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Monday, January 09, 2012

Williams: I Love Greed

What human motivation gets the most wonderful things done? It’s really a silly question, because the answer is so simple. It turns out that it’s human greed that gets the most wonderful things done. When I say greed, I am not talking about fraud, theft, dishonesty, lobbying for special privileges from government or other forms of despicable behavior. I’m talking about people trying to get as much as they can for themselves. Let’s look at it.

This winter, Texas ranchers may have to fight the cold of night, perhaps blizzards, to run down, feed and care for stray cattle. They make the personal sacrifice of caring for their animals to ensure that New Yorkers can enjoy beef. Last summer, Idaho potato farmers toiled in blazing sun, in dust and dirt, and maybe being bitten by insects to ensure that New Yorkers had potatoes to go with their beef.

Here’s my question: Do you think that Texas ranchers and Idaho potato farmers make these personal sacrifices because they love or care about the well-being of New Yorkers? The fact is whether they like New Yorkers or not, they make sure that New Yorkers are supplied with beef and potatoes every day of the week. Why? It’s because ranchers and farmers want more for themselves.

In a free market system, in order for one to get more for himself, he must serve his fellow man. This is precisely what Adam Smith, the father of economics, meant when he said in his classic “An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" (1776), “It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest."

By the way, how much beef and potatoes do you think New Yorkers would enjoy if it all depended upon the politically correct notions of human love and kindness? Personally, I’d grieve for New Yorkers. Some have suggested that instead of greed, I use “enlightened self-interest.” That’s OK, but I prefer greed.

Free market capitalism is relatively new in human history. Prior to the rise of capitalism, the way people amassed great wealth was by looting, plundering and enslaving their fellow man. Capitalism made it possible to become wealthy by serving one's fellow man. Capitalists seek to discover what people want and then produce it as efficiently as possible. Free market capitalism is ruthless in its profit and loss discipline.

This explains much of the hostility toward free market capitalism; some of it is held by businessmen. Smith recognized this hostility when he said, "People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices." He was hinting at government-backed crony capitalism, which has come to characterize much of today’s businesses.

Free market capitalism has other enemies -- mostly among the intellectual elite and political tyrants. These are people who believe that they have superior wisdom to the masses and that God has ordained them to forcibly impose that wisdom on the rest of us. Of course, they have what they consider to be good reasons for restricting liberty, but every tyrant who has ever lived has had what he considered good reason for restricting liberty. A tyrant’s agenda calls for the attenuation or the elimination of the market and what is implied by it -- voluntary exchange. Tyrants do not trust that people acting voluntarily will do what the tyrant thinks they should do. They want to replace the market with economic planning and regulation.

The Wall Street occupiers and their media and political allies are not against the principle of crony capitalism, bailouts and government special privileges and intervention. They share the same hostility to free market capitalism and peaceable voluntary exchange as tyrants. What they really want is congressional permission to share in the booty from looting their fellow man.

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[Dr. Walter E. Williams is the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University.]

Police Smuggle Fake Bomb Onto Olympic Site


(LONDON) — U.K. police managed to smuggle a fake bomb into Olympic Park in a security test, overshadowing a special Cabinet meeting Monday at the park that marked 200 days until the Summer Games begin.
U.K. police carrying out tests smuggled the device onto the main site. While the Olympic Delivery Authority declined to directly comment on the whether a fake bomb was involved, it said "testing is standard practice" in all major security operations.


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WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?

Looking behind the headlines:


The people pushing for war against Iran are the same neocons who pushed for war against Iraq. See this and this.


China and Russia have warned that attacking Iran could lead to World War III.


War against Iran was planned at least 20 years ago.


The U.S. has been claiming for more than 30 years that Iran was on the verge of nuclear capability (and the U.S. apparently helped fund the Iranian nuclear program.)


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Good Samaritan Fighting For Life After Rescuing Drunken Man From Train Tracks


A good Samaritan is fighting for his life Monday after being struck by a train while rescuing a drunken man who went onto the tracks at a New York City railway station, officials said.

The accident happened at around 1:30 a.m. Sunday at the New Dorp platform of the Staten Island Railway. An intoxicated man dropped his shoe onto the tracks and climbed down to recover it, according to a spokesman with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 
The good Samaritan, identified as 39-year-old Steven Santiago, intervened when he saw the man struggling, the New York Post reported. 

QUOTE OF THE DAY 1-9-12

“Those who give have all things. They who withhold have nothing.”

Hindu proverb

Donating Your Body To Science? Nobody Wants A Chubby Corpse


It’s a rare day when Richard Drake turns down a dead body, but last week, he had no choice.
At 6-foot-1 and 350 pounds, the deceased in question was simply too big for the Cleveland Clinic Body Donation Program, which provides specimens for anatomy classes at the Lerner College of Medicine and elsewhere.

2012 - THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY

In December 2010 I wrote an article called Will 2012 Be as Critical as 1860?, that pondered what might happen with the 2012 presidential election and the possible scenarios that might play out based on that election. Well, 2012 has arrived and every blogger and mainstream media pundit is making their predictions for 2012. The benefit of delaying my predictions until the first week of 2012 is that I’ve been able to read the wise ponderings of Mike Shedlock, Jesse, Karl Denninger, and some other brilliant truth seeking analysts regarding what might happen during 2012. The passage above from Strauss & Howe was written fifteen years ago and captured the essence of what has happened since 2007 and what will drive all the events over the next decade. Predicting specific events is a futile human endeavor. The world is so complex and individual human beings so impulsive and driven by emotion, that the possible number of particular outcomes is almost infinite.

But, as Strauss and Howe point out, the core elements that created this Crisis and the reaction of generational cohorts to the implications of debt, civic decay and global disorder will drive all the events that will occur in 2012 and for as far as the eye can see. Linear thinkers in mega-corporations, mainstream media and Washington D.C. focus on retaining the status quo, their power and their wealth. They believe an economic recovery can be manufactured through monetary manipulation and Keynesian borrowing and spending. They are blind to the fact that history is cyclical, not linear. In order to have an understanding of what could happen in the coming year, it is essential to keep the big picture in focus. As we enter the fifth year of this twenty year Crisis period, there is absolutely no chance that 2012 will see an improvement in our economy, political atmosphere or world situation. Fourth Turnings never de-intensify. They exhaust themselves after years of chaos, conflict and turmoil. I can guarantee you that 2012 will see increased mayhem, riots, violent protests, recessions, bear markets, and a presidential election that will confound the establishment. All the episodes which will occur in 2012 will have at their core one of the three elements described by Strauss & Howe in 1997: Debt, Civic Decay, or Global Disorder.

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Three Types Of People To Fire Immediately

Want a more innovative company? Get rid of these folks. Today

“I wanted a happy culture. So I fired all the unhappy people.”—A very successful CEO (who asked not to be named)

We (your authors) teach our children to work hard and never, ever give up. We teach them to be grateful, to be full of wonder, to expect good things to happen, and to search for literal and figurative treasure on every beach, in every room, and in every person.

But some day, when the treasure hunt is over, we’ll also teach them to fire people. Why? After working with the most inventive people in the world for two decades, we’ve discovered the value of a certain item in the leadership toolbox: the pink slip.

Show of hands: How many of you out there in Innovationland have gotten the “what took you so long?” question from your staff when you finally said goodbye to a teammate who was seemingly always part of problems instead of solutions?

We imagine a whole bunch of hands. (Yep, ours went up, too.)

These people—and we’re going to talk about three specific types in a minute—passive-aggressively block innovation from happening and will suck the energy out of any organization.
When confronted with any of the following three people—and you have found it impossible to change their ways, say goodbye.

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Results Of Hamas ‘Ceasefires’ In 2011: 680 Attacks

Terrorists from Hamas-controlled Gaza attacked Israel 680 times last year in the midst of ”ceasefires” and “calm,” but foreign media still report that Hamas has generally maintained a ceasefire.

The IDF reports that 680 rockets, mortars and Grad missiles were fired at southern Israel in 2011, according to data compiled by the Home Front Command.

The military is preparing for a wide range of future scenarios, including the firing of longer-range missiles at Israel while Hamas continues to build a large arsenal of advanced weapons, including anti-aircraft missiles that can down a commercial airliner.

Last year, 80 Grad missiles were fired at Israel, compared with only two the previous year. Grads have a longer range and more lethal explosive payload than other rockets fired at Israel.

However, as recently as last week – December 30 – the Associated Press told its readers worldwide, “After suffering heavy losses in the fighting, Hamas has largely maintained a cease-fire with Israel.”

The report followed an Israel counter terrorist attack on a terrorist and noted that Hamas has built up a huge arsenal of weapons.

Three days later, two mortar shells containing phosphorous were fired from Gaza on a southern Israeli farming area, a violation of international laws against using the material in attacks on civilians.

Nearly one-third of all rocket strikes in 2011 took place during three periods of escalation, totaling around 15 days overall. Five rockets exploded on or near buildings in Israel.

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Advice To A Generic Candidate

Last night on the lobotomy box I encountered yet another candidate for the presidency, a Mr. Sanctorum, threatening to make war on Iran. I can't decide whether the idea is more frightening than fascinating, or fascinating than frightening. I do suggest that the combined candidates do not have the military competence of a stuffed bear. Given that the principal business of the United States is war and preparation for it, do we want a martial analphabetic in charge? One does not let children play with chain saws. (From all of this I exempt Ron Paul, who appears to be sane.)

To save the republic, if any, from another routine military disaster, I offer the following thoughts.

To begin, I will ask the following questions of the candidates, and for that matter of Mr. Obama, and of the Secretary of Defense, a generic bureaucrat.

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ANOTHER community asking for martial law!

Residents of Belle Glade Florida have called for martial law amid increasing violence throughout the city that has left dozens dead and the citizens of the city living scared.
Sadly, the idea that the military needs to police any American city smacks the Constitution in the face and is surely a recipe for disaster.

To see more go here:

http://theintelhub.com/2012/01/09/residents-in-belle-glade-florida-call-for-martial-law-after-months-of-increasing-violence/

Israeli Casino Tycoon Adelson Bets $5 Million On Gingrich

Casino billionaire tycoon Sheldon Adelson has donated $5 million to a political action group (PAC) backing Newt Gingrich as the Republican party presidential nomine to face President Barack Obama in November.Adelson’s contribution gives a critical boost to Gingrich, who lost last week’s Iowa caucus after winner Mitt Romney spent millions of dollars on advertisements attacking him.

Adelson, owner of the free Yisrael HaYom Hebrew-language newspaper, is known to be a strong supporter of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. He also is a large contributor to the Birthright program that brings young Jews for their first-ever trip to Israel.

Gingrich recently aroused ire from the Palestinian Authority by stating that the concept of a “Palestinian people” is an invention and that all of the Land of Israel belongs to Israel.

Adelson, who grew up poor and made a fortune in the casino business, donated his money to Winning Our Future, a PAC that backs Gingrich. The Washington-based Politico website, which singlehandedly broke the campaign of Herman Cain by exposing alleged sexual harassment, reported that Adelson might be willing to increase his cash injection to as much as $20 million.

Adelson’s worth is estimated at more than $20 billion.

However, sources said that if Gingrich does not win the GOP nomination this summer, he will back the winning nominee.

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Washington Wades Deeper into Housing

Congress taps Fannie and Freddie for cash and expands the Federal Housing Administration's reach

Lawmakers began 2011 with sweeping ambitions to shrink the U.S. government’s involvement in mortgage finance. They ended the year enacting policies that increase it. An 11th-hour extension of the payroll tax cut, signed into law on Dec. 23, will for the first time divert funds from Fannie Mae (FNMA) and Freddie Mac (FMCC), the two mortgage finance companies under U.S. conservatorship, to pay for general government expenses. Congress also took steps that are likely to increase the role of the Federal Housing Administration in the market—at the same time that the agency’s reserves hit a record low. And some economists are charging that the FHA’s finances are even worse than they appear.

Last February, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner announced three options for reducing government’s role in housing finance. Soon after, Republicans introduced bills to wind down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which have cost taxpayers about $153 billion since 2008 because of defaults on loans they guaranteed. The legislation never advanced because there was no agreement even among Republicans on the best way to proceed.

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Farah: Obama’s Militarization Of The Homefront

In July 2008, presidential candidate Barack Obama vowed to create a “civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded” as the U.S. military.

Apparently no one else in the national press found that promise newsworthy, because I was the first to call it to the attention of the public days later. Interestingly, the pledge had been stricken from transcripts of the speech handed out to media.

Whatever happened to the “civilian national security force” initiative? No one in the press has dared to ask that question.

But two recent developments suggest Obama may have found an innovative way to achieve his objectives to militarize the homefront without creating a new national security force:

In December, both houses of Congress passed the defense reauthorization bill that killed the concept of habeas corpus – legislation that authorized the president to use the U.S. military to arrest and indefinitely detain American citizens without charge or trial.

This week, over the objections of Joint Chiefs of Staff, the National Guard’s top officer became the fifth member of that body that advises the president on national security matters.

“There is no compelling military need for this change,” said Army General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, during his congressional testimony on the bill. Nevertheless, Congress knew better. Obama knew better. In fact, all six four-star generals testified in a Nov. 10 hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee that the idea of including the National Guard honcho as a member of the Joint Chiefs would create needless confusion and reduce the authority of the other military representatives.

But it gets even worse.

Even Obama’s own defense secretary, Leon Panetta, opposed the measure. He told reporters that membership on the Joint Chiefs should “be reserved for those who have direct command and direct budgets that deal with the military.”

It seems to me, Obama has, with the approval of Republicans in Congress, achieved his major goal of militarizing domestic civilian life in the U.S. The U.S. military has been authorized by Congress and Obama to arrest and detain indefinitely without charge or trial any U.S. citizen on suspicion of being a terrorist. The only one who can override the order is Obama himself. And now the National Guard has been deputized as a posse for Obama’s “non-civilian national security force.”

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Dropped Your Phone In The Toilet? No Problem!

Despite all the smarts built into them, smartphones have one fatal flaw: They can’t get wet. Yet.

Three start-ups aim to correct that this year, offering special, micro-thin coatings made of nanomaterials that can seamlessly and invisibly encase your next iPhone or Android phone and keep it safe from the rain -- or even a plunge in the potty.

HzO, P2i, and Liquipel are putting their technology on display this week at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where the world’s gadget makers unveil the latest and greatest goodies that will fill your pockets in the upcoming year. And that’s in the rain or out, explains Paul Clayson, president and CEO of nanotech firm HzO.

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Sheriff Joe's Deputy Shot To Death With Assault Rifle

PHOENIX — A Maricopa County sheriff's deputy has been shot and killed while answering a burglary call in the north Phoenix community of Anthem.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio said 50-year-old deputy William Coleman and his partner found a suspect in a van at a medical building at about 4 a.m. Sunday.

The 40-year-old man got out of the van and opened fire with an assault rifle, striking Coleman under his bullet-proof vest.

The deputy was taken to a hospital, but doctors could not save him.

Other deputies shot the suspect to death. Investigators are trying to determine why he opened fire, Arpaio said.

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Hunter Rescued After Being Accidentally Shot In Prince George's County

FORT WASHINGTON, Md. (WUSA) -- A hunter was accidentally shot in the stomach in the Prince George's County woods Saturday afternoon, Prince George's County Fire Department's spokesperson, Mark Brady said.

It happened at around 1:15 p.m. about a half mile off the road in a "heavily wooded area," near Fort Washington, Brady said.

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Ohio Billion-Dollar Sewage Plan Is A Waste

While Columbus taxpayers will spend billions of dollars to stop sewage from spilling into the Scioto River and other waterways, the city could save money by investing in sand instead, according to an Ohio State University researcher.


A system using sand and the bacteria it contains could treat sewage before it hits water, Karen Mancl, the project’s lead researcher, told the Columbus Dispatch.


Mancl has spent more than three years studying bio-reactor systems, which date back to the 1800s. Through the system, sewage flows into sand, where bacteria digest ammonia, phosphorus, and other pollutants. The water flowing from the bio-reactor then contains only trace amounts of pollutants, she said.


The treatment system would be ideal for wastewater triggered by storms. “You get a very high burst of this wastewater and then long periods where you don’t have any at all,” Mancl noted.


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Master Of Horror, Poe, Revisited

The Brazen by Pathelfrick

Thrust upon a middle class bleary, they were plundered, while weak and weary,Over many a tainted and spurious document came a forger’s reward.While they plotted, data mapping, predictably there came a trapping,And then someone stoutly rapping, rapping at my front door.“Tis the Sheriff,” he muttered, “taping an eviction notice on your front door -We’ll take this one and we’re serving more.”

Ah, distinctly I remember that bleak September,And each chickenshit lying senator whose vote was bought before they hit the floor,Surely it could crash the morrow; - blamed on those who over-borrowedBut it was the banks who fleeced the borrower - then sought to borrow for the last big score -For the Brazen backed their trucks up to the Treasury doors -Lawlessness for evermore.

The bilkers were certain their hustling was hidden behind the theatre curtainSkillfully - they bilked me with fees and paperwork errors never seen before;So that now, my mod still pending, documents I faxed repeatedly,I heard a visitor entreating entrance at my front door -A “visitor” changing the locks on my front door! -Tis “property preservation” and nothing more.

Devilishly their souls grew darker; hesitating then no longer,“Your Honor, they said, “truly your forgiveness I implore.It is a paperwork issue and nothing more.”And then boldly, boldly they went rapping, rapping on his chamber doors,“That donation I’m sure has found you, here’s an envelope opened wide with more, -Greenbacks here, and there’s plenty more.”

Sheep that were ripe for shearing, into exotic loans banks were steering,Shouting, “The American Dream is on sale like never before!”Approval promises went unbroken, underwriting was just a token,And the only words spoken by brokers were the whispered words, “Buy more.”Then I whispered, “I have no income, no job, no assets and a poor credit score.”All technicalities, and nothing more.

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Report: 24 States Enacted 92 Abortion Restrictions In 2011

Lawmakers across the nation pursued a record number of reproductive health and rights-related provisions in 2011, a new report from the Guttmacher Institute finds, enacting 135 measures in 36 states — “an increase from the 89 enacted in 2010 and the 77 enacted in 2009.” Sixty-eight percent of the provisions — 92 in 24 states — restricted access to abortion services:



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Md. To Formally Recognize 2 American Indian Groups

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Gov. Martin O’Malley plans to formally recognize two American Indian groups indigenous to Maryland.

O’Malley, a Democrat, will sign executive orders Monday formalizing the Maryland Indian Status of the two groups.

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America's Mental Health Industry Is A Threat To Our Sanity

Why do some of us become dissident mental health professionals?

The majority of psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health professionals “go along to get along” and maintain a status quo that includes drug company corruption, pseudoscientific research and a “standard of care” that is routinely damaging and occasionally kills young children.

If that sounds hyperbolic, then you probably have not heard of Rebecca Riley, and how the highest levels of psychiatry described her treatment as “appropriate and within responsible professional standards.”

When Rebecca Riley was 28 months old, based primarily on the complaints of her mother that she was “hyper” and had difficulty sleeping, psychiatrist Kayoko Kifuji, at the Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, diagnosed Rebecca with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Kifuji prescribed clonidine, a hypertensive drug with significant sedating properties, a drug Kifuji also prescribed to Rebecca’s older sister and brother. The goal of the Riley parents—obvious to many in their community and later to juries—was to attain psychiatric diagnoses for their children that would qualify them for disability payments and to sedate their children making them easy to manage.

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The Metastasis Of The Police State (Boston Edition)

A friend from Boston's Back Bay emails:

Re your article on the DHS checkpoint- Here in Boston, the metastasis of the police state is in full bloom. Every night on my commute home out of Boston's Back Bay train station there are legions of militarized cops checking bags, scanning bags and walking their friendly German shepards right up to you.

Recently, however, I've noted two changes. First, they frequently have a blue shirted TSA Agent with them. And second, the police have gone from wearing blue uniforms, to black uniforms and are now almost all exclusively wearing green army fatigues. I'm not sure what the significance is other than to psychologically condition the cattle to accept another form of domination on their way to the slaughterhouse.

Source

Can Electric Cars Win Over Consumers In 2012?

Electric vehicles failed to gain traction in the mainstream market last year, which saw lackluster sales for the industry's first arrivals, the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf.

Will 2012 be any better? Depends who you ask, but the general consensus in the first week of this year is probably not.

In a survey of global auto executives released Thursday by KPMG LLP, an audit, tax and advisory firm, nearly two thirds of respondents said plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars won't make a dent in car sales until at least 2025. By then E.V.'s could rise to 15 percent of total car sales, according to the most optimistic projections.

The main reason for the pessimism is low consumer demand. In the United States consumer interest is actually declining, according to Pike Research, which surveyed more than 1,000 Americans for a report published Thursday. Forty percent of respondents were "extremely" or "very" interested in buying an electric car in 2011, down from 44 percent in 2010 and 48 percent the year before.

The biggest deterrent, respondents said, is cost. The gas-electric Chevy Volt sells for roughly $40,000 and the all-electric Nissan Leaf starts around $35,000. By contrast, a fuel-efficient gas-powered compact car, like the Chevy Cruze, can cost half that.

Not everyone is pessimistic though. New models of E.V.'s are hitting showrooms, and that could be a sales catalyst, Rob Bailer of Leaf Clean Energy, a renewable energy and sustainable technology investment firm, told InsideClimate News. The all-electric Ford Focus rolled out in California, New York and New Jersey late last year, with 16 other states set to get the cars in the second quarter of 2012. Toyota's Prius Plug-in will be sold in 14 states in the first half of this year. California and Oregon residents will be able to buy the all-electric Honda Fit by summer.

"People are going to start to adopt more," Bailer predicted.

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Watch Yourselves, Moneybags: The IRS Says It It's Auditing More Of You Than Before

The Internal Revenue Sercice is onto you, millionaires, so you best be careful as to how you spend all that money and file your taxes right. The IRS revealed in an enforcement report this week that they're auditing more wealthy taxpayers for 2011 than 2010.

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The New York Times Is Lying About Iran's Nuclear Program

It's deja vu all over again. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is trying to trick America into another catastrophic war with a Middle Eastern country on behalf of the Likud Party's colonial ambitions, and The New York Times is lying about allegations that said country is developing "weapons of mass destruction."

In an article attributed to Steven Erlanger on January 4 ("Europe Takes Bold Step Toward a Ban on Iranian Oil"), this paragraph appeared:

The threats from Iran, aimed both at the West and at Israel, combined with a recent assessment by the International Atomic Energy Agency that Iran's nuclear program has a military objective, is becoming an important issue in the American presidential campaign. [my emphasis]

The claim that there is "a recent assessment by the International Atomic Energy Agency that Iran's nuclear program has a military objective" is a lie.

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Microsoft Patents GPS Feature That Steers You Away From Slums

Anyone who lets their GPS do the thinking for them has ended up on some uncomfortable treks through frightening backstreets and rough areas that you'd rather avoid. Microsoft has patented a feature that will teach a GPS advice to help pedestrians stick to presumably safer streets, as well as "an open area subject to harsh temperatures."

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The Year Of Voter Suppression

As we enter another election cycle, our most urgent challenge will be to ensure that the right to vote and the right to have that vote counted is protected. It comes as no surprise that this “basic right, without which all others are meaningless” has come under massive attack as we prepare to re-elect the first Black POTUS, who was swept into office by voters of color, youth and women.

Voter suppression efforts take a variety of forms. Certainly there are the blatant efforts to legislatively restrict access to the franchise via legal barriers such as recent changes that require voter identification and documentation of citizenship, limit early and absentee voting, make voter registration more difficult and further restrict the voting rights of former felons. These tactics are favored by the right, and disproportionately impact communities of color particularly African Americans, Latino/as and American Indians. Recent research of felony disenfranchisement alone, for example, indicates thatfelony disenfranchisement and the over-representation by race has already and will continue to impact the outcome of both national and state-level elections. In all cases, Republicans benefit.

Voter suppression occurs in less direct ways as well, and again these tactics are primarily those of the right, but are occasionally stoked by the disaffected left. Examples here include relentlessly negative campaigning which reduces voter turn-out, thinly coded appeals to racial fears, and calls to sit out elections, or vote third party in protest.

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Salisbury Fire Department Leadership Changes


Mayor James Ireton, Jr. announced today the resignation of Chief Jeffrey Simpson of the Salisbury Fire Department. Deputy Chief Rick Hoppes will, again, assume the role of Acting Chief. Acting Chief Hoppes will begin serving on January 20, 2012.

In his short resignation letter Chief Simpson said, “Life circumstances are such that I am afforded the opportunity to pursue personal and professional interests and I kindly wish to take advantage of those opportunities at this time.”

During his tenure, Chief Simpson was able to secure the purchase of three new ambulances to replace three ambulances that were showing significant wear and tear.

The Chief also focused on developing recognition and training programs for the employees and volunteers in the department.




New Posts to fall below.

Businesses That Rip Off Poor People


Some businesses thrive on the misfortune of others, making unfavorable deals with the poor and desperate to improve their bottom lines. While it's tough to discern the intentions and ethics of management, it's easy to identify the results of their reckless practices.


Penis Tattoo Gives Guy Permanent Erection

You’d think somebody repeatedly sticking a needle in your penis would be a little off-putting, but the 21-year-old Iranian apparently thought it would be a grand idea to have Persian script reading borow be salaamat (good luck on your journeys), and the first initial of his girlfriend’s last name (“M”) tattooed onto his little gentleman.

He was left with a permanent semi-erection as a reminder of just how good the idea was.

His case raises a number of questions, not least whether the wish for good luck is directed to the penis or to the man, and if it’s to the penis, where, exactly, is it going? But, medically speaking, how could getting penis ink give make the organ go haywire?

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Records Fail To Disclose $235 Million In State Work Given To Officials’ Private Interests

Maine Center for Public Interest ReportingDue to a loophole in state law, $235 million given to private organizations run by legislators or spouses of state officials was never disclosed in ethics filings. Those who benefited say statehouse colleagues knew of the overlapping roles, creating a “check” on conflicts of interest.

GOVERNOR O’MALLEY SIGNS HISTORIC EXECUTIVE ORDERS OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZING INDIGINEOUS INDIAN TRIBES

ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 9, 2012) – Today, Governor Martin O’Malley signed two historic Executive Orders recognizing Maryland Indian status of two groups indigenous to the State of Maryland. With the signing of the Executive Orders, Governor O’Malley officially made the Piscataway Indian Nation and the Piscataway Conoy Confederacy the first state recognized tribes in Maryland history. The Piscataway Conoy petition for recognition includes the Piscataway Conoy Confederacy and subtribes, and the Cedarville Band of Piscataway.

“Within the heart of every individual, is a spirit that yearns to be recognized,” said Governor O’Malley. “Today is a day of recognition 380 years in the making. These Executive Orders formally reclaim for all of our children, and for generations to come, the human dignity, the common humanity, and the unity of spirit that we lacked the loving capacity to fully recognize seven generations ago.”

“I am of the belief that Governor O'Malley was our best hope to have the centuries of oppressive denial reversed. His values for civil and human rights, environmental recovery, cultural diversity, history, and community health are truly in accord with our perspectives,” said Billy Redwing Tayac, chief of the Piscataway Indian Nation. “This is righteousness in action. I would like to congratulate the Governor and the citizens of Maryland as well for making the choice to acknowledge the indigenous heritage and communities of our state.”

Recognizing the important contributions made by American Indians, the Maryland General Assembly enacted a law establishing a process under which an American Indian tribe, band, or clan could be formally recognized by the State. Any tribe that wishes to receive State recognition must submit a petition to the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs (MCIA). State law requires that petitioners must show through this documentation that the group has been identified as Native American from before 1790 until the present, part of a continuous Native American community from before 1790 until the present, and is indigenous to Maryland.

Through state recognition, over $17 million in potential funding sources may now become available to the State of Maryland and the Piscataway. The funding will be available in the areas of education, minority business contracting, housing and public health. Also through recognition, the MCIA will be able to assist in the acquisition of federal funding for the re-establishment of the Title VII Indian Education program in Southern Maryland.

“Gaining Maryland Indian Status has specific meaning to the Piscataway,” said Mervin Savoy, tribal chair of the Piscataway Conoy Confederacy and Sub-tribes. “Central to motivating our young people is the sense of identity and pride that will encourage and provide motivation to achieve. Education is the key that unlocks doors that have served to bar progress for our people for decades. Our work now begins to insure this opportunity is infused in our students and our young adults looking to incubate a business and those looking to further their education to make a better life for their families.”

According to 2010 U.S. Census data, there are 23,162 Native Americans living in Maryland and a total of 58,000 people who claim Native American ancestry and another ethnicity.

The MCIA coordinates programs and projects to further the cultural, educational, economic and social development of Maryland’s diverse Indian communities. The Commission also works to promote public awareness and appreciation of the rich contributions American Indians have made to life in Maryland.

Copies of the Executive Orders can be found here:
http://www.governor.maryland.gov/executiveorders/01.01.2012.01.pdf
http://www.governor.maryland.gov/executiveorders/01.01.2012.02.pdf

Grocery Bills Make Dining Out Appear Affordable

Higher gas prices are a snap to spot. But how about grocery prices? Higher costs are harder to track because the checkout bill is different every time.

But some prices are jumping. Meat prices jumped more than 8 percent in 2011, the USDA estimated. Eggs were up about the same amount. Fats and oils? Up close to 9 percent.

The rising cost of some grocery items can make one see financial sense in becoming a vegan, even with fresh fruit and vegetables climbing about 4 to 4.5 percent.

Overall, the Consumer Price Index for all food went up last year between 3.25 and 3.75 percent, with the forecast for 2012 looking slightly less steep, between 2.5 and 3.5 percent.

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Doubts Surface as Police Sharply Increase Taser Use

Chicago TribuneChicago police used Tasers over twice per day in 2011, a rate five times higher than in 2008. Suburban departments have doubled their Taser use.

Teen Gunned Down For Tennis Shoes: Mayor

A 19-year-old D.C. man was shot and killed in the Northeast for his tennis shoes, Mayor Vincent Gray said Sunday night. Police found David Lee Robinson suffering from multiple gunshot wounds early Sunday morning in the 5700 block of Foote Street, Northeast. Robinson was later transported to Howard University Hospital, where he died. Mayor Gray recounted the circumstances of the deadly shooting during a candlelight against gun violence Sunday night at the Shiloh Baptist Church. "He was being robbed for his Nike tennis shoes," Gray said. "A life for a pair of Nike tennis shoes? Come on ladies and gentlemen. It is time for us to be able to end this type of tragic violence in our society." The mayor said that there had been a shootout at Foote Street, and that bullet casings littered the scene. Gray described the deadly exchange as a "gun battle." The killing was the third homicide in the District for 2012.

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Hospice Turns Months-To-Live Patient Into Years Of Abusing Drugs

Bloomberg News

A patient was given what his doctor said was the highest Oxycontin and oxycodone prescription he could write. After being admitted to hospice 11 months later, seemingly with just months to live, his prescription was increased to 14 times the previous level. Years later, he left still alive and addicted to the narcotics.

Air Force To Buy 2,800 iPad 2 Tablets

The Air Force plans to buy several thousand iPads for use by its special operations command, Information Week reports. The service wants to procure upwards of 2,800 iPad 2 tablets to replace paper publications that are regularly issued to pilots by the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and the Air Force. A notice the Air Force posted on FedBizOpps says each member of the command's air crews would receive their own iPad, and it would improve the existing paper-based system by making updates to publications almost instantaneous and less costly.

Bird-Dogging The New Hampshire Candidates

Driving in, you could almost mistake 2011's Manchester, New Hampshire, for 1811's Manchester, England. The Merrimack River's trash-laden banks host red brick factories, just beyond which sit row after row of identical red brick houses with identical red brick chimneys. Separating this industrial zone with its industrial residencies from the rest of the town, train tracks lie parallel to the river.

But this is capitalism after globalization, and the textile jobs that Granite Staters once worked in these factories have long since gone to countries the labor and environmental protections of which are so poor America can't compete without major domestic degradation of the same. New inhabitants of the Merrimack's banks include Texas Instruments; Northeast Delta Dental Stadium; and DEKA, the tech and engineering company founded by Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway and the portable dialysis machine, who bought the old mill cheaply with federal urban renewal funds.

So informs my guide, unemployed tech worker Peter MacLellan, who, a career ago, owned MacLellan News Agency. Spending public cash on corporate ventures is as much a trend here in Manchester as anywhere else, the Verizon Wireless Arena having been built on city funds allocated by referendum. Says MacLellan, "That doesn't make the city money either, but at least we voted for it."

Voting is about all New Hampshire gets attention for in the other 49 states - specifically its primary, the first in the nation, which is set to take place on Tuesday. Candidates' placards line medians and lawns on this side of the railroad tracks - "Romney - Believe in America" and "Newt 2012 - Rebuilding the America We Love." These constitute an 11th-hour effort on behalf of a field of candidates who showed up to campaign in New Hampshire so much later than usual that MacLellan is moved to remark, "I don't remember a primary season this lame. Ever."

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The Fed's Sleazy Idea Of "Transparency"

Note: I can't find the original version of the NY Times article by exploring the links, except the original sentence is on the NY Times page describing the Fed, and in this article in the Boston Globe (potentially the original). Confirming Aaron's observation, Adam Clark Estes, wrote in The Fed Wants More Power

"The Federal Reserve is preparing to open its kimono a bit wider in order to offer more information to investors, in an effort 'to magnify the power of those actions by shaping the expectations of investors,' The New York Times explains. Reporting on some details from an internal meeting in December that were made public on Tuesday afternoon, Benyamin Appelbaum offers the broad strokes of the Fed's plans 'to publish a forecast of its own actions:

'The change in communications policy is part of a broader effort by the Fed’s chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, to improve public understanding of the central bank’s goals and methodology. …The Fed said that it would now publish information about the expectations held by members of that committee for the future path of monetary policy over the current year and the following two years'..." Keep reading here.

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As Home Prices Fall, More Borrowers Walk Away

When David Martin and his wife bought their north Seattle condo five years ago, they figured they had plenty of time to downsize if they needed to before they retired.

Now, with the property worth roughly $60,000 less than the balance of their mortgage, Martin, 68, has been giving serious thought to just walking away, a process lenders call "strategic default."

"Guilt and morality are one side, and objective financial analysis are on the other side," Martin said. "They're coming to two opposite conclusions. I wonder how many other people are struggling with the same question."

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Greece Spends Bailout Cash On European Military Purchases

As Greek standards of living nose-dive, loans to households and businesses shrink still further, and Troika-imposed PSI discussions continue, there is one segment of the country's infrastructure that is holding up well. In a story on Zeit Online [11], the details of the multi-billion Euro new arms contracts are exposed as the European reach-around would be complete with IMF (US) and Europe-provided Greek bailout cash doing a full-circle into American Apache helicopters, French frigates, and German U-Boats. As the unnamed source in the article notes: "If Greece gets paid in March the next tranche of funding (€ 80 billion is expected), there is a real opportunity to conclude new arms contracts." With the country's doctors only treating emergencies, bus drivers on strike, and a dire lack of school textbooks and the country teetering on the brink of Drachmatization, perhaps our previous concerns over military coups [12] was not so far-fetched as after the Portuguese (another obviously stressed nation), the Greeks are the largest buyers of German war weapons. It seems debt crisis talks perhaps had more quid pro quo than many expected as Euro Fighter commitments were also discussed and Greek foreign minister Droutsas points out:"Whether we like it or not, Greece is obliged to have a strong military".

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BREAKING NEWS: Daley Stepping Down As Obama Chief Of Staff

Obama to announce that William Daley is stepping down as chief of staff, to be replaced by current budget director Jack Lew.

From Fox News

Governor O'Malley Yet To Accept Responsibility For Stewart Debacle



Gov. O'Malley Should Accept Blame or Fire Those Who Failed to Properly Vet Stewart



ANNAPOLIS - Richard Stewart, long time political ally of Govenor O'Malley and the only civilian commissioner on the Governor's Redistricting Advisory Committee, plead guilty to tax evasion in federal court last month. When Gov. O'Malley was questioned as to how someone engaged in criminal activities and under criminal investigation could receive such appointment O'Malley responded that he was "clueless" and "shocked."

If O'Malley was indeed clueless, as he claimed, then how come not one of the eight people in his office charged with overseeing appointments made him aware of the situation? Was it due to the fact that Mr. Stewart's qualifications did not matter because the appointment was made as a quid pro quo or, did the Governor's staff fail to properly vet Mr. Stewart?

Unless Governor O'Malley is willing to accept the blame for the failed Stewart appointment, the Maryland Republican Party thinks Governor O'Malley should fire the individuals within his administration who failed to conduct a proper investigation into Richard Stewart's background and qualifications.

David Ferguson, Executive Director of the Maryland Republican Party, commented by saying, "Is the single-most important appointment in the state for sale? Especially when the appointed one has no experience and no knowledge of drawing legislative districts. The Democrats continue to follow their version of the Golden Rule: He who has the gold makes the rules."

Potentially Responsible Staffers:
Rick Abbruzzese, Director of Public Affairs
Matthew D. Gallagher, Chief of Staff
John D. Ratliff, Director of Policy
Joseph C. Bryce, Chief Legislative Officer
Colin Taylor, Research Manager & Speech Coordinator
Elizabeth F. Harris, Chief Legal Counsel
Jeanne D. Hitchcock, Esq, Secretary of Appointments

http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/08conoff/html/01govf.html#appointments

PUBLIC NOTICE



At tonight’s open session of the Salisbury City Council, 6:00 p.m. in Room 301 of the Government Office Building (125 N. Division Street), two items will be considered for addition to the agenda as time-sensitive matters.


The first, requested by the Administration, will be a resolution to authorize the Mayor to sign an Interlocal Agreement for compliance with the 2008 Byrne Memorial Justice Assistant Grant Award. The second is to appoint another attorney to handle the City v. Spies code compliance case in District Court due to such representation being a conflict for the City Attorney.

More On Federal Pay Increase

President Obama plans to propose a slight thaw in the federal pay freeze. It's not enough to keep pace with inflation, but it would be a break from the moratorium on raises that feds have been under for the past two years. Early details of the budget the president will submit to Congress next month indicate the administration wants to bump salaries upward by half a percentage point. The increase would have to be approved by the House and Senate, where it could run into competing legislative agendas proposing to extend the freeze for at least another year.

BREAKING NEWS: SALISBURY FIRE CHIEF QUITS


Chief Simpson has turned in his two week notice.

Hoppes takes trip to Canada at taxpayers expense to visit Fire Boat. This will come back and bite the SFD in a very big way.

Will Mayor Ireton start pushing for Hoppes to be the next Fire Chief, AGAIN? Stay tuned Folks, it's about to hit the fan and you read it here first on Salisbury News.



Originally Posted at 11:30 AM.



New Posts to fall below.

PUBLIC NOTICE


The City Council has scheduled an additional work session for Monday, January 9, 2012, following the conclusion of the Council’s 6:00 p.m. legislative meeting. The work session will be held in Council Chambers (Room 301 of the Government Office Building - 125 N. Division Street) for the purpose of discussing the city clerk selection process.

'Healthy' Diet Best For ADHD Kids

Fast foods, sodas, and ice cream may be American kids' favorite menu items, but they're also probably the worst for those with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new literature review suggests. 

According to two researchers from Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, a relatively simple diet low in fats and high in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables is one of the best alternatives to drug therapy for ADHD. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid supplements have also been shown to help in some controlled studies, they noted.

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ICE Wants To Train 7,000 Officers

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement wants to train 7,000 officers to carry out a new deportation strategy. But the union representing the officers is saying no. The New York Times reports, the National ICE Council says White House policy is forcing its members not to enforce immigration law. At issue is the policy of focusing deportation efforts on high-risk illegals. ICE Commanding officers and prosecutors have all had the training. But the agency will have to bargain with the union in order to get the rest of the agents to carry out the strategy.

U.S. Moves Toward Legal Action Against Swiss Bank: Sources


(Reuters) - U.S. authorities are moving toward taking legal action against Wegelin & Co, which could lead to an indictment of one of Switzerland's last pure private banks, on charges that it enabled wealthy Americans to evade taxes, according to two persons with knowledge of the case.
Negotiations in the case have reached a critical stage, with an indictment possible though the bank is seeking a deferred prosecution agreement, which would be less damaging. The outcome depends on how prosecutors, the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Treasury Department agree to treat the matter, the sources said.

Why You Should Consider Advertising With Salisbury News


Hi Joe,

I was wondering if you wouldn't mind posting a special thank you from me to the community of Delmarva?

I want to thank everyone who downloaded a copy of my book, "When the Heart Falls", from the bottom of my heart! Your support means so much to me and I am truly grateful. When I decided to do this free promotion, I never expected to see the results that I have received so far. I was hoping for at least a couple hundred downloads, and that was setting the bar high. Much to my surprise, I have far exceeded that goal having received over 50,000 downloads in the US alone! My book is currently holding the #2 spot in Amazon's Top 100 Free Contemporary Romance and I'm hoping that I make it to that #1 spot by the end of the day:) My book has also received five 5 Star reviews! Thank you again Delmarva for supporting an unknown author and giving me a chance! And if you haven't had a chance to download your free copy you still have till midnight.

Thank you!
Kimberly Lewis

When the Heart Falls available for FREE download this week only (Jan 2-Jan 6) on Amazon.com.

GOVERNOR MARTIN O'MALLEY TO SIGN HISTORIC MARYLAND INDIAN EXECUTIVE ORDERS

ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 9, 2012) – TODAY, Governor Martin O'Malley will sign historic Executive Orders recognizing Maryland Indian status of two groups indigenous to the State of Maryland. American Indians inhabited what is now Maryland for thousands of years before the founding of the State. Through their cultural heritage, historical influence and participation in public life, American Indians have helped make the State of Maryland the great state it is today.

Bufferin, Excedrin, NoDoz, Gas-X Recalled


Pill Mixup: Bottles May Contain Stray Pills or Prescription Painkillers
Jan. 9, 2012 -- Bufferin, Excedrin, Gas-X, and NoDoz products have been recalled because they may be mixed with one another, contain broken tablets, or contain prescription painkillers.
Drugmaker Novartis is voluntarily recalling 1,645 lots of the four products. All four of the recalled products -- as well as nine prescription opiate painkillers includingPercocet and morphine -- were made at the same plant in Lincoln, Neb.
At a news teleconference, Edward Cox, MD, director of the FDA's office of antiviral products, said there was a slight but real risk that prescription drugs could end up in the over-the-counter products.

Police Search For Sex Offender


Delaware State Police are searching for a registered sex offender who they say asked a 10-year-old girl if he could take nude photos of her.
Police said in November Frank J. Lovett, 34, with a last known address of Greenwood, was driving with his girlfriend's 10-year-old daughter in the car when he asked her if he could take nude pictures of her with his cell phone.

Former Gov’s Son Creates Site To Discuss Politics Without Parties

Ruck.us is a new for-profit website that lets people meet on a common ground based on their political beliefs, whatever they may be. It allows people who are interested in different issues – but not so much in hewing to strict party ideology – to find people who feel the same way they do, to learn about actions they can take to advance their cause, and maybe even to find candidates who more closely match their ideals.

Continue Reading...

My Guantánamo Nightmare


ON Wednesday, America’s detention camp at Guantánamo Bay will have been open for 10 years. For seven of them, I was held there without explanation or charge. During that time my daughters grew up without me. They were toddlers when I was imprisoned, and were never allowed to visit or speak to me by phone. Most of their letters were returned as “undeliverable,” and the few that I received were so thoroughly and thoughtlessly censored that their messages of love and support were lost.
Some American politicians say that people at Guantánamo are terrorists, but I have never been a terrorist. Had I been brought before a court when I was seized, my children’s lives would not have been torn apart, and my family would not have been thrown into poverty. It was only after the United States Supreme Court ordered the government to defend its actions before a federal judge that I was finally able to clear my name and be with them again.

Should Paid Sick Days Be Required by Law?

Millions of Americans have to go to work when they fall ill, a phenomenon known as presenteeism. But mandatory paid sick leave is healthier for us all
Connecticut just became the first state in the nation to require employers to provide workers with paid sick days. The new law — which also allows paid leave for a sick child or spouse — is controversial. Opponents attack it as big government run amok and say it will kill jobs. But it is the right thing to do, both as a matter of humane treatment of workers and public health. And while the law doesn’t cover everyone, it’s a step in the right direction and other states should follow Connecticut’s lead.

Read More

Gas Prices Continue To Rise For 5th Straight Week; Could Set New Record Highs


BALTIMORE (WJZ) — U.S. gasoline prices began 2012 with the highest number ever to start a new year. The price of regular unleaded rose eight cents this past week alone.


Tim Williams explains the climb may continue through the end of summer.


As fireworks marked the New Year by going up, so did gas prices across the country.


“Consistent with what we saw at the very end of 2011, gas prices as well as crude oil prices have steadily increased,” said Ragina Averella, AAA Mid-Atlantic.


Hyundai Elantra Wins Car Of Year

DETROIT (AP) - The Hyundai Elantra has won the North American Car of the Year award.

The award was announced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which holds media previews this week and opens to the public on Jan. 14.

The Land Rover Range Rover Evoque won the North American Truck of the Year.

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Man Killed While Pushing Truck In Southern Maryland

CALIFORNIA, Md. - Authorities say a man was struck and killed while trying to push his stalled pickup truck in an apparent attempt to jump-start it in St. Mary's County.

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Giffords Faces Decision About Future

The signals are strong. One year after being shot in the head, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is on a mission to return to the job she so clearly loved.


Full Story

US Court Backs Foreign Campaign Contribution Ban


WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal seeking to expand the ability of foreigners to contribute to American political campaigns.
The justices on Monday upheld a federal court ruling in favor of the ban on foreign contributions from all but immigrants who permanently live in the United States.
Washington lawyer Michael Carvin wanted the justices to extend their 2010 decision in the Citizens United case allowing greater political participation by corporations and labor unions. Carvin sued on behalf of two people with visas to work in the United States.

Virginia Gun Sales Surge In 2011, Appear To Hit Record

RICHMOND, Va. - Virginia gun sales surged to an apparent record in 2011, fueled in part by shoppers buying more firearms in December.

State police statistics on gun buyers' mandatory criminal-background checks showed that there were 321,166 gun transactions last year, with a single-month record of 41,957 in December.

The number of Virginia gun transactions rose 16 percent from 2010 to 2011, the second-largest percentage increase in a decade and the most since President Barack Obama was elected in 2008. That year, Virginia recorded 268,136 gun transactions.

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Free Simple Tax Prep Available At Wal-Mart Stores

NEW YORK (AP) - The free preparation of the simple tax forms will be made available at more than 3,000 Wal-Mart Stores nationwide starting Monday.

The nation's largest retailer has contracted with the top two tax prep companies, H&R Block Inc. and Jackson-Hewitt Tax Service Inc., to set up kiosks inside its stores where customers can have their tax returns completed by trained preparers.

As it is doing in its own retail locations nationwide, H&R Block will offer free preparation of 1040EZ forms at Wal-Mart through Feb. 29. Block will have kiosks in about 250 Wal-Mart stores.

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Bailey Jewelers Offers 70% Off Year End Sale Continues




Bailey Jewelers




open today 9-6




70% off sale continues till Friday




Melissa Bailey



Bailey Jewelers



30400 Mount Vernon Road



Princess Anne, MD 21853



410-651-3073



Selbyville Town Council To Hear Farmers’ Mkt Proposal


Another farmers’ market could soon be coming to Delaware.
Berlin, Maryland resident Jeannie Mariner who owns property at the corner of Route 17 and Williams Street in Selbyville wants to open a farmers’ market.
Tonight, she’ll present her idea to the Selbyville Town Council.
In 2011, there were 17 farmers’ markets throughout Delaware and for the sixth straight year, sales increased. The 2011 farmers’ markets grossed over $1.8 million in sales during the season which runs from April to October.

Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop Arrested

Man with unusual name tentatively charged in Madison, Wisc., with carrying a concealed knife and possession of drug paraphernalia and marijuana

Authorities in southern Wisconsin are facing a tongue twister thanks to the arrest of Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop.



The unusually named 30-year-old man was in jail Sunday in Madison. Police say he violated his bail conditions from a previous run-in with the law.
Court records show that his name used to be Jeffrey Drew Wilschke. He legally changed it in October.

BREAKING NEWS: Suspected Islamic Extremist Arrested In Florida Bomb Plot

U.S. Department of Justice arrests Sami Osmakac, 25, after he allegedly plotted to bomb and shoot up locations in Tampa, Fla.


Source Fox News

No Police Immunity For Claims Of Urine Torture

(CN) - Pennsylvania state police officers do not have immunity from claims that they tortured a woman with pepper spray, cold water and urine while she was in custody and restraints, a federal judge ruled.
     State troopers took Derena Madison into custody after a 2:30 a.m. traffic stop in which they arrested her friend for driving under the influence. When officers said they would tow the car, Madison exited to protest. Police arrested her for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct, putting her into handcuffs and restraining her feet with manacles.
     While she was restrained and shackled, she claims that Officer Chad Weaver "twice sprayed [her] face, head and body with pepper spray, without justification... for the purpose of torturing her."


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Iran Sentences U.S. 'Spy' To Death

Iran has sentenced a former U.S. Marine to death on charges of spying for the CIA, Iranian state media reported Monday. Iran's Revolutionary Court found 28-year-old Amir Hekmati "Corrupt on Earth," said the Fars news agency, and sentenced him to death "for cooperating with the hostile country . . . and spying for the CIA." Under Iranian law, Hekmati has 20 days to appeal. His trial and death sentence came as Iran announced that it had enriched uranium at an underground facility and as the U.S. imposed harsher economic sanctions on Iran to stop its nuclear program.

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Only 1 In 7 Hospital Errors Reported, Study Finds

Hospital employees recognize and report only one out of seven errors, accidents and other events that harmMedicare patients while they are hospitalized, federal investigators say in a new report.


Yet even after hospitals investigate preventable injuries and infections that have been reported, they rarely change their practices to prevent repetition of the “adverse events,” according to the study, from Daniel R. Levinson, inspector general of theDepartment of Health and Human Services.


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Today's Survey Question 1-9-12

Do you agree with a school's decision to reject a submitted yearbook photograph (posted here) because they found it too revealing?