Wisconsin Jury Rejects Man’s Beer-Battered Fish Excuse In Drunk Driving Case

You might recall the story of a driver who told police that the reason he failed a field sobriety test was because he’d been eating some beer-battered fish before getting in the car, and not because he’d been drinking booze. His case recently made it to a Wisconsin courtroom, where a jury decided his excuse was too fishy to be true. 

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$1 Gas Arriving Soon in US

Drivers in Chicago and other parts of the Midwest may see gasoline prices at the pump fall to 99 cents a gallon as regional stockpiles swell.

Average Illinois retail gasoline prices have dropped 34 percent in the past year to $1.57 a gallon, while Oklahoma motorists can fill up for a $1.36 a gallon, according to GasBuddy Organization. If gasoline supplies keep growing, 99-cent fuel is not out of the question, said GasBuddy, which tracks prices at filling stations.

Midwest gasoline inventories hit a 21-year high during the last week in January, according to government data. Nationwide inventories may have increased as much as 1 million barrels last week, according to the average forecast of seven analysts compiled by Bloomberg. Valero Energy Corp.’s Memphis refinery was said to have recently reduced how much oil it processes as the profit margin from turning crude into gasoline declines, according to two people familiar with operations.

The chance for 99-cent fuel is possible during the next few weeks before the summer driving season begins, Michael Green, a spokesman in Washington for AAA, said in a phone interview. “We may have some stations offering gas below $1 per gallon for marketing purposes, but the chances of a station offering under $1 are going to decrease pretty soon.”

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Senate Votes to Boost US Sanctions Against North Korea

The Senate overwhelmingly voted to authorize new U.S. sanctions against North Korea, days after the country launched a long-range rocket.

The measure, passed 96-0, would create sanctions against individuals, companies and foreign governments that contribute to North Korea’s nuclear program and ballistic missile development. Also penalized would be those who send luxury goods or aid the regime’s censorship or human rights abuses.

The House passed an earlier version of H.R. 757 on Jan. 12, also in an overwhelming bipartisan vote. The differences must be reconciled before the bill can go to President Barack Obama.

Prior to the vote, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, and Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, each spoke on the Senate floor to urge their colleagues to support the bill. The leaders said Congress needs to act after the Pyongyang regime’s rocket launch on Sunday, which the U.S. says violated a United Nations ban on North Korea’s use of ballistic missile technology.

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House Bill Would Allow Drug Testing For Food Stamps

WASHINGTON (AP) — A key House Republican is renewing a GOP push to allow drug tests for low-income food stamp recipients, a move to help states like Wisconsin, where Gov. Scott Walker has sued the federal government to permit screening.

Alabama Rep. Robert Aderholt unveiled the measure on Thursday as Republicans look to find savings in the program. Aderholt says that states could choose whether they wanted to allow drug testing, so the legislation wouldn’t be a mandate. He says it’s common sense to create drug programs for those who need help.

“This is a compassionate way to try and help these people who have issues, instead of turning the head,” said Aderholt, chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees spending for the Agriculture Department, which administers the food stamp program.

The bill is designed to aid states like Wisconsin, where former GOP presidential candidate Walker has sought to require food stamp recipients to undergo drug screening.

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Dick Morris: Hillary Lost Because She Lied

New Hampshire exit polls in the Democratic primary indicate that Bernie Sanders defeated Hillary Clinton among self-described liberals by 60-39. Okay. But he also beat her among moderates and conservatives by a nearly identical 60-37 margin.

They also show that among the one-third of all voters who said "honesty and trustworthiness" were the most important qualities of a candidate in determining their vote, Sanders beat Clinton by 95-5.

These data indicate that Sanders' victory was not the result of an ideological vote for a socialist but was due to a personal repudiation of a liar. It was Hillary's dearth of personal ethics and her lack of veracity, not her political ideology or her issue positions, that led to her smashing defeat in New Hampshire.

So when Hillary sought to co-opt and plagiarize Bernie's rhetoric in her concession speech, she did nothing to solve the problem that brought her low. Nor will any shift in her message or beheadings of her staff do much to help her.

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Defense Secretary Backs Plan To Relaunch Radar Balloons

ABERDEEN, Md. (WJZ) — It flew across Maryland and into Pennsylvania, but now a plan to fly a pair of giant radar balloons could lift off again.

According to our media partner, The Baltimore Sun, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter signed off on the plan to relaunch the unmanned balloons over Aberdeen Proving Ground.

They have been grounded since a series of errors caused one of them broke free in October.

Getting them back in the air will require congressional approval, more money, training personnel and a new balloon.

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Dan Said He Can't Wait Till That New Radar System Is Available

Nope, nothing here Joe, don't see a darn bit of snow. I don't know what you're talking about here in Salisbury!

North Korean Leader Kim Has His Military Chief Executed

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had his military chief executed for corruption and other charges, a South Korean official said Thursday.

If true, the execution of Ri Yong Gil, chief of the North Korean military's general staff, would be the latest in a series of killings, purges and dismissals since Kim took power in late 2011.

Details about North Korea's opaque government are notoriously difficult for outsiders to get, even national governments, and South Korean officials have a spotty record of tracking developments in North Korea.

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Snow Conditions In West Ocean City

Its coming down pretty good in Ocean City. From everything I had heard on TV today, including the graphics, I never expected to see the snow accumulate. Especially in the Ocean City area. How's your neck of the woods looking?

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise.

Bill would change driver's license renewal process

ANNAPOLIS, Md. —State lawmakers heard passionate testimony Thursday for a bill that would change the driver's license renewal process.

Victims' family members joined national experts for a briefing in Annapolis in hopes of changing state law to require older drivers to renew their licenses in person. They want changes made to better evaluate driving ability.

For Josie and Mike Hollingsworth, the doctor's words still sting, "She didn't make it." In the fall of 2014, their 23-year-old daughter, Lauren, died after she was struck by an 81-year-old driver.

Josie Hollingsworth told a House committee that police said the man panicked and got confused seeing a car door suddenly open, hitting the gas pedal instead of the brakes. She recalled witnesses describing Lauren looking like a rag doll rolling down the sidewalk.

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Sanders Raises $5M 24 Hours After Defeating Hillary

White House hopeful Bernie Sanders raised a staggering $5 million in the 18 hours since winning New Hampshire's primary, his campaign announced Wednesday, further evidence he can mount a protracted Democratic nomination battle against Hillary Clinton.

Sanders' team described the $5.2 million haul as "shattering the campaign's previous record for money raised in less than a day."

The fundraising bump came after he trounced Clinton 60 percent to 38 percent in New Hampshire, the second contest to determine the party standard bearer for the 2016 White House race.

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Maryland lawmakers to weigh ban on use of animals in medical research

Maryland legislators are considering a bill that would end the use of medical training on live animals at Johns Hopkins University, one of the few remaining institutions where the practice remains.

The bill, HB 289, would prohibit a medical school from using live or dead animals to teach surgical procedures if an alternative method is in use at another medical school in the state. The legislation would establish $1,000 fine for breaking the rule. The bill was introduced by Montgomery County Del. Shane Robinson and is set for a hearing in the House Health and Government Operations committee Thursday.

The proposed legislation would apply to all three of the state’s medical schools, but would primarily affect Hopkins.

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January 2016 Salisbury MD Home Sales Report

In January 2015, the median single family home sales price in Salisbury Maryland and Wicomico County was $129,600, down 10% from the median sales price last January. There were 46 home sales, down 18% from last January.

The average time on market was 3.5 months compared to 4.2 months for home sales in the Salisbury MD area last January.

Currently, there are 10.7 months of supply of homes in the Salisbury MD area.* This is determined by how many homes are available divided by how many homes sold the previous month.

Homes Sold in Wicomico County January 2016

Conclusions for Salisbury MD Area Home Buyers

Salisbury MD area home buyers started the New Year facing low inventory, which is typical of the season and uncertainty with mortgage rates. Interest rates actually declined towards month’s end, showing us that December’s Fed action was taken in stride by the markets and aided by the worst start in the Dow’s history.

Even with low single family home inventory in Wicomico County (around 450 units), the slower sales pace pushed the months of supply up considerably. With such a small data sample, this is inconsequential. A significant portion of January home sales were foreclosures and short sales, pulling the median price down.

Conclusions for Home Sellers in the Salisbury MD Area

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Officials map out future OC bike path, despite troubles

Ocean City’s bicycle path has hit a few bumps in the road – namely in receiving permission from various property owners – but officials are still forging ahead.

Instead of moving forward with a temporary “right of entry agreement,” the City Council’s Transportation Commission instead agreed to draw a map designating where cyclists would be able to travel on private properties on the proposed trail between Convention Center and Route 90.

“In creating a site-specific map, the property owners would see that the right of easements would not apply to the whole property, just a segment where the bike path would be.” said Public Works Director Hal Adkins. “This would give the property owner some ease.”

The bicycle path proposal, pushed by Councilman Tony DeLuca, would keep cyclists off Coastal Highway and the bus lane and on side roads near the ocean. Officials have been eyeing the 20-block stretch between Convention Center Drive and 62nd Street since tourist-favored bars line that segment.

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4 Ways To Protect America’s Fragile Internet From Cyber Threats

Government Needs To Be More Vigilant Against Enemies
Overseas, Cyber Security Expert Says

The Internet has transformed the way we communicate, the way governments interact and how we use everything from cell phones to home alarm systems and baby monitors.

Unfortunately, it’s also made the nation vulnerable in ways previous generations couldn’t have imagined, says Gary Miliefsky, CEO of SnoopWall (www.snoopwall.com), a company that specializes in cyber security.

“Billions of dollars have been spent on firewalls and antivirus programs,” he says. “Yet at every turn they fail us and we see major breaches in the news on a weekly basis.”

The victims aren’t just retailers targeted by cyber thieves who are after customer credit card information. Government also is at risk and the White House, the Office of Personnel Management and NASA are among those that have been victimized by hackers.

“As much as we would like for the Internet to be secure, it is in fact fragile and constantly under attack,” Miliefsky says. “That’s bad for us as consumers because our private information can be at risk, but it may be even worse for us as a nation, because our national security can also be at risk from cyber attacks from abroad.”

Miliefsky says it’s critical that the federal government take steps to shore up the nation’s cyber defenses in the same way it tries to guard against attacks from land, sea and air.

His recommendations for accomplishing that include:

• Require text-only email communications. All email coming in and out of U.S. government agencies should be restricted to text only. No more attachments or hyperlinks. “That’s going to seem inconvenient, but it will help the White House, the Office of Personnel Management and other agencies avoid falling victim to well-crafted spear phishing attacks,” Miliefsky says. This wouldn’t have to be a permanent fix, he says. Over time, when a completely secure email and hyperlink scrubbing system is in place, agencies could again allow the attachments and hyperlinks.

• Stick to government email servers. Government employees shouldn’t do any public business through private email accounts. This topic has drawn a lot of attention because Hillary Clinton used a private email server when she was secretary of state, but the problem goes even deeper than that. Last year, the research group Government Business Council surveyed federal employees and reported that 33 percent said they sometimes use private email accounts for government business. “That needs to stop, especially when classified information is involved, because it puts all that information at risk of being hacked,” Miliefsky says.

• Block file transfers to enemy nation states. It’s all right for U.S. government employees and the military to visit, study, learn from and review websites outside the country, but they shouldn’t be transferring files and records to such nations as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, Miliefsky says. Such transfers should be blocked at the government firewalls and routers, he says, though exceptions could be made for classified projects that have been vetted by the FBI, CIA, NSA or Department of Defense.

• Expand funding for cyber defense training and staff. Beefing up the nation’s cyber defenses comes with a price tag, but the investment would be worth it, Miliefsky says. The nation faces the possibility of cyber war, cyber espionage, cyber crime and cyber terrorism, and the federal government needs to hire staff “who have a skill set that’s as good or better than our enemies,” he says. “They will become the new leaders in expanding our cyber defense strategies and capabilities, both in military and civilian roles.”

First Responders To Condo Blaze Recognized In OC

OCEAN CITY — Ocean City firefighters and first responders got a sincere thank you last week from the owners of a north-end condominium for their quick action under trying circumstances during a massive fire in January.

Around mid-day on January 13, Ocean City firefighters along with personnel from the OCPD and the Public Works department responded to the Pelican Beach condominium on the beach between 139th and 140th streets after several citizens reported a structure fire with heavy black smoke seen from miles away. By the time first responders arrived, the fire had spread to the dune area on the east side of the property and the sounds of explosions were heard coming from the first-floor parking garage.

The investigation revealed a generator in the back of a work truck had exploded, setting fire to the building. With the swirling winds, the fire spread quickly and the entire east side of the condo was engulfed. The fire was brought under control in about an hour although frigid temperatures and gusty winds created challenges. The building suffered significant damage to its exterior as well as the interior of two of the 28 units, although it appeared initially to be much worse.

On Monday, Mayor Rick Meehan shared a letter from the condo’s board of directors thanking the city and its first responders for their quick action in putting out the massive blaze and minimizing the damage.

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And So It Began...

Once upon a time there was a king who wanted to go fishing.

He called the royal weather forecaster and inquired as to the weather forecast for the next few hours. The weatherman assured him that there was no chance of rain in the coming days.

So the king went fishing with his wife, the queen. On the way he met a farmer on his donkey. Upon seeing the king the farmer said, "Your Majesty, you should return to the palace at once because in just a short time I expect a huge amount of rain to fall in this area".

The king was polite and considerate, he replied: "I hold the palace meteorologist in high regard. He is an extensively educated and experienced professional. And besides, I pay him very high wages. 

He gave me a very different forecast. I trust him and I will continue on my way." So he continued on his way.

However, a short time later a torrential rain fell from the sky. The King and Queen were totally soaked and their entourage chuckled upon seeing them in such a shameful condition.

Furious, the king returned to the palace and gave the order to fire the professional. Then he summoned the farmer and offered him the prestigious and high paying role of royal forecaster.

The farmer said, "Your Majesty, I do not know anything about forecasting. I obtain my information from my donkey.

If I see my donkey's ears drooping, it means with certainty that it will rain."

So the king hired the donkey.

And thus began the practice of hiring dumb asses to work in the government and occupy its highest and most influential positions.

And the practice is unbroken to this day..

Is Amazon Doing Anything To Fight Latest Wave Of Fake, Paid-For Reviews?

Since Amazon began allowing customers to post reviews on product pages, various waves of bogus reviewers have attempted to game the system by posting fictitious or dishonest write-ups. While Amazon has recently taken legal action against people paid to write fake reviews for products, and the site has aban on most forms of “paid” reviews, there’s a new crop of compensated reviewers who are receiving free or discounted products in exchange for then writing “honest” reviews. But some of these users are writing dozens of reviews a day, sometimes for products they couldn’t possibly have tried.

This newer form of fake, paid Amazon reviews are creeping in thanks to marketing sites that offer free and deeply discounted items if buyers promise to then share their honest feelings on Amazon.

While Amazon’s review guidelines prohibit most “paid” reviews, they do include an explicit exception “when a free or discounted copy of a physical product is provided to a customer up front” if the user “clearly and conspicuously disclose[s] that fact” in their review.

That’s because e-tail giant has its own form of a “free stuff for reviews” in Amazon Vine, which allows select customers to get pre-release access to some products.

But Amazon knows who Vine members are and what they’ve received through the program. Amazon does not, however, necessarily know if a reviewer purchased an item through some discount marketer with the promise of writing a review.

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Muskrat Or Oyster Platters

Big Brother Seeking to Get in Your Child's Head — Literally

With help and funding from the federal government, Big Brother is about to get inside your child's mind — literally. Emerging technologies backed by the U.S. Department of Education are already being deployed in “education,” with federal education bureaucrats hoping to eventually use those tools to monitor and track everything from children's “mindsets” and “attitudes” to their “emotions” and “cognitive processes.” Much of it is being pursued under the guise of improving and individualizing schooling. But the reality is probably not that simple. Experts have been warning about the trends for decades. Even a layman, though, can see the dire potential abuses of such technology.

Aside from official documents, the latest reports to document the troubling trend — albeit while trying to put a smiley face on the developments — come from Education Week. According to an article by Benjamin Herold published last month, under the guise of providing “personalized learning experiences,” new technology is targeting students' “individual emotions, cognitive processes, 'mindsets,' and character and personality traits.” Apparently almost oblivious to the implications of entering into students' minds under the pretext of “educating” them, the multiple Education Week articles and other reports on the issue come across almost as advertisements for Big Brother and his growing capabilities.

On January 6, for example, the education-focused media outlet touted “new efforts to dramatically expand the types of data collected in the classroom and to focus more attention on responding to individual students' 'mindsets,' non-cognitive skills, and emotional states.” Aside from one brief mention of privacy being a major concern, the report does not even consider that parents may not want their children's mindsets and emotional states to be tracked, probed, analyzed, and manipulated by Big Brother. The terrifying potential of such mind-breaking technology in the wrong hands is another subject that is never touched upon in the glowing reports, despite warnings about it from within the federal government stretching back to at least the 1970s.

Among the many tools being pursued are so-called “Intelligent Tutoring Systems,” which monitor, track, and exploit students' emotional and physiological reactions. “The idea is that emotions have a powerful influence on cognition,” computer science and psychology Professor Sidney D'Mello at the University of Notre Dame, who has done a great deal of research in the field, is quoted as saying by Education Week. “Ten years ago, there were things you could do in a lab that you couldn't do in the messiness of the real world,” he said, adding that better and more affordable technology have provided a major boost for researchers. “Now, you can get a reasonable proxy of a student's heart rate from a webcam.”

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