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By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. Hebrews 11:7 I return to Noah because he's such an intriguing man of God. I was thinking about him today and it dawned on me: Noah was stubborn. That's it. Yes, he had faith. No one denies that. But he had grit and spunk that few ever had. He preached righteousness for 120 years. How many converts? Today, the church growth experts would...

THIS plucky pensioner led police on a low-speed chase around Middlesbrough [UK] - and then gave officers the slip. The lukewarm pursuit started after he caused traffic chaos by crawling down the fast lane of a busy dual carriageway.Police asked the stubborn senior citizen to pull over. But he defiantly cranked his battery-powered mobility scooter up to its top speed - 8mph - and somehow managed to escape their attention. Engineer, Ian Hardy, from Darlington said he couldn’t believe his eyes as he watched the chase unfold on the A1032 Newport Bridge Approach Road on Monday afternoon. “It was just...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: President and Mrs. Bush spent the weekend in Washington where they attended the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner last night. The Washington Post described the President's appearance this way: The evening took a turn toward the somber when the President took the stage. After a videotaped message from David Letterman ("Top 10 George W. Bush Moments"), he said, "In light of this week's tragedy at Virginia Tech I've decided not to be funny." And with that he handed the lectern over to Rich Little. "I'm not here to make any political points," the veteran...

WASHINGTON - While President Bush acknowledges the need for major changes in Iraq, he will not use this week's Iraq Study Group report as political cover for bringing troops home, his national security adviser said Sunday. "We have not failed in Iraq," Stephen Hadley said as he made the talk show rounds. "We will fail in Iraq if we pull out our troops before we're in a position to help the Iraqis succeed." But he added: "The president understands that we need to have a way forward in Iraq that is more successful." The White House readied for an important...

Church of the Nativity needs a miracle By Tim Butcher in Bethlehem (Filed: 10/12/2005) If pilgrims worshipping in the Church of the Nativity look up at the roof, they will see a battlefield threatening the future of one of Christendom's most holy sites. Squabbling over crucial roof repairs between the three Christian communities who share custodianship of Jesus's birthplace is endangering the 1,500-year-old basilica. A Greek Orthodox priest in the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem Large holes in the 500-year-old lead roof have let rainwater flood inside for years. It streams down the walls and threatens to wash away Crusader-era...

<p>He said so himself in March, when he vowed to continue pressing for changes to Social Security despite the qualms of Congress and the public. "I'm going to be stubborn on this issue," he said in Iowa.</p> <p>He demonstrated his persistence again Wednesday, when he gave another speech promoting changes he wants to make in Social Security. "My strategy is pretty simple: Explain the problem to the American people, and keep explaining it and explaining it," he told the Association of Builders and Contractors.</p>

I have signed up here several times and posted informative articles and given witty commentary only to return and sign on later and find nothing but a purple screen with the words "account banned or suspended." Just what the hell is that? What is the problem with you people? I'm not treated like that anywhere else on the internet! You've got some 'splainin to do. Learn some freakin manners, ok!

WASHINGTON - House Democrats have decided to quit emphasizing that they will not negotiate changes to Social Security until President Bush drops his idea for private accounts. The switch in strategy comes after Democrats learned from focus groups that people frown on the lawmakers for being obstinate. "People feel like it doesn't show a good-faith effort," said a top House aide, who like several others spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the internal data. "It makes us seem like we're 'typical politicians."' The shift in tactics comes with Democrats and Republicans unsure what will happen...