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Saturday, July 06, 2013

Major Newspapers Turn Down Pro-Life Ad, Baby Image 'Too Controversial'

Liberal newspapers across the nation have no problem selling advertising space for pictures of babies to promote such products ranging from diapers to online investment firms. However, three major papers -- USA Today, the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune --rejected an ad from a pro-life organization that showed an infant at roughly 20 weeks' gestation because it's “too controversial.”

An article by Caleb Parke on the Live Action News website stated that the ad featured an illustration of an adult hand holding a 20- to 24-week-old baby with the quote: “This child has no voice, which is why it depends on yours. Speak up.”

Heroic Media, a non-profit organization whose mission “is to educate the public in general and reach women facing unplanned pregnancieswith life-affirming alternatives through the use of mass media, such as television commercials, Internet outreach, and billboards, expressed outrage that the newspapers were willing to talk about the issue but not to show the reality of life at 20 weeks.” 

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Coup In Egypt! Photos

Gandolfini’s Estate May Take $30-Million Tax Hit, Report Says

James Gandolfini left millions of dollars to relatives and friends — including his personal secretary and assistant — in his will, which was quietly filed in Manhattan Surrogate’s Court.

But the biggest chunk of the late "Sopranos" star's bada-ching will go to his two kids — “beloved’’ son Michael, 13, and daughter Liliana Ruth, 8 months — as well as his wife, Deborah Lin, and his two sisters.

The star of the HBO mob hit was estimated to be worth up to $70 million when he died at age 51 on June 16.

But the fortune may take a serious hit on taxes according to one lawyer 

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WELCOME TO LONDON 2013

Va. ABC Changes Policy Following Woman's Arrest

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) -- Virginia alcohol regulators have instituted a new policy following an incident in which a young woman was jailed after buying sparkling water.

The University of Virginia student was confronted by plainclothes ABC agents in April after they suspected the 20-year-old of purchasing beer.

The woman was charged with two felonies after she attempted to flee the agents.

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7-Eleven Raids Prove US Slavery Alive And Well

When federal agents raided multiple 7-Eleven convenience stores two weeks ago, they exposed one of America’s dirty secrets – slavery is alive and well in modern America. You won’t hear that word however because the financial markets don’t like controversy. And the same individuals who own the media companies also own the corporations profiting from the institution of slavery.

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Beer Ad Dumps God From Declaration Of Independence


A top beer-making company has deliberately omitted God from its new ad citing the Declaration of Independence – and now outraged Americans are vowing to boycott the beer brand on the company’s Facebook page.

In Samuel Adams’ July 4 commercial, a bartender asks, “Why name a beer after Samuel Adams?”

He adds, “Because Samuel Adams signed the Declaration of Independence. He believed there was a better way to live.”

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STUDY: People With A Lot Of Self-Control Are Happier Than The Rest Of Us

PROBLEM: "Among humankind's most valuable assets" is self-control, according to Wilhelm Hofmann and his team of researchers at the University of Chicago.
They define it as "the ability to override or change one's inner responses" and to refrain from acting on impulses.

As an immediate consequence of leading lives of constant self-denial, it would seem that people with a lot of self-control aren't likely to derive a lot of pleasure from life, although in the long run they might benefit from the satisfaction of being better able to realize long-term goals.

They don't get to enjoy the cronuts, but they get to be thin, healthy, and otherwise better than the rest of us.

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Court Sides With Va City On Confederate Flag Ban

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Lexington's ban on the flying of the Confederate flag on city light poles does not violate a heritage group's right of free speech, a federal appeals court said Friday.

The three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond upheld a lower court ruling on the city's 2011 ordinance limiting flags that may fly on the poles to those representing the city, the U.S. and the state of Virginia.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans had challenged the ordinance, saying it violated its constitutional rights and violated a 20-year-old court order when it enacted the ordinance in September 2011.

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Obama To College Students: Do Not Celebrate Fourth Of July

The Liberty Paper

As the country prepares to celebrate its independence from Great Britain President Obama had a completely different message for a group of Congressional Summer interns in Washington:

“America is a great country. There is no denying this. However, I caution you all as you step forward in your careers. Peer back into history and ask yourselves- Was a revolution truly necessary? Great Britain may not have had it completely right, but they had many things right. Take taxes for example. If your neighbor makes $1 Million a year, but you and your family can barely keep the heat on should he not help your family? God instructs us to help our neighbors. He does not instruct us to look down upon them though the windows of capitalism. Why then on the Fourth of July should you celebrate such a radical break from what is Godly and just? No doubt there are many voices warning you of the harm of big government. They are wrong. Government can provide you with what family and friends cannot. If this is gone what will you have?”

Many in the crowd seemed uneasy, and desperate for some sort of clarification. Julie Barks, an intern from Louisiana State University, asked President Obama, “Are you saying we should not celebrate the birth of our country?”

President Obama responded, ”I believe we should celebrate where we are going. Celebrate moving forward. Not where we have been.”

Webcam Brings Eastern Shore Ospreys To Followers Worldwide

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Now this is a reality show.

Tom, a hardworking dad, constantly nagged by his wife, Audrey. Violent sibling rivalry as the kids, Chester, Essie and Ozzie, fight for mom’s attention. Parents trying to keep the house in order and keep the family fed. And a growing cadre of loyal viewers who can’t seem to turn it off.

It’s OspreyCam, brought to you by the folks at Chesapeake Conservancy.

The kids are three osprey chicks. The first one, Chester, hatched May 25, Essie emerged two days later. The runt, Ozzie, came a week after his oldest sibling.

Even before the first hatchling appeared, some folks were glued to OspreyCam, a camera feed from a nest platform on the Eastern Shore.

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Caption This Photo 7-6-13


Softball World Series Coming To Lower Shore

OCEAN CITY – The bases are aligned for the largest girls’ softball tournament in the country to come to the Wicomico/Worcester County region, and the Town of Ocean City approved a final measure this week -- the USSSA World Series Opening Ceremony.

The USSSA World Series Opening Ceremony will be held on July 29 on the beach on the south side of the pier. The series will take place throughout three weeks, from July 17-Aug. 3.

The partnership between Wicomico and Worcester counties to host the event came forward in February and was presented by Ocean City’s Tourism Advisory Board (TAB).

Wicomico County Director of Recreation, Parks and Tourism Gary Mackes came before the Ocean City Mayor and Council explaining the USSSA intends to hold its Girls World Series in the Wicomico/Worcester County region for its seventh consecutive year in 2013.

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Breaking News: Boeing 777 Crashes At San Francisco International Airport

BREAKING NEWS: An Asiana Airlines flight crashed while landing at San Francisco International Airport, Fox News confirms.

It was not immediately known whether there were any injuries.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown says Flight 214 was coming from Seoul, South Korea and was supposed to land on runway 28 left at San Francisco International Airport at 11:26 PDT.

She said the sequence of events was still unclear, but it appeared the plane landed and then crashed.
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HISTORIC WEEK FOR WOMEN IN MARYLAND

In Maryland, we understand that our diversity is our greatest strength and the accomplishments of women are an integral part of our progress as a people.

No one understands that better than Governor O’Malley , who made history this morning when he announced two female judicial appointments to the Maryland Court of Appeals, our highest court.

The Governor made history in three ways:
He named the first ever woman Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals when he named The Honorable Mary Ellen Barbera to that position.
He named the first ever African American woman to the Maryland Court of Appeals when he named The Honorable Shirley M. Watts to that court.
And, by virtue of these appointments, the Maryland Court of Appeals now has its first ever female majority.

It was a monumental day. But it wasn’t the only historic event that happened this week. In another powerful moment, Governor O’Malley swore in the first-ever “Governor for a Day” yesterday. He launched the Governor for a Day essay contest in connection with International Women’s Day in order to encourage more women to participate in public service.

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Investigators Reveal Cause Of 4-Alarm Cambridge Fire

A short in an electric cable sparked a four-alarm fire that needed more than 125 firefighters from four Eastern Shore counties to put it out, according to the state fire marshal's office.

The fire caused an estimated $500,000 in damage to the Salvation Army building in Cambridge on June 24.

Authorities said they found evidence of an electric short at a damaged area where they believe the fire started in the furniture store.

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Hang It Up, Mitch McConnell

Mitch McConnell – the “Republican” leader of the U.S. Senate – is running for reelection in 2014 (unfortunately).

This veteran “Republican in Name Only” – who was instrumental in negotiating last year’sfiscal cliff tax hike – is the embodiment of everything that’s wrong with the GOP, an aging white man devoid of principle who is utterly beholden to insider special interests. He’s creature of the U.S. Capitol – a slave to the “Evil Empire.”

A welfare statist and crony capitalist, McConnell is also neocon (a.k.a. a global interventionist) and a supporter of the federal government’s domestic spying initiative.

“Basically he spent the entire Bush administration advancing fiscally reckless policies – and has spent the entire Obama administration accommodating the escalation of those same failed policies,” one D.C. insider told us.

McConnell also fought hard in his home state against limited government candidates …

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KIDNAPPING VICTIM ELIZABETH SMART SHARES THE BEST ADVICE SHE’S EVER RECEIVED WITH THEBLAZE

Most Americans remember where they were when the news arrived that Elizabeth Smart had been found alive, nine months after being kidnapped from her home in Salt Lake City at age 14.

Glenn Beck’s wife Tania, speaking at the “Independence Through Commitment” conference at the Man in the Moon event, said she was in her car and “trying to picture what the reunion would’ve looked like, obviously with tears and smiles and hugs all around.”

Today, roughly ten years later, Smart is elegant and poised as a woman can be. Fresh-faced and smiling, she spoke both at the conference and with TheBlaze’s Billy Hallowell about her experience of being captured and raped, what’s she’s learned from it, and the best piece of advice she’s ever received.
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The Crooked Oligarchy


Cop Shot Litter Of Kittens In Front Of Screaming Children

Nonetheless, the police department chief says this cop did nothing wrong.

On Monday in Ohio, animal control Officer Barry Accorti shot and killed a litter of kittens in front of freaked-out children nearby. “He informed [a witness] that shelters were full and that these cats would be going to kitty heaven,” Ohio SPCA Executive Director Teresa Landon told the Sun News.

Landon said the home owner, who had called for help, assumed the officer “would be trapping them or something and taking them to a shelter and they would be humanely euthanized if they were not adopted.”

“Instead, he went to his truck and got a gun, which she thought was a tranquilizer gun, and walked around to the back of the house and approximately 15 feet from her back door shot and killed the 8- to 10-week-old kittens.”

The stunned observer alerted the Ohio SPCA to the officer’s actions, and the animal rights group responded with a Facebook campaign to “expose” the behavior and call for accountability.

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White House: New Jobs Report Proves 2009 Stimulus Helped Economy

As President Obama played golf Friday and headed for a long weekend at Camp David, the White House said the government’s new jobs report proves that the 2009 stimulus program is still helping the economy.

Alan Krueger, chairman of the president’s Council of Economic Advisers, said the addition of 195,000 non-farm jobs in June is “further confirmation that the U.S. economy is continuing to recover from the worst downturn since the Great Depression.”

“In the four years since the recession ended in June 2009, the economy has added 5.3 million jobs, thanks to the resilience of the American people and policies like the Recovery Act, which helped bring the recession to an end and put us on the path to recovery,” Mr. Krueger said. 

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Botched Paramilitary Police Raids

An Epidemic of "Isolated Incidents"

"If a widespread pattern of [knock-and-announce] violations were shown . . . there would be reason for grave concern."
—Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, in Hudson v. Michigan, June 15, 2006.

An interactive map of botched SWAT and paramilitary police raids, released in conjunction with the Cato policy paper "Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids," by Radley Balko.

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Jersey Spending Looms Over OC As Resort Numbers Questionable

Despite high hopes at the outset of the season that the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy would drive some long-time Jersey Shore patrons to Delmarva, a massive marketing campaign by the Garden State, as well as what some see as flagging tourism numbers in Ocean City, seems to have cast an air of consternation over the resort.

Andy Malis, President of the city’s advertising contract firm, MGH, said recently that the resort is “up against the highest competitive spend in history” from post-Sandy New Jersey.

Earlier this year, Gov. Chris Christie authorized $22 million in tourism advertising for the state, on top of already sizable municipal budgets of some Jersey coast resorts. Atlantic City’s own marketing coffers add another $20 to $25 million alone, Malis said.
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Annual Greek Festival Returns Next Weekend

OCEAN CITY -- The 24th Annual Greek Festival, where everyone is considered Greek, will be held on July 12-14 at Ocean City’s Roland Powell Convention Center on 41th Street and Coastal Highway.

Whether reliving Greek vacation memories or dreaming of a Greek adventure, this premier cultural event draws thousands of locals and visitors alike to enjoy the flavors, sights and sounds of Greece right here in Ocean City.As always, this year’s festival promises Greek delicacies for everyone’s palette.

Sumptuous, traditional Greek entrees expertly prepared include Pastitsio, Lemon Chicken, Moussaka, Lamb Shank, Spanakopita and/or Tiropita (spinach and/or cheese pie), Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves), and much more. Parents, no worries picky little eaters love the top selling and reasonably priced gyros.

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Death Of A Salisbury Native Goes Unnoticed

Norman Patrick Tilghman a Master 7th degree black belt and Salisbury native died on 21 June 2013. He was 54 years old. For more then 30 years he taught children the qualities of self respect, honor and loyalty. He instilled character. Created the Kick Drugs out of Delmarva program, taught D.A.R.E. classes and worked as a Court Commissioner. My Brother taught the elderly to defend themselves with the cane. He mastered the art of the cane even though his lungs were failing him. I would be honored if you would do a story on his life if you are able. Only one Law Enforcement official showed up at his Memorial. Wicomico Deputy Chris Taylor. Taylor new him well. My agency, where I retired. The City of Salisbury Police Dept I guess was to busy to send anyone. My Brother died from a horrible lung disease working for Blind Industries.

DP&L Discusses Energy Prices And Future Of Renewable Power

Later this year, Delmarva Power and Light – the electricity provider for Ocean City and most of the peninsula – will be going before the Maryland Public Service Commission to request a 5.5 percent rate increase, a move that is under heavy scrutiny.

The extra revenue, according to the company, is needed to cover the cost of infrastructure improvements necessary to meet the service standards required by the state. From 2011 to 2012, DP&L reduced its average number of outages per customer from 2.42 to 1.69, and the average duration of those outages from 356 minutes to 190 minutes.

But what drives the majority of the cost customers actually see on their bills is not DP&L’s internal spending, but the market price of energy itself. During a recent media tour, Ocean City Today was given the opportunity to pick the brains of DP&L President Gary Stockbridge and Public Relations manager Matt Likovich about energy prices and the future of “green” energy in Delmarva, especially given the Maryland General Assembly’s approval this year of a proposal to auction off tracts of ocean off the resort’s coast for wind farm development.

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HISTORICAL COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER 7-6-13

Last Chapter

The end of my grandfather’s life was precipitated by an event that was noteworthy in the history of Salisbury.

Although he was 78 at the time and was failing due to his age and the fact that he had gotten about as much out of his small body that could be expected, an event occurred in late 1968 that helped Mother Nature along.

One night about 11 o’clock, he answered a knock at his front door. He said that he would never have opened the door except that the person called him by name. When he opened the door, they hit him on the head with the butt end of a pistol. They then proceeded to tie him up with the phone cord and put an arm chair over him. There were two perpetrators and while the one was attending to my grandfather, the other one went upstairs. He obtained my grandfather’s wallet and came down the stairs announcing that he got $400. This always made my grandfather smile, because he knew he had $810 in it. He said it was typical of crooks to steal, even if from each other.

When they had left, my grandfather freed himself and cleaned up the mess they had made, including scrubbing the blood out of the carpet. He never told my grandmother and said that it was lucky she was deaf and slept through the whole affair. Also, the thief never opened the door to her bedroom. My grandfather said if they had threatened her, he would have had to open his hidden wall safe and give them its contents. The next morning he went across the street and asked his daughter, my mother, to drive him to the hospital and have his head wound examined. I subsequently encountered him walking down Main St. from my job at Ralph & Gaskill’s. When I asked him where he was going, he said he thought about it and thought the money in his safe would be safer in the bank. He then pulled his hand out of the pocket of the windbreaker he was wearing and had $18,000 in it.

They eventually caught the thieves and they were held in the County jail, which at the time was on the third floor of the Old Court House in downtown Salisbury. The third floor was also the home of the CountySheriff. While awaiting trial on the burglary charge, someone slipped a gun to the accused and he used it to break out of jail. During the breakout, the Sheriff, Sam Graham, and the bailiff, Albert Kelly, were killed. To my knowledge, the perpetrator, Joseph Bartholomay, is still in jail in 2009, some 40 years later.

A humorous end to the “Graham Saga” can be seen in the picture of the earrings above. The Sheriff apparently bought them out of a state catalog as a present for his wife, Dorothy, who was the Vice-Principal at Wi-Hi at the time. I’m sure he thought he had really done something to give her “state seal” earrings. I can’t imagine her wearing them and they look like new. I bought them at the auction of her estate.

Assateague’s History Rich With War Activity; Military Cache Discovery Not Unusual For Island

ASSATEAGUE -- Last week’s discovery and planned detonation of over 100 pieces of World War II era military ordnance on Assateague, and the subsequent clean sweep conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers last weekend, recalled the once-remote barrier island’s rich history as wartime military test range and its genesis into a national park visited by hundreds of thousands each year.

Decades-old unexploded ordnance was discovered on the North Ocean Beach section of the Assateague Island National Seashore and was later assembled and detonated in several planned explosions by Army teams from Aberdeen. The Ocean City Bomb Squad initially determined the size, scale and type of munitions discovered on the beach were beyond its capabilities and the Emergency Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team from Aberdeen Proving Ground was brought in.

Last Friday, the Army Corps of Engineers arrived on Assateague and completed a two-day thorough sweep of the island using sophisticated instruments and gave the okay on Saturday afternoon to open the areas closed to the public in the days following the discovery last Monday. With the decision to open the closed areas came the caveat the island is in a constant state of flux and more ordnance can, and likely will, be exposed in the future.

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4 Smart-Phone Tips You May Not Have Heard Yet

You may think you know everything about using your smart phone, but there may be a few nuggets of wisdom that you haven't come across yet.

Rescue a drowned phone. An accidental dunk in the sink or a puddle often means the end for any cell phone. But you can give your phone a fighting chance if you act quickly enough: Immediately pull the phone out of the water, remove the battery cover (if it has one) and yank out the battery and SIM and memory cards. If your phone does not have a removable battery, turn it off and eject the cards.

Insert all the pieces into a mason jar or any container with an airtight seal that's filled to the brim with rice. Close the lid and leave it undisturbed for at least two weeks. Afterward, reassemble the phone, turn it on, and try it out. You may have full or at least partial functionality.

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