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Saturday, October 06, 2012

Take the Lead

Rasmussen Reports' Daily Presidential Tracking Poll today puts Romney ahead of President Obama   49% to 47% among nationwide voters.
Important to note, according to Rasmussen: approximately one-third of the data was collected beforeRomney's strong debate performance this past Wednesday. It looks like "[t]he margin of sampling error" for Rasmussen's daily tracking polls, however, falls at +/- 3 percentage points.
Still, the poll is good news for the GOP challenger.
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ISRAEL RELEASES FOOTAGE OF MILITARY SHOOTING DOWN DRONE THAT PENETRATED ITS AIRSPACE

Israel on Saturday released footage it said showed its air force shooting down a drone that crossed into the country’s airspace.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said the drone’s origin was under investigation. It crossed into Israeli airspace from the Mediterranean Sea and was brought down in the Negev desert in the south of the country.
“We had monitoring contact from the ground and from the air. We alerted jet planes that escorted the unmanned aerial vehicle and due to some operational considerations we decided to intercept the unmanned aerial vehicle in the northern Negev area, which has no population,” Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich said, according to the Associated Press.
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Bounce: Romney Surges in Ohio, Florida, Virginia

As Americans are beginning to process Mitt Romney's lopsided debate victory on Wednesday night, the Republican nominee has pulled ahead in three crucial swing states, according to a trio of surveys   from pollster We Ask America:

 Ed Morrissey notes the slightly generous   (to Republicans) sample splits in Florida and Virginia, although the Ohio partisan breakdown looks about right.  To buttress this data, Rasmussen has released two new surveys -- his data shows Romney ahead by one point in Virginia   (49/48), and down by a point in Ohio   (50/49).  But consider this item   within the Buckeye State poll:

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The Pink Pumper Fights Fires And Breast Cancer

Fire trucks are known for being red. But fire engine pink is the new shade for one engine in Prince George's County's fleet.

The traditional red fire truck got a makeover for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

"Having this beautiful piece of fire apparatus wrapped in pink to help raise awareness for breast cancer was a labor of love," says Mark Brady of the Prince George's County Fire Department.

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One-ton Pumpkin Shatters Weight Record

For David Frerichs, and pumpkin growers across the globe, this is the year they have been waiting for. History is being made.
This year growers get to see a pumpkin that makes the one most people put on their doorstep for Halloween, look like a pomegranate seed. This years legendary pumpkin even dwarfs the massive 1,600-pound giants that typically win pumpkin growing contests. It is so large most growers would think the poundage was not possible.
"It would just implode," said Frerichs. "That the shell of the pumpkin, the ribs inside, wouldn't be strong enough to hold that weight."
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Record Number Of Gays Seeking Seats In Congress

Of the four openly gay members of Congress, the two longest-serving stalwarts are vacating their seats. Instead of fretting, their activist admirers are excited about a record number of gays vying to win seats in the next Congress - and to make history in the process.
When the oaths of office are taken in January, Congress could have its first openly gay Asian-American, Mark Takano of California; its first openly bisexual member, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona; and its first openly gay senator, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/10/02/3030843/record-number-of-gays-seeking.html#storylink=cpy
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CHUCK NORRIS ALLERGIC? NO, FOOD ALLERGIC TO HIM

I love peanut butter. Most do.
I make a mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And there are few things better than a toasted English muffin with peanut butter on it – unless, of course, you’re allergic to that all-American nutty spread.
USA Today recently reported that 78 million Americans have food allergies or food intolerance.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention elaborated that eight types of foods account for 90 percent of food allergy reactions: shellfish, fish, eggs, cow’s milk, wheat, soybeans, peanuts and tree nuts (such as almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios and macadamia nuts).
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IN-N-OUT: FBI SPENDS LESS THAN 24 HRS IN BENGHAZI

A team of FBI agents arrived in Benghazi, Libya, to investigate the assault against the U.S. Consulate and left after about 12 hours on the ground as the hunt for those possibly connected to the attack that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans narrowed to one or two people in an extremist group, U.S. officials said Thursday.

Agents arrived in Benghazi before dawn on Thursday and departed after sunset, after weeks of waiting for access to the crime scene to investigate the Sept. 11 attack.

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Don't Forget This Concert Tonight


Did you know American Idol Alum Ayla Brown is Senator Scott Brown's daughter?

Please come out and enjoy...tickets start at just $15!

BLACK MOB VIOLENCE BLAMED ON WHITE KIDS DRINKING

EDITOR’S NOTE: The links in the following report may contain offensive language.
The mayor, police chief and media have figured out what is behind a wave of black-mob violence in Columbia, S.C: White kids drink too much.
And race has nothing to do with the assailants.
But a growing number of residents are wondering why public officials are focusing their attention on arresting potential victims. They say city officials are ignoring the black mobs that are “loitering,” threatening, beating, shooting and robbing people by the dozens in this popular entertainment district called Five Points near the University of South Carolina.
And it has never been worse.

1,035,000: Construction Jobs Lost Under Obama

 When President Barack Obama signed his economic stimulus legislation on Feb. 17, 2009, he said that one impact of the act would be to create jobs for 400,000 people building and rebuilding the nation's infrastructure.
But despite a price tag that the Congressional Budget Office   now says was $833 billion, the economic stimulus of February 2009 did not create 400,000 new construction jobs.

Fallen Firefighters to Be Honored at National Memorial Service on Sunday, October 7

The 31st National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service will honor 80 firefighters who died in 2011 and five firefighters who died in previous years during the official national service on Sunday, October 7, at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Bronze plaques containing their names will be added to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, located on the academy campus. The plaques surrounding the Memorial, which was established in 1981, list the names of more than 3,600 firefighters. The national tribute is sponsored by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) and the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Fire Administration.

"Without hesitation, firefighters face tremendous risks every day to help their communities," said Chief Dennis Compton, Chairman of the Board of the NFFF. "Each October, we gather to reflect on the sacrifices of those who died in the line of duty and to let their families, friends and co-workers know they will never be forgotten."

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WATCH FOX’S MEGYN KELLY INTERVIEW…HER HUSBAND!

Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly welcomed a very special guest onto her show Friday: her husband.
In an interview loaded with adorable married couple-isms, Douglas Brunt was on to discuss his just-published first novel, “Ghosts of Manhattan,” about a Wall Street insider struggling to escape the high-rolling lifestyle of drugs, sex and money.
“How you doing babe?” Kelly greeted him.
“I’m doing great honey, thanks for having me on,” Brunt replied.
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Md. Municipalities Seek More Road Funds

Maryland cities and towns are pushing for more state money for road work and policing.
Maryland Municipal League members heard the recommendations of their legislative committee Friday at the group's fall meeting in Hagerstown.
Greenbelt Mayor Judith Davis is the group's president. She says the league's top priority is full restoration of shared state revenue for local road work and local law enforcement.
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Lowering the American Flag

Did you know that the law requires the American flag be lowered in tribute on only a few days each year? Quite appropriately, one of these days is the observance of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service.

On October 16, 2001, President George W. Bush approved legislation requiring the American flag to be lowered to half-staff on all Federal buildings to memorialize fallen firefighters. Public Law 107-51 requires this action to occur annually in conjunction with observance of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service. 

Let your local media know that American flags across the country will be lowered on Sunday, October 7, 2012. This includes the U.S. Capitol and the White House, as well as buildings in your local community. 

Remember to lower the American flags at your home, fire department, and business. Encourage your local community to follow the Federal Government's example. 

When you lower your flag this year, you will recognize the brave men and women who died protecting their communities from natural and manmade emergencies and disasters and those who carry on the proud tradition. 

You may also want to ask your state and local officials to include lowering the flag in a proclamation recognizing the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Homestead Tax Change Could Have Big Impact On Shore

State officials this week began checking for and potentially penalizing Homestead Tax Credit scofflaws, and perhaps nowhere in the state could more offenders be found than in Worcester County.

Last spring, the Maryland General Assembly passed a new law providing a mechanism for penalizing property owners who misrepresent a property as their primary residence in order to take advantage of state and local Homestead Tax Credit rates. In Maryland, resident property owners are protected somewhat from exorbitant increases in their property values by setting a cap on the amount of increase on which they can be taxed.

The state sets its limit at 10 percent, while individual counties can set their caps at any rate lower than 10 percent, or even zero in some cases. In simpler terms, if a property is the primary residence of the owner, the most they can be taxed on an increase in the value of that property is 10 percent. In Worcester, county officials a few years back set the Homestead Cap at 3 percent, while Wicomico just this year dropped its cap from 10 percent to 5 percent.

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Police Use Ravens Tickets To Nab Md. Burglary Suspects

A Maryland man and woman are facing charges in a series of burglaries after police say they were tracked down through a pair of stolen Baltimore Ravens tickets.

Joseph Leo Baumgarten, 40, of Pasadena and Dianna Marketti, 30, were charged Friday in connection with four burglaries between Sept. 12 and Sept. 26 in Columbia, Ellicott City, and Woodbine. Howard County police say the doors to several homes were kicked in, and the pair stole items including jewelry, cash, guns and a video camera.

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Short supplies keep gas prices rising in Calif.

California gas prices continued surging Friday, adding another 17 cents per gallon on average, and the increases are expected to continue for at least several more days, ensuring long lines and short tempers at pumps around the state.

A week of soaring costs has led some stations to close and others to charge record prices _ in some places $5 or more _ as California leapfrogged Hawaii as the state with the most expensive fuel. The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded across California was nearly $4.49 on Friday, 32 cents more than a week ago and the highest statewide average in the nation, according to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge report.

Maryland High School Grad Competing on 'The Voice'

At age 5, Brian Scartocci wanted to be just like Elvis Presley, but as he grew older, Scartocci says he fell in love with soul music, baptizing himself in the smooth tones of rhythm and blues artists such as David Ruffin.

Now, at 26, his passion has led Scartocci to television, where he is competing on NBC's music talent show "The Voice." His first appearance aired Sept. 17.

"It was unbelievable," Scartocci said of being onstage in front of celebrity judges Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine.

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State Police Get First New Medevac

The Maryland State Police have a new helicopter.
Gov. Martin O'Malley and Col. Marcus Brown joined officials from AgustaWestland on Friday in Middle River to mark the step toward replacing Maryland's aging medevac feet.
Maryland has a $121.7 million contract with AgustaWestland for 10 helicopters.
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Jacksonville Father To Spend Life In Prison For Allowing Sex Offender To Molest Daughter

Jacksonville resident Christopher Scott Perry will spend the rest of his life in prison after allowing a registered sex offender to move into his home and molest his pre-teen daughter.
On Thursday a six-person jury convicted Perry of five counts of principal to sexual battery on a child younger than 12, a mandatory life offense, and single counts of molestation, child neglect with great bodily harm and conspiracy to commit sexual battery.
Perry looked down but otherwise remained expressionless as the verdict was read. Minutes later Circuit Judge Adrian Soud sentenced Perry to six life sentences to be served consecutively, as well as consecutive sentences of 30 and 15 years.

Liberty Once Lost…

“Losing Property Rights in Maryland”
By Delegate Mike McDermott
The big government folks in the General Assembly and the O’Malley administration have teamed up to all but put an end to rural land development in Maryland. In coming months, Maryland Counties must conform their zoning to comply with a 4-Tier system being forced upon them by the Department of Planning or risk not being allowed to approve any significant development. At the same time, new septic regulations flowing out of the Maryland Department of the Environment demand enhanced nutrient removal systems for all development. In essence, we all now live in a “critical area”.

As to the tiers established for your property, most of our undeveloped land on the shore will find itself designated at levels 3 or 4. If your land is placed in these tiers, your development rights are further restricted. You say you were looking forward to carving out an acre for junior to build on a few years from now? In many Maryland counties this will not be allowed.

As to the septic regulations, if you are allowed to build (and that’s a big “if”), your cost will increase by $10-$15 thousand and your operational costs will be higher over the life of the system. That’s the kind of money that keeps folks from building their American dream. Add a bedroom to your existing home, get ready to pay for a full septic upgrade.

Under Republican leadership, Maryland left the planning decisions to local government where land use is best determined. Under Democratic rule, local control is being vanquished in favor of an ill conceived cookie cutter approach drawn up in Annapolis. The State Department of Planning use to be a great resource for local government. It has now more akin to a jack booted thug on the necks of all property owners in Maryland.

Private property rights are one of our essential liberties as Marylanders and Americans. If the government dictates that you cannot develop your land, it has taken away much of the value without any due compensation for the loss. Your ability to leverage your property to purchase other real estate or access available capital will be significantly diminished when your land has significantly reduced value. This will hit our farmers and entrepreneurs hard.

I have sent letters to the lower shore counties asking them to conduct meaningful public hearings on the new Tiered land designations. This new level of comprehensive zoning must be clearly understood by the landowners as their livelihood and futures are clearly at stake.
The Tiered system, enhanced septic demands, and the requirement of sprinklers in all new construction will cost Marylanders tens of thousands of dollars. At a time when we need jobs and development in our state, big government proponents drive up the cost of doing business and heap regulation upon regulation.

If we lose our property rights, we will need to redefine the word “liberty” for our children’s children. Contact your County Commissioners or Council members and share your concerns.
Marylanders, it’s time to stand up and take back your state.

It Depends What The Definition Of "All" Is.

It still says, “legal tender, for all debts, public and private” – but it’s becoming clear the powers-that-be would much prefer you used something else.
Besides cash money, that is.
Increasingly, they are insisting.
A few weeks ago, for example, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a motorist on a toll road who tries to pay the toll with cash may be physically detained – and forced to submit to an an interrogation. (PDF of the ruling is available here.)
Last year, Florida residents Joel, Deborah and Robert Chandler were driving on the Florida Turnpike – hilariously named The Less Stressway – when they came upon a toll both, operated by private contractor Faneuil, Inc. for the state of Florida. They attempted to pay the toll with legal tender – cash. A $50 bill. Faneuil, Inc. really wants people to use “SunPass” electronic transponders and has eliminated cash toll lanes on a section of the Parkway between the Exit 1 and Exit 47 interchanges in Miami-Dade County. This happened to be the stretch of road on which the Chandlers were driving that day. They did not have the electronic “Sun Pass” transponder – perhaps because, like many motorists, they don’t like the idea of a government-issued (or corporate issued) electronic transmitter in their vehicle – which can track their vehicle. The transponders make it easy to monitor where a car goes, when it goes – and how quickly it goes. Reasonably, many people – including the Chandlers – prefer not to be so monitored.
So, they tried to pay the toll with cash.

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Revlon Nail-Polish Line To Lay Off 117 in Maryland

A Revlon-owned nail polish maker plans to close a manufacturing facility in Beltsville and lay off 117 people, according to a filing Thursday with the state.
Sinful Colors Inc. plans to close the location at 10721 Tucker St., the notice with the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation said. The layoffs will begin on Jan. 1.
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Army Sprayed St. Louis With Toxic Dust

Army's secret chemical testing in St. Louis neighborhoods during Cold War raising new concerns

Doris Spates was a baby when her father died inexplicably in 1955. She has watched four siblings die of cancer, and she survived cervical cancer.

After learning that the Army conducted secret chemical testing in her impoverished St. Louis neighborhood at the height of the Cold War, she wonders if her own government is to blame.

In the mid-1950s, and again a decade later, the Army used motorized blowers atop a low-income housing high-rise, at schools and from the backs of station wagons to send a potentially dangerous compound into the already-hazy air in predominantly black areas of St. Louis.

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Obit

ANGELES (AP) - R. B. Greaves, a pop singer who had a 1969 hit with "Take a Letter, Maria," has died in Los Angeles. He was 68.

The coroner's office says Ronald Bertram Greaves died of prostate cancer on Sept. 27 at his home.

"Take a Letter, Maria," about a man's final letter to his cheating wife, hit No. 2 on the Billboard chart and went gold. The song, with its soul style and brassy horn edge, went on to sell more than 2.5 million copies and remains a popular oldie.

Greaves also broke into the Top 40 in 1970 with his version of "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me."

His career flagged in the 1970s, however.

Greaves was a nephew of the legendary R&B singer Sam Cooke.

Lost Dog: UPDATE, Owner Located

Hi Joe,

Will you please post this on your site?

If anyone finds an orange golden Chow mix, please do not approach and call 410-726-7087. He was last seen in front of the Salisbury City Park (where the Christmas lights are displayed). Please call us if you see him. His name is Marley.

Driver Sentenced For Slamming Into Stopped Car

A man who was high on PCP when he crashed his truck traveling into a car stopped at a red light has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Forty-eight-year-old Andre James Kaczynski of Ocean Pines was sentenced Friday.
Worcester County prosecutors say Kaczynski was traveling 90 miles an hour in Ocean City on December 16, when he crashed into a car stopped at a red light.
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Cruisin Now Underway In OC

The 15th Annual Endless Summer Cruisin Car Show returns to the Ocean City Inlet parking lot Oct. 4-7.

Show hours are from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 4 through Saturday, Oct. 6 and the Grand Finale Car Show and Awards Ceremony 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 7. This four-day automotive event continues to be one of the eastern regions largest fall car shows with more than 2,000 hot rods, street machines customs and more.

Special guest this year is Butch Patrick, best known for his role as little Eddie Munster on The Munsters. He will be available for meet and greets Friday 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Beachside Inlet and Saturday 11 a.m.-4 p.m. inside the Ocean City Convention Center. Also be sure to check out the Munster display inside the Convention Center Friday and Saturday, featuring the Munster Koach, Drag-u-la and little Eddie’s go-kart replicas.

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Harbor Day Set For Today

Celebrating coastal heritage is paramount to the organizers of Harbor Day at the Docks, which on Saturday, Oct. 6 will mark its fifth anniversary.

Beginning at 10 a.m., the waterfront festival showcases Ocean City’s humble beginnings as a fishing village. Held along the working harbor docks adjacent to Sunset Avenue, “this event is truly authentic and is great because it caters to people of all ages,” according to Amy Tingle, event manager for the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association and one of the event organizers.

Local chefs will prepare fresh fish during the “dock to plate” seafood cooking demonstrations and discussions. Guests are encouraged to come with an appetite as local restaurants concoct tasty seafood dishes for sale. Phillips Seafood Restaurant will conduct “crabology 101” describing this crustacean and the art of crab picking, while guests enjoy samples. Additionally, for the first time, visitors can enjoy fresh steamed crabs as Hooper’s Crab House will be steaming crabs on-site.

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One Very Strange Use For Silver Coins

“Corruptissima republica plurimae leges. [The more numerous the laws, the more corrupt the state.]“ -Tacitus, the Annals ca. AD 69

The nature of what is ‘legal’ has become a truly bizarre concept these days. Developed nations of the west have hundreds of thousands of pages of rules, codes, regulations, laws, decrees, executive orders, etc., many of which are contradictory, archaic, and incomprehensible.

Across these ‘free’ nations, the law is selectively enforced, selectively applied, and completely set aside whenever it pleases the state. As such, even the most harmless of activities (operating a lemonade stand, collecting rainwater, etc.) can be cast as illegal… while the direct theft of people’s wealth through taxes and manipulation of the currency is considered legal.

There is no morality anymore in the law. And even still, whatever few activities may still be considered ‘legal’ are subject to consequences if the enforcers simply decide they don’t like it.

I have a good friend you might like to hear from on the subject; his name is Jake Lawless (an assumed pen name for reasons which will become obvious), and he is a bit of a master when it comes to skirting the line between what’s legal, and what they just don’t like.

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REPORT: ELECTRIC CARS HAVE TWICE THE ‘GLOBAL WARMING POTENTIAL’ OF TRADITIONAL VEHICLES

TheBlaze has reported on the not so green side of electric cars before — those being charged with electricity from coal-fired power plants contribute more pollution than their gasoline-fueled counterparts. Now, a report of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology   takes a look at the manufacturing of electric vehicles and found that’s not so great for the environment either.
“Although EVs are an important technological breakthrough with substantial potential environmental benefits, these cannot be harnessed everywhere and in every condition,” the study authors write. “Our results clearly indicate that it is counterproductive to promote EVs in areas where electricity is primarily produced from lignite, coal, or even heavy oil combustion.”