today’s news, information and opinion gleanings from here and there! 

• Today’s Weather! 
• Today in History!
• Traffic Cam Rts. 30 & 441
• The Official Time! – Population Clock (U.S. and World)

Quote for today… “It’s the democratization of information. One video can offset millions of dollars in campaign ads. The Internet is now the great equalizer — videos can go viral and be seen by millions of people for free.” – Darrell West, director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution in Washington, commenting on Presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s 47% quote.

• Introducing the Our Lady of the Angels student council – click on the above photo to enlarge it.

• Either there is a problem with the tests; the testing process or we’ve got big problems looming in Lancaster County schools. – “The number of Lancaster County schools meeting state academic standards fell drastically in 2012 as a result of increased benchmarks. According to PSSA test results released today, only 51 of 116 public schools — 44 percent — in the county made “adequate yearly progress.” – LancasterOnLine

• “An elderly Columbia man was caught driving drunk — again — after his car became stuck on top of a sidewalk, police allege. It was at least the fifth DUI charge for 84-year-old Billy Gene Harris … ” – LancasterOnLine

• Right: think GM, think Lehman Brothers; think Greenspan! “Analyst … tells midstate business leaders ‘America is too big to fail'” – Harrisburg Patriot-News

• “Vegetarianism Needed to Stem Drought-Related Food Crisis, Scientists Say” – ProCon

• “Biden vs. Ryan on 30 Issues” – ProCon

• L-L football weekend previews: “Columbia (1-2) at Berks Catholic (3-0): Johnny Bosley, Dashawn McIlwain and the Crimson Tide look to make a case for the defense against a Saints squad that has outscored opponents 136-57.” – Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era – “Tide limps into Reading coming off back-to-back losses, including a 40-6 setback to District 3 power Trinity last week. Berks Catholic is in cruise control at 3-0, and the Saints’ offense has been a handful: Berks Catholic has scored at least 40 points in all of its games, and is averaging 45.3 points per game. That’s not exactly what Columbia was hoping to hear. Sorry.” – Jeff Reinhart’s Lancaster-Lebanon League enews

• Letters to the editors in today’s Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era

• Global “Frackdown” tomorrow – Globalfrackdown Website

• “Zero tolerence” at Eastern High School draws disapproval – York Daily Record

• Lowlife throws a dog from a moving vehicle in Hellam Township – York Daily Record

• Great thought: “Central Dauphin School District citizens group urges taxpayers to get involved” – Harrisburg Patriot-News

• Farm Aid stars come to Hershey – Harrisburg Patriot-News

• Living the dream: “A 68-year-old Dauphin County man is accused of attempting to steal a package of “male enhancement pills” and a bottle of eye drops Thursday morning.”

• Well said, Jack! This is borrowed from Jack Brubaker’s “The Scribbler” column in today’s Lancaster Intelligencer-Journal/New Era while evaluating the highest points in Lancaster County: “And Turkey Hill, overlooking the Susquehanna in Manor Township, for the most spectacular panorama, even though the hill has been mucked up with mounds of trash and dirt and fences and windmills.”

• Be advised – it could happen: “A widespread telephone prank admonishing people for missing jury duty apparently hasn’t shown up in Lancaster County.” – Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era