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The national flag of the People's Republic of China (PRC) will be hoisted at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on September 20, media reported Sunday. Chinese associations in the United States had applied to hold a ceremony in front of the US President’s residence to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of PRC. Chen Ronghua, chairman of Fujian Association of the United States, told reporters that their application was approved not only because of the sound Sino-US relations but also because China is a responsible country.

Journal of the American Medical Association Vol. 302 No. 1, July 1, 2009 The Obligation to Participate in Biomedical Research G. Owen Schaefer, BA; Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD; Alan Wertheimer, PhD JAMA. 2009;302(1):67-72. Abstract: The current prevailing view is that participation in biomedical research is above and beyond the call of duty. While some commentators have offered reasons against this, we propose a novel public goods argument for an obligation to participate in biomedical research. Biomedical knowledge is a public good, available to any individual even if that individual does not contribute to it. Participation in research is a...

Our take on: Obama's lesson The nation's political discourse has hit a new low. At least, we hope it doesn't get any lower than parents threatening to keep their kids... Read more... "Legitimate fears of social and political indoctrination" Cato -- Sep 2, 2009 Non-crazy opposing party, please Oliver Willis -- Sep 2, 2009 Obama's address to students: Why this is a good idea Dallas Morning News -- Sep 3, 2009 What do you think? Are there good reasons to object to President Obama's speech to the nation's students? Yes. It would make America's kids a captive audience for the...

US debt is so large, it doesn't even fit on most calculators. Western Colorado property developer Matt Miles was concerned that no one in the government, nor most Americans, had ever seen the number. So he made a new calculator, it emerged yesterday. The Big Red calculator displays 16 digits. That's enough to show all the numbers in the national debt, which totalled nearly $11.8 trillion (R93 trillion), or $11 792 918 170 836.43, at the start of this month. Big Red Calculator: http://www.bigredcalculator.com

Pratt and Whitney is one of Connecticut's largest employers, and its planning to cut hundreds of jobs. Today the state stepped in to try and save those jobs. The Pratt and Whitney facilities on the chopping block are this jet engine repair plant in Cheshire and a smaller facility in East Hartford. Lawmakers and union officials are very clear on what's at stake. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Cheshire CT: A thousand jobs of high skilled workers in this state and their families. Another 2-to 4-thousand jobs around the state that depend on these proud workers. The additional jobs would be lost...

If he wants to prevail in Afghanistan, Barack Obama needs a George W. Bush moment. He’ll have to ignore the polls, brush aside doubters in his own party, and reinforce a failing war effort. Bush did all that, and more, when he ordered the surge in Iraq in January 2007. He also had to buck his own military brass and almost the entirety of a foreign-policy establishment that considered the feckless recommendations of the Baker-Hamilton commission holy writ. He operated from a position of political weakness so debilitating, Lyndon Johnson might have identified with it in his final days. Compared...

Following the incredible popularity of my post “Is Nouriel Roubini a False Prophet?“, I’ve decided to do a little introductory lesson for those more interested in avoiding charlatans … Cold Reading is a primary set of techniques employed by phony psychics and market prognosticators. When cold reading, the primary objective of the sender is to ensure that the recipient perceives the statement/prophecy to be a hit. Here are a few classic techniques used by Ms. Cleo and Nouriel Roubini: TECHNIQUE 1. The “Rainbow Ruse”: Indicate one trait and, at times, the opposite. For example: “The bad news out of the...

VERNON — Gregoria Martinez, 94, might seem like your typical grandma. She made quilts for her grandchildren, encouraged them to go to church, prayed for them, and gave advice. Except the Vernon grandma didn't have just a handful of grandchildren when she died Tuesday. She had nearly 300. Ninety-eight were grandchildren; 164 were great-grandchildren and 16 were great-great-grandchildren — all descendants of her own 11 offspring. That's without counting her three stepchildren or any of their descendants — or the three great-great grandchildren currently on the way. The family purposely underestimated the total count but felt if all were included...

With President Obama slated to give a televised address to public school students across the nation on Tuesday, schools in the D.C. area – including the school from which Obama will broadcast the speech – are trying to play their cards as diplomatically as possible. “Most people I've talked to were saying that they were extremely concerned that schools were being used for political platforms,” said Ivy Allen, the assistant public information officer of Loudoun County Public Schools. Loudoun, like Arlington, Fairfax, Frederick, and Prince George Counties – all districts that surround D.C. – have received a landslide of calls...

So far, the Obama administration’s plan for dealing with the budget deficit — an estimated $9 trillion over a decade — is to not dig the hole any deeper. That’s an important first step. President Obama deserves credit for proposing ways to pay for his two big initiatives to date: health care reform and energy legislation. Reducing the growth in health care costs, in particular, is vital to curbing future deficits. As for the hundreds of billions of dollars in economic stimulus, their impact on long-term deficits is marginal because the spending is temporary. More important, deficit spending is warranted...

Obama Advisor, Helped Van Jones join Whitehouse Czars- "Like Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett is a product of the corrupt Chicago political machine. And it is no stretch to say that she was a slumlord," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "We have real concerns about Jarrett's ethics. Washington already has plenty of corruption. We don't need to import more of it from Chicago."

Muslims are what make America great, if President Obama is to be believed. At a White House interfaith dinner honoring Ramadan on Tuesday, he said that "the contribution of Muslims to the United States are too long to catalog because Muslims are so interwoven into the fabric of our communities and our country." We would be intrigued to see that long list and to learn more about how Muslims have been part of the woof and warp of America. It is no slight to acknowledge that most Muslims are relative newcomers to the United States and they lack the numbers...

A central belief in Washington and most state capitals nowadays is that government should "invest" in certain businesses—"clean tech," say, or manufacturing—to drive job creation. We hope it all turns out better than it has in Michigan. For the past 14 years, Lansing politicians have offered $3.3 billion in tax credits through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and spent another $1.6 billion in outlays to create and retain jobs. The subsidies have ranged from tax breaks for Hollywood, to money for new industrial plants, to millions for TV ads starring Jeff Daniels and Tim Allen talking about business and tourism...

Earlier this week, the Thomas More Society, a pro-life advocacy group filed a lawsuit with the Illinois Supreme Court to force state officials to begin enforcement of a 14 year old Parental Notification Law. In July, the Seventh District Court of Appeals dissolved a permanent injunction paving the way for the enforcement of the parental notification law only to have the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation grant a 90 day moratorium to allow abortion practitioners to "understand their obligation" under the law. In 1995, the Illinois legislature enacted the law requiring that the parents or guardian of minor...

TALK IS CHEAP. Trading index options is usually not. As pundits everywhere debate about the trajectory of the economic recovery, investors are laying out big dollars to buy defensive index options. If the global and U.S. economies recover in the shape of a V -- down fast, up fast -- the hedges will probably ultimately function as emblems of balancing risk and reward. If the economies follow a W-shaped recovery -- a view espoused by the famous hedge-fund manager, Paul Tudor Jones, and Bill Gross, the bond maven -- the hedges will offset stock losses from another sharp drop in...

Put Your Faith into Action Today's Scripture "No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God" (Romans 4:20, AMP) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Do you know how powerful praise is? Praise is putting your faith into action. Just as putting your physical body into action makes it grow stronger, putting your faith into action through prayer and thanksgiving will cause it to grow strong, too! I love what this verse says about Abraham: No unbelief...

His! "They were Yours, You gave them to Me . . ." —John 17:6 A missionary is someone in whom the Holy Spirit has brought about this realization: "You are not your own" ( 1 Corinthians 6:19 ). To say, "I am not my own," is to have reached a high point in my spiritual stature. The true nature of that life in actual everyday confusion is evidenced by the deliberate giving up of myself to another Person through a sovereign decision, and that Person is Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit interprets and explains the nature of Jesus to me to...

We’re told Lee County schools will tape the message, then decide whether to show it to students. Charlotte County schools will allow teachers to make the call, but parents can prevent their kids from watching. In Collier County, students will not be watching to speech, but the school district will post it online.

I have a challenge for everyone on this site and to pass on to others. Over the past 6 months I have been doing this 14 day prayer and have seen amazing results! So now I will challenge you or ask that we as a group, collectively do this together, because there is power in prayer. Before we get into specifics I want to mention that we did this on a smaller scale before and I have seen amazing results. It started when I returned from the Specter/ Sebelius town hall meeting. I told of what happened there (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2306697/posts) and...