Monday, August 01, 2011

Rep. Harris Votes Against The Debt Ceiling “Deal”

Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Andy Harris voted against the debt ceiling increase. The plan did not require passage of a balanced budget amendment, which Rep. Harris feels is essential to bringing permanent common sense accountability to Washington.

“A balanced budget amendment is the only way to make sure the federal government spends what it takes in and lives within its means,” said Rep. Andy Harris. “Over the past few weeks I have repeatedly voted for reasonable proposals to raise the debt ceiling that included passage of a balanced budget amendment. But I didn’t come to Washington to continue writing blank checks. Maryland’s families and job creators sent me to Congress to permanently change the way Washington does business. I appreciate Speaker Boehner’s remarkable, historic efforts to craft a proposal to solve the debt ceiling issue. But today’s debt ceiling deal just doesn’t go far enough to build an environment for job creation by requiring passage of a balanced budget amendment to bring permanent common sense accountability to Washington.”

Currently, the U.S. Government has a national debt of $14.3 trillion and runs an annual deficit of $1.65 trillion.

BREAKING NEWS: Giffords Returns As House Passes Debt Limit Plan

House passes debt limit deal, 269-161, with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords voting yes, as Senate is expected to take it up Tuesday.

From Fox News

Breaking News-House Begins Final Vote On Debt Limit

The House has begun the final vote on Debt Limit.

Source Fox News

Body Of Missing New Hampshire Girl Found In Connecticut River

The body of missing New Hampshire 11-year-old girl from New Hampshire was found in the Connecticut River not far from her home, authorities confirmed Monday evening, as the investigation turns to how she got there.

The case has been labeled "suspicious," though there is no indication so far as to who might have taken Celina Cass, who was last seen the night of July 25 in her West Stewartstown, N.H., home, where she lives with her mother and stepfather.

For the first time in 17 years, the Mexican government will allow sweet juicy Southern US peaches to be sold in grocery stores south of the border thanks to an agreement signed by both nations earlier this year.

Farmers in South Carolina and Georgia — the nation's second- and third-largest peach producers — now have access to markets closed to them since 1994, when Mexico banned peach exports from the Southeast over concerns about invasive pests. The new deal involves strict protocols to keep fruit-eating insects from being carried into Mexico.

Breaking News-Justice Department Sues Alabama Over Controversial Immigration Law

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Alabama's new controversial immigration law, essentially fighting Alabama on grounds similar to its legal battle with Arizona over that state's controversial law.

In both cases, the Justice Department argues that the states are overstepping their authority by wading into something that is a strictly federal responsibility: immigration enforcement.

Lawsuit Filed Against the Maryland State Board of Elections

Breaking News: Today at noon, 3 groups will officially announce their lawsuit against the Maryland State Board of Elections. Their goal? To throw out your signatures and invalidate all of your hard work.

We just received word that CASA de Maryland, the Maryland division of the National Educators Association (NEA), and an illegal immigrant will jointly file a lawsuit on the basis of two things:

1) They are claiming that all of the signatures obtained from the website are not valid.

2) They are asserting that the entire petition drive is not valid as they feel that the bill is an “appropriations bill” which, according to the Maryland Constitution, is not permitted to be petitioned.

Of course, we disagree with their assertions and will be sending out a press release by this afternoon with our response. We will send it to you first.

The will of the people of Maryland was clearly shown through this petition drive. We do not want to pay our tax dollars to pay for more than half of the college tuition for illegal immigrants – people who are breaking the law. Through your hard work, we turned in more than TWICE the number of signatures required.

Now is the time to take action – This lawsuit is ignoring the will of the people AND trying to disenfranchise your signatures by playing political games.

We will be in touch very soon with more details and action steps.

Sincerely,
Neil

Delegate Neil C. Parrott, Chairman;
Delegate Pat L. McDonough, Honorary Chairman.

Today's Wildlife Photo

OCEAN CITY POLICE ARREST SUSPECT AFTER THREE-COUNTY PURSUIT, BYSTANDER ALSO ARRESTED FOR HINDERING & RESISTING

On Sunday, August 1, 2011, at approximately 2:40 a.m., Ocean City Police were advised of a motorcycle traveling at a high rate of speed from Dorchester County, Wicomico County and into Worcester County toward the Route 50 bridge. Ocean City officers observed the motorcycle, which was not actively being pursued, exit the bridge and continue south on Philadelphia Avenue to eastbound onto Talbot

Street. The motorcyclist then began to travel northbound briefly before taking a turn eastbound, toward Caroline Street and the boardwalk.

nd Street where he attempted to flee on foot. Ocean City Police apprehended the suspect, who was later identified as David Christopher Brown, 25, Montgomery Village, MD, after a brief struggle. Brown was arrested and charged with 12 traffic related offenses, including negligent driving, attempting to elude uniformed police by failing to

Ocean City Police officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop, however, the motorcyclist fled from police northbound on the boardwalk to 2

stop, driving on a suspended license, reckless driving and driving in excess of reasonable and prudent speed. In addition, Brown was charged with resisting arrest and possession of controlled paraphernalia (hypodermic syringe.)

During the time of Brown’s arrest, a bystander, later identified as Vincenzo Evola, 28, of Port Royal, PA, began to obstruct and hinder with the arrest. After several verbal warnings, Ocean City officers attempted to arrest Evola, at which time he began resisting. In an attempt to gain compliance, an assisting Worcester County Sheriff’s Deputy deployed a Taser on Evola.

Evola was arrested and charged with obstructing and hindering and resisting arrest. Brown and Evola are being held at the Ocean City Public Safety Building and are awaiting an initial appearance before an Ocean City District Court Commissioner.

Global Appetite for Frog Legs Could Contribute To The Amphibian's Extinction

Though often associated with French or Chinese cuisine, frog legs are a favored delicacy around the world—so much that ravenous consumption of these sautéed lower limbs may lead to frog extinction.

Each year, an average of 2,280 metric tons of frog legs are imported into the United States alone (that's somewhere between 450 million and 1.1 billion frogs), Scientific American reports.

Is there a way to game the lottery? Without ever winning an actual jackpot, a small group of bettors has managed to milk a game called Cash WinFall for millions. The key part of the strategy, which resulted recently in just three groups holding nearly 70% of the game’s winning tickets, is to play only at specific times, and play big-time—by purchasing tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of tickets.

A computer scientist from MIT and a low-profile couple that used to run a corner store in Michigan are among the players who apparently have figured out an incredibly profitable glitch in one Massachusetts state lottery game, according to the Boston Globe.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Health insurance plans must cover birth control as preventive care for women, with no copays, the Obama administration said Monday in a decision with far-reaching implications for health care as well as social mores.

The requirement is part of a broad expansion of coverage for women's preventive care under President Barack Obama's health care law. Also to be covered without copays are breast pumps for nursing mothers, an annual "well-woman" physical, screening for the virus that causes cervical cancer and for diabetes during pregnancy, counseling on domestic violence, and other services.

Considering I have personally been addressed by Code & Compliance for paint peeling and mold on my building, perhaps the City of Salisbury should practice what they preach!

Mold growing so thick you can barely see the roof shingles. Paint peeling so bad you can see the bare wood on every single structure. Mind you, this was NOT the case on my building, not at all. Yet the City feels the need to go after targeted people and they clearly get away with it.

You see Folks, this is the distinct difference between SBYNews and the Daily Times. We do get out there to see what's going on and we are NOT afraid to expose the truth.

So for ALL of you who are getting written up by the City for violations, (as they see them) you should bring these images in with you to show the Judge the City doesn't have ANY room to speak.

Things are so bad, people are actually ripping copper off of these buildings and selling it as scrap. Welcome to the Democrat way of HOPE.

That Which Is Too Fearful To Speak: The Demise Of The Consumer Economy

The consumer-debt-based economy is doomed; good riddance. It was nothing more than an elaborate cargo cult based on marketable anxiety.

The consumer-debt-based economy is toast, but everyone's too terrified by its demise to acknowledge this reality, never mind consider a new model. The entire creaking economy is based on a few ideas which no longer work:

1) Create "aggregate demand" (i.e. consumer demand, which then creates business demand) and the economy "grows," people are hired and get paid, and that's good.

2) When consumer demand slumps because people are over-indebted and can't afford to buy more of anything, then "stimulate" demand with massive Central State spending to replace the vanished private demand.

3) Demand is endless. You can never have enough stuff, food, vacations, education, healthcare and toys. Give people free money, or the ability to borrow nearly-free money, and they will spend, spend, spend. This creates "growth" which is always good.

A funny thing happened on the way to the infinite demand/consumption model--or actually, two things:

A. People borrowed all they could afford, and then borrowed more. Now they can't borrow any more, even if the interest rate is low. By some estimates, American consumers need to pay down $4 trillion in debt just to restore the income-to-debt ratios of the early 1980s, never mind the early 1960s.

B. Infinite demand met marginal return in a dark alley, and infinite demand is in the gutter, whoozy and bleeding profusely.

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3 More Banks Shut Down; That Makes 61 So Far This Year

Movie rental chains, book stores and newspapers aren't the only businesses that are dying off. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) announced three banks have been shut down, making 61 closures so far this year. Bank closures are still far behind the pace of 2010, when 157 banks were shuttered.

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A Reader Asks

"Is it true that Gannet news including the Salisbury Daily News are outsourcing part of the business to India. ie call in a complaint and someone from India answers."

I truly cannot answer your question. I can tell you that if you were to call Salisbury News you'll get ME and unless I'm on a very important call you'll never reach an answering machine.

Truth be told, its not easy answering every call. I'm not the kind of person that sees a call coming in and thinks, I really don't want to speak to that person right now. As a mentor taught me many years ago, what that person is telling you might not seem to be very important to you, it's the most important thing in their life at the time.

Gannett continues to forget where they came from.

Spend Only 4 Years Working For The City And Look What You Get

Yet, if you spend 20 years, (like Colburn Dykes) or 12 years, (like Alan Webster) Jim Rapp, John Jacobs, Gary Comegys, Lynn Cathcart, Mike Dunn and the list goes on and on and you get NOTHING.

Makes you wonder what kind of crush some may have had on this man to provide such a dedication. Who will be next, the Mayor's Interns?

Fact Sheet: Bipartisan Debt Deal: A Win For The Economy And Budget Discipline

Bipartisan Debt Deal: A Win for the Economy and Budget Discipline

Removes the cloud of uncertainty over our economy at this critical time, by ensuring that no one will be able to use the threat of the nation’s first default now, or in only a few months, for political gain;
Locks in a down payment on significant deficit reduction, with savings from both domestic and Pentagon spending, and is designed to protect crucial investments like aid for college students;
Establishes a bipartisan process to seek a balanced approach to larger deficit reduction through entitlement and tax reform;
Deploys an enforcement mechanism that gives all sides an incentive to reach bipartisan compromise on historic deficit reduction, while protecting Social Security, Medicare beneficiaries and low-income programs;
Stays true to the President’s commitment to shared sacrifice by preventing the middle class, seniors and those who are most vulnerable from shouldering the burden of deficit reduction. The President did not agree to any entitlement reforms outside of the context of a bipartisan committee process where tax reform will be on the table and the President will insist on shared sacrifice from the most well-off and those with the most indefensible tax breaks.

Banks have a new remedy to America's ailing housing market: Bulldozers.

There are nearly 1.7 million homes in the U.S. in some state of foreclosure. Banks already own some of these homes and will soon repossess many more. Many housing economists worry that near constant stream of home sales from banks could keep housing prices down for years to come. But what if some of those homes never hit the market.

Yes, that is a handicap wheel chair on the back of the scooter. Not something I have ever seen before.

Casey Anthony Ordered Back To Orlando In Check Fraud Case

(CNN) -- A Florida judge on Monday signed amended court documents mandating that Casey Anthony return to Orlando to serve a year of probation stemming from her check fraud conviction.

"From my reading of this, she should be reporting to probation in Orlando probably within 72 hours," Orange County Circuit Judge Stan Strickland said in signing the documents, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

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Biden Charges Secret Service Rent To Use Cottage Next To His Home

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Secret Service is charged with protecting Joe Biden and his family, but the agency is also charged $2,200 a month to rent a cottage next to the vice president's Delaware home.

Records show Biden has collected more than $13,000 since April on the cottage in Greenville, a wealthy Wilmington suburb, and is eligible for up to $66,000 before the contract expires in 2013.

Colon Cleansing: Not So Healthy, Analysis Says

It has been touted as a natural way to improve your heath and cleanse the soul. But doctors are now finding the procedure known as colon cleansing can cause dangerous side effects.

Colon cleansing, technically known as colonic hydrotherapy or colonic irrigation, is a popular treatment, usually performed at spas. It often involves the use of chemicals in the body and in hydrotherapy, the colon is flushed with water through a tube inserted in the rectum.

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Maryland Councilwoman's Blogger Suit To Be Dropped

BALTIMORE (AP) - The attorney for a Baltimore councilwoman says she will dismiss her libel and defamation suit against a blogger.

Councilwoman Belinda Conaway sued Examiner.com political blogger Adam Meister and his publisher for $21 million over a column that alleged she doesn't live in the city.

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Publishers Notes: Long Live The Blogs!

Which Countries Have The Most Vacation Days?

(CNN) -- The United States has been called the "no-vacation nation," and looking at the table above, it's not hard to see why.

Many other countries allow for much more vacation time, according to a 2009 survey by Mercer, a human resources consulting firm.

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The Man With No Plan: The Fuse on America's Debt Bomb Just Keeps Getting Shorter

With the health of the fragile economy hanging in the balance and financial markets watching closely, the leaders said they would present the compromise to their caucuses on Monday in hopes of enacting it before a Tuesday deadline to avert default. ... The tentative agreement calls for at least $2.4 trillion in spending cuts over 10 years, a new Congressional committee to recommend a deficit-reduction proposal by Thanksgiving, and a two-step increase in the debt ceiling. ... They said the debt limit would be increased by $900 billion in the first installment, subject to a Congressional vote of disapproval that Mr. Obama would be able to veto. To prevent a default, $400 billion would be added immediately. – NY Times

Dominant Social Theme: Everything will be OK. Nothing to see here folks ... the storm has passed and your wise leaders have saved the day.

Free-Market Analysis: All along we have been saying that the semantics and hype surrounding the debt ceiling debate would be for not and that "business as usual" would prevail. This celebratory piece, published by the NY Times on Sunday (excerpted above), is just the kind of propaganda that confuses the public into actually believing that something meaningful has been accomplished and that the US economy will now improve and their living standards along with it.

Mainstream media have long been aiding and abetting Money Power and their deceitful game of monetary manipulation – one that has been hollowing out the American economy and blowing cannon-size holes through the US Constitution. So it comes as now surprise, that here on the virtual eve of the debt ceiling vote in the House of Representatives, that the NY Times brings the "people" a message of false hope.

Well, sorry to burst the party balloons, but we just don't see this as anything other than a continuation of the same. There is no "cure" here. The "plan" is not going to solve anything because it DOESN'T ADDRESS THE REAL PROBLEM.
The real problem has to do with a faulty currency that is unrestrained because it is inflatable at the will of politicians and central bankers. And people have been conditioned to believe they there are others out there who can do a better job of looking out for their needs than themselves.

So it is that people continue to sacrifice more and more of their freedoms to the dream peddlers. They grant them free license to inflate an unrestrained fiat currency that has been hijacked over time. And mainstream media publications, like the NY Times, are ever ready to do their part to make sure a glossy coat of wordsmithing provides cover to the process.

The "wise leaders" would like everyone to believe that money is evil and that in order to protect society against the ravages of the free-market, a central bank must oversee the process of money creation and monetary policy, albeit with government supervision. And it is the belief by many in this misguided premise that has enabled the greatest heist the world has ever seen to be carried out, courtesy of the "wise leaders" and their structural edifices.

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Baltimore Children In Foster Care And School Don't Matter To The Black Community

IT APPEARS THAT BALTIMORE BLACK CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE AND SCHOOL DON'T MATTER TO THE BLACK COMMUNITY! THERE IS A LOT OF TALK ABOUT WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE FOR BLACK CHILDREN IN BALTIMORE BUT THAT IS ALL IT IS TALK.

Children across Baltimore need people to love them through all their challenges, their ups and their downs. We keep talking about what need to be done, criticizing children, when are we all done our children are still need guidance, love, family, and to know that someone cares. There are too many children who have parents do not love them, and families have abandoned them. Too many children will age out of foster care with no family or adult support system to guide them.

We need black men with a courage, patience, love, and strength to join me and foster our boys with challenges. Our boys need personal advocates who willing to stand up for them, demand the best for them, and leave them alone.

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Immigration Debate Splits Marylanders

State and local leaders wrestle with changing views

At a tidy jail in Frederick County, Sheriff Chuck Jenkins and his deputies have helped federal authorities identify nearly 1,000 illegal immigrants for deportation in the past three years.

In a renovated mansion in Prince George's County, Casa de Maryland employees have welcomed tens of thousands of immigrants over the years, regardless of legal status, teaching them English, helping with citizenship paperwork and defending them against policies like the one in Frederick County.

Maryland has a split personality about illegal immigrants — a divide illustrated this year by the legislature's passage of a bill to provide college tuition breaks to undocumented state high school graduates only to have it put on hold by a citizen petition.

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STOP PLUNDERING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

Freeze the Budget

by Ron Paul | Texas Straight Talk
August 1, 2011

One might think that the recent drama over the debt ceiling involved one side wanting to increase or maintain spending with the other side wanting to drastically cut spending, but that is far from the truth. In spite of the rhetoric being thrown around, the real debate is over how much government spending will increase. No plan under serious consideration cuts spending in the way you and I think about it. Instead, the cuts being discussed are illusory and are not cuts from current amounts being spent, but cuts in prospective spending increases. This is akin to a family saving $100,000 in expenses by deciding not to buy a Lamborghini and instead getting a fully loaded Mercedes when really their budget dictates that they need to stick with their perfectly serviceable Honda.

But this is the type of math Washington uses to mask the incriminating truth about the unrepentant plundering of the American people. The truth is that frightening rhetoric about default and full faith in the credit of the United States being carelessly thrown around to ram through a bigger budget than ever in spite of stagnant revenues. If your family’s income did not change year over year, would it be wise financial management to accelerate spending so you would feel richer? That is what our government is doing, with one side merely suggesting a different list of purchases than the other.

In reality, bringing our fiscal house into order is not that complicated or excruciatingly painful at all. If we simply kept spending at current levels, by their definition of cuts that would save nearly $400 billion in the next few years, versus the $25 billion the Budget Control Act claims to cut. It would only take us five years to cut $1 trillion in Washington math just by holding the line on spending. That is hardly austere or catastrophic.

A balanced budget is similarly simple and within reach if Washington had just a tiny amount of fiscal common sense. Our revenues currently stand at approximately $2.2 trillion a year and are likely to remain stagnant as the recession continues. Our outlays are $3.7 trillion and projected to grow every year. Yet we only have to go back to 2004 for federal outlays of $2.2 trillion, and the government was far from small that year. If we simply referred to that year’s spending levels, which would hardly do us fear, we would have a balanced budget right now. If we held the line on spending and the economy actually did grow as estimated, the budget would balance on its own by 2015 with no cuts whatsoever.

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Rob Mulford & Company Reinvest Into Downtown Salisbury

Out with the old and in with the new. As Flavors closed their doors, Rob Mulford and Joel Olive teamed up together to prove to the Salisbury residents that they want to be a big part of revitalizing Downtown Salisbury.

So much so they have cut a deal to take over the old Flavors and turn it into "MoJo's". Joel is a culinary graduate of UMES and Rob Mulford, well, we all know Rob but what you may not know is that Rob is also a graduate of Salisbury University. Both will be 50/50 partners.

Both these gentlemen are what Salisbury is looking for. Graduates STAYING here in the Eastern Shore and reinvesting back into our community.

So what might you expect out of MoJo's. Well, there will be no dinner menu. They'll be serving dinner every night but it will be what they called a chalkboard menu. Each meal will be what it is written on the chalkboard that evening, much like they do in New York and Philly. The best kind of food, if you ask me.

Ron and Joel called it, "Food With An Attitude".

They will cater to the business crowd for lunch and it will provide a completely different flare that the Market Street Inn. No reservations, just a great atmosphere, great food and entertainment.

The only reason this entire package came together was because of the Street Scape Grant money, a low interest City Revolving Loan and other grants still being researched. While some might bellyache, I strongly support this move as there's no doubt this space would have remained empty for years and who better to put your trust and belief into than Rob Mulford.

You can expect to see them swing the doors some time in October. MoJo's, Food With Attitude. I like it.

Feds Spend $20k Per Person In Virginia, $16k In Maryland

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell likes to advertise that his state, unlike Maryland, is not overly reliant on the federal government -- but studies reveal the commonwealth's economy is in just as much danger as its northern neighbor if Congress slashes its budget.

Virginia ranks third in the country for federal spending per capita, with Maryland falling two steps behind at No. 5.

The federal government spent nearly $20,000 per person in Virginia in fiscal 2009, compared with roughly $16,000 per capita in Maryland, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. As a percentage of personal income, federal spending accounted for roughly 45 percent and 47 percent of per-capita income in Virginia and in Maryland, respectively.

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The Salisbury Zoo: The Pride Of Salisbury?

What was once the Pride of Salisbury and allegedly the #1 Small Zoo in America is now an eye sore riddled with overgrown weeds and broken equipment.

How the Zoo can make claim that they know how many people are coming through the Zoo gates every day is beyond me. In the last picture is an empty box that used to house the beam that counted people coming and going in the Zoo. There was no sign of a replacement unit anywhere to be found.

The first picture shows the Zoo hours, far less than they used to be. So just what is the Zoo Staff doing with their time. Do their own personal homes have overgrown weeds and fallen down railings like shown above.

I had truly thought and believed under the new leadership that we would see PRIDE. When is the last time the Mayor walked through the gates? Better yet, have the City Council Members seen these conditions?

When we went by, the Zoo was closed. I have to wonder, is the inside just as bad? It must be because the entrance is just horrible. You can click on any image to enlarge them.

Perhaps its time to re visit the Salisbury Zoo and see what's going on inside.

A Letter To The Editor

Joe,

We live in Shadow Hills, off of Connelly Mill Rd. Having cross the railroad tracks 2 times a day is kidney busting sometimes. We got word last year that the track crossing was going to be fixed. Materials started showing up for it in late winter. They are still sitting there with no improvements made. My wife contacted the county to see what was up. She was informed that the county had money earmarked for the project through the "Great Ones" federal stimulus plan. It is up to the rail road to do the project though- with the stimulus money from the county. Here's the catch though. If they do not get the project done, the money will be lost - and time is running out. The county has already got an extension on the money twice and can not be extended again. This is the story as we have been told- but I really don't know if we are just getting the run around or not. Thought it may make a good story for your blog though with some more investigation.

Signed,
A source from Delmar

Affordable Care Act Ensures Women Receive Preventive Services At No Additional Cost

Historic new guidelines that will ensure women receive preventive health services at no additional cost were announced today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Developed by the independent Institute of Medicine, the new guidelines require new health insurance plans to cover women’s preventive services such as well-woman visits, breastfeeding support, domestic violence screening, and contraception without charging a co-payment, co-insurance or a deductible.

“The Affordable Care Act helps stop health problems before they start,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “These historic guidelines are based on science and existing literature and will help ensure women get the preventive health benefits they need.”

Before health reform, too many Americans didn’t get the preventive health care they need to stay healthy, avoid or delay the onset of disease, lead productive lives, and reduce health care costs. Often because of cost, Americans used preventive services at about half the recommended rate.

Last summer, HHS released new insurance market rules under the Affordable Care Act requiring all new private health plans to cover several evidence-based preventive services like mammograms, colonoscopies, blood pressure checks, and childhood immunizations without charging a copayment, deductible or coinsurance. The Affordable Care Act also made recommended preventive services free for people on Medicare.

Today’s announcement builds on that progress by making sure women have access to a full range of recommended preventive services without cost sharing, including:

well-woman visits;
screening for gestational diabetes;
human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing for women 30 years and older;
sexually-transmitted infection counseling;
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening and counseling;
FDA-approved contraception methods and contraceptive counseling;
breastfeeding support, supplies, and counseling; and
domestic violence screening and counseling.

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Publishers Notes:

It's official. Since Obama Care will take time for the doubters believe that we have become Socialized, Here is the factual proof for today.

How Irish Dancing Got Started

State Loses Section 8 Contract

Alabama company to manage federal program

The Delaware State Housing Authority has lost a $1.3 million contract to manage a federal program that gives subsidies to landlords who rent to low-income tenants across the state.

An Alabama company will take over the duties in October, U.S. Housing and Urban Development spokesman Brian Sullivan said.

Debt Ceiling Agreement Reached

Only days before the nation would face an imminent default, President Barack Obama and the Democratic Senate reached an agreement with Senate Republicans on the debt ceiling.

This deal was not his preferred choice, said President Obama, but it will "allow us to avoid default and end the crisis Washington imposed on the rest of America," President Obama said in a speech late Sunday evening.

The New York Times reports:

Under the framework that negotiators were discussing today, half of those cuts would come in defense spending, while the other half would be a combination of other domestic spending, like discretionary programs and farm subsidies. Cuts to Medicare would not make up more than 3 percent of the non-military cuts. While many Republicans are loath to risk such cuts to defense, some of the more Tea Party-influenced freshmen members are less concerned with that than with getting big spending cuts overall while avoiding tax increases at all costs.

Is Maryland Going To Tax My Haircuts & Cable TV?

From the Department of Legislative Services' briefing on services that are not subject to the 6 percent Maryland sales tax. The Senate Budget & Taxation Committee said the briefing was part of a hearing that was "educational" and not a road map to future taxes. Hmm. How do you like totally hypothetical taxes on this totally for-informational-purposes-only list of services?

Business Services: Employment; payroll processing
Entertainment Services: Health and fitness centers; golf courses
Financial Services: Financial holding companies; corporate managing offices
Information Services: Cable television; satellite television
Personal Services: Barber and beauty shops; parking garages
Professional Services: Engineering; legal
Repair Services: Automobiles; commercial machinery
Transportation Services: Couriers; taxis and limousines

Source

A Horse Whisperer

This girl is a deaf mute... she can't hear, nor can she speak.

No bridle, no saddle... all commands are by touch only. This is one of those, "I wouldn't believe it unless I saw it with my own eyes" kind of thing.

This girl riding the horse is in her 20's - her father passed away just 24 days before this performance. You can hear her dedication to him just before her performance so turn up your speakers a bit. Notice that it is just her and the horse - no bit, no saddle.

She uses signals and touch cues, she's mute. Oh yes, this isn't even her horse. She is training it for someone else, although she obviously has a relationship with this one.

One Senator Who Tells It Like It Is

Senator Coburn (R-OK) somehow, yesterday, got up front on the floor of the Senate and told the straight unvarnished truth and followed that up with solutions to the problems he outlined.

Amazing!

The link below will take you to the c-span segment of Mr. Coburn’s presentation. Feel free to skim past where John Kerry interrupted and made a dumb ass out of himself.

The whole presentation (Mr. Coburn’s, that is) is well worth listening to as it shows there are a few Senators that have the potential to be statesmen instead of just politicians. My hat is off to Senator Coburn and a razz-matazz to Senator Kerry.
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Wicomico County Sheriff's Office Press Release

Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol Location: Nanticoke Road at Cove Road, Bivalve, MD

Suspect: Medford Lamont Dickerson, 49, Tyaskin, MD

Narrative
into the parking lot at Cove Road Beach in Bivalve when the deputy noticed a subject near the entrance to
the beach that appeared heavily intoxicated. The deputy observed that this subject, identified as Medford
Dickerson of Tyaskin, was weaving back and forth when he walked and had to use the railing on the
walkway to support himself. Upon asking Dickerson, who was also exhibiting a heavy odor of alcohol
how much he had to drink, Dickerson tried to tell the deputy that he did not drink anything. The deputy
observed that Dickerson was using a bicycle for transportation which prompted the deputy to instruct
Dickerson to walk the bike home. He was warned that if he attempted to ride the bike under his high state
of intoxication he would be susceptible to being arrested for DUI.

Dickerson appeared to heed the instructions and began walking the bicycle home. As the deputy left the
area, he observed Dickerson had begun riding the bike again on Nanticoke Road in the immediate area of
Cove Road. The deputy stopped Dickerson and put him through a battery of field sobriety tests which
Dickerson failed, which led to his arrest for DUI.

Dickerson was processed at the Maryland State Police barrack where a breath test was administered. The
test result registered a .29.

Dickerson was released on signature.

: On 28 July 2011 at 10:09 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office pulledCharges: Driving Under the influence of Alcohol

The Hitchhiker’s Guide To How the Debt Deal Could Fall Apart

"Obama and Leaders Reach Debt Deal," hailed the New York Times."White House, Congressional leaders reach deal," said the Washington Post."Debt deal: Obama, Hill leaders break through," proclaimed Politico.
President Obama on one side of the table. Bipartisan Congressional leaders on the other.

But even though those sides conducted most of the negotiating, they represent a small percentage of the legislative apparatus that will be asked to approve this package in the next two days.

After weeks of talks, charade votes, heated barbs and exceptional brinksmanship, finishing the deal will come down to mathematics.

It's simple, really: 60 votes to clear a filibuster in the Senate and then 51 for final passage. And in the House, the magic number for this exercise is 216.

To start, let's look at the House where the legislative lift could prove most challenging.

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BREAKING NEWS: Stocks Retreat After Weak Factory Data Sap Traders’ Enthusiasm

The Dow slid more than 130 points – a 270-point drop from its session high – after the weakest ISM report in two years overshadowed progress on raising the U.S. debt ceiling.

From Fox News

How The Biggest Sites Are Stalking You And Reselling Your Info

Most websites you visit are monitoring your behavior, even after you leave. They install little files like cookies, beacons, and flash cookies to see where you go, what you buy, even what text you're typing. WSJ analyzed the tracking behavior of the top 50 websites online to see how each of them is watching your every step, and then reselling the info to the highest bidder. For instance, did you know that Dictionary.com gives its users up to 159 cookies, 23 flash cookies and 41 beacons for third parties?

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Hobby Lobby Celebrates Grand Opening Today

Earlier this morning the brand new Hobby Lobby officially opened their doors to the general public.

Located in the old Super Giant in north Salisbury, we visited the immense store loaded with just about everything from toy models to furniture.

Many were talking about how this store might end other stores like Michael's and other fabric stores in the Salisbury area.

Its hard to compete with such a giant store filled with just about everything. Its certainly a store you'll want to visit and see what they have.

PUBLISHERS NOTES: Hobby Lobby is closed on Sunday's in order for their staff to worship with their Families. I like their style!

Employers Crack Down On Smokers

Bosses really don't want their employees to smoke. Not necessarily because they care about the health and well-being of their workers, but because they'd rather not spring for the expenses to cover copious sick days or hospital stays that spring from complications spawned by cancer sticks.

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Second Thoughts On Sex And Politics

The resignation of Rep. David Wu [1] may seem like little more than a blip in the year's cavalcade of sexual misconduct by elected officials, from all-male tickle parties and crotch sexting to craigslist trawling. And the swift departure of this Oregon congressman, who said a recent sexual encounter with a friend's teenage daughter was "consensual," assures his name will fade as quickly as last week's debt reduction plan.

But the Wu story, which has been followed closely by few outside the Northwest, deserves more attention. In fact, it is among the most compelling arguments for why news organizations should aggressively pursue allegations of sexual misconduct, even when they seem like ancient history.

I am a reluctant convert to the value of sex as an investigative subject. In the late 1980s, shortly after Gary Hart's infamous invitation to "follow me," led to revelations about his extra-marital canoodling aboard the good ship Monkey Business, I was asked by an editor in the New York Times Washington bureau to look into a rumor that Vice President George H. W. Bush had fathered a child out of wedlock. I refused, telling my boss that "I didn't become a journalist to peer into people's bedrooms."

A few years later, a thinly sourced version of the story surfaced in the New York Post. Bush, by then president, brushed it off. "I'm not going to take any sleazy questions like that," he bristled. "I'm not going to respond other than to say it's a lie."

Quaintly, a denial from the president put the story to rest.

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10 Ways We Are Being Tracked, Traced, And Databased

Are technological advances infringing on our right to privacy?

The war on terror is a worldwide endeavor that has spurred massive investment into the global surveillance industry - which now seems to be becoming a war on "liberty and privacy." Given all of the new monitoring technology being implemented, the uproar over warrantless wiretaps now seems moot. High-tech, first-world countriesare being tracked, traced, and databased, literally around every corner. Governments, aided by private companies, are gathering a mountain of information on average citizens who so far seem willing to trade liberty for supposed security. Here are just some of the ways the matrix of data is being collected:

GPS -- Global positioning chips are now appearing in everything fromU.S. passports, cell phones, to cars. More common uses include tracking employees, and for all forms of private investigation. Apple recently announced they are collecting the precise location of iPhone users via GPS for public viewing in addition to spying on users in other ways.

Elderly Couple Thought They Canceled The Insurance, End Up Overpaying Anthem $5,000

By the time the couple in their 80's noticed the monthly auto-billing on their bank account, they had overpaid Anthem $5,000 for insurance they thought they had canceled two years ago. That's money these two living on pension could have been using to fix their crumbling front walkway. It was until they beseeched their local consumer reporter and he took an interest in their story did Anthem retroactively cancel their policy and refund their money.

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Buyback Insurance: A Good Deal For Retailers

Major chains are pushing high-margin "buyback" plans on tech addicts, but consumer advocates warn the contracts have many catches

Staying current with the latest gadgets is expensive. Every other week seems to mark the debut of a brighter TV or a faster phone. Consumers on the wrong end of the upgrade cycle are left with the malady known as technologus obsoletus, a lingering sensation of regret and envy. That’s why retailers including Office Depot (ODP) and RadioShack (RSH) in the last few years have started offering a service known as buyback insurance. The world’s largest electronics retailer, Best Buy (BBY), started its own program earlier this year. Although details differ, the insurance generally works like this: For an upfront fee, the retailer agrees to buy back an old device for up to half its original cost when a customer returns it within a few years.

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Advertiser Of The Day

www.peninsulawater.com

Today's Survey Question

Which party deserves more blame for the U.S. debt-ceiling standoff?

A Letter To The Editor

I am submitting this letter to you because I have seen over the past years that your site is the best venue to get a point across and to get feedback. Here is my complaint " Duplicate Medical Billing". My husband and I use the same primary doctor(name withheld) and have been seen in his office 5 or 6 times in the past 2 years. I am sure everyone is aware payment is due at time of service.Without fail I have received a bill in the mail for our co-payment 4 out of the 6 times. I then would have to call and explain that we paid at time of service,then I would have research to find a check number or payment slip. As you may know this is time consuming and very frustrating. I was thinking or at least hoping this was limited to this doctor and his billing service NOT. I go to a specialist for a procedure that has to be paid in full before it is preformed and low in behold I get a bill for a co-payment from a different billing company. Here we go again!So I am wondering how many people does this happen to and or just pay these bills without even thinking about. Thank you for letting me vent my distrust regarding the medical industry.

Signed,

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Will School Bus Ads Drive Revenue For Cash-Strapped Districts?

Recent efforts by state school districts to raise money may bring new meaning to the term “cheese wagon.”

In an effort to close widening budget deficits, states throughout the country are slashing funding to education, leaving school districts looking for ways to beef up revenue, and some have gone as far as to sell ad space on school buses.

Cash-strapped school districts say it’s the only way to cover expenses during tough times, but opponents say kids are vulnerable to marketing and shouldn’t be forced to ride to school on a rolling billboard.

Many Americans believe that the 2008-2009 downturn never ended

Friday's news on GDP shows the double dip has arrived — an expansion of only 1.3 percent and consumer spending up 0.1 percent in the second quarter. Astonishingly low by any account. The debt ceiling trouble and lack of a longer term resolution to the deficit will make it worse.

The U.S. has entered a second recession. It may not be as bad as the first. Economists say that the Great Recession began in December 2007 and lasted until July 2009. That may be the way that the economy was seen through the eyes of experts, but many Americans do not believe that the 2008-2009 downturn ever ended. A Gallup poll released in April found that 29 percent of those queried thought the economy was in a “depression” and 26 percent said that the original recession had persisted into 2011.

Pennsylvania Teen Playing With Gun Shoots Girl Dead

CLAIRTON, Pa. - Police say an 18-year-old is facing charges after the shooting death of a teenage girl in western Pennsylvania.

Police in Allegheny County say several young people were drinking beer in a garage in Clairton early Sunday when one produced a pistol.

Authorities say he allowed partygoers to play with it, and then was loading the weapon when it went off and a bullet struck the girl.

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Update On Psy-Ops On U.S. Senators

An investigation into the alleged use of psychological operations on U.S. senators visiting Afghanistan has cleared the three-star general at the center of the allegations. An article in Rolling Stone magazine in February accused Lt. Gen. William Caldwell of using psy-ops soldiers to influence senators to increase funding for the war. The DoD inspector general's investigation found the claims against Caldwell were not substantiated.

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