Rep. Harris’ Statement On The State Of The Union Address

Washington, DC – Rep. Andy Harris tonight released the following statement in response to the President’s State of the Union address to the United States Congress:

“I stand ready to work with President Obama to address the nation’s most pressing issues such as the economy, job creation and government spending. It is apparent that November’s elections have changed the course of his Presidency. The President’s new attention to jobs and fiscal discipline is the right approach, but I hope this is not just a head fake, and that his actions over the next few months will match his rhetoric. The previous Congress talked about creating an environment for long-term job growth, but relied too heavily on government programs, and failed to deliver.”

“In the first month of the 112^th Congress, I have already voted to cut trillions of dollars of reckless spending from the budget. With the passage of H.R. 2 alone – the repeal of Obamacare – we cut $2.6 trillion in new spending and reduced future deficits by $700 billion.”

“The House has also led by example; we’ve made spending cuts to our own budgets. One of our first votes was to cut our own budgets by 5 percent, a cut which saved the taxpayers $35 million each year. In addition, we changed the House rules to make it more difficult to spend and easier to lower taxes on Maryland’s middle-class families.

“Again, I stand ready to work with President Obama and Democrats in Congress on real solutions to economic growth, job creation and government spending.”

State Of The Union: Full Text Of The Speech

WASHINGTON — Here is the transcript of President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address to Congress, as prepared for delivery on Tuesday night:

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:

Tonight I want to begin by congratulating the men and women of the 112th Congress, as well as your new Speaker, John Boehner. And as we mark this occasion, we are also mindful of the empty chair in this Chamber, and pray for the health of our colleague — and our friend — Gabby Giffords.

It's no secret that those of us here tonight have had our differences over the last two years. The debates have been contentious; we have fought fiercely for our beliefs. And that's a good thing. That's what a robust democracy demands. That's what helps set us apart as a nation.

But there's a reason the tragedy in Tucson gave us pause. Amid all the noise and passions and rancor of our public debate, Tucson reminded us that no matter who we are or where we come from, each of us is a part of something greater - something more consequential than party or political preference.

We are part of the American family. We believe that in a country where every race and faith and point of view can be found, we are still bound together as one people; that we share common hopes and a common creed; that the dreams of a little girl in Tucson are not so different than those of our own children, and that they all deserve the chance to be fulfilled.

That, too, is what sets us apart as a nation.

 

Now, by itself, this simple recognition won't usher in a new era of cooperation. What comes of this moment is up to us. What comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight, but whether we can work together tomorrow.

 

I believe we can. I believe we must. That's what the people who sent us here expect of us. With their votes, they've determined that governing will now be a shared responsibility between parties. New laws will only pass with support from Democrats and Republicans. We will move forward together, or not at all — for the challenges we face are bigger than party, and bigger than politics.

GO HERE to read the rest.

Republicans Downplay Bachmann’s State Of The Union Response

Minnesota GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann will deliver a tea party response to President Obama's State of the Union address tonight, but Republican leaders are tamping down talk that her speech directly competes with the official GOP response. And indeed, Bachmann herself stresses the same point, even as she prepares to deliver what observers anticipate will be a stinging rejoinder to Obama's speech.

The opposition party traditionally delivers a speech following the president's address. GOP leaders selected Republican Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.) to offer this year's official Republican response. But the Tea Party Express, a national small-government group, asked Bachmann to deliver a separate tea party response via its website.

The two speeches have stirred talk that Bachmann is challenging the GOP establishment. But Bachmann and her party insist that's not the case. "I'm just reacting to what President Obama is saying, to the Tea Party Express group," Bachmann told reporters at the Minnesota Capitol Monday. "It's not meant to be in competition in any way. Paul Ryan is the official GOP response, and he'll do a wonderful job."


Republicans in Congress say that Bachmann's speech will be no different from the public statements offered by any federal lawmaker who chooses to offer a response.

GO HERE to read more.

Reid Dismisses Obama's Call For Ban On Earmarks

WASHINGTON – Barack Obama's top ally in the Senate Tuesday brusquely rejected the president's call for a ban on the practice of stuffing home state projects known as earmarks into spending bills.

Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the president "has enough power already" and that Obama's reported embrace Tuesday night of an earmark ban promoted by Republicans is just a "lot of pretty talk."

Reid made his remarks at a news conference in which he otherwise praised Obama in advance of Tuesday's State of the Union address.

GO HERE to read more.

FEMA Preparing For Natural Disaster In Central U.S.?

It seems that FEMA is preparing for another earthquake - a  catastrophic disaster event within the New Madrid Fault System for a survivor population of 7M to be utilized for the sustainment of life during a 10-day period of operations.

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=eaea338540a0aea155a48a650a077352&tab=core&_cview=0 

Where  is the New Madrid Fault?

The last time it happened the Mississippi River ran backwards.

What do they know that we don't? Hmmm.

When Obama Talks Like Reagan, Remember Mark Rudd's Warning Words

It is clear that President Barack Obama is going to move his rhetoric to the center, even to the right, as he positions himself for 2012. After all he can hardly talk further left can he?

But as the beguiling one talks like Ronald Reagan, we should all keep an eye on his actions. 

We should also remember this analysis from former Weather Underground terrorist Mark Rudd, written just after the 2008 elections;

Obama is a very strategic thinker. He knew precisely what it would take to get elected and didn't blow it. He used community organizing methods to mobilize a base consisting of many people who had never voted before or who regularly don't vote....But he also knew that what he said had to basically play to the center to not be run over by the press, the Republicans, scare centrist and cross-over voters away. He made it.

GO HERE to read more.

Parksley, VA House Fire 25 January 2011

The American Red Cross Lower Shore Chapter Disaster Action Team #10 is en route to assist a family displaced due to a house fire in Parksley, VA. Unknown number of people in the family.

Merrill Gets $10 Million Fee For Commingling Prop And Flow Traders And Frontrunning Clients

Ever since Zero Hedge's advent just over two years ago, one of the most improper things we claimed happened routinely on Wall Street, was that the big banks' prop traders would consistently, and completely against regulations, populate their massive trading floors with both flow and prop traders, who often sat side by side, within earshot and front run the big clients' orders. Some may recall that point #8 of our follow up query to Goldman's Lucas van Praag in December 2009 was precisely a request to get the seating chart together with assigned responsibilities of all Goldman traders. To wit: "we are still hoping to get a seating chart of Goldman's trading floor (via legitimate channels) which clearly discloses flow and prop traders' seats in order to disclose to the general public that flow and prop traders do not share the same information flow, especially that emanating from core clients who tend to move markets the second they announce their trading axes to Goldman's flow traders." The reason we bring it up is that once again we seem to have been just a year ahead of the curve. In a just announced settlement, the SEC has fined Merrill, and supposedly its insolvent Bank of Calcutta taxpayer funded holdco, $10 million for doing precisely this! From Bloomberg: "The SEC found that Merrill operated a proprietary trading desk from 2003 to 2005 on the firm’s main equity-trading floor in New York, where market makers received and executed customer orders. While Merrill told clients their order information would be used on a need-to-know basis, proprietary traders got information and used it to place trades on Merrill’s behalf after executing the customer orders, according to the statement"...... So... does everyone finally understand how Goldman's (et al) prop group has no trading loss day (at near 50% margins) every single day year after year now?

The justification for this criminal act is surreal: everyone was doing it.

GO HERE to read more.

Solar Panel Leasing For Homes, Businesses Coming To Maryland

California firm acquires Clean Currents solar unit

A California-based solar energy company announced Monday it is expanding to Maryland, where it plans to offer homeowners and businesses the option to lease rather than buy photovoltaic systems.

GO HERE to read more.

15th Homicide Reported In Prince George's County

While the pace has slowed, the homicide number continues to climb in Prince George's County.

Police said Mckinney Antonio White, Jr., 34, of the 6800 block of Atwood Street, was shot and killed inside a parked car at about 5 p.m. Monday in District Heights, Md. It was the 15th homicide in the county this year.

Police said a person with a gun approached the vehicle, which was parked at the Penn Station Shopping Center on Silver Hill Road, and began shooting into it.

GO HERE to read more.

Ill. Court Issues Stay; Rahm Back On The Ballot

The Illinois Supreme Court has just issued a stay of the appeals court's order knocking Rahm Emanuel off the ballot and directing the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners to restore his name to the ballot.

This is a strong indication that the court will accept the case and, perhaps, of which way the justices are leaning.

Less than 24 hours after an Illinois appeals court bumped Rahm Emanuel off the ballot for Chicago's election for mayor, the state's supreme court put that ruling on hold and ordered the city to include his name on any ballots being printed.

"The Board of Elections is directed that if any ballots are printed while this Court is considering this case, the ballots should include the name of petitioner Rahm Emanuel as a candidate for Mayor of the City of Chicago," the Supreme Court said in a one-page, unsigned order.

The court said it acted after receiving legal briefs from Emanuel and from his legal opponents who claimed he was unqualified because he did not meet residency requirements of state law. Today's order left unresolved whether the state's high court would take up the entire case on a speeded-up basis, but the order gave Emanuel the rapid relief he was seeking -- to keep his name on the ballot.

Source

Oil Prices Drop Below $87 A Barrel

NEW YORK –  Oil continued to drop Tuesday on mixed economic news and the possibility that Saudi Arabia and other OPEC countries will step up production.

Benchmark crude for March delivery lost $1.17 at $86.70 per barrel in midday trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil hasn't been below $87 since Dec.1. It's fallen more than 4 percent since Thursday, when it was approaching $92 a barrel. About half of the drop happened in the last two days.

One of the main reasons for the decline this week is comments on Monday by the Saudi oil minister, which many analysts and investors took to mean that Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil producer, thought oil had gotten too expensive and could threaten global economic growth. He seemed to imply that the Saudis and other members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries could raise production to bring down the price of oil.

GO HERE to read more.

Amber Alert Issued For Arkansas Baby Snatched At Gunpoint By Father, Cops Say

UPDATE: Baby Found.

DEVELOPING: An Amber Alert has been issued for an 8-month-old Arkansas boy who police say was snatched at gunpoint by his father, who is wanted for murder.

Authorities say Raymond Moore, Jr., was kidnapped late Monday by his father, 28-year-old Raymond Moore, Sr., who has an active murder warrant pending against him for a 2010 killing.

"He's armed and dangerous," Officer Michelle Hill, a spokeswoman for the Little Police Department, told FoxNews.com. "We believe the child is in danger."

GO HERE to read more.

Ted Williams, (The Man With The Golden Voice) Walks Out Of Rehab

You’re never really an official celebrity until you’ve fled rehab against doctor’s orders. So Ted Williams, as they say on American Idol, welcome to Hollywood! Lindsay Lohan is nodding approvingly as word comes down that Williams, the formerly homeless man from Ohio with the golden radio voice, has left a rehab facility for drug and alcohol abuse. Williams had entered the facility after an appearance on the Dr. Phil Show.

Williams’ most recent gig was for voiceover work on a Kraft Macaroni & Cheese commercial, which is currently airing on television. The New York Daily News:

GO HERE to read more.

Hawaii Official Now Swears: No Obama Birth Certificate

Signs affidavit declaring long-form, hospital-generated document absent

Former Hawaii elections clerk Tim Adams has now signed an affidavit swearing he was told by his supervisors in Hawaii that no long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate existed for Barack Obama Jr. in Hawaii and that neither Queens Medical Center nor Kapi'olani Medical Center in Honolulu had any record of Obama having been born in their medical facilities.

Adams was employed at the City and County of Honolulu Elections Division from May 2008 through September 2008.

His position was senior elections clerk, overseeing a group of 50 to 60 employees responsible for verifying the identity of voters at the Absentee Ballot Office. It was in this capacity that Adams became aware of the search for Obama's birth-certificate records.

"During the course of my employment," Adams swears in the affidavit (viewable in full as part 1 and part 2), "I became aware that many requests were being made to the City and County of Honolulu Elections Division, the Hawaii Office of Elections, and the Hawaii Department of Health from around the country to obtain a copy of then-Senator Barack Obama's long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate."

As he inquired about the birth certificate, he says, his supervisors told him that the records were not on file at the Hawaii Department of Health.

GO HERE to read more.

Commenter On Daily Times Tries To Suggest I Murdered Sarah Foxwell

dirtyjoe wrote:

"You all assume that Leggs is guilty of homicide. What if it was some guy in Delmar DE that had intimate details of the case? What if that person had a website and attempted to make people believe it was a convicted sex offender that they shot pool with on that night? Good scapegoat huh?"
1/25/2011 6:48:33 AM

Some people are simply warped in the head. What's worse, the Daily Times doesn't moderate their comments. I'm not exactly sure who is spreading a rumor that I shot pool with Thomas Leggs, (ever) but again, they couldn't be more warped.

Just to clear this matter up, I have never met nor ever spoken to Thomas Leggs in my entire life. It's amazing how desperate the Anti Albero people have become. Talk about a group of people trying to screw up a murder trial! Shame on ALL of them.

Where's Gary Comegys?

At last nights City Council Meeting it didn't take but one glance to notice Councilman Gary Comegys wasn't present, again. While last nights meeting was pretty uneventful, taxpayers have been paying his salary to represent them, some want to take away the health insurance for Debbie Campbell and Terry Cohen. Yet taxpayers are paying a Council Member, (Gary Comegys) a salary he's not earning. It just doesn't make sense to me.

Now look, I feel for Gary and his personal challenge with cancer. We all now know he's not running again but would YOU like to place a wager that Gary will be present when it comes to the vote to eliminate health insurance for Debbie and Terry.

Last night I stood before the Council and asked them just how much of a reduction I can expect off of my tax bill should they remove the health insurance on two Council Members. They stated they'd get back to me on that. I responded with, well I doubt I'll ever see a reduction.

We'll just have to wait and see if Mr. Comegys does in fact make that meeting. The bigger question was, I asked Louise why she asked Council Members to take a reduction in pay to relieve the taxpayers. The bigger question is, will Gary Comegys donate his salary for all of the meetings he has missed? I suggested they donate a portion of their salary, (if they so choose) but why isn't Louise asking Gary to donate his unearned income publicly.

Putin: Retribution 'Inevitable' For Airport Attack

MOSCOW – Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin vowed "retribution is inevitable" for the suicide bombing that killed 35 people at Russia's busiest airport, while President Dmitry Medvedev demanded robust checks at all transport hubs and lashed out at the airport for lax security.

Putin has built much of his reputation on harsh statements, but he did not elaborate on what kind of retribution he had planned or against whom in his comments Tuesday carried by Russian news agencies.

No claims of responsibility have been made for the attack Monday at Domodedovo Airport, which also left 180 people injured. Suspicion is likely to fall, however, on Islamist separatist insurgents from Chechnya or elsewhere in Russia's restive Caucasus region who have been battling Russian authority for over 15 years.

GO HERE to read more.

Church Foreclosures Surge, Seen As 'Next Wave' In Crisis

ROSEVILLE, Calif.—Residential and commercial real-estate owners aren't the only ones losing their properties to foreclosure. The past few years have seen a rapid acceleration in the number of churches losing their sanctuaries because they can't pay the mortgage.

Just as homeowners borrowed too much or built too big during boom times, many churches did the same and now are struggling as their congregations shrink and collections fall owing to rising unemployment and a weak economy.

Since 2008, nearly 200 religious facilities have been foreclosed on by banks, up from eight during the previous two years and virtually none in the decade before that, according to real-estate services firm CoStar Group, Inc. Analysts and bankers say hundreds of additional churches face financial struggles so severe they could face foreclosure or bankruptcy in the near future.

"Churches are the next wave in this economic crisis," says Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., president and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, a non-profit civil-rights group, who works with pastors around the country to help churches negotiate better terms with their bankers.

GO HERE to read more.

Government To Pretend It Will Prosecute Wall Street

In what is merely the latest act in the neverending play of fraud and corruption, the bipartisan panel appointed by Congress to investigate the financial crisis has concluded that several financial industry figures appear to have broken the law and has referred multiple cases to state or federal authorities for potential prosecution reports the Huffington Post. "The sources, who spoke on condition they not be named, declined to identify the people implicated or the names of their institutions. But they characterized the panel's decision to make referrals to prosecutors as a significant escalation in the government's response to the financial crisis." Well, it would be so easy to believe that this is not merely the latest political attempt at cowardly subterfuge before their Wall Street overlords by the corrupt Congressional puppets if this same ploy had worked out a little better the last time, oh, precisely zero bankers were thrown in jail. That said, the semi-informed public who sees massive fraud and endless lies now on a daily basis will get more disclosure on Thursday when the "final report" is expected to be released. Said semi-informed people will be shortly disappointed when nothing at all comes out of this. As for the 99% of the less than semi-informed US population, well, they couldn't care less.

GO HERE to read more.

The Opposite Of Apocalypse

Fear is where the Power Is
November 2008:  the situation was dire.  But was it ever really an apocalypse?  We were all conditioned to think that without government intervention a waking hellscape of crappiness awaited.  And it continues.  Over and over, we are told of being just a step away from US government default if someone dares fiscal sensibility.  Or some variation of bank implosion catastrophe, or everyone going into foreclosure immediately, or something else equally horrible.  These outcomes are debatable, and they deserve to be debated.

Everything that happens in the future is debatable. 

What is not debatable is that we continue to be threatened with imminent doom if politicos don’t get what they want.  I’m not a believer in global conspiracy theories, much less a perpetual ruling class, but I am a believer that democracies are absolutely awash with propaganda, veiled threats, and fear-mongering. 
Why?  Fear is where the power is. 

Anybody who knew what was going on in November 2008 was afraid.  I know I was.  Being afraid of the unknown is exhausting and defeating.  The only way to defeat this fear is to make it known, to see the beast in the clarity of thought-light.  Being willing to communicate and engage is the step forward.  No matter how big, ugly, or evil it is, one can stand up to it, fight it, and break it. 

It’s time to break the spell of fear that makes this whole planet reek like week-old gym socks.  Breaking the spell means only this:  to be unafraid to communicate, to be open and receptive to ideas, to weigh them on their merits.  It doesn’t mean “find some guru and accept their crap ideology at face value.”  No one is totally, unambiguously, right.  Ideas may be challenging and unpleasant, but ones based on facts don’t wither under scrutiny.  Here goes.

Can a Company be “Shorted to Death?”

GO HERE to read more.

Fire At McGrath Rd In Eden

Click on address below.

407 McGrath Rd
Eden, MD 21822

This You Have To See!

Just Unbelievable!!!

 http://www.youtube.com/user/fiercefreeleancer 

Beat The Winter Blues At Pemberton Historical Park This February

Get outside and have some fun at Pemberton Historical Park this winter!  Join a Naturalist for an Owl Prowl on Friday, February 4 at 7:00 P.M.  Hike the park to discover these amazing nocturnal creatures and to find out why they have been so misunderstood for centuries.  The program is $6 per person or $18 for a family of four and free for Members of Pemberton Historical Park.  All ages are welcome. 

Come back on Saturday, February 5 for a Winter Walk.  Enjoy a brisk walk along the Park’s beautiful nature trails with a Park Naturalist to find out how winter weather affects the Park’s natural elements.  Participants will warm up and enjoy hot chocolate, a light breakfast and conversation inside the Education Center afterwards.  The program is $6 per person or $18 for a family of four and free for Members of Pemberton Historical Park.  All ages are welcome. 

On Sunday, February 20 at 1:00 P.M., Pemberton will be hosting its annual Maple Sugaring Festival.  Bring the whole family out to learn about the history of maple sugaring, see demonstrations, taste samples and more!  The program begins approximately every half hour starting at 1:00 P.M.  The program is $6 per person or $18 for a family of four and $4 per person and $12 for a family of four for Members of Pemberton Historical Park.  All ages are welcome. 

Pemberton Historical Park is located at 5561 Plantation Lane in Salisbury, MD.  For more information, please contact Kerri Liming at 410-860-2447 or email pembertonpark@wicomicocounty.org. 

Jesse Ventura Sues TSA In Pat-Down Smackdown

Former Minn. governor calls searches 'unwarranted and unreasonable intrusions'

MINNEAPOLIS — Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura sued the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration on Monday, alleging full-body scans and pat-downs at airport checkpoints violate his right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.

Ventura is asking a federal judge in Minnesota to issue an injunction ordering officials to stop subjecting him to "warrantless and suspicionless" scans and body searches.

GO HERE to read more.

Not Lovin' It — McDonald's To Increase Prices

No specific menu items mentioned, global sales fall as ingredient costs rise

LOS ANGELES — McDonald's Corp said it would selectively increase menu prices this year to help offset an expected rise in its own grocery bill for the 10 commodities that account for around 75 percent of its food preparation costs.

Food prices are climbing around the globe and the world's biggest restaurant chain said its costs are expected to rise this year 2 percent to 2.5 percent in the United States and 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent in Europe.

Chief Financial Officer Pete Bensen said McDonald's would "raise prices where it makes sense" to offset some, but not all, of the cost increases.

GO HERE to read more.

Found Dog In Berlin

Mr. Albero,

This dog was found at US Route 113 and MD Route 346 in Berlin. Older black lab, some gray on underside. Well trained, no collar.

The dog is now at Worcester County Animal Control in Snow Hill. 410-632-1340

Consumers Not Yet Warming To New Light Bulbs

Retailers set stage for phase-out of Edison's invention in next three years

Americans are about to suffer a cruel breakup: Their 130-year love affair with the incandescent light bulb is coming to an end.

Home décor retailer IKEA sent a reminder of the bulb’s dwindling shelf life this month, announcing it would halt the sale of traditional venerable bulbs at all of its U.S. stores.

Under federal law, incandescent bulbs are being phased out beginning next year when American manufacturers no longer will be allowed to make 100-watt bulbs. By Jan. 1, 2014, the only incandescents left on the market will be three-way bulbs, plant lights and appliance lamps – plus the final, old-school stragglers from 2013 assembly lines which could become pricey novelty items.

GO HERE to read more.

Delmar's Fire Boat

If only it were a joke in Salisbury like it is in Delmar. Now that's a Fire Boat!

GOP Lawmakers Take Aim At United Nations

Newly empowered Republican lawmakers are taking their first shots at the United Nations, depicting it as bloated and ineffective as they seek to cut government funding for it.

GO HERE to read more.

Loughner Pleads Not Guilty To Tucson Shootings

Suspect says nothing in federal court as plea is entered on his behalf

TUCSON — Tucson shooting rampage suspect Jared Lee Loughner pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges of attempting to assassinate U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and attempting to murder two of her staff members.

A 22-year-old college dropout, Loughner is accused of opening fire on Giffords and a crowd of bystanders outside a grocery store in north Tucson on Jan. 8, killing six people, including a federal judge, and wounding 13. Giffords was shot in the head but survived.

Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and wearing wire-rimmed glasses, the shaved hair on his head starting to grow back, Loughner said nothing as the plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf.

GO HERE to read more.

A Letter To The Editor

TIM SPIES STANDS UP FOR SALISBURY RESIDENTS!

Kudos to Mr. Spies for his request at last night’s meeting of Salisbury’s City Council that the work session scheduled for Thursday, January 27, should be held somewhere other than in the Council’s small meeting room in the Government Office Building. The agenda for that meeting includes the Mayor’s “safe streets” legislative package, which is important and of great interest to both landlords and SAPOA as well as many City residents (homeowners and tenants). That meeting room, which can only accommodate about 18-20 persons in the audience, is not the appropriate place for that meeting. It should be held in the Council Chambers or in the meeting room at the new fire station.

It seems that Louise Smith has done everything possible to make it difficult or impossible for City residents to attend the meeting, including setting the meeting for the early afternoon.

Mr. Spies was the only candidate for City Council who spoke up for the residents. Why, you may wonder, didn’t Messrs. Boda and Dryden join in his request – are they SAPOA supported bobble heads cast from the same mold as Dunn, Cathcart, Comegys and Louweasel. It appears so.

Sunny Tuesday, Then A Rainy Mix Wednesday

Pity the poor weather forecasters. This storm continues to vex them, just as those that have come before this winter have done.

Officially, they're calling for rain and snow at BWI-Marshall, beginning after midnight Wednesday morning, becoming all rain after noon as temperatures rise from the freezing mark to the upper 30s. Snow may mix back in after dark, changing to all snow after midnight Thursday morning.

But even just 36 hours out, forecasters are still puzzling over exactly where the storm will go, exactly who will get rain, who will get snow, and where the slop between will fall. And the computer models still can't give them consistent answers.

GO HERE to read more.

What If Your State Goes Bankrupt?

Changes Will Hit Pensioners, Bond Holders Hardest, If a State Goes Broke

Under existing law, a state cannot go bankrupt. That's not because the action is forbidden. Not the U.S. Constitution nor any other piece of paper says a state cannot. The bankruptcy code simply does not address the possibility.

Now lawyers, politicians and other ingenious folk are looking for a way around that problem -- a fact that should come as no surprise, given the perilous financial health of California, Illinois and other states encumbered with crushing debts. The 50 states have spent collectively, in the past two years, half a trillion more dollars than they took in as taxes. Their pension funds, by some estimates, are underfunded by another trillion.

Like Titanic victims struggling in the water, they are desperately grabbing any orange crate that floats by, trying anything to stay afloat.

Arizona has sold off its state capitol. The investment group that now owns the Supreme Court building and the chambers of the house and senate is graciously leasing those buildings back to the people.

GO HERE to read more.

JUDGE THROWS OUT BAN ON ONLINE AMMO SALES

Gun rights supporters won a major legal victory last week when a California judge struck down as unconstitutional a law that they say would have effectively banned online sales of handgun ammunition just days before it was to have taken effect.

Given the sheer size of the California market, the law would have had a major impact on national online ammunition sales, and some online ammo sites had already suspended sales to California.

While gun rights advocates cheered the decision, which came amid heightened focus on gun control issues in the wake of the Arizona shooting spree, supporters of the law say ammo sales are dangerously unregulated. And they say they have evidence that millions of rounds of ammunition are illegally sold to convicted felons every year.

The California Handgun Ammunition Registration Bill was signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in October 2009 and would have taken effect on Feb. 1. The law would have required that all ammunition sales in California involve a face-to-face transaction and fingerprint registration of the purchasers. Gun owners who wished to use online sites or catalogs would have been forced to have their ammunition shipped to a local gun dealer so the transaction could be performed in person, a requirement that opponents say would have effectively ended online sales.

Dealers who failed to obtain fingerprints during a purchase would have been guilty of a misdemeanor crime. While the law would have applied only to handgun ammunition, dealers said it would have effectively ended all online ammo sales in California, as rounds that can be used in handguns can often be used in rifles.

Fresno County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Hamilton struck down the law Tuesday, saying the definition of handgun ammunition used in the legislation was so vague as to be unconstitutional.  California's Attorney General Kamela Harris said she might appeal the ruling.

GO HERE to read more.

Pension System See's 14.3 % Return On Investment

The state’s pension system portfolio has increased in value by more than $4 billion, according to a news release from the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System. The fund returned 14.3% on investments as of Dec. 13, 2010, the midpoint of the current fiscal year. The earnings raised the system’s assets to $36 billion, $4.2 billion more than at the close of fiscal year 2010 on June 30.

Continue Reading...

O'Malley More Popular Than Ever, Poll Says

Gov. Martin O’Malley is more popular among Marylanders than he has ever been, according to a Gonzales Research poll released today. According to the poll, 58% of Marylanders approve of the job O’Malley is doing – up 10% from the most recent Gonzales poll in October.

Continue Reading...

Montel Williams Pushes For Medical Marijuana Bill In Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Former talk show host Montel Williams urged lawmakers on Monday to legalize medical marijuana in Maryland, saying the drug is the only thing that alleviates neuropathic pain he has suffered for years because of multiple sclerosis.

The 54-year-old Baltimore native was flanked by lawmakers from both parties who support the legislation.

"Marijuana may not work for everyone, but what it has done for me is it's given me my life back," Williams said, his voice wavering as he tearfully spoke about his condition at a news conference.

Williams, a Baltimore native and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy blocks from the Maryland State House, said he has been living with neuropathic pain in his lower extremities, face and side for 10 years. Opiates, he said, don't work for him anymore.

GO HERE to read more.

Blood Donations Urgently Needed Across The U.S.

WASHINGTON - The cold, nasty weather across the East Coast this winter has produced shortages of all kinds. One shortage in particular is threatening lives.
 
For the first time since 2004, the Red Cross has issued a national, emergency appeal for blood donations.
 
Because of the winter storms, more than 14,000 blood and platelet donations have been canceled. The Red Cross says the shortage has not been this dramatic in the last decade.

GO HERE to read more.

Lawsuit: Taco Bell Ground Beef Is Really Just "Meat Filling"

To be beef, or not to be beef, that is the question in a lawsuit against Taco Bell for what one Alabama law firm claims is the company's dubious pronouncements of ground beef. The suit says the fast food purveyors are misleading customers by advertising its ground beef offerings as such.

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How To Defrost Pipes

You wake up. Your toes recoil the instant they hit the floor. Your breath forms stalactites in the air. You go to wash your face, and squeak squeak, the knobs turn but no water comes out. Dagnabit! The pipes are frozen. How do you get the water flowing again?

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Ebert Says 3D Will Never Work Because Our Brains Hate It

The massive 3D gimmick the entertainment industry is trying to foist on all of us is going to be about as successful as "Smell-O-Vision," says film critic Roger Ebert. No, he's not just just being cranky or "anti new stuff." Rather, it's that our brains and eyes are simply not wired for viewing an extended series of 3D images. All the technology improvements and marketing won't ever beat biology. Here's why.

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HCG Diet Products Are Fraud, Says FDA

There are tons of diet pill pages on the internet prosthelytizing the wonders of the miracle diet drug HCG, or "human chorionic gonadotropin." You have the usual "before" and "after" pictures where you get to play that fun game of trying to figure out if they're actually two different people, and the promises of losing 30 pounds in 4 weeks. Only problem is that HCG doesn't work for weight loss, and an FDA exec says they may even be illegal and fraudulent. Quelle surprise!

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Jordan McCabe - Now This Kid's Got Game

Wicomico Neighborhood Congress Meeting Tonight

GENERAL MEETING

January 25, 2011

@ 6:30 PM Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore Office

East Park Professional Center Building, Suite # 401

East Park Drive off Belmont Avenue, Salisbury, MD

AGENDA

1. Call to order – Chairman: Terry Potterton

2. Roll Call – (Please sign attendance sheet)

3. Chairman’s Comments – Terry Potterton

4. Minutes – November 23, 2010 – Cindy Pilchard

5. Treasurer’s Report – Lena Wallop

6. Guest Speaker Chief Barbara Duncan – Salisbury Police Department

7. Guest Speaker Bev Ward – Salisbury Crime Alliance/Salisbury Safe Streets Program

8. Comments, Questions & Concerns – Good for the Order

9. Adjournment –

Next Business Meeting February 22^nd, 2011 - (4^th Tuesdays)

Irish Alzheimers

Murphy showed up at Mass one Sunday and the priest almost fell down when he saw him. He'd never been to church in his life.

After Mass, the priest caught up with him and said, "Murphy, I am so glad ya decided to come to Mass. What made ya come?"

Murphy said, "I got to be honest with you Father. A while back, I misplaced me hat and I really, really love that hat. I know that McGlynn had a hat just like mine and I knew he came to church every Sunday. I also knew that he had to take off his hat during Mass and figured he would leave it in the back of church. So, I was going to leave after Communion and steal McGlynn's hat."

The priest said, "Well, Murphy, I notice that ya didn't steal McGlynn's hat. What changed your mind?"

Murphy replied, "Well, after I heard your sermon on the 10 Commandments, I decided that I didn't need to steal McGlynn's hat after all."

With a tear in his eye the priest gave Murphy a big smile and said; "After I talked about 'Thou Shalt Not Steal' ya decided you would rather do without your hat than burn in Hell?"

Murphy slowly shook his head. "No, Father, after ya talked about 'Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery' I remembered where I left me hat."

Proofreading Is A Dying Art

Proofreading is a dying art, wouldn't you say?

Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter
This one I caught in the SGV Tribune the other day and called the Editorial Room and asked who wrote this. It took two or three readings before the editor realized that what he was reading was impossible!!! They put in a correction the next day.

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I just couldn't help but send this along. Too funny.
Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
Really? Ya think?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
Now that's taking things a bit far! 

-----------------------------------------------------------Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over
What a guy!
-------------------------------------------------------------- 
Miners Refuse to Work after Death
No-good-for-nothing' lazy so-and-so's!
------------------------------------------------------ 
Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
See if that works any better than a fair trial!
---------------------------------------------------------- 
War Dims Hope for Peace
I can see where it might have that effect!
--------------------------------------------------------------- 
If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
Ya think?!
----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
Who would have thought!
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Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
You mean there's something stronger than duct tape?
---------------------------------------------------------- 
Man Struck By Lightning:Faces Battery Charge
He probably IS the battery charge!
---------------------------------------------- 
New Study of Obesity Looks for LargerTest Group
Weren't they fat enough?!
----------------------------------------------- 
Local High SchoolDropoutsCut in Half
Chainsaw Massacre all over again!
************************************************** 
Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
Boy, are they tall!
******************************************* 
And the winner is...
Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead 
Did I read that right?
*************************************************** 
Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the stupidity and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to (maybe even a chuckle). We all need a good laugh, at least once a day!

To Be Young Again

Walk In Flu Clinics

(Salisbury, MD) - Wicomico County Health Department will hold a public walk-in flu vaccination clinic on Tuesday, January 25, 2011 and Thursday, January 27, 2011 from 8am-11am.  Clinics will be held at William C. Fritz Building on 300 W. Carroll Street, Salisbury, MD.  Appointments are not needed.  The public is encouraged to wear short sleeve clothing to the clinic.  Costs are as follows:  

Flu Shot

Adults age 18 and older - $15 donation

Children ages 6 months to 18 years of age - $15

Flu Mist

Children age 2 to 18 only – Free

Lori Brewster says the flu is on the rise here in Maryland.  It’s not too late to get your flu shot.

For additional information, visit www.wicomicohealth.org or call 410-543-6943

Lowering Of The Maryland State Flag To Half Staff

This is to advise you that Governor Martin O’Malley has ordered the Maryland State Flag remain at half staff until sunset on Wednesday, January 26, 2011. This is in memory of, Sargent Shriver, the founding director of the Peace Corps and a lifelong public servant.

Bipartisan 'Date Night' At State Of The Union

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

 

After Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) proposed mixed bipartisan seating at the State of the Union address, the event is looking like prom night for lawmakers.

New York City To Disabled: Take A Hike

With a knee problem and a chic all-black walker, I have found more and more New York City cabs inaccessible. The new hybrids are good for anti-pollution but are perilously high off the ground, with difficult sliding doors.

Drivers are as helpful as they can be—many come from immigrant cultures friendly to older people—but, spotting my walker, many pass me by, knowing that I can't safely climb in or out. So, as the taxi fleet moves more and more to hybrids, phasing out the more accessible, tank-like Crown Vics, I have found it harder and harder to get a taxi that I can use. At night, I try to calculate the height of approaching headlights, but I'm not very good at it. All in all, one of the glories of New York, mobility, is increasingly lost to me.

Subways, with only a sprinkling of elevators, are pointless: many of the elevators don't work, so if you can get into the subway, you may ride forever neath the streets of New York without escape—it's Charlie on the MTA. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the United Spinal Association has brought suit against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for inaccessible subway stations: "It is an absolute disgrace that twenty years after the ADA was passed, more than 80 percent of the subway stations in New York are inaccessible," says attorney Julia Pinover.

GO HERE to read more.

Turbulence Ahead

By the numbers, the great recession's long gone. The World Bank forecasts that developing countries -- chugging along at an average growth rate of 6 percent -- will expand the global economy by more than 3 percent this year. In the last six months, London's FTSE 100 is up more than 15 percent, and Wall Street's Dow Jones index is up nearly as much. It's just about enough to say the good times are back.

All this good news, however, provides little comfort to workers in the U.S. and Europe. Because even in the rosiest scenarios, job prospects there will continue to be few and far between. And more broadly, on jobs, austerity, and currencies, both sides of the Atlantic may spend the year caught in an ill-informed policymaking spiral that means, though it's frustrating to say it, more malaise.

No recovery can be called real without bringing down unemployment. As in the euro zone, the haunting number in the U.S. hovers around 10 percent. (In Spain, it's twice that.) And there is a wide consensus among economists that something like the pre-crisis unemployment level of 5 percent remains years away, at least.

GO HERE to read more.

Secretary Wicks Proposes Regulations to Implement US 113 Report Recommendations

Regulations Would Require Independent Committee Review of Advanced Acquisitions and Reservations
Dover -- Department of Transportation (DelDOT) Secretary Carolann Wicks today proposed a series of regulations to improve the Department's real estate acquisition policies, including a requirement that advanced acquisitions and reservations be reviewed and approved by the state's "Advanced Acquisition Committee." The regulations would also implement several other recommendations set forth in a recent report to Governor Jack Markell on the US 113 project.

The public will have the opportunity to comment on the proposed regulations until March 5, 2011 after they are posted to the Delaware Register on Feb. 1, 2011. If adopted as proposed, the regulations will take effect on April 10, 2011. The proposed regulations titled "Regulations Establishing Policies and Procedures for Advanced Acquisition of Certain Real Property Interest" can be read on www.deldot.gov, under the Hot Topics section at the top right-hand corner of the page.

"DelDOT is moving quickly to implement the specific policy recommendations set forth in the U.S. 113 report," said Secretary Wicks. "Our goal is to make DelDOT's real estate policies as transparent, consistent, cost effective and fair as they can be. These regulations are an important part of that effort."

If adopted, the regulations will require that advanced acquisitions and reservations be reviewed and approved by the state's Advanced Acquisition Committee. An "advanced acquisition" occurs when DelDOT acquires property prior to right-of-way approval. A "reservation" occurs when DelDOT agrees to compensate a property owner in exchange for an agreement not to further develop property.

The regulations would also implement the following recommendations set forth in the U.S. 113 report:
*Require DelDOT to obtain independent appraisals for reservation agreements as part of the advanced acquisition process;
*Require advanced acquisitions and reservations to be reviewed by legal counsel; and
*Require that the principal terms of acquisitions and reservations be reflected in a contract signed by both DelDOT and the property owner.

The Advanced Acquisition Committee is comprised of the Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control; the Secretary of the Department of Transportation, the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture; the Director of the Delaware Economic Development Office; the Governor's Chief of Staff; a member of the Senate designated by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate; a member of the House of Representatives designated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; a member of the public designated by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate; and a member of the public designated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.