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At last there's a draft climate deal on the table at Copenhagen - but Australia is not happy with it. The official UN deal, issued at the landmark summit on global warming on Friday, says rich countries must slash greenhouse gas emissions but poorer countries like China don't have to. It appears to indicate that developing countries have won the upper hand at the Copenhagen summit. Australia's Climate Change Minister, Penny Wong, criticised the deal for being too soft. She's worried that without more action from countries like China and India, the world's greenhouse gas emissions would be too high...

Gordon Brown has said Britain will pay £1.5 billion to a European Union climate change project despite the British recession and his Government’s huge deficit. At an EU summit in Brussels, the Prime Minister offered to pay the money into an EU fund intended to help poorer countries to cut their carbon emissions. The offer will make Britain the largest contributor. France and Germany each promised around £1.2 billion to the EU fund, which will be worth around £6.5 billion in all. Mr Brown had previously signalled the UK contribution would be £1.2 billion. Officials said the Prime Minister offered...

Health Care: IBD recently ran an extensive series of pieces by economist Thomas Sowell highlighting government's involvement in the financial meltdown. We did it both to correct the historical record and to warn about future interventions of the same kind. The most important warning is over current plans by Democrats in Congress and the White House to "reform" the U.S. health care system in a way that will end up hamstringing private insurers, bankrupting doctors and adding trillions of dollars to U.S. debt — while not improving health care in America one jot. As the sagacious Sowell has noted many...

On Today's Show... December 11, 2009 Senate Democrat Hacks Besmirch Rush During Health Care Debate Senators Reid, Whitehouse and Stabenow all trash Rush on the Senate floor and blame him for the reality that the American people disapprove of their health care bill. (Rush 24/7 Members: Listen)   "Tell me, Senator Whitehouse, who died and named you chief of doctors?  Who died, Senator Whitehouse, and named you chief of nurses and hospitals and nursing homes?  Tell me, Senator Whitehouse, who gave you the power over our health decisions?" -- Rush   Which Prostitution Scandal Is Worse, Tiger Woods or...

Sarah Palin will make a surprise appearance on "The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien" Friday night. Security was thick around the NBC stage Friday afternoon, while the former vice presidential candidate was hurriedly rehearsing a skit. Palin, who ensures high TV ratings wherever she goes, was a last-minute booking for NBC. Sources say members of the NBC audience were led outdoors when first Palin arrived for rehearsals in order to keep her appearance a secret from them. Sarah Palin to appear on 'Tonight Show' By Paul Bond Dec 11, 2009, 07:32 PM ET Sarah Palin will make a surprise appearance...

Even though the Bible was completed 2,000 years ago, long before the invention of the microscope, the telescope, satellites, etc. it does not contain any scientific errors. This might be considered a miracle in itself. Without exception, every ancient religious writing has certain unscientific views of astronomy, medicine, hygiene, etc. The Qur’an says in Surah 18:86 that the sun sets in a muddy spring. Qur’an 18:86 “…when he reached the setting-place of the sun, he found it setting in a muddy spring” The only exception to these kinds of errors, among ancient religious writings, is the Bible. Not only is...

Gotta love this.....a Clinton appointed judge has ruled in favor (pdf) of ACORN in their suit to stop Congress from defunding them and in essence saying that once an organization gets payments from the federal government then Congress can no longer decide to stop those payments unless a court rules they are guilty of some law breaking. Rep. Darryl Issa: On the same day that ACORN’s violation of Delaware state lobbying laws was revealed, a liberal, Clinton-appointed activist Judge has ruled to usurp the prerogatives and authority of the United States Congress. This left-wing activist Judge is setting a dangerous...

Thomas SowellIBD Exclusive Series: Thomas Sowell on The Politics of the Housing Boom (Fifth and final installment of serieesCongressional support for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac went far beyond words. When the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight — the agency overseeing these government-sponsored enterprises — turned up irregularities in Fannie Mae's accounting and in 2004 issued what Barron's magazine called "a blistering 211-page report," Republican Sen. Kit Bond called for an investigation of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, tried to have their budget slashed and sought to have the leadership of the regulatory agency removed. Democratic Congressman...

LifeNews.com Note: Center for Bioethics and Culture consultant Wesley J. Smith, is also a Senior Fellow in Human Rights and Bioethics at the Discovery Institute and the associate director of the International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide. He is the author of the Consumer's Guide to a Brave New World.   "Flash Forward" is a new and interesting television drama presented on the ABC Television Network. The premise is brilliant - due to reasons still unknown, everyone in the world (except the bad guys) blackout for two minutes seventeen seconds. Planes crash, people collapse on the streets, swimmers...

A Stanford professor with ties to Nobel Laureate Al Gore and the growing ClimateGate scandal used United Nations security officials at the climate conference in Copenhagen to halt questions about e-mail messages obtained from Britain's Climatic Research Unit.

The federal government is pushing ahead with its planned emissions trading scheme by moving to engage experts to run complex auctions of millions of carbon emissions permits each year, despite legislation for the ETS being defeated in the Senate last week for the second time. The Department of Climate Change called on Friday for tenders from companies wanting to design, operate and manage the auctions, Fairfax newspapers say. The department also said it will issue a separate tender request early next year for settlement services for the hundreds of financial transactions expected to be generated by the auctions under the...

David Letterman has been all but begging Sarah Palin to grace his couch with a visit, but it’s his competition, Conan O’Brien, being granted the favor of a drop-in from the former vice presidential candidate. Ms. Palin is scheduled to make a surprise walk-on appearance with Mr. O’Brien on NBC’s “Tonight Show,” which is being taped later Friday evening...

AP - link only.

Judge stops ACORN funding ban By Eric Zimmermann - 12/11/09 06:21 PM ET A federal judge today issued an injunction preventing the implementation of a congressional ban on funding for ACORN. Judge Nina Gershon concluded that the ban amounted to a "bill of attainder" that unfairly singled out ACORN. "[The plaintiffs] have been singled out by Congress for punishment that directly and immediately affects their ability to continue to obtain federal funding, in the absence of any judicial, or even administrative, process of adjudicating guilt," Gershon wrote in her decision. Gershon said ACORN had demonstrated "irreperable harm" from the ban,...

Democratic Rep. Neil Abercrombie announced Friday that he will resign before the end of his term, just days after another Democrat, Rep. Brian Baird, announced his retirement. Democratic Rep. Neil Abercrombie announced Friday that he will resign before the end of his term, just days after another Democrat, Rep. Brian Baird, announced his retirement. A source told Fox News Abercrombie is resigning so he can focus on running for governor. In a written statement, the Hawaii congressman said the effective date of his resignation will be announced soon, and that it was a difficult choice. "This is an extremely difficult...

COPENHAGEN, December 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Population control has emerged as a key issue for "climate change" talks in Copenhagen, after the issue was brought forward by Chinese delegates. Zhao Baige, vice-minister of National Population and Family Planning Commission of China (NPFPC) said, "Population and climate change are intertwined, but the population issue has remained a blind spot when countries discuss ways to mitigate climate change and slow down global warming." "Dealing with climate change is not simply an issue of CO2 emission reduction but a comprehensive challenge involving political, economic, social, cultural and ecological issues, and the population concern...

Muslim civil rights group calls for meeting to clear up 'misconceptions' WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today requested a meeting with Christian evangelist Franklin Graham to discuss his latest remarks attacking Islam. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said it has received a number of complaints from concerned Muslims who watched an interview last night on CNN during which Graham stated in part: "...we have many Muslims that live in this country. But true Islam cannot be practiced in this country. You can't beat your wife. You cannot murder your children...

Clinton whips Iran on sites By MATT NEGRIN | 12/11/09 1:15 PM The “time has come” for the world to condemn Iran’s nuclear program, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a taped interview with Al Jazeera English. Clinton told the network the Obama administration hoped to “work with others” to tackle issues such as nuclear proliferation and cited the International Atomic Energy Agency vote condemning Iran to argue the approach was working. “We have spent time listening and working hard to create this common ground and these common interests, and we’ve done it out of a sense of mutual...

Republicans are planning to fight furiously...

While the wizards of smart are convening in Copenhagen, attempting to solve what they perceive to be the biggest global societal ill - anthropogenic climate change, one of the things that likely won't be discussed is the possibility of the opposite occurring, global cooling. But AccuWeather's chief hurricane forecaster, Joe Bastardi warns it is a bigger threat than global warming. He says the phenomenon is coming, based on three priniciple reasons - 1) Natural reversal of ocean cycles, 2) Low sun spot activity and 3) An increase in volcanic and seismic activity. Bastardi made this case on the Fox Business...

Al Gore could eff up a wet dream, K? All this stuff about global warming and, them, you know, damn Russians shootin' off a galddern nuclear ( nucular ) weapon.... I mean, Wtf? It is comic gold... Larry, you listnen' bro???????? Oh shot, Lord please forgive me and be with them starvin' pigmys in New Guinea.......

New Delhi: A genetic study has found that Indians are the ancestors of the Chinese and other East Asian populations. The study, a joint project of 10 Asian countries, found that India received a wave of migration from Africa 60,000-70,000 years ago and these early humans subsequently moved to East and Southeast Asia. The earlier belief was that humans from Africa reached India and East and Southeast Asia separately. The study has important implications, especially in the understanding of human migratory patterns and in the investigation of genetics and disease. The findings of the five-year study -- conducted by a...

MUD LAKE - "The one person who ends up in jail is the one person who is trying to help an animal who is laying in the snow dying," says Troy Jackson, the Executive Director of Northwest Animal Companions out of Boise He heard that Barbie the dog had been hit by car and jumped to her rescue. "I drove down their, knocked on the owners door, and said can we help?" he says. The owner agreed and helped Jackson load up the puppies and Barbie into his car and they were sent to Ada County Veterinary Hospital. Barbie suffered...

www.youtube.com/user/AsSarabMedia "CHECHEN MUJAHIDIN FISHING (UNEDITED)"

Heads Up, R LEE ERMEY on now with Roger Hedgecock talking about his career and toys for tots. Had some great comments abotu Rules of Engagement, check it out. 877 847 6437 and Roger Hedgecock.com

The speaker at Friday prayer services at Howard University's dental school stressed to worshipers that Islam is a religion of moderation. Ramy Zamzam, a student at the dental school, is among five men detained in Pakistan after they allegedly sought to join up with terrorist groups. In a brief sermon, Sultan Chaudhry, who serves as president of the dentistry school's student council, said: "Muslims have to follow the middle path with no extremes on either side." Chaudhry also said Islam promotes "human dignity and honor" and has a set of universal values that are "positive and life-affirming.".. At a Virginia...

Dear Glenn, As is our custom here, we watched your program today and, as usual, enjoyed hearing more truth during your commercial breaks than can be found on the so-called major media outfalls. These are what we formerly called “outlets” but, since nearly everything they emit is garbage and sewage, outfalls is more accurate. This is what I KNOW. I’m not all that smart but I do know a few things and THINK I know several others. Among them: 1. When America first established our monetary system via the Coinage Act of 1792, a “dollar” was established as a specific...

Sarah Palin may draw ecstatic crowds in "real America," but among Republican insiders in Washington, she's not so popular. National Journal's annual Insiders Poll issue will come out Friday, but we've got some early results; the most interesting finding is how many GOP insiders and members of Congress listed Palin as one of their least favorite members of the party. Palin was the top response when 85 GOP strategists and insiders were asked, "Which voice in your party would you most like to mute?" 28 percent listed Palin; Republican National Committee Chairman Michael came in second, with 12 percent.

And City Officials said they're not going to change them, I guess saving the planet is way more important than saving a human life to these leftists...(Photos)

Given the conventional wisdom that “elitist” derision towards her only makes her supporters support her more adamantly, you’d think savvy Beltway consultants who don’t like her would keep that fact to themselves. And yet. Here’s their answer to the question, “Which voice in your party would you most like to mute?” That’s among “political” insiders, i.e. consultants. Among senators and congressmen polled, she finished second behind “no one,” tied with Michele Bachmann and Glenn Beck, among others. These insiders are the same people, mind you, who earlier this year voted her seventh among Republican governors with the brightest political future...

For all who have challenged the notion that man is single-handedly destroying the planet with everything from America's industrial system to your shiny SUV — all the way down to your uncle's favorite cow "Gertrude" on the farm, take a moment to lower your shields as the opposition is about to be sent on the run. As reported by Jon Lott on FOXNews.com, validated e-mails from the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in England show an extended conspiracy by scientists to hide facts that would challenge man-made global warming and to purposely skew data presented to...

TONY Abbott says it was a visit to the Victorian country town of Beaufort that crystallised his thinking on the folly of supporting Labor's emissions trading scheme and set him on the path to ousting Malcolm Turnbull. During 24 hours that altered the course of Australian politics, Abbott concluded that the Nationals and a substantial number of Liberal Party MPs would vote against the ETS; there was a lack of certainty in opinion polls and regional Liberal MPs were facing a bush revolt over the issue. When Abbott arrived at a gathering of the Liberal faithful in Beaufort, it was...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - The five young Americans detained in Pakistan as part of a terrorism investigation were wholesome kids who never exhibited any signs of religious extremism, according to the youth director at a mosque where they worshipped. "I never observed any extreme behavior with them," said Mustafa Abu Maryam, who served as a volunteer youth director at the Islamic Circle of North America's small chapter mosque. It's in a converted single-family home in a residential neighborhood a few miles south of the Capital Beltway.

I ran across this post today from an Evangelical Protestant commentator named Michael Spencer. He described how he spent the better part of a day recently listening to and thinking about Catholic radio and the greater and lesser degrees of effectiveness of the men and women who host shows on Catholic radio networks like EWTN. Though I don't agree with all his observations (in response to one particular remark, for example, I'd assert that Scott Hahn is every bit the "intellectual heavy-weight Protestants make him out to be"), I found myself agreeing with some and, on a few points, agreeing...

Tiger Woods said Friday he is taking an indefinite leave from golf to work on saving his marriage, using the word "infidelity" for the first time in a statement posted on his Web site. "After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf," Woods said. "I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person." The announcement came two weeks after a car accident that set in motion a shocking downfall for the world's No. 1 player, which has included sordid allegations of numerous extramarital affairs.

USSR red army tanks graveyard— few km east of Kabul, Afghanistan When Russia left Afghanistan after the war, a lot of their equipment was left behind.

In a shocking news flash, BigGovernment.com has published a Department of Justice Memo that authorizes the Obama Administration to send terrorists into Illinois! Via Obama Executive Order 13492, terrorists WILL BE SENT to Illinois.

TAMPA - An increasingly fractious challenge to the Republican Party from its own conservative base could relegate the party to indefinite minority status, some Republicans fear. It's showing up in the form of conservative primary challengers against candidates blessed by the party establishment – a strange phenomenon in a party known for tightly controlled, wait-your-turn politics. Some Republicans fear the divisive primaries could leave GOP voters divided and dispirited, or push to the party so far right it alienates mainstream voters."If you tried to devise a strategy for destroying the Republican Party in Florida, you couldn't do much better than...

Flip-flops, cheap and disposable footwear worn by celebrities and beachgoers alike, are clogging up the world’s oceans and posing danger to wildlife, according to a recent New York Times piece. “Tons and tons and tons of plastic waste, including flip-flops, flow down rivers and clog drainage systems, and animals are swallowing them,” said Julie Church, a marine biologist. Church decided to do something about the plastic waste problem by starting a company in Nairobi that recycles old flip-flops into toys and gifts. Called UniquEco, the store has found a following among those in the eco-fashion boutique business. But flip-flops are...

George W. Bush's State of the Union address must have baffled anyone who voted for him based on his pledge to cut the size of government. That speech has been properly and efficiently pilloried by Joseph Stromberg, Alan Bock, and others. The speech was both Wilsonian and Clintonian, which is to say that it proposed a political solution for all human problems and backed this idea with a promise of massive increases in federal spending on just about everything. But should we really be so surprised? Contrary to popular myth, every Republican president since and including Herbert Hoover has increased...

This evening I will be on EWTN's The World Over with Raymond Arroyo at 8PM EST, discussing the final stages of the health care debate, and possibly mentioning themes I wrote on this morning in my commentary post: "Catholic Politicians Face a Clear Choice in Health Care Debate." You may watch or listen to the interview live at www.ewtn.com/audiovideo/index.asp Due tune in as well for Raymond's exclusive interview with Rep. Bart Stupak - the last best chance we have for ensuring that this health care legislation does not radically expand abortion funding and access. My previous posts on the health...

Here is video of CNN's Rick Sanchez getting angry at a guest and having their mic shut off during a discussion about why a police officer chose to go to jail instead of apologizing...(Video)

THE Taliban commander was back in the village. Our base roared to life as we prepared to capture him. Two Chinook helicopters spun their blades in anticipation in the dark. Fifty Afghan commandos brooded outside, pacing in the gravel. I was nearby, yelling into a phone: “Who else do we need approvals from? Another colonel? Why?” A villager had come in that afternoon to tell us that a Taliban commander known for his deployment of suicide bombers was threatening the elders. The villager had come to my unit, a detachment of the United States Army stationed in eastern Afghanistan, for...

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is alarmed by what it perceives as growing anti-Muslim sentiment in Minnesota. Prompted by news of racist fliers being posted in St. Cloud and the candidacy of Lynne Torgerson against Rep. Keith Ellison, the group called for religious leaders to repudiate anti-Muslim acts. In a press release Thursday, CAIR quoted from a Minnesota Independent profile of independent candidate Torgerson, noting that her web site says Islam “is not ‘religion’ recognizable under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.” (She actually states that one “portion” of Islam, a line in the Quran about “slay[ing]...

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COLLEGE STATION – A gene commonly studied by cancer researchers has been linked to the metabolic inflammation that leads to diabetes. Understanding how the gene works means scientists may be closer to finding ways to prevent or cure diabetes, according to a study by Texas AgriLife Research appearing in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. "Because we understand the mechanism, or how the gene works, we believe a focus on nutrition will find the way to both prevent and reverse diabetes," said Dr. Chaodong Wu, AgriLife Research nutrition and food scientist who authored the paper with the University of Minnesota's Dr....

Phelim McAleer is an investigative journalist who spends much of his time debunking the Global Warming hoax. It was McAleer who asked a question of Al Gore a few months ago that caused the former VP's head to start melting (video at end of this post). McAleer is also the director and producer of Not Evil Just Wrong documentary which looks at how environmental extremism is damaging the lives of the most economically vulnerable populations (see trailer below) Today the "Global Warming Mafia" gave new credence to the charges raised by Climategate, that there has been a concerted effort to...

WESTPHALIA, Germany, December 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - At least eight Russo-German families in Salzkotten, Germany, have suffered heavy fines and now their fathers have been sentenced to prison, because they have refused to send their elementary school-age children to mandatory sexual education classes. The International Human Rights Group, a Christian legal defense organization that defends religious liberty and the right to homeschool in Europe, reports that in addition to refusing to allow their children to attend sex-ed classes, the families also resisted having their children enlisted in a theatre production of "Mein Körper gehört mir" or "My Body Belongs to...

ELYRIA — Fired Lorain police officer Stanley Marrero won’t face trial on rape and other charges stemming from 16-year-old allegations that he forced himself on a woman while responding to a call at her home, a judge has ruled. The woman contacted the Lorain Police Department in 1993 and left her name and telephone number, but never heard back from law enforcement. It wasn’t until 2007, when she again contacted authorities after Marrero was indicted on a similar charge, that her case was investigated, according to the ruling from Common Pleas Judge Edward Zaleski. “There is no reasonable justification for...

From left, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., Rep. Melvin Watt, D-N.C., and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., share in a laugh on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Dec. 11,2009, during a news conference following the House Passage for Wall Street Financial Reform and Consumer Protection Act.