Delmarva Discovery Center... Stars, Soul, Rock and Roll Gala

Delmarva Discovery Center

Stars, Soul, Rock and Roll Gala

Saturday, September 6, 2014

6 pm – 10 pm

Delmarva’s Third Annual Social Extravaganza of the Year!

Waterfront Home of Mark & Leslie Reeves, Salisbury, Maryland

Tickets are $75/each or $700 for a table of ten.

Experience a night of tropical paradise!

This will be a fun, casual upscale rocking evening taking place on the scenic Wicomico River surrounded by waving palm trees where you will dance to the music from the 1970s, 80s, and 90s

with the striking sound of a highly popular dance band & more. 

Your ticket entitles you to a magnificent dinner including one free premium liquor drink ticket with a full bar available and an enjoyable evening.

A fundraiser for the Delmarva Discovery Center.

410-957-9933

www.delmarvaidscoverycenter.org

TIME MACHINE ... This Sunday's Preview

1996.. Power blackout hits Delmarva; 1920.. Somerset County might lead U.S. with this crop; 1955.. Pocomoke City's newspaper publishes 75th anniversary edition;  1912.. Big doings in Greenbackville; 1917.. Pa. jobs luring young men from Pocomoke;  1901.. Snow Hill woman is first female licensed to navigate lower Eastern Shore waters.

Although you may not find all of these items in a history book, they are a part of our local history and you can read more about it this Sunday right here at The Pocomoke Public Eye!

Do you have a local memory to share with PPE readers.. such as a big snow storm, a favorite school teacher, a local happening, something of interest your parents or grandparents told you about?  It can be just a line or two, or more if you wish. Send to  tkforppe@yahoo.com and watch for it on a future TIME MACHINE posting!

**Remembering JMMB**

NHTSA; Help us stop Buzzed Driving this Fourth of July

Driving buzzed can turn celebration into tragedy in an instant.  With July 4th approaching, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is reminding people of the cost of buzzed driving over the holiday. In 2012, 179 people were killed in crashes over the holiday period. Of those deaths, 44 percent were in crashes that involved alcohol. We’re asking for your support to remind everyone to plan ahead - to ensure their Fourth of July list includes not only fireworks at the park and hot dogs on the grill, but a sober ride home for themselves or their guests. The only red, white, and blue we want anyone to see this holiday should be from the fireworks, not from cops and ambulances. On July 2nd, we’re hosting a Twitter chat to discuss the dangers of buzzed driving in an easy to share way. We’re also posting tips on how to keep the roads sober and still enjoy the holiday. In order to get these messages out, however, we need you to join in the conversation. It’s easy to do. WHEN: July 2nd at 4pm ET WHERE: http://www.twitter.com/NHTSAgov, use hash tag #buzzeddriving HOW: Ask questions, retweet posts, and invite your followers. Use our sample tweets below to share with your followers: Join us and @NHTSAgov to learn how to safely enjoy the 4th of July holiday! Follow #buzzeddriving on 7/2 @ 4pmET. We’re joining @NHTSAgov to save lives this 4th of July. Help us: follow #buzzeddriving on 7/2 @ 4pmET. @NHTSAgov wants this 4th of July to be fun and safe, and so do we. Do you? Join us on 7/2 @ 4pmET, follow #buzzeddriving. Help us and @NHTSAgov keep the 4th of July safe with sober roads. Join #buzzeddriving on 7/2 @ 4pmET. Help us share the message this Fourth of July: Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving. There is no difference between the two. Forward this message on to friends, family, and followers and invite them to join us. Let’s make the Fourth of July a day of celebration and not a day of grief. Let’s put a stop to buzzed driving not just on the nation’s birthday, but every day. Get materials and more facts here. June 19, 2014 Additional Resources >> Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving >> Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over >> Impaired Driving Information at NHTSA.gov http://www.nhtsa.gov/Impaired

Hogan slams USPTO Redskins trademark cancellation

Ocean City, MD – June 18, 2014 – Campaigning at the Maryland State Firemen’s Association parade here, Larry Hogan slammed today’s decision by the US Patent and Trademark Office to cancel several of the Washington Redskins’ trademarks.  The GOP gubernatorial frontrunner is a native of Landover in Prince George’s County, home to the 82-year-old National Football League franchise.

According to Hogan, “Whether you’re a fan of the Redskins, the Ravens, or God forbid, the Cowboys; today's unprecedented action by the US Patent Trade & Trademark Office should offend anyone concerned about Constitutional limits on government power and free speech.  This matter should be decided by the Redskins and their fans without the politically-motivated interference of pandering state and federal politicians,” Hogan said.

 

Pocomoke Area Chamber of Commerce

Date Correction

  

Coastal Hospice Bereavement Group

Thu, June 26, 11am - 12pm

(Please note corrected date of 26th rather than 19th.)

Salem United Methodist Church, 500 2nd Street, Pocomoke

Coastal Hospice Bereavement Group will meet with Chaplain Bob Miller at Salem United Methodist Church. Open to the community.

Meets on 2nd and 4th Thursdays.

 

Pearl Harbor, What God Did That Day

Sent in by an astute reader, a very good read...enjoy

Really interesting, and I never knew this little bit of history:

Tour boats ferry people out to the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii every
thirty minutes. We just missed a ferry and had to wait thirty minutes.
I went into a small gift shop to kill time.

In the gift shop, I purchased a small book entitled, "Reflections on
Pearl Harbor " by Admiral Chester
Nimitz.

Sunday, December 7th, 1941--Admiral Chester Nimitz was attending an
afternoon concert in Washington D.C. He was paged and told there was a
phone call for him. When he answered, it was President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt on the phone.  Pearl Harbor had been attacked.  He told
Admiral Nimitz that he (Nimitz) would now be the Commander of the
Pacific Fleet.

Admiral Nimitz flew to Hawaii to assume command of the Pacific Fleet.
He landed at Pearl Harbor on Christmas Eve, 1941.

There was such a spirit of despair, dejection and defeat--you would
have thought the Japanese had already won the war.

On Christmas Day, 1941, Adm. Nim itz was given
a boat tour of the destruction wrought on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese.
Big sunken battleships and navy vessels cluttered the waters every
where you looked.

As the tour boat returned to dock, the young
helmsman of the boat asked, "Well Admiral, what do you think after
seeing all this destruction?" Admiral Nimitz's reply shocked everyone
within the sound of his voice.

Admiral Nimitz said, "The Japanese made three of the biggest mistakes
an attack force could ever make, or God was taking care of America.
Which do you think it was?"

Shocked and surprised, the young helmsman asked,
"What do mean by saying the Japanese made the three biggest mistakes an
attack force ever made?" Nimitz explained:

"Mistake number one: The Japanese attacked on Sunday morning.

"Nine out of every ten crewmen of those ships were
ashore on leave. If those same ships had been lured to sea and been
sunk, we would have lost 38,000 men instead of 3,800.

"Mistake number two: When the Japanese saw all those battleships lined
in a row, they got so carried away sinking those battleships, they
never once bombed our dry docks opposite those ships. If they had
destroyed our dry docks, we would have had to
tow every one of those ships to the mainland to be
repaired.

"As it is now, the ships are in shallow water and
can be raised. One tug can pull them over to the dry docks, and we can
have them repaired and at sea by the time we could have towed them to
the mainland . And I already have crews ashore anxious to man those
ships.

"Mistake number three: Every drop of fuel in the Pacific theater of war
is in top of the ground storage tanks five miles away over that hill.
One attack plane could have strafed those tanks and destroyed our fuel
supply.

"That's why I say the Japanese made three of the biggest mistakes an
attack force could make...or God was taking care of America."

I've never forgotten what I read in that little book. It is still an
inspiration as I reflect upon it. In jest, I might suggest that because
Admiral Nimitz was a Texan, born and raised in Fredericksburg, Texas -- he was a born optimist. But anyway you look at it--Admiral Nimitz was
able to see a silver lining in a situation and circumstance where
everyone else saw only despair and defeatism.

P resident Roosevelt had chosen the right man for the right job. We
desperately needed a leader that
could see silver linings in the midst of the clouds of dejection,
despair and defeat.

There is a reason that our national motto is, IN GOD WE TRUST.

Why have we forgotten?

4th Friday Art Stroll

Displaying June Flyer.pdf.

Downtown Pocomoke hosts 4th Friday Art Stroll

For Immediate Release

June 16, 2014

Pocomoke City –

On Friday, June 27, 2014 the Downtown Pocomoke Association and the City of Pocomoke will

host their monthly Fourth Friday Art Stroll in Downtown Pocomoke, beginning at 5:00pm and

ending at 8:00pm. The event will be held in the two blocks of Market Street between Front Street

and Second Street. This is another step in Pocomoke’s overall downtown revitalization effort.

Local artists and craftsmen will fill the sidewalks of Downtown Pocomoke City to sell their art,

including; paintings, photography, jewelry, home decor, fabric art, dog accessories and much

more! Local retail stores are encouraged to stay open until 8:00pm.

Visitors of the Art Stroll may enjoy live music by Dark Gold Jazz. Refreshments will be

available for purchase. Downtown restaurants will offer special discounts including an after-
stroll party at Riverside Grill, with specials on house wines and other beverages from 8:00pm to

close.

There will be a moon bounce for the kids and the Sturgis One Room School Museum will offer

sidewalk chalk art. The Costen House Museum and the Delmarva Discovery Center will provide

free admission during Art Stroll hours.

For more information please visit downtownpocomoke.com or visit our Facebook pages “4th

Friday” and “City of Pocomoke”.

In the event of rain the Art Stroll will be cancelled and will resume next month on July 25, 2014.

Karah Lacey

410-957-1333 x111

karah@cityofpocomoke.com

Larry Hogan’s “Changing Maryland” Bus Tour Returns to Ocean City for Maryland State Firemen’s Association Parade;

 GOP governor’s race frontrunner to also tour small businesses in Berlin.

.

Annapolis, MD – June 17, 2014 – On Wednesday, gubernatorial candidate Larry Hogan and running mate Boyd Rutherford return to Ocean City for the Maryland State Firemen’s Association Parade.  The visit to Worcester County is the second in as many weeks for the leading candidates in the Republican race for Maryland governor.

 The 15-day bus tour will span all 24 Maryland jurisdictions and include stops and events in several dozen communities.

B-Roll / Media Availability: Schedule may change, to confirm locations and times, please contact Hannah Marr (443) 935-3684

TUESDAY, JUNE 17

Ocean City, MD

10:45AM – 3:15PM – Maryland State Firemen’s Association Parade.  Parade starts at 1pm, prior to start, candidates Larry Hogan and running mate Boyd Rutherford will be meeting and greeting with voters at the staging area to the parade route.  The parade begins at 1PM and runs between 16^th and 30^th streets on Baltimore Avenue.

 

Contact:  Hannah Marr, (443) 935-3684.

 

Berlin, MD

3:45PM – 4:15PM – Meet and greet with voters and walking tour of Berlin.

 

 

#  #  #

To arrange interviews, b-roll or other information please contact Hannah Marr at (443) 935-3684 hmarr@hoganforgovernor.com or Adam Dubitsky at (240) 625-2683 adubitsky@hoganforgovernor.com.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hogan4Governor  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChangeMaryland

Authority: Hogan-Rutherford Campaign to Change Maryland.  John C. Wobensmith, Chairman

PPO Sgt. Robert Horseman Awarded

On August 26, 2013, a suspect was arrested and charged with Failure to Obey a Lawful Order and Disorderly Conduct. Upon arrival at the Pocomoke City Police Department for processing, the suspects handcuffs were removed in the cell area for fingerprinting purposes. At this time, the suspect unexpectedly charged at Sgt. Horseman who was working by himself and began choking him from behind, while punching and kicking him. The suspect was extremely combative and hostile; Sgt. Horseman made numerous unsuccessful attempts to activate his emergency button on his radio to alert other officers of his crisis. The suspect stated that he was going to kill Sgt. Horseman, while continually choking, kicking, punching and biting him. Beginning to lose consciousness from this violent onslaught, Sgt. Horseman was finally able to deploy his Taser with a shot to the suspects’ chest area, which yielded no relief from the attack.

The suspect continued his violent assault, which made its way from the cell area to the Processing Room hallway when Sgt. Horseman was finally able to activate his emergency button; Sgt. Horseman was unable to talk or yell for assistance due to the suspect having a strong chokehold on him from behind. Finally, Sgt. Horseman was able to maneuver his body to deploy departmental OC Spray. At this time additional officers responded for back up and the suspect was subdued.

Even after additional officers arrived on scene, the suspect was still extremely violent and combative. The entire assault on Sgt. Horseman lasted approximately 8 minutes and without his strong will to survive and his police training, he could have been killed. This event was videotaped through the in-house camera system. The video tape of this incident is now shown at all academy training classes to prepare recruits to the dangers of their job and to hopefully prevent this type of incident from becoming a reality to someone else.

Maryland Law Enforcement Officer, Inc. is proud to present Sgt. Robert Horseman with the Distinguished Service Award for 2014. Each year MLEO selects one (1) officer throughout the state of Maryland as their Distinguished Service Award recipient.
Sgt. Horseman received the below listed citations during the Awards Ceremony held in Baltimore, MD on June 11, 2014:
•Distinguished Service Award awarded by Maryland Law Enforcement Officer’s Inc.
•Governor’s Citation signed by Governor Martin O'Malley
•House of Senate Award signed by State Senator James Mathias
•House of Delegates Award signed by Delegate Michael McDermott
•Officer’s Award signed by the Mayor and City Council of Pocomoke City, Maryland

[SOURCE]

TIME MACHINE ... 2014, 1989, 1821, 1913, 1956, 1953, 1882.

(Reader Friendly Viewing Of News Archive/Historical Archive Material)


June, 2014- Remembering JMMB...

"Special people touch our lives in everything they do and leave us changed long after they are gone. 

The gifts they gave us can become a part of who we are..

A legacy of beauty which lives on."

-Author unknown.


August, 1989  
The Capital (Annapolis)

(Excerpts)

Worcester Co. tries to dry out  

SNOW HILL (AP) - Runoff from fierce storm gorged Worcester County streams and rivers yesterday, flooding downtown Snow Hill, closing or restricting traffic on 46 roads and hampering motorists from southern Delaware to near the Virginia line. 

A Snow Hill outfitter lent canoes to merchants who could not otherwise reach their shops near the Pocomoke River, which crested about six feet above its banks around 10:30 a.m.

Stale Highway Administration trucks escorted convoys of cars on U S. 113 between Snow Hill and Pocomoke City, pushing along those cars that sputtered to a halt in the pools and puddles. 

The Snow Hill sewage treatment plant was swamped as treated water being pumped out sloshed right back into holding ponds.

Worcester tow-truck operators were working overtime.

Rushing waters ate huge chunks out of several county roads. County officials issued an urgent plea for people to stop stealing "Road Closed" signs and electronic flashers, which disappeared Saturday night from 10 stretches of flooded highway. 

"I guess they're collectors' items," said Edward S. Cropper, Worcester County director of emergency services.

Cropper said it was too early to estimate the cost of property damage, and state and county highway officials also declined to predict how much the emergency road repairs would cost.

"We won't know for sure until all the water goes down and we can inspect all the bridges and get a true picture of the damage, " said John A. Yankus, the county's chief administrative officer. 

Shore residents seemed both stunned and fascinated by the cresting flood, spawned by a northeaster that pumped out about 10 inches of rain in six hours Friday night and Saturday morning.

"I lived through Hurricane Hazel, Hurricane Agnes and the March storm" that cut Ocean City off from Assateague Island in 1933, said Jean Holloway, assistant town manager in Snow Hill "I've never seen it like this. "

November, 1821
(Maryland State Archives)

SEC. 1. Be it enacted, by the General Assembly of Maryland, That from and after the passage of this act, all white male citizens residing in Worcester county, who are not assessed, or pay a tax, shall be liable to be summoned to labour upon the public roads of said county, in the same manner that taxable inhabitants are required to perform such labour by the act to which this is a supplement, except that they shall not be required to perform more than three days labour on said roads in any one year; Provided, that no female of any age, nor any male under twenty-one years of age, or over fifty years of age, shall be subject to such duty.

February, 1913
The Times-Dispatch (Richmond, Va.)

[Special to The Times-Dispatch.]

Onancock, Va., February 9.- Captain W. H. Lang has given oyster shells enough to shell all the streets of Accomac Courthouse. The money for placing the shells was contributed by a number of the enterprising citizens of the town. Shell roads are considered more durable and more satisfactory than stone roads in this part of Virginia.

April, 1956(Time Machine archive)

Jerry Miles was assigned by the Baltimore Orioles to the Thomson team in the Georgia State League.  The 18-year-old Parksley, Va. righthander was a standout pitcher on Pocomoke City's 1955 Central Shore League team.

Footnote: Miles was in an automobile accident during the winter of 1957 and he later requested the Orioles to place him on the voluntary retired list for the upcoming season.  No Information was found about his future activity in baseball.

May, 1953

The Delmarva Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad announced a Delmarva Day Baseball Excursion, originating in Pocomoke City, to a Philadelphia Phillies-Brooklyn Dodgers baseball game in Philadelphia.  Reduced fares, combination tickets, and coach lunch service would be available. The Sunday game was expected to be a sell-out.  The Phillies organization was setting aside 1200 seats for the Delmarva Excursion fans.  The baseball excursion would leave Pocomoke City at 725A.M. and arrive in North Philadelphia at 11:15A.M., with pick-up stops along the way.  The excursion would leave back for Delmarva from North Philadelphia 45 minutes after the end of the game.

April, 1882
(Peninsula Enterprise- Accomac)

A petition is being circulated by the mechanics (i.e. "Blue Collar" workers) of Onancock and vicinity, looking to the restriction of a day's labor to 10 hours.


Do you have a local memory to share with PPE readers.. such as a big snow storm, a favorite school teacher, a local happening, something of interest your parents or grandparents told you about?  It can be just a line or two, or more if you wish.   Send to  tkforppe@yahoo.com and watch for it on a future TIME MACHINE posting!

TIME MACHINE ... This Sunday's Preview.

1989.. Fierce storm hits lower Eastern Shore; 1821.. Worcester County citizen road labor required; 1913.. Oyster shells donated for Accomac streets; 1956.. Pocomoke player assigned to Orioles organization; 1953.. Special Pocomoke to Philadelphia baeball rail excursion; 1882.. Onancock workers petition for daily working hours limit.

Although you may not find all of these items in a history book, they are a part of our local history and you can read more about it this Sunday right here at The Pocomoke Public Eye!  


Do you have a local memory to share with PPE readers.. such as a big snow storm, a favorite school teacher, a local happening, something of interest your parents or grandparents told you about?  It can be just a line or two, or more if you wish. Send to  tkforppe@yahoo.com and watch for it on a future TIME MACHINE posting!

It Saddens Me to Have to Post This

 Very sad news, Brenda, JMMB our top publisher lost her battle with cancer.

She will be deeply missed by many, I know she enjoyed what she did here on this blog and really loved all the new friends that she made.

Chief Sewell, she especially loved you and what you do, she made the new PPD building her own and followed every nail, she enjoyed your books immensely and spoke of them often.

She loved The Downtown, Discovery Center, Pocomoke Chamber, anything and everything Pocomoke and the people of it.

We'll not forget how much she loved the Mud Hops either, Her Husband (Barry) has his own truck that she was so proud of and loved...

I know I'm leaving out a tremendous amount but in short, Brenda simply just loved life. She will be missed.  

We all made a good friend when we met Brenda and I know she will be deeply missed by her family friends and loved ones.

My condolences and prayers to all that knew and love her.

God Bless

Tom 

Larry Hogan comments on Fed Gov’t report that Maryland’s economy did not grow at all last year.

For Immediate Release:                                                                                     Contact: Adam Dubitsky

June 11, 2014                                                                                                       adubitsky@hoganforgovernor.com

                                                                                                                                O:(443)221-4450 x118 M: (202)247-0130

                                                                                                                               

Hogan: “It's time to end one-party rule and get Maryland’s economy moving again.”

Cambridge, MD – June 11, 2014 – While visiting struggling small businesses and voters in towns on Maryland’s Eastern Shore today, GOP gubernatorial frontrunner Larry Hogan commented on the US Commerce Department’s report that Maryland’s economy did not grow at all last year.

According to Hogan, “Today, the Federal Government confirmed what Marylanders have long known:  Our economy is dead in the water.  The tax and spend policies and mismanagement of the Martin O'Malley and Anthony Brown years have destroyed jobs and are driving residents and employers out of state.  It's time to end one-party rule and get Maryland’s economy moving again.”

Hogan’s tour through this hard hit region of the state is part of a two-week “Changing Maryland” bus tour that will take the Anne Arundel businessman through all 24 of Maryland’s jurisdictions.

Reference: http://touch.baltimoresun.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-80470351/

#   #   #

 

For more information and interviews contact Adam Dubitsky (240)625-2683 adubitsky@hoganforgovernor.com or visit www.hoganforgovernor.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hogan4Governor 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChangeMaryland

Authority: Hogan-Rutherford Committee to Change Maryland.  John C. Wobensmith, Treasurer

Intro To Golf Summer Camp

[SOURCE CLICK HERE]

Summer Trash Collection Schedule

Starting June 23, 2014, trash must be placed at curb by 6:30 a.m. for collection.

Pocomoke Cypress Festival Begins Today

The fun begins Wednesday June 11th and runs through Saturday June 14th. Rides, live entertainment, food, drinks and events for the entire family! Visit the website for a full schedule.

Hogan for Governor ADVISORY

For Immediate Release:                                                                     Contact: Adam Dubitsky

June 10, 2014                                                                                       adubitsky@hoganforgovernor.com

O: (443)221-4450 x118 M: (240)625-2683

 

“Changing Maryland” Bus Tour – Day 3 - Wednesday, June 11, 2014

GOP Gubernatorial frontrunner Larry Hogan’s “Changing Maryland” Bus Tour continues in Dorchester, Talbot, Queen Anne’s counties.  Stops scheduled in Vienna, Hurlock, Cambridge, Trappe, Easton, Centerville.

Annapolis, MD – June 10, 2014 – GOP gubernatorial frontrunner Larry Hogan’s “Changing Maryland” statewide bus tour enters day three with on Wednesday June 11 with visits to small businesses in Dorchester, Talbot and Queen Anne’s counties. Scheduled campaign events and whistle stops will take place in several communities. The 15-day bus tour will span all 24 Maryland jurisdictions and include stops and events in several dozen communities.

WEDNESDAY – JUNE 11

 

Vienna, MD 10:00AM – 10:20AM – Millie’s Road House - meet and greet

200 Middle Street, Vienna, MD 

 

Vienna, MD 10:25AM – 10:45 – Vienna Volunteer Fire Co. (tentative)

301 Old Ocean Gateway, Vienna, MD

 

Hurlock, MD 11:10AM – 11:35AM Suicide Bridge Restaurant – meet and greet and photo at park

6304 Suicide Bridge Road, Hurlock, MD

 

Cambridge, MD 12:00 – 12:25 Freedom House - tour and meet & greet with owner

1106 Locust Street Cambridge, MD

 

Cambridge, MD 12:55 – 1:20 High Spot Restaurant – meet & greet

305 High Street Cambridge, MD

 

Trappe, MD 1:35PM – 2:30 Hidden Gem Restaurant – lunch and meet & greet with owner

29350 Maple Avenue, Trappe, MD

 

Easton, MD  2:45 – 3:15 Easton Market Square - meet & greet

137 N. Harrison St, Easton, MD

 

Easton, MD 3:20 – 3:40 Albright’s – meet & greet with owner and staff

36 East Dover St, Easton, MD

 

Centerville, MD 4:10 – 4:40 Centerville Market – meet & greet

100 North Commerce Street, Centerville, MD

 

To arrange interviews, b-roll or other information please contact Hannah Marr at (443) 935-3684 hmarr@hoganforgovernor.com or Adam Dubitsky at (240) 625-2683 adubitsky@hoganforgovernor.com or visit www.hoganforgovernor.com.

 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hogan4Governor  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChangeMaryland

Authority: Hogan-Rutherford Campaign to Change Maryland.

TIME MACHINE ... Carl Sagan quote.

( A quote from the late astronomer Carl Sagan.. referencing earth appearing as a tiny unspectacular pale blue dot hardly noticeable in the vast universe surrounding it.)

“We succeeded in taking that picture from [deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideaologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.

The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitands of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity--in all this vastness-- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us... To my mind, there is perhaps no better demostration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.” 

― Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space

TIME MACHINE ... Napoleon-Eastern Shore Connection?

(Reader-friendly viewing of news archives material)

The first lines of a biography read "Napoleon Bonaparte was a military general who became the first emperor of France. His drive for military expansion changed the world."

A newspaper article published more than a hundred years ago reveals a possible Eastern Shore connection to Napoleon!

October, 1902
The Indianapolis Journal (Indianapolis, Ind.)

A BIT OF HISTORY.

How Napoleon Was to Be Brought from La Rochelle to Virginia.

Baltimore American.
The sale of the colonial silver and antique furniture in the old King mansion, three or four miles south of Princess Anne, Somerset county, Maryland, marks the severance of the present and the past in a stately old home where a century ago fashion and wealth reigned and where centered the political and social influence of the county. Piece by piece the land was sold, but the house, of solid brick, weathered the storm and stands to-day a monument to the past.

In the King house at the beginning of the last century, and for many years thereafter, lived Colonel King, a stately gentleman of the old school, with business and social connections in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington. Among his friends was Stephen Girard. Tradition has it that Colonel King had planned for the escape of Napoleon from France after the second fall of Paris, a disaster which he plainly foresaw.

Mr. Girard Is said to have informed Napoleon of his plan, which was to spirit him away to America. For this purpose the fastest clipper which Mr. Girard could procure was dispatched to La Rochelle, where Napoleon was to take passage. Bonaparte acceded to the plan, and after his abdication in Paris he hastened to La Rochelle to embark for America.

His enemies, however, were in hot pursuit and on the alert and when he reached the port he was alarmed to find the harbor filled with the ships of the allies. He realized the impossibility of reaching the clipper ship, and even if once on board he saw the futility of escape from the harbor. He did not long hesitate what to do.

He selected the British warship Bellerophon, then in the harbor, and went aboard committing himself, as he stated in a letter at the time, "to the protection of the laws of the most powerful, the most persevering and the most generous of his foes." He little realized at the time that he was surrendering himself into life captivity and that the barren island of St. Helena was to be his prison.

Mr. Guard's plan was to bring Napoleon to America and to land him on the coast of Accomac county, Virginia, whose numerous inlets and bays afforded a most desirable harbor for the ship. The residents of the interior were most hospitable and would gladly have aided Mr. Girard in the concealment of the deposed Emperor had such course been deemed necessary by developments in France or on the continent.

Mr. Girard selected the eastern shore of Virginia as an asylum for Bonaparte because the Philadelphian had once lived there, and because, knowing its people, he knew he could trust them. When the young Frenchman first arrived in America he settled In Accomac county, and it was thence that he removed to Philadelphia.

Communication was slow in those days. There were no steamships which crossed the ocean in a few days. There were no submarine cables. Weeks were required then, where only days now count, for a voyage from Europe to America. Colonel King had heard of the battle of Waterloo and of the overthrow of Napoleon, and when a rumor reached Princess Anne that Napoleon had landed on the coast of Accomac he believed Mr. Girard's plans had carried safely and that the greatest military genius of the age was in America.

The report of the landing seemed so well known that Colonel King concluded that secrecy had not been deemed a necessary precaution by Mr. Girard. It was also reported that Napoleon would visit Princess Anne. According to legend Colonel King ordered out the local militia, of which he was commander, and all preparations were made to march to the Virginia line, about fifteen miles distant, to meet Bonaparte.

In the absence of more specific information as to the movements of the French Emperor the march was not immediately begun. After waiting for several hours for news the citizen soldiers returned to their homes, fully prepared to be called together to essay forth to greet the great Frenchman. 

The story of the origin of the intimacy of Napoleon and Stephen Girard is an interesting one and is of sufficient explanation of the activity of the latter in providing means of escape for the Emperor. They first met while Mr. Girard was negotiating for America the loan by which France was paid for the territory of Louisiana, during the administration of President Jefferson. Then began the friendship which lasted throughout that long imprisonment of Napoleon on the solitary rock-bound island in the Atlantic and who can tell but that in those legends of the plots to rescue Napoleon from his dreary prison and to give the world another flash of his genius was Stephen Girard with his enormous wealth the chief actor?

Do you have a local memory to share with PPE readers.. such as a big snow storm, a favorite school teacher, a local happening, something of interest your parents or grandparents told you about?  It can be just a line or two, or more if you wish.   Send to  tkforppe@yahoo.com and watch for it on a future TIME MACHINE posting!

TIME MACHINE Preview.. Napoleon-Eastern Shore Connection?

The first lines of a biography read "Napoleon Bonaparte was a military general who became the first emperor of France. His drive for military expansion changed the world."

A newspaper article published more than a hundred years ago reveals a possible Eastern Shore connection to Napoleon!  Accomac County and Princess Anne are prominently mentioned in the article.

Read the intriguing story this Sunday right here at The Pocomoke Public Eye.

Do you have a local memory to share with PPE readers.. such as a big snow storm, a favorite school teacher, a local happening, something of interest your parents or grandparents told you about?  It can be just a line or two, or more if you wish. Send to  tkforppe@yahoo.com and watch for it on a future TIME MACHINE posting!

DEATH INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY IN SOMERSET CO.

(PRINCESS ANNE, MD) – Maryland State Police are investigating the death of a Somerset County man who was found dead in his apartment this morning by a friend who checked on him.  

The deceased is identified as Kevin M. Green, 34, of the 11000-block of Stewart Neck Road, Princess Anne, Md.  Green was pronounced dead at his residence.  

Shortly after 9:30 a.m. today, Maryland State Police criminal investigators responded to Green’s apartment to conduct an investigation into his death.  The preliminary investigation indicates a friend of Green’s went to the residence to check on him this morning.  Green had not been heard from since June 3rd and he had failed to report for classes yesterday at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, where he was a graduate student.  

When Green’s friend received no response at the door today, he forced entry into the apartment and found Green on his bed.  Emergency medical services personnel responded and determined Green was deceased.  

Investigators found no signs of foul play in the apartment and observed no obvious signs of trauma on Green’s body.  His body will be transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.  

The investigation is continuing.

Representative Scott Rigell Responds to Prisoner Swap

Washington, D.C. – Representative Scott Rigell (VA-02) released the following statement regarding the President's unlawful release of five Taliban fighters:

"Just as the nation was beginning to grasp the magnitude of ineptness at the Veterans Administration, President Obama’s unlawful release of five Taliban fighters to secure the return of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl has given Congress and the American people yet another reason to question his fitness to lead.

"While the release of an American was welcomed news, the President’s actions raise three serious concerns: 1) the President’s persistent refusal to subjugate his will to the law; 2) the ability of the released Taliban leaders to re-engage in the Taliban’s fanatical mission to find and kill Americans, and; 3) the circumstances leading to Sgt Bergdahl’s imprisonment by the Taliban.

"Though the nature of Sgt Bergdahl’s disappearance and capture merit a full investigation, the remaining two questions point to deep, systemic failures of the Obama Administration, of a further collapse of the values needed to govern properly, and of the core competency of the President himself. The law requiring that the President provide Congress with 30-days’ notice is unambiguous, and he broke it.

"If there is any hope for the remaining days of Obama’s presidency, he needs to draw from a far deeper well of wisdom. He needs to grasp the powerful truth that strict adherence to the Constitution is his sworn duty.

"The House Armed Services Committee, of which I am a member, will conduct a hearing on this next week, and we will fight to uphold our constitutional mandate to provide effective oversight."