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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

You Can Change The Direction....Just By Thinking About It


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Register now for Chronic Pain management class

Registration is underway for a Chronic Pain Self-Management class, which begins Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016 at The Perdue Family Living Well Education Center at MAC Incorporated in Salisbury. The class will be held from 1 to 3:30 p.m. for six weeks.

The class is free and open to anyone with chronic pain.

Advance registration is preferred. For more information or to register, call 410-742-0505, ext. 144 or 137.

Secret Service agent's gun, badge stolen near White House

A Secret Service agent's gun, badge, radio, handcuffs and flash drive were stolen in broad daylight Monday near the agency's headquarters in Washington, according to a police report and sources briefed on the incident.

The agent's belongings were taken from his personal vehicle while it was parked on G Place in downtown Washington around 4 p.m. ET.

A report filed with the Metropolitan Police Department several hours later describes the agent returning to his car and noticing the back rear window of his car had been "unzipped." The report says the agent noticed "a bag with the listed property was taken out of the vehicle."

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Remember Drinking & Driving Should Never Mix Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over

(PIKESVILLE, MD) – The Maryland State Police are warning drivers they can expect enforcement of speed, occupant restraint and most importantly DUI laws this holiday season.

The State Police Impaired Driving Reduction Effort and troopers statewide will be out in force focusing efforts on impaired, distracted, and aggressive drivers. This effort is intended to reduce traffic crashes and the resulting injuries and deaths on Maryland roads. The Maryland State Police remind drivers all year, but especially during the holiday season, that drinking alcohol and driving should never mix.

“There is no excuse for impaired driving, so we will accept no excuse,” Maryland State Police Superintendent Colonel William M. Pallozzi said. “State troopers and law enforcement officers throughout Maryland are focused on identifying and arresting impaired drivers, whose numbers always increase during the holiday season. We are dedicating our efforts this year to the memory of Montgomery County Police Officer Noah Leotta, who was struck less than three weeks ago by an alleged impaired driver and died at the age of 24.”

On average, one-third (31 percent) of all fatal crashes in America involve drunk driving. In the month of December 2014, there were 82 people killed in crashes, involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. Two of those deaths occurred on Christmas Day. So far this year, Maryland State Police have made more than 6,700 DUI arrests.

As Maryland state troopers support the state highway safety plan “Toward Zero Deaths,” motorists need to be aware of the dangers of alcohol. Alcohol takes effect quickly and wears off slowly. It tends to reduce one’s control, judgment, and coordination. In addition, perceptual abilities, speech and speed of reflexes can be impaired.

Impaired drivers can face jail time, lose their driver’s licenses, incur higher insurance rates, and dozens of other expenses ranging from attorney fees, court costs, car towing repairs, to lost wags due to time off from work. Even worse, a drunk driver can claim someone’s life, or even their own.

Wicomico County Executive Announces Holiday Hours

All Wicomico County Offices including offices in the Government Office Building (with the exception of essential personnel) will be closed Thursday, December 24, 2015, Friday, December 25, 2015 and Friday, January 01, 2016. Normal hours of operation will resume the following Monday(s).

FRANKLIN GRAHAM QUITS REPUBLICAN PARTY

Franklin Graham says in order for America to avoid trouble that is on the horizon, Christians need to pray about running for office “where they can have an impact.”

And, by the way, he writes, that doesn’t necessarily mean aligning with the Republican Party, which throughout the years has had a long history of supporting biblical values.

Because he’s gone.

“Unless more godly men and women get in this process and change this wicked system,” the chief of Samaritan’s Purse wrote on his Facebook page, “our country is in for trouble.

“I want to challenge Christians, even pastors, across the country to pray about running for office where they can have an impact. We need mayors, [county] commissioners, city council members, school board members who will uphold biblical values.”
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Is Everybody Mumbling? Try A Hearing Test You Take On The Phone

Hearing loss can have a negative impact on work. It can lead to social isolation. It can even contribute to dementia. And one-third of Americans 65 and older have some level of hearing impairment. Typically they wait years to get tested.

But there's a scientifically validated hearing test that you can take over the telephone in the privacy of your home for just 5 bucks.

If you remember having a hearing test as a kid, well, this telephone test is nothing like that. The kinds of tests given by doctors and audiologists consist of a series of beeps or hums of various frequencies and volumes. These are called "pure tones." But because of the huge variability in telephone instruments, this kind of test doesn't work over the phone.

The hearing test that does work on the telephone takes a completely different approach. It's based on your ability to pick out speech from a lot of background noise.

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Is 'White Christmas' Not PC Enough For College Campuses?

Describe The Best Christmas Card You've Ever Received


Before Everyone Gets Too Busy Before Christmas...

From all of us to all of you, 
Merry Christmas

As Friday rapidly approaches I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you. We too are scrambling to find the time to shop for our friends and loved ones. So if things seem to be a bit slower this week, well, we're probably out getting last minute items. 

May your Holiday travels be safe and enjoyable.

FAA Small Unmanned Aircraft Registration Begins

It’s here! The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Small Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) registry is now live and ready for UAS owners to use at www.faa.gov/uas/registration.

Registration is free for the first 30 days with a rebate, then $5 after that.

During the registration process, each owner must provide his or her name, home address and e-mail address. When registration is complete, the web application will generate a Certificate of Aircraft Registration/Proof of Ownership including a unique identification number for the UAS owner, which must be marked on the aircraft.

Owners using the model aircraft for hobby or recreation will only have to register once and may use the same identification number for all of their model UAS. The registration is valid for three years.

Dog House Donations Needed

Dear Joe, Can you help us getting used dog houses? Last year we picked up & delivered over 25 dog houses with straw last winter. We put ads in the paper asking anyone that had an empty dog house to give away to call us. We picked them up, repaired as necessary & we took them wherever we knew they were needed. (410) 430-5448

If you have a dog house you are no longer in need of, please contact this volunteer group and they will come pick it up. 

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

As the holidays come and go, Women Supporting Women would like to take a moment to say THANK YOU to all of our amazing supporters who have donated to our cause, volunteered their time and attended our events this year. We understand there are many non-profits you can support, but we very much appreciate that you choose us. 

Our holiday office hours:
Wednesday, Dec 23rd - closing at 1pm
Thursday, Dec 24th & Friday, Dec 25th - closed
New Year's Eve - closing at 1pm
New Year's Day - closed

We wish you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and the 
happiest of New Years.

Warmest Regards,
The Women Supporting Women Staff and Board of Directors

POCOMOKE CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT Press Release 12-22-15

Pocomoke City, MD – December 22, 2015

On December 3, 2015 External Auditors for the Criminal Justice Information System Central Repository (CJIS- CR) conducted an audit of the criminal history record Information maintained by the Pocomoke City Police Department Records Division.

The audit team evaluated the following areas that impact the submission of demographic information to CJIS-CR, and the receipt, handling, storage, dissemination, and destruction of Criminal History Record Information by Pocomoke City Police Department. The areas are Completeness, Accuracy, Timeliness, Security and other findings.

The Pocomoke City Police Department was found in compliance with the use and dissemination of Criminal History Information, retention and physical security of Criminal History information. Overall the Pocomoke City Police Departments records were 100% accurate. The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services commended the Pocomoke City Police Department for achieving 100% accuracy on all audited files.

I would like to commend the administrative staff of the Pocomoke City Police Department for a job well done.

Chief William Harden Sr.

All homeless veterans have found housing in Montgomery Co.

WASHINGTON — Montgomery County has declared victory following an effort to house every homeless veteran officials were able to identify over the last year.

According to a Montgomery County Council announcement, by the end of 2015, 58 homeless veterans and their families will have found permanent housing.

At a news conference announcing the county’s goal of “Functional Zero” for homeless veterans, council member George Leventhal explained that the issue of homelessness hasn’t disappeared.

“We have systems in place now, so that where a veteran became homeless in Montgomery County, we will prioritize that veteran and … have the resources available to house that veteran,” he said.

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The newest virus circulating is the UPS/Fed Ex/USPS Delivery Failure

You may receive an e-mail from UPS, Fed Ex, or USPS along with a packet number.

It will say that they were unable to deliver a package sent to you on such-and-such a date.

It then asks you to print out the invoice copy attached.

DON'T TRY TO PRINT THIS. IT LAUNCHES THE VIRUS!

Pass this warning on to all your PC operators at work and home.

This virus has caused millions of dollars in damage in the past few days.

Snopes confirms that it is real.

AZ Sheriff Babeu: We’ve Had 10,000 Unaccompanied Juveniles In Two Months, Obama Admin Says ‘Border Is Wide Open’

Pinal County, AZ Sheriff and Congressional candidate Paul Babeu (R) stated, “just the last two months alone, we’ve had 10,000 unaccompanied juveniles” who are “staying here” and that “the Obama administration says the border is wide open, that there is no law it comes to immigration” on Monday’s “Cavuto: Coast to Coast” on the Fox Business Network.

Babeu said, “just the last two months alone, we’ve had 10,000 unaccompanied juveniles, and also with some family members. And the arms are open, and that’s the message that’s been sent. The last wave, 100,000 from Central America and–.”

He added, “We’re a compassionate nation. We always have been. And this is where I’m tired of being shouted down by President Obama, like somehow we’re not good Americans if we don’t do everything that he says we should to do. And we’ve had a million legal immigrants last year, and we do this every year.” Babeu continued, “I think it’s the most compassionate thing we can do, is reunite them with their families in Central America. What America should be doing is finding ways to solve the problems of violence in Central America, support their governments, because if we don’t solve that core problem, this isn’t going to end. We’re going to have this problem next month, next year, and then we own these people, and all the social network to support them for their entire lives. Because if you think that these kids are going anywhere, think again. They’re staying here.”

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Cities, States Fight Veteran Homelessness

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The smell of coffee filled the air on a recent Thursday morning in Carpenter’s Shelter, a homeless shelter here, as about a dozen people milled about.

Two U.S. Army veterans were among them: a middle-aged man and woman who aren’t looking for a permanent place to live. They said the food, showers and services at the shelter are enough, for now.

The Obama administration, in June 2014, challenged local governments to find a home for all veterans who want one by the end of this month. At least nine states and 850 municipalities tried to meet the goal, but Virginia and 15 municipalities were the only ones that succeeded.

But even there, hundreds of veterans remain homeless, most often because they have mental health or substance abuse problems, or just want to live on the street. In Virginia, the two at Carpenter’s Shelter are among about 600 homeless veterans. There are hundreds more in the municipalities that met the goal — in Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, North Carolina, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas.

The goal did not require municipalities to show that all veterans had been housed — just to prove they could quickly provide shelter, if needed. And even in places that did find a home for most veterans, some of them found themselves on the street again.

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Bill for travel websites could be headed for veto override

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland’s Senate president said Monday he’s confident Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto of a bill designed to ensure that third-party travel websites pay all of the state’s sales tax is headed toward an override vote.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller said in an interview with The Associated Press that there are enough Senate votes to override the Republican governor’s veto when the legislative session begins next month. Miller noted opposition to the governor’s decision from Marriott Chairman Bill Marriott and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce.

Marriott is based in Bethesda.

“Mr. Marriott and the CEO of Marriott are up in arms right now, and so we intend to work with them and work with (Maryland Secretary of Commerce) Mike Gill in terms of assuring Marriott that we are their supporters, that we’re going to override the governor’s veto, that we want to do all within our power to make certain they stay within our borders,” Miller, D-Calvert, said, noting competition with neighboring Virginia over the home for Marriott headquarters.

Supporters argued that the bill simply closes a loophole. Opponents contended it amounts to a new tax on travel websites.

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Football Coach Suspended For Praying After Games Files Discrimination Complaint

Earlier this year Joe Kennedy, a Washington state high school football coach, received national attention when he was suspended for praying after games at the 50-yard line. Kennedy’s tradition of praying quietly—and alone—after games began in 2008 when he was hired by the Bremerton school district. After awhile some of the athletes asked if they could join Kennedy and it grew from there.

In October all of that changed, however. The school district told Kennedy he had to not only stop praying with the athletes, but he also couldn’t even kneel down by himself at the 50-yard line anymore.

As a former Marine, Kennedy is used to fighting for the constitutional rights of all Americans, which is why he’s pushing back against the school’s decision to place him on paid administrative leave.

Court Rules Against School That Didn't Hire Homosexual

A judge in Massachusetts severely restricted the ability of religious organizations to fulfill their missions when he ruled that a Catholic school was guilty of discrimination for rescinding its job offer to a man later discovered to be homosexual. Matthew Barrett interviewed for the position of director of food services at Fontbonne Academy, an all-girls Catholic school, in 2013 and he was offered the job. But when he listed his husband as his emergency contact, the school rescinded his offer.

Judge Douglas H. Wilkins ruled the academy was guilty of discrimination, despite the school arguing that Barrett’s lifestyle was inconsistent with its teachings. As the school’s lawyer told Boston’s ABC affiliate WCVB, teaching doesn’t occur just outside the classroom, and Barrett’s employment would conflict with what is taught in the theology classroom. “As an educational institution, Fontbonne retains control over its mission and message,” Wilkins wrote.

More here

New Federal Terrorism Advisory System Doesn’t Name Threats, Including Radical Islam Or ISIS

DHS acknowledged receipt of questions submitted by CNSNews.com to the agency asking why the bulletin did not mention the location of the most recent terror attacks – Paris and San Bernardino, Calif. – and did not name radical Islam as the source of those attacks. DHS did not respond to the inquiry.

The one-page “Bulletin,” which is posted on the DHS website, states in the summary that the world is “in a new phase in the global threat environment, which has implications in the homeland.”

It notes that the “terrorist groups” are using the Internet to recruit other terrorists and states the federal government is “concerned about ……

KEEP READING HERE: CNS NEWS

State Dept: We Don’t Prioritize Christian Syrian Refugees over Other Religions

(CNSNews) – A State Department official told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Thursday that the U.S. does not prioritize Christian Syrian refugees just because of their religion.

“We’re not going to change the program, somehow bring more of one particular religion than another,” Anne Richard, assistant secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration, told the committee.

During the hearing on foreign travelers and national security, Richard said the U.S. is bringing Christians in from Syria, but she said “they are underrepresented in part because they make up a small part of the refugees from Syria.”

“And that’s the problem,” said chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who noted that only 29 Christian Syrian refugees have been admitted to the U.S. during the year.

Richard said that most Christian Syrian refugees are not fleeing, because they feel safe.

Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.) asked, “You said they’re not fleeing, because they feel safe. Ms. Richard, how many Christians have we brought in, in the last five years?

“Four percent of all the Syrians we have brought have been Christian or other minorities,” said Richard.

“You’ve brought in 53. You tell me that’s four percent? Because according to the numbers that aren’t hard to find – you can look this up on CNN, Wikipedia, or any place else – there are 2 million Christians decimated, okay? Two million Christians. According to Pope Francis, he calls it genocide,” said Walker.

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Miller: Gray Trials " Should Never Have Been Tried In City"

A powerful state lawmaker is weighing in on last week’s mistrial in the case of Officer William Porter

In an interview recorded for this Sunday’s Maryland’s News This Week, Senate President Mike Miller said the Officer William Porter trial, and the trials of the other officers accused in the death of Freddie Gray, should never have been held in Baltimore City.

Miller, who is a trial lawyer says what happened after last week’s mistrial is a sign that a Baltimore City jury won’t be able to reach a fair verdict.

"To have a mistrial and have people picket a mistrial, just shows that it is very difficult to have a very fair trial in an emotionally charged area," Miller told WBAL NewsRadio 1090.

"You need finality in these cases," Miller added.

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SPD Press Release 12-22-15 (Shooting Investigation/Arrests)

Kerry to Iran: Don’t Worry About Those Visa Waiver Program Changes

(CNSNews) – Secretary of State John Kerry assured his Iranian counterpart in a weekend letter that the administration will find ways to ensure that changes to the U.S. visa waiver program will not interfere with Iran’s “legitimate business interests.”

The changes, contained in the omnibus spending bill which President Obama signed into law on Friday, are set to affect citizens of the 38 visa waiver program (VWP) partner countries who have visited Iran (as well as Syria, Sudan and Iraq) since March 2011. Those individuals will be required to apply for a visa for future travel to the U.S.

Iran complained that the restrictions would violate the nuclear agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which obliges the U.S. not to take any actions that will “adversely affect the normalization of trade and economic relations with Iran.”

In his Dec. 19 letter to Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, Kerry said he was “confident that the recent changes in visa requirements passed in Congress, which the administration has the authority to waive, will not in any way prevent us from meeting our JCPOA commitments, and that we will implement them so as not to interfere with legitimate business interests of Iran.”

“To this end, we have a number of potential tools available to us, including multiple entry ten-year business visas, programs for expediting business visas, and the waiver authority provided under the new legislation,” Kerry wrote. “I am happy to discuss this further and provide any additional clarification.”

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Homosexual Group Demands Christian Colleges Apologize for Christian Ideals

What good is supposed religious freedom if that freedom to worship is subject to approval from a secular government that remains incredibly hostile to organized religion? Our First Amendment protects several integral rights, but what good are they if they are only subject to the approval of government?

Though Americans are forced to endure a never-ending national discussion about the supposed righteousness of homosexual-related issues, there remains shockingly little discussion about the outright persecution of Christians who seek to cling to certain static moral truths. Though it would seem to be commonsense for a Christian business owner to politely refuse business that runs contrary to his religious beliefs, the Obama Administration’s radical DOJ has made it clear that they intend to persecute and prosecute any and all who dare exercise their First Amendment rights.

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Maria Espinoza: Rep. Culberson No Longer Represents Conservative Values

Anti-illegal immigration leader and congressional candidate Maria Espinoza is going after Rep. John Culberson (R-TX), saying “he no longer represents Conservative Texas values.”

Espinoza is Co-founder and National Director of The Remembrance Project, a non-profit that advocates for families of Americans who have been killed by illegal aliens. She is currently challenging Culberson for his seat in Texas.

Espinoza told host Stephen K. Bannon on Breitbart News Daily that Culberson is helping President Obama on immigration.

Culberson, “has funded Obama’s executive amnesty and the remembrance project was part of a lawsuit, we joined that lawsuit, that Texas filed, along with 25 states against Obama to stop his executive actions.”

More info and video here

Hillary Clinton Is LYING About ‘Videos’ Again; This Time It’s To Smear A GOP Candidate

Hillary Clinton has proven herself to be as much of a serial liar as her husband is a serial woman abuser.

Clinton repeatedly and knowingly lied to the American people, the world, and even the families of the four Americans murdered in Benghazi about the Muslim terrorist attacks being triggered by a “YouTube video.” Then, shamefully, Hillary Clinton lied about the lie, a Clinton family m.o., in essence calling the Benghazi families liars.

Fast forward to last night’s Communist Democrat presidential debate on ABC, and Hillary Clinton is lying about videos again, creating narratives out of thin air, as she did in Benghazi, to deceive the American people.

“We also need to make sure that the really discriminatory messages that Trump is sending around the world don’t fall on receptive ears,” Clinton said during the ABC Democrat presidential debate on Saturday night.

“He [Trump] is becoming ISIS’s best recruiter. They are going to people showing videos of Donald Trump insulting Islam and Muslims in order to recruit more radical jihadists, so I want to explain why this is not in America’s interest to react with this kind of fear and respond to this sort of bigotry,” Clinton argued.

But even the overly Democrat-friendly New York Times and PolitiFact are calling Hillary Clinton’s latest “video” claim false.

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Troopers Investigate Serious Motor Vehicle Crash south of Georgetown

Georgetown, DE – Troopers are investigating a serious crash that occurred south of Georgetown early Saturday morning.

The incident occurred around 12:05 a.m. Saturday December 19, 2015 as Hertford S. Draper, 23 of Lewes, was operating a 1995 Cadillac Deville northbound on Cedar Lane approaching the intersection of Sussex Pines Road at a high rate of speed, actively fleeing from Millsboro Police Department. Draper failed to negotiate a sharp right curve and slid sideways off the east edge of the roadway into a wooded area. The right side of Cadillac struck a large standing tree, severely penetrating the passenger compartment, and came to a stop.

Hertford Draper was not wearing a seatbelt and had to be extricated by the Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department. He was initially transported by EMS to Beebe Healthcare where he was treated for multiple traumatic injuries and later flown by helicopter to Christiana Medical Center where he is currently admitted in critical condition. Draper was the sole occupant of the vehicle.

The intersection of Cedar Lane and Sussex Pines Road was closed for approximately three hours while the crash was investigated and cleared by the Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit.

Q&A With Rick Meehan: ‘We’ve Positioned Ourselves Well In The Marketplace’

OCEAN CITY — There are few people with more good things to say about Ocean City than Mayor Rick Meehan. Of course, it’s part of the job description for Meehan to get people fired up about Maryland’s favorite vacation destination, but he has always quietly balanced his not so quiet optimism for and promotion of the resort with consistent and level-headed leadership.

While some may laud him for being Ocean City’s biggest cheerleader, many others feel a quiet security knowing that he is at the helm and leading the resort’s charge into the great unknown. Yet, by mostly all accounts, the summer of 2015 was a pretty strong one here in Ocean City. The weather was decent, the crowds were sizeable, and almost collectively, there were profitable cheers coming from the business community rather than frustrated jeers.

Meehan sat down with The Dispatch to talk about the year that was, and the year that lies ahead.

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EXCLUSIVE - Syrian Refugees Bringing Flesh-Eating Disease into U.S.?

JERUSALEM – There is a risk that Middle Eastern refugees entering the U.​S​.​ could be infected with a flesh-eating disease that is sweeping across Syria.

Health agencies confirmed that Syrian refugees have transported leishmaniasis to Lebanon and Turkey, where it has been difficult to manage and treat.

Compounding the problem, ​patients can be infected with ​the parasitic disease ​without showing symptoms for weeks, months, or even years, ​and ​an asymptomatic patient most likely doesn’t know that he or she is a carrier.

​​This means the health screening process for refugees could miss the disease entirely​.

Breitbart Jerusalem spoke with healthcare experts, including an epidemiologist from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC’s Immigrant, Refugee, and Migrant Health Branch, which is responsible for guiding the medical screening of the Syrian refugees seeking to enter the U.S.

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Officials: yacht club fire due to Christmas tree

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Fire investigators have concluded a fire that badly damaged the Annapolis Yacht Club was caused by an electrical malfunction with a pre-lit artificial Christmas tree.

The Annapolis Fire Department said in a news release Monday that damage estimates are expected to exceed $9 million.

The three-alarm fire happened on Dec. 12. A firefighter was treated for minor injuries.

Annapolis Fire Chief David Stokes noted that it’s the second time a Christmas tree fire has had a major impact in the Annapolis community. In January, an electrical fire that spread to a 15-foot Christmas tree prompted a blaze that killed a couple and four of their young grandchildren.

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School District Approves Armed Teachers, Provides the Handguns

On December 16, school board members in Keene, Texas, voted not simply to allow armed teachers, but also to provide the handguns teachers will carry.

Ironically, the effort was supported by Keene Independent School District (ISD) superintendent Ricky Stephens, who opposed arming teachers when hired three years ago. “Now he says the world has changed and so has his opinion.”

According to Fox 5, Keene ISD members “approved a policy that would allow a few select staff members inside its four campuses to carry a gun.” The names of those who will be carrying are being withheld, but the guns they carry will be “provided by the district.”

The district will decide which teachers to arm out of a pool of those who submit their names as wanting to carry a gun.

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Study: 60 Percent of Syrian Rebels Are Islamist Extremists

So-called Syrian moderates are a critically endangered species, a new study suggests.

The Centre on Religion and Geopolitics will release a new study Monday claiming that 60 percent of non-Islamic State Syrian rebel groups adhere to extremist Islamic ideology, and share similar goals with the bloodthirty Islamic State.

The study is the latest blow to hopes of national security hawks, such as Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who argue for arming moderate Syrian rebels.

The Centre on Religion and Geopolitics is affiliated with a group run by former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, who championed intervention in Iraq in 2003, but has since apologized for many of his actions in the prosecution of that war.

More here

Powerful Homosexual Group Threatens Christian Colleges and Universities

The anti-Christian Human Rights Campaign is asking the federal government to harass Christian schools that have asked for or been granted waivers that would allow them to live out their Christian faith.

The 1972 Title IX amendments prohibiting sex discrimination in hiring, housing, and employment at schools receiving federal funds is at issue. The law allows religious schools to opt out of the requirements.

On the heels of their huge Supreme Court win in the Obergefell v. Hodges decision mandating homosexual marriage coast to coast, the radical LGBT establishment is looking for their next win. They believe they have found it in going after religious companies and employers who may hold that accepting a normalization of the homosexual agenda is against their religious beliefs.

Though the 1972 law has nothing to do with homosexual identity, homosexual activity, or so-called transsexuality, the $50 million-a-year Human Rights Campaign is nonetheless asking the federal government to put pressure on any school that has asked for or received such an exemption.

According to a recent report issued by the group, which has a history of targeting Christians, 56 schools have been granted religious freedom exemptions from the law. They claim such exemptions are dangerous for homosexual or transsexual students.

Here is more..

Town of Ocean City Named Google 2015 Google eCity Award Winner


Ocean City, MD – : The Town of Ocean City has another award to add to the trophy mantle, as Google recently named the resort town the 2015 eCity of Maryland award winner. The Google eCity Award recognizes the strongest online business community in each state, according to Google’s website.

“We know that more than 50 percent of people get information online and our local business owners do a great job connecting virtually with our visitors and our residents to promote all of the wonderful things Ocean City has to offer,” said Ocean City Mayor, Richard Meehan. “This is a terrific honor and another positive example of how our community is thriving, both online and off.”

This is the second eCity award for Ocean City, who also received the award from Google in 2013. According to Google, the company worked with an independent research firm, IPSOS, to analyze the online strength of local small businesses in cities in all 50 states. The city with the highest scores in each state was designated a 2015 Google eCity.

For a full list of 2015 eCity winners, visit: http://www.google.com/economicimpact/ecities.html

Pelosi: ‘They Were Willing to Concede So Much’

(CNSNews) - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi explained her support for the $1.2 trillion spending bill that the Republican Congress passed yesterday and President Obama signed into law by pointing out to reporters that the Republicans “were willing to concede so much” to get the bill passed.

The bill, Pelosi noted, did not stop funding of Planned Parenthood, and the Republicans “had to take out their provisions to destroy ACA”—the Affordable Care Act, AKA Obamacare.

Pelosi argued that the Republican leaders were so intent on getting a provision to allow exports of U.S. crude oil that they were “willing to give up so much.”

“The fact that the Republicans wanted big oil so desperately really argues for voting for the bill because they were willing to concede so much,” said Pelosi.

In the end, more House Democrats voted for the bill than House Republicans. It passed 316 to 113 with 5 members not voting.

More here

California's Worst Gas Leak In 40 Years (And Crews Can't Stop It)

While world leaders signed the 'historic' agreement signed in Paris to fix the world's "greatest threat," a natural gas storage site in southern California is belching 145,000 pounds per hour of Methane - a greenhouse gas 70 times more potent than carbon dioxide. What is worse, while official proclaim this a "top priority" a fix won't arrive until spring as emergency crews recognize"the leak was far from routine, and the problem was deeper underground."
As Wired reports, in just the first month, that’s added up to 80,000 tons, or about a quarter of the state’s ordinary methane emissions over the same period.

Muslim “Refugee” Says Main Goal is to “Islamize” Europeans

A Syrian refugee interviewed by an Arabic television channel admits that his main goal is not to escape war or ISIS persecution, but to “Islamize” Europe by converting its citizens to Islam.

“My main goal for leaving Syria is to lead people to the acceptance of Islam,” states the man as he jabs his finger in the air.

The individual says that he is willing to “sell” his country and even his own parents in order to reach “paradise” by converting Europeans to Islam who in turn will then “Islamize others.”

“I swear by Allah I only came here for this one goal….I have observed that they are curious and willing to get to know Islam through us,” he adds.

As Robert Spencer explains, the concept of Hijrah, or jihad by emigration, is celebrated in the Qur’an as a meritorious means of spreading Islam to new territories.

“And whoever emigrates for the cause of Allah will find on the earth many locations and abundance,” states the Qur’an (4:100). “And whoever leaves his home as an emigrant to Allah and His Messenger and then death overtakes him, his reward has already become incumbent upon Allah. And Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.”

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What Ryan got in his Omnibus

Ryan Omnibus: Conservatives have plenty of reasons to be unhappy with the omnibus spending bill that passed the House last week. But it is noteworthy that there was no massive conservative rebellion in the House, in a day and age when such rebellions seemed to be getting more common. One hundred fifty Republicans voted for the bill that Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., put forward. That’s about 50 more than had been expected originally. The low expectations existed for the very reasons rank and file conservatives are disappointed now: The bill does not stop federal funding for Planned Parenthood. It does not address the question of Syrian refugees in the way that many of them feel is appropriate. It does not stop Obama’s Clean Power Plant or Waters of the United States EPA rules (both now under litigation). It does not stop funding for Obama’s executive amnesty (also under litigation). It does not halt the Labor Department’s new fiduciary rule, a clear overreach.

For a lot of conservatives, one or more of these seems like a game-ender. Especially on Planned Parenthood, many believe that no other benefit of the law can outweigh what seems like a betrayal.

On the other hand, a fight to the death against Obama over Planned Parenthood at this particular moment would have been more likely to lead to a government-wide shutdown than the actual defunding of Planned Parenthood, and that has to be at least considered.

But there are three things this bill does that, given a long-term outlook, will promote large conservative goals that may not be immediately obvious. These are the areas to watch — the areas where history will ultimately judge Ryan’s speakership and determine how long he gets to keep it.

1. Obamacare Repeal: Believe it or not, the stage for repeal of this law has now been set. By keeping the 2014 Rubio provision intact, which bars any taxpayer bailout of insurers losing money in Obamacare’s exchanges, this omnibus prevents the Obama administration from wasting taxpayers’ money to delay the Obamacare law’s day of reckoning.

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ACLU JOINS LEGAL COMPLAINT AGAINST GOVERNOR'S DISCRIMINATORY TRANSPORTATION POLICY

Baltimore Residents and Civic Groups File Title VI Complaint with United States Department of Transportation over Maryland's Discriminatory Decision to Strip Baltimore of Transportation Funding

Today, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.; the Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center; Covington & Burling LLP; and the ACLU of Maryland, filed acomplaint with the United States Department of Transportation on behalf of the Baltimore City Chapter of the NAACP, Baltimore Regional Initiative Developing Genuine Equality, Inc. ("BRIDGE"), and African-American residents of the City of Baltimore, challenging the state's decision this summer to cancel plans for the "Red Line" rail system for Baltimore City. The complaint alleges that the decision to cancel the Red Line and divert transportation funds to highway and other projects outside the city has a disparate impact on African-American residents in Baltimore. According to the complaint filed today, this action violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits state agencies that engage in discrimination from receiving federal funds.

"This is a critical civil rights issue. Everyone who knows this city knows that the lack of rapid transit restricts access to jobs and housing for low and middle income African-American residents living along the city's east-west corridor," said Sherrilyn Ifill, President & Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF). The Governor's unilateral decision to cancel the Red Line this summer came while many residents were still reeling from unrest after the death of Freddie Gray. "It frankly shocked the entire city," said Ifill, who has spoken frequently about the civil rights implications of the decision to abandon the plan for the Red Line in Baltimore.

Recessions Are Good … Except The One That’s Coming

THAT ONE IS GOING TO BE BAD …

Years ago we wrote a piece in defense of “creative destruction.”

Our column referenced the legendary Austrian school economist Joseph Alois Schumpeter … but then we remembered we were a political blog based in the dumbest state in America. At which point we quit with the Schumpeter-speak.

But the point still stands: Creative destruction is (and always has been) a good thing. It’s a natural part of the free market … and an essential part of creating the conditions for future growth.

In a recent column on his website, investment advisor Lance Roberts makes this point. But he also makes the critical caveat: We are not in a free market. We are in a manipulated market, one in which government-driven centralized “financial engineering (has) had a very negative side effect of deteriorating economic prosperity.”

In other words all those government efforts to “save the economy” have only made matters worse … which is exactly what we said would happen more than seven years ago.

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Jeb: 'I Feel Much Better' Not Being Front-Runner

Jeb Bush, who was the early favorite to win the Republican presidential nomination, says he is happier in the back of the pack.

"I hated that," the former Florida governor said in an interview broadcast Sunday on "Face the Nation." "I feel much better back here."

Bush said there was always a high expectation for him since his father and brother were both president.

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UMD offers opportunities for international LGBTQ students

Aravind Chandrasekaran’s parents still don’t know their son is gay.

But when the second-year graduate student travels home to India next winter, he plans to address “the elephant in the room.”

“Life is going to be different for them,” said Chandrasekaran, who identifies as a cisgendered gay man. “The thing that they thought I would never have the guts to come up and say, I will.”

Growing up in India, Chandrasekaran said he had difficulty coming to terms with his sexuality. Some of his friends’ parents forced them into therapy after they came out, he said, and other people reacted by saying “Are you sure?” and “Maybe you just haven’t met the right woman yet.”

He has been in America for a little more than a year and said he feels less inhibited when expressing who he is.

“I know in at least this part of the country I can be open about myself to anyone that I meet and that they won’t judge me,” he said. “That is important.”

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SHKRELI: They arrested me because I jacked the price of pharma drugs

(Reuters) - Martin Shkreli, the pharmaceutical entrepreneur facing U.S. charges of securities fraud, has said he had been the target of legal authorities for his much-criticized drug-price hikes and his over-the-top public persona, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Shkreli, who was arrested on Thursday and released soon after on a $5 million bond, has been charged for engaging in what U.S. prosecutors said was a Ponzi-like scheme at his former hedge fund MSMB Capital Management and Retrophin Inc, a company he headed before he took the helm of Turing Pharmaceuticals Inc. The maximum sentence for the top count is 20 years in prison.

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Menu Microaggression: College Students Declare Ethnic Food To Be Racist

Students at Oberlin College are complaining that the meals served in the dining halls are culturally insensitive just days after students released a massive list of 50 demands on the university in the name of justice.

Asian students are upset with the College Dining Services’ (CDS) attempts to make ethnic Asian food, claiming their approximation is not authentic and is, therefore, an “appropriation” of their culture, The New York Post reports.

Diep Nguyen, a freshman from Vietnam, was originally excited the university served a Banh Mi Vietnamese sandwich. But then it “turned out to be a cheap imitation,” since they used different bread and coleslaw rather than pickled vegetables it was deemed offensive.

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Huge Fukushima Cover-Up Exposed, Government Scientists In Meltdown

Fukushima radiation just off the North American coast is higher now than it has ever been, and government scientists and mainstream press are scrambling to cover-up and downplay the ever-increasing deadly threat that looms for millions of Americans.

Following the March 2011 meltdown at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, reactors have sprayed immeasurable amounts of radioactive material into the air, most of which settled into the Pacific Ocean. A study by the American Geophysical Union has found that radiation levels from Alaska to California haveincreased and continue to increase since they were last taken.

Naturalnews.com reports:

The highest levels yet of radiation from the disaster were found in a sample taken 2,500 kilometers (approx. 1,550 miles) west of San Francisco.

“Safe” according to whom?

Lead researcher Ken Buesseler of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution was one of the first people to begin monitoring Fukushima radiation in the Pacific Ocean, with his first samples taken three months after the disaster started. In 2014, he launched a citizen monitoring effort – Our Radioactive Ocean – to help collect more data on ocean-borne radioactivity.

The researchers track Fukushima radiation by focusing on the isotope Cesium-134, which has a half-life of only two years. All Cesium-134 in the ocean likely comes from the Fukushima disaster. In contrast, Cesium-137 – also released in huge quantities from Fukushima – has a half-life of 30 years, and persists in the ocean, not just from Fukushima, but also from nuclear tests conducted as far back as the 1950s.

The most recent study added 110 new Cesium-134 samples to the ongoing studies. These samples were an average of 11 Becquerels per cubic meter of sea water, a level 50 percent higher than other samples taken so far.

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Obama Abruptly Waives 1980 Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act

The Financial Repression Authority has consistently shown that Regulatory changes which “Ring Fence” US investors choices is a cornerstone of the Macro-Prudential Policy of “Financial Repression”. Through stealth programs like FATCA and PFIC the US government has steadily and quietly limited Americans ability to take cash out of the country and to invest abroad, other than through profitable public exchange traded products sold by the financial industry. However, it is one thing to shut the doors to American investing abroad but it is quite another to fully open the doors to foreigners! It begs the question why, why now and why the change needed to happen so urgently?

This week, as the BOJ, ECB and PBOC all continued to aggressively expand credit the Federal Reserve was “full ahead” in the process of withdrawing approximately $1 Trillion of liquidity to achieve its December FOMC decision to increase the Fed Funds rate by 0.25%. To counteract this policy initiative and the alarming collapse in the HY & IG bond market, the US government immediately opened the floodgates to easy foreign credit in a major policy reversal. A policy decision which was rushed through congress with almost no time for congressional debate. Obviously what was not lost on the White House was the fact that the now troubled $2.2 Trillion of High Yield bonds peddled to yield starved investors since the financial crisis matches 2/3’s of the $3.5 Trillion increase in the Federal Reserves balance sheet during the same period.

FIRPTA was implemented during a better era for Americans in response to international investors in the late 1980s and early 1990s buying U.S. farmland, as well as the more publicly visible buying of trophy U.S. property by the Japanese. The US government has now expediently waived FIRPTA.

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Thought for the day

Hillary Clinton goes to a gifted-student primary school in New York to talk about the world. After her talk she offers question time.

One little boy puts up his hand. Hillary asks him what his name is.

"Kenneth," he says.

"And what is your question, Kenneth?" she asks.

"I have three questions," he says.

"First -- whatever happened in Benghazi?

" Second -- why would you run for president if you are not capable of handling two e-mail accounts?

"And, third -- whatever happened to the missing six billion dollars
While you were Secretary of State?"

Just then the bell rings for recess.

Hillary informs the kiddies that they will continue after recess.

When they resume Hillary says, "Okay, where were we? Oh, that's right, question time. Who has a question?"

A different boy -- little Johnny -- puts his hand up.

Hillary points to him and asks him what his name is.

"Johnny," he says.

"And what is your question, Johnny?" she asks.

"I have five questions," he says.

"First -- whatever happened in Benghazi?

"Second -- why would you run for president if you are not capable of handling two e-mail accounts?

"Third -- whatever happened to the missing six billion dollars while you were Secretary of State?

"Fourth -- why did the recess bell go off 20 minutes early?

"And, fifth -- where's Kenneth?"