Columns
View all posts filed under the Columns category.
By Ronnie D. Lankford on 19 August 2009
In August of 2009, the Town of Appomattox can take two things for granted. One, that Appomattox Courthouse Theatre is preparing for a new season of great plays including its current production, Neglected Husbands’ Sewing Club. And two, that the local community can enjoy these performances within the historic setting of the old Appomattox Courthouse.
Posted in Arts, Columns, Hot Stuff, Plays, Steam-Powered Arts Review | Tagged Neglected Husband's Sewing Club, Paul Freed's Death By Chocolate, The Hounds of the Baskervilles
By Ronnie D. Lankford on 23 July 2009
One of the things I love about writing for Appomattox News is that it gives me – an introvert – a chance to get out more often. On a recent outing, I met Geoffrey Kershner and a number of the folks involved with the Endstation Theatre Company at Sweet Briar College. It was such a good experience, I planned to see as many of the group’s productions as possible during the Blue Ridge Summer Theatre Festival.
Posted in Arts, Columns, Plays, Steam-Powered Arts Review | Tagged Appomattox Courthouse Theatre, Endstation Theatre, Harvey, Shakespeare
By Ronnie D. Lankford on 19 April 2009
I’ve met lots of people with dreams that one day – God willing, the creeks don’t rise, and a winning lottery ticket – they’ll pursue. And a lot of those folks were amateur photographers like myself, honing their skills in classes at Central Virginia Community College until they could set up their own studio.
Posted in Arts, Columns, Steam-Powered Arts Review | Tagged Lynchburg, National Geographic, Photography, Robert Miller
By Ronnie D. Lankford on 10 March 2009
If you missed the Appomattox Social Media Seminar this past weekend, you missed an excellent chance to find out about cutting edge communication technology that just may have the power to change the way we build community, operate businesses, and talk to one another.
Posted in Columns, Steam-Powered Arts Review | Tagged Copeland Casati, Jennifer Mills, Joe Gerstandt, Social Media Seminar
By Bill Klein on 4 February 2009
Homesick Blues - I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage that if you want God to laugh, tell him your plans. Of course, that need not apply solely (or soully) to a deity.
Posted in Columns, Homesick Blues | Tagged Boy Scouts of America, Britney Spears, Nancy Reagan, United States Air Force, United States Coast Guard, United States Department of Defense
By Pamela Matlack Klein on 28 January 2009
On Friday afternoon the first sign of spring showed its pretty little head and most welcome it was too. No, it wasn’t a flock of hungry robins feasting on earthworms or anything in bloom. It was the arrival of spring gardening stuff at the Farmville Voldemart (A.K.A. WalMart)!
Posted in Columns, Living Along the Appomattox | Tagged Christmas, Wal-Mart
By Bill Klein on 28 January 2009
By the time you read this, our new US President is on the job and probably wondering why he went through all that trouble to get it. Let’s face it, the guy has his work cut out for him. Being President of the US is not some cushy walk in the park job like, say, civilian squadron communications officer. That’s my job, by the way, and no, I’m not giving the money back.
Posted in Columns, Homesick Blues | Tagged Al Gore, Aretha Franklin, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Homesick Blues, President of the United States
By Pamela Matlack Klein on 21 January 2009
It’s really hard to believe that January is over a third gone already and we are staring down the throat of February. I’m afraid to blink, I may miss an entire month!
Posted in Columns, Living Along the Appomattox | Tagged Facebook, MySpace, Valentine's Day
By Bill Klein on 21 January 2009
One of the thankless duties of a globe-trotting communications manager is to make sure his crew members make it safely from ship to airport and vice-versa. That’s as far as my responsibility goes. So, for instance, if the plane happens to take a header into the Hudson River, not my bad.
Posted in Columns, Homesick Blues | Tagged Hudson River, Japan, Paris Hilton, Yokosuka Station
By Pamela Matlack Klein on 14 January 2009
For about as long as I can remember I have heard about lake effect snow. Apparently Lake Erie dumps a lot of this peculiar type of snow on northwestern Pennsylvania and New York. After spending three full days driving in lake effect snow, I can assure you that snow is snow!
Posted in Columns, Living Along the Appomattox | Tagged Great River Road, Lake Erie, Lake-effect snow, Living Along the Appomattox, Mississippi River
By Bill Klein on 14 January 2009
As I sat at the table in the crew mess tonight, lingering over the night’s portion of Soylent Green – or whatever – I found myself pondering the double-edged sword that is modern technology. It helps take one’s mind off the food.
Posted in Columns, Homesick Blues | Tagged Christopher Columbus, Coal mining, Homesick Blues, National Weather Service, Santa Claus
By Pamela Matlack Klein on 7 January 2009
There is a new website up in honor of our President Elect, Barak Obama. He promised us CHANGE and the site is called www.change.org. If you discovered this site before January 1, you probably got in and voted for some Ideas or even posted one of your very own.
Posted in Columns, Living Along the Appomattox | Tagged Agriculture, Livestock, Living Along the Appomattox, National Animal Identification System, United States Department of Agriculture
By Bill Klein on 7 January 2009
Well, here we are on our second-to-last evening in Guam. There is only one reason why we come to Guam: to get things done. There is a US Naval base here, so this is the time that the Navy staff and its civilian minions – namely me – go ashore to take care of official stuff, like medical and dental appointments, supplies, technical issues, admin issues, and drinking at the Clipper Landing bar. Well, that last one isn’t official, but we do it anyway. I mean, as long as we’re here and all that.
Posted in Columns, Homesick Blues | Tagged Bill Clinton, Fiscal New Year, Guam, Homesick Blues, New Year, New Years Eve, Washington D.C