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Dear Freepers! Vote for me for BusinessWeek Contest (voting ends this Weekend - Click on Image & Vote Today!) Thanks for everyone's support! BusinessWeek Selects 25 year old Hollywood Studio Owner and Cuban Immigrant Carlos Leon as “One America's Best Young Entrepreneurs 2008”Los Angeles, CA - BusinesWeek Magazine has selected 25 year old Hollywood Studio Owner Carlos Manuel Leon as one of America's Best Young Entrepreneurs in it's 2008 edition. A media mogul in the making, he is the founder of CML Studios, a full service production facility that shoots music videos, commercials, photos shoots and short films. He built...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3, 2008 – Defense officials have chosen Chrysler to receive the department's top employer-support award for providing exceptional financial and emotional support to its employees who deploy as National Guard or reserve members. Chrysler will receive the Freedom Award along with 14 other companies in a ceremony Sept. 18 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center here. The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve to recognize exceptional support from the employer community. The automaker provides pay differential and full benefits...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2008 – The founder and president of a home-front support group in the Defense Department’s America Supports You program will be honored tomorrow for her continued support of the troops. Lynelle Chauncey Zelnar of Forgotten Soldiers Outreach will be recognized at the Glory Awards, an annual event hosted by Community Neighborhood Helping in Delray Beach, Fla., which recognizes individuals, businesses and organizations for outstanding volunteerism and community involvement. “I am so excited,” Zelnar said. “Although Forgotten Soldiers Outreach has received many honors, this is the first time I have personally received one for the work not...

SAN FRANCISCO — One of two brothers who survived a tiger attack at San Francisco Zoo has been sentenced to 16 months in state prison for violating probation in a felony reckless driving case. In December, Paul Dhaliwal was sentenced to 30 days in Santa Clara County jail and three years of probation for leading police on a high-speed chase through San Jose last year. But three days after sentencing he was cited for marijuana possession, and in March he was also arrested on suspicion of shoplifting. Prosecutors say the 20-year-old Dhaliwal received the 16-month-prison sentence last week in Santa...

Mexico to honor Sen. Kennedy for work on immigration Friday, July 18, 2008 - Updated 7m ago MEXICO CITY - The Mexican government is honoring U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy for his defense of immigrant rights. Mexico announced today it will award Kennedy the Aguila Azteca, the highest honor the government can bestow on foreign dignitaries. An announcement on Mexico’s federal registry says Kennedy will be presented with a sash in the United States. Mexico says the Massachusetts Democrat has denounced injustices against migrants and "highlighted the importance of addressing illegal immigration by looking for an integral solution." Kennedy co-sponsored an...

The National Rifle Assocation's Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) has awarded Buckeye Firearms Association Legislative Chair Ken Hanson, Esq. with its Defender of Justice Award. The award, which was given at the NRA's Annual Meetings in Louisville, KY, recognizes Hanson for his extensive pro-bono work to improve and defend gun rights. Attorney Ken Hanson is a former assistant prosecuting attorney, and former public defender. As Buckeye Firearms Association Legislative Chair, Hanson has had nearly weekly involvement with legislation, legislative aides, representatives, senators, attorney general’s office and the general media on firearm issues, legislation and cases. He is the author of...

OTTAWA, JULY 2, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Canada's highest civilian honor has been "debased," the archbishop of Toronto said after the government named abortionist Dr. Henry Morgentaler as an appointee to the Order of Canada. "A community's worth is measured by the way it treats the most vulnerable," Archbishop Thomas Collins wrote Tuesday in a statement, "and no one is more vulnerable than in the first nine months of life's journey." The appointments were announced on Canada Day, which this year marked the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec. According to the press released issued by the governor general's office, Morgentaler...

Across the street from the Yankee Clubhouse store on 59th Street in Manhattan, Laura Ingraham accepted Talkers magazine’s Woman of the Year award Saturday night.Author of The Hillary Trap, Ingraham gave a very different speech than the most talked about speech of the day, Hillary Clinton’s concession speech in Washington and endorsement of Barack Obama. Ingraham thanked Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Don Imus, for three, among others, for giving her her start and encouraging her dreams of the going on air with a daily “rollicking ride through politics and culture.” Ingraham conceded nothing but endorsed taking stock.

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2008 – Seven military members received USA Freedom Corps President’s Volunteer Service Awards through the Military Volunteer Recognition Initiative in a ceremony at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building here today. USA Freedom Corps Director Henry Lozano, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation member Mary Jo Myers, and actor Stephen Baldwin presented the awards. Myers is the wife of former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff retired Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers. The award recipients are humble about their volunteer work,...

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2008 – A troop-support organization’s Web site earned top honors in the annual Webby Awards competition as the top lifestyle site of 2008. The CinCHouse.com Web site -- which derives its name from military shorthand for “commander in chief of the house” -- beat out such corporate giants as Epicurious and Reebok to take top honors in the 12th annual awards. CinCHouse.com is Operation Homefront’s online community for military wives and women in uniform. “We are completely thrilled,” said Regina Galvin, the site’s editor in chief. “This really validates all the hard work we put in...

Click the pic. 

Teacher who campaigns for gay rights wins awardAllison Douglas, For the Tribune A gay right’s activist and elementary school teacher from Flagstaff will receive the Arizona Education Association Human and Civil Rights Award this month at a Mesa ceremony. Annie Crego will receive the award April 25 during the Salute to Excellence dinner sponsored by the AEA Foundation for Teaching and Learning at the Phoenix Marriott Mesa hotel ballroom. “I started teaching 34 years ago when no child ever admitted to being gay because they would be beaten or shunned,” Crego said. “Teachers never admitted they were gay, and everything...

The Grayback was to slip into North Vietnamese waters and let out several four-man SEAL teams in small, submersible vehicles just offshore on June 3. The teams were to rendezvous with the two prisoners – who had communicated their plans through a method that today remains secret – on an offshore island.

I was just as shocked as some of you when I heard this. How can a man who has attacked family members who support the war be honored for supporting military families? Defenselink: To recognize his continuous support and recognition of sailors, Marines and their families throughout his 17 years on television, the Navy presented its Superior Public Service Award to Montel Williams yesterday in New York during the taping of his long-running program’s final show. Navy Capt. Kenneth J. Braithwaite II, a rear admiral selectee and director of Joint Public Affairs Support Element Reserve, presented the award to Williams...

The $1.6 million Templeton Prize, the richest award made to an individual by a philanthropic organization, was given Wednesday to Michael Heller, 72, a Roman Catholic priest, cosmologist and philosopher who has spent his life asking, and perhaps more impressively answering, questions like “Does the universe need to have a cause?”... Much of Professor Heller’s career has been dedicated to reconciling the known scientific world with the unknowable dimensions of God. In doing so, he has argued against a “God of the gaps” strategy for relating science and religion, a view that uses God to explain what science cannot. Professor...

A growing number of bloggers such as Richard Cohen, Brigitte Gabriel, Sharon Hughes, Charles Krauthammer, Kenneth Blackwell, Naomi Ragen, Debbie Schlussel, Ed Lasky, and William Levinson are pointing out Barack Obama’s numerous connections to unsavory individuals and organizations that espouse and promote hatred of Jews, Catholics, white people, Israel, and/or the United States. By “connections” we do not mean casual social contacts, but Obama’s deliberate efforts to seek out these entities and gain their support. ...Naomi Ragen Naomi Ragen dismisses the “smear” and makes frontal attack on Obama The Jews who are considering voting for Obama (or Clinton) should be...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2008 – People in uniform who go out of their way to boost the morale of fellow troops could be rewarded for their positive attitude and hard work, thanks to a group dedicated to keeping members of the armed forces connected and entertained. “The SemperComm Award is designed to recognize and honor those servicemembers who are making personal contributions to boost the morale of their fellow men and women,” organization officials said in a recent news release. Up to three awardees will be chosen from all nominations received by Feb. 29. Any servicemember, including those serving...

A radio industry magazine yesterday withdrew a lifetime-achievement award to conservative radio talk-show host Bob Grant, citing racial remarks he made in the 1990s. Radio & Records Inc. had planned to recognize the longtime conservative commentator with its 2008 Lifetime Industry Achievement Award in the District in March. Mr. Grant, 78, airs weeknights on WABC-770 AM in New York City. But yesterday, the Los Angeles publication said it would no longer honor him. "R&R is sensitive to the diversity of our community and does not want the presentation of an award to Mr. Grant to imply our endorsement of past...

USA Federal court has awarded $466 MILLION to the family of Air Force Captain Bayani, a naturalized American of Iranian descent, who was tortured and executed when he went to look after his sick mother in Iran in 1995.

Well, why not? Mr. Moderator, perhaps you could put together a poll, and the winner would get a nice Pajamas Media Honorary Badge.

11/20/2007 - INDIANAPOLIS (AFPN) -- The Indianapolis Colts earned the National Football League's Lombardi Trophy as the Super Bowl XLI champions last February in Miami. Now the team can add a prestigious Air Force award to its ever-expanding trophy case. Gen. William R. Looney III, commander of Air Education and Training Command, presented Colts team president Bill Polian and head coach Tony Dungy with the American Spirit Award at midfield prior to the kickoff against the Kansas City Chiefs at the RCA Dome Nov. 18 here. The American Spirit Award is the Air Force's highest form of recognition given to...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2007 – The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard each honored one of their own at a Pentagon ceremony today with an award named for actor-comedian Bob Hope. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. hosted the Spirit of Hope Awards ceremony. The award honors Hope’s values of duty, honor, courage, loyalty, commitment, integrity and selfless dedication, said Michael Kagin, the award’s originator. It recognizes individuals or organizations who have “selflessly contributed an extraordinary amount of time, talent or resources to significantly enhance the quality of life of servicemembers around the world,” he...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2007 – A local Boy Scouts of America organization recognized Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates for his lifelong devotion to scouting during an award ceremony here yesterday. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates thanks members of the Boy Scouts of America National Capital Area Council after receiving the organization’s Citizen of the Year award at their annual dinner in Washington, D.C., Nov. 15, 2007. Photo by Cherie A. Thurlby  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Gates received the “Citizen of the Year” award, bestowed annually by the National Capital Area Council. Since 1968, the council has recognized...

Gore's book, The Assault on Reason, won the prize in the history/current affairs/politics category. He won the same award last year for his book An Inconvenient Truth. His daughter Karenna Gore Schiff accepted the award on his behalf. She said he was unable to attend as he was in Europe meeting leaders to discuss ways to combat climate change. Gore was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change earlier in October this year.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2007 – Four airmen, a soldier and a member of the Coast Guard received the “Outstanding American by Choice” award from the chief of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services during a ceremony here yesterday. The recipients of the of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Outstanding American by Choice award stand with the office’s director, Dr. Emilio T. Gonzalez, center. From left to right Air Force Capt. Rasul Alsalih, Army Warrant Officer Abida Sultana Shoyeb, Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mitzie A. Robinson, Gonzalez, Air Force Maj. Manuel Dominguez, Air Force Capt. Van T. Thai...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7, 2007 – “The Volunteer State” is slated to receive the Defense Department’s top award next week for supporting Tennessee state employees who volunteer to serve in the National Guard and reserves. The state of Tennessee will be among 15 employers nationwide to receive the 2007 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award during a Sept. 12 ceremony here. The Freedom Award is the highest recognition the U.S. government gives to employers for outstanding support of their employees who serve in the National Guard and reserves. State employee and former Tennessee Army National Guard Sgt. Robert S....

SHILLONG, India (AFP) - Three thousand Indian tribal chiefs in one of the world's wettest regions have invited ex-US vice president Al Gore to pick up an award for creating awareness about climate change. The prize will be presented on October 6 near Shillong, capital of northeastern Meghalaya state, at a ceremony expected to be attended by 300,000 people, organisers said. Top Indian economists and green campaigners are also likely to be present. "We were greatly inspired after watching Gore's Academy Award-winning documentary, 'An Inconvenient Truth', and decided to honour him for his concern about the dangers of climate change,"...

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Five Japan-based sailors were selected recently for the 2007 Navy and Marine Association Leadership Award. Petty Officer 1st Class Kim Johnson, a hull technician stationed aboard the USS Blue Ridge; Petty Officer 1st Class Damiaen Williams, an instructor at Afloat Training Group Western Pacific; Senior Chief Petty Officer Willie Robinson from the Yokosuka-based cruiser USS Shiloh; and Lt. j.g. Kevin Bacon and Lt. Cmdr. Juan Gutierrez from the Sasebo-based amphibious assault ship USS Essex were among the award recipients. “Recipients were selected by their peers for exhibiting the highest levels of excellence in leadership,” according...

A man was found dead Wednesday inside a large electrical panel box beneath a windmill in unincorporated Alameda County. The man had not been identified by late Wednesday. An autopsy is pending. "We are not 100 percent sure of the circumstances of his death," said Alameda County Sheriff's Sgt. David McKaig. "Electrocution is a possibility." The body was discovered when the owner of the windmill went to check a power outage. Investigators think the man entered the box sometime Tuesday night but have not yet established the time of death. Investigators speculated the man may have been looking for copper...

WASHINGTON, June 29, 2007 – The Defense Department recognized a troop-support group and two of its key players at the Pentagon yesterday for their outstanding support of the nation’s servicemembers. John Gonsalves, left, founder of Homes for Our Troops, receives the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service from Gen. Robert Magnus, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, on June 28, 2007. Held in the Pentagon, the ceremony recognized Gonsalves’ service to servicemembers injured in the global war on terrorism. Photo by Samantha L. Quigley  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. John Gonsalves, founder of...

As the founder and sole member of the Sheldon Award Society, I am dedicated to identifying the worst college president of each academic year. So far the presidents or chancellors of Berkeley, Georgetown, DePaul, and countless other universities have copped the Sheldon. Somewhat mysteriously, none offered to resign. The award is a statuette that looks something like the Oscar, except the Oscar features a man with no face looking straight ahead, whereas the Sheldon shows a man with no spine looking the other way. The award is named for Sheldon "Water Buffalo" Hackney, the former president of the University of...

WASHINGTON, May 27, 2007 – Actor Gary Sinise received the G.I. Spirit Award yesterday during the first G.I. Film Festival, held over the Memorial Day weekend at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center here. Retired Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his wife Mary Jo Myers, presented Sinise with the award, which is meant to honor the entertainer who most embodies the spirit of the American G.I. and his work. Despite many other film and television roles, Sinise may still be best known as Lt. Dan, a turbulent, resilient...

BOGOTA, Colombia - Colombia will honor former President Clinton for his efforts to reverse the country's image for violence and drugs at a gala event next month in New York City. The June 8 event may become a political lightning rod for Democrats who are increasingly scrutinizing the human rights record of Washington's closest ally in Latin America. President Alvaro Uribe, whom event organizers say is expected to present Clinton with the "Colombia is Passion" award, has recently been the focus of some controversy. Last month, former Vice President Al Gore backed out of an environmental conference in Miami to...

A film about the lives of Iraqi and foreign fighters in northern Baghdad has won first prize at the Al Jazeera International Documentary festival in the Qatari capital Doha. -snip-Meeting Resistance focuses on eight fighters based in the northern Baghdad suburb of Adhamiya and details their personal and political reasons for their involvement in attacks on US forces. The fighters come from a range of backgrounds. Most are Iraqi, but one man is a Syrian who says he came to Iraq after an appeal from his local mosque to "join the jihad". The directors were given intimate access to the...

Please vote for the anti-Islamist and pro-America blog Little Green Footballs for best blog. They're down by about 2000 because the Kossacks launched a script to cheat. LGF was shoulders and head above for much of the voting. It's important to win at least this award. I also suggest that as long as you are there, you vote for other patriotic websites. Especially those with a good chance of winning. Also, FR is in the running for best community, although we probably don't have a chance of winning at this point. However, voting is still a good idea.

PHILADELPHIA - About three dozen people rallied outside Philadelphia's venerable Union League to protest the organization's decision to honor departing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Officials at the selective private club presented its Gold Medal to Rumsfeld at a black-tie affair on Friday night, but would not discuss the reason behind the award. Under mounting pressure about the course of the war in Iraq, Rumsfeld resigned Nov. 8, the day after voters gave Democrats control of the U.S. House and Senate. He remains in office pending confirmation of his replacement. "My family is traditional Republican, and they are sick about the...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2006 -- A brother-and-sister team that has raised more than $1 million to provide pre-paid calling cards for deployed servicemembers shared the spotlight in Baltimore Oct. 17 with fellow recipients of the 2006 National Caring Awards, sponsored by the Caring Institute. America Supports You members Brittany, Courtney and Robbie Bergquist display the 2006 National Caring Award they received at a Caring Institute gala in Baltimore, Oct. 17. The siblings provide pre-paid calling cards to deployed servicemembers through their “Cell Phones for Soldiers” program. Courtesy photo  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Brittany Bergquist, 15, and her...

BOSTON, Oct. 1, 2006 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff turned an honor to him into a tribute to the families of American servicemembers during the Patriot Dinner of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society here yesterday. The society presented Marine Gen. Peter Pace the Patriot Award. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society is made up of the men who have received the nation’s highest award for battlefield valor. They present the Patriot Award annually to “those persons, who through their life’s work, have distinguished themselves as Americans who are dedicated to freedom and the ideals represented”...

BOSTON Insert your own punch line: Hewlett-Packard Co., the technology company facing federal and state investigations for spying on board members and journalists, is co-sponsor of an award for "privacy innovation." Nominees are currently being accepted for the fourth annual HP/IAPP Privacy Innovation award, which Hewlett-Packard gives in conjunction with the Maine-based International Association of Privacy Professionals. According to the award's Web site, the prize was created to honor "strong and unique contributions to the privacy industry." "At present, there is not sufficient recognition for organizations that have embraced privacy as a competitive advantage, and as a business/governmental imperative," the...

The Alger Hiss award is a distinguished award given by the American Patriot Society, a high-falutin' name given for a buch of people, which may include you, who happen to believe America is a great country and it's sovereignty and integrity is worth defending (thus, Bill Maher is not a member). The Alger Hiss award, or the Hissie, is given to that individual or individuals who have done the most in the past year to provide aid and comfort to America's enemies, foreign or domestic. The award is named after the highest-ranking American traitor in our history since Benedict Arnold,...

by Mark Finkelstein September 4, 2006 - 09:11 Talk about your Dubious Distinction Awards. In his recently-released videotape, Adam Gadahn, né Pearlman, a nice boy from California turned Al-Qaeda spokesman, names Sy Hersh as a “sympathetic” personality, along with British MP George Galloway and Brit journalist Robert Fisk. As per the Counterrorism Blog, Gadahn "asks . . . Hersh to 'reveal more' than what was published in a New Yorker article on the war." The New Yorker article in question was one of a series Hersh has written, critical of the Bush adminstration's Iraq policy. In a speech last year...

WASHINGTON, Sep. 1, 2006 – Americans can help the nation’s servicemembers by helping Brittany and Robbie Bergquist and their organization, Cell Phones for Soldiers, win one of three $50,000 Volvo for Life Awards. Cell Phones for Soldiers recycles used cell phones, personal data assistants, iPods and ink printer cartridges, and uses the profits to buy prepaid calling cards for deployed servicemembers. The Bergquists have raised more than $1 million and have distributed more than 100,000 prepaid cards to date. “Winning the Volvo for Life Award would mean that more of our troops can be helped by our organization,” Brittany said...

RICHMOND, Va. - A senator who had singled out an Indian man at a campaign event and referred to him as "Macaca" declined a leadership award from a minority scholarship fund Thursday after donors protested his selection. Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund donors had threatened to withhold contributions if Sen. George Allen, a Republican seeking re-election this fall, received the fund's Community Leadership Award. "The foundation told the senator that they've been catching a lot of static from members and some of their donors, and before it spins into a week of controversy, we just decided to decline it," Allen spokesman...

RICHMOND, Va. Senator George Allen is declining an award from a minority scholarship fund after an outcry over his selection for the honor. The Republican seeking re-election decided to forgo the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund's Community Leadership Award he was to receive next week after being told donors to the fund threatened to withhold contributions if he received it. Allen said in a statement that he regrets that -- quote -- "there are those who would put their personal or political dislike for him ahead of the needs of deserving students." Allen's decision came almost three weeks after he singled...

The theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking is to receive the Royal Society's most prestigious prize for scientific achievement. The Copley medal is the oldest scientific award in the world and has been won by such luminaries as Charles Darwin, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein and Captain James Cook. The Cambridge don, most famous for his book A Brief History of Time, will be honoured in a ceremony on November 30 for his contribution to theoretical physics and theoretical cosmology. "This is a very distinguished medal," Professor Hawking said. "It was awarded to Darwin, Einstein and [Francis] Crick. I am honoured to be...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2006 – While competing for its share of the tourism market on the famed Las Vegas Strip, the MGM Mirage hotel and casino has earned something perhaps just as valuable: employee approval. The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Defense Department agency, has announced that the MGM Mirage is one of 15 recipients of the 2006 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The award publicly recognizes employers, nominated by employees serving in the National Guard and reserves, for exceptional support above the requirements of federal law. Several MGM Mirage employees nominated...

Iran awarded Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez its highest state medal on Sunday for supporting Tehran in its nuclear standoff with the international community, while Chavez urged the world to rise up and defeat the U.S., state-run media in both countries reported. The leftist Venezuelan leader also condemned Israel for what he called the "terrorism" and "madness" of its attacks in Lebanon, Venezuelan state television reported. "Let's save the human race, let's finish off the U.S. empire," Chavez said. "This (task) must be assumed with strength by the majority of the peoples of the world." Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad presented Chavez...

Garry Trudeau was inarguably the most famous person in the room Friday. But the man behind the long-running comic strip "Doonesbury" said he felt a little chagrined as he stood before about 400 Vietnam veterans and their spouses. "It's humbling to receive an award for storytelling in a room of people so filled with stories," the Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist said. Trudeau was in Tucson to accept the President's Award for Excellence in the Arts from the Vietnam Veterans of America at the group's national conference, held this week at the Hilton El Conquistador Hotel, 10000 N. Oracle Road.

In a father's experience, perfection Shorewood artist's work earns top award in national contest By MARY LOUISE SCHUMACHERmschumacher@journalsentinel.com Posted: June 23, 2006 Whether painting the wrinkled face of a farmer, the long shadows cast by a man shoveling snow or the inquisitive face of his young son, Shorewood artist David Lenz wants to tell the truth through images that are as close to reality as possible. David Lenz Courtesy of National Portrait Gallery"Sam and the Perfect World" depicts David Lenzs 9-year-old son and won the top prize in a National Portrait Gallery competition. Archived Coverage In January and February of...