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Commentary
Tech Savvy
Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum
Representing a district that is at the heart of Virginia's technology industry, I have tried to keep myself informed on public policy issues affecting or affected by evolving technologies. I have never claimed to be a "techie" understanding the technical aspects of the industry. That is why as the first chairman of the Joint Commission on Technology and Science I organized technical advisory committees consisting of representatives of the technology industries and academia to assist legislators in dealing with emerging technology issues that at the time included digital signature and spam. I was one of the first legislators to have a website (www.kenplum.com), a weekly electronic newsletter, Virginia E-News, (subscribe at www.kenplum.com), and a weekly television show, Virginia Report, available on streaming video at www.rctv28.com/videosVR.htm. I am now on Facebook (Kenneth R. Plum). I continue to be open to suggestions and ideas on legislation or other government action needed to respond to issues brought on by the new technologies like texting while driving.
I continue to be impressed with advances in technology. Although I was an early adopter of a hand-held device to maintain my schedule that I was later to get combined with my cell phone, I have only recently purchased a Blackberry. I resisted for years just how connected I wanted to be. Few reading this column are likely to be as fascinated as I am with the small size these devices have attained or their amazing ability to deliver and send my emails or navigate me to the next place I need to be.
Technology offers wonderful opportunities to make our government more open and accessible. Some of Virginia's government websites are the best in the country. If you have need to find information on government programs or services, check the Internet first. If you have trouble finding the appropriate website, send your request to me at kenplum@aol.com. Communications to my office are 99 percent by email. An inquiry or communication by snail mail is very rare.
Energy-related issues including energy efficiencies through the use of technology are high on my legislative agenda. Likewise, a number of climate-related issues can find solutions in the technology world. As always, I am open to constituent suggestions and ideas - email kenplum@aol.com. You may hear back from me right away - maybe from my Blackberry. |
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 Delegate Plum (center) Joins Junior Achievement & Capital One in Groundbreaking for New Facility
Last month Delegate Ken Plum joined legislators, students, community leaders, and friends to break ground on the future site of a 20,000-square-foot financial literacy center that will bring important life skills to more than 14,000 local middle school students from Fairfax County and the Greater Washington area each year. Junior Achievement Finance Park is scheduled to open in early 2010 on the campus of Frost Middle School. The financial literacy center is the result of a collaboration among Junior Achievement, Fairfax County Public Schools, and a $2.5 million grant from Capital One Financial Corporation, the largest bank headquartered in Virginia. The facility will house an experimental learning center designed to bring to life financial literacy education. Inside the center will be a mock miniature city where students will learn valuable financial lessons such as budgeting and saving by experiencing first-hand what it is like to create a budget, purchase a car and a home, save for college, and pay taxes. This experience will build upon an intensive, six-week classroom financial education curriculum students will receive before visiting Finance Park. |
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Attend Delegate Ken Plum's State of the Commonwealth 2009 Event on July 29!
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"Virginia Report"
Reston Comcast Channel 28
Tonight - Wednesday, July 15, at 10:30 p.m. -
Ronaldo T. "Nick" Nicholson, VDOT - "Virginia's Transportation Megaprojects"
Tuesday, July 21, at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, July 22, at 10:30 p.m. - Jen Bond, Executive Director, Hopecam - "Connecting Homebound Children to Life"
Online
Watch this week's show and other "Virginia Report" programs at:
http://www.rctv28.com/videosVR.htm
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Climate Change Citizen Action
If your recycling bin is stuffed with catalogs you never read, put an end to the pile with the free Catalog Choice service. Catalog Choice lets you select the catalogs you don't want to receive and sends your requests directly to the merchants. Sign up at www.catalogchoice.org.
Set your computer to Sleep and Hibernate. Enable the "sleep mode" feature on your computer, allowing it to use less power during periods of inactivity. In Windows, the power management settings are found on your control panel. Mac users should look for energy saving settings under system preference in the apple menu. Configure your computer to "hibernate" automatically after 30 minutes or so of inactivity. The "hibernate mode" turns the computer off in a way that doesn't require you to reload everything when you switch it back on. Allowing your computer to hibernate saves energy and is more time-efficient than shutting down and restarting your computer from scratch. When you're done for the day, shut down.
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Fairfax County Coordinated Services Planning (CSP) connects residents with available county and community resources. Call 703.222.0880, TTY 711, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays to talk to a professional social worker who will assess the situation and provide the appropriate information or referrals. CSP partners with county agencies and community organizations to provide information and referrals for basic needs, financial, health care, and other services.
More than 150 new volunteer tutors are needed to help area adults learn to speak, read, and write English. Currently on a waiting list to be matched with tutors, these adult students are eager to improve their literacy skills by working one-to-one with a tarined volunteer. The Literacy Council of Northern Virginia (LCNV) helps adults learn to speak, read, and write English through one-to-one tutoring programs and English classes. Each year, LCNV holds eight tutor training workshops to prepare volunteer tutors to provide individualized instruction to adult students who want to improve their English literacy skills. For more information, visit www.lcnv.org.
CrisisLink is the 2-1-1 VIRGINIA provider in Northern Virginia, connecting area residents to more than 4,400 social service programs run by nonprofits, governments, and other organizations throughout the region. Learn more about the statewide 2-1-1 VIRGINIA system by going to www.crisislink.org. |
Calendar of Events
To mark the 50th anniversary of the statewide "end" of Massive Resistance, the University of Virginia Center for Politics will host a special conference at the Virginia Capitol Building in Richmond on Friday, July 17, 2009. The event will assemble students, journalists, elected officials and civil rights leaders to offer their personal perspectives on this historic period. The conference will explore the effects and legacies of Massive Resistance and will feature real stories from Virginians who were directly impacted by this policy. A keynote address will be presented by former Governor L. Douglas Wilder. All panel discussions are free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Visit http://hoosonline.virginia.edu/historyproject or call 434.243.3540 to register. More information is at www.centerforpolitics.org.
The ARC of Northern Virginia and the Virginia Ability Alliance will hold a Summertime Festival, "Fest-Ability," on Sunday, July 19, noon to 4:00 p.m. at the Dulles Expo Center, 4368 Chantilly Center Drive, Chantilly. Have a great time with a free meal, games, music, and much more fun.
The Reston Association is hosting a meeting on the topic of year-round recreational facilities in the Reston community on Tuesday, July 21, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Sunset Hills Montessori School assembly room, 11800 Ridge Heights Road.
Join Reston Hospital Center personnel on Sunday, July 26, in the Reston Town Center Pavilion where complimentary health screenings including complete cholesterol screening, glucose, stroke screening, and blood pressure readings will be offered. You will also be able to see the da Vinci Surgical System. Leonardo da Vinci used unparalleled anatomical accuracy and three-dimentional details to bring his masterpieces to life. The da Vinci Surgical System combines superior 3-D visualizaiton with unmatched precision to transform the surgical experience - for both the surgeon and the patient. Robotic surgery brings faster recovery times, smaller incisions, less risk of infection, shorter hospital stays, and improved patient outcomes when compared to traditional surgical methods.
The Opening Ceremony of the 61st annual Fairfax County 4-H Fair and Frying Pan Farm Park Show will be held on Saturday, August 2, at 10:00 a.m. at the Entertainment Stage. The 4-H Fair and Frying Pan Farm Park Show is a time to recognize the youth in Fairfax County and the impact that they continue to make in their communities. Enjoy the Fair! |
| Go Green |
 Go Green - consider the environment! Please print this newsletter only if necessary. | |
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| Delegate Ken Plum's Virginia E-News.
Authorized by Kenneth R. Plum. Paid for by Friends of Delegate Ken Plum. |
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