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Are Sarah Palin's true-believers crying, "Say it ain't so"? No, abiding by the spin-is-all rule of modern politics, they are praising Palin's decision to quit as yet more evidence of her leadership abilities. Team Sarah, a group of conservatives who fancy the soon-to-be-ex Alaska governor, released this statement on Friday night: WASHINGTON, July 3 -- Today Team Sarah commented on the announcement that Sarah Palin will step down as Governor of Alaska on July 25, 2009: "Sarah Palin has always been an intensely independent woman -- always true to her faith, her family and call to public service. She has...

This Iraqi Security Force Update provides a summary of changes to the ISF during May and June 2009. The Iraqi Security Force Order of Battle as of 30 June 2009 is published at Montrose Toast. Previous updates were published at The Long War Journal.

Traditional Holy Mass Propers † FEAST OF SAINT ANTHONY MARIA ZACHARIAH † Missa Exáudi, Dómine, vocem qua clamávi ad te ( "....The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear?...." ) 5 July 2009 Anno Dómini "....whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment...." "Nothing is so consoling, so piercing, so thrilling, so overcoming, as the Mass, said as it is among us.I could attend Mass forever, and not be tired.It is not a mere form of words; it is a great action.The greatest action that can be on earth. It...

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This is what a good immigrant sounds like. A great Tea Party speech from Philladelphia.

W hen Deerfield farmer Peter Melnik heard about a machine that would make energy from cow manure, he was immediately intrigued. Graphic Farming 'natural gas' Not only would using it make his dairy farm more environmentally friendly, the technology could bring in extra cash by converting methane, an odorous and potent greenhouse gas, into electricity that could be sold to the regional power grid. The machine, called a methane digester, has been popular in Europe since the 1970s, but the idea is just catching on in the United States. Six farms in Vermont have digesters that produce electricity, and Melnik...

female driver. wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !!

Fuzzy math.

If you just looked inside the USDA, you would find tremendous support for local food," said Senator Mark Udall to me yesterday, June 17. I responded: "I have looked, and it's not a pretty picture . . . " then somebody cut off my microphone and that was the end. I think I have reached the nadir of my trust in government. Some background: a couple of months ago, I received an invitation from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to paticipate in the Green Jobs Leadership Summit hosted by the Senate Democratic Caucus in the Russell Senate Office Building. His...

MOSCOW (AP) — President Barack Obama says he expects to complete a review of the U.S. plan for building missile defense systems in Europe by the end of the summer. At a joint news conference with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (dih-MEE'-tree med-VYEH'-dyev), Obama said that once the review is finished he will provide the Russian government with his assessment of how to resolve differences over the project. Obama said he expects that to lead to extensive negotiations. Russia strongly opposes the U.S. project, which was initiated by the administration of President George W. Bush. Earlier, the two leaders issued a...

Politics: The former Stuart Smalley becomes the 60th Democrat in the U.S. Senate, thanks to the community organizers at Acorn and the little-known Secretary of State Project. Is the system being rigged? Incumbent Republican Norm Coleman conceded defeat in the mother of all recounts in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race after the state's Supreme Court unanimously rejected his lawsuit. Arguably, his seat may have been lost the day in 2006 when Democrat Mark Ritchie defeated two-term incumbent Republican Mary Kiffmeyer to become Minnesota secretary of state. It was Ritchie who orchestrated the recount that gave Democratic challenger Franken a lead some...

The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) set aside this year to remember the 500th anniversary of John Calvin. On July 10th five hundred years ago, John Calvin was born in Noyon, France. Many English-speaking churches today have selected a special logo this year to honor Calvin. The logo includes two hands holding one heart and a prayer penned by Calvin himself: “My heart I offer Thee, Lord, promptly and sincerely.” Calvin’s legacy is a church system led by elders and deacons. He became one of the founding fathers of Presbyterianism, Christian Reformation, and a hero remembered by many. Calvin used...

If Sarah Palin decides to go ahead with a defamation suit against blogger Shannyn Moore, who wrote that the Governor resigned because she was under criminal investigation, it may give others who have been defamed the courage to go after other bloggers who can be accused of "malice" in creating unfounded rumors about them on the Internet. Should Palin sue Moore, it could mean thousands of dollars of legal fees in order to defend herself. It might send a message to other bloggers who can be accused of using "malice" in defaming public figures. (See an explanation below.) Palin's attorney...

Beer lovers across Britain will be raising a glass to the latest research on drinking. For scientists have discovered that the so-called 'beer belly' is not caused by consuming alcohol – but more to do with genetics. A study of thousands of beer drinkers found that although people who drink regularly are more likely to put on weight, they do not necessarily accumulate fat around the abdomen. Researchers monitored more than 20,000 people – 7,876 men and 12,749 women – over an average of eight-and-a-half years.

Lance Armstrong jumped from 10th to third place at the Tour de France on Monday, positioning himself for a shot at the yellow jersey after evading trouble on a windy ride along the Mediterranean. Britain's Mark Cavendish won his second straight stage. He and Armstrong and overall leader Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland kept up with a breakaway group that bolted from the pack with 18 miles left in the 122-mile third stage. Armstrong, a seven-time champion coming out of retirement, is 40 seconds behind. He was able to make his big jump because riders in front of him at the...

As a transracial, transnational Gandhi-like figure, Obama believes that he alone understands and empathizes with the previously demonized Third-World revolutionary leaders. Yes, on our behalf it is his destiny to talk with them, and tame them in a manner of speaking, perhaps to stop their terrorizing, drug-running, arming, and bullying, or more likely the overt manifestation of all that. In other words, he’s our Che, a universal pop star, part Bono, part Mandela, part Michael Jackson, and part Al Gore that deflects criticism that we are all Texas oil men with twangs who talk about Gawd, Eye-Rack, and Jasus. This...

Six U.S. soldiers were killed Monday in two roadside bombings in Afghanistan, a representative for NATO forces told CNN. Four were killed in an attack in the northern Afghanistan province of Kunduz, the U.S. military said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it struck a military vehicle, killing five "foreign" soldiers and wounding two others. Two other U.S. soldiers were killed in an improvised explosive device attack in southern Afghanistan, NATO's International Security Assistance Forces said. It had no further details on the attack.

A sunbathing session in western Sweden took a sinister turn on Friday when a teenage girl in Lidköping attempted to strangle her cousin with a bikini top. Two cousins, both 17-year-old girls, began fighting with each other on Friday in Lidköping in western Sweden. One girl attempted to strangle the other by pulling her cousin's bikini top up around her neck and pulling it tight. She also reportedly bit and threatened to kill the other girl, according to Nya Lidköpings-Tidningen newspaper. The girl was arrested for attempted murder, but was later transferred to a juvenile facility.

After one of the longest sunspot droughts in modern times, solar activity picked up quickly over the weekend. A new group of sunspots developed, and while not dramatic by historic standards, the spots were the most significant in many months. "This is the best sunspot I've seen in two years," observer Michael Buxton of Ocean Beach, Calif., said on Spaceweather.com. Solar activity goes in a roughly 11-year cycle. Sunspots are the visible signs of that activity, and they are the sites from which massive solar storms lift off. The past two years have marked the lowest low in the cycle...