Pope Francis says he accepts he may be assassinated

Pope Francis has said he has accepted that he may be assassinated- but has asked God to make sure it doesn't hurt too much as he is 'a real wimp'.

Francis said that if fanatics want to kill him, it is 'God's will'.

He said: 'Life is in God's hands. I have said to the Lord, "You take care of me. But if it is your will that I die or something happens to me, I ask you only one favour: that it doesn't hurt. Because I am a real wimp when it comes to physical pain."'

More

Amazing animal records

Did you know the largest living cat is nearly 11 feet long? And did you know the African hippopotamus can open its jaws to almost 180 degrees? Click through the gallery to find out more amazing animal records.

More

Trailer with tons of mozzarella stolen from truck stop

SUMMERFIELD, Fla. — Hold the cheese. Thieves made off with a refrigerated tractor-trailer filled with $85,000 worth of shredded mozzarella cheese bound for a Hungry Howies Pizza distribution center in central Florida.

The truck was reported stolen Sunday.

The Ocala Star-Banner reports the driver and his girlfriend left the trailer at a truck stop in Summerfield on Saturday evening while having a mechanic check the truck.

Marion County Sheriff's officials say the woman reported the truck was missing Sunday. Deputies say a hauler was also reported missing from the lot Saturday, presumably to take the trailer.

The missing trailer has white mud flaps with "Hudsonville Trailer Sales" on them. It also has a Michigan license plate. The trailer is valued at $62,000.

Information from: Ocala (Fla.) Star-Banner, http://www.starbanner.com/

CECIL COUNTY DEPUTY FATALLY WOUNDED MAN DURING TRAFFIC STOP

Maryland State Police Press Release
03/11/2015
CECIL COUNTY DEPUTY FATALLY WOUNDED MAN DURING TRAFFIC STOP 

(ELKTON, MD) – A Cecil County Deputy fatally wounded an Elkton man during a traffic stop where the driver refused to stop and drove towards the officer earlier today.

The deceased man is identified as Terry (nmn) Garnett Jr., 37, of the 200-block of Locust Lane, Elkton, Md. He was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The identity of the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office deputy is not being released at this time. The deputy’s information will be released by the Sheriff’s Office. 

Sheriff Scott Adams contacted the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit and requested its investigators conduct the police involved shooting investigation. Assistance is being provided by the State Police Criminal Enforcement Division, the Sheriff’s Office, and troopers from the North East Barrack. 

The preliminary investigation indicates that at about 12:20 p.m. today, the Cecil County Sheriff’s Deputy attempted to make a traffic stop on a Mercury Mountaineer on Augustine Herman Highway, MD Route 213, in the area of Lewis Shore Road in Elkton Maryland. The Mountaineer refused to stop and proceeded on to Lewis Shore Road. At some point during the incident, the vehicle then turned around and accelerated towards the sheriff’s deputy. Fearing for his life, the deputy pulled his department-issued .40 caliber Glock pistol and shot multiple times at the vehicle. The Mercury continued into the backyard of a residence on Augustine Herman Highway where it struck a tree. 

Cecil County emergency medical services personnel were immediately called and responded to the scene. Garnett was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Crime Scene Technicians from the Maryland State Police responded to the scene and collected items of evidential value. All items will be forwarded to the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division for investigation and analysis. The deceased has been transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy. 

Investigators have been working throughout the day contacting residents in the area and attempting to identify witnesses. Anyone who may have been a witness is asked to contact Maryland State Police investigators at the North East Barrack, at 410-996-7800. 

The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit investigation is continuing. Upon completion, the investigation will be forwarded to the Cecil County State’s Attorney’s Office for review. 

Sheriff Adams has placed the deputy on routine administrative leave, as is procedure. An internal investigation will be conduct into the police involved shooting.

3 Reasons Democrats Are Freaking Out About Hillary Clinton

The back-to-back Clinton controversies are making Democrats queasy.

At a time when more than a dozen Republican presidential hopefuls are jostling each other in New Hampshire and Iowa, this should be a great moment for the virtually unopposed Hillary Clinton. She could be staying above the fray, using the time to staff up and prepare her policy agenda. But that's not what's happening.

Instead, she's fending off a pair of controversies — one on her use of a personal email account (linked to a server in her home in Chappaqua, N.Y.), while she was secretary of state and a second on the Clinton Foundation's fundraising from foreign governments. While we await an expected Clinton "conversation" later this week about them, here are some reasons why Democrats are freaking out about Hillary Clinton's current troubles and one reason why maybe they shouldn't.

Why they're freaking out:

1. Democrats feel like they've just stepped into the wayback machine and not in a good way.

The revelations revive all the old 1990s tropes about the Clintons — that there's always a whiff of "Pay to Play" in Clinton World; they're blind to appearances of impropriety; they feel the rules don't apply to them; and they aren't transparent. That's part of why Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. — one of the most important voices in the party — said on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday Clinton should "step up" and explain the emails. Feinstein said what many other Democrats think — that continued silence from Clinton will hurt her even more.

More

Explorers Discover Ancient Lost City In Honduran Jungle

For almost a century, explorers have searched the jungles of Honduras for a legendary lost city known as the White City, or the City of the Monkey God.

A team of explorers — including archaeologists and a documentary filmmaker — have just returned from an expedition in person, after using a new technology to search for evidence of ruins by plane.

They believe they have discovered an important ancient city, though the archeologists, including Chris Fisher from Colorado State University, do not think it is the White City of legend (despite some news coverage suggesting otherwise).

"The White City myth is fascinating, but it is just that — it's a myth," he said. "I don't think Ciudad Blanca actually exists."

He does, however, believe that what they found was something special.

He joined Morning Edition's Renee Montagne to discuss what he saw deep in the Mosquitia jungle.

More

The Numbers Add Up To This: Less And Less Opportunity For Poor Kids

In this country, all children are supposed to have a shot at success — a chance to jump "from rags to riches" in one generation.

Even if riches remain out of reach, then the belief has been that every hard-working American should be able to go from poverty to the middle class.

On Tuesday, a book and a separate study are being released — both turning up evidence that the one-generation leap is getting harder to accomplish in an economy so tied to education, technological know-how and networking.

Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam's new book, Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis, argues that the United States is losing its status as a land of opportunity for all.

Here's the central idea: In the American Dream, upward mobility is available to all, limited only by ability and effort, not class. But Putnam assembles data to show that an "opportunity gap" has emerged here, making an upward climb much tougher in the 21st century, compared with the mid-20th century.

More

President Slaps Sanctions on Venezuela

America is playing hard ball against Venezuela.

The White House announced sanctions against seven prominent Venezuelan officials Monday in response to the South American government's increasingly violent actions.

These Venezuelan military and intelligence officials are banned from visiting the U.S., and their American assets -- bank accounts, mortgages -- are now frozen. A Treasury Department official would not confirm if any of the officials had assets in the U.S., but said there was a 10-day time period to report them to the Treasury.

American businesses, of which there are many in Venezuela, can't talk to the sanctioned officials either.

More

Housing's New Worry: Repeat Foreclosures Return

After the worst national housing crash in history, the picture of distress continues to improve, but now with one worrisome aberration. For the first time in more than two years, the number of repeat foreclosures took a U-turn and was higher in January compared to a year ago.

Repeat foreclosures are when a home has been in the foreclosure process once, was somehow saved by either a loan modification or payment program, but then goes back into foreclosure. This can happen when the borrower either can't or won't keep up with the new payments. New repeat foreclosures rose 11 percent in January from December and accounted for more than half of all new foreclosures, according to Black Knight Financial Services.

More

Companies are Packing Workers in like Sardines

Feel like you have less personal space at work? You're not alone.

The amount of office space per worker is dwindling as companies look to save some money, real estate experts say. By 2017, North American offices will average 151 square feet per worker, according to real estate data provider CoreNet Global. That's down from 176 square feet in 2012 and 225 square feet in 2010.

Blame a prolonged economic recession as the main reason companies are reducing office space. A stumbling, unstable recovery didn't help either, leaving bosses anxious to save money in literally every corner.

But there's also a move to so-called smarter workplaces that encourage employees to interact and collaborate. For many companies, that means taking away individual offices and asking employees to work in closer proximity.

Individual desks are also going away. Instead, companies are adopting open floor plans where employees use unassigned desks instead of their own permanent space, according to CoreNet Global.

More

Growers to Pay Price for No Antibiotic McNuggets

CHICAGO/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - McDonald's Corp's decision last week to phase out human antibiotics from its U.S. chicken supply will add to costs of production in a tight-margin business that are likely to be borne mostly by poultry companies.

McDonald's, whose top chicken suppliers include giant Tyson Foods Inc, has given its producers two years to eradicate all antibiotics used on humans from barns and hatcheries. It's going to be expensive and may take longer than planned: switching to antibiotic-free chickens could increase on-farm costs by up to 3 percent. Perdue Farms, a supplier with about a third the volume of Tyson, told Reuters it's taken more than a decade and millions of dollars to make such a change.

McDonald's will use its purchasing muscle as the world's largest restaurant chain to avoid passing extra costs on to customers, increasingly lower income as more affluent diners prefer competitors like Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc, said analysts including Morningstar's R.J. Hottovy.

More

Northamptonshire Police shows what happens once your guns are gone

Police in Northamptonshire are hoping to take hundreds of dangerous knives off the streets with the start of a month-long knife amnesty, launched today.

During March, anyone can drop off a knife in a designated ‘blade bin’ without fear of prosecution.
The mobile police station will be in specific locations over the coming weeks with one of the bins, listed below.

Knifes can be dropped into one of these bins, or a scheduled appointment can be made by calling101, and arranging for a police officer to come and take the knife away.

The campaign is part of Operation Limit, the force’s crackdown on violent crime, and also forms part of the national ‘Save a life’ campaign being run nationally.

Blades from forces across the country will be melted down to create an angel statue in Trafalgar Square in memory of those who have lost their lives to knife crime.

The sculptor, Alfie Bradley, said the statue would show ‘the emotion and pain of using knives’.

More

HOSPITALIZED: Gas Leak Prompts Restaurant Closure, Sends People to Hospital

Post by WRDE.

WICOMICO PUBLIC LIBRARIES CELEBRATES TEEN TECH WEEK™

Who: Wicomico Public Libraries - Centre Branch

What: Local teens will be tuning in at the library as Wicomico Public Libraries celebrates Teen Tech Week,March 8 – March 14, 2015. They join thousands of other libraries and schools across the country who are celebrating this year’s theme, “Libraries are for Making…” to raise awareness about how Wicomico Public Libraries creates a space to extend teens’ learning beyond the classroom where they can explore, create and share content.

When: March 8 – March 14, 2015

Where: Wicomico Public Libraries - Centre Branch, The Centre at Salisbury

Why: Teen Tech Week is a national initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) aimed at teens, their parents, educators and other concerned adults. The purpose of the initiative is to ensure that teens are competent and ethical users of technology, especially the types offered through libraries. 

Wicomico Public Libraries hopes to attract a wide variety of teenagers and increase teen technology literacy locally by offering a series of programs.Teen Tech Week is held annually the second week of March. For more information, visit http://www.wicomicolibrary.org.

NAM and W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. Honor Representative Harris for Supporting Manufacturing

Washington, D.C., The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) awarded Representative Andy Harris (R-MD-01) the NAM Award for Manufacturing Legislative Excellence at an event hosted by NAM member W.L Gore & Associates, Inc. in Elkton, Maryland.

“Congressman Harris’s 100% record of voting for American manufacturers is testament to his support for strengthening the U.S. economy, incenting the creation of good paying manufacturing jobs, securing the country’s energy independence, controlling government spending and putting this nation on a path toward fiscal responsibility,” said Michael Ratchford, Government Relations Associate.

"It is an honor to receive this award from the National Association of Manufacturers," said Representative Harris. "I believe we need to continue to move forward and empower the manufacturing industry, which will strengthen our economy and create more jobs for hardworking Americans."

“Manufacturing in Maryland and across the country is making a comeback,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. “Manufacturers are growing the economy and creating high-paying jobs in a sector that adds $1.32 to the economy for every $1 spent. Representative Harris understands that leaders in Washington must advance policies that will continue to fuel this economic growth and has consistently supported manufacturers through his votes in Congress.”

Key Votes included in the Voting Record are selected by small, medium and large manufacturing executives who serve on the NAM’s Key Vote Advisory Committee. Additional information on theNAM Award for Manufacturing Legislative Excellence can be found here.

BREAKING NEWS: Ferguson police chief resigns in wake of DOJ report

Tom Jackson, the chief of the Ferguson, Mo., police department, will resign next week after a federal probe alleged racial profiling and police targeting of African-Americans, the city council says, describing it as a 'mutual separation.'

More

Amish farmer takes record $597,000 grant to reduce runoff

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) - A farmer in Sadsbury Township recently was awarded a $597,000 state grant to make wholesale improvements to a barnyard that one consultant described as "pretty much a mud lot."

It was the largest ag grant ever awarded to a farmer by the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, also known as Pennvest.

But what is truly eye-opening is that the state taxpayer money is going to an Amish farmer.

With increasing state and federal pressure to substantially reduce the runoff of nutrients and soil choking the Chesapeake Bay, millions of dollars are being diplomatically offered to reticent Plain-sect farmers in Lancaster County to get more conservation measures on farms.

And in a break from the past, more and more Plain-sect farmers here are willing to accept government assistance to help pay for changes being demanded of them.

To be sure, there is hardly a stampede of Amish and Old Order Mennonite farmers competing for financial aid. And in some communities, the thought of taking government money remains abhorrent.

But after generations of flat-out turning their backs on taking any government aid, the thaw in attitude by some Plain-sect farmers, mainly Amish, is striking.

"Trying to stay ahead of regulations is the main thing," observes Darren Shenk of Red Barn Consulting, an East Hempfield Township company that often acts as a middleman between government funding and Amish farmers.

More

Irish are 'the forgotten white slaves’ claims expert

The history of the African slave trade into the Americas is well-documented as well as largely taught in American schools today.

However, as John Martin of the Montreal-based Center for Research and Globalization points out in his article ‘The Irish Slave Trade - The Forgotten ‘White’ Slaves,’ it was not just Africans who were traded as slaves.

Indeed, the Irish have a gruesome history of being traded as slaves as well, and subjected to similar and sometimes worse treatment than their African contemporaries of the time.

Strangely though, the history of Irish and ‘white’ slavery is by and large ignored in the American educational curriculum today.

In his article, John Martin writes “The Irish slave trade began when James II sold 30,000 Irish prisoners as slaves to the New World. His Proclamation of 1625 required Irish political prisoners be sent overseas and sold to English settlers in the West Indies. By the mid 1600s, the Irish were the main slaves sold to Antigua and Montserrat. At that time, 70 percent of the total population of Montserrat were Irish slaves.”

More

Helpless baby scene from an ISIS propaganda

Stockman: Corporate America Is Cannibalizing Itself

American businesses are borrowing at historic high levels, but the only thing growing as a result is how fast their equity capital is vanishing, according to David Stockman, White House budget chief during the Reagan administration.

Stockman, a reliable critic of Federal Reserve policies, said much of the blame can be laid at the feet of the central bank and the bank's Wall Street cheerleaders.

He said the Fed's balance sheet has ballooned by 9 times since 2000, yet real net investment in the business sector has cratered by 33 percent during the same time period.

"Once upon a time businesses borrowed long term money — if they borrowed at all — in order to fund plant, equipment and other long-lived productive assets," Stockman wrote.

"Today American businesses are borrowing like never before — but the only thing being liquidated is their own equity capital. That's because trillions of debt is being issued to fund financial engineering maneuvers such as stock buybacks, M&A [mergers and acquisitions] and LBOs [leveraged buyouts], not the acquisition of productive assets that can actually fuel future output and productivity."

In Stockman's view, central bank "financial repression" — in the form of artificially low interest rates that have been orchestrated to provide a false prop to the economy — is responsible for fueling stock market bubbles that makes stock repurchases and other short-term financial engineering maneuvers profitable.

More here

[ The corporate version of 'home equity' loans.. --Editor ]

Supreme Court Revives Notre Dame's O-care Contraception Case

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Monday revived the University of Notre Dame's religious objections to the requirement for contraception coverage under President Barack Obama's healthcare law, throwing out a lower court decision in favor of the federal government.

The justices asked the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider its decision against the South Bend, Indiana-based Roman Catholic university in light of the June 2014 Supreme Court ruling that allowed certain privately owned corporations to seek exemptions from the provision.

The case is part of national litigation concerning religious objections to the contraception provision of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, known widely as Obamacare.

The law requires employers to provide health insurance policies that cover preventive services for women including access to contraception and sterilization.

Various challengers, including family-owned companies and religious affiliated nonprofits that oppose abortion and sometimes the use of contraceptives, say the requirement infringes on their religious beliefs.

Mark Rienzi, a lawyer with the religious rights group Becket Fund for Religious Liberty who has been involved in similar cases, said Monday's action was "a strong signal that the Supreme Court will ultimately reject the government's narrow view of religious liberty."

The court threw out a February 2014 appeals court ruling denying Notre Dame an injunction against the requirement.

The appeals court ruling pre-dated the Supreme Court's June 2014 ruling saying family-owned Hobby Lobby Stores Ltd could seek exemptions on religious grounds from the contraception provision.

More

A Comment Worthy Of A Post 3-11-15

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post " PITTSVILLE, WILLARDS, DELMAR PARENTS ALERT":

If Maryland keeps playing with the Delmar School District because they house the Elementary School...everyone's going to end up being sorry. Delmar School District has long been able to FAR surpass Wicomico County in both balancing the budget and providing superior education to both Maryland AND Delaware students residing in Delmar. Delmar School District could, at any time, pull up roots from that Elementary School and create their own on the Delaware side. Not recognizing Maryland students would only serve to hurt a population of kids that deserve to attend a school in their town. Maryland already attempted to work through the MVA to "not accept" the Delmar driving program because it was "out of state" and therefore force the Delmar students living on the MD side to pay for the private lessons that MD requires. Keep playing...you just may get what you're asking for and a whole lot more--which, in essence, would equate to a WHOLE lot less for the kids of Delmar.

Walker Says WI Right-To-Work Law Wasn't His Idea

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker said legislation that will weaken labor unions and burnish his image as a Republican presidential candidate wasn’t his brainchild.

At a bill-signing Monday, Walker said the push for the right-to-work bill, passed last week by the legislature, came from lawmakers themselves.

“Our leaders here led,” Walker, 47, said during a ceremony in Brown Deer, Wisconsin. “It was the leadership you see here who drove the train on this.”

The measure allows employees in union workplaces to opt out of dues and membership. Wisconsin becomes the 25th U.S. state to enact such a law, joining neighbors Iowa, Indiana and Michigan.

Before Walker’s November re-election, he’d said that he didn’t expect right-to-work to be taken up this legislative session, even calling it a “distraction.” After the Republican-controlled legislature began moving the bill, saying it would draw business, Walker said he’d sign it.

The signing was held at Badger Meter Inc., a suburban Milwaukee manufacturer of flow measurement and control technology. Chief Executive Officer Rich Meeusen last week threatened to move jobs from the state if the legislation didn’t pass.

“This is one more tool that will help grow good-paying, family-supporting jobs here in the state of Wisconsin,” Walker said. “It’s a huge incentive.”

More here

A Viewer Writes: How Mayors Fix Roads

"These signs and barrels have been in place for a year now. I guess Liarton had better order a couple more truckloads. He'll have the whole town looking like Vinny's front yard".

Republicans To Senate Dems: Game On!

Republicans are making clear they will do whatever they can to turn Senator Robert Menendez's legal troubles into a campaign liability for Menendez's fellow Democrats, starting with their No. 1 target for 2016: Minority Leader Harry Reid.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is demanding that Reid pay back campaign contributions Menendez made to the Nevada Democrat during Reid's 2010 campaign. In press release Monday, the group said Reid had in the past returned money from donors who were under indictment.

“Harry Reid’s cardinal rule is if you’ve been indicted by the federal government, then he immediately returns your campaign contributions,” said NRSC spokesman Jahan Wilcox. “With Senator Menendez set to be indicted for corruption, Reid needs to abide by his own policy and dump the money he’s received from his corrupt Democrat colleague.”

The U.S. Justice Department is preparing corruption charges against Menendez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, a person familiar with the investigation said on March 6. Menendez was the panel's chairman before his party lost control of the Senate in January.

In a news conference on March 6, Menendez denied wrongdoing and said he won’t leave office.

More

Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford To Hold First Heroin And Opioid Emergency Task Force Regional Summit

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford and the Maryland Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force will hold a regional summit for residents of Upper Shore and North East Maryland communities who want to share information about how the heroin and opioid epidemic is affecting their region and provide recommendations on how to address it.

This summit will be held on Tuesday, March 17 in Cecil County and will be the first in a series held throughout the state. Those interested in participating in the upcoming summit as a speaker or wish to submit written testimony should visit http://www.ltgovernor.maryland.gov/. Individuals who are looking to participate are encouraged to register in advance. Day-of registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

WHO: Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford, the Maryland Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force, and local elected officials

WHAT: Heroin and Opioid Task Force North East & Upper Shore Regional Summit

WHERE: Cecil County Administration Building
200 Chesapeake Blvd., Suite 2100, Elkton, MD 21921

WHEN: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM - March 17, 2015

Lanny Davis, Fox Host Battle Over Hillary Clinton Email Controversy

"Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace challenged former Clinton White House counsel Lanny Davis over why Hillary Clinton used a personal email account and server while she was secretary of state.

"Do you really believe she did nothing wrong?" Wallace asked Davis on Sunday.

"No, but she also did nothing illegal," Davis responded.

Wallace insisted that the email rules were different for Clinton than for Colin Powell, who also used private email while serving as secretary of state. And he argued that the Obama administration told employees to use government email.

"In fact, the Obama White House has been unclear about what the policy is," Davis hit back.

Wallace then challenged Davis, asking why Clinton ordered her State Department employees to used their government emails in 2011, but did not do so herself.

"I can explain that by saying that a secretary of state traveling to 111 countries might be needing to have one email system versus people in the Department who should use the official system," Davis said.

More

If Reagan Was Still President...

Tax Refund taken to pay for Student Loan Debt

Many people have already filed their taxes this year -- particularly those owed refunds. Because of rising taxpayer identity theft, it's a smart idea for anyone to file quickly. However, some taxpayers are discovering the refund they thought was coming has instead has been taken to pay their student loan debt. Here's a sample of questions recently sent to Credit.com:

• From Amber: Is there anything I can do to stop my whole federal refund from going to my student loans? ... I've just set up a payment plan, but I really need my refund this year.
• From Peggy: I was looking forward to my tax refund as it will help with bills and much needed things for the baby. It was accepted and ... now after digging around I found out they are sending it to the U.S. Dept. of Ed. for my student loans which I thought were in deferment. Now this is causing me and my kids a hardship but they refuse to send me the refund... What can I do to get my refund owed to me?
• From Luis: I heard that if your student loan is in default and they are intercepting your taxes, it goes towards interest of the loan. Getting your loan out of default you can then get the intercepted (money) back. Is this true? Is there some info on this?

First, some background: If you are in default on your federal student loans (which by definition means you are behind by 270 days or more), the Department of Education can take your tax refund using the Treasury Offset Program. This program authorizes federal payments such as tax refunds or Social Security income to be intercepted in whole or in part to pay debts owed to other federal agencies. There are some limited consumer protections, but debtors aren't always aware of them.

More

Well, Actually He Did Know..

President Barack Obama communicated via email with Hillary Clinton while she used her personal email, according to the White House.

In a press briefing on Monday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that Obama did correspond with his secretary of state via her private email address.

Earnest’s admission comes after Obama said on CBS on Saturday that he learned about Clinton’s use of a private email and server “the same time everybody else learned it, through news reports.” According to Earnest, this comment should not be assumed to mean that Obama and Clinton never emailed back and forth.

“The point that the president was making is not that he didn’t know Secretary Clinton’s email address, he did,” Earnest said.

More here

Offshore Wind: Senate Bill

College Conservatives Branded 'Hate Group'

A conservative student group at a Washington, DC, college has been branded a “hate group” and fears it could lose its funding for refusing to take part in gay, lesbian and transgender-oriented sensitivity training.

Members of the Young America’s Foundation student organization at The George Washington University believe the traditional values they espouse merit a religious exemption from taking part in the training. They are asking the student government to allow them to sit out the LGBT sensitivity training, and a requirement that they use the “preferred pronouns” of the people they address or refer to.

“We are hoping that by voicing our opinion, other groups may follow our lead, resulting in the [student government] taking our request to heart,” Amanda Robbins, the group’s co-president, told The College Fix.

For now, there are no exemptions from the mandatory training for all sanctioned student groups, which Robbins believes represents intolerance toward conservative viewpoints.

Allied in Pride, a campus LGBT group, told The College Fix Young America’s Foundation is guilty of “intolerance and a pattern of hate” for inviting former Sen. Rick Santorum, a conservative Republican, to speak. The group also stated the conservative club’s funding should be revoked.

More

HB 1019 Farmers Rights Act

Possible Conspiracy in Menendez Corruption Leak?

A Democrat senator is hit with corruption charges. A Republican governor stands ready to replace the senator if he resigns. On paper, it's easy to imagine the troubles of New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez setting up a partisan power struggle.

That's not how the Menendez story is playing out.

On Friday afternoon, after CNN broke the news that the Department of Justice was preparing a case against Menendez, conservatives openly asked if this had anything to do with the debate over Iran. Menendez, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was wrangling Democrats for a sanctions bill that the White House had threatened to veto.

Just days before the leak, Menendez was onstage at the AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) conference, winning ovation after ovation.

"I am not intimidated by anyone," said Menendez.

Now, to many conservatives, it seemed as though someone was trying to intimidate him. Bret Stephens, the Pulitzer-winning Wall Street Journal columnist, reacted quickly and succinctly...

Read more here..

El-Sisi Questions If US ‘Standing By’ Egypt

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, in an exclusive interview with Fox News, appealed to the U.S. to play a greater role in helping his country fight terrorism -- as he urged the creation of an "Arab ready force" to confront the Islamic State and similar groups.

The Egyptian leader spoke with Fox News' Bret Baier in an extensive interview conducted in Cairo. He addressed the need for what he called a religious "revolution," urging moderate Muslims around the world to "stand up" against terrorists twisting their religion.

But in the short term, he said more military might and funding will be needed to confront the extremist threat and questioned whether the U.S. was doing enough for Egypt.

El-Sisi, speaking mostly through a translator, said that while the U.S. has helped Egypt for decades, Egypt needs that help "more than ever," and wants to see a "big response from capable countries."

He said the suspension of U.S. equipment and arms to his country has sent a "negative indication to the public opinion that the United States is not standing by the Egyptians."

El-Sisi told Fox News the need for weapons and equipment remains "dire," and Egyptians "would like to feel that the United States is standing by them."

Asked directly how he and other Arab allies view U.S. leadership in the region, he answered briefly in English: "Difficult questions."

More here

'Spare Parts' From Aborted Babies

(CNSNews.com) – Live Science reported in January on research being done by scientists at Ganogen, Inc., a biotech company in California, that transplants organs from aborted babies into lab rats with the goal of growing them for use in patients who need organ transplants.

“Researchers say they have developed a new technique that will get more kidneys to people who need transplants, but the method is sure to be controversial: The research shows that it is feasible to remove a kidney from an aborted human fetus, and implant the organ into a rat, where the kidney can grow to a larger size,” the Jan. 21 article stated.

In the article, Eugene Gu, a medical student at Duke University and the founder and CEO of the company, said "Our long-term goal is to grow human organs in animals, to end the human donor shortage.”

Although ending the human donor shortage seems like a noble cause, using aborted babies to solve the problem is not acceptable, according to pro-life activist and former labor and delivery nurse Jill Stanek.

"This is horrific on so many levels,” Stanek told CNSNews.com, calling it “abominable” to take organs from murdered pre-born babies to use in post-born humans.

“It is easy to see where this is heading: toward the day when human beings will be grown in the lab specifically for organ and tissue harvesting,” said Stanek, who has devoted herself to the pro-life cause after witnessing aborted babies who survived being left to die in the hospital where she worked.

More on this..

Firestorm Erupts Over GOP Letter

A political firestorm erupted late Monday after an open letter from Republican senators to Iran's leaders challenged President Obama's ability to strike a permanent nuclear deal with Tehran.

Vice President Joe Biden strongly denounced the letter in a statement saying the missive "offends me as a matter of principle" and was "beneath the dignity of an institution I revere."

"In thirty-six years in the United States Senate, I cannot recall another instance in which senators wrote directly to advise another country — much less a longtime foreign adversary — that the president does not have the constitutional authority to reach a meaningful understanding with them," Biden said in his statement.

The letter signed by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and 46 of his colleagues warned Tehran that any nuclear deal needs congressional approval in order to last beyond Obama's term and pointed out that without that step, all Iran would be left with is a "mere executive agreement" between Obama and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The letter added, "We hope this letter enriches your knowledge of our constitutional system and promotes mutual understanding and clarity as nuclear negotiations progress."

More

Human Remains Found in Black Hawk Crash

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Seven Marines and four soldiers were presumed dead Wednesday after an Army Blackhawk helicopter crashed during a night training exercise at Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle, and crews found human remains despite heavy fog hampering search efforts, military officials said.

Here's an overview of what happened.

A Pentagon official said all 11 service members were presumed dead and that the Coast Guardfound debris in the water. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the official wasn't authorized to speak on the record.

Human remains had washed ashore, but crews still considered it a search-and-rescue mission, said Sara Vidoni, a military spokeswoman for Eglin Air Force Base, outside Pensacola.
More

6.5 Million People With Active Social Security Numbers Are 112+

(CNSNews.com) - Many people are living longer, but not to age 112 or beyond -- except in the records of the Social Security Administration.

The SSA's inspector general has identified 6.5 million number-holders age 112 -- or older -- for whom no death date has been entered in the main electronic file, called Numident.

The audit, dated March 4, 2015, concluded that SSA lacks the controls necessary to annote death information on the records of number-holders who exceed "maximum reasonable life expectancies."

"We obtained Numident data that identified approximately 6.5 million numberholders born before June 16, 1901 who did not have a date of death on their record," the report states.

Some of the numbers assigned to long-dead people were used fraudulently to open bank accounts.

And thousands of those numbers apparently were used by illegal immigrants to apply for work:

"During Calendar Years 2008 through 2011, SSA received 4,024 E-Verify inquiries using the SSNs of 3,873 numberholders born before June 16, 1901," the report said. "These inquiries indicate individuals' attempts to use the SSNs to apply for work."

“It is incredible that the Social Security Administration in 2015 does not have the technical sophistication to ensure that people they know to be deceased are actually noted as dead,” said Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

More here

Get ready for a much bigger oil shock

So what's the biggest trade in the markets right now?

Could it be the one way bet on European fixed income with Draghi's massive bond-buying program set to obliterate anyone who challenges ludicrously low bond yields? Or the tech bull position with the Nasdaq around year-2000 highs?

For now let's ignore the collapse in euro zone yield and the nose-bleeding valuations in tech and concentrate on my favourite trade - the brutal battle being fought in the oil market.

Last week, InterContinental Exchange revealed that the hedge-betters and speculators were piling into the oil trade in levels not seen since the middle of last year. You remember the middle of last year, that was when crude was still at $110 per barrel, pretty much double where it is now. So are we setting ourselves up for another massive bout of volatility after a few weeks of relatively calm price action?

The longs are out in force, according to the data but are they too early in calling an end to the oil price rout?

Brent may have had a fantastic rally in February, having plummeted to the low $40s region after last year's rout. But was that a dead cat bounce ignoring the still dreadful near term fundamentals?

More

One-Millionth Maryland Tax Return Filed Electronically

Comptroller Franchot Urges Residents to E-File as Milestone is Reached

Annapolis, Md. With the tax filing deadline only five weeks away, Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot today announced that his office has already received more than one million electronically-filed tax returns. The one-millionth electronic return was submitted by an Allegany County tax filer.

To date, the Comptroller’s Office has processed 1,100,946 tax returns filed electronically, with more than $1.4 billion in refund payments issued. The Comptroller urges Marylanders to e-file as it’s the most efficient and secure way to file a tax return. Most Marylanders who file electronically receive their refunds within three business days.

“Taxpayers who file electronically may schedule an electronic payment for April 30 and not be considered late,” said Comptroller Franchot. “I would like to encourage everyone who owes money to think about taking advantage of this easy way to hold on to hard-earned dollars a bit longer.”

Comptroller Franchot reminds taxpayers that they have the option to file their Maryland tax returns electronically through the state’s free iFile system which can be accessed online at marylandtaxes.com.

Through expanded public outreach efforts by the Comptroller, the number of electronic returns has steadily increased. Last year, the Comptroller’s Office processed more than 2.4 million returns electronically, up from the 2.3 million received the previous tax year. Electronic filers represented more than 81% of all personal income tax returns filed last year.

For more information on electronic filling please visit www.marylandtaxes.com or call 1-800-MD-TAXES (1-800-638-2937) or 410-260-7980 from Central Maryland.

A $10,169 blood test is everything wrong with American health care

A lipid panel is one of the most basic blood tests in modern medicine. Doctors use it to measure cholesterol levels in their patients, probably millions of times each year.

This is not a procedure where some hospitals are really great at lipid panels and some are terrible. There's just not space for quality variation: you are running blood through a machine and pressing buttons. That's it.

And that all makes it a bit baffling why, in California, a lipid panel can cost anywhere between $10 and $10,000. In either case, it is the exact same test.

More

AG Frosh issues report on "The State of Marriage Equality in America"

AG Frosh issues report on "The State of Marriage Equality in America"
Same-Sex Marriage Bans Fueled by Prejudice and Hate and Warrant Judicial Intervention, Analysis Concludes

Baltimore, MD - With the U.S. Supreme Court set to hear a landmark same-sex marriage case next month and legislatures across the country continuing to debate the issue, Attorney General Brian E. Frosh today released a report that provides a clear argument for why the nation's highest court should recognize marriage equality instead of allowing the decision to rest with states.

The report analyzes the origins of state laws prohibiting same-sex marriage, and finds that those laws have been consistently driven by fear, prejudice and hate. In fact, the report finds, state political processes have been systematically degraded by animus directed at the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. In these circumstances, it is especially appropriate for the Supreme Court to intervene and resolve the matter, Attorney General Frosh said.

"Maryland has been a leader in advancing marriage equality. We must continue to play a role in making sure that everyone in the nation can enjoy the benefits of marriage regardless of sexual orientation," Attorney General Frosh said. "It is a matter of fundamental fairness."

A Viewer Writes: Microsoft Updates

I have heard from several sources that Microsoft updated last night and the updates do not work, computers are down... ??

ICE: 23% Of Criminal Aliens Arrested in March Sweep Had Re-Entered

(CNSNews.com) - U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 2,059 criminal illegal aliens from 94 different countries during a five-day operation conducted March 1-5.

That total includes 476 illegal aliens (23%) who had re-entered the United States after previously being deported, federal officials said Monday at a joint press conference by ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.

Of the 2,059 criminals arrested, 1,013 -- almost half -- had been convicted of more than one crime; and 1,036 had been convicted of a felony, including voluntary manslaughter, child pornography, robbery and kidnapping.

Of the total 2,059 criminals arrested, 58 are known gang members or affiliates, and 89 are convicted sex offenders.

More

Police deaths soar 24% in 2014 with ambush attacks leading cause

Law enforcement fatalities in the United States increased 24 percent in 2014 to 126, and ambush-style attacks were the No. 1 cause of felonious officer deaths for the fifth straight year, according to preliminary data from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

The memorial fund report said 126 federal, state, local, tribal and territorial officers were killed in the line of duty this year, compared to 102 last year. The number of officers killed by firearms in 2014 — 50 — is up 56 percent from the 32 killed last year.

Part of the dramatic increase can be attributed to the fact that line-of-duty deaths last year, at 102, had dropped to the lowest levels since 1944. The figure was down from 123 fatalities in 2012. Over the past decade, the average annual number of officer deaths has been 151, the NLEOMF report said. In 2011, officer fatalities were at 171, prompting a number of initiatives aimed at promoting safety.

More

GOP senators to Iran: Without their approval, nuke deal might not last

A group of 47 Republican senators warned Iran's mullahs on Monday that any agreement the Obama administration strikes with the Islamic republic to limit Tehran's nuclear program may be short-lived unless Congress formally approves it.

In a rare open letter to Iranian leaders, Arkansas freshman Sen. Tom Cotton and 46 others from the GOP wrote that without congressional approval, 'we will consider any agreement regarding your nuclear-weapons program that is not approved by the Congress as nothing more than an executive agreement between President Obama and Ayatollah Khamenei.'

'The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen,' the Republicans wrote, 'and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time.'

The White House in turn tried to brand Republicans as warmongers and accused them of pursuing a 'partisan strategy to undermine the president' while demanding power that goes against the role the Founding Fathers envisioned the legislative branch playing in foreign affairs.

More

Spring Bulk Pick-up

FREE BULK PICK UP FOR ALL
CITY RESIDENTS
THE WEEK OF MARCH 16 THRU 20
PUT YOUR ITEMS OUT THE NIGHT BEFORE YOUR REGULAR TRASH PICKUP DAY

NO APPLIANCES, NO AUTOMOTIVE RELATED ITEMS, NO TIRES AND NOCONSTRUCTION DEBRIS WILL BE PICKED UP

PLEASE CALL THE SERVICE CENTER

AT 410-548-3177 TO ADVISE WHAT YOU WILL HAVE OUT ANT TO HAVE YOUR NAME PUT ON THE PICK UP LIST

The time when Americans drank all day long

A new exhibit looks at the history of drinking in America.

The Puritans get a bad rap in America - especially when it comes to alcohol. They are generally blamed for putting the dampeners on any form of fun, and many people assume that it was the nation's puritanical roots coming to the surface when Prohibition was introduced in 1917.

But while they weren't exactly party animals, a new exhibition at the US National Archives reveals that the Puritans actually approved of drink.

"One of the things we understand now is that the initial ship that came over from England to Massachusetts Bay actually carried more beer than water," says Bruce Bustard, senior curator of Spirited Republic: Alcohol in American History.

More

Search Underway For Virginia Tech Student Who Fell Off Cruise Ship

U.S. Coast Guard officials said Tuesday they are searching for a Virginia Tech student who went overboard a cruise ship near the Bahamas. Video footage reportedly shows the 21-year-old falling off the cruise ship Carnival Glory on Sunday, five miles southwest of Abaco Island in the Bahamas.

The ship was on a seven-day Caribbean cruise that left Miami on Saturday, NBC Affiliate WSLS reported.

Carnival officials as well as Virginia Tech have reportedly confirmed that the person who went overboard is a student. His identity has not yet been released. In a statement, Carnival officials said, “We extend our heartfelt sympathy and concern for the family and loved ones of our missing guest,” ABC Affiliate WRIC reported.

More

Hundreds of D.C. residents to get access to world’s most expensive drug

Hundreds of Hepatitis C patients in Washington, D.C., will get access to one of the most expensive drugs ever sold as part of a new National Institutes of Health partnership study, announced this week.

Called the ASCEND study, about 600 traditionally underserved patients will be treated with Gilead's Harvoni, a Hepatitis C medication released last year which made headlines for its ability to cure the liver disease— and its breathtaking cost. The study is a partnership between the NIH and the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland, the Family and Medical Counseling Services Inc. and Unity Health Care.

"It's roughy $1,100 a pill. It's unbelievable," said Vincent Keane, president and CEO of nonprofit Unity Health Care, which will be treating patients as part of the study. Hepatitis C is a lifelong illness which can lead to serious liver disease, cirrhosis and cancer. Patients sometimes need dialysis and liver transplants. "This disease is extremely debilitating to the patient and it's very costly to the healthcare system," Keane said.

More

Shore Mayors Support Property Tax Fairness Bill

OCEAN CITY — The mayors of the Lower Shore’s two most well-known municipalities rallied this week in support of a House bill in the General Assembly that would address the decades-old issue of tax differential.

House Bill 690, called the Property Tax Fairness Act of 2015, would alter the formula by which counties in Maryland pay property tax setoffs to their municipalities for duplicated services and programs. For example, Ocean City provides services such as fire and police protection, ambulance service, recreation and parks and other programs to its municipal taxpayers, who are essentially double-billed for the services in their property taxes to Worcester County.

House Bill 690 is an attempt to address the property tax setoff issue by creating a process by which the cost of duplicated services can be negotiated by the counties and their towns. The bill, if approved, would change certain counties in Maryland, including Worcester and Wicomico, from “may” produce a tax setoff to “shall” produce a tax setoff.

Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan this week fired off a letter to House Ways and Means Committee Chair Sheila Dixon in support of the proposed Tax Fairness Act of 2015.

More

Lawmaker Ordered To Stay Away From Daughter; Moved Off Judiciary Committee

A Maryland legislator has agreed to a protective order that will prevent him from contacting his adult daughter for one year.

Democratic Delegate Hasan "Jay" Jalisi of Baltimore County agreed Monday to the terms of the protective order - without acknowledging any wrongdoing.

Court documents show Jalisi's daughter, 18-year-old Alizay Jalisi, applied for the protective order after her father allegedly slapped her late last month during an argument. He was not criminally charged in the case.

More 

Dr. Duke Pesta on the Shocking K-12 Common Core Sexual Education Standards

If you have young children, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, are an educator, are a therapist, are a religious leader, are an elected official of any party, or care about very young children getting an excellent education in grades K-12, you should take time to listen to the below videos by Dr. Duke Pesta. Dr. Pesta’s discussion is about the indoctrination of students in the Common Core curriculum. Common Core does not encourage students to read the greatest novels in history, it’s not about teaching students to think outside of the box, nor is it about teaching students to excel beyond the capability of their fellow students in their grade, and it is not about mentoring gifted students.

Common Core teaches students it is not fair for some students to highly achieve beyond the ability of their fellow students—it is about teaching students that everyone should achieve equally and collectively together, resulting in that students’ progress in learning at the lowest possible common denominator so no one is left behind. Common Core is the plan by the federal government to take over the control of local school board’s education programs and what is taught in the local schools, it pushes an agenda controlled and tested by the Department of Health Education and Welfare and results in recording specific details on “each student’s” thinking, religious beliefs, patriotic beliefs, and family beliefs, in violation of privacy laws.

Common Core is much more than the new math. For quite some time, I seriously tried to understand the new math without success (my math skills are excellent, I have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering, a Master’s Degree in Operation Research, and an MBA in Finance). All my grades in math were always straight “A” as I excelled in math in grammar school, in high school, in college, and in graduate school. Common Core math is the worst thing that has ever happened to the math curriculum in grammar schools in the nation; that terrible debilitating math curriculum has now been in the public schools for 2 years, and parents do not know how to help their children with the new math.

More

Senate Committee Rejects Hogan's "Rain Tax" Bill

Gov. Larry Hogan says he is confident Maryland's mandated "rain tax" will soon be dried up, even though a Senate committee on Tuesday rejected his bill to repeal storm water management fees.

Hogan told reporters Tuesday that it doesn't matter to him "who gets the credit or whose name is on the bill."

"We're just happy we're actually going to repeal the rain tax," Hogan said. "I was elected mainly on this issue and the Senate president agrees with us. The bills essentially do the same thing. It's not surprising his bill is more popular than mine, cause it has his name on it instead of mine."

Hogan was talking about Sen. President Thomas V. Mike Miller's bill to end the mandatory fees.

More

Why Have Americans Stopped Asking These 5 Vital Questions?

"Remember, it’s not only the questions you ask, but the questions you fail to ask, that shape your destiny." – Tony Robbins

Believing that America will continue to be strong, prosperous and free no matter what we do is just as foolish as believing that a human being will continue to be healthy, happy and free if he consumes nothing but vodka, crack and doughnuts.

Just as the richest, healthiest, happiest man can be undone if he stops doing what made him successful, America can be undone if we stop asking the crucial questions that guided previous generations.

1) Is this worth the cost? As Thomas Sowell has written,“Weighing benefits against costs is the way most people make decisions — and the way most businesses make decisions, if they want to stay in business. Only in government is any benefit, however small, considered to be worth any cost, however large.” That sort of thinking is exactly how America ended up with a 17 trillion dollar debt. You often hear politicians from both parties call that “unsustainable.” Another way of putting that is if we don’t focus on what’s worth our money today, we won’t have the money we need for Defense, Medicare and Social Security tomorrow.

More

Maryland: Climate change bill passes Senate on party line vote

The Maryland Senate approved a bill Tuesday preserving a commission on climate change on a party-line vote after a sharp debate.

The 32-14 vote, with all of the chamber’s Republicans opposed, sent to the House a bill that perpetuates a commission that former Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley created by executive order in 2007. In effect, the bill would say that Republican Gov. Larry Hogan may not abolish the panel, which is part of the Maryland Department of the Environment.

Sen. Andrew A. Serafini, a Western Maryland Republican, said he objects to language in the bill that treats human-driven climate change as an established fact. He said commission members should keep an open mind on the question.
More

Spring

Worcester County institutes hiring freeze

In the face of another challenging budget year due to a continued decline in projected property tax revenues, the Worcester County Commissioners have enacted an immediate hiring freeze for non public safety personnel. 

“County revenues are anticipated to dip from $178 million in the current fiscal year (FY15) to $167 million in FY16 unless significant budget stabilization funds are utilized,” Commission President Jim Bunting said. “The County has lost over $40 million in property tax revenues since fiscal year 2009 due to declining assessments, and property tax revenues are projected to decline by another $4 million in FY16.”

While the County’s overall financial health remains strong due to sound fiscal management, the Commissioners have taken this action to help buffer the affects of reduced tax revenues in order to avoid having to utilize all of the remaining budget stabilization funds to balance their operating budget in FY16.

For more information, contact Kim Moses, public information officer, at (410) 632-1194.

Results Of The Delmar School District Referendum

Post by The Delmar School District.

Rosie O'Moore

Saturday’s Snow Hill Blues Jam To Honor Late Burley Strand

SNOW HILL — This year’s Snow Hill Blues Jam on Saturday, March 14 is a tribute to the late Burley Strand, who passed away in November of 2014.

Lovingly known as “Mr. B.,” he was a driving force of the Snow Hill All Stars whose guitar and voice graced the stage every year since the Snow Hill Blues Jam began in 2008. This year, the Snow Hill All Stars have banded together to honor his spirit and his unique brand of music. The lineup includes Chris English on guitar, Angel Resto on bass, Miss T on sax, Margot Resto on vocals and congas and Robert “Unknown Drummer” Buckner on drums.

“Each one of us has many years of great memories of sharing the stage with Mr. B. that we bring to this special night,” said Margot Resto, also in the All Stars lineup since its beginning. “The Snow Hill All Stars will be honoring Mr. B. by playing with our hearts, to keep his spirit and the Blues alive.”

More

COMMUNITY ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION

EVENT DATE: MARCH 26,2015

EVENT:COMMUNITY ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION

Topic: Civilian Oversight Review of Law Enforcement Officers Board

Time: 7:00PM

Place: Chipman Cultral Center, 325 Broad Street, Salisbury, MD

-PLEASE NOTE REVISION: MATT MACIARELLO, STATE'S ATTORNEY, WILL BE THE SPEAKER AT APRIL23RD NAACP MEETING INSTEAD OF MARCH 26TH.
HIS TOPIC WILL BE "STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE POLICE-CIVILIAN RELATIONSHIP."

Public and Media invited.- For more information, please contact Mary Ashanti at 410-543-4187.

Hiding something, Hillary? Clinton removes Twitter photo of her typing on Blackberry en route to Libya

With her dark sunglasses and stony expression, the image of Hillary staring at her smartphone made her look such a boss that it launched its own Tumblr parody account.

The photograph, which dates from a trip to Tripoli, Libya in September 2011, was even adopted by the former Secretary of State herself for her Twitter profile picture.

However, it seems that the picture which inspired hundreds of comedy memes could be no laughing matter for Clinton as it emerges the photograph could be a figurative smoking gun.

Indeed, Clinton herself has removed the image removed from her Twitter account because it could show her using her controversial personal email account to conduct diplomacy in Libya.

For more than a year, the former Secretary of State had used the monochrome image of her using a Blackberry on board a C-military plane headed to Tripoli in September 2011, around a month after Colonel Gaddafi's regime fell.

But the picture, regularly seen by her 2.9million followers, was removed Sunday - ostensibly to promote a political campaign for gender equality, timed to coincide with International Women's Day.

The image was once a symbol of Clinton's funny side as the face of the Texts From Hillary meme, which she said had given her 'many LOLZ' - but fell out of favor this week.

More

Governor Larry Hogan On Augustine Commission Legislation

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today released the following statement in response to the Senate Finance and House Economic Matters joint hearing on Augustine Commission legislation:

“Making Maryland more competitive is something we have led the discussion on for four years and it is one of the main reasons I was elected governor. Putting the Augustine Commission together was a good move and I am glad Senate President Miller and Speaker Busch decided to join us in this important conversation. The initial report was a strong start and the majority of the legislation being proposed now is common-sense and should be passed. However, no discussion about making Maryland more competitive is complete without also addressing our burdensome tax structure – undoubtedly the main reason our state's economy continues to struggle. I look forward to working with the General Assembly to address the commission’s tax recommendations later this year.”

Town Opens Washington State’s First Government-Run Recreational Marijuana Shop

The times are certainly changing in Washington State, where it recently became legal to buy and use recreational marijuana. Joining bake sales and other fundraisers as ways to give back to the community, a small town in Washington has opened the state’s first recreational marijuana store that’s run by the local government. 

[More]

LAX Lawsuit: A Bottle Of Water Shouldn’t Cost $5 At The Airport

Grumbling over that $5 bottle of water you had to buy after going through airport security? You’re not the only one: Boutique store Kitson is accusing the company that runs its two stores in the Los Angeles International Airport of gouging customers by charging half a tenner for a bottle of water that normally costs $2.50. 

[More]

Have You Been To The Grocery Store Lately?

Gas prices go down, prices at the grocery store remain inflated. Yeah, this President and the Liberal Party have really served America for the better, NOT! 

Lumber Liquidators Sued Over Formaldehyde Allegations

Only days after a 60 Minutes report on the allegedly high formaldehyde levels in wood products sold by Lumber Liquidators, consumers have filed a potential class action against the company in federal court. 

[More]