Thursday, September 30, 2010

Are we raising a generation of nincompoops?

NEW YORK — Second-graders who can't tie shoes or zip jackets. Four-year-olds in Pull-Ups diapers. Five-year-olds in strollers. Teens and preteens befuddled by can openers and ice-cube trays. College kids who've never done laundry, taken a bus alone or addressed an envelope.
This image provided by Penguin shows the book cover of "The Dumbest Generation" by Mark Bauerlein. The book contends that cyberculture is turning young people into know-nothings, and Bauerlein says "the absence of technology" confuses kids faced with simple mechanical tasks.
Are we raising a generation of nincompoops? And do we have only ourselves to blame? Or are some of these things simply the result of kids growing up with push-button technology in an era when mechanical devices are gradually being replaced by electronics?
Susan Maushart, a mother of three, says her teenage daughter "literally does not know how to use a can opener. Most cans come with pull-tops these days. I see her reaching for a can that requires a can opener, and her shoulders slump and she goes for something else."...MORE

Monday, September 27, 2010

Elk Country Visitor Center shows off a natural resource

Sunday, September 26, 2010
By John Hayes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Melissa Tkach/Post-Gazette
Bull elk seen near Benezette
Most Pennsylvanian's don't even know they're there, but in the hills surrounding Elk County's Benezette the elk are at the peak of the rut -- bugling, chasing, displaying all the classic signs of an animal weighing up to 1,000 pounds in the throes of seasonal courting.
On Oct. 6, Gov. Ed Rendell and other Harrisburg types will put on another kind of display when they pull out the big ceremonial scissors for the official opening the new Elk Country Visitor Center.
Located on 245 acres of elk habitat on Winslow Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10269/1090061-358.stm#ixzz10llNqqBi

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Railroad history program set

Pennsylvania Lumber Museum will host a program on the region’s logging railroad history on Sunday, Sept. 26, at 1 pm.
Author Paul Pietrak, whose books have covered a broad range of railroad historical themes, will focus on operations in Pennsylvania and New York during the lumbering era and the history of the Goodyear Lumber Company.
The meeting is open to the public.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Photo of the Day

Andrew Fragale scored three touchdowns in the 24-21 win over the Kane Wolves

Friday, September 17, 2010

Photo of the Day

Hunter Prosper snags this long pass before running it in for a touchdown during the Junior High Red Raider's 37-0 win over the Smethport Hubbers
more photos at http://camconative.dotphoto.com

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Rendell ends tracking of opponents of natural gas drilling

Ron SouthwickPatriot News
Gov. Ed Rendell said Tuesday night that the state will no longer monitor groups who oppose natural gas drilling.
And he said the state would not renew a contract with a private company tapped to gather the information when the pact expires at the end of October.
Government watchdogs and environmental groups expressed outrage that the state Office of Homeland Security had been sending information to law enforcement agencies and drilling companies about anti-gas drilling groups.
A Patriot-News story on the controversy was published in Tuesday morning's editions.
"Protesting is not a threat," Rendell said at a press conference. "It's a God-given American right."
The Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security had tapped the Institute of Terrorism Research and Response, a private firm based in Philadelphia, to gather the information.
But the firm also disseminated information about a gay pride event, a tax rally at the Capitol, and a gathering of students who came to Harrisburg to support the governor's own education agenda, Rendell said.
"It's just stunning," Rendell said. "This is absolutely ludicrous." More...

Gov. Ed Rendell to hold press conference on Homeland Security tracking anti-Marcellus Shale activists

Gov. Ed Rendell will hold a press conference today at 6 p.m. in his office at the capitol to address Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security activity related to Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling.
The Patriot-News reported this morning that leaked intelligence bulletins from the PA Office of Homeland Security show that the office - through a private contractor in Philadelphia - has been tracking the Internet activity of anti-drilling activists to determine the public meetings they are planning to attend - including public screenings of the film “Gasland.”


Homeland Security has then distributed this information to law enforcement officials, emergency responders and the gas industry.
Officials in both Homeland Security and the Governor’s Office said there had been five to ten recent acts of vandalism to Marcellus sites around the state and that the information on anti-drilling activists was being supplied to local officials and the operators of such sites as a means of public protection.

Now THIS is scary stuff to me. Our own tax dollars are being spent to track lawful gatherings, the suppression of free speech, and the welfare of corporations over the average citizen. All because of "five to ten" acts of vandalism? Wow, most small towns have more than that every month and it doesn't create a press conference from Harrisburg!

Local 88607 pays tribute to Harry Mansfield

The officers of IUE-CWA Local 88607 recently held an appreciation dinner for Harry Mansfield. The group met at the Aroma Cafe to honor Harry for his 36 years of Union involvement at Motor Coils Mfg, including 30 years as the President. Harry took over the presidency in 1973 when Motor Coils was still owned by founder Ralph Lauro, and through selfless effort, helped guide the workforce through many company and workplace changes over the years. Here, newly elected President Jim Clancy is presenting Harry with with a plaque signifying the Union's appreciation for his many years of hard work and honorable service.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Two new major tourism assets open in Pennsylvania Wilds region

Two of the Commonwealth’s key tourism investments in the Pennsylvania Wilds region come online this fall, helping to attract visitors, pass foot traffic to local businesses and increase tourism capacity in the region.
The first to open its doors, the Nature Inn at Bald Eagle State Park in northern Centre County, opened Sept. 2. The 16-room inn is the first of its kind in Pennsylvania’s award-winning state park system. It highlights the excellent birding opportunities at Bald Eagle (many bird species are attracted to the park’s ridges, valleys and diverse habitat); and demonstrates and interprets green building technologies, including geothermal heating and cooling, rainwater collection, and energy efficient lighting and appliances. The Inn also features the work of three PA Wilds Juried Artisans, as well as prints by John James Audubon and Ned Smith, the famous late Pennsylvania naturalist and artist who created more than 100 cover illustrations for Pennsylvania Game News. Learn more at www.natureinnatbaldeagle.com.
The second asset, the Elk Country Visitor Center, in Benezette, Elk County, unofficially opened its doors Sept. 9. A grand opening is slated for Oct. 6. The center is a premier elk watching and conservation education facility on the eastern seaboard (our region is home to the largest free ranging elk herd in the Northeastern United States). The 8,400-square foot eco-friendly building has a stone fireplace to greet visitors, a “Great Room” with large wooden trusses and a panorama of windows looking out on elk viewing areas and food plots. It also has a “Story Theatre” that presents a multimedia experience complete with fiber optic star ceiling, a 'smoking' campfire and other techniques and interpretive exhibits to immerse visitors in the sights, sounds and smells of a mixed hardwood forest, the natural world of the elk and native wildlife and the heritage of the region. The center is also a stop on the PA Wilds Artisan Trail and sells authentic handmade goods by PA Wilds Juried Artisans. Learn more at www.experienceelkcountry.com.Both facilities will serve as a jumping off point for the rest of the PA Wilds region by providing interpretive displays, visitor guides and business brochures to help visitors learn about the many things they can do and see all over the region.
Both facilities are public-private partnerships with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The staff behind each facility has worked hard to involve local residents, businesses and community leaders so as to pass foot traffic in a way that benefits local economies. Together, the two facilities create 12 new jobs. Kudos to everyone who helped bring these projects to fruition!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Photo of the Day



This little buck was quite curious of me and approached within 20 yards before he thought better of it

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Photo of the Day


This is a photo of my youngest son during his first attempt at running the football. As you can see, he got clobbered, but I couldn't have been any more proud of him anyway

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Photo of the Day


The bull elk have shed their velvet and some were bugling hot and heavy this weekend

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Photo of the Day

ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC 34, CAMERON COUNTY 12

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Cops need help learning man's identity



Cops need help learning man's identity*
Posted by: Eli GeorgePORTVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) - Police need help identifying a man who they say can't remember who he is or where he came from.He's approximately 45-50-years-old and may be from Pennsylvania. The man is 5'9", has blue eyes, brown hair with some grey, a grey beard, and is slightly balding. He weighs approximately 175 pounds and has scars, possibly from surgery, on the front and top of his right shoulder.Police say residents from Emporium, PA, 60 miles away from Portville, saw the man around their area for three days, knocking on doors and asking for water. They did not report the man because he did not seem dangerous. Portville Police have tried using fingerprints, but the man does not appear to be in any databases.If anyone has any information about this man, his identity, or where he is from, please contact the Portville Police Department at 716-933-8773. More...