Saturday, February 20, 2010

More spam from Kratovil

WHAAAAAAAT???? Did he say he is a moderate? Whaaaaaahahahaha

Ya see, the trouble with "partisanship" in the eyes of a liberal is that if you do not agree with their agenda 100% they say you're "partisan" if by chance a conservative does agree, that agreement must be a total agreement or they are labeled by the left as "partisan". It's real simple. The leftist way or the highway!


February 19, 2010

Friends - I want to pass along the following OPED that was published this morning in the Cecil Whig. It expresses the concerns and frustrations I have had with the hyper partisanship in Washington, DC over the last year. If you have any comments or questions please feel free to contact my office.

With warm regards,


Rep. Frank M. Kratovil, Jr.

Bipartisanship vital now more than ever

Published: Friday, February 19, 2010

On Presidents Day, we learned that two-term senator from Indiana, Evan Bayh, was the next in a line of senior members of Congress who have announced that they are not seeking re-election. Bayh cited the lack of bi-partisanship on Capitol Hill as his reason for retirement, saying “there is too much partisanship and not enough progress — too much narrow ideology and not enough practical problem-solving.”

Since coming to Congress a little over a year ago I have been confronted with the same frustrations and have been searching to find consensus among my colleagues in a more and more contentious environment.

Bayh’s retirement strikes a particular chord among moderates like me. Bayh was known as a legislator who was willing to cross party lines and put principle before politics.

In trying times we need more men and women of similar character in Congress; but instead the system has forced a good deal of them to throw up their hands and give way to the more extremist factions of both parties.

In our history as a nation we have had the most success when we have legislated from the middle. The best ideas get their start with compromise and a willingness to negotiate across the aisle, not through the political bickering that only leads to entrenched ideologies where anyone’s success equals another’s political failure.

Many who have made bi-partisanship the hallmarks of their career, have ultimately lost faith in a system that seemingly rewards partisanship and favors those who fail to compromise. After more than a year in Congress I believe that we can change this failing system and bring back the type of government that the American people want and deserve.

One area where this change can begin is budget reform. We agree that as a nation we can no longer afford to spend money that we do not have. For the sake of future generations we need to make the tough choices that American families are faced with every day. Neither party has a monopoly on good ideas, so instead of political posturing we need to come to the table and figure out a way to reform the budget process so that debt and deficits no longer threaten everything from our economy to our national security.

In my short tenure, I have tried to work with colleagues from both sides of the aisle and fought for initiatives that would encourage more openness, cooperation, and bipartisanship in Congress.

I remain dedicated to governing with the independent spirit that my constituents deserve and will continue to seek compromise and consensus while urging colleagues to do the same. If we can do this then we can make the changes to our system that will once again welcome legislators of good conscience who seek to put politics aside and move our country in the right direction.

U.S. Rep. Frank M. Kratovil Jr. is the congressman from Maryland’s 1st District.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper's cemetery in the state state of Kentucky back-country.

As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost; and being a typical man I didn't stop for directions. I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch. I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late.

I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn't know what else to do, so I started to play. The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I've never played before for this homeless man. And as I played 'Amazing Grace ‘the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together.



When I finished I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full. As I was opening the door to my car, I heard one of the worker say, "I never seen nothin' like that before and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years."

Hat Tip; ShorethingPhoto

Maryland Assault Weapons Ban of 2010 Withdrawn

Congratulations folks! Your sustained efforts at making your voices heard have resulted in the sponsor of SB516, Senator Lenett, withdrawing the bill as of Tuesday.

We know from first hand knowledge that the incredible pressure, to the tune of several hundred emails and calls a day, brought to bear upon the sponsor of this bill was responsible for the sponsor pulling it.

We have just a little time to pat ourselves on the back for a job well done, but we mustn’t be complacent and believe that the rest of the session will be as easy. Keep up the great work and put down the other bills that we oppose and voice your support for the others. Remember, we are only as effective as the sum effort of our individual members.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SB516 – Maryland Assault Weapons Ban of 2010 Withdrawn

Maryland – -(AmmoLand.com)- Congratulations folks! Your sustained efforts at making your voices heard have resulted in the sponsor of SB516, Senator Lenett, withdrawing the bill as of Tuesday.

We know from first hand knowledge that the incredible pressure, to the tune of several hundred emails and calls a day, brought to bear upon the sponsor of this bill was responsible for the sponsor pulling it.

We have just a little time to pat ourselves on the back for a job well done, but we mustn’t be complacent and believe that the rest of the session will be as easy. Keep up the great work and put down the other bills that we oppose and voice your support for the others. Remember, we are only as effective as the sum effort of our individual members.

What are they really trying to do?
We have to wonder if these high profile bills that are garnering our community’s attention are not a distraction on two fronts. First, they are trying to dilute our efforts on the shall issue and civil immunity bills. Secondly, we think that the AWB and Gun Owner Licensing bills are feints to cover their real intentions which are to pass bills that will make it more difficult for dealers to stay in business, create a registration list of all firearms sold in Maryland and to pass legislation that will ultimately develop into the ammunition logs that we defeated last year.

If you compare the language of SB167 with some of the language contained in HB820/SB645, you will see that it is nearly identical with regards to the record keeping requirements. It is important that we continue to exert our influence on all of the bills below.

March 2

  • HB776 Criminal Law – Home Invasion Crime of Violence – Support

March 11

  • HB354 Public Safety – Possession of Ammunition for Firearms – Penalties – Oppose - backdoor justification for the ammunition logs from HB1446 last year.
  • HB683 Public Safety – Handgun Permits – Repeal of Finding Requirement – Strongly Support – Repeals the “good and substantial” clause for the issuance of permits to carry a handgun.
  • HB820 Firearm Safety Act of 2010 – Strongly Oppose – We covered our analysis of this bill here.
  • HB893 Public Safety – Handgun Permits – Victims of Domestic Violence – Support
  • HB905 Criminal Law – Prohibitions on Wearing, Carrying, or Transporting Firearms – Exceptions – Support
  • SB44 Criminal Law – Use of Firearm in the Commission of a Crime of Violence or a Felony – Oppose
  • SB167 Regulated Firearms – Application for Dealer’s License – Record-Keeping and Reporting Requirements – Strongly Oppose – our response was covered here.
  • SB191 Weapon-Free Higher Education Zones – Oppose – our response was covered here.
  • SB274 Criminal Law – Violation of Restriction Against Possession of Firearms – Penalties – No position at this time
  • SB563 Public Safety – Possession of Ammunition for Firearms – Penalties – Oppose - backdoor justification for the ammunition logs from HB1446 last year.
  • SB645 Firearm Safety Act of 2010 – Strongly Oppose – We covered our analysis of this bill here.
  • SB743 Criminal Law – Handguns – Transport in Motor Vehicle by Nonresident – No position at this time
  • SB842 Regulated Firearms – License Issued by Another State to Current or Former Member of the Armed Forces – Reciprocity – Support
Maryland Shall Issue.org
P.O. Box 314
Libertytown, MD
21762-0314
ph. 240-446-6782

About:
Maryland Shall Issue is an all volunteer, non-partisan effort dedicated to the preservation and advancement of all gunowners’ rights in Maryland, with a primary goal of CCW reform to allow all law-abiding citizens the right to carry a concealed weapon; and to the education of the community to the awareness that ’shall issue’ laws have, in all cases, resulted in decreased rates of violent crime.” Visit: www.marylandshallissue.org

Distributed to you by - AmmoLand.com – The Shooting Sports News source.



Grandpaw, His Lawyer, and the IRS

The IRS decides to audit Grandpa, and summons him to the IRS office.

The IRS auditor was not surprised when Grandpa showed up with his attorney.

The auditor said, 'Well, sir, you have an extravagant lifestyle and no full-time employment, Which you explain by saying that you win money gambling.. I'm not sure the IRS finds that believable.'

I'm a great gambler, and I can prove it,' says Grandpa. 'How about a demonstration?'

The auditor thinks for a moment and said, 'Okay. Go ahead.'

Grandpa says, 'I'll bet you a thousand dollars that I can bite my own eye.'

The auditor thinks a moment and says, 'It's a bet.'

Grandpa removes his glass eye and bites it. The auditor's jaw drops.

Grandpa says, 'Now, I'll bet you two thousand dollars that I can bite my other eye.'

Now the auditor can tell Grandpa isn't blind, so he takes the bet.

Grandpa removes his dentures and bites his good eye.

The stunned auditor now realizes he has wagered and lost three grand, with Grandpa's attorney as a witness. He starts to get nervous.

'Want to go double or nothing?' Grandpa asks 'I'll bet you six thousand dollars that I can stand on one side of your desk, and pee into that wastebasket on the other side, and never get a drop anywhere in between.'

The auditor, twice burned, is cautious now, but he looks carefully and decides there's no way this old guy could possibly manage that stunt, so he agrees again.

Grandpa stands beside the desk and unzips his pants, but although he strains mightily, he can't make the stream reach the wastebasket on the other side, so he pretty much urinates all over the auditor's desk.

The auditor leaps with joy, realizing that he has just turned a major loss into a huge win.

But Grandpa's own attorney moans and puts his head in his hands.

'Are you okay?' the auditor asks.

'Not really,' says the attorney. 'This morning, when Grandpa told me he'd been summoned for an audit, he bet me twenty-five thousand dollars that he could come in here and piss all over your desk and that you'd be happy about it!'

Hat Tip; Shorethingphoto

Picture For Today

.


"Drowned" Man Found Alive




This man was a boat captain and an accomplished scuba diver who just conveniently "drowned" 2 weeks before a hearing on a probation violation

Maryland State police say a fugitive reported missing after he fell from a boat in the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia has been arrested in Texas.

Fifty-eight-year-old Larry Deffenbaugh of Dunkirk was arrested Tuesday in Baytown, Texas. He is being held in the Harris County jail awaiting extradition to Maryland.

Troopers say Deffenbaugh fell overboard while on a boat with his brother on May 10 in the bay near Virginia Beach. He vanished two days before a hearing on a probation violation in Calvert County.

Deffenbaugh has been convicted of theft for bilking more than 500 people out of cemetery services. He was the former owner of Southern Memorial Gardens.

The TV show "America's Most Wanted" broadcast a segment about Deffenbaugh on Saturday, generating a tip leading to his arrest.

www.shoredailynews.com


Read the whole story at:

www.washingtonpost.com

Mar-va Theater on Saturday

This is unbelievable! The Maryland Ballet Company in Pocomoke! And the feature ballet is The Beauty and the Beast!


If you have never seen the Maryland Ballet Company I can tell you that you are in for a wonderful treat.

We don't have any small children in our household any more so the only little ones I see are when my family gets together. My little great-niece and great-nephew keep me up to date with the "newest" in their world. My little great-niece has a portable DVD player that is her "best friend" and on occasion she shares it with me and her cousin. I know all about Belle because my great-niece loves her and I also know about that ugly beast because the beast makes my great-nephew giggle.

This will be delightful and spectacular! This will be a ballet and story that everyone small and everyone big (but small in heart) should see. I am sure of that.

OH, if you have a little girl that dreams of Belle and has one of her dresses I hope she gets to wear it.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

2:00 PM & 7:00 PM

Admission: $3.00

Thursday, February 18, 2010

ACCOMACK COUNTY SCHOOLS





Accomack County Schools Reduce Spring Break




Pilot in Austin Crash Tied to Anti-IRS Screed

The pilot who slammed a small plane into an office building in Austin, Texas, this morning was tentatively identified as 53-year-old Joseph A. Stack, a software engineer who harbored a bitter grudge against the Internal Revenue Service and apparently authored an anti-government rant posted on the Internet.

The single-engine Piper Cherokee crashed into the seven-story building just before 10 a.m., sparking a deafening explosion. Flames shot out of the building as employees ran for safety.

It was "a deliberate and intentional act on a federal building," Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, told a late-afternoon news conference.

Two men were injured and the Austin American-Statesman said this evening that two bodies had been recovered at the site. Earlier, officials said one federal employee was not accounted for and the pilot was presumed dead.

Although authorities said they would need forensic information for positive identification, the FBI said the pilot is believed to be Stack.

The building housed an office were about 200 IRS employees worked, according to The Associated Press. A long, rambling anti-government rant posted on the Internet was dated today and signed "Joe Stack (1956 - 2010)."'

PICTURES: CLICK HERE

The online manifesto, which was later taken down at the request of the FBI, berated the government, the justice system and the Federal Aviation Administration, but especially the IRS and the tax system.

"How can any rational individual explain that white elephant conundrum in the middle of our tax system and, indeed, our entire legal system? Here we have a system that is, by far, too complicated for the brightest of the master scholars to understand," the statement said.

Authorities said Stack apparently set his own home on fire before going to Georgetown Municipal Airport, north of Austin, and embarking on his suicide mission.

A federal official told the Austin American-Statesman that the plane was registered to Joseph Andrew Stack. A neighbor of Stack's called 911 around 8 a.m. after hearing an explosion and seeing the house go up in flames. The plane crashed into the Echelon Building two hours later.

Authorities stressed that the pilot's bizarre actions were an isolated criminal attack, not part of a terror plot. But workers in the office building said they thought a bomb had gone off.

"It felt like a bomb blew off," Peggy Walker, an IRS revenue officer who was sitting at her desk in the building when the plane crashed, told the AP. "The ceiling caved in and windows blew in. We got up and ran."

In the online manifesto, the author wrote that adding his "body to the count" will ensure that people will take notice of the incident.

"I can only hope that the numbers quickly get too big to be white-washed and ignored that the American zombies wake up and revolt," the author said. "Sadly, though I spent my entire life trying to believe it wasn't so, but violence not only is the answer, it is the only answer."

VIA

Man Dies After 10 Calls to 911 Over Two Days

It took 10 calls to 911 and almost 30 hours for paramedics to reach Curtis Mitchell. But by the time they made it to his Hazelwood, Pa., home, he was dead.

"I sat up here with him, watching him die," Mitchell's longtime girlfriend, Sharon Edge, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "They didn't do their jobs like they were supposed to."

Pittsburgh officials, including Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, apologized to Mitchell's family and have enacted a new policy for responding to emergency calls.

"We should have gotten there," Public Safety Director Michael Huss told members of the local media. "It's that simple."

So why didn't they?

The Pittsburgh area was buried in 2 feet of snow when Mitchell, 50, began calling emergency dispatchers around 2 a.m. on Feb. 6. In his first 911 call, he complained that his "entire stomach was in pain," according to a report by Dr. Ron Roth, medical director for Pittsburgh's Public Safety Department. His symptoms were judged to be non-life-threatening.

After two hours passed without paramedics showing up, Mitchell placed a second call, learning an ambulance was stuck in the snow near a local bridge. He was asked if he could walk four blocks to meet the ambulance, but he said his pain was too severe. The call was canceled.

After another hour and another call from Mitchell, a second ambulance got stuck at the same bridge, its crew unaware that it was the second group to attempt to reach Mitchell, as the call histories were not noted by dispatchers. First-responders again asked Mitchell to come to them, according to Roth's report.

"If he wants a ride to the hospital, he is just going to have to come down to the truck," a medic told the dispatcher.

Mitchell's call was canceled for the second time.

Over the next 10 hours, Mitchell's symptoms intensified along with the number of calls to 911 from across the snowed-in Pittsburgh area. Limited availability became a factor in reaching Mitchell, who eventually was unable to call for help himself. Edge took over, telling dispatchers her boyfriend was suffering shortness of breath after a full day of contacting medics for care.

In a late call, Edge said she "could not get him up" after he took sleep and pain medications. Roth's report said a doctor who spoke with Edge was convinced Mitchell had taken prescribed pills and gone to sleep. Mitchell and Edge had made calls from 11:17 a.m. through 9:15 p.m on Feb. 6.

The final 911 call from the Mitchell home came at 8 a.m. Feb. 7. Edge was screaming; Mitchell was non-responsive and cold. Paramedics finally arrived, but it was too late.

The cause of Mitchell's death has not been determined yet, as toxicology reports are pending, according to the Post-Gazette.

Ravenstahl called the handling of Mitchell's situation "unacceptable," promising that EMS protocol would be changed to take note of a caller's history. He is weighing disciplinary action against the ambulance crew.

There are apologies, but Edge told Pittsburgh's WPXI-TV she can't accept them.

"Someone should be held responsible. The paramedic or the city," she said. "Someone has to be held responsible."

VIA

Flying Cars Are On Their Way, Are You Ready?

Government Funded Programs Want Air/Land Vehicles



In a project straight out of Star Wars -- or maybe an April Fool’s edition of Popular Mechanics -- the U.S. Defense Department is working on a flying car that can carry four soldiers into combat.

This machine is supposed to take off and land vertically, fly at speeds up to 120 knots, drive on roads up to 80 mph, and go off-road up to 30 mph. It must be simple enough for any Marine to fly, it must be quiet, and it must carry enough fuel to stay aloft for two hours.

They’re calling this machine the Transformer.

It’s easy enough to make fun of something like this. But the agency in charge is DARPA -- that is, the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency. You know, the guys that invented the Internet...

By Defense Department standards, Transformer is small potatoes. This project has a budget of $6 million this year, enough to gather a bunch of inventors in a room and ask them to develop a prototype.

Which is exactly what DARPA did during a workshop in Washington D.C. on Jan. 14. About 150 people showed up -- mostly representing small businesses that you’ve never heard of, but also a few big dogs like Boeing and Raytheon.

Whoever wins this contract is supposed to produce a working prototype in four years. While I wouldn’t bet a plugged nickel on this project, I admit I got intrigued. Here’s what I found out:

While DARPA hasn’t awarded any contracts yet, developers have conducted some intriguing test flights of vehicles that can take off vertically, then fly like a plane. The Brits managed this feat a couple of decades ago when they developed the Harrier fighter jet.

This time, the trick is to make them small, light and quiet.

NASA already has taken a shot at it. The agency has built a one-man flying machine called the Puffin. The contraption is powered by two propellers driven by an electric motor and lithium ion batteries.

The agency has built a one-third size scale model, and it will be ready for testing in March. If you watch the video, you can see how it is supposed to fly.



Dr. Mark Moore, an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Langley Research Center, is excited about the Puffin’s potential. In theory, it will cruise at 150 mph. Yet, the contraption is quite small -- just 12 feet long, with a wingspan of 13 feet.

Since it’s built with carbon fiber composites, the Puffin weighs just 297 pounds, plus another 99 pounds of batteries.

When I chatted with Moore about the Puffin, he was bubbling with excitement... until we talked about the Jeep portion of the mission. That’s the tough part, says Moore.

For every pound you add to accommodate wheels, suspension and other Jeep needs, you have to add five more pounds of wings, propellors, etc. to lift that extra pound off the ground.

Moore says he supports the Marines’ vision of Transformer as a dual-mission flying Jeep. But it’s clear he’s a lot more enthused about the Puffin’s potential as a small, cheap flying machine that can land or take off anywhere.

He won’t admit it, but I think he’d just as soon forget about the Jeep portion of the mission. Anyway, Moore thinks we may be seeing Puffin-like contraptions in civilian use.

“In five years, you’ll be amazed to see what people are doing,” he predicts.

If so, DARPA once again will demonstrate its knack for inventing military devices with civilian applications. At the moment, though, it doesn’t look like the Puffin will be the flying Jeep that the Marines are looking for.

But NASA has been working on some other promising developments. In 2006, it built a tail-fan, which is basically a seven-blade propeller housed inside a large metal tube. In theory, the tail fan could be used to power the vehicle straight up, allow it to fly like a plane, and also provide propulsion for the vehicle in Jeep mode.

Powered by an LS1 Corvette engine -- yup, you heard it right -- the tail fan was both durable and quiet.

Moore was impressed by Corvette motor’s performance and low cost. You can buy a small-block Chevy engine for $3,500 or so, while a conventional small-plane engine can cost ten times as much. What’s the downside? It was a bit heavy.

And those prototype tests never addressed the Jeep portion of Transformer’s mission.

Which leads us to the private sector. There are plenty of inventors out there who are been tinkering with flying cars, and some have even built prototypes.

The Terrafugia Transition, called “a roadable aeroplane” by its inventors, is basically a small plane with fold-up wings.



It has a cruising speed aloft of 115 mph, and it is said to attain highway speeds on the road. But it can’t take off vertically, and it clearly is too ungainly for off-road use.

Then there’s the Parajet Sky Car, a dune buggy powered by a big propulsion fan on the back -- the kind that power those water skimmers in the Everglades. To hoist the Sky Car aloft, you attach it with cables to an inflatable para-sail.

Sure enough, this vehicle gets off the ground.



But it feels like a stunt more than a serious vehicle. And no, it can’t take off vertically.

Which leaves us back where we’ve begun. Trend-spotters would do well to keep an eye on Dr. Moore and his Puffin. But he would be the first to admit that the current version is no flying Jeep.

The Marines may have to wait awhile. As for me, I’d put some money on the table for a flying car built a few years back by Jesse James, host of Monster Garage. As a lark, he carved up an old Panoz Esperante and tacked on a wing.

If you appreciate vehicles with attitude, it was featured on the cover of the July 2005 issue of Popular Mechanics. I’d like a red one, please.

VIA



Fun With a Cell Phone

the next time you're bored and have nothing better to do, get out your cell phone, don't turn it on, but speak into it like the guy in this video.

<a href="http://www.cmt.com/video/" target="_blank">Tom Mabe: Eavesdropping</a>

Einstein or Monroe?


CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Please help ban fox hunting in Colorado

While I always agree that hunting is an ethical God given right, I think that I would haveto agree with the author on this one.... fox hunting in Colorado should be banned!











THIS MADNESS MUST STOP!!

.

Signed, Peter Cottontail

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??"

Government Snow Plow



Designed by the same people designing the Healthcare reform...perhaps?

Hat Tip; Kack

Something To Ponder..................


"I've learned that people will forget what you said.

People will forget what you did.

But people will never forget how you made them feel."




I don't know who once said that to me
but it's just so true.

Picture For Today

.


At The Mar-Va Theater

It's wonderful to see that this movie is still going to be shown!

Got Milk???


If your local grocery store has been low on milk blame the snow.......


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.

www.foxbaltimore.com

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

Pocomoke City's district 2 has been held for over 20 years by Honiss Cane. This election, district 2 will have two new faces on the ballot and as for as many years as I can remember NO incumbent. Who will Eddy Lee support?

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."

DelmarvaNow.com

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.

VIA

STOP Global Warming!!

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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.

VIA

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.

VIA

Guess who's been sober for almost six months?

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This is the fastest-growing sport in Norway right now

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

Warning; Gmail Users

I received another phishing scam email from posers pretending to be Google representatives and threatens termination of the Gmail user account.

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

Grace Warner of Chincoteague has been selected as a student ambassador for the People-to-People organization. Grace is an eighth grade student at the Chincoteague Combined School. She is the daughter of Glenn and Holly Warner and the granddaughter of Glenn and Carolle Aldinger of Chincoteague.

People-to-People was started by President Eisenhower in the 1950s. Its goal is to promote goodwill among the youth of different countries and cultures. The belief is, if the youth can find common grounds of cooperation, then when they are adults, they may bring peace to the world.

Grace will be going to France, Italy and Greece for 3 weeks in the summer of 2010. She will be meeting with local politicians and other government officials. She will also be staying in homes of local people with youth her age. She is one of 38 other young people going from the Virginia and North Carolina area. She is the only one from Accomack and Northampton Counties.

Grace needs to raise $6500 for the experience. To meet this expense, she has written letters to businesses and organizations asking for their support. She is also selling homemade baked goods and candy, as well as doing odd jobs. There will be an "All You Can Eat Spaghetti Dinner" at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Jenkins Bridge on February 27th to help raise money.

This is a wonderful opportunity for both Grace and the Eastern Shore. As an active participant in school, sports, and her church, she has a great opportunity to introduce the Eastern Shore to the people she meets in Europe.

If you would like any additional information or to support her goals, you can contact her at 757-336-1280 or 757-990-2075. Her address is Grace Warner, 7139 Margarets Lane, Chincoteague, VA 23336.

www.shoredailynews.com



Picture For Today

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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.

www.wtkr.com

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

inside their vehicles if stored in a lock box and allow individuals with concealed carry permits to take firearms into restaurants that serve alcohol as long as the gun carrier does not consume alcohol.

Vogel's bill passed 24-16; Hanger's passed 22-18. Last year, Hanger's so-called guns in bars bill passed by General Assembly chambers but was vetoed by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. Governor Bob McDonnell is not expected to veto these bills.

Local restauraunt owner Randy Lewis of the Island House says hes not too worried about these bills.

"Theres a lot of test and things involved to get your concealed weapons permit, its a lengthy process," said Lewis, "the people that go through the process of getting the concealed weapons permit are not the ones you have to worry about. The people who buy their guns illegally are."

Senator Ralph Northam voted against the bill while Delegate Lynwood Lewis voted for the House equivalent, HB 505.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Every Man For Himself

This is a prank where this guy rigged a remote controlled motorbike with a skeleton driving the bike that has a loudspeaker attached to it.

The guy hides across the street from a walled cemetery and when people walk by it at night, he sneaks up on them and scares the bejeebers out of them.

Can You Spot the Illegal Alien in the Crowd?

School Days Extended To Make Up Snow Days


This might a be a good idea for all schools to use so that students can make up snow days.


Virginia Beach Extends School Days For Snow Days

In order to make up for lost time because of snow, Virginia Beach Public School officials have decided to extend the school day 20 minutes each day for seven weeks. All Elementary, Middle and High School students are impacted.

The extended days begin Monday, March 1 and end Friday, April 30. The extra time will make up for instructional time lost as a result on snow, on February 1 and 2.

The added time will be tacked on to the end of the school day in most cases. However, instructional time will be added to the start of the day for afternoon kindegarten and for afternoon sessions at the Advanced Technology Center and Technical and Career Education Center.

www.wavy.com

Roof Collapses On Amish Cow Barn

Heavy snow falls seem to be taking a toll in the Pennsylvania Amish Country just as it has in many other places.

Heavy snow early today collapsed the roof on part of a cow barn in Fulton Township in the county's southern end.

The snow slid off a two-story barn and onto a one-story addition. Eight cows had to be rescued, but none were injured.

Farmers shoveled snow off the roof to lessen the load after the partial collapse at the barn, at 166 Rigby Road.




http://www.lancasteronline.com/

Car Fire in Pocomoke is Ruled as Arson

An early morning fire at 1000 Quinn Avenue destroyed a vehicle that had been stolen earlier in the evening in Pocomoke City. The fire was discovered by a Pocomoke City police officer around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 13th. The fire also damaged a commercial structure nearby and kept the fire department busy for about an hour.

Upon investigation the Worcester County Fire Marshal's Office has stated that the vehicle fire was set deliberately.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Matthew Owens at (410)632-5666, ext. 2 or mowens@wcfmo.org

It's Mardis Gras Time!!!!

FAT TUESDAY IN NEW ORLEANS!


"Mardi Gras" is french for Fat Tuesday in New Orleans, Lousiana.

The annual festivities begin on the Twelfth Night Feast of the Epiphany, when the three kings are supposed to have visited the Christ Child, and build to a climax on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, which always occurs on the day before Ash Wednesday. The parties and parades will continue until Lent begins at the stroke of midnight on Tuesday.

The day of good foods, parades and masquerade balls are celebrated internationally as well. Fat Tuesday always occurs 46 days before Easter. Since the date for Easter changes from year to year the celebration is held between February 3 and March 9.




A colorful day of purples, greens, golds an good Bourbon! Oh, to be a fly in New Orleans today....... The party has begun!!!

The famous King Cake.........

King cake is a traditional French pastry cake (by tradition is round) that is served during carnival season. A small plastic baby, representing the Baby Jesus, is hidden in every king cake. Whoever gets the piece with the baby in it has to buy the next king cake.



Go ahead and CELEBRATE!!!!!

Ohio Man Builds Four-Room Igloo, With TV, Cable

Jimmy Grey says he's been out of work for almost a year and needed a project to stay busy. So with the heavy snowfall this winter, the 25-year-old laborer got to work on an extreme igloo in his family's yard in Aquilla (ah-KWIL'-uh), about 30 miles east of Cleveland.

His four-room creation has 6-foot ceilings and an entertainment room. He powers the TV with an extension cord plugged into an outlet in the garage. He also ran wires for cable television with surround-sound stereo.

Grey says candles help add ambiance for nighttime get-togethers with friends, and the freezing temperatures mean that the beer never goes warm.

VIA

Picture For Today

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It's Snowing Again

Yep, it's coming down pretty good right now in Pocomoke.

Will it last?

Monday, February 15, 2010

Picture For Today

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Pocomoke Wal*Mart Open For Business

As of Sunday, The Pocomoke Wal*Mart store is open for business.

Former Somerset warden, county named in $5 million federal lawsuit

The former warden of the Somerset County Detention Center
and the county itself are being sued for the alleged assault against an
inmate that “was perpetrated with actual malice,” causing pain, suffering,
mental anguish and humiliation.

The lawsuit -- filed in U.S. District Court in Baltimore -- names James L.
Henderson Jr., Somerset County and the Maryland Department of Public Safety
and Correctional Services as defendants.

The lawsuit was filed by Gary Cullen of Crisfield and seeks $5 million in
punitive and compensatory damages.

Among the allegations made in the lawsuit are that Henderson punched Cullen
in the stomach, slapped him in the face while he was shackled to a bench,
locked him in the detention center gym for 15 hours without food, water,
toilet or bed, threatened to hang him and hit him in the genitals.

Cullen, in the lawsuit, also alleges Henderson released him ahead of
schedule at night without his belongings, money or transportation, and
wearing only slippers, pants and a light shirt.

The lawsuit claims Cullen’s rights were violated under federal and Maryland
law, and it also charges Henderson, the county and the state with assault,
battery and negligence.

The county was served with a summons in the case and has forwarded it to the
Local Government Insurance Trust, said Kirk Simpkins, the county attorney.
As a county employee, Henderson will likely be defended by the insurance
company’s lawyers, too, Simpkins said.

Although Henderson resigned as warden in June 2007, he was re-hired by the
Somerset County Commissioners in February 2008 to head the county’s Animal
Control division and continues to work in that position.

The lawsuit follows a criminal investigation launched in 2007 after Cullen’s
father, John Cullen, reported an alleged assault on his son to Somerset
County State’s Attorney Kristy Hickman.

The case was turned over to Wicomico County State’s Attorney Davis Ruark
after Hickman said she had a conflict in the case.

In February 2007, the Wicomico Bureau of Investigation led a records raid of
the detention center in Westover, then later turned over the information to
Maryland State Police.

In addition to evidence of assaults on Cullen and other inmates, the probe
also allegedly found evidence of the improper use of work-release inmates by
Somerset County Sheriff Robert Jones, as well as former Princess Anne police
chief Russell Pecoraro.

While the investigation “uncovered some disturbing things,” Ruark said at
the time the case would be difficult to prove in court partly because of
credibility problems with former inmates who alleged they had been
assaulted.

To date, no criminal charges have ever been filed in the case.

VIA: DelmarvaNow.com

Gun shots in Pocomoke

In the Laurel St area... but don't be alarmed...

It was reported, and the cop on the beat assumes it was firecrackers so no need to check it out.

I can say with 100% certainty, it was gun shots.

Are There Any Doctors on The Eastern Shore That Know How to Treat a Patient?

HELLOOOOOOO!!! If you're out there Doc speak-up

I'm sure any good Dr will agree that a person knows their body better than any examining doctor, a good Dr will anyway....

The problem is there's no good doctors here on the shore or at-least I've yet to find them.

For several years now I've been searching, some don't take an illness seriously, some want to start from scratch, and some just plain lack commonsense.

As I have told my friends and family I feel like a car that needs a muffler and have had every test and part replaced except the muffler that I know I need.

How can these doctors see you for the first time and change medications, the better question is why? Do they get a kick-back?

Why can't they look at past test, xrays, etc. and see what the previous doctor saw? Why do they need to "start from scratch"?

I admit .... I'm a tough patient, but it's because I'm tired of repeating the same test over and over again and again.

I had a couple strokes three years ago, for whatever reason they left me in pain, something that the doctors say does not happen, well IT DID ME!!!

If there's a Doctor out there that will listen to their patient, look at prior records, xrays, CAT scans, MRI's and can handle a patient without needing all their doctors friends to do this that or the other please contact me. I dare you.

It's not that hard, all ya have to do is LISTEN!!

"Mechanics repair their mistakes, Doctors bury theirs"

Gunman Wounds 2 Teens During Church Service

Police were seeking a hooded gunman who horrified the congregation of a San Francisco Bay area church when he paced the aisles then pulled out a gun and shot two teenagers.

No arrests had been made or suspects named in the Sunday shooting at New Gethsemane Church of God in Christ in Richmond, police said.

The gunman flanked by two companions in hooded sweatshirts walked into the church, scanned the pews and fired about five shots, hitting a 14-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man in front of about 100 people, Richmond police Sgt. Bisa French said.

Charles Miller, a 64-year-old deacon at the church, said members of the congregation were about to tell the men to take off their hoods when the shooting began.

"I was listening to the choir and all of a sudden there was a 'pop pop pop pop pop,'" Miller told the San Francisco Chronicle. "Everyone hit the floor. I didn't know the shooting was inside the church at first, until I heard all of the hollering and screaming."

The 14-year-old was hit in the shoulder and the 19-year-old was struck in the leg, French said. Both victims, whose names haven't been released, were hospitalized and were expected to survive. There were no other injuries.

"It's terrible when you come to the house of the Lord and start doing this," Miller said. "It's just something you don't do."

Investigators believe the men were targeting someone in the church but don't know if the two who were hit were the intended targets, French said.

French said investigators were interviewing witnesses to see if anyone recognized the men.

A handful of congregants returned to the church after police processed the crime scene and finished the service.

"We went on and had church anyway," Miller told the Chronicle. "We were giving thanks that nobody was killed. We wanted to go and serve the Lord anyway."

The small, off-white two-story church is surrounded by a red-and white wrought-iron fence in a residential section of Richmond, a city of 103,000 on the eastern Bay shoreline north of Oakland and Berkeley.

The city has already seen seven homicides in 2010, and garnered national attention because of the alleged gang rape by as many as 10 people of a 16-year-old girl outside an October homecoming dance at Richmond High School, with as many as 20 bystanders allegedly watching.

VIA

NO Daytime Fires In Virginia Allowed


The Commonwealths 4 p.m. Burning Law goes into effect today, February 15 the start of spring fire season in Virginia. This law prohibits burning before 4 p.m. each day (Feb. 15 April 30) if the fire is in, or within 300 feet of, woodland, brushland or fields containing dry grass or other flammable materials.

A violation of this law is a Class 3 misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine. In addition to the criminal violation, those who allow a fire to escape are liable for the cost of suppressing the fire as well as any damage caused to others property.

"Because people are the cause of more than 94 percent of wildland fires in the Commonwealth, the 4 p.m. burning law may be one of the most effective tools we have in the prevention of wildfires," said John Miller, director of resource protection at the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF). "Each late winter and early spring, downed trees, branches and leaves become forest fuels that increase the danger of a forest fire. By adhering to the law and not burning before 4 p.m., people are less likely to start a fire that threatens them, their property and the forests of Virginia."

In 2009, there were 837 wildfires that burned 7,494 acres of forest land in the Commonwealth. This was a 36 percent decrease in the number of wildland fires compared to the number (1,322) of fires in 2008. Similraly, the amount of acreage burned decreased 70 percent when compared to 25,704 acres that burned in 2008.

Periods of wet weather during the spring and fall fire seasons were a critical factor in reducing the number of wildfires. Of the fires that did occur, citizens burning debris or yard waste continue to be the leading cause of wildfire in Virginia. Arson and equipment use also make up the majority of the fires.

Fred Turck, VDOF forest protection coordinator, said, The leading cause of forest fires in Virginia is carelessness. An unattended fire, a discarded cigarette or a single match can ignite the dry fuels that are so prevalent in the early spring. Add a few days of dry, windy conditions and an escaped wildfire can quickly turn into a raging blaze.

"People living in most rural areas of Virginia are especially at risk," said Turck. "To take a quote from Smokey Bear, Only You Can Prevent Wildfires.'"

For more information on what you can do to protect yourself and your property; how to become "firewise," or to pick up a complete copy of the Forest Fire Laws, contact your local office of the Virginia Department of Forestry. You can also log on to www.dof.virginia.gov and click "Can I burn?"

The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. Headquartered in Charlottesville, the Agency has forestry staff members assigned to every county to provide service to citizens of the Commonwealth. VDOF is an equal opportunity provider.

With nearly 16 million acres of forestland and more than 144,000 Virginians employed in forestry, forest products and related industries, Virginia forests provide more than $27.5 Billion annually in benefits to the Commonwealth.
www.shoredailynews.com

Sunday, February 14, 2010

PSSST !! School Time..................


Accomack and North Hampton CountySchool Students

Due to the heavy amounts of snow fall and the cancellation of school days Accomack County and North Hampton County Schools WILL BE OPEN on Monday, February 15, 2010.

The President's Day holiday has been taken as a make-up day for ALL students.

Parents, please make arrangements to have your children in any of these schools to attend school on Monday, February 15, 2010.

This will NOT be a holiday and all students are expected to report to school.

Somebody Buy Poor Abe Lincoln A Sled

In honor of Abraham Lincoln's 201st birthday on February 12, Illinios celebrated by sealing a time capsule that included birthday cards, photos and documents from the celebration in honor of his 200th birthday.

The time capsule will be stored at the Lincoln Presidential Library, to be opened in the year 2109.

Maybe a better selection of gifts would have been a snow blower or even a sled!

Welcome To Kenya

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Picture For Today

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