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President Obama may have passed over his native Hawaii to vacation in Martha's Vineyard, but Sen. Daniel Akaka isn't miffed. The president, he says, is unmistakably Hawaiian. The proof: Obama's use of the "shaka sign"—raising a hand with thumb and pinky extended and the other fingers folded over. "That means, 'Hey, everything's OK.' " Akaka adds: "He'll probably come to Hawaii in the winter, when it's cold. I know he loves Hawaii."

Quick translation here: http://hondurasabandoned.blogspot.com/2009/07/killing-bullet-is-not-of-military.html The Minister of Defense Adolfo Lionel Sevilla said this afternoon that the bullet that killed a young man at the demonstration Sunday in the Toncontín airport did not come from a military weapon. According to the experts, the bullet that took the life of a young 19 year old, was not from a military caliber. The report reveals that the direction the young man died does not coincide with the trajectory of the direction of the bullet from the armed forces.

On sunny afternoons, having collected the kids from school, I am sometimes coerced into making a minor detour through a nondescript North London park. The equipment is meagre and battered; there are so many stone steps and steep drops that the place resembles a game of Tomb Raider and, as nothing overlooks the playground, it is both a doggy convenience and a youth hangout. Today, there are eight or more teenagers, mostly in hoodies, being noisy on the swings. Two women from a local action group are bravely asking the youths how the park could be improved. Then, politely, I...

State Treasurer Tim Cahill this week will change his political party designation from Democrat to unenrolled, the first step in mounting an independent challenge to Democratic governor Deval Patrick in the 2010 general election, two advisers said today. Cahill, a lifelong Democrat who has served as treasurer since 2003, would not comment on his plans, but campaign advisers said he will make the switch at Quincy City Hall sometime this week. They said the move doesn't necessarily mean he will run against the sitting governor; he has told them he will either campaign for governor or treasurer as an independent...

Monday July 6, 2009 Obama Complains that Fears over Abortion Agenda "Not Based on Anything I've Said or Done" By Kathleen Gilbert WASHINGTON, D.C., July 6, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a meeting with several members of the Catholic media Thursday, President Obama insisted that pro-life Catholics' fears over the new administration's abortion agenda was "not based on anything I've said or done." The president also said he embraces the so-called "seamless garment" moral theory of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago, which he said he feels has been "buried under the abortion debate" in recent decades.The president called for the...

Congressman Peter King on Michael Jackson: “Let’s knock out the physco-babble, this guy was a pervert, child molester, and a pedophile.” If it were not for the men and women in uniform fighting to preserve our freedom and liberties, entertainers like Michael Jackson would have had a whole different reality much different than the one afforded to him by the great sacrifices of our veterans, many of whom sacrificed it all for this once great nation.

US space experts are downsizing plans to send astronauts back to the moon and possibly to Mars amid fears of funding cuts by the Obama administration. Forty years after astronauts first walked on the moon, Nasa, the US space agency, is officially committed to a $35 billion (£22 billion) plan instituted by President George W. Bush to build the first of a new generation of manned rockets that can return to the planet by 2020. However, the new president has appointed an independent panel to review America's costly manned space programme, called Constellation, and make recommendations by the end of...

While there is much we do not know about Miguel Diaz, it does appear that the Papal Nuncio (the pope’s ambassador) to the United States is pleased with the decision. Archbishop Pietro Sambi called Diaz “an excellent choice because he knows very well the United States and because of his background in the Catholic Church.” We know also that he is a theologian and gifted with the ability to fluently speak multiple languages. He will have many opportunities to use these talents and will be able to optimize his experience in the Eternal City and hopefully be effective in his...

Forget that little guy selling insurance. Geckos are a lot more than that. Need proof? Just visit the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia from now through Sept. 7 and check out “Geckos: Tails to Toepads,” an interactive exhibit featuring dozens of the small, agile – and surprisingly noisy – creatures. “Geckos are among the most diverse and interesting of all reptiles,” said Dr. Aaron Bauer, a Villanova University professor and an Academy research associate who is a world expert on geckos. “This exhibit will give people a good look at their unique specializations and an appreciation for why they...

On June 30 the OSCE officially terminated its Mission in Georgia, which had for 17 years monitored the situation in and around South Ossetia. Russia forced the OSCE to close the Mission by vetoing the prolongation of its mandate in the OSCE's Permanent Council. Also on June 30 the U.N. Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG), which had for 15 years monitored the situation in and around Abkhazia, began evacuating its personnel, following Russia's veto against that Mission's mandate in the U.N. Security Council (EDM, June 2, 12, 17). OSCE military monitoring officers on patrol in Georgia, in 2008 Moscow wants...

It's hard to be neutral about Sarah Palin; in fact, I don't know anyone who is. And it's hard to find someone who really understands what led to Friday's shocker in which she announced her resignation as governor of Alaska. It was not unexpected to hear her say she wouldn't seek re-election in 2010. That made sense, as her numbers had drastically fallen back home since she was selected last summer as John McCain's running mate. Plus, she had been feuding with state lawmakers, the budget is in turmoil, and she has gone through the wringer with assorted investigations into...

Oklahoma resident and Plaintiff pro se Steven L. Craig has been pushing a little-known case through the American Judiciary wherein he is petitioning the United States government that the lack of a natural born citizenship definition combined with Congress’ unwillingness to specifically define the term should lead the Court to grant “[a]n immediate Order of Declaratory Judgement expressing Courts Opinion of the Constitutional and Legal Definition of ‘Natural born Citizen’.”

In 1999, I negotiated a telecommunications agreement with the DPRK, during a charm offensive by Pyongyang following a visit by former President Jimmy Carter. Pyongyang's charm soon faded and my company stood down, leaving memories of what seemed to be a fusion of kabuki theatre and Mad magazine. An old friend and business associate, Jim Zumwalt, a retired USMC Lt. Colonel and former State Department advisor on humanitarian affairs had paid numerous visits to Pyongyang. He agreed to take me in. In the spirit of friendship, Jim grudgingly agreed to also get me out. We visited a mysterious outfit called...

The Note: Little Hurts -- Obama Guards Against Angst on LeftBy RICK KLEIN June 29, 2009 8:04 AM **SNIP** “The conflicting signals from the White House about its commitment to gay issues reflect a broader paradox: even as cultural acceptance of homosexuality increases across the country, the politics of gay rights remains full of crosscurrents,” Adam Nagourney writes in the Sunday New York Times. “The Obama White House in particular is reluctant to embrace gay rights issues now, officials there say, because they do not want to provide social conservatives a rallying cry while the president is trying to assemble...

The percentage of Hispanic Catholics in America has dropped, while the proportion of born-again Hispanics has increased, a new survey by the Barna Group found. Over the past 15 years, the proportion of Hispanics in America that is aligned with the Catholic Church has fallen by 25 percent. By comparison, the proportion of born-again Christians for this ethnic group has increased by 17 percent. “You cannot help but notice the changing relationship between Hispanics and the Catholic Church,” commented George Barna, whose company conducted the research. “While many Hispanic immigrants come to the United States with ties to Catholicism, the...

To fairly divide the climate change fight between rich and poor, a new study suggests basing targets for emission cuts on the number of wealthy people, who are also the biggest greenhouse gas emitters, in a country. Since about half the planet's climate-warming emissions come from less than a billion of its people, it makes sense to follow these rich folks when setting national targets to cut carbon dioxide emissions, the authors wrote on Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. As it stands now, under the carbon-capping Kyoto Protocol, rich countries shoulder most of the burden for...

CHICAGO—A McHenry County man was sentenced to more than 23 years in prison for enticing a 13-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity after he lured her to meet him at a park in Carol Stream in 2007, federal law enforcement officials announced today. Marcus Tyms, 25, formerly of Union, Ill., was sentenced to 280 months in federal prison, with 10 years of that sentence being imposed because Tyms was a registered sex-offender when he committed the crime. Tyms was sentenced July 2 by U.S. District Judge Milton Shadur in Federal Court in Chicago, said Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States...

The Chicago Tribune has an excellent piece that describes the "inside baseball" that took the ethics bill into a watered down farce. I recommend everyone read the article. On a more philosophical level, the reason that ethics reform turned into a farce is because the fox was guarding the hen house. In other words, the very people that were in charge of creating the ethics reform bill were the ones that benefitted most from the manner in which the system operates now.

On fire with the Holy Ghost that is. Pastor Steve Anderson, the pastor who was tased and beaten by Border Police on April 14th 2009, lead the Gilbert Arizona TEA Party rally yesterday to ovation and action. His words and demeanor were beyond phenomenal! There is a new body in the Black Robe Regiment today. If you would like to watch his 7 minute message

SARAH PALIN, UNBOUND by Laurie Morrow and Ed Morrow Striving mightily to stay at the head of the torch- and pitchfork-bearing mob pursuing the Monster Palin, Maureen Dowd, in her latest column, has added a new charge to the standard assaults on the Alaska Governor. On top of being too folksy, too pretty, too dull-witted, and too conservative, Palin is crazy. Miss Dowd knows this is true because she read it in Vanity Fair. Using a fashion magazine notorious for its anti-Republican bent as her medical authority, Dowd cattily describes Palin as “one nutty puppy.” She diagnoses the Governor as...