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WASHINGTON, Nov. 10, 2009 – A U.S. commander in Baghdad today said all efforts are focused on helping Iraqi forces provide security for upcoming national elections in Iraq. Army Col. Gregory Lusk, commander of the North Carolina National Guard’s 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, joined a chorus of U.S. officials praising the Iraqi Parliament’s passage this week of key legislation that paves the way for balloting in January. “With the recent passing of the election law, Iraq has indeed reached an important milestone,” he said by satellite in a Pentagon news conference. “All of our efforts since our day of...

America, are you ready for Rush Limbaugh in an electric car? The conservative talk show host has agreed to take Jay Leno's "Green Car Challenge." In the segment airing next Thursday on NBC's "Jay Leno Show," Limbaugh will race an electric Ford Focus around a custom-built track beside Leno's studio, the show's representative confirmed. The "Green Car Challenge" segment makes its debut on the primetime show tomorrow night. Celebrities who participate drive two times around the twisty track, which takes a little less than a minute to complete. By the time Rush gets behind the wheel of the zero-emission vehicle,...

WASHINGTON -- Terrorists are aiming for hotels and other easier-to-hit targets as security measures at military and government facilities continue to improve, says a global intelligence company. Al Qaeda is changing from a centralized organization with global goals to regional "franchises" with more parochial aims and strong grass-roots support, according to a report Tuesday from STRATFOR. These smaller cells get less training and less money, so they set their sights lower. That doesn't mean they aren't dangerous, "particularly if they are attempting to prove their value or if they are able to link up with someone who is highly tactically...

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration, in a major shift on housing policy, is abandoning George W. Bush’s vision of creating an “ownership society’’ and instead plans to pump $4.25 billion of economic stimulus money into creating tens of thousands of federally subsidized rental units in American cities. The idea is to pay for the construction of low-rise rental apartment buildings and town houses, as well as the purchase of foreclosed homes that can be refurbished and rented to low- and moderate-income families at

President George W. Bush assistant Tim Goeglein interviewed by Dr. James Dobson, on Dobson's Focus on the Family radio broadcast. Three day broadcast. Goeglein present an articulate defense of President Bush as wartime president and pro-life president. Listen for the long list of pro-life accomplishments of Bush in the 2nd hour. I do not see a transcript yet. Radio Show site: http://listen.family.org/daily/A000002029.cfm Focus on the Family site: http://www.focusonthefamily.com/

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan, June 5, 2009 – The last time the 25th Naval Construction Regiment had a mission even remotely approaching the scope of its task in Afghanistan, was during its last deployment, preparing for the D-Day invasion in Normandy, France. Navy Seabees position a truss for the new "Noah's Ark" headquarters and operations center under construction at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Aaron Rooks  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. So 65 years later, Navy Capt. Jeff Borowy recognizes the symbolism as he borrows words from Army Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower to tell...

Children who can stay focused and don't sweat the small stuff have a better shot at good health in adulthood -- and this is especially true for girls, according to a new study.

WASHINGTON, May 4, 2009 – U.S. military strategic focus is shifting from Iraq to Afghanistan, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said at a news conference today. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen also said he is very concerned about Taliban advances in Pakistan, and that officials in Pakistan and the rest of the region must be patient and persistent. “We stand ready, and we have stood ready, to assist the Pakistanis in their fight against this common enemy of ours,” Mullen said. The chairman, who returned from a trip to the region last week, said the U.S. strategic focus...

QUANTICO, Va., April 14, 2009 – The United States should focus more resources on recognizing developing problems abroad and assisting foreign governments through nonmilitary means, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here yesterday. In an interview during a visit in which he spoke to a group of 30 students and faculty at the Marine Corps War College, Gates said identifying these early warning signs is the foundation of what he referred to as “Phase Zero” operations, or government intervention that aims to help stabilize deteriorating situations in other countries. “How do you identify a problem early and put in the...

Amid a blizzard of disheartening polls a month out from the general election, the John McCain-Sarah Palin Republican ticket got some great news this afternoon: A clear go-ahead signal to millions of evangelicals across the country from Dr. James Dobson, founder and chairman of FocDr James Dobson founder and chairman of Focus on the Family who radio program and newsletters reach millions of evangelicals approves a vote for the Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palinus on the Family, to vote for the GOP ticket. It couldn't have come at a better time given more polls showing a Democratic...

Please ping this if you miss #Views stats... (To admin ...does the view counter disappearance have any correlation to the drags and slow performance at times?)

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, July 25, 2008 – As the sun begins to set beyond the Baghdad horizon, the sound of laughter and conversation emanates from the corrugated steel sleeping trailers of Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division’s Company C, 3rd Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade. Army Sgt. David Brocato, crew chief, Company C, 3rd Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad, mans the gunner's seat of a Black Hawk helicopter before the start of a mission on Camp Taji, Iraq, July 20, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Sgt....

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The scene repeats itself daily on city streets: a driver gets stuck bumper to bumper, blocking an intersection and preventing another car from turning left. But authorities say that was enough to cause Edwin Ramos to unload an AK-47 assault weapon on a man and his two sons, killing them. The deaths immediately drew public outrage, which intensified when authorities revealed that Ramos, 21, is an illegal immigrant who managed to avoid deportation despite previous brushes with the law.

Hedge fund Focus collapses By James Mackintosh in London Published: March 5 2008 02:00 | Last updated: March 5 2008 02:00 Focus Capital, a $1bn New York hedge fund, has been forced to liquidate its entire portfolio after missing margin calls from banks, it told investors yesterday. The fund, which had produced strong returns by investing in Swiss mid-cap stocks since starting in 2005, is now expected to shut down after losing about 80 per cent of its value. The collapse is the latest to hit leveraged hedge funds, following the failure of Peloton Partners' $2bn ABS fund last week,...

At the University of Rhode Island, students placed 300-pound blocks of ice around their campus and let them melt to symbolize how global warming is affecting polar ice caps. At Missouri State University, students will pile 20 tons of coal on campus to show how much of this air-polluting fossil fuel is needed to power their school for an hour. At UCSD, young conservationists are preparing a performance-art show that will feature a faux polar bear in an 8-foot-tall “electric” chair. It's a creative riff on the theme of climate change harming the bears. The activities are part of the...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Before Bob Jansen can teach English to the adult immigrants in his lowest-level class, he has to show about a quarter of them how to hold a pencil. Adult education teachers like Jansen are finding themselves starting from scratch as uneducated immigrants and refugees from conflict regions of Africa and rural areas of Mexico and Central America flock to the United States. An estimated 400,000 legal and 350,000 illegal immigrants are unable to read or write even in their native language, according to a July 2007 report from the Migration Policy Institute, an independent Washington think...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States needs to shift from muscle-flexing to alliance-building when it seeks to wield power in the world if it wants to patch up its battered global image, said a report on Tuesday. "America's reputation, standing and influence are at all-time lows, and possibly sinking further," the report by a 20-member think-tank commissioned by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said, citing half a dozen opinion polls from around the world. "The terrorist attacks on 9/11 caused America to become a frightened and angry nation," it said. "We reacted in ways that alarmed people...

Exit this survey >> Renowned polling and political firm Luntz, Maslansky Strategic Research is moderating nationally televised focus group sessions about your opinion of the Presidential debates. In these focus groups, you will be watching the debates live and commenting on them on national television. We promise you a few hours of interesting conversation, AND the opportunity to be on national television. It couldn't be easier. We will also be providing food. Just fill out the application below and we will email you to let you know when the next focus group in your city will be. We encourage you...

HONOLULU, Sept. 16, 2007 – Members of Scott Harpley’s Ringgold High School graduation class in northern Georgia probably wouldn’t recognize the driven young sailor squeezed into seat 51F on an airplane yesterday headed here to his first duty assignment. U.S. Navy Fireman Apprentice Scott Harpley, age 22, heads to his first duty assignment in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where he will serve aboard the Navy submarine USS Pasadena, Sept. 15, 2007. Defense Dept. photo by Donna Miles   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. At age 22, U.S. Navy Fireman Apprentice Harpley is much more – and in some cases,...

VIENNA, Austria - It's the business end of climate change: ensuring that the $20 trillion the world will spend on energy over the next two decades is as environmentally friendly as possible. This week's latest round of talks on global warming, which get under way in Vienna on Monday, will focus on giving governments and private investors tips and incentives to keep a lid on greenhouse gas emissions. "We need to 'climate-proof' economic growth," Yvo de Boer, the U.N.'s top climate official, told reporters Sunday. More than 1,000 delegates were gathering in the Austrian capital for discussions on advising nations,...

WISE, Va. - Presidential candidates John Edwards and Barack Obama on Wednesday focused on the struggles of the nation's poor — from rural Appalachia to Washington's urban Anacostia — in competing speeches that underscored the fierce fight for the Democratic nomination. Edwards was wrapping up his eight-state poverty tour with stops in Virginia and Kentucky, the latter where Democratic icon Robert F. Kennedy spoke nearly 40 years ago in his plea to help the nation's forgotten. Unwilling to cede the issue to Edwards, Obama spoke at a recreation center in the nation's capital, and in a jab at his rival,...

U.S. Army Master Sgt. Brinda Kupiec of Lubbock, Texas, the host national escort noncommissioned officer in charge with the 657th Area Support Group, checks in local Iraqi laborers, May 3, 2007, as they report for work at Logistical Support Area Anaconda. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Alexandra Hemmerly-Brown Deployment Provides Direction, Focus for Anaconda Soldier By Sgt. Alexandra Hemmerly-Brown 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) LOGISTICAL SUPPORT AREA ANACONDA, Iraq, May 14, 2007 — Two years ago, a wife sat by her husband’s side, comforting him. The woman had quit her job a school teacher several years earlier to help her...

Dragon Fire West nets 22 suspects, 11 weapon caches in four days. Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq, May 11, 2007 — The addition of two brigades to Baghdad during the past several months has had a positive impact, according to the commanding general of Multi-National Division – Baghdad. "Many of the suspects are picked up during targeted operations, thanks to tips from the local populace."U.S. Army Maj. Kirk Luedeke “It makes a huge difference, not only for our forces but for the Iraqi forces, as well,� said Maj. Gen. Joseph F. Fil...

CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush returns to work Monday on the volatile issue of immigration, where his hope for a legislative breakthrough is complicated by cold relations with Congress. Bush will be back in Yuma, Ariz., to inspect the construction of border fencing and to push for the creation of a guest worker program and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. The trip serves as a bookend to the visit Bush made to the same southwest desert city last May. It also comes as tension rises over a new immigration proposal tied to the White House. Bush's team is...

"Everyone knows he’s conservative and has come out strongly for the things that the pro-family movement stands for,” Dobson – considered the most politically powerful evangelical figure in the U.S. – said in a phone call to Dan Gilgoff, senior editor at U.S. News & World Report. "[But] I don’t think he’s a Christian. At least that’s my impression.” Thompson’s spokesman Mark Corallo took issue with the statement. "Thompson is indeed a Christian,” he said. "He was baptized into the Church of Christ.”

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, March 14, 2007 – Give an Afghan a job hauling bags of cement, he works for a day. Give an Afghan a job that offers on-the-job-training, and he works for the rest of his life. That is the general idea behind a shift in focus in the Afghanistan First program, a policy that gives incentives to Afghan companies and contractors in Afghanistan that use local Afghan labor to fulfill work contracts. More than $1 billion in contracts went to Afghan companies in 2006. “It was a socioeconomic development program, a way to provide the population...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2007 – U.S. interests in the Middle East go well beyond Iraq, and to walk away from the commitments in Iraq would be damaging to U.S. credibility, a senior defense official said yesterday, speaking on background to reporters. “Our allies that we work with and our coalition partners that we work with are watching us very carefully,” he said. The deployments of the USS Stennis Carrier Strike Group and the 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Regiment, which the Defense Department announced yesterday, are focused on this broader, region-based strategy, a senior military official, also speaking on...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2006 -- Defense secretary nominee Robert M. Gates told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing today that if he’s confirmed to the top Pentagon post, his highest calling will be to ensure success in Iraq and look out for the men and women in uniform. Robert M. Gates, defense secretary nominee, responds to questions during a Senate Armed Services Commitee hearing regarding his confirmation, Dec. 5. Photo by Cherie A. Thurlby  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Gates told committee members during his opening statement that he’s “under no illusion why...

TOKYO - Japan is ready for North Korea to carry out its threatened nuclear test as soon as this weekend, officials said yesterday. Japanese Vice-Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi, on a visit to Washington, said Pyongyang's resolve to test its first atom bomb should not be underestimated. "We discussed the possibility that the test would occur this weekend," Mr Yachi said after talks with US Deputy National Security Adviser Jack Crouch. North Korea issued a statement on Tuesday saying it would test a nuclear bomb, dramatically raising the stakes in its standoff with the US on its quest for atomic weapons....

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2006 – Iraqi and coalition forces captured a key al Qaeda operative and some 70 more terror suspects in Iraq during a series of 25 raids in and around Baghdad Sept. 12, a senior Multinational Force Iraq spokesman told reporters in Baghdad today. The raids netted a personal associate of Abu Ayyoub al-Masri, Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said. Masri took control of al Qaeda in Iraq after a U.S.-led air strike killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in early June. While not revealing the detainee’s name, Caldwell called him “the leader of assassination, kidnapping and IED (improvised explosive...

LOS ANGELES – Immigrants Without Borders is an Arizona-based assistance organization. It doesn't have the multimillion-dollar funding of national Latino organizations, nor does it have their fame. But this regional group has something the others don't: the ability to mobilize immigrants, to organize marches like the ones seen in the past few months and a long list of community contacts. Bringing these two sides together and the development of a long-term social and economic strategy for Latinos are among the goals of the National Latino Congress. Some 1,300 leaders and activists from across the nation are attending the event, which...

I am proudly endorsing Tom Gallagher for Governor of Florida. In a day when moral standards are up for grabs, Tom will be a champion for the family. He will work to provide genuine school choice for every Florida child, and he understands that the courts must be reigned in. Dr. James Dobson National Conservative Leader

What with the Washington State Supreme Court handing down its anti-gay-marriage decision several weeks ago and the ever-hearing more about attacks on reproductive rights down south, I’m feeling that the States is tripping a bit too merrily down the Handmaid’s path. This week, I found a way to strike back. Focus on the Family, the horrid anti-gay evangelical church based in Colorado Springs that wields too much power for anyone’s good, has a store on their website that will give you books, CDs, and DVDs absolutely free of charge. Usually people pay for their items by donation, raising millions of...

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Thomas Fisher, commander of the 1-68 Combined Arms Battalion, speaks with local sheiks and leaders during a groundbreaking ceremony June 15, 2006, held for three new construction projects in the region. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Michael Pfaff Coalition-Iraqi Construction Plan Focuses on Water, Roads U.S. soldiers lived on the outskirts of the village and, while living in the area among the people, were able to build a relationship with the community. By U.S. Army Spc. Michael Pfaff BAQUBAH, Iraq, June 29, 2006 -- A groundbreaking ceremony was held June 15 to mark the beginning...

WASHINGTON - House Republicans intend to hold votes this summer and fall touching on abortion, guns, religion and other priority issues for social conservatives, part of an attempt to improve the party's prospects in the midterm elections. The "American Values Agenda" also includes a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage — which already has failed in the Senate — a prohibition on human cloning and possibly votes on several popular tax cuts. "Radical courts have attempted to gut our religious freedom and redefine the value system on which America was built. We hope to restore some of those basic...

6/23/2006 - SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) -- It was around 10 p.m. on June 25, 1996, when Staff Sgt. Alfredo Guerrero went to check the security post on the rooftop of an eight-story Khobar Towers apartment building at Dhahran Air Base, Saudi Arabia. He asked the sentry on watch if everything was OK. Below them, residents in the rooms were settling in for the night. Most were with the 4404th Wing -- protectors of the "no fly zone" in Southern Iraq in support of Operation Southern Watch. Some Airmen were writing letters or calling home. Some were playing cards or shooting...

In May, an otherwise dismal month for Detroit, Ford Motor Co. (F ) sold more than 20,000 Focus subcompacts, the fuel sipper's best showing in nine months. That's great news, right? Not really. Ford lost an estimated $4,000 to $5,000 on each Focus it sold. What irony. Just when the subcompact market is heating up, Ford can't make money on a car acclaimed for its taut handling and decent 26/32-mpg fuel economy. The auto maker's Focus problem (pun intended) is an object lesson in how Ford continues to be hamstrung by high labor costs and tired product design. By choosing...

Even as Latinos in recent weeks have pushed for immigration reform on the streets and over the airwaves, another goal has emerged among a broader immigrant community: Translating street activism into political participation. Latino and Asian civic groups last week reignited voter-registration drives by calling upon the thousands who participated in protests to take their enthusiasm to the ballot box in November. But experts said that if history serves as any guide, short-term gains are likely to be few, while long-term gains will be significant. ‘‘If the next step and what we are seeing in the streets moves toward citizenship,...

WASHINGTON, May 3, 2006 – Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Fukushiro Nukaga, Japan's minister of state for defense, met at the Pentagon today to continue discussions about realigning U.S. forces in Japan, including moving 8,000 Marines from Okinawa. Today's session followed the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee meeting session May 1 at the State Department. At that meeting, informally known as the "two-plus-two" session, Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Nukaga and Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Taro Aso to discuss the two countries' alliance and ongoing efforts to update it for the 21st century. During a press...

WASHINGTON, April 14, 2006 – The international community must focus on the actions of the Iranian regime and not just on the rhetoric of its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday. "We have to focus not just on what he's saying," Rice told Sean Hannity, host of a nationally syndicated radio program that bears his name. "We have to focus on the behavior of the Iranian regime, and thus far, every time the international community has said, 'Iran, you must do this,' Iran has done just the opposite." Iran claimed earlier this week that it has...

WASHINGTON, March 16, 2006 – The U.S. government has announced plans to remove its forces from Naval Air Station Keflavik, in Iceland, this fall, but reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to the island nation's security. U.S. Ambassador Carol van Voorst and U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns notified Icelandic Prime Minister Halldor Asgrimsson and Foreign Minister Geir H. Haarde of the decision yesterday, Terry Davidson, a State Department spokesman, confirmed. The State Department officials assured the Icelandic leaders the United States will continue to honor its agreement to provide Iceland's defense under the auspices of NATO and will work with the...

SAN DIEGO ---- When it comes down to dividing the spoils of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed $68 billion infrastructure bond, Sacramento likely will do that by formula rather than on the basis of a long list of specific projects, a San Diego County legislator said Friday. "There will be major resistance to trying to earmark," said Sen. Denise Ducheny, D-San Diego. "We're trying to set up a process that's fair and a formula that's fair, not a line item." Ducheny made the comments at a late Friday afternoon gathering of San Diego County's delegation of state lawmakers and elected local...

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military should be called out to protect the U.S. border against military-style incursions from Mexico, the head of the Border Patrol union told a congressional homeland security committee Tuesday. TJ Bonner, president of the National Border Council that represents 10,500 agents, recommended active or reserve U.S. military units be stationed "on stand" at strategic locations along the border. "If the Mexican military is coming into the United States, our law enforcement agents do not have the training to deal with that," Bonner told the House Homeland Security subcommittee on Investigations. The proposal was one of several...

MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (Jan. 31, 2006) -- Iraq's security forces must be prepared to handle any situation as Iraq grows more independent. That's why a select group of Marines are chosen to train and mentor Iraqi Security Forces as Iraq moves forward. 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment’s Military Transition Team practiced its marksmanship skills at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms as part of their pre-deployment training to assist the Iraqi Security Forces. “Living with, training, and mentoring the Iraqi military is our mission,” said Maj. William F. Wahle, MTT...

Time and again over the past decade, the political instincts of California's Republican Party leaders have been far off the mark. Their embrace of marginally attractive candidates to run against Barbara Boxer in the 1998 Senate race and Gray Davis in the 1998 and 2002 governor's races resulted in huge lost opportunities. The only reason we have a GOP governor now is because of the quirks of the recall system; in a normal election, Arnold Schwarzenegger probably would have been weeded out in the Republican primary by an establishment conservative following the script that lackluster Bill Simon used to wallop...

Hurt by Falling Sales of SUVs, Ford Will Face Plant Closings and Thousands of Job Losses DETROIT (AP) -- Ford Motor Co., hurt by falling sales of sport utility vehicles, is expected to close plants and cut thousands of jobs in North America as part of a restructuring program to be announced Monday. ADVERTISEMENT Ford has refused to release details of the plan, dubbed the "Way Forward," which also is expected to include product changes and cuts to Ford's salaried ranks. Ford has about 87,000 hourly workers and 35,000 salaried workers in North America. "It's going to be painful for...

SACRAMENTO - After a year of sounding like former Republican Gov. Ronald Reagan and calling for new powers to cut spending, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has shifted gears. He's begun to sound a bit more like another former California governor, Democrat Pat Brown, who presided over an era when the state built freeways, water projects and universities. "I want to create an infrastructure — a huge infrastructure — that reduces the gridlock of our roads, builds the facilities that our cities and counties need, speeds up the movement of goods ... and delivers more energy and water and all the resources...

PASADENA – In the land of perennial youth and movie star beauty, most centenarians just can't compete. That's why the Rose Parade is getting a major makeover – for the first time in 117 years. With CBS having quietly decided after 45 years to drop its coverage, parade organizers, hoping to keep TV viewers and the remaining broadcasting outlets happy, have ratcheted up the rolling flowerfest's entertainment quotient. So, the annual Tournament of Roses on Monday – a day later than usual because of a "never on Sunday" policy – will kick off with a splashy performance by Grammy-winning singer...

Top officials at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services acknowledged in internal e-mails that some of their employees are able to decide visa applications without being able to do full background checks, even in important national security cases. SNIP But the e-mails show turf battles within that agency and with other agencies in the Department of Homeland Security are hindering the department's national security mission. In one situation, the acting deputy director purportedly ordered one investigative branch not to provide information to a top-level team deciding the toughest cases because of turf conflicts with another branch. Meanwhile, other adjudicators do not...

BLURRY snaps could be a thing of the past with the development of a digital camera that refocuses photos after they have been taken. The camera could be useful for action shots taken by sports photographers or for CCTV surveillance cameras, which often produce fuzzy shots due to poor lighting. In an ordinary digital camera, a sensor behind the lens records the light level that hits each pixel on its surface. If the light rays reaching the sensor are not in focus, the image will appear blurry. Now, Pat Hanrahan and his team at Stanford University have figured out how...