Friday, November 04, 2011

Obama Administration Announces Support For Two Of Maryland’s Treasured Lands

BALTIMORE, NOV 4 – Yesterday efforts to preserve some of Maryland’s treasured lands gained support as the Obama Administration announced its backing of two such places in the state: Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail and Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park.

“Marylanders love the great outdoors and the opportunity for outdoor recreation. We applaud the Obama Administration for working to protect Maryland’s special places,” said Ewa Krason, Field Organizer with Environment Maryland.

Unfortunately development threatens many of our most important natural areas in Maryland.

Environment Maryland has been working to protect places throughout the state from Terrapin Run in Allegany County to Snow Hill in Worcester County because our farms, forests and fields are continually threatened to become housing developments and strip malls.

“We look forward to harnessing tremendous public support for these two gems to make sure that all of our state’s most treasured lands are protected for our families to enjoy,” added Ewa Krason.

The aim of the Administration’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative is to create a conservation and recreation agenda for the 21^st century by gathering public input and supporting popular outdoor places.

Salisbury Police Department Press Releases 11-4-11

On November 1, 2011 at approximately 9:38 am, Officers of the Salisbury Police responded to a residence on the eight hundred (800) block of East Church Street in an attempt to locate a theft suspect. As the officers approached the door of the residence they were invited into the residence by the occupants who are listed below. Immediately upon making entry the officers observed a baggie containing suspected cocaine, several smoking devices containing suspected cocaine and a metal spoon with suspected cocaine residue.

The suspects were taken into custody without incident.

ARRESTED #1: Holly Lynn Hill, 40 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
ARRESTED #2: Patty Lynn Handy, 41 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES (Both): Possession of cocaine
Possession of CDS/Paraphernalia (2 counts)
DISPOSITION: Both released to Central Booking
CC # 201100042991

On November 1, 2011 at approximately 11:13 am, Officers of the Salisbury Police Department arrested the below listed suspect on an outstanding arrest warrant for a robbery that occurred on October 31. On that date officers met with an adult female who advised that she had been assaulted by the suspect who was known to her. The suspect approached her while in the playground on Broad Street then assaulted her. During the assault the suspect reached into her purse and took U.S. Currency and other personal property.

ARRESTED: William Jose Acosta-Barbosa, 31 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Robbery
Second degree assault
Theft
Malicious destruction of property

DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 201100042933

On November 1, 2011 at approximately 9:56 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police received a call to respond to a residence on the six hundred (600) block of Fitzwater Street for the report of a burglary in progress. Upon arrival the officers found that the suspect had made entry into an unoccupied apartment through a window. The officers made entry and arrested the suspect without incident. There was no property taken by the suspect.

ARRESTED: Brian Lorenzo Menafee, 46 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Fourth degree burglary
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 201100043073

On November 2, 2011 at approximately 7:43 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police were on the six hundred (600) block of Lake Street for the report of a possible burglary. The officers checked an unoccupied dwelling that is the property of the Wicomico County Housing Authority and located the below listed suspect inside of a closet. There was no property taken.

ARRESTED: Gary Deon Stanley, 59 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Fourth degree burglary
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 201100043204

On November 3, 2011 at approximately 7:55 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police received a call to respond to the little league fields on Pemberton Drive for the report of a suspicious vehicle. Upon arrival the officers located the vehicle and detected the scent of suspected marijuana emanating from it. The officers took all of the occupants of the vehicle into custody.

ARRESTED #1: Juvenile, 17 years of age
Mardela Springs, Maryland
CHARGES: Possession of marijuana
Distribution of marijuana
ARRESTED #2: Juvenile, 14 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
ARRESTED #3: Juvenile, 16 years of age
Hebron, Maryland
ARRESTED #4: Juvenile, 14 years of age
Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES (#2,#3,#4): Possession of marijuana
DISPOSITION: All released to guardians
CC # 201100043365

Dial-Up Won't Die: AOL Signed Up 200K New Customers In Last Year

Even though we're well past the age of AOL's ubiquitous free trial CDs, the shrunken ISP giant still manages to coax hundreds of thousands of new customers into its antiquated dial-up service. According to its earnings report, the company added 200,000 new customers while losing 630,000 users in the past year. Shockingly, 3.5 million users still greet the internet with the nostalgic, ear-splitting sound of their landlines connecting to the internet.

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Government Kept Adding Jobs As Economy Sputtered

While many industries were forced to downsize over the past few tough years, the government found a way to grow. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the federal government increased its workforce by 12 percent since the start of the recession in December 2007. Meanwhile, overall employment has fallen almost 5 percent in that span.

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Uno's Military Discount Available To All Veterans, Not Just Retirees

Uno Chicago Grill, the chain that has brought the deliciousness of deep-dish pizza to suburban wastelands everywhere, is honoring veterans next week. That's excellent. But their publicity for the event gets some terminology wrong. Despite what a current press release says, the 19.43% discount doesn't just apply to active-duty personnel and those who spent decades in the military and retired with a pension. It's for everyone who has served.

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Here's An Idea: Credit Union Pays Members For Using Their Debit Cards

Instead of charging customers a $5 monthly fee for using their debit cards, one credit union is actually paying its members to use their debit cards. In a direct jab against the big banks, First Community Federal Credit Union is running a promotion that lets members earn up to $5 a month for swiping their debit card.

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Shadow Economies: Harvest Organs From The Poor For The Rich

Living in abject poverty, $10,000 is a beguiling promise. All you have to do is give up one kidney. It's ok, you have another one. But a Bloomberg Markets Magazine investigation shows how gangs around the world prey on the poor and use threats and violence to get them to give up their organs, which they can then resell for upwards of $150,000. This isn't just happening in some ice-filled bath in China: this week, a Brooklyn man plead guilty to selling black market kidneys to people in New Jersey.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY 11-4-11

“The result is an oligarchy of private capital, the enormous power of which cannot be effectively checked even by a democratically organized political society. This is true since the members of legislative bodies are selected by political parties, largely financed or otherwise influenced by private capitalists who, for all practical purposes, separate the electorate from the legislature…and control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information.”
Albert Einstein, 1949

WE ARE THE 1%

Baltimore High On List For Top Digital Cities

Baltimore ranks high on the list of the top digital cities recognized by the Center for Digital Government. The survey focused on how cities use technology to make their operations more efficient. It also looked at how city governments used IT to meet their objectives — even with budget cuts. Baltimore ranked 9th in the category of cities with 250,000 people or more — tied with Virginia Beach. Alexandria, Va., ranked third among cities with more than 125,000 people. Click here for the full results.

Ain't No Chairs

I came across an interesting quote recently in The Gartman Letter. Dennis Gartman quotes Charles Biderman of TrimTabs fame.

"European leaders are searching for a relatively quick and easy way out of the government debt bubble that has been building for decades and just started to burst a few years ago. Unfortunately, there is no quick or easy way out.
"Debt has to be reckoned with one way or another. It either has to be repaid, or someone has to bear the losses on what cannot be repaid, either through default or inflation and currency debasement. If it were otherwise, everyone could be rich.
"The bailouts proposed for the Eurozone do not solve the underlying solvency problem. Instead, they are little more than shell games to shift losses on bad debt from bondholders to taxpayers."

That of course is a variation of my very important concept that all debt gets paid, either by the borrower or by the lender.

Greece is a serial deadbeat and has not even the slightest intention of paying their bills. The EU can play games until the cows come home but the Greek debt is not going to get paid. Greece defaulted many months ago and the governments of the EU and the financial media keep pretending there is a solution. There is none.

Here are the facts. There is $195 trillion dollars of debt in the world but only $150 trillion in assets. That assumes there isn't trillions more of debt hidden in the $600 trillion in derivatives. I suspect the debt may be far higher than anyone anticipates today.

The debt cannot be paid, even if the entire load is dumped like bales of hay onto the backs of the taxpaying camels. The debt must be written off and governments, like corporations and families, must learn to live within their budgets. We cannot float in a sea of debt attached to an anchor of unpaid obligations.

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Freddie Mac Too Big To Fail?

Freddie Mac has already borrowed more than $72 billion in taxpayer funds. Now, the government-owned company says it needs to borrow another $6 billion from the federal government, Reuters reports. It just posted its worst quarterly loss in more than a year — more than $4.4 billion. And, they believe things are going to get worse before they get better because of more downward pressure on housing prices into next year. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were seized by the government in 2008 as mortgage losses piled up, threatening their solvency. Between them, they own or guarantee about half of all mortgages in the country, so the Treasury sees them as 'too big to fail.

Kate Gosselin Slammed After Son Crawls Under Van

A child- and auto-safety group criticized Kate Gosselin after one of her eight children crawled under the family van Thursday while she sat behind the wheel.
“A minivan is a 3,000-pound, lethal weapon and having children crawling around it is not prudent,” KidsAndCars.org president and founder Janette Fennell told RadarOnline.com.

Democrats Say Upton Is Overreaching On Solyndra

The House Energy and Commerce committee plans to subpoena the administration for documents about the Solyndra affair. Solyndra is the solar panel company that went bankrupt after receiving a half-billion-dollar federal loan guarantee. The committee voted on party lines. Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said the administration is stonewalling congressional requests for information and that getting documents from the Energy Department is like pulling a tooth without novocaine. Democrats say Upton is overreaching.

Experts Say N.Y. Police Dept. Isn’t Policing Itself

Seven narcotics investigators are convicted of planting drugs on people to meet arrest quotas. Eight current and former patrol officers are charged with smuggling guns into the state. Another is charged with making a false arrest, apparently as a favor for his cousin. Three more are convicted of robbing a perfume warehouse.

Confident Congress Won't Shut Down The Government

Jack Lew is optimistic Congress won't shut down the government when the continuing resolution ends Nov. 18. But the Office of Management and Budget director won't say whether the administration would freeze federal pay for another year. Regardless, Lew says federal workers should not think they're being singled out. He told reporters at a Politico forum both he and President Obama have high regard for the workforce. It's just that sometimes, the fiscal situation requires tough measures

Did Teen Intentionally Crash Car That Killed Two?

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10 Hostel Mates You Meet In Hell

The moocher, the clinger, the snob. You've probably bunked with at least one of these irritating roommates on your travels

Hostels are great places to cultivate friendships and share your experiences abroad.

It's just a shame you can't always choose your neighbors. No matter where you are, you'll yearn to be any place else.

Meet the 10 people you never want to find sleeping above or below your bed.

Go Here To See Them

Don't Forget To Visit The Farmers Market In Salisbury This Weekend

Victim Ordered To Pay Attacker Spousal Support

She was forced to have sex with him, and now she's being forced to pay his bills.

Crystal Harris of Carlsbad, Calif., had been financially supporting her unemployed, abusive husband Shawn Harris for years. But after he sexually assaulted her in 2008, she took him to court.

Obama Demands Passage Of Jobs Bill But, Again, It's Not Likely

Washington - President Barack Obama stood Wednesday before an aging Washington bridge and urged a bitterly divided Congress to approve his plan to boost infrastructure spending, but the effort is likely to be blocked Thursday in the Senate.

That would be no surprise to Obama, who since unveiling his $447 billion jobs package two months ago has seen his ideas rejected, largely along party lines. The partisan schism was evident again Wednesday, as both sides embraced long-held philosophical stands and saw political gain from their refusal to budge.

Democrats want higher taxes on millionaires to pay for the infrastructure plan. Republicans don't.

Republicans in the House of Representatives have led the way in passing a series of bills to provide private-sector initiatives aimed at creating jobs. Democrats vow to keep pushing the Obama package.

There was little evidence that the two sides are taking serious steps to reach consensus on efforts to bring down the nation's 9.1 percent unemployment rate.

Obama, standing next to the Key Bridge, which spans the Potomac River to link northwest Washington with northern Virginia, tried to be both presidential and partisan.

Courthouse News Service

TUCSON (CN) - A widow says a regional SWAT team killed her husband, a Marine veteran, in a botched raid not even aimed at him, riddling their house with 72 bullets while she and their 4-year-old son were in it.
Vanessa Guerena says police refused to allow paramedics to help her husband, 26-year-old Jose Guerena, after the SWAT team shot him repeatedly while serving a search warrant on May 5.

Vehicle-To-Grid: A New Spin On Car Payments

Buried in the high hopes for electric cars is the very real possibility that they can make money by powering and regulating the grid.

Willett Kempton is an anthropologist. And an electrical engineer.

On this winter morning at the University of Delaware, both skill sets come in handy as he courts two Japanese businessmen. They’ve traveled here from Tokyo to see how much progress he’s made toward a revolutionary idea: electric cars that will make several thousand dollars a year for their owners, and speed the switch to renewable energy sources.

Observing Japanese business etiquette, Kempton presents his business card to the senior visitor, Makoto Horiguchi, then the two exchange bows. He repeats the ceremony with Horiguchi’s junior colleague and with their translator. Then Horiguchi steps to the front of the classroom to give a short talk describing the work that his employer, the industry-funded Japan Automobile Research Institute, does on electric vehicles. Kempton listens attentively and asks questions. Then he makes his pitch.

For 15 years, Kempton, who directs the University of Delaware’s Center for Carbon-Free Power Integration, has pushed the idea that fleets of electric vehicles — rather than being another big draw on the electric grid — could provide valuable backup power on demand to utilities. This would reduce the need for costly new generating plants, and help ensure a reliable supply of electricity.

Utilities pay each other billions of dollars a year for such backup power through wholesale electricity markets, and Kempton believes that a hefty slice of that pie could be paid to electric-vehicle owners instead. Some industry analysts agree that the approach, known as “vehicle-to-grid,” could take off; a December 2010 report from the business research firm Global Data conservatively projected a global market for vehicle-to-grid that would pay $2.3 billion to electric vehicle owners by 2012 — and $40 billion by 2020.

Kempton and his colleagues have made some influential converts in policy circles, too. Marc Spitzer, a commissioner with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, has described the plan as “the salvation of the automotive industry in the United States.”

Automakers, however, have been slow to warm to the idea, and the first crop of mass-market battery electric vehicles, including the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf, can only plug and charge themselves. A small number of 2012-model electric vehicles from a few manufacturers, including the BMW Mini E, Daimler Smart E, and Detroit Electric e63, however, could provide power to the grid because they each contain a proprietary electric drivetrain built by AC Propulsion, a California-based maker of electric vehicle technology that has collaborated with Kempton.

But Kempton wants to take vehicle-to-grid to the mass market, and he pushed for years, unsuccessfully, to convince major automakers to ramp up their vehicle-to-grid work. Now, on this December morning, he has a chance to find a new ally.

For the next few minutes, as three graduate students on his team watch, Kempton presents results from his team’s vehicle-to-grid demonstration project to his Japanese visitors. He gives them calculations that show that electric vehicles could provide plenty of valuable electricity to the grid without inconveniencing drivers.

“These numbers are why we think the electric vehicle will become an important part of the electric system,” Kempton explains. The Japanese duo does not seem convinced, and they ask polite but challenging questions. Kempton answers smoothly, and the visitors ask for a tour.

A few minutes later, Nat Pearre, a graduate student in Kempton’s group, is showing off one of the university’s five grid-enabled electric cars, a small, boxy Scion xB. Pearre pops the hood, the Japanese visitors crowd in for a look, and Horiguchi’s colleague snaps some photos. There’s no engine in the engine compartment — just an aluminum box containing the power electronics that control the car.

As Kempton could explain to his guests, after he plugged this car into a smart charging station at his house in late 2009, it began earning $300 a month. This Scion became the first car ever to earn cash for its owner while it sat parked.

U.N.’s $2 Billion Building Binge: Getting Worse While It Lobbies for $3 Billion More

With a $2 billion renovation of its New York headquarters building still more than two years from completion, the United Nations is already lobbying member states for some $3 billion or so for additional major building projects in New York City and Geneva.

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Greek Leader Calls Off Referendum On Bailout Plan

Athens - After a tumultuous day of political gamesmanship, Prime Minister George Papandreou called off his plan to hold a referendum on Greece’s new loan deal with the European Union, withdrew his previous offers to resign and opened talks on a unity government with his conservative opponents.

In an address to his party’s central committee on Thursday evening, he said there was no need for a referendum now that the opposition New Democracy party had said it would back the debt deal. He invited that party to become “co-negotiators” on the new deal.

“The question was never about the referendum but about whether or not we are prepared to approve the decisions on Oct. 26,” he said, referring to the European Union debt deal. “What is at stake is our position in the E.U.”

Shortly afterward, the finance minister, Evangelos Venizelos, confirmed the cancellation of the referendum and added that the government will now seek approval of the loan deal from a full majority of 180 in Parliament, rather than the simple majority of 151 that has supported previous measures.

A Culture In Regression

The night closes in. Read the surveys of what children know, what students in universities know.
Approximately nothing. We have become wanton morons. As the intellectual shadows fall again, as literacy declines and minds grow dim in the new twilight, who will copy the parchments this time?

No longer are we a schooled people. Brash new peasants grin and peck at their iPods. Unknowing, incurious, they gaze at their screens and twiddle, twiddle. They will not preserve the works of five millennia. They cannot. They do not even know why.

Twilight really does come. Sales of books fall. Attention spans shorten. Music gives way to angry urban grunting. The young count on their fingers when they do not have a calculator, know less by the year. We have already seen the first American generations less educated than their parents. College graduates do not know when World War One happened, or what the Raj was. They have read nothing except the nothing that they read, and little of that. Democracy was an interesting thought.

Ours will be a stranger Dark Age than the old one. Our peasants brush their teeth and wash, imagine themselves of the middle class, but their heads are empty.

And they rule. We have achieved the dictatorship of the proletariat. Hod-carriers in designer jeans, they do not quite burn books but simply ignore them. Their college degrees amount to high-school diplomas, if that, but they neither know nor care.

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Cal Ripken Jr. To Visit Japan As US Sports Ambassador

BALTIMORE (AP) - Cal Ripken Jr. aspires to become president and CEO of a major league baseball team.

For now, the Hall of Fame infielder is satisfied with his current title: U.S. Public Diplomacy Envoy, a position that provides him the opportunity to embark next week on a nine-day mission through Japan as a sports diplomat on behalf of the State Department.

Fruitland Police Department Press Release 11-4-11

DATE & TIME: Monday October 31, 2011

INCIDENT: Burglary

LOCATION: Dollar General

CASE NO.: 2011-1287

PERSON CHARGED: Michael Lorne Strobel

AGE: 48

ADDRESS: Fruitland, Maryland

CHARGE(s)

Burglary 2nd Degree

Theft

Trespassing

DISPOSITION: Warrant Served and suspect released to WCDC

SYNOPSIS: On October 31, 2011 an Officer of the Fruitland Police Department was dispatched to Dollar General for a Burglary. Upon arrival, the Officer viewed security video footage that clearly showed the above named suspect committing the crime. The Officer immediately identified the suspect and obtained a warrant for his arrest. The warrant was served that day and the suspect was released to WCDC without incident.

INCIDENT: Possession w/Intent to Distribute Marijuana

LOCATION: Hayward Avenue @ Camden Avenue

CASE NO.: 2011-1302

PERSON CHARGED:

1) Deltez Domont Davis

2) Aaron Lee Moss

AGE(s): 23 and 25

ADDRESS: Salisbury, Maryland

CHARGE(s)

Possession w/Intent to Distribute Marijuana

Possession w/Intent to Distribute Marijuana (School Zone)

Possession of Marijuana

Possession of Paraphernalia

DISPOSITION: Released to WCDC

SYNOPSIS: On the above date, an Officer of the Fruitland Police Department initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle operated by suspect #1. During the stop the Officer developed probable cause to have both suspects exit the vehicle and to conduct a search of the vehicle and occupants. During the probable cause search a large quantity of suspected Marijuana was located. The quantity and manner of packaging was indicative of Possession w/intent to distribute and occurred within a close proximity to a school. Both suspects were arrested and transported to WCDC without incident.

As Repeatedly Warned, Quarter End Window Dressing Key Factor In MF Global's Demise

Was it just two weeks ago when we penned "Another Quarter, Another Blatant Window Dressing By The Primary Dealer Banks To Make Their Balance Sheets Seem Strong [13]", the same post in which we said, "We have made it clear time and again, that this chart [see below] demonstrates nothing short of the end of quarter window dressing, when PDs convert their asset holdings into cash to make their Tier 1 Capital much more robust than it truly is. After all, none other than JPM and Citi were praising just how prepared for Basel III they are with their "sterling" capitalization ratios... which were only sterling courtesy of precisely the highlighted window dressing which occurs each and every quarter. We expect nothing less from Bank of America and Morgan Stanley when they report their own numbers in the coming days. We also expect the regulators to do absolutely nothing to prevent this blatant abuse of fiduciary duty which has no other purpose than to hide the true sad state of America's banking system." Ironically, we have just found out that had regulators not only listened to us over the two years we have been pointing this out, but also done something on it, MF Global would likely not have filed for bankruptcy. Here is the WSJ [14], confirming all our worst fears: "For the past two years, MF Global Holdings Ltd. may have disguised its debt levels to investors by temporarily slashing the debt it was carrying before publicly reporting its finances each quarter, according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal. The activity, referred to in the financial industry as "window dressing," suggests that the troubled financial firm was shouldering more risk and using more borrowed funds to facilitate its trading than investors could easily detect from the firm's regulatory filings. And scene: but wait, there's more. As we have shown over [15]and over [16]and over [17], this has continued for 8 quarters in a row since Lehman first exposed this criminal activity. Sure enough, another company just went bankrupt because of the SEC's gross and criminal negligence, incompetence, and overall corruption.

For the visual learners, here is what we charted and wrote two weeks ago, before virtually anyone had heard of MF Global.

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Young Adults Opt To Live With Parents

WASHINGTON - Nearly one in five men between 25 to 34 lives with his parents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Between 2005 and 2011, young adults increasingly put off finding their own places for the convenience and relative bargain of staying at home.

The trend was especially pronounced among men, where the percentage who lived with their parents jumped from 14 percent to 19 percent.

But the shift cannot be entirely pinned on economic realities.

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Provocateurs Used By Governments All Over The World To Discredit Peaceful Protests

Wikipedia notes:

An agent provocateur may be a police officer or a secret agent of police who encourages suspects to carry out a crime ….
A political organization or government may use agents provocateurs against political opponents. The provocateurs try to incite the opponent to do counter-productive or ineffective acts to foster public disdain—or provide a pretext for aggression against the opponent (see Red-baiting).
Historically, labor spies, hired to infiltrate, monitor, disrupt, or subvert union activities, have used agent provocateur tactics.

There are numerous, documented cases from around the world of government provocateurs acting violently at peaceful protests in order to discredit the peaceful movements.

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Assateague Entry Fees Waived Next Weekend

BERLIN -- Assateague Island National Seashore is joining other national parks across the country in celebrating Veterans Day next weekend by waiving entrance fees to the barrier island. Assateague officials this week announced a fee-free entrance to both the Maryland and Virginia districts of the National Seashore all next weekend in commemoration of Veteran’s Day, which is held November 11.

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County’s ‘Sweetheart Deal’ With Alcohol Illegal?

SNOW HILL -- The Worcester County Department of Liquor Control (DLC) may have made its first major error since seizing control of the county’s booze dispensary in July, and it could prove to be a costly one, despite what was called “good” intentions.

Reports earlier this week indicated the DLC was in negotiations with the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABCB) to purchase large quantities of liquor at a much lower price than it could get from wholesalers in Maryland.

Worcester County Public Information Officer Kim Moses confirmed this report in an email saying, “in representing the best interests of the licensees and the citizens, we negotiated a sweetheart deal with Alabama and took it.”

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WICOMICO COUNTY TO MOVE SOME PUBLIC WORKS FUNCTIONS TO PLANNING AND ZONING

Reorganization Will Offer “One-Stop Shopping” Permitting Process

Wicomico County Executive Richard M. Pollitt, Jr., announced today that his proposed reorganization of the county’s Public Works and Planning and Zoning Departments is being enacted. Pollitt noted that, “This is an important component of my plan to combine all building and development activities under ‘one umbrella’ creating a ‘one-stop shopping’ permit process.”

Under this reorganization, certain functions formerly under Public Works will now come under Planning, Zoning & Community Development. These functions include Building Permits and Inspections, Fire Safety, street addressing, and related aspects of development review. Public Works will continue to be responsible for Roads, Solid Waste, and engineering.

Each of these departments has experienced budget and staff reductions over the past several years. According to Mr. Pollitt, this reorganization is “an important strategy for supporting critical services and furthers the commitment to the efficient delivery of County services within the context of new economic realities.”

Retailers Brace For Flash Mobs

A swarm of thieves sweep into a store, grab everything in arms reach, and then sweeps back out en masse.

Around the region and around the country, this kind of "flash mob" robbery has become more and more common. Surveillance camera footage from Montgomery County dramatically illustrate what amounts to a store owner's nightmare.

With the holiday shopping season kicking into high gear, the National Retail Federation is asking stores to re-think how they do business this year.

____ is my favorite breakfast food.

Cardin To Announce Re-Election Bid This Weekend

BALTIMORE (AP) -- U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin is scheduled to kick off his bid for re-election this weekend in Baltimore.

The Maryland Democrat will make the announcement on Sunday at the Baltimore Museum of Industry.

Cardin will be the favorite in heavily Democratic Maryland and last month he reported that he had $2.3 million cash on hand.

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Sussex Redistricting Plan Draws Little Comment

League of Women Voters wants eastern districts redrawn

Georgetown — Only one person testified during a public hearing on Sussex County’s proposed redistricting plan.

The Oct. 25 hearing was the next to last step as county officials comply with law requiring the process take place every 10 years following the release of U.S. Census data. Council will vote on the plan in ordinance form at a future meeting.

Based on an increase in population over the decade to more than 197,000, each of the five council districts must have about 39,000 residents, with no more than 41,000 residents and no fewer than 37,000 residents. Two of the five districts deviated outside the limits.

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Howard County Barber Charged With Sexually Abusing Boy

Howard County Police have arrested an Ellicott City barber for sexually abusing a teenage boy.

Jung Gon Kim, 54, of Boyds, is charged with sexual abuse of a minor, second- and third-degree sex offense, sodomy and second-degree assault.

The 13-year-old victim was a client of Kim's at Scissors Sound Hair Salon on Plum Tree Drive in Ellicott City.

He told police that Gun sexually abused him several times in September.

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CIA Following Twitter, Facebook

McLEAN, Va. (AP) - In an anonymous industrial park in Virginia, in an unassuming brick building, the CIA is following tweets _ up to 5 million a day.

At the agency's Open Source Center, a team known affectionately as the "vengeful librarians" also pores over Facebook, newspapers, TV news channels, local radio stations, Internet chat rooms — anything overseas that anyone can access and contribute to openly.

From Arabic to Mandarin Chinese, from an angry tweet to a thoughtful blog, the analysts gather the information, often in native tongue. They cross-reference it with the local newspaper or a clandestinely intercepted phone conversation. From there, they build a picture sought by the highest levels at the White House, giving a real-time peek, for example, at the mood of a region after the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden or perhaps a prediction of which Mideast nation seems ripe for revolt.

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Amazon Under Fire for Selling Kids’ Book Written By Convicted Serial Killer

Here’s one book to leave off your Christmas list this year: Amazon is reportedly selling a children’s book that was penned by convicted serial killer Charles Kembo.

The 372-page book, The Trinity of Superkidds Book One: Quest for Water, was released by Publish America on Jan. 20, 2010, a publish date that coincided with Kembo’s trial on four counts of first-degree murder, according to British Columbia publication The Province. The trial ended in June 2010, with the accused being found guilty on all counts and sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 25 years.

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CIA Tracks Global Pulse On Twitter, Facebook

McLEAN, Va. - In an anonymous industrial park in Virginia, in an unassuming brick building, the CIA is following tweets — up to 5 million a day.
At the agency's Open Source Center, a team known affectionately as the "vengeful librarians" also pores over Facebook, newspapers, TV news channels, local radio stations, Internet chat rooms — anything overseas that anyone can access and contribute to openly.

CLICK HERE

for upcoming yard sales in the area.

If you have a yard sale you would to feature here, please email me, SunnyInOC, at atlanticjw@aol.com. Please include as much info as you would like. Don't forget to include the dates and times, address with directions, items for sale, etc. FREE!!!!

Have a great weekend :)

Girl, 3, Eats Leftovers For 2 Days After Mom Dies

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A 3-year-old girl comforted herself with her favorite toy and ate cheese, leftover lasagna and milk for two days after her mother died unexpectedly in their New Zealand home.
The girl's uncle, Pete Silbery, told The Associated Press on Friday that Shylah Silbery managed to open the fridge and comfort herself with a teddy bear named "Possum" after Lauren Silbery, 28, died.

Palmer and Brad Gillis have come to a final conclusion on the purchase of two Downtown properties, they're done. A statement will be released later today but the long and short of it is, they're finished. The City Council is not willing to reconsider their proposal and its time to cut their losses.

Salisbury News will provide a more detailed breakdown some time this afternoon. In the mean time, what I'd like ALL citizens to consider is this. The Bank of Delmarva holds the note on this property. Salisbury News has been told, (not confirmed) that they have yet to reclaim the property and its been reported that the Bank of Delmarva hasn't done so because of the liability the building.

The Bank is in business to make money and again it's been reported Mr. Miller hasn't made regular payments on the property in years. That being said, its time the Mayor and Council crack down on this blighted property and force the Bank of Delmarva to step up to the plate and take that building down OR make it fully compliant.

One thing I can assure you of Folks is that Code and Compliance forces the REST of us property owners to do just that, yet the Bank of Delmarva seems to be getting some favoritism for one reason or the other. Mind you, I am NOT trying to imply Code and Compliance has not done their job, they have. The responsibility lies on the Mayor's Office.

The Gillis deal is done, now its time you pick up the phone and call the Mayor's office, 410-548-3100 and or send him an e-mail at jireton@ci.salisbury.md.us. Jim Ireton wanted to become Mayor, now its time he start acting like one.

Today's Survey Question 11-4-11

What is your all time favorite movie?

What's Next For A Make-Believe Mars

The end of a 520-day simulated mission to Mars marks one more step in a succession of make-believe trips to Mars, leading up to the real thing. And who knows? You might even be able to get in on a "sim."

Measured by length and expense, the Mars500 exercise is the most ambitious earthly simulation to date: In June of last year, the $15 million experiment put six male volunteers from Europe, Russia and China in a windowless mobile home that was set up inside Moscow's Institute for Biomedical Problems. Crew members "landed" at their destination in February, and walked out into a make-believe Mars roughly the size of an indoor tennis court.

After a months-long simulation of the return trip, the crew is scheduled to "land" back on Earth on Friday and climb out of their isolation compartment. "The longest night in the world is about to finish," simulation crew member Diego Urbina wrote today in a Twitter update. You can watch the hatch opening via the European Space Agency's website at 6 a.m. ET (11:00 CET).

The Inside Story Of How Our Financial Regulators Let Us All Down

MF Global became a primary dealer only eight months ago.

"Primary dealer" is an elite status. It means the firm is one of only 22 government bond dealers that trades directly with the Federal Reserve's New York trading desk.

Only, the Federal Reserve doesn't regulate or oversee MF Global, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) does - or rather is supposed to.

But, even more incongruously, the CFTC isn't the first overseer of MF Global . It ceded that responsibility to the CME Group Inc. (Nasdaq: CME), which owns and operates the largest futures exchanges in the United States. The designated self-regulatory organization for more than 50 futures brokers, CME was supposed to be the cop on the beat.

However, t he not-so-funny thing about the relationship between MF Global and the CME Group is that MF Global recently boasted on its Website that it "was the top broker by volume at CME's metals and energy exchanges in New York and in the top three at its Chicago exchanges."

So, is it any wonder that the CME just last week audited MF Global's segregated customer funds and found them to be in compliance?
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Unable To Pay Bill, Detroit Suburb Turns Off Lights

'When Chrysler moved out, things started to happen,' says Highland Park councilman

HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. — As the sun dips below the rooftops each evening, parts of this Detroit enclave turn to pitch black, the only illumination coming from a few streetlights at the end of the block or from glowing yellow yard globes.

It wasn't always this way. But when the debt-ridden community could no longer afford its monthly electric bill, elected officials not only turned off 1,000 streetlights. They had them ripped out — bulbs, poles and all. Now nightfall cloaks most neighborhoods in inky darkness.

Business Executives Say Maryland Government Needs To Be Friendlier

Business executives on a panel at a Maryland Chamber of Commerce forum sounded familiar themes Wednesday: state government needs to reduce cumbersome regulations, speed approvals and become more “business-friendly.”

Continue Reading...

My Ride Into Work This Morning 11-4-11

PICK OUT THE GUY - NO CHEATING

This is almost spooky...can you be fooled?

In each of the following photos, try to guess which member of the couple
Is a girl and which is a guy.

There are 6 pairs. Look closely, then pick left or right to identify the guy.

(Answers are at the end. Don't cheat!)

All of them are GUYS!

Be careful out there at the next happy hour!

Bullard Construction

Thank God Its Friday 11-4-11

What will you be doing this weekend?

Update: Burglars Leave Homework Inside Outlet Store

REHOBOTH BEACH — Delaware State Police are investigating an early morning burglary at the Zumiez Store in Rehoboth Beach in which at least $16,000 in designer items were taken.

Police arrived at 3:10 a.m. Nov. 1 at the Tanger Seaside Outlets store and discovered someone had broken the store's windows with bricks to gain entry, said Cpl. Jeffrey Hale, spokesman for Delaware State Police. Once inside, he said, burglars took G-Shock watches, Nixon watches and wallets, Von Zipper and Oakley sunglasses and longboard skateboards.

Public Workshop For Indian River Inlet Bridge Park Improvements

Dover -- The Department of Transportation (DelDOT) will be holding a public workshop to receive public input on and to share plans for the Park Improvements at the Delaware Seashore State Park near the new Indian River Inlet Bridge. The meeting will be on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at the DelDOT Field Office, 39368 Inlet Road, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971. The public is invited to attend any time between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The goal of this workshop is to present conceptual drawings for the new layout of the park area near the bridge. Specifically, park improvements will include a new campground area, new bathhouses and other improvements.

Attendees will have an opportunity to review display materials and provide comments to DelDOT representatives. Interested persons are invited to express their views in writing, giving reasons for support of or in opposition to, the proposed project. Comments will be received during the workshop or can be mailed to DelDOT Public Relations, P.O. Box 778, Dover, DE 19903.

This location is accessible to persons having disabilities. Any person having special needs or requiring special aid, such as an interpreter for the hearing impaired, is requested to contact DelDOT by phone or mail one week in advance.

Arrest Made In Murder Of Millsboro Woman

A registered Millsboro sex offender is under arrest in connection with the murder of a 70-year old Millsboro woman.

Forty-three year old Michael Purnell has been charged with first degree murder, first degree rape and other charges.

For those of you who don’t already know, Salisbury has a Ravens Roost. If you are a Baltimore Ravens fan you should come check us out. We are a member of the Council of Baltimore Ravens Roost and local members of the Salisbury community. You can get more information on what a Roost is and does at http://www.councilrr.com/.

We meet every game day at The Lagoon Bar at The Fountains. The Lagoon Bar is a great place to watch the game. It is Salisbury’s “Remote Stadium”. The food is great and they have 24 Beers on tap. The bartender, Matt will take good care of you and Stacey who covers the floor, knows you’re ready for another one before you do!! Great food, great service, Ravens Football… what can be better???

Come out this Sunday at 7:30 to help us cheer on the Ravens as they travel to Heinz Field to face the Pittsburgh Steelers. Joe and company will need every Ravens fan in the state cheering them on to Victory!!!

If you want to contact the Salisbury Ravens Roost directly, please send an e-mail to salisburyravensroost@yahoo.com.

We look forward to meeting you!!

DE Gets $750K For Improving Access To Food Stamps

Delaware is being applauded for its efforts to ensure the needy have food to eat.

$750,000 from the federal government - that's what Delaware gets for reducing hunger in the state.

Delaware Unveils Two New Vessels To Protect

Delaware unveils two new vessels to protect
our waterways and critical infrastructure

Delaware State Police Maritime Unit and DNREC Join Homeland Security Fight

WHO: Governor Jack Markell
Delaware U.S. Senator Chris Coons
Department of Safety and Homeland Security Secretary Lewis D. Schiliro
DNREC Secretary Collin P. O’Mara
Delaware State Police Colonel Robert M. Coupe
Division of Fish & Wildlife Chief of Enforcement Jim Graybeal

WHAT: Unveiling of the new Delaware State Police Maritime Unit and two Homeland Security vessels that will patrol our waterways and protect critical infrastructure

WHEN: 10 a.m., Friday, November 4

WHERE: Fort Delaware State ParkAdjacent to the Fort Delaware State Park Ticket Office and city dock
45 Clinton Street
Delaware City, DE 19706
Directions are attached

WHY: Gov. Jack A. Markell, Homeland Security Secretary Lewis D. Schiliro and Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Colin O’Mara will unveil two new maritime vessels acquired to enhance homeland security in Delaware.

The acquisition of both vessels came as a result of two separate federal grants. The Department of Safety and Homeland Security was awarded a 2009 Port Security grant to fund and completely stand up the Delaware State Police Marine Unit. The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control was awarded a 2008 Chemical Buffer Zone Protection Program grant to purchase its 22-foot watercraft. Both agencies are working together to protect critical infrastructure along Delaware waterways.

Judge Won't Face Charges In Videotaped Beating

McALLEN, Texas - A Texas family law judge whose daughter secretly videotaped him savagely beating her seven years ago won't face criminal charges because too much time has elapsed, police said Thursday.

Aransas County Court-at-Law Judge William Adams likely would have been charged with causing injury to a child or other assault-related offenses for the 2004 beating of his then-16-year-old daughter, but the five-year statutes of limitations expired, Rockport Police Chief Tim Jayroe said.

Will wife of GOP hopeful step into spotlight to defend husband the way so many spouses have done over the years?

WASHINGTON — Gloria Cain is hardly the traditional presidential campaign wife.

She has been virtually absent from the campaign trail as her husband, Herman, runs for the Republican presidential nomination. And she's been silent this week as the businessman fights to overcome allegations that he sexually harassed women while he led the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s.

"She's doing fine, and she's still 200 percent supportive of me in this whole race, 200 percent supportive of me as her husband, because I haven't done anything," Cain told conservative talk show host Sean Hannity on Thursday. He added: "She is feeling for me more so, because she knows that it's baseless."

Those who know Cain's wife of 43 years say she backs her husband's candidacy. Mrs. Cain is often described as "gentle" and "the nicest woman you'll ever meet," and people frequently remark on her faith and dedication to her husband and her family.

Florida 911 Operator Hears A Double Murder

A 911 operator listened helplessly over the phone while a double murder was committed, she testified Wednesday in a Florida courtroom.

Leslie Perrico , a public safety dispatcher for the Pinellas County Sheriff's office, testified that the office received a call on Dec. 20, 2008, but the caller hung up. Perrico called back, and the call was answered, but no one spoke.

MF Global Says Corzine Has Resigned, Will Not Seek Severance

MF Global’s chief executive Jon Corzine has resigned as head of the brokerage firm which filed for bankruptcy on Monday after a series of bets on European government debt soured.

Corzine, a former New Jersey governor who once ran Goldman Sachs, is under a cloud for allegedly failing to protect clients' investments by cordoning off their funds from the firm's money. The firm is being probed by the FBI and by regulators because it has not accounted for hundreds of millions of dollars worth of clients' money.

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BREAKING NEWS:

US economy created 80,000 jobs in October; jobless rate falls to 9 percent.

Florida Pastor To Defy Prayer Ban

A standoff over prayers at a school flagpole is looming between a longtime Baptist preacher and a Florida public school system.
Ron Baker, the pastor of Russell Baptist Church in Green Cove Springs, said he plans to keep on praying, regardless of what happens.
“Did you ever think that in America you’d be in trouble for praying at the flag?” Baker told Fox News. “It’s disturbing.”

San Francisco Bans Naked Dining Amid Hygiene Fears

SAN FRANCISCO -- Widely seen as the most tolerant and liberal city in the U.S., San Francisco is drawing the line at nude public dining.
The city's Board of Supervisors has adopted new rules that ban naked people from eating in restaurants, and forces nudists to place a cover on public chairs and benches before they sit down, the San Francisco Examiner reported.

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Humane Society Complaint Questions Conditions of McRib Pork Supplier

The McRib may be back, but along with it comes a legal complaint from the Humane Society of the United States, contending that McDonald’s pork supplier is guilty of inhumane practices. The HSUS complaint was filed to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and accused the company of making false claims. The claims in contention? That the pigs were being kept in “ideal” conditions.

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FIVE MEMBERS OF OCPD RETIRE

CONGRATULATIONS! FIVE MEMBERS OF OCPD RETIRE AFTER ALMOST 200 YEARS OF COMBINED SERVICE TO TOWN OF OCEAN CITY!

Five members of the Ocean City Police Department were recently recognized for their numerous years of service to the residents, visitors and Town of Ocean City. Pictured below with Chief Bernadette DiPino are the recent retirees. Congratulations to Captain Victor Bunting (37 years of service), Lieutenant Robert Noll (34 years of service), Police Officer First Class Brasure Lynch (29 years of service), Police Officer Hugh Bean (28 years of service) and Police Officer First Class Barry Neeb (30 years of service.

Economic Insights From A Lord Of Finance

Of all the social memes related to the economic and investment landscape, none is more dominant than that there is a small cadre of powerful Wall Street money men who, working behind the scenes, effectively control investment markets, the global economy and the politicians that play such a big role in that economy.

Whether you call them fat cats, greedy bankers, soulless manipulators or unindicted co-conspirators, the one sure thing, in the minds of most, is that they wield the power behind all thrones and that it is their whispered agreements, invariably made in darkened rooms full of cigar smoke, that decide the economic fates of us all.

Over the years, I have met quite a few of these "Lords of Finance" and found them to possess the same wide range of traits, positive and negative, shared by all humans: fear, insecurities, self-delusion, high hopes, good intentions, social aspirations, good habits and bad.

And, of course, the greed that the Lords of Finance are said to possess in extra doses. Like Gordon Gekko, I have no problem with greed, as long as the pursuit of that which gives you pleasure does no harm to others.

There is one trait, however, that, in my experience, is almost always present in a Lord of Finance – and that is an acute intelligence. When it comes to matters of finance, even the average Lord of Finance has a keenly honed mind that has been trained to precision to understand the complex pieces of investment markets.

Which brings me to my interview. We'll call him LOF, because the only way he would agree to be interviewed was if it was anonymous. A former colleague of a friend of mine, his career on Wall Street has stretched over 40 years and includes 10 years as the chief financial officer for one of the world's most powerful investment banks. Leaving that position to strike out on his own, he and a group of colleagues went into money management, overseeing billions of dollars. Now, slowing down in the latter years of his career, he and his colleagues manage "only" tens of millions.

My goal for the interview was two-fold. First, it is to help calibrate our own views on the outlook for the economy with an individual who is not just hyper-intelligent but who has spent a lifetime immersed in the money game at the very highest levels. Casey Research sees ongoing crisis, getting far worse before it gets better. But what about a Lord of Finance?

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Big Retailers Opening Doors Even Earlier On Black Friday

Instead of the usual 3am Black Friday door opening, several retailers, including Target, Macy's, and Kohls, announced they're going to be open at midnight this year.

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TRAFFIC ALERT - Pavement & Rehabilitation Project Will Require Weekend Lane Closures On Route 13

Smyrna -- WHEN: 8 p.m. on Friday, November 4 until 5 a.m. on Monday, November 7, pending weather

WHERE: Route 13 southbound right lane CLOSED between Paddock Road/Joe Goldsborough Road and Route 300/Glenwood Avenue in Smyrna

WHAT: George and Lynch Company will be removing and pouring concrete

A portion of the work on Route 13 will temporarily close the entrance to McDonalds. Detour signage will be posted to notify motorists how to access McDonalds through the Shopping Center. All other businesses along this corridor will be open to traffic.

Motorists should expect delays within this area.

Delaware State Police Issues Gold Alert

Gold Alert Subject: Jason T. Battaglia, 32, Harbeson, DE

Location Last Seen: Residence in the 18000 block of Palomino Trail, Harbeson, DE

Date and Time Last Seen: Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 5:00 p.m.

Resume:

Harbeson, DE- The Delaware State Police have issued a Gold Alert for a missing Harbeson, DE man.

Troopers are currently looking for Jason T. Battaglia, 32. Battaglia was last seen leaving his residence located in the 18000 block of Palomino Trail, Harbeson, at approximately 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 3, and has not been heard from since. He is described as a white male, 6’00” tall, and 170 lbs. He has brown hair and hazel eyes.

Jason Battaglia’s medical condition is such that there is a real concern for his safety.

Troopers are asking anyone who may have any information as to the whereabouts of Jason Battaglia to contact Troop 7 at 302-644-5020. Citizens may also provide a tip by texting keyword “DSP” plus your message to 274637 (CRIMES). Tipsters may also provide information through lines maintained by Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333. Callers can also submit information via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com.

Wargots Bows Out Of Senate Race

Dr. Wargotz Announces 2012 U.S. Senate Decision

As many of you know, our team has been carefully considering a run for US Senate in 2012. After extensive research, I was humbled to learn that I remain popular among Republican primary voters and remain well positioned to win the Republican nomination for US Senate in Maryland once again.

Unfortunately, support for the incumbent Senator (and the President) remains strong in Maryland, despite the national political environment. In this political reality, we find ourselves in the position of being able to win the Republican nomination but falling short in the general election.
Therefore, regrettably, I have decided to forgo entering the 2012 US Senate race.

My family and I are grateful for your continued support and well-wishes over the past several years in this endeavor. I was honored to serve as your 2010 Republican U.S. Senate nominee and I will continue to work diligently to bring Maryland closer to a true, two-party state,.

May God Bless you, the State of Maryland and our great Country.
Dr. Eric Wargotz

Today's Weather- 11/04/11

Salisbury,Maryland

Today

High
61°F

Precip
20%

Tonight

Overnight Low
38°F

Precip
0%

Weather Channel

Edit Draft Corzine To Obama: If I Raise Enough Cash, Can I Have A Job?: Gothamist: New York City News, Food, Arts & Events

As Campaign Obama tries to woo the country again to unseat President Obama in 2012, he faces an uphill battle with Wall Street to raise a figure close to 2008's $89 million. And Wall Street will have to do because it's tough to get micro-donations from people who don't have jobs. So he's calling in a favor from his old pal, former CEO of Goldman Sachs and Chris Christie victim Jon Corzine. According to the Post, Corzine "has attended secret meetings with the president and has been working on Obama's 2012 campaign for months." This could be a HUGE mistake for Barry when Christie steps off that ledge and decides to run!

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