For anyone undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, the loss of hair can be a devastating psychological blow.
Maureen O'Connor and her twin sister, Kathleen, are both breast cancer survivors. Maureen's treatment included chemotherapy.
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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
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Cold Caps Help Chemo Patients Keep Their Hair
For anyone undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, the loss of hair can be a devastating psychological blow.
Maureen O'Connor and her twin sister, Kathleen, are both breast cancer survivors. Maureen's treatment included chemotherapy.
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Why Pot Makes Some Psychotic
People who smoke pot may be at increased risk for psychosis if they have a certain genetic marker, a new study finds.
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The results show people with this genetic marker who use cannabis are twice as likely to experience psychosis compared with those who use the drug but do not have the genetic marker.
Among people who use the drug every day, the risk for psychosis increases sevenfold for those who have the genetic marker.
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UPPER FERRY REOPENS AFTER HURRICANE SANDY
November 20, 2012 –Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt is pleased to announce the re-opening of the Upper Ferry after damage sustained by Hurricane Sandy.
Hurricane Sandy flooded the ferry house and damaged electronic equipment that required replacement. “The contractor was notified immediately after a damage assessment of the ferries following Hurricane Sandy,” commented Executive Pollitt, “Employees from our Department of Public Works met with the serviceman at the ferry to diagnose the problems and determine the necessary repairs. We realize the importance of the Upper Ferry to the community and have been working as quickly as possible to restore the service.”
STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY ON PRELIMINARY OCTOBER JOBS REPORT
ANNAPOLIS, MD (November 20, 2012) – Governor Martin O’Malley today released the following statement on the U.S. Department of Labor’s release of preliminary employment data for the month of October:
“Maryland’s dynamic private sector continues to prove that we are on the cutting edge of innovation and that our greatest assets are the talents, skills, creativity, ingenuity, and education of our people. A new study released this week by the nonpartisan group The States Project ranks Maryland #2 in the nation for economic opportunity - a sign that the progress we make together does not happen by chance, but by the choices we make as a State to move forward by growing jobs and opportunity.”
POLICE EFFORT TO TARGET TOLL EVADERS A SUCCESS
(PERRYVILLE, MD) – A cooperative police effort in Cecil County led to hundreds of traffic citations, including more than 100 for toll violations, as police targeted toll evaders at one of Maryland’s busiest toll plazas.
“Operation Prevent”, conducted November 14 through November 16, 2012, targeted commercial vehicles traveling through the Tydings Bridge toll plaza on I-95 in Cecil County. Troopers joined forces with allied state and local law enforcement agencies to saturate the area surrounding the toll plaza. This effort was to identify commercial vehicles that were avoiding paying tolls or had registration or license violations, as well as any criminal or illegal drug activities.
During the operation, police stopped 295 vehicles. Those stops resulted in 121 toll violations and 36 registration plate violations, including a number of vehicles with altered plates. A total of 233 citations and 141 warnings were issued. One driver was arrested for an outstanding warrant. There were 136 lane violations, five motorists were charged with theft for intentionally avoiding paying tolls and a drug arrest was made. Inspectors from the Maryland State Police, Maryland Transportation Authority Police and the Federal Motor Vehicle Carrier Safety Administration conducted 29 commercial vehicle inspections. These inspections lead to ten drivers being placed out of service for having suspended licenses.
According to the Maryland Transportation Authority, in the past year there have been over 20,500 toll violations at the plaza. Those toll violations amounted to approximately $740,450 in lost revenue. Violators are committing this crime by altering their vehicle registrations, using devices that obstruct all or part of their registration plates, or simply removing the plates.
The purpose of “Operation Prevent” is to ensure that commercial vehicles and their drivers meet state and federal safety regulations while complying with the state laws intended to promote highway safety in Maryland. The cooperation of the Maryland State Police, Maryland Transportation Authority Police, Perryville Police Department, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration made “Operation Prevent” an overwhelming success. Similar operations will be held in the future.
COMMUNITY MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT: FRUITLAND/ALLEN TRANSFER STATION
November 20, 2012 - Salisbury, MD – Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt will be hosting a community meeting at 7pm on Tuesday, November 27 regarding the status of the Fruitland/Allen Transfer Station on Walnut Tree Road. Executive Pollitt has been able to delay the loss of service for users of the transfer station through a Temporary License Agreement while an aggressive search is underway to locate an acceptable permanent site. The agreement grants use of the property until February 28, 2013. Executive Pollitt is determined to make this temporary extension of service as non-intrusive on the neighborhood as possible and encourages nearby residents to attend the meeting and work with him toward that goal.
Who: County Executive Pollitt, employees from the Department of Public Works
What: Community meeting with residents who utilize the Fruitland/Allen Transfer Station
When: Tuesday, November 27th at 7pm
Where: The Winfield Center, Fruitland
At the corner of Allen Cut-Off Road and Camden Avenue
Judge Rejects Hobby Lobby's Case Against ObamaCare Contraceptive Coverage Rule
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In a 28-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton denied a request by Hobby Lobby to prevent the government from enforcing portions of the health care law mandating insurance coverage for contraceptives the company's Christian owners consider objectionable.
The Oklahoma City-based company and a sister company, Mardel Inc., sued the government in September, claiming the mandate violates the owners' religious beliefs. The owners contend the morning-after and week-after birth control pills are tantamount to abortion because they can prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in a woman's womb. They also object to providing coverage for certain kinds of intrauterine devices.
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Opportunity Shop In Final Stages Of Remodeling
CARROLL CO. SHOOTING VICTIM DIES - ADDITIONAL CHARGES FILED AGAINST SUSPECT
(WOODBINE, MD) – Maryland State Police investigators have obtained additional criminal charges for a Carroll County man, after the woman he is accused of shooting yesterday died this morning.
The victim is identified as Brittany A. Warfield, 21, of the 6800-block of John Pickett Rd., Woodbine, Md. Warfield was pronounced dead shortly after 9:00 a.m. today at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.
The suspect is identified as William R. Brueckmann, 26, of the same address. After consultation with the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office, Maryland State Police investigators have filed additional charges against Brueckmann. The additional charges include first degree murder, second degree murder, and manslaughter. After his arrest yesterday, he had been charged with attempted first degree murder, attempted second degree murder, first degree assault, second degree assault, and use of a handgun in the commission of a felony. The new charges were served on Brueckmann this afternoon at the Carroll County Detention Center where he remains incarcerated.
Shortly after 9:30 a.m. yesterday, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from someone who reported hearing a gunshot at a nearby residence during what was described as a possible domestic argument. When state troopers and deputies arrived at the address, Brueckmann was found in the backyard of the residence holding Warfield, who was lying on the ground. Police observed Warfield had sustained what appeared to be a gunshot wound to her head. EMS personnel were called to the scene and Warfield was flown by Maryland State Police helicopter to Shock Trauma.
Troopers and deputies secured the scene and Brueckmann was taken to the Westminster Barrack for questioning. The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit was summoned to the scene to assume the lead on the investigation.
The preliminary investigation indicates Brueckmann and Warfield lived together at the residence in the lower level of the home that was divided into two apartments. An apparent argument ensued yesterday morning between the two that resulted in the shooting. Preliminary information indicates Warfield had been preparing to move out of the apartment. Further investigation led to the charges against Brueckmann.
A handgun was recovered inside the home yesterday and will be forwarded to the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division laboratory for testing. Several long guns were also recovered from the home last night as State Police personnel processed the scene after a search warrant was obtained.
Seeing Daylight In A Long Awaiting Project
Tangier Island Jetty Announcement Planned
TANGIER ISLAND, Va. (AP) - State officials plan to announce more than $4 million has been secured to build a jetty protecting the harbor on Tangier Island.
Gov. Bob McDonnell and Army Corps of Engineers Col. Paul Olsen are scheduled to make the announcement on Tuesday. The island in the Chesapeake Bay has been threatened by erosion and storm surges for years.'
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Gov. Bob McDonnell and Army Corps of Engineers Col. Paul Olsen are scheduled to make the announcement on Tuesday. The island in the Chesapeake Bay has been threatened by erosion and storm surges for years.'
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ICYMI Baltimore Sun Editorial: “Good News For MD’s Budget”
Key Points: “The bottom line is that the single biggest thing the state has done to improve next year's budget picture is to constrain costs.”
“The O’Malley administration has found ways to significantly reduce costs to the Medicaid program without limiting eligibility, and it has achieved hundreds of millions in savings by reducing the number of state government employees and limiting salary growth. Meanwhile, lawmakers have also taken steps to shore up the state employee pension system and to reduce unfunded liabilities for retiree health care.”
Good news for Md.’s budget
Our view: Cost containment, tax increases put the state on the verge of long-term balance, but the pain isn't over yet, and substantial risks loom
Two years ago, just after Gov. Martin O'Malley won his second term, Maryland's Spending Affordability Committee got a sobering briefing from state fiscal analysts. Thanks to federal stimulus funds, Maryland had been scraping by despite the deepest recession in decades, the collapse of the housing market, and a disappointingly slow start to the state's slots program. But that money was about to run out. The next budget year promised a $1.6 billion shortfall, and things were only expected to get worse from there.
This week, the same fiscal analysts gave their briefing to the Spending Affordability Committee, and things look radically different. The state goes into preparations for next year's budget with a trifling $27 million shortfall. That's an improvement of more than $1.8 billion over what that 2010 report predicted. Some of the improvement is the result of tax increases and a slightly improving economy. Part of it is the result of cost shifts to local governments and the use of borrowing to paper over operating budget shortfalls. But the untold story of Governor O'Malley's second term is a highly successful partnership between his administration and the legislature to constrain costs. The state's fiscal picture isn't perfect, but the progress made in the last two years represents a tremendous accomplishment.
Maryland's constitution, like that of virtually every state, requires that the budget be balanced every year, but there is a difference between meeting the letter of the law and achieving true sustainability. In late 2010, legislators and the administration set a goal for themselves: Not only would they find a way to balance the books — whether through transfers, fund raids or whatever gimmicks they could find — but they would also embark on a three-year effort to achieve a true, sustainable "structural balance." They are tantalizingly close to achieving it.
During this term, Governor O'Malley and the General Assembly have enacted two tax increases — a 2011 increase in alcohol taxes, the first such increase in decades; and a 2012 increase in income taxes on those in the top 20 percent of Maryland earners. Current projections call for those two increases to produce about $325 million next year. The shift of some teacher pension costs to the counties and Baltimore City, coupled with an increase in local aid to some jurisdictions, nets out to a $150 million improvement in the budget picture for next year. Another $230 million comes from the O'Malley administration's practice of using bond funds to cover costs like Program Open Space that can be construed as capital projects. The revenues that would otherwise have gone to cover those programs are then spent on other operating expenses. And thanks to somewhat better than expected budget news in the last few years, the state has a $482 million fund balance it did not expect.
The expansion of Maryland's gambling program, authorized in an August special session of the legislature and ratified by voters this month, will add about $60 million to next year's budget — yet it is still not part of the explanation for how the state's budget shortfall has shrunk so much since 2010. The reason is that even with the expansion, projected gambling revenues for next year are still below what analysts expected them to be two years ago, a reflection of delays in the roll-out of Maryland's gambling program and increased competition from surrounding states.
The bottom line is that the single biggest thing the state has done to improve next year's budget picture is to constrain costs. Maryland's expected operating expenses in the fiscal year that starts next July total about $16.1 billion, more than $1.1 billion less than analysts forecast they would be just two years ago. The O'Malley administration has found ways to significantly reduce costs to the Medicaid program without limiting eligibility, and it has achieved hundreds of millions in savings by reducing the number of state government employees and limiting salary growth. Meanwhile, lawmakers have also taken steps to shore up the state employee pension system and to reduce unfunded liabilities for retiree health care.
Maryland is not totally out of the woods. The $27 million figure still relies on some one-time money and fund transfers. But as things stand now, Maryland's structural deficit is just $417 million, less than a quarter of what it would have been if the governor and legislature had not taken the steps they have during the last two years. There will still need to be substantial spending cuts in the budget proposal Governor O'Malley submits to the legislature in January. And if President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans fail to come to a sensible compromise to avoid the fiscal cliff, Maryland's budget could be in for another massive hit. The governor faces a tricky decision to determine how much money to set aside to prepare for that contingency.
Meanwhile, he is likely to face pressure from assorted interest groups to begin to restore funding for programs that have suffered cuts in recent years. It's not time for that yet. But we are on the verge of having a conversation about what is the most prudent way to invest in Maryland's future rather than what is the least painful way to cut.
Puns For Educated Minds
How does Moses make his tea? Hebrews it.
Venison for dinner again? Oh deer!
A cartoonist was found dead in his home. Details are sketchy.
I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest.
England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool.
I tried to catch some fog, but I mist.
They told me I had type-A blood, but it was a Type-O.
I changed my iPod's name to Titanic. It's syncing now.
Jokes about German sausages are the wurst.
I know a guy who's addicted to brake fluid, but he says he can stop any time.
I stayed up all night to see where the sun went, and then it dawned on me.
This girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I'd never met herbivore.
When chemists die, apparently they barium.
I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. I just can't put it down.
I did a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words.
Why were the Indians able to settle here first? They had reservations.
We're going on a class trip to the Coca-Cola factory. I hope there's no pop quiz.
I didn't like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.
Did you hear about the cross-eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn't control her pupils?
When you get a bladder infection you know urine trouble.
Broken pencils are pretty much pointless.
What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary? A thesaurus.
All the toilets in New York's police stations have been stolen. As of now, it appears the police have nothing to go on.
I got a job at a bakery because I kneaded dough.
Velcro - what a rip off!
USS Delaware Announced As Navy's Next Submarine
The USS Delaware was announced this afternoon at the Pentagon by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, along with Second Lady Jill Biden and Delaware Lieutenant Governor Matt Denn. The sub is expected to enter service in 2018.
"I chose the name Delaware to honor the long-standing relationship between the Navy and our nation's first state," said Mabus. "It has been too long since there has been a USS Delaware in the fleet and this submarine will remind future deployed service members and state residents of their strong ties and many shared values for decades to come."
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Wall Street Kept Winning on Mortgages Upending Homeowners
Rebecca Black abandoned her dream house on Hazelwood Road in Memphis, Tennessee, in 2010, a year after the recession ended.
As the U.S. economy grew, Black’s world shrank. Today she rents an apartment about the size of her old living room and works for the same $12 an hour she’s earned for years.
If Thomas F. Marano takes a late lunch, he makes more money in a single morning than Black does all year. Marano once led the team at Bear Stearns Cos. that bought Black’s mortgage in 2005 and thousands of other subprime loans to sell to investors.
During the 2000s housing boom, they both won -- Black got a home and Marano made millions.
In the aftermath of the longest economic downturn since the Great Depression, only one of them kept winning. The biggest lenders are doing better than ever while those with the least, many of them black borrowers, are struggling the most. One dividing line for this widening gap is the dotted one where millions of home buyers signed their names to loans they couldn’t repay. With the dream of home ownership snatched away, they and their communities may never be the same.
Charting The Demise Of The US Consumer
Sentiment surveys are sending the all-clear; the US Consumer (that 72% of all economic activity in the US) is as happy as they were five years ago (pre-crash) and American Idol is due to start again soon. However, recency-biased surveys apart, the reality in the data is far more dismal. The Philly Fed's ADS business conditions index is back at its worst since the crisis and decidedly recessionary (critical since it tracks many of the same indicators as the recession-confirming NBER).
[5]
Even more concerning, as Bloomberg Briefs notes [6], the stagnancy of real disposable income and contraction of revolving credit has led to a disaster-prone drop in industrial production of consumer goods (-0.9% in October) and a significant slide in the all-important retail sales data.
[7]
Once adjusted for inflation, retail sales fell to a lowly 1.7% YoY gain and while Sandy's effect is tough to discern, it seems anecdotally to be a net positive due to home supply stores sales - offering little real hope of a surge.
[8]
Of course with Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Terrific Tuesday (we made that up) around the corner, we are sure the media will trot out as many CEOs and store-owners to explain how great things are - we will wait for the data.
GUN STORE TO OBAMA VOTERS: GO AWAY!
A gun store owner in the southwestern United States has a very brief, pointed message to supporters of Barack Obama: Go away.
“If you voted for Obama, please turn around and leave! You have proven that you are not responsible enough to own a firearm,” says a notice posted on the store front at Southwest Shooting Authority in Pinetop, Ariz.
Cope Reynolds of the SSA said in a report on Ammoland Shooting Sports News, “Effective immediately, if you voted for Obama, your money is not good here. You have proven beyond a doubt that you are not responsible enough to own a firearm. We have just put a sign up on the front door to save you the trouble of walking all the way in here…”
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