September 24, 2006

Personalize Your Cube
http://biz.yahoo.com/weekend/cube_1.html

http://biz.yahoo.com/weekend/cube_2.html

Another (good) Domino Vide
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=97020bc7c265f3b09251dcb272a0609b.850950&cache=1

One Night With The King (from the book of Esther in the Old Testament)
Producer’s Synopsis: “An epic motion picture set in an imaginative world of adventure, intrigue and romance, One Night With the King follows a young girl who rises from peasant to princess by going against the culture and seeking the King’s heart rather than the riches of the kingdom…
http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2005/onenightwiththeking2005.html

http://www.8x.com/onenight/

Cell phones and the gas pump –
Every few months someone forwards me one of those panicky e-mails warning me of something that isn’t true or is over blown. One of the most common e-mails is the one telling you to send an e-mail to everyone in your address book warning your friends of the dangers of using your cell phone at the gas pump. I got one the other day and when I looked up the sources the e-mail claims to use for validation of it’s truthfulness I found that it is a hoax, according to the actual websites:

* Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) http://www.pei.org/static/
The truth: PEI has investigated hundreds of refueling fires and flare-ups. We have not documented one single incident that was caused by a cellular telephone.

* Shell Oil http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?siteId=my-en&FC1=&FC2=&FC4=&FC5=&FC3=/my-en/html/iwgen/news_and_library/hse/2002/mobilephones_011611415.html
The truth: Shell denies having issued a warning of this nature:
We understand that there is an email, purportedly official Shell communication, circulating which describes various incidents that are supposed to have occurred as a result of mobile phones ringing while at a retail station.
http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/gasvapor.asp

Her Majesty
Set in 1953, Her Majesty http://www.hermajestythemovie.com/ tells the story of a young, white New Zealander named Elizabeth -- a delightful girl who, when not practicing her steps for her marching team or innocently crushing on her coach, idolizes the queen of England. Upon discovering that the queen is planning a visit to New Zealand, Elizabeth begins a one-girl letter-writing campaign to try to put her rural town on the queen's travel itinerary. Against all odds, Elizabeth succeeds. The town is thrown into a frenzy of preparation and everything is nearly perfect -- except for the eyesore of a house, right at the entrance to the town, inhabited by Hira Mata, an old Maori woman.

Reclusive and mysterious, Hira is the object of mean speculation by the townsfolk and a victim of a band of young hooligans, led by Elizabeth's brother, Stuart. Shocked to see anyone treated so cruelly, Elizabeth seeks out Hira to try to make things right. Their first uncomfortable encounter slowly turns into friendship. As Elizabeth grows closer to Hira she learns the cost of befriending an outcast, and proud Hira must wrestle with her own prejudices. Along the way, long-buried town secrets are revealed and threats to Hira and Elizabeth mount as the time of the royal visit draws nearer.

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/8/252006d.asp

Quite a contrast between two religions and cultures...
1. Murdered Nun Asked Forgivness for Killers As She Lay Dying
sept 18, 2006
Sister Leonella, a nun who devoted her life to helping the sick in volatile regions of Africa...used her last breaths to forgive those responsible.

...Her slaying was nsparked by remarks by Pope Benedict XVI about Muslims that have sparked angry reaction from Muslims around the world, added Willy Huber, regional head of the Austrian-funded hospital where Sister Leonella worked.

The killing has once again turned the spotlight on the lawless Horn of Africa nation where a powerful, radical Islamic group, accused of having ties to al-Qaida, have all but wrested control of the country from the weak and factional Somali government...http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/18/africa/AF_GEN_Somalia_Nun_Killed.php

2. Muslim religious leaders warn pope to accept Islam
Citing the words of the Prophet Muhammad, Muslim religious leaders in the Gaza Strip on Sunday warned Pope Benedict XVI that he must "accept" Islam if he wanted to live in peace... and have formed a death squad to kill the pope if he doesn’t convert to Islam…
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1157913651799&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

What Ever Happened To…
…the record breaking number of hurricanes the expert scientists said we’d get?
…the bird flu?

House bill to require voter ID
September 21, 2006 The House yesterday passed legislation that would require voters to show a valid photo identification in federal elections...The Federal Election Integrity Act was approved on a nearly party-line 228-196 vote...

...The "Voter ID" bill, aimed at stamping out voter fraud, would require voters in federal elections to provide picture identification by 2008 and provide proof of U.S. citizenship by 2010. It was among the recommendations made last year by the bipartisan Commission on Federal Election Reform, headed by former President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat...

...But Democrats, siding with groups that work on behalf of minorities and illegal aliens, called the bill a "modern-day poll tax" and said it would place an insurmountable burden on voters and infringe upon their voting rights.

Rep. Brian Bilbray, California Republican, countered that the real infringement upon voting rights would be allowing fraudulent votes by the dead or illegal "to cancel out legitimate votes."

...a study by Johns Hopkins University that found 1,500 dead people who had voted in recent elections...
http://www.washingtontimes.com/functions/print.php?StoryID=20060921-123316-5086r

House Passes Measure to Identify Pork-Barrel Spenders
September 15, 2006 (CNSNews.com) - In a move toward greater "transparency," the House on Thursday passed a measure dealing with pork barrel projects -- lawmakers' efforts to funnel taxpayers' money to their home districts through a process known as "earmarking."

The resolution providing earmark "reform" passed 245-171, and the rule change will take effect immediately.

The measure won't stop pork barrel spending, but it will force lawmakers to attach their names to their pet projects in appropriations bills. There will be no more "anonymous" earmarks in such legislation...

...House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was quoted as calling the earmark reform measure a "political gimmick to make it look as if something is happening." http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200609/POL20060915b.html

How Bad Is the Senate Intelligence Report? Very Bad
(Claim of No Saddam-Al Qaeda Ties is Rubbish)
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/012/710goolj.asp?pg=1

Wal-Mart to sell cheap generic drugs
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Story.aspx?guid=%7B6DE3EABF%2DAC8C%2D44D4%2D8EBD%2DCC098164643B%7D&siteid=

Housing decline to bottom out in mid-2007:
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Story.aspx?guid=%7BA440B877%2D9904%2D4F1B%2DBF6D%2D0787D142D116%7D&siteid=

Don't let spam filters snatch your résumé
Potential employer might never see your 'curriculum vitae' in e-mail
http://www.careerjournal.com/jobhunting/resumes/20040413-maher.html?cjpartner=mktw

Many U.S. Couples Seek Embryo Screening
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060920/D8K8SV101.html

Colorado State professor disputes global warming is human-caused
9/19/2006 Global warming is happening, but humans are not the cause, one of the nation’s top experts on hurricanes said Monday morning...

...Gray, who is a professor at Colorado State University, said human-induced global warming is a fear perpetuated by the media and scientists who are trying to get federal grants.

“I think we’re coming out of the little ice age, and warming is due to changes to ocean circulation patterns due to salinity variations,” Gray said...

...At the breakfast, Gray said Earth was warmer in some medieval periods than it is today. Current weather models are good at predicting weather as far as 10 days in advance, but predicting up to 100 years into the future is “a great act of faith, and I don’t believe any of it,” he said...http://www.reporterherald.com/Top-Story.asp?ID=6894

Jihad Enablers
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/09/jihad_enablers.html

Guess who said "Jews are respected by everyone, by all human beings"
Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said he is not an anti-Semite.
"Jews are respected by everyone, by all human beings," he told a news conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Later, he added: "We love everyone in the world - Jews, Christians, Muslims, non-Muslims, non-Jews, non-Christians...
The remarks come months after Mr Ahmadinejad called for Israel to be wiped off the map - and described the Holocaust as "myth".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5368458.stm

Then why can't we build churches in Saudi Arabia?
Call for ban on 'defamation of Islam' [Perv Musharraf tells U.N.]News.com.au ^ Sept. 20, 2006

PAKISTANI President Pervez Musharraf today called for a ban on the "defamation of Islam" in a speech to the UN General Assembly in which he took a veiled swipe at Pope Benedict XVI for his remarks linking the Muslim faith to violence.

"We also need to bridge, through dialogue and understanding, the growing divide between the Islamic and Western worlds," General Musharraf told the 192-member assembly.

"It is imperative to end racial and religious discrimination against Muslims and to prohibit the defamation of Islam."

In an indirect reference to Pope Benedict XVI, he said, "It is most disappointing to see personalities of high standing oblivious of Muslim sensitivities at these critical moments".
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20444351-38197,00.html

David Bennett <><
http://www.freewill-predestination.com
http://www.knology.net/~lonesomedove

September 19, 2006

“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear.” —Marcus Tullius Cicero

Left Behind
http://www.youtube.com/v/SmLhyPjHVes be sure and turn you sound up the guy has an Aussie accent

Russian fighter jet and top gun type pilot. (Two videos)
http://bemil.chosun.com/movie%20link/SU-35.wmv

Slacktivism: Forwarding petitions
E-mail petitions are NOT acceptable to Congress or any other municipality. To be acceptable petitions must have a signed signature and full address. Individual e-mails to your Congressman will be accepted but remember even it will get ignored/trashed if you don’t include your name and address because they are only interested in hearing from their constituents.

Adding your name to a list then forwarding it on does absolutely nothing, they don't even reach their target I guess.

If it was really important would you leave it in the hands of someone else to forward it to it's ultimate destination? What if you or a friend forward the petition to someone who diesn't agree with it? Then yours and the other gazillion names are lost! Oh, my!!

Also see http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/p/petitions.htm

According to Snopes.com: ."..so the average e-petition isn't ultimately worth the pixels it took to create it — why are they so popular?

In a world beset by complex problems...such simplification as the e-petition provides a welcome relief. Imagine having the power to solve those problems! Moreover, imagine having it merely at the click of a mouse!

...A sense of powerlessness and lack of control over events played out on the grand scale becomes replaced by the certainty that real change can be brought about at the cost of no more effort than it takes to type a few characters on a keyboard, just enough to display one's name on a growing list of equally committed cyber activists. Through the magic of the e-petition, those left feeling like bystanders to important events are transformed into powerful agents for social change...

...E-petitions are the latest manifestation of slacktivism, the search for the ultimate feel-good that derives from having come to society's rescue without having had to actually gets one's hands dirty or open one's wallet…" http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/petition/internet.htm

Brother & Sister reunited 65 years after Holocaust

Sep 18, 2006 JERUSALEM - Hilda Shlick thought she lost nearly all her family in the Holocaust — until her Internet-savvy grandsons located her 81-year-old brother in Canada.
"After 65 years, I have found the sister who I love," Simon Glasberg said Monday in heavily accented English, his eyes filling with tears. "I can't stop kissing her."

Using the database of Holocaust victims at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial, two of Shlick's grandchildren, Benny and David, began unearthing a mystery spanning six decades and three continents…

...Shlick, 75, said she too was overwhelmed by the discovery. "For 65 years, I lived thinking I had no family besides one sister," she said…

…The last time the two saw each other was in 1941, when the Glasberg family of Chernowitz, Romania, was separated after the Nazis invaded.

Hilda, then 10, escaped to Uzbekistan with her older sister Bertha. The rest of the family — parents Henia and Benzion, and brothers Simon, Mark, Karol and Eddie — stayed in Romania, finding refuge in a basement. The fate of one sister, Pepi, remains unknown. She disappeared and is presumed to have been killed by the Nazis....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/israel_holocaust_reunion

Warsaw to get statue of ex-president Reagan

Sep 18, 2006 WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish admirers of Ronald Reagan plan to raise a statue of the former U.S president in Warsaw, where he is revered for his role in the downfall of communism in Europe...

..."Reagan was the person who defeated the communists and opened the way for freedom in Poland," Janusz Dorosiewicz said. "The statue is a way for his legacy to live on."

Many Poles credit staunch anti-communist Reagan with helping the anti-communist movement in eastern Europe. In 1989, Poland became the first country in the region to shake off communism.

The group plans to unveil the Reagan statue on in 2007 on July 4 -- the U.S. Independence Day.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyid=2006-09-18T155914Z_01_L18839909_RTRUKOC_0_US-POLAND-REAGAN.xml&src=rss&rpc=22

U2’s Bono has just taught the world a great lesson in economics.
Sept. 18, 2006 With all the press attention given to the U2 lead singer's humanitarian lobbying efforts to fight poverty and disease in the Third World, you might think his global instruction was about altruism.

Not this time. Instead, by his actions Bono has revealed what he really feels about taxes. He has also demonstrated how dramatically one's behavior can be affected when the issue becomes personal.

The rocker and his U2 band have moved their business empire from Ireland to Holland to avoid paying the new high tax rates that have been imposed by the Irish government on music royalties (until this year artists and musicians paid no taxes in Ireland).

If Bono, whose estimated worth is said to be in excess of $700 million, wants to save on his tax bill, that's understandable. The problem is that this is the same guy who has consistently urged the U.S. government to use its own citizens' tax dollars to finance other nations' social programs and forgive Third World countries' debts...

… Labour Party finance spokeswoman Joan Burton…told the Guardian, "Having listened to Bono on the necessity for the Irish government to give more money to Ireland Aid ... I am surprised that U2 are not prepared to contribute to the exchequer on a fair basis along with the bulk of Irish taxpayers."

What Bono and U2 have done is what businesses always do when faced with excessive taxes — seek jurisdictions with low or, better yet, no taxes.

Governments always need more money, and the easy answer for generating revenue is to hike tax rates. But as sure as water flows downhill, individuals, and the businesses they own, will leave the tax-hiking jurisdiction for more friendly terrain, taking their revenue right along with them.

Another Bono lesson for Ireland and other nation-states: If the Emerald Isle hadn't tinkered with its tax law, Bono, U2 and other businesses like them would still be providing jobs, opportunity and, yes, revenue.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/9/17/183931.shtml

U2's Bono avoids taxes, Joins with Forbes

8/8/06 U2 and its lead singer Bono have been pushing the U.S. and EU countries to fork over more money for Third World nations to relieve debt and fight AIDS…

…The Irish Examiner reports that U2 and Bono are furious that Ireland is doing away with its law exempting artists and authors from taxation.

Under the Irish government's last budget (the new budget), artists and authors can get up to 250,000 euros ($325,000) in income tax free, but after that they pay like everyone else.

Most taxpayers would be joyous they could get the exemption Ireland provides.

But U2 rakes in tens of millions globally, and the new schedule doesn't sit well with the millionaire singer and his band members.

The Examiner reports that beginning in June of this year the group began moving parts of their business to Netherlands. The paper said now U2 pays "virtually no tax on royalties" in Holland.…The paper said the singer was unavailable for comment.

Bono and U2 have also bought a sizable interest in Forbes...

One has to wonder how this could happen even accidentally...X-Rated Font Used on Third-Grade HandoutSep 18 -School officials apologized after an X-rated font was used on a third- grade spelling packet handed out to parents. The font showed male and female stick figures in provocative poses to form the letters of the alphabet.

Officials with the Monroe-Woodbury School District in Orange County apologized last week after parents at Pine Tree Elementary School were given the spelling packet at an open house.

Administrators said the teacher did not use the font intentionally.

Monroe is about 45 miles northwest of New York City. http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/09/18/D8K7LBBO0.html

Study Shows Abstinence Education Reduces Teenage Sexual Behavior

http://www.lifenews.com/nat2503.html

AT GITMO, PC RULES LET QAEDAS PLOT ON
...America has never faced an enemy who has so ruthlessly broken all of the rules of war - yet never has an enemy been treated so well.... http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/a_deadly_kindness_opedcolumnists_richard_miniter.htm

David Bennett <><
http://www.freewill-predestination.com
http://www.knology.net/~lonesomedove

September 14, 2006

God's Yellow Pages
http://web2.airmail.net/dpelc/yellow/

Chicken Little
One day a first grade teacher was reading the story of Chicken Little to her class.

She came to the part of the story when Chicken Little tried to warn the farmer and read, “...and so Chicken Little went to the farmer and said ‘The sky is falling, the sky is falling!’”

The teacher paused and asked the class, "And what do you think the farmer said?"

One little girl raised her hand and replied, "'Crikey! A talking chicken!'

Dad Breaks Leg Trying to Cure Daughters Fear of Heights
Sep 14 -A father broke his leg trying to cure his daughter's fear of heights. Troy Stewart and his 10-year-old daughter Meagan were on their daily bike ride Monday evening when Stewart suggested they jump off a 15- foot bridge as a way of curing the girl's fear of heights.

Meagan made the jump into the Intracoastal Waterway safely, but her 31-year-old father ended up with a broken leg...http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/09/14/D8K4JTKO0.html

'Reversal of Fortune' at Hot Dog Contest
Sep 12 -Robert Breinig was ready to cram down the hot dogs. He'd kept his stomach empty for nearly two days in preparation for the competitive hot dog eating contest at the Kansas State Fair....But it took just nine franks until Breinig suffered what veterans of the competitive eating circuit call a "reversal of fortune" Monday afternoon... http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/09/12/D8K3KQ101.html

Gaddaffy Duck says COCA COLA IS AFRICAN
Sirte, 11 Sept. (AKI) - Coca Cola is an African beverage, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was reported as saying on Monday. Speaking during celebrations for the 7th anniversary of the African Union in Sirte, his hometown, Gaddafi claimed that the US-drink was African as "its essences come from our plants and so multinationals must pay compensation to us." The Libyan leader once claimed that British poet and playwright William Shakespeare was actually an Arab immigrant to Britain called Sheikh Zubeir.
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level_English.php?cat=Politics&loid=8.0.338877089&par=0

High school dropouts earn far less money No kidding!
Sept. 12, 2006 -Adults who don't finish high school in the U.S. earn 65 percent of what people who have high school degrees make...The new report says 44 percent of adults without high school degrees in the United States have low incomes _ that is, they make half of the country's median income or less...Those with poor initial qualifications remain disadvantaged throughout their life, because they have fewer opportunities to catch up later on," she said...
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/politics/4181505.html

Just browsing at the mall? That's what you think
No kidding! Again! Who let them in on this secret?
As you step in the door of a retail store …you're being lured to shop and spend in ways so subtle you probably don't know what's happening to you…

Retailers know how you'll approach a store, where you'll hesitate, how to affect your mood, how to pique your desires, how to play to your aspirations. Everything in a store, from lighting to floor color to music to how goods are displayed, is meant in some way to get you to not just shop, but spend.

At a Sony Style store, for instance, the subtle fragrance of vanilla and mandarin orange — designed exclusively for Sony — wafts down on shoppers, relaxing them and helping them believe that this is a very nice place to be. ..

…At a new Home Depot (HD) in the Atlanta suburb of Buckhead, the entranceway lures shoppers in with an open floor plan so they get a better "vista" of the store...

... J.C. Penney has just finished installing a new system for its stores that allows certain music to be played at certain times of the day. It can "zone" music by demographics, playing more Latin music in stores where there's a higher Hispanic population — all controlled by headquarters in Plano, Texas....

...Anyone who's walked into a mall has been enticed by the smell of cinnamon buns or chocolate chip cookies. Now, retailers such as Sony and shirtmaker Thomas Pink are developing "signature scents" that you smell only in their stores...Thomas Pink pipes the smell of clean, pressed shirts into its stores... (Blame it on the kids who didn't drop out of school and got marketing degrees)
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2006-09-01-retail-cover-usat_x.htm

Analyst predicts plunge in gas prices
WASHINGTON — The recent sharp drop in the global price of crude oil could mark the start of a massive sell-off that returns gasoline prices to lows not seen since the late 1990s — perhaps as low as $1.15 a gallon.

"All the hurricane flags are flying" in oil markets, said Philip Verleger, a noted energy consultant who was a lone voice several years ago in warning that oil prices would soar. Now, he says, they appear to be poised for a dramatic plunge...http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003257679_oilconsumers14.html
Of course the down side is there is less incentive to find our own oi and alternative energy...

Treasury: Federal Deficit Down 14.1 Pct.
Sep 13 -The federal budget deficit, helped by a surge in government revenue, is running 14.1 percent below the pace of last year, the government reported Wednesday…

...Through the first 11 months of the current budget year, revenues have totaled a record $2.12 trillion, up 11.5 percent from the same period a year ago...
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/09/13/D8K44QBG2.html

Homeowner could faces charges in shooting
WCNC-TV (North Carolina) 9/12/06 A burglary suspect is dead after the homeowner opened fire. It happened Monday morning in Waxhaw.

Now, the district attorney is working to figure out if the homeowner was protecting his family or if he was protecting his property...

...Mobley had just been released from prison a few months ago. He had been arrested for drugs, drug paraphernalia and resisting an officer...Friends of Mobley said he was no stranger to trouble...

While his family recognizes Mobley’s past, they think the homeowner should be prosecuted. Wheeler wants the homeowner to be charged. “I’m 74-years-old and I want justice,” Wheeler said... (Maybe you should have raised your son better)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1700781/posts

WHIFF OF BANKRUPTCY JOLTS All-liberal, all-the-time AIR AMERICA
September 14, 2006 -- …A high-level source told The Post that Rob Glaser, the Real Networks founder who rescued the 2-year-old network from its first financial crisis, "walked away last week" and took his moneybags with him.

…Radio Equalizer, a blog that closely monitors Air America, claims the lefty net hasn't been able to pay its Associated Press bill and that staffers "have been bracing for the worst possible news."

…Franken called the first chairman, Evan Cohen, a "crook" after a promised $30 million infusion never materialized and a loan scandal involving a Bronx charity last summer.

Air America has about 87 affiliates nationwide. Earlier this month, the network was evicted from flagship WLIB and moved to a station with a weaker signal, WWRL (1600 AM).
http://www.nypost.com/business/whiff_of_bankruptcy_jolts_air_america_business_john_mainelli.htm

Air America Stiffs Al Franken
…"I don't know if that's true or not," Al Franken told Radar late Wednesday, when asked about the bankruptcy report. "We do know that there have been cash-flow problems. I haven't been paid in a while. Like, there's no cash flowing to me."

It's not the first time Franken has gone without a salary. Air America ran out of money promptly after it launched in 2004, after disgraced former chairman Evan Cohen inflated the amount of money he had raised to fund the network. The debacle nearly killed the network in its infancy, and led to a legendary incident in which Cohen reportedly sent an executive to Franken's apartment to hand-deliver an envelope purportedly containing all of his back pay. It was empty.

Since then, Air America has seen a litany of troubles, executive departures, talent shuffles, and lawsuits. Six months ago, the network was booted from its flagship station in New York City, WLIB, to a much weaker signal that doesn't cover the entire city, and it laid off five staffers on September 11, according to the New York Post….

…And then there's the matter of the $875,000 the network owes to the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club. …Cohen convinced the nonprofit club—he sat on the board—to OK a massive interest-free loan to keep the network afloat in its early days. When news of the arrangement broke—liberal radio net steals from poor kids!—Air America agreed to repay the loan in full, and the New York City Department of Investigation started looking into the propriety of the transaction…
http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2006/09/air-america-stiffs-franken.php

Steinem, Jane Fonda Radio Network Launched
My guess is they'll take Al Franken's last 5 listeners.
Greenstone Media, a radio company whose founders include social (feminist) activist Gloria Steinem and actress Jane Fonda, has launched an all-women, all-talk network across the United States.

Steinem said the network, which is run by women, aims to provide an alternative to current radio talk, which she describes as "very argumentative, quite hostile, and very much male-dominated." (Tell that to Laura Ingram!)

This network "has a different spirit. It has more community. It's more about information, about humor, about respect for different points of view and not constant arguing," Steinem told Reuters in an interview.
Welcome to Chick Radio’s first 6 stations: WNAG, WFEM, WCRY, WHYN , WDYK, and WPMS!!!
I'm sure my dad will tune in to hear Jane Fonda, might remind him of Jane Fonda on the radio in Viet Nam...
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/9/12/180204.shtml?s=ic

Here's something for Jane Fonda to talk about...
Men are more intelligent than women, claims new study
It is research that is guaranteed to delight men - and infuriate the women in their lives. A controversial new study has claimed that men really are more intelligent than women.

The study - carried out by a man - concluded that men's IQs are almost four points higher than women's.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=405056&in_page_id=1770
Nah, I think Al Franken and Jane Fonda are equally stupid, nothing to do with their sex/gender.

Post-Katrina Labor Shortage (good news for those wanting to work)
Sep 13 BILOXI , Miss.
...The U.S. Department of Labor set aside $10 million in grants for several community colleges in Mississippi and Louisiana to offer free classes in basic construction skills. The money already has paid for around 250 students, including Ramsay, to enroll in a four-week class at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College .

The Business Roundtable, a Washington-based association of chief executives from around 160 companies, has committed $5 million to help recruit and train up to 20,000 new construction workers by the end of Louisiana 's Legislature also earmarked $15 million for the training.

Even if that initiative meets its goal, thousands more workers are needed to fill the shortage. In the New Orleans region alone, the projected demand for workers ranges from 30,000 to 100,000, according to Jim Henderson, senior vice president of work force development for the Louisiana Community and Technical College System.

Henderson said Louisiana's "extremely low" unemployment rate _ 2.9 percent in July _ means the construction industry faces stiff competition for filling entry-level jobs that typically pay up to $16 an hour...
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/09/13/D8K43E1G0.html

World has tapped just 18 percent of global oil supplies, Saudi executive says
September 13, 2006 VIENNA, Austria - The world has tapped only 18 percent of the total global supply of crude, a leading Saudi oil executive said Wednesday, challenging the notion that supplies are petering out.

Abdallah S. Jum’ah, president and CEO of the state-owned Saudi Arabian Oil Co., known better as Aramco, said the world has the potential of 4.5 trillion barrels in reserves - enough to power the globe at current levels of consumption for another 140 years...

“The world has only consumed about 18 percent of its conventional potential,” Jum’ah said, contending that should lay to rest fears that the world is in danger of being tapped out within a few decades.

Jum’ah challenged explorationists to find enough new oil resources to add 1 trillion barrels to world reserves over the next 25 years, saying new technology and higher recovery rates would make it possible to hit that target.

Already, he noted, drilling is now going on as deep as 10,000 feet below the Gulf of Mexico and 7,000 to 8,000 feet elsewhere. Experts say a newly discovered petroleum pool beneath the Gulf of Mexico eventually could yield anywhere from 3 billion to 15 billion barrels.
http://news.bostonherald.com/international/view.bg?articleid=157340

Rosie O'Donnell: Radical Christians pose Islamofascist threat
Rosie O'Donnell says "radical" Christians in America are just as much of a threat as the followers of radical Islam who piloted hijacked jetliners into New York 's Twin Towers and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

O'Donnell, the newest face on ABC's "The View," yesterday let her feelings fly after co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck noted militant Islam provides a threat to free people.

"Just a minute," she interrupted. "Radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like America where we have separation of church and state."

A bewildered co-host, Joy Behar, protested that Christians are not threatening to impose mass murder on Americans. "There's that difference. This group is threatening to kill us," Behar said.

And Hasselback, appearing surprised, said, "We are not bombing ourselves here in the country."

O'Donnell then dropped the adjective "radical" when referring to the Christians with whom she disagrees.

"And faith is not Christianity," O'Donnell stressed, "faith in humanity, faith in equality."
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51956

How Dare the President Call A Spade A Spade?
September 12, 2006; WASHINGTON -- Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold called on President Bush to refrain from using the phrase "Islamic fascists," saying it was offensive to Muslims and has nothing to do with terrorists fighting the United States .

"We must avoid using misleading and offensive terms that link Islam with those who subvert this great religion or who distort its teachings to justify terrorist activities," Feingold said Tuesday in a speech to the Arab American Institute on Capitol Hill...

...Feingold's comments drew applause from the Arab American Institute audience and praise from the group's president, James Zogby, who argued that the term "Islamic fascism" scares Americans and inflames passions...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/12/AR2006091200618.html
(excuse me Russ, it's either that or just come out and say it's a war against Islam…period.)

Clinton and Reagan and TV movies
By Brent Bozell III
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/BrentBozellIII/2006/09/13/clinton_and_reagan_and_tv_movies

Iraqi Official Testifies to Links Between Saddam and Al Qaeda
New York Sun ^ September 14, 2006
WASHINGTON — A deputy prime minister of Iraq yesterday offered a sharp contradiction of the conventional wisdom here that Saddam Hussein's Iraq and Al Qaeda had no connection before the 2003 war, flatly contradicting a recent report from the Senate's intelligence committee.

In a speech in which he challenged the belief of war critics that Iraqis' lives are now worse than under Saddam Hussein, Barham Salih said, "The alliance between the Baathists and jihadists which sustains Al Qaeda in Iraq is not new, contrary to what you may have been told." He went on to say, "I know this at first hand. Some of my friends were murdered by jihadists, by Al Qaeda-affiliated operatives who had been sheltered and assisted by Saddam's regime."

A Kurdish politician who took his high school exams from inside a Baathist prison, Mr. Salih said he was the target of the alliance between jihadists, Baathists, and Al Qaeda in 2001, when a group known as Ansar al-Islam tried to assassinate him. In 2002, envoys of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, one of the two Kurdish parties sharing sovereignty over northern Iraq between the two Iraq wars, presented the CIA with evidence that the organization that tried to kill Mr. Salih had been in part funded and directed by Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard.

Those words directly contradict a recent report from the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence that declassified a 2005 CIA assessment of Iraq's pre-war ties to Al Qaeda and found that none existed. In an interview after the speech yesterday, Mr. Salih said he was unaware of the CIA assessment. But he added, "There were links between Ansar al-Islam and Al Qaeda. The information at time [in 2002] was quite different...
Read more nysun.com... http://www.nysun.com/article/39631

U.S. Military: Senior Al Qaeda Member Arrested in Iraq
September 14, 2006 BAGHDAD, Iraq — A senior member of Al Qaeda in Iraq was killed during an operation in Baghdad this week carrying letters for Usama bin Laden and the new leader of the terror group's Iraqi offshoot, an Interior Ministry official said Thursday.

In a separate announcement, the top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said U.S. forces had arrested a senior Al Qaeda terrorist and personal associate of the group's new leader, Abu Ayyoub al-Masri.

Abu Jaafar al-Liby, who was either the second or third most important figure in Al Qaeda in Iraq, was killed by police during an operation three days ago, Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Abdul-Karim Khalaf told The Associated Press...

...Al-Liby had been in charge of the Baghdad sector of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Khalaf said. He said two letters were found on his body -- one for bin Laden and the other for al-Masri, who took over Al Qaeda in Iraq from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi after he was killed in a U.S. airstrike north of Baghdad on June 7. Both letters pledged loyalty and promised more attacks...
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,213759,00.html

Evidence: Saddam did have al-Qaida ties
Documents contradict Senate conclusion to the contrary
But as WND reported earlier this year, pre-war documents posted online by the Pentagon included a letter from a member of Saddam's intelligence apparatus indicating al-Qaida and the Taliban had a relationship with the regime prior to the 9/11 attacks.

A letter by the member of Saddam's Al Mukabarat to a superior, dated Sept. 15, 2001, reported a pre-9/11 conversation between an Iraqi intelligence source and a Taliban Afghani consul.

That information had been released on the orders of National Intelligence Director John Negroponte, and the letter was reviewed by an independent Middle East analyst whose conclusion was that it appeared genuine.

The letter indicated Osama bin Laden and the Taliban in Afghanistan were in contact with Iraq – noting a specific visit to Baghdad – and said the U.S. had proof Saddam's regime and al-Qaida were cooperating to hit a target in the U.S.

The documents also suggested the possibility that the U.S. could strike Iraq and Afghanistan if an attack on the U.S. proved to be tied to bin Laden and the Taliban....

...Laura Mansfield, the independent Middle East analyst, said the document provided "startling" evidence at the very least Saddam Hussein's government knew al-Qaida was active in Iraq ...
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51952

Sisters wage tax fight: Treat us like lesbians
Elderly women fear home inherited from parents will have to be sold
England- 13/09/2006

Inheritance tax concessions discriminate against some heterosexual couples, lawyers for two elderly sisters told the European Court of Human Rights yesterday.

England- 9/13/2006- Joyce Burden, 88, and her sister Sybil, 81, claim that they should enjoy the same tax advantages as a lesbian couple.

The sisters looked after their parents and two aunts at their home near Marlborough , Wilts, until their deaths.

They now care for each other. But when one of the sisters dies, the other will face a hefty bill for inheritance tax.

They fear that the home they inherited from their parents will then have to be sold. Inheritance tax is not payable on property passing on death from one spouse to another.

When the Civil Partnership Act came into force last year, that exemption was extended to same-sex couples. But siblings and descendants are not allowed to register as civil partners, and so are not eligible for the tax advantage.

"I don't have the status of a lesbian," Joyce Burden said before the hearing in Strasbourg . "This is an insult to single people who have looked after elderly parents. I don't call that justice."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/09/13/nsisters13.xml

Clinton aides had hand in Dubai deal
September 14, 2006
WASHINGTON -- In the spring, when Sen. Hillary Clinton was denouncing the Dubai Ports World deal, a consulting firm run by her top advisers was quietly lobbying for a Dubai takeover of two U.S. defense plants, Newsday has learned.

The Glover Park Group, whose principals include Clinton insiders Howard Wolfson, Joe Lockhart and Gigi Georges, was paid about $100,000 to help the government-owned Dubai International Capital Corp. in its acquisition of the British engineering firm Doncasters Group Ltd.
(Excerpt) Read more at http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usclin144890633sep14,0,4200190.story?coll=ny-leadnationalnews-headlines

NOVAK: ARMITAGE DID NOT TELL ALL
Wed Sep 13 2006

"When Richard Armitage finally acknowledged last week he was my source three years ago in revealing Valerie Plame Wilson as a CIA employee, the former deputy secretary of state's interviews obscured what he really did," Bob Novak claims in a column set for Thursday release.

Novak, attempting to set the reocrd straight writes: "First, Armitage did not, as he now indicates, merely pass on something he had heard and that he 'thought' might be so. Rather, he identified to me the CIA division where Mrs. Wilson worked, and said flatly that she recommended the mission to Niger by her husband, former Amb. Joseph Wilson. Second, Armitage did not slip me this information as idle chitchat, as he now suggests. He made clear he considered it especially suited for my column."

Novak slams Armitage for holding back all this time.

Armitage's silence for "two and one-half years caused intense pain for his colleagues in government and enabled partisan Democrats in Congress to falsely accuse Rove of being my primary source," Novak explains.

"When Armitage now says he was mute because of special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's request, that does not explain his silent three months between his claimed first realization that he was the source and Fitzgerald's appointment on Dec. 30. Armitage's tardy self-disclosure is tainted because it is deceptive."

David Bennett <><
http://www.freewill-predestination.com
http://www.knology.net/~lonesomedove

September 12, 2006

Senate Intelligence Report Finds No Connection
September 9, 2006 by Scott Ott (humor alert)(2006-09-09) — Just a day after the Senate Intelligence committee released a report finding no pre-war connection between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda, aides said unpublished findings of the committee’s probe also indicate no verifiable link between the senate and intelligence.

“Senate intelligence turns out to be a misnomer, or perhaps an oxymoron,” said one unnamed aide. “Our research turned up no substantial connections…nothing but hearsay from unreliable witnesses.”

The 151-page published report would seem to refute the Bush administration’s pre-war claims of a Hussein-Qaeda link, the source said, as well as the committee’s post-war claim to be conducting a thorough investigation.
http://www.scrappleface.com/?p=2328

Remember the article I sent out about two weeks ago stating gas would be close to $2/gal by Thanksgiving? Also Steve Forbes predicted this in August 2005.
GAS PRICES FALL TO $2.05 A GALLON IN IOWA
http://www.iowastategasprices.com/

Good Weather Radar
Click on your area to zoom in http://radar.weather.gov/ridge/Conus/full_loop.php

Solar Cells for Cheap
September 12, 2006 Not everyone gets a solar cell named after them: but Michael Gratzel did. He says his novel technology, which promises electricity-generating windows and low manufacturing costs, is ready for the market....
http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17490&ch=biztech

related:
http://www.homepower.com/
http://www.konarka.com/
http://www.cree.com/

Accused Grave Robbers Charged With Attempted Sex Assault On Corpse
WISCONSIN: 9/6/06 ...According to a criminal complaint, the three men were charged with digging up the grave at the St. Charles Catholic Cemetery in Cassville with the intent to have sex with the victim's body, WISC-TV reported.

Alexander Grunke, his twin brother Nicholas Grunke and their friend Dustin Radke -- all 20 years old -- have been in a Grant County jail since Saturday.

The grave that the men are accused of trying to dig up belonged to Laura Tennessen, 20, of Cassville, who was buried last week after being killed in a motorcycle crash on Aug. 28.

...Radke allegedly confessed and said that the incident was an elaborate plan to have sex with the corpse. He told authorities that Nicholas Grunke asked him to help dig up Tennessen's grave and take the corpse back to a pre-selected location behind his house with the intent to have sex with her, WISC-TV reported.

Authorities said that Radke said that the three stopped at the Wal-Mart in Dodgeville on their way to the cemetery and bought condoms...
http://www.channel3000.com/news/9792536/detail.html

I guess they are longing for the days when "tortured" meant being embarrassed and humiliated
Tortured screams ring out as Iraqis take over Abu Ghraib
By Ali Saber in Baghdad and Gethin Chamberlain
10/09/2006

The notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad is at the centre of fresh abuse allegations just a week after it was handed over to Iraqi authorities, with claims that inmates are being tortured by their new captors...

...Some of the small number of prisoners who remained in the jail after the Americans left said they had pleaded to go with their departing captors, rather than be left in the hands of Iraqi guards.

"The Americans were better than the Iraqis. They treated us better," said Khalid Alaani, who was held on suspicion of involvement in Sunni terrorism.

...The witness said that even in the thieves' section prisoners were being treated badly. "Someone was shouting 'Please help us, we want the human rights officers, we want the Americans to come back'," he said.

Prisoners interviewed in the presence of their jailers said they were frightened for their safety. They complained that chicken and milk had been cut from their rations, leaving them on rice and water. They also complained about the oppressive heat....

...Haleem Aleulami, who was released from the jail last week, said the Americans had treated him better when they ran the jail....

...Khalid Alaani, who was also picked up in Ramadi suspected of involvement in Sunni terrorism, said: "We preferred the Americans. We asked to move with them to Baghdad airport because we knew the treatment would be changed because we know what the Iraqis are. When the Americans left everything changed."

Staff at the jail said that the prisoners were allowed out from their cells for only 15 to 20 minutes a day because of the danger from the regular mortar attacks. They are no longer allowed access to the main hall where the Americans had allowed them to watch television and the room is now reserved for the use of officers and guards. Staff explained that the air conditioning in the cell blocks had broken, although it was working in their quarters...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/09/10/wirq10.xml

Cheering for the Enemy
How can we be entertained by immorality one day and say it is wrong the next? We can't. It is impossible to be entertained by something we find offensive. see: http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/112006gst.asp

Christian Faces Trial Over Bible-Based Pamphlets
September 12, 2006 (CNSNews.com) - Evangelical Christians in Britain are concerned about the prosecution of a protester who was arrested at a homosexuality rally while disseminating leaflets quoting the biblical view about homosexuality.

Stephen Green, who heads a small but active lobby group called Christian Voice, is scheduled to appear before a Cardiff court on September 28, after pleading not guilty to a charge of "threatening, abusive or insulting behavior."

...The Evangelical Alliance, a 160-year-old group representing more than a million British evangelicals, said it was worried that the case may "erode" Christians' freedom to proclaim their faith, as well as freedom of speech and religious liberties...

...Green was arrested after allegedly refusing to stop handing out pamphlets to people arriving at a "Mardi Gras" event in the Welsh capital.

The leaflets he was handing out were entitled "Same-sex love, same-sex sex: What does the Bible say?"

The text, which is available on the Christian Voice website, included verses from Leviticus in the Old Testament and Romans in the New Testament, characterizing homosexual acts as sinful.

It also contained a basic gospel message, including the promise of God's forgiveness and eternal life for those who turn from their sins and "call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ."

...Green was arrested by "Minorities Support Unit" of the South Wales Police...

Writing in the Daily Mail earlier, columnist Melanie Phillips wondered how long it would be before Christianity was outlawed in Britain...

...Phillips cited other recent incidents, including one late last year in which an author on children's rights was contacted by London police after she said during a radio interview that same-sex couples were not ideal adoptive parents...The police said they were following up a complaint about a "homophobic incident." ...
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=/ForeignBureaus/archive/200609/INT20060912b.html

CNN "In the Money" Drops GOP-Big Oil Conspiracy Theory on Gas Prices
September 11, 2006 Ken Shepherd...Serwer later prompted Gheit to give his opinion about the new Gulf of Mexico oil find. Noting that he was reading “Twilight in the Desert” by Matthew Simmons, “one of these peak oil* guys,” Serwer asked for Gheit’s opinion on the notion that the oil industry has hit its peak of oil production. Simmons claims “we have reached peak oil production in the world and it is all downhill from now,” Serwer noted. “Does this discovery in the Gulf suggest that that’s not true at all?” he asked.

“Guess what, it is time [for that theory] to be dead by now,” Gheit [oil analyst] said, noting that the theory was popular 25 years ago and didn’t live up to its dire predictions then.

“It’s a good headline grabber, it’s an interesting discussion in a cocktail party, but doesn’t hold water,” he asserted.http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2006/20060911135355.aspx

* Peak Oil Theory- the idea that there is only so much oil to be had and that we're running out of oil.

Tim Russert Plays Dirty Pool With VP Cheney's Old "Pretty Well Confirmed" Remark
On today's episode of Meet the Press (Sunday, September 10, 2006), Tim Russert interviewed Vice President Cheney. In the interview, Russert took issue with the fact that the Vice President once stated on his show that it was "pretty well confirmed" that Mohammed Atta, one of the 9/11 hijackers, met with Iraqi intelligence in Prague in April 2001.

Here's the craftiness by Russert: Mr. Cheney made the "pretty well confirmed" remark in a December 9, 2001, appearance, over four-and-a-half years ago. Russert failed to inform his audience this morning when the remark was originally made. In addition, in three following appearances on Meet the Press (3/02, 9/02, and 9/03), when the Vice President breached the topic of the Atta-Prague allegation, he essentially told Russert that he "[didn't] know" if the visit occurred, that it was "unconfirmed," and that intelligence had been unable "to nail down a close tie between the al-Qaida organization and Saddam Hussein." The Vice President's stance on the issue was certainly modified from the one he originally aired in 2001.

In fact, in the very last appearance that the Vice President made on Meet the Press (in September 2003), Mr. Cheney specifically told Russert that "we just don't know" if such a meeting ever happened. And in his September 2002 appearance, the Vice President said almost the opposite of it being "pretty well confirmed"; he said the meeting was "unconfirmed"! Yet this morning Russert harked back to the original 2001 appearance over four-and-a-half years ago to try and hammer the Vice President for the "pretty well confirmed" words. Fairness, anyone? Not at all.http://newsbusters.org/blog/43

Katrina, lies and videotape
By Star Parker August 28, 2006
Spike Lee took his cameras and crew to New Orleans to film a documentary about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. The four-hour production, which aired on HBO, is, unfortunately, about as destructive as was the disaster it depicts...
read the article at: http://www.townhall.com/columnists/StarParker/2006/08/28/katrina,_lies_and_videotape

David Bennett <><
http://www.freewill-predestination.com
http://www.knology.net/~lonesomedove

September 11, 2006

Patriot Day, 2006
President Bush calls upon the people of the United States to observe Patriot Day, September 11, 2006, with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and remembrance services, to display the flag at half staff from their homes and to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 a.m. ET to honor the innocent Americans and people from around the world who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060907-7.html

Pa won't like it
A farm boy accidentally overturned a wagon of corn on the road.

A nearby farmer saw the accident and went over to have a look and found the boy trying to right the tipped wagon.

"Hey Willie," the farmer said. "Forget your troubles for a spell....its late, come have dinner with us. I'll help you with that wagon after we eat."

"That's mighty nice of you, but Pa won't like that," Willie replied.

"Aw, come on son. Take a break," the farmer insisted.

"Well, okay," the boy finally agreed. "But Pa won't like it."

After a hearty meal, Willie thanked the farmer. "I feel a lot better now, but I just know that Pa will be upset."

"Nonsense," the farmer said. "Where is your pa anyway?"

"Under the wagon."

Bubba
Bubba, an airline mechanic, was bragging to his boss one day. "You know, I know everyone there is to know. Just name someone, anyone and I know them."

Tired of his boasting, his boss called his bluff, "Okay, Bubba, how about Clint Eastwood"?

"Sure, yes, Clint and I are old friends and I can prove it."

So, Bubba and his boss fly out to Hollywood and knock on Clint Eastwood’s door and sure enough, Clint Eastwood, shouts, "Bubba! Great to see you! You and your friend come right in and join me for lunch!"

Although impressed, Bubba's boss is still skeptical. After they leave Eastwood's house, he tells Bubba that he thinks Bubba's knowing Eastwood was just lucky.

"No, no, just name anyone else," Bubba says.

"President Bush," his boss quickly retorts.

"Yep", Bubba says, "I know Dubya, let's fly out to Washington."

So, off they go. At the White House, Bush spots Bubba on the tour and motions him and his boss over, saying, "Bubba, what a surprise. I was just on my way to a meeting, but you and your friend come on in and let's have a cup of coffee first and catch up."
Well, the boss is very shaken by now, but still not totally convinced.

After they leave the White House grounds, he expresses his doubts to Bubba, who again implores him to name anyone else.

"The new Pope," his boss replies.

"Sure!" says Bubba. "I've known the Pope a long time."

So, off they fly to Rome.

Bubba and his boss are assembled with the masses in Vatican Square when Bubba says, "This will never work. I can't catch the Pope's eye among all these people. Tell you what, I know all the guards, so let me just go upstairs and I'll come out on the balcony with the Pope."

He disappears into the crowd headed toward St. Peter's.

Sure enough, half an hour later, Bubba emerges with the Pope on the balcony. But by the time Bubba returns, he finds that his boss has had a heart attack and is surrounded by paramedics. Working his way to his boss' side, Bubba asks him, "What happened"?

His boss looks up and says, "I was doing fine until you and the Pope came out on the balcony and the Japanese tourist next to me asked, "Who's that on the balcony with Bubba"?

America the Beautiful
http://objflicks.com/mybeautifulamerica.htm

Who said cats aren't smart? (For those with fast connections or lots of patience)
www.glumbert.com/media/cattoilet.html

Flag Keepers
Report a Tattered Flag Tattered flag in your area? Try our easy to use online form to notify us of a tattered flag. We send a polite letter to the ragged flag flyers in response to notifications of dirty and tattered flags you submit to us. Personal information is never released to anyone under any circumstances.Flag Disposal Service and Information FREE flag disposal for private residences! Commercial and government flag disposal starting at $5. We properly dispose of tattered American Flags, state flags, local flags, and POW flags that are no longer fitting symbols due to their ragged flag condition. There are very few organizations that conduct proper flag disposal, and they are often hard to locate or contact. The Flag Keepers Foundation conducts proper flag disposal ceremonies and proper flag retirement.http://www.flagkeepers.org/Home.asp

NBC slices and dices "Veggie Tales"
September 8, 2006 ...Maybe you're familiar with the computer-animated cartoon "Veggie Tales," a video series targeted at children ages 2 to 8, and which features moral and religious tales hosted by Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber…telling biblical stories like the Battle of Jericho, David and Goliath and the tale of the Good Samaritan. Each show ended with a Bible verse...

…The early word from producers is that NBC has grown increasingly fierce about editing something out of "Veggie Tales" -- those apparently unacceptable, insensitive references to God and the Bible…

…Think about this corporate mindset. NBC is the network that hired a squad of lawyers to argue that dropping the F-bomb on the Golden Globe Awards isn't indecent for children, but invoking God is wholly unacceptable. Or, as one e-mailing friend marveled: "So, saying 'F--- you' is protected First Amendment speech on NBC but not 'God bless you.'"

... NBC [has] …told parents concerned about their smutty programs like "Will and Grace" that if they're offended, they have a remote control as an option. The networks have spent millions insisting that we have a V-chip in our TV sets. Change the channel. Block it out.

But when it comes to religious programming -- programming that doesn't even mention Jesus Christ -- just watch the hypocrisy. Instead of telling viewers to just change the channel if they don't like it, or put in a V-chip for Bible verses, they demand to producers that all that outdated old-time religion has to be shredded before broadcast...
http://townhall.com/columnists/BrentBozellIII/2006/09/08/nbc_slices_and_dices_veggie_tales

Khatami visit protested by Christian group
September 8, 2006 -A member of an Assyrian Christian organization that advocates for Christians in the Middle East says former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami is enjoying in the United States now what Christians in his own country cannot have.

The comments come from Sabri Atman, a member of the Assyrian Christians, and were triggered by Khatami's appearance before a Muslim group in Chicago…

…He said the Assyrian Christians are "the original people" in the region but they no longer have the same rights in their country that Khatami does in the United States.

"While he enjoys the freedom to say whatever he wants against America, the Assyrian Christians in his own country suffer even as we speak. He does not afford to others the freedom he enjoys in America," Atman said.

Atman noted just one or two generations back, Christians made up about 20 percent of the Middle East population.

"In Turkey where I was born the Christian population was originally 33 percent. Today it is under 2 percent. The greatest reason was the Assyrian Genocide of 1915 in which nearly three million Christians were slaughtered throughout the Middle East," he said…
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51889

As Christianity Grows in India, Believers Face Increased Persecution
September 8, 2006 (AgapePress) - Attacks against Christians continue throughout India, where last month militant Hindus broke into a Christian pastor's rented house, accusing him of not bowing before Hindu gods. The 50-year-old pastor was forced from his home in the middle of the night as the militant mob threw out all of his personal belongings.

...Persecution against Christians has increased in India in recent years because of the tremendous growth of the church there, the VOM spokesman observes. "It's a direct result of Christians who are actively involved in outreach to Hindus and literally thousands of Hindus coming to know Christ in a personal way," he explains, "particularly among the Dalits or the untouchables, the lowest caste of Hindus there."

This rapid growth of Christianity in India has "really created a lot of uproar among the Hindus," Nettleton says, "particularly among the radical Hindus, as they see so many of the people that were in their religion who are now followers of Jesus Christ." And the ministry representative says he expects Christians in India will continue to face hostility from radical Hindus as the gospel is preached and the church continues to expand.
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/82006g.asp

Sea Change in Global Warming?
8/25/2006 -For years now, we have been deluged with the news that the earth's oceans are warming as a result of atmospheric changes due to the combustion of fossil fuels…

…In the next few weeks, John Lyman of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will publish a paper in the refereed journal Geophysical Research Letters showing that, globally, the top 2,500 feet of the ocean lost a tremendous amount of heat between 2003 and 2005 -- in fact, about 20% of all the heat gained in the last half-century.

Needless to say, Lyman's figures have climate scientists scratching their heads. No computer model predicts such behavior. And further, the changes in surface temperatures haven't corresponded (yet?) to the average changes at depth, although deep-water temperatures have also dropped some. Nor has the sea level dropped by an amount commensurate with the cooling (water volume varies slightly with temperature).

This last observation has led scientists to speculate that much more ice must be melting into the ocean than they normally assume -- but no one has been able to find it, and it's not for a lack of looking…

…Because of the lag time required for the oceans to register the change in carbon dioxide, it may not be a surprise that an interval of cooling has been detected. The timing is about right: around 30 years.

But that's just another climate change hypothesis that time will test. Be forewarned, though. As we've learned from the completely unexpected cooling of the deep ocean that began in 2003, we know a lot less about climate change than we think.
Complete article at http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10273

Bathroom peeper gets hand slapped
800 videotapes from 2 school restrooms net offender community service
September 8, 2006- A handyman who made 800 restroom videotapes with secret cameras installed in two schools in Brooklyn should be punished with community service, a judge has concluded…

…[will] get probation and community service because a psychologist concluded there wasn't a threat that Conte would physically abuse anyone.

Justice Albert Tomei offered the arrangement to Conte, 47, as prosecutors who had wanted him to serve one to three years in prison objected. …said Tomei, "Sending the defendant to jail would not in any way benefit society or this defendant.

"This probation sentence will fully protect the interests of society," the judge concluded.

Another published report said he will have to forfeit his video equipment and the videos and have psychotherapy.

He reportedly made the tapes in a women's restroom on the fourth floor at George Westinghouse High School, but the report didn't detail the other location.

"Why not just legalize voyeurism? Isn't that what this really amounts to?" asked one blogger.
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51882

No Hobbits in this Shire: Researchers say skeletal remains are pygmy ancestors (http://live.psu.edu/story/19059 )
Two years ago, scientists discovered skeletal remains on an Indonesian island that were hailed as evidence of a new hominid species, Homo floresiensis. For example, National Geographic announced Hobbit-Like Human Ancestor Found in Asia. But now, an international research team has announced that no, this is not a human ancestor at all (which we already pointed out a year-and-a-half ago), and that instead, the skull of LB1 (the only fairly complete skeleton) is small because of a condition called microcephaly. The features of the skull are similar to the facial features of those who currently live on the island, and the other skeletal remains found similarly show no evidence of being fundamentally different from the skeletons of the Pygmies who live there today.
http://www.answersingenesis.org/news-to-note/0826.asp

Blue Demons
Sea monsters are only sailors' tales, right?
LA TIMES August 26, 2006
If you don't believe in sea monsters, consider yourself warned: They are among us.

Exhibit A lies in a freezer at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum, soon to go on display as it appeared before being pulled from the ocean: a serpent-like denizen, 15 feet long and sinuous, with a hatchet-shaped head and a silver body adorned by a flowing crimson mane.

If that's not enough, evidence of larger and perhaps scarier beasts in our seas is under scrutiny at Santa Barbara's Museum of Natural History: a 10-foot slithery tentacle and two stout sucker-pocked arms that had previously belonged to a creature measuring perhaps 20 feet.

The recent capture of an oarfish in a Santa Catalina Island embayment, and the discovery by sport fishermen of giant squid appendages near Santa Cruz Island, have scientists excited. Both finds are rare specimens...

...Their modern discovery may date to 1808, when a 56-foot serpent-like creature washed ashore in Scotland. In 1901, a 22-foot oarfish drifted onto the sand in Newport Beach, becoming, according to one reference book, "the basis for many sea-serpent stories told by local bar patrons for more than a decade after its discovery."

...Jules Verne's 1870 classic — in which a submarine is engulfed by the tentacles of a giant octopus-like creature — reportedly was inspired by an incident reported in 1861, involving the crew of a French ship that confronted a giant squid in the mid-Atlantic.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sp-seamonster26aug26,0,3468076,print.story?coll=la-home-headlines

The media keeps missing the boat on Iraq
September 7, 2006- Liberals like to pretend that there isn’t a media bias when it comes to the coverage of the Bush Administration or the war. Despite the fact that newsrooms are filled with dyed-in-the-wool liberals, there’s a preposterous attempt to portray the mainstream press as fair and objective…

Most Americans probably believe that Iraq taking control of its military command is a big deal. Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, a U.S. military spokesman, called the takeover “gigantic.” In fact, it could be argued that the news about Iraq finally taking control of its armed forces command is one of the biggest and most successful examples of the progress that is being made in Iraq since the war began.

So what was the big story during this particular news cycle? It wasn’t the Iraq one. Evidently, the arrest of Paris Hilton for allegedly driving drunk is the gigantic story that America needs to hear.

…If Iraq is now taking over its own military command, that is one giant step towards the day when we can finally leave that country altogether, right?

So go ahead and try to find the news media coverage of this historic event. Most newspapers buried it between the obituaries and the classified ads. USA Today saw fit to put the story on page 11A. The broadcast news media thought the Miami investigative reporter getting punched out and the stupid Paris Hilton story deserved much greater coverage...
http://townhall.com/columnists/MikeGallagher/2006/09/07/the_media_keeps_missing_the_boat_on_iraq

Gulf of Mexico saturated with oil?
September 8, 2006- ...In March, Mexico announced the discovery of a new huge oil find, the Noxal Field some 60 miles from the port of Coatzacoalcos on the coast of Veracruz state. Estimated to contain as much as 10 billion barrels of oil, the find could well be larger than Cantarell, Mexico's biggest oil field, near Yucatan…

...Even before the new Mexican discovery, the Energy Information Agency's own figures estimate proven world oil reserves at 1.28 trillion barrels, more than ever in human history, despite world consumption nearly doubling since the 1970s. Currently, oil is plentiful on world markets and the price has fallen under $70…

… "Who knows how much oil will be found in the Gulf of Mexico? 100 billion barrels? 200 billion barrels? Nobody really knows. We have just begun to explore the Gulf at deeper levels for oil."

…Earlier this year, Cuba announced plans to hire the communist Chinese to drill for oil off Key West, Fla. The move was made possible by the 1977 agreement under President Jimmy Carter that created for Cuba an "Exclusive Economic Zone" extending from the western tip of Cuba to the north, virtually to Key West.

"If Cuba and communist China believe they too can find oil in the Gulf, we should pull out all stops," argues Smith. "We may be able to bring the price of gasoline down under $2 a gallon if oil can be found in these huge quantities within our territorial waters. It's crazy to think we should be dependent on foreign oil when we've made Mexico our number two supplier of oil with the reserves Mexico has found in the Gulf."
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51888

Massive oil field found under Gulf
Reserves south of New Orleans could rival North Slope, boosting U.S. supplies by 50%
September 5, 2006- Chevron and two oil exploration companies announced the discovery of a giant oil reserve in the Gulf of Mexico that could boost the nation's supplies by as much as 50 percent and provide compelling evidence oil is a plentiful deep-earth product made naturally on a continuous basis.

Known as the Jack Field, the reserve – some 270 miles southwest of New Orleans – is estimated to hold as much as 15 billion barrels of oil.

Authors Jerome R. Corsi and Craig R. Smith say the giant find validates the key thesis of their book, "Black Gold Stranglehold: The Myth of Scarcity and the Politics of Oil," that oil did not come from the remains of ancient plant and animal life but is made naturally by the Earth.

"We have always rejected the theories that oil and natural gas are biological products," Corsi told WND. "Chevron's find in the Gulf of Mexico validates our argument that the Gulf is a huge resource for finding oil and natural gas."

The Wall Street Journal reports today the find could boost the nation's current reserves of 29.3 billion barrels by as much as 50 percent.

…In "Black Gold Stranglehold," Corsi and Smith argued the theory developed in the Soviet Union in the 1950s by Prof. Nikolai Kudryavtsev that oil is a deep-earth, abiotic product. The theory, the authors wrote, "rejected the contention that oil was formed from the remains of ancient plant and animal life that died millions of years ago. According to Kudryavtsev, oil had nothing to do with the unproved concept of a boggy primeval forest rotting into petroleum. The Soviet scientist ridiculed the idea that an ancient primeval morass of plant and animal remains was covered by sedimentary deposits over millions of years, compressed by millions of more years of heat and pressure."

Instead, the abiotic theory argued "oil should be seen as a primordial material that the earth forms and exudes on a continual basis."

…In "Black Gold Stranglehold," Corsi and Smith note the importance of the abiotic theory:

The thought that oil might be naturally produced on a regular basis, that oil itself might be a renewable resource, is very threatening to those who have invested their minds into believing that oil is fossil fuel. The logical consequence of the fossil fuel theory of oil has always been that we will run out of oil. After all, there could only be a finite number of ancient forests available to rot into oil. Ancient forests, even if once plentiful, are a finite resource that by definition will become exhausted after they are fully explored and their oil harvested. The logic of the fossil fuel theory is that inevitably we will run out of oil.

Corsi and Smith note the power of the abiotic theory: "Could it be that oil is abundant, nearly an inexhaustible resource, if only we drill deep enough?"
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51837

David Bennett <><
http://www.freewill-predestination.com
http://www.knology.net/~lonesomedove

September 1, 2006

A father and son went fishing one day. After a couple hours out in the boat, the boy suddenly became curious about the world around him.

He asked his father, "How does this boat float?"

The father thought for a moment, then replied, "I don't rightly know, son."

The boy returned to his contemplation, then turned back to his father, "How do fish breath underwater?"

Once again the father replied, "Don't rightly know, son."

A little later the boy asked, "Why is the sky blue?"

Again, the father replied. "Don't rightly know, son."

Worried he was going to annoy his father, he says, "Dad, do you mind my asking you all of these questions?"

"Of course not, son. If you don't ask questions ... you'll never learn anything!"

A little song just to bug you!
http://beverlys.net/LJ/BuggingYou.swf

Can you park the car?

Use the 4 arrows on your keyboard, and the space bar for brake.

http://www.107.peugeot.co.uk/peugeot.swf

I've always said modern art was... well...you know! (Rhymes with "map") Same goes for Scientology

'First poop' goes on display in New York
Aug 30 -Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have yet to show their baby daughter off in public, but eager fans were given an unusual preview with the chance to see a bronze cast depicting her first solid stool.

The scatological sculpture -- more doodoo than Dada -- is purportedly cast from 19-week old Suri's first bowel movement and will be shown at the Capla Kesting gallery in Brooklyn, New York, before being auctioned off for charity...

"A bronzed cast of baby's first poop can be a meaningful memento for the family," gallery director David Kesting said, adding that he hoped the work would attract bids of up to 25 or 30,000 dollars.

The sculpture, which sits on a wooden mounting with a glass casing, is to be sold on eBay next month with proceeds from the sale going to infant health charity March Of Dimes.

As of Wednesday it had attracted a top bid of 41 dollars.

"Mission: Impossible" star Cruise and Holmes announced Suri's birth in April. The entertainment press, which dubbed the pair "TomKat," has shown a seemingly insatiable appetite for news of the pair and their "TomKitten."

A spokeman for the couple was not immediately available Wednesday to comment on the sculpture.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/na/060830194640.nebg354t.html

Pilot locked out of cockpit after toilet break
Aug 30 --An Air Canada Jazz pilot who left the cockpit of his passenger jet to use a back washroom moments before landing found himself locked out upon his return, an airline official told AFP.

The pilot eventually busted into the cockpit and safely landed the Bombardier CRJ-100, but not before alarming some 50 passengers who watched him bang on the door and talk frantically with the cockpit through an onboard telephone for several minutes, according to local reports.

Air Canada Jazz spokeswoman Manon Stuart downplayed the incident, saying passengers "did not react and remained calm."

The first officer had remained on the flight deck, but was unable to open the jammed door, forcing the crew to remove it from its hinges with only 30 minutes remaining in the flight from Ottawa to Winnipeg, she said.

The first officer could have landed the jet himself and passengers were not in danger, she added.

"We investigated the incident on Saturday and the crew followed standard operational procedures. At no time was the safety or security of passengers compromised."

No explanation for the door jam was given.

"It's a very rare occurrence," Stuart said. "To the best of our knowledge, it's the first time we've encountered this problem in-flight."
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/08/30/060830211732.hvyo6b87.html

U.S. unemployment rate slides in August

9/1/2006 WASHINGTON - A hiring revival pulled the nation's unemployment rate down to 4.7 percent in August and flashed a Labor Day weekend message that the slowing economy isn't in danger of fizzling out.

The latest snapshot, released by the Labor Department on Friday, was a bit brighter than expected and eased some fears that the economy — weighed down by a housing slump — might tip into recession…

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060901/ap_on_bi_go_ec_fi/economy

David Bennett <><

http://www.freewill-predestination.com/

http://www.knology.net/~lonesomedove