DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Thursday, December 17, 2015
39% Of All U.S. Money Spent At Online Stores Goes To Amazon
If you’ve placed an online order for a gift or for a self-gift this holiday season, it most likely came from Amazon. How likely is it? According to statistics released this week, 39.3% of all money spent by Americans shopping online is spent at Amazon, which is more than the next 20 biggest sellers in e-commerce combined.
10+ Things Consumers Should Know About The New Federal Spending Bill
This morning, after months of slapping on, then removing, then replacing pork barrel riders on the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016, we finally know exactly which add-ons made it into the omnibus spending bill and which ones didn’t.
#1: Scuttling The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Lawmakers in both the House and Senate attempted to undermine the CFPB — a Bureau created by Congress itself only a few years ago — by eliminating its direct funding source and restructuring it as a commission. Those lawmakers failed and the CFPB will continue to exist as it is — at least until the next bank-funded attempt to scuttle it.
Lawmakers in both the House and Senate attempted to undermine the CFPB — a Bureau created by Congress itself only a few years ago — by eliminating its direct funding source and restructuring it as a commission. Those lawmakers failed and the CFPB will continue to exist as it is — at least until the next bank-funded attempt to scuttle it.
#2: Limiting Banks’ “Get Out Of Jail Free” Card
As we mentioned recently, certain riders sought to prevent the CFPB from implementing new rules that would limit the use of forced arbitration — which allows companies to effectively break the law by taking away consumers’ right to sue and to join together in class actions — by banks, credit card companies, and other creditors. These riders also failed to make the final cut.
As we mentioned recently, certain riders sought to prevent the CFPB from implementing new rules that would limit the use of forced arbitration — which allows companies to effectively break the law by taking away consumers’ right to sue and to join together in class actions — by banks, credit card companies, and other creditors. These riders also failed to make the final cut.
#3: Neutering Net Neutrality
Riders intended to circumvent the legal system and preempt the FCC from enforcing the 2015 Open Internet Order (aka “net neutrality”) are not in the final omnibus.
Riders intended to circumvent the legal system and preempt the FCC from enforcing the 2015 Open Internet Order (aka “net neutrality”) are not in the final omnibus.
The final spending bill also drops the rider that would have preempted the FCC from any sort of rate regulation on broadband services. While the FCC has said it will not set rates for these newly regulated services, it will allow consumers to challenge, on a case-by-case basis, allegedly unfair or unreasonable rates.
A number of high-profile Internet companies — both on the content and infrastructure sides of the business — recently called on Congress to drop this rider, even though some of them would benefit from a total lack of regulation on rates.
Identity Theft Company LifeLock Once Again Failed To Actually Keep Identities Protected, Must Pay $100M
Five months after federal and state regulators accused identity theft protection company LifeLock of violating a 2010 settlement in which it paid $11 million for allegedly using false claims regarding effectiveness of its services, the company has been ordered to pay $100 million in penalties and refunds for once again misleading consumers.
Facebook Users Can Now Use The Messenger App To Hail A Ride
The new feature, aptly enough dubbed “Transportation” by Facebook, will allow users to request a ride from a car service, even if you don’t have the Uber or the Lyft app on your phone, without leaving a conversation.
To hail a ride inside the app, users have to download the latest version of Messenger. When you’re in a conversation with a friend, you can then tap the “more” menu and select Transportation. Users can also search for Uber and tap the car icon to request a ride.
All updates regarding the driver’s status will then appear within Messenger, you’ll be able to pay for the ride, and your friends will be notified that you’ve called a ride. Ostensibly, this just means the friends you’re in the conversation with, and not all your Facebook friends in general.
More
Gillette Suing Dollar Shave Club Claiming Razor Subscription Service Infringes On Its Patents
With all those lumbersexuals and their bushy beards taking a big cut out of the razor business, it’s no surprise that competition is fierce. In an effort to protect its slice of the market, Gillette is suing online subscription razor service Dollar Shave Club for violation of intellectual property.
Federal Appeals Court Won’t Reconsider Plan That Would Pay College Football, Basketball Players
If you’re a college athlete hoping to score some cash from your time on the basketball court or on the football field, you’re out of luck: a federal appeals court has decided against reconsidering its ruling striking down a plan to pay some NCAA athletes.
A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals followed up on its September decision to put the kibosh on a proposal that would’ve allowed schools to pay football and basketball players up to $5,000 a year in deferred compensation, by voting 2-1 not to have a larger panel of judges rehear the case, reports the Associated Press.
The same court ruled earlier this year in a lawsuit brought against by the NCAA by former UCLA basketball star Ed O’Bannon that colleges are violating antitrust laws by profiting from student-athletes’ names and likenesses while these same students are forbidden from receiving any money.
But the court said student athletes shouldn’t be paid in cash — which would go into a trust fund until the athletes graduated — and instead determined that scholarships covering the full cost of an education would suffice as compensation for the use of players’ names and likenesses.
In issuing its judgment this fall, the appeals court said allowing cash payments would have an effect on the positive aspects of colleges’ amateurism rules.
More
A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals followed up on its September decision to put the kibosh on a proposal that would’ve allowed schools to pay football and basketball players up to $5,000 a year in deferred compensation, by voting 2-1 not to have a larger panel of judges rehear the case, reports the Associated Press.
The same court ruled earlier this year in a lawsuit brought against by the NCAA by former UCLA basketball star Ed O’Bannon that colleges are violating antitrust laws by profiting from student-athletes’ names and likenesses while these same students are forbidden from receiving any money.
But the court said student athletes shouldn’t be paid in cash — which would go into a trust fund until the athletes graduated — and instead determined that scholarships covering the full cost of an education would suffice as compensation for the use of players’ names and likenesses.
In issuing its judgment this fall, the appeals court said allowing cash payments would have an effect on the positive aspects of colleges’ amateurism rules.
More
CEO Who Hiked Price Of Drug By Over 5400% Arrested In Unrelated Securities-Fraud Investigation
Three months after Turing Pharmaceuticals entered the spotlight by buying the rights to a generic drug used to save lives and dramatically increased the price from $13.50 to $750, the company’s CEO has been arrested in a securities-fraud investigation. However, the charges are related to another company the man once led.
Rising Obesity Rates Strain Nursing Homes
In yet another sign of the times, American nursing homes report they are becoming increasingly overwhelmed and unprepared for growing numbers of very overweight residents.
The percentage of new nursing home residents who are moderate and severely obese — with a body mass index of 35 or greater — has risen to nearly 25 percent from 14.7 percent in 2000, according to a recent study, The New York Times reports.
Nursing home administrators say they cannot afford to care for such patients, because Medicaid, which covers more than 60 percent of all nursing home residents, does not reimburse them for the specialized equipment required.
More
The percentage of new nursing home residents who are moderate and severely obese — with a body mass index of 35 or greater — has risen to nearly 25 percent from 14.7 percent in 2000, according to a recent study, The New York Times reports.
Nursing home administrators say they cannot afford to care for such patients, because Medicaid, which covers more than 60 percent of all nursing home residents, does not reimburse them for the specialized equipment required.
More
Congress to Approve Lifetime Health Benefits for 9/11 First Responders
Lifetime health care benefits for 9/11 first responders will finally be approved by Congress.
An act to provide them with lifetime medical care for illnesses associated with their work at Ground Zero after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 is included in a must-pass $1.1 trillion spending package, CNBC reported.
An agreement on the issue was reached by the White House and Congressional leaders late Tuesday, and House and Senate votes are expected to be held Thursday.
"Never again will survivors and responders be forced to walk the halls of Congress, begging for their health care. Never again will they lose sleep over fear that this life-saving program will run out," Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., said in a statement Tuesday evening, CNBC reported.
More
An act to provide them with lifetime medical care for illnesses associated with their work at Ground Zero after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 is included in a must-pass $1.1 trillion spending package, CNBC reported.
An agreement on the issue was reached by the White House and Congressional leaders late Tuesday, and House and Senate votes are expected to be held Thursday.
"Never again will survivors and responders be forced to walk the halls of Congress, begging for their health care. Never again will they lose sleep over fear that this life-saving program will run out," Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., said in a statement Tuesday evening, CNBC reported.
More
Ocean City Seeks Changes To Proposed Median Barrier
Ocean City Seeks Changes To Proposed Median Barrier;
Officials Worry Gaps Between Poles Will Not Deter Pedestrians
Officials Worry Gaps Between Poles Will Not Deter Pedestrians
OCEAN CITY -- Resort officials got their first look this week at a proposed fencing alternative in the median along a section of Coastal Highway, and while they generally liked the option aesthetically, they voiced concern about the open fence’s ability to deter pedestrians from crossing mid-block.
The Ocean City Transportation Committee on Tuesday met with State Highway Administration (SHA) officials to discuss the proposed Pedestrian Safety and Connectivity Project for the median along Coastal Highway from Convention Center Drive to Route 90. The project includes enhanced lighting, bus lane adjustments and a physical barrier in the center of the median to deter pedestrians from crossing mid-block and encouraging them to use the marked intersections.
Historically, the section of the highway in the project area has produced the most pedestrian-vehicle collisions and SHA has been working with the town on developing a fence or other deterrent to prevent pedestrians from dashing across the highway. The plan is create an aesthetically pleasing barrier that also does not block the sight lines for motorists on both sides of the highway.
On Tuesday, SHA officials presented a proposed barrier that included five-foot high stainless steel posts set eight inches apart down the center of the median in the project area. The posts would not include any horizontal component to prevent would-be highway crossers from squeezing through. The posts appear to be undulated, and with increased landscaping and vegetation create an appearance of the dune fences so symbolic of Ocean City.
More
Is Big Pharma Influencing Your Doctor?
You trust your doctor, right? But should you? "Most patients look up to the men and women in white coats as close to gods," says Dr. Erika Schwartz. "Every patient wants to believe that his or her doctor, who spent decades absorbing masses of knowledge about the human body, is here to administer their miracle cure.
"Nothing could be further from the truth," Dr. Schwartz tells Newsmax Health.
"Your doctor may be a bought man or woman, and owe more allegiance to the pharmaceutical industry than to you," says Dr. Schwartz, author of "Don't Let Your Doctor Kill You."
"Unfortunately, most doctors define success by how much money they make, how quickly they can perform a procedure, or how many publications carry their names, rather than by how connected, caring, and profound their relationships with their patients are," says Dr. Schwartz, chief medical officer at the Age Management Institute in New York City.
More
"Nothing could be further from the truth," Dr. Schwartz tells Newsmax Health.
"Your doctor may be a bought man or woman, and owe more allegiance to the pharmaceutical industry than to you," says Dr. Schwartz, author of "Don't Let Your Doctor Kill You."
"Unfortunately, most doctors define success by how much money they make, how quickly they can perform a procedure, or how many publications carry their names, rather than by how connected, caring, and profound their relationships with their patients are," says Dr. Schwartz, chief medical officer at the Age Management Institute in New York City.
More
Walmart raising wages for over 17,000 employees in Maryland
Through a national $2.7 billion investment, the retailer is increasing minimum wage for its workers in all states.
In Maryland, it will bump the minimum wage for full-time employees to $12.92 an hour, and part-time employees will see theirs increase to $10.61 an hour. The increases are set to be in place by February.
Walmart (NYSE: WMT) announced an initial round of raises in February of this year, which made the minimum wage $9 in April. In July, the company announced another increase for associates in specialized positions.
More
Sam Zell: Recession Likely in Next 12 Months, Rate Hike Too Late
Billionaire investor Sam Zell said the U.S. economy could go into a recession in the next year and that the Federal Reserve interest-rate increase is coming at least six months too late.
The central bank has been too cautious and the economy would already be adjusting if it raised rates six to nine months ago, giving Chair Janet Yellen “more room if a recession is on the way,” Zell said Wednesday in an interview on Bloomberg Television. Multinational companies are laying off workers, global trade is slowing and there’s a possibility China’s economy will falter, he said.
More
The central bank has been too cautious and the economy would already be adjusting if it raised rates six to nine months ago, giving Chair Janet Yellen “more room if a recession is on the way,” Zell said Wednesday in an interview on Bloomberg Television. Multinational companies are laying off workers, global trade is slowing and there’s a possibility China’s economy will falter, he said.
More
Fager’s Island, Seacrets To Temporarily Close Next Month For Winter Projects
Seacrets will close its doors on Jan. 3 for approximately six weeks as it will literally be raising the road on 49th Street almost three feet to combat frequent flooding that has historically occurred during heavy rain events in front of the main entrance.
“It’s the first time in our history [since 1988] that we will be closed for this long,” said Seacrets owner Leighton Moore. “Five or six weeks is a long time, but the fact that we are doing the distillery project, coupled with the time of year, we thought it was the right time to do them together.”
Seacrets’ new three-story, 12,000-square-foot distillery broke ground in late October and is scheduled to open in the spring, but Moore says it wouldn’t make sense to construct the distillery without fixing the flooding issues that occur in front of the main entrance of the bayfront establishment.
More
ABC/Wash Post Poll: Most Americans Oppose Assault Weapons Ban
A majority of Americans – 53 percent – oppose banning the sale of assault weapons, according to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll.
The poll also shows most Americans don't have confidence that the government has the ability to prevent lone wolf terrorist attacks.
Oppose a ban: 53 percent
Support a ban: 45 percent
The 45 percent who now favor a ban on the sale of assault-style weapons is down 11 percent from the last time the poll was taken in 2013. Support has steadily dropped, except for a slight uptick in 2011, since a record 80 percent favored a ban in 1994.
More
The poll also shows most Americans don't have confidence that the government has the ability to prevent lone wolf terrorist attacks.
Oppose a ban: 53 percent
Support a ban: 45 percent
The 45 percent who now favor a ban on the sale of assault-style weapons is down 11 percent from the last time the poll was taken in 2013. Support has steadily dropped, except for a slight uptick in 2011, since a record 80 percent favored a ban in 1994.
More
More Newspapers Shutting Down
The Valley Independent in Monessen and The Daily News in McKeesport PA will shut down on Dec. 31
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Trib Total Media is closing two of its western Pennsylvania newspapers after failing to sell them, leaving 87 employees out of work.
The company says in a statement Wednesday that The Valley Independent in Monessen and The Daily News in McKeesport will shut down on Dec. 31.
Jennifer Bertetto, the company's president and CEO, says they've been trying to sell the papers since August but "nothing ever came to fruition."
More
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Trib Total Media is closing two of its western Pennsylvania newspapers after failing to sell them, leaving 87 employees out of work.
The company says in a statement Wednesday that The Valley Independent in Monessen and The Daily News in McKeesport will shut down on Dec. 31.
Jennifer Bertetto, the company's president and CEO, says they've been trying to sell the papers since August but "nothing ever came to fruition."
More
ICE Brags About Catching 0.0002% of Criminal Aliens
Earlier this month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehended – wait for it – 0.0002 percent of the criminal illegal aliens currently loose on the streets of the United States. And they want us to be super excited about it.
At a recent congressional hearing, ICE Director Sarah Saldaña testified there were about 179,000 “undocumented criminals with final orders of removal” loose in the United States. The director added between 30,000 and 40,000 of these criminals had been detained at some point, but were released by authorities because of legal restrictions on how long a criminal illegal alien can be held in custody.
But never fear! According to the agency’s website, ICE arrested 39 illegal aliens who’d been convicted on a crime during a large-scale sting operation across West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware between Nov. 30 and Dec. 4. Included among these were 17 individuals arrested in the Philadelphia area, another six caught in Pittsburg, and seven apprehended in Charleston.
More
TONIGHT - Guitar Master Johnny A. feat. Bryan Russo!
JOHNNY A. FEATURING BRYAN RUSSO
Thursday, December 17
Johnny A. is one of the most sought after guitar players in the world. He has recently joined the world famous band The Yardbirds! Johnny has shared the stage with the best in the business, including B.B. King, Les Paul, George Thorogood, Jeff Beck and J.J. Cale, among others. His talents have even garnered the attention of Gibson Guitars, who released the Johnny A. Signature Series Guitar, which is one of their top-selling signature guitars of all time!
Doors: 7 PM | Show: 8 PM
$20 Admission | 18+ Show
|
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)