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Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Dogs And Their Owners Start To Look Alike



Nearly 10% of US Adults Now Have Diabetes: Study

The percentage of Americans with diabetes has doubled since 1988, with nearly one in 10 adults now diagnosed with the blood-sugar disease, researchers report.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the rate of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes was 5.5 percent of the U.S. population. By 2010, that number had risen to 9.3 percent. That means 21 million American adults had confirmed diabetes in 2010, according to the researchers.

Several encouraging findings emerged from the study, however. A smaller proportion of people have undiagnosed diabetes, the report found, suggesting that newer screening techniques may be more efficient.

And the researchers found that overall blood sugar control was improved, although the disease was less well controlled in some minority groups.

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First Responders Adapting To Fewer Fires, More Medical Emergencies

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. (WJZ)—Calls for help are changing in this country.

Alex DeMetrick reports, first responders have to adapt to fewer fires and more medical emergencies.

It turns out that wail in the night is a call for change for fire departments in Maryland and the nation.

“It’s a big change, and it’s been trending that way for 20 years,” said Chief Michael Cox, Anne Arundel County Fire Department.

The trend away from fighting fires.
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Pew Research Finds Democrats Losing Millennials

Barack Obama may be the Republicans' best friend when it comes to educating 18-33-year olds of the Millennial Generation about the downside of voting for the Democrats’ economic policies. According to a report from the Pew Research Center for Social and Demographic Trends, the 73.7 million Millennials are“unattached to organized politics and religion, linked by social media, burdened by debt, distrustful of people, in no rush to marry— and optimistic about the future.”

This growing rejection of the Democrat Party will undoubtedly have consequences in the coming mid-term and presidential elections.

Millennials in 2008 were all about the Democratic Party, with only 38% identifying themselves as political independents. Millennials associated Republicans with “a wave of disappointments and embarrassments: Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, congressional corruption scandals, the mortgage crisis.” Millennials were extraordinarily motivated to turn out and vote in 2008 and even more motivated in 2012.

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Cummings Denies Conspiring With IRS To Target Conservative Groups

A cable news channel sets a critical eye on a popular Maryland Democrat. Congressman Elijah Cummings is taking heat from Fox News over allegations he helped the IRS to target conservative groups.

Derek Valcourt talks to the congressman about those allegations.

Congressman Cummings isn’t talking to Fox News about those allegations, but he did sit down to talk to WJZ.

Congressman Cummings is known even to allies as a tough political fighter.
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Healthy Correction in the Stock Market?

Wolf Richter is one of the most astute observers of our bubble-ridden/central bank perverted financial scene around. His blog called Testosterone Pit is a daily “must read” and more than that: its posts are succinct, spritely, fact-based, conclusionary and cover the global map with special insight on those debt ridden houses of cards on the other side of the Pacific—-Japan and China.

Wolf today issued a timely warning. Next week we will be told by Wall Street stock peddlers that what are just having a healthy correction and that it will soon be time to “buy the dip”. Don’t believe them. We are perched precariously at the top of one of the greatest financial bubbles ever because it is global—-the handiwork of world-wide central bank driven credit expansion and drastic interest rate repression.

Just recall some of the numbers. At the turn of the century, the US had about $25 trillion of credit market debt outstanding; now it is pushing $60 trillion. About 14 years ago, China had debt of $1 trillion; now its nearly $25 trillion. And similar credit explosions occurred in much of the rest of the world. It was all central bank enabled, and it caused world wide investment booms and asset inflations which defy every law of sound money and economics, and which cannot be sustained indefinitely.

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IRS Confirms Abortions are Eligible for a Tax Deduction

Here’s something from the “Did you know that?” category. Did you know that abortions are apparently eligible for a tax deduction? That appears to be true, so says the IRS.
From the Washington Examiner, in a list of odd tax deductions:

Have an abortion, get a tax deduction! How strange that pro-abortion advocates aren’t using this as a selling point. Hmmm.

Oh, and while they hyperventilate over Hobby Lobby not wanting to provide every type of birth control without a co-pay, it turns out that birth control pills can be deducted if prescribed by a doctor.
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4 Rules for Freedom

The rush and rapidity of events in Bunkerville, Nevada surprised and cheered many, and there is a lot to learn from this case.

It’s too soon to know the long-term impact of people standing up against armed federales last week, but here are some early takeaways.

Location matters. This insurrection, brought on by federal government arrogance and greed, happened in part because people could get there, physically and intellectually. Wide open rangeland (for hardy cattle and 100 year old turtles) physically and visually juxtaposed with the artificial stupidity of “free speech zones,” domesticated citizens penned in by red government tape, tell a story without words, history lessons, or politics. The imagery brings to mind the words of one of my favorite heroes, “[T]he truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn’t there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission.”

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Reports: Company Tied to Reid's Son Wants Land in Bundy Standoff

The Nevada rancher who forced the federal Bureau of Land Management to back down last week may have been targeted because a Chinese solar company with ties to Sen. Harry Reid's son wants the land for an energy plant, several websites report.

A report on Godfatherpolitics.com, says Chinese energy giant ENN Energy Group wants to use federal land as part of its effort to build a $5 billion solar farm and panel-building plant in the southern Nevada desert. Rory Reid, the son of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, is representing ENN in their efforts to locate in Nevada.

Part of the land ENN wants to use was purchased from Clark County at well below appraised value. Rory Reid is the former Clark County Commission chairman, and he persuaded the commission to sell 9,000 acres of county land to ENN on the promise it would provide jobs for the area, Reuters reported in 2012.

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Quirky Dates (Palindromes)


BREAKING NEWS: Berlin Ambulance In Accident On Rt. 50 & Beaglin Park In Salisbury

Multiple Ambulances are being called to the scene of an accident involving a Berlin Fire Department accident on Beaglin Park and Rt. 50 with multiple injuries.

Update: There's been another accident on South Blvd. & Rt. 13 with injuries.

Flashback: Sen. Reid Breaks Ground for Nevada Solar Farm Near Bundy Ranch

The senator’s plan for solar farms in Nevada wasn’t just limited to the shelved project near Laughlin

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who was exposed last Friday as the mastermind behind the Bureau of Land Management’s persecution of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, can be seen in this March 2014 photo breaking ground for a new solar farm near the Bundy Ranch, emphasizing that the senator’s plan for solar projects in Nevada wasn’t just limited to the shelved solar farm near Laughlin.

Signaling the first day of construction of the Moapa Southern Paiute Solar Project, which is about 35 miles from the Bundy homestead in Bunkerville, Nevada, Sen. Reid joined representatives from the Moapa Band of Paiutes, executives from First Solar, Inc. and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for the groundbreaking ceremony on March 21.

“First Solar is thrilled to celebrate this important milestone with Sen. Reid and distinguished guests, and honored to work with the Moapa Band of Paiutes on this landmark project,” Jim Hughes, the CEO of First Solar, said at the time.

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Bad crash UMES Blvd. in Princess Anne


Obama Picks Gay Bishop To Wrap Easter Prayer Breakfast With Invocation

When President Obama needed a preacher to fulfill the closing prayer duties at the annual White House Easter Prayer Breakfast, he turned to none other than the Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop — who said he was as shocked as anyone at the appointment.

The Right Rev. Gene Robinson said in a tweet, accompanied by a photo of Mr. Obama behind a podium at the event: “POTUS ‘preaches’ at the Easter prayer breakfast. Then, out of the blue, asks ME to close with prayer. OMG!”

Newsmax said he also emphasized that the words he chose to close the breakfast with were “totally off the cuff! OMG!”
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The Regime Doesn’t Handle Defeat Gracefully

When the ATF attacked the Branch Davidians outside Waco in February 1993, the expectation was a quick and painless victory over an eccentric religious sect and a public relations boost for the scandal-plagued agency. This is why the assault was code-named “Showtime.”

The Davidians, however, refused to follow the script. When the ATF stormtroopers arrived at the sect’s sanctuary at Mt. Carmel, David Koresh – who had known of the impending assault, and released an ATF informant rather than holding him as a hostage — attempted to de-escalate the confrontation, only to be answered by a murderous volley of gunfire. Rather than allowing themselves to be shackled or slaughtered, the Davidians stood their ground, killing four of the assailants in a morally unassailable exercise of self-defense and forcing the ATF to retreat.

Because the Regime cannot countenance resistance, the FBI laid siege to the Davidians for 51 days before the final assault that left of scores of Davidians dead from fire, asphyxiation, and gunfire.

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MARYLAND DRIVERS CHARGED WITH CELLPHONE USAGE TRIPLES

PIKESVILLE – It’s been six months since the Maryland law banning cellphone usage while driving became more strict, and the number of drivers ticketed has more than tripled.

The change in state law makes driving while talking on a hand-held phone a primary offense, allowing police officers to stop a driver on Maryland roadways for just holding their phone.

And later this year, penalties for causing a serious or fatal car crash while talking on the phone or texting will increase, according to a measure Gov. Martin O’Malley signed into law Monday.
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Zogby Report Card: Obamacare hate threatens Democrats in midterms

Pollster John Zogby reports in our weekly White House report card thatPresident Obama's signature health care reform is dragging Democrats down.

"President Obama got some chilling news from a USA Today/Pew poll this week. Americans who oppose his health care law say they are significantly more likely to vote in November than those who support it. Democrats can lose the Senate if those numbers hold.

“On the other hand, the poll's sample included 42 percent self-identified Republicans and 39 percent self-identified Democrats. This pollster knows that party identification changes over time, but not like an earthquake on the San Andreas Fault. Nonetheless, Democrats are going to need those new health care beneficiaries to come out in droves to vote, and it looks like it could take some convincing."

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He Walked Outside One Day To An Unexpected Discovery. The Next 25 Days Were Amazing.

One morning, this Reddit user discovered they had a new neighbor. As they were cleaning up vines near their front door, they noticed a tiny nest inside of the foliage… the small bundle of twigs was home to a mother hummingbird.

It’s rare to see a hummingbird land, let alone build a nest. She didn’t know it at the time, but this momma hummingbird was about to give the Internet a peek into one of the coolest processes in the animal kingdom.

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Rand Paul On Edward Snowden: 'We Can't Have An Intelligence Community That Can Do Whatever The Hell They Want'

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul on Saturday expressed mixed opinions on the fate of former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, who last year released a trove of classified documents exposing the agency's surveillance programs.

Paul's libertarian views and his stance as a prominent critic of the NSA have put him at odds with many Republican Party leaders, who consider Snowden a "traitor." Paul was careful to say that not every government contractor should be free to disclose what he sees fit. But he was sympathetic to Snowden's intentions, noting he was doubtful any of the information would have come to light without Snowden's disclosures.

"We can't have a government that has no oversight. We can't have an intelligence community that can do whatever the hell they want," Paul told reporters Saturday at the Freedom Summit, a gathering of grassroots conservatives hosted by the groups Citizens United and the Americans for Prosperity Foundation.

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It's Too Cold


Ron Paul Warns Feds Could Launch Waco-Style Assault Against Bundy

SFD Calls For Service 4-15-14

  • Tuesday April, 15 2014 @ 21:21:14Nature: Pi AccidentAddress: Snow Hill Rd and robins Ave Salisbury, MD 21802
  • Tuesday April, 15 2014 @ 21:21:13Nature: Pi AccidentCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday April, 15 2014 @ 20:08:25Nature: Psychiatric EmergencyCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday April, 15 2014 @ 18:25:48Nature: Allergic ReactionCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday April, 15 2014 @ 10:57:56Nature: Difficulty BreathingCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday April, 15 2014 @ 10:55:04Nature: Non BreathingAddress: 1969 Pine Way Salisbury, MD 21801
  • Tuesday April, 15 2014 @ 10:40:09Nature: HemorrhagingCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday April, 15 2014 @ 09:29:31Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday April, 15 2014 @ 06:52:09Nature: Non BreathingAddress: 907 James Ct Salisbury, MD 21801
  • Tuesday April, 15 2014 @ 06:52:03Nature: Non BreathingCity: Salisbury
  • Tuesday April, 15 2014 @ 04:41:40Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury

The Biblical Account of the First Palm Sunday

All four Gospels--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John--record Jesus Christ’s “Triumphal Entry” into Jerusalem. As Holy Week begins in 2014, the story of the first Palm Sunday from the Gospel of Matthew:

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

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Hebron Savings Bank Robbed

The Vienna Branch of the Hebron Savings Bank In Dorchester County was robbed this morning. The police are looking for 3 black males. All 3 displayed hand guns during the robbery.

You're Invited!! Meet and Greet with Senate Candidate Mike McDermott


GOP Mutiny Could Unseat Boehner and McConnell as Party Leader

It increasingly looks as if the Republicans will regain control of Congress this fall, with the GOP narrowly winning back a majority in the Senate and the House GOP either retaining or slightly building on its majority. But will the two top Republican leaders – House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell -- be around to enjoy the spoils of victory?

Both Boehner of Ohio and McConnell of Kentucky are crafty and highly resilient veterans who would be difficult for their opponents to bring down even under the best of circumstances. Yet McConnell is facing arguably one of his toughest reelection campaigns this fall while Boehner appears headed for another tough internal challenge from far-right House conservatives for the speakership shortly after the mid-term election.

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Judge Napolitano: Ranch Rebellion Was Americans’ “Line in the sand"

BLM feds should have been arrested for theft of private property

Judge Andrew Napolitano appeared on Fox News to denounce the federal government’s operation against Nevada cattle rancher Cliven Bundy, asserting that BLM agents should have been arrested for seizing his property and that the case represents a “line in the sand” for Americans who have had enough of big government tyranny.

Napolitano said the feds were forced to back down because they had suffered a public relations nightmare, pointing out that Bundy lost his case in a federal court but that the case should have been tried in a state court.

“The federal judiciary should not be deciding what land the federal government owns,” said Napolitano, adding that the feds should have placed a lien against Bundy’s property to collect grazing fees and not conducted a raid backed up by armed agents to seize his private property.

“The government’s option is to take the amount of money he owes them and docket it, that is file the lien on his property….the federal government could have done that, instead they wanted this show of force,” said Napolitano, adding, “They swooped in….with assault rifles aimed and ready and stole this guy’s property, they stole his cattle, they didn’t have the right to do that, that’s theft and they should have been arrested by state officials”.

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GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Hogan Criticized For Missing Events

Maryland’s GOP gubernatorial candidates volleying for the party nomination sat down for a more than two-hour debate on the Johns Hopkins University campus last week, but one contender was noticeably absent from the table.

Larry Hogan, since the announcement of his campaign late January, has missed at least five major forums and debates due to scheduling conflicts, a habit some of his Republican opponents have derided.

“For the candidates that are here, I am grateful that they’re here and honored that they’re here. Because to be quite honest, we’re asking you for your vote, we’re asking you to nominate us, and last I checked, I don’t hire somebody if they don’t show up for the interview,” said GOP candidate Charles Lollar at the Johns Hopkins debate.

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Feds Desperate to Hide Harry Reid Link to Bundy Land Grab

Woodward on IRS Scandal: 'There's Obviously Something Here'

Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Press Release 4-16-14

This past weekend five juveniles were charged with theft in relation to stealing Freon from an unoccupied home in Ocean Pines.

Investigation revealed that the suspects would steal Freon from A/C units of homes that they know are unoccupied for the season. In this particular incident they used trash bags for storage. They pull the hose from the A/C unit which allows the Freon to flow freely into the bag. They fill up trash bags with Freon then tie them off.

Huffing, as it is called, usually takes place by persons discreetly inhaling from a bag.

They inhale a gas to the point where they achieve a high or they pass out.

When one inhales the gas they are replacing the oxygen their brain requires to function with a gas.

It should be noted that there have been several documented cases of death caused by exposure to Freon.

Please keep a check on your homes and your neighbor’s homes for people near the A/C units. Report any suspicious activity to the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office at 410-632-1111, or your local Police Department.

On April 14, 2014 at approximately 1146 hours Worcester County Sheriff's Office Deputies responded to Libertytown Road, in Berlin, Maryland in reference to a female being dragged across the roadway by a male, the witness then observed the male pick the female up and carry her into a residence. Within minutes Deputies arrived on scene and found the residence to be vacant. A short time later the victim came to the Worcester County Sheriff's Office reporting injuries sustained from an assault that occurred on Libertytown Road. Due to her injuries she was transported to Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin, by ambulance.

Through further investigation the suspect was identified as Michael Davon McBride, 31 years old of Snow Hill, Maryland. Michael McBride was located and arrested, in Snow Hill by the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and Snow Hill Police Department. Mr. McBride was charged with 1st Degree Assault, 2nd Degree Assault, Reckless Endangerment, and False Imprisonment.

Mr. McBride was held at the Worcester County Jail on a 25,000 dollar bond.

U.S. lawmakers visit Afghanistan to press case for troops to stay

(Reuters) - The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, John Boehner, is leading a delegation of Republican lawmakers on a trip to Afghanistan to underscore their call for U.S. forces to remain there and also to review the country's presidential election, Boehner's office said on Monday.

Boehner and seven other House Republicans met with U.S. troops, the U.S. ambassador and the commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan during the two-day visit that began on Sunday.

The April 5 vote is meant to usher in Afghanistan's first democratic transfer of power as President Hamid Karzai steps down after 12 years and Western forces prepare to depart after more than a decade of war.

Democratic President Barack Obama plans to withdraw most, or possibly all, U.S. forces from Afghanistan this year, winding down a conflict that began following the September 11, 2001, attacks. Obama would like to leave about 8,000 troops to train Afghan forces and for a counter-terrorism mission. Karzai, however, has declined to sign an agreement allowing this.

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Remember Michael Vick’s Disgusting Dogfighting Ring? Well, 7 Years Later…

In 2007, a group of dogs were saved from organized torture in NFL player Michael Vick’s backyard. His dog fighting ring was liberated and he was put in jail for his atrocities.

Many people believed that the dogs found at his house weren’t fit to live in homes, because of their killer instincts. That just isn’t true, and the Best Friends Animal Society agrees. They took in 22 dogs, which became known as “Vicktory Dogs.” They were saved from that horrible place… and found loving, amazing homes. They found ‘victory’ in love.

Here are their stories

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CBO Issues Dire Debt Warning of 'Fiscal Crisis'

New figures by the Congressional Budget Office released on Monday reveal that over the next 10 years the U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio will double to 78%.

Over the last four decades America's average debt-to-GDP ratio was 39%. At the end of 2007, federal debt was just 35% of GDP.

The CBO report says gross federal debt will soar from $17.7 trillion to $27 trillion over the next ten years.

CBO warned of the dire consequences the nation's debt will have if gone unchecked.

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The Free Market vs. the Interventionist State

In whatever direction we turn, we find the heavy hand of government intruding into virtually every aspect of American society. Indeed, it has reached the point that it would be a lot easier to list those areas of people's lives into which government does not impose itself – and, alas, it would be a very short list. But it was not always that way. 

Around a hundred years ago, say, in the first decade of the 20th century, all levels of government in the United States only taxed away and spent about 8 percent of national income, leaving 92 percent of what individuals had produced and earned in their own hands to use and spend as they thought best as free people. 

Plus, there was no regular deficit spending because the federal government in Washington, D.C. annually balanced its budget; and it often even ran budget surpluses with which it paid down government debts accumulated during past "national emergencies," usually a war that had earlier needed rapid funding with borrowed money.

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A Comment Worthy Of A Post 4-16-14

Carl F. has left a new comment on your post "EDITORIAL: Democrats deny voter fraud. Ask North C...":

As many of us Marylander's have noticed the last time you voted, you walked into your polling place. Stood in line patiently like everyone else. Arrived at the touch screen ballot, slid in your card given to you then when your all finished you give this card back to the kind people overseeing the event. Did you receive any form of tangible proof of your vote? The answer is a resounding NO! We are to believe that what we entered into the computer is what becomes counted as our vote. But as many of us also know with technology there is an inherent amount of abuse and misuse. Hackers can freely access your information with use of virus's. So now ask your self again did you really vote the last time you went to your polling place? My response is again NO! I received no tangible evidence of what was cast in my ballot via the computer, nor did anyone else. If we continue to use an electronic ballot system we should have some form of redundancy to recheck our information in a tangible form as well as an electronic one. Hopefully other Marylander's feel the same way as I do.

The EPA’s Science Problem

In a stunning admission, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy revealed to House Science, Space and Technology Committee chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) that the agency neither possesses, nor can produce, all of the scientific data used to justify the rules and regulations they have imposed on Americans via the Clean Air Act. In short, science has been trumped by the radical environmentalist agenda.

The admission follows the issuance of a subpoena by the full Committee last August. It was engendered by two years of EPA stonewalling, apparently aimed at preventing the raw data cited by EPA as the scientific foundation for those rules and regulations from being independently verified. Two studies, the 1993 Harvard Six Cities Study (HSC) and the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) 1995 Cancer Prevention Study II, had verified that fine airborne particles measuring 2.5 micrograms or less were responsible for killing thousands of Americans every year. They became the baseline by which the EPA regulated particulate emissions from power plants, factories and cars. Airborne particles of that size are equivalent to approximately 1/30th the diameter of a human hair.

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Study Finds Signs Of Brain Changes In Pot Smokers

A small study of casual marijuana smokers has turned up evidence of changes in the brain, a possible sign of trouble ahead, researchers say.

The young adults who volunteered for the study were not dependent on pot, nor did they show any marijuana-related problems.

"What we think we are seeing here is a very early indication of what becomes a problem later on with prolonged use," things like lack of focus and impaired judgment, said Dr. Hans Breiter, a study author.

Longer-term studies will be needed to see if such brain changes cause any symptoms over time, said Breiter, of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Massachusetts General Hospital.

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State government dependence on federal funding growing at alarming rate

Only 11 states depended on the federal government for more than one-third of their total revenues in 2001. By 2012, 24 states found themselves in this situation.

State-by-state data from the U.S. Census Bureau, compiled by the State Budget Solutions nonprofit, illustrates the trend of increasing state dependence on federal financial assistance.

Forty-one of the 50 states have become more dependent on the federal government since 2001 — with federal dollars accounting for an increasing share of their total revenues.

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EDITORIAL: Democrats deny voter fraud. Ask North Carolina

N.C. proves multiple voting occurs and dead cast ballots

It’s an article of the faith of the Democrats that voter fraud is nothing to worry about because it never happens. Kim Strach, the North Carolina director of elections, has living proof — and some dead proof — otherwise.

She has identified 35,750 persons who voted in North Carolina sharing a name and birth date with someone who voted in another state in 2012. Another 81 North Carolinians voted after they died. Ghosts have no constitutional rights, not yet, but Barack Obama and the Democrats think rigor mortis need not keep voters from practicing good citizenship.

President Obama nevertheless insists on looking the other way when voter fraud lies all about him. Speaking at a Democratic fundraiser in Houston last week, Mr. Obama criticized “active efforts to deter people from voting.”

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"Death Spiral" - Harvard Professor Predicts Up To Half Of US Universities May Fail In 15 Years

Soaring student debt, competition from online programs and poor job prospects for graduates are shrinking the applicant pools for many universities and, as Bloomberg reports, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities warns "there will clearly be some institutions that won’t make it...through these difficult steps." Rather stunningly, Moody’s found that expenses are outpacing revenue at 60 percent of the schools it tracks even as many try to slash their way to balanced budgets," and concluded "what we’re concerned about is the death spiral... this continuing downward momentum for some institutions." As Harvard professor Clayton Christensen has warned, as many as half of the more than 4,000 universities and colleges in the U.S. may fail in the next 15 years, and is "not sure a lot of these institutions have the cushion to experiment with how to stay afloat."

As Bloomberg reports,

Dowling College (on Long Island), which got a failing grade for its financial resources from accreditors last month, epitomizes the growing plight of many small private colleges that depend almost entirely on tuition for revenue. It’s been five years since the recession ended and yet their finances are worsening. Soaring student debt, competition from online programs and poor job prospects for graduates are shrinking their applicant pools.

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Could The Double Shooting Be In Berlin Instead?

Berlin EMS are on the scene of a double shooting on Williams Street in Berlin. The Female is deceased and the husband is being transported to PRMC with life threatening injuries. Husband shot the wife, then himself. 

UPDATE: Male patient just pronounced deceased. 10:00 AM

Walmart Benefits from Billions in Gov. Subsidies

Walmart is the beneficiary of billions of dollars per year in federal subsidies, according to a new report [PDF] from the non-partisan, progressive group Americans for Tax Fairness.

The report estimates that Walmart and the Walton family—which co-founded the company and still owns a majority share—collectively profit from nearly $7.8 billion per year in federal subsidies and tax breaks.

“This report shows that our current system is anything but fair – rather it provides special treatment to America’s biggest corporations and richest families leaving individual taxpayers and small businesses to pick up the tab,” the report concluded.

The $7.8 billion includes an estimated $6.2 billion in public assistance for low-wage Walmart employees, including programs like food stamps, subsidized housing, and Medicaid. It also includes an estimated $70 million per year in “economic development subsidies” from state and legal governments eager to host Walmart in their cities.

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Tipped Workers Left Behind In Minimum Wage Hike

Many minimum wage workers will be getting a raise now that a hike to Maryland’s wage has been signed into law. But while advocates are ascribing the increase as a win, there’s a bitter aftertaste for one group that was left behind.

The minimum wage will increase to $10.10 over the next four years, but the wage for tipped workers was pegged at $3.63, their current pay, despite the fact that the minimum wage will climb nearly $3.

“In a blue state we shouldn’t have to make these compromises,” said Mat Hanson, director of the Raise Maryland campaign.
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Homebuilder Confidence Misses For 4th Month In A Row

NAHB confidence missed expectations once again - the 7th miss in the last 8 months - as the 'hope' priced into this index is eroded and collapses back to the reality of actual sales. The index was up very modestly but allthanks to yet more "hope" as Future (expected) single-family sales expectations rose to 57 (the highest since Jan). The Northeast saw prospective buyer traffic rise while all other regions fell with the West collapsing.

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Overflowing U.S. Private Prisons, by the Numbers

The predatory corporate prison enterprise aims to privatize profits and socialize losses. This combination has led to a situation where correctional facilities have only one incentive: ensure that new bodies arrive as fast as possible, and keep them in a state of indentured servitude for as long as possible.

As you’ll see in the infographic below, the bodies are indeed arriving quickly to fill the coffers of those who are reaping massive profit from caging as much of the public as they can get away with. Thirty-seven states have signed onto this system which promotes a dangerous mutually beneficial relationship between government and corporations. A closer look reveals that it is definitely not beneficial for ordinary citizens and the communities which house these prisons.

America already holds 25% of the world’s prison population, with the number of these prisoners held in private prisons rising 20-fold in the last decade. As the economy declines, there are new opportunities presented by reintroducing debtors prisons, formally abolished in the early 1800s.

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Salisbury News Publishes 100,000 Posts

I am extremely proud to say this Post marks our 100,000th Post since we started Salisbury News.

In the society we live in today, 100,000 seems quite small any more but let me assure you, 100,000 is a LOT of work. 

What started out as a small community Blog has now become the most reliable news source on the Eastern Shore. That being said I want to personally thank ALL of you and there's a LOT of you to thank. 

First there's the visitors in the millions. Then there's the commenters and now the LIKE button viewers. Then there's so many of you who send us articles of interest you've picked up on and forwarded to us. Then there's our CONTRIBUTORS. Without ALL of you I can assure you we wouldn't be doing what we're doing. Without ALL of you, there's NO WAY I/We could find all of these interesting articles and then publish them. 

Each and every day we continue to be the underdogs. Salisbury News is here to bring forth information you are NOT seeing in the local Main Stream Media. We're successful because YOU continue to come back each and every day and because we deliver consistency, timely Posts you can regularly depend on, we continue to grow.

Ladies & Gentlemen, this is a LOT of work and we've delivered such information for 10 years now. Please support what we do by running an ad on Salisbury News for only $100.00 a month and help us "Pay It Forward" back to those most in need in our community. 

We look forward to serving you for another 10 years.  

Food Stamp Recipients Outnumber Women Who Work Full-Time

(CNSNews.com) - People participating in the food stamp program outnumbered the women who worked full-time, year-round in the United States in 2012, according to data from the Department of Agriculture and the Census Bureau.

In the average month of 2012, according to the Department of Agriculture, there were 46,609,000 people participating in the food stamp program (formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). That contrasts with the 44,059,000 women who worked full-time, year-round in 2012, according to the Census Bureau’s report on Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States.

For each woman who worked full-time, year-round in 2012, there was slightly more than 1 other person collecting food stamps.

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Salisbury Ranks 4th In Most Dangerous Place In The State

NFL player Aldon Smith arrested at airport for 'making bomb threat'

San Francisco 49ers player Aldon Smith was arrested on Sunday at Los Angeles Airport after allegedly telling security officers he had a bomb while being uncooperative during a bag search.

In footage posted online the 6ft 4in linebacker can be seen speaking with officers before being lead away, telling them he'd done nothing wrong and saying they would be 'embarrassed'.

Smith was arrested around 2pm and booked on one count of 'false report of a bomb', a charge which carries a penalty of up to one year behind bars. He has been released after posting $20,000 bail.

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Flight turns to horror as passenger tries to open door

A flight to California turned to horror yesterday when a passenger tried to open the door at 30,000 feet in the air, forcing the pilot into an emergency landing.

Travellers on board the Southwest Airlines flight 722, from Chicago to Sacramento, began screaming in terror when the man approached the back of the plane and attempted to unlock the hatch-door.

He had minutes earlier emerged form the bathroom after soaking himself in water.

As panic spread through the cabin, the captain of the flight decided he had no choice but to divert the plane to Omaha, Nebraska.

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Man arrested after dropping backpack at Boston Marathon finish line

One man was arrested Tuesday after leaving a backpack near the Boston Marathon finish line on the one-year anniversary of a deadly bombing of the famous road race.

Boston Police issued an all-clear for an area of Boylston Street near the finish line shortly after 10:30 p.m. Tuesday after two backpacks were detonated by a bomb squad as a precautionary measure. MyFoxBoston.com reported that police found a rice cooker in one of the bags, but did not elaborate on the contents of the second bag. It was not clear who the second bag belonged to, nor was it clear how it was discovered.

Boston police did not identify the man in custody, but a spokesman said the suspect appeared to be "not of sound mind." Authorities said he would be charged with disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace and possession of a hoax device.

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Snow On My Roof In Mid April, Seriously?

That's right, it SNOWED last night and here's proof. Like you, I watched the local news last night and saw how this might be possible on the western shore but nowhere near the eastern shore.  

Free Coffee At Wawa Today!

Wawa

Our customers have treated us to countless smiles over the past 50 years. Now we’d like to treat you to a cup of coffee and lots of fun! Visit any store for your FREE Any Size Coffee on April 16!

Fracking can help to slow global warming admit UN scientists

Climate scientists have backed Britain’s shale gas revolution – saying it could help to slow global warming.

The world’s leading experts on climate change say fracking will cut greenhouse gas emissions and should be made central to the country’s energy production.

It will help the UK move away from ‘dirty’ coal and contribute to saving the environment, according to a report by the influential Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

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GOVERNOR O’MALLEY SIGNS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND PUBLIC SAFETY BILLS TO PROTECT FAMILIES AND PRESERVE STRONG COMMUNITIES IN MARYLAND

Several pieces of legislation signed into law including new distracted-driving penalties, domestic violence protections and marijuana decriminalization

Annapolis, Md.
– Building on tremendous progress driving down violent crime to 30-year lows, Governor O’Malley signed legislation to strengthen and improve public safety in Maryland. Three of Governor O’Malley’s 16 strategic goals involve enhancing the security of Maryland’s people.

Among the bills Governor O’Malley signed today were three measures to combat domestic violence. These efforts are part of the Administration’s goal to protect women, children and families by reducing violent crimes committed against women and children by 25 percent by the end of 2018. One of the measures lowers the burden of proof for final peace and protection orders from “clear and convincing evidence” to a “preponderance of evidence.” Another bill gives judges the ability to administer stricter penalties for committing acts of violence in front of a child. The third bill will add 2nd degree assault to the list of crimes for which domestic violence victims can obtain a final permanent protective order.

“The most sacred responsibility for any government is to protect the safety of its people. Working together with communities and law enforcement, we’ve driven violent crime down to its lowest level in 30 years, ” said Governor O’Malley. “The bills we’re signing into law today will help us build on this important progress and help keep more Maryland families and communities safe.”

“Domestic Violence impacts all of our communities, without discrimination based on color or religion; socioeconomic status or location.” said Lt. Governor Brown, who spearheaded efforts this session to pass the Administration's domestic violence legislative package. “Building strong communities starts with keeping people safe in their homes, and while the bills we're signing today are the next step in that effort, we will not rest until every Marylander is free from the fear of this senseless crime.”

MCE Women's Business Center host Women's Networking Luncheon


EVER SEE A TRAIN LAY NEW TRACK OVER THE REMOVED EXISTING TRACK?

This is what is happening from Chicago to St. Louis for the high speed rail.
 
People were stopping along the highway taking pictures.
 
For those who live in the Springfield area and have seen all the machines running up and down the tracks, here is a link to a video that shows you how the concrete ties and rail are put in place.
The road bed was raised 13 inches to accommodate the new high speed rail line between St. Louis , MO and Chicago , IL .
There are only two of these track laying machines in the world, one here and one in Europe
I wonder what all those laborers who laid the first cross country tracks would think if they could see this!

We Got "CHANGE" Alright


Registration Open for Wicomico Recreation’s Sand Volleyball League

Salisbury, Md. – Registration is now open for Wicomico Recreation’s 4x4 Sand Volleyball League for men and women ages 14 years and up. Two sessions will be held over the summer, each will consist of six regular season games and playoffs. Session I will run June 5–July 17, Session II will run July 31-Sept. 4. Games will be held at WinterPlace Park on Thursday evenings from 6-8 p.m.

The registration deadline for Session I is May 16, Session II is July 11. The program fee is $125 per team / per session.

For more information, contact Andy Kitzrow, Program Director at akitzrow@wicomicocounty.org or 410-548-4900 ext. 114.

Pick: Your first car

Find your first car or the one you drove to high school or college;
Hopefully your car brochure is available. This has to be one of the
neatest web sites whether you have gasoline in your veins or not.

This is a website featuring the original factory brochures for nearly
every American car you have ever owned. Pick the manufacturer, the year and the model.