Virginia Armstrong Funeral Service 3 p.m. Today

Virginia Burnett Armstrong died Friday at age 63. The service will be at 3 p.m. in Rotan at the Weathersbee-Ray Funeral Home. Burial will follow at the Camp Springs Cemetery.

Update on Gantt Service

I have found a death notice from The Austin American Statesman that confirms the information previously provided.

Funeral for Deana Gantt

Dad talked to George this morning and he said that the funeral will be Monday at 2 p.m. in Roby at the First Baptist Church. Interment will be at Hobbs Cemetery. I will be looking for an obituary to come out in today's paper and I will pass that information on to all of you later this afternoon.

Deana Etheredge Gantt Dies

I just got off the phone with my dad and he told me that Deana died today. He said Howard Gordon had called him, but no details have been provided, yet. I'll post the information as soon as I get it.

Useful (or snoopy) Websites

Since the subject is about surfing the internet, I'm posting the only photo I have of a large body of water. One of my neighbors contributed this picture of an offshore oil rig in the Indian Ocean, near Bombay, India.

The first website I want to introduce is for the Texas Medical Board. Go to "Services for Consumers" and you can look up the license of your physician, physician's assistant or acupuncturist. There is also information on doctors who have had disciplinary action taken against them.

The State Board for Educator Certification allows you to look up the official record of an educator's certification status.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice link lets you look up inmates in Texas prisons.

VINELink is the online version of Victim Information and Notification Everyday, the National Victim Notification Network.You can look up the status of offenders in county jails.

White Pages is a good, simple link for looking up phone numbers and addresses.

The Department of Justice Identity Theft page doesn't have an instant look-up, but has vital information for protecting your confidential information and for victims of the crime. Remember to always keep your personal papers in a locked cabinet and to shred or burn all discarded envelopes and documents. Remember that it is easiest for someone who knows you or has access to your home or office to steal your information.

I hope some of these links will be useful, or at least entertaining.

International Greetings

The Hobbs Holler received a couple of international greetings this year, one from Joe Duncan who lives in Norway, and one from Tom Hargrove, who was in Beijing, China during the first half of December for the annual meeting of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. The photo posted is of Dr. Amit Roy, IFDC CEO, and Geddie Hargrove (who many may remember as TomG) setting up an IFDC display.

I'm going to put a special links section to the right for Tom's affiliations. His letter was very interesting, written journal style, allowing a glimpse into a foreign culture. He compared China of yesteryear to the current, giving double enlightenment. If you would like to read the letter, send me an email using the Contact Hobbs Holler link to the right, and I will forward it to you.

Thank you Joe & Tom, and happy new year to all Hobbs Holler readers!