Snow_TunnelIs it cold enough for you yet?  Is this the same polar vortex or a new one?

Will the pipes freeze?  Will trees fall?  Will the roof leak?  Will our vehicles go in the snow or stop on the ice?

Winter is a dangerous time of year.  Kids get hurt sledding.  People get stricken while shoveling snow.  Accidents happen all over the place.

It is expensive for homeowners to maintain their property.  Good luck, winter survivors.
Thursday Feb. 13, 2014-PWC Schools closed, code RED.  Friday also for PWC.

Manassas City is also closed.

75 Thoughts to “Open Thread…………………………………….Wednesday, January 22”

  1. Friar Tuck

    There is no greater victim than Pete Candland, at least according to his buddy the Sheriff.

    Everyone is picking on Pete.

    Meanwhile, the DB’s continue to scapegoat a former employee for all the evils in the world or for anyone who isn’t singing the praises of Pete. The former employee is not even in town. She still gets the blame.

    The dumb asses don’t even realize how stupid they sound.

  2. Its the WHITE DEATH!!!!!!!!!

    Run! South! We should never have given up our natural nomadic ways!

    We’re all gonnnnnnaaaaa DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!

    That was the gist of what the press was putting out day before yesterday.
    Well, that was what runs through my head……. I’m from down South.
    This frozen water from the sky thing……too weird.

  3. Scout

    I love winter and I love snow. We’ve had far too little of either the past two cycles. But, I must confess, that when I was out with the dogs this morning, it was cold enough to hurt. My Russian dog thought everything was just dandy. But my domestic mongrel rescue guy pulled up lame because his feet couldn’t take the cold. I was afraid I’d have to carry him back (he and the Black Russian Terrier eacn weigh about 110 pounds, so that would not have been any thing other than a polar Bataan Death March). Fortunately, we weren’t too far from home and he limped in. I’m going to have to get him boots I think.

    The Potomac is pretty much frozen solid at the lower DC crossings. I once walked across the Potomac on the ice at Georgetown, but that was long ago.

    1. You are lucky you didn’t drown!!

      You are also lucky you didn’t have to carry dogs. I had to carry a large border collie home quivering like a mass of jelly from a Civil War reenactment. My stupidity for taking her.

      I think I need to get some dog boots too. They aren’t out for long. 12 legs run down the steps real fast and then back up.

  4. punchak

    @Scout
    Check with the dog owners who take part in the Iditarod race.
    They have cute little booties for their dogs’ paws,

  5. punchak

    Have you heard Huckaby’s latest comments about women?

    1. No. Give us a link. Please.

  6. Wolverine

    Looks like the bloom may be coming off the Wendy Davis rose in Texas. The Dallas Morning News seems to be showing that Time Magazine was suckered by a bio not exactly truthful.

    1. Old news. Her divorce was final when she was 21, not 19. Those who support Davis will continue to support her. Those who don’t, won’t.

      Her second husband also helped her with the money for her law degree. Her mother had a 9th grad education instead of a 7th grade education. Those items sure make a huge difference….now don’t they>

  7. punchak

    @Moon-howler
    Don’t know how to link, sorry to say! 🙁

  8. Scout

    @Moon: The Civil War was indeed a harrowing historical event. That your dog had the insight to appreciate its significance is a real testament to its education.

  9. Furby McPhee

    I think the charge that will hurt Wendy Davis is the circumstances around her 2003-2005 divorce. While it may all be coincidental timing, it’s not hard to paint her in a negative light when she left her husband right after he paid off her student loans. That, his allegation of infidelity and that she voluntarily give up custody of her children are not going to make Wendy Davis a very sympathetic figure in Texas.

    The key is that this race is in Texas. This story wouldn’t be as big a deal somewhere else, but I think it will matter in Texas. She was a bit of a long shot candidate in the first place and this isn’t going to swing an undecided voter over to her.

    And again, to be very clear since I know what happens when you criticize one of the anointed here, I am not arguing pro or con on anything. Only that this news tarnishes her compelling life story, which is what she has primarily run on in the past. You might not think that’s right or fair, but if you think it’s going to be a non-issue in Texas, you’re fooling yourself. It’s a a little like the famous LBJ pig farmer quote. There’s no positive for Wendy Davis that can come out of this story.

    Besides, she’s not really running for governor anyway. She’s running to boost name recognition so she can run and win a safe Democratic seat in Congress next year and she’ll be Rep. Wendy Davis in 2017.

  10. Wolverine

    Old news, my eye. Leave your kids with your second husband to go off to Harvard Law on his money. Graduate from Harvard law, come home to Texas, and get divorced. Agree to let the second husband have custody of your kids, even the one who is not his child, so you can pursue a career in Dem politics. Yeah, really outstanding. Oh, the trials and tribulations of single motherhood, as she tried to make it look. Lies, lies, and more lies. And the guy at the Dallas Morning News who exposed her false story is reportedly liberal in his politics.

    1. 1. She was a single mother. Even if you are a single mother for a year, that’s a single mother. I know it is tough for women, especially women who haven’t finished their education. Its tough for men also. Let me not be sexist. Child care expenses alone can put you in the poor house.

      I don’t think we can stand in judgement of Wendy Davis’s marriage. We weren’t there. Maybe he beat her, maybe he ran around on her, maybe they hated each other, maybe they grew apart. It isn’t up to us to evaluate it. You don’t know why they divorced. You just sound judgemental. Maybe she felt the child was better off with its siblings. Who knows. Who cares.

      I can’t vote in that election anyway. I agree with her policies. I don’t care about her personal life unless she harmed someone else or an animal.

      It is old news. I glazed over it last week. The details weren’t that far off.

  11. Friar Tuck

    I’m BAAAaaaaackkkkkk! Attempted to post this on another blog.

    “I see a money-making scheme on my horizon. As a PWC resident, I think I will submit a FOIA request on something in Candland’s office. It really doesn’t matter what. Then, when I see my name go up in lights on this blog, as a private citizen simply requesting information, I will sue the pants off of the Sheriff, all 5 heads of him. Maybe the county also.

    Ms. XXXXXXXX [redacted], last I heard, was a private citizen and should not be bullied because she asks for what is her legal right to know, according to Virginia law, regardless of how much of a pain in the ass her request might be.

    Her rights have been violated. I can’t wait for you all to violate mine. I am far greedier than XXXXXXXX [redacted].
    It’s probably a good idea to publish. We tipsters move about and drop things on other blogs that are a little more egalitarian.”

    [Editor note: I am uncomfortable using the name of a private citizen under these circumstances, without the permission of the individual. This blog is only redacting the name of the individual in question, not the comment.–MH]

  12. Watching

    I think is in inevitable that someone, pubic or private, is going to sue the Sheriff. “I sued the Sheriff but I did not sue the Deputy.” LOL I suspect all of this will break open right around the time that person who the Sheriff appears to support, who had no interest in higher office, tries to move to higher office.

    1. I expect we will all be WATCHING.

  13. Charlotte

    I hate to throw cold water on the notion that a lawsuit will make you rich, but it won’t. The standard for proving malice (requiring that the person knew the information was false) and generally for slander or libel are very high. Bloggers have been accorded mainstream journalist protections by the courts, so a private person would have to prove up a case that a blogger just singled them out of the blue for some untrue accusations.

    The moderator of this blog properly, in my judgment, redacted the name of the requestor as a courtesy to that individual. It is, however, not a requirement to do so given the construct of the statute on this issue.

    I looked at the blog post in question, and I can tell you there is no cause of action here. The FOIA requestor made themselves a “limited public figure” with the request under Virginia statutes. In any event, any such litigation would be expensive and likely would be met with a counter-suit where damages could be alleged on both sides.

    Trust me, all litigation benefits only the lawyers.

  14. To both posters, this blog isn’t going to be used as the “duking out place” for real or imagined litigation.

    The courtesy of redaction would be provided any private citizen where accusations were made. I also don’t allow county employees to be trashed, since I am talking about my rules.

    The laws, responsibilities and limitations of bloggers are still in their infancy stages. I think I am just going to be different and allow common courtesy and decency to be my benchmark. That seems to be a very scarce commodity in this business.

  15. Watching

    Privacy, free speech, blogs, posters, online reviews….it’s all still in its infancy.

  16. punchak

    Can you believe it? It’s 36F in Anchorage, and temp. is expected to get in to
    the 40s the next few days.
    Fairbanks has the same temp. as we do!

    1. We aren’t going to be so lucky in the next three days.

  17. Lyssa

    Lynwood Lewis won. Democrats take the VA Senate.

  18. Pat.Herve

    @Lyssa

    Lets just hope that the VA Senate does not become stupid…..

  19. Lyssa

    @Moon-howler

    Re the Underwear blog

    They are beginning to look a little desperate. They’re not getting any real traction – losers usually lash out. If you look at the comments they REALLY do look like they’re written by the same five people.

    1. Yes, that is fairly obvious. I think that number is about right. 5. I am still chuckling over the Underwear Blog. I think that name will stick.

      Too funny, Lyssa.

  20. Lyssa

    @moon

    If the FOIA request came from a private citizen via email and went to a county employee how did a copy of the email end up on that blog?

    1. It makes one wonder, doesn’t it? I am appalled that a private citizen would have their FOIA request put on their supervisor’s website which is ultimately paid for by tax payers. That is bullying. In fact, I am speechless. I have gotten email and phone calls about this subject and at first I simply didn’t know what people were so up in arms over. I had not seen the website or the Underwear Blog ridiculing the individual who made the FOIA request.

      Does that mean that if I filed a FOIA request over anything that involved my own supervisor, that I would be punished and have that FOIA put on a website, picked up by a supporting blog, and ridiculed? <--- (That just might have to happen real soon) I feel that everyone in Prince William County has had their rights violated. It IS the right of any individual to request this information, even if we do or don't like it. I am very disappointed and now outraged that this would happen in PWC. Mr. Candland, lets just spell it out, is getting some VERY bad advice from someone and I seriously doubt if that advice is coming from Angela Horan or Melissa Peacor. I have lived in Prince William County over 40 years. I can never remember a constituent being treated in this off-handed, disrespectful manner and remember, I lived in PWC during the 4 Horsemen Reign of Terror where those with opposing points of view were locked out of buildings, etc. Something needs to change at the county level so that this type of harassment of constituents is simply not possible in the future. Thank you for bringing this topic up. I felt I had a moral obligation to address this situation and I have been tossing and turning all night over how to do it. The remedy needs to start with an apology.

  21. Furby McPhee

    It’s supposed to hit 50 degrees this weekend! Hooray! I’m sick of this cold weather. If I wanted this kind of weather, I’d live in Minnesota.

    My gas bill can use the break too.

  22. I recall well having my name FOIA’d by certain people associated with Help Save Manassas. But I will say this, NEVER would I have put their FOIA up as retribution. What is the most troubling is that this person’s FOIA request went from Pete’s office to an attack blog. The only person looking bad here is Pete and I would highly recommend he not do this again. It just looks petty and I don’t believe Pete is petty, actually, the people giving him advice, yes, Pete, no.

  23. Regarding FOIA-gate:

    I question why Pete Candland felt the need to put a FOIA request on his website. What point was he making? What was the purpose? That action really had nothing to do with transparency in government. If he hadn’t made an issue of it, I doubt that anyone would have known about it.

    Right now, it looks like an abuse of power and bullying. If I were to put in a FOIA request for anything, I have to assume that it would be posted on any supervisor’s website and I would become the object of ridicule on all the local blogs. I might have just described a strong deterrent not to attempt any FOIA requests. Ya think?

    What assurances do I have that won’t happen? Are constituents fair game now? I don’t really care who it is or what their relationship to any of the parties is. WHO the person is, is irrelevant. The FOIA request should have never been posted.

    To my knowledge, posting a FOIA request or the results of one on a website paid for by the public coffers is unprecedented.

    I call on the Board of County Supervisors to enact a resolution that protects its citizens from this type of harassment.

  24. By the way….I’ll be up your way this weekend.

    Going to the Manassas Gun show and then to a restaurant in Leesburg to meet fellow bloggers and welcome home a gun blogger that escaped from Massachusetts.

    1. Where is the Manassas gun show? When do you arrive? Email me, por favor.

  25. @Wolverine

    One more thing…those who like her will continue to like her. Those who oppose her, will oppose her even more. Meanwhile, nothing will change. There was never any bloom on her to start with to a significant number of people who oppose what she stood for.

  26. Wolverine

    Moon — You can now factor in the videos being circulated showing some of Wendy’s female campaign workers mocking her opponent for being in a wheelchair.

    1. Sounds like a Max Cleland situation. Shame on them. I hope she fires them if that is what they did.
      I would have to know the entire story before I pass judgement.

  27. Scout

    Why do people in Virginia care so much (one way or the other) about a Texas state politician? Whatever the details of her biography concerning her marriage and divorce, nothing I’ve heard even approaches any number of politicians in both major parties holding federal office. This kind of bio scratching is penny ante stuff. Getting excited about it, especially at a long geographic remove, makes those who are jumped up about look awfully small.

    If she runs for President, I’ll go back and take a look at it and decide whether it has any impact on her ability to perform her duties.

  28. Friar Tuck

    Mother Teresa would turn over in her grave if she heard the down right orneriness on the Underwear Blog.

    She was a good Christian woman who was kind to all: the lepers, those with AIDS, the poor, and the prostitutes.

    I don’t think she would accept an award from people in their underwear.

  29. Friar Tuck

    Some earth-clod thinks that the word sycophant is psycho-pants. The dimwitted grow weaker.

  30. Lafayette

    Anyone else catch Citizens’ Time?

    1. No but I have gotten a couple of phone calls about it. It takes some courage to go up against ‘the machine.’

  31. Well, Obama has somehow made law again, delaying Obamacare AGAIN. I thought that it was such a good deal! Guess not.

    The Congress should pass a bill demanding that he implement the law as written or go to Congress to amend it.

  32. Lafayette

    @Moon-howler
    Yes, it does take courage. However, interesting that one of the biggest supporters of Pete, is now against him. I remember some bullying those of us that supported Martha. Told us we’d be sorry we supported her and we should be supporting Pete. My, my how the tables have turned. Karma’s a bitch.

  33. Peterson

    Hey Moon, remember what I said about the market and signs that you need to start pulling back on investments? Well, the first sign started yesterday:

    http://www.cnbc.com/id/101406674

    1. I had a pretty good day yesterday.

  34. @Peterson
    So…. should we just put the money into cash or other tangible objects?

    1. I would put my money into blue chip stock. But…you didn’t ask me.

      Either that or find yourself a good financial advisor and go with some solid mutual funds.

  35. Peterson

    @Cargosquid
    no cash, the value isn’t there and it’s only going to get worse for the near future… Silver is pretty cheap these days, I’ve been buying more these days with the price so low.

    I’m still investing in the market, I’m just changing investment strategies from a somewhat aggressive/high yield to a lower yield/less aggressive approach. When the markets bottom out Ill flip the switch back to an even more aggressive strategy to buy up as much cheap price stocks as I can.

    1. I am not so sure I would go with silver or any of the metal commodities. I own a small amount of silver wheaton which was great a yar, year and a half ago. Not, not so hot. SLW It is an interesting stock because it isn’t actually involved in mining. Take a look at it. It is less risky than an actual company that does its own mining.

      How are bonds doing?

  36. Peterson

    Looked outside when I got up this morning and could only think of one thing…. the settled science of global warming.

    Back in 2000 all global warming scientists (and Al Gore) proclaimed that snow was a thing of the past due to global warming. Gore went as far to say that our kids and grandchildren would never know what snow was like.

    I found this article from December 2000 in which it quotes Dr. David Viner, one of the worlds leading climate scientists:

    According to Dr David Viner, a senior research scientist at the climatic research unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia,within a few years winter snowfall will become “a very rare and exciting event”.

    “Children just aren’t going to know what snow is,” he said.

    Yep, these climate experts are sooooo smart and I’m so glad that this issue is settled. On a side note, it took me about 45 minutes to shovel a ton of global warming off my truck this morning. Went inside to change for work and when I came back out a global warming plow just plowed 3 feet of global warming on my truck.

    With my truck encased in global warming I called into work. Now with the day off I think Ill take my 4 year old out to play in the 7 inches of global warming, maybe Ill see if the community pool is open…

    1. I would say that the science of climate change has been tweaked quite a lot since 2000. Al Gore is a politician, not a scientist.

      I don’t think I would base my observations about science on Al Gore. 🙄

  37. BSinVA

    11-1/2″. Snow that is in central PWCo.

    1. Real inches or guy inches?

      Compared to Snowmageddon, this Pax storm is a real whimp.

  38. Peterson

    @Moon-howler
    Agreed about Al Gore but he is the biggest cheerleader. However, the point is if you take a look at all of the worlds leading climate scientists and their predictions from 20 years, 10 years or even 5 years ago almost every one of them has been wrong. This ‘proven’ science and ‘settled’ issue is anything but. The only thing that’s proven is that climate science is like alchemy, I don’t see a difference between the two.

  39. Rick Bentley

    To whoever made the decision in the past to put the power lines for this area underground – thank you!

    My coworkers and friends in more affluent suburbs lose power frequently from tree outages. I/we don’t. I think it’s been 8 years or so since there was a power outage here, and that one was not weather-related.

    1. Totally agree! I live in Sudley and all the powermlines are underground. Thank you to whoever made that decision. It is rare for us to lose power. When we do, it is usually a squirrel in the grid.

  40. punchak

    @Peterson
    Anchorage, Alaska, had a temp. of 47F at the end of January.
    Scandinavia was green at Christmas time. Today Oslo and Copenhagen
    stand at 37F ; Stockholm and Helsinki at 36F. Moscow, BTW, stands at 34F.
    All those temperatures are very unusual for mid-February.

    Have you seen pictures of the incredible flooding in Britain?

    1. It has been horrible, from what my friends tell me.

  41. Scout

    I love these people who look out the window on a given day and make pronouncements about climate, as opposed to weather.

  42. Rick Bentley

    I am very skeptical about climate change. I think that when you compare apples to apples, temperatures haven’t demonstrated warming in recent years. The climate change crew are playing a shell game. They now claim that “the arctic is warming”, estimate measurements of how much it’s warmed, and factor that in with the real observable measurements. The real observable measurements of surface temp don’t show a warming earth.

    You’re trusting them, and they are behaving in ways not deserving of that trust. Plenty of evidence exists to show how climate change scientists have been manipulating evidence.

    But if anyone wants to get deep into the issue, the “online university” EdX is about to start a course on “Global Warming Science”, which anyone enroll can in for free. The course is being done with MIT (MITx). I’m enrolled and planning to “attend” the lectures.

    1. Remind me and I will enroll with you.

      How about the new book, The Sixth Extinction? Have you read it or do you plan to read it? Elizabeth Kolbert.

  43. Rick Bentley

    EdX rocks. When you have some free time at your fingertips and want to learn, there it is. Probably better for a person than to browse porn or look at gossip sites all day long. I’m auditing these current and archived courses currently :

    Relativity and Astrophysics
    Greatest Unsolved Mysteries of the Universe
    Global Warming Science
    Building Mobile Experiences

  44. Rick Bentley

    Here is the course description for the Global Warming Science course – https://www.edx.org/course/mitx/mitx-12-340x-global-warming-science-1244

  45. Well, we lost power for a few hours, so we went sledding.

    Yay. We survived.

  46. Rick Bentley

    Moon, I saw the author of that book on The Daily Show last night. I had a low opinion of the interview and of her book. Seemed vapid.

    1. I dant disagree but some of the reviews of the book seemed good. I thought she acted too silly. Jon Stewart is the comedian, not her.

      I want to find someone who has read the book.

  47. @Moon-howler
    Nope. Both families forgot cameras.

    1. bummer. We took 2 4 wheeling plus 3 smart phones. All we got pictures of was huge giant buzzards.

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