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In the early days of December 1805, a handful of prominent politicians received formal invitations to join President Thomas Jefferson for a White House dinner. Whatever Jefferson could have foreseen for the young country’s future, it appears the modern-day White House tradition of marking Ramadan with an iftar dinner or Eid celebration has come to an end. Ramadan, which falls on the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, started on May 27 this year and ends at sundown Saturday. Muslims around the world will mark the end of the holy month by celebrating the holiday Eid al-Fitr, the “feast of...

Thank you President George W. Bush for your service to this country. Thank you for protecting us al these years. Thank you for inspiring us after 911. Thank you for standing on the rubble of the twin towers and letting the world know that they would hear from all of us soon. THank you for pitching a strike at the World Series which let the terrorists know that we would not cower. THank you for going after these terrorists with anger, determination...and never forgetting those who perished. Thank you for going to Iraq on Thanksgiving to serve Turkey to the...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The economy snapped out of a lethargic spell and grew at a 3.4 percent pace in the second quarter, the strongest showing in more than a year. A revival in business spending was a main force behind the energized performance. snip Inflation -- outside a burst in energy and food prices -- moderated. The second quarter's performance was better than the 3.2 percent growth rate economists were expecting. It was the strongest showing since the first quarter of 2006, when the economy expanded at a brisk 4.8 percent annual rate. Gross domestic product measures the value of...

The Dow was up 55.23 today, closing at 11,639.77. Today's close was the second highest ever for the Dow. The previous highest close was 11,582.43 on 1/13/2000. Today's close was also within 85 points of the all time Dow closing high, which was 11,722.98 on 1/14/2000. CNBC reports that the stock market got a late afternoon boost from the approval of tax cut extensions on Capitol Hill.

After topping $3 a gallon, average gas prices continued to plunge last week, falling to the lowest levels since Hurricane Katrina damaged Gulf Coast oil refineries. "November is going to be somewhat of a weak month," Kloza says. He predicts the price will bottom out between $2.10 and $2.35 a gallon nationwide, and is sticking to a prediction he made last week that gas could fall below $2 a gallon in some states. The cheapest statewide average: Oklahoma's $2.14, according to travel club AAA. Hawaii had the highest prices, averaging $3.01 a gallon.

Gas prices in and around Indianapolis are on the way down, I have seen it for as low as $2.25/gal and yet I see no word from the MSM about this development! Why?? Anyone else notice this in their area?

What has gotten into the dollar? For the past three years the greenback has been in a funk against just about every major currency on the planet. Mounting gloom over America's trade deficit, economic growth, and even the war on terrorism preoccupied currency traders. But in the past few months the dollar has been confounding forecasters -- and whipsawing short-sellers -- by rebounding sharply. Goldman, Sachs & Co. (GS ) took the unusual step on June 13 of changing its near-term currency outlook for the second time in less than a month to jump on the dollar bullwagon. It is...

Consumer confidence unexpectedly rebounded in May after declining in April, as worries about the economy and jobs eased, a private research group said Tuesday. The Conference Board said that its Consumer Confidence Index rose to 102.2 from a revised 97.5 in April. The reading was much better than the 96 that analysts had expected, which would have been a decline from the original April reading of 97.7. The index is now at the highest level since it reached 103 in March. "Consumer confidence improved in May, gaining back nearly all of the ground it lost in April," said Lynn Franco,...

We all should remember the rumors from the left this time last year that the Bush administration had made a secret deal with the Saudis to generate a drop in gas prices in the weeks before the election to secure a victory. It was not true. As the election actually drew near the Kerry camp began asking why the administration did not put pressure on the Saudis to lower the price of oil. They want it both ways. We all should remember the cries of the liberal left that Bush led us to war for the oil in Iraq. It...

Settle 46.92 High 48.00 Open Interest 47186 Low 46.80

Osama bin Laden's militant al Qaeda network is facing financial problems because of difficulties collecting, transferring and storing funds, a top U.S. Treasury official said on Wednesday. "We have indications that terrorist groups like al Qaeda and (Palestinian militants) Hamas are feeling the pressure and are hurting for money," Treasury Undersecretary Stuart Levey told the California and Florida Bankers Associations. "While I am limited in what I can say about it, I can tell you that the information we have been receiving lately is encouraging. We have seen intelligence suggesting that terrorists are having trouble raising, moving and storing money,"...

Jan 20, 2005 US Fed reports economy to be starting to hum WASHINGTON - The US Federal Reserve says there are fresh signs that the US economy is moving solidly ahead. Its latest snapshot of economic activity showed that shoppers and tourists kept sales people busy, factories for the most part hummed and the jobs picture brightened over the last few months. The Fed's survey of business conditions around the United States also suggested that inflation isn't currently a danger to the economy. Eleven of the Fed's 12 regional districts characterized economic activity from late November through early January as...