DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Friday, April 04, 2014
Have We Reached Peak Wall Street?
Though the mainstream financial media and the blogosphere differ radically on their forecasts - the MFM sees near-zero systemic risk while the alternative media sees a critical confluence of it - they agree on one thing: the Federal Reserve and the “too big to fail” (TBTF) Wall Street banks have their hands on the political and financial tiller of the nation, and nothing will dislodge their dominance.
Given how easily the bankers bamboozled the Washington establishment into bailing them out in 2008 to the tune of tens of trillions of dollars in backstops, guarantees, subsidies and zero-interest loans, this is a reasonable assumption. Especially when coupled with the free hand the Fed has to reward the banks with zero-interest loans and limitless liquidity.
Add in the unsurpassed political power of the banks’ lobbying and campaign contributions and the hog-tying of regulatory agencies, and it’s no wonder few see any threat to the Fed/financial sector’s dominance.
There’s also a compelling narrative that supports the Fed’s policies of keeping interest rates near-zero by printing money to buy mortgages and Treasury bonds: were the Fed to allow interest rates to normalize back up to the historically average range, credit-based consumption and housing sales would dry up, pushing the nation into a recession or even a depression.
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Given how easily the bankers bamboozled the Washington establishment into bailing them out in 2008 to the tune of tens of trillions of dollars in backstops, guarantees, subsidies and zero-interest loans, this is a reasonable assumption. Especially when coupled with the free hand the Fed has to reward the banks with zero-interest loans and limitless liquidity.
Add in the unsurpassed political power of the banks’ lobbying and campaign contributions and the hog-tying of regulatory agencies, and it’s no wonder few see any threat to the Fed/financial sector’s dominance.
There’s also a compelling narrative that supports the Fed’s policies of keeping interest rates near-zero by printing money to buy mortgages and Treasury bonds: were the Fed to allow interest rates to normalize back up to the historically average range, credit-based consumption and housing sales would dry up, pushing the nation into a recession or even a depression.
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Ben Carson, Republicans Huddle In Search of Obamacare Replacement
Retired surgeon Ben Carson sat down with the House Republican health care caucus Thursday to hash out ideas. The doctor urged lawmakers to set some deadlines of their own for writing a plan.
“It doesn’t do any good to have a lot of good ideas but not to get behind one and really push it,” said Mr. Carson, who has been mentioned as a potential Republican presidential contender.
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Eating Cabbage, Broccoli Lowers Inflammation: Study
In a study of more than 1,000 Chinese women, those who ate the most cruciferous vegetables had substantially less inflammation than those who ate the fewest.
Cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, broccoli, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, kale and cauliflower, and eating them is often encouraged as a way to lower risk for heart disease and cancer.
Based on their findings, the study authors say the health benefits of these vegetables may be at least partly a result of their anti-inflammatory effects.
"Our group and others have found that consumption of fruits and vegetables, particularly cruciferous vegetables, was associated with lower total mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality - however, the potential mechanisms behind this association are not well understood," Dr. Gong Yang told Reuters Health by email.
Yang is a researcher at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, and senior author of the study.
"Chronic inflammation is implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular and other chronic diseases - we therefore examined whether cruciferous vegetable intake may relate to inflammation," he said.
Cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, broccoli, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, kale and cauliflower, and eating them is often encouraged as a way to lower risk for heart disease and cancer.
Based on their findings, the study authors say the health benefits of these vegetables may be at least partly a result of their anti-inflammatory effects.
"Our group and others have found that consumption of fruits and vegetables, particularly cruciferous vegetables, was associated with lower total mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality - however, the potential mechanisms behind this association are not well understood," Dr. Gong Yang told Reuters Health by email.
Yang is a researcher at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, and senior author of the study.
"Chronic inflammation is implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular and other chronic diseases - we therefore examined whether cruciferous vegetable intake may relate to inflammation," he said.
Obey
“The Secret Government is an interlocking network of official functionaries, spies, mercenaries, ex-generals, profiteers and superpatriots, who, for a variety of motives, operate outside the legitimate institutions of government. Presidents have turned to them when they can’t win the support of the Congress or the people, creating that unsupervised power so feared by the framers of our Constitution…”—Journalist Bill Moyers (1988)
Question: How can you tell when a politician is lying? Answer: When he’s moving his lips.
If that didn’t generate a chuckle, how about:
Q: Why is honesty in politics like oxygen?
A: The higher you go, the scarcer it gets.
Then there’s President Obama’s gaffe on the Tonight Show: “We don’t have a domestic spying program,” which is downright laughable in light of this past year’s revelations about domestic spying by the National Security Agency. But if that still doesn’t push you over the edge into near hysterics, here’s one guaranteed to get the biggest laugh of all, at least from those clear-sighted enough to grasp the irony of a politician talking about “trust”:
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Question: How can you tell when a politician is lying? Answer: When he’s moving his lips.
If that didn’t generate a chuckle, how about:
Q: Why is honesty in politics like oxygen?
A: The higher you go, the scarcer it gets.
Then there’s President Obama’s gaffe on the Tonight Show: “We don’t have a domestic spying program,” which is downright laughable in light of this past year’s revelations about domestic spying by the National Security Agency. But if that still doesn’t push you over the edge into near hysterics, here’s one guaranteed to get the biggest laugh of all, at least from those clear-sighted enough to grasp the irony of a politician talking about “trust”:
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Obama Spent Hours At Chicago Fundraisers Before Turning Attention To Ft. Hood Shooting
While last night’s trip to Chicago fundraising parties may not have fazed the press pool, the trip gives a different angle of President Obama’s daily agenda; one that Americans following Wednesday’s shooting may be surprised to know was not cut short despite the crisis on a Texas military base.
The president was in Ann Arbor, Mich. Wednesday afternoon, where he discussed the economic benefits of raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.
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TROOPERS FOCUS ON DISTRACTED DRIVERS THROUGHOUT APRIL
(PIKESVILLE, MD) – While April is designated National Distracted Driver Awareness month, troopers across the state will focus their efforts on distracted driving using intense traffic enforcement initiatives.
Motorists across the state are reminded that April is National Distracted Driver Awareness month. Maryland State Police will be using a combination of traditional and innovative strategies to target motorists who use cell phones illegally while driving. Extra patrols of troopers will be out specifically looking for distracted drivers. This effort is part of a high-visibility enforcement initiative that combines intense enforcement with further educating the public of the dangers of distracted driving. The ultimate goal is to save lives by convincing motorists to obey the law.
“Driver distraction presents a serious and potentially deadly danger to everyone on Maryland roads,” Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police said. “When motorists text while driving, they take their eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, and mind off the task of driving, which puts everyone’s lives in danger.”
Motorists across the state are reminded that April is National Distracted Driver Awareness month. Maryland State Police will be using a combination of traditional and innovative strategies to target motorists who use cell phones illegally while driving. Extra patrols of troopers will be out specifically looking for distracted drivers. This effort is part of a high-visibility enforcement initiative that combines intense enforcement with further educating the public of the dangers of distracted driving. The ultimate goal is to save lives by convincing motorists to obey the law.
“Driver distraction presents a serious and potentially deadly danger to everyone on Maryland roads,” Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police said. “When motorists text while driving, they take their eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, and mind off the task of driving, which puts everyone’s lives in danger.”
MISSISSIPPI GOVERNOR SIGNS LAW PROTECTING RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS
An example of this would be to restrict the construction of religious buildings by using zoning laws to keep them out, while welcoming secular businesses. The bill also states that “In God We Trust” will be added to the state’s seal.
The bill was submitted after a previous bil,l which emulated Arizona’s failed attempt to protect religious rights, was shelved. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer vetoed her state’s religious rights bill.
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GOVERNOR O’MALLEY HIGHLIGHTS PROGRESS TOWARDS ACHIEVING GOAL OF BOOSTING STEM GRADUATES IN MARYLAND
More Marylanders than ever before are graduating from STEM programs, preparing them for new technology and cybersecurity jobs
ANNAPOLIS, MD -- Governor Martin O’Malley announced that Maryland college students are graduating from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) degree programs at record rates. From 2006 to 2013, the number of STEM graduates from Maryland colleges and universities increased by 37.1% from 9,544 in 2006 to 13,082 in 2013.
In September 2008, Governor O’Malley created the Governor’s STEM Task Force to make recommendations aimed at establishing Maryland as a global leader in the development of its future workforce and its STEM-based research and economic development infrastructure. One of the recommendations of the Task Force was to increase the number of STEM college graduates in Maryland by 40 percent by the year 2015. Governor O’Malley accepted these recommendations and included them in hissixteen strategic policy goals. Especially in light of today’s announcement, Maryland is on track to meet that goal.
ANNAPOLIS, MD -- Governor Martin O’Malley announced that Maryland college students are graduating from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) degree programs at record rates. From 2006 to 2013, the number of STEM graduates from Maryland colleges and universities increased by 37.1% from 9,544 in 2006 to 13,082 in 2013.
In September 2008, Governor O’Malley created the Governor’s STEM Task Force to make recommendations aimed at establishing Maryland as a global leader in the development of its future workforce and its STEM-based research and economic development infrastructure. One of the recommendations of the Task Force was to increase the number of STEM college graduates in Maryland by 40 percent by the year 2015. Governor O’Malley accepted these recommendations and included them in hissixteen strategic policy goals. Especially in light of today’s announcement, Maryland is on track to meet that goal.
ATF director: Undercover agents targeted mentally disabled people by accident
Federal agents who convinced mentally disabled people to commit crimes and then arrested them may have done so because they didn't realize the people they were targeting had special needs, according to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Director Todd Jones.
"We do not target the developmentally disabled," Jones told House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., adding that ATF learned of that the people were disabled as "the result of defense pleadings" in court.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that ATF targeted developmentally disabled people during undercover drug and gun-buying operations throughout the country. "In Wichita, Kan., ATF agents referred to a man with a low IQ as 'slow-headed' before deciding to secretly use him as a key cog in their sting," according to the Journal Sentinel.
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"We do not target the developmentally disabled," Jones told House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., adding that ATF learned of that the people were disabled as "the result of defense pleadings" in court.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that ATF targeted developmentally disabled people during undercover drug and gun-buying operations throughout the country. "In Wichita, Kan., ATF agents referred to a man with a low IQ as 'slow-headed' before deciding to secretly use him as a key cog in their sting," according to the Journal Sentinel.
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Washington Post: ‘Cat’s Out of the Bag’ on IRS Targeting Scandal
The Washington Post says it’s just “bureaucratese” in fact checking IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, who told Congress the tax collecting agency was never accused of targeting tea party organizations and other conservative groups from 2010 through 2012.
Koskinen testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on March 25, but the Post on Thursday, said it spent several days fact checking his testimony before giving it three Pinocchios. The newspaper’s fact check column has a maximum of four Pinocchios
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Chicago's Winter of 2013-14: The Coldest Four Months on Record
On the first day of April, Chicago suffered through bitingly cold winds and unseasonably cold temperatures, seemingly another cold spate that threatened to set temperature records. But April first aside, the Windy City has set a greater Winter record. December to March became the Windy City’s coldest four-month period ever recorded.
The Winter of 2013-14 set records all across the country and the National Weather Service (NWS) says that Chicago has experienced its coldest period since records were first kept.
The weather service put out a press release saying that the average temperature for Chicago since December was only 22 degrees, "which is the coldest such period on record for Chicago dating back to 1872!"
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The Winter of 2013-14 set records all across the country and the National Weather Service (NWS) says that Chicago has experienced its coldest period since records were first kept.
The weather service put out a press release saying that the average temperature for Chicago since December was only 22 degrees, "which is the coldest such period on record for Chicago dating back to 1872!"
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Networks Snub Obama On Primetime Health Care Address
But network officials refused to make the kind of accommodation they did previously for the announcement that Osama Bin Laden had been killed, for instance, and Obama was left instead cutting into the much smaller audiences of Ellen and other daytime shows.
Three sources familiar with the request confirmed the White House asked for the primetime slot in their effort both to emphasize a bright moment following the challenging roll out and, more important, to try to reintroduce the country to a law that remains unpopular. One top White House official referred BuzzFeed to another top official for comment on the conversation with networks, but the second official did not respond to a request for comment.
Baywater Animal Rescue Executive Director to Retire in June
“Suzette Stitely has been a very strong leader and one who has managed this organization through challenging times,” said Jerilyn Gibbs, chairman of the board. “The board is grateful for her innumerable contributions to the rescue and the animals we serve.”
During Stitely’s tenure as executive director, Baywater Animal Rescue successfully transitioned to a No Kill shelter, improved facilities for the animals and increased support to record levels.
“I’ve been privileged to lead the premiere No Kill shelter on the shore for the past 4.5 years,” Stitely said. “I’m proud of the contributions I have made to animal welfare in our community and I intend to stay involved with Baywater Animal Rescue on a volunteer basis.”
The board of directors will conduct the process to choose Stitely’s successor. For more information about Baywater Animal Rescue, visit www.baywateranimalrescue.org.
Fox News’s Megyn Kelly Declines To Utter The Name Of The Fort Hood Shooter
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Breaking tonight. Fort Hood, Texas on lockdown. A suspected shooter is reported dead. This is ‘The Kelly File’ and I’m Megyn Kelly. We’re expecting the first news conference from Fort Hood to begin any moment, Fox News confirming four people are dead, including the shooter. Fourteen people are wounded. Authorities are identifying the shooter. If you are interested, you can get his name on other shows like the one that preceded this one and online, but we have decided not to name these mass killers as a policy here on “The Kelly File.” Too often it is infamy they seek and we decline to help.
Some points here:
*This is a noble pursuit. It is genuinely good that a program, in whatever channel, would seek to withhold assistance to others who seek infamy through bloodshed.
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March Was First Month Without U.S. Fatalities in Iraq or Afghanistan
There were no American troop casualties in Afghanistan or Iraq in March, for the first time since February 2003, ending 133 straight months when at least one U.S. service member was killed. U.S. deaths in Iraq peaked in November 2004, and in Afghanistan in August 2011.
For the first month since February, 2003, no U.S. troops died in Afghanistan or Iraq last month. That’s 133 months, more than a decade.
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For the first month since February, 2003, no U.S. troops died in Afghanistan or Iraq last month. That’s 133 months, more than a decade.
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A Koch Brother Responds To Harry Reid — And Harry Reid Responds To The Koch Brother
Koch says he and his brother are fighting for a free society, while their opponents prefer big government and "collectivism."
Here's the key part, in which Koch responds semi-directly to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) repeated criticisms that the Koch brothers are trying to "buy America":
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Democrats and Republicans Are Driving America off the Fiscal Cliff
Watching congressional Democrats and Republicans wrestle over the budget is a little like watching Thelma and Louise. Democrats want to stomp on the gas pedal and race to the edge of the cliff at top speed, while Republicans want merely to set the cruise control. Neither approach addresses the fiscal realities of the situation.
America has a debt of $17 trillion. That’s more than $54,000 for every man, woman, and child in the United States. It is unsustainable and has to stop. Failure to do so will leave generations of Americans strapped with a crushing load of debt that jeopardizes their prosperity and that of the nation.
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America has a debt of $17 trillion. That’s more than $54,000 for every man, woman, and child in the United States. It is unsustainable and has to stop. Failure to do so will leave generations of Americans strapped with a crushing load of debt that jeopardizes their prosperity and that of the nation.
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