Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has claimed in a new book that he was high on drugs during several fights over the course of his long career.
According to the Telegraph, the 47-year-old Tyson describes himself as a "full-blown cokehead" who first tried the drug at age 11 and even stopped to using a fake phallus filled with someone else's urine to fool drug testers.
On that occasion, prior to a 2000 bout against Lou Savarese in Glasgow, Scotland, Tyson said he had used cocaine and marijuana prior to the match. Such methods are not unheard of among athletes. In 2005, then-Minnesota Vikings running back Onterrio Smith was detained at an airport when a search of his carry-on bag turned up a device called the "Original Whizzinator," which included a fake phallus, bladder, and athletic supporter. Smith claimed that he was taking the device for his cousin.
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Is Andy Kaufman Alive?
The Internet erupted Thursday following reports that Kaufman's younger brother, Michael, suggested the performance artist may have faked his 1984 death.
The reports further fueled long-held conspiracy theories that the comedian's death from a rare form of cancer at age 35 was a hoax.
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Only 1,284 Enrolled In Obamacare In Maryland
73,000 families are losing their insurance because of the President’s plan
Washington, D.C. - Today, the Department of Health and Human Services released the information on the number of people who have enrolled in the health insurance marketplaces. In Maryland, only 1,284 individuals have selected a plan on the health insurance marketplace between October 1 and November 2nd. That number pales in comparison to the over 73,000 people who have seen their plans terminated.
“The website sign up process has been an embarrassment, but the real train wreck of the President’s health plan is for the 73,000 families who lost their insurance,” said Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. “The President made three promises: if you liked your plan you could keep it, if you liked your doctors you could keep them, and the price for family health insurance would be $2500 less per year. All three are turning out not to be true,”
According to an October 12, 2013, Baltimore Sun article, Maryland officials claimed 1,121 people signed up in the first 10 days. If that number was accurate, that means less than 8 people were able to sign up each day for the remainder of the reporting period. At that rate, it would take more than 295 years to sign up all of Maryland’s 800,000 uninsured.
Washington, D.C. - Today, the Department of Health and Human Services released the information on the number of people who have enrolled in the health insurance marketplaces. In Maryland, only 1,284 individuals have selected a plan on the health insurance marketplace between October 1 and November 2nd. That number pales in comparison to the over 73,000 people who have seen their plans terminated.
“The website sign up process has been an embarrassment, but the real train wreck of the President’s health plan is for the 73,000 families who lost their insurance,” said Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. “The President made three promises: if you liked your plan you could keep it, if you liked your doctors you could keep them, and the price for family health insurance would be $2500 less per year. All three are turning out not to be true,”
According to an October 12, 2013, Baltimore Sun article, Maryland officials claimed 1,121 people signed up in the first 10 days. If that number was accurate, that means less than 8 people were able to sign up each day for the remainder of the reporting period. At that rate, it would take more than 295 years to sign up all of Maryland’s 800,000 uninsured.
Two Secret Service Agents Cut From Obama’s Detail After Alleged Misconduct
A call from the Hay-Adams hotel this past spring reporting that a Secret Service agent was trying to force his way into a woman’s room set in motion an internal investigation that has sent tremors through an agency still trying to restore its elite reputation.
The incident came a year after the agency was roiled by a prostitution scandal in Cartagena, Colombia, prompting vows from senior officials to curb a male-dominated culture of hard partying and other excesses.
The service named its first female director, Julia Pierson, seven months ago, and an extensive inspector general report on the agency’s culture launched in the wake of the Cartagena scandal is expected to be released in coming weeks.
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The incident came a year after the agency was roiled by a prostitution scandal in Cartagena, Colombia, prompting vows from senior officials to curb a male-dominated culture of hard partying and other excesses.
The service named its first female director, Julia Pierson, seven months ago, and an extensive inspector general report on the agency’s culture launched in the wake of the Cartagena scandal is expected to be released in coming weeks.
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Boehner Puts Brakes On Immigration Reform
Emerging from a meeting with fellow Republicans, Mr. Boehner said he won’t be bound by President Obama’s timeline on action this year, and firmly rejected the Senate’s approach, which would legalize most illegal immigrants and rewrite the legal immigration system.
“We’ve made it clear that we’re going to move on a common-sense, step-by-step approach in terms of how we deal with immigration,” Mr. Boehner, Ohio Republican, told reporters after the meeting. “The idea that we’re going to take up a 1,300-page bill that no one had ever read, which is what the Senate did, is not going to happen in the House. And frankly, I’ll make clear we have no intention of ever going to conference on the Senate bill.”
Read more:
Student Loans Skyrocketed 463 Percent Under Obama
President Obama won two national elections in large part due to the hard work and support of struggling American college students
, who believed his promised reforms would alleviate their financial difficulties and souring job prospects.
Five years later, under the president’s watch, cumulative student loan debt owed to the U.S. federal government has increased 463 percent.
CNSNews recently reported that student debt levels have deepened substantially–and at an accelerated rate–during Obama’s time in office. In fact, student debt increased 509 percent faster under Obama than under Bush.
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, who believed his promised reforms would alleviate their financial difficulties and souring job prospects.Five years later, under the president’s watch, cumulative student
loan debt owed to the U.S. federal government has increased 463 percent.CNSNews recently reported that student debt levels have deepened substantially–and at an accelerated rate–during Obama’s time in office. In fact, student debt increased 509 percent faster under Obama than under Bush.
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Classics For A Cause
Classics for a Cause is a classical piano concert performed by Kaya Manizade and me, Kieran Murphy. We are both students at James M. Bennett High School. All proceeds will benefit the SWAC Instrument Barn, a program which gives instruments to students who cannot afford them. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, veterans, and SWAC members, and $5 for students. Children under five are free. Tickets will be sold at the door, or a gently used instrument could be donated in exchange for free admission.
Pumpkin Dog Biscuits
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
- 2 tablespoons dry milk
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 1/2 cups brown rice flour *
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley (optional)
Preheat oven to 350.
In large bowl, whisk together eggs and pumpkin to smooth. Stir in dry milk, sea salt, and dried parsley (if using, optional). Add brown rice flour gradually, combining with spatula or hands to form a stiff, dry dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface (can use the brown rice flour) and if dough is still rough, briefly knead and press to combine.
Roll dough between 1/4 – 1/2″ – depending on your dog’s chew preferences, – and use biscuit or other shape cutter to punch shapes, gathering and re-rolling scraps as you go. Place shapes on cookie sheet, no greasing or paper necessary. If desired, press fork pattern on biscuits before baking, a quick up-and-down movement with fork, lightly pressing down halfway through dough. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully turn biscuits over, then bake additional 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely on rack before feeding to dog.
* Brown rice flour gives the biscuits crunch and promotes better dog digestion. Many dogs have touchy stomachs or allergies, and do not, like many people I know, tolerate wheat.
Makes up to 75 small (1″) biscuits or 50 medium biscuits
What This Morning’s Obamacare Announcement Means
President Obama this morning announced that he would be issuing an administrative order—which requires no Congressional review—delaying the implementation of provisions of Obamacare that had led to the cancellation of a million or so insurance policies. This follows on the Administration’s similar delays of the Employer Mandate and the Individual Mandate. According to CNN, this morning’s delay is supposed to “cover millions of people who have had their insurance policies cancelled,” but the fact is that in many states, it won’t even do that—because insurance companies, anticipating the implementation of the new law, long ago decided to cancel these policies. Surprise! —except for the attentive observers who have been warning about this for years. Moreover, many states—including California—which are already going along with Obamacare are already beyond the Administration’s reach, because those insurance policies were cancelled by state agencies. This morning’s delay can’t do anything about that.
But there’s a much deeper problem at work here: the lawlessness of Obamacare, root and branch. The problems began with its initial enactment—first the Individual Mandate was supposed to be a “regulation of commerce.” That was unconstitutional, and the Supreme Court finally said no…only to rewrite the law by declaring it to be a “tax” instead. That doesn’t work either, though, because the Constitution requires that tax laws originate in the House of Representatives, and Obamacare began in the Senate. Meanwhile, the contents of the law—which members of Congress didn’t bother to read before they passed —gave away tremendous new powers to administrative agencies to write new rules to fill in crucial blank spots in the statute itself. For example, the Individual Mandate forces Americans to buy “minimum essential coverage”—but that term was left up to unelected bureaucrats in the Department of Health & Human Services to define later. And the law created a powerful new independent agency, the Independent Payment Advisory Board, and gave it power to write law about Medicare reimbursement rates without any checks and balances…and tried to make the law itself unrepealable.
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But there’s a much deeper problem at work here: the lawlessness of Obamacare, root and branch. The problems began with its initial enactment—first the Individual Mandate was supposed to be a “regulation of commerce.” That was unconstitutional, and the Supreme Court finally said no…only to rewrite the law by declaring it to be a “tax” instead. That doesn’t work either, though, because the Constitution requires that tax laws originate in the House of Representatives, and Obamacare began in the Senate. Meanwhile, the contents of the law—which members of Congress didn’t bother to read before they passed —gave away tremendous new powers to administrative agencies to write new rules to fill in crucial blank spots in the statute itself. For example, the Individual Mandate forces Americans to buy “minimum essential coverage”—but that term was left up to unelected bureaucrats in the Department of Health & Human Services to define later. And the law created a powerful new independent agency, the Independent Payment Advisory Board, and gave it power to write law about Medicare reimbursement rates without any checks and balances…and tried to make the law itself unrepealable.
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Rep Harris Calls On MD Insurance Commissioner To Expedite Review Of Plan Extensions
President’s proposal today is too little too late
Washington, D.C. - Over 73,000 Marylanders have seen their health insurance plans terminated because of the President’s health reform law. Now the President is unilaterally changing the law to try to allow them to keep their plan for an additional year. If the insurance companies in Maryland who cancelled policies decide to extend them, Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. is calling on Maryland Insurance Commissioner Therese M. Goldsmith to expedite the review of those extensions to ensure individuals will be able to keep their plans on January 1st.
Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. released the following statement:
“The President promised Americans that if they liked their plan they could keep it. The President’s proposal today is too little too late, but now the Maryland Insurance Commissioner must expedite the review of any policy extensions offered so that those who have plans and like them can keep them. I have heard from many constituents who liked their policies, but are losing them and can’t afford the dramatically higher prices of plans offered in the exchange. The Maryland Insurance Commissioner must do all she can to prevent this harm from occurring.”
Washington, D.C. - Over 73,000 Marylanders have seen their health insurance plans terminated because of the President’s health reform law. Now the President is unilaterally changing the law to try to allow them to keep their plan for an additional year. If the insurance companies in Maryland who cancelled policies decide to extend them, Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. is calling on Maryland Insurance Commissioner Therese M. Goldsmith to expedite the review of those extensions to ensure individuals will be able to keep their plans on January 1st.
Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. released the following statement:
“The President promised Americans that if they liked their plan they could keep it. The President’s proposal today is too little too late, but now the Maryland Insurance Commissioner must expedite the review of any policy extensions offered so that those who have plans and like them can keep them. I have heard from many constituents who liked their policies, but are losing them and can’t afford the dramatically higher prices of plans offered in the exchange. The Maryland Insurance Commissioner must do all she can to prevent this harm from occurring.”
Prognosis For Obamacare Isn't Improving
Fewer than 50,000 people had signed up for Obamacare by late last week in the 36 states that use the federal health care exchange, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is expected to release national numbers this week and they are expected to be underwhelming, too. The administration expected 800,000 would sign up for Obamacare by the end of November.
That huge gap is not surprising considering the website is less accessible than Antarctica.
The problems may not be resolved by the administration's promised deadline at the end of the month. "Where we are is not where we want to be," Obamacare fix-it guru Jeff Zients said last week.
Losing October and November to the computer meltdown means that millions of people will have, at best, days to cram through the insurance enrollment system by Dec. 15 if they want coverage that begins on Jan. 1, writes James Capretta of the American Enterprise Institute. If they can't, "it will be nearly impossible to process the enrollments fast enough to prevent breaks in insurance coverage at the beginning of 2014." Capretta's prediction: "some very large number of Americans — probably in the millions — will experience a break in insurance coverage at the beginning of 2014."
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That huge gap is not surprising considering the website is less accessible than Antarctica.
The problems may not be resolved by the administration's promised deadline at the end of the month. "Where we are is not where we want to be," Obamacare fix-it guru Jeff Zients said last week.
Losing October and November to the computer meltdown means that millions of people will have, at best, days to cram through the insurance enrollment system by Dec. 15 if they want coverage that begins on Jan. 1, writes James Capretta of the American Enterprise Institute. If they can't, "it will be nearly impossible to process the enrollments fast enough to prevent breaks in insurance coverage at the beginning of 2014." Capretta's prediction: "some very large number of Americans — probably in the millions — will experience a break in insurance coverage at the beginning of 2014."
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TV ACTOR HILL HARPER TRIES TO HELP BOYS IN MARYLAND JUVENILE TREATMENT
The Victor Cullen Center, the highest-security treatment center for male delinquents in Maryland, is the first juvenile center in the country that the star visited as part of a publicity tour for his fifth book, “Letters to an Incarcerated Brother: Encouragement, Hope and Healing for Inmates and Their Loved Ones.”
Harper, who is best known for his roles as investigator Sheldon Hawkes on CSI: NY, and as CIA station chief Calder Michaels in the series Covert Affairs, is also an Ivy League graduate of Brown University and Harvard Law School.
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Teachers Feel Unprepared For New Common Core Curriculum, Tests, Survey Finds
And almost nine out of 10 (88%) answered there are still significant challenges to understanding and implementing new evaluation systems that measure progress on teaching Common Core.
The Maryland State Education Association (MSEA), a teachers union that represents about 70,000 teachers and support staff, surveyed teachers online in May and then followed up last week.
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More U.S. Military Insanity
The U.S. Department of Defense has shelled out $150 million to Afghan companies “accused of helping to finance terrorist attacks on American soldiers and facilities,” according to an explosive new ABC News report.
“It’s like the United States government subsidizing the Taliban, al Qaeda, the Haqqani network, those groups that are trying to shoot and kill our soldiers,” U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) told ABC’s Dianne Sawyer.
Great …
The report – based on information compiled by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) – is the latest ridiculousness in America’s ongoing “War On Terror,” which just entered its twelfth year in Afghanistan.
What are we still doing there? Good question …
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“It’s like the United States government subsidizing the Taliban, al Qaeda, the Haqqani network, those groups that are trying to shoot and kill our soldiers,” U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) told ABC’s Dianne Sawyer.
Great …
The report – based on information compiled by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) – is the latest ridiculousness in America’s ongoing “War On Terror,” which just entered its twelfth year in Afghanistan.
What are we still doing there? Good question …
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Obama Threatens To Veto Republican Bill That Keeps Obama’s “If You Like It, You Can Keep It” Pledge
We all know Obama was lying when he promised Americans that they could keep their health care plans. We also know that he didn’t mean his halfhearted “apology” for knocking so many Americans off their plans either. Well, in a rare clever political move (Thanks Ron Johnson!), the Republican Party is about to make Obama’s insincerity clear to the world.
The “Keep Your Health Plan Act”, the supposed “shift” on Obamacare, is little more than an elaborate troll. Republicans are simply calling the President’s bluff, codifying his pledge, daring him to veto it. And he will. He has pledged vetoes for similar efforts before. In July when the administration unilaterally delayed the employer mandate by 1 year, the House passed a bill saying exactly that, just to make it legal.
The Senate never took up the bill, so it never got to the President, but he threatened to veto it if it did. Think about that. A President threatening to veto a bill that writes into law something he’s already done with his self-professed executive authority. If more voters had heard of that, the President’s personal favorability ratings might have collapsed much sooner than they did.
GOP leaders know that no more than a few moderate Democrats in the House will support this new “reform” bill, Harry Reid will never let it pass the Senate, and the President will never sign it. But by proposing it they get to look like they’re trying to improve the situation for their constituents and combat the notion that they’re willing to make marginal changes to try to improve the law. But they’ve been trying to do that all along.
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The “Keep Your Health Plan Act”, the supposed “shift” on Obamacare, is little more than an elaborate troll. Republicans are simply calling the President’s bluff, codifying his pledge, daring him to veto it. And he will. He has pledged vetoes for similar efforts before. In July when the administration unilaterally delayed the employer mandate by 1 year, the House passed a bill saying exactly that, just to make it legal.
The Senate never took up the bill, so it never got to the President, but he threatened to veto it if it did. Think about that. A President threatening to veto a bill that writes into law something he’s already done with his self-professed executive authority. If more voters had heard of that, the President’s personal favorability ratings might have collapsed much sooner than they did.
GOP leaders know that no more than a few moderate Democrats in the House will support this new “reform” bill, Harry Reid will never let it pass the Senate, and the President will never sign it. But by proposing it they get to look like they’re trying to improve the situation for their constituents and combat the notion that they’re willing to make marginal changes to try to improve the law. But they’ve been trying to do that all along.
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Record Of Slave Sale By 1st Md. Governor Exhibited
FREDERICK, Md. (AP) -- A Frederick museum is exhibiting a slave sale document signed by Maryland's first governor, Thomas Johnson.
The Frederick News-Post (http://bit.ly/1e1qRCc ) reports that the document will be shown Wednesday night at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center.
The exhibit is part of the annual meeting of the local African American Resources, Cultural and Heritage Society.
Organizer David Key says the document is among several slave sale records borrowed from the collection of the late Kathleen Snowden of New Market.
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The Frederick News-Post (http://bit.ly/1e1qRCc ) reports that the document will be shown Wednesday night at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center.
The exhibit is part of the annual meeting of the local African American Resources, Cultural and Heritage Society.
Organizer David Key says the document is among several slave sale records borrowed from the collection of the late Kathleen Snowden of New Market.
More
Background Checks As The New Racism
Leftists push to make it illegal for employers to ask, “Have you ever been convicted of a felony?”
The Obama administration has a schizophrenic attitude toward requiring people to go through criminal-background checks. Last week, Senator John Cornyn (R., Texas) grilled Kathleen Sebelius, the Health and Human Services secretary, about why the 45,000 “navigators” who assist people in signing up for Obamacare aren’t required to undergo a criminal-background check, even though they handle sensitive personal information.
“So a convicted felon could be a navigator and could acquire sensitive personal information from an individual unbeknownst to them?” Cornyn asked her. “That is possible,” said Sebelius, noting that states could always impose their own requirements — as some have done.
The risk that unscrupulous or untrustworthy people could hold federally funded jobs or own guns certainly concerns the Obama administration in other contexts. The Office of Personnel Management conducts more than 2 million background checks a year for federal jobs. The FBI conducted just shy of 20 million background checks on gun owners in 2012.
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The Obama administration has a schizophrenic attitude toward requiring people to go through criminal-background checks. Last week, Senator John Cornyn (R., Texas) grilled Kathleen Sebelius, the Health and Human Services secretary, about why the 45,000 “navigators” who assist people in signing up for Obamacare aren’t required to undergo a criminal-background check, even though they handle sensitive personal information.
“So a convicted felon could be a navigator and could acquire sensitive personal information from an individual unbeknownst to them?” Cornyn asked her. “That is possible,” said Sebelius, noting that states could always impose their own requirements — as some have done.
The risk that unscrupulous or untrustworthy people could hold federally funded jobs or own guns certainly concerns the Obama administration in other contexts. The Office of Personnel Management conducts more than 2 million background checks a year for federal jobs. The FBI conducted just shy of 20 million background checks on gun owners in 2012.
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Mizeur Names Pastor As Running Mate
Mizeur's campaign announced Wednesday that the Rev. Delman Coates will run for lieutenant governor on her ticket.
Coates is the pastor of Mt. Ennon Baptist Church in Clinton. In a break with some other black church leaders from Prince George's County, he was an advocate for legalization of gay marriage in Maryland.
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Saving Hillary Clinton
The left is scared to death that its favored 2016 candidate, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, could be on the ropes. Hillary’s favorable ratings are down dramatically from when she left office — in April 2013, her favorability rating stood at 56 percent, but by the end of October, it had dropped to 46 percent. Among independents that number dropped to 35 percent; Hillary even saw a dip of 12 points among Democrats, from 88 percent to 76 percent. Young people in particular are not pleased with the former First Lady — just 38 percent view her favorably, while 53 percent view her unfavorably.
What happened?
Benghazi happened. Since Clinton left office, the media finally found it safe to begin covering what happened in the months surrounding the Sept. 11, 2012, Benghazi terror attacks that resulted in the murder of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. Whistleblowers like State Department employee and lifelong Democrat Gregory Hicks stepped forward. New memos entered the press. And Clinton, who oversaw a department that left Americans to defend themselves in one of the most dangerous places on the planet undermanned and largely unarmed, paid the price in polling.
Hillary’s failures in Benghazi underscored her larger problem: Her tenure as Secretary of State was an enormous failure. Not one place on earth is now freer due to her tenure. Even her greatest proponents seem only to tout her frequent flyer mileage in her defense.
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What happened?
Benghazi happened. Since Clinton left office, the media finally found it safe to begin covering what happened in the months surrounding the Sept. 11, 2012, Benghazi terror attacks that resulted in the murder of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. Whistleblowers like State Department employee and lifelong Democrat Gregory Hicks stepped forward. New memos entered the press. And Clinton, who oversaw a department that left Americans to defend themselves in one of the most dangerous places on the planet undermanned and largely unarmed, paid the price in polling.
Hillary’s failures in Benghazi underscored her larger problem: Her tenure as Secretary of State was an enormous failure. Not one place on earth is now freer due to her tenure. Even her greatest proponents seem only to tout her frequent flyer mileage in her defense.
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Failure Of Failures
Could Obamacare end up as America’s worst domestic-policy disaster ever?
Indulge me if you will, and join me in imagining that Obamacare has taken the calamitous path of the Hindenburg and ended up as little more than a smoldering warning against hubris. Imagine, that is, that enrollment rates have remained dangerously low; that the risk pools consist largely of the elderly and the sick; that the insurance companies, unable to operate on the magical thinking of which the White House is so fond, are being forced either to get out of the market completely or to raise premiums dramatically; and that skittish Democrats have started to run away — first calling weakly for fixes, then hinting at more, and then barely resisting the temptation to follow the trail of the pitchforks and nullify the president’s signature achievement. Imagine, in other words, that things are bad.
Now answer me this: If such a scenario were actually to come to pass — and, of course, it most certainly has not as of yet — how serious a failure will we judge it to be? Will we see it as a hiccup? Will we claim that it is typical for a second term? Or will we consider it to be a calamity of historical proportions? Personally, I would plump for the lattermost: In my view, if Obamacare were to fail hard, it could well come to be seen as the most catastrophic domestic-policy enterprise of the last century.
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Indulge me if you will, and join me in imagining that Obamacare has taken the calamitous path of the Hindenburg and ended up as little more than a smoldering warning against hubris. Imagine, that is, that enrollment rates have remained dangerously low; that the risk pools consist largely of the elderly and the sick; that the insurance companies, unable to operate on the magical thinking of which the White House is so fond, are being forced either to get out of the market completely or to raise premiums dramatically; and that skittish Democrats have started to run away — first calling weakly for fixes, then hinting at more, and then barely resisting the temptation to follow the trail of the pitchforks and nullify the president’s signature achievement. Imagine, in other words, that things are bad.
Now answer me this: If such a scenario were actually to come to pass — and, of course, it most certainly has not as of yet — how serious a failure will we judge it to be? Will we see it as a hiccup? Will we claim that it is typical for a second term? Or will we consider it to be a calamity of historical proportions? Personally, I would plump for the lattermost: In my view, if Obamacare were to fail hard, it could well come to be seen as the most catastrophic domestic-policy enterprise of the last century.
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The President’s New Lie
“Substandard” and “cut- rate” is what President Obama calls the health plans that millions of Americans have lost, even though they wanted to keep them. Backpedaling on his promise that “if you like your plan, you can keep your plan,” Obama is now telling Americans another whopper. The president claims the insurance Americans can get on Obamacare exchanges is a better deal.
Don’t believe him. On the exchanges, you may no longer be able to use the doctors and hospitals you prefer. Many exchange plans exclude the top drawer academic hospitals like Cedar Sinai in Los Angeles, the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and New York Presbyterian in New York City. Instead, the law says that exchange plans must cover care at “essential community providers … that serve predominantly low-income, medically underserved individuals.” (Sec. 1311c(1)C) That means clinics, public hospitals and hospitals largely serving the Medicaid community.
The law’s authors reasoned that exchange plan customers should be able to shift back and forth between their plans and Medicaid, as their earnings fluctuate, without changing doctors and hospitals. That’s reasonable, but it’s bad news for consumers who had access to esteemed hospitals and doctors under their old plans and then got pushed into the exchanges.
Medicaid level care is, sadly, “substandard” to use the president’s word. A review of the experiences of nearly 900,000 patients undergoing eight different surgical procedures found that Medicaid patients were 50 percent more likely to die in the hospital after surgery than patients with private coverage. This review, by researchers at the University of Virginia, is one of several studies proving that Medicaid patients get worse care than patients with private insurance.
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Don’t believe him. On the exchanges, you may no longer be able to use the doctors and hospitals you prefer. Many exchange plans exclude the top drawer academic hospitals like Cedar Sinai in Los Angeles, the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and New York Presbyterian in New York City. Instead, the law says that exchange plans must cover care at “essential community providers … that serve predominantly low-income, medically underserved individuals.” (Sec. 1311c(1)C) That means clinics, public hospitals and hospitals largely serving the Medicaid community.
The law’s authors reasoned that exchange plan customers should be able to shift back and forth between their plans and Medicaid, as their earnings fluctuate, without changing doctors and hospitals. That’s reasonable, but it’s bad news for consumers who had access to esteemed hospitals and doctors under their old plans and then got pushed into the exchanges.
Medicaid level care is, sadly, “substandard” to use the president’s word. A review of the experiences of nearly 900,000 patients undergoing eight different surgical procedures found that Medicaid patients were 50 percent more likely to die in the hospital after surgery than patients with private coverage. This review, by researchers at the University of Virginia, is one of several studies proving that Medicaid patients get worse care than patients with private insurance.
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All-Girls Charter School In Del. Closing
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Delaware education officials say a predominantly black, all-girls charter school with a history of financial and academic struggles will close at the end of the school year.
Secretary of Education Mark Murphy said Wednesday that he would not recommend renewal of the charter for Reach Academy for Girls in New Castle, citing the school as the worst-performing academically in Delaware.
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Secretary of Education Mark Murphy said Wednesday that he would not recommend renewal of the charter for Reach Academy for Girls in New Castle, citing the school as the worst-performing academically in Delaware.
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Radiation Level Update
According to RadCast.org, radiation levels calmed down a bit in our nation since yesterday. In Huntsville, Alabama, levels are sitting at 42 counts per minute, with spokes of 47, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is hovering at 45. Charleston, West Virginia is slightly higher, with levels of 63 counts per minute. In the Midwest, Frederic, Wisconsin is seeing levels of 61 counts per minute, and South Dakota is hitting 52. Closer to the West Coast, levels in Chino Valley, Arizona are being reported at 51 counts per minute, and Fresno, California is hitting 56. RadCast.org reminds us that the alert level is 100 counts per minute, and they're working hard to keep us informed.
Trans-Pacific Partnership
Many Americans oppose NAFTA and other trade deals, but they haven't even heard of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison describes the TPP as the "largest corporate power grab you've never heard of." Despite 19 rounds of negotiations that started all the way back in 2005, many of the details of the TPP still remain secret, even to members of Congress.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a massive trade agreement among 12 nations, including the US. And it's being negotiated by government trade officials and corporate lobbyists. Representative Alan Grayson said that the TPP is "a punch in the face to the middle class of America," and added, "but I'm not even allowed to tell you why."
The deal would give multinational corporations the right to challenge our laws and regulations if firms believe those laws limit their "expected future profits." Not only would this trade agreement threaten American jobs, but it could seriously harm our national sovereignty. Regulations that protect workers, set environmental standards, or limit risk for consumers could be challenged if corporate greed isn't allowed to reign supreme.
Despite all of these dangerous possibilities, Americans are being kept in the dark about the TPP, and trade negotiators don't even want Congress weighing in. They're demanding so-called "fast track" authority, which would block any changes to the law, and only allow our elected leaders an "up or down" vote.
Unions, consumer protection groups, environmental activists, and even members of Congress are calling for changes to the law, or a flat-out rejection of the entire deal. For the sake of our nation, these groups are working to inform more Americans, and fighting to stop the TPP while we still have a chance.
Cool Upgrades At The Smithsonian
The Smithsonian Institution is launching a 3D digital museum as a way to bring more of its collection into the limelight. It can only showcase so many of its 137 million artifacts in its museums. So a small team is scanning three-dimensional models of some of the key treasures. They include the Wright brothers' first airplane, Amelia Earhart's flight suit and casts of President Abraham Lincoln's face during the Civil War. The Institution says people can use its new 3D online viewer to download data, and even print it out if they have 3D printers.
Try, Try Again
Before it launched, HealthCare.gov had serious security holes. But the memo never got to Henry Chao, the deputy CIO at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. So he went ahead and signed off on the launch. NextGov reports, this all came out in secret congressional testimony Monday night. A redacted version has been made public. One of the flaws won't be patched until the end of May. Meanwhile, CMS says it plans to email 275,000 people who had trouble signing up for health care insurance. It will tell them to try again now that the site is working a little better.
Voters Oppose Corporate Tax Cuts But Favor Minimum Wage Hike, Poll Finds
A minimum wage hike and corporate tax cut are being discussed by General Assembly leaders ahead of the 2014 session.
The survey conducted by Gonzales Research and Marketing Strategies for Progressive Maryland, a coalition of liberal groups, found overwhelming support for increasing the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10, with more than 82% favoring the move. Support was strong from all groups — Democrats, Independents and even Republicans, as well as whites, blacks, men and women.
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From The Geniuses Who Brought You Brosurance, Here Comes Obamacare... For Sluts?
The Truth About Navigators
James O’Keefe reveals corruption at the heart of the president’s signature program.
James O’Keefe, the guerrilla videographer who helped bring down ACORN (the “community organizing” group that Barack Obama worked for as a lawyer and trainer) and got NPR’s president fired, is back.
This time, his undercover investigators focused on Obamacare’s “navigators,” the nearly 50,000 people who, in the words of the Department of Health and Human Services, “will serve as an in-person resource for Americans who want additional assistance in shopping for and enrolling in plans” on the Obamacare exchanges (at least when they’re finally working). The total value of grants doled out for nonprofits and community organizations to hire navigators has topped $67 million nationwide, and some of the money is going to a group run by ACORN’s highly controversial founder.
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James O’Keefe, the guerrilla videographer who helped bring down ACORN (the “community organizing” group that Barack Obama worked for as a lawyer and trainer) and got NPR’s president fired, is back.
This time, his undercover investigators focused on Obamacare’s “navigators,” the nearly 50,000 people who, in the words of the Department of Health and Human Services, “will serve as an in-person resource for Americans who want additional assistance in shopping for and enrolling in plans” on the Obamacare exchanges (at least when they’re finally working). The total value of grants doled out for nonprofits and community organizations to hire navigators has topped $67 million nationwide, and some of the money is going to a group run by ACORN’s highly controversial founder.
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Al-Qaeda Twitters Decapitation Directions
“They don’t want to seem violent…”
In a truly bizarre case of the 21st century meeting the 7th, al-Qaeda is taking to Twitter to instruct fellow terror thugs how to properly behead the enemies of Islam but ensuring said head lopping is done so in a “kindly” fashion, as reported by the Islamo-centric news portal Al-Alam of Tehran, Iran on Nov. 7, 2013.
The al-Qaeda franchise owner in Syria, the Islamic State of Iraq and Shaam (ISIS), has taken to the internet to instruct all al-Qaeda allies, from Boko Haram in Nigeria; to Lashkar-e-Omar (The Army of Omar) in Kashmir; to The Rajah Sulaiman Movement in the Philippines that when it comes to waging Jihad on either Western infidels or wayward Muslims, there is still conduite déraisonnable that won’t be tolerated, even the most ardent of Mujaheddin.
Specifically using the micro-blogging site Twitter, ISIS is admonishing that when it comes to decapitation, the Jihadi honchos still expect the rules of manners and decorum be adhered to.
Namely, ISIS is instructing that those who do the actual beheadings ensure they “kindly cut human’s head” due to their fear of not appearing all-that-friendly to the general public.
Or as Al-Alam published, “they don’t want to seem violent.”
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In a truly bizarre case of the 21st century meeting the 7th, al-Qaeda is taking to Twitter to instruct fellow terror thugs how to properly behead the enemies of Islam but ensuring said head lopping is done so in a “kindly” fashion, as reported by the Islamo-centric news portal Al-Alam of Tehran, Iran on Nov. 7, 2013.
The al-Qaeda franchise owner in Syria, the Islamic State of Iraq and Shaam (ISIS), has taken to the internet to instruct all al-Qaeda allies, from Boko Haram in Nigeria; to Lashkar-e-Omar (The Army of Omar) in Kashmir; to The Rajah Sulaiman Movement in the Philippines that when it comes to waging Jihad on either Western infidels or wayward Muslims, there is still conduite déraisonnable that won’t be tolerated, even the most ardent of Mujaheddin.
Specifically using the micro-blogging site Twitter, ISIS is admonishing that when it comes to decapitation, the Jihadi honchos still expect the rules of manners and decorum be adhered to.
Namely, ISIS is instructing that those who do the actual beheadings ensure they “kindly cut human’s head” due to their fear of not appearing all-that-friendly to the general public.
Or as Al-Alam published, “they don’t want to seem violent.”
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The Poor: Reagan vs. Obama
I think the poor need another Reagan in the White House.
The income of black heads-of-households dropped by 10.9 percent from June 2009 to June 2013. This decline in black income is more than double the overall 4.4 percent drop nationally in real, adjusted for inflation, median household income during the same four years of alleged “recovery.”
Similarly, real incomes of those under age 25 fell by 9.6 percent over the same period — again, more than double the average drop in household income.
Income in households headed by single women, with or without children, declined by approximately 7 percent over the same four years, a significantly higher drop than the national average.
The income of Hispanic heads-of-households fell by 4.5 percent, slightly more than the national decline, while the income of workers with a high school diploma or less dropped by 6.9 percent.
In dollar terms, the median income per year (including cash government benefits such as earned income tax credits, disability payments and unemployment insurance) in female-headed households and black households has dropped, respectively, by $2,300 and over $4,000 since Obama's stimulus-led “recovery” began in June 2009.
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The income of black heads-of-households dropped by 10.9 percent from June 2009 to June 2013. This decline in black income is more than double the overall 4.4 percent drop nationally in real, adjusted for inflation, median household income during the same four years of alleged “recovery.”
Similarly, real incomes of those under age 25 fell by 9.6 percent over the same period — again, more than double the average drop in household income.
Income in households headed by single women, with or without children, declined by approximately 7 percent over the same four years, a significantly higher drop than the national average.
The income of Hispanic heads-of-households fell by 4.5 percent, slightly more than the national decline, while the income of workers with a high school diploma or less dropped by 6.9 percent.
In dollar terms, the median income per year (including cash government benefits such as earned income tax credits, disability payments and unemployment insurance) in female-headed households and black households has dropped, respectively, by $2,300 and over $4,000 since Obama's stimulus-led “recovery” began in June 2009.
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Adult Science Quiz
Do you know more about science and technology than the average American?
Take our 13-question quiz to test your knowledge of scientific concepts. Then see how you did in comparison with the 1,006 randomly sampled adults asked the same questions in a national poll conducted by the Pew Research Center and Smithsonian magazine.
The analysis of the findings from the poll can be found in the full report. (No peeking! If you are going to take the quiz, do it first before reading the analysis.)
GO HERE to take test.
Take our 13-question quiz to test your knowledge of scientific concepts. Then see how you did in comparison with the 1,006 randomly sampled adults asked the same questions in a national poll conducted by the Pew Research Center and Smithsonian magazine.
The analysis of the findings from the poll can be found in the full report. (No peeking! If you are going to take the quiz, do it first before reading the analysis.)
GO HERE to take test.
WCSO Press Release 11-14-13
Incident: Burglary Arrest
Date of Incident: 8 November 2013
Location: 700 block of Olivia Street, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Dominic Keith Chandler, 23, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 8 November 2013 at 7:25 PM, a deputy arrested Dominic Chandler in connection with an incident that had occurred at a residence in the 700 block of Olivia Street in Salisbury. Upon arrival, the deputy learned that Dominic Chandler had come to the residence to confront a female subject. When the female would not let Chandler in, he kicked in the door, destroying it in the process. An argument ensued between the pair that ended only when the female subject called the sheriff. Chandler was gone upon the arrival of the deputy who obtained a warrant for Chandler’s arrest. Upon arrest, Chandler was transported to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Chandler in the Detention Center in lieu of $2,000.00 bond.
Charges: Burglary 4th Degree and Malicious Destruction of Property
Chandler, Dominic
Incident: Disorderly Conduct
Date of Incident: 9 November 2013
Location: 700 block of Lake Street, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Shanna Myhail Spencer, 28, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 9 November 2013 at 8:28 AM, a deputy arrested Shanna Spencer in connection with an incident that had occurred at Chipman Elementary School the previous day. Spencer came to the school and entered a classroom of first graders as they were beginning their school day. Spencer proceeded to verbally accost one of the first graders that she believed had been bothering her child. During the incident Spender allegedly began to yell for her daughter to hit this young girl that she was accosting. The teacher and another school employee took steps to protect this student while getting Spencer from the classroom, all while Spencer was making threats in front of the students to blow up the school. Once in the school office, Spencer continued her behavior knocking a laptop and papers from a desk before she finally left the school. The investigating deputy obtained a warrant for the arrest of Spencer. Upon arrest, the deputy transported Spencer to the Central Booking Unit where she was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Spencer in the Detention Center in lieu of $20,000.00 bond.
Charges: Assault 2nd Degree, Threat of Arson, Disorderly Conduct and Disturb School Operations
Spencer, Shanna
Incident: WCSO Activity
Narrative: On 8-9 November 2013 the following individuals were located and taken into custody on open warrants:
- Henry William Suchting, 36, Pittsville, MD; was located in the 34000 block of Heartland Drive in Pittsville and arrested on an open Circuit Court Bench Warrant. The warrant had been issued after Suchting violated the terms of his probation in a CDS Possession with the Intent to Distribute case. Suchting was detained in the Detention Center on a bond of $25,000.00.
Suchting, Henry
- Howard Brian Purnell Sr., 51, Salisbury, MD; was located in the 900 block of Mohawk Avenue in Salisbury and arrested on an open Circuit Court Bench Warrant. The warrant had been issued after Purnell violated the terms of his probation in a CDS Possession case. Purnell was detained in the Detention center without bond.
Purnell, Howard
- Kevin Lamont White, 37, Salisbury, MD; was located in the 600 block of S. Westover Drive in Salisbury and arrested on an open District Court Bench Warrant. The warrant was issued after White failed to pay a deferred payment in a Driving Revoked case. White was detained in the Detention Center in lieu of $1,065.00 bond.
White, Kevin
- April Frances Gibson, 28, Salisbury, MD; was located in the 29000 block of Raven Court in Salisbury and arrested on an open District Court Bench Warrant. The warrant had been issued after Gibson failed to appear in the District Court for a Driving Suspended case. Gibson was detained in the Detention Center in lieu of $1,000.00 bond.
Gibson, April
Incident: Trespassing / Vandalism
Date of Incident: 12 November 2013
Location: 900 block of Delaware Avenue, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Jack Marcelles Braboy, 21, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 12 November 2013 at 7:33 AM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported trespassing complaint in the 900 block of Delaware Avenue in Salisbury. Upon arrival, the deputy learned that the residents there had been awoken to Jack Braboy banging on their front door. Upon opened the door, they stated Braboy was standing there, demanding the keys to their vehicle. The residents stated they did not know Braboy. The deputy, along with the residents, made three requests for Braboy to leave the property which Braboy refused to even acknowledge. Braboy also declined to answer any other questions posed by the deputy. The deputy also observed damage to the resident’s vehicle that had been reportedly caused by Braboy. The deputy placed Braboy under arrest and transported him to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner released Braboy on Personal Recognizance.
Charges: Trespassing and Malicious Destruction of Property
Brayboy, Jack
Incident: Driving Suspended / False name
Date of Incident: 13 November 2013
Location: Ocean Gateway at Old Railroad Road, Hebron MD
Suspect: Ayomide O. Akinto, 21, Glendale, MD
Narrative: On 13 November 2013 at 5:00 AM, a deputy stopped a vehicle operated by a driver later identified as Ayomide Akinto for speeding on Ocean Gateway in the Hebron area. Upon contacting Akinto, he provided false information regarding his middle name and date of birth. Upon repeating the information back to Akinto he verified that it was correct. Akinto did not have a driver’s license with him. The deputy was unable to verify Akinto’s identity and authorization to drive using the information provided. After about 20 minutes, the deputy discovered information that revealed Akinto’s true middle name and date of birth. Upon conducting an inquiry with that information, the deputy discovered that Akinto’s privilege to drive had been suspended by the State of Maryland. The deputy also discovered an open District Court Bench Warrant that had been issued after Akinto failed to appear for a driving suspended case in Talbot County. The deputy placed Akinto under arrest for Driving suspended and providing a false name. Upon presentation to the District Court Commissioner, Akinto was detained in the Wicomico County Detention Center in lieu of $5,000.00 bond.
Charges: Driving Suspended, False Statement and Obstruct and Hinder
Akinto, Ayomide
Incident: Warrant
Date of Incident: 12 November 2013
Location: Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Joshua Dale Shelton, 22, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 12 November 2013 at 3:00 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office arrested Joshua Shelton on an outstanding Circuit Court Bench Warrant. The warrant was issued after Shelton failed to appear for a violation of probation hearing in a case where he had been previously convicted of 4th degree burglary. Upon arrest, Shelton was detained in the Detention Center in lieu of $1,000.00 bond.
Charges: Failure to Appear
Shelton, Joshua
CRONY CAPITALISTS, OBAMA FUNDRAISERS LOVE OBAMACARE
Take a quick glance at ObamaCare’s busted multimillion-dollar website and the 3.5 million health insurance cancelation notices hitting American mailboxes and you might be tempted to dub the whole thing a disaster. But it’s not -- at least not for the politically-connected crony companies and big money Obama fundraisers poaching your tax dollars to fix the debacle they helped create.
As CNBC recently put it: “Thanks to ObamaCare, the health-care industry is going to get a big makeover during the coming years and venture capitalists have wasted no time looking for ways to cash in.” Put simply, ObamaCare’s complexity and catastrophic rollout create rivers of cash for Obama’s cronies.
So who are some of the winners in the ObamaCare crony capitalist giveaway?
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As CNBC recently put it: “Thanks to ObamaCare, the health-care industry is going to get a big makeover during the coming years and venture capitalists have wasted no time looking for ways to cash in.” Put simply, ObamaCare’s complexity and catastrophic rollout create rivers of cash for Obama’s cronies.
So who are some of the winners in the ObamaCare crony capitalist giveaway?
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Tea Party At The Crossroads
Third parties have had an unbroken record of failure in American presidential politics. So it was refreshing to see in the Tea Party an insurgent movement, mainly of people who were not professional politicians, but who nevertheless had the good sense to see that their only chance of getting their ideals enacted into public policies was within one of the two major parties.
More important, the Tea Party was an insurgent movement that was not trying to impose some untried utopia, but to restore the lost heritage of America that had been eroded, undermined, or just plain sold out by professional politicians.
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Wicomico High School To Lead Downtown Plaza Holiday Tree Lighting
Mayor Ireton invites the public to join him at the annual City Tree Lighting ceremony. This year’s ceremony will be held on Friday, November 15th at 5:30pm on the Salisbury Downtown Plaza, and in conjunction with the last 3rd Friday of the year.
The ceremony will feature the Wicomico High School Chorus performing at 5:30pm followed by the Wicomico High School Band bringing Santa down the Plaza to the tree site. Mayor Ireton and other officials will be speaking and then the tree will be lit at approximately 6:30pm. Santa will then be greeting children and professional pictures with him will be provided at First Shore Federal Bank on Division Street.
The ceremony will feature the Wicomico High School Chorus performing at 5:30pm followed by the Wicomico High School Band bringing Santa down the Plaza to the tree site. Mayor Ireton and other officials will be speaking and then the tree will be lit at approximately 6:30pm. Santa will then be greeting children and professional pictures with him will be provided at First Shore Federal Bank on Division Street.
Obama’s Fallout For The Left
He will not be harmed by his “misspeaking,” but his fellow liberals will.
Conservatives keep blaring, “Obama lied!” over the president’s serial untruths about the Affordable Care Act. Even liberal pundits now talk of the president’s “misspeaking,” or even of his “misleading” statements and only so-so corrections.
But so what?
Obama is an iconic figure who will survive even the latest scandal of flatly misleading the American people, just as he was not harmed much by being less than honest about Benghazi, the AP monitoring, and the IRS and NSA scandals.
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Conservatives keep blaring, “Obama lied!” over the president’s serial untruths about the Affordable Care Act. Even liberal pundits now talk of the president’s “misspeaking,” or even of his “misleading” statements and only so-so corrections.
But so what?
Obama is an iconic figure who will survive even the latest scandal of flatly misleading the American people, just as he was not harmed much by being less than honest about Benghazi, the AP monitoring, and the IRS and NSA scandals.
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SFD Calls For Service 11-13-13
- Wednesday November, 13 2013 @ 12:13:22Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
- Wednesday November, 13 2013 @ 11:37:11Nature: Syncopal EpisodeCity: Salisbury
- Wednesday November, 13 2013 @ 09:19:19Nature: Chest PainCity: Salisbury
Eastern Shore Pregnancy Center
The Eastern Shore Pregnancy Center, in Salisbury, was able to purchase an ultrasound machine this past summer with the help of a grant from the Knights of Columbus, St. Francis de Sales Council # 3489. This addition of an ultrasound machine has made it possible for The Pregnancy Center to operate as a limited medical facility, providing ultrasound services to clients in the greater Salisbury area since August.
Pictured left to right with the new ultrasound machine are Kort Dickson (ESPC Board of Directors), Jacquelyn Seldon (ESPC Executive Director), George Nichols (Past Grand Knight, St. Francis de Sales Council #3489), and Edgar Williams (ESPC Board Chairman).
Homebuilders' Cancellation Rate Surges To Highest Since December
Despite ongoing optimism that the housing recovery can withstand fire, brimstone, rising rates, and collapsing confidence (in spite of the fact that indications from most top-down data are to the contrary), investors in US homebuilders may need to adjust this morning. If DR Horton is any indication of a broad trend (and empirical comparisons with its peers show that it is) then the firm's huge miss in its cancellation rate (31.0% vs an expectation of 25.5%) in Q3 should be food for thought. The surge in cancellation was the largest MoM since mid-2008 and jumped to its highest since December 2008.
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