Wicomico Board Of Ed Wants To Leave Handicapped Students On 2nd Floor Staircase In Fire Situations

UPDATE: The image below is evidence of such.

Details are slowly coming in from the meeting that took place at the school this morning.

What I have so far is 3 special education children that are confined to a wheelchair and/or walker are being forced to go to class on the second floor. The evacuation plan is to place them in an area that is predetermined to be safe. We all know that in the case of a fire there are no safe places as fire does not discriminate. They are to remain there until the fire department gets there to evacuate them.

I would assume under extreme circumstances they would be left there alone as human nature would dictate that anyone assigned to stay with them would save their own lives first.

The school principal, and a representative from both the State Fire Marshals office and the Salisbury FD were present at this meeting. The parents that attended were told it was a meeting to discuss options. When the meeting began there were no options discussed. The parents were told this is the only option and that the FM and SFD were on board with this option. The parents have had other schools that the kids attended and when they were younger they obliged their concerns and put them on the first floor. This is all the parents are asking for. This way their children are not being left unattended and just about anyone could push them in a wheelchair out a first floor door.

I am looking into the fact that this school does not have a wheelchair cut in the curb and the only handicap accessible bathroom is downstairs. So every time one of these students needs to use the restroom the have to be put in the small elevator and taken down stairs and wheeled all the way to the nurses station where this bathroom is located. The parents are not even balking at these conditions because they understand they are just looking for some understanding on their behalf.

There may be another meeting scheduled for tomorrow evening.

Just yesterday the power went out at the Salisbury Middle School. The kids were stuck upstairs because the elevator wouldn't work. This caused a problem at the school bus area because the school buses had to wait for them to get down after the power was restored. And yes you guessed it, the fire department was never called.

An example of what has happened to children left behind in this condition is HERE.

Here's a sample of what you'll read: Over Christmas 2005 there actually was a fire and a teen who lives with cerebral palsy by the name of Jeremy Freeze and another teen Brian Miller were pushed to the top of the second floor stairwell and left to look after each other No adult stayed with them, but when Brian’s parents asked why their son was left alone the school super intendant replied we didn’t he had Jeremy with him!

Gross Profit…Literally: English Boy Finds Whale Vomit Worth $60K

Charlie Naysmith was walking with his parents along the coast of southern England when he stumbled upon what he believed to be an interesting-looking rock.

At just eight years old, what else was he to do but pick it up and start asking questions?

According to CBS, the boy’s father did some quick research on the internet and discovered the object was no mere rock– it was hardened whale vomit, and it’s worth a fortune.

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Families of Fallen SEALs Allegedly Sent Form Letters With President’s Electronic Signature

Thirty U.S. service members were killed on August 6, 2011, when a CH-47 Chinook was shot down in Afghanistan’s Wardak province. As Gateway Pundit’s Jim Hoft reminds us, it is the deadliest single loss of U.S. forces in the Afghanistan campaign.

Among those killed in the crash were 17 members of the U.S. Navy SEALs. And although the deadly attack was over a year ago, it wasn’t until yesterday that, apparently, parents of fallen SEALs revealed that were sent stock letters with President Obama’s electronic signature.

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Black Mormon Daughter of Immigrants Talks About 'The America I Know'

In a short but powerful speech to the Republican National Convention Tuesday, Mia Love -- a black, Mormon, Republican mayor from Utah who's running for a seat in Congress -- put in a plug for Mitt Romney, told President Obama the American people "are not buying what you're selling," and explained her family's own shot at the American dream.

"Let me tell you about the America I know," Love said. "My parents immigrated to this country (from Haiti) with ten dollars in their pocket and the hope that the America they heard about really did exist. When tough times came, they didn't look to Washington. They looked within.

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Pentagon Eyes Legal Action Against Navy SEAL Author

Pentagon's letter advises Navy SEAL who wrote book about Usama bin Laden raid that he is in 'material breach' of agreements and could face legal action.

From Fox News

Have You Seen the Inspiring Ron Paul RNC Tribute Video?

The much anticipated tribute video for Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) at the Republican National Convention is sure to leave a lasting impression throughout the rest of the GOP convention, just as Paul has apparently left one during his 22 years in Congress. The video features big name Republicans praising the Texas congressman for standing up for conservative principles, including Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and his son, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

“For those with dedication. Character. Faith and conviction. Sometimes that lonely path paves the way forward for millions,” says a narrator in the video. “Ron Paul. 22 years in Congress. He’s never voted for a tax increase. Never voted for a debt ceiling increase. Never wavered. Never backed down.”

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TSA Fires Screeners For Being Distracted By Cellphones

The Transportation Security Administration has moved to fire six bag-screeners and suspend 14 others at Logan International Airport in Boston for performing inadequate luggage checks, some because they were distracted by their cellphones or other electronic devices.

The moves were prompted by a routine audit that showed some officers were not paying close attention to monitors that display the contents of each bag passing through an explosives-detection machine. Those screeners were distracted by their phones or other devices and are being recommended for unpaid suspensions ranging from three to 14 days. 

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The Salisbury Fire Department Is Full Of Crap

"The Salisbury Fire Department has been understaffed for years. It has fewer personnel now than it did 10 years ago, while call volume has increased significantly to more than 11,000 runs yearly. The SFD asks the City Council for people every year; the response is: "Find your own funding." It did. This grant will fill current vacancies and soon-to-be-retired positions. We have already paid our federal taxes; why let it be spent in another city? If Salisbury had not accepted this grant, the city would likely never receive another federal grant."

From A Commenter:
"The SFD has not asked Council for new staff for years. The staffing has remained at 66 for at least five years, with no (zero) budget requests from the mayor's office to the council for more. If SFD has asked for more staffing, it's been quietly nixed at the mayoral level before the mayor's budget got to council, with council never being made aware of the request. Requests for city department staffing come from department heads to the mayor, then to the council for budgetary approval, not from department heads to the council."

Publishers Notes: Once again the Daily Times publishes complete LIES in the Grapevine. They know for a fact that this is NOT true at all. Terry Cohen stated SEVERAL TIMES on the record, "66 requested, 66 granted". "66 requested, 66 granted".

I'm sorry Folks but not only can I not stand the Daily Times, THIS IS EXACTLY WHY WE STARTED SALISBURY NEWS! They USE that paper to publish anonymous Grapevine comments to spew lies regularly, especially after we come out with a completely different article telling the TRUTH and making them look bad. Just pop in some convenient anonymous lies and it will make their crap believable.

My hat is tipped to Mrs. Cohen for calling the Fire Department out as well as the Mayor on this issue. The above published grapevine comments continue to prove the Daily Times is still in the Mayor's back pocket, (a figure of speech) and is in damage control mode.

Divvying Out Chores? Make Kids Understand Purpose

Many parents who are trying to return to having structure at home after summer vacation often assign chores to their kids, so some experts gave 11 News reporter Sarah Caldwell some tips on the best approach to doing so.

Learning responsibility can be a year-round task. The Deleon boys, who are 15, 13 and 11, said they've been doing chores for as long as they can remember because their parents' philosophy is that pitching in comes with the territory.

"We think it's important for them to do chores to be a part of a family unit and to know that we all chip in, and we can all count on each other for help," said their mom, Noelle Deleon.

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Democrats Forget to Proofread Anti-Romney Airplane Banner…Again

For the second time this month, Democrats have hired a plane to fly a banner intended to insult GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Republicans. And for the second time this month, the banner is getting attention for all the wrong reasons, specifically, for another glaring grammatical error.

The Washington Examiner’s Byron York reports that Democratic National Committee spokesman Brad Woodhouse on Wednesday sent out pictures of a new banner, which is set to fly over the Republican National Convention in Tampa. While trying to claim that Romney, Rep. Paul Ryan and Todd Akin are all too “extreme” for women, they once again forgot to edit for grammar.

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Gas Prices Rise Ahead of Labor Day Weekend

Tropical Storm Isaac may impact your Labor Day travel plans in more ways than one.

Gas prices are going up. Wednesday, they jumped a nickel, the biggest increase  in gas prices in 18 months. And Isaac is getting all the blame.

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Gallup: Americans Rate Public Schools the Worst Place to Educate Children

A new Gallup poll released today indicates that Americans rate public schools the worst place to educate children.

In the national survey conducted Aug. 9-12, private independent schools, parochial and church-related schools, charter schools and home-schooling all rated higher than public schools.

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Is DOJ 'Community Organizing' Occupy Activists at the RNC?

What are uniformed field representatives of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Community Relations Service (CRS) doing assisting Occupy/anarchist activists outside the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Tampa?

Exclusive video captured by Breitbart News during Occupy/anarchist demonstrations outside the RNC Tuesday shows CRS field representatives, wearing DOJ logo polo shirts and hats, conversing with Occupy protesters.

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The Truth Hurts

NUGENT: Don’t Let Socialists Win

The Republican and Democratic national conventions have the country thinking about the state of our increasingly socialistic government. Britain’s Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher, hit the bull’s-eye when she said, “The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.” She, like the truth, rocks.

President Obama and numerous other Fedzillacrats obviously think the Iron Lady’s words were full of rust. They would be wrong, as usual.

The root of evil is not the want of money, but rather a government that thinks it knows better than free-thinking individuals how best to provide for our well-being. Socialists like our president use the law and courts to force their failed big-government ideas on those of us still helplessly drunk on freedom, rugged individualism and liberty. You know, the American way

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Despicable: A Final Government GoodBye To Ron And Carol Paul

Ron, Carol, and one of their granddaughters left the GOP snake pit yesterday afternoon, but the State was not yet through with them. At the little airport in Clearwater, 8 TSA agents descended on them and ordered them not to board their private plane. First, the pilots, the airplane, and the passengers would have to be screened in great detail, because Romney might be nearby. After a long examination of the pilots and their credentials, the agents said they had to check the plane for explosives. One of the pilots noted that the plane, full of gas, was already a bomb. Then Carol Paul, who has a pacemaker, refused to be screened, and an aide started taking video of the whole rotten process. At that point, the TSA backed down and let them through, to Texas and freedom.

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Friends Start Campaign To Have Gaga Visit Shooting Victim

Friends and fellow students of Daniel Borowy at Perry Hall High School are trying to have his favorite singer visit him in the hospital as he recovers from a gunshot wound.  The 17-year-old was shot during lunch Monday morning police say by 15-year-old Robert Gladden.

Stephanie Smelser who has been a friend of Daniel's since they were little. She started a Facebook page titled Lady Gaga Please Visit Daniel in an effort to get the singer to come to Baltimore. 

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28,000 "Cash For Gold" Outlets In Italy As Serfs Are Forced To Sell

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how the Portuguese citizenry was being forced to sell its gold in order to eat. It seems that the Italians have now joined this illustrious club. I mean what do you expect when you allow Goldman Sachs to impose technocrat dictator Mario “Three Card” Monti as your political leader? Here are some excerpts from an article in The Globe and Mail:

Times are now so tough that Valerio Novelli, a ticket inspector on Rome’s buses, is planning to sell his old gold teeth.

“I can’t get to the end of the month without running up debts,” said Mr. Novelli, 56, who has to support an ex-wife and daughter. “I know I won’t get much, but I need the money.”

In a country suffering from economic crisis, buying gold off desperate people has become one of the few boom industries.

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Maryland Work Zone Crashes At 10 Year Low

Despite a recent list of the nation's worst cities to drive in, Baltimore coming in at number two, there is some other news when it comes to Maryland roads.

According to the Maryland State Highway Administration, work zone related crashes, injuries, and fatalities are at an all time low.

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A New World Record?

Britain's Sunday Times staff reporter Gavin Conway may now claim bragging rights to the Guinness World Book of Records. Conway has recently driven 1,526 continuous miles on 20.4 gallons, apparently the greatest distance driven so far by a general production passenger car on one tank of fuel. Nearly 75 miles per gallon!

If we do a quick check on the math with a calculator, Conway's wheels - a brand new Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion − gets exactly 74.8 miles per gallon. Not too shabby considering the next runner up is Toyota's latest generation Prius hybrid at around 72. Less gasoline, fancy batteries, and endlessly sophisticated circuitry the Toyota requires to blend gasoline and electricity together, the new Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion relies only on a severely efficient diesel engine to breeze through the miles while sipping fuel.

Yes, Diesel is Very Efficient - Lasts Long, Too

If this all sounds too unreal, then see how well my earlier 2003 model Volkswagen Jetta Diesel fared in my previous article. Add to the efficiency of VW diesel's impressive design, there is also the fact that a diesel engine may easily outlast the car's chassis. All told, you have yourself a durable little car. My turbodiesel injection (TDI) Jetta still gets 43 mpg (in town) and 46 on the road - after more than 200,000 miles on the engine!

With Volkswagen's latest release of its BlueMotion Passat, we'll see more people driving down the street with a smug grin on their faces, and much fewer people stopping off at the pump!

Source

This Just In!

Marines Testing Women In Combat Jobs

There may be some anxiety among male Marines as female officers work their way into infantry and other combat jobs that historically have been open only to men, the Marine Corps commandant said this week.

Gen. James F. Amos said early steps to begin moving women into artillery, tank air defense and combat engineer units have been successful, but the more difficult tests lie ahead.

“Change doesn’t come easy to the United States Marine Corps,” Gen. Amos told an audience at the National Press Club on Tuesday. “But when it does, when it’s rooted, it lasts forever. So I think we’ll work our way through it.”

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A Limiting Document?

There is a common mantra among those who pursue the old republican principles of freedom and limited government that the Constitution limits the power of the central government, and therefore if we just followed the document everything would be ok; if it were only that simple. They are not entirely wrong, but the characterization of the Constitution as a “limiting document” is only partly true.

During the great "sales job" of 1787 and 1788, proponents of the Constitution swore that the powers of the central government, as enumerated in the Constitution, could never be enlarged or enhanced. The Constitution, it was said, differed from the English model because it was a written document, as opposed to the unwritten British model of common law that could fluctuate with the will of ambitious and unscrupulous judges. The only interpretation could be found in the language of the document itself, and if the general government exceeded its constituted authority, the people were no longer duty bound to follow such tyranny. Alexander Hamilton said as much in the Federalist essays, as did other proponents of the document, such as James Iredell of North Carolina, George Nicholas and Edmund Randolph of Virginia, and James Wilson of Pennsylvania, among others.

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City’s Hurricane Irene Transaction With Councilman Questioned

OCEAN CITY --A city councilman denied this week any abuse of power when he served more than $3,300 in meals to emergency responders during Hurricane Irene a year ago.

Earlier this month, this publication received a letter alleging Hall’s Restaurant conducted business during Hurricane Irene when all other operators did not have the benefit of making money. The letter contains allegations that at least are partially true.

To determine the validity of the charges, specifically whether Hall’s Restaurant completed a business transaction with the city during Hurricane Irene, this newspaper filed a Freedom of Information Act request and obtained city receipts and credit card transactions confirming the charge.

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The Risk Inside Your Credit Card

Worth Repeating

Rice: America's Place In History In Danger

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says raising U.S. standing in the world depends on solving problems at home, and that Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is the man to accomplish that task.

Rice, in her prepared speech to the Republican National Convention, does not mention President Barack Obama by name. But she says the America's position as the most successful political and economic experiment in history is in danger today.

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Federal Reserve Emphasizes Transparency, As If It Matters

The Federal Reserve began releasing quarterly financial results on Monday, in an effort to increase transparency at a time many Republicans are demanding more accountability from the U.S. central bank. The Fed previously published financial statements annually. Its decision to report more frequently responds to demands for more openness and provides a reminder to taxpayers that it has been a significant source of income for the government. Its release of unaudited first- and second-quarter results detailed a sharp rise to $46.447 billion in its payments to the Treasury, from $40.456 billion in the first six months of 2011. "This enhancement to the (Fed) Board's previous financial reporting procedures will provide greater transparency by communicating financial information on a more frequent basis and in greater detail," the central bank said. – Reuters

Dominant Social Theme: Finally, the Fed takes steps to address critics and create a more efficient and honest facility.

Free-Market Analysis: We are to believe that the Federal Reserve's openness marks a great step forward in ... what? The problem with the Fed is that it is a monopoly central bank printing money-from-nothing and thus causing ruinous booms and terrible busts.

We're living through one such bust now. How is the Fed's transparency as regards any of this going to help with the fundamental problem of Money Power?

That's the kind of question Congressman Ron Paul (R-Tex) might be asking, as he is behind the "audit the Fed" movement.

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Last Surviving Normandy Beachmaster Dies

Joseph P. Vaghi Jr., a World War II veteran thought to be the last surviving U.S. Navy beachmaster who landed at Normandy on D-Day to direct troops, has died. He was 92.

His son, Joe Vaghi III, says Vaghi died Saturday at a retirement home in Bethesda.

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Chart Of The Day: From Pervasive Cheap Credit To Hyperinflation

The topic of the student loan bubble is not new: having crossed $1 trillion recently, student debt is now the biggest consumer debt category, greater even than US credit card debt. We have extensively discussed the implications of the parabolic curve representing outstanding student debt before, and it is no surprise that the issue of student loans has become of one of the key topics of debate in the ongoing presidential mudslinging campaign. As is also known, an increasing portion of student debt is funded by the government at an ever lower rate of interest: after all it is critical to allow the bubble to keep growing with as little interest expense diverting the stream of cash from the end borrower - wide eyed students who increasingly realize they are stuck with tens of thousands in loans and no jobs available to allow them to repay this debt, in effect making an entire generation debt slaves. Finally, as should be known, student debt is non-dischargeable, meaning once a person becomes indentured, they are so for life, and filing bankruptcy will do nothing to resolve debt claims against the individual. After all there is no other collateral by definition that can be confiscated by the creditor - the only thing the debtor "acquires" in exchange for this debt is a skillset, which sadly in the New Normal is increasingly redundant. But there has always been one question outstanding: just what does all this easily accessible and now pervasive student debt fund? The chart below, courtesy of Bloomberg, provides the answer: in the past 3 decades there has been no other cost that comes even remotely close to matching the near hyperinflationary surge in college tuition and costs.


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Md. Cider Maker Celebrates 1st Press Of Season

Apples have a cherished place in American values. From Johnny Appleseed to apple pie, the United States wouldn't seem the same if apples had not appeared on the plates and in the cups of our forebears.

Patty Power, co-owner of Distillery Lane Ciderworks in Burkittsville, said American pioneers didn't grow apples for food.

"Originally, apples were grown to drink. They weren't grown with the expectation of just eating them," Power said. "When they kept the cider long enough, it would turn, and they would drink hard cider."

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Breaking News: Federal Court Rules Against Texas Voter ID Law

Three-judge panel rules against Texas law that would require voters to present photo IDs before casting ballots, saying the law imposes ‘strict, unforgiving burdens on the poor.’

From Fox News

When We Wake Up November 7th... Nothing Will Have Changed

Writing is often cathartic for the writer. Indeed, it is often what causes the pen to move, although few writers will admit creating material for publication as an outlet for the pain they suffer. I confess at the outset that what follows is more for me than for you. I need to write this to deal with the angst associated with debating, or trying to debate, those who, for no good or apparent reason, are ready to sacrifice their credibility on the altars of the campaign rhetoric of mainstream candidates. What they are apparently not willing to sacrifice is the time it takes to read anything substantive on the history and stated policies of the Bobbsey twins, Obama and Romney.

My latest frustration began with a post on Facebook and the soliloquy that followed (name changed to protect a friendship):

Jim: Voting is the illusion of influence in exchange for the loss of freedom.

John: So, what would be the alternative to voting for what a person feels will improve the situation in their arena?

Jim: Traditional thought that assumes a large parliamentary democracy is the only alternative, one that has failed, would necessitate a revolution of some kind with a view to beginning again, which ultimately would fail again due to the dynamic of the tyranny of the majority. To wit, no document or contract can (over the longer term) stop the majority from becoming the dictator in a large democracy. But there are alternatives. "Democracy is by definition a collectivist system. It"s socialism through the backdoor. The basic idea behind it is that it is desirable and right that all important decisions about the physical, social and economic organization of society are taken by the collective, the people. And the people authorize their representatives in parliament - in other words, the State - to take these decisions for them. In other words, in a democracy the whole fabric of society is geared towards the State. Clearly then it is misleading to claim that democracy is, somehow, the inevitable climax of the political evolution of mankind. That"s just propaganda to disguise that democracy represents a very specific political orientation, for which there are indeed plenty of reasonable alternatives." Take a look at Beyond Democracy by Karel Beckman and Frank Karsten. It is available as a book or an e-book at amazon.com.

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350 Million Indian Families Starve As Politicians Loot $14.5 BIllion In Food

While The Brits are about to tax their Super-Rich, it appears one of the old colonies remains in full anti-Robin-Hood mode. Nothing surprises us much anymore but this note from Bloomberg [5] too the proverbial biscuit. In the "most mean-spirited, ruthlessly executed corruption," India's politicians and their criminal syndicates have looted as much as $14.5bn in food from one province alone. 57,000 tons of food meant for the devastatingly poor of the Uttar Pradesh region is sat in a government storage facility five football fields long. The 'theft' has blunted the nation's only weapon against mass starvation and as Supreme Court commissioner Naresh Saxena notes: "What I find even more shocking is the lack of willingness in trying to stop it," as the Minister for Food, who stands charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and electoral fraud, has diverted more than 80 percent of the food. "Who is a person who holds a below poverty line ration card? A person of no influence; you can just tell him to buzz off." But there is growing tension "We could just storm the place, and every one of us could get a bag of rice each. Who would stop us?"

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Romney

Today's Fill In The Blank 8-30-12

I wish my Boss would ______.

Join Cat Country’s St. Jude Kids Motorcycle Ride

October 13 event benefits Memphis hospital

SALISBURY, – What better way than to spend a beautiful day outside, doing a wonderful deed? Join the 3rd Annual Cat Country Cares for St. Jude Kids Motorcycle Ride sponsored by Custom Mechanical and benefitting St. Jude Children’s Hospital on Friday, Oct. 13.

Registration is at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The $25 per motorcycle fee includes a commemorative T-shirt, pin, lunch and a chance to enter the grand prize drawing of a weekend at the Clarion Resort in Ocean City. Visit catcountrytadio.com to register prior to ride day.

The escorted outing will take bikers though the beautiful back roads of Delmarva to Irish Eyes on the water for lunch in Lewes, DE, raffles, 50/50 and the drawing of the weekend getaway.

This event is a part of the Country Cares program at the WKTT-FM 97.5. Last year’s motorcycle ride raised $4,000. Through various fundraisers such as the annual Cat Country Cares for St. Jude Kids Radio-thon, Cat has raised $503,000 for the children’s hospital in Memphis, TN.

Cat Country, WKTT-FM 97.5 is located in Salisbury/Ocean City, MD. Information: 410-219-3500.

U.S. Admits To Cyber Attacks: The Future Of Conflict

The U.S. is one of the most advanced countries from a cyber warfare perspective, we have read a lot on its capabilities and its offensive power, as exemplified by the plan-X project and the development of the cyber weapon Stuxnet.

We all imagine that the U.S. is really active in cyberspace, working on the cyber espionage front and also conducting powerful offensives.

We know that the country, like many others, is faced with a global economic crisis that has also impacted the military sector as budgets have been reduced, but the high alert level on the possibility of a cyber attack makes investments in cyber warfare necessary.

News recently is that the U.S. military has been launching cyber attacks against its opponents in Afghanistan, according the declaration of the senior officer Marine Lt. Gen. Richard P. Mills.

The official has explained during a conference in Baltimore that the U.S. conducts highly strategic oversight of cyberspace, giving great importance to the study and implementation of new cyber weapons. That is the new way to fight and it is fundamental to be prepared for a cyber warfare scenario.

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Anything Barack Obama Says Can And Will Be Used Against Him In The Court Of Public Opinion

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Today's Advertiser Of The Day 8-30-12

Body-Slamming ‘Defenseless Woman’ Into The Pavement During Violent Arrest

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GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY ANNOUNCES HISTORIC REDUCTIONS IN CRIME

Maryland’s total incidents of crime and total crime rate lowest since 1975

Violent crime, homicides and property crime driven down to the lowest levels since 1975

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Martin O’Malley today announced that 2011 year-end crime data compiled by the Maryland State Police and submitted to the FBI for use in the national crime statistics report shows that violent crime, homicides and property crime in Maryland have been driven down to the lowest levels since 1975. Total crime has been driven down 4.6 percent with 9,399 fewer crimes reported compared to 2010. This marks the lowest number of total crimes and total crime rate ever reported in Maryland since the Uniform Crime Reporting program was adopted in 1975.

“Our most solemn obligation is to protect the public’s safety,” said Governor O’Malley. “Working together with our local, state, and federal partners in law enforcement and community and neighborhood leaders across the State, we’ve driven down crime to its lowest levels since 1975. But there is still more work to do as just one life lost to violence is one too many. It takes all of us to make Maryland a safer place for our families and children.”

In 2011, together with the hardworking members of Maryland’s law enforcement, the State drove down the number of homicides by 6.6 percent; incidents of rape by 2.6 percent; robberies by 6.5 percent; aggravated assaults by 10.8 percent; incidents of breaking and entering by 2.5 percent; larceny/theft by 3.1 percent; and motor vehicle thefts by 10.9 percent. Fifteen jurisdictions drove down total crime while 18 jurisdictions drove down specific violent crime categories such as homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Thirteen jurisdictions drove down property crimes such as breaking and entering, larceny/theft, and motor vehicle theft.

The O’Malley-Brown Administration has set strategic goals to reduce crime in Maryland. From 2006 to 2011, Maryland drove down violent crime 24.4 percent –exceeding the Administration’s goal to drive down violent crime by 20 percent by end of 2012. The Administration also set a goal to reduce crimes against women and children by 25 percent by 2012. As of 2011, Maryland has driven down juvenile homicides 36 percent and homicides against women 11.8 percent. Law enforcement officers and public safety professionals throughout Maryland continue to work together to achieve this goal.

“The dramatic reduction in Maryland’s violent crime rate demonstrates the value of a coordinated effort by state, local and federal law enforcement agencies to identify dangerous career criminals and remove them from our community,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “Sending armed felons and violent repeat offenders to prison prevents them from committing crimes, deters others from following in their footsteps and builds public confidence in law enforcement.”

"The 2011 UCR statistics are encouraging and indicative of an ongoing state, local and federal law enforcement partnership which the men and women of the Maryland State Police are proud to be a part of,” said Colonel Marcus Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police. “We continue to benefit from the strong support of the O’Malley-Brown Administration in areas including DNA technology, cross-border information sharing, and interoperable communication that enable Maryland law enforcement to more effectively combat violent crime and make our state safer."

The Administration remains committed to continuing these historic reductions in crime with seamless coordination and consistent information sharing; advances in technology; more effective warrant service, continued focus on violent repeat offenders; and improved supervision of offenders on probation and parole through the Violence Prevention Initiative. Maryland’s inter-state partnerships with public safety counterparts in the District of Columbia, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York continue to prove effective in tracking and monitoring violent offenders who move across jurisdictional boundaries. Other tools such as License Plate Readers, automated pawnshop reporting, and the state’s Criminal Justice Dashboard have been instrumental in supporting efforts to fight crime.

SALISBURY CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION AGENDA SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

CONFERENCE ROOM 306
GOVERNMENT OFFICE BUILDING

1:30 p.m. Easement area (PRMC) – Teresa Gardner

1:45 p.m. FY13 budget amendment to provide for funds to pay for additional mosquito spraying – Teresa Gardner

2:00 p.m. FY13 budget amendment to pay administrative costs for the retirement system – Gerri Moore/John Pick

2:15 p.m. Vote to convene in closed session for consultation and legal advice with legal counsel
and staff on a contractual matter and on a personnel matter (director of Internal Services
position)in accordance with the Annotated Code of Maryland §10-508(a)(7)(8) and
§10-508(a)(1)(i), respectively

4:30 p.m. Return to Open Work Session

4:30 p.m. River’s Edge revised presentation – Brian Lopez/Andrew Hanson

5:15 p.m. Thrift Travel Inn demolition – Tom Stevenson

5:45 p.m. Dinner Break

6:15 p.m. Police staffing – Chief Duncan/Matt Macciarello

7:00 p.m. City Park Committee gift policy – John Pick

7:15 p.m. Amending Council Regulations and Rules of Order

8:00 p.m. General Discussion/Upcoming Agendas

Adjournment

Former Wi Hi Football Coach Reindicted On Charges of Child Sex Abuse

 Initial child abuse and sex offense charges lodged against a 45-year-old former Wicomico High School football coach were dropped Tuesday. However, a Wicomico County Grand Jury this week indicted David Nettles a second time and he will stand trial in September on the same charges in the new case, but a different number of each charge, two counts each of child abuse by a custodian, 3rd and 4th degree sex offense.

The Child Advocacy Center launched an investigation against Nettles last November after police received reports that an incident had occurred between August 1997 and June 2001; a second incident is alleged to have occurred between January 1998 and December 1998.


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Fundraiser

Social Security’s Woes Are Worse Than You Think

While the Romney and Obama camps have made increasingly bitter accusations about each other’s plans for Medicare, a bipartisan consensus on entitlements has emerged in the past few years. Too bad that consensus is wrong.

On both left and right, the politicians and the experts are saying the U.S. needs to fix Medicare -- and have made fixing Social Security an afterthought. President Barack Obama has signed changes to Medicare into law, but has done nothing about Social Security. For two years in a row, Republicans in Congress have supported budgets that rein in the growth of Medicare spending but leave Social Security alone. Expect to hear a lot more about Medicare than Social Security at the Republican convention this week.

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Ravens Roost Of Salisbury

What: The Ravens Roost of Salisbury Opening Day 2012
When: Monday September 10th 2012 7:00pm-til
Where: The Lagoon Bar - 1800 Sweetbay Dr Salisbury, MD 21804

Description:

Come out and celebrate the Baltimore Ravens first game of the season at the Lagoon Bar in Salisbury. The Ravens Roost of Salisbury, is a not for profit organization. It is made up of a group of people who have a passion for the Baltimore Ravens and like to give back to their community. Rather if you want to enjoy the game each week with people who share the same enthusiasm for the Ravens as you do or if you would like to participate in the several Ravens themed events in the area or if you are passionate about your community and want to be a part of an organization that gives back, then come on out and join us. If you would like to get more information on the Ravens Roost of Salisbury, please contact Jessica Weber at JessicaSbyRavensRoost@gmail.com and 443-880-6946 or Robert Weber at Salisburyravensroost@yahoo.com and 443-397-2001.

Today's Survey Question 8-30-12

Do you love the car you own or do you hate it?

A Thought For Today

Happiness is often the result of being too busy to be miserable.

Volunteers Asked To Sign Up Now For 2012 Delaware Coastal Cleanup

Cleanup, which will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 15. Sponsored by DNREC, the cleanup spans the First State’s 97-mile eastern coastline and includes river and ocean shorelines as well as wetland and watershed areas. This year, more than 40 sites in New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties are targeted.

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Study: D.C. Drivers Are Worst In The Country

Rankings from an insurance company seem to confirm what you may have suspected: Drivers in D.C. are the worst in the country.

Allstate says drivers in D.C. get into a crash and file a claim once every 4.7 years, making them 112 percent more likely to do so than a typical driver elsewhere in the country.

Allstate says the average driver nationally gets in a wreck once a decade.

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Obama's Best Kept Secret

How can a president presiding over the worst unemployment situation since the Great Depression have no jobs plan for his next term? And why is no one talking about this glaring hole in his campaign?

On the presidential campaign trail this week, the GOP once again pointed out President Obama's failure to create jobs. But to fail at creating jobs, Obama would first have had to try.

The president hasn't made a serious effort at that in a year. At present, he has no actionable jobs plan. Worse yet, his campaign platform for the next four years is completely devoid of a serious future jobs plan of any kind -- a stunning omission give the employment crisis in this country.

Will Obama actually be allowed to waltz back into office with no plan to combat unemployment? And if that happens, will he feel any obligation to ever address the unemployment situation again in his second term?

Mitt Romney's campaign needs to clearly, succinctly ask these questions.

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Obama’s Sneaky, Deadly, Costly Car Tax

While all eyes were on the Republican National Convention in Tampa and Hurricane Isaac on the Gulf Coast, the White House was quietly jacking up the price of automobiles and putting future drivers at risk.

Yes, the same cast of fable-tellers who falsely accused GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney of murdering a steelworker’s cancer-stricken wife is now directly imposing a draconian environmental regulation that will cost untold American lives.

On Tuesday, the administration announced that it had finalized “historic” new fuel efficiency standards. (Everything’s “historic” with these narcissists, isn’t it?) President Obama took a break from his historic fundraising drives to proclaim that “(by) the middle of the next decade, our cars will get nearly 55 miles per gallon, almost double what they get today. It’ll strengthen our nation’s energy security, it’s good for middle-class families, and it will help create an economy built to last.”

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Perspective: Suicides Are A Bigger Problem For The US Military Than Green On Blue Killings.

Unless you’ve been totally tuned out to the war in Afghanistan, the surge in “Green on Blue” or "insider" attacks over the last few weeks has probably drawn your attention. These attacks are certainly on the rise and have become an unwelcome and troubling new trend in this decade long war. The Washington Post reports that there have been 28 of these attacks this year resulting in 39 coalition deaths, 23 of which were US fatalities.

As troubling as these attacks are, the US military is facing a larger and perhaps more menacing problem—one that in July was even more deadly than combat—and it’s one that does not appear to be going away. Furthermore, it’s a problem that bothers me even more than when Afghan soldiers, policemen and civilians turn their guns on American servicemen.

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N.J. Man Lands Record Hammerhead Off Ocean City

A New Jersey angler set a new Maryland record for landing a 266- pound hammerhead shark earlier this month.

Scott Cusick, of Jackson, N.J., caught the specimen while participating in the White Marlin Open on Aug. 8 in Ocean City, Md. He and his crew of the "Milling Around" were fishing near a pod of pilot whales in search of tuna and marlin.

His catch wins the largest shark category, which comes with a prize of $5,150.

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Virginia Gov. McDonnell Sticks To Tampa GOP Theme – ‘We Built It’

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's address Tuesday night at the Republican National Convention closely followed the day's message of "we built it." "Big government didn't build America," McDonnell said. "Small businesses don't come out of Washington, D.C., pre-made on flatbed trucks."

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USPS Moves Ahead Cutting Hours

The Postal Service is finally moving ahead with its plan to cut hours at post offices. It will begin notifying communities after Labor Day that their local post offices may be open for just two or four hours a day. It is going to send surveys to residents and hold public meetings. The first 4,500 post offices could cut their hours by November. When fully implemented, the plan could save the agency $500 million. It cleared a hurdle last week when it got the green light from regulators.

Republican Party Calls For 10% Reduction In Federal Workforce

The Republican Party platform calls for a 10 percent reduction in the federal workforce. And it said federal pay and benefits should be made more in line with those of the private sector. The party unveiled its platform on the eve of its national convention, taking place in Tampa, Fla. The platform said the government has become bloated, antiquated and unresponsive to taxpayers. Cuts would come through attrition. The G0P platform also calls for hiring contractors to replace Transportation Security Administration employees who screen airline passengers.

George Zimmerman To Get New Judge in Trayvon Martin Murder Trial

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A three-judge panel in Florida has ruled that a former neighborhood watch leader charged in the fatal shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin should be granted a new judge in his case.

Florida's Fifth District Court of Appeal ruled Wednesday that Judge Kenneth Lester should enter a motion to disqualify himself in George Zimmerman's second-degree murder case.

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Park Service Cleans Tents In Yosemite After Two People Died

The Park Service is deep cleaning rental tents in Yosemite National Park after two visitors died from infections. The two contracted lung disease from contact with rodent waste or breathing dust contaminated with it. The Centers for Disease Control confirmed the visitors became sick after staying in a low-priced section of housing called Curry Village, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Now, the Park Service is sending letters to 1,700 visitors who were potentially exposed. The disease can take up to a month to develop. A third of the people who get it, die from it.

Caption This Photo 8-30-12

The Rot Runs Deep 2: Don't Call Out My Scam And I Won't Call Out Yours

Complicity reigns supreme as everyone benefiting from a scam keeps quiet about everyone else's skim lest their own share of the spoils fall under the harsh light of inquiry.

The uncomfortable truth is that America has become a nation of skimmers and scammers. The rot runs deep not just in the upper reaches of the financial and political Elites, but in the bottom 99.5% as well.

America can now be summarized by this phrase: "don't call out my scam and I won't call out yours." In other words, all the skimmers and scammers have become complicit, not just in protecting their own scam from the light of day, but in protecting everyone else's scams, too, lest those who lose their swag unmask someone else's scam in revenge.

Examples of skimming and scamming abound in finance and government. It's almost tiresome to even list examples; fortunately for us, tireless truthseeker "George Washington [11]" has amassed a list of bank fraud and malfeasance [12] (reprinted by the equally indefatigable Barry Ritholtz).

It's easy to skewer the financial and political Elites' abuses of power, but few look at all the rot below. The fraud and embezzlement-riddled mortgage market of the previous decade included not just investment bankers but non-Elite Americans who lied about their income, debt, and other material facts in order to obtain a fraudulent mortgage.

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O'Malley Says Md. Violent Crime Lowest Since 1975

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Gov. Martin O'Malley's administration says homicides, violent crime and property crime have dropped to the lowest levels since 1975 in Maryland.

O'Malley released year-end crime data on Wednesday for 2011. The Maryland State Police compile the data, which is submitted each year to the FBI.

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What Is A Blue Moon?

On Friday, Aug. 31, skywatchers will be treated to a Blue Moon. Does this mean the Moon will actually look blue? Unfortunately, no. To understand the celestial event — and the story behind the name — we've prepared a brief Q&A, with a little help from James Applegate, a professor of Astronomy at Columbia University.

What is a Blue Moon?

The term Blue Moon refers to the second full moon in a single calendar month. The first full moon was on Aug. 2. The second full moon will occur on Friday, Aug. 31.

I know the phrase "Once in a Blue Moon" means something very rare. How rare is a Blue Moon?

Blue moons happen every two to three years. Typically, a single month only has one full moon. But sometimes another gets squeezed in because our calendar months and our lunar months aren't an exact match. The time between full moons (the time it takes for the moon to orbit the Earth and cycle through all its phases) is 29.5 days. Our calendar months, on the other hand, usually have 30 or 31 days in them. This means each calendar year has about 11 more days than a lunar year. "The fact that our months are about a day longer than the time between full moons means that if the 1st or 2nd (for a 31-day month) is a full moon, then we get a second full moon (the blue moon) in the same month," says Applegate. This happens roughly every 30 months, or every two to three years.

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Gun Store Owner Opens Fire on 3 Burglars After They Drove Van Through Wall

The owner of the Guns and Ammo Gunsmith store in North Augusta, S.C. thought he was going to die tragically. Three men had driven a van into his store, executing what they hoped would be a quick “smash-and-grab” robbery.

Instead, they met owner Stephen Bayezes, who opened fire on the three intruders after the commotion set off an alarm, hitting each one at least once. He says he is not proud of what he was forced to do, but added sometimes “you’ve got to.” The incident occurred on Aug. 9, but the owner says a set of tire marks on the store’s floor and an unfinished wall are daily reminders of the night that he almost lost his life.

“It’s a haunting thought. It literally is a haunting thought when you see the tire tracks, you hear the tires,” Bayezes told WRDW-TV. “Everybody assures you that you just did what you had to do to protect your family. They say it’ll heal over time, but when does time go away? It’s something that nobody ever wants to do.”

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One Of Most Dangerous Cities In US Plans To Ditch Police Force

One of the most dangerous cities in the U.S. is getting rid of its police department.

Amid what they call a “public safety crisis,” officials in Camden, N.J., plan to disband the city's 141-year-old police department and replace it with a non-union division of the Camden County Police.

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To The US Govt, Failure To Disclose Foreign Accounts Is Worse Than Child Porn

Jacques Wajsfelner of Weston, Massachusetts is a criminal mastermind. Big time. Like Lex Luthor. But rest easy, ladies and gentlemen, for this nefarious villain is about to face some serious jail time thanks to the courageous work of US government agents.

You see, Mr. Wajsfelner was finally caught and convicted of a most heinous crime: failing to disclose his foreign bank account to the US government. Note-- he was not convicted of tax evasion. He was not convicted of failing to file or pay taxes. His crime was not filing the annual Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR).

Because of his failure to disclose his foreign bank account, Wajsfelner is now looking at FIVE YEARS behind bars in a Day-Glo orange jumpsuit.

Oh, one more thing-- Wajsfelner is 83 years old. He was born in Germany during the global depression and rise of Adolf Hitler. The Wajsfelner family soon fled the Nazi regime and made its way to the United States. It was a different world back then.

Sentencing guidelines suggest that Wajsfelner will get some combination of jail time and supervised release to the tune of several years.

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Maryland Governor To Headline Harkin Steak Fry

DES MOINES, Iowa - Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley will headline U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin's annual steak fry next month in Iowa.

O'Malley is chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, a vocal supporter of President Barack Obama and a likely 2016 presidential contender.

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New Black Panthers Seemingly Planning Thursday RNC Action

The New Black Panther Party has been in the news frequently over the past year after, among other things, threatening to kill all the “cracker babies” and put their boots on the “necks” of those attending the Republican National Convention.

After an August 22 interview with FloridaWatchdog, where prominent member Michelle Williams assured that the New Black Panthers had no plans for the Republican National Convention, many breathed a sigh of relief that the event would pass undisturbed.

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