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Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is a multi-role stealth heavy bomber. The B-2's composite materials, special coatings and flying-wing design all contribute to its "stealthiness." One of the most expensive planes ever built: estimates for the costs per plane range from 1.1 to 2.2 billion USD.

National Level Exercise 2009 (NLE 09) is scheduled for July 27 through July 31, 2009. NLE 09 will be the first major exercise conducted by the United States government that will focus exclusively on terrorism prevention and protection, as opposed to incident response and recovery. NLE 09 is designated as a Tier I National Level Exercise. Tier I exercises (formerly known as the Top Officials exercise series or TOPOFF) are conducted annually in accordance with the National Exercise Program (NEP), which serves as the nation's overarching exercise program for planning, organizing, conducting and evaluating national level exercises. The NEP was...

July 3, 2009 European leaders warn Iran regime over British arrests European leaders finally began to throw their weight behind Britain today after Iran announced that British embassy staff would be forced to stand trial in Tehran. In a co-ordinated diplomatic move, EU nations responded by simultaneously summoning Iranian ambassadors across Europe. They will be asked to explain the arrest of British diplomats for allegedly inciting the violence and demonstrations that greeted the re-election of President Ahmadinejad.

No word as to why but Stephanopoulos has a hunch. If it’s related to her plans for next year, which way should Palinistas be rooting? Presumably they hope she’s not running for reelection so that she can devote herself full time to building a presidential campaign, a la Tim Pawlenty, but there’s no telling with the ‘Cuda. Is she going national or going away? She’s still a favorite to win if she runs again, but not nearly as much as she once was.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will make what her office is only calling an "announcement" at 11 AM local (3 Eastern) from her home in Wasilla. Speculation is raging both in Alaska and in the Lower 48 that she'll reveal her plans regarding next year's gubernatorial race. So much for today being a slow news day.

A document filed in federal court this week by the Justice Department offers new evidence that former vice president Richard B. Cheney helped steer the Bush administration's public response to the disclosure of Valerie Plame Wilson's employment by the CIA and that he was at the center of many related administration deliberations. The administration's discussion of Wilson's link to the CIA was meant to undermine criticism by her husband of administration allegations that Iraq attempted to acquire uranium, a matter that her husband had probed for the CIA, according to testimony presented in a 2007 trial. *snip* He mentioned in...

I didn't think the latest post-mortem on Sarah Palin would cause much of a ripple. ..Well, I was wrong. Never underestimate the extent of the media's Palin fascination. The article has triggered another round of finger-pointing among conservative strategists and pundits. Yet another angle--a "sexier" one, if you will--comes under scrutiny from Atlantic's Ta-Nehisi Coates... "Purdum thinks the mere mention of this notion invites attacks from people who spend their days waiting to accuse people of sexism. He is wrong. They invite attacks from people who wonder why he's speaking as though there have been a parade of women who...

ALTON, Va. — Rep. Thomas Perriello relishes an energy fight with Republicans — even here in the rural Southside. The freshman lawmaker understands the potential consequences that he and other vulnerable Democrats face for backing a sweeping climate-change bill, and rather than ducking the issue, he’s embracing what may have been the toughest vote of his young political career. “There’s got to be something more important than getting reelected,” Perriello said in an interview with POLITICO. “If I lose my seat, and that’s the worst that happens, I could live with that.” But the 34-year-old believes Democrats will win this...

We're kicking off our series exploring memorable gadgets from memorable people with one of the most influential tech giants: Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple. – JCOK...meaningful...here goes...For that definition, it was probably an electronics learning kit I got for Christmas at about age 8 or 9. As I recall, it didn't teach electronics formulas or resistor codes, but was full of projects to hook up input devices like switches and output devices like buzzers and lights. It was like learning how to connect all the devices to your hi-fi, or connecting all your peripherals to a computer. It also...

I would like to start a thread for discussion about where, how and what exactly is freedom. Many people today no longer feel free. I know I don't. I used to feel free to reject negative aspects of government that was "supposedly" based on the concept of individual freedom and the expression thereof. I no longer feel completely free to express my opinion on certain subjects, simply because there are those that wish to limit discussion on numerous subjects. Because of "Their" personal sensitivities on politically correct subjects restrictions are placed on my personal opinions and actions. Restrictions that serve...

IF unnerving your opponent is half the battle in politics, then Sarah Palin appears to be doing quite well. The Alaska Governor who shot to world fame last year as Republican candidate for the US vice-presidency has ruffled her critics' feathers again in her latest burst of publicity after claiming she could beat Barack Obama in a running race. Left-leaning Democrat supporters such as the US political blog Daily Kos have taken the bait, ridiculing an interview published in the latest issue of Runner's World magazine in which Ms Palin says: "I betcha I'd have more endurance." Daily Kos blogger...

According to Nassim Taleb, author of "The Black Swan,” the 4th of July fire works are not the only explosives that the U.S. people are going to see. Taleb predicts that all of the steps that the Obama administration has taken regarding economic stimulus and all of the media coverage about recovery are all wrong. Taleb suggests that all of the catastrophic and dire warnings concerning Global Warming should have instead been for the U.S. economy!

Miriam Sakewitz, 47, violated her probation by having the rabbits, Judge Gayle Nachtigal, of the Washington County Circuit court ruled on Thursday. The judge sentenced Sakewitz to 90 days in the county jail. Police arrested Sakewitz on June 16 after she called a maintenance worker to her room in the Portland suburb of Tigard to fix a broken television set. The worker saw and smelled the rabbits, some of them hopping freely around the house. The woman's legal problems began in 2006, when police found more than 150 rabbits in her home and dozens more bunny bodies in freezers. She...

Patriot Streak’n Rocket, who answers to “Streak,” stood out among the chaotic group of Labradors and golden retrievers roaming Discovery Green. At 11 inches tall and 10 pounds, he didn’t seem like much of a contender in the long-jump competition. As a terrier, he’s not a natural swimmer. And the 2-foot drop to the water below the dock must have seemed like a small cliff. But Streak gleefully leapt without hesitation in every round of the recent Dock Dogs competition held at the downtown park....

Deals offered by the Washington Post For $25K, Boswell will let Manny Acta tattoo a Nat's W on his ass. For $500K, Charles Krauthammer will write a series of columns advocating war with a country of your choosing. For only $10,000 the WaPo will review your stimulus package and they won't mention that it promotes socialism! For $25k, we'll have Woodward write a book on you. For $250k, it will actually be complimentary. For $5000, WaPo will let you write the same psychopathic op-ed http://tr.im/qD3b that you wrote in WSJ 3wks ago http://tr.im/qD3y For $200K Katharine Graham will rise from...

Although you have to dig into the statistics to know it, unemployment in the United States is now worse than at any time since the end of the Great Depression.

ATLANTA (AP) - Colin Daymude was out of work last year after his business failed and eagerly filed his taxes in mid-January, figuring he'd get his refund sooner. He was wrong. It took the 44-year-old entrepreneur more than six months to get his $1,300 check—money that he needed to pay living expenses while he worked a few side gigs. Tax day—April 15—has long since come and gone, but sharp budget cuts and falling revenues have forced many states to delay income tax returns for months—and left taxpayers longing for their money. "I'm just trying to get my money back," said...

In Political Ads, Christian Left Mounts Sermonic Campaigns By STEPHANIE SIMON Randy Brinson, a conservative political consultant in Alabama, has been fielding anxious calls for weeks from business interests across the South. Their concern is massive ad blitz on Christian and country-music stations across 10 states. The ads, funded by a left-leaning coalition, urge support for congressional legislation to curb greenhouse-gas emissions -- by framing the issue as an urgent matter of Biblical morality. "As our seas rise, crops wither and rivers run dry, God's creation cries out for relief," begins one ad, narrated by an evangelical megachurch pastor. Another...

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow my obedient ones yet undoing and harrasment shall be the spoils of the rebellious and defiant , therefore be my Watchmen of unity and delight in my ways .Become Peacekeepers and the Pavilions of my love canopied in my ways for I AM The Stalwart , bridge and guide to all you find in me " For I AM The Kingdom and The Glory forever " and a day in My courts is eternal as you find your way to Zion . Therefore be of Me and walk in My fullness you shall find...

Oh, the drama! New rumors are swirling about an impending split for Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel. It seems the general consensus in gossip-world is that Jessica Biel is one needy, clingy girl and that JT will do anything to get away from her. These kinds of rumors are nothing new - JT and Biel have “broken up” about two dozen times already, according to the tabloids. There’s always some new variation - say, JT wants Biel to move out of his New York apartment, or that JT is cheating on Biel at a club, and only Lindsay Lohan was...