‘Oregon Hill’ Author To Speak At Crime Novel Talk Tomorrow

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From Kelly Justice, proprietor of Fountain Bookstore (in Shockoe Slip):

Join us for a night of conversation about what goes on behind the scenes of writing successful and award-winning series crime fiction. I will be moderating Swinson and Owen (two very charming gentlemen in addition to being very talented) about their books.

I paired them together because they both have so much in common: both have main characters on the more serious side of flawed, both employ the blackest of humor to great effect, both write with a deeply rooted sense of place. Swinson’s books take place in D.C., Owen’s in Richmond.

This is a good opportunity to ask Owen questions about his ‘Oregon Hill’ novel as well as his more recent works.

The Foundry Series- Combat, Racial Violence & Resilience

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Quite a title, right? The American Civil War Museum at Tredegar is hosting this event Thursday evening:

Following the Civil War and Emancipation, Union veterans and African American civilians faced physical and mental challenges that put their resilience to the test in new post-War environments.

Gather for snacks, drinks, and socializing at 6pm, talks begin around 6:30pm.

Featuring:

Never Get Over It: What Night Riding Meant to African American Families
Kidada E. Williams, Ph.D., Wayne State University
From 1868-1871, armed southern white men raided African American communities, holding families hostage and subjecting them to torture, rape, and assassination. Using victims’ testimonies before Congress, Kidada E. Williams presents the story of how survivors understood the consequences of this violence, specifically how it unmade their families and compromised their ability to fulfill their visions of freedom.

Sublimity,Terror and Love: Veterans and the Psychological Impact of War
Stephen A. Goldman, M.D., FAPM, DFAPA, Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, American Psychiatric Association, and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Tools of war have undergone significant technological advances since the American Civil War, but the experience of battle and its effects on the combatant remain strikingly similar and profound in our time. The multifaceted psychological impact of war includes not only combat stress reactions, but also emotional resilience and successful societal reintegration. Explore the great influences, positive and negative, of combat and military service on veterans’ lives, and what has been learned throughout history about treating those who’ve been under fire. Following a remarkable group of severely wounded Union soldiers and sailors, discover how their powerful warrior identity spurred commitment to Reconstruction and racial equality, and sustained their collective belief in the causes for which they had fought.

Program Partners
Black Minds Matter Project
YWCA Richmond
Virginia War Memorial
Virginia Veteran and Family Support

Cost: $10.00, $8.00 members

VCU Announces “No Car Protocol” For First-Year Students

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BEGINNING WITH THE FALL SEMESTER 2017, Virginia Commonwealth University will employ a “No Car Protocol Protocol” for first-year residential students.

You can go to this linked website for more details, but here are some summary statements:

The university encourages the involvement of students in the first year on-campus experience, supports a pedestrian-friendly, residential campus, supports a reduction in the campus carbon footprint, and encourages use of alternate transportation.

Parking decals cannot be purchased by other students for first year residential students. Violations of the protocol are pursued through student codes of conduct and/or revocation of future parking privileges.

Across schools that do not allow first year students to have cars there are certain exceptions. These exceptions include medical conditions, disabilities, employment, over 21 years of age, military reservists and other extenuating situations.

Students who can demonstrate a compelling need or who would suffer undue hardship due to this Protocol can petition for a waiver. Waivers are reviewed by a committee of staff and students and will be kept to an absolute minimum.

Freshman Residents have several options to get around without a car: VCU RamRide, VCU Ramsafe, VCU Ramcharter, VCU Ramaway, VCU Rambikes, Transit Passes, Go Green.

The Women of Hollywood Walking Tour

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Bring mom out for a specialty walking tour in Hollywood tomorrow!

The Valentine museum is sponsoring:

Explore the role that women’s groups played in Hollywood Cemetery’s history from the Civil War to the present. Visit grave sites of women who were educators, authors, preservationists, suffragists and humanitarians. Meet at the Hollywood Cemetery entrance at Cherry and Albemarle streets, near the rear of the stone structure to the left. Please note that this tour is 1.5 to 2 miles and involves several inclines. Comfortable shoes and water are recommended.

$15 per person
$5 for Valentine Members
Walk-ups welcome.
Cash or check.
On-street parking

You may also want to bring an umbrella!

‘Comey’ Over Here And Bet Me

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Another editorial venture over to national politics….hey, the Times Dispatch does it…

So far I have no takers on my bet that this ‘Russiangate’ stuff will not result in impeachment of Trump. Anyone? As much as I would like to see Trump impeached, I think the ridiculous Red-baiting is a very sad attempt by Democrats to excuse their horrible Presidential campaign. I keep hoping that Trump’s other, outstanding conflicts of interest will be used to impeach him, but I don’t see corporate Democrats doing that because that tact might then be used against them in the future. All along I have been hoping that people would refocus on reforming the entire system- IRV/RCV for example, banning corporate campaign funding, or at least getting us out of these stupid foreign wars, but no, the corporate media wants us to spend time plumbing Comey’s inner soul or something.

Surely there’s someone out there-
As we have proven already today, talk is cheap. I am wagering that “Russiangate” investigation will NOT result in Trump’s impeachment. Do you want to bet? Honestly, as with the Burger Bernie Belly Crawl Challenge, I would love to be proven wrong, as I would love to see Trump impeached and I would have loved to have seen Bernie Sanders get the Democratic nomination this past election.