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“Half of all mass killings in the United States have occurred since the assault weapons ban expired in 2005, half of all of them in the history of the country.”- Bill Clinton’s over-the-top ‘fact’ on mass shootings SOURCE: WaPo (1-11-13)The Fact Checker:Bill Clinton’s Over-The-Top ‘Fact’ on Mass Shootings “Half of all mass killings in the United States have occurred since the assault weapons ban expired in 2005, half of all of them in the history of the country.” — Former President Bill Clinton, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Jan. 9, 2013 Bill Clinton on gun control: 'This...

A watery-looking nebula in deep space is being renamed after the sea creature it strongly resembles: a manatee. The nebula is the leftovers from a star that died in a supernova explosion about 20,000 years ago. Before it died, the giant star puffed out its outer gaseous layers, which now swirl in green-and-blue clouds around the dead hulk of the star, which has collapsed into a black hole. Known officially as W50, the celestial object is being dubbed the Manatee Nebula by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), during a ceremony today (Jan. 19) at the Florida Manatee Festival in...

Much digital ink has been spilled about the oil and gas boom in the US, the result of ever improving fracking technologies, and whether or not it will lead to energy independence, or even turn the US into an oil exporter. Now a “confidential” report by the German version of the CIA, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), seeped to the surface. It sketched out the boom’s geopolitical consequences. Biggest loser? China.

In recognition of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, indelible contributions to America and the world, let us honor him this week with recognition and reverence of his most memorable admonition; “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Perhaps no more pure, noble or aspirational words were ever spoken during the civil rights movement in our country. It would do every citizen good to read Dr. King’s entire 1963 “I Have a...

In this video, NY Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin is asked to keep quiet a proposal by Democrats to confiscate guns:

http://youtu.be/miEmIfhfxuc

There have been indications that a cloning experiment to create a live Neanderthal may be on the cards. While the idea of using DNA from frozen mammoth remains to clone a live specimen is nothing new, the concept that we could do something similar to bring back extinct species of human such as Neanderthals may prove quite a shock to most people. Despite the technical and ethical difficulties inherent in such an endeavor, there are signs that some scientists may be considering research leading up to such an achievement and that they may need a surrogate human mother to deliver...

January 21, 2013 Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr   Reading 1 Heb 5:1-10 Brothers and sisters:Every high priest is taken from among menand made their representative before God,to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring,for he himself is beset by weaknessand so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himselfas well as for the people.No one takes this honor upon himselfbut only when called by God,just as Aaron was.In the same way,it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest,but rather the one who said...

The Utah Sheriffs' Association has written a strongly worded letter to President Obama on the issue of gun control. Even though the president's executive orders and suggested legislation don't mention confiscating firearms, the sheriffs seem to anticipate such a move. Part of the letter reads, "No federal official will be permitted to descend upon our constituents and take from them what the Bill of Rights—in particular Amendment II—has given them." The Sheriffs in 28 of 29 Utah counties have signed the letter, with Jim Winder of Salt Lake County being the only Sheriff not to join in.

Street vendors and souvenir stores across Washington, D.C. are selling posters depicting President Obama as Jesus Christ — and one national news publication called him the “Second Coming.” The poster, which does not have the official endorsement of the White House, features an image of the president in prayer with the headline, “Prophecy Fulfilled.” “Barak is of Hebrew origin and its meaning is ‘flash of lightning,” the poster notes, referencing a passage in in the Old Testament book of Judges. Hussein, they allege, is a Biblical word meaning “good and handsome.” “So you see, Barak was destined to be a...

For a country that is undergoing huge economic , social and demographic changes, education needs a more resolute direction. Nationally, private school enrolment in rural India is increasing at about 10% every year. In the next five years, India may have half of the children attending private schools even in rural areas. According to the Annual Status of Education Report, ASER 2012, released recently in the Capital, the enrolment level for the 6-14 age group continue to be high in rural areas. In 2012, 96.5% of all the children in this age group in rural areas were enrolled in schools....

France is increasingly upset by what it sees as limited Obama administration support for the war it is waging in Mali against al Qaeda militants, including an initial U.S. demand, since dropped, that Paris foot the bill for any Air Force transport flights, French officials said. After the French went public with their complaints over the weekend, the Pentagon yielded on one of them, saying Sunday night that it would not seek reimbursement from Paris for the flights. However, the unusually harsh criticism from Paris underscored the longtime U.S. ally's growing frustration with the U.S. commitment to the Mali mission....

President Barack Obama plans to use a Bible that belonged to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as he takes his oath of office on the holiday honoring the slain icon, marking what some say is an inextricable tie between the nation’s first black president and the civil rights movement. It’s only the second time Inauguration Day has coincided with the King holiday. Some say it’s only fitting the celebrations are intertwined. “It’s almost like fate and history coming together,” said U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who worked alongside King in the fight for civil rights during the 1950s and ‘60s...

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is without question the most powerful leader in Europe. International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde is one of the most influential figures in the entire global economy. The British still revere (or, in some cases, revile) their enduring Iron Lady, former prime minister Margaret Thatcher. And the Finns had a woman president for so long, Tarja Halonen from 2000 to 2012, that some youngsters in Helsinki were surprised to learn last year that a man could hold the job. Europe has gotten quite accustomed to women leaders in government, and as an idea, but not...

ATLANTA -- A man was injured in a fight outside the Georgia Dome and taken to nearby Grady Hospital following Atlanta's loss to San Francisco in the NFC title game. According to a report by Channel 2 Action News in Atlanta, a 49ers fan stabbed a Falcons fan in the neck with a knife. Georgia Dome spokesman Jason Kirksey emailed a statement to The Associated Press Sunday saying an altercation occurred in a parking lot outside the dome at 6:40 p.m.

Momma and Papa Harbaugh must be so proud! A new Super Bowl FIRST!

The National Rifle Association is airing a television ad (and has on its website this four-minute video) that says the private school that President Obama’s daughters attend, Sidwell Friends School, has 11 armed guards. It doesn’t. In fact, it has no armed guards. My Post colleague Glenn Kessler, who writes The Fact Checker column, wrote about the issue here and quoted Ellis Turner, associate head of Sidwell Friends, as saying: “Sidwell Friends security officers do not carry guns.” Parents and students say they have never seen one either. The president’s children are protected by Secret Service agents, which is required...

Condoleezza Rice has been hired as a new regular contributor to CBS News, The New York Times reports. CBS News chairman Jeff Fager and president David Rhodes made the appointment. Rice, who served under President George W. Bush as national security advisor from 2001 to 2005 and secretary of state from 2005 to 2009, is expected to comment regularly on national and international issues.

The world is beset by terrorists — witness the American hostages taken in Algeria this week — but portions of our federal government continue to obsess about alleged home-grown threats from the “far right.”The Combating Terrorism Center, which is based at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, has issued a new report on its website entitled“Challengers from the Sidelines: Understanding America’s Violent Far-Right.”Normally, the center’s activities are focused on al-Qaeda and other violent Islamic groups seeking to topple governments around the world. But the latest report looks inside America itself, and if the center is to be judged...

...But I’m still going with a Brother vs. Brother Super Bowl. Yes, I love the road teams on Sunday. Throw the point spreads, the recent history, and the home crowds away. In Harbaugh(s), I trust.