DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Mexico withdraws as host of 2017 World Swim Championships
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico is withdrawing as host of the 2017 world swimming championships, citing budget shortfalls connected with the recent drop in oil prices.
In a statement Wednesday, the state-run Mexican Sports Institute said it had told FINA, swimming’s world governing body, of its decision. It said it faced a fine of $5 million from FINA for pulling out.
The championships were to be held in the western city of Guadalajara.
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In a statement Wednesday, the state-run Mexican Sports Institute said it had told FINA, swimming’s world governing body, of its decision. It said it faced a fine of $5 million from FINA for pulling out.
The championships were to be held in the western city of Guadalajara.
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Incredible pictures capture moment woman is freed from her sinking car
The petrified woman was squashed up against the rear window as the front end of the BMW was rapidly submerging into the Waitemata Harbour in Auckland at 3pm on Tuesday.
Fortunately witnesses called emergency services as quick-thinking policemen arrived and sprung straight into action by jumping into the water.
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2015 Westminster Dog Show
"MISS P" WINS BEST OF SHOW
Miss P, a 15-inch beagle, reacts after winning the Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show on Feb. 17 in New York.
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After Lobbying Push, Drugmaker Resubmits Women's Sex Pill
The makers of a twice-rejected pill designed to boost female libido are resubmitting their drug to federal health regulators, following a recent lobbying blitz by politicians, women's groups and consumer advocates aimed at pushing it onto the market.
Sprout Pharmaceuticals said Tuesday it is refiling its application for the drug, flibanserin, adding new information requested by the Food and Drug Administration about how the pill affects driving ability. FDA scientists requested that data after their most recent rejection of the drug, in part, due to results showing nearly 10 percent of women in company trials reported sleepiness as a side effect. The company studied women's driving ability the morning after taking flibanserin compared with women taking placebo and a common sleeping pill.
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Sprout Pharmaceuticals said Tuesday it is refiling its application for the drug, flibanserin, adding new information requested by the Food and Drug Administration about how the pill affects driving ability. FDA scientists requested that data after their most recent rejection of the drug, in part, due to results showing nearly 10 percent of women in company trials reported sleepiness as a side effect. The company studied women's driving ability the morning after taking flibanserin compared with women taking placebo and a common sleeping pill.
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Lawyer's Controversial Flyer Helps Drivers Pass Through DUI Checkpoints
Motorists who pull up to sobriety checkpoints are holding up the "Fair DUI Flyer." The flyer reads "I remain silent, no searches and I want my lawyer," along with a short list of state laws.
Drivers who are passing through DUI checkpoints don't roll down the window, but instead display the flyer with their driver's license, insurance and registration.
Warren Redlich, a Florida criminal defense attorney, created the flyer because he "was tired of defending people who were wrongfully arrested after going through checkpoints," CBS News reported.
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Closings & Delays For Thursday February 19th
Delmar School District - Closed Thursday Feb 19
Talbot County Public Schools will open 90 minutes late on Thursday, February 19th
Accomack County Schools - There will be no school tomorrow. 12 month employees report or have option to use leave if conditions are bad in their area. Twelve-month staff on a two hour delay
Somerset County Schools closed tomorrow 2/19.
Dorchester County Public Schools - 2 hour delay Thursday. No AM pre-K.
Faith Baptist School - Closed
Union Mob Protests At Scott Walker's Parents' House
But their anger has not subsided. And with Walker eyeing a possible 2016 bid for the White House, union leadership’s anger has only grown.
After storming the Wisconsin State House and countless events featuring Governor Walker, the angry mob of union protesters employed a new tactic — protesting outside the home of the governor’s parents.
On President’s Day, union protesters stormed the sleepy neighborhood where Pat and Llewellyn Walker live, waving signs and yelling anti-Walker chants.
Tattoos, prescription drugs, obesity hinder Army Reserves recruitment effort
Physical, moral or cognitive shortcomings eliminate 71 percent of potential military recruits
The majority of potential Army reservists are either hooked on prescription drugs, have too many tattoos, are overweight or have mental conditions that prohibit them from joining the military, recruiters say.
Seven out of 10 applicants — who return to their civilian lives after training, but can be called into active service at any time — fail to meet Army Reserve standards on “mental, moral and physical reasons,” said Capt. Eric Connor, U.S. Army Reserve Command spokesman.
The problem affects the broader service as well. According to Army Recruiting Command statistics compiled last year, 71 percent of young people wanting to join the military would fail to pass service tests because of their physical, moral or cognitive shortcomings.
These problems are worsening even as the Defense Department wants in the coming year to add thousands of members to every branch of the service, both the active forces and the reserves, a plan that will place additional pressure on recruiters who must operate with smaller budgets.
Military budget documents show that the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps are being asked in fiscal year 2016 to recruit 2,000 to 9,500 more active-duty The Army Reserve’s goal in fiscal year 2014 was to recruit 33,261 personnel, but military planners have considerably upped that goal in fiscal year 2016. By the end of next year, recruiters must be able to persuade 39,860 men and women to join the reserves.
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The majority of potential Army reservists are either hooked on prescription drugs, have too many tattoos, are overweight or have mental conditions that prohibit them from joining the military, recruiters say.
Seven out of 10 applicants — who return to their civilian lives after training, but can be called into active service at any time — fail to meet Army Reserve standards on “mental, moral and physical reasons,” said Capt. Eric Connor, U.S. Army Reserve Command spokesman.
The problem affects the broader service as well. According to Army Recruiting Command statistics compiled last year, 71 percent of young people wanting to join the military would fail to pass service tests because of their physical, moral or cognitive shortcomings.
These problems are worsening even as the Defense Department wants in the coming year to add thousands of members to every branch of the service, both the active forces and the reserves, a plan that will place additional pressure on recruiters who must operate with smaller budgets.
Military budget documents show that the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps are being asked in fiscal year 2016 to recruit 2,000 to 9,500 more active-duty The Army Reserve’s goal in fiscal year 2014 was to recruit 33,261 personnel, but military planners have considerably upped that goal in fiscal year 2016. By the end of next year, recruiters must be able to persuade 39,860 men and women to join the reserves.
More
First WBOC Bitches At Me, Then They Allow This On Their Facebook Page!
Salisbury Police Release Information on Death Investigation from Saturday on North Salisbury Boulevard...http://bit.ly/1FpCpPD
These guys make no sense whatsoever. And you people want to get on my case!
GO HERE, enjoy.
Gen. James Mattis Was Fired After He Refused To Take Up Arms Against U.S. Citizens
Over the weekend, this columnist spoke with an old friend who has spent much of his life in the military. Though he spoke on the condition of anonymity, I can tell you that he was in the U.S. Air Force, and served at Strategic Air Command Headquarters.
During the course of our conversation, I asked his opinion on the belief that Obama is considering using the military to implement martial law against the American people.
This highly respected veteran looked me dead in the eyes, and said: “What do you think these purges have been about?”
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During the course of our conversation, I asked his opinion on the belief that Obama is considering using the military to implement martial law against the American people.
This highly respected veteran looked me dead in the eyes, and said: “What do you think these purges have been about?”
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Connect the dots, Islamophobia-style
And I have to say I’m more than a little unnerved when I connect the dots between all these stories. Of course I could just be over-reacting…
Right here in my home state of Florida, just up the road in Melbourne, vandals set fire to the New Shiloh Christian Church. Fire sprinklers helped contain the flames to a storage unit connected to the 125,000-square-foot building, which is being remodeled. However, what is disturbing is that the words “Allahu Akbar” were spray-painted on the storage unit.
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Scott Walker Leads BIG In Iowa
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) has a double-digit lead over the rest of the GOP presidential field in early-voting Iowa in a new automated poll.
Walker pulls 24 percent with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) at 10 percent apiece, according to a new poll conducted by Gravis Marketing for the conservative website Town Hall.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) sits at 9 percent, with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) at 7 percent, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) at 6 percent, Dr. Ben Carson at 5 percent, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) at 4 percent and businesswoman Carly Fiorina at 3 percent.
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Walker pulls 24 percent with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) at 10 percent apiece, according to a new poll conducted by Gravis Marketing for the conservative website Town Hall.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) sits at 9 percent, with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) at 7 percent, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) at 6 percent, Dr. Ben Carson at 5 percent, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) at 4 percent and businesswoman Carly Fiorina at 3 percent.
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WBOC Is Turning Into A Joke Any More
Two attacks by ISIS, (if you choose to actually believe that, some claim it was for attention) and now multiple black outs AND even a total broadcast without sound, all in the past 30 days.
Yeah, Delmarva's news leader, LMAO.
UMD students attend worldwide event to end fossil fuel investment
“Divestment is a tactic used by activists to change the status quo. A lot of the systems that cause problems to people in the world are based on where we are keeping our money,” said Emily Reimal, a student from this university who attended the rally in Dupont Circle.
Reimal said she has always been an activist, but she became interested in divestment at a Power Shift climate change conference last year. Divestment from fossil-fuel industries — the opposite of investment — is a way to change the focus of energy sources, the sophomore criminology and criminal justice major said.
“We’re charging universities, churches, cities, governments, anything that has an endowment or a large fund to take their money out of fossil fuel industries and reinvest it into renewables,” Reimal said. “We want to hold the fossil-fuel industry responsible for their role in climate change.”
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WY&CC Operations Scheduled to Resume at Noon on Feb. 19
Salisbury, MD – The Wicomico Youth & Civic Center (WY&CC) is scheduled to resume full operations by Noon on Thursday, Feb. 19. Upcoming events, including this weekend’s Better Living Expo and Fine Arts Show will take place as planned.
Customers may access a temporary Box Office through the main doors of the WY&CC (labeled Offices, Midway & DaNang Rooms). They can also call the Box Office at 410.548.4911. The temporary Box Office will be open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Box Office’s online services are and will continue to be available. Event tickets can be purchased from www.WicomicoCivicCenter.org. Recreation program registration is available through www.WicomicoRecandParks.org.
Operations of the WY&CC were temporarily interrupted as a result of a busted pipe, which caused water damage. County employees have been working since Monday to clean and repair the damage.
Customers may access a temporary Box Office through the main doors of the WY&CC (labeled Offices, Midway & DaNang Rooms). They can also call the Box Office at 410.548.4911. The temporary Box Office will be open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Box Office’s online services are and will continue to be available. Event tickets can be purchased from www.WicomicoCivicCenter.org. Recreation program registration is available through www.WicomicoRecandParks.org.
Operations of the WY&CC were temporarily interrupted as a result of a busted pipe, which caused water damage. County employees have been working since Monday to clean and repair the damage.
Weather Bulletin
February 18, 2015, 3:30 PM
The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Chill Advisory for Wicomico County which is in effect from 5:00 AM Thursday, February 19, 2015 until Noon Friday, February 20, 2015.
*Hazards: Dangerously cold wind chills
*Wind Chill Readings: Zero to 5 below late Wednesday night (February 18th). Five (5) to 10 below zero Thursday night (February 19th).
*Timing: Late tonight (Wednesday) through Friday Morning.
*Temperatures: Falling into the mid teens tonight (Wednesday) and into the single digits Thursday night.
*Impacts: Frozen pipes could be a problem. Frostbite and hypothermia may occur if precautions are not taken.
Precautionary/Preparedness Actions: A wind chill advisory means that very cold air and strong will combine to generate low wind chills. This will result in frostbite and lead to hypothermia if precautions are not taken. If you must go outdoors make sure a hat and gloves are worn.
Can GOP Finally Win a Spending Fight?
As Congress struggles to end its stalemate over funding Homeland Security, Republicans are haunted by the stark fact that the public usually blames them for spending gridlock.
The extent of the damage is debated — the GOP, after all, won a landslide election victory last November after being blamed for the shutdown a year earlier — and it splits Republicans themselves over whether to accept a shutdown or avoid it like the plague.
“Everything else being equal, since Republicans now control both Houses in Congress my hypotheses is they will be blamed because they are in charge,” Gallup’s editor in chief, Frank Newport, told the Washington Examiner.
The GOP in recent days has been trying to shift the blame to the Democrats, since it is the opposition party's votes that are blocking the DHS funding bill. But pollsters say it will be difficult to reverse public opinion.
Republicans face a choice. They can alienate their conservative base by capitulating or they can risk public wrath.
"Republicans are not going to suffer a dip in favorability because they are going to find a way to fund DHS,” GOP pollster Whit Ayers told the Examiner. “Republicans are not going to let funding for our national security agency lapse shortly after another horrific terrorist attack in Paris."
“The public needs to know we are not talking about shutting down the government. We are talking about fully funding the DHS, except for the president’s executive actions that most Americans do not support,” Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, told the Washington Examiner. “That’s what we have to explain to people.”
The public’s reaction to Obama’s executive actions have been mixed, with some polls showing the majority disapprove and others indicating the public mostly backs them.
“The reason Republicans are having this fight is because it’s a fight they think they can win and I think the American people will be on their side,” Republican pollster Jim McLaughlin said. “The Republicans have not done well when it comes to government shutdowns. This time, it’s different.”
More here
The extent of the damage is debated — the GOP, after all, won a landslide election victory last November after being blamed for the shutdown a year earlier — and it splits Republicans themselves over whether to accept a shutdown or avoid it like the plague.
“Everything else being equal, since Republicans now control both Houses in Congress my hypotheses is they will be blamed because they are in charge,” Gallup’s editor in chief, Frank Newport, told the Washington Examiner.
The GOP in recent days has been trying to shift the blame to the Democrats, since it is the opposition party's votes that are blocking the DHS funding bill. But pollsters say it will be difficult to reverse public opinion.
Republicans face a choice. They can alienate their conservative base by capitulating or they can risk public wrath.
"Republicans are not going to suffer a dip in favorability because they are going to find a way to fund DHS,” GOP pollster Whit Ayers told the Examiner. “Republicans are not going to let funding for our national security agency lapse shortly after another horrific terrorist attack in Paris."
“The public needs to know we are not talking about shutting down the government. We are talking about fully funding the DHS, except for the president’s executive actions that most Americans do not support,” Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, told the Washington Examiner. “That’s what we have to explain to people.”
The public’s reaction to Obama’s executive actions have been mixed, with some polls showing the majority disapprove and others indicating the public mostly backs them.
“The reason Republicans are having this fight is because it’s a fight they think they can win and I think the American people will be on their side,” Republican pollster Jim McLaughlin said. “The Republicans have not done well when it comes to government shutdowns. This time, it’s different.”
More here
In Maryland, more voters object to growing casino industry, poll finds
In one of the country’s most concentrated casino markets, 38 percent of Free State voters said the expansion of casino gambling has been a “bad thing” in a new Washington Post-University of Maryland poll. That’s up 11 points from a 2012 poll, when 27 percent of respondents felt negatively toward the state’s addition of slots casinos.
The growing disapproval comes as the $925 million MGM National Harbor prepares to open next year in Prince George’s County.
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Tiny Quakes Linked to Fracking Raise Risks, Geophysicist Says
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Small earthquakes shaking Oklahoma and southern Kansas daily and linked to energy drilling are dramatically increasing the chance of bigger and dangerous quakes, federal research indicates.
This once-stable region is now just as likely to see serious damaging and potentially harmful earthquakes as the highest-risk places east of the Rockies, such as New Madrid in Missouri, and Charleston in South Carolina, which had major quakes in the past two centuries.
Still it's a low risk, about a 1 in 2,500 years' chance of happening, according to geophysicist William Ellsworth of the U.S. Geological Survey.
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This once-stable region is now just as likely to see serious damaging and potentially harmful earthquakes as the highest-risk places east of the Rockies, such as New Madrid in Missouri, and Charleston in South Carolina, which had major quakes in the past two centuries.
Still it's a low risk, about a 1 in 2,500 years' chance of happening, according to geophysicist William Ellsworth of the U.S. Geological Survey.
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Tea Party Candidate Sues Democrats For Fabricating A Quote
Veteran actor and Republican Chris Mitchum, son of Hollywood icon Robert Mitchum, lost a tight race to Democratic Rep. Lois Capps this past November in California’s 24th congressional district. But he only lost after Capps and her campaign committee (both defendants in the suit) fabricated a Mitchum quote in ads paid for by the Washington, D.C.-based DCCC.
The Democrats improperly clipped Mitchum’s televised statements to make it seem like he was spurning his own district in favor of being a “Tea Party backed guy.”
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The Reason Mayor Ireton's Road Isn't Cleared...
Thanks "I Team"!
Homeless Ohio Woman Walked Miles to Face Rapist in Court
A homeless woman who was raped while sleeping under a bridge last year sometimes begged for bus money or walked up to 8 miles over the past year so she could face her attacker in court.
Her determination to be in court helped win a conviction against the man, said a police officer who investigated the case.
"He was counting on her not showing up," said Columbus police detective James Ashenhurst. "If it wasn't for her cooperation, he would have walked."
Paul Hubert, 54, pleaded guilty to rape before the case went to trial and was sentenced Feb. 10 to three years in prison.
His attorney, Brian Rigg, said Hubert has a problem with drugs and alcohol that causes him to be "a completely different person."
DNA entered into a statewide database led police to Hubert, who had an earlier conviction for receiving stolen property. He lived in Springfield in Clark County but often visited the Columbus area to see a girlfriend, Ashenhurst said.
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Her determination to be in court helped win a conviction against the man, said a police officer who investigated the case.
"He was counting on her not showing up," said Columbus police detective James Ashenhurst. "If it wasn't for her cooperation, he would have walked."
Paul Hubert, 54, pleaded guilty to rape before the case went to trial and was sentenced Feb. 10 to three years in prison.
His attorney, Brian Rigg, said Hubert has a problem with drugs and alcohol that causes him to be "a completely different person."
DNA entered into a statewide database led police to Hubert, who had an earlier conviction for receiving stolen property. He lived in Springfield in Clark County but often visited the Columbus area to see a girlfriend, Ashenhurst said.
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WY&CC Box Office Temporarily Closed
Salisbury, MD – A busted pipe at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center has caused a temporary closure of the box office. As a result, walk-up and phone transactions are not currently available. Online purchases can be made through www.WicomicoCivicCenter.org. Recreation program registration is available through www.WicomicoRecandParks.org.
County employees are working to clean, repair and minimize any impact on the community. A temporary box office is being set-up within the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center, and an announcement will be shared when it is open.
County employees are working to clean, repair and minimize any impact on the community. A temporary box office is being set-up within the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center, and an announcement will be shared when it is open.
Governor Hogan, Lt. Governor Rutherford Announce Public Charter School Expansion Legislation
Joined With U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan At The Empowerment Academy In Baltimore City
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan and Lt. Governor Rutherford today joined U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at the Empowerment Academy, a Baltimore City public charter school founded in 2003. As part of the visit, Governor Hogan met privately with Secretary Duncan to discuss education issues facing the state. This included House Bill 486 - Public Charter School Expansion and Improvement Act of 2015, the Hogan administration’s proposed legislation designed to strengthen charter school laws in Maryland. This legislation currently has 50 sponsors with bipartisan support from both chambers.
"This is a great opportunity to see firsthand the impact charter schools are having in our state," said Governor Hogan. "Maryland has one of the best education systems in the country, but the gap between good schools and underachieving schools is among the worst. This legislation is designed to create more choices and opportunities for our children and ensure a greater balance in the quality of education across the state."
Governor Hogan, Lt. Governor Rutherford, and Secretary Duncan also participated in a reading activity with second- and third-grade students at the school, taking turns reading the classic children's book The Little Engine That Could.
In 2014, the Empowerment Academy was one of seven schools identified by Maryland Campaign for Achievement Now (Maryland CAN) as an Opportunity School – a school where students outperformed overall proficiency rates on yearly statewide assessments.
Governor Hogan’s proposed legislation will deliver greater autonomy and allow for new innovation through changes in the way public charter schools are regulated by education authorities. Provisions of the legislation will do the following:
Require public charter school operators to include in their applications a plan to provide rigorous program instruction and ensure that professional staff will be well qualified and credentialed
Provide an operating funding formula based on per pupil allocation and a capital funding stream by authorizing charter schools to be eligible for that capital improvement program
Ensure that public charter schools have access to public facilities commensurate with other public non-charter schools
Authorize charter school employees to be employees of the public charter school rather than of the local school system
Exempt public charter schools from the state teacher certification requirements
Authorize public charter school employees to form their own exclusive bargaining unit
Allow public charter school employees to be exempt from collective bargaining agreements of local school districts
Currently, 47 charter schools operate in Maryland, with approximately 18,000 students enrolled. According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, Maryland has the fewest public charter schools of any state in the nation where charter schools are permitted.
Full text of the legislation can be found here: HB486
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan and Lt. Governor Rutherford today joined U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at the Empowerment Academy, a Baltimore City public charter school founded in 2003. As part of the visit, Governor Hogan met privately with Secretary Duncan to discuss education issues facing the state. This included House Bill 486 - Public Charter School Expansion and Improvement Act of 2015, the Hogan administration’s proposed legislation designed to strengthen charter school laws in Maryland. This legislation currently has 50 sponsors with bipartisan support from both chambers.
"This is a great opportunity to see firsthand the impact charter schools are having in our state," said Governor Hogan. "Maryland has one of the best education systems in the country, but the gap between good schools and underachieving schools is among the worst. This legislation is designed to create more choices and opportunities for our children and ensure a greater balance in the quality of education across the state."
Governor Hogan, Lt. Governor Rutherford, and Secretary Duncan also participated in a reading activity with second- and third-grade students at the school, taking turns reading the classic children's book The Little Engine That Could.
In 2014, the Empowerment Academy was one of seven schools identified by Maryland Campaign for Achievement Now (Maryland CAN) as an Opportunity School – a school where students outperformed overall proficiency rates on yearly statewide assessments.
Governor Hogan’s proposed legislation will deliver greater autonomy and allow for new innovation through changes in the way public charter schools are regulated by education authorities. Provisions of the legislation will do the following:
Require public charter school operators to include in their applications a plan to provide rigorous program instruction and ensure that professional staff will be well qualified and credentialed
Provide an operating funding formula based on per pupil allocation and a capital funding stream by authorizing charter schools to be eligible for that capital improvement program
Ensure that public charter schools have access to public facilities commensurate with other public non-charter schools
Authorize charter school employees to be employees of the public charter school rather than of the local school system
Exempt public charter schools from the state teacher certification requirements
Authorize public charter school employees to form their own exclusive bargaining unit
Allow public charter school employees to be exempt from collective bargaining agreements of local school districts
Currently, 47 charter schools operate in Maryland, with approximately 18,000 students enrolled. According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, Maryland has the fewest public charter schools of any state in the nation where charter schools are permitted.
Full text of the legislation can be found here: HB486
Please Help, Need Food, Homeless With Small Children In Salisbury Maryland
There are habitual beggars all over Salisbury. Now I ask you, where are these "small children"? We know the shelters are closed. We know the schools are closed today. Where's the FATHER? Where's the Salisbury Police?
THIS IS SALISBURY, MARYLAND Ladies & Gentlemen. NOT Chicago, Detroit or New York City!
He Asked Group at Bus Stop if ‘They Were Muslims.’ After Two Answered, He Tried to Kill Them: Police
One of the victims suffered five stab wounds during the assault while the other person was stabbed in the hand while he tried to stop the suspect. Both victims, reportedly in their 50s, were transported to a hospital and later released after treatment for non-life threatening injuries.
Police arrested 39-year-old Terrence Lavaron Thomas “within minutes” after the attack, the Washington Post reports.
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Hazardous Weather Outlook
Hazardous Weather Outlook
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA 520 AM EST WED FEB 18 2015 MDZ021>025-191030- DORCHESTER-WICOMICO-SOMERSET-INLAND WORCESTER-MARYLAND BEACHES- 520 AM EST WED FEB 18 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE LOWER EASTERN SHORE OF MARYLAND. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. TRAVEL WILL REMAIN HAZARDOUS TODAY AND TONIGHT DUE TO SNOW AND ICE COVERED ROADS. A PERIOD OF SNOW IS EXPECTED TO ACCOMPANY AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS SHOULD BE AROUND AN INCH OR LESS. WIND CHILL VALUES WILL FALL INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS TO NEAR ZERO LATE TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. WIND CHILL VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO FALL TO NEAR ZERO THURSDAY...FALLING BELOW ZERO THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
Mother Who Had Her Throat Cut By Ex-Fiance Ordered To Write Him Letters In Prison Or Face Jail Time
A woman who was tortured and beaten by her ex-fiance for hours in front of her children could face jail time if she refuses to write him letters in prison updating him on the progress of their children.
Natalie Allman, 29, was ordered by a judge to update her ex on their children regularly, and would be held in contempt of court if she refuses to do so.
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Natalie Allman, 29, was ordered by a judge to update her ex on their children regularly, and would be held in contempt of court if she refuses to do so.
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SFD Calls For Service 2-17-15
- Tuesday February, 17 2015 @ 20:19 Nature: Flood With Electrical HazardsAddress: 1020 Sandstone Ct Salisbury, MD 21801
- Tuesday February, 17 2015 @ 19:21Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Tuesday February, 17 2015 @ 19:19Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Tuesday February, 17 2015 @ 18:50Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Tuesday February, 17 2015 @ 16:59 Nature: Pro Qa FireAddress: 412 E North Pointe Dr Salisbury, MD 21801
Ben Carson: Obama May Be Guilty of Treason If US Not Secured
President Barack Obama could be guilty of treason if he vetoed legislation for funding the Department of Homeland Security because it did not include support for his immigration initiatives, retired neurosurgeon and potential 2016 presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson told Newsmax TV's "America's Forum."
The House and Senate have been wrestling with funding for Homeland Security over Obama's controversial immigration executive order that gave temporary legal status to as many as 5 million illegal immigrants.
The debate has put Democrats and Republicans at odds as they face a Feb. 27 deadline for Homeland Security funding. The House passed a bill that excludes Obama's immigration funding, but the measure stalled in the Senate as Democrats insisted on a clean bill.
"I would say break the funding for Homeland Security up into parcels. Don't present it as a whole bill. That makes it much more difficult for [Obama] to stand in the way.
"And, if he does stand in the way, particularly things that are vital to the security of this country, then we can start talking about treason," Carson said Monday. "If things are done to the contrary to the security of this country, whoever does them is guilty of treason."
If Congress was not able to produce a bill by the deadline, lawmakers risked a shutdown of the department. Carson said Republicans would get the blame "no matter what," so they might as well "get something out of it."
"Let's stand up. Let's have some spine. One of the reasons that so many people have tuned out is because they don't believe that there's anybody who represents them. They think that people always back down. We have to stop doing that," he said.
More
The House and Senate have been wrestling with funding for Homeland Security over Obama's controversial immigration executive order that gave temporary legal status to as many as 5 million illegal immigrants.
The debate has put Democrats and Republicans at odds as they face a Feb. 27 deadline for Homeland Security funding. The House passed a bill that excludes Obama's immigration funding, but the measure stalled in the Senate as Democrats insisted on a clean bill.
"I would say break the funding for Homeland Security up into parcels. Don't present it as a whole bill. That makes it much more difficult for [Obama] to stand in the way.
"And, if he does stand in the way, particularly things that are vital to the security of this country, then we can start talking about treason," Carson said Monday. "If things are done to the contrary to the security of this country, whoever does them is guilty of treason."
If Congress was not able to produce a bill by the deadline, lawmakers risked a shutdown of the department. Carson said Republicans would get the blame "no matter what," so they might as well "get something out of it."
"Let's stand up. Let's have some spine. One of the reasons that so many people have tuned out is because they don't believe that there's anybody who represents them. They think that people always back down. We have to stop doing that," he said.
More
Fed's Fisher: 'Saudis Have Engineered' Oil Price Plunge
We can thank Saudi Arabia for much of the 52 percent drop in oil prices since late June, according to Richard Fisher, president of the Dallas Federal Reserve.
"The Saudis have engineered" the move, he said in a speech this week, CNNMoney reports.
Saudi Arabia led OPEC to reject production cuts, and the nation has offered price reductions to its customers.
Presumably the Saudis are trying to drive high-cost suppliers, such as U.S. shale oil producers out of business.
"We are a huge supplier of energy. The Saudis took a while to realize what was going on," Fisher said, referring to the growth of U.S. output, which has hit its highest level in at least 31 years.
Low oil prices also cause pain for Iran, Saudi Arabia's hated neighbor, he noted.
Given Saudi Arabia's policy, Fisher doesn't expect oil prices to rebound back to $100 anytime soon.
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"The Saudis have engineered" the move, he said in a speech this week, CNNMoney reports.
Saudi Arabia led OPEC to reject production cuts, and the nation has offered price reductions to its customers.
Presumably the Saudis are trying to drive high-cost suppliers, such as U.S. shale oil producers out of business.
"We are a huge supplier of energy. The Saudis took a while to realize what was going on," Fisher said, referring to the growth of U.S. output, which has hit its highest level in at least 31 years.
Low oil prices also cause pain for Iran, Saudi Arabia's hated neighbor, he noted.
Given Saudi Arabia's policy, Fisher doesn't expect oil prices to rebound back to $100 anytime soon.
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The Moment an Officer Tells Fellow Officers She’s “Turning Off the Dashcam” as they Beat and Taze Suspect
Cortez Bufford, 18, has brought a lawsuit against St Louis Police Department for allegedly using excessive force during a traffic stop
Officer Kelli Swinton can be heard saying: ‘Hold up. Hold up, y’all. Hold up. Hold up, everybody, hold up. We’re red right now, so if you guys are worried about cameras, just wait.’
MORE HERE
Source
Officer Kelli Swinton can be heard saying: ‘Hold up. Hold up, y’all. Hold up. Hold up, everybody, hold up. We’re red right now, so if you guys are worried about cameras, just wait.’
MORE HERE
Source
WH Won't Call Latest Victims of Islamic Radicals 'Christians'
It was another weekend of bloodletting by the radical followers of Mohammed. By now you've seen the images - 21 Coptic Christians - slaughtered on a Libyan beach by radical Islamic extremists.
The White House denounced what they called the "murder of Egyptian Citizens" -- not Christians -- citizens.
The president could not even summon the moral courage to speak the truth.
They're called Christians, sir. And their heads were savagely torn from their necks by monstrous Islamic jihadists.
John Starnes
The White House denounced what they called the "murder of Egyptian Citizens" -- not Christians -- citizens.
The president could not even summon the moral courage to speak the truth.
They're called Christians, sir. And their heads were savagely torn from their necks by monstrous Islamic jihadists.
John Starnes
Ft. Belvoir Army sergeant makes half-court shot from wheelchair you have to see to believe
“I got deployed to Afghanistan in 2012,” he said.
And now, he can add “gone viral” to his list of accomplishments.
“I’m not used to it, I’ll tell you that,” he said of the sudden attention.
Thanks to his amazing half-court shot—first seen on ABC7—in the Army Regionals wheelchair basketball final last Friday at Ft. Belvoir, Johnson can now lay claim to making ABC’s “Good Morning America,” as well as ESPN’s “Top Play.”
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How Jon Stewart turned lies into comedy and brainwashed a generation
So Brian Williams goes out (for six months) humiliated and derided. Jon Stewart goes out (permanently, one hopes) the same day, but on a giant Comedy Homecoming King float, with a 21-gun salute from the media, his path strewn with roses and teardrops.
Why?
Brian Williams lied about his personal exploits a few times. Jon Stewart was unabashedly and habitually dishonest.
Though Stewart has often claimed he does a “fake news show,” “The Daily Show” isn’t that. It’s a real news show punctuated with puns, jokes, asides and the occasional moment of staged sanctimony.
It contains real, unstaged sound bites about the day’s events and interviews about important policy matters.
Stewart is a journalist: an irresponsible and unprofessional one.
He is especially beloved by others in the journo game. (For every 100 viewers, he generated about 10 fawning profiles in the slicks, all of them saying the same thing: The jester tells the truth!)
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Why?
Brian Williams lied about his personal exploits a few times. Jon Stewart was unabashedly and habitually dishonest.
Though Stewart has often claimed he does a “fake news show,” “The Daily Show” isn’t that. It’s a real news show punctuated with puns, jokes, asides and the occasional moment of staged sanctimony.
It contains real, unstaged sound bites about the day’s events and interviews about important policy matters.
Stewart is a journalist: an irresponsible and unprofessional one.
He is especially beloved by others in the journo game. (For every 100 viewers, he generated about 10 fawning profiles in the slicks, all of them saying the same thing: The jester tells the truth!)
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Good News!
By order dated February 11, 2015, the Circuit Court for Queen Anne’s County has denied the request of convicted murderer Jody Lee Miles to deny Governor’ O’Malley’s commutation of his sentence from death to life without the possibility of parole. The ruling was made by the Court without a hearing. The Office of the State’s Attorney is gratified for the Court’s ruling.
GOP Governors: We Won't Bail Out Obamacare
Five Republican state governors say they will not rescue a crucial part of Obamacare if it is struck down by the Supreme Court, underlining the prospect for a chaotic aftermath to a ruling that could force millions of Americans to pay much more for coverage or lose their health insurance.
The Supreme Court is due to hear opening arguments in the case known as King v. Burwell on March 4, marking the second major challenge to President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act (ACA) after the justices ruled in 2012 against a claim that it was unconstitutional. The latest case tests the tax-credit subsidies at the core of Obamacare.
In its ruling expected by June, the high court could bar the federally run insurance marketplace from providing the subsidies in at least 34 states. That could throw the insurance system into turmoil as states respond in starkly different ways.
In response to Reuters' queries, spokespeople for the Republican governors of Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina and Wisconsin said the states were not willing to create a local exchange to keep subsidies flowing. Republicans argue that Obamacare is unacceptable government intervention that raises costs for consumers and businesses.
"State exchanges are the federal government's way of sticking states with the cost and responsibility of a massive new bureaucratic program," said Chaney Adams, a spokeswoman for South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
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The Supreme Court is due to hear opening arguments in the case known as King v. Burwell on March 4, marking the second major challenge to President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act (ACA) after the justices ruled in 2012 against a claim that it was unconstitutional. The latest case tests the tax-credit subsidies at the core of Obamacare.
In its ruling expected by June, the high court could bar the federally run insurance marketplace from providing the subsidies in at least 34 states. That could throw the insurance system into turmoil as states respond in starkly different ways.
In response to Reuters' queries, spokespeople for the Republican governors of Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina and Wisconsin said the states were not willing to create a local exchange to keep subsidies flowing. Republicans argue that Obamacare is unacceptable government intervention that raises costs for consumers and businesses.
"State exchanges are the federal government's way of sticking states with the cost and responsibility of a massive new bureaucratic program," said Chaney Adams, a spokeswoman for South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
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In Defense of Dr. Andrew Wakefield
It’s been hard to miss the recent news reports about measles outbreaks around the United States. Frequently the statistics are followed in the next breath by complaints that the outbreak is due to anti-vaccine advocates. These advocates, we are often told, were inspired by Andrew Wakefield, the “discredited MMR vaccine doctor.”
I feel compelled to share what Dr. Wakefield told me during an interview in the fall of 2001. That interview was published at the time by our nonprofit organization, Association for Comprehensive NeuroTherapy, and is now published once more below in its entirety, without editing.
I’m neither a researcher nor scientist. I know there are controversies about Dr. Wakefield’s most quoted study in 1998. Newsweek carried an article this week (February 10, 2015) debunking his work and calling him the father of the anti-vaccine movement. See here. But based on his comments in the interview below, my guess is Wakefield would say that the large scale studies lauded in the Newsweek article did not test his actual hypothesis.
The reader should note that Andrew Wakefield warned against stopping vaccines for measles.
(Read this very informative interview here..)
I feel compelled to share what Dr. Wakefield told me during an interview in the fall of 2001. That interview was published at the time by our nonprofit organization, Association for Comprehensive NeuroTherapy, and is now published once more below in its entirety, without editing.
I’m neither a researcher nor scientist. I know there are controversies about Dr. Wakefield’s most quoted study in 1998. Newsweek carried an article this week (February 10, 2015) debunking his work and calling him the father of the anti-vaccine movement. See here. But based on his comments in the interview below, my guess is Wakefield would say that the large scale studies lauded in the Newsweek article did not test his actual hypothesis.
The reader should note that Andrew Wakefield warned against stopping vaccines for measles.
(Read this very informative interview here..)
Coolest Ultrasound Photo Ever?
The child appears to be giving a whole-hearted thumbs-up during his mother’s 20-week ultrasound scan.
The child belongs to Paul Schofield, 31, and Cheryl Stevenson, 32, from Manchester, England.
Stevenson went to Saint Mary’s Hospital for her routine check-up, and discovered not only the sex of the child is male, but she was pleasantly surprised with the image seeming to indicate all is well in the womb.
“It was really surprising. People have asked me if it is real,” she told Britain’s Daily Mail. “It’s a prized memento and he must be having fun in there to be giving us the thumbs-up.”
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WICOMICO DRUG DEALER SENTENCED TO 68 YEARS IN PRISON
On February 13, 2015, another Wicomico County Circuit Court judge sentenced Belizaire to 30 years of active incarceration in the Maryland Division of Corrections for Belizaire’s role in orchestrating a continuing drug conspiracy from within the confines of the Wicomico County Detention Center. Minutes later, the same judge imposed a consecutive 10 year prison sentence for violation of probation. Both of the sentences imposed on February 13th were ordered to run consecutive to a sentence imposed on February 10, 2015.
The total sentences amount to 68 years of active incarceration within the Maryland Division of Corrections with 25 of those 68 years being mandatory, non-parole eligible sentences.
The events at issue in the first case began on April 22, 2014, when officers attempted to serve a warrant on Belizaire. On that date, members of the Maryland State Apprehension Team (“MSAT”), which is a taskforce comprised of multiple agencies including the Maryland State Police, the Salisbury Police Department, and the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, were attempting to serve an outstanding warrant for assault in the second degree upon Belizaire. Investigators conducting surveillance on Belizaire’s girlfriend’s home observed her driving in the area with Belizaire as a passenger. Investigators then contacted members of the Maryland State Police Gang Enforcement Unit to assist in stopping the vehicle. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, however, the vehicle fled and led officers on a pursuit through the streets of Salisbury. Eventually, Belizaire bailed out of the vehicle and fled on foot. While fleeing from the location, Belizaire was observed to discard a tan baseball cap. This baseball cap was recovered and was found to contain a large amount of heroin, as well as cocaine, marijuana, and a loaded semi-automatic handgun. The street value of the heroin seized was estimated to be $16,000.
On December 18, 2014, after a two-day trial, a Wicomico County jury convicted Belizaire, of possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine, being a felon in possession of a regulated firearm, possession of a regulated firearm during a drug trafficking offense and numerous other related offenses related to the events of April 22, 2014.
The events at issue in the second case occurred while Belizaire was incarcerated and pending trial on the gun and drug charges from April 22nd. During this time, Belizaire, while incarcerated in the Wicomico County Detention Center, instructed his girlfriend to remove an amount of heroin from a residence and to give it to her uncle. Belizaire also instructed the uncle on how to prepare it for street-level sales with the aim of continuing Belizaire’s drug distribution network while he was incarcerated. Unfortunately for Belizaire, investigators had continued their investigation into his on-going drug activity. During the course of this continued investigation, investigators were able to develop his girlfriend as a co-conspirator and confronted her. Belizaire’s girlfriend then began cooperating with authorities and ultimately led investigators to where the heroin was concealed. This led to the recovery of more than 300 grams of heroin from her uncle’s residence. The street value of the heroin seized was estimated to be approximately $200,000.
Scientists discover how to stop Alzheimer's in its earliest stages
Scientists have discovered the key to stopping Alzheimer’s disease in its earliest stages.
The breakthrough paves the way for a ‘statin-like’ drug that could be taken by millions to prevent dementia.
Cambridge University researchers have found a naturally occurring molecule that can slow the formation of plaques in the brain.
Amyloid plaques are closely associated with declining memory and other Alzheimer’s symptoms.
The discovery raises the prospect of a treatment which could be routinely taken in middle age to stop dementia. It could even result in a pill that could be used to treat dementia in the same way that statins are used to prevent heart disease today.
Lead author Dr Samuel Cohen told the Daily Mail last night: ‘This is the starting point for finding a drug that stops Alzheimer’s disease in its tracks. It might be used when the first symptoms appear. But another potential approach is that people would take it as a preventative drug.’
The condition affects more than 830,000 people in the UK.
The research, published in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, is the first to reveal how the specific molecule can slow the formation of plaques in the brain. Amyloid plaques are created when fibrils – tiny toxic threads of protein – wrap around nerve cells in the brain and form clumps which scientists believe interfere with brain functions.
The Cambridge researchers, who worked with collaborators in Sweden and Estonia, found that molecules of Brichos – part of a family of proteins that occur naturally in human lungs – can slow the process.
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The breakthrough paves the way for a ‘statin-like’ drug that could be taken by millions to prevent dementia.
Cambridge University researchers have found a naturally occurring molecule that can slow the formation of plaques in the brain.
Amyloid plaques are closely associated with declining memory and other Alzheimer’s symptoms.
The discovery raises the prospect of a treatment which could be routinely taken in middle age to stop dementia. It could even result in a pill that could be used to treat dementia in the same way that statins are used to prevent heart disease today.
Lead author Dr Samuel Cohen told the Daily Mail last night: ‘This is the starting point for finding a drug that stops Alzheimer’s disease in its tracks. It might be used when the first symptoms appear. But another potential approach is that people would take it as a preventative drug.’
The condition affects more than 830,000 people in the UK.
The research, published in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, is the first to reveal how the specific molecule can slow the formation of plaques in the brain. Amyloid plaques are created when fibrils – tiny toxic threads of protein – wrap around nerve cells in the brain and form clumps which scientists believe interfere with brain functions.
The Cambridge researchers, who worked with collaborators in Sweden and Estonia, found that molecules of Brichos – part of a family of proteins that occur naturally in human lungs – can slow the process.
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College Apologizes For Giving Kids 'Happy Pills': M&Ms In Prescription Bottles
“We have heard from several concerned parents that a faculty member promoting her medical technology program at Horry Georgetown Technical College filled pharmaceutical bottles with M&M candy and distributed them to children at a public event over the weekend,” read a statement posted to the college’sFacebook page.
Standard issue prescription bottles were addressed to “A Great Kid” and directions on the bottles read: “Take 1 m & m every 2 to 4 hours… may refill 5 times by 2/13/2016.” The unidentified faculty member distributed the phony pill bottles at the college’s Family Fun Run on Friday, WMBF News reported.
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Martin O'Malley Heading to Iowa Next Month
O'Malley spokeswoman Lis Smith says Tuesday he will attend the event March 21 in Council Bluffs.
O'Malley had already announced plans to appear at a Scott County Democratic Party dinner in Davenport on March 20.
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Apple's mysterious minivans caught on camera in California AND Florida
At least two videos - one recorded in California, another filmed in Florida - suggest the top-secret project is more widespread than first thought.
And rumours range from a Street View-style mapping service to an electric car that will rival Tesla or a self-driving van to rival Google.
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Fiorina Takes Aim At Liberal Elitism
Carly Fiorina, who rose to power in corporate America to become Hewlett-Packard’s first female chairman and CEO, is aiming to smash two more glass ceilings, but this time in politics.
One is the 159-year history of total male dominance of Republican presidential nominations. The other is the 225-year period when a “For Men Only” sign has hung over the door to the Oval Office.
Mrs. Fiorina has no problem breaking glass to do it, candidly discussing what she sees as the foreign policy failures of George W. Bush, her opposition to amnesty and her disdain for crony capitalism that marries government interests to Wall Street.
She also doesn’t mince words when it comes to problems she sees with big-government liberals. She cited the example of Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber, who was captured on video boasting that Americans were too stupid to understand the law.
“I don’t doubt that they care about helping people, but I also don’t doubt that in their heart of hearts a lot of them think they are smarter than you are, better than you are, and that’s why they’re going to decide for you,” Mrs. Fiorina said in a wide-ranging interview with The Washington Times.
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One is the 159-year history of total male dominance of Republican presidential nominations. The other is the 225-year period when a “For Men Only” sign has hung over the door to the Oval Office.
Mrs. Fiorina has no problem breaking glass to do it, candidly discussing what she sees as the foreign policy failures of George W. Bush, her opposition to amnesty and her disdain for crony capitalism that marries government interests to Wall Street.
She also doesn’t mince words when it comes to problems she sees with big-government liberals. She cited the example of Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber, who was captured on video boasting that Americans were too stupid to understand the law.
“I don’t doubt that they care about helping people, but I also don’t doubt that in their heart of hearts a lot of them think they are smarter than you are, better than you are, and that’s why they’re going to decide for you,” Mrs. Fiorina said in a wide-ranging interview with The Washington Times.
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Joined together in love, and in death
To be heartbroken is nothing more than a figure of speech ... or is it? Here's Susan Spencer of "48 Hours":
In 10 years at the Tampa Bay Times, Andrew Meacham has written more than a thousand obituaries.
"If you drill down far enough, there's always a story," he said. "Everybody's got one."
And sometimes two people share the same story.
"It's not mathematically probable that couples should die together," said Meacham. "But when it does happen, there's something beautiful about it."
Recalling one such couple, Jimmie and Bettie Wise, makes him choke up a bit even today.
"They were in the same room together, at the end, in the nursing home," Meacham said. "The bed rails [were] turned down so that they could hold hands.
"And he had said before he died that he wanted to go help Jesus get ready for her. And then, four days later, she died."
They shared their love, their lives, and ultimately their 2010 obituary -- a retired railroad engineer and a homemaker, married 63 years.
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In 10 years at the Tampa Bay Times, Andrew Meacham has written more than a thousand obituaries.
"If you drill down far enough, there's always a story," he said. "Everybody's got one."
And sometimes two people share the same story.
"It's not mathematically probable that couples should die together," said Meacham. "But when it does happen, there's something beautiful about it."
Recalling one such couple, Jimmie and Bettie Wise, makes him choke up a bit even today.
"They were in the same room together, at the end, in the nursing home," Meacham said. "The bed rails [were] turned down so that they could hold hands.
"And he had said before he died that he wanted to go help Jesus get ready for her. And then, four days later, she died."
They shared their love, their lives, and ultimately their 2010 obituary -- a retired railroad engineer and a homemaker, married 63 years.
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50th Annual Better Living Expo - Wicomico Youth & Civic Center
Like many people that follow your blog, I saw your post yesterday regarding the water pipe that burst at the WYCC. I am a member of the Salisbury Optimist Club and we host the Better Living Expo every year at this venue. We were made aware of the problem on Monday night and we were very concerned that this would prevent us from hosting our event again this year.
We are relieved to report that the Civic Center has confirmed all is well and we will begin setting up for our show tonight and tomorrow, opening the doors to the public on Friday, Feb. 20th at 4 p.m. This is the largest fundraiser that our not for profit club hosts every year and without the proceeds from our show we would not be able to fund the various programs/events, scholarships, girls softball, etc. that the Optimist Club of Salisbury does for this community.
I was hoping you would be willing to let your followers know that despite the pipe that burst on Monday the 50th Annual Better Living Expo is happening as planned this Friday, Saturday & Sunday at the WYCC. For more info on this year's event they can follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalisburyOptimist
Governor Hogan Announces Tax Relief For Small Businesses
House Bill 480 – Reducing Tax Burden For More Than 70,000 Maryland Businesses
ANNAPOLIS, MD – In remarks this morning before members of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Governor Larry Hogan reaffirmed his commitment to making Maryland a business friendly state and announced House Bill 480, Small Business Personal Property Tax Relief Act of 2015. Once signed into law, this legislation will eliminate the personal property income tax for businesses that have less than $10,000 in personal property.
"This is a burdensome tax that clearly discourages the creation of new businesses and drives existing businesses out of state," said Governor Hogan. "This is a first, but important, step in recognizing the critical role small businesses play in creating jobs and growing our state's economy."
HB 480 (cross-filed with SB 590) has 57 sponsors and bipartisan support from both chambers. Under current law, all Maryland businesses are required to pay taxes on the value of personal property such as inventory, office furniture, fixtures, equipment, and plant machinery. This legislation reflects the governor’s promise to change the way Maryland is viewed by the business community and begin the process of reducing the unnecessary tax burden that has grown over the past decade.
"The Personal Property Tax creates a disincentive for businesses to invest in capital and equipment required for their day to day operations," said NFIB Maryland State Director Jessica Cooper. "Today's legislation is a step in the right direction to providing tax relief for Maryland employers. Every time the cost to do business in our great state goes down, entrepreneurs reinvest their dollars into their businesses and improve our economy."
"The Maryland Chamber of Commerce is committed to creating an environment where small businesses can grow and prosper. We strongly support this important effort, believing Maryland must reduce the tax burden small businesses are facing," said Brien Poffenberger, President of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. "We are excited about this and other efforts that Governor Hogan is championing as part of his commitment to make Maryland more business friendly."
More than 70,000, or one-half of all Maryland’s businesses, would benefit from passage of this legislation.
Full text of HB 480 can be viewed here - HB480
ANNAPOLIS, MD – In remarks this morning before members of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Governor Larry Hogan reaffirmed his commitment to making Maryland a business friendly state and announced House Bill 480, Small Business Personal Property Tax Relief Act of 2015. Once signed into law, this legislation will eliminate the personal property income tax for businesses that have less than $10,000 in personal property.
"This is a burdensome tax that clearly discourages the creation of new businesses and drives existing businesses out of state," said Governor Hogan. "This is a first, but important, step in recognizing the critical role small businesses play in creating jobs and growing our state's economy."
HB 480 (cross-filed with SB 590) has 57 sponsors and bipartisan support from both chambers. Under current law, all Maryland businesses are required to pay taxes on the value of personal property such as inventory, office furniture, fixtures, equipment, and plant machinery. This legislation reflects the governor’s promise to change the way Maryland is viewed by the business community and begin the process of reducing the unnecessary tax burden that has grown over the past decade.
"The Personal Property Tax creates a disincentive for businesses to invest in capital and equipment required for their day to day operations," said NFIB Maryland State Director Jessica Cooper. "Today's legislation is a step in the right direction to providing tax relief for Maryland employers. Every time the cost to do business in our great state goes down, entrepreneurs reinvest their dollars into their businesses and improve our economy."
"The Maryland Chamber of Commerce is committed to creating an environment where small businesses can grow and prosper. We strongly support this important effort, believing Maryland must reduce the tax burden small businesses are facing," said Brien Poffenberger, President of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. "We are excited about this and other efforts that Governor Hogan is championing as part of his commitment to make Maryland more business friendly."
More than 70,000, or one-half of all Maryland’s businesses, would benefit from passage of this legislation.
Full text of HB 480 can be viewed here - HB480
Court Ruling Bolsters GOP Bill To Defund Amnesty
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday a federal court injunction against President Obama’s executive action on immigration should send a signal to Democrats to stop blocking legislation that would curb it.
"This ruling underscores what the President has already acknowledged publicly 22 times,” McConnell, R-Ky., said in a statement. “He doesn’t have the authority to take the kinds of actions he once referred to as 'ignoring the law' and 'unwise and unfair.' Senate Democrats, especially those who've voiced opposition to the President’s executive overreach, should end their partisan filibuster of Department of Homeland Security funding."
More here
"This ruling underscores what the President has already acknowledged publicly 22 times,” McConnell, R-Ky., said in a statement. “He doesn’t have the authority to take the kinds of actions he once referred to as 'ignoring the law' and 'unwise and unfair.' Senate Democrats, especially those who've voiced opposition to the President’s executive overreach, should end their partisan filibuster of Department of Homeland Security funding."
More here
White House Summit Won't Focus Solely on IS Group
A White House summit this week on countering violent extremism will not focus exclusively on threats from the Islamic State group, senior administration officials said Monday.
While the militant group, which has killed several Americans and others it had been holding hostage, poses a near-term threat to the United States, one of three officials previewing the summit for reporters on Monday said violent extremists "come in all shapes and sizes."
The three-day conference will highlight domestic and international efforts to prevent extremists and their supporters from radicalizing, recruiting and inspiring others, particularly disaffected young people. The conference is designed to share best practices and emerging strategies to prevent extremists from carrying out violent acts.
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While the militant group, which has killed several Americans and others it had been holding hostage, poses a near-term threat to the United States, one of three officials previewing the summit for reporters on Monday said violent extremists "come in all shapes and sizes."
The three-day conference will highlight domestic and international efforts to prevent extremists and their supporters from radicalizing, recruiting and inspiring others, particularly disaffected young people. The conference is designed to share best practices and emerging strategies to prevent extremists from carrying out violent acts.
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Why Is Home Heating Oil More Expensive Than Gasoline?
Home-heating oil and gasoline are products produced from crude oil. Gasoline is used far more widely than home-heating oil, which is used mainly in the Northeastern U.S. Gasoline is subject to federal and state taxes, while heating oil is not. So, why is home-heating oil more expensive than gasoline? The answer relates to basic economic issues of supply and demand.
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Top General: 'Islamists Embedded in White House?'
McInerney is a Vietnam veteran and rose to the No. 3 position in the Air Force during his career in uniform. He is now a Fox News military analyst.
On Sunday, ISIS released a new video depicting the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians from Egypt on a beach in Libya.
U.S.-led airstrikes have been aimed at ISIS since August, after the terrorists beheaded American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff. However, McInerney said the operations could be far more intense and would quickly cripple the enemy if done right.
“The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is a radical Islamic organization,” McInerney said. “Al-Qaida, which attacked us on 9/11, is a radical Islamic organization. Hamas in the Gaza Strip is a radical Islamic organization. All these organizations that people hear about are radical Islamists. The Iranian government is a radical Islamic organization.”
“Until the president identifies the threat that we are facing as radical Islam, it makes it very difficult to defeat the threat,” he said. “I just can’t say it any clearer. It’s important that this White House and this president identify the threat for what it is.”
McInerney is mystified by the lengths to which the administration goes to avoid references to radical Islam.
“I don’t know. Maybe we have some Islamists embedded in the White House,” McInerney said. “Whatever it is, it is absolutely bizarre."
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Md. Residents Caught In Middle Of Immigration Battle
Meghan McCorkell spoke with one father about his emotional fight.
Carlos Crespo is one of 55,000 Marylanders that could be eligible for the immigration reform program. Ten thousand are here in the Baltimore area. He’s been in the country for 14 years, but for Carlos Crespo, the fear of deportation is constant.
“Yes, we are still filled with fear,” he said.
Crespo’s five-year-old daughter is a US citizen but he and his wife are not. Under the president’s immigration reform plan, he’d be able to apply for a work permit.
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Netanyahu: If Emerging Deal With Iran Is So Good, Why Hide It?
Israeli-US public sparring over the Iranian issue continued Monday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asking, if the emerging agreement with Tehran is a good one, why hide the details?
Netanyahu’s comments at the annual meeting in Jerusalem of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations came the same day that The Washington Post’s David Ignatius reported that the US had decided to “reduce the exchange of sensitive information about the Iran talks,” because of a concern that Netanyahu’s office had leaked “sensitive details” of the US position.
Just as Iran knows what agreement it is being offered, it is only natural that Israel should know as well, since it is the most threatened by a nuclear Iran, Netanyahu said; adding that Israel’s consistent position is that the proposed accords are a danger to Israel’s security.
The PM says while he can't guarantee his address to Congress will prevent world powers from signing a bad nuclear deal with Iran, it is his obligation to go make Israel's case.
The recent tension over Netanyahu’s planned speech to Congress, and – more significantly – fundamental differences in the Israeli and US positions on Iran, has led officials from both sides to indicate that the exchange of information and intelligence might not be as free as it was in the past in order to prevent one side or the other from using that information to further its Iranian agenda.
More here
Netanyahu’s comments at the annual meeting in Jerusalem of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations came the same day that The Washington Post’s David Ignatius reported that the US had decided to “reduce the exchange of sensitive information about the Iran talks,” because of a concern that Netanyahu’s office had leaked “sensitive details” of the US position.
Just as Iran knows what agreement it is being offered, it is only natural that Israel should know as well, since it is the most threatened by a nuclear Iran, Netanyahu said; adding that Israel’s consistent position is that the proposed accords are a danger to Israel’s security.
The PM says while he can't guarantee his address to Congress will prevent world powers from signing a bad nuclear deal with Iran, it is his obligation to go make Israel's case.
The recent tension over Netanyahu’s planned speech to Congress, and – more significantly – fundamental differences in the Israeli and US positions on Iran, has led officials from both sides to indicate that the exchange of information and intelligence might not be as free as it was in the past in order to prevent one side or the other from using that information to further its Iranian agenda.
More here
Indiana Angry Over 12-Hour Standardized Test
Indiana citizens on both sides of the aisle were upset when they learned that the state's new standardized test will take 12-hours, says Republican strategist and Indiana native Pete Seat.
"Republicans, Democrats and independents appointed by the governor to help implement education policy in this state and social media was on fire when the news came out that this test was going to be a little over 12-hours because of new state standards and federal standards all being put in there," Seat, of Hathaway Strategies, told Ed Berliner on "MidPoint" on Newsmax TV Monday.
Republican Gov. Mike Pence was also angry, Seat said, which is "a governor we don't see [angry] very often, tried to get in there and fix it as quickly as he could."
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"Republicans, Democrats and independents appointed by the governor to help implement education policy in this state and social media was on fire when the news came out that this test was going to be a little over 12-hours because of new state standards and federal standards all being put in there," Seat, of Hathaway Strategies, told Ed Berliner on "MidPoint" on Newsmax TV Monday.
Republican Gov. Mike Pence was also angry, Seat said, which is "a governor we don't see [angry] very often, tried to get in there and fix it as quickly as he could."
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The Atlantic: US Must Understand ISIS Religious Beliefs to Defeat It
The Obama administration doesn't like to say the Islamic State (ISIS) or other terrorist groups are Muslims, but the March issue of The Atlantic lays out the case why it should.
In an article titled "What ISIS Really Wants," author Graeme Wood talks to ISIS sympathizers, including London imam Anjem Choudary and Australian preacher Musa Cerantonio, who explain in eloquent and learned terms over tea how the ISIS caliphate actually is a return to the original form of Islam practiced by its founder, Muhammad.
According to ISIS adherents, a caliphate — with control of land — is necessary to bringing about the end of days, and they intend to do their part. ISIS currently controls a large swath of northern Iraq and eastern Syria.
It believes a large battle with the enemies of the faith will take place in Syria and is trying to goad the United States, Turkey and other Western nations into the fight.
But in their strict interpretation of the Koran, not everyone who claims to be Muslim qualifies. Those who fail to pledge allegiance to ISIS leader and self-proclaimed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi are apostate and subject to death.
Wood writes that ISIS is likely trying to lure America and Turkey, which it sees as an apostate Muslim nation, into the fight to fulfill an end-times prophecy of Muhammad that true Muslims will be suffer defeats in battle and eventually be backed into a corner in Jerusalem by the anti-Messiah.
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In an article titled "What ISIS Really Wants," author Graeme Wood talks to ISIS sympathizers, including London imam Anjem Choudary and Australian preacher Musa Cerantonio, who explain in eloquent and learned terms over tea how the ISIS caliphate actually is a return to the original form of Islam practiced by its founder, Muhammad.
According to ISIS adherents, a caliphate — with control of land — is necessary to bringing about the end of days, and they intend to do their part. ISIS currently controls a large swath of northern Iraq and eastern Syria.
It believes a large battle with the enemies of the faith will take place in Syria and is trying to goad the United States, Turkey and other Western nations into the fight.
But in their strict interpretation of the Koran, not everyone who claims to be Muslim qualifies. Those who fail to pledge allegiance to ISIS leader and self-proclaimed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi are apostate and subject to death.
Wood writes that ISIS is likely trying to lure America and Turkey, which it sees as an apostate Muslim nation, into the fight to fulfill an end-times prophecy of Muhammad that true Muslims will be suffer defeats in battle and eventually be backed into a corner in Jerusalem by the anti-Messiah.
More
Is Maryland Governor Larry Hogan Right About the “Mass Exodus”?
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan stated during his first state of state address, that there is a mass exodus of tax payers, packing their bags and moving to other states. “Our economy is floundering, and too many Marylanders have been struggling just to get by,”… “We’ve had the largest mass exodus of taxpayers fleeing our state, of any state in our region and one of the worst in the nation.” said Governor Hogan.
But is Governor Hogan painting a worrisome economic picture that's not worth the canvas? Based on at least one important measure the current economic situation in Maryland could be more dire than he alluded to in his speech.
Over more than a decade, Maryland has lost several large companies through mergers and acquisitions, while some have simply moved out of the state. Fast forward to today and the total number of Fortune 500 companies in Maryland has dwindled down to four and dangerously close to zero. This is exacerbated by the gap with competing states, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia. The competing states all have a Fortune 500 count in the double digits; significantly more than Maryland by a very wide margin.
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But is Governor Hogan painting a worrisome economic picture that's not worth the canvas? Based on at least one important measure the current economic situation in Maryland could be more dire than he alluded to in his speech.
Over more than a decade, Maryland has lost several large companies through mergers and acquisitions, while some have simply moved out of the state. Fast forward to today and the total number of Fortune 500 companies in Maryland has dwindled down to four and dangerously close to zero. This is exacerbated by the gap with competing states, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia. The competing states all have a Fortune 500 count in the double digits; significantly more than Maryland by a very wide margin.
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Brian Williams Tries To Save Career
Teletown Hall, February 18th at 7:30PM
On Wednesday evening, February 18, at 7:30pm, I’ll be holding a tele-town hall focused on ways to reform our tax code.
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 today. 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,
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 today. 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,
Governor And Lt. Governor To Meet With Secretary Arne Duncan At Baltimore Public Charter School
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan and Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford will meet with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan tomorrow, February 18, at The Empowerment Academy in Baltimore. Following the meeting, the secretary, governor and lt. governor will gather and talk with students and take part in a brief reading exercise.
WHO: Governor Larry Hogan, Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford, and Secretary Arne Duncan
WHAT: Meeting and reading event
WHERE: Empowerment Academy, 851 Braddish Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21216
WHEN: 1:30 PM to 2:10 PM - February 18, 2015
WHO: Governor Larry Hogan, Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford, and Secretary Arne Duncan
WHAT: Meeting and reading event
WHERE: Empowerment Academy, 851 Braddish Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21216
WHEN: 1:30 PM to 2:10 PM - February 18, 2015
Musical
Mardela Middle and High is presenting
“SEUSSICAL THE MUSCIAL”
February 27th and 28th
7:00 pm
Tickets: Adults $8.00
Students $5.00
TEST
This is a test. And it shows results in a number of ways.
It surely indicates that a large number of Americans don't know what's going on.
It's astonishing that so many people got less than half right. The results say that 80% of the (voting) public doesn't have a clue, and that's pretty scary.
There are no tricks here -- just a simple test to see if you are current on your information.
This is quite a good quiz and the results are somewhat shocking.
Test your knowledge with the challenge of 12 questions, then be ready to shudder when you see how others did:
Click here: Test Your News IQ - Pew Research Center
It surely indicates that a large number of Americans don't know what's going on.
It's astonishing that so many people got less than half right. The results say that 80% of the (voting) public doesn't have a clue, and that's pretty scary.
There are no tricks here -- just a simple test to see if you are current on your information.
This is quite a good quiz and the results are somewhat shocking.
Test your knowledge with the challenge of 12 questions, then be ready to shudder when you see how others did:
Click here: Test Your News IQ - Pew Research Center
Arizona Cardiologist Responds to Critics Regarding Measles and Vaccines
Why All the Anger?
I recently did an interview which was aired on NBC Phoenix. I was asked my opinion on vaccinations in response to the current measles outbreaks that have occurred at Disneyland in California. My reply has generated quite a bit of anger in thousands of people.
There has also been a tremendous amount of support to my comments and opinions. In short, The Society Against Injecting Our Kids With Chemicals (TSAIOKWC for short) has a lot of followers.
I want to address all this misguided anger and see if we can re-direct it where it belongs.
Be angry at food companies. Sugar cereals, donuts, cookies, and cupcakes lead to millions of deaths per year. At its worst, chicken pox killed 100 people per year. If those chicken pox people didn’t eat cereal and donuts, they may still be alive. Call up Nabisco and Kellogg’s and complain. Protest their products. Send THEM hate-mail.
Be angry at fast food restaurants. Tortured meat burgers, pesticide fries, and hormone milkshakes are the problem. The problem is not Hepatitis B which is a virus contracted by drug users and those who sleep with prostitutes. And you want to inject that vaccine into your newborn?
Be angry at the companies who make your toxic laundry detergent, fabric softener, and dryer sheets. You and your children are wearing and breathing known carcinogens (they cause cancer). Call Bounce and Downy and let them know. These products kill more people than mumps, a virus which actually doesn’t cause anyone to die. Same with hepatitis A, a watery diarrhea.
Be angry at all the companies spewing pollution into our environment. These chemicals and heavy metals are known to cause autism, heart disease, cancer, autoimmune disease and every other health problem. Worldwide, these lead to 10’s of millions of deaths every year. Measles deaths are a tiny fraction compared to pollution.
Be angry at your parents for not breastfeeding you, co-sleeping with you, and stuffing your face with Domino’s so they can buy more Tide and finish the laundry. Breastfeeding protects your children from many infectious diseases.
Be angry with your doctor for being close-minded and not disclosing the ingredients in vaccines (not that they read the package insert anyway). They should tell you about the aluminum, mercury, formaldehyde, aborted fetal tissue, animal proteins, polysorbate 80, antibiotics, and other chemicals in the shots. According to the Environmental Working Group, newborns contain over 200 chemicals as detected by cord blood. Maybe your doctor feels a few more chemicals injected into your child won’t be a big deal.
In fact, be angry with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates for creating computers so you can sit around all day blasted with electromagnetic radiation reading posts like this.
Be angry with pharmaceutical companies for allowing us to believe living the above life can be treated with drugs. Correctly prescribed drugs kill thousands of people per year. The flu kills just about no one. The vaccine never works.
There has also been a tremendous amount of support to my comments and opinions. In short, The Society Against Injecting Our Kids With Chemicals (TSAIOKWC for short) has a lot of followers.
I want to address all this misguided anger and see if we can re-direct it where it belongs.
Be angry at food companies. Sugar cereals, donuts, cookies, and cupcakes lead to millions of deaths per year. At its worst, chicken pox killed 100 people per year. If those chicken pox people didn’t eat cereal and donuts, they may still be alive. Call up Nabisco and Kellogg’s and complain. Protest their products. Send THEM hate-mail.
Be angry at fast food restaurants. Tortured meat burgers, pesticide fries, and hormone milkshakes are the problem. The problem is not Hepatitis B which is a virus contracted by drug users and those who sleep with prostitutes. And you want to inject that vaccine into your newborn?
Be angry at the companies who make your toxic laundry detergent, fabric softener, and dryer sheets. You and your children are wearing and breathing known carcinogens (they cause cancer). Call Bounce and Downy and let them know. These products kill more people than mumps, a virus which actually doesn’t cause anyone to die. Same with hepatitis A, a watery diarrhea.
Be angry at all the companies spewing pollution into our environment. These chemicals and heavy metals are known to cause autism, heart disease, cancer, autoimmune disease and every other health problem. Worldwide, these lead to 10’s of millions of deaths every year. Measles deaths are a tiny fraction compared to pollution.
Be angry at your parents for not breastfeeding you, co-sleeping with you, and stuffing your face with Domino’s so they can buy more Tide and finish the laundry. Breastfeeding protects your children from many infectious diseases.
Be angry with your doctor for being close-minded and not disclosing the ingredients in vaccines (not that they read the package insert anyway). They should tell you about the aluminum, mercury, formaldehyde, aborted fetal tissue, animal proteins, polysorbate 80, antibiotics, and other chemicals in the shots. According to the Environmental Working Group, newborns contain over 200 chemicals as detected by cord blood. Maybe your doctor feels a few more chemicals injected into your child won’t be a big deal.
Be angry with the cable companies and TV manufacturers for making you and your children fat and lazy, not wanting to exercise or play outside. Lack of exercise kills millions more than polio. Where are all those 80 year olds crippled by polio? I can’t seem to find many.
In fact, be angry with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates for creating computers so you can sit around all day blasted with electromagnetic radiation reading posts like this.
Be angry with pharmaceutical companies for allowing us to believe living the above life can be treated with drugs. Correctly prescribed drugs kill thousands of people per year. The flu kills just about no one. The vaccine never works.