DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Monday, April 14, 2014
Pot vending machine to debut in Colorado, land of the Potheads
I don’t care what Progressives say. Legalizing Marijuana is a very bad idea by people who routinely cause more damage than good with their ideas.
Colorado company has introduced the first-ever marijuana vending machine, which will soon be put to use at a dispensary in Eagle-Vail, Colo.
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Hold Onto Your Heart. These Hilarious Grannies Are About to Fly Away With It!
An and Ria are complete strangers who instantly become best friends when they share this very special experience. My stomach still hurts from laughing, and they won my heart at 9:22.
50% Taxes When Alive, 50% Taxes When You Die - New York: the “Must-Leave State”
I, Ronn Torossian, am a born and bred New Yorker, who raises a family here, owns a business – and loves all this city has to offer. Yet I would be among the first to advise people not to live or move to New York if they don’t have to. If they have ambition or drive, New York isn’t the place to be. From the non-stop energy to the culture, indeed, this city deserves its title as capital of the world. Yet from a business perspective, there are so many obstacles for living – and dying – in New York that one shouldn’t do it unless they absolutely have to. Why? The issue is really quite simple – while you are alive, if successful, you will pay 54% taxes as a resident of New York City. And if you are successful, your heirs will be taxed on the monies which you kept after the government took their share.
The latest report from the Tax Foundation notes yet again in 2014, New York ranks as the highest taxed state in America. New Yorkers spend 12.6% of their per capita income on state and local taxes, the highest percentage of any state in the nation. 2014 marked the third consecutive year that New York had the highest tax burden in the nation. And New York ranks 50th in the Tax Foundation’s State Business Tax Climate Index. The Index compares the states in five areas of taxation that impact business: corporate taxes, individual income taxes, sales taxes, unemployment insurance taxes, and taxes on property, including residential and commercial property.
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The latest report from the Tax Foundation notes yet again in 2014, New York ranks as the highest taxed state in America. New Yorkers spend 12.6% of their per capita income on state and local taxes, the highest percentage of any state in the nation. 2014 marked the third consecutive year that New York had the highest tax burden in the nation. And New York ranks 50th in the Tax Foundation’s State Business Tax Climate Index. The Index compares the states in five areas of taxation that impact business: corporate taxes, individual income taxes, sales taxes, unemployment insurance taxes, and taxes on property, including residential and commercial property.
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The First 40 Seconds of a 79-Year-Old Woman’s Routine on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ Had Simon Yawning — The Last 2:20 Brought Him to His Feet
When Paddy and Nico took the stage this weekend to perform for “Britain’s Got Talent,” the judges didn’t seem to expect much. The first 40 seconds confirmed that: In fact, judges and members of the audience could be seen staring off in the distance and Simon Cowell even yawned and buzzed them to show his displeasure.
Almost exactly at that moment, something incredible happened. And what unfolded over the next two minutes involving several incredible moves eventually brought Simon to his feet.
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Mother Arrested On Six Murder Charges After Police Make Sickening Discoveries in Her Former House
Megan Huntsman lived in the Pleasant Grove house until three years ago and was arrested Sunday. Police say the 39-year-old birthed the infants from 1996 to 2006.
Police responded to the house after people cleaning out a garage found what they believed to be a dead infant in a container, according to KSTU-TV in Salt Lake City.
Police said the infant they found was full term.
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The Urinals at Joe Theisman’s
Back in Mexico after a frantic week in the Yankee capital, these days a cross between asylum for the chronically paranoid, besieged city, and kindergarten run by a totalitarian Mommy. Cops everywhere, metal detectors everywhere else, concrete stop’em-bombs on sidewalks, pop-up metal barriers on streets on Capitol Hill. Bin Laden won, big time.
Crazy people hear voices, right? In Washington everybody hears them. At the airport of course the gurgley over-enunciated “security” announcements by some dimwit elocution major who sounds like she wants to lick the microphone. On the subway we are urged by other recorded Mommies to watch each other and report suspicious behavior. What behavior isn’t suspicious late at night on an urban train system? “Yeah, officer, they’re like, swarthy and got beards and funny clothes and talk some weird language….”
Voices, instructions, warnings. We are the Admonished People. Free? No. Brave? No. Watched, warned, told, herded, yes. Urban robots. Just what Georgey Wash and Tommy Jefferson had in mind, I think.
Yes, this is a stream of bare-consciousness column. Sorry. My childhood makes me do it.
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Crazy people hear voices, right? In Washington everybody hears them. At the airport of course the gurgley over-enunciated “security” announcements by some dimwit elocution major who sounds like she wants to lick the microphone. On the subway we are urged by other recorded Mommies to watch each other and report suspicious behavior. What behavior isn’t suspicious late at night on an urban train system? “Yeah, officer, they’re like, swarthy and got beards and funny clothes and talk some weird language….”
Voices, instructions, warnings. We are the Admonished People. Free? No. Brave? No. Watched, warned, told, herded, yes. Urban robots. Just what Georgey Wash and Tommy Jefferson had in mind, I think.
Yes, this is a stream of bare-consciousness column. Sorry. My childhood makes me do it.
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Franchot: State Like To Ask For More Federal Money To Fix Exchange Problem
After Maryland's top health official told Congress last week that the state could possibly pay back taxpayers for the ineffective health exchange website, Comptroller Peter Franchot says the state is more likely to ask for additional federal money to fix the errors.
"If anything, we're gonna be asking the federal government for more money. But, it's a huge mistake to think federal money is not taxpayer money. It is taxpayer's money," Franchot told FOX45.
Franchot and others have said the procurement process was flawed.
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"If anything, we're gonna be asking the federal government for more money. But, it's a huge mistake to think federal money is not taxpayer money. It is taxpayer's money," Franchot told FOX45.
Franchot and others have said the procurement process was flawed.
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Marijuana Paraphernalia A Sticky Issue Under New Bill
Police officers pull him over in the next mile for speeding, and as they shine a flashlight through the car window, they eye the loot stashed on the seat.
In Maryland, he could be charged criminally for one of these items, but it’s not the drugs.
The recent move to remove criminal penalties for 10 grams of marijuana or less has been heralded by its supporters as radical reform that would save state money, and alleviate a significant portion of drug-related arrests, which are racially imbalanced.
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BREAKING THE DEMS MAGINOT LINE: Black & Latino Leaders in Chicago Switching to GOP
The winds of political change sent a chill up the backs of national Democrat leaders Tuesday when two long-time Chicago Democrat powerhouses announced their support for Republican businessman Bruce Rauner, in his attempt to unseat incumbent Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. Reverend James T. Meeks of the 15,000 member strong Salem Baptist Church and Manny Sanchez, founder and managing partner of Sanchez Daniels & Hoffman LLP, the second largest minority-owned law firm in the United States, both made their intentions public today in statements and interviews given to Fox News. Both men are respected throughout Chicago, particularly among the black and Hispanic communities and their defection in this Democrat strongholds marks a watershed moment in American politics.
Reverend Meeks, a former Democrat State Senator, pulled no punches as he voiced his displeasure with a Democrat Party that has received unprecedented loyalty from African-American voters, with little to show for it. “Our neighborhoods are deplorable! The Democratic party just assume always that 97 percent of the African-American vote will go to the Democratic party. If that assumption is true, they never have to work for our vote,” Meeks said.
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Reverend Meeks, a former Democrat State Senator, pulled no punches as he voiced his displeasure with a Democrat Party that has received unprecedented loyalty from African-American voters, with little to show for it. “Our neighborhoods are deplorable! The Democratic party just assume always that 97 percent of the African-American vote will go to the Democratic party. If that assumption is true, they never have to work for our vote,” Meeks said.
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"Survivor - Texas-Style!"
Due to the popularity of the "Survivor" shows,
Texas is planning to do one entitled: "Survivor - Texas-Style!"
The contestants will all start in Dallas , drive to Waco , Austin , San Antonio , then over to Houston and down to Brownsville . They will then proceed through Mission , up to Del Rio , El Paso , Odessa , Midland , Lubbock , and Amarillo . From there they will go on to Abilene and Fort Worth . Finally back to Dallas .
Each contestant will be driving a pink Prius with 14 bumper stickers which will read:
1. "I'm A Democrat"
2. "Amnesty For Illegals"
3. "I Love The Dixie Chicks"
4. "Boycott Beef"
5. "I Voted For Obama"
6. " George Strait can't sing"
7. "Elect Hillary In 2016"
8. "Vote Eric Holder Texas Governor"
9. "I Love Obama Care and Chuck Schumer"
10. "Al Franken Is My Hero"
11. "I Side With Jane Fonda"
12. "It's Bush's Fault"
13. "Islam Is A Peace-Loving Religion"
And the last sticker is…
14. "I'm Here To Confiscate Your Guns"
The first contestant to make it back to Dallas alive wins.
Something Fun To Do With Your Children
Sonic Boom In Ocean City?
Town of Ocean City
We have received several calls regarding a "loud noise" heard in the Ocean City area. The reported noise appears to be a "sonic boom." We will continue to monitor reports and update citizens if our initial information changes. — with Chris Parypa Photography.
SFD Calls For Service 4-13-14
- Sunday April, 13 2014 @ 23:47:46Nature: Automatic AlarmAddress: 105 Winterborn Ln Salisbury, MD 21801
- Sunday April, 13 2014 @ 21:13:47Nature: Subject FallenCity: Salisbury
- Sunday April, 13 2014 @ 20:12:58Nature: Emergency UnknownCity: Salisbury
- Sunday April, 13 2014 @ 19:49:00Nature: Automatic AlarmAddress: 800 S Schumaker Dr Salisbury, MD 21801
- Sunday April, 13 2014 @ 18:09:34Nature: Subject FallenCity: Salisbury
- Sunday April, 13 2014 @ 16:16:00Nature: Subject FallenCity: Salisbury
- Sunday April, 13 2014 @ 15:23:23Nature: Natural CoverAddress: 1006 Adams Ave Salisbury, MD 21801
Hillary Clinton Cancels Appearance Where Benghazi Victim's Mom, Protestors Await
Protestors organized by "The Difference Matters" do not want the former U.S. Secretary of State to come because of Clinton's role in the Benghazi scandal.
"She is not welcome here in San Diego by so many of us. We don't want her here," said Jan Iverson, a local mother and protestor.
"Pat Smith lost her son, Sean Smith, during an attack in Benghazi and plans to be at the center of the protest," Fox reports.
Hillary Clinton testified to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on January 23, 2013, "What difference...does it make?" when she was questioned about the attack on the American Consulate in Benghazi. Hence, the group's name: "The Difference Matters."
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"She is not welcome here in San Diego by so many of us. We don't want her here," said Jan Iverson, a local mother and protestor.
"Pat Smith lost her son, Sean Smith, during an attack in Benghazi and plans to be at the center of the protest," Fox reports.
Hillary Clinton testified to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on January 23, 2013, "What difference...does it make?" when she was questioned about the attack on the American Consulate in Benghazi. Hence, the group's name: "The Difference Matters."
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ATTKISSON: CBS STOPPED BENGHAZI, FAST AND FURIOUS, OBAMACARE INVESTIGATIONS BECAUSE OF POLITICAL INTERESTS
Thursday on Fox News Channel's "The O’Reilly Factor," former CBS News investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson told hist Bill O’Reilly that CBS news management called her a "troublemaker" and stopped her from continuing investigations on Benghazi, Fast and Furious And ObamaCare because of "well financed campaigns of special interests, political interests"
"It kind of goes from hot to cold in one day, sometimes. Where they are asking you to pursue something heavily and then it's almost as if a light switch goes off and they look at you all of the sudden like why are you bringing this story? "
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"It kind of goes from hot to cold in one day, sometimes. Where they are asking you to pursue something heavily and then it's almost as if a light switch goes off and they look at you all of the sudden like why are you bringing this story? "
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Olympic Great Michael Phelps Ending Retirement
The 22-time Olympic medalist will compete for the first time since the 2012 London Games at a meet in Mesa, Ariz., on April 24-26.
Bob Bowman, the swimmer's longtime coach, told The Associated Press on Monday that Phelps is entered in three events — the 50- and 100-meter freestyles and the 100 butterfly.
"I think he's just going to test the waters a little bit and see how it goes," Bowman said by phone from Baltimore. "I wouldn't say it's a full-fledged comeback."
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Transgender female Twitter engineer charged with raping her 'wife'
Dana McCallum works as a senior Twitter engineer and is now facing five felony charges stemming from an incident that occurred the night after she served her wife of six years with divorce papers.
McCallum, whose legal name on the charging documents is Dana Contreras, was arrested on January 26 and charged with three counts of spousal rape, one count of false imprisonment and one count of domestic violence.
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Rascovar Commentary: Caution In Annapolis While Leaning Left
Gov. Martin O’Malley, barely containing his national ambitions, took a hard-left turn in his legislative agenda. It was aimed at impressing liberal Democratic interest groups across the country.
But House Speaker Mike Busch and Senate President Mike Miller wisely slowed the O’Malley Express and made sure Maryland didn’t get too far out in front of Democrats’ march to the far left.
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Meet the Clinton shoe-thrower
That would be 36-year-old Alison Ernst of Phoenix, Arizona, who was charged Thursday night with disorderly conduct by the Las Vegas Police Department after allegedly throwing a shoe at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
According to NBC News, who spoke with a Secret Service official, the U.S. Attorney’s office has declined federal prosecution. Ernst was wearing shoes on Thursday night when she attended a speech Clinton was giving in Las Vegas, but apparently brought an extra one specifically to throw at the former secretary of state. The official said the incident appeared to be “premeditated.”
Clinton ducked out of the shoe’s path and avoided being hit. She laughed it off with several clever quips, including “Is that somebody throwing something at me?” and “Is that part of Cirque de Soleil?” and “My goodness, I didn’t know that solid waste management was so controversial.”
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Nevada’s story: ‘People everywhere should be deeply concerned about this’
MADISON, Wis. — Nevada’s Democrat secretary of state says he’ll do all in his power to crush a conservative organization that ran ads against him in his campaign to become the state’s attorney general.
Sound familiar?
It’s part of a “disturbing trend,” said Matthew Walter, executive director of the State Government Leadership Foundation, the conservative nonprofit behind the ads that earned the ire of Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller.
“This is all about freedom of speech,” Walter said. “Whether it’s President Obama’sInternal Revenue Service and their unbalanced scrutiny into conservative organizations, or whether it’s Ross Miller with his threats and blustering in Nevada, what we see far too often are liberal groups defending the right to free speech until they don’t personally agree with the content. At that point, they throw up every roadblock they can to hinder the individual’s right to free speech.”
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Sound familiar?
It’s part of a “disturbing trend,” said Matthew Walter, executive director of the State Government Leadership Foundation, the conservative nonprofit behind the ads that earned the ire of Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller.
“This is all about freedom of speech,” Walter said. “Whether it’s President Obama’sInternal Revenue Service and their unbalanced scrutiny into conservative organizations, or whether it’s Ross Miller with his threats and blustering in Nevada, what we see far too often are liberal groups defending the right to free speech until they don’t personally agree with the content. At that point, they throw up every roadblock they can to hinder the individual’s right to free speech.”
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Oops! Democrat's Staff Sent Emails To IRS About Targeting
If you’ve paid even a modicum of attention to the House Oversight Committee hearings on the IRS scandal, you know that Ranking Member Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) has insisted from the beginning that the Republican-led investigation has been little more than a witch hunt.
Cummings has been accused of virtually running cover for the White House, a charge he has vehemently denied. Now, newly delivered internal emails between Cummings’ staff and the IRS not only prove otherwise, but show that Cummings’ own staff directly communicated with the IRS about at least one of the conservative groups targeted by the agency.
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Cummings has been accused of virtually running cover for the White House, a charge he has vehemently denied. Now, newly delivered internal emails between Cummings’ staff and the IRS not only prove otherwise, but show that Cummings’ own staff directly communicated with the IRS about at least one of the conservative groups targeted by the agency.
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Mounds Of Trash Take The Bloom Off Cherry Blossom Festival
“Why don’t they take the trash away?” asked another au pair, Alexandra Ratzinger of Austria.
Plastic-foam lunch containers. A Ritz Crackers box. Rubber gloves. Empty 24-packs of Deer Park water. A Sprite can. A Starbucks cup. Milk crates. Commercial-size boxes of frozen Big-C Premium Select three-eighth-inch straight-cut french fries. All belching forth from, dumped around and cartoonishly piled over a couple of overmatched receptacles as if in some kind of Dr. Seuss book. From one side, the blue and brown cans were no longer visible beneath the crush.
“That’s ridiculous,” said Camaran Pipes, a project manager who stopped along the gravel path from the teeming Smithsonian Metro station to snap a picture of the pile. “This is the nation’s capital!”
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N.C. Sheriff on Lack of Enforcement of Immigration Law: ‘Every Sheriff Will be a Border Sheriff’
(CNSNews.com) – Rockingham County, North Carolina Sheriff Sam Page said the continued lack of enforcement of federal immigration law along the U.S. border with Mexico is bringing the consequences of an unsecured border to law enforcement agencies inside the United States.
“If we fail to secure our borders, basically, every sheriff in America will be a border sheriff because we’ll be fighting the issues that come through those borders,” Page told CNSNews.com at an immigration radio town hall in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.
Page said that while the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is in charge of preventing illegal entry at the border, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is tasked with enforcing U.S. immigration law inside the country.
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“If we fail to secure our borders, basically, every sheriff in America will be a border sheriff because we’ll be fighting the issues that come through those borders,” Page told CNSNews.com at an immigration radio town hall in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.
Page said that while the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is in charge of preventing illegal entry at the border, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is tasked with enforcing U.S. immigration law inside the country.
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Economist Morici: IRS Like the 'Spanish Inquisition'
The damaging policies enacted by the Obama administration are destroying Americans' faith in their country, according to economist Peter Morici, a professor at The University of Maryland.
"The human cost of this man’s policy is tremendous. One out of every six men between the ages of 25 and 54 doesn't have a job. That's kind of a small-scale Greece," Morici told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.
"That's very sad that it's come to America, but America is losing its brand. American companies are moving their corporations to Ireland because, not just because of tax rates, [but] how brutally and unfairly they are enforced.
"Americans abroad are disavowing their citizenship because it's becoming too difficult to be an American working abroad. You can't get a bank account, nobody wants to touch you."
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"The human cost of this man’s policy is tremendous. One out of every six men between the ages of 25 and 54 doesn't have a job. That's kind of a small-scale Greece," Morici told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.
"That's very sad that it's come to America, but America is losing its brand. American companies are moving their corporations to Ireland because, not just because of tax rates, [but] how brutally and unfairly they are enforced.
"Americans abroad are disavowing their citizenship because it's becoming too difficult to be an American working abroad. You can't get a bank account, nobody wants to touch you."
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Judge rules flashing headlights is free speech in Oregon case
Hauling a truckload of logs to a Southern Oregon mill last fall, Chris Hill noticed a sheriff's deputy behind him and flashed his lights to warn a UPS driver coming the other way.
The deputy pulled over Hill on U.S. Highway 140 in White City and handed him a $260 ticket for improperly using his headlights, saying another deputy had seen the flashing lights from behind the UPS truck and alerted him to stop the log truck because of the signaling.
Outraged, Hill decided to fight the ticket, and on Wednesday, a Jackson County Justice Court judge dismissed the citation, finding that motorists flashing their headlights amounts to speech protected by the Oregon Constitution.
Judge Joseph Carter determined the law covering the use of high beams was valid, but was unconstitutional as it was applied by the deputy.
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The deputy pulled over Hill on U.S. Highway 140 in White City and handed him a $260 ticket for improperly using his headlights, saying another deputy had seen the flashing lights from behind the UPS truck and alerted him to stop the log truck because of the signaling.
Outraged, Hill decided to fight the ticket, and on Wednesday, a Jackson County Justice Court judge dismissed the citation, finding that motorists flashing their headlights amounts to speech protected by the Oregon Constitution.
Judge Joseph Carter determined the law covering the use of high beams was valid, but was unconstitutional as it was applied by the deputy.
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WORCESTER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE PRESS RELEASE 4-14-14
On April 4, 2014, members of the Worcester County Criminal Enforcement Team concluded a two month marijuana distribution investigation. As a result of this investigation, a search and seizure warrant was authored and executed for a residence in the Newark, Maryland. During the execution of this search and seizure warrant members of the Worcester County Criminal Enforcement Team were assisted by the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team and the Ocean City Police Department Narcotics Unit. Investigators recovered 7.5 lbs of marijuana. An individual identified as Jerome McKay, Age 26, of Newark, Maryland was located at the residence. McKay was the focus of this investigation and was subsequently charged with possession of marijuana, possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, and possession of paraphernalia. McKay was subsequently committed to the Worcester County Jail on a $7,000.00 bond.
Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown Shows Gall By Claiming Md. Is ‘Leader’ On Health-Care Reform
Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown (D) has staked an early claim to the dubious honor of making our region’s most shameless and misleading 2014 campaign boast.
In a display of world-class chutzpah, Brown’s Web site asserts that he “has positioned Maryland as the national leader in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.”
National leader? Absolutely — but at dysfunctional computer systems.
The gubernatorial candidate is apparently counting on voters to forget or ignore that the Free State just scrapped as unworkable the $55 million Web site at the core of its $125 million health benefit exchange.
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In a display of world-class chutzpah, Brown’s Web site asserts that he “has positioned Maryland as the national leader in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.”
National leader? Absolutely — but at dysfunctional computer systems.
The gubernatorial candidate is apparently counting on voters to forget or ignore that the Free State just scrapped as unworkable the $55 million Web site at the core of its $125 million health benefit exchange.
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40th Birthday Blowout Weekend!
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O'Malley Signing Marijuana, Domestic Violence, "Jake's Law"
Governor Martin O'Malley will make good on a promise to sign a marijuana decriminalization bill, and he will do it in a bill signing ceremony on Monday morning.
The bill is on a list of bills that the governor will sign that were approved in the legislative session that ended on Monday night.
The bill signing ceremony is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.
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The bill is on a list of bills that the governor will sign that were approved in the legislative session that ended on Monday night.
The bill signing ceremony is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.
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The Solar Industry Has Been Waiting 60 Years For This To Happen — And It Finally Just Did
It's now a question of how and where, not if, solar becomes a dominant force in energy markets.
AllianceBernstein's Michael Parker and Flora Chang published a note last week with the following chart showing how rapidly the cost of solar on a real-dollars-per-million-BTU equivalent basis has, in many instances, come to match that of conventional fuels.
Nothing else looks like this. And the title of the chart, Welcome to the Terrordome, reflects this almost violent decline in solar pricing.
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AllianceBernstein's Michael Parker and Flora Chang published a note last week with the following chart showing how rapidly the cost of solar on a real-dollars-per-million-BTU equivalent basis has, in many instances, come to match that of conventional fuels.
Nothing else looks like this. And the title of the chart, Welcome to the Terrordome, reflects this almost violent decline in solar pricing.
More
REP. BLAKE FARENTHOLD: ERIC HOLDER WOULD BE IN JAIL WERE HE A REGULAR CITIZEN
At U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's appearance before a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, one Congressman refused to ask Holder any questions because the Obama Cabinet leader has refused to be straight with Congress.
When it was time for Representative Blake Farenthold (R-TX) to question Holder on his refusal to supply Congress with requested documents and to forthrightly answer questions in committee hearings, the Texan instead lambasted Holder.
When it came his turn, Farenthold said, "I’m committed to maintaining the Constitutional balance of power and the authority that this legislative branch has, and I just don’t think it’s appropriate that Mr. Holder be here."
He continued, saying, "If an American citizen had not complied with one of the Justice Department’s subpoenas, they would be in jail and not sitting here in front of me, testifying."
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When it was time for Representative Blake Farenthold (R-TX) to question Holder on his refusal to supply Congress with requested documents and to forthrightly answer questions in committee hearings, the Texan instead lambasted Holder.
When it came his turn, Farenthold said, "I’m committed to maintaining the Constitutional balance of power and the authority that this legislative branch has, and I just don’t think it’s appropriate that Mr. Holder be here."
He continued, saying, "If an American citizen had not complied with one of the Justice Department’s subpoenas, they would be in jail and not sitting here in front of me, testifying."
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U.S. Prisons Becoming De Facto Home of the Mentally Ill
A new study reveals that prisons in America house ten times as many mentally ill as the state-run psychiatric wards that could actually treat them.
“If you wanna help, tell the CIA to stop trying to kill me.”
It’s a familiar line that Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, a psychiatrist who’s spent 40 years studying America's treatment (or lack thereof) of the mentally ill, hears from schizophrenic prison inmates. Prisoners in their own mind with no way out, they wreak havoc at jails across the nation: throwing feces at guards, singing for days on end, battling with the voices in their own heads. Worst of all, they’re alone.
In a new study by Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC), a nonprofit dedicated to eliminating barriers to treating the mentally ill, Torrey and his colleagues expose just how bleak America’s mental health situation has become. In 2012, an estimated 356,000 mentally ill inmates were being held in state prison, compared to just 35,000 in state-run psychiatric hospitals. In other words, the number of mentally ill people in prisons is ten times that of mentally ill in state-run psychiatric hospitals.
Torrey’s basic tenet is nauseating: the majority of mentally ill in America are treated like monsters.
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“If you wanna help, tell the CIA to stop trying to kill me.”
It’s a familiar line that Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, a psychiatrist who’s spent 40 years studying America's treatment (or lack thereof) of the mentally ill, hears from schizophrenic prison inmates. Prisoners in their own mind with no way out, they wreak havoc at jails across the nation: throwing feces at guards, singing for days on end, battling with the voices in their own heads. Worst of all, they’re alone.
In a new study by Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC), a nonprofit dedicated to eliminating barriers to treating the mentally ill, Torrey and his colleagues expose just how bleak America’s mental health situation has become. In 2012, an estimated 356,000 mentally ill inmates were being held in state prison, compared to just 35,000 in state-run psychiatric hospitals. In other words, the number of mentally ill people in prisons is ten times that of mentally ill in state-run psychiatric hospitals.
Torrey’s basic tenet is nauseating: the majority of mentally ill in America are treated like monsters.
More
March Was A Historic Month For Food Inflation
The chart above shows the extreme rise in prices of food imported into the U.S. from other countries in March, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics this morning.
"Prices for foods, feeds, and beverages rose 3.7 percent in March, the largest monthly gain for the index since a 4.3-percent increase in March 2011," said the BLS in a press release. "The March 2014 advance was driven by a 14.0-percent rise in fruit prices, the largest one-month increase for that index since the index was first published monthly in December 1993."
Food inflation has become a big story this year as a confluence of factors have caused a broad surge in prices across the agricultural and livestock commodity complex. A fungus is spreading across coffee crops in South America, a debilitating virus is sweeping across the U.S. hog population, and geopolitical tensions in Russia and Ukraine are giving wheat prices a boost. Add in expectations for extreme weather, and you get an explosive cocktail of supply constraints pushing everything higher.
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"Prices for foods, feeds, and beverages rose 3.7 percent in March, the largest monthly gain for the index since a 4.3-percent increase in March 2011," said the BLS in a press release. "The March 2014 advance was driven by a 14.0-percent rise in fruit prices, the largest one-month increase for that index since the index was first published monthly in December 1993."
Food inflation has become a big story this year as a confluence of factors have caused a broad surge in prices across the agricultural and livestock commodity complex. A fungus is spreading across coffee crops in South America, a debilitating virus is sweeping across the U.S. hog population, and geopolitical tensions in Russia and Ukraine are giving wheat prices a boost. Add in expectations for extreme weather, and you get an explosive cocktail of supply constraints pushing everything higher.
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Honey is a new approach to fighting antibiotic resistance
Honey, that delectable condiment for breads and fruits, could be one sweet solution to the serious, ever-growing problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, according to researchers who presented their findings at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.
Medical professionals sometimes use honey successfully as a topical dressing, but it could play a larger role in fighting infections, the researchers predicted. Their study was part of the 247th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society.
The meeting, attended by thousands of scientists, features more than 10,000 reports on new advances in science and other topics. It is being held at the Dallas Convention Center and area hotels through Thursday.
“The unique property of honey lies in its ability to fight infection on multiple levels, making it more difficult for bacteria to develop resistance,” said study leader Susan M. Meschwitz, Ph.D. That is, it uses a combination of weapons, including hydrogen peroxide, acidity, osmotic effect, high sugar concentration and polyphenols — all of which actively kill bacterial cells, she explained. The osmotic effect, which is the result of the high sugar concentration in honey, draws water from the bacterial cells, dehydrating and killing them.
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Medical professionals sometimes use honey successfully as a topical dressing, but it could play a larger role in fighting infections, the researchers predicted. Their study was part of the 247th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society.
The meeting, attended by thousands of scientists, features more than 10,000 reports on new advances in science and other topics. It is being held at the Dallas Convention Center and area hotels through Thursday.
“The unique property of honey lies in its ability to fight infection on multiple levels, making it more difficult for bacteria to develop resistance,” said study leader Susan M. Meschwitz, Ph.D. That is, it uses a combination of weapons, including hydrogen peroxide, acidity, osmotic effect, high sugar concentration and polyphenols — all of which actively kill bacterial cells, she explained. The osmotic effect, which is the result of the high sugar concentration in honey, draws water from the bacterial cells, dehydrating and killing them.
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Clap Clapper in the Pokey?
Last week, National Intelligence Director Gen. James R. Clapper sent a brief letter to Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, in which he admitted that agents of the National Security Agency (NSA) have been reading innocent Americans’ emails and text messages and listening to digital recordings of their telephone conversations that have been stored in NSA computers, without warrants obtained pursuant to the Constitution. That the NSA is doing this is not newsworthy — Edward Snowden has told the world of this during the past 10 months. What is newsworthy is that the NSA has admitted this, and those admissions have far-reaching consequences.
Since the Snowden revelations first came to light last June, the NSA has steadfastly denied them. Clapper has denied them. The recently retired head of the NSA, Gen. Keith Alexander, has denied them. Even President Obama has stated repeatedly words to the effect that “no one is reading your emails or listening to your phone calls.”
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Since the Snowden revelations first came to light last June, the NSA has steadfastly denied them. Clapper has denied them. The recently retired head of the NSA, Gen. Keith Alexander, has denied them. Even President Obama has stated repeatedly words to the effect that “no one is reading your emails or listening to your phone calls.”
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Report: CO2 Is Not a Pollutant, Provides ‘Beneficial Impacts’ to Planet
(CNSNews.com) – Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant but a naturally occurring chemical compound that benefits plants and thus, the planet and its inhabitants, according to a lengthy report released Wednesday by the free-market Heartland Institute.
“Carbon dioxide is an aerial fertilizer that provides many beneficial impacts,” said Craig Idso, one of the lead authors of the report, when CNSNews.com asked him to name the most salient finding of the 37 scientists from 12 countries who contributed to it.
“You can look at thousands of studies – real world data studies that have actually been conducted that demonstrate beyond any doubt that higher levels of CO2 are going to increase the productivity of plants,” Idso said.
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“Carbon dioxide is an aerial fertilizer that provides many beneficial impacts,” said Craig Idso, one of the lead authors of the report, when CNSNews.com asked him to name the most salient finding of the 37 scientists from 12 countries who contributed to it.
“You can look at thousands of studies – real world data studies that have actually been conducted that demonstrate beyond any doubt that higher levels of CO2 are going to increase the productivity of plants,” Idso said.
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Kim Jong-Un wins 're-election' as leader of North Korea in rigged vote where nobody else was allowed to stand
After a pre-determined vote, in which no-one else was allowed to stand, Kim was reaffirmed as First Chairman of the powerful National Defence Commission (NDC) by the country's new rubber-stamp parliament, the Supreme People's Assembly.
The state-controlled Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) described the election as 'the great jubilee in the nation's history' and told how parliament cheered as the result was announced.
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