Here is my ode to the first day of summer 2007. This is the day that the sun is 75 degrees elevation above the horizon at noon.

As a further example of using RSS feeds in reader.google.com here is a story that just came in from a subscription on the word “emmitsburg”

“Floyd Lee encouraged youngsters by telling them about his growing up in a poor family and working his way out of poverty through education.

“It all began in Emmitsburg, Md., in a segregated Catholic school,” Lee wrote in a printed program celebrating his retirement in 1995. “There were 12 black students from first to eighth grade in the same classroom.”

He and his five siblings were raised by their mother and maternal grandfather on a farm in Emmitsburg. Lee’s father was absent for the most part, wandering in and out of their lives.

The kids walked along the railroad tracks, looking for pieces of coal to heat their home. They often ate meals at a Sisters of Charity convent.”
For the whole story go to link:

Here is the latest compilation of water shortage related links.

y water restrictions – Wilmington Morning Star
– New Hanover issues mandatory water restrictionsWilmington Morning Star, NC – 3 hours agoCounty officials said that if the new measures don’t result in a 20 percent reduction in water usage, further re
7:13 PM
Google Search: water restrictions
Northeast Water Restrictions to be Re-Evaluated – WLTX.com
– Northeast Water Restrictions to be Re-EvaluatedWLTX.com, SC – 2 hours ago(Columbia) – Columbia Mayor Bob Coble said he’ll meet with city officials Friday to determine whether current Northeast wat
5:50 PM
Google Search: water drought
Drought could pose problems for TVA reservoir system – WATE.com
– Drought could pose problems for TVA reservoir systemWATE.com, TN – 16 minutes agoIn the midst of the current drought, it’s time to start letting that water back out. Although Cherokee and Douglas
5:11 PM
water sewer rates
Water, sewer rates on the rise – Lititz Record Express
– Water, sewer rates on the riseLititz Record Express, PA – 1 hour agoHe wanted to stress to the community that Lititz holds the distinction of having some of the lowest water and sewer rates in the co
4:55 PM
“water saving”
Solar energy and water saving devices from Dux Hot Water – Infolink Architecture & Building
– Solar energy and water saving devices from Dux Hot WaterInfolink Architecture & Building, Australia – 11 hours ago… of electricity and water, as well as blackouts, are expected to drive Australi
4:12 PM
Google Search: water restrictions
New Hanover issues mandatory water restrictions – Wilmington Morning Star
– New Hanover issues mandatory water restrictionsWilmington Morning Star, NC – 7 minutes agoCounty officials said that if the new measures don’t result in a 20 percent reduction in water usage, further
2:50 PM
Google Search: water drought
Phoenix Avoids Drastic Drought Steps – KTAR.com
– Phoenix Avoids Drastic Drought StepsKTAR.com, AZ – 20 minutes agoPhoenix-area water providers have long avoided mixing drought and conservation messages, insisting their water supplies offer ample pro
2:11 PM
water sewer rates
Sims lauds County Council for adopting stable sewer rate and fees … – King County (press release)
– Sims lauds County Council for adopting stable sewer rate and fees …King County (press release), WA – May 30, 2007″I appreciate Executive Sims’ leadership finding ways to keep rates stable w
1:55 PM
“water saving”
BRRI water saving technology can save Tk 3.0b annually – Financial Express.bd
– BRRI water saving technology can save Tk 3.0b annuallyFinancial Express.bd, Bangladesh – 4 hours agoWater saving technology developed by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) can save Tk 3.0 b
1:55 PM
“water saving”
Solar energy and water saving devices from Dux Hot Water – Infolink Architecture & Building
– Solar energy and water saving devices from Dux Hot WaterInfolink Architecture & Building, Australia – 8 hours ago… of electricity and water, as well as blackouts, are expected to drive Australia
1:12 PM
Google Search: water restrictions
Water restrictions set – Main Street Newspapers
– 13wmazWater restrictions setMain Street Newspapers, GA – 8 hours agoLevel 1 stipulates odd-even outdoor watering restrictions; Level 2 further restricts the hours during which outdoor watering is perm
12:24 PM
Google Search: water rates drought saving
Charges over 140 litres – Courier Mail
– Charges over 140 litresCourier Mail, Australia – 8 hours ago”The drought has meant that we have to do it because we have to deliver all these important water supply projects.” For all users,
11:50 AM
Google Search: water drought
Drought dangers – Jacksonville News
– Jacksonville NewsDrought dangersJacksonville News, AL – 7 hours agoThe drought is causing concern at the Calhoun County Water Authority. Water flow from the Webster’s Chapel spring is nearly cut in ha
11:50 AM
Google Search: water drought
South Florida battles 18-month drought – York Dispatch
- South Florida battles 18-month droughtYork Dispatch, PA – 10 hours ago”We can make drought-tolerant and water-efficient plants, and we can put the right plants in the right place, but we have yet
11:50 AM
Google Search: water drought
Plants gasping for water – Cincinnati Enquirer
– News & ObserverPlants gasping for waterCincinnati Enquirer, OH – 8 hours agoAll of Kentucky is in either mild or moderate drought, according to the University of Kentucky Agricultural Weather Cent
10:55 AM
“water saving”
Going Green: Eco-friendly a flush away at GCS – Gaylord Herald Times
– Going Green: Eco-friendly a flush away at GCSGaylord Herald Times, MI – 7 hours agoGAYLORD — The sound of going green at Gaylord High School is the sound of silence — as in environmentally friendly, w
10:12 AM
Google Search: water restrictions
Cary Enforces Water Restrictions – abc11tv.com
– WRAL.comCary Enforces Water Restrictionsabc11tv.com, NC – 10 hours agoTown officials say people aren’t following mandatory year round water restrictions and officials may be forced to take further
8:50 AM
Google Search: water drought
South Florida battles 18-month drought – York Dispatch
– South Florida battles 18-month droughtYork Dispatch, PA – 1 hour ago”We can make drought-tolerant and water-efficient plants, and we can put the right plants in the right place, but we have yet t
8:50 AM
Google Search: water drought
Go against instincts, water less, don’t fertilize lawns – Gwinnett Daily Post
– Go against instincts, water less, don’t fertilize lawnsGwinnett Daily Post, GA – 1 hour agoAlthough Georgia summers are notoriously dry and unforgiving, it’s been years since Sam Thompson has
8:50 AM
Google Search: water drought
Be careful watering during drought – Macon Telegraph
– Be careful watering during droughtMacon Telegraph, GA – 5 hours agoRemember that drought tolerant grasses survive dry weather by turning brown and going dormant. If you cannot water the lawn regularly
8:11 AM
water sewer rates
Water rates up 10.2% in initial budget – Port Huron Times Herald
– Water rates up 10.2% in initial budgetPort Huron Times Herald, MI – 10 hours agoEarlier this year, a consulting firm said Port Huron would need to raise water and sewer rates by 106% in the next five
7:55 AM
“water saving”
Solar energy and water saving devices from Dux Hot Water – Infolink Architecture & Building
– Solar energy and water saving devices from Dux Hot WaterInfolink Architecture & Building, Australia – 5 hours ago… of electricity and water, as well as blackouts, are expected to drive Australia
7:55 AM
“water saving”
Giant borers ready for duty – Courier Mail
– Courier MailGiant borers ready for dutyCourier Mail, Australia – 6 hours agoThey said 80000 households had bought 107600 water-saving products – rainwater tanks, dual-flush toilets, front-loading wash
7:12 AM
Google Search: water restrictions
Plano backs off plans to soften water restrictions – Dallas Morning News (subscription)
– Plano backs off plans to soften water restrictionsDallas Morning News (subscription), TX – 15 hours agoDistrict officials have said they don’t want to relax water restrictions until Chapman fills
5:50 AM
Google Search: water drought
Arizona water providers’ drought plans vary – AZ Central.com
– AZFamily (subscription)Arizona water providers’ drought plans varyAZ Central.com, AZ – 13 hours agoJanet Napolitano’s Drought Task Force included in its recommendations a requirement that Ariz
5:50 AM
Google Search: water drought
Drought leaves a bad taste – Sarasota Herald-Tribune
– Drought leaves a bad tasteSarasota Herald-Tribune, FL – 12 hours agoA 16-month drought has left resources at such low levels that utilities in Charlotte, Manatee and Sarasota counties are pulling wate
5:50 AM
Google Search: water drought
Drought raises concern over possible water restrictions – News 14 Carolina
– News 14 CarolinaDrought raises concern over possible water restrictionsNews 14 Carolina, NC – 20 hours agoUnion, Johnston, and Mecklenburg counties are all under mandatory water restrictions as a resu
5:50 AM
Google Search: water drought
Be careful watering during drought – Macon Telegraph
– Be careful watering during droughtMacon Telegraph, GA – 2 hours agoRemember that drought tolerant grasses survive dry weather by turning brown and going dormant. If you cannot water the lawn regularly
4:55 AM
“water saving”
Minister cops flak over house jibe – Hume Star
– Minister cops flak over house jibeHume Star, Australia – 13 hours agoHis double storey Nesting Court home had a rain water tank, water-saving showerheads and power-saving light bulbs. “With today’s te
4:55 AM
“water saving”
Water flows for wetlands – Dandenong Star
– Water flows for wetlandsDandenong Star, Australia – 11 hours agoWATER saving initiatives keep flooding in to Greater Dandenong, including two major announcements last week. The City of Greater Dandeno
4:12 AM
Google Search: water restrictions
Plano backs off plans to soften water restrictions – Dallas Morning News (subscription)
– Plano backs off plans to soften water restrictionsDallas Morning News (subscription), TX – 25 minutes agoDistrict officials have said they don’t want to relax water restrictions until Chapman fill
4:12 AM
Google Search: water restrictions
Drought raises concern over possible water restrictions – News 14 Carolina
– News 14 CarolinaDrought raises concern over possible water restrictionsNews 14 Carolina, NC – 22 hours agoGREENSBORO — Only three North Carolina counties are currently under water restrictions. But t
4:12 AM
Google Search: water restrictions
Water Restrictions Are In Effect In Winchester – WTVF
– WKRNWater Restrictions Are In Effect In WinchesterWTVF, TN – 18 hours agoA drought has forced a Middle Tennessee town to impose mandatory water restrictions. Starting next week, residents of Wincheste
4:12 AM
Google Search: water restrictions
City eyes voluntary water restrictions – Rock Hill Herald
– City eyes voluntary water restrictionsRock Hill Herald, SC – 17 hours agoIn Rock Hill, city officials began asking for voluntary use restrictions last week after water consumption rose to summer level
4:12 AM
Google Search: water restrictions
Water restrictions start Friday – Sioux Falls Argus Leader
- Water restrictions start FridaySioux Falls Argus Leader, SD – 15 hours agoWater restrictions in the city of Sioux Falls begin Friday, with customers not allowed to water their lawns on certain days an
2:50 AM
Google Search: water drought
Blaze a reminder of fire hazard, water supply limits – Charlotte Sun-Herald
– Blaze a reminder of fire hazard, water supply limitsCharlotte Sun-Herald, FL – 5 hours agoThe smoke serves as a local reminder of the extreme brush fire hazard in Charlotte County and the limits to lo
2:50 AM
Google Search: water drought
Drought making allies of adversaries – Palm Beach Post
– Drought making allies of adversariesPalm Beach Post, FL – 1 hour ago”If there’s one good thing that comes out of the drought, it’s the awareness of reclaimed water,” Coates said Wedn
2:11 AM
water sewer rates
Nashville’s budget to hike water rates – Rocky Mount Telegram
– Nashville’s budget to hike water ratesRocky Mount Telegram, NC – 17 hours agoTown officials waited until Rocky Mount had prepared its own budget before it included water and sewer fees in its 2007
1:55 AM
“water saving”
Water projects generally on budget, schedule: Bligh – ABC Online
– Water projects generally on budget, schedule: BlighABC Online, Australia – 22 hours ago”We set a very ambitious target when we started this program and we hoped that by the end of April we would
1:55 AM
“water saving”
Townsville council to get water wise – ABC Regional Online
– Townsville council to get water wiseABC Regional Online, Australia – 11 hours agoThe council is to spend just over $1.6 million on water saving initiatives over a two year period. The chairman of the

Here is an excerpt from a blog titled “Moldy City” posted on May 19th 2007

Search google click here

In what may be a first for New Orleans city government, Nagin and most of his high-level aides are heading out of town Sunday for a weeklong Federal Emergency Management Agency-sponsored emergency management training seminar.

The trip to the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Md., which is being paid for by the federal government, offers what FEMA describes on its Web site as a combination of classroom lectures and discussions, small-group planning sessions and practical exercises.

…

Participants in the simulated disaster exercises will be assigned roles similar to their real-life jobs in an effort to help identify potential deficiencies in the city’s emergency planning.

Read it all here

Meeting began at 7:30 PM May 16th 2007
(This is a delayed live blog of the meeting; subject of correction and revision. Not a transcript. A prototype of “live blogging” from the meeting room via WiFi or Wi Max.)

Emmitsburg Commissioners and Planning and Zoning (click for Picture)

Joyce Rosensteel
Cliff Sweeney
Bill O’Niel
Chris Staiger, Presiding
Glenn Blanchard Commissoner Liason to P & Z

P & Z
Larry Little, Chairman
Tim O’Donnell
Catherine Forrence
Pat Boyle, Alternate

Attorney David Severan made a presentation:

The law is the way it is because “Law of waste and nuisance” caused law suits between neighbors.
Zoning helps take care of conflict by planning compatable neighboring uses.
Land use is best handled at local level.
Zoning is specific tool to implement plan.
Planning involves review of history, valued resources.

Power to regulate
State has police power. (Health Safety Welfare).
State grants to local jurisdictions local authority
State code allows appointment of P & Z to recommend a Comprehensive Plan to the Town Commissioners.
Zoning is law, planning is a guide.

House Bill 1141

1.. How annexations are done; stringent requirements by county.
2. Water resources element. Water Supply Capacity Management Plan
3. Municipal Growth Element. Where to grow? How far out? School impact.
Comission members can plan;
Pattern of infill, density, public services, vision of growth boundry of municipal boundry.

Preparing a plan:
1. Survey the present.
2.. Prediction of growth
3. Send plan to county who has 30 days to respond.
“The county/municipalality shalluse mediation to decide growth pattern..
They have until Oct 2009 to meet all requirements.

Bill O’Niel asked how to plan for neighboring township growth.
General interaction is ok but they will do what PA laws allow.

Summary: Planning is a vision of how a community can anticipate growth and imagine what will be the boundry of the community in 2030,

Question? Can the P and Z ask for engineering studies et al to help with planning? The answer is yes.

(The preceding is not a complete account of the meeting. Just handwritten notes; not typed on computer)
Send corrections to www.contactify.com/10012

Here is a new article on a County Commissioner Blog
from North Carolina, just caught by my google.com/reader.
Link:to site
Perhaps Frederick County Commissioners could have their own personal blogs using wordpress.com? The blog would be easy to maintain by simply copying and pasting their comments that they place on the Kai Hagen site to their blog. One possible commissioner blog name would be as an example; www.khagen.wordpress.com.
Commissioners posting to a personal blog might interest more folks to sign up for access to kaihagen.com/caucus.html to read the give and take and the debates on hot button issues.

The RSS online application www.google.com/reader is really getting much better. It enables monitoring web sites for new info without using bookmarks or obsessively refreshing to check for the latest news on that web site. (even Frederick county govt and FNP forums have RSS) The news info just flows via google reader aggregating it for me.
If you are not using google reader(online) or another RSS application(desktop) such as Netnewswire lite (its free) or my favorite which costs $18 is Newsfire. (For mac only.)
But since google.com/reader has improved so much I find I use Newsfire less and less. I was able to export all my subscriptions in Newsfire to google reader with no problems.

How to use RSS. Tutorial with video links:
http://emmitsburg.wordpress.com/2007/04/08/you-must-use-rss/
http://emmitsburg.wordpress.com/2007/04/24/you-must-use-rss-part-2/

Perhaps I am preaching to the choir here but I had to try out this new feature just added to google reader, which makes it so easy to email an interesting “catch” that my reader just caught, to friends who might be interested in that article.

If you want more info or help with either setting up a wordpress blog or using google.com/reader email me at
www.contactify.com/10012

The group Volunteer Frederick participated in the “Big Sweep” today. They picked refuse for about a quarter mile of Welty Road which is the North Eastern Boundry of the Town of Emmitsburg. It produced 2 pickup truck loads estimated to be about 1 ton of glass, metal and wood as well as tires. Here is a satellite map of the area.

In yesterdays post on catherineineburg.wordpress.com a plea was made for a comprehensive and rational interstate, intercounty/township cooperation on water resources and stream protection. Here are some links:

http://water.usgs.gov/
http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/
http://water.usgs.gov/nrp/gwsoftware/modflow2005/modflow2005.html
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?dd_cd=01&format=gif&period=30&site_no=393733077274801
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?dd_cd=01&format=gif&period=31&site_no=394430077225001
http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/gwlevels/?site_no=394200077190701&agency_cd=USGS&format=html
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/md/nwis/uv/?site_no=392517077190401&PARAmeter_cd=72019,72020,00045,62603
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/md/nwis/uv/?site_no=392045076512501
http://md.water.usgs.gov/
http://md.water.usgs.gov/waterdata/
http://md.water.usgs.gov/groundwater/web_wells/current/water_table/counties/cog/#fraf27
http://md.water.usgs.gov/surfacewater/streamflow/monococy1.html
http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/
http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/index.html
http://water.usgs.gov/ogw/
http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/vocs/national_assessment/
http://water.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/waterwatch?state=md&map_type=real&web_type=plot
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/md/nwis/uv?dd_cd=01&dd_cd=02&format=gif&period=30&site_no=01639000
http://water.usgs.gov/ogw/gwsw.html
http://groundwaterwatch.usgs.gov/
http://groundwaterwatch.usgs.gov/StateMaps/PA.html
http://groundwaterwatch.usgs.gov/StateMaps/MD.html
http://groundwaterwatch.usgs.gov/CRNSites.asp?S=394430077225001
http://groundwaterwatch.usgs.gov/CRNSites.asp?S=394008077005601
http://www.potomacwatershed.net/
http://www.potomacwatershed.net/siteindx.html
http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/huc.cfm?huc_code=02070009
http://mddnr.chesapeakebay.net/mbss/SA_Site.cfm?siteyr=FR-P-265-335-96
http://mddnr.chesapeakebay.net/wsprofiles/surf/prof/wsprof.cfm?watershed=02140303
http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/chesapeake/cwp/view.asp?a=3&Q=442886&chesapeakeNav=|29958|
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/agreement.htm
http://www.usgs.gov/state/
http://adamswatersheds.org/

Imao has some fun facts about my old home state.