Salisbury News: 09/19/12

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Be sure to click on the image to enlarge it so you can read the names and titles, (image from Metropolitan Magazine).

Let me give you a bit of history about the Salisbury Zoo most of you aren't aware of.

Considering the Salisbury Zoo is one of the smallest Zoo's in America, the AZA, (or whatever they are called now) who accredits the Zoo at one point demanded the Salisbury Zoo have a formal Director. So in other words, it wasn't a former Mayor who decided the Zoo needed a Director, it was shoved down their throat.

The AZA is an organization that pretty much does absolutely nothing for the Salisbury Zoo. However, what you do get from the AZA is a list of demands that cost the taxpayers MILLIONS of dollars. In order to stay accredited for example, the Zoo is being forced to build a $3,000,000.00 Animal Services Building. Now, does a Zoo our size actually NEED more than what they have, not really, especially AFTER the City had to pony up more than $300,000.00 to renovate the current building in place.

However, the Salisbury Zoo Commission does a LOT of things behind the scenes that creates a fortune worth of improvements and or changes you are not aware of. For example, as the above picture shows, Cathy Bassett has been added to the Zoo to basically do fundraising.

I don't want to sound like a broken record but I have been saying for more than 7 years now, WHAT THE HELL DOES THE DIRECTOR DO? I think we can all agree, Joel Hamilton is a very nice guy but seriously, he doesn't fund raise, he doesn't clean exhibits, in fact, he doesn't even have a whole lot to do with the Staff at the Zoo. However, 99% of ALL Zoo Directors in other Zoo's across America are fully responsible for raising 100% of the overhead of their Zoo's. Not Joel and now they have someone else to do that job.

So look close at the above picture. When you enlarge it you'll see the name Stacey Weisner. Oh, look again! Is she the NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR?????? So how did the Zoo bring in Cathy Bassett and Stacey Weisner without your knowledge, THE SAME WAY THEY'VE DONE IT WITH MOST OF THE OTHER EMPLOYEES AT THE ZOO.

The Zoo Commission brings them in through grants OR out of the DONATIONS you make when you visit the Zoo, supposedly to feed the animals. And what happens when those funds dry up, the come to the Council and ask that the taxpayers pay their salaries. When you have a rubber stamp Council like Barrie Tilghman had in the past, you get whatever you want. Not so today and NOT so if I'm elected Mayor.

It's bad enough OTHER City Empployees are complaining they aren't making enough money, NOW YOU KNOW WHY. The Salisbury Zoo is out of control. Your Mayor is fully aware of what is going on down there, yet once again he keeps quiet about it.

I wrote an article a few weeks ago about how they hired Cathy Bassett. Now all of a sudden they've taken on Stacey Weisner. 10 years ago the Zoo relied on VOLUNTEERS. Today, those volunteer positions are full time paid staff, yet there are a TON of people who would volunteer for those very same positions and did so for more than 40 years.

Mayor Ireton wants bigger government and continues to prove so. Yet he only wants to give raises to the Mayors Office Staff as well as a tax increase to do so, even though it wasn't even necessary.

I'd still LOVE to know just what the Zoo Director does at the Zoo each and every day, let alone a new Executive Director. It seems to me the Salisbury Zoo Commission is trying to keep up with the major Zoo's with the AZA. It's been foolish since day one and even more costly to City Taxpayers.

So, WHO are YOU really feeding when you make those donations to the Salisbury Zoo?

By the way, NONE of the Council Members I spoke to about this were aware there is a new Executive Director at the Zoo.

Man Risks His Life Wrestling Alligator To Save His Beloved Dog

Steve Gustafson, 66, was trimming a tree in his yard in The Villages retirement community in Florida with dog Bounce, playing nearby when he heard a terrifying yelp.

When he spun around he saw an alligator had grabbed hold of Bounce's shoulder and was swimming away with her.

Without a thought for his own safety Steve ran to the water and belly flopped on top of the seven foot 130-pound alligator to rescue his 9-year-old West Highland Terrier.

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Probe of Secret Service Prostitution Scandal May Cite White House Advance Staff Involvement

Federal law enforcement personnel and a congressional committee are anxiously awaiting an overdue inspector general's report that they believe may reveal the involvement of two White House advance team members in the Secret Service prostitution scandal in Colombia earlier this year.

While much of the attention in the case has focused on the actions of Secret Service personnel, multiple law enforcement and congressional sources tell FoxNews.com that investigators also discovered two White House advance team members checked in prostitutes as overnight guests at a Cartagena hotel in the days before President Obama's April 13 visit.

"Three U.S. delegation members that stayed at the Hilton brought prostitutes back as overnight guests. One of them was ours (Secret Service) and the other two were White House staffers," a high-ranking Secret Service official told FoxNews.com. "We knew very early that White House staffers were involved."

Continue here http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/09/19/probe-may-cite-white-house-advance-team-involvement-in-prostitution-scandal/

If You Rely On Caller ID, Beware Of Spoofing

Caller ID does not always do its job of alerting recipients of phony numbers.

The Federal Communications Commission warns of caller ID "spoofing" that can make nefarious incoming calls appear to come from a bank, charity or government agency.

Crooks can manipulate caller ID to try to trick people into revealing personal information. But people who want to remain anonymous can turn caller ID off to block their names and the source of calls they are placing.

They have much more in common than tiaras. The beloved Disney princess Cinderella will come face-to-face with the company's newest and youngest princess — both of them former commoners — in Sofia The First: Once Upon a Princess, a Disney Channel animated movie premiering Sunday, November 18 (7pm/6c). AndTV Guide Magazine has this first-look video preview!

Set in the storybook world of Enhancia, Sofiafeatures a starry voice cast including Ariel Winter(Modern Family), Sara Ramirez (Grey's Anatomy), Wayne Brady (Let's Make a Deal) and Tim Gunn (Project Runway) and centers on a little village girl named Sofia (Winter) who suddenly becomes royalty when her hard-working mom (Ramirez) marries the king.

Sofia must learn to navigate this strange new world and will get some much-needed princess-to-princess advice from Cinderella herself. But the famously shoeless heroine won't be the only well-known Disney character showing Sofia the ropes — the youngster will also be mentored by Flora, Fauna and Merryweather, the good fairies from Sleeping Beauty.

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Leading Muslim Scholar Calls for United Nations to Criminalize Speech

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah, an influential Muslim scholar and a professor at King Abdul Aziz University in Saudi Arabia, has called for the United Nations to end free speech.

The UN Human Rights Committee has declared the right to free speech and expression may be subjected to restrictions that are “strictly necessary and proportionate.”

In December, according to Forbes , the United States voiced its support for UN resolution 16/18, an initiative of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation that seeks to limit speech that is viewed as “discriminatory” or which involves the “defamation of religion.”

For this reason, according to the source, American Marines were not stationed at the U.S. embassy in Tripoli or the American mission in Benghazi, as would typically have been the case. In the spirit of a "low profile," the administration didn't even want an American company in charge of private security. Blue Mountain, the British firm the State Department hired, was willing to abide by the "no bullets" Rules of Engagement (ROE), so were a logical fit for the contract. These sub-standard protections for American diplomats were signed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the ROE.

In essence, the Obama Administration tasked an unarmed British firm with security responsibilities that should have been handled by armed American servicemen, and it was all approved by the Secretary of State. Needless to say, the plan failed and an Ambassador was murdered, along with several others.

As of now, the State Department has not disclosed the full State Department Rules of Engagement for Libya.

Here is the full story.

BLS: Obama Unemployment Rate Above 8% Longer Than Any Other President Since 1948

Excluding January 2009, the month when Barack Obama was inaugurated, unemployment has stayed above 8 percent, which is longer than under any other administration since the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) started measuring the monthly jobless rate: Over 8 percent for 43 months during Obama compared to a total of 39 months above 8 percent between 1948 and 2008.

Over the course of 50 years, the unemployment rate in the United States was above 8 percent for a total of 3 years and 3 months; under Obama alone, the rate has been above 8 percent for 3 years and 7 months.

Also, no other president presided over three consecutive years of average annual unemployment of more than 8 percent before Obama, according to the BLS data.

Barack Obama’s presidency-long campaign to expand privileges for same-sex duos, from the right to practice homosexuality openly in the military to his refusal to defend federal law describing marriage as between a man and a woman, may be about to blow up into a controversy, just as the 2012 election reaches its peak.

It’s because the U.S. military apparently has flaunted a same-sex “marriage” that was performed on a military based by a chaplain – in a state where such “unions” are illegal.

“Some heads should roll for this,” a Vietnam veteran who volunteers at Glory Chapel at Ft. Polk in Louisiana said in a letter to Rep. Howard McKeon, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

Actress Elizabeth Hurley is making a splash with her new line of swimwear for girls, but not in a good way. Parents and child advocates say the bikinis for girls are just too sexy.

Click here to see a photo of the swimsuits.

The Daily Mail out of the U.K. reports that several charities for children are outraged over the swimwear being sold by Hurley on her website. One features animal prints with a ruffled skirt and others come in bright colors.

CHICK-FIL-A ALLEGEDLY AGREES TO STOP FUNDING CONSERVATIVE GROUPS OPPOSED TO GAY MARRIAGE

The seeds of chaos were planted in July when Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy appeared on a radio show and publicly stated that his company opposes same-sex marriage. It didn’t take long for his statements to reverberate throughout the nation, with civil rights groups, media outlets and the public at large responding feverishly. This, teamed with the angst that was already created months before over Chick-fil-A’s past donations to groups that support the traditional family unit, created a furor.

With the dust having finally settled, a shocking report from a Chicago-based gay rights group claims that the fast food chain has now pledged to stop funding groups that stand against legalizing gay marriage. In a press release on Tuesday, The Civil Rights Agenda (TCRA) announced that an internal Chick-fil-A document shows that the company is re-thinking which organizations it will fund.

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Reported Arsenic Levels In Rice Prompt Concern

(CBS News) Consumer Reports found significant levels of arsenic in apple juice earlier this year, and now, the magazine has a new study , showing many brands of rice also contain the toxin.

The arsenic enters into the rice when it is grown, according to Dr. Philip Landrigan, a pediatrician at New York's Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He explained the rice with the highest levels of arsenic is from Texas and Louisiana, and along the Gulf coast where fields were used to grow cotton a century ago.

"When there was cotton there they had to treat the cotton with arsenic pesticides to control the bowl weevil," he said. "Now a century later, that arsenic is still in the soil, the rice is very effective at pulling it out of the soil in and it concentrates in the rice."

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American Airlines Sends Layoff Warning Notices To 11,000 Employees

American Airlines is sending layoff warning notices to more than 11,000 employees although it expects job losses to be closer to 4,400.

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Lieutenant Governor To Honor WWII Veterans

Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown will be speaking at an event honoring World War II veterans.

The ceremony is set for Wednesday in Silver Spring.

The event is being hosted by Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett and the Montgomery County Council.

PARIS (Reuters) - A French magazine ridiculed the Prophet Mohammad on Wednesday by portraying him naked in cartoons, threatening to fuel the anger of Muslims around the world who are already incensed by a film depicting him as a womanizing buffoon.

The French government, which had urged the magazine not to print the images, said it was temporarily shutting down premises including embassies and schools in 20 countries on Friday, when protests sometimes break out after Muslim prayers.

Riot police were deployed to protect the Paris offices of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo after it hit the news stands with a cover showing an Orthodox Jew pushing the turbaned figure of Mohammad in a wheelchair. On the inside pages, several caricatures of the Prophet showed him naked.

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DHS Purchases 200 Million More Rounds Of Ammunition

Following controversy over its purchase of around 1.2 billion bullets in the last six months alone, the Department of Homeland Security has put out a new solicitation for over 200 million more rounds of ammunition, some of which are designated to be used by snipers.

A series of new solicitations posted on the FedBizOpps website show that the DHS is looking to purchase 200 million rounds of .223 rifle ammunition over the next four years, as well as 176,000 rounds of .308 caliber 168 grain hollow point boat tail (HPBT) rounds in addition to 25,000 rounds of blank .308 caliber bullets.

As James Smith over at the Prepper Podcast website highlights, “It is the type of ammunition and not necessarily the quantity that is troubling.”

Smith points out that the DHS’ acquisition of .308 rounds is of concern because they are set to be used by well-trained snipers.

“All of the sniper grade ammunition is being used by trained, or in-the-process-of-being-trained snipers,” writes Smith, noting that the math adds up to 135,384 potential kills for the snipers to make, using the 176,000 rounds of ammunition, basing the figures on the fact that United States Army and Marine Corps snipers in the Vietnam War expended 1.3 rounds of ammunition for each claimed and verified kill.

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Pa. High Court Remands Voter ID Law

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s highest court on Tuesday told a lower court judge to stop a tough new law requiring voters to show photo identification from taking effect in this year’s presidential election if he finds voters cannot get easy access to ID cards or if he thinks voters will be disenfranchised.

The 4-2 decision by the state Supreme Court sends the case back to a Commonwealth Court judge who initially rejected a request to stop the divisive law from going forward. The high court asked the judge, Robert Simpson, for his opinion by Oct. 2.

If Simpson finds there will be no voter disenfranchisement and that IDs are easily obtained, then the law can stand, the Supreme Court said.

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Australia Bans Same Sex Marriage

The Australia parliament voted overwhelmingly to ban same sex marriage yesterday. The vote to ban same sex marriages was by a vote of 98 - 42. Also - Australia does not recognize same sex marriages conducted in other countries.

Take a look at the Australian parliaments strong language against gay marriages:

the definition of marriage in section 5:

marriage means the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.
the explicit denial of recognition of foreign same-sex marriages in section 88EA:

A union solemnised in a foreign country between:
(a) a man and another man; or
(b) a woman and another woman;
must not be recognised as a marriage in Australia.

Hopefully, some of our elected Maryland officials will take notice to our Austrilian breathren. This event serves as a warning for those who are in support of gay marriage.

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Prisoner Swap? Cuban Government Makes Proposal In Case Of Accused Md. Spy

The Cuban government breaks its silence. For the first time they propose talks with the United States, regarding a Maryland man accused of spying.

Adam May reports Alan Gross’s lawyer is skeptical.

Officials in the Cuban government tell reporters they’re willing to negotiate the release of Marylander Alan Gross, an accused spy.

“Today, for the first time, we have made a proposal to the U.S. government as a first step to begin a process and dialogue in the case of Mr. Allan Gross,” said Josefina Vidal.

US Totalitarian State Wins After All: Obama Reinstates NDAA Military Detention Provision

Just over a week ago, we wrote of the challenge [14] to Obama's NDAA totalitarian bill. Hope remained that Chris Hedges' view of the indefinite detention as "unforgivable, unconstitutional, and exceedingly dangerous" would bolster judgment. However, as Russia Today reports [15], a lone appeals judge bowed down to the Obama administration late Monday and reauthorized the White House's ability to indefinitely detain American citizens without charge or due process. On Monday, the US Justice Department asked for an emergency stay on the previous Chris Hedges'-driven order, and hours later US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Judge Raymond Lohier agreed to intervene and place a hold on the injunction. The stay will remain in effect until at least September 28, when a three-judge appeals court panel is expected to begin addressing the issue. It would appear the total fascist takeover of Amerika is drawing nearer by the day.

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Florida Couple Writes Book Defending George Zimmerman

The state's attorney's office in Florida is expected to release a new set of documents Wednesday in the case against George Zimmerman. Meantime, friends of Zimmerman have come out with a new book defending "the most hated man in America."

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QUOTES OF THE DAY - IRAN WAR EDITION

“The corporations that profit from permanent war need us to be afraid. Fear stops us from objecting to government spending on a bloated military. Fear means we will not ask unpleasant questions of those in power. Fear permits the government to operate in secret. Fear means we are willing to give up our rights and liberties for promises of security. The imposition of fear ensures that the corporations that wrecked the country cannot be challenged. Fear keeps us penned in like livestock.”
― Chris Hedges, The Death of the Liberal Class

“War is always about betrayal, betrayal of the young by the old, of idealists by cynics and of troops by politicians.”
― Chris Hedges

“There are always people willing to commit unspeakable human atrocity in exchange for a little power and privilege.”
― Chris Hedges, War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning

“If we really saw war, what war does to young minds and bodies, it would be impossible to embrace the myth of war. If we had to stand over the mangled corpses of schoolchildren killed in Afghanistan and listen to the wails of their parents, we would not be able to repeat clichés we use to justify war. This is why war is carefully sanitized. This is why we are given war’s perverse and dark thrill but are spared from seeing war’s consequences. The mythic visions of war keep it heroic and entertaining…The wounded, the crippled, and the dead are, in this great charade, swiftly carted offstage. They are war’s refuse. We do not see them. We do not hear them. They are doomed, like wandering spirits, to float around the edges of our consciousness, ignored, even reviled. The message they tell is too painful for us to hear. We prefer to celebrate ourselves and our nation by imbibing the myths of glory, honor, patriotism, and heroism, words that in combat become empty and meaningless.”
― Chris Hedges, Death of the Liberal Class

“The violent subjugation of the Palestinians, Iraqis, and Afghans will only ensure that those who oppose us will increasingly speak to us in the language we speak to them—violence.”
― Chris Hedges

“The rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug.”
― Chris Hedges

“The enduring attraction of war is this: Even with its destruction and carnage it can give us what we long for in life. It can give us purpose, meaning, a reason for living.”
― Chris Hedges, War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning

“In the beginning war looks and feels like love. But unlike love it gives nothing in return but an ever-deepening dependence, like all narcotics, on the road to self-destruction. It does not affirm but places upon us greater and greater demands. It destroys the outside world until it is hard to live outside war’s grip. It takes a higher and higher dose to achieve any thrill. Finally, one ingests war only to remain numb.”
― Chris Hedges, War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning

Sinus Infections Make Comeback, Treatment Changing

It's that time of year again when sinus infections make a comeback.

But this year, there's a new breed of super bacteria developing and it's forcing doctors to change the way sinus infections are treated.

Stephanie Santino used to dread this time of year. During the fall and winter, sinus infections seemed to take over her life.

She says, "There were times where just literally sitting upright, that pain of holding your head upright was just really intense."

Fast and Furious Report Finds DOJ Management Failures

Fourteen employees of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Justice Department face disciplinary action for their roles in the botched Fast and Furious weapons-tracking program, according to a report released Wednesday by department investigators. No criminal charges are recommended, according to the report.

The program was doomed by a "series of misguided strategies, tactics, errors in judgment and management failures" on the part of line agents, prosecutors and senior Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Washington, Justice Department investigators concluded in a report released Wednesday.

The report does not recommend any criminal sanctions against individuals in connection with the controversial gun-trafficking operation.

According to Palmer Gillis this morning...

"We made the business decision yesterday to pursue further registration with the United States Department of the Interior, National Parks Service. We expect about a 30 to 60 day delay as a result of this process".

Now this doesn't mean demolition won't continue, it will. There will simply be a 30 to 60 day delay. The outcome could be very positive for future historic projects here on the Shore.

Miracle Sextuplets Reunited After Last Of Siblings Is Finally Home From Hospital

The last of a set of sextuplets born in April has been released from hospital, much to the delight of her parents

Lauren and David Perkins, from Pearland, Texas, took baby Leah home yesterday, where she joined her three brothers Benjamin, Levi and Andrew, and sisters Allison and Caroline.

Texas Children's Hospital hosted a send-off party for the reunited family, where the four-and-a-half-month-old babies were snapped together in their first joint photo.

BREAKING NEWS: 'Fast and Furious' Report Released As Top DOJ Official Quits

Inspector general releases report finding the Justice Department provided insufficient oversight on the botched 'Fast and Furious' gun-walking operation, as the Criminal Division's deputy assistant attorney general resigns.

From Fox News

RESPECTED STATE AND HARFORD CO. LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL DIES AFTER LONG ILLNESS

(EDGEWOOD, MD) – A well-respected and beloved law enforcement official who had careers with both the Maryland State Police and the Harford County Sheriff’s Office passed away last night after a long illness.

Theodore S. Moyer, 83, of Edgewood, Md., died shortly after 7:30 p.m. yesterday. He was at his home and surrounded by family when he passed away.

Major Ted Moyer was born and raised in Hagerstown, Md. He played semi-pro football for the Browns and worked at Fairchild building planes before joining the Maryland State Police.

Major Moyer moved to Harford County in 1951 as a new trooper with the Maryland State Police. His graduating class was the first to wear the Stetson hat and the shoulder patch that is still worn by troopers. Although his assignments as a trooper changed throughout his career, he never moved from the county he loved, where he was surrounded by the many people who came to know and love him.

During his State Police career, he served as commander of the Greenbelt Post, the North East, Valley, and Bel Air barracks and of the Northern Troop. He retired from the Maryland State Police in 1981 with the rank of major. He then went on to be elected sheriff and served with the Harford County Sheriff’s Office until 1986.

After his retirement from law enforcement, Major Moyer continued his support of and involvement in the Maryland State Police. He was an active member of the Maryland State Police Alumni Association and had previously served as the organization’s president. He and his wife were faithful in their attendance at the annual Maryland State Police Fallen Heroes Ceremony, as well as award and promotion ceremonies and new trooper graduations.

Major Moyer’s service to citizens extended far beyond his public safety duties with the Maryland State Police and the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. He was a longtime youth coach who was a friend and mentor to hundreds of young people during his life. He coached many championship football, baseball, and basketball teams during almost four decades as a volunteer coach.

He was always helping people in need by providing financial or resource support. These acts of kindness were most often done without anyone other than those he helped being aware of who was responsible for the help and generosity.

Major Moyer and his wife Elaine raised three sons, David, Michael, and Steve. They enjoyed spending time together as a family and were especially fond of their four grandchildren. They instilled in their children and grandchildren the values of honesty, integrity, loyalty, commitment, and the importance of family. Their son Steve followed in his father’s footsteps. He had an outstanding career with the Maryland State Police, from which he retired as a bureau chief with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Just before his death, Major Moyer presented Steve’s son, Drew, with his State Police retirement badge.

Regardless of the rank he achieved in both the State Police and Sheriff’s Office, Major Moyer was known for always looking out for the road trooper or deputy. He never forgot where he came from and knew the importance of the men and women on the front lines of public safety service.

He is known by all those who served with him as a man who deeply loved both the Maryland State Police and the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. He is also remembered as a passionate fan of the Baltimore Colts, Baltimore Orioles, and Baltimore Ravens.

Major Moyer will be remembered for many things, including his sincere concern and compassion for the people he served. His life and career are reminders to those who knew him that if you truly want to and are willing to sacrifice your time, talent and resources, you can make a difference in the lives of others.

Tot Tablets, Retro Brands Are Toys R Us 'Hot Toys'

It's still technically summer, but for some it's not too soon to think about what the kiddies will want for the holidays.

Toys R Us has come out with its annual "hot toy" list that includes tablets for kids, fashion dolls in the likeness of boy-band sensation One Direction, and even retro hits like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Furby.

Knowing early what will be popular during the holiday shopping season is crucial to retailers seeking to have the right mix of toys at the right prices. The holiday season can account for about 40 percent of a toy seller's annual profit.

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For Every $1 Added To The Economy, Obama Added More Than $3 In Debt

Since Obama has taken office ….

[through Q2 2012 for comparative purposes]
For every $1 added to the economy, we’ve added more than $3 in debt added $5.23 trillion in debt vs. $1.68 trillion to the economy 50% increase in debt vs. 12% increase in economic output

Total Public Debt:
$10,626T [Jan 20, 2009]$15,856T [Jun 30, 2012]
$5.23 trillion increase in debt

[source: Treasury Dept]
......
GDP
$13,923T [Q1 2009]

$15,606T [Q2 2012]
$1.68 trillion increase in GDP
[source: BEA]

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