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Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's endorsement last week has helped conservative Oklahoma Senate candidate T.W. Shannon shave 26 points from his deficit to close within nine points of Rep. James Lankford. This was revealed in a newly released Public Opinion Strategy poll of Oklahoma GOP primary voters that was conducted four days after her endorsement. In a February poll of likely GOP primary voters in Oklahoma, Shannon trailed Lankford by 35 points (16%-51%). A month later, Shannon trails Lankford by nine points (28%-37%), knocking 26 points from Lankford's lead. The survey, which was commissioned by Oklahomans for a Conservative Future,...

Sarah Palin on Wednesday endorsed former Oklahoma House speaker T.W. Shannon (R) for his state's open U.S. Senate seat. Shannon is running against Rep. James Lankford and a number of other candidates in the Republican primary to replace Sen. Tom Coburn (R). The 36-year old has gotten some early buzz as the first African American to serve as House speaker in Oklahoma, but he remains an underdog, according to the most recent polls. "T.W.’s opponent has the backing of Beltway insiders, but T.W. has the passion and experience We the People need in Washington," Palin wrote on her Facebook page....

Information Theory—part 1: overview of key ideas by Royal Truman The origin of information in nature cannot be explained if matter and energy is all there is. But the many, and often contradictory, meanings of information confound a clear analysis of why this is so. In this, the first of a four-part series, the key views about information theory by leading thinkers in the creation/evolution controversy are presented. In part 2, attention is drawn to various difficulties in the existing paradigms in use. Part 3 introduces the notion of replacing Information by Coded Information System (CIS) to resolve many difficulties....

Just days after Sen. Tom Coburn’s (R-Okla.) announcement that he’ll retire at the end of the year, the race to replace him began to settle with Rep. James Lankford (R) expected to announce his decision to run at a Monday-afternoon press conference, sources tell The Hill. Rep. Tom Cole (R) announced in a Sunday-night press release that he will not run, citing his seniority in the House. The state’s attorney general, Scott Pruitt (R), also announced in a Sunday Facebook post he won’t run. The decisions of Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R) and Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon still remain unclear....

Stardate 20021005.2128 (On Screen): As I think many of my readers know, I used to work for Qualcomm designing cell phones. Qualcomm is the company which invented CDMA, and made it practical, and made it into a market success, and it now dominates the American market, where Verizon and Sprint both use it. There are two other nationwide cellular systems: AT&T currently uses IS-136 TDMA, which is obsolete and has no upgrade path. Cingular uses GSM, a more sophisticated form of TDMA from Europe. And right now I'm basking in the evil glow of a major case of schadenfreude. The...

The Politics of Football... (video)

The Politics of Football... (video)

Shannon, 27, took a shot during Wednesday night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes that deflected out of play and hit one spectator that he was not counting on — his wife.

Steve Shannon, the Democrat candidate for Attorney General, is conducting a very deceptive campaign. He is trying to convince voters he is a conservative. He is also strongly implying the job of the Attorney General is to prosecute criminals. The truth is very different. Shannon’s record reveals he is definitely not a conservative. He voted to put the Marriage Amendment on the ballot, then actively campaigned against it. This constitutional amendment, approved by Virginia voters, requires marriage only to be between one man and one woman – not between two men or two women. Shannon’s opponent in the Attorney General...

In VA, Republicans Still Above 50% in All 3 Statewide November Contests: Virginia Republicans continue to dominate the statewide contests for Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General in elections today, 09/29/09, five weeks until votes are counted, according to SurveyUSA polling for WDBJ-TV Roanoke and WJLA-TV Washington DC. In the race for Governor, Republican Bob McDonnell today defeats Democrat Creigh Deeds by 14 points, 55% to 41%. Compared to identical SurveyUSA polls released four and nine weeks ago, little has changed. McDonnell receives majorities from both men and women, young and old, rich and poor, college graduates and those who...

3.1 Information: A Fundamental Quantity The trail-blazing discoveries about the nature of energy in the 19th century caused the first technological revolution, when manual labor was replaced on a large scale by technological appliances—machines which could convert energy. In the same way, knowledge concerning the nature of information in our time initiated the second technological revolution where mental “labor” is saved through the use of technological appliances—namely, data processing machines. The concept “information” is not only of prime importance for informatics theories and communication techniques, but it is a fundamental quantity in such wide-ranging sciences as cybernetics, linguistics, biology,...

watch A total of three flights have been redirected to Shannon Airport after alleged air rage incidents. A number of people are in custody. Two people were arrested following the first alleged air rage incident on board a transatlantic jet this afternoon. Advertisement Martinair flight 621 was forced to divert to Shannon where it landed safely at 3.40pm. There were 233 passengers on board the aircraft which was en route from Amsterdam to Cuba. Gardaí were waiting at Shannon when the plane landed and two people, a man and a woman, believed to be from Ukraine were arrested on suspicion...

... But most football people, and especially football coaches, are of the "Football Is Not a Matter of Life and Death -- It's More Important Than That" school of thought. However, when Randy Shannon, recently named head coach of the University of Miami Hurricanes, says that football can be a matter of life and death, that is not hyperbole, it is autobiography...

Tom Shannon, US Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere, is convinced that President Hugo Chávez' "clear victory" in the recent election "is good for Venezuela and the region." At the same time, the official welcomed the results for single opposition candidate Manuel Rosales. "There was a clear winner and the opposition accepted it," Shannon conceded during a press conference in reference to the election for president held last Sunday, December 3rd. There, Chávez was re-elected for an additional term of six years with 62.8 percent of votes, versus 36.8 percent for challenger Rosales, AFP reported.

A dramatic left-wing nationalist shift that has appeared to be engulfing Latin America could be running out of steam. Latest opinion polls from Peru, Mexico and Nicaragua - all facing elections this year - indicate that candidates on the "hard" left, running on strong anti-U.S. platforms, are not faring well. "It is a step back from the leftward trend," said Dennis Jett, dean of the International Center at the University of Florida, and a former U.S. ambassador to Peru. The tide had appeared lately to be going in the opposite direction, with political leaders aligning themselves with Venezuelan President Hugo...

The Taoiseach's office has refused to release any information it has about the CIA's 'extraordinary rendition' flights, on the grounds that to do so may compromise the security, defence or international relations of the state. The Council of Europe this weekend said that CIA jets travelling through Irish airports should be searched by gardai to ensure that prisoners are not being carried. A report published by the Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) last month had recommended that Gardai (Irish National Police) board such flights. Extraordinary rendition involves the abduction of suspected militants from foreign countries by members of the CIA...

SHANNON, Ireland, Oct. 24, 2005 – Dr. Neil Fruman didn't realize how much of an impact a trip to military installations around the world had made on him until, during an airport stopover in Ireland on the way home Oct. 22, he saw a group of soldiers headed to Iraq. "It became very clear to me then," said Fruman, a family practitioner from Lafayette, Calif. "Looking in the eyes and shaking the hands of these men and women of different countries of origin, nationalities, heights, weights, sexes - all with smiles on their faces, eager, anxious and respectful, standing proudly...

<p>It was a cruel hoax, police said today, that renewed a Boone County family's hope that a daughter missing for 17 years was about to come home.</p> <p>A Kansas woman is charged with identity deception and false reporting, police said at a press conference this afternoon. Donna Walker, 35, Topeka, is not in custody and police asked for help in locating her.</p>

Appeals court rules in Venegas' favor BY LAUREL ALMADA Times staff writer The Fourth Court of Appeals ordered that a Laredo man charged in a 12-year-old triple ax murder case must be released from custody or have his bond reduced Wednesday. The published opinion came as a result of Miguel Angel Venegas Jr.'s appeal of a decision rendered by visiting Judge Fred Shannon on March 5. Despite the order, the prosecution maintains Venegas cannot be released from the Webb County jail until the state has exhausted its appellate resources. The defendant is charged with three counts of murder and one...

           Rumsfeld:  Four things just to open it up here.  One is and certainty the most important is to have a chance to thank the troops in what ever number of countries we are going to, and who have all been, in one way or another, been   deeply involved in the success being achieved in Iraq and in Afghanistan.  Second, is to talk with the folks both with respect to Iraq and Afghanistan about the evolution that is taking place from major combat operations.  And third, is to discuss with our allies in the countries around Iraq the arrangements...