Study: Electronic voting machines in 43 states are out of date

When Americans head to the polls for next year's presidential election, 43 states will be using electronic voting machines that are at least a decade old, according to a new study from New York University School of Law's Brennan Center for Justice released Tuesday. And the price tag for replacement machines could top $1 billion.

Fifteen years after the term "hanging chad" entered the American political lexicon, and Congress appropriated $2 billion to move to electronic voting systems to avoid a future conundrum, those same electronic systems are still in use in many jurisdictions.

“No one expects a laptop to last for 10 years. How can we expect these machines, many of which were designed and engineered in the 1990s, to keep running without increased failures?” said Lawrence Norden, deputy director of the Center’s Democracy Program, and co-author of the study, in a statement. “Old equipment can have serious security flaws, and the longer we delay purchasing new machines, the higher the risk. To avoid a new technology crisis every decade, we must plan for and invest in voting technology for the 21st century.”

The biggest risk in waiting, the study found, is that machines will continue to fail and malfunction, increasing lines at the voting booth and causing a crisis in confidence in the voting system.
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Ben Carson Works His Way Up the Donation Ladder

First came the grass-roots support. Now Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon who has quietly arrived near the front of the Republican presidential field, is scooping up $100,000 a night from wealthy donors in Texas and California — evidence that he is fast transforming from a novelty candidate into one to be taken seriously by rivals and party leaders alike.

Trailing only Donald J. Trump in some national surveys, Mr. Carson and Jeb Bush, who is running third in some polls, will flank Mr. Trump at center stage in the second Republican debate at 8 p.m. Wednesday on CNN. With more than $23 million at his disposal, according to his campaign, Mr. Carson has hired a staff of about 75, including 30 field organizers in seven states, seeking to carry him all the way to theRepublican National Convention.

At the Aug. 6 debate, Mr. Carson went long stretches without speaking, and apparently suffered from stage fright, before finishing with a rousing and funny riff on brain surgery, lamebrains in Washington and “the torch of freedom.” His minimalist but memorable performance helped uncork about $6.1 million in small donations last month, said Barry Bennett, Mr. Carson’s campaign manager. That was twice as much as he had raised in his best previous month.

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SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH

Congress Fiddles While the Economy Burns

Reports that the official unemployment rate has fallen to 5.1 percent may appear to vindicate the policies of easy money, corporate bailouts, and increased government spending. However, even the mainstream media has acknowledged that the official numbers understate the true unemployment rate. This is because the government's unemployment figures do not include the 94 million Americans who have given up looking for work or who have settled for part-time employment. John Williams of Shadow Government Statistics estimates the real unemployment rate is between 23 and 24 percent.

Disappointingly, but not surprisingly, few in Washington, DC acknowledge that America's economic future is endangered by excessive spending, borrowing, taxing, and inflating. Instead, Congress continues to waste taxpayer money on futile attempts to run the economy, run our lives, and run the world.

For example, Congress spent the majority of last week trying to void the Iranian nuclear agreement. This effort was spearheaded by those who think the US should waste trillions of dollars on another no-win Middle East war. Congressional war hawks ignore how America's hyper-interventionist foreign policy feeds the growing rebellion against the dollar's world reserve currency status. Of course, the main reason many are seeking an alternative to the dollar is their concern that, unless Congress stops creating — and the Federal Reserve stops monetizing — massive deficits, the US will experience a Greek-like economic crisis.

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Sales of actual pumpkins plummet as pumpkin spice everything abounds

Are you craving pumpkin spice everything?

You aren't alone-- according to Nielsen, which tracks consumer behavior, 37 percent of U.S. shoppers purchased a pumpkin-flavored product last year. Such products, which have become synonymous with autumn, accounted for $361 million in sales in the last year, having spiked by 79 percent since 2011.

On the other hand, sales of fresh pumpkins have declined since 2011, with 8.6 million fewer pumpkins being sold, a Nielsen analysis found.

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Big Oil CEO: 'A Few People Are Going To Drown'

“None of us have a great sense for where oil prices are going,” said Al Walker, CEO ofAnadarko Petroleum APC +0.00%. So for some perspective Walker talked to his friend Jim Flores, CEO of Freeport FCX +0.00% McMoRan’s oil and gas business. “I asked him,” Walker said, “Jim, where are we going?”

Flores’ response: “Baby, it’s raining. It’s going to rain for a long time and we’re all going to get wet. A few people are going to drown.”

Anadarko will be one of the survivors, said Walker. “We’re capable of handling whatever the market gives us.”

Walker was speaking Wednesday at the Barclays oil and gas conference in New York. In a half-hour presentation he made a convincing case for why Anadarko was not going to be one of the companies to drown in this storm of plunging oil prices. And he presented some thoughts on how the global oil industry is set to evolve in the years to come. My takeaway from his comments: once the industry emerges from these doldrums, America’s tight oil producers are set to have a lot more influence on global oil pricing than is commonly appreciated.

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A Welcome Letter from Delmar High School’s New Principal,

Crony Capitalism to Blame Not Free Markets

Two fatal developments are converging during this election in the United States. The decoupling of the super-rich from the rest of society is an accelerating trend in recent years. And also the consequences of a series of rulings by the Supreme Court in 2010 that enable politicians and support groups to accept unlimited donations. This confluence of events is undermining the development of the world's proudest democracy. 

The distribution of wealth in the United States is getting absurd... The emerging chasm is so enormous it can be described as being no less than a gulf. The debate in Germany over the growing divide between the highest echelons of society and the lowest pales by comparison. 

The idea that free markets will ultimately create the best possible living conditions is, of course, a wonderful one. But the reality in America looks like this: The yearly income of a typical middle-class family has fallen by almost $5,000 since 1999. If you factor in inflation, male workers last year earned on average $783 less than they did 42 years ago. For the country's richest, on the other hand, things are going swimmingly. The highest 0.1 percent possesses almost as much wealth as the lowest 90 percent taken together. The family of Sam Walton, founder of supermarket chain Walmart, has amassed over $149 billion in wealth. The family possesses as much as all of the lowest 42 percent of the country combined. 

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Smith Island releases its Vision Plan for a thriving and resilient future

When the State of Maryland surveyed residents of Smith Island last year about their hopes for the future, the responses captured both their deep love and concerns for their home — Maryland’s last inhabited island in the Chesapeake Bay reachable only by boat. One resident said of his life on Smith Island: “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.” Another wondered how Smith Island might be made more attractive to outsiders.

Now a newly-released Vision Plan is helping islanders navigate the challenges ahead, while preserving what matters most — a way of life and spirit of community that make Smith Island an historical, cultural and environmental national treasure.

Questions about the future of Smith Island after Hurricane Sandy prompted the nine-month Visioning process, which is seen by many as an essential first step in taking control of their future. “This process turned out to be exactly what we needed to do,” said Vision Plan Steering Committee member Eddie Somers, who admitted to being skeptical at the beginning.

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$2,883,250,000,000: Federal Taxes Set Record Through August; $19,346 Per Worker; Feds Still Run $530B Deficit

(CNSNews.com) - The federal government raked in a record of approximately $2,883,250,000,000 in tax revenues through the first eleven months of fiscal 2015 (Oct. 1, 2014 through the end of August), according to the Monthly Treasury Statement released Friday.

That equaled approximately $19,346 for every person in the country who had either a full-time or part-time job in August.

It is also up about $198,425,330,000 in constant 2015 dollars from the $2,684,824,670,000 in revenue (in inflation-adjusted 2015 dollars) that the Treasury raked in during the first eleven months of fiscal 2014.

Despite the record tax revenues of $2,883,250,000,000 in the first eleven months of this fiscal year, the government spent $3,413,210,000,000 in those eleven months, and, thus, ran up a deficit of $529,960,000,000 during the period.

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR BERLIN UTILITY CUSTOMERS

Water/Sewer Customers:
Certain Residential users may be exempt from paying the Bay Restoration Fund fee (often referred to as the “flush tax”). Included in the mailing of your latest utility bill was a form to request exemption due to financial hardship. If you think you may qualify, please be sure to complete and return the form, which is also available on our website at berlinmd.gov/town-department-services/town-forms-permit-applications/. For more information, please call 410-641-2770.

All Utility Customers:
Berlin will soon be implementing a change in the way customers are notified of pending utility termination for non-payment. For many years customers who were delinquent in paying their Electric and/or Water/Sewer bills received final notice via a yellow door-hanger, informing them of the amount owed and the date that service would be terminated for non-payment. We’ve received some complaints that the door hangers were damaged by the rain or blown off by the wind. We’re changing the process to ensure those customers with overdue bills receive their final notice. Starting January 1st, customers facing termination will begin receiving these notices by mail in a yellow envelope; door-hangers will no longer be delivered.

Refugees Pose As Syrians

At Budapest’s Keleti Train Station last week, Mahmoud, a Syrian from Aleppo, looked around the underground concourse packed with new arrivals like himself. Judging from their accents and dialects, he reckoned that little more than 10 percent of them were Syrian. But he saw many more passing themselves off as Syrians.

Indeed, during his journey through Greece and the Balkans on his way to Hungary, “I found a bunch of Iraqis buying fake Syrian passports,” said Mahmoud, adding that now Syrians “are worried that their passports are being stolen.” Nearby, a countryman furtively showed his passport, tucked between the sole and padding of one of his sneakers.

As Europe moves to take in large numbers of refugees, particularly from Syria, some other migrants—often Iraqis, Libyans, Palestinians and Egyptians—are attempting to pass themselves off as Syrian, said aid workers, government officials and fellow migrants.

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Pope Warns That Militants Could Sneak Into Europe With Refugees

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis has warned against the risk that militants could slip into Europe under cover of a huge wave of refugees fleeing war in Syria but also said the migrant crisis could help reawaken the continent's conscience.

In an interview published on Monday with the Portuguese Catholic broadcaster Radio Renascenca, the pope referred to the risk that Islamic State, which has killed Christians and other minorities in the Middle East, could launch attacks in Europe.

"It's true, I also want to recognize that, nowadays, territorial security conditions are not the same as they were in other periods (of mass migration)," he said in the interview.

"The truth is that just 250 miles from Sicily there is an incredibly cruel terrorist group. So there is a danger of infiltration, this is true."

Security specialists have said the risk that militants could be smuggled into Europe in this way is small.

Asked if Rome could be the target of an attack, the pope said: "Yes, nobody said Rome would be immune to this threat. But you can take precautions ..."

ISIS militants have made threats against Catholic targets in Rome that have been widely reported and security has been stepped up in the Vatican City and other religious sites in Italy that draw many pilgrims and tourists.

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Baltimore City police train in new riot gear

BALTIMORE —Police tell the 11 News I-Team that the new riot gear is dramatically different from what they relied on during April's violence in Baltimore.

While they're hoping not to use the new equipment, they said they will to protect citizens and themselves if civil unrest breaks out again.

This comes from lessons learned during the April unrest. Police said the gear they had was inadequate and now they are confident the new equipment offers better protections.

"We put the helmet on first, because we teach you are just one brick away from losing command on your line and the helmet itself is our most vital piece of gear we have out there," said Detective Robert Himes, Baltimore City police instructor.

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Calls To Depose GOP Leadership Mount

For the first time, GOP leadership is very nervous that House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, could be deposed. Conservative disappointment with the Republican leadership on a host of issues from the Iran deal, to federal funding for Planned Parenthood, to the failure to secure a budget, have left some members openly calling for the leadership's removal.

"Time for new congressional leadership," Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich. tweeted Saturday. He added: GOP leaders "in Congress refuse to listen to regular Americans."

GOP leaders "don't follow their own party platform," former Sen. Jim DeMint, who now heads up the conservative Heritage Foundation, said Sunday. "Things that were mainstay 10 years ago [like] balancing the budget, limited government, getting rid of cronyism, [are] now called radical or far right."

"We, along with millions of Americans, are frustrated that this Republican Party has not stood up to President Obama for his whole time in office," DeMint said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

"The key question is: who is in charge right now?" asked Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., in an interview with the Washington Examiner. "Who is in charge right now of the United States budget?"

"I'm a member of Congress, on the Budget Committee ... and I don't even know who is in charge of the budget process right now," said Brat.

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Here are 7 new places to buy workers' compensation and life insurance in Maryland

Seven insurance companies have been approved to sell workers' compensation and life insurance in Maryland.

The seven insurers — six selling workers compensation and one selling life insurance — builds on Maryland Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer Jr.’s goal to bring more insurers to Maryland. Redmer thinks more insurance companies will increase competition and possibly drive down prices for consumers.

The six new workers' compensation plans add to options available from more than 500 carriers. Many of those plans are offered by subsidiaries of the same company. For example, 21st Century Insurance sells workers compensation plans under six names.

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Gang Leaders in El Salvador Testing Their Power in L.A., Rest of U.S.

Two were arrested by border agents in Texas. Another was found washing cars at a Santa Ana dealership.

The Salvadoran gang members were responsible, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials alleged, for the March assassination of Andrés Ernesto Oliva Tejada, a prosecuting attorney in the homicide unit of the Salvadoran Attorney General’s Office in the southeastern city of Usulután.

Within weeks of the killing, the suspects had made their way to the United States. And experts say this is far from the only case in which the epidemic violence in El Salvador is overflowing into nearly all points north — and especially in Los Angeles, where El Salvador’s two deadliest gangs were founded.

Gang leaders from Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, and the 18th Street gang have continued to consolidate their power over neighborhoods across Central America, along human smuggling routes and within the narcotics trafficking trade. They’re also increasingly reaching out to affiliated gangs — called cliques — in the United States, according to Special Agent Tony Rodriguez, the section chief for ICE’s National Gang Unit.

Many cliques already pay dues that help support the gangs in El Salvador, but Rodriguez said leaders have been emboldened by the weakness of the Salvadoran government and their growing power throughout other parts of Central America. Now, he said, MS-13 and 18th Street leaders in El Salvador, “are trying to put pressure on members to get more violent and more active” in the United States.

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Governor Hogan Eliminates or Cuts Fees Statewide, Saving Marylanders $51 Million Over Five Years

Statewide Fee Rollback Will Benefit Thousands of Businesses, Farmers, and Struggling Families Across Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today delivered on his promise to roll back Maryland’s high fees and put money back into the pockets of hard-working Maryland families and businesses. As part of a process that will begin immediately, eight agencies will reduce or completely eliminate hundreds of individual fees currently levied by Maryland’s government. In total, the Hogan administration announced plans to reduce or eliminate 100 fees across state government, as well as 115 separate fees related to animal health diagnostics at the Department of Agriculture.

The Hogan administration will reduce fees paid by Maryland taxpayers by approximately $10.2 million per year, or approximately $51 million over the next five years. This includes the $5.9 million elimination of E-Z Pass maintenance fees, which took effect in July. Governor Hogan’s Fee Rollback, which will proceed as a series of changes to state regulations and won’t require new legislation, will not interrupt the delivery of services to citizens and business.

“We are very proud to announce another step our administration is taking to deliver relief to Maryland’s businesses and struggling families,” said Governor Hogan. “Earlier this year, I challenged my Cabinet to reduce or eliminate fees throughout their departments, and today we can announce that we are reducing or eliminating 100 fees across state government."

Hogan Addresses O’Malley Furniture Scandal At News Conference

BALTIMORE (WJZ) – Governor Larry Hogan fielded questions Tuesday afternoon after he publicly announced his plans to cut hundreds of fees across state government.

The Baltimore Sun reports that in the news conference he was asked about his thoughts on the Martin O’Malley furniture scandal.

Hogan called the scandal an “ongoing ethics investigation,” and he said the account O’Malley gave to the Washington Post was “absolutely blatantly false.”

Although the controversy garnered national attention in mid-August when the State Ethics Commission got publicly involved, Hogan believes presidential candidate Martin O’Malley’s shady business practices started back when he and his wife first moved into the governor’s mansion.

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Berlin Fiddler’s Convention This Weekend

BERLIN — Three days of live music and competition highlight the 23rd Berlin Fiddler’s Convention on Sept. 18-20 in downtown Berlin.

The free, family friendly event attracts competitors from across the country to compete for thousands of dollars in cash prizes during the popular annual event sponsored by the Berlin Chamber of Commerce.

Such Fools, winners of last year’s full-band competition, kick off this year’s festival on Friday, Sept. 18 from 7-10 p.m. on the north end of Main Street. Headline act Bob Perilla’s Big Hillbilly Bluegrass will immediately follow. The free concert is scheduled to run until 10 p.m.

The competition runs on Saturday, Sept. 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on South Main Street, featuring adult and children’s categories including fiddle, mandolin, guitar, banjo, and full band.

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Lawmaker Seeks Impeachment of EPA Chief

A Republican lawmaker from Arizona wants the head of the Environmental Protection Agency impeached.

A resolution introduced Friday by Rep. Paul Gosar calls for the removal of Gina McCarthy as EPA administrator for making false statements on multiple occasions during congressional testimony. The resolution has 20 co-sponsors.

"Perjury before Congress is perjury to the American people and an affront to the fundamental principles of our republic and the rule of law," Gosar said. "Such behavior cannot be tolerated. My legislation will hold Administrator McCarthy accountable for her blatant deceptions and unlawful conduct."

The congressman accuses McCarthy of committing perjury on three occasions concerning the EPA's new Waters of the U.S. rule, also known as the Clean Water Rule. The rule, which Gosar and other Republicans oppose, gives the federal government control of various types of waterways — such as ditches and tributaries — normally under the jurisdiction of the states.

During multiple hearings spanning from February to July, Gosar said McCarthy testified that regulations on previously non-jurisdictional waters were developed based on scientific data. However, memos between officials at the Army Corps of Engineers, which is helping implement the water rule, indicate that was not necessarily true.

Gosar also said McCarthy provided false statements under oath when she claimed that the EPA had met all of the rule's legal and scientific deficiencies raised by the Army Corps of Engineers. Gosar said memos and testimony from Army Corps officials dispute those claims.

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General Electric to Move 500 U.S. Jobs Overseas Blaming Ex-Im Bank Closure

General Electric Co. will move around 500 U.S. jobs overseas to avoid losing business to foreign rivals, a decision the company said was prompted by the lapse of the U.S. Export-Import Bank earlier this summer.

For months, GE has said that the failure to reauthorize the export financing agency, which congressional Republicans have singled out as an example of corporate welfare, would force the company to move jobs overseas or risk losing contracts for turbines, power projects and other industrial equipment.

GE said Tuesday it had signed an agreement for a line of credit for certain power projects from France’s export credit agency, Compagnie Française d’Assurance pour le Commerce Extérieur, or Coface, which would result in 400 jobs moving to Europe, primarily from facilities in New York, Texas, South Carolina and Maine.

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Governor Larry Hogan Hosts Blood Drive, Bone Marrow Registry at State House

Commemorates World Lymphoma Day and Blood Cancer Awareness, Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

ANNAPOLIS, MD - Governor Larry Hogan today hosted a blood drive and bone marrow registry at the State House as part of World Lymphoma Day, which is today, September 15. In addition, Government House will be lit in red this evening in support of the Lymphoma Research Foundation’s “Light it Red for Lymphoma” movement. The month of September is both Blood Cancer Awareness and Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
“Giving blood or participating in a bone marrow registry are great ways to support the fight against cancer, and I encourage all Marylanders to join our efforts,” said Governor Hogan. “My battle with cancer has been one of the most difficult challenges I have faced in my life and I am fully committed to doing everything in my power to bring awareness to this disease and help others who are fighting the battle of their lives.”
Throughout his treatment, Governor Hogan has encouraged support for cancer research and organizations that assist people and families fighting this disease. Shortly after his diagnosis, the governor started HoganStrong to raise awareness and resources for cancer-fighting organizations.
This past Sunday, Governor Hogan invited five children with cancer from the Cool Kids Campaign to join him on the field at the Washington Redskins home opener to promote Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
Today’s blood drive and bone marrow registry benefits the American Red Cross, There Goes My Hero, and Delete Blood Cancer.

Civil Asset Forfeiture Has Enabled Police To Become The New "Highwaymen"

The Highwayman has a romantic image as a bold, 18th-century scallywag who would ride up to a coachload of aristocrats on his horse, shouting, “Stand and deliver!” Having relieved the aristocrats of their purses, he would gallop off.

Today, the Highwayman is being revived in a big way in the US. But, far from being a scofflaw, he is, in fact, the law. He wears a badge and the law protects him in his roadside robberies.

The revival is the result, in part, of both the defunding of police departments (creating a demand for law enforcement departments to seek money from other sources) and the encouragement of the federal government for an overall expansion of the police state.

The legal justification for such highway robbery is the police practice of civil forfeiture, which has been on the books for decades. Civil forfeiture allows law enforcement to seize property (including cash, cars, and even homes) without having to prove the owners are guilty of a crime.

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Black Rapper Shows How Trump’s Message Resonates With Black Voters

As polls show Donald Trump performing better than ever with black voters, progressive rapper Azealia Banks is expressing support for Trump’s popular immigration policy because of the positive impact it could have on black Americans.

“Do you think it’s bad that I sort of agree with [Trump’s] stance on immigration?” the rapper wrote on her Instagram account on September 7th.

Banks, a black rapper from Harlem, made headlines in March of this year by declaring her hatred for “this country” and “white Americans.”

Banks explained that her support for Trump’s immigration plan is based on the detrimental impact mass immigration has had on the black community. “Black Americans still have not been paid reparations for slavery,” she wrote. “It’s selfish, but America has been really good at convincing me that everyone else’s problems are more important than my own.”

Read more here..

Governor Hogan: Fee Rollback Press Conference

This morning I announced my plan to cut or completely eliminate 100 fees across state government, saving Maryland...
Posted by Larry Hogan on Tuesday, September 15, 2015

New bombshell: 5-month gap in Hillary emails

Compared to missing 18 minutes in Nixon Watergate tapes

WASHINGTON – There are gaps totaling five months in the Hillary Clinton emails released by the State Department, the watchdog group Judicial Watch announced Monday morning.

The revelation emerged after a court ordered the release of State Department documents as part of Judicial Watch’s effort to obtain Clinton emails under the Freedom of Information Act.

Emails sent and received by Clinton on her private server are missing over periods totaling five months, beginning when she took office as secretary of state in 2009.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said the gaps indicate Clinton lied under oath when she said all her emails had been turned over, and it suggested government officials had not turned over everything they were required to deliver.

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Federal college comparison tool receives praise, criticism from Md. educators

An online tool created by the Obama administration to help college-bound students comparison shop drew praise from some universities that appear to be good bargains and derision from others who said it was too simplistic to look at cost versus potential earning power.

Graduates from the Johns Hopkins University make a median salary of $69,200 a decade after enrolling in the undergraduate school, which costs about $26,600 a year, according to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

The cost is the net price paid by students after all financial aid. For public schools, the cost is calculated for in-state students.

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Report: Iran finds 'unexpectedly high' uranium reserve after Dems seal nuke deal for Obama

Iran has reportedly found an unexpectedly high reserve of uranium, following assessments that the country is running low on the nuclear raw material and just days after President Obama essentially secured an international nuclear deal with the country's leaders.

The discovery was reported first by Reuters and based on comments made by Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi to the state news agency IRNA.

"I cannot announce (the level of) Iran's uranium mine reserves," Salehi was quoted as saying. "The important thing is that before aerial prospecting for uranium ores we were not too optimistic, but the new discoveries have made us confident about our reserves."

The international deal with Iran, largely brokered by the Obama administration, slows the country’s nuclear development for nearly a decade in exchange for the lifting of billions of dollars worth of crippling economic sanctions.

World leaders think Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon, despite Tehran’s denial.

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Without Government, Who Would Force A Men's Barbershop To Cut Women's Hair?

A barbershop that is set up specifically to serve men, must now pay $750 dollars after a Pennsylvania state investigation into "discriminatory" practices on the part of the barbershop owners.

The owner, John Interval, was fined $750 after he declined to cut a woman's hair. According to Interval:

"I didn’t really consider it so much a discrimination thing as – it’s a barbershop... for guys. You know, I’m not opposed to doing women’s hair...just not in this shop. I don’t even have [the equipment] to do women’s hair." Interval said.

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Photo of military moms breastfeeding in uniform goes viral

Former Air Force servicemember Tara Ruby says when she was active duty, "support for breastfeeding moms wasn't even an option to consider," according to her Facebook post.

The photographer, who was excited to hear about a nursing room in the headquarters of Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, said she'd lend her services to donate photos to brighten up the room, according to CNN. Ruby previously served in the Air Force from 1997 to 2001.

"To my knowledge a group photo to show support of active duty military mommies nursing their little's has never been done. It is so nice to see support for this here at Fort Bliss," she said on Facebook.

A photo of a group of active duty military moms breastfeeding in uniforms has gone viral with over 8,000 shares on Facebook.

"Breastfeeding their babies doesn't make them less of a soldier, I believe it makes them a better one. Juggling the tasks and expectations of a soldier, plus providing for their own in the best way they possibly can, makes these ladies even stronger for it."

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Cannabis smokers far more likely to develop early stages of diabetes

Cannabis smokers are far more likely to develop the early stages of diabetes, according to new research.

People who smoke marijuana were found to be 65 per cent more likely to have abnormally high blood sugar, which is a precursor for type 2 diabetes, a study found.

Scientists analysed more than 3,000 Americans and discovered that people who have smoked the drug more than 100 times in their life had an almost 50 per cent greater chance of developing prediabetes.

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Are You Watching?

BREAKING NEWS: Second fatality reported in Houston school bus crash

A second student reportedly is dead after a Houston school bus plunged off a freeway during this morning's commute.

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Race heats up early for Md. Congress race

BALTIMORE - The Democratic primary in Maryland is still more than seven months away but already the competition is heating up.

Pastor Jamal Bryant, of Northwest Baltimore's Empowerment Temple, has been on the front lines of protests ever since the death of Freddie Gray -- and before that both here and in other cities around the country.

Now he says he's the man who should replace Elijah Cummings in Congress.

Cummings could decide to run for Barbara Mikulski's seat in the U.S. Senate, but he says he has not made that decision yet.

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On 9/11 FOX buries breaking news on Hillary gun running

I don’t know about you, but I missed this story amidst all of the 9/11 tributes and cat videos on Facebook. FOX called it “Breaking News,” yet they didn’t even release it on their main channel or website. This news was relegated to the FOX Business Channel which consistently ranks lower than MSNBC and CNN in ratings. I think our readers will find the connection with Senator McCain interesting…

(FOX BUSINESS 9/11/15) On the third anniversary of the Benghazi terrorist attack, emails reviewed by Fox News raise significant questions about US government support for the secret shipment of weapons to the Libyan opposition.

During the Spring of 2011, as the Obama administration ramped up efforts to topple the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, a licensed American arms dealer, Marc Turi, his business partner formerly with the CIA, senior US military officials in Europe and Africa as well as a former staffer for republican Senator John McCain considered logistics for arming the rebels, according to the emails exclusively obtained by Fox Business and Fox News.

[*iroots.org: I insert here the first video response from Hillary Clinton after the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi. Make no mistake, Sec. Clinton is more of a hawk than Sen. McCain. If Rand Paul or someone somewhat reasonable on foreign policy gets the GOP nomination, you’ll see neocon Republicans endorsing Hillary Clinton.]

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Justice Department: No Reason Not To Believe Hillary

Hillary Clinton's defense in the email scandal received a boost last week when the Justice Department — the same Justice Department that is investigating the email affair — told a court it has no reason to suspect Clinton either deleted or failed to produce any emails under request by congressional or public-interest investigators. "The evidence, if anything, demonstrates that the former secretary's production was over-inclusive, not under-inclusive," top Justice Department lawyers Benjamin Mizer and Elizabeth Shapiro wrote in papers filed in federal court last Wednesday.

Taken as a whole, Mizer and Shapiro's brief was so pro-Clinton, so without even a hint of suspicion that she has been anything less than totally forthcoming, that it might as well have come from the Clinton campaign media team.

Clinton has produced everything, Mizer and Shapiro wrote, including some personal emails she was not obligated to produce. In addition, Mizer and Shapiro argued that State Department officials like Clinton "are permitted and expected to exercise judgment to determine what constitutes a federal record" and "may delete messages they deem in their own discretion to be personal." That judgment is beyond question, the lawyers argue, unless there is some evidence to suggest the official acted in bad faith. And in Clinton's case, they declared flatly, there is no such evidence.

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New Bombshell: 5-month Gap in Hillary Emails

WASHINGTON – There is a five-month gap in the Hillary Clinton emails when she was secretary of state, the watchdog group Judicial Watch announced Monday morning.

The devastating revelation emerged after a court ordered the release of State Department documents as part of Judicial Watch’s efforts to obtain Clinton emails under the Freedom of Information, or FOIA, act.

Both emails sent by Clinton and received from her on a private server are missing over periods totaling five months, beginning when she took office as secretary of state in February 2009.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said that suggests Clinton lied under oath when she said all her emails had been turned over and it suggests government officials have not turned over everything they were required to deliver.

Fitton said other State Department officials, including the one in charge of email production, Patrick Kennedy, previously had been informed of the five-month gap.

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America for Americans: No Apology Necessary

Regarding immigration, the selling out of the American public now has a first-person account attached to it. In a scathing column, a pseudonym-bearing “Displaced Disney Cast Member” describes the despicable efforts of a once-iconic company to replace American workers with foreigners willing to work for lower pay. The author of the column is hardly an anomaly. Americans are not only losing their jobs to foreign replacements, they are underwriting both legal and illegal immigrants accessing America’s safety net.

“I used to have a dream career at one of America’s most iconic and admired companies,” the former employee writes. “Twenty years of hard work, technical skill building, the fostering of relationships and a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology guided me to a coveted position as an Information Technology Engineer for Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.”

Those 20 years of hard work essentially meant nothing, however, and the day that employee learned his fate was only 10 days after “Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, had just announced that the company’s earnings were up well over 20 percent for the quarter and this was just one among a long series of record breaking financial results for the company.” When the employee arrived at work the message he got was both devastating and infuriating. A “grim faced Disney Executive” told everyone in the room they would be losing their jobs within the next 90 days, with a final termination date of Jan. 30, 2015.

Why? Because their jobs had been given to a “foreign workforce.” Then came the ultimate insult. The executive told them, “In the meantime you will be training your replacements until your jobs are 100 percent transferred over to them and if you don’t cooperate you will not receive any severance pay.”

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Maryland colleges: Breaking down cost, grad rates & earning potential

The U.S. Department of Education released its College Scorecard, and here's a snapshot of how Maryland's colleges and universities stack up in terms of cost, graduation rates and average earnings for recent graduates.

Average annual cost is for federal financial aid recipients after aid from the school, state and federal government. For public schools, only students with in-state tuition are counted.

Graduation rate is graduation within six years for four-year universities and within four years for community colleges and other types of colleges.

Salary information is based on the median earnings of students who received federal financial aid, 10 years after enrollment.

For more Maryland colleges, click here.
Source 

The Tech Industry's Immigration Lies

Is there really a shortage of high-skill American workers?

One of the primary narratives associated with comprehensive immigration reform has nothing to do with the millions of low-skill workers that would be granted an opportunity to compete against Americans for jobs. As a letter sent to the president and Congressional leaders signed by more than 100 chief executives of major tech companies and trade associations indicates, there is a shortage of highly-skilled American labor that drives reform as well.

Yet as the Atlantic's Michael S. Teitelbaum reveals, that narrative is a lie.

"A compelling body of research is now available, from many leading academic researchers and from respected research organizations such as the National Bureau of Economic Research, the RAND Corporation, and the Urban Institute," Teitelbaum explains.

No one has been able to find any evidence indicating current widespread labor market shortages or hiring difficulties in science and engineering occupations that require bachelors degrees or higher...All have concluded that U.S. higher education produces far more science and engineering graduates annually than there are S&E job openings—the only disagreement is whether it is 100 percent or 200 percent more.

He then introduces the 800-pound gorilla of Economics 101-- the reality that a genuine shortage of high-skill workers would pressure those seeking an ostensible scarcity of talent to offer higher levels of compensation to potential workers.

Unfortunately, exactly the opposite is occurring. "Most studies report that real wages in many—but not all—science and engineering occupations have been flat or slow-growing, and unemployment as high or higher than in many comparably-skilled occupations."

How does this reconcile with the claims of people like Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer?

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Homeschool Parents Sue New Jersey

Nothing really changed after a New Jersey state social worker banged on Christopher and Nicole Zimmer’s front door, and yet everything was different.

Over the next two hours, the social worker quizzed their 15-year-old son, Chris, including questions on whether his parents fought or did drugs. She wanted to see his homeschool curriculum. She wanted to inspect their firearms. She told the Zimmers to sign papers agreeing to turn over their son’s medical records.

And then she left, and the Zimmers never saw her again. But they can’t let it go. They can’t erase the memory of what it felt like when they thought the state might take away their son.

In April the Zimmers filed a $60 million federal lawsuit against the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency, along with several division officials and the social worker, Michelle Marchese, for an “unlawful and unconstitutional home intrusion.”

“It’s the fact that the government just came walking into my door without any cause,” Mr. Zimmer said.

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75% of the 'Refugees' Arriving in Europe Are MEN, Only 13% Are Children!

If these were real refugees, where are the women? Where are the elderly people? Where are the weak and the sick? It is increasingly clear that what I have said is true: this is not a refugee crisis. This is a hijrah, a migration (or 'invasion') to Islamize a new land.

They are the collective face of mass immigration entering Europe from the Middle East. Their story is indicative of so many you can hear right now at Budapest Keleti railway station.

They are young. They are fit. They clearly know what they want. They have no intention of staying and fighting in Syria. Instead they have travelled overland through Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and into Hungary. They say their last stop is Germany.

None of them wants to stay in Hungary or any of they countries they have transited. As one they see Germany as a future because Chancellor Angela Merkel told them so. Besides, Hungary police want to fingerprint them, check any travel documents and stop their progress as specified by EU regulations.

They want none of it. They understand why some of their compatriots broke out of a refugee camp on Friday night and decided to try and walk to Germany.

“No good here in Hungary. No good,” said their leader Muhammad. “They try and lock us up. But we want Germany, there it is good. We have to worry about nothing there. They give us food and house and job.

“Hungary just want to watch us all the time.”

Which is not to say they aren’t grateful. As one they seem tremendously happy and unfailingly polite. They are also in the majority amongst the thousands who arrive each day on their way north.

Yes, there are families in the throng at Keleti. Plenty with young children. But if you stand and take a rough count it is hard not to come to the conclusion that young men are in the overwhelming majority.

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“Refugees” Colonize a Continent

Approximately 104,460 asylum seekers arrived in Germany during the month of August, setting a new record. That makes 413,535 registered refugees and migrants coming to Germany in 2015 so far. The country expects a total of around 800,000 people to seek asylum in Germany this year. And that’s just Germany.

Eight hundred thousand Muslim refugees in one year alone. This will transform Germany, and Europe, forever, overtaxing the welfare economies of its wealthiest nations and altering the cultural landscape beyond recognition.

This is no longer just a “refugee crisis.” This is a hijrah.

Hijrah, or jihad by emigration, is, according to Islamic tradition, the migration or journey of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Yathrib, later renamed by him to Medina, in the year 622 CE. It was after the hijrah that Muhammad for the first time became not just a preacher of religious ideas, but a political and military leader. That was what occasioned his new “revelations” exhorting his followers to commit violence against unbelievers. Significantly, the Islamic calendar counts the hijrah, not Muhammad’s birth or the occasion of his first “revelation,” as the beginning of Islam, implying that Islam is not fully itself without a political and military component.

To emigrate in the cause of Allah – that is, to move to a new land in order to bring Islam there, is considered in Islam to be a highly meritorious act. The exalted status of such emigrants led a British jihad group that won notoriety (and a shutdown by the government) a few years ago for celebrating 9/11 to call itself Al-Muhajiroun: The Emigrants.

And now a hijrah of a much greater magnitude is upon us. Evidence that this is a hijrah, and not simply a humanitarian crisis, came last February but was little noted at the time and almost immediately forgotten.

The Islamic State published a document entitled, “Libya: The Strategic Gateway for the Islamic State.”

Gateway into Europe, that is.. the document exhorted Muslims to go to Libya and cross from there as refugees into Europe. This document tells would-be jihadis that weapons from Gaddafi’s arsenal are plentiful and easy to obtain in Libya – and that the country “has a long coast and looks upon the southern Crusader states, which can be reached with ease by even a rudimentary boat.”

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Rep. Elijah Cummings Speaks About His Political Future

Rep. Elijah Cummings spoke with the media Monday to address inquiries about his political future.

Cummings' office released the following statement Monday afternoon:

"I am honored and deeply humbled by the outpouring of support and good will for my work on behalf of our community, and I appreciate all of the interest in my future plans. At this time, however, I am focused on my work in Congress, not on campaigning.

"I love what I do -- and I love the people for whom I work. It is a great privilege to be able to work hard, every day, for my neighbors on the critical challenges central to their lives – their jobs and the education of their children, their health care and housing, their safety, and their fundamental rights as citizens of the greatest democracy in the world.

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Deer get the munchies, devour hemp crop

MURPHY, Ore. — Deer got the munchies at an industrial hemp crop in southern Oregon.

The deer got by barbed-wire fencing a couple weeks ago and went through the hemp plants like high-powered mowers, the Grants Pass Daily Courier reported (http://is.gd/AsBsHb).

"Generally, I don't think they like cannabis. They liked ours, though," said Cliff Thomason, a real estate agent who is the steward of the first industrial hemp crop in Oregon, which was planted near Murphy by Thomason and his partners with Orhempco.

The company planted roughly 1,000 plants in the section the deer got into, and Thomason said there are only about 40 left.

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16-year-old struck by Amtrak train in Md. dies

BOYDS, Md. (WJLA) — A 16-year-old was fatally struck by an Amtrak train around 4:46 p.m. Monday, according to police.

The young man, who has been identified as John Martin DeReggi Jr. of Boyds, Md., was walking along the tracks with two other teenagers when, for reasons unknown, walked into the path of an oncoming northbound Amtrak train. DeReggi died on the scene. The two teens, one male and one female, were taken to the hospital without injuries.

DeReggi was a sophomore at Clarksburg High School in Maryland and also a member of the track team, according to multiple websites. A popular hashtag has been trending this evening and students, faculty, and alumni say they will be wearing blue to school tomorrow to honor DeReggi. The hashtag is #WearBlueForJohn.

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Mass. company uses bacteria to treat skin

Massachusetts chemical engineer who hasn't showered in 12 years helps launch skin care product line with natural bacteria

Let's talk dirty.

David Whitlock hasn't showered in more than 12 years.

The Boston-area chemical engineer is taking an unortodox approach to personal hygiene, but it's one he defends.

"No one did clinical trials on people taking showers every day," the MIT graduate told CBS Boston. "So what's the basis for determining that is a healthy practice?"

Whitlock is working with AOBiome, a Cambridge-based company that uses naturally occurring bacteria in a new line of skin-care products including mists, shampoos and cleaners.

It may sound like Whitlock would have a hard time getting close to people, but the company says his research could change the way people approach skin care.

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NRP Blotter

Wicomico County
NRP officers seized more than 30 firearms and ammunition Saturday from the Salisbury home of a man convicted of a felony.

John George Dimarhos, 36, was charged with seven felony and seven misdemeanor counts of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. He was released Sunday on bond from the Wicomico County Detention Center.

An NRP officer checking hunters on Sept. 1, the opening day of dove season, encountered Dimarhos. A records check showed that on April 20, 2005, Dimarhos pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in Cuyahoga (Ohio) County Court. He was sentenced to a year’s probation.

State and federal laws prohibit felons from owning firearms and ammunition unless they have gotten their record expunged or civil rights restored. Licensed dealers are barred from selling guns to felons.
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This Woman's Depression Tattoo Is Going Viral For The Best Reason

Talk about making a statement.

After being diagnosed with depression last year, 20-year-old student Bekah Miles decided to get a tattoo that accurately captured her battle with the disorder. She posted a picture of the tattoo on Facebook along with a few words about her personal experience. The image reads "I'm fine" to most, but from Miles' perspective, the tattoo says "save me." The artwork -- and Miles' accompanying post -- is an honest insight into what it really means to suffer from depression.

"Today, I am coming out with something that only few of you know. I am ready to have a conversation about my mental illness," she wrote. "To me, depression is the days that I feel sad for no reason. Depression is the mornings that I don’t feel capable of getting out of bed. ... Depression is the tears I have because I don’t know why I feel so worthless, when I know I should feel happy."

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Discover the Dinosaurs Jurassic Dinosaurs Invade Salisbury September 19 & 20 at the WY&CC

Discover the Dinosaurs, a hands on exhibit featuring animatronic and museum quality dinosaur replicas roars into the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center September 19 & 20.

Dinosaurs of the Jurassic Period and prehistoric times come back to life with the 20 foot T-Rex, life size Triceratops, Iguanodon, Apatosaurus and Stegosaurus. The interactive touring exhibit showcases museum quality pieces along with moving animatronic dinosaurs in their natural environment. The exhibit is scheduled to travel across the country in 2015 and will bring the favorite dinosaurs of the Jurassic Period directly to kids.

Kids and families are encouraged to get up close and touch some of the dinosaurs on display, an opportunity which isn’t usually available in museum exhibits and other dinosaur events. Kids will be able to interact with the new baby Velociraptor and even pet his head. This is the cornerstone of Discover the Dinosaurs.

Exhibit Only admission* includes Dinosaur Exhibit, Dino Dig, Dino Den, Dino Theater, Dino Coloring Area and Scavenger Hunt.

Exhibit Plus admission* includes the Dinosaur Exhibit, plus unlimited Dinosaur Rides, Mini Golf and Inflatables. Gem & Fossil Mining and Face Painting are available for additional charge.

School age children love dinosaurs and Discover the Dinosaurs engages the imaginations of kids to learn. The exhibit gives kids the hands on opportunity to touch a dinosaur and even ride on the back of a T-Rex. Additional activities and attractions make spending the day with dinosaurs fun for the entire family. Learn-Touch-Ride at Discover the Dinosaurs.

Exhibit runs Saturday, September 19, 10 a.m. - 7p.m. & Sunday, September 20, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.

*Admission: Adults 13 Years & Older $18, Seniors 65+ $16, Children 2-12 *Exhibit Plus $22,

Children 2-12 *Exhibit Only $16, Children 24 Months & Under FREE (*taxes included)

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