DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Wednesday, January 07, 2015
Black Guerrilla Family gang sends armed man to 'test security' at Baltimore police station
A member of the Black Guerrilla Family (BGF) gang, armed with a loaded .22 caliber handgun, walked into a Baltimore police station on Tuesday in order to test its security, police said.
Baltimore police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts said the 29-year-old man walked into the Northeastern District station “fully armed and loaded with drugs on him,” The Baltimore Sun reported.
More
Baltimore police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts said the 29-year-old man walked into the Northeastern District station “fully armed and loaded with drugs on him,” The Baltimore Sun reported.
More
Islamist gunmen kill at least 12, wound 15 inside Paris satirical publication
Black-clad gunmen open fire inside Paris offices of satirical publication Charlie Hebdo -- known for lampooning Islamic radicals, including publishing a cover caricature of the Prophet Mohammed -- killing at least 12 and injuring as many as 15. Witnesses say the gunmen yelled, 'We've avenged the honor of the prophet!' before escaping. Police and several journalists reportedly are among the dead.
More
More
More Delays
The Postal Service has delayed part of its plan for closing 82 mail processing centers this year. The closures are to start this month. But for at least ten of the facilities, that date has been pushed to April. GovExec reports a spokesman said the Postal Service wants to wait until after potential bad weather passes. Members of Congress have objected to the closure plan. A majority of Senators and 160 House members signed a letter to Postmaster General Patrick Donohoe, asking him to delay the closures for one year. Shutdown of facilities the Postal Service deemed unnecessary started in 2012. So far Postal has closed 141 plants.
Sharyl Attkisson sues administration over computer hacking
Former CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson has sued the Justice Department over the hacking of her computers, officially accusing the Obama administration of illegal surveillance while she was reporting on administration scandals.
In a series of legal filings that seek $35 million in damages, Attkisson alleges that three separate computer forensic exams showed that hackers used sophisticated methods to surreptitiously monitor her work between 2011 and 2013.
"I just think it's important to send a message that people shouldn't be victimized and throw up their hands and think there's nothing they can do and they're powerless," Attkisson said in an interview.
The department has steadfastly denied any involvement in the hacking, saying in a 2013 statement: "To our knowledge, the Justice Department has never compromised Ms. Attkisson's computers, or otherwise sought any information from or concerning any telephone, computer, or other media device she may own or use."
More
In a series of legal filings that seek $35 million in damages, Attkisson alleges that three separate computer forensic exams showed that hackers used sophisticated methods to surreptitiously monitor her work between 2011 and 2013.
"I just think it's important to send a message that people shouldn't be victimized and throw up their hands and think there's nothing they can do and they're powerless," Attkisson said in an interview.
The department has steadfastly denied any involvement in the hacking, saying in a 2013 statement: "To our knowledge, the Justice Department has never compromised Ms. Attkisson's computers, or otherwise sought any information from or concerning any telephone, computer, or other media device she may own or use."
More
Brian Frosh is sworn in as Maryland attorney general, warns of cuts in programs
.jpg)
Referring to budget reductions absorbed by the attorney general’s office in recent years and a shortfall that Hogan says will lead to more, Democrat Brian E. Frosh said: “Every year we say bravely that we will do more with less. The truth is that we will do less with less.”
Frosh, a five-term state senator, was sworn in as Maryland’s 46th attorney general in the House’s chamber, where he began his legislative career as a state delegate nearly 30 years ago.
GM Will Use OnStar To Zap Coupons Into Your Car
OnStar is General Motors’ in-car information service that does everything for you from call for help when it detects an accident to offering the kind of information and directions that most people now get from our smartphones. Now GM has a new offering to tempt new GM owners to subscribe to OnStar: special location-based coupons beamed right to their vehicles.
Sayonara Global Economy
The surreal nature of this world as we enter 2015 feels like being trapped in a Fellini movie. The .1% party like it’s 1999, central bankers not only don’t take away the punch bowl – they spike it with 200% grain alcohol, the purveyors of propaganda in the mainstream media encourage the party to reach Caligula orgy levels, the captured political class and their government apparatchiks propagate manipulated and massaged economic data to convince the masses their standard of living isn’t really deteriorating, and the entire façade is supposedly validated by all-time highs in the stock market. It’s nothing but mass delusion perpetuated by the issuance of prodigious amounts of debt by central bankers around the globe. And nowhere has the obliteration of a currency through money printing been more flagrant than in the land of the setting sun – Japan. The leaders of this former economic juggernaut have chosen to commit hari-kari on behalf of the Japanese people, while enriching the elite, insiders, bankers, and their global banking co-conspirators.
Japan is just the point of the global debt spear in a world gone mad. Total world debt, excluding financial firms, now exceeds $100 trillion. The worldwide banking syndicate has an additional $130 trillion of debt on their insolvent books. As if this wasn’t enough, there are over $700 trillion of derivatives of mass destruction layered on top in this pyramid of debt. Just five Too Big To Trust Wall Street banks control 95% of the $302 trillion U.S. derivatives market. The reason Jamie Dimon and the rest of the leaders of the Wall Street criminal syndicate commanded their politician puppets in Congress to reverse the Dodd Frank rule on separating derivatives trading from normal bank lending is because these high stakes gamblers want to shift their future losses onto the backs of middle class taxpayers – again. The bankers, with the full support of their captured Washington politicians, will abscond with the deposits of the people to pay for their system destroying risk taking, just as they did in 2008 by holding taxpayers hostage for a $700 billion bailout.
More
Japan is just the point of the global debt spear in a world gone mad. Total world debt, excluding financial firms, now exceeds $100 trillion. The worldwide banking syndicate has an additional $130 trillion of debt on their insolvent books. As if this wasn’t enough, there are over $700 trillion of derivatives of mass destruction layered on top in this pyramid of debt. Just five Too Big To Trust Wall Street banks control 95% of the $302 trillion U.S. derivatives market. The reason Jamie Dimon and the rest of the leaders of the Wall Street criminal syndicate commanded their politician puppets in Congress to reverse the Dodd Frank rule on separating derivatives trading from normal bank lending is because these high stakes gamblers want to shift their future losses onto the backs of middle class taxpayers – again. The bankers, with the full support of their captured Washington politicians, will abscond with the deposits of the people to pay for their system destroying risk taking, just as they did in 2008 by holding taxpayers hostage for a $700 billion bailout.
More
NEWS IN NUMBERS
1,300
Number of personal texts sent in 2014 from the city-issued cell phone of the head of the utilities and engineering department of Yakima, Wash. The manager got a 10-day unpaid suspension for unauthorized use of city resources.
YAKIMA HERALD REPUBLIC | JANUARY 6, 2015
$349 million
Amount NASA spent to construct a laboratory tower in Gulfport, Miss., that will never be used. The tower, completed in 2014, was designed to test a rocket program that was cancelled in 2010.
GIZMODO | DECEMBER 31, 2014
12:1
Approximate ratio of Christmas trees to people in Oregon. The state sells 6.4 million tress a year, 2 million more than any other state.
MASHABLE | DECEMBER 23, 2014
1,300
Number of students, which is 17 percent of the total number enrolled, who stayed home sick with the flu last Tuesday in the Polk County, Ga., school system, leading the superintendent to cancel classes and start the winter break early.
WXIA-TV | DECEMBER 22, 2014
9
Percent of American eighth-graders who used an e-cigarette in the previous month, compared to 4 percent who had smoked an actual cigarette.
THE WASHINGTON TIMES | DECEMBER 19, 2014
$3.5 billion
The potential budget deficit of the state of Alaska, where the falling price of oil is causing severe problems for a state budget based almost entirely on petroleum production.
ALASKA DISPATCH NEWS | DECEMBER 18, 2014
$680,000
Average amount U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials paid in 2012 to build each of 21 houses for employees in rural Ajo, Ariz., where the average market price of a house was $86,500.
USA TODAY | DECEMBER 17, 2014
79
Percent of New York's public housing units deemed “deficient” by the city housing authority.
HARPER'S | DECEMBER 16, 2014
36
Number of New York City police officers wearing body cameras as part of a pilot program started this fall.
HARPER'S | DECEMBER 15, 2014
22%
Portion of Vermonters who say they consider religion important and regularly attend religious services. Vermont is the least religious state in the country.
MENTAL FLOSS | DECEMBER 12, 2014
34,000
Number of rental units available in Washington, D.C., for under $800 a month, which is slightly more than half the number available in 2005 when adjusted for inflation.
THE URBAN INSTITUTE | DECEMBER 11, 2014
$1.4 million
The increase in New Jersey's annual debt payments, due to new, higher yield bonds issued by the state last week.
GOVERNING | DECEMBER 10, 2014
60,000
Amount of food (in equivalent hot dogs) consumed by ants in New York City that live on the medians on Broadway, according to a recent study.
SMITHSONIAN | DECEMBER 8, 2014
$219,000
Cost of a custom-built conference table purchased by Kean University, a public college in New Jersey, prompting students to petition the school's board of trustees to fire Kean's president.
USA TODAY | DECEMBER 5, 2014
13
Number of school districts in Kentucky where instead of getting snow days, students will work on assignments and attend lessons online.
TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE | DECEMBER 4, 2014
$892 million
The projected gap between revenue and expenses for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for the next fiscal year. Metro wants the eight municipalities served to pay the difference or risk service cutbacks.
THE WASHINGTON POST | DECEMBER 3, 2014
$200 billion
Increase in municipal securities and loans held by banks between 2009 and 2014.
GOVERNING | DECEMBER 1, 2014
CDC: Alcohol Poisoning Deaths
States and communities can take steps to reduce alcohol poisoning deaths by preventing binge drinking, including:
- Partnering with police, community groups, health departments, and doctors, nurses, and other health care providers to reduce binge drinking and related harms.
- Tracking the role of alcohol in injuries and deaths.
- Supporting proven programs and policies that decrease binge drinking. States with stronger alcohol policies have less binge drinking.
Hogan looks outside Md. for transportation secretary, turns to former rival for planning
Maryland Gov.-elect Larry Hogan is expected to pick a transportation secretary from out of state and name one of his Republican primary rivals as secretary of planning, according to several people familiar with the picks.
Hogan (R) will soon name Pete Rahn, who has held transportation posts in New Mexico and Missouri, as Maryland’s next transportation secretary, those familiar with the picks said. Hogan will name David R. Craig, the former Harford County executive, as planning secretary, they said.
The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss about appointments they are not authorized to announce.
Hogan, who takes office Jan. 21, was scheduled to hold a news conference at noon Tuesday to announce his latest Cabinet picks. The event was postponed due to the snowy weather.
More
Hogan (R) will soon name Pete Rahn, who has held transportation posts in New Mexico and Missouri, as Maryland’s next transportation secretary, those familiar with the picks said. Hogan will name David R. Craig, the former Harford County executive, as planning secretary, they said.
The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss about appointments they are not authorized to announce.
Hogan, who takes office Jan. 21, was scheduled to hold a news conference at noon Tuesday to announce his latest Cabinet picks. The event was postponed due to the snowy weather.
More
A Police Veterans Story
WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO MAKE A CAREER IN LAW ENFORCEMENT?
I always wanted to be a cop. From the time I was a small child when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up was always "Cop." In grade school, I was always a member of the school safety patrol and I just knew law enforcement was my calling.
WHAT WAS YOUR CAREER PATH AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW?
My career path actually chose me. I was one of those cops who could step on a banana peel and not slip and fall. Patrol was my thing. I did a short tour in the juvenile unit and another short time in detectives but patrol was where I spent most of my time.
As a Reserve Unit Captain, I also was responsible for the Internal Affairs functions within the department. Not too many problems on a small department but it saved the Chief some hours of work while allowing him to remain impartial in disciplinary matters.
Since getting out of law enforcement I have been a litigation investigator, dabbled with writing a book or two. I am now retired and enjoying volunteering with Police Together We Served.
DID YOU SERVE IN THE MILITARY PRIOR? AND IF SO, IN WHAT BRANCH OF SERVICE? IN WHAT WAYS HAS MILITARY SERVICE INFLUENCED YOUR CAREER IN LAW ENFORCEMENT?
My first exposure to law enforcement came when I was a young Marine. While recovering from a combat wound, I was sent to Okinawa to heal. Upon my arrival there, I was further assigned to the Armed Forces Police (AFP) unit until I returned to Vietnam. Once back in country, I was assigned to the MP company for the 1st Marine Division. When I finally rotated back to the States, I was assigned to the 5th Marine Division MP's at Camp Pendleton, CA.
After a second tour in Vietnam, I returned to the States and was assigned to the MP's at MCAS El Toro until my final discharge from the USMC.
While at El Toro, I applied at the Washington DC PD, Sky Marshalls and LAPD. I was accepted at all three and chose LAPD where I began the Academy two days after my discharge.
I always wanted to be a cop. From the time I was a small child when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up was always "Cop." In grade school, I was always a member of the school safety patrol and I just knew law enforcement was my calling.
WHAT WAS YOUR CAREER PATH AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW?
My career path actually chose me. I was one of those cops who could step on a banana peel and not slip and fall. Patrol was my thing. I did a short tour in the juvenile unit and another short time in detectives but patrol was where I spent most of my time.
As a Reserve Unit Captain, I also was responsible for the Internal Affairs functions within the department. Not too many problems on a small department but it saved the Chief some hours of work while allowing him to remain impartial in disciplinary matters.
Since getting out of law enforcement I have been a litigation investigator, dabbled with writing a book or two. I am now retired and enjoying volunteering with Police Together We Served.
DID YOU SERVE IN THE MILITARY PRIOR? AND IF SO, IN WHAT BRANCH OF SERVICE? IN WHAT WAYS HAS MILITARY SERVICE INFLUENCED YOUR CAREER IN LAW ENFORCEMENT?
My first exposure to law enforcement came when I was a young Marine. While recovering from a combat wound, I was sent to Okinawa to heal. Upon my arrival there, I was further assigned to the Armed Forces Police (AFP) unit until I returned to Vietnam. Once back in country, I was assigned to the MP company for the 1st Marine Division. When I finally rotated back to the States, I was assigned to the 5th Marine Division MP's at Camp Pendleton, CA.
After a second tour in Vietnam, I returned to the States and was assigned to the MP's at MCAS El Toro until my final discharge from the USMC.
While at El Toro, I applied at the Washington DC PD, Sky Marshalls and LAPD. I was accepted at all three and chose LAPD where I began the Academy two days after my discharge.
Delauter to The News-Post: Don't use my name without permission
Frederick County Councilman Kirby Delauter wrote on social media that he plans to sue The Frederick News-Post if his name or any reference to him appears in print without his permission.
In a Facebook status posted Saturday, Delauter said he was upset with reporter Bethany Rodgers for “an unauthorized use of my name and my reference in her article” published Jan. 3 about his and Councilman Billy Shreve's concerns over County Council parking spaces.
“So let me be clear............do not contact me and do not use my name or reference me in an unauthorized form in the future,” Delauter, R-District 5, said in a Facebook status update.
The post had garnered more than 45 "likes" and roughly 50 comments by Monday night. Rodgers responded to Delauter's post Sunday afternoon, stating she will continue to contact the councilman for comment as well as print his name and reference in the newspaper.
“First of all, there is no requirement to get a person's authorization in order to mention them in the paper, particularly if that person is an elected official,” Rodgers wrote in a comment below the original post. “It is not just our right but our responsibility to report on people like you, who occupy positions of trust in our government, and I make no apologies for doing that.”
Delauter said he would pursue legal action if his name or reference were published again.
“Use my name again unauthorized and you'll be paying for an Attorney,” Delauter wrote. “Your rights stop where mine start.”
More
In a Facebook status posted Saturday, Delauter said he was upset with reporter Bethany Rodgers for “an unauthorized use of my name and my reference in her article” published Jan. 3 about his and Councilman Billy Shreve's concerns over County Council parking spaces.
“So let me be clear............do not contact me and do not use my name or reference me in an unauthorized form in the future,” Delauter, R-District 5, said in a Facebook status update.
The post had garnered more than 45 "likes" and roughly 50 comments by Monday night. Rodgers responded to Delauter's post Sunday afternoon, stating she will continue to contact the councilman for comment as well as print his name and reference in the newspaper.
“First of all, there is no requirement to get a person's authorization in order to mention them in the paper, particularly if that person is an elected official,” Rodgers wrote in a comment below the original post. “It is not just our right but our responsibility to report on people like you, who occupy positions of trust in our government, and I make no apologies for doing that.”
Delauter said he would pursue legal action if his name or reference were published again.
“Use my name again unauthorized and you'll be paying for an Attorney,” Delauter wrote. “Your rights stop where mine start.”
More
Toyota Plans Commercial Release Of Hydrogen Fueled Mirai This Fall
Alternative fuel-loving consumers received a bit of good news Monday during Toyota’s CES press conference. The company plans to offer its hydrogen fueled vehicle – Mirai – for consumer purchase this fall.
Toyota To Offer Royalty-Free Use Of Fuel Cell Patents To Jump-Start Production Of “Hydrogen Society”
Toyota didn’t exactly announce any new products at its CES press conference on Monday, but the company did give a gift to its competitors: royalty-free use of its hydrogen fuel cell patents. While some companies might feel the need to fiercely guard such game-changing technology, officials at Toyota say sharing the information could mark a turning point in automotive history.
Verizon Approaches AOL about Possible Takeover
Verizon Communications approached AOL about a potential acquisition or joint venture to expand its mobile-video offerings, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
AOL shares surged on the news in premarket trading Tuesday. (Get the latest quote here.)
Verizon has not made a formal proposal to AOL, and no agreement is imminent, Bloomberg said, citing people who asked not to be named.
A joint venture, if formed, would focus on advertising technology, Bloomberg cited one of the people as saying.
More
AOL shares surged on the news in premarket trading Tuesday. (Get the latest quote here.)
Verizon has not made a formal proposal to AOL, and no agreement is imminent, Bloomberg said, citing people who asked not to be named.
A joint venture, if formed, would focus on advertising technology, Bloomberg cited one of the people as saying.
More
WHY WE MUST STAND UP TO THE PROPOSED PMT.
Every time I hear or see this, I wonder if they ever think about how much Maryland Residents produce. "Every year, Maryland produces enough poultry waste to fill M&T Bank Stadium two times"
The average 150 lb adult human produces 4.5 lbs of manure per day. The average 4 lb chicken produces 0.25 lbs per day. So it's 18 adult chickens for every 1 adult human. An adult human produces manure all year but a broiler is for only a handful of weeks.
I would bet that if you do the math, the 360 million chickens that are grown per year in Maryland produce a fraction of the amount of manure Marylanders produce per year.
In addition to this, the poultry manure is spread on hundreds or thousands of acres of farm ground, incorporated into the soil within 72 hours on ground (that is so flat that there is very little to no runoff) and taken up by the growing crop that is planted in that soil. Then compare that to the human manure that is treated in a sewer system yet still has the nutrients it and then directly discharged into a tributary of the Bay.
No one wants to talk about this as it is too expensive to address. We as Farmers need to quit complaining about what they say and just one up their accusations with facts about what they produce and how minor Ag is to the effects on the bay.
Just some food for thought.
The average 150 lb adult human produces 4.5 lbs of manure per day. The average 4 lb chicken produces 0.25 lbs per day. So it's 18 adult chickens for every 1 adult human. An adult human produces manure all year but a broiler is for only a handful of weeks.
I would bet that if you do the math, the 360 million chickens that are grown per year in Maryland produce a fraction of the amount of manure Marylanders produce per year.
In addition to this, the poultry manure is spread on hundreds or thousands of acres of farm ground, incorporated into the soil within 72 hours on ground (that is so flat that there is very little to no runoff) and taken up by the growing crop that is planted in that soil. Then compare that to the human manure that is treated in a sewer system yet still has the nutrients it and then directly discharged into a tributary of the Bay.
No one wants to talk about this as it is too expensive to address. We as Farmers need to quit complaining about what they say and just one up their accusations with facts about what they produce and how minor Ag is to the effects on the bay.
Just some food for thought.
The Pet Food Test Results
Association for Truth in Pet Food announces the publication of The Pet Food Test Results. This history making project is all thanks to some very determined pet food consumers. What we found is truly shocking and sad.
Bill Gross Sees No Rate Incre Until Late 2015, If at All
Bill Gross, the former manager of the world’s largest bond fund, said the Federal Reserve won’t raise interest rates until late this year “if at all” as falling oil prices and a stronger U.S. dollar limit the central bank’s room to increase borrowing costs.
While the Fed has concluded its three rounds of asset purchases, known as quantitative easing, interest rates in almost all developed economies will remain near zero as central banks in Europe and Japan embark on similar projects, Gross said today in an outlook published on the website of Janus Capital Group Inc.(JNS:US), where he runs the $1.2 billion Janus Global Unconstrained Bond Fund.
“With the U.S. dollar strengthening and oil prices declining, it is hard to see even the Fed raising short rates until late in 2015, if at all,” he said. “With much of the benefit from loose monetary policies already priced into the markets, a more conservative investment approach may be warranted by maintaining some cash balances. Be prepared for low returns in almost all asset categories.”
More
While the Fed has concluded its three rounds of asset purchases, known as quantitative easing, interest rates in almost all developed economies will remain near zero as central banks in Europe and Japan embark on similar projects, Gross said today in an outlook published on the website of Janus Capital Group Inc.(JNS:US), where he runs the $1.2 billion Janus Global Unconstrained Bond Fund.
“With the U.S. dollar strengthening and oil prices declining, it is hard to see even the Fed raising short rates until late in 2015, if at all,” he said. “With much of the benefit from loose monetary policies already priced into the markets, a more conservative investment approach may be warranted by maintaining some cash balances. Be prepared for low returns in almost all asset categories.”
More
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)