Posted on 12/24/2004 8:51:48 AM PST by Mo1
Well, you're a little late to the party, aren't you?
What, when everybody else is in bed? Or were you hoping for an invite? 
CARTER TO VIEW PALESTINE VOTING!
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who won a Nobel peace prize partly for his Middle East peace efforts, arrived in Israel on Thursday (January 6) on an observer mission to monitor the Palestinian presidential elections Sunday (January 9).
Carter, who helped broker the 1979 Camp David accord between Egypt and Israel, said his Carter Center had been invited by Palestinian leaders to monitor the January 9 poll. Carter won the Nobel Peace prize in 2002 for his efforts to mediate conflict in several parts of the world, including his work on the Camp David accords. Carter told Reuters last month he was hopeful about the elections to replace the late President Yasser Arafat.
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom greeted Carter at Israel's Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv. Later on Thursday evening Carter met with Israeli Prime Minster Ariel Sharon. "We think that the arrival of President (Jimmy) Carter will contribute to the possibility to have an open, fair, and equal elections in the Palestinian Authority. We would like to do everything we can in order to help the Palestinians to have their elections," Shalom said.
Carter said he hoped a Palestinian leader would emerge who had the confidence of his people, who would not be seen as a puppet of the Israelis or the Americans and who would speak out strongly against violence as a way to achieve Palestinian goals. The non-profit Carter Center works to mediate and prevent conflict and has sent observers to more than 50 elections around the world, including Palestinian elections in 1996.
More than 600 foreign observers, including delegations from the European Union and Russia, are expected to monitor the vote in which moderate Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas became the front-runner this week after his main rival, Marwan Barghouthi, pulled out.
Meanwhile in the West Bank city of Nablus, Abbas campaigned as thousand of Palestinians gathered to support him. Dozens of masked militants surrounded Abbas while he visited the Balata refugee camp. Two days after branding Israel the "Zionist enemy", Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas pledged on Thursday in Nablus to pursue peace talks following the January 9 presidential election he is widely expected to win.
WATCH VIDEO
http://tv.reuters.com/ifr_main.jsp?st=1105074199750&rf=bm&mp=WMP&wmp=1&rm=1&cpf=true&fr=010705_120330_2bb514x1014b8b9641xw7f63&rdm=979930.8944638971
Jan 6, 2005
Atheist Sues to Prevent Prayer at Bush Inauguration
The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - An atheist who sued because he did not want his young daughter exposed to the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance has filed a suit to bar the saying of a prayer at President Bush's inauguration.
Michael Newdow notes that two ministers delivered Christian invocations at Bush's first inaugural ceremony in 2001, and that plans call for a minister to do the same before Bush takes the oath of office Jan. 20.
In a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Newdow says the use of a prayer is unconstitutional. The case is tentatively scheduled Jan. 14.
Last year, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals tossed the same lawsuit, saying Newdow did not suffer "a sufficiently concrete and specific injury." But the decision did not bar him from filing the challenge in a different circuit.
Newdow is best known for trying to remove "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance.
He won that case more than two years ago before a federal appeals court, which said it was an unconstitutional blending of church and state for public school students to pledge to God.
In June, however, the Supreme Court said Newdow could not lawfully sue because he did not have custody of his elementary school-aged daughter, on whose behalf he sued, and because the girl's mother objected to the suit.
Newdow refiled the pledge suit in Sacramento federal court this week, naming eight other plaintiffs who are custodial parents or the children themselves.
This story can be found at: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBY186PN3E.html
Past time for me to sign out...Goodnight all..Have a good one...
.....Westy.....
Well, bless his heart...this fool.
Must. Maintain. Decorum.
Saudi Arabia Asks Libyan Ambassador to Leave
Thu Jan 6, 4:28 PM ET
TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has asked Libya's ambassador to the kingdom to leave, a Libyan Foreign Ministry source said on Thursday, in the latest escalation of a diplomatic row over an alleged assassination plot.
"Saudi Arabia asked yesterday the Libyan ambassador to Riyadh to leave. Since Saudi Arabia is the host state, the Libyan ambassador will return to Libya," a Libyan Foreign Ministry source said.
Saudi authorities refused to comment.
Diplomatic tensions have risen between the two oil-rich countries since Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador from Tripoli in December over what it called an "atrocious" plot to kill Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Abdullah.
Libya denied the accusation and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (news - web sites) blamed any tensions between the two countries on what he said were baseless U.S. press reports.
The U.S. investigation into the plot began as Washington and London were welcoming Gaddafi back into the international community after he decided to dismantle his weapons of mass destruction programs.
In October, a U.S. court sentenced prominent U.S. Muslim activist Abdurahman al-Amoudi to 23 years in jail for illegal financial dealings with Libya and for his role in the alleged assassination plot.
Amoudi said in court documents that he had contacted Saudi dissidents in London on behalf of some Libyan officials to kill the crown prince. Washington and Britain have frozen the assets of one of these dissidents, Saudi Islamist Saad al-Fagih.
In early 2003, Prince Abdullah and Gaddafi clashed at an Arab summit when the Libyan leader criticized the kingdom for hosting U.S. forces before the Iraq (news - web sites) war. The prince walked out after angrily pointing at Gaddafi and questioning how he had come to power.
The United States said Tripoli had yet to resolve U.S. concerns about the alleged plot, which Washington said was an obstacle to dropping Libya from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism and ending related sanctions.
LOL! *Smooch*
Jerry Springer Opera, featuring 'gay Jesus', sparks record 5,500 complaints
Thu Jan 6, 2:14 PM ET
LONDON (AFP) - Plans to broadcast a London musical that features a nappy-wearing Jesus who admits he is "a bit gay", have sparked a record 5,500 complaints, a television watchdog said.
The BBC nevertheless vowed to go ahead with its plan to show "Jerry Springer The Opera", based on the controversial US talk show and which is still playing to packed houses in the West End of London.
The opera contains a total of 3,168 "f"-words and 297 "c"-words. The expletive-laden songs include Pregnant By A Transsexual and Here Come The Hookers.
British media regulator Ofcom said it had received 5,500 complaints about the plan to broadcast the show, which is due to be screened on Saturday as the centrepiece of Jerry Springer Night on BBC2.
That figure is three times as many as the previous record holder, Martin Scorsese's film "The Last Temptation of Christ," which sparked 1,554 complaints when it was shown on television here in 1995, it said.
The BBC added that it has received more than 15,000 calls from viewers concerned about the programme.
But the National Secular Society urged the national broadcaster to stand firm against "religious bullies".
"This organised attack is the latest of a series of attempts by religious interests to control what we can see or say in this country," said the group's vice-president Terry Sanderson.
The furore follows a Sikh protest in Birmingham over the staging of a controversial play "Behzti" (Dishonour), which depicts murder and rape in a fictional Sikh temple.
Violent protests led the Birmingham Repertory Theatre to cancel the production.
See you all later.
Awwww - way too cute.
Way cool Orca pic.
They're closing all five gates on our river flood wall and activating the pumping stations today. The city is in emergency meetings to determine which streets to close and which neighborhoods to mandatory evacuate.
It should be interesting around here for a few days.
thanks. whatever is just fine.
TEACHER: John, how do you spell "crocodile?"
JOHN: K-R-O-K-O-D-A-I-L"
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
JOHN: Maybe it's wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.
_____________
TEACHER: What is the chemical formula for water?
SARAH: H I J K L M N O!!
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
SARAH: Yesterday you said it's H to O!
______________
TEACHER: Willie, name one important thing we have today that
we didn't have ten years ago.
WILLIE: Me!
______________
TEACHER: Tommy, why do you always get so dirty?
TOMMY: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
______________
TEACHER: Ellen, give me a sentence starting with "I."
TEACHER: No, Ellen.... Always say, "I am."
ELLEN: All right... "I am the ninth letter of the alphabet."
_____________
TEACHER: "Can anybody give an example of COINCIDENCE?"
JOHNNY: "Sir, my mother and father got married on the same day, same time."
_____________
TEACHER: "George Washington not only chopped down his father's
cherry tree,but also admitted doing it Now do you know why his
father didn't punish him?"
JOHNNY: "Because George still had the ax in his hand."
______________
TEACHER: Now, Sam, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SAM: No sir, I don't have to...my mom is a good cook.
_______________
TEACHER: Morris, your composition on "My Dog" is exactly the same
as your brother's. Did you copy his?
DESMOND: No, teacher, it's the same dog!
TEACHER: What do you call a person who keeps on talking when
people are no longer interested?
PUPIL: A teacher.
Sure do. And it's good to be home again.
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