keep the Eastern schools up to standards in spite of everything else. Except for the times when we were overseas, my kids matriculated through some of the finest schools Virginia has to offer. Now the administrators and teachers in those same schools are facing problems not dissimilar in some ways to inner city schools; and they need the doses of extra funding to win the battle. That’s where Mrs. W does her thing; and she tells me that the admin and teachers in her school are like veritable warriors who refuse to give up and who need as much backing as they can get. So, if you demand that more of the budget goes into non-eductional things and the schools are forced to cut back, there is no guarantee that the Eastern schools will not have to carry their share of that. I think it is quite evident that, if your schools start to fail, the community itself is on the road to failure. You would think that a school administration could make the proper adjustments along that line; but the great schools are now west of us, as are the heaviest hitters in that “education army” who want to keep those AAA-rated schools at the AAA level. It is a dilemma.

    As unincorporated places, the communities of Eastern Loudoun have long been at the mercy of the BOS as a whole. There has been talk periodically of incorporating, but many do not harbor too well the thought of a double taxation system, especially because the BOS is hardly likely to diminish county tax rates under such circumstances. Nor does the idea of tax districts play too well. You have to understand that, if Loudoun is touted as one of the wealthiest counties in the US, that wealth comes mostly from the Center, South and West. The East is by far at the lower end of that calculation. The difference is reflected in out shopping centers, for instance. Far fewer high-end stores than there were just 10 or 15 years ago. Now we get the Big Lots, the Bottom Dollar, and the Dollar Store as the “anchors” in the shopping centers. No Wegmans or Harris-Teeter for us. We are lucky we still have a Safeway. It is a reflection of the economic/financial status of many here. That includes citizens, legal immigrants, and illegal immgrants alike. It becomes a big deal when we get enough cash just to plant new trees on the median strip of Sterling Boulevard.

  24. Raymond Beverage

    Wolverine, your welcome…and thanks for the further explanation. One could almost overlay what you wrote about Loudoun to PWC. Although store-wise, the east has it shares of higher end.

  25. Wolverine, look at this one.

    http://loudoun.gov/controls/speerio/resources/RenderContent.aspx?data=356975f2a8e94e8386e374a51c8e2ce5&tabid=326

    It shows a total of 67% with the school capital and debt service and the school operating cost.

    I might not be doing it right.

    I am still trying to make the 2 counties mesh. I have a friend who is going to help me with PWC.

    It is not wonder no one ever knows what is going on. The average person just can’t read this crap. (unless you have a background in finance, which I do not)

  26. New topic: Anybody else watching “The Walking Dead”?

  27. Woverine, me again. I am not sure about your East and West places. I get confused and don’t think that PWC and Loudoun are positioned right on the map.

    For decades PWC was the fastest growing county in the United States. Then you stole our title. Welcome to our world.

  28. Big Dog

    “The Walking Dead”? Is that about the lame-duck session of congress?

  29. @Big Dog
    I tried. I really, really tried. But someone did it anyway. I was going to use that joke, but, I resisted.

    Big Dog, Nah. That would be “The Brain Dead”

  30. StirrupStink

    Does anyone at Stirrup’s office know the difference between a Principal and a Principle? Guess not.

    It’s my opinion that Stirrup and his office are a real embarrassment to the citizens of Prince William.

    From Stirrup’s Quarterly Newsletter,

    Gainesville District’s 30th Quarterly Town Hall Meeting, December 8th

    Supervisor Stirrup invites you to join him at his 30th Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, December 8th from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm at Samuel L. Gravely, Jr. Elementary School located at 4670 Waverly Farm Drive in Haymarket. Ed Clark, Provost of the Manassas National Battlefield will give a presentation on the Battlefield’s plans for the upcoming Sesquicentennial Celebration. Michele Salazano, Principle of Gravely Elementary, will give an overview of the recent commissioning of the USS Gravely and the students of Gravely Elementary will perform the song they sang at the commissioning. Supervisor Stirrup will give an update of issues concerning the Gainesville District followed by a question and answer session.

  31. Wolverine

    Moon, Eastern Loudoun is considered to be the area between Rte 28 and the Fairfax County line. The areas in my reference are largely Sterling Park and Sugarland. We do have a wealthier enclave called Lowes Island (where Donald Trump now owns the golf club), but that area is sort of like a stranger to many of us. In fact, at one point some of the people living in the Potomac Falls neighborhoods a bit further west along the Potomac River found that their USPS address was technically in Sterling and wanted it changed to Potomac Falls. That’s one Hell of a revoltin’ development when your own neighbors object to having an address like yours because they don’t like the cut of your jib.

  32. Wolverine, thanks for the geography lesson.

    I have decided that county budgets are just over my head. I don’t have the vocabulary to navigate my way around the hundred-page documents. Now I can’t find out what my county gives to education. I thought I knew but there are too many tricks and funds. I didn’t.

  33. Russia and Qatar were chosen as the host countries for the
    World Cups of 2018 and 2022.

  34. from msn.com

    The Treasury Department says it has received $11.7 billion from the sale of 358.5 million shares of General Motors stock.

    Treasury announced that the net proceeds from the GM stock sold last week were delivered on Tuesday. Treasury officials said that the government could receive an additional $1.8 billion assuming the underwriters exercise options to purchase an additional 53.8 million shares of GM common stock within 30 days of the initial stock offering.

    That’s a good good start towards repayment.

  35. @Moon-howler
    Ooooo, soccer in waist deep snow……woohoo! THAT will be worth watching.

    Or in 120 degree heat……soccer players all wearing camelback canteens.

  36. Need to Know

    @Moon-howler

    Good. I don’t like soccer and didn’t want to deal with the hassle of the mobs that would descend on DC for that event.

  37. Big Dog

    Principal = Prince of a Pal. That is a “memory helper” my 5th Grade
    teacher would share — often to a chorus of low moans from the back of
    class.

  38. Morris Davis

    Who pals around with terrorists? Speaker-in-waiting John Boehner. His chief of staff recently held a personal sit-down meeting with the far-right anti-abortion terrorist Randall Terry. Mr. Terry included a picture of the meeting in his recent email that includes an announcement about his DC rally in January. I’m guessing the Randall Terry rally crowd will be bigger than the 10 people that attended the Jon Stewart rally in October and smaller than the 10,000,000 people that attended the Glenn Beck rally in August.
    http://campaigns.ratepoint.com/campaigns/5b0c2b67e81c44e11e17a707d5a06fa3?r=17bc4dba6332e110f6924d0ae4fe0061

  39. “anti-abortion terrorist Randall Terry”

    So, people that protest abortion, without committing violence, that haven’t killed anybody or exploded bombs, are now “terrorists”

    He’s a terrorist because of….what? Embarrassing people? Making at-will abortions a cause to be fought? Defending the unborn’s right to life?

    He may be unpleasant, have a rotten ethos on marriage, be a hypocrite in many ways, and even be delusional. But a terrorist? Nothing in his history as described in Wiki or that I can find in Google shows that he has committed or even threatened violence other than burning a Koran.

  40. However, Boehner is an idiot for getting any where near that idiot. Which is why I wanted DeMint as Speaker.

  41. Morris Davis

    Terrorism is the use of intimidation for political purposes. Here is a link to an article on Fox News Radio entitled “Randall Terry Warns of Violence if Health Care Reform Passes.” http://radio.foxnews.com/2009/07/20/randall-terry-warns-of-violence-if-health-care-reform-passes/ Kind of like when he held a press conference to say Dr. Tiller got what he deserved and then invited the audience to join him for beer and hot wings. There is an article in Salon entitled “John Boehner hangs out with Randall Terry” where the author writes: “Randall Terry is a psychopath, an antiabortion zealot who endorses domestic terror.” http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/11/30/randall_terry_boehner/index.html I suspect you consider Anwar al-Awlaki a terrorist, yet to my knowledge he has never personally engaged in an act of violence. Like Terry, he uses incendiary rhetoric to fire up the faithful and incites them to do what he doesn’t have the guts to do himself.

    “Boehner is an idiot” … I want argue with you there … but DeMinted?

  42. @Cargosquid

    Yes, I consider Randall Terry a terrorist. Have you ever witnessed him and his actions first hand? I have. I think what he says to incite others is terrorism and I believe that blockading people out of their own business is terrorism. I believe plotting with others to chain themselves to the car axis to prevent removal is terrorism.

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