CONFIRMED!! They Are Filtering Your Comments

I posted another comment in support of the mayor and it was approved!!! This is SICK!!! Luckily you have an ace under your sleeve called sbynews!

Those mothers!!! Good luck buddy, I hope you can win and beat the local establishment! Teach others about the times we are living in, we need a leader who is "awake"!!!

http://www.wboc.com/story/20537852/albero-joins-incumbent-ireton-in-race-for-salisbury-mayor

Missing Aircraft Located

Location:  White Oak Road west of Long Point Road and east of SR1, Dover, DE

 

Date of Occurrence:   Sunday January 13, 2013 at approximately 7:10 p.m.

 

Resume:

Dover, DE- At approximately 9:35 p.m. members of the Little Creek Volunteer Fire Company located the wreckage of a small aircraft believed to be that of the single engine fixed wing plane that had been reported missing.  One fatality has been confirmed and it is reported to be the pilot of the plane who was the only occupant.

 

Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are enroute to the scene and will begin their investigation into the crash.

Emergency Crews Searching Area For Missing Plane

Location: Bayside Drive (SR9) and North Little Creek Road (SR8), Little Creek, DE

Date of Occurrence: Sunday January 13, 2013 at approximately 7:10 p.m.

Resume:
Little Creek, DE- The Delaware State Police are assisting in the search of a missing single engine fixed wing plane near Little Creek.

Troopers along with officers from the Department of Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife Division, and firefighters from Camden, Cheswold, Dover, Frederica, Hartly, Leipsic, and Little Creek are currently conducting grid searches in the area of Bayside Drive (SR9) and North Little Creek Road (SR8) for a piper plane that vanished off radar after an emergency call was placed to the control tower on Dover Air Force Base.

Details of this incident are in the early stages and updates will be released as information is received.

NRA PRESIDENT: NO WAY AN ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN WILL PASS…UNLESS OBAMA USES ‘ALL THE POWER OF HIS OFFICE’

National Rifle Association President David Keene said Sunday he doesn’t think there’s enough support to get a new assault weapons ban passed in Congress, unless President Barack Obama uses “all the power of his office” and changes the game.

Keene said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that there’s not enough legislative support for another ban “right now,” but that might not necessarily hold.

“When a president takes all the power of his office and he’s willing to expend political capital, you don’t want to make predictions — you don’t want to, you don’t want to bet your house on the outcome,” Keene said. “I would say that the likelihood is that they’re not going to be able to get an assault weapons ban through this Congress.”
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ED SCHULTZ MAKES BOLD CLAIM THAT U.S. HAS ‘NEVER HAD A CIVILIAN STOP A SHOOTING’ — SO WE PROVE HIM WRONG

MSNBC personality and radio host Ed Schultz on Thursday made the bold claim that the U.S. has “never had a civilian stop a shooting” while arguing against having armed personnel in schools.

During his radio show, Schultz said a gunman might even view it as a “challenge” if there were armed employees at school. Here’s what he said: 

“Would it be a deterrent if, you know, say perpetrators know that there’s guns in the schools? How do we know they wouldn’t view that as a challenge? I mean, we got a goofy world out there. I’m just not convinced that packing a small firearm is the best defense or certainly not the best defense.

You know, you want to make the best defense? Make the school a damn fortress. I mean, you could do that, I mean but, is that reasonable? Is that the right thing to do? Is it necessary? […] haven’t we had enough school shootings where this is necessary? We’ve never had a civilian stop a shooting.”

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Lawson's Is History

Dear Joe,

Thought you might like to know that Lawson's in downtown Pocomoke City is now a smoldering footnote in Pocomoke City history. This derelict building that has been vacant for several years and was threatening to collapse was the object of a controlled burn and training exercise this evening, by the Pocomoke Volunteer Fire Company, Inc.

Pocomoke VFC was very ably assisted by volunteers and equipment from Princess Anne, Greenbackville, Snow Hill and Stockton fire companies. I sincerely hope I did not miss any other companies that may have assisted, if so, my sincere apologies. The Ladies Auxiliary of Pocomoke VFC were on site to provide food and drinks, Pocomoke City Police Dept. assisted with traffic control and Pocomoke City Public Works provided equipment and manpower to remove debris from the streets and sidewalks.

Detailed planning and preparation by Pocomoke City VFC personnel, enabled the fire companies to safely burn this building, despite its location on the downtown block of Clarke Ave. & Willow St. About 95% of the building collapsed inward on itself as planned, while one small piece fell onto Clarke Ave. This debris was quickly rounded up and dumped back into the fire by PC Public Works.

Lawson's in ages past was the elegant Parker House Hotel, known far and wide for fine food and hospitality. Hopefully the property will, one day soon, be home to a new and thriving business to help continue the revitalization of downtown Pocomoke City.

In closing I would like to say that as a resident of Pocomoke City and a Councilman, I am extremely proud of the excellent teamwork exhibited by all the fire companies, ladies auxiliary, Pocomoke City Police Dept. and Public Works Dept. Their training, dedication and professionalism were highly evident as they carried out this "urban renewal" project this evening.

BTW, good luck in your mayoral race.

Sincerely,

Rob Clarke
Councilman, 5th Dist.
Pocomoke City

WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO ALL OF THOSE SECESSION PETITIONS: THERE’S NO RIGHT TO SECEDE

The Obama administration on Friday responded to the wave of secession petitions that spread online following the November election, preaching unity over division and saying there’s no right to secede.

“In a nation of 300 million people — each with their own set of deeply-held beliefs — democracy can be noisy and controversial. And that’s a good thing. Free and open debate is what makes this country work, and many people around the world risk their lives every day for the liberties we often take for granted,” wrote Jon Carson, director of the Office of Public Engagement.

“But as much as we value a healthy debate, we don’t let that debate tear us apart,” he said.
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Free Financial Literacy Seminar For Youth

WICOMICO COUNTY BRANCH NAACP PRESENTS A FREE WORKSHOP 

“FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR YOUTH” 

The workshop will cover:

Writing Checks&Planning a Budget

Investing Money& Saving

DATE: Saturday, January 26, 2013

TIME: 10 AM - Noon

PLACE: Sojourner-Douglass College

ADDRESS: 408 Coles Circle Suite D, Salisbury, MD 21804 (Truitt ST near railroad)

SPEAKER: Geraldine Mason, PhD

Lunch will be served @ Noon

REGISTER BY: January 18, 2013

Include name, address, phone number, age, & a signed permission note to participate from their parent/guardian. Family must provide transportation. Send registration to WCNAACP, PO Box 1047, Salisbury, MD 21802.

Matt DeMember, Maryland Eighth Grader, Heaves Amazing Backward Basketball Buzzer-Beater

It wasn't a game winner, but wow.

In a youth basketball game at Greenridge Baptist Church in Maryland, eighth grader Matt DeMember heaved -- and sunk -- an amazing, backwards, buzzer-beating shot, winning the instant adoration of the crowd.

ESPN then got a hold of the footage and tweeted it from its SportsCenter account, which won DeMember the adoration of the Internet.
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State Police K9 Assists In Locating Stolen Firearms

Location: 7000 block of Gum Branch Road, Seaford, DE

Date of Occurrence: Thursday January 10, 2013 at approximately 10:10 a.m.

Victim:

36 year old male

Defendant, Charges, and Bond Information:

William R. Hawkins 3rd, 22, Blades, DE (Photo Attached)
Burglary 2nd
Theft of a Firearm (7 counts)
Possession of a Firearm or Ammunition by a Person Prohibited (8 counts)
Possession of Burglar Tools
Criminal Mischief

Arraigned at JP2 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $108,500.00 secured bond.

Resume:
Seaford, DE- The Delaware State Police have arrested a 22 year old Blades man after he was found in possession of stolen guns.

The incident occurred on Thursday January 10th after State Police were called to the area of Clark Road near Seaford for a suspicious subject carrying a blanket with possible long guns inside. When a trooper arrived in the area, he located a subject on nearby River Road matching the description of the subject that was broadcast over the radio. William R. Hawkins 3rd was contacted by the trooper but was not in possession of any blanket or guns. A computer inquiry was conducted on Hawkins and he was released after it was determined he was not wanted.

Within 45 minutes of the first call, the Emergency Operations Center was given additional information from the original caller that the subject may have discarded the blanket and guns in some woods. The trooper responded back to the area of Clark Road where the subject was first seen and with the help of his K9 “Cid,” was able to successfully track to the location where the guns were hidden. The trooper and “Cid” located seven various types of guns ranging from shotguns to rifles and ammunition all wrapped inside a blanket.

The trooper then responded to Hawkins residence in Blades where he was taken into custody without incident. Hawkins was transported back to Troop 5 where detectives from Troop 4 assisted with the investigation. It was determined through investigative measures that Hawkins had burglarized a residence in the 7000 block of Gum Branch Road earlier that morning and removed the weapons. He then wrapped the guns in a blanket and began walking to his residence in Blades before discarding them in the woods off Clark Road. The 36 year old victim, who was not at home at the time, was unaware of the burglary and theft until detectives responded to his house to examine the crime scene.

Hawkins was arraigned on the above listed charges and incarcerated in SCI in lieu of $108,500.00 secured bond.

Union Seeks To Make All Md. Teachers Pay Union Fees

Maryland teachers statewide could be required to pay union fees even if they are not members, according to legislation expected to be introduced this session in Annapolis on behalf of Maryland State Education Association (MSEA).

The “fair share” fee is a top priority of the teachers union that represents about 70,000 people – or 80% of school employees.

According to MSEA, the new fee would be about 68% of current union dues, which vary by county. There are already 10 jurisdictions in the state which require a “fair share” fee, also called an “agency fee.”
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Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Press Release

On Friday December 28th at about 7:00 P.M. the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Collision Reconstruction Unit, assisted the Pocomoke City Police with a motor vehicle collision involving a pedestrian. The investigation has revealed that the pedestrian was initially struck by a Ford passenger car. After that vehicle struck the pedestrian other vehicles struck her.

The Worcester County Collision Reconstruction Unit is requesting that anyone that may have been traveling Rt. 13 south bound in the area of Your Docs in, in Pocomoke Maryland at about 7:00 P.M. on Friday December 28th and may have seen something or believes they may have run over something, to please contact Lt. Schreier of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office at 410-632 -1112 ext 2224.

Critics Complain Sandy Aid Tied To Other Projects

Conservatives and watchdog groups are mounting a "not-so-fast" campaign against a $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package that Northeastern governors and lawmakers hope to push through the House this coming week.

Their complaint is that lots of the money that lawmakers are considering will actually go toward recovery efforts for past disasters and other projects unrelated to the late-October storm.

A Senate-passed version from the end of the last Congress included $150 million for what the Commerce Department described as fisheries disasters in Alaska, Mississippi and the Northeast, and $50 million in subsidies for replanting trees on private land damaged by wildfires.
 More

Phony vs. Earned Self-Esteem

A study by Jean Twenge of San Diego State University, published in the current issue of Social Psychological and Personality Science, is getting a lot of news this week. Twenge found that college kids today are more likely to call themselves gifted and driven to succeed, while their test scores and hours spent studying are decreasing. She also found that the tendency toward narcissism among college students has also increased over the last 30 years.

Some reports get a bit more frenzied than I prefer. Titles and writing like, "We are raising a generation of deluded narcissists!" just gets us scared, whereas I prefer to be effective. Twenge has been studying this trend for several years, has accumulated some impressive research and has written several books.

Today I want to look at what I consider one of the sources of this trend: the phony self-esteem movement, and how it feeds the fixed trait mindset – and thus the need to see oneself as just fantastic. This also shows what can be done to remedy the situation, instead of just freaking out.

I have written before about Carol Dweck's work on mindsets. The fixed trait mindset is one based on inborn gifts or shortcomings; the growth mindset is one based on what we do with our gifts and circumstances. The growth mindset is much more desirable. Different views of self-esteem feed into each.

Many years ago, when I was a young psychology graduate student studying with Nathaniel Branden, I remember him talking one day about having been invited to be part of The California Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem, led by California State Assemblyman John Vasconcellos.

Nathaniel declined, as he couldn't see why he would be involved in that since he did not see a role for government in the development of self-esteem. Nonetheless, the task force carried on and created guidelines for building "self-esteem" in a way that Branden would never have advocated.

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Oracle Says Java Flaw Will Be Fixed ‘Shortly’

Oracle Corp. says it will soon fix a flaw in its Java software that caught the attention of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

In a statement Saturday, the company said it was “aware of a flaw in Java software integrated with web browsers.”

The glitch is only in the JDK7 version of the software, and it “does not affect Java applications directly installed and running on servers, desktops, laptops and other devices,” the company said.

“A fix will be available shortly,” the company added.
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Field Notes By Delegate Mike McDermott

Observations and Reflections on Legislative Activities

By Delegate Michael A. McDermott

Week 1, January 8-11, 2013

Tuesday Morning Caucus Meeting: The House Republican Caucus had their traditional organizational meeting to elect the Minority Leader and the Minority Whip. With no objections, the members decided that Delegate Tony O’Donnell and Delegate Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio would continue to serve in their current positions. There was limited discussion on strategy, policy, or legislation, although it is clear that gun control, along with taxes on gasoline and electricity are in the forefront. Congressman Andy Harris spoke to the members about pending legislation in the US Congress and budgetary issues which could have a direct impact on Maryland and our own budget proceedings. He also addressed his vote on Hurricane Sandy Relief indicating that his hope was that congress would fix the National Flood Insurance Program instead of simply piling on many more billions in debt. As it sits right now, the program is insolvent and inadequate for any future relief efforts.

This meeting expanded to a joint luncheon conducted with the Senate Republican Caucus. There were presentations by the Minority Leaders of both bodies as well as the Minority Whips. All focused on the need to remain motivated and encouraged our members to fight. This is an important factor as we face an emboldened, progressive legislative effort taking shape from the Democrats, and a governor with his eyes on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Wednesday Opening Ceremonies: At noon, the House Chamber opens for business with many ceremonial acts, including the recognition of guests and dignitaries in attendance. Almost all of Maryland’s Congressional Delegation was present as well as the Governor, Lt. Governor, and Cabinet members. Many County Executives were also in attendance including Wicomico County’s Rick Pollitt.

With a carefully scripted agenda, Delegate Michael Busch (D-Anne Arundel) was elected to another term as Speaker of the House. We heard presentations from Governor O’Malley, Sen. Mikulski, and Rep. Hoyer. Historically, these ceremonies amount to a love fest for the Democrats as the party that has ruled for a hundred years. It was no different today. As members of the minority party, we were thanked for our input by Speaker Busch. Governor O’Malley referred to our “creative tension”. My analysis: It must be great to be the king.

Thursday: Most of the morning session was devoted to honoring many of our former colleagues who had passed away during the previous year. A delegate from the respective district is selected to eulogize the member who has passed on from this life. There was much reflection and an abundance of laughter shared as stories and tales were told. Many of those former members had family members present in on the House Floor while the ceremonies were conducted. Following these presentations, there is a long moment of silence followed by a solid rap of the Speaker’s gavel on the dais to close the day’s proceedings. It stands as a solemn reminder that time is fleeting, and another will fill your seat as soon as you are done. Keeping this in mind helps cut down on the many worries and stresses of this life.

Thursday Afternoon Judiciary Committee: There was a brief organizational meeting of the Judiciary Committee this afternoon. Originally, we were told that we had two new members to replace Delegate Don Dwyer (R) and Delegate Tiffany Alston (D). Dwyer was transferred to Ways and Means in response to criminal charges stemming from a drunken boating accident and he was replaced with Delegate Glen Glass (R). Alston was forced out of the House following her criminal conviction for misappropriation of campaign funds. She was replaced by Delegate Michael Summers (D-Prince Georges). There was another appointment to the Judiciary Committee that was most peculiar, but keeping with many shenanigans I have come to expect. Delegate Sandy Rosenberg (D-Baltimore City) has been added to the committee as well, thereby increasing the Democrat presence. Rosenberg left his post as the Vice Chairman of Ways and Means (a posh assignment) and is a staunch advocate for greater gun control and is expected to be at the forefront on the O’Malley-Brown legislative effort to seize, ban, or further restrict firearms in Maryland. It is, to say the least, an interesting turn of events. “Stacking the deck” is not restricted to Vegas. This would change the vote count needed for passage to 13, so it is an interesting strategy.

Friday Morning: Eastern Shore Delegation Meeting: The delegation heard presentations from the Secretary Raymond Skinner from the Dept. of Housing and Community Development and Secretary Richard Hall from the Department of Planning. We also received a presentation on a coordinated project in Cambridge at Sailwinds Park.(click to view the minutes).

I received most of my requested bills back from Bill Drafting and made a few alterations following review. Next week, I will be dropping some in the Hopper and will provide you with a good overview of the legislation. My office will also be publishing Press Releases in the coming days as we move forward with our legislative agenda.

George P. Bush Weighing Run In Texas

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - George Prescott Bush is gearing up to run for a little-known but powerful office in a state where his family already is a political dynasty and where his Hispanic roots could help extend a stranglehold on power Republicans have enjoyed for two decades.

The 36-year-old Fort Worth attorney says he is close to settling on campaigning for Texas land commissioner next year. He doesn't expect to make up his mind until he knows what Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a fellow Republican, decides to do.

"We for sure are running, the question is the office," Bush told The Associated Press during the first interview about his political future since filing paperwork in November to seek elected office in Texas.
 More

FDA Approves Painkiller Obama Administration Warned About in December

Less than a month after the White House warned of a potential influx of painkillers from Canada that government officials say are easier for addicts to abuse, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a similar pill for distribution nationwide.

Amid growing concerns of abuse of their products, Purdue Pharma and Endo Pharmaceuticals reformulated OxyContin and OPANA so that the pills were more difficult to abuse by prescription painkiller addicts. Abusers typically crushed those generally time-released pills into a powder and injected them, allowing their bodies to get the full dosage at one time.

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The Left’s War on Minorities, the Poor, & Working Americans

The policies of the socialist Left, under the banners of “social justice,” “equality,” and “compassion,” have inflicted catastrophe in many forms—poverty, moral decline, criminality, violence, illness, and death—upon countless millions of people in the U.S. and around the world. The programs and policies that led to these disastrous outcomes were often promoted by “progressives” as expressions of high-minded “liberal” idealism that promised to improve the living conditions not only of people in great need, but also of those in the so-called middle class.

Leftists unfailingly view their own prescriptions for all manner of social ills—e.g., racism, sexism, homophobia, intolerance, greed, alienation—as solutions uniquely rooted in enlightenment and decency. (By contrast, they portray conservative social policy as the outgrowth of selfishness, greed and mean-spiritedness.) But the solutions they have advanced in the form of social and ideological crusades—often prosecuted with messianic zeal—have actually brought immense, needless suffering to the very same “victims” in whose names they have acted. 
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Big Drop In Those Who Say Being Gay's A Sin, Study Says

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Americans who believe being gay is a sin are now a minority — a shift that a Southern Baptist-affiliated research group links to President Barack Obama's changed opinion of gay marriage.
A November survey from Nashville-based LifeWay Research found 37% of Americans polled said "yes" when asked if homosexual behavior is a sin. Forty-five percent said it was not. Seventeen percent didn't know. 

That's a major change from LifeWay's September 2011 survey, when 44% said homosexuality was a sin, 43% said it wasn't and 13% didn't know.

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California Running Out of Kids to Subsidize its Teacher’s Union Pensions

As mentioned before, blue states have a serious problem. Lots of teachers and administrators with big pensions and a shortage of kids for them to mishandle.For example, take Detroit. (Please) 

The Detroit Public Schools could be faced with a staffing dilemma in a couple of years if steps are not taken to reduce the number of teachers employed by the district. If projections of dwindling student counts are accurate, the district could soon have 1,800 more teachers than it needs, with the annual bill to pay them costing in the range of $100 million… This would mean that the district would have lost 61 percent of its student enrollment since 2003-04 when it had 150,000 students.

This isn’t completely fatal for Detroit, since it will just go on feeding off Michigan, while boasting that it now has class sizes of 6 students to a teacher. But it’s a big problem on a state level. Take California. (Please.)

In 1970, six years after the end of the baby boom, children made up more than one-third of California’s population. By 2030, they will account for just one-fifth. The state’s birthrate fell to 1.94 children per woman in 2010, below the replacement level of 2.1 children, according to the study. California’s rate is lower than the overall U.S. rate of 2.06 children in 2012, according to the Central Intelligence Agency.

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CA gun Show Draws 10,000 People ‘Getting Ready For The Next Revolution’

What drew an estimated 10,000 people to a Northern California gun show? Simple. According to one attendee, they’re scared. 

“Obama wants to take everybody’s guns away,” said Bob Daziel, who stood in line with hundreds on Saturday to get into the Crossroads of The West event in Daly City, California. “So they’re down here buying ammo, buying guns, they’re getting ready for the next revolution.” 

Organizers told KGO-TV they were surprised at the record turnout, believing it to be spurred on by the recent discussions headed by Vice President Joe Biden regarding gun safety.

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Gov. Bob McDonnell Will Not Stop Virginia Killer's Execution

Gov. Bob McDonnell says he will not block next week's scheduled execution of a Virginia man who strangled two other prisoners and vowed to keep killing unless he was put to death.

McDonnell said Friday that 42-year-old Robert Gleason Jr. had shown no remorse for the slayings. Gleason has not appealed his sentence or asked the governor for clemency, but McDonnell said he reviewed the case anyway.
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Anti-Gay Activist Lawyer Guilty Of Child Pornography After Videotaping Daughter

A New Hampshire lawyer who works with a virulently anti-gay Christian-right organization has been found guilty of child pornography charges after videotaping her own daughter having sex with two men on multiple occasions.

Lisa Biron, 43, of Manchester faces a minimum sentence of 25 years in prison after a jury convicted her yesterday. The jury deliberated for less than an hour.

Biron, arrested by the FBI last November, was accused of eight felony counts involving the videotaping of men having sex with a 14-year-old girl who was identified by the Associated Press as her daughter. She also allegedly made a cellphone video of herself having sex with her daughter.

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White House Aide Accepts 'Taxation Without Representation' License Plate Meant For Obama

The White House on Friday accepted a new license plate meant for the presidential limousine, bearing the familiar "Taxation Without Representation" slogan.

What will be done with the tag is anyone's guess.

Two members of the D.C. City Council presented the tag intended to draw attention to the city's push for statehood.

Councilwoman Mary Cheh and Chairman Phil Mendelson met with David Agnew, deputy assistant to the president and director of intergovernmental affairs. They gave him the license plate along with a Council resolution asking for the tag to be affixed to the presidential limo.
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Christian School Used Children To Clear Dangerous Asbestos – Without Protective Gear

A Christian school in Ohio is under criminal investigation for one cost-cutting measure; a measure which could cut some students’ lives painfully short.

The students, some as young as 13, participated in a volunteer project which involved gutting an old YWCA in preparation for the building becoming the new site of their school, the Buckeye Education School in Berea, OH. The project took place over several weekends and the walls of the YWCA were filled with the deadly substance, asbestos. The students wore no protective gear.

Ohio and federal law requires that school and public building asbestos abatement is performed by trained and accredited personnel.

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Health Dept.: Flu Numbers Surpass 2009 Swine Flu

The flu outbreak is hitting Maryland and the rest of the country hard.

The flu epidemic continues to be a problem for the entire United States and in Maryland, where it has now reached the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's highest rating of widespread.

Patient First staffers said at some of their centers they're seeing twice as many people with the flu as they did last year. Almost all the patients have the same symptoms, including headaches, congestion and running nose.

Dr. Melissa Denham said this is a bad year for the flu.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebrations

Monday, January 21 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebrations

Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration 
at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center on January 21st

Join in on the celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center during two events on Monday, January 21. The morning will start with the 27th Annual Youth Activity presented by Salisbury High School Association. End the evening with the Tri-County Organizations’ Coalition, Inc. at the 28th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration and Commemoration Banquet.

The 27th Annual Youth Activity will be held in the Normandy Arena from 8:30am to Noon. Enjoy a free breakfast during presentations by youth speakers and entertainment including youth praise dances and youth choirs. Free bus transportation will be provided. For more information, contact the following Rosemary Hudson 410.742.8524, Wanda Downes 410.742.2749 or Edward Henry 410.749.1815.

The 28th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration and Commemoration Banquet will be held in the Normandy Arena starting at 6:30pm. Tickets are $35 each. This year’s dinner is dedicated in honor of the late Dr. DeWayne H. Whittington who served on this committee in years past. The speaker will be Dr. Juliette B. Bell from UMES. Tables will be reserved for tickets purchased in blocks of ten for $350. Tickets can be purchased from Jesse T. Ballard (410) 546.4206 or Marion (Bud) Barkley at

(410) 742.2482 for more information.

Lazy Jon Stewart

Oh, dear. Jon Stewart took on the platinum coin, and made a hash of it — he faceplanted, as Ryan Cooper says.

What went wrong? Jon Chait says that he flunked econ, but that’s just part of it. He also flunked law, politics, and just plain professional.

So, yeah, as Chait says, Stewart seems weirdly unaware that there’s more to fiscal policy than balancing the budget. But in this case he also seems unaware that the president can’t just decide unilaterally to spend 40 percent less; he’s constitutionally obliged to spend what the law tells him to spend. True, he’s also constitutionally prohibited from borrowing more if Congress says he can’t — which is a contradiction. But that’s the whole point of the discussion.

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Fed Agency Retracts Reprimand To Flatulent Worker

A federal government agency did more than wrinkle its nose at an employee's flatulence problem, issuing an official reprimand after months of malodors. But the agency said Friday that it has since retracted the rebuke.

The reprimand letter, which runs four pages and is dated Dec. 10, charges the Social Security Administration employee with "conduct unbecoming a federal employee" and "creating a hostile work environment" because of the repeated gas passing.

It says coworkers didn't want to work with the person because of the problem, which the employee seems to have attributed to lactose intolerance. The letter also contains a chart documenting 60 incidences of flatulence, nine on one day in September.
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Internet prodigy, activist Aaron Swartz commits suicide

(CNN) -- Aaron Swartz, an Internet savant who at a young age shaped the online era by co-developing RSS and Reddit and later became a digital activist, has committed suicide.
 Swartz's body was found Friday evening in Brooklyn, said Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman with the New York medical examiner's office. The 26-year-old had hanged himself in his apartment. 

 His family and partner said they were "in shock, and have not yet come to terms with his passing." 

 "Aaron's insatiable curiosity, creativity, and brilliance; his reflexive empathy and capacity for selfless, boundless love; his refusal to accept injustice as inevitable -- these gifts made the world, and our lives, far brighter," they said in a statement. "We're grateful for our time with him, to those who loved him and stood with him, and to all of those who continue his work for a better world."

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There She Is ... Miss New York, A Brooklyn Native, Wins Miss America Pageant

LAS VEGAS — A 23-year-old contestant from Brooklyn won the title of Miss America in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

Mallory Hagan, who hails from Park Slope, won the beauty pageant after tap dancing to James Brown's "Get Up Off of That Thing" and answering a question about whether armed guards belong in grade schools by saying we should not fight violence with violence.

Hagan defeated Miss South Carolina Ali Rogers, who took second, and Miss Oklahoma Alicia Clifton, who finished third.
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Gun Homicides Down Almost 14% Since Expiration Of The Assault Weapons Ban – Don’t Believe The Lies!

Overall gun homicides down almost 14% since expiration of the assault weapons ban. Either Senator Feinstein is blatantly lying on her site, or she is just old and senile. The cherry picking of data has to stop. The study she cites for a decrease in gun crimes during the ban, later found the ban could not be presented as a reason for the drop. Why? The homicide rate has dropped severely after the ban.

We are sick and tired of the blatant lies. All this proves they just want us disarmed, it has nothing to do with our safety. It has everything to do with theirs.

Source