DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Popular Posts
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Our Thoughts
Perhaps Americans need to rethink one of our laws nation wide.
IF ONE citizen properly trained had been carrying a weapon in the Colorado Movie Theater, most would still be alive today.
Nation wide, we have to be concerned for our own safety. The Police can't be everywhere and tragedies like this need to end.
Man Accused of Causing HepC Outbreak Worked in Md.
The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said Friday that David Kwiatkowski worked in the state from 2008 to 2010. Kwiatkowski has been infected with the hepatitis C virus since at least June 2010. Officials do not know if there is a potential risk to patients in Maryland.
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Transportation Dept. Hands Out $500 Million More Stimulus Funds – Including $100 Million for Trains in Obama’s Hometown
The task force web site describes the program as a “partnership” between the Transportation Department, the state of Illinois, city of Chicago and the Metropolitan Rail Corporation (Metra), Amtrak, and freight railroads using the rail lines. The task force goals include improving infrastructure, passenger service, public safety, and to “create and retain jobs” and “improve air quality.”
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Youth Tries to Seize Olympic Torch While Screaming ‘Allahu Akbar’
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FAA Has Authorized 106 Government ‘Entities’ to Fly Domestic Drones
“We are now on the edge of a new horizon: using unmanned aerial systems within the homeland,” House Homeland Security Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Michael McCaul (R.-Texas) said as he introduced the testimony.
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‘Discriminates Against a Population’: Boston Mayor Vows to Block Chick-fil-A From City
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Chick-fil-A doesn’t belong in Boston. You can’t have a business in the city of Boston that discriminates against a population. We’re an open city, we’re a city that’s at the forefront of inclusion,” Mayor Thomas M. Menino told the Boston Herald Thursday.
“That’s the Freedom Trail. That’s where it all started right here. And we’re not going to have a company, Chick-fil-A or whatever the hell the name is, on our Freedom Trail,” he added.
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Kid Dyn-o-Mite is a Senior Citizen, Still on Road
Raised in the projects of the South Bronx, Walker got his start opening community rallies for the militant Black Panthers, then playing the clubs around New York. His big break came in 1973, with his first national TV appearance, on ABC's "Jack Paar Tonight."
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Recovery: Unemployment Spikes in 27 States
The Labor Department said Friday that unemployment rates fell in 11 states and Washington, D.C. — the fewest declines since August. Rates were unchanged in 12 states.
Nationwide, employers added only 80,000 jobs last month, third straight month of weak job growth. The national unemployment rate stayed at 8.2%.
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Local Body Boarder Makes East Coast History
The United States Bodyboarding Association’s (USBA) Pro Tour just held its stop in Hawaii for the Sandy Beach Pro on July 7-8 where local Brian Stoehr placed fourth in the contest, leaving him ranked third overall, as he heads to the final contest, Jenks Pro, at Jenkinson’s Beach, N.J., on Sept. 1.
“This is the best I’ve ever been sitting going into the final event,” said Stoehr, who has won the overall title for U.S. National Pro Tour DK Champion based on points twice before, at the age of 29 and 30.
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OC Union Petition Successful
According to City Clerk Kelly Allmond, on June 28 Gregory DeMarco of the Ocean City Employee Coalition served the City Clerk’s Office with a petition entitled “Petition for Town of Ocean City Charter Amendment for Fair and Equal Representation Rights For The General Employees of the Town of Ocean City”.
On July 9, the Board of Elections Supervisors convened to review and verify the results of the petition and during Monday night’s Mayor and City Council meeting Board of Elections Supervisor Vicky Barrett read into the record a letter of Certification of Petition Results written by Board of Elections member Mary Adeline Bradford.
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Here's Why Obama's Best Banker Buddy Suddenly Left UBS
A well-connected UBS insider (who prefers to remain anonymous) gives us his take, which is that Wolf, an 18 year veteran at UBS who is friends with President Obama, had been on "thin ice for a while."
Our source characterizes the view from inside the firm:
"Every time for the last 2 years that someone questioned his contribution to the firm, a fluff piece about him and Obama would magically appear in the press. That got old. I do know that this was not a recent decision. He's been on thin ice for a while. Internal tension was being caused by the recent troubles and the knowledge that he was making a ton of dough. New mindset at UBS and most brokerages, pay your way or get out."
Wolf has a reputation on The Street for being tight with Obama.
In the past, the top banker and the President have vacationed together where they have played basketball and golfed with each other.
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WTH CHART OF THE DAY
How Food Stamps Enrich Crony Capitalists
The Farm Bill is reapproved every five years; in the 2007 bill, the biggest lobbyists included the agriculture biotech giant Monsanto, which spent $8.8 million. Other large corporate lobbyists included American Farm Bureau, Kraft Foods, PepsiCo Inc., American Beverage Association, Tyson Foods, Coca-Cola Co, Wal-Mart Stores, and the GMA (Grocery Manufacturer Association).
Big Agriculture lobbies Congress knowing hundreds of millions of dollars are on the line for their corporations.
Lobbying also takes place at the state level, where Big Agriculture has been fighting off further regulation of SNAP. State laws cannot strictly mandate that certain purchases be forbidden with the use of SNAP; the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) has jurisdiction on how SNAP money is spent. State laws are required to seek a waiver from the USDA on certain products. Nine states proposed bills to alter SNAP to make it a more health-conscious program, but none of the proposed measures passed due to the pushback by Big Agriculture.
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Police Disable Trip Wire In Shooting Suspect, James Holmes, Apt.
The wire was set up to detonated when a person entered the apartment and stepped on the wire. There are other incendiary devices inside, but authorities would not elaborate on the type of devices.
The second phase of the operation could possibly include more controlled detonations. Residences in the surrounding area will be notified via emergency alert notification. Those in the area may hear a loud 'boom' sound - if something is detonated.
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AFGHAN WAR PROGRESS
Gen. Allen acknowledges that he’s “definitely put the war in Afghanistan on the back burner.”
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN—Admitting he hasn’t been following combat operations all that closely lately, Gen. John R. Allen, the top commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, told reporters Monday he has “no idea” how the war is going and, at this point, is trying to ignore the whole situation as best he can.
“As far as I know, we’re still slowly making progress with our counterinsurgency efforts against the Taliban, but to be honest, I haven’t been keeping up with all that stuff and couldn’t really say for sure,” a shrugging Allen told reporters at NATO headquarters in Kabul. “It’s not really part of my day-to-day anymore, so I can’t help you out with any specifics on current missions or casualty figures or anything like that. It’s really not where my focus is at right now.”
“Sure, I hear things about ongoing operations here and there,” the four-star Marine Corps general continued. “But for the most part I’m pretty much checked out of this one.”
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Who is Responsible For What You Do?
"Who?"
"Rearden. He didn't invent smelting and chemistry and air compression. He couldn't have invented his Metal but for thousands and thousands of other people. His Metal! Why does he think it's his? Why does he think it's his invention? Everybody uses the work of everybody else. Nobody ever invents anything."
She said, puzzled, "But the iron ore and all those other things were there all the time. Why didn't anybody else make that Metal, but Mr. Rearden did?"
~ Atlas Shrugged, Ch. 9, p. 1
There are two antithetical political visions of America fighting for the future of America but they are not simply political; they are philosophical, psychological and spiritual, reaching into the depths of what makes life worth living.
Success in America has always been admired because it has been connected with not only hard work but with the courage that it takes to decide to make something happen, to take responsibility for your own success or failure, to trust your own mind and abilities and to see your vision through to reality.
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Senator Says Food Stamp Partnership With Mexico 'Pressuring' Immigrants To Enroll
Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, raised concerns about the program in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack -- one week after he complained about a Spanish-language ad campaign encouraging residents to go on food stamps.
The USDA ended the campaign following criticism, but Sessions warned in his letter that the U.S.-Mexico partnership is a symptom of the same approach.
His concern -- that Mexican immigrants are being guided toward government assistance instead of "gainful employment."
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Lawyer Builds Case Against Law Schools
New York-based lawyer David Anziska thinks it does.
Anziska has already sued 15 law schools. In the coming months he plans to sue an additional 20 law schools by end of May, two of which are in Massachusetts — New England Law Boston and Western New England University School of Law. But Anziska — who has said in the press that 2012 will be the “year of law school litigation” — suffered a setback last week when New York Judge Melvin Schweitzer threw out the complaint he filed with the Supreme Court of New York against New York Law School, brought by nine graduates of the school.
Overall, the legal sector lost 45,000 jobs during the “Great Recession,” according to the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) in Washington, D.C. Law school graduates from the class of 2010 faced the worst job market since the mid-1990s, with an employment rate of 87.6, a drop from 91.9 in 2007, which had been a 20-year high, per NALP.
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FORGET LIBOR-GATE: Oil Market Manipulation Is Far Worse
Just a month ago Crude Oil WTI was $78 a barrel and today it is $93. Do you think the fundamentals changed one bit to merit this price swing? Nope! Supply levels are all at record highs around the world. Is it Iran? Please!! It is all about the money flows, nobody takes delivery anymore. Assets have become one big correlated risk trade. Risk On, Risk Off. If the Dow is up a hundred, you can bet crude is up at least a dollar! It has nothing to do with fundamentals, inventory levels, supply disruptions, etc. It is all about fund flows.
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Law School Graduates: It's Worse Than You Think
This week, we have data. It really is the worst legal job market in nearly two decades.
The overall employment rate for new law school graduates is 85.6 percent, that's the lowest it’s been since 1994 (when it was 84.7 percent), according to a new report from the National Association for Law Placement (NALP). The report surveyed law school graduates from the class of 2011.
Another troubling finding: just 49.5 percent of employed grads got a job in private practice, a drop of five percentage points from 2009.
NALP’s report also found that the employment rate has fallen over six percentage points since hitting a 23-year high of 91.9 percent in 2007.
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Compton May Be The Next City To Go; Then Victorville, Montebello, Los Angeles, Oakland
The Huffington Post reports Compton Will Run Out Of Funds By September 1
Compton, Calif. could be the fourth city in the Golden State to seek bankruptcy protection.
At a city council meeting Tuesday, officials announced that Compton is set to run out of funds by Sept. 1. Compton, which has only 93,000 residents, faces a deficit of $43 million after having depleted a $22 million reserve, reports Reuters.
"I have $3 million in the bank and $5 million in warrants due in the next 10 to 12 days," said city treasurer Doug Sanders during the live-streamed city council meeting. "By then, the council will have a decision to make: don't pay the bonds, default on them, or have a serious talk about bankruptcy."
What's to Consider?
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O’Malley Continues False Petty Attacks On Hogan, Change Maryland
Change Maryland outlined a specific, modest step for them to do so - they should actually read the report.
The Maryland Democratic Party, following the O'Malley Administration the week before, leveled another petty partisan attack yesterday on Change Maryland and it's chairman Larry Hogan, injecting class warfare talking points into a debate that has nothing to do with individual
income levels.
"It's obvious that the administration and state party still have not even read the report, " said Change Maryland Chairman Larry Hogan.
"If they had read it, they would know that the word 'millionaires' is not referenced anywhere. They don't like what the report says, so they simply introduce a red herring. And rather than addressing the actual issue, they simply lash out with juvenile attacks on the messenger."
Using IRS data, Change Maryland analyzed migration patterns at the state and county levels. Among the findings are that Maryland's 31,000
net out-migration of residents from 2007 to 2010 was the highest in the region and seventh-highest nationally.
Business media outlet CNBC subsequently covered the Change Maryland tax report raising questions about the impact on high income households which may have confused administration and party officials accustomed to favorable press treatment.
"They are reacting to media coverage and not our report," said Hogan. "Change Maryland analyzes publicly available IRS data which the
administration should have been doing in the first place."
A previous Change Maryland report issued in May compiled General Assembly information to quantify the cumulative tax and fee hikes
imposed under the O'Malley Administration. The report is a line item accounting of 24 separate revenue increases from 2007 which remove an
additional $2.4 billion from the Maryland economy annually. Most of these measures are regressive tax and fee increases.
"We are pulling the curtain back on this administration and simply giving the hard facts about what is really happening in Maryland, and
they don't like it," said Hogan, who also noted that none of the facts in either of the two reports have been refuted.
Meanwhile, since O'Malley's failed partisan attack on Change Maryland on July 10, the non-partisan organization has increased its membership by over 2200, reaching a total of over 16,000 Democrats, Republicans and Independents. The group is Maryland's largest and fastest growing non-partisan, grassroots citizen organization.
Authoritarianism Or Self-Determination
Just what happened to the passion for self-determination of the Revolutionaries who seceded from the dictatorial King George’s rule?
When Honest Abe Lincoln used the armed forces to punish people for separating from his rule, that reversed the independence achieved by the earlier Revolutionaries. The idea of self-determination had been stomped by the boot of federal government authority.
And unlike the American Revolutionaries who questioned and challenged creepy King George’s laws, dictates and intrusions, most current Americans seem to be uncritically and unthinkingly accepting of government’s abuses. How can we reverse this trend?
In fact, many Americans are calling for more laws, more bureaucracies, and more police. Worse, those who openly question or criticize government’s incompetent, corrupt or criminal actions are referred to by the authoritarian majority as "unpatriotic" or "conspiracy theorists."
It is an uphill battle for those of us who want to restore our freedom and our right to self-determination.
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Boonies Concert Calendar
July
July 21, Chris English, 6-10 pm
July 29, a Westside Local, Niki Watson, 4-7pm
August
August 4, Chester River Runoff, 6-10pm
August 12, Chris English, 4-7pm
August 18, Ryan Jackson and Ray Holiday, 6-10pm
August 19, Alex & Shiloh, 4-7pmAugust 25, Rustic 6-10pm
September
September 1, a Westside Local, Nikki Watson, 6-10pm
Septemer 3, Labor Day Party, Swift Undertoe a duo of Semi Blind, 3-7pm
September 15, Saturday Deck Party, Entertainment TBA, 6-10pm
September 16, The Muddy Hole Band, Westside Locals, 4-7pm
September 29, Saturday Deck Party, Entertainment TBA, 6-10pm
GE Waukesha Wisconsin
General Electric is planning to move its 115-year-old X-ray division from Waukesha, Wis., to Beijing. In addition to moving the headquarters,the company will invest $2 billion in China and train more than 65 engineers and create six research centers.
This is the same GE that made $5.1 billion in the United States last year, but paid no taxes - the same company that employs more people overseas than it does in the United States.
So let me get this straight. President Obama appointed GE Chairman Jeff Immelt to head his commission on job creation (job czar). Immelt is supposed to help create jobs. I guess the President forgot to tell him in which country he was supposed to be creating those jobs.
Thanks Jeff, you're a "real" American....give Barrack our Best!
If this doesn't show you the total lack of leadership of this President, I don't know what does. Please pass this information to others and think about it before you buy a GE product.
Investigators Looking For Wanted Sex Offender
Location: Seaford, DE
Date of Occurrence: July 19, 2012
Suspect and Charges:
Gilbert D. Meekins Jr., 39, Seaford, DE (Photo Attached)
Black male, 5’07” tall, 158 lbs., black hair, and brown eyes
Failure to Re-Register as a Sex Offender
Resume:
Seaford, DE- The Delaware State Police Sex Offender Apprehension and registration Unit (S.O.A.R) is currently looking for a Seaford sex offender after he failed to re-register his current address.
Investigators have obtained warrants on Gilbert D. Meekins, 39, who is a moderate risk Tier 2 sex offender, after they learned that he failed to re-register is home address within three days as he is required to do by law.
Gilbert Meekins is described as a black male, 5’07” tall and 158 lbs., black hair and brown eyes.
The Delaware State Police Sex Offender Apprehension and Registration Unit is asking anyone who may know the location of Gilbert D. Meekins Jr. to call 9-1-1 or 302-739-5882. Citizens may also provide a tip by texting keyword “DSP” plus your message to 274637 (CRIMES). Tipsters may also provide information through lines maintained by Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333.
Callers can also submit information via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com.
Say What?
A Letter To The Editor 7-21-12
Joe:
Just got 2 tax bills from Wicomico County this week. They now have an option of paying electronically online, with either a credit card, or ACH e-check from a checking account.
On the county website, they brag that you can earn rewards on your credit cards, enjoy convenience, etc.
They mention that there are nominal convenience fees involved, BUT the disclosure of how much those fees are absent UNTIL you actually start the payment process and select the payment method.This is unacceptable. The fees should be disclosed further upfront to save me time from going through the hassle of wading through the various web pages only to find these terms displayed:When you select Pay by Credit Card or Pay by eCheck, you will be redirected to the Official Payments Corporation website. OPC, the payment service provider, charges 2.75% of the payment amount or a $3.95 minimum convenience fee for Credit Card transactions and a $3.00 convenience fee per eCheck payment transaction less than or equal to $10,000.00 or $15.00 convenience fee per eCheck payment transaction greater than $10,000.00.
I don't have a problem with them charging 2.75% for credit card transactions. I DO have a problem with the e-check convenience fee of $3.00 to $15.00 however. ACH and e-check transactions are usually free when dealing with others, such as utility companies, bill-payment services, etc. Even paying taxes to the IRS and Comptroller's office using ACH from a checking account carries no service charges or convenience fees!
So it looks like I will be mailing those checks in again this year ...
-Daddio
It's Sad When You Almost Have To Beg For Help When It Comes To Animals Who Have No Voice
Subject: Susan HELP!!! Humane Society Needs HELP!!!
To: Susan Parker
Dear Susan,
I would appreciate it if you print my letter about the Wicomico County Humane Society. The caring citizens of our County need to be aware of the situation at THE SHELTER.
We went through an UNQUALIFIED Shelter Director (Jen Rose) in 1999 & The Daily Times & The Salisbury News & Advertiser were instrumental in getting the changes made in a timely fashion. If you don't have the newspaper articles from that time, I do & will be glad to scan them or make copies of them for you.
To protect the pets & people we need to get this information to the concerned citizens. I faxed you a copy of my letter & I will hand deliver one to The Daily Times Office.
Publisher's Notes: A letter was sent to the Daily Times the same day we published ours. It seems the Daily Times either wants exclusives or they won't publish it at all.
Mrs. Parker, with all due respect, THIS IS ABOUT THE ANIMALS and NOT about SBYNews vs. The Daily Times. Please reconsider and publish that letter.
OC Police’s Request To Add More Tasers Okayed
Last February, the Mayor and City Council approved the OCPD’s Taser X2 Program, which is a pilot program to have trained officers carry the Electronic Control Device (ECD) while on duty.
According to the Chief of Police Bernadette DiPino, to date there has been a total 19 Taser “displays”. This is when the ECD is intentionally removed from the holster and displayed to an uncooperative subject or displayed at a potentially volatile scene in an effort to gain voluntary compliance.
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SOLD: Former Feldman's Building
July 2012 – Bradley Gillis, CCIM and Joey Gilkerson from Sperry Van Ness – Miller Commercial Real Estate in Salisbury, MD recently represented the buyer of the former Feldman’s Building, and Blair Rinnier, CCIM of Rinnier Development represented the seller. This building is extremely important to Downtown Salisbury and has a long history in the downtown. The buyer will create a high quality mixed use project with open sight lines to the riverfront, on-site parking and will focus on the historically significant 3-story building. The current building consists of four different structures totaling over 40,000 square feet on approximately 20,000 square feet of land; the most important of which is the main 3-story building which dates back to the late 1800’s, first used by B.L. Gillis & Sons, wholesale grocers.
Demolition will begin in the fall of 2012 with renovations to begin shortly after. The buyer hopes to work with the city to construct a riverwalk along the Wicomico River and Mill Street. “The newly named River View Commons (former Feldman’s Building) is a cornerstone project for Salisbury’s downtown. The project has wonderful views upriver and is within walking distance to restaurants, parking, offices and healthcare. The buyers’ are excited about the positive effect this project will have on downtown and our community” said Bradley Gillis. “We will be marketing office and retail spaces for lease and even see a potential opportunity for a restaurant. With onsite parking and river views the location is ideal” said Gillis.
Publishers Notes: I was told yesterday that the building was actually sold to Palmer Gillis for $5,000.00. Yes, I said five thousand dollars.
QUOTES OF THE DAY 7-21-12
“Better to die fighting for freedom then be a prisoner all the days of your life.”― Bob Marley
“The first duty of a man is to think for himself”― José Martí
“Societies in decline have no use for visionaries.”― Anaïs Nin
“Occasionally the tree of Liberty must be watered with the blood of Patriots and Tyrants.”― Thomas Jefferson
“Freedom in capitalist society always remains about the same as it was in ancient Greek republics: Freedom for slave owners.”― Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”― Patrick Henry
“Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.”― Aristotle