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 18, 2015
Lettuce is worse for the environment than meat, study says
According to new research from a team of Carnegie Mellon University scientists, “following the USDA recommendations to consume more fruits, vegetables, dairy and seafood is more harmful to the environment because those foods have relatively high resource uses and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per calorie.”
In other words, the study says that following a mostly vegetarian diet has a more profound impact on climate change eating meat.
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Officials say Bay Bridge should be good through 2065
Officials said Thursday that a bridge life cycle cost analysis has confirmed that the twin spans of the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge are in satisfactory condition and, with anticipated preservation and maintenance, can be maintained safely through 2065.
By that time, the eastbound span will be 113 years old, and the westbound span will be 92 years old. Officials say that beyond 2065, it is difficult to project what rehabilitation and maintenance would be required to keep the bridges in fair or better condition.
The Maryland Transportation Authority says the life cycle study identified deck and superstructure replacement, painting, and cable replacement as some of the anticipated preservation needs.
Source
Pay raise, transit benefits parity gives feds optimism for 2016
The 2016 spending bill holds more presents than lumps of coal for federal employees. The omnibus appropriations bill is the first one in some time that didn’t require federal employees to hold their collective breaths for possible pay and benefits changes.
For federal employees, it starts with the 1.3 percent pay raise President Barack Obama approved in August. It remains untouched. The spending bill was silent on the raise, which means as of Jan. 1, employees will see an increase.
Next comes what wasn’t in the bill. Congress didn’t attempt to or include any cuts or reductions on retirement or health benefits.
“We’ve gone from three years of a pay freeze to two years at 1 percent, thank god we are at least at 1 plus the locality, 1.3 percent or a little higher in some areas. They left our pensions alone. They left our health care alone,” said J. David Cox, the national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, during a press briefing with reporters on Dec. 16 in Washington. “The future does seem to look at little brighter than what we were seeing.”
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For federal employees, it starts with the 1.3 percent pay raise President Barack Obama approved in August. It remains untouched. The spending bill was silent on the raise, which means as of Jan. 1, employees will see an increase.
Next comes what wasn’t in the bill. Congress didn’t attempt to or include any cuts or reductions on retirement or health benefits.
“We’ve gone from three years of a pay freeze to two years at 1 percent, thank god we are at least at 1 plus the locality, 1.3 percent or a little higher in some areas. They left our pensions alone. They left our health care alone,” said J. David Cox, the national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, during a press briefing with reporters on Dec. 16 in Washington. “The future does seem to look at little brighter than what we were seeing.”
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CBS Reveals Unprecedented Coverage Plan For Historic Super Bowl 50
In the weeks leading up to the big game, each of CBS’ renowned properties will be covering different aspects and angles of the biggest game in professional sports.
Whether it’s “The NFL Today” crew counting down until kickoff on Super Bowl Sunday with a special edition show titled “The Super Bowl Today,” or CBS Sports Digital’s wall-to-wall coverage of everything football throughout the playoffs and Super Bowl Weekend, or CBS Sports Radio and CBS Local Sports’ highly localized market-to-market coverage of every detail of the big event, CBS has the big game covered.
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Governor Larry Hogan Announces Dennis Schrader as Secretary of Appointments
Role Will Support Governor in Filling Key Positions Across State Government
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Hogan today announced that he has appointed Dennis Schrader as the Secretary of Appointments. Schrader replaces James Fielder, who was recently appointed as the new secretary of the Maryland Higher Education Commission. Schrader previously served as the deputy secretary for policy, planning & enterprise services for the Maryland Department of Transportation. In his new role, Schrader will lead the office responsible for supporting the governor in filling about 1,500 positions yearly.
“I am thrilled a person like Dennis Schrader, someone of the utmost character and integrity, will lead the office charged with filling so many key leadership roles throughout the state,” said Governor Hogan. “I am confident he will be committed to selecting the most qualified candidates to help change Maryland for the better.”
Prior to joining Transportation in January 2015, Schrader was a director at Integrity Consulting Solutions and a faculty member at Towson University. Schrader also served as deputy administrator of the National Preparedness Directorate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and served as Maryland's first director of homeland security. Schrader served in the U.S. Navy where he served active duty until 1987, retiring as a Captain in 2007.
“It’s a great honor to continue to serve the Hogan Administration,” said Schrader. “I look forward to working with the governor in identifying the best person for the job for positions across Maryland.”
Schrader received a master's degree in industrial engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo and is a licensed professional engineer. He resides in Columbia, Maryland, with his wife Sandra, a former Maryland State Senator.
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Hogan today announced that he has appointed Dennis Schrader as the Secretary of Appointments. Schrader replaces James Fielder, who was recently appointed as the new secretary of the Maryland Higher Education Commission. Schrader previously served as the deputy secretary for policy, planning & enterprise services for the Maryland Department of Transportation. In his new role, Schrader will lead the office responsible for supporting the governor in filling about 1,500 positions yearly.
“I am thrilled a person like Dennis Schrader, someone of the utmost character and integrity, will lead the office charged with filling so many key leadership roles throughout the state,” said Governor Hogan. “I am confident he will be committed to selecting the most qualified candidates to help change Maryland for the better.”
Prior to joining Transportation in January 2015, Schrader was a director at Integrity Consulting Solutions and a faculty member at Towson University. Schrader also served as deputy administrator of the National Preparedness Directorate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and served as Maryland's first director of homeland security. Schrader served in the U.S. Navy where he served active duty until 1987, retiring as a Captain in 2007.
“It’s a great honor to continue to serve the Hogan Administration,” said Schrader. “I look forward to working with the governor in identifying the best person for the job for positions across Maryland.”
Schrader received a master's degree in industrial engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo and is a licensed professional engineer. He resides in Columbia, Maryland, with his wife Sandra, a former Maryland State Senator.
The Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council Releases Recommendations
Recommendations Projected to Save $247 Million Over Next Decade
ANNAPOLIS, MD - The Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council today announced a set of data-driven recommendations to reform Maryland’s criminal justice system. The recommendations are aimed at safely reducing Maryland’s incarcerated population, controlling corrections spending, and reinvesting in more effective, less expensive strategies to increase public safety and reduce recidivism. The reform package is projected to save $247 million over the next decade by realigning criminal justice spending and holding the criminal justice system accountable for results.
The Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council’s proposed recommendations would:
Reserve prison beds for serious and violent offenders;
Strengthen probation and parole supervision;
Improve and expand re-entry and treatment services;
Support local corrections systems; and
Ensure oversight and accountability.
Following the charge laid out by Governor Larry Hogan, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr., Speaker Michael E. Busch, Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barbera, and Attorney General Brian E. Frosh, the Council engaged in a six-month study of Maryland’s criminal justice system, analyzing state data, evaluating policies and programs used in other states, and reviewing research on what works to reduce recidivism.
"It is our responsibility to ensure that every Maryland tax dollar spent on our criminal justice system delivers the highest return on our investment in public safety," said Governor Hogan. "Throughout its work, the Council focused on how to treat offenders suffering from substance abuse or mental health problems, and explored reentry programs that could help them become contributing members of their communities once they return home. I want to thank the Council for its hard work on this significant report."
ANNAPOLIS, MD - The Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council today announced a set of data-driven recommendations to reform Maryland’s criminal justice system. The recommendations are aimed at safely reducing Maryland’s incarcerated population, controlling corrections spending, and reinvesting in more effective, less expensive strategies to increase public safety and reduce recidivism. The reform package is projected to save $247 million over the next decade by realigning criminal justice spending and holding the criminal justice system accountable for results.
The Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council’s proposed recommendations would:
Reserve prison beds for serious and violent offenders;
Strengthen probation and parole supervision;
Improve and expand re-entry and treatment services;
Support local corrections systems; and
Ensure oversight and accountability.
Following the charge laid out by Governor Larry Hogan, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr., Speaker Michael E. Busch, Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barbera, and Attorney General Brian E. Frosh, the Council engaged in a six-month study of Maryland’s criminal justice system, analyzing state data, evaluating policies and programs used in other states, and reviewing research on what works to reduce recidivism.
"It is our responsibility to ensure that every Maryland tax dollar spent on our criminal justice system delivers the highest return on our investment in public safety," said Governor Hogan. "Throughout its work, the Council focused on how to treat offenders suffering from substance abuse or mental health problems, and explored reentry programs that could help them become contributing members of their communities once they return home. I want to thank the Council for its hard work on this significant report."
Conservative Reporter Punks MSNBC’s Chris Matthews. Matthews Flips Out: ‘Go to Hell!”
MSNBC Chris Matthews is a blowhard. He works to push his opinion as fact and downplay the importance of facts on his show as he berates those who dare disagree with him and pathetically fawns-over those who parrot liberal talking points.
Nothing illustrates Matthews’ journalistic irrelevancy as his now-infamous assertion that hearing Barack Obama speak gives him a “thrill” up his leg.
Speaking about Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential election, Matthews discussed the supposed oratory greatness of the teleprompter-reliant candidate and claimed that when he listens to Obama speak, he gets a “thrill” up his leg, an odd phrase that has led to some nicknaming Matthews “Tingles.”
On Tuesday, Matthews spoke with the conservative Media Research Center’s Dan Joseph just prior to the Republican debate and Joseph asked Matthews about his leg.
When Matthews finally figured out what was going on, he became incensed.
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Nothing illustrates Matthews’ journalistic irrelevancy as his now-infamous assertion that hearing Barack Obama speak gives him a “thrill” up his leg.
Speaking about Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential election, Matthews discussed the supposed oratory greatness of the teleprompter-reliant candidate and claimed that when he listens to Obama speak, he gets a “thrill” up his leg, an odd phrase that has led to some nicknaming Matthews “Tingles.”
On Tuesday, Matthews spoke with the conservative Media Research Center’s Dan Joseph just prior to the Republican debate and Joseph asked Matthews about his leg.
When Matthews finally figured out what was going on, he became incensed.
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‘The Politics of Higher Purpose’: An Interview With Martin O’Malley
John Nichols: You speak often of politics in terms of moral duty. That’s an echo of the Catholic social-justice tradition. But it also reflects your sense of how to get things done.
Martin O’Malley: Yes, the politics of higher purpose—that’s what’s always drawn me to public service. I believe that the power of politics isn’t money. It’s the beliefs that unite us, when they are actually tapped—when a leader is willing to make him- or herself vulnerable for the sake of those values. I’m the only one in this race who’s again and again staked my political future on issues of principle, whether it was driver’s licenses for new immigrants, the Dream Act, or ending the death penalty. When we moved to repeal the death penalty, there wasn’t a single adviser in my circle who said, “This is really great politics.”
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‘WE ARE ALL MUSLIM’ SAYS LIBERAL NUTJOB MICHAEL MOORE OUTSIDE TRUMP TOWER
Today I went & stood in front of Trump Tower & held a sign until the police came. Then I went home & wrote Donald a…
Posted by Michael Moore on Wednesday, December 16, 2015
“Here we are in 2015, like many other angry white guys, you are frightened by a bogeyman who is out to get you. That bogeyman, in your mind, are all Muslims. Not just the ones who have killed, but ALL MUSLIMS,” he wrote.
Moore went on to suggest that the changing demographics of the American electorate give Trump little chance of success in his bid to for the Oval Office.
“We are not a country of angry white guys,” wrote the Oscar-winning documentary director. “Here’s a statistic that is going to make your hair spin: Eighty-one percent of the electorate who will pick the president next year are either female, people of color, or young people between the ages of 18 and 35. In other words, not you. And not the people who want you leading their country.”
Maryland soldiers catch robber in act in New Jersey
U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers from the 372nd Military Police Company from Cumberland, Maryland, were at the New Jersey pharmacy Saturday.
As the soldiers left the store, they noticed a suspicious man holding a large black knife in his left hand and a black plastic bag in his right hand.
The soldiers called 911 but the man left and began running towards the back alley. The soldiers pursued the man and told him to stop, but he kept running. The man eventually dropped his weapon and the black bag and surrendered. He was taken into custody shortly after.
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Amish girls' kidnappers imprisoned for sexually exploiting six girls
U.S. District Judge Glenn Suddaby sentenced Stephen Howells to 580 years in prison and Howells' former girlfriend Nicole Vaisey to 300 years in prison.
"You are the threat that parents worry about every day," Suddaby said to Howells. "You are the nightmare that never goes away for children."
Howells, 40, pleaded guilty in May to 21 counts of sexually exploiting children and child pornography. He admitted he victimized the six girls from December 2012 through August of last year, when he and Vaisey were charged with kidnapping the Amish sisters in St. Lawrence County.
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An Airline Passenger Took A Crap So Foul They Had To Land The Plane
Having to use an airplane bathroom is indignity enough. Can you imagine what it would do to your self-esteem if your after-stench actually grounded an entire flight full of travelers?
Because that's exactly what happened to some poor man or woman (though, probably a man) who was flying British Airways from London to Dubai.
It appears that about fifteen minutes into the flight, a gastroenterologically distressed passenger took an emergency trip into the small room in the back of the plane to empty the contents of their lower intestine that thing that passes for a toilet. That's probably about seven seconds after the seatbelt light went off, so something pretty awful was probably brewing.
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Because that's exactly what happened to some poor man or woman (though, probably a man) who was flying British Airways from London to Dubai.
It appears that about fifteen minutes into the flight, a gastroenterologically distressed passenger took an emergency trip into the small room in the back of the plane to empty the contents of their lower intestine that thing that passes for a toilet. That's probably about seven seconds after the seatbelt light went off, so something pretty awful was probably brewing.
More
Caitlyn Jenner Named Most Fascinating Person of 2015 by Barbara Walters
So America scratched its collective head during this year’s telecast, which aired Thursday on ABC, wondering who would nab the legendary newswoman’s top spot. Amy Schumer, Bradley Cooper, Tracy Morgan, Misty Copeland, Bernie Sanders, Donna Karan, Ronda Rousey, Jeff Bezos and Donald Trump filled the first nine positions, all leading up to the big reveal.
In case you ignored the headline and photo of this article, Caitlyn Jenner — the athlete formerly known as Bruce Jenner — was the final name revealed. I use “revealed” loosely because, given the first nine names on the list, who else could possibly be left?
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