DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Friday, December 19, 2014
Hillary Clinton cover was People magazine's worst-selling issue
The former first lady and senator became a grandmother for the first time after her daughter Chelsea gave birth, but she was also the cover of People magazine's lowest-selling issue.
According to a report from AdWeek on Monday, the issue of People featuring Clinton was worst selling of 2014 with 503,890 copies sold.
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Hollywood studio pulls the plug on Steve Carell's new movie Pyongyang
The Sony hacking scandal continued reverberating throughout the Hollywood film industry on Wednesday as Steve Carell's slated new movie, Pyongyang was canceled.
The announcement was made just hours before Sony scrapped the release of the controversial Seth Rogen comedy The Interview, which was scheduled to premiere Christmas Day.
The studio's decision to cancel the release of the film about a CIA assassination plot targeting North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un was prompted by threatening messages alluding to 9/11-style terrorist attacks against cinemas.
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The announcement was made just hours before Sony scrapped the release of the controversial Seth Rogen comedy The Interview, which was scheduled to premiere Christmas Day.
The studio's decision to cancel the release of the film about a CIA assassination plot targeting North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un was prompted by threatening messages alluding to 9/11-style terrorist attacks against cinemas.
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Md. Woman Fined $100 For Leaving Kids In Hot Car
FREDERICK, Md. (AP) — A Frederick woman has been fined $100 for leaving her children in a car in a supermarket parking lot on a 90-degree day
Forty-one-year-old Fatimate Diallo (fah-tih-MAH’-tay dee-AH’-loh) was convicted during a trial Wednesday in Frederick of two misdemeanor counts of leaving children under 8 in an unattended vehicle.
Police say two older children, ages 9 and 12, were also left in the car.
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Forty-one-year-old Fatimate Diallo (fah-tih-MAH’-tay dee-AH’-loh) was convicted during a trial Wednesday in Frederick of two misdemeanor counts of leaving children under 8 in an unattended vehicle.
Police say two older children, ages 9 and 12, were also left in the car.
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America has lost its first cyberwar: Newt Gingrich slams Sony decision
Many Hollywood stars, and Newt Gingrich, are discussing how upset they are with Sony's decision to not distribute their new film The Interview following threats from hackers who have been releasing internal information and emails over the past two weeks.
Sony Pictures Entertainment pulled the planned Christmas Day release of the picture after the hackers threatened 9/11-like terror attacks on cinemas showing the comedy.
And now, many are making it public how upset they are with Sony.
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Sony Pictures Entertainment pulled the planned Christmas Day release of the picture after the hackers threatened 9/11-like terror attacks on cinemas showing the comedy.
And now, many are making it public how upset they are with Sony.
More
Owl’s GPS More Than Just Ornithological Curiosity
The owl underwent surgery to fuse bones in her wingtip, a novel treatment for an injury that could have led to a lifetime of captivity according to DNR veterinarians.
With rest and rehabilitation, she grew healthy enough for release, and may be transmitting data that would more than pay for the investment of treating her.
The transmitter will convey latitude and longitude, much like any GPS would, but will also register altitude — a measurement ornithologists don’t have much gathered hard data.
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Electrician out of work for more than three years wins $1million
An out-of-work Wisconsin electrician whose long-term disability ran out over a year ago has won $1 million from the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes.
Karl Jonsson was home with his wife and teenage daughter on Tuesday when the Prize Patrol staff showed up and surprised him with roses and balloons, a large ceremonial check for $1 million and a real check for $25,000.
'You may get some phone calls from people you don't know,' Dave Sayer of Publishers Clearing House told him, 'but they'll be phone calls with congratulations and good wishes and, 'I'm just so glad to see a real person won, especially a person who could really use it.'
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Karl Jonsson was home with his wife and teenage daughter on Tuesday when the Prize Patrol staff showed up and surprised him with roses and balloons, a large ceremonial check for $1 million and a real check for $25,000.
'You may get some phone calls from people you don't know,' Dave Sayer of Publishers Clearing House told him, 'but they'll be phone calls with congratulations and good wishes and, 'I'm just so glad to see a real person won, especially a person who could really use it.'
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SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN!
Santa has given Rudolf the evening off and instead will be visiting neighborhoods in West Ocean City while riding a OCFD Fire Truck.
The dates and times are as follows:
Santa will visit the West Ocean City area while riding the OCFD fire truck:
Date: Sunday, December 21, 2014
Times: 5PM – 8PM
Santa will also be available to meet the children at OCVFD Station #5 on Keyser Point Road:
Date: Sunday, December 21, 2014
Time: 8PM – 9PM
For more information, call the Ocean City Fire Department at 410.289.4346.
Billion Dollar Surveillance Blimp to Launch Over Maryland
18-year-long $2.8-billion Army project intended to use giant airships to defend against cruise missiles...
In just a few days, the Army will launch the first of two massive blimps over Maryland, the last gasp of an 18-year-long $2.8-billion Army project intended to use giant airships to defend against cruise missiles.
And while the blimps may never stave off a barrage of enemy missiles, their ability to spot and track cars, trucks and boats hundreds of miles away is raising serious privacy concerns.
The project is called JLENS – or “Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System.” And you couldn’t come up with a better metaphor for wildly inflated defense contracts, a ponderous Pentagon bureaucracy, and the U.S. surveillance leviathan all in one.
Built by the Raytheon Company, the JLENS blimps operate as a pair. One provides omnipresent high-resolution 360-degree radar coverage up to 340 miles in any direction; the other can focus on specific threats and provide targeting information.
Read more
And while the blimps may never stave off a barrage of enemy missiles, their ability to spot and track cars, trucks and boats hundreds of miles away is raising serious privacy concerns.
The project is called JLENS – or “Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System.” And you couldn’t come up with a better metaphor for wildly inflated defense contracts, a ponderous Pentagon bureaucracy, and the U.S. surveillance leviathan all in one.
Built by the Raytheon Company, the JLENS blimps operate as a pair. One provides omnipresent high-resolution 360-degree radar coverage up to 340 miles in any direction; the other can focus on specific threats and provide targeting information.
Read more
Maryland Natural Resources Police Press Release 12-19-14
James W. Bunting, 44, of Georgetown, Del., Cory Tyler Lednum, 18, and Douglas Dale Mumford, 35, both of Selbyville, Del., and Kirby Edward Short, 37, of Bishopville, were each charged with two counts of harvesting striped bass from an area known as the Exclusive Economic Zone.
The EEZ, as it is known, begins three miles offshore, where state waters end, and extends to 200 miles out. Federal fisheries regulators closed all but a tiny segment of the EEZ to all striped bass possession or fishing.
NRP officers on a saturation patrol along the three-mile boundary found the four fishermen’s boat well into the EEZ as it was returning to Maryland waters. They escorted the vessel back to shore, where citations were issued.
The fish were seized and donated to the Diokinia Homess Shelter.
The four fishermen are scheduled to appear in Snow Hill District Court on Feb. 20. If found guilty, they could be fined a maximum of $250 for each fish.
GOP's Leaders Stomp GOP Voters on Amnesty
Polls show the GOP’s base is overwhelmingly opposed to President Barack Obama’s amnesty, yet the GOP’s business-backed leadership ruthlessly stomped on GOP legislators who opposed funding the amnesty in the 2015 government budget.
“The allegiance that Republicans have in Washington is to [lobbyists on] K Street, to big business, and they don’t give a damn about their constituents,” said Brent Bozell, chairman of the ForAmerica advocacy network.
“Executive amnesty is what they were elected to stop… [but] they punted on first down,” said Jenny Beth Martin, co-founder of Tea Party Patriots.
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“The allegiance that Republicans have in Washington is to [lobbyists on] K Street, to big business, and they don’t give a damn about their constituents,” said Brent Bozell, chairman of the ForAmerica advocacy network.
“Executive amnesty is what they were elected to stop… [but] they punted on first down,” said Jenny Beth Martin, co-founder of Tea Party Patriots.
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Department of Agriculture proposes phosphorus regs
Legislators in Worcester County are scrambling after the Department of Agriculture announced proposed regulations on phosphorus that could affect the majority of area farmers.
County and state lawmakers are calling for hearings to stall the new rules that would restrict how much chicken manure farmers can use to fertilize their crops.
The Worcester County Commissioners drafted a letter to Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review Committee Senate Chair Paul Pinsky and House Chair Samuel Rosenberg on Dec. 1, stating their concern with the potential economic impact from new regulations.
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County and state lawmakers are calling for hearings to stall the new rules that would restrict how much chicken manure farmers can use to fertilize their crops.
The Worcester County Commissioners drafted a letter to Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review Committee Senate Chair Paul Pinsky and House Chair Samuel Rosenberg on Dec. 1, stating their concern with the potential economic impact from new regulations.
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Police: Stolen credit cards used to nab $8,500 in 8 minutes
WASHINGTON – You could call them the “Eight Minute Mammas.”
Police are looking for two women who used stolen credit cards to buy about $8,500 in gift cards from the Target in Rockville, Maryland. And they did it in eight minutes.
Montgomery County police say the pair walked into Target about 7:20 p.m. Dec. 5. They were at the register at 7:24 p.m. and out the door with activated gift cards by 7:28 p.m.
The victim’s credit card companies alerted her that same night that her cards were used to make large purchases of $4,000 each on a Visa and an American Express plus another $503 on a MasterCard, police say.
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Police are looking for two women who used stolen credit cards to buy about $8,500 in gift cards from the Target in Rockville, Maryland. And they did it in eight minutes.
Montgomery County police say the pair walked into Target about 7:20 p.m. Dec. 5. They were at the register at 7:24 p.m. and out the door with activated gift cards by 7:28 p.m.
The victim’s credit card companies alerted her that same night that her cards were used to make large purchases of $4,000 each on a Visa and an American Express plus another $503 on a MasterCard, police say.
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COPS GO BALLISTIC ON 'MISBEHAVING' PRESCHOOLER
The unnamed student, who was enrolled in the pre-kindergarten program at Nathanael Greene Primary School, in Stanardsville, Virginia, was removed from the classroom Oct. 16 after allegedly “becoming agitated and throwing several items onto the floor.”
“That such extreme restraints would even be contemplated in a case such as this points to a failure by those in leadership to provide the proper guidance to school personnel in what forms of restraint and force are appropriate when dealing with students, especially the youngest and most vulnerable,” said a letter sent this week to school district officials by John Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute, which was asked by the mother to intervene.
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Big Money Swiftly Backing Jeb Bush Presidential Run
Jeb Bush's announcement that he has "decided to actively explore the possibility of running for president of the United States" has sent center-right bundlers "rushing" in his direction, "draining" financial support for other candidates," The Washington Post reported.
Politico added that "money men" were cheering the Bush statement and that his Republican rivals will now have to "struggle to raise big cash."
Among those purportedly hardest hit by a prospective Bush candidacy are Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey.
"I think Jeb's decision this early unexpectedly freezes many potential donors and bundlers who were exploring going with Christie or another candidate," said John Horne, an Arkansas financier and Bush family confidante, the Post reported.
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Politico added that "money men" were cheering the Bush statement and that his Republican rivals will now have to "struggle to raise big cash."
Among those purportedly hardest hit by a prospective Bush candidacy are Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey.
"I think Jeb's decision this early unexpectedly freezes many potential donors and bundlers who were exploring going with Christie or another candidate," said John Horne, an Arkansas financier and Bush family confidante, the Post reported.
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U.S. Army's blimp-like airships get East Coast test
The radar-toting vehicle will be launched next week as part of a three-year test of the system at Aberdeen Proving Ground, about 25 miles northeast of Baltimore.
When fully deployed next spring, the system will feature two, unmanned, helium-filled aerostats, tethered to concrete pads 4 miles apart. They'll float at an altitude of 10,000 feet, about one-third as high as a commercial airliner's cruising altitude.
One balloon will continuously scan in a circle from upstate New York to North Carolina's Outer Banks, and as far west as central Ohio. The other will carry precision radar to help the military on the ground to pinpoint targets.
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Ten Maryland Counties Protest O'Malley's Last Minute Phosphorus Play
Allegany, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Dorchester, Frederick, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Wicomico. What about Worcester (better ask Liberal Jim)?
SFD Calls For Service 12-18-14
- Thursday December, 18 2014 @ 19:04 Nature: Odor InvestigationAddress: 725 Richwil Dr Salisbury, MD 21801
- Thursday December, 18 2014 @ 18:59Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Thursday December, 18 2014 @ 18:31Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Thursday December, 18 2014 @ 18:07Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Thursday December, 18 2014 @ 17:40 Nature: Vehicle Accident w/InjuriesAddress: S Salisbury Blvd & Calvert St Salisbury, MD 21801
Will Pa. join NY and ban fracking for health reasons? By Ray Wallace
Pennsylvania voters may have voted Gov. Corbett out of office,
but -- unlike New York -- is Pa. too corrupt to ban fracking?
After four years, Pa. hasn’t even stopped Perdue’s
taxpayer-subsidized plans to dump hundreds
of tons of toxic waste hexane yearly
into Susquehanna Valley air!
Poll: GOP Favorability Up 14 Points; Obama, Dems Falter
The huge Republican gains in the midterm elections have resulted in a substantial increase in the party’s standing with the public, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
In the new poll, 47 percent said they have a favorable view of the Republican Party compared to 33 percent in October, the Post reported Wednesday.
The new poll found that an equal percentage view Republicans negatively – the first time in six years that fewer than half of Americans expressed this view of the GOP.
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In the new poll, 47 percent said they have a favorable view of the Republican Party compared to 33 percent in October, the Post reported Wednesday.
The new poll found that an equal percentage view Republicans negatively – the first time in six years that fewer than half of Americans expressed this view of the GOP.
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14-year-old shoots, kills intruder
Grandfather says boy warned robbers before shooting
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Authorities say a 14-year-old boy shot and killed a man who was trying to break into his home in eastern Mecklenburg County.
Police say the shooting happened after 5 p.m. Tuesday at a home near Mint Hill.
The Charlotte Observer reported that Isai Robert Delcid, 18, was fatally shot while he and his brother Carlos Delcid, 20, were trying to break into the rear of a home.
Investigators said the incident took place shortly before 5:15 p.m. They said the 14-year-old and his grandmother were in the home when two men tried breaking in.
The teen reportedly warned the men to stop and told them he had a gun. When they continued to try to break in, he fired through the door, killing the 18-year-old suspect.
The 20-year-old suspect was arrested a short time later.
The Observer reported that the 14-year-old’s father was shot to death six years ago during an apparent robbery at the auto repair shop he operated in east Charlotte, according to the grandfather.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Authorities say a 14-year-old boy shot and killed a man who was trying to break into his home in eastern Mecklenburg County.
Police say the shooting happened after 5 p.m. Tuesday at a home near Mint Hill.
The Charlotte Observer reported that Isai Robert Delcid, 18, was fatally shot while he and his brother Carlos Delcid, 20, were trying to break into the rear of a home.
Investigators said the incident took place shortly before 5:15 p.m. They said the 14-year-old and his grandmother were in the home when two men tried breaking in.
The teen reportedly warned the men to stop and told them he had a gun. When they continued to try to break in, he fired through the door, killing the 18-year-old suspect.
The 20-year-old suspect was arrested a short time later.
The Observer reported that the 14-year-old’s father was shot to death six years ago during an apparent robbery at the auto repair shop he operated in east Charlotte, according to the grandfather.
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BREAKING NEWS: FBI officially blames North Korea for Sony hacking
The FBI says it 'now has enough information to conclude that the North Korean government is responsible' for the hacking of Sony computers and the embarrassing email disclosures and online threats that led to the cancellation of the film 'The Interview.'
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IRS Watchdog Continues to Hide Records on White House Leaks
Of 2509 documents, government agrees to release 31
An independent IRS monitor announced Monday it will block the release of roughly 400 more pages of documents related to unauthorized leaks of confidential taxpayer information to the White House.
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) told the watchdog group Cause of Action it would be withholding nearly all of the 2,500 documents it located that were related to unauthorized IRS leaks to the White House. Earlier this month, TIGTA told Cause of Action it was withholding roughly 2,100 of the documents and said it would take an additional two weeks to review the rest.
TIGTA released 31 pages of documents on Monday to Cause of Action, 27 of which were already publicly available. Most were responses to letters from Republican senators.
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An independent IRS monitor announced Monday it will block the release of roughly 400 more pages of documents related to unauthorized leaks of confidential taxpayer information to the White House.
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) told the watchdog group Cause of Action it would be withholding nearly all of the 2,500 documents it located that were related to unauthorized IRS leaks to the White House. Earlier this month, TIGTA told Cause of Action it was withholding roughly 2,100 of the documents and said it would take an additional two weeks to review the rest.
TIGTA released 31 pages of documents on Monday to Cause of Action, 27 of which were already publicly available. Most were responses to letters from Republican senators.
More
100th Anniversary of the Christmas Truce: December 24–25, 1914
This holiday season marks the 100th anniversary of the legendary Christmas Truce during World War I.
On Christmas Eve of 1914 and the following day, an amazing thing happened along the Western Front. The rank-and-file soldiersspontaneously arranged informal cease-fires with enemy soldiers in the trenches opposite them and, in many cases, met in the No Man’s Land between the trenches to socialize with each other, singing carols, exchanging small gifts, and burying the dead (and in some instances, even playing soccer or taking photographs together). While these impromptu truces by no means involved the entire Western Front, they were widespread, especially between German and British soldiers (though in a few places French and Belgian troops as well).
Reports of these spur-of-the moment cease-fires didn’t hit the newspapers until December 31, but once the news broke, stories of the individual Christmas truces began appearing in newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic. Perhaps one of the more surprising discoveries to come out of the Christmas truces, both for the Allied soldiers and newspaper readers back home, was that despite stories of German atrocities, the enemy soldiers in the trenches were just as human as they were. “The Germans opposite were awfully decent fellows [. . .] intelligent, respectable looking men,”reported one soldier. “I really think a lot of our newspaper reports must be horribly exaggerated.”
Not everyone supported the truces, however. High-ranking officers on both sides frowned down on the truces once they heard about them but were largely unable to stop them. Some lower-ranking soldiers disapproved as well, such as one who, upon returning to the trenches to find that the Germans had erected lit Christmas trees, remarked, “I was all for not allowing the blighters to enjoy themselves, especially as they had killed one of our men that afternoon. But my captain [. . .] wouldn’t let me shoot.”
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On Christmas Eve of 1914 and the following day, an amazing thing happened along the Western Front. The rank-and-file soldiersspontaneously arranged informal cease-fires with enemy soldiers in the trenches opposite them and, in many cases, met in the No Man’s Land between the trenches to socialize with each other, singing carols, exchanging small gifts, and burying the dead (and in some instances, even playing soccer or taking photographs together). While these impromptu truces by no means involved the entire Western Front, they were widespread, especially between German and British soldiers (though in a few places French and Belgian troops as well).
Reports of these spur-of-the moment cease-fires didn’t hit the newspapers until December 31, but once the news broke, stories of the individual Christmas truces began appearing in newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic. Perhaps one of the more surprising discoveries to come out of the Christmas truces, both for the Allied soldiers and newspaper readers back home, was that despite stories of German atrocities, the enemy soldiers in the trenches were just as human as they were. “The Germans opposite were awfully decent fellows [. . .] intelligent, respectable looking men,”reported one soldier. “I really think a lot of our newspaper reports must be horribly exaggerated.”
Not everyone supported the truces, however. High-ranking officers on both sides frowned down on the truces once they heard about them but were largely unable to stop them. Some lower-ranking soldiers disapproved as well, such as one who, upon returning to the trenches to find that the Germans had erected lit Christmas trees, remarked, “I was all for not allowing the blighters to enjoy themselves, especially as they had killed one of our men that afternoon. But my captain [. . .] wouldn’t let me shoot.”
More
Tom Coburn Rankles Harry Reid in Senate Farewell
It takes a certain kind of senator to single-handedly block a bill that supporters say would save veterans from committing suicide.
But that’s exactly what Sen. Tom Coburn did last week, facing down withering pressure from veterans groups and insinuations from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that he will have the blood of veterans on his hands because he’s refusing to let the bill through.
The Oklahoma Republican also held up an energy conservation bill, released a road map for reforming the Social Security disability system, tried to undo one of Mr. Reid’s nuclear option-fueled rules changes and battled with Mr. Reid to try to pass a legacy-building transparency bill that would have forced the executive branch to produce a list of all its programs — all part of one of the busiest weeks any departing senator has ever had.
He cast his final vote as a senator Tuesday night, and was the first to flee the chamber floor, returning to the citizen part of “citizen legislator.” By Wednesday afternoon he was back in Oklahoma, driving to his home in Muskogee.
In his farewell speech last week, Mr. Coburn made the case for individualism.
“The magic number in the Senate is not 60, the number of senators needed to end debate, and it is not 51, a majority. The most important number in the Senate is one — one senator,” he told several dozen of his colleagues who had come to the floor to hear him speak. “The Senate has a set of rules that gives each individual member the power needed to advance, change or stop legislation.”
He also read his colleagues the oath of office they take, in which they pledge to defend the Constitution. He urged them to pay attention: “Your state isn’t mentioned one time in that oath. Your whole goal is to protect the United States of America, its Constitution and its liberties. It is not to provide benefits to your state.”
More here
Math teacher fired after stuffing two students in her TRUNK to go on a snack run
An Oklahoma middle school teacher has been fired for taking nearly a dozen of her students on a snack run, with two of them locked in the trunk of her sedan.
Heather Cagle, a veteran math teacher and yearbook instructor at Wells Middle School in Catoosa, was suspended in October after it was revealed that she had piled 11 children into her car to go to Wal-mart in the middle of the school day.
At the time, Cagle said she was trying to do 'something sweet' for her yearbook students by getting them treats.
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Heather Cagle, a veteran math teacher and yearbook instructor at Wells Middle School in Catoosa, was suspended in October after it was revealed that she had piled 11 children into her car to go to Wal-mart in the middle of the school day.
At the time, Cagle said she was trying to do 'something sweet' for her yearbook students by getting them treats.
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Some States Move To Ban Powdered Alcohol Before It Ever Hits Shelves
Remember Palcohol, the powdered alcohol that when, mixed with water, is supposed to be the equivalent of one drink or shot of booze? Palcohol can’t even see store shelves from where the product is standing at this point, after first being an approved product and then having that approval yanked by regulators. But if and when it finds its way to the public, some states are preparing to keep it from shelves before it ever gets the chance to hit them.
Colorado is the latest state to join those considering banning Palcohol out of concerns it could increase underage drinking, reports the Associated Press.
“I think being proactive and jumping out in front of the problem is probably the right thing to do,” said Chris Johnson, executive director of the County Sheriffs of Colorado. “It really doesn’t have any place in our society, powdered alcohol. We have enough problems with the liquid kind.”
He says he’s worried the powdered rum or vodka will be tempting for kids to “sprinkle it on top of their Wheaties for breakfast.”
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Colorado is the latest state to join those considering banning Palcohol out of concerns it could increase underage drinking, reports the Associated Press.
“I think being proactive and jumping out in front of the problem is probably the right thing to do,” said Chris Johnson, executive director of the County Sheriffs of Colorado. “It really doesn’t have any place in our society, powdered alcohol. We have enough problems with the liquid kind.”
He says he’s worried the powdered rum or vodka will be tempting for kids to “sprinkle it on top of their Wheaties for breakfast.”
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THE MAN WHO STOLE AMERICA-PART FOUR
To America (our Country) Dec.17,2014
WHAT OUR CONSTITUTION TEACHES:
About 235 years ago our Revolutionary War began. When it ended, The United States of America was born, liberty proclaimed and laws enacted under the new Constitution. At that time, John Jay wisely convinced George Washington to include in the Constitution the Article ll,section 1 provision, limiting the Presidency and Vice-Presidency to natural-born American citizens so that no one with a dual-nationality or other foreign allegiance (British, for example) could adversely affect the governance of our Country.
WHAT BARACK OBAMA PREACHES:
Recently, on a National TV "open mike" all America heard Obama telling his subordinates to find a way around the Constitution.This from a man who, when inaugurated swore, under oath, to defend that same Constitution! What John Jay feared has arrived, in the person of Barack Obama!
The above contrasts are from my earlier letter to our Country, entitled "A Stolen Country-Part 1. Seven years ago, I received an e-mail from overseas, suggesting Obama was possibly not a "natural-born" American citizen, thereby never eligible, under our Constitution, to seek the Presidency. Seven years later, factual evidence plus Obama's own words,his silence and his actions have convinced a majority of our Nation that he truly is an imposter. Herein follows a partial recap of his self-incrimination.
Obama initially had all his birth records sealed (as previous presidential-elects had done) until more and more Americans began questioning his eligibility. Then, in 2008, the Daily Kos News made public a "Certification" of Live Birth, a limited and inadmissable document for confirming presidential eligibility. Obama,a former Constitutional teacher,knew this yet he cited the Kos document as proof of his eligibility. In so doing, his verbal "seal of approval" opened the door to examination of his document by experts who overwhelmingly declared it not only inadmissable but fraudulent. Consider, also,that the Daily Kos claimed their copy was a copy of an original document which the Hawaiian Health Dept.couldn't find. How does one copy a lost document? Also, even if an identical Health Dept. copy of the Daily Kos one had existed that would simply mean that both were fraudulent and ineligible documents.Two wrongs do not make one right! For two years Obama kept this deception alive, knowing full-well he was deceiving America. Please reflect on that sentence. A man who constantly refers to himself as being "transparent" lied repeatedly for two years-a criminal act, born of desperation.
WHAT OUR CONSTITUTION TEACHES:
About 235 years ago our Revolutionary War began. When it ended, The United States of America was born, liberty proclaimed and laws enacted under the new Constitution. At that time, John Jay wisely convinced George Washington to include in the Constitution the Article ll,section 1 provision, limiting the Presidency and Vice-Presidency to natural-born American citizens so that no one with a dual-nationality or other foreign allegiance (British, for example) could adversely affect the governance of our Country.
WHAT BARACK OBAMA PREACHES:
Recently, on a National TV "open mike" all America heard Obama telling his subordinates to find a way around the Constitution.This from a man who, when inaugurated swore, under oath, to defend that same Constitution! What John Jay feared has arrived, in the person of Barack Obama!
The above contrasts are from my earlier letter to our Country, entitled "A Stolen Country-Part 1. Seven years ago, I received an e-mail from overseas, suggesting Obama was possibly not a "natural-born" American citizen, thereby never eligible, under our Constitution, to seek the Presidency. Seven years later, factual evidence plus Obama's own words,his silence and his actions have convinced a majority of our Nation that he truly is an imposter. Herein follows a partial recap of his self-incrimination.
Obama initially had all his birth records sealed (as previous presidential-elects had done) until more and more Americans began questioning his eligibility. Then, in 2008, the Daily Kos News made public a "Certification" of Live Birth, a limited and inadmissable document for confirming presidential eligibility. Obama,a former Constitutional teacher,knew this yet he cited the Kos document as proof of his eligibility. In so doing, his verbal "seal of approval" opened the door to examination of his document by experts who overwhelmingly declared it not only inadmissable but fraudulent. Consider, also,that the Daily Kos claimed their copy was a copy of an original document which the Hawaiian Health Dept.couldn't find. How does one copy a lost document? Also, even if an identical Health Dept. copy of the Daily Kos one had existed that would simply mean that both were fraudulent and ineligible documents.Two wrongs do not make one right! For two years Obama kept this deception alive, knowing full-well he was deceiving America. Please reflect on that sentence. A man who constantly refers to himself as being "transparent" lied repeatedly for two years-a criminal act, born of desperation.
Woman Pleaded Guilty To Defrauding Stores With Gift Cards
GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A District Heights woman has pleaded guilty to plotting to steal $485,000 in gift cards from Target stores.
Twenty-eight-year-old Ebony Nicole Ruffin entered the plea Thursday in federal court in Greenbelt.
According to her plea, Ruffin and others used counterfeit personal checks and false identification to get gift cards and merchandise from Target stores in several states.
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Twenty-eight-year-old Ebony Nicole Ruffin entered the plea Thursday in federal court in Greenbelt.
According to her plea, Ruffin and others used counterfeit personal checks and false identification to get gift cards and merchandise from Target stores in several states.
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Black Racists Who Don’t Work for a Living Hate Being Asked for Help
Hardly a week passes by without an elderly lady asking me to hand them down something from a shelf. Most of the women doing the asking are Asian. Some are Hispanic. The last one was African-American.
They aren’t asking me for help because I’m white. They’re asking me for help because I’m 6’2.
Being asked for help is an insult to
1. The lazy
2. The rude
3. Thin-skinned paranoid racists
So we had Michelle Obama pop up to complain that she got asked for help in a department store, even though her original version of the story made it clear that she was asked because she was tall. And apparently Obama gets mistaken for a valet everywhere he goes. I’m not sure why.
Valets work for a living.
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They aren’t asking me for help because I’m white. They’re asking me for help because I’m 6’2.
Being asked for help is an insult to
1. The lazy
2. The rude
3. Thin-skinned paranoid racists
So we had Michelle Obama pop up to complain that she got asked for help in a department store, even though her original version of the story made it clear that she was asked because she was tall. And apparently Obama gets mistaken for a valet everywhere he goes. I’m not sure why.
Valets work for a living.
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Man Allegedly Takes Out $262,000 In Student Loans Under Stepdaughter’s Name, Doesn’t Use It For Tuition
Here’s the thing, when you take out student loans you sign a promissory note saying you’ll use the funds to pay for tuition related costs. If you don’t, then you’re committing something called student loan fraud. That’s apparently the case for a Pennsylvania man who must now stand trial for taking out hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of student loans in his stepdaughter’s name only to use the money himself.
UPDATE: Massage Parlor Business Owner Arrested
Dazhong Wang, 50 of Smyrna, was taken into custody after he was scheduled to meet with an officer from the State Fire Marshall's Office in Dover, Thursday afternoon. Further investigation revealed he is the owner of two other spas located in Dover and Smyrna. A forth business in Middletown, Delaware, owned by Wang, was closed after arrests were made by Middletown Police Department for prostitution in January of 2014.
Dazhong Wang was charged with Promoting Prostitution 2nd, and Permitting Prostitution which stemmed from the incident that occurred in Rehoboth on December 4th. He was arraigned at JP2 and committed to James T. Vaughn Correctional Center on $5,500.00 secured bond.
New York Bans Fracking After Health Report
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration said on Wednesday it will ban hydraulic fracturing in the state after a long-awaited report concluded that the gas-drilling method poses health risks.
New York Environmental Commissioner Joseph Martens said he will issue an order early next year banning fracking, which has been under a moratorium since 2008. Once that happens, New York will join Vermont as the only states to completely prohibit fracking.
Read More Here
New York Environmental Commissioner Joseph Martens said he will issue an order early next year banning fracking, which has been under a moratorium since 2008. Once that happens, New York will join Vermont as the only states to completely prohibit fracking.
Read More Here
Big Labor Uses Wage Laws to Boost Numbers
Study finds union carve outs in many minimum wage hikes
Unions may be pushing for President Obama’s massive minimum wage hike, but many seek special carveouts from existing wage laws, according to a new study.
The Chamber of Commerce analyzed dozens of minimum wage laws in cities across the country and found that many of the statutes exempt unionized employees from the requirement. Unions exploit these exemptions in order to make union labor more competitive with non-union shops.
“Some local ordinances in particular include an exemption for employers that enter into a collective bargaining agreement with a union,” the report says. “This ‘escape clause’ is often designed to encourage unionization by making a labor union the potential ‘low-cost’ alternative to new wage mandates, and it raises serious questions about whom these minimum wage laws are actually intended to benefit.”
When San Francisco adopted a $10.55 minimum wage in 2013, union employers were able to escape the large hike in labor costs. The unionized shops were granted the ability to remain below that market rate in perpetuity, while other companies had to adopt the new wage over the course of several years.
“Unionized employers with collective bargaining agreements that waive the provisions were also exempted from the minimum wage law, although, unlike the other carve-outs, that exemption did notexpire and remains in effect today,” the report says.
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Unions may be pushing for President Obama’s massive minimum wage hike, but many seek special carveouts from existing wage laws, according to a new study.
The Chamber of Commerce analyzed dozens of minimum wage laws in cities across the country and found that many of the statutes exempt unionized employees from the requirement. Unions exploit these exemptions in order to make union labor more competitive with non-union shops.
“Some local ordinances in particular include an exemption for employers that enter into a collective bargaining agreement with a union,” the report says. “This ‘escape clause’ is often designed to encourage unionization by making a labor union the potential ‘low-cost’ alternative to new wage mandates, and it raises serious questions about whom these minimum wage laws are actually intended to benefit.”
When San Francisco adopted a $10.55 minimum wage in 2013, union employers were able to escape the large hike in labor costs. The unionized shops were granted the ability to remain below that market rate in perpetuity, while other companies had to adopt the new wage over the course of several years.
“Unionized employers with collective bargaining agreements that waive the provisions were also exempted from the minimum wage law, although, unlike the other carve-outs, that exemption did notexpire and remains in effect today,” the report says.
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Gov’t Forecast: The Average Driver Will Save $550 On Gas Next Year
After so much pain at the pump in recent years, it’s got to be sweet relief for drivers to hear that 2015 might be easier on the old wallet. A report from the federal government says the average driver will save $550 on gas next year compared to 2014.
Open the Door and Get Out of the Way
President Obama today took a bold and surprising step toward ending the futile 50 year US embargo of Cuba. The president announced he would begin normalizing relations, including upgrading the diplomatic mission in Havana to embassy status. The president also said he was taking steps to increase travel, commerce, and the flow of information between the US and Cuba.
President Obama said that the half-century US embargo of Cuba was an “outdated approach” that “failed to advance our interests.” He rightly noted that decades of US sanctions have “had little effect.”
He noted, as I have often pointed out, that the US has had economic and diplomatic relations with communist China for 35 years and has even established productive relations with a Vietnam, where the US fought a brutal war just over four decades ago.
I was delighted to see the president make such a dramatic foreign policy move that will result in more freedom and liberty for Americans. I have always believed that the US embargo of Cuba was primarily an anti-American policy, as the US government has no business telling Americans with whom they can trade or visit. Of course the average Cuban suffered greatly under the inhuman US embargo of their country, and I hope this policy shift may result in better lives for them as well.
What is particularly encouraging about this move is that the 50 year freeze in US/Cuba relations was thawed by a simple telephone call between President Obama and his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro. I have opposed the isolationist policies of sanctions and embargoes and have encouraged US presidents to simply use diplomacy – even a simple telephone call – to clear up differences. There is a lesson in this for similarly tense US relations with Iran, Russia, Syria, and others.
I am optimistic about this policy shift by the US government but I am also very cautious.
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President Obama said that the half-century US embargo of Cuba was an “outdated approach” that “failed to advance our interests.” He rightly noted that decades of US sanctions have “had little effect.”
He noted, as I have often pointed out, that the US has had economic and diplomatic relations with communist China for 35 years and has even established productive relations with a Vietnam, where the US fought a brutal war just over four decades ago.
I was delighted to see the president make such a dramatic foreign policy move that will result in more freedom and liberty for Americans. I have always believed that the US embargo of Cuba was primarily an anti-American policy, as the US government has no business telling Americans with whom they can trade or visit. Of course the average Cuban suffered greatly under the inhuman US embargo of their country, and I hope this policy shift may result in better lives for them as well.
What is particularly encouraging about this move is that the 50 year freeze in US/Cuba relations was thawed by a simple telephone call between President Obama and his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro. I have opposed the isolationist policies of sanctions and embargoes and have encouraged US presidents to simply use diplomacy – even a simple telephone call – to clear up differences. There is a lesson in this for similarly tense US relations with Iran, Russia, Syria, and others.
I am optimistic about this policy shift by the US government but I am also very cautious.
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Frank Perdue's Wife Wants Others To Find Success From Her Husband's 'Tough' Yet 'Tender' Ways
The man who led Maryland's Perdue Farms Inc. into a national poultry powerhouse was always too shy, Mitzi, the wife of the late Perdue, recalled.
But an advertising copywriter convinced him it was the only way he was going to sell his chicken. His competitors could compete with claims of freshness or taste, but they couldn't compete with Perdue's uncanny resemblance to the product he sold.
"The only thing they can't possibly copy is YOU!," Mitzi Perdue said copywriter Ed McCabe told her husband. "You look like a chicken, you squawk like a chicken, you have beady eyes like a chicken and your voice is scratchy like we think a chicken would sound like."
Ouch.
But Mitzi Perdue said her husband didn't mind. He agreed.
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Mayor Jim Ireton: Do As I Say, Not As I Do
FOLLOW THE LAW Ladies & Gentlemen and do NOT contribute to his solicitation, just as you did for Norm Conway.
You know Jimmy, you might be onto something here.
USPS Workers Say They’re Overworked Thanks To Delivering Your Holiday Packages On Sundays
Once upon a time, Sundays provided a much-needed day of rest for the nation’s postal service workers. But that all changed when the United States Postal Service and Amazon kicked off a partnership to deliver packages seven days a week, and now, a year later, workers say the deal has resulted in long hours and weeks without a single day off.
Oil May Drop To $25 On Chinese Demand Plunge, Supply Glut, Ageing Boomers
We have forecast since mid-August that Brent oil prices would fall to “$70/bbl and probably lower”, and the US$ would see a strong rise. As Chart 1 shows, Brent has now reached our target, falling 40%, whilst the US$ has risen 10%. We believe this represents the first stage of the Great Unwinding of policymaker stimulus that has dominated markets since 2009. This Note now takes our oil price forecast forward into H1 2015.
Astonishingly, most commentators remain in a state of denial about the enormity of the price fall underway. Some, failing to understand the powerful forces now unleashed, even believe prices may quickly recover. Our view is that oil prices are likely to continue falling to $50/bbl and probably lower in H1 2015, in the absence of OPEC cutbacks or other supply disruption. Critically, China’s slowdown under President Xi’s New Normal economic policy means its demand growth will be a fraction of that seen in the past.
This will create a demand shock equivalent to the supply shock seen in 1973 during the Arab oil boycott. Then the strength of BabyBoomer demand, at a time of weak supply growth, led to a dramatic increase in inflation.By contrast, today's ageing Boomers mean that demand is weakening at a time when the world faces an energy supply glut. This will effectively reverse the 1973 position and lead to the arrival of a deflationary mindset.
CONTENTS Page:
1. Oil prices continue bouncing down the stairs to lower levels. Page 2
2. Financial players have destroyed price discovery in oil markets. Page 4
3. OPEC’s high prices have accelerated move away from oil to gas. Page 5
4. Gulf countries risk losing US defence shield if oil prices stay high. Page 7
More
Astonishingly, most commentators remain in a state of denial about the enormity of the price fall underway. Some, failing to understand the powerful forces now unleashed, even believe prices may quickly recover. Our view is that oil prices are likely to continue falling to $50/bbl and probably lower in H1 2015, in the absence of OPEC cutbacks or other supply disruption. Critically, China’s slowdown under President Xi’s New Normal economic policy means its demand growth will be a fraction of that seen in the past.
This will create a demand shock equivalent to the supply shock seen in 1973 during the Arab oil boycott. Then the strength of BabyBoomer demand, at a time of weak supply growth, led to a dramatic increase in inflation.By contrast, today's ageing Boomers mean that demand is weakening at a time when the world faces an energy supply glut. This will effectively reverse the 1973 position and lead to the arrival of a deflationary mindset.
CONTENTS Page:
1. Oil prices continue bouncing down the stairs to lower levels. Page 2
2. Financial players have destroyed price discovery in oil markets. Page 4
3. OPEC’s high prices have accelerated move away from oil to gas. Page 5
4. Gulf countries risk losing US defence shield if oil prices stay high. Page 7
More
The Fed Is Sitting On a $191 TRILLION Time Bomb
Stocks are bouncing today because the Fed will wrap up its monthly FOMC meeting and make a public statement this afternoon. Stocks have been rallying into FOMC meetings for the last three years, so traders are now conditioned to buy stocks in anticipation of this.
The prime focus for the markets is whether the Fed continues to state that it will raise rates after “a considerable time.” The reality is that the Fed cannot and will not raise rates anywhere near normal levels at any pointbecause doing so would blow up the financial system.
Let’s walk through this together.
Currently, the US has over $17 trillion in debt. The US can never pay this off. That is not some idle statement… we issued over $1 trillion in NEW debt in the last eight weeks simply because we don’t have the money to pay off the debt that is coming due from the past.
Since we don’t have that kind of money, the US is now simply issuing NEW debt to raise the money to pay back the OLD debt.
This is why the Fed NEEDS interest rates to be as low as possible… any slight jump in rates means that the US will rapidly spiral towards bankruptcy. Indeed, every 1% increase in interest rates means between $150-$175 billion more in interest payments on US debt per year.
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The prime focus for the markets is whether the Fed continues to state that it will raise rates after “a considerable time.” The reality is that the Fed cannot and will not raise rates anywhere near normal levels at any pointbecause doing so would blow up the financial system.
Let’s walk through this together.
Currently, the US has over $17 trillion in debt. The US can never pay this off. That is not some idle statement… we issued over $1 trillion in NEW debt in the last eight weeks simply because we don’t have the money to pay off the debt that is coming due from the past.
Since we don’t have that kind of money, the US is now simply issuing NEW debt to raise the money to pay back the OLD debt.
This is why the Fed NEEDS interest rates to be as low as possible… any slight jump in rates means that the US will rapidly spiral towards bankruptcy. Indeed, every 1% increase in interest rates means between $150-$175 billion more in interest payments on US debt per year.
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Escaped Inmate
William Clyde Conley 22 years of age
Additional charges include Theft of motor vehicle, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, theft scheme, and second degree escape, Conley was held at the Somerset County Detention Center without bond.
Economist Outlines Offshore Wind Farm Potential
OCEAN CITY — While the potential offshore wind energy farm off the coast of Ocean City is still moving through its approval process, the time is now for the area’s private sector to get ready for the opportunity, an economist told local business leaders and politicians this month.
During an economic summit hosted by Worcester County Economic Development and the Ocean City Economic Development Committee (EDC) at the new Performing Arts Center last Wednesday, Dr. Memo Diriker, founding director of Salisbury University’s Business, Economic and Community Outreach Network (BEACON), told those assembled a future offshore wind energy farm off the coast of Ocean City is moving closer to reality. Diriker advised local business leaders to begin preparing for the opportunities an offshore wind farm could present in as soon as five years.
“It looks like there should be steel in the water by late 2018 or early 2019,” he said. “It might be delayed somewhat by permitting and political reasons, but the power should be flowing about a year after that.”
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During an economic summit hosted by Worcester County Economic Development and the Ocean City Economic Development Committee (EDC) at the new Performing Arts Center last Wednesday, Dr. Memo Diriker, founding director of Salisbury University’s Business, Economic and Community Outreach Network (BEACON), told those assembled a future offshore wind energy farm off the coast of Ocean City is moving closer to reality. Diriker advised local business leaders to begin preparing for the opportunities an offshore wind farm could present in as soon as five years.
“It looks like there should be steel in the water by late 2018 or early 2019,” he said. “It might be delayed somewhat by permitting and political reasons, but the power should be flowing about a year after that.”
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Jeb Bush: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Waterboy
Allow me to unite America's left, right and center in just three words: No, Jeb, No.
Former GOP Florida governor Jeb Bush made the obvious official this week when he announced on Facebook that he's "actively exploring" a 2016 White House run. Of course, he's running. That's what inveterate politicians do.
Well, I hate to break it to Jeb Inc. There's no popular groundswell for Bush Part III. None, zip, nada. Independents, progressives and conservatives are all weary of the entrenched bipartisan dynasties that rule Washington and ruin America. Only in the hallowed bubble of D.C. and New York City elites does a Jeb Bush presidential bid make any sense.
Jeb's indulgent (and ultimately doomed) enterprise has three privileged constituencies: Big Business, Big Government and Big Media. This iron triumvirate explains how the failed campaigns of so-called "pragmatic," "thoughtful" and "moooooderate" liberal Republican candidates such as John McCain, Jon Huntsman and Bob Dole ever got off the ground. The "Reasonable Republican," anointed and enabled by the statist Big Three, serves as a useful tool for bashing conservatives and marginalizing conservatism.
For Republicans who argue that Jeb is the most "electable" choice, I ask: What planet are you on? After two disastrous terms of Barack Obama's Hope and Change Theater, the last thing the Republican Party needs is an establishment poster child for Washington business as usual. I mean, really? A third Bush who's been working for his dad, his dad's friends or the government since 1980?
A Beltway-ensconced scion so chummy with the Clinton family that he awarded close family friend -- and potential 2016 nemesis -- Hillary a "Liberty Medal" last year as chairman of the National Constitution Center?
That's the GOP donor bigwigs' "fresh idea" for "American Renewal?"
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Former GOP Florida governor Jeb Bush made the obvious official this week when he announced on Facebook that he's "actively exploring" a 2016 White House run. Of course, he's running. That's what inveterate politicians do.
Well, I hate to break it to Jeb Inc. There's no popular groundswell for Bush Part III. None, zip, nada. Independents, progressives and conservatives are all weary of the entrenched bipartisan dynasties that rule Washington and ruin America. Only in the hallowed bubble of D.C. and New York City elites does a Jeb Bush presidential bid make any sense.
Jeb's indulgent (and ultimately doomed) enterprise has three privileged constituencies: Big Business, Big Government and Big Media. This iron triumvirate explains how the failed campaigns of so-called "pragmatic," "thoughtful" and "moooooderate" liberal Republican candidates such as John McCain, Jon Huntsman and Bob Dole ever got off the ground. The "Reasonable Republican," anointed and enabled by the statist Big Three, serves as a useful tool for bashing conservatives and marginalizing conservatism.
For Republicans who argue that Jeb is the most "electable" choice, I ask: What planet are you on? After two disastrous terms of Barack Obama's Hope and Change Theater, the last thing the Republican Party needs is an establishment poster child for Washington business as usual. I mean, really? A third Bush who's been working for his dad, his dad's friends or the government since 1980?
A Beltway-ensconced scion so chummy with the Clinton family that he awarded close family friend -- and potential 2016 nemesis -- Hillary a "Liberty Medal" last year as chairman of the National Constitution Center?
That's the GOP donor bigwigs' "fresh idea" for "American Renewal?"
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Ecuador Family Wins Favors After Donations to Democrats
MIAMI — The Obama administration overturned a ban preventing a wealthy, politically connected Ecuadorean woman from entering the United States after her family gave tens of thousands of dollars to Democratic campaigns, according to finance records and government officials.
The woman, EstefanÃa IsaÃas, had been barred from coming to the United States after being caught fraudulently obtaining visas for her maids. But the ban was lifted at the request of the State Department under former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton so that Ms. IsaÃas could work for an Obama fund-raiser with close ties to the administration.
It was one of several favorable decisions the Obama administration made in recent years involving the IsaÃas family, which the government of Ecuadoraccuses of buying protection from Washington and living comfortably in Miami off the profits of a looted bank in Ecuador.
The family, which has been investigated by federal law enforcement agencies on suspicion of money laundering and immigration fraud, has made hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions to American political campaigns in recent years. During that time, it has repeatedly received favorable treatment from the highest levels of the American government, including from New Jersey’s senior senator and the State Department.
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The woman, EstefanÃa IsaÃas, had been barred from coming to the United States after being caught fraudulently obtaining visas for her maids. But the ban was lifted at the request of the State Department under former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton so that Ms. IsaÃas could work for an Obama fund-raiser with close ties to the administration.
It was one of several favorable decisions the Obama administration made in recent years involving the IsaÃas family, which the government of Ecuadoraccuses of buying protection from Washington and living comfortably in Miami off the profits of a looted bank in Ecuador.
The family, which has been investigated by federal law enforcement agencies on suspicion of money laundering and immigration fraud, has made hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions to American political campaigns in recent years. During that time, it has repeatedly received favorable treatment from the highest levels of the American government, including from New Jersey’s senior senator and the State Department.
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14 charged in deadly 2012 meningitis outbreak
BOSTON — Mold and bacteria were in the air and on workers’ gloved fingertips. Pharmacists used expired ingredients, didn’t properly sterilize them and failed to test drugs for purity before sending them to hospitals and pain clinics. Employees falsified logs to make it look as if the so-called clean rooms had been disinfected.
Federal prosecutors leveled those allegations in bringing charges Wednesday against 14 former owners or employees of a Massachusetts pharmacy in connection with a nationwide meningitis outbreak that killed 64 people.
U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz called it the biggest criminal case ever brought in the U.S. over contaminated medicine.
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Federal prosecutors leveled those allegations in bringing charges Wednesday against 14 former owners or employees of a Massachusetts pharmacy in connection with a nationwide meningitis outbreak that killed 64 people.
U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz called it the biggest criminal case ever brought in the U.S. over contaminated medicine.
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Hillary Clinton denounces torture and says 'black lives matter'
Hillary Rodham Clinton said the U.S. should never be involved in torture anywhere in the world - and also slipped an anti-police protester's motto into her speech.
The potential presidential candidate said on Tuesday at a star-studded gala in her honor that she's proud to have been part of an administration that 'banned illegal renditions and brutal interrogations.'
Clinton spoke about the importance of the nation acting in accordance with its values after receiving an award from The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights at a gala in New York, where she addressed an audience including Robert De Niro and Tony Bennett and a clutch of the Kennedy clan.
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The potential presidential candidate said on Tuesday at a star-studded gala in her honor that she's proud to have been part of an administration that 'banned illegal renditions and brutal interrogations.'
Clinton spoke about the importance of the nation acting in accordance with its values after receiving an award from The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights at a gala in New York, where she addressed an audience including Robert De Niro and Tony Bennett and a clutch of the Kennedy clan.
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Pension Deal in $1.1T Budget Bill Hits Retired Women Hard
The $1.1 trillion spending bill signed into law by President Barack Obama on Monday contains a provision allowing trustees of multiemployer pension plans to cut benefits in order to remain solvent.
But those reductions will take a heavy toll on retired women who can least afford it — retirees and surviving spouses who rely on their pensions to purchase necessities like food and medicine, advocates say.
Last month, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp (PBGC) said that 200 multiemployer pension plans, covering 1 million participants, are at risk of failing in the next 10 years.
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But those reductions will take a heavy toll on retired women who can least afford it — retirees and surviving spouses who rely on their pensions to purchase necessities like food and medicine, advocates say.
Last month, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp (PBGC) said that 200 multiemployer pension plans, covering 1 million participants, are at risk of failing in the next 10 years.
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Obama: I’m Jewish ‘in my soul’
But I got lucky. It's not what I told the President that mattered, it's what I heard him say when few people were paying attention.
After the president made his Channukah remarks and the lighting ceremony was over, he came down to greet the thick crowd of guests along a receiving line.
Because the Glatt kosher lamb chops were so amazing, and my friend Selwyn Gerber and I were completely immersed in the shmooze-with-every-cool-Jew routine prior to the President's arrival, I came late to the waiting crowd, which means I ended up about four rows back.
Here's where my luck kicked in. There was an imposing and tall white-haired gentleman to my right who had a booming voice and was determined to say something to the President (I think he may have had a few single malts, but that's another story.)
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'You are a white lady telling me what is racist!'
Whoopi Goldberg loses it with Rosie O'Donnell on The View in heated debate about Barack Obama being mistaken for a valet
A screaming match over racism erupted between Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O'Donnell on Thursday's episode of The View.
The show's co-hosts were discussing the news that Barack Obama was mistaken for a valet.
Goldberg dismissed the confusion as one of stupidity, with Americans failing to identify the most important man in the country and the world.
But when O'Donnell suggested racism may have been a key factor in the incident, Goldberg became enraged.
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A screaming match over racism erupted between Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O'Donnell on Thursday's episode of The View.
The show's co-hosts were discussing the news that Barack Obama was mistaken for a valet.
Goldberg dismissed the confusion as one of stupidity, with Americans failing to identify the most important man in the country and the world.
But when O'Donnell suggested racism may have been a key factor in the incident, Goldberg became enraged.
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FCC says Redskins name not offensive
The petition claimed repeated use of the word "Redskins" violates rules against indecent content.
But the FCC said that the law defines profanity as sexual or excretory in nature — meanings that don't relate to the name of the football team.
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FCC rules 'Redskins' is not profane
The Washington Redskins is not an indecent name, the FCC ruled Thursday. For the agency to ban profanity on the radio, it must be deemed sexual or excretory, Politicoreports.
George Washington University professor John Banzhaf had petitioned the agency to deny renewal of football team owner Daniel Snyder's radio station due to repeated use of "Redskins."
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George Washington University professor John Banzhaf had petitioned the agency to deny renewal of football team owner Daniel Snyder's radio station due to repeated use of "Redskins."
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Letter of Support from the Wicomico Central Committee
Honorable Members of the Maryland General Assembly Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review and other esteemed officials:
We the undersigned are concerned citizens from many and varied professions, areas of employment, and points of view. One thing we have in common is the grave concern for the economic impact on the state of Maryland in general, and the Eastern shore in particular, related to the implementation of the Phosphorus Management Tool legislation.
We feel strongly that it would be premature and extremely unwise to rush this onerous regulatory scheme through your committee without subjecting it to the kind of scrutiny that its’ projected impact on the Maryland economy would appear to warrant.
We would request that you support a committee public hearing to allow additional information to be presented, and that a ‘hold’ be placed on the legislation until it can be thoroughly vetted.
What is already known is that the Phosphorus Management Tool is not capable of determining how much less phosphorus will reach the waters of the state. Without those data, it makes little sense to adopt a regulation just for the sake of adopting it. Dr. Memo Diriker at Salisbury University, author of a Maryland Department of Agriculture study entitled, ‘A Scenario Analysis of the Potential Costs of Implementing the Phosphorus Management Tool on the Eastern Shore of Maryland’, has stated that he could find no data on water quality improvement, despite asking for them. It is important to know what the benefits of a regulation will be before it is put into place.
Secondly, Dr. Diriker estimates that over the next six years, the costs to Maryland’s agricultural community will be $22 million. He also estimates that $39 million in state assistance will be needed. These are likely conservative estimates which cannot take into consideration the inevitable unintended consequences and the additional costs so associated.
And given the dire state fiscal situation, with additional revelations and forecasts of shortfalls in this year’s budget and a growing structural deficit, it‘s worth asking whether that money will even be available? Rather than rush to enact a highly impactful regulation with many unanswered questions we would encourage you to exercise your wise and careful deliberation with full consideration of the consequences, both known and projected, prior to allowing this bill out of your committee.
Maryland’s farmers are making progress on water quality improvements ahead of schedule as shown by the most recent analysis from the Chesapeake Bay Program office. But as reported by the U.S. Geological Survey, water quality improvements due to better on-the-farm practices might not show up for years because of the slow movement of sub-surface water. Let’s allow the results of these earlier practices to show results before adding on another layer of mandates. Please allow a full hearing and consideration of our input and concerns prior to acting on this legislation.
Thank you for considering our views as concerned citizens of Maryland.
Respectfully yours,
The members of the Wicomico County Republican Central Committee
We the undersigned are concerned citizens from many and varied professions, areas of employment, and points of view. One thing we have in common is the grave concern for the economic impact on the state of Maryland in general, and the Eastern shore in particular, related to the implementation of the Phosphorus Management Tool legislation.
We feel strongly that it would be premature and extremely unwise to rush this onerous regulatory scheme through your committee without subjecting it to the kind of scrutiny that its’ projected impact on the Maryland economy would appear to warrant.
We would request that you support a committee public hearing to allow additional information to be presented, and that a ‘hold’ be placed on the legislation until it can be thoroughly vetted.
What is already known is that the Phosphorus Management Tool is not capable of determining how much less phosphorus will reach the waters of the state. Without those data, it makes little sense to adopt a regulation just for the sake of adopting it. Dr. Memo Diriker at Salisbury University, author of a Maryland Department of Agriculture study entitled, ‘A Scenario Analysis of the Potential Costs of Implementing the Phosphorus Management Tool on the Eastern Shore of Maryland’, has stated that he could find no data on water quality improvement, despite asking for them. It is important to know what the benefits of a regulation will be before it is put into place.
Secondly, Dr. Diriker estimates that over the next six years, the costs to Maryland’s agricultural community will be $22 million. He also estimates that $39 million in state assistance will be needed. These are likely conservative estimates which cannot take into consideration the inevitable unintended consequences and the additional costs so associated.
And given the dire state fiscal situation, with additional revelations and forecasts of shortfalls in this year’s budget and a growing structural deficit, it‘s worth asking whether that money will even be available? Rather than rush to enact a highly impactful regulation with many unanswered questions we would encourage you to exercise your wise and careful deliberation with full consideration of the consequences, both known and projected, prior to allowing this bill out of your committee.
Maryland’s farmers are making progress on water quality improvements ahead of schedule as shown by the most recent analysis from the Chesapeake Bay Program office. But as reported by the U.S. Geological Survey, water quality improvements due to better on-the-farm practices might not show up for years because of the slow movement of sub-surface water. Let’s allow the results of these earlier practices to show results before adding on another layer of mandates. Please allow a full hearing and consideration of our input and concerns prior to acting on this legislation.
Thank you for considering our views as concerned citizens of Maryland.
Respectfully yours,
The members of the Wicomico County Republican Central Committee
Station 7 Packed Again On $5.00 Burger Night
Dog Found 12-18-14
443-614-6737
School punishes blind child by taking away cane and replacing it with a pool noodle
KANSAS CITY, MO — Parents are outraged after they say an elementary school punished their blind child by replacing his cane with a pool noodle.
Dakota Nafzinger attends Gracemor Elementary School in Kansas City. The 8-year-old was born without eyes — something in the medical world known as Bilateral Anopthalmia.
School District Spokeswoman Michelle Cronk tells FOX 4 in Kansas City that Dakota hit somebody with his cane on while riding the bus. She says they took away his cane and gave him a pool noodle because he needed something to hold. Cronk said Dakota fidgets without his cane.
Dakota’s father, Donald Nafzinger, said his son lifts his cane sometimes and the bus driver thought he was using it violently.
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Dakota Nafzinger attends Gracemor Elementary School in Kansas City. The 8-year-old was born without eyes — something in the medical world known as Bilateral Anopthalmia.
School District Spokeswoman Michelle Cronk tells FOX 4 in Kansas City that Dakota hit somebody with his cane on while riding the bus. She says they took away his cane and gave him a pool noodle because he needed something to hold. Cronk said Dakota fidgets without his cane.
Dakota’s father, Donald Nafzinger, said his son lifts his cane sometimes and the bus driver thought he was using it violently.
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Guy Picks The Lucky Gal With Same Name As His Ex To Fly Around The World With Him
It’s a tale as old as time: Guy meets girl, buys nonrefundable plane tickets for trip around the world, guy and girl part ways, guy seeks new girl but with same name and Canadian passport so tickets don’t go to waste, guy meets new girl, they go around the world. This stuff never gets old.
CALLING ALL DEVELOPERS - Excellent Multifamily Development Property
GLEN HEIGHTS MULTIFAMILY DEVELOPMENT PROPERTY
Glen Avenue | Salisbury, MD
- 15 acres on the East side of Salisbury
- 90 townhouse lots with all approvals in place
- Townhouse models have attached 1-car garage
- The wooded lot is in the process of being cleared
- Easy access to Beaglin Park Dr and Rt. 50
- Excellent development opportunity
Sale Price: $695,000
Stimpson blasts Virginia's public-private deals
STAFFORD, Va. – Virginia’s use and alleged misuse of public-private partnerships for road construction is fueling a high-octane Republican state House race, with the speaker’s seat at stake.
House Speaker Bill Howell, R-Falmouth, is facing a primary challenge from former Stafford County Supervisor Susan Stimpson, who accuses GOP leaders of favoring corporate partnerships at taxpayer expense.
“The General Assembly’s public-private partnership deals, have developed a pattern of negotiating most of the financial risk on Virginia taxpayers,” Stimpson said of recent road projects.
“The new HOT (high-occupany toll) lanes are an example of this. If the tolls do not reach the agreed upon revenue levels, then the taxpayers must kick in tax dollars to offset that shortfall.”
Stimpson cited the much-maligned and unbuilt section of Route 460 that was to link Suffolk and Petersburg. Critics called the aborted public-private venture a road to nowhere.
“Virginia has spent $300 million without turning over one piece of dirt. Governor (Terry) McAuliffe immediately nixed the project once he came into office, and It is estimated that it could cost up to $900 million just to cancel it,” Stimpson told Watchdog.org.
“Virginians have received nothing for this boondoggle and we still sit in traffic.”
Howell counters that public-private partnerships are “an integral part of Virginia’s efforts to build a 21st-century transportation network.”
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House Speaker Bill Howell, R-Falmouth, is facing a primary challenge from former Stafford County Supervisor Susan Stimpson, who accuses GOP leaders of favoring corporate partnerships at taxpayer expense.
“The General Assembly’s public-private partnership deals, have developed a pattern of negotiating most of the financial risk on Virginia taxpayers,” Stimpson said of recent road projects.
“The new HOT (high-occupany toll) lanes are an example of this. If the tolls do not reach the agreed upon revenue levels, then the taxpayers must kick in tax dollars to offset that shortfall.”
Stimpson cited the much-maligned and unbuilt section of Route 460 that was to link Suffolk and Petersburg. Critics called the aborted public-private venture a road to nowhere.
“Virginia has spent $300 million without turning over one piece of dirt. Governor (Terry) McAuliffe immediately nixed the project once he came into office, and It is estimated that it could cost up to $900 million just to cancel it,” Stimpson told Watchdog.org.
“Virginians have received nothing for this boondoggle and we still sit in traffic.”
Howell counters that public-private partnerships are “an integral part of Virginia’s efforts to build a 21st-century transportation network.”
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Partial Drawdowns Planned for Coulbourne Mill, Tony Tank and Leonards Mill Ponds
Salisbury, MD – Partial drawdowns are planned for Coulbourne Mill, Tony Tank and Leonards Mill Ponds this winter, providing homeowners along the ponds an opportunity to carry out routine maintenance on their properties and docks.
Drawdown Schedule:
Jan. 2 – Feb. 11 Coulbourne Mill and Tony Tank Ponds
Jan. 5 – Feb. 5 Leonards Mill Pond
The time-frame was selected to avoid interference with fish spawning season. Fishing is prohibited during the scheduled drawdowns.
Drawdown Schedule:
Jan. 2 – Feb. 11 Coulbourne Mill and Tony Tank Ponds
Jan. 5 – Feb. 5 Leonards Mill Pond
The time-frame was selected to avoid interference with fish spawning season. Fishing is prohibited during the scheduled drawdowns.
Steven Levy...
Apparently the White House referred to Christmas Trees as Holiday Trees for the first time this year which prompted CBS presenter, Steven Levy, to present this piece. I think it applies just as much to many countries as it does to America.
A little sanity please...
Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late!!
The following was written by Steven Levy and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession:
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat...
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school... The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Steven Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about.. And we said okay..
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
A little sanity please...
Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late!!
The following was written by Steven Levy and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession:
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat...
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school... The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Steven Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about.. And we said okay..
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.