PSoTD

I didn't realize these organizations in Pennsylvania actually have blogs:

American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Democratic Party
Pennsylvania Republican Party
Pennsylvania Builders Association
PennFuture
Congressman John E. Peterson
Pennsylvania Family Institute
Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association
Pennsylvania Independent Automobile Dealers Association
Pennsylvania Business Council
Intelligent Transportation Society of Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has a nice little calendar application so you can see what is going on, either at ALL of their parks or at one of their parks. I have a suggestion - they should also add a feature to generate a calendar by one of their regions. If you look at their map, you see they break their parks into 7 different geographic regions - it would be nice to be able to generate a calendar by those regions. After all, we might be looking for something to do at some relatively close state park some day, but we don't want to have to do a search on ALL the parks.

Yes, there's still a lot of local government in Pennsylvania not using the Internet.

In analyzing the quality of e-government services among municipal governments (including boroughs, townships and cities), the most striking finding was how little local governments in rural Pennsylvania use the Internet at all, as measured by the availability of a website. The exception, a county with a strong tourism economy, had a high-level Internet presence.

Lack of broadband is a big part of the issue.

Truckers invaded downtown Harrisburg today to protest the high price of diesel fuel.

Watch out for the Jimmy hauling hogs!

Glendale School District, which straddles Cambria and Clearfield counties, is providing lessons in Mandarin Chinese to every kindergarten through sixth grade class and to one class in each of the junior and senior high schools.

Hey, where did it go? Did Pennsylvania give up on using DSF for their primary official web site?

Why not just call it mothereffing chicken... Do people actually buy their meals at Sheetz, anyways?

It also seems like a pretty big insult to potential customers. How stupid do you have to be to have the word frickin convince you to buy a product? Or to be impressed with such rhyming capability? Did Sheetz come up with this brilliant effort, or did they hire an advertising agency with expertise of dumbing down the customer base?

These Pennsylvanians and their groundhog celebrations...

Looking for some rural land to buy in Pennsylvania?

More than 20 percent of Pennsylvanians are obese.

Pennsylvania is upgrading their computer system.

Aug. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Gun retailers in Pennsylvania can't sell weapons at the start of the hunting season this weekend, and they're not happy about it. Neither are Republican politicians.

The shop owners complain that they will lose business because Governor Edward Rendell, a Democrat, decided to shut down the computers used to run criminal background checks on prospective gun buyers. The system will be off line for an upgrade from Sept. 2 through Sept. 5.

No rifles, shotguns or pistols can be sold during the three-day holiday weekend, from Saturday through Monday. The state's dove and goose hunting season opens Saturday.

`It just seems like the worst possible timing,'' said Chris O'Hara, promotions manager at Bass Pro Shops, a sporting goods store in Harrisburg, the capital. ``Labor Day weekend is a big gun-sale weekend for us.''

Perfect time for the Commies to invade!

Philadelphia has it all.

Hey Penn State, what's the dealio? The BugMobile doesn't seem to be getting out much anymore?

A few weeks ago, I was driving on 83 towards Baltimore, and the corn fields were very, very short - it was clear that it was a bad growing season down there.

On the other hand, I was driving out in Western Cumberland County last week, and the corn looked pretty normal for this time of year. I thought the drought that I had been noticing was regional. But apparently, it's spotty around here.

Pennsylvania’s drought situation could be best described as inconsistent. While some counties are seeing significant drought conditions, others have had plenty of rain this summer.

“I’ve never seen a summer where there have been such good crops, yet you drive only 20 miles, and there are crops that are dryer than normal,” said Secretary of Agriculture Dennis Wolff.

It seems to me that when a tragedy in a foreign country occurs that kills someone, when there is conflicting news about the story initially but eventually it is cleared up to show that it was a horrible accident not possibly foreseeable by the victim, that any blogger that posted such event as a "Darwin Award Winner" would have the common sense - and decency - to remove the post, as it adds nothing to anything.

But apparently this "blogger" isn't up to that standard...

In a few weeks, the 6-year-old and I will be on our own for a few days, and I was looking at places to take him during that time. I was looking at the National Historic Site in Scranton as a possibility (and also the Houdini Museum there). Have you been to Steamtown? If so, what did you think of it?

Dogs have been in the national spotlight due to football player Michael Vick but there was a local animal treatment story in the Harrisburg paper yesterday. The Pennsylvania Attorney General's office fined The Humane Society of Harrisburg $2,025 for violating state charity, nonprofit and consumer protection laws.

According to the agreement, the attorney general believes the Humane Society violated the law by:

- Using the terms "no kill," "unadoptable," "unhealthy" and "untreatable" in solicitation and promotional materials in a way that was "confusing or misleading."

- Saying it didn't turn away animals but failed to disclose that it charged a fee for accepting strays from municipalities that don't have a contract with the organization.

- Failing to keep accurate books and records.

The attorney general's office began investigating the Humane Society after two former volunteers — Annette Reiff and Felicity Fox — lodged a complaint in April 2005.

Reiff and Fox accused former management of falsely advertising the Humane Society as "no-kill" and of using temperament testing to label some dogs aggressive so they could be euthanized.

They noted that the Humane Society's 2005 annual report indicated that 40 percent of the 7,433 animals taken in were euthanized, a rate they said was too high to allow a "no-kill" designation.

I had always assumed "no-kill" meant exactly that but apparently shelters can euthanize some percentage of animals and maintain a no-kill designation. The situation has been resolved amicably. The group may have been well-intentioned but lacking the resources to live up to the letter of their billing. The Harrisburg Humane Society is under new management now that no longer claims the shelter is no-kill but says they are moving in that direction.

Jayk the Beagle says please spay and neuter your dogs and cats!!

(The first of what may - or may not - be a continuing series.)

Liquid-centered chewing gums have been around for decades going back to the days of Freshen-up and Chewels. But never before have they been done as well as Peppermint Vanilla Trident Splash! (I'm not as big on the Strawberry Lime and Apple Raspberry hybrids)

Trident advertises Splash as a "three-textured chewing experience" consisting of a "thin, crisp flavored shell", "soft and smooth gum layer" and, of course, "a liquid-filled center". You get nine pieces in a pack for about a buck and a quarter. Oh yeah, it's also sugar-free.

Marketing twaddle aside, Peppermint Vanilla Splash really does have a killer smooth mint taste that lasts forever - well, at least a half hour. Trident has recently come out with a Summer Watermelon Spearmint variation of Splash that is also pretty good.

On a side note, many of you may remember the not-so-nice nickname for those seminal goo-filled gums. Is it my debauched imagination or does this Seventies Freshen-up commercial wink and nod in that direction? What the hell is that girl doing to that piece of gum? Here it comes ... the gum that goes squirt!

They're having a little celebration next week in honor of the 50th anniversary of the filming of the movie classic in Phoenixville, PA. Next year is the 50th anniversary of the release of the film.

Check out the nurse's reaction to "The Blob". Doesn't it remind you of some conservative bloggers?

Pennsylvania's apples might be in higher demand this year.

Tennessee isn't the only Southern state seeing a drought. Many of our neighbors are also feeling the burn.

"South Carolina lost 95 percent of their peaches, is what we were told. That's why the price is driven up," Fox says. "They'll see prices driven up on other things, too."

As Southern states demand fruit from other regions, the price could shoot up even more.

Shoppers who normally buy from the Fruit and Berry Patch in Halls could see more apples from Pennsylvania and northern Virginia, rather than those grown from north Knoxville trees.

Of course, with the exception of the storm last week, it has seemed like we in Pennsylvania are in a very dry period as well. Central PA is 3 to 4 inches of rainfall behind average over the last 60 days.

One last thing - I didn't realize that AccuWeather had blogs!

I bought a case of Stella Artois yesterday. It's probably my favorite hot weather brew. I don't get it that often because of the price. But they had a real nice deal down at Westy's - $24.99 a case instead of the usual $30.99.

When I got home, I poured up a tall pilsner glass full and was perplexed to come up almost an inch short of the rim! Turns out they were only 11.2 ounce bottles instead of the traditional twelve. When did this happen? No wonder the price was so sweet. Of course, good old Westy didn't highlight the smaller bottle size just the bucks off.

Actually I really don't mind trading off the .8 ounce for the six dollar savings. But can't say I care for the aesthetics of a short pour. Feels like having a chintzy bartender. If this is the coming trend, guess I'll have to get new pilsner glasses.

Apparently there's a top 20 Pennsylvania Influential Blogs. This blog is number 9 (the larch). (Sorry, can't resist a bit of Python...) Tony Phyrillas has details on the list.

This seems kinda cool...

Benezette Township in Elk County will soon be home to the largest elk-watching and education center in the eastern United States, state officials announced.

With $7.6 million already committed to the project, the proposed center would add another element to the Pennsylvania Wilds region, which has attracted thousands of visitors and helped spur the local economy.

The 7,000-square-foot facility - featuring interpretive exhibits, wildlife trails and viewing blinds, along with year-round restrooms and parking for vehicles and buses - will come to fruition thanks to a 30-year agreement between the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

"This new center will give us additional opportunities to reach out to new visitors, give them a wonderful outdoor experience and share the story of the conservation efforts that have restored the elk herd, and many other natural and wild areas in Pennsylvania," Gov. Ed Rendell said in announcing the development of the center.

All told, the state's wild elk herd, the largest in the Northeast, draws more than 75,000 visitors to the area each fall, officials said. Benezette Township is located in the heart of the Wilds region, which covers Elk, Cameron, McKean, Potter, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Forest, Jefferson, Lycoming, Tioga and Warren counties.

All, of course, leads to my "elk story".

My brother and his family from Southern California came to visit us one time and we took them up to Lake Tobias, which our daughter really liked at the time (I think she was about 4). They have all the animals, including elk, wandering around their property, and they take you out in a bus that has had its top cut off so you can go for a "safari" ride. Kids love it.

They warned us that the male elk out in the area was in rutting season, and because of that, very aggressive. We sat down on the bus and started riding, and our nephew, who was about 6 or 7 at the time, sat at the "window" seat.

Sure enough, an elk spotted us as we were moving and came up chasing us. His antlers practically reached into the bus, and our nephew wasn't really liking this huge wild animal running right along side of him, keeping up with the bus and staying just about eyeball to eyeball with our nephew, 10 feet away.

And then the elk screamed. That surprised all of us, and our nephew ended up burying his head into his Dad's shoulder. It's really surprising how loud - and how high - an elk screams.

Old town downtowns - small ones - have a real economic challenge. This example of Hanover, Pennsylvania discusses part of it.

But one thing not mentioned much is the balance between useable economic space, and roads, and parking. Building an economic base in a downtown at this point unfortunately relies on cars. Either it will be stores, drawing shoppers, or employers, drawing employees... or a town needs to find an employer base that brings economy to the town and somehow doesn't draw cars.

But old downtowns have small roads and usually have little parking area beyond what is available on the road.

When we moved to Harrisburg 15 years ago, Harrisburg was one of the saddest downtowns I'd ever hung out in. The Spot, which I know is revered in this area, was the primary culinary highlight.

The city focused on developing business and parking, and the city has flourished the past 5-10 years. Now, Harrisburg's focus on restaurants and bars can't be for everyone - Harrisburg does have a major advantage with all the lobbyists, legislators, and government employees looking for lunch and something to do after work - but the parking was very important. Nobody wants to walk in slush for 5 blocks to get to a restaurant on Saturday night. Now, in Harrisburg, you don't have to.

Pennsylvania is full of these small downtowns. They do need to have a plan to avoid becoming dead shells creating greater cost to a small city or borough. Good luck to Hanover.

This sounds like it'll be a lot of fun.

It's Day Three of No School for the kids. The storm was Tuesday and Wednesday, and I would guess it dropped somewhere between 6 and 8 inches. That alone wouldn't account for the problems. It was the recipe. Some weather person called it an ice sandwich, and that was a pretty good description: several hours of snow followed by several hours of freezing rain followed by several hours of snow. All the while the temperature dropped. The stuff is hard and it's stuck fast.

I spent much of Wednesday shoveling, as best I could, my driveway. My driveway is at a slant, and moisture puddles up at the bottom at the sidewalk. Two days later, I can still see the treadmarks of my boots in the frozen slush that has adhered to the sidewalk. The freezing rain froze within a few hours on Wednesday. Today's high temperature is supposed to be 27 degrees. There won't be that much melt today.

Many of the driveways in my neighborhood remain uncleared. You need a standard shovel to chop the ice out, and then remove it. Snowblowers are getting killed in this stuff. I watched a snow removal service start to remove the ice from the sidewalk from our neighbors across the street. They gave up. There's no quick and efficient way to get rid of this stuff at this point - either you wait for nature to warm up the environs and make it easy to shovel up slush, or you slowly chip away.

I've only lived in Central Pennsylvania for 15 years, but I haven't seen a storm of this recipe before. We've had big snows that stop the state in its tracks for a bit (oh yeah, 1996...) and we've had freezing rain that's done the same - but this was different and seemed to provide a tantalizingly too short window to get the mixture out of the way.

I see where Pennsylvania is getting a bit of a black eye in the news media for the highway problems during the storm. You can't help but feel sympathetic to everyone involved - people stuck on the highway, road crews trying to clear the roads, police. And there's sure to be some real improvements in governance in the future to reduce the possibility of this happening at this scope and level again. But there's really no villain here. Sometimes Mother Nature kicks our ass.

We watched again this morning the corny going-ons shown on PCN for Groundhog's Day. It's become a tradition - my daughter likes to watch it, and it is amusing in a weird way. I would not choose to go freeze my butt off to actually participate in this event - the "entertainment" is so bad it causes you to physically groan - but it's an easy choice to get up an hour early to watch.

You have to wonder what poor old Phil is thinking while he's waiting. The people are hollering and singing and chanting over a microphone system, there's a big fireworks show - doesn't he get freaked out by all the commotion?

I just thought this link was worth posting.

Wow. 53 percent of Pennsylvania's barns were built before 1880. Generally speaking, barns in eastern Pennsylvania were older than those in central and western Pennsylvania. Forty-six percent of the barns in eastern Pennsylvania were built before the Civil War began (1861). You can find out more about our status as an "old barn state" at the link.

Hmmm.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation today began notifying nearly 11,400 customers whose personal information was contained on two computers that were stolen during a Nov. 28 burglary at PennDOT's Wilkes-Barre Driver License center.

PennDOT also took immediate action to increase security of customer data at its facilities across Pennsylvania to reduce the risk of such a breach occurring again.

Thieves also took equipment and supplies that could be used to make fraudulent drivers license and photo identification cards. Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the crime.

That's something Philadelphia has. I didn't know this, and this is really something useful to promote outside of Philadelphia as part of the charm of tourism, which will, in turn, improve the situation for the underserved areas of Philadelphia by bike paths.

I would have dressed better.

The Polar Invasion!

This looks fun one of these upcoming Sundays...