Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Early Voting Starts This Weekend

Early voting starts this weekend in Maryland for the November 6th Presidential Election.

The early voting locations will open on Saturday and stay open until November 1st.

State Board of Elections officials tell WBAL Radio any registered voter can cast a ballot at any of the early voting locations in the state.

A BASEBALL PLAYER HIT THE BALL THREE TIMES WITH ONE SWING DURING LAST NIGHT’S NLCS GAME — SEE HOW

What may have been lost in the presidential shuffle last night was the incredible story of the San Francisco Giants winning their sixth elimination game of the baseball postseason in order to advance to the World Series. And if you missed that, you likely missed one of the most bizarre baseball plays in a long time.

While swinging at a pitch, Giants outfielder Hunter Pence broke his bat. No big deal — it happens all the time. Until you watch in slow-mo exactly what went down. Because of the shattering bat, Pence actually hit the ball three times with one swing. Deadspin has slowed it down with a gif so you can see:

BERLIN -- Extraordinary opposition from vendors at Berlin’s Farmers Market last night sidelined a potential re-location of the event, at least for the next few months.

However, when agreeing to allow the market to remain in downtown Berlin, town officials made it clear that they are expecting more cooperation and communication between the Chamber of Commerce and the market in the future.

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National Aquarium Gives Back to Marylanders

As part of its continuing effort to ensure that all Marylanders have access to one of the regions greatest jewels, National Aquarium, Baltimore has announced the launch of Maryland Mornings, in which Maryland residents receive $8 off adult general admission tickets and $4 off child general admission tickets Sunday through Friday, before noon. The program, in partnership with Governor Martin O’Malley, is available to Marylanders now through February, and tickets can be purchased on-site at the National Aquarium, Baltimore ticket office.

"Maryland Mornings is a great way for Marylanders to get out and enjoy the sights at National Aquarium," said Governor O'Malley. "We hope that every family will visit and take advantage of this opportunity to learn about our Bay and aquatic life, as well as share in one of our State's great treasures."

National Aquarium’s mission is to inspire conservation of the world’s aquatic treasures, and its home state of Maryland is a key part of this global pledge. The Aquarium has various Chesapeake Bay conservation initiatives, educational opportunities for Maryland students and accessibility programs and promotions.

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BREAKING NEWS: Magnitude 6.6 Quake Strikes Costa Rica

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake strikes six miles northeast of Hojancha, Costa Rica

Post-ABC Tracking Poll: Romney 49 Percent, Obama 48

The new Washington Post-ABC News national tracking poll has 49 percent of likely voters supporting Republican Mitt Romney, and 48 percent President Obama, a seesawing result that shows the continued narrowness of the contest.

The change from yesterday’s Post-ABC tracking poll, which showed the race 49 to 48 percent the other way, is statistically insignificant, and the numbers do not include any public reaction to the third and final presidential debate Monday night. Almost all of Monday’s interviews were conducted before the debate started.

Cartoon Comedy Or Concerned Criticism: Pick Your Favorite Debate Post-Mortem

As the holiday-shopping season approaches, Microsoft and Apple have scheduled major events this week to unveil new gadgets and software.

The Microsoft event Thursday will focus on Windows 8, a major update to its lucrative operating system. The new software will go on sale Friday, and PC manufacturers have a slew of desktops, laptops and tablet computers designed for it.

Apple, meanwhile, is expected to unveil a smaller iPad at an event in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday. It comes just weeks after the launch of a new iPhone.

For many women, premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, is a familiar preamble to their monthly cycle. But a new review of the data suggests that mood changes aren’t as closely tied to menses as many have assumed.

A team led by Dr. Sarah Romans of the University of Otago in New Zealand reviewed 47 studies that followed women’s moods across the menstrual cycle. Only 15% of the studies found that women tended to have “classic” PMS: moods that worsened as the menstrual period approached and lifted when menstruation occurred. An additional 38% found PMS that lasted into menstruation or another cycle phase.

A Wisconsin man terrorized his wife for years, threatening to throw acid on her face, dousing her car with tomato juice and slashing her vehicle's tires before finally going to the spa where she worked, opening fire and killing her and two others.

The shooting spree stunned the middle- to upper-class Milwaukee suburb where it happened, but court records show the conflict between Radcliffe Haughton and his wife had been escalating for years.

The 45-year-old former car salesman ultimately shot seven women at the spa before turning the gun on himself. Three remained hospitalized Monday.

A Comment Worthy Of A Post 10-23-12

Maryland Judiciary Case Search has left a new comment on your post "WCSO Press Release 10-8-12":

Joe, please make this front page news again to get the attention of rick politt and the jail admin to know that this needs to be addressed right away. all of us want to know why she wasn't processed? any other suspect of intoxication is held there until they are sober enough to see a commissioner. she doesn't even have a bond. this is favoritism. she still drives to work on suspended license in an uninsured vehicle with suspended registration on wicomico county property. what if she hits someone? This deputy needs to be suspended for not treating her like any other criminal. how can she be able to supervise inmates who have the same charges that she does? She should be suspended with pay until this is settled or until she runs out of leave. she should be ashamed to even show her face there. others in jail aren't provided the same luxury of being able to work until their court date. guards should be held to the same standards that the public are. does having a wannabe cop badge give her this privilege? it shouldn't. let's look at her prior charges that she was convicted of by pleading guilty. all of these are since she's been working there for over a decade. she lies to the police and to everyone all the time. never pays her bills or fines. the jail should know by now that she is a liability. if this was a 1st offense, then i would want her to have a 2nd chance, but this is not the case. people always show their true colors over time and this is shame on the jail if she fools them twice. I call for all concerned citizens of wicomico county to petition the county council to do what the administration of the jail will not, remove this liability before it's too late. thanks joe.

Ex-Marine Raises $4K for Dog Reunion

Former Marine Shaun Duling, 27, is taking the Corps' creed, "Leave No Man Behind," to a whole new level.

When Duling completed a year-long contract in Afghanistan earlier this month, he was heartbroken that he had to leave behind one of his closest companions, a dog named Bolt.

"He was always by my side, which was really difficult because when I had left Afghanistan for good, he tried to jump on the helo with me. He usually doesn't like to go toward the helipad and he was right there with me," Duling told ABCNews.com. "I got on, and they had to come pull him back. It was pretty hard saying goodbye to him. And that's when I definitely made the decision to do what I had to."

The presidential election has the Left in panic mode. In addition to preparing brigades of lawyers to challenge every alleged irregularity and try to reverse the voters’ verdict in court if need be, the Obama administration and its left wing boosters are looking to an international cavalry of “election observers” to save them.

The Hill has reported that “United Nations-affiliated election monitors from Europe and central Asia will be at polling places around the U.S.” on Election Day. There will be at least forty-four foreign observers sent by The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is a regional inter-governmental organization that engages in democratization and human rights projects in partnership with the United Nations. Their job will be to “assess these elections for compliance with international obligations and standards for democratic elections” according to the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

Obama's Bogus Zip Code Fundraising Problem

Three weeks ago, I brought you a story about President Obama's illegal foreign campaign money loophole. As a refresher, President Obama's campaign donation website does not have basic, industry standard security measures to prevent fraud and foreign donations according to a report done by the Government Accountability Institute [GAI].

Now, GAI is out with a second report examining reported financial contribution data on the Federal Election Commission website and to "determine the effectiveness of campaign anti-fraud security tools in weeding out online donations made using incomplete or inaccurate zip code entries" for both the 2012 Romney and Obama campaign donation websites. The report also examined 2008 election cycle sites.

Apple Unveils iPad Mini

Apple unveils new $329 iPad mini, weighing only .68lbs with a 7.9" screen.

Did Biden Get His Brother A Lucrative Contract in Iraq?

Joe Biden’s younger brother James stands to earn millions of dollars in post-war construction in Iraq, thanks to his long experience in the construction industry. No, wait, James Biden doesn’t have much experience in construction. All right, he stands to make millions due to his long experience in investing in South Korean construction firms and doing business in Iraq. No, wait, he doesn’t have any experience in either of those fields, either. How, then, did James Biden work his way into a partnership with a South Korean firm to build 100,000 homes in Iraq, a project that will be financed by the Iraqi government?

It really helps, as the president of the partnership managing the project involved told investors, to have “the brother of the Vice President as a partner”:

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Teen Brothers Charged With Strangling NJ Girl

Two teenage brothers have been charged with the murder of 12-year-old Autumn Pasquale.

Autumn went missing on Saturday after telling her parents she was headed over to a friend’s house. That was around noon. She left on her white, BMX bike, but never got to that friend’s house, so her parents called police around 9:30 that night. Her father, Anthony Pasquale, told us that when she didn’t make it to her friend’s house and didn’t call, he knew something was wrong.

From	Barack Obama info@barackobama.com
To	Joe Albero alberobutzo@wmconnect.com

Joe --

This is in your hands now.

Chip in $5 or more, and let's go win:

Thanks,

Barack

Bay Bridge Closed After Tanker Truck Leaks Propane

Both spans of the Bay Bridge are closed due to a Hazmat incident involving a propane tank.

The Maryland Transportation Authority said at about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday a tanker truck began leaking propane on westbound Route 50 just before the westbound span of the Bay Bridge.

As a precaution, officials said both west and eastbound Route 50 have been closed to maintain a radius of safety as officials work to plug the leak.

Traffic Cam

'AL BABY' GORE THREATENED WITH ARREST

Lord Christopher Monckton, a WND columnist who describes himself as the “high priest of climate skepticism,” says there will be an investigation, and a conviction, if “Al baby” Gore said anything during a weekend visit to a “green” conference in Gibraltar that could be construed as advocating for the financial interests of his company, Generations Investment Management.

While the company remains largely out of the public view, its interests apparently lie in the financial benefits that could emerge should global warming regulations be imposed and so-called “carbon credits” become an issue.

Coming To San Francisco.Tenement Sized Apartments!

This trend first broke onto the scene several months ago when it was reported that NYC was preparing to change its housing code to allow for “micro” apartments. Basically very expensive jail cells. I covered that story in my piece Back to 19th Century Living in NYC: Bloomberg Proposes “Tenement Sized” Apartments for $2K a Month.

Unsurprisingly, the trend is now coming to San Francisco and will soon emerge everywhere else in the country. From The LA Times:

At a minimum 150 square feet of living space — 220 when you add the bathroom, kitchen and closet — the proposed residences are being hailed as a pivotal option for singles.

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors will consider tweaking the city’s building code, which requires newly constructed units to be at least 290 square feet.

The micro-units will probably go for $1,200 to $1,700 a month, Wiener said. According to the real estate service RealFacts, an average studio apartment in San Francisco now goes for $2,075.

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17 Tips for a Fantastic Carved Pumpkin

Our Favorite Pumpkin Decorating & Carving Ideas!

Instead of carving a traditional Jack-O-Lantern this year, try one of these fun (and easy!) pumpkin decorating and carving ideas. Or -- if you dare -- have everyone in the family try a different one for a porch full of spooky and adorable pumpkins.

Prop it Up
Use props like vampire teeth to liven up your pumpkin. Try buying a pack of funky teeth from your local Halloween store and switch up the mouth all through October. We bet you'll stand out from the neighbors -- and you'll also save yourself from having to carve an intricate design or "face."

What Is A Government Job?

The Myth of Job Creation ... The headlines from the last presidential debate
focused on President Obama challenging Mitt Romney on issue after issue.

There was a less noticed, but no less remarkable, moment when Mr. Obama
agreed with Mr. Romney on something — and both were entirely wrong. – New
York Times

Dominant Social Theme: Government is naturally the most dynamic part of any
social entity.

Free-Market Analysis: Can government "create" jobs? Free-market types believe it is impossible for
government to generate employment, though politicians claim various kinds of job creation all the time.
The New York Times thinks it can. Most of the time, analysis turns on government printing money and
providing tax breaks. This is supposed to benefit the private sector in turn.

The Times's novel idea is that one can dispense with all this economic mumbo-jumbo. Government jobs,
we are informed, are created by mandate. They are in front of our collective noses. Here's more from the
article:

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McDonald's French Fries Demystified In 'Farm To Fryer' Video

McDonald's Canada is all about transparency these days. Remember when it released a video proving that its burgers are made with 100 percent beef, and another one explaining why burgers look different in life than they do in advertisements?

The truth parade continues with the chain's most recent video, which shows just exactly how McDonald's French fries get made.

Monmouth Poll: Romney Leads Obama, Tied On Foreign Policy

Republican nominee Mitt Romney leads President Barack Obama by 3 points in a new Monmouth University poll, which also shows how much Romney has changed his fortunes since the first presidential debate.

Romney leads 48-45 overall in the poll, a boost from a one-point advantage in a poll taken right after the first debate. Among likely voters, Romney has swung the race 6 points from a month ago.

Here's a quick look at some of the internal vitals that have changed since September:

Most people in the United States use the terms "yam" and "sweet potato" interchangeably, when in fact they are two quite different vegetables.

Yams are native to Asia and Africa and have thick skin and flesh that is white, orange or purple. They are often used as a starch, much as we use bread or pasta. In fact, yams are one of the most important food crops in the tropics and subtropical countries. Yams are usually boiled, baked, fried as chips or grated and steamed for breads and cakes.

Sweet potatoes are available in two primary varieties. One has tan skin and dry yellow flesh; the other, darker-skinned variety has sweet orange flesh and is often mistakenly called a yam. Sweet potatoes are what most people in the United States eat.

WON'T BACK DOWN

Government bureaucrats and government unions are the problem. They are incompetent, self-serving and they are bankrupting our States. They don’t care about our kids.

Charter-school case underscores divide

Gloria Romero grew up in Barstow, Calif., the daughter of a railroad worker, and like many of the desert community’s young, left for the big city — in her case Los Angeles, where she earned advanced degrees and became a college professor and later a Democratic state legislator.

By happenstance, however, Romero’s most important legislation — empowering parents to take control of failing public schools — is making its first impact in Adelanto, just a few miles from Barstow.

This week, a San Bernardino County judge ordered Adelanto’s school board to stop stalling and grant the charter-school petition of parents in the Desert Trails Elementary School.

The decision’s timing was exquisitely ironic.

It came as a movie inspired by the Adelanto case and another in Compton, “Won’t Back Down,” was running in theaters — portraying the low-income parents in heroic terms and their foes in the educational establishment, including unions, as villains. And it came during the fiercely fought campaign over Proposition 32, which would curb political fundraising by unions, with Romero as a high-profile advocate.

The Adelanto case and Romero’s role underscore one very intriguing political development: a divide between the education establishment, including the powerful California Teachers Association, and some Democratic political figures, such as Romero, who see poor schools as a civil rights issue.

Wisconsin State Senator Neal Kedzie says his son was physically assaulted while trying to stop an unknown suspect from stealing his Romney/Ryan front yard sign in Whitewater, Wis. on Friday, WMTV reports.

“Early on Friday morning, October 19th, my son Sean was awakened by noises outside his residence in Whitewater. As he went to see what the commotion was about, he noticed an individual removing a Romney/Ryan yard sign from his property. He yelled to the person that they were taking something not theirs and to return it immediately,” Sen. Kedzie said in a statement. “The individual returned the sign, however, a second person confronted and attacked Sean without warning.”

Large woods fire in the area of Ocean Highway and Flower Hill Church Road In Eden. Several fire departments are on scene and more are being called in to help.

UPDATE
Approximately 5 acres are involved in this fire and the fire is heading towards Route 13

A Red Carpet For Radical Islamists At The White House

A year-long investigation by the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) has found that scores of known radical Islamists made hundreds of visits to the Obama White House, meeting with top administration officials.

Court documents and other records have identified many of these visitors as belonging to groups serving as fronts for the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and other Islamic militant organizations.

The IPT made the discovery combing through millions of White House visitor log entries. IPT compared the visitors' names with lists of known radical Islamists. Among the visitors were officials representing groups which have:

Been designated by the Department of Justice as unindicted co-conspirators in terrorist trials; Extolled Islamic terrorist groups including Hamas and Hizballah;
Obstructed terrorist investigations by instructing their followers not to cooperate with law enforcement;
Promoted the incendiary conspiratorial allegation that the United States is engaged in a "war against Islam"— a leading tool in recruiting Muslims to carry out acts of terror;
Repeatedly claimed that many of the Islamic terrorists convicted since 9-11 were framed by the U.S government as part of an anti-Muslim profiling campaign.

Naval Academy Alumni Rank Fourth Most Conservative

Generally, U.S. Naval Academy alumni don’t support abortion, are less enthusiastic about same-sex marriage and believe affirmative action is unfair, according to a college-rankings guide called The Alumni Factor.

Answers from more than 200 one-time graduates of the Naval Academy placed the Annapolis school as the fourth most conservative out of 177 ranked by The Alumni Factor. The academy placed three spots behind the Air Force Academy, which was ranked the most conservative in the nation.

The political leanings of the schools’ alumni were based on responses to 20 questions — including gay marriage, racial profiling, abortion rights, and government-funded health care.

Obama's China Policy Could Throw US Into A Recession

The U.S. economy could slide into a recession if President Barack Obama is re-elected and fails to toughen his stance against China and its foreign-exchange policies, said Peter Morici, a professor at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and former chief economist at the U.S. International Trade Commission.

China keeps its currency, the yuan, artificially weak to give it an edge in the global trade arena, which crimps growth in the United States, many politicians and business leaders charge.

Prior to the recession, Americans could drum up revenue from sources like home equity loans to continue to buy cheap goods made in China and keep the economy moving.

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Virginia Leads Nation In The Number Of Legally-Owned Machine Guns

A new report shows Virginia leads the nation in the number of legally-owned fully-automatic machine guns.

Gun enthusiasts say that shooting a machine gun is an experience all its own.

“It’s a lot of fun,” says Bernie Canatser.

Canatser is the president of the Virginia Arms Company in Manassas where the walls are lined with firearms that look like machine guns, but are not the real thing.

How Romney Won Last Night's Debate

Mitt Romney showed up to the third debate a decidedly more low-key candidate than we have seen so far during the 2012 general election, taking a remarkably non-confrontational approach to his final match-up with President Barack Obama.

Romney's performance was largely unremarkable, lacking any clear argument or foreign policy vision, but also avoiding major stumbles or gaffes.

Obama may have won the debate on points, and even style. But by keeping his cool, and avoiding any major gaffes or stumbles, Romney also walked away from the debate successful.

Romney's strategy of staying above the fray reflects the Republican nominee's continued momentum going into the final two weeks of the presidential race. In Monday's debate, Romney exuded the easy confidence of a challenger who thinks he has enough of an advantage to risk running out the clock. And Obama's aggressive offense suggests that his re-election team agrees with that assessment.

The Three-And-A-Half Class Society

The top 20% are supporting the entire Status Quo. This is an unstable arrangement.

The U.S. has a three-and-a-half class society. According to demographer Joel Kotkin, California has become a two-and-a-half-class society, with a thin slice of "entrenched incumbents" on top (the "half class"), a dwindling middle class of public employees and private-sector professionals/technocrats, and an expanding permanent welfare class: about 40% of Californians don't pay any income tax and a quarter are on the Federal Medicaid program.

I would break it down somewhat differently, into a three-and-a-half class society: the "entrenched incumbents" on top (the "half class"), the high-earners who pay most of the taxes (the first class), the working poor who pay Social Security payroll taxes and sales taxes (the second class), and State dependents who pay nothing (the third class).

This class structure has political ramifications. In effect, those paying most of the tax are in a pressure cooker: the lid is sealed by the "entrenched incumbents" on top, and the fire beneath is the Central State's insatiable need for more tax revenues to support the entrenched incumbents and its growing army of dependents.

Let's start our analysis of the three-and-a-half-class society by noting that the top 25% pay most of the Federal income tax, and within that "middle class" the top 10% pay the lion's share of all taxes.

The top 25% of taxpayers--34 million workers out of a workforce of 160 million and 140 million wage earners--pay almost 90% of all Federal income taxes. Where Do You Rank as a Taxpayer?

Already facing intense scrutiny for its shifting narrative about the assault on the U.S. Consulate in Libya, the Pentagon now says it will not reclassify the Fort Hood shootings as a terrorist attack over concern about biasing the case against the gunman — an argument that is getting a mixed review from legal specialists.

Late Friday, after 160 victims of the Fort Hood, Texas, shooting called on the Pentagon to label the attack terrorism instead of workplace violence as it has for the past three years, the Department of Defensesaid it would not reclassify the attack.

In rejecting the victims outcry, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta’s spokesman cited concern that having the government weigh in could bias the case against Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 42, who is awaiting trial and faces the death penalty if convicted.

Donald Trump Claims Barack Obama Bombshell

Donald Trump said on "Fox & Friends" Monday that he'll reveal “very big” news about President Barack Obama by Wednesday, but declined to give any hints about his plan.

“Something very, very big concerning the president of the United States,” he said. “It’s going to be very big. I know one thing — you will cover it in a very big fashion.”

Trump, who said he will announce the news on Twitter “sometime probably Wednesday,” suggested it could “possibly” impact the election. The businessman, who considered a run for the White House but endorsed former Gov. Mitt Romney, has long been a high-profile Obama birther conspiracy theorist.

Can It All Be A Coincidence?

As I noted in the introduction to my book, The Obama Timeline, a jury at a murder trial will often find the accumulated circumstantial evidence so overwhelming that a guilty verdict is obvious—even though there may be no witness to the crime. “The jurors in the Scott Peterson trial believed the collection of evidence more than they believed Scott Peterson. Among other things, the jury thought that being arrested with $15,000 in cash, recently-dyed hair, a newly-grown goatee, four cell phones, camping equipment, a map to a new girlfriend’s house, a gun, and his brother’s driver’s license certainly did not paint a picture of a grieving husband who had nothing to do with his pregnant wife’s disappearance and murder.”

In the four years I have been gathering information about—and evidence against—Barack Hussein Obama, I have encountered hundreds of coincidences that strike me as amazing. None of those coincidences, by themselves, may mean much. But taken as a whole it is almost impossible to believe they were all the result of chance. Consider the Obama-related coincidences:

Obama just happened to know 60s far-left radical revolutionary William Ayers, whose father just happened to be Thomas Ayers, who just happened to be a close friend of Obama’s communist mentor Frank Marshall Davis, who just happened to work at the communist-sympathizing Chicago Defender with Vernon Jarrett, who just happened to later become the father-in-law of Iranian-born leftist Valerie Jarrett, who Obama just happened to choose as his closest White House advisor, and who just happened to have been CEO of Habitat Company, which just happened to manage public housing in Chicago, which just happened to get millions of dollars from the Illinois state legislature, and which just happened not to properly maintain the housing—which eventually just happened to require demolition.

Attention

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Our Favorite Pumpkin Decorating & Carving Ideas!

Charter-school case underscores divide