13 Things From Maryland That We Should Be Eternally Grateful For

1. Snowballs

Whatever you call the summer treat, it got its start in Baltimore during the Industrial Revolution, when children would ask for shavings from ice wagons, and their mothers — the true innovators — added homemade flavorings, aka marshmallow.

2. Berger Cookies

Henry Berger (whom the cookie is named after) started his bakery in Baltimore in1835. And people from all over — not just Maryland — think that these hand-dipped chocolate fudge cookies are simply a treat! 

3. The National Anthem

 Those “bombs bursting in air” — they originally burst over Baltimore Harbor. An attorney from Frederick County, Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 1814. Little did he know it would bring every sports fan to their feet at arenas.
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The 10 most important things in the world right now

1. The Dutch Safety Board released a video animation of the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine after concluding in its final report that the plane was hit by a Buk surface-to-air missile.

2. Thousands of Iranian troops are now in Syriapreparing for ground offensives in support of President Bashar al-Assad.

3. Israel has authorised police to close off Arab parts of Jerusalem amid an increase in violence and stabbings between Israelis and young Palestinians.

4. Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ripped into her chief rival Senator Bernie Sanders over his opposition to several gun control measures in the first Democratic Presidential debate on Tuesday night.

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Baltimore could be the next city to join the White House's TechHire initiative

Baltimore could be the next city to join a White House effort to quickly train workers for jobs in the technology sector.

The city is in line to be named part of President Barack Obama's TechHire initiative as early as next month, said Michael Cryor, the chairman of the OneBaltimore program. TechHire tries to bring together cities or states with colleges, nontraditional training efforts and employers to get workers into information technology jobs that don't require four-year degrees.

A total of 31 other cities and states have already joined TechHire, including Philadelphia and the state of Delaware. The White House has a goal of growing the initiative to 40 communities by the end of the year.

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Hollywood Can’t Handle the Truth

There are many things that real people do to become the subject of sympathetic movies. Make a flawless emergency landing in the Hudson River with a disabled passenger jet full of passengers. 

Survive a devastating storm atop Mount Everest. Become the most lethal sniper in the history of the U.S. military. Before the advent of the movie Truth, no one would have thought broadcasting a shoddy and immediately discredited report that ruined the careers of the journalists involved and gave their storied network a black eye would make the list.

Truth is All the President’s Men for reporters who botched their story about the president. 

In their perversely titled film, Robert Redford plays Dan Rather and Cate Blanchett plays Mary Mapes, the erstwhile CBS News anchor and producer who collaborated on a spectacularly flawed September 2004 story about George W. Bush’s National Guard service. Their report should be taught at journalism schools for a long time to come as an object lesson in how not to attempt journalism.

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Bridge Repairs Done For This Week, Will Resume Next Week

OCEAN CITY — The tedious process repairing sections of a failing concrete surface on the underbelly of the Route 50 Bridge began this week, forcing single-lane closures that will resume next week.

State Highway Administration (SHA) crews on Tuesday began systematically chipping away at the underside of the Harry Kelley Memorial Bridge, removing chunks, or in many cases, small pieces of failing concrete that run the risk of falling onto vessels below or into the bay. While boaters are supposed to use the navigable channel under the bridge’s draw span, some smaller vessels go under the bridge at various other points.

On Tuesday, SHA crews began working on the project on the eastbound side of the bridge with a large “snooper,” or cherry-picker of sorts, extended over the side of the bridge to provide workers with access to the underneath portion of the span. The work resulted in single-lane closure for much of Tuesday and Wednesday. SHA’s original plan was to complete the entire project in two days this week, but the work proved tedious and crews will return next week to complete the westbound side of the bridge.

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The Odds

O.C.toberfest Events Planned For Next Two Weekends

OCEAN CITY — Free family fun is returning to Ocean City for the 4th Annual O.C.toberfest on Oct. 17-18 and Oct. 24-25.

Come experience all the thrills of the giant Halloween Beach Maze during it’s two-weekend run. Kids of all ages, and the kids at heart, can enjoy a friendly fright as they meander the sands of the giant, bigger and better than ever, beach maze. Wicked witches, pirates of the sand, scary scarecrows, ghouls in the graveyard, creepy clowns, zombies and more will be waiting around every twist and turn.

Another event that will take place as part of the O.C.toberfest events will be the “Howl-O-Ween Pet Parade” on Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. on the Boardwalk near North Division Street. Dress up your pets and parade the boards or sit back, relax and cheer for your favorite. Lots of prizes and surprises will be awarded. While the event is free to participate, donations of pet supplies and monetary donations will be collected for the Worcester County Humane Society.

The fun continues with “The Great Pumpkin Race” on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 1 p.m. on the Boardwalk near North Division Street. Build your own pumpkin race car to bring and compete in this wacky and zany side-by-side downhill race. Prizes will be awarded in each division as well as for creativity. For complete rules visit www.octoberfestmd.com.

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Obama Will Be the Only Person Sticking to Iran Deal

Sometime this week, President Obama is scheduled to sign an executive order to meet the Oct. 15 "adoption day" he has set for the nuclear deal he says he has made with Iran. According to the president's timetable the next step would be "the start day of implementation," fixed for Dec. 15.

But as things now stand, Obama may end up being the only person in the world to sign his much-wanted deal, in effect making a treaty with himself.

The Iranians have signed nothing and have no plans for doing so. The so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has not even been discussed at the Islamic Republic's Council of Ministers. Nor has the Tehran government bothered to even provide an official Persian translation of the 159-page text.

The Islamic Majlis, the ersatz parliament, is examining an unofficial text and is due to express its views at an unspecified date in a document "running into more than 1,000 pages," according to Mohsen Zakani, who heads the "examining committee."

"The changes we seek would require substantial rewriting of the text," he adds enigmatically.

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Identical twins could be born up to 4 months apart

KIRKLAND, Wash. — Identical twin brothers are off to a very unusual start in life.

One is in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, born extremely prematurely. The other is still in the womb and hopefully won't be born until January.

Baby Link weighed just 1 lb, 2 oz. when he was born 23 weeks into his mother's pregnancy. It's a gestational time considered to be on the cusp of viability. While Link has heart and lung issues, he is doing well considering his medical hurdles.

The tiny baby is an identical twin, and doctors originally expected to have both newborns in the NICU at EvergreenHealth Medical Center. But instead, brother Logan is still in their mother's womb.

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2016 Democratic Convention Schedule

Breaking News : 2016 Democratic Convention Schedule Leaked

 

11:15 AM  Free Lunch, "medical" marijuana, and bus ride to the Convention. Forms passed out for Food Stamp enrollment

 

2:30 PM  Group Voter Registration for Undocumented Immigrants

 

4:00 PM  Opening Flag Burning Ceremony sponsored by CNN

 

4:05 PM  Singing of God #$% America , led by the Righteous Reverend Jeremiah Wright

 

4:10 PM Pledge of Allegiance to Comrade Obama.

 

4:15 PM Ceremonial "I Hate America" led by Michelle Obama.

 

4:30 PM Tips on How to keep your man trustworthy & true to you while you travel the world by Hillary Clinton

 

4:45 PM How to have a successful career without ever having a job, and still avoid paying taxes! Al Sharpton / Jesse Jackson Seminar

 

5:30 PM Hillary Clinton speaks on "Being broke and not being able to pay your mortgages" via Satellite with event attendees given autographed souvenir photographs of Hillary and Chelsea dodging Sniper Fire in Bosnia.

 

5:45 PM Tribute to All 57 States from Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi

 

6:00 PM  General vote on praising Baltimore rioters, and on using the term "Alternative Shoppers" instead of "looters"

 

7:30 PM The White House "Semantics Committee" meeting to figure out how NOT to acknowledge that Muslims are killing non-Muslims all over the world daily. Followed by general vote on now terming Muslim Terror as "Random Acts of Islamic Exuberance"

 

9:00 PM Liberal Bias in Media - How we can make it work for you. Tutorial sponsored by CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, the Washington Post and the New York Times

 

9:15 PM Tribute Film to the Brave Freedom Fighters still incarcerated at GITMO -  Michael Moore

 

9:45 PM Personal Finance Seminar - "Businesses Don't Create Jobs" - Hillary Clinton

 

10:00 PM Group Denunciation of Bitter Gun Owners and Bible Readers.

 

10:30 PM Ceremonial We Surrender Waving of the White Flag to Afghanistan, Russia and ISIS.

 

11:00 PM Short film, "Setting Up Your Own Illegal Email Server While Serving in A Cabinet Post, and How to Pretend it's No Big Deal", hosted by Hillary Clinton

 

11:30 PM "ISIS is not actually Islamic, Despite it's Name" seminar, led by "Sneaky Joe" Biden.

 

12:00 AM Official Nomination of Hillary by Bill Maher and Chris "He sends a thrill up my leg" Matthews

 

12:01 AM Hillary Accepts Nomination as Lord and Savior while the Celestial Choirs Sings

Traveling exhibit honors Vietnam vets from Maryland

BETHESDA, Md. — Montgomery County is hosting a display that honors and thanks Marylanders who served in the military during the Vietnam era.

The MPT Salutes Vietnam Veterans Traveling Exhibit is currently at the Bethesda Library and will remain there until Oct. 19. After that, it will be at the Rockville Library through Nov. 9.

“I love the fact that it has veterans’ pictures and their stories,” says Nancy Benner, agency manager of the Bethesda Library. “It’s important for public libraries to be a forum or a venue for this kind of exhibit, and especially for this issue of honoring Vietnam veterans,” Benner adds.

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Democrats Are Starting To Line Up Against Obama’s Clean Power Plan

Obama’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) is facing some opposition from his own party in Kentucky and Missouri. The ambitious green energy plan aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. It’s a regulatory nightmare that will hurt millions of Americans, especially those in rural areas and living on fixed-incomes. It will impact Americans’ electrical costs, and possibly gut millions of jobs within the black and Hispanic communities. Also, states that didn’t vote for Obama in 2012 are disproportionately impacted. In Missouri, the Clean Power Plan was projected to cost the state $6 billion by 2030, which is why Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Koster has planned to join other states suing to block these regulations

The state’s utilities, including Ameren Missouri, had urged Koster to jointhe states — most of them Republican-led — fighting the rules. Koster, the only Democrat running for governor in Missouri, has sued the EPA over other recent regulations, including the controversial “Waters of the U.S.” rule strongly opposed by large agricultural interests.

Koster made the announcement Friday in a speech at a meeting of rural electric cooperative members in Branson. He argued that the state’s businesses rely on lower-cost energy and costs would rise under the EPA’s rules, which would shift Missouri’s heavy reliance on coal power to renewables and natural gas.

“The EPA’s Clean Power rule effectively eliminates Missouri’s competitive advantage as a low energy-cost state,” Koster said according to a transcript of his speech released Friday.

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Lawmakers investigate whether students are overtested

ANNAPOLIS, Md. —Maryland state lawmakers are investigating whether students are overtested.

It's a common complaint heard from parents and teachers across the state. But who decides how many tests are too many?

"We're hoping to have an answer one way or the other. We had requested this information during the session, and this is the hearing to have both the House and the Senate to get answers from the Maryland state Department of Education," said Baltimore County Delegate Adrienne Jones, D-District 10.

The numbers are hard to pin down. The state has pressed school districts to do the math using surveys, but the data is not exact

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Carson holds double-digit lead on Clinton in new poll

Four Republican presidential candidates lead Hillary Clinton nationally in head-to-head match-ups, according to a new poll.

The Fox News survey released on Tuesday shows Ben Carson running the strongest against Clinton, with the retired neurosurgeon taking 50 percent, compared to only 39 percent for the former secretary of State.

Donald Trump leads Clinton by 45 percent to 40, Jeb Bush leads Clinton 44 to 40 and Carly Fiorina leads Clinton 42 to 39, the poll found.

While it can be dangerous to read too much into any poll this early in the presidential contest, the Fox News survey wil give ammunition to those arguing that Vice President Biden would be a stronger Democratic candidate than Clinton.

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SALISBURY DRUG DEALER SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS WITHOUT PAROLE

On October 15, 2015, a Wicomico County judge sentenced Major Lenell Richardson, age 43, to 25 years in the Division of Corrections (D.O.C.) for Possession With Intent to Distribute Cocaine. Richardson was sentenced as a subsequent offender so his 25 year sentence is without the possibility of parole.

On January 28, 2015, members of the Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force and Gang Enforcement Unit conducted an investigation that revealed Major L. Richardson was engaged in the sale of Cocaine and Heroin in a supermarket parking lot. The investigation culminated in a traffic stop of a vehicle occupied by Richardson and a female driver. A K-9 scan of the vehicle was conducted and the K-9 alerted to the odor of narcotics. Officers observed that the female driver’s pants were unbuttoned. She immediately told the detectives that her pants were unbuttoned because she had just concealed narcotics for Richardson. A later search of the driver revealed a capsule containing 53 individually-wrapped pieces of crack cocaine, a capsule containing .2 grams of heroin, and another bag containing .1 grams of cocaine. Richardson was found with $2,417.00 on his person. Both the driver and Richardson made inculpatory statements to the police.

The State pursued subsequent offender penalties against Richardson. During today’s hearing, a Circuit Court Judge found Richardson to be a subsequent narcotics offender as he had been previously convicted of felony drug charges. Consequently, the Court imposed a sentence of 25 years without the possibility of parole.

This case was prosecuted by Wicomico County State’s Attorney, Matthew A. Maciarello. Mr. Maciarello commends the Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force and the Gang Enforcement Unit for their efforts in this investigation and prosecution.

Woman sentenced in Cumberland puppy mill case

CUMBERLAND — A Ridgeley, W. Va., woman was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty to 10 animal cruelty charges in connection with an illegal puppy mill operation at 617 Maryland Avenue.

Pepper Taylor, 42, pleaded guilty before Judge H. Jack Price in a plea agreement between Assistant State's Attorney Linda Thomas and Cumberland defense attorney G.V. McKinley. The plea included dismissal of more than 140 animal cruelty charges.

Taylor was sentenced to 90 days in jail for each of the 10 counts, totaling about 2 1/2 years of jail time the judge suspended.

Judge Price also ordered Taylor to make restitution of $4,324.24 to Animal Control and for service rendered by local veterinarians for more than about 35 dogs that were taken out of the feces-filled residence and a backyard shed on June 16-17.

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Drug Task Force Arrest Felton Man for Marijuana Growing Operation

 

Felton, DE – The Delaware State Police Kent County Drug Task Force has arrested a Felton man after the culmination of a month long investigation into illegal drug activity from a residence on South DuPont Highway.

On Thursday October 15, 2015 around 8:55 a.m., the Kent County Drug Task Force with the assistance of the Kent County Governor's Task Force conducted a search warrant in the 13000 block of South DuPont Highway. Michael P. Garcia, 29, was taken into custody without incident. The search of the property and the house revealed a total of 13,381 grams of marijuana being grown outside the house and dried in a barn. A Ruger .22 caliber handgun, a Sig Sauer .223 caliber rifle, and a Remington .308 caliber rifle were all located inside the residence.

Michael Garcia was transported back to Troop 3 where he was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance in a Tier 5 Quantity, Possession with Intent to Deliver Marijuana, four counts of Possession of a Firearm/Ammunition by a Person Prohibited, three counts of Possession of a Deadly Weapon by a Person Prohibited who also Possesses a Controlled Substance, and two counts of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was arraigned at JP2 and was release after posting $24,200.00 secured bond.

Cyclist witnesses machete murder of jogger in Dallas

A former Texas A&M football player as been identified by police as the machete murderer who hacked a jogger to death on a trail Monday, to the horrifying witness of a passing cyclist.

Former wide receiver Thomas Johnson, 21, allegedly admitted to the brutal slaying that was apparently carried out in anger, Dallas News reported citing local police.

A witness, identified only as Brandon by NBC in Dallas Fort-Worth, told the station he was riding his bicycle along the popular Northeast Dallas trail when he came upon the grisly attack.

"As I get closer and closer I could tell it was a machete and there are repeated blows that are occurring," Brandon recalled to the station. "As I get closer, I could see what's being hit is a person, lying face down on the ground. It was apparent to me by the time I got close that there was nothing that could be done for the person."

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NAHMIR BUNDY SENTENCED FOR RIDGE ROAD BURGLARY

On October 15, 2015, a Wicomico County judge sentenced Nahmir Tareek Bundy, age 17, to thirty (30) years—suspend all but fifteen (15) years--for his role in a Burglary and Armed Robbery that took place on April 23, 2015 on Ridge Road in Salisbury, Maryland. The first five years of the Defendant’s sentence is without the possibility of parole. On September 3, 2015, Bundy pleaded guilty to 1st Degree Burglary, Armed Robbery (2 counts), and Use of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence. Bundy was 16 years of age at the time that he committed this crime-- he was prosecuted and sentenced as an adult offender. After serving his active period of incarceration, Bundy will serve three years on supervised probation. In the first year he will wear a GPS monitor and must pay restitution to the victims as a condition of his probation.

In the early morning hours of April 23, 2015, the Defendant and his accomplices, Darrell Dixon (19), and Malik Moore (19), were in the area of Virginia Avenue on bicycles. There they came across a .22 caliber rifle that was stored in an unlocked truck toolbox. The men stole the .22 caliber rifle and later searched cars for valuables on Ridge Road. While in the driveway of one of the residences, the Defendants observed some X-Box video games that were visible through the home’s windows. The men made entry into the home through a side window carrying with them a baseball bat and the .22 caliber rifle that they stole earlier in the evening. Once inside, the men immediately began stuffing backpacks full of items from the house. Two of the home’s occupants were accosted in their beds at gunpoint by one of the co-defendants. One of the victims was then held by the Defendant at gunpoint on a living room sofa while the other men continued to fill three backpacks full of the victims’ property.

The Salisbury Police Department had at least two score officers working the case and they followed leads throughout the morning. By sunrise on April 23rd, SPD investigatory leads led to search warrants being executed on 214 Delaware Avenue. Once officers made entry into the home, the Defendant was found in the home’s basement in possession of several of the items stolen from the residents. Dixon and Moore were observed outside of the residence by police just before they made entry into the house. Further investigation, revealed the extent of the Defendant’s, Moore’s and Dixon’s involvement in this crime. 

Darrell Lamont Dixon pleaded guilty to Conspiracy-Home Invasion, First Degree Assault and Firearm Use During a Crime of Violence on September 1, 2015. Dixon is scheduled to be sentenced on November 2, 2015. On September 30, 2015, a Wicomico County Jury convicted Malik Dajour Moore, age 19, of Salisbury, Maryland, of multiple crimes, including: First Degree Burglary, Armed Robbery (two (2) counts), False Imprisonment (two (2) counts), Conspiracy-First Degree Burglary, Conspiracy-Armed Robbery (two (2) counts), Theft $1000-$10,000 (two (2) counts), and Theft under $1,000. The Court has ordered a pre-sentence investigation in that case and sentencing will be scheduled on a later date.

This case was prosecuted by Wicomico County State’s Attorney, Matthew A. Maciarello. Mr. Maciarello commends the brave victims in this case who participated in the Salisbury Police Department investigation and in Defendant Moore’s trial. Maciarello further commends the men and women of the Salisbury City Police Department (including Lead Detective, A.J. Foy) who worked diligently to ensure that the offenders were brought to justice in this case.

Maryland High School Students Asked To Change Out Of Clothes With Confederate Symbol

Brunswick High School students were asked Tuesday to change out of clothes displaying a flag of the Confederacy because administrators found the insignia potentially disruptive, according to the school district.

This week is Spirit Week for Brunswick High, in which students wear an outfit matching a daily theme. Tuesday marked USA Day, in which students would wear patriotic colors.

An emailed newsletter from the school on Friday indicates USA Day is a chance for students to wear red, white and blue.

At least two students wore the Confederate symbol Tuesday, but those students were asked to change their clothes, district spokesman Michael Doerrer said. School administrators also confiscated a Confederate flag another student brought to school, Doerrer said.

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'Thank God for Abortion Providers;' Episcopal and Methodist Clergy Bless Abortion Clinic

Some ordained ministers are throwing their support behind abortion providers. Last week, for example, clergy for Episcopal and Methodist churches were among religious leaders who gathered in Cleveland to bless an abortion clinic.

“I’m here today standing alongside my fellow clergymen and clergywomen to say: thank God for abortion providers,” said Rev. Harry Knox, president and CEO of Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) which supports abortion rights and what it refers to as “abortion care.”

Knox, who is in a same-sex marriage, was the founding director of the Human Rights Campaign’s Religion and Faith Program, the first program director at Freedom to Marry, and executive director of Georgia Equality.

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FBI head: Homegrown terrorist recruitment 24-hour threat

CINCINNATI (AP) — FBI Director James Comey said Wednesday the recruitment of potential homegrown terrorists by the Islamic State group is widespread and goes on “24 hours a day” across the United States.

Hundreds of people are “consuming” social media efforts to either draw them overseas to join the extremists “or if you can’t come, kill where you are,” Comey said. “And that is a two-pronged siren song that goes out through social media.”

He said Twitter, other instant messaging, and encrypted communications have made the recruiting efforts of extremists easier and pervasive over the past two years.

“So we have investigations in all 50 states to try to identify, among hundreds of people who are consuming this poison, where are they on the stages from consuming to acting, and how do we stop them from acting,” he said.

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Trump Stands Ground at No Labels Convention

GOP front-runner Donald Trump "walked right in" at the first No Labels conference, co-founder Mark McKinnon said Tuesday, and he answered questions without reservations to a "very tough and sometimes hostile audience."

"He walked right in, completely un-defensive, right into the buzz saw," McKinnon, a political adviser, told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program. "And it was interesting to see the impact on the room."

There were many in the audience who were suspicious, said McKinnon, but they still appreciated that he attended and answered questions without reservations.

"He took a lot of questions he knew were going to be tough," said McKinnon. "Let me clear up one thing. Many people think No Labels is bringing together people with the same views. It is just the opposite. Our goal is to bring people together. We have tea party members. We brought together Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump."

McKinnon said he had never seen anything like Trump in his 30-40 years in political life.

"All candidates, they get into a room and people ask questions and they want to pander," said McKinnon. "They want to make the questioner happy. He doesn't. He doesn't care. That is so refreshing, and it is authentic. That's what people really hunger for in American politics."

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Scientists Say: Making Your Bed in the Morning is Disgusting!

It can be hard to spend the extra time in the morning making your bed. We’re focused on getting started with our day or maybe we’re still tired. Perhaps you think you’ll just be getting back in the bed later and don’t see the point in spending time making the bed just to mess it up again later.

Well, researchers have given you a pass. Apparently not making your bed is beneficial to your health.

A Kingston University study says that dust mites cannot survive as easily in an unkept bed. Dust mites have been attributed to allergies and asthma and can cause a real problem, in addition to being disgusting. When we sleep, we sweat. When we make our beds, this creates a warm and damp condition that helps dust mites thrive.

Dr. Steven Pretlove essentially gives you a doctor’s note for not making your bed.

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Compulsive Texting Takes Toll

Does your teenager have a texting problem?

Teenagers use text messaging more than any other mode of communication, so it may be hard to tell. But youngsters who check their phones continually, snap if you interrupt them and are so preoccupied with texting that they skip sleep and don’t get their work done may be compulsive texters, a new study says. For girls, compulsive texting is more than just a distraction – it is also associated with lower academic performance.

The study of more than 400 eighth and 11th graders found that many teenage texters had a lot in common with compulsive gamblers, including losing sleep because of texting, problems cutting back on texting and lying to cover up the amount of time they spent texting.

“Compulsivity is more than just the number of texts teens are engaging in,” said Kelly M. Lister-Landman, the paper’s lead author and an assistant professor of psychology at Delaware County Community College in Media, Pa. “What is their relationship with phone use? Do they feel anxious when it’s not around them? When they sit down to eat dinner with their family, do they feel a need to check it? Do they feel compelled to look at it at all times, rather than just answering texts they get?

Over all, girls text compulsively at a far higher rate than boys do. And unlike girls, boys in the study who were compulsive texters were not at risk of doing poorly in school.

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WHAT “PROGRESSIVE” CORPORATE WELFARE LOOKS LIKE

There appears to be a mistaken belief on the Left that any government action is either done in the interest of “the people” or in the interest of corporations and rich oligarchs. So the naked corporate welfare to Archer Daniels Midlands is called out, as are the sports stadiums being paid for by taxpayers and of course the banker bailouts as well. (Although, it should be noted that congressional Democrats voted in support of TARP by a rate of three to one whereas a slight majority of Republicans opposed it.)

In general, however, the Left seems to see tax cuts as corporate welfare while ignoring or outright supporting corporate welfare in many of its guises. The reason is because corporate welfare is rarely sold to the public as a way to help millionaires become billionaires at the taxpayer’s expense. It’s much more insidious than that. Usually this cronyism comes wrapped in a bill of goods that makes it much easier to swallow.
Obamacare

While the Right yells about how the so-called Obamacare is socialized medicine, it would actually best be described as a corporatist scheme. Or in other words, it’s corporate welfare.

Indeed, if it were some socialist scheme to destroy private enterprise, one would suspect that these companies’ stock prices would plummet before the passing of the bill (March 23, 2010). Here’s what actually happened in the year prior to the bill’s passing for the five largest health insurance companies (the Dow Jones is in red):

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Setting the Stage for Martial Law

I’d heard that “an Ivy League professor” said on a social media venue that GOP presidential hopeful Ben Carson should win “coon of the year” after he advocated allowing Confederate battle flags to be displayed at NASCAR events. Then, I heard that said Ivy League professor was none other than University of Pennsylvania religious studies professor Anthea Butler.

Remember Anthea Butler? She’s the one who claims that “America’s God” is a white racist, and who called former Ferguson, Missouri, cop Darren Wilson an emissary of “America’s racist god” for shooting 18-year-old Michael Brown to death in August of 2014 – just because Brown beat the officer into near-insensibility and attempted to relieve him of his service pistol.

It’s sad that the designation “Ivy League professor” has been reduced in practical terms to something on a par with “crack wh*re,” but then there is at least some humor in a morbidly obese affirmative-action sideshow exhibit having the temerity to insult someone whose curriculum vitae, talent, accomplishments and intellect preclude her stooping to tie his sandals, so to speak, assuming Butler has the ability to stoop at all.

In context, the danger is that altogether too many black Americans share Butler’s sentiments.

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The Numbers Say That A Major Global Recession Has Already Begun

Those that are waiting for the next worldwide economic recession to begin can stop waiting.

The biggest bank in the western world has just come out and declared that the global economy is “already in a recession”.

According to British banking giant HSBC, global trade is down 8.4 percent so far this year, and global GDP expressed in U.S. dollars is down 3.4 percent. So those that are waiting for the next worldwide economic recession to begin can stop waiting. It is officially here. As you will see below, money is fleeing emerging markets at a blistering pace, major global banks are stuck with huge loans that will never be repaid, and it looks like a very significant worldwide credit crunch has begun. Just a few days ago, I explained that the IMF, the UN, the BIS And Citibank were all warning that a major economic crisis could be imminent. They aren’t just making this stuff up out of thin air, but most Americans still seem to believe that everything is going to be just fine. The level of blind faith in the system that most people are demonstrating right now is absolutely astounding.

The numbers say that the global economy has not been in this bad shape since the devastating recession that shook the world in 2008 and 2009. According to HSBC, “we are already in a dollar recession”…

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Activists occupy Baltimore City Hall; oppose commissioner

BALTIMORE (AP) — Activists opposed to the permanent appointment of Baltimore’s interim police commissioner occupied City Hall on Wednesday night and told police they wouldn’t leave until the commissioner and mayor agreed to a list of their demands, including changes to police tactics and significant investment in education and social services.

Members of the Baltimore Bloc had begun shouting from the upper gallery of a conference room as a city council subcommittee prepared to vote for Kevin Davis as permanent commissioner. The full council will vote on the appointment Monday.

“All night, all day, we will fight for Freddie Gray!” the activists chanted amid calls to postpone the vote. “No justice, no peace!”

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Will you stand and fight?

The Clintons’ long and mendacious road

Here we are again with Hillary Rodham Clinton confronted by charges of obstruction of justice, perjury and general improbity. Such behavior has been going on with her for a long time. Some journalists who today chronicle the charges facing the Clintons were not even born when it all began.

For those of us with unflagging memories and abundant experience, it goes back decades. I would date the first official charges of Hillary’s crookedness and reckless disregard for the law to Watergate in 1974 when she improbably served on the Watergate impeachment staff. Her boss then was the general counsel and chief of staff for the House Judiciary Committee, Jerry Zeifman, a Democrat. In a personal evaluation of Hillary’s performance he wrote, “I decided that I could not recommend her for any future position of public or private trust.” Why? Mr. Zeifman had learned that in this historic undertaking “she had lied” to him and to others repeatedly. Had Americans been attentive then, or at least had Democrats been attentive, America might have been sparedHillary’s decades-long cavalcade of mendacity and intrigue.

Looking back on her bouts with Republicans, the media and what are generally referred to as the authorities, not much has changed. To some of us Clinton-watchers her scrapes with the law have been endlessly amusing but, in truth, we have seen it all before. I suppose her negligence about security at Benghazi is new, but before 2009 she had never been responsible for security anywhere. Had she been responsible for the lives of ambassadors and others earlier we would doubtless have been witnesses to the cover-up, the stonewalling, and such melodrama as her congressional lament, “What does it matter?” Aside from her career at State, there is nothing new on her record.

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"Crisfield Third Thursdays"

Thursday, October 15, 2015 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EDT)

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Marylander to be presented Medal of Honor by President Obama at the White House on November 12, 2015

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) today commended U.S. Army (Ret) Captain Florent A. Groberg of Bethesda, Maryland following an announcement from the White House that he will be awarded the Medal of Honor by President Obama for conspicuous gallantry in Afghanistan. Captain Groberg will be the tenth living recipient to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan.

“I join with the people of Maryland in paying tribute to Captain Florent Groberg, who has earned our nation’s highest military award for his bravery and devotion to his comrades in the defense of our nation,” Senator Mikulski said. “While serving on the battlefields in Afghanistan, Captain Groberg put himself in harm’s way to save the lives of his fellow soldiers. His courage, commitment and service to the cause of freedom is a testament to our men and women in uniform who have performed brilliantly and sacrificed greatly. I look forward to Captain Groberg receiving this well-deserved recognition on behalf of a grateful nation.”

Whey Jennings Concert

Council Committee Votes To Confirm Kevin Davis As Baltimore Police Commissioner

A Baltimore City Council committee voted Wednesday night to confirm Kevin Davis as police commissioner, despite protests that briefly delayed the hearing.

Demonstrators are upset about the way police treat protesters.

Davis carries some baggage in his quest to become commissioner.

Civil court records indicate back in 1994 Mark Kendell Spann, a White House intern at the time, complained that Davis, then a Prince George's County police officer, cuffed, threw him to the ground and smashed his face against the sidewalk without explanation.

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Very Creative

Congressional Review Of Copyright Law May Threaten Drudge Report, SBYNews

WASHINGTON — Congress may update digital copyright law affecting aggregator sites, like the Drudge Report and Real Clear Politics, along with news sites in the near future.

“Two years ago, the House Judiciary Committee launched a comprehensive review of our nation’s copyright laws, which have not been updated since 1976. As technology continues to rapidly advance, we have a responsibility to ensure that our laws are keeping pace with these developments,” Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte said in a statement.

Since March of 2013, the House Judiciary Committee has conducted 20 hearings, which included testimony from 100 witnesses on the subject of copyright law in the digital age. The topics range from fair use to scope of copyright protection to music licensing.

“The committee has been conducting a comprehensive review of U.S. copyright law to ensure that the law keeps pace with the digital age in which we live. The goal of the listening tour is to step out of Washington, D.C. to hear from creators and innovators in terms of what is and is not working for them in their various fields,” a committee staffer told The Daily Caller.

The committee staffer would not say how the laws would affect aggregators and news sites and said that only “all stakeholders are invited to come in and meet with staff in order to give their thoughts or express concerns. Those meetings are ongoing.”

Drudge Report site owner Matt Drudge told Alex Jones of InfoWars last week that copyright laws could very well end his popular site.

“I had a Supreme Court Justice tell me it’s over for me,” said Drudge. “They’ve got the votes now to enforce copyright law, you’re out of there. They’re going to make it so you can’t even use headlines.”

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Goldman Sachs: The Third Wave of the Financial Crisis Is upon Us

These days it seems like there is a never-ending stream of dire predictions for the United States and the global economy. Many of them have merit of course, since the fundamentals of our economy are being held together by little more than duct tape and string. However, any prediction that suggests that the system is going to come crashing down at a moments notice, is hard take seriously. It’s certainly a possibility, but it’s not the most plausible end to our way of life.

In reality, our society enduring a long-term collapse that may take decades to fully develop. There will be moments of rapid decline, much like the financial collapse of 2008, but overall we seem to be falling on a long trajectory.

Goldman Sachs admitted as much this week when their top analysts claimed that the third wave of the financial collapse of 2008, is rapidly approaching. Aside from how weird it is to hear a major financial institution admit that the crash of 2008 never ended, a fact that Austrian economists, conservatives, and libertarians have been saying for years, they also admitted that debt will be at the root of the approaching crisis.

This wave is characterised by rock-bottom commodities prices, stalling growth in China and other emerging-markets economies, and low global inflation, Goldman Sachs analysts led by Peter Oppenheimer said in a big-picture note.

This triple whammy has its roots in the response to the first two waves of crisis — the banking collapse and European sovereign-debt crisis — and it is all part of the so-called debt supercycle of the past few decades.

Central banks all rushed to lower interest rates in response to the first two debt-fueled crises, encouraging investors to lend in emerging markets such as China for a decent return.

Now that interest rates are looking as if they might go up, lenders are heading for the exits and investors are pulling out of commodities, which are closely linked to the fate of the emerging economies.

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Cruz, Gohmert Demand Removal of Margaret Sanger Bust

Twenty-six Republicans, led by presidential candidate Ted Cruz and Rep. Louie Gohmert, have called on the Smithsonian Institution to immediately remove a bust of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger, saying that honoring her "is an outrage."

"Ms. Sanger was an avowed advocate of eugenics and the extermination of groups of people she deemed as 'undesirables," the GOP legislators said in a letter sent Friday to Kim Sajet, director of the National Portrait Gallery.

Sanger's bust is part of the gallery's "Struggle for Justice" exhibit at the Smithsonian.

"Specifically, Ms. Sanger singled out African Americans, among other minority groups, as deserving to be subjected to such horrific and inhumane treatment," the letter said.

"Honoring a figure who promoted such hatred and deep-seated racism is not only contrary to the values that the exhibit is purporting to promote, but also deeply antithetical to the very values most Americans hold dear."

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