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A Sneads Ferry man who shot a teenager charged with trying to break into the man's home Monday will not be charged, authorities said. Landon Crews, of Crows Nest Lane, shot 18-year-old Cyle Norris early Monday morning. Detectives with the Onslow County Sheriff's Department said Norris was trying to crawl through a broken window when Crews shot him in the right forearm with No. 7 shot from a 12-gauge shotgun. Norris and three other local men were charged with first-degree burglary, possession of burglary tools and conspiracy. North Carolina state law says that Crews was within his rights to shoot...

It's two inches long, grows on wood, and is shaped like a phallus. A new species of stinkhorn mushroom, Phallus drewesii, has been discovered on the African island of Sao Tome and graces the upcoming cover of the journal Mycologia. The mushroom is named after Robert Drewes, Curator of Herpetology at the California Academy of Sciences, and is described in the July/August issue by Professor Dennis Desjardin and Brian Perry of San Francisco State University. "It's a wonderful honor and great fun to have this phallus-shaped fungus named after me," says Drewes. "I have been immortalized in the scientific record."

Watching Fox News' morning show, "Fox and Friends," is a little bit like watching the aftermath of a particularly nasty car crash. Yeah, it's awful, but you just have to keep looking, because, well, who knows what mangled body parts they'll pull from the wreckage next? Even by those standards, though, host Brian Kilmeade's performance on Wednesday was just terrible. Kilmeade and two colleagues were discussing a study that, based on research done in Finland and Sweden, showed people who stay married are less likely to suffer from Alzheimer's. Kilmeade questioned the results, though, saying, "We are -- we keep...

Most of us are familiar with the old expressions: Look before you leap; a stitch in time saves nine; if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. These phrases remind us to think before accepting anything as fact. And never have they been more applicable then now, as the Obama administration attempts to re-fashion the healing arts. Before buying a car, a shopper might be expected to ask people who own the same brand how they like theirs, or at least consult Consumer Reports. Before we buy the biggest transformation of health care in history and its...

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day".shibboleth \SHIB-uh-lith; -leth\, noun1. A peculiarity of pronunciation, behavior, mode of dress, etc., that distinguishes a particular group of persons.2. A slogan; a catchword.3. A common saying or belief with little current meaning or truth. Example sentences:Accustomed to the veneer of noise, to the shibboleths of promotion, public relations, and market research, society is suspicious of those who value silence.-- John Lahr The fish oil shibboleth is only the latest to be overturned in...

Our Fallen Airman and Fallen Soldier Return HomeLFCA MA 09-13 - July 8, 2009OTTAWA – Our fallen airman, Master Corporal Pat Audet from 430 Escadron tactique d’hélicoptères, based at Canadians Forces Base Valcartier and our fallen soldier, Corporal Martin Joannette from the 3e Bataillon, Royal 22e Régiment based at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, near Quebec City, return home to Canada tomorrow. Where: 8 Wing, Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ontario. When: Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. What: At the request of the families, media will be permitted on the tarmac. Present to pay their respects will be the Minister...

SEOUL, South Korea - A state official says seven South Korean Web sites are under renewed cyber attack. Ku Kyo-young from the state-run Korea Communications Commission said the latest assault began around 6:30 p.m. (0930 GMT, 5:30 a.m. EDT ) Thursday. He said one of the affected sites belongs to the government, the other six are private. Some are still working normally despite the attacks.

Plane giant Airbus booked more orders than rival Boeing in the first half of this year, according to figures released on Wednesday after the US firm saw almost all its orders cancelled

Does it make any sense, what Sarah Palin has done? Little that is happening these days seems to make much sense, particularly regarding the Republicans. But I mean, just up and resigning as governor of Alaska? All the experts say it's the wrong thing to do. That it sends the wrong message - giving up on the only statewide elected post she's ever held. That it confirms she really is the ditz they have suggested since John McCain vaulted her to fame. A couple of points. First, the political landscape stands dramatically changed from just a year ago - and...

President Barack Obama promised to fix health care and trim the federal budget deficit, all without raising taxes on anyone but the wealthiest Americans. It's a promise he's already broken and will likely have to break again. Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress have already increased tobacco taxes — which disproportionately hit the poor — to pay for extending health coverage to 4 million children in working low-income families. Now, lawmakers are looking for more revenues to help pay for providing medical insurance to millions more who lack it at a projected cost of $1 trillion over the next decade. The...

I'm not a Michael Jackson hater. I liked his music, partly because it was part of my life as a young man. And I never judge people and their morals. Unless convicted by a court of law, it's really between them, the truth -- whatever that might be -- and their maker. But as thousands of people filled a huge arena in Los Angeles this week, and millions more were glued to their television sets; as accolades unlimited were spoken about the late "King of Pop," my mind was on how seven other Americans might be honored. You see, on...

NEW YORK (CNN) -- They are two presidents from different parties but have striking similarities. President Obama maintains that investing in key areas such as health care will help stabilize the economy. Former President Ronald Reagan and current President Obama are incredibly popular, and both faced rising unemployment early on. Reagan's experience could be instructive for Democrats today; the GOP lost 26 seats in the 1982 elections. Reagan's popularity could not trump double-digit unemployment. "If we look back at 1982, as soon as the unemployment rate hit 10 percent, there was a political dynamic that changed significantly ... and it...

used to watch events in Washington closely, fully believing that news reports and political debates had meaningful impact on the battlefield. I would rage at the mainstream media’s bias, roll my eyes in disgust at Democratic politicians who sometimes seemed to be rooting for failure, and viewed “wobbly” conservatives with contempt. Then, I joined the U.S. Army Reserves, put on the uniform, and (eventually) rolled out on my first mission “outside the wire” in Diyala Province, Iraq . . . where I couldn’t read Drudge or Politico and had to focus on a single objective -- to defeat the enemy...

If U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer has his way, all of the 12,700 babies expected to be born in Central New York next year will receive a $500 bonus from the federal government.

SNIPPET: "So, I’m finally sitting down with this 149 page-book, entitled, “The Ruling on the Muslim Spy.” Here’ s what I’ve noticed off-the-bat about Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri’s forward." SNIPPET: "But then I remembered that the big-daddy al-Zawahiri’s ‘best-of’ list can be extracted from his winding book, Exoneration. In this book, al-Zawahiri drafts his all-star list, which includes everyone above and a whole lot more. It’s a ‘who’s who’ of contemporary jihadi thought. Test yourself and see how many you can identify. There’s some little gems buried in this list… Shaykh Ahmad Shakir Shaykh Mahmud Shakir Shaykh Muhammad Ibn-Ibrahim Al al-Shaykh...

Michael Copps, a commissioner with the Federal Communications Commission and its former acting chairman, has circulated a report examining the state of media journalism in America and discussing ways to address issues such as the rise of media conglomerates and the prevalence of opinion journalism. The report, known as a Notification of Inquiry (NOI), is often the first step in the FCC’s rule-making process. It examines traditional broadcast media as well as the rise of “new” media such as blogs and Internet news. After the FCC makes the report public, it can then use it as the basis for instituting...

The Internal Revenue Service has told members of the Coalition for Life of Iowa they would have to give up their 1st Amendment rights in order to be recognized as a non-profit organization, according to a complaint being pursued by members of the Thomas More Society. The organization incorporated in 2004 as a not-for-profit under Iowa law and has been operating strictly within the guidelines for groups set up for religious, educational and charitable purposes, a letter sent to the IRS last week said. "As detailed in its … narrative, the Coalition for Life carries out its tax-exempt work by...

This morning, U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL), along with fellow Republican Senate leaders John Cornyn (R-TX) and Jim DeMint (R-SC), met with a delegation that included former Honduran Presidents, current Congressmen, and other public figures. The group is acting as the official representative of the Honduran government headed by Roberto Micheletti. Delegation member and Congressman Rodolfo Irías Navas explained that their effort has been well received. “We have explained that there was no coup d’état, that the Congress continues functioning, as well as the courts and the executive power.” For his part, Sen. Martinez issued a press release in which...

7 John Lee Hooker/George Thorogood, One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer. Intelligent or regular readers will recognize this tune from Chapter 3 of Breaking the Law of Averages. The original Hooker version can be found here. 6 Bob and Doug Mackenzie, 12 Days of Christmas. By the finish of this merry carol, the boys will have consumed half a case, which is only a meager six pack each, a paltry amount, it being Christmas. I have quizzed recently two people who called themselves natives of the Great White North, yet they claimed never to have heard of Bob and Doug....

Talk about luxury in the woods! Michelle Obama showed off her more expensive taste in fashion by carrying a $5,950 VBH black alligator manila clutch while strolling the wooded landscape