Saturday, April 21, 2012

Report: Wal-Mart Hushed up Mexico Bribe Network

NEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. hushed up a vast bribery campaign that top executives of its Mexican subsidiary carried out to build stores across that country, according to a published report.

The New York Times reported Saturday that Wal-Mart failed to notify law enforcement officials even after its own investigators found evidence of millions of dollars in bribes. The newspaper said the company shut down its internal probe despite a report by its lead investigator that Mexican and U.S. laws likely were violated.

The bribery campaign was reported to have first come to the attention of senior executives at Wal-Mart in 2005, when a former executive of its largest foreign subsidiary, Wal-Mart de Mexico, provided extensive details of a bribery campaign it had orchestrated to win market dominance.

The Mexican executive, previously the lawyer in charge of obtaining construction permits, said in emails and follow-up conversations that Wal-Mart de Mexico paid bribes to obtain permits throughout the country in its rush to build stores nationwide, the Times reported.

Corky, a stray cat born with a rare congenital birth defect was set to be euthanized in Fargo, N.D. He was given a new lease on life when he was picked up at a local shelter, Cat's Cradle, at the end of March.

Corky was born with a genetic deformity called bilateral arthrogryposis of the tarsus, where his legs were backwards and overlapping.

Cat's Cradle co-founders Gail Ventzke, Amber Schaffer and Carol Stefonek fell in love with the kitten when they were scheduled to pick up two others.

2011 Saw More Measles Cases Than The Past 15 Years

Last year was the worst year for measles in the U.S. in 15 years, according to health officials.

There were 222 cases of measles, a large jump from the 60 or so seen in a typical year. Most of the cases last year were imported -- either by foreign visitors or by U.S. residents who picked up the virus overseas.

U.S. children have been getting vaccinated against the measles for about 50 years. But low vaccination rates in Europe and other places resulted in large outbreaks overseas last year.

Bee Gee Robin Gibb Wakes From Coma

LONDON (Reuters) - Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb has woken from a coma more than a week after he lost consciousness and has attempted to communicate with family members at his hospital bedside, the BBC reported on Saturday.

Gibb, 62, has begun to show signs of recovery and has been able to nod and communicate with his family, spokesman Doug Wright was quoted as saying by the BBC. Wright could not immediately be reached to confirm the report.

The singer contracted pneumonia and fell into a coma at a central London hospital earlier this month. He had been receiving treatment for colon and liver cancer.

2012 Military Family of the Year From Hollywood, Md

It was a moment of complete surprise that left Anne Marie Karnbach literally shaking with delight Thursday.

Her husband, Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Karnbach, was supposed to be at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he is deployed as a Navy reservist. But he had secretly arranged with military superiors to attend a ceremony in Washington, D.C., where his family was to be honored as Our Military Kids’ 2012 Military Family of the Year. When he appeared on stage, his stunned family swarmed upon him, engulfing him in embraces with arms and legs wrapped around his body.

The event was hosted by Our Military Kids, a nonprofit organization that helps families of deployed servicemembers by giving grants that allow military children to participate in extracurricular events. Since 2005, the organization has awarded $14 million dollars in grants and each year chooses among the grantees a family and individual children to honor.
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BREAKING NEWS: Chicago White Sox Pitcher Humber Throws Perfect Game

Chicago White Sox’s Phil Humber throws a perfect game in a 4-0 win against the Seattle Mariners.

From Fox News

Michelin Recalls 77,000 Tires for Safety Problem

Michelin is recalling more than 77,000 bus tires because sidewall defects can cause them to lose air rapidly, increasing the risk of a crash.

The Michelin XZU2, XZU3, and XM505 tires involved in the recall were produced from 2005 to fall 2011 at Michelin's plant in Spartanburg, S.C.

Michelin North America Inc. says its lease fleet customers complained that some of the tires had lost air rapidly during use as retreads over the past two years, prompting a company investigation. It did not cite any instances of crashes.

Naturalization Push Ahead of November Election

Hundreds of volunteers are helping qualified immigrants become U.S. citizens in time to register to vote in the November presidential elections.

The "Become a Citizen Now!" program seeks to help 5,000 immigrants file applications for naturalization in Massachusetts, New York, California, Florida, Maryland, Oregon, Colorado, Washington, Tennessee, Illinois, Wisconsin and New Hampshire. The National Partnership for New Americans' initiative started in March and has already helped 500 applicants.

Legionnaires' Patient Sues Ocean City Hotel

BALTIMORE (AP) - A man who was treated for Legionnaires' disease after an outbreak at an Ocean City hotel last year is suing the innkeeper for $6 million.

Pat Dent filed suit against Plim Plaza Hotel Wednesday in federal court in Baltimore. He and his wife are seeking $5 million in compensatory damages and $1 million for loss of consortium.

Health officials said six cases of Legionnaires' disease, including a fatal case, were confirmed in people who had stayed at the hotel.

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Salisbury Police Can't Control The Animals At The Zoo

Salisbury Fire and Police and trying to get control of a massive party at Salisbury University and it's not going very well. They have called in the management company to remove anyone who doesn't belong at these apartments and remove them from the premisses.

Nugent Ousted From Fort Knox Concert Line-Up

Ted Nugent has been booted from the line-up at an annual Fort Knox summer concert following his recent comments about President Barack Obama, a Fort Knox representative confirmed to The Blaze.

The decision to oust Nugent came after “recent disparaging remarks made against the commander in chief,” Ryan Brus of the Fort Knox public affairs office said.

Because the concert is taking place on a military installation, it “would be a conflict of interest since the military has the obligation to be apolitical,” he said

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Speed Camera Set On Fire

CATONSVILLE, Md. - A brand new Baltimore County speed camera installed just last week was doused and burned up early Friday morning police say; by whom, they still don't know.

All that's left today is the foundation upon which it stood along the 400 block of South Rolling Road; neighbors watching last night what they lobbied hard for literally go up in flames.

Unemployment Ticks Up In Maryland

After months of a steady decline, the unemployment rate in Maryland has increased slightly.

State officials say the workforce growth outpaced employment gains during March.

And that's why Maryland's jobless rate ticked up to 6.6 percent in March from 6.5 percent in February, despite the fact that the US Department of Labor reported there was a net gain of 1,500 jobs last month.

In the past 12 months private sector employers added nearly 48,000 jobs in the state. That's out of almost 50-thousand overall since March of 2011.

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Berlin Eyes 5-Cent Property Tax Rate Decrease

BERLIN -- While there may be trouble at the county level, the budget picture for the town of Berlin is largely positive and contains a property tax decrease, a $500 one-time bonus for employees and a more than $500,000 budget surplus with revenues coming in higher than expenditures.

Totaling $13,333,164 million, the proposed budget is $328,680, or 2 percent, lower than the current budget. This is the fourth consecutive year that the town has decreased its budget from the previous year. Even so, the council is considering dropping the current property tax rate of 73 cents per $100 of real estate value down to 68 cents per $100.

“This 5-cent decrease equals a reduction of $50 per every $100,000 of real estate valuation, or $100 less a year for the average residential taxpayer in the Town of Berlin,” Mayor Gee Williams said.

Town employees also benefit in this budget. While it does not contain a salary increase as last year’s did, the proposed budget will include a one-time $500 bonus for every employee, similar to what was proposed in Ocean City last Friday, though Williams reported the two ideas were developed independently.

Rota Knott (left), Worcester County coordinator for Women Supporting Women, the local breast cancer support organization, accepts a donation from Jeff Auxer of Jeffrey Auxer Designs in Berlin. Jeff donated a portion of the proceeds from the sale of his handmade pink and teal blown glass pumpkins.

RPORATE FASCISM

This chart tells quite a story. The 1950s and 1960s were pretty good economic times for middle class Americans. Jobs were plentiful and the average hard working American had a decent chance to have a better life than their parents. The tax burden was shared equally between individuals and corporations. Excise taxes on imports, which had been the sole tax revenue generator prior to 1913, were still substantial. Payroll taxes on the working middle class only accounted for 5% to 10% of tax revenues. Look what has happened since. The Federal government has been captured by corporate interests (they’re people too). Corporate taxes, which provided 30% of Federal revenues during the 1950s, now provide about 5% of Federal revenues. Payroll taxes on the middle class now provide 40% of revenues. Excise taxes have been virtually eliminated, allowing mega-corporations to ship middle class jobs overseas and not worry about any negative tax consequences. Even though the individual tax burden has stayed constant, the burden has been shifted to the working middle class, as the rich have used their influence to dramatically reduce rates on capital gains and high income. Welcome to our corporate fascist state where you are taught to love your slavery.

What States Have The Most Favorable Business Tax Climate?

What do Wyoming and New Jersey have in common? From a state business tax climate, nothing, according to the Tax Foundation’s 2012 State Business Tax Climate Index. Wyoming tops the states with the best state business tax climate, with its lack of a corporate or individual income tax. New Jersey, on the other hand, scored at the bottom by having the third-worst individual income tax, the fifth-worst sales tax, the 13th-worst corporate tax, and the second-worst property tax.

Rounding out the Tax Foundation’s top ten are: South Dakota; Nevada, Alaska, Florida, New Hampshire; Washington; Montana’ Texas; and Utah. The nine other worst states, in descending order, are: Iowa; Maryland; Wisconsin; North Carolina; Minnesota; Rhode Island; Vermont; California; and New York.

“The lesson is simple,” wrote study author Mark Robyn, “A state that raises sufficient revenue without one of the major taxes, all things being equal, have an advantage over those states that levy every tax in the state tax collector’s arsenal.”

The Department of Labor, Robyn noted, found that most mass job relocations are from one U.S. state to another, rather than to an overseas location. Foe example, in 2005, California-based Intel opted to build its multi-billion dollar chip-making facility in Arizona, which offered a favorable corporate income tax system. In 2010, Northrup Grumman chose Virginia over Maryland for its headquarters because of its better business tax climate.

Scanning the top 10 states, Wyoming, Nevada, South Dakota, and Alaska have no individual income tax. These states also have no corporate tax, Among the country’s most favorable state business tax climates, the index cited the states without a corporate tax (Wyoming, Nevada, South Dakota), individual income tax (Wyoming, Alaska, Florida), or sales tax (Alaska, New Hampshire, and Montana).

At the other end of the scale, Rhode Island has the worst unemployment tax system and fifth-worst property tax system, the Index found. Maryland rose two notches to 42 due mostly to the expiration of the state’s “millionaire tax” on high-income earners. Illinois suffered the Index’s biggest drop in 2011, falling 12 places to 28.

The Index represents the tax climate of each state as of July 1, the first day of the standard 2012 state fiscal year.

Source: http://www.millionairecorner.com/article/what-states-have-most-favorable-business-tax-cliamte.

Donald Liebenson writes news and features for Millionaire Corner. He has been published in the Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Los Angeles Times, Fiscal Times, Entertainment Weekly, Huffington Post, and other outlets. He has also served as a marketing writer for Chicago-based Questar Entertainment and distributor Baker & Taylor.

Nine U.S. Banks Said To Be Examined On Overdraft Fees

The inquiry by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau focuses on how financial institutions persuade customers to enroll in what they call overdraft protection programs.

Two years after regulators gave Americans more power to manage overdrafts of their checking accounts, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is reviewing bank practices to determine if the crackdown went far enough.

The agency, which will decide by the end of the year whether to write new rules, is scrutinizing nine banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) and Bank of America Corp., said four people briefed on the examination.

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Andy Harris Honors Holocaust Hero Who Saved 100,000 Hungarian Jews

Washington, DC — Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives honored Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat and Holocaust hero who saved the lives of an estimated 100,000 Hungarian Jews during World War II, by passing legislation to posthumously award him the Congressional Gold Medal. The Congressional Gold Medal is one of the highest civilian decorations in the United States, awarded to an individual who performs an outstanding deed or act of service to the security, prosperity, and national interest of the United States.

Raoul Wallenberg was made an honorary citizen of the United States, an honor only previously extended to Winston Churchill. Before the vote, Rep. Harris participated in an event sponsored by the Hungarian Embassy that included Annette Lantos, herself a Holocaust survivor and the widow of former Rep. Tom Lantos, Hungarian Ambassador Gyorgy Szapary, Hungarian Deputy Foreign Minister Zsolt Nemeth, and Congressmen Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Dan Burton (R-IN), Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL).

“This is very emotional for me because my father is of Hungarian descent and he was an anti-communist who was sent to a Soviet Gulag for two years,” said Rep. Andy Harris. “It is an honor to help recognize the memory of Raoul Wallenberg, one the greatest humanitarians of the 20th Century. Even in tragic periods like the Holocaust, heroes like Raoul Wallenberg shine a light for future generations so they never forget.”

Lottery Winner Interview

Softball Tourney Benefits Women Supporting Women

The first “Batting for Boobies” softball tournament to benefit the Worcester County Chapter of Women Supporting Women, the local breast cancer support and awareness organization, will be held May 18 to 20 at the Mason Dixon recreation complex in Delmar, Md. All breast cancer survivors are invited to attend and be recognized on Friday night at 6 p.m. for the opening ceremonies at the tournament.

The softball tournament is being organized by WSW supporters Artie Abbott, Justin Seymore and Trina Seymore. It is a 12-team tournament, double elimination with USSA rules. Trophies will be awarded for first, second and third places.

The cost to participate is $200 dollars a team and everyone is welcome to enter a team. Event T-shirts will be for sale and there will be a concession stand, 50/50 drawing, moon bounce for the kids and a weekend full of softball. The rain date is June 1 to 3. Contact Artie Abbott at 443-880-1774, Justin Seymore at 443-735-9030 or Trina Seymore at 443-735-0071 for more information. To register a team, send checks to Trina Y. Seymore, 306 E. Jewell St., Delmar, DE 19940.

Women Supporting Women provides free support for breast cancer survivors and their families, including mentoring and support groups, a lending library and educational materials, wigs, scarves and head coverings, prostheses and bras, specially designed pillows and other items to aid in the recovery process. WSW’s programs are entirely funded through community support, donations and grants and all funding is returned directly to the local community through its programs and services.

Labor Unions Call On Lawmakers To Approve Gaming

Leaders of nearly a dozen unions, mostly in the construction trades, want lawmakers to approve an expanded gambling bill in a special session of the Maryland General Assembly.

The labor leaders delivered a letter Friday to Governor Martin O'Malley, House Speaker Michael Busch and Senate President Mike Miller.

Patrick Moran, executive director of AFSCME Maryland, is among the labor leaders who signed the letter.

The labor leaders say a sixth casino in Prince George's County, and the addition of table games at the state's five remaining casinos, "creates the structure for long-term revenue growth for Maryland."

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Interesting Parallels Between Lincoln And Obma

The similarities are amazing, aren’t they? For all of you who have made disparaging remarks about President Obama, please read the following. I'm sure most of us have read the so-called comparison of Lincoln and Kennedy, but did you ever consider the relationship between Obama and Lincoln? You might be surprised. Parallels of Abraham Lincoln and Barack Hussein Obama: 1. Lincoln placed his hand on the Bible for his inauguration. Obama used the same Bible. 2. Lincoln came from Illinois. Obama comes from Illinois. 3. Lincoln served in the Illinois Legislature. Obama served in the Illinois Legislature. 4. Lincoln had very little experience before becoming President. Obama had very little experience before becoming President. 5. Lincoln rode the train from Philadelphia to Washington for his inauguration. Obama rode the train from Philadelphia to Washington for his inauguration. 6. Lincoln was a skinny lawyer. Obama is a skinny lawyer. 7. Lincoln was a Republican. Obama is a skinny lawyer. 8. Lincoln was in the United States military. Obama is a skinny lawyer. 9. Lincoln believed in everyone carrying their own weight. Obama is a skinny lawyer. 10. Lincoln did not waste taxpayers' money on personal enjoyments. Obama is a skinny lawyer. 11. Lincoln was highly respected. Obama is a skinny lawyer. 12. Lincoln was born in the United States . Obama is a skinny lawyer. 13. Lincoln was honest, so honest he was called Honest Abe. Obama is a skinny lawyer. 14. Lincoln saved the United States . Obama is a skinny lawyer.

Experts Say Zimmerman Attorney Made Smart Move

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) - By questioning a state investigator on the witness stand during a routine bail hearing, George Zimmerman's defense attorney showed some of the weaknesses in prosecutors' claims that the neighborhood watch volunteer committed second-degree murder, legal experts say.

A judge ruled Friday that Zimmerman can be released on $150,000 bail while he awaits trial on murdering 17-year-old Trayvon Martin during a Feb. 26 confrontation in a Sanford, Fla. gated community. Zimmerman apologized to Martin's parents, who were in the courtroom for the bail hearing, in a surprise appearance on the witness stand. Zimmerman is pleading not guilty and claims self-defense.

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WARNING

Plant Sale Pre-Orders Now Available

BERLIN -- With longer days and warmer temperatures, many are planning to spruce up yards and businesses to enjoy the outdoors. When the time comes to put your green thumb to work, think about the benefits of planting native plants.

If you want to purchase native plants (and delicious heirloom tomatoes) for your yard or business, join the Assateague Coastal Trust (ACT) for the 13th Annual Native and Heirloom Plant Festival, scheduled for May 5.

The festival begins at 8 a.m. and will be held in ACT’s large back yard, steps from the corner of Old Ocean City Boulevard and North Main Street in Berlin. The site is a perfect venue for a festival that combines gardening activities, local craft exhibits, and children's programs.

Native or indigenous plants are those that naturally occur in the coastal and Chesapeake Bay watersheds. Using native plants will increase the chances that the plants will thrive in your yard, as they are suited to our soils and climate. Native plant species require less watering than non-natives do, and are able to make better use of rainwater than typical lawn turf. An incredible fringe benefit of the native plant garden is that local and migratory wildlife use native plant species for food, cover, and rearing young.

PEDESTRIAN STRUCK ON COASTAL HIGHWAY

On April 20, 2012, at approximately 12:15 a.m., Ocean City police responded to the area of 33^rd Street and Coastal Highway for a vehicle collision involving a pedestrian. The pedestrian, a 23-year-old man from Ocean City, was attempting to cross Coastal Highway from east to west, when he was struck by a northbound vehicle.

The pedestrian, who was not in a crosswalk at the time of the collision, was transported by Ocean City Emergency Services to Peninsula Regional Medical Center for non-life threatening injuries. Currently no charges have been filed against the pedestrian or the driver; however, the investigation is on-going.

The Ocean City Police Department is reminding citizens to use marked crosswalks while crossing the street. Pedestrians should not take unnecessary risks crossing busy streets against traffic lights. In addition, pedestrians are encouraged to make eye contact with drivers and continue to watch for traffic the entire time you are in the crosswalk. Motorists should also be extremely vigilant while driving, keeping constantly aware of pedestrians, bicycles, mopeds and scooters.

Glen Ave. To Close

GLEN AVENUE TO CLOSE FOR GRADUATION CEREMONIES

HELD MAY 29^th THROUGH JUNE 1^st

April 19 2012, Salisbury MD – County Executive Pollitt has announced that Glen Avenue will be closed for the upcoming high school commencement ceremonies held at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center. Since 2010, County Executive Pollitt has closed Glen Avenue during major events for the safety and well-being of participants and attendees.

Please be aware that on the following dates, from 5pm to 10pm, Glen Avenue will be blocked off to thru traffic:

Tuesday, May 29 Parkside High School
Wednesday, May 30 Mardela High School
Thursday, May 31 Wicomico High School
Friday, June 1 James M. Bennett High School

Jefferson On Taxation And Debt

"I am not among those who fear the people.They, and not the rich, are our dependence for continued freedom.And to preserve their independence,We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.We must make our election between economy and libertyor profusion and servitude.
If we run into such debt, as that we must be taxed in our meat andin our drink, in our necessaries and our comforts, in our labors andour amusements, for our calling and our creedsas the people of England are, our people, like them,must come to labor sixteen hours in the twenty-four,give the earnings of fifteen of theseto the government for their debts and daily expenses;and the sixteenth being insufficient to afford us bread,we must live, as they now do, on oatmeal and potatoes;have no time to think,no means of calling our miss-managers to accountbut be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselvesto rivet their chains on the necks of our fellow-sufferers.
Our land-holders, too, like theirs,retaining indeed the title and stewardship of estates called theirsbut held really in trust for the treasury,must wander, like theirs, in foreign countries,and be contented with penury, obscurity, exile,and the glory of the nation.
This example reads to us the salutary lesson,that private fortunes are destroyed by publicas well as by private extravagances.
And this is the tendency of all human governments.A departure from principle in one instancebecomes a precedent for the second;that second for a third; and so on, till the bulk of society is reduced to be mere automatons of misery,to have no sensibilities left but for sinning and suffering.
Then begins, indeed, the bellum omnium in omnia [war of all against all - Ed.] ,which some philosophers observing to be so general in this world,have mistaken for the natural, instead of the abusive state of man.
And the fore-horse of this frightful team is public debt.Taxation follows that, and in its train wretchedness and oppression."-- Thomas Jefferson(1743-1826), US Founding Father, drafted the Declaration of Independence, 3rd US PresidentSource: Letter to Samuel Kercheval, Monticello, July 12, 1816

Talk About Stupid

Time Is Running Out!!!

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GOVERNOR AND OTHER STATE OFFICIALS TO OFFICIALLY OPEN NEW STATE POLICE WESTERN OPERATIONS CENTER IN HAGERSTOWN

(HAGERSTOWN, MD) – Governor Martin O’Malley will join Colonel Marcus Brown and Department of General Services Secretary Al Collins on Monday for a ribbon-cutting to officially open the new Maryland State Police Western Operations Center. The new facility will house the State Police Hagerstown Barrack, an expanded Western Region Forensic Science Laboratory, the State Fire Marshal’s Office, a training classroom and other important features that will enhance both state and local law enforcement capabilities in Western Maryland.

The ceremony will include comments from Governor O’Malley, Colonel Brown, Secretary Collins, and Lt. Tom Woodward, commander of the Hagerstown Barrack. Other guests attending this event include West Virginia Secretary of Military Affairs and Public Safety, Secretary Joe Thornton, and Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan. The event should last about 30 minutes.

Exxon To Drill In The Arctic

That is correct. Exxon, the largest oil company in the United States, is going to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean. — the Democratic Party’s refusal to open a few hundred acres of Alaska to drilling be darned. The Arctic will have oil rigs. Except they will benefit Russia, not the United States. 21 years after ridding itself of communism, Russia welcomes capitalism.

Meanwhile, the United States government will celebrate Lenin’s birthday tomorrow on Sunday by calling it Earth Day, an excuse to shutter capitalism in this nation.

The Environmental Protection Agency just announced it will crack down on fracking, which has led to oil booms in Kansas, North Dakota and Texas,. The last thing the Democratic Party wants is energy independence for the United States. And the Republican Party is not much better.

The folks at Exxon are not stupid.

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HISTORIC COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER 4-21-12

THE SUNDAY RIDE

(The picture above of the 1934 Ford is from a brochure my father picked up at a Ford dealer in Buffalo, NY in 1934 back in the days when the appearance of the new year models was a big event.)

From the beginning of the era when most families owned an automobile, there was born a family tradition known as “the Sunday ride”.

I remember my mother telling me about the rides she had when she was young. She usually carried a friend with her and, for them to see as much as they did in one afternoon, was a marvel of the time. This would have been in the 1920’s and before the Great Depression, so things were booming around the Eastern Shore. This Sunday afternoon activity was to continue until about 1954 for most Americans. By this time, there were so many more activities available to the average American family to occupy their Sunday afternoons. Things such as organized sports leagues, more traffic on the road and last, but not least, television became much more attractive to people than “just riding around in the car” until 3:30 when the “good programs” would be playing on the radio. But, before all this, the chance to get away from it all and see wondrous sights in the country was the absolute best thing to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Of course, there was always a down side and that is where I contributed to our weekly family outing in the 1940’s. I had two great fears and never let my Dad have that nice, peaceful ride. I was forever asking if he really knew where we were and did we have enough gas to get home. I don’t know why these concerned me to the extent that it did. He never got lost and never ran out of gas, but I persisted in asking these questions on a regular basis.

Everyone else enjoyed the scenery, the farm animals and the new development taking place in and around Salisbury. After a while, they just learned to ignore the five year old nervous wreck in the back seat. Eventually, I learned how to read the gas gauge and a map and never had the problem again.

Barack Obama's Re-Election Bid Is Already In Deep Trouble

Newt Gingrich may not have got the memo but the battle for the Republican nomination is over. Some in the Romney campaign were hoping for a February end but others were fearing it would go on until June and a small number of Republicans even predicted a convention fight in August.

All in all, April is not a bad result for Mitt Romney - long enough to test him, short enough to allow him to focus solely on the general for the final six months.

Despite the very recent and ugly and negative primaries, Romney's struggle with conservatives and the relative difficulty he had in overcoming a lacklustre field, Republicans - who tend to fall in line more readily than Democrats - are already uniting behind him.

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Rand Paul's Future

Politico thinks he is one tough and savvy dude. Politico's Charles Mathesian writes:

Amid the speculation about Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul's future, a clue about his direction from POLITICO's Seung Min Kim:

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is taking on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) – over Las Vegas.

The freshman senator is demanding an investigation into exactly how many government conferences have been held in the last three years in Sin City – like the four-day General Services Administration (GSA) junket that’s now embroiled the agency in a spending scandal.

A rookie senator, less than two years in, taking on the Majority Leader in his own backyard? It's the kind of breach of protocol that would have been unheard of in an earlier Senate era -- and would have made for an epic episode in a Robert Caro book.

But it fits into the narrative he's crafting, one that breaks enough china to signal his outsider status but also has an element of political savvy, such as sticking it to Reid.

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All-You-Can-Eat Buffet Breakfast

Uno's

All-You-Can-Eat Buffet Breakfast

Eggs, Sausage, Bacon. Fried Potatoes, Fresh Fruit

Biscuits

Coffee, Juice

Hosted by Salisbury Metro Lions Club

Saturday, April 22, 2012

8:00 am - 10:00 am

$6.00 Adults

$3.00 Children 10 - Younger

DEWTOUR: WELCOME BACK!

It’s official. The Dew Tour will return to Ocean City this summer.

Earlier this week, Alli Sports, a division of the NBC Sports Group, announced a four-year renewal of its partnership with Mountain Dew, along with the 2012 Dew Tour schedule — Ocean City is stop No. 1.

“I’m both happy and excited. The dates were set — we were just waiting for them to make it official,” Mayor Rick Meehan said this week. The Ocean City Council in January set aside Aug. 16-19, for the East Coast leg of the 2012 Dew Tour, as requested by the tour’s planners, Alli Sports. “The Dew Tour is a great event for Ocean City and it will continue to grow and be more successful.”

Location Last Seen: 5000 block of Seashore Highway, Bridgeville, DE

Date of Occurrence: Monday April 16, 2012 at approximately 10:00 p.m.

Victim:
Candice Kraszewski, 15, Bridgeville, DE

Defendant, Charges, and Bail Information:

Michael R. Rigsby, 23, of Lyles, Tennessee (Photo Attached)
Kidnapping 2nd

Arraigned at JP3 and committed to SCI on $20,000.00 cash bail

Resume:
Bridgeville, DE- The Delaware State Police have arrested the man who picked up a Bridgeville teen.

Detectives from Troop 4 have arrested Michael R. Rigsby, 23, of Lyles, TN. Information led Detectives to Candice Kraszewski’s location in Springfield, Virginia where she and Rigsby were picked up by Fairfax County Police.

Candice was returned to her parents unharmed. A warrant was obtained for Rigsby’s arrest and he was held in Fairfax County until his extradition back to Delaware this afternoon.

Rigsby was arraigned on the charge of Kidnapping 2nd at JP3 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $20,000.00 cash bail.

Attention

Saturday, April 21, 2012

The inquiry by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau focuses on how financial institutions persuade customers to enroll in what they call overdraft protection programs.