New York state last week became the largest state in the nation to adopt a “Good Samaritan” law to fight overdose. The law bars arrests and prosecution for personal possession of drugs, paraphernalia or underage drinking when someone calls for help to save the life of an overdose victim.
Overdose—now the leading cause of accidental death in New York and the number one injury-related killer of adults 35-54—is responsible for some 28,000 annual deaths nationally.
Most overdoses occur in the presence of other people and take several hours to cause death. But research finds that in up to half of cases, no one calls for help. 911 calls are also often delayed as witnesses try ineffective methods of reviving people such as slapping them or dousing them with cold water. The most common reason given for not calling 911 or for delaying help-seeking is fear of arrest and prosecution.
“Overall [the new law] really sends a very strong message to law enforcement and the general public that saving lives is much more important than putting people into the criminal justice system,” says Dr. Sharon Stancliff, medical director for the Harm Reduction Coalition (HRC), an organization that advocates for measures to improve the health and lives of drug users, whether or not they desire abstinence.
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Relatives Charged In Murder Of 10-Year-Old Found Locked In Box
CNN) -- Four members of an Arizona family have been charged with murder in the death of a 10-year-old girl whose body was discovered locked in a box outside her family's house. She had suffocated.
The charges were filed Thursday, a day after Phoenix police arrested the four.
Police released a statement saying the four relatives of Ame Deal had been entrusted with caring for her. The arrest came after police said they learned that the family routinely confined her inside the box when she misbehaved.
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The charges were filed Thursday, a day after Phoenix police arrested the four.
Police released a statement saying the four relatives of Ame Deal had been entrusted with caring for her. The arrest came after police said they learned that the family routinely confined her inside the box when she misbehaved.
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World Population Predicted To Hit 7 Billion This Year
If this keeps up, things are going to get crowded.
A new study shows that the earth's population will hit 7 billion in 2011, which is double what it was in the 1960s, according to Discovery News. What's more, researchers predict that another 2.3 billion people will be added to our planet over the next 39 years. In case you were wondering, that's a lot of people in not a lot of time.
A new study shows that the earth's population will hit 7 billion in 2011, which is double what it was in the 1960s, according to Discovery News. What's more, researchers predict that another 2.3 billion people will be added to our planet over the next 39 years. In case you were wondering, that's a lot of people in not a lot of time.
Telomere Length Suggests Poor People Age Faster
CBS) Can being poor speed aging? How about eating poorly? A new Scottish study says yes to both questions, and the answer lies in a person's telomeres.
Which begs the question - what are telomeres? They are the cap-like molecular structures on the tips of the chromosomes that scientists say are closely linked to biological age.
"We know that people who are born with shorter telomeres than normal also have a shorter lifespan," Dr. Maria Blasco of the Spanish National Cancer Research Center in Madrid, told The Independent in May. She created a $700 test that supposedly predicts aging by measuring telomeres.
Alas, Gay Marriage Will Yield Gay Divorce. Prenups Are In Order
As gay couples in New York gear up for the first full weekend during which they're eligible to tie the knot, someone they hope they'll never run into has a few words of caution: be careful.
That someone is the divorce lawyer, the antidote to petits fours and place settings, with an admonishment to homosexual brides- and grooms-to-be to legally protect themselves before saying "I do." “Not to take a bloom off this romantic rose, but as people are lining up for marriage licenses, it's something to think about,” says Lois Liberman, a divorce attorney and partner at Blank Rome LLP, one of New York City's largest matrimonial firms.
Sometimes, the sheer act of getting married is enough to torpedo a relationship. “I would hate to call that a trend, but I've seen people together for 18 years, then they finally got married, and after several years, the chafing of legal bounds do a number on people,” says Liberman.
Brother, Can You Spare A Billion? Apple Has More Cash Than Uncle Sam
An iPod in every pot? The Statue of Liberty holding an iPad in her left hand? Steve Jobs’ on Mount Rushmore? Don’t laugh, considering Apple (Stock Quote: AAPL) now has more cash on hand than the U.S. government.
According to the U.S. Treasury, Uncle Sam closed the day of business on July 27 with $73.768 billion in total operating balance (TOB). In effect, TOB means the amount of money the government can spend before it bumps up against the debt ceiling.
Apple, on the other hand, reported in its June earnings statement that it has $76.156 billion in cash and securities. It’s been a good week for Apple, which is now the biggest smartphone vendor in the world, with 18% market share, according to a new report from Strategy Analytics.
HISTORICAL COMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER
THE LUMBER CAMPS – part 1
One story my grandfather told me many times was about the night he was walking the rails between camps. Walking was his only mode of transportation for short distances and, apparently, served him well. That is, until the night a train approached just as he was crossing a trestle bridge. He knew that he couldn’t make it to either side faster than the train so he slipped over the side and wrapped his arms around one of the railroad ties. After the train passed he tried to scramble back up to the tracks, but couldn’t lift himself up. As it was pitch black, he didn’t have any idea what was underneath him, nor how far down it was. It could have been a long fall to solid ground which would have injured or killed him. It could have been to deep water which posed another problem for him since he couldn’t swim. Concern turned to fatigue and he decided this was the end. He could hang on no longer. He could never recollect just how long he hung there but it was long enough for him to decide that this might just be the end. I could only imagine the thoughts going through my grandfather’s mind at this time. The desperation and sense of life’s final moments must have been terrifying. So, finally, he let go and dropped six inches to solid ground. He was always amused to tell that story on himself, knowing that whoever heard it would like it.
(This is part 3 of my grandfather’s life – part 4 next week)
Salisbury Police Department Press Releases
On July 26, 2011 at approximately 9:02 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police were on routine patrol in the area of North Salisbury Boulevard and observed the below listed suspect who was known to the officers to be wanted on an outstanding warrant for theft. The suspect was stopped and taken into custody. A search of the suspect, incident to arrest, revealed a quantity of suspected “crack”/cocaine and a CDS smoking device containing suspected cocaine residue.
ARRESTED: Amy Ann Collins, 35 years of age Hebron, Maryland
CHARGES:
Wicomico Co. District Court Arrest Warrant-
Theft
Malicious destruction of property
Possession of cocaine
Possession of CDS/Paraphernalia
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 201100028628/201100029197
On July 27, 2011 at approximately 8:52 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police Department received a call to respond to the Walmart Department Store on North Salisbury Boulevard for the report of a shoplifter. Upon arrival the officers met with store security who advised the officers that store employees had observed the below listed suspect take property from the store without making any attempts at payment. The property was recovered from the suspect and was returned to the store.
ARRESTED: Juvenile, 16 years of age Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Theft (under $ 100)
DISPOSITION: Released to guardian
CC # 201100029343
On July 28, 2011 at approximately 9:52 am, Officers of the Salisbury Police arrested the below listed suspect on an outstanding arrest warrant charging the suspect with an assault that occurred on July 5, 2011. On that date the Salisbury Police met with the victim of an assault that occurred at T’s Market on North Salisbury Boulevard. The victim advised that she had been involved in an argument with the below listed suspect who was a family member. During the argument, the suspect struck the victim then threatened the victim with a box cutter type knife. The victim was not injured by the box cutter and did not require medical attention.
ARRESTED: Gina Marie Miller, 32 years of age Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES:
First degree assault
Second degree assault
Reckless endangerment
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 201100025989
ARRESTED: Amy Ann Collins, 35 years of age Hebron, Maryland
CHARGES:
Wicomico Co. District Court Arrest Warrant-
Theft
Malicious destruction of property
Possession of cocaine
Possession of CDS/Paraphernalia
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 201100028628/201100029197
On July 27, 2011 at approximately 8:52 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police Department received a call to respond to the Walmart Department Store on North Salisbury Boulevard for the report of a shoplifter. Upon arrival the officers met with store security who advised the officers that store employees had observed the below listed suspect take property from the store without making any attempts at payment. The property was recovered from the suspect and was returned to the store.
ARRESTED: Juvenile, 16 years of age Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Theft (under $ 100)
DISPOSITION: Released to guardian
CC # 201100029343
On July 28, 2011 at approximately 9:52 am, Officers of the Salisbury Police arrested the below listed suspect on an outstanding arrest warrant charging the suspect with an assault that occurred on July 5, 2011. On that date the Salisbury Police met with the victim of an assault that occurred at T’s Market on North Salisbury Boulevard. The victim advised that she had been involved in an argument with the below listed suspect who was a family member. During the argument, the suspect struck the victim then threatened the victim with a box cutter type knife. The victim was not injured by the box cutter and did not require medical attention.
ARRESTED: Gina Marie Miller, 32 years of age Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES:
First degree assault
Second degree assault
Reckless endangerment
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 201100025989
He's My Brother
Two young boys walked into a pharmacy one day, picked out a box of tampons and proceeded to the checkout counter.
The man at the counter asked the older boy, "Son, how old are you?"
"Eight," the boy replied.
The man continued, "Do you know what these are used for?"
The boy relied, "Not exactly, but they aren't for me. They're for him. He's my brother. He's four. We saw on TV that if you use these you would be able to swim and ride a bike. Right now, he can't do either."
Larry Flynt Says He's Offered Casey Anthony $500,000 To Pose In Hustler
If Larry Flynt has his way, Casey Anthony could reintroduce herself -- nude -- to America on the pages of Hustler magazine, and make well over $500,000 in the process.
The pornography magnate told HLN's "Nancy Grace" show on Thursday night that talks are ongoing that could land Anthony on the pages of his magazine, weeks after a Florida jury acquitted her of murder in her 2-year-old daughter Caylee's death.
Anthony's camp dismissed the report as "nonsense."
But Flynt insisted he was serious about the offer, which he said would include $500,000 up front plus 10% of all profits. He said any payment that the Orlando woman might receive for interviews with media outlets would be "chicken feed" compared to what she'd receive by appearing in Hustler.
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The pornography magnate told HLN's "Nancy Grace" show on Thursday night that talks are ongoing that could land Anthony on the pages of his magazine, weeks after a Florida jury acquitted her of murder in her 2-year-old daughter Caylee's death.
Anthony's camp dismissed the report as "nonsense."
But Flynt insisted he was serious about the offer, which he said would include $500,000 up front plus 10% of all profits. He said any payment that the Orlando woman might receive for interviews with media outlets would be "chicken feed" compared to what she'd receive by appearing in Hustler.
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Five Big Debt Debate Lies
Transparency: After months of dire warnings about not raising the debt ceiling, the public is still not convinced it's a big deal. Maybe that's because they've been repeatedly lied to about what's at stake.
Even with the clock ticking down, twice as many Americans still say lawmakers should vote against a debt ceiling hike as say they should vote for it. President Obama has said this is because the public isn't paying attention.
Just as likely is that they are paying attention, but have been turned off by the many falsehoods being bandied about — most of them by Obama himself. The five big ones:
Aug. 2 is the drop-dead deadline: This has been the White House line for months, and it's so widely accepted that several news outlets have countdown clocks on their sites. It's not true.
The New York Times on Tuesday reported that the government will have enough cash to pay all its bills until Aug. 10. And Wells Fargo Securities chief economist John Silvia says the debt ceiling won't be hit until sometime in September.
We risk defaulting on the debt: Despite countless warnings, there's zero chance the federal government will default, since each month the government takes in far more in taxes and fees than it pays in interest.
The White House itself, while publicly clanging the default alarm, has been privately reassuring banks that it won't default on the debt, even if the debt ceiling isn't raised.
Social Security payments are at risk: "I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on Aug. 3 if we haven't resolved this issue, because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it," Obama claimed earlier this month.
Also a complete fabrication. In June, for example, the government took in more than $250 billion, according to Treasury's monthly report. That was enough to pay that month's worth of interest, plus all Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans benefits, and all Defense and Homeland Security costs, with billions of dollars left over.
A long-term debt ceiling hike is a must: Democrats refuse to sign a short-term hike, claiming that poses a risk to the economy. "A short-term extension would not provide the certainty the markets are looking for," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid claimed. Obama has echoed that concern.
But it's a phony connection. For example, Congress raised the debt ceiling 17 times during President Reagan's eight years in office — an average of once every 5 1/2 months — and the economy boomed.
Obama wants a deal: We can't prove this is a lie, but Obama's given every indication that it is. After all, he's done nothing to lead this to a resolution and plenty to disrupt it, all while claiming he wants an agreement. More likely, Obama thinks a debt crisis he can pin on Republicans is the path to victory in 2012.
There's no question that failing to raise the debt ceiling in a timely fashion would be economically disruptive, if for no other reason than that the economy is so anemic it can ill afford any shock
.
But it's also clear that, even if Congress misses the Tuesday deadline, the sun will still come up Aug. 3, and many of Obama's big lies will be exposed.
Gov’t Trying To Ban Sale Of Your Supplements
Sen. Orrin Hatch blasted a new bill that health experts are calling a government takeover of the vitamin industry.
New legislation proposed by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., earlier this month would crack down on the testing, labeling, and sale of dietary supplements nationwide.
“I don’t know why we should add more regulation when what we have on the books is working,” Hatch, a Utah Republican, told Newsmax.
The increased regulation almost certainly will deny many Americans easy, affordable access to the natural health products they rely on daily, experts warn.
“This unnecessary power grab would benefit FDA regulators and pharmaceutical companies by taking their competitors off the market, and it would harm the American public,” says Michelle Minton, director of the Insurance Studies Project at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a Washington D.C. watchdog group.
Sens. Durbin and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., quietly submitted the Dietary Supplement Labeling Act of 2011 over the July 4th weekend.
Despite its innocuous title, the bill would force a massive reclassification of food additives and dietary supplements to be managed by the Food and Drug Administration.
Durbin’s bill was made public on the same day the FDA issued proposed new guidelines that would alter the way the agency approves and polices vitamins and dietary supplements.
“Regulatory hurdles such as these are a means by which government bureaucrats get in the way of individuals’ ability to make their own decisions about their healthcare,” warns Minton.
The combination of the two anti-supplement initiatives would force natural health manufacturers to submit to expensive government testing, adopt new labeling, and compete for market share with well-funded pharmaceutical makers who already have long-standing and mutually lucrative relationships with the FDA, health industry insiders say.
Popular supplements now being sold without government interference would be removed from shelves, in some cases for years, pending FDA tests and approval. The cost of all dietary supplements would likely spike as a result of the additional regulatory burden.
Under existing law, the FDA already has enough authority to ensure supplement safety, said Sen. Hatch. “In fact, several former FDA commissioners have said that the agency already has the appropriate and sufficient level of oversight of this industry," he said. "I don't know why we should add more regulation when what we have on the books is working."
Read more on Newsmax
New legislation proposed by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., earlier this month would crack down on the testing, labeling, and sale of dietary supplements nationwide.
“I don’t know why we should add more regulation when what we have on the books is working,” Hatch, a Utah Republican, told Newsmax.
The increased regulation almost certainly will deny many Americans easy, affordable access to the natural health products they rely on daily, experts warn.
“This unnecessary power grab would benefit FDA regulators and pharmaceutical companies by taking their competitors off the market, and it would harm the American public,” says Michelle Minton, director of the Insurance Studies Project at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a Washington D.C. watchdog group.
Sens. Durbin and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., quietly submitted the Dietary Supplement Labeling Act of 2011 over the July 4th weekend.
Despite its innocuous title, the bill would force a massive reclassification of food additives and dietary supplements to be managed by the Food and Drug Administration.
Durbin’s bill was made public on the same day the FDA issued proposed new guidelines that would alter the way the agency approves and polices vitamins and dietary supplements.
“Regulatory hurdles such as these are a means by which government bureaucrats get in the way of individuals’ ability to make their own decisions about their healthcare,” warns Minton.
The combination of the two anti-supplement initiatives would force natural health manufacturers to submit to expensive government testing, adopt new labeling, and compete for market share with well-funded pharmaceutical makers who already have long-standing and mutually lucrative relationships with the FDA, health industry insiders say.
Popular supplements now being sold without government interference would be removed from shelves, in some cases for years, pending FDA tests and approval. The cost of all dietary supplements would likely spike as a result of the additional regulatory burden.
Under existing law, the FDA already has enough authority to ensure supplement safety, said Sen. Hatch. “In fact, several former FDA commissioners have said that the agency already has the appropriate and sufficient level of oversight of this industry," he said. "I don't know why we should add more regulation when what we have on the books is working."
Read more on Newsmax
Readers’ Choice – 07/30/2011
These were the most popular posts for July 29th, judged by the most approved comments.
Today In History – 07/30/2011
1502 - Christopher Columbus landed at Guanaja in the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras during his fourth voyage.
1619 - The first representative assembly in America convened in Jamestown, VA. (House of Burgesses)
1729 - The city of Baltimore was founded in Maryland.
1733 - The first Freemasons lodge opened in what would later become the United States.
1889 - Vladimir Zworykin, called the "Father of Television" was born in Russia. He invented the iconoscope.
1898 - "Scientific America" carried the first magazine automobile ad. The ad was for the Winton Motor Car Company of Cleveland, OH.
1932 - Walt Disney's "Flowers and Trees" premiered. It was the first Academy Award winning cartoon and first cartoon short to use Technicolor.
Disney movies, music and books
1937 - The American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA) was organized as a part of the American Federation of Labor.
1942 - The WAVES were created by legislation signed by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The members of the Women's Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service were a part of the U.S. Navy.
1945 - The USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. The ship had just delivered key components of the Hiroshima atomic bomb to the Pacific island of Tinian. Only 316 out of 1,196 men aboard survived the attack.
1956 - The phrase "In God We Trust" was adopted as the U.S. national motto.
1965 - U.S. President Johnson signed into law Social Security Act that established Medicare and Medicaid. It went into effect the following year.
1968 - Ron Hansen of the Washington Senators made the first unassisted triple play in the major leagues in 41 years.
1974 - The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee voted to impeach President Nixon for blocking the Watergate investigation and for abuse of power.
1975 - Jimmy Hoffa, former Teamsters union president, disappeared in Michigan. His remains were never found.
1987 - Indian troops arrived in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, to disarm the Tamil Tigers and enforce a peace pact.
1990 - The first Saturn automobile rolled off the assembly line.
1996 - A federal law enforcement source said that security guard Richard Jewell had become the focus of the investigation into the bombing at Centennial Olympic Park. Jewell was later cleared as a suspect.
1997 - 14 Israelis were killed in a double suicide bombing in a Jerusalem marketplace. The Islamist group Hamas claimed responsibility for the bombings.
1998 - A group of Ohio machine-shop workers (who call themselves the Lucky 13) won the $295.7 million Powerball jackpot. It was the largest-ever American lottery.
2000 - Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt were married.
2001 - Lance Armstrong became the first American to win three consecutive Tours de France.
2003 - In Mexico, the last 'old style' Volkswagon Beetle rolled off an assembly line.
Word of the Day – 07/30/2011
glossolalia
(GLOSS-uh-LAY-lee-uh)
n. meaningless speech uttered in a state of religious ecstasy or trance.
from Rare Words II by Jan and Hallie Leighton; copyright 2008: Levenger Press
Quote of the Day – 07/30/2011
“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”
- Thomas A. Edison (1847 - 1931), (attributed)
from 
Today’s Weather – 07/30/2011
for Salisbury, MD -
Today -
Partly cloudy. Hot. High 93F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight -
Partly cloudy skies. Low 71F. Winds light and variable.
Tomorrow -
Mainly sunny. High 91F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
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