Parsonsburg Fire Department has been dispatched to another tree in the roadway. This time it is in the area of Hobbs Road.
There has been many trees that have fallen tonight. The roads in many places are not good. Stay off the roads if possible.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Another Tree Down On Route 50
Parsonsburg Fire Department has been dispatched to another tree in the roadway. This time it is in the area of Hobbs Road.
There has been many trees that have fallen tonight. The roads in many places are not good. Stay off the roads if possible.
Wind Restrictions Are In Effect for Both The Bay Bridge and Bay Bridge Tunnel
Chesapeake Bay Bridge
Wind restrictions pt 2 in effect at Bay & Nice(US 301) bridges. Restrictions pt 1 at Key(I-695) & warnings at Hatem. http://go.usa.gov/tcuQ
- Wind Restriction II (sustained wind speeds or wind gusts exceeding 50 mph) only automobiles, pickup trucks, flatbed trailers, commercial buses and heavy-laden tractor/trailers are permitted to cross the bridge. Tractor-box trailer combinations will not be permitted to cross any bridge if the gross weight is less than 64,000 pounds.
Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel
The CBBT is now open. We are currently operating under level 4 wind restrictions. Winds are in excess of 60mph.
- Level 4 The only types of vehicles allowed to cross are cars without exterior cargo, pick-up trucks without cargo, mini-vans, and SUVs. Complimentary District-operated wind vans will be provided to assist in transporting exterior cargo that would otherwise restrict passenger cars and pickups.
The CBBT was closed about 2 hours ago due to 80mph winds. It has now been reopened with restrictions
Pasco Police Shooting Of Rock-Throwing Felon Was Clearly Justified
The Washington State ACLU and the family of Antonio Zambrano-Montes, 35, are claiming that three Pasco police officers used excessive force when they shot and killed Zambrano-Montes during a confrontation recorded by a bystander (above).
Police had been called because Zambrano-Montes was throwing rocks at cars in a store parking lot.
When officers arrived and attempted to take Zambrano-Montes into custody, he resisted by arming himself with rocks or chunks of concrete, and throwing those object at officers when they got close.
Officers apparently attempted to use a taser on Zambrano-Montes, but it failed as tasers so frequently do. Media accounts state that Zambrano-Montes simply picked the barb out of his skin (the other barb apparently missed), and continued resisting.
One rock that he threw at officers at approximately the 00:03 second mark was allegedly the size of a softball, and at the range of several feet, clearly constituted a lethal force weapon.
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Police had been called because Zambrano-Montes was throwing rocks at cars in a store parking lot.
When officers arrived and attempted to take Zambrano-Montes into custody, he resisted by arming himself with rocks or chunks of concrete, and throwing those object at officers when they got close.
Officers apparently attempted to use a taser on Zambrano-Montes, but it failed as tasers so frequently do. Media accounts state that Zambrano-Montes simply picked the barb out of his skin (the other barb apparently missed), and continued resisting.
One rock that he threw at officers at approximately the 00:03 second mark was allegedly the size of a softball, and at the range of several feet, clearly constituted a lethal force weapon.
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Road Conditions In Worcester County
Worcester County Sheriff's Office
Road conditions have drastically deteriorated over the past hour. Many roadways are ice covered and the wind has increased. If you don't need to be out please stay home. SHA has crews out tracking road conditions. Give them the space they need to operate. If you must travel, allow extra time to get to your destination and let someone know your travel route. The temp is supposed to drop significantly over the next several hours. Make sure your cell phone is charged before leaving. Be safe out there. And don't forget your pets tonight and tomorrow.
Governor Larry Hogan To Attend Regional Meeting With Virginia Governor And DC Mayor
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan and senior administration officials will join Governor Terry McAuliffe of Virginia, Mayor Muriel Bowser of the District of Columbia, as well as senior Virginia and DC agency officials for an intergovernmental meeting on Monday, February 16, 2015 to discuss regional issues throughout Maryland, Virginia, and DC, including transportation, public safety, and natural resources.
WHO: Governor Larry Hogan, Governor Terry McAuliffe, Mayor Muriel Bowser
WHAT: Regional Intergovernmental Meeting
WHEN: 4:35PM - 5:00 PM
WHERE: Virginia Tech Research Center, 900 North Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22203
PRESS: Press availability will take at 4:35 PM.
Cop Grabs Pregnant Mother By Her Neck And Slams Her To Ground, Kills Her Baby: Lawsuit
ALBANY, Ga. (CN) – A police officer’s use of excessive force against a pregnant woman caused her to have a miscarriage, she claims in Federal Court.
Kenya Harris sued the City of Albany, Ga., police chief John Proctor and officers Ryan Jenkins and Richard Brown, Jr. for excessive force, assault and battery and infliction of emotional distress.
Harris says she was called to the Albany Police Department in May 2011 after her minor son was arrested. After waiting five hours, she told Jenkins that she had other children at home and needed to leave but Jenkins responded with hostility, according to the complaint.
“Defendant Officer Jenkins stated that he did not appreciate the tone in which she was communicating with him, and further stated that if she continued he would take her head and ‘put it to the floor,'” the complaint states.
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Kenya Harris sued the City of Albany, Ga., police chief John Proctor and officers Ryan Jenkins and Richard Brown, Jr. for excessive force, assault and battery and infliction of emotional distress.
Harris says she was called to the Albany Police Department in May 2011 after her minor son was arrested. After waiting five hours, she told Jenkins that she had other children at home and needed to leave but Jenkins responded with hostility, according to the complaint.
“Defendant Officer Jenkins stated that he did not appreciate the tone in which she was communicating with him, and further stated that if she continued he would take her head and ‘put it to the floor,'” the complaint states.
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Traffic Alert Route 50
Indian man paralyzed after Alabama cop body-slams him for walking in wealthy white suburb
Police officers seriously injured a 57-year-old Indian man they stopped after a neighbor reported him acting suspiciously while walking near his son’s Alabama home.
The man’s son, Chirag Patel, said officers threw his father to the ground during questioning, leaving him partially paralyzed and hospitalized with fused vertebrae, reported AL.com.
Madison police said a neighbor called shortly before 9:30 a.m. Friday to report a man he didn’t recognize was walking into driveways and looking in garages as he walked around the residential neighborhood.
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The man’s son, Chirag Patel, said officers threw his father to the ground during questioning, leaving him partially paralyzed and hospitalized with fused vertebrae, reported AL.com.
Madison police said a neighbor called shortly before 9:30 a.m. Friday to report a man he didn’t recognize was walking into driveways and looking in garages as he walked around the residential neighborhood.
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15-Year-Old Seen in Viral Target Picture Goes to Final Job Interview, But Has No Idea Who’s Watching
Hidden WTVD-TV news cameras captured Yasir Moore sit down with Chick-fil-A restaurant owner David Langston at a Raleigh shopping center.
“I really appreciate you coming in tonight,” Langston told Moore. “I think we are ready to offer you a job at Chick-fil-A of Triangle Town Center mall.”
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3 WEATHER ALERTS FOR OUR AREA
THERE ARE 3 ADVISORIES LISTED. PLEASE CLICK 'READ MORE'
BELOW TO SEE THEM ALL
High Wind Warning
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA 332 PM EST SAT FEB 14 2015 DORCHESTER-WICOMICO-SOMERSET-INLAND WORCESTER-MARYLAND BEACHES- ACCOMACK-NORTHAMPTON VA- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CAMBRIDGE...SALISBURY...CRISFIELD... PRINCESS ANNE...SNOW HILL...OCEAN CITY...CHINCOTEAGUE... WALLOPS ISLAND...MELFA...EASTVILLE 332 PM EST SAT FEB 14 2015 ...HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 8 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM EST SUNDAY... A HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 8 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM EST SUNDAY.
NRP Blotter
In Somerset County, five watermen were cited Thursday morning for illegally harvesting oysters from protected state waters.
Acting on a tip, officers established surveillance posts at the Somerset Oyster Sanctuary in Tangier Sound. Four vessels entered the sanctuary shortly before 9 a.m. and began harvesting oysters.
On The Road Again
Jordan Brown, of Delmar, tested his metal for the first time, as the 11 yr. old, 110lb youngster stepped into the ring with his opponent from Baltimore. Brown controlled the bout very well with his jab and threw his right hand when the opportunity presented itself, winning on all three judges cards.
Kobe Moore, a student from Wi Middle School lost a close bout with his opposition who traveled from North Carolina to compete. Moore boxed well and turned the fight into a battle at one point but was out pointed in the end.
Ryan Watson, of Delmar fought a close bout but being inched out in the end. The crowd pleasing bout went the distance with Watson loosing the split decision.
Coach Chernoff was pleased with the performance of all the Main St boxer and added, “When bouts are this close you just need to take that next step so the judges have no question who controlled the bout. They all did good but we just have to work smarter and harder. It was nice that Jordan got a win out of the gate and Kobe took a step up to fight well while Ryan continues to get more relaxed and composed so good thing are coming.”
“Improvements come from more training but you have to keep getting that experience in actual competition. Things are different in front of a crowd and judges, so experience is the thing that will allow you to settle down to focus more and execute better. This was a good night for all the guys because it was a learning experience”.
The Nanny State Has Taken a Toll on Black America
But the demand that the “more” must be done by government through a stronger safety net, wealth redistribution and mandated equality measures overshadows the years of evidence that indicate more often than not, government programs fail. They dis-incentivize wise choices, diminish individual will, limit educational opportunities, and create burdensome regulations that hinder entrepreneurship and increase the cost of living for families embracing the notion that advancement is their responsibility.
Consider urban planning, for example. “Smart growth” measures implemented by cities that are designed to reduce urban sprawl, which prices lower- and middle-income families out of the housing market by limiting the quantity of housing, the land available for housing, and the types of housing that are allowed. Housing economist Wendell Cox finds that the white home ownership rate is 50 percent above the rates for Hispanic and African-American households, and he attributes much of this difference to prescriptive zoning, which drives up the cost of housing. Government-driven solutions declaring a right to own a home is not the answer. That philosophy led to the subprime mortgage crisis.
In the area of education, charter schools offer parents — particularly those in urban areas — educational options for their children where previously they were relegated to a failing public school. Charter schools are smaller than conventional public schools and serve a disproportionate and increasing number of poor and minority students. Despite some mayors’ attempts to restrict them, according to the Center for Education Reform, charter school students are more likely to be proficient in reading and math than students in neighboring conventional schools, achieving the greatest gains among African-American, Hispanic and low-income students. So why would the first African-American president cancel the District of Columbia’s school voucher program in April 2009 for deserving minority school children in one of America’s worse school districts?
Read more here
Activist Investor Peltz Hastens DuPont’s Divorce From Wilmington
(Bloomberg) -- Standing on the deck of Delaware’s oldest DuPont estate, Suzanne West peers down a tree-lined hill at mills that once transformed a small gunpowder maker into an industrial giant.
Built in 1802, the stately house eventually became a clubhouse for DuPont workers -- the sort of perk that greeted West’s husband when he was changing jobs and moved from New York in the 1980s.
“When Mike came on, they flew you down, wined and dined you,” West says, touring what is now the Hagley Museum with a couple of friends. “Back then, people of Wilmington still talked about ‘Uncle Dupee.’ How ‘Uncle Dupee’ will look after you.”
These days, she’s hearing a different kind of chatter. “I don’t know what’s happening to DuPont,” she says. “It’s just falling apart as far as I can tell.”
More
Built in 1802, the stately house eventually became a clubhouse for DuPont workers -- the sort of perk that greeted West’s husband when he was changing jobs and moved from New York in the 1980s.
“When Mike came on, they flew you down, wined and dined you,” West says, touring what is now the Hagley Museum with a couple of friends. “Back then, people of Wilmington still talked about ‘Uncle Dupee.’ How ‘Uncle Dupee’ will look after you.”
These days, she’s hearing a different kind of chatter. “I don’t know what’s happening to DuPont,” she says. “It’s just falling apart as far as I can tell.”
More
Cash still king in OC inlet lot as card-only lanes leaving
Even as more and more financial transactions become digital, cash apparently remains king when it comes to parking in this town.
Ocean City is poised to remove the automated credit card-only payment lane from the inlet parking lot before the summer season, replacing it with a traditional staffed booth after data indicated that the lane is going underused.
“It does seem backward from everything else,” said Mayor Rick Meehan during this week’s Transportation Commission session. “This is probably the exception rather than the rule.”
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Ocean City is poised to remove the automated credit card-only payment lane from the inlet parking lot before the summer season, replacing it with a traditional staffed booth after data indicated that the lane is going underused.
“It does seem backward from everything else,” said Mayor Rick Meehan during this week’s Transportation Commission session. “This is probably the exception rather than the rule.”
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Teletown Hall, February 18th at 7:30PM
I want to hear about your experiences navigating our current tax system. And I want to hear your ideas about how we can make the system work better.
If you’re interested in participating, please click here or call my Wilmington office at 302-691-7333 or toll-free at 877-899-7872 by 5:00pm on Tuesday. If you sign up, you’ll receive a phone call around 7:30pm Wednesday evening that will enable you to ask questions during the call and listen to my answers. The call will last an hour.
I hope you’ll be able to join me.
Sincerely,
WCDC pushing back against federal cut of work program
While the state is developing a plan to comply with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ rule on Home and Community Based Services [CMS], the developmental center is requesting letters of support during the public comment period that ends Feb. 15.
“CMS provides approximately half of the funding for services to people with disabilities across the country,” Jack Ferry, the center’s executive director said in a statement. “States do not want to take any chances with this large amount of money. CMS wants people with disabilities to be more integrated into the community and so do we. However, all people with a disability are being painted with a broad stroke, which could jeopardize individual choice.”
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Legalized: A Year in the Life of Recreational Marijuana
Congratulations to you, America: You've won the race on drug reform. You grow, sell, and consume the only government-sanctioned cannabis in the world. Your first big experiment launched last year in Colorado—and how is it going? Watch LEGALIZED to find out.
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Woman donates kidney to stranger, now they're getting married
"As soon as we started dating -- not long after that -- was when we realized, this was it," McIntyre, 25, told ABC News.
It all started January 2014 when McIntyre overheard her mother and grandmother talking about a story they heard on the radio about a 25-year-old man her age in need of a kidney transplant.
They said this man had lost his father to brain cancer in 2012 and had had his house burned down on Christmas Day 2011, and McIntire's mother commented that if it weren't for her health problems, she would give him a kidney. She had type-O blood, which is the universal donor.
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Important storm-related updates regarding Verizon HSI service
There’s
no doubt that this winter has been one for the ages. As another major
snowstorm approaches this weekend, rest assured that we are prepared to
quickly resolve any potential issues. Whether brief or lengthy, a power
outage
is one of the most common storm-related occurrences. Knowing
that, we’d
like to provide you with some helpful information in
preparation of a
potential outage.
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Thank you for choosing Verizon. We hope you have a safe winter.
Sincerely,
Your Verizon Team
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Year of the Hack? A Billion Records Compromised in 2014
Over a billion personal data records were compromised by cyberattacks in 2014, a new report has revealed, driven by high-profile breaches on Home Depot, JPMorgan and eBay.
The 1,023,108,267 records breached in 2014 came from just 1,541 incidents, according to the Breach Level Index report by digital security company Gemalto. It marked a 78 percent surge in the number of personal data records compromised compared to 2013.
Last year saw a number of major hacking attacks on companies including Sony Pictures Entertainment and investment bank JPMorgan. The biggest incident occurred when AliExpress, a service run by New York-listed Alibaba, was breached, leaving 300 million personal records open to hackers, who didn't need passwords to access the accounts.
More
The 1,023,108,267 records breached in 2014 came from just 1,541 incidents, according to the Breach Level Index report by digital security company Gemalto. It marked a 78 percent surge in the number of personal data records compromised compared to 2013.
Last year saw a number of major hacking attacks on companies including Sony Pictures Entertainment and investment bank JPMorgan. The biggest incident occurred when AliExpress, a service run by New York-listed Alibaba, was breached, leaving 300 million personal records open to hackers, who didn't need passwords to access the accounts.
More
BREAKING NEWS: Denmark Launches Intense Manhunt for Gunmen in Café Shooting
Danish authorities hunt for 2 gunmen armed with automatic weapons who opened fire on a Copenhagen café during a free-speech event organized by a controversial artist as the country’s security service says the shooting was likely a terror attack.
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Hey Salisbury Residents...
TONIGHT: $5.00 Burger Night At Back Street Grill
SFD Calls For Service 2-13-15
- Friday February, 13 2015 @ 23:20Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Friday February, 13 2015 @ 23:16 Nature: Automatic AlarmAddress: 1110 Healthway Dr Salisbury, MD 21801
- Friday February, 13 2015 @ 22:57Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Friday February, 13 2015 @ 21:57Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Friday February, 13 2015 @ 21:22Nature: Unknown Type FireAddress: 31281 Ward Rd Salisbury, MD 21801
BREAKING NEWS: Denmark Café Sprayed With Bullets During Free-Speech Event
At least 3 Copenhagen police officers are injured in a café shooting on Saturday during free-speech event attended by controversial artist known for his depictions of the Prophet Muhammad.
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THE DARK SCIENCE OF INTERROGATION
HOW TO FIND OUT ANYTHING FROM ANYONE
In August 2003, six months after the U.S. invasion of Iraq and four months into the bloody insurgency that followed, Steve Kleinman, an Air Force lieutenant colonel, arrived in the country as part of a special operations task force based out of Baghdad International Airport. A lean man with an angular face and a faintly Californian cadence, Kleinman had been an intelligence officer for almost two decades. He had questioned high-level prisoners of war during the 1989 invasion of Panama and Iraqi generals during Operation Desert Storm, and he’d run the Air Force Combat Interrogation Course. At the Baghdad airport, however, he witnessed techniques he hadn’t seen in the field. In one of the plywood-walled interrogation rooms he saw a detainee slapped in the face each time he answered a question. Outside another room was a taped-up sheet of paper with the words “1 hour sleep, 3 hrs. awake, ½ hr. on knees, ½ sitting down, 1 hr. standing, ½ hr. knees” written on it. At the bottom it read, “Repeat.”
“This was a year before Abu Ghraib. It was going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, and of course at Guantanamo,” Kleinman says. “Sometimes I got to the point where I had to literally order them to stop. Even then there was surprising blowback. People thought I was coddling terrorists.” Kleinman didn’t think of himself as soft, though, just empirical. In his free time he was an avid consumer of behavioral science research papers, and over the years he’d experimented, in an ad hoc way, with the ideas he found there.
One afternoon a team of Army Rangers brought in a man in his late 30s suspected of selling weapons to the insurgents. By the time Kleinman heard about it, the man had been in custody for three days, enduring hooded stress positions and harsh interrogations, but maintaining a defiant equanimity. “He had these really dark, penetrating eyes. I remember it was almost disconcerting,” Kleinman says. He decided to take over the interrogation himself, and the two men, seated on folding chairs, spoke for three hours. The arms dealer had two young daughters, and he worried for their safety growing up in a violent city. Kleinman pretended that he, too, had two girls, and talked about his worries for them.
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In August 2003, six months after the U.S. invasion of Iraq and four months into the bloody insurgency that followed, Steve Kleinman, an Air Force lieutenant colonel, arrived in the country as part of a special operations task force based out of Baghdad International Airport. A lean man with an angular face and a faintly Californian cadence, Kleinman had been an intelligence officer for almost two decades. He had questioned high-level prisoners of war during the 1989 invasion of Panama and Iraqi generals during Operation Desert Storm, and he’d run the Air Force Combat Interrogation Course. At the Baghdad airport, however, he witnessed techniques he hadn’t seen in the field. In one of the plywood-walled interrogation rooms he saw a detainee slapped in the face each time he answered a question. Outside another room was a taped-up sheet of paper with the words “1 hour sleep, 3 hrs. awake, ½ hr. on knees, ½ sitting down, 1 hr. standing, ½ hr. knees” written on it. At the bottom it read, “Repeat.”
“This was a year before Abu Ghraib. It was going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, and of course at Guantanamo,” Kleinman says. “Sometimes I got to the point where I had to literally order them to stop. Even then there was surprising blowback. People thought I was coddling terrorists.” Kleinman didn’t think of himself as soft, though, just empirical. In his free time he was an avid consumer of behavioral science research papers, and over the years he’d experimented, in an ad hoc way, with the ideas he found there.
One afternoon a team of Army Rangers brought in a man in his late 30s suspected of selling weapons to the insurgents. By the time Kleinman heard about it, the man had been in custody for three days, enduring hooded stress positions and harsh interrogations, but maintaining a defiant equanimity. “He had these really dark, penetrating eyes. I remember it was almost disconcerting,” Kleinman says. He decided to take over the interrogation himself, and the two men, seated on folding chairs, spoke for three hours. The arms dealer had two young daughters, and he worried for their safety growing up in a violent city. Kleinman pretended that he, too, had two girls, and talked about his worries for them.
More
Seacrets seeking license to distill spirits
The first step, clearing the state legislature, began when Sen. Jim Mathias [D-38] introduced SB 523 on Friday, Feb. 6, allowing for a limited craft distiller license in Worcester County.
“I’ve been working with some of the folks from Seacrets as to what their needs are, and I’ve been working with the industry as to what the industry would like to see,” Mathias said.
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Heroin Epidemic on the Eastern Shore
 
Monthly Meeting - Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015.
Sheriff Reggie Mason, State's Attorney Beau Oglesby and Deputy Health Officer Dr. Andrea Mathias will discuss the Heroin Epidemic on the Eastern Shore.
Doors open at 6:30 pm, meeting starts at 7 pm.
Ocean Pines Library 11107 Cathell Road Ocean Pines, Md 21811 |
Augustine Commission report: Maryland business climate has potential
ANNAPOLIS, Md. —A new report card on Maryland's business climate paints a stormy picture, but there's potential.
The so-called Augustine Commission, created by legislative leaders, makes 32 recommendations on how Maryland can create more jobs and support the growth of business. The commission report is not all doom and gloom, it's full of potential. It provides a blueprint and legislative leaders are immediately taking action.
PDF: Report of the Maryland Economic Development and Business Climate Commission
Republican Gov. Larry Hogan will consider something that may sound counter-intuitive to his stated goal of shrinking government and making it more efficient. He could add one more secretary to his cabinet that would become a one-stop shop for business.
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The so-called Augustine Commission, created by legislative leaders, makes 32 recommendations on how Maryland can create more jobs and support the growth of business. The commission report is not all doom and gloom, it's full of potential. It provides a blueprint and legislative leaders are immediately taking action.
PDF: Report of the Maryland Economic Development and Business Climate Commission
Republican Gov. Larry Hogan will consider something that may sound counter-intuitive to his stated goal of shrinking government and making it more efficient. He could add one more secretary to his cabinet that would become a one-stop shop for business.
More
‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ EROTIC School Assignment given to 13-yr-old middle school students, parents fuming!
Bondage, erotic, intercourse, spanking, handcuffs, masturbation, butt plugs, fellatio, orgasm, semen, spreader bar, are just SOME of the words 13-yr-old were learning in a public school in Pennsylvania this week. Parents are angry and a board member said the crossword puzzles were handed out to the students ‘by mistake’.
Maryland Phosphorus Management Tool Legislation - URGENT Action Sought
Dear DPI Member:
Legislation has been introduced in the Maryland Senate and Maryland House of Delegates to create by state law a Phosphorus Management Tool program. The legislation nearly is identical to the Phosphorus Management Tool regulation written for Governor Martin O’Malley that was withdrawn by Governor Larry Hogan on his first day in office. The Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc. Board of Directors has voted to oppose the two bills.
The Senate and House of Delegates’ committees will hold public hearings on the bills in Annapolis. We urge you to contact committee members with your views. Also, we are trying to learn if there if enough interest in having a bus to carry DPI members to the hearings to testify or simply have a presence. We expect persons in the environmental industry to be there to show support for the bills.
Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee Senate Bill 257
Tuesday, February 24 1:00 p.m. (The committee hearing will consider 13 bills that day and we will not know until the hearing begins when the PMT bill will be heard. Could be at 1:00 or could be at 4:00 or later or sometime in between. No way of knowing until that afternoon). Oral comments could be limited to 3 minutes per person.
House Environment and Transportation Committee House Bill 381http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmMain.aspx?id=hb0381&stab=01&pid=billpage&tab=subject3&ys=2015RS
Wednesday, February 25 1:00 p.m. (The committee hearing will consider 8 bills that day and we will not know until the hearing begins when the PMT bill will be heard. Could be at 1:00 or could be at 4:00 or later or sometime in between. No way of knowing until that afternoon) Oral comments will be limited to 2 minutes per person.
We will need to get to Annapolis by 12:00 to get everybody through security and to get seats in the hearing room, although seating is not guaranteed. It is possible not everybody who makes the trip will even get to sit in the hearing room to listen, but if you are enrolled to speak, you will be allowed in the room to speak even if you were not admitted earlier. DPI can register speakers prior to the hearing, but we need to have those names before the bus leaves the pickup spots.
We will need to leave Salisbury about 9:30 a.m., make a pickup in the Cambridge/Easton area, possibility stop for lunch, and then reach Annapolis about noon. We’ll leave immediately after the hearing and unless it is late in the afternoon, not stop for a meal.
So, if you are interested in making the trip on a DPI bus for one or both hearings, please let Lori Morrow in the DPI office know by Wednesday, February 18. Call her at 302-856-9037 or e-mail morrow@dpichicken.com. Whether you send an e-mail, telephone her and leave a message, or speak with her, be sure to give her your name, telephone number and/or e-mail address, which day you wish to ride the bus, how many persons there will be, and where you likely will get on board.
We’ll let you know what decisions are made on the bus trip by Thursday, February 19.
If you do not wish to attend the hearings, you can let your views be known by contacting members of the two committees prior to the hearings.
Governor Hogan Announces Mark J. Belton As Natural Resources Secretary
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today announced retired Rear Admiral Mark J. Belton as his appointee for the secretary of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
“I am thrilled that a person like Mark Belton, a public servant of unique leadership ability and high character, will be joining our administration as the new DNR secretary,” said Governor Hogan. “There is no question he will be committed to making positive changes for the agency and will work with all stakeholders to preserve, protect, enhance, and restore Maryland’s natural resources for all our citizens.”
A 1983 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Mark Belton achieved the rank of rear admiral after serving on active duty in the U.S. Navy for more than seven years and in the U.S. Navy Reserve for over two decades. He served in Kosovo in 2001 and in Baghdad from 2009 to 2010. In Baghdad, he was the senior force representative to the Iraqi Ministries of Oil and Electricity at the U.S. Embassy.
Mr. Belton retired as rear admiral in late 2014. During his 31-year naval career, he received personal awards, including three Legions of Merit, five Meritorious Service Medals, the Joint Commendation Medal, seven Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
From 2003 to 2005, he served as assistant secretary of DNR, where he directly oversaw the Natural Resources Police, finance & administration, human resources, licensing and registration, internal audits, and the office of fair practice.
Mr. Belton’s civilian career also includes a variety of state and local government leadership positions, including executive director of the Pride of Baltimore, Inc.; county administrator for Queen Anne’s County; and county administrator for Charles County.
Troopers are Conducting Death Investigation in Townsend
Townsend, De. – Detectives are conducting a death investigation with suspicious circumstances today.
On February 14, 2015 at 12:35 a.m. Troopers responded to the 600th block of Marilyn Court Townsend, De. for a report of shots fired. Troopers arrived to find the body of the 18 year old male victim who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives are currently on scene investigating the incident. The body will be turned over to the Delaware Division of Forensic Science to determine the cause and manner of death.
This investigation is in its preliminary stages and more information will be released when available. The next of kin has not been notified.
If anyone has any information in reference to this death, they are asked to contact Det. Porter at 302-741-2729. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com, or by sending an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."
On February 14, 2015 at 12:35 a.m. Troopers responded to the 600th block of Marilyn Court Townsend, De. for a report of shots fired. Troopers arrived to find the body of the 18 year old male victim who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives are currently on scene investigating the incident. The body will be turned over to the Delaware Division of Forensic Science to determine the cause and manner of death.
This investigation is in its preliminary stages and more information will be released when available. The next of kin has not been notified.
If anyone has any information in reference to this death, they are asked to contact Det. Porter at 302-741-2729. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com, or by sending an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."
Fire guts dorm, 4 injured
An intense fire in downtown Ocean City Tuesday morning left at least 13 people with little more than the clothes on their backs, and aid agencies rushing to accommodate the displaced.
The first call came in at 9:51 a.m. for flames on the upper floor of the Lazy Lizard Brew Pub on the southwest corner of Philadelphia Avenue and First Street.
Formerly the home of Melvin’s Steakhouse, before its purchase by the Lizard two years ago, the building houses a brewery and restaurant on the bottom floor, and a rooming house on the upper two stories.
“I went out into the hallway, and this was all the air there was left,” said Marvin Johnson, the building’s live-in maintenance man, motioning with his land less than a foot off the ground.
Johnson said he and other residents crawled on hands and knees down the hall, kicking each resident’s door to make sure everyone was out. The fire spread rapidly. By the time most residents realized what was going on, there was no time to lose.
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The first call came in at 9:51 a.m. for flames on the upper floor of the Lazy Lizard Brew Pub on the southwest corner of Philadelphia Avenue and First Street.
Formerly the home of Melvin’s Steakhouse, before its purchase by the Lizard two years ago, the building houses a brewery and restaurant on the bottom floor, and a rooming house on the upper two stories.
“I went out into the hallway, and this was all the air there was left,” said Marvin Johnson, the building’s live-in maintenance man, motioning with his land less than a foot off the ground.
Johnson said he and other residents crawled on hands and knees down the hall, kicking each resident’s door to make sure everyone was out. The fire spread rapidly. By the time most residents realized what was going on, there was no time to lose.
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Smoking Gun: So, What About Rev. Al Sharpton’s Suspension?
With its swift and severe punishment of Brian Williams, NBCUniversal declared yesterday that it will not stand for on-air talent lying to viewers.
Now that the media conglomerate has delineated that bright line, when does the
Rev. Al Sharpton’s suspension without pay begin?
In the wake of last year’s lengthy TSG report about Sharpton’s secret work as a paid FBI Mafia informant, the MSNBC host sought to blunt the story’s disclosures with a series of lies told at a pair of press conferences, on his nightly “Politics Nation” program, and in a report on Williams’s own NBC Nightly News (which was rebroadcast on NBC’s Today show).
Sharpton, 60, cast himself as a victim who first ran into the FBI’s warm embrace when a scary gangster purportedly threatened his life. He was “an American citizen with every right to call law enforcement” for protection, Sharpton told his MSNBC audience. His sole motivation was to “try to protect myself and others.”
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Embattled Brian Williams, Hillary Clinton should swap war stories
Hillary Clinton’s press secretary.
Or better yet, as the New Commander McBragg.
The problem is that Commander McBragg is a cartoon character from the old Tennessee Tuxedo cartoon show that no one remembers. Tennessee was a penguin. Chumley was the big, fat, stupid walrus.
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Shorebirds Announce New Season’s Giveaway Promotions
SALISBURY — The Delmarva Shorebirds, Class “A” affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles announced this week that there will be 14 giveaway dates during the 2015 season.
Some of the limited edition items fans can get their hands on for free throughout the season include four different hats, 20th anniversary souvenirs and a Manny Machado bobblehead.
“In addition to the 14 fireworks shows already announced, we are excited to present this year’s giveaway schedule as a unique part of our year-long anniversary celebration,” Shorebirds General Manager Chris Bitters said. “We’re sure there will be a variety of items that will appeal to fans of all ages.”
It won’t take long for fans to get their hands on giveaways, as the first 5,000 fans through the gates on Opening Night, April 9 will take home a 2015 magnet schedule. The following night, the Shorebirds will hand out 1,000 20th anniversary rally towels.
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Some of the limited edition items fans can get their hands on for free throughout the season include four different hats, 20th anniversary souvenirs and a Manny Machado bobblehead.
“In addition to the 14 fireworks shows already announced, we are excited to present this year’s giveaway schedule as a unique part of our year-long anniversary celebration,” Shorebirds General Manager Chris Bitters said. “We’re sure there will be a variety of items that will appeal to fans of all ages.”
It won’t take long for fans to get their hands on giveaways, as the first 5,000 fans through the gates on Opening Night, April 9 will take home a 2015 magnet schedule. The following night, the Shorebirds will hand out 1,000 20th anniversary rally towels.
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Are Democratic voters angry enough to support Bernie Sanders for president?
Sen. Bernie Sanders, the self-identified socialist from Vermont, has met plenty of angry people in recent years.
"Some of them are in the Occupy Wall Street movement and consider themselves progressives," Sanders said Monday at the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank. "Some are in the Tea Party movement and consider themselves conservatives."
Whatever their political bent, he said, "They have every right in the world to be angry."
"They're seeing an explosion of technology. They're watching TV and seeing all the great benefits, supposedly, of the global economy," the senator said. "And they're working longer hours for lower wages. And they're scared to death as to what is going to happen to their kids, what kind of jobs are their kids going to have."
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"Some of them are in the Occupy Wall Street movement and consider themselves progressives," Sanders said Monday at the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank. "Some are in the Tea Party movement and consider themselves conservatives."
Whatever their political bent, he said, "They have every right in the world to be angry."
"They're seeing an explosion of technology. They're watching TV and seeing all the great benefits, supposedly, of the global economy," the senator said. "And they're working longer hours for lower wages. And they're scared to death as to what is going to happen to their kids, what kind of jobs are their kids going to have."
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HISTORICAL COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER 2-14-15
East Main Street
The
year 1909 can be the year that defines the beginning of a new
Salisbury. That was the year the dam broke and let all the water out of
Humphreys Lake. Before that year, Main Street was simply Main Street.
There was no East or West associated with the name. Main Street started
at Division Street and proceeded west. Any reference to a Main Street
address before 1909 would later be West Main Street.
The land exposed by the rupture of the dam was purchased by a group of local businessmen that formed the Salisbury Realty Company. They purchased 65 acres from the Humphreys family and dug out a channel to the east as far as the railroad. The dirt they dug out was used to build up the remaining acreage. When this had settled enough to build on, they began to sell lots in the area.
There was a building across what is now East Main Street along Division Street. It had been a prime building site in Salisbury for many years. When it burned down to its foundation in the fire of 1886, there were many that wanted to extend Main Street eastward to the edge of Humphreys Lake.
Now, Salisbury had at that time a form of government consisting of town commissioners. They could have prevented the rebuilding of the structure by simply not allowing the building permit to go through. They didn’t, and a new building was erected on the old foundation, even complying with the new standards of building with brick according to the codes put in place to try to avoid another fire like the one in 1886 that destroyed most of downtown Salisbury.
By 1888, Salisbury had implemented a new form of government consisting of a mayor and city council. This new form of government was more receptive to the idea of extending Main Street to the east. So they used their governmental powers and condemned the Davis House hotel, and it was torn down after the dam broke. Main Street was extended to the east and East Main Street was established.
Buildings began to emerge on land that was once under water. The picture above was taken in 1919 and shows a dirt street about 100 yards east of Division Street before anything had been built. The tallest building in Salisbury, the Wicomico Hotel, was still six years in the future. The biggest boost to the area was the Post Office. It lent a sort of permanence to the street, and other buildings soon followed.
East Main Street was eventually extended across the former lake bottom to its present destination of Old Ocean City Road. This entailed building East Main Street to the present Davis Street, which was formerly the edge of Humphreys Lake. It was not the scenic area we know today as the City Park. The City Park was built in the 1930’s as a project of the WPA, one of President Roosevelt’s ideas to get men working again during the devastating Depression of the 1930’s. The mayor at the time was L. Thomas Parker, and he is known as the father of the Municipal Park. His son is Henry Parker, a former county councilman for many years. Wicomico Middle School was built in 1931 over the area that had been used as a dump. When they built it at a cost of $450,000, it was so large and modern that at the dedication ceremonies it was stated that it would serve the area for at least two generations. In less than five years it was expanded.
Snow Hill Road in the city was built to extend from Lincoln Avenue to East Main Street. Before this change, Snow Hill Road flowed into Lincoln Avenue in the city. The restructuring of the geography of the city was greatly impacted by the new land obtained by the emptying of Humphreys Lake.
East Main Street had become a location to have thriving business entities which continue to this day.
The land exposed by the rupture of the dam was purchased by a group of local businessmen that formed the Salisbury Realty Company. They purchased 65 acres from the Humphreys family and dug out a channel to the east as far as the railroad. The dirt they dug out was used to build up the remaining acreage. When this had settled enough to build on, they began to sell lots in the area.
There was a building across what is now East Main Street along Division Street. It had been a prime building site in Salisbury for many years. When it burned down to its foundation in the fire of 1886, there were many that wanted to extend Main Street eastward to the edge of Humphreys Lake.
Now, Salisbury had at that time a form of government consisting of town commissioners. They could have prevented the rebuilding of the structure by simply not allowing the building permit to go through. They didn’t, and a new building was erected on the old foundation, even complying with the new standards of building with brick according to the codes put in place to try to avoid another fire like the one in 1886 that destroyed most of downtown Salisbury.
By 1888, Salisbury had implemented a new form of government consisting of a mayor and city council. This new form of government was more receptive to the idea of extending Main Street to the east. So they used their governmental powers and condemned the Davis House hotel, and it was torn down after the dam broke. Main Street was extended to the east and East Main Street was established.
Buildings began to emerge on land that was once under water. The picture above was taken in 1919 and shows a dirt street about 100 yards east of Division Street before anything had been built. The tallest building in Salisbury, the Wicomico Hotel, was still six years in the future. The biggest boost to the area was the Post Office. It lent a sort of permanence to the street, and other buildings soon followed.
East Main Street was eventually extended across the former lake bottom to its present destination of Old Ocean City Road. This entailed building East Main Street to the present Davis Street, which was formerly the edge of Humphreys Lake. It was not the scenic area we know today as the City Park. The City Park was built in the 1930’s as a project of the WPA, one of President Roosevelt’s ideas to get men working again during the devastating Depression of the 1930’s. The mayor at the time was L. Thomas Parker, and he is known as the father of the Municipal Park. His son is Henry Parker, a former county councilman for many years. Wicomico Middle School was built in 1931 over the area that had been used as a dump. When they built it at a cost of $450,000, it was so large and modern that at the dedication ceremonies it was stated that it would serve the area for at least two generations. In less than five years it was expanded.
Snow Hill Road in the city was built to extend from Lincoln Avenue to East Main Street. Before this change, Snow Hill Road flowed into Lincoln Avenue in the city. The restructuring of the geography of the city was greatly impacted by the new land obtained by the emptying of Humphreys Lake.
East Main Street had become a location to have thriving business entities which continue to this day.
Montana Lawmaker Says Yoga Pants Should Be Illegal
A Montana legislative panel moved to kill an indecent exposure bill Wednesday after the lawmaker who introduced it said he thinks yoga pants should be illegal.
Members of the House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to table House Bill 365, which Rep. David Moore introduced Tuesday.
The proposal would have expanded the definition of indecent exposure to include garments that give the appearance of a person's buttocks, genitals, pelvis or female nipple.
The Republican from Missoula said he wouldn't have a problem with people being arrested for wearing such provocative clothing such as tight-fitting beige garments. Moore also said yoga pants should be illegal.
Although members of the committee giggled about the bill, no discussion was allowed before a voice vote to table it.
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Members of the House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to table House Bill 365, which Rep. David Moore introduced Tuesday.
The proposal would have expanded the definition of indecent exposure to include garments that give the appearance of a person's buttocks, genitals, pelvis or female nipple.
The Republican from Missoula said he wouldn't have a problem with people being arrested for wearing such provocative clothing such as tight-fitting beige garments. Moore also said yoga pants should be illegal.
Although members of the committee giggled about the bill, no discussion was allowed before a voice vote to table it.
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Herman Cain 2016: 7 Highlights From Pre-Politics Life of Potential GOP Presidential Hopeful
Pizza magnate Herman Cain is in the spotlight for the White House race in 2016, and his penchant for breaking all the molds started early. He wasn’t averse to getting his hands dirty long before politics entered the picture. Here are seven pre-politics highlights from the life of potential 2016 GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain:
1. Herman Cain and his father both worked for Coca-Cola, according to Biography.com. His father was a chauffeur, and he was a systems analyst.
2. Cain’s mostly known for his business background, but Business Insider noted he also worked for the Navy early in his career, designing fire-control systems for ships and aircraft — while he was working toward a master’s in computer science at Purdue University.
3. He was a vice president at Pillsbury when he took over the company’s ailing Philadelphia-area Burger King restaurants, but Business Insider said he was just as likely to be in the kitchen broiling hamburgers. The Philadelphia region went from Burger King’s least profitable to its most profitable division under Cain’s leadership. Likewise, notes the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Cain did the sameduring his turnaround of Pillsbury’s struggling Godfather’s Pizza chain — stepping out of the executive suite to cook pizzas in test kitchens and individual stores.
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1. Herman Cain and his father both worked for Coca-Cola, according to Biography.com. His father was a chauffeur, and he was a systems analyst.
2. Cain’s mostly known for his business background, but Business Insider noted he also worked for the Navy early in his career, designing fire-control systems for ships and aircraft — while he was working toward a master’s in computer science at Purdue University.
3. He was a vice president at Pillsbury when he took over the company’s ailing Philadelphia-area Burger King restaurants, but Business Insider said he was just as likely to be in the kitchen broiling hamburgers. The Philadelphia region went from Burger King’s least profitable to its most profitable division under Cain’s leadership. Likewise, notes the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Cain did the sameduring his turnaround of Pillsbury’s struggling Godfather’s Pizza chain — stepping out of the executive suite to cook pizzas in test kitchens and individual stores.
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Vaccines and Autism: What You Need to Know
The increase in numbers of American children diagnosed with autism is frightening. Autism cases have skyrocketed between 20 and 30 fold since the early 1970s, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
In 2014, the CDC released a report stating that one child in 68 had autism, a 30 percent increase from only two years earlier. For boys, the risk was even worse — one in 42.
The condition, which causes difficulty communicating and limited social skills, was so rare in past generations that the term autism wasn't even used in the modern sense until 1938. Autism wasn't classified as a specific illness until the late 1960s.
As the numbers of victims began to rise, desperate parents searched for help — and for answers. Doctors were as clueless as the parents about the cause. Many parents believed their children were normal until they began receiving regularly scheduled vaccinations. Speculation centered around the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, since some parents saw a dramatic spiral into autism immediately following the MMR inoculation.
Holistic physician David Brownstein, M.D., has seen first-hand the agony faced by parents of autistic children. "For over 20 years, I have seen many parents who reported that their child was developing normally until they received a vaccine," he says. "Within hours to days of the vaccine, particularly the MMR vaccine, these parents claim that their children changed in their behavior and attitude.
"The story was always similar," he tells Newsmax Health. "One day the child was normal, the next day he or she was crying and irritable and began regressing on all fronts — neurologically, behaviorally, and emotionally.
"From this point on, the lives of the parents and affected children were changed forever," he says. "Nearly all of these children were eventually diagnosed as autistic."
Read more here
In 2014, the CDC released a report stating that one child in 68 had autism, a 30 percent increase from only two years earlier. For boys, the risk was even worse — one in 42.
The condition, which causes difficulty communicating and limited social skills, was so rare in past generations that the term autism wasn't even used in the modern sense until 1938. Autism wasn't classified as a specific illness until the late 1960s.
As the numbers of victims began to rise, desperate parents searched for help — and for answers. Doctors were as clueless as the parents about the cause. Many parents believed their children were normal until they began receiving regularly scheduled vaccinations. Speculation centered around the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, since some parents saw a dramatic spiral into autism immediately following the MMR inoculation.
Holistic physician David Brownstein, M.D., has seen first-hand the agony faced by parents of autistic children. "For over 20 years, I have seen many parents who reported that their child was developing normally until they received a vaccine," he says. "Within hours to days of the vaccine, particularly the MMR vaccine, these parents claim that their children changed in their behavior and attitude.
"The story was always similar," he tells Newsmax Health. "One day the child was normal, the next day he or she was crying and irritable and began regressing on all fronts — neurologically, behaviorally, and emotionally.
"From this point on, the lives of the parents and affected children were changed forever," he says. "Nearly all of these children were eventually diagnosed as autistic."
Read more here
LBJ'S Daughter Was Wrong on 'Selma,' Dad
In an article reported by Newsmax, the daughter of former President Lyndon B. Johnson has slammed the hit new movie "Selma" for depicting her father as "a reluctant latecomer to the civil rights movement."
Saying she was "saddened" by the film, Luci Baines Johnson took to the pages of The Texas Tribune to claim her dad was instrumental in getting the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act passed during his presidency while risking his own political career.
Is Luci Baines Johnson ignorant of her father’s actual record?
As a congressman, LBJ said that President Truman's civil rights program "is a farce and a sham — an effort to set up a police state in the guise of liberty. I am opposed to that program. I have voted against the so-called poll tax repeal bill . . . I have voted against the so-called anti-lynching bill."
The truth is that Lyndon Baines Johnson was a life-long segregationist who resisted numerous attempts to eliminate the poll tax and literacy tests during his 23-year career in the House and Senate. He blocked every major and minor piece of meaningful civil rights legislation as the leader of the Southern block in the U.S. Senate, and as its powerful majority leader.
It was Lyndon Johnson who neutered the 1957 Civil Rights Act with a poison pill amendment that required violators of the act be tried before state (all-white), not federal juries.
Many contemporary liberals including Joseph Rauh, the president of Americans for Democratic Action, and A. Philip Randolph, a vice president of the AFL-CIO, called the bill worthless, and “worse than no bill at all.”
Nor did LBJ’s personal conduct reflect support for civil rights. His black chauffeur Robert Parker wrote in his book “Capitol Hill in Black and White” of his personal experiences.
“I would drive Johnson and his party up to the front gate of Navy stadium with instructions to be waiting there when they [the senators] walked out after the game. Whenever I was late, no matter what the reason, Johnson called me a lazy, good-for-nothing n*gger. He especially liked to call me n*gger in front of Southerners and racists like Richard Russell. It was, I soon learned, LBJ’s way of being one of the boys.”
Read more here
Saying she was "saddened" by the film, Luci Baines Johnson took to the pages of The Texas Tribune to claim her dad was instrumental in getting the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act passed during his presidency while risking his own political career.
Is Luci Baines Johnson ignorant of her father’s actual record?
As a congressman, LBJ said that President Truman's civil rights program "is a farce and a sham — an effort to set up a police state in the guise of liberty. I am opposed to that program. I have voted against the so-called poll tax repeal bill . . . I have voted against the so-called anti-lynching bill."
The truth is that Lyndon Baines Johnson was a life-long segregationist who resisted numerous attempts to eliminate the poll tax and literacy tests during his 23-year career in the House and Senate. He blocked every major and minor piece of meaningful civil rights legislation as the leader of the Southern block in the U.S. Senate, and as its powerful majority leader.
It was Lyndon Johnson who neutered the 1957 Civil Rights Act with a poison pill amendment that required violators of the act be tried before state (all-white), not federal juries.
Many contemporary liberals including Joseph Rauh, the president of Americans for Democratic Action, and A. Philip Randolph, a vice president of the AFL-CIO, called the bill worthless, and “worse than no bill at all.”
Nor did LBJ’s personal conduct reflect support for civil rights. His black chauffeur Robert Parker wrote in his book “Capitol Hill in Black and White” of his personal experiences.
“I would drive Johnson and his party up to the front gate of Navy stadium with instructions to be waiting there when they [the senators] walked out after the game. Whenever I was late, no matter what the reason, Johnson called me a lazy, good-for-nothing n*gger. He especially liked to call me n*gger in front of Southerners and racists like Richard Russell. It was, I soon learned, LBJ’s way of being one of the boys.”
Read more here
Keystone XL Bill Heads to Obama as Practical Payoffs Wane
Congressional Republicans achieved an elusive legislative goal Wednesday, sending a bill to approve the Keystone XL pipeline to President Barack Obama.
Yet after three years of effort, the victory is somewhat hollow as falling oil prices and an improving job market conspire to weaken any practical or political payoffs.
The U.S. House passed the measure 270-152, with 29 Democrats joining all but one Republican to support the bill. Obama has vowed to veto the measure and Wednesday’s vote was short of the two-thirds super majority needed to override the president’s rejection. The Senate passed the bill last month.
Obama said he opposes the bill because it would circumvent his administration’s review of the $8 billion pipeline.
“This allegedly important policy issue has become almost nothing but politics, save for those who build and operate it, on both sides,” said Burdett Loomis, a political science professor at the University of Kansas who tracks energy issues. “It’s policy significance comes close to nil, especially in our current oil environment.”
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Yet after three years of effort, the victory is somewhat hollow as falling oil prices and an improving job market conspire to weaken any practical or political payoffs.
The U.S. House passed the measure 270-152, with 29 Democrats joining all but one Republican to support the bill. Obama has vowed to veto the measure and Wednesday’s vote was short of the two-thirds super majority needed to override the president’s rejection. The Senate passed the bill last month.
Obama said he opposes the bill because it would circumvent his administration’s review of the $8 billion pipeline.
“This allegedly important policy issue has become almost nothing but politics, save for those who build and operate it, on both sides,” said Burdett Loomis, a political science professor at the University of Kansas who tracks energy issues. “It’s policy significance comes close to nil, especially in our current oil environment.”
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10 things you should never buy again
Though cable providers still have plenty of subscribers — roughly 101.7 million Americans, in 2014, according to research firm IBISWorld — those numbers are declining. The firm predicts that cable providers will lose a net of around one million subscribers for each of the next several years, reaching 97 million in 2019.
One of the reasons for this subscriber defection: Consumers are increasingly embracing (often cheaper) cable alternatives. Indeed, PricewaterhouseCoopers notes that subscriptions to cable alternatives like Netflix (up 25% over 2013), Amazon Prime (up 14%) and Hulu (up 3%)—each of which costs around $8 a month—are on the rise.
You may have more reason than ever to cut the cord, as cable TV rates are rising, even as more relatively inexpensive streaming options emerge. In 2015, research group NPD expects the average pay-TV bill (for basic and premium channels) will hit $123 a month, up from $86 in 2011.
What’s more, in 2015, there will be even more streaming options to watch: In October, HBO, Univision and CBS all announced new stand-alone streaming services. “There are a lot more options out there so we don’t all have to subscribe to cable anymore,” says Sarah Kahn, an industry analyst for IBISWorld.
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