Author: sherlockj
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New Offshore Wind Power Project Proposed to Come Ashore in a Virginia Beach Flood Zone
by James C. Sherlock There is a dominant engineering problem in bringing offshore wind-generated electricity ashore in Virginia Beach. Flooding and water tables very close to the surface are the twin reasons there are few basements in Virginia Beach. And those that have them regret it. The 2020 Virginia Beach FEMA Flood Hazard Map is…
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Sentara Does a Very Good Thing
by James C. Sherlock Sentara brass will not believe that I wrote that headline. We have a history. But right is right. A Sentara mobile care unit will start June 1 to provide primary care service two days a week in two separate locations in Petersburg. The people of Petersburg desperately need it. That city…
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The Virginia NAACP Has Proven Itself an Obstacle to Improving the Educations of Black Children in Virginia Public Schools
by James C. Sherlock I just read that the NAACP has issued a warning against traveling to Florida. Which must have come as a surprise to the 3.5 million Black citizens of that state. It did not surprise the NAACP board of directors chairman Leon W. Russell, who lives in the Tampa area. His defense:…
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UVa Takes on A Daunting Task – Reforming Its Own Management and Administrative Structure
By James C. Sherlock A favorite topic of mine is management and administrative overhead in state government institutions of higher learning. While a major university is a very large business with significant management and administrative needs, the overhead numbers seem higher than necessary. Overhead has certainly grown over the last few decades at a rate…
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An Utterly Inspiring Woman
By James C. Sherlock Cheri Shores died Saturday, May 13. She was simply one of the most gracious, generous, skilled and inspiring people I have ever met. Cheri and her husband Lance in 2006 opened their first Citrus restaurant in Virginia Beach a couple of blocks from where my late wife and I lived. Jo…
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Which of These Persons at UVa Oversees the Educational Development of the Rest?
by James C. Sherlock In order to illustrate the truly insulting nature of the DEI program at the University of Virginia, I offer the following quiz. See if you can pick out the person pictured who: directs a range of educational programming focused on educational development for staff, faculty and students. …
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Read It and Weep – DEI at UVa
by James C. Sherlock Kerry Daugherty’s column this morning was heart-wrenching for anyone who cares at all about kids’ educations. The Norfolk School Board voted 6-1… to begin teaching gender ideology, masturbation, sexual identity, homosexuality, abortion and lesbianism in middle and high schools. To kids who cannot read or perform mathematics at grade level. Now…
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Clear Violations of Title IX in Employment at UVa
by James C. Sherlock Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. It covers employees as well as students. There is clear work to do at UVa for its Title IX staff. We’ll sample the problems.…
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Leapfrog Group Safety Scores for Virginia Hospitals
by James C. Sherlock The latest Leapfrog Group safety grades are out for 72 of Virginia’s hospitals. The Leapfrog Hospital surveys are the next-best source to the ratings based on broader data offered by Medicare Compare. Leapfrog Group data accuracy measures are explained here. The grades represent cumulative scores of hospital safety, quality, and efficiency…
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Major Actions to Reduce Corporate Overhead Offer Lessons and Opportunities to Virginia Government
by James C. Sherlock The chart above shows that management and administrative overhead growth has been a trend not limited to government. The difference is that corporations are making quick and decisive strides in reversing the trend. It is axiomatic that government should minimize overhead to maximize efficiency in delivery of services. And to lower…
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Virginia Lacks Regulations for the Safe, Scientific and Effective Diagnosis and Treatment of Transgender Youth
by James C. Sherlock To get this out of the way, I personally support qualified diagnosis and psychological treatment for gender dysphoria in children and adolescents. I oppose puberty suppression, cross-gender hormonal treatments and transgender surgical procedures in minors. That said, transgender individuals, like everyone, deserve skilled, safe and standards-based medical care. Virginia laws and…
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Glen Allen Va’s “Do No Harm” Doing a Great Deal of Good
by James C. Sherlock Do you assume that Virginia’s medical schools are strict meritocracies, taking only the most well prepared and accomplished applicants? And that their efforts are then focused entirely on creating the most skilled physicians possible? If so, you are mistaken. The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), written by the American Medical Association…
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Increase Teacher Pay in Virginia to Meet Legislated Minimum Standard of National Average Compensation
by James C. Sherlock We have major teacher shortages in Virginia, and we need to address them to ensure not only quantity but quality. To do that we need to fund our legislated state goals of competitive teacher compensation. Code of Virginia § 22.1-289.1. Teacher compensation; biennial review required. It is a goal of the…
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Teachers’ Unions and Virginia Schools
by James C. Sherlock Virginia is a government union state. Because of the federal workforce in Northern Virginia, Virginia in 2021 had the third highest percentage of any state of government union members as a share of total union members at 64%. That is a higher percentage than Washington D.C. Of all employees in Virginia,…
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Primary Care for Underserved Virginians
by James C. Sherlock It is an old story for Virginia: shortages of primary care providers in inner cities and rural areas. Perhaps the best article I have ever seen on the unique value of primary care and payment reforms to reflect its value was published in 2021 in the Harvard Business Review. I recommend…