What Underage Drinkers Drink When They Binge Drink

Beggars can't be choosers, but they can have strong, brand-driven alcoholic preferences.

A study undertaken by public researchers found that underage drinkers not only have a knack for drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, but they're also pretty picky about which branded alcohols they down when they do over-drink. The study found that underage drinkers are more loyal to brand names than they are to anything else.

"The most important finding is that the phenomenon of binge drinking among our youth is extremely brand specific," Dr. Michael Siegel, professor at Boston University School of Public Health and one of the study's authors, said in an interview. "For the first time we've found the brands that are most responsible for binge drinking among our nation's youth."
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Bill To Allow Students To Refinance Private And Federal Loans Dies After Senate Debate

A bill to allow consumers to refinance their student loans to the rate currently being issued on new federal and private student loans succumbed to a painful death on the Senate floor Wednesday despite being championed by consumer advocates.

The Bank On Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act, introduced in May by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, will not be moving on, Reuters reports.

“With this vote, we show the American people who we work for in the United States Senate: billionaires or students,” Warren said Wednesday.

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Retired Native American Chief Would Be Offended If Redskins Did Change Name

Days ago, ten members of Congress sent letters to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, and the team’s stadium naming rights holder FedEx, along with the league’s 31 other franchises, urging them to have ‘Redskins’ changed due to the name’s offensive nature.

In response, the longtime chief of a major Virginia-based tribe went on the record to say he’d actually be offended if the team DID change the name.

Robert “Two Eagles” Green, who retired from his presiding role over the 1300-member Patawomeck Tribe in March, was a guest on SiriusXM NFL Radio’s “The Opening Drive” on Wednesday.

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Almost Two Years Later, Nuns Are Still Fighting Against The Strip Club Next To Their Convent

It’s been almost two years since we first heard about a group of Illinois nuns who really, really didn’t want a new strip club to open next door to their convent. The fight isn’t over yet, as a neighboring village has just joined the sisters’ lawsuit against the adult entertainment venue.

Joining the nuns in their crusade to shut down the club that sits in the town of Stone Park is the village of Melrose Park, where the convent is located. The club sits inches from the convent’s fence line in the neighboring village, reports NBC 5 in Chicago.

Despite the fact that the sisters were unable to prevent the opening of the club, the fight goes on with the village voting to join them in their lawsuit — set to be filed this week — against the club and the Village of Stone Park, which gave the club its license last year.

“This goes against our whole fiber, our well-being,” said one sister who lives in the structure bordering the club’s property. “We’ve been here more than 70 years,” she said. “We’re fighting for a safe, healthy environment here. And for the club to close.”

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House Bill Decriminalizes Marijuana

A bill that would decriminalize marijuana use in Delaware will be fine tuned by its sponsor, who says it would not legalize the drug.

Rep. Helen Keeley, D-Wilmington south, is working out final details of House Bill 371, which classifies possession of less than an ounce from a crime to a civil offense.

“It's not my intention to legalize marijuana. The only intention I have is to decriminalize that small amount,” Keeley said.

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Brat: Victory Is an 'Unbelievabe Miracle'

Holy Cow! Bull Running Loose In West Baltimore Shot By Baltimore City Police

BALTIMORE (WJZ)– A bull running loose in West Baltimore was shot Friday morning by Baltimore City Police.

Police say the animal was shot shortly after 10:15 a.m. at the intersection of Charles and Biddle streets in the Mount Vernon neighborhood.

While the bull has not been confirmed dead, a police spokesperson says it no longer poses a threat. The bull apparently escaped from a slaughterhouse in West Baltimore.

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The Only Place Women Don't Receive Equal Pay Is the White House

It's always irritating to listen to someone harp about some perceived injustice that just isn't true. My kids at bedtime for example -- they really don't think it's fair that I get to stay up later than them. I tell them when they get jobs and start contributing to the household finances, we'll talk. Until then, all's fair in love, war, and children's bedtimes.

Another totally fake injustice I keep hearing people squabble about is "equal pay." President Obama has been harping about it on Twitter all day Tuesday, or at least whoever manages his social media accounts has been posting graphics claiming that it's not 1963 anymore, and it's time for women to receive equal pay. Just in case you're wondering about the relevance, June 10 is the 51st anniversary of JFK signing the Equal Pay Act of 1963, abolishing wage discrepancies based on gender.

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SPD Press Release 6-13-14

Prosecute the President

President Barack Obama believes he is above the law.

That’s because he is.

This week alone, Obama announced that he would unilaterally change student loan rules, allowing borrowers to avoid paying off more of their debt; he signaled that he would continue his non-enforcement of immigration law, even as thousands of children cross the border; he defended his non-disclosure of a terrorist swap to Congress.

This is not just executive overreach. In many cases, Obama’s exercise of authoritarian power is criminal. His executive branch is responsible for violations of the Arms Export Control Act in shipping weapons to Syria, the Espionage Act in Libya, and IRS law with regard to the targeting of conservative groups. His executive branch is guilty of involuntary manslaughter in Benghazi and in the Fast and Furious scandal, and bribery in its allocation of waivers in Obamacare and tax dollars in its stimulus spending. His administration is guilty of obstruction of justice and witness tampering.

And yet nothing is done.

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Hundreds Of Frederick County Residents Opt Out Of Party Affiliation

About 2,900 Frederick County residents in the past year have declared a new party affiliation, with about 40 percent of them shunning both Republican and Democratic labels.

From June 1, 2013, to May 31, 1,181 county residents changed their voter registrations to become unaffiliated or to join the Green or Libertarian parties, according to county elections officials. Though Republican and Democratic ranks have grown since the last gubernatorial primary in 2010, the fastest-expanding group of Frederick County voters have eschewed the two main political designations. Statewide trends mirror the local pattern, as voters tire of the partisan bickering they associate with the dual-party system, a political expert said.

"Negative campaigning and polarized politics are almost a systemic turnoff for many voters. Politicians behaving badly," said Herbert Smith, political science professor at McDaniel College. 
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Dead Broke? Hillary’s Up to Her Old Games

Hillary Clinton likes to present herself as an everywoman, facing the same challenges that bedevil all families, living in sync with their trials and tribulations, overcoming adversity as we all try to do. The latest iteration of her wish to downplay her wealth so as to be just plain folks was her bald assertions to Diane Sawyer that she and Bill were “dead broke” and “in debt” when she left the White House, struggling to “you know, piece together the resources for mortgages for houses, Chelsea’s education, you know, it was not easy.”

Some dead broke! Some “not easy.” Consider this:

–Her joint tax return with Bill for 2001 showed a $16,165,110.00 income for her first year out of the White House.

–Even before they left the White House, their joint income for 2000 was $359,000, scarcely in the “dead broke” category, particularly when you consider that the Clintons had none of the normal expenses that the rest of us do. Housing, cars, child care, insurance, electricity, landscaping, health care, these are all covered by the taxpayers. All they had to pay for was dry cleaning, food and college tuition for Chelsea. Most people could make that work.

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BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION SAYS IT WILL NO LONGER FUND ABORTION

Melinda Gates, of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has announced that her international family planning foundation will no longer fund abortion because she believes abortion and family planning have become “conflated.”

Gates, wife of the Microsoft founder and a self-professed Catholic, said in a statement on the foundation’s website, titled Impatient Optimists, that she grew concerned about the intertwining of family planning and abortion recently when she was interviewed in Toronto. Though reporters asked her about the Gates Foundation’s newborn and child health initiatives, she said, “every journalist also focused on Canada’s policy on abortion.”

“Let me tell you why this worries me,” she said.

“Around the world there is a deep, broad, and powerful consensus: We should provide all women the information and tools to time and space their pregnancies in a safe and healthy way that works for them,” Gates explained. “This approach is simple, it works, and it saves lives.”

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BREAKING NEWS: Pentagon officials say Bergdahl held in solitary for two years

Pentagon officials tell Fox News that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was kept in solitary confinement for two years by his Taliban captors. Officials at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio will brief reporters about Bergdahl's condition at 4 p.m. ET.

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Bill Cosby on “Far From Finished” Tour Makes an Appearance at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center

Friday, June 20 at 8 p.m.

Salisbury, MD – Do not miss the iconic Bill Cosby on his sell-out Comedy Central “Far From Finished” Tour. One of America’s most beloved comedians of all time, Bill Cosby, whose comedy transcends age, gender and cultural barriers, is making a rare appearance at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center on Friday, June 20 at 8 p.m. Cosby has captivated generations of fans with his comedy routines, iconic albums and best-selling books, including "Fatherhood," "Time Flies" and his current bestseller, "I Didn’t Ask to Be Born, (But I’m Glad I Was.)"

Tickets range from $38.50 to $84 plus fees and go on sale Friday, April 4 at 10 a.m. Tickets can be purchased online atwww.WicomicoCivicCenter.org, by phone at 410.548.4911 or in person at the WY&CC Box Office, which is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Bill Cosby broke television’s racial barrier with "I Spy," becoming the first African American to co-star on a television series while winning three consecutive Emmys. He created and produced the Emmy-winning cartoon "Fat Albert" and the "Cosby Kids," which began airing in the 1970s and was made into a film in 2004. The show, based upon Cosby’s childhood in Philadelphia, was designed to educate and entertain.

The former Navy serviceman’s illustrious list of accomplishments includes roles on the children’s educational show "Electric Company" and creating and producing the Emmy award winning "Little Bill," which is based on his bestselling book series. Cosby has received the Kennedy Center Honors, the Presidential Medal of Freedom (America’s highest civilian honor), the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and the Marian Anderson Award. Among his many awards for his stand-up comedy albums are five Grammy Awards, eight Gold and five Platinum records.

Perhaps Cosby’s greatest contribution to American entertainment and culture is "The Cosby Show," about a close-knit, upper class black family. Cosby said his intent was to portray an American family. Time magazine called the show “an encouraging sign of maturity in matters of race.” "The Cosby Show" dominated the No. 1 spot for years, earning nearly unanimous critical praise. Life magazine described the program as “a gentle, whimsical, warmhearted” show whose “delicious ordinariness of its pleasures and tribulations has given millions a fresh, laughter-splashed perspective on their own domestic lives.”

Attorney General Gansler Secures Settlement From Snapchat, Inc.

Mobile app developer can no longer deceive consumers by claiming its photo and video messages "disappear forever"
Snapchat also alleged to have collected personal information from children under age 13 without parental consent, in violation of federal law

Baltimore, MD - Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today that he has secured a settlement from Snapchat, Inc., over alleged deceptive trade practices and violations of federal laws intended to protect children's privacy online. The mobile application by the same name, which is popular among teens and pre-teens, is used on smartphones, tablet computers and other mobile devices to send photograph and video messages called "snaps."

"Despite Snapchat's marketing claims to the contrary, no company can fully prevent content you send to someone else from being copied, shared or posted online," said Attorney General Gansler. "Companies that operate on the Internet or on mobile devices, especially those popular among youth, have a responsibility to protect their users' privacy and to be up front about what personal information they collect and the permanency of uploaded files."

According to Attorney General Gansler, Snapchat misled consumers when it represented that snaps are only temporary and will disappear after they are opened and viewed by the recipient. In fact, recipients of snaps can capture or copy them for later viewing and distribution. Consequently, consumers may have sent sensitive snaps that they intended not to be saved or seen by anyone but the recipient, only to discover that they were saved or distributed to others.

10 One In a Lifetime Photo Moments, #7 is Simply Amazing!

Being at the right place in the right time has many perks, but if you have a camera with you, it gets much better. These people managed to capture one in a lifetime photos, giving us the pleasure of seeing moments we would hardly ever witness.

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Worcester County Struggling With Major Solid Waste Losses

SNOW HILL — The search continues for a policy that will offset some of the money that Worcester County is losing every year to operate its landfills while still avoiding unreasonably high trash deposit fees.

“You’re not going to fee your way out of this,” said Commissioner Virgil Shockley last week.

Currently, county landfills run at a huge deficit every year and have done so for the past several years. This year the county wants to cut away some of that red ink and has proposed raising the cost of transfer station permits from $60 to $100. It could add a second, pay-as-you-throw option where every trash bag taken to the station would cost $1.

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BREAKING NEWS: A Search Of The Ocean Is Currently Underway Off 92nd Street For A Submerged Swimmer

Post by The Dispatch.

Saturday Is A 24 Hour News Cycle Day

We will provide news and information for 24 hours tomorrow. Have an incredible weekend Ladies & Gentlemen. Thanks for an unbelievable week, (once again).