2 Million Facebook, Gmail And Twitter Passwords Stolen In Massive Hack

Hackers have stolen usernames and passwords for nearly two million accounts at Facebook, Google, Twitter, Yahoo and others, according to a report released this week.

The massive data breach was a result of keylogging software maliciously installed on an untold number of computers around the world, researchers at cybersecurity firmTrustwave said. The virus was capturing log-in credentials for key websites over the past month and sending those usernames and passwords to a server controlled by the hackers.

On Nov. 24, Trustwave researchers tracked that server, located in the Netherlands. They discovered compromised credentials for more than 93,000 websites, including:

• 318,000 Facebook (FB, Fortune 500) accounts
• 70,000 Gmail, Google+ and YouTube accounts
• 60,000 Yahoo (YHOO, Fortune 500) accounts
• 22,000 Twitter (TWTR) accounts
• 9,000 Odnoklassniki accounts (a Russian social network)
• 8,000 ADP (ADP, Fortune 500) accounts (ADP says it counted 2,400)
• 8,000 LinkedIn (LNKD)accounts

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GOVERNOR O’MALLEY ANNOUNCES $200 MILLION INVESTMENT IN MARYLAND BY TOP BRAZILIAN PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY

Publishers Notes: I continue to wonder why County Executive Rick Pollitt refuses to bend the ear of the Governor to bring such Industry and Jobs here to the Eastern Shore. You can't tell me we couldn't offer them better incentives. 

Brace Pharmaceuticals, part of Brazilian pharma giant EMS, locates its U.S. headquarters in Rockville

ANNAPOLIS, MD – On a trade mission to Brazil, Governor Martin O’Malley announced that Brace Pharmaceuticals, an investment company created by EMS S/A, Brazil’s largest domestic pharmaceutical company, has opened its U.S. headquarters in Montgomery County and plans to invest $200 million into the new operation. The company, which is located in the Rockville Innovation Center, is focused on the late stage clinical development of pharmaceutical products with the potential for near-term commercialization. Brace invests in research and development companies’ efforts to successfully complete their clinical trials and seek FDA marketing approval. Brace recently entered into its first venture investment in a U.S. company with Gliknik, a Baltimore-based biopharmaceutical company that is creating new therapies for cancer and immune disorders. The announcement came after Governor O’Malley visited EMS headquarters near Sao Paulo and met with the company’s owner and Chairman, Carlos Sanchez and its Vice President of Strategy & Operations, Vinzenz Plorer, a member of the Maryland delegation to Brazil.

“Brace Pharmaceuticals’ decision to establish its U.S. headquarters in Maryland reaffirms the State’s position as one of the world’s leading locations for life sciences innovation,” said Governor O’Malley. “We welcome Brace and are pleased that they will be able to benefit from our highly-educated workforce and our proximity to key federal labs. Their work with a wealth of cutting-edge companies will help to cure diseases and develop new therapies to save lives across the globe.”

"By establishing Brace's operations in Rockville, Maryland, we have access to one of the U.S.'s top life sciences communities,” Brace’s Plorer said. “There is a talented pool of industry experience to draw upon as we expand our footprint. Moreover, there is established infrastructure and support from companies, universities, NIH and FDA."

Governor O’Malley also announced that DK Diagnostics, a Sao Paulo, Brazil-based biotechnology company, is planning to expand its presence in Maryland, invest $1 million in the new operation and grow to 20 employees over the next two years. Founded in 2004, the company manufactures and markets a parasite testing kit called PARATEST.r Currently, the company has four employees in an office in Frederick and recently began manufacturing the product in Maryland.

“It is our goal to become an export company to NAFTA's market from our plant in Maryland and help fortify the concept of biotechnological innovation that is the State's mark,” said Jose Carlos Lapenna, DK Diagnostic President & CEO.

Earlier today, Governor O’Malley addressed the Federation of Industries of Sao Paulo, which represents more than 30,000 industrial companies. As part of the presentation, called “Doing Business in Maryland,” the Governor highlighted the State’s top-ranked education system and leadership in the Innovation Economy, including biotechnology, cyber security and advanced manufacturing.

Orders For Mistletoe Pour In After Oregon Girl Told She Can’t Sell Them, But Can Beg For Money At City Park

It appears the Oregon girl who was told she could not sell mistletoe in a public park, but could beg for money to pay for her braces, will be able to pay for dental work...and then some.

Hundreds of mistletoe orders have poured in after reports of 11-year-old Madison Root being told by a security guard that she cannot sell the item at a public park, but she could, if she wanted to, beg for money, KATU.com reported.

Root, who was selling the classic Christmas staple to earn enough money to pay for her new braces, also received $1,000 from a local entrepreneur as "seed money" for her mistletoe operations.
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Corporate Profits Rising Economy Struggling Infographic

Wasn’t the economy supposed to be struggling? Then why are companies in the U.S. and all around the world raking in cash? Let’s look at which companies are most profitable — and how some of them stay that way.

Who Makes the Most Money?

Of the 25 companies with the largest corporate profits in the world, banking, energy and technology firms are absolutely ranking it in.

Collectively, they made $567,856,000,000 in 2012 alone. And that’s only 25 of the most profitable companies in the world. Let’s put all that cash into perspective. That enough money to …

… provide a year of funding on mid-range plans under the Affordable Care Act for 144 million Americans (that’s equivalent to nearly everyone in the eight most populous states in the country, California, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Florida, Ohio and Georgia).
… outweigh a 68,000-individual herd of African elephants

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First Dog Sunny Gets A Little Frisky With Toddler At White House Holiday Event

New first dog Sunny got a little frisky at the White House.

First lady Michelle Obama yanked on the new pup’s leash as Ashtyn Gardner, 2, from Mobile, Ala., lost her balance while greeting the Portuguese Water Dog.

The faces of horrified chefs can be seen in the background.

Little Ashtyn was at the White House for a holiday arts-and-crafts event in the State Dining Room for the children of military personnel.
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Obamacare And Its Cronies

“Collaboration” between insurers and the administration, or revolving-door economics?

Despite the myriad problems with Obamacare’s rollout, health-insurance companies are not tempering their support for the controversial law. The industry is even gearing up for an expensive “PR blitz” to enroll people in the exchanges, which should come as no surprise.

In the words of former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle, insurance companies are “not necessarily unbiased. They have a lot of skin in the game.” Indeed, one of the more peculiar aspects of the Obamacare debate has been the mainstream media’s apparent bemusement at the insurance industry’s support for a law that not only forces people to buy its products (which are necessarily more expensive under the law) but also offers direct taxpayer subsidies to help cover the cost, to the tune of nearly $500 billion over the next ten years.

It was hardly a shock when, in 2011, the industry’s largest lobbying group, America’s Health Insurance Plans, argued in an amicus brief to the Supreme Court that, in the event that the individual mandate to purchase insurance was struck down, Obamacare should be scrapped entirely.

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Iran Enrichment Capacity Expanded Dramatically On Obama's Watch

Before he paused to allow reporters to ask questions about the nuclear deal with Iran that he had just announced in Geneva, Secretary of State John Kerry seemed to anticipate one line of criticism about the accord -- that it effectively cedes to the Islamic regime the right to enrich uranium, despite half a dozen U.N. Security Council resolutions declaring the activity illegal. And he moved, preemptively, to address it.

"In 2003, when the Iranians made an offer to the former administration with respect to their nuclear program, there were 164 centrifuges," Kerry said in a news conference held in the early hours of Nov. 24. "That offer was not taken. Subsequently, sanctions came in, and today there are 19,000 centrifuges and growing."

In essence, the secretary of State was suggesting the staggering number of centrifuges that Iran now has effectively forced the hand of the P5+1 negotiators at the talks, making the placement of restrictions on Iran's nuclear program the only realistic prospect the negotiators could pursue. Kerry also suggested that had only President George W. Bush done the right thing a decade ago, the United States and its allies in the P5+1 -- Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia -- wouldn't have found themselves in such a precarious negotiating posture.
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Dr. Benjamin Carson Talks About Health Care

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - On November 7th, Dr. Benjamin Carson addressed an audience of 1,400 at the Alabama Policy Institute’s 24th annual dinner.

At a time when nationalizing 1/6th of America’s economy has imploded into a health insurance fiasco and the national debt is at $17 trillion and climbing, pioneering neurosurgeon Dr. Carson is speaking out against political correctness and government dependency.

Carson is a very soft-spoken man, and even when he is using a microphone the entire audience hushes as much as possible for fear they might miss a word.

Benjamin Solomon Carson was raised by a single mother who was committed to giving her sons a strong foundation for liberty.

“My mother was out working 2-3 jobs at a time, leaving at five in the morning and getting back after midnight, because she didn’t want to be on welfare,” said Carson. “She was very observant and she noticed that no one she ever saw go on welfare came off of it. She did not like the idea of being dependent. She didn’t want us to be dependent.”

“In fact, I suspect my mother with her 3rd grade education could probably do a much better job than the people at the head of this country,” said Carson, drawing applause from the audience.

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FBI Impeding Inquiry Into IRS Targeting Of Conservative Groups

The House’s chief investigator says the FBI is stonewalling his inquiry into whether the agency and the Internal Revenue Service targeted conservative group True the Vote for special scrutiny, and Rep. Darrell E. Issa is now threatening subpoenas to pry loose the information from FBI Director James B. Comey Jr.

Mr. Issa, California Republican, and Rep. Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican, are leading the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s IRS inquiry. They also said the FBI is refusing to turn over any documents related to its own investigation into the IRS, which began in the days after an auditor’s report revealed the tax agency had improperly targeted tea party groups for special scrutiny.

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WCSO PRESS RELEASE 12-04-13

Incident: Warrant

Date of Incident: 2 December 2013

Location: Salisbury, MD

Suspect: Robert Leon Lewis Jr., 18, Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On 2 December 2013 at 10:20 AM, a deputy arrested Robert Lewis on a District Court Bench Warrant. The warrant had been issued after Lewis failed to obey the conditions of his pre-trial release in a trespassing case.  The deputy transported Lewis to the Detention Center where he was detained without bond.

Charges: Failure to Follow Conditions of Pre-Trial Release

Lewis, Robert

Incident: Possession of CDS / DUI

Date of Incident: 2 December 2013

Location: Gunby Road, Salisbury, MD

Suspect: Scott Michael Davis, 30, Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On 2 December 2013 at 1:00 PM, a deputy arrested Scott Davis in connection with an incident that had occurred back on 21 Nov 2013. In that incident, the Sheriff’s Office and EMS were summoned to the area of Gunby Road in Salisbury for the report of a vehicle stooped in the middle of the road with the operator passed out behind the wheel. The operator, Scott Davis of Salisbury, was discovered to be suffering the effects of being under the influence of what was suspected to be Heroin. That suspicion was supported by the discovery of heroin along with paraphernalia that included a syringe inside the vehicle. Upon the initial arrival of EMS, Davis was found unconscious with the vehicle in gear and his foot on the brake.  Davis was transported to PRMC at the time of this incident.  The investigating deputy applied for and received a warrant for the arrest of Davis. Upon arrest he was transported to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Davis in the Detention Center in lieu of $20,000.00 bond.

Charges: Possession of CDS, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Driving Under the Influence of CDS

Davis, Scott

Incident: Wanted Fugitive / Possession CDS

Date of Incident: 2 December 2013

Location: 100 block of S. Division Street, Salisbury, MD

Suspect: Hezekiah McBride Purnell Jr., 47, Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On 2 December 2013 at 2:00 PM a deputy responded to the Wicomico County Library after receiving information that a wanted fugitive, Hezekiah Purnell, was inside. Upon arrival the deputy located Purnell sitting at one of the library computers surfing the internet. Upon being taken into custody, the deputy located a baggie of what was recognized as marijuana in Purnell’s pants pocket.

Purnell was wanted on a total of four (4) warrants:

1. District Court Bench Warrant issued for Failure to Appear in a Marijuana Possession case.
2. District Court Bench Warrant issued for Failure to Appear in a CDS Paraphernalia case.
3. Child Support Body Attachment
4. Child Support Body Attachment 

Additionally, Purnell was also charged with Possession of CDS due to the marijuana located in his possession.  Purnell was detained in the Detention Center on bond.

Charges: Possession of CDS, Failure to Appear and Child Support Non-Compliance

Purnell, Hezekiah

With Top 4 US Banks Holding $217 Trillion In Derivatives, Total Number Of US Banks Drops To Record Low

Overnight, the WSJ reported  a financial factoid well-known to regular readers: namely that as a result of a broken system that ever since the LTCM bailout has encouraged banks to become take on so much risk they become systematically important (as in their failure would "end capitalism as we know it"), and thus Too Big To Fail, there has been an unprecedented roll-up of existing financial institutions especially among the top, while the smaller, less "relevant", if far more prudent banks have been forced out of business. "The decline in bank numbers, from a peak of more than 18,000, has come almost entirely in the form of exits by banks with less than $100 million in assets, with the bulk occurring between 1984 and 2011. More than 10,000 banks left the industry during that period as a result of mergers, consolidations or failures, FDIC data show. About 17% of the banks collapsed."

The resulting elimination of over 10,000 banks in the past thee decades is shown in the WSJ chart below, which also shows total amounts of bank deposits.

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Md., Va. Among Top Five States For Government-Funded Jobs

Maryland and Virginia are among the top five states in the nation in the dubious competition for most government-financed employment, according to a new economic study.

It turns out Virginia, Maryland’s closest fierce competitor for business, edges out Maryland in most categories for taxpayer-funded jobs, according to a study conducted by Keith Hall, former commissioner of the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. He is now a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center of the George Mason University.
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6 Fresh & Green's Markets In Maryland And Washington Closing

Downtown Baltimore will lose one of its few grocery stores when six Fresh & Green's markets in Maryland and Washington close by the end of the month

Natural Markets Food Group announced the closings Monday. The stores, former Superfresh markets, opened in 2011 under the ownership of Natural Markets, a subsidiary of Catalyst Capital Group, a Canadian private equity firm.

Anne Burns, a spokeswoman for Fresh & Green's, said about 40 employees will be affected at each store, including one on Charles Street in Baltimore and others in Arnold, Brunswick, Cambridge and Chestertown.

The stores were not profitable, the retailer's CEO, Robin S. Michel, said in a statement.

"Closing stores is never easy, given the impact on employees and the communities they serve … but there are times when it is necessary, and this is such a time," she said. "We've reached the point at which continuing to operate these stores does not make financial sense for the company."

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Atlantic City Fire Dept. - Expiring Grant = 51 Layoffs

ATLANTIC CITY - The expiration of a federal grant is forcing the fire department to layoff dozens of firefighters.

Atlantic City Fire Chief Dennis Brooks tells NBC 40 that come December 4, the expiration of the Federal S.A.F.E.R. grant will force the department to lay off 51 firefighters. Eight more will be demoted.

The grant, awarded in May 2011, allowed the department to maintain a staff of 264 firefighters.

Chief Brooks says the department has had no word from the federal government on whether or not the S.A.F.E.R. grant will be renewed.

Hough Wants Term Limits For State Lawmakers

Maryland Delegate Michael Hough says he wants his fellow state lawmakers to limit their own terms so part-time legislators don't turn into career politicians.

When the Maryland General Assembly convenes in January, Hough will push to bar state lawmakers from serving more than three terms in the Senate and three in the House of Delegates. Capping length of service would shake up the "ruling class" that now controls the legislative process in Annapolis, he believes.

"They've got a machine down there, and they wield a lot of power," said Hough, R-District 3B.

Hough said his belief in term limits developed after seeing how the state Legislature operates. He noted that Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., a Democrat, has led his chamber for decades and said the seven House committee chairs have held office for a combined total of about 180 years.
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Oregon Girl Told She Can't Sell Mistletoe, But Can Beg For Money

An 11-year-old girl from Portland, Ore. has been told that she can't sell mistletoe to help defray the cost of braces, but she can beg for the money on the city's streets.

According to KATU-TV, Madison Root and her father were selling bags of the hand-cut, hand-wrapped Christmas favorite Saturday morning next to the Skidmore Fountain in downtown Portland, where the city holds a weekly market. Everything was going well until a security guard told her that she had to stop selling due to a city ordinance that bans such activity in a park "except as expressly permitted under the terms of a lease, concession or permit."

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No Cook Cinnamon Ornaments

Here is a simple way to make amazing cinnamon ornaments for your Christmas tree this year. This recipe requires NO COOKING, takes mere minutes to mix up, and will fill your home with the best scent of the season.

This recipe is so simple to prepare and the ornaments smell divine. One other thing I love about these cinnamon ornaments is that kids can paint them once dry for added fun! They dry naturally light in color, giving kids a perfect canvas to create.

Cinnamon Ornament Recipe
1 cup of flour
1/2 cup of salt
1/2 cup of cinnamon
3/4 cup of very warm water 
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Man Survives Three Days at Bottom of Atlantic Ocean After Tugboat Topples: Amazing Rescue Video

LAGOS, Nigeria — Entombed at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in an upended tugboat for three days, Harrison Odjegba Okene begged God for a miracle

The Nigerian cook survived by breathing an ever-dwindling supply of oxygen in an air pocket. A video of Okene's rescue in May that was posted on the Internet more than six months later has gone viral this week.

As the temperature dropped to freezing, Okene, dressed only in boxer shorts, recited the last psalm his wife had sent by text message, sometimes called the Prayer for Deliverance: "Oh God, by your name, save me. ... The Lord sustains my life."
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Blue Angels Coming To OC In 2015

The Dispatch
BREAKING NEWS: Blue Angels Coming To OC In 2015
It was confirmed today the U.S. Navy Blue Angels will be in Ocean City for the 2015 OC Air Show on June 13-14. Who exactly will headline the 2014 OC Air Show, set for June 14-15, should be known soon as the military demonstration teams typically solidify their schedule at the International Council of Air Shows in Las Vegas that is currently being held. On the radar of the OC Air Show is the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, among other acts.

SU Students Volunteer For The Holidays

SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University students, faculty and staff are preparing for the holidays with projects that benefit the whole community. The following is a sampling:

TOURNAMENT OF TREES:  The Guerrieri University Center hosts its 10th annual Tournament of Trees in December. More than 20 SU organizations decorate three-foot, pre-lit Christmas trees for a chance to win prizes. The trees are displayed in the center’s Fireside Lounge from December 4-11 before being given to residents served by local charities.

SHORECORPS/PALS COLLECTION:  ShoreCorps/PALS (Partnership for Adolescents on the Lower Shore), the AmeriCorps program at SU, is collecting toys throughout the Salisbury area to be distributed to local families in need by the Salvation Army through Saturday, December 14.

BACKPACK PROGRAM:  The Student Affairs Division collects non-perishable, easy-to-open foods such as peanut butter, granola bars and fruit cups to benefit Beaver Run Elementary School’s Backpack Program from Monday-Thursday, December 2-19. Twice each month, the Maryland Food Bank fills some 40 backpacks with these items and sends them home with eligible Beaver Run students to help supplement their meals. Collection boxes are located at the Information Desk of the Guerrieri University Center and Sea Gull Square Housing Office.

TYPHOON RECOVERY:  SU’s Filipino American Cultural Association is teaming with other student organizations through Thursday, December 5, to collect money to benefit UNICEF’s typhoon recovery efforts in the Philippines.

ANIMAL SUPPLY DRIVE:  Blackwell Library reminds the community that people are not the only beings who are homeless and hungry during its annual donation drive to benefit animal shelters in Dorchester, Worcester and Somerset counties. The drive runs through Friday, December 13. A list of needed items, such as dog and cat food, and collection boxes are located near the library’s circulation desk.

KETTLE CAMPAIGN:  The Salisbury Pops collects donations for the Salvation Army’s Kettle Campaign during its annual Holiday Concert 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 3, in Holloway Hall Auditorium.
CHRISTMAS WITH THE JAYCEES:  Through the SU Volunteer Center, students have signed up to chaperone children in need when they purchase gifts for loved ones and themselves during the Salisbury Jaycees’ annual Children’s Christmas Shopping Tour and to assist with the organization’s 67th annual Salisbury Christmas Parade, scheduled Sunday, December 8.

TOYS FOR TOTS:  Participants in the SU Intramural Office’s 31st annual Turkey Trot 5K Fun Run and Holiday Basketball Tournament were asked to bring in a toy or make a $5 donation to Toys For Tots. The Perdue School of Business also is collecting items for Toys For Tots through Friday, December 13.

OPERATION WE CARE:  Members of the SU chapter of the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity hosted a drive at Walmart to collect items for Operation We Care, which sends care packages to U.S. military personnel serving overseas. They also assisted in packing over 800 boxes sent to troops in November.

THANKS-4-GIVING:  SU’s TRiO-ACHiEVE Student Support Services program collected toys, clothes, toiletries and non-perishable food in November to supply care packages for local individuals in need through its Thanks-4-Giving initiative.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:  SU’s athletic trainers and student athletic trainers collected canned and non-perishable food throughout November to benefit the Joseph House shelter. The tradition, dating back more than a decade, has supplied more than 1,500 pounds of food for the homeless and less fortunate since its inception.

YELLOW RIBBON FUND:  Students in Dr. Chrys Egan’s Family Communications class collected gift cards, stuffed animals, art supplies, toys, video games and other requested items for the Yellow Ribbon Fund, supporting injured soldiers and their families. The organization primarily offers support for troops undergoing medical rehabilitation at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and Fort Belvoir Community Hospital.

I LOVE SALISBURY:  Some 500 students partnered with community neighbors to pick up litter, rake leaves, sweep and perform other tasks during the Student Government Association’s sixth annual “I Love Salisbury” cleanup event in November.

SEMESTER OF GIVING:  Students in Paula Morris’ promotions classes have spent the semester organizing and hosting fundraisers for area non-profit organizations, including the Village of Hope, Delmarva Education Foundation, Kids of Honor mentoring program, Women Supporting Women cancer support program, Salisbury Zoological Society and Stop the Violence Wicomico County.

For information on these and other holiday philanthropic programs at SU call 410-543-6030.  For updates, visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu.