Salisbury News: 08/18/11

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Bravo To Delay Premiere Of 'Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills'

The cast and crew of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" have been told that the Sept. 5 season premiere will be pushed least one week and possibly longer in the wake of the apparent suicide of Russell Armstrong, the estranged husband of cast member Taylor Armstrong.

Obama: The Affirmative Action President

By Matt Patterson

Years from now, historians may regard the 2008 election of Barack Obama as an inscrutable and disturbing phenomenon, a baffling breed of mass hysteria akin perhaps to the witch craze of the Middle Ages. How, they will wonder, did a man so devoid of professional accomplishment beguile so many into thinking he could manage the world's largest economy, direct the world's most powerful military, execute the world's most consequential job?

Imagine a future historian examining Obama's pre-presidential life: ushered into and through the Ivy League despite unremarkable grades and test scores along the way; a cushy non-job as a "community organizer"; a brief career as a state legislator devoid of legislative achievement (and in fact nearly devoid of his attention, so often did he vote "present"); and finally an unaccomplished single term in United States Senate, the entirety of which was devoted to his presidential ambitions. He left no academic legacy in academia, authored no signature legislation as legislator.

And then there is the matter of his troubling associations: the white-hating, America-loathing preacher who for decades served as Obama's "spiritual mentor"; a real-life, actual terrorist who served as Obama's colleague and political sponsor. It is easy to imagine a future historian looking at it all and asking: how on Earth was such a man elected president?
Not content to wait for history, the incomparable Norman Podhoretz addressed the question recently in the Wall Street Journal:

To be sure, no white candidate who had close associations with an outspoken hater of America like Jeremiah Wright and an unrepentant terrorist like Bill Ayers would have lasted a single day. But because Mr. Obama was black, and therefore entitled in the eyes of liberaldom to have hung out with protesters against various American injustices, even if they were a bit extreme, he was given a pass.

Let that sink in: Obama was given a pass -- held to a lower standard -- because of the color of his skin. Podhoretz continues:

And in any case, what did such ancient history matter when he was also articulate and elegant and (as he himself had said) "non-threatening," all of which gave him a fighting chance to become the first black president and thereby to lay the curse of racism to rest?

Podhoretz puts his finger, I think, on the animating pulse of the Obama phenomenon -- affirmative action. Not in the legal sense, of course. But certainly in the motivating sentiment behind all affirmative action laws and regulations, which are designed primarily to make white people, and especially white liberals, feel good about themselves.

Unfortunately, minorities often suffer so that whites can pat themselves on the back.

Liberals routinely admit minorities to schools for which they are not qualified, yet take no responsibility for the inevitable poor performance and high drop-out rates which follow. Liberals don't care if these minority students fail; liberals aren't around to witness the emotional devastation and deflated self esteem resulting from the racist policy that is affirmative action.
Yes, racist. Holding someone to a separate standard merely because of the color of his skin -- that's affirmative action in a nutshell, and if that isn't racism, then nothing is. And that is what America did to Obama.

True, Obama himself was never troubled by his lack of achievements, but why would he be? As many have noted, Obama was told he was good enough for Columbia despite undistinguished grades at Occidental; he was told he was good enough for the US Senate despite a mediocre record in Illinois; he was told he was good enough to be president despite no record at all in the Senate. All his life, every step of the way, Obama was told he was good enough for the next step, in spite of ample evidence to the contrary. What could this breed if not the sort of empty narcissism on display every time Obama speaks?
In 2008, many who agreed that he lacked executive qualifications nonetheless raved about Obama's oratory skills, intellect, and cool character.  Those people -- conservatives included -- ought now to be deeply embarrassed.  The man thinks and speaks in the hoariest of clichés, and that's when he has his teleprompter in front of him; when the prompter is absent he can barely think or speak at all. Not one original idea has ever issued from his mouth -- it's all warmed-over Marxism of the kind that has failed over and over again for 100 years.
And what about his character?  Obama is constantly blaming anything and everything else for his troubles.  Bush did it; it was bad luck; I inherited this mess.  It is embarrassing to see a president so willing to advertise his own powerlessness, so comfortable with his own incompetence.  But really, what were we to expect?  The man has never been responsible for anything, so how do we expect him to act responsibly?
In short: our president is a small and small-minded man, with neither the temperament nor the intellect to handle his job.  When you understand that, and only when you understand that, will the current erosion of liberty and prosperity make sense.  It could not have gone otherwise with such a man in the Oval Office.

But hey, at least we got to feel good about ourselves for a little while.  And really, isn't that all that matters these days?

Triple Double Oreo Arrives, Begins Attack On America's Waistline

Nabisco has just introduced the Triple Double Oreo, a new variety of the classic bestselling cookie with two layers of Oreo crème (one chocolate, one vanilla) and three Oreo cookies.

The Triple Double is a new variation on a product introduced in Argentina in 2008: the Oreo x3 (“Por Tres”), which also combines three cookies and two layers of crème.

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California Bill Could Give Juveniles In Prison For Life A Second Chance

A controversial bill headed for a vote in California has stirred up conversation again about whether life sentences for juveniles need to be re-examined.

Under the state bill, which received a key vote Wednesday to allow it to head to the Assembly floor for a vote, some juvenile offenders would get the opportunity for release.

At the heart of the bill is a question that's been pondered by legal scholars, law enforcement and even the Supreme Court: Should juveniles who have committed crimes that led to a life prison sentence be given a second chance?

Chavez Decision To Recall Overseas Gold Reserves Could Reflect Sanctions Fear

Hugo Chavez' decision to recall Venezuela's gold reserves and nationalize the industry could reflect his paranoia about being hit with financial sanctions, analysts said.

Chavez and other officials in his administration claimed on Wednesday that the move to recall about $11 billion in reserves stored in U.S. and European banks was being done to protect the country from economic troubles in the developed world.

Central Bank of Venezuela President Nelson Merentes said the government wants that gold in its vaults during "the time of these disturbances."

Up to 300 government, business, residential customers lose phone, internet service

The outage to telephone and DSL service affected state government offices, small businesses and residents, Verizon spokeswoman Sandra Arnette said. Service was expected to be restored by midday Friday, she said.
Arnette said the damage to equipment in an alley off West North Avenue near Pennsylvania Avenue was the first act of vandalism reported in Baltimore since Sunday, Aug. 7, when members of the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers began a strike after their contract expired, she said.
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NY Man, 61, Suing Over Skimpy Lifeguard Trunks

'There should be a law prohibiting anyone over the age of 50 from wearing a Speedo,' says longtime lifeguard

LONG BEACH, N.Y. — A 61-year-old New York man says he lost his job as a lifeguard when he refused to wear skimpy swim trunks for the annual swim test.

Stampede!
1. C'mon — what's not to like?
  Hoof it over to Facebook to join the weird news herd.

Roy Lester told the New York Daily News he was forced out of the job after 40 years in 2007 when he wanted to take the swim test in biking shorts instead of the tiny swim trunks.

"I wore a Speedo when I was in my 20s," Lester said. "But come on. There should be a law prohibiting anyone over the age of 50 from wearing a Speedo."

The Mennonite Rapes: In Bolivia, A Trial Tears Apart A Religious Community

Katarina Wall remembers little about the worst night of her life. She recalls waking up in her bed, seeing a man on top of her and feeling her arms too heavy to lift in resistance. The next thing she knew, it was morning — but her pajamas were torn, and the sheets beneath her and her sleeping husband were stained with blood from her vagina. "It was like a terrible dream," Wall, 36, tells TIME in her native Low German, weeping as she stands outside a courthouse in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

But the nightmare appears to be all too real. Wall is among 130 women and girls of the Mennonite colony in Manitoba Colony, who claim that from 2005 to '09, the same cloudy horror visited them. They're the victims of what is allegedly one of the ugliest sex scandals in the history of the Mennonites, a pacifist Christian Anabaptist denomination founded in Europe in the 1500s, if not Bolivia and South America. In a criminal trial now under way in nearby Santa Cruz, Peter Weiber, 48, a Mennonite veterinarian, is accused of transforming a chemical meant to anesthetize cows into a spray to be used on humans.

Are Women Choosing Romance Over Math And Science?

Women are notoriously underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM, for short). Now a new study suggests it's because women's interest in romance may be getting in the way.

Only about a quarter of STEM jobs in the U.S. are held by women, and women who major in STEM in college are far more likely to enter unrelated fields after graduation, compared with men. Lora Park, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Buffalo, wondered whether the old stereotype about how men don't find brainy girls attractive could be holding some women back.

Car Thief Drops Off Kids, Poodle

A car thief who inadvertently scooped up a minivan with two kids and a poodle inside dropped the kids – and the car – at their home in Queens after the children scolded him for trying to raid the change tray.

The father of the two boys in the would-be stolen van, Sebastian Russo, tells The New York Post the fracas began when he parked his car outside a store on Cross Bay Boulevard to buy a leash for his toy poodle, Colette.

He left the vehicle running. Shortly after Russo entered the store, another man ran in and told him his van had been stolen.

Eases purchasing expectations in Baltimore, wastewater investment at Rocky Gap

A state panel sweetened the terms Wednesday for bids for the slots licenses in Baltimore and Rocky Gap.

The states slots commission voted unanimously to give the winner of the Baltimore license a two-year window to decide whether to buy nearby land, instead of expecting the winner to buy the parcels up front, which officials said was implied in the existing terms. Land for a parking garage still would have to be purchased immediately.

Single men could die about a decade earlier than married men. Single women don't fare much better, new research finds

It's great being single, isn't it? You get to sleep on either side of the bed; you never have to wait for the bathroom; you've got all that "me time." Except, well, you may be one of the unlucky singles who keel over about one decade earlier than your married friends, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Although many studies point to the fact that singles just don’t fare as well in terms of health and longevity compared to the married, this new research shows “just how poorly the singles do,” explains lead author David Roelfs, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Louisville, Ky.

Don't Blame Social Media For Social Unrest

Last week's horrific London riots have been blamed on everything from solar flares to incredibly good design, but one contributing factor has been villainized above all others: social media.

The Daily Mail ran the headline, “Rioting thugs used Twitter to boost their numbers in thieving store,” and police officials and members of parliament called for a suspension of BlackBerry Messenger service.

A new study adds to the body of research suggesting that "man’s best friend" may actually be able to smell cancer.

Researchers in Germany found that dogs were able to pick up on the scent of organic compounds linked to the presence of lung cancer in the human body, and that their keen sense of smell may be useful for the early detection of the disease.

(CBS News)

The Beatles didn't do it. Elvis and Madonna never did it, either. But pop star Katy Perry just tied Michael Jackson for an impressive place in music's history books.

CBS News Correspondent Bill Whitaker reported the singer, known for her hits "Teenage Dream" and "California Gurls," has topped the Billboard charts with five No. 1 hits from a single album -- the first time that's ever been done by a female artist.

Jury Sees Video Of Mom Forcing Hot Sauce On Boy

Hot sauce is a dinner table option to some parents. But to prosecutors in Alaska, forcing it on a 7-year-old boy as punishment amounts to child abuse.

In a case that has drawn international attention, jurors on Wednesday watched video showing Jessica Beagley squirting hot sauce in the mouth of her adopted son. Her attorney said the boy was punished for lying to his mother about misbehaving at school.

Making the Sale: How To Deal With Unemployment Among Veterans

There are few things more awkward than walking the streets of East Harlem in my Army dress blue uniform. The gold pant stripes and the medals on my coat draw an interesting array of reactions. Some offer suspicious stares.

Some preach to me their conspiracy-theory wisdom behind the current wars. About once a week, someone asks where the closest cross-town M60 stop is, thinking I'm a bus driver.

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Vick On Dog Fighting In GQ

The first time Michael Vick(notes) talked about the dogfighting that cost him two years of his life in a federal penitentiary, it was February of 2010, and he was opening up for a TV show called the Michael Vick Project. Back then, Vick made it seem as if the man who ran and financed a large Virginia dogfighting operation called Bad Newz Kennels was someone out of his own body.

"I was living a double life," he said then. "The dogfighting operation was getting bigger, and it was spiraling out of control. I would fly home to Virginia every Tuesday on my off-day, just to check up on my dogs and fight the dogs."

The remorse may still be real, but judging from quotes that hit the internet on Wednesday, Vick isn't quite as penitent about what he did. In a brilliant story written by Will Leitch of Yahoo! Movies for GQ.com, Vick talked more about the cultural aspect of the dogfighting trade, and how some folks just wouldn't understand where it comes from.

"[The media is] writing as if everyone feels that way and has the same opinions they do. But when I go out in public, it's all positive, so that's obviously not true … You got the family dog and the white picket fence, and you just think that's all there is. Some of us had to grow up in poverty-stricken urban neighborhoods, and we just had to adapt to our environment. I know that it's wrong. But people act like it's some crazy thing they never heard of. They don't know."

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Officers Raid Ocean City Businesses

Officers raided multiple businesses Wednesday in Ocean City that are suspected of trafficking counterfeit goods, a federal official said.

The Homeland Security Investigations division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was the lead agency handling the execution of search and seizure warrants for "counterfeit goods or services," said Ross Feinstein, a spokesman for ICE, in a statement.

This case is not related to immigration issues, he said.

Cain Says Obama Impeachment Would Be 'A Great Thing'

(CNN) – Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said it would be "great" to impeach the president, but that the Democratic controlled Senate would prevent such action.

On a conference call with bloggers Tuesday night, the former Godfather's Pizza CEO called the health care law and the Obama administration's stance over the Defense of Marriage Act impeachable offenses.

Workers' Comp Systems Getting Stricter

Montana has long had a workers’ comp problem. Its labor force is injured far more frequently and at greater expense to employers than is typical around the country. Part of that stems from the jobs people do in Montana — drilling for oil and working in mines. But part of it has been the system itself. A prominent national study, released last fall, singled out Montana’s as the most expensive workers’ compensation system in the United States — with premiums 163 percent higher than the national median.

“We had businesses just up and walking across the border to Idaho and North Dakota,” says state Representative Scott Reichner, the sponsor of an overhaul package that was signed into law in April. “It was killing us. Lawyers push the envelope and make the system looser and looser and next thing you know we’re covering everybody for everything."

In March, the Montana Supreme Court upheld a Workers’ Compensation Court award involving a man who smoked marijuana on the job at a tourist attraction before feeding — and subsequently being mauled by — a grizzly bear. The state is footing approximately $35,000 in medical bills because, in the words of the court, bears are “equal opportunity maulers,” even though the decision to smoke pot around them was “ill-advised to say the least and mind-bogglingly stupid to say the most.”

Pope Reaches Out To Youths In Spain

Madrid (CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI told Catholic youths to not hide their beliefs from their peers during a speech he delivered Thursday in Spain for World Youth Day.

"With all my heart, I say again to you young people: let nothing and no one take away your peace; do not be ashamed of the Lord," the pope said.

(CNN) -- By the time he reached the White House, Bill Clinton's appetite was legend. He loved hamburgers, steaks, chicken enchiladas, barbecue and french fries but wasn't too picky. At one campaign stop in New Hampshire, he reportedly bought a dozen doughnuts and was working his way through the box until an aide stopped him.

Former President Clinton now considers himself a vegan. He's dropped more than 20 pounds, and he says he's healthier than ever. His dramatic dietary transformation took almost two decades and came about only after a pair of heart procedures and some advice from a trusted doctor.

BREAKING NEWS: Dow Down More Than 400 Points At Close

Dow Jones Industrial Average is down more than 400 points at close after falling by as much as 528 points amid global economic tensions.
From Fox News

Bachmann: I'll Bring Back $2 Gas

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- President Michele Bachmann has a promise: $2 gas.

"Under President Bachmann you will see gasoline come down below $2 a gallon again," Bachmann told a crowd Tuesday in South Carolina. "That will happen."

BREAKING NEWS: Selling in Stocks Picks Up, Dow Down Nearly 500 Points

With just under an hour to go in the session, the selling pressure on stocks is increasing. The Dow is off 480 points, and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite are faring even worse on a percentage basis. Financial stocks are leading the way lower -- with Citi and BofA being two of the worst performers -- as concerns
mount about the health of the world’s economies.

From Fox News

Getting To Airport Will Be Challenging Friday

WASHINGTON - It could be a real challenge Friday getting to and from Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The motorcycle ride will impact major commuter routes during Friday's afternoon commute. You need to be aware that Friday afternoon's commute could be a long and complicated one.

The warning comes ahead of a huge motorcycle ride to honor the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.

Reaching For The Stars, At Your Expense

DARPA is reaching for the stars. Literally. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency plans to award a half-million-dollar grant to study what it would take for humans to travel to another star, The New York Times reports. The study would cover more than just the technology to take people on journeys lasting hundreds or thousands of years; it will also explore the sociological, ethical and even religious questions behind such a project. In fact, the study itself could take a century. DARPA said it will announce the award on November 1, the culmination of a year-long collaboration with NASA called the 100-year Starship Study.

Foreclosures Not Letting Up

For developers and homeowners, market not done caving

It was a bad week for major foreclosures in Delaware, and real estate veterans say there are a lot more to come, especially in Kent and Sussex counties.

One Maryland-based developer lost prime building land near Lewes and on Indian River Bay, along with an entire subdivision north of Milton, on Tuesday, when Stonebridge Bank bought the properties for just over $1 million at a Sussex County sheriff's sale, followingforeclosure on more than $13.8 million in debts to the bank.

White House Visitors Logs Are Subject To Freedom of Information Act Requests

A federal judge has ruled that White House visitors logs are subject to Freedom of Information Act requests. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell rejected arguments by the Secret Service that the logs are presidential records and exempt from public disclosure. A watchdog group, Judicial Watch, argued in favor of releasing visitors logs. The Obama administration has already voluntarily released its visitors logs, however the ruling applies to logs from before that policy change.

Customs And Border Protection Launches Investigation

Customs and Border Protection is launching an investigation of possible corruption in its workforce. It has signed a cooperative agreement with the Homeland Security Department's inspector general for help in the probe. Under the agreement, CBP will send internal affairs investigators to participate in IG field office corruption probes. The probes will focus on agents working along U.S. borders. Investigators said corruption takes many forms, including cash bribes and sexual favors in return for letting contraband or illegal immigrants get past checkpoints.

A Letter To The Editor 8-18-11

No Child Left Behind Means Something Different to Me

As a member of this community for just about all of my 37 years, I have always thought this was a great place to raise a family. Recently events have unfolded for a family in need that have made me ashamed to live here.

A local family, a mother and four children, that has been left homeless by fire and in turmoil because their father has been arrested for the fire have been treated very unfairly by the Elementary school they have been attending since the first child entered kindergarten there six years ago.

The children, ranging in grades from Pre-Kindergarten to Fifth grade, are practically homeless, staying at a friends home until a solution can be found for them. The Elementary school they were attending turned them away even after their mother wrote a letter to the Board of Education requesting to be allowed to stay at their old school. Her request, denied by the school, was told they were already overcrowded and there was no room left for them. Hmmm, were they not slated to go there a few weeks ago? Last I heard, all the schools in Charles County are overcrowded. What happens when new people move here, are they told they have to go to a different school because this one is full? For these kids to change schools and start over in the middle of their current situation seems more than overwhelming to me, as it should to any concerned parent.

These children have had their whole lives completely turned upside down. Not only have they lost the only home they have ever known and most of their possessions, they have lost a parent. Through no fault of their own they have been subjected to things most of us only hear in the news. Now they are being forced by our school system to have another complete and total change in their young lives. They are already emotionally scarred, now this school system is telling them they have to start over in yet one more thing.

I think the Elementary school and the Board of Education should be ashamed. I think there should be contingency plans in effect for emergency situations like this that are readily available. A parent should not have to overcome major obstacles when their lives are already in shambles. Not one person has stepped up to offer any guidance or assistance in this matter and I for one would like to know why we elect board members if they are not here to be an ear for the community.

Tragedies occur all too often in our society now. Children get caught in the middle far too often and become just a number or a statistic. I know the "No Child Left Behind Act" focuses on the education and resources available to students. However, to me, it means something different. To me, it means going the extra mile to help a child in need.

Caption This Marine Photo

Free Meals For All Detroit Schoolchildren In Fall

All Detroit Public Schools students from kindergarten through 12th grade will get free breakfast, lunch and snacks starting this fall under a federal pilot program, the district announced Tuesday.

Michigan's largest public school district said the program's goal is to "ensure all children receive healthy meals, regardless of income."

Most Detroit schoolchildren also meet income rules for free lunches.

Michigan, Illinois and Kentucky will participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture pilot program during the upcoming school year. Districts in Michigan can participate if at least 40 percent of their students are entitled to public assistance.

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GOVERNOR O’MALLEY, GOVERNOR MARKELL ANNOUNCE NEW INFORMATION SHARING INITIATIVE

SALISBURY, MD (August 18, 2011) - Governor Martin O’Malley and Delaware Governor Jack Markell today launched an important new effort by both states to collaborate and share information across jurisdictional boundaries about violent or potentially violent offenders. Details of the new initiative were announced at a meeting today on the campus of Salisbury University.

“In our continued effort to make Maryland a national leader in public safety and homeland security preparedness, we support effective communication and information sharing across all levels of government and state borders,” said Governor O’Malley. “The most important responsibilities we have in government are to create jobs and protect the public’s safety. Working together with our partners across the State, we have driven violent crime and property crime rates down to their lowest levels in recorded history. By reaching beyond our borders, using innovative technology and sharing information, we will continue to drive the levels down even further.”

“Criminals and crime have no boundaries,” said Delaware Governor Jack Markell. “It’s our responsibility to work together across state lines and share information that can benefit citizens of both states, especially as technology allows us to know more and do more. By working collaboratively and using our collective knowledge, we serve everyone by making our streets and our communities safer.”

Delaware Governor Markell and key Delaware officials, including Elizabeth Olsen, Deputy Secretary of the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security; Colonel Robert M. Coupe, Superintendent of the Delaware State Police; and Alan Grinstead, Deputy Bureau Chief of Delaware Community Corrections, joined their counterparts from Maryland for the meeting that included Gary Maynard, Secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services; Colonel Marcus Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Sam Abed, Secretary of the Department of Juvenile Services.

The new strategic partnership will allow parole and probation officials and law enforcement in both states to exchange information with one another on arrests, enabling the Maryland Division of Parole and Probation to take appropriate action if a suspect from Maryland violates the terms of release while in Delaware. Additionally, law enforcement and public safety officials in both states will be able to prioritize warrant service. Between January and June of this year, there were 389 people wanted in Delaware with Maryland addresses and just over 1000 people arrested in Delaware that had Maryland addresses. Additionally, in the past year, 22 youths from Delaware had contact with the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services. With this shared information, the Maryland State Police and local police will be able to move more effectively to get the most dangerous suspects off the streets and better track youth currently monitored by the Department of Juvenile Services. These initial steps could lead to other information-sharing opportunities including information from license plate readers to track stolen or suspicious vehicles and pawn shop databases to locate stolen property.

The new Maryland-Delaware effort is similar to the Safe Streets Program operating in Maryland and Delaware. Safe Streets programs have been launched in Salisbury, Annapolis and Wilmington. Safe Streets allows law enforcement officials to share data and hold offenders accountable for their actions through a cooperative effort of law enforcement at the federal, state, county and local level. Safe Streets uses an innovative security integration model of multi-agency collaboration with federal, state, local law enforcement, public safety agencies, and community partners to aggressively track offenders to reduce drug, gun, and other major crimes. Through a combination of improved police tactics and practices, modern and enhanced technology, and the integration of expanded community partnerships, the initiative has taken significant steps to reduce crime and promote safer neighborhoods and communities.

ACT Scores Show Only 1 in 4 High School Grads Are Ready For College

While test scores have increased slightly, the news still isn't good.

According to newly-released ACT scores, 28% of this year's high-school graduates did not score high enough on the standardized test to meet the standards for expected college success.

Nearly three in 10 test takers (28%) failed to meet any of the benchmarks in the four core subject areas of English, math, reading and science.

Violent crimes fell 7.2%, reflecting national trend

Maryland's crime rate decreased 6.3 percent last year, reaching a new low in the state's per-capita incidence of violent and property offenses and mirroring a national trend.

The figures released by state officials Wednesday and reported to the FBI are the lowest since modern crime tracking began in 1975. That continues a pattern of the state notching record lows for most of the past 14 years, though as crime rates dropped more sharply in other states, Maryland has remained one of the most violent.

The numbers run counter to the public's perception about crime and safety and even surprise some experts who expected the rates to rise amid a recession — a pattern that's been borne out in previous economic downturns, according to criminologists. Some experts said they are hard pressed to pinpoint an explanation for the declines.

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Jihadist Calls For Letterman's Assassination

Online message urges readers 'to cut the tongue of this lowly Jew and shut it forever'

Late-night host David Letterman is the target of an online jihadist, according to the website SITE Intelligence Group.

Adam Raisman, an analyst at SITE, told EW.com that the threat was posted on a website called Shumukh-al-Islam, and is used by al-Qaida.

“It’s a clearing house for al-Qaida material, it gets the most al-Qaida supporters,” he told EW.

Only 13 percent of 6-month-olds nourished by mom

By delivery day, nurse Meg Hayden knows which mothers are going to breast- or bottle-feed.

The Baltimore Washington Medical Center nurse tells new moms about the benefits of mothers' milk. Still, some women opt for the bottle, and Maryland is behind in reaching its federal breast-feeding goals.

"It's an important bonding time for mom and baby, and the baby can be fed and comfortable a little quicker than if you have to stop and make a bottle," said Hayden, who also leads breast-feeding classes. "It can be trying and difficult. Once you get over that hump of the first couple of weeks, it ends up being much easier in the long run."

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10 Signs That Economic Riots And Civil Unrest Inside The United States Are Now More Likely Than Ever

You should let the video footage of the wild violence that just took place in London burn into your memory because the same things are going to be happening all over the United States as the economy continues to crumble. We have raised an entire generation of young people with an "entitlement mentality", but now the economy is producing very few good jobs that will actually enable our young people to work for what they feel they are entitled to. If you are under 30 in America today, things look really bleak. The vast majority of the good jobs are held by people that are older, and they aren't about to give them up if they can help it. It is easy for the rest of us to tell young Americans to "take whatever they can", but the reality is that there is intense competition for even the most basic jobs. For instance, McDonald's recently held a "National Hiring Day" during which a million Americans applied for jobs. Only 6.2% of the applicants were hired. In the old days you could walk down to McDonald's and get a job whenever you wanted to, but now any job is precious. The frustration among our young people is palpable. Most of them feel entitled to "the American Dream" and they feel like the system has failed them. Unfortunately, many of them are already turning to violence. But the economic riots and the civil unrest that we have already seen are nothing compared to what is coming. Americans are angry, and as the economy continues to collapse that anger is going to reach unprecedented heights.

In recent days, even many in the mainstream media have been openly wondering if the riots that happened in London could happen here too. There is a growing acknowledgement that this country is headed down a very dark path.

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Helping Homeowners Help Themselves

Innovative Milford program honored

A few years back, Melvin Jones never imagined he'd be on his way to owning his own home, let alone helping to build it.

"It took me two years to get my credit right," he said.

On Wednesday, he and other future homeowners, along with state and federal officials, gathered at the Crescent Shores development near Lincoln to recognize an innovative "self-help" housing program run by the Milford Housing Development Corp.

The program requires low-income participants to invest significant sweat equity in their new houses and those of fellow participants -- about 1,300 hours for each new house.

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