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MEHTARLAM, Afghanistan — The second-ranking intelligence official in Afghanistan and a prominent ally of President Hamid Karzai was assassinated by a suicide bomber on Wednesday morning in a blast that also killed 15 others outside the main mosque in the official’s hometown, near Kabul, officials and witnesses said.

Anticipating hundreds of millions of dollars a year in greenhouse gas fees collected from California businesses, the Legislature is planning to redistribute much of the bounty to the state's "most impacted and disadvantaged communities." Perhaps a bill pending in the state Senate reveals the motive of feel-good legislative efforts to fight global warming: a massive redistribution of wealth. Assembly Bill 1405 calls for 30 percent of new fees raised under global warming regulations yet to be drafted to go to a Community Benefits Fund to be used in specially selected communities, based on specific criteria also yet to be drafted....

This footage was taken secretly by Fragrant Loam, our undercover operative in Germany. Fragrant Loam has been chronicling a new twist to the so-called "white slave trade" in Germany. As you can see in this secret video, this blond haired/blue eyed Übermensch is forcing a poor, miserable and helpless Jewish girl to learn pole dancing...

Democrats will take to the streets in Stroudsburg and other towns across the country tonight as a way to build public support for the national health care bill. "It's a candlelight vigil to memorialize the people who have been adversely affected by poor health care policy, or lack thereof, in the United States," said Patrick McDermott. McDermott is a legislative aide to state Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-18, but said he is working the vigil on his own time. "I'm incredibly passionate about the need for health care reform in this county, and I want to lend my voice and efforts...

JERUSALEM – Archaeologists digging in Jerusalem have uncovered a 3,700-year-old wall that is the oldest example of massive fortifications ever found in the city, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Wednesday. The 26-foot-high wall is believed to have been part of a protected passage built by ancient Canaanites from a hilltop fortress to a nearby spring that was the city's only water source and vulnerable to marauders. The discovery marks the first time archaeologists have found such massive construction from before the time of Herod, the ruler behind numerous monumental projects in the city 2,000 years ago, and shows that Jerusalem...

A Taliban suicide bomber killed Afghanistan's deputy chief of intelligence during a visit to a mosque east of Kabul on Wednesday in an attack that left 23 others dead. The bombing struck at the heart of Afghanistan's intelligence service and underscored the Taliban's increasing ability to carry off complex and targeted assaults. The explosion ripped through a crowd in Laghman province just as officials were leaving the main mosque in Mehterlam, 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of Kabul. Several top provincial officials from Laghman were among the dead, and President Hamid Karzai and the U.N. condemned the attack. A Taliban...

The following table represents the top 20 overall vehicles for August. Overall sales are different from the top clunkers sales. View the Top 20 Vehicles for August...

You didn't read this in your local paper, but 2010 could be a catastrophic year for elderly heart and cancer patients. Bloomberg News reports that President Obama has proposed cutting $1.4 billion in Medicare payments to heart and cancer specialists. An Obama administration plan to cut Medicare payments to heart and cancer doctors by $1.4 billion next year is generating a backlash that’s undermining the president’s health-care overhaul. ...The proposal by Medicare, the government insurer for the elderly and disabled, is an effort by Obama to focus U.S. medicine on preventive care. ...The cuts could have the unintended consequence of...

Politicians trying to manipulate voters using the "race card" may be in for a surprise. It is not working as well as it did during the campaign when Barack Obama was running for president of the United States.

I have created a GA State PAC! Priority One- We have a fundraising event already planned, I need volunteers to help with organizing, publicizing, finding sponsors, etc. We will be having a NON-PARTISAN event. Kennesaw State University has given us permission to use their softball field. We will have a softball game with one team of our elected officials – VS - We the People, grassroots folks. Date: Saturday, October 24th, 2009 @ 2:00 pm I need someone willing and able to create and manage a web site for the PAC. I do NOT micromanage- I will tell you what...

QUEENSLAND vet Alister Rodgers lost his battle with the lethal Hendra virus overnight, dying after two weeks in a coma. State Health Minister Paul Lucas today sent his deepest sympathies to Dr Rodgers' widow, Linda, and children Courtney and Duncan. “This is a terrible tragedy for his family and they are being supported by the staff of Princess Alexandra Hospital,” Mr Lucas told Parliament this morning. Dr Rodgers, of the Rockhampton Veterinary Clinic, was infected with the virus when he treated a sick filly - thought at the time to be suffering from snakebite - at the J4S stud in...

With the passing of Ted Kennedy, it is tempting to consider the end of the era of Camelot. Surely, the height of the Kennedy “dynasty” has come and gone. But the legacy of Kennedy’s era lives on in the form of the unprecedented expansion of our government. Consider the following: Ted Kennedy was auspiciously born in 1932. Of course, that was the year that FDR was elected to office. Believe it or not, FDR campaigned on a platform of reduced spending. Instead of keeping that promise, FDR drove up spending from $4 billion to nearly $40 billion to combat the...

Well, if there's any one person who could close down Michigan Avenue for nearly three days, it would be Oprah Winfrey. The talk-show diva announced Monday that the premiere episode of her 24th season will be taped downtown, smack-dab in the heart of the Magnificent Mile. Thousands are expected to flock to the free event on Sept. 8, which will include an appearance by three-time Grammy Award-winning Black Eyed Peas. So, here's what we know: - Michigan Ave between Wacker and Ohio will close to vehicular traffic just after midnight on Monday, Sept. 7. Use Clark, Dearborn and Lake Shore...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Worker productivity, the single biggest factor determining living standards, grew at the fastest pace in nearly six years in the spring while labor costs fell by the most in nine years, as companies slashed costs to survive the recession. Increases in productivity can help boost living standards because companies can increase wages financed by rising output. But during the recession, companies have been using their productivity gains to bolster their bottom lines as many struggle to stay in business.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/todaysbuzz/wednesday/

President Obama, after taking care of some business yesterday, dives back into vacation mode today as he heads to Camp David. He’ll remain there through Sunday. When he returns, his September schedule is quite busy. Next wee includes his first 9/11 anniversary; later this month he’ll address the AFL-CIO, attend the UN General Assembly meeting, and host the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh. Reports indicate today that somewhere at the front end, he may make a major speech to reframe the health care debate as well. Congress returns from August recess next week, and two vacancies remain -- NY-23 (Rep. John...

CHAPTER SEVEN THE NECESSITY OF DIVESTING OUR SOULS ENTIRELY OF THEIR OWN WILL, THAT THEY MAY BE PRESENTED TO GOD "COME TO ME all ye that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you . . . all you that thirst, come to the fountain." Such are the words of Christ in the Scriptures; let us follow this Divine summons, without impulsiveness or clamor, in peace and mildness, referring ourselves respectfully and confidently to our loving and omnipotent God. Let us wait calmly for the coming of that spirit which brings peace; let us, entirely resigned and obedient to...

Yes, we can! With tax dollars!* * * * *Spin this, Media Matters! On his TV show, Glenn Beck spoke to filmmaker Patrick Courrielche who revealed at Big Hollywood that he had participated in a teleconference call in which the National Endowment for the Arts -- the largest funder of the arts in the U.S. -- encouraged artists to create pro-Obama art: I was invited by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to take part in a conference call that invited a group of rising artist and art community luminaries “to help lay a new foundation for growth, focusing...

ABC’s Jake Tapper has an interesting look inside the Obama messaging factory as it appears to be making plans to change its way of trying to sell Obamacare to the country. This change is in the offing because Obama is thus far losing the debate and they are all painfully aware of this in the White House. Tapper has a revealing quote from former Senator Tom Daschle (D, SD) that presages the new, new way of selling the snake oil that is Obamacare. “I think we have to do better at making this issue a moral imperative,” Daschle told the...

Private non-farm employers cut 298,000 jobs in August, according to estimates by payroll company ADP, a figure that disappointed analysts’ expectations but still showed a gradual easing of job losses. Businesses with fewer than 50 employees lost 122,000 jobs in August, the smallest decline since September 2008, according to the report. Mid-size businesses (with between 50 and 500 employees) lost 116,000 jobs, and large companies lost 60,000. While that sounds like small businesses bear the brunt of job losses, it’s less severe when you consider that they account for a larger share of employment, says Joel Prakken, chairman of Macroeconomic...