'Mild Taste of What an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) Attack Would Do'
Newt Gingrich issued a warning, based on the destructive storms that hit the Washington, D.C. area over the weekend, on Twitter: Friend and coauthor bill forstchen notes washington-baltimore blackout mild taste of what an emp (electromagnetic pulse) attack would do — Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) July 2, 2012 And, later, the former Republican presidential candidate added:
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Tuesday, July 03, 2012
News Tip
Hey Joe,
Just a heads up. Can you let your reader know that the gold colored speed camera car is at Parkside High School this morning?
Just a heads up. Can you let your reader know that the gold colored speed camera car is at Parkside High School this morning?
Rommel’s ACE Continues To Satisfy Customers
Ace Hardware repeats as customer satisfaction leader among home improvement retailers
FRUITLAND, MD (July 2, 2012) – Ace Hardware ranks highest in customer satisfaction among home improvement retailers for a sixth consecutive year, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 U.S. Home Improvement Retailer Satisfaction Study.
Having a helpful and knowledgeable sales staff and making the shopping process easy are key drivers of customer satisfaction, according to the study, which measures customer satisfaction with home improvement retail stores based on performance in five factors.
They are staff and service (including availability, courtesy, knowledge); store facility (including ease of finding merchandise and cleanliness); merchandise (including availability and product information); price; and sales and promotions.
“Customer satisfaction has always a core value at Rommel’s ACE,” said Dick Livingston, vice president with Rommel’s ACE in Fruitland. “We are happy to be recognized once again for helping our shoppers get the most from their experience in our stores.”
Ace Hardware achieves a score of 781 on a 1,000-point scale and performs particularly well in staff and service and store facility. Lowe's ranked second in the study for the second consecutive year with a score of 769 and performed particularly well in the merchandise factor.
Finishing below the industry average of 758 were Menards (755), The Home Depot (750), True Value (742) and Sears (734).
Overall customer satisfaction has declined slightly among all but one of the retailers included in the study. However, high-ranking retailers continue to differentiate themselves through their knowledgeable and courteous staff and shopper-friendly processes like checkout and returns.
"While many retailers have struggled to right-size their staff with the down economy, Ace Hardware and Lowe's clearly have kept the focus on their customers," said Christina Cooley, senior manager of the home improvement industries practice at Westlake Village, Calif.-based J.D. Power and Associates. "To create delighted customers, home improvement retailers must assist customers quickly, help them find the items that they need, and do this with a customer-friendly attitude."
The study finds that high customer satisfaction leads to store loyalty. Approximately two-thirds (64%) of customers rating their retailer "outstanding" are likely to return to the store or the same chain of hardware stores the next time they shop for home improvement products, compared with just one-fifth of customers not rating their retailer "outstanding" who are likely to do the same.
High-ranking retailers not only have a lower merchandise return rate, but also receive higher satisfaction ratings for their return process. Forty-five percent of customers indicate that they returned merchandise in the past 12 months.
"If retailers' staff are providing the helpful, informative assistance that customers require, there's a less likely chance the customer will have to return the merchandise, which not only keeps the customer satisfied, but also helps to mitigate the inconvenience," said Cooley.
J.D. Power and Associates' social media research also reinforces the study findings, as the main conversations taking place online about home improvement retailers relate to consumer preference for knowledgeable and professional customer service, seeking interaction with sales staff who have professional or real-life experience (rather than seasonal employees) and retailer loyalty and willingness to travel farther for the right advice/service, materials and price.
The study is based on responses from more than 6,100 customers who purchased a home improvement product or service within the previous 12 months from a retail store that sells home improvement products. Customers were asked to evaluate their primary home improvement retailer. The study was fielded in January and February 2012.
FRUITLAND, MD (July 2, 2012) – Ace Hardware ranks highest in customer satisfaction among home improvement retailers for a sixth consecutive year, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 U.S. Home Improvement Retailer Satisfaction Study.
Having a helpful and knowledgeable sales staff and making the shopping process easy are key drivers of customer satisfaction, according to the study, which measures customer satisfaction with home improvement retail stores based on performance in five factors.
They are staff and service (including availability, courtesy, knowledge); store facility (including ease of finding merchandise and cleanliness); merchandise (including availability and product information); price; and sales and promotions.
“Customer satisfaction has always a core value at Rommel’s ACE,” said Dick Livingston, vice president with Rommel’s ACE in Fruitland. “We are happy to be recognized once again for helping our shoppers get the most from their experience in our stores.”
Ace Hardware achieves a score of 781 on a 1,000-point scale and performs particularly well in staff and service and store facility. Lowe's ranked second in the study for the second consecutive year with a score of 769 and performed particularly well in the merchandise factor.
Finishing below the industry average of 758 were Menards (755), The Home Depot (750), True Value (742) and Sears (734).
Overall customer satisfaction has declined slightly among all but one of the retailers included in the study. However, high-ranking retailers continue to differentiate themselves through their knowledgeable and courteous staff and shopper-friendly processes like checkout and returns.
"While many retailers have struggled to right-size their staff with the down economy, Ace Hardware and Lowe's clearly have kept the focus on their customers," said Christina Cooley, senior manager of the home improvement industries practice at Westlake Village, Calif.-based J.D. Power and Associates. "To create delighted customers, home improvement retailers must assist customers quickly, help them find the items that they need, and do this with a customer-friendly attitude."
The study finds that high customer satisfaction leads to store loyalty. Approximately two-thirds (64%) of customers rating their retailer "outstanding" are likely to return to the store or the same chain of hardware stores the next time they shop for home improvement products, compared with just one-fifth of customers not rating their retailer "outstanding" who are likely to do the same.
High-ranking retailers not only have a lower merchandise return rate, but also receive higher satisfaction ratings for their return process. Forty-five percent of customers indicate that they returned merchandise in the past 12 months.
"If retailers' staff are providing the helpful, informative assistance that customers require, there's a less likely chance the customer will have to return the merchandise, which not only keeps the customer satisfied, but also helps to mitigate the inconvenience," said Cooley.
J.D. Power and Associates' social media research also reinforces the study findings, as the main conversations taking place online about home improvement retailers relate to consumer preference for knowledgeable and professional customer service, seeking interaction with sales staff who have professional or real-life experience (rather than seasonal employees) and retailer loyalty and willingness to travel farther for the right advice/service, materials and price.
The study is based on responses from more than 6,100 customers who purchased a home improvement product or service within the previous 12 months from a retail store that sells home improvement products. Customers were asked to evaluate their primary home improvement retailer. The study was fielded in January and February 2012.
Monday, July 02, 2012
Rommel’s Ace Customers Make Donations To WSW
Rommel's Ace stores on Delmarva recently contributed $3,500 to Women Supporting Women Breast Cancer support group. A check presentation was held in June at the offices of Rommel Holdings Inc., parent company of Rommel's Ace in Fruitville.
Pictured in the photo are (from left to right): Inventory Coordinator Merideth Dedecker, Selbyville store manager Mace McCabe, Rommel Holdings President Mike Cottingham, WSW Director of Fund Development Carlos Mir and Sr. Operations Director Dick Livingston.
TRASH REMOVAL SCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 4th WILL BE PICKED UP ON MONDAY, JULY 2nd
DUE TO THE JULY 4th HOLIDAY
TRASH REMOVAL SCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 4th
WILL BE PICKED UP ON MONDAY, JULY 2nd.
TRASH REMOVAL SCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 4th
WILL BE PICKED UP ON MONDAY, JULY 2nd.
THIS WILL NOT CHANGE THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED PICKUP OF BULK ITEMS OR YARD WASTE.
Thoughts On Obamacare From A Surgeon And Friend
Over the past six months, I have had the distinct pleasure to become acquainted with Dr. Dave Janda, orthopedic surgeon and the Director and founder of the Institute of Preventative Sports Medicine based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Shortly after recording my first radio interview with him, he sent me his book, The Awakening of a Surgeon, which has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey show. This book was a real eye opener for me since it demonstrated clearly how all of the corruption and unethical behavior I witness every day in the financial services sector is just as rampant in the healthcare industry. I don’t do things like this lightly, but I suggest everyone go out and read this book. It is well worth your time and will really enlighten people in finance that do not get healthcare and how truly screwed up the system really is.
I haven’t talked that much about Obamacare and I don’t plan to in the future. The main reason is that it is not my area of expertise and we already have enough blowhards out there spewing garbage on topics they know nothing about. That said, I do know that this bill was written by and for the insurance companies. The analysis I have done on it, from activists on both sides of the political spectrum makes this perfectly clear. Anyway, without further ado, here is what Dr. Dave Janda recently penned to his email list.
Mike
Friends,
The Supreme Court has spoken….. it should have never come to this. Was i surprised…. yes and no. I have learned to NEVER trust the judicial system when it comes to common sense and the rule of law….. so a 5-4 decision didn’t surprise me. What did surprise me was a supposedly “strict Constitutionalist”, Roberts, decided to invent a legal argument that Obama’s lawyers did not and were not able to make during the hearing.
Both parties are to blame for this mess. In truth we have only one party, The Republicrats. I have been involved in health care reform since the late summer of 1988 when Ronald Reagan became aware of my work in Prevention and health care cost containment. An approach which Empowered patients by putting the decisions back in the hands of patients and their treating physicians and NOT government bureaucrats, HMO’s or insurance executives. The approach Reagan embraced, that I advocated, was also based on the implementation of Health Savings Accounts, which puts the finances back in the hands of the people as well as a focus on Wellness and Prevention.
As I have mentioned a number of times on my radio show, Reagan’s embrace of my approach was subsequently shunned by Bush 1, Clinton, Bush 2 and of course Obama. If Romney becomes President…. it will also be shunned by him.
If what I have advocated, and Reagan embraced, is such a great plan why have these “giants of freedom” rejected the approach ? They reject the approach because they ALL are owned and operated by the insurance, HMO, pharmaceutical and international banking industries. This fact has been “conveyed” to me by a number of “advisors” in the past 4 administrations. With the exception of Reagan, health care reform has been about control and political contributions, it has NOT been about more affordable, more available or more quality oriented care. All you need to do to confirm this fact is to read Hillarycare, Obamacare and Romneycare…. it becomes very apparent.
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I haven’t talked that much about Obamacare and I don’t plan to in the future. The main reason is that it is not my area of expertise and we already have enough blowhards out there spewing garbage on topics they know nothing about. That said, I do know that this bill was written by and for the insurance companies. The analysis I have done on it, from activists on both sides of the political spectrum makes this perfectly clear. Anyway, without further ado, here is what Dr. Dave Janda recently penned to his email list.
Mike
Friends,
The Supreme Court has spoken….. it should have never come to this. Was i surprised…. yes and no. I have learned to NEVER trust the judicial system when it comes to common sense and the rule of law….. so a 5-4 decision didn’t surprise me. What did surprise me was a supposedly “strict Constitutionalist”, Roberts, decided to invent a legal argument that Obama’s lawyers did not and were not able to make during the hearing.
Both parties are to blame for this mess. In truth we have only one party, The Republicrats. I have been involved in health care reform since the late summer of 1988 when Ronald Reagan became aware of my work in Prevention and health care cost containment. An approach which Empowered patients by putting the decisions back in the hands of patients and their treating physicians and NOT government bureaucrats, HMO’s or insurance executives. The approach Reagan embraced, that I advocated, was also based on the implementation of Health Savings Accounts, which puts the finances back in the hands of the people as well as a focus on Wellness and Prevention.
As I have mentioned a number of times on my radio show, Reagan’s embrace of my approach was subsequently shunned by Bush 1, Clinton, Bush 2 and of course Obama. If Romney becomes President…. it will also be shunned by him.
If what I have advocated, and Reagan embraced, is such a great plan why have these “giants of freedom” rejected the approach ? They reject the approach because they ALL are owned and operated by the insurance, HMO, pharmaceutical and international banking industries. This fact has been “conveyed” to me by a number of “advisors” in the past 4 administrations. With the exception of Reagan, health care reform has been about control and political contributions, it has NOT been about more affordable, more available or more quality oriented care. All you need to do to confirm this fact is to read Hillarycare, Obamacare and Romneycare…. it becomes very apparent.
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QUOTES OF THE DAY 7-2-12
If voting could really change things, it would be illegal. Revolution Books: New York , NY
For every public job created by [a] bridge project a private job has been destroyed somewhere else. We can see the men employed on the bridge. We can watch them at work…But there are other things that we do not see, because, alas, they have never been permitted to come into existence. Henry Hazlitt
The usual road to slavery is that first they take away your guns, then they take away your property, then last of all they tell you to shut up and say you are enjoying it. James A. Donald
the true theory of our Constitution is surely the wisest and best . . . (for) when all government . . . shall be drawn to Washington as the centre of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another, and will become as . . . oppressive as the government from which we separated. Thomas Jefferson
This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer. Will Rogers
The great dialectic in our time is not, as anciently and by some still supposed, between capital and labor; it is between economic enterprise and the state. John Kenneth Galbraith
For every public job created by [a] bridge project a private job has been destroyed somewhere else. We can see the men employed on the bridge. We can watch them at work…But there are other things that we do not see, because, alas, they have never been permitted to come into existence. Henry Hazlitt
The usual road to slavery is that first they take away your guns, then they take away your property, then last of all they tell you to shut up and say you are enjoying it. James A. Donald
the true theory of our Constitution is surely the wisest and best . . . (for) when all government . . . shall be drawn to Washington as the centre of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another, and will become as . . . oppressive as the government from which we separated. Thomas Jefferson
This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer. Will Rogers
The great dialectic in our time is not, as anciently and by some still supposed, between capital and labor; it is between economic enterprise and the state. John Kenneth Galbraith
How Will The Supreme Court’s Medicaid Decision Affect You?
While supporters of the Affordable Care Act have spent the day reveling in this morning's Supreme Court ruling and its detractors have vowed that they will continue to fight the law through legislative means -- there is also a third group of people who think that moving to Canada would somehow teach America a lesson about a national health care law -- what's been left out of most of the discussion are the ramifications of the Supremes' ruling against the portion of the bill that penalizes states that don't contribute to Medicaid expansion.
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Md. Inmates to Train Service Dogs for Wounded Vets
Maryland's prison agency says it's teaming up with a
guide-dog group to have inmates train service dogs for wounded and disabled military
veterans.
Public Safety and Correctional Services Secretary Gary Maynard and leaders of America's Vet Dogs were set to announce the program Monday at the Maryland Correctional Institution near Hagerstown.
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Public Safety and Correctional Services Secretary Gary Maynard and leaders of America's Vet Dogs were set to announce the program Monday at the Maryland Correctional Institution near Hagerstown.
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Brief Relief, Long-Term Questions on Student Loans
Congress may have averted a doubling of interest rates on millions of
new federal student loans, but the fix is only for a year, leaving
students on edge over whether they’ll face a similar increase next
summer.
“It’s scary,” said Faith Nebergall, a student at Indiana University whose loans currently total upward of $20,000. “And it’s unfair to kind of be kept in the dark as to how much money we owe.”
Under the agreement, interest rates on new subsidized Stafford loans will remain at 3.4 percent. That’s estimated to save 7.4 million students about $1,000 each on the average loan, which is usually paid off over 10 or more years.
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“It’s scary,” said Faith Nebergall, a student at Indiana University whose loans currently total upward of $20,000. “And it’s unfair to kind of be kept in the dark as to how much money we owe.”
Under the agreement, interest rates on new subsidized Stafford loans will remain at 3.4 percent. That’s estimated to save 7.4 million students about $1,000 each on the average loan, which is usually paid off over 10 or more years.
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Antietam Battlefield Prepares for Fourth of July
When about 20,000 people spread out over Antietam National
Battlefield on July 7, many staking out a spot with a blue tarp or
blanket, the park will be transformed in a way that only happens during
the annual Independence Day celebration.
“It’ll look like a sea of blue out there,” Chief Park Ranger Ed Wenschhof said.
Preparations for next weekend’s 27th annual Salute to Independence celebration are well under way at the battlefield, with workers in the midst of constructing the stage that will hold the Maryland Symphony Orchestra during the concert.
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“It’ll look like a sea of blue out there,” Chief Park Ranger Ed Wenschhof said.
Preparations for next weekend’s 27th annual Salute to Independence celebration are well under way at the battlefield, with workers in the midst of constructing the stage that will hold the Maryland Symphony Orchestra during the concert.
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Quick Facts on Storms, Summer Heat in Eastern US
Millions are staring down the prospect of several more days without
electricity in the middle of a heat wave after severe storms over the
weekend.
Food is beginning to spoil, and many people have to charge modern conveniences like cellphones in their cars or at libraries. Utility companies say they are bringing in crews from around the country to help, but they still say it could be several days before everyone has electricity again.
By Sunday evening, the number of those without power had dipped to about 2.7 million customers, down from more than 3 million at the peak of the outages.
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Food is beginning to spoil, and many people have to charge modern conveniences like cellphones in their cars or at libraries. Utility companies say they are bringing in crews from around the country to help, but they still say it could be several days before everyone has electricity again.
By Sunday evening, the number of those without power had dipped to about 2.7 million customers, down from more than 3 million at the peak of the outages.
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Black mobs now beating Jews in New York
If Chaim Amalek had his way, no one would know that mobs of black
people are attacking and beating and robbing Jews in the New York area.
Or that they shout anti-Semitic epithets.
Or that they target Jews because “they don’t fight back.”
“Such information can only serve to heighten racial tensions between these two groups,” said Amalek, an alias for New York video blogger Luke Ford. “Let us all look beyond the issue of race (in any event a mere social construct) and instead celebrate our diversity.”
In this case, the New York Post saw a pattern that most other media outlets never see. To some, it was jarring.
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Or that they shout anti-Semitic epithets.
Or that they target Jews because “they don’t fight back.”
“Such information can only serve to heighten racial tensions between these two groups,” said Amalek, an alias for New York video blogger Luke Ford. “Let us all look beyond the issue of race (in any event a mere social construct) and instead celebrate our diversity.”
In this case, the New York Post saw a pattern that most other media outlets never see. To some, it was jarring.
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Sheriff Joe Set to Release More Obama 'Shockers'
Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his Cold Case Posse investigating Barack
Obama’s presidential eligibility have been promising more major
revelations since their March 1 press conference, and now another event
has been scheduled to unveil new information.
Arpaio told WND a press conference will be held July 17 at 2:30 p.m. local time at the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office in Phoenix, Ariz.
WND will once again provide live Web streaming of the event.
The evidence will include information gathered in the posse’s recent investigative trip to Hawaii as well as an update on the ongoing investigation.
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Arpaio told WND a press conference will be held July 17 at 2:30 p.m. local time at the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office in Phoenix, Ariz.
WND will once again provide live Web streaming of the event.
The evidence will include information gathered in the posse’s recent investigative trip to Hawaii as well as an update on the ongoing investigation.
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TSA Firings Continue With Termination Of 8 Air Marshals Suspected Of Boozing While Training
On the heels of yesterday's news that the Transportation Security Administration would be firing eight security screeners for allegedly sleeping while on duty in Newark, it seems the agency is doing a thorough housecleaning job with the termination of eight U.S. Air Marshals. Investigators say they were drinking alcohol on a training day.
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At age 19, Monthly One-Gun Purchase Limit is Gone
After 19 years, the one-handgun-a-month law that ended Virginia's
reputation as the East Coast arsenal for criminals has passed quietly
into history.
The law, a legacy of former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, faded into oblivion at midnight Sunday, the moment the Republican-run General Assembly appointed for its permanent repeal.
Now, rather than being limited to just one of the latest models from Glock, Sig Sauer or Smith & Wesson per month, you can walk out of a licensed Virginia gun shop with an armload if you have the money and can pass an instant background check.
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The law, a legacy of former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, faded into oblivion at midnight Sunday, the moment the Republican-run General Assembly appointed for its permanent repeal.
Now, rather than being limited to just one of the latest models from Glock, Sig Sauer or Smith & Wesson per month, you can walk out of a licensed Virginia gun shop with an armload if you have the money and can pass an instant background check.
More
National Guard Reduces Pay In War Zones
A member of the National Guard or Reserve earns less when they're serving in a war zone than they do when they're at home training. An officer can make nearly twice as much doing drills on a Saturday or Sunday than being on active duty in Afghanistan. The Pentagon says the discrepancy makes sense. They say the higher pay for weekend training is an incentive for citizen-soldiers. But it's one of several issues detailed in a new report on the the complicated Guard and Reserve compensation system.
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