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Saturday, April 05, 2014

Here We Go!

The Defense Department is enlarging a Marine Corps response force based in Spain, and it will send a Navy ship to the Black Sea to conduct exercises with nearby U.S. allies. A Pentagon spokesman says 175 Marines from Camp Lejuene, N.C., will be added to the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force. That will bring the total to 657. The task force is stationed at Spain's Moron Air Base, but the new Marines will be located in Romania. They'll join a contingent there who are part of the Black Sea rotational force. The spokesman says the additional troops are not in response to tensions over Ukraine and Russia. The Navy ship is another matter. It's going there for the purpose of reassuring countries surrounding the Ukraine that the United States is committed to the region's security.

Walmart has admitted that they depend on corporate welfare to keep making a profit

In their annual filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the low-wage retailer provided a list of factors that pose threat to future profits. Among those risks, Walmart listed "changes in the amounts of payments made under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Plan and other public assistance plans, [and] changes in the eligibility requirements of public assistance plans..." This admission proves that the retail giant relies on the government – and the taxpayers – to subsidize their poverty wages. On top of that benefit, Walmart gets additional handouts when taxpayers pick up the tab for employee healthcare, housing assistance, and various other programs. All the while, Walmart rakes in billions in profits that could easily cover the cost of providing employees with benefits and higher pay. Our hard-earned tax dollars should be going to invest in our nation, not to helping multinational corporations make a profit while abusing workers both here and abroad.

Boeing Pledges $30 Million To National Air and Space Museum

The Smithsonian's busiest museum is getting a makeover after receiving the largest corporate donation in the institution's history. Boeing has pledged $30 million to redo the National Air and Space Museum's central exhibit. The two-year project will be the first overhaul since President Gerald Ford opened the museum in 1976. Highlights will include Charles Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis," John Glenn's Mercury capsule from his first Earth orbit and an Apollo Lunar Module recalling America's first moon landing. The project also marks the start of a renovation of the entire building. That will go until 2020 and require federal funding.

Is This The End-Times For The Craft Beer Bubble?

Twenty years ago, everyone had that one friend who always insisted that the funny-named beer (possibly with a cork) they brought to a party was soooooo much better than the Budweiser/Miller/Heinekin swill everyone else brought. “This Knucklechucker Belgian Quintuple Stout IPA will beat a Coors any day of the week,” that friend would declare. Some short-sighted folks laughed at the beer aficionado, but now it’s sometimes hard, if not impossible, to find a boring ol’ big-name beer at some bars where craft brews dominate the taps. But is this golden age of variety coming to an end?

The Philadelphia Daily News’ Joe Sixpack (his family name was apparently Ponykeg, but it was changed at Ellis Island) takes a look at the various arguments trying to prove or deny the impending popping of the craft beer bubble.

The doomsday seers claim there are too many breweries (some 2,800 in the U.S. alone, with many more slated to launch), making too many brands for a limited audience.

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Nearly Half Of Americans Claim They’ve Changed Their Behavior Due To NSA

The folks at the NSA and their defenders used to use the argument that we were on the verge of a“cyber pearl harbor” in their constant attempts to change laws to give the NSA and others in law enforcement and intelligence more powers to spy on everyone (the argument being that they would do this in order to “protect” us). But… it’s beginning to look like the “cyber pearl harbor” wasn’t an attack from foreign hackers… but from the NSA itself. Eric Schmidt recently noted that the NSA’s actions were a hostile “attack” and it appears that many Americans agree. A new poll found thatnearly half of American adults who responded have changed some form of online behavior because of the NSA stories, and they think a lot more carefully about where they go, what they say and what they do online.

We’ve pointed out (since the Snowden revelations began) that this was going to have a negative impact on the tech industry, but much of the concerns was from overseas users. However, it’s clear that it’s impacting how Americans view their online habits as well:

When it comes to specific Internet activities, such as email or online banking, this change in behavior translates into a worrying trend for the online economy: over one quarter of respondents (26%) said that, based on what they have learned about secret government surveillance, they are now doing less banking online and less online shopping. This shift in behavior is not good news for companies that rely on sustained or increased use of the Internet for their business model.

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765 Voted in North Carolina and Another State in 2012

Voter fraud is an imaginary problem. Especially in North Carolina where some rather suspicious results have come up.

765 voters with an exact match of first and last name, DOB and last four digits of SSN were registered in N.C. and another state and voted in N.C. and the other state in the 2012 general election.

35,750 voters with the same first and last name and DOB were registered in N.C. and another state and voted in both states in the 2012 general election.

155,692 voters with the same first and last name, DOB and last four digits of SSN were registered in N.C. and another state – and the latest date of registration or voter activity did not take place within N.C.

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Was War On The Shore This Weekend?

How SPD spent their day Saturday.

Large gathering @ Cedar Crossing is being shut down. SPD & SUPD w/assistance from allied Public Safety agencies clearing Cedar Crossing


Crowd @ Cedar Crossing has been dispersed. Thank you to all of our allied assistance.


Hopefully the clean up is underway @ Cedar Crossing

Oh yeah, it's gonna take a while to get that mess picked up @ Cedar Crossing. 

More trash needing to be picked up after the large crowd @ Cedar Crossing was dispersed

Millions of Americans Forced to Work Part Time

NEW YORK -- The U.S. economy has regained all the private-sector jobs it lost in the Great Recession; it took six years. The Labor Department said Friday thatAmerica added 192,000 jobs in March. The unemployment rate remained 6.7 percent.

After five years of being in and out of work, Tara Dublin found a job a few weeks ago as a hostess at a restaurant in Portland, Ore..

"I've been hired by this restaurant I absolutely love, but it's a part-time position," Dublin says.

She makes $11 an hour, plus tips.

In March, of the 192,000 jobs created, 30,000 were in food services. Restaurants and bars have added 323,000 workers over the past year, but Dublin is earning a fraction of what she used to make.

"The first time I came home and saw a foreclosure notice taped to my front door and my sons saw it, that was a really bad day," Dublin says.

How Can Government Battle a 'Suicide Epidemic' Among Veterans?

The VA has boosted its funding, but Congress's latest attempt lacks a pay-for.

The Fort Hood shooting is an extreme and shocking example of what has become a chronic concern for the military: soldiers with mental-health problems taking their own lives.

And it's not just the active-duty military who face what has become an increasingly daunting problem.

At least 22 veterans commit suicide each day, according to the Veterans Affairs Department. This adds up to more than 2,000 veterans killing themselves so far this year alone, and the military community is facing what advocates refer to as a suicide epidemic.

To help address the growing problem, Democratic Sen. John Walsh of Montana introduced legislation last week that includes provisions to force the Pentagon to reexamine troops who were discharged for PTSD-related behaviors—which can include nightmares, flashbacks, changes in personality, sleeping disorders, and suicidal thoughts.

The bill also expands veterans' eligibility to enroll in VA health care from five to 15 years after leaving the military. The current system doesn't take into account the fact that some veterans have a delayed reaction to trauma after they leave the service, according to veterans' advocates.

Walsh, who is one of the first Iraq War combat veterans to serve in the Senate, is also a member of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, which backs the bill. Fifty-one percent of Iraq or Afghanistan War veterans know someone who has attempted or committed suicide, according to a Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation survey released this week.

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Town Institutes Limits On Coin Payments After Woman Pays $200 Sewer Bill With Change

There is only one thing that happens when someone gets an affirmative reply to the question, “Do you accept change for payments?” You can be pretty darn sure the answer will be met with a whole lot of coins getting dumped on the counter, something one town wasn’t ready to deal with when a resident paid her $200 sewer bill almost entirely in loose coins.

The Pennsylvania town’s officials passed two separate measures recently in response to the woman’s nickel and dime extravaganza, with both the water and sewer authorities limiting the amount of coins residents can use in the future to pay their bills, reports the Erie-Times News.

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Times Sure Have Changed


Restaurant That Brought Down Paula Deen’s Empire Closes, Doesn’t Tell Employees

“Thank you for 10 great years. Uncle Bubba’s is now closed.” That’s the message the restaurant at the center of the controversy that broughtPaula Deen’s empire crumbling down last yearhas posted on its website, which was reportedly echoed on its Facebook page. And according to some of the restaurant’s employees, that’s the only way they found out that they no longer had jobs.

Uncle Bubba’s Seafood & Oyster House in Savannah, GA was the defendant in a lawsuit from employees claiming the restaurant fostered a racist environment. During the course of that suit, Deen, a co-owner along with her brother, the “Bubba” part of the equation, admitted to using racist language, and saw her business deals with retailers vanish as a result.

The restaurant is closed as of yesterday, it said in a statement.

“Since its opening in 2004, Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House has been a destination for residents and tourists in Savannah, offering the region’s freshest seafood and oysters. However, the restaurant’s owner and operator, Bubba Hiers, has made the decision to close the restaurant in order to explore development options for the waterfront property on which the restaurant is located. At this point, no specific plans have been announced and a range of uses are under consideration in order realize the highest and best use for the property.”

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Top 10 Craziest Events Caught on Live TV

Amid multiple scandals, IRS commissioner prepares to enforce Obamacare penalties

Koskinen says he’s an ‘optimist’ as crunch time nears

Just days after clashing sharply with Republican lawmakers over his agency’s political woes, Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen said Wednesday he remained an “optimist” despite multiple investigations demanding more information into suspected IRS targeting of conservative and tea party groups for special scrutiny.

“It’s illusory to think that we’ll never have a problem or make a mistake, that things will always go the way we’ve planned,” Mr. Koskinen told a National Press Club luncheon. “Instead, my goal has been for us to find problems quickly, fix them promptly, make sure they stay fixed and, perhaps, most important be transparent about the entire process.”

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Sometimes Security Cameras catch a gem!

Bachmann: CIA bigwig taking fall for Clinton

'They don't care about Obama now, the important thing is preserve Hillary'

WASHINGTON
— The former acting director of the CIA is taking the fall for the Benghazi fiasco to preserve Hillary Clinton’s ability to run for president, according to Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn.

In an exclusive interview with WND, Bachmann said former CIA Deputy Director Mike Morell could be repaid for his efforts by being named head of the CIA if Clinton is elected president.

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Vladimir Putin's SHORTEST SPEECH

This is one time our elected leaders should pay attention to the advice of Vladimir Putin.... How scary is that?

On August 04, 2013, Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, addressed the Duma (Russian Parliament), and gave a speech about the tensions with minorities in Russia :

"In Russia live like Russians. Any minority, from anywhere, if it wants to live in Russia , to work and eat in Russia, should speak Russian, and should respect the Russian laws. If they prefer Sharia Law, and live the life of Muslim's then we advise them to go to those places where that's the state law. Russia does not need Muslim minorities. Minorities need Russia, and we will not grant them special privileges, or try to change our laws to fit their desires, no matter how loud they yell 'discrimination'. We will not tolerate disrespect of our Russian culture. We had better learn from the suicides of America , England, Holland and France , if we are to survive as a nation. The Muslims are taking over those countries and they will not take over Russia. The Russian customs and traditions are not compatible with the lack of culture or the primitive ways of Sharia Law and Muslims. When this honorable legislative body thinks of creating new laws, it should have in mind the Russian national interest first, observing that the Muslims Minorities Are Not Russians."

The politicians in the Duma gave Putin a five minute standing ovation.

Presenting America's 20 Best And Worst Paying Jobs

While we fail to see any occupations listed for "insider trading hedge fund managers" or "high frequency market manipulators" in the just released list by the BLS listing the number of workers and wages earned for all official US occupations, we supposed it will have to do, incomplete as it may be.

Below, sorted by average annual wage, are the Top 20 best paying jobs in the US including the average hourly wage and also showing the number of people the BLS believes are employed in each, seasonally adjusted of course.

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MARYLAND SMALL BUSINESSES BEGIN TO ADOPT BITCOIN

BALTIMORE – Bitcoin, a virtual peer-to-peer currency created in 2009, is now being accepted by a handful of Maryland small businesses – but not without skepticism.

The new age currency – which is traded and held within what are known as “digital wallets” – offers zero transaction fees, and is an alternative to the standard charges imposed by credit card companies upon merchants.

“The government can’t control it, can’t play with your accounts as they can with traditional money… and the government can’t inflate it,” said Mark Lovett, of Mark Lovett Web Design in Gaithersburg.

“I’m making it sound like something for illegal business… but there’s no middle man, no 3 percent [transaction fee]… that’s the only reason I’m a huge fan,” he continued.

On the Eastern Shore, Salisbury-based photographer Tony Weeg said he began accepting bitcoin “just to do it.”

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GOVERNOR O’MALLEY ISSUES STATEMENT ON HOUSE PASSAGE OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE BILL

Annapolis, Md. – Governor O'Malley issued the following statement after the Maryland House of Delegates unanimously voted in favor of SB 337, part of the O’Malley-Brown Administration’s bill legislative package. The bill enhances the penalty for committing a crime of violence in the presence of a minor at least two years of age (note: the General Assembly previously passed HB 307 and HB 309, the other components of the O’Malley-Brown Administration’s comprehensive package combat domestic violence):

"I’d like to thank the General Assembly for voting in favor of SB 337. Every child deserves to grow up in a safe, stable home -- because of this bill, we’ll hold more abusers accountable while ensuring stable healthy homes for Maryland children."

Extremely Awesome


1. Add outlets to drawers to keep clutter off of the table top.


2. Add a half-table to your bathroom for extra storage space.

THEY KNEW: Ex-CIA official gives stunning account on Benghazi

The CIA’s former deputy director disclosed Wednesday that Obama administration officials were alerted the day before they went on national television that a key tenet of their original Benghazi storyline might be inaccurate. But he did not explain why the administration continued to cling to its narrative even after U.S. intelligence debunked reports that the deadly attack was born out of a protest over an anti-Islam video.

In often testy exchanges with Republicans who accused him of a cover-up, Michael Morell flatly denied that he “inappropriately altered and influenced” the infamous Benghazi talking points to downplay the role of terrorism in the attacks.

But he acknowledged overruling the wishes of his boss at the time, CIA Director David H. Petraeus, by excising from the talking points information that the CIA had warned about possible al Qaeda terrorist attacks in Libya before the Benghazi tragedy unfolded on Sept. 11, 2012, killing ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.

“I saw the language as self-serving and defensive on the agency’s part,” Mr. Morell replied to skeptical lawmakers. “Here was a tragic event, and we were saying, ‘We told you so.’ This was wrong, in my view, and would have been seen as an attempt to make the CIA look good and shift any possible blame for failing to see the risk of an attack from the agency to the State Department.”

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Question Of The Day 4-5-14

If you could hit the rewind button, where and what would you be doing

"A Gang Of Unelected PhDs Have Staged An Economics Coup D'Etat"

America is being run by an unelected gang of essentially self-perpetuating PhDs. The notion of an economics coup d’ etat is not so far-fetched. After all, the Eccles Building controls the levers of the nation’s fiscal policy; is the pied piper of the entire financial system; intentionally inflates financial bubbles which powerfully impact the distribution of wealth and income; and is the master builder of the nation’s towering edifice of $59 trillion in credit market debt that flattens growth, jobs and incomes on Main Street.

To take one case in point, consider further the matter of fiscal policy and the Washington machinery by which $4 trillion of economic resources are allocated directly, and countless trillions more indirectly owing to tax policy and Federal matching grants.

This entire apparatus is now frozen in place because the Fed’s QE policy amounts to a giant fiscal fraud. Even if it sticks to the taper, the Fed’s balance sheet will have expanded by 5X—from $900 billion to $4.5 trillion—in 70 months. Yet it has no intention whatsoever of unwinding this stupendous emission of fiat credit. Indeed, selling-down its massive piles of treasuries and MBS would ignite the mother of all melt-downs in the fixed income markets, which have gorged on over-valued paper that was priced by the Fed’s huge, artificial bid in the debt markets.

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Worcester County seeks info on hazard plan changes

The Worcester County Commissioners scuttled a proposed May 20 public hearing on an update to the Hazard Mitigation Plan because they want to compare it to the existing plan.

The plan is a completely new one, so it would be very difficult for county staff to note changes easily.

Basically, the plan seeks to eliminate or reduce hazard-related human, economic and environmental losses. Its focus is on high-risk natural hazards such as hurricanes, nor’easters, floods and strong winds. It does not address emergencies caused by people.

The plan includes unincorporated areas of the county and the towns of Berlin, Snow Hill and Pocomoke.
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The Secret State

What if the National Security Agency (NSA) knows it is violating the Constitution by spying on all Americans without showing a judge probable cause of wrongdoing or identifying the persons it wishes to spy upon, as the Constitution requires? What if this massive spying has come about because the NSA found it too difficult to follow the Constitution?

What if the Constitution was written to keep the government off the people’s backs, but the NSA and the president and some members of Congress have put the NSA not only on our backs, but in our bedrooms, kitchens, telephones and computers? What if when you look at your computer screen, the NSA is looking right back at you?

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Dew Tour’s Summer Dates Approved For June 26-29

OCEAN CITY – It is official, the Dew Tour will be returning to Ocean City in its fourth year to be held June 26-29.

This week Chris Prybylo of Alli Sports, a division of NBC Sports Group, requested the Mayor and City Council approve the 2014 Dew Tour, June 26-29.

The event is part of a professional action sports tour involving BMX, skateboarding and surfing. There is also an interactive festival village open to the public, featuring sponsor displays and product sampling, and concerts, which will take place on the beach north of the pier to about North Division St. The expected number of spectators is estimated at 18,000 per day.
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EPA Failed to Tell Study Volunteers About Cancer Risk

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency failed to disclose cancer risks to volunteers used in research studies on harmful pollutants, a government watchdog says.

The EPA, which warns of dangers from diesel exhaust and tiny particles in its rules to cut pollution, recruited people for tests on those pollutants in 2010 and 2011. Consent forms they got didn’t mention cancer because the agency considered the risks minimal from short-term exposure, the agency’s Office of Inspector General said in a report yesterday.

“When justifying a job-killing regulation, EPA argues exposure to particulate matter is deadly, but when they are conducting experiments, they say human exposure studies are not harmful,” Louisiana Republican Senator David Vitter said in a statement, reacting to the report.

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New Revelations About Mom Killed By Capitol Cops

WASHINGTON — First they called her a terrorist threat.

When she turned out to be an unarmed suburban mother, they said she was on drugs.

Now, WND has exclusively learned, without a trace of doubt, that was wrong, too.

WND has also exclusively learned that Miriam Carey was shot in the back of the head by U.S. Capitol Police officers and uniformed Secret Service agents six months ago, on Oct. 3, 2013.

The official police investigation still has not been released. But Carey family attorney Eric Sanders obtained the toxicology and autopsy report on this macabre anniversary.

The report showed there were no drugs in Carey’s system, prescription or otherwise, when she was shot dead.
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Could Be The Biggest Common Core Stories Yet?

A school in Sacramento, California, has suspended a mom over her stance against Common Core.

You read that correctly, the Mark Twain School in Sacramento has told the mother of a 12-year-old student that she has been suspended for two weeks. Police in Sacramento served the 14-day suspension to Katherine Duran in her home following a disagreement with the school over the soon-to-be enacted Common Core standards.

Duran’s son, Christopher, was not pleased when he learned of his mom’s suspension, telling the local KXTV, “I was outraged.”

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Boardwalk Hotel Damaged By Fire Gearing Up For Summer

OCEAN CITY — Months after a significant fire at the historic Majestic Hotel on the Boardwalk at 7th Street, renovation and restoration efforts continue to inch closer to the finish line, and the establishment is on track for reopening in time for the upcoming season.

Around mid-day on Oct. 18, 2013, a fire broke out at the Majestic Hotel. The Ocean City Fire Department responded, as did crews from Berlin and Ocean Pines. Witnesses told investigators they heard a loud “boom” come from the building and then reported seeing smoke. Due to the type of construction and the age of the building, a third alarm was called, but the Ocean City Fire Department quickly controlled the fire and prevented it from spreading before it was extinguished a short time later.

The Ocean City Fire Marshal’s Office determined the fire started in a basement store of the hotel. The hotel had already been closed for the season at the time of the fire and the only person on premise was a maintenance worker. Firefighters remained on scene for several hours as crews removed the shudders from the upper floors and smoke emanated from the windows on the higher floors of the hotel.
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BREAKING NEWS: ‘Pulse Signal’ Reportedly Detected in Missing Plane

Chinese ship searching for missing Malaysia Airlines jet detects ‘pulse signal’ in southern Indian Ocean, report from China’s official news agency says.

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HISTORICAL MOMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER 4-5-14

Electricity in Salisbury

Before the emergence of electricity in Salisbury, almost all power came from natural gas or wood. Some homes had oil lamps, but they all used wood stoves for cooking.

Before there was a road over the water on Isabella Street, there was a tumbling dam from the then-named Humphrey’s Pond. Two brothers named Richmondand William Johnson bought the Pond and renamed it Johnson’s Lake. They built a generating plant to supply Salisbury with electricity near the standpipe near Chestnut St. This plant burned in 1889. The City had to go around and hang a lighted lantern on street poles at twilight until service was restored. It was restored when they completed their new plant, which was in the old grist mill at the IsabellaStreet Falls where Salisbury Monument has their business today.

The plant was sold in 1900 to a group headed by a Philadelphia financier named Louis Dalmas. The property was improved and a new plant erected. It is pictured above.

The group had paid $42,000 for the Johnsons’ interest. In 1907 Dalmas sold his controlling interest of 600 shares to a group of local businessmen. They operated as the Salisbury Heat, Light & Power Company until 1915 when it was sold to Day & Zimmerman of Philadelphia. The name was changed to Eastern Shore Gas and Electric Co. Day & Zimmerman sold the entire operation in 1929 to a group who combined all the holdings into the Eastern Shore Public Service Company with general offices in Salisbury. The expansion program continued, until every company on the peninsula, except five municipally owned plants, was brought into the system. At this time, having given up on generating electric power from Johnson’s Lake, the lake was bequeathed to the City of Salisbury, which owns it today.

New and larger generating plants were needed to supply the ever- increasing need for electricity in Salisbury, and these were located first in Laurel, Del. and then by the large coal-fired generating plant at Vienna. Along the way, the company changed its name to Delmarva Power & Light Co.

Today there are electric transmission lines all over as electricity is either brought in or sold off on a regular basis as the need arises. The parent company, Delmarva Power, is now headquartered in Wilmington, Del.

City Faces Overhaul Of OCPD Detainment Control System

The city will be shelling out $116,700 to overhaul the Ocean City Police Department’s detainment area control system, after city staff have been unsuccessful in trying to restore the equipment since a “catastrophic failure” last year.

“We had doors locking and unlocking at the detention center all on their own,” said City Engineer Terry McGean, who also oversees the town’s Information Technology services.

“Even with the temporary repairs, we’re only able to open less than half the cells. As the summer approaches, the police can’t move forward that way.”

The issues were the result of widespread failure in the software and electronics that control the OCPD’s holding cells at the 65th Street Public Safety Building. The system was installed when the building was constructed in 1994, and later updated with a touch-screen interface known as the “Galaxy System” in 2006.
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Pop Quiz: Can You Name One U.S. Senator?

15-20 Percent Aren't Paying Obamacare Premiums, Insurer Says

New data from a major insurer suggest real enrollment is at roughly 6 million.

One of the biggest players in Obamacare's exchanges says 15 to 20 percent of its new customers aren't paying their first premium—which means they're not actually covered.

The latest data come from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, whose members—known collectively as "Blues" plans—are participating in the exchanges in almost every state. Roughly 80 to 85 percent of people who selected a Blues plan through the exchanges went on to pay their first month's premium, a BCBSA spokeswoman said Wednesday.

The new statistics, particularly from such a large carrier, help define how many people are actually getting covered under the Affordable Care Act.

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Pelosi’s Archbishop in San Francisco: Catholics Like Nancy Pelosi Shouldn’t Receive Communion

The archdiocese of San Francisco has put Nancy Pelosi on probation from communion in the Catholic church.

(CNSNews.com) – Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, who heads the archdiocese of San Francisco where House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) , a Catholic, resides, said that Catholics who are “dissenting from a defined Church teaching” in “a serious way,” must not receive Holy Communion. Last fall, Cardinal Raymond Burke, the chief justice at the Vatican, said that Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi must be denied Communion because of her longstanding support for abortion. He also said, “ I fear for Congresswoman Pelosi if she does not come to understand how gravely in error she is.” Last Thursday, March 27, Rep. Nancy Pelosi was honored by Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the United States, with the Margaret Sanger Award, an honor named for a woman who advocated eugenics and described too many children as “human weeds.”

In a press release about the Margaret Sanger Award, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said, “On behalf of Planned Parenthood and the millions of patients we serve each year, it gives me great pleasure to announce that House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi will receive the Planned Parenthood Federation of America Margaret Sanger Award, our highest recognition of leadership, excellence, and outstanding contributions to the reproductive health and rights movement.” According to its latest annual report, for the year that ended on Sept. 30, 2012, Planned Parenthood did 327,166 abortions. NARAL Pro-Choice America, formerly known as the National Abortion Rights Action League, gave Congresswoman Pelosi a 100% rating.

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Teachers Wallow in White Privilege Conference

Minority privilege has reached such an extreme of insanity that you can actually be elected president largely on the strength of not being a member of the majority racial group. Yet we still read this:

The city of Madison hosted the 15th annual national White Privilege Conference last week at the Monona Terrace to discuss issues of white supremacy, social justice, education and the Tea Party. The MacIver Institute attended multiple breakout sessions and will be releasing our highlights over the next couple days.

Our first account comes from the breakout session titled Stories from the front lines of education: Confessions of a white, high school English teacher.

The session was facilitated by Kim Radersma, a former high school English teacher in California and Colorado. Radersma is currently working toward her Ph. D. in critical whiteness studies at Brock University in Ontario, Canada.

No doubt taxpayers in Canada and the USA alike will labor with fresh enthusiasm, knowing that Big Government is spending the wealth they create to prop up a wildly overpriced higher education system that if left to the free market might be forced to limit itself to constructively conferring useful information rather than teaching students to hate their own society by indulging in Critical Whiteness Studies.

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Mozilla CEO resigns for support of traditional marriage and not supporting gay marriage

This is what heavy handed Gay Bullies do, they scare corporations to give up a pound of flesh for not sucking up to the Gay lobby.

The software company came under fire for appointing Eich as CEO last month. In 2008, he gave money to oppose the legalization of gay marriage in California, a hot-button issue especially at a company that boasts about its policy of inclusiveness and diversity.

“We didn’t act like you’d expect Mozilla to act,” wrote Mozilla Executive Chairwoman Mitchell Baker in a blog post. “We didn’t move fast enough to engage with people once the controversy started. We’re sorry.”

The next step for Mozilla’s leadership “is still being discussed,” she added, with more information to come next week.

While gay activists applauded the move, many in the technology community lamented the departure of Eich, who invented the programming language Javascript and co-founded Mozilla.

More here

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Most U.S. Jobs Pay Under $20 an Hour

18 million jobs pay $10 or less an hour
Some professions
Hourly wage
Annual salary

Fast food workers
$8.81
$18,330

Waiters and waitresses
$8.94
$18,590

Cashiers
$9.12
$18,960

Maids
$9.51
$19,780

Personal care aides
$9.67
$20,100

Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Median wages as of May 2013.By: Annalyn Kurtz and Tal Yellin / CNNMoney

Chinese Buying Land In US Communities All Over America

Has the United States ever experienced a time when a foreign nation has attempted to buy up so much of our land all at once? As you will read about in this article, the Chinese are on a real estate buying spree all over America. In fact, in some cases large chunks of land are actually being given to them. Yes, you read that correctly. China is on the way to becoming the dominant land owner in the entire country, and that is starting to alarm a lot of people. Do we really want a foreign superpower to physically own so much of our territory?

There are some that are playing down this threat by making a distinction between the Chinese government and Chinese corporations, but things work differently over in China than they do here. In China, the government is involved in everything. In fact, 43 percent of all corporate profits in China are produced by companies that the Chinese government controls. And all of the rest of the companies are very careful to follow the lead and direction of the Chinese government.

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Top 10 Most Expensive States To Live In

CNBC has ranked America's most expensive states to live in, plus a sampling of the prices you'll pay for some basics in the most expensive area of the state. (Average price data based on Council for Community and Economic Research C2ER Cost of Living Index, Q1 2013.)

1. HAWAII
Avg. Home Price (Honolulu Metro): $742,166
Half Gallon of Milk: $3.41
Pound of Ground Beef: $3.99
Monthly Energy Bill: $333.51
Doctor Visit: $101.80
2013 Cost of Living Rank: #50 (Most Expensive)
2013 Cost of Living Score: 1 (out of 50)
2012 Cost of Living Rank: #50

2. ALASKA
Avg. Home Price (Anchorage Metro): $467,553
Half Gallon of Milk: $2.41
Pound of Ground Beef: $4.08
Monthly Energy Bill: $169.84
Doctor Visit: $159.20
2013 Cost of Living Rank: #49 (2nd Most Expensive)
2013 Cost of Living Score: 2 (out of 50)
2012 Cost of Living Rank: #49

3. CONNECTICUT
Avg. Home Price (Stamford Metro): $585,000
Half Gallon of Milk: $2.77
Pound of Ground Beef: $4.07
Monthly Energy Bill: $236.01
Doctor Visit: $114.55
2013 Cost of Living Rank: #48 (3rd Most Expensive)
2013 Cost of Living Score: 3 (out of 50)
2012 Cost of Living Rank: #48

4. NEW YORK
Avg. Home Price (Manhattan): $1,351,400
Half Gallon of Milk: $2.42
Pound of Ground Beef: $4.71
Monthly Energy Bill: $237.01
Doctor Visit: $96.00
2013 Cost of Living Rank: #47 (4th Most Expensive)
2013 Cost of Living Score: 4 (out of 50)
2012 Cost of Living Rank: #47

5. NEW JERSEY
Avg. Home Price (Bergen-Passaic Metro): $557,145
Half Gallon of Milk: $3.79
Pound of Ground Beef: $3.43
Monthly Energy Bill: $252.39
Doctor Visit: $103.20
2013 Cost of Living Rank: #46 (5th Most Expensive)
2013 Cost of Living Score: 5 (out of 50)
2012 Cost of Living Rank: #45

6. CALIFORNIA
Avg. Home Price (San Francisco Metro): $823,429
Half Gallon of Milk: $2.39
Pound of Ground Beef: $3.24
Monthly Energy Bill: $165.55
Doctor Visit: $130.57
2013 Cost of Living Rank: #45 (6th Most Expensive)
2013 Cost of Living Score: 6 (out of 50)
2012 Cost of Living Rank: #46

7. RHODE ISLAND
Avg. Home Price (Providence Metro): $371,000
Half Gallon of Milk: $2.91
Pound of Ground Beef: $4.07
Monthly Energy Bill: $233.53
Doctor Visit: $149.00
2013 Cost of Living Rank: #44 (7th Most Expensive)
2013 Cost of Living Score: 7 (out of 50)
2012 Cost of Living Rank: #44

8. MASSACHUSETTS
Avg. Home Price (Boston Metro): $478,200
Half Gallon of Milk: $2.71
Pound of Ground Beef: $4.29
Monthly Energy Bill: $248.63
Doctor Visit: $149.00
2013 Cost of Living Rank: #43 (8th Most Expensive)
2013 Cost of Living Score: 8 (out of 50)
2012 Cost of Living Rank: #41

9. MARYLAND
Avg. Home Price (Bethesda-Gaithersburg-Frederick Metro): $577,834
Half Gallon of Milk: $2.59
Pound of Ground Beef: $3.39
Monthly Energy Bill: $205.44
Doctor Visit: $83.60
2013 Cost of Living Rank: #42 (9th Most Expensive)
2013 Cost of Living Score: 9 (out of 50)
2012 Cost of Living Rank: #43

10. VERMONT
Avg. Home Price (Burlington Metro): $396,146
Half Gallon of Milk: $2.25
Pound of Ground Beef: $4.19
Monthly Energy Bill: $248.71
Doctor Visit: $111.23
2013 Cost of Living Rank: #41 (10th Most Expensive)
2013 Cost of Living Score: 10 (out of 50)
2012 Cost of Living Rank: #42

I wish I'd thought of this on April 1st

Fresh Air Needed to Extend Tire Life

Car owners, get ready to pony up for just a little more car maintenance, or, for you do-it-yourselfers, to spend an extra hour every few months to change the air in your tires.

Yes, you read it right - change the air in your tires.

Dr. Artex Faleky, a scientist formerly of the American Rubber Tire Institute explains:

"Just as the effects of the sun can take a toll on tire rubber, making it crack and crumble over time from the outside in, so can stale air do the same thing from the inside out. But what's most hazardous is that the average consumer, and even many experienced tire technicians, have no idea what's happening on the inside of their tires. That is, until it's too late. Stale air-induced tire failure is a real hazard, one that can be fatal. Consumers must be warned."

Faleky recommends that at a minimum of every ninety days, air be replaced in every over-the-road tire. He says that this simple task can be accomplished by completely bleeding the air from all of a car or truck's tires, then replacing that air with fresh air from the air pump at a garage, gas station or convenience store.

With this new information in hand, Mercedes Benz, Jaguar and Ford are including an automatic tire refill option on their 2016 premier models. Rolls Royce and Bentley spokesmen say that this has been a standard feature on all of their models since 1987.

Industry analysts warn that while the practice of regular air changing will extend tire life and undoubtedly save countless lives on the highways, consumers will probably pay the price at the pumps.