The bugle call of "Taps." The swell of voices spontaneously joining to sing "We Shall Overcome." The urgency of "Fight The Power." Anthems are songs that tap into the collective emotions that listeners and performers have around an issue, whether it's joyful pride in one's country or rage over injustice.
The stories behind these musical manifestos — why they are written and how they are embraced — can reveal much about the cultural pulse of the societies that create, share and celebrate them. Beginning July 4, NPR will zero in on 50 different anthems across a range of themes: patriotic, civil rights, anti-war, female empowerment, sports, mental health and more, in a series we're calling American Anthem.
Our working definition is "a rousing or uplifting song identified with a particular group, body, or cause," though each of our picks — selected by NPR staffers with help from a panel of music scholars and artists — might fill those criteria in a different way. Whether a song originated in America is less important than the role it plays in American culture (so expect to see a few from beyond our borders). From "Battle Hymn of the Republic" to "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," "Dixie" to "Born This Way," we want you to think about what makes an anthem and for whom these compositions can speak.
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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
Monday, May 28, 2018
How Israel Protects its Schools from Gun Wielding Crazies
The proponents of gun control have been bullying us and guilting us with idiotic arguments like, ‘if you don’t support stricter gun control laws, you hate the children,’ for years. For one thing, they don’t understand simple gun statistics.
For example, they don’t understand that nearly all mass shootings happen in gun free zones. It stands to reason. Mass shooters may be deranged, but they don’t want to go to the target location and be shot dead the moment they pull out their weapons.
As another example, pro-gun control advocates look at facts like, increases in concealed carry permits raising the numbers of occasions when people successfully defend themselves. When something like this happens, they see the number of shootings go up, but because the news outlets they trust don’t report the news fully, they can’t understand what they’re hearing.
They see more shootings. They don’t see robberies, murders, and rapes prevented. They just see shootings.
The point is, when it comes to enacting sensible ways to protect children in schools from mass shooters, why should we be held back by people who refuse to look at the facts realistically?
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For example, they don’t understand that nearly all mass shootings happen in gun free zones. It stands to reason. Mass shooters may be deranged, but they don’t want to go to the target location and be shot dead the moment they pull out their weapons.
As another example, pro-gun control advocates look at facts like, increases in concealed carry permits raising the numbers of occasions when people successfully defend themselves. When something like this happens, they see the number of shootings go up, but because the news outlets they trust don’t report the news fully, they can’t understand what they’re hearing.
They see more shootings. They don’t see robberies, murders, and rapes prevented. They just see shootings.
The point is, when it comes to enacting sensible ways to protect children in schools from mass shooters, why should we be held back by people who refuse to look at the facts realistically?
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Parents of confessed school shooter sued over massacre
The parents of confessed Texas school shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis are being blamed for his deadly massacre — with at least one victim’s family filing a lawsuit this week, claiming the teen’s father didn’t secure his weapons properly.
Cops say Pagourtzis used a shotgun and pistol during his alleged shooting spree, which belonged to his dad and was reportedly kept in a closet.
In Texas, it’s illegal to keep guns out in the open or in easily accessible areas when children under 17 are around. There are exceptions, but only when the child is under parent supervision or hunting.
If a parent is caught disobeying the law and a weapon is fired, causing serious injury or death, they can be charged with a misdemeanor and face up to a year in jail.
The family of 17-year-old Chris Stone — who was killed during Pagourtzis’ rampage at Santa Fe High School, according to authorities — filed a lawsuit in Galveston County on Thursday, claiming that’s exactly what happened.
The move has been done in the past by the parents of shooting victims, with the most recent case coming after the Waffle House shooting in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Cops say Pagourtzis used a shotgun and pistol during his alleged shooting spree, which belonged to his dad and was reportedly kept in a closet.
In Texas, it’s illegal to keep guns out in the open or in easily accessible areas when children under 17 are around. There are exceptions, but only when the child is under parent supervision or hunting.
If a parent is caught disobeying the law and a weapon is fired, causing serious injury or death, they can be charged with a misdemeanor and face up to a year in jail.
The family of 17-year-old Chris Stone — who was killed during Pagourtzis’ rampage at Santa Fe High School, according to authorities — filed a lawsuit in Galveston County on Thursday, claiming that’s exactly what happened.
The move has been done in the past by the parents of shooting victims, with the most recent case coming after the Waffle House shooting in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Congress Directs Immediate Weaponization of Space to Counter Missile Strikes
Space-based interceptors, long on ice, get kickstart from Cruz
Congress is ordering the Pentagon to immediately begin construction of space-based missile interceptors to counter increasing threats from North Korea, Iran, and other countries with advanced missile technology, according to new legislation viewed by the Washington Free Beacon.
The space-based interceptor program—a plan for the United States to deploy satellites into space capable of destroying ballistic missiles before they even take flight—has been on ice for years due to repeated delays by the Pentagon.
Congressional frustration over the issue has been mounting for some time, leading Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, to push a new legislative measure to cut through the red tape and order the Pentagon to immediately begin construction on the advanced missile defense system.
Cruz is the author of an amendment to the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, a mammoth yearly spending bill that funds American national security priorities, ordering the Pentagon to begin building space-based interceptors within the next year, according to a copy of the measure obtained by the Free Beacon.
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Congress is ordering the Pentagon to immediately begin construction of space-based missile interceptors to counter increasing threats from North Korea, Iran, and other countries with advanced missile technology, according to new legislation viewed by the Washington Free Beacon.
The space-based interceptor program—a plan for the United States to deploy satellites into space capable of destroying ballistic missiles before they even take flight—has been on ice for years due to repeated delays by the Pentagon.
Congressional frustration over the issue has been mounting for some time, leading Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, to push a new legislative measure to cut through the red tape and order the Pentagon to immediately begin construction on the advanced missile defense system.
Cruz is the author of an amendment to the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, a mammoth yearly spending bill that funds American national security priorities, ordering the Pentagon to begin building space-based interceptors within the next year, according to a copy of the measure obtained by the Free Beacon.
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Luntz: Pelosi Is So Unpopular, GOP Could Keep House Majority in Midterms
Thursday on Fox News Channel’s “The Ingraham Angle,” pollster Frank Luntz said the unpopularity of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) could mean Republicans keep the House majority in November’s midterms.
When asked about the generic congressional vote numbers tightening in favor of Republicans, Luntz said, “I have been tracking this on a weekly basis going back now for a year and a half, and these are the best numbers the GOP had in the last year. One of the reasons is that women, working women, women with children, have begun to leave the Democratic party. It’s not they are pro-Republican, but what they see among the Democrats is the negativity that turned them off in previous elections. Second is that Nancy Pelosi is simply the least popular credible figure in the Democratic party right now. She is more unpopular than Hillary and Chuck Schumer.”
He continued, “If Republicans could find some way to engineer a vote over who would be Speaker of the House in January of 2019, if they could engineer that vote, I would be prepared to say right now that the Republicans would keep the majority, because there are so many people out there—swing voters—who do not want Pelosi as Speaker that one action would make a difference.”
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When asked about the generic congressional vote numbers tightening in favor of Republicans, Luntz said, “I have been tracking this on a weekly basis going back now for a year and a half, and these are the best numbers the GOP had in the last year. One of the reasons is that women, working women, women with children, have begun to leave the Democratic party. It’s not they are pro-Republican, but what they see among the Democrats is the negativity that turned them off in previous elections. Second is that Nancy Pelosi is simply the least popular credible figure in the Democratic party right now. She is more unpopular than Hillary and Chuck Schumer.”
He continued, “If Republicans could find some way to engineer a vote over who would be Speaker of the House in January of 2019, if they could engineer that vote, I would be prepared to say right now that the Republicans would keep the majority, because there are so many people out there—swing voters—who do not want Pelosi as Speaker that one action would make a difference.”
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The Millennial Who Wouldn't Move Out Got a Bizarre Pep Talk from Alex Jones
The Infowars host gave the 30-year-old some good advice (and $3,000), then shared some opinions about globalists.
Michael Rotondo has had a strange week. The unemployed 30-year-old became an odd sort of celebrity when a news story about his parents trying to evict him from their house went viral, and he's become both a cautionary tale and a stand-in for a generation that is staying in the nest longer than previous cohorts of young people.
Michael Rotondo has had a strange week. The unemployed 30-year-old became an odd sort of celebrity when a news story about his parents trying to evict him from their house went viral, and he's become both a cautionary tale and a stand-in for a generation that is staying in the nest longer than previous cohorts of young people.
He's been on CNN and Fox News to defend himself, but those appearances just seemed to make him a target for more ridicule.
Then, on Friday, he popped up on Alex Jones's Infowars show.
Jarrett and Obama are Behind Spygate
Unless we assume the FBI went completely rogue, it is inconceivable that the deployments of personnel to spy on the Trump campaign and make provocative contact with its lesser members could have occurred without the full knowledge and control of the occupants of the Oval Office.
Obama may claim a scandal-free administration, but after Fast and Furious, the targeting of the Tea Party by the IRS, the Benghazi cover-up, Hillary's emails, to name a few, Spygate is just the latest. I use the plural "occupants" because while Barack Hussein Obama may have been nominally the president of the United States, at the heart of every one of these scandals and virtually every administration move was Valerie Jarrett, who arguably could be considered our first female president.
Jarrett, born in Iran to American parents, has been with the Obamas since her days as deputy chief of staff in the office of Chicago mayor Richard Daley, the younger. She hired Michelle Obama, then Michelle Robinson, to fill an opening in the mayor's office. As WikiLeaks describes the beginning of a long relationship (citations omitted):
In 1991, as deputy chief of staff to Mayor Richard Daley, Jarrett interviewed Michelle Robinson for an opening in the mayor's office, after which she immediately offered Robinson the job. Michelle Robinson asked for time to think and also asked Jarrett to meet Robinson's fiancé, Barack Obama. The three ended up meeting for dinner. After the dinner, Michelle took the job with the mayor's office, and Valerie Jarrett reportedly took the couple under her wing and "introduced them to a wealthier and better-connected Chicago than their own." Jarrett later took Michelle with her when Jarrett left the mayor's office to head Chicago's Department of Planning and Development.
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Obama may claim a scandal-free administration, but after Fast and Furious, the targeting of the Tea Party by the IRS, the Benghazi cover-up, Hillary's emails, to name a few, Spygate is just the latest. I use the plural "occupants" because while Barack Hussein Obama may have been nominally the president of the United States, at the heart of every one of these scandals and virtually every administration move was Valerie Jarrett, who arguably could be considered our first female president.
Jarrett, born in Iran to American parents, has been with the Obamas since her days as deputy chief of staff in the office of Chicago mayor Richard Daley, the younger. She hired Michelle Obama, then Michelle Robinson, to fill an opening in the mayor's office. As WikiLeaks describes the beginning of a long relationship (citations omitted):
In 1991, as deputy chief of staff to Mayor Richard Daley, Jarrett interviewed Michelle Robinson for an opening in the mayor's office, after which she immediately offered Robinson the job. Michelle Robinson asked for time to think and also asked Jarrett to meet Robinson's fiancé, Barack Obama. The three ended up meeting for dinner. After the dinner, Michelle took the job with the mayor's office, and Valerie Jarrett reportedly took the couple under her wing and "introduced them to a wealthier and better-connected Chicago than their own." Jarrett later took Michelle with her when Jarrett left the mayor's office to head Chicago's Department of Planning and Development.
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New Push to Topple Obamacare Looms
A group of Republicans and advocacy groups will soon release a proposal intended to spark another push to repeal the Affordable Care Act, resurrecting a potentially volatile issue in the months before the November midterm elections.
The proposal to topple the Obama-era health law and replace it with a plan that would give states more control over health policy is the result of eight months of behind-the-scenes work by a coalition of conservative groups.
It reflects the frustration that many GOP lawmakers feel over last year’s failed effort to overturn the ACA, and the challenge Republicans now face in framing a campaign message around health care. GOP candidates promised to repeal the ACA starting with its passage in 2010, but even with Republican control of Washington repeal fell short in the Senate.
A group of think tanks—including policy experts from the Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute, Galen Institute and Manhattan Institute—plan to release a proposal in June.
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The proposal to topple the Obama-era health law and replace it with a plan that would give states more control over health policy is the result of eight months of behind-the-scenes work by a coalition of conservative groups.
It reflects the frustration that many GOP lawmakers feel over last year’s failed effort to overturn the ACA, and the challenge Republicans now face in framing a campaign message around health care. GOP candidates promised to repeal the ACA starting with its passage in 2010, but even with Republican control of Washington repeal fell short in the Senate.
A group of think tanks—including policy experts from the Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute, Galen Institute and Manhattan Institute—plan to release a proposal in June.
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McCain Admits Iraq War Was A Mistake
Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona admitted Friday that the Iraq War was a mistake.
“The principal reason for invading Iraq, that Saddam had WMD, was wrong,” McCain wrote in his new book. “The war, with its cost in lives and treasure and security, can’t be judged as anything other than a mistake, a very serious one, and I have to accept my share of the blame for it.”
McCain was one of the biggest supporters of the initial surge into Iraq in 2003 and was actually one of the first Republicans to get behind it. The Arizona senator has previously stated that his support for the Iraq War rested with his experience during Vietnam, where he was captured as a prisoner of war. McCain believes America could have won.
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“The principal reason for invading Iraq, that Saddam had WMD, was wrong,” McCain wrote in his new book. “The war, with its cost in lives and treasure and security, can’t be judged as anything other than a mistake, a very serious one, and I have to accept my share of the blame for it.”
McCain was one of the biggest supporters of the initial surge into Iraq in 2003 and was actually one of the first Republicans to get behind it. The Arizona senator has previously stated that his support for the Iraq War rested with his experience during Vietnam, where he was captured as a prisoner of war. McCain believes America could have won.
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Vice President Pence Tells Pastors: 'Share The Gospel!'
In a last-second surprise appearance before a pastors conference in Washington DC, Vice President Mike Pence outlined how the Trump administration has championed causes important to the evangelical community and implored them to continue to, "share the good news of Jesus Christ.”
“Other than the service of those who wear the uniform of the United States especially our cherished fallen, the ministries that you lead and the prayers that you pray are the greatest consequence in the life of the nation,” the vice-president told those attending the 2018 Watchman on the Wall conference sponsored by the Family Research Council.
“Keep preaching the good news. Keep preaching in season and out of season as the Bible says. Always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that you have," he continued.
At one point, Pence shared his Christian testimony, a life-changing moment that came at a Christian music conference in Wilmore, Kentucky back in 1978 at the end of his freshman year in college.
“Forty years ago this spring, I literally walked down and gave my life to Jesus Christ and so I just want you to continue to share the gospel, share that life-changing message," he shared.
As their website states, the Watchman on the Wall conference, hosted by the Family Research Council has a spiritual mission which is the belief that the problems facing America, “ultimately require a spiritual solution administered by spiritual leadership. That is why we are championing pastors to transform America.
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“Other than the service of those who wear the uniform of the United States especially our cherished fallen, the ministries that you lead and the prayers that you pray are the greatest consequence in the life of the nation,” the vice-president told those attending the 2018 Watchman on the Wall conference sponsored by the Family Research Council.
“Keep preaching the good news. Keep preaching in season and out of season as the Bible says. Always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that you have," he continued.
At one point, Pence shared his Christian testimony, a life-changing moment that came at a Christian music conference in Wilmore, Kentucky back in 1978 at the end of his freshman year in college.
“Forty years ago this spring, I literally walked down and gave my life to Jesus Christ and so I just want you to continue to share the gospel, share that life-changing message," he shared.
As their website states, the Watchman on the Wall conference, hosted by the Family Research Council has a spiritual mission which is the belief that the problems facing America, “ultimately require a spiritual solution administered by spiritual leadership. That is why we are championing pastors to transform America.
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A Viewer Writes: Memorial Day
This is one of many reasons why we enjoy our Freedom today and everyday the gallant military members before and after my dad that gave the ultimate sacrifice for what we have today. Many thanks to our active and retired Veterans today and everyday.
Planned Parenthood Miffed Pro-Life Groups Eligible for Title X Funds
Planned Parenthood Federation of America is not happy that President Donald Trump’s proposed rule to cut off Title X federal family planning funds from abortion providers makes the money available to organizations that fight for the rights of unborn children and faith-based groups.
National Public Radio (NPR) reported about Trump’s proposed rule and how it “could pave the way for a host of previously ineligible organizations — some of which oppose contraception — to receive funds through the federal government’s family planning program.”
“It also removes a requirement that recipients offer ‘medically approved’ family planning services, and it states explicitly that recipients would not have to provide all forms of effective contraception approved by the Food and Drug Administration,” NPR reported.
Under Trump’s proposed rule, Health and Human Services would no longer provide Planned Parenthood with a huge chunk of those funds — as much as $60 million of the $287 million of the Title X budget — the Federalist reported.
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National Public Radio (NPR) reported about Trump’s proposed rule and how it “could pave the way for a host of previously ineligible organizations — some of which oppose contraception — to receive funds through the federal government’s family planning program.”
“It also removes a requirement that recipients offer ‘medically approved’ family planning services, and it states explicitly that recipients would not have to provide all forms of effective contraception approved by the Food and Drug Administration,” NPR reported.
Under Trump’s proposed rule, Health and Human Services would no longer provide Planned Parenthood with a huge chunk of those funds — as much as $60 million of the $287 million of the Title X budget — the Federalist reported.
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Governor Larry Hogan Announces Statewide Flood Response Efforts
State Resources Available For Ellicott City, Impacted Areas; Governor Urges Marylanders to Avoid Damaged Areas, Heed Local Authorities’ Instructions
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan has directed Maryland state agencies to coordinate and work together to keep Marylanders safe and informed following yesterday’s severe weather, which included extensive and persistent rain, major flooding, and power outages in multiple locations throughout the state. Ellicott City in Howard County was particularly devastated by this weather event, which also included significant flooding in Southwest Baltimore County, Baltimore City, and Annapolis.
Governor Hogan declared a statewide State of Emergency on Sunday, May 27, which enables the state to efficiently coordinate support and provide additional assistance to all local jurisdictions experiencing flooding conditions. The governor is urging Marylanders to avoid the Ellicott City area while crews perform rescue operations and work to assess the damage left by the floods to begin the recovery process.
“We are heartbroken to see the devastation that occurred yesterday in Ellicott City, and the serious flooding in multiple jurisdictions across our state” said Governor Hogan. “State agencies have been working around the clock to coordinate resources, begin assessing damages, and clean up debris, mud, and damaged infrastructure.”
“If you want to help, my message is very clear: put your safety first, stay out of flooded areas, heed all warnings, and call 911 in the event of an emergency. The state stands with all impacted areas and will provide all possible resources in support of recovery efforts.”
The following actions and operations are being undertaken by state agencies to respond to the storm and assist those affected by the flooding and severe weather conditions:
Great Job Opportunity
U.P.S. in West Ocean City off route 50 is needing help.
They pay well, holidays and Sundays off
No over night shifts
Phone number
410/213/8880
The black artists that inspired Elvis Presley
My mother loved Elvis Presley. Growing up, Elvis was always playing in the house or on long car rides, along with The Beatles and a variety of other huge pop acts of the '50s and '60s. I wasn’t a music historian (I’m still not, as far as I know) — I didn’t know who copied from whom or what the lives of any of these people were like. I just knew that the music was great.
That music is the primary focus of the new documentary Elvis Presley: The Searchers. It follows the evolution of Elvis’s sound from mixing up gospel, blues and country in the '50s through to the movie musicals and Vegas crooning in the '60s. And while the question of whether Elvis was a cultural appropriator of black music or merely its champion/messenger may have been settled in the minds of many, the doco goes to great lengths to show us that neither are really true.
“He was a light for all of us. We all owe him for going first into battle,” Tom Petty says. “He had no road map, and he forged a path of what to do and what not to do. We shouldn’t make the mistake of writing off a great artist by all the clatter that came later. We should dwell in what he did that was so beautiful and everlasting. Which was that great, great music.”
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That music is the primary focus of the new documentary Elvis Presley: The Searchers. It follows the evolution of Elvis’s sound from mixing up gospel, blues and country in the '50s through to the movie musicals and Vegas crooning in the '60s. And while the question of whether Elvis was a cultural appropriator of black music or merely its champion/messenger may have been settled in the minds of many, the doco goes to great lengths to show us that neither are really true.
“He was a light for all of us. We all owe him for going first into battle,” Tom Petty says. “He had no road map, and he forged a path of what to do and what not to do. We shouldn’t make the mistake of writing off a great artist by all the clatter that came later. We should dwell in what he did that was so beautiful and everlasting. Which was that great, great music.”
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'I Hate My Mom's Phone & I Wish She Never Had One'
A Louisiana second-grader's homework assignment is going viral and making parents across the nation question if they spend too much time on their cell phones.
Teacher Jen Adams Beason wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post that she assigned her students to write about an invention they wish had never been created.
She posted an essay in which one of her students picked the cell phone.
"I don't like the phone because my [parents] are on their phone every day ... I hate my mom's phone and I wish she never had one," the student wrote.
More here
http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/05/25/childs-essay-goes-viral-wishing-parents-cell-phones-were-never-invented-i-hate-it
Teacher Jen Adams Beason wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post that she assigned her students to write about an invention they wish had never been created.
She posted an essay in which one of her students picked the cell phone.
"I don't like the phone because my [parents] are on their phone every day ... I hate my mom's phone and I wish she never had one," the student wrote.
More here
http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/05/25/childs-essay-goes-viral-wishing-parents-cell-phones-were-never-invented-i-hate-it
Maryland ObamaCare insurers ask for rate increases up to 91 percent
Maryland’s Obamacare insurers are asking for a 30 percent average rate increase for 2019, with some plans seeking hikes as high as 91 percent.
The proposals Monday come a few days after Virginia insurers also called for double-digit rate increases. Democrats have pounced on the rate hikes to say they are examples of how President Trump’s health policies are leading to high premiums.
Maryland Obamacare insurers CareFirst, BlueCross, and BlueShield plan to raise rates for an HMO plan on the law’s exchanges by 18 percent, and 91 percent for an extended network, or PPO, plan.
Kaiser Permanente, the state’s other Obamacare insurer, asked for a rate increase of 37 percent, according to a state filing.
The rates must be approved by the state and must be finalized before open enrollment starts Nov. 1.
The state’s insurance regulator said the rates don’t reflect legislation passed by the General Assembly to shore up the insurance exchange.
More here
The proposals Monday come a few days after Virginia insurers also called for double-digit rate increases. Democrats have pounced on the rate hikes to say they are examples of how President Trump’s health policies are leading to high premiums.
Maryland Obamacare insurers CareFirst, BlueCross, and BlueShield plan to raise rates for an HMO plan on the law’s exchanges by 18 percent, and 91 percent for an extended network, or PPO, plan.
Kaiser Permanente, the state’s other Obamacare insurer, asked for a rate increase of 37 percent, according to a state filing.
The rates must be approved by the state and must be finalized before open enrollment starts Nov. 1.
The state’s insurance regulator said the rates don’t reflect legislation passed by the General Assembly to shore up the insurance exchange.
More here
China Defends University ‘Confucius Institutes’ as Suspicions Grow Deeper
China struggled to protect the reputation of its Confucius Institute as an educational and cultural “bridge” between China and the world in a column on Friday, while suspicions grow deeper the Institutes serve as instruments for spreading Chinese regime influence into other societies.
“To date, America has already built 110 Confucius Institutes and 501 Confucius Classrooms. Besides language courses, they also opened courses on traditional Chinese culture such as tea ceremony, calligraphy, painting and so on,” the Chinese People’s Daily wrote on Friday. The article also celebrated other schools in Thailand and Belgium.
Texas A&M terminated its agreement to host Confucius Institutes in April at the urging of Representatives Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and Michael McCaul (R-TX).
“These organizations are a threat to our nation’s security by serving as a platform for China’s intelligence collection and political agenda. We have a responsibility to uphold our American values of free expression, and to do whatever is necessary to counter any behavior that poses a threat to our democracy,” Cuellar and McCaul wrote in a letter to four Texas universities.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) have also written to colleges in their states urging them to shut down the Confucius Institutes.
More here
“To date, America has already built 110 Confucius Institutes and 501 Confucius Classrooms. Besides language courses, they also opened courses on traditional Chinese culture such as tea ceremony, calligraphy, painting and so on,” the Chinese People’s Daily wrote on Friday. The article also celebrated other schools in Thailand and Belgium.
Texas A&M terminated its agreement to host Confucius Institutes in April at the urging of Representatives Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and Michael McCaul (R-TX).
“These organizations are a threat to our nation’s security by serving as a platform for China’s intelligence collection and political agenda. We have a responsibility to uphold our American values of free expression, and to do whatever is necessary to counter any behavior that poses a threat to our democracy,” Cuellar and McCaul wrote in a letter to four Texas universities.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) have also written to colleges in their states urging them to shut down the Confucius Institutes.
More here
Families Steal Ebola Patients from Hospital in DR Congo
International public health authorities confirmed 52 cases and 22 deaths in the ongoing outbreak of Ebola virus in Democratic Republic of Congo this week, where locals’ fear that medical professionals are intentionally spreading the disease has triggered at least two cases of families stealing patients out of hospitals.
Some locals believe that Ebola is a curse, not a medical condition, and prefer traditional healers to use magic against the curse rather than modern medicine. Others suspect the international relief organizations trying to prevent the disease from spreading are the ones who brought the virus into their communities, making containment and treatment difficult.
These concerns echo the struggles of fighting Ebola in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia in 2014, when an outbreak there killed over 11,000 people.
The incidents in which families stole patients out of hospitals occurred on Monday in Mbandaka, a port city near the urban capital of Kinshasa. According to Reuters, family members smuggled the relatives out by “walking them out of the hospital before putting them on the back of motorcycles.”
One of the patients died at home hours later.
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Some locals believe that Ebola is a curse, not a medical condition, and prefer traditional healers to use magic against the curse rather than modern medicine. Others suspect the international relief organizations trying to prevent the disease from spreading are the ones who brought the virus into their communities, making containment and treatment difficult.
These concerns echo the struggles of fighting Ebola in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia in 2014, when an outbreak there killed over 11,000 people.
The incidents in which families stole patients out of hospitals occurred on Monday in Mbandaka, a port city near the urban capital of Kinshasa. According to Reuters, family members smuggled the relatives out by “walking them out of the hospital before putting them on the back of motorcycles.”
One of the patients died at home hours later.
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