Talbot Today

Craigslist is a great service but if you deal with people you aren’t meeting face to face you risk getting scammed. Craigslist is a great resource for selling things, finding apartments, locating services and meeting people. Most of the time transactions go smoothly and both seller and buyer are satisfied with the Craigslist experience.

Danger awaits the unwary buyer or seller on Craigslist. Most these scams follow the same pattern you see on eBay and other online auction sites. Try posting that you have a piece of jewelry or some other easily-mailed valuable item for sale and the first response you get will probably be someone trying scam you.

More from PC Mag & Fraudguides
If you are selling any items on craigslist, and you believe you have received a fake check, please take a look here to see how you can verify that for sure and what to do:

Posted on March 28th, 2012 by hungryfish
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As Google continues to adjust  the integration of more authoritative search results based on social content, businesses wishing to compete with the first page search results will need to seriously consider how to integrate Google+ into their internet marketing strategies.

The integration of social search data is nothing new for Google, but with the release of Google’s new Search Plus Your World (SPYW and also known as Search+) search engine experts and journalists have been raising alarms over privacy and search relevance. Are there new factors for businesses to take into account now that Search+ has become the default search setting for Google?

“Local SEO may take the biggest hit with Google’s Search+, as personal results take up the top search spots, crowding out local results in some tests. This means that businesses that rely on local search results need to build local connections on Google+ in order to remain on the radar of Search+ results.”

By Guest Writer Lior Levin on behalf of Pandia Search news

What We Already Know about Google and Google Plus

Google+ has been an important part of helping content rank higher in a Google search long before the controversy over Search+. According to Danny Sullivan at Search Engine Land, “Social Search results have, since October 2009, allowed content from people you know to rank higher, if you’re logged in.”

With the rising popularity of Google+, a presence on Google+ can help you rank higher in search results. If customers A and B are friends, but only customer B is following you on Google+, you could appear higher in customer A’s search results because of your common connection with customer B.

Sullivan adds in his article, “Google has previously said that gaining +1s can help improve your ranking for those who have directly +1ed your content, as well as for those they are connected to. In addition, it can show even those who aren’t connected or using +1 an overall count for your page, should it appear for them naturally.” This integration of social search …..MORE

Pandia Search news

Posted on January 31st, 2012 by hungryfish
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Thanks to Clay and everyone at Talbot CountyDES for continuing these important updates.

At 9:29 am we are starting to see some of the first rain bands and a good steady wind out of the north.

Hurricane Irene Advisory Update – August 27, 2011

by Talbot County Emergency Services (DES)
 Threat – Talbot County
remains under a Hurricane Warning and a Flood Watch from this afternoon through

Sunday. Hurricane Irene continues to be a threat to Talbot County and this

region for this afternoon into Sunday morning with winds of 40-50 mph, wind gusts up to

65 mph and up to 6-10 inches of rain with moderate tidal flooding.  *A Hurricane Warningis an announcement that hurricane conditions (sustained winds over 74 mph) are expected

within the specified area within 36 hours and a Flood Watchmeans

there is a potential for flooding based on current forecasts.

Forcast storm Track for Saturday through Monday by NHC.

 
Public Recommendations -

Use the next few hours to complete preparations for a possible Category 1

hurricane moving into our area. Talbot County has initiated an evacuation of

all areas west of the Oak Creek Bridge on Md. Route 33, Oxford, and low lying

areas prone to flooding from the effects of a Category 1 Hurricane. Consider

staying with friends or relatives, and if needed a Shelter is open at the

Easton High School located at 720 Mecklenburg Avenue in Easton.
 
Individuals who decide to remain in their homes should

ensure they have provisions to last 48 to 72 hours without electricity or

assistance. A full range of preparedness recommendations can be found at www.ready.gov the www.talbotdes.org

web sites, by calling 410-770-8160, or by stopping by the Operations Center

located at 605 Port Street in Easton.
 
Forecast Remarks –

Hurricane Irene remains a strong storm and is rapidly approaching the east coast of the

United States.  It is currently located 35 miles south of Cape Look Out

North Carolina and 95 miles southwest of Cape Hatteras North Carolina and is

moving north at 14 MPH.   A Hurricane Warning has been issued from

Little River Inlet North Carolina northward to Sagamore Beach Massachusetts

including the Chesapeake Bay as far north as Drum Point. Further watches and

warning will be issued as needed.  Heavy rain and tropical storm force

winds are forecast for our area later this afternoon through Sunday

morning.  The first bands of rain appear to be moving into the area in the

next few hours according to radar.  Rain totals are expected to reach 6 to

10 inches.
 
Regional Coordination

– Agencies/Organizations should be completing actions at this time to prepare

for the forecasted storm… EOC meetings continue regularly with a current

activation to level 3.  A full activation will take place as the storm

approaches the region later today.
 
Winds and Tides – NWS

Marine Forecast –  TODAY Tropical Storm conditions

expected  NE winds 20-25 knots with gusts to 30 knots…increasing to

25-35 knots in the afternoon. Waves building to 4 feet…TONIGHT…North

winds 40 to 50 knots with gusts up to 70 knots. Waves 6 feet Tropical

Storm conditions expected.  SUNDAY…Northwest wind 25 to 35 knots

with gusts to 50 knots, diminishing to 25 to 30 knots with gusts to 40 in the

afternoon. Waves 3 feet subsiding to 2 feet in the afternoon Tides:  High

Tide at Easton Point, TODAY 2:44 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. SUNDAY 3:30

a.m. and 3:52 p.m. MONDAY 4:15 a.m. and 4:44 p.m. Oxford TODAY

2:38 a.m. and 2:54 p.m. SUNDAY 3:24 a.m. and 3:46 p.m. MONDAY

4:09 a.m. and 4:38 p.m. St. Michaels TODAY 2:44 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. SUNDAY

3:30 a.m. and 3:52 p.m. MONDAY 4:15 a.m. and 4:44 p.m.
 
Local Sheltering Issues

–  A local shelter is now OPEN at Easton High School located

at 720 Mecklenburg Avenue, Easton, MD
 
Local Evacuation Issues

– Talbot County has initiated an evacuation of all areas west of the Oak Creek

Bridge on Md. Route 33, Oxford, and low lying areas prone to flooding from the

effects of a Category 1 Hurricane…  Evacuations should be completed by

noon today if at all possible.  All jurisdictions on Maryland Eastern

Shore have initiated evacuations at this time.

Posted on August 27th, 2011 by hungryfish
Filed under: General | No Comments »

by Frank Roylance
http://weblogs.marylandweather.com/

Hurricane Irene is continuing its march toward the East Coast. The Category 3 storm strengthened Wednesday, and its top sustained winds are near 115 miles per hour, and even more power is expected today and tonight, the National Weather Service said in an advisory this morning.

Right now, the storm’s hurricane-force winds extend 70 miles from the center, the NWS said, and the tropical storm-force winds swell out 255 miles.

As the storm moves over the Bahamas, it’s expected to drop 6 to 12 inches of rain in addition to its life-threatening rip currents and waves, the NWS said.

But for Maryland, wind may not be our biggest worry as Irene approaches. Forecast models are predicting a potential for tremendous rain as the storm moves up the coast – as much as 11 or 12 inches of rain is predicted to fall this weekend just off the coast. It would take only a slight shift in the storm track to bring that kind of rain onshore.

And even if the computer’s prediction proves accurate, the rain totals forecast for the Delmarva Peninsula still come in at 8 or 9 inches. And for the Western Shore, totals come to 4 to 5 inches.

For all of us here in Talbot County, there are resourses to keep us aware of the situation as it becomes more intense. We Will all try to keep the very latest information on this very strong storm.

 Here’s a preparedness guide from the Maryland Emergency Management Agency.

Mr.Clay Stamp, Director of Emergency Services for Talbot County has a rather good Facebook page that’s constantly updated.

Delmarva Power Outage Map

Storm Pulse Tracking

National Hurricane Center

Posted on August 25th, 2011 by hungryfish
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Art Judge

Maureen Bannon, a seasoned artist and judge from Stevensville, chose “A Homeless Patriot in Washington D.C.,” by Haylee Scarborough of Millersville on April 29 to represent Maryland’s First Congressional District in the 2011 Congressional Art Competition.

By SHAUNA THOMPSON Staff Writer The Star Democrat
CHESTER Maureen Bannon of Stevensville received the honor of choosing one piece of student art to represent Maryland’s Congressional 1st District in the national Congressional Art Competition, judged on April 29 at the Kent Island District office of U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md.-1st.

Bannon was the perfect nonbiased judge for Maryland’s 1st as no artwork from her hometown, Kent Island, or the entire Eastern Shore was submitted.

She chose “A Homeless Patriot in Washington D.C.,” a watercolor painting by Haylee Scarborough of Rockbridge Academy in Millersville.

An accomplished painter, photographer and workshop leader in the Baltimore-Washington area, Bannon said she was impressed with the artist’s positioning of the subject, a homeless person wrapped in an American flag, between two different sized cars.

“I look for horizontals and verticals. She connected the horizontals and verticals,” said Bannon. “It’s beautifully executed. The artist draws the viewer into the piece.”

Scarborough will attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony this month before her painting is installed along with artwork from, potentially 434, other congressional districts across the country. The student exhibition will hang in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., for the next year.

Haylee is the daughter of Vince and Virginia Scarborough of Millersville.

The contest is sponsored by the members of the U.S. House of Representatives and is open to high school students, grades nine through 12 with some exceptions made for students attending schools with non-standard structures. It is intended to provide an opportunity for members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents, say administrators. Since its conception in 1982, over 650,000 high school students have been involved with the nationwide competition.

High school art teachers are encouraged to note this program on their calendar for 2012.

For more information, go to www.house.gov/house/ArtGuidelines.shtml.

Posted on May 5th, 2011 by hungryfish
Filed under: General | No Comments »