Another Shooting....When Will It End?

Three people at Hampton University were hospitalized after a shooting in a dorm, a spokeswoman for the school said Sunday.

Police believe the shooter is a former student who was one of the three injured early Sunday, spokeswoman Yuri Rodgers Milligan said. A night manager for the Harkness Hall dorm at the school in southeastern Virginia was also hurt. The third victim was not identified but was not a student.

Hampton University is a private school with about 5,700 students. It was founded in 1868 during Reconstruction to educate black leaders for the newly freed slaves.

I used to work in Newport News which is right down the road from Hampton University. As a matter of fact I took a graduate course through them years ago. I also taught with several people who received their degrees from Hampton University and they also had students who served as mentors to our students. We used to hold our graduations on campus and we actually had to wand down the guests. Can you imagine that?

Well it's official. This is what Darryl and I have known was coming for awhile. This is where he used to work. A rail car company in Northwest Georgia has told state officials over six hundred people will be laid off this summer.

Employees at the Trinity North American Freight Car plant in Cartersville make rail road equipment. And by the end of August, that work will be idled as the plant is closed and some 659 fewer employees will be laid off.

Before the elections there were back orders for coal cars. Then when it looked like Obama would win it was rumored that his cap and trade policy would cause coal companies to withdraw orders and/or prevent them from ordering. Darryl shrugged it off. He didn't feel it would happen because the orders seemed to be there. Then Obama won. Within weeks he was laid off and the cancellations for orders had already begun.

My husband is an engineer, eventually he should be able to find a job. There are people in the coal industry who do not have the same options that my husband does. People who work for ancillary companies that feed off the coal companies, they were going to be hurt too. The miners who have mined coal for years are being laid off. Our little senario is being played out in little towns in Southwest Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia. What kind of jobs will these people be able to get? These miners were the ones who ate at the local restaurants. No jobs, no dinner out, diners lay off, towns die.

Green jobs? Darryl's been doing a lot of research and green jobs are economically viable on their own. They will have to be heavily subsidized by the government. How does that happen? Taxes will be raised. Only we won't call them taxes. It's a bac door tax. We tax the big corporations and what do you think happens to the rates you pay? They go up. Corporations don't take a loss. So the more the corporations get taxed the more you pay to heat and cool your house.

Congress has backed off on cap and trade for now because the economy is so bad right now. They know if they do that we will fall right into a depression. This does not mean that this is not coming. It's just a matter of when.

My contest on Thrifty Maven was mentioned here: http://luckygiveaways.blogspot.com/2009/04/thrifty-mavens-earth-day-contest-for.html The contest ends tomorrow evening.

here are the blog contests I entered today:

Prize: 1/2 pound box of Rich Rainforest dark fudge with walnuts from Earth's Sweet Pleasures.

Prize (3): What’s For Dinner gift basket with sample of Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken Pasta, three coupons, colander, serving spoon and cheese grater.

Prizes (4): Coupon for a free jumbo pack of Pampers and Together We Can Save A Life onesie.

Grand Prize: Tyson branded Jacques Pepin toaster oven.
First Prize: Ten Tyson Frozen Breaded Chicken or Tyson Any'tizers free product coupons (ARV up to $99.90).

Prizes (5): Two Tyson Any'tizers free product coupons.

Prizes (3): Romano’s Macaroni dinner kit gift basket.

Prize: Bride Wars DVD and $25 Paper Shouts gift certificate.

Prizes (2): Box of Electrasol Finish Quantum dishwashing detergent and bottle of Jet Dry Turbo Dry.