Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Returning Soldier Tonight At 8:00 PM

Hope you will join "We Care About Wicomico County", American Legion and VFW at the Airport for a welcome home!

On Dec 20 at 8:23 PM a Marine, Ronnie Storms, will be returning to SBY Airport. Word is that he is serving in Afganistan, will be home on leave and will return to duty after Christmas

Please try to arrive about 8:00 p.m. as some of these flights have been arriving early. It requires only a few minutes of your time, but means so much to those returning to our hometown and to their families.

Info On Ray Lewis Case You Should Know

"Davis did not prosecute this case; he did spend hours preparing it. It was forwarded to Talbot County per a judge’s decision to forward it to another county based on the chance that this county jury pool would not be fair. So, Talbot County SA's presented this case not Davis. Davis was an observer in the court room just as any other Wicomico county tax payer would be.

Don't forget to add the benefits Ray gained from having the extra money at his disposal, the interest gained, the opportunities gained, the interest and opportunities lost by the county for not having the money.

Also this state is very liberal in seizing property, and it just got harder, that is something that the Attorney General’s office and all the elected officials should get a phone call/e-mail about. This state is a hard state to fight crime in, so many rights the criminal has.

Ray will be on work release so that means as long as he can justify his hours, he can stay out 2/3 of the day and the weekend. So he will show up, go to sleep, get up and go to work. Just like a hotel, on the weekend he gets to watch TV play games & work out.

So let’s do the math: 6 months starting Dec 29th to June 29th = 182 days. There are 26 weekends in that time that he will serve 24 hours a day. There are 156 days that he will only be there 8 hours a day to sleep. So, 26 x 48 hours = 1248 hours then add 156 days at 8 hours = 1248 hours. Then add them together 2496 hours divided by 24 hours in a day = 104 days. So, Ray got 104 days in jail, the whole time still benefiting his business, benefitting his personal life, eating where he wants, seeing the people he wants, managing his life pretty close to normal. Just has to go sleep locked up, who cares he is sleeping. So that is the real jail sentence he received. That is also not subtracting days off for good behavior, so that could lessen it a months time.

Call your representatives, the attorney general and get the laws changed so we can seize the benefits of crime. Only you can change it by getting it on the list."

Christmas Tour

This question just came in and it is certainly worth posting.

"Joe,
Every year, on whatever Saturday night is right before Christmas, we get into the car, and drive around looking for the best holiday decorations. I just realized how much better this otherwise delightful experience would be by having some idea as to where they are…rather than making an educated guess or stumbling upon them. Could your readers possibly post some houses or displays which they have in their neighborhoods, and enjoy themselves??? What an incredible tradition this has become for us….grab a hot chocolate from Dunkin and ride around in a nice warm car, with family members as captives!!!!!

Thanks in advance"

It Takes More Than Shoes To Scare This Texan



After all these years, I think he has more to worry about than flying shoes. I doubt he realizes the insult these flying shoes carried.

HISTORICAL MOMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER

NANTICOKE’S TUNA PLANT



(early 1950’s magazine article by William Stump)

TUNA – fat, meaty fish weighing as much as 70 pounds – are returning into Maryland waters by the thousands this winter.

They’re running up the Chesapeake and into the Nanticoke – aboard a sea-stained refrigerator ship called the Rumba that was built in Scotland, sails out of Callao, Peru , flies the Costa Rican flag, is manned by Peruvians and is captained by a skipper named Antonio Roberto Janssen.

Four times a year at various Peruvian ports as many as 400 tons of silvery tuna, tuna caught by fishing vessels off Peru, are frozen solid and loaded into the Rumba’s deep sub-zero holds. Then the stubby motorship heads up the Pacific coast, through the Panama Canal and north to the village of Nanticoke – the location of a growing new Maryland industry.

That industry is the large-scale canning of imported tuna, and it is new to the East Coast as well as to this state. It was pioneered in Nanticoke, by a packing house now canning thousands of cases a year.

“You know, it still sort of surprises us that we were the first to think of canning South American tuna,” says H. B. Kennerly, Jr., manager of the firm he owned with his father.

“It surprises us because Maryland and the mid-Atlantic Coast are hundreds of miles closer than California to the South American fishing grounds – and 90 per cent of the California-packed tuna, and that’s most of the tuna Americans eat, comes from those grounds. Besides, we’re a lot closer to the markets.”

The Kennerlys’ tuna adventure began in 1946, when the war-nourished demand for their canned herring and whitefish fell off sharply. “One day Dad came back from New Jersey with a few albacore,” Mr. Kennerly recalls. “We didn’t know what this fish was. Then we discovered if was a species of tuna, and we began to pack it.”

But the Kennerlys found out that albacore and the other Atlantic species were not available if sufficient quantities. Hence, the coming of tuna “in the round” from Peru. And hence, the coming of the Rumba, now in its second year of delivering the fish.

The Rumba makes the 18-day, 2750 mile voyage to Nanticoke only in the cool months, so as to keep the tuna from spoiling during the unloading. She is 165 feet long and 500 tons in gross cargo weight. She anchors about two thirds of a mile offshore.

Upon her arrival, the junior Mr. Kennerly, a man whose eyes light up when he talks about fish, pays a visit to the vessel. He is greeted by Captain Janssen, who commands a crew of nineteen officers and men, including refrigeration experts who keep the holds at just-below-zero temperatures.

The captain, who wears an American baseball cap, is descended from a Norwegian grandfather who settled in Peru in the last century. Like his ancestor, he has followed the sea since boyhood, and has served on merchantmen all over the world. He looks forward, he says, to the Nanticoke voyage – one reason being that among the customs men posted aboard, he can usually find a chess player.

“On my ship, only the mate, Oscar Mujica, can play this game,” says Captain Janssen. “And ones tires of the same competition.”

When the formalities are completed in the Rumba’s tiny cabin, Spanish-speaking sailors open up the hatches, displaying ton upon ton of stiff-frozen tuna, glistening under a coating of ice crystals. Occasionally, big burlap-packed slabs of swordfish are in the cargo; these are immediately shipped north.

Soon a 50-ton lighter is tied up alongside and the Negro cannery workers jump aboard, greeting the sailors with Spanish words learned on previous trips. Then a donkey engine lowers a cargo net into the hold, and the workers fill it with the fish, shouting Arriba! the Spanish word for “up”, when the net is ready.

When the lighter is loaded, it is towed to Nanticoke. There, Edwin Schoenrick, a retired State Department official who served in South America and who volunteered his Spanish and his services to the Kennerlys when the Rumba first put in, supervises the shifting of the cargo to trucks, which take the fish to a huge freezer building near the cannery.

It sometimes takes a week to unload the Rumba, and the task requires most of the cannery personnel. So it is not until the vessel leaves – its crew members laden with American movie magazines – that the packing begins.

But the tuna will not be ready to eat for a week after packing, and it will be even better after a year, for, like whisky, it improves with age.

“We pack 75,000 cases a year, which comes out to 1,800,000 pounds,” Mr. Kennerly says.

“That’s a lot of fish, and it doesn’t all come in on the Rumba; we receive much of it by regular cargo ships that dock in New York and Baltimore.

“Of course, we’re nowhere near approaching the production of California, which puts up over 8,000,000 cases a year. But the industry is growing here in the East – there’s another plant in Maryland at Tilghman Island – and the Californians are worried. It’ll be a lot of fun to see what happens in the future.”

UPDATE (not part of the original magazine article) – The tuna plant was subsequently used by Coldwater Seafood until they moved to Cambridge when Wicomico County refused to make Nanticoke a deep draught harbor that would facilitate them receiving the large boats from Iceland with frozen fish. Then it was used as a chicken plant by Otis Esham. It lay idle for a couple of years and then was operated as another chicken plant by a co-operative known as Champion Chicken. When they went out of business in the late 1970’s, the whole 5 acres along with the building and equipment was sold at auction by the government for the paltry sum of $68,000. I know this because I was at the auction. The stainless steel processing equipment and a refrigeration unit on the roof was worth three times that. The freezer on the north end of the property was dismantled and reused in North Carolina. Showell Poultry bought it and it is now a vacant lot owned by Perdue by way of them purchasing Showell. Many people have eyed the property as prime real estate for condominiums overlooking a beautiful harbor but after many years of seafood and chicken plant operations the land will not perk for clean water. So – it sits.

Could This Used Car Salesman Be Yo Nex Mare Of Salisbury?


You know, from the field already registered to run for Mayor of Salisbury, this guy just might be the right choice. At least this time the Mayor would be open about drinking, wear a jacket and pants to cover up, especially in the cold and sport a smile on their face for once and actually be happy. Have you hugged a Car Salesman today? Oh, that's right, they're taking advantage of yet another Bailout. It's no wonder those Car Salesmen are lining up to get another job where they'll sit on their axx all day and complain about getting hemorrhoids.

Who is Responsible & What Did It Cost Us?

I can't imagine how Sheriff Mike Lewis and his deputies feel today. After putting together a case of this magnitude, to have it blown off in court as if it were a kid caught with his hand in a cookie jar. The kid with his hand in the cookie jar probably would have received a heavier sentence.

I would like to know exactly how many man hours Mike Lewis, his deputies and WBI logged before actually making any arrests. I do know, for a fact, Mike Lewis had his deputies camped outside of Ray Lewis's office on Forest Grove Road all night long before they initiated the search and seizure warrants, assuring no one entered the premises to remove any of the stolen goods. There were a good number of police officers present on location while they inventoried and loaded all of the stolen property on county owned rolloffs. There were quite a few deputies down at the landfill on Brick Kiln Road on the same day. A lot of manpower and taxpayers money was spent on this theft ring.

Apparently, Sheriff Mike Lewis, his deputies and members of the Wicomico Bureau of Investigation are the only agency in this county that did their job. They handed an airtight case to the States Attorney, for what, a six month sentence? Why didn't anyone else do their job as thoroughly? Why didn't anyone else take this as serious as WCSO, WBI and the TAXPAYERS?

Yesterday, Ray Lewis was given a gift of an extremely light sentence, many of us are still trying to figure out how and why. I've seen heavier sentences handed down in lesser crimes, to people that have no prior record. What many of us would like to know is exactly how much did this theft ring cost the county? How much did it cost the county sheriffs office, WBI, MSP, States Attorney's offices just to put this case together? What does it cost to convene a grand jury? What was the cost of the forensic auditors? What is the cost of equipment and man hours used gathering the stolen property? Is there an increase in the county insurance due to the claim filed and paid out?

These thieves cost us, the taxpayers, of this county far more than will ever be recovered through restitution. The box truck he was ordered to forfeit isn't worth $10,000.00 why was it confiscated? As stated in a comment on another post, why wasn't the property where all of the goods were being kept confiscated? They confiscate houses and cars in drug busts, why not in a major theft?

Who is responsible?
A county council that doesn't question expenditures?
An auditor that doesn't pay attention to questionable expenses?
A department head (Rai Sharma) that doesn't keep track of or question expenditures?
A supervisor(Kenny Townsend) that knows how to fanagle the books?
A private business owner (Ray Lewis) that holds the note on property purchased by the supervisor?
All of the above?

Wicomico County Sheriff's Office Press Release

Incident: Disorderly Conduct

Date of Incident: 17 December 2008

Location: U.S. 13 at Centre Road, Salisbury, MD

Suspect: Jimmy Louis, 21, Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On 17 December 2008 at 2:44 PM, a deputy stopped a vehicle in which Jimmy Louis was a passenger for a traffic violation. Upon the deputy contacting the occupants, Louis became argumentative with the deputy and refused to provide identification. During the encounter with Louis, he began yelling loudly and belligerently at the deputies present on the scene. Louis’ behavior drew the attention of numerous patrons at a nearby restaurant yet he still refused requests to cease his loud and boisterous demeanor.

Due to the disturbance caused by Louis, he was arrested and transported to Central Booking where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, Louis was released by the Commissioner on Personal Recognizance.

Attorneys


These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters that had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.

ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, 'Where am I, Cathy ?'
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan !

____________________________________________


ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
____________________________________________


ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.

____________________________________________


ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?

___________________________________________


ATTORNEY: D o you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?
WITNESS: We both do.
ATTORNEY: Voodoo?
WITNESS: We do.
ATTORNEY: You do?
WITNESS: Yes, voodoo.

____________________________________________


ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?

____________________________________


ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: He's twenty, much like your IQ.
___________________________________________


ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Are you shitting me?
_________________________________________


ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Getting laid

____________________________________________


ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different atto rney. Can I get a new attorney?

____________________________________________


ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Take a guess.

____________________________________________


ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Unless the circus was in town, I'm going with male.

_____________________________________


ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work
.
______________________________________


ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight.

_________________________________________


ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
_________________________________________


ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished
.
____________________________________________


ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Are you qualified to ask that question?

______________________________________

And the best for last:

ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.

ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

An Oldie But A Goodie

An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard; I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and was well taken care of.

He calmly came over to me, I gave him a few pats on his head; he then followed me into my house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in the corner and fell asleep.

An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out.

The next day he was back, greeted me in my yard, walked inside and resumed his spot in the hall and again slept for about an hour. This continued off and on for several weeks.

Curious I pinned a note to his collar: 'I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful, sweet d og is and ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap.'

The next day he arrived for his nap, with a different note pinned to his collar: 'He lives in a home with 6 children, 2 under the age of 3 - he's trying to catch up on his sleep. Can I come with him tomorrow?'

YOU MUST KNOW #77, Worth Repeating

I knew about the red light on cars, but not the #77.

It was about 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon, and Lauren was driving to visit a friend. An UNMARKED police car pulled up behind her and put his lights on. Lauren's parents have always told her never to pull over for an unmarked car on the side of the road, but rather to wait until they get to a gas station, etc.

Lauren had actually listened to her parents advice, and promptly called #77 on her cell phone to tell the police dispatcher that she would not pull over right away. She proceeded to tell the dispatcher that there was an unmarked police car with a flashing red light on his rooftop behind her. The dispatcher checked to see if there were police cars where she was and there weren't, and he told her to keep driving, remain calm and that he had back up already on the way.

Ten minutes later 4 cop cars surrounded her and the unmarked car behind her. One policeman went to her side and the others surrounded the car behind. They pulled the guy from the car and tackled him to the ground. The man was a convicted rapist and wanted for other crimes.

I never knew about the #77 Cell Phone Feature, but especially for a woman alone in a car, you should not pull over for an unmarked car. Apparently police have to respect your right to keep g oing to a safe & quiet place. You obviously need to make some signals that you acknowledge them (i.e. put on your hazard lights) or call #77 like Lauren did.

Too bad the cell phone companies don't generally give you this little bit of wonderful information.

Speaking to a service representative at Bell Mobility confirmed that #77 was a direct link to state trooper info.

So, now it's your turn to let your friends know about #77.

Send this to every woman (and person) you know; it may save a life. This applies to ALL 50 states.

A Sad Day For Christmas

"I went to the Donut Connection on Mt. Hermon Road to get donuts for my little Christmas party. I was expecting to find donuts decorated in holiday sprinkles...WRONG. nothing! I was in a big hurry and told them of my displeasure of no Christmas Donuts. They shrugged their shoulders and said no they had not had any. My reply was well I might come back next spring and I might not. I will be going to DeVages when the grandkids come from Georgia this weekend. We had spent lots of money at the Donut Connection, but no longer! Even if they don't celebrate Christmas, they better remember their customers do! We are the ones that count. I am boycotting Donut Connection!

Barb F."

Breed Specific Rescue

Hi Joe,

My name is Stacy Pixley and I am a regular reader of your blog. Recently, I read comments about breed specific rescues and I wanted to shared some information about a breed specific rescue with you and your readers. I am a volunteer with a breed specific rescue called The Mid-Atlantic Pug Rescue. The Mid-Atlantic Pug Rescue is a non-profit organization in which volunteers (absolutely NO paid employees) come together for one common goal, to save pugs. We will take any pug, regardless of behavioral or medical problems. All pugs rescued receive exceptional veterinary care and live with foster families until they are ready to be adopted. The wonderful thing about them living in foster homes is that we really get to learn about their personalities, temperaments, and they get well socialized with people and other animals. Because of this we have been very successful in placing pugs in loving homes. Our adoption fee varies with the age of the pug but they are minimal compared to what you would pay for a pug from a pet store puppy mill and all dogs come altered and up to date on all shots. The website is http://www.midatlanticpugrescue.org and there is a wealth of information on the organization there as well as pics of pugs up for adoption and the adoption applications. In addition, for those not interested in adoption, donations are very much welcome as this year we have spent close to 100,000 dollars in vet bills alone to rescue pugs and pug mixes. Not only a volunteer, I have adopted a pug as well and I can tell you with all certainty RESCUE PUGS ROCK.

Thanks so much,

Stacy Pixley

Today's Wildlife Photo


Courtesy Of The Skinkle's.