Free Republic

Former Dem nominee for VA-Gov in serious condition. Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, is in critical condition after being stabbed in his home and his son Gus is dead from a gunshot wound, law enforcement sources told the Richmond Times-Dispatch this morning. Deeds is being treated at the University of Virginia Medical Center. Authorities said they are trying to determine the sequence of events at the Deeds home in Bath County early today. Further details were not immediately available.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2008 – A critical illness can stretch any family emotionally and financially, but when the patient is a child, the potential stresses are even greater. Stephen Jordan and his wife, Elena, spend time with their children, William (front left), Zachary (back left), Samuel (back middle) and Emma at one of Believe In Tomorrow National Children's Foundation's retreat facilities. All of the foundation's facilities give military families priority. Stephen serves in the Navy. Courtesy photo   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The Believe In Tomorrow National Children’s Foundation is helping ease those burdens. It provides, free...

This photo video of the Perija Parakeet (Pyrrhura caeruleiceps) in the wild is one of the first ever. The colorful parakeet species has a distinctive blue nape and white breast, is threatened by illegal bird traders and habitat disturbance and loss, according to the American Bird Conservancy. The Perija Parakeet is listed as critically endangered and is a threatened species.