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Wednesday, June 10, 2015
New Obamacare ad claims it saved a woman’s life – but there’s one little problem
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OCFD: Balcony Safety
Each summer the Ocean City Fire Department responds to calls for service from people injured from falling off of...
Posted by Ocean City Fire Department on Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Are We In For Another High-Crime Era After The Response To Ferguson And Baltimore?
Are we seeing a reversal of the 20-year decline in violent crime in America? A new nationwide crime wave?
Heather Mac Donald fears we are, and as a premier advocate and analyst of the policing strategy pioneered by Rudy Giuliani in New York City and copied and adapted throughout the country, she is to be taken seriously. And the statistics she presented in an article in last weekend’s Wall Street Journal are truly alarming.
Gun violence is up 60 percent in Baltimore so far this year compared to 2014. Homicides are up 180 percent in Milwaukee, 25 percent in St. Louis, 32 percent in Atlanta and 13 percent in New York in the same period.
Why is this happening? Mac Donald writes, “The most plausible explanation of the current surge in lawlessness is the intense agitation against American police departments over the past nine months.”
That’s a reference to the reactions to the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner in Staten Island, N.Y., last summer, and to the death this spring of Freddie Gray in Baltimore.
The narrative propagated by mainstream media, the Eric Holder Justice Department and the Barack Obama White House was that unarmed innocent blacks were being slaughtered by racist police. “Black lives matter,” read the hashtag, as if most cops believed the opposite.
The facts of these cases, as revealed through competent investigations, did not support the meme. In one case in which video evidence did, in South Carolina, the policeman was quickly charged with murder by local authorities.
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Heather Mac Donald fears we are, and as a premier advocate and analyst of the policing strategy pioneered by Rudy Giuliani in New York City and copied and adapted throughout the country, she is to be taken seriously. And the statistics she presented in an article in last weekend’s Wall Street Journal are truly alarming.
Gun violence is up 60 percent in Baltimore so far this year compared to 2014. Homicides are up 180 percent in Milwaukee, 25 percent in St. Louis, 32 percent in Atlanta and 13 percent in New York in the same period.
Why is this happening? Mac Donald writes, “The most plausible explanation of the current surge in lawlessness is the intense agitation against American police departments over the past nine months.”
That’s a reference to the reactions to the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner in Staten Island, N.Y., last summer, and to the death this spring of Freddie Gray in Baltimore.
The narrative propagated by mainstream media, the Eric Holder Justice Department and the Barack Obama White House was that unarmed innocent blacks were being slaughtered by racist police. “Black lives matter,” read the hashtag, as if most cops believed the opposite.
The facts of these cases, as revealed through competent investigations, did not support the meme. In one case in which video evidence did, in South Carolina, the policeman was quickly charged with murder by local authorities.
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Texas cop's lawyer: He was stressed by earlier calls
Casebolt, who resigned for the police force after the video captured national attention, "allowed his emotions to get the better of him," attorney Jane Bishkin said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
Before receiving the call from dispatch for assistance at the pool party, Casebolt had gotten calls earlier in the day on two separate suicide cases, including one where he had to comfort a grieving widow, Bishkin said.
Bishkin was careful not to say the stress was an excuse for his actions, adding that Casebolt is "apologizing" to all involved.
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Boston Funeral Home REFUSES To Handle Dead Muslim Terrorist
A dead terror suspects family is having a hard time finding a place to hold a funeral. Apparently, no one wants to have a dead terror suspect at their funeral home.
The funeral of Boston terror suspect Usaamah Abdullah Rahim is being held up because a local cemetery refused to take his body.
Rahim, 26, was fatally shot on Tuesday after investigators said he wielded a military-style knife as they sought to question him about ‘terrorist-related information.’
Rahim was planning to kill Pamela Geller, but the Police got to him first. The family is now looking for somewhere else.
Source
The funeral of Boston terror suspect Usaamah Abdullah Rahim is being held up because a local cemetery refused to take his body.
Rahim, 26, was fatally shot on Tuesday after investigators said he wielded a military-style knife as they sought to question him about ‘terrorist-related information.’
Rahim was planning to kill Pamela Geller, but the Police got to him first. The family is now looking for somewhere else.
Source
MARYLAND INTERNET CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN CHILD PORNOGRAPHY ARREST IN HOWARD COUNTY
Maryland State Police Press Release
06/10/2015
06/10/2015
(Pikesville, MD) Members of the Maryland State Police Computer Crimes Section, Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) arrested a Prince George’s County man on child pornography related charges today.
The suspect is identified as Alexander Mari, 26, of the 13000 block of Charolais Court in Highland. He was arrested without incident. Mari was charged with eight counts of distributing child pornography and eight counts of possession of child pornography.
As a result of this investigation, a search warrant was executed at Mari's residence in Howard County early this morning by a Maryland State Police Computer Crimes investigator and agents from the Department of Homeland Security. Evidence of child pornography was found on Mari’s computer and cellular telephone. At 5:30 a.m. he was arrested on scene and transported to Howard County Detention Center where he is waiting appearance by a District Court Commissioner.
The Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is comprised of police agencies from around the state. Its primary mission is to protect children from computer-facilitated sexual exploitation. The Task Force works cooperatively with law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to provide resources to combat these crimes. Additionally, the Task Force provides community awareness campaigns helping to prevent the spread of these crimes through education.
Four Liberal Lies About Ronald Reagan Debunked
Liberals love to bash Reagan claiming he made the world less safe, grew government, and was an enemy to “the poor.” But Lee Edwards says that to the contrary that Reagan was one of this nation’s greatest leaders.
Liberal Myth No. 1: Reagan’s dangerously belligerent foreign policy had little to do with the disintegration of Soviet Communism. Mikhail Gorbachev was the leader most responsible for bringing the Cold War to a non-nuclear conclusion.
Edwards says that to the contrary, with his support of America’s military growth and his support of freedom and liberty worldwide, Reagan actually limited aggression across the world and even eventually toppled the Soviet Empire, the most belligerent nation in the world at the time.
Liberal Myth No. 2: The ’80s were a decade of greed that benefited only the wealthy and overlooked the middle class.
In fact, Reagan created an economic recovery that lasted into the terms of three future presidents.
Liberal Myth No. 3: The federal government continued to grow and expand under Reagan, who callously tripled the national debt.
“If we examine the economic report cards of postwar presidents from Truman through Reagan, according to Harvard economist Robert Barro, Reagan easily finishes first,” Edwards says.
Liberal Myth No. 4: Reagan was a cynical, calculating politician who used “states’ rights” to win the 1980 election and paid little attention to African-Americans as president.
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What are your rights when dealing with police?
BALTIMORE —A Texas incident involving an encounter between police and teenagers is the latest case making national news. It again underlines the debate about the interaction between police and communities.
A conversation many people are having with their friends and their children is what to do if stopped or confronted by the police.
Protesters rallied Monday outside of an elementary school in McKinney, Texas, calling the Police Department to reprimand officers for their conduct.
After being called to the area for a disturbance, Corp. Eric Casebolt was caught on video running after teens, yelling profanity at them and then pinning a 14-year-old girl to the ground, hitting another girl, and pulling a gun on other teens.
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A conversation many people are having with their friends and their children is what to do if stopped or confronted by the police.
Protesters rallied Monday outside of an elementary school in McKinney, Texas, calling the Police Department to reprimand officers for their conduct.
After being called to the area for a disturbance, Corp. Eric Casebolt was caught on video running after teens, yelling profanity at them and then pinning a 14-year-old girl to the ground, hitting another girl, and pulling a gun on other teens.
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Bernie Sanders Is Closing In on Hillary
Look out, Shrillary. Hard left nutcase Bernie Sanders is right behind you and closing in fast:
Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist and a long shot for the White House, scored a strong second-place finish to Clinton by drawing 41 percent in a straw poll vote at the Wisconsin Democratic Party convention. Clinton won 49 percent.
The Vermont senator received 208 of 511 delegate votes at the state convention in Milwaukee on Saturday, while Clinton won votes from 252 of the delegates, leaving her just short of a majority. Both Vice President Joe Biden and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who announced his candidacy late last month, received three percent of the vote. Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, who is considering a bid, won two percent of the vote, while former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, who announced his long-shot candidacy last week, received one percent.
Looks like Sanders is cornering the market on the anyone-but-Shrillary vote — which puts him in the catbird seat if the wheels come loose on Shrillary’s standoffish campaign, which she has arrogantly conducted like a coronation.
Sanders belligerently advances values that would be a better fit for the Soviet Union than America. But if Obama could get elected twice, no one is too conspicuously unsuitable or too far to the left. Republicans may yet develop some semblance of a spine, in which case Shrillary will be too busy dealing with criminal charges stemming from her influence peddling to fend off Sanders.
The “mainstream” media will then whitewash Sanders and demonize his opposition, seeing to it that this malevolent anti-American screwball is the next president. The good news is that based on his Senate voting record, he would actually be an improvement on what we have now in terms of radicalism:
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Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist and a long shot for the White House, scored a strong second-place finish to Clinton by drawing 41 percent in a straw poll vote at the Wisconsin Democratic Party convention. Clinton won 49 percent.
The Vermont senator received 208 of 511 delegate votes at the state convention in Milwaukee on Saturday, while Clinton won votes from 252 of the delegates, leaving her just short of a majority. Both Vice President Joe Biden and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who announced his candidacy late last month, received three percent of the vote. Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, who is considering a bid, won two percent of the vote, while former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, who announced his long-shot candidacy last week, received one percent.
Looks like Sanders is cornering the market on the anyone-but-Shrillary vote — which puts him in the catbird seat if the wheels come loose on Shrillary’s standoffish campaign, which she has arrogantly conducted like a coronation.
Sanders belligerently advances values that would be a better fit for the Soviet Union than America. But if Obama could get elected twice, no one is too conspicuously unsuitable or too far to the left. Republicans may yet develop some semblance of a spine, in which case Shrillary will be too busy dealing with criminal charges stemming from her influence peddling to fend off Sanders.
The “mainstream” media will then whitewash Sanders and demonize his opposition, seeing to it that this malevolent anti-American screwball is the next president. The good news is that based on his Senate voting record, he would actually be an improvement on what we have now in terms of radicalism:
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Cardin, Mikulski Announce Million Dollar Federal Grant to Support Oral Health Care in Maryland Children
“We have made great strides increasing awareness and making children's dental care more accessible across Maryland. But until we reach every child and ensure that every family can access the essential oral care they need, our job is incomplete,” said Senator Cardin, who has championed children’s dental health care from first being guaranteed in the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and later expanded in the Affordable Care Act. “We know that low-income families face a myriad of obstacles in obtaining the most basic of oral care -- eighty percent of dental disease in children is concentrated in 25 percent of the population. These federal dollars will help ensure more Maryland children can live a life free of chronic dental diseases.”
Baltimore’s Riot-Loving Mayor Now Working With Islamic Group Linked to Terrorism
Remember during the riots in Baltimore last month when the city’s mayor said that she had worked hard to make sure that rioters could have the “space to destroy” things if they wanted to? Well, now we find that same official is working with an Islamist group linked to terrorism.
It appears that Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is working with an Islamist “charity” group and importing Islamist families into the city.
Islamic Relief USA is helping immigrants and refugees to find promising opportunities as instruments of economic and community growth in Baltimore.
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlins-Blake recognized the successes of this program at a local film screening this past Wednesday. She congratulated prospective home buyers and urged non-profits to continue supporting this work.
In Next City’s film “Building Resilience in Baltimore through Immigration,” immigrants are portrayed as key actors in societal change.
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It appears that Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is working with an Islamist “charity” group and importing Islamist families into the city.
Islamic Relief USA is helping immigrants and refugees to find promising opportunities as instruments of economic and community growth in Baltimore.
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlins-Blake recognized the successes of this program at a local film screening this past Wednesday. She congratulated prospective home buyers and urged non-profits to continue supporting this work.
In Next City’s film “Building Resilience in Baltimore through Immigration,” immigrants are portrayed as key actors in societal change.
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Maryland Governor Summoned To Jury Duty, But Not Chosen
Hogan waited for more than two hours on Wednesday morning at the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, where he had been summoned.
The 57-year-old Republican had been summoned to jury duty for his first time in January, but it was on the same day as his inauguration. Maryland’s constitution required that he be sworn in as governor at noon that day, so the summons was deferred and he was called back.
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Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford Hosts Lower Shore Heroin Task Force Regional Summit
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford today joined with members of the Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force, elected officials, law enforcement, and substance abuse advocates for the fifth regional summit to address Maryland’s growing heroin crisis. The summit was held in Salisbury at the St. Francis de Sales Philip & Barbara Long Parish Center.
The Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force, created by Governor Larry Hogan in February 2015 with two executive orders and led by Lt. Governor Rutherford, is made up of law enforcement professionals, elected officials, and substance abuse experts. The group will meet regularly and solicit input and guidance from a wide variety of sources throughout the state, including educators, families of those suffering from addiction, and other vested stakeholders.
“Throughout our campaign the governor and I visited every corner of the state, and everywhere we went, we heard tragic stories of how the heroin and addiction epidemic is destroying families and communities,” said Lt. Governor Rutherford. “This is a problem that affects Marylanders of all walks of life, regardless of socio-economic status, race, religion, education, or any other demographic. The first step to combatting this epidemic is to hear firsthand from those affected about how this crisis has impacted their communities, and getting their educated recommendations on what we can do.”
Last month, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released its 2014 report on drug and alcohol-related intoxication deaths. The report found that 86 percent of all overdose deaths in 2014 involved opioids, and a 21 percent increase in overdose deaths compared to 2013. There is growing evidence that many new heroin addictions stem from the abuse of prescription painkillers. Once addicted to these opioids, individuals may switch to increasingly cheap and “available” heroin.
Caroline County Commissioner President Larry Porter, Caroline County State’s Attorney Jonathan Newell, Dorchester County State’s Attorney William Jones, Somerset County Commissioner President Randy Laird, Somerset County State’s Attorney Daniel Powell, Talbot County Council President Corey Pack, Talbot County Sheriff Joe Gamble, Wicomico County Executive Bob Culver, Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis, Worcester County Commissioner President Jim Bunting Jr., and Worcester County Police Sergeant Nate Passwaters were in attendance.
Uber Is Utopia
The revenge of the status quo is brutish. “If you attack the establishment long enough and hard enough, they will make you a member of it,” humorist Art Buchwald once observed. Those words never seemed truer than at the “Uber Turns Five” celebration at its San Francisco digs Wednesday. In the disruption economy, five years can carry a ride-service giant from disruptor to establishment.
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick certainly has matured. Last year, the startup went on a “charm offensive” in an attempt to quell stories about Uber’s testosterone culture. That didn’t go swimmingly. A male exec told a New York editor that Uber should hire top opposition researchers to dig up dirt on media critics — in particular PandoDaily Editor Sarah Lacy, to retaliate against her protest of the company’s “sexism and misogyny.” It was a nasty ride.
Still, as Kalanick likes to say, Uber is “passionate about learning” from its mistakes. This year, Kalanick brought his mother. He teared up when he talked about her.
And who introduced him? Not some oozing-money venture-capital jockey but a military wife who became an Uber “driver partner” this year. Theresa Ferguson got all choked up as she talked about how being a driver has allowed her to not only spend more time with her three kids but also volunteer one day at her son’s school. “Uber has allowed me to be my own boss,” she proclaimed in a touching “I am woman” moment.
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Uber CEO Travis Kalanick certainly has matured. Last year, the startup went on a “charm offensive” in an attempt to quell stories about Uber’s testosterone culture. That didn’t go swimmingly. A male exec told a New York editor that Uber should hire top opposition researchers to dig up dirt on media critics — in particular PandoDaily Editor Sarah Lacy, to retaliate against her protest of the company’s “sexism and misogyny.” It was a nasty ride.
Still, as Kalanick likes to say, Uber is “passionate about learning” from its mistakes. This year, Kalanick brought his mother. He teared up when he talked about her.
And who introduced him? Not some oozing-money venture-capital jockey but a military wife who became an Uber “driver partner” this year. Theresa Ferguson got all choked up as she talked about how being a driver has allowed her to not only spend more time with her three kids but also volunteer one day at her son’s school. “Uber has allowed me to be my own boss,” she proclaimed in a touching “I am woman” moment.
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Delmar man charged in Georgetown stabbing
Alejandro Vargas-Perez fought with a 17-year-old victim at about 1:40 p.m. at a home in the 400 block of North Bedford St., said Lt. Lawrence Grose of the Georgetown Police Department.
Grose said a 19-year-old victim was trying to break up the fight when Perez allegedly stabbed him several times.
The 19-year-old was taken to Nanticoke Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Perez fled the scene prior to police arriving on the scene, Grose said.
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Hillary’s ‘No Ceilings’ Project Accepted $5 Million From Sexual Abuser
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s “No Ceilings” women’s empowerment project at the Clinton Foundation accepted a $5 million commitment last December from a Swiss billionaire even as his lawyers were fighting in federal court to hide his darkest secret — a long record of sexually abusing women.
The No Ceilings: The Full Participation Project is needed, according to the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, because “even today, persistent stereotypes and barriers keep women from equal access, representation, and compensation in our communities and around the world.”
Hansjorg Wyss, a generous donor to major liberal groups like the Center for American Progress and longtime financial patron of Clinton Campaign Chairman John Podesta, also launched a “Women’s Equality Program” at his $2.1 billion Wyss Foundation. His net worth is estimated at $6.1 billion.
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The No Ceilings: The Full Participation Project is needed, according to the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, because “even today, persistent stereotypes and barriers keep women from equal access, representation, and compensation in our communities and around the world.”
Hansjorg Wyss, a generous donor to major liberal groups like the Center for American Progress and longtime financial patron of Clinton Campaign Chairman John Podesta, also launched a “Women’s Equality Program” at his $2.1 billion Wyss Foundation. His net worth is estimated at $6.1 billion.
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WCBOE: Three New Assistant Principals For The 2015-2016 School Year
At its June 9 meeting, the Board approved the appointments of Kimberly M. Waters, Lisa King and Bob Purnell as assistant principals. Their school assignments will be announced in the near future.
An appointment and a new assignment were announced earlier in the year for Tara O’Barsky as the Assistant Principal for Parkside High School with responsibility for the Department of Career and Technology Education (CTE), and Dr. Bonnie Ennis as the Supervisor of School Improvement, Accountability and Strategic Planning.
Love Letters Between George H.W. Bush & Barbara Show Just How Much They Love Each Other
Decades-old love letters between former President George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara provide rare insight into the couple’s relationship during their engagement.
The letters, provided by the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum to the Independent Journal Review on Monday, were authored in 1943 and sent by Bush to his then-fiancée Barbara Pierce as he trained to be a WWII pilot.
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With Its Celebration Of Caitlyn Jenner, The Left Doubles Down On Social Decay
It is puzzling that the response of so many social conservatives has been so timid and uncertain. Last week, when Bruce “Caitlyn” Jenner was enjoying a fresh 15 minutes of fame, a number of social conservatives passed around this Wall Street Journal article by Paul McHugh, former psychiatrist in chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Arguing against transgender surgery, he shared a number of politically incorrect facts, including a sobering corrective to those parents who seem eager to embrace transgenderism in their young kids, going so far as to administer puberty-delaying drugs. (It turns out that 70 to 80 percent of kids who report transgender feelings “spontaneously” lose those feelings.)
But most sobering of all was a study out of Sweden demonstrating that ten years after sex-reassignment surgery, transgendered people experience “increasing mental difficulties” — culminating in mortality from suicide at a rate 20 times greater than that of the “comparable nontransgender population.” While the gay community has long suffered from extraordinary rates of attempted suicides, the number McHugh reports for the “T” portion of LGBT is horrifying. Yet what does the Left demand? That we double down on transgenderism by celebrating it in all its forms, including the most surgically extreme.
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But most sobering of all was a study out of Sweden demonstrating that ten years after sex-reassignment surgery, transgendered people experience “increasing mental difficulties” — culminating in mortality from suicide at a rate 20 times greater than that of the “comparable nontransgender population.” While the gay community has long suffered from extraordinary rates of attempted suicides, the number McHugh reports for the “T” portion of LGBT is horrifying. Yet what does the Left demand? That we double down on transgenderism by celebrating it in all its forms, including the most surgically extreme.
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BREAKING NEWS: Obama approves sending 450 more US troops to Iraq
White House announces up to 450 additional U.S. military personnel will be deployed to Iraq to train and assist Iraqi security forces at a base in Anbar province, to help in their fight against ISIS.
BREAKING NEWS: EPA calls for regulating aircraft emissions
The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to regulate aircraft emissions, saying they are a threat to human health.
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‘He Was There to Save Her’: Service Dog Throws Himself in Front of Bus to Protect Blind Owner
Both Figo, the golden retriever, and his owner, Audrey Stone, were on the mend Tuesday, a day after the collision with the mini school bus in Brewster.
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Hillary Clinton’s Slide in Polls Leaves Her Vulnerable
“Despite everything,” the often interesting analyst Jamelle Bouie writes in Slate — “everything” includes “the email controversy, foreign donors and the Clinton Foundation” — “Hillary is in good shape.” Good enough to leave her party “still positioned for victory.”
Bouie is writing in response to the ABC News/Washington Post and CNN/ORC polls released last week, which show Hillary Clinton’s favorable/unfavorable numbers plunging. ABC/WaPo puts them at 45-49 percent negative, the lowest since April 2008. CNN/ORC puts them at an almost identical 46-50 percent negative, the lowest since March 2003.
The most significant thing about these results is that Clinton evokes favorable feelings from less than 50 percent of respondents. Bouie is right to say that it is unrealistic to expect Clinton to be as favorably regarded as she was when she held the relatively unpolitical office of secretary of state. But it’s a stretch to say that a candidate with 100 percent substantive recognition but less than 50 percent favorables is “positioned for victory.” Such a candidate could win, especially if her opponent has exploitable flaws. But there is a nontrivial possibility she will lose.
The internals — the responses to subsidiary questions — point in that direction, as well. ABC/WaPo says that only 33 percent of voters approve of her relationship with the Clinton Foundation, that only 31 percent approve of her private email system, that only 33 percent approve of her conduct on Benghazi, Libya, and that between 48 and 55 percent believe these are legitimate issues.
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Bouie is writing in response to the ABC News/Washington Post and CNN/ORC polls released last week, which show Hillary Clinton’s favorable/unfavorable numbers plunging. ABC/WaPo puts them at 45-49 percent negative, the lowest since April 2008. CNN/ORC puts them at an almost identical 46-50 percent negative, the lowest since March 2003.
The most significant thing about these results is that Clinton evokes favorable feelings from less than 50 percent of respondents. Bouie is right to say that it is unrealistic to expect Clinton to be as favorably regarded as she was when she held the relatively unpolitical office of secretary of state. But it’s a stretch to say that a candidate with 100 percent substantive recognition but less than 50 percent favorables is “positioned for victory.” Such a candidate could win, especially if her opponent has exploitable flaws. But there is a nontrivial possibility she will lose.
The internals — the responses to subsidiary questions — point in that direction, as well. ABC/WaPo says that only 33 percent of voters approve of her relationship with the Clinton Foundation, that only 31 percent approve of her private email system, that only 33 percent approve of her conduct on Benghazi, Libya, and that between 48 and 55 percent believe these are legitimate issues.
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Newspaper celebrates MLB's first amphibious pitcher
Yet another milestone that MLB has achieved. Next barrier to fall: baseball's first avian pitcher. BIRD PITCHERS NOW.
Ambidextrous, everyone. It's not just a river in Egypt. [citation needed]
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‘Moron’ terrorist takes a selfie in front of ISIS headquarters, Air Force bombs it 22 hours later
Apparently, looks can kill. In a very real story that we assure you did not originate from The Onion, a terrorist from ISIS recently took a selfie of himself and posted it online.
Shortly thereafter, U.S. Intelligence, which heavily monitors social media accounts from ISIS members and supporters, managed to pinpoint an ISIS headquarters building in Syria by using the selfie photo as a reference point.
According to Air Force General Hawk Carlisle (which is a perfect name for an Air Force General we must say), airmen from Hurlburt Field, Florida in the 361st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group were the first to pick up on the photo.
“The guys that were working down out of Hurlburt, they’re combing through social media and they see some moron standing at this command,”Carlisle said in an interview with Defense Tech. “And in some social media, open forum, bragging about the command and control capabilities for Daesh, ISIL. And these guys go: ‘We got an in.’ So they do some work, long story short, about 22 hours later through that very building, three [Joint Direct Attack Munitions] take that entire building out.”
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Shortly thereafter, U.S. Intelligence, which heavily monitors social media accounts from ISIS members and supporters, managed to pinpoint an ISIS headquarters building in Syria by using the selfie photo as a reference point.
According to Air Force General Hawk Carlisle (which is a perfect name for an Air Force General we must say), airmen from Hurlburt Field, Florida in the 361st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group were the first to pick up on the photo.
“The guys that were working down out of Hurlburt, they’re combing through social media and they see some moron standing at this command,”Carlisle said in an interview with Defense Tech. “And in some social media, open forum, bragging about the command and control capabilities for Daesh, ISIL. And these guys go: ‘We got an in.’ So they do some work, long story short, about 22 hours later through that very building, three [Joint Direct Attack Munitions] take that entire building out.”
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Maryland lawmakers express concern about toll reductions
Pete Rahn, the state's transportation secretary in Republican Gov. Larry Hogan's administration, told a panel of state senators that the toll reductions are affordable because of a combination of higher-than-expected revenues and efficiencies in operations within the Maryland Transportation Authority.
"I believe that the toll reductions have been extremely responsible," Rahn said. "I believe the reductions are financially responsible for both the tax payer and for the authority, and that we can accommodate these reductions within all of the plans of the authority."
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The Last House on Holland Island
Despite former resident and owner Stephen White’s best efforts to save the house and protect the island, the waters would overcome both and erase them from the map.
So what happened to Holland Island, and why did one man try to save it?
Originally settled in the 1600’s, Holland Island was named for the first owner of the property, colonist Daniel Holland. For nearly two hundred years life would be largely uneventful for the small island, with little more than a small colony settlement occupying her shores.
In the 1850s a small fishing and farming boom in the Chesapeake area brought many to the island. By 1890 there would be a large watermen community, and by 1910 the island would house nearly 360 residents, making Holland the most populated island in Chesapeake Bay.
At its peak, Holland Island was a thriving community. It had nearly 70 structures including homes and shops, a school, post office, several general stores, and a church. The island also had its own doctor, a community center, and even a baseball team that would travel by boat for away games.
Nearly 90 vessels would call Holland Island home, chasing their fortunes in catching fish, trapping crab, and dredging for oysters.
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Introducing Breitbart Primary 2016 Online Straw Poll
WASHINGTON D.C. – The Breitbart News Network announced last night on Sirius XM’s Breitbart News Sunday program the launch of its monthly Breitbart Primary 2016 Online Straw Poll.
“We are very fortunate at Breitbart to have an incredibly engaged and passionate audience that will play a central role in selecting who will be the Republican Presidential nominee in 2016,” said Breitbart News Executive Chairman Stephen K. Bannon. “The Breitbart Primary is our way of giving back to our audience and providing them a platform by which their voices can be heard as the Republican Presidential Primary unfolds.”
The inaugural Breitbart Primary 2016 straw poll is now LIVE on Breitbart News at www.breitbart.com/primary. Readers will have the ability to select their Top 3 choices or register as undecided. At the end of each month, results will be shared with the Breitbart audience in the form of content on the site. The poll will then reset, giving readers an opportunity to vote again, taking into account the changing landscape of the campaigns.
Breitbart’s Editor-in-Chief, Alex Marlow said “Our readers are some of the most voracious and astute consumers of political content. It will be educational to chart where they’re leaning throughout the stages of the campaigns, and it will create compelling content for Breitbart.com when we reveal what we learn.”
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“We are very fortunate at Breitbart to have an incredibly engaged and passionate audience that will play a central role in selecting who will be the Republican Presidential nominee in 2016,” said Breitbart News Executive Chairman Stephen K. Bannon. “The Breitbart Primary is our way of giving back to our audience and providing them a platform by which their voices can be heard as the Republican Presidential Primary unfolds.”
The inaugural Breitbart Primary 2016 straw poll is now LIVE on Breitbart News at www.breitbart.com/primary. Readers will have the ability to select their Top 3 choices or register as undecided. At the end of each month, results will be shared with the Breitbart audience in the form of content on the site. The poll will then reset, giving readers an opportunity to vote again, taking into account the changing landscape of the campaigns.
Breitbart’s Editor-in-Chief, Alex Marlow said “Our readers are some of the most voracious and astute consumers of political content. It will be educational to chart where they’re leaning throughout the stages of the campaigns, and it will create compelling content for Breitbart.com when we reveal what we learn.”
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In Atlantic City, A Silver Lining For Casinos Left Standing
New casinos are popping up all along the East Coast, giving Atlantic City a run for its money. Four casinos out of 12 in Atlantic City closed last year. But those closures have, in turn, helped the remaining gambling houses there.
Casino customers tend to be pretty loyal to one or two houses — to accrue rewards, or sometimes for other reasons.
"We like to bring the dog down once in a while because he likes to walk the boardwalk, go in the ocean," says Patty Davis. She and her husband travel more than six hours to gamble in Atlantic City.
The Davises used to go to the Showboat casino because its hotel allowed dogs. When it closed in September, the couple and their Pomeranian started going to Harrah's, because it allows dogs.
Many people have been taking their business to other casinos in the city since their usual haunts closed, which has meant better business for the places left standing.
Resorts, Atlantic City's oldest casino, still lost money in the first quarter of this year but a lot less than it did last year.
"We're certainly seeing the benefit of a smaller competitor base, so our revenues and our profitability continue to improve steadily," says Mark Giannantonio, president and CEO of Resorts.
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A game ball's road to the NBA Finals
OAKLAND, Calif. -- From slaughterhouses across North America to a family-run tannery on Chicago's North Side. From a manufacturing facility in China to an Alabama warehouse for testing. Then, finally, to all 30 teams.
Every summer a fresh batch of official NBA basketballs arrives, crisp and orange and brand new. But before one can enter an NBA game, a choice must be made.
With about 16 minutes left on the game clock Sunday prior to tipoff in theCleveland Cavaliers' Game 2 win over the Golden State Warriors, officiating crew chief Tony Brothers jogged onto the court at Oracle Arena with three basketballs in his hands.
Brothers walked toward where the Cavaliers players were warming up and nodded at LeBron James, who walked over. James took the balls one at a time, looking each one over, rolling them in his hands, squeezing them, dribbling one. Then James pointed to one and nodded.
Minutes later, it was the Warriors' turn. Stephen Curry inspected each ball, rolling them in his hands, dribbling each a few times.
"If it's on a scale of 1 to 10, with one being brand new to 10 being the ball that Jerry West used to play with, I like it at a 6," Curry said earlier this week. "More on the broken-in side. It's softer."
The players had agreed on a selection, and Brothers walked toward the scorer's table with all three balls and told an official which would be the game ball -- and indeed, it was far more worn than new, with its share of scratches. The other two balls: backups.
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Every summer a fresh batch of official NBA basketballs arrives, crisp and orange and brand new. But before one can enter an NBA game, a choice must be made.
With about 16 minutes left on the game clock Sunday prior to tipoff in theCleveland Cavaliers' Game 2 win over the Golden State Warriors, officiating crew chief Tony Brothers jogged onto the court at Oracle Arena with three basketballs in his hands.
Brothers walked toward where the Cavaliers players were warming up and nodded at LeBron James, who walked over. James took the balls one at a time, looking each one over, rolling them in his hands, squeezing them, dribbling one. Then James pointed to one and nodded.
Minutes later, it was the Warriors' turn. Stephen Curry inspected each ball, rolling them in his hands, dribbling each a few times.
"If it's on a scale of 1 to 10, with one being brand new to 10 being the ball that Jerry West used to play with, I like it at a 6," Curry said earlier this week. "More on the broken-in side. It's softer."
The players had agreed on a selection, and Brothers walked toward the scorer's table with all three balls and told an official which would be the game ball -- and indeed, it was far more worn than new, with its share of scratches. The other two balls: backups.
More
Proposed Dollar General site in Hurlock sparks heated debate
HURLOCK — Public hearings at town meetings sometimes go quickly and quietly. That was not the case at the Hurlock Town Council meeting on Tuesday, May 26, when conflicting sides brought in attorneys for a quasi-judicial hearing, complete with emotional testimony from town residents, swearing in of witnesses, cross-examination and attorney objections. The hearing lasted about four hours, starting at 6 p.m. and stretching late into the evening.
The town council is considering a request from Oxford Chase Development to rezone two parcels on South Main Street from residential to commercial. The town owns a parcel between the two in question that already is zoned commercial. If it agrees to rezone the other two, Oxford Chase would be able to combine the three parcels into one lot and build a Dollar General store on the site. The town already has agreed to sell its lot, which it purchased last year for $34,000, to Oxford Chase for $80,000.
The town planning commission recommended the approval of the rezoning in a 4-1 vote.
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The town council is considering a request from Oxford Chase Development to rezone two parcels on South Main Street from residential to commercial. The town owns a parcel between the two in question that already is zoned commercial. If it agrees to rezone the other two, Oxford Chase would be able to combine the three parcels into one lot and build a Dollar General store on the site. The town already has agreed to sell its lot, which it purchased last year for $34,000, to Oxford Chase for $80,000.
The town planning commission recommended the approval of the rezoning in a 4-1 vote.
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New Fire Extinguisher Uses Sound Waves to Put Out Flames
Boom out da fi-ya! Bass out da flames!
Firefighters may be snuffing blazes with deep-toned sound, if a new device invented by two engineering students in Fairfax, Virginia, catches on.
Viet Tran and Seth Robertson's new fire extinguisher looks a little like a conventional one, but instead of a compressed air tank spewing out chemicals, theirs has a loudspeaker the size of subwoofer drumming out sound waves.
It's not much to listen to, just a low hum, but when pointed at flames, it makes them vanish.
In a way, it's like blowing the fire out, because sound waves are basically multiple, regular blasts of air.
When they started out, Tran and Robertson thought high-pitched tones would do the trick. It didn't work.
"It's low-frequency sounds – like the thump-thump bass in hip-hop that works," Tran said.
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Firefighters may be snuffing blazes with deep-toned sound, if a new device invented by two engineering students in Fairfax, Virginia, catches on.
Viet Tran and Seth Robertson's new fire extinguisher looks a little like a conventional one, but instead of a compressed air tank spewing out chemicals, theirs has a loudspeaker the size of subwoofer drumming out sound waves.
It's not much to listen to, just a low hum, but when pointed at flames, it makes them vanish.
In a way, it's like blowing the fire out, because sound waves are basically multiple, regular blasts of air.
When they started out, Tran and Robertson thought high-pitched tones would do the trick. It didn't work.
"It's low-frequency sounds – like the thump-thump bass in hip-hop that works," Tran said.
More
Local Before Gray Arrest, Prosecutors Called For More Cops
An email sent to police weeks before Gray died from the spinal injury he suffered in police custody shows State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby has a conflict of interest, the attorneys argued, because she had wanted police to target North Avenue and Mount Street, the intersection in West Baltimore where Gray ran from police on April 12.
The defense motion filed Tuesday says Mosby “is now an integral part of the story … both as an advocate and a witness.”
Officers caught up to Gray two blocks away, restrained him and put him in a police van that made several stops before reaching the station roughly 45 minutes later. By then, he was unresponsive, and died after a week in a coma.
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Turning Sewage Into Drinking Water Gains Appeal As Drought Lingers
LOS ANGELES — It’s a technology with the potential to ease California’s colossal thirst and insulate millions from the parched whims of Mother Nature, experts say.
But there’s just one problem — the “yuck factor.”
As a fourth year of drought continues to drain aquifers and reservoirs, California water managers and environmentalists are urging adoption of a polarizing water recycling policy known as direct potable reuse.
Unlike nonpotable reuse — in which treated sewage is used to irrigate crops, parks or golf courses — direct potable reuse takes treated sewage effluent and purifies it so it can be used as drinking water.
It’s a concept that might cause some consumers to wince, but it has been used for decades in Windhoek, Namibia — where evaporation rates exceed annual rainfall — and more recently in drought-stricken Texas cities, including Big Spring and Wichita Falls.
In California, however, similar plans have run into heavy opposition.
Los Angeles opponents coined the derisive phrase “toilet to tap” in 2000 before torpedoing a plan to filter purified sewage water into an underground reservoir — a technique called indirect potable reuse.
In 1994, a San Diego editorial cartoonist framed debate over a similar proposal by drawing a dog drinking from a toilet bowl while a man ordered the canine to “Move over.”
Despite those defeats, proponents say the time has finally arrived for Californians to accept direct potable reuse as a partial solution to their growing water insecurity. With Gov. Jerry Brown ordering an unprecedented 25 percent cut in urban water usage because of drought, the solution makes particular sense for large coastal cities such as Los Angeles, they say.
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But there’s just one problem — the “yuck factor.”
As a fourth year of drought continues to drain aquifers and reservoirs, California water managers and environmentalists are urging adoption of a polarizing water recycling policy known as direct potable reuse.
Unlike nonpotable reuse — in which treated sewage is used to irrigate crops, parks or golf courses — direct potable reuse takes treated sewage effluent and purifies it so it can be used as drinking water.
It’s a concept that might cause some consumers to wince, but it has been used for decades in Windhoek, Namibia — where evaporation rates exceed annual rainfall — and more recently in drought-stricken Texas cities, including Big Spring and Wichita Falls.
In California, however, similar plans have run into heavy opposition.
Los Angeles opponents coined the derisive phrase “toilet to tap” in 2000 before torpedoing a plan to filter purified sewage water into an underground reservoir — a technique called indirect potable reuse.
In 1994, a San Diego editorial cartoonist framed debate over a similar proposal by drawing a dog drinking from a toilet bowl while a man ordered the canine to “Move over.”
Despite those defeats, proponents say the time has finally arrived for Californians to accept direct potable reuse as a partial solution to their growing water insecurity. With Gov. Jerry Brown ordering an unprecedented 25 percent cut in urban water usage because of drought, the solution makes particular sense for large coastal cities such as Los Angeles, they say.
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State Dept. 100 Days Past Deadline for Human Rights Reports
(CNSNews) – The U.S. State Department has set an all-time record this year in the duration of its failure to comply with the legal deadline for submitting its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices to Congress.
Current law requires the department to submit the reports by Feb. 25. Today, June 5, is the 100th day past that deadline, and the State Department still has not presented the reports.
Prior to this year, 89 days was the longest the department went past the legal deadline before releasing the reports. The 89-day delay took place in 2012, when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state.
As the post-deadline delay in the release of the human rights reports hit its 100th day today, the State Department was finding time to celebrate an event it billed as "Pride at State."
That event, scheduled for 2:00 p.m., has been jointly organized by the department itself and GLIFAA, which State says is "the officially recognized employee affinity group representing LGBTI employees at the Department of State, USAID and foreign affairs agencies."
When the department does release the overdue human rights reports, they will include details of human rights abuses in, among other nations, Iran, Cuba, Malaysia and Vietnam. The administration is currently in the final phases of negotiating a nuclear agreement with Iran, has recently re-established diplomatic relations with Cuba and is planning to include Malaysia and Vietnam in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
The annual reports were first published in 1977, under a legal mandate included in the 1976 International Security and Arms Export Control Act.
According to the law as originally enacted, the reports were supposed to detail the human rights abuses in nations receiving security assistance from the United States so that members of Congress would be better informed about the nature of the governments that were receiving this type of aid.
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Current law requires the department to submit the reports by Feb. 25. Today, June 5, is the 100th day past that deadline, and the State Department still has not presented the reports.
Prior to this year, 89 days was the longest the department went past the legal deadline before releasing the reports. The 89-day delay took place in 2012, when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state.
As the post-deadline delay in the release of the human rights reports hit its 100th day today, the State Department was finding time to celebrate an event it billed as "Pride at State."
That event, scheduled for 2:00 p.m., has been jointly organized by the department itself and GLIFAA, which State says is "the officially recognized employee affinity group representing LGBTI employees at the Department of State, USAID and foreign affairs agencies."
When the department does release the overdue human rights reports, they will include details of human rights abuses in, among other nations, Iran, Cuba, Malaysia and Vietnam. The administration is currently in the final phases of negotiating a nuclear agreement with Iran, has recently re-established diplomatic relations with Cuba and is planning to include Malaysia and Vietnam in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
The annual reports were first published in 1977, under a legal mandate included in the 1976 International Security and Arms Export Control Act.
According to the law as originally enacted, the reports were supposed to detail the human rights abuses in nations receiving security assistance from the United States so that members of Congress would be better informed about the nature of the governments that were receiving this type of aid.
More
Prager: Differences Between Left and Right, Part II
Battling Society vs. Battling Yourself
The difference between Right and Left addressed in this column concerns a fundamentally different method that each utilizes in order to improve society.
Conservatives believe that the way to a better world is almost always through moral improvement of the individual — by each person doing battle with his own moral defects. It is true that in particularly violent and evil societies such as fascist, communist and Islamist tyrannies the individual must be preoccupied with battling outside forces. Almost everywhere else, however, and certainly in a free and decent country such as America, the greatest battle of the individual must be with inner forces — that is, with his or her flawed character and moral defects. (See Left-Right Difference Part 1 concerning their differing perceptions of human nature.)
The Left, on the other hand, believes that the way to a better world is almost always through doing battle withsociety’s moral defects (real and/or as perceived by the Left). Thus, in America, the Left defines the good person as the one who fights the sexism, racism, intolerance, xenophobia, homophobia, Islamophobia and other evils that the Left believes permeate American society.
That is one reason those on the left are more preoccupied with politics than those on the right. A simple example should make this point clear. Whenever the term “activist” or “social activist” or “organizer” is used, one infers that the term refers to someone on the Left.
One consequence of this difference is that conservatives believe that good is achieved far more gradually than liberals do. The process of making a better world is largely a one-by-one-by-one effort. And it must be redone in every single generation. The noblest generation ever born still has to teach its children how to battle their natures. If it doesn’t, even the best society will begin to rapidly devolve, which is exactly what conservatives believe has been happening to America since the end of World War II.
The Left does not focus on individual character development. Rather, it has always and everywhere focused on social revolution. The most revealing statement of then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, the most committed leftist ever elected president of the United States, was made just days before the 2008 election: “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America,” he told a large rapturous audience.
More here
The difference between Right and Left addressed in this column concerns a fundamentally different method that each utilizes in order to improve society.
Conservatives believe that the way to a better world is almost always through moral improvement of the individual — by each person doing battle with his own moral defects. It is true that in particularly violent and evil societies such as fascist, communist and Islamist tyrannies the individual must be preoccupied with battling outside forces. Almost everywhere else, however, and certainly in a free and decent country such as America, the greatest battle of the individual must be with inner forces — that is, with his or her flawed character and moral defects. (See Left-Right Difference Part 1 concerning their differing perceptions of human nature.)
The Left, on the other hand, believes that the way to a better world is almost always through doing battle withsociety’s moral defects (real and/or as perceived by the Left). Thus, in America, the Left defines the good person as the one who fights the sexism, racism, intolerance, xenophobia, homophobia, Islamophobia and other evils that the Left believes permeate American society.
That is one reason those on the left are more preoccupied with politics than those on the right. A simple example should make this point clear. Whenever the term “activist” or “social activist” or “organizer” is used, one infers that the term refers to someone on the Left.
One consequence of this difference is that conservatives believe that good is achieved far more gradually than liberals do. The process of making a better world is largely a one-by-one-by-one effort. And it must be redone in every single generation. The noblest generation ever born still has to teach its children how to battle their natures. If it doesn’t, even the best society will begin to rapidly devolve, which is exactly what conservatives believe has been happening to America since the end of World War II.
The Left does not focus on individual character development. Rather, it has always and everywhere focused on social revolution. The most revealing statement of then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, the most committed leftist ever elected president of the United States, was made just days before the 2008 election: “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America,” he told a large rapturous audience.
More here
Lilly The Seal Reluctantly Returns To Ocean After Rehab Stint
ASSATEAGUE — A somewhat reluctant Lilly, a juvenile grey seal rescued from the beach in Delaware and rehabbed at the National Aquarium this spring, returned to the sea at Assateague State Park on Tuesday morning after turning back a few times.
Lilly was rescued on the Delaware coast on Easter in early April after suffering a broken jaw. The young seal was transported to the Animal Rescue Program at the National Aquarium in Baltimore where it began an extensive rehab program under the watchful eye of aquarium staffers.
After two months of rehabilitation, Lilly was deemed fully recovered and was medically cleared for re-release. Lilly was transported from the aquarium to the beach at Assateague State Park on Tuesday morning in a crate, which was then carefully loaded onto the beach. With hundreds of onlookers lining both sides of the young seal’s path to the ocean and cameras flashing, the crate was opened and Lilly began a rather reluctant return to the sea.
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This Summer, The Cafeteria Comes To The Kids
"Chow bus! Chow bus! Chow bus!" chants Gunner Fischer, 3, as a custom-painted school bus rounds the corner and rumbles toward his apartment complex in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
About 21 million students nationwide eat free and reduced-price meals throughout the school year, but getting those same kids fed during the summer is a challenge. Only a fraction of those make it to schools or community centers for summer meals.
So some school districts are getting creative in the way they're using USDA funds: Murfreesboro City Schools is taking the cafeteria to the kids. The district calls it the Combating Hunger on Wheels Bus — or the CHOW bus.
Gunner has spent the last 30 minutes chasing his sisters with a toy sword, waiting on breakfast. His face is smeared with chocolate, remnants of the cookies he's already been into this morning.
The words CHOW bus have replaced the school bus sign over the windshield. It's blue and green with a food-themed mural on the side. Inside, some seats have been replaced with tables. And the bus is air conditioned so kids don't have to sweat through their Lucky Charms and chocolate milk. Yes, that's considered a nutritious breakfast by the USDA.
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About 21 million students nationwide eat free and reduced-price meals throughout the school year, but getting those same kids fed during the summer is a challenge. Only a fraction of those make it to schools or community centers for summer meals.
So some school districts are getting creative in the way they're using USDA funds: Murfreesboro City Schools is taking the cafeteria to the kids. The district calls it the Combating Hunger on Wheels Bus — or the CHOW bus.
Gunner has spent the last 30 minutes chasing his sisters with a toy sword, waiting on breakfast. His face is smeared with chocolate, remnants of the cookies he's already been into this morning.
The words CHOW bus have replaced the school bus sign over the windshield. It's blue and green with a food-themed mural on the side. Inside, some seats have been replaced with tables. And the bus is air conditioned so kids don't have to sweat through their Lucky Charms and chocolate milk. Yes, that's considered a nutritious breakfast by the USDA.
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For Baltimore Businesses, Riot Aid Is Not Coming Fast Enough
It took only minutes for stores in Baltimore to be destroyed on the night of April 27. But six weeks later, the repair process is still limping along. And stores not directly affected by the violence say they've also seen a sharp decline in business.
"Look outside, there's nobody," says Pedro Silva, owner of Carolina's Tex-Mex Restaurant in Fells Point, a usually busy tourist spot. "Before we used to be no parking space. Now it's empty. It's empty, day, night."
Silva says since the riots, business has been cut in half. And at lunchtime last week, the place was almost empty, as Silva sat with a lending officer from the non-profit Latino Economic Development Center, to get a $5,000 loan to cover some bills.
Nearly 400 businesses throughout Baltimore were damaged during riots after the death of Freddie Gray. The city, state and federal governments have offered millions of dollars in aid. But very little has gone out so far, despite broad agreement that getting these businesses back on their feet is crucial for the city's recovery.
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"Look outside, there's nobody," says Pedro Silva, owner of Carolina's Tex-Mex Restaurant in Fells Point, a usually busy tourist spot. "Before we used to be no parking space. Now it's empty. It's empty, day, night."
Silva says since the riots, business has been cut in half. And at lunchtime last week, the place was almost empty, as Silva sat with a lending officer from the non-profit Latino Economic Development Center, to get a $5,000 loan to cover some bills.
Nearly 400 businesses throughout Baltimore were damaged during riots after the death of Freddie Gray. The city, state and federal governments have offered millions of dollars in aid. But very little has gone out so far, despite broad agreement that getting these businesses back on their feet is crucial for the city's recovery.
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Black Unemployment Challenges States
Job seekers listen to a recruiter at a jobs fair in Chicago last year. The unemployment rate for African-Americans has declined this year, but it still remains twice that of whites. (Getty Images)
Technically, the Great Recession ended six years ago. But while employment recovery from the recession has been slow for all Americans, among African-Americans, it has been doubly so.
In April, the unemployment rate for African-Americans dropped below 10 percent for the first time since early in the recession to 9.6 percent. It edged up a bit in May to 10.2 percent. Still, that’s far below its peak of 16.8 percent in the aftermath of the housing bust in March 2010.
Despite this improvement, the black unemployment rate remains double that of non-Hispanic whites—a pattern that has held firm since 1960, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In some states, it’s far worse than the national rate. The 2014 black unemployment rates in Wisconsin, Nevada and Michigan were 19.9 percent, 16.1 percent and 15.8 percent respectively, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). In the District of Columbia, the black unemployment rate is more than five times that of whites.
Technically, the Great Recession ended six years ago. But while employment recovery from the recession has been slow for all Americans, among African-Americans, it has been doubly so.
In April, the unemployment rate for African-Americans dropped below 10 percent for the first time since early in the recession to 9.6 percent. It edged up a bit in May to 10.2 percent. Still, that’s far below its peak of 16.8 percent in the aftermath of the housing bust in March 2010.
Despite this improvement, the black unemployment rate remains double that of non-Hispanic whites—a pattern that has held firm since 1960, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In some states, it’s far worse than the national rate. The 2014 black unemployment rates in Wisconsin, Nevada and Michigan were 19.9 percent, 16.1 percent and 15.8 percent respectively, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). In the District of Columbia, the black unemployment rate is more than five times that of whites.
Why is the unemployment rate so intractable in the African-American community?
Guy Fails To Check Powerball Ticket, Spends Six Weeks Clueless To The Fact That He’s A Millionaire
There are some problems we all wish we could have, and finding out you’ve been needlessly spending your days as a normal person only to learn you’re actually a millionaire is certainly one of them. A New York man thought the Powerball winner had already been found, when in fact, he had the winning ticket worth $136 million tacked up in his basement behind a pipe for six weeks.
Google Issues First Monthly Report On Traffic Incidents Involving Its Self-Driving Cars
Before Google’s self-driving cars become an everyday reality for consumers, the company not only needs to test the vehicles extensively, but it also has to make sure the public isn’t put off over concerns that the technology is unsafe. Amid recent reports that they’ve already been in minor accidents, Google has now started releasing public reports detailing traffic incidents involving its driverless cars.
Pirate A 20-Year-Old Friends Episode, Get Hit With A $20 Bill From Warner Bros.
A quick search on our TV menu here in the Consumerist Cave finds that there are more than 150 episodes of Friends set to air on various channels — both cable and broadcast — over the next couple of weeks. Not bad for a show that’s been off the air for over a decade and which is also streaming in its entirety on Netflix. Given this ready availability, we don’t know why one would download a pirated copy of a Friends episode, but if you do, prepare to be slapped with a bill for $20 from Warner Bros.
Car Owner Reunited With Her “First Love” 43 Years After Corvette Stingray Was Stolen
In a rare, heartwarming tale of the return of a valued possession once thought to be lost forever, the owner of a 1972 Corvette Stingray that was stolen 43 years ago was finally reunited with her “first love.” And she is not going to let it out of her sight ever again.
Mark Levin: China's Hacking of U.S. Government Computers 'Is an Act of War'
Nationally syndicated radio host Mark Levin called China’s hacking into the U.S. government’s personnel computer system “an act of war.”
“This is an act of war. Our enemies are on the move, and we sit here, and we take it,” Levin said on his June 4 broadcast.
“We’re unilaterally disarming on every front with this pathetic excuse for a president. And the Republicans, they hand him all the power he wants."
“The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal are reporting that the hacking into our government computer system, compromising the information of over 4 million--over 4 million federal workers--was the work of Chinese hackers. Now let me tell you something: the media in this country are a joke. It’s not Chinese hackers; it’s the Chinese government.
“You don’t have the ability to hack, to get on the Internet, to do this sort of thing in China unless they let you do it, unless they want you to do it, unless they direct you to do it. So, I’ll be so bold as to say: It’s the Chinese government.
“And the Chinese government has been doing this forever. Stealing our technology so it can build its missiles and put warheads on them. So it can build submarines. So it can build aircraft carriers. 'Oh that China, they’re so cutting edge.' No, they’re not. It’s another throwback massive police state. They steal the technology from us.
“'Oh well, let’s make sure they’re in Fast Track. We got to make sure China is part of Fast Track.' I said I’m for free trade—not with the enemy! Not with the enemy building islands 800 miles off their shore claiming the South China Sea, claiming the East China Sea. Threatening Vietnam, threatening the Philippines, threatening the Japanese and South Korea. Certainly threatening Taiwan, which they seek to devour.
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“This is an act of war. Our enemies are on the move, and we sit here, and we take it,” Levin said on his June 4 broadcast.
“We’re unilaterally disarming on every front with this pathetic excuse for a president. And the Republicans, they hand him all the power he wants."
“The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal are reporting that the hacking into our government computer system, compromising the information of over 4 million--over 4 million federal workers--was the work of Chinese hackers. Now let me tell you something: the media in this country are a joke. It’s not Chinese hackers; it’s the Chinese government.
“You don’t have the ability to hack, to get on the Internet, to do this sort of thing in China unless they let you do it, unless they want you to do it, unless they direct you to do it. So, I’ll be so bold as to say: It’s the Chinese government.
“And the Chinese government has been doing this forever. Stealing our technology so it can build its missiles and put warheads on them. So it can build submarines. So it can build aircraft carriers. 'Oh that China, they’re so cutting edge.' No, they’re not. It’s another throwback massive police state. They steal the technology from us.
“'Oh well, let’s make sure they’re in Fast Track. We got to make sure China is part of Fast Track.' I said I’m for free trade—not with the enemy! Not with the enemy building islands 800 miles off their shore claiming the South China Sea, claiming the East China Sea. Threatening Vietnam, threatening the Philippines, threatening the Japanese and South Korea. Certainly threatening Taiwan, which they seek to devour.
More here