UPDATE: We've been informed the building was struck by lightning. They will be closed until tomorrow morning.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Emergency Crews At Food Lion In Berlin UPDATE
UPDATE: We've been informed the building was struck by lightning. They will be closed until tomorrow morning.
Delaware Asthma Camp at A. I. DuPont
The American Lung Association in Delaware’s annual Asthma Camp will take place Monday, June 20 through Friday, June 24 at Nemours/A.I. du Pont Hospital for Children in North Wilmington.
The week-long camp is for children with asthma, ages 7-11, and is one of three summer asthma camps sponsored by ALA-DE. The camp will occur from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Aiming to provide asthmatic children with a safe, educational and fun camping experience, Asthma Camp will instruct participants on the treatment and management of their disease, including daily sessions on the effects of asthma, and camp activities including field trips, arts and crafts, and games.
The camp fee is $50 per child. To register, contact Sharikah Barnes at 302-737-6414 or at sbarnes@lunginfo.org.
A Few Facts Could Go a Long Way at the Daily Times
Every one has a right to an opinion. They should also attempt to gather some facts before they express it. This was (again) the case in two op-ed’s in today’s Daily Times which criticize the Salisbury city council over their recent budget vote. Both the DT and my friend Muir Boda should do a little fact checking before expressing opinions based on politics rather than fact.
The Daily Time’s editorial (I presume by Susan Parker) argues in favor of Mayor Jim Ireton’s spending priorities. That’s fine. However, the criticism of council used as “evidence” for this argument is based on multiple false assumptions.
The DT argues that Ireton’s plan to furlough police officers is “fair”. I would argue that the citizens who are victims of crime don’t care much about fair. Furloughing officers actually costs the city more money because of increased overtime. There is also a problem with Ireton’s (and apparently the DT’s) populist misconception that all public employees are created equal. Any city with Salisbury’s crime rate needs MORE, not fewer, officers on the streets.
The DT also argues:
In addition, the propensity of this council to spend its time revisiting decisions made by previous councils is alarmingly reminiscent of the situation a decade ago, when Lavonzella Siggers was council president and a massive backlog of work resulted from an apparent inability of that council to make decisions and move forward.
A prime example: The Bateman Street / Onley Road intersection needs to be upgraded. The city agreed to upgrade it. The high school is the least of the reasons why that project should already be under way. Delaying it now amounts to kicking the can down the road for someone else to deal with. Putting it off is a dereliction of duty on the part of the council.
First of all, this council is working diligently to eradicate the logjam of old business left by the Barrie Comegys council. Second, it was the PREVIOUS council which rejected the Ireton / BOE plan for Bateman Street / Onley Road. This council agreed to re-visit the matter at the request of the mayor. Unless the DT is arguing that the city council should be a “rubber stamp” for the Ireton administration, there is zero merit in their complaint.
In a related Letter to the Editor, two time council candidate Muir Boda is playing fast and loose with his facts.
Boda agrees with abolishing police furloughs. He attacks the “process” and “lack of communication” with the mayor’s office. Muir should do a little research.
There were TWO public hearings on the budget. He seems to ignore the first. Technically, this is fair because the mayor’s office (NOT the council) failed to meet the advertising requirement. This is why a second hearing was needed. Any “lack of communication” come from the mayor’s office, not the council. If Ireton cannot get what he wants, he simply refuses to answer questions. Worse, he forbids city employees from doing so as well. This is evidenced by the recent cancellation of a scheduled meeting between the city attorney and the council. This was strictly for the purpose of keeping council up to date. However, Ireton would rather play the role of a spoiled child than the office to which he was elected.
Boda decries the “rush” to override the veto:
I am also concerned that the council was so quick to schedule an emergency session to override the mayor's veto. This was not an emergency; June 30 would have been considered an emergency, not June 8. There still would have been plenty of time to for the council to reach out to the mayor to work on getting the budget to a point where all could have agreed.
Check your facts. The budget had to be passed by June 15 (NOT June 30). Any override vote would have been scheduled for the regular council meeting to be held on June 13. However, because Councilwoman Shanie Shields had already gone against her own word and voted against the budget, a meeting had to be scheduled to assure the presence of all four council members who did vote for it.
Because councilwoman Debbie Campbell had to leave town on business, waiting until Monday would have been disastrous – unless you only care about upholding the mayor’s veto. That’s politics, not process.
Boda also argues that the council should not have voted on the budget immediately after a public hearing. I would agree. However, that is a political decision. It is not a public policy decision. The few amendments which came forward that night were of a technical nature to keep the budget in balance. They had nothing to do with spending priorities.
Both the Daily Times and Boda should be honest in their criticism of the Salisbury council. Their arguments are political ones that they attempt to wrap up in the paper and bows of “public policy”, “spending priorities”, and “transparency”. While I may not agree with all of council’s polices, or priorities, there is no question that they are attempting to do what is right for the taxpayers of Salisbury. As for transparency, any criticism of that is so ridiculous as to make even the least informed citizen laugh. These criticisms smack of political opportunism and nothing more.
G. A. Harrison is the Managing Editor of “Salisbury News”. “Delmarva Dealings” appears each Wednesday and Sunday at Noon on SbyNEWS.com.
19600903
Lost Dog: UPDATE
They found him at the Humane Society.
We Live in Kilbirnie and have lost our 6 yr old golden retriever. His name is winston and is a dark/reddish color. If seen please call 410-251-6360.
A Love Affair With Flavors?
Mind you, I did text the Mayor and asked him if they had closed their doors but the Mayor never replied. Must be a really sensitive subject. Yesterday I drove by to see if there was any truth to the rumor and to my surprise they were in fact closed.
This morning I was scanning through my feed reader and saw an article in the Daily Times about it, so I clicked on the link and read one of the most crybaby, ridiculous articles I had ever seen, especially for a Sunday paper. A Facebook Page has been created so every one can stay in touch, PLEASE!
The SOB's, (Daily Times) won't give all that press for businesses opening to help boost the businesses and local economy but they'll go on and on about how so many people are heartbroken over the closing of this joint.
Many know Mayor Ireton frequented this business but there's a long time rumor that they'll be relocating to the old Bistro at the West end of the Downtown Plaza. Not that I personally care because I thought the food sucked and abusing the name "ITALY" and implying they were anything of the sort was an insult to those who actually deliver true Italian cuisine.
While mum's the word as to why they actually closed their doors, my guess is that they'll reopen soon in another location. Everyone knows they're more of a local bar scene and crappy pizza than an actual restaurant. Mind you, I'm not saying that's all bad and keep in mind, this is just my own personal opinion.
Hopefully, (should they actually relocate to the Plaza) they change their name to, oh, I don't know, something like, Rainbows and Loafers.
What the Daily Times also conveniently forgot to mention that they OC Kabob also seems to have closed their doors as well. They weren't open on Saturday evening either.
Its unfortunate that businesses are closing their doors. Flavors certainly had a decent crowd, (more so than any other local Downtown business) so it is a mystery as to why they chose to go this route. Perhaps their lease was up and they chose not to renew it.
Hypocrisy Abounds in DREAM Act Petition Fight
It appears that Del. Neal Parrott and company are going to succeed in forcing the MD DREAM Act to referendum. Good for them. Good for Maryland.
Needless to say, when dealing with the left the battle isn’t over until you have obeyed the law AND fought a series of court challenges. The whiny left is already planning their judicial attack:
A Maryland chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is questioning the legality of an online petition seeking a statewide referendum on in-state college tuition for illegal immigrants.
The ACLU of Maryland said Friday it has asked the Board of Elections to scrutinize the signature-collection process for vulnerability to fraud.
The group says the website MDPetitions.com enables a user who knows someone's name, zip code and birthdate to submit a signature on that person's behalf without their knowledge. (emphasis mine)
The elections board says it is consulting with the state Attorney General's Office. The board has already validated more than 41,000 of the 56,000 signatures opponents of the new law must submit by June 30 to get it on the ballot next year.
The petition drive's leader says the process is sound.
Note that the Maryland ACLU is using the same argument that they scoff at when we ask that voters be required to show a photo ID at the polls. How DO you spell chutzpah?
LIVE BLOG EVENT – Tuesday, June 14 – Wicomico County Council
Join us Tuesday, June 14th, as SbyNEWS hosts another LIVE BLOG EVENT.
Time: 10 AM
Place: A computer near you.
What: The Wicomico County Council will debate and adopt (or possibly REFUSE to adopt, as they did last year) the county budget for FY 2012.
If you can’t come out to the hearing, tune in on PAC-14 and follow the meeting at SbyNEWS with our always insightful play by play.
Don’t forget; you get to participate as well. Comments are live. Just remember, the same rules apply. Because we experienced technical difficulties during our last LIVE BLOG EVENT, we will be tied in to a back-up network in case the GOB’s wi-fi fails again.
Live Blogging software courtesy of CoverItLive.com
Are you part of the 98%?
Follow the instructions below:
This is strange...can you figure it out?
Are you the 2% or 98% of the population?
Follow the instructions! NO PEEKING AHEAD!
Do the following exercise, guaranteed to raise an eyebrow.
There's no trick or surprise.
Just follow these instructions, and answer the questions one at a time and as quickly as you can!
Again, as quickly as you can but don't advance until you've done each of them .... really.
Now, scroll down (but not too fast, you might miss something).
Think of a number from 1 to 10
Multiply that number by 9
If the number is a 2-digit number, add the digits together
Now subtract 5
Determine which letter in the alphabet corresponds to the number you ended up with
(example: 1=a, 2=B, 3=c,etc.)
Think of a country that starts with that letter
Remember the last letter of the name of that country
Think of the name of an animal that starts with that letter
Remember the last letter in the name of that animal
Think of the name of a fruit that starts with that letter
Are you thinking of a Kangaroo in Denmark eating an Orange ?
I told you this was FREAKY!! If not, you're among t he 2% of the population whose minds are different enough to think of something else. 98% of people will answer with kangaroos in Denmark when given this exercise. Keep this message going. This one is actually worth sending on to others.
Forward it to people you know so they can find out if they are usual or unusual.
You probably aren’t surprised to find out that I’m one of the freaks in the crowd. I started with the number five (5) and wound up with:
An Armadillo in Dominica eating an Orange.
I still thought that it was pretty funny … and interesting!
Mambo Italiano Has The Goods
When you open the menu and look at the prices you'll be amazed. Everything is very reasonable, yet IF you're there for the very first time like we were, you have to wonder, can they deliver quality food.
The answer is, absolutely! We decided to finally give them a try and see if they were any good. Man, was I ever pleased! The small personal pizza we had that evening was just to die for. The imported cheese, fresh tomatoes, WOW!
Every table in the restaurant at 6 PM on Friday was full. We hoped to get there before any rush but it turned out to be an excellent experience. Our food came out quicker than any other restaurant I had been to locally and the wait staff was extremely courtious.
I know I'm bouncing around here but let me talk about the salad. If you like salad, this was as fresh as it gets. If you like blue cheese dressing, this is the very best I have ever had. One thing we noticed was that they serve more dressing than anyone else either. I hate going to a restaurant and having to ask for more salad dressing. Its almost as if all of the restaurants get the smallest plastic cup and serve it to you, as if it will truly cover your salad, NOT! Mambo's serves double that, easily.
I highly recommend this restaurant to our viewers. It's refreshing, it's quality and it's very affordable. Try it, you'll like it. They're located near The Golden Coral.
Worcester County Offers Alternatives to “Beat the Heat”
With high temperatures forecast throughout the week, Worcester County Emergency Services urges residents to drink plenty of fluids, avoid alcohol and caffeine, and take frequent breaks from stressful activities to avoid becoming dehydrated and overheated, which can lead to heat stroke or heat exhaustion.
The public is invited to escape the heat by visiting any of the five Worcester County branch libraries, located in Ocean City, Ocean Pines, Berlin, Snow Hill and Pocomoke, as well as the Worcester County Recreation Center (WCRC) in Snow Hill during standard operating hours.
The WCRC is open Monday - Thursday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and closed Sunday. Residents are invited to walk on the four-lane competitive track, join in a variety of sports, or simply relax on the retractable bleachers, which can comfortably accommodate up to 520 people. Call Recreation and Parks at 410-632-2144 or the Worcester County Library at (410) 632-2600 or visitwww.worcesterlibrary.org for hours of operation.
Be aware that heat stroke and heat exhaustion are both serious conditions. Heatstroke, which is characterized by a body temperature greater than 105 degrees, can develop quickly and is often accompanied by the following symptoms: dry, red skin, convulsions, disorientation, delirium and coma. Heatstroke is treated by rapidly lowering the body temperature by a cool bath or wet towels. A heatstroke victim should be kept in a cool area; emergency medical care should be obtained by dialing 911.
Heat exhaustion is a milder form of heatstroke, and symptoms may include extreme weakness, muscle cramps, nausea, and headache, vomiting or fainting. Heat exhaustion can be treated by drinking plenty of liquids and resting in a cool, shaded area.
$400 Million for Boosterville?
On which of the following public works projects should Maryland spend $400 million?
A. School construction
B. Hospitals
C. Courthouses and jails
D. Expanding Baltimore’s Convention Center
If you answered “D,” you’re on the booster bandwagon that rolled out of Baltimore last month. The city’s business leaders and politicians are touting an offer by wealthy contractor Willard Hackerman to spend $500 million for a new downtown arena/hotel complex if the state and city will chip in $400 million to double the size of the adjoining 300,000-square-foot Baltimore Convention Center.
To skeptics, the plan seems wacky. The site for the convention center expansion and new hotel is currently occupied by the east wing of the existing convention center and by a Sheraton Hotel that Mr. Hackerman happens to own.
By demolishing the existing buildings, the convention center can be enlarged to 600,000 square feet with a new 500-room hotel and 18,500-seat arena perched next to it. Extravagant? Yes, but not to Baltimore’s business boosters.
Ocean City to Host Flag Day Ceremony TODAY
Ocean City will hold a special Flag Day ceremony at 12 noon TODAY, at the opening of the O.C. Air Show.
A combined team of the U.S. Navy Seals and the 101st Airborne Jump Team will fly the National Colors to the drop zone in the vicinity of 16th Street on the beach. Once on the ground, the team will present the U.S. Flag to one of the country’s veterans.
Air Show narrator, Larry Strain, will serve as the Master of Ceremony for the Flag Day ceremony, which will kick off Sunday’s air show. Today is the last day of the Air Show. It runs from 12 Noon - 4 PM.
154 Lower Shore Non-Profits Lose Tax-Exempt Status
On Friday the IRS released nationwide lists of non-profit organizations which have lost their tax-exempt status. Among these are over 6,100 Maryland non-profits. 154 organizations whose zip code begins with 218 (the three Lower Shore Counties of Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester) have lost their tax-exempt status.
Included in this list are several American Legion posts. For a complete list, CLICK HERE.
OC Bus Driver Assaulted …
OCEAN CITY -- A Westminster man was arrested on assault and malicious destruction of property charges this week after allegedly punching an Ocean City municipal bus driver and kicking out a door before fleeing the scene.
Around 11:45 p.m. on Monday, Ocean City Police were dispatched to a reported assault involving a bus driver in the area of 66th Street. Officers arrived and met with the victim, an elderly male bus driver, who was bleeding from wounds on his face. The victim told police a tall male around six feet tall with dark hair and a white T-shirt had punched him in the face before kicking out the front door of the bus.
The victim was bleeding from an apparent broken nose and the door of the bus was shattered. The driver declined EMS treatment. A witness followed the suspect, later identified as Gary Radford, 20, of Westminster, to the area of 59th Street.
OCPD officers located Radford near a convenience store and took him into custody. The bus driver was brought to the scene to positively identify the suspect. Radford was arrested and charged with second-degree assault and malicious destruction of property.
Meet The Squatters: Here Are The Millions Of Americans Who Live Mortgage-Free For Up To 5 Years And Counting
The topic of Americans living mortgage-free in foreclosed homes on which banks do not have proper titles is nothing new - in fact we are surprised that there isn't a robosignature app for that...yet. Neither is the fact that this ongoing reverse capital transfer provides as much as $50 billion in "rental" income [1]for those same squatters. And while the ethical arguments for strategically defaulting on one's mortgage can get very heated on both sides, one thing is certain: the ongoing foreclosure crisis is creating a new subclass of "entitled" people, who certainly enjoy living on the back of the banks, while not paying one cent, and not vacating the premises. According to a new article by CNNMoney [2], some of the excesses observed within this latest demonstration of unearned entitlement are truly staggering. To wit: "Charles and Jill Segal have not made a mortgage payment in nearly five years -- but they continue to live in their five-bedroom West Palm Beach, Fla. home....Lynn, from St. Petersburg, Fla., has been living without paying for three years....In Thousand Oaks, Calif., an actor has missed 30 payments, and still, he has not lost his home...." In other words, what were once isolated incidents are becoming an epidemic, and like it or not, are creating a massive capital shortfall in bank balance sheets (after all "assets" are supposed to generate cash in most cases), which will likely involve yet another broad taxpayer bailout of these same banks that now have no recourse to do much if anything to evict these same squatters who instead of paying their mortgage (or rent), prefer to purchase trinkets and gizmos. "Some 4.2 million mortgage borrowers are either seriously delinquent or have had their cases referred to lawyers to pursue foreclosure auctions, according to LPS Applied Analytics. Of those, two-thirds have made no payments at all for at least a year, and nearly one-third have gone more than two years."
The specifics, to anyone who has been following this festering issue which threatens to create even further class resentment, are well known:
More
The specifics, to anyone who has been following this festering issue which threatens to create even further class resentment, are well known:
Surely, the Segals signed the dotted line under the gun:These cases can go on and on. Nationwide, it takes an average of 565 days to foreclose on borrowers in default from their first missed payments to the final auction. In New York, the average is 800 days and in Florida, where the "robo-signing" issue is particularly combative, it's 807.
If they want to fight evictions hard, borrowers can remain in their homes even longer while their cases are being worked through.
The Segals have been doing that -- in court. They bought their home in 2003 with an adjustable rate mortgage. After a few years, their monthly payments tripled to $3,000, just as their home-inspection business was cratering.
The Segals want the bank to modify the mortgage so payments are affordable, and they think the court will agree that their lender put them into a toxic loan.
More
Elijah Cummings – Watchdog?
The Baltimore Sun is carrying a piece today portraying Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) as a watchdog / the conscience of the House Oversight Committee. Sure he is.
Buried within the article is an admission that Cummings seldom hesitates to go after the House GOP leadership. It’s interesting that Cummings is a “watchdog” for doing the same things that the Republicans are portrayed as hacks for.
Oh sorry, attacking Republicans is ALWAYS the right thing to do.
Couponing for Beginners
Couponing is a potentially lucrative hobby, but it's also a complicated one. Varying store policies, myriad sources, agonizing busywork and difficult-to-digest rules and restrictions tend to muck things up.
Writing at Ultimate Coupons, Alison breaks the hobby down to its simplest attributes, offering up a "lazy girl's guide to couponing."
Among her tips:
- Let someone else do the work. Find couponers who are so proud of their efforts that they blog about all their amazing finds, then take advantage of their deals. The offers will work just as well for you, with almost none of the commitment.
- Put the scissors away. Save time by just yanking out whole pages of coupon inserts rather than precisely cutting out each offer. Since you won't use many of the coupons that catch your eye, save the cutting for when it's absolutely necessary.
- Multi-task to power through the drudgery. Alison says she purges expired coupons for car trips in which her husband is driving. Sorting through old coupons isn't exciting, but it's more interesting than staring out the window.
If you're a couponer, what tricks do you use to make the hobby easier and more enjoyable?
The Lazy Girl's Guide to Couponing [Ultimate Coupons]
Experts Claim Alabama Immigration Law Can Withstand Scrutiney
Alabama's new law cracking down on illegal immigrants will likely survive legal challenges from advocacy groups that say it is unconstitutional and racist, analysts told Fox News.
The law, which takes effect Sept. 1, empowers police to arrest people suspected of being an illegal immigrant if they are stopped for another reason and requires businesses and schools to verify whether workers and students are in the country lawfully. It also makes it a crime to knowingly transport or shelter illegal immigrants.
As soon as Republican Gov. Robert Bentley signed the bill into law Thursday, the ACLU and Southern Poverty Law Center were vowing to defeat it in court.
Congrats to Brian Griffiths
Congratulations (albeit belated) to Red Maryland’s Brian Griffiths on being elected President of Maryland Young Republicans.
DE Lands Company, 1500 Jobs
The state has convinced an innovative California manufacturer of electricity-producing fuel cells to build its East Coast manufacturing facility on the site of the old Chrysler plant in Newark, bringing as many as 1,500 much-needed jobs to Delaware and boosting the University of Delaware's vision for a thriving high-tech center.
Bloom Energy of Sunnyvale, Calif., turned down more generous offers from several other states in deciding to base its first East Coast expansion in Delaware, according to Josh Richman, vice president of business development at Bloom, considered a prominent player in the emerging field of fuel cells.
Over the next five years, Bloom expects to hire about 900 for a manufacturing facility on the southwestern portion of the Chrysler site, and predicts a minimum of 600 more jobs will follow as its suppliers open Delaware bases of operations. State officials anticipate six of those suppliers will set up shop on the Chrysler property, which qualifies as a "brownfield" given its 60-year history of automaking.
Bloom expects to break ground on its 200,000-square-foot facility this fall, and the factory should be up and running in mid-2012. Construction is estimated to create 350 jobs this year and the 900-worker goal should be attainable in just two years, said Alan Levin, Delaware's economic development director.
Guinness Names World’s Shortest Man
A Guinness World Records representative has declared the son of a poor Filipino locksmith who measured 23.5 inches (60 centimeters) tall as the world's shortest man.
Guinness official Craig Glenday says Junrey Balawing, who turned 18 on Sunday, broke the record of Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal, who is 26.4 inches (67 centimeters) tall.
The announcement drew a loud applause from Balawing's parents and townmates in Zamboanga del Norte's remote Sindangan township in the southern Philippines, who showered the new celebrity with a feast, a cake, balloons and cash gifts.
Time Nearing for Giffords’ Hospital Release
An aide to U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords said Saturday that she could be released from a rehabilitation hospital in Houston as early as this month, offering the latest indication that the Arizona congresswoman is making progress in recovering from a gunshot wound to the head.
Chief of Staff Pia Carusone told The Associated Press that doctors and family are considering "many factors" while making the critical next-step decision to release Giffords from TIRR Memorial Hermann, the hospital where she has been undergoing intensive daily rehabilitation since late January.
"We're looking at before the end of the month. We're looking at early July," Carusone said. "We don't have a date."
Giffords arrived in Houston just weeks after being shot on Jan. 8 while she was at a meet-and-greet with constituents in her home district of Tucson, Ariz. Six people were killed and a dozen others wounded in the attack outside a supermarket.
Why Quitting Smoking Makes You Fat
If you've ever tried to give up a smoking habit, you might have found that you tend to pack on a little extra body weight, too. Now, scientists say they've found out why.
Researchers looking into new ways of treating depression made an interesting discovery. While testing nicotine, the primary chemical present in cigarette smoke, on lab animals, scientists noted that the test subjects weren't eating as much. Yann Mineur, an associate research scientist at Yale, told CBS News:
“We found that nicotine, when it enters the brain, activates specific nicotine receptors that are located on specific neurons known to decrease feeding and increase energy expenditure when activated.”
Mineur says the potential exists to make other drugs that produce the same weight-loss effect. However, CBS News warns that "the same receptors that react this way to nicotine help control the way the body deals with stress."
Quitting smoking makes you fat, and now scientists know why [CBS News]
Nicotine Decreases Food Intake Through Activation of POMC Neurons [Science Magazine]
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