Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Your State Tax Refund ---If You Live in North Carolina
Taxpayers in North Carolina will have to wait longer to get their state income tax refunds. The state says it needs to keep the money as long as it can.
North Carolina's Department of Revenue says tax refunds will be slow coming again this year.
Last year Clyde Overton waited three months to get his refund. He depended on the money to pay his bills.
"They don't consider that the bill collectors don't. They charge me a late fee because I don't pay it. And if it's lights or water or something of that type then if I don't get money from somewhere, borrow it, then they come out and turn it off," Overton said.
The North Carolina Department of Revenue tells NewsChannel 3 it simply does not have the money.
"We are managing the distribution of refunds much like a family would manage their own checking account in that as we write checks to pay the different bills and to provide tax refunds, we want to make sure that when we write those checks that the money is in the account to cover them," said Thomas Beam, spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Revenue.
State officials say fewer people are working and paying income taxes is to blame.
During fiscal year 2009 the state collected $16.8 billion in taxes, which was the lowest total in four years.
"This is a situation where we are having to manage our distributions on a week to week basis and we are in fact writing refund checks every week and everyone that's due a refund will in fact receive a refund," Beam added.
Most individuals like taxpayers Tricena Barker and Clyde Overton say they depend on their refunds arriving on time.
"Due to the lateness of the tax returns I had to wait for my bills to be paid," Barker said.
"They charged me a late fee because I don't pay it," added Overton.
This year the North Carolina Department of Revenue has added a section to its website where people can check the status of their refund, but officials tell NewsChannel 3 that it still can't offer a time frame when people will actually receive their checks.
I think this is pathetic andthe state of North Carolina certainly can't expect the working people to be patient when it comes to receiving their tax refund. It just seems no matter how hard the working people of America try they can't seem to get a break.
Bills Pass To Ease Restrictions On Concealed Weapons
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Every Man For Himself
This is a prank where this guy rigged a remote controlled motorbike with a skeleton driving the bike that has a loudspeaker attached to it.
The guy hides across the street from a walled cemetery and when people walk by it at night, he sneaks up on them and scares the bejeebers out of them.
The guy hides across the street from a walled cemetery and when people walk by it at night, he sneaks up on them and scares the bejeebers out of them.
School Days Extended To Make Up Snow Days
This might a be a good idea for all schools to use so that students can make up snow days.
Virginia Beach Extends School Days For Snow Days
In order to make up for lost time because of snow, Virginia Beach Public School officials have decided to extend the school day 20 minutes each day for seven weeks. All Elementary, Middle and High School students are impacted.
The extended days begin Monday, March 1 and end Friday, April 30. The extra time will make up for instructional time lost as a result on snow, on February 1 and 2.
The added time will be tacked on to the end of the school day in most cases. However, instructional time will be added to the start of the day for afternoon kindegarten and for afternoon sessions at the Advanced Technology Center and Technical and Career Education Center.
www.wavy.com
Roof Collapses On Amish Cow Barn
Heavy snow falls seem to be taking a toll in the Pennsylvania Amish Country just as it has in many other places.
Heavy snow early today collapsed the roof on part of a cow barn in Fulton Township in the county's southern end.
The snow slid off a two-story barn and onto a one-story addition. Eight cows had to be rescued, but none were injured.
Farmers shoveled snow off the roof to lessen the load after the partial collapse at the barn, at 166 Rigby Road.
Car Fire in Pocomoke is Ruled as Arson
An early morning fire at 1000 Quinn Avenue destroyed a vehicle that had been stolen earlier in the evening in Pocomoke City. The fire was discovered by a Pocomoke City police officer around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 13th. The fire also damaged a commercial structure nearby and kept the fire department busy for about an hour.
Upon investigation the Worcester County Fire Marshal's Office has stated that the vehicle fire was set deliberately.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Matthew Owens at (410)632-5666, ext. 2 or mowens@wcfmo.org
Upon investigation the Worcester County Fire Marshal's Office has stated that the vehicle fire was set deliberately.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Matthew Owens at (410)632-5666, ext. 2 or mowens@wcfmo.org
It's Mardis Gras Time!!!!
FAT TUESDAY IN NEW ORLEANS!
"Mardi Gras" is french for Fat Tuesday in New Orleans, Lousiana.
Go ahead and CELEBRATE!!!!!
"Mardi Gras" is french for Fat Tuesday in New Orleans, Lousiana.
The annual festivities begin on the Twelfth Night Feast of the Epiphany, when the three kings are supposed to have visited the Christ Child, and build to a climax on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, which always occurs on the day before Ash Wednesday. The parties and parades will continue until Lent begins at the stroke of midnight on Tuesday.
The day of good foods, parades and masquerade balls are celebrated internationally as well. Fat Tuesday always occurs 46 days before Easter. Since the date for Easter changes from year to year the celebration is held between February 3 and March 9.
A colorful day of purples, greens, golds an good Bourbon! Oh, to be a fly in New Orleans today....... The party has begun!!!
The famous King Cake.........
King cake is a traditional French pastry cake (by tradition is round) that is served during carnival season. A small plastic baby, representing the Baby Jesus, is hidden in every king cake. Whoever gets the piece with the baby in it has to buy the next king cake.
Go ahead and CELEBRATE!!!!!
Ohio Man Builds Four-Room Igloo, With TV, Cable
Jimmy Grey says he's been out of work for almost a year and needed a project to stay busy. So with the heavy snowfall this winter, the 25-year-old laborer got to work on an extreme igloo in his family's yard in Aquilla (ah-KWIL'-uh), about 30 miles east of Cleveland.
His four-room creation has 6-foot ceilings and an entertainment room. He powers the TV with an extension cord plugged into an outlet in the garage. He also ran wires for cable television with surround-sound stereo.
Grey says candles help add ambiance for nighttime get-togethers with friends, and the freezing temperatures mean that the beer never goes warm.
VIA
His four-room creation has 6-foot ceilings and an entertainment room. He powers the TV with an extension cord plugged into an outlet in the garage. He also ran wires for cable television with surround-sound stereo.
Grey says candles help add ambiance for nighttime get-togethers with friends, and the freezing temperatures mean that the beer never goes warm.
VIA
Monday, February 15, 2010
Former Somerset warden, county named in $5 million federal lawsuit
The former warden of the Somerset County Detention Center
and the county itself are being sued for the alleged assault against an
inmate that “was perpetrated with actual malice,” causing pain, suffering,
mental anguish and humiliation.
and the county itself are being sued for the alleged assault against an
inmate that “was perpetrated with actual malice,” causing pain, suffering,
mental anguish and humiliation.
The lawsuit -- filed in U.S. District Court in Baltimore -- names James L.
Henderson Jr., Somerset County and the Maryland Department of Public Safety
and Correctional Services as defendants.
The lawsuit was filed by Gary Cullen of Crisfield and seeks $5 million in
punitive and compensatory damages.
Among the allegations made in the lawsuit are that Henderson punched Cullen
in the stomach, slapped him in the face while he was shackled to a bench,
locked him in the detention center gym for 15 hours without food, water,
toilet or bed, threatened to hang him and hit him in the genitals.
Cullen, in the lawsuit, also alleges Henderson released him ahead of
schedule at night without his belongings, money or transportation, and
wearing only slippers, pants and a light shirt.
The lawsuit claims Cullen’s rights were violated under federal and Maryland
law, and it also charges Henderson, the county and the state with assault,
battery and negligence.
The county was served with a summons in the case and has forwarded it to the
Local Government Insurance Trust, said Kirk Simpkins, the county attorney.
As a county employee, Henderson will likely be defended by the insurance
company’s lawyers, too, Simpkins said.
Although Henderson resigned as warden in June 2007, he was re-hired by the
Somerset County Commissioners in February 2008 to head the county’s Animal
Control division and continues to work in that position.
The lawsuit follows a criminal investigation launched in 2007 after Cullen’s
father, John Cullen, reported an alleged assault on his son to Somerset
County State’s Attorney Kristy Hickman.
The case was turned over to Wicomico County State’s Attorney Davis Ruark
after Hickman said she had a conflict in the case.
In February 2007, the Wicomico Bureau of Investigation led a records raid of
the detention center in Westover, then later turned over the information to
Maryland State Police.
In addition to evidence of assaults on Cullen and other inmates, the probe
also allegedly found evidence of the improper use of work-release inmates by
Somerset County Sheriff Robert Jones, as well as former Princess Anne police
chief Russell Pecoraro.
While the investigation “uncovered some disturbing things,” Ruark said at
the time the case would be difficult to prove in court partly because of
credibility problems with former inmates who alleged they had been
assaulted.
To date, no criminal charges have ever been filed in the case.
VIA: DelmarvaNow.com
Gun shots in Pocomoke
In the Laurel St area... but don't be alarmed...
It was reported, and the cop on the beat assumes it was firecrackers so no need to check it out.
I can say with 100% certainty, it was gun shots.
It was reported, and the cop on the beat assumes it was firecrackers so no need to check it out.
I can say with 100% certainty, it was gun shots.
Are There Any Doctors on The Eastern Shore That Know How to Treat a Patient?
HELLOOOOOOO!!! If you're out there Doc speak-up
I'm sure any good Dr will agree that a person knows their body better than any examining doctor, a good Dr will anyway....
The problem is there's no good doctors here on the shore or at-least I've yet to find them.
For several years now I've been searching, some don't take an illness seriously, some want to start from scratch, and some just plain lack commonsense.
As I have told my friends and family I feel like a car that needs a muffler and have had every test and part replaced except the muffler that I know I need.
How can these doctors see you for the first time and change medications, the better question is why? Do they get a kick-back?
Why can't they look at past test, xrays, etc. and see what the previous doctor saw? Why do they need to "start from scratch"?
I admit .... I'm a tough patient, but it's because I'm tired of repeating the same test over and over again and again.
I had a couple strokes three years ago, for whatever reason they left me in pain, something that the doctors say does not happen, well IT DID ME!!!
If there's a Doctor out there that will listen to their patient, look at prior records, xrays, CAT scans, MRI's and can handle a patient without needing all their doctors friends to do this that or the other please contact me. I dare you.
It's not that hard, all ya have to do is LISTEN!!
"Mechanics repair their mistakes, Doctors bury theirs"
I'm sure any good Dr will agree that a person knows their body better than any examining doctor, a good Dr will anyway....
The problem is there's no good doctors here on the shore or at-least I've yet to find them.
For several years now I've been searching, some don't take an illness seriously, some want to start from scratch, and some just plain lack commonsense.
As I have told my friends and family I feel like a car that needs a muffler and have had every test and part replaced except the muffler that I know I need.
How can these doctors see you for the first time and change medications, the better question is why? Do they get a kick-back?
Why can't they look at past test, xrays, etc. and see what the previous doctor saw? Why do they need to "start from scratch"?
I admit .... I'm a tough patient, but it's because I'm tired of repeating the same test over and over again and again.
I had a couple strokes three years ago, for whatever reason they left me in pain, something that the doctors say does not happen, well IT DID ME!!!
If there's a Doctor out there that will listen to their patient, look at prior records, xrays, CAT scans, MRI's and can handle a patient without needing all their doctors friends to do this that or the other please contact me. I dare you.
It's not that hard, all ya have to do is LISTEN!!
"Mechanics repair their mistakes, Doctors bury theirs"
Gunman Wounds 2 Teens During Church Service
Police were seeking a hooded gunman who horrified the congregation of a San Francisco Bay area church when he paced the aisles then pulled out a gun and shot two teenagers.
No arrests had been made or suspects named in the Sunday shooting at New Gethsemane Church of God in Christ in Richmond, police said.
The gunman flanked by two companions in hooded sweatshirts walked into the church, scanned the pews and fired about five shots, hitting a 14-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man in front of about 100 people, Richmond police Sgt. Bisa French said.
Charles Miller, a 64-year-old deacon at the church, said members of the congregation were about to tell the men to take off their hoods when the shooting began.
"I was listening to the choir and all of a sudden there was a 'pop pop pop pop pop,'" Miller told the San Francisco Chronicle. "Everyone hit the floor. I didn't know the shooting was inside the church at first, until I heard all of the hollering and screaming."
The 14-year-old was hit in the shoulder and the 19-year-old was struck in the leg, French said. Both victims, whose names haven't been released, were hospitalized and were expected to survive. There were no other injuries.
"It's terrible when you come to the house of the Lord and start doing this," Miller said. "It's just something you don't do."
Investigators believe the men were targeting someone in the church but don't know if the two who were hit were the intended targets, French said.
French said investigators were interviewing witnesses to see if anyone recognized the men.
A handful of congregants returned to the church after police processed the crime scene and finished the service.
"We went on and had church anyway," Miller told the Chronicle. "We were giving thanks that nobody was killed. We wanted to go and serve the Lord anyway."
The small, off-white two-story church is surrounded by a red-and white wrought-iron fence in a residential section of Richmond, a city of 103,000 on the eastern Bay shoreline north of Oakland and Berkeley.
The city has already seen seven homicides in 2010, and garnered national attention because of the alleged gang rape by as many as 10 people of a 16-year-old girl outside an October homecoming dance at Richmond High School, with as many as 20 bystanders allegedly watching.
VIA
No arrests had been made or suspects named in the Sunday shooting at New Gethsemane Church of God in Christ in Richmond, police said.
The gunman flanked by two companions in hooded sweatshirts walked into the church, scanned the pews and fired about five shots, hitting a 14-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man in front of about 100 people, Richmond police Sgt. Bisa French said.
Charles Miller, a 64-year-old deacon at the church, said members of the congregation were about to tell the men to take off their hoods when the shooting began.
"I was listening to the choir and all of a sudden there was a 'pop pop pop pop pop,'" Miller told the San Francisco Chronicle. "Everyone hit the floor. I didn't know the shooting was inside the church at first, until I heard all of the hollering and screaming."
The 14-year-old was hit in the shoulder and the 19-year-old was struck in the leg, French said. Both victims, whose names haven't been released, were hospitalized and were expected to survive. There were no other injuries.
"It's terrible when you come to the house of the Lord and start doing this," Miller said. "It's just something you don't do."
Investigators believe the men were targeting someone in the church but don't know if the two who were hit were the intended targets, French said.
French said investigators were interviewing witnesses to see if anyone recognized the men.
A handful of congregants returned to the church after police processed the crime scene and finished the service.
"We went on and had church anyway," Miller told the Chronicle. "We were giving thanks that nobody was killed. We wanted to go and serve the Lord anyway."
The small, off-white two-story church is surrounded by a red-and white wrought-iron fence in a residential section of Richmond, a city of 103,000 on the eastern Bay shoreline north of Oakland and Berkeley.
The city has already seen seven homicides in 2010, and garnered national attention because of the alleged gang rape by as many as 10 people of a 16-year-old girl outside an October homecoming dance at Richmond High School, with as many as 20 bystanders allegedly watching.
VIA
NO Daytime Fires In Virginia Allowed
The Commonwealths 4 p.m. Burning Law goes into effect today, February 15 the start of spring fire season in Virginia. This law prohibits burning before 4 p.m. each day (Feb. 15 April 30) if the fire is in, or within 300 feet of, woodland, brushland or fields containing dry grass or other flammable materials.
A violation of this law is a Class 3 misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine. In addition to the criminal violation, those who allow a fire to escape are liable for the cost of suppressing the fire as well as any damage caused to others property.
"Because people are the cause of more than 94 percent of wildland fires in the Commonwealth, the 4 p.m. burning law may be one of the most effective tools we have in the prevention of wildfires," said John Miller, director of resource protection at the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF). "Each late winter and early spring, downed trees, branches and leaves become forest fuels that increase the danger of a forest fire. By adhering to the law and not burning before 4 p.m., people are less likely to start a fire that threatens them, their property and the forests of Virginia."
In 2009, there were 837 wildfires that burned 7,494 acres of forest land in the Commonwealth. This was a 36 percent decrease in the number of wildland fires compared to the number (1,322) of fires in 2008. Similraly, the amount of acreage burned decreased 70 percent when compared to 25,704 acres that burned in 2008.
Periods of wet weather during the spring and fall fire seasons were a critical factor in reducing the number of wildfires. Of the fires that did occur, citizens burning debris or yard waste continue to be the leading cause of wildfire in Virginia. Arson and equipment use also make up the majority of the fires.
Fred Turck, VDOF forest protection coordinator, said, The leading cause of forest fires in Virginia is carelessness. An unattended fire, a discarded cigarette or a single match can ignite the dry fuels that are so prevalent in the early spring. Add a few days of dry, windy conditions and an escaped wildfire can quickly turn into a raging blaze.
"People living in most rural areas of Virginia are especially at risk," said Turck. "To take a quote from Smokey Bear, Only You Can Prevent Wildfires.'"
For more information on what you can do to protect yourself and your property; how to become "firewise," or to pick up a complete copy of the Forest Fire Laws, contact your local office of the Virginia Department of Forestry. You can also log on to www.dof.virginia.gov and click "Can I burn?"
The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. Headquartered in Charlottesville, the Agency has forestry staff members assigned to every county to provide service to citizens of the Commonwealth. VDOF is an equal opportunity provider.
With nearly 16 million acres of forestland and more than 144,000 Virginians employed in forestry, forest products and related industries, Virginia forests provide more than $27.5 Billion annually in benefits to the Commonwealth.
www.shoredailynews.com
Sunday, February 14, 2010
PSSST !! School Time..................
Accomack and North Hampton CountySchool Students
Due to the heavy amounts of snow fall and the cancellation of school days Accomack County and North Hampton County Schools WILL BE OPEN on Monday, February 15, 2010.
The President's Day holiday has been taken as a make-up day for ALL students.
Parents, please make arrangements to have your children in any of these schools to attend school on Monday, February 15, 2010.
This will NOT be a holiday and all students are expected to report to school.
Somebody Buy Poor Abe Lincoln A Sled
In honor of Abraham Lincoln's 201st birthday on February 12, Illinios celebrated by sealing a time capsule that included birthday cards, photos and documents from the celebration in honor of his 200th birthday.
The time capsule will be stored at the Lincoln Presidential Library, to be opened in the year 2109.
Maybe a better selection of gifts would have been a snow blower or even a sled!
The time capsule will be stored at the Lincoln Presidential Library, to be opened in the year 2109.
Maybe a better selection of gifts would have been a snow blower or even a sled!
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Spread The Love Through February 21st
GOVERNOR DECLARES VALENTINE'S WEEK
In a move sure to please the greeting card lobby, Gov. Martin O'Malley has declared that Valentine's Day will be celebrated this year as "Valentine's Week," stretching to Feb. 21.
The governor said the record snowstorms left him no other choice.
" Maryland citizens have been busy dealing with the unprecedented snowfall this past week," O'Malley said in a news release that came just as men and women rushed to candy stores Friday. "Planning Valentine's Day activities, such as ordering flowers, buying gifts, or booking restaurants and overnight getaways, might not have happened."
Shaun Adamec, an O'Malley spokesman, said it was "only fair" to extend the holiday, because the governor had urged people to hunker down for five days during the storms.
It's a tongue-in-cheek move, Adamec acknowledges, that comes with no actual government benefits.
But it's not original.
In 2007, then-Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon decreed that Valentine's Day be observed through Feb. 18.
And a Valentine's Day ice storm in 1994 prompted then-Gov. William Donald Schaefer to extend the holiday through Feb. 20.
"We should help Maryland's florists ... and any romantics who might not have been able to do their Valentine shopping," Schaefer said at the time.
So what does this year's Valentine's Week mean for first lady Katie O'Malley? Adamec wouldn't say. "I wouldn't want to ruin any surprises the governor has planned."
www.baltimoresun.com
So, if your gift or card is a little late because you've been snowbound or just a little short on cash there's still time within the month. After that, don't press your luck!
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!
REMEMBER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public this month
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AMBER ALERT
Missing From: | Seat Pleasant, MD |
| Missing Date: | 02/13/2010 10:00 AM |
| Issued for: | Maryland: Statewide |
| Contact: | If you have information, please contact Prince Georges County Police Department, 301-772-4911 |
The 11 year old child was last seen with Elmer Velaya, 28 - 41 year old Hispanic male in Prince Georges County, MD. They are in an orange 18 wheeler flatbed truck with VA tags. Do not take action. |
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AMBER ALERT HAS BEEN CANCELED
11-year-old Karina Elizabeth Garcia was found safe in Tennessee. The suspect in question has been arrested and is being question in Jackson, Tennessee.
Arrest Made in February 11th Arson Fire at Pocomke Walmart
The Worcester County Fire Marshal's Office has arrested and charged a 20 year old Pocomoke City man for the arson which occurred at the Pocomoke Walmart during the evening hours on February 11, 2010. Vincent Vaness Harmon was charged with 1st Degree Arson and several other fire/arson related charges today (Friday, February 12, 2010). Mr. Harmon made an initial appearance before a District Court Commissioner and was committed to the Worcester County Jail on $250,000 bond pending a bond review hearing on Tuesday monring. The Worcester County Fire Marshal's Office was assisted by the Pocomoke City Police Department and the Worcester County Sherrif's Office.
As of this release, the Pocomoke Walmart has remained closed since the fire. It has not been determined when the store will reopen.
EDITORS NOTE: I wonder what happened to the second subject that was first reported.
Another Winter Storm Heads Toward East Coast
Don't look now, but another winter storm is on its way to the Middle Atlantic and the Northeast for the beginning of next week.
Fortunately for residents still struggling to resume normal life after the recent back-to-back massive snowstorms, it's unlikely to be the same kind of monster snowfall that these regions have become accustomed to -- even though the overall weather pattern bears some important similarities. Snow amounts will be measured in inches, most likely just a few, rather than by the foot.
The new storm will most likely affect the snowy climes of Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and southern New England from Monday into Tuesday. While any additional snow will add to the cumulative problems associated with the extreme winter weather of late, especially from Philadelphia southward to Washington, the storm's overall impact will not be extreme. Problems will be more in line with a typical winter storm: slippery roads, travel delays and perhaps some school closings, not days' worth of canceled flights, closed roads, canceled classes and power outages.
The storms that pushed seasonal snowfall totals past record levels in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington had three things in common: a strong upper-level storm system, a strengthening low-pressure system at the surface and an abundance of moisture. The next storm will have a strong upper-level storm system associated with it, one that will dive southeastward through the Plains and into the Missouri Valley over the weekend.
By midday on Monday, a big, swirling upper-level storm system will be located over West Virginia, the location where strong upper-level storm systems set up during the last two major snowstorms. The following map is a forecast chart for early Monday morning.
.(Image courtesy of National Centers for Environmental Prediction)
While that piece of information might understandably be disconcerting, the same general weather pattern does not always produce identical results -- at least in this case, fortunately.
Moisture, which was extremely abundant when the recent storms arrived, especially the one last weekend that produced widespread snowfall amounts of 20 to 30 inches, will be in much less supply when the new storm arrives Monday. This, in addition to the likelihood that the low-pressure system at the ground will probably not intensify until after the storm is offshore and farther to the north, means the storm system will not produce nearly as much snow as the recent storms, at least from Philadelphia southward to Washington.
Weather forecasting is not a perfect science (insert your favorite joke about the weather forecaster here), so the details related to the storm, including the amount of available moisture and the intensity and placement of the storm along the coast, can change by the time the storm arrives. Snow-weary residents should keep an eye on the sky -- while meteorologists keep an eye on their forecast charts.
SOURCE
Fortunately for residents still struggling to resume normal life after the recent back-to-back massive snowstorms, it's unlikely to be the same kind of monster snowfall that these regions have become accustomed to -- even though the overall weather pattern bears some important similarities. Snow amounts will be measured in inches, most likely just a few, rather than by the foot.
The new storm will most likely affect the snowy climes of Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and southern New England from Monday into Tuesday. While any additional snow will add to the cumulative problems associated with the extreme winter weather of late, especially from Philadelphia southward to Washington, the storm's overall impact will not be extreme. Problems will be more in line with a typical winter storm: slippery roads, travel delays and perhaps some school closings, not days' worth of canceled flights, closed roads, canceled classes and power outages.
The storms that pushed seasonal snowfall totals past record levels in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington had three things in common: a strong upper-level storm system, a strengthening low-pressure system at the surface and an abundance of moisture. The next storm will have a strong upper-level storm system associated with it, one that will dive southeastward through the Plains and into the Missouri Valley over the weekend.
By midday on Monday, a big, swirling upper-level storm system will be located over West Virginia, the location where strong upper-level storm systems set up during the last two major snowstorms. The following map is a forecast chart for early Monday morning.
.(Image courtesy of National Centers for Environmental Prediction)
While that piece of information might understandably be disconcerting, the same general weather pattern does not always produce identical results -- at least in this case, fortunately.
Moisture, which was extremely abundant when the recent storms arrived, especially the one last weekend that produced widespread snowfall amounts of 20 to 30 inches, will be in much less supply when the new storm arrives Monday. This, in addition to the likelihood that the low-pressure system at the ground will probably not intensify until after the storm is offshore and farther to the north, means the storm system will not produce nearly as much snow as the recent storms, at least from Philadelphia southward to Washington.
Weather forecasting is not a perfect science (insert your favorite joke about the weather forecaster here), so the details related to the storm, including the amount of available moisture and the intensity and placement of the storm along the coast, can change by the time the storm arrives. Snow-weary residents should keep an eye on the sky -- while meteorologists keep an eye on their forecast charts.
SOURCE
Laser Attack a Small Step Toward 'Star Wars' Defense
The United States successfully used an airborne laser to destroy a mock ballistic missile Thursday, the "first directed-energy lethal-intercept demonstration against a liquid-fuel-boosting ballistic missile target from an airborne platform," according to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.
"The revolutionary use of directed energy is very attractive for missile defense, with the potential to attack multiple targets at the speed of light, at a range of hundreds of kilometers and at a low cost per intercept attempt compared to current technologies," Reuters quoted the agency.
But history shows that the military has for a long time offered rosy pronouncements on missile defense. A closer look at that history suggests that this week's successful test of the airborne laser (ABL) – a laser weapon mounted on a modified 747 jet – is unlikely to meaningfully shore up the country's defense any time soon.
VIDEO DIRECT LINK
Throughout most of the half-century of U.S. investment in missile defense, the focus has been on deploying missiles, either from land or sea, to intercept enemy missiles. First came the Nike-Zeus program, which envisioned launching nuclear missiles that would detonate high in the atmosphere near incoming Soviet missiles. The program was never technically feasible, though, since it could easily be fooled by countermeasures and decoys, and the nuclear explosions would create electromagnetic pulses that would render the system's radars useless.
Nike-Zeus was canceled in 1961, but it inspired other programs – Nike X, Sentinel, Safeguard – under which several installations were built throughout the country to protect U.S. nuclear missile launch cites. These were all shut down because of various technical problems and the political pressures brought on by a public that was understandably wary of detonating nuclear weapons overhead.
Ultimately, the U.S. strategy shifted from using nuclear missiles defensively to using conventional missiles that would simply collide with incoming enemy targets. In the 1980s the Army launched its Homing Overlay Experiment, which deployed in space a fanlike propulsive structure that would collide with an intercontinental ballistic missile and destroy it. After three unsuccessful tests, a fourth, in 1984, succeeded in bringing down a Minuteman missile.
A year earlier, President Reagan announced his space-based Strategic Defense Initiative, which was dubbed "Star Wars" by critics. Reagan wasn't interested in stopping a few incoming missiles, but a full-scale nuclear attack. More than $100 billion was poured into the initiative, which had little to show for itself by the time the Cold War ended in 1989. Under presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, missile defense was scaled back and refocused on ground-based interceptors.
Today, the U.S. missile defense system remains focused on ground-based interceptors, using radars and anti-ballistic missiles at various spots around the globe, including at sea. There have been a few successful tests, but with technical caveats. For instance, after a September 2006 successful test, Lt. Gen. Trey Obering, director of the Missile Defense Agency, said it was "about as close as we can come to an end-to-end test of our long-range missile defense system." But the incoming test missile didn't deploy countermeasures that a real enemy missile is likely to do.
This week's test of the Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser was the culmination of a program the Air Force began in 1996. The ABL works by heating a missile's skin, weakening it enough to cause failure. The ABL can fire off multiple lasers – potentially 20 to 40 shots – and has the advantage, unlike missile-to-missile defense, of not destroying itself in the process.
But there are problems.
First, ABL was designed for intercepting short-range missiles in their boost phase, tracing the heat signal that accompanies a launch. To shoot down a long-range ICBM, ABLs likely would have to fly over hostile territory and get within 300 kilometers, given rockets' short boost times. Many scientists think that such boost-phase intercepts are unfeasible.
Despite this week's success, that appears to be the belief of the Obama administration as well. In April 2009, Defense Secretary Robert Gates canceled a planned second ABL jet.
"The ABL program has significant affordability and technology problems, and the program's proposed operational role is highly questionable," Gates said. (According to another Obama appointee, the ABL program is "eight years behind schedule and $4 billion over cost.")
This week's success, then, must be put in context. One test and one plane aren't about to save the country from nuclear attack – even if that plane were piloted by Luke Skywalker.
SOURCE
"The revolutionary use of directed energy is very attractive for missile defense, with the potential to attack multiple targets at the speed of light, at a range of hundreds of kilometers and at a low cost per intercept attempt compared to current technologies," Reuters quoted the agency.
But history shows that the military has for a long time offered rosy pronouncements on missile defense. A closer look at that history suggests that this week's successful test of the airborne laser (ABL) – a laser weapon mounted on a modified 747 jet – is unlikely to meaningfully shore up the country's defense any time soon.
VIDEO DIRECT LINK
Throughout most of the half-century of U.S. investment in missile defense, the focus has been on deploying missiles, either from land or sea, to intercept enemy missiles. First came the Nike-Zeus program, which envisioned launching nuclear missiles that would detonate high in the atmosphere near incoming Soviet missiles. The program was never technically feasible, though, since it could easily be fooled by countermeasures and decoys, and the nuclear explosions would create electromagnetic pulses that would render the system's radars useless.
Nike-Zeus was canceled in 1961, but it inspired other programs – Nike X, Sentinel, Safeguard – under which several installations were built throughout the country to protect U.S. nuclear missile launch cites. These were all shut down because of various technical problems and the political pressures brought on by a public that was understandably wary of detonating nuclear weapons overhead.
Ultimately, the U.S. strategy shifted from using nuclear missiles defensively to using conventional missiles that would simply collide with incoming enemy targets. In the 1980s the Army launched its Homing Overlay Experiment, which deployed in space a fanlike propulsive structure that would collide with an intercontinental ballistic missile and destroy it. After three unsuccessful tests, a fourth, in 1984, succeeded in bringing down a Minuteman missile.
A year earlier, President Reagan announced his space-based Strategic Defense Initiative, which was dubbed "Star Wars" by critics. Reagan wasn't interested in stopping a few incoming missiles, but a full-scale nuclear attack. More than $100 billion was poured into the initiative, which had little to show for itself by the time the Cold War ended in 1989. Under presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, missile defense was scaled back and refocused on ground-based interceptors.
Today, the U.S. missile defense system remains focused on ground-based interceptors, using radars and anti-ballistic missiles at various spots around the globe, including at sea. There have been a few successful tests, but with technical caveats. For instance, after a September 2006 successful test, Lt. Gen. Trey Obering, director of the Missile Defense Agency, said it was "about as close as we can come to an end-to-end test of our long-range missile defense system." But the incoming test missile didn't deploy countermeasures that a real enemy missile is likely to do.
This week's test of the Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser was the culmination of a program the Air Force began in 1996. The ABL works by heating a missile's skin, weakening it enough to cause failure. The ABL can fire off multiple lasers – potentially 20 to 40 shots – and has the advantage, unlike missile-to-missile defense, of not destroying itself in the process.
But there are problems.
First, ABL was designed for intercepting short-range missiles in their boost phase, tracing the heat signal that accompanies a launch. To shoot down a long-range ICBM, ABLs likely would have to fly over hostile territory and get within 300 kilometers, given rockets' short boost times. Many scientists think that such boost-phase intercepts are unfeasible.
Despite this week's success, that appears to be the belief of the Obama administration as well. In April 2009, Defense Secretary Robert Gates canceled a planned second ABL jet.
"The ABL program has significant affordability and technology problems, and the program's proposed operational role is highly questionable," Gates said. (According to another Obama appointee, the ABL program is "eight years behind schedule and $4 billion over cost.")
This week's success, then, must be put in context. One test and one plane aren't about to save the country from nuclear attack – even if that plane were piloted by Luke Skywalker.
SOURCE
~~Great Gift Idea~~
It's almost Valentine's Day!
Are you looking for the greatest gift of all to give your loved one?
Well, gentlemen be the first to invest in this heart-shaped diamond from Scarselli Diamonds!
As revealed on the Early Show yesterday it is the world's largest heart-shaped RED diamond.
This willl make the ultimate gift for a marriage proposal or just to say "I love you" in a great big expensive way.
The 1.71 carat heart- shaped diamond has an esimated value of..........
$10 MILLION !!!
Maybe they'll take the low easy payment plan!
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!!
Man accused of arson after allegedly burning potato chips at Pocomoke store
A Pocomoke City man is accused of arson after allegedly setting fire to bags of potato chips in Walmart, causing enough mayhem to close the store just as customers freed from snowdrifts were eager to shop.
VIA DelmarvaNow.com
Vincent V. Harmon, 20, was arrested Friday and charged with first-degree arson, malicious burning, reckless endangerment and malicious destruction of property. If found guilty of arson, Harmon could spend up to 30 years in prison and owe a $50,000 fine.
The Pocomoke City Supercenter is closed until further notice, said Walmart spokeswoman Ashley Hardie. The store is the only full-service supermarket in southern Worcester County.
"We are working with the Pocomoke City Fire Department and the Worcester County Health Department. We will clean the store, make sure it is safe for our customers and associates and reopen when it is safe to do so," Hardie said. "We are still assessing the damage."
Just before 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Harmon allegedly set fire to bags of potato chips and left the store, according to Deputy Fire Marshal Rob Korb. Walmart employees doused the flames with nine fire extinguishers. Four fire departments responded to the scene to put out the blaze.
"Potato chips are greasy, and grease fires are hard to get under control," Korb said. "The problem is the powder (from the extinguishers) has spread throughout the store."
Much of the boxed food and fresh produce in the supermarket will have to be disposed of, said Ed Potetz, director of Environmental Health for the Worcester County Health Department, since it has been contaminated by fire extinguisher dust. The substance, which contains ammonium phosphates and clay dust, presents a low health hazard but can be an irritant. Canned and jarred food could be salvaged but would need to be cleaned before returning to the sales floor. Frozen food should be relatively unaffected, Potetz said.
"They are going to be sealing the section off where the contaminant landed," he said. "There is no way there could be any leaking into the other side of the sales floor."
However, some items, especially baby clothes and toys located near the food section, will likely be destroyed.
"They are doing what they can to be ultrasafe," Potetz said. "They are going to be more than cautious. The baby stuff, they are going to be discarding -- they aren't going to be taking any chances. You never know how something is going to react with a child."
The Pocomoke City Walmart Supercenter was renovated last fall, its second facelift since opening in 1997.
Friday, February 12, 2010
AMBER ALERT ISSUED
AMBER ALERT CANCELLED
The Amber Alert for 4 year old Hannah Lynn Harrigan has been canceled. The 4 year old was safely recovered shortly before 3 a.m. this morning. Police have Pelletier in custody.
The Amber Alert for 4 year old Hannah Lynn Harrigan has been canceled. The 4 year old was safely recovered shortly before 3 a.m. this morning. Police have Pelletier in custody.
An Amber Alert has been issued by the Maryland State Police on behalf of the Cecil County Sheriff's office for
Hannah Lynn Harrigan, 4 years old. Last seen at about 5:30PM
Friday with 32 year old Peter Jyles Pelletier of 5655 Telegraph Road in Elkton.
Pelletier was last seen driving a green 1995 Ford Mustang.
Maryland registration tags 9EFL19
If you have any information please call 911 or the Cecil County Sheriff's Office at
(410)996-5511
Pelletier is a white male, 5'8" tall, 160 pounds and may be wearing a dark coat
and black cap.
Hannah is 3' tall, 42 pounds, last seen wearing a pink coat, blue jeans and
a "Hello Kitty" long sleeve shirt.
The car Pelletier is driving has a black rood with some damage to the roof
and severl spots have silver and/or black tape.
Potato chip fire closes Wal-Mart
Investigators are looking for two men believed to have set a fire in the grocery section of the Pocomoke City Wal-Mart.
The Supercenter is closed and damage from the arson to the building and merchandise is being assessed, fire marshals said.
At about 8:30 p.m. Thursday, the two men entered the store, set a fire in the potato chip aisle and left, according to Deputy Fire Marshal Rob Korb.
While the fire caused limited damage, store employees and law enforcement had to use nine fire extinguishers to snuff the blaze, he said.
"Potato chips are greasy, and grease fires are hard to get under control," Korb said. "The problem is the powder (from the extinguisher) has spread throughout the store."
All of the food, kitchen supplies and items in nearby sections will likely have to be disposed of for health reasons, he said.
The arson is still under investigation.
VIA; DelmarvaNow
"BAIL THEM OUT!!! ????
Hell, back in 1990, the Government seized the Mustang Ranch brothel in Nevada for tax evasion and, as required by law, tried to run it.. They failed and it closed. Now, we are trusting the economy of our country, our banking system, our auto industry and possibly our health plans to the same nit-wits who couldn't make money running a whore house and selling whiskey?!"
"What are we thinking??"
At the Mar-Va TONIGHT!
It's Valentine's Day weekend!!!
Don't forget
LOVE LETTERS
7 PM Admission: $10.00
Don't miss out on this love story.
Wine and chocolates will be available!!
FRISBEE Inventor Dies
January 23, 1920 to February 9, 2010
Walter Fredrick Morrison, the Frisbee inventor, died this week. His simple sports innovation – a plastic, aerodynamic disc – has become one of the most popular toys in American history, uniting beachgoers, college kids, and competitive teams for half a century.
How did he come up with the idea? Morrison said it was easy as pie – literally. In the 1940s, he and his future wife brought cake and pie tins with them to the beach. The couple enjoyed flinging the pans back and forth, letting them glide in the California wind.
A former military pilot, Morrison applied his knowledge of aerodynamics to tinker with the tins, improving their control. Finally, in 1948, the Los Angeles building inspector began producing and selling his own discs.
Frisbee was not the original name. When Wham-O Manufacturing bought the idea from Morrison in 1957, they called it the Pluto Platter. Later, "Wham-O adopted the name 'Frisbee' because that’s what college students in New England were calling the Pluto Platters," reports the AP. "The name came from the Frisbie Pie Co., a local bakery whose empty tins were tossed like the soon-to-be Frisbee."
Frisbee went on to sell 200 million discs, inspire the sports ultimate Frisbee and Frisbee golf, and attract countless knockoffs around the world.
Morrison was from Monroe, Utah and died at 90 years old.
Arson In Pocomoke Walmart
WESR recieved reports this morning that last night there was a small fire in the Wal-Mart in Pocomoke City.
Two men entered the store around 8:30 PM and set a fire in the potato chip aisle and then left. The fire department was called but the fire had been put out by employyes by the time emergency response units arrived.
The fire is believed to have been arson, but it is still under investigation. Police are also still searching for the two men. The Pocomoke Wal-Mart is currently closed for cleaning.
.
www.shoredailynews.com
New Definition For Customer Checkout
SAFEWAY SNOWSTORM CUSTOMERS WILL GET THEIR BILL !
Four of the 10 customers who wandered into an unstaffed supermarket took groceries, and all left cash or an IOU on the cashier's counter, Safeway spokesman Craig M. Muckle said Thursday after store officials reviewed video from a security camera.
When the assistant manager of Safeway's Tenleytown supermarket in Northwest Washington realized he was the only one to show up for work on the morning of the wildest winter storm in memory, he followed company policy and went home, Muckle said. The employee won't face disciplinary action for "an honest mistake. He thought he'd secured the door."
Safeway officials initially cast doubt on eyewitness reports that customers had helped themselves to goods during the three hours that the store was unlocked and unmanned, but a review of the tape showed that four people each took a handful of products and made an effort to pay for them.
It's not the first time shoppers have left cash at unsupervised Safeways. Shoppers at two of the chain's California stores left money at the registers after getting a few essentials on Christmas Eve and day.
"For safety reasons, we don't want just one employee in the store, and he knew that," Muckle said.
Safeway officials initially cast doubt on eyewitness reports that customers had helped themselves to goods during the three hours that the store was unlocked and unmanned, but a review of the tape showed that four people each took a handful of products and made an effort to pay for them.
It's not the first time shoppers have left cash at unsupervised Safeways. Shoppers at two of the chain's California stores left money at the registers after getting a few essentials on Christmas Eve and day.
Those who took some stuff obviously had their heart in the right place," said Muckle, who said those who left the IOUs included phone numbers or other contact information and will soon hear from store management about arranging for payment.
Muckle said the store reopened Thursday and, like all area supermarkets, would need a few days to "get back up to speed" and restock depleted shelves.
Memo to those shoppers:
To those customers who took groceries from the ghost Safeway at the height of Wednesday's blizzard: The store has your IOUs and will be in touch real soon.
VDOT Snow-Removal Costs are Climbing
RICHMOND, Va. - A record-setting winter has drained Virginia's snow-removal budget and the state is now dipping into its maintenance fund, which could mean fewer grass trimmings and other maintenance cuts this summer. The Virginia Department of Transportation has spent its $79 million snow-removal budget and an additional $25 million in a reserve maintenance fund to keep thousands of state trucks and contractors on the road. Those accounts were depleted this month after storms dumped up to 3 feet of snow in some locations.
VDOT spokesman Jeffrey Caldwell said Thursday the department is now tapping its $1.6 billion maintenance fund to continue snow-removal efforts unabated.
"We're not cutting back our operations at all or trying to save money," Caldwell said. "We're just continuing to move forward with full forces."
The department has been focusing on storm-battered northern Virginia and the northern Shenandoah Valley, the hardest hit locations in the latest round of storms. More state trucks and contractors were deployed to the region on Thursday.
With VDOT tapping its maintenance fund, cuts not related to safety issues such as grass cutting and fence repairing could be made in the months ahead, Caldwell said. Safety-related maintenance such as pothole repairs would not be affected.
Virginia has already applied for $50 million in emergency federal assistance to cover storm costs in December. It is just now compiling costs associated with the latest round of storms, and that sum could exceed the $50 million already sought, said Bob Spieldenner of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
"The reality is, we'll get less than that," he added.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster assistance would primarily go to VDOT, which has contracted nearly 4,000 pieces of equipment to help battle the winter storms.
Gov. Bob McDonnell said he spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano this week about the status of the $50 million and was told the request was "moving along favorably."
Spieldenner said the latest storms' costs include overtime for Virginia State Police, National Guard troops and forestry crews that cleared down trees.
Closings, Cancellations and Delays
For Friday, February 12, 2010
Broadwater Academy 2 hrs. late
Holly Grove Christian Closed
E.S. Community Services Board Open
Belle Croft School and Volney Hall Open
NASA Wallops 10AM
Mallards at the Wharf on time
Dialysis Center Nassawadox 1 hour delay
Fantastic Friday Guildford United Methodist Church cancelled
Onley Pre-School on-time
Accomac County Public Schools Closed
Head Start Both Counties Closed today
Broadwater Academy 2 hrs. late
Holly Grove Christian Closed
E.S. Community Services Board Open
Belle Croft School and Volney Hall Open
NASA Wallops 10AM
Mallards at the Wharf on time
Dialysis Center Nassawadox 1 hour delay
Fantastic Friday Guildford United Methodist Church cancelled
Onley Pre-School on-time
Accomac County Public Schools Closed
Head Start Both Counties Closed today
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Radar Detectors In Virginia
The Virginia Legislature has defeated a bill to legalize radar detectors. Lawmakers admitted repealing this law is a bad idea because it would lead to fewer tickets and thus less revenue for the Commonwealth.
"It is tough to acknowledge that traffic violations are what funds part of our localities budgets," said Delegate Jackson Miller(R-50th).
Virginia is the only state that bans the use of common radar detectors according to StoptheBan.com, a website supporting the overturn of radar detector laws. The website is run by the National Association of Motorists. According to the site radar detectors do not have a negative effect on safety, banning detectors is an attack on individual liberty and using radar detectors protects citizens from unfair police tactics.
www.shoredailynews.com
Seattle beating: teenage girl assaulted while guards watch
SEATTLE, WA (NBC) Disturbing video-tape shows the graphic beating of a teenage girl in Seattle's Metro bus tunnel, while uniformed security guards simply look on.
The trouble started above ground around 7 p.m. on January 28.
According to police reports, a group of teenagers approached a 15-year-old girl they knew inside Macy's.
The encounter turned antagonistic and moved on to the downtown Nordstrom.
The group of 10 teenagers allegedly surrounded the girl and gave her a bad time about what she was wearing.
According to police, one in the group threatened her by stating, "Bitch, I'll kill you."
The security camera video picks up the scene as the group of teenagers are seen heading into the Metro tunnel at the Westlake Station, apparently following the girl who had been threatened.
One of the girls in the group, a 15-year-old who attends McClure Middle School in Seattle, approaches and within a few seconds, without warning, she pushes the victim off the platform and into the bus lanes.
The video shows the two girls hitting each other for a few seconds.
Then, the scene gets vicious.
The young attacker punches the victim in the head and face 10 times.
"It looks like a very egregious assault, which in fact it was," said Sgt. John Urquhart of the King County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating the case along with Metro Transit Police. "The two were acquaintances, and there probably is some teenage stuff going on before the attack but it certainly doesn't warrant an assault like this by any stretch of the imagination."
The video clearly shows that all of this is taking place right in front of three security guards.
SOURCE
UFO Spotted in Pocomoke
There's a giant hoovering bright orange UFO that's been slowly moving west over the skies of Pocomoke City for most of the day.
It is a very powerful light and is eating the snow as it moves, I assume for fuel.
If anyone can identify this object please let me know.
(THE WELFARE EXAMPLE) Want Smaller Government? You Have To Reduce Immigration
For those of you whose primary political interest is stopping the growth of government or even shrinking it, you have to contend with national leaders who say they agree with you but who refuse to deal with immigration. They say immigration is a "social" issue that isn't related to government spending and deficit issues. They couldn't be more wrong. . . .
Let's start with this tidbit from government data provided by the Center for Immigration Studies (Table 13: "Immigrant Households with Children Under 18":
"Roughly ONE-HALF of all immigrant households with kids are accessing the welfare system, especially food and Medicaid welfare."
In this case, "immigrant" includes both authorized and illegal foreign citizens allowed by the federal government to settle in our country. Since 2000, that number each year has averaged around 1.3 million a year -- plus another 1 million births to those immigrant households.
With one-half of those households being poor enough to use the federal, state and local welfare systems, is there anybody blind enough to think that adding 2.3 million people a year to immigrant households is not driving huge increases in government?
That is 23 million disproportionately poor and welfare-using people a decade!
NumbersUSA doesn't take a specific stand on whether government should be bigger or smaller. But we do think it is strange that our government has this humongous program that imports massive amounts of poverty into the country each year. And the welfare use is just the tip of the iceberg. If about half of these households are poor enough to qualify for some form of welfare, that means they can't come close to paying the taxes required to provide for all the extra physical and social infrastructure to take care of the presence of these 23 million new residents each decade.
Even stranger is that this gargantuan driver of bigger and bigger government was promoted and continues to be supported by the Republican National Committee and by the Republican leadership of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
Republican leaders every day castigate Pres. Obama for trying to bloat government, but Republican leaders resolutely refuse to even suggest that the government reduce its importation of welfare-using immigrants.
Why?
The reason should be clear: Republican leaders may say they want to shrink Big Government, but not if it gets in the way of pleasing their cheap-labor corporate donors and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Two key drivers of the growth in welfare usage and bigger government are the chain migration and visa lottery categories of our immigration system.
Those two categories would be eliminated by the Gingrey bill and the Goodlatte bill (a couple of Republicans who are sincere in their concerns about the size of government and the burden on taxpayers).
Click on their names above to see if your U.S. Representative has signed on.
Not a single U.S. Senator -- Republican or Democrat -- has cared enough to even introduce a bill in that chamber.
But Republican leaders in Washington will not allow these immigration reductions or any other to be pushed to the top of their agenda. The word from the leaders is that Republicans are to ignore immigration altogether this year. The intent of the Republican leaders is to ensure that 23 million people continue to be added to the heavily welfare-using immigrant households each decade. That is one form of bigger government that the Republican leaders love.
"Dear Lord"
Dear Lord, this past year you have taken away my favorite actor, Patrick Swayze,
My favorite actress, Farah Fawcett,
My favorite musician, Michael Jackson,
My favorite sales man, Billy Mayes,
I just wanted to let you know that my favorite president is Obama....Amen
Hat Tip; Eric
My favorite actress, Farah Fawcett,
My favorite musician, Michael Jackson,
My favorite sales man, Billy Mayes,
I just wanted to let you know that my favorite president is Obama....Amen
Hat Tip; Eric
Former Virginia Gov. Douglas Wilder Calls for White House Staff Shake-Up
Former Democratic Virginia Gov. Douglas Wilder says if Barack Obama is to fulfill his promise of positive change in America, the president must "make some hard changes of his own" by replacing inexperienced members of his team with "others more capable of helping him govern."
In an editorial for Politico Tuesday, Wilder writes Obama's White House staff is made up of too many people left over from the campaign or from his time in Chicago. "Getting elected and getting things done for the people are two different jobs," Wilder writes, suggesting the president and his people haven't fully made the transition from campaign mode to governing.
Wilder, who endorsed Obama in 2008, goes on:
Shake-ups at the White House and at the top of the party are necessary if the president is to succeed and Democrats are going to turn around downward trending poll numbers and survive in November, Wilder writes.
In addition to replacing his staff, Wilder, the nation's first African-American governor, also urges the president to fine tune his message and focus on one major issue: jobs.
In an editorial for Politico Tuesday, Wilder writes Obama's White House staff is made up of too many people left over from the campaign or from his time in Chicago. "Getting elected and getting things done for the people are two different jobs," Wilder writes, suggesting the president and his people haven't fully made the transition from campaign mode to governing.
Wilder, who endorsed Obama in 2008, goes on:
Wilder places part of the blame for recent election losses in New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts squarely on one of his successors as governor: the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Tim Kaine. He calls on Kaine to step down as head of the DNC, saying it is "the wrong job for him."One problem is that they do not have sufficient experience at governing at the executive branch level. The deeper problem is that they are not listening to the people.
Hearing is one thing; listening is another.
Some are even questioning whether Obama has forgotten how he got elected and the promises he made to the people who elected him.
Don't take my word for any of this. Look at the clear message the American people have been sending at the polls these past few months.
Shake-ups at the White House and at the top of the party are necessary if the president is to succeed and Democrats are going to turn around downward trending poll numbers and survive in November, Wilder writes.
In addition to replacing his staff, Wilder, the nation's first African-American governor, also urges the president to fine tune his message and focus on one major issue: jobs.
"Unless changes are made at the top, by the top, when the time comes for voters to show how they really feel about Obama, his policies and the messages he sends directly or through the people around him, the president will discover that Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts were not just temporary aberrations but, rather, timely expressions of voters who always show that they are ahead of the politicians," Wilder writes.
Read the full editorial here.Wednesday, February 10, 2010
How About Some Hot Chocolate
Perfect for these wintry days
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. water
1 c. milk
a bit of vanilla, if desired and/or cinnamon
Combine cocoa, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Heat it on low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the paste from sticking to the pan. After about 1 to 2 minutes, add milk and vanilla. Mix it all together until it reaches your preferred temperature.
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