Harris To Vote For ‘Cut, Cap And Balance’

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tonight, Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. voted for H.R. 2560, the Cut, Cap and Balance Act.  The legislation would condition a debt ceiling increase on passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment, which would contain a super-majority requirement for Congress to raise taxes, as well as a provision limiting spending as a percentage of the entire economy.

“This bill will force the government to do what hard working Maryland families and businesses do every single day: balance their budget,” said Rep. Andy Harris, M.D.  “Cut, cap and balance will assure job creators that the government is serious about solving our long term spending problems.”

H.R. 2560 Quick Facts:

* Cut – In FY2012, the legislation reduces discretionary and mandatory spending by $111 billion compared to last year.

* Cap – From FY2013-2021, the legislation caps federal spending at the same levels as the House-passed FY2012 budget resolution. The cap would be just under 20% of GDP by the end of the ten-year window.  This saves $5.8 trillion over ten years.

* Balance – The legislation would condition a debt ceiling increase on passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment (that contains a super-majority requirement for Congress to raise taxes, as well as a provision limiting spending as a percentage of the economy).

BREAKING NEWS: House Approves ‘Cut, Cap And Balance’ Plan

House of Representatives votes 234-190 to approve GOP’s ‘Cut, Cap and Balance’ plan.

I CAN DO WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT

While the consequences of his actions were not as horrific as those of the San Francisco police department over the weekend, this Newark, New Jersey police officer provides us a glimpse into the culture that seems to be pervading police departments across the United States. While there are no doubt great officers out there – those who understand what the Constitution stands for and the importance of ensuring that the Rule of Law is protected – it is the bad apples, who act not as servants of the people, but rather, agents of tyranny, that have lead the majority of Americans to distrust law enforcement in general.

A Very Real Threat

This week, Moodys placed our country's AAA bond rating under review. We are now no longer weeks away from default, we are days. The threats are real, the consequences are great and the implications for our country's future financial health are frightening. 

 

Over the past few weeks, we've seen divisiveness and political gamesmanship like we've never seen before. We've seen a new wing of the Republican party emerge with one goal and one goal only and that is to defeat President Obama in the upcoming election--even if it means killing the jobs recovery and risking our country's financial stability. 

 

I want to be very clear. If these Republicans do not join with President Obama to raise the debt ceiling, it will have a devastating effect on our state and every state across our country.

 

Public workers would be laid off, thousands of people would lose vital health services and every state would risk a downgrade to its bond rating--a rating which helps us fund important public projects, like schools and roads, at a lower cost to taxpayers.

 

But there is a way forward, There's a way forward that doesn't involve a debt default or drastic cuts that hurt America's working families. There's a way to balance budgets, pay our bills AND make investments that create and save jobs while moving us toward that better future that we all prefer. And I know this because this is what we--and every other Democratic Governor--are doing in our states every day.

 

Here's how we move forward. We must start by retiring the Bush-era tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires--tax cuts that helped created the economic mess that we're in now and the deficit we're working to pay down. We must look for cost-savings from efficiencies in Medicaid and Medicare. We must make cuts where they make sense.

 

But the best way to retire the Bush deficit and get us out of this mess is by accelerating our nation's job recovery. And the best way to do that is with investments in education, innovation and infrastructure projects that rebuild and restore our communities while putting people back to work. 

 

We need to come together as Americans. We must educate, innovate, rebuild and restore if we want America to survive and thrive. There are very real threats facing our nation, but there is also a way forward. We have the wherewithal, we just need the will. 

 

Thank you,

 

Governor Martin O'Malley

 

GOVERNOR O’MALLEY VISITS YOUTHWORKS SUMMER JOBS PROGRAM

Joins Baltimore City Mayor Rawlings-Blake and City Council President Young at the Academy for College and Career Exploration

BALTIMORE, MD (July 19, 2011) –Governor O’Malley today, joined by Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young, visited with the YouthWorks summer jobs program at the Academy for College and Career Exploration (ACCE), a Baltimore City public middle/high school and one of over 400 YouthWorks sites across the City.

At the ACCE school site, the Governor, Mayor and City Council President gathered with 12 YouthWorks participants who are learning about horticulture to help “green” and beautify the school grounds. Then-Mayor O’Malley was instrumental in the creation of ACCE as an “innovation” school to provide students with opportunities to gain college and career experience. Now, as Governor, he continues a strong commitment to expanding career and technology education (CTE) as well as science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.

“Even during challenging economic times, together with our local partners, we continue to provide our youth with job opportunities that will strengthen their skills and have an impact on our future workforce,” said Governor O’Malley. “I am pleased to be able to come back to ACCE to visit the YouthWorks program and help our young adults develop valuable, employable skills that will last a lifetime.”

YouthWorks, operated by the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, places young people between the ages of 14 and 21 in summer jobs with private sector, nonprofit, and city and state government employers throughout the City. In April, Governor O’Malley introduced the Administration’s FY12 supplemental budget, including an unprecedented $1.13 million to fund more than 900 summer jobs for youth in Baltimore City, and $370,000 for the Conservation Jobs Corps, which provides conservation service opportunities for youth in Maryland State Parks.

In addition to the supplemental budget, Mayor Rawlings-Blake and the Baltimore City Council provided over $1.6 million in financial support for summer jobs through the YouthWorks program. Together, with state and local efforts – including an annual $1 million from the Maryland State Department of Human Resources and the Baltimore City Department of Social Services, and more than $350,000 from private, corporate and foundation contributions – over 5,300 Baltimore City youth were offered summer jobs for this year’s program.

“We in Baltimore City have worked hard for many years building a coalition of support for YouthWorks from government, business, foundations, and community leaders that allow us to offer thousands of jobs to young people each summer,” said Mayor Rawlings-Blake. “This year, Governor O’Malley and the State of Maryland have been especially supportive by providing funding that helps to make up for the lack of federal dollars allocated for summer jobs. On behalf of our City’s youth and families, employers, and communities, I extend my deepest gratitude to our Governor.”

“Maintaining funding for YouthWorks this summer was a critical collaborative effort by Governor O’Malley, Mayor Rawlings-Blake and the Baltimore City Council,” said City Council President Young. “The three YouthWorks participants currently working in my office are shining examples of professionalism and potential. The city feels the impact of these bright young minds over the summer, but more importantly, the experience from this program will help all the youth participating for years to come. YouthWorks represents a wonderful partnership between government, businesses, organizations and the community that truly benefits Baltimore’s youth.”

The YouthWorks participants at the ACCE site are helping to launch the school’s greening project, intended to be a year-round effort to promote a more sustainable environment at the school's campus, beautify the school’s grounds, and benefit the Hampden community as a whole.

“The YouthWorks participants have been busy planting, gardening, learning about soil, and becoming familiar with the basics of horticulture,” said Jean Mellott, the ACCE YouthWorks site supervisor and a graduate of the Master of Landscape Architecture Program at Morgan State University. “In the past three weeks we have planted a vegetable garden, added plants and houses to attract birds and butterflies, and identified and removed invasive plant species and replaced them with native plants. In the back of the school, we are also adding a large rain garden to handle roof run-off and keep it from sending pollutants into the Jones Falls and the Chesapeake Bay. With all this work, we hope to start the process to have the school grounds certified as a wildlife habitat by the end of the summer.”

ACCE is partnering with local businesses and organizations to enhance the greening project. Lowe's of Towson, Greenfields Nursery, Sylva Native Nurseries, Stumpeaters, Baltimore City Department of Transportation, Employ the Rain, the Guilford Garden Club, and the Baltimore City School System have all offered discounts or donations of plants and other materials for the YouthWorks projects this summer, and a $5,000 grant from the Baltimore City Foundation was used to purchase plants and supplies. In addition, Blue Water Baltimore will be hosting a Pavement to Prairie Party at the school July 25, where volunteers will remove three-fourths of an acre of unused parking lot and transform the area into a vibrant, engaging outdoor classroom and community green space.  

YouthWorks 2011 will conclude on August 5, 2011. For more information, visit www.oedworks.com.

How To Load And Unload Your Backhoe

Tsunami Japanese Inside A Car!

Federal Workers More Likely To Die Than Lose Jobs

(USA TODAY) -- Federal employees' job security is so great that workers in many agencies are more likely to die of natural causes than get laid off or fired, a USA TODAY analysis finds.

Death - rather than poor performance, misconduct or layoffs - is the primary threat to job security at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Small Business Administration, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Office of Management and Budget and a dozen other federal operations.

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Homophobic, Racist Craigslist Advertiser Bans Undesirables From Yard Sale

How would you like a nice, gently-used loveseat? Perhaps a few dishes? Oh, but you can't have any of those things if you're gay, practice Islam or are an illegal immigrant, says one bad consumer in a Craigslist ad trying to offload her unwanted home goods.

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Kominos/Scheidegger Arrests

INCIDENT DATE:  June 6-13, 2011     
CBI Case #     11-0157
LOCATION:      11900 BLK Grays Corner Road Berlin, Worcester County, MarylandCRIME:1st Degree Burglary and Theft under $10,000

SUSPECT:     1) Stavros D. KOMINOS, W/M 24yoa. Golf Course Road, West Ocean City, MD

2) Ryan P. SCHEIDEGGER,  W/M 22yoa. Bethel Road, Willards, MD


NARRATIVE:

On Friday, June 17, 2011 a deputy of the Worcester County Sheriff's Office took an initial report of a burglary at 11900BLK of Grays Corner Road, Berlin, Worcester County, Maryland. The victim reported approximately $2,000.00 in jewelry stolen from her home.

The Worcester County Bureau of Investigations continued the investigation and was determined that the stolen jewelry was sold to a local pawn shop. With the cooperation of the pawn shop management; Kominos and Scheidegger were identified.

As a result of interviews and further investigation: Kominos and Scheidegger have been charged with the Burglary and Theft. Kominos is being held on a bond at the Worcester County Jail and Scheidegger was released on his own Personal Recognizance pending trial.

HORRIFIC BANK OF AMERICA RESULT SPUN AS POSITIVE BY MSM

First I see the headline on Marketwatch that says Bank of America had a better than expected result for the 2nd quarter.

THEY LOST 8.8 BILLION FREAKING DOLLARS AND THE HEADLINE IS POSITIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I immediately went to Zero Hedge for the truth. Nothing but accounting entries to create $4.8 billion of income out of thin air. The CEO of this bank thinks credit conditions are improving as home prices plunge and retailers vacate more commercial real estate. That’s priceless!!!!

The Bank of America is insolvent. They are dead bank walking. You know it. I know it. Even that bonehead Bernanke knows it. Too bad the MSM pretends not to know it.

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You Want To Fix The U.S. Economy? Here's A Start

A simple 8-point plan would restore both the banking and the real estate sectors, and end the political dominance of the parasitic "too big to fail" banks.
Craven politicos and clueless Federal Reserve economists are always bleating about how they want to fix the U.S. economy and restore "aggregate demand." OK, here's how to start:

1. Force all banks to mark all their assets to market at the end of each trading day, including all derivatives of all types, including over-the-counter instruments.

2. Allow citizens to discharge all mortgage and student loan debt in bankruptcy court, just like any other debt.

3. Banks must mark all their real estate to market weekly as defined by "last sales of nearby properties" adjusted for square footage and other quantifiable measures (i.e. like Zillow.com).

4. Require mortgage servicers and all owners of mortgage-backed securities to mark every asset within each pool to market weekly.

5. Any mortgage, loan or note which was fraudulently originated, packaged and sold, including the misrepresentation of risk, the manipulation of risk ratings, fraudulent documentation by any party, etc., will be discharged as uncollectable and the full value wiped off the books and title records without recourse by any of the parties.

If a bank fraudulently originated a mortgage and the buyer misrepresented material facts on the mortgage documents, then both parties lose all claim to the note and the underlying asset, the house, which reverts to the FDIC for liquidation, with the proceeds going towards creditors' claims against the bank.

6. Any bank which misrepresents marked-to-market asset values will be fined $10 million per incident.

7. Any bank which is insolvent at the end of a trading day will be closed and taken over by the FDIC the following day, and liquidated in an orderly manner via open-market auctions of all assets, including REO (real estate owned).

8. All derivative positions held by the insolvent bank will be unwound immediately, and counterparties who fail to make good on their claims will also be closed, given to the FDIC and liquidated.

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Salisbury Police Department Press Releases

On July 18, 2011 at approximately 5:20 am, Officers of the Salisbury Police arrested the below listed suspect on an outstanding arrest warrant charging the suspect with prescription fraud. In March of 2010, Officers met with a representative of a local physician’s office regarding a suspect attempting to pass a fraudulent prescription for oxycodone. Pharmacy personnel became suspicious of the prescription and checked with the physician’s office who found that a prescription pad had been stolen. The pharmacy refused to fill the prescription. Salisbury officers were able to identify the suspect and obtained the arrest warrant.

ARRESTED: Tanesha Wail Barber, 31 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Obtaining a prescription by forgery
Conspiracy to commit theft (under $ 100.00)

DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 201000010962

On July 18, 2011 at approximately 4:43 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police received a call to respond to the Giant Food Store on South Salisbury Boulevard for the report of a shoplifter. Upon arrival the officers met with store management who advised that store personnel had observed the below listed suspect take food items from the store without making payment. The food was recovered and returned to the store.

ARRESTED: Terrance Lanier Drew, 25 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Theft (under $ 1,000)

DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 201100027993

Despite High Costs, Toyota To Build Next Hybrid In Japan

SENDAI, Japan -- Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday that despite the strength of the yen against the dollar, it would start domestic production of a new compact hybrid vehicle by next year, some of which would be exported overseas.

The new gas-electric engine powered hybrid, to be built at the Toyota group's Kanto Auto Works factory in the northeastern Iwate Prefecture, was one of 11 new or upgraded hybrid models the company plans to introduce globally in the next two years.

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India's Tata To Offer $720 House

Prefab kit home can be built in a week, lasts 20 years

The world's cheapest car is manufactured by the Tata Group. So is the cheapest water filter. Now the Indian company is setting its sights on the housing market with a $720 flatpack home that can be constructed in a week.

The basic flatpack model is 215 square feet, consists of coconut fiber or jute walls and interiors, and has a life expectancy of just 20 years. Tata plans to offer a prefab kit containing windows, roofs, doors, and more to customers.

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Worcester County Bureau of Investigation Press Release

INCIDENT DATE: June 6-13, 2011
CBI Case # 11-0157
LOCATION: 11900 BLK Grays Corner Road
Berlin, Worcester County, Maryland
CRIME: 1st Degree Burglary and Theft under $10,000
SUSPECT: 1) Stavros D. KOMINOS, W/M 24yoa.
Golf Course Road, West Ocean City, MD
2) Ryan P. SCHEIDEGGER, W/M 22yoa.
Bethel Road, Willards, MD

NARRATIVE: On Friday, June 17, 2011 a deputy of the Worcester County Sheriff's Office took an initial report of a burglary at 11900BLK of Grays Corner Road, Berlin, Worcester County, Maryland. The victim reported approximately $2,000.00 in jewelry stolen from her home.

The Worcester County Bureau of Investigations continued the investigation and was determined that the stolen jewelry was sold to a local pawn shop. With the cooperation of the pawn shop management; Kominos and Scheidegger were identified.

As a result of interviews and further investigation: Kominos and Scheidegger have been charged with the Burglary and Theft. Kominos is being held on a bond at the Worcester County Jail and Scheidegger was released on his own Personal Recognizance pending trial.

BREAKING NEWS: Apple 3Q Earnings, Revenue Shatter Expectations

Apple reported third-quarter financial results on Tuesday that blew past Wall Street’s expectations. The company earned $7.79 a share in the quarter, on revenue of $28.6 billion. Analysts had projected EPS of $5.85 on revenue of $25 billion. Trading in the shares has been halted.
From Fox News

Texting While Walking Means $120 Fine

Texting while walking will get you scrapes, cuts, sprains, even YouTube fame if you happen to fall into a fountain at the mall ... and starting next month, if you do it in Philadelphia, a $120 fine.

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Two Years Ago Today

And look where we are today. Chuck Campbell is living a normal live after a successful double lung transplant. Thanks to ALL of you!

OCPD, NEIGHBORHOODS CELEBRATING NATIONAL NIGHT OUT

The Ocean City Police Department, in coordination with National Association of Town Watch, will be celebrating the “28th Annual National Night Out” program on Tuesday, August 2, 2011 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Fiesta Park in Caine Woods and Gullway Villas on Lark Lane. In 2010, the program involved over 36 million people in 14,625 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide.

The Ocean City Police Department is partnering with two neighborhood watch associations in Ocean City to bring crime prevention awareness and community policing to the area. “National Night Out has proven to be an effective, inexpensive and enjoyable program to promote neighborhood spirit and the partnership between the OCPD and the community,” said Chief Bernadette DiPino. “It is an event that only lasts a few hours, however the benefits of the evening extend well beyond one day.”

National Night Out, a yearlong community building campaign, is designed to heighten crime prevention awareness, generate support and participation in local anticrime programs and strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships. In addition, the program was developed to send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized
and fighting back against crime.

On behalf of the Ocean City Police Department, Chief DiPino would like to invite Ocean City citizens to participate in National Night Out festivities. In addition, the OCPD encourages you to be the “eyes and ears” of your community, by reporting crime or suspicious activity to the Ocean City Police Department. For more information regarding National Night Out, or the Ocean City Police Department’s role in National Night Out, please contact the OCPD Public Affairs Office at 410-723-6665.

Another Wicomico Humane Society Letter To The Editor

Dear Joe,

With all the high emotions surrounding the Wicomico County Humane Society, I thought you may find this story interesting. It’s a little long, but the facts are important and I think you’ll agree. I hope the people of the county do NOT give up on getting rid of the HS current administration and most importantly ask for an accounting of the amount of medication ordered and used to put animals to sleep and compare this to the number of animals they really put to sleep. It doesn’t take much to put an animal down and certainly the amount they have used may be predictably higher than the amount needed to kill the animals they claim to have put to sleep. What a coincidence?!

From what I’ve been told, Sandy Hudson is supposedly not an animal control officer however, she allegedly acts as one and isn’t very nice about it either. I also had believed that any “investigations” at the HS were confidential, but apparently, Sandy Hudson may be above the rules. A friend of mine has been in animal rescue for approximately 30 years, has a good reputation and many connections with other rescues and the focus of her life has always been to save animals. It has been brought to my attention, that apparently Sandy Hudson conspired to take down this friend of mine and Sandy may have possibly released false and misleading “confidential information” about my friend’s rescue over the telephone to a woman she didn’t know.

Turns out this woman caused a horrible backlash of phone calls and threats after spreading this confidential lie in a conspired attempt to put my friend out of the rescue world. That woman has emailed (“cross posting”) hundreds upon hundreds of people and repeated information that could have only been known to the HS. I know this to be true because I received emails with Sandy Hudson’s name in them as the giver of information and this woman who lived hundreds of miles away had never been to Maryland. Although, my friend has never mistreated animals, nor had any animals removed from her home and  never been found in violation of any laws concerning the care of animals, the Humane Society theoretically set the crazy vindictive people upon her and to this day, she tells me they continue to harass her.

On a few occasions, an unknown person in a red Jeep was found exiting their driveway and speeding away as my friend was just arriving home after running errands. I hope they discover who owns the red Jeep and prosecutes them for harming animals and threatening my friend’s family.

Once this woman who had admitted online through emails and on FaceBook she had spoken with Sandy Hudson, retaliation spread like wildfire as in the dark of night harm to my friend’s animals was carried out. Anti-freeze was poured in her horse’s water trough, dog kennel wires were cut repeatedly and animals were released in the dark of night. Death threats were received to this friend and in fear for her life and her children’s safety, she closed down her animal rescue for a year. Think of all the animals that were not rescued during this time and think of the living hell Sandy Hudson supposedly put into action! Someone needs to clean house here and take away these unethical people at HS!!!

You’ll find this most interesting, as reportedly only after two days of my friend reopening her rescue, she seems to have received a phone call from Sandy Hudson in which Sandy was using a screaming voice was saying things that sounded like threats to my friend. In response to this, my friend contacted Linda Lugo to inform her of the situation and was allegedly told Sandy Hudson had full power to do whatever she pleased. So much for the “Humane” in HS.

My friend is now seeking legal actions against the “In-Humane” Society of Wicomico County for this entire incident which continues. Her animals have no health problems, are always taken to the vet and vaccinated. Seems like this whole thing may be due to the wrong person in control and given the power over not only animal’s lives, but also the lives of people she just doesn’t favor much. Seems to me the HS is purely “rescue unfriendly” and if only they would partner up with those rescues around Delmarva, hundred of animals now put to sleep at the hands of HS and would find good homes. If becoming rescue friendly were to happen, I believe the abandoned dog in the news that was recently put to sleep by the HS after having around five rescues wanting to take him, treat his skin condition would have found his life was spared.

The dog in the news allegedly had mange, which is a treatable skin condition. How do I know this?!?!??! Because the dog I adopted from the HS ten years ago had a terrible case of mange when the HS gave her to me! Unfortunately, when I asked the HS worker why the dog I was adopting had hair falling out and looked so terrible, I was told it was nothing to worry about. My vet thought differently. I was told in two days or less, the HS was going to kill the mother of the puppy I was looking to adopt because she would be at the HS too long before anyone would come to possibly want her. When I heard this I was horrified, so instead, I adopted the mother and saved her from the hands of being killed by HS. Best dog I ever had!

The HS cries about budget cuts and I find this amazing because people will hear the HS says they can’t or won’t go out to help animals, something about only one hour a day is allowed for animal control issues. Are they serious?!?! With the amount of dog fighting running rampant and horrid atrocities concerning animals in this county, why do they choose to sit in their nicely air-conditioned building with the pretty pavilion and make no proactive effort to address people and animals in need, choosing only to decrease their numbers and expenses by “euthanasia”?

Someone needs to get involved and clean house until all the rats are exterminated, and I am not talking about rodents, don’t you think?

I. Richardson

Salisbury, MD

OCEAN CITY POLICE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR FALL 2011 CITIZENS POLICE ACADEMY

The Ocean City Police Department is currently accepting applications for the 2011 Citizens Police Academy. The Citizens Police Academy begins classes on September 6, 2011 from 6 until 10 p.m. and continues every Tuesday for 10 weeks.

The Ocean City Police Department has been offering the citizens of Ocean City the unique opportunity to see the inner workings of the resort police department for nearly 13 years. The Citizens Police Academy was created to enable citizens to learn more about the Ocean City Police Department and build the relationship between the police and the community.

During this course, students meet a variety of officers to learn about criminal law, traffic enforcement, evidence collection, firearms, arrest procedures, narcotics enforcement and many other topics. Students also participate in practical scenarios, which afford citizens hands-on opportunity to understand various law enforcement applications.

“Educating citizens about their police department and illegal activity in their community is one of the best forms of crime prevention,” said OCPD Chief Bernadette DiPino. “The Citizens Police Academy not only benefits our community but also benefits the officers of the Ocean City Police Department.”

The Citizens Police Academy has a limited class size of 25 participants. Interested persons must complete a written application and give permission for the Ocean City Police Department to conduct a background check to determine if they have a criminal record.

For more information about the Citizens Police Academy or to receive an application, please contact the OCPD Public Affairs Office at 410-723-6665.

Pay-By-Phone Parking Problems

WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- It's billed as "parking made simple," but the District's new pay by phone parking may have some glitches that could cost you.

Richard McKnight of Silver Spring was visiting the museums with his family Monday afternoon.  He didn't have enough change so he paid by phone.  After registering for nearly 15 minutes he paid by credit card for 2 hours of parking.

"I returned in an hour and a half and there was a $25.00 ticket," McKnight said.

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Q-R-Codes Really Are Everywhere

USA Today reports monument makers - that is, the folks who make tombstones - are embedding QR codes to help people find the markers in cemeteries. People who scan the code are taken to a website that includes the deceased's obituary and a photo gallery highlighting the person's life. New uses for the technology are popping up almost daily. There are no licensing fees, no restrictions, and people can use the codes for everything from grave sites to marking nature trails to selling band merchandise and music downloads during concerts.

3 Boaters Plucked From Delaware River By Crabber

DOVER, Del. (AP) -- Three people whose small rowboat overturned on the Delaware River endured an 11-hour ordeal before being rescued by a commercial crabber off Woodland Bea

The rescued boaters were returned to shore Monday morning. Authorities say all three boaters are from the Middletown area.

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The Head Of The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms And Explosives Is Speaking Out About A Controversial Gun-Running Investigation

Kenneth Melson says that his agents didn't intercept high-powered weapons when they could and should have. Melson's comments were quoted in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder from Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley and California Republican Congressman Darrell Issa. Melson's acknowledgement is the first by any senior ATF leader that confirms some of the criticism of Operation Fast and Furious. The concerns have resulted in congressional hearings and an inquiry by the Justice Department's inspector general.

Habitat for Humanity Dedicates St. Michaels Home

Habitat for Humanity Choptank's house dedication ceremony Saturday morning proved once again that every affordable home the organization establishes is much more than simply a house.

"It's an example of what a community can do when it pulls together to achieve a common cause," said Steve Clineburg, board president of Habitat Choptank, to an audience of more than 40 people, who each, in some way, helped make the house a reality. "Speaking as a St. Michaels resident myself, I'm very proud of what our community has done and I'm hoping it can be repeated many times."

The quaint, cream-colored house, which sits along the nicely-shaded Brooks Lane, was dedicated to its new occupants Lori Whitehead, her two children, Becca and Robert; and, the most recent addition to their family, an American husky named Roxy.

"You don't realize what a difference you've made. I never thought I'd be able to afford to live here in a house of my own," Whitehead said, with a slight tremble in her voice and tears welling in her eyes. "A great big thank you to everybody involved, not just in my house build, but every Habitat house."

READ MORE …

Not Business-As-Usual For An Angry Electorate

GOP Split Over the Debt ... However the debt-ceiling standoff is ultimately resolved, the trench warfare between House Republicans and the Democratic president has shown the country that the GOP is caught between its antigovernment fervor and the need to keep the lights on. – Newsweek

Dominant Social Theme: The Republicans are always too radical for their own good.

Free-Market Analysis: This is a perfect Newsweek article by new editor Tina Brown – pitch perfect. The trouble is that the pitch is from decade ago. The sociopolitial and economic conversation has moved on, but it seems Tina Brown and Newsweek are stuck in the 1990s.

The writer of the article is the well-known Howard Kurtz. Kurtz has had a varied and high profile career as a media reporter. He has hosted CNN's Reliable Sources program, and is currently Washington bureau chief for The Daily Beast and Newsweek. He's been labeled the country's "most influential media reporter."

But Kurtz, too, is stuck in the past. This has more to do with the Internet than with a specific economic or social issue. Let's take a look. Once we analyze it, we can understand it better. Bill Clinton was the first Internet president, and he nearly lost his job when Matt Drudge broke the story about his affair with Monica Lewinsky.

The reason Drudge reported on the story was because Newsweek, armed with the same information, wouldn't write the article. The Drudge story set off a furor that hasn't stopped to this day. That was the moment that the US mainstream media ceased to be effective gatekeepers.

No longer would TIME Magazine send reporters around the world paired up with CIA agents to make sure that the reporting suited US interests. The CIA's Project Mockingbird still enmeshes the largest mainstream publications in its grip, but the Internet is far less controllable than print media, simply because any single individual with a compelling story can attract an audience. There are too many scribes and not enough handlers.

Soon it was George W. Bush's turn. He was fairly leery when it came to the press. After 9/11 his administration took to managing the news closely. It didn't matter though. Bit by bit, piece by piece, Internet "citizen journos" – the ones sitting in the basement in their pajamas – took his administration apart.
The 9/11 coverup, the faux-compassionate conservatism, the failing, murderous wars and big government approach to the economy – all were duly noted and reported on day-by-day, not by big mainstream publications, but on the Internet on a variety of websites and blogs.

Bush left office with a popularity rating in the high teens or low 20s. Even now he mostly restricts his speech making to military bases and highly partisan conservative gatherings. The larger electorate – both Republican and Democratic – had had enough.

Riding a wave of revulsion, Barack Obama was swept into office promising hope and change. A little more than two years later, Obama's presidency is already in tatters. His approval ratings are supposedly in the low 40s but in reality they are probably lower than that based on the absolutely vicious vituperation on the Internet surrounding any mention of his name.

Obama is the third Internet president, and with each cycle, the disaffected electorate – understanding the dysfunction of the larger political cycle – has grown more impatient with business as usual. The Tea Party movement should be seen in this context. It is a post-Internet development, born out of people's anger at the failure of the system and their ability, finally, to perceive just how dysfunctional it really is.

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BofA Reports $8.8 Billion Net Loss, Worst Ever

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Bank of America Corp reported its biggest-ever quarterly loss -- $8.8 billion -- as low interest rates squeezed lending margins at the largest U.S. bank.

The loss was widely expected after the bank said in June that it settled with mortgage bond investors for $8.5 billion and was taking more than $14 billion of other home loan-related charges in the quarter.

But the bank's results, including its shrinking interest income, underscore the difficulties Chief Executive Brian Moynihan faces even if the bank moves past its mortgage problems. The bank's shares fell 1.2 percent in early trading.

"It's a slow grind for them," said David Hendler, senior analyst at CreditSights in New York.

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FDA Approves Flu Vaccine For Coming Season

The Food and Drug Administration says it has approved a new flu vaccine for the season beginning this year that will be manufactured by a half-dozen drug companies.

Each year the FDA works with other federal agencies and global health experts to design a vaccine to protect against the three viral strains most likely to cause the flu. The vaccine will be manufactured by six companies: GlaxoSmithKline, CSL Limited, ID Biomedical Corp., Medimmune Vaccines, Novartis and Sanofi.

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Sex-Trade Advertising: Don't Ply For Me, Argentina

A surprise ban on print and internet ads for escort services is being lambasted by sex workers and legislators in Argentina as counterproductive to the new presidential order's proclaimed aim to combat the sexual exploitation of women. The edict, which goes into effect on July 18, represents "a giant step forward in the defense of women," said President Cristina Fernández, when she announced it last week. The ban will also block internet sites offering escort services. "We are going to move against sex ads on the internet, there are pages that will be deactivated," said the Minister of Justice, Julio César Alak.

But sex workers here disagree. "Banning the ads only drives us further into the hands of pimps and brothel-owners," says Jorgelina Sosa, a representative of AMMAR (the Spanish acronym for The Argentine Association of Women Prostitutes), a long-established group with 4,000 members that had been working with legislators here on a policy to protect sex workers from the kind of exploitation the ban is meant to discourage. "We are extremely upset," says Sosa. "We are being flooded with desperate calls from women asking us how they are expected to continue working. This ban will deliver these independent-working women straight into the hands of the mafia rings."

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Woman Questions Why Tax Bill Came So Late

Days before her 2009 taxes were due, Carla Alderman of Glen Burnie opened her mail to find a notice from the state Comptroller's Office.

Her daughter, Jennifer, had received an outstanding bill for $1,144.43, with instructions on how to set up a payment plan with the state.

"And that's it. Nothing else," Alderman told the Watchdog.

She said she had no idea why her daughter had received the bill, and didn't even know what tax year it was from. After calls to the Comptroller's Office, she finally learned that it was from 2006, the year the then-16-year-old worked part-time at Party City in Glen Burnie. She'd received a state refund of $857 - more than expected, but not a huge sum, Alderman said.

As it turns out, Alderman had done the taxes for her daughter and made an error. She learned that Jennifer actually owed the state around $585, but because several years had passed, interest had caused the bill to almost double.

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An Eye-Opening Peek At The Pentagon's Weird Budget Math

If you've been paying attention, you may have heard that President Obama has pledged to cut $400 billion out of security spending between now and 2023. But what you may not know is that the $400 billion won't be a cut as far as Joe and Jane Taxpayer are concerned. Todd Harrison, Washington's defense-budget wizard, says letting Pentagon spending grow along with inflation, between now and 2023, actually will yield more than the $400 billion in savings Obama is seeking. Keep your eye on the ball here: the $400 billion in cuts aren't cuts as you and I understand them -- they are reductions in the projected future rate of growth. And because defense spending has close to doubled over the past decade -- with future spending increases folded into future budget plans as naturally as dew forms on the morning grass -- the U.S. military finds trimming its future spending to the rate of inflation a near-death experience.

"I think we need to cut defense," Obama said Friday, "but as commander-in-chief, I've got to make sure that we're cutting it in a way that recognizes we're still in the middle of a war, we're winding down another war, and we've got a whole bunch of veterans that we've got to care for as they come home." But as Harrison, the budget whiz at the independent Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments makes clear, the Obama Administrations has proposed no real spending cuts for the Pentagon. Beyond that, the analysis of the 2012 budget he released Monday contains some interesting facts:

-- The average troop will be paid $57,400 in 2012, including various allowances for housing and subsistence.

-- The cost of deploying one soldier to Afghanistan will be an estimated $1.2 million in 2012.

-- The cost of the war in Libya to the U.S. is 1% of the cost of the war in Afghanistan.

-- The average cost to fly an Air Force plane for one hour will be $23,800 in 2012.

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Justice Department Closes O'Donnell Investigation

(CNN)-Former Delaware U.S. Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell received news she'd been hoping for late Friday. Cleta Mitchell, an attorney for O’Donnell, confirmed to CNN that a federal probe of her campaign has been closed.

“Just got word US Attorney slammed the door shut on CREW’s baseless complaint against me,” O’Donnell tweeted.

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GOVERNOR O’MALLEY NAMES MEMBERS OF THE MARCELLUS SHALE SAFE DRILLING INITIATIVE ADVISORY COMMISSION

Representatives from the scientific community, gas industry, business, environmental organizations, agriculture, and government to advise the State on Marcellus shale issues

ANNAPOLIS, MD (July 19, 2011) –Governor O’Malley today announced members of the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission. As mandated by the Governor’s June 6, 2011, Executive Order on the Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative, the Secretaries of the Departments of the Environment and Natural Resources, in consultation with the Advisory Commission, will study issues related to natural gas exploration and production in the Marcellus Shale in Maryland.  Commission members include a broad range of stakeholders and representatives from the scientific community, the gas industry, business, agriculture, environmental organizations, citizens, and government.

As outlined in the Governor’s Executive Order, the Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative will assist State policymakers and regulators in determining whether and how gas production from the Marcellus Shale in Maryland can be accomplished without unacceptable risks of adverse impacts to public health, safety, the environment, and natural resources.

“I am mindful of the potential benefits that could come from Maryland’s Marcellus Shale gas reserves,” said Governor O’Malley.  “There are, however, many legitimate public health, safety, environmental, and natural resource issues concerning exploration and extraction of gas from the Marcellus Shale in Maryland.  The Commission will study the short-term, long-term, and cumulative effects of natural gas exploration and production in the Marcellus Shale, best practices, and appropriate changes, if any, to the laws and regulations concerning oil and gas.  We look forward to their conclusions and recommendations.”

“The Department currently has the authority in State law and regulation to place all reasonable conditions in permits necessary to provide for public safety and to protect public health, the environment, and natural resources,” said Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Robert M. Summers.  “What is lacking is a complete understanding of the risks inherent in deep drilling and fracking and consensus about how to protect against those risks.”

“These issues relate not only to the hydraulic fracturing itself and its possible effect on drinking water, but also the cumulative impact of multiple wells on natural resources and the environment, including air pollution and forest fragmentation,” said Department of Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin. “Maryland’s precious forests, parks, streams, and rivers must be protected.”

The Commission will be chaired by David Vanko, Ph.D., a geologist and current Dean of The Jess and Mildred Fisher College of Science and Mathematics at Towson University. Other members include: Senator George Edwards; Delegate Heather Mizeur; Garrett County Commissioner James Raley; Allegany Commissioner William Valentine; Oakland Mayor Peggy Jamison; Shawn Bender, division manager at the Beitzel Corporation and president of the Garrett County Farm Bureau; Steven M. Bunker, director of Conservation Programs, Maryland Office of the Nature Conservancy; John Fritts, president of the Savage River Watershed Association and director of development for the Federation of American Scientists; Jeffrey Kupfer, senior advisor, Chevron Government Affairs; Dominick E. Murray, deputy secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development; Paul Roberts, a Garrett County resident and co-owner of Deep Creek Cellars winery; Nick Weber, chair of the Mid-Atlantic Council of Trout Unlimited; and Harry Weiss, Esquire, partner at Ballard Spahr.

The Advisory Commission’s first meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 4, 2011, at the Lakeside Visitors Center at Rocky Gap State Park and will be open to public.

The Departments of the Environment and Natural Resources, in consultation with the Advisory Commission, will conduct a three-part study and present findings and recommendations as follows:

• By December 31, 2011, a presentation of findings and related recommendations regarding the desirability of legislation to establish revenue sources, such as a State-level severance tax, and the desirability of legislation to establish standards of liability for damages caused by gas exploration and production.
• By August 1, 2012, recommendations for best practices for all aspects of natural gas exploration and production in the Marcellus Shale in Maryland.
• No later than August 1, 2014, a final report with findings and recommendations relating to the impact of Marcellus Shale drilling including possible contamination of groundwater, handling and disposal of wastewater, environmental and natural resources impacts, impacts to forests and important habitats, greenhouse gas emissions, and economic impact.

The Executive Order also instructs the Departments and the Advisory Commission to take advantage of other ongoing research. If information becomes available during the course of the study that is sufficient to demonstrate that the natural gas can be extracted from shale formations in Maryland without adverse impact to human health, natural resources, or the environment, the Department could issue permits with all appropriate safeguards in place.

Read Facts About…The Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative here.

BREAKING NEWS: Rally Heats Up On Debt Resolution Hopes, Dow Soars 200 Points

The blue chips were headed toward their best daily performance of the year after a bipartisan group of senators proposed a deficit-reduction plan that would slice the budget deficit over the next decade and potentially crack an impasse on lifting the debt ceiling.

From Fox News

Arizona Launching Fundraising Website For Border Fence

Arizona lawmakers are hoping to raise around $50 million for border fencing with a new online public fundraising plan that launches Wednesday – despite skepticism from key stakeholders.

Under legislation signed by Republican Gov. Jan Brewer in April, the state would use inmate labor and money pulled in through the website to fence in some of the 82 miles of border between Arizona and Mexico that remain open.

Despite support from top state officials, the initiative is already facing problems. Private land owners and county sheriffs are skeptical that fencing even works and don’t plan on contributing, while the federal government may not even allow construction on its land.

Republican state Sen. Steve Smith, who sponsored the bill, is confident $50 million is an attainable goal. He said he has received an outpouring of positive responses to the plan.

“We get messages from all over of people saying they are right there with us,” said Smith in an msnbc.com interview. “From state after state after state people are responding, this is not just an Arizona problem. People are seeing the effect of illegal aliens in their own state too.”

Smith’s legislation also established a Joint Border Security committee, including state Senate and House members, as well as sheriffs and governor-appointed members. As money begins to roll in, Smith said members will decide what type of fencing will be constructed and where. The committee won’t be able to begin making decisions until they have an idea of how much money will be raised, Smith said.

Arizona has been successful in the past in similar initiatives. The state raised millions of dollars in web donations to help fight legal battles over the polarizing Arizona immigration legislation passed last year. This legislation gives police new powers to detain suspected illegal immigrants and requires residents to carry immigration documents.
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Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Philadelphia archbishop Cardinal Justin Rigali today, sending him into retirement as the archdiocese faces accusations that it covered up a long-running priest sex abuse scandal.

The pope named conservative Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput to succeed him.

The brief Vatican announcement said the resignation of the 76-year-old Rigali was for reason of age. He submitted it on his 75th birthday in April 2010, as required by church law, but the pope did not immediately act on it.

But the Cardinal has been under pressure for his handling of the sex-abuse scandal. In his eight-year tenure, a pair of grand jury reports, one in 2005 and one released in February, have rocked the archdiocese by accusing church officials of covering up abuse allegations against priests.

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Man Gets $330,000.00 Home For $16.00

Thanks to a little-known Texas law, a man found an abandoned $300,000 home, moved his stuff in and filled out some paperwork. It cost him $16. Now, apparently he’s a homeowner.

On June 17, Kenneth Robinson moved into a $330,000 home in an upscale neighborhood in Flower Mound, Texas. Except, instead of going through a bank, wading through the mortgage process and making a down payment, Robinson went to the Denton County Courthouse and filled out a form. The house he was after was abandoned, and the mortgage company went out of business. So after months of research, Robinson took advantage of a Texas law called “adverse possession.” All he had to do was print out an online form and for a $16 fee was granted rights to the house.

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C-Section Rates Hit All-Time High, Study Finds

More than 1 in 3 women undergo surgery to deliver their babies

Rates of Cesarean section deliveries in the United States climbed to 34 percent in 2009, hitting an all time high, a new study says.

Florida, New Jersey and Texas had the highest rates, while Utah, Wisconsin and Colorado had the lowest of the 19 states included in the study.

"Obviously, a 34 percent C-section rate is far too high," said Jacqueline Wolf, a researcher at Ohio University who wasn't involved in the study. "Medical reasons alone cannot possibly explain why more than one in three American women need major abdominal surgery in order to safely give birth."

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Florida Teen Killed Parents With Hammer, Hosted House Party

(CNN) -- A Florida teen bludgeoned his parents to death with a hammer, stashed their bodies in a bedroom, then hosted dozens of people for a house party, police said Monday.

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Greek Union and Premier Brace for a Fight

Sitting in his office on a recent morning beneath photographs of Marx, Lenin and Che Guevara, Nikos Fotopoulos, the leader of Greece’s most powerful labor union, took a freshly printed flier from a stack. “We are ready for new battles,” it read.

“And we are,” Mr. Fotopoulos said, sipping an energy drink and then chasing it with an espresso. “We will continue with street protests because we still have unfinished business with the government and the troika,” he said, referring to Greece’s three foreign lenders: the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank and the European Commission.

Last month, amid violent protests, Prime Minister George A. Papandreou narrowly managed to push a new package of austerity measures through Parliament, including plans for selling $71 billion in state assets, a step that economists and the troika say is crucial to overhauling Greece’s bloated public sector.

But whether Mr. Papandreou will be able to carry out the plan will depend to a large extent on people like Mr. Fotopoulos. His union, Genop, represents workers at the Public Power Corporation, which is owned jointly by the government and by private investors.

READ MORE …

For those who ask how this is relevant to them; welcome to the future if OUR government can’t get a handle on local, state, and federal spending as well as the debt that goes with it. – Ed.

Borders Liquidates: 10,700 Jobs Lost

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Borders Group will liquidate its remaining assets after efforts to find a buyer fell through, the bookstore chain announced Monday.

The nation's second largest book seller, which filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this year, currently operates 399 stores and employs approximately 10,700 workers.

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Easton Cable to Increase Home Internet Rates

Easton Cable will increase residential high-speed Internet prices in August for the first time since launching service 13 years ago. The utility said hardware and software upgrades are driving the higher fees.

Effective with August bills, Residential Starter Service will increase to $30 per month from $25 and V10 (formerly Residential Full Service) will increase to $45 per month from $40. Packages including either of these services, including the Triple Play, will increase by $5.

In the past year, Easton Cable said in a release that it has doubled the maximum download speed of its V10 service. Since launching cable modem service in 1998, Easton Cable has increased maximum download speeds to 100 times the original levels.

Easton Cable Vice President of Operations Geoff Oxnam said even with the increase, Easton Cable offers the fastest Internet in town at prices lower than comparable service from other regional providers.

"Our goal is to deliver the performance our customers demand at competitive prices," Oxnam said. "The Easton Cable Velocity upgrades are essential to continue to meet that goal today and into the future."

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Terrafugia Flying Car Cleared For Landing In US

A flying car retailing for $227,000 could be on roads in a matter of months -- and customers are already lining up to be the first to get their hands on one, its maker claims.

Just over a week ago, the Terrafugia Transition passed a significant milestone when it was cleared for takeoff by the U.S. National Highway Safety Administration. It's taken Terrafugia founder Carl Dietrich just five years to realize his dream, with some media outlets reporting that the Transition could now be on U.S. roads by the end of next year.

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Rural Markets Losing Air Service

Rural America, already struggling to recover from the recession and the flight of its young people, is about to take another blow: the loss of its airline service.

That was underscored last week when Delta Air Lines announced that it “can no longer afford” to continue service at 24 small airports. The carrier says it is losing a total of $14 million a year on flights from places like Thief River Falls, a city of 8,600 in northwest Minnesota that fills only 12 percent of the seats, or Pierre, the capital of South Dakota, where Delta’s two daily flights are on average less than half full.

Nationally, all major airlines have been reducing and sometimes eliminating flights altogether in small cities, as the industry concentrates much of its service in 29 major hubs, which now account for 70 percent of all passenger traffic, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

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Cisco To Cut 6,500 Workers In Cost Savings Plan

Cisco (CSCO) said Monday it is slashing 6,500 jobs from its payroll as part of its plan to cut annual expenses by $1 billion.

Workers across all businesses and regions will be targeted, including about 2,100 employees that volunteered to retire early, roughly 15% of positions at the vice president level and above and 9% of regular full-time staff.

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Public Schools In Worse Shape Than We Feared

Last December, I reported on Harvard University professor Stephan Thernstrom's essay, "Minorities in College -- Good News, But...," on Minding the Campus, a website sponsored by the New York-based Manhattan Institute.

Thernstrom was commenting on the results of the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), saying that the scores "mean that black students aged 17 do not read with any greater facility than whites who are four years younger and still in junior high. ... Exactly the same glaring gaps appear in NAEP's tests of basic mathematics skills."

Thernstrom asked, "If we put a randomly-selected group of 100 eighth-graders and another of 100 twelfth-graders in a typical college, would we expect the first group to perform as well as the second?"

In other words, is it reasonable to expect a college freshman of any race who has the equivalent of an eighth-grade education to compete successfully with those having a 12th-grade education?

Maybe this huge gap in black/white academic achievement was in the paternalistic minds of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals justices who recently struck down Michigan's ban on the use of race and sex as criteria for college admissions.

READ MORE …

Walter E. Williams is nationally syndicated by Creators Syndicate.

Reuters And The Associated Press Drop Bombs On The Banks: "Robo-Signing Is Not Even Close To Over"

Two reports are out today from the Associated Press and Reuters that are both the best in-depth main stream stories to date on the fraudclosuregate scandal.

This time it’s not coming from some crazy blogger, it is coming from some of the most “trusted” news sources in the world. Below are some excerpts but I urge you to read both the articles in their entirety at the links below.

First from the AP...

AP Exclusive: Mortgage 'robo-signing' goes on

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Pope Accepts Philadelphia Archbishop's Resignation

VATICAN CITY –  Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Philadelphia archbishop Cardinal Justin Rigali on Tuesday, sending him into retirement as the archdiocese faces accusations that it covered up a long-running priest sex abuse scandal.

The pope named Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput, of the U.S. bishops conservative wing, to succeed him.

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Cuccinelli Approves Exemption for Disabled Vets

Injured veterans who meet an expanded definition of "100 percent disabled" are eligible under a new law for a tax exemption for their homes, according to a legal opinion issued by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.

The opinion addresses the refusal by some localities to offer the tax break to veterans who are not initially rated 100 percent disabled by the Veterans Administration's "service-connected" rating schedule but are later judged to be fully disabled by the VA because their ailments prevent them from maintaining gainful employment.

Virginia voters last November approved an amendment to the state constitution, effective Jan. 1, 2011, that provided the real estate tax exemption to disabled veterans or a surviving spouse.

Cuccinelli determined that the exemption applies to veterans rated as 100 percent disabled, regardless of how the VA arrived at that rating.

The attorney general also determined that a spouse of a veteran who died before the law took effect Jan. 1 would not qualify under the law, nor would property held in a public trust on behalf of a veteran.

READ MORE ….

Sex Offender Awarded Custody Of 3-Year-Old Florida Girl

The family of a 3-year-old Florida girl is outraged after a judge awarded custody to the child's father, who is a registered sex offender, WJXX-TV reports.

Trista Crews Coleman, the child's mother, reportedly died in a car accident a month after her daughter, Miranda Wilkerson, was born.

Earlier this month, a judge gave custody to the child's father, Donald Coleman, a registered sex offender who impregnated Trista Crews Coleman in 1997 when he was 38 and she was 14 years old. 

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70 Year Old Woman Accused of Pirating Porn

"Grandma, what are you doing on the Internet? Oh, downloading porn illegally?" Yeah, that scenario doesn't seem too likely, but nonetheless, a 70-year-old woman is being told to pay up in a settlement pushed by a Chicago law firm, claiming she and others pirated porn.

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, is a retired widow in San Francisco, who spends her days doing volunteer work, reports The San Francisco Chronicle. In April, she and other Jane and John Does were sued by a law firm that has been filing similar cases around the U.S.

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'Designer Dogs' Or Mutt, The Costs Are Adding Up

New breeds (except you can't call them that) are taking on such old-line dog registries as the American Kennel Club

The first sign that the Dog Establishment was under attack came in 1988, when a fringe Australian breeder named Wally Conron mixed a labrador retriever with a poodle. Conron’s cocktail, a labradoodle, didn’t immediately upend an old guard teeming with breeders, trainers, chewy bone manufacturers, and psychiatrists — until word of his dogs spread to the U.S. By the late ’90s a rogue market had been born, and bespoke canines the size of Birkin bags began fetching more than $1,000. By the shameless Aughts, the dog community’s dirty little secret was out: Uma Thurman, Miley Cyrus, and Jake Gyllenhaal bought their own designer pooches. Later, President Barack Obama announced that he, too, was considering a labradoodle. In January, YouTube sensation Caesar the Puggle, a gangsta-rapping cross between a pug and a beagle, became the world’s first haute mutt celebrity.

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EMS Training Suspended After Cheating Discovered

Baltimore fire officials suspended emergency medical training and locked down an instructional facility Monday after revelations that some student firefighters had cheated on a state licensing exam, officials said.

"This is a serious mistake that tarnishes the reputation of the hundreds of professional and dedicated men and women who work so hard for us," Fire Chief James S. Clack said in a statement.

The state agency that oversees paramedics and emergency medical technicians notified the Fire Department last week that it had determined that students cheated on the practical segment of a test administered June 14.

The 20 students in the class under investigation make up only the second class to begin at the fire academy in more than a year. The department had ceased hiring until last fall because of city budget cuts; the new hires were expected to help relieve staffing pressures in the department, which has closed fire companies on a rolling basis for years to save money.

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Bunnies Found In Fruitland

Joe,

My husband and I were outside on our back porch and we captured a photo of two giant rabbits in our backyard. I have seen them two or three times. They do not look like normal, wild rabbits. I figured I would forward the photo to you to see if anyone is missing these rabbits. They were seen wandering around Hunt Club South which is a housing division behind Wal-Mart off of North Division Street in Fruitland!

Thanks,

Cassie Wilson

cassandragraveswilson@yahoo.com

Pair Indicted in Easton PNC Bank Robbery

Two people accused of robbing the Easton PNC Bank on Marlboro Avenue on Monday, April 25, were indicted in the United States District Court for Maryland on charges of bank robbery and aiding and abetting.

According to the indictment filed July 14, Donald Tyrone Gross and Sherice LaCheryl Gunther "by force, violence and intimidation, take from the person and presence of the employees of PNC Bank ... money in the amount of $5,000 more or less, ... and in the course of committing said robbery, the defendants did place in jeopardy the lives of the employees at said bank through the use of a dangerous weapon and device."

In response to the federal indictment, charges in Talbot County District Court were dropped.

Baltimore County police and Easton police detectives working in Randallstown on Wednesday, April 27, arrested Gross, 43, and Gunther, 32, each on charges of armed robbery, robbery, use of a handgun in a violent crime, handgun in vehicle, handgun on person, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, theft between $1,000 to $10,000, reckless endangerment and conspiracy to all charges.

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Reid And Feinstein Support A Balanced Budget Amendment

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid believes that Congress should pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.

“I am willing to go for that,” said Reid of Nevada.

Even Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D.-Calif.), a liberal stalwart, agreed that spending in Washington needs some control.

“The spending trends are what really motivate me, and I hope others, to accept a constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment,” Feinstein said.

But that was then-- 1997, according to the Congressional Record.  So what about now?  Will Democrats be against the amendment after they were for it?

According to the Senate Republican Campaign Committee, the following Democratic Senators are on record as supporting a Balanced Budget Amendment: Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Mark Begich of Alaska, Bill Nelson of Florida, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Mark Udall  and Michael Bennet of Colorado, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Tom Carper of Delaware, Kent Conrad of North Dakota, Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Tim Johnson of South Dakota, Max Baucus of Montana, Dick Durbin of Illinois and Jon Tester of Montana.

“It’s absolutely critical,” Tester said during a 2006 Senate debate.  That’s 21 total (with Reid and Feinstein), and according to a senior Republican aide, they only need 20 Democrat votes to help Republicans pass the amendment.

Here is more

Convicted Child Killer Gets 12 Years for Carjacking

Arthur Tyler Felton, who served more than 14 years in prison for killing a 6-year-old girl in Baltimore in 1991, was sentenced Monday to serve 12 years in prison for a carjacking outside the Annapolis Mall.

Anne Arundel County Circuit Judge Paul A. Hackner suspended the rest of a 30-year sentence in favor of five years' probation, said a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office.

Because Felton, 38, is a repeat violent offender, he would have to serve 10 years without the possibility of parole.

Hackner had been considering giving Felton that sentence since a plea hearing in March.

In a plea deal that he later tried to back out of, Felton, of Annapolis, entered an Alford plea in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court — maintaining his innocence but acknowledging that there was sufficient evidence to convict him.

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Washington, D.C., Businessman Arrested On Suspicion Of Ties To Pakistan Spy Agency

Federal authorities have arrested a Washington businessman for allegedly working on behalf of Pakistan's spy agency, sources familiar with the case told Fox News. 

Search warrants were executed earlier Tuesday at the suspect's office in Washington, D.C., and at his home in suburban Virginia. It is believed that he has ties to the Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI, and was acting in the United States as an unregistered foreign agent, a federal crime in the United States. 

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GOP To Push Stronger Voter I.D. Laws, Says ‘Voter Fraud Is Real’

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus repeated his party’s commitment to stronger voter identification laws, saying that the GOP would not give up the fight against voter fraud.

“I think that we need to make it easy to vote, hard to cheat, and I think that that’s a mantra that we ought to shout from the rooftops all over the country as a Party,” Priebus told conservative bloggers on a conference call on Thursday.

Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA) Chairman David Norcross said that voter fraud issues were very real, despite complaints from liberals that it is largely a phantom problem. Cross cited several cases where states had found thousands of ineligible votes after elections were already over.

“Voter fraud is real, this is not anybody’s imagination,” Norcross said. “The Milwaukee police department reported some detailed fraud in the 2004 presidential election in Wisconsin. The Colorado Secretary of State found last year that 5,000 non-citizens voted in their Senate race, which was decided by a close margin. And probably all will remember Minnesota in 2008 when more ineligible voters were identified than the margin between the winning and losing Senate candidates.”

Norcross also pushed back against the argument that strict voter I.D. laws depress poor and minority turnout, a claim made famous by Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.), who said such laws would “literally drag us all the way back to Jim Crow laws,” a reference to the racist segregation-era laws that prevented southern blacks form voting.

“And as for people who don’t have photo I.D., American University Center for Democracy in Election Management found recently that 99 percent of eligible voters posses the proper I.D.,” said Cross. “Really, the purpose for this call is to make sure that we preserve this initiative, keep it going, and that we protect voter I.D. and the rights of legitimate voters,” Cross said.

Representative Todd Rokita (R-Ind.), formerly Indiana Secretary of State, said that after Indiana issued a voter I.D. law, it saw turnout go up, not down, charging that attacks against voter I.D. laws were “the sky is falling” arguments.
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