Yet another milestone that MLB has achieved. Next barrier to fall: baseball's first avian pitcher. BIRD PITCHERS NOW.
Ambidextrous, everyone. It's not just a river in Egypt. [citation needed]
Source
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Newspaper celebrates MLB's first amphibious pitcher
Yet another milestone that MLB has achieved. Next barrier to fall: baseball's first avian pitcher. BIRD PITCHERS NOW.
Ambidextrous, everyone. It's not just a river in Egypt. [citation needed]
Source
‘Moron’ terrorist takes a selfie in front of ISIS headquarters, Air Force bombs it 22 hours later
Apparently, looks can kill. In a very real story that we assure you did not originate from The Onion, a terrorist from ISIS recently took a selfie of himself and posted it online.
Shortly thereafter, U.S. Intelligence, which heavily monitors social media accounts from ISIS members and supporters, managed to pinpoint an ISIS headquarters building in Syria by using the selfie photo as a reference point.
According to Air Force General Hawk Carlisle (which is a perfect name for an Air Force General we must say), airmen from Hurlburt Field, Florida in the 361st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group were the first to pick up on the photo.
“The guys that were working down out of Hurlburt, they’re combing through social media and they see some moron standing at this command,”Carlisle said in an interview with Defense Tech. “And in some social media, open forum, bragging about the command and control capabilities for Daesh, ISIL. And these guys go: ‘We got an in.’ So they do some work, long story short, about 22 hours later through that very building, three [Joint Direct Attack Munitions] take that entire building out.”
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Shortly thereafter, U.S. Intelligence, which heavily monitors social media accounts from ISIS members and supporters, managed to pinpoint an ISIS headquarters building in Syria by using the selfie photo as a reference point.
According to Air Force General Hawk Carlisle (which is a perfect name for an Air Force General we must say), airmen from Hurlburt Field, Florida in the 361st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group were the first to pick up on the photo.
“The guys that were working down out of Hurlburt, they’re combing through social media and they see some moron standing at this command,”Carlisle said in an interview with Defense Tech. “And in some social media, open forum, bragging about the command and control capabilities for Daesh, ISIL. And these guys go: ‘We got an in.’ So they do some work, long story short, about 22 hours later through that very building, three [Joint Direct Attack Munitions] take that entire building out.”
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Maryland lawmakers express concern about toll reductions
Pete Rahn, the state's transportation secretary in Republican Gov. Larry Hogan's administration, told a panel of state senators that the toll reductions are affordable because of a combination of higher-than-expected revenues and efficiencies in operations within the Maryland Transportation Authority.
"I believe that the toll reductions have been extremely responsible," Rahn said. "I believe the reductions are financially responsible for both the tax payer and for the authority, and that we can accommodate these reductions within all of the plans of the authority."
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The Last House on Holland Island
Despite former resident and owner Stephen White’s best efforts to save the house and protect the island, the waters would overcome both and erase them from the map.
So what happened to Holland Island, and why did one man try to save it?
Originally settled in the 1600’s, Holland Island was named for the first owner of the property, colonist Daniel Holland. For nearly two hundred years life would be largely uneventful for the small island, with little more than a small colony settlement occupying her shores.
In the 1850s a small fishing and farming boom in the Chesapeake area brought many to the island. By 1890 there would be a large watermen community, and by 1910 the island would house nearly 360 residents, making Holland the most populated island in Chesapeake Bay.
At its peak, Holland Island was a thriving community. It had nearly 70 structures including homes and shops, a school, post office, several general stores, and a church. The island also had its own doctor, a community center, and even a baseball team that would travel by boat for away games.
Nearly 90 vessels would call Holland Island home, chasing their fortunes in catching fish, trapping crab, and dredging for oysters.
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Introducing Breitbart Primary 2016 Online Straw Poll
WASHINGTON D.C. – The Breitbart News Network announced last night on Sirius XM’s Breitbart News Sunday program the launch of its monthly Breitbart Primary 2016 Online Straw Poll.
“We are very fortunate at Breitbart to have an incredibly engaged and passionate audience that will play a central role in selecting who will be the Republican Presidential nominee in 2016,” said Breitbart News Executive Chairman Stephen K. Bannon. “The Breitbart Primary is our way of giving back to our audience and providing them a platform by which their voices can be heard as the Republican Presidential Primary unfolds.”
The inaugural Breitbart Primary 2016 straw poll is now LIVE on Breitbart News at www.breitbart.com/primary. Readers will have the ability to select their Top 3 choices or register as undecided. At the end of each month, results will be shared with the Breitbart audience in the form of content on the site. The poll will then reset, giving readers an opportunity to vote again, taking into account the changing landscape of the campaigns.
Breitbart’s Editor-in-Chief, Alex Marlow said “Our readers are some of the most voracious and astute consumers of political content. It will be educational to chart where they’re leaning throughout the stages of the campaigns, and it will create compelling content for Breitbart.com when we reveal what we learn.”
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“We are very fortunate at Breitbart to have an incredibly engaged and passionate audience that will play a central role in selecting who will be the Republican Presidential nominee in 2016,” said Breitbart News Executive Chairman Stephen K. Bannon. “The Breitbart Primary is our way of giving back to our audience and providing them a platform by which their voices can be heard as the Republican Presidential Primary unfolds.”
The inaugural Breitbart Primary 2016 straw poll is now LIVE on Breitbart News at www.breitbart.com/primary. Readers will have the ability to select their Top 3 choices or register as undecided. At the end of each month, results will be shared with the Breitbart audience in the form of content on the site. The poll will then reset, giving readers an opportunity to vote again, taking into account the changing landscape of the campaigns.
Breitbart’s Editor-in-Chief, Alex Marlow said “Our readers are some of the most voracious and astute consumers of political content. It will be educational to chart where they’re leaning throughout the stages of the campaigns, and it will create compelling content for Breitbart.com when we reveal what we learn.”
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In Atlantic City, A Silver Lining For Casinos Left Standing
New casinos are popping up all along the East Coast, giving Atlantic City a run for its money. Four casinos out of 12 in Atlantic City closed last year. But those closures have, in turn, helped the remaining gambling houses there.
Casino customers tend to be pretty loyal to one or two houses — to accrue rewards, or sometimes for other reasons.
"We like to bring the dog down once in a while because he likes to walk the boardwalk, go in the ocean," says Patty Davis. She and her husband travel more than six hours to gamble in Atlantic City.
The Davises used to go to the Showboat casino because its hotel allowed dogs. When it closed in September, the couple and their Pomeranian started going to Harrah's, because it allows dogs.
Many people have been taking their business to other casinos in the city since their usual haunts closed, which has meant better business for the places left standing.
Resorts, Atlantic City's oldest casino, still lost money in the first quarter of this year but a lot less than it did last year.
"We're certainly seeing the benefit of a smaller competitor base, so our revenues and our profitability continue to improve steadily," says Mark Giannantonio, president and CEO of Resorts.
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A game ball's road to the NBA Finals
OAKLAND, Calif. -- From slaughterhouses across North America to a family-run tannery on Chicago's North Side. From a manufacturing facility in China to an Alabama warehouse for testing. Then, finally, to all 30 teams.
Every summer a fresh batch of official NBA basketballs arrives, crisp and orange and brand new. But before one can enter an NBA game, a choice must be made.
With about 16 minutes left on the game clock Sunday prior to tipoff in theCleveland Cavaliers' Game 2 win over the Golden State Warriors, officiating crew chief Tony Brothers jogged onto the court at Oracle Arena with three basketballs in his hands.
Brothers walked toward where the Cavaliers players were warming up and nodded at LeBron James, who walked over. James took the balls one at a time, looking each one over, rolling them in his hands, squeezing them, dribbling one. Then James pointed to one and nodded.
Minutes later, it was the Warriors' turn. Stephen Curry inspected each ball, rolling them in his hands, dribbling each a few times.
"If it's on a scale of 1 to 10, with one being brand new to 10 being the ball that Jerry West used to play with, I like it at a 6," Curry said earlier this week. "More on the broken-in side. It's softer."
The players had agreed on a selection, and Brothers walked toward the scorer's table with all three balls and told an official which would be the game ball -- and indeed, it was far more worn than new, with its share of scratches. The other two balls: backups.
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Every summer a fresh batch of official NBA basketballs arrives, crisp and orange and brand new. But before one can enter an NBA game, a choice must be made.
With about 16 minutes left on the game clock Sunday prior to tipoff in theCleveland Cavaliers' Game 2 win over the Golden State Warriors, officiating crew chief Tony Brothers jogged onto the court at Oracle Arena with three basketballs in his hands.
Brothers walked toward where the Cavaliers players were warming up and nodded at LeBron James, who walked over. James took the balls one at a time, looking each one over, rolling them in his hands, squeezing them, dribbling one. Then James pointed to one and nodded.
Minutes later, it was the Warriors' turn. Stephen Curry inspected each ball, rolling them in his hands, dribbling each a few times.
"If it's on a scale of 1 to 10, with one being brand new to 10 being the ball that Jerry West used to play with, I like it at a 6," Curry said earlier this week. "More on the broken-in side. It's softer."
The players had agreed on a selection, and Brothers walked toward the scorer's table with all three balls and told an official which would be the game ball -- and indeed, it was far more worn than new, with its share of scratches. The other two balls: backups.
More
Proposed Dollar General site in Hurlock sparks heated debate
HURLOCK — Public hearings at town meetings sometimes go quickly and quietly. That was not the case at the Hurlock Town Council meeting on Tuesday, May 26, when conflicting sides brought in attorneys for a quasi-judicial hearing, complete with emotional testimony from town residents, swearing in of witnesses, cross-examination and attorney objections. The hearing lasted about four hours, starting at 6 p.m. and stretching late into the evening.
The town council is considering a request from Oxford Chase Development to rezone two parcels on South Main Street from residential to commercial. The town owns a parcel between the two in question that already is zoned commercial. If it agrees to rezone the other two, Oxford Chase would be able to combine the three parcels into one lot and build a Dollar General store on the site. The town already has agreed to sell its lot, which it purchased last year for $34,000, to Oxford Chase for $80,000.
The town planning commission recommended the approval of the rezoning in a 4-1 vote.
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The town council is considering a request from Oxford Chase Development to rezone two parcels on South Main Street from residential to commercial. The town owns a parcel between the two in question that already is zoned commercial. If it agrees to rezone the other two, Oxford Chase would be able to combine the three parcels into one lot and build a Dollar General store on the site. The town already has agreed to sell its lot, which it purchased last year for $34,000, to Oxford Chase for $80,000.
The town planning commission recommended the approval of the rezoning in a 4-1 vote.
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New Fire Extinguisher Uses Sound Waves to Put Out Flames
Boom out da fi-ya! Bass out da flames!
Firefighters may be snuffing blazes with deep-toned sound, if a new device invented by two engineering students in Fairfax, Virginia, catches on.
Viet Tran and Seth Robertson's new fire extinguisher looks a little like a conventional one, but instead of a compressed air tank spewing out chemicals, theirs has a loudspeaker the size of subwoofer drumming out sound waves.
It's not much to listen to, just a low hum, but when pointed at flames, it makes them vanish.
In a way, it's like blowing the fire out, because sound waves are basically multiple, regular blasts of air.
When they started out, Tran and Robertson thought high-pitched tones would do the trick. It didn't work.
"It's low-frequency sounds – like the thump-thump bass in hip-hop that works," Tran said.
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Firefighters may be snuffing blazes with deep-toned sound, if a new device invented by two engineering students in Fairfax, Virginia, catches on.
Viet Tran and Seth Robertson's new fire extinguisher looks a little like a conventional one, but instead of a compressed air tank spewing out chemicals, theirs has a loudspeaker the size of subwoofer drumming out sound waves.
It's not much to listen to, just a low hum, but when pointed at flames, it makes them vanish.
In a way, it's like blowing the fire out, because sound waves are basically multiple, regular blasts of air.
When they started out, Tran and Robertson thought high-pitched tones would do the trick. It didn't work.
"It's low-frequency sounds – like the thump-thump bass in hip-hop that works," Tran said.
More
Local Before Gray Arrest, Prosecutors Called For More Cops
An email sent to police weeks before Gray died from the spinal injury he suffered in police custody shows State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby has a conflict of interest, the attorneys argued, because she had wanted police to target North Avenue and Mount Street, the intersection in West Baltimore where Gray ran from police on April 12.
The defense motion filed Tuesday says Mosby “is now an integral part of the story … both as an advocate and a witness.”
Officers caught up to Gray two blocks away, restrained him and put him in a police van that made several stops before reaching the station roughly 45 minutes later. By then, he was unresponsive, and died after a week in a coma.
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Turning Sewage Into Drinking Water Gains Appeal As Drought Lingers
LOS ANGELES — It’s a technology with the potential to ease California’s colossal thirst and insulate millions from the parched whims of Mother Nature, experts say.
But there’s just one problem — the “yuck factor.”
As a fourth year of drought continues to drain aquifers and reservoirs, California water managers and environmentalists are urging adoption of a polarizing water recycling policy known as direct potable reuse.
Unlike nonpotable reuse — in which treated sewage is used to irrigate crops, parks or golf courses — direct potable reuse takes treated sewage effluent and purifies it so it can be used as drinking water.
It’s a concept that might cause some consumers to wince, but it has been used for decades in Windhoek, Namibia — where evaporation rates exceed annual rainfall — and more recently in drought-stricken Texas cities, including Big Spring and Wichita Falls.
In California, however, similar plans have run into heavy opposition.
Los Angeles opponents coined the derisive phrase “toilet to tap” in 2000 before torpedoing a plan to filter purified sewage water into an underground reservoir — a technique called indirect potable reuse.
In 1994, a San Diego editorial cartoonist framed debate over a similar proposal by drawing a dog drinking from a toilet bowl while a man ordered the canine to “Move over.”
Despite those defeats, proponents say the time has finally arrived for Californians to accept direct potable reuse as a partial solution to their growing water insecurity. With Gov. Jerry Brown ordering an unprecedented 25 percent cut in urban water usage because of drought, the solution makes particular sense for large coastal cities such as Los Angeles, they say.
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But there’s just one problem — the “yuck factor.”
As a fourth year of drought continues to drain aquifers and reservoirs, California water managers and environmentalists are urging adoption of a polarizing water recycling policy known as direct potable reuse.
Unlike nonpotable reuse — in which treated sewage is used to irrigate crops, parks or golf courses — direct potable reuse takes treated sewage effluent and purifies it so it can be used as drinking water.
It’s a concept that might cause some consumers to wince, but it has been used for decades in Windhoek, Namibia — where evaporation rates exceed annual rainfall — and more recently in drought-stricken Texas cities, including Big Spring and Wichita Falls.
In California, however, similar plans have run into heavy opposition.
Los Angeles opponents coined the derisive phrase “toilet to tap” in 2000 before torpedoing a plan to filter purified sewage water into an underground reservoir — a technique called indirect potable reuse.
In 1994, a San Diego editorial cartoonist framed debate over a similar proposal by drawing a dog drinking from a toilet bowl while a man ordered the canine to “Move over.”
Despite those defeats, proponents say the time has finally arrived for Californians to accept direct potable reuse as a partial solution to their growing water insecurity. With Gov. Jerry Brown ordering an unprecedented 25 percent cut in urban water usage because of drought, the solution makes particular sense for large coastal cities such as Los Angeles, they say.
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State Dept. 100 Days Past Deadline for Human Rights Reports
(CNSNews) – The U.S. State Department has set an all-time record this year in the duration of its failure to comply with the legal deadline for submitting its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices to Congress.
Current law requires the department to submit the reports by Feb. 25. Today, June 5, is the 100th day past that deadline, and the State Department still has not presented the reports.
Prior to this year, 89 days was the longest the department went past the legal deadline before releasing the reports. The 89-day delay took place in 2012, when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state.
As the post-deadline delay in the release of the human rights reports hit its 100th day today, the State Department was finding time to celebrate an event it billed as "Pride at State."
That event, scheduled for 2:00 p.m., has been jointly organized by the department itself and GLIFAA, which State says is "the officially recognized employee affinity group representing LGBTI employees at the Department of State, USAID and foreign affairs agencies."
When the department does release the overdue human rights reports, they will include details of human rights abuses in, among other nations, Iran, Cuba, Malaysia and Vietnam. The administration is currently in the final phases of negotiating a nuclear agreement with Iran, has recently re-established diplomatic relations with Cuba and is planning to include Malaysia and Vietnam in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
The annual reports were first published in 1977, under a legal mandate included in the 1976 International Security and Arms Export Control Act.
According to the law as originally enacted, the reports were supposed to detail the human rights abuses in nations receiving security assistance from the United States so that members of Congress would be better informed about the nature of the governments that were receiving this type of aid.
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Current law requires the department to submit the reports by Feb. 25. Today, June 5, is the 100th day past that deadline, and the State Department still has not presented the reports.
Prior to this year, 89 days was the longest the department went past the legal deadline before releasing the reports. The 89-day delay took place in 2012, when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state.
As the post-deadline delay in the release of the human rights reports hit its 100th day today, the State Department was finding time to celebrate an event it billed as "Pride at State."
That event, scheduled for 2:00 p.m., has been jointly organized by the department itself and GLIFAA, which State says is "the officially recognized employee affinity group representing LGBTI employees at the Department of State, USAID and foreign affairs agencies."
When the department does release the overdue human rights reports, they will include details of human rights abuses in, among other nations, Iran, Cuba, Malaysia and Vietnam. The administration is currently in the final phases of negotiating a nuclear agreement with Iran, has recently re-established diplomatic relations with Cuba and is planning to include Malaysia and Vietnam in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
The annual reports were first published in 1977, under a legal mandate included in the 1976 International Security and Arms Export Control Act.
According to the law as originally enacted, the reports were supposed to detail the human rights abuses in nations receiving security assistance from the United States so that members of Congress would be better informed about the nature of the governments that were receiving this type of aid.
More
Prager: Differences Between Left and Right, Part II
Battling Society vs. Battling Yourself
The difference between Right and Left addressed in this column concerns a fundamentally different method that each utilizes in order to improve society.
Conservatives believe that the way to a better world is almost always through moral improvement of the individual — by each person doing battle with his own moral defects. It is true that in particularly violent and evil societies such as fascist, communist and Islamist tyrannies the individual must be preoccupied with battling outside forces. Almost everywhere else, however, and certainly in a free and decent country such as America, the greatest battle of the individual must be with inner forces — that is, with his or her flawed character and moral defects. (See Left-Right Difference Part 1 concerning their differing perceptions of human nature.)
The Left, on the other hand, believes that the way to a better world is almost always through doing battle withsociety’s moral defects (real and/or as perceived by the Left). Thus, in America, the Left defines the good person as the one who fights the sexism, racism, intolerance, xenophobia, homophobia, Islamophobia and other evils that the Left believes permeate American society.
That is one reason those on the left are more preoccupied with politics than those on the right. A simple example should make this point clear. Whenever the term “activist” or “social activist” or “organizer” is used, one infers that the term refers to someone on the Left.
One consequence of this difference is that conservatives believe that good is achieved far more gradually than liberals do. The process of making a better world is largely a one-by-one-by-one effort. And it must be redone in every single generation. The noblest generation ever born still has to teach its children how to battle their natures. If it doesn’t, even the best society will begin to rapidly devolve, which is exactly what conservatives believe has been happening to America since the end of World War II.
The Left does not focus on individual character development. Rather, it has always and everywhere focused on social revolution. The most revealing statement of then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, the most committed leftist ever elected president of the United States, was made just days before the 2008 election: “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America,” he told a large rapturous audience.
More here
The difference between Right and Left addressed in this column concerns a fundamentally different method that each utilizes in order to improve society.
Conservatives believe that the way to a better world is almost always through moral improvement of the individual — by each person doing battle with his own moral defects. It is true that in particularly violent and evil societies such as fascist, communist and Islamist tyrannies the individual must be preoccupied with battling outside forces. Almost everywhere else, however, and certainly in a free and decent country such as America, the greatest battle of the individual must be with inner forces — that is, with his or her flawed character and moral defects. (See Left-Right Difference Part 1 concerning their differing perceptions of human nature.)
The Left, on the other hand, believes that the way to a better world is almost always through doing battle withsociety’s moral defects (real and/or as perceived by the Left). Thus, in America, the Left defines the good person as the one who fights the sexism, racism, intolerance, xenophobia, homophobia, Islamophobia and other evils that the Left believes permeate American society.
That is one reason those on the left are more preoccupied with politics than those on the right. A simple example should make this point clear. Whenever the term “activist” or “social activist” or “organizer” is used, one infers that the term refers to someone on the Left.
One consequence of this difference is that conservatives believe that good is achieved far more gradually than liberals do. The process of making a better world is largely a one-by-one-by-one effort. And it must be redone in every single generation. The noblest generation ever born still has to teach its children how to battle their natures. If it doesn’t, even the best society will begin to rapidly devolve, which is exactly what conservatives believe has been happening to America since the end of World War II.
The Left does not focus on individual character development. Rather, it has always and everywhere focused on social revolution. The most revealing statement of then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, the most committed leftist ever elected president of the United States, was made just days before the 2008 election: “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America,” he told a large rapturous audience.
More here
Lilly The Seal Reluctantly Returns To Ocean After Rehab Stint
ASSATEAGUE — A somewhat reluctant Lilly, a juvenile grey seal rescued from the beach in Delaware and rehabbed at the National Aquarium this spring, returned to the sea at Assateague State Park on Tuesday morning after turning back a few times.
Lilly was rescued on the Delaware coast on Easter in early April after suffering a broken jaw. The young seal was transported to the Animal Rescue Program at the National Aquarium in Baltimore where it began an extensive rehab program under the watchful eye of aquarium staffers.
After two months of rehabilitation, Lilly was deemed fully recovered and was medically cleared for re-release. Lilly was transported from the aquarium to the beach at Assateague State Park on Tuesday morning in a crate, which was then carefully loaded onto the beach. With hundreds of onlookers lining both sides of the young seal’s path to the ocean and cameras flashing, the crate was opened and Lilly began a rather reluctant return to the sea.
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This Summer, The Cafeteria Comes To The Kids
"Chow bus! Chow bus! Chow bus!" chants Gunner Fischer, 3, as a custom-painted school bus rounds the corner and rumbles toward his apartment complex in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
About 21 million students nationwide eat free and reduced-price meals throughout the school year, but getting those same kids fed during the summer is a challenge. Only a fraction of those make it to schools or community centers for summer meals.
So some school districts are getting creative in the way they're using USDA funds: Murfreesboro City Schools is taking the cafeteria to the kids. The district calls it the Combating Hunger on Wheels Bus — or the CHOW bus.
Gunner has spent the last 30 minutes chasing his sisters with a toy sword, waiting on breakfast. His face is smeared with chocolate, remnants of the cookies he's already been into this morning.
The words CHOW bus have replaced the school bus sign over the windshield. It's blue and green with a food-themed mural on the side. Inside, some seats have been replaced with tables. And the bus is air conditioned so kids don't have to sweat through their Lucky Charms and chocolate milk. Yes, that's considered a nutritious breakfast by the USDA.
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About 21 million students nationwide eat free and reduced-price meals throughout the school year, but getting those same kids fed during the summer is a challenge. Only a fraction of those make it to schools or community centers for summer meals.
So some school districts are getting creative in the way they're using USDA funds: Murfreesboro City Schools is taking the cafeteria to the kids. The district calls it the Combating Hunger on Wheels Bus — or the CHOW bus.
Gunner has spent the last 30 minutes chasing his sisters with a toy sword, waiting on breakfast. His face is smeared with chocolate, remnants of the cookies he's already been into this morning.
The words CHOW bus have replaced the school bus sign over the windshield. It's blue and green with a food-themed mural on the side. Inside, some seats have been replaced with tables. And the bus is air conditioned so kids don't have to sweat through their Lucky Charms and chocolate milk. Yes, that's considered a nutritious breakfast by the USDA.
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For Baltimore Businesses, Riot Aid Is Not Coming Fast Enough
It took only minutes for stores in Baltimore to be destroyed on the night of April 27. But six weeks later, the repair process is still limping along. And stores not directly affected by the violence say they've also seen a sharp decline in business.
"Look outside, there's nobody," says Pedro Silva, owner of Carolina's Tex-Mex Restaurant in Fells Point, a usually busy tourist spot. "Before we used to be no parking space. Now it's empty. It's empty, day, night."
Silva says since the riots, business has been cut in half. And at lunchtime last week, the place was almost empty, as Silva sat with a lending officer from the non-profit Latino Economic Development Center, to get a $5,000 loan to cover some bills.
Nearly 400 businesses throughout Baltimore were damaged during riots after the death of Freddie Gray. The city, state and federal governments have offered millions of dollars in aid. But very little has gone out so far, despite broad agreement that getting these businesses back on their feet is crucial for the city's recovery.
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"Look outside, there's nobody," says Pedro Silva, owner of Carolina's Tex-Mex Restaurant in Fells Point, a usually busy tourist spot. "Before we used to be no parking space. Now it's empty. It's empty, day, night."
Silva says since the riots, business has been cut in half. And at lunchtime last week, the place was almost empty, as Silva sat with a lending officer from the non-profit Latino Economic Development Center, to get a $5,000 loan to cover some bills.
Nearly 400 businesses throughout Baltimore were damaged during riots after the death of Freddie Gray. The city, state and federal governments have offered millions of dollars in aid. But very little has gone out so far, despite broad agreement that getting these businesses back on their feet is crucial for the city's recovery.
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Black Unemployment Challenges States
Job seekers listen to a recruiter at a jobs fair in Chicago last year. The unemployment rate for African-Americans has declined this year, but it still remains twice that of whites. (Getty Images)
Technically, the Great Recession ended six years ago. But while employment recovery from the recession has been slow for all Americans, among African-Americans, it has been doubly so.
In April, the unemployment rate for African-Americans dropped below 10 percent for the first time since early in the recession to 9.6 percent. It edged up a bit in May to 10.2 percent. Still, that’s far below its peak of 16.8 percent in the aftermath of the housing bust in March 2010.
Despite this improvement, the black unemployment rate remains double that of non-Hispanic whites—a pattern that has held firm since 1960, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In some states, it’s far worse than the national rate. The 2014 black unemployment rates in Wisconsin, Nevada and Michigan were 19.9 percent, 16.1 percent and 15.8 percent respectively, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). In the District of Columbia, the black unemployment rate is more than five times that of whites.
Technically, the Great Recession ended six years ago. But while employment recovery from the recession has been slow for all Americans, among African-Americans, it has been doubly so.
In April, the unemployment rate for African-Americans dropped below 10 percent for the first time since early in the recession to 9.6 percent. It edged up a bit in May to 10.2 percent. Still, that’s far below its peak of 16.8 percent in the aftermath of the housing bust in March 2010.
Despite this improvement, the black unemployment rate remains double that of non-Hispanic whites—a pattern that has held firm since 1960, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In some states, it’s far worse than the national rate. The 2014 black unemployment rates in Wisconsin, Nevada and Michigan were 19.9 percent, 16.1 percent and 15.8 percent respectively, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). In the District of Columbia, the black unemployment rate is more than five times that of whites.
Why is the unemployment rate so intractable in the African-American community?
Guy Fails To Check Powerball Ticket, Spends Six Weeks Clueless To The Fact That He’s A Millionaire
There are some problems we all wish we could have, and finding out you’ve been needlessly spending your days as a normal person only to learn you’re actually a millionaire is certainly one of them. A New York man thought the Powerball winner had already been found, when in fact, he had the winning ticket worth $136 million tacked up in his basement behind a pipe for six weeks.
Google Issues First Monthly Report On Traffic Incidents Involving Its Self-Driving Cars
Before Google’s self-driving cars become an everyday reality for consumers, the company not only needs to test the vehicles extensively, but it also has to make sure the public isn’t put off over concerns that the technology is unsafe. Amid recent reports that they’ve already been in minor accidents, Google has now started releasing public reports detailing traffic incidents involving its driverless cars.
Pirate A 20-Year-Old Friends Episode, Get Hit With A $20 Bill From Warner Bros.
A quick search on our TV menu here in the Consumerist Cave finds that there are more than 150 episodes of Friends set to air on various channels — both cable and broadcast — over the next couple of weeks. Not bad for a show that’s been off the air for over a decade and which is also streaming in its entirety on Netflix. Given this ready availability, we don’t know why one would download a pirated copy of a Friends episode, but if you do, prepare to be slapped with a bill for $20 from Warner Bros.
Car Owner Reunited With Her “First Love” 43 Years After Corvette Stingray Was Stolen
In a rare, heartwarming tale of the return of a valued possession once thought to be lost forever, the owner of a 1972 Corvette Stingray that was stolen 43 years ago was finally reunited with her “first love.” And she is not going to let it out of her sight ever again.
Mark Levin: China's Hacking of U.S. Government Computers 'Is an Act of War'
Nationally syndicated radio host Mark Levin called China’s hacking into the U.S. government’s personnel computer system “an act of war.”
“This is an act of war. Our enemies are on the move, and we sit here, and we take it,” Levin said on his June 4 broadcast.
“We’re unilaterally disarming on every front with this pathetic excuse for a president. And the Republicans, they hand him all the power he wants."
“The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal are reporting that the hacking into our government computer system, compromising the information of over 4 million--over 4 million federal workers--was the work of Chinese hackers. Now let me tell you something: the media in this country are a joke. It’s not Chinese hackers; it’s the Chinese government.
“You don’t have the ability to hack, to get on the Internet, to do this sort of thing in China unless they let you do it, unless they want you to do it, unless they direct you to do it. So, I’ll be so bold as to say: It’s the Chinese government.
“And the Chinese government has been doing this forever. Stealing our technology so it can build its missiles and put warheads on them. So it can build submarines. So it can build aircraft carriers. 'Oh that China, they’re so cutting edge.' No, they’re not. It’s another throwback massive police state. They steal the technology from us.
“'Oh well, let’s make sure they’re in Fast Track. We got to make sure China is part of Fast Track.' I said I’m for free trade—not with the enemy! Not with the enemy building islands 800 miles off their shore claiming the South China Sea, claiming the East China Sea. Threatening Vietnam, threatening the Philippines, threatening the Japanese and South Korea. Certainly threatening Taiwan, which they seek to devour.
More here
“This is an act of war. Our enemies are on the move, and we sit here, and we take it,” Levin said on his June 4 broadcast.
“We’re unilaterally disarming on every front with this pathetic excuse for a president. And the Republicans, they hand him all the power he wants."
“The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal are reporting that the hacking into our government computer system, compromising the information of over 4 million--over 4 million federal workers--was the work of Chinese hackers. Now let me tell you something: the media in this country are a joke. It’s not Chinese hackers; it’s the Chinese government.
“You don’t have the ability to hack, to get on the Internet, to do this sort of thing in China unless they let you do it, unless they want you to do it, unless they direct you to do it. So, I’ll be so bold as to say: It’s the Chinese government.
“And the Chinese government has been doing this forever. Stealing our technology so it can build its missiles and put warheads on them. So it can build submarines. So it can build aircraft carriers. 'Oh that China, they’re so cutting edge.' No, they’re not. It’s another throwback massive police state. They steal the technology from us.
“'Oh well, let’s make sure they’re in Fast Track. We got to make sure China is part of Fast Track.' I said I’m for free trade—not with the enemy! Not with the enemy building islands 800 miles off their shore claiming the South China Sea, claiming the East China Sea. Threatening Vietnam, threatening the Philippines, threatening the Japanese and South Korea. Certainly threatening Taiwan, which they seek to devour.
More here
Tuesday, June 09, 2015
Teen Trapped Inside Wrecked Car Asks To Pray Out Loud. Suddenly, This Happens...
Prepare for a story that will take your breath away. What happened to a Missouri teenager on the day of August 4, 2013 is moving hearts everywhere. The events of that day cannot be explained or rationalized in any way outside of being a miracle. One request to pray out loud ended in a miracle that nobody at the scene will ever be able to forget.
When 19-year-old Katie Lentz was hit by a drunk driver while driving in Missouri, first responders faced a difficult time trying to rescue her from the smashed vehicle. Lentz was trapped inside her car while firemen worked their tools in vain to try and reach Lentz. After a series of failed attempts, Lentz requested to pray out loud with the rescuers. After this, an amazing miracle involving a mysterious priest, a bottle of anointing oil, and a powerful prayer ensued.
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When 19-year-old Katie Lentz was hit by a drunk driver while driving in Missouri, first responders faced a difficult time trying to rescue her from the smashed vehicle. Lentz was trapped inside her car while firemen worked their tools in vain to try and reach Lentz. After a series of failed attempts, Lentz requested to pray out loud with the rescuers. After this, an amazing miracle involving a mysterious priest, a bottle of anointing oil, and a powerful prayer ensued.
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TSA hired 73 people on the terror watch list; reason why is MIND-BLOWING
I’m not sure which is worse, the fact that the TSA had a 95 percent failure rate in detecting contraband weapons snuck through in tests of airport screeners or the latest news that the TSA actually hired 73 workers on the terror watch list.
As reported last week by ABC News:
An internal investigation of the Transportation Security Administration revealed security failures at dozens of the nation’s busiest airports, where undercover investigators were able to smuggle mock explosives or banned weapons through checkpoints in 95 percent of trials, ABC News has learned.
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BREAKING NEWS: ANOTHER PERSON FALLS FROM BALCONY IN OCEAN CITY
Hillary should give her own Checkers speech
Tens of thousands of deleted emails. Eighteen-and-a-half minutes of missing tape. As one who worked closely with former President Nixon during the last years of his life, I find the comparisons between him and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be insulting — to Nixon.
If Mrs. Clinton would like to survive her current growing implosion, she may want to take a page from Nixon’s playbook. Yes, the same Nixon she worked to impeach as a young attorney on the House Judiciary Committee (until she was let go by the Democratic counsel who said she was a “liar” and “an unethical, dishonest lawyer.”)
Set aside, for the moment, the similar accusations of stonewalling, evidence destruction, misrepresentations, penchants for secrecy, and imperial privilege.
Consider instead just one part of the scandals enveloping Mrs. Clinton and her presidential candidacy: “following the money.” (Another Nixon-era irony.)
Peter Schweizer’s new book, “Clinton Cash,” has exposed the complex and shady financial dealings of the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation and its subsidiary, the Clinton Global Initiative. Big money flowed in, and according to Mr. Schweizer, big political favors flowed out. Were they tantamount to quid pro quos? The Clintons say no; their critics, including many in the establishment left-wing press, say the circumstantial evidence is damning.
Consider some of the more recent stories:
Read more:
If Mrs. Clinton would like to survive her current growing implosion, she may want to take a page from Nixon’s playbook. Yes, the same Nixon she worked to impeach as a young attorney on the House Judiciary Committee (until she was let go by the Democratic counsel who said she was a “liar” and “an unethical, dishonest lawyer.”)
Set aside, for the moment, the similar accusations of stonewalling, evidence destruction, misrepresentations, penchants for secrecy, and imperial privilege.
Consider instead just one part of the scandals enveloping Mrs. Clinton and her presidential candidacy: “following the money.” (Another Nixon-era irony.)
Peter Schweizer’s new book, “Clinton Cash,” has exposed the complex and shady financial dealings of the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation and its subsidiary, the Clinton Global Initiative. Big money flowed in, and according to Mr. Schweizer, big political favors flowed out. Were they tantamount to quid pro quos? The Clintons say no; their critics, including many in the establishment left-wing press, say the circumstantial evidence is damning.
Consider some of the more recent stories:
Read more:
Somerset Co. Sheriff's Office May Activity (2015)
254 civil papers received from the courts
15 warrants received from the courts
Handled 119 calls for service, among those were 3 Emergency Petitions, 10 Traffic Accidents, 6 Assaults, 1 Sex Offense, 1 Child Abuse, 4 Thefts, 1 Domestic Dispute, 7 Requests for Deputy, 1 Check Welfare, 2 Alarms, 2 Attempt to Locate, 1 Vehicle Fire and 19 Assist other Agencies
28 arrests, 13 warrant services, 3 criminal summons, 1 CDS arrests, 4 DUI arrests, 1 Minor in Possession of Alcohol
39 traffic citations issued, 5 of those for Driving on Suspended and/or Revoked License or Driving with No License, 1 Driving Uninsured Vehicle, 1 Giving False and Fictitious Name
Service of 14 Domestic Violence Orders
1 out of county (Wicomico) court transport
Federal Court Tosses Challenge to Kansas Gun Law
WICHITA, Kan. — A federal judge rejected a challenge Friday to a Kansas law that makes it a felony for U.S. government workers to regulate guns and ammunition made, sold and kept only in the state, ruling that the gun control group that filed the suit failed to prove its members are directly harmed by the law.
U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson ruled the federal court lacks jurisdiction to consider the merits of the lawsuit because the Washington-based Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence didn’t show the state’s enforcement of the law inflicts on actual or imminent injury to any of its members.
In her 25-page ruling, Robinson granted the state’s motion to entirely dismiss the case without prejudice, meaning it could be refiled.
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s office issued a news release saying the statute will remain in force.
“This legal challenge lacked merit, and I appreciate the federal court’s ruling that the Washington, D.C.- based plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge this duly enacted Kansas law,” Schmidt said.
Attorneys for the Brady Campaign did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment on the ruling.
More
U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson ruled the federal court lacks jurisdiction to consider the merits of the lawsuit because the Washington-based Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence didn’t show the state’s enforcement of the law inflicts on actual or imminent injury to any of its members.
In her 25-page ruling, Robinson granted the state’s motion to entirely dismiss the case without prejudice, meaning it could be refiled.
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s office issued a news release saying the statute will remain in force.
“This legal challenge lacked merit, and I appreciate the federal court’s ruling that the Washington, D.C.- based plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge this duly enacted Kansas law,” Schmidt said.
Attorneys for the Brady Campaign did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment on the ruling.
More
American Pharoah’s Historic Run A Boom For Md. Horse Racing
Marcus Washington has more on the excitement surrounding this incredible colt.
You didn’t hear too many people talking about horse racing–that was until American Pharoah won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness here in Baltimore and then the Belmont Stakes, showing the world he is a Triple Crown winner.
Joining the ranks and history books, achieving what only 11–now 12–horses have been able to do in 96 years.
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Scott Walker: Constitutional Amendment Would Let States Decide On Gay Marriag
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says he favors a constitutional amendment allowing individual states to ban same-sex marriage if the U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor of the practice this month.
"I personally believe that marriage is between one man and one woman," Walker, a likely Republican presidential candidate said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." "If the court decides that, the only next approach is for those who are supporters of marriage being defined as between one man and one woman is ultimately to consider pursuing a constitutional amendment."
Such an amendment would allow each state to make its own decision.
Interviewer Jonathan Karl noted that Walker has in the past said the GOP ticket should be two people who have served as state governors. Pressed specifically about Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Walker said that governors are well-tested leaders, but added, "Someone like Marco Rubio, I have real confidence in."
He declined to accept the mantel of front-runner even though he has high poll numbers.
"I think [former Florida] Gov. [Jeb] Bush is probably still out there up front, because he's probably going to have more money than just about all of us combined," Walker said. "But we're feeling good."
Walker won't declare his candidacy officially until state budgets are finished at the end of this month.
More here
"I personally believe that marriage is between one man and one woman," Walker, a likely Republican presidential candidate said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." "If the court decides that, the only next approach is for those who are supporters of marriage being defined as between one man and one woman is ultimately to consider pursuing a constitutional amendment."
Such an amendment would allow each state to make its own decision.
Interviewer Jonathan Karl noted that Walker has in the past said the GOP ticket should be two people who have served as state governors. Pressed specifically about Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Walker said that governors are well-tested leaders, but added, "Someone like Marco Rubio, I have real confidence in."
He declined to accept the mantel of front-runner even though he has high poll numbers.
"I think [former Florida] Gov. [Jeb] Bush is probably still out there up front, because he's probably going to have more money than just about all of us combined," Walker said. "But we're feeling good."
Walker won't declare his candidacy officially until state budgets are finished at the end of this month.
More here
A Tear Jerker With An Amazing Message
Wow. No wonder this moving video is taking the world by storm. It's a tear jerker with an amazing message.
Posted by Star 104.5 on Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Saudi Arabia Shoots Down Scud Missile Fired From Yemen
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia said it shot down a Scud missile fired by Yemen's Shiite rebels and their allies early Saturday at a Saudi city that is home to a large air base, marking a major escalation in the monthslong war.
Two missiles launched from a Patriot missile battery shot down the Scud around 2:45 a.m. Saturday (2345 GMT, 7:45 p.m. EDT Friday) around the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
The agency did not report any casualties in the attack, the first use of a Cold War-era Scud by the rebels since Saudi-led airstrikes began in March.
Khamis Mushait is home to the King Khalid Air Base, the largest such facility in that part of the country. Saudis on social media reported hearing air raid sirens go off around the city during the attack.
The agency blamed Iranian-backed Shiite rebels known as Houthis and their allies in forces loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Yemen's state news agency SABA, now controlled by the Houthis, said the rebels and their allies fired the Scud.
Saudi Arabia leads a coalition targeting the rebels in airstrikes that began March 26 in support of the country's exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Those strikes have targeted arms caches and Scud missile sites around the country.
More
Two missiles launched from a Patriot missile battery shot down the Scud around 2:45 a.m. Saturday (2345 GMT, 7:45 p.m. EDT Friday) around the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
The agency did not report any casualties in the attack, the first use of a Cold War-era Scud by the rebels since Saudi-led airstrikes began in March.
Khamis Mushait is home to the King Khalid Air Base, the largest such facility in that part of the country. Saudis on social media reported hearing air raid sirens go off around the city during the attack.
The agency blamed Iranian-backed Shiite rebels known as Houthis and their allies in forces loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Yemen's state news agency SABA, now controlled by the Houthis, said the rebels and their allies fired the Scud.
Saudi Arabia leads a coalition targeting the rebels in airstrikes that began March 26 in support of the country's exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Those strikes have targeted arms caches and Scud missile sites around the country.
More
Denver's Azucar Bakery Wins Right To Refuse To Make Anti-gay Cakes
DENVER - Colorado's legal battles between religious freedom and gay rights continue to play out in the not-so-sweet arena of bakery cake requests.
Last week, the Colorado Civil Rights Division ruled that Denver's Azucar Bakery did not discriminate against William Jack, a Christian from Castle Rock, by refusing to make two cakes with anti-gay messages and imagery that he requested last year.
The dispute began March 13, 2014 when Jack went to the bakery at 1886 S. Broadway and requested two cakes shaped like bibles. He asked that one cake have the image of two groomsmen holding hands in front of a cross with a red "X" over them. He asked that the cake be decorated with the biblical verses, "God hates sin. Psalm 45:7" and "Homosexuality is a detestable sin. Leviticus 18:22", according to the Civil Rights Divisions' decision.
On the second bible-shaped cake, Jack also requested the image of the two groomsmen with the red "X". He wanted it decorated with the words "God loves sinners" and "While we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5:8."
He told the civil rights agency he ordered the cakes with the imagery and biblical verses to convey that same-sex marriage is, in his words, "un-biblical and inappropriate."
Marjorie Silva, the owner of the bakery, told Jack that she would make him the bible-shaped cakes, but would not decorate them with the biblical verses and the image of the groomsmen that he requested. Instead, she offered to provide him with icing and a pastry bag so he could write or draw whatever messages he wished on the cakes.
More here
Last week, the Colorado Civil Rights Division ruled that Denver's Azucar Bakery did not discriminate against William Jack, a Christian from Castle Rock, by refusing to make two cakes with anti-gay messages and imagery that he requested last year.
The dispute began March 13, 2014 when Jack went to the bakery at 1886 S. Broadway and requested two cakes shaped like bibles. He asked that one cake have the image of two groomsmen holding hands in front of a cross with a red "X" over them. He asked that the cake be decorated with the biblical verses, "God hates sin. Psalm 45:7" and "Homosexuality is a detestable sin. Leviticus 18:22", according to the Civil Rights Divisions' decision.
On the second bible-shaped cake, Jack also requested the image of the two groomsmen with the red "X". He wanted it decorated with the words "God loves sinners" and "While we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5:8."
He told the civil rights agency he ordered the cakes with the imagery and biblical verses to convey that same-sex marriage is, in his words, "un-biblical and inappropriate."
Marjorie Silva, the owner of the bakery, told Jack that she would make him the bible-shaped cakes, but would not decorate them with the biblical verses and the image of the groomsmen that he requested. Instead, she offered to provide him with icing and a pastry bag so he could write or draw whatever messages he wished on the cakes.
More here
Why hardly anyone dies from a drug overdose in Portugal
Portugal decriminalized the use of all drugs in 2001. Weed, cocaine, heroin, you name it -- Portugal decided to treat possession and use of small quantities of these drugs as a public health issue, not a criminal one. The drugs were still illegal, of course. But now getting caught with them meant a small fine and maybe a referral to a treatment program -- not jail time and a criminal record.
Whenever we debate similar measures in the U.S. -- marijuana decriminalization, for instance -- many drug-policy makers predict dire consequences. “If you make any attractive commodity available at lower cost, you will have more users," former Office of National Drug Control Policy deputy director Thomas McLellan once said of Portugal's policies. Joseph Califano, founder of the Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, once warned that decriminalization would "increase illegal drug availability and use among our children."
But in Portugal, the numbers paint a different story. The prevalence of past-year and past-month drug use among young adults has fallen since 2001, according to statistics compiled by the Transform Drug Policy Foundation, which advocates on behalf of ending the war on drugs. Overall adult use is down slightly too. And new HIV cases among drug users are way down.
Now, numbers just released from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction paint an even more vivid picture of life under decriminalization: drug overdose deaths in Portugal are the second-lowest in the European Union.
More
Whenever we debate similar measures in the U.S. -- marijuana decriminalization, for instance -- many drug-policy makers predict dire consequences. “If you make any attractive commodity available at lower cost, you will have more users," former Office of National Drug Control Policy deputy director Thomas McLellan once said of Portugal's policies. Joseph Califano, founder of the Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, once warned that decriminalization would "increase illegal drug availability and use among our children."
But in Portugal, the numbers paint a different story. The prevalence of past-year and past-month drug use among young adults has fallen since 2001, according to statistics compiled by the Transform Drug Policy Foundation, which advocates on behalf of ending the war on drugs. Overall adult use is down slightly too. And new HIV cases among drug users are way down.
Now, numbers just released from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction paint an even more vivid picture of life under decriminalization: drug overdose deaths in Portugal are the second-lowest in the European Union.
More
Haunting chalkboard drawings, frozen in time for 100 years, discovered in Oklahoma school
This week, contractors removing old chalkboards at Emerson High School in Oklahoma City made a startling discovery: Underneath them rested another set of chalkboards, untouched since 1917.
“The penmanship blows me away, because you don’t see a lot of that anymore,” Emerson High School Principal Sherry Kishore told the Oklahoman. “Some of the handwriting in some of these rooms is beautiful.”
More
North Carolina Republicans Elect First Black Chairman
Harnett, a businessman and author from Concord, was campaign manager for GOP congressional candidate Vince Coakley's unsuccessful bid last year in a heavily Democrat district, reports The News & Observer of Raleigh.
"If you can raise money in that district, you can raise money anywhere," Harnett said. "We need a bold, reinvigorated Republican Party who listens to the grass roots. Together we will win in 2016 because teamwork makes the dream work."
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Waitress' act of kindness toward grieving parents goes viral
When their daughter was born, she quickly became a "regular" along with them.
But the couple never expected waitress Kayla Lane to remember them -- or their newborn daughter, Glory.
That's why the couple was shocked last week when the young waitress asked them why their baby wasn't with them.
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Judge Alfred Talmadge Truitt Jr Obituary
Judge Alfred Talmadge Truitt Jr Obituary
Obituary:
Judge Alfred T. Truitt, Jr, after living a full life devoted to his family and to the law profession, died at home on June 5, 2015. He was born April 5, 1927, in Salisbury, the first son of former Mayor Alfred and Lillian "Mitzi" Truitt at Peninsula General Hospital. A true Salisbury native, he attended Miss Harold's kindergarten, Salisbury Teacher's elementary school, graduated from Wicomico High School in 1944 and Western Maryland College in 1950. Although he graduated from University of Maryland School of Law in 1953, he was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1952. Shortly thereafter he dedicated the remainder of his life to public service. From 1959 to 1971, he served as the State's Attorney for Wicomico County, he then became the first Public Defender for the county from 1972 through 1977. His tenure on the bench spanned more than five decades, beginning with his appointment by Governor Marvin Mandel as Associate Judge, First Judicial Circuit, in 1977 and served in that role until 1990, then becoming the Chief Judge and the Circuit Administrative Judge for the 1st Judicial Circuit until his formal retirement in 1997. After his official retirement in 1997, Judge Truitt continued to preside over Circuit and District Court proceedings in Wicomico, Dorchester, Worcester and Somerset counties until the week of his death. One of his proudest accomplishments was the number of law clerks he mentored who became integral parts of the judicial system. Throughout the court system he was a valuable resource, admired for his vast legal knowledge and his passion for justice.
An impactful period of his life was as a Sargent in the U.S. Army Signal Corps from 1945 to 1946 when he was assigned to the historical Nuremberg trials as an Army photographer.
He was a longtime member of Green Hill Yacht & Country Club, Salisbury Elks Club, Salisbury Lions Club, and the Maryland State Bar Association. He held the office of Chairman of the Conference of Circuit Judges for the State of Maryland in 1985-86. The law library at the Wicomico County Courthouse was dedicated to and named after Judge Truitt in September, 1993.
"Sonny" married the love his life “Bobbi” - Clara May Monigle, on June 16, 1951, who preceded him in death on March 21st of this year. As proud as he was of his distinguished career, what he treasured most was his extensive family of children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews. He is survived by his five adoring children and their spouses; Christine Bozick (Peter, Jr.), Alfred T. Truitt, III "Bruzz" (Debbie), Cathleen Campbell (John), Margaret Engler (Steve), Michael Truitt (Beth). He also leaves behind a proud legacy of 18 grandchildren; Shannon Monacelli, Lindley Bounds, Sara Bounds, Christopher Truitt, Connor Truitt, Hannah Campbell (deceased), Lindley Campbell, Clara Campbell, Brian Engler, Caitlin Engler, Matthew Engler, Libby Truitt, Bennett Truitt, Peter Bozick (Kelly), Megan Leslie (Roscoe), Stephanie Price (Carter), Julia Wycall (Teddy) and Sarah Sullivan (Michael), as well as 7 great children.
Judge Truitt was considered a pillar of the community and a central figure in the downtown Salisbury arena. Judge Truitt was a renown storyteller whose ability to recount events was without equal. He was a repository of history and local folklore. He will always be remembered as a man of character to whom public service was a noble and worthy personal pursuit.
A viewing will be held at Holloway Funeral Home on Friday, June 12, from 5 to 8pm. A funeral service will begin at 2pm on Saturday, June 13th, at Emmanuel Wesleyan Church, 217 Beaglin Park Drive, Salisbury, MD 21804.
Donations in memory of Judge Truitt should be made to the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore for the “Alfred and Clara May Truitt Memorial Fund” to Suite 401, 1324 Belmont Avenue, Salisbury, MD 21804.
Arrangements are in the care of Holloway Funeral Home, P.A., 501 Snow Hill Rd., Salisbury, MD 21804. Please visit www.hollowayfh.com to express condolences to the family.
Judge Alfred T. Truitt, Jr, after living a full life devoted to his family and to the law profession, died at home on June 5, 2015. He was born April 5, 1927, in Salisbury, the first son of former Mayor Alfred and Lillian "Mitzi" Truitt at Peninsula General Hospital. A true Salisbury native, he attended Miss Harold's kindergarten, Salisbury Teacher's elementary school, graduated from Wicomico High School in 1944 and Western Maryland College in 1950. Although he graduated from University of Maryland School of Law in 1953, he was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1952. Shortly thereafter he dedicated the remainder of his life to public service. From 1959 to 1971, he served as the State's Attorney for Wicomico County, he then became the first Public Defender for the county from 1972 through 1977. His tenure on the bench spanned more than five decades, beginning with his appointment by Governor Marvin Mandel as Associate Judge, First Judicial Circuit, in 1977 and served in that role until 1990, then becoming the Chief Judge and the Circuit Administrative Judge for the 1st Judicial Circuit until his formal retirement in 1997. After his official retirement in 1997, Judge Truitt continued to preside over Circuit and District Court proceedings in Wicomico, Dorchester, Worcester and Somerset counties until the week of his death. One of his proudest accomplishments was the number of law clerks he mentored who became integral parts of the judicial system. Throughout the court system he was a valuable resource, admired for his vast legal knowledge and his passion for justice.
An impactful period of his life was as a Sargent in the U.S. Army Signal Corps from 1945 to 1946 when he was assigned to the historical Nuremberg trials as an Army photographer.
He was a longtime member of Green Hill Yacht & Country Club, Salisbury Elks Club, Salisbury Lions Club, and the Maryland State Bar Association. He held the office of Chairman of the Conference of Circuit Judges for the State of Maryland in 1985-86. The law library at the Wicomico County Courthouse was dedicated to and named after Judge Truitt in September, 1993.
"Sonny" married the love his life “Bobbi” - Clara May Monigle, on June 16, 1951, who preceded him in death on March 21st of this year. As proud as he was of his distinguished career, what he treasured most was his extensive family of children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews. He is survived by his five adoring children and their spouses; Christine Bozick (Peter, Jr.), Alfred T. Truitt, III "Bruzz" (Debbie), Cathleen Campbell (John), Margaret Engler (Steve), Michael Truitt (Beth). He also leaves behind a proud legacy of 18 grandchildren; Shannon Monacelli, Lindley Bounds, Sara Bounds, Christopher Truitt, Connor Truitt, Hannah Campbell (deceased), Lindley Campbell, Clara Campbell, Brian Engler, Caitlin Engler, Matthew Engler, Libby Truitt, Bennett Truitt, Peter Bozick (Kelly), Megan Leslie (Roscoe), Stephanie Price (Carter), Julia Wycall (Teddy) and Sarah Sullivan (Michael), as well as 7 great children.
Judge Truitt was considered a pillar of the community and a central figure in the downtown Salisbury arena. Judge Truitt was a renown storyteller whose ability to recount events was without equal. He was a repository of history and local folklore. He will always be remembered as a man of character to whom public service was a noble and worthy personal pursuit.
A viewing will be held at Holloway Funeral Home on Friday, June 12, from 5 to 8pm. A funeral service will begin at 2pm on Saturday, June 13th, at Emmanuel Wesleyan Church, 217 Beaglin Park Drive, Salisbury, MD 21804.
Donations in memory of Judge Truitt should be made to the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore for the “Alfred and Clara May Truitt Memorial Fund” to Suite 401, 1324 Belmont Avenue, Salisbury, MD 21804.
Arrangements are in the care of Holloway Funeral Home, P.A., 501 Snow Hill Rd., Salisbury, MD 21804. Please visit www.hollowayfh.com to express condolences to the family.
Public Schedule for Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford for June 10, 2015
ANNAPOLIS, MD - Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford's public schedule for Wednesday, June 10, 2015 includes the following:
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM: Maryland Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force Lower Shore Regional Summit
St. Francis de Sales Philip & Barbara Long Parish Center
535 Riverside Drive, Salisbury, MD 21801
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM: Maryland Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force Lower Shore Regional Summit
St. Francis de Sales Philip & Barbara Long Parish Center
535 Riverside Drive, Salisbury, MD 21801
Al Sharpton: “It Should Be a Federal Crime” for White People to Shoot Blacks – Even in Self Defense
So if you’re attacked and the aggressor is Black, you should just let that person violently assault you instead of defending yourself?
This “logic” only makes sense inside the mind of a depraved racist like the “Reverend” Sharpton.
From BuzzPo:
The Justice Department ruled there was insufficient evidence to charge George Zimmerman with violating the civil rights of Trayvon Martin in the 2012 self defense shooting. That sparked some ludicrous words from Al Sharpton on Wednesday mornings Tom Joyner Morning Show.
Sharpton explained to Tom Joyner, “The intent to prove that Zimmerman did it because of his race, that is the legal threshold. Unless we change that legislation, we end up where we are in terms of the Trayvon Martin case. Clearly I’m disappointed. Clearly I’m sure the family is. But clearly the Justice Department can not go beyond the laws as is written. As we fight these fights and continue to fight from Staten Island to Ferguson, we must change the threshold that you qualify a civil rights case for, or we will keep having these moments of activism that end up with cases of being disappointing.”
Isn’t providing a particular group of people extra special protection and benefits due to their skin color racism?
More
This “logic” only makes sense inside the mind of a depraved racist like the “Reverend” Sharpton.
From BuzzPo:
The Justice Department ruled there was insufficient evidence to charge George Zimmerman with violating the civil rights of Trayvon Martin in the 2012 self defense shooting. That sparked some ludicrous words from Al Sharpton on Wednesday mornings Tom Joyner Morning Show.
Sharpton explained to Tom Joyner, “The intent to prove that Zimmerman did it because of his race, that is the legal threshold. Unless we change that legislation, we end up where we are in terms of the Trayvon Martin case. Clearly I’m disappointed. Clearly I’m sure the family is. But clearly the Justice Department can not go beyond the laws as is written. As we fight these fights and continue to fight from Staten Island to Ferguson, we must change the threshold that you qualify a civil rights case for, or we will keep having these moments of activism that end up with cases of being disappointing.”
Isn’t providing a particular group of people extra special protection and benefits due to their skin color racism?
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The Dreadful Truth of Moynihan’s Prophecy
On the 50th anniversary of Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s famous report on the breakdown of the black family in urban ghettos, Baltimore has descended into the tragic violence and chaos he predicted. In a report titled, “The Negro Family: The Case for Action,” Assistant Secretary of Labor Moynihan, warned that the deterioration of the black family, would result in soaring crime rates if it continued unchecked.
In the most famous passage of the 1965 report, Moynihan, who would later become a Democratic U.S. senator, wrote, “From the wild Irish slums of the 19th-century Eastern seaboard, to the riot-torn suburbs of Los Angeles, there is one unmistakable lesson in American history: A community that allows large numbers of young men to grow up in broken families, dominated by women, never acquiring any stable relationship to male authority, never acquiring any set of rational expectations about the future — that community asks for and gets chaos. Crime, violence, unrest, disorder are not only to be expected, they are very near to inevitable.”
When he wrote these words, the illegitimacy rate among African-Americans was 25 percent while illegitimacy nationwide, stood at 7.7 percent. In the mid-1960s thanks largely to Great Society welfare policies, the out-of-wedlock birth rate began to climb rapidly. Today the out-of-wedlock rate for blacks is over 72 percent with even higher rates in inner cities. Illegitimacy among Hispanics is now over 50 percent, and for whites it has risen from the 3 percent in 1960 to 36 percent today.
Moynihan’s words were prophetic. As family structure virtually disintegrated, Baltimore’s core has become a center of poverty and violence. Recent unchecked rioting in Baltimore has been followed by a crime spree with 32 people shot and nine killed just over the Memorial Day weekend.
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In the most famous passage of the 1965 report, Moynihan, who would later become a Democratic U.S. senator, wrote, “From the wild Irish slums of the 19th-century Eastern seaboard, to the riot-torn suburbs of Los Angeles, there is one unmistakable lesson in American history: A community that allows large numbers of young men to grow up in broken families, dominated by women, never acquiring any stable relationship to male authority, never acquiring any set of rational expectations about the future — that community asks for and gets chaos. Crime, violence, unrest, disorder are not only to be expected, they are very near to inevitable.”
When he wrote these words, the illegitimacy rate among African-Americans was 25 percent while illegitimacy nationwide, stood at 7.7 percent. In the mid-1960s thanks largely to Great Society welfare policies, the out-of-wedlock birth rate began to climb rapidly. Today the out-of-wedlock rate for blacks is over 72 percent with even higher rates in inner cities. Illegitimacy among Hispanics is now over 50 percent, and for whites it has risen from the 3 percent in 1960 to 36 percent today.
Moynihan’s words were prophetic. As family structure virtually disintegrated, Baltimore’s core has become a center of poverty and violence. Recent unchecked rioting in Baltimore has been followed by a crime spree with 32 people shot and nine killed just over the Memorial Day weekend.
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BREAKING NEWS: White House offices, briefing room evacuated: UPDATE
The White House press briefing room and other offices have been evacuated, following an earlier bomb threat that temporarily forced the evacuation of a Senate office building.
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Security officers are letting people back into the White House and have given an 'all clear' after the press briefing room was briefly evacuated over a bomb threat.
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Security officers are letting people back into the White House and have given an 'all clear' after the press briefing room was briefly evacuated over a bomb threat.
Patrice Lewis: The PC Bullies Begin To Back Down
My husband, Don, is a short man, topping out at five and a half feet. In the eyes of his family, he’s a giant; but when he was a teenager, he was a bantam and a natural target for bullies.
He told me of one particular boy who, over several months, picked and poked and hit and tripped in a series of intensifying encounters. Don kept his mouth shut and his fists at his side and controlled himself for months of this torment. The harassment escalated until the bully, with no provocation, tripped him and caused him to fall. Don had enough. He hauled off and decked the other boy.
The bully, who never expected the strength of pure fury emerging from the shorter boy, left Don strictly alone after that. Sometimes, Don told me, a person has to stand up and defend himself.
There’s a war on bullying taking place around America, but it’s not what you think. It’s not about heavyweight teens picking on smaller contemporaries.
Instead, it’s people rebelling against their oppressors. There are a lot of people who are being bullied. They’re being picked and poked and hit and tripped in a series of intensifying encounters. Harassment is escalating. People are getting the tar beat out of them, physically or financially. Up to this point, most of them have kept their mouths shut and their fists at their side and controlled themselves.
But once in a while, control snaps and the bullied party fights back, hard, with the strength of pure fury. Many times the bully – surprised at being challenged – sputters in dismay but backs off and targets someone else. Students, Christians, business people, conservatives and others who are being punitively harassed are finally beginning to fight back against schools, judges, special rights groups, even the IRS.
Consider these recent examples:
He told me of one particular boy who, over several months, picked and poked and hit and tripped in a series of intensifying encounters. Don kept his mouth shut and his fists at his side and controlled himself for months of this torment. The harassment escalated until the bully, with no provocation, tripped him and caused him to fall. Don had enough. He hauled off and decked the other boy.
The bully, who never expected the strength of pure fury emerging from the shorter boy, left Don strictly alone after that. Sometimes, Don told me, a person has to stand up and defend himself.
There’s a war on bullying taking place around America, but it’s not what you think. It’s not about heavyweight teens picking on smaller contemporaries.
Instead, it’s people rebelling against their oppressors. There are a lot of people who are being bullied. They’re being picked and poked and hit and tripped in a series of intensifying encounters. Harassment is escalating. People are getting the tar beat out of them, physically or financially. Up to this point, most of them have kept their mouths shut and their fists at their side and controlled themselves.
But once in a while, control snaps and the bullied party fights back, hard, with the strength of pure fury. Many times the bully – surprised at being challenged – sputters in dismay but backs off and targets someone else. Students, Christians, business people, conservatives and others who are being punitively harassed are finally beginning to fight back against schools, judges, special rights groups, even the IRS.
Consider these recent examples:
Troopers Seek Public’s Help in Identifying Burglary Suspect
Georgetown, DE - The Delaware State Police are asking the public’s assistance in attempting to identify a male subject that broke into Route 9 Liquors east of Georgetown.
The incident took place on Monday June 8, 2015 around 12:52 a.m. when an alarm was received from the business located at 22276 Lewes-Georgetown Highway. Upon arrival of responding officers from Georgetown Police Department and troopers, it was determined that the establishment had been burglarized. The investigation revealed a male subject had broken into the store and removed various bottles of liquor before fleeing in an unknown direction.
The suspect depicted in the surveillance images is described as a male between the ages of 25 - 30, standing approximately 5'10" - 6'00" tall, wearing a light colored sweatshirt and dark pants.
If anyone has any information regarding this incident or the identity of the suspect, they are asked to contact Detective J. Rowley at 302-752-3801. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, via the internet atwww.delaware.crimestoppersweb.com, or by sending an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."
Proposed zoning change regarding short term rentals in Ocean City
Currently, efforts are underway to encourage Planning and Zoning for the Town of Ocean City to consider making another attempt to restrict Ocean City rentals – similar to last year’s effort which was fortunately defeated. This is a violation of your property rights. Planning and Zoning needs to hear from you – REALTORS®, Property Managers, Ocean City Property Investors, and/or individual homeowners/landlords! Additionally, voice your opposition by attending their public hearing on June 16 at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 301 Baltimore Avenue, in Ocean City.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The guise this year is for P&Z to create a new zone, R-1A designation, which would prohibit short-term rentals, allowing for only long-term, annual rentals, like last year’s effort. An existing neighborhood could then apply for rezoning, to be voted on by the Mayor and City Council. Should rezoning be approved and your investment property and/or summer home is within that neighborhood, your property rights have just been circumvented!
Planning and Zoning wisely determined last year that increased enforcement and education was the solution rather than an overall zoning change. Just a few weeks ago, the Town held a successful, day-long seminar on various topics – occupancy limits, noise violations, etc. – and the room was filled with REALTORS® and property managers. This process is working and has been effective in helping property management and owner landlords comply. It should be given adequate time to work effectively.
An R-1A Zoning Designation for existing neighborhoods is just another attempt to restrict property rentals in Ocean City. It’s a bad precedent and would cause serious ramifications for property rights and tourism.
U.S. Navy Blue Angels
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will make their inaugural performance at the OC Air Show, June 13-14, 2015, over the beach and boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland. This will be the first time in the OC Air Show’s eight year history that the Blue Angels will perform and they will be joined by the Breitling...
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will make their inaugural performance at the OC Air Show, June 13-14, 2015, over the beach and boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland. This will be the first time in the OC Air Show’s eight year history that the Blue Angels will perform and they will be joined by the Breitling Jet Team and the F-22 Raptor Demo creating a triple headliner for the 2015 event!
Update: Chinese Hackers Steal 4 Million US Personnel Records
China-based hackers are suspected of breaking into the computer networks of the U.S. government personnel office and stealing identifying information of at least 4 million federal workers, American officials said Thursday.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that data from the Office of Personnel Management and the Interior Department had been compromised.
"The FBI is conducting an investigation to identify how and why this occurred," the statement said.
The hackers were believed to be based in China, said Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican.
Collins, a member of the Senate intelligence committee, said the breach was "yet another indication of a foreign power probing successfully and focusing on what appears to be data that would identify people with security clearances."
A U.S. official who declined to be identified said the data breach could potentially affect every federal agency. One key question is whether intelligence agency employee information was stolen. Former government employees are affected as well.
"This is an attack against the nation," said Ken Ammon, chief strategy officer of Xceedium, who said the attack fit the pattern of those carried out by nation states for the purpose of espionage.
The information stolen could be used to impersonate or blackmail federal employees with access to sensitive information, he said.
The Office of Personnel Management is the human resources department for the federal government, and it conducts background checks for security clearances. The OPM conducts more than 90 percent of federal background investigations, according to its website.
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The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that data from the Office of Personnel Management and the Interior Department had been compromised.
"The FBI is conducting an investigation to identify how and why this occurred," the statement said.
The hackers were believed to be based in China, said Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican.
Collins, a member of the Senate intelligence committee, said the breach was "yet another indication of a foreign power probing successfully and focusing on what appears to be data that would identify people with security clearances."
A U.S. official who declined to be identified said the data breach could potentially affect every federal agency. One key question is whether intelligence agency employee information was stolen. Former government employees are affected as well.
"This is an attack against the nation," said Ken Ammon, chief strategy officer of Xceedium, who said the attack fit the pattern of those carried out by nation states for the purpose of espionage.
The information stolen could be used to impersonate or blackmail federal employees with access to sensitive information, he said.
The Office of Personnel Management is the human resources department for the federal government, and it conducts background checks for security clearances. The OPM conducts more than 90 percent of federal background investigations, according to its website.
More
TURKEY VOTE SHOCKER
ANKARA, Turkey – Voters dealt a stunning rebuke to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Sunday and stalled the Arab nation's march toward Islamist rule, stripping the powerful leader's AKP party of its parliamentary majority and ending 13 years of one-party rule.
The Democratically-elected Erdogan, through posts as prime minister and presidents, has held office since 2003, and had in recent years begun an alarming crackdown on the media, dissidents and ethnic minorities in what observers feared was an effort to move the NATO nation and U.S. ally toward theocratic rule. In addition to announcing plans to expand the powers of his office, Erdogan had come under intense criticism for building am 1,000-room presidential palace which was rumored to have gold-plated toilet seats.
Erdogan's party was left Monday with few options to form a new government, after it was stripped of its parliamentary majority and opposition parties ruled out joining it in a coalition pact. The AKP won about 41 percent of the votes in Sunday's election and was projected to take 258 seats -- 18 below the minimum required to rule alone. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, an Erdogan ally andfellow AKP member, was scheduled to convene his cabinet and party executives Monday to discuss the party's options as its 13-year single party rule came to an end.
The result also puts Erdogan's hopes of passing constitutional changes that would have boosted his powers on hold. He is likely to see his pre-eminent position in Turkish politics erode without the ability to steer the government through his party.
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The Democratically-elected Erdogan, through posts as prime minister and presidents, has held office since 2003, and had in recent years begun an alarming crackdown on the media, dissidents and ethnic minorities in what observers feared was an effort to move the NATO nation and U.S. ally toward theocratic rule. In addition to announcing plans to expand the powers of his office, Erdogan had come under intense criticism for building am 1,000-room presidential palace which was rumored to have gold-plated toilet seats.
Erdogan's party was left Monday with few options to form a new government, after it was stripped of its parliamentary majority and opposition parties ruled out joining it in a coalition pact. The AKP won about 41 percent of the votes in Sunday's election and was projected to take 258 seats -- 18 below the minimum required to rule alone. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, an Erdogan ally andfellow AKP member, was scheduled to convene his cabinet and party executives Monday to discuss the party's options as its 13-year single party rule came to an end.
The result also puts Erdogan's hopes of passing constitutional changes that would have boosted his powers on hold. He is likely to see his pre-eminent position in Turkish politics erode without the ability to steer the government through his party.
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Worried Lawmakers Assess Border Security After Drug Cartel Attack
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Utah Republican and chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Rep. Blake Farenthold, Texas Republican, were planning to get a firsthand look at the situation in Laredo, Texas, after the helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing Friday.
No injuries were reported, but the incident happened just days after Mr. Chaffetz and Rep. Filemon Vela of Texas, the ranking Democrat on the oversight subcommittee on border security, sent a letter questioning whether the State Department was taking the cartel violence seriously enough.
In particular, they wondered why the department was poised to cut the danger pay for its diplomatic personnel in Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros as authorities in northern Mexico were being attacked with stunning frequency in the drug war.
The Obama administration has said the drug cartel violence in northern Mexico is troubling but has been quick to insist that the bloodshed has remained chiefly south of the border and hasn’t spread into the U.S. The bigger cities along the border are among the safest of their kind, the administration said.
More here
Mexican Voters Keep Ruling Party, But Show Some Discontent
Mexican voters elected their first independent gubernatorial candidate, seen as a protest against party politics, but gave the ruling party a lead in Congress, thereby sending mixed messages in midterm elections.
President Enrique Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, lost legislative seats, according to official vote counts released Monday by the electoral institute. But a strong and controversial campaign by allied Green Party boosted that party by as many as 20 seats, which could give the ruling party a voting majority for the first time in nearly two decades.
In an election marred by sporadic violence, independent Jaime Rodriguez, known as "El Bronco," won the governor's race in the border state of Nuevo Leon, ousting the PRI from a key state that includes the business hub of Monterrey. His popularity was attributed to voters' disgust with all political parties.
Rodriguez said his first action as governor would be to attack corruption: "We have to investigate the entire previous government."
It was the first election in Mexico to allow unaffiliated candidates, thanks to electoral reform last year.
The horseback-riding, boot-clad, tough-talking Rodriguez earned his nickname after he survived two assassination attempts that left his car bullet-ridden as mayor of a suburb of Monterrey. He said the attacks were from a drug cartel.
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President Enrique Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, lost legislative seats, according to official vote counts released Monday by the electoral institute. But a strong and controversial campaign by allied Green Party boosted that party by as many as 20 seats, which could give the ruling party a voting majority for the first time in nearly two decades.
In an election marred by sporadic violence, independent Jaime Rodriguez, known as "El Bronco," won the governor's race in the border state of Nuevo Leon, ousting the PRI from a key state that includes the business hub of Monterrey. His popularity was attributed to voters' disgust with all political parties.
Rodriguez said his first action as governor would be to attack corruption: "We have to investigate the entire previous government."
It was the first election in Mexico to allow unaffiliated candidates, thanks to electoral reform last year.
The horseback-riding, boot-clad, tough-talking Rodriguez earned his nickname after he survived two assassination attempts that left his car bullet-ridden as mayor of a suburb of Monterrey. He said the attacks were from a drug cartel.
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Why Troops Avoid A Fight
Soldiers won’t follow clueless leaders into battles they can’t win
In April 1970, our brigade commander ordered each of his three line infantry battalions to deploy squad-sized ambushes along the border with Cambodia (which looked like an angel’s wing on the map). This tactic would allow the brigade to completely block the infiltration of North Vietnamese Army (NVA) units from Cambodia into South Vietnam. Following the order, a squad-sized unit was hunkered down in ambush positions every 500 meters near the border in the brigade sector.
At this time, I was the battalion acting operations officer, having just given up command of a rifle company. The brigade commander’s clever tactic was a complete flop. Several company-sized NVA units crossed through our lines over a couple days. Our young “shake-and-bake” squad leaders would call in the NVA movements, sometimes after they passed literally through their ambush sites so as to not alert the NVA soldiers. Not a single ambush was sprung by our troops.
The brigade commander and his staff lived in a compound in the Division Base Camp at Cu Chi. They were in an ivory tower of reports, radio traffic, map boards, and meals prepared and served by local Vietnamese in their officers’ mess. So removed from the war, how could they have known this plan would fail completely?
They could not know unless they had led at the platoon or company level. Then they would have understood that in order for an infantry unit to initiate offensive action, several conditions must be met. First, the unit had to have either an officer or a hard-charging non-commissioned officer as a leader. Then they had to have a medic, a machine gun and at least two radio operators (to assure one of the two would work to call for Medevac or close air support). The squads deployed by brigade usually had one radio, and about one in three did not have an M-60 machine gun. And finally, the leader had to have some sense that they had a fair chance at a win. This would not be the case for the seven of our soldiers huddled behind the rice paddy dike facing 100 NVA regulars. Most of the troops in our units were draftees. While they would fight bravely, they expected their leaders to give them a fighting chance to win.
Keep reading..
In April 1970, our brigade commander ordered each of his three line infantry battalions to deploy squad-sized ambushes along the border with Cambodia (which looked like an angel’s wing on the map). This tactic would allow the brigade to completely block the infiltration of North Vietnamese Army (NVA) units from Cambodia into South Vietnam. Following the order, a squad-sized unit was hunkered down in ambush positions every 500 meters near the border in the brigade sector.
At this time, I was the battalion acting operations officer, having just given up command of a rifle company. The brigade commander’s clever tactic was a complete flop. Several company-sized NVA units crossed through our lines over a couple days. Our young “shake-and-bake” squad leaders would call in the NVA movements, sometimes after they passed literally through their ambush sites so as to not alert the NVA soldiers. Not a single ambush was sprung by our troops.
The brigade commander and his staff lived in a compound in the Division Base Camp at Cu Chi. They were in an ivory tower of reports, radio traffic, map boards, and meals prepared and served by local Vietnamese in their officers’ mess. So removed from the war, how could they have known this plan would fail completely?
They could not know unless they had led at the platoon or company level. Then they would have understood that in order for an infantry unit to initiate offensive action, several conditions must be met. First, the unit had to have either an officer or a hard-charging non-commissioned officer as a leader. Then they had to have a medic, a machine gun and at least two radio operators (to assure one of the two would work to call for Medevac or close air support). The squads deployed by brigade usually had one radio, and about one in three did not have an M-60 machine gun. And finally, the leader had to have some sense that they had a fair chance at a win. This would not be the case for the seven of our soldiers huddled behind the rice paddy dike facing 100 NVA regulars. Most of the troops in our units were draftees. While they would fight bravely, they expected their leaders to give them a fighting chance to win.
Keep reading..
Mayhem Rules in St. Paul Schools
Teachers, parents and students in the school district of St. Paul, Minnesota, are learning firsthand what happens when educators embrace ideologically driven, crackpot solutions for the achievement and disciplinary issues involving black students who are “victims” of “white privilege”: anarchy.
That anarchy comes courtesy of the district’s voluntary affiliation with Pacific Educational Group (PEG), an entity founded in 1992 by self-described “diversity expert” Glenn Singleton. As PEG’s website declares, it is their belief that “[s]ystemic racism is the most devastating factor contributing to the diminished capacity of all children.” As a result, they partner with educational systems “to transform them into racially conscious and socially just environments that nurture the spirit and infinite potential of all learners, especially students of color, American Indian students and their families.”
Superintendent Valeria Silva bought into this nonsense, engendering a seismic shift in the way discipline was meted out, based on statistics that showed black students being suspended at “alarming rates.” Thus suspension became a last resort, replaced with 20-minute “time outs” and counseling by a behavioral coach before offending students were sent back to the classroom. In the meantime, PEG offered “racial equity” training for teachers and staff, who were tasked with “exploring” their biases and prefacing their opinions with, “As a white man, I believe…” or “As a black woman, I think…” in an effort to discover their subconscious racism.
How’s it working out? Following district spending of more than $3 million on PEG programs over the last five years, local publication CityPages paints a depressing picture:
At John A. Johnson Elementary on the East Side, several teachers, who asked to remain anonymous, describe anything but a learning environment. Students run up and down the hallways, slamming lockers and tearing posters off the walls. They hit and swear at each other, upend garbage cans under teachers' noses.
“We have students who will spend an hour in the hallway just running and hiding from people, like it’s a game for them,” says one despondent teacher. “A lot of them know no one is going to stop them, so they just continue."
More here
That anarchy comes courtesy of the district’s voluntary affiliation with Pacific Educational Group (PEG), an entity founded in 1992 by self-described “diversity expert” Glenn Singleton. As PEG’s website declares, it is their belief that “[s]ystemic racism is the most devastating factor contributing to the diminished capacity of all children.” As a result, they partner with educational systems “to transform them into racially conscious and socially just environments that nurture the spirit and infinite potential of all learners, especially students of color, American Indian students and their families.”
Superintendent Valeria Silva bought into this nonsense, engendering a seismic shift in the way discipline was meted out, based on statistics that showed black students being suspended at “alarming rates.” Thus suspension became a last resort, replaced with 20-minute “time outs” and counseling by a behavioral coach before offending students were sent back to the classroom. In the meantime, PEG offered “racial equity” training for teachers and staff, who were tasked with “exploring” their biases and prefacing their opinions with, “As a white man, I believe…” or “As a black woman, I think…” in an effort to discover their subconscious racism.
How’s it working out? Following district spending of more than $3 million on PEG programs over the last five years, local publication CityPages paints a depressing picture:
At John A. Johnson Elementary on the East Side, several teachers, who asked to remain anonymous, describe anything but a learning environment. Students run up and down the hallways, slamming lockers and tearing posters off the walls. They hit and swear at each other, upend garbage cans under teachers' noses.
“We have students who will spend an hour in the hallway just running and hiding from people, like it’s a game for them,” says one despondent teacher. “A lot of them know no one is going to stop them, so they just continue."
More here
Nearly Half of U.S. Can’t Afford Unexpected $400 Bill – Forgo Medical Treatment
(CNSNews)- Nearly half of American households would not be able to afford a $400 emergency, according to a recent report from the Federal Reserve.
The Federal Reserve Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2014 says that 47 percent indicate that they would have great difficulty handling an unexpected $400 expense.
“Specifically, respondents indicate that they simply could not cover the expense (14 percent); would sell something (10 percent); or would rely on one or more means of borrowing to pay for at least part of the expense, including paying with a credit card that they pay off over time (18 percent), borrowing from friends or family (13 percent), or using a payday loan (2 percent),” the report says.
Even though it has been over 5 years since President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, 47 percent of Americans responding to the Federal Reserve study claimed that they “avoided medical treatment because of the cost.”
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[ So this begs the question.. if they can't afford to use it, do they really have health care, or do they just have an insurance bill to pay? --Editor ]
The Federal Reserve Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2014 says that 47 percent indicate that they would have great difficulty handling an unexpected $400 expense.
“Specifically, respondents indicate that they simply could not cover the expense (14 percent); would sell something (10 percent); or would rely on one or more means of borrowing to pay for at least part of the expense, including paying with a credit card that they pay off over time (18 percent), borrowing from friends or family (13 percent), or using a payday loan (2 percent),” the report says.
Even though it has been over 5 years since President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, 47 percent of Americans responding to the Federal Reserve study claimed that they “avoided medical treatment because of the cost.”
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[ So this begs the question.. if they can't afford to use it, do they really have health care, or do they just have an insurance bill to pay? --Editor ]
Senator to Obama: Justify Keeping Trade Deal Secret
As it becomes apparent that most members of Congress haven’t even read the draft of a trade deal criticized by opponents as a monumental surrender of U.S. sovereignty, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., is demanding President Obama explain the legal basis for not releasing the text to the public.
In a letter to Obama delivered Friday, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest noted the president is asking for “fast-track executive authority” to pass the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement and other trade deals. Trade Promotion Authority, Sessions reminded Obama, would take away the most basic congressional powers, including the power to write, amend and fully consider legislation on the floor.
Contending the TPP is more a treaty than a trade deal – creating a “nascent European Union” – the implications are “extraordinary,” Sessions said.
They “ought to be discussed in full, in public,” he said, “before Congress even contemplates fast-tracking its creation and pre-surrendering its power to apply the constitutional two-thirds treaty vote.”
Ratifying a treaty requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate. With fast-track authority, an agreement like the TPP could be passed with only a majority vote of both the Senate and the House, and no amendments would be allowed.
“I would therefore ask that you provide to me the legal and constitutional basis for keeping this information from the public and explain why I cannot share the details of what I have read with the American people,” Sessions wrote in his letter, which was first published by Breitbart News.
Sessions spokesman Stephen Miller told WND that granting fast-track trade authority would give Obama extraordinary powers the senator believes would be detrimental to the nation.
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In a letter to Obama delivered Friday, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest noted the president is asking for “fast-track executive authority” to pass the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement and other trade deals. Trade Promotion Authority, Sessions reminded Obama, would take away the most basic congressional powers, including the power to write, amend and fully consider legislation on the floor.
Contending the TPP is more a treaty than a trade deal – creating a “nascent European Union” – the implications are “extraordinary,” Sessions said.
They “ought to be discussed in full, in public,” he said, “before Congress even contemplates fast-tracking its creation and pre-surrendering its power to apply the constitutional two-thirds treaty vote.”
Ratifying a treaty requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate. With fast-track authority, an agreement like the TPP could be passed with only a majority vote of both the Senate and the House, and no amendments would be allowed.
“I would therefore ask that you provide to me the legal and constitutional basis for keeping this information from the public and explain why I cannot share the details of what I have read with the American people,” Sessions wrote in his letter, which was first published by Breitbart News.
Sessions spokesman Stephen Miller told WND that granting fast-track trade authority would give Obama extraordinary powers the senator believes would be detrimental to the nation.
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Montgomery County making graduation robes gender-neutral
ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) — Three Montgomery County high schools are making graduation robes gender-neutral with one color to respect transgender students.
Damascus, Sherwood and Walter Johnson High Schools have shifted to single-color robes this year, instead of two separate colors for males and females.
At least five others have decided to make the change next year.
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Damascus, Sherwood and Walter Johnson High Schools have shifted to single-color robes this year, instead of two separate colors for males and females.
At least five others have decided to make the change next year.
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Treasury Secretary Lew Jeered, Embarrassed at US Jewish Event
President Obama has Israel's best interests at heart, Lew tells JPost conference - but unprecedented heckling ensues.
U.S. President Barack H. Obama has Israel's best interests at heart, believes his Treasury Secretary Jack Lew – but attendees of the Jerusalem Post Conference taking place in Washington this week weren't buying it.
As Lew proclaimed that “no administration has done more for Israel than the current one,” and that “we do not at all assume that Iran intends to act with innocent intentions,” a large number of audience members began hooting, booing, and yelling “nonsense,” as well as intoning sharper invectives.
Lew continued, saying that the U.S. “strategically assists Israel daily, and we stand against those who question Israel's legitimacy and right to exist.” This, too, earned audience opprobrium.
At one point, Lew was forced to stop speaking and address the audience response, saying that “I understand that we do not agree on everything, but there is no doubt of the commitment of President Obama to the State of Israel.”
More here
U.S. President Barack H. Obama has Israel's best interests at heart, believes his Treasury Secretary Jack Lew – but attendees of the Jerusalem Post Conference taking place in Washington this week weren't buying it.
As Lew proclaimed that “no administration has done more for Israel than the current one,” and that “we do not at all assume that Iran intends to act with innocent intentions,” a large number of audience members began hooting, booing, and yelling “nonsense,” as well as intoning sharper invectives.
Lew continued, saying that the U.S. “strategically assists Israel daily, and we stand against those who question Israel's legitimacy and right to exist.” This, too, earned audience opprobrium.
At one point, Lew was forced to stop speaking and address the audience response, saying that “I understand that we do not agree on everything, but there is no doubt of the commitment of President Obama to the State of Israel.”
More here
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