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PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NNS) -- Honolulu's namesake ship is preparing to say farewell to its island home after two decades of service. USS Honolulu (SSN 718), which is scheduled to inactivate next year, will hold a farewell ceremony April 15 prior to departing Hawaii on her final deployment to the Western Pacific. "This is an exciting and challenging time for us," said Cmdr. John Russ, the nuclear-powered attack submarine's commanding officer. "We're preparing to leave our homeport for the last time, and at the same time we're going through the normal challenges associated with getting the ship ready to deploy."...

Paper: White House Knew About Levees Early By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer 41 minutes ago WASHINGTON - Twenty-eight government agencies, from local Louisiana parishes to the White House, reported that New Orleans levees were breached Aug. 29, the day Hurricane Katrina roared ashore, documents released Thursday show. A timeline of e-mails, situation updates and weather reports, pieced together by Senate Democrats, indicates the Bush administration knew as early as 8:30 a.m. EST about levee failures that would ultimately lead to massive flooding of the city and its surrounding parishes. Senate Democrats said the documents raise questions about whether...

BRUCK, Germany (Army News Service, Feb. 6, 2006) -- Soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division and the 101st Military Intelligence Battalion braved cold, icy conditions to earn the Schutzenschnur German marksmanship in Bruck, Germany Feb. 1. Since the Headquarters and Headquarters Company of 1st ID is scheduled to move to Fort Riley, Kansas, in the near future, this may be the last opportunity for many of the Soldiers to earn the award, said Staff Sgt. Larry Gormley, 1st ID noncommissioned officer in charge of civil military operations The Schutzenschnur medal is awarded for qualifying on two German weapons -- usually...

EU hosts last-ditch talks on Iran Western powers suspect Iran's nuclear ambitions are not peaceful The EU is set to hold last-minute talks with Iran - at Tehran's request - to try to resolve a stand-off over Iran's controversial nuclear programme. Iran requested the meeting with envoys from Britain, France and Germany. Foreign ministers from the EU-3 will also discuss the issue at separate talks in London with their counterparts from the US, Russia and China. On Thursday, the UN nuclear watchdog is due to hold urgent talks and could refer Iran to the UN Security Council. The EU and...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2006 – The number of U.S. troops serving in Iraq has decreased to around 138,000, which was the level deployed there last summer, a Defense Department military spokesman said here today. "We have come back down to the troop level that we were at back in the summer of '05," said Army Lt. Col. Barry Venable. U.S. troop levels in Iraq were temporarily boosted last year from around 138,000 to about 160,000 troops to provide extra security for the Oct. 15 constitutional referendum and the Dec. 15 nationwide elections. Those extra troops "have cycled out and we're...

MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (Jan. 6, 2006) -- Sixteen members of Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team 91109 deployed to New Orleans to assist in provide assistance and security in recovery missions from Sept. 6 to Sept. 21 While very few depot Marines see opportunities to deploy, Coast Guard security teams were called upon to assist in searches for survivors of the hurricane. This past year, the 175 mile-per-hour winds of Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. A storm surge broke through the levee system that protected the city from Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River, resulting in...

A group of Marines who have just finished two tours of duty in Iraq have one last mission to complete before going home for the holidays. The Marines are being asked to help deliver holiday cheer to a tribe of American Indians living in a remote location.

My quest for the Last Flu Jab in Britain (Filed: 27/11/2005) Are the so-called worried well really to blame for the sudden shortage of vaccine? The very idea brings hypochondriac John O'Connell out in blotches It took 20 minutes of frantic phoning around before I heard the magic word: "yes". I slammed down the receiver, raced out of the office and jumped into a taxi. "Medicentre on Oxford Street," I said, trying to sound casual. The cabbie's eyes met mine via the mirror. "Flu jab, is it?" he asked. "You'll be lucky." Only in my head am I "at risk"...

SILVERDALE, Wash. (NNS) -- Distinguished visitors and the crew of USS Alabama (SSBN 731) came together to witness the decommissioning of the C4 Trident I Weapons System at the Explosive Handling Wharf on Naval Base Kitsap in late October. The crew of Alabama had just completed offloading the final 24 rounds of Trident I C4 missiles to go to sea, the last ever. "Your outstanding work during the last two weeks of offload, and the four weeks of preparation preceding it, exemplifies your contribution to the deterrence of war," said Cmdr. Mel Lee, commanding officer, USS Alabama (Gold). "This is...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2005 – It's little surprise that October turned out to be one of the most violent months in Iraq, as insurgents stepped up their attacks in an unsuccessful attempt to disrupt the Oct. 15 referendum, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told Pentagon reporters today. "It's understandable that the two months that have had the highest casualties were last January and this October," Marine Gen. Peter Pace said. Both were election months during which more U.S. and coalition forces were on the ground in Iraq to help maintain security, he pointed out. "And as we...

SYDNEY, Australia - The last Australian veteran to see action in World War I has died at age 106, government officials said Tuesday. William Evan Allan enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy when he was just 14 at the outbreak of the war, serving as seaman on HMAS Encounter from 1915 until 1918. "With his passing, we have lost an entire generation who left Australia to defend our nation," Veterans Affairs Minister Deanne Kelly said in a statement. "Mr. Allan was just a boy when he went to war, much younger than most. His sacrifice is remembered and we honor...

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFPN) -- Since its first flight Dec. 17, 1963, the C-141 Starlifter has enjoyed a prestigious history. The last chapter of that history will be written in October when the Air Force's last C-141 unit, the 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, starts replacing its Starlifters with the C-5 Galaxy. Over the years, C-141s have carried cargo, passengers and patients around the globe. Air Force reservists flew many of those missions, first in an associate-unit capacity, and later in a unit-equipped role. In 1987, the 459th Military Airlift Wing at Andrews AFB,...

NEW ORLEANS - The last 300 refugees in the Superdome climbed aboard buses Saturday bound for new temporary shelter, leaving behind a darkened and stinking arena strewn with trash. The sight of the last person — an elderly man wearing a Houston Rockets cap — prompted cheers from members of the Texas National Guard who were guarding the facility. "I feel like I've been here 40 years," said Louis Dalmas Sr., one of the last people out of the arena. "Any bus going anywhere — that's all I want." Inside and outside the Superdome — including the concourse around it...

PRESIDENTS Bush, Clinton and Carter would support it. Cherie Booth is proof of it. The first born achieves the most success in life.

had thought we might be done with Howie, for awhile. Alas. No such luck…unfortunately. Unless someone can discover some new and unique way to stop him from talking, we are all doomed to his incessant rantings and ravings. But, Howie loves to hear himself speak. This is evident each time he opens his mouth and his words vomit forth. As do his MoveOn.org audiences, Dean laughs after he spits out each and every new invective against those who refuse to follow his proscriptive progressive pronouncements. Each time this man speaks his speech becomes more sinister. Thursday, as he spoke to...

Wow, did you hear the latest on the runaway bride? Turns out she was going to New Mexico to visit an ex boyfriend to get some action before her wedding. Todd Kendrick, a CPA, said, “she liked sex,” and added, “It wasn't serious. It was what it was,” referring to their brief, but steamy, relationship. Kendrick never did hook up with Jennifer this time, but stated that “we broke up when she started freakin’ out on me, I mean who wants to have sex in a hot tub filled with Cheetos®?” Sources report that Kendrick said Wilbanks had a healthy...

Friday November 7, 2003 Dear Yahoo!: What church is the Reverend Al Sharpton associated with?Thomas Cincinnati, Ohio Dear Thomas: Alfred Sharpton, Jr., is a minister of the Pentecostal Church with no fixed parish. The Pentecostal Church is an evangelical Protestant movement that emphasizes glossolalia, or speaking in tongues. It was founded in 1901 and has approximately 10 million members in the United States. Pentecostal sermons are noted for their fervor. Sharpton started on his path to religious piety at a young age. An active member of the church since the tender age of 4, the Brooklyn native was dubbed a...

From C-Span.org - IN WASHINGTON Dean To Be DNC Chairman The final day of the DNC Winter Meeting takes place Saturday, first with remarks by outgoing chairman Terry McAuliffe, followed by the vote for the new chairman, expected to be former Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean. Afterwards, McAuliffe formally transfers the chairman's gavel to Dean.

Zhao Ziyang, former Secretary-General of mainland China’s Communist Party, died at a Beijing hospital last Monday. Good riddance to another communist? In this case, no. Not all tigers are incapable of changing their stripes. During his tenure in China’s one and only political party, Zhao took steps that truly can be called “reforms.” Zhao's greatest moment occurred during the pro-democracy rebellion of 1989, which was centered in and around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. He opposed the use of China’s vast military might against the peaceful protestors gathered in the square. On May 19, 1989, Zhao personally pleaded with the protestors, mostly...

Right on CampusThroughout 2003 and into 2004, a surge of protests roiled American campuses. You probably think the kids were agitating against war in Iraq, right? Well, no. Students at UCLA, Michigan and many other schools were sponsoring bake sales to protest . . . affirmative action. For white students and faculty, a cookie cost (depending on the school) $1; blacks and Hispanics could buy one for a lot less. The principle, the protesters observed, was just that governing university admission practices: rewarding people differently based on race. Indignant school officials charged the bake-sale organizers with "creating a hostile climate" for minority students,...