Family friendly and striving to be a worthy choice for your Internet browsing. Comments and material submissions welcome: tkforppe@yahoo.com . Pocomoke City-- an All American City And The Friendliest Town On The Eastern Shore.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Fun With a Cell Phone
Please help ban fox hunting in Colorado
The Bible Salesmen and Louie
A pastor concluded that his church was getting into very serious financial troubles. While checking the church storeroom, he discovered several cartons of new bibles that had never been opened and distributed.
So at his Sunday sermon, he asked for three volunteers from the congregation who would be willing to sell the bibles door-to-door for $10 each to raise the desperately needed money for the church.
Jack, Paul and Louie all raised their hands to volunteer for the task.
The minister knew that Jack and Paul earned their living as salesmen and were likely capable of selling some bibles. But he had serious doubts about Louie who was a local farmer, who had always kept to himself because he was embarrassed by his speech impediment. Poor Louis stuttered badly. But, not wanting to discourage Louis, the minister decided to let him try anyway.
He sent the three of them away with the back seat of their cars stacked with bibles. He asked them to meet with him and report the results of their door-to-door selling efforts the following Sunday.
Anxious to find out how successful they were, the minister immediately asked Jack, "Well, Jack, how did you make out selling our bibles last week?"
Proudly handing the reverend an envelope, Jack replied, "Using my sales prowess, I was able to sell 20 bibles, and here's the $200 I collected on behalf of the church."
"Fine job, Jack!" The minister said, vigorously shaking his hand. "You are indeed a fine salesman and the Church is indebted to you."
Turning to Paul, "And Paul, how many bibles did you sell for the Church last week?"
Paul, smiling and sticking out his chest, confidently replied, "I am a professional salesman. I sold 28 bibles on behalf of the church, and here's $280 I collected."
The minister responded, "That's absolutely splendid, Paul. You are truly a professional salesman and the church is indebted to you."
Apprehensively, the minister turned to Louie and said, "And Louie, did you manage to sell any bibles last week?" Louie silently offered the minister a large envelope.
The minister opened it and counted the contents. "What is this?" the minister exclaimed. "Louie, there's $3200 in here! Are you suggesting that you sold 320 bibles for the church, door to door, in just one week?"
Louie just nodded. "That's impossible!" both Jack and Paul said in unison. "We are professional salesmen, yet you claim to have sold 10 times as many bibles as we could."
"Yes, this does seem unlikely," the minister! agreed. "I think you'd better explain how you managed to accomplish this, Louie."
Louie shrugged. "I-I-I re-re-really do-do-don't kn-kn-know f-f-f-for sh-sh-sh-sure," he stammered.
Impatiently, Peter interrupted. "For crying out loud, Louie, just tell us what you said to them when they answered the door!"
"A-a-a-all I-I-I s-s-said wa-wa-was," Louis replied, "W-w-w-w-would y-y-y-you l-l-l-l-l-like t-t-to b-b-b-buy th-th-th-this b-b-b-b-bible f-f-for t-t-ten b-b-b-bucks ---o-o-o-or--- wo-wo-would yo-you j-j-j-just l-like m-m-me t-t-to st-st-stand h-h-here andr-r-r-r-r-read it t-to y-y-you??"
Something To Ponder..................
Got Milk???
Deep Snow Forces Md. Dairy Farms To Dump Milk
Some Maryland dairy farmers say last week's snow storm cost them hundreds of dollars when they were forced to dump milk.
Middletown-area farmers Jeremy Thompson and Glen Kinna told The Frederick News-Post on Tuesday that they each dumped thousands of pounds of milk because trucks couldn't get through the deep snow to pick it up.
They say cows must be milked twice a day. And once the farmers' tanks are full, they have no choice but to dump the excess.
Thompson also says he lost two cows when part of his barn collapsed under the weight of the snow.
Robert L. Hawkins VS Harvey Lynch For District 1
Hawkins says a win would be his last term
Pocomoke City Councilman Robert Hawkins is seeking one last term representing District 1, a seat he has held for 21 years.The incumbent candidate said a win in the April 6 election will likely mark the end of his political career in Pocomoke.
"I just enjoy the camaraderie with the council," Hawkins said. "We've been able to work together and get a lot of things done. I still feel that my health is good and I can help the people and the city."
His opponent is no stranger to city government, either.
Harvey Lynch, his challenger, spent three decades working for Pocomoke City maintenance and water before retiring in 1989. Now he wants to use that experience to lead the town.
"I worked for them for 30 years, so I might know a thing or two," Lynch said.
The Worcester County native said he has "done everything." Prior to his time running maintenance for the town and ensuring a safe water supply, he worked as a crabber, a truck driver, a trapper, a fisherman and served in the Merchant Marine. Now in retirement, he focuses much of his efforts on carving decoys and other birds out of blocks of tupelo gum wood.
Lynch, who has lived in Pocomoke since 1946, said he doesn't have specific plans for changes needed in town, choosing instead to emphasize that he would make decisions only after studying the issues.
"I'd have to get into whatever they are doing," he said. "You have to get into a group to know those things, to know what's going on, before you know what should happen."
For Hawkins, should he get another term serving Pocomoke, his focus will be on shoring up commercial ventures.
"I'm interested in getting small businesses and small industry instead of big industry," he said. "Because we had Birds Eye and Campbell's Soup, and when they left, that really hurt."
Bringing in more businesses would also help revive downtown, once the center of Pocomoke City life, Hawkins added.
"We are still trying to work on downtown Pocomoke," he said. "Like all small towns it's lost a lot of business."
VIA DelmarvaNow.com
Diane Downing VS Duane Bias for District 2 Seat
From The Daily Times;
Two newcomers to city politics are vying for the District 2 council seat, marking the first time in 24 years voters won't see an incumbent's name on the ballot.
Diane Downing and Duane Bias have filed to run for the position, held for nearly a quarter of a century by departing councilman Honiss Cane. Both candidates promise to bring new ideas to the town. And while this is each candidate's first run at elected office, both say they are familiar with how governments operate.
Downing, a Pocomoke City native, has worked for Worcester County government for 31 years. She was set to serve her second term on Pocomoke City's Board of Super-visors of Elect-ions, an appointed position, when the District 1 seat came up for election.
"It's available, so I thought, 'why not me?'" Downing said of running for office. "I love this city and I know about government."
"You have to have a love for people, patience, a love for helping people in different situations and go that extra mile to do everything you can to get some satisfaction for the citizens," she added. "That's what I've always loved and why I do what I do."
From her vantage point as a nearly life-long resident, Downing said one of the town's challenges is local crime.
"I look at the crime, and people breaking into houses, and that concerns me," she said. "We need to bring about some type of a deterrent -- neighborhood watches and get people watching out for others when they aren't around."
Downing also supports the creation of facilities and programs to keep kids busy. As a parent of two boys, that's a problem she knows all too well, she added.
"Because of the economy, there isn't a lot for young people to do," she said. "There are some things, but people may not have the money to do them. So we have to do something to keep these kids out of trouble."
Creating more opportunities for youth is something Bias, Downing's challenger, said he also supports.
"We need to try to find some activities for the kids in the summertime," Bias said. "Try to keep them busy and out of trouble and to give them a better education and life."
Bias, a Baltimore native, has spent 21 years in Pocomoke City.
"Pocomoke City is a nice quiet town," he said, adding that he originally moved here for a job. "It's friendly, it's a nice place to bring kids up. I love this town."
Married with one daughter -- a graduate of Pocomoke City's schools -- Bias worked for Worcester County Public Works before just recently taking a job as a correctional officer at the county jail.
He plans to reach out to community groups and churches to garner ideas on what needs changing in Pocomoke City. In particular, he said he will focus his efforts on cleaning up neighborhoods to make them safer for children and the elderly.
"I'm going to try and make it a nicer, better place for the whole town of Pocomoke so we can all come together as one," Bias said. "There are absolutely a lot of things I want to bring to the table."
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Crow Nation Throws Tea Party
David Axelrot isn't going to like this:
Calling for new tribal leadership and a break from the federal government, founders of the first Crow Indian Tea Party movement rallied Monday in Hardin [Montana].Leading the new Crow Nation Tea Party was Adrian Bird Sr., a former tribal chairman candidate who recently filed a civil complaint against the Crow executive branch alleging malfeasance for mismanaging tribal funds.Bird, his wife, Lavanna, and fellow Tea Party founder Karmelita Plains Bull Martin are seeking to impeach the tribe's four executives and take the Indian government in a different direction. … Bird said the tribe would be better off if it developed the natural resources on the reservation, lived by tribal laws and declined federal government assistance.
Don't these folks know that liberty, self-reliance, and fiscal responsibility are tools of the paleface oppressor? Comrade Obama just isn't getting the message out.
Document Reveals More Abortion, Sexual Abuse Violations at Planned Parenthood
A newly-obtained document from the Alabama health department finds even more violations at a Birmingham Planned Parenthood abortion center. The report finds nine cases of underage girls who were victims of statutory rape getting abortions in violation of the state's parental consent law.
The documented cases are so numerous that Lila Rose, the pro-life muckraker who exposed the problems in an undercover video, says Planned Parenthood's license should be revoked.
As LifeNews.com reported, the state health department placed the Planned Parenthood center on a one-year probation last week because of the violations.
Now, Rose's group, Live Action, has obtained a copy of the Alabama Department of Public Health's Statement of Deficiencies indicating it charged Planned Parenthood with additional violations.
The document, according to Rose, reveals nine of nine underage girls, aged 13 to 15, received abortions without proper verification of parental consent. Also, a 13-year-old girl went to the Planned Parenthood clinic for two different abortions within the span of four months. Rose says Planned Parenthood made no report of suspected abuse or neglect to the state as required by law.
According to Rose, the health department report says, "A reasonable person faced with that situation would have to suspect abuse…Neither the Registered Nurse, the Medical Doctor, nor any other Center staff reported the suspected abuse or neglect to the authorities as required by law."
Rose responds: "This is a shocking but sadly typical response from Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood looked the other way when a 15-year-old girl provided 'parental consent' by a woman with a different name and address. Birth records indicate the woman was not the girl’s mother."
Rose says the state health department should move beyond the probation to revoking Planned Parenthood's license.
"Planned Parenthood’s license should be revoked now, and the Health Department should begin an immediate investigation of Planned Parenthood’s second Alabama clinic in Mobile," Rose said. "Meanwhile, the Alabama legislature should make sure that not a single tax dollar is being funneled into these abortion clinics."
"It should shock and outrage Americans that the government rewards corruption at Planned Parenthood with hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. In fact, a whopping third of Planned Parenthood’s billion-dollar budget is subsidized by tax dollars," she continued.
She concludes: "It should also outrage us that out of five states our team of student journalists investigated, only the Alabama Health Department followed up with an audit and disciplinary action. What kind of sexual abuse cover up and other legal violations are commonplace in all the other clinics, and the hundreds of clinics we have yet to investigate?"
Rose portrayed a 14-year-old in the video that showed a staffer at Planned Parenthood telling a woman who appears to be a victim of statutory rape that "we bend the rules."
The Birmingham Planned Parenthood counselor tells Rose that it "does sometimes bend the rules a little bit" rather than report sexual abuse to state authorities.
In the video, Planned Parenthood staffers tell the alleged 14-year-old that she can skirt parental consent laws by getting someone "with the same last name" to sign off on the abortion in place of her parents.
When the clinic workers hear that the girl's "boyfriend" is 31, they refer her to the clinic director, Dr. Desiree Bates, telling her that Bates "does sometimes bend the rules a little bit."
After the video expose, the Planned Parenthood abortion business released a statement saying its staff normally act in a professional manner and promising an internal probe.
Stupid ALERT!! Propane torch used to melt ice, home catches fire
ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) - Authorities say a Montgomery County home caught fire after workers used a propane torch to clear ice from the roof.
County fire department spokesman Capt. Oscar Garcia says the blaze began Tuesday afternoon and firefighters found smoke and flames in the second floor and attic.
Garcia says one of the six workers was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. A housekeeper escaped from the home uninjured.
Crews had to dig out two nearby fire hydrants buried in the snow. Part of the roof also collapsed.
Garcia says officials are looking into whether the workers were licensed to do the work. He says damage is estimated at $1.5 million.
Authorities say they don't recommend using an open flame to clean off ice or snow from a roof.
Warning; Gmail Users
If you receive one of these emails report it to Google. DO NOT reply.
Below is an actual email of the platform they are using, this is the second one I have received in about a month.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear User,
Your email address needs verification for user safety. There is an on going email congestion due to anonymous registration of our service so we are shutting down some gmail email accounts and your account will automatically be deleted. Still interested in using our services please filling the space below for verification purpose by clicking the reply button.
User name: ...........................
Password: ............................
Date Of Birth ........................
Country: ................................
Your account will not be interrupted after following the instructions and your service will continue as normal. Thanks for your attention
Notice : Account owner that refuses to verify his/her email account after one week of receiving this notice will
lose his or her account permanently. We apologize for any inconveniences.
The Gmail Team
Student to Student Ambassador Is Chincoteague Teen
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
|
Two bills that would allow handgun owners to lock weapons in their cars and permit those with concealed carry permits to bring firearms into restaurants were approved in Virginia's Senate on Tuesday.
The bills that passed the Senate Tuesday were introduced by Sens. Jill Vogel of Fauquier, and Emmett Hanger Jr. of Augusta.
The bills would allow handgun owners to keep weapons
www.shoredailynews.com
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Every Man For Himself
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
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.
Roof Collapses On Amish Cow Barn
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
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!!!!
"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
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
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
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?
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
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
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
|
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. |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
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
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 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
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
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.
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
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??"