Former Master Sgt. Barry Brown was teaching physical education to Miami high school students when he realized there was something terribly wrong. Super-fit and just 38, the newly retired Air Force fitness instructor suddenly couldn’t walk a quarter mile without experiencing a searing pain in his back.
"I had served in Iraq and Afghanistan and I assumed I was in the best shape of my life, so it just didn't make sense," Brown tells Newsmax Health.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Monday, September 09, 2013
Region’s Bike Week Events Kick Off Thursday; Live Concerts Wrap Up Each Day In Ocean City
OC Best Fest promoter Cliff Sutherland of OC Jams LLC announced in early March that his company had purchased Delmarva Bike Week.
OC Bikefest is now in its third year rallying motorcycles to Ocean City. Sutherland first proposed OC Bikefest to the Town of Ocean City back in 2010 after the Harley Davidson dealership on Route 50 in West Ocean City closed to consolidate operations with its sister store in Seaford.
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How Many Treasurys Do Russia And China Own?
Between the two of them, this much: $1,414 billion, or 25% of all foreign held US Treasury paper.
Now the question is - if the military escalation begins, would one or both dump without regard for price, crush the carefully manicured rate-driven recovery, and punch the ultimate decision-maker behind the Syrian war, the Federal Reserve and the banker uberclass, where it really hurts?
More
Now the question is - if the military escalation begins, would one or both dump without regard for price, crush the carefully manicured rate-driven recovery, and punch the ultimate decision-maker behind the Syrian war, the Federal Reserve and the banker uberclass, where it really hurts?
More
If Employment Is So Great, Why Are Withholding Taxes Declining?
It's difficult to have a meaningful national debate about economic policy when "headline numbers" are juiced to make things appear rosier than reality.
Since unemployment statistics are either suspect or blatantly bogus, we must look for other less manipulated statistics for some modicum of truth. Key statistics of employment, income and production are vital propaganda tools for the status quo, and the temptation to adjust them to manage perceptions is apparently irresistible.
Here in the U.S., unemployment statistics are a travesty of a mockery of a sham:
Real Unemployment Rate Rises To 11.4%, Difference Between Reported And Real Data Rises To Record (Zero Hedge)
Guggenheim On The US Jobs Growth "Mirage"
More
Since unemployment statistics are either suspect or blatantly bogus, we must look for other less manipulated statistics for some modicum of truth. Key statistics of employment, income and production are vital propaganda tools for the status quo, and the temptation to adjust them to manage perceptions is apparently irresistible.
Here in the U.S., unemployment statistics are a travesty of a mockery of a sham:
Real Unemployment Rate Rises To 11.4%, Difference Between Reported And Real Data Rises To Record (Zero Hedge)
Guggenheim On The US Jobs Growth "Mirage"
More
Ron Paul: A Homeschooling Revolution
Opposing infringement on parental control of education and promoting alternatives to government-run schools is a vital task for the liberty movement. When government usurps a parent’s right to control their child’s education, it is inevitable that the child will be taught the values of government officials, rather than of the parents. The result is an education system with a built-in bias toward statism. Over time, government-controlled education can erode the people’s knowledge of, and appreciation for, the benefits of a free society.
This is why throughout my congressional career I fought against any legislation that infringed on a parent’s right to control their child’s education, especially any legislation that limited a parent’s right to homeschool. Many so-called education experts claim that parents who are not “government-certified” educators cannot provide their children with a quality education. However, the numerous studies showing that homeschooled children out-perform their publicly-educated peers in every academic category shows that most parents are more than capable of providing their children with an excellent education.
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This is why throughout my congressional career I fought against any legislation that infringed on a parent’s right to control their child’s education, especially any legislation that limited a parent’s right to homeschool. Many so-called education experts claim that parents who are not “government-certified” educators cannot provide their children with a quality education. However, the numerous studies showing that homeschooled children out-perform their publicly-educated peers in every academic category shows that most parents are more than capable of providing their children with an excellent education.
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More Than Half Of Americans Say No To Military Action In Syria, Polls Show
Don’t even think about it, Barack: Americans resoundingly tell Obama to stand down on Syria
Fully 60 percent of Americans asked about President Obama’s push for limited military action in Syria said no, that’s not a good idea, a CNN poll showed. In addition, Gallup confirmed that 51 percent of Americans are against the idea of strikes against Syria.
A new survey
from CNN/ORC International of 1,022 adults finds that most — 6 in 10 — aren’t in favor of even the most limited of military missions in the war-torn nation.
More
Fully 60 percent of Americans asked about President Obama’s push for limited military action in Syria said no, that’s not a good idea, a CNN poll showed. In addition, Gallup confirmed that 51 percent of Americans are against the idea of strikes against Syria.
A new survey
from CNN/ORC International of 1,022 adults finds that most — 6 in 10 — aren’t in favor of even the most limited of military missions in the war-torn nation.More
The Phone Lines Melt
The phones are ringing off the hook in Congress — and virtually no one is calling in to support military intervention in Syria.
At the office of Representative Chris Gibson (R., N.Y.), who represents a swing district, the number of phone calls and e-mails from constituents regarding military action in Syria has “far exceeded the normal volume,” says Gibson aide Stephanie Valle.
In recent days, Gibson’s office has received “about 850 e-mails on it, and out of those, 840 are opposed to military intervention,” Valle adds.
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At the office of Representative Chris Gibson (R., N.Y.), who represents a swing district, the number of phone calls and e-mails from constituents regarding military action in Syria has “far exceeded the normal volume,” says Gibson aide Stephanie Valle.
In recent days, Gibson’s office has received “about 850 e-mails on it, and out of those, 840 are opposed to military intervention,” Valle adds.
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Profiles In Pork
I’ll say one thing in defense of the men (and women) of the East German Stasi, the Soviet-era KGB, the Red Guards – and other such like throughout the history of totalitarian regimes: They had little real choice. It was either brutalize their fellow citizens – or join the ranks of the brutalized.
The United State is not quite there yet. It is merely at the late Czarist Russia – or Weimar Germany – stage.
Point being, one doesn’t have to sign up for law enforcement work as a Hail Mary way to avoid poverty, or the gulag . . . or the gas chamber.
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The United State is not quite there yet. It is merely at the late Czarist Russia – or Weimar Germany – stage.
Point being, one doesn’t have to sign up for law enforcement work as a Hail Mary way to avoid poverty, or the gulag . . . or the gas chamber.
More
Syria Video Turns The Debate On U.S. Intervention
The tape made ‘New York Times’ editors sick. Lloyd Grove on the footage of a rebel slaughter that’s upended talk of an authorized U.S. intervention.
The raw video was so grisly, and so barbaric, that the New York Times staffers who watched and edited it for online publication were made “physically ill,” according to the newspaper’s spokeswoman.
BREAKING NEWS: Obama Takes Sharp Turn From Syria ‘Red Line’
President Obama tells Fox News’ Chris Wallace the U.S. is willing to negotiate with Russia and Syria over proposal to have Syria turn over chemical weapons to international control.
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Another Warmonger Wants Syria Attack
Because “bipartisanship” is the coin of the realm in Washington, D.C., the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is trotting out former defense secretary Robert M. Gates to help cheerlead for the proposed American military intervention in the Syrian Civil War.
Gates was nominated to his post in 2006 by former president George W. Bush – and kept there by Obama until Leon Panetta was appointed in 2011.
“I strongly urge the Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, to approve the president’s request for authorization to use force in Syria,” Gates said. “Whatever one’s views on current U.S. policy toward Syria, failure by Congress to approve the request would, in my view, have profoundly negative and dangerous consequences for the United States not just in the Middle East but around the world both now and in the future.”
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Gates was nominated to his post in 2006 by former president George W. Bush – and kept there by Obama until Leon Panetta was appointed in 2011.
“I strongly urge the Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, to approve the president’s request for authorization to use force in Syria,” Gates said. “Whatever one’s views on current U.S. policy toward Syria, failure by Congress to approve the request would, in my view, have profoundly negative and dangerous consequences for the United States not just in the Middle East but around the world both now and in the future.”
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The NSA Is Actively Violating The Law
The U.S. government contends that the bulk collection of U.S. phone records is authorized by section 215 of the PATRIOT Act.
Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI), the author of the original USA PATRIOT Act, disagrees.
In a amicus brief filed in support of the American Civil Liberties Union's lawsuit against the National Security Agency's bulk collection of U.S. phone records, Sensenbrenner argues that the government has gone far beyond what the legislation authorizes.
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Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI), the author of the original USA PATRIOT Act, disagrees.
In a amicus brief filed in support of the American Civil Liberties Union's lawsuit against the National Security Agency's bulk collection of U.S. phone records, Sensenbrenner argues that the government has gone far beyond what the legislation authorizes.
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Red States To Be Slammed By $12M Obamacare Ad Blitz
The White House is preparing to unleash a multimillion-dollar ad campaign in 13 red states at the end of the month designed to convince Americans to sign up for Obamacare insurance exchanges, Politico reported Thursday.
The states — Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas — will be inundated by the $12 million ad buy made by the Center for Medicare Services at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Every state but Missouri is led by a Republican governor, many of whom have made no secret of their disdain for Obamacare — and even in Missouri, a Republican-dominated legislature has set an anti-Obamacare agenda.
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The states — Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas — will be inundated by the $12 million ad buy made by the Center for Medicare Services at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Every state but Missouri is led by a Republican governor, many of whom have made no secret of their disdain for Obamacare — and even in Missouri, a Republican-dominated legislature has set an anti-Obamacare agenda.
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Good Beer And Autumn Wine Festivals On Tap For Fall
With summer fading, minds are quickly turning with the anticipation of fall favorites including fall festivals. The Good Beer Festival, Delmarva’s largest craft beer event will return to Salisbury, Maryland’s Pemberton Historical Park on October 12-13 and the Autumn Wine Festival follows just one week later on October 19-20. Advanced tickets and hotel packages for both festivals are on sale now.
The Good Beer Festival brought to you by Tall Tales Brewery is first on tap offering festival-goers unlimited tastings from over 125 different American Craft Brews (no tasting tickets needed). A local beer garden offers the chance to experience the flavor of eight eastern shore breweries including Tall Tales, Evolution Craft Brewery, Third Wave, Burley Oak, 16 Mile, Dogfish Head, Fin City Brewing and Shorebilly. A new Firkin garden allows tasters the opportunity to try out unique, one-of-a-kind batches made exclusively for the event. In addition to great beer, the festival offers a winning and eclectic music mix with twelve bands live on stage. Sport fans need not fear, as the weekend’s biggest games will be aired in the WBOC Sports Zone. The festival also offers a Hangover 5K Run (or walk for those not up for it) on Sunday as well as a Home Brew Competition.
Just one week later, the Eastern Shore welcomes its second fall staple – the Autumn Wine Festival. Entering its 11thyear, this boutique-style event has aged to perfection. In partnership with the Maryland Wineries Association, the festival offers the perfect opportunity to explore Maryland wine from one scenic location. Over 20 wineries are anticipated this year, offering unlimited samplings (no tasting tickets). Those interested in a more intimate experience can upgrade their tickets to receive the VIP treatment, which offers a covered tent close to the main stage, exclusive tastings with vintners and winemakers, private guest appearance by Laurie Forster (The Wine Coach), a wine-making forum with MWA, festival t-shirt and goodie bag. Wine connoisseurs and first time samplers alike enjoy the annual festival, which also features live music, including a headlining performance by Dave Matthews Band collaborator Tim Reynolds and TR3 on Saturday. Earlier on Saturday, festival-goers can enjoy a laid back and hilarious take on wine tasting from award-winning sommelier Laurie Forster, The Wine Coach.
Both festivals are hosted at the beautiful Pemberton Historical Park in Salisbury, Maryland. Just off a clam shell road on the western side of Wicomico County, the park’s rural backdrop boasts sprawling meadows. In the fall, the meadows are lined with trees of vibrant orange, red and yellow. Pemberton’s 207 acres are highlighted by a charming 18th century plantation home.
Dates & Info:
Good Beer Festival
Saturday, October 12 / Sunday, October 13 from 12:30pm to 6:30pm
www.GoodBeerFestival.org
Autumn Wine Festival
Saturday, October 19 / Sunday, October 20 from 12:30pm-6:30pm
www.AutumnWineFestival.org
Tickets for the Good Beer Festival or Autumn Wine Festival are:
Available in Advance (sold until 6pm Friday of festival weekend): 1-day $25/2-day $40/Non-tasting ticket 1-day $5
At the Gate: 1-day $35; Non-tasting ticket $10
Autumn Wine Festival Only: VIP 1-Day $55 / 2-Day $90
The Good Beer Festival brought to you by Tall Tales Brewery is first on tap offering festival-goers unlimited tastings from over 125 different American Craft Brews (no tasting tickets needed). A local beer garden offers the chance to experience the flavor of eight eastern shore breweries including Tall Tales, Evolution Craft Brewery, Third Wave, Burley Oak, 16 Mile, Dogfish Head, Fin City Brewing and Shorebilly. A new Firkin garden allows tasters the opportunity to try out unique, one-of-a-kind batches made exclusively for the event. In addition to great beer, the festival offers a winning and eclectic music mix with twelve bands live on stage. Sport fans need not fear, as the weekend’s biggest games will be aired in the WBOC Sports Zone. The festival also offers a Hangover 5K Run (or walk for those not up for it) on Sunday as well as a Home Brew Competition.
Just one week later, the Eastern Shore welcomes its second fall staple – the Autumn Wine Festival. Entering its 11thyear, this boutique-style event has aged to perfection. In partnership with the Maryland Wineries Association, the festival offers the perfect opportunity to explore Maryland wine from one scenic location. Over 20 wineries are anticipated this year, offering unlimited samplings (no tasting tickets). Those interested in a more intimate experience can upgrade their tickets to receive the VIP treatment, which offers a covered tent close to the main stage, exclusive tastings with vintners and winemakers, private guest appearance by Laurie Forster (The Wine Coach), a wine-making forum with MWA, festival t-shirt and goodie bag. Wine connoisseurs and first time samplers alike enjoy the annual festival, which also features live music, including a headlining performance by Dave Matthews Band collaborator Tim Reynolds and TR3 on Saturday. Earlier on Saturday, festival-goers can enjoy a laid back and hilarious take on wine tasting from award-winning sommelier Laurie Forster, The Wine Coach.
Both festivals are hosted at the beautiful Pemberton Historical Park in Salisbury, Maryland. Just off a clam shell road on the western side of Wicomico County, the park’s rural backdrop boasts sprawling meadows. In the fall, the meadows are lined with trees of vibrant orange, red and yellow. Pemberton’s 207 acres are highlighted by a charming 18th century plantation home.
Dates & Info:
Good Beer Festival
Saturday, October 12 / Sunday, October 13 from 12:30pm to 6:30pm
www.GoodBeerFestival.org
Autumn Wine Festival
Saturday, October 19 / Sunday, October 20 from 12:30pm-6:30pm
www.AutumnWineFestival.org
Tickets for the Good Beer Festival or Autumn Wine Festival are:
Available in Advance (sold until 6pm Friday of festival weekend): 1-day $25/2-day $40/Non-tasting ticket 1-day $5
At the Gate: 1-day $35; Non-tasting ticket $10
Autumn Wine Festival Only: VIP 1-Day $55 / 2-Day $90
North Carolina GOP Wants To End State Income Tax
Some North Carolina Republican legislators are working to make their state the eighth in the nation without a state income tax.
Republican North Carolina State Sen. Bob Rucho said on Wednesday that he plans to push for his state to end its state income tax and replace it with a consumption-based sales tax. Rucho told the Washington Post that the bleak economy of the last several years has made state revenues uneven, resulting in challenges for annual budget planning.
"We want to get away from that and go to a more flat consumption-based tax on sales taxes, both goods and services, and in return, we'll say, 'We'll go to zero with the income tax.' And that's something we think we can achieve. It just takes time to get there," said Rucho.
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Republican North Carolina State Sen. Bob Rucho said on Wednesday that he plans to push for his state to end its state income tax and replace it with a consumption-based sales tax. Rucho told the Washington Post that the bleak economy of the last several years has made state revenues uneven, resulting in challenges for annual budget planning.
"We want to get away from that and go to a more flat consumption-based tax on sales taxes, both goods and services, and in return, we'll say, 'We'll go to zero with the income tax.' And that's something we think we can achieve. It just takes time to get there," said Rucho.
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107-YEAR-OLD MAN DIES IN SHOOTOUT WITH SWAT TEAM
But friends and fellow church members say that Monroe Isadore was legally blind and nearly deaf and shouldn’t have died that way.
“I’m in shock today,” Larry Smith, who attended church with Isadore at New Direction Baptist, told KLRT-TV.
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Dems In Disarray Over Syria
While President Obama is plenty busy in Russia today trying to build international support for his call to strike Syria, he’s been doing some long distance diplomacy back home as members of his own party recoil from his call to arms. Obama called senators to drum up support for military action. The White House has also ditched a scheduled presidential trip to Los Angeles next week in order to keep selling in Washington. Obama heads home today, but Secretary of State John Kerry picks up the ball overseas, departing for Lithuania this morning for coalition building after a series of confrontations with Congress. With Republicans uneasy about the overall strategy, a crumbling Democratic coalition poses problems for the president’s plan.
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More
Effort To Defund ObamaCare Tries To Regain Its Momentum This Week
Conservatives will take their defund-ObamaCare push back to Washington, D.C., this week with an event to rally support and combat a wide shift in focus away from the issue.
Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and a slew of House members and Tea Party leaders will host a rally Tuesday to pressure leaders not to pay for healthcare reform in the next bill to fund the government.
The anti-funding movement, which dominated headlines at the beginning of the summer, has not gained enough support to assure victory as Congress enters a series of fiscal negotiations over the next two months.
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Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and a slew of House members and Tea Party leaders will host a rally Tuesday to pressure leaders not to pay for healthcare reform in the next bill to fund the government.
The anti-funding movement, which dominated headlines at the beginning of the summer, has not gained enough support to assure victory as Congress enters a series of fiscal negotiations over the next two months.
More
Psych Test
If you start with a cage containing five monkeys and inside the cage, hang a banana on a string from the top and then you place a set of stairs under the banana, before long a monkey will go to the stairs and climb toward the banana.
As soon as he touches the stairs, you spray all the other monkeys with cold water. After a while another monkey makes an attempt with same result ... all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it. Now, put the cold water away.
Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one.
The new monkey sees the banana and attempts to climb the stairs. To his shock, all of the other monkeys beat the crap out of him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs he will be assaulted. Next, remove another of the original five monkeys, replacing it with a new one.
The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm, because he is now part of the "team". Then, replace a third original monkey with a new one, followed by the fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked. Now, the monkeys that are beating him up have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs. Neither do they know why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey. Finally, having replaced all of the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys will have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, not one of the monkeys will try to climb the stairway for the banana. Why, you ask? Because in their minds...that is the way it has always been!
This, my friends, is how Congress operates...and this is why, from time to time:
ALL of the monkeys need to be REPLACED AT THE SAME TIME.
As soon as he touches the stairs, you spray all the other monkeys with cold water. After a while another monkey makes an attempt with same result ... all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it. Now, put the cold water away.
Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one.
The new monkey sees the banana and attempts to climb the stairs. To his shock, all of the other monkeys beat the crap out of him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs he will be assaulted. Next, remove another of the original five monkeys, replacing it with a new one.
The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm, because he is now part of the "team". Then, replace a third original monkey with a new one, followed by the fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked. Now, the monkeys that are beating him up have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs. Neither do they know why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey. Finally, having replaced all of the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys will have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, not one of the monkeys will try to climb the stairway for the banana. Why, you ask? Because in their minds...that is the way it has always been!
This, my friends, is how Congress operates...and this is why, from time to time:
ALL of the monkeys need to be REPLACED AT THE SAME TIME.
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