ALOHA, Ore. (May 28) - An Oregon man spent Memorial Day in jail after
dialing 911 to complain that a McDonald's worker was rude and didn't give him an
orange juice he ordered. Raibin Osman was accused of improper use of the
emergency telephone number.
The Oregonian newspaper reports that the 20-year-old bailed out of the
Washington County Jail on Tuesday and could not be reached for
comment.
Sheriff's Sgt. David Thompson said Osman ignored deputies who told
him the emergency number isn't to be used for straightening out fast-food
orders.
A McDonald's employee also called 911 during the incident to complain
that Osman and the people with him were blocking the drive-thru lane and
knocking on the restaurant windows.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Man Calls 911 Over Orange Juice
Well, not to long ago a woman called 911 because McDonald's didn't have Mcnuggets. Seams like we have a new trend going. So now it's bread and water, NO orange juice in jail
Corruption In New Jersey, A decorated veteran needs our help
How far up does Government Corruption go in New Jersey? Does it reach up to the Senate? The Governor? Who is it that oversees the Office for the Public Guardian?
Dear, Americans! Help!
My Father, a Vietnam Vet with a purple heart, is having his estate stolen by New Jersey’s Government Courts.
I am begging for your help on behalf of a Vietnam Vet who did three tours of duty and earned a purple heart. He is currently being robbed by the Office for the Public Guardian in Ocean County NJ
His name is Vincent Stanley Blasco and he is my Dad. He has Alzheimer’s and is in their care where they refuse to give any of his 3 children here in Georgia custody of him. Instead they continue to sell off dozens of plots of my Dad’s property and continue hiding thousands and thousands of dollars in false expenses. Now they are trying to sale his 19 acre farm off East Veterans Hwy.
The courts have allowed OPG to already sale 7 properties of his in Berkley NJ and they claimed it was for medical bills. We received accounting after 4 years of requests only to find out my dad by himself racked up $800 per month in Grocery bills, $2,000 a month in landscaping bills. $500 per day about 3 days a week in Home Depot bills, etc... I have a stack of accounting 2 inches thick of frivolous spending.
I am contacting News Agencies or whatever it takes to get this to quit. We deserve to have our father in Georgia where all 3 of his children live. Not tucked away in a nursing home in NJ to have his Army Pension and Social Security bilked as his farm goes on the market to cover thousands of bogus expenses and invented expenses
I found out second hand, through my sister, Amy Ferguson, that my father, Vincent Stanley Blasco, had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. By the time I found out, my father had already been placed in the care of OPG and we all assumed he was being taken care of. Well it was only after a trip up there that we started to wonder.
When Megan (employee of OPG) did call she told Amy Ferguson (my sister) and me that because they (OPG) were the guardians that all medical information on dad had to be retrieved through them (OPG) and any information on dad’s status would be reported to them only per the guardianship papers. They (OPG) told us that with any change in condition they would notify us. We had to call them consistently as they would never return our phone calls or give us any health updates, we repeatedly asked if we can get him in a home down here, could we get custody, could we email him? They told us they shut down his email and as far as transfer of Guardianship, they told us no! We are my fathers children, how can they say no?
The OPG recently went to court in Ocean County in front of Judge John Peterson to try to sale my dad’s 19 acres farm in Ocean County.
My older brother Joseph Stanley Blasco hired an Attorney (Olszak & Olsazk) to contest the sale.
We reside in the state of Georgia and had his attorney appear for us.
The OPG claimed not only that they had kept us well informed of my Dad’s health, but also his financial transactions. IN COURT BEFORE JUDGE PETERSON they also said Dad’s farm had been ON THE MARKET for 2 years already. How can they even place my dad’s farm on the market without notifying his children?
Why have we not been notified that Dad’s farm was for sale until 2 years after it went on the market? Because in front of a Judge it is easier to get permission to sell his property WITH a buyer on stand by.
OPG told the judge that we were well aware of the farm being on the market. Bull Crap!
WHAT HAPPENED? Read the complete story HERE
Dear, Americans! Help!
My Father, a Vietnam Vet with a purple heart, is having his estate stolen by New Jersey’s Government Courts.
I am begging for your help on behalf of a Vietnam Vet who did three tours of duty and earned a purple heart. He is currently being robbed by the Office for the Public Guardian in Ocean County NJ
His name is Vincent Stanley Blasco and he is my Dad. He has Alzheimer’s and is in their care where they refuse to give any of his 3 children here in Georgia custody of him. Instead they continue to sell off dozens of plots of my Dad’s property and continue hiding thousands and thousands of dollars in false expenses. Now they are trying to sale his 19 acre farm off East Veterans Hwy.
The courts have allowed OPG to already sale 7 properties of his in Berkley NJ and they claimed it was for medical bills. We received accounting after 4 years of requests only to find out my dad by himself racked up $800 per month in Grocery bills, $2,000 a month in landscaping bills. $500 per day about 3 days a week in Home Depot bills, etc... I have a stack of accounting 2 inches thick of frivolous spending.
I am contacting News Agencies or whatever it takes to get this to quit. We deserve to have our father in Georgia where all 3 of his children live. Not tucked away in a nursing home in NJ to have his Army Pension and Social Security bilked as his farm goes on the market to cover thousands of bogus expenses and invented expenses
I found out second hand, through my sister, Amy Ferguson, that my father, Vincent Stanley Blasco, had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. By the time I found out, my father had already been placed in the care of OPG and we all assumed he was being taken care of. Well it was only after a trip up there that we started to wonder.
When Megan (employee of OPG) did call she told Amy Ferguson (my sister) and me that because they (OPG) were the guardians that all medical information on dad had to be retrieved through them (OPG) and any information on dad’s status would be reported to them only per the guardianship papers. They (OPG) told us that with any change in condition they would notify us. We had to call them consistently as they would never return our phone calls or give us any health updates, we repeatedly asked if we can get him in a home down here, could we get custody, could we email him? They told us they shut down his email and as far as transfer of Guardianship, they told us no! We are my fathers children, how can they say no?
The OPG recently went to court in Ocean County in front of Judge John Peterson to try to sale my dad’s 19 acres farm in Ocean County.
My older brother Joseph Stanley Blasco hired an Attorney (Olszak & Olsazk) to contest the sale.
We reside in the state of Georgia and had his attorney appear for us.
The OPG claimed not only that they had kept us well informed of my Dad’s health, but also his financial transactions. IN COURT BEFORE JUDGE PETERSON they also said Dad’s farm had been ON THE MARKET for 2 years already. How can they even place my dad’s farm on the market without notifying his children?
Why have we not been notified that Dad’s farm was for sale until 2 years after it went on the market? Because in front of a Judge it is easier to get permission to sell his property WITH a buyer on stand by.
OPG told the judge that we were well aware of the farm being on the market. Bull Crap!
WHAT HAPPENED? Read the complete story HERE
[CHINCOTEAGUE] Blessing of Fleet draws large crowd
The 13th annual Blessing of the Fleet took place Sunday afternoon at Robert N. Reed Downtown Park. This was the first time the event was held at the park.
It was formerly held at the Town Dock, behind the American Legion Post.
A large crowd assembled around the park, including many members of the Chincoteague Charter Boat Association, many in their boats that had docked nearby.
Capt. Barry Frishman served as master of ceremonies. Councilman Terry Howard substituted for Mayor Jack Tarr and welcomed everyone to the event.
"I'm thankful we can gather on this island and publicly ask Jesus to bless us," said Howard. He went through the recent problems of the Accomack County Board of Supervisors as they for a brief period of time tried to drop the name "Jesus" from their prayers at pubic meetings.
The blessing of the fleet was given by Rev. D. Kevin Eley of the Union Baptist Church on Chincoteague. He asked, in Jesus' name, for all the boats and crews to "enjoy the greatest year ever."
A special ceremony honored the memory of Capt. Leo Carroll Mullikin Jr., who passed away last August after a long battle with cancer. Known to his many friends as Capt. Limo, he was well-liked and made friends wherever he traveled.
Capt. Mike Handforth presented a memorial wreath to the U.S. Coast Guard in honor of Capt. Mullikin, and the Coast Guard deposited the wreath in the ocean in Mullikin's memory.
A.J. Bowden sang a couple of songs, and Frishman led everyone in the singing of God Bless America.
Following the benediction by Rev. Eley, the boats assembled in the channel and moved together south to Curtis Merritt Harbor.
Frishman said this was the biggest Blessing of the Fleet ceremony he had witnessed on the island.
ACCOMACK: Men hospitalized after shooting near Temperanceville
Two men were shot Thursday afternoon during an altercation at Makemie Monument Park, a public area near here dedicated to the founder of Presbyterianism in the United States.
The victims sustained gunshot wounds to the body and were taken by Oak Hall Rescue to a medical facility where one victim was listed in stable condition as the other was treated and released, Accomack County Sheriff Larry Giddens said.
Giddens said on Thursday at 6:01 p.m., his office received a report from the Eastern Shore 911 Center regarding two men at the Temperanceville Corner Mart who had been shot.
Further investigation revealed that the shooting victims were involved in a fight at the Makemie Monument and were taken by personal vehicles to the convenience store.
Giddens said deputies and investigators spent hours processing the scene, collecting evidence, and conducting interviews. The investigation is continuing.
The Accomack County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Virginia State Police and the Hallwood Police Department.
The victims sustained gunshot wounds to the body and were taken by Oak Hall Rescue to a medical facility where one victim was listed in stable condition as the other was treated and released, Accomack County Sheriff Larry Giddens said.
Giddens said on Thursday at 6:01 p.m., his office received a report from the Eastern Shore 911 Center regarding two men at the Temperanceville Corner Mart who had been shot.
Further investigation revealed that the shooting victims were involved in a fight at the Makemie Monument and were taken by personal vehicles to the convenience store.
Giddens said deputies and investigators spent hours processing the scene, collecting evidence, and conducting interviews. The investigation is continuing.
The Accomack County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Virginia State Police and the Hallwood Police Department.
Three Delmarva Dealerships Included in Chrysler Shutdown List
Three Delmarva dealerships are included in a list of 789 of 3,200 dealerships that Chrysler LLC wants to eliminate.
The local dealerships the American automaker plans to cut are Frostrom and Sons in Pocomoke City, Md., as well as Hertrich and CF Schwartz in Dover, Del.
In a motion filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York, Chrysler said it wants to shed 789 dealerships by June 9. Many of the dealers' sales are too low, the automaker said, with just over 50 percent of dealers accounting for about 90 percent of the company's U.S. sales.
CF Schwartz said it is on the list to lose its Chrysler franchise, but according to the dealer, nothing is set in stone. The dealership also sells Toyotas. CF Schwartz's owner said the dealership will stay in business, but he is not sure how this will affect employees.
Hertrich in Dover is losing its Jeep franchise. But Hertrich said it will keep its Dodge franchise in Denton, Md. and its Chrysler and Dodge franchises in Pocomoke City, Md.
Hertich issued the following statement to WBOC about Thursday's announcement: "All of Hertrich's nine dealerships will remain open and will continue to service all makes and models including Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep vehicles. In addition, Hertrich will continue to sell pre-owned Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep products at all of its nine locations."
Frostom and Sons in Pocomoke City told WBOC it will stay open exclusively as a Suburu dealership.
Dealers were told Thursday morning through United Parcel Service letters if they would remain or be eliminated. The cuts are likely to devastate cities and towns across the country as thousands of jobs are lost and taxes are not paid.
Chrysler Vice Chairman Jim Press called the cuts difficult but necessary. He said the list of dealers is final and there will be no appeal process.
"This is a difficult day for us and not a day anybody can be prepared for," Press told reporters during a conference call.
A hearing is scheduled for June 3 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York for the judge to determine whether to approve Chrysler's motion. Judges often rely on companies in bankruptcy to help determine what is in their best business interest, such as the closure of dealerships or cancellation of contracts.
Chrysler executives said the company is trying to preserve its best-performing dealers and eliminate ones with the weakest sales. More than half of the dealerships being eliminated sell less than 100 vehicles per year, they said, and account for 14 percent of U.S. sales.
The company is also trying to reduce the number of single-brand dealerships to bring all three Chrysler brands - Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge - under a single roof, they said. It also wanted to limit competing dealerships.
"We recognize in the short term we will see some loss of sales," Press said. "But based on the long term ... the dealer (network) is key and it's going to be very strong, powerful, with a much better financial viability."
The 3.5 million customers who purchased vehicles from the affected dealers will be notified about the closures and their warranties will still be honored, said Vice President Steven Landry.
Chrysler dealerships aren't the only ones scheduled to get bad news this week. General Motors Corp. says it is notifying 1,100 dealers that it will not renew their franchise agreements when they expire at the end of September of 2010.
In its motion, Chrysler said it has many dealerships that sell one or two of its brands, with Chrysler-Jeep dealerships competing against Dodge dealers as well as other automakers' stores across the country.
"We understand there's going to be a consolidation of dealers, said John McEleney, a Clinton, Iowa, auto dealer who serves as chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association. "We just think the process needs to be slowed down."
He said about 187,000 jobs could be lost from the closing of GM and Chrysler dealerships.
Chrysler said in its filing that dealers are not competitive enough with foreign brands. Chrysler sold an average of 303 vehicles per dealer in 2008, according to its filing. By contrast, Honda Motor Co. sold about 1,200 vehicles per dealer, while Toyota Motor Corp. sold nearly 1,300 per dealer.
Chrysler said its dealer network "needs to be reduced and reconfigured in a targeted manner to strengthen the network and dealer profitability and to achieve optimal results for the dealers and consumers."
Chrysler has received $4 billion in federal loans and has been operating in bankruptcy protection since April 30. Its sales this year are down 46 percent compared with the first four months of last year and it reported a $16.8 billion net loss for 2008.
EDITORS NOTE: Frostroms will not be closing their doors. From what I understand Frostroms will continue service to all Chrysler/Jeep vehicles but will be dropping the Chrysler/jeep line. They will continue to sell and service Subaru and all other services will continue to be available.
The local dealerships the American automaker plans to cut are Frostrom and Sons in Pocomoke City, Md., as well as Hertrich and CF Schwartz in Dover, Del.
In a motion filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York, Chrysler said it wants to shed 789 dealerships by June 9. Many of the dealers' sales are too low, the automaker said, with just over 50 percent of dealers accounting for about 90 percent of the company's U.S. sales.
CF Schwartz said it is on the list to lose its Chrysler franchise, but according to the dealer, nothing is set in stone. The dealership also sells Toyotas. CF Schwartz's owner said the dealership will stay in business, but he is not sure how this will affect employees.
Hertrich in Dover is losing its Jeep franchise. But Hertrich said it will keep its Dodge franchise in Denton, Md. and its Chrysler and Dodge franchises in Pocomoke City, Md.
Hertich issued the following statement to WBOC about Thursday's announcement: "All of Hertrich's nine dealerships will remain open and will continue to service all makes and models including Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep vehicles. In addition, Hertrich will continue to sell pre-owned Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep products at all of its nine locations."
Frostom and Sons in Pocomoke City told WBOC it will stay open exclusively as a Suburu dealership.
Dealers were told Thursday morning through United Parcel Service letters if they would remain or be eliminated. The cuts are likely to devastate cities and towns across the country as thousands of jobs are lost and taxes are not paid.
Chrysler Vice Chairman Jim Press called the cuts difficult but necessary. He said the list of dealers is final and there will be no appeal process.
"This is a difficult day for us and not a day anybody can be prepared for," Press told reporters during a conference call.
A hearing is scheduled for June 3 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York for the judge to determine whether to approve Chrysler's motion. Judges often rely on companies in bankruptcy to help determine what is in their best business interest, such as the closure of dealerships or cancellation of contracts.
Chrysler executives said the company is trying to preserve its best-performing dealers and eliminate ones with the weakest sales. More than half of the dealerships being eliminated sell less than 100 vehicles per year, they said, and account for 14 percent of U.S. sales.
The company is also trying to reduce the number of single-brand dealerships to bring all three Chrysler brands - Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge - under a single roof, they said. It also wanted to limit competing dealerships.
"We recognize in the short term we will see some loss of sales," Press said. "But based on the long term ... the dealer (network) is key and it's going to be very strong, powerful, with a much better financial viability."
The 3.5 million customers who purchased vehicles from the affected dealers will be notified about the closures and their warranties will still be honored, said Vice President Steven Landry.
Chrysler dealerships aren't the only ones scheduled to get bad news this week. General Motors Corp. says it is notifying 1,100 dealers that it will not renew their franchise agreements when they expire at the end of September of 2010.
In its motion, Chrysler said it has many dealerships that sell one or two of its brands, with Chrysler-Jeep dealerships competing against Dodge dealers as well as other automakers' stores across the country.
"We understand there's going to be a consolidation of dealers, said John McEleney, a Clinton, Iowa, auto dealer who serves as chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association. "We just think the process needs to be slowed down."
He said about 187,000 jobs could be lost from the closing of GM and Chrysler dealerships.
Chrysler said in its filing that dealers are not competitive enough with foreign brands. Chrysler sold an average of 303 vehicles per dealer in 2008, according to its filing. By contrast, Honda Motor Co. sold about 1,200 vehicles per dealer, while Toyota Motor Corp. sold nearly 1,300 per dealer.
Chrysler said its dealer network "needs to be reduced and reconfigured in a targeted manner to strengthen the network and dealer profitability and to achieve optimal results for the dealers and consumers."
Chrysler has received $4 billion in federal loans and has been operating in bankruptcy protection since April 30. Its sales this year are down 46 percent compared with the first four months of last year and it reported a $16.8 billion net loss for 2008.
EDITORS NOTE: Frostroms will not be closing their doors. From what I understand Frostroms will continue service to all Chrysler/Jeep vehicles but will be dropping the Chrysler/jeep line. They will continue to sell and service Subaru and all other services will continue to be available.
[Salisbury] Defining moment revisited
For most city residents, the phrase "Lake Humphreys Dam" probably doesn't mean a whole lot today.
However, city officials and area historians hope to change that Saturday as they honor the 100th anniversary of the dam breaking in 1909. The destruction of the dam -- created in 1743 to power saw and grist mills -- changed the landscape of Salisbury's downtown forever.
"If the dam hadn't burst, we would have gone on without the large development of Salisbury south of the river," said George Chevallier of the Wicomico Historical Society, who will make a presentation about the event. "The new road that was built just north of where the dam was is now Camden Avenue and contributed significantly to the growth of Salisbury."
Chevallier will talk about the history of Lake Humphreys and the dam. Saturday's ceremony will also feature pictures of the dam and the minutes from the 1909 City Council meeting detailing what officials did in the aftermath.
Chevallier said the failure of the dam ranks high in some of the most defining moments of Salisbury, given the fact that the lake -- named after land owner Thomas Humphreys -- was at the heart of the city's downtown area.
"The breaking of the dam to open up East Main Street is right up there with the Great Fire of 1886, which destroyed all of downtown," he said. "I think these two events are tied for 'most important' in the history of Salisbury."
With the lake gone, city planners had to consider how to best reconfigure the city, said Pete Cooper, who still dealt with the effect of the dam break years later as Salisbury Public Works director.
"It totally changed the map and future of Salisbury; 100 acres of water disappeared and were replaced with mud flats," he said.
With the break, the city suddenly had a surplus of land to develop, Chevallier said.
"The releasing of the water in Humphreys Lake resulted in the exposure of all the land on East Main Street all the way out past what is now Wicomico Middle School," he said. "Half of downtown is the result of land from the Humphreys family that was sold to the Salisbury Realty Co. and developed."
And while the days of a lake sitting in the middle of Salisbury are long gone, Cooper said it's still worth people recognizing it's impact to the Lower Shore.
"It was a very important event for both the city and the county, and I think it's worth remembering," he said.
Chevallier said it also serves as a good discussion topic.
"It is fun to try to imagine what Salisbury would look like if we still had Humphreys Lake," he said.
Courtesy Delmarvanow.com
However, city officials and area historians hope to change that Saturday as they honor the 100th anniversary of the dam breaking in 1909. The destruction of the dam -- created in 1743 to power saw and grist mills -- changed the landscape of Salisbury's downtown forever.
"If the dam hadn't burst, we would have gone on without the large development of Salisbury south of the river," said George Chevallier of the Wicomico Historical Society, who will make a presentation about the event. "The new road that was built just north of where the dam was is now Camden Avenue and contributed significantly to the growth of Salisbury."
Chevallier will talk about the history of Lake Humphreys and the dam. Saturday's ceremony will also feature pictures of the dam and the minutes from the 1909 City Council meeting detailing what officials did in the aftermath.
Chevallier said the failure of the dam ranks high in some of the most defining moments of Salisbury, given the fact that the lake -- named after land owner Thomas Humphreys -- was at the heart of the city's downtown area.
"The breaking of the dam to open up East Main Street is right up there with the Great Fire of 1886, which destroyed all of downtown," he said. "I think these two events are tied for 'most important' in the history of Salisbury."
With the lake gone, city planners had to consider how to best reconfigure the city, said Pete Cooper, who still dealt with the effect of the dam break years later as Salisbury Public Works director.
"It totally changed the map and future of Salisbury; 100 acres of water disappeared and were replaced with mud flats," he said.
With the break, the city suddenly had a surplus of land to develop, Chevallier said.
"The releasing of the water in Humphreys Lake resulted in the exposure of all the land on East Main Street all the way out past what is now Wicomico Middle School," he said. "Half of downtown is the result of land from the Humphreys family that was sold to the Salisbury Realty Co. and developed."
And while the days of a lake sitting in the middle of Salisbury are long gone, Cooper said it's still worth people recognizing it's impact to the Lower Shore.
"It was a very important event for both the city and the county, and I think it's worth remembering," he said.
Chevallier said it also serves as a good discussion topic.
"It is fun to try to imagine what Salisbury would look like if we still had Humphreys Lake," he said.
Courtesy Delmarvanow.com
Antigua's "Mount Obama" to be national park
ST JOHN'S, Antigua (AP)—Antigua plans to do more than just rename its highest peak to honor President Barack Obama.
Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer says his government wants to create Mount Obama Monument and National Park with a new network of hiking trails. He also plans a museum with entertainment and educational facilities.
Spencer says Mount Obama will be a "beacon of hope for all people."
He outlined his plan to reporters Monday. He did not say how much it would cost or how the government of the dual-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda would pay for it.
The 1,319-foot (402-meter) mountain is currently known as Boggy Peak. It will be renamed on Aug. 4—Obama's birthday. Spencer says the U.S. president will be invited to the ceremony.
Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer says his government wants to create Mount Obama Monument and National Park with a new network of hiking trails. He also plans a museum with entertainment and educational facilities.
Spencer says Mount Obama will be a "beacon of hope for all people."
He outlined his plan to reporters Monday. He did not say how much it would cost or how the government of the dual-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda would pay for it.
The 1,319-foot (402-meter) mountain is currently known as Boggy Peak. It will be renamed on Aug. 4—Obama's birthday. Spencer says the U.S. president will be invited to the ceremony.
Where Do I Apply?
These people are in line at a soup kitchen...
First Lady Michelle Obama showed up Thursday as a "surprise volunteer" at Miriam's Kitchen, a soup kitchen for homeless poor people in DC. She brought with her some food donated by White House staff. The first lady served up mushroom risotto and broccoli to a long line of homeless men and women during part of her lunch hour, and in these photos poses for a picture for one homeless diner -- understandably excited to be in the First Lady's presence.
Let's ask two simple questions about this news photo:
1) If this unidentified meal recipient is too poor to buy his own food, how does he afford a cell phone (it's a Blackberry) ?
2) And if he is homeless, where do they send the cell phone bills?
...We are all being played as idiots as usual... WHY DOESN'T OUR MEDIA ASK THESE QUESTIONS?
Thursday, May 28, 2009
All Drugs Are Not Created Equal
All of us want cheaper medicine—but not if it costs us our health. Troubling reactions and a series of recalls are making some doctors wonder, Are generic drugs as safe as the FDA says they are? Self investigates.
Just when Beth Hubbard should have been feeling great, her health fell apart. A 34-year-old housewares designer in the St. Louis area, Hubbard had recently gotten married. She liked the creativity of her career. And she’d conquered her mild depression and fatigue with a combination of exercise, rest and medicine, including the antidepressant Wellbutrin XL. But in the fall of 2006, shortly after she refilled her prescription—her pharmacy giving her this time Budeprion XL, a generic version of the drug—her good health gave way.
Within a month, she had gained 15 pounds, couldn’t sleep well, developed gastrointestinal problems and felt such extreme fatigue and lack of motivation that she thought about quitting her job. She cried and called in sick for days at a time. "I chalked it up to exhaustion after the whirlwind of the wedding and honeymoon," Hubbard says.
Yet she wasn’t getting better. Her doctor referred her to four specialists, but none, she complains, "were really listening to me—they were just anxious to give me another drug." They diagnosed her alternately with severe allergies, a heart murmur, a slow thyroid, irritable bowel syndrome, gluten intolerance, mononucleosis and chronic pain. She cycled on and off different drugs: Ambien to help her sleep at night; Provigil to keep her awake during the day; Allegra, Zyrtec and Nasacort for allergies; Lexapro, Zoloft and Xanax for anxiety and depression; Zelnorm for bowel problems. And she continued on the Budeprion XL the entire time. "I was fighting for almost a year with the insurance company over all the tests and therapy I needed," Hubbard adds.
After eight months of struggling with her mystery ailments, she was out to dinner with a friend and mentioned that she needed to refill her prescription. Her friend said she’d recently gone off Wellbutrin and had some leftover pills Hubbard could use.
Within a week, Hubbard’s troubling symptoms vanished. Her energy came roaring back. And that is when she finally connected the dots: Her problems had begun mere days after she first took the generic. Because generics had always worked well for other conditions, she says, "I never even gave it a second thought or mentioned the pharmacy’s switch to my doctor." Until now.
She called her doctor to complain about the generic and request a new prescription for the brand name only. The nurse’s response floored her. "Yes" the nurse said matter-of-factly. "We hear that all the time."
Why Your M.D. is Worried READ THE FULL STORY HERE
WTH For The Day; DE Attorney General Says They Won't Appeal Charge Dismissal
Last week charges were dropped against the only suspect in a murder at Delaware State University. Thursday the State Attorney General's office says they won't fight the decision.
The charges were dismissed against Loyer Braden because prosecutors withheld key evidence. That evidence included a statement from an eyewitness saying Braden was not responsible for the shooting that killed Shalita Middleton in 2007 and injured one other person. The State didn't disclose the videotaped interview until early April, more than a year and a half after it happened. Officials say they did not intentionally withhold any evidence.
News From “The Religion Of Peace”
A 22 year-old Bangladeshi woman was caned 39 times for “lying” to a Sharia Court.
AFP reported, via ROP:
A 22-year-old unmarried Bangladeshi woman who was caned 39 times for alleging a neighbour was the father of her son is fighting for her life in hospital, police said.
The case has shocked the impoverished Muslim-majority nation, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordering the woman to be shifted from her village home to the capital for proper medical treatment.
Local police chief Moshiur Rahman told AFP that the woman, from Comilla, 70 kilometres (43 miles) east of the capital Dhaka, had angered Islamic clerics when she told friends that a neighbour had fathered her six-year-old son.
They called her and the alleged father to appear before a makeshift Islamic court, but the man denied the paternity claim, Rahman said.
“He held a Koran in one hand and swore to the village clerics that he was not the father of the boy. The village court found him not guilty,” he said.
“They also issued a fatwa that the woman should be caned 39 times for lying.”
AFP reported, via ROP:
A 22-year-old unmarried Bangladeshi woman who was caned 39 times for alleging a neighbour was the father of her son is fighting for her life in hospital, police said.
The case has shocked the impoverished Muslim-majority nation, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordering the woman to be shifted from her village home to the capital for proper medical treatment.
Local police chief Moshiur Rahman told AFP that the woman, from Comilla, 70 kilometres (43 miles) east of the capital Dhaka, had angered Islamic clerics when she told friends that a neighbour had fathered her six-year-old son.
They called her and the alleged father to appear before a makeshift Islamic court, but the man denied the paternity claim, Rahman said.
“He held a Koran in one hand and swore to the village clerics that he was not the father of the boy. The village court found him not guilty,” he said.
“They also issued a fatwa that the woman should be caned 39 times for lying.”
Whites Need Not Apply
CLICK THE PICTURE TO COMPLETE
His nominee is a two pointer (out of a possible six points): female and Hispanic. To hit the jackpot she would have had to be an old, black, gay, disabled female, with an Hispanic surname.
Fight For Racial Equality Continues In Somerset County
Well, well, I knew this was coming. I guess will be seeing Al and Jessy soon.
It erks me to no end when I know that there was no qualified apps. for the jobs that are not occupied by blacks in PA.
On another note why is no one crying about the racial equality of the offset of bread winner jobs at the collage UMES. 99.9% of the staff and all the major money jobs in the admin are occupied by blacks. Who's going to stand-up and demand that at least half of those positions should be held by white employees?
The fight for racial equality in Somerset County is far from over. Community activists are preparing for a community meeting to discuss racial disparities in the county. Since the local NAACP and ACLU delivered their discrimination report of minorities in the workforce, over a week ago they say they have received a positive response.
The President of the NAACP, says although nothing has been solved yet, the community and county officials are finally stepping forward to hear some of the concerns. The community meeting will be held on June 11, at St. James United Methodist Church.
It erks me to no end when I know that there was no qualified apps. for the jobs that are not occupied by blacks in PA.
On another note why is no one crying about the racial equality of the offset of bread winner jobs at the collage UMES. 99.9% of the staff and all the major money jobs in the admin are occupied by blacks. Who's going to stand-up and demand that at least half of those positions should be held by white employees?
The fight for racial equality in Somerset County is far from over. Community activists are preparing for a community meeting to discuss racial disparities in the county. Since the local NAACP and ACLU delivered their discrimination report of minorities in the workforce, over a week ago they say they have received a positive response.
The President of the NAACP, says although nothing has been solved yet, the community and county officials are finally stepping forward to hear some of the concerns. The community meeting will be held on June 11, at St. James United Methodist Church.
Two Somerset County Schools Implement Uniforms
When some Somerset County students head back to school next year they'll have to buy notebooks, pencils, and now uniforms. Greenwood and Deal Island Elementary school students will have to wear uniforms.
"They're not in private school. They're in public school," said Greenwood Parent Tonya Burton. "It's expensive to me because I'ma have to buy uniforms and then I'm going to have to buy regular cloths. It's either or . . . My child she's 8. She grow. She's steady growing. She pick up two, three pounds a week. Therefore I'm going to be buying uniforms two, three times a month."
The change was brought by the Parental Advisory Council, as a way to cut down on peer pressure. Greenwood school officials says the move will help students better concentrate in class.
Principal Nancy O'Neal said, "It allows the kids to really focus on learning and not being pulled and who has something on cooler than they do."
Yomika Dickerson's three daughters attend Greenwood. She says it gets expensive keeping up with the trends and the mandate is a win-win for parents and kids.
She said, "Kids tease each other about the different cloths and shoes that they wear and I think a lot of kids around here have low self esteem."
The Greenwood Elementary School will be sending out information this summer on the dress requirement. The Principal also says there will be fundraisers to help low-income families.
"They're not in private school. They're in public school," said Greenwood Parent Tonya Burton. "It's expensive to me because I'ma have to buy uniforms and then I'm going to have to buy regular cloths. It's either or . . . My child she's 8. She grow. She's steady growing. She pick up two, three pounds a week. Therefore I'm going to be buying uniforms two, three times a month."
The change was brought by the Parental Advisory Council, as a way to cut down on peer pressure. Greenwood school officials says the move will help students better concentrate in class.
Principal Nancy O'Neal said, "It allows the kids to really focus on learning and not being pulled and who has something on cooler than they do."
Yomika Dickerson's three daughters attend Greenwood. She says it gets expensive keeping up with the trends and the mandate is a win-win for parents and kids.
She said, "Kids tease each other about the different cloths and shoes that they wear and I think a lot of kids around here have low self esteem."
The Greenwood Elementary School will be sending out information this summer on the dress requirement. The Principal also says there will be fundraisers to help low-income families.
Some Charges Against Baltimore Mayor Dismissed
A judge in Baltimore today dropped some of the charges against Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon and all charges against a councilwoman.
The judge agreed with a defense motion that the mayor and Councilwoman Helen Holton enjoy legislative immunity that protects them against charges for acts conducted in office.
Four perjury charges and one misconduct charge against Dixon were dismissed. Seven theft, misappropriation and misconduct charges remain against the mayor.
State Prosecutor Robert Rohrbaugh says prosecutors are leaning toward appealing the Holton matter. The mayor is accused of taking gift cards meant for needy families and failing to disclose them as gifts. Prosecutors accused Holton of taking a bribe.
The judge agreed with a defense motion that the mayor and Councilwoman Helen Holton enjoy legislative immunity that protects them against charges for acts conducted in office.
Four perjury charges and one misconduct charge against Dixon were dismissed. Seven theft, misappropriation and misconduct charges remain against the mayor.
State Prosecutor Robert Rohrbaugh says prosecutors are leaning toward appealing the Holton matter. The mayor is accused of taking gift cards meant for needy families and failing to disclose them as gifts. Prosecutors accused Holton of taking a bribe.
Bill Clinton, GW Bush to Clash for Cash in Canada
Thursday, May 28, 2009 8:34 AM
By: Joseph Curl, The Washington Times
Time may heal all wounds, but in politics, the saying often ought to be "Money heals all wounds."
On Friday, former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, who led their opposing parties in the White House for the past 16 years, will appear together in Toronto for what is being billed a "conversation."
No one will say how much each will take home, but estimates run as high as $150,000 apiece for the two-hour appearance. Just to be one of the 6,000 people inside the city's convention center costs $250, with VIP tickets at $625 and the sold-out "emerald" section seating going for $2,500. Front-row ticket holders also get a photo with the two ex-presidents.
The event will be only the second public appearance by Mr. Bush since leaving office; his first was also in Canada, in Calgary. Mr. Clinton, meanwhile, is an old hand on the speakers' circuit, hauling in a reported $31 million in speech fees from 2001 to 2005.
Friday's event is being put on by "The Power Within," which produces "full-day inspirational, motivational and entertaining events with the power to ignite your spirit!" as its Web site, www.powerwithin.com, proclaims exuberantly. The Toronto-based company is affiliated with self-help guru Tony Robbins, "the nation's foremost authority on the psychology of peak performance."
No one will divulge details about how the joint appearance came about. Rob Saliterman, Mr. Bush's spokesman, said only that "the event organizers proposed the idea for the event to the former presidents, and they agreed to it."
Mr. Clinton's handlers didn't return calls seeking comment.
But the two baby boomers - born just six weeks apart in 1946 - suddenly are far more alike than different. They are members not only of the exclusive former presidents' club, but also of a subset within it - two-termers. Unlike former Presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush, the two served eight years, living through the sensational highs and disastrous lows the office brings.
Although Mr. Bush centered his 2000 campaign on restoring "honor and dignity" to the Oval Office - a direct slap at Mr. Clinton's ethical troubles while in office - he tapped his Democratic predecessor for help later in his presidency.
"Presidents Bush and Clinton developed a good relationship over the years, and Bush called upon Clinton to help with some of our biggest crises - helping raise awareness and funds for the tsunami and then Hurricane Katrina victims," said Dana Perino, last White House press secretary to Mr. Bush.
In January 2005, Mr. Bush named his father and Mr. Clinton to head up private fundraising efforts to help nations devastated by the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The two bonded, despite the fact that Mr. Clinton portrayed the elder Mr. Bush as out of touch during their 1992 presidential contest.
Mr. Bush the younger, who had been bitter about that election, had actually started to warm toward Mr. Clinton months earlier. In June 2004, he unveiled official portraits of Mr. Clinton and his wife, Hillary, at the White House.
"The years have done a lot to clarify the strengths of this man," said Mr. Bush, calling his predecessor a man with "a deep and far-ranging knowledge of public policy, a great compassion for people in need, and the forward-looking spirit that Americans like in a president."
Mr. Clinton returned the favor at the ceremony.
"The president, by his generous words to Hillary and me today, has proved once again that in the end, we are held together by this grand system of ours that permits us to debate and struggle and fight for what we believe is right," he said.
The thaw between the two former commanders in chief deepened after Mr. Bush paired his father and Mr. Clinton on the humanitarian mission. After Mr. Clinton had heart surgery in March 2005, Mr. Bush joked at the Gridiron Club dinner that "when he woke up, he was surrounded by his loved ones: Hillary, Chelsea - and my dad."
But the bond went deeper in private.
"Bush would call Clinton from time to time - especially on the days when you might not expect it," Mrs. Perino said. "For example, when Clinton was being labeled a racist by some during the bitter primary fight last year, Bush defended him and also placed a call to let him know he was a friend."
Still, there has always been a political chasm between the two. During the contentious contest last year for the Democratic presidential nomination, which former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton was seeking, Mr. Clinton slammed the Bush administration's "cronyism" in its response for Hurricane Katrina. Mr. Bush, meanwhile, sought to portray Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona as more experienced than Mrs. Clinton.
Yet the most recent phase of the two men's relationship has been marked by civility and respect.
In Friday's event, Mr. Bush and Mr. Clinton will join in a 90-minute discussion moderated by Frank McKenna, a former Canadian ambassador to the United States, followed by a 30-minute question-and-answer session. The event at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre is closed to the media.
Just a day before the event, tickets were still available. In fact, buyers who snapped up tickets early with hopes of reselling them for a profit were beginning to look panicky on Craigslist.
One seller sought to hype the "conversation" as a monumental clash.
"2 Presidents in 1 Room for 2 hours. 1 Democrat, 1 Republican. 1 the most loved, 1 the most hated. 1 the smartest, 1 the dumbest. ... Laugh at all the protesters outside who wish they were in the same room. Time is running out," the lister wrote.
By: Joseph Curl, The Washington Times
Time may heal all wounds, but in politics, the saying often ought to be "Money heals all wounds."
On Friday, former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, who led their opposing parties in the White House for the past 16 years, will appear together in Toronto for what is being billed a "conversation."
No one will say how much each will take home, but estimates run as high as $150,000 apiece for the two-hour appearance. Just to be one of the 6,000 people inside the city's convention center costs $250, with VIP tickets at $625 and the sold-out "emerald" section seating going for $2,500. Front-row ticket holders also get a photo with the two ex-presidents.
The event will be only the second public appearance by Mr. Bush since leaving office; his first was also in Canada, in Calgary. Mr. Clinton, meanwhile, is an old hand on the speakers' circuit, hauling in a reported $31 million in speech fees from 2001 to 2005.
Friday's event is being put on by "The Power Within," which produces "full-day inspirational, motivational and entertaining events with the power to ignite your spirit!" as its Web site, www.powerwithin.com, proclaims exuberantly. The Toronto-based company is affiliated with self-help guru Tony Robbins, "the nation's foremost authority on the psychology of peak performance."
No one will divulge details about how the joint appearance came about. Rob Saliterman, Mr. Bush's spokesman, said only that "the event organizers proposed the idea for the event to the former presidents, and they agreed to it."
Mr. Clinton's handlers didn't return calls seeking comment.
But the two baby boomers - born just six weeks apart in 1946 - suddenly are far more alike than different. They are members not only of the exclusive former presidents' club, but also of a subset within it - two-termers. Unlike former Presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush, the two served eight years, living through the sensational highs and disastrous lows the office brings.
Although Mr. Bush centered his 2000 campaign on restoring "honor and dignity" to the Oval Office - a direct slap at Mr. Clinton's ethical troubles while in office - he tapped his Democratic predecessor for help later in his presidency.
"Presidents Bush and Clinton developed a good relationship over the years, and Bush called upon Clinton to help with some of our biggest crises - helping raise awareness and funds for the tsunami and then Hurricane Katrina victims," said Dana Perino, last White House press secretary to Mr. Bush.
In January 2005, Mr. Bush named his father and Mr. Clinton to head up private fundraising efforts to help nations devastated by the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The two bonded, despite the fact that Mr. Clinton portrayed the elder Mr. Bush as out of touch during their 1992 presidential contest.
Mr. Bush the younger, who had been bitter about that election, had actually started to warm toward Mr. Clinton months earlier. In June 2004, he unveiled official portraits of Mr. Clinton and his wife, Hillary, at the White House.
"The years have done a lot to clarify the strengths of this man," said Mr. Bush, calling his predecessor a man with "a deep and far-ranging knowledge of public policy, a great compassion for people in need, and the forward-looking spirit that Americans like in a president."
Mr. Clinton returned the favor at the ceremony.
"The president, by his generous words to Hillary and me today, has proved once again that in the end, we are held together by this grand system of ours that permits us to debate and struggle and fight for what we believe is right," he said.
The thaw between the two former commanders in chief deepened after Mr. Bush paired his father and Mr. Clinton on the humanitarian mission. After Mr. Clinton had heart surgery in March 2005, Mr. Bush joked at the Gridiron Club dinner that "when he woke up, he was surrounded by his loved ones: Hillary, Chelsea - and my dad."
But the bond went deeper in private.
"Bush would call Clinton from time to time - especially on the days when you might not expect it," Mrs. Perino said. "For example, when Clinton was being labeled a racist by some during the bitter primary fight last year, Bush defended him and also placed a call to let him know he was a friend."
Still, there has always been a political chasm between the two. During the contentious contest last year for the Democratic presidential nomination, which former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton was seeking, Mr. Clinton slammed the Bush administration's "cronyism" in its response for Hurricane Katrina. Mr. Bush, meanwhile, sought to portray Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona as more experienced than Mrs. Clinton.
Yet the most recent phase of the two men's relationship has been marked by civility and respect.
In Friday's event, Mr. Bush and Mr. Clinton will join in a 90-minute discussion moderated by Frank McKenna, a former Canadian ambassador to the United States, followed by a 30-minute question-and-answer session. The event at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre is closed to the media.
Just a day before the event, tickets were still available. In fact, buyers who snapped up tickets early with hopes of reselling them for a profit were beginning to look panicky on Craigslist.
One seller sought to hype the "conversation" as a monumental clash.
"2 Presidents in 1 Room for 2 hours. 1 Democrat, 1 Republican. 1 the most loved, 1 the most hated. 1 the smartest, 1 the dumbest. ... Laugh at all the protesters outside who wish they were in the same room. Time is running out," the lister wrote.
Majority of Americans Oppose Gay Marriage
A new USA Today/Gallup poll shows that 57 percent of Americans oppose legalizing same-sex marriage while 40 percent are in favor.
The poll, released Wednesday, comes on the heels of the California Supreme Court’s upholding of Proposition 8, a citizen-enacted constitutional amendment that bans gay marriage. The poll results reflect the highest opposition to the controversial issue since 2005, when a similar survey produced a 59-37 percent margin against same-sex marriage.
In 2008, a Gallup poll showed 56 percent of those surveyed were in opposition to gay marriage while 40 percent supported it; and in 2007, the numbers were 53 percent in opposition to 46 percent in support.
The new poll shows nearly half of Americans (48 percent) believe allowing two people of the same sex to marry will “change our society for the worse,” while only 13 percent say it will “change society for the better.” Thirty-six percent of those surveyed said it would have no effect at all.
“While Americans have become increasingly likely to believe that the law should not discriminate against gay individuals and gay couples, the public still seems reluctant at this point to extend those protections to the institution of marriage," Gallup's Jeffrey M. Jones said.
"Public support for gay marriage appears to have stalled in the last two years, even as the gay marriage movement has scored a number of legal and legislative victories at the state level in the past year," he added.
Gallup found that 75 percent of self-describing liberals support legalizing gay marriage, while only 19 percent of self-describing conservatives support it. Gallup also found that “younger Americans have typically been more supportive of same sex marriage than older Americans.”
“A majority of 18- to 29-year-olds think gay or lesbian couples should be allowed to legally marry, while support reaches only as high as 40 percent among the three older age groups,” Gallup reports.
A Quinnipiac survey conducted last month produced similar results. When asked if they would oppose a law in their state that would allow same-sex couples to get married, 55 percent said they would while 38 percent said they would not.
Further results from the Gallup poll show:
Sixty-nine percent of Americans are in favor of military service by openly gay men and lesbians, an increase from a 1993 NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll that showed only 43 percent in favor of allowing gays to serve in the military.
Sixty-seven percent say gay and lesbian domestic partners should have access to health insurance and other employee benefits.
Seventy-three percent believe gay and lesbian domestic partners should have inheritance rights.
Twenty-eight percent believe that gays or lesbians should not be hired as elementary school teachers.
Sixty-nine percent believe gays or lesbians should be allowed to teach children.
Fifty-four percent support adoption rights for gay couples, an increase from Newsweek polls conducted in 2002 (46 percent) and 2004 (45 percent).
Same-sex marriages are legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, and Iowa, and will be legal in Vermont in September.
The poll, released Wednesday, comes on the heels of the California Supreme Court’s upholding of Proposition 8, a citizen-enacted constitutional amendment that bans gay marriage. The poll results reflect the highest opposition to the controversial issue since 2005, when a similar survey produced a 59-37 percent margin against same-sex marriage.
In 2008, a Gallup poll showed 56 percent of those surveyed were in opposition to gay marriage while 40 percent supported it; and in 2007, the numbers were 53 percent in opposition to 46 percent in support.
The new poll shows nearly half of Americans (48 percent) believe allowing two people of the same sex to marry will “change our society for the worse,” while only 13 percent say it will “change society for the better.” Thirty-six percent of those surveyed said it would have no effect at all.
“While Americans have become increasingly likely to believe that the law should not discriminate against gay individuals and gay couples, the public still seems reluctant at this point to extend those protections to the institution of marriage," Gallup's Jeffrey M. Jones said.
"Public support for gay marriage appears to have stalled in the last two years, even as the gay marriage movement has scored a number of legal and legislative victories at the state level in the past year," he added.
Gallup found that 75 percent of self-describing liberals support legalizing gay marriage, while only 19 percent of self-describing conservatives support it. Gallup also found that “younger Americans have typically been more supportive of same sex marriage than older Americans.”
“A majority of 18- to 29-year-olds think gay or lesbian couples should be allowed to legally marry, while support reaches only as high as 40 percent among the three older age groups,” Gallup reports.
A Quinnipiac survey conducted last month produced similar results. When asked if they would oppose a law in their state that would allow same-sex couples to get married, 55 percent said they would while 38 percent said they would not.
Further results from the Gallup poll show:
Sixty-nine percent of Americans are in favor of military service by openly gay men and lesbians, an increase from a 1993 NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll that showed only 43 percent in favor of allowing gays to serve in the military.
Sixty-seven percent say gay and lesbian domestic partners should have access to health insurance and other employee benefits.
Seventy-three percent believe gay and lesbian domestic partners should have inheritance rights.
Twenty-eight percent believe that gays or lesbians should not be hired as elementary school teachers.
Sixty-nine percent believe gays or lesbians should be allowed to teach children.
Fifty-four percent support adoption rights for gay couples, an increase from Newsweek polls conducted in 2002 (46 percent) and 2004 (45 percent).
Same-sex marriages are legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, and Iowa, and will be legal in Vermont in September.
Judicial Watch: ACORN Used in 2010 Census
Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has obtained documents from the U.S. Census Bureau detailing the substantial involvement of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) in the 2010 Census. Included among the 126 pages of documents, obtained by Judicial Watch under threat of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, is ACORN's original Census partnership application. The document describes 18 different areas of responsibility requested by the community organization, which is under investigation in multiple states for illegal activity during the 2008 election, including voter registration fraud.
The documents also list the types of organizations ineligible for partnering with the U.S. Census. They include: "...Hate groups, Law enforcement, anti-immigrant groups, any groups that might make people fearful of participating in the Census..." The release of these Obama Commerce Department documents comes in the wake of an Obama Department of Homeland Security report released in April linking opposition to illegal immigration to "rightwing extremist radicalization."
In its official statement responding to the ACORN controversy, the Obama Commerce Department downplayed ACORN's participation in the Census, and labeled "baseless" the notion that ACORN would be involved in any Census count. However, the Census Bureau offered ACORN the opportunity to "recruit Census workers" who would participate in the count. Moreover, as an "executive level" partner, ACORN has the ability to "organize and/or serve as a member on a Complete Count Committee," which, according to Census documents, helps "develop and implement locally based outreach and recruitment campaigns."
According to its application ACORN also signed up to: "Encourage employees and constituents to complete and mail their questionnaire; identify job candidates and/or distribute and display recruiting materials; appoint a liaison to work with the Census Bureau; provide space for Be Counted sites and/or Questionnaire Assistance Centers; sponsor community events to promote participation in the 2010 Census," among 18 requested areas of responsibility. The documents also show the decision to add ACORN as a partner occurred in February, long after the January 15th Census partnership application deadline. (One Census official had bet "it was under Bush.")
Among other conclusions from the documents:
The Census Bureau requested that ACORN "help us highlight [ACORN's] innovation and hard work and share best practices so other organizations can learn from your experiences."
Members of the Census Bureau and Department of Commerce staff assigned to organize the 2010 Census were unaware of when the decision to involve ACORN was made, how the Census Bureau choose and defined partners, or whether partners received payment.
The Census Bureau did not conduct background checks on the 3.7 million people hired to conduct the 2000 Census, unless a preliminary name check provided a match. Overall, 8% of the applicants, or over 300,000 people, were considered risks for hire.
According to the U.S. Census documents, among other things, census data is used to allocate $300 billion in federal funds. Census data also "determines how many seats each state will have in the House of Representatives as well as the redistricting of state legislatures, county and city councils, and voting districts."
"Given its history of illegal activity and fraud, ACORN should be nowhere near the 2010 Census," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "And shame on the Obama Commerce Department for continuing to demonize conservatives by lumping together law enforcement and anti-immigration groups with 'hate groups.' This discriminatory policy raises First Amendment concerns. Indeed, these documents provide further evidence that the Obama administration is politicizing the 2010 Census."
Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Census on March 23, 2009. After the Obama Commerce Department stonewalled, Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit on May 14, 2009. The documents were released to Judicial Watch on May 15, 2009.
The documents also list the types of organizations ineligible for partnering with the U.S. Census. They include: "...Hate groups, Law enforcement, anti-immigrant groups, any groups that might make people fearful of participating in the Census..." The release of these Obama Commerce Department documents comes in the wake of an Obama Department of Homeland Security report released in April linking opposition to illegal immigration to "rightwing extremist radicalization."
In its official statement responding to the ACORN controversy, the Obama Commerce Department downplayed ACORN's participation in the Census, and labeled "baseless" the notion that ACORN would be involved in any Census count. However, the Census Bureau offered ACORN the opportunity to "recruit Census workers" who would participate in the count. Moreover, as an "executive level" partner, ACORN has the ability to "organize and/or serve as a member on a Complete Count Committee," which, according to Census documents, helps "develop and implement locally based outreach and recruitment campaigns."
According to its application ACORN also signed up to: "Encourage employees and constituents to complete and mail their questionnaire; identify job candidates and/or distribute and display recruiting materials; appoint a liaison to work with the Census Bureau; provide space for Be Counted sites and/or Questionnaire Assistance Centers; sponsor community events to promote participation in the 2010 Census," among 18 requested areas of responsibility. The documents also show the decision to add ACORN as a partner occurred in February, long after the January 15th Census partnership application deadline. (One Census official had bet "it was under Bush.")
Among other conclusions from the documents:
The Census Bureau requested that ACORN "help us highlight [ACORN's] innovation and hard work and share best practices so other organizations can learn from your experiences."
Members of the Census Bureau and Department of Commerce staff assigned to organize the 2010 Census were unaware of when the decision to involve ACORN was made, how the Census Bureau choose and defined partners, or whether partners received payment.
The Census Bureau did not conduct background checks on the 3.7 million people hired to conduct the 2000 Census, unless a preliminary name check provided a match. Overall, 8% of the applicants, or over 300,000 people, were considered risks for hire.
According to the U.S. Census documents, among other things, census data is used to allocate $300 billion in federal funds. Census data also "determines how many seats each state will have in the House of Representatives as well as the redistricting of state legislatures, county and city councils, and voting districts."
"Given its history of illegal activity and fraud, ACORN should be nowhere near the 2010 Census," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "And shame on the Obama Commerce Department for continuing to demonize conservatives by lumping together law enforcement and anti-immigration groups with 'hate groups.' This discriminatory policy raises First Amendment concerns. Indeed, these documents provide further evidence that the Obama administration is politicizing the 2010 Census."
Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Census on March 23, 2009. After the Obama Commerce Department stonewalled, Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit on May 14, 2009. The documents were released to Judicial Watch on May 15, 2009.
Another Successful Launch At Wallops Island
It was another successful launch Thursday at NASA in Wallops Island. The Terrier-Orion sounding rocket launched Thursday afternoon. It's much smaller than the Tac Sat 3 rocket launched earlier this month.
It's mission is to act as a research vessel to collect information. The goal is that engineers will be able to figure out how to best bring experiments to Earth from the International Space Station.
Speaking of the ISS, NASA officials plan to launch the shuttle Endeavour on June 13 to deliver parts for a Japanese laboratory complex to the International Space Station. That launch will take place at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Shuttle Atlantis just returned from its mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope last weekend.
For more info and video check out The Pocomoke Tattler
It's mission is to act as a research vessel to collect information. The goal is that engineers will be able to figure out how to best bring experiments to Earth from the International Space Station.
Speaking of the ISS, NASA officials plan to launch the shuttle Endeavour on June 13 to deliver parts for a Japanese laboratory complex to the International Space Station. That launch will take place at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Shuttle Atlantis just returned from its mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope last weekend.
For more info and video check out The Pocomoke Tattler
Worcester County court briefs
The following cases were heard in Worcester County District Court in Snow Hill by Judge Gerald V. Purnell on May 22 and May 26, 2009.
Navetoria Labrelle Dix, 26, of the 10000 block of Germantown Road, Berlin, was charged with disorderly conduct. Nol pros was entered.
John Mark Davis, 49, of the 1000 block of Linden Drive, Pocomoke City, was charged with theft of less than $100. Nol pros was entered.
Celena Lucille Bastian, 29, of the 100 block of Pebble Drive, Millsboro, was charged with possession of marijuana, driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol or alcohol and drugs, driving while impaired by controlled dangerous substance, driving under the influence, driving while impaired by alcohol, negligent driving, failure to stop at steady circular red signal and driving on suspended, out-of-state license. The verdict for the fifth charge was guilty. For all other charges, nol pros was entered.
Darnell Camper Jr., 25, of the 200 block of Walston Avenue, Salisbury, was charged with violating exparte/protective order and harass: a course of conduct. Both charges were placed on the stet docket.
Shanika Nicole Camper, 25, of the 9000 block of Reedy Cove Drive, Berlin, was charged with assault-second degree. The charge was placed on the stet docket.
Karen Cindy Carpenter, 51, of the 200 block of Broad Street, Berlin, was charged with contributing to the condition of a child. The charge was placed on the stet docket.
Taja Lashea Hudson, 22, of the 7000 block of Reserve Circle, Gwynn Oak, Md., was charged with assault-second degree. Nol pros was entered.
Rodney Collier, 20, of the 500 block of Young Street, Pocomoke City, was charged with theft of less than $500 value. Nol pros was entered.
Larry Louis Adkins, 33, of the 200 block of Purnell Street, Snow Hill, was charged with peace order: failure to comply. Nol pros was entered.
Jeffrey L. Rapp, 23, of the 50 block of Teal Circle, Berlin, was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of controlled dangerous substance paraphernalia, reckless driving, negligent driving, failure to control vehicle speed on highway to avoid collision, unsafe backing of motor vehicle and licensee failure to surrender recovered original license after duplication issued. For all charges, nol pros was entered.
Lisa Lancaster, no date of birth given, of the 600 block of Ocean Parkway, Berlin, was charged with four counts of bad check uttering/nonsufficient funds/under $500. For all charges, nol pros was entered.
Roderick Collier, 18, of the 500 block of Young Street, Pocomoke City, was charged with burglary-fourth degree and malicious destruction of property valued at more than $500. Both charges were placed on the stet docket.
Andrew Edward Buhner, 20, of the 20 block of Westminster Court, Berlin, was charged with possession of marijuana. The charge was placed on the stet docket.
Rasheema Schoolfield, no date of birth given, of Cropper Court, Pocomoke City, was charged with assault-second degree. Nol pros was entered.
Joanne Lee Norris, 46, of the 38000 block of Old Stage Road, Delmar, Del., was charged with theft of $500 plus value. The verdict was guilty.
The following cases were heard in Worcester County District Court in Ocean City by Judge Daniel R. Mumford on May 20, 2009.
Michael Edward Curry, 42, of the 100 block of Sandy Hill Drive, Ocean City, was charged with assault-second degree. The verdict was guilty.
Karen Ann Rosemond, 43, of the 100 block of Bering Road, Ocean City, was charged with harbor felon/fugitive and resist/interfere with arrest. The verdict for the first charge was probation before judgment. Nol pros was entered for the second charge.
Karen Ann Rosemond, 43, of the 100 block of Bering Road, Ocean City, was charged with harbor felon/fugitive. The charge was placed on the stet docket.
Christina Cahall Hartman, 33, of the 900 block of Deep Creek Avenue, Arnold, Md., was charged with stealing three T-shirts from Fishtales. The charge was placed on the stet docket.
Rebecca Faith Cakar, 37, of the 600 block of Baltimore Avenue, Ocean City, was charged with assault-second degree. The charge was placed on the stet docket.
Ronald Eugene Flawd Jr., 43, of the 600 block of Baltimore Avenue, Ocean city, was charged with assault-second degree. The charge was placed on the stet docket.
Ronald Eugene Flawd Jr., 43, of the 200 block of Trimper Avenue, Ocean city, was charged with trespassing on private property. The verdict was guilty.
George Donald Elzey, 55, of the 2000 block of Sparrow Lane, Ocean City, was charged with noise violation, resist/interfere with arrest and assault-second degree. The verdict for the second charge was guilty. Nol pros was entered for the other charges.
Robert Charles Harding, 51, of no fixed address, was charged with assault-second degree and disorderly conduct. Nol pros was entered for the first charge. The verdict for the second charge was guilty.
Timothy Glen Triplett, 19, of the 6000 block of Bartholow Road, Sykesville, Md., was charged with trespass: private property. Nol pros was entered.
Patricia Carol Abbott, 48, of the 2000 block of Gull Way, Ocean City, was charged with assault-second degree. Nol pros was entered.
Luis Scott Miller, 19, of the 400 block of William Street, Berlin, was charged with controlled dangerous substance manufacture/distribution-narcotics and possession of controlled dangerous substance. The first charge was placed on the stet docket. The verdict for the second charge was probation before judgment.
Navetoria Labrelle Dix, 26, of the 10000 block of Germantown Road, Berlin, was charged with disorderly conduct. Nol pros was entered.
John Mark Davis, 49, of the 1000 block of Linden Drive, Pocomoke City, was charged with theft of less than $100. Nol pros was entered.
Celena Lucille Bastian, 29, of the 100 block of Pebble Drive, Millsboro, was charged with possession of marijuana, driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol or alcohol and drugs, driving while impaired by controlled dangerous substance, driving under the influence, driving while impaired by alcohol, negligent driving, failure to stop at steady circular red signal and driving on suspended, out-of-state license. The verdict for the fifth charge was guilty. For all other charges, nol pros was entered.
Darnell Camper Jr., 25, of the 200 block of Walston Avenue, Salisbury, was charged with violating exparte/protective order and harass: a course of conduct. Both charges were placed on the stet docket.
Shanika Nicole Camper, 25, of the 9000 block of Reedy Cove Drive, Berlin, was charged with assault-second degree. The charge was placed on the stet docket.
Karen Cindy Carpenter, 51, of the 200 block of Broad Street, Berlin, was charged with contributing to the condition of a child. The charge was placed on the stet docket.
Taja Lashea Hudson, 22, of the 7000 block of Reserve Circle, Gwynn Oak, Md., was charged with assault-second degree. Nol pros was entered.
Rodney Collier, 20, of the 500 block of Young Street, Pocomoke City, was charged with theft of less than $500 value. Nol pros was entered.
Larry Louis Adkins, 33, of the 200 block of Purnell Street, Snow Hill, was charged with peace order: failure to comply. Nol pros was entered.
Jeffrey L. Rapp, 23, of the 50 block of Teal Circle, Berlin, was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of controlled dangerous substance paraphernalia, reckless driving, negligent driving, failure to control vehicle speed on highway to avoid collision, unsafe backing of motor vehicle and licensee failure to surrender recovered original license after duplication issued. For all charges, nol pros was entered.
Lisa Lancaster, no date of birth given, of the 600 block of Ocean Parkway, Berlin, was charged with four counts of bad check uttering/nonsufficient funds/under $500. For all charges, nol pros was entered.
Roderick Collier, 18, of the 500 block of Young Street, Pocomoke City, was charged with burglary-fourth degree and malicious destruction of property valued at more than $500. Both charges were placed on the stet docket.
Andrew Edward Buhner, 20, of the 20 block of Westminster Court, Berlin, was charged with possession of marijuana. The charge was placed on the stet docket.
Rasheema Schoolfield, no date of birth given, of Cropper Court, Pocomoke City, was charged with assault-second degree. Nol pros was entered.
Joanne Lee Norris, 46, of the 38000 block of Old Stage Road, Delmar, Del., was charged with theft of $500 plus value. The verdict was guilty.
The following cases were heard in Worcester County District Court in Ocean City by Judge Daniel R. Mumford on May 20, 2009.
Michael Edward Curry, 42, of the 100 block of Sandy Hill Drive, Ocean City, was charged with assault-second degree. The verdict was guilty.
Karen Ann Rosemond, 43, of the 100 block of Bering Road, Ocean City, was charged with harbor felon/fugitive and resist/interfere with arrest. The verdict for the first charge was probation before judgment. Nol pros was entered for the second charge.
Karen Ann Rosemond, 43, of the 100 block of Bering Road, Ocean City, was charged with harbor felon/fugitive. The charge was placed on the stet docket.
Christina Cahall Hartman, 33, of the 900 block of Deep Creek Avenue, Arnold, Md., was charged with stealing three T-shirts from Fishtales. The charge was placed on the stet docket.
Rebecca Faith Cakar, 37, of the 600 block of Baltimore Avenue, Ocean City, was charged with assault-second degree. The charge was placed on the stet docket.
Ronald Eugene Flawd Jr., 43, of the 600 block of Baltimore Avenue, Ocean city, was charged with assault-second degree. The charge was placed on the stet docket.
Ronald Eugene Flawd Jr., 43, of the 200 block of Trimper Avenue, Ocean city, was charged with trespassing on private property. The verdict was guilty.
George Donald Elzey, 55, of the 2000 block of Sparrow Lane, Ocean City, was charged with noise violation, resist/interfere with arrest and assault-second degree. The verdict for the second charge was guilty. Nol pros was entered for the other charges.
Robert Charles Harding, 51, of no fixed address, was charged with assault-second degree and disorderly conduct. Nol pros was entered for the first charge. The verdict for the second charge was guilty.
Timothy Glen Triplett, 19, of the 6000 block of Bartholow Road, Sykesville, Md., was charged with trespass: private property. Nol pros was entered.
Patricia Carol Abbott, 48, of the 2000 block of Gull Way, Ocean City, was charged with assault-second degree. Nol pros was entered.
Luis Scott Miller, 19, of the 400 block of William Street, Berlin, was charged with controlled dangerous substance manufacture/distribution-narcotics and possession of controlled dangerous substance. The first charge was placed on the stet docket. The verdict for the second charge was probation before judgment.
Students from Pocomoke, Snowhill, and Berlin are last link in Baltimore-to-Shore tree chain
Worcester County students had the chance to get their hands dirty as close to 200 students helped restore a portion of the Nassawango Creek Nature Preserve by planting trees.
Students from Berlin Intermediate School and Pocomoke and Snow Hill middle schools spent Thursday and Friday planting nearly 1,000 trees that they had raised in their classrooms during the past year in the Nassawango Creek Preserve.
"They were so enthusiastic," said Deborah Landau, a Nature Conservancy conservation ecologist. "With them being the ones to have started the seedlings, it's like they have a relationship with the trees."
With the help of Nature Conservancy and National Aquarium in Baltimore staff, the middle-schoolers went through the entire process of planting the Atlantic white cedars they had grown. Students located low, wet areas for the trees, which have been threatened in recent years with the draining of land that occurs for farming and development, and planted them. They then added a pellet, designed to give the tree a bitter flavor, to protect it from grazing deer, and flagged it.
The students planted Atlantic white cedars, Landau said, because those used to grow along the East Coast from Maine to Florida, but have been greatly diminished since settlers cut them down to use for building and later as once-marshy land was drained for farming. To help reestablish the cedars in the Nassawango area, Landau and other Nature Conservancy staff burned an area of unhealthy loblolly pines, returning nutrients to the soil, and had the students plant the trees there.
Landau said the entire project gave the students a better understanding of their environment.
"They were asking thoughtful questions," she said, "and we talked about preserving as well as actively restoring land."
Susan Land, a seventh-grade teacher at Pocomoke Middle School, said her students really enjoyed the opportunity to visit the Nassawango Preserve.
"Not a lot of them get to come out like this in the fresh air," she said.
The students were not the only ones who benefited. Three organizations -- the Nature Conservancy, Maryland Conservation Corps and National Aquarium -- were pleased with the serendipitous way the project turned out.
It was the Baltimore Aquarium that obtained a grant to purchase the seedlings, but then its planned planting location fell through. At the same time, the Nature Conservancy had been preparing the Nassawango land for Atlantic white cedars, but was not able to get the trees it had planned on. And so, with the help of Maryland Conservation Corps staff who provided local students with guidance during the growing process, the Nature Conservancy and the National Aquarium combined their projects, planting the aquarium's trees at the Nature Conservancy's site.
"It worked out perfectly," Landau said. "It's a nice partnership and everybody benefits."
Students from Berlin Intermediate School and Pocomoke and Snow Hill middle schools spent Thursday and Friday planting nearly 1,000 trees that they had raised in their classrooms during the past year in the Nassawango Creek Preserve.
"They were so enthusiastic," said Deborah Landau, a Nature Conservancy conservation ecologist. "With them being the ones to have started the seedlings, it's like they have a relationship with the trees."
With the help of Nature Conservancy and National Aquarium in Baltimore staff, the middle-schoolers went through the entire process of planting the Atlantic white cedars they had grown. Students located low, wet areas for the trees, which have been threatened in recent years with the draining of land that occurs for farming and development, and planted them. They then added a pellet, designed to give the tree a bitter flavor, to protect it from grazing deer, and flagged it.
The students planted Atlantic white cedars, Landau said, because those used to grow along the East Coast from Maine to Florida, but have been greatly diminished since settlers cut them down to use for building and later as once-marshy land was drained for farming. To help reestablish the cedars in the Nassawango area, Landau and other Nature Conservancy staff burned an area of unhealthy loblolly pines, returning nutrients to the soil, and had the students plant the trees there.
Landau said the entire project gave the students a better understanding of their environment.
"They were asking thoughtful questions," she said, "and we talked about preserving as well as actively restoring land."
Susan Land, a seventh-grade teacher at Pocomoke Middle School, said her students really enjoyed the opportunity to visit the Nassawango Preserve.
"Not a lot of them get to come out like this in the fresh air," she said.
The students were not the only ones who benefited. Three organizations -- the Nature Conservancy, Maryland Conservation Corps and National Aquarium -- were pleased with the serendipitous way the project turned out.
It was the Baltimore Aquarium that obtained a grant to purchase the seedlings, but then its planned planting location fell through. At the same time, the Nature Conservancy had been preparing the Nassawango land for Atlantic white cedars, but was not able to get the trees it had planned on. And so, with the help of Maryland Conservation Corps staff who provided local students with guidance during the growing process, the Nature Conservancy and the National Aquarium combined their projects, planting the aquarium's trees at the Nature Conservancy's site.
"It worked out perfectly," Landau said. "It's a nice partnership and everybody benefits."
Town hosts photo contest, show
CHINCOTEAGUE -- The Chincoteague Cultural Alliance presents a photo contest and show, called Give Us Your Best Shot: A Day in the Life of the Islands. Contest participants are invited to start taking photos on Friday, June 19 and will have until 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 20 to enter them into the contest in one of four categories: nature, people, structures and 'the unexpected.'
Cash prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third place contestants in each category.
A registration fee of $20 (for those over 13) allows each contestant to enter 2 photos. Entries -- digital only -- should be submitted for judging at the Chincoteague Senior Center between noon and 2 pm on Saturday.
To pre-register, visit the www.chincoteagueculturalalliance.org. Call 757-894-2540.
Cash prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third place contestants in each category.
A registration fee of $20 (for those over 13) allows each contestant to enter 2 photos. Entries -- digital only -- should be submitted for judging at the Chincoteague Senior Center between noon and 2 pm on Saturday.
To pre-register, visit the www.chincoteagueculturalalliance.org. Call 757-894-2540.
Idol competition set for June
At Pocomoke City's Cypress Festival, a Pocomoke Idol contest will showcase the area's singing talent. Contestants can enter the June 11 event in Cypress Park by registering after 6 p.m. The contest will begin at 7 p.m. Prizes of $100 for first place and $50 for second place will be awarded.
Call 410-957-0802.
Call 410-957-0802.
Yard sale at Pocomoke High will benefit Rotary
There will be a large yard sale Saturday in the morning at Pocomoke High School. All proceeds go to support the charities of the Pocomoke Rotary Club, the sale sponsor.
Furnace Town holds Strawberry Day
SNOW HILL -- Gather the family and head for Furnace Town Living Heritage Museum on Sunday to enjoy Strawberry Day. Between 1 and 4 p.m., a variety of strawberry desserts will be sold, and the winner of the best strawberry dessert contest will be announced, with entries sliced. Judging will be based on taste and presentation. In the past there have been pies, cakes, tortes, rolls, a charlotte and a strawberry dessert lasagna. Deadline to register for the dessert contest is May 29 at 5 p.m.
Luscious desserts will be served by Furnace Town volunteers. Strawberry shortcakes, strawberry soup, ice cream sundaes, strawberry salsa and strawberry lemonade and other strawberry dishes will be available in The Gathering Room at the Visitor Center.
Strawberry Day is included in Furnace Town's daily site admission of $5 for adults, $4.50 for adults over 60 and $3 for children 2-13. A special tasting admission is also available for an additional $3, which will allow visitors to taste a sample of all the dishes. There will also be desserts available for purchase. Call Furnace Town at 410-632-2032 or furnacetown1832 @aol.com.
Luscious desserts will be served by Furnace Town volunteers. Strawberry shortcakes, strawberry soup, ice cream sundaes, strawberry salsa and strawberry lemonade and other strawberry dishes will be available in The Gathering Room at the Visitor Center.
Strawberry Day is included in Furnace Town's daily site admission of $5 for adults, $4.50 for adults over 60 and $3 for children 2-13. A special tasting admission is also available for an additional $3, which will allow visitors to taste a sample of all the dishes. There will also be desserts available for purchase. Call Furnace Town at 410-632-2032 or furnacetown1832 @aol.com.
Cypress Festival Coming Soon and adding a pageant
Following the opening ceremonies at Cypress Park, the 2009 Pocomoke Cypress Festival will kick off Wednesday, June 10, with an event new to the festival this year, the Little Miss and Miss Cypress Pageant.
Girls who enter the pageant will compete in two different categories — 5 to 6 years old for the little misses and 15 to 17 years old for the big misses. They must live within a 15-mile radius of Pocomoke City to be eligible. Any girl or parent interested in the contest can contact the Chamber of Commerce at 410-957-1919 by June 1.
Both Wednesday and Thursday will be the wristband nights for the rides by Sherwood Amusements. Wristbands to ride all night will be on sale for $8 each at the Chamber of Commerce, Eastern Shore Lanes and T’s Corner. The cost of the wristbands the nights of the rides will be $15.
One of the hits of recent festivals, the Pocomoke Idol, will return for the third year Thursday night. There will be two divisions in the competition — adult for entries 17 years and older and youth for entries 16 and younger.
Only 10 entries in each division will be allowed. Contestants will be allowed to bring their own music or choose from the available selection that night. The winner in each division will receive $100 with the runner-up receiving $50.
On Friday night, Slakbone, a modern rock band, will entertain people attending the festival. The band also plays a touch of classic rock.
Saturday events begin at noon with a soccer tournament sponsored by the YMCA.
Also at noon will be another event new to the festival — a ‘Rain Gutter Regatta’ sponsored by Cub Pack 143. Cubs who have constructed their sailboats from BSA kits will enter them in a regatta, which consists of using their breath to push the boats along the rain gutters. The first three in each den category will receive medals as will the best-appearing boats in several themes. Anyone belonging to a Cub Pack on the Lower Shore can enter. For information, call Craig Holland at
410-726-7958 or e-mail captcraig5@hotmail.com.
The car show and the bike show will also return that afternoon.
One of the top attractions, the Duck Derby, will be on the Pocomoke River later in the day at a time depending on the tide. Tickets for ownership of a duck are available at the chamber booth. Once purchased the ducks can be cheered on to victory.
Entertainment that evening will be provided by Divided Highway, a local band playing oldies with Jack Burton.
Saturday evening will conclude with a fireworks display.
Anyone who wishes to see a complete schedule with times of the events can visit www.pocomoke.com and click on the Calendar of Events. Information is also available by calling 410-957-1919.
Girls who enter the pageant will compete in two different categories — 5 to 6 years old for the little misses and 15 to 17 years old for the big misses. They must live within a 15-mile radius of Pocomoke City to be eligible. Any girl or parent interested in the contest can contact the Chamber of Commerce at 410-957-1919 by June 1.
Both Wednesday and Thursday will be the wristband nights for the rides by Sherwood Amusements. Wristbands to ride all night will be on sale for $8 each at the Chamber of Commerce, Eastern Shore Lanes and T’s Corner. The cost of the wristbands the nights of the rides will be $15.
One of the hits of recent festivals, the Pocomoke Idol, will return for the third year Thursday night. There will be two divisions in the competition — adult for entries 17 years and older and youth for entries 16 and younger.
Only 10 entries in each division will be allowed. Contestants will be allowed to bring their own music or choose from the available selection that night. The winner in each division will receive $100 with the runner-up receiving $50.
On Friday night, Slakbone, a modern rock band, will entertain people attending the festival. The band also plays a touch of classic rock.
Saturday events begin at noon with a soccer tournament sponsored by the YMCA.
Also at noon will be another event new to the festival — a ‘Rain Gutter Regatta’ sponsored by Cub Pack 143. Cubs who have constructed their sailboats from BSA kits will enter them in a regatta, which consists of using their breath to push the boats along the rain gutters. The first three in each den category will receive medals as will the best-appearing boats in several themes. Anyone belonging to a Cub Pack on the Lower Shore can enter. For information, call Craig Holland at
410-726-7958 or e-mail captcraig5@hotmail.com.
The car show and the bike show will also return that afternoon.
One of the top attractions, the Duck Derby, will be on the Pocomoke River later in the day at a time depending on the tide. Tickets for ownership of a duck are available at the chamber booth. Once purchased the ducks can be cheered on to victory.
Entertainment that evening will be provided by Divided Highway, a local band playing oldies with Jack Burton.
Saturday evening will conclude with a fireworks display.
Anyone who wishes to see a complete schedule with times of the events can visit www.pocomoke.com and click on the Calendar of Events. Information is also available by calling 410-957-1919.
Pocomoke earns state title
The Pocomoke softball team entered Saturday's MPSSAA 1A state championship game against Fort Hill expecting a low-scoring game. Sentinels senior pitcher Sheri Beavers had given up just two earned runs all season, and the Warriors had one of their two standout freshmen on the mound in Anna Brittingham.
But it was Brittingham who proved to be the better pitcher on this day, allowing just two Fort Hill hits and striking out 11 to make the Warriors' two runs stand up for a 2-0 victory and the title.
"It is amazing," Brittingham said. "I never thought I would come and actually win the state championship. It is just the best feeling in the world. I was told this team could hit like crazy, and I was coming out thinking, 'I don't know if I'm going to win.' Luckily, I came out and had my focus going."
The victory gave Pocomoke its first state softball crown after previously not making it past the semifinals in three attempts.
"When the season started, I knew we had a good team, but I never dreamt of being in the state championship and beating a team that was defending state champs," said Pocomoke senior catcher Kirstie Dennig, who earned her first softball title after already winning four for field hockey. "We are part of history now."
The Warriors missed an early opportunity in the top of the first inning when Beverly Weaver drew a lead-off walk, advanced to second on a groundout, then was held at third on a two-out single by Brittingham. She would then attempt to score on a passed ball and was tagged out at the plate by Beavers.
But Brittingham, who said she traditionally struggles in the first inning, showed no sign of it in the bottom of the first, striking out the first two hitters, using her rise ball and then drawing a pop-up from Beavers. She used that pitch frequently in the game, going to it in key situations and racking up the strikeouts.
"I love when a girls swings at a rise-ball, because they just look foolish," Brittingham said. "I just love it so much. It is just a great pitch, and I work on it all the time."
Pocomoke didn't waste an opportunity in the top of the second when freshman Skylar Hall had a smart at-bat, drawing a walk from Beavers and advancing to second on a wild pitch. Senior Sarah Scher then laced a solid single to pit runners at first and third with one out. Taylor West beat out a bunt single, and the throw back to Beavers from the first baseman sailed into foul territory, and Hall showed some heady baserunning by scoring on the play, scoring for a 1-0 Pocomoke lead.
Brittingham sandwiched a pair of strikeouts around a Fort Hill triple in the bottom of the second, then pitched a one-two-three third. With the lead in hand, she started to cruise.
"I felt completely comfortable in about the third inning, when I saw almost the whole lineup and I saw what they could do and just worked with that," Brittingham said.
As the game when on, Brittingham seemed to get stronger and more confident, which spelled trouble for the Sentinels.
"I think she did," said Dennig, who had a great view behind the plate. "I think all the excitement and momentum and knowing we had the early lead and had to hold them. We know how people can come back, because we are a clutch team and we come back. I think she had that in her head, and she just got stronger and stronger every inning."
Pocomoke had two on with one out in the top of the fifth, but Fort Hill escaped without a run.
They were not so lucky in the top of the sixth, when shortstop Kasey Tapman singled, moved to second on a passed ball, then scored on a one-out single by Scher.
"Everybody was just trying to get their hit, trying to get on base," Scher said. "The pitcher was really good, I have to give it to her, but we were prepared. We practice every day, and we also have great pitchers to practice from."
Scher called it a "good comfort run," but with just six Fort Hill outs to go in the game, it was huge.
"Getting one is great, but in my gut I didn't think one was going to be enough against this team," Pocomoke coach Ron Trostle said. "Getting that second one, you breathe a little better."
Brittingham gave up her final hit of the game on a changeup to the No. 9 hitter in the bottom of the sixth. But she got the next three hitters to escape without issue, then struck out two of three in the seventh.
Scher led Pocomoke at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Tapman, Brittingham, Dennig and Amber Holland each had one hit.
"I think we peaked at the right time," Trostle said, "and the season speaks for itself."
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
FBI Annual Report on Internet Crime
The FBI’s Internet crime complaints are on the rise,. A total of 275,284 complaints were received in 2008—up from 206,884 (33 percent) over 2007. Total dollar loss reported in 2008 was $265 million—up from $239 million in 2007. The average individual loss was $931. The chart below shows the number of complaints received and dollar loss totals for the past five years:
YEAR COMPLAINTS RECEIVED DOLLAR LOSS
2008 275,284 $265 million
2007 206,884 $239.09 million
2006 207,492 $198.44 million
2005 231,493 $183.12 million
2004 207,449 $68.14 million
FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Shawn Henry said, “This report illustrates that sophisticated computer fraud schemes continue to flourish as financial data migrates to the Internet. It also underscores the need for continued vigilance on the part of law enforcement, businesses, and the home computer user to be aware of these schemes and employ sound security procedures.”
YEAR COMPLAINTS RECEIVED DOLLAR LOSS
2008 275,284 $265 million
2007 206,884 $239.09 million
2006 207,492 $198.44 million
2005 231,493 $183.12 million
2004 207,449 $68.14 million
FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Shawn Henry said, “This report illustrates that sophisticated computer fraud schemes continue to flourish as financial data migrates to the Internet. It also underscores the need for continued vigilance on the part of law enforcement, businesses, and the home computer user to be aware of these schemes and employ sound security procedures.”
GRAND OPENING: Gala to welcome Delmarva Discovery Center
Museum and heritage center on Pocomoke River cuts ribbon June 25
A world of dreams, discovery and learning on Delmarva opens with a June 25 ribbon cutting ceremony and reception welcoming the Delmarva Discovery Center on the Pocomoke River in Pocomoke City.
The grand opening gala begins with a 5:30 p.m. reception, and at 6:30 p.m., a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the region’s center of local culture that includes a museum of Lower Shore art and history and a store with works by local artisans. Planned also is a restaurant.
Gala tickets are $20 each and limited. Tickets include “Tastes of Delmarva” cuisine provided by Watermen’s Inn and music by Moonstruck. Tickets are 10 percent off for Discovery Center members.
For ticket information, call 410-957-9933
More Information and directions click here
A world of dreams, discovery and learning on Delmarva opens with a June 25 ribbon cutting ceremony and reception welcoming the Delmarva Discovery Center on the Pocomoke River in Pocomoke City.
The grand opening gala begins with a 5:30 p.m. reception, and at 6:30 p.m., a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the region’s center of local culture that includes a museum of Lower Shore art and history and a store with works by local artisans. Planned also is a restaurant.
Gala tickets are $20 each and limited. Tickets include “Tastes of Delmarva” cuisine provided by Watermen’s Inn and music by Moonstruck. Tickets are 10 percent off for Discovery Center members.
For ticket information, call 410-957-9933
More Information and directions click here
Obama Admits He is creating a U.S. Long Term Debt Load that is “Unsustainable” Yet He keeps Spending
After going on a multi-Trillion Dollar spending spree, Barack Hussein Obama called his current deficit spending “unsustainable.” He went on to warn of ballooning, inflationary consumer interest rates and the financing of government programs with money borrowed from other countries.
This comes at a time when millions in the private sector are being thrown out of work, in an Obama Administration expending hundreds of billions in taxpayer funds to keep federal, state and local civil servants employed. Huge sums of private sector taxpayer dollars are being routed to states and municipalities for hiring of even more marginally productive civil servants, providing raises and supporting their exorbitant early retirement benefits with life long medical coverage.
“We can’t keep on just borrowing from China,” Obama said at a town-hall meeting in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, outside Albuquerque. “We have to pay interest on that debt, and that means we are mortgaging our children’s future with more and more debt.” Obama failed to say that due to his spending, interest alone on his debt creation will be at least $850 billion annually within ten years.
Holders of U.S. debt will eventually “get tired” of buying it, causing interest rates on everything from auto loans to home mortgages to increase, Obama said. “It will have a dampening effect on our economy.”
Acting as if impending economic doom isn’t being created by his own administration, Obama revised his own budget estimates, raising his understated deficit projections for this year to a record $1.84 trillion, up 5 percent from the February estimate. The revision for the 2010 fiscal year estimated the deficit at $1.26 trillion, up 7.4 percent from the February figure. The more independent Office of Management and Budget projected next year’s budget will end up at $3.59 trillion, compared with the $3.55 trillion it estimated previously.
Acting clueless to economic issues, Obama glossed over the fact that in his first year, his deficits will equal that of President Bush’s total accumulated deficits during eight years in office.
Falling back on blaming retiring private sector workers collecting Social Security and Medicare they have paid in to for years, Obama claimed, “Most of what is driving us into debt is health care, so we have to drive down costs,” he said. This is “fed speak” for reducing benefits to private sector retirees.
This is the ploy of federal employees, whose average salary is $76,000.00. Obama failed to mention that every federal employee just received a salary increase and that 70% of them routinely receive bonuses up to $25,000 annually. However, this is dwarfed by income earned by State and local employees and does not include incredible retirement benefits after only 20-25 years and lifelong medical coverage.
Civil Servants are considered to be the least productive workers in America. None the less, while millions of private sector workers are losing their jobs and Obama points fingers at their receiving benefits they have paid in to for years, hundreds of thousands of new “make work” public sector workers are being hired, pandering to their Unions and vying for their votes.
This comes at a time when millions in the private sector are being thrown out of work, in an Obama Administration expending hundreds of billions in taxpayer funds to keep federal, state and local civil servants employed. Huge sums of private sector taxpayer dollars are being routed to states and municipalities for hiring of even more marginally productive civil servants, providing raises and supporting their exorbitant early retirement benefits with life long medical coverage.
“We can’t keep on just borrowing from China,” Obama said at a town-hall meeting in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, outside Albuquerque. “We have to pay interest on that debt, and that means we are mortgaging our children’s future with more and more debt.” Obama failed to say that due to his spending, interest alone on his debt creation will be at least $850 billion annually within ten years.
Holders of U.S. debt will eventually “get tired” of buying it, causing interest rates on everything from auto loans to home mortgages to increase, Obama said. “It will have a dampening effect on our economy.”
Acting as if impending economic doom isn’t being created by his own administration, Obama revised his own budget estimates, raising his understated deficit projections for this year to a record $1.84 trillion, up 5 percent from the February estimate. The revision for the 2010 fiscal year estimated the deficit at $1.26 trillion, up 7.4 percent from the February figure. The more independent Office of Management and Budget projected next year’s budget will end up at $3.59 trillion, compared with the $3.55 trillion it estimated previously.
Acting clueless to economic issues, Obama glossed over the fact that in his first year, his deficits will equal that of President Bush’s total accumulated deficits during eight years in office.
Falling back on blaming retiring private sector workers collecting Social Security and Medicare they have paid in to for years, Obama claimed, “Most of what is driving us into debt is health care, so we have to drive down costs,” he said. This is “fed speak” for reducing benefits to private sector retirees.
This is the ploy of federal employees, whose average salary is $76,000.00. Obama failed to mention that every federal employee just received a salary increase and that 70% of them routinely receive bonuses up to $25,000 annually. However, this is dwarfed by income earned by State and local employees and does not include incredible retirement benefits after only 20-25 years and lifelong medical coverage.
Civil Servants are considered to be the least productive workers in America. None the less, while millions of private sector workers are losing their jobs and Obama points fingers at their receiving benefits they have paid in to for years, hundreds of thousands of new “make work” public sector workers are being hired, pandering to their Unions and vying for their votes.
Worcester balances new budget
The Worcester County Commissioners balanced its 2009-10 budget a week before the funding document is scheduled to be approved on June 2.
At the final work session Tuesday, commissioners trimmed the remaining $327,000 needed to close the $13.9 million shortfall in revenues expected for next year. In the process, officials agreed to fund the Board of Education's maintenance-of-effort budget, restore money cut by the school system for textbooks and classroom materials and delayed capital projects to find money for a new senior center in Berlin.
Cuts to county departments and capital projects, along with changes in the way employee retirement and health benefits are paid, combined to shrink the $189.5 million budget for the current year down to $175.6 million expected for next year.
However, while no reductions to county personnel -- including furloughs and layoffs -- were made on Tuesday, the option is still on the table.
"If you think this money crisis is over, you've got your head in the clouds," Commissioner Bud Church said. "Next year is going to be worse."
The county will forgo a $2.43 million storage facility and $70,000 worth of improvements to the Public Works office at the Isle of Wight in order to use the money to build a new Berlin senior center. The old building will be converted into a dental clinic by the health department with the help of grant funding. By using money already set aside for other projects, the county will not need to obtain a bond for the $2.5 million senior center. The bond payment would have cost about $225,000, but now that amount, combined with $102,000 taken from the county's $500,000 undesignated construction fund, will be used to resolve the final $327,000 budget shortfall.
The Board of Education will receive the $72.3 million county allotment required by state law. In the 5-2 vote approving the school's budget, the commissioners restored $565,447 for text books and other classroom materials, an amount that was taken from the money requested for salaries. That amount can be trimmed, they said, without laying people off due to teacher retirements and those who choose to leave the system.
"The money is in the budget for the teachers they already have, except for those that have retired," Commission President Louise Gulyas said. "So they really aren't going to lose anything."
Commissioners Church and Judy Boggs did not support the final BOE budget. Boggs said she voted against the allotment because she disagreed with making the decision to fund maintenance-of-effort at a work session last week without more information from the board. Church, a former BOE member, accused the commissioners of "micromanaging" the school system.
The draft general fund budget allows for county employees to keep their take-home cars, for seven replacement vehicles for the sheriff's office and for board member mileage reimbursement. Local nonprofit service organizations will have a 10 percent reduction in county grant funding and there is no money allocated to any county cultural or historical organization.
Grants for Snow Hill, Pocomoke City and Berlin were reduced by 11 percent from last year, and Ocean City will be cut by slightly less than 9 percent.
At the final work session Tuesday, commissioners trimmed the remaining $327,000 needed to close the $13.9 million shortfall in revenues expected for next year. In the process, officials agreed to fund the Board of Education's maintenance-of-effort budget, restore money cut by the school system for textbooks and classroom materials and delayed capital projects to find money for a new senior center in Berlin.
Cuts to county departments and capital projects, along with changes in the way employee retirement and health benefits are paid, combined to shrink the $189.5 million budget for the current year down to $175.6 million expected for next year.
However, while no reductions to county personnel -- including furloughs and layoffs -- were made on Tuesday, the option is still on the table.
"If you think this money crisis is over, you've got your head in the clouds," Commissioner Bud Church said. "Next year is going to be worse."
The county will forgo a $2.43 million storage facility and $70,000 worth of improvements to the Public Works office at the Isle of Wight in order to use the money to build a new Berlin senior center. The old building will be converted into a dental clinic by the health department with the help of grant funding. By using money already set aside for other projects, the county will not need to obtain a bond for the $2.5 million senior center. The bond payment would have cost about $225,000, but now that amount, combined with $102,000 taken from the county's $500,000 undesignated construction fund, will be used to resolve the final $327,000 budget shortfall.
The Board of Education will receive the $72.3 million county allotment required by state law. In the 5-2 vote approving the school's budget, the commissioners restored $565,447 for text books and other classroom materials, an amount that was taken from the money requested for salaries. That amount can be trimmed, they said, without laying people off due to teacher retirements and those who choose to leave the system.
"The money is in the budget for the teachers they already have, except for those that have retired," Commission President Louise Gulyas said. "So they really aren't going to lose anything."
Commissioners Church and Judy Boggs did not support the final BOE budget. Boggs said she voted against the allotment because she disagreed with making the decision to fund maintenance-of-effort at a work session last week without more information from the board. Church, a former BOE member, accused the commissioners of "micromanaging" the school system.
The draft general fund budget allows for county employees to keep their take-home cars, for seven replacement vehicles for the sheriff's office and for board member mileage reimbursement. Local nonprofit service organizations will have a 10 percent reduction in county grant funding and there is no money allocated to any county cultural or historical organization.
Grants for Snow Hill, Pocomoke City and Berlin were reduced by 11 percent from last year, and Ocean City will be cut by slightly less than 9 percent.
Baking Powder Mailed from Va. to Md. Sparks Probe
Maryland State Police are investigating the mailing of a letter with baking powder inside from Virginia to Annapolis.
Police say an employee at the Maryland District Court Administration building opened a letter with white powder inside about 9 a.m. Wednesday. The letter was opened in a room for sorting mail for the District Court.
The building was evacuated while troopers, hazmat teams and emergency crews examined the scene and decontaminated four people in the office where the letter was sent.
Virginia police are assisting in the investigation because the letter was mailed from Richmond.
Employees were let back in the building at noon and no one was injured.
Police say an employee at the Maryland District Court Administration building opened a letter with white powder inside about 9 a.m. Wednesday. The letter was opened in a room for sorting mail for the District Court.
The building was evacuated while troopers, hazmat teams and emergency crews examined the scene and decontaminated four people in the office where the letter was sent.
Virginia police are assisting in the investigation because the letter was mailed from Richmond.
Employees were let back in the building at noon and no one was injured.
Former Del. State Trooper Facing Sex Charges Commits Suicide
SMYRNA, Del.- Authorities say a former Delaware State Police trooper arrested earlier this month for having inappropriate sexual relations with a woman he had arrested has killed himself.
The body of 32-year-old Joshua Giddings was found at around 6 p.m. inside a shed outside his home on Wheeler Circle in Smyrna. According to authorities, foul play is not suspected and the incident is being investigated as a suicide by the Smyrna Police Department.
Until recently, Giddings was a 7-year veteran trooper of Delaware State Police with the rank of corporal. Earlier this month Giddings had been charged with sexual extortion, receiving a bribe and official misconduct after being accused of engaging in inappropriate sexual relations with a 39-year-old woman he had arrested for shoplifting.
According to police, the arrest was the culmination of an investigation into the woman's allegations of misconduct by Giddings.
The woman alleged that she and Giddings engaged in a sexual act while he was acting in his official capacity as a trooper. According to police, an investigation into the allegations substantiated that on Thursday, March 19 at approximately 8:06 p.m., Giddings was working in a patrol capacity when he was dispatched to JC Penney's at the Christiana Mall for a report of a female shoplifter in custody.
Police say Giddings arrested the woman for a single count of shoplifting and for capias charges from a local court related to traffic offenses. According to police, after the arrest the woman and Giddings agreed that if she performed a sexual favor that Giddings would not immediately take her to court to face the shoplifting charges and capiases. Police say that instead, he issued her a criminal summons to appear at a later date in court.
Police say that with the woman under arrest and detained in the police vehicle, Giddings drove to a nearby, secluded area and engaged in a sexual act with her. Giddings then concluded his interaction with the woman and drove her home, according to police.
Once DSP was notified of this allegation, an investigation was immediately launched and Giddings was suspended with pay and benefits. During the investigation, detectives secured a clothing item belonging to the victim, which was found to contain traces of seminal fluid. Consequently, detectives later obtained a search warrant to obtain DNA from Giddings.
Police say the physical evidence obtained by detectives from the victim's clothing and the DNA sample obtained from Giddings were sent to the state's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for comparison. Police say the two samples matched the DNA profile of Giddings and supported the allegation brought forth and warranted the aforementioned charges.
Arrest warrants were obtained and on Monday, May 11, Giddings was arrested and ultimately removed from the force.
Crime In Chincoteague Down
Chincoteague's crime rate has fallen according to a new state report. The Crime Analysis report says there were 148 serious crimes committed in 2008. That's actually 64 fewer crimes than in 2007. The police department says there have been no layoffs in the force and that has helped them keep a stronger presence in the community. "We have a lot of houses that are only occupied during certain times of the year, so when they're empty we keep a closer eye on those," Chincoteague Assistant Police Chief Randy Mills. The Chincoteague Police department plans to unveil a "neighborhood Program" program June 3rd. The Assistant Chief says it will help raise awareness on criminal activity in the town.
Has anyone ever seen a yearly crime report for Pocomoke?
Has anyone ever seen a yearly crime report for Pocomoke?
Suspect On The Loose, Considered Extremely Dangerous
From the WMDT website
Ocean City Police are searching for a man they say is extremely dangerous. Dallas Roman is wanted in both Pennsylvania and Maryland.
Police say he was spotted in Ocean City earlier this month, and possibly last weekend. They say he skipped a sentencing hearing for a violent crime in Pennsylvania and he's wanted for a paternity suit in Maryland.
They believe he may be armed. If you have any information or see Roman, do not approach him, call 410-723-6600.
Ocean City Police are searching for a man they say is extremely dangerous. Dallas Roman is wanted in both Pennsylvania and Maryland.
Police say he was spotted in Ocean City earlier this month, and possibly last weekend. They say he skipped a sentencing hearing for a violent crime in Pennsylvania and he's wanted for a paternity suit in Maryland.
They believe he may be armed. If you have any information or see Roman, do not approach him, call 410-723-6600.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
International treaty gives foreign troops identity of American gun owners
Obama wants other countries to have a list of American gun owners?
I would consider this high treason. Why would other countries even need this info when they do not have a constitution much less a second amendment. What say you?
Watch and weep!
I would consider this high treason. Why would other countries even need this info when they do not have a constitution much less a second amendment. What say you?
Watch and weep!
County leaders feel shortchanged by stimulus
Almost $4 billion is headed to Maryland in federal stimulus money. Counties across the state fought for their share of the money, dedicated through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, for roads, education, building infrastructure and creating jobs.
While some jurisdictions were successful in securing their share of the funding, Worcester County was not so lucky, its government has concluded.
"Stimulus money, everybody in the world wants to get it," said Worcester County Administrator Gerry Mason. "But I'll tell you who's not getting it -- us."
A list of Worcester County's "shovel-ready" projects submitted to the state earlier this year went largely unfunded by federal authorities in charge of choosing the plans worthy of ARRA funds.
Thus the replacement of the Mystic Harbor wastewater treatment plant, capping and closing the Berlin rubblefill, a Route 50 service road, a water tower and the Ocean Pines-GlenRiddle utility interconnection will all have to wait for better economic times.
"We really did get shortchanged in this," said Commissioner Judy Boggs. "And what we did get, we didn't have any say over."
Of the $3.9 billion slated for Maryland in loans and grants, county staffers say only $10.3 million will be spent in Worcester County. However, the majority of that money -- about $8.13 million -- will be spent directly by the state to resurface and maintain state roads; enhance teacher retirement benefits; give Community Service Block Grants; and make investments in the local workforce. County officials have little say in how this state money is spent.
Worcester County's coffers will only see $1.5 million, of which $1.4 million will go toward special education initiatives and Title 1 schools, according to the figures. The remaining $41,716 allotted for the county will fund laptops for the sheriff's department.
Grants to Pocomoke City for an enhanced nutrient removal system for the town's wastewater treatment plant and local public safety services and $97,000 slated for Ocean City in justice assistance funding make up the rest.
Figures compiled by Gov. Martin O'Malley's office, however, show more stimulus funds going to Worcester -- $16.4 million, including $3.9 million that is the county's share of federal funds bulking up Maryland's Medicare and Medicaid spending. The figures, available to the public via a StateStat Web site, www.statestat.maryland.gov, also tally stimulus spending on Worcester roads as reaching $7.2 million, compared to the county government's figure of $5 million.
While some jurisdictions were successful in securing their share of the funding, Worcester County was not so lucky, its government has concluded.
"Stimulus money, everybody in the world wants to get it," said Worcester County Administrator Gerry Mason. "But I'll tell you who's not getting it -- us."
A list of Worcester County's "shovel-ready" projects submitted to the state earlier this year went largely unfunded by federal authorities in charge of choosing the plans worthy of ARRA funds.
Thus the replacement of the Mystic Harbor wastewater treatment plant, capping and closing the Berlin rubblefill, a Route 50 service road, a water tower and the Ocean Pines-GlenRiddle utility interconnection will all have to wait for better economic times.
"We really did get shortchanged in this," said Commissioner Judy Boggs. "And what we did get, we didn't have any say over."
Of the $3.9 billion slated for Maryland in loans and grants, county staffers say only $10.3 million will be spent in Worcester County. However, the majority of that money -- about $8.13 million -- will be spent directly by the state to resurface and maintain state roads; enhance teacher retirement benefits; give Community Service Block Grants; and make investments in the local workforce. County officials have little say in how this state money is spent.
Worcester County's coffers will only see $1.5 million, of which $1.4 million will go toward special education initiatives and Title 1 schools, according to the figures. The remaining $41,716 allotted for the county will fund laptops for the sheriff's department.
Grants to Pocomoke City for an enhanced nutrient removal system for the town's wastewater treatment plant and local public safety services and $97,000 slated for Ocean City in justice assistance funding make up the rest.
Figures compiled by Gov. Martin O'Malley's office, however, show more stimulus funds going to Worcester -- $16.4 million, including $3.9 million that is the county's share of federal funds bulking up Maryland's Medicare and Medicaid spending. The figures, available to the public via a StateStat Web site, www.statestat.maryland.gov, also tally stimulus spending on Worcester roads as reaching $7.2 million, compared to the county government's figure of $5 million.
Students are last link in Baltimore-to-Shore tree chain
SNOW HILL -- Worcester County students had the chance to get their hands dirty as close to 200 students helped restore a portion of the Nassawango Creek Nature Preserve by planting trees.
Students from Berlin Intermediate School and Pocomoke and Snow Hill middle schools spent Thursday and Friday planting nearly 1,000 trees that they had raised in their classrooms during the past year in the Nassawango Creek Preserve.
"They were so enthusiastic," said Deborah Landau, a Nature Conservancy conservation ecologist. "With them being the ones to have started the seedlings, it's like they have a relationship with the trees."
With the help of Nature Conservancy and National Aquarium in Baltimore staff, the middle-schoolers went through the entire process of planting the Atlantic white cedars they had grown. Students located low, wet areas for the trees, which have been threatened in recent years with the draining of land that occurs for farming and development, and planted them. They then added a pellet, designed to give the tree a bitter flavor, to protect it from grazing deer, and flagged it.
The students planted Atlantic white cedars, Landau said, because those used to grow along the East Coast from Maine to Florida, but have been greatly diminished since settlers cut them down to use for building and later as once-marshy land was drained for farming. To help reestablish the cedars in the Nassawango area, Landau and other Nature Conservancy staff burned an area of unhealthy loblolly pines, returning nutrients to the soil, and had the students plant the trees there.
Landau said the entire project gave the students a better understanding of their environment.
"They were asking thoughtful questions," she said, "and we talked about preserving as well as actively restoring land."
Susan Land, a seventh-grade teacher at Pocomoke Middle School, said her students really enjoyed the opportunity to visit the Nassawango Preserve.
"Not a lot of them get to come out like this in the fresh air," she said.
The students were not the only ones who benefited. Three organizations -- the Nature Conservancy, Maryland Conservation Corps and National Aquarium -- were pleased with the serendipitous way the project turned out.
It was the Baltimore Aquarium that obtained a grant to purchase the seedlings, but then its planned planting location fell through. At the same time, the Nature Conservancy had been preparing the Nassawango land for Atlantic white cedars, but was not able to get the trees it had planned on. And so, with the help of Maryland Conservation Corps staff who provided local students with guidance during the growing process, the Nature Conservancy and the National Aquarium combined their projects, planting the aquarium's trees at the Nature Conservancy's site.
"It worked out perfectly," Landau said. "It's a nice partnership and everybody benefits."
Students from Berlin Intermediate School and Pocomoke and Snow Hill middle schools spent Thursday and Friday planting nearly 1,000 trees that they had raised in their classrooms during the past year in the Nassawango Creek Preserve.
"They were so enthusiastic," said Deborah Landau, a Nature Conservancy conservation ecologist. "With them being the ones to have started the seedlings, it's like they have a relationship with the trees."
With the help of Nature Conservancy and National Aquarium in Baltimore staff, the middle-schoolers went through the entire process of planting the Atlantic white cedars they had grown. Students located low, wet areas for the trees, which have been threatened in recent years with the draining of land that occurs for farming and development, and planted them. They then added a pellet, designed to give the tree a bitter flavor, to protect it from grazing deer, and flagged it.
The students planted Atlantic white cedars, Landau said, because those used to grow along the East Coast from Maine to Florida, but have been greatly diminished since settlers cut them down to use for building and later as once-marshy land was drained for farming. To help reestablish the cedars in the Nassawango area, Landau and other Nature Conservancy staff burned an area of unhealthy loblolly pines, returning nutrients to the soil, and had the students plant the trees there.
Landau said the entire project gave the students a better understanding of their environment.
"They were asking thoughtful questions," she said, "and we talked about preserving as well as actively restoring land."
Susan Land, a seventh-grade teacher at Pocomoke Middle School, said her students really enjoyed the opportunity to visit the Nassawango Preserve.
"Not a lot of them get to come out like this in the fresh air," she said.
The students were not the only ones who benefited. Three organizations -- the Nature Conservancy, Maryland Conservation Corps and National Aquarium -- were pleased with the serendipitous way the project turned out.
It was the Baltimore Aquarium that obtained a grant to purchase the seedlings, but then its planned planting location fell through. At the same time, the Nature Conservancy had been preparing the Nassawango land for Atlantic white cedars, but was not able to get the trees it had planned on. And so, with the help of Maryland Conservation Corps staff who provided local students with guidance during the growing process, the Nature Conservancy and the National Aquarium combined their projects, planting the aquarium's trees at the Nature Conservancy's site.
"It worked out perfectly," Landau said. "It's a nice partnership and everybody benefits."
Delmar man killed crossing Route 13
Police have identified the pedestrian killed Sunday night in a traffic accident on Route 13 across from Salisbury University as Eric Steven Parkinson of Delmar.
The 20-year-old had been a student at Wor-Wic Community College for the past two years and had planned on someday becoming a math teacher at the college level, said his mother, Ronda Parkinson.
"He was terrific. He had a beautiful personality. He was always living life so comically. Everything was just so light to him," she said when reached Monday afternoon, holding back tears on the telephone.
Witnesses on the scene at 11 p.m. Sunday night said that Parkinson stepped in front of a vehicle from the median on northbound Route 13, across from the Hardees, while the light was green.
The accident is currently under investigation, but Maryland State Police Sgt. Andre Bratten said there is no evidence at this time that the driver's speed played a role in the crash.
"The only cause noted is that the pedestrian failed to yield the right of way to the driver," Bratten said Monday.
The area where Parkinson was struck is directly above an underground passage for pedestrians who cross the highway along Bateman Street.
Police identified the driver of the vehicle in the accident as Elida Trevino, 49, of Salisbury. In the crash, her maroon-colored GMC Jimmy sustained severe dents to the hood, and its windshield was shattered in spots.
Emergency personnel found Parkinson about 40 feet from where the vehicle struck him. He was pronounced dead on the scene and then transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center.
The death toll for pedestrians killed on Lower Shore highways has climbed in recent times.
On May 16, a Stephen Decatur High School student, Matthew B. Barcase, 16, of Ocean Pines, died after being hit when trying to cross Route 50 in West Ocean City.
On Jan. 11, a 40-year-old man was struck and killed by a Jeep Cherokee when attempting to cross Route 13 in Delmar.
In April 2007, an Ohio woman was struck and killed when walking on Route 13 near Laurel. In March 2007, a 20-year-old woman and her 4-year-old daughter died in Pocomoke City after being struck when trying to cross Route 13 in Pocomoke City. That same day, a 36-year-old woman and her 3-year-old daughter died after being hit when crossing 62nd Street in Ocean City.
Ronda Parkinson said her close-knit family is having a difficult time coping with her son's death.
Parkinson is a 2007 graduate of Delmar Senior High School, his mother said.
In addition to graduating with academic honors, his mother described him as one of the greatest baseball players in the school's history. He was a first baseman and regular on All-star teams when growing up, she said.
In addition to his mother, Parkinson is survived by his father, Dennis J. Parkinson Sr., his older brother Dennis J. Parkinson Jr., and his sister, Desirae Parkinson, a 10th-grade student.
"To lose our baby is so hard. Everybody loved him," his mother said.
The 20-year-old had been a student at Wor-Wic Community College for the past two years and had planned on someday becoming a math teacher at the college level, said his mother, Ronda Parkinson.
"He was terrific. He had a beautiful personality. He was always living life so comically. Everything was just so light to him," she said when reached Monday afternoon, holding back tears on the telephone.
Witnesses on the scene at 11 p.m. Sunday night said that Parkinson stepped in front of a vehicle from the median on northbound Route 13, across from the Hardees, while the light was green.
The accident is currently under investigation, but Maryland State Police Sgt. Andre Bratten said there is no evidence at this time that the driver's speed played a role in the crash.
"The only cause noted is that the pedestrian failed to yield the right of way to the driver," Bratten said Monday.
The area where Parkinson was struck is directly above an underground passage for pedestrians who cross the highway along Bateman Street.
Police identified the driver of the vehicle in the accident as Elida Trevino, 49, of Salisbury. In the crash, her maroon-colored GMC Jimmy sustained severe dents to the hood, and its windshield was shattered in spots.
Emergency personnel found Parkinson about 40 feet from where the vehicle struck him. He was pronounced dead on the scene and then transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center.
The death toll for pedestrians killed on Lower Shore highways has climbed in recent times.
On May 16, a Stephen Decatur High School student, Matthew B. Barcase, 16, of Ocean Pines, died after being hit when trying to cross Route 50 in West Ocean City.
On Jan. 11, a 40-year-old man was struck and killed by a Jeep Cherokee when attempting to cross Route 13 in Delmar.
In April 2007, an Ohio woman was struck and killed when walking on Route 13 near Laurel. In March 2007, a 20-year-old woman and her 4-year-old daughter died in Pocomoke City after being struck when trying to cross Route 13 in Pocomoke City. That same day, a 36-year-old woman and her 3-year-old daughter died after being hit when crossing 62nd Street in Ocean City.
Ronda Parkinson said her close-knit family is having a difficult time coping with her son's death.
Parkinson is a 2007 graduate of Delmar Senior High School, his mother said.
In addition to graduating with academic honors, his mother described him as one of the greatest baseball players in the school's history. He was a first baseman and regular on All-star teams when growing up, she said.
In addition to his mother, Parkinson is survived by his father, Dennis J. Parkinson Sr., his older brother Dennis J. Parkinson Jr., and his sister, Desirae Parkinson, a 10th-grade student.
"To lose our baby is so hard. Everybody loved him," his mother said.
2 Fired Md. ECI Guards Plead Guilty to Assault
Two fired Maryland correctional officers pleaded guilty Tuesday to assaulting a defenseless inmate at a state prison and agreed to testify against seven co-workers charged with beating the man over a two-day period.
Timothy Mellott, 23, of Woodbridge, Va., and Lucas Kelly, 29, of Frostburg, Md., each pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree assault, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $2,500 fine. No sentencing dates were set. The other seven officers have pleaded not guilty.
They acknowledged brutalizing Kenneth J. Davis, 42, who is serving 19 years for a series of robbery convictions in Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties in 1998. Davis is housed at the Eastern Correctional Institution near Westover, according to the Division of Correction.
Assistant Attorney General Jason Abbott, who is prosecuting the case, told Washington County Circuit Judge M. Kenneth Long that the episode began March 8, 2008, when Davis hit Mellott in the face during an apparently routine check during the night shift at the medium-security Roxbury Correctional Institution near Hagerstown.
Two other officers broke up the fight, handcuffed Davis behind his back and escorted him to the Administrative Segregation Intake Area, or ASIA unit, a holding area inside the medical dispensary where troublesome inmates are sometimes housed.
Davis was cooperative during the trip to the ASIA unit, Abbott said.
The party was met in the ASIA unit by Lt. Robert D. Harvey, 62, of Hagerstown and Correctional Officer Keith Morris, 27, of Warfordsburg, Pa., who were told of the attack on Mellott, Abbott said. He said Harvey led Davis to a cell and kicked him in the midsection, knocking him to the ground.
Morris then entered the cell and punched Davis, followed by Mellott, who punched the inmate and kicked him in the back, Abbott said.
Davis remained handcuffed and did not attempt to hit or kick the officers during the beating, he said.
Harvey, Mellott and Morris are among four defendants from the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift. The role of the fourth man, Scott Boozel, 28, of McConnellsburg, Pa., wasn't explained.
Kelly is among five other officers charged with assaulting Davis the next day during the 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift. Abbott said four of those officers- Kelly; Reginald Martin, 38, of Chambersburg, Pa.; Michael Morgan, 39, of Fort Ashby, W.Va.; and Justin Norris, 24, of Martinsburg, W.Va.- learned of the attack on Mellott during morning roll.
"There was an implicit agreement among the defendants to go to the ASIA unit to find Kenneth Davis," Abbott said.
He said they got in a van, drove to the medical dispensary, entered through a physical therapy door and met officer Tyson T. Hinkle, 33, of Martinsburg, W.Va. Hinkle accompanied them to Davis' cell, where they found the inmate on the floor, Abbott said.
Once again, Davis did not threaten the officers or try to hit them, Abbott said. He said they kicked Davis numerous times in the body and genitals while he tried to protect himself by curling into a ball.
Abbott said Kelly, when questioned by investigators, initially denied any knowledge of the beating. But he later admitted his involvement and provided the names of the assailants.
Kelly, who represented himself, declined to comment after the hearing.
Mellott and his attorney, Assistant Public Defender Charles Bailey, also declined to comment.
Timothy Mellott, 23, of Woodbridge, Va., and Lucas Kelly, 29, of Frostburg, Md., each pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree assault, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $2,500 fine. No sentencing dates were set. The other seven officers have pleaded not guilty.
They acknowledged brutalizing Kenneth J. Davis, 42, who is serving 19 years for a series of robbery convictions in Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties in 1998. Davis is housed at the Eastern Correctional Institution near Westover, according to the Division of Correction.
Assistant Attorney General Jason Abbott, who is prosecuting the case, told Washington County Circuit Judge M. Kenneth Long that the episode began March 8, 2008, when Davis hit Mellott in the face during an apparently routine check during the night shift at the medium-security Roxbury Correctional Institution near Hagerstown.
Two other officers broke up the fight, handcuffed Davis behind his back and escorted him to the Administrative Segregation Intake Area, or ASIA unit, a holding area inside the medical dispensary where troublesome inmates are sometimes housed.
Davis was cooperative during the trip to the ASIA unit, Abbott said.
The party was met in the ASIA unit by Lt. Robert D. Harvey, 62, of Hagerstown and Correctional Officer Keith Morris, 27, of Warfordsburg, Pa., who were told of the attack on Mellott, Abbott said. He said Harvey led Davis to a cell and kicked him in the midsection, knocking him to the ground.
Morris then entered the cell and punched Davis, followed by Mellott, who punched the inmate and kicked him in the back, Abbott said.
Davis remained handcuffed and did not attempt to hit or kick the officers during the beating, he said.
Harvey, Mellott and Morris are among four defendants from the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift. The role of the fourth man, Scott Boozel, 28, of McConnellsburg, Pa., wasn't explained.
Kelly is among five other officers charged with assaulting Davis the next day during the 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift. Abbott said four of those officers- Kelly; Reginald Martin, 38, of Chambersburg, Pa.; Michael Morgan, 39, of Fort Ashby, W.Va.; and Justin Norris, 24, of Martinsburg, W.Va.- learned of the attack on Mellott during morning roll.
"There was an implicit agreement among the defendants to go to the ASIA unit to find Kenneth Davis," Abbott said.
He said they got in a van, drove to the medical dispensary, entered through a physical therapy door and met officer Tyson T. Hinkle, 33, of Martinsburg, W.Va. Hinkle accompanied them to Davis' cell, where they found the inmate on the floor, Abbott said.
Once again, Davis did not threaten the officers or try to hit them, Abbott said. He said they kicked Davis numerous times in the body and genitals while he tried to protect himself by curling into a ball.
Abbott said Kelly, when questioned by investigators, initially denied any knowledge of the beating. But he later admitted his involvement and provided the names of the assailants.
Kelly, who represented himself, declined to comment after the hearing.
Mellott and his attorney, Assistant Public Defender Charles Bailey, also declined to comment.
SEVERE WEATHER ALERT
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY FOR KENT AND SUSSEX COUNTIES EFFECTIVE FROM 9 PM TONIGHT TO 2 AM WEDNESDAY. WINDS AND TIDES WILL CONSPIRE TO GENERATE MINOR FLOODING OF LOW AREAS ALONG THE SHORE. PLEASE MOVE YOUR VEHICLES OUT OF FLOOD PRONE AREAS.
To our Readers
This as you know is a brand new blog, I'm pleasantly surprised at the number of readers we have already in such a short time.
I would like to hear what YOU the reader would like to see and read.
Please don't be shy, email me or simply post in a reply what you want to see more of. If you haven't figured it out yet I'm very conservative so my train of thought leans to posting toward the right thinker but I don't want to limit this blog to things that lean to the way I think, I need reader input.
Tell me what you want to see and read and I'll do my best to post things of reader interest.
Thanks for viewing The Pocomoke Public Eye. And thanks to the other blogs that have linked to this site, it is greatly appreciated.
Please contact me at...
Pcitypubliceye@gmail.com
I would like to hear what YOU the reader would like to see and read.
Please don't be shy, email me or simply post in a reply what you want to see more of. If you haven't figured it out yet I'm very conservative so my train of thought leans to posting toward the right thinker but I don't want to limit this blog to things that lean to the way I think, I need reader input.
Tell me what you want to see and read and I'll do my best to post things of reader interest.
Thanks for viewing The Pocomoke Public Eye. And thanks to the other blogs that have linked to this site, it is greatly appreciated.
Please contact me at...
Pcitypubliceye@gmail.com
Sotomayor Video: Judges Make Policy, Latinas Better Than Whites
Watch and see if this is reported by the main stream media. This is Obamas new ultra liberal supreme court Justice pick.
Do you think a judge should 'Dictate' from the bench?
Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's pick to become the newest Supreme Court justice, is on the record with some controversial remarks about 'diversity,' 'judicial activism' and female judges vs. male judges.
For example, the New York Times reported that in 2001, at the annual Judge Mario G. Olmos Law and Cultural Diversity Lecture, Sotomayor had this to say:
“I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.”
“Whether born from experience or inherent physiological or cultural differences,” she said later, regarding non-white, female judges, “our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging.”
Also, there is a 2005 video of Sotomayor, speaking with potential law clerks, saying that a “court of appeals is where policy is made.” She added: “And I know — I know this is on tape, and I should never say that because we don’t make law. I know. O.K. I know. I’m not promoting it. I’m not advocating it ...”
Regarding Sotomayor's chances to avoid a filibuster of her nomination, Senator Orrin Hatch told Politico, “I'll tell you one thing, I'm not very happy about judges who will substitute their own policy preferences for what the law really is; who think that they can run the country from the bench when they actually have a limited role. And that role is to interpret the laws made by those who have to stand for reelection."
Despite Hatch's misgivings, Democratic Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York sent a personal letter to President Barack Obama asking him to appoint a Latino to fill the next vacancy on the United States Supreme Court Back in April.
“It’s long overdue that a Latino sit on the United States Supreme Court. Sonia Sotomayor and Ken Salazar are two candidates who would make outstanding justices. They have top-notch legal minds, years of experience, moderate approaches to the law, and would make history by being the first Latino on the court,” Senator Schumer said.
"We are fortunate in New York State to have jurists of the caliber and intellect that Judge Sotomayor has exhibited during a lifelong career of service to the bench. As an accomplished jurists, as a woman, and as a Latina she would bring to the United States Supreme Court a much needed voice. We must be committed to diversity on our nation’s highest bench. These candidates will restore the balance that we so desperately need on the Court,” Senator Gillibrand said.
Do you think a judge should 'Dictate' from the bench?
Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's pick to become the newest Supreme Court justice, is on the record with some controversial remarks about 'diversity,' 'judicial activism' and female judges vs. male judges.
For example, the New York Times reported that in 2001, at the annual Judge Mario G. Olmos Law and Cultural Diversity Lecture, Sotomayor had this to say:
“I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.”
“Whether born from experience or inherent physiological or cultural differences,” she said later, regarding non-white, female judges, “our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging.”
Also, there is a 2005 video of Sotomayor, speaking with potential law clerks, saying that a “court of appeals is where policy is made.” She added: “And I know — I know this is on tape, and I should never say that because we don’t make law. I know. O.K. I know. I’m not promoting it. I’m not advocating it ...”
Regarding Sotomayor's chances to avoid a filibuster of her nomination, Senator Orrin Hatch told Politico, “I'll tell you one thing, I'm not very happy about judges who will substitute their own policy preferences for what the law really is; who think that they can run the country from the bench when they actually have a limited role. And that role is to interpret the laws made by those who have to stand for reelection."
Despite Hatch's misgivings, Democratic Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York sent a personal letter to President Barack Obama asking him to appoint a Latino to fill the next vacancy on the United States Supreme Court Back in April.
“It’s long overdue that a Latino sit on the United States Supreme Court. Sonia Sotomayor and Ken Salazar are two candidates who would make outstanding justices. They have top-notch legal minds, years of experience, moderate approaches to the law, and would make history by being the first Latino on the court,” Senator Schumer said.
"We are fortunate in New York State to have jurists of the caliber and intellect that Judge Sotomayor has exhibited during a lifelong career of service to the bench. As an accomplished jurists, as a woman, and as a Latina she would bring to the United States Supreme Court a much needed voice. We must be committed to diversity on our nation’s highest bench. These candidates will restore the balance that we so desperately need on the Court,” Senator Gillibrand said.
GM (Government Motors) presents new car!
In a special news conference today, Government Motors announced its new concept car…
The new GM (Government Motors) proudly introduces the 2010 Obama….This car runs on hot air and broken promises. It has three wheels that speed the vehicle through tight left turns.
It comes complete with two Teleprompters programmed to help the occupants talk their way out of any violations.
The transparent canopy reveals the plastic smiles still on the faces of all the “happy” Democrat owners.
The new GM (Government Motors) proudly introduces the 2010 Obama….This car runs on hot air and broken promises. It has three wheels that speed the vehicle through tight left turns.
It comes complete with two Teleprompters programmed to help the occupants talk their way out of any violations.
The transparent canopy reveals the plastic smiles still on the faces of all the “happy” Democrat owners.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Memorial Day Flags Half Staff
Taking a look around our small town today I noticed several municipal flags that are flying FULL staff. Several local business also.
Our local Police station was flying full staff and that was to me the most disturbing. Especially with the police occupying the old Amery building.
So on a day as historic as this day why not take all of 5 minuets to follow the flag protocol in remembrance of our fallen hero's? And more so this goes to our civil servants.
I was more saddened than disgusted I think.
If you cannot fly your flag half staff, protocol calls for a black ribbon atop the flag. This is real simple folks, it is, in my opinion very disrespectful to the families of those they lost protecting our freedom to not take 5 minuets to at least show respect in honor of those millions that met the ultimate sacrifice.
Our local Police station was flying full staff and that was to me the most disturbing. Especially with the police occupying the old Amery building.
So on a day as historic as this day why not take all of 5 minuets to follow the flag protocol in remembrance of our fallen hero's? And more so this goes to our civil servants.
I was more saddened than disgusted I think.
If you cannot fly your flag half staff, protocol calls for a black ribbon atop the flag. This is real simple folks, it is, in my opinion very disrespectful to the families of those they lost protecting our freedom to not take 5 minuets to at least show respect in honor of those millions that met the ultimate sacrifice.
Memorial Day History
Memorial Day History a Great read
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead" (Source: Duke University's Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920). While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.
Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.
In 1915, inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields," Moina Michael replied with her own poem:
We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.
She then conceived of an idea to wear red poppies on Memorial day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. She was the first to wear one, and sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need. Later a Madam Guerin from France was visiting the United States and learned of this new custom started by Ms.Michael and when she returned to France, made artificial red poppies to raise money for war orphaned children and widowed women. This tradition spread to other countries. In 1921, the Franco-American Children's League sold poppies nationally to benefit war orphans of France and Belgium. The League disbanded a year later and Madam Guerin approached the VFW for help. Shortly before Memorial Day in 1922 the VFW became the first veterans' organization to nationally sell poppies. Two years later their "Buddy" Poppy program was selling artificial poppies made by disabled veterans. In 1948 the US Post Office honored Ms Michael for her role in founding the National Poppy movement by issuing a red 3 cent postage stamp with her likeness on it.
Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.
There are a few notable exceptions. Since the late 50's on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing. In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual Good Turn, a practice that continues to this day. More recently, beginning in 1998, on the Saturday before the observed day for Memorial Day, the Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts place a candle at each of approximately 15,300 grave sites of soldiers buried at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park on Marye's Heights (the Luminaria Program). And in 2004, Washington D.C. held its first Memorial Day parade in over 60 years.
To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps."
The Moment of Remembrance is a step in the right direction to returning the meaning back to the day. What is needed is a full return to the original day of observance. Set aside one day out of the year for the nation to get together to remember, reflect and honor those who have given their all in service to their country.
But what may be needed to return the solemn, and even sacred, spirit back to Memorial Day is for a return to its traditional day of observance. Many feel that when Congress made the day into a three-day weekend in with the National Holiday Act of 1971, it made it all the easier for people to be distracted from the spirit and meaning of the day. As the VFW stated in its 2002 Memorial Day address: "Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed greatly to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day."
On January 19, 1999 Senator Inouye introduced bill S 189 to the Senate which proposes to restore the traditional day of observance of Memorial Day back to May 30th instead of "the last Monday in May". On April 19, 1999 Representative Gibbons introduced the bill to the House (H.R. 1474). The bills were referred the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Government Reform.
http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html
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