Liquid Sky Trailer
For artists who understand what she meant by “How boring”….
Trailer for the cult classic 1980's film 'Liquid Sky'
####
"Five Easy Pieces"
20070531 Liquid Sky Trailer
Sphere: Related ContentThursday, May 31, 2007
20070531 Quote of the Day – A Good Day
Quote of the Day – A Good Day
May 31st, 2007
“Today, this hour, this minute is the day, the hour, the minute for each of us to sense the fact that life is good, with all its trials and troubles, and perhaps more interesting because of them.”
Robert Updegraff
Thanks TC
20070601 Westminster Fire Department Bingo Announcement
Bingo at the When: June 1st, 2007
Where: Westminster Fire Hall
Time: 7:00 PM (Doors open at 5:30 PM)
Kitchen will open at 6:00 PM.
Jackpot: $ 500.00
Website: www.westminstervfd.org
Phone: 410-848-1800
Refreshments Available
20070530 KDDC Betty Blue
Betty Blue
Posted May 30th, 2007
"The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words." (Philip K. Dick)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xJrrHTos6P8
In the last several days I have run across several references to a evocative movie, “37°2 le matin,” or as it is known in the
The movie, released November 7th, 1986, was based on a novel, also by the title of “37°2 le matin,” by Philippe Djian. The movie version of the novel is directed Jean-Jacques Beineix, who also directed another one of my “all time favorite movies, “Diva.”
The music for the movie is by Gabriel Yared. The recurring musical theme is as haunting as the movie; a piano progression, which will remain in your head for the longest time…
In many of my old movie notes from many years ago – this movie is consistently listed in my all time top-ten movies…
According to several published accounts, “The film received both a BAFTA and Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in 1986, as well as winning a César Award for Best Poster. In 1992 it was awarded the Golden space Needle of the
For those not aware of the movie, it is not a movie for the weak of heart. It is about a writer who gets involved with a woman who is psychologically disheveled but nevertheless somewhat socially acceptable at the beginning of the movie. The movie documents her precipitous quixotic psychological deterioration... The excellent use of a narrator was effective and affective...
Here is clip from the last scene in the movie:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=BIaU1us81Ts
The Internet Movie Database has the following plot summary for “37°2 le matin:”
“Zorg is a handyman working at in France, maintaining and looking after the bungalows. He lives a quiet and peaceful life, working diligently and writing in his spare time.
One day Betty walks into his life, a young woman who is as beautiful as she is wild and unpredictable. After a dispute with Zorg's boss they leave and Betty manages to get a job at a restaurant.
She persuades Zorg to try and get one of his books published but it is rejected which makes Betty fly into a rage. Suddenly Betty's wild manners starts to get out of control. Zorg sees the woman he loves slowly going insane.”
Wikipedia says:
“Betty (Dalle) and Zorg (Anglade) are passionate lovers who live in a shack on the beach. He works as a handyman who does odd jobs to pay the bills. As the film begins, they have only been going out for a week and are in a very passionate stage of their relationship. Zorg narrates the story of their relationship via voiceover. He describes Betty, “like a flower with translucent antennae and a mauve plastic heart.” She yearns for a better life and quit her last job as a waitress because she was being sexually harassed by her boss.
Zorg’s boss asks him to paint the 500 shacks that populate the beach — a fact that he keeps from Betty who thinks they only have to do one. She attacks the project with enthusiasm that quickly turns to anger once she learns the actual number. In response, Betty covers the boss’ car with pink paint.
During a nasty fight, Betty accidentally discovers a series of notebooks that contain a novel Zorg wrote years ago. She reads it and falls in love with him even more. She then makes it her mission in life to type every hand-written page and get it published. Betty's freespiritedness and devotion to Zorg develop into alarming obsession, aggression and destructiveness, and the film alternates between comic and tragic modes.
Roger Ebert lists it on his top-ten “most hated films.”
Oh well. Mr. Ebert likes Michael Moore…
A reason Mr. Ebert may not like the movie is that he is frequently hyper-critical of movies that have “hypocritical agendas” such as “a confrontational film that is passed off as art, but is merely lurid and sensational; Ebert has levelled this charge against such films as The Night Porter and Blue Velvet.” [Cited by Wikipedia (although I have seen this in other published accounts.)]
Oh! – I finally found Mr. Ebert’s review. Read it here.
Oh my – he really did not like the movie…
[…]
“Now comes ‘Betty Blue,’ which opens with a shot of two people sideways on a bed, making love beneath a portrait of the Mona Lisa, while the narrator says: ‘I had known Betty for a week. We made love every night. The forecast was the storms.’…
[…]
She finds a manuscript he has written, determines that he is a genius, and types it up, tens of thousands of words. (Typists will enjoy the typing scenes, in which she makes typing errors, causing her to throw away countless copies of Page 1, and then has the whole manuscript typed in no time. This is the way typing is thought about by people who always use yellow legal pads themselves.)
What is Bieneix trying to say in "Betty Blue"? I am not sure. The behavior of the characters is senseless and boring. We lose interest in Zorg because anyone who could tolerate Betty Blue would scarcely have the discrimination to write a good book. One scene follows another senselessly, like in a soap opera, until Betty goes mad and we can go home.
And yet the movie has made millions in
[…]
Reviews have been written debating the movie's view of madness, of feminism, of the travail of the artist. They all miss the point. "Betty Blue" is a movie about Beatrice Dalle's boobs and behind, and everything else is just what happens in between the scenes where she displays them.
[…]
My word… Read his entire review here.
I saw the movie twenty years ago… Who knows, with my current sensibilities, perhaps I would see the movie again and not like it either… I do not remember the gratuitous nudity for which Mr. Ebert objects, although I have no doubt that there is a great deal of that in the movie…
The trailer is rated “R.” Although, curiously enough, the “R” rating for the trailer is because of the nudity of the male protagonist.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ueFTOS8FDfQ
I remember being fascinated by the portrayal of the artist–writer and his interaction with the madness of his companion. Sorta like a “Five Easy Pieces” on acid. (“Five Easy Pieces” is another all time favorite of mine. I will always remember that it opened on my birthday, September 11th, - in 1970.
Video de la canción Numb de Linkin Park.
Perhaps, just perhaps, both movies portray the reality of relationships of which many artists may identify… Just as I like the video of the Linkin Park song, “Numb.”
After all, as Philip K. Dick once said:
"The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words."
####
Interesting post script:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SJo-V1wip6g
casting de beatrice dalle betty
je
Et bonus video: Scène de danse entre Beatrice Dalle et Romain Duris, tirée du film dix-sept fois Cecile Cassard
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8nTryJX7cn4
Beatrice Dalle in "Pretty Killer"
Sphere: Related Content
20070531 Feeding time for the baby Robins
Feeding time for the baby Robins…May 31st, 2007
Several weeks ago we became the landlords to new tenants at our wildlife reserve here in the Westminster City Limits – a family of Robins decided to build a nest right outside our back door.
Today, I tried (once again) to get some pictures of Mr. (or Mrs.) Robin feeding their chicks…
I know very little about Robins. Although I have observed, what I have hypothecated to be, Mr. and Mrs. Robin trading places in tending to the eggs and the hatched chicks…
As an aside, I’ve always liked my digital camera – although I at first, reluctantly let go of my old professional grade Konica camera equipment.
Rarely have I missed the old Konica equipment – until moments like this… With my old Konica film camera I could zero in on Mr. and Mrs. Robin as if you were standing inches away from them.
Not so, with the current grade of point-and-shoot digital equipment that I have – “Nikon Coolpix 5200,”
So I guess now that I have truly discovered the drawbacks of the current grade of equipment – I either need to go out and purchase an upgrade – or what I may very well do; and that is - - go upstairs in the attic and dig out my old equipment…
Anyway – enjoy the pictures.
####
Animals Birds Sphere: Related Content
20070531 More on the death of Andy Bacevich Jr. in Iraq
More on the death of Andy Bacevich Jr. in Iraq
May 31st, 2007
A hearty hat tip goes out to “Charles County Café.”
Thanks – I was going to leave a comment on their post – but the other day, try as I might - I was not bright enough to negotiate their comment sign-in protocol…
(May 29th, 2007) Posted by richardgwhite in War.
http://www.charlescountycafe.com/?p=960
I Lost My Son to a War I Oppose. We Were Both Doing Our Duty.
OpEd, Andrew J. Bacevich | Washington Post
Parents who lose children, whether through accident or illness, inevitably wonder what they could have done to prevent their loss. When my son was killed in
Among the hundreds of messages that my wife and I have received, two bore directly on this question. Both held me personally culpable, insisting that my public opposition to the war had provided aid and comfort to the enemy. Each said that my son's death came as a direct result of my antiwar writings.
This may seem a vile accusation to lay against a grieving father. But in fact, it has become a staple of American political discourse, repeated endlessly by those keen to allow President Bush a free hand in waging his war. MORE
For more background on this go to:
20070516 War Critic's Son Dies In Iraq
or
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2007/05/20070516-war-critics-son-dies-in-iraq.html
And for more work from the “Charles County Café” go here: http://www.charlescountycafe.com/
####
Sphere: Related Content
20070531 More on the death of Andy Bacevich Jr. in Iraq
More on the death of Andy Bacevich Jr. in Iraq
May 31st, 2007
A hearty hat tip goes out to “Charles County Café.”
Thanks – I was going to leave a comment on their post – but the other day, try as I might - I was not bright enough to negotiate their comment sign-in protocol…
(May 29th, 2007) Posted by richardgwhite in War.
http://www.charlescountycafe.com/?p=960
I Lost My Son to a War I Oppose. We Were Both Doing Our Duty.
OpEd, Andrew J. Bacevich | Washington Post
Parents who lose children, whether through accident or illness, inevitably wonder what they could have done to prevent their loss. When my son was killed in
Among the hundreds of messages that my wife and I have received, two bore directly on this question. Both held me personally culpable, insisting that my public opposition to the war had provided aid and comfort to the enemy. Each said that my son's death came as a direct result of my antiwar writings.
This may seem a vile accusation to lay against a grieving father. But in fact, it has become a staple of American political discourse, repeated endlessly by those keen to allow President Bush a free hand in waging his war. MORE
For more background on this go to:
20070516 War Critic's Son Dies In Iraq
or
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2007/05/20070516-war-critics-son-dies-in-iraq.html
And for more work from the “Charles County Café” go here: http://www.charlescountycafe.com/
####
Sphere: Related Content
20070531 Carroll County opens 'cooling centers'
-----Original Message-----Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2007 12:18 PM
Subject: EAGLE ALERT: County opens "cooling centers"
May 31st, 2007
These stories and other updates are posted on The Eagle Web sites, www.theeldersburgeagle.com and www.thewestminstereagle.com.
May 31, 2007 -
* Citizen Services office building,
* Mount Airy Senior and Community Center,
* North Carroll Senior and Community Center, 2328 Hanover Pike, Greenmount
* South Carroll Senior and Community Center,
* Taneytown Senior and Community Center,
*
Officials said water will be available for those who need it at any of the cooling centers.
The
* Slow down. Strenuous activities should be reduced or rescheduled to the coolest time of the day.
* Wear loose, lightweight, and light-colored.·
* Eat fewer proteins and drink plenty of water.
* Stay in air-conditioning.
For more safety tips, refer to the Citizen's Guide to Emergency Preparedness, available online at http://ccgovernment.carr.org/ccg/pubsafe/emer-prep.pdf, or by contacting the Emergency Management Division at 410-386-2877.
For information about Carroll's senior and community centers, call the Bureau of Aging at 410-386-3800.
####
20070531 Carroll County Government Press Release Recap
Carroll County Government Press Release Recap
May 31st, 2007
Press Releases
Cooling centers open
posted: 5/31/2007
New sewer, water rates approved
posted: 5/31/2007
Alzheimers Support Group June 2007
posted: 5/30/2007
Bureau of Aging to hold area plan community meetings
posted: 5/30/2007
Kayaking Classes Offered at Piney Run Park
posted: 5/25/2007
Draft of Westminster Comprehensive Plan Available for Review
posted: 5/23/2007
Notice of solid waste tipping fee adjustment
posted: 5/21/2007
Public hearing slated for airport master plan: Draft now available online
posted: 5/21/2007
Preschool Wetland Discovery Week
posted: 5/21/2007
Employee Recognition Program slated for June 6
posted: 5/17/2007
Legal Aid Services
posted: 5/17/2007
Spring Muster and Antique Fire Equipment Show
posted: 5/14/2007
Learning Lunch Talk for June: The Barbara Fritchie Legend
posted: 5/14/2007
2007 Fiddlers' Convention
posted: 5/14/2007
Economic Development Releases Broadband Study Results
posted: 5/11/2007
Space Available for Third Seniors on the Go Expo
posted: 5/9/2007
23rd Annual “Governor’s Youth Fishing Derby”
posted: 5/7/2007
Traditional Arts Classes at the Carroll County Farm Museum
posted: 5/7/2007
First Time Home Buyer Program - On Behalf Of Housing Program
posted: 5/4/2007
Boating Safety Courses Offered at Piney Run Park
posted: 4/27/2007
Piney Run Park Sponsors Upcoming Trips
posted: 4/26/2007
Maryland's Most Beautiful People Volunteer Awards Program
posted: 4/19/2007
Piney Run Nature Camp
posted: 4/18/2007
Kayak Lessons Offered at Piney Run Park
posted: 4/18/2007
Second Bus Added for King Tut Trip - July 14
posted: 3/23/2007
Therapeutic Recreation Summer Camp Seeking Staff
posted: 3/15/2007
Maryland Housing Rehab Program - Accessible Homes for Seniors Pilot Program
posted: 11/30/2006
Free Arthritis Foundation Exercise Programs
posted: 11/3/2006
####
Sphere: Related Content
20070530 Betty Blue
Betty Blue
Posted May 30th, 2007
"The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words." (Philip K. Dick)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xJrrHTos6P8
In the last several days I have run across several references to a evocative movie, “37°2 le matin,” or as it is known in the
The movie, released November 7th, 1986, was based on a novel, also by the title of “37°2 le matin,” by Philippe Djian. The movie version of the novel is directed Jean-Jacques Beineix, who also directed another one of my “all time favorite movies, “Diva.”
The music for the movie is by Gabriel Yared. The recurring musical theme is as haunting as the movie; a piano progression, which will remain in your head for the longest time…
In many of my old movie notes from many years ago – this movie is consistently listed in my all time top-ten movies…
According to several published accounts, “The film received both a BAFTA and Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in 1986, as well as winning a César Award for Best Poster. In 1992 it was awarded the Golden space Needle of the
For those not aware of the movie, it is not a movie for the weak of heart. It is about a writer who gets involved with a woman who is psychologically disheveled but nevertheless somewhat socially acceptable at the beginning of the movie. The movie documents her precipitous quixotic psychological deterioration... The excellent use of a narrator was effective and affective...
Here is clip from the last scene in the movie:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=BIaU1us81Ts
The Internet Movie Database has the following plot summary for “37°2 le matin:”
“Zorg is a handyman working at in France, maintaining and looking after the bungalows. He lives a quiet and peaceful life, working diligently and writing in his spare time.
One day Betty walks into his life, a young woman who is as beautiful as she is wild and unpredictable. After a dispute with Zorg's boss they leave and Betty manages to get a job at a restaurant.
She persuades Zorg to try and get one of his books published but it is rejected which makes Betty fly into a rage. Suddenly Betty's wild manners starts to get out of control. Zorg sees the woman he loves slowly going insane.”
Wikipedia says:
“Betty (Dalle) and Zorg (Anglade) are passionate lovers who live in a shack on the beach. He works as a handyman who does odd jobs to pay the bills. As the film begins, they have only been going out for a week and are in a very passionate stage of their relationship. Zorg narrates the story of their relationship via voiceover. He describes Betty, “like a flower with translucent antennae and a mauve plastic heart.” She yearns for a better life and quit her last job as a waitress because she was being sexually harassed by her boss.
Zorg’s boss asks him to paint the 500 shacks that populate the beach — a fact that he keeps from Betty who thinks they only have to do one. She attacks the project with enthusiasm that quickly turns to anger once she learns the actual number. In response, Betty covers the boss’ car with pink paint.
During a nasty fight, Betty accidentally discovers a series of notebooks that contain a novel Zorg wrote years ago. She reads it and falls in love with him even more. She then makes it her mission in life to type every hand-written page and get it published. Betty's freespiritedness and devotion to Zorg develop into alarming obsession, aggression and destructiveness, and the film alternates between comic and tragic modes.
Roger Ebert lists it on his top-ten “most hated films.”
Oh well. Mr. Ebert likes Michael Moore…
A reason Mr. Ebert may not like the movie is that he is frequently hyper-critical of movies that have “hypocritical agendas” such as “a confrontational film that is passed off as art, but is merely lurid and sensational; Ebert has levelled this charge against such films as The Night Porter and Blue Velvet.” [Cited by Wikipedia (although I have seen this in other published accounts.)]
Oh! – I finally found Mr. Ebert’s review. Read it here.
Oh my – he really did not like the movie…
[…]
“Now comes ‘Betty Blue,’ which opens with a shot of two people sideways on a bed, making love beneath a portrait of the Mona Lisa, while the narrator says: ‘I had known Betty for a week. We made love every night. The forecast was the storms.’…
[…]
She finds a manuscript he has written, determines that he is a genius, and types it up, tens of thousands of words. (Typists will enjoy the typing scenes, in which she makes typing errors, causing her to throw away countless copies of Page 1, and then has the whole manuscript typed in no time. This is the way typing is thought about by people who always use yellow legal pads themselves.)
What is Bieneix trying to say in "Betty Blue"? I am not sure. The behavior of the characters is senseless and boring. We lose interest in Zorg because anyone who could tolerate Betty Blue would scarcely have the discrimination to write a good book. One scene follows another senselessly, like in a soap opera, until Betty goes mad and we can go home.
And yet the movie has made millions in
[…]
Reviews have been written debating the movie's view of madness, of feminism, of the travail of the artist. They all miss the point. "Betty Blue" is a movie about Beatrice Dalle's boobs and behind, and everything else is just what happens in between the scenes where she displays them.
[…]
My word… Read his entire review here.
I saw the movie twenty years ago… Who knows, with my current sensibilities, perhaps I would see the movie again and not like it either… I do not remember the gratuitous nudity for which Mr. Ebert objects, although I have no doubt that there is a great deal of that in the movie… The trailer is rated “R” or I would embed it in this post. Although, curiously enough, the “R” rating for the trailer is because of the nudity of the male protagonist.
I remember being fascinated by the portrayal of the artist–writer and his interaction with the madness of his companion. Sorta like a “Five Easy Pieces” on acid. (“Five Easy Pieces” is another all time favorite of mine. I will always remember that it opened on my birthday, September 11th, - in 1970.
Perhaps, just perhaps, both movies portray the reality of relationships of which many artists may identify… Just as I like the video of the Linkin Park song, “Numb.”
After all, as Philip K. Dick once said:
"The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words."
####
Interesting post script:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SJo-V1wip6g
casting de beatrice dalle betty
je
Et bonus video: Scène de danse entre Beatrice Dalle et Romain Duris, tirée du film dix-sept fois Cecile Cassard
"Five Easy Pieces"
20070530 Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day – Sooner or later…
May 30th, 2007
“Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory unannounced, stray dogs that amble in, sniff around a bit, and simply never leave. Our lives are measured by these.”
Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) Reformer
Thanks TC
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
20070530 This week in The Tentacle
This week in The TentacleMay 30th, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Kevin E. Dayhoff
With the Memorial Day weekend behind us, so begins the summer driving season. Increasingly a critical part of the summer getaway calculus is congested roadways and the cost of gasoline.
The Elephant (or Donkey) in the room
Katie Nash
The move for charter government won't be stifled by bomb-throwers. Like every grassroots movement, there will be those who attempt to kill it before it reaches the public and for purely selfish reasons.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Several years ago, while driving around
Monday, May 28, 2007
The Silence of Joseph W. Blickenstaff
Kevin E. Dayhoff
For many people, Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer. But hopefully you will take time out today to remember the greater meaning of Memorial Day - especially at a time when our great nation has more than 253,000 men and women in uniform deployed away from their families and loved ones - in nearly 80 countries oversees.
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
The warden in Cool Hand Luke summed it up nicely when he said: "What we have here is - failure to communicate".
Friday, May 25, 2007
Somebody must have treated and turned on those pesky Winchester Hall fountains again. I have long suspected that John "Lennie" Thompson had his own water supply. But now the other commissioners display strong symptoms.
George Wenschhof
Recently, Gov. Martin O'Malley joined the governors of 21 other states who sent a letter to the congressional leadership asking for an investigation of the rise in gasoline prices.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
All Aboard the Hypocrisy Express
John W. Ashbury
Back in the fall of 2004, then Alderman David Lenhart wanted to reduce the increase in property assessment on which City of
Chris Cavey
Citizens of
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Gates Encourages Public Service
Kevin E. Dayhoff
In his keynote graduation address Sunday, U. S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates challenged the 2007 graduates of the
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
One-time U.S. Senate candidate and former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele used the S-word. It happened Saturday night in
Send More Cash or Trim The Fat?
Farrell Keough
In April, I wrote an article on the state's budget and slots, (Robbing Peter to Pay Paul). I recently referenced that article on a forum where the discussion of slots came up. I was rightly asked, "Well smarty-pants, we know what you don't like. What would you suggest to fill this $1.5 billion dollar shortfall?"
Monday, May 21, 2007
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
George W. Owings, III, was relieved of his duties as the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs by Gov. Martin O'Malley on May 7. Secretary Owings was not dismissed for any reason other than he had been appointed by former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr.
Sphere: Related Content
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
20070529 Famous Writers reveal what font they compose in and why (Slate)
Famous Writers reveal what font they compose in and why (Slate)
May 29th, 2007
Famous Writers on Fonts (Slate)
Hat Tip: The Morning Newsfeed: 05.29.07
A number of prominent writers reveal what font they compose in and why. Courier was the clear favorite among our unscientific sample, but Times New Roman, Palatino, and something called Hoefler Text had their champions as well. It seems to come down to whether a writer's formative experience came on an Olivetti or an Apple.
Slate: The cult of Helvetica.
_____
I found this fascinating… Especially the previous post… 20070525 The Helvetica Hegemony and Click here to read a slide-show essay about Helvetica and the art of the font.
I’m just a regular kinda writer who just likes to write… My favorite font is Bookman Old Style. After that I like Georgia, Baskerville Old Face or Century Schoolbook.
Although I am not aware as to why I like Bookman Old Style…
What is your favorite font?
####
Sphere: Related Content
20070525 The Helvetica Hegemony
Art: The big picture.The Helvetica Hegemony
How an unassuming font took over the world.
By Mia Fineman
Friday, May 25, 2007
Click here to read a slide-show essay about Helvetica and the art of the font.
.Mia Fineman is a writer and curator in
####
Sphere: Related Content
20070529 Memorial Day: President Bush at Arlington Cemetery
Bush: Fallen troops' sacrifice helps build better world
May 28, 2007
Story Highlights
Bush pays tribute to "new generation of heroes" killed in
Battalion in
Top general asks for patience to give new
ARLINGTON, Virginia (CNN) -- President Bush marked Memorial Day with a call for Americans to stand firm in their efforts against U.S. enemies around the world and with a tribute to fallen troops.
"From their deaths must come a world where the cruel dreams of tyrants and terrorists are frustrated and foiled, where our nation is more secure from attack and where the gift of liberty is secured for millions who have never known it," he said. "This is our country's calling. It's our country's destiny."
Bush spoke after a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns in
[…]
Bush noted that Arlington National Cemetery holds the bodies of seven generations of Americans, including 360,000 from the Civil War, 500,000 from World Wars I and II, and 90,000 from the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
[…]
"Our enemies long for our retreat," he said. "They question our moral purpose. They doubt our strength of will. Yet, even after five years of war, our finest citizens continue to answer our enemies with courage and confidence."
The conflict will end some day "because all wars do," he said, adding, "Our duty is to ensure that its outcome justifies the sacrifices made by those who fought and died in it."
[…]
Read the entire article here: Bush: Fallen troops' sacrifice helps build better world
20070528 Wall Street Journal: Raise gas prices commit a felony
REVIEW & OUTLOOK
Pains at the Pump
Raise gas prices, commit a felony.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110010132
Monday, May 28, 2007 12:01 a.m. EDT
It's Memorial Day weekend and the start of the summer driving season, so naturally it's time for Congress to grandstand against $3-a-gallon gasoline. And right on cue, the House passed legislation last week to criminalize gasoline "price gouging," whatever that is. Perhaps this is all designed to distract the public from Congress's own role in raising gas prices.
Under the anti-gouging law, service station owners could face up to 10 years in prison if they dare to raise their prices too much when supplies are low. Representative Bart Stupak, the
The inconvenient fact is that there's no evidence of price rigging by Big Oil or the tens of thousands of independent service station owners across
Read the entire editorial here: Raise gas prices and go to jail
For more information go here: 20070523 Congressman Roscoe Bartlett Votes No on “Feel Good, But Counterproductive” Price Gouging Bill
Or Energy Independence or Energy Gasoline
####
Sphere: Related Content
20070527 World's Oldest Camera Fetches $800,000 at Auction
World's Oldest Camera Fetches $800,00 at Auction
Sunday, May 27, 2007
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,275722,00.html
The world's oldest commercially produced camera — built in 1839 in the early days of photography — was auctioned off this weekend for nearly $800,000, an auction house said.
The camera, a Daguerreotype by Susse Freres of
Read the entire article here:
World's Oldest Camera Fetches $800,00 at Auction
_____
Pictured above - - one of the earliest known daguerreotype images:
L’Atelier de l'artiste : un daguerréotype de 1837, réalisé par l’inventeur de ce procédé photographique, Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre (1787-1851). Source: [Société française de photographie]. Date: 1837 Auteur: Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre (1787-1851)
####
Sphere: Related Content
20070528 A 27 year mystery solved
Jahangir Razmi, via Associated Press: The 1980 Pulitzer Prize winning photo of an execution in Kurdish Iran - taken in 1979, by Jahangir Razmi.
27 Years After It Was Awarded, a Pulitzer Prize Is Acknowledged
A 27 year mystery solved… 1980 Pulitzer Prize for photography: Jahangir Razmi
By PRADNYA JOSHI
Published: May 28, 2007
[…]
In 1979, a photographer stood nearby as executioners shot Kurdish prisoners in
But the image proved so compelling that it was awarded the 1980 Pulitzer Prize for spot news photography. It was the first and still the only time that the Pulitzer, the highest honor in print journalism, has been given to an anonymous winner.
That was 27 years ago.
[…]
Read the entire article here: 27 Years After It Was Awarded, a Pulitzer Prize Is Acknowledged
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20070529 Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day – Change
May 29th, 2007
“If we want everything to remain as it is, it will be necessary for everything to change.”
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa The Leopard Pantheon Books
Thanks TC
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Monday, May 28, 2007
20070528 History Is Looking Up In Westminster
HISTORY IS LOOKING UP IN
May 28th, 2007
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpid=978&show=archivedetails&ArchiveID=1273619&om=1
05/23/07
The Westminster Historic District Commission's "History is Looking Up in
The entry form, which appeared in the May 2 edition of The
The first six of these are shown here. If you've had trouble finding them based on the initial clues given May 2, here are a few Bonus Clues that might help unlock this mystery of history:
BONUS CLUES
1: Two of these six buildings are located on streets other than
2: One of these has been both a church and a library in the past.
3: One of these used to house the National Guard; and another currently houses cash.
4: Two of these buildings were grand
JOIN THE HUNT
If you haven't started looking yet, there's still time. Copies of the official entry form are available at the office of The
Forms are also available at the Westminster Family Center on Longwell Avenue, the Westminster Branch Library, Historical Society of Carroll County/Tourism Office, the Carroll Arts Center and in the Great Hall at Carroll Community College.
The form is also available as a pdf on The Eagle's Web site, www.TheWestminsterEagle.com.
Completed forms must be mailed or delivered to City Hall by May 31. Forms may be delivered in person, or mailed to: Preservation Month Scavenger Hunt, c/o
PRIZES ...
First prize in the contest, to be chosen at random from all the correct entries, is a framed, limited edition print depicting historic buildings in
Other prizes include gift certificates from local restaurants and merchants.
In addition, ALL those who deliver their entry form in person to City Hall will receive a participation prize -- a commemorative poster of the 12 building sites depicted in the contest. They'll also receive a copy of the CD, the "Buildings of
For more information and complete rules, call Tim Rogers at 410-848-4628.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
The wedding of Mr and Mrs Smurf
The wedding of Mr and Mrs SmurfMay 27, 2007 by Kevin Dayhoff
20070527 The wedding of Mr and Mrs Smurf
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/
Saturday, May 26, 2007
20070602 Art in the Park, Westminster Maryland June 2nd, 2007
What's Happening at the
Saturday, June 2 10 am – 5 pm
On the Beautiful ground of
A festival of fine arts and crafts, strolling musicians, art demonstrations, unique food and a variety of family activities. Rain or Shine.
Free
For more information please call The
Saturday, June 2 2007
Rain or Shine
“Art in the Park” is held the first Saturday of June in the park behind
This year’s Art in the Park will feature more than 80 talented artists. This is a great place to find that unique painting or gift. The festival has been expanded this year with more exhibitors and demonstrations. Live musical performances by some of the best local musicians will take place throughout the park. A craft tent provides free craft activities for youngsters. Specialty and traditional food and beverages are available for sale in the park.
This event is free and open to the public. The grounds have been carefully planned to offer
Art in the Park takes place on the grounds of
Accessibility Notice: The Americans with Disabilities Act applies to the
Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ (http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/)
Kevin Dayhoff: http://www.westgov.net/ Westminster Maryland Online http://www.westminstermarylandonline.net/ http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/
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20070523 County Leaders Remind Motorists to Stay Sober Drive Safe
“Posted May 26th, 2007
Carroll County Sheriff’s Deputies will be out in extra force during the Memorial Day Weekend to protect motorists from impaired, aggressive, and unsafe drivers.
With celebrations a historical part of the Memorial Day Holiday, Sheriff’s Deputies are alerting motorists that in addition to the “Click-it and Ticket” seat belt enforcement initiative, a saturation patrol will be in place throughout the weekend to identify and remove impaired drivers from the road.
During 2005, aggressive driving was a factor in 122 motor vehicle crashes, with alcohol impaired drivers causing more than half of all fatal collisions in
Last year, Carroll County experienced a 41% increase in fatal traffic collisions according to “2006 Traffic Fatality statistics,” finishing the year with 24 traffic fatalities and the ninth highest rate of fatal traffic collisions among Maryland’s 23 counties.
According to the Maryland Highway Safety Office seat belt use reduces the risk of death by 60%, and risk of injury by 65%.
Memorial Day Weekend also signals the start of vacation season, and the Board of Carroll County Commissioners appeals to drivers to obey all traffic laws. “We remind motorists to drive safely during the summer vacation season, be extra cautious, and always buckle-up. A few extra seconds of attention can make a lifetime of difference.”
Sheriff Kenneth L. Tregoning also urges citizens to avoid consuming alcoholic beverages or, "designate a sober driver before consuming any alcohol, buckle-up, obey the speed limit, and celebrate safely."
# # #
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20070525 Congressman Bartlett Honors Deploying National Guard Troops in Send-off Ceremony
Congressman Bartlett Honors Deploying National Guard Troops in Send-off Ceremony
May 26th, 2007
Please join me in thanking these Maryland Men and Women in uniform for their service. May Godspeed and come home safely…
Maryland National Guards begin deployment to Iraq
by Katherine Mullen | Staff Writer Frederick Gazette
Friday, May 25, 2007
http://www.gazette.net/stories/052507/frednew142758_32386.shtml
More than 100
[…]
The 1-175 Infantry Battalion's mobilization is part of the largest combat deployment of
According to Major Kristine Henry, spokeswoman for the
During the ceremony at the park's bandshell, families waved small American flags and listened as National Guard commanders,
On a holiday weekend filled with busy travel plans and rising gas prices,
[…]
Read the entire article here: Maryland National Guards begin deployment to Iraq
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20070525 Examiner editor arrested on assault charges
Examiner editor arrested on assault charges
May 25, 2007
This is certainly a fine kettle of fish.
Although I was not there and do not know what happened… And I understand that the story was written by Examiner reporters - - but the Frank Keegan being depicted in this story is not consistent with the gentleman with whom I had lunch with several months ago.
Then again, as many understand, an unpleasant neighbor dispute can cause a bishop to kick out a stained glass window…
More often than not, unfortunately, it is just the nature of the beast that when the police get involved at this juncture in a neighbor dispute, everyone loses.
The police lose. And the two antagonists lose. Everybody is right and everybody is wrong…
And there will be no end to the pissing contest. Folks who do not like the police will blame the police. Some folks will adamantly blame the Examiner editor and others will come to his defense.
And no one will ever really know what really happened. Folks who have ever watched or read “Rashomon” will readily see how this will play out.
The 1950 Japanese classic movie “Rashomon” directed by Akira Kurosawa, tells the story of a crime event in 12th-century
The crime is retold from four separate points-of-view: that of the bandit, the wife, the dead man, and a lowly peasant, with each character offering a very different version of the same story.
All four characters recount the same story, but each tells a different “truth.”
Bias, perception, and the ability to recall are “primary source” material for an historian, but are obviously problematic. The ‘true history” of the event has become relative and there are as many truths as there are eyewitnesses.
And if the liberal
Examiner editor arrested on assault charges
Luke Broadwater and Stephen Janis, The Examiner
May 25, 2007 3:21 AM
City police arrested
Keegan, 58, of Baltimore, is charged with misdemeanor second-degree assault and gun violations against neighbors David and Christine Ayers and their 3-year-old daughter, who, according to the police report, was being carried by her father as he confronted Keegan.
At 11:29 p.m. Wednesday, police were called to Keegan’s Federal Hill residence. Ayers told police he is involved in an “ongoing dispute” with Keegan regarding cigarette smoke “seeping” through to his home from the Keegan residence and causing respiratory problems for his daughter, Sophie.
Ayers attempted to confront his neighbor about the smoke by “pounding” on Keegan’s door, according to police. From inside the house, Ayers said he heard Keegan yell, “You [expletive] lunatics, get away from my door.”
Ayers, holding his daughter, shouted back at Keegan, “Look what you’re doing to my daughter,” according to police charging documents.
Ayers claims Keegan “racked” a shotgun while inside his house — a charge Keegan disputes — whereupon Ayers told police he said, “Whoa, whoa” and backed away from the house.
You may read the rest of the story here if you must…Examiner editor arrested on assault charges
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Friday, May 25, 2007
20070525 Rosie is Gone From The View
May 25th, 2007
Hopefully – “our great national nightmare is over” – Rosie O’Donnell has left the building.
Well, certainly calling Ms. O’Donnell “our great national nightmare” is hyperbole - - but then again - - maybe not…
I have never watched “The View” and as much as possible I avoided spending any intellectual capital on trying to understand the phenomena.
I guess I came to view Ms. O’Donnell in the same category of Anne Coulter, Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rush Limbaugh and Cindy Sheehan – as having very little to add to any public conversation over the important issues facing our nation.
And if Barbara Walters had any credibility to lose, she has none now – and I guess that is also a shame as it was once obvious that she had talent and something to offer…
Perhaps the greatest tragedy is that Ms. O’Donnell came to be accepted as the spokesperson and iconography for everything that was extreme and irresponsible of the liberal point of view – and we all know that simply is not the case…
Good riddance. Her polarizing negative impact upon the issues we face will not be missed – and ultimately she has done liberals, ABC and the mainstream media a huge amount of damage for which it will take a great deal of effort to escape.
She Exits Early After On-Air
(CBS/AP) Rosie O'Donnell has fought her last fight at "The View."
ABC said Friday that O'Donnell has asked for, and received, an early exit from her contract at the daytime chat fest following her angry confrontation with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck on Wednesday. She was due to leave in mid-June.
It ended a colorful eight-month tenure for O'Donnell that lifted the show's ratings but no doubt caused heartburn for show creator Barbara Walters. O'Donnell feuded with Donald Trump and frequently had snippy exchanges with the more conservative Hasselbeck.
[…]
No one was feeling the love on Wednesday, when the argument with Hasselbeck began over O'Donnell's statement last week about the war: "655,000 Iraqi civilians have died. Who are the terrorists?"
Read the rest – if you must, here: Rosie's Gone From "The View"
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20070524 Upcoming Carroll County Volunteer Fire Fighter carnivals
From the Carroll County Times’ “Encore” section of the paper.
Upcoming Carroll County Volunteer Fire Fighter Carnivals
Posted May 25, 2007
The following list is of area carnivals and the dates they're being held:
Gamber - Saturday-June 2
New
Taneytown - June 11-16
Sykesville - June 18-23
Harney - July 9-14
Winfield - July 9-14
Reese - July 16-21
Mount Airy - July 23-28
Hampstead - Aug. 13-18
_____
Carroll County emergency response
Carroll County Volunteer Fire Fighter Departments
List of
As of May 1st, 2007
Gamber - Co. 13
Chief: Dennis Brothers
410-795-3445
Hampstead - Co. 2
Chief:
410-239-4280
Harney -
Chief: Donald Yingling, Sr.
410-756-6464
Lineboro - Co. 7
Chief: Shawn Utz
410-374-2197
Manchester - Co. 4
Chief: Chuck Gouker
410-239-2286
Mount Airy - Co. 1
Chief: Dale Lowman
410-795-8055
New Windsor - Co. 10
Chief: Donald Nott
410-635-6373
Pleasant Valley - Co. 6
Chief: Mike Gist
410-848-1977
Reese - Co. 9
Chief: Don Love
410-848-7172
Sykesville/Freedom - Co. 12
Chief: Glenn E. Ruch Sr.
410-795-8021
Taneytown - Co. 5
Chief: Brett Six
410-756-6253
Union Bridge - Co. 8
Chief:
410-775-7422
Westminster - Co. 3
Chief: Jeff Alexander
410-848-1800
Winfield - Co. 14
Chief: Tim Warner
410-795-1333
20070525 The Fuel Fund of Maryland Fundraiser
The Fuel Fund of
Posted May 25, 2007
Hat Tip: TC
The Fuel Fund of Maryland is having their annual Salsabration!!!
Thursday 6/21 from 5:30-9:00pm at Gardel's Supper Club
(
The Fuel Fund of Maryland is having their annual Salsabration!!! on Thursday 6/21 from 5:30-9:00pm at Gardel's Supper Club (
This is a Hot! HOt! HOT!!! night featuring Ethnic Food & Drinks, Latin Dancing, Great Prizes, Entertainment, Silent Auction, and LOADS of fun!
Please come celebrate the first day of summer by supporting the Fuel Fund of Maryland! Proceeds from this event provide energy assistance for low income families. With the BGE increase in the news, here's a fun way to help lots of families!
If you are interested, please contact Corina Hines at chines AT hspinc.org or call her 410-386-6657.
####
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20070525 Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day – Step on it.
Friday, May 25, 2007
In actual life every great enterprise begins with and takes its first forward step in faith. Friedrich von Schlegel (1772-1829) Philosopher and writer
Thanks TC
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20070523 Congressman Roscoe Bartlett Votes No on “Feel Good, But Counterproductive” Price Gouging Bill
Congressman Roscoe Bartlett Votes No on “Feel Good, But Counterproductive” Price Gouging BillMay 23, 2007
“Congress can’t suspend the economic laws of supply and demand,” said Congressman Bartlett. “This well-intentioned, but destructive bill, would take us back to the future of the 1970’s policies of Jimmy Carter that led to gasoline shortages, gas lines and rationing.”
The Federal Trade Commission found no evidence of price gouging from investigations after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Nowhere in H.R. 1252 are key terms such as “unconscionably excessive,” “unfair advantage,” “unreasonably,” “reasonably foreseeable,” “grossly exceeds,” “reasonably reflected,” “substantially attributable,” or “usual seasonal demand variations” defined explicitly. They are marked for emphasis in red italics.
H.R. 1252 would make it a federal crime for any person to sell, at wholesale or at retail in an area and during a period of an energy emergency, gasoline or any other petroleum distillate covered by a presidential proclamation at a price that is “unconscionably excessive” and indicates the seller is “taking unfair advantage of the circumstances related to an energy emergency to increase prices unreasonably.”
The bill would authorize the President to issue an unlimited number of 30-day energy emergency proclamations (one at a time) for any area within the jurisdiction of the
In determining whether such a violation has occurred, the following factors would have to be considered:
whether the amount charged by a person for the applicable product at a given location in a proclamation-covered area:
“grossly exceeds the average price at which the applicable gasoline or other
petroleum distillate was offered for sale by that person during the 30 days prior
to such proclamation;
“grossly exceeds the price at which the same or similar gasoline or other
petroleum distillate was readily obtainable in the same area from other
competing sellers during the same period;
“reasonably reflected additional costs, not within the control of that person,
that were paid, incurred, or reasonably anticipated by that person, or reflected
additional risks taken by that person to produce, distribute, obtain, or sell
such product under the circumstances; and
“was substantially attributable to local, regional, national, or international
market conditions; and
whether the quantity of the applicable product the person produced, distributed, or sold in a proclamation-covered area during a 30-day period following the issuance of such proclamation increased over the quantity that that person produced, distributed, or sold during the 30 days prior to such proclamation, taking into account “usual seasonal demand variations.”
H.R. 1252 would also make it a federal crime for any person to report to a federal agency information related to the wholesale price of gasoline or other petroleum distillates “with actual knowledge or knowledge fairly implied on the basis of objective circumstances” that such information is false or misleading.
###
Thursday, May 24, 2007
20070523 Baltimore Reporter: A Picture Worth a Thousand Words
A Picture Worth a Thousand WordsHat Tip: BlogNet News Maryland - A Picture Worth a Thousand Words
submitted by James L This amazing picture has drawn a lot of comments from readers of the
Read more: A Picture Worth a Thousand Words
http://www.baltimorereporter.com/?p=3991
_____
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20070524 News Clips
News Clips
May 24th, 2007
State News
BGE rate hike approval draws criticism from Republicans
http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=902642cc-d5c1-49bf-8a6d-c5ef496b5e63
During last year's gubernatorial campaign, Democrat Martin O'Malley sharply criticized the approval of a rate hike for Baltimore Gas and Electric customers approved by a Public Service Commission appointed by his Republican rival, then Governor Robert Ehrlich.
So when the commission appointed by O'Malley, who is now governor, approved a 50 percent electricity rate hike today, state Republican Party Chairman James Pelura took the opportunity to criticize him. He said -- quote -- "O'Malley's pledge to hold the line on rate increases and help working families was a false campaign promise."
50% rise in BGE rates OK'd by PSC
Panel criticizes utility, past regulatory rulings
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-te.bz.psc24may24,0,7172127.story?coll=bal-home-headlines
The state utility commission approved yesterday a 50 percent electricity rate increase for customers of Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. in a sweeping order that also takes the company and past regulators to task for decisions made in the run-up to electricity deregulation.
The five-member Public Service Commission said it had arrived at its conclusion "reluctantly," arguing that its hands were tied by past regulatory decisions, legislative action and the terms of state-approved contracts that the utility has signed with electricity suppliers.
Schisler and Ehrlich could not be reached yesterday. James Pelura, chairman of the state Republican Party, issued a statement accusing O'Malley of breaking his campaign pledge to provide consumers relief if elected.
"O'Malley is all show and no substance," Pelura said.
BGE customers will pay 50 percent more
http://www.examiner.com/a-745318~BGE_customers_will_pay_50_percent_more.html
The Maryland Public Service Commission formally approved the 50 percent rate increase for Baltimore Gas and Electric residential customers effective June 1.
We looked at it legally and unfortunately found no legal basis to disallow the rate hike, PSC chairman Steven Larsen said. BGE, in its procurement process, met the legal standards set out by the PSC. To defer it would have been to impose illegal, artificial rate caps.
I am not surprised at PSCs decision, said Del. Jill Carter, a
Officials approve BGE's increase
http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20070523-113236-1935r.htm
State officials reluctantly approved a 50 percent rate increase yesterday for the 1.1 million residential customers of Baltimore Gas and Electric Co., saying they had "little legal option" to defer or reduce the utility company's proposal.
The increase goes into effect June 1. The Maryland Public Service Commission was critical of the way the transition to market rates had been handled, and commission Chairman Steven Larsen said he was disappointed an alternative couldn't be found.
BGE Customers to Face Heftier Energy Bills in June
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/23/AR2007052301340.html
Residential customers of
The Public Service Commission also agreed to an optional phase-in plan that would allow consumers to defer a portion of the increase interest-free. Under that plan, rates would rise only about 38 percent in the coming year, but the difference would have to be paid on future bills.
During last year's campaign, O'Malley accused the commission, which then had a majority of Ehrlich appointees, of "rubber-stamping" BGE's rate request. Yesterday, the tables were turned.
"O'Malley's pledge to hold the line on rate increases and help working families was a false campaign promise," state GOP Chairman James Pelura said in a statement. "His lack of visibility on this issue shows he will do and say whatever it takes to get elected."
BGE rate increase: Pay now or pay later
Residential electricity bills will inevitably go up, but part of the sum can be deferred interest-free
Now that Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. has the go-ahead to raise electricity rates by 50 percent next month, Marylanders also have a choice: Pay the full increase right away or spread it out under a deferral plan.
Anti-slots group revived
Coalition of civic and religious organizations to meet tomorrow
http://www.capitalonline.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/05_23-35/TOP
Following Maryland's premier horse racing day of the year and State House rumblings that expanded gambling is a necessary solution to the state's fiscal problems, an anti-slots group is reorganizing after a one-year hiatus.
StopSlotsMaryland, a coalition of citizens, civic groups and religious organizations, will hold a meeting tomorrow at
Howard council OK's budget; 517 new jobs expected
The general property tax rate won't change, but the owner of a house priced at the county median of $450,000 will pay $273 more in property taxes July 1, due mostly to rising assessments, budget officials said.
Greg Fox, the council's only Republican, was the only member to vote against the spending plan. The five-member council left County Executive Ken Ulman's first budget virtually intact, despite a 10.7 percent increase in spending.
Funds restored to schools, nonprofits
$8.2 million shuffled in Leopold's spending plan
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/05_23-40/TOP
After weeks of pleas from residents and closed-door negotiations by politicians, the County Council and County Executive John R. Leopold restored $815,000 for nonprofit groups and added $5.4 million for schools yesterday.
Altogether, they shuffled $8.2 million in the $1.66 billion budget for next year, leaving intact most of the spending plan Mr. Leopold presented earlier this month.
"Last year we fine-tuned Janet Owens' budget. This year we micromanaged John Leopold's budget because there's only a (microscopic amount) of money to move around," said Councilman Ed Reilly, R-Crofton.
National News
Obama has fans in focus group
But 12
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.focus23may23,1,122149.story
Americans will be choosing change in 2008, if a group of
Sen. Barack Obama drew the most positive responses, while Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton came in for rough treatment, during the first in a national series of focus-group discussions sponsored by the
But when the area voters were asked who would be the safest choice to lead the country in these uncertain times, nearly all, including Democrats and independents, picked Republicans: former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, Sen. John McCain or former Gov. Mitt Romney.
Giuliani attends game, fundraiser
Republican presidential candidate Rudolph W. Giuliani visited
Giuliani, the former mayor of
Giuliani was joined last night by former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., who told reporters that in addition to helping the ex-mayor raise money, Ehrlich would head to
Gilchrest gaining two well-known opponents in re-election bid
http://www.examiner.com/a-745344~Gilchrest_gaining_two_well_known_opponents_in_re_election_bid.html
A high-profile state senator from Baltimore County and the states attorney in Queen Annes County are lining up to challenge U.S. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest in what could be another tough re-election fight in District 1.
This is a sort of a normal state of affairs for us, said Gilchrests chief of staff, Tony Caligiuri. The Republican congressman has faced similar challenges in at least six campaigns in a 16-year career that was launched by defeating two Democratic incumbents in 1990 and 1992.
Nethken announces intentions to run
http://www.wcbcradio.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7438&Itemid=35
At a press conference Wednesday morning at
House Democrats bracing for unpalatable
House Democrats head into their last vote on the
The number of Democrats likely to vote for the
Even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is expected to vote against it. But House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) will probably vote yes.
They seem to be holding on by their fingertips for September, Rep.
Anti-war activists attack Democrats over
Leadership criticized for agreeing to drop withdrawal deadline
For anti-war activists, turning against House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer was only the beginning.
The liberal group MoveOn.org ran radio ads this week chastising the Southern Maryland Democrat for voting against a measure that would have forced a withdrawal from
But that attack ad was nothing compared with the vitriol unleashed yesterday, as war opponents lit into the rest of the Democratic leadership for agreeing to drop a withdrawal timeline from the
"We were so proud when he was made majority leader of the House of Representatives," an announcer intones. "But that pride has turned to disappointment. Because last week, Steny Hoyer was one of just a few Democrats to vote against the McGovern bill - a real plan for withdrawing from
Hoyer's office says he understands "the passion" that many feel about the war.
In a statement, Hoyer said he was "deeply disappointed that the president continues to defy the will of the American people on
Century students work to hang in
http://www.gazette.net/stories/052407/sykenew213012_32338.shtml
Congratulations to
On May 14, Congressman Roscoe Bartlett, who represents the Sixth Congressional District, announced the names of district winners, including Kasnia, according to a press release.
Lisa Wright, spokeswoman, said the national high school art competition coordinated by members of the U.S. House of Representatives recognizes and promotes young artists.
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20070523 MDGOP: Many Marylanders Hit With 50% Increase on Electric Bills
MDGOP: Many Marylanders Hit With 50% Increase on Electric Bills
James Pelura,
Chairman
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2007
Many Marylanders Hit With 50% Increase on Electric Bills
The rate increase is set to take effect on Friday, June 1st. Martin O’Malley campaigned vigorously on the pledge that he would stop such rate increases.
Maryland Republican Party Chairman James Pelura released the following statement:
Martin O’Malley is all show and no substance. Last year, O’Malley filed a lawsuit to stop then-Governor Ehrlich’s plan to slow the rate increase, forcing this drastic 50-percent increase.
As electric rates are about to go up next week, O’Malley, and the Democrat leadership in the General Assembly have been missing in action.
O’Malley’s pledge to hold the line on rate increases and help working families was a false campaign promise. O’Malley’s lack of visibility on this issue shows he will do and say whatever it takes to get elected.
Unfortunately, this may be lights out for many Marylanders.
Quotes from the O’Malley/Brown Campaign Web Site (http://www.martinomalley.com/content/591)
Martin O’Malley and Anthony Brown will work to provide immediate relief from the impending rate hikes for our families, small businesses and the most vulnerable in our communities.
O’Malley and Brown believe that any system should ensure an adequate supply of energy, a fair rate of return for producers and affordable rates for customers. Absent adequate competition that can meet these goals, we must work to implement a system that ensures an adequate supply of energy at affordable rates.
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20070524 Quote of the day
Quote of the day - Oh, The Places You'll Go!
Thursday, May 24, 2007
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”
Dr. Seuss Oh, The Places You'll Go! Random House
Thanks TC
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20070516 Airport options face public by Jim Joyner
For more posts on “Soundtrack” about
05/16/07 by Jim Joyner
To build or not to build ... or maybe to build a little or a lot.
Those are the questions being posed for the future of the Carroll County Regional Airport, and they are also the subject of a public hearing to be held next Wednesday, May 23, at 7 p.m. at Carroll Community College, 1601 Washington Road, Westminster.
The hearing will focus on a quartet of options for the airport -- from a no-build alternative to a plan that would expand and relocate the main runway some 375 feet to the west.
Early this month the Board of County Commissioners received a presentation as part of the airport's master plan review, compiled by the engineering firm URS.
The company has taken part in a study of the airport dating back to 2004, when the county formed a technical advisory committee and hosted a series of meetings.
At the May 1 presentation, the commissioners opted not to embrace any particular option, but set the stage for the public hearing.
Options being considered include (estimated costs in parenthesis):
*No Build -- which would keep the current runway, but would still require repairs and resurfacing that would close the runway for an estimated six months. ($8.7 million)
*Alternative 1 -- extending the existing runway to 300 feet, which would accommodate some, but not all, moderate-size aircraft. Doing this would also close the runway, for about seven months for construction. ($42.8 million)
*Alternative 2 -- relocating the runway 375 feet to the west, which would leave the existing runway available as a taxiway. This expansion would mean the county would have to acquire a nearby asphalt plant off Vision Way Drive, as well as the Arc of Carroll County facility on Krider's
*Alternative 3 -- relocating the runway 250 feet to the west and 600 feet north. This shift would also require acquisition of the asphalt plant, but not the Arc of Carroll. ($56 million)
Officials say FAA user fee funds would pay for up to 95 percent of the "build" alternatives.
The master plan also includes provisions for new corporate hangars and other improvements.
Last month officials of the Sage Policy Group offered its own review of the airport expansion plan from an economic standpoint.
The Sage study said an expansion would bring an economic boost to the county, but acknowledged that noise, traffic and impact on neighbors would also be part of any expansion plan.
The Carroll Joint Neighborhood Association, a Westminster-based group that has opposed an expansion, reiterated that position after the Sage study, saying, "Allowing the airport to retain its current size would maintain the delicate balance which now exists between airport users and the quality of life of thousands of residents living north, south, east and west of the airport."
Both the URS presentation to the commissioners and the Sage Study are online at www.ccgovernment.carr.org/ccg/default.asp.
The draft Regional Airport Master Plan is available for review at the Carroll County Regional Airport Terminal,
It's also at all five Carroll County Public Library branches.
At the public hearing, speakers will be limited to three minutes, but written comments will be accepted prior to the hearing.
They may be addressed to Kathryn L. Rauschenberg,
For more information, call Cindy Parr, chief of Administrative Services, at 410-386-2043.
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20070523 Dr. Tedd Judd - Recovering Yourself by the Dailey Record
Wednesday, May 23, 2007 8:48 PM Dr. Tedd Judd - Recovering Yourself
By Patrick Carlson staff writer
ELLENSBURG — Not better or worse, just different.
“You’re this new person,” said psychologist Tedd Judd about traumatic brain injury. “How do you find out who this new person is?”
That’s the goal of neuropsychotherapy, the field Judd practices in. He spoke about the consequences of such injuries at
Judd treats people suffering from traumatic brain injury through his psychology practice. The
There are some myths that exist around ailments caused by brain injuries, he said. You don’t have to hit your head or lose consciousness to have a traumatic brain injury, according to Judd.
Loss of consciousness depends on which area of the brain is affected, he said.
It can also be difficult to even see the injury to the brain itself. Much of the damage caused by a traumatic brain injury occurs at the microscopic level, and is invisible on common brain scans, such as an MRI or CT scan, Judd said.
But the symptoms of the injuries are plentiful, according to Judd, and can affect a person’s cognitive, emotional and behavioral abilities.
“The brain is the organ of emotion,” he said.
Due to a traumatic brain injury, a person’s physical ability to communicate can be affected because of voice problems, but the emotional changes that can occur also cause problems, according to Judd. The injured can become indifferent, depressed or angry.
“It’s the anger that tends to be the biggest problem,” Judd said.
[…]
For people who have a traumatic brain injury, 1/3 get better within a week, 1/3 get better within three months and 1/3 still have problems after a year, Judd said. Among doctors, these patients are known as the “miserable minority,” according to Judd.
Ultimately, dealing with such issues is about compensation and accommodation, Judd said.
[…]
“You’ve got to learn how to live with this new brain,” Judd said.
[…]
####
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20070522 Governor O’Malley Calls for Inquiry Into Gasoline Prices
Governor O’Malley Calls for Inquiry Into Gasoline Prices
May 22, 2007
Press Release - Office of the Governor
Governor O'Malley Calls for National, Bi-Partisan Inquiry Into Gasoline Prices
Letter Asks for Investigation Into Rising Prices
“It is difficult to understand how oil companies can be making record profits each quarter without making capital investments in refineries that would address refinery issues,” wrote the Governors. “Families and businesses across the nation are straining under these uncontrollable prices.”
The letter was directed to the Sen. Harry Reid - Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell - Senate Minority Leader, Speaker Nancy Pelosi - Speaker of the House, and John Boehner - House Minority Leader.
[ View a copy of the signed letter ]
May 22, 2007
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Wednesday, May 23, 2007
20070523 Get you own dirt
Get your own dirt
May 23rd, 2007
Hat Tip: “DPW”
God is sitting in Heaven when a scientist says to Him, "Lord, we don't need you anymore. Science has finally figured out a way to create life out of nothing. In other words, we can now do what you did in the 'beginning.'"
"Oh, is that so? Tell me..." replies God.
"Well," says the scientist, "we can take dirt and form it into the likeness of You and breathe life into it, thus creating man."
"Well, that's interesting.
So the scientist bends down to the earth and starts to mold the soil.
"Oh no, no, no..." interrupts God,
"Get your own dirt."
####
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20070523 Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day - Reach for it!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
“From a certain point onward there is no longer any turning back. That is the point that must be reached.”
Franz Kafka (1883-1924) Writer
Thanks TC
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20070523 This Week in The Tentacle
This Week in The TentacleMay 23rd, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Gates Encourages Public Service
Kevin E. Dayhoff
In his keynote graduation address Sunday, U. S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates challenged the 2007 graduates of the
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
One-time U.S. Senate candidate and former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele used the S-word. It happened Saturday night in
Send More Cash or Trim The Fat?
Farrell Keough
In April, I wrote an article on the state's budget and slots, (Robbing Peter to Pay Paul). I recently referenced that article on a forum where the discussion of slots came up. I was rightly asked, "Well smarty-pants, we know what you don't like. What would you suggest to fill this $1.5 billion dollar shortfall?"
Monday, May 21, 2007
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
George W. Owings, III, was relieved of his duties as the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs by Gov. Martin O'Malley on May 7. Secretary Owings was not dismissed for any reason other than he had been appointed by former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Tom McLaughlin
My best-laid plans for the summer crashed and burned the other day. The person I had relied upon to take care of my Alzheimer's patient father became unavailable. I won't go into the details. Suffice it to say she was a lover. It was because, well, there was violation, not of the sexual kind, but of trust. I had to ask her to leave.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Founder Jerry Falwell was found on the floor in his offices at
Edward Lulie III
Charter government! Will it come to
Thursday, May 17, 2007
A Penny Saved Isn't Necessarily
Tony Soltero
The late Dave Berg was one of the 20th Century's great American satirists. His work tends to be unduly overlooked by many, because the primary canvas for his work was the kid-oriented Mad Magazine.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Kevin E. Dayhoff
On May 3rd the U. S. House of Representatives voted 237 to 180 to pass H.R. 1592, the "Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act."
Patricia A. Kelly
I'm putting away my grandmother's dishes. There aren't many of them left, but, when I touch them, I can still see them in her kitchen and remember her "new" house and these "new" dishes. I'm at the lake, again.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Growing up in
Monday, May 14, 2007
Political Winners & Losers (Part Two)
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
In last Monday's entry, we analyzed federal and state politicos and organization on the winning and losing sides of the electoral and ideological battlefield. This week, in addition to a few statewide stragglers, we bring the focus a little closer to home.
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20070522 Former Maryland Secretary for Veterans Affairs George W. Owings
The Maryland Secretary for Veterans Affairs George W. Owings has enigmatically been replaced – and many are wondering why?May 22, 2007
For those of us who follow the issues of our past and present men and women in uniform, news travels quickly.
So when the news that George W. Owings III, [a U.S. Marine Corps sergeant (1964-68) who served in Vietnam, 1965-68 (Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Commendation with Bronze Star Device, Navy-Marine Corps Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with Silver Star Device)], “was relieved of his duties as the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs by Gov. Martin O'Malley on May 7,” it was one of those rare moments in
The news was certainly not missed by Frederick and Washington County, Dist. 3B, Delegate Richard Weldon…
Hardly a week goes by when I don’t want to call to folks’ attention the work of Delegate Weldon in The Tentacle.
And this week is no exception. Those of us who follow the comings and goings of state officials were flabbergasted when Secretary Owings was let go. But no one explained it better that Delegate Weldon in his Monday, May 21, 2007 column, “Old Soldiers Don't Fade Away:”
George W. Owings, III, was relieved of his duties as the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs by Gov. Martin O'Malley on May 7. Secretary Owings was not dismissed for any reason other than he had been appointed by former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr.
Secretary Owings had become legend in his politically shortened four-year tenure. Veterans across
That's right; Secretary Owings is a Democrat, the party of Governor O'Malley. His party affiliation clearly mattered not to Governor Ehrlich, who was looking for a soldier's soldier to lead state's veterans' outreach. In George Owings, Bob Ehrlich found the perfect guy!
Be sure to read Delegate Weldon’s entire column here: Old Soldiers Don't Fade Away.
In the past - now long-gone era when everything that the previous gubernatorial administration did was scrutinized to the letter of the 1981 movie “Absence of Malice;” the news of Secretary Owings losing his post would have been great food for fodder. Not so in the current
Gov. Martin O’Malley got a pass. And perhaps justifiably so - for the governor has a right to pick his team - - folks who share his vision and want to move the governor’s initiatives forward.
Nevertheless, in spite of the fact that the
I, for one, was willing to toss it up to another personal – personnel decision that the governor is certainly entitled to make – without any publicly stated reason or justification. It is his call. That is to be respected… And I am willing to give the governor the benefit of doubt.
Unfortunately that was a point totally missed when on July 8, 2005 a crass politically motivated witch-hunt devoid of any substantial basis was announced: “House Speaker Michael Busch today appointed a committee of four Democrats and two Republicans to join six state senators in an inquiry into the personnel polices of the Ehrlich administration.” (“Busch appoints 6 to panel probing Ehrlich firings - Bipartisan committee to assess personnel changes made after governor elected,” by Tom Stuckey, The Associated Press.)
It is in this context that the fires of discontent have been fueled among veterans, many of whom tend to be a bit more conservative than the present administration in the statehouse…
In spite of the fact that it was well known among insiders, including the leadership of the Calvert Street hallways, that there was no there – there, to the at-will employee probe; the Baltimore Sun piled on all through the balance of 2005 and 2006. Right up until the election - and yet, curiously enough – hardly a whimper has been heard since the
Understandably so for it was then that the Sun realized, that in order for Governor O’Malley to make things happen he needed his own team – and that meant, jettisoning as many former Governor Robert L. Ehrlich appointees as possible…
Hmmm…
See: “Diluted Bills Anger Republicans” in Maryland Moment…
When a special legislative committee wrapped up an 14-month investigation last fall into then-Gov. Bob Ehrlich's hiring and firing practices, a special counsel decided no pursue no criminal charges. Instead lawmakers said they would rely on legislation to fix what was wrong with the state's personnel process.
Yesterday, the state Senate gave final approval to two of those bills. But Sen. Thomas M. Middleton (D-Charles), who helped lead the legislative probe and sponsored the bills, acknowledged they were changed--and weakened-- at the request of now Gov. Martin O'Malley's administration.
[…]
"The bills do virtually nothing. . . . It was a political witch hunt with no substance," said
As I noted on July 21, 2005 in The Tentacle: “A Skunk by Any Other Name Still Stinks:”
The state workforce includes 80,000 employees. So what is the cause of all of this wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth?
According to a Washington Times article on May 25, 2005, by S. A. Miller (former Frederick News-Post scribe Steve), “Lawrence J. Hogan Jr., the governor's secretary of appointments, said the Ehrlich administration in three years has fired 280 of its 7,000 at-will workers. Mr. Ehrlich's Democratic predecessor, Gov. Parris N. Glendening, fired 309 at-will workers in a single year from the Department of Transportation alone…”
Paul E. Schurick, the governor's communications director, said it better than I could in a June 3, 2005, Gazette article by Thomas Dennison: "The double standard is as gross and as egregious as I have ever seen. The fact of the matter is dozens of legislators have made a career of trying to influence the hiring and firing of state employees."
See also: “20050712 This year Halloween comes early in Maryland.”
And - - my November 22, 2006 Tentacle column, “Now Comes The Hard Part:”
… It has not gone unnoticed that the Sun is already practically his public relations office; telling and re-telling glowing, gooey and heart-warming stories of Norman Rockwell beginnings, childhood friends and Camelot-on-the-horizon.
Then there is the not so small matter of the upcoming personnel shake-up that occurs when a new governor and administration takes office in
In days gone by this transition was relatively unnoticed. However, the Baltimore Sun and the
After the announcement that the Democrats were going to conduct a witch-hunt of the Ehrlich administration's hiring and firing of at-will employees, it was prophetically observed that
As the at-will employee investigation began in early July 2005, even some Democrats were whispering that if a Democrat were to prevail in the November 2006 gubernatorial election, the new governor would want to replace many folks and the residual hyper-scrutiny would be unwanted.
Now that a Democrat has been elected governor it will be interesting to see how much scrutiny the
Remember, the Ehrlich administration fired only 280 of 7,000 at-will workers in four years. Governor Glendening fired 309 at-will workers in the Department of Transportation in a single year.
In a recent Gazette article, Governor-elect "O'Malley said there will be no wholesale firing of political appointees from the Ehrlich administration. Governor Ehrlich drew criticism for allegedly seeking to identify and fire Democrat. 'I am going to go after professionalism, and we're going to recruit the most professional people we can find,' O'Malley said."
The operative word in the proceeding was "allegedly." And, of course, the implication is that Governor Ehrlich did not hire "professionals."
Well not only was former Secretary Owings a consummate profession – he was a veteran’s veteran who wore his respect for his fellow veterans on his sleeve and worked tirelessly for their benefit and welfare.
By all accounts, his replacement, the former deputy of Veterans Affairs, James A. Adkins, will do a fine job.
In a testament to former Secretary Owings’ professionalism; in a published account, he “said that he had applied anew for the job in O'Malley's Cabinet, but that he backs the selection of Adkins… My presence here today is evidence I agree with that choice," Owings said after the State House announcement. "The governor could not have made a better selection.”
This too shall pass. But Secretary Owings will be missed.
Thank you for your service Secretary Owings, we will all look forward to future leadership from you.
For Corps and Country,
20070523 Westminster Police Stop on Main Street in Westminster
Daily Photoblog - May 23, 2007
May 23, 2007 Westminster Police Department stops a motorist on
www.kevindayhoff.net
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20070522 TimeWatch Tracker
Documenting and Exposing the Liberal
Agenda of the New York Times
TimesWatch Tracker: Our Latest Analysis
Tuesday, May 22 , 2007
Today in TimesWatch:
(Headlines link to online postings with links to cited articles & sources)
Make sure to check out our sleek new website at www.timeswatch.org, now updated throughout the day.
Top Book Critic Loves Gore's "Fiercely Argued" Anti-Bush Screed
Liberal book critic Michiko Kakutani's review of the eco-activist (and former veep's) newest screed against Bush, "The Assault on Reason," lead Tuesday's Arts section. You can tell Kakutani liked the book because, as is her habit in such circumstances, instead of actually critiquing it, she simply pulls out chunks and strings them together into paragraphs.
"In 'The Assault on Reason' Al Gore excoriates George W. Bush, asserting that the president is 'out of touch with reality,' that his administration is so incompetent that it 'can’t manage its own way out of a horse show,' that it ignored 'clear warnings' about the terrorist threat before 9/11 and that it has made Americans less safe by 'stirring up a hornets’ nest in Iraq,' while using 'the language and politics of fear' to try to 'drive the public agenda without regard to the evidence, the facts or the public interest.'"
But don't think that Gore's book is some kind of hyper-partisan hit piece, like the kind those nasty neocons write. (Back in January 2004, Kakutani described "An End to Evil" by conservative hawks David Frum and Richard Perle as having "all the subtlety of a pit bull on steroids…smug, shrill and deliberately provocative.")
Far from it: "And yet for all its sharply voiced opinions, 'The Assault on Reason' turns out to be less a partisan, election-cycle harangue than a fiercely argued brief about the current Bush White House that is grounded in copiously footnoted citations from newspaper articles, Congressional testimony and commission reports -- a brief that is as powerful in making its points about the implications of this administration’s policies as the author’s 2006 book, 'An Inconvenient Truth,' was in making its points about the fallout of global warming."
As good as "An Inconvenient Truth"? Truly a Times' stamp of approval.
Moral Equivalency Between
Business as usual in the Middle East yesterday, as
"The Israeli Air Force continued its strikes in
"On Monday night, an Israeli woman was killed when a Qassam rocket launched from
"Saint Albert" Ministers to the Environmental Heathens
Contributing writer James Traub went to Al Gore's Nashville mansion and talked to him by the pool for the Times' Green-centric Sunday Magazine (no mention of carbon footprints or carbon offsets) and came out with "Al Gore Has Big Plans." Sounds scary already.
But first, a little historical revisionism: "Six years after the Supreme Court declared him the loser of a presidential race that seemed his for the taking, Al Gore has attained what you can only call prophetic status; and he has done so by acting as he could not, or would not, as a candidate -- saying precisely what he believes, and saying it with clarity, passion, intellectual mastery and even, sometimes, wit. Everywhere he goes, people urge him, almost beg him, to run for the presidency. He probably won’t -- though he might. ('It’s complicated,' he told me, 'but it’s not mysterious.') He says he thinks he’d be better at it this time than he was last time. And he probably would be: Gore really does know how to hold 6,000 people in a room. But sometimes one person is one person too much for him. Given his druthers, he’d really rather talk about complexity."
Bush actually won the official vote count in Florida, the Supreme Court simply declared the decision valid.
Once he delved into the science, Traub made some unscientific leaps, extrapolating current phenomena into future hazards:
"By 2005, climate science had advanced to the point where the urgency of reducing CO2 emissions had become manifest, though only to the small circle of cognoscenti. And that was the problem. Gore had talked himself blue on the subject without making much headway. In mid-2005, he began talking to members of 'the green group,' as the environmental lobby is collectively known, about marshaling a popularizing effort. Nature has a way of chipping in on climate change, and the apocalyptic images of Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans at the end of August 2005, made such a campaign seem not only more urgent but also more compelling. Gore was the obvious candidate to lead the crusade.
But the Al Gore of September 2005 was not the
Traub strengthened the flattering image of Gore (who once likened Internet critics to "digital Brownshirts" and calling the internal combustion engine the greatest enemy of mankind) as a high-minded avatar of sweet reason.
"The very fact that Gore feels that this requires an explanation shows what a high-minded rationalist he is. He says he believes that ideas were given a fair hearing on their merits until television came along and induced a kind of national trance. This is a hoary line of argument, but Gore adds a novel neuropsychological twist, explaining that the brain’s fear center, the amygdala – 'which as I’m sure you know comes from the Latin for ‘almond’ ' -- receives only a trickle of electrical impulses from the neocortex, the seat of reasoning, while sending back a torrent of data in return. This explains why 'we respond to spiders and snakes and claws and fire, but we are less likely to feel urgency and alarm if the threat to our species is perceptible only by connecting a lot of dots to make up a complex pattern that has to be interpreted by the reasoning center of the brain' -- well, it’s quite a challenge for the explainer."
(Gore's new book is "The Assault on Reason;" much of his interview with Traub is an assault on Times Watch's patience.)
"Gore used his last dram of political capital to persuade
Traub ignored the inconvenient truth that the Senate rejected the
Newsbusters' Noel Sheppard has more on the Times' going ga-ga over Gore.
Quotes of Note
Elsewhere on the Web
Parody: New York Times' "most e-mailed list" tearing newsroom apart (The Onion). :more...
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Tuesday, May 22, 2007
20070522 Quote of the day
Quote of the day - Does it fit?
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007
“[W]hen the shoe fits, the foot is forgotten; when the belt fits, the belly is forgotten; when the heart is right, for and against are forgotten.”
Chuang Tzu (c. 369-c. 286 B.C.) Theologian and writer
Thanks TC
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20070522 CyberAlert
CyberAlert
A usually-daily report, edited by Brent H. Baker, CyberAlert is distributed by the Media Research Center, the leader since 1987 in documenting, exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias.
The 2,413th CyberAlert. Tracking Liberal Media Bias Since 1996
12:25 pm EDT, Tuesday May 22, 2007 (Vol. Twelve; No. 86)
1. NBC Impugns Limbaugh Over 'Barack the Magic Negro' Parody Song On Monday, NBC's Today allowed itself to be used as a publicity machine for a left-wing attempt to whip up an Imus-style campaign against conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh for daring to air the parody song "Barack the Magic Negro" -- a parody inspired by a black writer who used that term in March in a Los Angeles Times op-ed about Obama -- in which an Al Sharpton impersonator sings about how Barack Obama isn't an authentic black. The song has been around for two months, but NBC acted like they just found out about it. Co-host Matt Lauer charged: "Rush Limbaugh airing a racially-charged parody about presidential candidate Barack Obama. Is the radio talk show host getting a free pass? We'll have more on that in our next half-hour." The on-screen graphic also asked: "Obama Parody, Is Limbaugh Getting A Free Pass?" The story by NBC reporter Michael Okwu presumed Limbaugh guilty of some great offense, and suggested his conservative audience is also culpable: "Media watch dogs say there's no hue and cry to stop Limbaugh because he speaks to a niche audience who either expects this or is willing to let him slide." Okwu ominously wondered: "Legitimate satire, or something darker?"
2. Stephanopoulos Marvels with Pelosi About First Female President Catching up with George Stephanopoulos' interview on Sunday's This Week with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Stephanopoulos took the opportunity to banter with Pelosi about the possibility of a woman President in front of her on the podium at the next State of the
3. After a Week of False Reports of 'Record High' Gas, Reality Noted After a week of inaccurate reports about the "record high" price for gas when, adjusted for inflation, the price was still below the cost in March of 1981, on Monday night ABC, CBS, and NBC again touted a "record high" price, but at least NBC acknowledged it simply matched the real 1981 price, while CBS alluded to a 1981 comparison. With "Record Prices" on screen, CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric reported that "gas is up another 12 cents in just the past week to a nationwide average tonight of $3.22 a gallon. Adjusting for inflation, that beats the all-time high set more than a quarter century ago at the start of the Iran-Iraq war." In fact, it does not beat it but only "matches" it, as NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams relayed: "For the second week in a row gas prices have hit a record high. The feds say the average price for unleaded regular soared eleven-and-a-half cents over the last week to a new record of $3.22 a gallon. That matches the peak price reached during 1981 during the Iran-Iraq war when the figures are adjusted for inflation." ABC anchor Charles Gibson, however, continued to deliver distorted reporting in which he refused to adjust for inflation.
4. GMA and Early Show Tout Immigration Bill Deal as 'Historic Day' On Friday, both CBS and ABC skewed their coverage of the Senate's immigration bill to the left. Neither network featured a conservative talking head that opposed the legislation, instead The Early Show and Good Morning America simply referred to the "critics" who believe the bill would amount to amnesty for those who came to the country illegally. However, while both networks also interviewed Senator Ted Kennedy, ABC anchor Diane Sawyer actually pressed the liberal legislator with several conservative points. GMA used flowery language to discuss the Senate's action, describing the legislation as "landmark." Co-host Sawyer asserted, "It was a historic day to see Republicans and Democrats coming forward on something together." ABC even queried illegal aliens as to what they think of the Senate's action: "Everyone taking sides. But sometimes it's good to hear the voices from the people who are at the center of the debate. And some of these illegal 12 million have been phoning in to Talk Back, which is our Web site..."
5. Couric Celebrates Cronkite for Opposing 'Another Unpopular War' Friday's CBS Evening News plugged its prime time special on Walter Cronkite with a story, as introduced by Katie Couric, about a "journalist who stood up to the Commander-in-Chief" during a time of "another unpopular war," as Couric was transitioning from a story about the debate over Iraq war funding. Couric was referring to Cronkite's decision in February 1968 to declare on the air that
6. O'Donnell:'655,000 Iraqi Civilians Dead. Who Are the Terrorists?' On last Thursday's The View, Rosie equated the
Check Out the MRC's Blog
The MRC's blog site, NewsBusters, "Exposing and Combating Liberal Media Bias," provides examples of bias 24/7. With your participation NewsBusters will continue to be THE blog site for tracking and correcting liberal media bias.
Come post your comments and get fresh proof of media misdeeds at: http://www.newsbusters.org
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20070522 News Clips
News Clips
May 22, 2007
State News
New legislation to help preserve farms and aid the environment
http://www.examiner.com/a-741056~New_legislation_to_help_preserve_farms_and_aid_the_environment.html
Gov. Martin O'Malley wants to keep homes on the range.
Expressing a desire to keep farmers on their property and preserve land, O'Malley has signed four bills since he took office in January to champion the cause. Most recently, he signed legislation removing a five-year waiting period for a farm to be permanently preserved through the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation.
And with 372,650 acres of farmland in the
Lawmaker renews call for increasing tax on alcohol
Revenue raised would go toward treating substance abuse, Bronrott says
http://www.gazette.net/stories/052107/polinew171308_32338.shtml
A
Raising the state excise tax on adult beverages by 5 cents would generate approximately $90 million a year for drug and alcohol treatment programs, said Del. William A. Bronrott, who chairs the House Special Committee on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Revenues would be directed to a dedicated fund for substance abuse initiatives.
Pimlico CEO Speaks Out On Preakness Stakes
http://www.wcbcradio.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7422&Itemid=35
The CEO of the company that owns Pimlico says the Preakness Stakes is "at the relative end" in
But Magna Entertainment CEO Michael Neuman says he's optimistic the political stars are aligned to legalize slots soon enough to keep the race in
Gas prices hit record
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=60432
Some motorists seem to equate warm weather with high gasoline prices. Others appear resigned to paying more for gas, saying the cost is beyond their control.
"You can't do anything about it. You either pay the price or stay home," said Marion Whittier of
'Public safety' plan halted
Opposition pressure in City Council leads to withdrawal of idea
Baltimore's City Council overwhelmingly rejected a proposal yesterday that would have allowed the mayor to lock down streets and close businesses in areas declared an emergency - taking the unusual step of pressuring the bill's sponsor to withdraw the measures before they were fully introduced.
Eleven members of the City Council spoke against the legislation - proposed by City Council Vice President Robert W. Curran - that would have allowed police to close liquor stores and bars, limit the number of people on city sidewalks and halt traffic in areas declared "public safety act zones."
National News
Former Mayor to run for 6th District Spot
http://www.wcbcradio.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7426&Itemid=35
Former Cumberland Mayor Frank Nethken tells WCBC News that he plans to challenge incumbent Sixth District Congressman Roscoe Bartlett in next years primary.
Nethken, a republican, has run for public office a number of times in the past 30 years, including a 1992 run for the sixth district seat. Nethken says while he likes
Gilchrest votes make him a target
http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20070521-113247-3387r.htm
House Republican Wayne T. Gilchrest's votes to stop funding the war in
Two Democrats -- Eastern Shore lawyers Frank M. Kratovil Jr. and Christopher R. Robinson -- announced they will run for Mr. Gilchrest's seat, and state Sen. Andrew P. Harris, a
"I think everyone will tell you
Gilchrest appointed to help democracies
http://www.hometownglenburnie.com/vault/cgi-bin/gazette/view/2007G/05/19-49.HTM
U.S. Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest was named last week to a committee of 20 lawmakers who help other nations nurse fledgling democracies.
Mr. Gilchrest, R-Kent, joined the House Democracy Assistance Commission, which was established two years ago to help foster democracy around the world. The commission offers legal expertise and assistance as countries such as
Veterans, National Guard, recruits represented at Reeders Memorial Day program
http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=166217&format=html
The past, present and future of the American military were well represented Monday morning at the Reeders Memorial Home Memorial Day holiday program.
Seventeen residents of Reeders were honored as veterans during the outdoor ceremony, where they received recognition personally from U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett.
$8B of pork: Dems take 60 percent
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/8b-of-pork-dems-take-60-percent-2007-05-21.html
The House last week approved about $8 billion in earmarks as part of the 2008 defense authorization bill, with the wealth shared by both Democrats and Republicans.
Given their majority, however, Democrats claimed close to 60 percent of the bills earmarks.
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) had five projects approved as part of the defense authorization bill, totaling almost $20 million. Among Hoyers beneficiaries are the Honeywell Corp in La Plata, Md., for the so-called Blossom Point Satellite Facility; the Naval Air Warfare Center Air Craft Division at Patuxent River, Md., for a communications upgrade on the DDG-ship; the Navys Special Warfare Center at Indian Head, Md., for high-energy conventional energetics; and Virginia-based Infosystems Technology Inc., which builds the Rubix multi-level security database.
Brooke Gunning: The lost art of reading aloud
http://www.examiner.com/a-741052~Brooke_Gunning__The_lost_art_of_reading_aloud.html
If you are reading this column, then you are not one of the estimated 1.5 million (yes, you read that correctly, million) Marylanders between the ages of 16 to 59 who, according to the Maryland State Department of Education, have significant literacy needs. Some people are working hard to reduce that number. Doro Bush Koch, sister of President George W. Bush and daughter of George H.W. Bush, is one of them. She runs The Maryland Initiative of The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.
President Bush Says Failure In
President Bush Calls Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki To Mark The One-Year Anniversary Of His Inauguration. "Bush, who telephoned Maliki to mark a year since his inauguration, 'reaffirmed his confidence in the prime minister and noted the courage he has shown during a challenging and difficult year,' said spokesman Tony Fratto. At the same time, Fratto said as Bush spent a long weekend on his
Multi-National Force
Democrats Drop Insistence On
Former Senator And 9/11 Commission Member Bob Kerrey (D-NE) Says "Unilateral Withdrawal From
20070522 Rep. Roscoe Bartlett Salutes Veterans at Reeders Memorial Home
Rep. Roscoe Bartlett Salutes Veterans at Reeders Memorial Home
The Herald-Mail ONLINE
Tuesday May 22, 2007
Veterans, National Guard, recruits represented at Reeders Memorial Day program
by MARLO BARNHART
marlob@herald-mail.com
BOONSBORO - The past, present and future of the American military were well represented Monday morning at the Reeders Memorial Home Memorial Day holiday program.
Seventeen residents of Reeders were honored as veterans during the outdoor ceremony, where they received recognition personally from U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett.
See photos and the complete text at:
http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=166217&format=html
20070521 CCBOC Agenda
The agenda for the Carroll County Commissioners for the week of May 21, 2007
Agenda for the Week of May 21, 2007~ Revision 2
Please Note: This weekly agenda is subject to change. Please call 410-386-2043 to confirm a meeting you plan to attend. All meetings will be in Room 300A, (Unless otherwise noted)
- Indicates Outside Activities
Monday – May 21, 2007
8:00 a.m. MoMEntum Awards Ceremony
Carroll Community College
Commissioners Minnich & Zimmer
11:00 a.m. Groundbreaking Ceremony for Freedom Water Treatment Plant
Eldersburg, MD
Commissioners Gouge, Minnich & Zimmer
12:00 p.m. Luncheon
South Carroll Community & Senior Center
Commissioner Zimmer
Tuesday – May 22, 2007
10:00 a.m. Board of County Commissioners Open Session
FY 08 Budget Adoption
Department of Management & Budget ~ Mr. Ted Zaleski
Briefing on Upcoming Public Hearing ~ Airport Draft Master Plan
Office of Performance Audit & Special Projects ~ Mr. Gary Horst
Status Update on Westminster Environs Community Comprehensive Plan
Department of Planning ~ Mr. Steve Horn
Tuesday – May 22, 2007 ~ Continued
Deliberation and Possible Adoption of Amendments to Chapter 103
Related to Traffic Impact Studies
Department of the County Attorney ~ Ms. Kimberly Millender
Department of Planning ~ Mr. Steve Horn
Hampstead Annexation No. 30 ~ Summit Street/Taylor Street
Department of Planning ~ Mr. Steve Horn
Workforce Development Professionals Month ~ Presentation of Proclamation
Denise Beaver, Deputy Director of Department of Economic Development
Denise Rickell, Manager, Business Employment Resource Center (BERC)
Bid Approval ~ STV/Bridge Condition Inspections for Eighteen (18)
Small Structures
Bureau of Purchasing ~ Mr. Rich Shelton
Department of Public Works ~ Mr. J. Michael Evans
Bid Approval ~ Nortel Routers and Maintenance Agreements
Bureau of Purchasing ~ Mr. Rich Shelton
Office of Information & Technology Services ~ Mr. Mark Ripper
Chief of Staff Time ~ Mr. Steve Powell
CLOSED ~ Legal Advice
Department of the County Attorney ~ Ms. Kimberly Millender
4:00 p.m. Carroll County Chamber of Commerce PM Connections
Westminster, MD
Commissioner Zimmer
Wednesday – May 23, 2007
11:00 a.m. Employee Appreciation Day
County Office Building
Commissioners Gouge, Minnich & Zimmer
1:00 p.m. Carroll County Board of Education Meeting
Board of Education Offices
Commissioner Zimmer
Wednesday – May 23, 2007 ~ Continued
2:00 p.m. Carroll Community College Commencement Ceremony
at McDaniel College
Commissioners Gouge & Zimmer
7:00 p.m. Public Hearing ~ Airport Draft Master Plan
Carroll Community College ~ The Scott Center
Commissioners Gouge, Minnich & Zimmer
Thursday – May 24, 2007
10:00 a.m. Board of County Commissioners Open Roundtable Discussion
1:30 p.m. Board of County Commissioners Open Session
Presentation Highlights of the Carroll Arts Center
Sandy Oxx, Executive Director
Lisa Breslin, President
2:00 p.m. Public Hearing ~ Community Development Block Grant for
Youth Services Bureau
Department of Management & Budget ~ Mr. Ted Zaleski
Department of Citizen Services ~ Mrs. Jolene Sullivan
Request Final Approval of Community Development Block Grant for
Youth Services Bureau
Department of Management & Budget ~ Mr. Ted Zaleski
Department of Citizen Services ~ Mrs. Jolene Sullivan
Request Approval ~ Byrne Justice Assistance Year 2 ~
Adventure Diversion Grant ~ Local Management Board
Department of Management & Budget ~ Mr. Ted Zaleski
Department of Citizen Services ~ Mrs. Jolene Sullivan
Request Approval ~ Comprehensive Domestic Violence Grant Application
Department of Management & Budget ~ Mr. Ted Zaleski
Department of Citizen Services ~ Mrs. Jolene Sullivan
Thursday – May 24, 2007 ~ Continued
Update on Recent Ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court Case Regarding Solid Waste Flow Control
Department of the County Attorney ~ Ms. Kimberly Millender
Chief of Staff Time ~ Mr. Steve Powell
CLOSED ~ Pending Litigation
Department of the County Attorney ~ Ms. Kimberly Millender
Friday – May 25, 2007
Saturday – May 26, 2007
11:00 a.m. William Winchester Chapter, NSDAR
Grave Marking of Soldier/Patriot Cornelius Sullivan
Krider’s Church Cemetery, Westminster, MD
Commissioner Gouge
Sunday – May 27, 2007
1:30 p.m. Eagle Scout Ceremony
Hampstead
Commissioner Zimmer
8:05 a.m. “The Commissioners’ Report” – WTTR
Commissioner Minnich
ACCESSIBILITY NOTICE: The Americans with Disabilities Act applies to the Carroll County Government and its programs, services, activities, and facilities. If you have questions, suggestions, or complaints, please contact Ms. Jolene Sullivan, the Carroll County Government Americans With Disabilities Act Coordinator, at 410-386-3600/1-888-302-8978 or TTY No. 410-848-9747. The mailing address is
Posted: 07/07/06
Monday, May 21, 2007
20070521 May 21 2007 Biennial Organizational Meeting of the Westminster Common Council
May 21 2007 Biennial Organizational Meeting of the Westminster Common Council
City Council
Minutes of City Council Meetings | Agenda for next City Council Meeting
Minutes of City of
May 21, 2007
QUORUM:
The Biennial Organizational Meeting of The Mayor and Common Council and the Public Hearing on the Fiscal Year 2008 Tax Rate (Ordinance No.764), the Fiscal Year 2008 Budget, and the Capital Improvement Program took place in the City Hall Council Chambers, located at
PUBLIC HEARING:
Mayor Ferguson conducted a public hearing on the Fiscal Year 2008 Tax Rate (Ordinance No.764), the Fiscal Year 2008 Budget, and the Capital Improvement Program.
City Treasurer Unger summarized the proposed Budget and Capital Improvement Program. Mr. Unger also explained the constant yield tax rate.
City resident Rebekah Orenstein suggested several cost-saving measures. She complimented Ms. Wolf and Mr. Unger on the budget process.
City resident Ronald Powers expressed concern about rising taxes and costs.
There being no further comment, Mayor Ferguson closed the hearing and the record at 7:27 P.M.
BIENNIAL ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING:
The Chief Deputy Clerk of the Circuit Court for
Mrs. Albert, who was out of town, had taken the oath separately the preceding Thursday.
Mayor Ferguson and Mr. Chiavacci congratulated the successful candidates.
On Motion of Mr. Pecoraro, seconded by Mr. Utz and unanimously passed, Mr. Chiavacci was elected Council President.
On Motion of Council President Chiavacci, seconded by Dr. Wack and unanimously passed, Mrs. Albert was elected President Pro Tempore of the Common Council.
Council President Chiavacci read a list of his and the Mayor’s recommendations for appointments to standing committees and other bodies:
Finance and Personnel – Dr. Wack, Chair, and Mr. Pecoraro Vice-Chair;
Economic Development and Community Affairs – Mr. Pecoraro, Chair, and Dr. Wack, Vice-Chair;
Public Works – Mrs. Albert, Chair, and Mr. Utz, Vice-Chair;
Public Safety – Mr. Utz, Chair, and Mr. Chiavacci,
member; Planning and Zoning Commission – Mrs. Albert;
Parks Board – Mr. Chiavacci;
Cable Regulatory Commission – Dr. Wack;
Westminster Town Center Corporation – Mayor Ferguson and Mr. Chiavacci;
Greater Westminster Development Corporation – Dr. Wack;
County Arts Council liaison – Mr. Pecoraro;
Council of Governments – Mrs. Albert and Mr. Pecoraro as co-representatives;
and the
Mr. Pecoraro made a Motion to approve all of the recommended appointments.
Mr. Utz seconded and the Motion passed unanimously.
ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS:
Mr. Walsh noted that Ordinance No. 764 – Levy of Taxes for Fiscal Year 2008 – needed an amendment to correct the hearing date in the second “Whereas,” paragraph. Dr. Wack moved to adopt the Ordinance as amended. Mr. Pecoraro seconded and the Motion passed unanimously.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
Mr. Utz moved to adopt the Budget for Fiscal Year 2008 and the Capital Improvement Program. Dr. Wack seconded and the Motion passed unanimously.
Council President Chiavacci adjourned the Meeting at 7:40 P.M.
Laurell E. Taylor, City Clerk
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20070520 Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates signs copies of his book
Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates signs copies of his book
May 20, 2007
http://www.defenselink.mil/multimedia/
05/20/07 - Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates signs copies of his book, "From the Shadows," before speaking at the commencement ceremony of his alma mater, the
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20070521 Quote of the Day
Quote of the day
Monday, May 21st, 2007
“Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible.”
Thanks TC
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20070520 20061201 Secretary of Defense Gates Speeches
Secretary of Defense Gates Speeches
May 20th, 2007
05/20/2007: College of William and Mary Commencement
05/19/2007: Armed Forces Day
05/19/2007: Team America Rocketry Challenge
05/09/2007: Senate Appropriations Committee
05/03/2007: Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce
04/25/2007: Navy Flag Officers Conference
04/18/2007: American Chamber of Commerce of Cairo
04/10/2007: Army Chief of Staff Change of Responsibility Ceremony
03/29/2007: House Appropriations Committee--Defense
03/27/2007: American-Turkish Council
03/26/2007: U.S. Pacific Command Assumption of Command Ceremony
03/23/2007: U.S. Northern Command Change of Command Ceremony
03/16/2007: U.S. Central Command Change of Command Ceremony
03/09/2007: U.S. Senate Youth Program
03/08/2007: Message to the Troops on Care for Wounded Warriors
03/01/2007: NCO Breakfast
02/27/2007: U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations
02/11/2007: Munich Conference on Security Policy
02/06/2007: Posture Statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee
01/12/2007: Statement on Iraq to the Senate Armed Service Committee
01/11/2007: Press Availability With Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
01/11/2007: Testimony on Iraq to the House Armed Services Committee
12/22/2006: Holiday Message to the Troops
12/18/2006: Secretary Gates' Swearing-In Remarks
12/18/2006: Message to Department of Defense Personnel
12/15/2006: Farewell Parade
12/10/2006: Town Hall Meeting with 4/1 Cav
12/10/2006: Town Hall Meeting
12/08/2006: Pentagon Town Hall Meeting
12/01/2006: Union League Club Gold Medal Award Ceremony
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20070520 Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates College of William and Mary Graduation Exercises Remarks
Courtesy of Joseph McClain, Director of Research Communications, The College of William & Mary and U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Duty Officer
For more information go to: “Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates transcribed commencement remarks;” or - http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=7791
and -Video of Gates' remarks and