Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist

Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Md Troopers Assoc #20 & Westminster Md Fire Dept Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

CityBizList: O’Malley sets his sights to repeal death penalty





No doubt still high off his recent same-sex marriage win, Gov. Martin O’Malley is considering another piece of progressive legislation to add to his legacy — a repeal of the death penalty. It’s something he’s tried unsuccessfully in the past, but capital punishment is gradually falling out of favor with the public. So there may be a chance.

However, if and when O’Malley makes a run for the presidency, abolishing capital punishment in Maryland may prove a dubious asset. According to the Washington Post, plenty of Democrats still favor letting God sort it out, as it were, and a repeal may place O’Malley too far to the left for national office… http://baltimore.citybizlist.com/article/o%E2%80%99malley-sets-his-sights-his-next-huge-legislative-effort

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Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Slatest PM: The John McCain Is a Hard Man To Please edition

Your daily PM briefing from The Slatest (@slatest), your trusty news companion.



By Josh Voorhees (@JoshVoorhees)

SO YOU'RE SAYING IT DIDN'T HELP: Associated Press: "U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice told lawmakers Tuesday that her initial explanation of the deadly Sept. 11 raid in Libya was wrong, but her concession failed to mollify three Republican senators who signaled they would oppose her possible nomination to be secretary of state."


REFRESHER: AtlanticWire: "All John McCain ever really said he wanted was for Susan Rice to come out and talk about her statements about the Benghazi attacks, and say that they were wrong. This afternoon, Rice appears to have done just that."


THE GOP TRIO: John McCain: "We are significantly troubled by many of the answers that we got and some that we didn't get concerning evidence that was leading up to the attack on the consulate. " Lindsey Graham: "Bottom line I'm more disturbed now than I was before that 16 September explanation." Kelly Ayotte: "I'm more troubled today."


WHAT'S REALLY AT STAKE: New York Times: "Their statements – coming after Ms. Rice’s conciliatory remarks during a meeting designed to mend fences with her three critics and smooth the way for her nomination as secretary of state if President Obama decides on her as the successor to Hillary Rodham Clinton – attested to the bitterness of the feud between the White House and Republicans over Benghazi. Mr. Graham and Ms. Ayotte said that knowing what they know now, they would place a hold on Ms. Rice’s nomination if Mr. Obama selected her."


BUT IT'S WORTH REMEMBERING: McCain and co. need 40 votes to filibuster a nomination, a number they don't appear to have despite their near non-stop efforts to keep the spotlight on Rice and her original account of what happened in Benghazi.

HAPPY TUESDAY and welcome to The Slatest PM. Follow your afternoon host on Twitter at @JoshVoorhees and the whole team at @slatest.

WE TRUST YOU WON'T FORGET US: Associated Press: "The historic Powerball jackpot boosted to $500 million on Tuesday was all part of a plan lottery officials put in place early this year to build jackpots faster, drive sales and generate more money for states that run the game. Their plan appears to be working. Powerball tickets doubled in price in January to $2, and while the number of tickets sold initially dropped, sales revenue has increased by about 35 percent over 2011."


PLAN B: CBS News: "The morning-after pill should be prescribed in advance to teens just in case they one day need it, says the country's leading medical society of pediatricians. The American Academy of Pediatrics said Monday that emergency contraceptives like Plan B and Next Choice can be used to curb a U.S. teen pregnancy rate which, while declining over the past two decades, still surpasses that of other developed countries."


GET USED TO IT: Reuters: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on Tuesday that he is disappointed that there has been 'little progress' among Democratic and Republican lawmakers as they try to reach a deal to avoid the year-end 'fiscal cliff.' Reid, a Democrat, told reporters that not much headway has been made since congressional leaders met with President Barack Obama on Nov. 16."


TAHRIR SQUARE: Washington Post: "Egyptian opposition forces rallied across the country Tuesday in the biggest show of dissent against the country’s first democratically elected leader since he precipitated a political crisis last week with an apparent bid to assume near-absolute power. A loose coalition of rights groups, liberals and secularists poured into Cairo’s Tahrir Square and other public spaces, urging President Mohamed Morsi to rescind a decree he issued Thursday that granted him the authority to legislate without judicial oversight. But many also used Tuesday’s mass protests as an opportunity to call for the downfall of Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood backers, underscoring a complex political conflict in the newly democratic country that runs far deeper than the move that Morsi’s opponents have labeled a power grab."


APPLE MAPS: Bloomberg: "Apple Inc. (AAPL) has fired the manager responsible for its troubled mapping software, seeking to win back the trust of users disappointed after the program debuted in September, according to people familiar with the move. Richard Williamson, who oversaw the mapping team, was pushed out by Senior Vice President Eddy Cue, said the people.... Critics have faulted Apple’s new map software for unreliable landmark searches, routes that get users lost and lack of public transit directions."


WOMEN IN COMBAT: Christian Science Monitor: The American Civil Liberties Union sued on Tuesday on behalf of four U.S. servicewomen to challenge a longstanding policy barring women from thousands of ground combat positions, citing the changing nature of warfare and fairness for career soldiers. The civil rights group argued in a legal complaint filed in federal court in Northern California that a military policy to bar women from combat roles on the basis of gender was unconstitutional."


MORE SLATE QUICK HITS—
 
Bad Astronomy: Mayan Notpocalypse
See you back here tomorrow. But, until then, tell your friends to subscribe, or simply forward the newsletter on and let them make up their own minds.
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Cyber Alert: ABC Salivates Over ‘Mutiny’ Against Anti-Tax Pledge

Media Research Center
Tracking Liberal Media Bias Since 1996
Tuesday November 27, 2012 @ 09:42 AM ET

Advertisement
1. ABC Salivates Over ‘Mutiny’ Against Anti-Tax Pledge That’s Been ‘Obstacle to Raising Taxes,’ Hail New ‘Flexibility’
ABC anchor Diane Sawyer and correspondent Jonathan Karl on Monday night salivated over Republicans breaking Grover Norquist’s anti-tax pledge. “We did see a sign the paralysis may be ending,” Sawyer relayed over “Tax Revolt?” on screen, touting “a Republican mutiny against a man who had convinced them to take a pledge.” She soon trumpeted the “new sign of flexibility.” As if that’s a bad thing, Jonathan Karl fretted “the pledge is the biggest obstacle to any deal that would raise taxes.” But he saw hope ahead in how “with a budget crisis on the horizon and a re-elected President insisting on tax increases, some Republicans are now thinking the unthinkable: Ditching the pledge.”


2. NBC Eager to See Republicans 'Peeling Off' from Tax Pledge, Pressures Rest of GOP to Do the Same
Talking to chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd on Monday's NBC Today, co-host Savannah Guthrie enthusiastically touted: "...we've seen a few Republicans peeling off from a pledge they signed to Grover Norquist, who, of course, is a lobbyist, an anti-tax lobbyist, who's been very powerful among conservatives. Is that a significant move?" Todd replied by urging the rest of the GOP to similarly abandon core conservative principles: "I'll be impressed when you start seeing House Republicans do it....where it looks like Republicans are softening, it's Senate Republicans. If this deal could be cut between the Senate Republicans and the White House, we wouldn't even be talking about this...the fiscal cliff wouldn't be an issue."


3. CBS Lobbies Senator Corker to Renege on Anti-Tax Hike Pledge, Raise Capital Gains Tax
Charlie Rose and Norah O'Donnell sung from the same liberal sheet music on Monday's CBS This Morning as they tried to get Republican Senator Bob Corker to commit to higher federal taxes. Rose wondered if the Corker was "prepared, as others are doing, to...say, I'm going to forgo the [anti-tax hike] pledge because it is outdated and the country's problems are too big." O'Donnell asked the Tennessee politician if he was "willing to also raise the capital gains rate." O'Donnell also cited "independent analysis" by the Tax Policy Center, but omitted that it is a project of two liberal organizations - the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution.


4. CNN Pleads With Republicans, 'Don't Fear the Grover'
CNN broke out the pom-poms on Monday and cheered the Republicans who reneged on Grover Norquist's no-tax hike pledge. CNN contributor John Avlon lauded them as "profiles in courage." Avlon quipped that now "people don't fear the Grover. And that's a good thing, you know." Anchor Carol Costello clearly liked the GOP mutiny, asking "how excited should we really be by all of this talk of throwing Grover Norquist under the bust [sic]?" Later in the day, Brooke Baldwin enthused: "'Don't fear the Grover.' Best quote of the day."


5. Wolf Blitzer Badgers House Majority Whip to Raise Taxes
After smiling on Republicans who stepped away from Grover Norquist's no-tax hike pledge, CNN pressured the GOP House Majority Whip to raise income tax rates on Monday's The Situation Room. Anchor Wolf Blitzer suggested a tax hike on those making over $250,000 a year, noting "those families and those small businesses did quite well during the years of the Clinton administration when the rate was 39.6. Why not go back to that?"


6. Chris Matthews Outrageously Links Unhappy Conservatives to Hitler
Chris Matthews on Monday disgustingly connected conservatives unhappy with the 2012 election to Hitler and the 1936 Olympics. After Huffington Post journalist Howard Fineman mocked the GOP for supposedly considering the African American and Hispanic vote to be "extraterrestrial," Matthews spewed, "The last guy to refer to the black auxiliary was Hitler." Matthews, known for his verbal gaffes, prefaced the Nazi comparison by rambling, "...And these references are always dangerous, but I'll take it anyway." Trying to explain his smear, the Hardball anchor expanded, "During the '36 Olympics, we had Jesse Owens and a couple other guys winning the Olympics and they [the Nazis] were saying, "Well, they had their auxiliary out there." As if this made his comments all go away, Matthews added that his comments have "no bearing on the Republican Party."


7. Meet the Press Panelist Ken Burns of PBS Denounces Tea Party 'Vitriol' Motivated By Racism
During a discussion of the new film Lincoln on Sunday's NBC Meet the Press, PBS documentary film maker Ken Burns ranted about one of the supposed lessons he took away from the movie: "Race is always there in America....Do you think we'd have a secession movement in Texas and the other places, faddish secession movement, if this president wasn't African-American?  Do you think the vitriol that came out of some elements of the Tea Party would have been at the same level had this President not been Africa-American?"
*****

Classic Twinkies Commercial



A pair of youths lasso Twinkie the Kid, they have no idea what they're in for. This spot is from the early 70s. Are the twinkies used in the film in better condition today than this video?
*****

Hostess Twinkie the Kid 1985



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Monday, November 26, 2012

Reuters U.S. Top News: Consumers to spend less if middle-class taxes rise: White House and more




WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A White House report says that if that Congress allows taxes to go up on middle-class families, consumers will spend $200 billion less in 2013.


SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Black Friday retail sales online this year topped $1 billion for the first time ever as more consumers used the Internet do their early holiday shopping, comScore Inc said on Sunday.


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator John McCain, a vocal opponent of Susan Rice's possible nomination as Secretary of State, said on Sunday that the U.N. ambassador could change his mind after she explained her statements on the attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi.


(Reuters) - A Florida woman photographed two months ago riding an endangered manatee in violation of state law was arrested on Saturday on misdemeanor charges, authorities said.


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers have made little progress in the past 10 days toward a compromise to avoid the harsh tax increases and government spending cuts scheduled for January 1, a senior Democratic senator said on Sunday.


(Reuters) - A suspected shoplifter died in Georgia on Sunday after a confrontation with two Walmart employees and a contract security guard who caught him in the store's parking lot, local media reported.


(Reuters) - A utility worker who punctured a natural gas line caused an explosion in a Massachusetts city last week that injured 18 people, a city hall spokesman said on Sunday.


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's re-election this month gave supporters of comprehensive immigration reform an immediate dose of optimism.


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States remains undefeated in the nearly two years since it began settling corporate tax disputes with Canada through a winner-takes-all process popularly known as "baseball arbitration."


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top prize in the Powerball lottery will reach a record $425 million after no one won Saturday's drawing, a lottery official said on Sunday.

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Eagle Archive: Big Baker Chapel hangs as an ornament of Westminster history

Eagle Archive: Big Baker Chapel hangs as an ornament of Westminster history
Baltimore Sun Carroll Explore Carroll Eagle Archive: Big Baker Chapel hangs as an ornament of Westminster history By Kevin E. Dayhoff, November 24, 2012 http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/carroll/news/ph-ce-eagle-archive-1125-20121124,0,5911926.story

Recently the General Federation of Women's Clubs' Woman's Club of Westminster unveiled Big Baker Chapel as its ninth holiday ornament for the Christmas season.

The ornament sale is a fundraiser for the club, which for the last 101 years has provided community service and support. According to the club, "The sales from these ornaments enable our Club to help serve the needs in our community including the arts, conservation, education, home life, international outreach and public issues."

In past years, the Woman's Club has paid tribute to McDaniel College's (Little) Baker Chapel and Ward Memorial Arch, Westminster City Hall and the Carroll County Courthouse.

Other buildings recognized by the club include the Westminster Armory, the bell and clock tower that sits atop the old Westminster Fire Engine and Hose Company No. 1 fire hall, the Old Stone Building on Liberty Street and the Shellman house on the campus of the Historical Society of Carroll County… Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/carroll/news/ph-ce-eagle-archive-1125-20121124,0,5911926.story

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Eagle Archive: Big Baker Chapel hangs as an ornament of Westminster history

Eagle Archive: Big Baker Chapel hangs as an ornament of Westminster history

Baltimore Sun Carroll Explore Carroll Eagle Archive: Big Baker Chapel hangs as an ornament of Westminster history By Kevin E. Dayhoff, November 24, 2012 http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/carroll/news/ph-ce-eagle-archive-1125-20121124,0,5911926.story

Recently the General Federation of Women's Clubs' Woman's Club of Westminster unveiled Big Baker Chapel as its ninth holiday ornament for the Christmas season.

The ornament sale is a fundraiser for the club, which for the last 101 years has provided community service and support. According to the club, "The sales from these ornaments enable our Club to help serve the needs in our community including the arts, conservation, education, home life, international outreach and public issues."

In past years, the Woman's Club has paid tribute to McDaniel College's (Little) Baker Chapel and Ward Memorial Arch, Westminster City Hall and the Carroll County Courthouse.

Other buildings recognized by the club include the Westminster Armory, the bell and clock tower that sits atop the old Westminster Fire Engine and Hose Company No. 1 fire hall, the Old Stone Building on Liberty Street and the Shellman house on the campus of the Historical Society of Carroll County… Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/carroll/news/ph-ce-eagle-archive-1125-20121124,0,5911926.story


+++++++++++++++
Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoffTwitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff
Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net

Tumblr: Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems www.kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/
Smurfs: http://babylonfluckjudd.blogspot.com/
Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/

E-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.com
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/
+++++++++++++++

Sunday, November 25, 2012

“Where the hell is Olivia Pope when you really need her?” Jamaica Observer Style Observer By Sharon Leach


“Where the hell is Olivia Pope when you really need her?” Jamaica Observer Style Observer By Sharon Leach Sunday, November 18, 2012 http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/lifestyle/Where-the-hell-is-Olivia-Pope-when-you-really-need-her_13007341

“E-mails are the spawn of Satan.”

“Similarly, the more important a position or office a man holds, the more likely he is to do some dumb shit.”

“I think what happens in a public figure's personal life should be just that: personal. Not in the public arena. I don't care what anyone wants to say: … What good purpose, other than the cruel sport of ho-shaming, can the public picking apart of these people serve for the figures, their families?

This and much more from: “Where the hell is Olivia Pope when you really need her?” Jamaica Observer Style Observer By Sharon Leach Sunday, November 18, 2012 http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/lifestyle/Where-the-hell-is-Olivia-Pope-when-you-really-need-her_13007341

See also: Kevin Dayhoff The Tentacle General (Petraeus) Chaos http://tinyurl.com/abc78l8


“General Chaos” by Kevin E. Dayhoff November 21, 2012 http://www.thetentacle.com/author.cfm?MyAuthor=41

On Monday, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, issued a statement in which he said that the “recent allegations” swirling-around high-ranking military officers are “not a distraction.”

[…]

It was just days after the election when it was publically revealed that CIA Director David Petraeus was resigning his post because he had conducted an extra-marital affair with Lt. Col. Paula Broadwell, his biographer, from late 2011 until last summer… http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=5475



Kevin Dayhoff The Tentacle General (Petraeus) Chaos http://tinyurl.com/abc78l8
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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Kevin Dayhoff The Tentacle General (Petraeus) Chaos


Kevin Dayhoff The Tentacle General (Petraeus) Chaos


“General Chaos” by Kevin E. Dayhoff November 21, 2012 http://www.thetentacle.com/author.cfm?MyAuthor=41

On Monday, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, issued a statement in which he said that the “recent allegations” swirling-around high-ranking military officers are “not a distraction.”

[…]

It was just days after the election when it was publically revealed that CIA Director David Petraeus was resigning his post because he had conducted an extra-marital affair with Lt. Col. Paula Broadwell, his biographer, from late 2011 until last summer… http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=5475
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Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Who is Holly Petraeus? by Adriana Velez at CaféMom.com


Who Is Holly Petraeus? The Scorned General's Wife Isn't All She Seems


As the Petraeus sex scandal continues to spiral, there's one person I keep wondering about: David's wife of 37 years, Holly Petraeus. How is she taking this scandal? Is she furious, heartbroken -- is she surprised? Did she ever suspect her husband was fooling around?

You've seen the photos of Holly: A grandmotherly woman with a gray bob and swept bangs, almost always smiling, glasses perched on her nose. She reminds me of oatmeal cookies -- sweet, wholesome, and a little old-fashioned. But dainty? Forget it. Behind that kind smile is a woman made of iron. She's an Army wife. Not just an Army wife, but a four-star General's wife who's managed to forge her own path and identity.

Holly is what they call military royalty. Her father is retired four-star General William Knowlton, formerly the superintendent of the United States Military Academy when Petraeus was a cadet there. He also served as a NATO commander. Holly's ancestors fought in the Civil War, Spanish American War, and the Indian Wars.

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Eagle Archive: Recalling when a Bull Moose 'Teddy' charged through Westminster

Eagle Archive: Recalling when a Bull Moose 'Teddy' charged through Westminster



Eagle Archive: Recalling when a Bull Moose 'Teddy' charged through Westminster

In this 1912 photo by Philip Myers, former President Teddy Roosevelt delivers a campaign speech from the front of the American Sentinel newspaper office in Westminster. (Historical photo by Philip Myers / November 17, 2012)

By Kevin E. Dayhoff November 17, 2012

Presidential election politics are over for 2012 (well, sort of), but we can still recall local history related to our nation's chief executives. For instance, the Nov. 15, 1964, edition of the Baltimore Sun's Sunday Magazine carried a story by Philip Myers with the headline, "I Remember … Theodore Roosevelt in Westminster."

[…]

In 1912, Myers was a freshman at then-Western Maryland College — now McDaniel — and one of his hobbies was photography…. http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/carroll/neighborhoods/westminster/ph-ce-eagle-archive-1118-20121114,0,4694880.story


+++++++++++++++
Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoffTwitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff
Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net

Tumblr: Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems www.kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/
Smurfs: http://babylonfluckjudd.blogspot.com/
Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/

E-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.com
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/
+++++++++++++++

Remembering the most wonderful time of year for 'Stanta' Claus

Remembering the most wonderful time of year for 'Stanta' Claus


Remembering the most wonderful time of year for 'Stanta' Claus By Kevin Dayhoff, November 20, 2012 Planning for Christmas in Westminster is almost as much a cherished tradition as the holiday itself… http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/carroll/news/community/ph-ce-remembering-stan-1118-20121119,0,4483663.story

But for many, Christmas 2012 will not quite be the same without Stan Ruchlewicz, the City of Westminster's administrator of economic development and Main Street manager, who died of a heart attack on June 5 at age 56.

During the holiday season, Ruchlewicz was a perennial fixture at the Locust Lane Santa House, serving as "Stanta" Claus to the delight of children and parents alike.

But he was also a driving force behind many of the events that make up the annual Miracle on Main Street activities in Westminster: the parade, the tree lighting and other special events that bring people, businesses and organizations together… http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/carroll/news/community/ph-ce-remembering-stan-1118-20121119,0,4483663.story


*****

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Wounded Marines find peace through backcountry fishing and more from Keys Net - Weekly Newsletter


  • It looks like moving City Hall out of a group of trailers along U.S. 1 will be the Marathon City Council's primary infrastructure project in the coming months.
  • Life would be easier if Key West and Tallahassee were not separated by a 12-hour drive, former state Rep. Ron Saunders said Friday, days after ending his second stint in the Florida Legislature. "I'm still deciding where to spend most of my time now," said Saunders, 58.

    "I'm from the Keys and have a lot of good contacts here," he said. "But I've also got contacts in Tallahassee. I'll probably wind up trying to split time between both."
  • An allegedly drunk Miami-Dade man claiming ties to former Colombian cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar was jailed early Friday morning on a litany of charges -- including offering a deputy sheriff $30,000 to "reduce the results of the breath test."

    John Chaney, 64, of Kendall was pulled over at mile marker 37 around 2:30 a.m. after Deputy Juan Martin-Reyes spotted his black 2008 Hummer H2 traveling between 90 mph and 110 mph in the National Key Deer Refuge, where the speed limit on U.S. 1 is 35 mph.