Days of Caution

Red Bull gives you wings - and heart trouble?

2008-08-16T08:31:00.003-04:00

Red Bull may claim to “give you wings” but drinking too much of the popular energy drink may also lead to heart damage, a study suggests.

A study of 30 university students aged between 20 and 24 years old found that drinking just one 250ml sugar-free can of the caffeinated energy drink increased the “stickiness” of the blood and raised the risk of blood clots forming.

Using tests to measure blood pressure and the state of blood vessels around the body, the Australian researchers said that after drinking one can participants had shown a cardiovascular profile similar to that of someone with heart disease.

Last year a research team from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit presented a paper to the American Heart Association suggesting that energy drinks may boost heart rates and blood pressure levels. The results, from a small study, prompted them to warn against consumption by those with cardiovascular problems.

Earlier this year a teenager from Darlington was sent to hospital after drinking eight cans of Red Bull. Paramedics reported that the 15-year-old suffered heart palpitations.

Last year a large study of American college students found that those who drank energy drinks mixed with alcohol during a night out were twice as likely to be injured or otherwise come to harm than those who consumed alcoholic drinks on their own.

Obama goes ballistic over Corsi best-seller - Issues blistering 40-page report challenging WND reporter's high-flying, No. 1 exposé

2008-08-16T08:26:00.004-04:00

With the wreck of John Kerry's "swiftboated" 2004 campaign in his rearview mirror, Barack Obama and his surrogates are wasting no time mounting a counterattack against WND staff writer and columnist Jerome Corsi, the co-author of the Swift Boat Veteran's for Truth's "Unfit for Command" and the author of current No. 1 New York Times best-seller, "The Obama Nation."

Obama advisers have been tracking Corsi's media appearances, quickly telephoning producers to react to the book's charges, and last night, the Democratic presidential candidate's campaign issued a 40-page response to the book.

Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor accompanied the release with a shot at Corsi, calling him a "discredited liar who is peddling another piece of garbage to continue the Bush-Cheney politics he helped perpetuate four years ago."

"The Obama Nation" is ranked No. 1 among all books at Amazon.com and will debut at No. 1 on the New York Times non-fiction best-seller list next week. The book already has secured the Times' top spot for the following week, as the Democratic National Convention gets under way.

Corsi told WND the campaign has largely chosen to respond to his book with a series of personal attacks.

"Derision and ridicule are the lowest form of argument, suggesting the Obama camp already has lost the debate," he said. "The Obama camp and its supporters appear to be in disarray over the book, responding almost irrationally with an endless string of epithets and insults."

More from WorldNetDaily

Churches ordered closed during Olympics - Pastors forced to sign agreements not to meet for 90 days

2008-08-16T08:22:00.003-04:00

An organization founded by a man who escaped from China after being persecuted for his Christian faith says it has uncovered a secret Chinese government document demanding that churches shut their doors for 90 days around the Beijing Olympics.

"Should church members violate these rules they will be subject to the disciplinary actions of the Chinese government," said the report from China Aid Association, an organization dedicated to helping persecuted Christians.

"Pastors were forced to sign a written agreement that they would not participate in religious services while the Olympic Games are taking place in China," the organization said.

China Aid said the document, drafted by Chinese government officials, specifies that the house churches in China "refrain from organizing and joining illegal gatherings and refrain from receiving donations, sermons and preaching from overseas religious organizations and groups that have a purpose."

More from WorldNetDaily

Could Obama strike down all state pro-life laws?

2008-08-16T08:17:00.002-04:00

The editor of a pro-life news service says a draft copy of the proposed Democratic Party platform that will be approved later this month in Denver continues the party's historic pro-abortion stance and mirrors Barack Obama's extreme support for abortion.

The proposed Democratic Party platform announces unequivocal support for Roe v. Wade and direct taxpayer funding of abortions. Steven Ertelt, editor of LifeNews.com, obtained the draft platform from a pro-life group that is urging the Democratic Party to moderate its stance on abortion.

Ertelt says the platform draft also expresses support for the so-called "Freedom of Choice Act" -- a bill Senator Obama promised Planned Parenthood last summer would be the first piece of legislation he signs as president. According to Ertelt, the measure would overturn all of the pro-life laws nationwide. "In other words, that piece of legislation would overturn any laws that any state legislature has passed -- for example, prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortion, allowing parents a right to know when their teenage daughters are considering having an abortion, a right to know or informed consent, or any other common-sense limits like partial-abortion bans that we've put on the books. That would overturn all of those laws," he states bluntly.

More from OneNewsNow

Houses For $1: "My 14-Year-Old Son Could Buy a Block of Detroit Property"

2008-08-14T19:16:00.002-04:00

Things are looking pretty bleak in parts of Detroit these days. In fact, you can get a house for $1. Yes, that's right. A house.

Even at the low, low price of a double cheeseburger at McDonald's, it took 19 days to find a buyer for a gutted house on Detroit's east side, says the Detroit News. The house in question used to be the nicest house around. After foreclosure, however, vandals stripped the property of everything valuable from the wiring to the kitchen sink.

The home, at 8111 Traverse Street, a few blocks from Detroit City Airport, was the nicest house on the block when it sold for $65,000 in November 2006, said neighbor Carl Upshaw. But the home was foreclosed last summer, and it wasn't long until "the vultures closed in," Upshaw said. "The siding was the first to go. Then they took the fence. Then they broke in and took everything else."
"It about doesn't make sense to put the family out," Upshaw said. "Once people are gone, you're gonna lose the house in this neighborhood."

Empty houses are becoming more and more of a problem in Detroit and other cities hard hit by the foreclosure crisis. Banks are so desperate to rid themselves of these properties that they're willing to pay $10,000 to sell a house for $1.

Muslim father burns Christian daughter alive - Man slices out girl's tongue, ignites her after 'heated debate on religion'

2008-08-14T18:46:00.003-04:00

A Saudi Arabian Muslim father cut out his daughter's tongue and lit her on fire upon learning that she had become a Christian.

The child became curious about Jesus Christ after she read Christian material online, the Gulf News reported.

Her father read of her Internet conversation, detached her tongue and burned her to death "following a heated debate on religion," according to an International Christian Concern report.

The father is employed by the muwateen, or Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. The muwateen are police tasked by the government with enforcing religious purity. The man has been taken into custody, and his identity has not been released.

More at WorldNetDaily

Don't take your vitamins? Don't say I didn't tell you that you should.

2008-08-14T18:29:00.002-04:00

Researchers at Johns Hopkins are reporting what is believed to be the most conclusive evidence to date that inadequate levels of vitamin D, obtained from milk, fortified cereals and exposure to sunlight, lead to substantially increased risk of death. In a study set to appear in the Archives of Internal Medicine online Aug. 11, the Johns Hopkins team analyzed a diverse sample of 13,000 initially healthy men and women participating in an ongoing national health survey and compared the risk of death between those with the lowest blood levels of vitamin D to those with higher amounts. An unhealthy deficiency, experts say, is considered blood levels of 17.8 nanograms per milliliter or lower.

Of the 1,800 study participants known to have died by Dec. 31, 2000, nearly 700 died from some form of heart disease, with 400 of these being deficient in vitamin D. This translates overall to an estimated 26 percent increased risk of any death, though the number of deaths from heart disease alone was not large enough to meet scientific criteria to resolve that it was due to low vitamin D levels.

Georgia Under Online Assault

2008-08-14T18:14:00.002-04:00

The websites of Georgia's government have been under denial-of-service attacks for weeks, with Russian hackers fingered as the culprits. Those online assaults have only intensified in recent days, as a shooting war between the two countries has broken out.

Galrahn at Information Dissemination says that "Russia appears to have targeted the .ge domain for specific government websites, and are pounding the Georgian military networks, but other websites in Georgia in org, net, and other domains are still up, sporadically." The Washington Postflooding the sites with so much junk Web traffic that they can no longer accommodate legitimate visitors." adds that "the Caucasus Network Tbilisi -- key Georgian commercial Internet servers -- remain under sustained attack from thousands of compromised PCs aimed at

IntelFusion calls it a "full scale cyberwar being conducted by Russia against Georgia." As always, however, its extremely difficult to sort out which hacks are being done with Russian government involvement, which are being done with government wink-and-a-nod, and which have nothing to do with the government whatsoever.

From Wired

Georgia claims Russians have cut country in half

2008-08-11T19:43:00.002-04:00

Russian forces seized several towns and a military base deep in western Georgia on Monday, opening a second front in the fighting. Georgia's president said his country had been effectively cut in half with the capture of the main east-west highway near Gori. Fighting also raged Monday around Tskhinvali, the capital of the separatist province of South Ossetia. Russian warplanes launched new air raids across Georgia, with at least one sending screaming civilians running for cover.

The reported capture of the key Georgian city of Gori and the towns of Senaki, Zugdidi and Kurga came despite a top Russian general's claim earlier Monday that Russia had no plans to enter Georgian territory. By taking Gori, which sits on Georgia's only east-west highway, Russia can cut off eastern Georgia from the country's western Black Sea coast.

"I've expressed my grave concern about the disproportionate response of Russia and that we strongly condemn the bombing outside of South Ossetia," Bush told NBC.

More from Yahoo News

Mexican cartels running pot farms in U.S. national forest

2008-08-11T19:38:00.003-04:00

Beyond the towering trees that have stood here for thousands of years, an intense drug war is being waged.

Authorities uncovered more than $1 billion worth of pot plants in Sequoia National Forest this week.

Illegal immigrants connected to Mexico's drug cartels are growing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of marijuana in the heart of one of America's national treasures, authorities say. It's a booming business that, federal officials say, feeds Mexico's most violent drug traffickers.

"These aren't Cheech and Chong plants," said John Walters, director of the National Drug Control Policy. "People who farm now are not doing this for laughs, despite the fact Hollywood still thinks that. They're doing it to make a lot of money."

Walters spoke from a "marijuana garden" tucked deep into the Sequoia National Forest, a two- to four-hour hike from the nearest road, far removed from the giant sequoias the region is best known for.

More from CNN

San Francisco fest features public sex with no arrests

2008-08-11T19:26:00.004-04:00

Nude men engaged in multiple instances of public sex on a municipal street while police officers, on foot and bicycle, congregated nearby making no attempt to enforce public indecency regulations, according to a report on the latest homosexual-fest in San Francisco.

The behavior was documented in photographs of an event called "Up Your Alley," which is sponsored by the same group that organizes the city's fall "gay"-fest, the Folsom Street Fair, on which WND has reported.

"Consider how liberal government authorities like Mayor [Gavin] Newsom have corrupted the men in blue by stipulating that police not prosecute public nudity and indecency at homosexual festivals," said a report from Americans for Truth on the graphic activities documented at the event.

More from WorldNetDaily

Random House pulls novel on Islam, fears violence

2008-08-11T19:23:00.002-04:00

Publisher Random House has pulled a novel about the Prophet Mohammed's child bride, fearing it could "incite acts of violence."

"The Jewel of Medina," a debut novel by journalist Sherry Jones, 46, was due to be published on August 12 by Random House, a unit of Bertelsmann AG, and an eight-city publicity tour had been scheduled, Jones told Reuters on Thursday.

The novel traces the life of A'isha from her engagement to Mohammed, when she was six, until the prophet's death. Jones said that she was shocked to learn in May, that publication would be postponed indefinitely.

"I have deliberately and consciously written respectfully about Islam and Mohammed ... I envisioned that my book would be a bridge-builder," said Jones.

Random House deputy publisher Thomas Perry said in a statement the company received "cautionary advice not only that the publication of this book might be offensive to some in the Muslim community, but also that it could incite acts of violence by a small, radical segment."

Start of Olympics on 8.8.08 Hardly 'Lucky' for Suffering Christians

2008-08-07T17:41:00.002-04:00

8.8.08 will signal the start of the long-awaited 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on Friday with the elaborate opening ceremonies.

The Chinese consider eight a lucky number because in Cantonese it sounds like the word for "get rich" or "prosper."

Many Chinese will celebrate Aug. 8, 2008 as one of the most important dates in Chinese history – the launching of a prestigious event for the entire world to see the "new, open China."

But many Christians are hardly "lucky" this year. The fact is that many Christians have suffered even harsher persecution by the Chinese government due to the glare of the Olympic spotlight. As a result, many have been thrown into prison or transported to areas far away from Beijing and the Games venues. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) reported last week that nearly 700 Protestant leaders who are not registered with the government have been placed in custody in the past year.

An estimated 100 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with more millions facing discrimination and alienation.

More from ChristianNewsWire

Saudis to Christians: Get out! - Those accused of worshipping in homes ordered deported

2008-08-07T17:38:00.002-04:00

More than a dozen Christians in Saudi Arabia who were accused by government officials of worshipping in their homes have been ordered deported.

According to a report from International Christian Concern, the Christians will be expelled tomorrow for their part in a home worship service in Taif in April.

The deportation conflicts with the message stated just weeks earlier by Saudi King Abdullah, who called for interfaith dialogue and held a summit in Spain with a representatives from several major religions.

"Deporting Christians for worshipping in their private homes shows that King Abdullah's speech is mere rhetoric and his country is deceiving the international community about their desire for change and reconciliation," said Jeff King, the president of ICC.

More from WorldNetDaily

More Obama News

2008-08-07T17:24:00.008-04:00

Here are some Obama stories that are not your typical headlines, but you might want to check them out, as they offer things you may not hear on CNN, CBS, ect...

Obama site: Jews must be 'burned' -
Anti-Semites congregate on candidate's official presidential campaign blog

Arabs deny Obama camp returned illegal donations
Candidate's staffers insist Gaza brothers refunded, but men say, 'We did not receive any money back'

Almost half polled say 'enough already' from Obama

Anti-Obama Bloggers Say They Were Silenced

Has Obama prepped world for the Antichrist?

2008-08-01T18:18:00.002-04:00

Interesting Commentary by Hal Lindsey. Worth some consideration.

From WorldNetDaily

Things are going to be a much DARKER and much SLOWER in Spain

2008-08-01T18:08:00.003-04:00

Spain has seen the future and it is slow, dim and uncomfortable. A swingeing series of energy-saving measures announced by the Spanish government may be a foretaste of the kind of policies which will be forced upon an energy-hungry industrial world in the coming decades.

To protests from motorists and mockery in parts of the press, the Socialist government plans to cut motorway speed limits to 50mph and town speeds to 25mph. New austerity rules will be imposed on the air conditioning and heating of all public buildings. Street-lighting will be cut by half.

The energy shock caused by the boom in oil prices in the past year has hit Spain especially hard. Spain has scant energy resources of its own and is more dependent on fossil fuels for its energy needs – 84 per cent – than any other European Union country.

More at The Independent

Oregon Health Plan - we wont pay for your chemotherapy, but we will cover the costs of your assisted suicide!

2008-07-30T18:59:00.000-04:00

Opponents of physician-assisted suicide are fired up this summer, and rightfully so, over an ethically questionable provision of the Oregon Health Plan. The conflict came to light in a recent report in The Register-Guard of Eugene. The newspaper described the sad plight of Barbara Wagner, a 64-year-old Springfield woman with lung cancer. After her oncologist prescribed a cancer drug that would cost $4,000 a month, the newspaper reported, “Wagner was notified that the Oregon Health Plan wouldn’t cover the treatment, but that it would cover palliative, or comfort, care, including, if she chose, doctor-assisted suicide.”

That presents an unacceptable conflict. The state health program should not be in the position of denying chemotherapy to terminally ill patients while offering to pay the cost of helping them die.

More from Dvorak.org

Study: Trade deficit with China cost 2.3M US jobs

2008-07-30T18:52:00.003-04:00

China's soaring trade deficit with the U.S. cost Americans 2.3 million jobs and $19.4 billion in lost wages between 2001 and 2007, according to an Economic Policy Institute study released Wednesday.

The Alliance for American Manufacturing blamed unfair trade policies for encouraging U.S. companies to ship jobs to China, where labor is cheaper and its currency undervalued.

"Our flawed trade relationship with China is destroying good jobs," executive director Scott Paul said in a prepared statement.

Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau and United States International Trade Commission, the Washington-based think tank said high-tech workers were hit especially hard after China entered the World Trade Organization in 2001.

Imports of computers and electronic parts accounted for nearly half of the $178 billion increase in the trade deficit during that time period.

It also blamed the trade imbalance for pushing down wages an average of $8,146.

Overall, California suffered the most losses, with 325,800 fewer jobs. It was followed by Texas at 202,900, New York at 127,000, Illinois at 102,800 and Ohio at 102,700.

Restaurant Chains Close as Diners Reduce Spending

2008-07-30T17:45:00.002-04:00

Several national restaurant chains were shuttered on Tuesday, possibly offering an early taste of what’s in store this year for businesses that depend on free-spending consumers whose budgets are now being squeezed.

The parent company of Bennigan’s, an Irish-themed bar and grill with about 200 sites across the country, filed for bankruptcy, a move that will put hundreds of employees out of work and leave many landlords with empty retail space during a painful time in the real estate market.

A sister brand, Steak & Ale, will also close. Franchise units of Bennigan’s will remain open for now, a spokeswoman, Leah Templeton, wrote in an e-mail message.

The restaurants are the latest casualties in the so-called casual dining sector, considered a cut above fast food. Soaring food costs and a surfeit of locations have hurt the companies’ bottom lines just as Americans are choosing to take more meals at home.

The closings are “something we’re going to see more of over the next 6 to 12 months,” said Amy Greene, a director at Avondale Partners who tracks the restaurant industry.

Prayer targets world's 3rd largest mission field – America

2008-07-29T20:50:00.003-04:00

A blanket of prayer for America is being proposed for Sept. 11, 2008, the seventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, because it no longer is the Christian nation it once was, according to a coalition of organizations.

"America used to send out missionaries," Matti Stevenson, a spokeswoman for the effort, told WND. "Now it's the third-largest mission field itself. People from Africa are coming to help us. What does that say?

"It just takes my breath away," she said.

The project is called "Cry Out America" and intends to have a prayer vigil in every county – all 3,141 of them – on that day. It's being assembled by the Awakening America Alliance, a non-partisan, broad coalition of Christian leaders, denominations, churches, ministries and others.

"America is a nation in great spiritual decline evidenced by current statistics which show that only 17 percent of Americans attend church on any given Sunday and that America is the third largest mission field in the world," the organization said.

More from WorldNetDaily

No Bomb Sniffing Dogs Please, We Don't Want to Offend the Jihadist

2008-07-29T20:37:00.002-04:00

Bomb sniffing dogs used by British Transit Police in the U.K. are no longer allowed to come in contact with Muslims. Why? It's against their religion of course. In the Muslim faith, dogs are deemed to be spiritually “unclean”.

Studies by Islamic Jihadist have shown that actually wearing suicide vests renders the devices more effective in lieu of checking them with the rest of their luggage. Nonetheless, a report for the Transport Department has stated that the animals should only touch passengers’ luggage because it is considered “more acceptable”.

Wikipedia publishes suicide instructions - From beheading to electrocution, site becomes manual to kill self

2008-07-29T20:30:00.004-04:00

Wikipedia, the online "free encyclopedia" written and edited by its users, now includes dozens of detailed suicide methods with descriptions of ways in which people can mutilate or kill themselves.

The following are among such techniques described in vivid detail: beheading, cutting oneself, drowning, suffocation, electrocution, use of explosives, hanging, vehicular impact, jumping from bridges and towers, drug abuse, inhaling and ingesting poisons, suicide by fire, stabbing, shooting, starvation and suicide attack.

When WND contacted a representative of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, she said, "A site detailing the different methods someone could use to kill themselves could definitely be harmful to the public."

The researchers published their findings in an April 12, 2008, article titled, "Suicide and the Internet." The study found, "The top four sites provided not only information but also evaluation of methods of suicide. This included, for instance, detailed information about speed, certainty, and the likely amount of pain associated with a method."

Of the three most frequently appearing websites, one is openly satanic and all are pro-suicide, the study reported. "Wikipedia was the fourth most frequently occurring site."

More from WorldNetDaily

S&P: Home prices drop by record 15.8 pct. in May

2008-07-29T20:25:00.002-04:00

Home prices tumbled by the steepest rate ever in May, according to a closely watched housing index released Tuesday, as the housing slump deepened nationwide.

The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city index dropped by 15.8 percent in May compared with a year ago, a record decline since its inception in 2000. The 10-city index plunged 16.9 percent, its biggest decline in its 21-year history.

Toxic Chemicals Found In Common Scented Laundry Products, Air Fresheners

2008-07-26T12:04:00.002-04:00

A University of Washington study of top-selling laundry products and air fresheners found the products emitted dozens of different chemicals. All six products tested gave off at least one chemical regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws, but none of those chemicals was listed on the product labels.

"I was surprised by both the number and the potential toxicity of the chemicals that were found," Steinemann said. Chemicals included acetone, the active ingredient in paint thinner and nail-polish remover; limonene, a molecule with a citrus scent; and acetaldehyde, chloromethane and 1,4-dioxane.

"Nearly 100 volatile organic compounds were emitted from these six products, and none were listed on any product label. Plus, five of the six products emitted one or more carcinogenic 'hazardous air pollutants,' which are considered by the Environmental Protection Agency to have no safe exposure level," Steinemann said.

Teen & Adult Drug Use Statistics that will blow your mind

2008-07-26T08:30:00.002-04:00

Drug use (and abuse) over the course of the twentieth century has fluctuated significantly. As new drugs have been introduced into the public, popularity has shifted between a number of legal and illegal substances. With these popularity shifts have come changes in social acceptance, legal tolerance, and use rates among the public.

Drugs Over the Decades

Dozens of illicit substances are used daily around the nation. 5 of these substances have emerged as the most popular (and therefore most abused) over the years. Looking at these drugs based on their number of users gives a clear picture of the magnitude of national popularity, as well as a clear snapshot of the past four decades of use.

More from Vista Bay

More than 1,000 fentanyl deaths tracked to Mexican drug operation

2008-07-26T08:19:00.003-04:00

More than 1,000 deaths linked to the painkiller fentanyl were reported nationally during a two-year span, traced to a drug operation in Mexico, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The source was the same one identified in a 2007 Free Press investigation into the deadly cocktail of heroin and fentanyl that plagued metro Detroit. The CDC came to Detroit in 2006, as well as other major cities, as fentanyl-related deaths were peaking.

Fentanyl is used for pain management in severe cases, but was often mixed with heroin during the outbreak.

There likely were more fentanyl-related deaths, Schmidt noted, but not every hospital would test for fentanyl.

More from Freep.com

Pickens: Oil at $300 a barrel? Maybe

2008-07-26T08:14:00.002-04:00

Oil prices could hit $300 a barrel if the United States does not take drastic action to reduce its heavy dependence on foreign oil, but neither of the top presidential candidates is addressing the crisis, Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens said Monday.

To prevent economic bankruptcy as a result of sending $700 billion a year overseas to unstable oil producers in the Middle East and Africa, the nation needs to mobilize behind a plan to shift toward domestic energy sources such as natural gas, wind and solar power, he told reporters and editors of The Washington Times.

"We are getting in trouble fast" and the economy is "already in the tank" because the nation is importing 70 percent of the fuel it needs each day, he said.

"The price of oil will be $300 a barrel if you sit here and let it go" for another 10 years, said Mr. Pickens, chairman and chief executive officer of BP Capital. "We have no control over the price of gasoline and diesel. Whatever they're going to stick us with, we'll pay it." Oil closed Monday at $131.04 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Want to gain weight? Here's 8 great ways to do it.

2008-07-26T08:08:00.003-04:00

First, I have a confession: I used to never care about what I ate. Not only that, I also loved take-out foods—mostly because of my crazy work schedule. And oh, I wasn’t the most athletic guy. In fact, I didn’t start exercising until I was in my thirties, when suddenly I realized that I had to do something to keep my body healthy.

Does this sound familiar? Honestly, it seems like we’ve all got some pounds we could shed—and we’re in big company (yes, pun intended). But seriously, this is no joking matter: the statistics about obesity in this country are far from funny. Can you believe that by 2010, three-quarters of the U.S. population will be overweight? And if that didn’t shock you, check this out: statistics show that 80% of our kids are suffering from weight-related afflictions, like arthritis? The consequences of extra weight are devastating. So here’s my question: how did we get here?

The Big 8 from Dr. Manny

WHY ARE THE NETWORK NEWS ANCHORS GOING TO IRAQ WITH OBAMA?

2008-07-21T19:33:00.003-04:00

Could There be Bias in the Media? Say it Ain't So!

More from Fox News

San Fran's next step: Legalized prostitution? City to vote on ballot measure D.A. calls 'welcome mat for prostitutes and pimps'

2008-07-21T19:30:00.003-04:00

Petitioners have succeeded in moving a measure that would effectively decriminalize prostitution in the city of San Francisco to the Nov. 4 ballot.

While prostitution is unlawful under the California Penal Code, the measure – if passed by voters – would ban the San Francisco Police Department from allocating any financial resources for the investigation and prosecution of sex workers on prostitution charges.

Section four of the ballot measure – under the heading "Prostitution Shall Be Decriminalized" – further states that the city, county, and district attorney "shall not subject sex-workers to life long economic discrimination associated with having a criminal record."

San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris criticized the measure, unofficially titled "Enforcement of Laws Related to Prostitution and Sex Workers." Harris told the San Francisco Chronicle, "This measure is nothing more than a welcome mat for prostitutes and pimps to come and hang out in San Francisco."

More from WorldNetDaily

State Dept. promotes 'Mosques in America' - Publishes '09 calendar featuring worship sites for only 1 religion

2008-07-19T11:40:00.005-04:00

This now available from the U.S. State Department: "2009 Mosques of America Wall Calendar: Limited Edition for Ramadan."

"Yep, you read that correctly. It's 'perfect for Muslim outreach efforts," according to a commentary at the Gates of Vienna blog. "Where's the ACLU on this one?"

The product was being advertised by "Global Publishing Solutions," a division of the U.S. State Department, until bloggers started talking about it.

Officials then apparently hid the page behind the security of a password-protected wall. However, the page is still viewable in a Google cache of the website.

This item is on sale until August 1st, 2008 in shrink-wrapped packs of 20 pieces.

"Remember," said the Internet commentator, "This was on an official State Department (state.gov) web page. GPS describes itself this way: 'The Global Publishing Solutions, manages this site as a gateway to information and transactions for their U.S. State Department clients."

More from WorldNetDaily

Movie Warns of Pending Economic Crisis

2008-07-15T17:04:00.003-04:00

A film that warns Americans of an impending economic crisis due to exponentially increasing national debt will be shown to delegates at both political conventions and debuts nationwide in August in selected theaters.

The film, entitled “I.O.U.S.A.,” is part of a grassroots campaign sponsored by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation to engage young people and the business sector and mobilize them to take action.

The foundation claims that America is currently burdened with $53 trillion in obligations -- $175,000 per American -- due to an addiction to debt, near-zero national and personal savings, and the rising costs for social programs like Social Security and Medicare.

The film, which was screened for members of Congress and others in D.C.’s policy establishment Wednesday night, focuses on what it calls America’s “four key deficits” – budget, savings, balance of payments/trade, and leadership.

“America is getting mired in more and more debt and unsustainable promises at both the national and personal levels,” Peterson said in a news release announcing the project. “This is a vicious cycle that must be broken, before it breaks us.”

More from cnsnews.com

Analysts say more U.S. banks will fail - Maybe Dozens?

2008-07-15T16:57:00.003-04:00

As home prices continue to decline and loan defaults mount, U.S. regulators are bracing for dozens of American banks to fail over the next year.

But after a large mortgage lender in California collapsed late Friday, Wall Street analysts began posing two crucial questions: Just how many banks might falter? And, more urgently, which one could be next?

The nation's banks are in far less danger than they were in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when more than 1,000 federally insured institutions went under during the savings-and-loan crisis. The debacle, the greatest collapse of American financial institutions since the Depression, prompted a government bailout that cost taxpayers about $125 billion.

But the troubles are growing so rapidly at some small and midsize banks that as many as 150 out of the 7,500 banks nationwide could fail over the next 12 to 18 months, analysts say. Other lenders are likely to shut branches or seek mergers.

When Human Rights Extend to Nonhumans

2008-07-15T16:51:00.004-04:00

The environment committee of the Spanish Parliament last month voted to grant limited rights to the great apes — chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans.

The committee would bind Spain to the principles of the Great Ape Project, which points to apes’ human qualities, including the ability to feel fear and happiness, create tools, use languages, remember the past and plan the future. The project’s directors, Peter Singer, the Princeton ethicist, and Paola Cavalieri, an Italian philosopher, regard apes as part of a “community of equals” with humans.

If the bill passes — the news agency Reuters predicts it will — it would become illegal in Spain to kill apes except in self-defense. Torture, including in medical experiments, and arbitrary imprisonment, including for circuses or films, would be forbidden.

The 300 apes in Spanish zoos would not be freed, but better conditions would be mandated.

More monkey buisness from The New York Times

Pastor among suspects in illegal snake bust

2008-07-12T08:25:00.003-04:00

The pastor of a Kentucky church that handles snakes in religious rites was among 10 people arrested by wildlife officers in a crackdown on the venomous snake trade. More than 100 snakes, many of them deadly, were confiscated in the undercover sting after Thursday's arrests, said Col. Bob Milligan, director of law enforcement for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.

Most were taken from the Middlesboro home of Gregory James Coots, including 42 copperheads, 11 timber rattlesnakes, three cottonmouth water moccasins, a western diamondback rattlesnake, two cobras and a puff adder.

The snakes, plus one alligator, were turned over to the nonprofit Kentucky Reptile Zoo in Slade. Most appeared to have been captured from the wild, with some imported from Asia and Africa.

Zoo Director Jim Harrison said some of the animals would likely have become exotic pets had they not been seized.

"You can purchase anything off the Internet except common sense," Harrison said. "A venomous snake isn't a pet. You don't play with it. If you do, you're an idiot."

More at Yahoo News

Narcotics Sold Online, No Rx Needed - Study Shows Some Web Site Lack Controls to Keep Kids From Buying Drugs

2008-07-12T08:06:00.002-04:00

Scores of web sites do not require a prescription to buy narcotics, stimulants, and other controlled substances -- and none of those sites has controls to prevent children from making such purchases, a study shows.

A report released today by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University reveals that 85% of web sites selling potent prescription drugs such as OxyContin, Valium, and Ritalin do not ask Internet users for a proper prescription from a doctor. Many explicitly state that no prescription is needed.

"Anyone of any age can obtain dangerous and addictive prescription drugs with the click of a mouse," Joseph A. Califano Jr., chairman and president of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse and former U.S. secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, says in a news release. "This problem is not going away."

The report, titled "'You've Got Drugs!' V: Prescription Drug Pushers on the Internet," details the advertising and selling of controlled substances online. It is the fifth annual report on the subject. The report tracks the availability of prescription opioids such as OxyContin and Vicodin, depressants such as Valium and Xanax, and stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall.

More at WebMD

U.N. scheme to make Christians criminals Sharia-following Islamic nations demanding anti-'defamation' law

2008-07-12T07:52:00.002-04:00

Dozens of nations dominated by Islam are pressing the United Nations to adopt an anti-"defamation" plan that would make Christians criminals under international law, according to a United States organization that has launched a campaign to defend freedom of religion worldwide.

"Around the world, Christians are being increasingly targeted, and even persecuted, for their religious beliefs. Now, one of the largest organizations in the United Nations is pushing to make a bad situation even worse by promoting anti-Christian bigotry," the American Center for Law & Justice said yesterday in announcing its petition drive.

The discrimination is "wrapped in the guise of a U.N. resolution called 'Combating Defamation of Religions,'" the announcement said. "We must put an immediate end to this most recent, dangerous attack on faith that attempts to criminalize Christianity."

More at WorldNetDaily

Iranians consider mandatory execution for apostasy - Christians being interrogated on suspicion of crime of leaving Islam

2008-07-12T07:39:00.005-04:00

A plan is being discussed by lawmakers in Iran that would require the death penalty for anyone who leaves Islam for Christianity or someone who promotes such a conversion even on the Internet, according to a new report from Compass Direct News.

Those discussions of a penal code that was drafted earlier this year bring urgency to situations such as the two men arrested recently and under interrogation for that very crime, the report said.

Under the existing sharia laws in Iran, the death penalty is available for the crime of apostasy, but not required.

The proposal, however, would change that.

"If passed, the penal code drafted last January would require execution of any Muslim who converts to Christianity," Compass said. Such punishments could not be "changed, reduced or annulled."

More from WorldNetDaily

Nearly Half of Nonsmokers Still Breathing Cigarette Fumes

2008-07-12T07:15:00.002-04:00

Nearly half of nonsmoking Americans are still breathing in cigarette fumes, but the percentage has declined dramatically since the early 1990s, according to a government study released Thursday.

The new study found about 46 percent of nonsmokers had signs of nicotine in their blood in tests done from 1999 through 2004. That was a steep drop from 84 percent when similar tests were done in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

But health officials stopped short of celebrating.

"It's still high," said Cinzia Marano, one of the study's authors. "There is no safe level of exposure."

Cigarettes cause lung cancer and other deadly illnesses not only in smokers, but also in nonsmokers who breathe in smoke, studies have shown.

For nonsmoking adults, secondhand smoke increases their lung cancer risk by at least 20 percent and their heart disease risk by at least 25 percent. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at increased risk of asthma attacks, ear problems, acute respiratory infections and sudden infant death syndrome, health officials say.

More from Fox News

'Gay' man sues Bible publishers $70 million for emotional distress because homosexuality cast as sin

2008-07-09T21:26:00.002-04:00

A homosexual man who has a blog on Sen. Barack Obama's campaign website is suing two major Christian publishers for violating his constitutional rights and causing emotional pain, because the Bible versions they publish refer to homosexuality as a sin.

Bradley LaShawn Fowler, 39, of Canton, Mich., is seeking $60 million from Zondervan and another $10 million from Thomas Nelson Publishing in lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the Grand Rapids Press reported.

Fowler filed his claim against Grand Rapids-based Zondervan Monday, alleging its Bibles' references to homosexuality as a sin have made him an outcast from his family and contributed to physical discomfort and periods of "demoralization, chaos and bewilderment," the paper said.

He filed suit against Tennessee publisher Thomas Nelson in June.

Zondervan says that even if Fowler's claim is credible, he's suing the wrong party. A company spokesman told WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids that Zondervan doesn't translate the Bible or own the copyright for any of the translations but relies, instead, on the "scholarly judgment of credible translation committees."

Just assuming he could actually win, which is very unlikely, what good for him or anyone else to gain millions, or even the whole world and then loose their soul? And how can you sue a man or a company if you are in disagreement with God? It is His word after all.

More from WorldNetDaily

Al Qaeda Expanding Recruitment Of Children

2008-07-07T19:41:00.002-04:00

Al Qaeda has successfully established a network for recruiting boys as young as 12 from across central Asia as it seeks new volunteers to enlarge its team of prospective suicide bombers and militants fighters, senior security officials from the Middle East have revealed to CBS News.

News of al Qaeda venturing into the former Soviet central Asian republics with a population that has a largely Muslim heritage marks a significant addition to reports earlier this year that the hardline group had recruited young boys in the Pak-Afghan border region.

Last May, a senior Pakistani security official showed a rare video clip to CBS News documenting a boy, barely 12 years old, using a machete to severe the head of a middle-aged man whom militants probably suspected as being a spy for the U.S.

In an execution which typified the Taliban brand of quick justice, that boy severed the head of his victim who was completely tied up and thrown on the ground as a crowd of hundreds of spectators cheered.

More from CBS News

Will the World End in 2012? - Thousands Worldwide Prepare for the Apocalypse, Expected in 2012

2008-07-07T19:35:00.003-04:00

Two years ago, Patrick Geryl, then 51, quit his job as a laboratory worker for a French oil company. He'd saved up just enough money to last him until December 2012. After that, he thought, he wouldn't need it anyway.

Instead, Geryl, a soft-spoken man who had studied chemistry in his younger years, started preparing for the apocalypse. He founded a "survival group" for likeminded men and women, aimed at living through the catastrophe he knew was coming.

He started gathering materials necessary to survive — water purifiers, wheelbarrows (with spare tires), dust masks and vegetable seeds. His list of survival goods runs 11 pages long.

That's because Geryl believes the world as we know it will end in 2012. He points to the ancient Maya cyclical calendars, the longest of which last renewed itself approximately 5,125 years ago and is set to end again, supposedly with catastrophic consequences, in 2012. He speaks of the ancient Egyptians, who, he claims, saw 2012 as a year of great change too. And he points to science: NASA predicts a sharp increase in the number of sunspots and sun flares for 2012, he said, sure to cause electrical failures and satellite disruptions.

These may sound like the ravings of a madman, or perhaps the head of a small apocalyptic sect. But Geryl is not the only one who believes in the apocalypse. Thousands of people worldwide seem to be preparing, in one way or another, for the end of days in 2012. Survival groups exist in Europe, Canada and the United States. A simple Google search for "2012" and "the end of the world" brings up nearly 300,000 hits. And the video-sharing Web site YouTube hosts more than 65,000 clips informing and warning viewers about their fate in 2012.

More from ABC News

At $100 for Tank of Gas, Some Choke on ‘Fill It’

2008-07-07T19:17:00.003-04:00

With gasoline prices high and rising, a new financial milestone has arrived: the $100 tank of gas. Bryan Carisone, a heating and air-conditioning contractor in Raritan, N.J., “absolutely loves” his new GMC Denali XL, an extra-large sport utility vehicle with televisions built into the leather seats. But in June, one week after he bought it, he pulled into a station on a near-empty tank and watched the total climb higher and higher — to $109.

“It just about killed me,” Mr. Carisone said.

For decades, the $100 barrel stood as a hypothetical outlier in doom-and-gloom conversations about future oil prices. And nobody could even imagine an American family paying $100 to fill the tank.

From The New York Times

Group Asks for Divine Intervention to Ease Oil Prices

2008-07-04T07:47:00.004-04:00

As the price of oil continues to rise, some are turning to God and prayer for an answer to their financial troubles.

The Pray at the Pump Movement, founded by Rocky Twyman, has been holding prayer vigils at gas stations across the country. On Monday, Twyman decided to take his movement from Exxon and Shell stations straight to the steps of the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C., hoping to encourage the oil-rich country to raise the amount of barrels they release each day from 200,000 to 1.2 million.

Twyman, who is a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, spent the afternoon outside of the embassy praying and asking passersby to sign his petition for the release of more oil, which he hopes to deliver to the Saudi oil minister.

"Our people are really suffering through this crisis," Twyman told Cybercast News Service. "We need the Saudis to release at least 1.2 [million] barrels of oil per day for about the next six months until we can get everything settled in America ... (I)f they can just do that for us, than this will help us get through this crisis."

More from CNS

Change of plans for July 4 - gas too pricey

2008-07-04T07:24:00.003-04:00

Many Americans will watch fireworks at home instead of hitting the road this July 4, according to a new poll released Wednesday, as record gasoline prices force people to make major changes in their daily lives.

According to a CNN/Opinion Research poll, 31% of Americans have canceled or shortened their planned holiday weekend vacation because of the recent increase in the price of gas.

"When consumers talk about their thinning wallets, high fuel expenses is the reason they would point to first," said Wachovia economist Tim Quinlan.

The average price of a gallon of gas rose to an all-time high above $4.09 a gallon Wednesday, according to a survey from motorist group AAA. Gas prices are now about 3% higher than last month and 38.5% higher than year-ago levels.

Of the more than 1,000 Americans surveyed from June 26 to 29, 72% said record gas prices have caused them to make changes in their daily lives, and 30% said those changes were major ones.

Presbyterians move to allow gay clergy, but fight remains

2008-07-01T16:18:00.003-04:00

The nation's largest Presbyterian denomination on Friday (June 27) cracked open the door to ordaining non-celibate gay and lesbian clergy, though the decades-old fight is far from over.

Delegates at the Presbyterian Church (USA) meeting here voted 54 percent to 46 percent to remove a clause in their constitution that requires clergy to be either married and faithful or single and chaste.

In a related move, delegates approved an "authoritative interpretation" of church rules on gay clergy, a move that was meant to piece back together a delicate compromise forged two years ago that was rejected by the church's highest court. Under the new interpretation, gay and lesbian clergy would be allowed to declare a conscientious objection to rules that would otherwise prohibit them. Local bodies could then choose to ordain them, or deny them access to the pulpit.

"I think the word that best describes what we feel is grief," said Terry Schlossberg of Presbyterian Coalition, a group that sought to preserve the ordination standards. "We think the implications are very serious and will do a great deal of harm to the church." In the proposal that now heads out to local presbyteries, delegates voted to replace language in the church's Book of Order that required ordination candidates to live "in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness."

It's getting bad when the Clergy don't even read their Bible or worse when they choose to ignore what is in it.

9 in 10 see rising gas prices causing family hardship

2008-07-01T16:02:00.004-04:00

Like a plague that does not discriminate by economic class, race or age, soaring gas prices are inflicting pain throughout the U.S. Nine in 10 are expecting the ballooning costs to squeeze them financially over the next half year, an Associated Press-Yahoo! News poll said Monday.

Nearly half think that hardship will be serious. To cope, most are driving less, easing off the air conditioning and heating at home and cutting corners elsewhere. Half are curtailing vacation plans; nearly as many are considering buying cars that burn less gas.

As the price has spiraled upward so, too, has the public's ire.

Two-thirds consider gas prices an extremely important issue, edging the economy and outpacing health care and Iraq as the country's most distressing problem. In November, when gas cost about $1 a gallon less than today, just under half rated it extremely important.

More from Yahoo News

Democratic Party official accused in satanic rape, kidnap

2008-07-01T15:52:00.001-04:00

Joy Johnson

A Democratic Party official and her husband are facing charges in connection with alleged satanic rituals involving the kidnap, rape and starvation of another couple in North Carolina.

Joy Johnson, 30, a vice-chairwoman of the Durham County Democratic Party and vice chairwoman of the Young Democrats, made an appearance in court yesterday after she and her spouse, Joseph Craig, were arrested Friday.

Craig, 25, is charged with second-degree rape, second-degree kidnapping and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon for an incident in January and another in May. Johnson is charged with two counts of aiding and abetting.

According to published and broadcast reports, prosecutors said a man and a woman met Craig through a shared interest in Satan worship, although the couple never consented to any physical abuse.

Joseph Craig

Craig allegedly shackled his victims to beds, kept them in dog cages and starved them inside his home. Police say he beat the man with a cane and a cord, and raped the woman.

More from WorldNetDaily

US leads world in substance abuse, WHO finds

2008-07-01T15:45:00.005-04:00

The United States leads the world in rates of experimenting with marijuana and cocaine despite strict drug laws, World Health Organization researchers said on Tuesday.

Countries with looser drug laws have lower rates of abuse, the researchers report in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Medicine.

The survey of 54,000 people in 17 countries found that 16 percent of people in the United States had used cocaine in their lifetimes -- far higher than the next highest rate, found in New Zealand, where 4.3 percent of people reported having used cocaine.

More than 42 percent of Americans admitted to having tried cannabis, closely followed by 41 percent in New Zealand, Dr. Louisa Degenhardt of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia and an international team of colleagues found.

Americans were also the most likely to have smoked, with 74 percent saying they used tobacco at some time in their lives, although current smoking rates are far lower at 21 percent.

More from Reuters

Auto sales plunge - Buyers flee SUVs and pickups but can't find the cars they want, resulting in steep declines at most automakers.

2008-07-01T15:38:00.002-04:00

June auto sales plunged, according to reports from the nation's major automakers, as Americans shunned pickups and SUVs in the face of record gas prices.

General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) reported that its U.S. sales fell 18% in June versus a year ago. Sales of GM's light trucks, which includes pickups, SUVs and so-called crossovers, tumbled 16%. GM's car sales dropped 21% in the month.

Still, the results were better than forecasts of an overall 25% decline in sales. And it was good enough for GM to hang onto the title of the No. 1 automaker in terms of U.S. sales.

Toyota Motor (TM) reported a 21% drop in U.S. sales in June from a year ago, far worse than the forecast from Edmunds.com of only a 12% drop in sales. It was the biggest year-over-year decline in U.S. sales in 10 years for Toyota.

Ford Motor (F, Fortune 500), the No. 3 automaker in terms of U.S. sales, posted a 28% decline in sales -- steeper than Edmunds.com's forecasts of a 25% drop. Ford saw demand for its SUVs plunge by more than half and for pickups and other trucks fall more than a third.

More from CNN Money

Barclays warns of a financial storm as Federal Reserve's credibility crumbles

2008-06-28T08:36:00.002-04:00

US central bank accused of unleashing an inflation shock that will rock financial markets, reports Ambrose Evans-Pritchard Barclays Capital has advised clients to batten down the hatches for a worldwide financial storm, warning that the US Federal Reserve has allowed the inflation genie out of the bottle and let its credibility fall "below zero".

"We're in a nasty environment," said Tim Bond, the bank's chief equity strategist. "There is an inflation shock underway. This is going to be very negative for financial assets. We are going into tortoise mood and are retreating into our shell. Investors will do well if they can preserve their wealth."

The grim verdict on Ben Bernanke's Fed was underscored by the markets yesterday as the dollar fell against the euro following the bank's dovish policy statement on Wednesday.

More from The Telegraph

Truckers to Washington: Drill for oil! - 'What we need is to develop what we have offshore, in Alaska, and from shale'

2008-06-28T08:31:00.003-04:00

Truckers are telling Washington to do something about the high prices of fuel and quit blaming the oil companies and OPEC.

"The temporary solutions aren't any good," David Kilcoin, a truck owner-operator from Phoenix, Ariz., told WND at the Great West Truck Show going on now at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

"We don't need a quick fix; what we need is to develop what we have offshore, in Alaska and from oil shale," he said.

With fuel prices for gasoline for passenger vehicles hovering at $4 a gallon and diesel for the big rigs higher, he said those in Washington, including the president, the presidential candidates and Congress, have "spent far too much time focusing on getting rich quick themselves."

Truckers face fuel expenses as the largest single part of their operating expenses, often with bills that run 25 percent of their budget.

More from WorldNetDaily

Unable to Pay for Fill-Up, German Man Torches His BMW in Protest

2008-06-28T08:26:00.001-04:00

A German man doused his BMW with gasoline and torched it on Friday in protest at skyrocketing fuel costs, police said. The unemployed 30-year-old man drove the black 1995 BMW 3-series sedan onto the lawn outside Frankfurt's convention center grounds at about 7:30 a.m., police spokesman Karlheinz Wagner said.

He then jumped out, emptied a canister of gas over the vehicle, and set fire to it, Wagner said.

By the time the fire department got to the scene, the car was entirely burned out.

The Bavarian man, whose name was being withheld because he has not been charged with a crime, told police that gas prices were so high he could no longer afford to drive the vehicle.

As in many countries, gasoline prices have risen steadily in Germany; a liter of regular gasoline now costs about $9.40 per gallon.

Police were investigating whether the man could be charged with violating German environmental laws with the stunt, Wagner said. Penalties range from fines to five years in prison.

From Fox News

Sex OK at 9, says Saudi cleric 'Muhammad is model we follow. - He took 'Aisha to be his wife when she was 6'

2008-06-27T18:44:00.003-04:00

Age, or lack thereof, is no hindrance to marriage under Islam, according to Ahmad Al-Mu'bi, an officiant for marriages from Saudi Arabia who says sex at 9 is fine.

According to a video of the Saudi official recorded and translated by MEMRI, the Middle East Media Research Institute, Al-Mu'bi has confirmed that marriage contracts are appropriate for girls as young as age 1.

And he said the model for marriage continues to be Muhammad, who married one of his wives when she was but 6.

The video comes from a broadcast on LBC Television on June 19, according to the MEMRI report.

He confirmed, "The Prophet Muhammad is the model we follow. He took 'Aisha to be his wife when she was 6, but he had sex with her only when she was 9."

More from WorldNetDaily

Many Teens Getting Free Alcohol From Adults

2008-06-27T18:10:00.003-04:00

More than half of American teens say they've consumed alcohol, and more than 40 percent of those children say they sometimes get their alcohol free from an adult, a new federal survey found.

Among the country's estimated 10.8 million underage drinkers, more than 40 percent said they got alcohol free from an adult during the past month. One in four said they got the alcohol from an unrelated adult, one in 16 got it from a parent or guardian, and one in 12 got the alcohol from a family member, according to the survey.

"There are a relatively large number of persons aged 12 to 20 who consume alcohol," said James Colliver, a statistician with the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). "A number of them are likely to get alcohol from a parent or another family member or other adult.

Underage drinking is responsible for more than 5,000 deaths of people under 21 each year in the United States, according to the report.

More from The Washington Post

Dobson accuses Obama of 'distorting' Bible

2008-06-26T16:35:00.006-04:00

As Barack Obama broadens his outreach to evangelical voters, one of the movement's biggest names, James Dobson, accuses the likely Democratic presidential nominee of distorting the Bible and pushing a "fruitcake interpretation" of the Constitution.

Dobson took aim at examples Obama cited in asking which Biblical passages should guide public policy - chapters like Leviticus, which Obama said suggests slavery is OK and eating shellfish is an abomination, or Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, "a passage that is so radical that it's doubtful that our own Defense Department would survive its application."

"Folks haven't been reading their Bibles," Obama said.

Dobson and Minnery accused Obama of wrongly equating Old Testament texts and dietary codes that no longer apply to Jesus' teachings in the New Testament.

"I think he's deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology," Dobson said.

"... He is dragging biblical understanding through the gutter."

More at MyWay

Also - Unstamped certificate suggests Obama may not be "natural born" US citizen - From IsrealInsider - This is a really interesting read!

Diabetes Cases Increase 15 Percent in 2 Years

2008-06-26T16:22:00.002-04:00

The number of Americans with diabetes increased by 15 percent in two years to 24 million, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 8 percent of the population now has the disease, mainly Type 2 diabetes, which is linked to obesity and sedentary living, the agency said in a report using data from 2007. A quarter of people ages 60 and older had diabetes, the agency said. The number of people worldwide with diabetes will double to 366 million by 2030, according to the World Health Organization, which calls the disease an epidemic. Most people with diabetes have resistance to insulin, which the body uses to convert blood sugar to energy. The C.D.C. report was its first update of the prevalence of diabetes since 2005, when it reported that about 21 million Americans had the disease.

From The New York Times

Obama: America is 'no longer Christian' - Democrat says nation also for Muslims, nonbelievers

2008-06-23T16:43:00.003-04:00

Some have been taking issue with largely unnoticed comments made last year by Sen. Barack Obama declaring the U.S. is "no longer a Christian nation" but is also a nation of others, including Muslims and nonbelievers.

The comments have been recently recirculating on Internet blogs.

"Whatever we once were, we're no longer a Christian nation. At least not just. We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, and a Buddhist nation, and a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers," Obama said during a June 2007 speech available on YouTube.

At the speech, Obama also seemingly blasted the "Christian Right" for hijacking religion and using it to divide the nation:

"Somehow, somewhere along the way, faith stopped being used to bring us together and started being used to drive us apart. It got hijacked. Part of it's because of the so-called leaders of the Christian Right, who've been all too eager to exploit what divides us," he said.

More from WorldNetDaily

Also - Bin Laden top man sprung in deal with terrorists? - From WorldNetDaily

Fuel Costs May Force Some Kids To Walk

2008-06-23T16:39:00.002-04:00

Here's how rising fuel prices affect an organization with a fleet of 1,273 school buses: The Montgomery County school board today will consider giving Superintendent Jerry D. Weast

emergency powers to make students walk farther to school, if need be, in the coming academic year.

The school system's diesel costs have more than doubled in four years, from $3.6 million in fiscal 2005 to a projected $7.9 million for fiscal 2009, which begins next month. It's a hardship shared by the Fairfax County school system, with more than 1,500 buses; the Prince George's County system, with 1,285 buses; and other area systems that transport tens of thousands of students daily and are paying more for fuel than the average parent at an Exxon pump on Rockville Pike.

Was solution to energy crunch offered in 1995?

2008-06-23T16:35:00.003-04:00

Could the current U.S. energy crisis have been averted? One member of the U.S. Senate believes a solution was offered, but rejected, in 1995.

Americans are facing the highest energy prices in the nation's history. But according to Senator Roger F. Wicker (R-Mississippi), the whole crisis could have been averted back in 1995. That was when Republicans sent then-President Bill Clinton a bill to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for oil exploration.

Clinton vetoed the bill, saying it would not help America's dependency on foreign oil because it would take ten years for the product to come on line. Fast-forward 13 years.

More from OneNewsNow

Non-doctor accused of providing abortions in Calif

2008-06-21T09:33:00.006-04:00

The owner of a clinic has been charged with posing as a doctor to perform abortions, some of them unsuccessful or resulting in severe complications and hospitalization, prosecutors said Friday.

Bertha Pinedo Bugarin, 48, was arrested Thursday after a yearlong investigation, San Diego County district attorney spokesman Paul Levikow said.

She was charged with 10 felony counts, including performing medical procedures without a license and grand theft, he said. She faces more than nine years in prison if convicted.

Bible citation costs couple jobs, home - Apartment managers evicted, fired for being 'too religious'

2008-06-21T09:24:00.002-04:00

For eight years Daniel and Sharon Dixon, apartment managers in Lake City, Fla., displayed in the apartment complex's management office a stained glass depiction of flowers with the words "Consider the lilies … Matthew 6:28" written in the lower left corner – an act for which they were suddenly fired from their management jobs and evicted from their apartment.

The artwork that got the Dixons fired

Mathew D. Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom that is representing the Dixons, told WND that neither before nor after the incident were the Dixons charged with any wrongdoing other than protesting the removal of the artwork and loss of their jobs.

"They were suddenly terminated as a result of the religious bigotry of one supervisor," Staver said in a press release. "The Dixons lost their jobs and were booted out on the street, solely because artwork in their office made reference to the Bible."

The Dixons managed and provided maintenance for the Thornwood Terrace Apartments, a government-subsidized complex owned and operated by the Hallmark Companies and Hallmark Management. The couple was permitted to live in the complex as part of their compensation.

More from WorldNetDaily

Study links diabetes, depression

2008-06-19T11:33:00.002-04:00

A new study says people with Type 2 diabetes are more likely to be depressed - and vice versa.

Doctors concede they need to study patients more closely to determine whether the disease is causing depression or whether something about depression could lead to Type 2 diabetes.

"The psychological stress associated with diabetes management may lead to elevated depressive symptoms," Dr. Sherita Hill Golden writes in a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"We were able to show that there's a bidirectional association," she said.

Diabetes causes high blood sugar levels, which can be fatal if left untreated. It can be treated with insulin and changes in diet and exercise.

About 21 million Americans suffer from diabetes and 30 million have symptoms of depression.

The Really. Really Bad Ideal Department - LET"S NATIONALIZE OIL!

2008-06-19T11:16:00.003-04:00

So much for any personal rights, now some want the government to control everything, like the communist countries do. This is an amazing bit of video from Fox and You Tube.

Gas Station Bans Credit Cards Because Of High Fees

2008-06-19T11:07:00.002-04:00

It's not only the customer who is taking a hit from high gas prices, some gas stations' profits are being entirely mitigated by credit card interchange fees. The AP reports that gas station manager Roger Randolph was fed up with losing money on credit card fees. His solution was to place new signs on his Chevron gas pumps that read "No more credit cards." Details, inside...

The article says,

His complaints target the so-called interchange fee — a percentage of the sale price paid to credit card companies on every transaction. The percentage is fixed — usually at just under 2 percent — but the dollar amount of the fee rises with the price of the goods or services.

As gas tops $4 a gallon, that pushes fees toward 10 cents a gallon. Now stations, which typically mark up gasoline by 11 to 12 cents a gallon, are seeing profits shrink or even reverse.

Man reports Obama fans threaten his life

2008-06-18T17:47:00.003-04:00

A spokesman for a political action committee that recently released an ad questioning Sen. Barack Obama's statements about his faith says supporters of the Democratic presidential candidate are trying to scare him with vulgarities and implied threats.

"Intimidation by Obama supporters is in vogue," said Floyd Brown, chief of the National Campaign Fund.

The senator has gone so far as to say he would "fire" any campaign workers that were caught taking the low road, he said.

"Yet when I participate, I find myself having my life threatened," Brown said.

"I challenge Sen. Obama to denounce the thuggish behavior of his partisans. Threats of violence and intimidation are not a mature response to any campaign advertisement," said Brown. "Sen. Obama cannot say out of one side of his mouth he wants a clean campaign and then allow his people to threaten me to 'watch my back.'

More from WorldNetDaily. Some material may be sensitive due to the nature of the threats.

Also - Obama numbered among 'false prophets' - From Onenewsnow.com

Transgender activists remove clothing in public

2008-06-18T17:42:00.002-04:00

In Massachusetts, the first U.S. state to make same-sex marriages official, the next wave of the war over sexual identity and morality has begun.

Transgender activists, many of whom had undergone hormone treatments and surgical procedures to alter their gender appearance, marched down the main street in Northampton, Mass., last week, carrying signs demanding the passage of new laws to end discrimination against transsexuals.

Many of the marchers, born women, wore beards and boasted love for their husbands or wives. According to one observer, some who had undergone surgery to remove their breasts took off their shirts at a rally following the main event. WND was able to confirm the claim, but refrained from posting photographs for decency concerns.

More from WorldNetDaily

Energy Guzzled by Al Gore’s Home in Past Year Could Power 232 U.S. Homes for a Month

2008-06-18T17:36:00.002-04:00

In the year since Al Gore took steps to make his home more energy-efficient, the former Vice President’s home energy use surged more than 10%, according to the Tennessee Center for Policy Research.

“A man’s commitment to his beliefs is best measured by what he does behind the closed doors of his own home,” said Drew Johnson, President of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research. “Al Gore is a hypocrite and a fraud when it comes to his commitment to the environment, judging by his home energy consumption.” In the past year, Gore’s home burned through 213,210 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, enough to power 232 average American households for a month.

In February 2007, An Inconvenient Truth, a film based on a climate change speech developed by Gore, won an Academy Award for best documentary feature. The next day, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research uncovered that Gore’s Nashville home guzzled 20 times more electricity than the average American household.

Well there's an Inconvenient Truth there for ya!

From Tennesseepolicy.org

Police arrest lesbians for 'torturing' boy, 5

2008-06-16T18:42:00.002-04:00

A 5-year-old Los Angeles boy is fighting for his life after police say he was severely tortured with burns and food deprivation by his lesbian mother and her live-in girlfriend.

Officials say the child has countless cigarette burns all over his body, including his genitals, and can't open his hands because he was forced to put them flat on a hot stove.

The boy was also repeatedly beaten and forced to sit in his own urine, police said.

"In my time in policing in 27 years, I have never seen anybody with these kinds of injuries that has lived," Los Angeles Police Department First Assistant Chief James McDonnell said. "And this kid must have a tremendous will to live to be able to still hang on despite what he's been through."

The abuse was "akin to a level of torture we hope our military personnel would never encounter," said Lt. Vincent Neglia of the LAPD's Abused Child Unit.

Other abuse the boy suffered included being denied food and water, as well as being beaten while suspended from a door with his hands above his head.

More from WorldNetDaily

Legal Drugs Kill Far More Than Illegal, Florida Says

2008-06-14T19:38:00.002-04:00

An analysis of autopsies in 2007 released this week by the Florida Medical Examiners Commission found that the rate of deaths caused by prescription drugs was three times the rate of deaths caused by all illicit drugs combined.

“You have health care providers involved, you have doctor shoppers, and then there are crimes like robbing drug shipments,” said Jeff Beasley, a drug intelligence inspector for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which co-sponsored the study. “There is a multitude of ways to get these drugs, and that’s what makes things complicated.” The report’s findings track with similar studies by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, which has found that roughly seven million Americans are abusing prescription drugs. If accurate, that would be an increase of 80 percent in six years and more than the total abusing cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, Ecstasy and inhalants.

The Florida report analyzed 168,900 deaths statewide. Cocaine, heroin and all methamphetamines caused 989 deaths, it found, while legal opioids — strong painkillers in brand-name drugs like Vicodin and OxyContin — caused 2,328.

Drugs with benzodiazepine, mainly depressants like Valium and Xanax, led to 743 deaths. Alcohol was the most commonly occurring drug, appearing in the bodies of 4,179 of the dead and judged the cause of death of 466 — fewer than cocaine (843) but more than methamphetamine (25) and marijuana (0).

Obama's Abortion Bombshell: Unrestricted Abortion Over Wishes of Individual States a Priority for Presidency

2008-06-14T19:16:00.001-04:00

Barack Obama, the presumptive pro-abortion nominee of the Democratic Party, has plans to reward the allies that helped him topple Hillary Clinton from her throne by making total unrestricted abortion in the United States his number one priority as president.

In light of Obama's recently achieved status as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Focus on the Family's CitizenLink has decided to remind its supporters that almost one year has passed since Obama made his vows to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund that abortion would be the first priority of his administration.

"The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act," Obama said in his July speech to abortion advocates worried about the increase of pro-life legislation at the state level.

Ohio county public library has closed its meeting rooms to the public rather than allow them to be used by a Christian group

2008-06-14T15:07:00.002-04:00

George and Cathy Vandergriff wanted to host a Crown Financial Ministries "Financial Freedom" workshop in a public meeting room at the Clermont County, Ohio, public library. Tim Chandler, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), says the couple was told that, because the class would be quoting from the Bible, they could not hold it at the library.

"The Supreme Court said, more than 25 years ago, that once you've opened up meeting space, you can't exclude anyone just because they're engaging in religious speech. And, here we are, we're still fighting this battle," Chandler contends.

ADF filed suit against the library on the Vandergriff's behalf. In the overwhelming majority of cases of this type, the government entity will back down after only a letter from attorneys threatening to sue. If not, they almost always give in when the suit is actually filed, which is why the Clermont Library's reaction shocked the ADF attorney.

"The library, in response to the lawsuit, has decided to close the meeting rooms and not allow anybody in the public to use them. So, this is the length that they're going to exclude Christians from being able to use their meeting space," Chandler explains.

More at OneNewsNow

10 Shocking Facts About Global Slavery in 2008

2008-06-14T12:15:00.002-04:00

2008 witnesses the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade in America. Amidst the celebrations, what many people fail to realize is that slavery persists today in the modern world on an enormous scale.

In spite of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN in 1948 stating that “slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms,” the figures accompanying the modern slave trade seem inconceivable in a global society that prides itself upon its modern-day values and emphasis on human rights.

How Speculators Are Causing the Cost of Living to Skyrocket

2008-06-14T12:07:00.003-04:00

After investing in high-tech stocks and real estate loans for years, legions of speculators have now discovered commodities like oil and gas, wheat and rice. Their billions are pushing prices up to astronomical levels -- with serious consequences for ordinary people's quality of life and the global economy.

From Spiegel

Soaring costs are squeezing gas station owners too

2008-06-14T11:45:00.002-04:00

Andre van der Valk hasn't been paid in six months.

He has a job, though, as owner of four service stations in Southern California. He hasn't taken a salary this year so he can pour all his money into buying fuel for his stations.

Despite the jaw-dropping prices at the pump -- they jumped 19 cents a gallon in California to $4.43 in the last week and averaged more than $4 a gallon nationwide for the first time, the Energy Department said Monday -- service station owners aren't making the killing that motorists assume.

That's because credit card fees, the price of tanker-loads of fuel and other costs are rising so rapidly that station owners haven't been able to keep pace despite the record prices they're charging.

"People see $4 gas, and they think these retailers are making a fortune," said Ben Brockwell, a director at Oil Price Information Service, which tracks fuel prices. "The reality is these guys are being stressed to the limit."

More from the LA Times

41 Secrets Your Doctor Would Never Share

2008-06-14T11:26:00.002-04:00

If You Only Knew ...

Reader's Digest offered two dozen doctors a chance to tell it like it really is, and general practitioners, surgeons, shrinks, pediatricians, and other specialists took the challenge. Some wanted to be anonymous; some didn't care. But all of them revealed funny, frightening, and downright shocking things that can help you be a better, smarter patient.

From Readers Digest

Police: Teen Sleepover Turns Into Sex Party

2008-06-12T18:05:00.003-04:00

Police said two Bucks County moms have been charged after a sleepover involving six teenage boys took an alleged illegal sexual turn.

Angela Honeycutt, 38, and Lynne Long, 45, are facing numerous charges after a series of alleged incidents on April 14.

Authorities said the teens, ages 14 to 16, were attending a sleepover at Long's Lower Makefield home when Honeycutt, a mother of two young children, allegedly had sex with a 14-year-old and performed sex acts with a 15-year-old. Long allegedly watched, listened and instructed the teens not to say anything.

"What is so particularly outrageous about this is the violation of trust," said Lower Makefield Twp. Police Chief Ken Coluzzi.

More from CBS3.com

Report: Marijuana potency rises

2008-06-12T16:10:00.003-04:00

Marijuana potency increased last year to the highest level in more than 30 years, posing greater health risks to people who may view the drug as harmless, according to a report released Thursday by the White House.

The latest analysis from the University of Mississippi's Potency Monitoring Project tracked the average amount of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, in samples seized by law enforcement agencies from 1975 through 2007. It found that the average amount of THC reached 9.6% in 2007, compared with 8.75% the previous year.

The 9.6% level represents more than a doubling of marijuana potency since 1983, when it averaged just under 4%.

"Today's report makes it more important than ever that we get past outdated, anachronistic views of marijuana," said John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. "Marijuana potency has grown steeply over the past decade, with serious implications in particular for young people". He cited the risk of psychological, cognitive and respiratory problems, and the potential for users to become dependent on drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

A report from the office last month found that a teenager who has been depressed in the past year was more than twice as likely to have used marijuana than teenagers who have not reported being depressed — 25% compared with 12%. The study said marijuana use increased the risk of developing mental disorders by 40%.

More from USA Today

Biblical message now criminalized - Penalties created for those who criticize homosexuality outside church walls

2008-06-12T15:51:00.002-04:00

A new Colorado law is helping homosexual activists achieve their goal of forcing Christians to teach biblical condemnation of homosexuality only behind the closed doors of their sanctuaries.

The as-yet untested state law promotes sexual identity "perception" to the level of skin color under state discrimination laws.

Some opponents are calling it a "bona fide censorship law," and top analysts for Focus on the Family, the Christian publishing and broadcast powerhouse, are expressing concern over the "mischief" they expect to follow the signing by Gov. Bill Ritter.

The law makes it illegal to deny a person access to public accommodations, including restrooms and locker rooms, based on gender identity or the "perception" of gender identity.

"Henceforth, every woman and little girl will have to fear that a predator, bisexual, cross-dresser or even a homosexual or heterosexual male might walk in and relieve himself in their presence," Dobson said.

But now an analyst for Focus, Bruce Hausknecht, has told WND there are other, significant, potential ramifications hidden in the fine print of the new law.

More at WorldNetDaily

CHRYSLER BUILDING ON THE BLOCK - SOVEREIGN ARAB FUND TO PAY $800M

2008-06-11T17:21:00.003-04:00

The latest Big Apple trophy being coveted by oil-rich sovereign wealth funds is the landmark Chrysler Building.

Sources say the super-rich Abu Dhabi Investment Council is negotiating an $800 million deal for a 75 percent stake in the Art Deco treasure that has defined the Midtown skyline since 1930.

The Chrysler assets would be purchased from TMW - the German arm of an Atlanta-based investment fund that's been eager to cash out of its Chrysler stake.

The deal follows last month's sale of the GM Building and three other Macklowe/Equity Portfolio properties for $3.95 billion to a group of investors including the wealth funds of Kuwait and Qatar and Boston Properties.

From The New York Post

Is Obama's candidacy constitutional? Secrecy over birth certificate, demand for 'natural-born' citizenship cited

2008-06-11T17:15:00.002-04:00

Bloggers are raising questions about Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's qualifications to be U.S. president, because of the secrecy over his birth certificate and the requirement presidents be "natural-born" U.S. citizens.

Jim Geraghty, reporting on the Campaign Spot, a National Review blog, cited the "unlikely" but still circulating rumor that Obama was born not within the United States, but elsewhere, possibly Kenya.

Geraghty defined the concerns most clearly, stating: "If Obama were born outside the United States, one could argue that he would not meet the legal definition of natural-born citizen … because U.S. law at the time of his birth required his natural-born parent (his mother) to have resided in the United States for '10 years, at least [f]ive of which had to be after the age of 16.'"

He then points out Ann Dunham, Obama's mother, was 18 when Obama was born "so she wouldn't have met the requirement of five years after the age of 16."

Geraghty continues: " (Interestingly, apparently there isn't much paperwork on Obama's parents' marriage. 'Obama: From Promise to Power,' page. 27: 'Obama later confessed that he never searched for the government documents on the marriage, although Madelyn (Obama's maternal grandmother) insisted they were legally married.' Also note that Obama's father apparently was not legally divorced from his first wife back in Kenya at the time, a point of contention that ultimately led to their separation.)"

More from WorldNetDaily

Southern Baptists worried by decline in baptisms

2008-06-11T17:04:00.002-04:00

Baptisms in the Southern Baptist Convention have fallen to a 20-year low, a trend that is setting off alarm bells in America's largest evangelical denomination.

The number of people baptized in Southern Baptist churches and ceremonies, an important indicator of conversions and denominational growth, fell in 2007 for the third year in a row by 5 percent to 345,941.

That was the lowest number since 1987, a trend on the minds of many of the 7,000 delegates known as "messengers" attending the SBC's annual meeting in Indianapolis.

This year's theme is called "Fulfilling the Mission" and the logo pointedly depicts a picture of a baptism in progress.

For Southern Baptists, a decline in baptisms is a worry because a major tenet of their faith is to spread it. Many believe the "unchurched" are doomed to an eternity in hell.

"We should always be concerned when baptisms dip. It's about salvation. ... We are commanded to go and preach the gospel to every person," said Tommy French, a 77-year-old pastor from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Several delegates interviewed by Reuters expressed their concern in such terms: fewer baptisms meant fewer saved souls. For Southern Baptists, a public baptism in water is a key rite of the conversion experience.

I BET I KNOW YOR PASSWORD!!!

2008-06-11T16:51:00.002-04:00

Have you ever had an on line account stolen? I had my E-bay account stolen once and let me tell you it was murder getting it back, taking almost 2 months. You need a secure password, but many people use some really dumb stuff. Take a peek here at the ten most commonly used passwords. If one or more are yours, change it quickly before it is stolen. You have been warned.

From Local6.com

Energy Dept. says oil, gas prices to stay high

2008-06-11T16:48:00.002-04:00

Motorists can expect gasoline prices around $4 gallon through next year, the Energy Department said Wednesday, with oil prices staying well above $100 a barrel.

Crude oil prices are likely to average $126 a barrel in 2009, $4 higher than this year, as oil supplies and demand are expected to remain tight, Guy Caruso, head of the department's Energy Information Administration, told a House hearing.

Gasoline prices are likely to peak at $4.15 a gallon in August and won't go down much after that, the agency projected in a report. Gasoline was forecast to average $3.92 a gallon through 2009.

The agency said that the high price of gasoline has reduced expected demand for this summer, but not enough to dampen prices.

Government to pastor: Renounce your faith!

2008-06-10T16:15:00.002-04:00

A Canadian human rights tribunal ordered a Christian pastor to renounce his faith and never again express moral opposition to homosexuality, according to a new report.

In a decision dated May 30 in the penalty phase of the quasi-judicial proceedings run by the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal, evangelical pastor Stephen Boisson was banned from expressing his biblical perspective of homosexuality and ordered to pay $5,000 for "damages for pain and suffering" as well as apologize to the activist who complained of being hurt.

According to a report from Pete Vere at the Catholic Exchange, the penalty could foreshadow the possible fate of the Rev. Alphonse de Valk, who also cited the biblical perspective on homosexuality in the nation's debate over same-sex "marriage" and now faces HRC charges.

"[The] government now believes that if it can't convince a Christian pastor that he's wrong, it will just order him to condemn himself?" Levant wrote on his blog. "Other than tribunals in Stalin's Soviet Union and Mao's China, where is this Orwellian 'order' considered to be justice?"

"This is like a Third World jail-house confession – where accused criminals are forced to sign false statements of guilt," Levant wrote. "We don’t even 'order' murderers to apologize to their victims' families. Because we know that a forced apology is meaningless. But not if your point is to degrade Christian pastors."

More from WorldNetDaily

Smoking Tied to Memory Loss in Middle Age

2008-06-10T15:52:00.002-04:00

Middle-aged smokers are more prone to memory problems than their non-smoking peers, a new French study suggests.

While smoking is a recognized health hazard, there has been some debate on its effect on dementia, the study authors said.

"Dementia is rare among middle-aged people, but cognitive function at this age in closely related to dementia," said lead researcher Severine Sabia, of the Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale in Villejuif, France. "Our results show that smoking is associated with poorer cognition and decline over five years.

Low vitamin D levels linked to greater risk of heart attacks in men

2008-06-10T15:45:00.003-04:00

Having low levels of vitamin D is associated with a doubling of the risk of heart attacks in men and an even greater risk of dying from the cardiac condition, according to a new study.

The findings, published yesterday in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, may help shed light on why many people with no known risk factors - such as high blood pressure or smoking - inexplicably develop heart attacks. It also suggests it may be possible to reduce the incidence of the often fatal condition by popping an inexpensive pill that is widely available in pharmacies and supplement stores.

"It's an important finding," says Edward Giovannucci, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, one of the researchers.

"It does indicate that even individuals without the standard risk factors for heart disease may be at somewhat higher risk if they have lower vitamin D levels," he said.

More at the Globe and Mail.

Drivers Say U.S. Should Drill for Oil on Federal Lands

2008-06-09T20:17:00.005-04:00

A recent Department of Interior report, requested by Congress, estimates there are 139 billion barrels of undiscovered oil in the United States, onshore and off-shore combined -- more than the known oil reserves of Iran, Iraq or Russia. But most of that oil cannot be tapped because of environmental regulations.

Cybercast News Service spoke to people at a gas station in Alexandria, Va., last Thursday, where unleaded gas was selling for $4.09 per gallon, and asked this question: Should the U.S. be allowed to tap into the billions of barrels of oil that are on federal lands, but which are off limits because they lie under national parks or are protected by environmental laws? (Watch video)

"Whatever it takes to get my gas prices lower, to tell you the truth," said "Al" from Waldorf, Md. "Obviously we've got to save some for the future and stuff like that. But at the same time, I'm paying an awful lot for gas and it's gone up so fast in such a short amount of time. [It] doesn't really make a lot of sense to a lot of people."

More at CSNN

Rural US Getting Slammed By $4 Gas

2008-06-09T20:11:00.005-04:00

Suburban commuters may not enjoy paying an average of $4 a gallon for gas, but the rural US, where income levels are low and dependence on large vehicles is high, is getting hit the hardest says the New York Times.

The paper put together a gas impact heat map that shows the percentage of income that's being spent on gasoline. Some regions with "higher" gas prices still only spend 2% of their median income on gas, while the percentage is as high as 16% in Wilcox County, Alabama. It looks like in Eastern KY where I live, we are having a pretty tough time.

See the Map at The Consumerist

Also - Top analyst sees $200 oil, $5.75 gas at WorldNetDaily

Gas hits national average of $4 for first time

2008-06-08T16:09:00.005-04:00

Drivers are paying an average of $4 for a gallon of gasoline for the first time. AAA and the Oil Price Information Service say the national average price for a gallon of regular gas rose to $4.005 overnight from $3.988. But consumers in many parts of the country have already been paying well above that price for some time.

Gas is expected to keep climbing, putting greater pressure on consumers and businesses, because the price of oil is soaring in futures markets. Light, sweet crude shot up nearly $11 a barrel Friday and approached $140 for the first time.

Along with higher fuel costs, consumers are also contending with higher prices for food and other goods because of rising transportation costs.

From MyWay News

One Way to Combat High Prices - Just Run Out of Gas

2008-06-07T20:04:00.003-04:00

In area where there are emergency road services, people are running out of gas on purpose, knowing they will be provided with one or two gallons to get them to the nearest gas station. This is a risky proposition, but let's admit it, people are broke and starting to get desperate. The downside is that it cost you and me as taxpayers, someone has to pay for that gas and the money it takes to get it to them.

More on this trend it Wisebread

FDA: If You Use The Foot Ulcer Cream Regranex, You May Die From Cancer

2008-06-07T18:53:00.002-04:00

Bad news from the FDA: people who treat their foot and leg ulcers with the cream Regranex are five-times more likely to die from cancer.

According to the AP, the agency will slap its 'most serious warning label' on all Regranex boxes.

The findings come from a long-term analysis of records from health care providers comparing 1,600 patients who took Regranex with 2,800 patients who did not, according to the FDA.
The new label, which is outlined in a black box, advises doctors to use caution when prescribing the drug to patients with malignancies.

Regranex is a man-made version of a substance produced by the human body that helps heal ulcers. Because the drug causes cells to divide more rapidly, the FDA said Johnson & Johnson closely monitored patients for reports of cancer, which spreads through uncontrolled cell division.
From the Consumerist

Beach bonfires may be banned In Seattle - They fuel global warming, parks department says

2008-06-07T08:17:00.002-04:00

Seattle Parks and Recreation might do what even this week's chilly weather couldn't -- douse the long tradition of beach bonfires at Alki and at Golden Gardens.

Park department staff is recommending reducing bonfires at the two beaches this summer and possibly banning them altogether next year.

The park board will hear the recommendation Thursday, and the city plans to run public-service announcements and hand out brochures later this month about the effects of bonfires on global warming.

At Alki on Wednesday night, Linda Garcia, a 56-year- old West Seattle resident, walked her dog and made a slightly rose-colored argument for preserving her beloved bonfires. "It's so windy around here it probably doesn't pollute that much.

"They have to try to take everything away," she said.

Unemployment rate rose by the largest amount since February 1986.

2008-06-06T12:06:00.005-04:00

The government reported the U.S. lost 49,000 jobs in May as the unemployment rate rose by the largest amount since February 1986.

The Labor Department reported the fifth consecutive month of declines in nonfarm payrolls. The decline was better-than-expected however, as economists had been expecting a 60,000 job decline for last month.

The unemployment rate, which is calculated separately by a survey of households, soared to 5.5% in May. Wall Street had only been expecting a slight rise to 5.1%. It's the highest the rate has been since October 2004.

More at Fox Buisness

Also - Dow Drops 400 Points On Unemployment News - from KNBC.com

And - Oil's biggest day yet drags down stocks - From AP

Mercury teeth fillings may harm some: FDA

2008-06-06T11:41:00.002-04:00

Silver-colored metal dental fillings contain mercury that may cause health problems in pregnant women, children and fetuses, the Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday after settling a related lawsuit.

As part of the settlement with several consumer advocacy groups, the FDA agreed to alert consumers about the potential risks on its website and to issue a more specific rule next year for fillings that contain mercury, FDA spokeswoman Peper Long said.

Millions of Americans have the fillings, or amalgams, to patch cavities in their teeth.

"Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses," the FDA said in a notice on its Web site.

More at Yahoo News

In Japan, Cellphones Have Become Too Complex to Use

2008-06-06T10:18:00.002-04:00

Steve Jobs' new iPhone, expected to be unveiled Monday, is headed to Japan by the end of the year. But the device's famed ease of use may actually be a turnoff in Japan, where consumers want features, not simplicity.  

Indeed, Japanese handsets have become prime examples of feature creep gone mad. In many cases, phones in Japan are far too complex for users to master.

"There are tons of buttons, and different combinations or lengths of time yield different results,'" says Koh Aoki, an engineer who lives in Tokyo.

Experimenting with different key combinations in search of new features is "good for killing time during a long commute," Aoki says, "but it's definitely not elegant."

Japan has long been famous for its advanced cellphones with sci-fi features like location tracking, mobile credit card payment and live TV. These handsets have been the envy of consumers in the United States, where cell technology has trailed an estimated five years or more. But while many phones would do Captain Kirk proud, most of the features are hard to use or not used at all.

Number of Alcohol Related Illnesses Doubled in the UK

2008-06-06T09:38:00.002-04:00

Royal British Healthcare Organization claimed that in the UK the number of people, who have been treated from illnesses caused by alcohol consumption, has doubled during the last 10 years. As an average a British drinks an equivalent of 9.6 liters of pure alcohol per year, whereas even in Russian, the country which is supposed to be the most 'drinking' country in the world, the average number is 8.7 liters.

Last year healthcare institutions registered 280,000 people treating from alcohol related illnesses. This statistics included not only liver and kidney diseases, which are most common by the alcohol consuming people, but also injuries received when under the effect of alcohol.

Euthanasia tourists snap up pet shop drug in Mexico

2008-06-06T09:30:00.004-04:00

Elderly foreign tourists are tapping Mexican pet shops for a drug used by veterinarians to put cats and dogs to sleep that has become the sedative of choice for euthanasia campaigners.

Tourists from as far as Australia have travelled to Mexico to buy liquid pentobarbital, which causes a painless death in humans in less than an hour, right-to-die advocates say.

Clutching photos of the bottled drug to overcome a lack of Spanish, they have maps sketched by euthanasia activists to locate back-street pet shops and veterinary supply stores near the US border. There they can buy a bottle for $35 to $50, enough for one suicide, no questions asked.

Used legally across the world to anesthetise and euthanise farm animals and pets, pentobarbital, sometimes known by the trade name Nembutal, is tightly restricted to veterinarians.

But lax regulation in Mexico means it can easily be bought.

Bilderbergers set to meet in D.C. - Secret confab source of global plotting theories

2008-06-05T16:22:00.003-04:00

The annual secretive gathering of representatives from West European and North American countries, known as the Bilderberg Group, is scheduled to begin tomorrow in the Washington, D.C., area.

While the specific location is still a mystery to the general public, Sweden's Dagens Nyheter reports the conference is being held at the Westfields Marriott Hotel in Chantilly, Va., on the outskirts of the nation's capital.

The Bilderberg Group is an elite invitation-only conference of influential members of the business, media and political communities. Past attendees have included Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The group meets at luxury hotels and resorts throughout the world. Last year's conference was held at the Ritz-Carlton in Istanbul, Turkey. Every four years the conference is held in the U.S. or Canada. The group has an office in Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands.

Interesting note - The group is often linked to the start of a One World Government or New World Order, and is somewhat quite about their goings on. They don't even have their own website.

More at WorldNetDaily

Article on this strange and powerful group at Wikipedia