Salisbury News: 08/02/11

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

A Viewer Writes The Following

Warning - Stock Market Crash Imminent

The latest congressional budget deal doesn't fool investers on Wall Street.

They also see the handwriting on the wall. The Federal Government spending and stimulus is simply unsustainable. You can fool some of the people some of the time but sooner or latter it will catch-up. And that time time has finally arrived.

Welcome To The New Downtown Plaza In Salisbury

Between the homeless taking up all of the tables and chairs in front of WMDT and others sleeping on benches, 5 Police Officers on bikes rode right past this guy completely blind to what's going on.

Mind you, they were probably headed to the City Park for National Night Out but come on, really. Is this what's to come?

Rally On The River!

Serving as your State Delegate is one of the greatest honors of my life. With your help, our Eastern Shore voice is being heard from the floor of the State House to the hallways of the Governor’s Mansion. While I am up against some tough foes in Annapolis, I always remember the folks back home have my back. For that, I am grateful.

The tax and spend crowd continue to dominate the halls of Annapolis, and the upcoming Special Session in mid October promises to be full of challenges and attacks on the wallets of Marylanders. With that in mind, I want to invite you to mark your calendar for my Rally on the River being held on:

Saturday, October 8th, 2pm in the Sturgis Park Pavilion located in Snow Hill.

We will be serving delicious Bar-B-Q along with “all the fixin’s”. Soda and beer will also be provided. This will give me a chance to share with you my insights on the upcoming session and talk about the many challenges we expect to face in the General Assembly during this Special Session. Joining me in providing the inside scoop will be House Minority Leader Tony O’Donnell and House Minority Whip Jeanie Haddaway-Riccio.

This time of insight, encouragement, and fellowship is not to be missed. You can help by sponsoring a table for $200, This will include 10-tickets for you to sell or give away, and special recognition at the Rally. Individual tickets will also be available for $20.

Rally on the River Table Sponsors and Tickets may be purchased by credit card online at delegatemcdermott.com or by returning your check payable to Citizens to Elect Mike McDermott (217 Walnut St. Pocomoke City, MD 21851. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 410-957-4668 or contact my Event Coordinator,Heather Horner, at 410.430.9405 or heather.horner@comcast.net.

During the last Special Session, Marylanders were hit with huge tax increases. Dont’t miss your chance to hear strategy for the upcoming fight!

Warmest Regards,

Mike

Mike McDermott, Delegate

House Judiciary Committee

The President’s No-Speech!

I just listened (with rapt attention) to the Obama speech on how the nation is now saved by the Senate passing the debt extension legislation.

Just to let you know that after studying his comments very carefully, I threw up in a waste basket next to my desk following the conclusion that the legislation gave Pres.Obama everything he wants and nothing that he needs.

It will lead to another $1.4 trillion in national debt, no meaningful reductions in spending of any kind and made absolutely not a single move to solve the United States’ biggest and most deadly problem; Government spending and excessive debt.

Now you may carry on with preparations for the end of it all because this fools’ play solved nothing, promises nothing and means nothing.

The markets voted on it within minutes and gave the whole mess a big thumbs down.
So should we all.

Source

Missouri Law: Teachers And Students Can't Be Facebook Friends

Come August 28, teachers and students in Missouri can no longer be friends — on Facebook.

With a new law, Missouri has became the first in the nation to prohibit social networking between students and teachers.

When Missouri Senate Bill 54, which was signed by the governor last week, takes effect later this month, teachers and students will no longer be able to connect on any site (not just Facebook) that allows for private communication.

Fed May Weigh More Stimulus on Flagging Recovery Signs

The Federal Reserve may weigh additional steps to prop up the recovery after growth fell below 1 percent in the first half of this year and economists began cutting second-half forecasts

Federal Reserve policy makers may start weighing additional steps to prop up the recovery after growth fell below 1 percent in the first half of this year and economists began cutting second-half growth forecasts.

“At a minimum, the FOMC will have a serious debate about the policy options -- what they should do, and what they expect to get from it,” said Roberto Perli, a former associate director in the Fed’s Division of Monetary Affairs, referring to the Federal Open Market Committee. “Growth in the first half was dangerously close to zero,” said Perli, director of policy research at International Strategy & Investment Group.

Traveling east bound as you enter the Rt. 50 Bypass, someone has stolen the top of the sign above.

The second sign, (I believe) is still standing near Perdue Stadium. If anyone happened to see someone messing with the sign contact Crime Solvers at 410-548-1776.

World's Tallest Building Coming To Saudi Arabia

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia unveiled plans Tuesday to build the world's tallest tower — a mixed-use structure that will rise two-thirds of a mile high — in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah.

Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal signed a $1.23 billion contract with Bin Laden Group for the proposed tower, which will take just over five years to complete. The building is the centerpiece of the planned Kingdom City development being built outside Jeddah by Prince Alwaleed's Kingdom Holding.

Stalemate could cost government an estimated $1.2 billion in uncollected ticket taxes

WASHINGTON — A partisan stalemate that has partially shut down the Federal Aviation Administration will continue into September, stopping airport construction projects and depriving federal coffers of potentially more than $1 billion in uncollected ticket taxes, after congressional attempts to reach deal fell through on Tuesday.

Can Facebook Ruin Your Child's Brain?

In a post on his Guardian blog, Martin Robbins admonishes some flimsy science in an article from the Daily Mail. The title of the article in question pretty much says it all: "Facebook and Twitter are creating a vain generation of self-obsessed people with child-like need for feedback, warns top scientist."

The article posits that Twitter, Facebook and even computer games can "rewire" a child's brain in such a way that "can result in reduced concentration, a need for instant gratification and poor non-verbal skills, such as the ability to make eye contact during conversations."

Commercial Building Fire

We've been told the Catch 54 restaurant is on fire. Fenwick Island fire company is on the way with Sussex Delaware alerted.

BREAKING NEWS: White House In Lockdown After Man Hops Fence

Suspect detained after jumping over White House fence, prompting lockdown.

From Fox News

Charlie Sheen, Dead And Buried In The 'Two And A Half Men' Season Premiere?

Oh boy, the first episode of Two and A Half Men could be a doozy. After rumors swirled online that creator Chuck Lorre could kill off Charlie Sheen’s character to make way for Ashton Kutcher, Deadline is now reporting that a funeral is, indeed, in the works for the comedy’s ninth season premiere on Sept. 19. The not-so dearly departed? Sheen’s Charlie Harper, of course.

Apparently, the episode will reportedly open with a memorial service attended by many of Charlie’s girlfriends and that his beachfront property will subsequently go up for sale. Potential buyers will include real-life celebrities and stars from Lorre’s other shows, and that Kutcher’s character will also tour the property. We can pretty much put two-and-two together from here: Kutcher snatches it up, Alan and Jake beg to stay, and mayhem resumes!

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STOLEN IPODS RING

Washington Examiner: "Three Pentagon City mall kiosk workers have been indicted in what prosecutors say are separate schemes to buy and sell stolen iPhones and Apple laptops. The alleged fencing operations were uncovered by Metro Transit Police investigating the theft of a large number of electronics equipment from Metro riders in early 2010, according to charging documents. One suspected thief allegedly told detectives that he sold his stolen goods to an employee at the Cellaris cellular phone accessories kiosk at The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City."

BIG STINK OVER CHICKENS

"The Boonsboro town council’s idea to let people raise chickens on their properties was met with opposition Monday night by a group of town residents who said it would result in filthy, stinking conditions. Some of the people speaking in opposition during a public hearing on the proposal at the Eugene C. Smith Community Center said people should move out of town if they want to raise chickens. One person who supports the proposal said the strong opposition from the group amounted to a “vicious beating” for the idea. The measure would amend the town’s zoning ordinance to allow up to three hens per lot to be kept in the town’s residential, suburban residential and rural residential districts, Town Planner Megan Clark has said."

Source

Desperate Indonesians Hope Rails Can Cure What Ails Them

Ignoring the red-and-white danger sign, Sri Mulyati walks slowly to the train tracks outside Indonesia's bustling capital, lies down and stretches her body across the rails.

Like the nearly dozen others lined up along the track, the 50-year-old diabetes patient has all but given up on doctors and can't afford the expensive medicines they prescribe.

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Rep. Lamborn Apologizes After "Tar Baby" Remark

DENVER - Rep. Doug Lamborn's office says the Colorado Republican regrets any misunderstanding over his comments on a Denver-based radio show.

Lamborn spoke to KHOW-AM Friday. He was responding to comments about whom voters would hold responsible for actions on the nation's debt ceiling when he said he thought voters would blame the president. Lamborn said: "Now I don't want to even have to be associated with him. It is like touching a tar baby and you get it — you're stuck, and you're part of the problem now."

Yet we're still paying these prices at the pump. Thanks Obama, Congress and the rest of you no good political hacks.

Our Sputtering Economy By The Numbers

With increasing signs that the economy is laboring [1], most economists agree that a short-term infusion of spending, or an extension of this year's temporary cut in Social Security taxes, could help fend off a new downturn.

But whatever one thinks of the debt deal -- and most of its billions in cuts won't come for a few years [2] -- there's a near-consensus [3] in Washington against spending increases.

Here's a brief overview of some key stats on where the economy stands.

Annual rate at which the GDP grew this year [4]: 1.3 percent between April and June, 0.4 percent between January and March

Average annual GDP growth from 1998-2007 [5]: 3.02 percent

Total jobs lost since January 2008 [6]: 8.7 million

Total jobs recovered since January 2008 [6]: 1.8 million

Recession technically ended: over 2 years ago [7], in June 2009

Current unemployment rate: 9.2 percent

The "natural unemployment rate [8]:" 5 percent

Months that the unemployment rate has been around 9 percent or more [9]: 28

Number of unemployed people in June 2011 [10]: 14.1 million

Growth in number of unemployed people [10] since March 2011: 545,000

Number of long-term unemployed people [10] in June 2011: 6.3 million, or 44.4 percent of the unemployed

Pace at which jobs were added throughout the late 1990s [11]: 350,00 per month

Jobs that were added in June [10]: 18,000

Jobs the U.S. needs to create to 5 percent unemployment rate [11]: 6.8 million, as of January 2011

Years it will take to get back to an unemployment rate of 5 percent [12]: 4 years if we're adding jobs at 350,000 per month; 11 years if we're adding jobs at the 2005 rate of 210,000 per month

Unemployed workers per job opening [13]: 4.98

Number of people who weren't in the labor force, but wanted work [14], as of June 2011: 2.7 million

The last time that the labor force participation rate was lower than it is now [13]: 1984

The amount of state budget spending that comes from the federal government [15]: about 1/3, or $478 billion in 2010

Increase in before-tax corporate profits [16] in the first quarter of 2011: $140.3 billion

Percentage of Americans' total personal income that comes from federal funds [17]: almost 20 percent

Spending cuts in the proposed budget [18]: at least $2.3 trillion over a decade from 2012-2021

How long you can currently receive unemployment benefits [19]: up to 99 weeks

The number of those weeks funded to some extent by federal aid [19]: up to 73

People currently relying on federal unemployment benefits [19]: 3.8 million

How long you'll be able to receive unemployment benefits [19] if you lose your job after July 1, 2011: 20 to 26 weeks, depending on your state

Recovery-funded jobs reported by recipients [20], according to recovery.gov: 550,621

Amount of stimulus money left to be spent [21]: $122.8 billion of the original $787 billion

Source

Dunkin' Donuts Staffer Adds 'Sex In Parking Lot' To Drive-Thru Menu

It's officially time to declare a Dunkin' Donuts crime wave. First came the report of a DD staffer putting a little something extra in cops' coffee. Now, it's an employee who decided to spice up the late-night menu with sex-for-cash in the parking lot.

More »

Our Step-By-Step Guide To Understanding ALEC’s Influence On Your State Laws

Which “model” legislation from an industry-friendly nonprofit has made it to your statehouse? Find out for yourself.

For decades, a discreet nonprofit has brought together state legislators and corporate representatives to produce business-friendly “model” legislation. These “model” bills form the basis of hundreds of pieces of legislation each year, and they often end up as laws. As media scrutiny [1] of the nonprofit—the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC—has grown, we’ve built both a guide and a searchable database [2] so you can see for yourself how ALEC’s model bills make their way to statehouses.

Following the steps we lay out may reveal some interesting connections. Last month, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel political columnist Daniel Bice [3] looked into an obscure ALEC-approved bill to tax chewing tobacco by weight [4] rather than price. The ALEC model legislation [5] calls this a “fairness” issue, noting that “taxes that create a consumer preference within a product category impede free market commerce.” It does not note that Altria, the parent company of Philip Morris [6] and a member of ALEC’s private enterprise board [7], sells pricier “premium” brands [8] of chewing tobacco and stands to benefit from the tax change [9].

(CNN) -- Air travelers departing from Boston Logan International Airport may experience something new during the screening process: a "casual conversation" with security at the checkpoint.

On the job training began Tuesday for officers in the TSA's expanded behavior detection program -- a pilot initiative that will be in place in the airport's Terminal A for 60 days. Logan is the only airport with the pilot program.

John Boehner Brags He Got 98 Percent Of What He Wanted In Debt Deal, And More

In today's On the News segment: Speaker of the House John Boehner bragged that he got 98 percent of what he wanted in the debt-limit deal, GOP goes on vacation and leaves FAA funding in limbo, GOP sending Wisconsin Democratic voters false ballots, billion-dollar corporations now reporting massive profits, Fukushima nuclear plant is still spewing radiation, and more. Scroll down to watch the newscast.

Forget Compromise: The Debt Ceiling Is Unconstitutional

The debt ceiling crisis can be averted by enforcing the 14th Amendment, which mandates the government to pay its debts already incurred, including pensions. That means Social Security, which IS an "entitlement," in the original sense of the word. We're entitled to it because we've paid for it with taxes.

The game of Russian roulette being played with the US federal debt has been called a "grotesque political carnival" and political blackmail.

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The SEC's Co-Chief Counsel On Derivatives (Such As Abacus), Worked As Outside Counsel For Paulson & Co, And Signed Off... On Abacus

The surprises of SEC's infinite revolving door conflicts of interest never cease to amaze (or, for that matter end). Andrew Ross Sorkin has taken some time from his busy media whirlwind tour schedule and conducted some actual investigative reporting for a change, discovering that the SEC's co-chief counsel in charge of helping write derivative rules, Adam Glass [8], who previously testified about Goldman's Abacus, the culprit for the biggest SEC settlement in history against a Wall Street firm, had some very specific inside knowledge vis-a-vis Abacus. He signed off on it. Writes Sorkin: "Before working on the financial crisis cleanup, he helped create the opaque securities that contributed to the mess...For many years, Mr. Glass served as the outside counsel to Paulson & Company...And yes, Mr. Glass, in that role, signed off on Abacus, which was created specifically for the hedge fund to short subprime mortgages. Mr. Paulson handpicked some of the underlying investments in the derivative...The government, in its complaint, claimed that Goldman had "misstated and omitted key facts regarding" Abacus, including disclosing Mr. Paulson's role in its creation. The firm paid $550 million to settle the case, without admitting or denying guilt...his role once again raises questions about the revolving door between Washington and Wall Street at a time when public distrust about the agency and its lack of enforcement action against the culprits of the crisis is running high..."If he was involved in Abacus, how is he supposed to police it?" We are not sure if we are more confused by the fact that Sorkin has actually done some actual research or that yet another SEC crony is exposed to be in the pocket of Wall Street's rich and powerful. Actually, the former. Certainly the former.

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Mapping The 2010 U.S. Census

Browse population growth and decline, changes in racial and ethnic concentrations and patterns of housing development.

GO HERE to view.

July Used Car Sales Hit ‘Blockbuster’ Proportions

While new car sales appeared to weaken, used car sales looked strong last month

Used car sales hit "blockbuster" proportions in July, according to one key industry analyst.

While July new car sales appeared to weaken as July dragged on, it appears to have been a great month for anyone with a used car to sell.

The struggling economy — and uncertain job prospects, in particular — seems to be leading many shoppers to try to curb spending by shifting to “previously owned,” rather than new vehicles, notes Art Spinella, chief analyst with CNW Marketing.

QUOTE OF THE DAY 9-2-11

“They’ll print money until we run out of trees.”

Jimmy Rogers

BACK AGAINST THE WALL

Global Confidence In U.S. Treasuries Has 'Slightly Eroded,' Lagarde Says

Christine Lagarde, the new chief of the International Monetary Fund, said confidence in U.S. Treasuries is "slightly eroded" ... "There was a positive bias toward the United States of America, toward Treasury bills," Lagarde said in an interview on CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" ... The "very strong confidence" in Treasury bonds is "slightly eroded at the moment." ... "This level of uncertainty, the trepidation arising from August the 2nd, is bringing about a lot of instability," Lagarde said. – Bloomberg

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BREAKING NEWS: Dow Closes Down 266

Stocks continue to sink, as Dow closes down 266 points.

From Fox News

BREAKING NEWS: Dow Drops More Than 200 Points

Stocks plunge after dim economic reports, with Dow dropping more than 200 points to fall below 12,000.

From Fox News

Budget Debate Fraud Part 2

This article originally appeared in the Daily Capitalist [11].

This is the fun stuff about politics. Basically our politicians are being forced to do something they don’t want to do and our job is to cut through the obfuscation to see how they are doing exactly the opposite of what they say they are doing.It is fairly obvious that despite what they are saying publicly, they aren’t making significant cuts to the budget. And S&P and Moody’s know this. Which means that we’ll see our gilt-edged credit rating (a curious term since there is nothing really golden about our national debt) be cut anyway.
Please see the comment below on CDS rates on Treasurys.

$917 billion in cuts over 10 years. 2012 spending is capped at $1.043 trillion, $44 billion, or 4.2%, below the CBO March baseline of $1.087 trillion. 2013 spending is capped at $1.047 trillion, $62 billion, or 5.6% below the CBO March baseline of $1.109 trillion.

Then there is this bipartisan committee of politicians who will wrangle over how to cut another $1.5 trillion. If they can’t agree by January 1, 2013, cuts will be automatic across the board, one-half from defense and one-half from discretionary spending. Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid won’t be cut. The debt limit would be increased dollar-for-dollar by the amount of the cuts.

They promise to have a vote on a balanced budget amendment by year-end.

Will the Bush tax cuts be allowed to expire? Yes, at least that is what Obama says will happen. I believe him.
This morning, David Stockman, Reagan's budget director, saw it this way:

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Biggest Middle Class Tax Increase In History Will Come In Five Months

There is one aspect of the final debt deal from DC that took me by surprise. I was convinced the 2% reduction in payroll taxes would be extended through 2012. On July 12th I wrote about this and got it completely wrong. Not only did I think there would be a one year extension of the existing holiday; I forecast that the subsidy would actually be increased. I was steered in the wrong direction by the Boss himself. On July 11th Obama stated:

I want to be crystal clear. Nobody has talked about increasing taxes now. Nobody has talked about increasing taxes next year. We’re talking 2013 and the out years.

In the same press conference he added:

(cuts in FICA payroll taxes) would be a component of this overall package.

I don’t think the President said these words without having some sort of understanding with Speaker Boehner. Two weeks ago an economic stimulus was part of the plan. Today there is nothing. I think I understand what may have happened. When push came to shove the FICA holiday got shelved. That had to happen to get a deal done. Why? Because we are so broke we can’t afford the stimulus.

The deal that was reached to get the debt ceiling raised results in a 2012 reduction in expenses of only $21b.
This comes to 1/8th of a percent of GDP. Meaningless. But if the tax holiday had been rolled for another year it would have resulted in $120b of additional 2012 expenses (net -$100b). This amount (plus the interest on it) would have wrecked the economics of the overall plan. So what was originally hailed as a good idea (by both sides) was shot down in the end.

I think this is an important development. It points to two things. The first is that we are economically vulnerable and we have no traditional responses. The second is that we are going to hit a very big economic wall on January 1, 2012.

As of the first of the year taxes on payrolls are going up by 2% across the board. This will suck $10b a month out of consumer’s pockets. I think it will prove to be a critical $10b.

The reason that the current stimulus was directed at FICA taxes is that this was the most progressive way to provide some relief. Those same individuals/families (average income of $37,000) will be hurt the hardest when the rates go back up. For a family with two average incomes the tax increase comes to $1,500 a year.

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As The 9/11 10th Anniversary Nears

As the 10th anniversary of 9/11 draws near, the Department of Homeland Security is thinking about an earlier terrorist attack. DHS has published a proposed rule to regulate the sale and transfer of ammonium nitrate, which was used in 1995 bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City. Under the proposed rule, anyone purchasing, selling or transferring more than 25 lbs. of the material would have to register with DHS. The agency would also check names against the terrorist database.

So Many Articles, How Do I Keep Up?

Because there's so much going on lately, Salisbury News has been providing articles like never before. We know the Blogger format isn't the best way to lay these articles out but there is an easy way to scroll right through them.

On the right hand side below our advertisers there's a constant list of articles we have produced each day. You can always click on the title of the articles you're interested in and it will take you right to that article.

Know this, we will have articles every 15 minutes, (unless there's breaking news) up until at least 10:00 PM tonight. Now THAT'S what I call Delmarva's News Leader!

Jiminy Cricket, Here We Go Again

There was an accident on the corner of South Blvd. and Camden Ave. again today. In all of the years that my In Laws have lived at this property they have only experienced two accidents whereas someone hit the retaining brick walls, both of them happened in the past 6 months.

Some of you may recall a recent article we did mentioning Code & Compliance writing my In Laws up because the work wasn't getting done fast enough. They were waiting for the PERMITS to come through and the City wrote them up, go figure.

Getting back to my point, clearly people are driving WAY TOO FAST and cannot control their vehicles. Fortunately they have a fantastic contractor who did the repair the last time and you'd never know anything ever happened. Unlike the new property owners two doors down!

Slow down people, especially in these residential areas. Just imagine an elderly person or a CHILD was standing on that corner at the time. WAKE UP!

The National Security Agency Challenges Hackers

The National Security Agency has a challenge for hackers who think they're hot stuff: prove it by working on the "hardest problems on Earth." Reuters reports that officials with DOD, DHS, NASA and NSA are heading to Las Vegas this week for Defcon, an annual hacker convention that is expected to draw 10,000 attendees. NSA said it's hiring about 1,500 people this fiscal year and another 1,500 next year, most of them cyber experts.

CDC: 1 Death, 76 Illnesses Linked To Ground Turkey

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials say one person has died from salmonella poisoning that appears to be linked to eating ground turkey, but the government is still investigating who produced the meat and has not initiated a recall.

Seventy-six people in 26 states have been made sick from the same strain of the disease. The CDC did not say where the person who died became sick and released no details about the death.

FAA Shutdown Cost Government $250 Million In Taxes

Senate Democrats will offer a plan to end the semi-shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration, in which they'll agree to go along with a Republican plan for deep cuts in subsidies to rural air service. Meanwhile, the partial shutdown of the FAA has, so far, cost the government $250 million in airline ticket taxes the agency is unable to collect. Some 4,000 employees remain furloughed.

T-SHIRT SHOP EMPLOYEE CHARGED WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT

On July 7, 2011, Ocean City Police received a complaint regarding a possible sexual assault that had occurred in a bathroom at "OC Piercings," 607 Atlantic Avenue.

The adult female victim (name is not being released) contacted police after she alleged a male
OC Piercings employee lured her to a bathroom to try on clothing. The bathroom was located in the back of the shop. Once in the bathroom, the employee locked the door and allegedly began to undress and sexually assault the victim. The victim left the shop and reported the incident to police.

Subsequent OCPD investigation determined the suspect to be identified as Faud Abdo-Saleh Mansour, 24, of Ocean City, who was an employee of the business. Police obtained an arrest warrant for Mansour charging him with the following:

3rd Degree Sex Offense
4th Degree Sex Offense
2nd Degree Assault
False Imprisonment

On July 8, 2011, the OCPD located and arrested Mansour. He was seen by an Ocean City District Court Commissioner and held on $50,000 bond. On July 17, 2011 Mansour posted bond and has since been released from custody pending trial.

Today's Economy

A customer sent an order to a distributor for a large amount of goods totaling a great deal of money. The distributor noticed that the previous bill hadn’t been paid, so he asked his collections manager to leave a voice-mail for them saying, “We can’t ship your new order until you pay for the last one.”

The next day the collections manager received a collect phone call, “Please cancel the order. We can’t wait that long.”

Fruitland National Night Out

5:00 to 8:00 PM TONIGHT

Salisbury News!

Fernando and Alexis Guerero

PRMC Wellness Mobile

Lifeline

HALO

Wii Mobile

NASCAR Simulator

While WBOC has announced every other National Night Out event on the Eastern Shore, because Salisbury News will be present in Fruitland they have REFUSED to publish the event in Fruitland. Real professional guys!

Other National Night Out Locations:

Salisbury, Md. will hold National Night Out from 6-8 p.m. tonight in the City Park. Meet members of the police department, and much more.

Ocean City, Md. will also hold its event from 6-8 p.m. tonight, at a couple of locations in the resort town, including Caine Woods on 141st Street.

In Sussex County, Del., National Night Out will be held this Saturday, Aug. 6, from 4-8 p.m., at Blockhouse Pond in Lewes.

Word Of The Day 08/02/11

Ba Time

Meaning- "By The Time" I arrive.

Md. Lottery Brings In $519 Million In FY2011

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Lottery ticket sales are breaking records once again. Monique Griego has more on why that means big money for Maryland.

Lottery ticket machines have been working overtime.

“Everybody is trying to hit the big one,” said Salice Hill.

Missing Dog In Pittsville

Missing dog on Parker place, Pittsville. Description : 12 yr. old reddish brown / white male neutered husky mix. Name is Scout. Ran away after thunder storm 7/25/11. Thanks.
Please call 410-835-2811 or my cell : 410-603-8402.

Upcoming Event In Wicomico County Public Schools

Aug. 4

Back-To-School Rally. Wicomico County Branch #7028 of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People will hold its annual Back-To-School Rally at Salisbury Middle School, 607 Morris St. in Salisbury, from 2-4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4. Motivational speakers, entertainment, and free school supplies for those attending. 410-543-4187

Lawsuit Filed To Allow Illegal Immigrant Tuition

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — Supporters of the Dream Act filed suit to cancel the 2012 ballot referendum. Political reporter Pat Warren explains they believe the State Board of Elections wrongly certified petitions to put in-state tuition for undocumented students on the November ballot.

These petitions for referendum had to be signed just so in order to count towards the number needed to put in-state tuition for undocumented students on the 2012 election ballot. Supporters of the Maryland Dream Act are now suing the State Board of Elections, claiming it certified signatures that should have been thrown out.

President says after vote: 'This compromise requires that both parties work together on a larger plan'

WASHINGTON — Emergency legislation to allow the government to borrow more money passed the Senate Tuesday, with just hours to spare before the national debt was slated to hit its ceiling. The strong bipartisan vote was 74-26.

Obama said the bill is just the first step to ensuring the country lives within its means. From the Rose Garden, Obama said, "This compromise requires that both parties work together on a larger plan."

He added, "We'll need a balanced approach where everything is on the table."

More, including video.

Yosemite Accident Brings 2011 Death Toll To 14

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, California - A woman slipped to her death while descending Half Dome in the rain, the latest accident at Yosemite National Park in a year that is breaking records for the deadliest in recent history.

Fourteen people have died so far this year, including three who were swept over Vernal Fall two weeks ago while taking photographs upstream in the Merced River. In 2007, seven people were killed at the park, the most in any recent year until this one.

University Of Maryland Finishes In Top 20 For Biggest Party Schools

The University of Maryland is one of the 20 best party schools in the country, according to a new survey. On the other end, the Naval Academy finished in the Top 10 for stone-cold sober schools.

The Princeton Review surveys thousands of students each year to determine the rankings.

Here's the nation's top party schools and top stone-cold sober schools.

GO HERE to see complete list.

Md. Commission Expands Inquiry Into Verizon's 911 Service

Maryland utility regulators are expanding their investigation into Verizon's 911 service after some emergency calls came through without caller ID or location information.

On May 30, police and fire dispatchers in Maryland and Virginia did not receive two key pieces of information that usually accompany an emergency call: the caller's location and the phone number they were calling from, according to the Maryland Public Service Commission.

More Workers At Legg Mason Being Laid Off

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) -- Legg Mason Inc. says it plans to lay off an additional 35 workers at its Owings Mills facility.

The company on Monday filed notice with the state's Department of Labor Licensing and Regulation. The employees will be laid off between Oct. 1 and January and are part of a previously announced plan to shut down the facility in Baltimore County.

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Today's Wildlife Photo Sent In From A Viewer

Ford To Recall 1.1M Pickup For Gas Tank Problem

WASHINGTON (AP) - Ford is recalling more than a million pickup trucks because their gas tanks can fall off and cause fires.

The recall, announced Monday, covers 1.1 million F-150, F-250 and Lincoln Blackwood pickups. The models involved were sold in cold-weather states where road salt can cause straps metal straps holding up the tanks to rust. If the straps break, the tanks can hit the ground, rupture and catch fire.

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BREAKING NEWS: Economic Worries Slam Wall Street

The Dow slid more than 150 points after concerns over the sluggish pace of the economic recovery, coupled with a late-day selloff in European markets, overshadowed the Senate’s passage of the debt ceiling increase.

From Fox News

Senate Approves Debt-Ceiling Agreement

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday signed off on a deal to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, paving the way for President Obama’s signature on the bill, which is expected later this afternoon.

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FAA Shutdown Cost: $1 Billion Or More

The lost ticket tax revenue is costing the government an estimated $200 million a week. The FAA has furloughed nearly 4,000 employees and issued stop-work orders on more than 200 construction projects.

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Ron Paul's Statement On The Budget Control Act And On "Super Congress"

Not one but two letters today (link to prior here [6]) from a very digusted Ron Paul, in which he once again dissects the complete farce that is the "spending" cut bill (if by spending one means slightly lowering the angle of attack on future government expenditures well over and above the revenue slope) and also adds his thoughts on the farce that is the "Super Congress."

Statement On The Budget Control Act [7]

Rather than raising the debt limit, Congress should recognize the federal government has reached debt saturation and therefore stop incurring new debt! Federal revenues for 2012 likely will amount to about $2.2 trillion, an amount roughly equal to the 2004 federal budget. To balance the 2012 budget, Congress simply needs to adopt 2004 spending levels. Was the federal government really too small just 8 years ago?

But Washington has a serious spending addiction-- and in spite of all the talk about spending cuts, there are none contained in today’s legislation. According to the non-partisan CATO Institute, this bill merely commits Congress to spending less than it otherwise would. Even if this Congress could bind a future congress, I doubt many Americans would define a cut as spending less on unconstitutional programs than Congress originally planned to spend. The bill also assumes large tax increases in its revenue projections, with the expiration of the Bush tax cuts at the end of 2012 calculated into the “baseline” numbers. This assumption will make it very difficult politically for Republicans to extend current tax rates beyond 2012.

Stop For Emergency Cars, But Not In An Intersection

WASHINGTON - With congestion levels high in the region, some folks wonder about the best way to make room for emergency vehicles.

When motorists hear sirens, the first thing they should do is move to the nearest curb on the right or left side of the road and come to a complete stop, says Scott Graham, assistant fire chief for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. But, he says, only when it's safe to do so.

The idea is to create a path emergency vehicles can get through. So, for example, when there are three lanes of traffic, clear so that the emergency vehicle can use the center lane.

One common mistake that can lead to crashes, Graham says, is speeding up to clear an intersection, not realizing that other emergency vehicles may be coming from different directions.

In a recent e-mail, Montgomery County Chief Richard Bowers offered the following tips:

Once you hear the sirens, pull over as close to the edge of the roadway and stop.
Leave room, keep intersections clear.
When you are sure that all emergency vehicles are clear, ease back into traffic.

A Modest Proposal: Cut 15% Of The Federal Government Workforce, Save $1.4 Trillion In Ten Years

While Washington is baffling everyone with male cow manure, presenting 7-slide powerpoints full of talking points and empty of actual actionable cost-cutting proposals, while draping the melodrama in ever more evanescent haute couture of "emperor's clothing" du jour, the one true solution to all our problems is so simple that it is perfectly logical that it would have been avoided like the plague by D.C. In a nutshell: do to the government, what the privates sector has done to itself in the past 3 years, and fire 15% of the federal government workforce. After all everyone, even the government, complains about the bloat in the system. Here is the chance to fix it. And the benefits, unlike the back-end loaded and extremely loose "bipartisan plan", which happens to invoke such pseudo-totalitarian constructs as the "Super Congress [2]", can be quantified immediately, with the applicable savings made abundantly clear to all from day one. In this case - slimming the US government ever so modestly, by just 15%, would generate savings of $117.4 billion a year, of $1.4 trillion over the next 10 years. And no, these are not reductions in future spendings: these are real actionable cuts from the day they are enacted, with fungible cash able to be used for any other, much more needed purposes, up to and including economically stimulative projects, which actually generate jobs for the private sector.

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July Enters Record Books As Hottest Month

WASHINGTON - It wasn't just your imagination -- July was very hot.

So hot, in fact, the last two weeks of the month saw temperatures at or above 90 degrees.

"This July is the brand new hottest month on record," says Chris Naille, ABC7 meteorologist.

July 2011 bumped July 2010 as the D.C. area's hottest month, with average temperatures of 84.5 degrees. Last year, the average temperature was 83.1 degrees.

The hottest day was July 29, which hit 104 degrees, Naille says.

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State Roundup, Aug. 2, 2011

Maryland representatives split along party lines as debt deal passes the House; credit unions prepare to aid members should Senate fail to pass it; O’Malley backs the deal while blasting tea party Republicans; Casa de Maryland files suit to stop rollback of DREAM Act, claiming that the law has budgetary immunity; Baltimore community groups express disappointment with Franchot over pulling State Center support; and bridge, road toll hikes likely to be delayed, altered.

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New Hybrid

Budget Institute Recommends $2.6 Billion In Tax Hikes

The progressive Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute is recommending $2.6 billion in tax increases to cure state budget shortfalls, including $2 billion on consumer services that are not currently taxed.

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A Viewer Writes....

"Joe, why were there protesters outside of Hobby Lobby?

They've acquired an empty building, stocked it with beautiful items (a bit pricey) & they are employing people...what's the problem?????"

There were protesters because Hobby Lobby didn't use UNION workers to build out and stock the store. In my honest opinion, it truly ticks me off that these crybabies disrupt economic & development, (or the attempt thereof) because they didn't get the JOB!

I have always said, if I do not get your business, I DIDN'T EARN YOUR BUSINESS. Unions, (in this case) are hurting America.

Community Groups Criticize Franchot’s Opposition To State Center As ‘A Political Move’

A coalition of Baltimore community groups has written to Comptroller Peter Franchot “to express our dismay and disappointment” that he has yanked his support from the $1.5 billion State Center project, despite his votes for the project in the past.

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Beware These Household Energy-Saving Myths

Want to make sure you're getting the most from your home instead of draining it of valuable energy? Then make sure you've not fallen prey to a few common household energy-saving myths.

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Casa Sues To Stop Referendum On Immigrant Tuition

Questioning the validity of the petitions and the legality of a referendum to overturn the Maryland granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants, Casa de Maryland and eight Marylanders have sued the State Board of Elections, asking the court to cancel the planned referendum on the law and allow its provisions to take effect now.

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Sinepuxent Receipts – Crab Salad Stretch

On the Fourth of July I was invited to my niece’s for an afternoon party with grilled burgers and hotdogs. I would need to make something with about 24 servings. Since I only had 2 lbs. or about 12 servings of jumbo lump I decided to add small pasta bowties. A box of mini pasta bowties makes 8 servings, ½ cup each, so I used two boxes. Not only did it turn out delicious but we wound up with leftovers for all. The following receipt is for 14 servings, or half of the amount described above.

Crab Salad Stretch

1 cup mayonnaise

Juice of ½ lemon

3 tbsp. catsup

1 ½ tsp. sugar

½ tsp. mustard

½ tsp. sea salt

1/8 tsp. paprika

1 cup celery, chopped very fine

2 tbsp. green pepper, chopped very fine

1 lb. jumbo lump

1 box pasta bowties, small, cooked, cooled

Make dressing with first 7 ingredients, and then add celery, green pepper and pasta, blending well. Add crab meat and toss together being careful not to break the lump. Chill until serving time.

Tom Clarke is the author of “Sinepuxent Receipts, A Personal Collection of Eastern Shore Cooking”. Tom lives in Hebron. When not cooking for friends or developing new recipes (“receipts”), Tom sings in the choir at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. All profits from the sale of “Sinepuxent Receipts” go to the St. Peter’s Church Organ Fund.

Giffords In House For First Time Since Shooting

Lawmaker who was seriously injured in Tucson shooting returns to Congress to vote yes

WASHINGTON — Rep. Gabrielle Giffords returned to the House for the first time since she was shot last January, making a dramatic entrance Monday night during a crucial debt vote and drawing loud applause and cheers from surprised colleagues.

As lawmakers stood on the floor, staring up at the vote board, Giffords slowly made her way through an entrance on the Democratic side of the chamber. Applause built and rolled like a wave through the House as lawmakers realized that their colleague had returned.

Debt Ceiling

Everything you ever wanted to know about the debt ceiling debate in cartoon format…

GO HERE.

Dealing With The Trials Of Apartment Hunting

Although the depressed housing market has made things easy for home buyers, it seems to have had an adverse effect on renters, who face more competition with perhaps fewer openings than ever. Thanks to former homeowners who suffered short sales or foreclosures and are forced into the rental market, there are more renters playing musical chairs.

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Ron Paul Sounds Alarm On “Disturbing” Super Congress

Congressman warns new all-powerful committee will ram through tax hikes

Congressman Ron Paul warns that the all-powerful new “Super Congress” created by the vote on the debt ceiling will be used to fast-track tax increases while concentrating more power over the nation’s purse strings in the hands of the Washington elite.

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Escalation

One of the worst aspects (and there are many) of “law enforcement” in Late-Empire America is the unwarranted – rapid and violent – escalation of response by police, often out of all proportion to the original “offense” and when the “offender” is clearly no physical threat to the cop or anyone else.

For example, there’s the infamous case of Audra Harmon, who was pulled over for a minor traffic violation; ordinary speeding. The woman – a mom with her kids in the car – argues with the cop, asking that he show her the radar readout, rather than being immediately servile and submissive. The cop – a large man – begins to scream at her, then physically assaults her for “resisting,” ultimately Tazering her, forcing her to the ground and handcuffing her in front of her kids. Here is the video of that incident:

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Attention