DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Friday, December 23, 2016
U.S. Melanoma Rate Is Rising
1 in every 54 Americans will develop invasive form of the skin cancer in their lifetime
More Americans are developing the potentially deadly skin cancer known as melanoma than in the past, new research shows.
In 2016, one out of every 54 Americans was expected to develop a potentially lethal, invasive melanoma over their lifetime -- up from the one in 58 estimate when the same tally was performed in 2009.
Overall, an estimated 76,380 Americans will be diagnosed with melanoma in 2016, said a team led by Dr. Alex Glazer of the National Society for Cutaneous Medicine in New York City.
"The overall burden of disease for melanoma is increasing," Glazer's team reported in a study published online Dec. 21 in JAMA Dermatology.
Skin cancers are by far the most common cancer for Americans. Most are easily treated and removed, but melanomas can be much more serious. According to the American Cancer Society, "melanoma accounts for only about 1 percent of skin cancers but causes a large majority of skin cancer deaths."
More
More Americans are developing the potentially deadly skin cancer known as melanoma than in the past, new research shows.
In 2016, one out of every 54 Americans was expected to develop a potentially lethal, invasive melanoma over their lifetime -- up from the one in 58 estimate when the same tally was performed in 2009.
Overall, an estimated 76,380 Americans will be diagnosed with melanoma in 2016, said a team led by Dr. Alex Glazer of the National Society for Cutaneous Medicine in New York City.
"The overall burden of disease for melanoma is increasing," Glazer's team reported in a study published online Dec. 21 in JAMA Dermatology.
Skin cancers are by far the most common cancer for Americans. Most are easily treated and removed, but melanomas can be much more serious. According to the American Cancer Society, "melanoma accounts for only about 1 percent of skin cancers but causes a large majority of skin cancer deaths."
More
Soon-to-be mom gets $900 tip at Phoenix restaurant
Sarah Clark, a server and bartender at Pita Jungle near Interstate 17 and Happy Valley Road, discovered Saturday that a customer had left her a $900 tip. Clark, 29, is expecting her first child Jan. 8.
“You always hear about these happening, but you never expect to be the recipient of it,” Clark said. “It’s a huge, huge help for me and my family.”
Clark and her fiancé will both have to miss time from their jobs in the restaurant industry, where paid time off is rare. Her fiancé is scheduled to have surgery Thursday to repair a leg injury.
More
Red Meat May Be Heart OK After All
Before you wave away that steak consider this latest study which finds that red meat may not contribute to heart disease.
Conventional beliefs hold that red meat is harmful to the heart, but this new review from Purdue University finds that consuming it in amounts above what is typically recommended does not affect short-term cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as blood pressure and blood cholesterol.
"During the last 20 years, there have been recommendations to eat less red meat as part of a healthier diet, but our research supports that red meat can be incorporated into a healthier diet," said Wayne Campbell, professor of nutrition science at the school, which is located in West Lafayette, Ind.
"Red meat is a nutrient-rich food, not only as a source for protein but also bioavailable iron,” he adds.
More
Conventional beliefs hold that red meat is harmful to the heart, but this new review from Purdue University finds that consuming it in amounts above what is typically recommended does not affect short-term cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as blood pressure and blood cholesterol.
"During the last 20 years, there have been recommendations to eat less red meat as part of a healthier diet, but our research supports that red meat can be incorporated into a healthier diet," said Wayne Campbell, professor of nutrition science at the school, which is located in West Lafayette, Ind.
"Red meat is a nutrient-rich food, not only as a source for protein but also bioavailable iron,” he adds.
More
Chicago Mayor Forced to Release Almost 3,000 Pages of Emails
This move was part of the settlement which bans 30,000 city workers from having private email accounts while on the job. Any emails that are work related must be now forwarded to a work account to be archived.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has released nearly 3,000 pages of emails from his personal account on Wednesday.
After the release, Emanuel’s private email account will be reviewed every three months as part of the settlement and any messages that reference city affairs will be saved and made available to the public.
More
Top 10 MSM #FakeNews Stories
You gotta love our liberal media. Their entire modus operandi for at least the past two decades has been to shamelessly disseminate false left-wing narratives to the masses in their ongoing effort to discredit conservatism and further a progressive agenda. It's what they do.
But since the election of Donald Trump, they have been obsessed with a new pet narrative: that a so-called "fake news" epidemic is occurring on the right.
This is partly because, I'm convinced, they resent the fact that some people on the alt-right are making inroads on their turf. But the "fake news" excuse also functions as a soothing balm for their wounded egos after their devastating 2016 election losses. It helps them deal with the uncomfortable fact that the electorate just rejected the hell out of the candidates for whom they blatantly shilled.
This happens every time the mainstream media's favored party suffes a massive defeat at the polls, by the way. In 1994, they blamed their losses on the "angry white male." After the 2010 "shellacking," they attributed it to a menacing "climate of hate," as personified by Sarah Palin and the Tea Party.
More
But since the election of Donald Trump, they have been obsessed with a new pet narrative: that a so-called "fake news" epidemic is occurring on the right.
This is partly because, I'm convinced, they resent the fact that some people on the alt-right are making inroads on their turf. But the "fake news" excuse also functions as a soothing balm for their wounded egos after their devastating 2016 election losses. It helps them deal with the uncomfortable fact that the electorate just rejected the hell out of the candidates for whom they blatantly shilled.
This happens every time the mainstream media's favored party suffes a massive defeat at the polls, by the way. In 1994, they blamed their losses on the "angry white male." After the 2010 "shellacking," they attributed it to a menacing "climate of hate," as personified by Sarah Palin and the Tea Party.
More
Autistic girl's heavenly 'Hallelujah' tops 1 million views
A 10-year-old Irish girl, backed by a choir of classmates, is a holiday hit.
In a Facebook video post that had 1.3 million views as of Thursday evening, Kaylee Rodgers stunningly sings Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" during a Christmas show at Killard House School, a special-needs school in Northern Ireland.
Rodgers, who has autism and ADHD, according to ITV, started singing when she was 3.
"It was really amazing how many views I got," she told ITV. "I just loved doing it."
More
ISIS Publishes List of Churches to Attack on Christmas
The Islamic State (ISIS) published the names and addresses of thousands of churches across the United States, calling on adherents to attack them during the holiday season, Vocativ reported. The list was posted late Wednesday night in the social media group "Secrets of Jihadis."
A user by the name of "Abu Marya al-Iraqi" posted a message in Arabic calling "for bloody celebrations in the Christian New Year," and announced the group's plans to utilize its network of lone-wolf attackers to "turn the Christian New Year into a bloody horror movie."
The ISIS messenger might have been referring to New Year's Day, when the new year is celebrated in the West. In the liturgical calendar, the Christian New Year is the first Sunday in Advent, which has already passed (November 27). But Advent is the period leading up to Christmas, so the terrorists might mean December 25 as "Christian New Year." This would make the most sense, as churches tend to be packed for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services, and much less so for New Year's Day.
The messages appeared on the Islamic State's "foolproof" messaging app, Telegram, which also provides manuals for the use of weapons and explosives. The list, distributed in a number of posts, was previously available online and included a public directory of churches in all 50 states.
More
A user by the name of "Abu Marya al-Iraqi" posted a message in Arabic calling "for bloody celebrations in the Christian New Year," and announced the group's plans to utilize its network of lone-wolf attackers to "turn the Christian New Year into a bloody horror movie."
The ISIS messenger might have been referring to New Year's Day, when the new year is celebrated in the West. In the liturgical calendar, the Christian New Year is the first Sunday in Advent, which has already passed (November 27). But Advent is the period leading up to Christmas, so the terrorists might mean December 25 as "Christian New Year." This would make the most sense, as churches tend to be packed for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services, and much less so for New Year's Day.
The messages appeared on the Islamic State's "foolproof" messaging app, Telegram, which also provides manuals for the use of weapons and explosives. The list, distributed in a number of posts, was previously available online and included a public directory of churches in all 50 states.
More
Prosecutors: Man amassed weapons cache for Islamic State
The U.S. Attorney’s Office made the claim in a court filing while fighting a defense request to free Sebastian Gregerson, aka Abdurrahman Bin Mikaayl, from jail pending trial.
The filing is the first time prosecutors have alleged publicly that Gregerson was part of a broader group of Islamic State supporters. Gregerson, 30, allegedly told an undercover FBI agent that he was amassing a weapons arsenal — including grenades, AK-47s, handguns, rifles, a shotgun and thousands of rounds of ammunition — and wanted to arm like-minded Islamic State supporters in a fight against “infidels.”
More
This Is Why We Have the Electoral College
The final numbers from the 2016 election that brought Donald Trump to the doorsteps of the White House and the liberal Left to the brink of a nervous breakdown are now in. They show what we might have expected all along (and saved the pollsters a lot of work): that Hillary Clinton piled up huge majorities in far-gone blue states like California, New York and Illinois, while losing the votes of Real America by a sizable margin:
Final vote tallies from the November 8 election show that Democrat Hillary Clinton out-polled President-elect Donald Trump by 2.8 million votes while losing the contest by a wide margin in the all-important Electoral College. Her upper hand with voters, however, came down to performances in New York and California that were far stronger than necessary.
Clinton won California by 4.2 million and took New York by more than 1.6 million. The combined 5.8 million-vote advantage in just those two states was more than twice the size of her overall edge nationwide. When the dust settled, she lost the rest of the country by 3 million votes.
More
Final vote tallies from the November 8 election show that Democrat Hillary Clinton out-polled President-elect Donald Trump by 2.8 million votes while losing the contest by a wide margin in the all-important Electoral College. Her upper hand with voters, however, came down to performances in New York and California that were far stronger than necessary.
Clinton won California by 4.2 million and took New York by more than 1.6 million. The combined 5.8 million-vote advantage in just those two states was more than twice the size of her overall edge nationwide. When the dust settled, she lost the rest of the country by 3 million votes.
More
Lawsuit: Md. nursing home evicts patients when benefits dry up
Brian Frosh, the state’s attorney general, announced that a lawsuit was filed against Neiswanger Management Services, LLC, doing business as NMS.
Frosh said a look at NMS’s operations over a 17-month period showed a clear pattern of behavior. He said NMS represents 2 percent of all the nursing home beds in the state, yet “they represent 66 to 70 percent of the evictions.” In some cases, Frosh said, patients were “Just tossed out — they put their (the patients’) stuff out in front of the facility and closed the door.”
The suit alleges that NMS would evict patients in order to maximize reimbursement from the federal program. Medicare reimburses facilities at a higher rate than Medicaid.
More
Gingrich: Obama's Legacy Will Disappear and He Has No One to Blame But Himself
One year from now, it will be as if President Obama never existed. Okay, that may be overstating things, but not by much. Because he neglected the sober work of a statesman, which would have involved convincing Congress to enact his ideas through legislation, Obama will watch over the next year as many of his deeds fades into nothing. From The Hill:
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said President Obama’s legacy will disappear within a year of him leaves office.
In an appearance on Fox News on Wednesday, Gingrich criticized Obama for telling President-elect Donald Trump to push his policies through Congress, rather than by executive orders.
“What you’re watching is a man who realizes all of a sudden 90 percent of his legacy is going to disappear because he didn’t do the hard work of passing legislation,” Gingrich said.
More
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said President Obama’s legacy will disappear within a year of him leaves office.
In an appearance on Fox News on Wednesday, Gingrich criticized Obama for telling President-elect Donald Trump to push his policies through Congress, rather than by executive orders.
“What you’re watching is a man who realizes all of a sudden 90 percent of his legacy is going to disappear because he didn’t do the hard work of passing legislation,” Gingrich said.
More
A Novel Approach: Fighting Painkiller Addiction At Home
The drug used in the study is usually only given under supervision of a doctor or in settings like jails or treatment programs, but waiting lists are often months long at many clinics.
“Folks are dying, overdosing, contracting HIV and hepatitis on wait lists,” said Stacey Sigmon, a psychologist and drug abuse researcher at the University of Vermont.
She sought a way to tide people over, using a tamper-resistant electronic pill dispenser to allow home use.
More
Hogan Pledges $7M for Western Maryland City’s Downtown
The Republican governor made the announcement Thursday at the Maryland Theatre, a restored, century-old venue that is part of the project.
The $30 million plan includes adding a glass-and brick entrance to the theater, which lost its grand facade to a fire in 1974.
The plan also includes expanding both a University System of Maryland education center and an arts-oriented public high school.
More
German crisis a warning to America?
Is the nation of Germany as we know it coming to an end?
More than a third of Germans sometimes feel like strangers in their own country due to the massive influx of Muslim migrants over the past couple of years, according to a study made public last month. Likewise, a third of Germans told researchers there are “too many foreigners in Germany.”
The study, which was conducted by the Friedrich Elbert Foundation, also found a 53 percent majority of Germans want a limit on refugees coming into the country, compared to 44 percent in 2014. Fifteen percent went so far as to say the German government should stop granting citizenship to Muslims.
Germany, under the direction of Chancellor Angela Merkel, has led the way in welcoming Middle Eastern and North African refugees to the Western world, having taken in more than 1.1 million migrants starting in 2015.
More
More than a third of Germans sometimes feel like strangers in their own country due to the massive influx of Muslim migrants over the past couple of years, according to a study made public last month. Likewise, a third of Germans told researchers there are “too many foreigners in Germany.”
The study, which was conducted by the Friedrich Elbert Foundation, also found a 53 percent majority of Germans want a limit on refugees coming into the country, compared to 44 percent in 2014. Fifteen percent went so far as to say the German government should stop granting citizenship to Muslims.
Germany, under the direction of Chancellor Angela Merkel, has led the way in welcoming Middle Eastern and North African refugees to the Western world, having taken in more than 1.1 million migrants starting in 2015.
More
ISIL issues hit list of U.S. churches for holiday attacks
Messages posted in Arabic to the group’s “Secrets of Jihadis” social media site called "for bloody celebrations in the Christian New Year." The post, under the name Abu Marya al-Iraqi, said the Islamic State, also known as ISIL, hopes to tap lone wolf attackers to “turn the Christian New Year into a bloody horror movie,” Vocativ reports.
The series of messages appeared on Telegram, a messaging app that allows users to send encrypted messages to one another. The group also uses social media to provide instructions on constructing and igniting explosives.
The information on U.S. churches was based on information already available online and includes a public directory of churches across all 50 states, Vocativ said.
More
Man killed stepmom for gloating about Dallas Cowboys win, police say
A 20-year-old Austin, Texas man fatally stabbed his stepmother over the weekend because he thought she was "disrespecting his father and gloating" about a Dallas Cowboys victory, court documents revealed.
Pontrey O'Neal Jones has been charged with murder and is being held on a $500,000 bond in the death of Magdalena Ruiz, who was killed after watching the Cowboys' 26-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday night.
Police told Fox 7 Austin that Jones was homeless and lived with Ruiz and his father, Pontrey Simon, in the couple's South Austin apartment. Simon told the station that Ruiz was bipolar, but has not taken medication in years.
More
Pontrey O'Neal Jones has been charged with murder and is being held on a $500,000 bond in the death of Magdalena Ruiz, who was killed after watching the Cowboys' 26-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday night.
Police told Fox 7 Austin that Jones was homeless and lived with Ruiz and his father, Pontrey Simon, in the couple's South Austin apartment. Simon told the station that Ruiz was bipolar, but has not taken medication in years.
More
Lockheed Martin CEO has 'productive meeting' with Trump on F-35 costs
Hewson said in a statement that it was a “productive meeting."
“I appreciated the opportunity to discuss the importance of the F-35 program and the progress we’ve made in bringing the costs down,” the statement read. "The F-35 is a critical program to our national security, and I conveyed our continued commitment to delivering an affordable aircraft to our U.S. military and our allies.”
Between 2011 and 2015 Lockheed delivered 154 F-35s to several U.S. and international customers, with another 53 expected to be delivered this year.
To Lockheed’s credit, it has made efforts to bring down the cost of the jet. Since the company inked its first production contract, costs have come down 57 percent.
Obama’s team cancels Muslim registry to foil Trump’s ‘extreme vetting’ plans
Civil rights and immigrant groups cheered the move and said they hoped it would force a rethink by Mr. Trump who, while softening some of his other positions postelection, has not budged on his call for more thorough checks on those coming into the U.S. from terrorism-connected countries.
The National Security Entry-Exit Registration System had been dormant for years, but activists demanded that the Obama administration take it off the books entirely. They feared Mr. Trump could use the program as a shortcut to starting his own vetting.
More
Maryland Public Service Commission approves background check waiver for Uber, Lyft
The PSC said it has approved an alternative background check for the companies, who had argued that the checks they already use are more accurate.
Uber had threatened to leave the state if the fingerprinting requirement was not waived.
More
Baby Boomers Increasingly Having Social Security Checks Garnished To Cover Student Loan Payments
The government has collected about $1.1 billion from Social Security recipients of all ages to go toward unpaid student loans since 2001, including $171 million last year, the Government Accountability Office said Tuesday. Most affected recipients in fiscal year 2015—114,000—were age 50 or older and receiving disability benefits, with the typical borrower losing about $140 a month. About 38,000 were above age 64.
The report highlights the sharp growth in baby boomers entering retirement with student debt, most of it borrowed years ago to cover their own educations but some used to pay for their children’s schooling. Overall, about seven million Americans age 50 and older owed about $205 billion in federal student debt last year. About 1 in 3 were in default, raising the likelihood that garnishments will increase as more boomers retire.
More
Report: Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe Urged Khizr Khan to Run for Office
Democratic Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe wants Muslim Gold Star father Khizr Khan to run for office, Khan tells Britain’sGuardian.
Khan said that a run for office “would limit him,” the Guardian reports. Reached by Breitbart News, McAuliffe’s communications director said he would decline to comment on a private conversation, but called Khan a “great Virginian” and thanked him for his and his son’s service.
Khan arrived on the national stage during the Democratic National Convention in August, when he held up a copy of the U.S. Constitution and called Donald Trump “ignorant.” Khan’s son, Army captain Humayun Khan, was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2004 and awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal. Trump “sacrificed nothing and no one,” Khan said at the time.
More
Khan said that a run for office “would limit him,” the Guardian reports. Reached by Breitbart News, McAuliffe’s communications director said he would decline to comment on a private conversation, but called Khan a “great Virginian” and thanked him for his and his son’s service.
Khan arrived on the national stage during the Democratic National Convention in August, when he held up a copy of the U.S. Constitution and called Donald Trump “ignorant.” Khan’s son, Army captain Humayun Khan, was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2004 and awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal. Trump “sacrificed nothing and no one,” Khan said at the time.
More
Home Affordability Drops To 8-Year Lows As Mortgage Rates Surge
One week after Freddie Mac chief economist Sean Becketti warned that "if rates continue their upward trend, expect mortgage activity to be significantly subdued in 2017", mortgage rates continued their upward trend. According to the latest update from the mortgage giant, the 30-year fixed reached 31-month highs, touching level not seen since April 2014 in the week after the Fed hiked its interest rate for the second time in the past decade.
The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 4.3%, up from 4.16% last week, Freddie Mac said in a statement Thursday. The average 15-year rate climbed to 3.52%, the highest since January 2014, from 3.37%.
Mortgage rates have surged since October, when the 30 Year fixed was offered at 3.40%, tracking a jump in Treasury yields on expectations of rising inflation.
Freddie Mac's chief economist Becketti was more sanguine after last week's unexpected warning, saying that “a week after the only rate hike of 2016, the mortgage industry digested the Fed’s decision. Following Yellen's speech last Wednesday, the 10-year Treasury yield rose approximately 10 basis points. The 30-year mortgage rate rose 14 basis points to 4.30 percent, reaching highs we have not seen since April 2014."
More
The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 4.3%, up from 4.16% last week, Freddie Mac said in a statement Thursday. The average 15-year rate climbed to 3.52%, the highest since January 2014, from 3.37%.
Mortgage rates have surged since October, when the 30 Year fixed was offered at 3.40%, tracking a jump in Treasury yields on expectations of rising inflation.
Freddie Mac's chief economist Becketti was more sanguine after last week's unexpected warning, saying that “a week after the only rate hike of 2016, the mortgage industry digested the Fed’s decision. Following Yellen's speech last Wednesday, the 10-year Treasury yield rose approximately 10 basis points. The 30-year mortgage rate rose 14 basis points to 4.30 percent, reaching highs we have not seen since April 2014."
More
Why Social Security Is Doomed: "Birthrate At Lowest Level On Record"... And the Future Is Unfunded
Here’s more evidence that the “recovery” never really happened, and good reason to think that the entire social safety net structure is doomed to fall apart.
The birthrate, long tied to economic growth, has been dropping to its lowest point in recorded history – both nationally and, in particular, in the state of California.
This demographic shift is bad news for the economy – in terms of housing, consumer markets, and especially for the long-term funding of social security, medicaid, medicare and other obligations that younger generations have typically been expected to pay into.
Whether or not you agree with the system in place, the fact that it is virtually certain to go bankrupt before the generation of baby boomers shift off this mortal coil should be troubling to everyone planning a future in the United States.
Official numbers show that the birthrate began to steadily decline in 2008 when the crisis hit and – unlike even during the Great Depression – hasn’t ever picked back up.
More
The birthrate, long tied to economic growth, has been dropping to its lowest point in recorded history – both nationally and, in particular, in the state of California.
This demographic shift is bad news for the economy – in terms of housing, consumer markets, and especially for the long-term funding of social security, medicaid, medicare and other obligations that younger generations have typically been expected to pay into.
Whether or not you agree with the system in place, the fact that it is virtually certain to go bankrupt before the generation of baby boomers shift off this mortal coil should be troubling to everyone planning a future in the United States.
Official numbers show that the birthrate began to steadily decline in 2008 when the crisis hit and – unlike even during the Great Depression – hasn’t ever picked back up.
More
Local Students Create Handmade Blankets For Charitable Groups
The blankets, made by third-grade students, found its way to non-profits Diakonia and Care Bags Foundation, a national organization that supplies children in crisis situations with age-appropriate items.
Mia Byrd, third-grade teacher and coordinator, said the unit project, entitled “Making Moments Matter,” was a way for students to incorporate school lessons into real-world applications.
From the beginning of the school year to mid-November, Byrd said students had the opportunity to read realistic fiction and write personal narratives about acts of kindness. These lessons, in addition to their math studies, were then used to make the blankets.
More
WCSO Press Release 12-23-16
Incident: Burglary / Possession of Marijuana with the Intent to Distribute.Date of Incident: 22 December 2016
Location: 900 block of Booth Street, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: James, L. Brumskin, 26, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 22 December 2016 at 10:42 AM, a deputy responded to the 900 block of Booth Street for a reported burglary that had just occurred. While en-route, the deputy was informed that James Brumskin had forced entry into his estranged girlfriend’s residence and assaulted her before fleeing. Immediately upon reaching the area, Brumskin was found walking along Booth Street while carrying a gym bag. Evidence of a burglary, which included a broken door would be observed at the residence.
The deputy learned that Brumskin attempted to enter his girlfriend’s residence but she had locked the door so Brumskin repeatedly struck the door until it opened. It was also learned that the couple had become estranged over Brumskin impregnating another woman.
While interviewing Brumskin on the street, the deputy would discover that Brumskin’s bag contained a significant amount of what would be identified as marijuana. Before searching the bag, Brumskin informed the deputy the bag held a “little bit of weed” but it was legal now. It would be discovered that the marijuana would weigh in excess of 200 grams and would be held in different containers within the bag. The deputy also recovered empty baggies and a set of digital scales from the same bag.
The deputy placed Brumskin under arrest and transported him to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. Following an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Brumskin in lieu of $25,000.00 bond in the Detention Center.
Charges: Burglary 3rd Degree and 4th Degree, Assault 2nd Degree, Malicious Destruction of Property, Possession of Marijuana over 10 grams, Possession of Marijuana with the Intent to Distribute.
A Viewer Writes: Sean Gerity
Thought you may find this an interesting read.
This individual, Sean Gerity, was living in Ocean City, while he was doing business in DE, well, his version of business, billing money from people.
There is a dedicated blog that has a lot of information, buildtrend blog
Sean was arrested in Ocean City on Nov 30 (I believe), and was extradited to DE where he was arraigned and released on bail.
Now the Commonwealth of PA has brought forth another lawsuit against him.
The Lancaster Newspaper article listed his address in Ocean City, however he skipped out on his rental and is living in a Days Inn Hotel in Lancaster PA. He also dumped the Jeep he was driving and has now rented a Ford Explorer. The Jeep is trying to be repossessed if they can find it.
His fiance has returned to Romania. Sean is under the illusion he can waltz into court and buy his passport back. He is looking for a way out of the country so he can marry his fiance, take her last name and live I. Romania, the Ukraine or Spain.
Sean owns TIG Construction and Bay Breeze Exteriors. He is not supposed to be involved in the construction business in DE or PA but that hasn't stopped him. He feels like he is above the law.
He is now using a subcontractor to be the front man for his businesses and it's unfortunate that this subcontractor doesn't have a clue that Sean is using him.
This is a huge story that has affected Sussex County, Wicomico and Worcester Counties and well as Pennsylvania.
This individual, Sean Gerity, was living in Ocean City, while he was doing business in DE, well, his version of business, billing money from people.
There is a dedicated blog that has a lot of information, buildtrend blog
Sean was arrested in Ocean City on Nov 30 (I believe), and was extradited to DE where he was arraigned and released on bail.
Now the Commonwealth of PA has brought forth another lawsuit against him.
The Lancaster Newspaper article listed his address in Ocean City, however he skipped out on his rental and is living in a Days Inn Hotel in Lancaster PA. He also dumped the Jeep he was driving and has now rented a Ford Explorer. The Jeep is trying to be repossessed if they can find it.
His fiance has returned to Romania. Sean is under the illusion he can waltz into court and buy his passport back. He is looking for a way out of the country so he can marry his fiance, take her last name and live I. Romania, the Ukraine or Spain.
Sean owns TIG Construction and Bay Breeze Exteriors. He is not supposed to be involved in the construction business in DE or PA but that hasn't stopped him. He feels like he is above the law.
He is now using a subcontractor to be the front man for his businesses and it's unfortunate that this subcontractor doesn't have a clue that Sean is using him.
This is a huge story that has affected Sussex County, Wicomico and Worcester Counties and well as Pennsylvania.
Atheist Group Demands Stop to Christmas Drive for Needy
Atheist group the American Humanist Association (AHA) is demanding a stop to public school children participating in nonprofit Operation Christmas Child, which collects shoe boxes filled with toys, school supplies, toothpaste, and soap for needy children.
In an op-ed at the Huffington Post, Roy Speckhardt, executive director of AHA, charges that Operation Christmas Child’s goal is “converting each child to Christianity.”
He writes:
"Making matters worse, this program is conducted in public schools and endorsed by school administrators, using student labor to compile boxes of toys, to which booklets are added that include evangelical tracts, sermons, and written prayers — even a pledge card that the receiving children sign to become “God’s child.” These boxes of toys are essentially bribes used to pressure poor children living in developing countries to convert to Christianity. And Operation Christmas Child isn’t shy about their efforts, bragging about the thousands of kids they’ve converted.
“Operation Christmas Child thrives on the labor of students, and the tax dollars of their parents, who have a constitutional right to expect their kids to be free from religious intrusion,” Speckhardt fumes.
More here
In an op-ed at the Huffington Post, Roy Speckhardt, executive director of AHA, charges that Operation Christmas Child’s goal is “converting each child to Christianity.”
He writes:
"Making matters worse, this program is conducted in public schools and endorsed by school administrators, using student labor to compile boxes of toys, to which booklets are added that include evangelical tracts, sermons, and written prayers — even a pledge card that the receiving children sign to become “God’s child.” These boxes of toys are essentially bribes used to pressure poor children living in developing countries to convert to Christianity. And Operation Christmas Child isn’t shy about their efforts, bragging about the thousands of kids they’ve converted.
“Operation Christmas Child thrives on the labor of students, and the tax dollars of their parents, who have a constitutional right to expect their kids to be free from religious intrusion,” Speckhardt fumes.
More here
‘Neutral’ Snopes Fact-Checker David Emery: ‘Are There Any Un-Angry Trump Supporters?’
Snopes fact checker and staff writer David Emery posted to Twitter asking if there were “any un-angry Trump supporters?”
Emery, a writer for partisan “fact-checking” website Snopes.com which soon will be in charge of labelling “fake news” alongside ABC News and Politifact, retweeted an article by Vulture magazine relating to the protests of the Hamilton musical following the decision by the cast of the show to make a public announcement to Vice-president elect Mike Pence while he watched the performance with his family.
The tweet from Vulture magazine reads, “#Hamilton Chicago show interrupted by angry Trump supporter.” Emery retweeted the story, saying, “Are there un-angry Trump supporters?”
More
Emery, a writer for partisan “fact-checking” website Snopes.com which soon will be in charge of labelling “fake news” alongside ABC News and Politifact, retweeted an article by Vulture magazine relating to the protests of the Hamilton musical following the decision by the cast of the show to make a public announcement to Vice-president elect Mike Pence while he watched the performance with his family.
The tweet from Vulture magazine reads, “#Hamilton Chicago show interrupted by angry Trump supporter.” Emery retweeted the story, saying, “Are there un-angry Trump supporters?”
More
Outside New Year’s Eve Bar OK’d In Berlin
SNOW HILL – The Board of License Commissioners (BLC) granted Jeff Hamer of Fins Ale House and Raw Bar in Berlin a temporary license to serve alcohol at an outside bar on New Year’s Eve.
The agreement will give Hamer’s restaurant approval to add a temporary bar to the building’s ground floor porch, allowing patrons to take alcoholic drinks off of the establishment’s property and onto the streets for the Town of Berlin’s New Year’s Eve Ball Drop.
Hamer said the temporary bar would allow patrons to purchase alcohol without entering the restaurant and disrupting those dining inside the building. The inside bar on the first floor is located beyond the tables toward the back of the room.
“So the request today is to put a temporary one-day bar on the patio to serve off premise or on premise, but for people who want a plastic cup to go,” Hamer told the board. “It would be beer, wine and liquor.”
More
The agreement will give Hamer’s restaurant approval to add a temporary bar to the building’s ground floor porch, allowing patrons to take alcoholic drinks off of the establishment’s property and onto the streets for the Town of Berlin’s New Year’s Eve Ball Drop.
Hamer said the temporary bar would allow patrons to purchase alcohol without entering the restaurant and disrupting those dining inside the building. The inside bar on the first floor is located beyond the tables toward the back of the room.
“So the request today is to put a temporary one-day bar on the patio to serve off premise or on premise, but for people who want a plastic cup to go,” Hamer told the board. “It would be beer, wine and liquor.”
More
The Trump Nail in the Media Coffin
Mainstream news sources exposed their own long-held biases through their extended meltdown over Trump. President-elect Donald Trump probably will not often communicate with the nation via traditional press conferences. Nor will Trump likely field many questions from New York/Washington journalists. What we know as “the media” never imagined a Trump victory. It has become unhinged at the reality of a Trump presidency.
No wonder the fading establishment media is now distrusted by a majority of the public, according to Gallup — and becoming irrelevant even among progressives. Once upon a time in the 1960s, all the iconic news anchors, from Walter Cronkite to David Brinkley, were liberal. But they at least hid their inherent biases behind a professional veneer that allowed them to filter stories through left-wing lenses without much pushback. When Cronkite returned from Vietnam after the 1968 Tet Offensive and declared the war stalemated and unwinnable, no one dared to offer the dissenting viewpoint that Tet was actually a decisive American victory.
More/Video
No wonder the fading establishment media is now distrusted by a majority of the public, according to Gallup — and becoming irrelevant even among progressives. Once upon a time in the 1960s, all the iconic news anchors, from Walter Cronkite to David Brinkley, were liberal. But they at least hid their inherent biases behind a professional veneer that allowed them to filter stories through left-wing lenses without much pushback. When Cronkite returned from Vietnam after the 1968 Tet Offensive and declared the war stalemated and unwinnable, no one dared to offer the dissenting viewpoint that Tet was actually a decisive American victory.
More/Video
Trump creates new position for China hawk in White House
President-elect Trump will create a new office in the White House dedicated to overseeing industrial policy and trade, to be headed by his campaign adviser and noted China hawk Peter Navarro.
The Trump transition team announced Wednesday that it intends to select Navarro, currently a University of California Irvine economist, to run a new National Trade Council, which council will be responsible with crafting trade policies that "shrink our trade deficit, expand our growth, and help stop the exodus of jobs from our shores."
"I read one of Peter's books on America's trade problems years ago and was impressed by the clarity of his arguments and thoroughness of his research," Trump said in a statement provided by the campaign. "He has presciently documented the harms inflicted by globalism on American workers, and laid out a path forward to restore our middle class. He will fulfill an essential role in my administration as a trade advisor."
The transition said the new council would coordinate with existing White House councils to prioritize the health of U.S. manufacturing. It will also "lead the Buy America, Hire America program to ensure the President-elect's promise is fulfilled in government procurement and projects ranging from infrastructure to national defense," the transition team announced.
More
The Trump transition team announced Wednesday that it intends to select Navarro, currently a University of California Irvine economist, to run a new National Trade Council, which council will be responsible with crafting trade policies that "shrink our trade deficit, expand our growth, and help stop the exodus of jobs from our shores."
"I read one of Peter's books on America's trade problems years ago and was impressed by the clarity of his arguments and thoroughness of his research," Trump said in a statement provided by the campaign. "He has presciently documented the harms inflicted by globalism on American workers, and laid out a path forward to restore our middle class. He will fulfill an essential role in my administration as a trade advisor."
The transition said the new council would coordinate with existing White House councils to prioritize the health of U.S. manufacturing. It will also "lead the Buy America, Hire America program to ensure the President-elect's promise is fulfilled in government procurement and projects ranging from infrastructure to national defense," the transition team announced.
More
Kellyanne Conway: ‘I Don’t Play Golf, And I Don’t Have A Mistress’
Conway, officially announced as Counsel to the President that morning by Donald Trump, told Maria Bartiromo that though she has four young children, she’ll have plenty of time to fulfill her White House responsibilities.
“It’s funny, we were talking with Juan Williams earlier, and he was questioning, ‘well, Kellyanne has four kids. How’s she going to do it?'” noted Bartiromo. “He got creamed on Twitter… Why? A woman with four kids can’t do it, but a man can? So what that she’s going to be working 24/7?”
“Well, I would just tell everyone not to go after Juan because I don’t want him to be creamed,” Conway stated. “But I would say that I don’t play golf, and I don’t have a mistress so I have a lot of time that a lot of these other men don’t.”
More
China tycoon moves jobs to US, citing high taxes at home
Shanghai (AFP) – A Chinese auto glass tycoon has caused a stir by shifting part of his empire to the United States and setting up a factory in Ohio, citing high taxes and soaring labour costs at home.
Cao Dewang’s $600-million investment comes after Donald Trump threatened to declare Beijing a currency manipulator and slap 45 percent punitive tariffs on Chinese imports to protect American jobs.
The 70-year-old tycoon’s decision to open a glass factory in the eastern American state of Ohio in October — a rare case of jobs being exported from China to the US — triggered an outpouring of criticism on social media.
The phrase “Cao Dewang has escaped” became a hot topic, generating nearly 10 million views on the Twitter-like Weibo microblog and many comments urging China to “not let Cao Dewang run away”.
More
Cao Dewang’s $600-million investment comes after Donald Trump threatened to declare Beijing a currency manipulator and slap 45 percent punitive tariffs on Chinese imports to protect American jobs.
The 70-year-old tycoon’s decision to open a glass factory in the eastern American state of Ohio in October — a rare case of jobs being exported from China to the US — triggered an outpouring of criticism on social media.
The phrase “Cao Dewang has escaped” became a hot topic, generating nearly 10 million views on the Twitter-like Weibo microblog and many comments urging China to “not let Cao Dewang run away”.
More
Congress: Obama Admin,Fired Top Scientist to Advance Climate Change Plans
A new congressional investigation has determined that the Obama administration fired a top scientist and intimidated staff at the Department of Energy in order to further its climate change agenda, according to a new report that alleges the administration ordered top officials to obstruct Congress in order to forward this agenda.
Rep. Lamar Smith (R., Texas), chair of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, released a wide-ranging report on Tuesday that shows how senior Obama administration officials retaliated against a leading scientist and plotted ways to block a congressional inquiry surrounding key research into the impact of radiation.
A top DoE scientist who liaised with Congress on the matter was fired by the Obama administration for being too forthright with lawmakers, according to the report, which provides an in-depth look at the White House’s efforts to ensure senior staffers toe the administration’s line.
The report also provides evidence that the Obama administration worked to kill legislation in order to ensure that it could receive full funding for its own hotly contested climate change agenda.
More here
Rep. Lamar Smith (R., Texas), chair of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, released a wide-ranging report on Tuesday that shows how senior Obama administration officials retaliated against a leading scientist and plotted ways to block a congressional inquiry surrounding key research into the impact of radiation.
A top DoE scientist who liaised with Congress on the matter was fired by the Obama administration for being too forthright with lawmakers, according to the report, which provides an in-depth look at the White House’s efforts to ensure senior staffers toe the administration’s line.
The report also provides evidence that the Obama administration worked to kill legislation in order to ensure that it could receive full funding for its own hotly contested climate change agenda.
More here
Harry Reid Defends Lie About Mitt Romney's Taxes
Outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said Wednesday that he “did what was necessary” in 2012 when he falsely accused Mitt Romney of not having paid his taxes for 10 years.
Reid was asked about those comments, which he made during a speech on the Senate floor, in response to call during a live interview on Las Vegas’ KNPR.
The caller asked Reid if he thought that “the brazen lie he told about Mitt Romney not pay his taxes has in anyway contributed to the fake news debate that we now find ourselves in.”
Reid, who is leaving the Senate next month, denied the accusation. But he offered up a flimsy and fact-devoid defense of those 2012 claims.
More
Reid was asked about those comments, which he made during a speech on the Senate floor, in response to call during a live interview on Las Vegas’ KNPR.
The caller asked Reid if he thought that “the brazen lie he told about Mitt Romney not pay his taxes has in anyway contributed to the fake news debate that we now find ourselves in.”
Reid, who is leaving the Senate next month, denied the accusation. But he offered up a flimsy and fact-devoid defense of those 2012 claims.
More
Your social media addiction is giving you depression
Jason Zook started every morning by scrolling through Twitter, Instagram, Vine, his blog and Facebook. It started to have an effect on the 33-year-old entrepreneur’s mental health. The San Diego resident was stressed, distracted and feeling like he could never fulfill the expectations he created in his digital world, where he amassed more than 33,000 followers.
“You start your day looking at yourself compared to other people,” he says. “You feel behind, and you have other people’s opinions pressed upon you before you have a chance to have your own.”
So he went cold turkey, going on a 30-day social-media detox. It was a smart move: A recent study from the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Research on Media, Technology, and Health found that using multiple social-media platforms may put you at increased risk of depression and anxiety.
More
“You start your day looking at yourself compared to other people,” he says. “You feel behind, and you have other people’s opinions pressed upon you before you have a chance to have your own.”
So he went cold turkey, going on a 30-day social-media detox. It was a smart move: A recent study from the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Research on Media, Technology, and Health found that using multiple social-media platforms may put you at increased risk of depression and anxiety.
More
Trump reminds GOP free traders he's the new boss
The unveiling of President-elect Trump's White House trade office is the latest reminder to Republican free traders that there is a new sheriff in town.
Most reports focus on the fact that Peter Navarro, the head of the new National Trade Council, is a "fierce China critic." That's true. But he is also a departure from the free-trade orthodoxy that has at least in theory dominated the Republican Party since Ronald Reagan.
In fact, Trump credits Navarro for helping to inform his own views about the need to get tough with international trade partners and reduce trade deficits.
"I read one of Peter's books on America's trade problems years ago and was impressed by the clarity of his arguments and thoroughness of his research," Trump said in a statement announcing the appointment Wednesday. "He will fulfill an essential role in my administration as a trade advisor."
More
Most reports focus on the fact that Peter Navarro, the head of the new National Trade Council, is a "fierce China critic." That's true. But he is also a departure from the free-trade orthodoxy that has at least in theory dominated the Republican Party since Ronald Reagan.
In fact, Trump credits Navarro for helping to inform his own views about the need to get tough with international trade partners and reduce trade deficits.
"I read one of Peter's books on America's trade problems years ago and was impressed by the clarity of his arguments and thoroughness of his research," Trump said in a statement announcing the appointment Wednesday. "He will fulfill an essential role in my administration as a trade advisor."
More
School Officials Change Mind, Now Want Crosswalk For Route 50 Intersection
BERLIN – A signalized crosswalk will be installed on Route 50 in front of Stephen Decatur High School in an effort to increase pedestrian safety as commercial activity picks up at the busy intersection.
With the new Arby’s restaurant complete and the adjacent Royal Farms to open Dec. 29, there will be more people crossing the highway on foot. Though school system leaders said this fall they would be discouraging students from crossing the highway, in early December they formally asked the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) to install a crosswalk.
“Initially the school had requested SHA not install a crosswalk for fear large groups of students would cross US 50 to patronize the store,” said SHA spokesman David Buck. “More recently, the school has asked SHA to move forward with pedestrian improvements, understanding that regardless of the presence of a crosswalk, the students may still choose to cross US 50.”
In a letter to SHA officials on Dec. 6, Lou Taylor, superintendent of schools, said the school system wanted to be proactive.
More
Six Years Ago Today
Former Secret Service Agent Rips Band-Aid off 'Trump Security vs. Secret Service': 'It’s a Nothing-Burger'
The news outlet seemed particularly concerned with his selection of Navy veteran, former NYPD cop, and long time personal friend Keith Schiller as his “body man” — essentially, his close personal aide and attache.
Politico called the move “unprecedented” and cited comments made by former Secret Service agent under President Obama, Jonathan Wackrow:
"It’s playing with fire. Having a private security team working events with Secret Service increases the Service’s liability, it creates greater confusion and it creates greater risk.
You never want to commingle a police function with a private security function. If you talk to the guys on the detail and the guys who are running the rallies, that’s been a little bit difficult because it’s so abnormal."
More
JUST IN: Berlin truck attack suspect killed in Milan police shootout
Checks conducted after the shootout showed “the person killed, without a shadow of a doubt, is Anis Amri, the suspect of the terrorist attack,” Interior Minister Marco Minniti said.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the Monday attack in Berlin, which killed 12 and injured 56 others.
Amri, who had spent time in prison in Italy, was stopped by two officers during a routine police check in the Sesto San Giovanni neighborhood of Milan early Friday. He pulled a gun from his backpack after being asked to show his identity papers and was killed in the ensuing shootout.
More
'Next idea?' After Electoral College fail, anti-Trump forces look for new cause
A last-ditch effort by die-hard Donald Trump foes to derail the president-elect’s victory in the Electoral College fell flat Monday, leaving the never-Trump movement licking its wounds and looking to 2017 for ways to thwart Trump’s presidency and agenda.
The push to deny Trump the requisite 270 electors and send the election to the House of Representatives seemingly was doomed from the start, though it received significant media attention. In the end, only two Republican electors broke ranks – more defected on the Democratic side from Hillary Clinton.
What comes next for anti-Trumpers isn't entirely clear.
Some are preparing to attack him over his business ties, while the "I" word already is being bandied about.
Liberal filmmaker and activist Michael Moore tried to crowdsource ideas after the Electoral College flop, asking, “He's not president for four and a half weeks. Next idea?”
More
The push to deny Trump the requisite 270 electors and send the election to the House of Representatives seemingly was doomed from the start, though it received significant media attention. In the end, only two Republican electors broke ranks – more defected on the Democratic side from Hillary Clinton.
What comes next for anti-Trumpers isn't entirely clear.
Some are preparing to attack him over his business ties, while the "I" word already is being bandied about.
Liberal filmmaker and activist Michael Moore tried to crowdsource ideas after the Electoral College flop, asking, “He's not president for four and a half weeks. Next idea?”
More