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Saturday, August 01, 2009

Sailor Charged With Murder Commits Suicide

Connected to fatal shooting of gay sailor at Camp Pendleton

SAN DIEGO
- A sailor charged with murder who committed suicide in the brig at Camp Pendleton asphyxiated himself by stuffing toilet paper in his mouth, according to a U.S. Navy spokesman.

Petty Officer Jonathan Campos was found unresponsive in his cell about 12:20 p.m. Friday, said Navy spokesman Doug Sayers. He was rushed to the base hospital where he was pronounced dead about an hour later.

"He was intent on committing suicide and stuffed toilet paper into his mouth until he asphyxiated," Sayers said.

GO HERE to read more from MSNBC.

$100.00 Buys My Baby

A Philadelphia dad, desperate to feed his drug habit, tried to sell his baby girl, according to police sources and neighbors.

"He's telling me like can you take my baby I'm only asking for a hundred dollars and I was like, 'Are you serious,'" said Katie O'Kefe, one of four people approached by the dad Friday morning in Frankford.

GO HERE to read more.

Will MLB Commissioner Selig Reinstate Pete Rose?

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy



How Do YOU Feel About It?

Gunman Kills 2 At Gay Club In Tel Aviv

Six badly hurt in what police say is most likely ‘not a terror attack’

JERUSALEM
- Israeli rescue services say two people were killed and at least 12 more were injured when a gunman opened fire at a gay club in central Tel Aviv.

Rescue services said six of the wounded were badly hurt.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said late Saturday that it was "most likely a criminal attack and not a terror attack."

GO HERE to read more.

AND NOW, HERE’S A MESSAGE FROM REP. KRATOVIL


Pushing the health care vote to September means that my Blue Dog colleagues and I have been successful in ensuring that our colleagues and constituents will have the appropriate amount of time to consider, review and assess any health care reform legislation before voting on it. Members of Congress may continue to disagree on the merits of the legislation but any reasonable person should be able to admit that getting this done right is more important that getting it done quickly based on artificial timetables.

Our health care system in need of some reform, but the current legislation falls short on three fronts, coverage, cost and rural access. After decades of debate, we now have a chance to craft reform that puts us on path toward fiscal stability and middle class prosperity. That means that Congress has a responsibility both to this generation and future generations to get it right. Slowing down the process is the best way to achieve this.

Rep. Frank Kratovil

HISTORICAL COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER



WHEELOCK CHINA

These items go back to around 1910 and were purchased for a birthday or at Christmas time as a present for someone’s mother, grandmother, aunt, sister or favored significant other. The information I have learned about them presented me with some interesting facts. The company that made them was The Wheelock Co. They had two factories, one in Germany and one in Austria. As you can see by the picture of the underside of the little reticulated 2 ¾” x 2 1/4 “ dish, the stamp clearly states the it was “Germany Made for McCroreys 5 & 10c Store Salisbury Md.” The picture on the front is of the old Wicomico High School and is in color. Everything I have seen from their German facility had the picture in color. Everything from Austria is black on white.

I first became entranced by Wheelock China at a post card show. One of the dealers had brought a plate for sale because it had images of five scenes around Salisbury. I recognized them as the same pictures that were used on post cards, so I bought it. Since most of the post cards of the era were printed in Germany, this intrigued me. The plate was of the Austrian variety and I have since found another like it, the only difference being the gilding around the edge of the plate.

The peanut dish pictured above is from the Austrian factory. It has the Wicomico County Court House pictured on it. The toothpick holder with its color picture of the Masonic Building is from the German factory. I have since found several other items sold by Wheelock through McCrory’s in Salisbury. They all have the stamp on the reverse that identifies them as having been destined for the Salisbury, Md. store. No mention is made in the address of “U.S.A.”

They had to have been made between 1905 and 1915. The Wicomico High School was built in 1905 so images of it before then would have been impossible. World War I prevented anything from coming out of Europe after 1915 so the items would have had to be shipped before that date.

Getting back to the dime store that sold them, Wheelock identified them as McCroreys. The 1907 Salisbury City Directory has them listed as McCorley’s. Both are incorrect. The correct name of the store was McCrory’s. It lasted on Main St. until the 1960’s. Their original store was at 215 W. Main St. Their next move was to 728 S. Salisbury Blvd. until the Salisbury Mall opened and they had store #4 there.

While I am sure many of you remember one of the McCrory stores, we don’t remember Wheelock china and the joy it brought to some Mother on her birthday or at Christmas time. At the time, most pieces would have retailed for less than a dollar, with the plates selling for a little more. They fall in the class of “souvenir ware” now, but they are telling a story of Salisbury and history.

Caption This Photo

Rear View Mirror

Burma Shave

For those who never saw any of the Burma Shave signs, here is a quick lesson in our history of the 1930's and '40's. Before there were interstates, when everyone drove the old 2 lane roads, Burma Shave signs would be posted all over the countryside in farmers' fields.

They were small red signs with white letters. Five signs, about 100 feet apart, each containing 1 line of a 4 line couplet......and the obligatory 5th sign advertising Burma Shave, a popular shaving cream.

Here are more of the actual signs:


DON'T STICK YOUR ELBOW
OUT SO FAR
IT MAY GO HOME
IN ANOTHER CAR.
BURMA SHAVE

TRAINS DON'T WANDER
ALL OVER THE MAP
'CAUSE NOBODY SITS
IN THE ENGINEER'S LAP
Burma Shave

SHE KISSED THE HAIRBRUSH
BY MISTAKE
SHE THOUGHT IT WAS
HER HUSBAND JAKE
Burma Shave

DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD
TO GAIN A MINUTE
YOU NEED YOUR HEAD
YOUR BRAINS ARE IN IT
Burma Shave

DROVE TOO LONG
DRIVER SNOOZING
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
IS NOT AMUSING
Burma Shave

BROTHER SPEEDER
LET'S REHEARSE
ALL TOGETHER
GOOD MORNING, NURSE
Burma Shave

CAUTIOUS RIDER
TO HER RECKLESS DEAR
LET'S HAVE LESS BULL
AND A LITTLE MORE STEERR>Burma Shave

SPEED WAS HIGH
WEATHER WAS NOT
TIRES WERE THIN
X MARKS THE SPOT
Burma Shave

THE MIDNIGHT RIDE
OF PAUL FOR BEER
LED TO A WARMER
HEMISPHERE
Burma Shave

AROUND THE CURVE
LICKETY-SPLIT
BEAUTIFUL CAR
WASN'T IT?
Burma Shave

NO MATTER THE PRICE
NO MATTER HOW NEW
THE BEST SAFETY DEVICE
IN THE CAR IS YOU
Burma Shave

A GUY WHO DRIVES
A CAR WIDE OPEN
IS NOT THINKIN'
HE'S JUST HOPIN'
Burma Shave

AT INTERSECTIONS
LOOK EACH WAY
A HARP SOUNDS NICE
BUT IT'S HARD TO PLAY
Burma Shave

BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL
EYES ON THE ROAD
THAT'S THE SKILLFUL
DRIVER'S CODE
Burma Shave

THE ONE WHO DRIVES
WHEN HE'S BEEN DRINKING
DEPENDS ON YOU
TO DO HIS THINKING
Burma Shave

CAR IN DITCH
DRIVER IN TREE
THE MOON WAS FULL
AND SO WAS HE.
Burma Shave

PASSING SCHOOL ZONE
TAKE IT SLOW
LET OUR LITTLE
SHAVERS GROW
Burma Shave


Do these bring back any old memories?
If not, you're merely a child.

Fund Transfers

Fund transfers are a part of operating school systems in Maryland. The schools operate on a financing system based on prior year enrollments, estimates, and trend lines. Funding is determined by State Statute, Federal Funding, and local County allocations.

Budgeting the money is based on required coding of revenues and expenditures in 15 distinct categories (compared to the typical three categories for a typical county department) and dozens of detail sub-groupings. Detail note - the Board of Education is a separate body politic, created by State legislation, funded in part by county taxes and reporting directly to the Maryland State Department of Education and the United States Department of Education.

As the year progresses, things change and we report all the changes as they occur. This means that if substitute employees cost a few percent more than estimated or fuel costs a little less, we need to make transfers. This means that if the funding originally planned for “regular” employees services is now required to be provided through “contracted” employees, we need to make transfers. Transfers do not increase overall expenditures; they adjust the same number of dollars to fit changes in operations and regulations.

The WCBOE has consistently taken an assertive position on protecting the bottom line over expending every line item completely. If a school system were not provided the flexibility to transfer funds between categories, as provided by in law, we would be forced to increase many line item budgets, if not all of them, to cover every possible scenario that might occur. This type of budgeting would result in inflated balances.

Instead, we develop budgets based upon projected need fine-tuned by using historical data to support our requests. We secure contract discounts through every means available, negotiate beneficial terms wherever possible, and aggressively manage our accounts payable to capture payment discounts offered. This method of budgeting saves the school system money.

When these funds have been saved, we have agreed with the County Council that part of the savings ($300,000) must be maintained to support WCBOE’s subsequent year’s budget and any remaining balance be transferred to a School Construction Savings Fund for WCBOE major capital projects to maintain or improve facilities. These projects have been reviewed by appropriate committees and are on a schedule for completion.