A Texas city council ruled this week that a homeless man who found
$77,000 worth of gold collectible coins and $100 bills in a river could
keep his treasure.
Bastrop City Council voted 6-0 Tuesday night that the money Timothy
Yost found while washing his feet in the Colorado River Jan. 18 belonged
to him. The city has had possession of the money since that time.
“It was a considerable sum of money, and we anticipated it would draw
a fair amount of attention,” Bastrop Mayor Terry Orr said. “The city
could have kept the money, because no one came forward to claim it, but
we elected not to do that. It’s clearly Mr. Yost’s.”
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Friday, June 15, 2012
Bristol Palin Sued by Bar Heckler
Last September, Bristol Palin was heckled at a West Hollywood bar and
restaurant by a man who called her mom, Sarah Palin, a “whore” and made
a crude reference about Bristol’s former relationship with the father
of her child, Levi Johnston. That heckler is now suing.
According to TMZ.com, Stephen Hanks’ lawsuit notes that Bristol suggested he is a homosexual during their exchange, which occurred while she was shooting a segment for her new Lifetime series, “Bristol Palin: Life’s a Tripp.” Hanks claims he’s been featured in ads for the show despite the fact that he never signed a waiver.
Hanks also states that Bristol falsely claimed to a magazine that the incident was the reason why she moved from Los Angeles back to her native Alaska. He argues that Palin bought a home in Alaska two months before the incident.
Video and More HERE
According to TMZ.com, Stephen Hanks’ lawsuit notes that Bristol suggested he is a homosexual during their exchange, which occurred while she was shooting a segment for her new Lifetime series, “Bristol Palin: Life’s a Tripp.” Hanks claims he’s been featured in ads for the show despite the fact that he never signed a waiver.
Hanks also states that Bristol falsely claimed to a magazine that the incident was the reason why she moved from Los Angeles back to her native Alaska. He argues that Palin bought a home in Alaska two months before the incident.
Video and More HERE
Berlin’s Zenna Wellness Center Celebrates Opening
“There was always a vision here,” said co-owner Chrissy Ehrhart-Knight of putting the studio on Main Street.
Ehrhart-Knight, Cate Carrick Nellans and Jesse Martin came up with the idea for a Zumba and yoga center long before they actually made any moves to set up in town.
“Chrissy and I started talking about the idea a year and a half ago,” said Nellans.
Once the pair decided to look for space in Berlin, they found that the process went faster than expected. According to Nellans, a lease for the 10 South Main Street location was signed just last March, while the studio doors opened officially last Friday. Prior to opening, Ehrhart-Knight revealed that the building had to be “totally gutted” and refitted to house high-energy Zumba classes.
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Victim in Florida Teen Burning Takes the Stand
Michael Brewer, who was nearly burned to death by his middle-school
classmates in 2009, took the stand Thursday against the teen accused of
planning the attack.
On the afternoon of Oct. 12, 2009, Bent and two other teens, all 15 at the time, confronted Brewer near an apartment complex in Deerfield Beach, Fla. One boy doused Brewer with rubbing alcohol they found in a container on the street, then another set him ablaze with a lighter.
"I felt like I was going to die," Brewer testified Thursday afternoon, NBC 6 Miami reported.
More than two and a half years after the fire covered 65 percent of Brewer's body with second- and third-degree burns, he confronted the alleged ringleader of the attack, 17-year-old Matthew Bent, in a trial that has captured national attention. Charged with attempted second-degree murder and facing 30 years in prison if convicted, Bent was angry at him, Brewer said, because he refused to buy drug paraphernalia from Bent.
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On the afternoon of Oct. 12, 2009, Bent and two other teens, all 15 at the time, confronted Brewer near an apartment complex in Deerfield Beach, Fla. One boy doused Brewer with rubbing alcohol they found in a container on the street, then another set him ablaze with a lighter.
"I felt like I was going to die," Brewer testified Thursday afternoon, NBC 6 Miami reported.
More than two and a half years after the fire covered 65 percent of Brewer's body with second- and third-degree burns, he confronted the alleged ringleader of the attack, 17-year-old Matthew Bent, in a trial that has captured national attention. Charged with attempted second-degree murder and facing 30 years in prison if convicted, Bent was angry at him, Brewer said, because he refused to buy drug paraphernalia from Bent.
More
Local Program Offers Response Hotline During Disasters
OCEAN CITY -- Hurricane season is here and after last year’s
near-miss with Hurricane Irene, Royal Plus President Matt Odachowski
presented local business owners and public officials with tips on how to
prepare and respond if a disaster should strike Ocean City.
Odachowski drove this point home by highlighting some of the situations that his company’s “Disaster Kleenup” crews have confronted in the past during an event this week at the Ocean City Marlin Club.
“We don’t want to be in the position as a community that some of these communities have been,” he explained while showing slides of the after-effects of hurricanes.
The slides underlined the level of destruction that such storms are capable of producing and the incredible amount of effort it takes to clean everything up.
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Odachowski drove this point home by highlighting some of the situations that his company’s “Disaster Kleenup” crews have confronted in the past during an event this week at the Ocean City Marlin Club.
“We don’t want to be in the position as a community that some of these communities have been,” he explained while showing slides of the after-effects of hurricanes.
The slides underlined the level of destruction that such storms are capable of producing and the incredible amount of effort it takes to clean everything up.
More
Cost of Rearing a Child Rises to $234,000
Having kids is expensive, as if parents needed to be told that. But the
US government issued a report today quantifying just how expensive: For a
child born now, it will cost an average of $234,900 to raise them, and
that's just to age 18.
The total cost is up 3.5 percent from a year ago, according to the US Department of Agriculture report. Child care and education, transportation and food had the biggest cost jumps.
Costs vary by family income. A typical family earning less than $59,410 a year will spend $169,080 in 2011 dollars to rear a child, but parents who make over $102,870 will pay $389,670, according to the study.
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The total cost is up 3.5 percent from a year ago, according to the US Department of Agriculture report. Child care and education, transportation and food had the biggest cost jumps.
Costs vary by family income. A typical family earning less than $59,410 a year will spend $169,080 in 2011 dollars to rear a child, but parents who make over $102,870 will pay $389,670, according to the study.
More
‘God Hates Everything’: Westboro Baptist Church Pickets Against the Rev. Billy Graham
Westboro Baptist Church, the extremist group that is known for picketing
military funerals and other related events, has a new target: the Rev.
Billy Graham. The anti-gay hate group went after the famed minister on
Tuesday, waving signs, playing music and making statements accusing the
faith leader of putting profits before preaching the gospel
About a dozen of the protesters assembled outside of the Billy Graham Training Center in Swannanoa, North Carolina, going on to continue their protest later in Montreat. The troop was accompanied by 20 counter-protesters from the Asheville area, who assembled to rail against the group’s message.
The Citizen-Times has more about the elements of anti-Graham sentiment that was present among the Westboro protesters:
More
About a dozen of the protesters assembled outside of the Billy Graham Training Center in Swannanoa, North Carolina, going on to continue their protest later in Montreat. The troop was accompanied by 20 counter-protesters from the Asheville area, who assembled to rail against the group’s message.
The Citizen-Times has more about the elements of anti-Graham sentiment that was present among the Westboro protesters:
More
Hollywood Might Be Coming To Ocean City This Fall
It was announced this week that there is a possibility that a movie,
Ping Pong Summer, starring actress Susan Sarandon, will be filmed in
Ocean City this September.
Following Tuesday afternoon’s Mayor and City Council meeting, officials received invitations to a cocktail party on June 28 to introduce the movie.
Ruth Waters, director of sales for the Harrison Group Resort Hotels & Restaurants, sent out the invites as she has been working closely with the project and its director and writer, Michael Tully.
More
Following Tuesday afternoon’s Mayor and City Council meeting, officials received invitations to a cocktail party on June 28 to introduce the movie.
Ruth Waters, director of sales for the Harrison Group Resort Hotels & Restaurants, sent out the invites as she has been working closely with the project and its director and writer, Michael Tully.
More
LIVE From 3rd Friday In Salisbury
The rest of the world must be at the Chicken Festival because they sure aren't Downtown. I know its early but I have been to many of these events where people are here well before 5:00 and it's somewhat busy.
I was speaking to someone about the event a little while ago and they said they don't go any more because its always the same vendors. Salisbury needs to spice it up more.
Congress Eyes Workplace 'Protections' For Transgenders
A Senate committee, for the first time in years, is giving serious
consideration to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which in spite
of its title is intended to provide special “protections” for
homosexuals and transgender persons in workplaces across America.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee gave ear this week for the first time to a transgender person testifying at a U.S. Senate hearing in favor of ENDA, which critics say would force employers to surrender their religious conscience rights while giving employees access to restrooms designated for individuals of the opposite sex
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The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee gave ear this week for the first time to a transgender person testifying at a U.S. Senate hearing in favor of ENDA, which critics say would force employers to surrender their religious conscience rights while giving employees access to restrooms designated for individuals of the opposite sex
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Executive Order Launches Regulatory Reform And Review
Gov. Markell Joined by Small Business Owners and Bipartisan Group of Legislators to Announce Changes
Dover – To tackle outdated, ineffective and redundant regulations while giving a boost to small business, Governor Jack Markell today signed an executive order that launches a statewide effort that brings citizens, businesses and state agencies together to identify and remove regulatory hurdles.
“Regulations, when properly used, can help meet shared goals. They can ensure the safety of the food we eat, the hospitals we visit, and the roads we drive. But regulations can become outdated and inconsistent. They don’t work the way they were intended to work. In short, they can become a problem, not part of a solution. This is a statewide effort to find those problems and remove them,” said Markell, who has visited over 750 businesses in Delaware since his swearing-in.
Before the Governor signed the Order, he heard from a bipartisan group of legislators and a number of small business owners representing the National Federation of Independent Businesses.
“This reinforces Delaware’s ranking among the best places in the country to do business,” said NFIB State Director Ellen Valentino. “Small businesses are deeply appreciative and we’re looking forward to working with the Governor’s administration to implement this order.”
More
Dover – To tackle outdated, ineffective and redundant regulations while giving a boost to small business, Governor Jack Markell today signed an executive order that launches a statewide effort that brings citizens, businesses and state agencies together to identify and remove regulatory hurdles.
“Regulations, when properly used, can help meet shared goals. They can ensure the safety of the food we eat, the hospitals we visit, and the roads we drive. But regulations can become outdated and inconsistent. They don’t work the way they were intended to work. In short, they can become a problem, not part of a solution. This is a statewide effort to find those problems and remove them,” said Markell, who has visited over 750 businesses in Delaware since his swearing-in.
Before the Governor signed the Order, he heard from a bipartisan group of legislators and a number of small business owners representing the National Federation of Independent Businesses.
“This reinforces Delaware’s ranking among the best places in the country to do business,” said NFIB State Director Ellen Valentino. “Small businesses are deeply appreciative and we’re looking forward to working with the Governor’s administration to implement this order.”
More
Living Large in a Tiny House
Imagine living in a space that measures a mere 168 square feet, more
than 14 times smaller than the average American home. That’s the reality
for one family of four who, for the past year, has been living in their
“Tiny House” tucked away in the rural mountains of Virginia. It’s
here, they say, that they’ve truly learned how less can be so much more.
In fact, in just one year the family has managed to save about $3,000 a
month by downsizing in more ways than one.
The move began when Hari, her husband Karl and their two young children Archer and Ella were forced to give up their 1,500 square foot home last year due to financial struggles. Hari and Karl decided to take matters into their own hands, literally, by building their new tiny house with just $13,000 in materials found on Craigslist. Karl’s a bit of a handyman, to say the least. His parents helped build homes for a living and he learned the ropes at a young age.
The Tiny House is temporary. The end goal, they say, is to save enough to one day build a bigger home, one that’s 100% mortgage-free. And with the amount they’ve saved so far, they’re right on schedule to do so.
More
The move began when Hari, her husband Karl and their two young children Archer and Ella were forced to give up their 1,500 square foot home last year due to financial struggles. Hari and Karl decided to take matters into their own hands, literally, by building their new tiny house with just $13,000 in materials found on Craigslist. Karl’s a bit of a handyman, to say the least. His parents helped build homes for a living and he learned the ropes at a young age.
The Tiny House is temporary. The end goal, they say, is to save enough to one day build a bigger home, one that’s 100% mortgage-free. And with the amount they’ve saved so far, they’re right on schedule to do so.
More
Berlin Starts Ambassador Program
BERLIN -- Visitors to Berlin’s Main St. this summer are in for an
unusual sight -- a bright yellow umbrella with town employees underneath
waiting to give out directions and information.
Dubbed “the Berlin Ambassador Program,” June through August will see volunteer town employees, of which there are currently 34, out on Main St. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors will be able to approach the employees for directions around town, tips on where to go to find dinning or shopping, as well as general information about Berlin.
According to Mayor Gee Williams, the idea originated months ago, when town leadership began to realize that an influx of new businesses, and the re-arrangement of old ones, has many visitors and even some locals curious about what is going on in Berlin.
More
Dubbed “the Berlin Ambassador Program,” June through August will see volunteer town employees, of which there are currently 34, out on Main St. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors will be able to approach the employees for directions around town, tips on where to go to find dinning or shopping, as well as general information about Berlin.
According to Mayor Gee Williams, the idea originated months ago, when town leadership began to realize that an influx of new businesses, and the re-arrangement of old ones, has many visitors and even some locals curious about what is going on in Berlin.
More
THE GOLDEN RULE
Time To Get Out Of The Middle East
It takes a lot of time and effort to try to understand American counter-terrorism policy today.
Personally, I think the status quo is like trying to treat a cocaine overdose with methamphetamine. It’s like trying to cure chlamydia by having sex with multiple random strangers in a park. It’s like trying to cure a broken nose by punching oneself in the face.
Or, as Glenn Greenwald puts it:
I absolutely believe that another 9/11 is possible. And the reason I believe it’s so possible is that people like Andrew Sullivan — and George Packer — have spent the last decade publicly cheering for American violence brought to the Muslim world, and they continue to do so (now more than ever under Obama). Far from believing that another 9/11 can’t happen, I’m amazed that it hasn’t already, and am quite confident that at some point it will. How could any rational person expect their government to spend a full decade (and counting) invading, droning, cluster-bombing, occupying, detaining without charges, and indiscriminately shooting huge numbers of innocent children, women and men in multiple countries and not have its victims and their compatriots be increasingly eager to return the violence?
Isn’t it painfully obvious? The interventionist policies — occupation, drone strikes, cluster-bombing, indefinitely detention, false vaccination programs and so forth — in the middle east advocated by both “liberal” and “conservative” hawks that are supposed to prevent terrorism are creating anger, creating enemies, and creating terrorists. I too am amazed another 9/11 hasn’t happened. I despise jihadism and Islamism. It is contrary to everything I stand for. That’s exactly why I oppose a foreign policy that serves as a hugely effective recruiting tool for the totalitarian jihadists.
Yemeni lawyer Haykal Bafana explained the rationale last month:
Dear Obama, when a U.S. drone missile kills a child in Yemen, the father will go to war with you, guaranteed. Nothing to do with Al Qaeda.
Or as convicted terrorist Faisal Shahzad put it:
Well, the drone hits in Afghanistan and Iraq, they don’t see children, they don’t see anybody. They kill women, children, they kill everybody. I am part of the answer to the U.S. terrorizing the Muslim nations and the Muslim people. And, on behalf of that, I’m avenging the attack. Living in the United States, Americans only care about their own people, but they don’t care about the people elsewhere in the world when they die.
Or as former CIA counter-terrorism expert Michael Scheuer noted:
The idea that has been pushed by President Clinton and President Bush and Mr. Cheney and Barack Obama and Senator McCain, that America is being attacked [for its freedom] is a disservice to the population of the United States. This war is not against Americans because we’re Americans, it’s motivated by the activities of our government and its allies in the Muslim world.
So why do we keep doing this? Two reasons: hubris and greed.
Feds use tax dollars to fund pet shampoo ad, reality show in India
Every year, the federal government
spends hundreds of millions of dollars to market agricultural products
abroad — sending taxpayers’ money to subsidize the advertising campaigns
of some of the country’s largest brand names, according to a report by
the Senate’s chief waste-watcher.
Sen. Tom Coburn said taxpayer money has gone to subsidize projects such as a promotion of pet shampoo and a reality television show in India sponsored by an American cotton promotor. The Oklahoma Republican said it’s time to trim the flow.
He is releasing a report Thursday morning that highlights a number of brands he said don’t need the help when that money could be better spent reducing the government’s deficit.
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Sen. Tom Coburn said taxpayer money has gone to subsidize projects such as a promotion of pet shampoo and a reality television show in India sponsored by an American cotton promotor. The Oklahoma Republican said it’s time to trim the flow.
He is releasing a report Thursday morning that highlights a number of brands he said don’t need the help when that money could be better spent reducing the government’s deficit.
More
Unemployment As A Lifestyle
All one hears is that the lack of jobs is the number one economic problem. Well documented are endless examples of systemic destruction in employment opportunities. The negative consequences of off shoring corporate jobs are undeniable. Up until now, the little attention placed on the psychological mindsets that build the structural impediments for a healthy main street economy, keep a serious discussion on jobs, just going in circles.
The official attitude that government social agencies exist to mitigate economic distress is a staple ever since the New Deal era. Much of the state of mind that created the welfare society emerged from the "do gooders" in New York State. The result from decades of socialization and educational indoctrination left us with the entitlement culture. One illustration supports the contention.
The NYAPRS, New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services provides conclusions from a 2009 survey taken from informants who were consumers of employment services, administrators of state agencies, and community providers.
This research revealed several systemic and structural barriers to employment:
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Economic Morons!
Not
everyone from the Western Shore are liberals. This picture was taken on
Interstate 70 in Howard County, between the Route 97 exit (Cooksville)
and Route 94 (Woodbine/Lisbon) exit
Obama Turns to NYC Celebrities for Campaign Cash
President Barack Obama soaked in the support _ and the campaign cash _
of Manhattan's elite entertainers Thursday as his re-election team
sought to fill its fundraising coffers.
The president and first lady Michelle Obama made a rare joint fundraising appearance when they visited the home of actors Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. The intimate dinner banked about $2 million, with 50 people paying $40,000 each.
The dinner was the Obama campaign's latest attempt to bank on celebrities for fundraising help in countering the growing donor enthusiasm from Republicans supporting Mitt Romney's presidential bid.
More
The president and first lady Michelle Obama made a rare joint fundraising appearance when they visited the home of actors Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. The intimate dinner banked about $2 million, with 50 people paying $40,000 each.
The dinner was the Obama campaign's latest attempt to bank on celebrities for fundraising help in countering the growing donor enthusiasm from Republicans supporting Mitt Romney's presidential bid.
More
SECRETARY NAPOLITANO’S DEFERRED ACTION PROCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Statement from Governor Martin O’Malley on SECRETARY NAPOLITANO’S DEFERRED ACTION PROCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
ANNAPOLIS, MD (June 15, 2012) – Governor Martin O’Malley today released the following statement on U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano’s announcement of a deferred action process for young people who are low enforcement priorities:
“I am pleased that Secretary Napolitano has announced this very positive and important step for young people in our country who consider themselves Americans and deserve the opportunity to contribute to our country’s future without the fear of enforcement action. This is the only nation that many of these young people have known, and they’ve worked hard to succeed here.”
“I wholeheartedly support President Obama and Secretary Napolitano for taking this important action, which is a step in the right direction towards comprehensive immigration reform. I call on Maryland residents to build on this momentum by supporting our own DREAM Act to give our children a chance to gain the skills and education they need to compete and win in the future.”
ANNAPOLIS, MD (June 15, 2012) – Governor Martin O’Malley today released the following statement on U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano’s announcement of a deferred action process for young people who are low enforcement priorities:
“I am pleased that Secretary Napolitano has announced this very positive and important step for young people in our country who consider themselves Americans and deserve the opportunity to contribute to our country’s future without the fear of enforcement action. This is the only nation that many of these young people have known, and they’ve worked hard to succeed here.”
“I wholeheartedly support President Obama and Secretary Napolitano for taking this important action, which is a step in the right direction towards comprehensive immigration reform. I call on Maryland residents to build on this momentum by supporting our own DREAM Act to give our children a chance to gain the skills and education they need to compete and win in the future.”
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