today’s news and information gleanings from here and there!

Quote for today … “So my fee for Internet went up this month. What I’m wondering is there someplace on Comcast’s site where they made an announcement of proposed rate increases before the fact? I sure as heck can’t find one, so if it exists they’ve done a good job hiding it. Perhaps they hope most people don’t notice the increase, but I’d like to see the official annoucement (sic) that they were planning one.” – Question posed at Comcast’s blog page [NOTE: We checked the recent bills, there was no notice of an increase in 2015. Comcast’s long had a reputation for lousy service and being dastardly about slipping in price increases. Just read the comments about both lousy service and slippery pricing practices at ComcastBills.com.]

• Bah Humbug: It’s time for the annual Comcast price increase – Lancaster Online

• A slew of properties listed for the January 2015 “County Sheriff Sale Listing”

• “America has a “white millennial” problem – the next generation may not be a liberal one” – AlterNet

• What’s a millennial? – Pew Research Center

• Confused by veterans organizations with similar names? Earlier this week, the Veterans of the Vietnam War picked up the breakfast tab at Mike’s Diner in Columbia. We asked with a leader within that organization at the Diner and asked why the VVW Post 35 in Windsor was sponsoring breakfast. He explained that the organization wanted to say thank you; the stated mission on the Windsor organization’s Form 990 submission to the IRS is to “support veterans, their families, and our local community by providing a safe place for veterans to come together and share their experiences and find compassion and understanding.”

“Many of the major veterans groups are chartered by acts of the U.S. Congress, including American Ex-Prisoners of War, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Jewish War Veterans of the USA, Paralyzed Veterans of America and Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. Does congressional charter status mean that the U.S. government approves these groups’ activities and provides oversight? No, according to a 2004 report by the Congressional Research Service, which also stated that Congress has never yanked a charity’s charter status. Congressman Barney Frank called charters “… ‘a nuisance,’ a meaningless act. Granting charters implied that Congress was exercising some sort of supervision over the groups and it wasn’t…” as cited in a 1992 article from the Washington Post.” – CharityWatch.org

• We were unable to find a current Form 990 for local chapters of another veterans’ organization with a similar name, the Vietnam Veterans of America.  The goals of the VVA, according to its Website is: ” … are to promote and support the full range of issues important to Vietnam veterans, to create a new identity for this generation of veterans, and to change public perception of Vietnam veterans.” According to the national Website, there are local chapters in Lancaster County and York County. Here’s the link to the Lancaster County chapter’s Website. We were unable to find a Website for the York County Chapter.

• Confused yet?

• In York County, nearly “50 volunteers from Feed the Vets, the American Legion Post 605 (Dallastown) and the local community helped serve” a Christmas meal for veterans. – The York Dispatch

• Ladies, stay far away: In York County, a woman’s boyfriend strangled her dog – The Evening Sun, Hanover