More Than 134,000 Petition Obama Admin. to Demand Release of Sgt. Tahmooressi — Here’s the Response They Received Instead

More than 134,000 people signed a petition asking the Obama administration to demand the release of U.S. Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi from a Mexican prison. Tahmooressi, who is reportedly suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, has been imprisoned for nearly five months after being arrested for unintentionally crossing into Mexico with firearms.

The White House responded to the popular petition on Friday, calling for Mexican authorities to handle the Marine’s case “expeditiously” rather than demanding his release.

Read the White House’s full response below:

The U.S. State Department continues to provide extensive consular assistance to Mr. Tahmooressi, and will do so until his case is resolved. As in all cases when a U.S. citizen is arrested overseas, our goal is to see that Mr. Tahmooressi is treated fairly during the judicial process with the hope that he can receive the support, both emotional and medical, that he may require now and at the conclusion of the proceedings.

More

After Being Fined and Forced to Host Gay Weddings, Christian Farm Owners Make Drastic Decision That ‘Will Likely Hurt Their Business’

A husband and wife who were fined $13,000 and told they could not discriminate against same-sex couples after refusing to allow a gay wedding on their New York farm have announced that they will “no longer host any wedding ceremonies on their property.”

“Going forward, [Cynthia and Robert Gifford] have decided to no longer host any wedding ceremonies on their property (other than the ones already under contract),” Alliance Defending Freedom attorney James Trainor told TheBlaze in a statement.

A judge ruled earlier this month that the Giffords’ farm is a public accommodation because they rent their space out, and they therefore must abide by New York anti-discrimination law.

More

Real Estate Analyst Jurow: I Never Bought Into the Housing Recovery Myth

While some financial commentators got excited by last week's news that existing home sales rose 2.4 percent in July, evidence abounds that the housing market is slowing down.

New home sales fell 2.4 percent last month, the lowest rate since March. And the S&P/Case-Shiller index of home prices for 20 major cities slipped a seasonally adjusted 0.2 percent in June.

"I never bought into the idea that we had a [housing] recovery at all," real estate analyst Keith Jurow, author of the Capital Preservation Real Estate Report, tells MarketWatch. And he thinks home prices will keep sliding.

More

Cultural Jihad: CAIR Demands US Overhaul Law Enforcement Training

Thursday we learned that a second American has been killed while fighting for ISIS in Syria — and he also resided in Minneapolis. The government estimates some 100-140 Americans are fighting with ISIS in Iraq and Syria. There is a problem in the Minneapolis area where there is a large Somali community actively recruiting of jihadist fighters. Previously it has been to fight with the al-Qaida- affiliated jihadist group, Al Shabab, but now it seems to be ISIS. And remember that the Congressional representative of that area, Minneapolis, is Keith Ellison – a Muslim who will be speaking at the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) conference in Detroit this coming week — Dearborn is close by.

Now, you’d think that at this critical time when just last week the Islamic terrorist army ISIS beheaded American James Foley, the American Muslim community would be on an all-out PR campaign to express its outrage.

We should be seeing massive marches just like we did a few weeks ago that condemned Israel and vociferously expressed support for Hamas — no? Well, not only are we not seeing that type of response, but the silence is deafening. And it’s not just the absence of these wholesale marches from the Islamic community. Supported by their cultural jihad apologists, there is something else happening even more disturbing.

As reported by Judicial Watch, “Islamic activists that strong-armed the FBI to purge anti-terrorism training material considered “offensive” to Muslims have made their next wave of demands, which include an overhaul in the way all law enforcement officers are trained in the United States. The coalition of influential and politically-connected Muslim rights groups is demanding that the Obama administration implement a mandatory retraining program for all federal, state and local law enforcement officials who may have been subjected to materials they deem “biased and discriminatory” against Muslims. There must also be an audit of all federal law enforcement and intelligence gathering training and educational materials to identify and remove information that could exhibit bias against any race, ethnicity, religion or national origin, the groups demand.”
More

Ukrainian Sergeant: 'This Is Now A War With Russia'

Ukraine and Western officials on Wednesday warned that Russian forces are opening up another, major front in the war, according to The New York Times.

“This is what happened: they crossed the border, took up positions, and started shooting," Sgt. Aleksei Panko said after telling The Times that about 60 armored vehicles crossed the border near the town of Novoazovsk. “This is now a war with Russia."

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Wednesday that Russia’s “incursions” in Ukraine "indicate a Russian-directed counter-offensive is likely underway" in Luhansk and Donetsk, which she said was of "deep concern" to the U.S.

More

Mayor: Adult Illegal Aliens With 'Graying' Hair Enrolled in Public Schools

The mayor of Lynn, Mass. says that some of the illegal aliens from Guatemala who are enrolled in her city’s public schools are adults with graying hair and “more wrinkles than I have.”

“They are not all children,” Judith Flanagan Kennedy told reporters at a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

“One of the things that we did notice when we were processing some of these students coming in was that they were adults,” she said.

She added that the federal government will not allow school officials to verify their ages, even though one of the students turned out to be 35 years old.

More

Blueprint for water ‘control’? Pol says EPA made secret maps for new regulatory push

A top House Republican is charging that the Environmental Protection Agency secretly drafted highly detailed maps of U.S. waterways to set the stage for a controversial plan to expand regulatory power over streams and wetlands, a claim the EPA strongly denies.

Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, released those maps on Wednesday, while firing off a letterto EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy voicing concerns over why they were created in the first place.

"These maps show the EPA's plan: to control a huge amount of private property across the country. Given the astonishing picture they paint, I understand the EPA's desire to minimize the importance of these maps," he wrote, in the letter obtained by FoxNews.com.

More

Prayer For Injured Teen Sparks Atheist Outrage

The injured player was on the ground being tended to by trainers and coaches.

So the Seminole High School football team did what many football teams do. The teenage boys took a knee, bowed their heads and prayed for their injured teammate.

But that simple act of compassion and humanity in Sanford, Florida sparked outrage from the Freedom From Religion Foundation – a group of perpetually offended atheists from Wisconsin.
An FFRF attorney fired off a letter to the superintendent of Seminole County Public Schools – accusing them of having an adult lead the prayer for the injured child.

More

Justice Dept. Opens New Asylum Gate For Guatemalans

The Department of Justice’s board of immigration appeals has decided to let Guatemalan women win asylum in the United States if they claim to be victims of domestic violence.

The decision creates a huge new incentive for Guatemalan women to cross the U.S. border, because if their asylum claim is accepted, their children get U.S. citizenship, plus the use of federal health, education and retirement programs, regardless of their initial education and work skills.

The new decision also means that many of the Guatemalan women who have already crossed the border this year have a new claim for asylum.

“Under this breaking decision from the Board of Immigration Appeals, many [migrant] women [detained at the detention center] Artesia may be eligible for asylum,” said a Aug. 26 tweet from Ben Winograd, a lawyer who is paid to help foreigners win residency and citizenship.

More

Over 300 Dogs Are Rescued in Puppy Mill Raid – But Wait, It Get’s Better…

It’s the happiest ending anyone could hope for for the neglected dogs found living in horrible conditions in Cherokee County, Georgia back in July. The poor pups were found stuffed in dirty cages, badly in need of medical attention. When their heartbreaking story broke, it was met with an outpouring of donations of time, money, and supplies from people who believed these dogs deserved a second chance.

With the overwhelming support of the community, the Cherokee County Animal Shelter hosted a “Happily Ever After Celebration” on August 23, during which potential adopters were encouraged to come out and register to take one of the pups home. An adoption fee of $100 and one-dog-per-family rule were set in place to discourage unsuitable owners.

More

Rand Paul: Obama's Executive Actions Circumvent Democracy

President Barack Obama is "going around democracy" with his continued use of executive actions, says Sen. Rand Paul.

Obama's latest threat to bypass Congress concerns an international agreement on tackling climate change. The administration says it is looking to enforce an old treaty combined with using peer pressure to shame countries into complying with carbon emission reductions.

Such action, the White House argues, does not require the two-thirds Senate approval that an official treaty would.

"Not only is it an abuse of power, I think it almost leads us to a constitutional crisis of sorts," Paul, a Kentucky Republican, said Wednesday on Fox News Channel's "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren."

More

145 Immigration Activists Arrested In Front of W.H.

More than 140 immigration activists were arrested in front of the White House on Thursday as they loudly protested President Barack Obama over deportations of undocumented immigrants.

The scores of arrests, which come as Obama is preparing to unveil changes to his deportation and immigration policies, amounted to one of the largest shows of civil disobedience at the White House over immigration.

“Today, on this national day to fight for families, we call on President Obama to do everything in his power to enact humane and compassionate administrative relief that will end our suffering,” said Gustavo Torres, executive director of CASA de Maryland, a Latino advocacy group that organized Thursday’s demonstration.

More

Sussex County Drug Unit Arrests Two for Heroin Distribution

Delmar, DE – The Delaware State Police Sussex County Drug Unit have arrested two people after the culmination of a month long investigation into illegal drug sales from a residence on Whitesville Road.

On Friday August 29, 2014, around 6:15 a.m., the Sussex County Drug Task Force along with the assistance of the Sussex County Governor’s Task Force (GTF) and Delaware State Police Special Operations Response Team (SORT) conducted a search warrant in the 15000 block of Whitesville Road, Delmar, DE. Upon executing the search warrant,Narada M. Walls, 34, and Deidra K. Davis, 30, were taken into custody without incident. A juvenile female child was also in the house and was turned over to relatives at the scene. The search revealed a total of 41 bags of heroin weighing approximately .615 grams, two Ruger rifles, a Mark I handgun, a Taurus .38 caliber revolver that was reported stolen out of Salisbury Police Department, drug paraphernalia, and over $986.00 in suspected drug proceeds.

Narada Walls (black male) and Deidra Davis (white female) were both charged with Possession with Intent to Deliver Heroin, four counts of Possession of a Deadly Weapon by a Person Prohibited, Receiving a Stolen Firearm, Conspiracy 2nd, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and two counts of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. They were both arraigned at JP2 and are currently being held at Sussex Correctional Institution on $20,250.00 secured bond.

David Stockman: When the Stock Market Begins to Decline, the Bottom Will Fall Out

The Wall Street casino is dangerous because there is no safety net left to save investors when the bottom falls out, according to David Stockman, former White House budget chief and central bank policy skeptic.

In a column for his Contra Corner blog, Stockman said the professional traders have succeeded in busting the 2,000 barrier on the S&P 500 to take stocks to record highs, but individual investors better watch out.

"Honestly measured earnings have been growing only at a tepid rate, and have no prospects for acceleration given the sharp slowdown in both the global and domestic economy," Stockman wrote.

More

Fairfax Officials Say Some People May Have Crossed Va.-Md. Line To Vote Twice In 2012

Tens of thousands of voters were registered to cast ballots in both Virginia and Maryland during the 2012 presidential election — and more than 150 appear to have voted twice, an advocacy group claims.

Seventeen of those alleged instances were in Fairfax County, where election officials found the evidence so compelling that they have turned the information over to law enforcement.

The situation sparked a strong reaction among some political leaders in Virginia, coming in the midst of a heated national debate over whether voter fraud is rampant or mere rhetoric.

More

Philly family lost house over $40 drug purchase

In March, Chris Sourovelis’ son was caught selling $40 of heroin to an undercover police officer.

Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department responded by raiding the Sourovelis’ north Philadelphia home, with guns drawn — one of them pointed at the head of the family dog — and found small amounts of the drug in the 22-year old’s bedroom. Chris and his wife, Amy, knew nothing of their son’s drug habit and it was the first time he had been busted for possessing narcotics.

A few weeks later, the cops were back to tell the Sourovelis family they had to gather their things and leave the property. The home was being confiscated under civil forfeiture rules, leaving the family homeless and forced to sleep on a neighbor’s couch.

More

In Digital Age, Government Fails to Trace Food Stamp Fraud Online

States are ill equipped to detect and report food stamp fraud in the digital age, including attempts to sell benefits for cash, alcohol and other services, a new report says.

Much of the fraud occurs through social media and e-commerce websites such as Craigslist, the investigation by the Government Accountability Office found.

The GAO reviewed state and federal efforts to address fraud committed by recipients of food stamps, officially called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which falls under the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The report noted:

The Office of Management and Budget has designated SNAP as a high-error program due to the estimated dollar amount in improper payments for fiscal year 2013.

More 

State Police Detectives Arrest Sex Offender for Sexually Abusing a Child

Millsboro, DE – The Delaware State Police have arrested a Tier 2 sex offender after an investigation reveals he sexually abused a child in his care.

Detectives with the Troop 4 Criminal Investigations Unit in Georgetown arrested John T. King, 65 of Millsboro, DE, Wednesday August 27, 2014 after an investigation into the sexual abuse of a three year old female ensued after she was examined at Nanticoke Memorial Hospital on Friday August 22, 2014 due to some complaints of soreness to her lower region. The examination and investigation revealed the three year old child had been sexually active for a period of time and that she had been under the periodic care of John King, who is a non-familial friend of the victim's mother, when these sexual encounters occurred.

John King, who is a medium risk Tier 2 sex offender, responded to Troop 4 on his own accord and was charged with Unlawful Sexual Contact by a Sex Offender, and three counts of Sexual Abuse by a Person of Trust. He was arraigned at JP2 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $220,000.00 cash bond.



Because of the sensitivity of this case, and in consideration of the victim and their family, only limited information is being released.

Photographer Ed Herbener Produced Many of Delmarva’s Real Photo Postcards

Almost everyone enjoys looking at old postcards from around the Delmarva Peninsula. Plying the trade that produced these tiny early 20th century time capsules were a number of local and itinerant photographs.

One of them was Edward Herbener, a Newark photographer. The Newark Post said in 1910: “Mr. Herbener is one of the pioneers in the post card business. He not only furnishes views of Newark, but makes views for the trade from New York to North Carolina. He has built up quite a business in this line. He also makes fancy cards. And all this work is done in Newark. . . .”. .”

Herbener, whose business flourished during the height of the post card craze, produced many of Delmarva’s real photos postcards, and we are fortunate that he was such a prolific artist. Around one hundred years old, these old views provide a visual record of day-to-day life, solid visual evidence of the past. In this era, photographers were few and far between, and many people did not have a camera, so images weren’t as common as they are today.

More

Details on the arrangements for Cookie Harris

A funeral mass will be celebrated for Cookie Harris, wife of Congressman Andy Harris, on Monday, September 1 beginning at 11am at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. Private interment to follow. Visitation will occur Sunday, August 31 from 1pm until 8pm with a vigil beginning at 7pm at Ruck Funeral Home, 1050 York Road, Towson, MD 21204.

The family prefers in lieu of flowers, that donations be made in the memory of Cookie Harris to the Pregnancy Center North, 6805 York Road, Baltimore, MD 21212 where she was a regular volunteer and board member.

New program joins NSA, IRS in watching you

'Reminiscent of the treachery we witnessed under the Nazi regime'

Americans’ telephone conversations already are being monitored by the National Security Agency and their health-care policies by the Internal Revenue Service. Now there’s “Truthy,” a government-funded project at Indiana University that will watch their Tweets for “political smears” and “social pollution.”

The goal is to track those comments.

The Washington Free Beacon reported this week that the government already has contributed nearly $1 million to the project that its organizers say is to “analyze and visualize the diffusion of information on Twitter.”

“The Truthy system evaluates thousands of tweets an hour to identify new and emerging bursts of activity around memes of various flavors. The data and statistics provided by Truthy are designed to aid in the study of social epidemics: How do memes propagate through the Twittersphere? What causes a burst of popularity?”

The program operators say: “We also plan to use Truthy to detect political smears, astroturfing, misinformation, and other social pollution. While the vast majority of memes arise in a perfectly organic manner, driven by the complex mechanisms of life on the Web, some are engineered by the shady machinery of high-profile congressional campaigns. Truthy uses a sophisticated combination of text and data mining, social network analysis, and complex networks models. To train our algorithms, we leverage crowdsourcing: we rely on users like you to flag injections of forged grass-roots activity. Therefore, click on the Truthy button when you see a suspicious meme.”

More

Riverside Carnival/St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church

Riverside Carnival      

SEPTEMBER 18^TH & 19^TH 6:00 P.M. TO 10:00 P.M.

SEPTEMBER 20^TH 5:00 P.M. TO 10:00 P.M.

Hosted by St. Francis de Sales Parish

LIVE MUSIC EVERY NIGHT

Ø 9/18   SUCH FOOLS  6-8:30/ALEX & SHILOH 8:30-10:30

Ø 9/19   HONEYCOMBS ROCK & ROLL BAND

Ø 9/20   ZACH & FRIENDS/AMP STUDIO CHILDRENS GROUP/FOR THE MOMENT JAZZ

FOOD/BEER GARDEN/OYSTER & CRAB CAKE SANDWICHES/GAMES/RIDES

50/50 RAFFLE LAST YEARS WINNER WON $4,850.00

GET PRE-SALE RIDE TICKETS FOR ONLY $12.00 TO RIDE ALL NIGHT.  ONCE CARNIVAL STARTS TICKETS ARE $20.00 TO RIDE ALL NIGHT. 

GREAT FAMILY ATMOSPHERE

EVERYONE IS WELCOME

CALL 410-742-6443 FOR MORE INFORMATION

Pitch Bus & Entrepreneur of the Year Kickoff

The Pitch Across Maryland Tour’s “Pitch Bus” will be arriving to Salisbury’s downtown on Monday, September 15 from 12-2pm in front of the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce. This is the third year the Pitch Bus will be in the area. Please join us for an afternoon of celebrating entrepreneurship!

The Pitch Tour is a program of Startup Maryland (www.startupmd.org), a regional initiative launched out of the Startup America Partnership. The Pitch Across Maryland 19-day bus tour promotes and celebrates Maryland’s prominence in the area of entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurs climb onto the bus and pitch their idea/business in the mobile UpStart Show™ video studio. Videos are uploaded to YouTube® and then open to public viewing/voting. Last year there were more than 150 pitches. The public can take a tour of the bus and meet competing entrepreneurs.

A Message To Our Viewers

Before everyone heads off for the Holiday Weekend I want to take this opportunity to Thank All of You for an incredible week.

Salisbury News enjoyed the BIGGEST week in our entire history. Heck, yesterday alone brought us 10,000+ more viewers in one day than the biggest day we've ever enjoyed. 

While there are MANY people out there who choose to remain anonymous, we couldn't deliver ALL of the news and information without them. 

Please, be safe this Holiday Weekend and keep the Harris Family in your thoughts and prayers.

The Housing Echo-Bubble Is Popping

There is nothing remotely "normal" about the echo-bubble's rise, and we can anticipate that its deflation will be equally abnormal.

Conventional wisdom on the resurgence of the housing markets takes one of two paths:

1. Housing is not in a bubble, it is merely returning to "normal"

2. Housing is bubbly in some markets, but prices will continue to rise

Here's an alternative view: housing is in an echo-bubble that's popping. Courtesy of the excellent Market Daily Briefing, here are some charts that make the case that the housing echo-bubble was just another Federal Reserve-induced speculative asset bubble that's popping, like every other speculative bubble in recorded history.

More

SFD Calls For Service 8-28-14

• Thursday August, 28 2014 @ 23:13Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
• Thursday August, 28 2014 @ 21:52Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
• Thursday August, 28 2014 @ 21:14 Nature: Vehicle Accident w/InjuriesAddress: 1108 N Division St Salisbury, MD 21801
• Thursday August, 28 2014 @ 20:17Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
• Thursday August, 28 2014 @ 19:28Nature: Assist Fire DepartmentAddress: 715 S Schumaker Dr Salisbury, MD 21801

Instagram Has Fixed A Problem That Goes Back To The Birth Of Photography In The 1800s

Instagram has solved one of photography's biggest problems with its new app, Hyperlapse.

The app lets people take time-lapse photos while they are moving the camera. Normally, time-lapse photography requires that the camera be held still while it takes images of things that are moving. If the camera is moved, it makes the moving images jump and shudder and still images look blurry.

Camera shake is, arguably, photography's oldest problem. It is virtually impossible for a human to hold a camera completely steady. Old cameras dating to the 1800s were dependent on tripods to keep cameras still enough to take pictures, and photographers still use tripods to eliminate the blurring caused by a wobbly camera. Video-camera operators also tend to favor mounting cameras on wheels or pivots rather than carrying them on their shoulders for precisely this reason.

In Hyperlapse, it doesn't matter if the camera moves, because the tech inside the app knits the images together in such a way as to eliminate camera shake.

The principle behind it is brilliant and simple — even though the algorithm that does the work is doubtless incredibly complicated.

More

VA Training Guide Compares Veterans To Oscar The Grouch

Internal materials give impression veterans are dangerous

The already disgraced Department of Veterans Affairs has found a way to make itself even more unpopular with Americans, and particularly with Veterans after depicting them in leaked training materials as Sesame Street’s cantankerous homeless bum Oscar The Grouch.

While the President continues to vow to reform and improve the veterans’ health care system, the VA office in Philadelphia has been forced to issue an embarrassing apology after the internal training guide, titled “What to Say to Oscar the Grouch – Dealing with Veterans During Town Hall Claims Clinics,” was obtained by the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The guide contained an 18-page slide show which compares disgruntled or disaffected Veterans to the grumpy garbage can dwelling green creature.

According to the Inquirer, one slide in the presentation features the word “CRANKY” hanging from Oscar’s garbage can, while a second shows the character alongside the phrase “100% GROUCHY, DEAL WITH IT.”

More

Why Did Josh Shaw Make Up Such an Intricate Lie?

USC football player Josh Shaw has been suspended indefinitely from the team after admitting he made up a story about spraining his ankles while trying to save his nephew from drowning.

The fifth-year senior had been praised as a hero after telling the school he jumped from a second-story apartment Saturday to rescue his 7-year-old nephew.

Skepticism quickly emerged, however, with the school receiving phone calls questioning Shaw’s account.

More

Missing Dog 8-29-14

8 month old Golden Beagle “Man” Missing since last night. Joe Ritter of 28415 Adkins Rd. Salisbury 443-783-5275

Dems’ last ditch hope: Force a shutdown to save the Senate

Can Democrats troll their way to survival in the coming midterm elections? It’s whatMarc Ambinder calls “the last, best hope for Democrats” to save the Senate. The plan calls for broad executive action by President Obama to legalize illegal immigrants to goad Republicans into a similar fight as last year’s failed effort to strip funding from ObamaCare. The next shutdown deadline comes on Sept. 30 and if the president drops his executive action on immigration on schedule (“end of the summer”) it would be just in time to chum the water ahead of votes on a short-term budget measure. Ambinder writes: “Go big on immigration. Wait for the GOP counter-reaction. Quietly pray for the government to get shut down. Use it like a cattle prod to wake voters up just before the midterms.”

[Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., who says he’s been “listening very carefully” in meetings at the White House hinted to Sean Hannity that he believes “over six million undocumented workers” will be granted amnesty by the president.]

Hitting the sweet spot - The president would need to find a sweet spot in which his allies in big business and his liberal base both like the action, but it doesn’t createfurther uproar among Democratic Senate candidates who are taking increasingly harsh lines against Obama’s vaunted “pen power.” Georgia Senate nomineeMichelle Nunn, Alaska Sen. Mark Begich, North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan, Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor and Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu have all raised warnings about executive overreach. It’s not surprising. If Obama goes too far, the voter backlash could be intense. Fashioning the kind of action that can please business, activists and red state Democrats is no easy task, especially since Obama will need some legal defense in order to not have a court toss it out before the plan can even get started.

More

Researcher Says CDC ‘Chose to Cover Up’ Data Linking Autism With Vaccines…but There’s More to the Story

“Too many vaccines too soon.” This mantra is one that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has sought to address in many studies. At this time, it has concluded that there is no increased risk for autism caused by vaccines.

But a recent study that reevaluated some of the CDC’s data from its previous research and the admission of a so-called whistleblower called into question this stance.

Dr. Brian Hooker, who is with the Focus Autism Foundation, an organization dedicated to exposing causes of autism, published a study in the journal Translational Neurodegeneration earlier this month that found African-American boys who received the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella before they were 36 months old were 3.4 times more likely to develop autism. This conclusion was reached after Hooker reviewed data from a 2004 CDC study’s dataset.

More

Reserves

New Home Team Strategy

Obama Fundraisers Create Labor Day Travel Problems in New York

Obama to attend Wall Street fundraiser at home of golf buddy

President Obama is heading back up north for a fundraiser with 250 Wall Street high-rollers shelling out $32,000 a piece to get in the door, according to the New York Post.

The fundraiser is being held at the Purchase, New York, house of Robert Wolf, who just last week was playing golf with Obama in Martha’s Vineyard and has been one of his closest advisers. Wolf has also been one of the biggest bundlers for Obama’s campaigns.

The president’s weekend fundraising plans are causing travel pains for New Yorkers planning on getting out of the city for Labor Day weekend.

President Obama’s plan to schmooze Wall Street honchos at a Westchester fund-raiser Friday is grounding wealthy weekenders who planned to fly to the Hamptons or Nantucket for the Labor Day holiday.

The FAA has issued a no-fly warning that extends for most of Friday and all day Saturday through Sunday, grounding seaplanes to East Hampton, Montauk, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket.

More

Loose Cat Forces Glen Burnie School To Close Early

A Glen Burnie elementary school said it is closing early Friday due to a "building safety" issue.

At around 9 a.m., Richard Henry Lee Elementary School officials said they believe a feral cat is loose in the school.

School officials initially said they would delay opening the doors but eventually decided to close the school for the day at 9:45 a.m. due to the issue.

Officials said they're working with police and Animal Control to capture the animal. Traps will have to be set in the school and there's no word on how long that would take, they explained.

More

Obama ridiculed for wearing a 'used car salesman' suit to discuss crises in Iraq and Ukraine

President Barack Obama took the podium this afternoon to address serious foreign policy issues, including ISIS militants in Iraq, the ongoing civil war in Syria and the crisis in Ukraine - but all anyone could talk about was the commander-in-chief's tan suit.

Within minutes, Twitter lit up with some 4,000 comments about the president's summery sartorial choice.

Some users praised the fashion-forward leader of the free world for his bold selection, while others suggested that the taupe two-piece number, paired with a crisp white shirt and a striped grey tie, was not an appropriate ensemble for the occasion.

More

Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan Writes Chilling Letter to Islamic State Leader

Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan authored a chilling letter to the Islamic State terror group’s leader, asking to be admitted as a “citizen” of the caliphate.

The undated 2-page letter, obtained by Fox News, was addressed to “Ameer, Mujahid Dr. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.”

“I formally and humbly request to be made a citizen of the Islamic State,” Hasan wrote.

More

MIKULSKI, CARDIN ANNOUNCE MORE THAN $780,000 IN ADDITIONAL FEDERAL FUNDING TO PURCHASE LIFE-SAVING FIREFIGHTING EQUIPMENT IN DORCHESTER COUNTY

Federal grant funding follows more than $800,000 for Dorchester County firefighters unveiled earlier this month

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Barbara A. Mikulski and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.)today announced that $787,740 in federal grant funding has been awarded among eight Volunteer Fire Companies in Dorchester County through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. The regional award will be used to purchase life-saving firefighting equipment. The federal grant funding follows more than $800,000 for Dorchester County firefighters unveiled earlier this month.

As the Chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Mikulski fights each year to increase federal funding for the fire grants program. Senator Cardin is a member of the Finance Committee.

“I know how important this funding is to Maryland communities – often it’s the difference between life and death. First responders protect our homes and communities, and the federal government has a responsibility to protect them by providing them with the tools they need to do their jobs safer and smarter,” Senator Mikulski said. “Every day when our first responders report for duty, they don’t know what they will face. That’s why I fight every year for the equipment, training, and staffing our protectors and communities deserve.”

“Our first responders and their families deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowing they have best training and the most reliable equipment. The men and women of Dorchester County’s volunteer firefighting community put their lives on the line every day. Ensuring they are well funded is a matter of national security and the right thing to do,” said Senator Cardin. “Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses are lifesaving pieces of equipment, and I will continue to make sure our first responders have the tools they need to get the job done.”

The eight Volunteer Fire Companies (VFC) receiving this regional award are Rescue Fire Company, Lloyds VFC, Neck District VFC, Church Creek VFC, Madison VFC, Taylors Island VFC, Lakes and Straits VFC, and Hooper’s Island VFC.  The award will be used to purchase new and interoperable Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SBCA) to replace outdated and unsafe equipment. SCBA will enable firefighters to breathe and communicate their positions in smoke-filled environments, keeping them safe and effective in the field. The grant award will be administered by the Rescue Fire Department in Cambridge. For more information, please contact Robert Phillips at 410-228-1670.

This year, Dorchester County Volunteer Fire Departments have received a total of $1,620,130 in regional AFG awards. The funding will bring all 15 volunteer fire departments in the County into compliance with the current National Fire Protection Association standards, and will enhance interoperability and mutual aid response.

AFGP grants fund firefighting equipment, personal protection equipment, training, firefighting vehicles, firefighter/first responder safety projects, and staffing recruitment and retention, as well as public fire safety education.

Since 2001, Maryland fire departments and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) units have received over $143.5 million in fire grant funding, over $2.2 million of which has been awarded to fire departments and EMS units in Dorchester County.

Salisbury Declares Surplus Property

SALISBURY – A few items came before the Salisbury City Council this week to be declared as surplus, including a list of 60 bicycles with the goal to donate a portion while the other will be posted for bid.

According to Assistant Director of Internal Services Jennifer Miller, the City of Salisbury Internal Services Department Procurement Division received a request from the Salisbury Police Department to declare 60 bicycles surplus. All items were found, forfeited or unclaimed and attempts to return items to known owners have been unsuccessful. It is the request of the Salisbury Police Department that items are either sold at auction or donated locally.

Councilwoman Laura Mitchell reminded the public to register bicycles with the police department, so that the bicycle can be returned to the rightful owner when recovered.

The form to register a bicycle can be found on the police department’s website at www.salisburypd.com.

More

Fireworks Sunday At Roaring Point

August 31, 2014, Sunday will be a fireworks display held at Roaring Point Campground in Nanticoke, MD. beginning at 9:00PM. All are welcome to come watch from land or sea. Entertainment by Almost Country will begin at 6:00PM. Food vendors will be available especially "Big Al's seafood".

Chris Hedges: "Our Liberty Has Been Sacrificed On The Altar Of National Security"

The relationship between those who are constantly watched and tracked, and those who watch and track them, is the relationship between masters and slaves.

- Chris Hedges

Below you will find an extremely powerful and inspiring speech by Chris Hedges. The award winning journalist has been ahead of the curve on many issues of national and global importance, including being one of the earliest critics of the Iraq war. Chris has an unshakable moral compass and a passion to match it. He has been a shining light in a sea of darkness and cowardice when it comes to public figures speaking truth to power, including having led the charge to sue the Obama administration on the right to imprison American citizens without trial.

Thank you for all you do, Chris. More

Mississippi taxpayers owe $10,700 apiece for mounting debt

Can anyone spare an extra $10,700 for each Mississippi taxpayer?

In a new “Financial State of the States” report released by the non-partisan fiscal analysis group Truth in Accounting, that’s how much Mississippi taxpayers would each have to contribute to pay off a $7.7 billion budget shortfall.

For those keeping score at home, the state’s debt stacked in one-dollar bills would ascend 522 miles, or more than twice as high as the International Space Station in low-Earth orbit — between 198 and 215 miles above the Earth’s surface.

The state’s finances were rated as the 19th worst among the “sinkhole” states, which have a high taxpayer burden.

More

Sink the Obamacare Bailout

Most Americans oppose tax-funded support for insurance companies that lose money under Obamacare.

When Congress reconvenes on Monday, September 8, Republicans should fire a torpedo directly into the USS Obamacare. It would blast the creaking vessel’s hull well below the waterline and possibly flood the engine room. And for this, a recent survey reveals, Americans of all stripes would cheer wildly.

Republicans must sink the Obamacare bailout. Believe it or not, Obamacare forces taxpayers to help health-insurance companies absorb significant losses that they incur through Obama’s medical scheme. According to the House Government Oversight Committee, this could cost $1 billion this year alone. This outrage — lodged on page 233 of the original 2,409-page Obamacare bill — would be awful enough if these insurers were prosperous, albeit unwitting, victims of Obama’s $2.6 trillion entitlement. Instead, insurance companies helped pile-drive Obamacare down the throats of Americans, a majority of whom opposed this legislation and loathe it more today than yesterday. Hard data now demonstrate that Americans hate the Obamacare bailout — all across the political spectrum.

More

Goodell: I 'Didn't Get It Right' On Ray Rice

Acknowledging he "didn't get it right" with a two-game suspension for Ravens running back Ray Rice, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced tougher penalties for players accused of domestic violence, including six weeks for a first offense and at least a year for a second.

In a letter and memo sent to all 32 teams owners Thursday, and obtained by The Associated Press, Goodell never mentions Rice by name but makes clear references to the Baltimore player who allegedly hit the woman who is now his wife.

Goodell told teams to distribute his memo to all players on their rosters and to post it in locker rooms. It reads in part: "Domestic violence and sexual assault are wrong. They are illegal. They are never acceptable and have no place in the NFL under any circumstances."

More

Desperate Democrats Resort to Scare Tactics

Faced with an increasingly unpopular president and finding themselves on the wrong side of the issues, most especially, immigration, Democrats are reaching back for what amounts to little more than a scare tactic that reeks of desperation that will likely have little to no impact in November.

With growing talk about another potential government shutdown, Democrats this week are launching a new website to remind Republicans about their promises to avoid a similar scenario before Washington lurched to a halt last year.

The website, titled "Shutdown Broken Promises," will highlight statements made by Republicans last year vowing to avoid a government shutdown. The first promise, made by Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.) in August, was followed by her vote against a deal to end the shutdown and raise the debt ceiling just a few months later.

More

Fed Vice Chairman Warns: Your Bank May Seize Your Money to Recapitalize Itself

At the height of the financial crisis in 2008 the U.S. government forced some of the countries largest banks to take “bailout” funds amounting to billions of dollars in order to keep them from going bankrupt. It was a move designed to not only keep too-big-to-fail financial institutions afloat, but one that would inspire confidence and keep American consumers spending. As a result, the last several years have seen stock markets reach record highs with Americans continuing to rack up personal debt for real estate, vehicles, education, and consumer goods as if the financial crisis never happened.

But the purported recovery may not be everything that government officials and influential financial leaders have made it out to be.

Recent comments delivered by Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer suggest that not only are global and domestic economies still struggling, but the U.S. government itself is preparing financial contingency plans in anticipation of another widespread economic event.

However, this time around, according to Fischer, the government won’t be bailing out financial institutions in need of cash. Instead, failing banks will turn directly to their unsecured creditors when they need money. And within this context, that means you.

More

Here’s your ticket out of Common Core

Teaching standards called 'threat to personal liberty'

The Common Core school standards imposed on teachers by Washington bureaucrats have been rejected by multiple states, targeted by lawsuits and criticized as more indoctrination than education.

Now parents are being given a turn to take a whack at the one-size-fits-all program that relegates George Washington to a half a sentence and compares the Declaration of Independence to a high-school romance breakup letter.

The Michigan-based Thomas More Law Center is urging parents to opt their children out of the restrictive regulations and requirements, providing forms to make the process easier.

“The opt-out form is based on the constitutionally recognized fundamental right of parents to direct the education of their children and on federal statutes which were designed to protect student privacy,” said Richard Thompson, the chief counsel for the organization.

More

Ex-Wicomico Employees Seek $3M In Civil Suit

SALISBURY — Two former Wicomico County Board of Education administrators last week filed a civil suit in U.S. District Court seeking $3 million in damages and injunctive relief against their former employer, citing a long pattern of gender and age discrimination and harassment.

Former Wicomico County School Board administrators Stacy Messick and Stephanie Moses were terminated in January 2012 after filing a complaint alleging a pattern of sex and age discrimination and harassment. The suit filed against the Wicomico County Board of Education and Superintendent John Fredericksen is seeking $3 million in compensatory and punitive damages along with back pay and benefits and injunctive relief.

“This is an employment discrimination case brought by former county employees alleging a continuing series of discriminatory conduct against them because of their sex and age,” the complaint reads.

More

Death Valley's Living Stones Caught on Camera

GO HERE to read the story behind this.

Smart Theives!

A few minutes of reading may save you quite a bit of trouble.

NOT ALL THIEVES ARE STUPID

1. LONG-TERM PARKING
Some people left their car in the long-term parking at San Jose while away, and someone broke into the car. Using the information on the car's registration in the glove compartment, they drove the car to the people's home in Pebble Beach and robbed it. So I guess if we are going to leave the car in long-term parking, we should NOT leave the registration/insurance cards in it, nor your remote garage door opener. This gives us something to think about with all our new electronic technology.


2. GPS
Someone had their car broken into while they were at a football game. Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard. When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen. The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish and so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents. Something to consider if you have a GPS - don't put your home address in it... Put a nearby address (like a store or gas station) so you can still find your way home if you need to, but no one else would know where you live if your GPS were stolen.

3. CELL PHONES
I never thought of this....... This lady has now changed her habit of how she lists her names on her cell phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit card, wallet, etc., was stolen. Twenty minutes later when she called her hubby, from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says, "I received your text asking about our Pin number and I've replied a little while ago." When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text "hubby" in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.
Moral of the lesson:
a. Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list. Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc....
b. And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back.
c. Also, when you're being texted by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet "family and friends" who text you.

4. PURSE IN THE GROCERY CART SCAM
A lady went grocery-shopping at a local mall and left her purse sitting in the children's seat of the cart while she reached something off a shelf... Wait till you read the WHOLE story! Her wallet was stolen, and she reported it to the store personnel. After returning home, she received a phone call from the Mall Security to say that they had her wallet and that although there was no money in it, it did still hold her personal papers. She immediately went to pick up her wallet, only to be told by Mall Security that they had not called her. By the time she returned home again, her house had been broken into and burglarized. The thieves knew that by calling and saying they were Mall Security, they could lure her out of her house long enough for them to burglarize it.

10 Secrets to Living to 100

Want to live to be 100? People are living longer, but blowing out 100 candles on a birthday cake is still rare. Today, fewer than TWO out of every 10,000 Americans are 100 years or older. Medical advances continue to increase life expectancies, but to increase your odds of becoming a centenarian, you need to start taking care of your body — now. The changes you make today increase your odds of living to be 100.

Your program to a longer, healthier life has many components, and doesn't depend on just one or two elements. "Life is like a huge puzzle with an infinite number of pieces," says Dr. Erika Schwartz, chief medical officer at the Age Management Institute in New York City. "The steps aren't extreme and shouldn't be intimidating. No single thing will either make you or break you.

More

Professor Bans College Students From Saying ‘Bless You’ In Class

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (CBS Atlanta) – One professor at the College of Coastal Georgia has banned students from saying “bless you” in his class.

Campus Reform reports that Dr. Leon Gardner, assistant professor of chemistry at the College of Coastal Georgia, pointed out his six rules on behavior on his Introductory Physics class syllabus.

According to the #6 under the “Behavioral Deduction” section of the syllabus, students’ grades will be lowered for: “Saying ‘bless you.’ We are taught that it is polite to say ‘bless you’ when someone sneezes. However, if you say this while I am talking, it is NOT polite, it is very rude!”

Gardener states that a student may be deducted up to 15 percent of their final grade for any student that disrupts his class. He goes on to say in the syllabus that saying “bless you” may result in an immediate 1 percent grade deduction for each occurrence.

More

New (More than Fitting) Grand Opening at the DC Mall

Rare B-17 comes to Baltimore for flights, ground tours this weekend

Rare B-17 comes to Baltimore for flights, ground tours this weekend

GO HERE to learn more.

MARYLAND FOOD BANK, STATE POLICE AND DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION JOIN FORCES FOR HUNGER ACTION MONTH 2014

Charm City Run, Giant Food, and the Baltimore Ravens will also join the month-long effort to encourage Marylanders to “Be a Voice” to end hunger

BALTIMORE, MD – Despite a recovering economy, demand for food assistance continues to grow among working families in suburban and rural areas across the state of Maryland, according to the recent Hunger in America 2014 report from Feeding America.

With these statistics in mind, the Maryland Food Bank will join forces with the Maryland State Police, the Department of Transportation, and other law enforcement agencies to kick off Hunger Action Month 2014 on Wednesday, September 3. Throughout the month, Marylanders will have the opportunity to donate nonperishable items at police barracks and select Department of Transportation offices across the state, in addition to using the food bank’s new virtual food drive platform at https://fooddrive.mdfoodbank.org.

This kickoff event will mark the beginning of a month of activities designed to raise public awareness of hunger while inspiring unified activism, with additional Maryland institutions including Charm City Run, Giant Food and the Baltimore Ravens all getting involved. The centerpiece of Hunger Action Month is the food bank’s Be a Voice Campaign, an interactive, online multimedia collaboration urging Marylanders to use their voices to share stories, volunteer, and donate food and funds, all in an effort to help end hunger.

What:
Hunger Action Month Kick-Off Press Conference

When:
Wednesday, September 3, 2014 - 10:00 a.m.

Where:
Maryland Food Bank - 2200 Halethorpe Farms Road, Baltimore, MD 21227
* Please note: Halethorpe Farms Road is temporarily closed. Use Hollins Ferry Road as an alternate route to reach the Food Bank.

Who:
Deborah Flateman, President & CEO, Maryland Food Bank
Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent, Maryland State Police
Melinda B. Peters, Administrator, State Highway Administration

Visuals: Speakers and guests will fill out “speech bubbles” expressing in their own words why ending hunger is important to them. Backdrop will include the Maryland Food Bank warehouse and operations.

The Welfare State

How long can a shrinking number of taxpayers support a growing number of beneficiaries?

One hundred ten million! That’s how many Americans now live in households that receive some form of means-tested welfare benefit from the federal government. According to a report from the Census Bureau released last week, that’s the highest absolute number in American history, and it represents 35.4 percent of the American population. Think about it — more than one out of every three Americans live in households that are now on welfare. Looked at another way, America’s welfare state now has nearly three times the population of the largest actual state.

Because many of these households include more than one person, the number of individual households is smaller, but still a record – roughly 33.5 million, more than a quarter of the country’s households. Worse, 10.5 million households receive benefits from three or more separate programs.

While liberals would undoubtedly like to blame this on the bad economy, the welfare rolls have actually grown by nearly 4 million households since the end of the recession. Welfare is rising even as unemployment declines.

On the other hand, the growing welfare caseload cannot be blamed solely on President Obama. True, the number of people on welfare has increased by 12.5 million since he took office. But welfare also increased during the Bush administration: The proportion of households receiving SNAP (food stamps), TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families), or SSI (Supplemental Security Income for the disabled) increased 36 percent during his presidency.

More