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Legazpi City (10 July) -- Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has raised today Mayon Volcano's alert status from Level 1 (low level unrest) to Level 2 (moderate unrest) after it manifested increasing volcanic quakes, swelling of its edifice and intense crater glow. Phivolcs said parameters monitored since last month indicated an increase in the current activity of the volcano, manifesting low frequency volcanic earthquakes rising to a higher level signifying possible movement of magma beneath the volcano edifice at shallow depth. The hoisting of Alert Level 2 signifies a state of unrest which could lead to ash explosions...

Snippets: Former Vice President Al Gore, whose "An Inconvenient Truth" video epistle on the claims of global warming has not weathered recent scientific research, now has promised at a conference in the United Kingdom that the impending virtual energy tax under the U.S. "cap-and-trade" legislation will bring about "global governance." He cited the "cap-and-trade" legislation in the U.S. Congress that  by President Obama's own estimate would cause utility bills to skyrocket for American consumers. Those taxes are good, Gore said.

David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. Samuel 18:1 Even in the midst of enemies all around him, David encouraged his men. I'm certain David himself was discouraged. After all, he was the King! But he was on the run from his own son. Every step he took must have been painful for David, knowing that he was fleeing from his son. But he rallied the troops and encouraged them. Great leaders do that. Fortunately, you and I don't have to be great leaders to do that. We...

$18 million USD to track government stimulus spending (recovery.gov) is... A Daily Poll

The Supreme Court tweaked the edges of discrimination law in its New Haven firefighters decision last week, but otherwise left the evasions and euphemisms of that hoary edifice largely intact. This is probably as it should be. It is not for the Court to deconstruct our official legal discourse about race unless it is explicitly asked to do so. But the political branches need not be so constrained. Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s upcoming confirmation hearings are the perfect occasion to question the assumptions that underlie the race industry, since Sotomayor, with her history of launching racism accusations, has been, and promises...

We do not normally sing the praises of Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), however, in this instance, he is exactly correct in STRONGLY CRITICIZING Pres. Obama's deliberate decision to ignore constraints in legislation he is signing. The House overwhelmingly REBUKED Obama by a vote of 429 - 2 for Obama's statement at a bill's signing that he would not follows its constraints. At issue is an amendment added to the $106 Billion Supplemental War-Funding legislation signed by Obama last month. During the signing, Obama stated he would not follow the amendment's constraints with respect to the World Bank and International Monetary...

So the ESPN everywoman and patron saint of blog traffic got her bell rung by an errant foul ball at last night's Mets-Dodgers game. She's fine, just bruised up, and ESPN says she'll resume her duties right away. Our (and by "our," I feel totally comfortable saying I'm speaking for college football fans everywhere of all persuasions) very best wishes for an SEC-speed recovery and better timing on live television.

Here is video of Ann Coulter today reacting to the news that correspondent Carl Cannon has admitted that the mainstream media "took sides" during the 2008 Presidential Campaign against Sarah Palin and in favor of Joe Biden. Cannon admitted the media did not hold Biden to the same standard as they did Palin. . . . . (Watch Video)

The Honolulu hospital which for nearly six months proudly declared President Obama was born at its facility and used that claim as a major fund-raising tool is now engaged in an active cover-up, hiding a White House letter announcing his alleged birth there and refusing to confirm such a letter even exists. The Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children is electronically cloaking what it had touted as a Jan. 24 letter from the president, in which the commander in chief, just four days after his inauguration, supposedly wrote, "As a beneficiary of the excellence of Kapi'olani Medical Center –...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Gun rights enthusiasts welcomed Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice presidential candidate, as she made an appearance Friday on a radio talk show. Palin announced last Friday she is resigning, saying it was the best thing for the state and for her family. Her resignation takes effect July 26 when Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell takes over. Palin spoke on the Michael Dukes' "Firearms Friday" show on KFAR radio in Fairbanks. She was in Alaska's second largest city to sign a gun rights bill and several resolutions. Callers included rock n' roller turned avid hunter Ted...

July 10, 2009 The Agenda and the Moment By the Editors Pres. Barack Obama has made a tactical mistake, one that is characteristic of the man. Suffering, as he plainly does, from a tendency toward self-aggrandizement, President Obama has undertaken to do too much at once, seeking a radical re-ordering of American life: legal, political, economic, constitutional, and cultural. In some of these endeavors he is likely to be successful. On several critical fronts, however, Obama’s overreach has given conservatives an opportunity to put a halt to the worst of the president’s contemplated excesses. It is crucial that conservatives —...

Imagine if a school principal insisted year after year that their school use textbooks made only by one company. even though there are plenty of textbook companies out there. Imagine that this principal defends this company's textbooks and makes public statements about how valuable they are in the classroom. Imagine if it is revealed after more than a decade that while the principal was demanding that this company's textbooks be used at their school the company was paying the principal money to give speeches, advertise for them, and promote their product. Furthermore, it's revealed that the principal didn't even disclose...

A blaze of blooms to send your spirits floating like a butterfly By FIONA MACRAE 10th July 2009. Just a few yards from the noise and fumes of one of the nation's busiest motorways stands an oasis of dazzling natural colour. Twenty acres of grassland have been transformed by an explosion of summer blooms into Britain's biggest and brightest wildflower meadow. Designed to attract butterflies and naturelovers alike, it was created in only 12 weeks and boasts 65 different species of flower from around the world. [Pic in URL] Dazzling: Sunflowers form the centrepiece of the massive wildflower meadow that...

Black Frat Inducts Bill Clinton as Honorary Member By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS July 10, 2009 NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A historically black fraternity has voted to induct former President Bill Clinton as an honorary member. Phi Beta Sigma President Paul Griffin Jr. said Friday that Clinton is the first U.S. president to be inducted into a historically black fraternity. The fraternity voted Tuesday for Clinton's induction at its 95th Anniversary Conclave in New Orleans, La. Stevie Wonder, Al Roker, the Rev. Al Sharpton and jazz musician Ramsey Lewis are also honorary members of Phi Beta Sigma. The fraternity was founded...

Return to the Article July 09, 2009Betraying America's Soldiers: Iranian War Criminals Go FreeLance Fairchok "The moment you give up your principles, and your values . . . the moment you laugh at those principles, and those values, you are dead, your culture is dead, your civilization is dead. Period."  Orianna Fallaci On Thursday, the US released 4 Iranian detainees who are suspected of being members of an Iranian Special Forces team that facilitated the smuggling of explosives and explosive devices into Iraq, including shaped charges that could penetrate US armored vehicles. A recent article on the National Review Online, by...

LaKeesha grimaced as she settled into the wheelchair, her swollen abdomen thrust forward. A high-pitched groan escaped her lips. Mike moved the footrests into position under her aqua blue slippers. There had been no time to get shoes on when she roused her husband at 1:27 a.m. Although she had carefully packed her maternity bag weeks ago, still everything seemed so chaotic and rushed. Once in the car, they had called the Public Option Health Care maternity service to get their hospital assignment. “Due to unusually heavy call volume, your wait time may be up to 27 minutes. Your call...

July 10, 2009 Suit Challenges Two-Thirds Vote On Taxes A former UCLA chancellor asked the California Supreme Court today to declare that the state constitution's requirement of two-thirds legislative votes to raise taxes is invalid. The suit was filed by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP on behalf of Charles Young, former chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles, and director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. The suit described Young as "a citizen, taxpayer, and voter of the State of California, interested in seeing that the California government carries out its public duty consistent...

WASHINGTON — House Democrats will ask the wealthiest Americans to help pay for overhauling the health care system with a $550 billion income tax increase, the chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee said Friday. The proposal calls for a surtax on individuals earning at least $280,000 in adjusted gross income and couples earning more than $350,000, said the chairman, Representative Charles B. Rangel of New York. It would generate about $550 billion over 10 years to pay about half the cost of the legislation, Mr. Rangel said. As the proposal envisions it, the rest of the cost would...

HOUSTON - Loud voices, finger pointing, and name calling erupted under a billboard bearing the image of a man who dreamed of peace Friday. The billboard and its claim that Martin Luther King Jr. was a republican is the brainchild of Apostle Claver Kamau-Imani, founder of Houston-based RagingElephants.org , a grass roots group hoping to appeal to minorities. "We're going to make a very earnest serious aggressive attempt to lure them to the conservative voting base," Kamau-Imani said. But not everyone agrees. "Dr. King may have supported some of the principles-- anti-abortion, same-sex marriage--I understand that,” community activist Quanell X...

In the process of searching for a used car for my children to use to go to school and get to work (summer jobs), I have made a couple of significant discoveries. Many used cars are selling for way below book value because there is no book value due to the incentives for buying new cars and economic conditions. Few banks will give loans on a used car at this time. Many, many used cars are for sale and remain for sale for quite some time. Cars that should have elevated used values are selling for well below "usual" values....