Today's Survey Question 2-2-13

In Ireton's December letter to the Maryland Attorney General, Jim Ireton said;

“I am not yet ready to make a permanent appointment to the Fire Chief’s position...”

On the same day that letter was sent, this appeared in an article in the Daily Times: “I have the fire chief I want,” Ireton said the other day.
SURVEY QUESTION: Do you think Jim Ireton lied to the Maryland Attorney General?

Why Some Still Buy The Newspaper

 

’60 Minutes” Missed Opportunity

In the days of the late Mike Wallace, “60 Minutes” was known for hard-hitting, aggressive journalism that asked the questions viewers wanted answered and held the powerful accountable.

The Jan. 27 program on which Steve Kroft interviewed President Obama (at his request, no less) and outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton fell far short of that high standard. It was the kind of softball toss you might have expected if Oprah Winfrey or Barbara Walters had conducted the interview.

The president said of Clinton, “…a lot of the successes we’ve had internationally have been because of her hard work.” Kroft should have asked if one of those successes included Russia, a nation with which Clinton promised to push the “reset button.” Yet, as the Washington Post reports, “A poisonous unraveling of U.S. relations with Russia in recent months represents more than the failure of President Obama’s first-term attempt to “reset” badly frayed bilateral relations. It threatens pillars of Obama’s second-term foreign policy agenda as well.” And how about the Middle East, which is not exactly headed toward peace and stability?

Late in the interview, the president rattled off his administration’s foreign policy successes. He mentioned Egypt and said, “…had it not been for the leadership we showed, you might have seen a different outcome there.”

Kroft should have followed up with: “Different from Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s president and Muslim Brotherhood proponent, who agrees with the Koran that Jews ‘…are descendants of apes and pigs’”?

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Teen Charged With Throwing Bronx Boy, 9, Off Roof: Police

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested after police say he admitted to throwing a 9-year-old boy off the roof of a Bronx apartment building Friday night, critically injuring him.

The 9-year-old boy was found on the pavement unconscious with severe body trauma in front of the five-story building on Nelson Avenue in Morris Heights at around 8:30 p.m., authorities said. He was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital where he is listed in critical condition.

On Saturday, police charged 17-year-old Casmine Aska with attempted murder.
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Will States Lead The Way To Legalizing Marijuana Nationwide?

When citizens of Colorado and Washington voted in November to legalize marijuana, they created a conflict, because pot remains illegal under federal law and anyone who lights up is committing a federal crime and could theoretically still be arrested for it. After Colorado passed its referendum, Governor John Hickenlooper said the implementation of the law in his state would be a “complicated process” and warned residents not to “break out the Cheetos or Goldfish too quickly.”

While it seems unlikely that the federal government will make much of an effort to arrest pot users in Colorado or Washington — President Obama has said he has “bigger fish to fry” — the tension between federal and state laws on marijuana remains. Just last week, an appeals court rejected a suit that sought to lower the drug classification of medical marijuana under federal drug laws.

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Clydesdale Star of Super Bowl Ad is Newborn Foal

BOONVILLE, Mo. (AP) - For decades, Anheuser-Busch has used its famous Clydesdales in Super Bowl ads for Budweiser. The latest star is barely two weeks old.

A foal born Jan. 16 at Anheuser-Busch's Warm Springs Ranch near the mid-Missouri town of Boonville is featured in an ad that will appear in Sunday's game between the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers and AFC champion Baltimore Ravens.
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Giant Recalls Crab Spread

Gold Coast Fresh Crab Spread - 8 OZ
UPC: 83355500325
Codes: Expiration date of 1/31/2013

Recall Information: Product is being recalled because of possible contamination by Listeria monocytogenes. To date, Giant has received no reports of illness associated with consumption of this product. Product may be returned to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Customers may contact Gold Coast customer service at 1-239-513-0430 or Giant Customer Service at 1-888-469-4426 for more information.

Criminals And Terrorists Can Fly Drones Too

Americans know their government uses unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, on military and intelligence missions from surveillance to assassination. But drones are no longer the sole domain of the military, and just as with many new technologies, they can easily fall into the wrong hands.

Robotic machines — including drones, which are basically robots that fly — are already policing international borders, exploring deep-sea shipwrecks, repairing undersea cables and vacuuming living rooms. Robots fly, roll, swim and walk. Some carry guns and bombs. Others have superhuman strength, endurance and sensory perception. A future in which they commit crimes may yet seem like the realm of science fiction, but it is closer than you think. Criminal organizations are early adopters of technology, and some have already used UAVs and other forms of robotics to violate the law while reducing their risk of arrest and apprehension.

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Pier 1 Imports Opens In West OC With Gifts For First Visitors

The first 1,000 people who visit Pier 1 Imports on its opening day at the White Marlin Mall on Monday will receive a free reusable canvas tote bag and a free backscratcher.

The gifts are in celebration of Pier 1 Imports arrival in West Ocean City. Its doors will open at 10 a.m. at the mall, located just one-half mile west of Ocean City on Route 50 and adjacent to Tanger Outlets.

“The opening of our new Pier 1 Imports at White Marlin Mall will be a fitting welcome for all those who live in the Ocean City, Berlin, Ocean Pines and lower Delaware areas,” state manager Frank Pileggi stated in a press release.
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Will Exaggerated Deficit Talks Lead to an "Obama Recession?" We Must Still Ask These Questions

Austerity is the absolute wrong answer for what ails the US economy - or even for reducing the deficit, argue Zeese and Flowers. There are real solutions.

In the last year of his life, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shifted his focus to the American economy, poverty, full employment and how these issues related to militarism. In his 1967 speech, "Where do we go from here: chaos or community?" he urged the country to ask some tough questions and advocated for full employment or a guaranteed national income. He said:
. . . as we talk about 'Where do we go from here,' that we honestly face the fact that the movement must address itself to the question of restructuring the whole of American society. There are 40 million poor people here. And one day we must ask the question, 'Why are there 40 million poor people in America?' And when you begin to ask that question, you are raising questions about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth. When you ask that question, you begin to question the capitalistic economy.... One day we must come to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. It means that questions must be raised. You see, my friends, when you deal with this, you begin to ask the question, 'Who owns the oil?' You begin to ask the question, 'Who owns the iron ore?' You begin to ask the question, 'Why is it that people have to pay water bills in a world that is two-thirds water?'

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GRIFFIN BEATS OUT LUCK, WILSON

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Robert Griffin III of the Washington Redskins has won The Associated Press 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award, beating out two other sensational first-year quarterbacks.

Griffin, whose thrill-a-minute combination of running and passing skills led Washington to its first NFC East title in 13 years, pulled away from Andrew Luck of the Colts and Russell Wilson of the Seahawks in a lopsided vote announced Saturday.

RG3 earned 29 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league. Luck was next with 11 and Wilson got 10.
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1 Dead, 1 Injured In Shooting Near Detroit High School

A 70-year-old man was in police custody after allegedly shooting two teens during an attempted robbery, killing one and seriously injuring the other, Detroit police spokeswoman Sgt. Eren Stephens said Saturday.

The shooting occurred near Martin Luther King Jr. High School on Detroit’s east side around 7:15 p.m. Friday.

According to Stephens, the older man was allegedly approached by the two teens near Larned and Mt. Elliott, who announced a hold-up.
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Old Bay Made It To Bourbon Street

 Bourbon Street, New Orleans

Billboard outside M&T Stadium

Resident Outcry Leads Berlin To Relocate Wind Turbine

BERLIN -- With the discomfort of residents clear, the Berlin Town Council reached a consensus this week that a new wind turbine, which would be the town’s first, will not be located on Schoolfield Street. Instead, a property on Old Ocean City Boulevard will be pitched to the council as an alternative site.

“After the last meeting and thinking about it, we’re actually entertaining the thought of maybe moving [the turbine] to a different location, which would be the Rayne’s property off of Old Ocean City Boulevard,” said Electric Utility Director Tim Lawrence. “That’s in a commercial district, there’s not much residential around there, and we’re just thinking that might be a better site to put it at.”

Lawrence is referring to the property formerly home to Rayne’s Sand and Gravel, which has since moved from 10011 Old Ocean City Boulevard to Route 50. The location is currently owned by the town after being annexed years ago.
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City of Newark Kicks Off Anti-Idling Campaign For Better Air Quality, Health And Savings Benefits

NEWARK – Federal, state, city and school officials gathered this morning at Newark High School to kick off a citywide anti-idling awareness campaign for cleaner air, better health and savings at the gas pump.

Newark Mayor Vance Funk was joined by DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara, U.S. EPA Region III Administrator Shawn M. Garvin, Christina School District Superintendent Dr. Freeman Williams, Deborah Brown, president and CEO of the American Lung Association of the Mid-Atlantic, and other officials to announce the campaign, which was created to promote awareness of Newark’s anti-idling ordinance. Passed in 2009, the ordinance restricts idling of personal motor vehicles within city limits.

“By promoting energy efficiency, clean energy, low-emission vehicles, interconnected trails, and today's idling ordinance, Newark is emerging as a statewide leader in ensuring clean air and saving money for its residents,” said DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara. “I congratulate the Newark City Council, the Newark Conservation Advisory Commission, and city officials for being the first to adopt an ordinance that will improve air quality and public health by reducing emissions from idling personal vehicles, commercial trucks, and buses.”

The Newark Conservation Advisory Commission, an advisory group to the Newark City Council, designed and coordinated Newark’s Anti-Idling Campaign, with a $15,000 grant through DNREC’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Projects Fund. In addition to signage posted, the grant covers public service announcements, advertising and video, design and production of audio and visual displays, and brochures, flyers and mailers to promote the campaign.

“Passing the anti-idling ordinance was part of the city’s efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and make a positive impact on air quality,” said Newark Mayor Vance Funk. “Now, with this outreach campaign, the Newark driving public can learn about the anti-idling law, why it’s important, and how each of us can make a difference.”

To kick off the campaign, the City of Newark introduced its new “Stop Idling – It’s the Law” signage, with 11 signs newly posted where students are dropped off and picked up at the high school. More than 300 of the signs will be placed in strategic locations throughout the city to remind drivers not to leave their engines running while parked.

“The Commission’s goal in this outreach campaign is to influence Newark drivers to eliminate daily idling. If as few as a quarter of Newark drivers would simply turn off their engines just half the time, we could potentially reduce carbon emissions by at least 1.7 to 2.6 million pounds per year,” said Thomas Fruehstorfer, chair of the Newark Conservation Advisory Commission. “Besides breathing cleaner air, drivers will enjoy the added benefit of wasting less gas while reducing fuel consumption and costs.”

Warming up a vehicle is the most common reason given for idling. Many drivers also have become accustomed to idling cars in the morning, at the ATM, at the drive-thru for lunch, when picking up children from school, while using a cell phone, or while waiting to pump gas.

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CONSERVATIVES LAUNCH NEW SOCIAL NETWORK TO ESCAPE FACEBOOK ‘CENSORSHIP’ — WILL YOU JOIN?

Fed up with the threat of “censorship” on Facebook, a group of a conservatives are launching their own social network called “The Tea Party Community.” The site, which doesn’t even officially go online until Saturday, has already attracted nearly 50,000 members.

The site’s co-founder, Tea Party activist Ken Crow, told Fox News that The Tea Party Community will be the “new home for conservatives and the Tea Party movement in America.”

“Most of us are subjected to censorship on Facebook…I’ve been suspended there as have many of my friends. You also absorb a lot of abuse from liberals,” Crow said.
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Five Awards For Wicomico High JROTC Drill Team And Color Guard In Drill Competition

The Wicomico High JROTC Drill Team and Color Guard won five awards at the "Golden Knight" Drill Competition held at Sussex Central High School in Georgetown. The Tribe Battalion won First Place in Regulation Drill and Exhibition Drill and Second Place in Color Guard, Unit Inspection and Squad Drill. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps JROTC programs from Maryland and Delaware competed in the event.

Report Shows OCPD Saw Less Violence, More Drugs In 2012

The Ocean City Police Department’s year-end numbers indicate that major crimes against persons are on the decline, but property crime and other offenses – particularly drug- and alcohol-related ones – continue to be a battle.

Capt. Kevin Kirstein, currently serving as the OCPD’s acting chief after the departure of former chief Bernadette DiPino, presented the department’s annual report to City Council on Tuesday.

Most crucial, Kirstein said, was that the city’s rate of major crime seemed to be holding steady. Since 2006, the town has averaged 1,486 incidents per year that are severe enough to be reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s national records system. Such crimes include homicide, rape, robbery, assault, breaking and entering, larceny and motor vehicle theft.
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How Far Off Were The Predictions Of 1967′s Home Of The Future?

Faced with an amazing array of new technology, post-World War II America was obsessed with “the future” and how, within decades, we’d be living in geodesic colonies in the desert with self-sustaining farms. Not all of that has come true.
Back in March of 1967, Walter Cronkite dedicated an entire episode of his forward-looking show “The 21st Century” to the home of the future.

We’ve included some of the videos below, and the Smithsonian’s Paleofuture blog has a great write-up of the episode, which makes predictions of the devices you’d see in everyday homes in 2001.

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More Laser Shows, Fireworks Planned In OC

OCEAN CITY – The popular laser light and firework shows downtown last summer have been given the go-ahead to continue on into the summer of 2013.

Tourism Director Donna Abbott presented the Mayor and City Council with a request to approve the recommendation made by the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) to continue last summer’s weekly fireworks and laser light shows on the beach downtown.

According to Abbott, TAB reviewed T.E.A.M Productions’ proposal to continue the shows this summer, and the board voted unanimously to send a favorable recommendation to the Mayor and City Council to move forward with the plan.
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