Sunday, August 14, 2011

What Are The Health Benefits Of Beer?

As a doctor, I get a lot of questions from patients in my practice and in my email inbox. Here’s one that was sent to me recently by a viewer:

Dr. Manny, are there any health benefits to drinking beer? Which beers are the ‘healthiest’? - Brian

Well, Brian, this is what I have to say: If you’re planning a cookout this weekend like I am, don’t be afraid to knock back a cold one. Beer has several surprising health benefits.

Weather Warning: Searing Heat Wave May Hit East Coast In Late August, Scientists Predict

A new tech startup is promising to deliver a weather application that can predict extreme weather events up to 40 days before they happen -- but their claim is catching heat from veteran meteorologists.

The company, EarthRisk Technologies, has been working in conjunction with the Scripps Institute of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego to develop the EarthRisk platform, and the HeatRisk subsystem that can see deadly heat waves long before they strike.

China's Woes May Lead To More Pricey Christmas Here

(CBS News)

China is feeling some economic strain of its own of late.

CBS News correspondent Celia Hatton reports that could impact the prices American consumers pay during the upcoming Christmas shopping season.

The employees at one sportswear supplier outside Shanghai are rushing to fill an order for 15,000 bike shirts, and getting paid more for their efforts than ever before.

Liu Ling, who tracks inventory at the factory, has seen her paycheck grow from $130 per month in 2007 to $320 per month now.

MORE TAXES ANYONE?

A very interesting column. COMPLETELY NEUTRAL
Charley Reese's final column for the Orlando Sentinel.

He's been a journalist for 49 years. He is retiring and this is HIS LAST COLUMN.

Be sure to read the Tax List at the end.

This is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be. The article below is completely neutral, neither anti-republican or democrat. Charlie Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day. It's a short but good read. Worth the time. Worth remembering!

545 vs. 300,000,000 People

- By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan.

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy","inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess.

Charlie Reese is now a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

What you do with this article now that you have read it is up to you. This might be funny if it weren't so true. Be sure to read all the way to the end.

Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he's fed.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.

Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for
peanuts anyway!

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
Taxes to pass

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid...

Put these words
Upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me
to my doom...'

When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.

Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the heck happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'

Obama Sets Sights On Rural America To Talk Jobs

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is headed to Midwestern states critical for his re-election after a summer of discontent over a protracted debt showdown with Republicans and the downgrade in the nation's credit rating.

Obama's bus tour, his first as president, begins Monday and will take him to prairie communities in Minnesota and through Iowa and Illinois, with stops in the farmland and rural towns that launched his first White House bid.

BREAKING NEWS: Tim Pawlenty To Drop Out Of Presidential Race

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty to end bid for Republican presidential nomination after a disappointing third place finish in the Iowa straw poll.
From Fox news

S.F. Subway System Admits Cutting Cellphone Service To Stop Planned Protest

In a controversial move that has riled up free speech advocates, San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) subway system said it cut off cellphone signals at “select” stations in response to a planned protest this week

.BART temporarily interrupted service at select BART stations as one of many tactics to ensure the safety of everyone on the platform,” the transit agency said in a statement on its website Friday.

BART said it took the actions because protesters said they “would use mobile devices to coordinate their disruptive activities and communicate about the location and number of BART Police.”

Man, Girl Found Dead In Vehicle Belonging To Kidnapping Suspect

(CNN) -- The bodies of a man and a girl were found inside a vehicle belonging to a suspect in an Amber Alert case, authorities said.Authorities believe 2-year-old Madeline Samaan-Fay was abducted by her father, Mourad "Moni" Samaan.

An Amber Alert was issued Friday for Madeline, who was last seen a week ago in Sacramento.In a written statement, the FBI in Sacramento, California, said the bodies were found in Samaan's vehicle Saturday night but did not identify the bodies, saying more information would be released later.

Venezuelans Begin Public Debate On Law Of Firearms Control And Disarmament

Merida, (Venezuelanalysis.com) – On Thursday Venezuelans held the first of numerous public debates on the proposed Law of Firearms Control and Disarmament drafted by the country’s National Assembly. A legal initiative proposed by the Presidential Commission for Disarmament, the draft law is to be discussed by organized communities nationwide before being modified and passed next year.

“The idea is that this law be the result of a transparent, ample, and profound discussion by Venezuelan society,” explained United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) lawmaker Freddy Bernal.

Bernal, who is president of the National Assembly’s bi-partisan commission established to draft the Law of Firearms Control and Disarmament, affirmed that the pending legislation “is to be a fundamental instrument for State policies aimed at controlling criminality and violence.”

To be effecting, said Bernal, the Presidential Commission for Disarmament is asking “the entire population to share their proposals and express their criticisms, thus strengthening this legal instrument.”

“The debate must include governors, mayors, society on the whole, as well as the means of communication – since all are co-responsible in addressing the problem (of gun violence),” he affirmed.

Communal councils, individual citizens, academics, campesino and cattle rancher associations, sporting clubs, and non governmental organizations (NGOs) have also been invited to the debates.

As reported in Venezuela’s daily Correo del Orinoco, the legislation contemplates a revision of arms purchasing laws, an overall reduction in the sale of guns to private citizens, the opening of a legal window for unlicensed weapons to be handed over to the State, and the participation of communal councils in the local control of gun ownership.

The first debate on said law, held yesterday in Maracay, state of Aragua, brought together members of the general public, human rights activists, local law enforcement, the National Bolivarian Armed Forces (FANB), and the country’s National Guard (GN).

Present at the debate was Alfredo Roberto Missair, United Nations representative in Venezuela, who affirmed that the law under discussion “is a fundamental aspect of (guaranteeing) Human Rights” in Venezuela because a policy of disarmament “looks to protect the rights of all citizens, regardless of age, sex, or social condition.”

The final edition of the law is not expected to be passed until sometime next year, after Venezuelans nationwide have had the opportunity to give their feedback on an entire “packet of laws and measures which include the Law of Disarmament, the Organic Law of Communal Justice, the reform to the Organic Code of Penal Process, and the Organic Penitentiary Code,” explained Bernal.

Venezuela’s Ministry of Defense reports that close to 200,000 arms have been confiscated and destroyed since 2003, 65,000 of them removed last year.

While the removal of arms from society has advanced steadily, the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) reports that 79.4% of homicides committed in Venezuela between June 2008 and June 2009 were the result of gun violence.

Last year, the murder rate in Venezuela reached 48 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, the majority of which died from gunshot wounds.

4 Dead, 40 Hurt After Stage At Indiana Fair 'Snaps Like A Toothpick'

(CNN) -- In a few minutes, the festive mood of a summer concert turned tragic after a massive burst of wind tore down a stage at the Indiana State Fair on Saturday night, killing at least four people and injuring 40.

Authorities said Sunday they feared more casualties.

Gold Alert Issued For Missing Lewes Man

Location:

· 32000 block of Ocean Bluff Drive, Lewes, DE

Date of Occurrence:

· Sunday, August 14, 2011 at 12:30 a.m.

Gold Alert Subject:

· Fredrick M. Bailey-19 of Lewes, DE

· White male, 5’10” tall, 150lbs, black hair, brown eyes

· Last seen wearing red flannel shirt, black shorts

· A current photograph of Bailey is not available at this time.

Resume:

Lewes-The Delaware State Police have issued a Gold Alert for a missing Lewes, DE man.

Troopers are looking for Fredrick M. Bailey-19 who was last seen on Sunday morning, August 14, 2011 at 12:30 a.m., leaving on foot from his residence located in the 32000 block of Ocean Bluff Drive, Lewes, DE.

Troopers have been unable to make contact with Bailey to check on his welfare. Attempts to locate Bailey have been unsuccessful. Bailey’s medical condition is such that there is a concern for his welfare.

Anyone who may know the location of Fredrick Bailey is asked to contact Delaware State Police Troop 7 at 302-644-5020 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333. Information may also be provided via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com

Send an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."

Today's Weather- 08/14/11

Salisbury,Maryland

Today

High
83°F

Precip
80%

Tonight

Overnight Low
69°F

Precip
80%

From The Weather Channel

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Breaking News--Bachmann Wins Iowa Straw Poll, Cements Her Top-Tier Status in GOP Race

Ames, Iowa – Rep. Michele Bachmann won the Iowa Straw Poll Saturday, affirming her status as a top-tier candidate in the Republican race to challenge President Obama in 2012.

Bachmann received 28 percent of the nearly 17,000 votes cast. Texas Rep. Ron Paul was close behind her with 27 percent. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty came in a distant third with 13 percent of the vote, followed by former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum with 9 percent and businessman Herman Cain with 8 percent.

DELMARVA WEATHER: Thunderstorms possible for Lower Shore

Sat Aug 13, 2011 10:15 AM EDT

I don't know about any of you but the major rain had already gone through Delmarva well before 10:15 AM. The staff at the Daily Times must have been off for the weekend because it rained pretty darn hard early this morning. We've been told their print edition called for no rain at all.

WBOC also seemed to get their professional Delmarva's News Leader information wrong as they stated we wouldn't see rain until late Sunday.

Maybe I should have put up one of those "SEVERE WEATHER" images this morning since we're the only ones that got it right, again.

I can just imagine how many Bikers headed east to come to the Beach thinking there would be no rain.

Law Limiting Teacher-Student Online Contact Draws Ire

Missouri educators protest new regulation, calling it too stringent

KANSAS CITY — As the school year resumes next week, Missouri teachers will have to think twice about making private contact with students on Internet sites such as Facebook.

The state's school districts are under orders to draft policies to comply with a new law restricting such communications in an effort to prevent inappropriate relationships between teachers and students.

But the law is drawing criticism from some educators who say it goes too far.

"It kind of assumes all teachers are guilty, and that is not the message we need," said Christopher Wright, a third-grade teacher in Rolla, Mo. and president of the local chapter of the Missouri State Teachers Association.

Labor Fight Goes Postal As Unions Rip USPS Cost-Cutting Plan To Slash Jobs, Revamp Benefits

After skirmishes in Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana, the next big union battle is brewing at your local post office.

The U.S. Postal Service’s two largest unions blasted the financially strapped agency’s proposal to cut as many as 120,000 jobs and pull its workers out of the retirement and health benefits plans covering federal workers for a new benefit systems.

The Postal Service, which is facing a second year of losses totaling $8 billion or more, would need congressional approval for its plan and cooperation from the postal unions, which have contracts that ban layoffs unless Congress intervenes.

About 2-3 weeks ago I found a starving grey tabby kitten/cat (approx. 1 year old) wandering on North Upper Ferry Road, in the wooded area near the Pratt Road intersection. She was meowing loudly and walking along the road and when I slowed down she frantically approached me. I assume she was lost/got out because she is the most affectionate cat and had meowed so much apparently that her voice was hoarse. We brought her home and have gotten her weight back to normal but because she is so affectionate and friendly, I have to assume someone really loved and is missing this cat. She is the perfect cat! We have dogs and she is a little leery of them and hisses at our other cats, so we have kept her separate while we try to find her rightful home. Would you please consider posting her picture in case there is someone out there looking for this precious kitty? I would hate to think of the heartache that someone may have searching for her.

443 880 3788

Thank you,

Lori

Striking Verizon Workers Arrested at Salisbury's Mt. Hermon Road Facility

Yesterday morning at about 8:00 a.m. two verizon workers were arrested for blocking the entrance into their facility. The photo above shows one sheriff's car and one Salisbury police car that were dispatched to the scene.

HISTORICAL COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER 8-13-11

THE LUMBER CAMPS – part 3

Another good story out of the lumber camp days of 1905-10 was the one about the train. This was not one of the large trains that carried my grandfather from one job to another, but one of the smaller trains used to haul the cut timber out of the woods to the lumber mill where it was dressed down to workable sizes. Apparently he had worked his way up to a position of responsibility and was the engineer of one of these trains. There was only a two man crew – the engineer and the fireman whose sole responsibility was to keep enough wood in the boiler to keep the engine running at peak performance. The financial set-up was for each man to receive $1.50 a day to make 2 runs out of the woods to the camp. If they made an additional run they received a 50 cent bonus. However, if they failed to make the required 2 runs, they were docked a full dollar. He proudly declared that he always made 3 runs, thereby earning the bonus. He said he was highballing it one day and the excessive speed caused the train to jump the tracks and imbed about half the engine into one of the sand banks put there for that very purpose. Grandpop and his fireman walked back to the camp and informed the boss that his train was in the sand bank. The boss told him that there were 2 shovels in the corner and for him and his fireman to start digging it out. This would have entailed a lot of work with no pay. At this point he told his boss again that HIS train was stuck in the sand, and he left to find another job. Apparently, they didn’t check resumes in those days and a job could be had by any man for just showing up and “fogging the mirror”. Advancement was made by way of your work performance and he was seldom outworked by any man, a trait learned early and practiced throughout his entire life. He worked 6 twelve hour days every week for the next 60 years.

(This is part 5 of a 7 part story of my grandfather’s life – part 6 next week)

Urinating JetBlue Passenger Booted From U.S. Ski Team

So it turns out that the JetBlue passenger who peed on an 11-year-old girl instead of heading to the toilet is a member of the U.S. Ski Team's development squad. Or at least he was until he went #1 in public.

More »

'Skins Top Steelers In Pre-Season Opener

Rex Grossman's opening statement in his case to become the Washington Redskins' starting quarterback began in the shadow of his own goal posts. On his first play, he dropped back into the end zone and hit Santana Moss over the middle for a 16-yard gain.

Full Story

A Letter To The Editor About PRMC

Hi Joe,

I know that PRMC gets a lot of flack in the community sometimes for care that people deem to be less than appropriate but sometimes people need to be praised for the good jobs they do.

I encountered my 2nd bout with kidney stones in 6 months this past weekend. While my first had been uncomfortable to say the least, I exited the experience basically unscathed. Round 2 however would prove to be no walk in the park. I entered the ER on Friday evening at 7:25 and it was busy to say the least. I didn't fit into the "express crowd" so I waited for about an hour. I could tell the nurse behind the triage desk was "feeling my pain" and she got me in ASAP. Once I was in the care area...no grass grew under anyones feet. I was immediately assessed, labs drawn, and an IV started for delivery of pain medication to ease my IMMENSE discomfort. I was then taken for a CT and wasn't back from that 30 minutes before the doctor (Dr. Wild lol) was in and giving me the low down. The staff nurses backed him with the what-to-do-from-now-on rules and I was out the door and on my way home, in comfort, by 11pm.

When you are in that much pain, time is of the essence.

My hat is off to the fine ladies and gentlemen who did their jobs with expertise and professionalism on August 5th. I have followed the rules they put in place for my issue and things are going quite well for me.

However, should they go awry again in the future, I will have 100% faith in the crew at PRMC's Emergency Room.

Thanks so much!!

Angie Wilkins

Palin Tells Brody Decision Coming Soon

Alaskan says she'll decide presidential plans by end of September or October, still considering whether to put family through such "life-changing" venture.

Source

9-Year-Old Girl’s Charity Legacy Tops $1 Million

Rachel Beckwith sought to raise $300 for clean water; strangers picked up where she left off after she died

SEATTLE — Little did she know it, but Rachel Beckwith is leaving behind a $1 million-plus legacy for charity.

The Bellevue girl's mission was to raise $300 by her ninth birthday to supply clean water to poor African villagers. She fell a little bit short, and then her life was ended suddenly by a car accident.

Ocean City's Seacrets Wants To Grow, But Is It Too Big For Baltimore?

On a Friday night this summer, Seacrets was teeming with people dancing and drinking on its patios and dance floors and at its 18 bars.

By now the 22-year-old venue has eluded easy definition. With a sprawling fiefdom that includes a radio station, several restaurants, a hotel, five stages for live music, a swim-up bar and even Seacrets-branded water bottles, it's more of a theme park, a playground where Maryland and the region vacations every year.

Romney's Wealth As High As $250 Million

WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's personal wealth — up to $250 million — survived the nation's economic crisis, according to figures released Friday. But his pledge to sell off interests that conflict with his GOP stances did not extend to some investments in a family charity.

The new records make clear that Romney is much wealthier than President Barack Obama or any of Romney's GOP opponents. The immense fortune controlled by Romney and his wife, Ann, is worth $190 million to $250 million — within the same range as his 2007 presidential financial disclosure records, his campaign said.

Autism, ADHD Share Genetic Similarities

Similar genetic changes found in some people with ADHD and in some with autism may help explain why children with the hyperactivity disorder often have symptoms of other developmental disorders, a new study reports.

The study identified several genetic changes that are present in a small portion of both attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients and autism patients, and that are absent in people without these disorders.
More

Surprise, Google Plus Adds Games

Now there's something we didn't see coming: Google Plus (or Google+, if you want to get technical), Google's Facebook-Twitter rejoinder, just revealed it's adding games to its social networking roster, or will be shortly. Bet you didn't see that coming.

Google seems to think you didn't. The company's official blog announcement opens with a light and friendly nostalgic nod to offline family gaming, as if the notion of gaming together online were something we'd never thought of until, you know, Google did.

(CBS News)

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who is expected to join the GOP presidential race Saturday, is the longest serving governor in the nation. He won re-election last year by a wide margin. He's 61 years old, married to his childhood sweetheart, and graduated from Texas A&M.

Perry is going to have a big effect on this race. CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews looks at his record on the Texas economy.

It's his most important accomplishment and and one Texas-sized claim.

"Texas continues to lead the nation in job creation," Gov. Rick Perry once said.

Today's Weather- 08/13/11

Salisbury,Maryland

Today

High
88°F

Precip
100%

Tonight

Overnight Low
70°F

Precip
20%

From The Weather Channel

Friday, August 12, 2011

Louisville Police Add Computers To Mounted Patrol

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Louisville police have added small, portable computers to the equipment used by mounted officers riding horseback patrols.

The computers, known as Mobile Data Terminals, are fastened to the breast collars and lie on the horses' backs.

More

More Lost By The Second In Afghanistan

It’s a bit odd to me that with my sense of geographical direction I’m ever regarded as a leader to guide groups in foreign travel. I’m recalling a steaming hot night in Lahore, Pakistan when Josh Brollier and I, having enjoyed a lengthy dinner with Lahore University students, needed to head back to the guest lodgings graciously provided us by a headmaster of the Garrison School for Boys. We had boarded a rickshaw, but the driver had soon become terribly lost and with my spotty sense of direction and my complete ignorance of Urdu, I couldn’t be any help. My cell phone was out of juice, and I was uncertain anyway of the needed phone number. I bumped and jostled in the back seat of the rickshaw, next to Josh, as we embarked on a nightmare of travel over unpaved, rutted roads in dizzying traffic until finally the rickshaw driver spotted a sign belonging to our school – the wrong campus, we all knew – and eager to unload us, roused the inhabitants and hustled us and our bags into the street before moving on.

We stood inside the gate, staring blankly at a family that had been sound asleep on cots in the courtyard. In no time, the father of the family scooped up his two children, gently moving them to the cot he shared with his wife so that Josh and I would have a cot on which to sit. Then he and his spouse disappeared into their humble living quarters. He reappeared with a fan and an extension cord, wanting to give us some relief from the blistering night heat. His wife emerged carrying a glass of tea for each of us. They didn’t know us from Adam’s house cat, but they were treating us as family – the celebrated but always astonishing hospitality that we’d encountered in the region so many times before. Eventually, we established with our host that we were indeed at the wrong campus, upon which he called the family that had been nervously waiting for our errant selves.

This courtyard scene of startling hospitality would return to my mind when we all learned of the U.S. Joint Special Operations (JSO) Force night raid in the Nangarhar province, on May 12, 2011. No matter which side of the Afghanistan/Pakistan border you are on, suffocating hot temperatures prevail day and night during these hot months. It’s normal for people to sleep in their courtyards. How could anyone living in the region not know this? Yet the U.S. JSO forces that came in the middle of the night to the home of a 12-year-old girl, Nilofer, who had been asleep on her cot in the courtyard, began their raid by throwing a grenade into the courtyard, landing at Nilofer’s head. She died instantly. Nilofer’s uncle raced into the courtyard. He worked with the Afghan Local Police, and they had told him not to join that night’s patrol because he didn’t know much about the village they would go to, so he had instead gone to his brother’s home. When he heard the grenade explode, he may well have presumed the Taliban were attacking the home. U.S. troops killed him as soon as they saw him. Later, NATO issued an apology.

MORE

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE PLUNGES

While the MSM continues to run stories about “bright spots” in the economy, the polls tell the truth of what’s going on behind the scenes. Two major consumer confidence indices this week show exactly where we’re headed — note the trend toward a widening gap in the past few weeks.

U.S. Consumer Confidence Drops to Three-Decade Low Amid Economic Headwinds
Bloomberg, August 12, 2011
Confidence among U.S. consumers plunged in August to the lowest level since May 1980, adding to concern that weak employment gains and volatility in the stock market will prompt households to retrench.
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary index of consumer sentiment slumped to 54.9 from 63.7 the prior month. The gauge was projected to decline to 62, according to the median forecast in a Bloomberg News survey.
The biggest one-week slump in stocks since 2008 and the threat of default on the nation’s debt may have exacerbated consumers’ concerns as unemployment hovers above 9 percent and companies are hesitant to hire. Rising pessimism poses a risk household spending will cool further, hindering a recovery that Federal Reserve policy makers said this week was already advancing “considerably slower” than projected.
“The mood is very depressed,” said Chris Christopher, an economist at IHS Global Insight Inc. in Lexington, Massachusetts. “Consumers are very fatigued and very uncertain. In the short term, people are going to pull back on spending.”

O'malley On Fox

In case you missed hearing O'Malley on FOX this week with Greta, his performance was beyond dishonest and disgusting. Here is the clip (you'll have to watch a quick ad before it comes on).

HERE

Every Inch Counts

Manhattan architect downsizes to 78-square-foot apartment

Meet Luke Clark Tyler, a New Yorker who — in order to live in the thick of it all while not spending all of his money on rent — happily resides in a 78-square-foot apartment for $800 a month.

A proposed amendment to the Constitution requiring a balanced federal budget has been the subject of congressional hearings for 60 years. But the issue is even older than that.

It’s unsurprising that the state of the federal budget is perhaps the longest-running issue in US politics. “Congress, White House in Budget Clash” is a headline that could have run in the time of the tricorn hat.

But what about a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget? Is that a new thing or an old idea repurposed for modern times?

You wouldn’t be reading about it here if it were not the latter. Tacking a black-ink requirement onto the supreme law of the land is a proposal that has bounced around Washington since Franklin Roosevelt was spending us out of the Great Depression.

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The Fire This Time

"You've damaged your own race," said Mayor Michael Nutter to the black youths of Philadelphia whose flash mobs have been beating and robbing shoppers in the fashionable district of downtown.

"Take those God-darn hoodies down," the mayor went on in his blistering lecture. "Pull your pants up and buy a belt, 'cause no one wants to see your underwear or the crack of your butt."

And the mayor had some advice for teenagers looking for work.

"You walk into somebody's office with your hair uncombed and a pick in the back and your shoes untied and your pants half down, tattoos up and down your arms and on your neck, and you wonder why somebody won't hire you?"

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Man Entombed For 27 Years In Chimney To Get Funeral

Bones, clothes fell on construction worker when he tugged on fabric

ABBEVILLE, La. — The narrow, brick chimney of a Louisiana bank became his tomb for 27 years and now Joseph Schexnider will be laid to rest Sunday in a proper grave with a proper farewell by his family.

Still, his brother Robert wonders, how did he wind up in that chimney? Didn't anyone hear any cries for help? Was it a robbery attempt gone awry, an accident or something more sinister?

"At least we know where he is now," Schexnider, 48, said, tears welling in his eyes ahead of his brother's funeral and burial. "At least he's home."

Nearly three decades after he disappeared, much mystery lingers about the case of Joseph Schexnider and involving a small town bank in the southern Louisiana city of Abbeville. Police say Schexnider became trapped and apparently died in the bank's chimney in 1984. But beyond that, they know little more.

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RON PAUL HIGHLIGHTS & STOSSEL INTERVIEW

My Ride Into Work This Morning 8-12-11

PRICE REDUCED

10,000 SQ. FT. 4 STORIES INCLUDES LOT NEXT DOOR. PARKER PLACE IS LOCATED ON THE DOWNTOWN PLAZA IN SALISBURY.

Was $275,000.00

Now $249,000.00

CALL 410-251-2825

Moving Back To The USA

Back in May, Zero Hedge penned "With China Forecast To Reach Wage Parity With The US In Five Years, Is A New Manufacturing Golden Age Coming To The US?" in which we predicted that rising labor costs courtesy of the Fed's ongoing exporting of inflation could easily backfire, and force large, profitable multinationals, for whom dollar weakness goes straight to the bottom line, to reorganize and pull offshore workers back to the US. It appears the theory is slowly shifting to practice. As Reuters reports,
Conglomerates ranging from Emerson Electric to Honeywell International feel pressure on margins from double-digit wage increases in China. So have toymaker Mattel, fast-food chain Yum! Brands and computer maker Dell, analysts and investors say..."Input cost increases have been a steady headwind to margins for some time now," Fairchild Semiconductor International Chief Financial Officer Mark Frey said last month. "I do believe that labor inflation will continue high for quite a while," Yum CFO Rick Carucci said on the company's earnings conference call. He called commodity prices another "wild card" for the company." Curiously, China is proving far more adept at pushing labor price increases than America's sad, and largely ineffectively unionized labor force: ""A lot of the wage increase is to keep civil unrest at a minimum," said William Blair analyst Nick Heymann, who said suicides at an Apple supplier and the "Arab Spring" protests have alarmed Beijing. "These guys have watched North Africa and the Middle East with a lot of trepidation."" And as we speculated, the perverse outcome of Bernanke's policy to reward only companies at the expense of US Laborers (I.e., middle class) will soon backfire, as more and more companies end seeing their margins cut, in the process being forced to hire ever more people. "Wages are getting large enough that you start to feel the difference," said Hal Sirkin, a BCG senior partner, who said U.S. Companies are looking at alternative manufacturing sites. "One of the answers is to start moving back to the U.S." And when they do, they may, just may, start hiring Americans once again.

Flu Vaccinations Pushed For Maryland Hospitals

About 80 percent of hospital workers vaccinated now

Maryland hospitals have become more aggressive in recent years about vaccinating workers for the flu, but public health officials are pushing for even stricter programs to halt the spread of a virus that kills thousands each year.

As manufacturers have begun shipping vaccine for the 2011-2012 flu season and vaccination programs are being planned, some officials are pushing hospitals to make vaccinations mandatory for employees. They say the vaccine is the most effective means of protecting workers and adds a crucial layer of safety for highly vulnerable patients such as newborns, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.

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The Effects Of A Financial Repression

Something – we’re not altogether sure what – touched off MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan yesterday.

We love it when these guys lose their cool. This is not nearly as entertaining as Jim Cramer’s tantrum imploring the Fed to “open the discount window” in 2007, but pay attention to the content…

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BREAKING NEWS: Stocks End Volatile Week In The Green

The major stock-market indices will head into the weekend on solid footing after one of the most volatile weeks on record comes to a close. A favorable reading on retail sales offset concern about a weak consumer confidence report, helping the Dow up by 125 points to 11269. The Nasdaq Composite index gained 15 to 2507 and the S&P 500 added 6 points to close at 1178.

From Fox News

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