The Most Infectious Of All Infectious Diseases

My first investigation as a new Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer with the Centers for Disease Control was of a large outbreak of measles, mostly among Hispanic children, many under a year old, and many who became infected when they visited hospital emergency departments for other reasons.

I will never forget how nervous I was. I wanted to do a good job for those children, their families and everyone around them. These infants were too young to be vaccinated, and as a result they were particularly susceptible. So we vaccinated those around them to stop transmission.

By 2000, a decade after my EIS experience, measles transmission in the United States was declared to have been stopped. However, we still have occasional clusters of measles in pockets of unvaccinated children after measles has been brought into the United States from somewhere else in the world.
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USPS In The News Again

The Postal Service has angered some of its most ardent fans. It's releasing a stamp of the young British wizard Harry Potter in hopes of convincing digital natives to pay attention to stamps and old-fashioned letters. But some stamp collectors say the choice is too commercial and un-American. Now the agency inspector general is asking the public to weigh in. In a blog post, the office asks for opinions on whether the Postal Service should market to a younger audience and whether it should develop themes and images that stray from American icons.

EX-HOMOSEXUAL'S MARRIAGE SLAMMED BY ACTIVISTS

A former “gay rights” activist who declared six years ago he left homosexuality through the power of God is now celebrating his marriage to a woman, much to the chagrin of homosexual activists who are ridiculing him and his bride via the Web.

In a letter to his critics published today by WND, Michael Glatze called the month since his Oct. 26 marriage to Rebekah the “greatest” of his life.

“I am so grateful for Rebekah, for God, for His provision, for my new in-laws, for my family which traveled from far and wide to join in our special day, and for the prayers and support that have flooded our way since October,” he writes.
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Woman Ticketed For Driving With Google Glass Pleads Not Guilty

Back in October, a California woman was given a ticket for driving while sporting a Google Glass device. Yesterday, she appeared in court to enter a plea of not guilty on the charge of distracted driving.

The ticket, which went viral after the driver posted it to her Google+ account, shows that a ticket was given for “Driving with Monitor visible to Driver (Google Glass),” an alleged violation of a California law that prohibits drivers from operating a vehicle if he or she can be distracted by a visible TV or other video monitor used primarily for entertainment or business applications. Screens for things like GPS and rearview cameras are allowed.

However, the driver argues that she was merely wearing the Google Glass and it was not turned on, which she maintains is like trying to ticket someone for driving with an unplugged TV in the passenger seat.

“There is nothing illegal about simply wearing the Google Glass while it is not turned on,” said her lawyer.

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FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENT WARNS OF A ‘VERY, VERY DANGEROUS’ DEVELOPMENT IN AMERICA

What does Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and the author of “Life Inside the Bubble: Why a Top-Ranked Secret Service Agent Walked Away from It All,” say is a “very, very dangerous” development in America?

Speaking on the Glenn Beck Program Thursday, Bongino — who is also running for Congress in Maryland’s sixth district — described bureaucracy that has “grown so large” as a cause for grave concern.

“My experience in the government is, when something arrives on your desk, you assume it’s been through these massive layers of bureaucracy and management – that you don’t even ask the basic questions,” he explained.
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Trey Gowdy Demands Answers On Benghazi

Obama Flips Switch On Government Renewable Energy

WASHINGTON — Saying the government should lead by example, President Barack Obama on Thursday ordered the federal government to nearly triple its use of renewable sources for electricity by 2020.

Obama said the plan to use renewables for 20 percent of electricity needs will help reduce pollution that causes global warming, promote American energy independence and boost domestic energy sources such as solar and wind power that provide thousands of jobs.

The order is part of the president’s wide-ranging, second-term drive to combat climate change and prepare for its effects. A plan announced in June would put first-time limits on carbon pollution from new and existing power plants, boost renewable energy production on federal lands and prepare communities to deal with higher temperatures.
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Man Says Police Officer Threatened To Kill His Dogs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City man says he’s been terrified since an encounter with police on Monday evening. He says officers came to his home in southeast Kansas City looking for people he’d never heard of and when he refused to let them inside, things turned ugly.

Eric Crinnian, a lawyer, heard a loud banging at his door Monday night, he was instantly alarmed since a neighbor’s house was robbed a few weeks ago, so he grabbed a crow-bar.

Crinnian said three police officers were outside his house.

“I open the door a little bit wider and he sees that I have something in my hand, so he pulls his gun, tells me to put down whatever I’ve got and then come out with my hands up, so I do,” Crinnian said.

They wanted to know where two guys were, and Crinnian later found out police believed they violated parole.

“I said, ‘I have no idea who you’re talking about I’ve never heard of these people before,’” he said.

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Game-Changer: Saudis Seek To Re-Balance Mideast Against U.S.

EILAT, Israel – Saudi Arabia is proposing a sweeping deal to Russia that solidifies Moscow’s position in the Middle East and Persian Gulf largely at the expense of the United States, according to informed Egyptian security officials.

The deal incorporates increased Russian involvement in Egypt, Syria and the Persian Gulf, and even involves a Saudi guarantee to aid against terror plots targeting the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

The Egyptian officials said the deal seeks to replace the U.S. with Russia as the major weapons dealer to Egypt.

However, the weapons sales to Cairo are only the tip of the potential re-balancing iceberg that follows a major fallout with the Saudis after President Obama’s outreach efforts to Iran.
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Rand Paul Offers 'Freedom Zones' To Save Bankrupt Detroit

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul this week is traveling to Detroit, the nation's economic disaster zone, to lay out a sweeping proposal to revive the Motor City while also extending his recent outreach to blacks by opening a GOP African-American engagement office.

Paul, a 2016 GOP presidential front-runner, will be in Detroit on Friday to address the Detroit Economic Club where he will unveil a plan to create economic “Freedom Zones,” a unique agenda that features help to poor families and struggling businesses.

In what could be a cornerstone of Paul’s economic agenda for troubled cities and regions, he will detail his “Detroit economic plan” to revitalize the city’s economy with growth-encouraging tax and regulation changes.

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Modern Ruins of Abandoned Detroit

Symbolizing the dramatic decline of Motor City, many buildings and structures in the former manufacturing mecca of Detroit, Mich. lay in crumbling and weather-beaten ruins. In his bestselling book, "The World Without Us," Alan Weisman (who has reported from abandoned cities such as Chernobyl, Ukraine and Varosha, Cyprus) wrote that structures crumble as weather does unrepaired damage and other life forms create new habitats. A common structure would begin to fall apart as water eventually leaks into the roof, erodes the wood and rusts the nail, he wrote. Without intervention, many of Detroit's abandoned structures would eventually succumb to nature's elements.
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Ron Paul: Bitcoin Could 'Destroy The Dollar'

Imagine a world in which you can buy anything in secret. No banks. No fees. No worries inflation will make today's money worth less tomorrow.

The digital currency Bitcoin promises all these things. And while it's far from achieving any of them -- its value is unstable and it's rarely used -- some have high hopes.

"There will be alternatives to the dollar, and this might be one of them," said former U.S. congressman Ron Paul. If people start using bitcoins en masse, "it'll go down in history as the destroyer of the dollar," Paul added.

It's unlikely that Bitcoin would replace the dollar or other government-controlled currencies. But it could serve as a kind of universal alternative currency that is accepted everywhere around the globe. Concerned about the dollar's inflation? Just move your cash to bitcoins and use them to pay your bills instead. Tired of hefty credit card fees? Bitcoin allows transactions that bypass banks.

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Casino Revenues Increase 47%

State officials say casinos in Maryland has made a lot more money over the last year.

State lottery officials say the state's four casinos generated more than $66.8-million in November, about 80-percent of that money generated at Maryland Live at Arundel Mills.

If you take out the Rocky Gap Casino which opened in May, Maryland's casino revenue increased by more than 47-percent over November of last year.
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Kitten Plays Computer - The Tonight Show With Jay Leno

Democratic Infighting Erupts Over ‘We Can Have It All’ Fantasy On Entitlements

The Democratic rift over entitlements deepened this week as a top party contender for governor in Pennsylvania came under fire from liberals after a think tank of which she is co-chairwoman criticized economic-populism messages of Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and New York Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio.

Liberals demanded that gubernatorial candidate Allyson Y. Schwartz cut her ties with Third Way after two of its top officials wrote an op-ed criticizing Ms. Warren and Mr. de Blasio by name, saying they are pushing a “‘we can have it all’ fantasy.”

The activist groups Democracy for America and Progressive Change Campaign Committee pounced, demanding that Mrs. Schwartz, who is now a member of the U.S. House, relinquish her position as honorary co-chairwoman of Third Way.
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Russia's Hypersonic Trump Card Edges Closer To Reality

The RS-26 Rubezh will significantly expand the ability of Russian strategic nuclear forces to overcome missile defense systems

By the end of this year, Moscow will test its newest ballistic missile, the RS-26 Rubezh (which means frontier in Russian) equipped with hypersonic manoeuvring nuclear units. As Colonel General Vladimir Zarudnitsky, chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, said to Vladimir Putin, this system will significantly expand the ability of Russian strategic nuclear forces to overcome missile defence systems. The technical specifications of the new missile have not been disclosed. However, public recognition of the fact that it has “hypersonic manoeuvring nuclear units” indicates it is an ultimate weapon.

“Ballistic missiles have a certain trajectory and power supply capacity. It is rather difficult to reach beyond these parameters in the development of new models of this type,” says Vladimir Dvorkin, the former head of the 4th Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defence (the institution that studies the effects of nuclear weapons). “So currently the only thing that can be upgraded is most likely the warhead of ballistic missiles.”

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Christmas Trees For Troops At A Local Business

It is becoming a tradition for the Hubbard Funeral Home in Arbutus, Christmas Trees For Troops! Daniel Simons, Managing Partner of Hubbard Funeral Home says that he and his wife Heather will again be giving away more than 250 Christmas Trees to families of those deployed and serving in the Maryland National Guard.

Simons says that with the overwhelming success of last year’s event, the Hubbard Funeral Home staff and the Maryland National Guard Teen Council will again be on hand to help load trees and tie them down on vehicles.

This year's event will take place Saturday, December 7, 2013 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at the Hubbard Funeral Home, 4107 Wilkens Ave., Baltimore, MD 21229. 
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There's No Crime In Delmar

Troopers Seek Public’s Help Identifying Credit Card Fraud Suspects

Location:
Delmar and Seaford, DE

Date of Occurrence:
November, 2013

Suspects:
Photographs of the suspects attached.

Resume:
Delmar – Detectives are asking the public for help identifying four people who made purchases using stolen credit card information.

The investigation began after victims in Pennsylvania received unauthorized charges on their credit cards from transactions in Delmar, Seaford, and Salisbury, MD. The victims still had their credit cards in their possession.

A preliminary investigation indicates the victims’ credit card information was stolen and used to make cloned credit cards, which, when used, transmit the victims’ credit card information. Detectives have obtained video surveillance of two of the purchases, which were performed by four suspects. Their pictures are attached.

If anyone has any information about the suspects’ identities, they are asked to contact the Troop 4 Financial Crimes Unit at 302-856-5850 extension 257, or by utilizing the Delaware State Police Mobile Crime Tip Application available to download at:http://www.delaware.gov/apps/. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com, or by sending an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."

Innocent Man: How inmate Michael Morton Lost 25 Years Of His Life

Editor's note: For much more about the dramatic exoneration of falsely accused murderer Michael Morton, watch CNN Films' "An Unreal Dream, The Michael Morton Story," airing Sunday, December 8, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CNN TV.

(CNN) -- Imagine being out to dinner with the love of your life and your beautiful, smiling, 3-year-old child. It's a double celebration: your birthday and the end of your young boy's difficult recovery from surgery for a heart defect.

As you cross the street afterward, holding hands and swinging the little one up in the air, you think, "This is what it's about."

You know it's one of the best days of your life.

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Newly Captured Photo Shows Russia's New Badass Shark Stealth Fighter

A new photo captured by Artyom Anikeev shows Russia's new Sukhoi T-50 stealth fighter—the F-22 Raptor's nemesis. According to The Aviationist, its new camouflage—inspired by a typical white tip Red Sea's shark—will make it look "as a rhomboidal shaped aircraft, smaller than the actual airplane" from a distance.

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Farm Bill Giveaways for Underwear, Flatulence, and Manure

The House and Senate are struggling to negotiate terms of a new $1 trillion “farm” bill that would subsidize an array of commodities as well as regulate food stamps. Many of the agriculture giveaways are well known, including crop insurance, price supports, and conservation payments. But there are also some surprises buried within the Senate and House legislation (1,163 pages and 608 pages, respectively) that bring new meaning to the term “special interest.”

• Underpants. Both bills provide for “Economic Adjustment Assistance” that would pay domestic manufacturers of cotton products $66 for each ton they use of “upland cotton”—the most common type of the fiber grown in the United States. (Nearly 8 billion pounds of upland cotton were harvested last year.) Past recipients have included global underwear purveyor Fruit of the Loom and other clothiers.

• Cow flatulence. “Conservation Innovation Grants” are proposed in both versions of the legislation to stimulate the development and adoption of conservation approaches and technologies. The grants have included $1,055,996 to the Unison Resource Company, San Francisco Carbon collaborative, and EcoAnalytics to prevent global warming by reducing intestinal methane emissions from cattle.

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Jury Quickly Convicts Woman In False Rape Trial

A Michigan woman accused of lying for years about having cancer was convicted Thursday in a separate case of falsely accusing two men of rape.

The jury took less than 30 minutes to convict Sara Ylen after a three-day trial in St. Clair County, 60 miles northeast of Detroit.

Ylen was charged with making up a story of two men attacking her in her Lexington home in 2012. Ylen, 38, was also convicted of tampering with evidence after police said she used makeup to create what looked like bruises. She did not testify in her own defense.

Ylen's story resembled a "cheap novel," prosecutor Suzette Samuels told jurors.

"She's lying through her teeth. ... This was unreal," Samuels said.

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Government, Inc. - The Business NO ONE Talks About

New Russian Submarines Are So Silent That The U.S. Navy Calls Them “Black Holes”

Did you know that Russia is building submarines that are so quiet that the U.S. military cannot detect them? These “black hole” submarines can freely approach the coastlines of the United States without fear of being detected whenever they want. In fact, a “nuclear-powered attack submarine armed with long-range cruise missiles” sailed around in the Gulf of Mexico for several weeks without being detected back in 2012. And now Russia is launching a new class of subs that have “advanced stealth technology”. The U.S. Navy openly acknowledges that they cannot track these subs when they are submerged. That means that the Russians are able to sail right up to our coastlines and launch nukes whenever they want. But instead of trying to find a way to counteract this potential threat, the Obama administration has been working very hard to dismantle the U.S. strategic nuclear arsenal. In the end, we could potentially pay a great price for this utter foolishness.

A recent RT article discussed these new super silent “black hole” submarines. To say that they are impressive would be a massive understatement…

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When Banks Begin To Fail

A major conference on the future of banking yesterday heard contributions on a European banking union which is being negotiated by Eurozone finance ministers. One of the aspects of that union will be a ‘bail-in’ of deposits when banks fail in the future. Michael Noonan, Ireland’s Minister for Finance confirmed yesterday that bail-ins or deposit confiscation will be used.

The toolkit underpinning the Single Resolution Mechanism is provided for in the bank recovery and resolution proposal (BRR) which was agreed last June in Council under the Irish Presidency. The proposal provides a common framework of rules and powers to help EU countries manage arrangements to deal with failing banks at national level as well as cross-border banks, whilst preserving essential bank operations and minimising taxpayers’ exposure to losses.

One of the main pillars to the BRR framework to facilitate a range of actions by authorities are “resolution tools”. Noonan confirmed yesterday that resolution tools include the sale of business, bridge bank and asset separation tools and also the use of bailins.

The era of bondholder bailouts is ending and that of depositor bail-ins is coming.

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Officer Not So Friendly

A reader sent me a note about his recent experience with Officer Not So Friendly, following an unexpected early morning encounter with a moose. I thought it was worth relaying to you in its entirety, because it’s yet another example of the needlessly adversarial attitude that seems to be becoming the new normal among law enforcers – and justification for the entirely rational fear of police that more and more of us are coming to grips with (as per my latest article; see here).

It’s especially hard for people who are inclined to support police (mostly, on the misplaced belief that they are there to “serve and protect” as opposed to “harass and collect”) to read these stories – and to face up to the reality of law enforcement these days. But it’s increasingly impossible to maintain the illusion that police are anything more than an enforcer class – to be avoided if all possible.

Here’s an object lesson as to why that’s so:

This past Sunday, while I was on my way to work, I hit a moose.

Let me set the stage for you. At 7:30 in the morning in late November at 61° north, it ispitch black. The sun isn’t even considering coming up yet. Add to that that Alaskan moose are huge, ornery, and dumb – they’re used to being the biggest thing around, so they pretty much do what they please and pay no attention to their surroundings. Add to that that I live in the woods, and you can probably guess what happened: I’m driving down the road, moose suddenly bolts out of the woods in front of me, I don’t have room to stop. Smash.

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Santa Arrives Tonight

Santa is due to arrive tonight. He will be here to greet the children each weekend until Christmas.

• Friday 6-9pm
• Saturday 6-10pm
• Sunday 6-8pm
• All dates and times are weather permitting. 

We are hoping the rain will hold out so Santa can visit with the children this weekend. Don't forget to bring your camera so you can take pictures of the kids with Santa.

Like us on facebook so you can stay updated in case we can not turn the lights on or Santa is unavailable due to the weather.

Christmas On Parker Place

Parker Place

Pittsville, Md

Social Security Payout: How Long Do You Think You'll Live?

If you wait until 70 to collect and live to your mid-eighties, you win big. But who says you'll make it that far?

FORTUNE -- Year-end festivities are approaching, with Hanukkah lights nearing their peak, Christmas lights going up, and the New Year's celebration almost upon us. So what better time than the season of light is there to talk about ... mortality?

No, I'm not raising this gloomy topic just to be contrarian at a time of widespread celebrations. I'm raising it in Fortune's Investor's Guide because one of the most interesting investment decisions that you may have to make (or may have already made) involves estimating how long you're likely to live.

This decision doesn't involve stocks or bonds. It involves Social Security retirement benefits.

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House Hearing Highlights Big Cuts In Medicare Advantage Under Obamacare

Republicans and Democrats on Wednesday battled over the whether the new health care law will destroy or improve a popular Medicare program during one of four House hearings this week into the troubled Obamacare.

The Affordable Care Act slashes $716 billion from Medicare over the next decade, with $308 million cuts coming from Medicare Advantage, a managed care program that enrolls more than a quarter of all Medicare users.

Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee charged in the hearing that cuts in the Medicare program will result in seniors losing access to their doctors as doctors are being dropped from the program to help cut costs.

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CARSON: Getting To The Top By Starting At The Bottom

The lessons learned in youth jobs can pay off later

I vividly remember as a teenager obtaining my first job with a regular paycheck as a high school biology-laboratory assistant.

It’s hard to describe how excited I was to be receiving a salary and contributing to the upkeep of my family’s household, but the biggest thrill was doing something important while at the same time acquiring many skills that would prove useful in the future.

Through the kindness and interest of my high school science teachers, I gained great familiarity with many scientific techniques that enabled me to acquire a job in the science laboratory at a well-known university while I was still a high school student.

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Sharpton Condemns 'Racist' Knockout Game

While the mainstream media were dismissing the seriousness of the deadly "knockout game," Rev. Al Sharpton called it "racist" and "outrageous" and said such actions should not and will not be tolerated.

Days after condemning the "knockout game," which has been perpetrated mostly by black youths against victims who have been mostly white, Jewish, or of Asian descent, the MSNBC host and president of the National Action Network wrote an op-ed in the Huffington Post and called the game an "alarming trend that is spurring outrageous incidents across the country. It is deplorable, reprehensible and inexcusable."

"It is insane thuggery, and it is unequivocally wrong. These kids are targeting innocent people, and in many cases specifically targeting Jewish folks," he said. "We would not be silent if it were the other way around, and we will not be silent now. This behavior is racist, period. And we will not tolerate it."

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Troopers Seek Public’s Help Locating Delmar Theft Suspect

Location: Delmar, DE

Date of Occurrence: February, 2013

Suspect: Rodney Bounds, 48, of Delmar, DE (photo below)

Resume: Delmar – Detectives are searching for a Delmar man who stole money through an investment scheme.

Detectives are searching for Rodney Bounds, 48. In February Bounds approached the victim, a 76-year-old Delmar man, and asked the victim to invest in a helicopter business. The victim turned over $5,000. Bounds contacted the victim several months later and received more money for the business.

For the past several months, the victim has been unsuccessfully attempting to contact Bounds. Bounds cannot be located and detectives have been unable to find any sign that the helicopter company was a legitimate business.

If anyone has any information about Bounds’s whereabouts, they are asked to contact the Troop 4 Financial Crimes Unit at 302-856-5850 extension 257, or by utilizing the Delaware State Police Mobile Crime Tip Application available to download at:http://www.delaware.gov/apps/. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com, or by sending an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."

GOLF

The golf term "bad lie" will now referred to as "an obama".

Change happens.

2013 DELMAR CHRISTMAS PARADE

This year's Delmar Christmas Parade is scheduled for Saturday, December 7th at 2pm.

The rain date (if needed) is Sunday, Dec. 8th at the same time.

Entry into our parade is FREE with submitted application!

Need an application? Call the Chamber voicemail at 302-846-3336 and we'll get one out to you!

You can also download the application from our website. Right here on the front page, go to the upper right and click the "downloads" button. You have a choice of a .pdf or a Word document form.

All entries must have application on file ahead of time. See application for deadline.

The parade is sponsored by The Greater Delmar Chamber of Commerce.

BIG MEETING TOMORROW MORNING

Saturday morning at 8 am at the Civic Center there will be a meeting between Rick Pollitt, the County Council, Norman Conway, Jim Mathis, Rudy Cane , Charles Otto and Mike McDermott. The public is invited and breakfast will be served. 

The public can not speak during the meeting but can meet before or after.

Endangered Crustacean Could Delay Metro Plans In Maryland

(CNSNews.com) - The discovery of the tiny Hay's Spring amphipod, a federally protected endangered species, in the waters of Rock Creek Park could delay plans for the Purple Line train to be added to the D.C. Metro rail system.

According to the Rock Creek Conservancy, the amphipod is a ½-to1-inch colorless, eyeless crustacean that uses hairs to move about and find food. The Conservancy’s website also states that Rock Creek is the only place in the world that the amphipod is found.

The Washington Post reported on Friday that environmentalists claim the findings of the crustacean were omitted from the final environmental impact report on the proposed Purple Line.

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Average Student Loan Debt: $29,400

Student loan debt continues to pile up on America's college graduates, topping an average $29,000 per student last year.

The average debt load for the class of 2012 was $29,400 -- up more than 10% from theprevious year, according to a report released Wednesday by the Institute for College Access & Success' Project on Student Debt.

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HOLIDAY BOOZERS BEWARE: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over

HOLIDAY CAMPAIGN                                                                         

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 6, 2013

CONTACT: Captain Babe Wilson

HOLIDAY BOOZERS BEWARE:

Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office

CRACKING DOWN ON DRUNK DRIVERS

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over

Wicomico County, MD- This holiday season, Wicomico County Sheriff’s Deputies will be out in force cracking down on drunk drivers throughout the region with aggressive Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement.  From Dec. 13, 2013, to Jan. 1, 2014, state and local law enforcement will be watching for drunk drivers to help keep roads safe for holiday travelers.

The Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office is giving fair warning to all party-goers.  “You’ll see us making lots of stops during this highly visible enforcement period and if we suspect anyone is driving while intoxicated, officers will show zero tolerance for drunk driving,” said Sheriff Mike Lewis.

Unfortunately, the excitement and celebrations of the holiday season can lead to terrible decisions-- and serious legal consequences.

Data shows that the holiday season is a particularly deadly time due to the increased number of drunk drivers on the roads, and the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office is prepared to stop and arrest any drunk driver they see to keep roads safe. 

Nationally, in the Decembers from 2007 to 2011 there were  4,169 people killed in crashes that involved drivers with blood Alcohol concentrations of .08 grams per deciliter or higher.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 32,367 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes across the nation in 2011, and 31 percent (9,878) of those fatalities occurred in drunk-driving-related crashes.

“The December holiday season is the ‘most wonderful time of the year,’ and we are going to keep our roads safe for travelers heading to visit friends and family,” said Sheriff Mike Lewis. “This holiday, we will show zero tolerance for drunk drivers on the road. If you choose to drive drunk, we will see you, we will stop you, and you will be arrested.”

Drunk drivers often face jail time, the loss of their driver licenses, higher insurance rates, and dozens of other unanticipated expenses ranging from attorney fees, court costs, car towing and repairs, to lost wages due to time off from work. Even worse, a drunk driver can cause a traffic crash that claims someone’s life, or their own.

Please follow these tips to keep the holidays safe and happy:

• Even one drink can impair your judgment and increase the risk of getting arrested for driving drunk—or worse, the risk of having a crash while driving.
• If you will be drinking, do not plan on driving.  Plan ahead; designate a sober driver before the party begins.
• If you have been drinking, do not drive. Call a taxi, phone a sober friend or family member or use public transportation.
• Be responsible. If someone you know is drinking, do not let that person get behind the wheel.
• If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact law enforcement. Your actions may save someone’s life, and inaction could cost a life. 

Remember, it is never safe to drink and drive: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

Wicomico Recreation, Parks & Tourism Honors Volunteers

(Salisbury, MD) Each year, community members dedicate over 4,000 hours of time to Wicomico Recreation, Parks and Tourism programs and events. These volunteers, who are working to make a positive difference in Wicomico County, were honored at the annual Volunteer Appreciation and Sportsmanship Awards Banquet on Tuesday, December 3 at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center.

Nearly 25 volunteers were nominated this year by their peers. Based on the nominations submitted, the Recreation Commission selected 14 award recipients. A silent auction was also held to raise money for the Happy Timers Club, a recreation program for adults ages 50+.

Award recipients included:

Outstanding Sports Coach Volunteer – Nicole Green
Outstanding Tourism Volunteer – Ellen Bethel
Outstanding Citizen Volunteer – Jennifer Bushman
Outstanding Civic/Booster – Dor-Wic American Legion Post 218
Outstanding Community Volunteer – Dale Dechert
Outstanding Youth Volunteer – Monica Dashield
Outstanding Recreation Council Volunteer – Ron and Donna Wilkosz
Environmental Improvement Volunteer – Jim Insley
Youth Coach Sportsmanship – David Dorr
Youth Sportsmanship – Cheyenne Harvill
Lorne C. Rickert Lifetime Volunteer – Rand Thaw

*Photo of award recipients attached.  From Left to Right:  Ellen Bethel, Ron Wilkosz, Donna Wilkosz, David Dorr, Nicole Green, Dor-Wic American Legion, Monica Dashield, Cheyenne Harvill, Jim Insley Jr., Rand Thaw and Dale Dechert

2013 Ocean City Christmas Parade

The 31^st Annual Ocean City Christmas Parade marches along Coastal Highway on Saturday, December 7 at 11 a.m.  The holiday parade, which starts at 100th Street and marches northbound in the southbound lanes of Coastal Highway to the Gold Coast Mall at 115th Street, will feature more than 80 units, including high school bands, horses, llamas, antique cars and colorful holiday floats.

Professional judges will be on hand to review bands and other marching units in nine categories and trophies will be awarded inside the mall following the parade for first, second and third places in each category. To participate in the parade, which is sponsored by the Gold Coast Mall Merchants Association, citizens should call Elaine Jarvis at 410-524-9000.  There is no charge to participate.

For those simply wishing to spectate, plenty of seating will be located in the parking lot of the Gold Coast Mall. Spectators will not be permitted to watch the parade from the median area of Coastal Highway. The parade is expected to last approximately two hours. Motorists traveling in the area are reminded that traffic pattern changes will occur starting at approximately 9 a.m.  Also, due to the high volume of traffic, pedestrians are reminded to Walk Smart by using cross walks and crossing with the traffic control signal.

Obamacare 'Is Whatever Obama Says It Is'

Discussing President Obama three-week public relations campaign to promote the Affordable Care Act, Mark Levin said on Tuesday that Obamacare is "Jell-O... it is whatever Obama says it is."

"So people are losing their healthcare, they're losing their coverage, people who have advanced stages of cancer, people who suffer from diabetes, people who have heart disease, and many, many other ailments and maladies and diseases and illnesses. People are losing their doctors, as well as their coverage. This is very, very serious. That's why Obama's ratings are going down, not because of the Republicans, or the media or anything. It's because people are being adversely, miserably affected by this pathetic law, this pathetic law which is really Jell-O. It's Jell-O. It is whatever Obama says it is. 'Well the Supreme Court upheld the law.' The Supreme Court upheld which law? What law? The way the law operates today isn't even the law that the Supreme Court saw in many respects.

"So what did Obama have to say? So here we have a three week campaign effort right up to Christmas because that's all this jerk knows how to do. That's right, I said, 'jerk' and I could say worse, but I'm a nice guy. Nobody's done more damage to the people of this country, to our economy, to our way of life, and yes to our medical coverage than this man," Levin added.

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Op-Ed: Why Romney Didn't Get Enough Votes To Win

It is a different world, and a different America. Obama is part of that different America, knows it, and knows how to tap into it. That is why he won.

The most charitable way of explaining the electionresults of 2012 is that Americans voted for the status quo – for the incumbent President and for a divided Congress. They must enjoy gridlock, partisanship, incompetence, economic stagnation and avoidance of responsibility. And fewer people voted.

But as we awake from the nightmare, it is important to eschew the facile explanations for the Romney defeat that will prevail among the chattering classes. Romney did not lose because of the effects of Hurricane Sandy that devastated this area, nor did he lose because he ran a poor campaign, nor did he lose because the Republicans could have chosen better candidates, nor did he lose because Obama benefited from a slight uptick in the economy due to the business cycle.

Romney lost because he didn’t get enough votes to win.

That might seem obvious, but not for the obvious reasons. Romney lost because the conservative virtues – the traditional American virtues – of liberty, hard work, free enterprise, private initiative and aspirations to moral greatness – no longer inspire or animate a majority of the electorate. The notion of the “Reagan Democrat” is one cliché that should be permanently retired.

Ronald Reagan himself could not win an election in today’s America.

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“Implicit” Government Guarantees To Bail Out Bank Creditors Tighten Their Grip On US Taxpayers

One of the few rebellious Fed heads, Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker, fired another salvo when he was testifying at the House Judiciary Committee’s hearing. And he hit Wall Street risks that are wrapping their growing tentacles ever more tightly around the economy and taxpayers.

The hearing, according to Chairman Bob Goodlatte, would examine whether the Bankruptcy Code is “best equipped” to deal with the insolvency of large banks, such as the “unusual level of speed” needed for their “efficient and orderly resolution,” and the “unique threats” their collapse would pose to the “broader stability of the economy.”

Lacker was on his turf. For years, he has spoken out against QE. Earlier this year, he committed heresy by admitting that “labor market conditions are affected by a wide variety of factors outside a central bank’s control “; he’d yanked away the Fed’s fig leaf for its QE and zero-interest-rate policies. And in June 2012, before QE3 had appeared on the horizon, he’d stunned his listeners when he said, “Monetary policy doesn’t have a lot of capability right now for enhancing growth.” He dissented at the FOMC meetings in 2012 when he last was a voting member. His concerns were confirmed by QE3’s subsequent failure to budge the economy, though it inflated glorious assets bubbles all around.

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Poll Shows Americans Tired Of War And Globalist Trade

Corporate polls are often manipulated and the result dubious. But a recent Pew Research Center pollis a no-brainer.

A majority of Americans are sick and tired of globalist wars of conquest and think the government should mind its own business.

“Currently, 52% say the United States ‘should mind its own business internationally and let other countries get along the best they can on their own.’ Just 38% disagree with the statement. This is the most lopsided balance in favor of the U.S. ‘minding its own business’ in the nearly 50-year history of the measure,” Pew explains.

This reluctance to invade small countries is usually dismissed by the establishment as isolationism. But the poll results cast doubt on this explanation.

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Florida Cop Arrested For Wearing Guy Fawkes Mask At Obamacare Protest

A Florida police officer who was protesting US President Obama’s newly implemented healthcare law has been arrested because he refused to take off a Guy Fawkes mask he was wearing at a demonstration.

Ericson Harrell, 39, was wearing a mask, a black cape, and holding an inverted American flag when police approached him in Plantation, Florida. Harrell told officers he was “protesting Obamacare” but the police report notes “he refused each time” when he “was asked several times to remove his mask and produce some form of identification or tell us his name” and taken into custody.

The mask is the same one popularized in the film “V for Vendetta” and then by the activist hacking collective known as Anonymous.

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Mikulski Shore Tour Includes OC Stop

OCEAN CITY- U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski’s three-stop Eastern Shore jobs tour this week included a visit with resort business leaders to discuss, among other things, the J-1 visa that allows so many foreign students to work in Ocean City during the summer season.

Mikulski on Monday toured several locations across the Lower Shore including a visit with the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association (OCHMRA) leadership at the Princess Royale. The visit included a candid discussion between resort business leaders and Mikulski over proposed changed to the J-1 visa program and other programs that provide a vital segment of the workforce in Ocean City each summer and across the Lower Shore.

At Wednesday’s Ocean City Economic Development Committee (EDC) meeting, Chairman Michael James, who is the managing partner for the Carousel Resort, called the meeting with Mikulski over the jobs and the visa programs a productive one.
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Seat Of The Empire

In the Hunger Games movies, a repressive totalitarian government presides over thirteen districts from “The Capitol,” an ostentatious, ostensibly “progressive” urban center filled with wealthy and powerful elites who spend most of their time reveling in decadence and privilege.

Sound familiar?

It should: It’s coming to a continent near you.

The seat of America’s Evil Empire – Washington, D.C. – is evolving into precisely such a place. If it isn’t already.

While the rest of America struggles to make a living, those who live in the seat of the empire are doing just fine thanks.

The latest evidence of this trend? Soaring incomes in Washington, D.C. that contrast the flat incomes everywhere else in the country.

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Liberal Law Professor: Obama Is The Danger

Warns against 'concentration of power' in Oval Office

A noted liberal Georgetown University law professor who represented members of Congress in a lawsuit over the Libyan war, represented workers at the secret Area 51 military base and served as counsel on national security cases says Barack Obama is a danger to the U.S. Constitution.

The comments from Jonathan Turley came during a House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday.

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So Help Me God

This is by a daughter of a murdered couple in Raytown, MO, who had a Bible and Bookstore on 63rd street.

She says: When I had to testify at the murder trial of my parents a week ago, I was asked to raise my right hand ... The bailiff started out "Do you swear to tell the truth,the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"

I stood there and waited but she said nothing She said "Do you?"

I was so stunned I blurted out "What happened to "so help me God'?"

She came back with "Do you?"

I replied yes, but I was perplexed.

Then the judge said. "You can say that if you want to."

I stopped, raised my right hand, and finished with: "So help me God!"

I told my son and daughter that when it came time for them to testify, they should do the same.

I don't know what can be done about it, but it's time for us to step up and DO something.

NBC this morning had a poll on this question. They had the highest number of responses that they have ever had for one of their polls, and the percentage was the same as this:

86%to keep the words,
14% against...
That is a pretty 'commanding' public response.

YARD SALE 12-6-13

314 South Division Street Fruitland, MD 21286
December 7, 2013 from 7am to 12noon

Furniture, Vehicles, Household Items, Cars, Tools, Clothes. and many other Miscellaneous Treasures!

SFD Calls For Service 12-5-13

• Thursday December, 5 2013 @ 06:12:00Nature: Chest PainCity: Salisbury
• Thursday December, 5 2013 @ 06:10:03Nature: Subject FallenCity: Salisbury
• Thursday December, 5 2013 @ 06:05:08Nature: Pi AccidentAddress: 30393 Zion Rd Salisbury, MD 21801
• Thursday December, 5 2013 @ 00:39:47Nature: Chest PainCity: Salisbury

Thank God Its Friday 12-6-13

What will you be doing this weekend?

Weekly Specials At Boonies Restaurant & Tiki Bar

Come check out what's going on at Boonies! 

Wednesday: Half Price Burger Night
Enjoy a juicy Certified Angus Beef Burger exactly how you like it!

Thursday: Prime Rib
A mouthwatering, 12oz handcut, slow roasted Prime Rib with your choice of two sides for only $16.99!

Red Roost Chicken Platter
Miss the Chicken at the Red Roost? Don't want to wait until March to get it? Well now you don't have to! We have it for you here at Boonies every Thursday night. $17.99 gets you 4 pieces of delicious Red Roost Chicken, Shrimpies, Clam Strips, Fries and one side!! You won't find a better deal than that!

Friday or Saturday: Live Entertainment
The second Friday of every month is Poker Night. Texas Hold Em'! No buy in, free to play. Drink and food specials for all the players!
The Last Friday of every month is Karaoke with Coolbreeze Entertainment.
And most every Saturday is Live Music in the Pub!!!

Sunday: $6 Cheese Pizza
A 16 inch, hand tossed cheese pizza for only $6.00 (toppings additional)

*dine in only

Unreal: Healthcare.gov Doesn’t Have Payment System, Government Just Guessing On Payments

The Obama Healthcare Exchange was built without a way to accept payments.

Brilliant.

So they’re asking insurance companies to “estimate” what policies will cost, and paying them based on those estimates.

It’s all guesswork with taxpayer money:

Station 7 In Laurel Adds Chef Fred

Chase Settles With The Government, What About The Homeowners?

JP Morgan Chase has just conceded to the largest settlement made with 1 entity in American history ! IN his public announcement, Attorney General Eric Holder says "Without a doubt, the conduct uncovered in this investigation helped sow the seeds of the mortgage meltdown," As part of the agreement, JPMorgan admitted to making "serious misrepresentations" to investors in mortgage-backed securities. This is clear to lend ammunition to many private lawsuits. Of the $13 Billion settlement,$4 billion of the settlement has been earmarked to help consumers. This total includes $2 billion to be used for principal reductions for borrowers, and $2 billion worth of other assistance.

As such JP Morgan Chase bought my mortgage in 2008, along with many other during this securities scam. Chase has made several inappropriate adjustments to my mortgage, that are clear violations in basic book keeping standards. These including accepting a cash settlement and then reversing it and not crediting it to my account. I have my ledger from Chase as evidence (Exhibit A). Though they kept the funds, and never gave my change, they are now pursuing a full foreclosure action the courts of Baltimore City. I am educated on a Doctoral level, married and a mother of two. Further more, I run a business from my home. The life of my entire family hang in the balance of this admittedly corrupt entity who now holds my mortgage.

I invite you to cover this story, as I am one the many common consumers who is being adversely affected by the admitted misrepresentations of this mega wealthy entity. JP Morgan has consistently built its wealth on the back of the common man and has no interest in the individuals that are harmed along the way. I highly encourage your coverage of this story as I am certain it will be relevant to many other consumers nationwide.

Sincerely,
Nadia Torney

Rep Harris Provides New Option For Sequester Offset

Legislation Increases State Contribution for Medicaid Expansion to Offset Sequestration

Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Andy Harris, M.D., introduced legislation that would eliminate most of next year’s sequester by slightly increasing the state contribution to the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Medicaid expansion. Under this proposed legislation, the state match for newly eligible individuals under the ACA’s Medicaid program would increase by 10 percentage points for the first ten years of the program. The savings would be applied against next year’s sequestration with the first $20 billion in savings directed to defense, and remaining savings split evenly between defense and non-defense accounts.

“With the concerns both parties have expressed over the sequester, I am proposing a common sense way to offset the cuts,” said Harris. “As the Budget Committees are continuing negotiations, I hope they will consider this solution.”

Many Members are concerned about the across-the-board nature of sequestration, which fails to prioritize government spending. Congressman Harris supports targeted spending reductions that meet the spending caps and savings required under the Budget Control Act. Under current spending rates, defense will be subjected to an additional $20 billion in sequestration in 2014. This bill would offset the looming defense cuts and split additional funds between defense and non-defense spending. Under the President’s health law, state contributions to the Medicaid expansion are zero percent for the first three years and increase gradually to a ten percent match by years seven to ten.

Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Press Release

On November 28, 2013 at 0143 hours, a Worcester County Sheriff Office Deputy received a call in reference to a vehicle that was traveling west bound on Route 90 near Ocean Parkway at 100 MPH.

The Deputy located the vehicle and stopped it in the area of RT 90 at Rt 113. The Deputy could smell a strong odor of burnt Marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. The driver was identified and as a juvenile from Berlin. The driver appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and drugs. A search of the vehicle produced suspected marijuana. The driver was arrested for possession of a controlled dangerous substance and driving under the influence of alcohol. The Juvenile was later released to the custody of his father.