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Thursday, October 13, 2011

Bully-Proofing Your Kids

(CNN) -- Miranda Jones can remember many afternoons in the counselor's office in her small-town Colorado middle school, crying about other kids relentlessly teasing about her weight.

She'd change clothes in the bathroom stall after gym so the other girls wouldn't laugh at her size. By high school, she was spending countless hours in the library reading to avoid social situations and the possibility of being teased. She rarely complained to her teachers, assuming they would just make it worse if they confronted her bullies.

Listeria Toll Rises To 23 With Two Louisiana Deaths

Two more people in the United States have died from a listeria outbreak caused by tainted cantaloupes linked to a Colorado farm, bringing the death toll to 23 across 12 states, health officials said.


Deaths from the largest U.S. food-borne listeria outbreak in over two decades have now reached Louisiana where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said two people had died. Deaths had previously been reported in Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.






Opportunity Shop Still Packing Them In

The word continues to spread about the Opportunity Shop in Downtown Salisbury has the best deals you'll ever find. They are only open on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Teen Sex Update: They're Still Doing It

The latest government survey of teen sex and contraceptive use finds that things have largely remained unchanged in last eight years: teens are still having less sex and using birth control more often than you'd think.


The survey did reveal a couple of notable exceptions in safe sex behavior, though. Teen boys are now using condoms more frequently at first sex, often combined with a second form of birth control, and teen girls are increasingly using newer hormonal contraceptives like patches and rings.






Scott Brown Camp Regrets Plagiarism "Oversight"

The office of Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts is blaming a technical error for the fact that comments attributed to Brown posted to his campaign website were lifted verbatim from former Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

The Boston Globe first reported the plagiarism, which the newspaper was directed to by the Democratic Super PAC American Bridge 21st Century.


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Stocking Up Before The Big Increase?

I've never seen someone purchase so much peanut butter in my life. However, they are claiming the price is getting ready to skyrocket.

Conservatives And Liberals Agree: End The Malignant, Symbiotic Relationship Between Big Government And Big Corporations

While many pretend that liberals and conservatives are too far apart to work together, there are actually many issues on which everyone can agree [15].
For example, both liberals and conservatives hate  the malignant, symbiotic relationship between big government and big corporations [16]:
Conservatives tend to view big government with suspicion, and think that government should be held accountable and reined in.

Liberals tend to view big corporations with suspicion, and think that they should be held accountable and reined in.

***

Conservatives hate big unfettered government and liberals hate big unchecked corporations, so both hate legislation which encourages the federal government to reward big corporations at the expense of small businesses.
Most Americans – whether they are conservative or liberal – are disgusted that virtually all of the politicians are bought and paid for. [17] No wonder people of all stripes have lost all trust in our government [18].
And everyone hates government-enabled fraud. The big banks, of course, committed massive fraud [19]. But the auditors, rating agencies and regulators also all committed fraud [20], which helped blow the bubble and sowed the seeds of the inevitable crash.
Indeed [16]:
Both liberals and conservatives [21] are angry that the feds are propping up the giant banks – while letting small banks fail by the hundreds – even though that is horrible for the economy and Main Street [22].
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Wages

Salary of retired   US Presidents ..............$450,000  FOR LIFE
Salary of House/Senate members ...........$174,000  FOR LIFE
Salary of Speaker of the House .............$223,500
 
FOR LIFE
Salary of Majority/Minority Leaders ......$193,400
  FOR LIFE


Average salary of a soldier DEPLOYED IN AFGHANISTAN
- $38,000
 
Average income for seniors on SOCIAL SECURITY - $12,000

I think we found where the cuts should be made!
 If you agree... Pass it on!
Especially to those demonstrating on Wall Street and across the country !!!! 

Hillary Clinton: VP Run Not 'In The Realm Of possibility'

Clinton tells TODAY she will not run; Biden has done 'an amazingly good job'

Hillary Clinton shot down speculation she could join the Obama 2012 ticket as vice president in 2012 in an exclusive interview with TODAY. Switching positions with Joe Biden, per rumors swirling around Washington, is not "in the realm of possibility,’’ the secretary of state told Savannah Guthrie.

“I do not think it's even in the realm of possibility, and in large measure because I think Vice President Biden has done an amazingly good job,’’ Clinton told Guthrie in an interview that aired partially on Thursday. “He has taken on the burden of, you know, selling the economic plan, of traveling the country, of answering people's questions.’’

The possibility of an Obama/Clinton ticket in 2012 has not even been raised to her, she said.

“It's maybe a subject for speculation on Google, but it's not a serious issue in the administration,’’ Clinton said.

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Women On The Pill Pick Boring Lovers, Good Partners, Study Claims

Ladies, if you feel your partner is a great provider -- but meh in the love-making department -- it may have something to do with your birth control.

Women who were taking contraceptive pills when they met their significant other were more likely to stay in the relationship than women who weren’t on the Pill, according to new research. While the partners of the non-Pill taking women tend to be more handsome and better in the sack, their relationships just didn’t have the same staying power.

Good-looking and sexy or dull and nice. Seems there's always a trade-off when it comes to love.
The study was posted online Wednesday by the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

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Maryland Creates A New Fish Story

The state hopes that an emphasis on restructuring the aquaculture industry will increase its worth from the current value of $2 million to at least $10 million in four years. Gov. Martin O’Malley’s administration has launched several initiatives to improve the industry.

Continue Reading...

Commission Recommends $29,000 Pay Hike For All Judges

The Judicial Compensation Commission unanimously voted to recommend that the General Assembly increase judges’ salaries by $29,006 phased in over three years and starting in fiscal year 2014 -- a similar recommendation to the one they made two years ago that the legislature ignored.

Continue Reading...

Theater Owners Win Game Of Chicken With Universal

Movie theater owners successfully stared down Universal Pictures, which planned to release the Ben Stiller comedy Tower Heist on video on demand three weeks after it debuted in theaters. After a large contingent of theaters vowed not to play the movie if Universal stuck to the plan, the studio backed down.

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November Fifth Is Bank Transfer Day

Remember, remember, the fifth of November, because that's when "Bank Transfer Day" is happening. By that date, all participants will have closed their big retail bank accounts and put their money in a local non-profit credit union or local or regional community bank.

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Have You Ever Received This Error Message?

You Know That Your City Has Become A Hellhole When….

All across America there are cities and towns that were once prosperous and beautiful that are being transformed into absolute hellholes.  The scars left by the long-term economic decline of the United States are getting deeper and more gruesome.  The tax base in many areas of the nation has been absolutely devastated as millions of jobs have left this country.  Hundreds of cities are drowning in debt and are desperately trying to survive.  Last year, city government revenues in the United States fell by another 2.3 percent.  That was the fifth year in a row that we have seen a decline.  Meanwhile, costs associated with health care, pensions and virtually everything else continue to explode.  So what are cities doing to make ends meet?  Well, one big trend that we are now witnessing is that many U.S. cities have been getting rid of huge numbers of employees.  If you can believe it, 72 percent of all U.S. cities are laying workers off this year.  Social services and essential infrastructure programs are also being savagely cut back in many areas of the country.  The cold, hard truth is that most of our cities are flat broke and things are going to get even worse in the years ahead.

So how do you know if your own city has become a hellhole?

Well, a few potential "red flags" are posted below....

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Democrats Admit O’Malley Map Has Partisan Re-Draw As Its Objective

ANNAPOLIS – Yesterday, in a Baltimore Sun story about the bipartisan opposition to Martin O’Malley’s gerrymandered and unfair congressional redistricting map, a leading Maryland Democrat, Del. Derek Davis, responded to criticism by saying that Democrats should keep their eye on the larger picture, “electing more progressive voices to the U.S. House of Representatives.”

“The truth is now out in the open,” said MDGOP Chairman Alex Mooney.  “This congressional redistricting process has been all arranged around eliminating one individual and helping one party pick up a seat in Congress, rather than what is in the best interests of all Marylanders.”

In the past few days, many leading Democrats have joined with the Maryland Republican Party in objecting to the blatantly partisan goals of this map.

"Congresswoman Donna Edwards and I do not agree on many things, but on this issue, she is absolutely correct - this map is extremely problematic from a voting rights perspective and does not protect minority representation,” Mooney continued.  "In addition, Governor O'Malley's map creates several unwieldy districts that unnecessarily cut up counties and do not respect regional integrity.”
 
"Maryland citizens deserve a non-partisan map that does not unnecessarily divide regions of the state and that respects the rights of minority groups," Mooney concluded.  "We are proud to join with African-American and Hispanic leaders in Maryland to stand up for fairness in redistricting."

Update On Suspicious Package, (2 liter bottle) In Delmar

We have been told that someone very close to the Fire Chief could be the owner of the suspicious package and it may be one of two. We were also told it wasn't meant to cause harm but if true, that person could be in trouble.

QUOTES OF THE DAY 10-13-11

“Conflict is created by two conditions: the evil that is sanctioned by the corrupted…and the sacrifice borne by upright men and women who chose to destroy it.”
― Adam Turquine – from Beyond Mars Crimson Fleet
“He did not care for the lying at first. He hated it. Then later he had come to like it. It was part of being an insider but it was a very corrupting business.”
Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls

“If corruption had already taken root,
then good seeds must be preserved.”
Toba Beta, My Ancestor Was an Ancient Astronaut

“It is supposed that power corrupts,’ the caterpillar said in a voice as untroubled as time itself. “yet the powerful are often corrupt before they are powerful. In fact, I find that they too often become powerful by being corrupt. Whether real or perceived, a lack of power can also corrupt.”
Frank Beddor, ArchEnemy

A New Boogeyman For America

Last month, now-retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen testified to a U.S. Senate panel that Pakistan’s Inter-services Intelligence Agency backed the terrorist group Haqqani in its attack on the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan.  Never heard of Haqqani?  Don’t worry, you probably never heard of Al-Qaeda prior to 9/11 either.  According to Mullen, “the Haqqani network…acts as a veritable arm of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Agency.” The Haqqani network was founded and is lead by the newly dubbed public enemy No. 1; Jalaluddin Haqqani.

America, meet your new boogeyman.

It has been estimated that the U.S. has given $19 billion in foreign aid to Pakistan since the onset of the “War on Terror.”  This aid has resulted in Pakistan being used as a safe haven for Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda, and Haqqani.  Chalk up another foreign policy achievement right next to the WMDs in Iraq.

With bin Laden dead and the assassination (no sugar coat here, that’s exactly what it was) of the American-born Al-Qaeda recruiter known as Anwar al-Awlaki, one would hope that our Middle East presence would begin to diminish.  Judging by Senator Lindsey Graham’s prompting [8]of a military reaction to Pakistan, you can pack that hope away along with naively believing Barack Obama would bring the troops home. If anything, our Nobel Peace prize winning president has been a boon for the military industrial complex.

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2 Delaware Men Arrested For Child Porn

Two men from Delaware were charged for dealing in child pornography, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden announced on Wednesday.


Cody A. Laisure, 23, of Greenwood, and Ronald J. Fontana, Jr., 29, of Wilmington were charged with 10 and eight counts of dealing child pornography, respectively.

Biden says the Child Predator Task Force arrested Laisure at his home in the 15000 block of Hickory Meadow Drive on October 5th.

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Redskin D-Backs Ready For Eagles Pass Attack

Josh Wilson paused and cracked a smile after being asked where he ranked the explosiveness of the Eagles talented wide receiving corps.

“[Where do they] rank?” he exclaimed. “Number one. I mean [they’re] the fastest guys in the NFL.

Wilson wasn’t a member of the Redskins last year when they were torched by DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin in a 59-28 rout. The two receivers combined for 177 receiving yards on just six catches, dismantling Washington’s secondary in decisive fashion.

In fact, the game was over on the first play from scrimmage as Michael Vick hit Jackson on a gorgeous 88-yard bomb that traveled over 60 yards through the air. The Eagles led 35-0 early in the second quarter and had Wilson scrambling for his remote.

Back To Space

A seven-seat space taxi backed by NASA to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station will make a high-altitude test flight next summer, Reuters reports. Sierra Nevada Corp's "Dream Chaser" space plane, which resembles a miniature space shuttle, is one of four space taxis being developed by private industry with backing from the federal government. Sierra Nevada got a $25.6 million boost to its existing $80 million dollar contract with NASA.

USPS Concerns

Some privacy concerns are being raised over the Postal Service's new change-of-address "welcome" kits, which come packed with ads and coupons. It's part of a deal between USPS and the private company Imagitas, which oversees the process by selling ads to major retailers. Both parties say the partnership is totally legal — and just renewed it for another 10 years in January. But critics told The Washington Times that federal agencies are prohibited from leasing personal information like names and addresses under the Privacy Act. (The Washington Times)

The IRS Has A Union?

The union representing the IRS says jobs and national revenue will be lost if budget cuts are passed. IRS faces a $450 million cut in the Senate 2012 appropriations bill. The House version would cut $600 million. The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents IRS employees, said the magnitude of the cuts could force the agency to slash 4,200 jobs and lead to $4 billion less in revenue collected every year. Lawmakers have until Nov. 18th to pass a new budget before the current continuing resolution expires.

More Fun Events At Poplar Hill Mansion

More fun events for the holiday season at Poplar Hill Mansion! Please join us!

Sat. and Sun., Nov. 12-13, from 1-5, Poplar Hill Mansion will hold a Vintage/Antique toy show. Come see the toys from your childhood and your parents . $5.00 per person. Want to show your toys ? Call Aleta, 410 749 5168.

Sunday Dec. 4, 2011, 1-4 is our Yuletide Open House. Come see the holiday decorations done by Four Seasons Garden Club beautifully decorating the house, Christmas music and refreshments will put you in the Christmas spirit. This event is free to the public

Sat. Dec. 17th from 1-4, bring the children to our traditional Tea With Santa. Children will get to visit Santa and tell him their Christmas wishes, have photo taken , and enjoy a Christmas tea! Cost is $5.00 per child. This event will become a favorite family tradition.

Poplar Hill Mansion is a (501) ( c ) (3) and is the oldest documented Federal House Museum in Salisbury built 1795-1805. All proceeds from event go toward preservation. Join us for free tours the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month from 1-4 or schedule a private tour for a small fee. The Mansion is available to rent for your own wedding or private party. As always, donations to our Joseph House food bank are gratefully accepted. Come experience your history at Poplar Hill Mansion

Ladies In Leadership Fashion Show

Introducing the 1st Annual Ladies in Leadership Fashion Show

The GOP Women in the Legislature are carrying on the Kendel Ehrlich Fashion Show

Cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and decadent desserts
followed by a fashion show and trunk shows from Maryland’s most stylish boutiques

Proceeds are to benefit conservative women as candidates for elected office in Maryland
Date: Sunday, November 13
Place: Turf Valley Resort in Howard County
Time: 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Sponsored by all 13 Republican women of the Maryland General Assembly:
*Individual tickets are available at $75 each, or a special mother-daughter pair rate of $125.*
By authority: Ladies in Leadership. Kathleen Frampton, Treasurer.

Delegate Michael Hough To Introduce the Maryland Fair Representation Congressional Plan

(Annapolis, MD) Delegate Michael Hough (Frederick & Washington Counties) will introduce “The Maryland Fair Representation Congressional Plan” during the upcoming special session next week. This plan is being spearheaded by the Fannie Lou Hamer Political Action Committee, which advocates for African American candidates and issues. Senator E.J. Pipkin is introducing the bill in the Senate--see the attached congressional map and letter to the members of the Maryland House of Delegates.

Delegate Hough said, “I am proud to work with the Fannie Lou Hamer PAC because we share the belief that redistricting for the purpose of incumbency protection and partisan political gain do a disservice to all who seek individual liberty and transparency in governance.”

The proposed congressional plan places all of Western Maryland into the Sixth Congressional District and places all of the Eastern Shore and related rural areas into the First Congressional District.  It creates a Chesapeake Bay District composed of Anne Arundel, Calvert and St. Mary’s Counties. The plan leaves Baltimore City in one congressional district and largely leaves Montgomery County intact.

The plan as proposed by the Governor’s Council on Redistricting gerrymanders congressional districts across the state and disenfranchises African Americans and voters in rural areas like Western Maryland.  The Fannie Lou Hamer PAC said the following about the Governor’s plan, “African American communities in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County’s are being diluted for the purposes of electing Congressman Hoyer, Congressman Sarbanes and Congressman Ruppersberger.”

Delegate Hough’s and the Fannie Lou Hammer congressional plan creates three (3) African American congressional districts. This plan also creates a Hispanic influenced congressional district drawn from populations in Montgomery and Prince George’s County.

The Governor’s plan maintains the status quo of two majority African American districts, despite population growth in minority communities, and shamelessly divides communities and neighborhoods. The Governor’s plan also divides Frederick County into two gerrymandered congressional districts that split the rural vote in Western Maryland for no other purpose than partisan gain.

Delegate Hough concluded “The Maryland Fair Representation Congressional Plan does not divide minority populations and geographic areas and will therefore provide accurate and fair representation for all the citizens of Maryland. The plan put forward by the Governor’s Council is simply a partisan gerrymandered mess that divides communities and disenfranchises voters across the state”

His Name Was Bubba

His name was Bubba, he was from Mississippi ..... and he needed a loan, so.......
he walked into a bank in New York City and asked for the loan officer.

He told the loan officer that he was going to Paris for an international redneck festival for two weeks and needed to borrow $5,000 and that he was not a depositor of the bank.
The bank officer told him that the bank would need some form of security for the loan, so the Redneck handed over the keys to a new Ferrari.

The car was parked on the street in front of the bank. The Redneck produced the title and everything checked out.

The loan officer agreed to hold the car as collateral for the loan and apologized for having to charge 12% interest.

Later, the bank's president and its officers all enjoyed a good laugh at the Redneck from the south for using a $250,000 Ferrari as collateral for a $5,000 loan.

An employee of the bank then drove the Ferrari into the bank's private underground garage and parked it.

Two weeks later, the Redneck returned, repaid the $5,000 and the interest of $23.07.

The loan officer said, "Sir, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled.

While you were away, we checked you out on Dunn & Bradstreet and found that you are a Distinguished Alumni from Mississippi State , a highly sophisticated investor and Multi-Millionaire with real estate and financial interests all over the world.

Your investments include a large number of wind turbines around Sweetwater , Texas .

What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow $5,000?"

The good 'ole boy replied, "Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for only $23.07 and expect it to be there when I return?"

Reaching Out To The Community

Everyone always wants to see a change in the community, its time to be that change in the community! One of my friends is only 20 years old and recently started battling cancer. A couple weeks ago he started chemotherapy. He doesn't have insurance and the cost is quite high so we're asking everyone to donate your can tabs/pop tops for a good cause. They're going to take $500 off each treatment with every jug full that we can produce! I have already used facebook, twitter, and even craigslist to reach out to everyone. The response to my posts on Craigslist have been the most effective so far! If you live around Salisbury, I will be happy to meet you to pick them up. If you live farther away, you can reach me via e-mail at Britbooo@gmail.com and I can give you the address to mail them too. I'm going to get him a card and all the people that donated will have their names on the card. If I meet with you to pick them up, then I will let you sign your name on the card. If you are mailing your pop tops, please make sure your name is written somewhere on the inside or outside of the envelope so I can be sure to include your name on the card as well! We've seen quite a few events in the past few years that have made our community come together, and I'm hoping this will be one of them. My friend doesn't really know I'm doing this quite yet, but I can't wait to see his face when I go to take him all these pop tops & a big card full of names, And the even more beautiful part about it is that he is not going to know who everyone is that signed the card, but he'll see that even people he don't know were willing to help lend a hand in his fight with cancer. I've even had one person contact me that is a 50 year old cancer survivor that was diagnosed when he was 17 and he wants to donate as well. Overall, my message being, even if YOU don't have cancer, you can still help others in the battle against it! Even the littlest bit helps! & its appreciated beyond words! Thank you all for your time!

SALISBURY CITY COUNCIL AGENDA

OCTOBER 17, 2011
COUNCIL CHAMBERS - ROOM 301
GOVERNMENT OFFICE BUILDING

WORK SESSION
10:30 a.m.
  • Purchasing card system – Catrice Parsons
  • Bond refinancing – Gerri Moore
  • GASB45 Trust By-laws – John Pick

11:15 a.m.
  • Follow-up discussion on amending Chapter 17.12 to change the Board of Zoning
Appeals procedures for appeals related to nonconforming uses – Paul Wilber/Jack Lenox/Bill Holland/Council

12:15 p.m.
  • General discussion/upcoming agendas

12:30 p.m. – RECESS (LUNCH BREAK)

1:00 p.m. – VOTE TO CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION
  • Consult with legal counsel and staff on pending litigation as permitted under the Annotated Code of Maryland Sections 10-508(a)(7)(8)

RECONVENE WORK SESSION

ADJOURNMENT

BREAKING NEWS: Guilty Verdicts In Home Invasion

Joshua Komisarjevsky found guilty in murder of Connecticut family during home invasion.
From Fox News

PUBLIC NOTICE

DURING THE SALISBURY CITY COUNCIL’S 10:30 A.M. OPEN WORK SESSION ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011, THE COUNCIL WILL ENTERTAIN A VOTE AT 1:00 P.M. TO CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION TO CONSULT WITH LEGAL COUNSEL AND STAFF ON PENDING LITIGATION AS PERMITTED UNDER THE ANNOTATED CODE OF MARYLAND SECTIONS 10-508(a)(7)(8).

THE OPEN WORK SESSION WILL BE HELD IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS (ROOM 301) OF THE GOVERNMENT OFFICE BUILDING (125 N. DIVISION STREET) AT WHICH TIME THE PUBLIC CAN OBSERVE THE MOTION, ANY DISCUSSION AND THE VOTE TO CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION AS NOTED ABOVE.

The Inflationistas Will Destroy The Desire To Save

A penny saved may be a penny earned. But don’t count on it still being worth the same amount when you want to spend it – especially if Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff gets what he wants.

As the Federal Reserve does everything it can to dump new money into the economy, many people, myself included, are convinced that we are headed toward a period of potentially serious inflation. Most of those people are equally convinced that inflation is a bad thing. It is, after all, one of the two ingredients in the so-called misery index.

In recent comments, however, Rogoff has advocated intentionally creating “moderate inflation of, say, 4 to 6 percent for several years.” In an opinion piece in the Financial Times, he acknowledged that his proposal might be anathema to some, but said “a once-in-75-year crisis calls for outside-the-box measures.”

The idea behind the inflationary solution is to get people out of debt by effectively reducing the amounts they owe. A $100,000 mortgage stays a $100,000 mortgage, but if a government can churn up a 4 to 6 percent inflation rate, that $100,000 becomes a smaller amount relative to the cost of other goods and wages. According to Rogoff, the main issue facing our economy is “a huge overhang of debt,” so anything that helps debtors pay back what they owe for less is a good thing.

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The Atomic Bomb That Is About to Explode At The Federal Reserve

I have consistently contended that Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke is something akin to a mad scientist who, in his development of new "tools" to manage monetary policy, is probably unaware of all the nuances and ramifications of the new tools he is developing. Indeed, one problem with one of his new tools may be about to blow up in his face.

It turns out that Bernanke's decision to pay interest on reserves held at the Fed by member banks has some twists to it that make what he is doing likely illegal. The blog Uneasy Money points this out in a post titled, Is the Federal Reserve Breaking the Law:



In a comment earlier today to this post, David Pearson shocked me by quoting the following passage from the Financial Services Regulatory Relief Act of 2006:


Balances maintained at a Federal Reserve bank by or on behalf of a depository institution may receive earnings to be paid by the Federal Reserve bank at least once each calendar quarter, at a rate or rates not to exceed the general level of short-term interest rates.

As I said to David Pearson in my reply to his comment, I am flabbergasted by this. The Fed is now paying 0.25% interest on reserve balances while and the interest rate on 3-month T-bills is now 0.01%. Yet the statute states in black letters that the rate that the Fed may pay on reserves is “not to exceed the general level of short-term interest rates.” In fact, as can be easily seen on the Treasury’s Daily Yield Curve webpage, only on rare occasions was the 3-month T-bill rate as high as 0.25% in 2009 and it has been consistently less than 0.20% for most of 2009 and all of 2010 and 2011.
Got that? The Fed, as I have pointed out a number of times, is paying interest to bankers many times what is available in the marketplace and this turns out to be illegal.

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Federal Reserve Printed $432 Billion Out Of Thin Air When Herman Cain Was At The Fed

As I have pointed out before, you have to watch Herman Cain carefully, the man makes stuff up on the spot. During the debate last night, Cain denied saying that an audit of the Fed was unnecessary and that those who felt an audit was necessary were uninformed.

Rick Fisk writes to Lew Rockwell:


The question [Ron Paul] asked was about Cain's libel and slander of Paul's supporters who have on several different occasions for dared to confront him about the Federal Reserve. Cain called such questions 'stupid' in his book. He also, when as a guest host for Neil Boortz's radio show, said that the only reason people were asking questions about the fed are because they 'don't know what's going on'.
HuffPo in the below clip features what Cain said last night and how different his comments were on a radio show that he hosted.

Also, note that Cain said things were different when he was at the Fed, relative to what is going on at the Fed now. Oh yeah, sure.

Cain was deputy chairman of of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City from 1992 to 1994 and chairman from 1995 to 1996. During that period the Federal Reserve printed $432 billion in money (m2) out of thin air.

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RIGHT MESSAGE, RIGHT MAN

BOSTON POLICE ARREST VETERANS DEFENDING OCCUPIERS

BREAKING NEWS: FIRE CHIEF DOUG JONES FINDS SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE IN FRONT YARD

Fire Chief of 9 Doug Jones found a package in his front yard. Hazmat has been called. Delmar road is shut down.


The fire depts called are 5,9,12,14 and 74. Along with decons. Address is 25067 Delmar Road.

Also along with hazmat team out of 16.

UPDATE: We were told there's a 2 liter bottle with duct tape around it in his front yard. Firefighters, (for some reason) are texting eachother talking about an explosion and now additional departments are being called in, like Hebron.

BREAKING NEWS: Jury Convicts Three In Terror Trial

Federal jury convicts three North Carolina men in trial that focused on plot to attack Marine base and overseas targets.
From Fox News

THEY STAYED

Another skeptic turned believer. Karl Denninger’s immediate reaction to OWS was doubt. He doubted their agenda. He doubted their staying power. He doubted their purpose.

Now he believes this movement is for real and growing by the day. He’s right. He changed his mind based upon the proof he was able to observe. There will always be the closed minded, living in their ideological fantasy worlds that refuse to accept the facts. The world is passing them by. Their myopic blind spot only allows them to think in a linear fashion. They will be overwhelmed by what is coming their way.

I have the utmost respect for people willing to admit their initial judgement was wrong. It is proof of an open mind willing to change when presented with facts. Karl writes an excellent piece and his warnings about revolutions should be heeded. We have a better chance of getting a Hitler than we do of another George Washington. Fourth Turnings don’t always have happy endings.

OWS: The Risks Facing America Today

I was skeptical that the protests were serious.
I suspected they were yet another “demonstration” – the sort where people come, they wave signs, they complain, maybe even they riot a bit, and then they leave.
In 2008, in fact, on August 26th of that year, I said the following:
In short, once again, fraud.  Legal, but fraud nonetheless.  You, America, seem to think this is just great as your grocery and gas budgets get squeezed. 
You must think its great for your budget and lifestyle to get reamed, since I’ve yet to see a groundswell of people in Washington DC protesting or our city streets swarming with people who refuse to leave and shut down commerce.
And I amplified the point with:
Let me know when y’all get mad enough to do something about all this nonsense….. (funny how during the Democratic Convention last night the buzz was all about the second round of sore loserman with Hillary delegates rather than the outright theft and fraud from the people that the party supposedly claims to be most-closely aligned with!)
I guess that time has arrived.
Even CNBC has been effectively forced to recognize that this is not just a bunch of Soros-funded hippies.  Oh sure, they’re there; so is the SEIU, so are the other “usual suspects.”  And why not – they’re always “there” when there’s a good flag to be waved and a movement to try to co-opt, exactly as was the Tea Party, exactly as was “9/12″, exactly as were the Tax Day protests (two of which I have spoken at locally.)
But then they went home.  The streets were empty, the signs and people gone.

This time it’s different.

Virginia Eastern Shore Snags Wind-Power Center

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Virginia and a consortium of companies are collaborating on an Eastern Shore center to test and certify large wind turbines.

Called Poseidon Atlantic, the testing center announced Thursday will be based in Northampton County, which has adopted an ordinance allowing wind turbines up to 750 feet tall. The center's creators call the ordinance the most wind-friendly in the nation.

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15-Cent Gas Tax Hike Urged By Commission

Builder Must Pay $625K In Fines For Allegedly Violating Clean Water Act

One of the country's largest homebuilders stands accused of running afoul of Clean Water Act requirements at 278 sites in 14 states and must shell out a $625,000 fine. The government accuses the Ryland Group of leaking pollutants into stormwater and messing up procedures involving pollution prevention, inspections and permits.

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Subway: Cheaper To Order Footlong, Throw Away Half Of Bread Than Ordering 6-Inch With Double Meat

Aaron is trying to lose weight by cutting carbs out of his diet. When he eats at Subway, the first thing that he tried doing was ordering a 6-inch sub with double meat. Then he noticed something. It would actually be cheaper for him to order a footlong and just throw away half the bread.

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Minority Leaders Denounce Proposed Redistricting Maps

Leaders representing blacks, Hispanics and Asian-Americans on Tuesday denounced a congressional redistricting map released last week by the Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Committee. The group chose Montgomery County as their venue, emphasizing a region in the state that had the highest minority population growth over the last 10 years.

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Pimco's Prediction For Pension Plans: "Pain"

While it won't say much new to those "stupid enough" to exist in the intersection of the "Retired" and "Alive" Venn circles under the Bernanke central planning regime, we suggest any pensioners who hope to see their life savings generate some...any... return (on capital, or of capital) in their lifetime, to simply skip this article and read some of our cheerier fare. So here is the punchline for pension fund managers which now predict an utterly insane 11% equity return which is the only thing that would make their Pension Plans whole: "In the early nineties, plan sponsors, if biased in their forecast, were generally biased toward conservatism. From 1997 through 2007, expectations, although a bit rosy at times, were largely within the realm of reasonableness. In our view, a long-run equity risk premium of 11% is pure jibber-jabber. It is wishful thinking. I dare not predict the level of the S&P 500 ten years out, but an ERP this high suggests the S&P would have to reach unprecedented levels. If this is what plan sponsors are counting on, I, like Clubber Lang, predict Pain." And "Hope is neither a training plan nor an investment strategy." Uh, wrong. Have you seen the EURUSD these days?
Pimco's summary:
  • Recent Federal Reserve activity has pushed down the long end of the yield curve, spiking the present value of plan liabilities and widening the funding chasm.
  • The pain of the pension community shows up most obviously in funded status estimates.
  • High and increasing levels of implied equity risk premium in pension plans suggest sponsors’ expectations are increasingly optimistic about future contributions from risk assets.
Full article [14]:
Prediction? Pain
The Rocky series is a modern update of the familiar Horatio Alger tale of the underdog triumphing over adversity. Part of what made Rocky Oscar-worthy was that Rocky ultimately does not win. Of course this sets the stage for Rocky II, where the hero triumphs over his opponent, adversity and his own foibles to win the championship. Rocky III brought us a champ who had become complacent, overindulgent, and a bit lazy, and who is savagely beaten down by a new, hungrier challenger, Clubber Lang.

Md. Man Admits Pushing Toddler Who Later Died

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - A Hagerstown man is being held on $750,000 bond on child-abuse charges stemming from injuries that proved fatal to a 2-year-old boy.

The Herald-Mail of Hagerstown reports 33-year-old Brian Miller had a bond review hearing Wednesday ( http://bit.ly/pS5YGQ).

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Survey Finds Both Sexes Say Driving Skills Superior To Other

WASHINGTON - Who is the safer driver: the average man or the average woman?
 
In a recent survey for MetLife, 51 percent of women questioned said they are more careful drivers than men. Only 39 percent of men said their driving habits are superior.
 
The survey also finds men knew more than women when it comes vehicle safety equipment.

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Prosecutor's Error May Have Let Texas Murderer Kill Again

Caitlin Baker was 3 when her mother, Debra, was beaten to death and left naked in bed in her Austin home. Although the pain of the loss has faded in the 23 years since, her anger that her mother's killer was never caught has not.


Less than two years before that January 1988 slaying, unbeknownst to all but a few people until recently, the mother of another woman bludgeoned to death in bed during an attack at her home about 15 miles away told an investigator that her 3-year-old grandson watched a "monster" do the killing, not his father, as police suspected. She urged him to pursue other leads, but her daughter's husband, Michael Morton, was instead convicted of murder and sentenced to life.


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Expired Tag Law Could Use A Tweak

WASHINGTON - Drivers rolling through the District with expired tags can get a lot more than a fine.
 
Police can haul them off in cuffs and take them in to be booked.
 
But as the little-known law gets more exposure, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier says it could also use further analysis.
 
"I think it needs to be reviewed," she says, noting a 30-day grace period is already in place.
 
"I think we could go with a longer grace period because some people, through oversight, can miss getting that registration."
 
While suggesting the law could use a tweak, Lanier points out that she is not the shot caller on this one.

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Fill In The Blank 10-13-11

Everything is _____!

Government Misses Deadline For Rules Forcing Disclosure Of Industry Payments To Doctors

Count it as a health-care deadline missed. The federal government has yet to write rules — mandated as part of last year’s health-care law — that would force drug and medical-device companies to disclose their gifts, fees and payments to doctors.

Last year’s Affordable Care Act required that disclosure rules be drafted “not later than October 1, 2011,” a deadline that came and went quietly and without any explanation from the Obama administration.

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Edit Draft BREAKING NEWS: Rajaratnam Sentenced To 11 Years In Prison

A U.S. district judge sentenced hedge-fund manager Raj Rajaratnam to 11 years in prison for insider-trading crimes.
From Fox News

Solar Firm That Received $1.2 Billion Federal Loan Plagued By Financial Problems

With the Solyndra scandal still swirling, the Obama administration is under pressure to reveal the financial condition of the solar companies that received $4.75 billion in similar federal loan guarantees on the last day of the program.


Republican lawmakers on two House committees are seeking details about the loans given to First Solar, SunPower Corp. and ProLogis. Of those three companies, troubling financial revelations have emerged about SunPower, which received a $1.2 billion loan, more than twice the money approved for Solyndra, which filed for bankruptcy last month after receiving a $528 million loan.


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Alleged Assassination Plot Doesn't Fit Past Iranian Behavior

Plot to kill Saudi ambassador with Mexican drug cartel's help would represent a brazen, new direction for both, which have avoided direct confrontation with the U.S.

The alleged Iranian plot to use Mexican cartel gunmen to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington is one of the strangest, most serious terrorism cases to surface in years, a mix of seemingly credible evidence and unlikely scenarios that departs dramatically from Iran’s past record of global terrorist activity.

On Tuesday, a grim-faced U.S. attorney general and the FBI director accused Iranian intelligence officials in an alleged $1.5 million scheme to kill Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir of Saudi Arabia in a bombing at a restaurant in the capital.
The federal indictment [1] has escalated an already fierce conflict between the United States and Iran, alleging a brazen decision by Iranian officials to shed blood on U.S. soil and an ominous convergence of threats from separate worlds: Iran’s far-flung terror apparatus and the Zetas, a drug cartel founded by former Mexican commandos.

The evidence seems strong in some ways. Investigators tracked wire payments amounting to nearly $100,000 allegedly from the Quds Force, the foreign operations unit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. They caught a suspected Iranian officer on tape giving orders to a Texas operative working with a supposed representative of the Zetas who, in reality, was a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration informant.

The alarming charges reinforce concerns among Western government officials and experts about signs of growing activity by Iran and its proxy, the militant group Hezbollah, in Latin America.

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Fla. Lawmaker Wants to Bring Back Firing Squads

Saying it's time to stop letting convicted killers "get off that easy," a Florida state lawmaker wants to use firing squads or the electric chair for those on death row.

Rep. Brad Drake filed a bill this week that would end the use of lethal injection in Florida executions. Instead, those with a death sentence would choose between electrocution or a firing squad.

Drake, a Republican, said the idea came to him after having a conversation with a constituent at a Waffle House over the legal battles associated with the Sept. 28 execution of Manuel Valle.

'Occupiers' Must Leave For Cleanup

New York City police plan to evict the "Occupy Wall Street" protesters -- if only temporarily.

The protesters, who have camped out in a city park for more than three weeks, will be forced out Friday so that city crews can help clean the area.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited Zucotti Park in lower Manhattan on Wednesday evening and made the cleaning announcement, citing sanitation concerns from the park’s owner, MyFoxNY.com reports.

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Accountant Faces Jail In Mortgage Fraud Scheme

Prosecutors say an escrow accountant for a title company has pleaded guilty to charges related to a $1.7 million mortgage fraud scheme.

Brenda Lukenich, of Hughesville, pleaded guilty Wednesday to mail fraud. Prosecutors say two co-defendants are scheduled to go to trial next month.

According to her plea agreement, Lukenich was the escrow accountant for title companies that did business in Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington, D.C.

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My Ride Into Work This Morning 10-13-11

Today's Survey Question 10-13-11

Are you a better driver than your spouse?

Iraq War Lessons Learned? Keep Rumsfeld Away From All Things Defense

Last week, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld strolled into town to advise the Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee on how to prevent more cuts in the Department of Defense (DoD). The members of the committee lapped it up because they, according to the National Journal, "are on a crusade to protect the military's accounts from further budget cuts."

There have been numerous other writers who have gone into great detail about the damage Rumsfeld did to our country in selling the Iraq war and in allowing torture and other outrages in the war, but many don't know how badly he messed up the invasion of Iraq and the logistics of the war. He had a grossly unworkable plan for the Iraq war which overrode much of the planned logistics. And personnel gave us the debacle of KBR's $45 billion and still growing logistics contract and a new war service industry whose excesses will plague the military and suck the US Treasury dry every time we have troops overseas in the future.

Body Of Teenager Found In A Wooded Area

Authorities in Carroll County are trying to find leads after the discovery of the body of a teenaged boy in a wooded area.

The Sheriff's department said he's been identified as 17 year old Caleb Lee Mott of Westminster.

Common Cents: Campaign Finance Reform Gets Congressional Boost

Yesterday on the Dylan Ratigan Show, Rep. Donna Edwards spoke at length about her recently introduced constitutional amendment that would restore to Congress and the states the authority to regulate corporate spending on political activity. In the post-Citizens United era, corporations have flooded the coffers of minimally regulated outside groups such as Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie’s American Crossroads, which in turn dump millions of secret dollars into elections.

During the interview, Rep. Edwards makes it clear why a constitutional amendment reversing Citizens United is necessary in order for our democracy to function properly.  She states that if her legislation is enacted, “We can have people in Washington who really do represent the interests of ordinary people.”

Marge Baker, executive vice-president of People for the American Way issued a statement this week in support of Rep. Edwards’ Constitutional Amendment, saying, “Reversing the damage caused by Citizens United is absolutely crucial to making sure that the American people – and not the deepest-pocketed corporations – hold the keys to our democracy.” 

Underage Prostitutes Rescued In Peru

Peruvian police have rescued 244 women, including 10 underage girls, who were being forced to work as prostitutes in a remote gold mining camp.

During one of the raids last weekend, authorities found a 13-year-old girl, according to Peruvian Security Assistant Secretary Luis Alberto Otarola.

“I personally witnessed the situation she was in,” he said. “They are all forced into cruel practices of sexual exploitation.”

Four men were arrested and face charges of human trafficking and forced prostitution. Trucks with contraband were also seized in the raid, officials said.

Prostitution is legal for women over the age of 18 in Peru. Authorities are investigating whether more than 10 girls were underage among the hundreds they found Friday because several might have initially lied to police and said they were older. All the women and girls are now at shelters.

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BREAKING NEWS: Financials Drive Wall Street Deep Into The Red; Dow Down 115

The Dow slid more than 115 points on Thursday morning after JPMorgan posted a decline in quarterly profits, sending shares of many big banks tumbling.

From Fox News

Wann Beat The Crap Out Of Your Spouse And Get Away With It Legally, Move Here

Welcome to Topeka, Kansas where domestic abusers get off scot-free. 

In a bizarre move – the cash-strapped city voted to repeal local laws that make domestic violence a crime.  The city believes it will save them money as both the City Council and the District Attorney refuse to pay for the legal costs associated with bring cases against domestic abusers.  The New York Times is reporting that 18 people who were arrested for domestic violence since September have been let free since no local agency seems to want to do its job.  Want to know what a Libertarian paradise of no government looks like?  Check out what’s happening in Topeka.

Source

Sharp Rise In Foreclosures As Banks Move In

Increase signals banks are moving more aggressively against borrowers who have fallen behind on mortgage payments

More U.S. homes are entering the foreclosure process, but they're taking ever longer to get sold or repossessed by lenders.

The number of U.S. homes that received a first-time default notice during the July to September quarter increased 14 percent compared to the second quarter of the year, RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday.

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