BERLIN — The middle-aged German was enjoying cooling down in the waters of a rural lake when he was approached by a woman who had a request: Would he please put on a bathing suit?
"There are children around, after all," she said.
"Including my son, who's also without a suit," he replied. She splashed off, angry at the impasse, as another woman approached, nodded at the woman who was leaving, and noted, simply and using the slang term for West Germans: "Wessies. Prudes."
It's summer in Germany, which means nakedness abounds. In the cities, in the countryside, at lakes and beaches, in city parks, even sometimes in restaurants and certainly in yards where yard work needs doing, Germans who've shed their clothes are visible to all. Indoor public pools have "naked days." There are naked mountain hiking trails. In the winter, some places offer naked sledding.
Yet while the German newspaper Die Welt once famously observed "Only naked are all Germans equal," the reality is that 25 years after East and West Germany became a single Germany, one great divide remains: Those who spend their days naked, and those who don't.
The divide goes to the very top. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who grew up in the East, reportedly prefers nude bathing, though she hasn't since becoming the world's most powerful woman (those who have seen her swimming recently note that she appears almost embarrassed at wearing a suit, but the prospect of having nude photos appear on the front page of newspapers worldwide is a clear deterrent).
A 2014 Expedia.com survey of 11,000 people from 24 countries found nude bathing was most popular among Germans. The poll found that 28 percent of Germans said they had sunbathed naked on a beach. The numbers were similar in the very similar Austria, then dropped significantly to Norway and Spain (both 17 percent). Japan had the lowest numbers of nude bathers, 2 percent. A summary of the poll by the travel website didn't discuss nude bathing in the United States.
Old polls from East Germany noted 80 percent of East Germans bathed nude.
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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
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Ideological billionaires sway universities’ agendas with big bucks
Two years ago, liberal billionaire George Soros gave $675,000 from his Open Society Foundation to support the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Civic Media.
“The MIT Center for Civic Media works hand in hand with diverse communities to collaboratively create, design, deploy, and assess civic media tools and practices,” the Center’s website explains.
The Center has worked to promote the Black Lives Matter movement through so-called digital activism, did a case study mapping out how the Trayvon Martin incident in Florida became a national news event, and has developed online tools for citizens to hold their elected leaders accountable for promises made on the campaign trail.
It has also developed undergraduate and graduate courses in civic media for MIT students teaching them about social movements and the media, among others and hosts a number of conferences, panels and writes publications espousing digital activism.
Mr. Soros’s foundation gave $26.4 million in grants and projects to U.S. universities in 2013 alone, just one of several ideological billionaires who are using part of their wealth to shape the agenda, research and curricula at the college level where the next generation of American adults are being informed.
Tom Steyer, the billionaire environmental activist, gave $40 million to Stanford University to create the TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy in 2009 with the mission of helping educate and train the next generation of leaders in sustainable energy.
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a fierce gun control advocate, foundation has given to the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, which resides under the aptly-named John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Mr. Bloomberg has given more than $1 billion to Johns Hopkins’ various departments in his lifetime.
Liberals aren’t the only ones. On the right, the Koch brothers, Charles and David, have given more than $68 million to fund libertarian, free-market university programs from 2005 to 2013, with about half of those donations going to George Mason University.
Monies given to the MIT Center for Civic Media are used to teach, track and monitor how social media can influence the broader media dialog.
“There’s actually a bunch of different ways to make change. One way to make change is to pass laws and get them enforced. Another is to try to change people’s opinions directly, and that’s what I see a lot of people trying to do with digital activism they’re trying to change social norms, they’re trying to say ‘Look, in a country with a black president we believe we are post-racial, but we’re not. We have terrible bias and we have to learn how to see it,’” Ethan Zuckerman, the director of MIT’s Center for Civic Media, said in an August interview with NPR.
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“The MIT Center for Civic Media works hand in hand with diverse communities to collaboratively create, design, deploy, and assess civic media tools and practices,” the Center’s website explains.
The Center has worked to promote the Black Lives Matter movement through so-called digital activism, did a case study mapping out how the Trayvon Martin incident in Florida became a national news event, and has developed online tools for citizens to hold their elected leaders accountable for promises made on the campaign trail.
It has also developed undergraduate and graduate courses in civic media for MIT students teaching them about social movements and the media, among others and hosts a number of conferences, panels and writes publications espousing digital activism.
Mr. Soros’s foundation gave $26.4 million in grants and projects to U.S. universities in 2013 alone, just one of several ideological billionaires who are using part of their wealth to shape the agenda, research and curricula at the college level where the next generation of American adults are being informed.
Tom Steyer, the billionaire environmental activist, gave $40 million to Stanford University to create the TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy in 2009 with the mission of helping educate and train the next generation of leaders in sustainable energy.
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a fierce gun control advocate, foundation has given to the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, which resides under the aptly-named John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Mr. Bloomberg has given more than $1 billion to Johns Hopkins’ various departments in his lifetime.
Liberals aren’t the only ones. On the right, the Koch brothers, Charles and David, have given more than $68 million to fund libertarian, free-market university programs from 2005 to 2013, with about half of those donations going to George Mason University.
Monies given to the MIT Center for Civic Media are used to teach, track and monitor how social media can influence the broader media dialog.
“There’s actually a bunch of different ways to make change. One way to make change is to pass laws and get them enforced. Another is to try to change people’s opinions directly, and that’s what I see a lot of people trying to do with digital activism they’re trying to change social norms, they’re trying to say ‘Look, in a country with a black president we believe we are post-racial, but we’re not. We have terrible bias and we have to learn how to see it,’” Ethan Zuckerman, the director of MIT’s Center for Civic Media, said in an August interview with NPR.
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Worcester Attorney Bloxom To Retire; County Looks To Fill Post In Near Future
“There comes a time when it’s time for the younger generation to step up and take over,” Bloxom said.
The Pocomoke lawyer, who has served as the county attorney for the past eight years, plans to move with his wife to Florida after Christmas. His last day as a Worcester County employee will be Dec. 18.
“I’ve just come to the point in my life I want to retire and do some things I want to do,” Bloxom said. “I want to travel while I have my health.”
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Feds Tackle Illegal Guns In Baltimore
Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein is vowing to aggressively prosecute some city gun cases to help Baltimore combat its crime surge.
Rosenstein notes federal sentences are often tougher than those imposed in state court with defendants usually having to serve the full federal term without the possibility of probation or parole.
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Busy Day For First Responders In Ocean City
Busy Day For First Responders In Ocean City A 45-year-old man died around 5 p.m. today on the way to the hospital after...
Posted by The Dispatch on Saturday, August 29, 2015
These are the ‘Racist’ Words That Led to Reporter’s Horrific Murder on Live TV
Earlier this week the nation was left stunned when TV news reporter Alison Parker and her cameraman Adam Ward were murdered on live television by Vester Flanagan, a former reporter who claimed the motivation for his evil deed was to start a race war.
Flanagan claimed Parker said racist things, which is one of the reasons he targeted her specifically.
Well, we now know the list of phrases she used that ultimately sealed her fate, and to call them “racist” is absurd.
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Flanagan claimed Parker said racist things, which is one of the reasons he targeted her specifically.
Well, we now know the list of phrases she used that ultimately sealed her fate, and to call them “racist” is absurd.
More
Salisbury’s Biggest Discount Shopping Event – One Weekend Only
Coastal Kids Consignment Sale Returns to the WY&CC September 10-12
Salisbury, MD – Coastal Kids Consignment offers area families the opportunity to sell, shop and save on high quality, gently used merchandise for infants to juniors and maternity. Continuing its tradition, financial and in-kind donations will be distributed to Hope and Life Outreach Ministries (HALO) of Salisbury MD; Life Crisis of Salisbury, MD; Eastern Shore Pregnancy Center of Salisbury, MD and several other Churches and local shelters.
Preparing for the kids to go back to school and the fast approaching holiday gift giving seasons can put a crunch on any family’s budget. Coastal Kids Consignment event has brought together thousands of ways to get what you need at a fraction of the price. The one stop opportunity to find fall and winter season items at 60-90% off retail is a not to miss event!
Shoppers will find numerous bargains on clothing, costumes, shoes, toys, baby gear, strollers, pack and plays, bounce chairs, sports equipment, outdoor play items and much more! The 3 day consignment sale featured 130 local families and over 18,000 items for sale at the last Salisbury event and continues to grow in popularity. Laid out like a retail store, shopping is easy with items sorted by size and gender as well as similar item groupings that allow shoppers to find what they need quickly with minimal hunting.
What Shoppers need to know:
Thursday September 10th from 4m - 8pm
Friday September 11th from 10am – 6pm (many items 25% off from 3 – 6pm)
Saturday September 12th from 9am – 2pm (many items 50% off all day)
Wicomico Civic Center, 500 Glen Avenue, Salisbury MD 21804 (Midway Room)
Free admission! Cash, Visa/MC accepted. Shopping bags available. Please leave all diaper bags & purses larger than 8 x 11 in your car.
Want to sell your quality merchandise? Log on to http://www.coastal-kids.com/Seller.html
Consignors earn 60 – 70% of their sales, set their own prices, do not have to be present to sell, can choose to discount or donate items and prepare tags with free, easy to use online software. Receive a check within 7 days of event close.
I Bet You Couldn't Do This!
Here's a video from my day job yesterday at a community event....
Posted by Alan Jones, Realtor at Keller Willams Realty Centre on Sunday, August 23, 2015
We are now averaging more than one mass shooting per day in 2015
As of August 26th, the US has had 247 mass shootings in the 238 days of 2015.
For those keeping track, that's an average of more than one shooting per day.
These numbers are according to the Mass Shooting Tracker created by the anti-gun subreddit Guns Are Cool.
Wednesday morning's stunning on-air fatal shooting in Roanoke, Virginia of a television reporter and a photographer wasn't even the first shooting of the day. Roughly three hours earlier at 3:15 a.m., four people were shot during a home invasion in Minneapolis.
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For those keeping track, that's an average of more than one shooting per day.
These numbers are according to the Mass Shooting Tracker created by the anti-gun subreddit Guns Are Cool.
Wednesday morning's stunning on-air fatal shooting in Roanoke, Virginia of a television reporter and a photographer wasn't even the first shooting of the day. Roughly three hours earlier at 3:15 a.m., four people were shot during a home invasion in Minneapolis.
More
Governor Larry Hogan Announces New Leaders at MDTA and MVA
"Milton Chaffee has consistently demonstrated a commitment to highway safety and a readiness to embrace new technology. He has the public- and private-sector business experience, leadership skills, and know-how to take MDTA to the next level," Governor Hogan said. "Christine Nizer will ensure the leadership change at MVA is seamless, through her proven leadership in motor vehicle issues at both the state and national level."
In addition to his role as administrator, Mr. Chaffee has served at MVA in several capacities since 2002, including: the governor’s highway safety representative, chief deputy administrator, deputy administrator of operations, and director of employee and administrative services. In these roles, he has been responsible for all branch operations, the customer call center, vehicle emissions inspections centers, insurance compliance, school bus safety, and driver and vehicle policies, program, and safety. Mr. Chaffee understands the importance of meeting the needs of the business community, having spent more than 25 years in private business. His most recent position in the private sector was senior director of operations for YUM Brands Restaurant Company Mid-Atlantic Region. Mr. Chaffee holds a Bachelor of Science degree in consumer science and home economics from Miami University in Ohio.
Joining the MVA in 2006 as associate administrator for driver and vehicle policies & programs, Ms. Nizer quickly moved up in the department. She was promoted to deputy administrator for central operations and safety programs in 2010 and to chief deputy administrator in March 2014. Just this summer, she was elected to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) Region 1 board. Ms. Nizer also serves as chair of the board of directors for the Driver’s License / Identification Verification Systems. Her other leadership positions include chair of the National Driver Registry Workgroup and chair of AAMVA’s Driver Committee. She is a 2011 graduate of the Leadership Maryland Program and was named the WTS Woman of the Year for 2014. In addition to her nine years at the MVA, Ms. Nizer has held management positions at the Maryland Public Service Commission, the Maryland General Assembly, and the Office of Homeland Security. Ms. Nizer earned a Master of Science degree in public policy from the Eagleton Institute of Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Goucher College.
Today's Wildlife Photo 8-29-15
Historic Eastern Shore plantation, listed for $10.9M, to be auctioned
The auction has no minimum bid but the Grasonville property, known as Talisman Plantation, recently listed for $10.9 million, according to Premiere Estates Auction Co., which is handling the sale.
Over the decades, celebrities have vacationed at the plantation, including Hollywood stars, pro athletes, U.S. politicians and actress Grace Kelly, according to the auctioneer firm.
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Why Biden Would Be a TERRIBLE President
With Hillary Clinton falling on her face (thank goodness!), Joe Biden has become a real contender for the Democratic party nominee.
Problem is, he’d be a terrible president.
For example, Biden:
Drafted the core of the Patriot Act in 1995
Voted for the war in Iraq
Is one of the key politicians inflaming the Ukraine crisis and provoking Russia … and his son stands to profit handsomely from the chaos
Falsely claimed there was “no doubt” that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons on its own people … when the facts were otherwise
Is the consummate insider, defending Wall Street bailouts and the Trans Pacific Partnership, persecuting whistleblowers, trying to outlaw encryption and privacy, and backing other corrupt policies
Can’t keep his hands off married women … even on national television
Postscript: Biden would also be the oldest person EVER elected president.
Source
Problem is, he’d be a terrible president.
For example, Biden:
Drafted the core of the Patriot Act in 1995
Voted for the war in Iraq
Is one of the key politicians inflaming the Ukraine crisis and provoking Russia … and his son stands to profit handsomely from the chaos
Falsely claimed there was “no doubt” that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons on its own people … when the facts were otherwise
Is the consummate insider, defending Wall Street bailouts and the Trans Pacific Partnership, persecuting whistleblowers, trying to outlaw encryption and privacy, and backing other corrupt policies
Can’t keep his hands off married women … even on national television
Postscript: Biden would also be the oldest person EVER elected president.
Source
Lies You Will Hear As The Economic Collapse Progresses
It is undeniable; the final collapse triggers are upon us, triggers alternative economists have been warning about since the initial implosion of 2008. In the years since the derivatives disaster, there has been no end to the absurd and ludicrous propaganda coming out of mainstream financial outlets and as the situation in markets becomes worse, the propaganda will only increase. This might seem counter-intuitive to many. You would think that the more obvious the economic collapse becomes, the more alternative analysts will be vindicated and the more awake and aware the average person will be. Not necessarily…
In fact, the mainstream spin machine is going into high speed the more negative data is exposed and absorbed into the markets. If you know your history, then you know that this is a common tactic by the establishment elite to string the public along with false hopes so that they do not prepare or take alternative measures while the system crumbles around their ears. At the onset of the Great Depression the same strategies were used. Consider if you’ve heard similar quotes to these in the mainstream news over the past couple months:
John Maynard Keynes in 1927: “We will not have any more crashes in our time.”
H.H. Simmons, president of the New York Stock Exchange, Jan. 12, 1928:“I cannot help but raise a dissenting voice to statements that we are living in a fool’s paradise, and that prosperity in this country must necessarily diminish and recede in the near future.”
Irving Fisher, leading U.S. economist, The New York Times, Sept. 5, 1929:“There may be a recession in stock prices, but not anything in the nature of a crash.” And on 17, 1929: “Stock prices have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau. I do not feel there will be soon if ever a 50 or 60 point break from present levels, such as (bears) have predicted. I expect to see the stock market a good deal higher within a few months.”
More
In fact, the mainstream spin machine is going into high speed the more negative data is exposed and absorbed into the markets. If you know your history, then you know that this is a common tactic by the establishment elite to string the public along with false hopes so that they do not prepare or take alternative measures while the system crumbles around their ears. At the onset of the Great Depression the same strategies were used. Consider if you’ve heard similar quotes to these in the mainstream news over the past couple months:
John Maynard Keynes in 1927: “We will not have any more crashes in our time.”
H.H. Simmons, president of the New York Stock Exchange, Jan. 12, 1928:“I cannot help but raise a dissenting voice to statements that we are living in a fool’s paradise, and that prosperity in this country must necessarily diminish and recede in the near future.”
Irving Fisher, leading U.S. economist, The New York Times, Sept. 5, 1929:“There may be a recession in stock prices, but not anything in the nature of a crash.” And on 17, 1929: “Stock prices have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau. I do not feel there will be soon if ever a 50 or 60 point break from present levels, such as (bears) have predicted. I expect to see the stock market a good deal higher within a few months.”
More
Police/courts 8/28/15
Assaulting a taxi driverOcean City police officers arrested Timothy Emmart, 31, of Fort Meade, Md. for refusing to pay his cab fare and assaulting the driver on Aug. 21.
Police reported a taxi driving erratically by observing it make a sudden stop, then entering the sidewalk and eventually striking a fence.
According to the report, the victim stated he picked up Emmart and drove him to his destination before he refused to pay his $14 fare.
The victim allegedly told Emmart if he did not pay they were going to the police station and started heading towards the Public Safety Building on 65th Street.
Police reported Emmart started hitting the driver and he immediately pulled over to defend himself, but forgot to put the vehicle in park.
See More reports
Ben Carson: 'We Don't Need a Department of Veterans Affairs'
Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson said Wednesday that the Department of Veterans Affairs should be folded into the Defense Department to cut the size of the federal government.
"We don’t need a Department of Veterans Affairs," the retired pediatric neurosurgeon told financial guru Dave Ramsey on his syndicated radio show. "Veterans Affairs should be folded in under the Department of Defense. And it should be a smooth transition."
Carson also called for health savings accounts for veterans, allowing them to seek treatment at any hospital or medical center in the nation. VA centers also should address such specialized medical care as traumatic brain injuries, limb replacements and research.
More here
"We don’t need a Department of Veterans Affairs," the retired pediatric neurosurgeon told financial guru Dave Ramsey on his syndicated radio show. "Veterans Affairs should be folded in under the Department of Defense. And it should be a smooth transition."
Carson also called for health savings accounts for veterans, allowing them to seek treatment at any hospital or medical center in the nation. VA centers also should address such specialized medical care as traumatic brain injuries, limb replacements and research.
More here
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