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Kerry Dougherty

  • Day of Infamy

      It was President Franklin Roosevelt who correctly predicted that December 7, 1941 would forever be remembered as a day of infamy. Even those who were born long after the Japanese attacked American ships and aircraft in Pearl Harbor know what happened 68 years ago. [...]
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    Posted: December 07, 2009, 12:40pm EST

  • Disturbing details

    It's been two years and nearly eight months since a deranged and violent Virginia Tech student went on a shooting spree that ended in death for 32 students and teachers. By now the families of the victims - and the public - should have a complete picture of what happened that awful day in [...]
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    Posted: December 04, 2009, 11:30am EST

  • Disturbing details on Virginia Tech

    It's been two years and nearly eight months since a deranged and violent Virginia Tech student went on a shooting spree that ended in death for 32 students and teachers. By now the families of the victims - and the public - should have a complete picture of what happened that awful day in [...]
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    Posted: December 04, 2009, 11:30am EST

  • Yogis head to court

    Make no mistake. It's all about money. That's the only way to explain why the commonwealth of Virignia has decided to stick its governmental nose into yoga teacher training. [...]
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    Posted: December 02, 2009, 11:53am EST

  • Makeshift memorials

      Ever since the invention of the combustion engine people have died in car crashes. But - anecdotally speaking, anyway - it's only been in the last 25 years or so that makeshift memorials have regularly sprung up at the scenes of these accidents. [...]
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    Posted: November 30, 2009, 9:48am EST

  • Last meals

    No doubt you heard the news. The commonwealth of Virginia executed two killers in the past two weeks: John Allen Muhammad - The Beltway sniper and Larry Bill Elliott who killed two people to win the love of his stripper girlfriend. No doubt you know how they died, too. Muhammad opted for lethal injection, while Elliott [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 3:17pm EST

  • Our part-time governor

    Let me be clear. I didn't expect Tim Kaine to fetch my 7-Eleven coffee for me this morning. And I wasn't looking for him to run around lighting candles when my power first died last night. When I heard the whine of chainsaws this morning, I didn't expect to see Kaine out there working on the' [...]
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    Posted: November 13, 2009, 1:18pm EST

  • Email of the Day

    Perhaps you saw my column this morning. If so, you know that I object strenuously to members of the media and certain hand-wringers in society instinctively painting Nidal Malik Hasan as a victim and making excuses such as: They picked on him because he was a Muslim. His car was keyed. People snickered at [...]
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    Posted: November 12, 2009, 11:24am EST

  • What else is there to say?

    ... [...]
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    Posted: November 11, 2009, 12:10pm EST

  • Election Night

    Call it a columnist's conundrum. Political pundits were predicting a quick and decisive outcome in Virginia's elections Tuesday, which meant there was no time to shuttle between party headquarters in Richmond on Election Night. Hmmmm. Did we want to be with the happy people? Or the sad ones? [...]
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    Posted: November 04, 2009, 10:30am EST

  • Heavy metal has heart

    Not judging here, but Metallica is not a band usually associated with good deeds and generous public spirit. (True, band members may have been engaged in many acts of charity and kindness, point is, it's not part of the public's perception.) [...]
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    Posted: October 30, 2009, 11:18am EDT

  • The Wrestling Wrens?

    We all know the world is run by C students. So, on behalf of everyone with a slightly embarrassing academic record, I offer this delicious nugget: The College of William and Mary continues its desperate search for a mascot. Yep, this elite institution, brimming over with brainiacs, can't find a suitable costumed character to lead cheers' [...]
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    Posted: October 21, 2009, 9:10am EDT

  • Times are tough, but don't take it out on the marsupials

    With unemployment on the rise, it's more important than ever to be on your very best behavior during job interviews. Even informal ones. So it should go without saying that job prospects should never, ever engage in opossum stomping while trying out for a new position. Sadly, it happened. In Danville. [...]
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    Posted: October 20, 2009, 1:24pm EDT

  • Zero tolerance vs. common sense

    Here's one more reason for school adminstrators to hone their critical thinking skills instead of blindly following zero tolerance policies. Yep, a Delaware first grader - 6 years old, by the way - was sentenced to 45 days in an "alternative" school after he brought a fork/knife/spoon camping tool to school to [...]
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    Posted: October 14, 2009, 10:48am EDT

  • The view from inside the Beltway

    Do you suppose The Washington Post ever wonders why it doesn't sell more papers outside Northern Virginia? Here's a hint: Maybe it's the sneering condescension  of its opinion writers toward the rest of the state. [...]
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    Posted: October 07, 2009, 10:55am EDT

  • Father of the Year? Definitely not.

    Confession time. For tomorrow's paper I was thinking about writing a column on gangs. I was going to talk about how all the local cities seem to host gang-awareness meetings. Yet gang membership continues to soar. [...]
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    Posted: September 30, 2009, 10:22am EDT

  • Yup, pit bulls again

      Some of you object whenever I write about pit bulls. You think these lovable beasts get a bad rap. You like to trot out statistics showing that cocker spaniels are more likely to bite than pit bulls. That's true, by the way. In fact, many dog breeds bite more often than pit bulls. All dogs bite. [...]
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    Posted: September 29, 2009, 10:31am EDT

  • Polanski's double standard

    Why is it that when a clergyman or a teacher is accused of having sex with a 13-year-old drugged child society labels the perp a pedophile, a pervert and a sex offender? Yet when a talented film director faces the same charges people are quick to pardon him. They blame his unhappy life, or worse, insinuate that the victim [...]
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    Posted: September 28, 2009, 9:26am EDT

  • Politicians. They really aren't like the rest of us.

      Consider they way they speak, for instance. Exhibit 1: This curious excerpt from Doug Wilder's Thursday statement, in which he attempted to explain why he won't support Creigh Deeds for governor: ' [...]
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    Posted: September 25, 2009, 9:46am EDT

  • Precious or pornographic?

      Grab your family photo album and flip through the pages. Any adorable diaper-changing shots in there? A photo or two of your pudgy baby in his birthday suit? How about innocent snaps of your kids in the tub? Uh-oh. Count yourself lucky that some know-it-all technician at that one-hour shop didn't call the cops and report' [...]
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    Posted: September 23, 2009, 10:48am EDT

  • Just show up

    Get caught speeding and your best hope of escaping conviction is for the arresting cop not to show up in court. Rarely happens, I'm told. Unfortunately, a missing policeman also means folks charged with more serious crimes go free. ' [...]
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    Posted: September 16, 2009, 7:37am EDT

  • Eye of the beholder

    OK. Let's talk billboards. In today's column I defend them. What can I say. I love to take road trips. You drive through Kansas without billboards to break up the monotony. I dare you. [...]
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    Posted: September 15, 2009, 8:54am EDT

  • Capitol Hill cretins

    While the cable TV new analysts were agush Wednesday night, tossing around adjectives like “impassioned” “eloquent” and “game changer” to describe the president’s speech on health care, I was shaking my head and thinking of a different word to describe the experience. Unwatchable. [...]
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    Posted: September 10, 2009, 10:40am EDT

  • We're Number 34!

    Good news for Virginia Beach. I think. Forbes Magazine has just released its rankings of the 40 Most Stressful Cities in the country. Guess what?  We're on it. ' [...]
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    Posted: September 08, 2009, 11:45am EDT

  • Pit bulls. Again.

    These dogs are not only muscular, erratic and unpredictable. They're scary smart.  ' [...]
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    Posted: September 01, 2009, 11:30am EDT

  • Old enough

    For online readers who couldn't see Sunday's column, have a speed read:  Lower the drinking age to 18. Admittedly, I have selfish reasons for wanting the limit lowered. My college-aged offspring and almost all of their friends are in the drinking danger zone: They're between the ages of 18 and 20. [...]
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    Posted: August 31, 2009, 9:17am EDT

  • Meyera's new gig

    If you're a fan of painfully corny television ads, you'll love this one. Yep, it's former Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera Oberndorf,  giving free meat and money advice on TV.     [...]
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    Posted: August 28, 2009, 9:08am EDT

  • You want cream cheese on that?

      Someone in Norfolk has some explaining to do. How exactly does a bagel joint operate in a city facility for two years without a lease and without paying rent? We're waiting, Norfolk. Looks like Yorgo's Bageldashery owes the city $98,155 in back rent for the time it was open in downtown's popular Selden' [...]
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    Posted: August 27, 2009, 12:26am EDT

  • Hang onto your wallets, Norfolk

    It's official. Lawyers for the two bars that were unceremoniously padlocked last week after Norfolk's over-zealous City Council yanked their zoning permits, have filed suit. For $5 million. [...]
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    Posted: August 25, 2009, 3:08pm EDT

  • Seething about Scottish justice

      It's official. Scottish government officials are freeing the Pan Am bomber. Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi is being freed on compassionate grounds because the Libyan terrorist who conspired to blow up 270 people over Lockerbie, Scotland at Christmastime in 1988 has prostate cancer. Boo hoo. [...]
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    Posted: August 20, 2009, 9:06am EDT

  • Saw this one coming...

    Journey back with me to a blog post in early July. It was headlined "They're You're Kids. You Watch Them." In it, we reported that Virginia Beach lifeguards were spending more time babysitting abandoned kids on the beach than they were rescuing swimmers in distress. [...]
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    Posted: August 18, 2009, 12:26pm EDT

  • Grrrrrr. Pit bulls.

    Well, whaddya know. Another pit bull attack in Virginia. Another well-behaved family pet dead because it caught the eye of a marauding pit bull. Is anyone out there surprised? [...]
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    Posted: August 06, 2009, 2:34pm EDT

  • About that animal shelter...

    How do you pay for a $26 million animal shelter? Higher taxes, that's how. And pay hikes for city employees? That's gonna require higher taxes, too. [...]
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    Posted: August 04, 2009, 10:25am EDT

  • Missed the bus

      Well, what do you know. Looks like HRT is cutting service on two bus routes. The reason? Too few riders. Take route 963, for instance. That bus, which links Hampton to the Naval Station in Norfolk, served 553 riders in July of 2008. In June of '09 only 383 got on board. It's a similar story' [...]
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    Posted: July 31, 2009, 9:55am EDT

  • Help wanted

    From Today's Pilot, we bring you the Classified Ad of the Day: CREW HELP 5 HARD workers to replace 5 lazy ones. $150+ a day, cash Valid drivers lic. 757-463-0864 Hmmm. If you're planning to watch "The People's Court" and head in late today, check to see if it was your boss who posted the ad.  ' [...]
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    Posted: July 29, 2009, 9:22am EDT

  • No Crocs for Sasquatch

    When you wear a size 9 1/2 or 10 shoe you're extremely careful what you stick on your feet. Pick the wrong style and suddenly you look like you're marching around town in gunboats. [...]
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    Posted: July 28, 2009, 3:05pm EDT

  • Room at the pen

    Wait a minute. I thought Virginia's heartless truth-in-sentencing laws, a.k.a. "no more parole,"  meant the state would be facing decades of packed prisons. Yet here's a surprise: There's been a sudden drop in incarcerations. Looks like something else could be at work in the Old Dominion. [...]
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    Posted: July 27, 2009, 12:45pm EDT

  • Easy as ABC

      When I lived in Arlington and worked in Washington an army of after-work Virginians shopped at that busy liquor store by Key Bridge. The one that boldly advertised liquor specials to commuters. It wasn't a secret. The cramped parking lot was always jammed with cars bearing Virginia plates. ' [...]
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    Posted: July 22, 2009, 10:36am EDT

  • The City and Circuit City

    Well, what do you know. Looks like the City of Virginia Beach is getting ready to buy the old Circuit City property on Independence. In fact, the economic development guys may vote on it today and City Council will only need to give its rubber stamp of approval to the purchase [...]
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    Posted: July 21, 2009, 10:08am EDT

  • Driveway bandits

    This is not my driveway. But it looks like it. I'm not gonna lie. I have the ugliest drive in Tidewater. (No, I don't live in Hampton Roads. This is my blog, I can call this place anything I want.) [...]
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    Posted: July 17, 2009, 9:42am EDT

  • Amber Alerts and Twitter

    I was in a doctor's waiting room Wednesday morning, trying to get some work done on my new BlackBerry when I got the first Twitter alert. (Thanks, Scott!) [...]
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    Posted: July 16, 2009, 11:49am EDT

  • Is capital punishment a capital idea?

    With sociopath Paul Powell all over the news today, it’s as good a time as any to talk about the death penalty. I’m unenthusiastically for it. I don’t relish the idea of executing criminals. I don’t think every killer deserves to die. And my church absolutely condemns the practice. [...]
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    Posted: July 14, 2009, 10:59am EDT

  • About that headline...

    If I had my way my newspaper would add a little disclaimer to its masthead. We’d put it right there, under the bold and elegant “The Virginian-Pilot” in that medieval Fette Gotissch script. Reporters and columnists do not write their own headlines. [...]
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    Posted: July 13, 2009, 10:26am EDT

  • Hit and run? What's next?

    Innocent until proven guilty, of course. Still, this story leaves me speechless. OK, almost speechless. Not only was Virginia Beach Master Police Officer Bryan K. Womble charged with drunk driving on June 20th, but he's now facing misdemeanor charges of HIT AND RUN out of the same incident. He allegedly hit another car and [...]
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    Posted: July 10, 2009, 12:11pm EDT

  • They're your kids. You watch them.

    I keep forgetting that online readers can't see my columns anymore. Unless they're willing to pay, that is. So, I'm guessing a few of you missed Tuesday's offering. We talked about lifeguards and how, in addition to making water rescues and tending to medical emergencies on the beach, Virginia Beach guards have a' [...]
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    Posted: July 08, 2009, 10:52am EDT

  • Gorton's Sea Kitten Sticks?

    Why do members of the media always take the bait on PETA? Because their public relations folks are clever, that's why. Consider PETA's latest campaign. After years of yapping about the horrors of fishing - to no avail - the animal activists are trying a new approach. They want to rebrand fish. [...]
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    Posted: July 02, 2009, 8:33am EDT

  • Michael Jackson, Day Six

      No one was surprised Thursday night when the news world was on fire about Michael Jackson’s unexpected death. But Friday morning, when I turned on CNN, I was stunned to find the cable news network was essentially covering NOTHING else. It was the same story on the MSNBC and FOX. It was like the [...]
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    Posted: June 30, 2009, 12:47pm EDT

  • Nice move, Nye

    Memo to Rep. Glenn Nye: You know you're doing the right thing when The Daily Kos kicks you around for it.  ' [...]
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    Posted: June 29, 2009, 11:05am EDT

  • Putting on the dog

    Timing is everything. On the same day we learn that financial whiz Warren Buffet reportedly believes the American economy is in “shambles,” with no recovery in sight, Virginia Beach honchos continue to whistle past the graveyard, toying with ever more extravagant projects. They're either tone deaf or out of touch. ' [...]
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    Posted: June 25, 2009, 1:05pm EDT

  • Jon and Kate Minus Me

    Stop the presses! Jon & Kate Promise Big News on Next Show - Chicago Sun-Times Jon Gosselin Has "No Idea" Where Wife Kate Is - New York Daily News. Jon and Kate Gosselin Reportedly Filed for a Divorce Monday - ABC News You've got to hand it to the publicity geniuses at' [...]
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    Posted: June 22, 2009, 7:17pm EDT

  • Jon and Kate Minus Me

    Stop the presses! Jon & Kate Promise Big News on Next Show - Chicago Sun-Times Jon Gosselin Has "No Idea" Where Wife Kate Is - New York Daily News. Jon and Kate Gosselin Reportedly Filed for a Divorce Monday - ABC News You've got to hand it to the publicity geniuses at' [...]
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    Posted: June 22, 2009, 7:13pm EDT

  • An unlikely hero

      I suspect that when the full saga of Lauren Cootes is finally told two heroes will emerge. One is the extraordinary Cox High School senior herself, of course. The other will be the common-sense Virginia Beach school superintendent who shook off silly rules and inflexible regulations to do the right thing. [...]
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    Posted: June 16, 2009, 10:22am EDT

  • Government gnomes at work

                  What follows is a reprint of Sunday's column.       I'm posting it for those who don't have home delivery - shame on you - or who live out of town and have not yet subscribed to ePilot. [...]
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    Posted: June 15, 2009, 8:25am EDT

  • Color me skeptical

    So Fiat is going to save Chrysler, huh? Hah. That could only make sense to someone who's never owned one of these Italian cars. In 1975, I bought my first car. It was a Fiat 128. It looked something like this: [...]
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    Posted: June 11, 2009, 10:07am EDT

  • Eating is NOT a sport

        Perhaps you saw: Norfolk played host last Saturday to the Hot Dog Eating state championships. The winner - who'll presumably represent Virginia in the national finals at Coney Island on the 4th of July - managed to inhale 36 dogs in 10 minutes making her, well, what exactly? A great athlete? A glutton? ' [...]
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    Posted: June 09, 2009, 9:30am EDT

  • Eating is NOT a sport

        Perhaps you saw: Norfolk played host last Saturday to the Hot Dog Eating state championships. The winner - who'll presumably represent Virginia in the national finals at Coney Island on the 4th of July - managed to inhale 36 dogs in 10 minutes making her, well, what exactly? A great athlete? A glutton? ' [...]
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    Posted: June 09, 2009, 9:29am EDT

  • Mind if I have a look around?

    I don’t want to write another word about the Norfolk City Assessor. Or any other city assessor. Know your rights and you’ll be fine: You don’t have to let them in your house. Unless they have a search warrant. (See 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution for details.) But one [...]
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    Posted: June 04, 2009, 10:31am EDT

  • Mind if I have a look around?

    I don’t want to write another word about the Norfolk City Assessor. Or any other city assessor. Know your rights and you’ll be fine: You don’t have to let them in your house. Unless they have a search warrant. (See 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution for details.) But one [...]
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    Posted: June 04, 2009, 10:26am EDT

  • Running on Empty...

    Does sweat hurt a computer keyboard? Just wondering, because when I sat down to write this post – a couple of hours ago – I was dripping all over the place. [...]
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    Posted: June 02, 2009, 10:20am EDT

  • Honorary degrees? Please.

    Now that the college commencement season is almost over it may be safe to pose this question: What’s the deal with honorary degrees? I know, I know, most colleges and universities confer honorary degrees and the honorees pretend to be flattered, but what exactly can you do with an honorary degree, [...]
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    Posted: May 29, 2009, 10:34am EDT

  • 4th Amendment? Never heard of it.

    Perhaps you heard.  Norfolk appears to be playing cute games with constitutional rights. Yep, the City Assessor has dispatched an army of workers who aim to sweet talk their way into private homes with the goal of hiking assessments and ultimately, taxes. [...]
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    Posted: May 19, 2009, 1:31pm EDT

  • It's Broderick!

        It's been nearly a year since John Broderick was name "acting" president of Old Dominion University. I wrote a column after his first day in that temporary slot lamenting the fact that the PhD posse would probably keep him from getting the permanent post. College presidents are a lot like show dogs. [...]
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    Posted: May 18, 2009, 3:28pm EDT

  • Not even close

    As soon as I saw this story "Ten Stellar Commencement Addresses" in USA Today, I had to check. Was there a chance - however remote - that CNN gasbag David Gergen was in there? Whew. No, he was not. But Steve Jobs was. That's him in the picture. (Numero uno, by the way.) So [...]
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    Posted: May 14, 2009, 10:27am EDT

  • Mailing it in

      I’ve tried not to write about this since Saturday. Sorry, it needs to be said. David Gergen, CNN commentator and former presidential advisor, may be the worst commencement speaker. Ever. He delivered a “speech” – if his roughly 12-minute address could be called that – at ODU’s afternoon graduation ceremony last weekend. [...]
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    Posted: May 13, 2009, 8:45am EDT

  • Hard to swallow

    You know how everyone was telling us to invest in "Forever" stamps before the postal rates went up this week? Here's an even more useful tip: Stock up on soda. Coke doesn't go bad, so smart soda drinks should fill their closets and spare rooms with the stuff. ' [...]
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    Posted: May 12, 2009, 11:22am EDT

  • ODU Degree Day!

    Standing in the back of the Ted Constant Convocation Center Saturday afternoon, an official in the ODU alumni office gazed out over the sea of flat black hats and sighed: "They're ours now." ' [...]
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    Posted: May 11, 2009, 10:39am EDT

  • Freewheeling

    Here's one more reason to be glad you don't live in Massachusetts. Obviously, this plan to give donated cars to poor people was started with the best of intentions. But as so often happens when government plays fairy godmother, it quickly spun out of control.    ' [...]
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    Posted: May 07, 2009, 12:45pm EDT

  • Amen

    Hallelujah! To think I was away when this common-sense decree came to the diocese! I hesitate to point this out, but this advisory is nothing more than good hygiene. No reason this should be temporary.   [...]
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    Posted: May 04, 2009, 10:15am EDT

  • McAuliffe's man

    Hey, look who it is. Yep, that blurry man with the dark hair is Norfolk City Councilman Randy Wright. Wait, what's that stuck to his suitcoat? Looks like a McCain-Palin sticker. [...]
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    Posted: April 30, 2009, 4:09pm EDT

  • Swine Flu redux

    If you read nothing else about the Swine Flu H1N1 virus today,  check out Salon's retrospective on the last Swine Flu scare. Talk about never letting a "good crisis go to waste." That could have been the motto of the Ford Administration.   [...]
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    Posted: April 29, 2009, 11:08am EDT

  • Handful of health

      Reaction to this morning's column, by email at least  (sorry haters, I never even glance at the online comments) has been heartening. Seems I'm not the only churchgoer to cringe every time my congregation is urged to "join hands" and recite the Lord's Prayer. It makes me want to run for the exit. ' [...]
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    Posted: April 28, 2009, 12:14pm EDT

  • Devil's advocate

    For all those pit bull loving folks whose hearts were warmed by The Pilot's story about Rico on Thursday, allow me to suggest this sobering story from The Detroit News as a counterpoint. [...]
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    Posted: April 24, 2009, 10:20am EDT

  • Check-out charities

    Slate has a provocative piece today on one of my pet peeves: charities at check-out counters. No, I'm not talking about the jars of change for the childrens' hospital or an animal shelter. Most of us welcome these as a way to get rid of coins. They're a convenience. Besides, there's no pressure to drop in' [...]
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    Posted: April 23, 2009, 9:13am EDT

  • McAuliffe's money

    In case you didn't get to last week's Shad Planking and were wondering what 25,000 signs looks like. Ironically, McAulliffe's forest of signs is so thick that it actually makes the handful of Moran and McDonnell signs stand out.  ' [...]
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    Posted: April 20, 2009, 7:41am EDT

  • Going postal

    First a disclaimer: Never have I waited until 5 p.m. on April 15th to mail in my taxes. Plenty of others have, though. Those last-minute filers are a staple of daily newspapers and local television. Every news organization in the country sends a corps of reporters out late on tax day to talk to [...]
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    Posted: April 14, 2009, 2:35pm EDT

  • College classics

    When I was a political science major I took a course called "Politics in Film," which was taught by a professor with a thick German accent whose first name was Wolfgang. [...]
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    Posted: April 07, 2009, 11:26am EDT

  • Recession? What recession?

    That's the question employees of the Virginia Department of Transportation might well be asking. While ordinary Virginia workers faced a variety of belt-tightening hardships: layoffs, paycuts and salary freezes, VDOT workers were treated to half a million dollars worth of bonuses and pay hikes in 2008, according to a story in today's Richmond Times-Dispatch. Stunning, [...]
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    Posted: April 03, 2009, 7:50am EDT

  • Pit bull carnage continues

      Tired of hearing about pit bulls? Me too. But as long as people are allowed to keep these animals in residential areas, we're going to keep a body count. Two. That's how many children have been killed so far THIS WEEK by pit bulls. ' [...]
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    Posted: April 01, 2009, 10:11am EDT

  • Road test

    OK, I'm back from my almost-2,000-mile road trip through the South. In the course of four days I drove through North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. So here's a little quiz. Where exactly was I when I slammed on the brakes to take this picture in front of a gun shop? If' [...]
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    Posted: March 31, 2009, 10:43am EDT

  • Hot time

    Lots of bloggers post photos from their vacations. You know, their excursions to tropical locations and foreign cities. Well, you can keep your cruises and fancy resorts. There's nothing I like more than a road trip. In that spirit, here's a peek from my car window somewhere in Georgia. .' [...]
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    Posted: March 26, 2009, 4:26pm EDT

  • Kooks in Congress

      In case you've ever wondered why some of us see environmentalists too nutty for words, read this. Yep, it's a Los Angeles Times story revealing that the Great Green Senator from California, Dianne Feinstein, wants to keep solar and wind power from being generated in large chunks of the California desert. ' [...]
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    Posted: March 25, 2009, 9:08am EDT

  • How many speeches will that buy?

    Lemme get this straight. Virginia Beach is trying to lure more folks - locals, presumably - to the Oceanfront by offering free parking on Wednesdays. Excellent idea, but city honchos gripe that the program hasn't worked. In fact, City Manager Jim Spore says the Resort City has lost $153,000 on the program. In five years. ' [...]
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    Posted: March 24, 2009, 3:08pm EDT

  • Again and again...

    Why is  this story is all too common? A two-time drunk with a suspended license gets in his car (in this case a pick-up truck) and winds up colliding with another vehicle. The drunk walks staggers away from the wreck. The occupants of the other vehicle aren't so lucky. ' [...]
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    Posted: March 20, 2009, 9:17am EDT

  • Are you committing a crime this week?

    Isn't it about time the Virginia General Assembly amended these. Yep, these are the state gambling laws. Those pesky things that make activities like playing the office NCAA pool for a buck a CRIME. Are you afraid? Don't be. No one ever enforces these laws during March Madness. In fact, a prosecutor once [...]
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    Posted: March 19, 2009, 12:33pm EDT

  • Ghost writers

      Well, what do you know. Looks like Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms isn't the only politician who just reads what others write for him. Yep, after a teleprompter calamity at the White House yesterday, "Obama thanked Obama" for the St. Patrick's Day invite to Washington. Please tell me Saturday Night Live is NOT' [...]
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    Posted: March 18, 2009, 11:32am EDT

  • Job creation?

    Look, I don't want to appear insensitive. I love kids. I support foster care and adoption. Furthermore, I think it is absolutely proper for government to spend tax money making sure American kids have homes.  But I am wondering how $3.4 million for foster care and adoption assistance - again, no matter how worthy - stimulates' [...]
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    Posted: March 17, 2009, 10:43am EDT

  • Hear that train a comin'

      Virginia Beach has reached a deal with Norfolk Southern. Finally.  That 10.6 mile right-away will soon belong to the public. And it came with a $40 million pricetag.  Unlike some of the astonishingly expensive and wacky schemes the Beach has embarked on - let’s not list them, too painful - this purchase actually makes sense. And [...]
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    Posted: March 13, 2009, 9:15am EDT

  • Sweat-fu

      Every time I write about PETA I feel like I've been used. Let's be honest. The animal rights group is ravenous for free publicity. If they have to horrify children buying Happy Meals or ridicule a man with cancer or write respectful letters to terrorists, to get noticed, they'll do it. Yet, because this [...]
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    Posted: March 12, 2009, 3:06pm EDT

  • Who's afraid of Virginia Beach?

    Odd. Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms - who claims to have polls showing 60 percent support for light rail - now says that his campaign pledge to hold a referendum on the $40-million-a-mile project was a "mistake." I don't get it. If the mayor supports light rail and the voters overwhelmingly favor it, why' [...]
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    Posted: March 10, 2009, 10:34am EDT

  • He wants your pants

    Careful, Virginia Beach, there may be a convict on the loose - who wants your clothes. Assuming this guy shed his jumpsuit as he sprinted away from the work detail near the Convention Center, he's clad only in white boxer shorts, a T-shirt and work boots. Shouldn't be all that hard to' [...]
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    Posted: March 09, 2009, 10:12am EDT

  • Wait for it

    Watch out. The weekend's here. Seventy degree days in the forecast. Maybe it's time to peel that Glad Wrap off Virginia Beach's palm trees. [...]
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    Posted: March 06, 2009, 1:04pm EST

  • Eco-friendly? Please.

      Travel back in time with me. To November 10, 2008. That was the day I posted pictures - on this very blog - of the Christmas holiday light extravanganza that was already ablaze at the Beach. Yep, Virginia Beach almost always fires up its Christmas holiday lights before Veterans Day. I begged city officials [...]
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    Posted: March 05, 2009, 9:56am EST

  • McNuts

    Good grief. Perhaps you heard. A Washington D.C. bus driver sucker-punched McGruff the Crime Dog. In front of kids. This battling bus driver should be grateful McGruff isn't a pit bull. And he better hope his lawyer is.  ' [...]
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    Posted: March 04, 2009, 8:51am EST

  • Messing with success

    Oh look. Tim Kaine thinks he's found a way to save a few bucks every year: Let non-violent criminals out of prison 90 days early. Bad idea. [...]
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    Posted: March 03, 2009, 8:14am EST

  • Blizzard!

      Snowed-in this morning? Not to worry. As a newsperson I'm paid to put on my boots and fight the elements. So, for your viewing pleasure I bring you a few snapshots scenes from the Bodacious Blizzard of 2009. The obligatory snow-on-spring flowers:     Naturally, you'll want to see a breathtaking photo of a Virginia Beach snowdrift:     [...]
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    Posted: March 02, 2009, 9:05am EST

  • Pit bull update

    A misdemeanor conviction. A $250 fine. That was the slap on the wrist punishment meted out to the owner of a bloodthirsty pit bull that savaged a little dachshund on the Eastern Shore this month. The dead dog was on a leash. The attacker was running free. There was so much blood [...]
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    Posted: February 27, 2009, 9:05am EST

  • Stop the presses!

    Perhaps you read the Pilot's front page story this morning on a big blockbuster study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine. After studying more than 800 overweight people for three years researchers - with college degrees - learned that if we want to lose weight we need to eat less [...]
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    Posted: February 26, 2009, 9:00am EST

  • Taking Chance

    If you don't have HBO, find someone who does. Invite yourself over next time "Taking Chance" is being shown. This breathtaking short film - it runs about one hour 15 minutes - is astonishing. I watched it twice last weekend. If I don't turn on HBO again for the rest of the [...]
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    Posted: February 23, 2009, 11:12am EST

  • Scrimshaw anyone?

    Quick. Call a meeting of the Virginia Beach economic development honchos. You know, they guys in charge of bringing new businesses to the city. Does anyone else remember that one of their promises with Town Center was that it would bring Fortune 500 companies to the Beach? By many measures Town Center is a success. Fortune 500s? Not [...]
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    Posted: February 19, 2009, 8:45am EST

  • Taking stock

    How about we take a walk down the Wall Street Memory Lane this morning? Travel back with me if you will to the early days of this recession, round about mid-September of last year...Seems a long time ago, no? [...]
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    Posted: February 18, 2009, 10:21am EST
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Kerry Dougherty

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