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February 3, 2020 Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 2 Sm 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13 An informant came to David with the report, “The children of Israel have transferred their loyalty to Absalom.” At this, David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem: “Up! Let us take flight, or none of us will escape from Absalom. Leave quickly, lest he hurry and overtake us, then visit disaster upon us and put the city to the sword.”As David went up the Mount of Olives, he wept without ceasing. His head was covered, and...

Former Gov. Christie Todd Whitman this weekend assailed her fellow Republicans in the Senate for blocking a call for more witnesses in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Whitman, a moderate Republican who served as governor of the Garden State from 1994 until 2001, said on Twitter it was “mind boggling” that the Senate would vote, nearly along party lines, to disallow witnesses from testifying in the proceedings. Trump was impeached by the House last month on charges that he abused power and obstructed Congress as he tried to pressure Ukraine to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden, using military...

Kyle Shanahan will now have another Super Bowl collapse to answer questions about. After being peppered all week by reporters seeking to rehash that blown 28-3 lead to New England three years ago when Shanahan was offensive coordinator in Atlanta, Shanahan's first trip to the Super Bowl as a head coach ended in another late-game meltdown. The 49ers became the third team in Super Bowl history to give up a 10-point lead in the second half when they blew a 20-10 advantage and lost 31-20 to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night.

Now that the Democrats’ dream of stealing the 2016 election through the power of MSNBCNN-fueled outrage, and through plots by fussy lib bureaucrats, lies in ruins, some people might argue that we should be gracious in our total victory and not mock the stinging pain that accompanied this latest agonizing failure. Some people are sissies. Hoist a stein overflowing with the tears of these losers and chug chug chug away.Then tap another keg. This party is finally getting started, and it’s going to rage on until January 2025. Maybe even longer, if you listen to the Bozos, Pennywises, and Krustys they...

Democrats in the State House are pushing House Bill 2184, a measure that would mandate “comprehensive sexual health education” by the year 2022. In the proposal, first graders would begin to learn about gender roles. Teachers are instructed to read My Princess Boy prior to the lesson [...] Sixth graders would learn “language … that seems less familiar – using the pronoun ‘they’ instead of ‘her’ or him,’ using gender neutral names in scenarios and role-plays and referring to ‘someone with a vulva’ vs. a girl or woman.” “This is intended to make the curriculum inclusive of all genders and...

A Gilbert HOA is accused of trying to restrict its residents' first amendment rights on Facebook by threatening fines and penalties if residents post comments that frame the board in a negative light. "Considering you're talking of a fine up to $250 a day and revoking your privileges at our clubhouse here, suing us with our own money, that's pretty unfair," said resident Mark Skarupa. It all began last year during board elections in the Val Vista Lakes Community off Baseline and Val Vista roads. People in the community were talking on a private Facebook page called “Residents at VVL”...

Not that anyone would notice today, but ours is a government of defined powers. The prerogatives reside with We The People who compacted to delegate certain authority and no more. Big diff between the American and Brit system, at least on paper. Imagine the 1st Amendment didn’t exist. In its absence would Congress or Scotus have the authority to establish a religion, or restrict the civil freedoms of religious worship, speech, press, assembly or petition? Without the 1st Amendment, could Scotus have inverted its intent and walled off religiosity from the public square? No. This was the essence of the...

Footage of government officials in Wuhan appearing to take face masks intended for health workers battling the highly infectious coronavirus has fuelled a growing wave of anger over how Chinese authorities have handled the outbreak. Images of medical staff making protective equipment out of rubbish bags, sleeping in hospitals, and crying in frustration and exhaustion have dominated Chinese social media over the last two weeks, inspiring an outpouring of sympathy and donations of supplies. (Please see full article at the link)

All the items left outside the Staples Center in a tribute to Lakers great Kobe Bryant will be collected and given to his family. In a statement Lee Zeidman from the Lakers said, "The Lakers asked L.A. LIVE and STAPLES Center to collect, catalog and store all of the donated items until further directions are provided by the Bryant Family." Bryant and eight others, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas last weekend. Since his death, fans have gathered outside Staples Center to pay tribute to the late basketball legend. Fans left flowers, pictures,...

He's having serious heart surgery tomorrow, good docs, and he's otherwise in good shape, but any prayers for him and the med teams are appreciated.

A threat made Friday that mentioned U.S. Sen. Susan Collins forced several schools from Machias to Bangor and Aroostook County into a “soft lockdown.” School remained in session, but no one could enter or leave the buildings without authorization. A business in Orono received the threat Friday morning through a “vague, email message,” according to Orono High School Principal Reg Ruhlin. Scott Porter, the superintendent of Machias schools, said the threat specified Collins and listed high schools in Bangor, Brewer, East Millinocket, Caribou, Houlton, Madawaska, Jonesport, Machias and Harrington. School districts did not see the actual message, according to Brewer...

If you’re looking to keep up with Maine author Stephen King on Facebook, don’t bother. He isn’t there anymore. King tweeted Friday night that he is quitting Facebook. A search for his page on Facebook Saturday morning came up empty. King said on Twitter he is “not comfortable with the flood of false information that’s allowed in its political advertising.” He also expressed doubts over Facebook’s ability to protect users’ privacy. Facebook said last month that it would not ban or fact-check political ads, a position that has drawn criticism.

Face masks are in short supply in parts of the world as people try to stop the spread of a new virus from China. Health officials recommend strap-on medical masks for people being evaluated for the new virus, their household members and caregivers. Masks can block large droplets from sneezes and coughs, and that’s how viruses spread from person to person.

Video at link.

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP/VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE and AMERICA: Government, Family, Military, Business, Education, Churches, and the Media. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Religion Forum threads labeled "Prayer" are closed to debate of any kind.

The Ottoman Empire was once among the biggest military and economic powers in the world. So what happened?At its peak in the 1500s, the Ottoman Empire was one of the biggest military and economic powers in the world, controlling an expanse that included not just its base in Asia Minor but also much of southeastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The empire controlled territory that stretched from the Danube to the Nile, with a powerful military, lucrative commerce, and impressive achievements in fields ranging from architecture to astronomy. But it didn’t last. Though the Ottoman Empire persisted for...

Almaty. February 3. KazTAG - Several serious leaks of coronavirus occurred in 2014-2017 from the laboratories in China, reports the National Geographic. “Back in 2017, international experts drew attention to the low security level in the Chinese laboratories. They indicated that several serious unauthorized leaks of the SARS coronavirus occurred from Chinese laboratories during 2014-2017, ” reads the report. The publication clarifies that the laboratory in Wuhan was certified as a lab meeting the BSL-4 safety standards and criteria. “The first BSL-4 laboratory in Japan, for example, was built in 1981, but until 2015 did not work with pathogens due...

Dear John: I’m 93 going on 94, and a combat veteran of World War II and the Korean War. I am alone. My wife is gone and my children are all married, but help as often as they can. I went to the Capital One office in Nutley, New Jersey, to cancel my account. The representative wanted to help me keep my credit card. I said “no,” but he kept putting words in my mouth. I said “cancel.” I made no charges, and paid off the amount due prior to the visit. It keeps charging me interest, etc. L.K.

The husband, from San Benito County, California, recently traveled to Wuhan, China, the center of the virus' outbreak, and apparently passed the disease to his wife, who did not go to China. Both 57, neither has been hospitalized, but they have also not left their home. The couple's diagnosis brings the total number of positive cases in the United States to 11. The ninth case in the country, in Santa Clara County, California, was announced Sunday afternoon. The other human-to-human transmission was also between a husband and wife and was announced last week in Illinois.

A large Turkish military convoy rumbled into rebel-held areas of northwest Syria on Sunday, witnesses on the ground and activists said. Separately, airstrikes on a rebel-held village in Syria’s northwest killed at least seven people, opposition activists said. Elsewhere, rebel shelling killed a woman and wounded at least three journalists, Syrian state TV reported. The violence and troop movements came amid a Syrian government offensive into the country’s last rebel stronghold, located in Idlib province and parts of the nearby Aleppo region. Turkish troops are deployed in some of those rebel-held areas to monitor a cease-fire that has since collapsed....