Popular Posts

Saturday, April 09, 2016

MILLIONS WRONGLY TREATED FOR ‘CANCER,’ NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE PANEL CONFIRMS

Cancer classification guidelines putting countless in harms way

A devastating report commissioned by the National Cancer Institute reveals that our 40-year long ‘War on Cancer’ has been waged against a vastly misunderstood ‘enemy,’ that in many cases represented no threat to human health whatsoever.

If you have been following our advocacy work on cancer, particularly in connection with thedark side of breast cancer awareness month, you know that we have been calling for the complete reclassification of some types of ‘breast cancer’ as benign lesions, e.g. ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), as well as pointing out repeatedly that x-ray based breast screenings are not only highly carcinogenic but are also causing an epidemic of “overdiagnosis” and “overtreatment” in US women, with an estimated 1.3 million cases in the past 30 years alone.

A National Cancer Institute commissioned panel’s report published in JAMA online confirmed that we all – public and professionals alike – should stop calling low-risk lesions like DCIS and high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) ‘cancer.’

There are wide-reaching implications to this recommendation, including:

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Facebook is now showing people weather forecasts

Here's a neat new feature from Facebook: The social network has started showing some users weather forecasts at the start of their day.

Users are reporting on Twitter seeing messages pop up from the Menlo Park company in the app, letting them know what the weather will be like for the day ahead. The new feature was earlier reported on by The Next Web.

For example, here's a message that popped up on one user's mobile app recently:

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Car owners in the US are alleging in a new lawsuit that Mercedes also cheated on emissions testing

FRANKFURT - Owners of Mercedes diesel cars filed a new class-action lawsuit in the United States saying the vehicles likely contained a "defeat device" used to cheat emissions testing, an accusation that Daimler, which owns the carmaker, denied.

U.S. law firm Hagens Berman, which had already filed a complaint in February, said new tests had shown that Mercedes BlueTEC cars produced nitrogen oxide emissions in virtually all road tests that were far higher than in controlled lab tests.

"The fact that Mercedes passed the dynamometer test in all tests, but failed the real world test, is suggestive that like VW , Mercedes is implementing a 'defeat device'," it said in its complaint filed in the District Court of New Jersey.

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Stop pretending getting a tax refund is something to celebrate

Many folks get excited about tax time for the sole purpose that they know they'll be receiving a big refund check.

But is getting a refund on your taxes really in your best interest, or is it just taking money out of your pocket?

Here are three reasons why it's a bad idea to get a tax refund, and how you can manage your paycheck deductions in a way that better serves your financial needs and wants.

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Scientists have discovered a metal foam that can stop an incoming bullet

For thousands of years, armor was something people wore.

Gunpowder, which could launch projectiles straight through metal garments, changed that, and with the invention of the tank in World War I, armor become something people rode inside.

The invention of Kevlar in 1965 brought back wearable armor, and then armor-piercing bullets were designed to punch through that.

The next stage of armor might be more of a giant leap than an incremental improvement: a new type of composite metal foam can stop an armor-piercing bullet in just a fraction of an inch.

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Giving people free money could be the only solution when robots finally take our jobs

For centuries, the way people make money has stayed mostly the same: People earn a living based on the skills they bring to society. Doctors make more than plumbers because open-heart surgery saves more lives than fixing leaky toilets. Star athletes make more than teachers because entertainment is more lucrative than education.

But the recent evidence is overwhelming: Automated robots are replacing workers faster than our economy can handle. Some evidence even suggests that today's technology could feasibly replace 45% of jobs right now.

The consequence may ultimately be that people will no longer be able to make money based on their usefulness in society — because they won't be useful anymore. There has to be another system of income distribution, and the one that seems most poised to ease the burden is universal basic income.

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Understanding Latino Youth Culture

[ The following article helps to reveal some of the cultural influences and traditions that many immigrants are bringing to our area, and how those things may affect not only their daily lives, but ours as well. --Editor]

El Monte, a suburb located in Los Angeles County, is comprised mostly of Hispanics. Youth in El Monte are challenged in many ways. They are caught between two cultures, the traditional rural culture of their Mexican heritage and the sophisticated urban culture of Los Angeles. Next, they come from a low-income ethnic group. Also, street gangs associated with the Mexican Mafia are influential. Finally, a large proportion of them are in broken and disorganized families. These factors make them a challenging population.

Hispanic youth assertively distinguish themselves from other groups. They are proud of their racial origin. This ethnic pride fuels their anger at perceived injustices in the system. They have not internalized the shame engendered by racism to the same degree as African Americans. Predominant racial tensions seem to lie between Hispanics and African Americans. These tensions may be a product of turf wars between Hispanic street gangs based in El Monte and black street gangs encroaching from neighboring suburbs. It appears that most racial incidents are gang-based.

Traditional sex roles surrounding “machismo” strongly influence the youth culture. Being macho is important for adolescent males; this is encouraged and modeled by their fathers. This is exhibited as many Hispanic men regularly give commands to females while resisting instructions by others, especially women. Sexual conquest is an important aspect of machismo; this is seen as young Hispanic boys are extremely possessive of their girlfriends, practically regarding them their own exclusive property. Conflict arises when the boyfriend sternly argues with his girlfriend for having any friendships with other boys; even friendships with other girls must not interfere with his claims on her time. Machismo may facilitate domestic violence, in that it is culturally acceptable for a boy or man to hit his wife or girlfriend as a way of establishing his authority over her. Girls who reject such treatment are regarded as rebellious and disrespectful. Attempts to deal with this type of violence clash with the cultural norm.

Hispanic girls find themselves tangled between restrictive traditional roles of their Hispanic culture and their American desire to carve for themselves a career and a happy life. Having a boyfriend is a status symbol. Yet, they receive mixed messages from their culture about sex. Hispanic girls are expected to care for and serve men, submit to them, and give them great freedom. A girl who refuses the sexual advances of a boyfriend risks social disapproval. Alternately, there is a conservative sexual ethnic expecting chastity and exclusive fidelity from a woman to her man; infidelity can provoke violence. As a result, there is a high rate of Hispanic teenage pregnancy, and teenagers frequently become sexually active around the age of 15.

Another strong influence on Hispanic teen culture comes from street gangs...

Read more here

Pope: Relax Church Rules on Divorce, Not on Gay Marriage

Pope Francis said Friday that Catholics should look to their own consciences more than Vatican rules to negotiate the complexities of sex, marriage, and family life, demanding the church shift its emphasis from doctrine to mercy in confronting some of the thorniest issues facing the faithful.

In a major church document entitled "The Joy of Love," Francis made no explicit change in church doctrine and upheld church teaching on the lifelong bond of marriage between a man and a woman.

However, he urges relaxing restrictions on divorced Catholics and resoundingly rejects gay marriage.

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Troopers Investigating Fatal Crash- Rehoboth Beach

 
Rehoboth Beach, DE- The Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit is currently investigating a two vehicle crash that has claimed the life of a Magnolia man which occurred last weekend.
 
The initial investigation began on Saturday, April 2, 2016, at approximately 2:29 p.m., as troopers responded to northbound SR 1 (Coastal Highway), .4 miles north of Holland Glade Road, Rehoboth Beach, for the report of a two vehicle crash. It was at this time that troopers learned that John W. Weeks, 18, of Rehoboth Beach, DE, was operating a 2005 Ford F-150, and was traveling in the center lane of northbound SR 1, north of Holland Glade Road. Weeks swerved his vehicle into the left hand lane of travel in order to avoid striking another vehicle which had just entered into his path after exiting the parking lot of the K-Mart store. The front of the F-150 then struck the left hand side of the rear bumper of a 2009 Kia Sorrento, that was traveling in the left hand lane of northbound SR 1, and which was being operated by Richard W. Carmean, III, 55, of Magnolia, DE.
 
After the collision, both operators were able to pull their vehicles to a controlled stop in the northbound left hand turn lane for Camelot Drive. Both operators, as well as a female passenger in Carmean’s vehicle, advised responding troopers that they were uninjured and refused medical treatment at the scene. No damage was observed on either vehicle, therefore, both operators agreed to exchange information, and after doing so, were released.
 
After returning to his residence, Richard Carmean began to feel discomfort and was transported by personal vehicle to the Kent General Hospital, where he subsequently died on Monday, April 4, 2016. His body was then transported to the Division of Forensic Sciences where an autopsy determined that Carmean had died as a result of injuries he sustained in the crash.
 
The Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit has assumed this investigation and is asking anyone who may have witnessed this crash to contact Master Corporal Jay Burns at 302-703-3266. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com, or by sending an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."

Missing Teen

Cruz: 'Not Remotely' Any Regrets on 'New York Values' Remark

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz said Thursday that he "not remotely" had any regrets for bashing front-runner Donald Trump's "New York values" as he campaigns in the Empire State ahead of its April 19 primary.

"Everyone in New York and outside of New York knows exactly what I meant by that," the Texas senator told Dana Bash on CNN. "It is the liberal values of Democratic politicians who have been hammering the people of New York for decades.

"They've suffered under these liberal values," Cruz said, pointing to such Democrats as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio — even presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton.

"Andrew Cuomo told New Yorkers that if you're pro-life, if you believe in traditional marriage, if you believe in the Second Amendment, there is no place for you in the state of New York," Cruz said.

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MINIMUM WAGE IDIOCY

EVEN ITS PROPONENTS KNOW IT DOESN’T MAKE “ECONOMIC SENSE”

The news that California and New York have embraced new $15 an hour minimum wage laws is being hailed as a victory for the “progressive” movement.

“This is a real watershed,” Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton said during a press event with Empire State governor Andrew Cuomo. “I know it is going to sweep our country.”

Let’s hope not …

This website has consistently rejected government efforts to impose a minimum wage. We simply don’t believe in the efficacy of the concept – nationally or in our home state.

Why not?

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Old Photos of "Firsts"

The Wright brothers’ first flight. The photo was taken so that people 
would believe them
. [1903]

How To Easily Add A Foreign Flair To Home Cooking

International cuisine can seem intimidating to anyone who’s not a top chef.

But in reality, it’s not difficult to add a pinch of foreign flavor to your kitchen, says Blakely Trettenero, a chef, world traveler and host of Cooking for Bimbos (www.cookingforbimbos.com) and Hungry for Travels (www.hungryfortravels.com).

Trettenero, who makes difficult dishes easy on her cooking website with the tongue-in-check name, has visited more than 30 countries and made many food discoveries along the way.

“While in Italy, I realized pasta in the United States is second rate,” says Trettenero, who has been featured on several TV shows. “That dried stuff we buy in a box doesn’t cut it. If you've ever had homemade pasta, you know what I mean.”

Once, after a night of dancing in Greece, Trettenero and others worked up an appetite and at 6 a.m. landed at a restaurant that never closes on Mykonos Harbor.

“We ordered this amazing chicken soup with fresh lemon juice squeezed on it,” she says. “It was unreal.”

Here are two recipes from Trettenero to help bring a taste of international cuisine to your home:

Thai Style Quinoa Salad

Salad ingredients

Timely Quote

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."
-- Dr. Adrian Rogers
(1931-2005) American pastor

Will Hillary Get Berned In November?

With the American electorate more polarized than at any other point in history, and both parties poised to nominate candidates with record-high negative ratings, the 2016 presidential campaign could come down to turnout.

And that may be bad news for Hillary Clinton.

The Washington Free Beacon reports:

25 percent of those backing Sanders report that they would not vote Clinton in the general election if the former secretary of state becomes the nominee, according to a McClatchy-Marist poll released early Wednesday. Only 69 percent said they would back her campaign.

Clinton supporters meanwhile are notably more willing to back her primary competitor if Sanders secures the Democratic nomination. Fourteen percent of those supporting Clinton said they would not back Sanders in the general election versus 79 percent who said they would support the Vermont senator.

That means Clinton must either win even more independent votes than a Democrat normally should, or she must hope Republicans nominate a candidate even more unpopular with his party than her.

Source: American Action News

Ted Cruz's Bold Big Apple Play

Ted Cruz is trailing in New York, where Trump's home field advantage and Kasich's moderate style plays well with voters. Worse, Cruz may have alienated many New Yorkers months ago when he took a shot at Trump's "New York values." Since he arrived in town, the New York tabloids have brutalized Cruz. New York is, after all, the capital of global capitalism, a place where the rags to riches stories that undergird the American dream tend to happen for all the world to see. There are liberals, but there are also huge pockets of hardworking, religious conservatives who once enthusiastically elected Republican majorities. It's possible that many of these conservative New York voters felt that they were unfairly lumped in with the millions of liberal New York City residents who sway the state's elections in a deep blue direction. Simply put, they could not "fuhgeddaboutit."

It would be easy for Ted Cruz to simply apologize, but instead, the Texas Senator is doubling down, with nuance. As Newsmax notes:

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz said Thursday that he "not remotely" had any regrets for bashing front-runner Donald Trump's "New York values" as he campaigns in the Empire State ahead of its April 19 primary.

"Everyone in New York and outside of New York knows exactly what I meant by that," the Texas senator told Dana Bash on CNN. "It is the liberal values of Democratic politicians who have been hammering the people of New York for decades.

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Hail In Ocean City Today


This morning around 11:00 we experienced a hail storm in Ocean City. Did you get the same around the rest of the Shore?

Motor Vehicle Collision - Personal Injury - Whaleyville

Type of Incident: Motor Vehicle Collision- Personal Injury

Date and Time: 04/09/2016 at approximately 1028 hrs.

Location: 7500 Block of Old Ocean City Road (Between Bell & Dale Road), Whaleyville Worcester County, Md.

Case # 16-MSP-013957

Driver of Vehicle #1 Injured - Ashley Ann Nicole Ballard 29 yoa Snow Hill, MD-Flown to PRMC

Passenger of Vehicle #1 Injured- Ebony Shari Ballard 31 yoa Berlin, MD -Flown to PRMC

Charges: Negligent Driving

On 4/09/2016 at approximately 1028 hours, the Maryland State Police Berlin Barrack responded to a single vehicle motor vehicle collision in the area of 7500 Block of Old Ocean City Road (Between Bell & Dale Road) Whaleyville, Worcester County, Maryland.

The preliminary investigation indicated a 2005 red Chevy Cobalt operated by Ashley Ann Nicole Ballard 29 yoa Snow Hill MD, was travelling E/B on Old Ocean Rd when her vehicle left the roadway and struck a DP & L pole. Both driver and passenger were trapped in the vehicle and were subsequently extracted by Berlin FIRE/EMS crews. Witnesses advised the vehicle began swerving for unknown reasons, lost control, went off the roadway and subsequently struck the pole.

Both occupants were flown to PRMC due to injuries.

DP& L on scene to replace pole.

Roadway is open while pole is being replaced

Clinton Campaign Uses Noise Machine To Block Reporters From Hearing Fundraiser Speech

Hillary Clinton’s campaign team reportedly used a static noise machine on Thursday to block reporters outside of a fundraiser in Denver from hearing her remarks.

That’s according to Stan Bush, a reporter for Denver’s CBS-4, who was stationed outside of the event, which was held outdoors at the home of Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a superdelegate who has endorsed Clinton.

Bush said that the noise interference machine was turned on after a band — later identified as Big Head Todd and the Monsters — finished playing music and before Clinton spoke. The device was placed inside of a fence on the property and aimed in the direction of the press, Bush wrote.

The Clinton campaign frequently uses noise in another way to prevent reporters from overhearing the candidate’s remarks. Often, while Clinton is shaking hands with voters at campaign events, staff will crank up music to prevent reporters from recording their conversations.

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Obama Administration to Military: Be Quiet About China

The U.S. Navy's top commander in the Pacific is calling for a strong military response to China's moves in the South China Sea but the Obama administration has silenced him.

According to the Navy Times, Adm. Harry Harris would like to see the U.S. military flex its muscles in the face of China's construction of artificial islands, the closest of which would be roughly 140 miles from the capital of the Philippines. President Barack Obama's National Security Adviser Susan Rice, however, has ordered military brass to keep their opinions on the matter to themselves.

The administration is in the process of trying to work with China on several issues, including trade and nuclear weapons.

"They want to get out of office with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of cooperation with China," retired Navy captain Jerry Hendrix told Navy Times.

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Krauthammer: If Obama Wins Exec Amnesty Case ‘You Can Send Congress Home’

Columnist Charles Krauthammer argued that if the Supreme Court fails to overturn President Obama’s executive actions in United States v. Texas and allows the administration to grant government benefits to noncitizens “you can send Congress home, and can you eliminate Article I from the Constitution, then there are no laws” on Thursday’s “Special Report” on the Fox News Channel.

"The president has a big heart, big heart with your tax money, and the Congress said no, [government benefits] go only to citizens. And if the president can unilaterally overturn that, then we have no laws and we have, essentially a single branch of government."

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H-1B Visas Quickly Snatched Up

All the country’s visas for high-skilled workers were snatched up in the first week yet again this year, the government reported Thursday, signaling that companies’ voracious appetites for cheap foreign workers remains unabated despite intense criticism on the presidential campaign trail.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said it received more than enough applications to claim the 85,000 visas available under the H-1B program this year and will once again hold a lottery to award the coveted permits.

Technology companies, desperate for the workers, said reaching the cap just days after the April 1 application period began should spur Congress to more than double the limit. They lamented the “absurdity” of leaving tens of thousands of willing workers without a path into the U.S.

But tech employees and those seeking stricter immigration limits say the H-1B program has become a chief way to undercut Americans’ wages. They point to several high-profile cases in which U.S. workers were fired and, in some cases, even forced to train their foreign replacements.

“It’s very disappointing for someone like me, an American who’s been affected. And not only me, but hundreds here in Florida,” said Leo Perrero, a former tech worker at Disney who trained his replacement and earlier this year filed a class-action lawsuit accusing Disney of colluding to displace Americans.

H-1B visas allow foreigners to stay in the U.S. for up to six years and often are used as gateway visas. Companies apply to get their employees green cards, signifying permanent legal residence.

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A Viewer Writes: Wilson Reynolds

Hello Joe,

Here is a journalistic challenge for you since the family have not even published the mans demise but Wilson B Reynolds of airport road salisbury former owner of Advantage Color Lab on Eastern Shore Drive, East Coast Property Management Co. in OC and Duck Neck Campground in Chester town all bankrupted to pay for his new ponzi projects and resorts in Tennessee CROAKED owing PNC bank millions and a lot of local hard working farmers that leased his lands here contractors and landscapers that have done work for him and employees that with held SSI payments were never made here and in Tennessee. Not to mention the talent he roped in for his ESPN outdoors hunting program Primal Instinct. He carried a badge espousing he was an agent for the dept. of the interior and flattering himself a photographer paid young gals on Model Mayham to take their clothes off for pictures. He bullshitted a lot of good ole local people swearing he was a Reynolds tobacco heir that had given that dirty money to the American Cancer Society and was a self made man. Champion Duck Caller that consulted with the Duck Dynasty guys and inventor of Mossy Oak Camo. Very charismatic man. Smart endearing and totally full of SHIT. Floating paper robbing Peter to pay Paul and tying people up in courts to further his crazy pathological egomaniac. A frothing rabid Republican he is the sort that has divided our ranks and credibility as Entrepreneurial altruist opportunity makers for those so inclined that bowed to humble opportunities and wound up high and dry.....and he is dead, trying to keep up with all the lies.
The Nose

Mexico vs. Trump: The Saga Continues

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox has had it up to here with Donald Trump. After Fox proudly proclaimed "I'm not gonna pay for that f--kin wall!" in an interview, the post went viral, likely galvanizing Trump's supporters and engendering hope.

This week, in the wake of Trump's release of a detailed plan to make Mexico pay for the wall, Fox is back in action, taking to social media to call out the GOP frontrunner. As Newsmax notes:

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox on Thursday night unleashed a flurry of tweets against GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump, calling him "pathetic" and "a narcissist."

Some of Fox's tweets include:

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Subject: One man's trash is this NYC sanitation worker's $160,000 treasure

One man's trash is New York City sanitation worker Nelson Molina's treasure. During his 34 year career of keeping the Big Apple clean, he collected more than $160,000 worth of amazing trash finds. From antique guitars to action figures, check out his collection on display in an East Harlem warehouse.
Go Here to view.

Crooked judge gives new meaning to ‘chutzpah’

Remember the joke about the kid who killed both parents, than asked for mercy from the court because he was an orphan? It’s often cited as a way to illustrate chutzpah.

A trio of agencies this week closed in on another trio — three citizens who stand accused of defrauding Social Security. No pikers this group. They operated over eight years and are alleged to have defrauded SSA for $5 million. The Justice Department says they conspired to obtain an eventual $600 million. The investigation was carried out by the FBI, the IRS Criminal Investigative Service and the Social Security Administration’s inspector general.

The Justice press release also sounds like the beginning of a joke: “A retired judge, a lawyer and a psychologist …” Only they didn’t walk into a bar, but rather into an 18-count indictment.

The retired judge charged in the case, 81-year-old David Black Daugherty, was a retired Social Security administrative law judge. According to the FBI, attorney Eric Conn had psychologist Alfred Adkins create phony disability cases for some 2,000 claimants, then steered the cases to Daugherty for decisions.

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Trump adviser says Republicans won't have contested convention

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Trump's new top political strategist predicted on Friday the Republican presidential front-runner would amass the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch his party's nomination well before the Republican National Convention in July.

Veteran campaign tactician Paul Manafort was chosen by Trump on Thursday to oversee a fractious nomination process that many Republicans expect may not yield a clear winner before the convention.

Manafort said on CNN's "New Day" program that rival Ted Cruz, the U.S. senator from Texas, will not be able to dent Trump's delegate lead before California's June 7 primary.

"The reality is: Ted Cruz has seen his best day," Manafort said. "The reality is: this convention process will be over with sometime in June, probably June 7, and it'll be apparent to the world that Trump is over that 1,237 number."

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Sen. Grassley: Dems Wasting Time With 'Strong-Arm Tactics' on SCOTUS Nominee

Democrats are basically wasting their time trying to pressure Republicans into setting hearings for Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said Thursday.

"This strategy has failed to recognize that I am no stranger to political pressure and to strong-arm tactics," the Iowa Republican told The Hill. "When I make a decision based on sound principle, I'm not about to flip-flop because the left has organized what they call a pressure campaign."

Democrats have been trying to force Grassley and other key Republicans into scheduling hearings for Garland, who was nominated last month by President Barack Obama to succeed Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February.

In Chicago Thursday, the president said that the Senate was jeopardizing the "integrity of the judicial branch" by refusing to consider Garland, whom he described to law school students as "extraordinary."

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Ex-WH Lawyer: Clarence Thomas Movie Is Left's Effort to 'Rewrite History'

The HBO movie premiering this weekend on the Clarence Thomas hearings 25 years ago is an attempt by the left "to rewrite history," former White House attorney Mark Paoletta told Newsmax TV on Thursday.

"When the curtain came down on those hearings, the left went about trying to rewrite history," Paoletta told "The Hard Line" host Ed Berliner. "This is what this movie is about: It's the left's continuing efforts to rewrite history."

Paoletta served in the White House Counsel's Office under President George H.W. Bush during the Thomas confirmation hearings in 1991.

The movie — "Confirmation" — will be shown Saturday on HBO. It features actors Wendell Pierce as Thomas and Kerry Washington as Anita Hill.

"It's unfortunate that we're still arguing, because at the end of those hearings, and the American people got to watch them, they believed Clarence Thomas 2-1," Paoletta told Berliner. "They watched Justice Thomas testify, they watched Anita Hill testify, they watched all those other witnesses over the weekend testify — and it was very clear that Anita Hill's story never added up.

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GAO: Obama Appointees Must Repay Salaries After Obstructing House Probe

Congress' watchdog agency says a federal agency is legally bound to make two political appointees repay some of their salaries for allegedly obstructing a House probe, The Daily Caller reports.

The Government Accountability Office determined Tuesday the Department of Housing and Urban Development's associate general counsel and a deputy assistant secretary refused to let a lower level HUD staffer speak before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform about a 2012 scandal.

GAO noted federal law bars the use of taxpayer dollars to pay executive branch officials to obstruct Congress — and that unless the two give back taxpayers some of their salaries, HUD would be knowingly retaining "improper payments" on its books.

The House oversight panel, then led by California GOP Rep. Darrell Issa, was looking into former Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez's alleged secret deal over a potentially damaging lawsuit, The Daily Caller reports.

Perez reportedly told the litigant in exchange for dropping the suit, the government would look the other way on fraud in an unrelated matter that was being investigated by HUD, The Daily Caller reports.

More here

Air Force Finalizing Requirements for A-10 Replacement

The Air Force is drafting requirements for a plane to replace the A-10 Warthog, which Congress has refused to let the service retire, according to reports.

Lt. Gen. Mike Holmes, the deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements, said Thursday that Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh will be given the document to review soon.

"That [close-air support] replacement airplane, I have seen a draft of it, it's out for coordination. It'll go to the chief sometime this spring and let the chief shape it, he's our chief requirements officer also in the Air Force, and then we'll fold that into the larger study we're doing on the future of the combat air forces," Holmes said, according to Defense News.

The Air Force has tried for several budget cycles to retire the A-10, saying that it needs the money to bring the new F-35, along with all the maintenance staff it requires, online. But lawmakers have repeatedly refused, because they hear from troops that the A-10 is still the best aircraft to provide close-air support in the fight against the Islamic State.

More here

ObamaCare Cost Curve Strikes Again

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is working toward euthanizing health savings accounts (HSAs). Democrats have barely attempted to hide their preference for a single-payer health insurance system, so it only stands to reason they’d work to pull the plug on the most attractive market option standing in the way.

Democrats have always hated HSAs because they put patients in charge of their own health spending (to a point — in some ways, HSA users are still swimming upstream against the health system’s lack of price transparency.) But the market-driven approach has become increasingly popular in the last decade.

“In the past seven years, [HSA] enrollment has climbed 18% a year on average,” notes Investor’s Business Daily. “Today, there are almost 20 million enrollees who have more than $24 billion in their HSA accounts. Even the number crunchers in the Health and Human Services Department admit that these ‘consumer-directed’ health plans are helping to hold down costs.”

Imagine where we’d be without them.

Back in March, just in time for ObamaCare’s six-year anniversary, HHS issued new rules that will effectively end HSAs. Roy J. Ramthun, an expert on the subject often known as “Mr. HSA” — president and founder of HSA Consulting after having led the U.S. Treasury Department’s implementation of HSAs upon enactment in 2003 — explains the impact of the rule changes:

1) Plans must apply specific deductibles and out-of-pocket limits that are outside the requirements for HSA-qualified plans.

2) Plans must cover services below the deductible that are not considered “preventive care.”

In other words, HSAs will still be legal, but ever fewer plans will meet the requirements. Ramthun writes, “[I]t is only a matter of time before the HSA-qualified plans completely disappear. That could happen as early as 2017 even though the standard benefit designs are optional. By 2018, when the designs likely become mandatory, HSAs will cease to exist in the marketplace.”

So we weren’t the least bit surprised to find out this week that we face a major rate increase this summer for renewing our small business health insurance plan.

Here’s a peek into the window of the internal operations of our humble shop:

Under New U.S. Syrian Refugee Surge, Processing Time Reportedly Slashed to 3 Months

(CNSNews.com) – As the Obama administration institutes a “surge” aimed at meeting its goal – currently way off-target – of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees this fiscal year, the Associated Press has cited an official at the U.S. Embassy in Amman as saying that the time taken to process each admission is being cut to three months.

“While the resettlement process usually takes 18 to 24 months, under the surge operation this will be reduced to three months, [regional refugee coordinator Gina] Kassem said,” the AP reported Wednesday.

With the fiscal year now more than half over, the number of Syrian refugees admitted as of Wednesday stands at 1,353, according to State Department Refugee Processing Center data.

In order to meet the 10,000 target by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, the AP report said that around 600 Syrian refugees were being interviewed daily at a “resettlement surge center” which was opened in Amman last February.

“The U.N. Refugee Agency prioritizes the most vulnerable cases for resettlement, and then refers them to the U.S. to review, Kassem said. She said that priority is given to high-risk groups such as victims of torture and gender based violence and unaccompanied minors,” the AP reported.

Queries sent to the U.S. Embassy in Amman requesting clarity on the reported three-month processing time did not receive a response by press time.

More here

HUD’s Proposed RV Rule Causes an Uproar as RV Sales Hit 39-Year High

(CNSNews) – In February, as sales of recreational vehicles (RVs) hit a 39-year high with 35,929 units sold, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a proposed rule in The Federal Register to revise the definition of an RV as “designed only for recreational use and not as a primary residence or for permanent occupancy.”

The proposal garnered praise from the RV industry, which has been pushing for clarification of the regulations for the past decade.

But it has angered thousands of RV and tiny house on wheels (THOWs) enthusiasts.

Both RVs and THOWs are currently exempt from HUD’s Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards for mobile homes designed as primary residences that were developed by the National Fire Protection Association and the American National Standards Institute.

However, according to HUD, some park model recreational vehicles (PMRVs) – defined as being between 320 and 400 square feet – “are being produced with patio roofs, screened in porches, and other extensions that exceed the 400 square foot maximum exemption in the current regulations…[and] marketed as suitable for year round living.”

The proposed rule would “modify the current exemption for recreational vehicles” and re-define an RV as “a factory-built vehicular structure, not certified as a manufactured home, designed only for recreational use and not as a primary residence or for permanent occupancy.”

More here

How Feasible is Trump's Proposed Wall?

The U.S. - Mexican border is like a 2,000-mile roller coaster that weaves through deserts, mountains and rivers. It crosses four states, 45 cities and dips deep into washes only to rise 10,000 feet in the Coronado National Forest. The soil is soft like a sponge near the Rio Grande and rock hard near the granite quarries of San Diego County.

GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump wants to build a 'big, beautiful wall' across the entire border. Is that advisable or even feasible? Fox News asked one group whose opinion actually matters: the men and women who patrol it each day on foot, horseback, ATV, helicopter and SUV -- the U.S. Border Patrol.

"One person makes the stand, 'We need a wall, We need a wall'. Well, you never bothered asking the agents - what all do we need?" asked Art Del Cueto, a long time Tucson Border Patrol agent. "It is not just the wall. There are many things we need to perform our jobs effectively."

After a conference call with agents from several sectors representing every state on the Southwest border, they seemed to zero in on certain conclusions:

-- Whether you call it a wall, or a fence, agents say they work.

-- A cinder block or rock wall, in the traditional sense, isn't necessarily the most effective or desirable choice. Seeing through a fence allows agents to anticipate and mobilize, prior to illegal immigrants actually climbing or cutting through the fence.

Read more here

More Facebook IDIOTS!

These are the kind of posts I see on Facebook and think, REALLY, do you not have a life!

Maryland House overrides Hogan vetoes, again

In a show of political force, the Democrat-controlled House of Delegates overrode two more of Gov. Larry Hogan's policy vetoes Thursday, putting Hogan's record with the chamber at 0-8.

Lawmakers voted 88-52 to reverse the governor's move to strike down legislation that would force him to publicly rate and rank transportation projects before deciding which ones should be included in an estimated $15.7 billion, five-year construction plan.

Hogan and fellow Republicans considered the measure an infringement on the governor's authority and predicted the interference would wreak havoc on the state's transportation planning.

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Conowingo Dam Report Shows Time is Now for Collaboration, Innovation on Chesapeake Bay Cleanup

A newly finalized report on the Conowingo Dam underscores the urgency of finding innovative multi-state solutions to reduce the water pollution that threatens the Chesapeake Bay. The Lower Susquehanna River Watershed Assessment Study ─ conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in coordination with the state of Maryland ─ confirms that the Conowingo Dam reservoir and two dam reservoirs further upstream have essentially reached their capacity and are no longer capable of trapping sediment and associated nutrients over the long term.

The assessment also found that the sediment and nutrients swept over the dams during large storm events are among the pollution sources that should be addressed to protect water quality and aquatic life in the Chesapeake Bay. Another major finding is that nutrients that enter the river upstream of the dams – from Pennsylvania and New York – and attach to sediment particles before flowing downstream into the bay have a larger impact on water quality than sediment itself.

“Maryland stands ready to work in collaboration with our upstream neighbors and federal partners to fix the shared sediments and associated nutrients problem,” Maryland Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles said. “We must all embrace innovative and cost-effective solutions to ensure the cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay and reduce the Conowingo’s impact on meeting our water quality standards in all bay segments.”

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This 9/11 Hero Just Endorsed Trump

Donald Trump finally got a formal endorsement from America's Mayor: Rudolph Giuliani. The man who turned New York City around and then ran for the presidency in 2008 believes Trump gives the GOP the best chance to win. As the Daily Beast notes:

Former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani confirmed Thursday that he will vote for Donald Trump in the upcoming New York Republican primary. “I support Trump. I’m gonna vote for Trump,” he told the New York Post. “Trump is a negotiator,” the famed mayor explained. “He negotiates from a high bar to get people’s attention. Threatening to withdraw from NATO will get a better deal with NATO.” Giuliani added that Ted Cruz's attacks on "New York values" irked him because, “It’s New York City. We’re family. I can make fun of New York. But you can’t!”

Source: AAN

Border Patrol's Shocking New Claim on Illegal Immigrants

Art Del Cueto, a Border Patrol agent and Vice President of the National Border Patrol Council, which has endorsed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, and National Border Patrol Council Spokesman and Border Patrol agent Shawn Moran stated that illegal immigrants who are not given notices to appear “walk out the front door” and “We don’t know who we’re releasing” in a report broadcast on Thursday’s “O’Reilly Factor” on the Fox News Channel. 

During the report, Fox News Channel Senior Correspondent Eric Shawn stated that “agents are under orders from the agency headquarters in Washington to release illegals by not giving them what’s called NTAs, notice to appear summonses, that should send them straight to a deportation judge.” 

In response to a question on what happens to those who don’t receive NTAs, Del Cueto said, “They get released back into the United States. They walk out the front door.”

Source: Breitbart News

Revolution?

Click on image to enlarge.

Something To Ponder

November 2016 Depends on One Man.

It Is Not Trump. It is James Comey. Ring a bell? He is the head of the FBI. We read on the FBI's site: On September 4, 2013, James B. Comey was sworn in as the seventh Director of the FBI. A Yonkers, New York native, James Comey graduated from the College of William & Mary and the University of Chicago Law School. Following law school, Comey served as an assistant United States attorney for both the Southern District of New York and the Eastern District of Virginia. Comey returned to New York to become the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. In 2003, he became the deputy attorney general at the Department of Justice (DOJ). Comey left DOJ in 2005 to serve as general counsel and senior vice president at defense contractor Lockheed Martin. Five years later, he joined Bridgewater Associates, a Connecticut-based investment fund, as its general counsel. He knows how the Department of Justice works.

If he decides that Hillary Clinton committed acts that endangered the security of the United States, he can submit this evidence to the Attorney General. This places a very hot potato in Loretta Lynch's lap. She will drop it into President Obama's lap within 24 hours. If Obama does nothing, Comey waits 30 days. Then he calls a press conference. Goodbye, Hillary. Hello . . .

This depends on when he does this. If he does it before the Democrats' convention, Sanders will win the nomination. If he does it after the convention, the Republican will win the election. That probably means Trump. Comey knows how the political game is played. He knows that, as of today, he holds all the cards. He is not holding aces over eights. He is holding four aces. All he needs to do is say nothing for 30 days after he hands the file to Lynch -- no threats. Just silence. If she swears him to secrecy, he can assure her that he will stay silent. Then he breaks his word. After all, it's government. I assume that he will play ball with Lynch. He sounds like an establishment man to me.

Wikipedia reports: "Comey is a registered Republican who donated to U.S. Senator John McCain's campaign in the 2008 presidential election and to Governor Mitt Romney's campaign in 2012 presidential election." He does not sound like a Trump supporter. But what if he thinks she is guilty? What if he faces a cover-up of silence? He is a lawyer. If he thinks Obama is stiffing the FBI for political reasons, he may decide to do what bureaucrats do: defend his agency's turf.

What if he waits until December, after she is elected, but before she takes the oath of office? That would create the greatest foul-up in American political history. She would have zero legitimacy from that time forward. She would reject all calls for her to testify. She would claim executive privilege. Does the word "Watergate" ring a bell? He has leverage on a scale that no bureaucrat ever has. Hoover had leverage, but not on this scale. The issue is public: the security of her emails. Comey risks nothing if he goes public after about a 30-day delay. After the press conference, if Obama fires him, Hillary is toast. So is Obama's legacy. If Obama tells Lynch to stall until January 20, Clinton II's presidency is toast. Obama probably escapes intact. If Comey deep-sixes the findings, the political dance goes on. Will he deep-six it? I don't know. It depends on his sense of justice.

Wicomico County Convention and Visitors Bureau Wins “Locally Created Event of the Year” Award

Grand Rapids, MI — The Wicomico County Convention and Visitors Bureau/TEAM Maryland is the recipient of the 2015 “Locally Created Event of the Year” Award for cities under a population of 250,000 at this year’s National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC) Sports Event Symposium being held this week in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The Locally Created Event of the Year award goes to an active member of NASC with the most outstanding locally created event or program. This event can be newly created or a long-standing event, but must be an event/program created by the submitting organization to serve a local community or an organizational need. Wicomico County Convention and Visitors Bureau is being honored for the Governor’s Challenge Basketball Tournament.

In giving the award, the NASC judging panel said, “The Governor’s Challenge Basketball Tournament shows that a community working together can create and grow a grassroots event that can have a significant economic impact and to help an underserved market to gain recognition on a regional and national level. Using a variety of media, including social media, the Tournament was successful in creating excitement leading up to and throughout the event.”

The judges continued, “The Governor’s Challenge created a number of notable ancillary events, including a Selection Show broadcast on a local ABC affiliate which was the official release of the tournament field and schedule, a Media Day and a Tip-Off event.”

The 24th annual NASC Sports Event Symposium is being held April 3-7 at the DeVos Place Convention Center in Grand Rapids. The NASC Sports Event Symposium is the annual meeting for the only non-profit 501(c)3 trade association for the sport tourism industry. For nearly 25 years, the Symposium has been designed for serious-minded sport tourism professionals by sport tourism professionals.