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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - An off-duty narcotics detective shot Wednesday morning during a traffic stop on the Westside is out of surgery and expected to survive, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office announced just before noon. The undercover officer's name will not be released, but he was described as a veteran of JSO, where he worked since 2008. Chief Tom Hackney said the detective was shot at least three times -- once in the head, once in the upper body and once in the hand.

WASHINGTON — Hailed as “a tested warrior and an innovative strategist,” Gen. Robert Neller accepted command of the U.S. Marine Corps on Thursday morning during a traditional ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington. Neller — who was pinned with a fourth star Thursday — became the Corps’ 37th commandant, taking over for Gen. Joseph Dunford, who held the post for less than a year. Dunford will become the 19th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday during a ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va., replacing retiring Army Gen. Martin Dempsey.

THE IDEA OF A POPE IS BASED ON A FALSE INTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE, THAT JESUS WANTED TO BUILD HIS CHURCH ON PETER, INSTEAD OF HIMSELF. WHY WOULD JESUS BUILD HIS CHURCH ON A SINFUL MAN?

More than three-fourths of the honey sold in U.S. grocery stores isn't exactly what the bees produce, according to testing done exclusively for Food Safety News. The results show that the pollen frequently has been filtered out of products labeled "honey." The removal of these microscopic particles from deep within a flower would make the nectar flunk the quality standards set by most of the world's food safety agencies.

After waiting in the TSA line in the airport, going through the detector, getting wanded and patted down, I figured out a way to speed things up considerably. The TSA man said it would have been much quicker if they had been informed that I had a hip replacement, but I told him the prosthetic card my surgeon had given me didn't seem to provide any help when I used it before. The TSA website,(http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds), states, "All disability-related equipment, aids, and devices continue to be allowed through security checkpoints once cleared through screening. Additionally, we are continuing to permit prescription...

Monday Night football is using CGI to put pink on uniforms. Why?

If you're going to ask Brian Stann about how tough it is to be a mixed martial artist in one of the world's top fighting promotions, World Extreme Cagefighting, you should first consider asking him how difficult times were when he was trudging through the 100-plus-degree heat of embattled Iraq for months -- twice. ..... Stann, a former captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, Iraqi War veteran and Silver Star recipient is now on a new mission, but one, he claims, doesn't veer too far off his previous path. Now the WEC light heavyweight champion, Stann sets out on his...

A great video that you wouldn't expect.

USMC birthday on November 10. Marine Corps Birthday: (excerpt from Warrior Culture of the U.S. Marines, copyright 2001 Marion F. Sturkey) All U.S. Marines are gung-ho. But, few can match the vision and total commitment of the famous 13th Commandant, Gen. John A. Lejeune. In 1921 he issued Marine Corps Order No. 47, Series 1921. Gen. Lejeune's order summarized the history, mission, and tradition of the Corps. It further directed that the order be read to all Marines on 10 November of each year to honor the founding of the Marine Corps. Thereafter, 10 November became a unique day for...

From The Morning Call Some say the truth is stranger than fiction. They obviously have never heard about St. Urho, (pronounced oorlho) the patron ''saint'' of Finland. Not to be outdone by St. Patrick's Day celebrations on March 17, St. Urho's Day is celebrated the day before, giving participants an additional 24 hours to pursue the fun. While cynics may claim the holiday is bogus, most folks good-naturedly join in the festivities. Although St. Urho's Day originated in Minnesota, every state in the union recognizes St. Urho's Day. As with most legends, the origins of St. Urho's Day are unclear,...

Just a spotrep, I'm sure Chieftain will post the afteraction. I was the forward observer inside the Duval Democrat Del love fest. Points: ..They said they had invited the Freepers inside. ..The communications director asked if I had a picture on my tshirt (she saw me showing the freepers on the street). I said yes, she asked what it was. I said "our Commander in Chief". She said, "Who's that?". I said, "Our Commander in Chief". ..DS said (again) that Oneill was called "John Wayne Oneill" because he had shot up another swift boat. Also that he was a liar....

"Every time we get to kill somebody, he is no longer shooting at the Marines," said Sgt. Dennis Elchlinger, 31, of Encampment, Wyo., who is one of only 500 scout-snipers in the Marine Corps. "They don't wear a uniform," Elchlinger said. "It's hard to tell the nationality of someone with a towel on his face." "We didn't come for full-scale warfare. We brought soccer balls and Frisbees, wanted to make friends with these people. Once you drop a couple guys - call it information ops or psych ops - you get the message to the whole area." Reyes, is 23,...

MARINE QUOTES Gunnery Sgt. Mark Woodward was surprised Thursday to hear that a cease-fire had been in place since Monday. "Oh, that's what that was called?" Senior US officers here say their opponents amount to a "hard core" of a couple hundred foreign and more Iraqi fighters, "fairly significantly depleted" by recent fighting. General Conway told journalists at this base seven miles east of the city. "I'm confident that if we have to fight, it won't last long." Conway says, though insurgents are still able deliver a large punch. "It will be costly [to enter the city], but the marines...

The commanding officer of the three-ship Tarawa amphibious ready group, which is returning to San Diego after service in the Persian Gulf, was relieved of command over the weekend pending an investigation. Capt. Allan Wall, commander of Amphibious Squadron 5, is accused of routinely using inappropriate and offensive language that caused morale problems within the command, Navy officials said yesterday. The squadron includes the amphibious ships Tarawa, Anchorage and Duluth. The vessels are carrying the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at Camp Pendleton. Wall's command included 1,750 sailors and 2,100 Marines. Wall, 51, was relieved Sunday in Hong Kong on ...