zTruth

New York City nurse sues hospital over 2nd trimester abortion

I heard Senator Tom Coburn say that the absence of brain waves and a beating heart is a determination of  death.  So, likewise, the presence of this should signify life, right?  He said this during one of the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominees Sonya Sotomayor which I paraphrased.  I find it powerful.

Recently, in New York City, a nurse sued a hospital after having to assist in ending the life of a 2nd trimester baby: which made her feel horrible:

A Roman Catholic nurse who says she felt "violated and betrayed, like I had been raped" after being forced to take part in a second-trimester abortion is suing a New York City hospital on charges of violating her rights.

Catherina Lorena Cenzon-DeCarlo, 35, a Filipina nurse who is a permanent U.S. resident and married to an American, says that Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan "blatantly" violated a 35-year-old federal law that protects health care workers with religious objections from having to assist in performing abortions.

The hospital performed a late-term abortion on a woman whose health was not at risk, she says. The nurse is asking for a jury trial that could strip the hospital of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding until it complies with the law.

"I hope that Mount Sinai will obey the law and allow health-care workers not to assist in abortion against their beliefs," she said in a statement. "I believe lots of nurses and doctors throughout the country are being pressured to assist abortion, and I want them to know they are not alone, and they should speak up for their rights of conscience."

Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates speaks

A short but good video:

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Also see:

CNN poll:

...Fifty-four percent of those questioned say they think the president acted stupidly when he commented on the Gates arrest, with 32 percent disagreeing. But again, the poll indicates a racial divide, with more than six out of 10 whites feeling Obama acted stupidly but just one in four black respondents agreeing.

Senate webcast and Supreme Court live blogging Sonya Sotomayor hearing

There is a live webcast here, provided by the Senate Judiciary Committee.  Click on the blinking webcast button.  It's appears to be in real-time while my cable is a sentence or two delayed.

Also, the Supreme Court is live-blogging this event here.  There are a number of links that you may find useful that are being added as they live blog it, such as the prepared statements of the senators who are speaking now at the opening.  They are also making intersting statements such as at 10:40 Tom Goldstein wrote :  Proportion of reporters in the room doing something other than listening to the statements:   66%.

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References:

Transcripts of past Senate Judiciary hearings on Supreme Court nomination hearings through 1971 are available through the GPO web site:  

Sarah Palin resigns as governor of Alaska!

Sarah Palin announced (video) today she will step down as the governor of Alaska and will hand over control to the Lt. Governor at the end of the month.   

What will the left do when they won't have Sarah to pick on anymore?  Or is she positioning herself for the 2012 presidential race?  Frankly, for the sake of her family I wish she would step out of the spotlight.  The left-leaning press wants to destroy her.

Hundreds protest over Chinese Uighurs

About 600 Bermudans protested that the premier of Bermuda should step down over his unilateral acceptance of four ex-Guantanamo Bay Chinese Muslim Uighurs.  In addition, Britain was not consulted in the matter before hand and is in the process of conducting security reviews of the men:

Some 600 people gathered outside Parliament in the island's capital Hamilton, waving banners and chanting "Brown must go" as they marched to the Cabinet office.

...The British government complained that it had not been consulted about the deal and questioned whether Brown had authority to admit the Uighurs.

...Tuesday's protest was aimed not so much at the Uighurs as at Brown for his failure to consult the island's people or governor and his perceived snub of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, whom the governor represents.

Bermuda's immigration minister, David Burch, said the four Uighur men had received several job offers but that their status remained in limbo until the British government completes a security review.

Two American journalists sentenced to years of hard labor!

This is very bad news for the two American journalists on trial in North Korea:

A North Korean court today sentenced two American journalists to 12 years' hard labour after finding them guilty of committing "hostile acts", in a move certain to raise tensions with the US.

Laura Ling and Euna Lee were each sentenced to 12 years of "reform through labour" for illegally entering the country and committing a "grave crime", said the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

...The women are unable to appeal because they were convicted by North Korea's highest court.

Laura Ling is the sister of TV journalist Lisa Ling who is seen sometimes on Oprah.

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Also see:

Reporters Without Borders is appalled by the sentences...

Gay marriage ban upheld by California supreme court!

The California Supreme Court upheld a law approved by the citizens of that state which bans same-sex marriages.  This ruling comes from one of the most liberal states in the union: 

"...The California Supreme Court today upheld Proposition 8, the voter-approved law restoring a ban on same-sex marriages in the state, but at the same time left intact the more than 18,000 marriages for gay and lesbian couples who wed last year before the ballot measure went into effect.

The Supreme Court's decision puts California in unusual territory for the time being, establishing a two-tiered system of marriage across the state for same-sex couples. Under the ruling, Proposition 8 will continue to outlaw same-sex marriage in the future, but those gay and lesbian couples who got their marriage licenses before last November's election will remain on equal legal footing with heterosexual couples..."

MercuryNews

Priest arrested at Notre Dame

A priest, Father Norman Weslin, was arrested  at Nortre Dame yesterday for taking a stand for the protection of the unborn.  I truly must be missing something here.  I mean are protestor not allowed at Notre Dame?

Full version video:

More Arrests at Notre Dame, including Pro-life Priest, as ... May 15, 2009‎

By Randy Sly Dr. Alan Keyes and Fr. Norman Weslin the Founder of Lambs for Christ were among those arrested. No bail has been set. ...

Google outage affected world-wide access this morning

No reason was given by Google for the outage which appeared to have been world-wide:

"Google users around the world reported slowness and for some, hours of inaccessibility to the search site that prides itself on speed and consistency. Similar problems were reported on Google News and with Gmail, the company's e-mail service.

...Of the Google News outrage, a company statement said: "Earlier today, Google News was temporarily unavailable for many users from approximately 3:30 a.m. until around 7 a.m. Pacific Time. This issue has now been resolved ... We know how important Google News is to our users, so we take issues like this very seriously. We apologize to those users who were affected."

At 12:40 p.m., the company added: "We're aware some users are having trouble accessing some Google services. We're looking into it, and we'll update everyone soon."

Boston.com

Update 5/15/09:  Unable to access Google News today at 7:40 AM CT.

The vilification of a Christian by the far-left: Miss California

First, it was the odd question posed to Miss California, Carrie Prejean,  by gay judge, Perez Hilton.  It was a no-win question and he knew it was when he asked it. 

Then, it was Hilton's foul verbal and abusive attacks on her captured on his webcam that was seen by millions across America and all the others who made verbal attacks against her.

Topping it all of, the Miss California pageant itself outed the fact they paid for Miss California's breast implants. 

Retaliation? 

The good new is HIlton's actions were soundly blasted by another gay man as embarrassing and disgraceful and gives all gays and lesbians a bad wrap. He also said Hilton and other liberals only communicate with insults. A line was crossed, he pointed out.  I applaud this man for standing up for sound common sense.

Can you believe how low and degrading this has become?  The attacks against Carrie Prejean might be classified as religious persecution against a Christian by the left. 

It needs to stop.  

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To hear what one fellow gay man had to say to Hilton watch video below:

(Warning:  some may find offensive one particularly term used by this man towards Hilton.  He also repeated the foul language used against Prejean by Hilton but the overall his verbal disgust with Hilton's actions are worth it):

4:52 (audio only)

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Also see:

Miss California: The anti-gay-marriage martyr extends her 15 minutes Entertainment Weekly

Pics don't lie: Michael Phelps and Carrie Prejean get cozy in Vegas Los Angeles Times

Perez Hilton takes back apology to Miss California, gets even nastier Kansas City Star

Miley Cyrus pro-gay messages set Christian conservatives all a-Twitter Metro Weekly

New ad warns same-sex ‘marriage' activists want to silence opposition

Catholic News Agency - ‎Apr 30, 2009‎

The ad, titled “No Offense,” also refers to attacks on beauty pageant contestant Carrie Prejean, Miss California, after she expressed her support for ...

 

Shuster Again: Attacks Traditional Marriage Advocate; Asks If He ... NewsBusters

 

Two Hot Topics Heat Up the Net

Pew Research Center - ‎May 1, 2009‎

"Carrie Prejean, Miss California and runner-up Miss America 2009, shows us how it's done when the Left tries to smear you." "I guess what I really a happy ...

 

Intolerance in full view

Times Press Recorder - ‎22 hours ago‎

We can see in recent responses to Miss California, Carrie Prejean, that hate, bigotry, intolerance, vilifying and bullying are really being thrown at her by ...

Five killed by speeding car as Dutch Royal family rides through town

Today was Queensday in The Netherlands and to celebrate it the Dutch Royal family road through Apeldoorn in an open air bus. Suddenly, a man drives through the crowd. 12 people were wounded and 5 killed.  The man is in critical condition.

According to the BBC, the man indicated he was after the royal family but terrorism was ruled out after they searched his car and home.

Video (it is disturbing but not gory):

Semi truck hijacked with owner on back of it!

Breaking news from in Georgia.

I'm watching this live. A semi truck without its trailer was hijacked a little while ago in Georgia.  The owner or the operator of it jumped on the back and it sitting there while the driver, who stole it, drives on tires mostly shredded after going over spike strips.  The police are following.

My gosh, this is a one-of-a kind police chase.

Oh, oh the guy on the back jumped off the moving truck.  Good, he was able to walk away.  (photo added later)

I think the truck is slowing down or running out of gas.

Officers have approached the truck and are banging on the window.  There are about 15 officers surrounding the truck.   

I say a prayer to myself for the officers safety.

OK, he's now been pulled out of the truck and is on the ground.

Whoa.  What an experience.

Update 8:09 PM:  Watch video.

GE shareholders meeting gets dicey!

O'Reilly Factor producer, Jesse Walters, questionedGE chairman Jeffrey Immelt about Janeane Garofalo's tirade on MSNBC Keith Olbermann's show at a shareholder's meeting on April 21, 2009.  GE owns MSNBC. 

The audience actually boos Immelt!

Audio:

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Also see:

Who owns CNN? or MSNBC? ABC?

Stray airplane forces lock-down at the White House!

 An airplane flew a little too close to the White House this morning:

"A security lockdown was instituted at the White House around 12:40 p.m. Eastern Time today following word that an airplane had flown into restricted White House airspace.

The response was swift: White House reporters were swept off the north lawn and driveway and made to go into the West Wing. Police scrambled to guard the doors of the Senate chamber. Within a minute or two of the airspace violation, two Huntress F-15s arrived on the scene.

According to a security official, a single engine Piper Cub inadvertently strayed into the restricted airspace. The pilot was contacted and acknowledged his error. The plane has been diverted and is landing at an airfield in Maryland..."

CBS

Chinese Muslims held at Guantanamo Bay will likely be freed into the U.S.

It appears very likely several Chinese Muslims held at Guantanamo Bay will be set free in the United States:

"The Obama administration is preparing to admit into the United States as many as seven Chinese Muslims who have been imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay in the first release of any of the detainees into this country, according to current and former U.S. officials.

But the decision to release the Chinese Muslims, known as Uighurs, is not final and faces challenges from within the government, as well as likely public opposition. Among government agencies, the Homeland Security Department has registered concerns about the plan.

The move would also incense Chinese officials, who consider the Uighurs domestic terrorists and want those held at Guantanamo handed over for investigation. U.S. officials no longer consider the Chinese Muslims to be enemy combatants and fear they would be mistreated in China.

Officials have not said where in the United States they might live. But many Uighur immigrants from China live in Washington's Virginia suburbs, and advocates have urged that the detainees be resettled near people who speak their language and are familiar with their customs.

...In captivity, the Uighurs filed suit to win their freedom. A U.S. district court in 2008 ordered their release. The decision, appealed by the Bush administration, was overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Lawyers for the Uighurs appealed to the Supreme Court.

U.S. officials did not detail what supervision the Uighurs might receive once they are living on their own. But they said the Uighurs would be allowed to live freely...'

LA Times

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Also see:

US court rules against Chinese Muslims Irish Times

10/08/08:  Court Blocks Judge's Order to Free Chinese... - ABC News

David Kellermann, Freddie Mac acting CFO, found dead this morning!

David Kellermann the acting CFO of Freddie Mac, was found dead early this morning by his wife in their Fairfax County Virginia home, a suburb of Washington D.C.  Early reports state it was likely a suicide but no official word, yet.

"...David Kellermann, 41, was a longtime Freddie Mac executive who joined the firm as an analyst in 1992. Police were called to his stately red brick home in the upscale Hunter Mill Estates subdivision shortly before 5 a.m., police spokesman Eddy Azcarate said. The call was made by someone inside the home, which is on a tree-studded corner lot in the 1700 block of Raleigh Hill Road.

The company has been conducting a public search for a permanent chief financial officer.

...As acting chief financial officer, Kellermann reported directly to the company's chief executive, according to a biographical profile posted on the company's Web site. He was responsible for the company's financial controls, financial reporting, tax, capital oversight, and compliance with federal oversight requirements. He also oversaw the company's annual budgeting and financial planning processes...'

Wasington Post

Update 11:21 AM CT:  I heard on the radio there are reports he had been interviewed by investigators of the Justice Department about his company's accounting practices.  The WSJ reported:

"...Investigators from the Securities and Exchange Commission and Justice Department have been questioning officials of Freddie Mac about possible accounting violations and other matters in recent months, the company disclosed in March.

Freddie disclosed in the recent SEC filing that in September it received a federal grand jury subpoena from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York seeking documents related to accounting, disclosure and corporate-governance matters. That subpoena was later withdrawn, Freddie has disclosed, and the investigation was taken over by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. 

...Freddie Mac and its sibling Fannie Mae were taken over by the government in September in what would become a string of state interventions in financial-services firms... Freddie has received $30.8 billion in support from the government while Fannie has taken $15.2 billion..."

Update 8:23 PM CT:  It is being reported now that Mr. Kellermann hung himself.

God Rest his tortured soul.

Somalian pirate arrives in New York

 

With a smile all over Abdi Wali Muse's face, the first pirate to be tried in America in over 100 plus years arrived in New York late Monday. 

Action Alert America: Contact News Corp and Fox on employee Janeane Garofalo

Janeane Garofalo, whom I consider a little known actress, went on the Keith Olbermann show, which is on MSNBC, on April 16th following the hundreds of tea parties held across the nation.  Garofalo called tea party attendees "a bunch of teabagging rednecks!  She added those who attended actually hated a black man in the White House.

Ms. Garofalo is an employee of Fox Broadcasting and appears on the TV show 24.

Let's take action about her disgusting tirade by not stooping to the level of the usual left-wing name-calling smear, but instead contact News Corp and Fox Broadcasting Company to express your disgust in a polite manner concerning the hate-mongering of one of their employees:

Action: Tell News Corporation and Fox Broadcasting Company your concern about the hate expressed by one of their employees on national TV.  Be polite, of course.

News Corporation

(chaired by Rupert Murdoch) and parent of Fox Broadcasting
1211 Avenue of Americas, 8th Floor
New York, New York 10036

News Corp's Phone Number:

(212)-852-7000

FOX Broadcasting Company
10201 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035

FOX's Phone Number:

310-369-3553 

Fax: (310) 969-3300

(310) 369-3066 - view comment line

Scott Grogin, Senior Vice President Communications
Fox Networks Group

Phone: 310-369-4733  (his direct line)
Fax: 310-369-1283

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Also see:

Watch the video of her appearance on MSNBC:

Janeane Garofalo calls Tea Party attendees racist and tea banging rednecks!

Janeane Garofalo snubs Rush Limbaugh, Lynne Cheney on '24' set ...

Entertainment Weekly - ‎Apr 17, 2009‎

That goes for Fox TV's 24. I won't -- , but I'll write their sponsors and let them know that thanks to Janeane ...

Photo of a casket from the "overseas contingency operations" released

 

The arrival of remains of Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Myers, a 30-year-old supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, at Dover Air Force Base at 11 p.m. Sunday (Joshua Roberts/REUTERS)

God rest the soul of Staff Sgt Phillip A. Myers whose casket is pictured above.  He was a true hero who paid the ultimate price to protect our freedom.

But there's a problem.  American Democratic officials ended the term "War on Terror" and now simply called it "overseas contingency operations". 

The picture above ended an 18 year media ban on photos of caskets of those who died while serving their country.  The new policy allows for these photos to be taken by the media, if the family approves first.

It seems to me, though, officials cannot have it both ways saying they honor our war dead when they return home but don't have the guts to call it a war at any other time.  It's absurd and offensive.

"...About 40 members of the media were present, and throughout the transfer there were no flashes, no talking, though cameras clicked as casket went by.

In February, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates lifted the ban on media coverage of returning war dead, ending what some have called an era of censorship enforced by President George W. Bush...."  ABC News

No, no, ABC News,  the correct way to say this is "the returning causalities of the U.S. overseas contingency operations", remember?

CNN, an obvious anti-conservative news channel, alleged in this article the ban stemmed from a video of President Bush Sr. laughing slightly following a news conference in 1989 while viewers watched, on a split TV screen, caskets were being unloaded at Dover Air Force Base.  

Does CNN's allegations reek of media bias or not?  The President probably had no idea what was being shown on the split screen nor do we know if he was even at Dover Air Force Base or if both events were shown live or anything.  If the ban was a result of this TV event, it could have had more to do with how the media spun it than anything else. 

CNN report:  

"...After the Iraq War began, critics of the George W. Bush administration accused it of disallowing photographs and filming to de-emphasize the number of casualties from what many considered an unpopular war.

Although the Defense Department won't confirm it, it is widely accepted that the idea for the ban began after the December 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama, when the United States deposed dictator Manuel Noriega.

After a news conference held by President George H.W. Bush, his press secretary made a humorous remark, which caused the president and reporters to laugh.

At the same time, viewers were watching coffins of the first casualties from the invasion being unloaded at Dover.

The following year, when the Persian Gulf War began, the Pentagon banned media coverage of war dead being returned to the base..."

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Also see:

Familiar phrase phased out; new president prefers another Winston-Salem Journal

Global Islamist terrorism that dare not speak its name

On the White House The Words Have Changed, but Have the Policies?

 

Obama: Eyes Wide Shut on Foreign Policy?

The End of the Global War on Terror

 

Montana plane that crashed was issued a safety directive by the FAA

 

 Dr. Erin Jacobson and his wife Amy are shown in a November 2008 photo with their children. Son Jude, 1, is on Jacobson’s lap. At bottom left is Taylor, 4, and Eva, 3, is at right. All were killed in Sunday’s plane crash in Montana

  An airplane that crashed and cost the lives of 3 young families was issued a FAA safety directive 12 days before the crash reports ABC News.  Whether or not this had anything to do with the crash, which it probably didn't, is unknown at this point:

An undated photo shows Dr. Michael Pullen, right, Dr. Vanessa Pullen, left, and their children Sydney, 9, front left, and Christopher, 7.  They were on the plane.  Vanessa and Amy are sisters.

"Just 12 days before the fatal crash of a Pilatus PC-12 killed 14 people in Montana, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an airworthiness directive on the plane, requiring that a safety inspection be performed to check for a problem that could reduce the effectiveness of the plane's controls.

The directive is not effective until March 30th, at which date the owner would be required to do the inspection within 150 flight hours.

 Prior to the FAA directive, the plane's manufacturer sent out a service bulletin in January and the European Aviation Safety Agency issued its own directive in late February. ...Investigators are closely examining issues of weight because the plane was carrying more passengers than licensed for. While seven of the passengers were children, balance of weight or a sudden shift in weight, in addition to if the plane was overweight, could all be potential contributing factors to the crash..."

An undated photo of Dr. Brent Ching, left, his wife Kristen, right, and their children Hailey, 5, and Caleb, 3.

source of photos:  The Press Enterprise

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Also see:

Montana plane crash shatters 3 families

Immigrant held after mailing HIV tainted blood to President Obama

An Ethopian immigrant, with possible mental problems or perhaps a jihadist mindset, mailed a letter to President-elect Obama at the end of December that caused the lock-down of a Illinois state office.

"...Saad Bedrie Hussein told investigators that he is an admirer of Obama and that the letter -- containing his photo, an admission ticket to Obama's election night victory party in Chicago's Grant Park and six index cards containing writing and reddish stains -- was his way of seeking government help and tickets to Obama's inauguration.

Hussein, who has HIV, said he "purposely cut one of his fingers with a razor so he could bleed on the letter," according to an affidavit by Terry L. Cullivan, an investigator with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

The letter, postmarked December 27 and written in an Ethiopian language, was addressed to Obama at the Illinois Department on Aging in Springfield, Illinois. When the letter was opened two days later, it was found to contain an orange powder, Cullivan said. A state employee then took the letter to another state office, resulting in a two-hour lockdown of the building, affecting more than 300 people, the affidavit says.In January, a federal judge ordered a mental evaluation of Hussein, saying "there is reasonable cause to believe [Hussein] may ... be suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering him mentally incompetent [and] unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him."

According to court records, Hussein was arrested March 29, 2006, by Chicago police after setting a fire in the middle of a Chicago intersection, waving a Quran in the air and yelling "Allah[u] Akbar" -- Allah is great -- and other words. Hussein "created a standstill in the traffic and refused to comply" with police commands, Cullivan's affidavit says..."

CNN

Indonesia Muslims throw shoes at Hillary Clinton's effigy

Video:

What fell from the sky in Austin, Texas yesterday?

Video:

Tucson homeowner alerted by his security camera stops home invasion!

Video:

A Tucson homeowner, alerted of an impending home invasion by his home security cameras, arms himself and takes matters into his hands last Thursday when four armed suspects attempt to break into his home.

You see a vehicle pull up, and four men run out. One of them is carrying what appears to be an AR-15 or M-16, a weapon which could be fully automatic.

The robbery happened in broad daylight:

Caught on tape: home invasion ends in shootout
KOLD-TV, AZ - Feb 11, 2009
By Dan Marries - bio | email Amazing video of an attempted home invasion in Tucson. Investigators say the victim fought back by shooting at a group of armed ...

 

Deputies arrest second man in foiled Tucson home invasion case
Arizona Daily Star, AZ - Feb 13, 2009
By Alexis Huicochea Two of four young men wanted in connection with an attempted home invasion are now in jail and authorities continue to look for two ...

Continental Airlines crashes near Buffalo, New York

I found the air traffic communications during the ill-fated flight from New Jersey to Buffalo already on YouTube. 

In a sad twist of events, a 9/11 widow was on the flight.

This recording below captures the frequencies of Buffalo Approach and Buffalo Airport Tower. It runs from approximately 0314Z to 0325Z (10:14pm to 10:25pm local time) including approach communications with flight 3407. Some quiet space and irrelevant content has been removed to meet the 10 minute YouTube length limit. Flight 3407 is believed to have crashed around 0320Z (10:20pm local).

Officials: Capt. Marvin Renslow pilot of Continental Airlines ...
Newsday, NY - 49 minutes ago
Pinnacle Airlines, the parent company of Colgan Air, which was operating the flight, says the pilot was Capt. Marvin Renslow, who joined the airline in ...CAL

Audio of US Airways jet, which landed in Hudson River, released today

An audio between the pilot of US Airways Flight 1549 that landed on the Hudon River and the air traffic controll tower were released today (audio below):

"The pilot of US Airways Flight 1549, which ditched into New York's Hudson River last month, calmly radioed to air traffic controllers, "We're going to be in the Hudson."

The audio recordings, released Thursday by the Federal Aviation Administration, reflect the initial tension between tower controllers and the cockpit and then confusion about whether the passenger jet went into the river.

Control tower tapes

KOAA

Arkansas physician car explodes!

What the heck?

WREG/NNS

"The FBI is investigating whether foul play might have been involved in the explosion of a vehicle belonging to Dr. Trent P. Pierce, the chairman of the Arkansas State Medical Board.

The blast happened Wednesday in Pierce's driveway in West Memphis. He was taken to the hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.

A second, unidentified person also was hurt, but details about the extent of injuries weren't immediately available.

Board attorney William Trice said he believes Pierce drives a hybrid, but he had no information on what caused the explosion."

Fox News

Update 2:10 PM:

ABC News ATF: Explosive Device Found in Arkansas Doctor's Car After Blast FOXNews - 2 hours ago The explosion happened Wednesday in the driveway of Dr. Trent P. Pierce, the chairman of the Arkansas State Medical Board. West Memphis Police Chief Bob ... Pierce, however, is named as a co-defendant in a case that last month made its way to the Arkansas State Supreme Court, where his motion to dismiss the appeal was granted Jan. 22. Click here to read the judge's decision to dismiss the appeal. (pdf) The lawsuit was brought by the estate of a deceased woman, Norma Louise Ramsey, against Pierce, a senior citizens' medical facility called Golden Living — formerly known as Beverly Enterprises — the Memphis Dermatology Clinic and other defendants..."

Canadian school forced to reinstate the national anthem!

This is indeed great news:

"This week the students at Belleisle Elementary School in New Brunswick will sing the national anthem, something they haven't done before classes in over a year.

The principal at Belleisle, Erik Millett, made the decision to eliminate O Canada from the school's morning routine after some complaints from some parents. It was a quiet decision in the fall of 2007,

But last week the story made headlines as other parents lobbied the school board to re-instate the anthem during daily announcements. The issue was even raised in the House of Commons.

School district superintendent Zoe Watson decided Sunday to reinstate the singing.

"It is very clear from the communication I have received that people want to see the national anthem played daily at this school," Watson told CTV News.

"I will act in the best interest of the Belleisle Elementary School community and reinstate the playing of the national anthem during daily announcements -- effective immediately".

CTV.ca

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Also see:

Elementary school in Canada bans national anthem to accomodate two families

Inauguration UFO?

This particular clip has some amazing overhead shots of the Washington Mall on inauguration day. The video clip of the "UFO" is analyzed in several different way. 

You decide:

John Travolta's son dies at family's vacation home

What a sad, sad day for John Travolta and his wife who lost their 16 year old son, Jett, earlier today.  My heart goes out to them:

"The teenage son of actor John Travolta died suddenly on Friday during a family vacation in the Bahamas, according to the family's lawyer.

Jett Travolta, 16, suffered a seizure at his family's vacation home at the Old Bahama Bay Hotel on Grand Bahama Island, attorney Michael Ossi said.

Attempts were made to revive him, but he died at the scene, Ossi said.

Jett, who had a history of seizures, was the eldest child of Travolta and his wife, actress Kelly Preston. They also have a daughter, Ella Blue, who was born in 2000."

Reuters

1/4/08:

Actor John Travolta is pictured with his son Jett (L) in this undated photograph, released January 4, 2009. Travolta broke a two-day silence over the death of 16-year-old Jett on Sunday, saying he and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, were 'heartbroken' by their sudden loss. Jett, who had a history of seizures, was found unconscious in a bathroom at his family's home at the Old Bahama Bay resort on Grand Bahama Island on Friday morning January 2, 2009. (Courtesy of the Travolta family/Rogers and Cowan/Reuters) Reuters

Source:  OMG

 

William Ayers speech to Muslim Students at Northwestern University postponed

William Ayers was invited to speak before the Muslim Cultural Students Association at Northwestern University in Illinois but the speech was postponed:

"Update:  Due to security concerns, University Police has told the Muslim-cultural Student Association to postpone Thursday's event at Cahn Auditorium featuring former Weather Underground member William Ayers, an McSA leader said Tuesday night.

After a controversial last-minute decision, the Muslim-cultural Student Association plans to bring former Weather Underground member William Ayers as its 2008 fall speaker Thursday at Cahn Auditorium, said Weinberg junior Dana Shabeeb, McSA co-president.

The selection continues the recent trend of student groups bringing figures to campus who have been lightning rods for criticism, including a For Members Only speech by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr. that Ayers attended as a VIP.

Ayers will be speaking with his wife, Bernardine Dohrn, a professor in the School of Law; and Imam Zaid Shakir, a black Muslim scholar. A&O Productions, Alianza, Asian Pacific American Coalition, South Asian Student Alliance and FMO have co-endorsed the event, called "Peaceful Progress: A Discourse on Affecting Change," Shabeeb said.

...According to a member of McSA, one of those meetings involved a serious debate over whether the student group should uninvite Ayers. The group ultimately decided to stick with their scheduled fall speaker, but by a slim majority, the member said.

"The hope would have been that we either would just not have had the speaker or to just find a professor at NU," that member said. "Student groups feel pressured to invite controversial speakers rather than invite speakers who will speak in a meaningful way."

Members of the McSA executive board have been instructed not to comment on the event, said group secretary Noreen Nasir.

King of Bahrain's son sues Michael Jackson!

Here's something a little different:

"...Beleaguered pop star Michael Jackson' s being sued for $7m (£4.3m) by the son of the King of Bahrain, just days after he was forced to sell the infamous 2,500-acre Neverland ranch in California.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa is suing Jackson for breach of contract and the case is expected to go before a high court judge today. It is alleged that Jackson received payment in advance for writing and recording new material, but never delivered on his promise of a new album for Al Khalifa's record company. He also alleges he gave the singer a new Rolls Royce worth $120,000 (£75,000)..."

Last year, it was rumored Jackson was contemplating converting to Islam. 

I wonder if he did.

Divers find bag in river with suspicious items searching for Caylee Anthony!

Today, volunteer divers found a bag weighed down by bricks that may have some tiny bones in it.  Nothing has been confirmed but authorities were called in to determine what they found.  It's probably nothing but it would be nice to be able to give little Caylee Anthony a proper burial.

In an earlier report, on Tuesday, it was reported Leonard Padilla suspended his search and held a prayer vigil for Caylee Anthony.

UPDATE 6:00 PM:  It turned out to be nothing.

Justice delayed: O.J. Simpson found guilty on all counts!

O.J. Simpson was found guilty late Friday on all 12 counts of armed robbery and kidnapping.  His bail was revoked and he was handcuffed and taken to jail.

He now faces 15 years to life in prison.  Simpson's sentence will be rendered December 5th.

Paul Newman passed away Friday

Paul Newman, an icon in movie history, passed away Friday from cancer at his home in Westport, Conn. He was 83.

Paul McCartney concert scheduled in Israel - terrorists vow harm!

Islamic terrorists are threatening to harm Paul McCartney if he goes ahead with a planned concern in Israel next Thursday.  I admire this man for standing his ground and not bowing down to these Islamic nut-balls who have been severely brainwashed and probably robbed from the innocence of their childhood by the constant pounding of hate by some Islamic religious leader over in the Middle East. 

Yet again, another story that doesn't speak well for the religion of peace:

"...However, Paul McCartney has shown admirable strength of character by refusing to bow to these religious fanatics. -- not only will he play the concert in Israel, but he’s even going to turn it into a live album, entitled Paul McCartney Live Behind Six Inches Of Reinforced Plexiglass Inside A Sealed Lead Box Surrounded By Several Bodyguards And At Least A Couple Of Tanks.

You know what offends Islamic fundamentalists the most about the west? No, it’s not our consumerist lifestyles, our swaggering cultural dominance or our free and easy attitudes to sex and stimulants - it’s the bloody Frog Song.

Seriously, al Qaeda didn’t even exist until Paul McCartney wrote The Frog Song. There they were, Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and Abu Hamza, all sitting round the kitchen table discussing the Pauly Shore movie Biodome when - bam! - all of a sudden The Frog Song by Paul McCartney came on the radio and everyone more or less instantly decided to bring western civilisation to its knees. True story..."

Hecklerspray

 

Man found dead in Denver: white powder being analyzed

Saleman Abdirahman Dirie from Canada was found dead in a Denver hotel room on Monday with a bottle of white powder nearby. I learned from the Ottawa Sun, he attended the Somali Centre for Family Services.

Investigators became concerned that they might be dealing with cyanide because the jar contained labeling that suggested it could be the deadly chemical, fire Lt. Philip Champagne said.   Rocky Mt News

Little Green Footballs today posted that in July, on another blog,  a man by the name of Abdirahman Dirie posted a rather hateful message:

Please don’t talk sh** , that man deserves what happened to him , simply because having the bible in one hand , and a bread in the other hand , is not a correct thing ,! Kill Them , Kill them , Kill them , that is my massage,!

Comment by Abdirahman Dirie — July 11, 2008 @ 10:33 pm

Coincidence?  Possibly.  Perhaps time will tell as the investigation unfolds. 

UPDATE 8/14/08:  Denver police verified that the substance found in Dirie's hotel suite was sodium cyanide, which converts to a gas if mixed with acid and could sicken or kill people if released in an enclosed space.

...Dirie had a history of mental problems and other health issues, including diabetes. He had dropped out of college, and whether he had a job was not known Wednesday.   Denver Post

First Muslim elected to the International Olympic Committee

FYI:

Moroccan Olympic gold medalist Nawal El Moutawakel has become the first Muslim woman elected to the powerful executive board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

"I feel very honored to be a member of this big family," El Moutawakel said following her election on Thursday, August 7, reported Reuters.

El Moutawakel won her seat unopposed after her two contenders withdrew from the race.

The IOC set a goal in 1996 of having women make up 20 percent of the membership.

As of today, only 16 of the 110 members are women, six short of the target.

Islamonline

Denver: 2008 state of city ceremony controversy

It's disturbing to see how a singer took liberty with the National Anthem in Denver: 

A singer surprised dignitaries by singing Lift Every Voice and Sing, also known as the "black national anthem," to the tune of The Star-Spangled Banner during the mayor's State of the City address yesterday in Denver. Rene Marie, who was introduced by City Council president Michael Hancock to perform the national anthem, says she made the switch without informing the mayor's office. Marie tells The Denver Post she decided to switch the lyrics months ago and will no longer sing the national anthem because she sometimes feels like a foreigner in the USA.  USA Today 

Oh, please.

Supreme Court: Individuals have rights to own guns

The supreme court ruled today along a division that should be familiar to us, conservatives vs. liberals, that the Constitution protects our right to bear arms.  All the more reason we must get the right person in the White House to help safe-guard decisions going forward or else a future ruling could be 6-3 in favor of gun bans if a liberal president adds more liberal judges to the court.  Think about it..

Happy Father's Day

I want to wish every father a great Happy Father's Day today.  Thank you for all your hard work, your sacrifices and for the time and care you give to your families.

Jimmy Carter wants to shill for Hamas terrorists to Washington!

Oh, please.  Now Jimmy Carter is trying to spin his stupid decision to meet with Hamas to make it look like he is the go-between person between terrorists and the U.S. government.  Geez. 

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, defending a contentious plan to meet the leader of the violently anti-Israel Hamas, said Monday he hoped to become a conduit between the militant group and Washington and even Israel.

"I think it is absolutely crucial that in the final and dreamed-about and prayed-for peace agreement for this region that Hamas be involved and Syria will be involved," Carter told a business conference outside Tel Aviv.  "I can't say that they will be amenable to any suggestions, but at least after I meet with them I can go back and relay what they say, as just a communicator, to the leaders of the United States," he said.

The U.S., EU and Israel have both blacklisted Hamas for its history of suicide bombings against Israel and its refusal to renounce violence and recognize the Jewish state. Israel's top leaders, in a stinging rebuff, are boycotting Carter during his visit, in part because he plans to meet later in the week in Syria with exiled Hamas supreme leader Khaled Mashaal.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters Monday that the U.S. has "made clear our views that we did not think now is the moment for him (Carter) or anyone to be talking with Hamas."
The U.S. would be "happy to hear" Carter's reflections on his visit with Hamas, but it would not likely change the administration's views on the militant group, Casey said.

Carter also offered to relay Hamas' views to Israel.

PR-Inside

Israeli secret service refuses to assist Jimmy Carter

"...unprecedented" breach between the Israeli Shin Bet (security service) and the U.S. Secret Service, which protects all current and former U.S. presidents...

How embarrassing for Americans to see Carter make such a fool of himself:

Israel's secret service has declined to assist U.S. agents guarding former U.S. President Jimmy Carter during a visit in which Israeli leaders have shunned him, U.S. sources close to the matter said on Monday.

Carter angered the Israeli government with plans to meet Hamas's top leader, Khaled Meshaal, in Syria, and for describing Israeli policy in the occupied Palestinian territories as "a system of apartheid" in a 2006 book.

Israel has also rejected Carter's request to meet jailed Palestinian uprising leader Marwan Barghouthi, who is seen as a possible successor to President Mahmoud Abbas, a spokesman for Carter said.

Barghouthi was convicted in 2004 of murder by an Israeli court over the killing of four Israelis and a Greek Orthodox monk in attacks by Palestinian militants. He is serving five life sentences.

American sources close to the matter said the Shin Bet security service, which helps protect visiting dignitaries and is overseen by Olmert's office, declined to meet the head of Carter's Secret Service security detail or provide his team with assistance as is customary during such visits.

Rueters

"... There is nothing called 'political Islam' there is Islam that includes politics, economics, social structure as part of its teaching. It's a complete way of living in that sense---if a Muslim believes that there is any human being who has the right to make laws other than Allah then obviously this is total divergence from the path of Islam..."

RadioIslam.com interview with Jamal Badawi.  Badawi is the Muslim Brotherhood's chosen dawah guy (uncovered in MB documents by the FBI) who speaks all over North America about a version of Islam that's not practiced in any Islamic country in the world.  He was chosen by the Islamic Society of Tulsa to represent them in a debate with Christian Pastor, Reza Safa in January.   More on Badawi and his troubling influence in America is here.

Petrified what?

Amazing but true - a strange source is providing evidence of humans in North America by way of 14,000 year old fossilized poop:

...The discovery of the preserved scat (feces) fragments, known as coprolites, levels a major blow against the popular Clovis-first theory of how people first came to the Americas.

Since the summer of 2002, University of Oregon archaeologist Dennis Jenkins and his research team have uncovered about 700 coprolite samples from a group of bone-dry caves in the desert of central Oregon, including several from humans.

After repeated radiocarbon dating and DNA analyses, the scientists concluded that the oldest of the human-produced material was deposited at least a thousand years before the so-called Clovis culture, according to a paper appearing in this week's issue of the journal Science.

National Geography

A picture is worth a thousand words

A woman in the Afghan capital, Kabul, receives bags of wheat from the World Food Programme sent by Japan

See any problem with the caption of this BBC News picture?  Wheat from Japan? 

Except there is an American flag on the bag!

BBC News (picture 7)

U.S. House of Representative recognized Jewish refugees for the first time

Good work by the House of Representatives:

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday approved an unprecedented resolution recognizing Jewish refugees from Arab countries who were forced to flee their homes in the aftermath of the creation of the state of Israel.

According to the language of the resolution, U.S. officials involved in Middle East peace negotiations which also reference the Palestinian refugee question are to "also include a similarly explicit reference to the resolution of the issue of Jewish refugees from Arab countries."

"The world needs to understand that it is not just the Arabs and it's not just the Palestinians in the Middle East, but also Jewish people who themselves were dispossessed of their possessions and their homes, and were victims of terrorist acts," one of the bill's co-sponsors, Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) said.

"Jewish refugees outnumbered Palestinian refugees, and their forced exile from Arab lands must not be omitted from public discussion on the peace process," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY).

Another co-sponsor of the bill, Rep. Mike Ferguson (R-N.J.), said the United Nations' unwillingness to acknowledge the plight of Jewish refugees "is completely unacceptable and long over due, and this is one of the things this resolution seeks to address

Haaretz

Mexican Police Chief flees to U.S.- seeks asylum

The violence along the U.S.-Mexican border is obviously bad but this is a first, I think:

The police chief of a Mexican border town racked by smuggling-related violence fled to the U.S. seeking asylum after his deputies abandoned him, federal officials said Friday.

Emilio Perez, the chief of Palomas, Mexico, showed up at the international port of entry in Columbus, N.M., late Tuesday, saying his two deputies had left the department and that he now needed protection, too, according to Doug Mosier, a U.S. Border Patrol spokesman in El Paso.

Perez was taken in and was believed to be in custody of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday, according to Mosier. Letitia Zamarripa, an ICE spokeswoman, declined to comment on the case, citing privacy issues.

...Perez's village, just south of the border with New Mexico, was once a relatively quiet town. But violence has increased in the last few years, as it has elsewhere along the U.S.-Mexico border, and appears to have spiked of late.

On Thursday, the bodies of two people were found wrapped in blankets and dumped along a road near Palomas, and several other people were seen taken hostage over the past few days by heavily armed men, the newspaper El Diario of Juarez, Mexico, reported Friday.

Last month, two men were gunned down at a gas station near the international checkpoint, officials said.

The telephone went unanswered Friday at the Mexican consulate in El Paso, Texas, and at federal police headquarters in the state of Chihuahua—where Palomas is located.

Brietbart

Massive explosion at an Albania army base

About 200 people, including several Americans, were injured on Saturday by a series of large explosions at an Albanian army base on the outskirts of the capital Tirana.  Four deaths have been reported so far.

Juela Mecani, a government spokesperson, said: "We still don't know the exact number of the victims but we fear the worst, as the explosion was reportedly of catastrophic proportions. A total of 63 troops were in the base at the time, many of whom are US soldiers who were involved in the dismantling of explosives."

Another 57 people were also on the base. Locals speculated that human error was to blame for the blast, which occurred at the Gerdec military base, where old, Communist-era bombs and missiles were being dismantled under the monitor of Nato experts.   Telegraph

Security alert at Heathrow Airport: Man with bag jumps fence into secure area

There has been a security alert at Heathrow Airport in London after a man got into a secure area on a runway:

A man has been arrested after being caught on a runway in a secure area of Heathrow Airport.

Scotland Yard confirmed that the man, who has not been identified, was arrested at 2.05pm this afternoon on the airport’s northern runway.

A police spokeswoman said the man was now in custody and had been carrying a rucksack, which she said “would be examined in due course”.

...No one has been injured in the incident which happened the day before the Queen was due to open the new Terminal 5 building.

...Only last month, Greenpeace activists clambered onto a British Airways Boeing 777 in another security breach.

Four climate change protesters wrapped a banner around the tailfin protesting at plans to build a third runway at the airport.

Telegraph

Update 4:46 PM CT: A controlled explosion was carried out on a bag which the man dropped. There was no sign of explosives, suggesting he may have been a protester, police said.