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Monday, April 06, 2015

Pictures of 1944 TO 2014

 THEN

NOW

GO HERE   To see other pictures 



To view the pictures click the link above then drag the mouse across the pix from left to right and see the current view.
DRAG IT BACK OVER AND YOU ARE IN 1944 AGAIN.

You need to do this with your mouse.
A DESCRIPTION OF EACH LOCATION IS AT THE BOTTOM OF EACH PICTURE.

Are You Paying Too Much Property Tax?

When tax time rolls around, many homeowners are surprised at the amount of property tax they owe. If you disagree with the stated value of your property, it’s worth a closer look to see if your bill has increased fairly.

To be sure you’re not paying more than you should, check the following factors.

Basic errors

First, verify that there are no mistakes on your property card — a document that records information such as dimensions, acreage and value. Does the card show that your home has three bedrooms when it only has two? That it sits on 3.0-acre lot when it’s only on .30? That it has a finished basement when, in fact, it doesn’t? That it has two fireplaces when it only has one?

Errors like these can — and do — occur, and they’re actually quite common. But you won’t know about discrepancies if you haven’t seen your home’s card and reviewed it carefully. Get a copy at the town hall, bringing any errors to the immediate attention of the assessor. Adjustments can often be made without the need for a formal appeal.

Comps

After you pull your home’s property card, take a look at a few of your neighbors’ cards — specifically, neighbors who have homes that are similar to yours in terms of age, size, style, condition and location.

How do their assessments line up with yours? Maybe your four-bedroom house with a one-car garage has been assessed at $250,000. Your neighbor also owns a four-bedroom home, but this house has a two-car garage, a nice little shed, and even a swimming pool — and yet it’s valued at $235,000. Make a case, as you likely have one.

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Kansas welfare recipients just got some VERY bad news

Our bloated welfare system–which consists of many individuals who are fully capable of working, but lack any notion of personal responsibility and ambition–is a total drain on our economy.

Many states are looking for ways to crack down on fraud as a means of reducing the burden on tax payers caused by entitlement programs, employing measures like mandatory drug testing, requiring a certain number of hours of work per week, and banning junk food from being purchased with food stamps.

Folks on welfare in Kansas are about to have their easy, breezy life of luxury at tax payer expense rudely interrupted by a new bill to be signed into law by Gov. Sam Brownback. The new law will limit welfare recipients to $25 a day in benefits.

I get the feeling a lot of freeloaders are going to be insanely angry over this.

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Secrets of the White House butlers revealed in new book

They have a unique - and fascinating - insight into the private lives of America's First Families.

Now, former White House butlers and other staff members have revealed their secrets about daily life inside the six-floor mansion, which features a whopping 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms and 28 fireplaces.

The dedicated professionals, also including maids, cooks, florists, doormen and engineers, have seen an intimate side to past and present US Presidents and First Ladies that is hidden from the public eye.

They reportedly witnessed Bill Clinton and intern Monica Lewinsky cavorting for years before their affair hit the headlines, and heard Mr Clinton's wife, Hillary, 'clock him with a book' during the scandal.

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Nearly 500,000 undocumented Californians apply for AB 60 license


About half a million Californians have applied for a driver’s license under Assembly Bill 60 since its enforcement on Jan. 2, doubling the projection of the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

The bill, which Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law in 2013, allows any California resident to apply for a driver’s license regardless of immigration status. According to advocacy group Drive California, all immigrants were able to obtain a driver's license in the state until 1994, when that right was revoked. That led to tickets, arrests, and deportations.

"The interest in this program is far greater than anybody anticipated," DMV Spokesman Jaime Garza told KPCC. "We projected receiving about a half million applications by July of this year, but we've already reached that level."

To prepare for the demand, the department hired 900 additional employees and added office hours, including on Saturdays.

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Meet the members of America's 'only gay street gang'

Donning stilettos, lipstick and mascara, the young men take to the streets of one of Washington DC's most violent neighborhoods.

But under their clothing - and in some cases, in their Louis Vuitton bags - they are carrying knives, brass knuckles and pepper spray.

Meet some of the more than 200 members of Check It, the only documented gang of gay and transgender youths in America.

The teenagers and young adults, who have faced discrimination throughout their entire lives, are the subjects of a new independent documentary.

The film, also named Check It, explains how many of the youths have been stabbed or shot at, while others have served time in juvenile prisons

But now, the 'tight-knit' gang members, who are aged 14 to 22, are fighting to break the cycle of poverty and violence that they have grown up in.

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VISUALLY IMPAIRED GIRL JOINS EASTER EGG HUNTS THANKS TO DAD'S BEEPING CREATION

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -When Rachel Hyche was 19 months old, her dad, David, volunteered at an Easter egg hunt and brought her along. Rachel, who is blind, couldn't participate. Her dad decided to do something about it.

Hyche researched what was out there and found that the Blind Children's Center in Los Angeles was already hosting an Easter egg hunt with beeping Easter eggs. He contacted them to find out how it was done.

Then Hyche, who is a special agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms decided to use his expertise to bring the creation to life in Alabama. The dad told ABC News that his version is cheaper. All you need is a switch, a piezo beeper, a 9-volt battery and battery clip inside a plastic egg. It took him about 20 minutes per egg, he said.

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Pennsylvania polling has Rand Paul ahead of Hillary in 2016

Pennsylvania is in play for its 2016 presidential election. Philadelphia has been the chosen location for the Democratic National Convention, and Democrats could have their work cut out for them to keep the state blue.

SWING-STATE UNCERTAINTY: Polling shows that 2016 Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton may be losing her edge in the blue Keystone State.

On March 31, Pennsylvania Democrats posted on their website a delegate selection plan that allows for their members to decide how to attack the 2016 Presidential Election. Up for grabs is 270 votes , of which Pennsylvania has 20 electoral votes that count toward winning the Electoral College, which elects the president.

According to the plan, Pennsylvania has a total of 181 delegates and 13 alternates. The delegate selection process is governed by the Charter and Bylaws of the Democratic Party of the United States, the Delegate Selection Rules for the 2016 Democratic National Convention, the Call for the 2016 Democratic National Convention, the Regulations of the Rules and Bylaws Committee for the 2016 Democratic National Convention, the rules of the Democratic Party of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania election code, and this Delegation Selection Plan.

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9 Things Many Americans Just Don’t Grasp (Compared to the Rest of the World)

Americans' lack of worldliness clouds their views on everything from economics to sex to religion.

To hear the far-right ideologues of Fox News and AM talk radio tell it, life in Europe is hell on Earth. Taxes are high, sexual promiscuity prevails, universal healthcare doesn’t work, and millions of people don’t even speak English as their primary language! Those who run around screaming about “American exceptionalism” often condemn countries like France, Norway and Switzerland to justify their jingoism. Sadly, the U.S.’ economic deterioration means that many Americans simply cannot afford a trip abroad to see how those countries function for themselves. And often, lack of foreign travel means accepting clichés about the rest of the world over the reality. And that lack of worldliness clouds many Americans' views on everything from economics to sex to religion.

Here are nine things Americans can learn from the rest of the world.

1. Universal Healthcare Is Great for Free Enterprise and Great for Small Businesses

The modern-day Republican Party would have us believe that those who promote universal healthcare are anti-free enterprise or hostile to small businesses. But truth be told, universal healthcare is great for entrepreneurs, small businesses and the self-employed in France, Germany and other developed countries where healthcare is considered a right. The U.S.’ troubled healthcare system has a long history of punishing entrepreneurs with sky-high premiums when they start their own businesses. Prior to the Affordable Care Act of 2010, a.k.a. Obamacare, many small business owners couldn’t even obtain individual health insurance plans if they had a preexisting condition such as heart disease or diabetes—and even with the ACA’s reforms, the high cost of health insurance is still daunting to small business owners. But many Americans fail to realize that healthcare reform is not only a humanitarian issue, it is also vitally important to small businesses and the self-employed.

In 2009, the Center for Economic and Policy Research published a study on small businesses around the world and found that “by every measure of small-business employment, the United States has among the world’s smallest small-business sectors.” People in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Belgium and other European countries are more likely to be self-employed—and the study concluded that universal healthcare is a key factor. According to CEPR’s study, “High healthcare costs discourage small business formation since start-ups in other countries can tap into government-funded healthcare systems.”

2. Comprehensive Sex Education Decreases Sexual Problems

For decades, social conservatives in the U.S. have insisted that comprehensive sex education promotes unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. But in fact, comprehensive sex education (as opposed to the abstinence-only programs that are common in the American Bible Belt) decreases sexual problems, and the data bears that out in no uncertain terms. Public schools in the Netherlands have aggressive sex education programs that America’s Christian Right would despise. Yet in 2009, the Netherlands had (according to the United Nations) a teen birth rate of only 5.3 per 1,000 compared to 39.1 per 1,000 in the U.S. That same year, the U.S. had three times as many adults living with HIV or AIDS as the Netherlands.

Switzerland, France, Germany and many other European countries also have intensive sex-ed programs and much lower teen pregnancy rates than the U.S. Still, far-right politicians in the U.S. can’t get it through their heads that inadequate sex education and insufficient sexual knowledge actually promote teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases instead of decreasing them.

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Gov’t program would fly in Central American children to join parents in US

Images of unaccompanied children flooding across the U.S.-Mexico border defined the immigration crisis last summer.

Now, the federal government is intervening so these children won’t have to make that trek -– they’ll get to fly into the U.S. instead. For free.

A new State Department and Department of Homeland Security program seeks to stop the surge of immigrant children from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador at the southern border by giving their U.S.-based parents the option to apply to have their kids picked up and put on a plane, without paying a penny.

The parents are eligible as long as they have some sort of legal status. As first reported in The Daily Caller, this would include permanent residents and even illegal immigrants given a work permit and deportation reprieve under President Obama’s recent executive actions, though much of that is on hold due to a pending court case. Of them, those with children under 21 and living in El Salvador, Guatemala or Honduras reportedly could apply.

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Wind-up mobile phone created by UK firm

A British firm has created what is believed to be the world’s first wind-up mobile phone.

The phone, which has the working title Ventus, is in the prototype stage at the moment, but the first model is scheduled for launch in the first half of next year. Its creators expect it to sell well in developing countries.

Tony Davies, the director of TCL, the company behind the phone, says that India and Africa in particular would be good markets, as they have very good mobile coverage but very poor power infrastructure.

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Denton Police Department Press Release 4-6-15 (Bank Robberies)

On April 2, 2015 at approximately 3:30 pm members of the Denton Police Department responded to a report of a bank robbery at the PNC Bank located at 812 South Fifth Avenue in Denton. The suspect described as an African American male wearing a black knit cap, black jacket, gray sweat pants and black tennis shoes with a white stripe. The Suspect displayed a small semi-auto handgun. Suspect was surprised be a uniformed security guard and fled the bank before getting any currency. Suspect fled to a nearby waiting vehicle. Vehicle was described as maroon or lighter color passenger car possibly a 1999 or newer Chevy Impala. Vehicle was displaying unknown Maryland tags. Operator of the vehicle was described as a white female with long blonde or dirty blonde hair.

At approximately 4:30 pm a PNC bank in Milford DE was held up at gun point. The suspect in both robberies appears to be the same, including clothing description and vehicle description. The vehicle was also observed to have either be missing a hubcap or have a spare tire on the right (passenger) front and have body damage on the left front fender or door (see photo below)

UPDATE: 04/06/2015

On April 3, 2014 Denton Police received an anonymous tip regarding the suspect in this incident. The investigation led to a possible suspect, David Tyre, 35 of Harrington DE. It was also learned that Delaware authorities had also developed this suspect in reference to the Milford robbery. During the course of the evening phone contact was made with Tyre. It was learned that Reynolds may have been in the Liden School Road area. Officers from the Denton Police Department, the Caroline Sheriff’s Office, the Maryland State Police and Delaware authorities searched the area with negative results. A short time later it was learned that the Delaware authorities were in a pursuit with the suspect vehicle and believed Tyre was an occupant of the vehicle. During the pursuit Delaware Police deployed “stop sticks”, to deflate the tires, on DE route 18 between Bridgeville and Georgetown. As the suspect vehicle stopped officers heard a gunshot. When police approached the vehicle they discovered Tyre dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigation into this matter is continuing.

Anyone with information regarding this matter please contact the Denton Police Department at 410-479-1414 or via email at tips@dentonmdpolice.com and refer to case number 1504020023

Tax refunds for many take hit or get bump from health care law

WASHINGTON (AP) - As the April 15 tax deadline nears, people who got help paying for health insurance under President Barack Obama's law are seeing the direct effect on their refunds - hundreds of dollars, for better or worse.

The law offers tax credits so people without access to job-based health insurance can buy private coverage. Because these subsidies are tied to income, consumers must accurately estimate what they will make for the coming year.

That's been a challenge for millions of people.

Guess on the low side, get more help now with premiums, but owe money later at filing time. Overestimate income, expect bucks back from the taxman.

Many consumers may not have understood that is how it works when they signed up. Some experts caution that such complications could discourage uninsured people from getting covered.

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‘Completely Awesome’ Cardboard Fort Is the Hit of the Neighborhood. But City Code Enforcement Isn’t in the Mood to Play.

You have to give the Trentelmans an “A” for creativity.

The Utah family of four — Jeremy and wife Dee, along with their toddlers Max, 3, and Story, 2 — and some friends turned a pile of cardboard boxes last week into a front-yard fort complete with towers, trap doors, and tunnels.

“I just thought it was an awesome way to use boxes and my kids’ imagination,” Jeremy Trentelman told the Standard Examiner.

But after just one day in existence, the makeshift fort attracted the City of Ogden’s attention — specifically code enforcement.

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WCSO Press Releases April 6, 2015

Incident: Possession of a Handgun

Date of Incident: 4 April 2015

Location: U.S. 13 N/B, Salisbury, MD

Suspect: Ramear Omar Wheatley, 20,Salisbury, MD
                                 
Narrative: On 4 April 2015 at 9:24 PM a deputy stopped a vehicle for speeding on U.S. 13 northbound in the area Rt. 50. During the stop, the deputy identified the rear seat passenger, Ramear Wheatley, as a wanted fugitive. Wheatley had been sought since 2013 on an arrest warrant that charged him with assault. As the deputy took Wheatley into custody, the deputy observed a blue bag on the floorboard where Wheatley was sitting. Upon examination of the bag, the deputy discovered a .380 semi-automatic handgun. The handgun's magazine contained five rounds of ammunition.

The deputy transported Wheatley to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Wheatley in the Detention Center in lieu of $45,000.00 bond.

Wheatley was detained on an additional $15,000.00 on the arrest warrant.

Charges: Handgun on Person, Handgun in Vehicle, Possession of Handgun by a Minor, Illegal Possession of a Regulated Firearm, Illegal Possession of Ammunition
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Incident: WCSO Activity

Date of Incident:   2-5 April 2015

Location:  Wicomico County

On 2 April 2015 a deputy arrested Jennifer Lynn Gordy, 29 of Mardela Springs, on a District Court Bench Warrant. The warrant was issued after Gordy violated the terms of her probation following a conviction in a theft case. Gordy was detained on a bond of $49,000.00.
Jennifer GordyJennifer Gordy

On 2 April 2015 a deputy arrested Vincent Deldas Byrd, 52 of Millsboro, DE, on a District Court Bench Warrant. The warrant was issued after Byrd failed to appear for a CDS Possession case. Byrd was released on $3,000.00 unsecured bond.

On 3 April 2015 a deputy arrested Janelle Rochelle Dawkins, 36 of Accomac, VA, on a District Court Bench Warrant. The warrant was issued after Dawkins failed to appear for a Driving Suspended case. Dawkins was released on Personal Recognizance.

On 4 April 2015 a deputy arrested Amy Dawn Milligan, 26 of Salisbury, on three outstanding District Court Bench Warrants. One was issued for Violation of Probation in a theft case, while the other two were issued after she failed to appear for two cases, one for theft and one for driving while suspended. Milligan was detained on a total bond of $55,000.00.

On 5 April 2015 a deputy arrested Joshua Lee Boyer, 29 of Felton, DE, on an outstanding arrest warrant held by the Kent County Sheriff’s Office. Boyer was being sought in connection with a theft and bad check case from 2011. Boyer was detained on a bond of $50,000.00.
Joshua BoyerJoshua Boyer
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Incident: DUI

Date of Incident: 3 April 2015

Location: Main Street at Mill Street, Salisbury, MD

Suspect: Alfred Lee Lofland, 67, Salisbury, MD
                                 
Narrative: On 3 April 2015 at 11:35 PM a deputy stopped a vehicle operated by Alfred Lofland after observing that Lofland was driving without any headlights on. Upon making contact with Lofland, the deputy detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage. Based on the odor and observed physical indicators, the deputy began a battery of sobriety tests. At the conclusion of the tests the deputy placed Lofland under arrest for DUI.

During subsequent processing at the Sheriff's Office, Lofland provided a breath sample that measured .17.

Lofland was released upon the issuance of citations pending a future court date.

Charges: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol
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Incident: DUI

Date of Incident: 5 April 2015

Location: S. Salisbury Blvd. at Carroll Street, Salisbury, MD

Suspect: Eduardo Morales-Izaguirre, 35,Salisbury, MD
                                 
Narrative: On 5 April 2015 at 1:08 AM a deputy stopped a vehicle operated by Eduardo Morales for erratic driving. Upon making contact with Morales, the deputy detected an odor of an alcoholic beverage. Due to the odor and the manner in which Morales was operating his vehicle, the deputy suspected impairment which prompted the deputy to conduct sobriety testing. At the conclusion of the testing, the deputy placed Morales under arrest.

During subsequent processing, Morales refused to submit to the breath test.

Morales was released upon the issuance of citations pending a future court date.

Charges: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol 
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Releasing Authority: Lt. Tim Robinson        Date:  6 April 2015

Settlement of Alleged Violations at Former Sparrows Point Steel Mill Includes Commitment for Millions of Dollars in Environmental Projects

Baltimore, MD – A company hired for the demolition of the former Sparrows Point steelmaking facility and the former owner of the steel mill property are to undertake more than $3 million in projects to benefit the environment under an agreement with the Maryland Department of the Environment.

The agreement, which settles alleged violations of state environmental laws during demolition activities at the site, includes a payment of $1.5 million. Of that, $375,000 is to be paid in cash by HRE Sparrows Point LLC, former owner of the above-ground facilities at the site. The remaining $1.25 million is to be offset by one or more environmental projects commissioned by Sparrows Point LLC, the former owner of the real estate that was home to the steel mill, and MCM Management Corporation, the company contracted for demolition and removal activities there. The settlement agreement requires these “Supplemental Environmental Projects” to have a value of at least three times the amount offset or, in this case, at least $3.75 million, unless otherwise approved by MDE.

The Sparrows Point property is being redeveloped by new owners Sparrows Point Terminal LLC, which is not the subject of these alleged violations and is not a party to the settlement agreement. The environmental cleanup of the property under its new ownership is being overseen by MDE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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State Police Seek Help Locating a Man Wanted for Identity Theft

Elsmere- Troopers are asking the public for help in identifying a male suspect in an identity theft case.  

On Thursday, April 2, 2015, at 2:00 p.m., Troopers were contacted by the victim, a 36 year old Wilmington woman, after she received text alerts for unauthorized purchases on her debit card for over $400.00 at the Walmart at 1251 Centerville Road in Elsmere.  
The attached surveillance photos depict the suspect as a black male with a thin build, approximately 28-35 years old, 5’ 10” to 6’ 2” tall, weighing 160 to 190 lbs. He was wearing white pants with gray boots and a gray and white hooded sweatshirt. (photos attached)

If anyone has any information as to the identity of this person, they are asked to contact Troop 6, Cpl. E. Larney at 302-660-3799. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, www.delaware.crimestoppersweb.com, or by sending an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."
 Released: 040615 0930

Illegal Immigrant with Drug-Resistant TB to Be Released into US

On Friday, Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, along with Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) and Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ), sent a letter to DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson and ICE Deputy Assistant Secretary Saldaña warning them not to release an illegal immigrant with drug-resistant tuberculosis into the general public.

“I was alarmed when I was forwarded a letter written by Pinal County Director of Public Health Thomas Schryer indicating that the ICE Detention facility in Florence is planning on releasing an illegal immigrant with drug resistant tuberculosis into the Pinal County Community in the next couple days,” Gosar said in a statement. “I demand ICE and DHS rethink this awful decision and not release this dangerous individual. Such actions put our citizens at risk and will impose significant financial burdens on the County.”

Dr. Thomas Schryer, Director of Public Health for Pinal County, wrote a letter explaining his concerns about releasing the detained illegal immigrant, who has been receiving treatment for seven months for his tuberculosis.

“Tuberculosis is a very dangerous disease that can spread easily. Due to the public health threat, Arizona Revised Statutes and good public health practice dictates that we provide healthcare to treat tuberculosis for anyone residing in our county (other than those incarcerated.)

"As a result when the ICE facility releases this individual he will be treated at the local tax payers’ expense,” he stated. “From a public health perspective it is essential that anyone who is suffering from TB be treated so they are not a health threat to others-- I request that ICE pay the costs of those who are released from their facility.”

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Owner Of 'Revenge Porn' Site Sentenced To 18 Years In Jail

A man in San Diego who ran a so-called "revenge porn" site that charged hundreds of dollars to remove anonymously posted nude photos has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after his conviction on 21 counts of identity theft and six counts of extortion.

Kevin Bollaert, 28, ran the sites UGotPosted.com and ChangeMyReputation.com.

NPR's John Burnett reports: "The way it worked: angry lovers could post intimate photos of people as well as gossip about them without their consent on ... UGotPosted.com. It quickly became popular: In a 10-month period more than 10,000 racy photos were posted, mostly of women. When the subjects objected, they were directed to ... ChangeMyReputation.com and had to pay $250 to $300 to have them taken down."

"Today's sentence makes clear there will be severe consequences for those that profit from the exploitation of victims online," California Attorney General Kamala Harris said.

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Could ISIS Be Wiped Out By Flesh-eating Disease?

The fearsome Islamic State fighters are getting a dose of their own medicine, with many falling to an enemy no bigger than a fly.

In fact, it is a fly – a particular species of parasite-carrying sand fly that transmits a deadly flesh-eating virus.

Large numbers of ISIS militants have been infected and now sport large open wounds that can be fatal if not treated, reports the London Daily Mirror.

While the disease, known as Leishmaniasis, is easily treatable, the fighters have been refusing medical treatment. The large pool of infected militants has meant the disease, associated with poor hygiene, is spreading quickly.

Local medical personnel are not equipped or knowledgeable about proper treatment. Physicians from the group Doctors Without Borders offerred initial care, but left Raqqa when ISIS took control of the city and made it their Syrian capital.

More here

Lowering A City's Homeless Population — By Forcing The Homeless Out

It's been a week of goodbyes at the Homeless Voice in Hollywood, Fla. For nearly 13 years, this rundown, 22-room hotel operated as a homeless shelter.

On most nights, hotel manager Christine Jordan says, more than 200 homeless men and women stayed here, some sleeping on mats in the cafeteria.

"We called this the emergency level ... almost 40 people in here every night," she says. Some stayed for free and others paid on a sliding scale. "[Now], everything's gone. I can't cry anymore."

It all came to an end last week, when the city of Hollywood closed a deal with the shelter's owner, Sean Cononie, a homeless advocate and entrepreneur. Hollywood bought Cononie's hotel and several other properties for $4.8 million. More than 100 of the shelter's residents boarded buses and headed to new quarters in Central Florida, 200-plus miles away. Some others made their way into the county shelter system.

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Wicomico Co. man rigged septic system that redirected waste into Bay tributary

AG Frosh: Handyman who Polluted Chesapeake Waterways Convicted

Baltimore, MD -Attorney General Brian E. Frosh announced today that a Wicomico County man has been convicted of installing an illegal septic system that allowed waste to flow into a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.

Charles Elzey, who also goes by the name Billy Ennis, was found guilty in Wicomico County Circuit Court of five counts of environmental violations related to the illegal work.

The case stemmed from a complaint lodged by tenants who moved into a Delmar home in 2013. In February 2013, the tenants contacted the owners, Marie and Darnell Marius of Delaware, to tell them that sewage was backing up into sinks and the bathtub, the toilet wouldn't flush and that strong odors were permeating the house.

The Mariuses hired Elzey, 65, of Salisbury, to address the problem. Elzey installed a discharge pipe from the failing sewer system into a wooded area of the backyard and onto a neighboring property. The waste eventually drained into Wood Creek, a tributary of the Wicomico River, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay.

Darnell Marius testified during the trial that he hired Elzey, and did not obtain permits for the work. Elzey, who works for a sump pump company as a pump and hauler and was performing work on the Marius' property on the side, was not licensed to perform septic repairs. A tenant testified that she saw Elzey removing old septic lines and installing a new discharge pipe, which drained aboveground into the neighboring property. The tenants had previously told Wicomico County health officials, in connection with other charges relating to the case, that Marie Marius came to the property to monitor the work being done, as well as to provide payment for the installation. Marie Marius had been convicted earlier this year in connection with the matter.

Elzey was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, complete 25 hours of community service and was placed on two years of supervised probation, with a six-month suspended sentence.

The case was brought by the Office of the Attorney General Environmental Crimes Unit. Attorney General Frosh thanked Assistant Attorney General Michelle Barnes, as well as investigator Bill Schmidt and Wicomico County Health Department inspectors, for their work.

Bastardi: Calif. Drought Is Not Global Warming

California's alarming drought is the result of a historic weather pattern — not global warming, as some scientists insist, says Joe Bastardi, chief forecaster for WeatherBell Analytics.

That pattern occurs when the Pacific Ocean cools, bringing drier air to the mainland.

"This happened back in 2005-2006 after the hurricane season," Bastardi on Friday told Rick Ungar and Betsy McCaughey, guest hosts of "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.

The southern part of the United States and in California was going to start getting dry because the Pacific … [triggers] this cycle, well known to a lot of us in the field — what we call a pacific decay.

"[It switches] from its warm phase to its cold phase and … the amount of water vapor over the deep tropics in the Pacific … decreases and that rich moisture gets cut off."

More here

REMINDER: PUBLIC HEARING ON COUNTY EXECUTIVE’S PROPOSED OPERATING BUDGET

County Executive Bob Culver invites all citizens to participate in a Public Hearing on the 2016 Operating Budget.
The meeting is April 9, 2015 in the Flanders Room of the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center beginning at 6pm.

The public is encouraged to present their comments and questions. County Executive Culver and his staff will consider the concerns of the citizens when creating the Fiscal Year 2016 expense budget. Final decisions will be based on urgency of need and available funding sources.

WHO
: Wicomico County Residents
County Executive Culver and Staff

WHAT: Public Hearing Notice
Proposed Operating Budget

WHEN: Thursday, April 9, 2015 at 6pm

WHERE: Wicomico Youth and Civic Center
500 Glen Avenue, Salisbury MD
Flanders Room

Let's Recognize Who the Real Haters Are

One may reasonably wonder whether the militant left in this country is solely dedicated to manufacturing issues to keep the nation in a constant state of uproar, angst and disharmony. We're seeing lots of negativity and intolerance from those so concerned that we all love one another.

Their most recent cause for hysterical urgency is Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The left has gone absolutely bonkers attempting to paint that legislation as a license for Christians to discriminate against gays for sport and is smearing anyone who supports it as a reactionary bigot.

Don't you long for those days when words had meaning? Now we have propagandists whose principal job is to deceitfully distort word meanings to promote their causes.

A few examples in the context of the issue at hand are "hate," "homophobe," "discrimination" and "anti-." People who oppose same-sex marriage do not fear or hate people who are gay. They are not advocating discrimination against them, and they are not against them.

These calculated distortions have had an enormous impact on our culture, infecting even people who should know better. Now enshrined in our popular culture, these misrepresentations affect the way people think (which is the whole point, of course) and lead to imputed motives with no basis in fact.

More on this..

PHILADELPHIA TRAFFIC STOP CAUGHT ON VIDEO SPARKS CONTROVERSY

Here is part of the story about who he is. In the original news stories he falsely identified himself in the video as a Philly Fire Marshal. False claim. He is a criminal thug hiding behind the bible. I even checked out his FB page and he has all these Godly claims.
So who is Soto?

He's a felon, sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for straw purchasing firearms.

He has multiple convictions for theft, fleeing from police, and was convicted of impersonating a public servant in 2005 and now claims he is a volunteer firefighter.

We asked Soto where he works.

"Well we are going to - you are going to stop that right there alright - we are going to stop that and we are not going to go into that," said Soto.

Police are also cautioning the public not to use Soto's video as an example of what to do during a traffic stop.

While it is legal to record video, the Pennsylvania vehicle code requires drivers to turn over their identification and registration.

In addition, the Fraternal Order of Police is now asking authorities to pursue charges against Soto for allegedly impersonating a public servant.

See Video and More HERE.

The New Proposed PMT Regulations

Here are the new proposed pmt regulations. Please look at the economic impact /benefit. Much of it refers back to the Beacon Study. If you want to stay in business, you need to read the document carefully and make comments.

Are You In?


Trying to take a vote on a witch night of the week or weekend or which morning would be ideal for everyone to a have ounce a month meet and greet at one of the hooters in OC

Tell me which day or night of the week would be good for you

It will be called ((( wingz and rodz)))). Or. Rodz and wingz

Record 12,202,000 Black Americans Not in Labor Force

(CNSNews) - A record 12,202,000 black people were not in the labor force in March, as the participation rate for this group declined over the month to 61.0 percent, according to data released from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

According to the BLS, the more than 12 million black people not in the labor force in March means that they did not have a job or actively seek one in the past four weeks. The number climbed from 12,122,000 in February to 12,202,000 in March, an increase of 80,000.

The labor force participation rate for this group, which is the percentage of the population who participated in the labor force by either having a job or actively seeking one, declined from 61.2 percent in February to 61.0 percent in March.

The unemployment rate for black people in March was 10.1 percent, which is nearly double the overall national unemployment rate of 5.5 percent. Last month, the unemployment rate for black people was 10.4 percent.

More here

Michael Bloomberg for mayor... of LONDON?

Former NYC leader 'considering running in UK city he considers his second home'

Michael Bloomberg wants to be mayor again - but in London rather than New York City, according to reports.

Bloomberg, who was elected to the top Big Apple job three times in a row, has reportedly turned his sights across the Atlantic, where he dreams of replacing incumbent Boris Johnson.

According to Britain's Sunday Times, Bloomberg, 73, is 'considering' the move, and has the backing of senior officials in Britain's Conservative Party.

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Missing From the Iran Deal: Ballistic Missiles

(CNSNews) – The framework agreement on Iran’s nuclear program announced in Switzerland on Thursday has no direct reference to reining in Tehran’s ballistic missile activities, despite international concerns that the Iranians in past years carried out work relating to developing a nuclear payload for a missile.

From the outset of the marathon nuclear talks, Iran refused to discuss its missile program, with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ridiculing Western attempts to include it on the agenda as “stupid and idiotic.”

Thursday’s joint statement by Iran and the P5+1 world powers, represented by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union (E.U.) foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini respectively, was silent on the subject.

By contrast a State Department fact sheet on the “Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action” (JCPOA) – whose final text, based on the framework announced Thursday, is meant to be nailed down by the end of June – does refer to the missile issue.

The fact sheet of “key parameters” says that the JCPOA will be endorsed in a new U.N. Security Council resolution which will also incorporate “[i]mportant restrictions on conventional arms and ballistic missiles.”

Whether Iran reads the framework understanding the same way remains to be seen, but Zarif has already described the fact sheet as a U.S. government attempt to “spin” the agreement.

More here

Breaking News

Ocean City Fire, EMS, Police and Bomb Squad on scene, District Court Building on 65th Street. Suspicious package in the Court Building.

Little heroes of the war on cancer

For the parents of children living with cancer, there is often so little hope.

And for those facing the bleakest of prognoses – that, barring a miracle, the disease will cut short their young lives – the agony is almost indescribable.

So the decision to enrol such a child on to a trial for largely untested treatments that may save them, but may make them suffer far more, is another kind of mental anguish altogether.

Now, a ground-breaking television documentary filmed over two years follows three children and their families through such a situation.

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Army Soldiers Sit Through ‘White Privilege’ Presentation — and the Backlash Isn’t Pretty

The U.S. Army is investigating an unauthorized diversity training presentation on “white privilege” shown to hundreds of Georgia soldiers, USA Today reported, citing an Army spokeswoman.

The Equal Opportunity training presentation was shown to about 400 soldiers of the 67th Signal Battalion at Fort Gordon on Thursday, according to Captain Lindsay Roman.

The portion of the program involved a slide projected on a screen entitled ”The Luxury of Obliviousness,” which listed elements of “white privilege.”

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Why Dog Breeders in Virginia Aren’t Happy

Animal advocates are celebrating the passage of a new law in Virginia that they hope will make it harder for bad breeders to do business in the state and will get more pets adopted.

This week Governor Terry McAuliffe signed legislation that aims to shut down shady sellers by banning sales of dogs and cats in public places, including parking lots, flea markets or the side of the road. Even better it makes Virginia the third state to enact legislation restricting the sale of companion animals in pet stores.

Under the new law, which will go into effect in July, pet stores will need to obtain animals from rescues and shelters, or prove they came from a breeder with no violations of the Animal Welfare Act. They will also be required to keep and provide health records. Violators will be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor for each dog sold or offered for sale, which could bring up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.

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Doctor: There Are ‘Better Ways of Wasting Your Tax Dollars’

A Canadian doctor’s alleged letter excusing an employee from one day of work has gone viral for calling the practice of writing sick notes a waste of time and money.

The doctor wrote that the patient, “has had, by their own report, a cold today and sensibly stayed home from work rather than spreading this to his colleagues/customers.”

“I have no test for the common cold and therefore believe him, however, you feel his time and mine should be wasted by making him sit in the walk-in clinic for hours and me spending time writing a sick note that I could be spending on people who genuinely need my attention,” the note said.

“Please reconsider your policy on this,” the doctor concluded. “There are surely better ways of wasting your tax dollars.”

Business Insider reported that the patient is an employee of Pizza Hut, which says in its 2011 employment manual that employees may be required to provide a doctor’s note to verify their illness when taking sick leave.

Both the Ontario Medical Association and Doctors Nova Scotia have urged employers to stop requiring employees to turn in sick notes for time off, CBC reported.

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Game Plan: Expand Gay Rights at State Level

Gay rights advocates are hoping to parlay the momentum from their legislative victories in Indiana and Arkansas this week into further expanding legal protections for gays and lesbians in those states and others.

Facing widespread pressure, including from big businesses such as Apple and Wal-Mart, lawmakers in Indiana and Arkansas rolled back their states' new religious objections laws, which critics said could be used to discriminate against gays. Amid the uproar, the Republican governors of Michigan and South Dakota urged their own legislatures to extend anti-discrimination protections to gays.

Twenty-nine states currently don't include protections for gays and lesbians in their non-discrimination laws, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. But the Indiana and Arkansas laws, along with court rulings or legislatures legalizing same-sex marriage in 37 states and an expected U.S. Supreme Court decision on gay marriage this year, are fueling efforts to change that as the 2016 elections approach.

"We're not going to let any of these people off the hot seat," said Kathy Sarris, co-founder of the gay-rights group Indiana Equality Action. "This ultimately is going to happen in Indiana."

More here

Texas Students To Pro-lifers: Tear Down These Crosses

Hundreds of University of Texas-Arlington students have signed on to a petition to remove a memorial display of 2,900 small Christian crosses set up by a pro-life campus group.

The Pro-Life Mavericks put up the display at Central Library Mall, Campus Reform reported. The group arrived at the figure 2,900 because that’s the number of abortions reportedly performed each day.

But protesters said the women who aborted their babies aren’t necessarily Christian, and therefore the cross display is inappropriate.

“Every cross is supposed to represent an unborn child, but not necessarily every child that is aborted is Christian and therefore they’re being culturally insensitive, especially since we’re the fifth most diverse campus in America,” said sophomore Ashley Radovcich, to Campus Reform.

More here

Md. couple receives threatening, vulgar voicemail after posting negative business review

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (WJLA) – After what she calls a nightmare experience with a Hagerstown Maaco franchise, a Maryland mom did what you do these days: posted a review on Facebook.

Ella May Rudd says she spent two months trying to have her local Maaco make repairs to her car that she previously paid for.

In frustration, Rudd posted on the company's Facebook page.

“My attack was not personal. It was not against you; it was your business let me down,” Rudd said.

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Christians Go On Offense

The turmoil over religious freedom in Indiana is generating a response that, if successful, could do a lot to settle the controversy over government demands that Christians violate their faith by supporting homosexual “marriage” in a way that has not yet been tried.

It’s a “Marriage and Religious Freedom Act” that would bar government discrimination against individuals or groups because they believe in biblical marriage. It also calls a halt to federal actions to deny or revoke a group’s tax-exempt status over that issue, and it would ban the government from using someone’s sincere faith convictions to deny distribution of a federal grant, contract or employment.

The limits all appear to be aimed at government, unlike most laws, which either prescribe or proscribe what a person or company must do, but there’s a reason for that – according to those support the plan.

The government has been doing the discriminating.

“Government didn’t create marriage and has no business redefining it,” said an announcement from Family Research Action, a relative of the Family Research Council, which is condemning efforts in Indiana to kill a simple, straightforward religious freedom act that already exists in nearly 20 other states – and at the federal level. FRC Action is working with elements in Washington on the plan.

The national media largely misrepresented the bill, saying it codified discrimination against homosexuals. So the Indiana legislature came up with a change, which the FRC said actually would deprive Americans in the state of their constitutional rights.

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Iran Deal: Holocaust in 2026

So the basic tradeoff achieved by Secretary of State John Kerry in the talks with Iran boils down to this: Iran has to watch its step for 10 years. Then all bets are off. A year later, bombs away!

By 2025, most of the sanctions will have been lifted and there will be no incentive for Iran to keep its deal to limit uranium enrichment. And, in any event, the limits will have been weakened after the ten year period.

What other nation could be content for its principal adversary to reach a deal not to annihilate it until ten years have passed?

Obama's and Kerry's strategy for getting the deal through Congress becomes evident. Get Iran to agree to a relatively tough deal for now in return for a short deadline and no restrictions thereafter.

More here

NY Boy Scouts hire gay Eagle Scout despite national policy

The Boy Scouts' New York chapter said Thursday that it has hired the nation's first openly gay Eagle Scout as a summer camp leader, which is in public contrast to the national scouting organization's ban on openly gay adult members.

The Boy Scouts' Greater New York Councils said they hired Pascal Tessier, an 18-year-old Eagle Scout who has been a vocal advocate of opening the 105-year-old organization to gay scouts and leaders.

Board member Richard G. Mason said the councils see Tessier as 'an exemplary candidate for employment as a camp leader.'

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LIFESTYLE BALANCE PROGRAM TO BE HELD AT WICOMICO COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION CENTRAL OFFICE

(Salisbury) -- The Wicomico County Health Department is pleased to announce that Lifestyle Balance, a FREE diabetes prevention program for adults, will be offered on Mondays beginning April 27, 2015 from 4:45 – 5:45 p.m. Sessions will be held at the Wicomico County Board of Education’s Central Office at 101 Long Avenue, Salisbury, MD.

“Nearly 10% of the U.S. population has diabetes, and as many as one in three American adults will have diabetes in 2050, if current trends continue,” says Lori Brewster, Health Officer for Wicomico County. Diabetes contributes to heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower extremity amputations. One in ten healthcare dollars is spent treating diabetes and its complications.

“Trained coaches will help participants learn to make lifestyle changes such as eating healthier and being more physically active, which will help them lose weight and reduce their risk of diabetes and other chronic diseases,” says Brewster.

For more information, or to find out if you are eligible for the program, call the Wicomico County Health Department at 410-334-3480. Registration deadline is April 20, 2015.

Wait A Minute!

I was driving home and listening to a sports call-in program, carried by WGN in Chicago on SIRIUS. People were calling in, very upset, about the goat's head that was sent to Cubs owner Tom Ricketts at Wrigley Field.  Then some guy called in from Indiana and said,

"Why are you people so upset 'cause someone sent a goat's
head to Wrigley Field? Aren't you Chicagoans the same guys
that sent a horse's ass to the White House?"
I had to pull over.