Report Says 230,000 Unemployed Losing Benefits Over Weekend

More than 230,000 unemployed workers will lose their jobless benefits this weekend as portions of federal programs expire across several states. 

All told, 409,300 long-term unemployed Americans in 27 states will have lost upward of 20 weeks of federal unemployment benefits by this past Saturday, even as the many state jobless rates remain high, according to a new analysis by the National Employment Law Project (NELP).

The latest batch of cuts affects 236,300 unemployed people in eight states — California (11%), Texas (7%) Pennsylvania (7.5%), Florida (9%), Illinois (8.8%) North Carolina (9.7%) Colorado (7.8%) and Connecticut (7.7%) — half of which have jobless rates above the 8.1 percent national average posted in April. 

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The Revolution Governments World Wide Don’t Want You To Know About

ICELAND. No news from Iceland?… why? How come we hear everything that happens in Egypt but no news about what’s happening in Iceland:
…
In Iceland, the people have made the government resign, the primary banks have been nationalized, it was decided to not pay the debt that these created with Great Britain and Holland due to their bad financial politics and a public assembly has been created to rewrite the constitution.

And all of this in a peaceful way. A whole revolution against the powers that have created the current global crisis. This is why there hasn’t been any publicity during the last two years: What would happen if the rest of the EU citizens took this as an example? What would happen if the US citizens took this as an example.

This is a summary of the facts:

2008. The main bank of the country is nationalized.
The Krona, the currency of Iceland devaluates and the stock market stops. The country is in bankruptcy

2008. The citizens protest in front of parliament and manage to get new elections that make the resignation of the prime minister and his whole govenment.

The country is in a bad economic situation.

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Lawmakers Stay Largely Silent Over Chinese Takeover of US Bank Branches

U.S. lawmakers have been unusually silent about federal regulators' decision to allow a Chinese bank to take over 13 bank branches in New York and California, suggesting that they think American banks have much to gain.

Members of both parties usually relish the chance to bash China on everything from government subsidies to the yuan's exchange rate. Yet Wednesday's decision by the Federal Reserve to certify a Chinese bank acquisition for the first time was met by near-universal silence.

Scott Talbott, the head lobbyist for the Financial Services Roundtable, said that's unsurprising. The U.S. wants China to open up its financial services market – foreign ownership of Chinese banks is limited to 25 percent – and allowing a Chinese presence in the U.S. is seen as a necessary trade-off.

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Leave Your Kids In Public School

I know a few parents who home school their children. They do so because they are not fond of the atmosphere and disagree with how public schools are run. I can’t blame them, the decline in the quality of the public school system has been steady for years. Surveys show that home schooled children score higher on tests in nearly every subject. It’s not surprising though, the one-on-one attention is very advantageous for the student.

Here are some of the reasons parents give as to why they decide to home school:

Concern about the school environment (safety, drugs, negative peer-pressure, etc.)
Dissatisfaction with academic instruction
To provide religious and/or moral instruction
for mental or physical health accommodation
I actually don’t think home schooling solves the problems parents think it does (omitting mental or physical health conditions). Well, individually it may, but long-term and for society, it does little. For example, home schooling your children isn’t necessary in order to provide religious education (83% of home schooling parents cite religious reasons for their choice to home school). That can and should be done at home anyway, and could be done instead of watching television or some other activity. And concern for the school environment? I don’t see it as a big problem either since most who home school are in rural and suburban areas (as opposed to urban areas). I think the concerns that parents have about the environment (in many, if not most) of the schools is over-blown. Many parents have the belief that the world is much more dangerous than when they were children, which is simply not true.

The one reason I find both legitimate and self-imposed is their dissatisfaction with the academic instruction. I say it’s self-imposed because it really is, in a non-direct way.

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MAD MOMS TO FOOD POLICE: WE'LL EAT WHAT WE WANT

Moms in Minnesota are preparing to defy state dictates over when and how they can access food supplies for their families, with a rally scheduled Monday to coincide with the beginning of the trial of the manager of a farm buying club, according to the Farm Food Freedom Coalition.

WND previously has reported on disputes between farmers and consumers on one side and federal regulators on the other. They have involved the purchase by consumers of raw milk, the rights of consumers to access milk from their own cows, a radio program that offered natural products and a blogger who wrote about his battle with diabetes and was threatened with jail.

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What Kind Of Society Do Americans Want?

Part I – Health Care in the USA

On 7 May 2012 a new study came out on healthcare in the United States. Based on research carried out by the Urban Institute, the report is published in the journal Health Affairs. Here are some of its findings:

– There is a prevailing “trend toward private insurance policies with larger deductibles and higher co-payments…”

– “Employers [are] shifting more [heath care] costs onto workers.”

– “Poor and uninsured adults [there are presently 41 million such people in the U.S.] had greater difficulties not just with health care costs, but finding doctors who would see them.” In addition, “too few providers are taking Medicaid” patients.

– One consequence of this trend is that “one in five American adults under 65 had an ‘unmet medical need’ because of costs in 2010, compared with one in eight in 2000.”

What all this means is that health care in the U.S. has deteriorated in the first decade of the 21st century. That was also reflected in a 2005 study by the World Health Organization that ranked the United States (supposedly the richest of nations) as 141st in government spending on health. Perhaps not unrelated, the U.S. ranks number 1 in the world when it comes to anxiety disorders.

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CHRISTIAN MESSAGES BANNED IN BUFFALO

A federal lawsuit has been filed against the city of Buffalo, N.Y., alleging that police threatened to arrest a Christian for peacefully handing out tracts and talking with passersby who were willing to chat with him on public property.

The complaint was filed by the Alliance Defense Fundon behalf of Gregory Owen

While handing out tracts to willing recipients on a public street during a public festival, Owen was approached by a police officer who declined to identify himself but told him that the Buffalo Police Department is “the law” and he should stop handing out tracts.

According to the lawsuit: “Subsequently, another police officer, Officer Slomka, arrived on the scene. She quickly informed Owen that they could not hand out tracts in the festival and explained that the prohibition was ‘by our orders.’ Owen asked for her name, and she replied: ‘Slomka, write it down.’ Owen advised that he believed the tracts to be free speech; nonplussed, Officer Slomka reiterated that they couldn’t hand out tracts there and had to go outside of the festival area to continue with their expressive activity.”

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BREAKING NEWS: SCHOOL BUS ACCIDENT ON RT. 50

There's been a bus accident on Rt. 50 & Seminole Blvd on the west side of Rt. 50. Police and Fire are on the scene. No word of injuries.

Time For Elizabeth Warren To Fess Up

Yesterday when a reporter at a Brighton, Massachusetts event asked Elizabeth Warren to respond to my report from earlier in the day that her great-great-great grandfather had served in the Tennessee Militia that rounded up the Cherokees in preparation for the Trail of Tears, Ms. Warren refused to answer the question.

She did not deny the facts that I established but immediately changed the subject, claiming that the story was simply “politics as usual.” “I think what this is about is Scott Brown trying to change the subject,” the Boston Herald reports she said. “He just wants to find a way to talk about something else, and I think it’s wrong. I think this is why people are turned off on Washington politics.”

To the contrary, my story addresses a question fundamental to every political campaign in the country today: the credibility and integrity of the candidate. It was developed independent of any political campaign and has been confirmed by numerous reputable genealogical sources, including Paul Reed, who the Boston Herald describes as “a Utah genealogist who is a fellow at the American Genealogical Society.”

Reed, the Herald continues, “said he found primary documentation that shows Warren’s great-great-great grandfather Jonathan Crawford served in a Tennessee militia unit that rounded up Cherokees before they were force-marched to Oklahoma in the infamous Trail of Tears.”
“Jonathan H. Crawford did serve in the Indian wars,” said Reed. “He is listed as serving in the company that rounded up Cherokees.”

In addition to Mr. Reed, several amateur genealogists have either contacted me directly or posted comments on Breitbart News stories confirming the accuracy of my claim.

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Businessman Says He Lost Hundreds of Customers After Attacks by Obama Campaign

Businessman Frank Vandersloot, the CEO of Melaleuca, has been targeted by the Obama campaign after donating money to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. "Three weeks ago, an Obama campaign website, 'Keeping GOP Honest,' took the extraordinary step of publicly naming and assailing eight private citizens backing Mr. Romney," Kim Strassel of the Wall Street Journal reported. "Titled 'Behind the curtain: a brief history of Romney's donors,' the post accused the eight of being 'wealthy individuals with less-than-reputable records.' Mr. VanderSloot was one of the eight, smeared particularly as being 'litigious, combative and a bitter foe of the gay rights movement.'"

The attacks are working. Vandersloot revealed in an interview on Fox News that his business practice is being hurt by the attacks from the Obama team. 

"Those people that I know well weren't affected by this [attack]," said Vandersloot. "But for people who didn't know me, who are members of our business or customers, and they were reading this, then we got a barrage of phone calls of people cancelling their customer memberships with us."

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Greece headed into 'out of control bankruptcy' - California Follows in Footsteps Of Greece - Maryland Right on the Footheels of California As Pension Fund Proposed to Shift to MD Counties

California follows in the footsteps of Greece

Back in the USA, the state of California is accelerating toward much the same outcome.

Suffocated by the terminal financial burden of leftist social programs, welfare handouts, runaway social services and health care costs for its millions of undocumented residents, California is also headed for its own financial implosion.

"We are now facing a $16 billion hole, not the $9 billion we thought in January," said Gov. Jerry Brown in a recent New York Times article. "This means we will have to go much further and make cuts far greater than I asked for at the beginning of the year."

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035858_Greece_bankruptcy_California.html#ixzz1urojUjq3

Maryland - although not in as dire shape as California - it does show signs of progressing down the same path as California. With Maryland's proposed MOE spending formulas, social programs, underfunded State pensions, may also be headed for its own implosion.

Mike Krieger: "Six Months Left. Can They Do It?"

The study of money, above all other fields in economics, is one in which complexity is used to disguise truth or to evade truth, not to reveal it. The process by which banks create money is so simple the mind is repelled. With something so important, a deeper mystery seems only decent.

- John Kenneth Galbraith

Today what we are doing is modernizing the financial services industry, tearing down those antiquated laws and granting banks significant new authority.

-Bill Clinton at the signing of Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act in 1999 (which ended Glass-Steagall and gave banks full control of the United States of America)

Obama delivered heated rhetoric, but his actions signaled different priorities. Had Obama wanted to strike real fear in the hearts of bankers, he might have appointed former special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald or some other fire-breather as his attorney general. Instead, he chose Eric Holder, a former Clinton Justice official who, after a career in government, joined the Washington office of Covington & Burling, a top-tier law firm with an elite white-collar defense unit. The move to Covington, and back to Justice, is an example of Washington’s revolving-door ritual, which, for Holder, has been lucrative–he pulled in $2.1 million as a Covington partner in 2008, and $2.5 million (including deferred compensation) when he left the firm in 2009.

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Gallup: Obama's Gay Marriage Endorsement Hurts More Than Helps

Gallup took a poll of adults regarding Obama's endorsement of gay marriage, and the topline number seems* to look good for the president: 51% approve of Obama's support of same-sex marriage, while 45% disapprove. But when you take a look at how it might move votes, it seems to be a losing issue for Obama: 13% of Americans say Obama's endorsement of gay marriage makes them more likely to vote for Obama, while 26% of Americans say the move makes them less likely to vote for Obama.

Results Here

BREAKING NEWS: GAS LEAK ON ELIZABETH STREET

Someone hit a gas line by T's Market on Rt. 13 & Elizabeth Street.

UPDATE: We're now being told a backhoe may have ruptured a gas pipe and you can hear the gas coming out of the line. This is very dangerous.

IS PERDUE’S POINT MAN MARTIN O’MALLEY’S BROTHER?

A watchdog group recently disclosed a slew of e-mails that it obtained pursuant to a "freedom of information" request which show a very cozy relationship between a Baltimore lawyer, who represents Perdue, and Martin O’Malley – they were law school classmates and apparently still are close. He is a partner at the mega-lawfirm, Venable, LLP, based in Baltimore, with offices elsewhere. The implication is that the lawyer in those e-mails, Herbert D. Frerichs, serves as Perdue’s stimulant with O’Malley and lesser Maryland officials.

But to quote my good friend Sportin’ Life, who is almost always on the mark, that ain’t necessarily so!

Not long ago Venable engaged Peter C. O’Malley not as a regular lawyer but rather "of counsel" capacity. That’s noteworthy because he has little if any experience as a practicing lawyer after he finished law school in 2000. Since then he seems to have "practiced" mostly as a political operative – according to his bio on the Venable website:

In addition to his government and private sector work, Mr. O’Malley has been an active force in Maryland politics and campaigns. He played key roles in the campaigns of his brother, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, serving as campaign manager for his 1999 and 2003 mayoral campaigns and senior advisor in his 2006 and 2010 gubernatorial campaigns. Mr. O’Malley also chaired the Maryland Democratic Party.

Also worthy of note: the Venable firm is renowned for influence peddling. The "Influence 50" survey published by the National Law Journal ranked Venable’s Legislative and Government Affairs group – of which Peter O’Malley is a member -- 15th among law firm lobbying practices and 21st among all lobbying firms for 2011. Again, this is from the Venable website. It is involved in more than just practicing law.

Is there any doubt why he became part of the team?

It’s not illegal and seems prudent to hire the Governor’s brother if you are in the business of furnishing influence at the highest level for those in need of such service who can afford to pay in order to have it. And we understand that the younger O’Malley is very good at what he does.

Income Tax Hike Worries Some Business Groups

While the governor has touted Maryland’s comparatively low tax burden on its high-income populace, some groups are concerned that the income tax hikes proposed for this week’s special session will harm Maryland’s national rankings on taxes and business climate.

Gov. Martin O’Malley on Wednesday cited various national rankings for Maryland’s income, sales and corporate taxes to show they were not as high as some opponents portray. But Larry Hogan, chairman of the pro-business Change Maryland, said the legislature’s own fiscal analysts say the state already has the second-highest income tax burden in the nation.

In its 2012 Issue Papers (page 27), the Department of Legislative Services says Maryland ranks No. 2 in the nation on its reliance on the personal income tax, according to 2009 Census data.

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House Dems Receive Training On Portraying Conservatives As Racist

In the latest transparent attempt by the Obama Administration and the Democratic Party to make the 2012 election a referendum on supposed racism and not Obama’s dismal performance, House Democrats received training this week on how to portray neutral free-market rhetoric as racially charged.

Maya Wiley of the Center for Social Inclusion, whose statements were distributed at a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus, cynically called conservative messages “racially coded … right-wing rhetoric has dominated debates of racial justice – undermining efforts to create a more equal society, and tearing apart the social safety net in the process” for over 25 years.

Wiley was invited to the caucus by Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif to run the Democrats "through their strategy and how they message and talk about stuff" pertaining to race and fiscal policy.

Wiley’s evidence of racism bordered on the ludicrous. Citing Newt Gingrich’s jab at President Obama for being the “food-stamp president,” Wiley whined, “Calling a black man 'the food stamp president' is not a race-neutral statement, even if Newt Gingrich did not intend racism.” She also cited Rick Santorum for racism in this statement criticizing Obama: “Give them more food stamps, give them more Medicaid is the administration's approach, rather than creating jobs.” But she wasn’t done; she also cited House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., about raising taxes to fund government programs: “I've never believed that you go raise taxes on those that are paying in, taking from them, so that you just hand out and give them to someone else.”

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The Next Battle In Mythical "Taxpayer-Subsidized Abortions:" Women Seeking Hospital Care Should Be Forced To Report Abortion

Abortions are very common procedures, and are among the safest of any kinds of procedures performed in the United States. But like any medical intervention, from giving birth to taking an aspirin, there is always the chance that a complication can occur, either at the time of the termination or afterwards.

Anti-choice activists have honed in on that fact to use it as an excuse to demand that those who provide abortions need to have admitting privileges in nearby emergency rooms, a practice that isn't mandated for other outpatient procedures. The purpose of the rule is to make it so fewer providers can perform abortions, although they claim it's an issue of a woman's safety.

But now, a new line is being introduced, and it's the greatest example of twisted logic yet. A provider who terminates pregnancies must have admitting privileges so that the costs of care that could be associated with addressing complications will not be transferred onto the E.R., and hence taxpayers who do not support abortion.

Did you follow that? Sort of? Well, a theory that complicated and convoluted can only be proposed by one person.

Yes, it's Phyllis Schlafly.

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Tanning Benefits

Today's Fill In The Blank 5-14-12

I learned to play the _____ (instrument) in school.

Autopsy Results Reveal Murdered College Student Shot 7 Times, Then Cuffed By Police

Nearly two months ago, NewsOne reported on the tragic case of Kendrec McDade (pictured), the California college student and football star who was killed by Pasadena cops while they were responding to a robbery. Now that McDade’s autopsy report has been released, it’s been revealed that he was shot seven times at close range and handcuffed afterward, according to the L.A. Times.

Caption This Photo 5-14-12

Maryland Young Republicans Chairman's: "O'Malley, Miller And Busch Are Completely Feckless"

ANNAPOLIS- Maryland Young Republicans Chairman Brian Griffiths issued the following statement today on the upcoming Special Session of the Maryland General Assembly.

"When the Maryland General Assembly returns to Annapolis tomorrow, it will serve as a reminder of the Democrats failure to lead in this state.

"For far too long Democrats have been trying to avoid the consequences of their reckless spending. For too long they have ignored the warning signs that prove that their philosophy of governance is unsustainable, even more so in the current economic climate. And the inability of Maryland's Democratic leaders to effectively govern our state came to a head with their inability to balance the state budget during our regular General Assembly Session.

"Martin O'Malley, Mike Miller, and Mike Busch are completely feckless. They have proven to be incapable of leading their party, and unwilling to lead Maryland in the direction it needs to be successful in the modern age. These feckless leaders are insistent on raising taxes on middle and working class Marylanders so that they can continue to grow the size of government and to provide handouts to their special interest supporters. Such irresponsible measures will continue to create a climate that makes it harder and harder for young professionals to live and work in Maryland.

"If the Governor and the General Assembly truly wish to improve the plight of Marylanders, particularly our young professionals, they will work to cut spending and lower our taxes in order to help jump start our job market and our economy. The Maryland Young Republicans are looking forward to working hard to send more common sense leaders to Annapolis in 2014."

The Maryland Young Republicans are the leading organization of Republican youth in the Old Line State. We are Maryland's officially chartered affiliate of the Young Republican National Federation. But we are so much more than that. Our clubs consist of active members of our communities. They are members of local central committees, active in community leadership, and running campaigns for office across Maryland. All young professionals who wish to help us in this cause are invited to join us at our 2012 Convention being held in Annapolis on June 2nd.

Some Ala. Farmers Cut Back Crops, Citing Crackdown

ONEONTA, Ala. (AP) — Some Alabama farmers say they are planting less produce rather than risk having tomatoes and other crops rot in the fields a second straight year because of labor shortages linked to the state's crackdown on illegal immigration.

Keith Dickie said he and other growers in the heart of Alabama's tomato country didn't have any choice but to reduce acreage amid fears there won't be enough workers to pick the delicate fruit.

Some farmers lacked enough hands to harvest crops because immigrants fled the state after Gov. Robert Bentley signed the immigration law last fall, and some told The Associated Press they fear the same thing could happen this year.

"There's too much uncertainty," said Dickie, who farms with his brother on a ridge called Straight Mountain, about 40 miles northeast of Birmingham.

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Can You Find The Three Mistakes

Criminal Charges Should Be Brought Against the Democratic Controlled Legislators. Maryland Taxpayers Are Being Duped!

http://mlis.state.md.us/2012RS/misc/2012S1_ReportOnBRFA.pdf

Look on Page 11 - the Maryland Legislature - in anticipation of potential litigation as a result of BRFA's enactment - has proposed a funding mechanism to try and offset a Court reversal of this legislation.

EXCERPT FROM PAGE 11
'Requires local boards of education to budget the costs to satisfy any final court judgments; prohibits the county government from reducing funds in the school budget dedicated to satisfying a final court judgment; and that, if it becomes necessary for the State to make payment, the amount will be deducted from State education aid due to that board of education in the following fiscal year
Provides an additional State grant to a county board of education to ensure that direct education aid in fiscal 2013 does not decrease by more than 5% compared to fiscal 2012'

Look on Page 19 - at how the BOE is to be funded under the newly proposed method. In my humble opinion - the MOE should not be increased, but instead, be decreased each year by the additional pension cost liability imposed on each County. The taxpayers are being 'set-up' to be enjoined by this action.

EXCERPT FROM PAGE 19
 The required maintenance of effort amount paid by counties increases each year by the additional pension costs during the phase-in period.

Take a look at Page 19 of the Proposed BRFA - (Budget Reconciliation Financing Act 2012) - My Question - what makes you think the State is going to cover the liabilities - their track record shows that they are incapable of controlling losses & maintaining adequate funding levels. Moody's, Fitch, S&P have already ripped the State apart for letting the fund drop to dangerously low levels. Will not the County become culpable by withholding and advancing payment into this already underfunded account? What makes any of the localities think that the State is going to act differently this time around. The State has already lost credibility by not funding the account in 2009, 2010, and 2011.

EXCERPT FROM PAGE 19
 State maintains responsibility to pay for unfunded accrued liabilities and reinvestment, as well as a portion of the normal cost and any costs above the estimates during the phase-in period.

New Posts to fall below.

Today's Advertiser Of The Day 5-14-12

Galaxy 501C Motorcycle Helmets Recalled Due To Sub-Standard Protection

A recall for GLX 501C motorcycle helmets made by Galaxy Helmets in Irwindale, Calif., has been issued by the U.S. Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A small number of extra large sized Galaxy helmets failed to meet government impact standards and might not adequately protect motorcycle riders in the event of a crash.

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Found Dog

FOUND IN MY YARD ON BETHEL RD.

I DO NOT KNOW WHAT KIND HE IS BUT APPEARS TO ME A MASTIFF BOXER ACCORDING TO SOME PICTURES I HAVE SEEN ONLINE.

HEALTHY LOOKING AND WELL KEPT, MALE – NEUTERED –VERY FRIENDLY.

I DO NOT KNOW HIS NAME. WE GAVE HIM A NAME OF “BUSTER”

APPEARS TO BE ABOUT 2 OR 3 YEARS OLD. OBEYS COMMANDS. I DO NOT THINK HE WAS AN OUTSIDE DOG,

I CAN BE CONTACTED AT:

410-251-8952

Officials: Maryland Company Distributed Tainted Starter

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Officials say a Maryland company distributed an ingredient that triggered a salmonella outbreak that’s made almost 60 Buncombe County residents sick.

The Asheville Citizen-Times reported the state Department of Health and Human Services confirms that a culture starter for tempeh had the type of salmonella that caused the outbreak.

Authorities say Tempeh Online sold the starter culture to Smiling Hara Tempeh, which made the bean product in Candler. Tempeh Online is based in Rockville, Md.

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WCSO Press Releases 5-14-12

Incident: DUI
Date of Incident: 11 May 2012
Location: 1700 block of Riverside Drive, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Matthew M. Goldman, 25, Derwood, MD

Narrative: On 11 May 2012 at 1:54 AM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported motor vehicle collision in the 1700 block of Riverside Drive. Upon arrival, the deputy observed a Toyota Corolla had left the roadway and damaged shrubbery and grass in a residential yard. The deputy identified the operator of the Toyota as Matthew Goldman of Derwood, MD. While speaking with Goldman, the deputy suspected that Goldman was under the influence of alcohol. After the administration of sobriety testing, the deputy placed Goldman under arrest for DUI.

During processing Goldman decline the opportunity to take a breath test.

The deputy released Goldman upon the issuance of citations.


Charges: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol

Incident: DUI
Date of Incident: 10 May 2012
Location: Williams Mill Pond Road, Delmar, MD
Suspect: Seth W. Benson, 21, Delmar, DE

Narrative: On 10 April 2012 at 11:03 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported motor vehicle collision on Williams Mill Pond Road. Upon arrival, the deputy observed a red Chevrolet Cavalier that had collided with a tree along with three men standing in the vicinity. The deputy identified one of the three, Seth Benson, as the driver and detected an odor of alcohol emanating from his breath. Based on the deputy’s observations, the deputy believed that Benson was
behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol. After the administration of sobriety testing, the deputy placed Benson under arrest.

During processing, Benson declined the opportunity to take a breath test.

The deputy transported Benson to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Benson in the Detention Center in lieu of $10,000.00 bond.

Charges: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol

Today's Survey Question 5-14-12

Who makes the best Oyster Fritters?

1st Amendment

NIH Worker Pleads Guilty To Credit Card Theft

A woman who worked at the National Institutes of Health has pleaded guilty to theft of government property and money for using government credit cards for personal use.

Thirty-two-year-old Tamia McCoy of Germantown entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Baltimore on Friday. She will be sentenced July 26, when she faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.

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Delaware Takes The Cake In Governor’s Challenge Basketball Tournament

Salisbury, MD – For years, the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center in Salisbury, MD has brought high school basketball players together in competition over the holiday break. In 2010 Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley placed a unique spin on this tradition by issuing a challenge to Delaware’s Governor Jack Markell. The wager: a Maryland Smith Island Cake to a Delaware Peach Pie. The inaugural Governor’s Challenge Basketball Tournament was born.

The tradition continued this past December as teams from Delaware and Maryland engaged in intense competition over four days. In the end, Delaware captured its second straight Governor’s Challenge Cup, winning 13 games against 10 losses. Maryland held up their end of the bargain this week by presenting Governor Markell with a Peanut Butter Smith Island Cake courtesy of Cakes by David. “The taste of victory is sweet!” exclaimed Markell as the cake and 40-lb. trophy were unveiled to him.

Delaware will look to three-peat as Governor’s Challenge Champions next December while Maryland will try to capture its first title and deliver a Delaware Peach Pie to Annapolis. Team registrations are still being accepted for the 2012 event, which is scheduled for December 26-29. For more information visit www.SalisburyChampionships.org.

Special Session Starts Today

Five weeks after ending their regular 90-day session, members of the Maryland General Assembly come back to Annapolis today for a special session that is expected to last three days. 

Lawmakers are expected to consider a series of tax changes and spending cuts to cut 500-million off of the state's strucutral deficit, and avoid what Democrats call a "doomsday budget."

Governor Martin O'Malley and other Democrats say the "doomsday budget" would have cut $512-million in public school, higher education and public safety spending.  It also would have included the layoff of 500 state workers.

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Youth Summer Basketball League Coming To Salisbury

A youth outdoor summer basketball league is forming in Salisbury. The league is for children in pre-kindergarten through second grade or ages 5-8.

On May 20th, ESBL Sports will have basketball sign up day will take place from 3:00 p.m. to 5p.m. at the Salisbury YMCA. Practices will be determined by team coaches. The four-game season with playoffs begins June 7th. League fees are $15 per child. The fee includes a team shirt and a free one day training session.

Also registration for U6 & U8 Soccer Team (Eastern Shore Express Soccer Club/ ESESC)

For more information, contact Gary @ 443-735-5139 or gtucker2007@yahoo.com

Lost Dog

Sophie has been missing since Tuesday in Allen, MD she 15 weeks old and has a pink collar. Reward for her return. Thank you in advance, from me and my 11 year old daughter.

S&P's 'Wall Of Debt' Warning is Phony As They Come

Companies must raise £28 trillion to finance 'wall' of debt ... Companies across the world face a "perfect storm" as they have to raise more than £25 trillion to finance an upcoming "wall" of debt. British companies will have to find between £220bn and £268bn of new financing to fund their growth plans on top of refinancing hundreds of billions of pounds more of existing debt. Businesses will need to secure as much as £28.5 trillion to refinance old borrowings and fund new spending, raising major questions over the ability of the world economy to avoid a recession, according to a report from Standard & Poor's. – UK Telegraph

Dominant Social Theme: There's no money! The governments can't help! Help!

Free-Market Analysis: As the power elite that wants to run the world grows more crazed and desperate, their bought-and-paid-for financial facilities and media mouthpieces become crazier, too.

That's because the credit system itself is an artificial system, built out of central banking around the world, which in the modern era is the monopoly printing of money-from-nothing.

People should try to recall that the creation and control of money is in the hands of a very few people. If these people – these representatives of dynastic banking families – wanted to print more money they could.

They've already printed about US$ 50 trillion, trying to stave off the collapse of their dysfunctional system of command and control.

They want a certain level of dysfunction, apparently. They surely want to create, it seems, a full-fledged depression around the world that features military actions and economic chaos in order to generate the necessary conditions for world government.

Here's some more from the article:

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Do You Know Anybody Like Obama? Beck’s Latest Expose Could Go Down In History

Thursday evening’s episode of the Glenn Beck Program will likely go down in the history books as one of the very few (if not only) recorded instances of another human being exposing President Obama’s myriad personal and professional inconsistencies in such a detailed and profound way. In fact, viewers might even consider burning themselves a DVD copy to serve as a record of what historians will one day prove.

On Friday, The Blaze will provide more details on the president’s past deeds and associations, along with an additional clip from Beck‘s Thursday’s broadcast. Until then, ask yourself the following question: Do you know anybody like Obama?

GO HERE to view video.

Lawmakers Want Pit Bull Bill In Special Session; Protest Planned

While lawmakers are coming to Annapolis Monday for a special session to deal with a budget, other lawmakers want to deal with other issues.

Montgomery County Democratic Delegate Heather Mizeur and Upper Eastern Shore Republican Delegate Mike Smigel have drafted a bill to reverse a Maryland Court of Appeals decision that legally classifies pit bulls as a dangerous breed of dog.

Animal rights activists and pit bull owners say the decision is unfair .

They also say waiting until next year to deal with the legislation will lead to pit bulls being abandoned or euthanized.

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85 Shots: US Cops Use More Ammo Per Man Than Germans Per Year

Eighty-five shots: That’s the total number of bullets German police used in all of 2011, Der Spiegel reports. But what does it say when US cops use as much ammo to bring down one man as German cops need to keep the peace nationwide?
The rate at which German police discharged their firearms is further underscored by how rarely they shot with fatal intent. Of the 85 bullets used in 2011, 49 were warnings shots, 36 were aimed at criminal suspects, 15 people were injured, and 6 were killed, the German daily continues.
The statistics prove "our police officers are not thugs in uniform,”Christian Democratic insider Lorenz Caffier said.

And when comparing Germany with the United States, another story altogether appears. Although police in the United States have to file a report every time they use their firearm in the line of duty, either through sheer volume or disinterest, no statistics are readily available on the amount of ammunition used annually. But though the number of shell casings spent by the boys in blue has not been tallied, there are other indicators that something is amiss when it comes to state-sponsored violence in the US. The US population is almost four times that of Germany's, yet its level of police violence is exponentially higher.

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Peaceful Rally To Overturn Pit-Bull Ruling

A rally is being organized by other animal advocates at the State House on Tuesday afternoon, May 15, 2012. They're asking that the Maryland General Assembly take action to supersede the pit-bull ruling during the Special Session. While MVFA is not organizing this rally, some of us will be there and we encourage you to join us. If you come, please keep in mind that this must be a peaceful rally with NO DOGS ALLOWED."

You can find all the details at:
http://www.facebook.com/events/303516773063291/303733233041645

Food Stamp Myth-Busting

For over four decades, the Food Stamp Program, which Congress renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in 2008, has had bipartisan support as the nation's most important anti-hunger program. Even the far reaching welfare reform legislation of the mid 90's left it intact.

However, the House-passed Republican budget drafted by Cong. Paul Ryan would cut it by 17% and turn the program into state block grants easily slashed further. As perhaps the legacy of his now-ended presidential campaign, Newt Gingrich denigrated the Food Stamp Program by tying President Obama to it as "the Food Stamp President." Mitt Romney, while saying he is "not concerned about the very poor" because the "safety net" protects them, supports shifting food stamps to the states as a block grant and endorsed the House Republican bill cutting funding for 8 million of the 45 million participants. Cong. Darryl Issa (R-CA) chaired a House Government Reform Committee hearing March 8 entitled "Food Stamp Fraud as a Business Model" and released a video, "Food Stamp Fraud; Exposed."

The only problem is that each of the allegations is overwhelmingly untrue. At the hearing, Committee Ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings (Baltimore) countered Issa by pointing out, "The need for the program is at a historic high, and fraud is at an all-time low. The true purpose of this hearing may be to discredit the entire program, to justify draconian cuts."

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JPMorgan Exec Expected to Resign, AP Source Says

JPMorgan Chase is expected to accept the resignation of one of the highest-ranking women on Wall Street after the bank lost $2 billion in a trading blunder, a person familiar with the matter said Sunday.

 

The bank will accept the resignation of Ina Drew, its chief investment officer, the person told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the decision publicly.

 

Drew, 55, one of the highest-paid officials at JPMorgan Chase, had offered to resign several times since CEO Jamie Dimon disclosed the trading loss on Thursday, the person said. Pressure built on the bank over the weekend to accept.

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Eric's Barber Shop Will Be Closed Today

While it's hit or miss trying to get a haircut at Eric's Barber Shop these days, at least he's making the effort to open his business usually from 9 to 1 Tuesday through Friday. Other than that he seems to be closed most Monday's.

Petition

Joe,

I don't know if you have read this story yet but I think the sentence is bull and have started a petition to try and get sentence vacated. I will include a link to the story and a link to the petition if you wish to read and sign.

Feel free to share on your blog.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57433184/fla-mom-gets-20-years-for-firing-warning-shots/

http://www.change.org/petitions/circuit-court-judge-vacate-sentence?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition&utm_term=share_button_modal

Thanks.

Backlash Grows at N.Y. Ruling on Viewing of Child Porn

In the wake of a New York court ruling that says it’s not illegal to “merely” view online child pornography, child advocates are urging Internet-savvy federal prosecutors to take over these kinds of cases as two state lawmakers rush to fix the law.

It is “a singular outrage that the highest court in New York has decriminalized the act of viewing child pornography by computer,” Patrick Trueman, president and chief executive of Morality in Media, said after the May 8 ruling by the New York Court of Appeals.

The high court unanimously agreed to reverse two of the dozens of child-pornography counts against a former college professor, saying there was no evidence the professor did more than look at some images on his computer.

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Letter To The Editor 5-14-12

Joe:

May 14, 2012 marks the 16th anniversary of the great blackout of Delmarva.

Let's refresh the memories of some of the folks about this:

It was on that day at approx 10:12 AM that the power went out over most of Delmarva, and stayed out for most of the workday.

It was a Tuesday, a bright sunny day, clear blue skies, slight breeze, and temperatures in the 50's. Too cool to require any sort of air conditioning, and just warm enough that one could make do without needing any heating systems working.

Ideal conditions to conduct a test of emergency preparedness if you wanted to pick a day to do so. I'm not saying that this event was carried out on purpose, but the results are the same: It was an ideal day.

We live in an area that can experience hurricanes, ice storms, earthquakes, and even tornadoes. Not to mention the possibility of solar flares, or terrorists acts that could cripple the power grid for at least a short duration.

The outage of May 14, 1996 occured due to a series of circuit breakers tripping out at a major power substation in Glascoe, Delaware. Once the power was out, it takes more effort to restore than just merely flipping the switches back on. You see, things like motors, compressors, and the like require 6 times the energy to get started than they do to keep running. Even incandescent light bulbs need more juice to light up when first turned on. During the normal course of any given day, motors are starting and stopping all the time. But they are never all trying to start up at once. What would have happened if they just flipped all those breakers back on? They would have tripped out again right away.

The power has to be restored in small areas gradually, to be able to handle the starting loads. When dealing with an area as large as the entire Delmarva Peninsula, this procedure takes hours to accomplish. This is why it took them over 6 hours to get everything restored to normal operation.

Here are a few things to ask/consider:

1) Where were you on that day, and what were you doing?
2) How did the outage affect your activities, and what did you do about it?
3) Was there any backup power available where you were, and did it function properly?
4) What changes (if any) have you made to be prepared for a similar event in the future?

Now the 4th question postulated here is a very important one. For several days after this event, news stories surfaced about how backup systems, generators, etc. failed to operate or provide adequate power during this brief period.

So here is an opportunity to see how you would deal with an outage. Next weekend, try this experiement: Go to your main electrical panel, and switch off the main breaker. Leave it off for most of the day. How would you be able to handle the loss of utility power? Do you have a stand-by or backup generator? Is it properly serviced and ready to go? Do you have sufficient fuel for it to operate over a long period of time? Have you tested it lately?

If you do this exercise at a time of your own choosing, you can make repairs if needed, go get more fuel, or ice for your fridge, or draw water ahead of time, etc. If you wait until power fails again before acting, will your systems handle the task?

If you don't have a generator, are you prepared to deal with your fridge and freezer warming up? Do you have sufficient water on hand?

We have had storms on Delmarva like Isabel in 2003, and Irene last summer. My power went out for 16 hours during Irene. Others had no power loss at all!

There was an ice storm in the mid-1990s where the worst of it left a swath that went across Tabot county to Milford and beyond. Several of the rural areas were without power for over a week, and that was in winter with freezing temperatures! While Salisbury also had lots of ice, things here were not as bad as Talbot county, MD and Kent county, DE.

We take things like reliable electricity for granted most of the time. But power grids can and do fail from time to time, whether by a faulty circuit breaker, or bad weather, or ...?

Are you prepared?

Ken Twining
Parsonsburg, MD

Feds: No Reimbursement to Local Agencies for G-8 Summit

Local agencies may not be reimbursed for resources spent preparing for and supporting next week's G-8 summit unless they can get some help from local lawmakers.

Federal officials have not designated the summit a National Special Security Event, which would have triggered funding for local agencies, FrederickCounty Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said Friday.

"At this point, the word has been that there will be no reimbursement," Jenkins said. "As far as the Secret Service and other agencies are concerned, this will be nothing more than an extended presidential visit."

Jenkins said the city of Chicago received $40 million to prepare for the NATO summit scheduled for May 20 and 21, and he doesn't understand why similar funding wasn't granted for the G-8 summit

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Fishermen Missing from Upper Tangier Sound Area

Two men who left on a fishing trip Saturday never returned home and couldn't be found by police who searched two rivers on the Eastern Shore.

Maryland Natural Resources Police, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Wicomico County Sheriff's Department are involved in a search for two boaters reported missing at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

Richard L. Moore, 41, and Daniel V. Graves, 49, both of Delmar, were last seen in an 18-foot tan camouflage Polar craft boat at 8:30 p.m. Saturday. They were fishing near Clay Island in Dorchester County on the lower Eastern Shore, NRP said.

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