Photo of the Day

Photo of the NAPA fire. I have this dated 12/6/07
but not sure if that is correct.

Cops as a Revenue Source (as usual)

Drivers who get tickets in Pennsylvania pay much more than fines
Photo Gallery

By Tom FontainePITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW


Sometimes, a fine isn't just a fine.
In Pennsylvania, most of the money shelled out by ticketed motorists isn't for the fine itself, but for various surcharges that help fund state government.
"I hated giving out tickets," said Jim Beserock, a retired police chief in Munhall. "They were always used as a back-door tax increase."
If a proposal by a Montgomery County legislator is approved, Harrisburg will dig even deeper into motorists' pockets. A bill sponsored by Republican Rep. Mike Vereb, a former police officer, would institute a $10 surcharge to help fund state police training. Some lawmakers estimate it could generate $13 million a year, enough to train and equip 130 state troopers.....MORE
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My “Fakebook” Rant

My “Fakebook” Rant

I have a facebook account. After having it for about a year or so, I am really wondering why. My kids told me I should have one, and people told me it was nice for communicating with friends , so I gave it a try, and decided to write a few words about my impressions.
I don’t check my facebook page as often as I used to. I have several webpages and blogs of my own that I find much more interesting and relevant to me. In fact, I am learning to despise facebook altogether, and sometimes wish I had never opened it. I would delete it, but after googling instructions for account termination, one would have to be a programming genius to do it successfully. So for now, I am just going to rant on about all the things that I find annoying about facebook (and that goes for myspace, hi5, and all the other lame “social networking” sites. I currently have 231 “friends” on my list, and.................read MORE

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Photo of the Day

This is a photo taken by my son while he was stationed in Iraq in July 2005. We sent him the thermometer, but as you can see, it wasn't up to the task of measuring the searing summer heat. It had pegged out at 120 degrees and melted the indicator before the temperature started to recede.
There are still lots of troops station in Iraq and Afghanistan, so please remember the extreme conditions that they have to endure while serving our country.

Photo of the Day

Just for fun, I thought I would upload a new photo everyday. They may be mine, or if you send some to me I will post them too. This photo is of Emporium, from the lookout, taken 12-5-09, while I was watching the fog lift off the valley floor.

Anglers Invited to Presentation Regarding Gas Well Drilling

EMPORIUM - With the promise of increased Marcellus Shale gas well drilling in the region over the next several years, many people are concerned about the potential harm that could be caused to our local natural resources. The region appears posed to benefit economically from the energy rush, but a lot is on the line in an area defined by its vast tracts of unbroken forest, pristine mountain trout streams, and wilderness character. On Jan. 5, at 6:30 p.m. in the Cameron County Courthouse, the Bucktail Watershed Association will be hosting a special presentation regarding the potential threats to our most precious resource, water. Jim Clark of Penn State Cooperative Extension will be the featured speaker and will be presenting “Gas Well Drilling and Water Quality.” Following the 45-minute presentation there will be a 15-minute question and answer session. After the presentation, the Bucktail Watershed Association will be sharing plans for the establishment of a volunteer water quality-monitoring network for portions of the Sinnemahoning Creek Watershed. Interested individuals will have a chance to sign up as volunteer monitors. According to the Bucktail Watershed Association, "We, along with other local conservation organizations, are watchdogs for the Driftwood Branch and First Fork Watersheds. In other regions of the state, as Marcellus Shale gas well drilling has increased, there have been incidents where water quality degradation has occurred. As the Bucktail Watershed Association we are posed to work with our partners to prevent such degradation of our water quality resources in the Sinnemahoning Creek Watershed. Developing a volunteer monitoring network is a proactive measure that we can take to make sure the development of our natural gas resources occur in a manner that has the smallest negative impact on our watershed."
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Gas driller cited for violation after environmentalist takes photos

A state investigation sparked by a local environmentalist who rented an airplane to gather photographic evidence has revealed an unreported contaminate release at a natural gas drilling site in Wayne County.

A preliminary investigation of the Oregon Twp. well pad, operated by Chesapeake Appalachia, found in October that a "weathered petroleum product" of unknown quantity was discharged onto the site and into a forested area, in breach of state environmental laws, according to the notice of violation issued by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The drilling firm reported no incidents, and DEP had been unaware of any problem. But Pat Carullo, a photographer and co-founder of Damascus Citizens for Sustainability, a Wayne and Pike county environmental watchdog organization, said he knew something was not quite right.

Mr. Carullo said he took aerial photographs in late August and September showing a direct line of leafless trees extending away from the well pad.

"It was completely obvious by the photographic evidence," he said......MORE

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