20070426 Last Day of School in CCPS in June 2007

Last Day Of School for Carroll County Public Schools in the 2006-2007 School Year

April 26th, 2007

Carroll County Public Schools used only five emergency closing days this year. As noted on the back of the school calendar, six days were built into the calendar. Therefore, the school year will end as follows:

June 12, 2007
Last Day for Kindergarten Students

June 13, 2007
Two Hour Early Dismissal for StudentsProfessional Time for Teachers

June 14, 2007
Last Day for StudentsTwo Hour Early Dismissal for Students Professional Time for Teachers

June 15, 2007
Professional Day for Teachers - Last Duty Day

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20070427 Quote of the day

Quote of the day

April 27, 2007

“Every man is his own ancestor, and every man is his own heir. He devises his own future and he inherits his own past.” Frederick Henry Hedge (1805-1890) Cleric and educator

Thanks TC

20070426 ScrappleFace weighs in on all the current Congressional probes

ScrappleFace weighs in on all the current Congressional probes

April 26^th, 2007

As well as Scott Ott writes, the comment section on his post is nearly better than his couple of paragraphs of satire…

It has gotten to the point that no one can keep up with all the probes and investigations…

I share with the comment thread that it would be interesting to witness Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice testify for the umpteenth time. Although it appears she is not pre-disposed to do so.

One commenter echoed some of my thoughts – how long will it be before even Barney is investigated.

Bush Suggests More Targets for Congressional Probes

http://www.scrappleface.com/?p=2580

by Scott Ott

(2007-04-26) — White House sources say President George Bush has given Sen. Harry Reid and Rep. Nancy Pelosi a list of administration officials who would make good targets for Congressional probes as part of Mr. Bush’s strategy to keep Democrats preoccupied with investigations and thus distracted from implementing their legislative agenda.

Read the rest here: http://www.scrappleface.com/?p=2580

Related Stories

House Panels Approve Rice Subpoena, Immunity For Gonzales Aide

Senior Justice Department Official Involved in Firings Flap Resigns

House Panel Vote Postponed on Immunity For Gonzales Aide

Justice Department Sends More Documents to Congress Over Attorney Firings

Attorney General Gonzales to Return to Capitol Hill For Meeting With Democratic Senator

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20070426 Gov to attend trooper graduation

Gov to attend trooper graduation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2007

Governor To Join Secretary Of State Police For Trooper Graduation Ceremony
GOVERNOR TO JOIN SECRETARY OF STATE POLICE
FOR TROOPER GRADUATION CEREMONY

(Pikesville, MD) –

Governor Martin O’Malley will join Department of State Police Secretary Colonel Thomas E. Hutchins tomorrow to preside over the graduation of the 129th Trooper Candidate Class in Pikesville, Md. Following his remarks, Governor O’Malley will personally congratulate the 38 new troopers who have just completed 26 weeks of rigorous training. The graduates will be joined by their families and Maryland State Police commanders at the ceremony.

WHAT: GRADUATION OF THE 129TH TROOPER CANDIDATE CLASS

WHEN: FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 200710:00 A.M.

WHERE: MARYLAND STATE POLICE HEADQUARTERS GYMNASIUM 1201 REISTERSTOWN ROAD PIKESVILLE, MD.

Take I-695 to Exit 20 east – Reisterstown Road
Reisterstown Road to left on Sudbrook Lane
Make first left into MSP HQ
Gymnasium is on the right

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20070426 Quote of the day

Quote of the day

April 26th, 2007

Aged?

“There is no old age. There is, as there always was, just you.” Carol Matthau (1925-2003) Actor

Thanks TC

20070426 Lieberman statement on Iraq floor statement

Lieberman statement on Iraq floor statement

April 26^th, 2007

Statement by Senator Lieberman on Iraq Withdrawal Provision in Supplemental Appropriations Bill - Apr 26, 2007

Connecticut Independent Senator Joe Lieberman's floor statement.

Hat Tip: “The Tank,” National Review Online’s military blog: Lead Us Not Into Temptation... [Kathryn Jean Lopez] and Michelle Malkin: Senate passes surrender bill.

“Mr. President, the supplemental appropriations bill we are debating today contains language that would have Congress take control of the direction of our military strategy in Iraq.

Earlier this week the Senate Majority Leader spoke at the Woodrow Wilson Center and laid out the case for why he believes we must do this—why the bill now before this chamber, in his view, offers a viable alternative strategy for Iraq.

I have great respect for my friend from Nevada. I believe he has offered this proposal in good faith, and therefore want to take it up in good faith, and examine its arguments and ideas carefully and in depth, for this is a very serious discussion for our country.

In his speech Monday, the Majority Leader described the several steps that this new strategy for Iraq would entail. Its first step, he said, is to “transition the U.S. mission away from policing a civil war—to training and equipping Iraqi security forces, protecting U.S. forces, and conducting targeted counter-terror operations.”

I ask my colleagues to take a step back for a moment and consider this plan.

When we say that U.S. troops shouldn’t be “policing a civil war,” that their operations should be restricted to this narrow list of missions, what does this actually mean?

To begin with, it means that our troops will not be allowed to protect the Iraqi people from the insurgents and militias who are trying to terrorize and kill them. Instead of restoring basic security, which General Petraeus has argued should be the central focus of any counterinsurgency campaign, it means our soldiers would instead be ordered, by force of this proposed law, not to stop the sectarian violence happening all around them—no matter how vicious or horrific it becomes.

In short, it means telling our troops to deliberately and consciously turn their backs on ethnic cleansing, to turn their backs on the slaughter of innocent civilians—men, women, and children singled out and killed on the basis of their religion alone. It means turning our backs on the policies that led us to intervene in the civil war in Yugoslavia in the 1990s, the principles that today lead many of us to call for intervention in Darfur.

This makes no moral sense at all.

It also makes no strategic or military sense either.

Al Qaeda’s own leaders have repeatedly said that one of the ways they intend to achieve victory in Iraq is to provoke civil war. They are trying to kill as many people as possible today, precisely in the hope of igniting sectarian violence, because they know that this is their best way to collapse Iraq’s political center, overthrow Iraq’s elected government, radicalize its population, and create a failed state in the heart of the Middle East that they can use as a base.

That is why Al Qaeda blew up the Golden Mosque in Samarra last year. And that is why we are seeing mass casualty suicide bombings by Al Qaeda in Baghdad now.

The sectarian violence that the Majority Leader says he wants to order American troops to stop policing, in other words, is the very same sectarian violence that Al Qaeda hopes to ride to victory. The suggestion that we can draw a bright legislative line between stopping terrorists in Iraq and stopping civil war in Iraq flies in the face of this reality.

I do not know how to say it more plainly: it is Al Qaeda that is trying to cause a full-fledged civil war in Iraq.

The Majority Leader said on Monday that he believes U.S. troops will still be able to conduct “targeted counter-terror operations” under his plan. Even if we stop trying to protect civilians in Iraq, in other words, we can still go after the bad guys.

But again, I ask my colleagues, how would this translate into military reality on the ground? How would we find these terrorists, who do not gather on conventional military bases or fight in conventional formations?

By definition, targeted counterterrorism requires our forces to know where, when, and against whom to strike—and that in turn requires accurate, actionable, real-time intelligence.

This is the kind of intelligence that can only come from ordinary Iraqis, the sea of people among whom the terrorists hide. And that, in turn, requires interacting with the Iraqi people on a close, personal, daily basis. It requires winning individual Iraqis to our side, gaining their trust, convincing them that they can count on us to keep them safe from the terrorists if they share valuable information about them. This is no great secret. This is at the heart of the new strategy that General Petraeus and his troops are carrying out.

And yet, if we pass this legislation, according to the Majority Leader, U.S. forces will no longer be permitted to patrol Iraq’s neighborhoods or protect Iraqi civilians. They won’t, in his words, be “interjecting themselves between warring factions” or “trying to sort friend from foe.”

Therefore, I ask the supporters of this legislation: How, exactly, are U.S. forces to gather intelligence about where, when, and against whom to strike, after you have ordered them walled off from the Iraqi population? How, exactly, are U.S. forces to carry out targeted counter-terror operations, after you have ordered them cut off from the very source of intelligence that drives these operations?

This is precisely why the congressional micromanagement of life-and-death decisions about how, where, and when our troops can fight is such a bad idea, especially on a complex and changing battlefield.

In sum, you can’t have it both ways. You can’t withdraw combat troops from Iraq and still fight Al Qaeda there. If you believe there is no hope of winning in Iraq, or that the costs of victory there are not worth it, then you should be for complete withdrawal as soon as possible.

There is another irony here as well.

For most of the past four years, under Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, the United States did not try to establish basic security in Iraq. Rather than deploying enough troops necessary to protect the Iraqi people, the focus of our military has been on training and equipping Iraqi forces, protecting our own forces, and conducting targeted sweeps and raids—in other words, the very same missions proposed by the proponents of the legislation before us.

That strategy failed—and we know why it failed. It failed because we didn’t have enough troops to ensure security, which in turn created an opening for Al Qaeda and its allies to exploit. They stepped into this security vacuum and, through horrific violence, created a climate of fear and insecurity in which political and economic progress became impossible.

For years, many members of Congress recognized this. We talked about this. We called for more troops, and a new strategy, and—for that matter—a new secretary of defense.

And yet, now, just as President Bush has come around—just as he has recognized the mistakes his administration has made, and the need to focus on basic security in Iraq, and to install a new secretary of defense and a new commander in Iraq—now his critics in Congress have changed their minds and decided that the old, failed strategy wasn’t so bad after all.

What is going on here? What has changed so that the strategy that we criticized and rejected in 2006 suddenly makes sense in 2007?

The second element in the plan outlined by the Majority Leader on Monday is “the phased redeployment of our troops no later than October 1, 2007.”

Let us be absolutely clear what this means. This legislation would impose a binding deadline for U.S. troops to begin retreating from Iraq. This withdrawal would happen regardless of conditions on the ground, regardless of the recommendations of General Petraeus, in short regardless of reality on October 1, 2007.

As far as I can tell, none of the supporters of withdrawal have attempted to explain why October 1 is the magic date—what strategic or military significance this holds. Why not September 1? Or January 1? This is a date as arbitrary as it is inflexible—a deadline for defeat.

How do proponents of this deadline defend it? On Monday, Senator Reid gave several reasons. First, he said, a date for withdrawal puts “pressure on the Iraqis to make the desperately needed political compromises.”

But will it? According to the legislation now before us, the withdrawal will happen regardless of what the Iraqi government does.

How, then, if you are an Iraqi government official, does this give you any incentive to make the right choices?

On the contrary, there is compelling reason to think a legislatively directed withdrawal of American troops will have exactly the opposite effect than its Senate sponsors intend.

This, in fact, is exactly what the most recent National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq predicted. A withdrawal of U.S. troops in the months ahead, it said, would “almost certainly lead to a significant increase in the scale and scope of sectarian conflict, intensify Sunni resistance, and have adverse effects on national reconciliation.”

Second, the Majority Leader said that withdrawing our troops, and again I quote, will “reduce the specter of the U.S. occupation which gives fuel to the insurgency.”

My colleague from Nevada, in other words, is suggesting that the insurgency is being provoked by the very presence of American troops. By diminishing that presence, then, he believes the insurgency will diminish.

But I ask my colleagues—where is the evidence to support this theory? Since 2003, and before General Petraeus took command, U.S. forces were ordered on several occasions to pull back from Iraqi cities and regions, including Mosul and Fallujah and Tel’Afar and Baghdad. And what happened in these places? Did they stabilize when American troops left? Did the insurgency go away?

On the contrary—in each of these places where U.S. forces pulled back, Al Qaeda rushed in. Rather than becoming islands of peace, they became safe havens for terrorists, islands of fear and violence.

So I ask advocates of withdrawal: on what evidence, on what data, have you concluded that pulling U.S. troops out will weaken the insurgency, when every single experience we have had since 2003 suggests that this legislation will strengthen it?

Consider the words of Sheikh Abdul Sattar, one of the leading Sunni tribal leaders in Anbar province who is now fighting on our side against Al Qaeda. This is what he told the New York Times when asked last month what would happen if U.S. troops withdraw. “In my personal opinion, and in the opinion of most of the wise men of Anbar,” he said, “if the American forces leave right now, there will be civil war and the area will fall into total chaos.”

This is a man whose father was killed by Al Qaeda, who is risking his life every day to work with us—a man who was described by one Army officer as “the most effective local leader in Ramadi I believe the coalition has worked with… in Anbar [since] 2003.”

In his remarks earlier this week, the Majority Leader observed that there is “a large and growing population of millions—who sit precariously on the fence. They will either condemn or contribute to terrorism in the years ahead. We must convince them of the goodness of America and Americans. We must win them over.”

On this, I completely agree with my friend from Nevada. My question to him, however, and to the supporters of this legislation, is this: how does the strategy you propose in this bill possibly help win over this population of millions in Iraq, who sit precariously on the fence?

What message, I ask, does this legislation announce to those people in Iraq? How will they respond when we tell them that we will no longer make any effort to protect them against insurgents and death squads? How will they respond when we declare that we will be withdrawing our forces—regardless of whether they make progress in the next six months towards political reconciliation? Where will their hopes for a better life be when we withdraw the troops that are the necessary precondition for the security and stability they yearn for?

Do my friends really believe that this is the way to convince Iraqis, and the world, of the goodness of America and Americans? Does anyone in this chamber really believe that, by announcing a date certain for withdrawal, we will empower Iraqi moderates, or enable Iraq’s reconstruction, or open more schools for their children, or more hospitals for their families, or freedom for everyone?

Mr. President, with all due respect, this is fantasy.

The third step the Majority Leader proposes is to impose “tangible, measurable, and achievable benchmarks on the Iraqi government.”

I am all for such benchmarks. In fact, Senator McCain and I were among the first to propose legislation to apply such benchmarks on the Iraqi government.

But I don’t see how this plan will encourage Iraqis to meet these or any other benchmarks, given its ironclad commitment to abandon them—regardless of how they behave.

We should of course be making every effort to encourage reconciliation in Iraq and the development of a decent political order that Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds can agree on.

But even if today that political solution was found, we cannot rationally think that our terrorist enemies like Al Qaeda in Iraq will simply vanish.

Al Qaeda is not mass murdering civilians on the streets of Baghdad because it wants a more equitable distribution of oil revenues. Its aim in Iraq is not to get a seat at the political table.

It wants to blow up the table—along with everyone seated at it. Al Qaeda wants to destroy any prospect for democracy in Iraq, and it will not be negotiated or reasoned out of existence. It must be fought and defeated through force of arms. And there can be no withdrawal, no redeployment from this reality.

The fourth step that the Majority Leader proposed on Monday is a “diplomatic, economic, and political offensive… starting with a regional conference working toward a long-term framework for stability in the region.”

I understand why we are tempted by these ideas. All of us are aware of the justified frustration, fatigue, and disappointment of the American people. And all of us would like to believe that there is a quick and easy solution to the challenges we face in Iraq.

But none of this gives us an excuse to paper over hard truths. We delude ourselves if we think we can wave a legislative wand and suddenly our troops in the field will be able to distinguish between Al Qaeda terrorism and sectarian violence, or that Iraqis will suddenly settle their political differences because our troops are leaving, or that sweet reason alone will suddenly convince Iran and Syria to stop destabilizing Iraq.

Mr. President, what we need now is a sober assessment of the progress we have made and a recognition of the challenges we face. There are still many uncertainties before us, many complexities. Barely half of the new troops that General Petraeus has requested have even arrived in Iraq, and, as we heard from him yesterday, it will still be months before we will know just how effective his new strategy is.

In following General Petraeus’ path, there is no guarantee of success—but there is hope, and a new plan, for success.

The plan embedded in this legislation, on the other hand, contains no such hope. It is a strategy of catchphrases and bromides, rather than military realities in Iraq. It does not learn from the many mistakes we have made in Iraq. Rather, it promises to repeat them.

Let me be absolutely clear: In my opinion, Iraq is not yet lost—but if we follow this plan, it will be. And so, I fear, much of our hope for stability in the Middle East and security from terrorism here at home.

I yield the floor.”

20070425 On Boris Yeltsin

On Boris Yeltsin

April 25^th, 2007

The photo above is credited to: Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP file

“Then Russian President Boris Yeltsin dances at a rock concert in Rostov, Russia, in June 1996. View related photos ("Never one for protocol, Yeltsin was entertaining.")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5FIoocja4k

My Wednesday, April 25, 2007 Tentacle column is on Boris Yeltsin, Dead at 76

Best known for standing on a tank in the middle of Moscow and almost single-handedly defying a coup in 1991, Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin is the same person who just two years earlier had fished himself out of a river clad only in his underwear.

It was in 1989 that the man history may reflect upon as one of the most significant players in dismantling the U.S.S.R somehow ended up in a police station outside Moscow dripping wet.

According to a Reuters' account, Mr. Yeltsin claimed that he "had been attacked, his head covered with a sack and dumped off a bridge into a river. Top communists said he had been drunk while on his way to a tryst with a lover."

On Monday, in Moscow's Central Clinical Hospital, he died of heart failure. A walking-talking contradiction, history has yet to fathom his legacy.

Read the rest of the column here: Boris Yeltsin, Dead at 76.

This may be one of my many favorite Yeltsin moments – which I remember seeing, really time…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQULzrgC3dg

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20070425 Quote of the day

Quote of the day

April 25, 2007: Opportunity

“Too often the opportunity knocks, but by the time you disengage the chain, push back the bolt, unhook the two locks and shut off the burglar alarms, its too late.” Rita Coolidge Singer

Thanks TC

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20070424 News at McDaniel College in Westminster

News at McDaniel College in Westminster

Tuesday, April 24 2007

HEADLINES

From seaweed to limes: Biology majors present Capstones
Film documents semester abroad
President honored as Girl Scouts Distinguished Woman
Students out and about
High honors for undergrads
Hill named Board chair, seven new trustees elected
Students network at job fair
Forum reopens, facelift complete
Network presents talk on women and power
Common Ground summer sessions delight
Green Terror makes a softball sweep
Hill Happenings

Board Chair James Melhorn, left, passes the gavel to Martin Hill.

Hill named Board chair, seven new trustees elected

Seven new trustees including four alumni were named to the McDaniel College Board of Trustees April 21 at the business meeting held on the Westminster campus.

Full Story

From seaweed to limes: Biology majors present Capstones

Biology majors presented their Capstone projects in a week-long poster session that explored everything from behavioral trends surrounding the HIV/AIDS population in Delaware to whether bacteria found in yogurt provide health benefits. More than 200 students each year participate in research involving faculty members as mentors, supervisors and collaborators. In many cases, the research results in presentations at professional meetings or publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Full Story

Film documents semester abroad

Maggie Ross ’07 was relieved to find a box of frozen “fish fingers” at a supermarket in Budapest. But in an unrehearsed moment of her Capstone documentary “Life Abroad,” her happiness quickly turns to frustration as she realizes the cooking instructions are in Hungarian.

Full Story

President honored as Girl Scouts Distinguished Woman

President Joan Develin Coley was honored April 19 as one of the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland’s Distinguished Women of 2007. The award recognizes those who defy the ordinary by exemplifying the Girl Scout ideals of character, confidence and courage.

Full Story.

Students out and about

From Camden Yards to Granada – you can find McDaniel students almost anywhere. Here are some of the places they’ve been lately.

Full Story

High honors for undergrads

More than 30 undergraduates were honored April 15 at the Spring Awards ceremony for achievements in academics, activity, leadership and community service. Additionally 16 students were inducted into the honor societies Omicron Delta Kappa and Trumpeters.

Full Story

Students network at job fair

Latisha Buford ’08 has been looking online to find an internship in the computer field, but had more success when she donned a crisp white button down shirt and met potential employers April 18 at the College’s spring job fair.

Full Story

Forum reopens, facelift complete

The Forum in McDaniel College’s Decker Center looks, feels and even smells new. From its three built-in screens and wireless Internet capabilities to the hunter green walls accented with wood trim and recessed lighting, the room will serve a variety of functions.

Full Story

Network presents talk on women and power

The McDaniel Women’s Leadership Network presents “Transformation: Are Women Changing Power or is Power Changing Women?” a conversation with Beth Perlman, CIO of Constellation Energy Group, at 7:30 p.m. April 25 in McDaniel Lounge.

Full Story

Common Ground summer sessions delight

Common Ground on the Hill has announced its 2007 summer sessions. Classes for the July 1-6 and July 8-13 “Traditions” summer institutes range from learning the harmonica, fiddle, Celtic harp or guitar to studying African drumming or Latin Dance. Participants can learn juggling, yoga, knitting or woodturning.

Full Story

Jess Smith '09 Green Terror makes a softball sweep

In CC softball action April 21, Jess Smith ’09 threw 16 innings in the circle and rapped out a hit in each game to lead McDaniel to a doubleheader sweep of Muhlenberg 4-1 and 1-0.

Full Story

Students participate in Relay for Life Hill Happenings

McDaniel College has many upcoming events, including Relay for Life, bellydancing and numerous music events.

Find out more Hill Happenings

Comments or questions? E-mail us at pio AT mcdaniel DOT edu

News@McDaniel is an online publication of the Office of Communications and Marketing of McDaniel College.

If you would like to receive this biweekly electronic newsletter via email, please subscribe by clicking here or on the McDaniel College Web site at http://www.mcdaniel.edu.

20070424 Epithet advice

Epithet advice

April 24, 2007

For those of us who prefer to maintain family friendly sites Don Surber has some advice: Use this epithet

Hmmmm

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20070423 Wi-Fi comes to London’s financial district

Wi-Fi comes to London’s financial district

April 23rd, 2007 Hat Tip: Saboteur

Switch on for Square Mile wi-fi

By Rory Cellan-Jones, Technology correspondent, BBC News

The mesh network covers London's financial district

The City of London has fired up its first mesh wi-fi network, promising net access from just about anywhere in the Square Mile.

The area in London is not just Europe's leading financial centre - it is said to be the continent's most advanced wireless network too.

That is the claim made by the network's creator The Cloud and by the City of London Corporation which has backed it.

There are 127 nodes on lamp posts giving access to 350,000 people.

The City of London Corporation believes it will be invaluable to traders, bankers and brokers who want access to their data when they are on the move - or out at lunch.

[…]

Public wi-fi networks, free and paid-for, are spreading quickly, but there are mixed reports on just how much they are being used. Some believe the more advanced Wimax technology is the real answer to open-air internet access.

So the City of London's network will provide a major test of whether the public really wants to surf on the move - and whether there is any money to be made from it.

Read the entire article here: Switch on for Square Mile wi-fi

Posts on “Soundtrack” and information on Technology and Wi-Fi: Technology Wi-Fi, Technology

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6577307.stm

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20070424 Quote of the week

Quote of the week April 24^th, 2007

“Some people are like Slinkys, you like them better after shoving them down a flight of stairs....” by “Motorcycle Momma”

I am delighted to be included in a quote of the day e-mail that is sent out by a wonderful community leader in Westminster, “TC.” I look forward to it every morning.

I’ve often thought of popping it up on the web site every morning, but I guess that idea is beyond the scope of this post…

Very seldom does anyone respond - - although I like to every once in awhile send a thank you e-mail.

Well, heckfire - - all of the sudden, this morning’s quote of the day drew several responses.

The quote was: “To disbelieve is easy; to scoff is simple; to have faith is harder. Louis L'Amour (1908-1988) Novelist”

Which promptly drew this response from a colleague:

(TC) For a very long time I have enjoyed your thoughts for the day. I would like to share one with you that was recently shared with me......

Some people are like Slinkys, you like them better after shoving them down a flight of stairs....

Hugs, (MM – Motorcycle Momma)

Well the Dr. Pepper went flying. I was in hysterics – I love it!

And that got the following response from MDA:

Perfect! Maybe I should switch to that one!

"Never trouble another for what you can do yourself." Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) 3rd president of the United States

What a hoot. I have unchristian moments when I can easily understand: “Some people are like Slinkys, you like them better after shoving them down a flight of stairs....”

Hey, we’re doin’ just fine up here in Westminster where everyone is above average... We eat our vegetables, work hard and we amuse easily.

For more Dr. Pepper awards, click here: “Dayhoff Dr. Pepper Award.”

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20070424 News Clips

News Clips

Posted April 24, 2007

State News H/T: GOPCharlie

Clean Cars Bill Goes To The Governor

http://wbal.com/news/story.asp?articleid=56805

A Maryland bill to tighten emissions standards on new cars will be signed into law today.

Governor Martin O'Malley will sign bills including the so-called "Clean Cars" bill, which will require tougher emissions standards by model year 2011. The bill does NOT affect current cars, but it could eventually lead to less air pollution.

The bill means Maryland will join California and several other states that have tighter emissions requirements than the federal government.

O'Malley plans to sign bills related to the environment today. Also on the schedule is a bill to study oyster restoration.

PSC brings BGE hearing to Annapolis

http://www.capitalonline.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/04_23-38/TOP

In the last week's round of hearings on Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.'s request for a 48 percent rate increase, the Public Service Commission heard from company officials and electric industry experts, scrutinizing all the factors that hit people's wallets.

And now it's ready to hear from customers. The PSC has scheduled a public hearing in Annapolis where the public can weigh in on the rate increase.

O’Malley’s Governing by the Numbers seen as national model

http://www.examiner.com/a-691011~O_Malley_s__Governing_by_the_Numbers__seen_as_national_model.html

Gov. Martin O’Malley has been barely been in office three months, but the performance-based governance model he just instituted, StateStat - a version of CitiStat, which he implemented seven years ago as Baltimore City mayor is now being promoted on the national level.

Data-driven policymaking is exactly the medicine we need at this time, said John Podesta, president of a Washington think tank, the Center for American Progress, and former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton.

O'Malley pushes CityStat model in speech at liberal think tank

Government efficiency said to thrive under results-driven system

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.omalley24apr24,0,3284037.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

Measuring the effectiveness of government is the key for progressives to earn the trust of voters and beat out small-government conservatives, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley said at a liberal think tank yesterday.

Speaking at a seminar on performance-driven government management, O'Malley preached the virtues of CityStat, the high-tech system he employed as Baltimore mayor to measure everything from pothole repair to violent crime, and its infant cousin, StateStat. He gave the keynote address at the seminar, held at the Center for American Progress.

Mayor pressured on crime strategy

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.ci.council24apr24,0,3104683.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

City Council President Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake asked officials in Mayor Sheila Dixon's administration yesterday to outline specific plans for dealing with violent crime, weighing in on an issue traditionally overseen by the mayor.

Rawlings-Blake, who took over the council presidency when Dixon became mayor in January, also introduced a City Council resolution yesterday that calls on police Commissioner Leonard D. Hamm and other city leaders to explain the administration's plan to address crime.

Energy supplier looks to raise Maryland rates

http://www.examiner.com/a-691040~Energy_supplier_looks_to_raise_Maryland_rates.html

Washington Gas Light Co., a Washington-based energy retail business, announced that it has filed an application with the Maryland Public Service Commission to increase its rates and charges in Maryland.

National News

Lawmakers: Coast Guard can't protect gas plants

http://www.examiner.com/a-691010~Lawmakers__Coast_Guard_can_t_protect_gas_plants.html

Federal lawmakers said they fear a cash-strapped Coast Guard lacks the resources to protect a growing list of liquefied natural gas facilities nationwide, including a proposed terminal on Baltimores Sparrows Point peninsula.

Elected officials met at a House Coast Guard subcommittee hearing in Baltimore on Monday to discuss the agencys ability to handle security on a growing roster of LNG terminals nationwide despite an $8 billion deficit. The Coast Guard already enforces security buffer zones, conducts on-board sweeps and provides armed escorts for five terminals operating in the United States.

We’re stretching and stretching and stretching, but if the resources aren’t coming in like they should be, we’ve got a problem, said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the committee’s chairman.

Kelley described the system as burden-sharing, a phrase U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., changed to burden-shifting.

We’re training the sheriff to be the Coast Guard by proxy, Mikulski said.

Hearing examines LNG safety

O'Malley, Mikulski, Smith testify at session held in Baltimore

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_county/bal-md.co.lng24apr24,0,4548756.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

Gov. Martin O'Malley said the state's billion-dollar economic engine at the port of Baltimore would be crippled if anything went wrong at a proposed liquefied natural gas facility on Sparrows Point. Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. predicted that local emergency responders could not begin to evacuate residents and workers or fight a fire at the plant.

And Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski said she was worried that an LNG plant would create a terrorist target in the Washington region and the potential for "an accident with ghoulish consequences."

Md. focuses on regional planning

At base realignment meeting, officials encourage cooperation in face of coming influx

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.brac24apr24,0,1380775.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

Despite facing huge financial gaps in preparing for the influx of people and jobs coming via the federal base realignment and closure process, Maryland is using the changes "to do regional planning we should do anyway," a Maryland congressman told about 175 people gathered for a semiannual BRAC summit yesterday in Crownsville.

"BRAC has become a very useful vehicle," said freshman Rep. John Sarbanes. "It's teaching us how to cooperate across regional, political and administrative lines," and "jumps the state forward. I'm doing a lot of learning and listening."

President Bush Discusses Emergency War Spending Supplemental After Oval Office Meeting With U.S. Commander In Iraq General Petraeus. "US President George W. Bush said Monday he would oppose any effort to set a timetable for a US withdrawal from Iraq and said that a US-led security crackdown had reduced sectarian violence there. 'There's been some progress. There's been some horrific bombings, of course, but there's also a decline in sectarian violence,' Bush said as he met in the Oval Office with the US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus. ... 'I believe strongly that politicians in Washington shouldn't be telling generals how to do their job. And I believe artificial timetables of withdrawal would be a mistake,' said Bush." ("Bush Sees Drop In Iraq Sectarian Violence," Agence France-Presse, 4/23/07)

National Security Council Director For Iraq Brett McGurk Says "You Need A Baseline Of Security To Get [A] Political Solution In Place." MCGURK: "I just returned from Iraq last week. We got full briefings from General Petraeus, General Odierno, General Gaskin in the west, out in Falluja, about that they're seeing. And Senator Reid makes the point that the long-term solution is a political solution. We all agree with that, General Petraeus said that, and President Bush said that. But General Petraeus has also testified and explained ... you need a baseline of security to get that political solution in place. And what this strategy does is fundamentally different on the diplomatic line, on the economic line, on the security line, and on the political line, and it does two things. It provides space for the Iraqi political leaders to pursue reconciliation at the national and local level, and it also provided room to increase the capacity and effectiveness of the Iraqi security forces. And that's critical." (CNN's "The Situation Room," 4/23/07)

The President's Identity Theft Task Force Releases Comprehensive Strategic Plan To Combat Identity Theft. "A U.S. task force created to curb identity theft urged federal agencies Monday to help protect consumers by ceasing unnecessary use of Social Security numbers. A plan put forward by the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission also recommended that Congress toughen and expand existing laws to make some identity thi eves face a mandatory two-year sentence. The identity theft prevention task force, chaired by U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and FTC Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras, was established last May by the White House. It now includes 17 federal agencies and departments such as the Homeland Security Department and the U.S. Postal Service." (Rachelle Younglai, "Identity Theft Task Force Urges Tougher Penalties," Reuters, 4/23/07)

Number Of U.S. Tech Jobs On The Rise. "Despite fears of tech jobs going overseas, tech employment is on the rise. About 5.8 million people worked in the industry in the USA during 2006, says a study out today from tech trade group AeA (formerly the American Electronics Association). The industry added 146,600 jobs during the year, although employment is still below the highs reached during the dot-com boom of 2000. Tech accounts for about 5.1% of the U.S. private-sector workforce, and the jobs are lucrative ." ("Number Of U.S. Tech Jobs Rises Despite Fears Of Outsourcing," USA Today, 4/24/07)

The Wall Street Journal Argues The State Children's Health Insurance Program Should Be Returned To Its Original Purposes. "Schip was conceived or at least sold as a way to insure children from low-income families that aren't poor enough to qualify for Medicaid. The Bush Administration wants to add $4.8 billion to the Schip budget, bringing it to $30 billion over the next five years. Democrats want to see that and raise by $50 billion to $60 billion. They pronounce Schip 'underfunded' and sure enough, 2007 funding already falls short of covering enrollees in 18 states by about $900 million. But this 'crisis' arose because some states have grossly exceeded Schip's mandate. They are using the program to expand government-subsidized coverage well beyond poor kids to children from wealthier families and even to adults. And they're doing so even as some 8.3 million poor children continue to go uninsured." (Editorial, "HillaryCare Installment Plan," The Wall Street Journal, 4/24/07)

20070424 An another point of view on Katie Couric

An another point of view on Katie Couric

April 24, 2007

As much as I have never been a fan of Katie Couric, I will actually take her over Bob Schieffer anytime - - What a nebbish.

Nevertheless, I found this column linked below to be an interesting point of view and makes some good points.

That said, I really have no issue with what she wears – and in a moment of candor, will admit she is quite attractive. My issue is what she says and how she imbues the news with her personal views.

Some critics suggest that she is doesn’t have the mental acuity necessary for the job. That’s about as cheap a shot as commenting on her attire or looks… I figure her to be quite bright and she is entitled to her views, but if she wants to expound upon her views, she should get a talk show or a column.

Katie Couric's Enemies Are CBS Insiders

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

By Roger Friedman

Katie Couric's barrage of bad publicity is coming not from the outside, but from the inside of CBS, sources tell me.

Indeed, one of Couric's frequently mentioned enemies is Bob Schieffer, the lovable, durable veteran journalist who filled in as anchor of the "CBS Evening News" between Dan Rather's departure and Couric's arrival.

[…]

It's been suggested that a hit piece on Couric written by Gail Shister in yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer was inspired by Schieffer as its main source.

[…]

Shister, I see from a reading of her columns in the paper's archive, has been on Couric's case since before she started as anchor of the evening news.

So, too, has the New York Times' most disliked media writer, Alessandra Stanley. As a woman, you would think Stanley would be more sympathetic to Couric, but she notes that Katie anchored a report wearing "white slacks and very little makeup."

What color were the suits worn by NBC's Brian Williams and ABC's Charlie Gibson? Were they wearing makeup, powder or lip gloss? Stanley didn't mention that.

[…]

Read the entire column; Mr. Friedman continues with a great deal of insight…

Katie Couric's Enemies Are CBS Insiders

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20070423 What’s going on?

What’s going on?

April 23, 2007

I was a big Marvin Gaye fan when I was young and I always liked this song.

Go over to The Tentacle and read Derek Shackleford’s column:

"What's Going On?" by Derek Shackelford writing in The Tentacle:

Yesterday I was having a flashback and popped in my Marvin Gaye CD. Why I had decided to listen to Marvin Gaye on this particular occasion I could not answer. I think I just wanted to hear something with a nice beat.

One particular song caught my attention. It was "What's Going On." For some reason on this particular day, I listened with a more reflective consciousness.

As I surveyed the current landscape of the world and in my conversations with others, the question that is before all of is "What's Going On?" We really want to know that because - to a large degree - it appears we cannot make sense out of anything.

Marvin Gaye- What's Going On

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20070424 A video response to Crablaw

A video response to Crablaw

April 24^th, 2007

This clip is dedicated to my buddy Bruce Godfrey over at Crablaw, who just went emo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeOyJCB6zfY

I think that this video says what Mr. Godfrey had in mind:

Mr. Crablaw – I disagree with your post – but I like you - and Ozzie. And I'm hoping my post will make ya smile. I worry about ya sometimes. All that anger. Try eating more vegetables.

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20070424 Ozzie and Harriet

"Ozzie and Harriet"

Posted April 24, 2007

The adventures of America’s favorite family, Ozzie, Harriet, David and Ricky Nelson.

I don’t know when this episode aired. The show “Ozzie and Harriet” appeared on ABC from 1952 to 1966.

This episode features a commercial for the Kodak Brownie Starmatic camera.

In this episode Dave, Ricky and Wally go horseback riding at the Lazy K Stables…

Check out the car as they leave the house to travel to the stable.

Wally rides a horse named Bertha. His mounting technique is well, unique…

And check out the riding instructor.

It would be luck that I would end up taking lessons from “Hank,’ the other riding instructor.

They decide that perhaps they need some additional horseback riding instructions… But not from George or Bill or Bob…

Well, watch the clip and smile broadly at era long since gone by.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MC8U_vlq-A

Yeah, for all my nieces and nephews who read the blog, this was TV when your uncle was growing up.

Of course, this is the other side of your uncle:

Ozzy Osbourne-Dreamer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbJqswLi3uE

For the lyrics, it’s my favorite Ozzie song…

####

20070424 Ozzie and Harriet

"Ozzie and Harriet"

Posted April 24, 2007

The adventures of America’s favorite family, Ozzie, Harriet, David and Ricky Nelson.

I don’t know when this episode aired. The show “Ozzie and Harriet” appeared on ABC from 1952 to 1966.

This episode features a commercial for the Kodak Brownie Starmatic camera.

In this episode Dave, Ricky and Wally go horseback riding at the Lazy K Stables…

Check out the car as they leave the house to travel to the stable.

Wally rides a horse named Bertha. His mounting technique is well, unique…

And check out the riding instructor.

It would be luck that I would end up taking lessons from “Hank,’ the other riding instructor.

They decide that perhaps they need some additional horseback riding instructions… But not from George or Bill or Bob…

Well, watch the clip and smile broadly at era long since gone by.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MC8U_vlq-A

Yeah, for all my nieces and nephews who read the blog, this was TV when your uncle was growing up.

Of course, this is the other side of your uncle:

Ozzy Osbourne-Dreamer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbJqswLi3uE

For the lyrics, it’s my favorite Ozzie song…

####