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A cat escape caused a four-hour delay for an Air Canada flight Thursday as airline staff in Halifax struggled to get the feline from its hiding place in cockpit wiring. (Jan. 27) [Associated Press]

A camouflage-clad Florida dance troupe desperate to make it to a live TV talent show set off a rush-hour terror scare when they ditched their cars in merciless Lincoln Tunnel traffic and tried to sprint through the tube.The FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force was called in -- and a massive contingent of heavily armed cops surrounded the harmless performers, who stood teary-eyed in their showy costumes as hundreds of angry drivers were stuck in the snarl."They drew their guns on us at first," said Landon Burse, 24, the group's executive director who arranged the appearance on BET's "106 & Park"...

House Hubbie's Joins "Blogging Out Hunger" Campaign My fellow foodie and blogging buddy, Deborah of Jersey Bites is coordinating a bloging campaign on behalf of The Community Food Bank of New Jersey. The "This Bank Can't Fail" blogging campaign is scheduled to launch December 15th. The goal is to get 100 New Jersey bloggers spreading the word about the desperate need that The Community Food Bank of New Jersey is in due to the increased demands being put on New Jersey food pantries.

Both of these articles are from Australia. The first article states “Aggressive policing turns Muslims to terrorism.” A study from the Global Terrorism Research Centre at Monash University suggests that Australia’s approach to stopping terrorism might actually be encouraging it.Waleed Aly from the centre says the aggressive police approach is alienating young Muslim men, who may be more likely to turn to radical groups as a result. He says a community-based approach may be more effective than a hardline approach.“The problem is that as we repeat that [hardline] approach, what we actually end up doing is exacerbating the problem,” he...

WASHINGTON - A photograph circulating in the Internet of Democratic Sen. Barack Obama dressed in traditional local garments during a visit to Kenya in 2006 is causing a dustup in the presidential campaign over what constitutes a smear. The photograph portrays Obama wearing a white turban and a wraparound white robe presented to him by elders in Wajir, in northeastern Kenya. Obama's estranged late father was Kenyan and Obama visited the country in 2006, attracting thousands of well-wishers. The gossip and news Web site The Drudge Report posted the photograph Monday and said it was being circulated by "Clinton staffers"...

The study said both the US and Britain were still adopting the Cold War way of thinking which focused on security as "defense" CAIRO — War allies Washington and London are using Cold War-styled policies in dealing with terrorism, resorting to military might and ignoring the root causes of terror, a London-based renowned think tank said in a new study on Wednesday, April 11. "Their dangerous policies attempt to maintain control and keep the status quo by using overwhelming military force," said the Oxford Research Group (ORG).

One of the early -- and quite amazing -- sidelights of the race for the Republican nomination for President in ’08 is how so many prominent conservatives are lining up behind Rudy Giuliani, who has perhaps the slimmest conservative credentials of any of the major GOP hopefuls. The Republican Party has had a strong pro-life plank in its national platform since 1980, but the former New York mayor still characterizes himself as “pro-choice” and has never reversed his oft-stated 1990s opposition to a ban on partial-birth abortion. When I questioned him during the recent California Republican convention about his support...

Black and Tan ice cream causes a chill in Ireland By Tom Peterkin, Ireland Correspondent (Filed: 21/04/2006) An American ice cream maker has launched a brand that evokes the British militia that terrorised the Irish during the 1920s. Ben and Jerry's began promoting its Black and Tan flavour - cream stout with a whirl of chocolate - this month, but said it was unaware of the connotations that the name has in Ireland. The offending ice cream The company, whose mission statement promotes "deep respect" for individuals, has apologised for any offence their latest product has caused to the Irish....

Sacramento -- A giant bond proposal being weighed by state lawmakers has far more in it than billions of dollars to build schools and highways and strengthen California's levees. Restoration of the Salton Sea, retrofitting diesel school buses, acquiring land and creating urban parks are a few examples of spending included in the most recent version of the bond, which would go before voters in June if lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger can work out a deal in the next couple of days. "Protection of environmental resources is as much of a long-term investment in California's future as is the...

How long have the scientists known about the predicted pole-shift, expected date and likely causes, outcomes?

California vineyards flooded as torrential rain causes chaos By Catherine Elsworth in Los Angeles (Filed: 02/01/2006) Northern California's famous wine country suffered widespread flooding yesterday after powerful storms pummelled the region. Rivers overflowed their banks, engulfing homes and triggering mudslides that blocked roads across the area. At least a dozen people were rescued from the rushing waters and, with more rain forecast, emergency officials urged residents in low-lying areas close to rivers to evacuate. The heaviest rain hit the Napa Valley area, just north of San Francisco and home to more than 200 vineyards, including the Robert Mondavi Winery, Francis...

When a rock hits the calm surface of a pond, ripples form at the point of impact and travel outward in expanding circles. The story begins with a young man and his dream - a dream of overcoming his health problems and flying for the Air Force. The boy, Ryan Penne, 14, of Chico, Calif., stepped into dreamland last year at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., when he and his family were guests of Col. Darryl W. Burke - then the 9th Reconnaissance Wing's vice commander - for a comprehensive base tour as part of the Make-A-Wish program. Ryan suffers...

ALSTEAD, N.H. - Prolonged, heavy rain caused flooding from North Carolina to New Hampshire over the weekend, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate, knocking out electricity, weakening dams and making roads impassable. At least four people died, including two people killed in New Hampshire when a car apparently drove off a washed-out bridge into flood waters, officials said Sunday. A fifth person was missing and feared dead. Gov. John Lynch returned from Europe to take charge of relief efforts in New Hampshire. He declared a state of emergency and called in 500 National Guard members for assistance. "This is the...

Aug. 12: They came in wheelchairs to the Rasmussen Senior Center in Oildale Thursday to hear their congressman tout the new federal prescription drug plan that goes into effect on Jan. 1. What they heard angered some of them. As U.S. Rep. Bill Thomas detailed the controversial plan and opened up the floor for questions, he seemed unprepared for the reaction. Thomas and the state's secretary of health and human services had spent the previous 15 minutes detailing what the government was going to do for seniors and disabled Americans. But it sounded like folly to many of the seniors...

THE LAST WORDThere is a certain strain of expert who believes that Osama bin Laden is a political genius who is using terrorism to accomplish political aims. If true, it follows that, while the West should pursue Islamist terrorists militarily, we should also seek politically to alleviate the conditions which so inflame them. Okay, let's just name names--I'm talking about Michael Scheuer who suggests in his books that bin Laden is a genius on par with America's Founding Fathers and that in order to win the war on terrorism, America needs to stop agitating Islamists by stationing troops in Saudi...

I'm surprised the British are surprised they were attacked by Muslim terrorists, today. It's not surprising, given the following (and we should learn some lessons here): 1) Abu Hamza Al-Masri and his Finsbury Mosque: Sheikh Hamza, a/k/a Captain Hook (he has hooks for hands, as he lost both in an explosion), regularly preached hate at his mosque. And surprise, surprise, it produced Richard Reid, the Shoe Bomber, among the mosque's other "luminaries." Masri was involved with Muslim extremist group, Al-Muhajiroun (affiliated with Al-Qaeda), and planned to host "The Magnificent 19" celebration, honoring the 9/11 hijackers. Brits pay over a million...

The revelation that Deep Throat was actually Mark Felt, the No. 2 man at the FBI during the Nixon Presidency, has focused new attention on the Watergate era and the political consequences that followed. But with the revelation that Felt was the informant that brought down Nixon should also come some attention to the investigations into the FBI and Felt's activities after Watergate and the consequences the nation suffered on 9/11 as a direct result. First, in regard to Felt and Watergate, the liberal media today are all lauding him as a hero because without him Nixon might not have...

Illegal aliens: Democrats stumped By Froma Harrop PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Hillary gets it. Hillary Clinton says she's against illegal immigration. And she would fine employers who hire illegal aliens. Pundits say the Democratic senator from New York is using this hot-button issue to position herself for the 2008 presidential election. It's a way to hit Republicans from the right. Polls show huge majorities of both Republicans and Democrats oppose illegal immigration - and are frustrated that President Bush won't do a thing to stop it. But this issue does not belong to the right. Or it shouldn't. Illegal immigration hurts...

As the U.S. Marine Corps helicopter lifted from the roof of the American Embassy in Saigon at daybreak on April 30, 1975, I thought about the carnage that would result from a heat-seeking missile fired by Vietnamese Communist forces gradually encircling the besieged capital of the dying Republic of Vietnam. Exhausted by a lack of sleep for the previous week, I no longer felt fear, only curiosity. Tears welled up in my eyes, perhaps due in part to the anguish of witnessing the tragic events unfolding before me, but also from caustic smoke belched out of rooftop incinerators glowing cherry-red...

Bishop Harry R. Jackson Jr. has found himself in a wide range of settings across church and state since he unveiled his "Black Contract With America on Moral Values." One day, the conservative minister is on stage with some of the nation's top African-American thought leaders at an Atlanta church. Less than two weeks later, he's at a U.S. Senate office building in Washington addressing a room filled predominantly with white evangelical leaders. Despite criticism from some African-American ministers that he's the black equivalent of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Jackson says he is comfortable in both places. As he...

I believe I may be the only person in America who isn’t for or against President Bush’s proposal to save Social Security. Unlike everybody else who seems positive that it is either brilliant and benevolent or stupid and evil, I really don’t have an opinion. As a result, I’m highly suspicious of everyone who claims to have a real handle on the pluses and minuses of his proposal. I mean, facts are facts, and an awful lot of you watch “The Fear Factor” and voted for Kerry and Edwards. Why on earth would I believe you when it’s about something...

I have wondered what the true calling of Western Islamic groups really is oftentimes as I read about what they are doing and what they are trying to accomplish. Groups such as CAIR, ADC, CIOCG, IAP, and others have been very proactive in trying to push out literature to the people of this nation in media and through civil activities that tell us how harmless they are and how they have no ties to terror, how peaceful they are. There have been lawsuits all over the nation that have tried to squelch the Free Speech of Americans who have done...

When Richard Gere played an “American Gigolo” in 1980, who knew he’d actually become one, twenty-five years later? This week, Gere is pulling tricks for jihadist Palestinian Johns supporting terror. Gere’s not just claiming to speak for “the entire world” in ads for Sunday’s Palestinian elections. He’s co-starring with two Palestinian terrorism supporters, Sheikh Taissir Rajab Al-Tamimi and Atallah (a/k/a Theodosios) Hanna. In an ad sponsored by “One Voice” (more on that group, below), Gere appeals to Palestinian voters: “Hi, I’m Richard Gere, and I’m speaking for the entire world. We’re with you during this election time. It’s really important:...

Last week Kofi Annan presided over a UN seminar on "Islamophobia," explaining with a straight face: "When the world is compelled to coin a new term to take account of increasingly widespread bigotry -- that is a sad and troubling development. Such is the case with 'Islamophobia.' The word seems to have emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Today, the weight of history and the fallout of recent developments have left many Muslims around the world feeling aggravated and misunderstood, concerned about the erosion of their rights and even fearing for their physical safety." The focus, not unexpectedly,...

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) - A Democratic city councilman is demanding that a baker remove photos of President Bush from his stand in Lancaster's farmers market, saying the city needs a "healing period" following the bitterly contested election. City Councilman Nelson Polite asked baker David Stoltzfus last month to remove the pictures. When Stoltzfus refused, Polite threatened to try to enact a city ordinance that would ban all political material from public places. "I just feel that since it was a close election and the city's so divided, that we should have a healing period," Polite told the New Era of...

Baseball's big party got thrown a curveball before it even began. Officials from the sports world and the city government were in Union Station today to confirm what was already widely known -- that the Expos are being re-named the Washington Nationals. But before the media event got underway, D-C Statehood Green Party member Adam Eidinger jumped onto the stage holding a sign protesting Mayor Tony Williams' planned stadium deal. Eidinger was jumped by several men, including former Washington Senators announcer Charlie Brotman. A tussle ensued, and the podium nearly fell over, before security managed to drag Eidinger off stage....

Full Disclosure: John Edwards often speaks of "two Americas" — one that "pays the taxes" and another that "gets the tax breaks." Meet Teresa Heinz Kerry and her tax accountants. John Kerry wants to raise taxes on everyone making over $200,000, rolling back Bush's "tax cuts for the rich." So why did his wife pay only 12.5% of her income in taxes last year? According to documents released by the Kerry campaign, Teresa Heinz Kerry in 2003 paid taxes at a rate barely above the rate paid by the lowest-income Americans who actually pay taxes. She reported a total income...

Federally funded consultants hired by Secretary of State Kevin Shelley spent time registering voters for largely Democratic constituency groups and at partisan rallies, including one to "take back the White House," according to staff activity reports released Thursday. Other contractors, paid thousands of dollars through federal funds from the 2002 Help America Vote Act, described outreach efforts at, among other things, the NBA All-Star week festivities, a reggae festival, a Janet Jackson "salute" and a community event on behalf of Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, D-Los Angeles. In several cases, consultants delivered "letters of commendation" from the Democratic secretary of state...

Call it the Chips Ahoy! School of International Studies: Fifth-graders at Fratney Street School in Milwaukee learn about causes of terrorism with a small bag of cookies and a large map of the world. Bob Peterson teaches students that overpopulation and poverty help make it easier to recruit terrorists for attacks like those on Sept. 11, 2001. Schools have been teaching about Sept. 11 since that morning nearly three years ago, but this year, Families of September 11, founded by victims' relatives, is honoring Peterson and three others for curricula on terrorism's root causes. At a Smithsonian Institution conference today,...

Clinton claim causes stir in NZ 24 June 2004 Bill Clinton has raised eyebrows in New Zealand after claiming his wife, Hillary Clinton, was named after famous Kiwi mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary, AFP reported today. Problem is, Hillary conquered Mount Everest in 1953, almost seven years after infant Hillary was born. Clinton makes the claim in his memoir, My Life, which went on sale this week. The former president travelled to New Zealand several times while in office and referred to Sir Edmund as "the second favourite Hillary in our household". Hillary Clinton herself has attributed her name to the...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Banging buckets and the most agile doing cartwheels, protesters rallied Saturday against trade deals, Third World debt and war, taking those messages and more to the streets in numbers diminished from past years. Peaceful and festive, a crowd of about 1,000 marched past the offices of multinational corporations they hold responsible for exploiting the poor, chanting "shame, shame" along the way. The demonstrations are a spring ritual tied to the meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund and, as always, the causes were varied. Protesters came to shout against the U.S. occupation of Iraq, sweatshop...

The Rev. Jesse Jackson is again on the campaign trail. He was in California stumping against the recall of Gov. Gray Davis, a Democrat. He was in Connecticut marching with Yale employees working without a contract. He has been attacking a Texas plan to redraw Congressional election districts. What he is not doing is hitting the campaign trail for any of the nine Democratic presidential contenders. "I made the choice not to run, and at this point not to be involved in any single candidate's race," Mr. Jackson said in an interview. Mr. Jackson's neutrality is no surprise to...

When a country goes to war, one question that already should have been answered is "why?" But many people in the United States, Europe and elsewhere are genuinely perplexed about why the Bush administration is so determined, even at the cost of war, to oust Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. In their public statements, administration officials have, if anything, increased the puzzlement. They have portrayed their campaign against Iraq as a continuation of the war against terrorism. They have claimed to have evidence of close ties between Hussein and al-Qaeda, but outside of a few scattered citations, they have failed to...

The Plot Against Alar an ACSH interview with Robert Bidinotto, author of "The Great Apple Scare" Reader's Digest, Oct. 1990 Robert James Bidinotto is a journalist and author of the investigative article, The Great Apple Scare. His story appeared in the October 1990 issue of Reader's Digest, and crumbled the underpinnings of the Alar myth. The controversy surrounding Alar raised serious questions, and Robert Bidinotto, along with his editors, wanted serious answers. Mr. Bidinotto, however, was not a stranger to investigative journalism. His article about the Willie Horton incident put the Massachusetts Furlough Program, and eventually a Presidential candidate, under...