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Wednesday, March 09, 2011

A Very Special Message Just In From Chuck Campbell

I am so blessed to have been living in the Eastern Shore and to have been working for Pohanka (specifically, Sandy Fitzgerald) when this happened to me. What a great community we live in. I cannot tell you enough how grateful I am to you all for your love, your support, and your prayers. A few people must be mentioned though...my wife, my mother, my kids, Sandy Fitzgerald, Chris and Robin Hagel, Joe Albero, Brad Bellacicco, Bonnie Hunt, and of course the anonymous donor of the huge sum of money, and all of the health care professionals I have had the pleasure of being treated by. There were literally thousands of people from all over the world that helped out one way or another. Thank you all for everything. I can't wait to start paying this forward!

Much love and admiration,

Chuck Campbell

Wisconsin GOP Senator: Obama Admin Behind Recall Effort

620 WTMJ-AM in Wisconsin: "There's many people that are beginning to believe this is a delay tactic by the Democrats in the Senate so that these recall elections can be organized by the Obama team out of Chicago, which they are, as we start to do the research on the people that have filed the petition," Senate Majority Leader Fitzgerald told Newsradio 620 WTMJ's "Wisconsin's Morning News."

Fitzgerald says he knows this for sure.

"Labor is pulling the strings for this thing," Fitzgerald said.

(Video here)

82 Percent Of US Schools May Be Labeled 'Failing'

An estimated 82 percent of U.S. schools could be labeled as "failing" under the nation's No Child Left Behind Act this year, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Wednesday.

The Department of Education estimates the number of schools not meeting targets will skyrocket from 37 to 82 percent in 2011 because states are toughening their standards to meet the requirements of the law. The schools will face sanctions ranging from offering tutoring to closing their doors.

President Barack Obama has highlighted reforming the act as a priority for his administration, and both Democrats and Republicans have agreed that it needs to be changed — though disagreements remain on how.

The current law sets annual student achievement targets designed with the goal of having all students proficient in math and reading by 2014, a standard now viewed as wildly unrealistic.

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Wicomico Bureau Of Investigations Press Release

INCIDENT:
Robbery with a Deadly Weapon

DATE:
January 27, 2011

LOCATION:
Midway Mini Mart 7900 Block of Jersey Road, Salisbury, Maryland.

NARRATIVE:
On 1/27/2011 a suspect entered the Midway Mini Mart located in the 7900 block of Jersey Road, and pointed the hand gun at the store’s owner. The suspect demanded that the victim open the cash register and he then removed US Currency and fled the location. The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 20 years of age and approximately 5’7” tall. The suspect was wearing a two tone parka, dark blue and light blue in color and dark in color pants. The Wicomico Bureau of Investigation requests that anyone with information pertaining to this robbery please contact Det. R. Wilson at 410-548-4898 or Crime Solvers at 410-548-1776. Any information is confidential.

VICTIMS:
Young Ja Ham

CHARGES:
Robbery with a Deadly Weapon/ Reckless Endangerment/ Theft less than $100.00

DISPOSITION:
Under Investigation

Gay Marriage Update Exclusive

  • On Wednesday morning, the House began the debate on Senate Bill 116 which seeks to legalize gay marriage. This was the Second Reading of this bill and this is the time when the House offers and debates amendments to a bill. Several amendments were offered by both sides of the aisle. They addressed the following areas of concern:
  1. Amendment 1 (543121/1) would address certain religious exemptions for adoption services and social service programs. It was simple and would have recognized the need for these objections for deeply held convictions. It was defeated on a vote of 58/79;
  2. Amendment 2 (483026/1) would have provided for exemptions for religious held convictions as pertaining to training by teachers and participation by students in K-12 public school programs. This would address homosexual sex education and make provision for teachers, parents, and students not to participate in this type of training. It was voted down 54/86;
  3. Amendment 3 (873228/1) would simply change the title of the bill to the “Same Sex Marriage Act” as opposed to its present title (Civil Marriage Protection Act). It was argued that the name was very deceiving and would continue to misdirect people when the bill goes to referendum. This amendment was defeated 52/85; and
  4. Amendment 4 (223923/1) was offered by a democrat member and would require a statewide referendum be conducted prior to the law taking effect. This reasonable attempt was also shot down on a tight vote with a couple of democrats speaking out on the floor. The vote was 63/72.
With these amendment defeats, the bill remains intact and will next appear for Third Reader and a final vote. I must say I was very disappointed, particularly with the failure of amendments 3 and 4. The House is clearly divided and I have never seen good legislation pass under these circumstances. Clearly the ruling party’s leadership had been whipping their caucus and twisting arms to secure these votes. On the amendment votes, many of the delegates chose not to even vote! That was more shocking that all the rest. What a colossal failure of courage and conviction. This same legislative body debated slots and agreed to let the people decide “this monumental issue”, and then fails to think the people of Maryland should weigh in on the definition of “marriage”? What an outrage!

The final outcome remains unknown and both sides are working hard. As a result, I strongly encourage citizens to participate in the process with a focus on the House Democrats. You can hear the debate in full at: http://mlis.state.md.us/asp/listen.asp

FREDERICK COUNTY CUTS STAFF & REORGANIZES FIRE-EMS SERVICES TO BALANCE BUDGET

A Comment Worthy Of A Post

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "A Comment Worthy Of A Post":

Hi Joe- I was actually in the meeting as an adviser and the college student who came in distrubting voter registration forms, read a written statement from his landlord denouncing Cohen, Spies and Ford. The college student was very ill-informed and when I asked him if he had even been to the websites of the candidates he was denouncing he said he did not. I even asked who he was going to vote for since he was not going to vote for those 3- he had no idea who was even running. He said his landlord came over and asked for his help in spreading the word and made statements like if you get even an alcohol citation you can be evicted and that Cohen, Spies and Ford support legislation to allow any police officer to randomly enter your house without warning. When I asked him who his landlord was he said "TJ" and then quickly stopped talking. I politely reminded that chapter to do their research before voting as with any election and I told the kid collecting the forms to also look up their websites to see if he really believes everything he hears. Its sad how quickly people will latch onto ideas without doing any research to validate the points they are expressing.

LIVE: Discovery Landing Attempt

House Girds For Same-Sex Marriage Debate

Delegates face pressure on divisive issue

On the day before the House of Delegates was expected to begin debate on same-sex marriage, lawmakers received a letter from six gay colleagues.

"Vote yes because you know it is the right thing to do," the delegates wrote Tuesday. "Vote yes because you want to stand on the right side of history. Vote yes because every family in Maryland needs the protections that marriage provides."

Later Tuesday, opponents of gay marriage from Pennsylvania played bagpipes outside the lawmakers' offices, displayed a banner that read: "God's Marriage = 1 man & 1 woman," and encouraged like-minded motorists to honk.
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NPR Chief Quits After Executive's Racism Remarks


The president of National Public Radio, Vivian Schiller, resigns following an undercover sting in which an NPR executive was videotaped describing Tea Party members as "racist."

Full story

How To End The Federal Reserve System

Things are not always as complicated as they seem. With respect to the Federal Reserve System, it is a deliberate mystery. It was deliberately designed in 1910 to deceive the public, who were opposed the idea of a central bank. The conspirators who met on Jekyll Island in November 1910 knew this. They did good work from their point of view. They concealed the beast.

The general public today knows little about the FED. Prior to Ron Paul's Presidential run in 2007-8, far fewer people understood it.

I have been asked: "How could we get rid of the Federal Reserve? What will replace it?" The answer: either the free market or Congress.

People who think of themselves as free market people often are not. The tax-funded public schools and the state-regulated and accredited university faculties have taught that the modern system of intrusive civil government is necessary for an orderly society. People cannot imagine a market-based society.

There is an old saying, "You can't beat something with nothing." But the free market social order is not nothing. It is expanding around the world, which is why the world is getting richer.

At the Federal level, a free market social order in banking existed prior to 1914. That was back when the dollar was worth over 20 times what it is worth today. On this point, see the inflation calculator of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

We can go back to that system. We will go back to it. The question is: When? The other question is: At what price?

ENDING THE FED BY LAW

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Tips On Gas Pumping From California

I don't know what you guys are paying for gasoline.... but here in California we are paying up to $3.75 to $4.10 per gallon. My line of work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth for every gallon:

Here at the Kinder Morgan Pipeline where I work in San Jose , CA we deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline.. One day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and gasoline, regular and premium grades. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons.

Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role.

A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. You should be pumping on low mode, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL. The reason for this is the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount.

Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up; most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

To have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of gas buyers. It's really simple to do. I'm sending this note to about thirty people. If each of you send it to at least ten more (30 x 10 = 300)...and those 300 send it to at least ten more (300 x 10 = 3,000) and so on, by the time the message reaches the sixth generation of people, we will have reached over THREE MILLION consumers !!!!!!! If those three million get excited and pass this on to ten friends each, then 30 million people will have been contacted!

Better Be Careful!


To those of you who send in nasty messages and or comments that simply say, SALISBURY NEWS????, we're spamming you. So what does that mean, it means that every time you send in a stupid message and we click SPAM, you're no longer allowed to send in any more comments to Salisbury News. It takes a few times before it actually removes you but believe me, we're the ones laughing in the end.

When we went back to anonymous comments, of course the select few anti bloggers went into attack mode and we just spammed them and they went away. The system recognizes your IP Address and after acting like an Idiot a few times, you're gone!

So, if you're just trying to vent and or blow off steam, do it somewhere else because it may cost you the ability to comment on Salisbury News for good. Just a fair warning, have a great day.

On The 100th Anniversary Of International Women's Day -- What Are Feminists Doing About Honor Killings?

Editor's note: The following is adapted from a speech delivered on March 8 by the author in observance of  Women's History Month to the New York County Supreme Court.

When my Second Wave generation of feminists started out, Gender Fairness committees did not exist nor did as many women lawyers and judges or the number of feminist lawyers, both male and female, whom I see here today. As many of you know, my or should I say, our generation had the privilege of changing all that.

We also named and exposed the hidden epidemic of physical and sexual violence towards women and children.
Second Wave feminists challenged sexism in advertising, (we still do), the pornography industry, (which has grown), and prostitution which now includes human sexual trafficking.

We also challenged corporations for economically discriminating against women; that work continues. We took on drug companies whose medications caused women to die from cancer. We championed women’s reproductive and sexual rights but we also challenged birth control. We waged a war to save women’s lives. The work continues.

NPR Exec Caught On Camera Slamming Tea Party, Republicans

An NPR executive was caught on camera lambasting the Tea Party as "seriously racist" and claiming that liberals might be, as a whole, more educated than conservatives. 

The comments from Ron Schiller, a senior executive at NPR and president of the NPR Foundation, were made during a meeting with two people posing as members of a fictitious Muslim organization. The two activists, who recorded the February meeting on hidden camera, were trying to convince NPR executives of accepting a $5 million donation -- money NPR apparently refused.

Schiller has since announced he is leaving NPR to join the Aspen Institute in Colorado, though NPR said there is "no connection" between the video of his comments and his departure. 

Message To Jews From ZOA: Call Your Congressman To De-Fund NPR

The oldest and one of the largest pro-Israel groups in the country is urging American Jews to call their congressmen and demand they de-fund NPR following the release of an undercover video showing two National Public Radio (NPR) executives agreeing as men pretending to be members of a Muslim Brotherhood front group lament “Zionist” control of U.S. media.

“Jews do kind of control the media or, I mean, certainly the Zionists and the people who have the interests in swaying media coverage toward a favorable direction of Israel,” said the man pretending to be Brotherhood representative, Ibrahim Kassam, as Ron Schiller, NPR Foundation president, nods in agreement.

When one of the men jokes about how pro-Palestine NPR’s news coverage is, the station executives laugh and smile.

“The Palestinian viewpoint — since NPR is one of the few places that has the courage to really present it — there is kind of a joke, we used to call it National Palestine Radio,” says the man posing as Kassam. Schiller laughs, concurring, and Betsy Liley, NPR’s director of institutional giving, replies: “That’s good, I like that.”

Schiller boasts that while the Zionists have heavy influence over newspapers, he has not found too much Jewish influence at NPR.

Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America was shocked.

“It is really frightening when the then-head of NPR agrees with this type of anti-Semitic nonsense — especially when this is a publicly funded organization and gets a large amount of funds from the Jews,” Klein told The Daily Caller. “We really need to get this out to Jews that they have to complain about this to their congressmen, cut public funding, and the Jews should stop giving.”

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NPR, PBS Campaigns To Keep Federal Funds Unlawful?

NPR and PBS stations nationwide are rallying their audiences to contact Congress to fight against Republicans’ proposed spending cuts, but some affiliates’ pleas may violate laws preventing nonprofits or government-funded groups from lobbying.

Interrupting popular programs, the stations air warnings that cuts could end beloved children’s television shows such as “Sesame Street.” Some stations urge their audience to call and let Congress know their feelings, while others go further, instructing viewers to “stop the Senate” or “defend federal funding” for public broadcasting.

The ad campaigns are a direct response to House Republicans’ push to eliminate all Corporation for Public Broadcasting funds for the rest of the fiscal year. Democrats have fought the cuts and President Obama asked for $451 million for CPB in his 2012 budget request — a $6 million increase.

But lawmakers and conservative critics argue the stations are breaking two laws, one that prohibits using taxpayer-funded grants to petition Congress for more taxpayer money and the other that bans nonprofits from doing much lobbying of any kind.

More here

European Left Is Fragmenting As The Right Is Unifying

Social democratic parties across Europe are losing elections on an "unprecedented scale", according to former foreign secretary David Miliband.

He said the parties were "fragmenting as the right is unifying". He named six countries – Britain, Sweden, Germany, France, Holland and Italy – that he said had a "good claim to represent the historic heartland of European social democracy", but that are no longer run by the center-left.

In a speech to the London School of Economics on Tuesday, Miliband called for social democratic parties in those countries to try to regain ground by focusing on wealth creation and greater control of privatized utilities.

"Not since the first world war has there been this kind of domination from the right. The whole era of democratic suffrage," said Miliband.

He added: "Left parties are losing elections more comprehensively than ever before. They are losing from government and from opposition; they are losing in majoritarian systems and PR systems.

"Just for good measure, they are losing whatever position the party had on the Iraq war and they are fragmenting at just the time the right is uniting."

More here

Revolt! Most House Repubs Buck Leadership On Debt Limit

In the first major survey of House Republicans' attitudes toward raising the debt limit, more than half say they are committed to opposing more borrowing and only 23 of 241 take their leadership's position that approving more borrowing past the $14.3 trillion limit is essential.

The survey was conducted by WND through calls and e-mails to the offices of members and, when direct responses were not forthcoming, public statements made by the officials were used.

The results are staggering in their lopsidedness, because it takes only 218 votes in the Republican-controlled House to block any effort to raise the debt limit – an action that would precipitate the most drastic cuts in federal government programs in modern history.

A total of 122 House Republicans are already committed to opposing any additional hike in the debt limit, while 54 others says they would do so with conditions – most of which include spending cuts or a balanced budget. An additional 42 members say they are undecided.

House Speaker John Boehner has repeatedly said publicly that the debt limit will have to be raised, at the same time pushing for spending cuts. Boehner believes failure to raise the debt limit will result in defaults on loan obligations and poses danger to the government's credit rating, an assessment he shares with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.          

But the Heritage Foundation, CATO Institute and Investors Business Daily have all downplayed the threat of defaults with studies showing the government can still service the interest on the existing debt with tax revenues if substantial cuts in the budget are made.

Read more

Hoyer: Government ‘May’ Need To Cut Federal Employees

With billions of dollars in cuts to the federal government on the negotiating table between Democrats and Republicans, there is at least bipartisan consensus that slashing federal jobs are fair game for the chopping block.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, the second-ranking Democrat, said Tuesday that it is likely that government jobs will be cut by the time Republicans and Democrats finish their negotiations on how to fund the government within the next few months.

“That may happen,” Hoyer said when asked if federal workers could lose their jobs. “Frankly some administrations have cut jobs. Clinton administration had a smaller number of jobs than his predecessor, as you may know. And less jobs than his successor. Having said that, all of you are distracted as the American people are distracted by focusing on items in the budget which are significant, but not the major contributors to the deficit.”

Hoyer suggested that the debate over funding the government in the short term — until the end of the fiscal year — was a “distraction” when compared with measures that would need to be taken over the next 20 years to bring down the nation’s $14 trillion debt.

“When we talk about earmarks, when you talk about federal employees — are they significant? Yes. Do we need to look at them? Yes,” he said. “But to some degree it is a distraction in educating the American people of the hard decisions that need to be made.”

When pressed on if government employees could escape the budget debate unscathed, Hoyer said that the “issue is not how many federal employees we have, the issue is what do we want to do? And if we want to do ‘A’, how many people does it take to do that? If we don’t want to do ‘A’, then we don’t need those people to do it. That’s the issue. The issue is not just simply, ‘let’s cut out X number amount of jobs.’ The issue is ‘what do we want to do?’”

Hoyer added that when it comes to making cuts, “everything” would be on the table, including changes to the nation’s entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare.

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Here Is One Perspective

America's Problem - The current financial crisis explained in a single picture:

Your Social Security

An old Social Security card with the "NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION" message.
Our Social Security

Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social Security (FICA) Program. He promised:

1.) That participation in the Program would be Completely voluntary,


No longer Voluntary
 

2.) That the participants would only have to pay 1% of the first $1,400 of their annual Incomes into the Program,


Now 7.65%
 on the first $90,000 
 

3.) That the money the participants elected to put into the Program would be deductible from their income for tax purposes each year,

No longer tax deductible
 
4.) That the money the participants put into the independent 'Trust Fund' rather than into the general operating fund, and therefore, would only be used to fund the Social Security Retirement Program, and no other Government program, and,

Under Johnson the money was moved to
 The General Fund and Spent 
5.) That the annuity payments to the retirees would never be taxed as income.

Under Clinton & Gore
 Up to 85% of your Social Security can be Taxed 

Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are now receiving a Social Security check every month -- and then finding that we are getting taxed on 85% of the money we paid to the Federal government to 'put away' -- you may be interested in the following:

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----


Q: Which Political Party took Social Security from the independent 'Trust Fund' and put it into the general fund so that Congress could spend it?


A: It was
Lyndon Johnson and the democratically controlled House and Senate.

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --


Q: Which Political Party eliminated the income tax deduction for Social Security (FICA) withholding?


A: The
Democratic Party.

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -----


Q: Which Political Party started taxing Social Security annuities?


A: The Democratic Party, with
Al Gore casting the 'tie-breaking' deciding vote as President of the
Senate, while he was Vice President of the  US


------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -


Q: Which Political Party decided to startgiving annuity payments to immigrants?


AND MY FAVORITE:

A: That's right!


Jimmy Carter
 and the Democratic Party. Immigrants moved into this country, and at age 65, began to receive Social Security payments! The Democratic Party gave these payments to them, even though they never paid a dime into it!

------------ -- ------------ --------- ----- ------------ --------- ---------


Then, after violating the original contract (FICA), the Democrats turn around and tell you that the Republicans want to take your Social Security away!


And the worst part about it is uninformed citizens believe it!
 If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and maybe changes will evolve. Maybe not, some Democrats are awfully sure of what isn't so.

COMEBACK OF THE YEAR

A man boarded a plane with six kids. (Gutsy guy!)

After they got settled in their seats a woman sitting across the aisle from him leaned over to him and asked, "Are all of those kids yours?"

He replied,  "No. I work for a condom company. These are customer complaints."
 

Unions And Environmentalists Team Up To Promote Wind Power

New Study Demonstrates Economic Development Potential of Offshore Wind

WHAT:        Environment Maryland and the United Steelworkers have co-authored a new research report on the job creation potential of offshore wind power.  Maryland legislators are currently debating a proposal from Gov. Martin O’Malley to require the state’s utilities to purchase electricity from a wind farm located off the coast of Maryland.  Backers contend that the project would boost employment in the state.  This report looks at the reality of that question.

                     The CEO of the company that just announced they are opening a wind turbine blade manufacturing facility in Salisbury will be on hand to give a real world picture of building the wind power industry in Maryland.

WHEN:        Thursday, March 10
                     12:00 noon

WHERE:      Neall Conference Room
                     James Senate Office Building, 2nd Floor
                     Annapolis

WHO:          Jim Strong, United Steelworkers
                     Brad Heavner, Environment Maryland
                     Gov. Martin O’Malley (invited)
                     Sen. Paul Pinsky
                     John Congredo, AC Wind
                     Other union and environmental leaders

VISUALS:   Enlarged photos of offshore wind farms

Sen. McFadden Upset At Letter From Teachers Union

Unions for teachers and state workers are organizing what they hope will be one of the largest rallies at the State House in years to protect their pension benefits and reduce funding cuts. But some of the advanced tactics for next Monday’s rally are getting push back from key legislators like Sen. Nathaniel McFadden who object to being depicted as skimping on education.

Continue Reading...

Lawmakers Seek To Ban Smoking In Cars With Children

A bill to ban smoking in a car with a child, which has been stopped in committee four years running, may finally make it to the floor of the House of Delegates. The bill has more sponsors this year than in the past, especially in the House Environmental Matters Committee, where it needs a favorable vote to get to the floor for debate.

Continue Reading...

Md. Tax Cheat Hall Of Shame

One man in Towson owes the state of Maryland over half a million dollars in back taxes.

A company in Gaithersburg is $358,000 behind in what they owe to the state.

This year's list of the state's top scofflaws is out. Let the public humiliation begin.

The Maryland State comptroller's office has been turning out a yearly list of 25 individuals and 25 companies that owe the most money in unpaid taxes to the state. This year's list owes a combined total of $11 million.

"The vast majority of Marylanders are hard-working, honest and pay their fair share in state taxes," said Comptroller Franchot. "This program highlights those who enjoy the benefits of living in Maryland but allow their neighbors to shoulder all the financial costs. The Comptroller's Office is committed to ensuring that all taxpayers pay their fair share."

More Renewable Energy Policies Aim To Save Money And Environment

The push to use more renewable energy sources from the governor and legislators is one of the green themes of this year’s General Assembly, and the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday heard mixed testimony on six bills to enhance the state’s renewable energy policy, including trash talk from the chairman.

Continue Reading...

Md. Bill Would Have Breathalyzers On All Drunk Drivers' Cars

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Maryland legislators are considering a bill that would enforce stricter penalties on first-offense drunk drivers, including potentially a breath test every time they want to drive.
 
Through the Drunk Driving Elimination Act, first offenders would have to pay to have an ignition interlock device installed on their cars, which they would have to blow into to drive.
 
Supporters of the act say the devices are absolutely necessary.

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Consider Filing Previous Year's Tax Returns

1.1 million taxpayers didn't file their taxes in 2007 and the IRS believes that there are about $1.1 billion in unclaimed tax refunds from that year. They are kind enough to mention it this year because this will be the last year in which you can file your 2007 tax return. The IRS gives you three years to file a tax return and you have until April 18th of 2011, since it's the due date of your 2010 tax return, to file your 2007 tax return to see if you are due a refund.

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Best Buy To Sell Unlimited Geek Squad Service Plans

Hot on the heels of its earth-shattering(ly bad) Buy Back program, Best Buy is set to launch a new service, called Geek Squad Tech Support, that will allow computer and tablet purchasers to pay a flat fee for service from the Geeks, not just on the computer they purchased at Best Buy but on all computers that customer owns.

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Florida Motorists Illegally Detained For Paying With Large Bills

Is it a crime to pay a $1 toll with a $100 bill? The people responsible for counting out change might wish that it were, but paying a toll with legal tender isn't a crime. Toll collectors in Florida allegedly asks motorists for personal information and illegally detained them for paying with bills deemed too large. Even better? Toll takers flagged and detained drivers paying with bills as small as $20 based on racial profiling.

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Study: Kids Think Cereal With Cartoon Mascot Tastes Better

Here's a sad, but entirely unsurprising piece of consumer news. In a peer-reviewed study recently published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication fed the same cereal to school-aged children in different boxes. Boxes with a cartoon character earned higher tastiness ratings from the kids.

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College Students Voting Rights At Risk?

A recently proposed New Hampshire bill would change voting procedures for college students. Some call the measure 'voter disenfranchisement.'

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

Fort Bragg Infant Death Toll May Climb To Twelve

Another baby has died in military housing at Fort Bragg. Now investigators are examining the house for tainted drywall and other possible contaminants.
 

Senate To Vote On Rival GOP, Democratic Budgets

"The only entity in America that's not sacrificing during this economic downturn is federal government workers," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. "I can't guarantee that somebody might not ... be affected. But we have largely insulated the federal government from this recession."  

 Read Full Story

EPA Steps Up Scrutiny Of Pollution In Pennsylvania Rivers

Radioactivity levels are “at or below” safe levels in Pennsylvania rivers, state regulators said on Monday, based on water samples taken last November and December from seven rivers.

The results come at a time of growing scrutiny of the potential hazards of radioactivity and other contaminants in wastewater from natural-gas drilling. The wastewater is routinely sent to treatment plants in Pennsylvania, which then discharge their waste into rivers.

In a letter sent to the state on Monday, the federal Environmental Protection Agency noted the state’s test results, but instructed officials there to perform testing within 30 days for radioactivity at drinking-water intake plants.

It also said that all permits issued by the state to treatment plants handling this waste should be reviewed to ensure that operators were complying with the law.

The E.P.A. asked the state for data and documents so it could check whether current permits were strict enough in requiring monitoring and in limiting the type of pollution the treatment plants can release into rivers.

“E.P.A. is prepared to exercise its enforcement authorities as appropriate where our investigations reveal violations of federal law,” the letter said.\

The GOP Takes Its War On Women To The States

In 1992, the Supreme Court, in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, upheld women’s constitutional right to abortion services, but allowed certain leeway in placing restrictions on access to reproductive healthcare. Since then, right-wing politicians have increasingly pushed through state laws meant to chip away at the right to choose and undermine the protections of Roe v. Wade. These state-level draconian proposals are intended to cripple the ability of women to access reproductive health services. Burdensome waiting periods and parental notification requirements have been passed throughout the country, and now anti-choice activists are increasingly turning to new ways to undercut women’s healthcare and constitutionally protected liberties.

Following the 2010 elections, more state legislatures have become hostile to choice. Their efforts to undermine reproductive rights include ultrasound requirements that impose callous and cruel psychological pressure on women who have made the decision to terminate their pregnancies; targeted restrictions on abortion providers (TRAP laws), which levy unnecessary regulations against clinics that could force many to close; and constraints on abortions supposedly sought because of the “race and gender” of the fetus. Some states are even considering legislation that could legalize the murderof abortion providers.

Md. Man Pleads Guilty To Prostituting Girl

BALTIMORE, Md. (WUSA) -- A Glen Burnie man pleaded guilty Tuesday to interstate transportation of a minor to engage in prostitution.

According to 42-year-old Derwin Samuel Smith's plea agreement,  a 12-year-old girl who was reported missing and believed to be involved in prostitution called a relative from a motel room in Anne Arundel County in June 2010. The motel room was registered to Smith.

According to the same papers, on June 7, 2010, the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force located the girl and she told officers that Smith told her that he would be back that evening to have sex with her.

She also told officers Smith had picked her up on the street in Washington, DC, paid for sexual services performed in the backseat of his car and recruited her to work for him as a prostitute.

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Will Criminals Walk Because Of Corrupt Cops?

WASHINGTON (WUSA) -- The four Metropolitan Police Department officers charged with corruption last weekend may never be able to testify in cases they have prepared against other suspected criminals, potentially allowing those criminal defendants to go free.

"Obviously, every case involving these officers will be looked at, and ate those cases in jeopardy? They absolutely are," said Police Chief Cathy Lanier.

"How many," asked reporters.

"I don't know," she said.

"Prosecutors will not be able to call these officers as witnesses in each case where these officers charged anybody," predicted veteran Maryland defense attorney Paul Mack.

"These officers' credibility is an issue in every case," Mack told 9News Now.

"I would think they are going to have to throw out a fair amount of cases, probably most cases that these officers were involved with," Mack said.

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County Health Department To Become Tobacco-Free

WESTMINSTER, Md. (AP) — The Carroll County Health Department campus is getting ready to go tobacco free. 

The department will ban smoke and smokeless tobacco on its property, including in personal vehicles, on April 20. A committee made up of smokers and nonsmokers worked on the issue. 

The policy is intended to promote and protect the health of the clients and workers.

Ocean City To Rebuild Boardwalk With All Wood

OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP) — The Ocean City Town Council has voted to rebuild the resort’s deteriorating boardwalk with an all-wood deck.

The 5-2 vote on Monday means a two-year, multimillion-dollar renovation project will start this year. 

Have You Heard Anything About This?

I can't give this any credibility at all because I can't get confirmation or denial that the following information is true. I do think it is important to keep our eyes open because I have received this e-mail from MANY different sources that have no connection.

Have you heard anything about this?
Martial Law Alert
March 8, 2011
Hawk
MARTIAL LAW COMMUNICATIONS NET INCLUDING NUMEROUS FOREIGN ASSETS WAS FULLY  ESTABLISHED BETWEEN APPROX. 2:00 TO 3:00 AM EASTERN TIME SATURDAY MORNING MARCH 5TH, INSIDE CONUS.
BEGINNING AS EARLY AS TUESDAY MARCH 1RST .........A NUMBER OF FOREIGN
ACCENTED ENGLISH SPEAKERS WERE BEING HEARD IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF OPERATION
AROUND THE COUNTRY. THEY WERE INVOLVED, BY TYPE OF SPECIFIC TRAFFIC HEARD ,
SETTING UP COMMUNICATION OPERATIONS WITH VARIOUS AIRBORNE AND SPACE BORNE
MILITARY COMMANDS INSIDE CONUS.
BY FRIDAY MARCH 4TH IN THE AFTERNOON.....THIS ACTIVITY BECAME MORE
PRONOUNCED AND A LARGE NUMBER UNITS ON AN APPARENTLY NATION WIDE COMM NET .....SEPARATE FROM AND WITH COMMAND LEVEL SUPERCEDING ANDREWS, BEGAN SENDING AND RECIEVING HF COMMS. BY THE THE EARLY AM HOURS SATURDAY AND AFTER A REPEATED MESSAGE CONTAINING ........... A "TRIPLE EAGLE" IN THE RADIO
DESIGNATOR.......PB2EEE......NEARLY ALL OF THE NET SWITCHED TO ENCRYPTED DIGITAL
TRUNKING NET WORKS . ONLY THOSE UNITS IN MORE REMOTE AREAS OF OPERATIONS , TOO FAR FROM FUSION HIVES , WERE STILL USING HF RADIO COMMUNICATIONS.
A DEEP BACKGROUND SOURCE, HAD SUGGESTED ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON, THAT IF
TRIPLE EAGLE WAS HEARD A NEW COMMAND STRUCTURE FOR THE UNITED STATES WAS
PROBABLY BEING SET UP. IN FACT THEN LATER THAT NIGHT THE PAPA BRAVO 2.....EEE
WAS HEARD REPEATED MULTIPLE TIMES AND NOT LONG AFTER THE NET WENT TO THAT
DIGITAL TRUNKING SYSTEM.
AFTER THAT, INFORMATION FROM NUMEROUS LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE COUNTRY WERE DETAILING HOW THEY WERE HEARING , ODD UNITS COMMUNICATING ON THEIR TRUNKING SYSTEM NETS.......UNITS THAT WERE NOT FAMILIAR WITH U.S. MILITARY OR FEDERAL AGENCY COMMUNCIATIONS PROCEDURES, UNITS WHOSE OPERATORS WERE SPEAKING WITH HEAVY AND UNUSUAL FOREIGN ACCENTS , AND UNITS THEY HAD NEVER HEARD BEFORE AT ALL .
SINCE THIS LATEST DIGITAL TRUNKING COMM SYSTEM REQUIRES THE NEW LATEST
RADIO HARWARE, DIGITALIZED PERMISSION FROM CENTRAL COMMAND HIVES TO EVEN
ACTIVATE THE RADIOS......WELL THEN THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT THESE SAID RADIOS
AND SPECIFIC DIGITAL PERMISSIONS AND ACTIVATION OF THE RADIOS HAS BEEN DONE
BY THE HIGHESTLEVELS OF U.S. MILITARY COMMAND OR BY THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF
DHS OR SPECIFICALLY FEMA. THEY COULD NOT BE ON THESE NETS UNLESS AUTHORIZED.THIS HAS CAUSED QUITE A STIR AMONGST POLICE IN NUMEROUS CITIES WHO MAY NOT BE FULLY IN THE LOOP AS TO JUST WHAT IS ACTUALLY GOING ON.
SUBSEQUENTLY, THIS SUNDAY MARCH 6TH EARLY AM FOREIGN UNIT IN AN OBVIOUS
RURAL LOCATION OUT OF RANGE FOR USE OF THE DIGITAL TRUNKING RADIOS.....HIGHLY
PROBABLE IN A MOUNTAINOUS REGION ....USED A N HF MILITARY FREQUENCY TO
REQUEST A PHONE PATCH ........THIS FOREIGN UNIT WAS SPEAKING WITH SUCH FOREIGN
ACCENTED AND BROKEN ENGLISH THAT IT COULD HARDLY BE UNDERSTOOD.......
THIS UNIT DIDN'T KNOW PROCEDURE AND WAS BASICALLY SAYING ANYBODY OUT THERE ...WE NEED A PHONE PATCH. THE ENGLISH WAS REALLY BADLY BROKEN AND FOREIGN ACCENT WAS EXTREMLY HEAVY. (NOTE HERE IS THAT THE ACCENT WAS NOT HISPANIC AND MAY HAVE BEEN MIDDLE EASTERN, ASIAN, OR EAST BLOC...EXACT LANGUAGE UNKNOWN)

AFTER A COUPLE OF ATTEMPTS......ANDREWS NATIONAL COMM CENTER OPERATOR CAME
ON AND SAID ...."YOU HAVE A FOREIGN ACCENT AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HECK
YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT"

THEN THE FOREIGN UNIT MICROPHONE WAS OBVIOUSLY PASSED TO ANOTHER SPEAKER
WHOSE ENGLISH THOUGH STILL VERY FOREIGN HAD A SLIGHT HINT OF A BRIT
ACCENT.......LIKE A MIDDLE EASTERN OR ASIAN SPEAKER BUT WITH HINT OF BRITISH
ENGLISH ACCENT. HE WAS ABLE TO GET ANDREWS TO UNDERSTAND AND THEN ANDREWS TOOK THE PHONE PATCH OFF AIR .
THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT THIS IS A FOREIGN MILITARY UNIT OPERATING IN
SOME MORE REMOTE LOCATION OF CONUS ...IT WAS NOT IN SOME OTHER COUNTRY BUT IN GOOD OLD AMERICA AND IT HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED BY THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF THE
U.S. MILITARY TO BE HERE.WE HAVE SEEN THESE TYPES OF OPERATIONS TWICE BEFORE........WITH THE MARTIAL LAW PAPA ...AN ULTRA BLACK MILITARY FLAG RANK SETTING UP "LIGHT HOUSE" NETWORK IN 2006 WHEN THE FINANCIAL COLLAPSE BEGAN IN EARNEST AND CONGRESS WAS  THREATENED WITH MARTIAL LAW IN U.S. IF THEY DIDN'T VOTE FOR THE TARP BILL.

AGAIN IN 2008 THIS TYPE OF NET WAS ACTIVATED AND IT WAS LARGER THAN "LIGHT
HOUSE" ......THIS CURRENT NET IS EVEN MUCH MORE LARGER SCALE AND NOW
DIGITAL TRUNKING ENCRYPTED SYSTEM IS FULLY OPERATIONAL.

THE MARTIAL LAW PAPA IS IN CONTROL OF THIS COUNTRY AND HIS MILITARY UNITS,
FEDERAL AGENCY PERSONNEL, STATE, COUNTY, LOCAL POLICE UNITS, AS WELL AS
LARGE NUMBERS OF FOREIGN MILITARY, MERCENARIES, AND POLICE ARE READY TO
FULLY IMPLEMENT MARTIAL LAW. THE GREEN LIGHT HAS NOT BEEN GIVEN....REPEAT , HAS
NOT BEEN GIVEN.......YET.
IT APPEARS THAT ALL OF THIS HAS BEEN DONE IN ANTICIPATION OF SOME LARGE
EVENT OR IN A TIMING RELATIONSHIP TO SAY...............MIDDLE EASTERN EVENTS.
SUCH AS THE INTERDICTION OF SAUDI OIL SHIPMENTS DUE TO INTERNAL
REVOLUTION, OR AN ERUPTION OF WAR ......ALA THE GOG MAGOG WAR WITH ALL THE
RAMIFICATIONS FOR NUCLEAR EXCHANGES.
EITHER OF WHICH WOULD COLLAPSE THE FINANCIAL MARKETS AND BANKING SYSTEMS
WORLD WIDE AND WOULD CAUSE SEVERE SHORTAGES OF GASOLINE EVEN AT PERHAPS $10 PER GALLON, IN THE U.S., INACCESSIBILITY OF MONEY FROM BANKS OR ATMS, AND
DISRUPTION OF ALL FOOD DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS AND HENCE MASSIVE RIOTS AND
DISRUPTIONS.
IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE THAT THE GOG MAGOG WAR KICKS OFF FOR REAL THAT RUSSIAN
SUBS COULD LAUNCH WITHIN 2 TO 3 MINUTES ON SELECT TARGETS ON THE EAST AND
WEST COAST AND EMP STRIKES WHICH COULD TAKE DOWN THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL GRID.
THIS IS NO JOKE........THE MARTIAL LAW PAPA IS READY , HIS NET IS UP , AND HIS UNITS AWAIT ORDERS..........ALTHOUGH SOME DON'T KNOW IT YET.
WATCH FOR ESCALATION IN LIBYA WITH U.S. AND BRIT INVOLVEMENT AND OF COURSE
ANYTHING IN SAUDI ARABIA OR IRAN AND PERSIAN GULF.
ON FRIDAY NIGHT IT WAS SEEN THAT PROBABLY BRITISH SAS WAS EITHER DOING
HALO OUT OF A TR3-B OR TR 4 OR A ZODIAC BOAT APPROACH MAY HAVE BEEN DONE.
AS OF SUNDAY THERE ARE NOW REPORTS...THAT AN SAS UNIT AND A JR. DIPLOMAT
(READ MI-6 OPERATIVE) WERE CAPTURED BY LIBYAN REBEL GROUPS.
THIS AFTER NOON SOURCES HAVE INDICATED THAT A 210 CHARACTER (WAR LENGTH)
MESSAGE WAS PUT OUT ON MIL HF FREQUENCIES.
EXACT TIMING OF ANY THING HAPPENING NOT KNOWN.
PRAY AND PREPARE IN EARNEST.
THERE IS POWER IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS.
Hawk

From WBOC

SEVERE WEATHER ALERT: COASTAL FLOOD WATCH. Now look, wouldn't this mean you'd expect to build an Arc like Noah did. These weather people need to get a life and realize that they put this kind of crap up almost every day to scare the bejesus out of us. I wonder what will happen when we do get SEVERE conditions. Everyone will laugh and think its a JOKE!

Mikulski Named To National Women's Hall Of Fame

Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski is joining fellow Baltimorean Billie Holiday, Coretta Scott King, and eight others in the 2011 class of inductees to the National Women’s Hall of Fame, the organization announced on Tuesday.

The Maryland Democrat, the longest-serving woman in the history of the Senate, said she was honored.

“My fellow inductees inspire women around the world with their strength, courage and commitment to service,” Mikulski said in a statement. “I’m proud to be named among them. It seems especially fitting that the Hall of Fame is located in Seneca Falls, NY, where America’s women’s rights movement got started. Today, on International Women’s Day, we should take time to honor all those women who fought to make a difference in the lives of others.”

The class also includes former Health Secretary Donna Shalala, equal pay activist Lilly Ledbetter and St. Katharine Drexel. The members are to be inducted on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 in Seneca Falls, site of the 1848 convention credited with launching the women's rights movement in the United States.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid congratulated Mikulski.

“Throughout her career, she has been a dedicated representative for the people of Maryland, and has fought tirelessly for equal healthcare for women, improved care for our veterans and better access to education for all Americans,” the Nevada Democrat said in a statement. “Barbara and the other distinguished honorees have paved the way for the girls of today to become the productive, creative, trailblazing women of tomorrow.”

The National Women’s Hall of Fame has inducted 236 women since its founding in 1969. Previous inductees include Susan B. Anthony, Dr. Dorothy Height, Maya Lin, Sandra Day O’Connor, and Rosa Parks.
Notes on the 11 members of the Class of 2011, from the National Women's Hall of Fame, after the jump.

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DelDOT And Department Of Education Partner For Unique Learning Opportunity

Indian River -- The Department of Transportation (DelDOT) and the Department of Education (DOE), collectively recognize the huge educational impact of the construction process of the Indian River Inlet Bridge, and are once again taking advantage of the unique learning opportunity presented by the construction project. Students from any school in Delaware are invited to tour the bridge construction site during the last year of major construction.

The site tours are two hours in duration from start to finish, and consist of a 40-45 minute PowerPoint presentation where students learn about the bridge building process, including how math, science and technology are used daily to build the massive structure.

During the tour, students will also have the opportunity to don hard hats and safety vests as they walk around the construction site as they get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see history being made as crews work to build one of the biggest cable stay bridges on the East Coast.

Site tours are open to groups of students in grades 5-12, as well as college-level students and the general public. Scheduled site tours are conducted by both DelDOT and Skanska officials, with all safety measures being taken. Teachers or administrators interested in learning more about site tours or scheduling one, can go online to www.irib.deldot.gov, and click on Site Tours to submit a request.

Deborah Judy, a teacher in the Smyrna School District, which brought several students to the site for a tour states, "It is the goal of every educator to 'bring to life' the concepts we teach. The bridge visit, for us, did that and more. The experience is one my students will never forget, as so many people never get the opportunity to know the details of such a project with global involvement."

Besides the presentation/site tour experience, DelDOT and DOE encourage teachers, students and parents to visit the DelDOT website for more information, including General Information, Frequently Asked Questions, Glossary of Bridge Terms, Ask the Engineer link, as well as an extensive photo gallery and webcams that show daily activity at the bridge site.

Since education naturally leads to careers, DelDOT has also highlighted a Careers in Engineering link on its website. This link allows students to explore the different types of engineers, salary ranges, necessary education as well as view information on an engineering career path at DelDOT.