Maryland Department of Environment Meeting Tomorrow Morning At 9:30 AM!

Folks,

Please plan to attend the Maryland Department of Environment’s first regional focus group meeting on draft guidance documents including proposed revisions to Chapter 5 of the 2000 Maryland Stormwater Design Manual tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. in Salisbury (see below).

The revisions are intended to help implement a law passed last year that requires Environmental Site Design (also called Low Impact Development techniques) to be implemented to the maximum extent practicable in all new construction plans throughout Maryland. Your local knowledge and perspective on why Environmental Site Design helps improve the health of our waterways can be very influential as focus group meetings inform the update process.

More information about the focus group meetings and Chapter 5 revisions is available here:

http://www.mde.state.md.us/Programs/WaterPrograms/SedimentandStormwater/swm2007.asp

Perspectives on the revisions developed by a consortium of groups following the update process are attached for your consideration.

My apologies for the late notice. Please feel free to circulate.

What: Regional Focus Group Meeting

When: Wednesday, January 23, 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Where: Room 301, Wicomico Government Office Building

125 North Division Street, Salisbury, MD 21801

Directions - http://www.wicomicocounty.org/locations.html

''Dead'' Man Sits Up In Coffin At His Wake

This is the stuff of bad horror movies--but in this case, it's real. An 81-year-old man from Angol, a small village in Chile, shocked grieving relatives when he woke up in his coffin at his own wake.

Agence France Presse reports that Feliberto Carrasco was found limp and cold by his family, who assumed he was dead. After all, he was 81 years old. Instead of calling a doctor, they called the funeral home. They dressed Carrasco in his finest suit, placed him in his coffin and held a wake to bid him farewell.

There was just one problem. Carrasco may have been limp and cold, but he wasn't dead, "I couldn't believe it. I thought I must be mistaken, and I shut my eyes," Carrasco's nephew Pedro told the daily Ultimas Noticias. "When I opened them again, my uncle was looking at me. I started to cry and ran to get something to open up the coffin to get him out." Carrasco told the shocked crowd he was not in pain and asked for a glass of water.

Exclusive Breaking News!

The Wicomico County Sheriff's Department has done it again! During a local traffic stop the WCSO pulled over a vehicle with New York Tags. During a search of the vehicle they found 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of high quality marijuana.

More to come on this story tomorrow.

Another Anti Albero Blogger Threatens My Life

"straight shooter said... Great post Wit. Unfortunately all the power, money, blog hits and whatever else Albero says he has will be of little consequence when he is 6 feet under. If the dude doesn't quit talking smack, I feel that will be sooner rather than later.
January 12, 2008 7:05 AM"

You gotta LOVE those Fire Fighters, eh? A friend tipped me off on this comment on a Anti Albero Website. I'd be more careful if I were you shooter. Let's see what the authorities think about a comment like this.

Can You Find Waldo?

Was Gordy On The Scene First?

Perhaps there are advantages of working and driving your work vehicle out of State. Especially when you're closer to the Delmar area. Hmmm, maybe I've been wrong this whole time about Gordy?

Fire At Delmar Elementary, This Is NOT A Drill

A fire alarm went off in Delmar Elementary School just moments ago. Delmar, Salisbury & Hebron Fire Departments responded. ALL Students were relocated to the Portables while the Fire Department aired out the school from smoke.

I just saw Hebron pass by my home, so they have everything under control and no one was hurt. More to come........

UPDATE: A commenter stated it was an electrical box smoking. What they didn't say was that it was clearly enough danger to remove ALL of the Students and have the Fire Department open as many windows as they could to remove all the smoke from the School. They also brought in fans to help speed up that process. Read the comments for more updates.

UPDATE #2, Everything is back to normal at the School. It was an electrical box that started smoking and they used precautionary measures to make sure things didn't get any worse. The system automatically sent an alarm to the Fire Department and everyone responded and took care of the situation.

Slim Pickins

This is the entire Help Wanted section of The Daily Times today. That's right, the economy is shot, we've been in a Recession for at least 6 months, if not a year and businesses just aren't hiring.

However, if you want a gas burning SUV, there's several pages of those in the Want Ads as well as home/property foreclosures.

Empty Promisses

While these two seats are empty, the Candidates that were supposed to fill those seats lied to the Press by claiming they had previous commitments.

The Daily Times is trying to excuse their absence as well as numerous Blog Sites but the fact remains, these two individuals lied and stated they would be there.

The reason I know this to be true is because the Narrator kept asking if anyone knew where they were, all the way to the very end of the Forum. They were embarrassed and had no answers for anyone visiting and participating.

The Playoff Games were more important and they simply don't care. Now, could they have taken the heat of questions being asked by the audience, I don't think so. Pipkin is too hot headed and Arminio is too out there. Trust me, if you haven't heard this Arminio speak, this guy needs to move to California with the rest of the Flakes.

In the end they refused to let the League of Women Voters know they were not going to attend and this was completely out of line.

Sharptown Welcomes Congressional Candidate Andy Harris

Another Salisbury News Exclusive.
While thousands upon thousands of people were enjoying the Playoff Games this past Sunday, many of the fine people of Sharptown were enjoying the company of the Mayor, Mike Lewis, John Cannon and of course, Senator Andy Harris.

Andy seems to truly appreciate the interest so many people have shown towards this congressional race and especially his message. The warm welcome he receives wherever he goes clearly proves people want a change.

I have to admit, if I ever consider moving again and I stay on this side of Salisbury, I'm moving to Sharptown! What a beautiful place and great people.

ONE YEAR AGO TODAY!

ACCOUNTABILITY!

Yes Ladies & Gentlemen, one year ago today Louise Smith was standing in the Republican Club shouting out ACCOUNTABILITY and selling everyone that she's the one who will take us to the next level of proper Government. LIAR! I don't know how this woman truly sleeps at night but I hope she knows, (especially after comments this morning and on this Post) just what everyone thinks of her.

Twenty-Third Birthday Celebration - Commemoration Of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Ladies & Gentlemen, this was an event! I counted more than 800 people and it was simply remarkable. Even Barrie Tilghman gave off a fantastic speech along with Rick Pollitt and so many others. The Choir gave you goose bumps and the atmosphere was one in which it brought us back to a time when Mr. King was still here doing wonderful things for this Country.

Might I add, a hat tip to the Chef's and the Staff. Just look at all the people being served, unbelievable!

Today's Wildlife Photo

This photo was sent to me and is not one of my own.

Signature Pharmacy Stores For Sale

This one in Cambridge never swung their doors. As companies merge, the decision to not open stores and or close stores in the same Town is just remarkable. I was told the other day that Rite Aide has been trying to file Bankruptcy for some 10 years now. They owe too much money and their lenders refuse to allow them to file.

Wasn't there a big K-Mart across the street from this location that closed down years ago? One second you get the feeling Cambridge is coming back to life, then the next minute businesses are closing their doors. They've got a tough road ahead of them, especially with the real estate crunch, or should I finally use the word, RECESSION?

Readers Question

joe answer me this: what is going on at the old real estate building by leonards mill pond. tonight there was a bunch of fire truck up there again. this is the third time in about two weeks i've seen this. whats the scoop?

That building was purchased and is owned by Doug & Crystal Marshall of Marshall Auctions. GO HERE to see their Website.

I spoke with Doug a couple of weeks ago and he was telling me the Fire Department is doing some drywall testing there and training testing before they demo the building and completely renovate that location.

Doug is a great guy and Chrystal is just a sweetheart. It has been such a pleasure watching these guys grow and I see the next Mark Odachowski, (Royal Plus) in Doug. Be patient as I know great things are about to happen with that property.

94 Year Old Tennessee Man Killed, Has Hand Cut Off

MORRISTOWN, Tennessee A 94-year-old man was found fatally beaten early Monday in a thicket of bushes, his left hand cut off, and three people were arrested in what might have been a botched robbery, authorities said.

The Word Of The Year Is...

w00t. This hybrid of letters and numbers used by gamers as an exclamation of happiness or triumph best sums up the year that was 2007, according to Merriam-Webster, and is an ideal choice because it blends whimsy and new technology. "It shows a really interesting thing that's going on in language. It's a term that's arrived only because we're now communicating electronically with each other," John Morse, president of Merriam-Webster told The Associated Press.

In case you're wondering, you say (or type) "w00t" to express joy--either after a triumph or for no reason at all. It's quite similar to yelling out "yes!" Hardcore online gamers, who often substitute numbers and symbols for the letters they resemble, invented it and are no doubt yelling "w00t!" since this was named the word of the year. The word was also used in the 1990 movie "Pretty Woman" when hooker Julia Roberts startles her date and the upper crust crowd he hangs out with when she yells a hearty "Woot! Woot! Woot!" at a polo match.

Merriam-Webster's top 10 words of the year were chosen based on the frequency of searches in the online dictionary and the most frequently submitted items from users of its "open dictionary." In 2006, the top pick was "truthiness." Coined by Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" in October 2005, it means "truth that comes from the gut, not books." A few months later, the American Dialect Society gave it this definition: "The quality of preferring concepts or facts one wishes to be true, rather than concepts or facts known to be true." It's an unabashed dig at President Bush.

Top 10 Words of the Year, 2007:
1. W00t: An interjection that expresses joy, perhaps after a triumph or even for no reason at all.
2. Facebook: A social networking Web site. It can be used as a verb to mean uploading information to the site, as in "Have you facebooked those photos from the party?"
3. Conundrum: A question or problem having only a conjectural answer; an intricate and difficult problem.
4. Quixotic: Foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals; marked by rash lofty romantic ideas or extravagantly chivalrous action.
5. Blamestorm: Gathering in a group to discuss why a deadline was missed or a project failed and who is to blame or is responsible.
6. Sardoodledom: A mechanically contrived plot structure and stereotyped or unrealistic characterization in drama; staginess or melodrama.
7. Apathetic: Having or showing little or no feeling or emotion; spiritless or having little or no interest or concern; indifferent.
8. Pecksniffian: Unctuously hypocritical; pharisaical. It comes from the name of a character, Seth Pecksniff, in the novel "Martin Chuzzlewit" by Charles Dickens.
9. Hypocrite: A person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion; a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.
10. Charlatan: Quack; one making usually showy pretenses to knowledge or ability; fraud or faker.

Realtor President Can’t Sell His Own Home For 2-Years But They Are Asking The Public to Trust Them To Sell Yours?

If the former President of the National Association of Realtors cannot sell his own home in 2-years, what makes you think a rank and file member can sell your home?

Whats wrong with this picture is people think that their home is an investment with an ATM slot rather than a place to live.

The Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia used to be very popular because it was known as ‘The Land of Pleasant Living’ with really good deals on affordable real estate. Greed changed that between 2001 to 2006 when property values rose 400% to 500% and more in many places.

10-years ago I was accused of “price gouging” by local realtors for selling lots in Captains Cove on something called the Internet for $5,000 for a wooded lot up to a whopping $22,500.00 for a waterfront lot because the realtors were getting maybe 40% of those amounts due to their stone age marketing methods. Those properties peaked with increase over 1,200% (Twelve hunded percent) and have fallen to prices in the $30,000 to $250,000 range which is now ‘un-realistically low’ to quote some of the same “experts” who were last to get with innovation and will be the last to get off this sinking housing market ship.

The NAR (National Association of Realtors) like rust never sleeps with its propaganda machine that churns out BS as fast as Wisconsin cows produce milk. The NAR is protecting the broken system they have rammed down the collective throats of the American public that is broken and never really worked… the list, hold and defend a price method.

Here is a link to the latest from the arsenal of realtors in their relentless assault against the pocketbooks of the American public: http://www.housingmarketfacts.com/

The NAR is out to protect it’s members and their stranglehold on the $40 TRILLION dollar per year real estate market.

Talk about a broken method of marketing the former President of the NAR has been unable to sell his own home since 2006 because it is overpriced and he refuses to deal with reality of free market pricing.

http://www.zillow.com/Charts.htm?chartDuration=5years&testAds=false&zpid=51698101

http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/hotproperty/archives/2007/11/guess_who_cant.html

Here is a link to a website that tracks property values in his area showing property values are down about 47% yet realtors are still selling a pack of lies to the American public about their broken method: http://novabubblefallout.blogspot.com/

Money is power and the NAR has a small army who lobby all 50 States and on the hill to write laws so that consumers must use their members. In doing so over the past 50-years they have created an illegal monopoly that requires one to bow down and kiss the ring of the almighty realtors association or you do not have access to the sacred database of the MLS.

The American public in recent surveys has rated realtors as the “profession” held in lowest regard and the average person thinks the plaid suited used car salesman of the 1970’s has more ethics than a modern realtor. It’s not just me who does not think very highly of the organization that people who want to sell real estate are FORCED to join.

Did you know that its illegal in most states for a real estate agent to tell you what the amount of the last bid or offer on a house was? Did you know that its illegal to tell a prospective buyer WHY someone is selling their home?

If you deal with a realtor you can look forward to ’secret negotiations’ with one-on-one haggling using 30 to 50 page contracts, subject to and contingent upon this, that or the otehr thing. The laws passed by the NAR to “help” consumers have taken an easy task of choosing something you like or can afford into a major negotiation process.

This is in a society that really does not know how to negotiate, for instance when was the last time you asked for a discount on milk or bread at the supermarket?

A free market allows the people with the money who want to buy a product or service to set the price, the stock exchanges for businesses, the commodity exchanges for fuel, metal, meat and the like yet real estate which transacts about $40 Trillion dollars per year in the US is a kluge of one off, back room private negotiations.

The US Real estate market is controlled by the largest trade organization in the world the NAR which is sometimes called the Chicago real estate mob because of its headquarters location. The United States Dept of Justice has been prosecuting this group for years here is a link to its open cases: http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/nar.htm

Dynamic pricing or auctioneering is the wave of the future!
How would you like to bid on property where everything has been disclosed in advance, home inspection reports, seller disclosures, termite reports, survey, appraisal etc and all you have to do is get prequalified and bid what you are willing to pay?

Simple - open - easy & transparent

THE METHOD REALTORS HAVE FORCED PEOPLE INTO BELIEVING IS THE BEST AND ONLY WAY TO BUY & SELL REAL ESTATE IS BROKEN AND CANNOT BE FIXED!

As Posted on http://www.pocomoketattler.com/?p=222

A Good Question Worth Answering

"Joe as a avid reader of your blog I have somewhere missed why you have such an issue with certain fire departments. Now with Salisbury FD I can understand to some extent because they have two idiots running that place, but not everyone that works there are bad people and all these posts you get from firefighters are probably the same ones every time and you are smart enough to know that.

As far as Hebron goes do you dislike them because of that accident in which one person in that fire department made a mistake. Granted there are other issues within that FD but you can't hold it against everyone there, there are truly people who care about the community and want to help and have no choice but to deal with the people that have been running the company for years, it takes a long time to throw over all those people.

Then there is Delmar the town in which you yourself live in, I know that Wayne Barrall can be a little difficult, but then again why take it out on the whole department. I myself am a volunteer in one of these little towns that really gets no real mention because we don't have enough calls to be worth mentioning we get our moment of glory sometimes. But if I am totally off base with my reasons please let me know maybe for all of us that enjoy your blog most of time you can write a little something up for us explaining what the deal is with all this negativity."

I think your question is very fair. We'll start with Salisbury. I have an issue with a select few Fire Fighters there as well as a select few leaders. I have the utmost respect for the majority of professional there and they know it. The ones that don't, they're the ones that need to be removed, (IMO) and ultimately will be weeded out over time anyway. Right now the SFD is extremely desperate because they are relocating and no one really wants to go there.

The funny part about many of those people who hate the idea of relocating to the new Station are actually going there because it's against what Joe Albero believes. ROTFLMAO! So the ONLY ones that will suffer is them. Now that to me is extremely funny!

If you look closely at the photo above, why do you think there is one group standing in one area and a single individual Fire Fighter alone and away fromm that crowd? I have more from that same day where they were seperated in each and every photo. Yeah, I have some REAL issues with Salisbury.

As for Hebron, YES, I have a major issue with the accident that is still being COVERED UP. A woman lost her life over the stupidity of one, yet that driver has a track record and reputation of driving like a nut job and nothing was done about it. Then there's the wanna be Chief. You remember, the guy who claimed he was the Chief and he LIED. The rumors of the alleged drinking and showing up to fires is yet another problem I have with that Station. Once again, many are punished for a select few.

As for Delmar, the only person I have a problem with there is Wayne Barrall. However, Wayne is everywhere, including the Western Shore. Wayne's Idiotic view of the "N" Word clearly shows just how ignorant that pansy ass is. I have yet to meet a single bad person from Delmar other than Wayne. They have ALWAYS been professional and I have only questioned why there are so many Fire Departments at small fires that to me seem to be overkill.

The excuse that comes back is that, (more or less) that's the Industry Standard to over do it at each and every fire, JUST IN CASE.

Now, does that reflect on Delmar? Nope, it reflects on everyone. I disagree with things like going all the way to Cambridge and three Fire Departments for an 800 sq. ft. home with a small kitchen fire, DON'T YOU??????

All that being said, do I respect what these people do? Absolutely. I have stated what I disagree with and when you think deep enough about it, it's MY OPINION. The idea that a select group of Fire Fighters are so worried and concerned about Joe Albero's opinion, well, maybe I should be running the entire Eastern Shore and everyone should do as Joe Albero says? You know, a mini Joe God. LOL

Come on now. These people need to get a grip and realize that this is a Blog and it is opinionated by me. That being said, YOU have the right to your opinion as well and I welcome that. I have proven that when Fire Fighters speak, I publish it, even if their comments are nasty. I don't like the idea of a Fire Boat for $400,000.00 or $800,000.00. If you don't like the fact that I disagree, those people shouldn't return, right? Instead, they come on here as if what I say is the final decision. It's an opinion.

This goes for See, Gordy, Barrie Tilghman & Chief Webster. IT'S MY OPINION! At the end of the day, don't you think Webster, Tilghman, Gordy & See goes home and says, boy, that Albero is a real a$$hole! Should I sue them for that, like some of them are attempting to do to me? NO! They have the right to their opinion and that's just something I'll have to live with.

So my advice is, roll it off your back. If you don't like what I have to say, don't return. If it offends you, don't return. Heck, if it bothers you that bad, start your own Blog and see if people are willing to listen.

My guess is that there are a hand full of people in each Station that have a problem with me. There are a hand full of bad apples in any business their size. It comes with the territory, as they say. In the mean time, I respect every Fire Fighter out there, just as I do the Police. I do NOT respect, (nor do I have to) the leaders locally, especially in Salisbury and Hebron.

So Sue Me!

GoodFella's Opens In Pittsville

With all the talk about this new business opening up I thought I'd go there and check it out. I must say, compared to the other Mexican Food business that was there before these guys, the place is much cleaner and bright.

However, what stands out the most about this business is, IT'S COLD! They have a fireplace in the middle of the restaurant but it's nowhere near good enough to keep the place warm. If I were in there today I'd have to ask for my meal to go and eat it in the car where it would be much warmer.

The pricing seemed to be normal and so did the portions. I had a Steak & Cheese Sub. Rather than ordering the regular size, I watched two of my friends order theirs regular, so I ordered the large to see how much extra meat I'd get. NOT! Didn't happen. What I got for the extra money was a lot of bread at the ends of my roll. So bigger is NOT better in GoodFella's. The Fries were bitchin!

At one point when I looked into the cup I had ordered with soda in it I could clearly see a hair in my soda, YUK! These things happen and they immediately brought me a new soda and by the way, they have free refills.

The Sub was OK. I was hoping this would be a place where I'd be saying, man, these subs are LOADED. Just wasn't the case. I think it's a fine place to eat and a fantastic option over Dave White's Pittsville Grease Pit Diner.

I will go back to GoodFella's again and try something more Italian the next go around and let you know what I think. They also need to do something with their parking lot. They need to mark the parking spots because once more people realize they've finally opened they're going to get busy and the parking is going to be a problem.