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Downing Street has warned of a “challenging” Winter ahead, suggesting that restrictions in reserve such as domestic vaccine passports could be imposed if the number of cases gets too high. While Professor Neil Ferguson has said that a Plan B may need to be implemented if Covid cases increase. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said on Monday said that they are expecting an increase in Chinese coronavirus in the coming months and will be keeping a “close watch” on the figures, with Government adviser Professor Andrew Hayward claiming there was “huge potential for the NHS to come under a lot...

In a homily delivered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception that brought the U.S. bishops' "fortnight for freedom" to a close, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput stressed that defending religious liberty is part of the bigger struggle to "convert our own hearts" and to "live for God completely." See here. This struggle to convert our own hearts and to live for God completely encompasses a battle against Satan and his demonic forces. Satan does not want the follower of Jesus to live in peace and harmony. He wants to seduce the followers of the Lord away...

Peter Schurman, a founder and former executive director of MoveOn.org, announced Tuesday he plans to challenge California Attorney General Jerry Brown in his state's Democratic gubernatorial primary. "Our Democratic standard-bearer must be a true leader, take strong stands on the issues, and run a vigorous grass-roots campaign," .. "With our state in crisis, and our party facing billions in corporate money this fall, we can't settle for anything less." Schurman led the liberal group between 2001 and 2005; ..

BEIJING (Reuters) – China should build the world's strongest military and move swiftly to displace the United States as the global "champion," a Chinese PLA officer says in a new book reflecting swelling nationalist ambitions. The call for China to abandon modesty about its global goals and "sprint to become world number one" comes from a People's Liberation Army (PLA) Senior Colonel, Liu Mingfu, who warns that his nation's ascent will alarm Washington, risking war despite Beijing's hopes for a "peaceful rise." "China's big goal in the 21st century is to become world number one, the top power," Liu writes...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26, 2009 – The war in Afghanistan is challenging, but winnable, the commander of U.S. European Command -- who also serves as NATO’s top military commander -- wrote in a “From the Bridge” blog post on Eucom’s Web site yesterday. The situation in Afghanistan is “extremely serious,” Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis wrote, but he expressed confidence that “the coalition, working with the Afghan people, will ultimately win.” “The stakes are high, [and] the situation is extremely challenging,” Stavridis conceded. The admiral echoed NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s assessment that success will require an international team effort...

McKinney hints at challenging Georgia voting lawsLawmaker says 'malicious crossover' voting by Republicans disenfranchised black voters in her district By Ben Evans ASSOCIATED PRESS Posted on Fri, Sep. 08, 2006 WASHINGTON - Outgoing Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney hinted Thursday that she or her supporters might try again to challenge the legality of state voting laws that allowed Republicans to vote in the Democratic primary where she lost her House seat last month. McKinney, the first black woman elected to Congress from Georgia, said "malicious crossover" voting by Republicans disenfranchised black voters in her district from picking their candidate of choice,...

A federal judge on Monday rejected a lawsuit from an atheist who said the use of "In God We Trust" on U.S. coins violated his First Amendment rights. U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. said the minted words amounted to a secular national slogan that did not trample on Michael Newdow's religious views. "There is no proper allegation that the government compelled plaintiff to affirm a repugnant belief in monotheism," Damrell said in dismissing the suit. Newdow, a Sacramento doctor and lawyer, also lost an effort two years ago to have the Pledge of Allegiance banned from public schools...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - An atheist who has spent years trying to ban recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is now challenging the national motto printed on U.S. currency. Michael Newdow said Sunday that he planned to file a federal lawsuit this week asking for the removal of the national motto, "In God We Trust," from U.S. coins and dollar bills. He claims it's an unconstitutional endorsement of religion and "excludes people who don't believe in God." Newdow, a Sacramento doctor and lawyer who is an avowed atheist, used a similar argument when he challenged the Pledge of...

Gun enthusiasts were handed a legal victory this week when a federal judge ruled they can argue that their free-speech rights are violated by an Alameda County ordinance that bans guns on county property. In a ruling issued Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Martin J. Jenkins cleared the way for a new First Amendment challenge to the 1999 ordinance. County attorneys had asked the judge to dismiss the challenge, arguing that the gun ban is a public safety issue rather than a constitutional one, but Jenkins said the plaintiffs had sufficient grounds to continue with their lawsuit. "Plaintiffs have articulated...

I have often wondered whether liberal politicians and journalists, most of whom surely believe they are more sophisticated and enlightened than their conservative counterparts, truly don't understand the concept behind the intricate balance of powers the Framers incorporated into the Constitution or simply don't care. Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne Jr. asked in a recent column, "Should a temporary majority of 50.7 percent have control over the entire United States government? Should 49.3 percent of Americans have no influence over the nation's trajectory for the next generation? We are deciding whether one ideological orientation will hold sway over all...

WASHINGTON - The main national carpenter's union is joining a coalition of some of the nation's largest unions challenging the AFL-CIO's approach to leading the labor movement. The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America broke away from the labor federation in 2001, saying it was shifting more of its resources to organizing and was impatient for the AFL-CIO to do the same. "The Carpenters' Union is proud to join with the most dynamic unions in the country," President Doug McCarron said in a release obtained by The Associated Press. A formal announcement was planned for Monday. The carpenters...

A challenging job may keep you from losing your memory. In today's stressful society, that might sound a bit counterintuitive. But new research out of Germany shows that people who have intellectually stimulating jobs that provide opportunity to take responsibility and control are less likely to develop Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. Previous studies have shown that the risk for Alzheimer's dementia increases with psychosocial inactivity and an unproductive work style, in addition to other factors. The current study, published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, concludes that job demands play a role in the development of memory loss. More...

<p>HOLLYWOOD - Fifteen years ago, when Pete Wilson was thinking about giving up his U.S. Senate seat and running for governor of California, a very prominent political strategist privately chastised him for considering such a move because "California is ungovernable."</p>

Good evening Mr. Blix. Someone on this thread is an Iraqi Agent and is in possession of weapons of mass destruction. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to capture the Agent and disarm the WMD before they can be implemented. The Agent is a slippery fellow and will use any means at his disposale to evade capture. THE PLAYERS:One Iraqi Agent: One person on this thread will be chosen at random to act as the Iraqi Agent. He will be notified via FRmail. The game begins after he has acknowleged receipt of the FRmail. His goal is...