Florida Pastor's Plan Could Harm Our Troops

A Florida pastor's plan to burn Qurans at his church on Sept. 11 ignited a protest today by hundreds of Afghans, who burned American flags and shouted "Death to America," and drew a comment from the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan that the preacher could be increasing the threat to his troops.

The crowd in downtown Kabul reached nearly 500 today, with Afghan protesters chanting "Long live Islam " and "Long live the Quran," and burning an effigy of Terry Jones, senior pastor from the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida who is planning the event.

The protesters were well aware of the pastor's inflammatory comments, such as the "Islam is an evil religion," since they have been spread wide on the Internet. Jones has also authored a book, "Islam Is of the Devil."

The protesters' anger wasn't limited to Jones, however. Chants of "Death to America" echoed through the crowd, and U.S. flags were set ablaze alongside the effigy of Jones.

"America cannot eliminate Muslims from the world," one Afghan man told ABC News.

The angry crowd pelted a passing U.S. military convoy with rocks.

Gen. David Petraeus said he is outraged by the pastor's decision to burn the Quran, which he said could "endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort here."

Former Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Jack Keane, an adviser to Petraeus, called it "outrageous" and "insulting to Muslims."

"It's also insulting to our soldiers in terms of what they stand for and what their commitment is to this country and to the Muslims in this country," Keane told ABC News.

But late today, Jones vowed he would go ahead with the Quran burning, even knowing the concerns of Petraeus and Keane for the safety of U.S. troops.

"What we are doing is long overdue. We are revealing the violence of Islam that is much, much deeper than we'd like to admit," Jones said in an interview with ABC News.

A Facebook page dedicated to the day, entitled "International Burn A Koran Day" has more than 8,000 fans.

"On September 11th, 2010, from 6pm - 9pm, we will burn the Koran on the property of Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, FL in remembrance of the fallen victims of 9/11 and to stand against the evil of Islam. Islam is of the devil!" the page declares.

Larger 'Burn a Quran' Protest in Kabul Could Happen Tuesday

Over a hundred other pages have sprung up for and against the event on Sept. 11, incidentally the same day as a Muslim holiday called Eid, celebrating the last day of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

www.abcnews.go.com

Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Despite the struggling economy, officials with the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon say contributions and pledges from this year's Labor Day event totaled $58.9 million.

The amount was down from nearly $60.5 million last year and a record $65 million in 2008. But Lewis says he's heartened by Americans' ability to help others in need even when they're struggling financially.

Lewis, national chairman of the Tucson-based Muscular Dystrophy Association, praised the progress the organization is making for people living with muscle diseases.

The 45th annual telethon originated for the fifth consecutive year from the South Point Hotel in Las Vegas and reached some 40 million viewers through 170 television stations.

Dozens of performers joined the 21-hour event, including Barry Manilow, Michael Feinstein, Carrot Top and Norm Crosby.

www.usatoday.com

Two Dolphins Wash Ashore

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) - A member of the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Team told WAVY.com two dolphins washed ashore Monday.

One of the dolphins was a badly decomposed bottlenose dolphin that washed ashore at 15th Bay in Ocean View, according to one of the team members. A necropsy will be performed on the dolphin, but team members say it could be weeks before the results are in.

The other was found in the water by 64th Street at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. Members of the stranding response team are currently on the scene and will bring the body back to the aquarium for a necropsy. Of course, those test results may also take time.

www.wavy.com

Back To School Time..........

School busses will be on the road today as the Virginia students start their first day back to class from their summer vacation. Please be on the look out for children waiting for the bus and children getting off the bus.

Drive with caution.

And for the teen that has spent the summer using your two thumbs and can text 60 words/half words per minute or has developed one ear larger than the other: PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY!

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE AND TEXT! OR TALK!! To do so may be hazzardous to your health and there is NOTHING that important that can not wait until you reach your destination.

Isn't it better to be a little late and have your friends a little mad when you meet them than to have them mad at you a whole lot for a lifetime because you are dead?

You know the deal........SO JUST DO IT! If you don't you're just plain STUPID!

Start your school year alive.

Skipjack Race Winner

The Rebecca T. Ruark with Capt. Wade H. Murphy won the 51st annual Labor Day Skipjack race.

Built in 1886, the Rebecca T. Ruark is the oldest working skipjack on the Chesapeake Bay.

The annual Skipjack race is a tradition held on Deal Island to honor watermen who have for many years dredged for oysters in the bay using the Skipjack.

Virginia School Hours

Summer vacation is over and tomorrow the students in the surrounding Virginia areas will venture back to class.

Please use caution when on the road tomorrow.

COUNTY SCHOOL TIMES

ACCOMAC -- Accomack County Public Schools has announced bus arrival and instructional day conclusion times for its schools for the 2010-2011 school year, which begins on Tuesday.

For Accawmacke, Kegotank, Metompkin and Pungoteague elementary schools, buses will arrive at school at 8 a.m. and the instructional day ends at 3:20 p.m.

For Chincoteague Elementary School, buses will arrive at school at 8:15 a.m. and the day ends at 3:30 p.m.

For Arcadia and Nandua high schools, buses will arrive at 7:45 a.m. and the instructional day ends at 3:18 p.m.

For Chincoteauge High School, buses will arrive at 7:40 a.m. and the instructional day ends at 3 p.m.

For Arcadia and Nandua middle schools, buses will arrive at 7:55 a.m. and the instructional day ends at 3:07 p.m.

Skip Jack Races Today

Enjoy Delmarva today.........

How wonderful it is to be from the Eastern Shore!

Thanks, Cindi ! Have a great time!

Cal Ripkin, Jr. And Orioles Celebrate Anniversary

Cal Ripken Jr. was never big on self-promotion as a Hall of Fame player for the Orioles and though his name is now attached to a stadium in Aberdeen, a street outside of Camden Yards and a youth baseball league, he is still not one to remind anyone of his greatest career achievement.

The 15th anniversary of that achievement — breaking Lou Gehrig's legendary streak of 2,130 straight games — was marked before Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays with Ripken, who recently turned 50, throwing a perfect strike from the pitcher's mound to Orioles utility player Jake Fox.

It was 15 years ago Monday that Ripken broke Gehrig's streak, Baltimore's Iron Man passing New York's Iron Horse.
"It seems like time has gone by really, really fast," Ripken told reporters in the press box after Sunday's ceremony. "I only realize it when I look at the age of my kids. In many other ways, it seems like the whole night that happened out here is just a couple of years ago. But 15 years? We all get old. Time goes by much faster when you leave the game then when you play it."

But the memories of that night against the California Angels , highlighted by Ripken's impromptu victory lap around the stadium high-fiving with fans, remain.

"I have a special memory, a special feel of it from inside my spikes," Ripken said. "It was a wonderful human moment, a wonderful family moment, a great baseball moment. But I guess the farther you get removed from it, in some ways it feels like maybe it wasn't you who did.
Though it seems doubtful that anyone will ever break Ripken's record, the man who played every game for 16 straight seasons in a 21-year career thinks it can be done.

"I sit inside my own shoes and say, 'If I can do it, certainly somebody else can'," Ripken said. "Somebody else can come along with grit and determination to go out and play every day. It's not much different playing 162 or playing 158 or 155. Looking back on it, the years went by fast and it was pretty remarkable that I was able to stay healthy."

What was also remarkable was how far Gehrig's record Ripken wound up going, playing in an additional 502 straight before stopping late in the 1998 season. Ripken retired in 2001.

"I think it was important for me to keep playing with the same attitude that I did coming into that record-breaking night," Ripken said. "I never set out to break the record. It wasn't my goal. I wasn't hopeful that it would be my identity. I thought it was the right way to approach the game. My Dad was there to enforce that sort of approach; you come to the ballpark; you're an everyday player and if the manager wants you to play, you play."

The late Cal Ripken Sr. remains very much a part of his son's life. As the famous son sat in the dugout with Orioles coach John Shelby before Sunday's game, an image of his father flashed on the big screen in centerfield, looking down as he did from a private box the night Gehrig's record was broken.

"I got a great charge of seeing him today," Ripken said.

Ripken admits that Buck Showalter's hiring as Orioles manager has strengthened his interest in his old team – and the possibility of becoming involved in an official capacity once the younger of his two children goes off to college. Ryan Ripken is a junior at Gilman. "Buck turns on my baseball brain," Ripken said. "I had a chance to sit and talk with him when he came up to Aberdeen to watch [Manny] Machado up there perform. Our conversations wouldn't be that interesting to other people. I always thought Buck was one of the best baseball guys I ever had a chance to talk to. I still have my timetable… and I still value the flexibility and the time that I have now, and you wouldn't have that if you came back to the big-league scene."

As befitting Ripken's style, Sunday's ceremony was brief, though he received a warm ovation from the crowd.

There was no victory lap this time.

"You can't recreate that moment that happened," Ripken said. "I was embarrassed to take the lap that night. I'd be extra embarrassed to take it even now."
www.baltimoresun.com

Frog Skins Might Cure Diseases

WASHINGTON - The cure for drug-resistant infections, like flesh-eating bacteria, may be coming. The silver bullet? Green skin.

There are compounds in frog skins that could be used to fight MRSA and other antibiotic-resistant diseases.

Dr. Michael Conlon recently told the American Chemical Society that biochemists at United Arab Emirates University have found a way to tweak the molecular structure of the strong natural antibiotics on frog skin that makes them less toxic to humans.

Researchers say they have identified and purified the chemical structure of about 200 substances -- a treasure trove of antibiotics just waiting to be used.

One has already been found to be effective against "Iraqi-bacter," a drug-resistant infection turning up in wounded soldiers returning home from Iraq.

Conlon says it's important to preserve the bio-diversity of frogs. He says scientists are just scratching the surface of the potential antibiotics that could be found in more than 6,000 species of frogs.

www.wtop.com

I wonder what Kermit is thinking about this?

Worcester County Sheriff, Who Will You Support?

I have been thinking about who to support for our 'new' sheriff with the upcoming election.

Overholt?

Mason?

Brittingham?

I was leaning toward Overholt as I have known him for a very long time and I really like him, he's a good guy with a lot of experience in law enforcement. There's one problem that arose for me that has disturbed me and sadly has caused me to not support him as our new sheriff.

Joe Albero of SBYNews conducted interviews with the candidates and while watching the interview of Overholt he says;

"The focus of my administration will be... drug related crime, gang related crime, and child sex crimes" 

Well that seamed really great to me and the interview was going well until Overholt said something that completely turned me off and he lost my vote with one simple statement which follows, Overholt went on to say;

"Of course if I have to chose one of those areas which is most serious it's gonna be drug related crimes" 

 WHAT! drug related crime is the "most serious" over a child sex crime? I don't think so Mr Overholt. I hope he will clear that statement up right here on this blog.

 Moving on I don't know anything about Mason except what is posted on his campaign website which really isn't more that the normal political rhetoric.

Then we have Bobby Brittingham another long time officer that has worked for the sheriffs office for almost as long as I can remember. He should know the sheriffs office better than anyone running, he should be more familiar with the officers in the department.

So far with what I have seen, heard, and researched Brittingham has the lead in my book. 

Please review the videos below, good luck to all the candidates.

Barack OBAMA, during his Cairo speech, said:

Barack OBAMA, during his Cairo speech,  said:
"I know, too, that Islam has always been a part
of  America 's story." AN AMERICAN CITIZEN'S RESPONSE:   Dear Mr. Obama:

 Were those Muslims that were in America when the Pilgrims
first landed?  Funny, I thought they were
Native American Indians.

  Were those Muslims that celebrated the first Thanksgiving
day?  Sorry again, those were Pilgrims and
Native American Indians.
   
 Can you show me one Muslim signature on the United
States Constitution?
 
 Declaration of Independence ?
 
 Bill of Rights?
  
Didn't think so.
  Did Muslims fight for this country's freedom from
England ?  No.
 
 Did Muslims fight during the Civil War to free the
slaves in America ?  No, they did not.  In fact, Muslims to this day are still the largest traffickers in human
slavery.  Your own half brother, a devout
Muslim, still advocates slavery himself, even
though Muslims of Arabic descent refer to black
Muslims as "pug nosed slaves."  Says a lot
of what the Muslim world really thinks of your
family's "rich Islamic heritage," doesn't it Mr.
Obama?

 Where were Muslims during the Civil Rights era of this
country?  Not present.

 There are no pictures or media accounts of Muslims walking side by side with Martin Luther King, Jr. or
helping to advance the cause of Civil Rights.

 Where were Muslims during this country's Woman's Suffrage era?  Again, not present.  In fact, devout Muslims demand that women are subservient
to men in the Islamic culture.  So much so,
that often they are beaten for not wearing the
'hajib' or for talking to a man who is not a
direct family member or their husband.

Yep, the Muslims are all for women's rights,
aren't they?  

Where were Muslims during World War II?  They were aligned with Adolf Hitler.  The Muslim grand mufti himself met with Adolf Hitler, reviewed the troops and accepted support from the Nazi's in killing Jews.

  Finally, Mr. Obama, where were Muslims on Sept. 11th, 2001?  If they weren't flying planes into
the World Trade Center , the Pentagon or a field
in Pennsylvania killing nearly 3,000 people on
our own soil, they were rejoicing in the Middle
East . 

No one can dispute the pictures shown from all parts of the Muslim world celebrating on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and other cable news networks that day.  Strangely, the very "moderate" Muslims who's asses you bent over backwards to kiss in Cairo , Egypt on June 4th were stone cold silent post 9-11.  

To many Americans, their silence has meant approval
for the acts of that day.

 And THAT, Mr. Obama, is the "rich heritage" Muslims have here in America . Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to mention the Barbary Pirates.  They were Muslim. And now we can add November 5, 2009 - the slaughter of American soldiers at Fort Hood by a Muslim major who is a doctor and a psychiatrist who was supposed to be counseling soldiers returning from battle in Iraq and Afghanistan .

 That, Mr. Obama is the "Muslim heritage" in America
. EVERY AMERICAN MUST READ THIS !!




Hat Tip; It's A Shore Thing Photography

Beat Whitey Night

Can you imagine the outcry if this situation were reversed? Where were the MSM on this? How about Al Sharpton and his band of fools?

US Government Tracking US Citizens Via. GPS Without Warrants

Government agents can sneak onto your property in the middle of the night, put a GPS device on the bottom of your car and keep track of everywhere you go. This doesn’t violate your Fourth Amendment rights, because you do not have any reasonable expectation of privacy in your own driveway — and no reasonable expectation that the government isn’t tracking your movements.

That is the bizarre — and scary — rule that now applies in California and eight other Western states. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which covers this vast jurisdiction, recently decided the government can monitor you in this way virtually anytime it wants — with no need for a search warrant. (See a TIME photoessay on Cannabis Culture.)

It is a dangerous decision — one that, as the dissenting judges warned, could turn America into the sort of totalitarian state imagined by George Orwell. It is particularly offensive because the judges added insult to injury with some shocking class bias: the little personal privacy that still exists, the court suggested, should belong mainly to the rich.

This case began in 2007, when Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents decided to monitor Juan Pineda-Moreno, an Oregon resident who they suspected was growing marijuana. They snuck onto his property in the middle of the night and found his Jeep in his driveway, a few feet from his trailer home. Then they attached a GPS tracking device to the vehicle’s underside.

After Pineda-Moreno challenged the DEA’s actions, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit ruled in January that it was all perfectly legal. More disturbingly, a larger group of judges on the circuit, who were subsequently asked to reconsider the ruling, decided this month to let it stand. (Pineda-Moreno has pleaded guilty conditionally to conspiracy to manufacture marijuana and manufacturing marijuana while appealing the denial of his motion to suppress evidence obtained with the help of GPS.)

In fact, the government violated Pineda-Moreno’s privacy rights in two different ways. For starters, the invasion of his driveway was wrong. The courts have long held that people have a reasonable expectation of privacy in their homes and in the “curtilage,” a fancy legal term for the area around the home. The government’s intrusion on property just a few feet away was clearly in this zone of privacy.
The judges veered into offensiveness when they explained why Pineda-Moreno’s driveway was not private. It was open to strangers, they said, such as delivery people and neighborhood children, who could wander across it uninvited. (See the misadventures of the CIA.)

Chief Judge Alex Kozinski, who dissented from this month’s decision refusing to reconsider the case, pointed out whose homes are not open to strangers: rich people’s. The court’s ruling, he said, means that people who protect their homes with electric gates, fences and security booths have a large protected zone of privacy around their homes. People who cannot afford such barriers have to put up with the government sneaking around at night.

Judge Kozinski is a leading conservative, appointed by President Ronald Reagan, but in his dissent he came across as a raging liberal. “There’s been much talk about diversity on the bench, but there’s one kind of diversity that doesn’t exist,” he wrote. “No truly poor people are appointed as federal judges, or as state judges for that matter.” The judges in the majority, he charged, were guilty of “cultural elitism.” (Read about one man’s efforts to escape the surveillance state.)

The court went on to make a second terrible decision about privacy: that once a GPS device has been planted, the government is free to use it to track people without getting a warrant. There is a major battle under way in the federal and state courts over this issue, and the stakes are high. After all, if government agents can track people with secretly planted GPS devices virtually anytime they want, without having to go to a court for a warrant, we are one step closer to a classic police state — with technology taking on the role of the KGB or the East German Stasi.

Fortunately, other courts are coming to a different conclusion from the Ninth Circuit’s — including the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. That court ruled, also this month, that tracking for an extended period of time with GPS is an invasion of privacy that requires a warrant. The issue is likely to end up in the Supreme Court.

In these highly partisan times, GPS monitoring is a subject that has both conservatives and liberals worried. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit’s pro-privacy ruling was unanimous — decided by judges appointed by Presidents Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Plenty of liberals have objected to this kind of spying, but it is the conservative Chief Judge Kozinski who has done so most passionately. “1984 may have come a bit later than predicted, but it’s here at last,” he lamented in his dissent. And invoking Orwell’s totalitarian dystopia where privacy is essentially nonexistent, he warned: “Some day, soon, we may wake up and find we’re living in Oceania.”

VIA: Our Tax Dollars at Work

Quote Of The Day............

Why Internet Debates Are So Awful................

"I have thought a lot about why people get so hostile online, and I have come to believe it is primarily because we live in a society with a hypertrophied sense of justice and an atrophied sense of humility and charity, to put the matter in terms of the classic virtues. ... In our online debates, we not only fail to cultivate charity and humility, we come to think of them as vices: forms of weakness that compromise our advocacy. And so we go forth to war with one another."

--Alan Jacobs, professor of English at Wheaton College, writing at Big Questions Online. (Via ArtsJournal.)

www.theatlanticwire.com

Quotation On The New Oval Office Rug Is Incorrect

(Sept. 5) – When President Barack Obama ponders big policy decisions, he might find inspiration from some of his favorite quotations inscribed on a new rug in the Oval Office.

The rug's perimeter is lined with sayings from Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy and Teddy Roosevelt. It also has a quote that Obama has described as his favorite from Martin Luther King, Jr.

Only it turns out – after the rug has already be sewn and laid down – that it's been incorrectly attributed to King.

AP

A saying on a new rug in the Oval Office is attributed to Martin Luther King Jr., but the quote actually came from an abolitionist minister from Massachusetts.

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice," is a phrase the civil rights leader used regularly. Obama even referred to it in his election victory speech in Chicago on Nov. 5, 2008.

But it turns out that whenever King used the phrase, he was actually echoing another speaker a century before him, whom he admired: the Massachusetts minister and abolitionist Theodore Parker, who in 1853 said, "I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one. . . . But from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice."
The quote has often been attributed to King, but it seems Obama, his biographer David Remnick and none of the White House decorators bothered to look into its historic origins or even do a quick search on Wikipedia – which has an entry listing Parker is the original author of the phrase.

The mistake was first reported by The Washington Post, and reporters raised it with White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton on Saturday. Burton stood by the attribution to King, saying that the civil rights leader uttered those exact words on Sept. 2, 1957, according to CNN.

Another of the quotes on the new Oval Office rug is from Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Gettysburg Address, in which the U.S. president referred to a "government of the people, by the people and for the people." It turns out that Lincoln, too, was paraphrasing Parker, who wrote in 1850 that a democracy is "a government of all the people, by all the people, for all the people."
www.aol.com

Adult Services Section Is Shut Down On Craigslist

(Sept. 4) – Craigslist, the classified ads website, took down its "adult services" section after criticism that it enabled prostitution.

The adult services section, which previously contained solicitations for sex, has been replaced on the Craigslist homepage with a sign saying "censored."

The section is still open for people browsing the Web from outside the United States, CNN reported.

Last week, attorneys general in 17 states wrote an open letter to the website's founder, Craig Newmark, and CEO Jim Buckmaster, urging them to permanently close the section.

"Ads for prostitution -- including ads trafficking children -- are rampant," the letter said, according to CNN.

Craigslist did not immediately respond to e-mails from AOL News seeking comment.

The adult services section has been a huge money-spinner for the classified site, even in a sluggish economy.

According to an April report by media consultancy the AIM Group, Craigslist's adult services section accounts for 30 percent of the site's total revenue -- an estimated $36.6 million in 2010.

The website "turns so much profit that it's a gold mine for its owners," Peter Zollman, founder of the AIM group, said on the company's website.

Still, Craigslist had faced biting criticism from a range of sources for openly advertising sexual services on an easily accessible site that is commonly used to rent out bedrooms and sell old furniture.

Frank Franklin II, AP

Attorneys general in 17 states recently wrote an open letter to Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, above, and CEO Jim Buckmaster, urging them to take down the "adult services" section.

The attorneys general highlighted a letter that appeared in the Washington Post in which two girls claimed that they were sold for sex on Craigslist.

Rep. Jackie Speier set up a House Judiciary Committee hearing to look at how websites such as Craigslist are used to "facilitate criminal activity," the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Speier claimed she had met with a minor who was pimped via Craigslist and forced to have sex as many as 10 times a night.

"It's a crime against these young women," Speier said.

Craigslist describes itself as having a "relatively non-commercial nature, public service mission, and non-corporate culture." Still, the company is a for-profit and has fought back against claims that it facilitates exploitation.

Founder Craig Newmark highlighted that the site has 50 million users, and that the crime rate was "very low."

"We just don't tolerate (illegal services)," Newmark told True/Slant in April.

Buckmaster, the company's CEO, also wrote a blog posting in which he said he hoped that the people behind the trafficking of the girls mentioned in the Washington Post were "behind bars."

Sympathy for Craigslist regarding the closure of its adult services seems muted. In a comment on an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, one poster dismissed their "self-righteous attitude."

"Whenever somebody dares to question them about anything they do, they get defensive and spout off about how virtuous they are," the commenter wrote. Craigslist "provides thieves and scammers with an online home, and enables a lot of unsavory activities."

www.aolnews.com

U.S. Muslims Boost Security For 9/11

NEW YORK (AP) - American Muslims are boosting security at mosques, seeking help from leaders of other faiths and airing ads underscoring their loyalty to the United States — all ahead of a 9/11 anniversary they fear could bring more trouble for their communities.

Their goal is not only to protect Muslims, but also to prevent them from retaliating if provoked. One Sept. 11 protest in New York against the proposed mosque near ground zero is expected to feature Geert Wilders, the aggressively anti-Islam Dutch lawmaker. The same day in Gainesville, Fla., the Dove World Outreach Center plans to burn copies of the Quran.

"We can expect crazy people out there will do things, but we don't want to create a hysteria," among Muslims, said Victor Begg of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan. "Americans, in general, they support pluralism. It's just that there's a lot of misinformation out there that has created confusion."

On Tuesday, the Islamic Society of North America will hold a summit of Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders in Washington "to address the growing tide of fear and intolerance" in the furor over the planned New York mosque.

Islamic centers in many cities are intensifying surveillance and keeping closer contact with law enforcement. Adding to Muslim concern is a fluke of the lunar calendar: Eid al-Fitr, a joyous holiday marking the end of Ramadan, will fall around Sept. 11 this year. Muslim leaders fear festivities could be misinterpreted as celebrating the 2001 terror strikes.

"We're telling everyone to keep their eyes open and report anything suspicious to authorities and call us," said Ramzy Kilic of the Tampa, Fla., chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations.

Other efforts around 9/11 aim to fight bigotry. Muslims will clean parks, feed the homeless, and give toys to sick children as part of Muslim Serve, a national campaign to demonstrate Islamic commitment to serving humanity.

Separately, groups are distributing ads to combat persistent suspicions about Islam. One spot, called "My Faith, My Voice," features American Muslims saying, "I don't want to take over this country."

Sept. 11 anniversaries have always been challenging for U.S. Muslims, who have been under scrutiny since the attacks. This year, the commemoration follows a stunning summer in which opposition to a planned Islamic community center near the World Trade Center site escalated into a national uproar over Islam, extremism and religious freedom.

Islamic centers as far away as Tennessee and California faced protests and vandalism. In western New York, police said a group of teenagers recently yelled obscenities, set off a car alarm and fired a shotgun during two nights of drive-by harassment at a small-town mosque near Lake Ontario.

Usama Shami, board chairman for the Islamic Community Center of Phoenix, said a new mosque the congregation has been building for years drew little attention until recently, when some resistance emerged in the neighborhood and from some in city government. Recently, vandals broke into the new building, spilled paint on the floor and broke expensive windows.

Shami believes the ground zero dispute is partly to blame for the trouble, along with passions unleashed by Arizona's strict new law that would require police to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they are in the country illegally.

"All of these issues came at the same time," Shami said. "When things like that happen, I think they bring out the worst in some people."

On Sept. 11 in Chicago, Zeenat Rahman, a 34-year-old native of the city, will visit a local nursing home with Muslim and non-Muslim friends to spend time with residents and help serve a meal.

"This is when people are going to look at our community, and when they do, what are they going to see?" said Rahman, a policy director for the Interfaith Youth Core, which promotes pluralism. "Sometimes, saying 'Islam means peace,' feels a little defensive and apologetic, whereas service is really core to our faith."

Unity Productions Foundation, a Washington-area group that specializes in films about Islam and Muslim Americans, will hold an interfaith talk on Sept. 11 at the Washington Jewish Community Center.

Speakers include Monem Salam, the subject of a Unity Productions film titled, "On a Wing and a Prayer: An American Muslim Learns to Fly." Unity recently launched groundzerodialogue.org, where visitors can view films and use them for community discussion about Islam in the U.S.

Salam, 38, of Bellingham, Wash., usually spends the Eid weekend with his wife and three young children, but said he persuaded his wife he had to participate in the event.

"I have to leave them and go across the country to answer questions about Islam," said Salam, a portfolio manager who was 4 years old when his family left Pakistan for the U.S. "It's unfortunate. It's the time that we live in."
www.wpri.com

Balloon Boy And Family Move From Colorado

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) - The family at the center of the balloon boy hoax has moved out of the house where the fateful trip began, leaving Colorado for Florida.

Richard and Mayumi Heene and their three boys have moved to Bradenton, Fla., where Richard Heene will continue working in construction, state court officials said.

The Heenes reported in October that their 6-year-old son had floated away in a homemade UFO-shaped helium balloon, touching off a scramble of dozens of emergency responders and two Colorado National Guard helicopters.

The boy wasn't on the balloon and was later found at his home in Fort Collins, about 60 miles north of Denver. Authorities accused the Heenes of staging a hoax to get publicity for reality TV shows they were trying to pitch.

Richard Heene pleaded guilty to a felony count of attempting to influence a public servant and served a 30-day jail term. Mayumi Heene pleaded guilty to filing a false report and served a 20-day jail term.

Jon Sarche, a spokesman for the State Court Administrator's Office, said the Heenes' probation has been transferred to Florida.

Terms of their probation include not selling their story or profiting from the saga until December 2013. They also must make regular monthly payments toward $36,000 in restitution ordered by the court.

The Heenes also were fined $8,000 by the Federal Aviation Administration for launching an aircraft that wandered into the path of planes at Denver International Airport, briefly forcing the closure of a runway.

The Larimer County sheriff's office and other agencies had sought $48,000 for responding to the Oct. 15 incident.

Richard and Mayumi Heene, and their sons, left Colorado Monday and arrived in Florida Thursday, Sarche said.

Television footage of the house they lived in just outside of Fort Collins showed the family left behind belongings including plates, tools, chairs and appliances.

www.wavy.com

Do You Know Your Kids' Facebook Friends?

In 2006, 13-year-old Megan Meier befriended a boy called “Josh” on MySpace. According to news reports, after engaging in friendly communication, Josh then ended his contacts with Megan, claiming she was mean and that “the world would be a better place without you.” Megan then hanged herself. Further investigation into the matter revealed that “Josh” was in fact a fake profile that had been created by neighbors who knew Megan.

The case was splashed across TV screens and newspapers as horrified parents across the country came to realize the potential dangers of social-networking websites, where impostors, predators and bullies can pose risks to their children.

"Nora,” a Toronto-based mother whose tween daughter is a Facebook user, explains that she closely monitors her daughter’s activities online and frequently checks her posts and friends’ lists. Even so, Nora says, “Kids can use the computers at their friends’ homes to go on Facebook, or even those at the library, at school or on their cell phones, so other than constantly checking their messages and posts, there’s not much you can do.”

Maria, the parent of a 13-year-old Facebook user, explains that social-networking is a “reality of life” for many tweens and teens, and it’s such an important communication tool that she believes schools should be responsible for teaching children about online safety. She draws parallels between parents’ disapproval of rock-and-roll 50 years ago and parents’ disapproval of social networking sites today: “The reality is, rock-and-roll was here to stay, and so are websites such as Facebook,” Maria says. The important thing is learning to set boundaries for your kids' online activities.

Safety programs for parents
In the great wide world of cyberspace, parents such as Maria and Nora need the reassurance that their children are conducting themselves safely online. Enter programs such as Net Nanny, SafeSocial.com and SafetyWeb.com, which allow parents to “watch” their children’s online activities and help prevent them from being exposed to inappropriate content.

SafeSocial, for example, monitors your child’s online friends by checking their information against several other websites to find out if a friend looks suspicious, or if, for example, the “friend” in question is actually an adult. In addition, SafeSocial scans the major social networks for posts involving your child that include trigger words like "drugs," "suicide" or "violence."

Net Nanny, on the other hand, is an Internet filter that can help prevent members of your family from being exposed to pornography or other content you deem inappropriate.

The importance of these programs is that they can alert parents to online predators, cyber-bullying or worrisome online discussions or activities in which a child is taking part.

Dangers of online activity
In addition to the dangers online predators pose, many parents also feel the need to monitor their children for other reasons as well. A Virginia parent we contacted says he closely monitors his son’s postings and online activities because “teenagers are impulsive….They often post tasteless or derogatory stuff about classmates, teachers and coaches. We've had to ask our son to remove some postings, usually complaints about teachers and their assignments. The second reason is security…It's critical to avoid posting information that identifies where you live or where you go to school, both in text and photos.”

He explains that his son had initially intended to write on his Facebook wall about where and when they were going on vacation, but his parents warned him not to because someone could read the post and find out that their house would be vacant.

Another reason to monitor kids online is because tweens and teens are frequently unaware of the consequences of their actions and statements. Maria recounts an incident in which her son joined the group “I hate Mrs. ‘X'” (the fictitious name of a school official). The school reprimanded her son and contacted the family to notify them that their son had joined a “hate group.” In another instance, her son who is on the football team was preparing for an upcoming game, and jokingly wrote on his Facebook wall that “We’re going to kill [the other team].” The post was then viewed by the parent of one of his Facebook contacts who interpreted it as a threat.

Taking necessary precautions
These examples drive home the point that most kids need some sort of supervision. In addition to talking to children about the realities of the online world, it’s also important to monitor their social-networking activities to avoid the possibility of potentially harmful interactions with strangers, or inappropriate discussions in which your child may be engaged.

SafeSocial: An Essential Tool for Parents

If your kids are active on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter or MySpace, the new AOL SafeSocial helps parents understand what their kids are doing on these sites without "friending" them or hovering over their shoulders. You can try it free*, after which it's only $9.99 per month.
• Know where your kids have social networking accounts
• Find out more about their online "friends"
• See photos your children have posted -- and ones in which they've been "tagged"
• Get alerted to posts that contain trigger words about drugs or violence



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VIA: AOL Discover

Ocean City Sunset This Evening

Please remember to drive safely during the holiday.

Missing Person Alex Arroyo-Flores Has Been Found

UPDATE

FROM Sgt. C. Wendlandt, Wicomico County Sheriff: Unfortunately on 09-4-10 Alex Arroyo-Flores’ body was found in the Rehobeth DE K-Mart shopping center in his car. His death is still under the investigation of the Delaware State Police.

The family would like to thank all those who offered their help, prayers and thoughts.

www.wboc.com

Let's hope that this is solved quickly!

Vehicle Found In Rehobeth Beach

DSP investigating a body found in a Silver Toyota Corolla with MD registration in the Rehoboth Beach Kmart.

The deceased male was found in the back seat of the car.

The car fits the same description as the car driven my a missing 21-year old Salisbury man.

www.wboc.com

US Cartoon of Mexican Flag Draws Ire

An American cartoonist's rendition of the Mexican flag is causing controversy south of the border, where Mexicans say it's offensive to taint their national symbol with images of drug violence.

Political cartoonist Daryl Cagle's drawing, which ran on the front page of several Mexican newspapers this week, shows what's normally a regal-looking eagle at the center of Mexico's flag riddled with bullets and bleeding. It's a reference to the drug wars that have riled Mexico and left more than 28,000 people dead there in less than four years.

"Editorial cartoonists look for readily recognizable metaphors and that's an obvious one for Mexico," Cagle told CNN.

But some Mexicans say they're offended by the cartoon. Like the American flag, Mexico's banner is a national symbol under which many soldiers and civilians have given their lives. They say Cagle overstepped his creative license in this case.

"It is a shame that a patriotic symbol like our flag, which is so beautiful to me, can be mocked by a stupid cartoonist," one angry reader complained to the Mexican newspaper El Universal. "I think there are many other ways to graphically protest what's happening in our country."

The Mexican Embassy in Washington weighed in on the issue, with a spokesman Ricardo Alday saying Thursday that Mexico "respects and defends freedom of speech and freedom of expression" but "differs" with Cagle "on the use he makes of the Mexican flag and the message it conveys."

In a letter to MSNBC.com, which employs Cagle, Alday said the cartoon "triggered a negative response from some sectors of Mexican public opinion."

On his blog, Cagle acknowledged that many people consider his cartoon "scandalous" and that it "struck a nerve with Mexican readers." He said he's received some "interesting, outraged emails" from readers.

"I think your idea of bringing the violence in Mexico to light is excellent. Too bad you butchered it along with the Mexican Flag," Ramon De Leon wrote on Cagle's blog comments section. "Laws in Mexico with regards to the use and depiction of the flag are in place to prevent this sort of stuff. Please consider taking it down and issuing an apology to the Mexican American community."

Cagle has not yet issued any apology, and newspapers continue to reprint his cartoon despite the controversy. The cartoonist also sought to defend his choice of material as a freedom that comes with his profession.

"National flags are common fodder for editorial cartoonists around the world, so the reaction to this cartoon was surprising to me," Cagle wrote.

Go HERE >>> to read more

~~STILL MISSING ~~

SALISBURY, Md. - Today marks one week since Alex Arroyo-Flores disappeared and everyone is searching every corner of the community, but volunteers have run into some roadblocks in their search.

Tears filled the eyes of family and friends of Alex Arroyo Flores. They joined police Friday afternoon to address the community.

Alex if you are watching please take a good look at your family and know that above all we love you we wish you the best and we would love to hear from you our life will never be the same until we see you or hear from you again," said Felipe Arroyo, his father.

With no evidence or even a location to search, the family is at their wits end and are asking the public to help them find Alex.
They say they can't cross private properties to search farms or local businesses.

With an extended holiday weekend upon us it would be great with extra time those individuals have off to spend 10 or 15 minutes searching their property," said Sheriff Mike Lewis of Wicomico County.

Police say they have used every resource possible, and now they are strongly encouraging land and homeowners to search their property thoroughly for any signs of Alex or his car.

The 21-year-old was last seen driving a 2007 Silver Toyota Corolla with Maryland tags 2-E-R-E-2-1.

Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Solver or the Sheriff's Office at 410-548-4891. http://www.wmdt.com/

Retribution is less than 2 months away!

Subject:Retribution is less than 2 months away!Take a look at this and just remember elections in November 2010.

* U..S. House & Senate have voted themselves $4,700 and $5,300 raises.

* They voted to NOT give you a S.S. Cost of living raise in  2010 and 2011.

* Your Medicare premiums will go up $285.60 for the 2-years * You will not get the 3% COLA: $660/yr.

* Your total 2-yr loss and cost is -$1,600 or -$3,200 for husband and wife.

* Over these same 2-years each Congress person will get $10,000 * Do you feel SCREWED?

* Will they have your cost of drugs - doctor fees - local taxes - food, etc., decrease?

* NO WAY.Congress received a raise and has better health and retirement benefits than you or I.?

Why should they care about you?? You never did anything about it in the past.? You obviously are too stupid or don't care.? Do you really think that Nancy, Harry, Chris, Charlie, Barney et al care about you?

Send the message to these individuals --- "YOU'RE FIRED!"In 2010 you will have a chance to get rid of the sitting Congress: up to 1/3 of the Senate and 100% of the House!Make sure you're still mad in November 2010 and remind their replacements not to screw-up.

Maybe it's time for Amendment 28 to the Constitution.."Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators or Representatives, and Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States .

"Let's get this passed around, folks - these people in Washington have brought this upon themselves! It's time for retribution. Let's take back Americ.


Hat Tip; Mrs. M.

The Arrogance of authority

DEA officer stops at a ranch in Texas, and talks with an old rancher. He tells the rancher, "I need to inspect your ranch for illegally grown drugs." The rancher says, "Okay , but don't go in that field over there," as he points out the location.

The DEA officer verbally explodes saying, " Mister,  I have the authority of the Federal Government with me."  Reaching into his rear pants pocket, he removes his badge and proudly displays it to the rancher.  "See this badge?  This badge means I am allowed to go wherever I wish.... On any land.  No questions asked or answers given.  Have I made myself clear?  Do you understand? "


The rancher nods politely, apologizes, and goes about his chores.


A short time later, the old rancher hears loud screams and sees the DEA officer running for his life chased by the rancher's big Santa Gertrudis bull......

With every step the bull is gaining ground on the officer, and it seems likely that he'll get gored  before he reaches safety.  The officer is clearly terrified. The rancher throws down his tools, runs to the fence and yells at the top of his lungs.....                 " Your badge. Show him your BADGE !"

Hat Tip; Eric

Amish Family With Newborn In Buggy Involved In Crash

PARKMAN TOWNSHIP, Ohio - When the driver of an SUV slammed into the back of a buggy in Geauga County Wednesday night, the impact ejected a pregnant Amish woman and several of her young children.

Barbara Kauffman suffered severe head injuries and was life-flighted to MetroHealth Medical Center, where doctors were able to deliver her child.

On Friday, a MetroHealth spokesperson said Barbara Kauffman is still in critical condition, but doctors have indicated her newborn baby boy is improving and is now in fair condition.

Troopers with the Ohio Highway Patrol said the driver who hit the buggy allegedly had drugs in her system.

Julie Pirtz, 31, of Warren, whose own infant daughter was in her SUV at the time of the collision, has been cited for operating a vehicle while under the influence, and for failing to keep a safe distance between her vehicle and the buggy.

"Anytime anyone is operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drug abuse, it's going to greatly diminish their fine motor skills and their ability to react, and their reactionary time, when they're operating a motor vehicle," OSP Sgt. George Biskup said. Meanwhile, Geauga County prosecutors say they plan to take the case to a grand jury and will seek additional charges against the driver of the SUV.

The criminal counts would reflect the injuries suffered by Barbara Kauffman and the other members of her family.

Troopers said the case illustrates the need for motorists to be cautious when they travel through Amish country.

"We encourage drivers, especially in the Amish communities, to slow down, be prepared for the unexpected basically, expect the unexpected," said Biskup.
www.fox8.com

Fundraiser Dance for Courtney Bloxom

Here's your chance to continue helping this young lady and her family.

Courtney Bloxom, a local teen and gradute of Arcadia High this past June but never got to attend her graduation. In May she was seriously injured in an auto accident and is still hospitalized and in a coma. While she is making wonderful progress daily more medical attention is needed.

Fundraiser Dance for the benefit of Courtney Bloxom

Moose Lodge in Belle Haven

September 4th, 2010 from 8:00 PM until midnight

Music by Karaoke Brian.

The price of admission is $10 per person.

There will also be a 50/50 raffle, tickets are $1 each, 6 for $5 or $10 for an arm length.

50% of the proceeds will go to Courtney Bloxom and 50% to the winner or the winner can donate the winnings back to Courtney.

Keep the tickets as there will be a door prize drawing throughout the night.

Come out and enjoy the fun and dance your heart out for a good cause.

Prayers are appreciated.

~~ SALE SATURDAY ~~

HUGE PORCELAIN DOLL SALE

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2010

8:00 A. M. or before Until

Cutler Court Road and Route 13 South

New Church, Virginia

(across from Bonnie's Bounty)

Many porcelain dolls from private collection

Various sizes and assortment of colors

Also an assortment of stuffed bears

Slightly used young men's shoes including white band shoes for marching and slightly used pair of baseball cleats.

Other items also

Ocean City This Afternoon

I suppose it is days like these that we should step back and pause for a moment

To remember just exactly how forceful Mother Nature can be, and to give thanks
to God that tomorrow will bring a new day with an ocean of calm..........

Thanks, Bro.