DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
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Thursday, February 16, 2012
LATE BREAKING NEWS - Maryland Sales Tax On Gasoline Sales - Legislation Now Officially Sponsored
Tonight - HB 1302 was officially sponsored by House Speaker Busch and SB-971 by Senate President Mike Miller at the request of our illustrious Governor Martin O'Malley. FYI - a 6% Sales Tax is to be assessed on all fuel sales in the State of Maryland and passage of these bills will require the gasoline dealers to collect and to pay to the State of Maryland.
This is in addition the present rate of Maryland fuel tax - currently 23.5 cents per gallon, and the Federal rate of - 18.4 cents per gallon.
In this author's humble opinion - tonight - class warfare has been officially declared against Maryland's citizenry, and more particularly against the working middle class.
The Daily Times Wiped Out My Bank Account
This past week The Daily Times has had to of their employees selling subscriptions at the Delmar Food Lion. My wife wanted a subscriptions for the copouns in the paper. I went ahead and purchased a subscription from them with my debit card .
They wrote down the card number, which I did not want to do but that was the only way to pay. In return they gave us a $10.00 Food Lion Gift Card . The subscription cost was $13.10 .
Yesterday The Daily Times charged my Debit Card ( are you sitting down ? ) $1,146.51 ! I have no idea where they got this number. It doesn't even correlate with $13.10 at all .
A lady named Donna 443-260-3307 called me today and explained that this happened to a few of their customers. They did offer to pay and charges they had might have me but did offer anything for my inconvenience.
It's been a day now and I have not had my money returned to me yet . My mortgage is due this Monday . I hope they give me back my money tomorrow.
I was wondering if anyone else had this happen to them from The Daily Times .
I also wanted to say Thank You for your Local News and help with Lost Pets .
Women In Need Of More Cash Simply Bleach A Few $5 Bills & Turn Them Into $100 Instead
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Judge Really Thought No One Would Catch Her Dismissing Her Own Parking Tickets
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Westminster Dog Show Ditches Sponsor Because Ads Make Everyone Cry
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Got Lipstick? There's Probably Some Lead In It
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FCC To Make Robocalls Opt-In Only, But Human Telemarketers May Still Annoy You
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Pay-Per-Use Electrical Outlets Closer To Becoming A Reality
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Before You Send Off Your Tax Return, Run It Through This Checklist
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High School Rewards Students With Gift Cards For Showing Up To Class
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Man Suffers Heart Attack At The Unfortunately Named Heart Attack Grill
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Citigroup Settles Mortgage Fraud Charges For $158 Million, Admits Fault
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Peanut Butter Disguise Can't Sneak Pot Past TSA
Many things go great with peanut butter, but marijuana isn't one of them, at least when you're going through airport security. A passenger allegedly tried to sneak marijuana aboard a flight from Oakland by packing it inside a peanut butter jar, but Transportation Security Administration workers spotted the ruse with an X-ray machine. The man was cited for drug possession and missed his flight. He said the pot was for medical use and he hid it because he didn't have a medical marijuana card.
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
The Salisbury Police Department would like to advise motorists that speed cameras will soon be operational in the South Division Street area near the intersection of Onley Road. This is within the half mile radius of Bennett Middle & High Schools.
THERE WILL BE NO WARNING PERIOD.
Our first concern is the safety of the students, parents, and school buses that use Onley Rd to drop off and pick up students from the schools. We would like to remind drivers that utilize this street to Drive Alert-Slow Down-Be Safe-Watch for Pedestrians.
Motorists should also be aware that the next location for speed cameras has been approved for the U.S. Rt 50 & Davis St area near Wicomico Middle School.
Ethics Committee Unanimously Recommends To Currie
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The Haircut
His father said he'd make a deal with his son, "You bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible a little, and get your hair cut. Then we'll talk about the car."
The boy thought about that for a moment, decided he'd settle for the offer, and they agreed on it.
After about six weeks his father said, "Son, you've brought your grades up and I've observed that you have been studying your Bible, but I'm disappointed you haven't had your hair cut."
The boy said, "You know, Dad, I've been thinking about that, and I've noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair,
John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair, and there's even strong evidence that Jesus had long hair."
( Dad's reply!)
"Did you also notice they all walked everywhere they went?"
US Jobs Gap Between Young And Old Is Widest Ever
An analysis by the Pew Research Center, released Thursday, details the impact of the recent recession on the attitudes of a generation of mostly 20- and 30-somethings.
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Have A Sinus Infection? Don’t Bother With Antibiotics
But it turns out you’d do just as well to take a sugar pill and treat yourself with standard drugstore remedies. According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association by researchers at Washington University’s School of Medicine in St. Louis, the antibiotics typically prescribed by doctors work no better than placebo for reducing symptoms of infection.
“Patients don’t get better faster or have fewer symptoms when they get antibiotics,” Jay F. Piccirillo, professor of otolaryngology and the study’s senior author, said in a statement. “Our results show that antibiotics aren’t necessary for a basic sinus infection — most people get better on their own.”
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A Short History Of Millionaire Sugar Daddies In Presidential Politics
If Rick Santorum is still in the presidential hunt by the end of March, he'll have two men to thank: Mitt Romney, for being a weak enough front-runner to give him an opening, and Foster Friess, for bankrolling the push. Friess is a Wyoming investor and longtime donor to conservative causes, including Tucker Carlson's Daily Caller. But the limelight has only fallen on the Wyoming investor since he became Santorum's political sugar daddy.
It's actually not clear how much money Friess has given to the Republican former senator from Pennsylvania. (It also appears that, contrary to what you might read, Friess isn't quite a billionaire -- although he is a multi-hundred-millionaire at the least.) In backing Santorum, he follows Sheldon Adelson -- the billoinaire casino magnate who has kept Newt Gingrich's momentum from completely burning out -- in the role of the media's favorite somewhat inscrutable bankroller of politicians. It's conventional to say that the sudden prominence of figures like Adelson and Friess is a product of the Citizens United decision, but while it's true that laws governing donations have changed recently, the presence of political sugar daddies is hardly new. Here are a few of their antecedents.
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Private Prison Corp Offers Needed Cash To States—In Exchange For Prison Ownership And Guaranteed 90% "Occupancy"
In other words, "we own the store and you guarantee the inventory."
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'Colbert Report' Off Air; Comedy Central Mum
NEW YORK (AP) - Comedy Central's "Colbert Report" is off the air and it's a mystery why.
An expected new episode of the show was replaced by a repeat on Wednesday. Comedy Central said Thursday's live show will be off, too.
The network said it was airing the repeats "due to unforeseen circumstances," but offered no other explanation. A person close to the show, who wasn't authorized to speak publically on the matter, told The Associated Press that new episodes are expected to return soon.
A publicist for Colbert declined to comment.
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Music Director's Marriage Leads To His Firing From St. Gabriel Catholic Church
The last five months have been eventful for Steav Bates-Congdon.
First he got married. Then he got fired.
The popular music director at St. Gabriel Catholic Church in south Charlotte lost his job last month for marrying his longtime partner in New York, one of seven states to recognize same-sex marriages.
Under a recent Supreme Court ruling, the firing appears legal.
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SMARTY PANTS TEST
This is VERY FAST , so be prepared.
Woman Sentenced For Spiking Utah Man's Smoothie
Vernal's 8th District Judge Clark McClellan ordered Selena Irene York, 34, to serve three consecutive terms of up to five years each. York pleaded no contest in December to reduced charges of aggravated assault and forgery.
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Affirmative Action — Could Justice Alito’s Vote Change The Game?
At issue is a lawsuit brought by Abigail Fisher, a white student, who said she was denied admission to the University of Texas because of the color of her skin. If the justices vote to hear the case, it could mean a majority of the court is willing to curtail or further restrict race-conscious admissions policies at public universities.
The court is set to discuss the case in its closed-door conference this week and could announce as early as Friday whether it will add the case to next term’s docket.
“This case presents the court with an opportunity to clarify the boundaries of race preferences in higher education, or even reconsider whether race should be permitted at all under the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection,” said Edward Blum, the director of the Project on Fair Representation, a nonprofit legal defense foundation that has provided legal counsel for Fisher.
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24 Policies That Republicans Supported BEFORE They Were Against Them
1. Health Care Mandates) Prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act by Democrats, Republicans widely supported the idea of an individual health care insurance mandate, Newt Gingrich being perhaps the chief supporter. Republicans have always preached about how people need to take responsibility for themselves, and now that a law exists that makes people take responsibility, the GOP is rejecting it simply on the grounds that President Obama and the Democrats passed it.
2. The Nuclear START Treaty) Republicans shamelessly filibustered the ratification of the Obama START Treaty for quite a period of time and criticized it tremendously and continue to try and find ways to circumvent the treaty today. What Republicans conveniently forget is that Ronald Reagan, the man that Republicans worship like a God, negotiated the very first START Treaty which was signed by yet another Republican, George H. W. Bush in 1991. That treaty expired in 2009 so President Obama negotiated a new one to continue the Reagan legacy. But since President Obama negotiated this treaty, Republicans retreated from Reagan’s policy faster than the decade it took to create the START Treaty in the first place.
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"Alexander Field, Greg Clark, And Optimism About The Current Unpleasantness"
And why aren't we doing more to shore up our financial infrastructure through new regulations and oversight of the banking sector so that the problems we are having presently are less likely to reappear? There have been some changes in financial regulation, but not enough, and the financial sector is doing its best to block any further progress in this area:
Alexander Field, Greg Clark, and Optimism about the Current Unpleasantness, by Eric Rauchway: On the jacket of Alexander Field’s new book A Great Leap Forward, my colleague Greg Clark says this:
As we sit mired in the Great Recession, Alexander Field’s exciting reappraisal of the Great Depression offers surprising solace. By showing the Great Depression was coupled with the most rapid technological advance in U.S. history, he fundamentally recasts the history of the 1930s. But he also offers hope that our own depression likely will have no long-run costs to the U.S. economy.
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SALISBURY MAN SENTENCED TO 24 YEARS IN D.O.C. FOR HOME INVASIONS
Clifton Brimer pleaded guilty to Robbery, Burglary, and Theft, and a Wicomico County Circuit Court Judge sentenced Brimer to a total sentence of Twenty Four (24) Years in the custody of the Department of Corrections (15 Years for Robbery, 8 Years for Burglary, 1 Year for Theft).
Matt Maciarello, Wicomico County State’s Attorney, stated, “Nothing is more important to me than protecting those who are unable to protect themselves. Moreover, we strive to ensure that people can feel safe and secure in their own homes in Wicomico County. It is gratifying that the Wicomico County Bureau of Investigation was able to solve this case and the public will be protected from Brimer for a good bit of time.”
The Last FEMA Temporary Housing Unit Has Left New Orleans
Officer Threatens To Make Up Evidence After Arrest Of Innocent Men
SEATTLE -- A Seattle police officer has been caught on tape talking about "making up" evidence while two wrongly arrested men sit in jail. It's the latest shocker uncovered by a KOMO 4 Problem Solver investigation into the Seattle Police Department's vanishing dashcam videos.
Josh Lawson and Christopher Franklin filed a claim against the city Monday for excessive force and wrongful arrest.
The two were arrested at gunpoint on November 16, 2010 and said the incident changed their lives forever. "I thought I was gonna die," Lawson said about that night.
Franklin said it was "the most terrifying thing I've ever experienced."
Shouldn’t Pro-Lifers Be Anti-Death?
Evangelicals have opened up a fascinating new controversy around the complicated issue of fetal rights: If a known neurotoxin — being spewed into the air by coal-fired plants — enters the fetal bloodstream and causes brain damage or premature death, does that threat to the fetus count as something pro-lifers should consider? No, according to lengthy statement released Feb. 8 by the Cornwall Alliance and signed by religious leaders such as Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser, officials with Focus on the Family and other groups that oppose abortion. “The life in pro-life denotes not quality of life but life itself.” The statement goes on to say that the signees do not feel that it is appropriate to fight anything but abortion “under the pro-life banner.”
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South Carolina Mother Faces Charges After Maggots Found In Baby's Diaper
NBC affiliate WYFF reports the baby boy also tested positive for drug exposure. According to a police report, Michelle Butler, 20, took the child to someone's apartment, where they told her to get medical attention for the baby who appeared to have a fever.
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N.J. Dentist Investigated After 2nd Child's Death
Prosecutors said 3-year-old Juan Quiej died on Feb. 8 while visiting dentist Patrick Bamgboye's office in Irvington.
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INTERNAL DOCUMENTS: The Secret, Corporate-Funded Plan To Teach Children That Climate Change Is A Hoax
“Principals and teachers are heavily biased toward the alarmist perspective,” Heartland’s confidential 2012 fundraising document bemoans. The group believes that Wojick’s project has “potential for great success,” because he has “contacts at virtually all the national organizations involved in producing, certifying, and promoting scientific curricula.” The document explains that Wojick will produce “modules” that promote the conspiratorial claim that climate change is “controversial”:
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Obama Wants $2.1 Billion For NASA's Florida Spaceport
The president's $17.7 billion budget request for NASA for the year beginning October 1 includes $2.1 billion for the Florida spaceport, an increase of $323 million over this year's budget.
"During these austere times when other centers went down, for us to go up I think says a lot about the importance of what we're doing and where we're going," Kennedy Space Center director and former astronaut Bob Cabana told a National Space Club Florida Committee meeting in Cape Canaveral on Tuesday.
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The Case For Super PACs
President Obama’s 2012 retooled message is about fairness. If that’s the case, the president should learn to love super PACs and their influx of money into the campaign system—a development which, if nothing else, ensures a stronger competitive balance in elections. That’s a good thing for democracy because it levels the playing field for candidates challenging entrenched incumbents with connections to moneyed interests.
The dirty secret about most campaign finance reforms is that they’re designed to protect incumbents. By decrying the federal campaign rules making it easier for wealthy donors to donate big chunks of cash, good-government groups are unwittingly backing policies that protect current officeholders.
Think about it: Presidents and members of Congress have all the perks of power at their disposal to help them raise cash. President Obama has a slew of willing and wealthy Democratic donors. Most federal lawmakers covet seats on important committees, such as Ways and Means, because of the greater opportunities to raise money.
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The Gray Lady’s Decline
The nation’s most powerful newspaper, The New York Times, faces a sixth straight year of profit loss. The unions are forced to save editorial jobs by taking salary cuts. How does one make a living in print journalism anymore?
As Mike Elk reported last month on this website, in an effort to trim its overhead costs, in December the company froze the pensions of its foreign citizen employees and threatened to cut their health insurance benefits. A frozen pension means the company will no longer be contributing to that employee’s retirement account. The company is trying to cut pensions across the board, for both union and foreign nonunion employees, from The International Herald Tribune in Paris to foreign citizen Times staffers posted worldwide. (Contract talks with the Newspaper Guild union continue.)
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‘Governor’ Franchot Would Apply Litmus Test To School Board Appointments
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Bill Seeks To Reduce Chauffeurs For State Officials
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Tensions Flare As Committee Considers Voter ID Bill
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BREAKING NEWS: 'Underwear Bomber' Gets Life In Prison
From Fox News
OCPD WELCOMES NEW K9 PARTNERS
This week the Ocean City Police Department is welcoming two new police K9 dogs. The new K9’s were picked up by their partners earlier this week from “Castle K9” in Mechanicsburg, PA. PFC Daniel Jacobs met his new partner “Jaxx” a 14-month-old Dutch Sheppard and PFC Michael Kelly met his new partner “Chibo,” a 12-month-old Sheppard mix.
The two new K9 teams will begin a four-week training program at the Castle K9 training center beginning February 23. They are expected to graduate from the program at the end of March and expected to be operational beginning in April.
Upon completion of the training both K9 dogs and their officer handlers will be certified by the North American Police Work Dog Association as patrol and drug detection police K9’s.
“Our K9 unit has always had a long standing tradition of excellence,” said Chief Bernadette A. DiPino. “I am excited about adding two new teams to our department and we know our citizens will enjoy meeting them in the future. Their skills in drug detection, tracking and searches are a great benefit to our officers and our community.”
Happy Mold Infested 3rd Friday
While some may attend the 3rd Friday event in Downtown Salisbury, be sure to bring a mask when you walk into the Vernon Powell building. The last time they held the event there many of the people complained about the severe odor of mildew inside the building.
Mold and Mildew are not something you want to play around with Folks. I'm not exactly sure why they have chosen to use this building but anyone just walking past the exterior of this building can clearly small the mildew and inside is even worse.
Perhaps the Health Department should be checking into this facility. Could you just imagine if ANY local business/restaurant had this same problem while serving FOOD inside! From what I'm hearing they're supposed to be doing just that on 3rd Friday.
Bring A Mask and call the Health Department!
Same-Sex Marriage Bill Debated In House Today
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Nanny state report: NC school officials confiscate preschooler’s homemade lunch
New Airlines Makes 1st Landing At Salisbury Airport
Gilkerson Begins CCIM Journey
SALISBURY, MD, FEBRUARY 2012 - Advisor Joey Gilkerson of Sperry Van Ness – Miller Commercial Real Estate has returned from Washington, DC where he was enrolled in the ‘Intro’ CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) course. The CCIM is the most prestigious designation in the Commercial Real Estate industry. Gilkerson is now officially a candidate for the CCIM designation.
Gilkerson passed the class with a 96% on the final examination. He is required to complete...
THINGS I LEARNED LIVING IN THE SOUTH
There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 of them live in the South.
There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 of them live in the South, plus a couple no one's seen before.
If it grows, it'll stick ya. If it crawls, it'll bite cha.
Onced and Twiced are words.
It is not a shopping cart, it is a buggy!
Jawl-P? means, Did you all go to the bathroom?
People actually grow,eat and like okra.
Fixinto is one word. It means I'm going to do that.
There is no such thing as lunch. There is only dinner and then there's supper.
Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar. It is referred to as the Wine of the South.
Backwards and forwards means I know everything about you.
The word jeet is actually a question meaning, 'Did you eat?'
You don't have to wear a watch, because it doesn't matter what time it is, you work until you're done or it's too dark to see.
You don't PUSH buttons, you MASH em.
Ya'll is singular. All ya'll is plural.
All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect, or animal.
You carry jumper cables in your car - for your OWN car.
You only own five spices: salt, pepper, mustard, Tabasco and ketchup.
The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local high school sports, the motor sports, and gossip.
Everyone you meet is a Honey, Sugar, Miss(first name) or Mr.(first name)
You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday.
You know what a hissy fit is..
Fried catfish is the other white meat.
We don't need no dang Driver's Ed. If our mama says we can drive, we can drive!!!
You understand these jokes and forward them to your Southern friends and those who just wish they were from the SOUTH.
THIS IS HOW SICK THESE PEOPLE ARE
C'mon, Joe, You know you want to post it. Don't be afraid.
Are you proud of yourself JR, JT, JI or MD? Do you feel like men now that you'll attack my deceased Mother?
Ladies & Gentlemen, THIS is the kind of crap I've been rejecting all day. THIS is the kind of crap I deal with day in and day out.
I tried to tell you people that I wanted to start a Website that just published ALL of the nasty comments we spammed but the majority of you said no.
ONLY this select group of men would attack an innocent and even dead WOMAN. Not ONE of them are man enough to man up to who they are because they know for a fact a real man would beat the living shit out of them.
No matter what, we move on and we deal with them but every so often I will expose them for who they are so that YOU can see the evil in them. Try getting a hundred of those messages a day and you'd understand my position.
Now they have stooped so low they'll pick on a deceased woman who has no defense. Do tell me of another man you can think of outside of this crowd that would stoop so low. There are none that I'm aware of.
WE ARE THE ROMAN EMPIRE
Obama wants cheaper pennies and nickels
The U.S. Mint is facing a problem — especially during these penny-pinching times. It turns out it costs more to make pennies and nickels than the coins are worth.
And because of that, the Obama administration this week asked Congress for permission to change the mix of metal that goes to make pennies and nickels, an expensive recipe that has remained unchanged for more than 30 years.
To be precise, it cost 2.4 cents to make one penny in 2011 and about 11.2 cents for each nickel.
Given the number of coins that the mint produces — 4.3 billion pennies and 914 million nickels last year alone, those costs add up pretty quickly: a little more than $100 million for each coin.
But even though Treasury has been studying new metals since 2010, it has yet to come up with a workable mix that would definitely be cheaper, and it has no details yet as to what metals should be used or how much it would save to do so.
Even if a cheaper metal can be used, it might not take the cost of a penny down to less than a penny.
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Li(e)borgate Set To Become "Next Big Litigation Thing" As Lawsuits Against Libor Banks Avalanche
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School-Zone Sign With 6 Separate Times Irks Driver
Greg Smith tells The Oakland Press of Pontiac ( http://bit.ly/zeVCbZ) that he noticed the sign recently in Oakland County's White Lake Township that lists six separate times when drivers should slow down to 25 mph on school days.
Smith says drivers "practically have to come to a stop to read it." An elementary, middle and high school all are nearby.
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PUBLISHERS NOTES: Beware Salisbury, TWO new speed cameras are being set up. One is already in place at Bennett, almost 1/2 mile from the school, (which is legal). The other will be set up any day now on Rt. 50 near the Arby's.
Tuition Costs Rising In D.C., Virginia And Maryland
Tuition and fees at the College of William & Mary have gone up 48.8 percent since the 2004-2005 school year, to $12,188 in 2010-2011.
In the same time period, they've gone up more than 40 percent at Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth and Radford universities. Tuition and fees went up 38.1 percent in that period at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, to $10,828 in 2010-2011.
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Prosecutors Want Johnson To Pay Fine Before Prison
The Washington Times reports that a motion was filed on Wednesday that requests Johnson pay the fine up front rather than in installments after his release. Prosecutors for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland say Johnson has nearly $212,000 in cash that could be used to pay the fine.
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Interracial Marriage In US Hits New High: 1 In 12
A Pew Research Center study, released Thursday, details a diversifying America where interracial unions and the mixed-race children they produce are challenging typical notions of race.
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Subsidies Flow To Obama Donors
Kevin G. Douglas, Westport’s largest individual shareholder, April 8 gave more than $30,000 to Obama and the Democratic National Committee, according to federal campaign filings.
In a lucky confluence of events, a bill, supported by the president, New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act, designed to subsidize the migration of American vehicles from gasoline and diesel to LNG-powered engines was filed April 6 in the House of Representatives. The bill is also known by the shorthand: Natural Gas Act.
The Natural Gas Act will create federal tax credits for natural gas vehicles, storage facilities and fueling stations for a five-year period.
Speaking in front of UPS and other trucks equipped with Westport engines, the president told the large crowd of UPS employees and supporters that the Natural Gas Act was good for the economy and the environment.
“We’re actually here to announce an exciting new partnership between the federal government and some of America’s leading companies,” the president said.
“My hope is that members of both parties, Republicans and Democrats, will support these kinds of proposals. This shouldn’t be a partisan issue. This is an American issue,” he said.
Westport’s CEO David R. Demers, who also spoke at the event, said his company was ready to take advantage of the Natural Gas Act when it is passed.
Westport has three engine manufacturing partnerships in China, according to the company's federal filings.
Federal filings also show that Soros Fund Management, the investment vehicle controlled by billionaire and longtime Democratic donor George Soros, owns more than three million shares in the Vancouver, British Columbia-based distributor of LNG engines. It is a position worth more than $90 million, as of the Feb. 14 market close.
Always generous to Democrats, Soros, and individuals associated with him, have supported proponents of the Natural Gas Act.
Soros himself has donated $5,000 to bill co-sponsor Rep. Nita M. Lowey (D-N.Y.) and $75,000 in May to the Democrat’s House Majority PAC, a super political action committee, which was established April 8, according to federal filings.
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Obama Pushes Global Minimum Tax in Milwaukee
But the White House pushed back the next day, telling Politico through an unnamed “official” that “[Sperling] was referring to our proposal in the Blueprint for an American Built to Last that removes tax incentives for companies that ship jobs overseas.” The Politico article was titled, “No 'global tax,' W.H. says,” though the article never actually quoted anyone—named or unnamed—denying the substance of Sperling’s proposal (or even that it would in effect be a “global minimum tax”).
Well today, in a speech the president is delivering in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Obama announced the thrust of what amounts to a “global minimum tax”—even if he avoided using the controversial phrase.
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Principles
-- Edward Gibbon
(1737-1794) English historian and Member of Parliament 1776
ICYMI: Belling The No-New-Taxes Cat
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/16/opinion/belling-the-no-new-taxes-cat-in-maryland.html?ref=opinion
February 15, 2012
Belling the No-New-Taxes Cat
Credit Gov. Martin O’Malley of Maryland with political courage in daring the Legislature to face up to the state’s neglected roads and transit needs by, yes, raising the gasoline tax. It was last increased 20 years ago with no index for inflation. State lawmakers, fearing the voters’ wrath, have neglected this responsibility ever since.
In his State of the State address, Mr. O’Malley, a Democrat, bucked the no-new-taxes delusions with a blunt reminder that, sooner or later, taxpayers must pay for the services they enjoy. He also proposed several revenue and fee increases to pay for education and other programs.
The gas-tax proposal would phase in across three years an additional 6 percent sales tax on gasoline, the same that is levied now on general goods. This would float with the wholesale cost of gas and eventually add an estimated 18 cents to the cost of a gallon while raising $615 million a year in revenues.
While Republicans and some Democrats loudly protest that the governor is asking too much of taxpayers in hard times, their complaints of his “job killing” agenda hardly stacks up against the likely growth in transportation projects. For drivers, the net effect would leave the total cost of state and federal fuel taxes at 17 percent of the pump price, compared with the 20 percent it was 20 years ago, according to The Baltimore Sun.
Mr. O’Malley, in his final term and a subject of presidential speculation for 2016, is not backing down. He argues that elected officials can no longer escape the “tough choices” of public service by resorting to no-new-taxes pandering that never built a bridge nor paved a road.
O'Malley Not Eager For Table Games In Maryland
O'Malley spoke Wednesday night during a forum at The (Baltimore) Sun with the newspaper's opinion editor, Andrew Green, who posed questions submitted by Maryland residents to the governor.
Asked about his thoughts on expanding gambling in Maryland, O'Malley said: "I'm not barking up that tree."
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15 file-sharing sites like Megaupload that the Feds may target next
As more details come to light in the much-publicized Megaupload case, other file-sharing sites around the web are shutting their doors in fear that they could be targeted next by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Over the weekend, popular Megaupload alternatives FileSonic and FileServe completely turned off the ability to share files with other people. And another well-trafficked site,Uploaded.to, has blocked all U.S.-based IP addresses in fear of getting in serious trouble with the U.S. government.
Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom and several other Megaupload employees were arrested after being named in a 72-page indictment issued Thursday by the DOJ. The indictment alleges Megaupload is connected to a vast criminal enterprise and has caused more than $500 million in harm to copyright owners. If convicted, the company’s executives could serve many years in prison.
Even with trouble brewing, many sites that emulate Megaupload’s basic capabilities still work just fine. The CEO of popular file-sharing site MediaFire told me Sunday the company isn’t too concerned about government scrutiny because it is a legitimate business and doesn’t incentivize piracy like Megaupload did. That said, just because a company is confident about its legitimacy and employees don’t absurdly flaunt their wealth, doesn’t guarantee the government won’t investigate it.
BREAKING NEWS: US, Afghanistan And Taliban In Talks
From Fox News
BREAKING NEWS ON GAY MARRIAGE
Today's Survey Question 2-16-12
USNS Comfort Moving Out Of Baltimore Port
The Navy has announced that the floating medical complex will be moving to Norfolk.
The move is expected to be done early next year. The Navy said that moving the Comfort will save around $2 million a year.
Missing Dog 2-15-12: UPDATE
Hi Joe,
I have always been happy to see pets reunited with families through your blog and hope that the same happens to me. Budd is a 6 year old male pit bull, very friendly. He broke his chain sometime today between 8AM and 2PM. We live on Campground Rd. close to the Upper Ferry. I have contacted the Human Society and they have not gotten any calls but will contact me if so. I have had Budd since he was born and actually sat all night with his mom while she gave birth. He is a big part of our family and we hope to have him home soon. Thank you.
Obama’s Budget Plan Backs Ending Saturday Mail, Other Postal Service Changes
The budget proposals mirror plans Obama presented to the fiscal “supercommittee” in September that the panel didn’t adopt.
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Public Notice Of Closed Session
THE SALISBURY CITY COUNCIL WILL CONVENE IN WORK SESSION AT 2:30 P.M. ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 TO ENTERTAIN A VOTE TO CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION TO CONSULT WITH LEGAL COUNSEL AND STAFF ON PENDING OR POTENTIAL LITIGATION AS PERMITTED UNDER THE ANNOTATED CODE OF MARYLAND SECTIONS 10-508(a)(7)(8).
THE OPEN WORK SESSION WILL BE HELD IN CONFERENCE ROOM #306 OF THE GOVERNMENT OFFICE BUILDING (125 N. DIVISION STREET) AT WHICH TIME THE PUBLIC CAN OBSERVE THE MOTION, ANY DISCUSSION AND THE VOTE TO CONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION AS NOTED ABOVE.
Female Passengers Say They Were Targeted for TSA Body Scanners
TSA agents in Dallas singled out female passengers to undergo screening in a body scanner, according to complaints filed by several women who said they felt the screeners intentionally targeted them to view their bodies.
One woman who flew out of Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport several months ago said a female agent sent her through a body scanner three times after the agent commented on her “cute” body.
“She says to me, ‘Do you play tennis?’ And I said, ‘Why?’‘You just have such a cute figure,’” Ellen Terrell recalled to CBS News in Dallas.
Moyers: Meet The Shameless Plutocrats Choking What's Left Of Our Democracy
Watching what’s happening to our democracy is like watching the cruise ship Costa Concordia founder and sink slowly into the sea off the coast of Italy, as the passengers, shorn of life vests, scramble for safety as best they can, while the captain trips and falls conveniently into a waiting life boat.
We are drowning here, with gaping holes torn into the hull of the ship of state from charges detonated by the owners and manipulators of capital. Their wealth has become a demonic force in politics. Nothing can stop them. Not the law, which has been written to accommodate them. Not scrutiny -- they have no shame. Not a decent respect for the welfare of others -- the people without means, their safety net shredded, left helpless before events beyond their control.
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Why Don’t Americans Elect Scientists?
China has even more scientists in key positions in the government. President Hu Jintao was trained as a hydraulic engineer and Premier Wen Jiabao as a geomechanical engineer. In fact, eight out of the nine top government officials in China have scientific backgrounds. There is a scattering of scientist-politicians in high government positions in other countries as well. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has a doctorate in physical chemistry, and, going back a bit, Margaret Thatcher earned a degree in chemistry.
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Leak Exposes How Heartland Institute Works To Undermine Climate Science
The inner workings of a libertarian thinktank working to discredit the established science on climate change have been exposed by a leak of confidential documents detailing its strategy and fundraising networks.
DeSmogBlog, which broke the story, said it had received the confidential documents from an "insider" at the Heartland Institute, which is based in Chicago. The blog monitors industry efforts to discredit climate science.
The scheme includes spending $100,000 for spreading the message in K-12 schools that "the topic of climate change is controversial and uncertain - two key points that are effective at dissuading teachers from teaching science", the documents said.
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Michigan's Hostile Takeover
When the city of Pontiac, Michigan, shut down its fire department last Christmas Eve, city councilman Kermit Williams learned about it in the morning paper. "Nobody reports to me anymore," Williams says. "It just gets reported in the press." This was just the latest in a series of radical changes in the city, where elected officials such as Williams have been replaced by a single person with unprecedented control over the city's operation and budget.
Gov. Rick Snyder put Louis Schimmel in charge of Pontiac last September, invoking Public Act 4, a recent law that lets the governor name appointees to take over financially troubled cities and enact drastic austerity measures. Under the law, passed last March, these emergency managers can nullify labor contracts, privatize public services, sell off city property, and even dismiss elected officials.
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Lacking A Real War On Religion, Republicans Just Made One up
It never occurred to me to evaluate the Grammy Awards show on theological rectitude, but apparently we’re supposed to be outraged at the over-the-top “exorcism” Minaj performed Sunday night.
The hip-hop diva, who writhed and cavorted amid a riot of religious iconography, is accused of anti-Catholic bigotry – and seen as an enemy combatant in an escalating “war on religion” being waged by “secular elites,” which seems to be used as a synonym for “Democrats.”
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Oh, We Have Really Upset The Old Tilghman Administration, (Dirty Dozen)
They are now copying and pasting comments to each and every post I have up. The same message over and over again.
Oh My God, I think I'll stop blogging for the rest of my life because JT, BT, MD, LC, JI, JR and the rest of the Dirty Dozen are sending me hate mail.
We called them out yesterday. We called out the Daily Times and they removed my comment from their Website and we proved it. Now they are freaking out sending in comment after comment hoping just one might slip through.
Ladies & Gentlemen, be VERY afraid of the next election because you will see the most crooked group of people lying, cheating and stealing anything and everything they can to get back into power.
Poor little Jimmy and his buddies are being exposed by the tens of thousands and NOW they finally realize it.
Remember Folks, Salisbury News ads are only $100.00 a MONTH, not per day, per MONTH. The Daily Times ads START at 1/4 page, $568.00 PER DAY and go up to $2,106.00 PER DAY!!!!!!!
Show your support for Salisbury News and FINALLY get the attention you deserve without emptying your bank account. alberobutzo@wmconnect.com
Are You Making the FBI Suspicious? See The Fliers That Reveal What They’re Looking For
Do you pay for your coffee each day with cash? Express an interest in remote-controlled airplanes? According to fliers created by the FBI and Bureau of Justice Assistance for distribution to a variety of businesses, this could be considered indications of terrorist tendencies, the Huffington Post reports.
The 25 fliers part of the campaign “Communities Against Terrorism” are targeted toward “threat areas,” which include airport service providers, beauty/drug suppliers, construction sites, hobby shops, Internet cafes, martial arts, rental cars and tattoo parlors, among others. Each target area comes with a downloadable flier profiling activity employees could look for to detect potential terrorists. See all the fliers here.
DEATH SPIRAL OF DEBT
The article below the charts from Niall Ferguson describes our pathway to becoming Greece. Our hubris blinds us from the fact that we are no different than the PIIGS. Our interest rates will spike at some point. You will not receive advance warning. It will happen over a weekend. Our time is coming. The death spiral of debt will consume everyone.
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Even More Positive Data; Now From Homebuilders
The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo index of builder confidence rose for a fifth straight month, to 29 in February from 25 in January, figures showed. Keynesian econometricians underestimated the increase. The median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News called for a rise of only 26.
The last time the builder confidence index increased five straight months or more was April through October 1995.
Further, a measure of sales expectations for the next six months advanced to 34, the best reading since July 2007, from 29. The gauge of buyer traffic rose to 22, the highest since June 2007, from 21.
Bernanke printed money is starting to circulate.
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PARAPROSDOKIANS
I had to look up "paraprosdokian". Here is the definition: "Figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected; frequently used in a humorous situation."
"Where there's a will, I want to be in it," is a type of paraprosdokian.
1. Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
2. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on my list.
3. Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
4. If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong. <----------- My favorite!
5. We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.
6. War does not determine who is right - only who is left..
7. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
8. Evening news is where they begin with 'Good Evening,' and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.
9. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.
10. A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station.
11. I thought I wanted a career. Turns out I just wanted paychecks.
12. Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says, 'In case of emergency, notify: I put 'DOCTOR.'
13. I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.
14. Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.
15. Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman.
16. A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory.
17. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.
18. Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.
19. There's a fine line between cuddling and holding someone down so they can't get away.
20. I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not so sure.
21. You're never too old to learn something stupid.
22. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.
23. Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
24. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
25. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
Lawmakers Challenge O’Malley, Environment Secretary On Flush Tax Hike; Small Businesses Could See 250% Increase
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Free Concert
WHO: Chris English
WHEN: Thursday, March 15, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: Wicomico Public Library, Main Library, Room 1
SALISBURY, MD – February 12, 2012 – Chris English performs original and traditional blues at the Main Library as part of the free concert series. Show time is 7 p.m. Friday, March 15. Chris is a busy blues artist and a full time faculty member in the Music Department at Salisbury University. He delivers a unique "take 'em to church" performance which includes singing, guitar, harmonica, and foot box, all at the same time! This evening will also include the artist's insight on technique and song origins. Informal questions are welcome.
This event is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Salisbury Wicomico Arts Council, awarded by the Maryland State Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information on this event or other library services, visit us on the web at www.wicomicolibrary.org or call 410-749-3612. Programs are free and open to the public. Wicomico Public Library has five locations to serve you: Bivalve Station, Centre Branch, Pittsville Branch, Main Library, and Bookmobile.
Wicomico Public Library: Supporting Learning, Building Community, Enriching Lives!
One In 8 U.S. Voter Registrations Faulty
More than 1.8 million dead people are listed as active U.S. voters, and about 2.75 million people have active registration in more than one state, according to the research by the non-partisan think tank.
U.S. electoral systems "are plagued with errors and inefficiencies that waste taxpayer dollars, undermine voter confidence, and fuel partisan disputes over the integrity of our elections," the report said.
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As Legislators Debate Clean Energy, Report Outlines Extreme Weather In Maryland
WHAT:
2011 set records nationally for extreme weather and weather-related disasters. Environment Maryland will hold a press conference to release a new Environment Maryland report and launch an interactive online map documenting how many Marylanders live in counties hit by recent weather-related disasters. The report will also outline how global warming could lead to certain extreme weather events becoming even more common or more severe in the future.
The report is being released as Maryland officials consider ways to improve the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), and look to pass the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2012 (SB 237 and HB 441) to bring more home-grown and pollution-free clean energy to the state, while limiting the carbon pollution that fuels global warming.
WHO:
· Del. Thomas Hucker, Maryland House of Delegates (District 20)
· Maria Broadbent, Director, Department of Neighborhood and Environmental Programs for the City of Annapolis
· Ewa Krason, Field Organizer, Environment Maryland
WHEN: Thursday, February 16, 2012
11:30 AM
WHERE: City Dock Pier in Annapolis, MD where Dock St meets the Chesapeake Bay at Susan B. Campbell Park
At the end of the Dock St. pier, after the Visitor's Information Booth and the Dock Master's office (the two story building by the restrooms)
VISUALS: Backdrop of the Chesapeake Bay at the Annapolis City Dock, a place that has been affected by weather-related disasters in recent years. The online interactive map will go live on Environment State’s website shortly after Thursday’s press event.
DAILY TIMES REMOVES MY COMMENT, AGAIN
No matter what is said, yellow journalism is alive and well here on the Eastern Shore.
Early this morning I sent in the above comment and wouldn't you know it, they removed it in absolutely no time at all. We were smart enough to capture the image but this is exactly what I'm talking about when it comes to the Daily Times.
Their agenda is to crush Debbie Campbell, Tim Spies and Terry Cohen at any cost. Anyone supporting them or challenging Mitchell or the Mayor will get rejected.
What';s it going to take before all of you subscribers get it. You're not getting fair and balanced news/reporting. You're getting what the Daily Times wants you to hear.
House-Senate Deal Reached On Payroll Tax Cut
the payroll tax cut and jobless benefits for millions of unemployed workers.