| Subject: | Breaking News - AP: Aide says former Russian PM Yegor Gaidar may have been poisoned. |
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| Date: | Thu, 30 Nov 2006 07:41:45 -0800 |
Find out more at http://breakingnews.msnbc.com
GOP's Sen. Bill Frist says he will not run for president in '08.
Find out more at http://breakingnews.msnbc.com
When Vladimir Putin first came on the scene in Russia, my wife took one look at him and said, "I think he's the Antichrist." Well, maybe he is. Consider the following from Joel C. Rosenberg:The assassination of a KGB-operative-turned-critic-of-Vladimir-Putin in London by radioactive poison has stunned the West and raised chilling new questions about who Putin is, what he wants, and how far he's willing to go to get it. It's about time.
"Russia's most famous investigative reporter, Anna Politkovskaya, was gunned down in the lift of her Moscow apartment block yesterday in an apparent contract killing. A fearless opponent of Russia’s wars in Chechnya who once described President Vladimir Putin as a 'KGB snoop' and compared him to Stalin... .It kind of makes you wonder just what kind of threat Putin really is to the world. Read the full stories (linked above) and you'll understand what I mean.
-- what do I say -- without slipping a spoiler in by mistake? I've only just begun reading the book, and already the first big surprise strikes on page 41 with the mention of Project Showdown. Remember the last book released by Ted Dekker: Showdown? If you read the book, or at the very least my review of it, you'll remember that Showdown was linked to Dekker's epic trilogy, The Circle. It comes as a shock when that first becomes apparent in Showdown, just as it is shocking to discover on page 41 of Saint that it, too, is linked to The Circle through the mention of Project Showdown, which just happens to refer to Dekker's book, Showdown. There's the first spoiler for you. I'll try to keep them to a minimum.. I promise, you won't be confused. You'll be mystified., Red, White, Showdown, House (co-authored by Frank Peretti), and Saint. Read them all!
20061125.a.mp3 (audio/mpeg Object)In his weekly radio address President Bush said, "This week, Americans across our Nation gather with loved ones to give thanks for the many blessings we share. ... And we're grateful to Almighty God for the freedom to enjoy all these gifts. ... Americans believe that every person has the right to live, work, and worship in freedom. And we're thankful to the men and women of our Nation's armed forces who risk their lives to protect those rights. This Thanksgiving, we are mindful that many of our finest citizens are spending the holiday far from their homes and loved ones, and we know that their service makes it possible for us to live in freedom."
| November 23, 2002 Our Wedding Day Saturday 7:53 am Lots to do today before the wedding, but it really shouldn’t take me that long to get it done. I’m going to get started now, though, by packing up my bags for the trip. 9:01 am She just called me. She seems to have forgotten the pictures of how she wants her hair to be done for the wedding. I have to try to round them up for her and take them to her parents’ house with the makeup that she forgot to get out of the car last night. At the rate she’s forgetting things, I hope she doesn’t forget about the wedding! 10:44 am After dropping off the dogs at the vet for boarding, I drove out to her parents’ to drop off the makeup she left in the car last night and to pick up her engagement ring so I’ll have it to put on her finger tonight with her wedding ring. Then I stopped and vacuumed and washed the car on the way home, topped it off with gas, and threw away the Halloween pumpkins that were on the front porch (they clashed with the new Christmas decorations). I also called the Cake Decorator before washing the car to make sure everything was going according to plan. She said she was running a little behind, but she had originally planned to be here around noon, so that won’t be a big deal. For the most part, it looks like things are coming along quite nicely. 11:28 pm I just talked to my bride-to-be again. I found her pictures for her hair appointment, so I have to take them to the Bed & Breakfast for her mom to pick up by noon. I guess I’ll go get the food, and film, and everything else while I’m out. 12:03 pm I'm at the Bed & Breakfast, just set up the camcorder for tonight, and the cake decorator just called, so I'm waiting for her. 12:33 pm The cake made it. I think it looks okay, but I also think she'll be a little disappointed with it. I hope she doesn't let it upset her. Time to go pick up the food. 1:52 pm I think my pre-ceremony running around is done. I picked up the food at Sam’s Club, plus a dozen roses for bride and several rolls of film for our trip. I called her mom to have her meet me outside the meadows to deliver the roses while she gets her hair done. I raced home, made a little card to put with the roses that said: Today you make my life complete. Today all my dreams come true. I trimmed the roses, put them in a vase, stuck the card in, and rushed off to meet her mom. After handing off the roses, I took the food to the bed & breakfast, paid them for the place, and wrote another note that said: It’s almost time. I can’t wait! They put it in her changing room on her dress so she’ll find it when she gets there to get ready for the wedding. 2:58 pm She just called to tell me she was on her way to the Bed & Breakfast. She asked me if the cake looked good, and I said, “Yeah, I think it looks pretty good.” Of course, she knows me well enough by now to know exactly what she said back, “Okay, that doesn’t sound good.” I told her it could look a little better, but it looked pretty good. Of course, I’m sure when she sees it she’ll be disappointed. I wish there was something I could do to make everything go perfectly for her. God knows I’ve tried. 3:05 pm I feel terrible about the cake. I know that when I saw it, I was a little disappointed. I know that if I was a little disappointed, she'll probably be very disappointed. I just hope she’s able to keep everything in perspective and realizes what really matters today. I just shaved, but I feel like I can’t take my shower yet, because I kind of expect her to call me after she sees the cake. I won’t be a bit surprised if she calls, and she’s in tears, and she says she doesn’t even want to get married now, because her cake has been ruined, too. I have to be ready to do the best I can to calm and soothe her because, of course, we will be getting married today. I just wish she wouldn’t even look at the cake until time to cut it. She’s on her way over there now, so she will be seeing it soon, if she hasn’t seen it already. I may call her in a couple of minutes before she has a chance to call me. 3:18 pm She called. She was crying. She was very upset. She says the cake looks terrible, and she doesn’t even want it there. She wants me to try to find another cake, or maybe even not have a cake at all. She said that nothing is the way she wants it to be, and ended up saying she doesn’t want this at all. She hung up with her mom in the background trying to calm her down. November 28, 2002 Thanksgiving Thursday 9:12 pm We returned home last night from our honeymoon in Gatlinburg. It was quite nice. her parents sent us as a wedding gift. The wedding, after all, turned out beautiful. She was the most gorgeous bride! She got over her fit over the wedding cake and everything went well. Our wedding/honeymoon video tells the rest of the story. We've both been so happy this past week. So far, life is good. |
Thanksgiving is considered by most to be the start of the holiday season. Every year when the holidays roll around, I start to miss my family. My mother and grandmother, who are both gone now, were like the Super Glue that bonded my family into a unit. Every year they'd prepare a huge turkey feast with all the trimmings, and four generations would gather together and give thanks for all that we had. I don't remember any of my siblings, my nephews, or my neice ever complaining about having to spend the entire day with family. It was just something we all did.Here's hoping that you and yours have a safe, loving, memory-making Happy Thanksgiving!My wife, whom -- though we seem to disagree quite often -- I love with all of my heart.
My children, both of whom are healthy and happy.
My country, which -- without question -- is the greatest land on God's green Earth.
Freedom.
My career -- which provides me the means to provide for my family.
Memories, and the people who have helped me to make them.
The future -- as uncertain as it might be.
Joe.
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"If you haven't got all the things you want, be grateful for the things you don't have that you don't want." -- Unknown
20061118.a.mp3 (audio/mpeg Object)In his weekly radio address, President Bush said, "The greatest danger in our world today is that these terrorists could get their hands on weapons of mass destruction and use them to blackmail free nations or kill on an unimaginable scale. This threat poses a risk to our entire civilization, and we're working with our partners in the Asia Pacific region to defeat it. ...
In the long run, the surest path to security is the expansion of freedom. History shows that free societies are peaceful societies, so America is committed to advancing freedom and democracy as the great alternative to repression and radicalism. And by standing with our allies in the Asia Pacific region, we will defend our free way of life, confront the challenges of a new century, and build a more hopeful, peaceful, and prosperous future for our children and grandchildren."
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NBC: Hoyer wins battle to become House Democrats' No. 2. Murtha loses.
Find out more at http://breakingnews.msnbc.com
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It's a bit of a relief that he won't be the House Majority Leader.
Another important point to this is that the Democrats in the House basically defied their "Speaker-Elect," Nancy Pelosi, by electing Hoyer over Murtha. She supported Murtha for the role of Majority Leader. Does this mean that the Democrats will actually think for themselves over the next two years instead of being pawns of the leadership? One can only hope.Joe
, by former United States Marine Corps Reservist Buzz Williams.From Reuters.comWe've only just begun.
...[Arizona Senator John] McCain, [Former New York Mayor Rudy] Giuliani and [Iowa's Democratic Governor Tom] Vilsack are the front edge of an expected flurry of announcements that by mid-January could see about a dozen contenders in each party leap into the race to replace the outgoing Bush. ... For the first time since 1952, the White House race will not feature an incumbent president or a sitting vice president, making it the most wide open in decades and encouraging big fields on both sides. ... "Everybody is moving very quickly and I think for good reason," Republican Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee, another potential contender, said on Fox News. "I'll go back home, I'll think about it." ... Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter of California jumped in the race in October. Other Republicans pondering bids include Frist, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. ... For Democrats, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has been the early leader in polls. Other Democrat senators considering runs include Barack Obama of Illinois, Evan Bayh of Indiana, Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, Joseph Biden of Delaware and John Kerry of Massachusetts, who was the party's 2004 nominee. Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, who was Kerry's running mate, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson also are potential candidates.
My three-year-old son is such a little rocker. Last night I was playing some Podsafe Music on my computer. Among other independent artists, I was playing Geoff Smith, and my son was dancing around the room bopping right along with the music.Made this not for the radioOf course, he was repeating the same line over and over, but he was singing it to the correct tune, and I was pretty impressed that he remembered that much of the song after hearing it only once. It just goes to show that good music has an impact on everyone.
Made this not for the radio
Made this not for the radio
From CBSNews.com:What's ailing you? Ask Google, a British study suggests.Does this mean that Google is more accurate than some practicing physicians?
U.K. doctors Hangwi Tang and Jennifer Hwee Kwoon Ng find that their patients often use the popular Google Internet search engine to try to diagnose their own illnesses.
They wondered if it works.
To test the strategy, they took advantage of a feature in The New England Journal of Medicine. Every week, the journal offers doctors the chance to hone their diagnostic skills by presenting a puzzling case history.
So Tang and Ng gave Google a chance to solve 26 of the puzzles.
The two doctors selected three-to-five search terms for each case history. They then typed them into Google and looked over the first five pages of search results for a diagnosis.
Google came up with the correct diagnosis 58 percent of the time, Tang and Ng report in the current online issue of BMJ, formerly the British Medical Journal.
by Buzz Williams, a book that chronicles the six year military career of a Marine Corps Reservist deployed to Iraq for the first Gulf War (Operation Desert Shield/Storm). I went to the Post Office this morning to send the book to my brother, a former Marine Corps Reservist. The ironic part is that the Post Office is closed today for Veterans Day. I guess this veteran will have to mail the book by and about a veteran to my brother the veteran when it isn't Veterans Day.20061111.a.mp3 (audio/mpeg Object)In his weekly radio address, the President said, "As a result of this week's elections, the Democrats now hold a majority in both Houses of Congress. After the elections, I called the Democratic leaders in the House and the Senate to congratulate them on the victory they achieved for their party. On Thursday, I had lunch with Congresswoman Pelosi and Congressman Hoyer, and on Friday I met with Senators Reid and Durbin. We had good discussions. I told them what I have told the men and women in my administration: We must put these elections behind us, and work together on the great issues facing America."
Maybe America would be a better place if it was run by kids. I know, many of our current politicians act like children, but if we're going to have leaders who act like children, maybe we should have leaders who are children. Think about it for a minute.
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November 10, 2006 Best Buy Bans Use of Merry Christmas In Advertising
Dear Friend,
Best Buy has announced they will be using "Happy Holidays" this coming Christmas shopping season, and they will not be using "Merry Christmas." Dawn Bryant, a spokeswoman at Best Buy Co. Inc., says their advertising will not be using the term "Merry Christmas." "We are going to continue to use the term holiday because there are several holidays throughout that time period, and we certainly need to be respectful of all of them," Bryant said. Click here for reference article. While many other retailers have decided to return to the traditional "Merry Christmas", Best Buy will not be among them. Best Buy considers the use of "Merry Christmas" to be disrespectful. But while Best Buy, the largest consumer electronics company in the nation, will not be mentioning Christmas, they sure do want the shopping dollars from those who remember the Reason for the season.
 Sincerely,
Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman |
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American Family Association | P O Drawer 2440 | Tupelo, MS 38803 | 1-662-844-5036 Copyright 2006 All Rights Reserved |
Now that it's all been decided, and the fallout has already begun (with the "resignation" of Secretary Rumsfeld, I think I'll take a little break from talking politics. Campaign season can be pretty taxing, just trying to stay up to date with everything that's going on and getting the word out about the candidates you support.Candidates in both states are in a statistical deadlock, while one county in each state reports problems with voting machines that have caused some votes to remain uncounted. We will likely not have results until later today, at which time a recount is expected to be announced in Virginia, drawing out the final results even longer.
Whichever party wins control of the Senate, you can bet partisan politics will play a HUGE role for the next two years with such an even balance of power. America, prepare to watch and learn why the Democrats are the party of "no."
Joe
With the fall of formerly Republican-held Senate seats in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Rhode Island, and races in Virginia and Missouri running too close to call, it appears that the Democrats could very possibly take control of the Senate as well as the House of Representatives. At the very best case scenario for Republicans, their majority would be trimmed to just one or two seats. This creates not only a challenge for the Bush Administration, but, I believe, a challenge for American society as well. With the extreme liberal agenda of today's Democrat party, unless the President wields his VETO with a heavy hand and American voters reverse the tide in 2008, I believe we have just witnessed the beginning of the great moral collapse of the American way of life.Democrat gains in the Senate:
+ PennsylvaniaDemocrat losses in the Senate:
+ Ohio
+ Rhode Island
- Connecticut (Lieberman)*Democrat gains in the House:
+ Indiana #8* Lieberman, who was a Democrat defeated in his primary, has won reelection as an Independent, though he says he will still caucus with the Democrats. Though his seat will no longer contribute to a Democrat majority in the Senate, it will help them push their agenda.
+ Kentucky #3
+ Indiana #2
+ Vermont #1
+ New Hampshire #2
+ Ohio #18
+ Pennsylvania #7
+ North Carolina #11
+ Arizona #8
+ Pennsylvania #10
+ Florida #16**
+ Connecticut #5
+ Florida #22
+ Indiana #9
+ New York #19***
+ New York #20
** Leading by only 1%, or 2,250 votes, with 91% of the precincts reporting, this could possibly (though not likely) fall the other way.
*** Democrat challenger leads by 2% with 84% reporting.
I've been giving this some thought this evening. I originally stressed how important it is for the Republicans to retain control of Congress this year in case a Democrat takes the White House in 2008. What I neglected to consider is this: in 2008, one-third of the Senate will be up for re-election again, as well as the entire House of Representatives. Should the Democrats take control of one or both chambers of Congress, they will have the next two years to prove to American voters that we NEED a Republican controlled Congress, and American voters will once again have the opportunity to swing the balance of power back. Maybe it's not as dark a day as I originally feared.
Democrat gains in the Senate:
+ Pennsylvania
+ Ohio
+ Rhode Island
Democrat losses in the Senate:
- Lieberman*
Democrat gains in the House:
+ Indiana #8
+ Kentucky #3
+ Indiana #2
+ Vermont #1
+ New Hampshire #2
+ Ohio #18
+ Pennsylvania #7
+ North Carolina #11
+ Arizona #8
+ Pennsylvania #10
+ Florida #16**
+ Connecticut #5
+ Florida #22
+ Indiana #9
+ New York #19***
+ New York #20
Democrat losses in the House:
* Lieberman, who was a Democrat defeated in his primary, has won reelection as an Independent, though he says he will still caucus with the Democrats. Though his seat will no longer contribute to a Democrat majority in the Senate, it will help them push their agenda.
** Leading by only 1%, or 2,250 votes, with 91% of the precincts reporting, this could possibly (though not likely) fall the other way.
*** Democrat challenger leads by 2% with 84% reporting.
I've been giving this some thought this evening. I originally stressed how important it is for the Republicans to retain control of Congress this year in case a Democrat takes the White House in 2008. What I neglected to consider is this: in 2008, one-third of the Senate will be up for re-election again, as well as the entire House of Representatives. Should the Democrats take control of one or both chambers of Congress, they will have the next two years to prove to American voters that we NEED a Republican controlled Congress, and American voters will once again have the opportunity to swing the balance of power back. Maybe it's not as dark a day as I originally feared.
Joe
It can't all be about politics.Date: Nov 6, 10:13 pm
Subject: Politics
To: Joe's Average AmericansThe economy isn't getting the press that it should be getting at this time of the election season, and that should tell you something. What you should be hearing about is that the Unemployment Rate is at the unbelievably low rate of just 4.4%. Statistically speaking, our nation is more than fully employed.
And all the talk from Democrats about wanting to raise the minimum wage should worry us. Only 2% of American workers are paid minimum wage. Only 2%!!! Who are MOST of those 2%? High school students working their first job, living at home. They SHOULD be making minimum wage while they work their way up in the workforce. As for the portion of that 2% that are NOT high school students? They are mostly unskilled or low-skilled single adults who, if the minimum wage were raised, would probably lose their jobs to more skilled workers.
What you should be hearing about is that the economy -- even with gas prices a little higher than we'd all like -- is doing pretty darn well right now. And if you want to change that, well, I'm sure you can find a Democrat on the ballot to cast your vote for.
Joe
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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - October 23, 2006 - Google (NASDAQ: GOOG):
WHO: Google Earth
WHAT: Google Releases 2006 Google Earth Election Guide
WHERE: Available in Google Earth (download at www.google.com/earth)
WHEN: Monday, October 23, 2006 - Countdown to the 2006 US elections
WHY: Today Google Earth celebrates the election season with the launch of the 2006 Google Earth Election Guide.
Conceived by Google Earth engineers who found it difficult to find aggregated election information online about races country-wide, the 2006 Google Earth Election Guide serves as an easily accessible resource for users to find information about candidates, voter registration, and campaign financing for the November 7th elections.
"We’re excited to connect voters across the country to timely and locally relevant information about the upcoming elections and the candidates," said John Hanke, director of Google Earth and Maps. "We continue to believe that Google Earth can serve as the ultimate tool for organizing and sharing similar geo-based information."
The 2006 Google Earth Election Guide includes clickable place marks for all 435 Congressional districts. Each place mark includes:
The 2006 Google Earth Election Guide is available under the Layers tab of the Google Earth sidebar.
Google Earth combines satellite imagery, maps and the power of Google Search to make the world's geographic information easily accessible and useful. There have been over 100 million downloads of Google Earth since the product’s launch in June, 2005.
About Google Inc.
Google's innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google's targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. For more information, visit www.google.com.
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Why would it surprise you that many atheists happily celebrate Thanksgiving? It's one of the few great american holidays that is neither christian nor pagan and co-opted by the christians. Think easter (eggs and bunnies obviously the fertility fest of Ostara) and xmas (mistletoe and the yule log long pre-date christianity as winter solstice symbols). Being thankful doesn't require supreme being mythology. Thankfully ;). Happy thanksgiving to you from one of the numerous thankful atheists.
What was the origin of Thanksgiving? Try this: religious pilgrims expressing thankfulness to God their Creator for the bountiful harvest.
How you think that's not religious, I don't know. Without someone to be thankful to, what is Thanksgiving?
Joe