20070623 New Clips

News Clips

July 23, 2007

STATE NEWS

O'Malley's frugality under scrutiny
Budget statements overstate savings, some experts say
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.spend23jul23,0,6924105.story
When Gov. Martin O'Malley began discussing the state budget deficit with a group of businessmen at a Frederick County Chamber of Commerce luncheon last week, he pitched his administration's frugality as the first step in putting Maryland's fiscal house in order.

True, spending under O'Malley this fiscal year is projected to grow at a slower rate than it increased in Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s final-year budget, which ended June 30. Recent cuts O'Malley pushed through the Board of Public Works make the contrast even stronger. But the difference is not as stark as the new governor suggests.

O'Malley's claim, based on total spending, ignores details about the nature of Maryland's fiscal crisis and about Ehrlich's budget that make a material difference in evaluating how his spending plan compares with his predecessor's, budget experts agree. When those factors and the recent spending cuts are taken into account, O'Malley increased spending by about 6.4 percent and Ehrlich by about 10.5 percent.

Sen. David R. Brinkley, the minority leader from Frederick County, said he was "rolling my eyes" when he heard O'Malley compare his spending growth with Ehrlich's. "He was talking apples and oranges, which, in their quest to rewrite history, he tends to be rather free with," Brinkley said. "It was just totally bogus."

Constellation nuclear plans in fiscal peril
http://www.baltimoresun.com/busine ss/bal-te.bz.nuclear23jul23,0,3564364.story?page=1
Constellation Energy Group has been planning to build a second nuclear reactor in Lusby for more than two years. The company might not get crucial financing without federal loan guarantees. Michael J. Wallace, who heads Constellation's nuclear business, said bankers won't finance the company's half-dozen proposed nuclear reactors unless the Energy Department agrees to back 100 percent of the debt rather than the 90 percent the agency has offered. The outcome of the Energy Department's deliberations could have far-reaching effects on Maryland utility customers.

"There is a lot of frustration among members of Congress about the way the Department of Energy and Office of Management and Budget have implemented the loan program," said Matt Letourneau, Republican communications director for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "Specifically, the amount that the federal government will guarantee is not consistent with what Congress intended."

Letter presses to open BRAC
GOP senators want decisions made in public on base expansion
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bal-ha.brac22jul22,0,4906908.story?coll=bal_tab01_layout
Three Republican state senators are demanding that any decisions about the impact of the impending expansion at Aberdeen Proving Ground on the county be made in a public forum. The senators representing Harford County wrote to Democratic Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, who is leading the administration's base-realignment planning effort, complaining of closed-door meetings, including the most recent one July 13 in Aberdeen.

Republican Sens. Nancy Jacobs, J. Robert Hooper and Andrew P. Harris called the sessions "troubling and undemocratic" in a letter to Brown dated Thursday. "Legislators were disappointed that we were not only denied an opportunity to attend the subcabinet's deliberations that were held behind closed doors, but also that we were not afforded ample time to address our concerns," the senators wrote.

Signs law is struck down
Balto. County rules restrict free speech, federal judge says
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_county/bal-md.co.sign21jul21,0,5184591.story
A federal judge struck down yesterday Baltimore County regulations on political campaign signs in yards, saying the law violated the right to freedom of speech. The ruling could affect laws in other parts of the Baltimore region, where many local governments have restrictions similar to those passed by the Baltimore County Council in December.

County defends cuts to Hispanic groups
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/07_19-22/GOV
County government took its defense of grant cutting on the road last night, justifying the reductions to Hispanic nonprofit groups in a room full of Hispanic activists.Sheryl Banks, the county's special assistant for minority affairs, answered questions about why County Executive John R. Leopold cut $115,000 to Centro de Ayuda and the Organization for Hispanic and Latin Americans.

The county executive said he made the cuts to Centro de Ayuda and OHLA as part of his pledge to withhold money from any group giving support to illegal immigrants. "That does not mean we do not support the Hispanic community . with the limited resources we have," Ms. Banks s aid.

With Close Contacts, Md. Wind Project Gets Boost
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/22/AR2007072201200.html
When his plan for clean energy ran smack into a rare habitat on a rocky Appalachian ridge, Annapolis businessman Wayne L. Rogers turned to people he knew could help: his contacts in the Maryland General Assembly. State law and the environmental protections it afforded all but scuttled his proposal last year for 24 windmills atop Backbone Mountain at the state's western edge. So Rogers waged a successful campaign to have the law changed -- and environmental review gutted -- for wind-energy projects such as his.

Wind farms are turning air into electricity across the country. But they've been a tough sell in Maryland, where the best gusts blow on a steep, craggy habitat for birds, bats and other wildlife, land well protected by state regulations.

C. Ronald Franks, who was then the department secretary, said he advised the agency's scientists to be judicious. "I said I do not want them stopped for some minor, trivial situation," Franks recalled. "But by the same token, I did not want to give them carte blanche to ruin an endangered habitat."

How schools get it right
Experienced teachers, supplemental programs are two key elements to helping students thrive
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/k12/bal-te.md.scores22jul22,0,546385.story
Tucked amid a block of rowhouses around the corner from Camden Yards is an elementary school with a statistical profile that often spells academic trouble: 76 percent of the students are poor, and 95 percent are minorities.

But George Washington Elementary has more academic whizzes than most of the schools in Howard, Anne Arundel, Carroll and Baltimore counties.

These students don't just pass the Maryland School Assessment - they ace it.

An analysis by The Sun of 2007 MSA scores shows that most schools with a large percentage of high achievers on the test are in the suburban counties, often neighborhoods of middle- and upper-middle-class families. But a few schools in poorer neighborhoods, such as George Washington, have beaten the odds. Whether they are in wealthy or poor neighborhoods, schools with lots of high-scoring students share certain characteristics. They have experienced teachers who stay for years, and they offer extracurricular activities after school. Sometimes, they have many students in gifted-and-talented classes working with advanced material.

EDITORIALS

Citizens should go to transportation meetings
http://www.examiner.com/a-841381~Editorial__Citizens_should_go_to_transportation_meetings.html
If we, our children and grandchildren are stuck in traffic or packed on a decrepit train or bus some day, we won't have anybody to blame but ourselves. We can shape our destiny, and we'll get eight chances to do so through Aug. 28 when the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board meets on its 2035 outlook and recommendations for projects.

Five area county executives and the mayors of Baltimore and Annapolis are on the board because the whole thing about transportation is that it doesn't stop at government boundaries.

Folks, hang on to your wallets
Gov. O'Malley is talking about income tax changes
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070723/OPINION01/707230330/1014/OPINION
Marylanders of means had better button their back pockets and keep close tabs on their wallets: Gov. Martin O'Malley is making it increasingly clear that his battle to close a budget shortfall next year could result in higher income taxes.

Of course, the governor is also saying loud and clear that the tax changes would only be applied to Maryland's more affluent residents, hinting that tax breaks could be in store for those making less money. That's what conservatives like to call income redistribution.

But most of all, the matter comes down to a basic question that the governor will be expected to answer completely and loudly: Does anyone really believe that Marylanders are really undertaxed?

Reading essentials
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-ed.reading22jul22,0,1880142.story
Baltimore's health commissioner, Joshua M. Sharfstein, and schools CEO Andres Alonso are rightly urging parents, particularly low-income parents, to read to their young children. That may sound like a no-brainer, but too many young children are not read to regularly, making them ill prepared even for preschool and decreasing their chances for academic success and healthier lives. That is as true in Maryland as elsewhere; some parents here need more support to give their children a better educational foundation.


FEDERAL NEWS

Md. bids for aid on BRAC growth
Lawmakers say billions needed for schools, transit as military bases expand
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.earmark23jul23,0,4871584.story?coll=bal_tab01_layout
With tens of thousands of new workers expected in the next five years, Maryland's representatives in Congress are trying to loosen the first federal dollars to help local communities cope with military base expansion in the state. "The requests this year are a down payment for the future," said Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, who represents the communities surrounding Aberdeen Proving Ground and Fort Meade. "We hope that there's more next year." "The Department of Defense made a decision to come here," the Baltimore County Democrat said. "We tried to prove our case. But now that they've made the commitment, we need their help."

Delegation members are using "earmarks" - federal funding that lawmakers secure for their pet projects - to get that assistance. Ruppersberger wants $1 million for roads that lead to Aberdeen Pro ving Ground in Harford County. Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen is looking for $1 million to improve safety on the road that passes in front of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. Democratic Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski is trying to nail down $13 million to expand the MARC commuter rail system. Some local officials worry that the money isn't coming quickly enough. While Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold lauds the effort to secure federal money for mass transit, he has expressed concern that the highway improvements won't be finished by 2011, when new residents begin arriving en masse.


Bay cleanup could get funding boost
http://www.capitalonline.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/07_22-84/TOP
Efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay could get a major funding boost under the fa rm bill moving through Congress.Environmentalists have said for years that such a funding increase is needed, but previously found little support on Capitol Hill. This year, a group of lawmakers from the watershed - which stretches from southern Virginia to upstate New York - pushed for the bay to be singled out for federal funds. Vocal backers of the increased funding include Maryland Democrats Steny H. Hoyer, the House majority leader, and Rep. Chris Van Hollen.

20070723 Quote of the day - The Difference

Quote of the day – The difference

Monday, July 23^rd, 2007

The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one often comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won't.

Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887) Cleric

Thanks TC

20070623 Liv Myers’ husband Mason Waters passed away July 22, 2007

Liv Myers’ husband Mason Waters passed away July 22, 2007

Mr. Waters’ obituary appeared in the Carroll County Times on Monday, July 23^rd, 2007

Liv Myers is the longstanding executive director of Junction, a drug prevention, treatment, advocacy organization in Carroll County. (I serve on the board of Junction.)

Mason W. Waters Jr., 59, of Thurmont died Sunday, July 22, 2007, at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

Born April 11, 1948, in Cavetown, he was the son of the late Mason and Margaret Kline Waters. He was the husband of Olivia M. Myers, his wife of nearly 29 years.

He graduated from Smithsburg High School and went on to graduate from Frostburg State College.

He worked for the Division of Corrections for 19 years, including serving as the warden at the Maryland Correctional Institution in Hagerstown. For five years, he was the warden at the Carroll County Detention Center in Westminster.

He also worked for the Hot Spots Program through the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention and was a substitute teacher for Frederick County Public Schools.

He enjoyed spending time with his family and coaching girls softball in Thurmont Little League, as well as attending his children's sporting events. He loved to travel with his family and enjoyed playing poker with his high school friends.

Surviving, in addition to his wife, are children Colin and Whitney Waters of Thurmont; and a sister, Linda Bowman of Hagerstown.

A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Thursday at Robert E. Dailey & Son Funeral Home, 615 E. Main St., Thurmont, with the Rev. Linda Lambert of Thurmont Church of the Brethren officiating. Inurnment will be private.

The family will receive friends from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Junction Inc., P.O. Box 206, Westminster, MD 21158; or to the Marie Myers Education Fund at the Thurmont Church of the Brethren, 16 Altamont Ave., Thurmont, MD 21788.

20070722 BBC - Le Tour de France: Vocabulary Page: Tour terminology

Sunday, July 22, 2007

BBC - Le Tour de France: Vocabulary Page: Tour terminology

My next Tentacle column will be on the Tour de France…

The BBC has lots of good coverage of this year’s Tour de France. Perhaps start here: Tour de France 2007. Of the many good articles, this is another piece in which I found value: Did you know? Fascinating Tour Facts

For more coverage on “Soundtrack” of the - Tour de France.

BBC - Le Tour de France: Vocabulary Page: Tour terminology

Français - English

le parcours - route, course

le peloton - lit. 'herd', pack (of riders)

l'équipe – team

le coureur - rider

le sprinteur – sprinter

le grimpeur – climber

la tête de course - race or course leader

les domestiques - 'servants', riders who protect their leader

l'étape – stage

l'étape de plaine - flat stage

l'étape de montagne - mountain, climbing stage

l'étape contre la montre - timed sprint stage

les classements - standings, rider positions after each stage

le maillot jaune - yellow jersey - for the leader

le maillot vert - green jersey - for the best sprinter

le maillot à pois - polka-dot jersey - for the best climber

le maillot blanc - white jersey - for the best rider under 25

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/mafrance/html/tour_de_france/vocab.shtml

20070721 Frederick News-Post Letter to the Editor: “Trash talk no longer funny” by Gregor Becker

Frederick News-Post Letter to the Editor: “Trash talk no longer funny” by Gregor Becker

'Trash talk' no longer funny

Originally published July 21, 2007

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_lte.htm?storyid=62768

The July 11 editorial oversimplifies the trash issue.

[See: 20070711 “Trash talk” - Frederick News-Post editorial]

And also see: 20070714 Solid Waste Management Forum at Frederick Community College

The county has only pursued a $100 million waste-to-energy facility without even trying to reduce its waste stream. Comprehensive recycling programs are lacking countywide, while the landfill has been filled with recyclable materials for the last 15 years.

Disposal -- landfill, incineration, etc. -- is going to be expensive. Why not get the county to commit to maximizing recycling over the next three years and then look at the disposal needs after that. Why not generate income from some waste before we burn or bury it?

Officials have taken industry-funded WTE tours in Europe, but have not investigated recycling programs or composting and materials recovery facilities in Delaware, New Jersey and elsewhere. These options aren't being researched because they aren't a part of the county's chosen "integrated approach."

Residents might ask how viable is a technology that even a Fortune 500 company won't put up the capital for? According to budget reports, the Montgomery County facility processed 640,101 tons of waste in 2004, generating 387,141 megawatt hours of electricity valued at $15M, or $23.43 per ton. But, per ton, the net operating cost was $21.78 and the net debt service cost was $42.36.

That year, Montgomery County spent $41M to operate and upgrade the facility. Not included in this figure: non-financed capital of $2.09M; non-contract operating costs of $772,000 for risk management; county work worth $275,134; residue disposal of $10.80 per ton; and charge backs to the Department of Environmental Protection worth $43,603.

Do Frederick residents want this annual bill and to pay increased tipping fees or higher taxes? Or would they prefer working together to reduce their waste stream before deciding if a capital-intensive disposal method is necessary?

GREGOR BECKER

conservation chair

Sierra Club Catoctin Group

20070723 Westminster Council Meeting for July 23, 2007 is Cancelled

Westminster Council Meeting for July 23, 2007 is cancelled

CITY OF WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND

The next meeting of the Mayor and Common Council for the City of Westminster will be held on August 13, 2007 and will be held at the John Street Quarters in Westminster. The agenda for this meeting will be posted on August 8, 2007.

PLEASE NOTE:

THE MEETING OF JULY 23, 2007 OF THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL FOR THE CITY OF WESTMINSTER HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

20070722 Mt Airy weighs water limits by Laura McCandlish

Mt. Airy weighs water limits

July 23^rd, 2007

Writing for the Baltimore Sun, Laura McCandlish has done a great job keeping Carroll County’s water woes in front of the public.

In her July 22, 2007 article, Mt. Airy weighs water limits, she explains well some of the challenges, the background and what the immediate future presents.

We need much more reporting like this. We have much work to do before any of us in Carroll County can rest comfortably that water will continue to come out of the faucet when we do the dishes, take a shower or simply reach for a glass of water.

Mt. Airy weighs water limits

Outdoor sprinklers may be restricted if drought persists

By Laura McCandlish | Sun Reporter July 22, 2007

[…]

Mount Airy and other Carroll municipalities that depend solely on groundwater are most vulnerable. Westminster issued voluntary outdoor watering restrictions on July 13, but the city's 115 million-gallon Cranberry Reservoir gives it a bit of a cushion, Westminster public works Director Jeff Glass said.

But if water levels in Westminster's reservoir and wells continue to drop, those restrictions could become mandatory, Glass said.

[…]

The voluntary restrictions come as Westminster and Mount Airy are trying to obtain new water sources to comply with consent orders that both localities recently signed with the Maryland Department of the Environment. Westminster is waiting for the state to sign permits to draw water from the Roop's Mill well, a 135,000-gallon-per-day emergency source that could now be used for new development, Glass said.

[…]

Read the rest of her article here: Mt. Airy weighs water limits

20070721 Woodsboro Lehigh Cement to close according to Frederick News Post

Frederick News-Post: Woodsboro Lehigh Cement Plant on MD 194 to close

Lehigh Cement to close

Originally published July 21, 2007 By Ed Waters, Jr. News-Post Staff

WOODSBORO ----After 44 years, Lehigh Cement Co. is shutting operations at its plant on Md. 194.

The decision will affect 33 employees, according to the company. Six union employees and nine salaried employees will remain to continue grinding and shipping operations of existing inventory.

"This decision was tremendously difficult," said Dan Harrington, president and chief operating officer of Lehigh North, based in Allentown, Pa.

"Since 1964, the Woodsboro employees have made significant and important contributions."

[…]

Read the entire article here: Lehigh Cement to close

####

20070719 AP: Denmark Pulls Out Dozens of Iraqi Aides

Denmark Pulls Out Dozens of Iraqi Aides

July 21, 2007 – A colleague who spent a tour of duty in Iraq has expressed, on a number of occasions, concern over the health safety and welfare of the Iraqi translators with whom he worked.

When I get a chance I’ll go over one of his e-mails about the matter and post it on “Soundtrack.”

Denmark Pulls Out Dozens of Iraqi Aides

Thu Jul 19, 2007

Karl Ritter, AP Writer

KARUP — Before the withdrawal of its 480 combat troops from Iraq next month, Denmark has pulled out scores of Iraqi aides and their families.

The last of three Danish military flights carrying a total of 200 Iraqis left Friday, the government said. The flights were kept secret because of fears that militants would try to attack the planes.

The aides, many of them translators, worked with the Danes in Basra, a risky job that has turned them into traitors in the eyes of militants fighting the U.S.-led coalition. The government decided in June to offer the aides a chance to seek asylum.

The United States and Britain have been reluctant to accept large numbers of Iraqi asylum-seekers — including those who worked for their military or civilian operations. The Danish move came only after months of heated debate.

[…]

Sweden, which isn't even part of the coalition, has taken in more Iraqi refugees than any other Western country has — though it is now tightening its asylum rules.

The United States has admitted fewer than 800 Iraqis since the start of the war but has promised to take in nearly 7,000 more starting later this year.

"We're working aggressively to try to process Iraqi refugees who have been classified as refugees by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said this month. "While we want to meet our humanitarian obligations here, we also want to make sure we do so in such a way that our borders and the American people are protected."

Particularly at risk are the tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians who have worked for — or are currently employed by — U.S.-led coalition members. Their work has involved everything from translating to driving. Many of their colleagues have died in attacks directed at coalition forces; others have been abducted and killed outside of work.

"These people are particularly targeted, and of course people know who they are," said Bjarte Vandvik, secretary-general of the European Council of Refugees and Exiles.

[…]

In May, a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives proposed that over the next four years the U.S. accept up to 60,000 Iraqis who worked for at least a year with the U.S. or U.N., affiliated contractors or subcontractors or American-based non-governmental organizations. The Senate is considering similar legislation.

Translators may get special attention. In June, the U.S. government launched a resettlement program to process Iraqis living in Jordan who have worked as translators for the U.S. government or military or who worked for the Coalition Provisional Authority. The program provides a way to apply for refugee status separate from the UNHCR referral process and will be run by the International Organization for Migration.

[…]

Read the entire article here: Denmark Pulls Out Dozens of Iraqi Aides

Iraq War Iraqi translators and interpreters, D9000

20070720 Northern VA Therapeutic Riding Program suffers fire

Northern VA Therapeutic Riding Program suffers fire

Posted July 21, 2007

I found this by following a thread called to my attention by the Delusional Duck.

Disclosure: I volunteer for the 4-H Therapeutic Riding Program of Carroll County. For more posts about the 4-H Therapeutic Riding Prog. of Carroll Co. on “Soundtrack.” The web site for the 4-H Therapeutic Riding Program of Carroll County is: http://www.trp4h.org/

For additional information on the Northern VA Therapeutic Riding Program fire click on: July 20, 2007: Horses Accounted For In Fairfax Co. Barn Fire – and - [WRC-TV] nbc4.com Barn Fire Hampers Therapeutic Riding Program

Northern VA Therapeutic Riding Program in Clifton Loses Barn, Riding Equipment To Fire

http://www.nvtrp.org/pressrelease707.pdf

Contact: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Breeana G. Bornhorst, Program Director

Northern VA Therapeutic Riding Program

PO Box 184, Clifton, VA 20124

703-867-1698

info AT nvtrp.org

THERAPEUTIC RIDING PROGRAM LOSES BARN, RIDING EQUIPMENT TO FIRE

Fairfax, VA – July 20, 2007 – The Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding Program (NVTRP), a nonprofit organization located in Fairfax, VA, lost its barn and all riding equipment due to a barn fire on Thursday night.

The fire occurred sometime between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. No people or animals were seriously injured in the fire. At this time the cause is still undetermined. Lessons have temporarily been suspended.

According to Breeana Bornhorst, Program Director, “Of our 12 horses, Clancy was the only horse in the barn during the fire. Miraculously, he was able to kick out his stall door to escape.

Seven other horses were in an adjacent paddock at the time, but were able to break through a gate and into an adjoining field to get away from the intense smoke. We are extremely fortunate that our riders, staff and horses are doing well.”

NVTRP provides equine assisted activities to more than 60 children and adults with disabilities every week. It has operated in the Clifton community for 27 years and relies heavily on donations to provide therapeutic horseback riding lessons. “The fire has delivered a big hit to our program, but we are determined to persevere.

We are reaching out to the local community to help us get the program up and running again without delay,” said Rhonda VanLowe, NVTRP Chair, Board of Governors. “We are assessing the situation and may need to find a new location to operate. We will also have to replace all of the tack, equipment, equine medications and feed we lost in the fire. We are asking for the community to help us get back on our feet so that our riders are able to get back on the horses as soon as possible. Anything will help.”

Lessons are a major contributor to the riders’ overall mental and physical health. “I’ve seen what a difference this program can make. Since he started riding with the program, my son has gained a better sense of balance, is more confident getting around, and more enthusiastic about being around others,” said Tootie Rivera, parent and board member. “It would be tragic if our riders were unable to ride. For many of them it’s their one opportunity to get out on their own and feel free.”

To donate or for more information, visit http://www.nvtrp.org or contact Breeana Bornhorst at 703-867-1698.

# # #

20070620 Shortage of Doctors Affects Rural US AP

Shortage of Doctors Affects Rural U.S.

Jul 20, 2007 By CHRIS TALBOTT, AP

GREENWOOD, Miss. - A national shortage of doctors is hitting poor places the hardest, and efforts to bring in foreign physicians to fill the gap are running into a knot of restrictions from the war on terror and the immigration debate.

Doctors recruited from places such as India, the Philippines and sub-Saharan Africa to work in underserved areas like the Mississippi Delta and the lonesome West already face an arduous and expensive gauntlet of agencies, professional tests and background checks to secure work papers and permanent residency.

[…]

The government estimates that more than 35 million Americans live in underserved areas, and it would take 16,000 doctors to immediately fill that need, according to the American Medical Association. And the gap is expected to widen dramatically over the next several years, reaching 24,000 in 2020 by one government estimate. A 2005 study in the journal Health Affairs said it could hit an astonishing 200,000 by then, based on a rising population and an aging work force.

The rest of the article extensively explores the challenge of the doctor shortage in chronically underserved areas. Read the rest here: Shortage of Doctors Affects Rural U.S.

Related: Vital Need for Foreign Docs

http://www.examiner.com/a-838925~Shortage_of_Doctors_Affects_Rural_U_S_.html

20070721 Happy Birthday Ernest Hemingway

Happy Birthday Ernest Hemingway

July 21, 1899

Ernest (Miller) Hemingway

Hemingway posing for a dust jacket photo by Lloyd Arnold for "For Whom the Bell Tolls", at the Sun Valley Lodge, Idaho, late 1939. Born: July 21, 1899 Oak Park, Illinois Died: July 2, 1961 (aged 61) Ketchum, Idaho

According to Biography.com, Ernest Hemingway was a “Writer, born in Oak Park, Illinois, USA. The son of a doctor, he never attended college but became a journalist for the Kansas City Star (1917–18). He served with the Red Cross Ambulance Corps in France (1917–18) and was wounded while accompanying the Italian army into battle. He worked as a journalist, covering the... Read Full Biography Article:”

biography.com/search/article.do?id=9334498

For additional information…

####

PS: The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber is one of my many favorite short stories by Mr. Hemingway. Published in 1936, it was initially overshadowed by “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” which came out the same year. It was later made into a movie, which featured Gregory Peck and Joan Bennett. I have never seen the movie but have told that it is a classic…

The story is a quick read at 11,188 words. It can found on the net here: The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber

20070720 News Clips

News Clips

July 20, 2007

STATE NEWS

GOP: Tax cut not to blame for budget deficit
http://www.gazette.net/stories/072007/polinew222448_32364.shtmlRepublicans are objecting to Gov. Martin O'Malley's recent statements that the state's fiscal woes are, in part, a result of a tax cut in 1998. The GOP said Thursday that blaming a projected $1.5 billion deficit on the tax cut is ''patently false."
At several recent events, O'Malley (D) has said the income tax cut and the Thornton education aid reforms, approved with bipartisan majorities, have led to the cash shortfall.
The real culprit to Maryland's budget is years of excessive spending," Senate Minority Leader David R. Brinkley (R-Dist. 4) of New Market said in a statement. ''If you agree with their argument that tax rates need to be increased, then why did Maryland bring in more revenues AFTER the tax rate reduction than before?" Brinkley asked.
''The Annapolis tax and spend crowd is trying to suggest that if we had not cut the tax rate, all of that revenue would have been locked up in a piggy-bank and we would have all of this money to fix the deficit," Sen. E.J. Pipkin (R-Dist. 36) of Stevensville said in the statement. ''When we all know that money would have been spent as fast as it came into that Comptroller's office. Our state government has a spending problem, not a tax problem."


State gets a 'D' on financial disclosure
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.disclose20jul20,0,5262784.story
Maryland gets a grade of "D" when it comes to the information governors are required to provide about their fin ances, according to a national watchdog group. The Center for Public Integrity, a Washington-based nonprofit dedicated to making the nation's institutions more transparent, gave the state a marginal rating of 62.5 on a 100-point scale measuring how extensively governors are required to report their personal finances and how accessible those records are to the public.Leah Rush, the center's director of state projects, said full disclosure allows people to know whether elected officials are acting in the public's interest or in their own.
"Getting this information out in the public domain is an important function as far as gaining the public's trust in their government to be open about all the different hats public officials wear," she saidMayor's decision to oust may pay off politically

Hogan's departure leads to scramble
Committee seats, vice chairmanship in play following senator's resignation
http://www.gazette.net/stories/072007/polinew222436_32358.shtml
Patrick J. Hogan's decision to resign his Senate seat could set off a long line of political dominoes, lawmakers said this week. Now, state legislators are preparing for a scramble to fill several key positions that Hogan will leave vacant - most notably the vice chairmanship of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee.
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller will likely topple the first domino by naming a new vice chairman. And he might not wait for Hogan to be replaced in District 39, he said Tuesday.

Mayor's decision to oust may pay off politically
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-te.md.ci.dixon20jul20 ,0,5135124.story
While the political consequences of firing a police commissioner two months before an election remain unclear, several experts predicted yesterday that the potentially risky decision may ultimately pay off for Mayor Sheila Dixon's campaign.
She is already ahead in the polls, and her ouster of Leonard D. Hamm seemed to have an instant effect on the tenor of the race, neutralizing criticism by her leading opponents and presenting the image, at least, that the mayor is taking decisive action.

On a mission to help trace missing kids
Police Department arms families with bracelets in pilot program
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-ho.lifesaver20jul20,0,5273108.story
Roger Miles called for his 10-year-old son, Harrison. He looked in every roo m of his Clarksville home, but could not find him. "We started frantically searching our neighborhood," said Miles, recalling the October 2004 incident. "I felt panicked. ... It was a very chaotic situation. We were totally blindsided. We didn't know what to do." Howard County police searched for Harrison, who has autism, finding him 45 minutes later.
Harrison now benefits from Project Lifesaver, which outfits a person who is prone to wandering with a bracelet that emits an assigned radio frequency. The bracelet, which can be worn on the wrist or ankle, allows law enforcement officers to find a missing person quickly and easily. "You're using one to two people for 30 minutes instead of your search escalating to hundreds of people and days," said Gene Saunders, chief executive officer of Project Lifesaver International.

Report links farmers, the bay
Group says they need help to fight global warming
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bay_environment/bal-md.warming20jul20,0,392450.story
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation says the agricultural community is on the front lines of the fight against global warming and needs to do more. Farmers across the bay watershed and their political leaders have only implemented a fraction of the "conservation agriculture" practices needed to reduce the flow of nutrients into the bay, said Beth McGee, the bay foundation's senior water quality scientist.

Chesapeake Bay will 'never be perfect'
http://www.examiner.com/a-837970~Chesapeake_Bay_will__never_be_perfect_.html
William Baker is the president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which began in 1967 as an advocate for creating strong and effective laws and regulations to protect the Bay, according to the foundation's Web site. The state could stand to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in federal money for the Chesapeake Bay if we do not meet federal environmental standards by 2010. It is incumbent upon our elected officials to act and to act fast.
The Examiner interviewed Baker on Thursday in Annapolis and questioned him about the Bay's health, efforts to work with farmers and the Bay's future.

Crofton in the Money
Town makes magazine's Top 100
http://www.capitalonline.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/07_19-06/CCR
Money magazine just declared something that Crofton residents say they already knew: the community is one of the 100 best places to live in the nationma."I'm very pleased. Crofton has matured nicely," said County Councilman Ed. Reilly, a Crofton resident for 30 years. Crofton was the smallest of Maryland's five communities to make the list with 21,600 residents. It was joined by Olney, ranked 17th; Elkridge, 42nd; Catonsville, 49th; and Eldersburg, 56th.


Farmers await possible drought disaster designation
http://www.capitalonline.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/07_20-06/OUD
The federal Department of Agriculture has already designated most of Maryland as having moderate to severe drought. Now Maryland officials are waiting to see whether federal authorities designate the region as a drought disaster, which would open up federal aid for farmers who have suffered from the drought.
A spokesman for Gov. Martin O'Malley said state officials are considering asking the federal Department of Agriculture to declare a droug ht emergency for parts of Maryland. The federal designation would free up federal aid for farmers who have lost crops, said O'Malley spokesman Sasha Leonhardt.




LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Editorial and Opinion page of The Frederick News-Post has made a hard turn to the left. I was hoping that with the departure of Joe Volz the paper would again provide unbiased and thoughtful commentary. Unfortunately, Katherine Heerbrandt has taken his place as the spokesperson for the far-left.
In her commentary "Dream on, congressman," Heerbrandt repeats a familiar piece of liberal propaganda that the war in Iraq was started by President Bush in order to steal that country's oil. This type of nonsense belongs in a left-wing magazine rather than in the pages of a legitimate newspaper.
Heerbrandt's columns along with those of Elizabeth Cupino have tilted the paper to the far left. Furthermore, the paper's editorials a re usually nothing more than endorsements of liberal policies.
I certainty don't mind reading the opinions of liberals, but I would like to see The Frederick News-Post offer a balanced editorial page that doesn't consistently tilt toward the left. I would also like to see a stop to the use of ridiculous propaganda by the columnists of this paper. This type of rhetoric does nothing to further political debate and instead only continues to disgrace The Frederick News-Post.
MICHAEL HOUGH
Frederick

EDITORIALS
Bring in a police chief from outside
http://www.examiner.com/a-837936~Editorial__Bring_in_a_police_chief_from_outside.html
Mayor Sheila Dixon can undo damage done by then-Mayor, now-Gov. Martin O'Malley when she replaces Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm with a law enforcement leader with national credentials and armor-clad character. Averaging a commissioner a year is incontrovertible evidence of a systemic problem that certainly does not start with dedicated, hard-working police on the beat. The problem starts at the top and extends into the upper command ranks, where senior positions are political instead earned.

NATIONAL NEWS
She brings home the bacon
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/reporters_notebooks_display.htm?StoryID=62741
The Citizens Against Government Waste targeted Maryland U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski this week for earmarking one of the "most egregious pork-barrel projects" in fiscal 2008 Senate Economic Development Initiative grants.

Warming Poses Threats To Chesapeake, Group Says
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/19/AR2007071901112.html
Climate change has already begun to alter the Chesapeake Bay, warming and raising its waters in a way that could unbalance delicate ecosystems and doom low-lying islands, according to a report released yesterday by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The report, citing scientific research from around the bay, sketched a prognosis that was troubling even by the standards of the Chesapeake -- a beautiful but polluted estuary that environmentalists have spent decades trying to save.
On low-lying Smith Island, in the Maryland section of the bay, waves are now just a quarter-mile away from the village of Rhodes Point, said Rick Edmund, the minister of Smith Island's three Methodist churches. He said residents are hoping Congress will approve a $9.4 million plan, proposed by Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), to build artificial breakwaters offshore.

Overhaul Plan for Vote System Will Be Delayed
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/20/washington/20vote.html?hp
Democratic leaders in the House and Senate are slowing their drive to revamp the nation's voting systems, aides said yesterday. Under pressure from state and local officials, as well as from lobbyists for the disabled, House leaders now advocate putting off the most sweeping changes until 2012, four years later than planned. State and local election officials, weary from all the changes they had already made, argued that it is already too late to make such significant changes without creating chaos next year. Advocates for the bl ind and the disabled also threatened to oppose the bill if it went too far in discouraging the use of touch-screen machines before the optical scanners were made easier for them to use. And House officials - led by the majority leader, Representative Steny H. Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland, who is trying to broker the deal - said they wanted to avoid another buying spree if better equipment might be available later.

20070719 News Clips

News Clips

July 19, 2007

STATE NEWS

State leaders look at Md. income taxes
First new brackets in 40 years are a progressive plan, advocates say
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.taxes19jul19,0,6067557.story?coll=bal_tab01_layout
State leaders are considering the first changes to Maryland's income tax brackets in 40 years to make them more progressive - and to help erase the state's projected $1.5 billion budget shortfall. Gov. Martin O'Malley said this week that he wants to find ways to make the state's tax structure more progressive, and key legislators, including Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, have expressed support for at least a temporary tax increase on top earners, such as one that helped Maryland weather its last major fiscal crisis, in the early 1990s. Maryland will find itself at a disadvantage if it raises its rates on top earners, said Del. Gail H. Bates, a Howard County Republican who is an accountant. "Wealthy people do pay more," Bates said. Sen. David R. Brinkley, the minority leader from Frederick County, said Republicans are not going to go for the idea. Brinkley, who attended the governor's Chamber of Commerce speech, said the impression he got was that O'Malley is less committed to making the income tax fair than he is to finding a way to sell a tax increase to people.

Hamm resigns
Rising homicides, low police morale help end tenure
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-te.md.ci.p olice19jul19,0,5307598.story
Baltimore Police Commissioner Leonard D. Hamm, hired to stabilize a department in turmoil but recently under fire as the city's homicide count soars, has resigned, sources close to the decision told The Sun yesterday. Mayor Sheila Dixon is expected to make the formal announcement at City Hall today. Dixon asked for Hamm's resignation during a City Hall meeting Tuesday night after some in the administration felt that the public had lost confidence in him and that his tenure had become a distraction, sources said. Frederick H. Bealefeld III, the deputy commissioner of operations and a 26-year police veteran, is expected to serve as acting commissioner. O'Malley officials declined to comment last night, but the governor -- at a political event in Baltimore on Tuesday -- said he thought that the transition of power this year and the nonstop state and city political campaigns of the past two years are at least partl y to blame for low police morale and crime.

Md. loses bid for U.S. biodefense laboratory
The proposed site was in Beltsville
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.lab19jul19,0,7698731.story
Maryland has been eliminated from a national competition to land a $450 million laboratory for research dedicated to protecting the country's agriculture and food from disease and terrorism threats. The 520,000-square-foot lab is expected to play a critical role for the country in assessing bioterrorism threats over the next five decades. It could have helped the state boost its already growing presence in the biodefense research field and created hundreds of new jobs. Sources close to the selection process said yesterday that one reason Maryland was nixed is because the proposed site in Beltsville is too close to Washington - an d that other applications near major urban areas were also turned down. The project was launched by DBED officials when Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. was in office. Aris Melissaratos, Ehrlich's DBED secretary, said he is disappointed. "Obviously I'm not happy, I thought we put together a great partnership," he said. "It would've been a major investment from the federal government.

Best Places to Live: State's growth pulls it in
http://www.examiner.com/a-835983~Best_Places_to_Live__State_s_growth_pulls_it_in.html
Business is the heart of a community. At least that's what seems to be the case with the five Maryland communities that made Money magazine's Best Places to Live: Top 100 list. Focusing on areas with populations of 7,500 to 50,000, the magazine judged communities on a "combination of economic opportunity, good schools, safe streets, things to do and a real sense of community."

Seafood event hooks politicians
http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20070719/METRO/107190056/1004
Even during an election off-year, Maryland"s top crab feast is all about the politics.The 31st annual J. Millard Tawes Crab and Clam Bake yesterday drew more than 5,600 visitors to the southern tip of Maryland"s Eastern Shore to talk politics and feast on such Eastern Shore favorites as clams and hard-shelled crabs. Candidates for the House seat held by U.S. Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest came to the feast even though the Feb. 12 primary election is still more than six months away. Queen Anne"s County prosecutor Frank M. Kratovil Jr. and private lawyer Christopher Robinson, both Democrats, joined state Sen. Andrew P. Harri s, Baltimore County Republican. All brought entourages to help Eastern Shore voters learn more about their candidates.

State awards $3 million grant to Carroll Creek Park
http://www.gazette.net/stories/071907/frednew43139_32360.shtml
Frederick's Carroll Creek Linear Park project has received a $3 million grant from the state's Transportation Enhancement Program. The Transportation Enhancement Program is run by the State Highway Administration. The funds will be used to construct pedestrian and bicycle paths and visitor amenities throughout the 1.3-mile park.

EDITORIAL

BRAC process must be open
http://www.examiner.com/a-835979~BRAC_process_must_be_open.html
Harford lawmakers and county officials did all of Maryland a favor when they raised some - well, let's call it heck - over Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown's BRAC subcabinet meeting in secret. Secrecy and credibility are mutually exclusive. If the subcabinet is going into closet mode routinely as it meets in affected areas around the state, Maryland voters and local government officials will lose confidence in the process of preparing for the biggest economic impact here in decades.
Harford delegates and county officials are intensely focused on Brown's BRAC performance because that sylvan, rural area is home to Aberdeen Proving Grounds which gets the most direct jobs.

O'Malley must find a way out of state' s power dilemma
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/07_12-37/OPN
Now is the summer of Marylanders' discontent, as they contemplate their swollen power bills and wonder if getting relief from the oppressive heat will empty their bank accounts.
Their mood isn't brightened by recalling one of last year's most effective campaign ads. That's the one about energy bills that intoned, "The special interests already have their governor. We need one of our own . Martin O'Malley - taking on BGE to stop the rate hikes." At the time, Gov. Robert Ehrlich Jr. argued that Mr. O'Malley's pugnacious attitude didn't matter. The rate hikes, Mr. Ehrlich insisted, flowed directly from the state's 1999 utility deregulation plan and couldn't legally be averted. Since then, events have vindicated Mr. Ehrlich.


NATIONAL NEWS

Homeland security funds for state rise
$56 million total more than doubles last year's grant
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.security19jul19,0,716504.story?page=1&coll=bal_tab01_layout
Baltimore and Maryland will receive a total of more than $32 million in U.S. homeland security grants, the federal government announced yesterday. The amount represents a major increase over last year but falls short of the nearly $40 million in 2005.
A spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski cautioned that the federal grant for communications systems was not guaranteed and that Maryland must formally apply for the money. Mikulski said Maryland should have gotten more. U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes, a Baltimore County Democrat, called the announcement "a step in the right direction," adding that most of the money will go to "building infrastructure and supporting people at the local community level, which is exactly where it needs to be to make sure that you respond to any kind of disaster or incident in a comprehensive way." Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, another Baltimore County Democrat, said he was "very pleased" to see funding to improve public safety communications.

Challenger gears up for Democratic House primary
Realtor aims to oust incumbent Wynn
http://www.gazette.net/stories/071907/prinnew145738_32358.shtml
George Mitchell has no intention of being the also-ran candidate in his race for Congress.''There's a need to run. I didn't just wake up one day and decide to run for Congress. This district - we need help," Mitchell said. District 4 spans parts of Prince George's and Montgomery counties.Mitchell, 52, quietly filed as a Democrat to challenge eight-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Albert Wynn of Mitchellville in April, around the same time Fort Washington attorney Donna Edwards launched her second bid for Congress. Edwards came within three points of beating Wynn last year and is widely viewed as the challenger with the best chance of unseating Wynn, but Mitchell says he's just as capable of energizing voters' discontent with the incumbent.

National Petroleum Council hides the hard truths about energy instead of facing them
http://www.energybulletin.net/32221.html
Congressmen Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) and Tom Udall (D-N M), co-chairmen of the Congressional Peak Oil Caucus, held a Capitol Hill news conference to discuss the scheduled release today of an embargoed report by the National Petroleum Council (NPC), "Facing the Hard Truths about Energy." "Instead of 'facing the hard truths about energy,' the NPC report hides them," said Congressman Bartlett. Congressman Bartlett added, "The issue is not the report's touted headline that 'the world is not running out of energy resources,' it's whether the ability exists to deliver supplies of oil and natural gas to meet rising world demand."

Federal Bill Includes Funding to Stem Local Gangs
More Than 1,000 People Are in Montgomery Police Database of Active Gang Members, Officials Say
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/ 2007/07/18/AR2007071801299.html
Federal lawmakers will soon vote on a bill that includes grants totaling $600,000 to fight gangs in Montgomery and Prince George's counties, U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) announced this week.
The funding includes $275,000 for the Montgomery and Prince George's gang task force; $200,000 for CASA de Maryland, an immigrant advocacy group; and $125,000 for the City of Gaithersburg.The grants are part of the Commerce, Justice, Science funding bill, which recently passed the appropriations committee.

20070720 Maryland drought deepens by Frank Roylance

Maryland drought deepens by Frank Roylance

Posted by Frank Roylance on July 20, 2007 8:44 AM | Permalink

Posted on Soundtrack Friday, July 20th, 2007 9:35 AM

The drought that has plagued the southeastern United States this spring and summer has been spreading northward gradually into Maryland. Last week, 37 percent of the state was in what the U.S. Department of Agriculture considers "moderate" drought.

With the issue of the new Drought Monitor map yesterday, the percentage of the state in moderate to "severe" drought has expanded to almost 85 percent.

(Drought conditions are determined by a complex formula that takes into account measurements of soil moisture, streamflow, precipitation and the health of vegetation as measured by satellite imagery.)

[…]

The state's worst conditions have settled over Southern Maryland, including Charles, St. Mary's and southern Calvert counties, all now in a severe drought. Here's the state map.

[…]

It is the most widespread drought in Maryland since October 2005…

Read the rest of Mr. Roylance’s post on his “Maryland Weather” blog on the Baltimore Sun here: Maryland drought deepens by Frank Roylance