DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Monday, December 08, 2014
Why Gasoline Prices Are Down — And How to Keep It That Way
If you’re like most Americans, you haven’t been questioning the welcome drop in gasoline prices. You just fill ’er up and feel grateful that you’re spending less.
But why has this remarkable drop come about? And what can we do to help keep prices lower?
Some of it, unfortunately, is beyond our control. Worldwide demand for oil is down now. That always causes the cost of gasoline to drop.
But the other side of the equation -- the part that is under our control -- has gone largely unheralded in many media accounts: the boom in U.S. energy production. Simply put, we’re producing much more energy domestically these days, and that is, predictably enough, pushing prices downward.
Since 2008, we’ve increased our domestic supply of oil by 50 percent. Thanks to technological breakthroughs such as hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) and horizontal drilling, we’re able to find and extract far more oil than we possibly could have years ago.
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But why has this remarkable drop come about? And what can we do to help keep prices lower?
Some of it, unfortunately, is beyond our control. Worldwide demand for oil is down now. That always causes the cost of gasoline to drop.
But the other side of the equation -- the part that is under our control -- has gone largely unheralded in many media accounts: the boom in U.S. energy production. Simply put, we’re producing much more energy domestically these days, and that is, predictably enough, pushing prices downward.
Since 2008, we’ve increased our domestic supply of oil by 50 percent. Thanks to technological breakthroughs such as hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) and horizontal drilling, we’re able to find and extract far more oil than we possibly could have years ago.
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Pharrell and 'Frozen' Top iTunes' Year-End List, Beyonce Named Best Artist
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Frozen is the top-selling movie and the third season of HBO's Game of Thrones is the top TV show.
pple also released its own editorial list, naming Beyonce best artist, Swift's 1989top album and Iggy Azalea's "Fancy" collab with Charli XCX as best song of the year. Not surprisingly, breakout singer Sam Smith was named best new artist.
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USA Today is calling it quits on its weekend magazine, Layoffs Expected
USA Today is calling it quits on its weekend magazine, USA Today president and publisher Larry Kramer announced in a memo to staffers Friday. USA Weekend, which is currently the nation's second-largest news magazine, will print its final issue on Dec. 28.
The closure will reportedly result in approximately 30 layoffs for staffers, though the exact number is not yet confirmed.
The company underwent significant layoffs in September, cutting some 70 jobsfollowing news that the paper's owner, Gannett, would spin off and separate its publishing business from its broadcasting and digital entity. In 2011, the company underwent an even greater overhaul, cutting about 9 percent of employees, in an effort to focus on its digital strategy.
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The closure will reportedly result in approximately 30 layoffs for staffers, though the exact number is not yet confirmed.
The company underwent significant layoffs in September, cutting some 70 jobsfollowing news that the paper's owner, Gannett, would spin off and separate its publishing business from its broadcasting and digital entity. In 2011, the company underwent an even greater overhaul, cutting about 9 percent of employees, in an effort to focus on its digital strategy.
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Eric Garner’s widow denies race was chokehold motive
The chokehold death of Eric Garner in NYPD custody wasn’t “a black-and-white thing,” his widow said Sunday — a stunning admission that breaks sharply from lawmakers and protesters who have seized on the racial aspect of the case.
Esaw Snipes said she believed her husband was “murdered unjustly,” but said skin color wasn’t a factor behind his fatal arrest for allegedly selling loose cigarettes on Staten Island last summer.
The statement flies in the face of demands by Snipes and others — including the Rev. Al Sharpton — for the civil rights investigation announced by US Attorney General Eric Holder last week.
“I don’t even feel like it’s a black-and-white thing, honestly, you know, in my opinion,” Snipes told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“I really don’t feel like it’s a black-and-white thing. I feel like it’s just something that he continued to do and the police knew. You know, they knew.”
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Esaw Snipes said she believed her husband was “murdered unjustly,” but said skin color wasn’t a factor behind his fatal arrest for allegedly selling loose cigarettes on Staten Island last summer.
The statement flies in the face of demands by Snipes and others — including the Rev. Al Sharpton — for the civil rights investigation announced by US Attorney General Eric Holder last week.
“I don’t even feel like it’s a black-and-white thing, honestly, you know, in my opinion,” Snipes told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“I really don’t feel like it’s a black-and-white thing. I feel like it’s just something that he continued to do and the police knew. You know, they knew.”
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Quiz: So You Think You Know Christmas Carol Lyrics?
Take the quiz HERE
More Jobs Created, But Not All Jobs are Equal
The economy may be creating more jobs; but not enough of the kinds of jobs that make ends meet. Here's a look at one Texas city where salaries are not keeping up.
WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- In Waxahachie, Texas, at her small roadside food stand, 47-year-old Kathy Jones told me she's been struggling for five years to raise herself above minimum wage.
Her high school education only got her fast food jobs. So now she works seven days a week at the food stand just to break even.
"Just doing the best I can right now to just let it stay afloat," she said. "Pretty much what I make, I put it right back out."
Restaurant owner Jonathan Evola pays his kitchen help up to $13 an hour, nearly twice the minimum wage in Texas but he can't keep pace with the cost of living, up 11 percent since 2008.
"My employees need more than what I'm even able to give them to pay their current bills," Evola said. "And I pay above average for what most of my industry people get paid."
"We are seeing a recovery, there are jobs out there," City Manager Paul Stevens told me.
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WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- In Waxahachie, Texas, at her small roadside food stand, 47-year-old Kathy Jones told me she's been struggling for five years to raise herself above minimum wage.
Her high school education only got her fast food jobs. So now she works seven days a week at the food stand just to break even.
"Just doing the best I can right now to just let it stay afloat," she said. "Pretty much what I make, I put it right back out."
Restaurant owner Jonathan Evola pays his kitchen help up to $13 an hour, nearly twice the minimum wage in Texas but he can't keep pace with the cost of living, up 11 percent since 2008.
"My employees need more than what I'm even able to give them to pay their current bills," Evola said. "And I pay above average for what most of my industry people get paid."
"We are seeing a recovery, there are jobs out there," City Manager Paul Stevens told me.
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TEMPORARY SERVICE INTERRUPTION SCHEDULED IN WORCESTER COUNTY, MD
BERLIN, Md. – Weather permitting, Delmarva Power plans to do transmission line work in Worcester County, Md., that will necessitate a power outage from midnight to 4 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13 to approximately 4,500 electric customers served by the Town of Berlin.
Delmarva Power chose the overnight hours for the service interruption in order to minimize the impact to residents of Berlin.
“Our rebuild of a more than 50 year old transmission line between Berlin and Ocean City is designed to improve electric service reliability in Worcester County,” said John Allen, Delmarva Power region vice president. “We will make every effort to keep the outage as brief as possible. We also apologize for any inconvenience while this work takes place and thank the public for their patience and understanding.”For more information about Delmarva Power, visit www.delmarva.com. Follow us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/delmarvapower and Twitter at www.twitter.com/delmarvaconnect. Our mobile app is available at www.delmarva.com/mobileapp.
Delmarva Power chose the overnight hours for the service interruption in order to minimize the impact to residents of Berlin.
“Our rebuild of a more than 50 year old transmission line between Berlin and Ocean City is designed to improve electric service reliability in Worcester County,” said John Allen, Delmarva Power region vice president. “We will make every effort to keep the outage as brief as possible. We also apologize for any inconvenience while this work takes place and thank the public for their patience and understanding.”For more information about Delmarva Power, visit www.delmarva.com. Follow us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/delmarvapower and Twitter at www.twitter.com/delmarvaconnect. Our mobile app is available at www.delmarva.com/mobileapp.
Phony Navy SEAL faces felony gun charges related to military-training program
A convicted felon is reportedly facing gun charges in Nevada after setting up a military-style training school and a security firm on the strength of a long-running and widely disseminated lie that he was a decorated Navy SEAL.
ABC News reports A.J. Dicken, 57, parlayed such lies into nearly a million dollars in financial backing from unsuspecting investors, as well as untallied sums allegedly swindled from the people who went to his Carson City school.
"He can be very charming, very engaging," Dr. Brian Romaneschi, one of Dicken’s principal investors, told ABC News after learning the truth. "He presents a face that kind of draws you in."
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ABC News reports A.J. Dicken, 57, parlayed such lies into nearly a million dollars in financial backing from unsuspecting investors, as well as untallied sums allegedly swindled from the people who went to his Carson City school.
"He can be very charming, very engaging," Dr. Brian Romaneschi, one of Dicken’s principal investors, told ABC News after learning the truth. "He presents a face that kind of draws you in."
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Government Tells Americans To Stop Eating Cookie Dough
“Avoid raw or partially cooked eggs or foods containing raw eggs, such as cookie dough,” USDA advised in an email over the weekend.
Carrying out that simple 15-word recommendation would radically change millions of lives, from families who routinely bake cookies and invite the kids to scoop batter out of the bowl, to people who scarf down pre-packaged cookie dough, to everyone who eats cookie dough found in ice cream.
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Study: California Drought Worst in 1200 Years
This week's statewide rains have made little impact in relieving California's extreme drought. In fact, according to a new scientific study, this drought is the worst that California has experienced in 1200 years. Researchers studying tree rings concluded that "the current event is the most severe drought in the last 1200 years, with single year (2014) and accumulated moisture deficits worse than any previous continuous span of dry years."
The study, published as a research letter in the journal of the American Geophysical Union, was written by Daniel Griffin of the University of Minnesota and Kevin J Anchukaitis of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. By measuring tree rings from nearly 300 blue oaks, and comparing those measurements with data from older trees such as giant sequoias, scientists were able to generate estimates of rainfall for centuries.
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The study, published as a research letter in the journal of the American Geophysical Union, was written by Daniel Griffin of the University of Minnesota and Kevin J Anchukaitis of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. By measuring tree rings from nearly 300 blue oaks, and comparing those measurements with data from older trees such as giant sequoias, scientists were able to generate estimates of rainfall for centuries.
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Immigration Activist Suggests Race May Be Why GOP Opposes Obama Executive Action — Then It Was Trey Gowdy’s Turn
Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) interrogated Marielena Hincapie, the executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, during a Tuesday House hearing on President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration reform after she seemingly suggested race may be the basis behind the GOP’s opposition to the unilateral action.
“I could’ve sworn in response to a question you received… you suggested race is the basis for why we may have this constitutional perspective,” Gowdy said to Hincapie. “Did I understand you correctly?”
“I believe I was responding to the question about, is there an explanation about why…” Hincapie began before being cut off.
“Well let me offer another explanation to you, OK? Not a single Republican who is here right now has ever served under a Republican president — not one. So I hope I do live long enough to hold a Republican president to the exact same standard that I am holding this one. But for you to run to race as the explanation for why we hold the position that we do.”
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“I could’ve sworn in response to a question you received… you suggested race is the basis for why we may have this constitutional perspective,” Gowdy said to Hincapie. “Did I understand you correctly?”
“I believe I was responding to the question about, is there an explanation about why…” Hincapie began before being cut off.
“Well let me offer another explanation to you, OK? Not a single Republican who is here right now has ever served under a Republican president — not one. So I hope I do live long enough to hold a Republican president to the exact same standard that I am holding this one. But for you to run to race as the explanation for why we hold the position that we do.”
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Martin O’Malley, Long-Shot Presidential Hopeful, Is A Real Climate Hawk
In January, O’Malley will leave office after eight years because term limits prevented him from running for a third term. He will likely run for president in 2016, despite low name recognition and a lack of classic charisma. But whatever his seeming political deficits, he has won a steady stream of elections, made tangible progress in governing, and earned respect from progressives, including climate hawks.
When he walks in — no jacket, sleeves rolled up to his forearms — to the annual ClimateStat meeting at the Maryland State House in late October, where agency heads report on their progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, he amps up the dry proceedings with rapid-fire questions and his enthusiasm for the nitty-gritty of policy. “That’s awesome! That’s a good use of GIS [geographic information system],” he exclaims over a map of tree coverage on the projector. (O’Malley likes data visualization; he later observes, “People under 40 communicate in charts and graphs.”)
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A Mother And Her Two Young Children Among Six People Dead After A Plane Crashed In Gaithersburg
Montgomery County Fire chief Steven Lohr said all three people on-board the plane were killed in the 10:45 a.m. crash. The plane was ripped to shreds following impact, ABC7's Brad Bell observed at the scene.
ABC7 News confirmed that Michael J. Rosenberg, the CEO of North Carolina-based Health Decisions, was among the three fatalities on the plane. He was described as "an experienced pilot."
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Only Yesterday—-How The Federal Debt Went From $1 Trillion To $18 Trillion in 33 Years
In the great fiscal scheme of things, October 22, 1981 seems like only yesterday. That’s the day the US public debt crossed the $1 trillion mark for the first time. It had taken the nation 74,984 days to get there (205 years). What prompts this reflection is that just a few days ago the national debt breached the $18 trillion mark; and the last trillion was added in hardly 365 days.
I remember October 1981 perhaps better than most because as the nation’s budget director at the time I had some splain’ to do. Ronald Reagan had waged the most stridently anti-deficit campaign since 1932 when, ironically, FDR promised a balanced budget while denouncing Herbert Hoover as a “spendthrift”. Likewise, Gov. Reagan had denounced Jimmy Carter’s red ink and promised a balanced budget by 1983.
But as 1981 unfolded and the US treasury borrowed large sums each day to fund what we were pleased to call Jimmy Carter’s “inherited deficits”, the trillion dollar national debt threshold rushed upon us. And, in truth, it came far more rapidly than had been anticipated because by the fall of 1981, the Reagan White House had enacted the largest tax reduction in American history. On top of that, it had also green-lighted a huge defense build-up, yet, as we liked to rationalize at the time, had made little more than a “down payment” on sweeping reforms of domestic spending and entitlements.
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I remember October 1981 perhaps better than most because as the nation’s budget director at the time I had some splain’ to do. Ronald Reagan had waged the most stridently anti-deficit campaign since 1932 when, ironically, FDR promised a balanced budget while denouncing Herbert Hoover as a “spendthrift”. Likewise, Gov. Reagan had denounced Jimmy Carter’s red ink and promised a balanced budget by 1983.
But as 1981 unfolded and the US treasury borrowed large sums each day to fund what we were pleased to call Jimmy Carter’s “inherited deficits”, the trillion dollar national debt threshold rushed upon us. And, in truth, it came far more rapidly than had been anticipated because by the fall of 1981, the Reagan White House had enacted the largest tax reduction in American history. On top of that, it had also green-lighted a huge defense build-up, yet, as we liked to rationalize at the time, had made little more than a “down payment” on sweeping reforms of domestic spending and entitlements.
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Lost Dog 12-8-14: UPDATE
Obama: Racism 'Deeply Rooted In Our Society'
President Obama will sit down with BET Networks to discuss calls for criminal justice reform after two controversial grand jury decisions cleared white officers in the death of black men.
In a special segment, "BET News Presents: A Conversation with President Barack Obama," the president will help find meaningful solutions to unrest after the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner sparked nationwide protests.
"This isn't going to be solved overnight," Obama said in an excerpt of the interview to air Dec. 8 at 6 p.m.
The interview, hosted by BET host and TV journalist Jeff Johnson, marks the president's first network discussion outlining his strategy to investigate the incidents and ways the country can unify during this time.
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In a special segment, "BET News Presents: A Conversation with President Barack Obama," the president will help find meaningful solutions to unrest after the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner sparked nationwide protests.
"This isn't going to be solved overnight," Obama said in an excerpt of the interview to air Dec. 8 at 6 p.m.
The interview, hosted by BET host and TV journalist Jeff Johnson, marks the president's first network discussion outlining his strategy to investigate the incidents and ways the country can unify during this time.
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WCSO Press Releases Dec. 8, 2014
Sudler, RaseanIncident: CDS Possession
Date of Incident: 5 December 2014
Location: West Road, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Rasean Tyrone Sudler, 32, Seaford, DE
Narrative: On 5 December 2014 at 12:40 PM a deputy stopped a driver for operating a motor vehicle with a suspended registration. Upon making contact with the driver, Rasean Sudler, the deputy observed that indicators that Sudler was involved in illicit activity which led to the request for a WCSO Drug K9 scan of the vehicle, during which the K9 alerted to the presence of the odor of illegal drugs. During a subsequent search the deputy located what was recognized as cocaine. Also located were loose pills that the deputy identified as narcotics that Sudler was in possession of without a prescription.
The deputy placed Sudler under arrest and transported him to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Sudler in the Detention Center in lieu of $4,000.00 bond.
Charges: Possession of CDS and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Kellam, KareshaIncident: WCSO Activity 6 December 2014
Location: Wicomico County
On 6 December 2014 a deputy arrested Karesha Nicole Kellam, 30 of Salisbury, on a District Court Bench Warrant. The warrant was issued after Kellam failed to appear for a Driving Suspended case. Kellam was detained on a bond of $1,000.00 in this case.
Jackson, ShawnIncident: WCSO Activity 6 December 2014
Location: Wicomico County
On 6 December 2014 a deputy arrested Shawn Lamont Jackson, 36 of Salisbury, on a District Court Bench Warrant. The warrant was issued after Jackson violated the terms of his probation in an Assault 2nd Degree and Resisting Arrest case. Jackson was detained on a bond of $50,000.00 in the Detention Center.
Lowe, DavidIncident: WCSO Activity 5 December 2014
Location: Wicomico County
On 5 December 2014 a deputy arrested David Wayne Lowe, 36 of Mardela Springs, on a District Court Bench Warrant. The warrant was issued after Lowe violated the terms of his probation in a CDS Case. Lowe was detained on a bond of $5,000.00in the Detention Center.
Fitzgerald, MichaelIncident: WCSO Activity 5 December 2014
Location: Wicomico County
On 5 December 2014 a deputy arrested Michael Fitzgerald, 33 of Lewes, DE, on a District Court Bench Warrant. The warrant was issued after Fitzgerald failed to appear for a case where he had been charged with Acting as a Contractor Without a License, CDS Possession and Theft. Fitzgerald was released on unsecured bond.
Incident: WCSO Activity 5 December 2014
Location: Wicomico County
On 5 December 2014 a deputy arrested Justin Christopher Bryant, 24 of Salisbury,on a Circuit Court Bench Warrant. The warrant was issued after Bryant violated the terms of his probation in an Armed Robbery case. Bryant was detained in the Detention Center without bond.
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Releasing Authority: Lt. Tim Robinson Date: 8 Dec 2014
Rolling Stone sorry for UVA rape story: ‘Our trust was misplaced’
It was a shocking tale of drunken gang rape at a University of Virginia frat party — and it sparked a national firestorm over rampant sexual violence on campus and indifference to the victims.
But on Friday, Rolling Stone’s sensational story about the assault on the young woman it identified as “Jackie” fell apart, with the magazine’s editor admitting that her explosive charges may not be true.
“In the face of new information, there now appear to be discrepancies in Jackie’s account, and we have come to the conclusion that our trust in her was misplaced,” editor Will Dana wrote, apologizing for the story published last month.
“Jackie” claimed that she was raped at a September 2012 pledge party and that the ringleader worked at the university’s pool — but the fraternity said those claims could not be true.
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But on Friday, Rolling Stone’s sensational story about the assault on the young woman it identified as “Jackie” fell apart, with the magazine’s editor admitting that her explosive charges may not be true.
“In the face of new information, there now appear to be discrepancies in Jackie’s account, and we have come to the conclusion that our trust in her was misplaced,” editor Will Dana wrote, apologizing for the story published last month.
“Jackie” claimed that she was raped at a September 2012 pledge party and that the ringleader worked at the university’s pool — but the fraternity said those claims could not be true.
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Black Singer Attacked by Paranoid, Racist Libs for Singing this Christmas Song
The Christmas season is upon us. Cities around the country have held their Christmas tree lighting ceremonies. These joyous occasions, however, have been disrupted by Ferguson protesters who have antagonized, bullied, booed, and surrounded chanting loudly. But, what should expect from a group of people whose political party booed God.
But, these Christmas bashing progressives have taken their hate-filled paranoia to a new level with their attacks against country singer Darius Rucker, who happens to be black. What did Rucker do that drew the hate of the liberals? He sang White Christmas at Rockefeller Center in New York City.
Liberals immediately took to Twitter to display their idiocy and attack Rucker.
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Look into my eyes
Incredible moment thief appears to HYPNOTISE shopkeeper before rifling through his pockets while he is in a trance
This footage shows the incredible moment a thief appears to hypnotise a shopkeeper before rifling through his pockets while he is in a trance.
The man, who is believed to be Eastern European, walked into the shop in Highgate, north London, and claimed his wife was pregnant and needed water.
He can be seen touching shopkeeper, Aftab Haider, on the stomach to demonstrate his wife's baby bump, before the man falls into what appears to be a trance-like state.
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This footage shows the incredible moment a thief appears to hypnotise a shopkeeper before rifling through his pockets while he is in a trance.
The man, who is believed to be Eastern European, walked into the shop in Highgate, north London, and claimed his wife was pregnant and needed water.
He can be seen touching shopkeeper, Aftab Haider, on the stomach to demonstrate his wife's baby bump, before the man falls into what appears to be a trance-like state.
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Woman arrested for U.S. mother's Abu Dhabi mall murder
Woman arrested for U.S. mother's Abu Dhabi mall murder in dramatic raid on home packed with explosives after she 'planted a bomb outside American doctor's apartment' in dual terror attack
A woman suspected of stabbing an American teacher to death in an upscale Abu Dhabi mall has been arrested during a dramatic night-time raid.
The 'face covered' suspect is an Emirati national in her late 30s, said Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed al Nahyan, the minister of the interior for the United Arab Emirates, at a press conference on Thursday. Her name was not released.
The woman was wearing a burka when she allegedly stabbed 47-year-old mother-of-two Ibolya Ryan, who once lived in Colorado, in a mall restroom on Reem Island on Monday.
An hour after the stabbing, the suspect then planted a home-made bomb outside the house of a Muslim Egyptian-American doctor, Sheikh Saif said. But the device, which was made of small gas cylinders, a lighter, glue and nails, was successfully dismantled after one of the man's sons found it.
Sheikh Saif added that the woman targeted her victims based solely on their nationality and did not know either of them. He said she 'aimed to create chaos, shake the security in the country and terrorize people in the UAE' - although investigations are still continuing into her exact motive.
UAE police have also told ABC News that the suspect was 'not lone wolf' and her house was 'a base of operations'.
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A woman suspected of stabbing an American teacher to death in an upscale Abu Dhabi mall has been arrested during a dramatic night-time raid.
The 'face covered' suspect is an Emirati national in her late 30s, said Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed al Nahyan, the minister of the interior for the United Arab Emirates, at a press conference on Thursday. Her name was not released.
The woman was wearing a burka when she allegedly stabbed 47-year-old mother-of-two Ibolya Ryan, who once lived in Colorado, in a mall restroom on Reem Island on Monday.
An hour after the stabbing, the suspect then planted a home-made bomb outside the house of a Muslim Egyptian-American doctor, Sheikh Saif said. But the device, which was made of small gas cylinders, a lighter, glue and nails, was successfully dismantled after one of the man's sons found it.
Sheikh Saif added that the woman targeted her victims based solely on their nationality and did not know either of them. He said she 'aimed to create chaos, shake the security in the country and terrorize people in the UAE' - although investigations are still continuing into her exact motive.
UAE police have also told ABC News that the suspect was 'not lone wolf' and her house was 'a base of operations'.
More
SFD Calls For Service 12-7-14
- Sunday December, 7 2014 @ 22:18Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Sunday December, 7 2014 @ 20:36Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Sunday December, 7 2014 @ 18:23Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Sunday December, 7 2014 @ 18:07Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Sunday December, 7 2014 @ 17:23Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
Uncovering Obama’s IRS Enemies List
More proof has emerged that President Obama is using the IRS as a weapon against his perceived enemies as the administration abruptly canceled the release of 2,500 damning documents reportedly showing that the IRS illegally shared taxpayer files with the White House.
The existence of the documents is yet more proof that Obama maintains an extensive enemies’ list and that he treats the IRS as his personal plaything while he closely collaborates with senior IRS officials who have practically taken up residence with him in the White House. To Obama, the IRS is an instrument of political repression and taxpayer terror. Although it isn’t exactly breaking news that Obama is doing Machiavellian things with the IRS that the nearly-impeached President Nixon only fantasized about doing, hard documentary evidence of wrongdoing has been slow in coming.
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The existence of the documents is yet more proof that Obama maintains an extensive enemies’ list and that he treats the IRS as his personal plaything while he closely collaborates with senior IRS officials who have practically taken up residence with him in the White House. To Obama, the IRS is an instrument of political repression and taxpayer terror. Although it isn’t exactly breaking news that Obama is doing Machiavellian things with the IRS that the nearly-impeached President Nixon only fantasized about doing, hard documentary evidence of wrongdoing has been slow in coming.
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US Soldiers Raped, Pillaged, and Plundered
November and December of this year mark the 150th anniversary of General William Tecumseh Sherman’s famous “march to the sea” at the end of the War to Prevent Southern Independence. The Lincoln cult – especially its hyper-warmongering neocon branch – has been holding conferences, celebrations, and commemorations while continuing to rewrite history to suit its statist biases. Business as usual, in other words. But they are not the only ones writing about the event. Historian Karen Stokes has published South Carolina Civilians in Sherman’s Path: Stories of Courage Amid Civil War Destruction that contains a great deal of very telling information about Sherman’s motivation in waging total war on the civilianpopulation of South Carolina.
Stokes begins by quoting a letter that Sherman wrote to General Henry Halleck shortly before invading all-but-defenseless South Carolina: “[T]he whole army is burning with an insatiable desire to wreak vengeance upon South Carolina.” In another message a few weeks later, Sherman reiterated to Halleck that “The whole army is crazy to be turned loose in [South] Carolina.”
A New York newspaperman who was “embedded” with Sherman’s army (to use a contemporary term) wrote that “There can be no denial of the assertion that the feeling among the troops was one of extreme bitterness towards the people of the State of South Carolina.” ThePhiladelphia Inquirer cheered on as Sherman’s army raped, pillaged, burned, and plundered through the state, calling South Carolina “that accursed hotbed of treason.”
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Stokes begins by quoting a letter that Sherman wrote to General Henry Halleck shortly before invading all-but-defenseless South Carolina: “[T]he whole army is burning with an insatiable desire to wreak vengeance upon South Carolina.” In another message a few weeks later, Sherman reiterated to Halleck that “The whole army is crazy to be turned loose in [South] Carolina.”
A New York newspaperman who was “embedded” with Sherman’s army (to use a contemporary term) wrote that “There can be no denial of the assertion that the feeling among the troops was one of extreme bitterness towards the people of the State of South Carolina.” ThePhiladelphia Inquirer cheered on as Sherman’s army raped, pillaged, burned, and plundered through the state, calling South Carolina “that accursed hotbed of treason.”
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BREAKING NEWS: At least 3 dead as plane crashes into Gaithersburg house
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue officials said at least three people on the plane were killed in the crash.
Fire officials said several other homes were damaged as fire from the crash site spread; they were unsure whether anyone was in the homes at the time of the crash at 10:45 a.m.
Neighbors told ABC7 News that a family of five lives in the house with the heaviest damage; they have three small children, the youngest is 7-weeks-old.
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Private Volunteers Defended Businesses in Ferguson
As I’ve said before, if there is one thing the Obama Administration can be counted on to do in a crisis, it is to play politics with it. Not solve it, not address it, but use it to further an agenda. The Obama Administration continues to play politics with the Ferguson Affair. If only Ferguson was actually called “Francois” , then it could be called “The Francois Affair” and have a lot more panache. It’d almost sound like a spy movie. But Ferguson is much worse than a mere political volleyball, however. The law has just been demonstrated to be a money-making venture for the government and not a code that serves all people equally.
The government is in a lather because a so-called “right wing Christian militia” defended businesses during and after the Ferguson riots. The government was too busy defending the government to bother with defending homes and businesses, so a citizen militia called the Oath Keepers stepped up and did it. Also, many business owners stood armed guard outside their businesses themselves when they saw the police would not defend their businesses. We now know that the government ordered police in Ferguson to “stand down”, thus making it open season on businesses in the area. Yet the same government is surprised when citizens defend their businesses? The sad part is people pay taxes for the police that were allegedly there to protect property and lives. But now we know those police can be ordered by the government not to do so. What, then, is the return-on-investment to the taxpayer for the legalized protection racket the government extorts money for through taxes? Truthfully, people would have been better off keeping the tax dollars obviously wasted on police and contracting with a private armed security firm or purchasing their own firearms and doing the job themselves. Like the saying goes, if you want a job done right, you’ve got to do it yourself. They would have been better off forming their own militia, or accepting the free services of an existing one. Such as the Oath Keepers. But this is what the government fears most: Becoming irrelevant to the job they say they are best suited to provide.
You can have hundreds of armed police and National Guard on hand, as was the case in Ferguson. But they rely on orders from above to act. If the government, for one reason or another, orders them not to interfere with looters and arsonists, they are useless. You could have ten thousand police officers sitting there on the streets and if they’re ordered to look the other way, you might as well just have a regiment of circus clowns to police the area. Not that there’s necessarily any difference between the two, to be certain. Looters know that. They know that if the police haven’t stopped them so far, the police are being told to keep “hands off”, thus, police cannot act at all until ordered to do so. But something else looters know is that armed citizens are not hamstrung by bureaucrats and official policies written by career tax feeders who can write policy but cannot so much as understand the recipe for boiled water. The police won’t open fire with live ammunition, but business owners will. That’s what makes them effective in protecting their own property. Police might use “non-lethal ammunition”, but business owners won’t. It’s far easier, as a private citizen, to obtain 00 buckshot than beanbag rounds. About as “less lethal” as you’re going to get with a business owner is birdshot. And no looter wants to spend the night having birdshot extracted from his buttocks, one by one, with only 42 more pellets to go after the first painful extraction.
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The government is in a lather because a so-called “right wing Christian militia” defended businesses during and after the Ferguson riots. The government was too busy defending the government to bother with defending homes and businesses, so a citizen militia called the Oath Keepers stepped up and did it. Also, many business owners stood armed guard outside their businesses themselves when they saw the police would not defend their businesses. We now know that the government ordered police in Ferguson to “stand down”, thus making it open season on businesses in the area. Yet the same government is surprised when citizens defend their businesses? The sad part is people pay taxes for the police that were allegedly there to protect property and lives. But now we know those police can be ordered by the government not to do so. What, then, is the return-on-investment to the taxpayer for the legalized protection racket the government extorts money for through taxes? Truthfully, people would have been better off keeping the tax dollars obviously wasted on police and contracting with a private armed security firm or purchasing their own firearms and doing the job themselves. Like the saying goes, if you want a job done right, you’ve got to do it yourself. They would have been better off forming their own militia, or accepting the free services of an existing one. Such as the Oath Keepers. But this is what the government fears most: Becoming irrelevant to the job they say they are best suited to provide.
You can have hundreds of armed police and National Guard on hand, as was the case in Ferguson. But they rely on orders from above to act. If the government, for one reason or another, orders them not to interfere with looters and arsonists, they are useless. You could have ten thousand police officers sitting there on the streets and if they’re ordered to look the other way, you might as well just have a regiment of circus clowns to police the area. Not that there’s necessarily any difference between the two, to be certain. Looters know that. They know that if the police haven’t stopped them so far, the police are being told to keep “hands off”, thus, police cannot act at all until ordered to do so. But something else looters know is that armed citizens are not hamstrung by bureaucrats and official policies written by career tax feeders who can write policy but cannot so much as understand the recipe for boiled water. The police won’t open fire with live ammunition, but business owners will. That’s what makes them effective in protecting their own property. Police might use “non-lethal ammunition”, but business owners won’t. It’s far easier, as a private citizen, to obtain 00 buckshot than beanbag rounds. About as “less lethal” as you’re going to get with a business owner is birdshot. And no looter wants to spend the night having birdshot extracted from his buttocks, one by one, with only 42 more pellets to go after the first painful extraction.
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The Best and Worst Run States in America: A Survey of All 50 Read more: The Best and Worst Run States in America: A Survey of All 50 - 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/special-report/2014/12/03/the-best-and-worst-run-states-in-america-a-survey-of-all-50-3/#ixzz3LEKcpUVy Follow us: @247wallst on Twitter | 247wallst on Facebook
How well run is your state? Assessing a state’s management quality is hardly easy. The current economic climate and standard of living in any given state are not only the results of policy choices and developments that occurred in the last few years, but can also be affected by decisions made decades ago, and by forces outside a state’s control.
Each year, 24/7 Wall St. attempts to answer this question by surveying various aspects of each state. To determine how well states are managed, we examine key financial ratios, as well as social and economic outcomes. This year, North Dakota is the best-run state in the country for the third consecutive year, while Illinois replaced California as the worst-run state.
Read: The Best and Worst Run States in America
Selecting appropriate criteria to compare the 50 states is difficult because there is so much variation among the states. As a result, policy decisions that may work in one state might not work in another. Some states are rich in natural resources, while others rely on high-skilled sectors such as technology and business services. Some depend disproportionately on one industry, while others’ economies are more balanced. Further, some states are more rural, while others are highly urbanized and densely populated.
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Each year, 24/7 Wall St. attempts to answer this question by surveying various aspects of each state. To determine how well states are managed, we examine key financial ratios, as well as social and economic outcomes. This year, North Dakota is the best-run state in the country for the third consecutive year, while Illinois replaced California as the worst-run state.
Read: The Best and Worst Run States in America
Selecting appropriate criteria to compare the 50 states is difficult because there is so much variation among the states. As a result, policy decisions that may work in one state might not work in another. Some states are rich in natural resources, while others rely on high-skilled sectors such as technology and business services. Some depend disproportionately on one industry, while others’ economies are more balanced. Further, some states are more rural, while others are highly urbanized and densely populated.
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University of Maryland Drone Test Site Open For Business
After years of planning, the University of Maryland's drone test facility is open for business.
Unmanned aircraft systems are most familiar to Americans for their use in war to scout, spy and kill. Privacy groups have watched warily as law enforcement has started to experiment with them.
But there is a growing interest among businesses eager to employ them to deliver goods, monitor agriculture and measure environmental conditions, among other applications, and the Federal Aviation Administration is encouraging research into how they might safely be introduced into U.S. airspace.
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NYPD Union Blasts de Blasio Offer of No Retroactive Raises Despite UFT Deal
NEW YORK — The head of the NYPD police officers' union blasted Mayor Bill de Blasio's offer of zero percent retroactive raises for three years — even as the city agreed to give the teachers' union a four percent retroactive raise and a raise going forward.
Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said Thursday that his union was granted a declaration of impasse by the state's chief mediator on Thursday after union officials couldn't reach a satisfying deal from the city.
According to sources, de Blasio and his team sat down with the PBA, whose officials have been working without a contract since 2010, and offered them a contract to cover three of those four years.
But the city offered zero percent raises for all of the years covered by the contract, sources said.
"Our officers are already among the lowest paid big-city police officers in the country. Now the city wants us to take another three years with no raise and that is simply unacceptable," Lynch said in a statement. "We look forward to participating in good faith in non-binding mediation in the hopes of achieving an agreement."
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Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said Thursday that his union was granted a declaration of impasse by the state's chief mediator on Thursday after union officials couldn't reach a satisfying deal from the city.
According to sources, de Blasio and his team sat down with the PBA, whose officials have been working without a contract since 2010, and offered them a contract to cover three of those four years.
But the city offered zero percent raises for all of the years covered by the contract, sources said.
"Our officers are already among the lowest paid big-city police officers in the country. Now the city wants us to take another three years with no raise and that is simply unacceptable," Lynch said in a statement. "We look forward to participating in good faith in non-binding mediation in the hopes of achieving an agreement."
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Wealthy Weingarten Frets Re: Teacher Pay
Teachers Union Fat Cat Lives In America’s Top 1 Percent, Expresses Concern About Teacher Pay
Randi Weingarten, the affluent, fancypants president of the American Federation of Teachers, issued a statement on Wednesday expressing her deep concern about the salaries of American teachers.
Weingarten’s lamentation — about the plight of people who make, on average, about $300,000 less per year than she does — came in response to a report by the National Council on Teacher Quality entitled “Smart Money: What Teachers Make, How Long It Takes and What It Buys Them.”
The 25-page report compares and details teacher salaries across the country.
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Randi Weingarten, the affluent, fancypants president of the American Federation of Teachers, issued a statement on Wednesday expressing her deep concern about the salaries of American teachers.
Weingarten’s lamentation — about the plight of people who make, on average, about $300,000 less per year than she does — came in response to a report by the National Council on Teacher Quality entitled “Smart Money: What Teachers Make, How Long It Takes and What It Buys Them.”
The 25-page report compares and details teacher salaries across the country.
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Riley: What The Left Won’t Tell You About Black Crime
In the summer of 2013, after neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman, a Hispanic, was acquitted in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, the political left wanted to have a discussion about everything except the black crime rates that lead people to view young black males with suspicion.
President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder wanted to talk about gun control. The NAACP wanted to talk about racial profiling. Assorted academics and MSNBC talking heads wanted to discuss poverty, “stand-your-ground” laws, unemployment and the supposedly racist criminal justice system.
But any candid debate on race and criminality in the United States must begin with the fact that blacks are responsible for an astoundingly disproportionate number of crimes, which has been the case for at least the past half a century.
“High rates of black violence in the late twentieth century are a matter of historical fact, not bigoted imagination,” wrote William Stuntz, a Harvard law professor. “The trends reached their peak not in the land of Jim Crow but in the more civilized North, and not in the age of segregation but in the decades that saw the rise of civil rights for African Americans — and of African American control of city governments.” The left wants to blame these outcomes on racial animus and “the system,” but blacks have long been part of running that system. Black crime and incarceration rates spiked in the 1970s and ’80s in cities such as Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Washington under black mayors and black police chiefs. Some of the most violent cities in the United States today are run by blacks.
Black people are not shooting each other at these alarming rates in Chicago and other urban areas because of our gun laws or our drug laws or a criminal justice system that has it in for them. The problem is primarily cultural — self-destructive behaviors and attitudes all too common among the black underclass. The problem is black criminal behavior, which is one manifestation of a black pathology that ultimately stems from the breakdown of the black family.
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David: Alinskyites or Patriots?
Americans responded to their realization that they were being had by left-wing spins and voted in a Republican Congress.
True revolutionaries, according to Saul Alinsky, must conceal their radicalism with a conforming appearance and attitude and a disguised intent. This enables them to infiltrate the mainstream and bring about change without notice. In America, it has taken many years of covert infiltrating to change the character of the establishment (to what I identify in my article, The Corrupters).
Today, the result are apparent everywhere. The crown jewel is the election (not once, but twice) of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States.
For too long, Americans have innocently accepted the handsomely packaged lies, offered to them by the rising new establishment without examining the content. After six years of Obama’s leadership, the public has finally been able to strip away the fine wrappings and view the gift. What they have uncovered is a burgeoning welfare state that is consuming their resources at an alarming rate and an oversized government that is robbing them of their constitutional rights.
Concerned, they responded in November, not like anarchists, but like citizens. The lies and deceptions fed to them with oftentimes clever and sometimes ludicrous spins by left-wing members of government and the media was no longer able to influence their decisions negatively.
To repair Obama's damage, they elected a Republican Congress.
Obama immediately declared war against the Republican-dominated Congress by signing an executive order to give amnesty to illegal immigrants already in the country.
Read more
True revolutionaries, according to Saul Alinsky, must conceal their radicalism with a conforming appearance and attitude and a disguised intent. This enables them to infiltrate the mainstream and bring about change without notice. In America, it has taken many years of covert infiltrating to change the character of the establishment (to what I identify in my article, The Corrupters).
Today, the result are apparent everywhere. The crown jewel is the election (not once, but twice) of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States.
For too long, Americans have innocently accepted the handsomely packaged lies, offered to them by the rising new establishment without examining the content. After six years of Obama’s leadership, the public has finally been able to strip away the fine wrappings and view the gift. What they have uncovered is a burgeoning welfare state that is consuming their resources at an alarming rate and an oversized government that is robbing them of their constitutional rights.
Concerned, they responded in November, not like anarchists, but like citizens. The lies and deceptions fed to them with oftentimes clever and sometimes ludicrous spins by left-wing members of government and the media was no longer able to influence their decisions negatively.
To repair Obama's damage, they elected a Republican Congress.
Obama immediately declared war against the Republican-dominated Congress by signing an executive order to give amnesty to illegal immigrants already in the country.
Read more
O'Malleys Lead Hogans On Tour Of Governor's Residence
Governor Martin O'Malley made good on a promise he made to Governor-elect Larry Hogan on Saturday, and offered him a tour of Government House, the governor's residence, where Hogan will live, once he takes office next month.
O'Malley and First Lady Katie O'Malley lead Hogan and his family on a tour of the residence.
After touring the residence, O'Malley took the Hogan family across the street to the Maryland State House, where they toured the second floor, the site of the Governor's Offices.
One day after last month's election, Hogan mentioned that O'Malley had called him, and offered him the tour.
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O'Malley and First Lady Katie O'Malley lead Hogan and his family on a tour of the residence.
After touring the residence, O'Malley took the Hogan family across the street to the Maryland State House, where they toured the second floor, the site of the Governor's Offices.
One day after last month's election, Hogan mentioned that O'Malley had called him, and offered him the tour.
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DOJ Banning Smoking in Federal Prisons
The Justice Department (DOJ) is banning smoking and all tobacco products in federal prisons, according to a final regulation to be published Monday.
All federal prison inmates will be prohibited from smoking, unless they receive a religious exemption. Staff will also still be able to smoke in designated areas. The government said they are moving forward with the regulation, which goes into effect in 30 days, out of concerns of the health of their inmates.
The rule will affect the estimated 80 percent of prison inmates that smoke.
“The revised regulations generally prohibit smoking in and on the grounds of Bureau institutions and offices, except as part of an authorized inmate religious activity; and, for Bureau staff and official visitors, only in smoking areas designated by the Warden,” the final rule said. “Possession of smoking apparatus and tobacco in any form is prohibited for inmates under this rule, unless as part of an authorized inmate religious activity.”
More here
All federal prison inmates will be prohibited from smoking, unless they receive a religious exemption. Staff will also still be able to smoke in designated areas. The government said they are moving forward with the regulation, which goes into effect in 30 days, out of concerns of the health of their inmates.
The rule will affect the estimated 80 percent of prison inmates that smoke.
“The revised regulations generally prohibit smoking in and on the grounds of Bureau institutions and offices, except as part of an authorized inmate religious activity; and, for Bureau staff and official visitors, only in smoking areas designated by the Warden,” the final rule said. “Possession of smoking apparatus and tobacco in any form is prohibited for inmates under this rule, unless as part of an authorized inmate religious activity.”
More here
Web Addresses gone wrong
Companies who didn't spend quite enough time considering how their online name might appear!
These are not made up. Click on them and Check them out yourself!
1. 'Who Represents' is where you can find the name of the agent that represents any celebrity. Their Web site is:
www.whorepresents.com http://www.whorepresents.com/
2. 'Experts Exchange' is a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views at:
www.expertsexchange.comhttp://www.expertsexchange.com/
3. Looking for a great pen? Look no further than
1. 'Who Represents' is where you can find the name of the agent that represents any celebrity. Their Web site is:
www.whorepresents.com http://www.whorepresents.com/
2. 'Experts Exchange' is a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views at:
www.expertsexchange.comhttp://www.expertsexchange.com/
3. Looking for a great pen? Look no further than
'Pen Island ....' It can be found at:
www.penisland.net http://www.penisland.net/
4. Need a therapist? Try 'Therapist Finder'at:
www.therapistfinder.com http://www.therapistfinder.com/
5. Then there's the 'Italian Power Generator'company. Check it out at:www.powergenitalia.comhttp://www.powergenitalia.com/
6.'IP computer' software, there's always:
www.ipanywhere.com http://www.ipanywhere.com/
7. And the designers at 'Speed of Art'await you at their wacky Web site:
www.speedofart.com http://www.speedofart.com/
www.penisland.net http://www.penisland.net/
4. Need a therapist? Try 'Therapist Finder'at:
www.therapistfinder.com http://www.therapistfinder.com/
5. Then there's the 'Italian Power Generator'company. Check it out at:www.powergenitalia.comhttp://www.powergenitalia.com/
6.'IP computer' software, there's always:
www.ipanywhere.com http://www.ipanywhere.com/
7. And the designers at 'Speed of Art'await you at their wacky Web site:
www.speedofart.com http://www.speedofart.com/
Where The Jobs Were: Secretaries, Waiters, Retail, Education, Leisure And Temp-Help
Curious just what the "quality" of jobs that comprised the best jobs report in nearly 3 years? Here is the answer: Retail Trade, Education and Health, and Leisure and Hospitality, as well as Administrative Assistants, cumulatively made up more than half of the jobs gains in the month. All minimum-wage or just above paying jobs. Which is why anyone who believes that wages rose at the rate the BLS would like you to believe, may want to wait until the inevitable downward revision.
The breakdown of the top job categories:
Professional Services excluding temp help: +63K, of which administative assistants +12K, bookkeepers +16.4K
Retail Trade: +50K
Leisure and Hospitality: +38K, of which waiters and bartenders +26.5K
Manufacturing: +28K
Temp Help: +22.7K
The breakdown of the top job categories:
Professional Services excluding temp help: +63K, of which administative assistants +12K, bookkeepers +16.4K
Retail Trade: +50K
Leisure and Hospitality: +38K, of which waiters and bartenders +26.5K
Manufacturing: +28K
Temp Help: +22.7K
Governor-elect Larry Hogan speaks at Maryland Farm Bureau Convention; vows to fight PMT regulations
“The first fight [when I take office] will be against these politically motivated, midnight-hour phosphorus management tool regulations that the outgoing administration is trying to force upon you in these closing days …,” said Governor-elect Hogan to an audience of about 700 state farmers and members of the agriculture community. “We won’t allow them to put you out of business, destroy your way of life, or decimate your entire industry.”
“We are so pleased the Governor-elect could join us this morning,” said Chuck Fry, president of the Maryland Farm Bureau. “We are confident that we have a true advocate in Governor-elect Hogan, and that he will ensure that members of the Ag community have a real voice in his administration and are a guiding force in his decision-making.”
The Maryland Farm Bureau Convention was the first of a full day of stops on the Eastern Shore for the Governor-elect. Following the convention, he will travel to Perdue headquarters in Salisbury to meet with Jim Perdue and other senior executives. Then, he will join Comptroller Peter Franchot in Easton and Cambridge for the Comptroller’s annual “Shop Local” event.
Train might be popular, will cost $
Although it was a unanimously popular project with the previous Worcester County Commissioners, the excursion railroad that would run between Berlin and Snow Hill faces some uncertainty with this week’s installation of four new commissioners.
Warren, Pa., firm Stone Consulting presented a phase one feasibility study to the previous commissioners in November, and Worcester County Economic Development Director Bill Badger was directed to negotiate costs for a phase two study.
Badger said interest in the train began when leadership from Pennsylvania-based Strasburg Railroad visited Berlin last year.
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Warren, Pa., firm Stone Consulting presented a phase one feasibility study to the previous commissioners in November, and Worcester County Economic Development Director Bill Badger was directed to negotiate costs for a phase two study.
Badger said interest in the train began when leadership from Pennsylvania-based Strasburg Railroad visited Berlin last year.
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Attack on 2nd Bosnian in St. Louis Sparks Hate Crime Probe
The FBI is helping St. Louis police investigate a possible hate crime after three black teenagers allegedly accused a white woman of being Bosnian before beating her unconscious.
The attack Friday on a 26-year-old Bosnian woman occurred in the same Bevo Mill neighborhood where a 32-year-old Bosnian man named Zemir Begic was killed last weekend by a group of hammer-wielding teenagers, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Police are not investigating Begic’s death as a hate crime.
The woman, who was not identified, told police that three black teens tried to block her vehicle Friday as she was driving, pulling a gun on her and telling her to stop. One of the men allegedly struck the windshield with what appeared to be a crowbar and dragged the woman out of the vehicle. She said one of the men asked where she was from, and she told them she was European.
“You’re a [expletive] liar. You’re Bosnian. I should just kill you now,” Police Chief Sam Dotson said of the woman’s account, the Post-Dispatch reported.
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The attack Friday on a 26-year-old Bosnian woman occurred in the same Bevo Mill neighborhood where a 32-year-old Bosnian man named Zemir Begic was killed last weekend by a group of hammer-wielding teenagers, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Police are not investigating Begic’s death as a hate crime.
The woman, who was not identified, told police that three black teens tried to block her vehicle Friday as she was driving, pulling a gun on her and telling her to stop. One of the men allegedly struck the windshield with what appeared to be a crowbar and dragged the woman out of the vehicle. She said one of the men asked where she was from, and she told them she was European.
“You’re a [expletive] liar. You’re Bosnian. I should just kill you now,” Police Chief Sam Dotson said of the woman’s account, the Post-Dispatch reported.
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Five Facts About Crony Profits from Food Stamps
More than one in seven people.
That’s how many people are on food stamps in America these days. More than one in seven people.
In fact, the number of recipients of federal food assistance rose a whopping 171% between 2000 and 2011 alone, to an all-time record of more than 47 million Americans across the country now on the food stamp dole.
That means more U.S. citizens are receiving food stamp benefits now than in the entire history of the food stamp program ever.
One-sixth of the country is now receiving food stamps and the number just continues to climb.
Most argue this increase simply has to do with the terrible recession and resultant unemployment; but the food stamp program, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, is yet another crony capitalist scheme (surprise, surprise).
Many blame the people who need help instead of pointing the finger at a system designed to get as many people on the dole as possible. The government and the corporations it represents literally advertise to get as many people on food stamps as they can and then keep them there as a captured market for Wall St. banks, mega food corporations that churn out a bunch of crap food, and mega box and grocery stores that sell all that crap.
Here are a few more crony facts most people might not realize about our nation’s food stamp program.
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That’s how many people are on food stamps in America these days. More than one in seven people.
In fact, the number of recipients of federal food assistance rose a whopping 171% between 2000 and 2011 alone, to an all-time record of more than 47 million Americans across the country now on the food stamp dole.
That means more U.S. citizens are receiving food stamp benefits now than in the entire history of the food stamp program ever.
One-sixth of the country is now receiving food stamps and the number just continues to climb.
Most argue this increase simply has to do with the terrible recession and resultant unemployment; but the food stamp program, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, is yet another crony capitalist scheme (surprise, surprise).
Many blame the people who need help instead of pointing the finger at a system designed to get as many people on the dole as possible. The government and the corporations it represents literally advertise to get as many people on food stamps as they can and then keep them there as a captured market for Wall St. banks, mega food corporations that churn out a bunch of crap food, and mega box and grocery stores that sell all that crap.
Here are a few more crony facts most people might not realize about our nation’s food stamp program.
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Norway Has World’s First Bike Escalator
Invented in the 90’s by a commuter who grew tired of showing up to work sweaty and exhausted, the Trampe lift, recently upgraded and reinvented as the CycloCable, has already carried over 200,000 bicyclists up this 150m-long cyclist deterrent. The curious escalator has become a tourist magnet as well.
Cyclists who place one foot on the escalator’s angled platform will be pushed uphill at a speed of 5mph. Up to 5 people can use it simultaneously and it is not limited to bicycles, as it can carry basically any small wheeled transport with its owner, be it a kid with scooter or a mother with a baby stroller.
Installing this invention is obviously a great way to boost cycling in hilly cities, but they’ll have to be quite busy – one meter of this elevator costs 2,000-3,000$.
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Wastewater Overflow Reaches Chesapeake Bay
A force main break in Annapolis is fixed but not before thousands of gallons of wastewater overflow reached Chesapeake Bay Saturday.
The Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works said the break was reported around 10:30 Saturday morning on Bay Drive.
It took more than twelve hours before repairs were completed at 11 p.m. Saturday.
The cause of the failed ten-inch pipe was said to be external corrosion.
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The Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works said the break was reported around 10:30 Saturday morning on Bay Drive.
It took more than twelve hours before repairs were completed at 11 p.m. Saturday.
The cause of the failed ten-inch pipe was said to be external corrosion.
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Family of unarmed black man shot dead by NYPD warns Al Sharpton to 'stay away from the funeral'
Family of unarmed black man shot dead by NYPD warns Al Sharpton to 'stay away from the funeral' after 'implanting himself into the service with speaking to the victim's mom'
The family of Akai Gurley - the unarmed black man shot dead by a rookie police officer in a darkened New York public housing stairwell - have warned Rev Al Sharpton to stop meddling in their affairs as they prepare to bury their son and father this weekend.
Gurley’s aunt, Hertencia Petersen - speaking on behalf of the man's mother, Sylvia Palmer - said the outspoken civil rights activist has been nothing but opportunistic over Gurley's death, seeing it as a political play when his family just want to lay him to rest.
Sharpton reportedly implanted himself into the planned memorial and funeral service this weekend without properly speaking with Gurley's parents.
'It’s been a nightmare,' Mrs Petersen told The New York Post.
'He just wants to take credit for this when he’s never even contacted my sister (Gurley’s mother).
'Who made you the spokesperson of our family? We just want to bury our nephew with dignity and respect.'
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The family of Akai Gurley - the unarmed black man shot dead by a rookie police officer in a darkened New York public housing stairwell - have warned Rev Al Sharpton to stop meddling in their affairs as they prepare to bury their son and father this weekend.
Gurley’s aunt, Hertencia Petersen - speaking on behalf of the man's mother, Sylvia Palmer - said the outspoken civil rights activist has been nothing but opportunistic over Gurley's death, seeing it as a political play when his family just want to lay him to rest.
Sharpton reportedly implanted himself into the planned memorial and funeral service this weekend without properly speaking with Gurley's parents.
'It’s been a nightmare,' Mrs Petersen told The New York Post.
'He just wants to take credit for this when he’s never even contacted my sister (Gurley’s mother).
'Who made you the spokesperson of our family? We just want to bury our nephew with dignity and respect.'
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White Teen Killed By Black Cop -- No Riot
A two-year-old case involving the shooting death of an unarmed 18-year-old white man by a black police officer is gaining attention on social media in the wake of the protests and rioting in Ferguson, Missouri.
Gilbert Collar, a white, unarmed 18-year-old under the influence of drugs was shot and killed Oct. 6, 2012, by Officer Trevis Austin, who is black, in Mobile, Alabama. Despite public pressure for an indictment, a Mobile County grand jury refused to bring charges against Officer Austin, concluding that the officer acted in self-defense.
The circumstances mirror those of the Aug. 9 shooting death of Michael Brown, a black unarmed 18-year-old under the influence of drugs by Officer Darren Wilson, who is white, in Ferguson.
Former CNN host Piers Morgan blasted the police response in Mobile days after Collar was killed, saying he “didn’t deserve to die,” but otherwise the case has received little attention outside Alabama, prompting critics to accuse the national media of a “whiteout.”
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Gilbert Collar, a white, unarmed 18-year-old under the influence of drugs was shot and killed Oct. 6, 2012, by Officer Trevis Austin, who is black, in Mobile, Alabama. Despite public pressure for an indictment, a Mobile County grand jury refused to bring charges against Officer Austin, concluding that the officer acted in self-defense.
The circumstances mirror those of the Aug. 9 shooting death of Michael Brown, a black unarmed 18-year-old under the influence of drugs by Officer Darren Wilson, who is white, in Ferguson.
Former CNN host Piers Morgan blasted the police response in Mobile days after Collar was killed, saying he “didn’t deserve to die,” but otherwise the case has received little attention outside Alabama, prompting critics to accuse the national media of a “whiteout.”
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Hunter’s 8-point buck is actually rare doe
A North Carolina hunter was in for a surprise after he thought he shot a buck with eight-point antlers -- and it turned out to be a rare doe.
Chuck Rorie was hunting in Kansas when he thought he shot an animal with trophy-class antlers.
“I didn’t think much about it; it just looked like a nice buck when I was watching it and shot it,” Rorie told The Wichita Eagle. “But when I was skinning it I realized something didn’t look right."
According to The Wichita Eagle, this phenomenon is rare.
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Chuck Rorie was hunting in Kansas when he thought he shot an animal with trophy-class antlers.
“I didn’t think much about it; it just looked like a nice buck when I was watching it and shot it,” Rorie told The Wichita Eagle. “But when I was skinning it I realized something didn’t look right."
According to The Wichita Eagle, this phenomenon is rare.
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Being A Cop Showed Me Just How Racist And Violent The Police Are. There’s Only One Fix.
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I hated the way cops treated me.
But I knew police weren’t all bad. One of my father’s closest friends was a cop. He became a mentor to me and encouraged me to join the force. He told me that I could use the police’s power and resources to help my community.
So in 1994, I joined the St. Louis Police Department. I quickly realized how naive I’d been. I was floored by the dysfunctional culture I encountered.
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Obama makes Dec. 26 a holiday
President Obama, a.k.a. the boss-in-chief, decided to give federal employees a holiday present a little early. He issued an executive orderFriday giving them the day after Christmas off.
“All executive branch departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty on Friday, December 26, 2014, the day after Christmas Day,” the order says. Exceptions may be made “for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need.”
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“All executive branch departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty on Friday, December 26, 2014, the day after Christmas Day,” the order says. Exceptions may be made “for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need.”
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Snowy Owl Ready To Be Released In Md.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources says the owl has been rehabilitated and will be released Monday at Assateague State Park. When the female bird was found she had a broken wing that required surgery. The bird spent the summer recovering at the Maryland Zoo and is now ready to be released.
Officials say the bird has been fitted with a small GPS device so that her movement can be tracked.
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Governor-elect Larry Hogan and his family tour Government and State Houses
Afterward, Governor O’Malley escorted the Hogan family over to the State House, where they toured the second floor, the site of the Governor’s Offices.
“The Government House as well as the State House are beautifully decorated for the holidays,” said Governor-elect Hogan. “I want to thank Governor O’Malley and the First Lady for their hospitality this morning. They have been gracious to me, my family, and my staff throughout the transition, and I am grateful to them for their words of encouragement as I prepare to be sworn in as the 62nd Governor of Maryland.”
'Rapist' is scrawled on Bill Cosby's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
On Thursday night, the word was scrawled three times on the star on the storied Walk of Fame - the stretch of celebrity themed sidewalk visited by millions of tourists every year.
'When people are unhappy with one of our honorees, we would hope that they would project their anger in more positive ways than to vandalize a California State landmark,' the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce said in a statement. 'The star is being cleaned up at this time.'
Photographs taken on Friday showed workers scrubbing the stone.
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OH Residents File Class Action Lawsuit Against State & Fracking Corporations
BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, OH: Today, residents of Broadview Heights, Ohio, filed a first-in-the-state class action lawsuit against the State of Ohio, Governor John R. Kasich, and Bass Energy, Inc. and Ohio Valley Energy Systems Corp. The lawsuit was filed to protect the rights of the people of Broadview Heights to self-governance, including their right to ban fracking.
In November 2012, residents of Broadview Heights overwhelmingly adopted a Home Rule Charter Amendment – proposed by residents – banning all new commercial extraction of gas and oil within the City limits. The Amendment establishes a Community Bill of Rights – which secures the rights of human and natural communities to water and a healthy environment. The Bill of Rights bans fracking and frack waste disposal as a violation of those rights.
In June 2014, Bass Energy and Ohio Valley Energy filed a lawsuit against the City of Broadview Heights to overturn the Community Bill of Rights. The corporations are contending that the community does not have the legal authority to protect itself from fracking, and that corporations have the constitutional “right” to frack.
Residents involved in drafting and proposing the Community Bill of Rights attempted to intervene in the lawsuit, to defend the community’s right to self-governance, including the right to say “no” to fracking and other threats. However, in September, the Court of Common Pleas of Cuyahoga County denied the motion to intervene, ruling that the residents did not have a direct “interest” in this case.
With the court’s denial of intervention, residents decided to move forward with the class action lawsuit. In filing the lawsuit, Broadview Heights residents argue that the Ohio Oil and Gas Act, known as HB 278, and the industry’s enforcement of the Act, violate the constitutional right of residents to local self-government.
The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) assisted residents of Broadview Heights to draft the Community Bill of Rights. CELDF is providing its support and expertise to the residents of Broadview Heights with the filing of the class action lawsuit.
CELDF Executive Director, Thomas Linzey, Esq., stated, “This class action lawsuit is merely the first in Ohio, and expected to be one of many filed by people across the United States whose constitutional rights to govern their own communities are routinely violated by state governments working in concert with the corporations that they ostensibly regulate. The people of Broadview Heights will not stand idly by as their rights are negotiated away by oil and gas corporations, their state government, and their own municipal government.” The residents of Lafayette, Colorado, filed a similar lawsuit in August of this year.
Through grassroots organizing and public interest law, CELDF works with communities across the country to establish Community Rights to democratic, local self-governance and sustainability. CELDF has assisted nearly 200 communities to ban shale gas drilling and fracking, factory farming, water privatization, and other threats, and eliminate corporate “rights” when they violate community and nature’s rights. This includes assisting the first communities in the U.S. to establish Rights of Nature in law, as well as the first communities to elevate the rights of communities above the “rights” of corporations.
In November 2012, residents of Broadview Heights overwhelmingly adopted a Home Rule Charter Amendment – proposed by residents – banning all new commercial extraction of gas and oil within the City limits. The Amendment establishes a Community Bill of Rights – which secures the rights of human and natural communities to water and a healthy environment. The Bill of Rights bans fracking and frack waste disposal as a violation of those rights.
In June 2014, Bass Energy and Ohio Valley Energy filed a lawsuit against the City of Broadview Heights to overturn the Community Bill of Rights. The corporations are contending that the community does not have the legal authority to protect itself from fracking, and that corporations have the constitutional “right” to frack.
Residents involved in drafting and proposing the Community Bill of Rights attempted to intervene in the lawsuit, to defend the community’s right to self-governance, including the right to say “no” to fracking and other threats. However, in September, the Court of Common Pleas of Cuyahoga County denied the motion to intervene, ruling that the residents did not have a direct “interest” in this case.
With the court’s denial of intervention, residents decided to move forward with the class action lawsuit. In filing the lawsuit, Broadview Heights residents argue that the Ohio Oil and Gas Act, known as HB 278, and the industry’s enforcement of the Act, violate the constitutional right of residents to local self-government.
The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) assisted residents of Broadview Heights to draft the Community Bill of Rights. CELDF is providing its support and expertise to the residents of Broadview Heights with the filing of the class action lawsuit.
CELDF Executive Director, Thomas Linzey, Esq., stated, “This class action lawsuit is merely the first in Ohio, and expected to be one of many filed by people across the United States whose constitutional rights to govern their own communities are routinely violated by state governments working in concert with the corporations that they ostensibly regulate. The people of Broadview Heights will not stand idly by as their rights are negotiated away by oil and gas corporations, their state government, and their own municipal government.” The residents of Lafayette, Colorado, filed a similar lawsuit in August of this year.
Through grassroots organizing and public interest law, CELDF works with communities across the country to establish Community Rights to democratic, local self-governance and sustainability. CELDF has assisted nearly 200 communities to ban shale gas drilling and fracking, factory farming, water privatization, and other threats, and eliminate corporate “rights” when they violate community and nature’s rights. This includes assisting the first communities in the U.S. to establish Rights of Nature in law, as well as the first communities to elevate the rights of communities above the “rights” of corporations.