The owner of a 12-year-old yellow labrador named Allie couldn’t figure out how the dog was getting into the refrigerator and freezer when he was gone. But thanks to modern technology he now knows exactly how the pooch did it.
A GoPro camera positioned high above the kitchen caught it all on video. It’s unclear why the dog tips over the trash can before rummaging the fridge (besides maybe to dig for an appetizer). However, it becomes clear at the end that Allie knows exactly what’s in the freezer.
The dog appears to pull out a large piece of meat from the freezer before using the freezer drawer as a sort of ladder to the refrigerator above it. Once the refrigerator is open, the dog somehow manages to pull out what appears to be an entire drawer of the appliance.
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Tuesday, December 09, 2014
Meeting at the Library---this Thursday
Hello Animal Advocates,
This meeting will be a great opportunity to network with other animal advocates and look ahead to the upcoming legislative session in Annapolis – which is coming up in January! We are partnering with our friends at the ASPCA on these meetings, so we’ll be joined by Chloe Waterman, manager of the ASPCA’s state legislative program, and my HSUS colleague, Andi Bernat (copied on this email), will also be there. We’ll discuss hot topics related to Maryland’sanimal protection laws, share tips to sharpen your advocacy skills, and provide opportunities to get involved in making Maryland a more humane state. Plus, there will be snacks!
This meeting will be a great opportunity to network with other animal advocates and look ahead to the upcoming legislative session in Annapolis – which is coming up in January! We are partnering with our friends at the ASPCA on these meetings, so we’ll be joined by Chloe Waterman, manager of the ASPCA’s state legislative program, and my HSUS colleague, Andi Bernat (copied on this email), will also be there. We’ll discuss hot topics related to Maryland’sanimal protection laws, share tips to sharpen your advocacy skills, and provide opportunities to get involved in making Maryland a more humane state. Plus, there will be snacks!
Here are the details:
Thursday, December 11 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Wicomico Public Library
122 S Division Street
Salisbury, MD 21801
122 S Division Street
Salisbury, MD 21801
6 Reasons Your Phone Bill Keeps Rising
Isn't technology supposed to get cheaper as the years go by? That's not the case with cell phones and their service plans, which eat up a larger chunk of household budgets every year.
The average monthly cell phone bill has soared in recent years to well over $100. A study earlier this year found that Verizon (VZ) was the most expensive carrier, with an average customer bill of $148 a month. Sprint (S) and AT&T (T) weren't that far behind, and T-Mobile (TMUS) was the least expensive of the Big Four carriers at $120.
Americans spend nearly 50 percent more on mobile phone service now than they did in 2007. Sure, we grumble about it, but we pay it -- and then we take on even more costs when the new must-have phone comes out or when we want to add family members to the plan. Some families with multiple phones pay $300 or $400 a month for that luxury and are forced to cut back on other areas of spending as a result.
Phone bills are climbing for a number of reasons, and those increases show no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Here are six reasons your phone bill keeps rising:
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The average monthly cell phone bill has soared in recent years to well over $100. A study earlier this year found that Verizon (VZ) was the most expensive carrier, with an average customer bill of $148 a month. Sprint (S) and AT&T (T) weren't that far behind, and T-Mobile (TMUS) was the least expensive of the Big Four carriers at $120.
Americans spend nearly 50 percent more on mobile phone service now than they did in 2007. Sure, we grumble about it, but we pay it -- and then we take on even more costs when the new must-have phone comes out or when we want to add family members to the plan. Some families with multiple phones pay $300 or $400 a month for that luxury and are forced to cut back on other areas of spending as a result.
Phone bills are climbing for a number of reasons, and those increases show no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Here are six reasons your phone bill keeps rising:
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Robert Romano: Lift Wages With Growth, Not Government Read
In fact, North Dakota North Dakota leads the nation in the growth of home values at 8.3 percent year over year as of September, according to Freddie Mac. And it is also the envy of the post-financial crisis economy with the lowest unemployment rate anywhere at 2.8 percent in October, according to data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The simple reason is growth. North Dakota went from a field production monthly total of 2.6 million barrels of oil in September 2004 to almost 36 million barrels in September 2014 thanks to shale oil fracking.
There was no hike in the minimum wage there — it remains $7.25 an hour. No onslaught of wage and hour regulations. No redistribution of wealth or stupid tax credits or welfare. Just innovation and growth that has created over 136,000 jobs — a 40 percent increase — in the past decade in an area so sparsely population it barely registers on the electoral college.
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The Conversation Black Parents Have With Their Kids About Cops
As the nation struggles with recent deaths of black males at the hands of white police officers, that conversation is more important than ever, black parents like Roland Nicholson say.
A lobbyist in Washington, D.C., Nicholson told ABC News today that ever since his sons were adolescents, he has been educating them about how to deal with law enforcement.
"I tell them, when you're in the car and a white police officer pulls you over, put your hands on the dashboard or the steering wheel," he said of his sons, who are biracial.
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THE CATHOLICS ARE LOADED
“The God I believe in isn’t short of cash,” U2 lead singer Bono once crooned. Neither is the Catholic Church, apparently.
Cardinal George Pell – selected recently by Pope Francis as the Vatican’s “Secretariat for the Economy” – announced this week that the church’s financial situation was “much healthier than it seemed.”
How so?
“Some hundreds of millions of euros were tucked away in particular accounts and did not appear on the balance sheet,” he said.
Wait … what?
That’s right. Hundreds of millions of euros were “tucked away.”
“Those in the Curia were following long-established patterns,” Pell said. “Just as kings had allowed their regional rules, princes or governors an almost free hand, provided they balanced the books, so too did the popes with the curial cardinals.”
Awesome … so what we have here is the Middle Ages meeting the modern mafia.
We wonder … does Johann Tetzel still have an account open? Possibly one bearing interest? After all, those indulgences really were selling like hot cakes back in the day.
“As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.”
That was the expression, right?
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Cardinal George Pell – selected recently by Pope Francis as the Vatican’s “Secretariat for the Economy” – announced this week that the church’s financial situation was “much healthier than it seemed.”
How so?
“Some hundreds of millions of euros were tucked away in particular accounts and did not appear on the balance sheet,” he said.
Wait … what?
That’s right. Hundreds of millions of euros were “tucked away.”
“Those in the Curia were following long-established patterns,” Pell said. “Just as kings had allowed their regional rules, princes or governors an almost free hand, provided they balanced the books, so too did the popes with the curial cardinals.”
Awesome … so what we have here is the Middle Ages meeting the modern mafia.
We wonder … does Johann Tetzel still have an account open? Possibly one bearing interest? After all, those indulgences really were selling like hot cakes back in the day.
“As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.”
That was the expression, right?
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Gemmell Family Fundraiser
Marie Gemmell, her son Cole, and infant son, Devin, were in the home and sadly lost their lives during this horrific accident. They are survived by Ken Gemmell and their oldest child, Arabelle.
Please help raise money for the two remaining members of this family who have lost most of their family, their home, and life as they once knew. 100% of the funds raised will be donated to the Gemmell family for funeral expenses and any and all additional expenses they will incur during this time of tragedy.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Gemmell Family.
Rest Peacefully Marie, Cole, and Devin.
*Disclaimer*
Unfortunately I need to do this since there are so many skeptics in the world. I am just a mother of five children of my own who has known Ken, Marie, and their children, through serving them as guests at Dogfish Head Alehouse where I am employed. I have made Ken aware of this page and he has all of my contact information as well. 100% of these funds will be going to Ken and his daughter for anything they may need during this horrific time. This is not about me, it is about helping people who are in need because I would want someone to do the same for me whether they knew me directly or not.
Click HERE to donate
SC LAWMAKERS ABANDON PUBLIC INTIMIDATION EFFORTS
Duckworth should fit right in at the S.C. State House, where the most powerful elected officials in the state respond to criticism the same way our founding editor’s eleven-month-old daughter responds when she doesn’t get her way.
Which is to say loud, shrill, seemingly interminable shrieking …
Seriously, the skin of the average lawmaker is thinner than the garlic sliced by Paul Cicero in the movie Goodfellas. And it appears to be getting even thinner.
In their latest bid to mute the popular dissent, lawmakers have proposed modifying the rules for anyone providing testimony before legislative committees. Under the new proposed guidelines, any citizen who provides “materially incomplete” testimony to a committee could face jail time. And of course the definition of “material incompleteness” is left to the discretion of … you guessed it … lawmakers.
Additionally, lawmakers want citizens who testify to provide the names of those who bankroll their organizations.
Crazy …
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A Viewer Writes: "Fraud"
I received a second call from "My Credit Card Company" to let me know they were calling with my final opportunity to lower my interest rate. Knowing this was at least a solicitation and possibly a rip off I played along! Guy says do you have "your credit card handy" I replied yes and he said "What kind is it?" I replied Visa and proceeded to change the numbers around and leave some out being careful to give him enough fake info to string him along. I then asked "If you're calling from my credit card company wouldn't you know what card it was? What about the fact that the account number was fake why didn't your computer tell you that? I said this whole conversation is recorded and if you ever call me again I'll contact law enforcement! Of course he hung up at that point. Please let folks know this is going on and the numbers they call from are not working when you call back and based on his voice he was out of the country. Just a general heads up I won't bore everyone with more details.Thanks for what you do Merry Christmas & God Bless America! One more thing it showed up as 410-251-9132 a Salisbury cell number!
The School Lunches Malia And Sasha Eat Vs. The Crap Michelle Obama Has Foisted On America
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For Tuesday, Dec. 9, the scrumptious, bountiful lunch menu for both the middle school and the upper school at Sidwell Friends is:
Potato Sausage Soup; Firecracker Slaw; California Chef’s Salad; All Natural Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings; Sweet Potato Black Bean Bake; Sautéed Local Greens; Gemelli Alfredo; Sliced Pineapple
This menu of completely free lunch items certainly sounds delicious and nutritious. Also, to be clear, it’s for a single day, not the entire week.
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Columbia University Law School Allows Students to Skip Finals Due to Trauma of Mike Brown Decision
That’s just dumb. Every student now will claim trauma so they can reschedule their finals. That’s a no-brainer. Whatever happened to teaching your students the rule of law? I mean, it is a law school after all. What trauma? The Grand Jury deliberated, reviewed the evidence and found overwhelming facts that supported Officer Wilson’s actions. Trauma because an officer did his job? Because a criminal got caught? As for Garner who had been arrested over 30 times previously… who could have not resisted arrest… who was in a headlock, not a choke hold… and died from cardiac arrest after resisting arrest… what part of following the law and obeying officers do these people not understand? Everything is upside down and ass backwards. The Grand Juries did their jobs – the officers did their jobs – and because the two perps were black, it is being used as an excuse to incite violence. Obama does Charles Manson proud. He’s giving Charlie what he has dreamed of his whole life – a race war and everyone from the race hustlers, to the DOJ, to the White House are on board with it.
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Freddie Mac sues Maryland, Prince George's for 'illegally' charging deed taxes
Freddie Mac on Dec. 3 filed a lawsuit against Maryland and Prince George's County finance officials for "illegally" charging it deed transfer and recordation taxes on the 2012 sale of a District Heights apartment building. The lawsuit seeks the "immediate refund" of $696,000 plus interest and costs.
"The payment of the transfer/recordation taxes diverts funds from Freddie Mac's congressionally mandated missions, which include to assist in resolving the nation's housing crisis," the suit states.
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3 die in Chatham County after taking cocaine laced with painkiller
Three people died and six others were hospitalized early Saturday in Chatham County after ingesting cocaine that appears to have been mixed with a narcotic pain reliever.
Chatham County deputies identified the dead as Michael Currie, 42, of Bear Creek; Randal Welch, 24, of Franklinville; and Perry Saunders, 23, of Aurora, Mo. They were among 10 people who ingested the cocaine. The other seven needed treatment, with six sent to three area hospitals. One of the six was in critical condition Saturday evening.
Currie died at his home, while Saunders and Welch died at a home in the 11000 block of N.C. 902 in Bear Creek, which is south of Siler City.
“It is always difficult to lose a loved one, but especially hard during this season of the year,” Chief Deputy Michael Roberson said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to each family.”
It is unclear how the deaths and injuries are related.
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Chatham County deputies identified the dead as Michael Currie, 42, of Bear Creek; Randal Welch, 24, of Franklinville; and Perry Saunders, 23, of Aurora, Mo. They were among 10 people who ingested the cocaine. The other seven needed treatment, with six sent to three area hospitals. One of the six was in critical condition Saturday evening.
Currie died at his home, while Saunders and Welch died at a home in the 11000 block of N.C. 902 in Bear Creek, which is south of Siler City.
“It is always difficult to lose a loved one, but especially hard during this season of the year,” Chief Deputy Michael Roberson said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to each family.”
It is unclear how the deaths and injuries are related.
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Elijah Cummings: I spent a year ramming ObamaCare down your throat, and Gruber is screwing it all up!
Outraged. Outraged I tell you!
As you know, the hearings involving Jonathan "you're a bunch of idiots" Gruber have begun. After an opening statement where Gruber did his best to make it sound as if he had little or nothing to do with the ObamaCare debacle, we were treated to a trademark Elijah Cummings diatribe. In his remarks, the ethically-challenged Maryland Democrat repeatedly blasted Gruber's "stupid" comments, but his reasons are the real story...
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UN climate change talks: Global warming negotiators can’t stand the heat
Temperatures are rising at the UN's climate change summit in Peru, where delegates complain their overheating venue is harming deliberations
They are, according to energy secretary Ed Davey, “the most complex negotiations the world has ever undertaken”: representatives from 190 countries attempting to draft an unprecedented worldwide deal to tackle global warming.
But the near-9,000 delegates attending the UN’s climate change summit in Peru have found they also have a more local warming problem to contend with: the venue is too hot.
Sweltering temperatures inside the meeting halls have prompted many delegates to complain that the temporary buildings are generating their own “greenhouse effect” – with one Zimbabwean representative at Monday’s opening plenary reportedly even suggesting it was “too hot to work”.
With temperatures in the mid-seventies outside, the mercury has hit more than 86F in some of the halls, which have been specially-constructed on the site of the Peruvian military headquarters in Lima.
“3 days in & it’s still crazy hot. How can they expect any smart decisions to be made in these conditions?,” Yong Ly, a delegate observing the talks for the P3 Foundation anti-poverty group, wrote on Twitter.
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They are, according to energy secretary Ed Davey, “the most complex negotiations the world has ever undertaken”: representatives from 190 countries attempting to draft an unprecedented worldwide deal to tackle global warming.
But the near-9,000 delegates attending the UN’s climate change summit in Peru have found they also have a more local warming problem to contend with: the venue is too hot.
Sweltering temperatures inside the meeting halls have prompted many delegates to complain that the temporary buildings are generating their own “greenhouse effect” – with one Zimbabwean representative at Monday’s opening plenary reportedly even suggesting it was “too hot to work”.
With temperatures in the mid-seventies outside, the mercury has hit more than 86F in some of the halls, which have been specially-constructed on the site of the Peruvian military headquarters in Lima.
“3 days in & it’s still crazy hot. How can they expect any smart decisions to be made in these conditions?,” Yong Ly, a delegate observing the talks for the P3 Foundation anti-poverty group, wrote on Twitter.
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Md. Woman Charged With Lying To Va. Grand Jury In Lyon Sisters Case
The Washington Post reports that a Bedford County grand jury indicted 65-year-old Patricia Jean Welch of Hyattsville late Friday.
Welch is accused of lying to the grand jury. She declined to comment to the newspaper.
Bedford County Commonwealth's Attorney Randy Krantz convened the grand jury in October to investigate the disappearance of 10-year-old Katherine Lyon and 12-year-old Shelia Lyon. The girls disappeared after walking to a mall in Wheaton, in Montgomery County.
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Conservative Coalition Urges State Officials to ‘Fiercely Resist’ EPA Rule
(CNSNews.com) – A coalition of 35 conservative and free market groups is urging state officials to “fiercely resist” the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) attempt to force them to implement “ruinous” new greenhouse gas emission rules that could double the current price of electricity or face harsh regulatory repercussions if they refuse.
“You should send a clear message to the federal government that if it insists on pursuing the regulatory equivalent of punitive energy taxes, it must promulgate and implement that policy itself -- and be held solely accountable for the disastrous consequences that will follow,” the coalition said a lettersent to governors, state attorneys general and state legislators earlier this week.
The coalition warned state officials that EPA’s Clean Power Plan will “destroy thousands of jobs and break the household budgets of millions of American families struggling to make ends meet -- even if states undertake their best efforts to blunt their impacts.”
“This is the so-called carbon pollution plan offered under the existing source performance standards for greenhouse gases under Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act.
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“You should send a clear message to the federal government that if it insists on pursuing the regulatory equivalent of punitive energy taxes, it must promulgate and implement that policy itself -- and be held solely accountable for the disastrous consequences that will follow,” the coalition said a lettersent to governors, state attorneys general and state legislators earlier this week.
The coalition warned state officials that EPA’s Clean Power Plan will “destroy thousands of jobs and break the household budgets of millions of American families struggling to make ends meet -- even if states undertake their best efforts to blunt their impacts.”
“This is the so-called carbon pollution plan offered under the existing source performance standards for greenhouse gases under Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act.
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Baltimore Faces $14.8M Budget Shortfall Amid Missed Horseshoe Projections, Police Overtime Spending
The city's budget office expects $32.4 million more in property tax revenue than originally predicted for the current fiscal 2015 year. But the city charter says a surplus from property tax revenue cannot be used to close deficits. Now officials will have to find another way to make up the projected $14.8 million deficit that's being created in part by police overtime spending and disappointing returns from the Horseshoe Casino.
Based on Caesar's estimates of a year ago, the city budgeted $14.6M for ground lease – 90% ($13.2M) in the GF for property tax relief and 10% ($1.4M) in a special fund for school construction. These are the only uses permitted under State law. We are projecting revenue of the minimum $8M payment ($7.2M to the GF).
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SFD Calls For Service 12-8-14
- Monday December, 8 2014 @ 23:09Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Monday December, 8 2014 @ 19:27Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Monday December, 8 2014 @ 19:18Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Monday December, 8 2014 @ 17:13Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Monday December, 8 2014 @ 14:34 Nature: Smoke / Co DetectorAddress: 28594 Naylor Mill Rd Hebron, MD 21830
Eric Garner’s Death Shows How Stupid Laws Help Get People Killed
After news of the baffling decision by the New York grand jury not to indict a police officer in the killing of Eric Garner, I sent out a (slightly) hyperbolic tweet that wondered why Americans would want to entrust their free speech and health care to an institution that will kill you over failure to pay a cigarette tax.
Since then, I’ve seen numerous tweets arguing that bringing up the tax is preposterous. It’s something akin to blaming jaywalking for the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ken.), touched on the issue in an interview with MSNBC yesterday and was, unsurprisingly, ridiculed for it by liberals—because mentioning the circumstances of a violent act is preposterous, apparently.
Though it certainly isn’t close to being the most important lesson of this inexplicable case, it’s not something that should be dismissed so flippantly.
Garner wasn’t targeted for death because he was avoiding taxes, but nonetheless, prohibitive cigarette taxes unnecessarily generate situations that make events such as this possible. We frame violence in this way all the time. We often talk about unintended consequences. When we discuss how women who immigrated to this country illegally can be the helpless victims of domestic violence, we also blame unfair laws for creating the situation. When we talk about the war on drugs and how it creates millions of nonviolent criminals and needless abuse by the Drug Enforcement Administration and others, liberals have little problem blaming the underlying policy that makes all of that possible. With good reason.
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Since then, I’ve seen numerous tweets arguing that bringing up the tax is preposterous. It’s something akin to blaming jaywalking for the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ken.), touched on the issue in an interview with MSNBC yesterday and was, unsurprisingly, ridiculed for it by liberals—because mentioning the circumstances of a violent act is preposterous, apparently.
Though it certainly isn’t close to being the most important lesson of this inexplicable case, it’s not something that should be dismissed so flippantly.
Garner wasn’t targeted for death because he was avoiding taxes, but nonetheless, prohibitive cigarette taxes unnecessarily generate situations that make events such as this possible. We frame violence in this way all the time. We often talk about unintended consequences. When we discuss how women who immigrated to this country illegally can be the helpless victims of domestic violence, we also blame unfair laws for creating the situation. When we talk about the war on drugs and how it creates millions of nonviolent criminals and needless abuse by the Drug Enforcement Administration and others, liberals have little problem blaming the underlying policy that makes all of that possible. With good reason.
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The Growing American Police State Is Tightening Its Noose Around Our Necks
No Expectation of Privacy
The Supreme Court has ruled that when an individual is in public, they have no expectation of privacy. The courts have also ruled that it is legal to videotape the police. However, someone forgot to tell the police.
Your Camera Makes You a Criminal
If a police officer is performing their lawful duties with integrity and nobility, they should welcome being videotaped. Increasingly, police officers treat the videotaping public with a sense of indignation when they know they are caught on tape. Why? Don’t the authorities repeatedly tell the public that if you are not doing anything wrong, you should not mind being surveilled? Why should law enforcement be treated any differently?
Do you remember the case of a Hialeah, FL. Police officer, Fritz Janvier and his fellow police officers arrest Eric Faden on public property for filming them. Watch the overreaction by the police. These are tactics of law enforcement operating within a police state.
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The Supreme Court has ruled that when an individual is in public, they have no expectation of privacy. The courts have also ruled that it is legal to videotape the police. However, someone forgot to tell the police.
Your Camera Makes You a Criminal
If a police officer is performing their lawful duties with integrity and nobility, they should welcome being videotaped. Increasingly, police officers treat the videotaping public with a sense of indignation when they know they are caught on tape. Why? Don’t the authorities repeatedly tell the public that if you are not doing anything wrong, you should not mind being surveilled? Why should law enforcement be treated any differently?
Do you remember the case of a Hialeah, FL. Police officer, Fritz Janvier and his fellow police officers arrest Eric Faden on public property for filming them. Watch the overreaction by the police. These are tactics of law enforcement operating within a police state.
More
11 Google Tricks That Will Change the Way You Search
Google Search’s learning curve is an odd one. You use it every day, but still all you know is how to search. But the search engine has plenty of tricks up its sleeve.
Here’s an overview of some of the most useful Google search tricks, from basic tips to new features just recently released.
1. Use quotes to search for an exact phrase.
This one’s a well-known, simple trick: searching a phrase in quotes will yield only pages with the same words in the same order as what’s in the quotes. It’s one of the most vital search tips, especially useful if you’re trying to find results containing a specific a phrase.
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Here’s an overview of some of the most useful Google search tricks, from basic tips to new features just recently released.
1. Use quotes to search for an exact phrase.
This one’s a well-known, simple trick: searching a phrase in quotes will yield only pages with the same words in the same order as what’s in the quotes. It’s one of the most vital search tips, especially useful if you’re trying to find results containing a specific a phrase.
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'House of Cards,' 'Veep' Incentives Defended By Republican County Exec
"We do see the film industry and the spinoffs in our local businesses in Harford County as a positive," Glassman said at Stevenson University's Maryland Rising economic development forum. "I think Maryland should still remain a leader in promoting the film industry, as it promotes not only small business but raises the profile of the state of Maryland."
Glassman, a Republican, was referring to the Netflix drama "House of Cards," which films in Harford County and Baltimore and has leased a large amount of support space in Harford. The show benefits from a state film tax credit that has come under scrutiny for low returns. The incentives also have kept the HBO comedy "Veep" filming in Maryland.
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US orders Mass. to fix food stamp procedures
Stores turn away some because of confusion over photo ID cards
Massachusetts last year became one of the first states to require food stamp cards to include photos of recipients, but the new program has created such confusion that some low-income families are unable to buy groceries and the federal government is demanding that the state quickly fix the problem.
The cards, known as EBTs, an acronym for Electronic Benefit Transfer, act like debit cards and are issued to heads of households. But some store cashiers have turned away the recipients’ family members or others in the household — who can legally use the benefits — because they do not match the photos. Such practices violate federal rules, which require retailers to treat food stamp recipients like any other customer.
It is unclear how widespread the problems were. But they were significant enough that the US Department of Agriculture, which oversees the food stamp program, recently sent state officials a strongly worded letter detailing concerns about the implementation of the photo cards.
The USDA dispatched agents to Massachusetts in August and found that state workers were inadequately trained about rules governing the photo cards, and subsequently, so were recipients and retailers. The USDA also found that elderly and disabled residents were denied benefits unless they had their pictures taken, even though the state specifically exempted them from photo requirements.
In addition, the USDA said, many families had benefits cut off for up to three weeks because their old cards were deactivated before they received new cards in the mail.
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Massachusetts last year became one of the first states to require food stamp cards to include photos of recipients, but the new program has created such confusion that some low-income families are unable to buy groceries and the federal government is demanding that the state quickly fix the problem.
The cards, known as EBTs, an acronym for Electronic Benefit Transfer, act like debit cards and are issued to heads of households. But some store cashiers have turned away the recipients’ family members or others in the household — who can legally use the benefits — because they do not match the photos. Such practices violate federal rules, which require retailers to treat food stamp recipients like any other customer.
It is unclear how widespread the problems were. But they were significant enough that the US Department of Agriculture, which oversees the food stamp program, recently sent state officials a strongly worded letter detailing concerns about the implementation of the photo cards.
The USDA dispatched agents to Massachusetts in August and found that state workers were inadequately trained about rules governing the photo cards, and subsequently, so were recipients and retailers. The USDA also found that elderly and disabled residents were denied benefits unless they had their pictures taken, even though the state specifically exempted them from photo requirements.
In addition, the USDA said, many families had benefits cut off for up to three weeks because their old cards were deactivated before they received new cards in the mail.
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Another College Campus, More Pitchfork Justice
A university president loses his job for giving young women advice on how to avoid sexual assault.
In the wake of the collapse of the Rolling Stone“gang rape” story last week, it’s time to consider what happened last month to Robert Jennings, the outgoing president of suburban Philadelphia’s Lincoln University, the nation’s first degree-granting historically black university. I note that Jennings is “outgoing” because he was just fired by his board over a four-minute YouTube excerpt of a 26-minute speech he gave to his school’s All Women’s Convocation in September.
While his attempt at fatherly advice on sex may have been inartful, it hardly justified his critics’ charge that he was blaming women for sexual assault. Nonetheless he has seen his career ruined, thanks to the highly charged atmosphere surrounding the issue of sexual assault.
Even Vice President Joe Biden cites inflated statistics that one out of five campus women has been sexually assaulted. The pitchforks that come out in such an atmosphere can chill free speech, obscure relevant aspects of the specific cases and the larger issues, and lead to politically correct reporting disasters such as those on the Duke lacrosse and Tawana Brawley cases, and now the Rolling Stonedebacle on the alleged gang rape at UVA.
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In the wake of the collapse of the Rolling Stone“gang rape” story last week, it’s time to consider what happened last month to Robert Jennings, the outgoing president of suburban Philadelphia’s Lincoln University, the nation’s first degree-granting historically black university. I note that Jennings is “outgoing” because he was just fired by his board over a four-minute YouTube excerpt of a 26-minute speech he gave to his school’s All Women’s Convocation in September.
While his attempt at fatherly advice on sex may have been inartful, it hardly justified his critics’ charge that he was blaming women for sexual assault. Nonetheless he has seen his career ruined, thanks to the highly charged atmosphere surrounding the issue of sexual assault.
Even Vice President Joe Biden cites inflated statistics that one out of five campus women has been sexually assaulted. The pitchforks that come out in such an atmosphere can chill free speech, obscure relevant aspects of the specific cases and the larger issues, and lead to politically correct reporting disasters such as those on the Duke lacrosse and Tawana Brawley cases, and now the Rolling Stonedebacle on the alleged gang rape at UVA.
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Why The Obama Administration Is So Determined To Start A Race War
No other Administration in American history has manufactured so many crises and committed so many impeachable crimes as the current one
No other Administration in American history has manufactured so many crises and committed so many impeachable crimes as the current one. The number of governmental wrongdoings and pervasiveness of political scandal are as unprecedented as they are unrivaled.
No other US President has acted in such an autocratic manner, and with such impunity. President Obama’s ongoing dictatorial conduct has become so consistent that many refer to him as king, and the first monarch of the USA. To those who have watched him systematically trash the Constitution, tyrant and despot are the more common descriptions.
The entire Executive Branch has become infamous for its predictable lawlessness and chaotic governance, deceptive pronouncements and diplomatic dissembling. Every thing they do, or don’t do, is mired in political calculation and self-serving machinations. Continuation of the facade of political correctness appears to be its central organizing principle, as well as the defining characteristic of so many incompetent ‘czars’ and unqualified politicos.
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No other Administration in American history has manufactured so many crises and committed so many impeachable crimes as the current one. The number of governmental wrongdoings and pervasiveness of political scandal are as unprecedented as they are unrivaled.
No other US President has acted in such an autocratic manner, and with such impunity. President Obama’s ongoing dictatorial conduct has become so consistent that many refer to him as king, and the first monarch of the USA. To those who have watched him systematically trash the Constitution, tyrant and despot are the more common descriptions.
The entire Executive Branch has become infamous for its predictable lawlessness and chaotic governance, deceptive pronouncements and diplomatic dissembling. Every thing they do, or don’t do, is mired in political calculation and self-serving machinations. Continuation of the facade of political correctness appears to be its central organizing principle, as well as the defining characteristic of so many incompetent ‘czars’ and unqualified politicos.
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Gansler Argues Md. Can't Carry Out Death Sentences
Maryland no longer has the ability to carry out the death penalty even against someone who was sentenced before capital punishment was banned last year, the state attorney general and lawyers for a death-row inmate argued Monday.
Their arguments came under repeated questioning during a hearing before a three-judge panel in the Maryland Court of Special Appeals.
Attorney General Doug Gansler contends that inmate Jody Lee Miles should be re-sentenced to life without possibility of parole. He is urging judges on the state's intermediate appellate court to send the case back to circuit court for a new sentence.
Gansler outlined two main reasons. First, Maryland's highest court ruled in Vernon Evans Jr. vs. the State of Maryland in 2006 that a legislative panel needed to approve protocols for lethal injection before an execution could take place, a step that has yet to be taken. Second, when lawmakers banned capital punishment last year, Gansler said they also repealed the law that enabled the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to introduce injection protocols.
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Their arguments came under repeated questioning during a hearing before a three-judge panel in the Maryland Court of Special Appeals.
Attorney General Doug Gansler contends that inmate Jody Lee Miles should be re-sentenced to life without possibility of parole. He is urging judges on the state's intermediate appellate court to send the case back to circuit court for a new sentence.
Gansler outlined two main reasons. First, Maryland's highest court ruled in Vernon Evans Jr. vs. the State of Maryland in 2006 that a legislative panel needed to approve protocols for lethal injection before an execution could take place, a step that has yet to be taken. Second, when lawmakers banned capital punishment last year, Gansler said they also repealed the law that enabled the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to introduce injection protocols.
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How To Reduce Police Violence—–Eliminate Nanny State Crimes
On the opening day of law school, I always counsel my first-year students never to support a law they are not willing to kill to enforce. Usually they greet this advice with something between skepticism and puzzlement, until I remind them that the police go armed to enforce the will of the state, and if you resist, they might kill you.
I wish this caution were only theoretical. It isn’t. Whatever your view on the refusal of a New York City grand jury to indict the police officer whose chokehold apparently led to the death of Eric Garner, it’s useful to remember the crime that Garner is alleged to have committed: He was selling individual cigarettes, or loosies, in violation of New York law.
The obvious racial dynamics of the case — the police officer, Daniel Pantaleo, is white; Garner was black — have sparked understandable outrage. But, at least among libertarians, so has the law that was being enforced. Wrote Nick Gillespie in the Daily Beast, “Clearly something has gone horribly wrong when a man lies dead after being confronted for selling cigarettes to willing buyers.” Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, appearing on MSNBC, also blamed the statute: “Some politician put a tax of $5.85 on a pack of cigarettes, so they’ve driven cigarettes underground by making them so expensive.”
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I wish this caution were only theoretical. It isn’t. Whatever your view on the refusal of a New York City grand jury to indict the police officer whose chokehold apparently led to the death of Eric Garner, it’s useful to remember the crime that Garner is alleged to have committed: He was selling individual cigarettes, or loosies, in violation of New York law.
The obvious racial dynamics of the case — the police officer, Daniel Pantaleo, is white; Garner was black — have sparked understandable outrage. But, at least among libertarians, so has the law that was being enforced. Wrote Nick Gillespie in the Daily Beast, “Clearly something has gone horribly wrong when a man lies dead after being confronted for selling cigarettes to willing buyers.” Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, appearing on MSNBC, also blamed the statute: “Some politician put a tax of $5.85 on a pack of cigarettes, so they’ve driven cigarettes underground by making them so expensive.”
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Larry Hogan's Tax Policy Won't Be A 'Race To The Bottom'
The co-chair of Larry Hogan's gubernatorial transition team on Monday signaled where the incoming administration wants Maryland's taxes to go: down, but not all the way down to the basement.
"Our goal is not to be the low-tax state in the country," said James Brady, who is co-chairing the transition team. "This is not a race to the bottom. This is a race to be competitive."
Maryland needs to be competitive with surrounding states, Brady said. That isn't all about taxes. It's also about factors like the regulatory environment, he said.
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"Our goal is not to be the low-tax state in the country," said James Brady, who is co-chairing the transition team. "This is not a race to the bottom. This is a race to be competitive."
Maryland needs to be competitive with surrounding states, Brady said. That isn't all about taxes. It's also about factors like the regulatory environment, he said.
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Biden boasts end of Caucasian majority in U.S.
'Diversity is the reason for our incredible strength'
U.S. taxpayers shelled out nearly a quarter-million dollars in November, so Vice President Joe Biden could trumpet “diversity” to world business leaders in Morocco and boast that in 2017, “for the first time, Caucasians of European descent like me will be in an absolute minority in the United States of America.”
“I’ve … come here to an ancient Muslim nation at the crossroads of Africa, the Arab world and Europe to talk about what it takes for all nations to succeed in the 21st century” the vice president told the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, explaining that educational opportunities, the rule of law and freedom are the key factors to successful entrepreneurship.
Where those factors are absent, Biden said, people flee to where they are present, like the U.S.
“Ladies and gentlemen, in 2017, the United States for the first time, Caucasians of European descent like me will be in an absolute minority in the United States of America,” Biden continued. “The secret that people don’t know is our diversity is the reason for our incredible strength.”
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U.S. taxpayers shelled out nearly a quarter-million dollars in November, so Vice President Joe Biden could trumpet “diversity” to world business leaders in Morocco and boast that in 2017, “for the first time, Caucasians of European descent like me will be in an absolute minority in the United States of America.”
“I’ve … come here to an ancient Muslim nation at the crossroads of Africa, the Arab world and Europe to talk about what it takes for all nations to succeed in the 21st century” the vice president told the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, explaining that educational opportunities, the rule of law and freedom are the key factors to successful entrepreneurship.
Where those factors are absent, Biden said, people flee to where they are present, like the U.S.
“Ladies and gentlemen, in 2017, the United States for the first time, Caucasians of European descent like me will be in an absolute minority in the United States of America,” Biden continued. “The secret that people don’t know is our diversity is the reason for our incredible strength.”
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Small Businessman Murdered by Tax Enforcers
Eric Garner’s death was a senseless act of State brutality. But Eric Garner is not dead because he was a black man. He is dead because he was suspected of daring to sell a legal product without charging his customers an outrageously high cigarette sales tax the State demands. He died because in the eyes of the State, he questioned their authority to enforce tyrannical laws. The darkly ironic thing is, liberals are protesting the death of Eric Garner, but liberals are the reason Eric Garner is dead. Liberals are the ones who called for sales taxes of several dollars per pack on cigarettes. In fact, it was the Obama Administration that raised the federal sales tax from .39 cents per pack to $1.01 per pack. In New York City, where Mr. Garner was slain for not obeying the State, the total sales tax is $5.85 per pack. It wasn’t about “black”, it was about the green: Money the State wanted.
Now, I have a few questions. First off, Mr. Garner was accused of selling “loosies”, that is, individual cigarettes from an untaxed pack. So, where now are these cigarettes Mr. Garner allegedly had? And how can the State demonstrate he was actually selling them and they weren’t his own for personal use even if he did have a pack on his person? Everything I’ve read says he was “suspected” of doing it when the police approached. Did they see him doing it? Or did they assume it? Be that as it may, the so-called “crime” he committed was selling a legal-to-possess product that was his to sell without extorting a ridiculously high sales tax from his customers. If he was doing that. What difference does it make what price he was selling them at? If he wants to sell them below cost, what business is it of the State? If he got them in a state with lower taxes, so what? Is it just as illegal if a person buys a crock pot in a state with lower sales taxes, brings it across state lines, and sells it out of his trunk? In the eyes of the State, it probably is illegal. It probably says so in a law code book as thick as the New York City phone book. Do we actually own personal property or not? If we do, why are we not allowed to sell it as we see fit? Why is it the right of the State to demand some of that money? They already taxed the money we used to buy the product in the first place.
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Now, I have a few questions. First off, Mr. Garner was accused of selling “loosies”, that is, individual cigarettes from an untaxed pack. So, where now are these cigarettes Mr. Garner allegedly had? And how can the State demonstrate he was actually selling them and they weren’t his own for personal use even if he did have a pack on his person? Everything I’ve read says he was “suspected” of doing it when the police approached. Did they see him doing it? Or did they assume it? Be that as it may, the so-called “crime” he committed was selling a legal-to-possess product that was his to sell without extorting a ridiculously high sales tax from his customers. If he was doing that. What difference does it make what price he was selling them at? If he wants to sell them below cost, what business is it of the State? If he got them in a state with lower taxes, so what? Is it just as illegal if a person buys a crock pot in a state with lower sales taxes, brings it across state lines, and sells it out of his trunk? In the eyes of the State, it probably is illegal. It probably says so in a law code book as thick as the New York City phone book. Do we actually own personal property or not? If we do, why are we not allowed to sell it as we see fit? Why is it the right of the State to demand some of that money? They already taxed the money we used to buy the product in the first place.
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Mike Busch: Here's why tax reform is so tough in Maryland
"I'm all for tax reform if you do it in a comprehensive way that's going to meet the needs of the budget," Busch, an Anne Arundel County Democrat, said Monday at Stevenson University's Maryland Rising economic development forum.
"I think our tax structure should be reviewed, and it should be comprehensive and it should meet the needs of how you fund your system," Busch added. "You have to determine whether the way you fund education and health care need to be changed."
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Washington Post: Believe Rape Accusations Even If They’re False
As the shocking allegations of a fraternity party gang rape at the University of Virginia come unraveled, progressives whose cause is to condemn America for a so-called “rape culture” have chosen to double down in defense of the apparent falsehood. TheWashington Post even ran an astoundingly un-American piece that suggests we should believe rape accusations, regardless of whether they are true.
Rolling Stone, the music and politics magazine that can stay relevant only by sexualizing everyone (including terrorists – remember its dreamy cover photo of Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev?), broke the lurid story only to have it fall apart thanks to unconscionably sloppy journalism. But progressives cannot let the truth get in the way of the agenda, so Zerlina Maxwell rushed to fill the breach with the aforementioned WaPo piece initially entitled “No matter what Jackie said, we should automatically believe rape claims” (“Jackie” is the victim’s pseudonym).
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Rolling Stone, the music and politics magazine that can stay relevant only by sexualizing everyone (including terrorists – remember its dreamy cover photo of Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev?), broke the lurid story only to have it fall apart thanks to unconscionably sloppy journalism. But progressives cannot let the truth get in the way of the agenda, so Zerlina Maxwell rushed to fill the breach with the aforementioned WaPo piece initially entitled “No matter what Jackie said, we should automatically believe rape claims” (“Jackie” is the victim’s pseudonym).
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December 13, 14 - Geminids Meteor Shower
The Geminids is the king of the meteor showers. It is considered by many to be the best shower in the heavens, producing up to 120 multicolored meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by debris left behind by an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon, which was discovered in 1982. The shower runs annually from December 7-17. It peaks this year on the night of the 13th and morning of the 14th. The waning gibbous moon will block out some of the meteors this year, but the Geminids are so bright and numerous that it should still be a good show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Gemini, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
Ready for Hillary Already Blew Through $11 Million and is in Debt
Ready for Hillary consists of a website, some shoddy merchandise and a really bad country song. How does that cost $11 million?
The group has raised more than $11 million since its 2013 founding, picking up hundreds of big-name Democratic donors, the New York Times reported.
By Thanksgiving, the group was in debt. According to the group’s FEC disclosures, the group had $875,626 in the bank but also owed a $1 million loan that was intended to expand the organization’s grassroots operations for Clinton–including its ill-advised country song ad.
“This investment, used to fund our massive post-midterms direct mail program, will pay dividends from now until Hillary announces her decision” on whether to run for president again, said Seth Bringman, a spokesman for the group.
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I Want ALL Of You To Carefully Read This Information: Criminal Justice Fact Sheet | NAACP
CRIMINAL JUSTICE FACT SHEET
Incarceration Trends in America
- From 1980 to 2008, the number of people incarcerated in America quadrupled-from roughly 500,000 to 2.3 million people
- Today, the US is 5% of the World population and has 25% of world prisoners.
- Combining the number of people in prison and jail with those under parole or probation supervision, 1 in ever y 31 adults, or 3.2 percent of the population is under some form of correctional control
Racial Disparities in Incarceration
- African Americans now constitute nearly 1 million of the total 2.3 million incarcerated population
- African Americans are incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of whites
- Together, African American and Hispanics comprised 58% of all prisoners in 2008, even though African Americans and Hispanics make up approximately one quarter of the US population
- According to Unlocking America, if African American and Hispanics were incarcerated at the same rates of whites, today's prison and jail populations would decline by approximately 50%
- One in six black men had been incarcerated as of 2001. If current trends continue, one in three black males born today can expect to spend time in prison during his lifetime
- 1 in 100 African American women are in prison
- Nationwide, African-Americans represent 26% of juvenile arrests, 44% of youth who are detained, 46% of the youth who are judicially waived to criminal court, and 58% of the youth admitted to state prisons (Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice).
Drug Sentencing Disparities
- About 14 million Whites and 2.6 million African Americans report using an illicit drug
- 5 times as many Whites are using drugs as African Americans, yet African Americans are sent to prison for drug offenses at 10 times the rate of Whites
- African Americans represent 12% of the total population of drug users, but 38% of those arrested for drug offenses, and 59% of those in state prison for a drug offense.
- African Americans serve virtually as much time in prison for a drug offense (58.7 months) as whites do for a violent offense (61.7 months). (Sentencing Project)
Contributing Factors
- Inner city crime prompted by social and economic isolation
- Crime/drug arrest rates: African Americans represent 12% of monthly drug users, but comprise 32% of persons arrested for drug possession
- "Get tough on crime" and "war on drugs" policies
- Mandatory minimum sentencing, especially disparities in sentencing for crack and powder cocaine possession
- In 2002, blacks constituted more than 80% of the people sentenced under the federal crack cocaine laws and served substantially more time in prison for drug offenses than did whites, despite that fact that more than 2/3 of crack cocaine users in the U.S. are white or Hispanic
- "Three Strikes"/habitual offender policies
- Zero Tolerance policies as a result of perceived problems of school violence; adverse affect on black children.
- 35% of black children grades 7-12 have been suspended or expelled at some point in their school careers compared to 20% of Hispanics and 15% of whites
Effects of Incarceration
- Jail reduces work time of young people over the next decade by 25-30 percent when compared with arrested youths who were not incarcerated
- Jails and prisons are recognized as settings where society's infectious diseases are highly concentrated
- Prison has not been proven as a rehabilitation for behavior, as two-thirds of prisoners will re offend
Exorbitant Cost of Incarceration: Is it Worth It?
- About $70 billion dollars are spent on corrections yearly
- Prisons and jails consume a growing portion of the nearly $200 billion we spend annually on public safety
Exelon agrees to provide up to $3.5 million for additional study of effects of Conowingo Dam on Chesapeake Bay water quality
Exelon agrees to provide up to $3.5 million for
additional study of effects of Conowingo Dam on Chesapeake Bay water
quality; previously scheduled public hearing on company’s application
canceled, company says it must refile application within 90 days
BALTIMORE, MD – Recognizing the Maryland Department of the Environment’s position that more information on the effects of the Conowingo Dam is needed before it can be determined whether the facility complies with State water quality standards, Exelon Corporation has withdrawn its application for the Water Quality Certification that is required as part of the relicensing process for the dam and has agreed to fund additional study of the issue.
MDE had stated its intention to deny the Proposed Relicensing of the Conowingo Hydroelectric Project Application for Water Quality Certification application due to insufficient information provided by the applicant. The company said it will work with MDE to coordinate the refiling of its application within 90 days. It has also agreed to provide up to $3.5 million to study the effects of sediment related to the Dam on water quality in the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay.
MDE had scheduled a public hearing on Exelon’s application for Water Quality Certification for Jan. 7, 2015, at the Department’s Baltimore headquarters. Due to the withdrawal of the application by Exelon, the hearing on the application is canceled. This action does not affect the scheduled public meeting on the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed Assessment draft report. The public meeting on that draft report will still be held at 7 p.m. tomorrow, Dec. 9, at Harford Community College.
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BALTIMORE, MD – Recognizing the Maryland Department of the Environment’s position that more information on the effects of the Conowingo Dam is needed before it can be determined whether the facility complies with State water quality standards, Exelon Corporation has withdrawn its application for the Water Quality Certification that is required as part of the relicensing process for the dam and has agreed to fund additional study of the issue.
MDE had stated its intention to deny the Proposed Relicensing of the Conowingo Hydroelectric Project Application for Water Quality Certification application due to insufficient information provided by the applicant. The company said it will work with MDE to coordinate the refiling of its application within 90 days. It has also agreed to provide up to $3.5 million to study the effects of sediment related to the Dam on water quality in the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay.
MDE had scheduled a public hearing on Exelon’s application for Water Quality Certification for Jan. 7, 2015, at the Department’s Baltimore headquarters. Due to the withdrawal of the application by Exelon, the hearing on the application is canceled. This action does not affect the scheduled public meeting on the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed Assessment draft report. The public meeting on that draft report will still be held at 7 p.m. tomorrow, Dec. 9, at Harford Community College.
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When It Comes To Day Care, Parents Want All Children Vaccinated
According to a poll conducted by the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health, 81 percent of parents say they believe all children in day care should be required to be up to date on vaccines. In fact, 41 percent said children who aren't up to date should be kept out of day care.
Furthermore, 70 percent of parents said they would take their children out of a child care facility where one quarter of the children were not fully vaccinated.
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Md. Constitution Bans Atheists From Public Service
WASHINGTON -- Americans hold religious freedom dear, no matter their beliefs.
And the concept is right in the Maryland Constitution in black and white: "... all persons are equally entitled to protection in their religious liberty." But there's a bit more to it.
Go to articles 36 and 37 in the state of Maryland's Constitution and you'll see that, if you want to hold office, or even serve as a juror or witness in the Free State, you'll have to make "a declaration of belief in the existence of God." If you don't share that belief, you could be seen as "incompetent" to serve.
So if an atheist in Maryland is called to jury duty, he's off the hook, right?
Not so fast.
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And the concept is right in the Maryland Constitution in black and white: "... all persons are equally entitled to protection in their religious liberty." But there's a bit more to it.
Go to articles 36 and 37 in the state of Maryland's Constitution and you'll see that, if you want to hold office, or even serve as a juror or witness in the Free State, you'll have to make "a declaration of belief in the existence of God." If you don't share that belief, you could be seen as "incompetent" to serve.
So if an atheist in Maryland is called to jury duty, he's off the hook, right?
Not so fast.
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Patients Medicated Into Oblivion At U.S. Nursing homes
It's one of the worst fears we have for our parents or for ourselves: that we, or they, will end up in a nursing home, drugged into a stupor. And that fear is not entirely unreasonable. Almost 300,000 nursing home residents are currently receiving antipsychotic drugs, usually to suppress the anxiety or aggression that can go with Alzheimer's disease and other dementia.
Antipsychotics, however, are approved mainly to treat serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. When it comes to dementia patients, the drugs have a black box warning, saying that they can increase the risk for heart failure, infections and death.
None of this was on Marie Sherman's mind when her family decided that her mother, 73-year-old Beatrice DeLeon, would be better off in a nursing facility near her home in Sonora, Calif. It wasn't because of her Alzheimer's disease, explains Sherman — it was because her mother had had some falls.
"We didn't want my dad to try to lift her, and we wanted to make sure she was safe," says Sherman.
It wasn't long before the nursing home staff told Manuel DeLeon, Beatrice's husband, that his wife was agitated and they wanted to give her some medication for that. So he said OK.
"They kept saying she was making too much noise, and that they give her this medicine to quiet her down," he says.
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Antipsychotics, however, are approved mainly to treat serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. When it comes to dementia patients, the drugs have a black box warning, saying that they can increase the risk for heart failure, infections and death.
None of this was on Marie Sherman's mind when her family decided that her mother, 73-year-old Beatrice DeLeon, would be better off in a nursing facility near her home in Sonora, Calif. It wasn't because of her Alzheimer's disease, explains Sherman — it was because her mother had had some falls.
"We didn't want my dad to try to lift her, and we wanted to make sure she was safe," says Sherman.
It wasn't long before the nursing home staff told Manuel DeLeon, Beatrice's husband, that his wife was agitated and they wanted to give her some medication for that. So he said OK.
"They kept saying she was making too much noise, and that they give her this medicine to quiet her down," he says.
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Protesters Block California Bridge In Oakland, Throw Explosives At Police Officers
A protest by Berkeley students and Oakland residents on a highway bridge in Northern Oakland tonight came to an end after protesters throw explosives at police officers.
One protester was injured when he failed to obey directions to leave the area. A member of the California Highway Patrol gave him a gift to remember him by.
The “explosive” response from protesters has ratcheted up what has already been two days of violent protests in Oakland and the areas surrounding Berkeley which prompted an equally explosive police response tonight.
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One protester was injured when he failed to obey directions to leave the area. A member of the California Highway Patrol gave him a gift to remember him by.
The “explosive” response from protesters has ratcheted up what has already been two days of violent protests in Oakland and the areas surrounding Berkeley which prompted an equally explosive police response tonight.
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WCSO Monthly Crime Stats For November 2014
Deer Harbour, Fruitland,
Fox Chase
Parsonsburg, Delmar
Delmar, Reservation,
Booth/West Rd.
Nanticoke, Waterview,
White Haven, Tyaskin
Booth Street, Reservation
Hebron, Mardela Springs,
Sharptown
Pittsville, Willards,
Powellville
Coastal Flood Advisory
Coastal Flood Advisory
COASTAL HAZARD MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA 357 AM EST TUE DEC 9 2014 MDZ024-091800- /O.UPG.KAKQ.CF.A.0001.141209T0900Z-141209T1700Z/ /O.EXB.KAKQ.CF.Y.0038.141209T0900Z-141209T1800Z/ INLAND WORCESTER- 357 AM EST TUE DEC 9 2014 ...COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WAKEFIELD HAS ISSUED A COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON. THE COASTAL FLOOD WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. * LOCATION...COASTAL SECTIONS OF WORCESTER COUNTY MARYLAND INCLUDING OCEAN CITY AND TIDAL TRIBUTARIES.
Christmas Day Feast!
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Treasury Inspector General is withholding documents
A Treasury inspector general is withholding documents a court said it should disclose. The legal group Cause of Action in September won a ruling in the District Court of the District of Columbia. It was seeking documents showing whether the White House had seen confidential tax returns from conservative groups. GovExec reports now the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said it will withhold most of the documents. More than 2,000 pages are involved. TIGTA said it's being responsive to Cause of Action's Freedom of Information Act request in pulling the documents together. But it cites the IRS code protecting taxpayer privacy, in not releasing them.
L.A. Restaurant Adds Gratuity Line For Kitchen Staff To Every Check
While it’s surely the mark of a good consumer to reward a server for taking orders and ferrying food to and from the kitchen, what about the people on the front lines who are making that cuisine happen? Though many restaurants pool tips to ensure that line cooks and other kitchen staff get a piece of the pie, some workers feel they’re not getting their fair share of gratuities. That environment has prompted one L.A. restaurant to add a line to all checks to make up for any tipping gaps.
The chef-owner of Alimento tells LAMag.com that the idea came to him after two of his best line cooks jumped ship for jobs that paid more.
“They couldn’t make it work on their end, and I couldn’t make it work on mine—this is a small restaurant,” he explained. “But at the same time, the servers are walking away with a lot of money. That’s great, but it put an issue in the spotlight that I’ve been aware of for a while.”
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The chef-owner of Alimento tells LAMag.com that the idea came to him after two of his best line cooks jumped ship for jobs that paid more.
“They couldn’t make it work on their end, and I couldn’t make it work on mine—this is a small restaurant,” he explained. “But at the same time, the servers are walking away with a lot of money. That’s great, but it put an issue in the spotlight that I’ve been aware of for a while.”
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Dear Abby
Dear Abby,
My husband has a long record of money problems. He runs up huge credit card bills and at the end of the month, if I try to pay them off, he shouts at me, saying I am stealing his money. He says pay the minimum and let our kids worry about the rest, but already we can hardly keep up with the interest.
Also he has been so arrogant and abusive toward our neighbors that most of them no longer speak to us. The few that do are an odd bunch to whom he has been giving a lot of expensive gifts, running up our bills even more. Also, he has gotten religious. One week he hangs out with Catholics and the next with people who say the Pope is the Anti-Christ, and the next he's on his knees 7 times a day with Muslims.
Finally, the last straw. He's demanding that before anyone can be in the same room with him, they must sign a loyalty oath. It's just so horribly creepy!
Can you help?
Signed,
Lost
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My husband has a long record of money problems. He runs up huge credit card bills and at the end of the month, if I try to pay them off, he shouts at me, saying I am stealing his money. He says pay the minimum and let our kids worry about the rest, but already we can hardly keep up with the interest.
Also he has been so arrogant and abusive toward our neighbors that most of them no longer speak to us. The few that do are an odd bunch to whom he has been giving a lot of expensive gifts, running up our bills even more. Also, he has gotten religious. One week he hangs out with Catholics and the next with people who say the Pope is the Anti-Christ, and the next he's on his knees 7 times a day with Muslims.
Finally, the last straw. He's demanding that before anyone can be in the same room with him, they must sign a loyalty oath. It's just so horribly creepy!
Can you help?
Signed,
Lost
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Lost,
Suck it up and stop whining, Michelle. You're getting to live in the White House for free, travel the world, and have others pay for everything for you. You can divorce the jerk any time you want. The rest of us are stuck with the idiot for 2 more years.
Signed,
Abby
Suck it up and stop whining, Michelle. You're getting to live in the White House for free, travel the world, and have others pay for everything for you. You can divorce the jerk any time you want. The rest of us are stuck with the idiot for 2 more years.
Signed,
Abby
Ken Weatherwax, Pugsley from 'The Addams Family,' dies at age 59
Weatherwax died of a heart attack at his Box Canyon, California, home over the weekend, said Joey D. Vieira, his half brother. Weatherwax's body was found on Sunday.
Pugsley, the son of Gomez and Morticia, was a member of the family of macabre oddballs in the television series, which aired on ABC from 1964 to 1966 with its familiar, finger-snapping theme song.
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NO PRISON TIME for Woman Who Beat Far Left Politician With a Metal Bar During Robbery
Now that’s true communist commitment. Minneapolis mayoral candidate Mark Andrew who belongs to the far-Left Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (which is a commie front), was almost beat to death over a robbery to steal his cell phone by three black goons. But he’s glad that the woman who beat him repeatedly, tearing up his face and giving him nine stitches, won’t go to prison. Instead, she’ll get counseling and submersion in an arts program. She’ll probably also get coddled, told that it was not her fault, how it was bad whitie’s doing and given a warm blankie and milk before bed. That’s just ridiculous. In true Marxist style, Andrew is taking one for the team after the beating to promote pandering to the black community and gangs, and to forward the ‘no prison’ meme of the communist left, a la Van Jones. Guess he would have been okay with it if he had been beaten to death – at least he could have been a martyr for his comrades’ cause.
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