Climate Change

“As an animal lover, I think it's great when the Humane Society of Washington County informs the community that it is in need of supplies. It gives all of us a chance to open our hearts and give to the animals in need at our local shelter.” - Clear Spring “I'm calling about the bridge work that is being done on Resley Road in Hancock, and I think the county commissioners had better take a clearer look at the dangerous spot...

The time to respect the environment is now To the editor: There’s no excuse for willful ignorance. Yet, this blissful state is all too commonly practiced by many of our local citizens in Washington County and around the nation. Practitioners include those who continue to deny the unmistakable evidence that our climate systems are changing because of human interaction with the natural world.  As an article in the April 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine points out, ocean acidification provides key evidence for us to heed.

Porn and prayer. What a conflicted week for the University of Maryland. First came porn. A campus showing of a Triple X movie was temporarily canceled after a Maryland state senator threatened to punish the state's flagship university by cutting school funding. Next came prayer. The University Senate, citing sensitivity issues, voted to eliminate the invocation from graduation ceremonies. So what if, like me, you are in favor of both? Does that make you a porn again Christian?

Allegheny Energy shareholders next month will vote on a proposal aimed at making the utility provide information about greenhouse gas emissions. cont. from front page The proposal, which will be taken up at the company's annual shareholders meeting May 11, would instruct the board of directors to report on the company's greenhouse gas emissions and say what it is doing to reduce them. Shareholders can vote on the measure by telephone, mail or over the Internet. The proposal asks the company to detail what actions it or industry groups it supports are taking to promote the view that global warning is not real or exaggerated.

Editor's note: The Herald-Mail invites readers to answer poll questions on www.herald-mail.com. Readers also may submit comments when voting. A sampling of edited reader comments will run on The Herald-Mail's Opinion page on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. The question posted Friday was: Do you believe President Obama was correct in saying the will of nations to address climate change hangs in the balance? Poll results: Yes - 215 votes (30.1 percent) No - 499 votes (69.9 percent)

As part of this month's coverage of the Nov. 4 election for Maryland's 6th District seat in Congress, The Herald-Mail asked the three candidates to respond in up to 100 words to a few questions about issues. Last week, the candidates talked about immigration. This week's question is: How should the federal government react to global warming? U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, Republican: There are many people and organizations concerned about climate change. Others focus on reducing the threat to our economy and national security from dependence upon imported oil. Many worry about the impact of fossil fuels on our environment.

To the editor: This letter is in response to Robert Gary's opinion Dec. 30, "Pawns willing to do bidding of Big Oil" and Hans K. Buhrer's letter of Dec. 30, "Ignoring or twisting the facts won't solve problem. " Since both men mentioned Al Gore, I am under the assumption that both have seen, and base their opinion on the movie "An Inconvenient Truth. " Yes, Al Gore received a Nobel Peace Prize for his movie, but did anyone know that the same organization also awarded Yasser Arafat the same Nobel Peace Prize?

Laura Bell, 15, will be a sophomore at North Hagerstown High School. She's found that families aren't so bad, once everybody relaxes on a beach vacation. Shoval Resnick (not pictured) is 17 and will be a senior at South Hagerstown High School. She likes science and fantasy stories, but she also likes to know which is which. Danielle Higgins, 16, will be a senior at South Hagerstown High School. She believes that reading Harry Potter books is better than watching Harry Potter movies.