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Saturday, July 13, 2013

GOP REP. INTENDS TO ‘INVESTIGATE, IDENTIFY AND PROSECUTE PEOPLE WITHIN THE ADMINISTRATION, UP TO AND INCLUDING THE PRESIDENT’

Rep. Tom Marino (R-Pa.) in a Thursday radio interview revealed he is exploring the potential options that would allow Congress to file civil or criminal charges against members of the Obama administration and even President Barack Obama himself.

Citing the Obama administration’s delay in the implementation of the employer mandate found in “Obamacare,” Marino told radio host David Madeira that the president continues to show a disregard for the law. He also argued Attorney General Eric Holder is never going to hold the Obama administration accountable.

“If the chief law enforcer of the country [Holder] will not enforce the law,” said Marino, “and the president decides to break the law because he doesn’t like it, there has to be another mechanism by which we in Congress can … see if there are criminal charges we can file.”

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Which Is Greater: Full Time Jobs Or Americans On Food Assistance And Disability?

Over the past week there has been some speculation whether the number of Americans who receive food assistance and/or are on disability, outnumber full-time employed workers in the US.

Here is the answer:
There are 116 million Americans with full-time jobs according to the BLS (source, which includes 21.9 million government workers (source).

So far so good. Now the flip side showing how many Americans are reliant on the USDA's Food and Nutrition Services program or on Disability payments, i.e., food assistance in some form:
There are 47.5 million Americans on Foodstamps
There are 30.4 million Americans participating in the National School Lunch Program
There are 13.2 million Americans participating in the School Breakfast Program
There are 8.6 million Americans participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition - Women, Infants and Children program Participants
There are 3.4 million Americans participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Food Donation Program
There are 0.6 million Americans participating in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program
There are 0.1 million Americans participating in the Food Donation Program
There are 8.6 million Americans on Disability

For a grand total of 112.5 million Americans on Food assistance (sources here  and here).

End result: there are 3.5 million more Americans with full-time jobs than there are Americans who are reliant on the government for their daily bread: a tiny 3% delta.

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A Comment Worthy Of A Post 7-13-13


Anonymous said...

I have noticed, any time you have a topic about firefighters, there is a higher number of comments that contain insults, name calling, put downs, rude behavior, spelling nazis, grammar nazis, persona attacks, threats of violence, inquires about a persons age, body weight, sexual orientation and preferences, education levels, and all other sorts of nonsense that has nothing at all to the topic at hand.
I just find it interesting that ONE topic can elicit such varied and negative responses. Both from the public, and even more troubling, the firefighters themselves.

These actions clearly demonstrate there is a total lack of professionalism of the part of firefighters, and probably EMT's as well, and also a total lack of civility and respect from the general public.

This would indicate, at least to me, that firefighters, again, possibly EMT's, are not well liked nor respected. Or at least the so called 'paid' firefighters.

I can't help but wonder why? It has to be noticeable to others as well. Especially ranking officers in the dept. as well as city management.

And yet, it seems no effort is being made on improving firefighters image, their relations with the public and themselves, nor city management. This is no way to run an organization, especially one that others depend upon for their personal safety and their protection of real property.

It would be almost comical if not for the fact that it has become a real problem and a danger to the safety and well being of the public at large.

I would venture to say there is an almost total lack of leadership in that organization as well as the city that oversee's and funds it.

I certainly would want more for my dollar than what I have read here and seen in the city of Salisbury.

It seems that there are a lot of boys playing fireman. We need MEN to fill that role. People's lives are in the balance.

They need a leader to pull them together and have common goals. Weed out the immature ones and those that are not professional and there to do the proper jobs.

How can they, or anyone for that matter, expect to have pride and respect given to them, if they refuse to do so themselves?

When I was a child, I spoke, behaved and understood as a child. When I became a man, I put away childish things.

I think there are some that need to put away their childish things and man up.

WHY DO THEY HAVE TO PREPARE FOR A VERDICT?

We are likely to have a verdict in the George Zimmerman case sometime next week. The prosecution never had a case. The evidence and eyewitness accounts prove that Martin was on top of Zimmerman punching him when he was shot. Zimmerman did not have intent to murder or kill anyone on that night. Was he stupid? Yes. Was he playing policeman? Yes. Unless the jury is full of morons, Zimmerman will be acquitted.

Does anyone else see the hypocrisy of governmental authorities, Obama, Holder and the rest of the race baiters? Remember the little campaign called – SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING? Zimmerman saw something he thought was suspicious. He said something by calling the police. He was then attacked by the person he thought was suspicious.

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POLITICAL ACTIVISM CAUSES OBAMA’S SPIRITUAL ADVISER TO LOSE 10 PERCENT OF HIS CONGREGATION

President Barack Obama’s spiritual adviser, Joel Hunter, may be losing his footing in conservative evangelical circles where he was once supported. His continued connection to the commander in chief, despite major social and political rifts, may be a driving reason for the loss of support that Hunter, 65, is experiencing.

Most recently, it was reported that the preacher has paid the price for his move away from conservative politics: His house of worship, Northland Church in Longwood, Fla., has lost an estimated 10 percent of its congregants.

Looking back at Hunter’s history, it may be understandable why his more moderate stances and his work with Obama would create some angst among more conservative church members. If you’ll recall, the faith leader made waves back in April of 2012 when he questioned the practicality of total subsidiarity — that is, a small-government policy that employs smaller, private institutions in tending to the needs of citizens, looking to the government as an overarching last resort.

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Gas Prices Have Biggest Daily Jump In 6 Months

Do not worry, we are told on a daily basis, the rise in crude oil prices is transitory and won't affect gas prices and implicitly the US consumer's pocket book (already ravaged by spiking mortgage rates). Well, sorry to burst that little fantasy but gas prices in the last few days have surged (up 9c in 4 days). In fact today's jump is the largest in six months and pushes regular close to its all-time high for this time of year. Arguing not to worry as gas prices are more sensitive to Brent is a non-starter as it is very evident, despite the export of WTI, that gas prices are tracking the higher prices of crude oil and if history is any guide - with regard the lead-lag from crude to wholesale gasoline to retail, gas prices will be at new all-time highs for this time of year within the next month.

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Delaware Casinos Ban Google Glass

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Delaware has joined several other states in banning Google Glass at its casinos.

The Delaware State Lottery announced on Friday that it was banning Google Glass and similar devices from the state's three casinos.

The agency said any patron wearing Google Glass or similar devices must remove them or be subject to eviction.

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SOLD OUT

The Coach & Longaberger Bingo
hosted by the Salisbury Metro Lions Club
for Thursday, July 25, 2013 is

SOLD OUT!

Thank you to everyone who bought tickets.

Teaching With ‘Simple Machines’; Academy Students Learn ‘To Think For Themselves’

BERLIN -- Students in Worcester County learned this summer that the quickest solution isn’t always the best by building complex Rube Goldberg machines as part of their summer STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Academy.

Starting with a basic device that sends a marble down several twists and turns, students must then add their own custom built machines to create an intricate catapult capable of launching a marshmallow. Berlin Intermediate School (BIS) fifth grade teacher Sheri Ward explained that the activity promotes STEM-oriented goals like teamwork, self-reliance, time management and creatively tackling a problem.

“They have to figure it out for themselves. I can’t tell them how to make it,” said Ward. “That’s what STEM is. It’s teaching them to think for themselves and to think outside of the box.”

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Feds Shake Down Farmer For Free Raisins

A California raisin farmer is facing bankruptcy for defying a law requiring him to give the government a portion of his raisin crop without compensation.

According to a Washington Post report, Marvin Horne, 68, stopped giving the government his raisins in 2002 and now "owes the U.S. government at least $650,000 in unpaid fines," in addition to "1.2 million pounds of unpaid raisins, roughly equal to his entire harvest for four years."

Horne violated Marketing Order 989, passed during the Truman administration, "a federal regulation meant to solve a problem from the era after World War II, which created the national raisin reserve. The program gives the U.S. government a heavy-handed power to interfere with the supply and demand for dried grapes" and takes "away a percentage of every farmer’s raisins" without paying for them. The law has been described as one that gives the government the power to operate a cartel.

The government can save the raisins, sell them to foreigners, throw them away, or even feed them to animals -- so long as they are off the domestic market.

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PSC Approves Rate Hike For Pepco

The Maryland Public Service Commission has approved a rate increase for Potomac Electric Power Company that will add about $2.41 to the average residential customer's monthly bill.

The PSC, which ordered the increase Friday, said the $27.9 million increase is primarily for reliability investments. State regulators say the amount is substantially less than the company's request of $60.8 million.

Pepco also requested a $192 million grid resiliency charge, of which $24 million was granted.

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The Zimmerman Trial Is Not About Him

Sanford, FL—a young, athletic and hooded thug with lots of texting messages about guns, fighting and drugs, Trayvon Martin attacked George Zimmerman. While bashing the neighborhood watch volunteer’s brains out on the sidewalk the young thug was shot dead.

It turns out that our Federal tax dollars were used to organize anti-Zimmerman protests demanding a legal lynching. Attorney General Eric Holder can be thanked for that waste of cash.

The already divided nation has an agenda that has nothing to do with this isolated shooting in Florida. This is about clashing races and attitudes about Gun Control.

There are those that hate guns or are African-American and intolerant of Whites that want Zimmerman’s blood. They don’t really care who was beating whom. They want Zimmerman to be publicly hanged.

Read the rest of the article

Napolitano’s Move From DHS To California Schools Chief Draws Protests

While many across the political spectrum are happy to see Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano leave her job in Washington, some who live on the West Coast say they’d just as soon not see her out there, after it was revealed Friday that she’s poised to take over as head of the University of California school system.

Ms. Napolitano angered both immigrant-rights groups and those who want to see a crackdown on illegal immigration, and irked privacy advocates from the right and left during her four years as head of Homeland Security.

“University of California students can look forward to the same authoritarian management style Secretary Napolitano brought to the Department of Homeland Security, hardly a bastion of free speech and open government,” said Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a California Republican. “While I am pleased to see her leave Homeland Security, Napolitano’s views are entirely incompatible with the UC system’s history of civil liberties and the decision to appoint her is perplexing.” 

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A Guilty Verdict Will Be Vengeance

That the prosecution in the Zimmerman trial asked the judge to allow a verdict of “third-degree murder” — i.e., child abuse, since Trayvon Martin was 17 — testifies to the prosecution’s failure and panic.

For George Zimmerman’s defense has proven, beyond a reasonable doubt, that he shot Trayvon Martin not out of malice, rage or hate — but in a desperate act of self-defense.

Zimmerman was being beaten “ground-and-pound,” mixed martial arts style. His head was being banged on the cement. Screaming again and again for help, he pulled out his gun and fired.

Even the prosecution is now conceding Trayvon might have been on top, and is now scrambling for a compromise verdict on a lesser charge than second-degree murder, a charge that never should have been brought. Indeed, this trial should never have been held.

What we have witnessed in Sanford, Fla., is the prosecution of an innocent man for murder because the politically and socially powerful demanded it.

That Trayvon is dead is a tragedy, and an avoidable tragedy. But it was not murder. And it does not justify railroading a man who, whatever his mistakes that night — and George Zimmerman made them — committed no crime.

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Utah Teenager Struck By Lightning In Maryland

A Utah teenager is in a Maryland hospital tonight, after being struck by lightning Wednesday on a beach near Annapolis.

Family tells us Conner Benson had just finished sailing with his girlfriend and another friend, as a storm was approaching. The three of them rushed to the beach to move some things inside, that's when lightning struck the beach.

"You felt this jolt and you heard the crack," said Conner's girlfriend Jaimie Martin, who spoke with WBFF in Baltimore. "It was like your entire body shook, next thing I knew, I was screaming and running back to the house."

Jaimie was just feet away from Conner when the lightning hit nearby, knocking Conner and a friend, Alex Steele, to the ground. "His eyes would move, so I think there's no brain damage. That's what I really care about, he can be paralyzed, but I really want him to wake up."

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PUBLIC NOTICE

SPECIAL MEETING

In accordance with §SC2-4 of the Salisbury City Charter, a majority of the City Council have called for a Special Meeting to be held on Monday, July 15, 2013, for consideration of an ordinance for first reading to reprogram FY07 and FY08 Bond Funds for projects that came in under budget, to offset the costs of the Animal Health Building (a requirement for AZA accreditation) which came in higher than anticipated.

The regularly scheduled Work Session will immediately follow the adjournment of the Special Meeting, which will be held at 1:30 p.m. in Council Chambers (Room 301) of the City/County Government Office Building (125 N. Division Street).

Iowa Top Court: Firing Of Attractive Aide Is Legal

IOWA CITY, Iowa - The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday stood by its ruling that a dentist acted legally when he fired an assistant because he found her too attractive and worried he would try to start an affair.

Coming to the same conclusion as it did in December, the all-male court found that bosses can fire employees they see as threats to their marriages, even if the subordinates have not engaged in flirtatious or other inappropriate behavior. The court said such firings do not count as illegal sex discrimination because they are motivated by feelings, not gender.

The ruling upholds a judge's decision to dismiss a discrimination lawsuit filed against Fort Dodge dentist James Knight, who fired assistant Melissa Nelson, even while acknowledging she had been a stellar employee for 10 years. Knight and his wife believed that his attraction to Nelson - two decades younger than the dentist - had become a threat to their marriage. Nelson, now 33, was replaced by another woman; Knight had an all-female staff.

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This Map Of The U.S. Shows A State-By-State Look At Food Stamp Participation

20 Kids Dead Since May After Being Left In Hot Cars

Twenty children nationwide have died since May after being left alone in hot cars, and experts say adults have to be especially vigilant as temperatures continue to soar.

On July 5, an 8-month-old boy died after his mother forgot he was in the backseat while she went to work in Arlington County on an especially muggy Friday afternoon. The outside temperature was about 90 degrees. The infant's body temperature was 108 degrees when he was pronounced dead at Alexandria Inova Hospital.

Zoraida Magali Conde Hernandez, 32, was charged with felony child neglect.

On the same day, a toddler died in Baltimore County under similar circumstances. Officers say a relative was supposed to take the 16-month-old to a Head Start center. Police say the relative instead drove to their home in Baltimore, went inside and fell asleep for four hours.

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STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY ON MARYLAND’S TRIPLE A BOND RATING

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Martin O’Malley released the following statement on all three bond rating agencies affirming Maryland’s Triple A bond rating:

“In Maryland, we’ve made the better choices to maintain fiscal responsibility. With a balanced approach of record budget cuts and modern investments - together with leaders in the General Assembly - we’ve constrained budget growth, made government smaller, nearly eliminated the long-standing structural deficit, and strengthened our State’s Rainy Day Fund. Because of these better choices, Maryland stands as one of only nine states with a Triple A bond rating affirmed by all three bond rating agencies.

“Together, we’ve now recovered over 95 percent of the jobs lost during the recession. As we continue our recovery, we must invest in the innovation sectors of our economy and protect this seal of fiscal responsibility so we can improve the conditions for Maryland businesses, fuel economic growth and create jobs for more Marylanders.”

Notorious Arsonist Gets 12 Years

SNOW HILL -- A Virginia man found guilty in April on arson and other charges after purposely setting fire to a vacant building in the south end of Worcester County in 2012 was sentenced last week to 20 years in jail, all but 12 were suspended.

In April, David Clifton Parks, 38, of Melfa, Va., was found guilty of second-degree arson, malicious burning and reckless endangerment for purposely setting fire to a vacant building on Sheephouse Rd. in Pocomoke in April 2012. Back in court last week, Parks was sentenced to a combined 20 years in jail, with eight suspended, netting him a total of 12 years. He was also placed on supervised probation for five years including GPS monitoring, and was ordered to take mandatory alcohol and mental health counseling during his incarceration. Parks was also ordered to pay a combined $2,900 in restitution to the victims.

During the sentencing hearing, Parks admitted he was a chronic arsonist and told Judge Thomas Groton he “had a problem with setting fires.” Presumably in the interest of gaining a lesser sentence for his client, Parks’ defense attorney told the judge Parks was a firefighter. However, Groton quickly corrected the attorney.

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Why Obama Cannot Undo The Surveillance Society—But We Can

President Obama, taking a smart political tack in the uproar following several explosive disclosures on NSA domestic spying practices, said he was all in favor of a vigorous public debate—that it would be a“healthy” thing. But calling for a public debate is one thing; actually doing anything to facilitate a truly open discussion, much less acting on what such a discussion might reveal, is quite another.

Today, the New York Times, in a news/analysis article, essentially declared that there was no hope for any kind of restraint of growing government spying on the public. Not if it is up to the people’s representatives.

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Supreme Court Asked To Void Gun Permit Requirement

A gun rights group is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down part of Maryland’s handgun permit law.

The Daily Record reports that the Second Amendment Foundation petitioned the court this week, saying the requirement that applicants state a “good and substantial reason” to carry a firearm violates the right to keep and bear arms. The Bellevue, Wash.-based group says that a constitutional right should not require a special dispensation from police and that the too-vague standard allows broad discretion to reject a request.

Attorney General Douglas Gansler’s office said Thursday that the state plans to oppose the petition. The state’s deadline to file a response is Aug. 12.

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STARVING CHILDREN

This moron is hysterical. Her nickname is “where’s my limo”. She has a chauffer drive her the one block from her residence in D.C. to her office on your dime. I see lots of people with distended stomachs in West Philly, but they aren’t distended because they are starving. The food stamp program is a joke. You can buy ice cream, cheetos, grape soda, and KFC with your EBT card. Doesn’t SNAP stand for supplemental nutritional assistance program? There is at least $30 billion of fraud annually with this Obama voter bribery program. Watching the mind of an ultra-liberal in action is fascinating and disturbing. This woman is actually one of the idiots in control of this country. Source

Casino’s June Revenue Climbs 9%

BERLIN -- A look at the June revenue numbers for the Casino at Ocean Downs and the three other operating casinos across the state revealed Maryland’s gaming industry has far exceeded projections for fiscal year 2013, which came to a close last week.

According to the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency revenue report for June, the four operating casinos in Maryland raked in over $66 million in June, bringing the fiscal year 2013 total to more than $608 million. The revenue figure for the fiscal year that ended on June 30 came in at nearly $77 million more than the Maryland Board of Revenue Estimates projected.

The Board of Revenue Estimates had projected an estimated $531.5 million would be generated in the fiscal year with $498 million coming from slot machines and another $33 million coming from table games. Instead, slot machines at Maryland’s four operating casinos, including the Casino at Ocean Downs in Berlin, generated about $560 million, while table games at three of the up-and-running casinos generated a whopping $48 million, or around $15 million more than projected.

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Federal Liability Of Gun Dealers & Clarifications

(Annapolis)-- Delegate Mike McDermott (R-Eastern Shore) is urging the Maryland State Police (MSP) to take further action on the 7-Day waiting period and to clarify the October 1st deadline issues. In his letter to Colonel Brown (see below), Delegate McDermott addresses the issues regarding the federal liability of Maryland gun dealers with respect to the 7-Day waiting period for gun transfers. He also asks MSP to confirm that Maryland residents will legally be able to own guns that will be banned beginning October 1st under Maryland’s new gun laws as long as they purchase, and not possess, those guns prior to October 1st.
The following is the text of the letter sent to Colonel Brown.
Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent
I have reviewed the recent agreement reached between MSP and the Gun Dealers Association of Maryland concerning the 7-Day waiting period delays. While I was pleased to see the state’s willingness to work through this problem, it is apparent that this action does not solve any of the problems due to the Federal requirement of a NICS number being assigned and documented prior to any transfer.

I have spoken with several dealers, large and small, who have been advised by the FBI that they cannot access the NICS for Maryland Regulated Firearm purchases due to a pre existing agreement they have with the MSP. Some of the dealers were calling in to receive a NICS number so they could go ahead and transfer these firearms but have now been threatened by the FBI with potential prosecution for doing so (They are only allowed to do so for non-regulated firearms).

If it is the intent of MSP to truly resolve the extensive back up delays, the NICS number issue must be resolved immediately. Perhaps the state could simply release this aspect of the background check back to the dealers so they could secure the number for themselves; or the MSP could perform a NICS check upon receiving the Form 77’s and provide the number to the dealers within the 7-day window provided by law so they can perform a transfer if they are willing to do so.

I am also fielding concerns from dealers and buyers regarding the delayed transfers and the deadline of September 30th for purchases to be made. The delays created by the volume and those associated with your background reviews are causing folks to wonder how they will be able to purchase a regulated firearm subject to the ban on or before September 30th if the firearm will not be available for transfer at the dealer until after October 1st. A Colt AR-15 ordered in September will not arrive for several months, and the serial number will not be known prior to arrival. If this purchase occurs prior to October 1st, the spirit of the new law would allow that firearm to be possessed in Maryland legally by the owner after that date - despite the inability to physically transfer the firearm or fully complete a Form 77 until after the October 1st deadline was breached.

I respectfully ask that you release the NICS numbers and clarify these purchase/deadline issues as soon as possible so individuals can plan accordingly.
Godspeed,
Mike McDermott

U.S. Naval Academy Museum To Close On Mondays

ANNAPOLIS (AP) — The U.S. Naval Academy Museum will be closed on Mondays for the rest of the summer due to furloughs mandated by the impact of federal budget cuts.

The academy also announced Friday that an exhibit on the War of 1812 will be closed as well on Mondays. They will be open on other days of the week.

The closing is due to the impact of mandated furloughs on civilian workers due to automatic cuts resulting from the budget battle in Washington.

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Governor O'Malley Is Practicing To Be President Of The United States

GOVERNOR MARTIN O'MALLEY'S PUBLIC SCHEDULE

July 13, 2013 through July 19, 2013

Saturday, July 13, 2013 through July 19, 2013

NO PUBLIC SCHEDULE

WCSO Press Release 7-13-13

Ehrlich To O'Malley: "Stop Whining" On Hotel

 Former Governor Robert Ehrlich says he is not to blame for the financial problems of the city owned Hilton Hotel in Baltimore, and current Governor Martin O'Malley needs to "stop whining" about it.

Ehrlich's comments to WBAL-TV came two days after O'Malley told reporters that the city hotel is losing money, because Ehrlich wouldn't provide state funds for its construction.
 

As Baltimore mayor, O'Malley convinced the city to finance the hotel which opened in 2008, one year after O'Malley took office as governor.

"It probably would have been better structured if we had a more cooperative state. You may recall that, at the time, we asked and we were told no by the then governor," O'Malley said Wednesday.

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Alabama Post Office Evacuated Due To Personal Lubricant Spill

KY Intense Arousal gel is relatively new to the market. It’s billed as a product that can “heighten sensitivity and satisfaction.” Unfortunately, when some of the product spilled in an Alabama post office on Tuesday morning, employees didn’t know what the substance was. All it heightened was a safety alert. The building was evacuated and a hazardous materials team came in to dispose of the mysterious liquid.