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2 hikers missing found in mountains ROARING GAP (AP) — Two hikers from Miami survived three nights in the rugged mountains of North Carolina on hard candy and creek water before finding the Blue Ridge Parkway on Monday and waving down a maintenance truck. The hikers found the parkway about 9:15 a.m., said Charlie Peek of the state Division of Parks and Recreation. "It's extremely rugged territory, particularly off trail," Peek said. Search teams spent part of the weekend combing parts of the more than 13,000-acre park in Wilkes and Alleghany counties for Craig Patterson, 44, and Julia Martinez, 35,...

A view from a web cam in the Smokies. AWESOME. Purchase Knob

What happens if the two storms collide? I am not sure there is a chance of that but what would happen if they did?

Tyranny of the Left By Christopher G. Adamo America's Constitutional foundations and its rule of law are hemorrhaging. They are hemorrhaging in Massachusetts, where an activist Supreme Court suddenly invented, out of thin air, an inherent "right" to same sex "marriage." They are hemorrhaging in San Francisco, where newly elected Mayor Gavin Newscomb issued an edict whereby "marriage" licenses would henceforth be granted to homosexual couples, despite his having absolutely no authority to do so. They are hemorrhaging in Texas, where Democrats in the state legislature have engaged in an illegal effort to prevent the implementation of a redistricting plan...

<p>Statement of John Kerry campaign spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter concerning three political donors the Massachusetts senator nominated to federal banking boards.</p> <p>"Sen. Kerry recommends dozens of very qualified individuals each year without regard to their politics or contributions. In this case each of the individuals were highly qualified for the jobs they were appointed to and served with distinction.</p>

WASHINGTON (AP) - The nation's schools are telling an unbalanced story of their own country, offering students plenty about America's failings but not enough about its values and freedoms, says a report drawing support across the ideological spectrum. Without a change of approach, schools will continue to turn out large numbers of students who are disengaged in society and unappreciative of democracy, the report contends. Produced by the nonpartisan Albert Shanker Institute, "Education for Democracy" is the latest effort to try to strengthen the nation's underwhelming grasp of civics and history. Authors hope it will lead to curriculum changes and,...

It’s “Back To School” time again, and here’s the first pop quiz. No, it’s not for the kids. It’s for parents, and they have to answer only one question: Do you know what your children are learning in sex-education classes? If you’re like most parents, the answer is no. But if the program is billed as “abstinence-based,” you probably don’t feel particularly concerned. The important thing, as far as you’re concerned, is that your kids are being taught to say “no” to sex. But are they? The fact is, nearly all of the government-funded abstinence-based or “abstinence-plus” programs delivered in...

Christian Churches Should Stop Using the Cross, Group Says By Jeff Johnson CNSNews.com Congressional Bureau Chief August 22, 2003 Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - An interfaith group founded by Unification Church leader Sun Myung Moon is spearheading an effort to have Christian ministers remove crosses from their churches, calling them a symbol of oppression and perceived superiority. Mainstream Christian leaders call the request "outrageously bigoted." The American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC), an organization that began as a project of Moon's Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), believes the key to "true and lasting peace in the Middle East" is...

Reckless Administration May Reap Disastrous Consequences by US Senator Robert Byrd Senate Floor Speech - Wednesday, February 12, 2003 To contemplate war is to think about the most horrible of human experiences. On this February day, as this nation stands at the brink of battle, every American on some level must be contemplating the horrors of war. Yet, this Chamber is, for the most part, silent -- ominously, dreadfully silent. There is no debate, no discussion, no attempt to lay out for the nation the pros and cons of this particular war. There is nothing. We stand passively mute in...