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The region of present-day Georgia contained the ancient kingdoms of Colchis and Kartli-Iberia. The area came under Roman influence in the first centuries A.D. and Christianity became the state religion in the 330s. Domination by Persians, Arabs, and Turks was followed by a Georgian golden age (11th-13th centuries) that was cut short by the Mongol invasion of 1236. Subsequently, the Ottoman and Persian empires competed for influence in the region. Georgia was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Independent for three years (1918-1921) following the Russian revolution, it was forcibly incorporated into the USSR until the...

SDEROT, Israel (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama assured Israel and its U.S. Jewish supporters on Wednesday he was a friend who would not press for peace concessions that would compromise its security. Hailing Israel as a "miracle," he vowed staunch support and held only a low-profile meeting with Palestinian leaders in the occupied West Bank. Obama, seeking to allay wariness among some U.S. Jewish voters about his policy towards Israel, flew to Sderot, a town hit by rockets fired from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, saying he hoped to bring peace but would not dictate the terms of...

The deputy to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Saturday that Iran was a friend of Israel, Iranian news agencies reported. "Iran wants no war with any country, and today Iran is friend of the United States and even Israel.... Our achievements belong to the whole world and should be used for expanding love and peace," said Iranian Vice President Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei, who is also head of the Cultural Heritage Organization. The Cultural Heritage Organization news agency quoted him as saying that even during the eight-year war against Iraq, Iran just defended itself against the military invasion by former Iraqi dictator...

Gary Phillip Andorfer, 49, of Tempe, Arizona died April 22, 2008. Gary was a good man, husband, and father.Gary's dream was to own a store to provide good religious literature to Valley Catholics . He opened Catholic Books and Gifts in Tempe. A few years later, I met Gary at a rosary prayer meeting, where Gary asked me to design a website for him so that he could sell Baptism and First Communion apparel online. Thus CatholicChildrensCompany.com, my first e-commerce website project, was born. Gary became my friend over the years, and we prayed for Gary when he told us...

Marine Reunited in San Diego With Dog He Rescued in IraqA San Diego-based Marine major was reunited on Saturday with one of his closest war buddies — a 2-year-old dog named Nubs. Nubs greeted Maj. Brian Dennis at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station when the fighter pilot returned from Iraq. It was the first time the two were together since Dennis' family and close friends helped raise $3,500 to fly the dog to San Diego about a month ago. Nubs wasn't allowed to stay on base in Iraq. Dennis, 36, of St. Pete Beach, Fla., had spotted the mongrel dog...

Udi, a United States military working dog stationed at Forward Operating Base Kalsu, poses for the camera after he completes his daily training, Dec. 25. Photo by Pfc. Amanda McBride. FOB KALSU — With their strong sense of smell and their immeasurable loyalty, the highly trained military working dogs (MWD) in the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, are proving to be essential in the fight against terrorism. Military working dogs first entered the United States armed services in March 1942. Today, the dogs are still providing support to the troops on the battlefield.A single dog can search more...

Babies 'can tell friend from foe' By Roger Highfield, Science Editor Last Updated: 6:01pm GMT 21/11/2007 Babies as young as six months old are able to tell friend from foe, according to a study that suggests our sense of right and wrong develops long before formal teaching. Social animals, including humans, need to be able to rapidly distinguish whom they can trust from those they cannot in order to cooperate, thrive and survive. Babies seem to know the 'good guys' from the bad Indeed, it could be that it is part of our nature to know the difference between right...

N'DJAMENA, Oct 18 (Reuters) - A U.S. evangelical church missionary working on a U.S. government-backed development project in northern Chad has been kidnapped by rebels, Chadian and U.S. officials said on Thursday. "The governor of the northern BET region has told me that an American priest has been kidnapped in the Tibesti (mountains) by remaining members of the MDJT rebel movement," Secretary of State for the Interior Abderamane Djasnabaille told Reuters. "The rebels took his vehicle and they are holding him at Zoumri," he added. A leader of Chad's Evangelical Church, Pastor Ngardei Bako, identified the kidnapped American as Steve...

I sincerely hope that Mr Snow partakes in the discourse with his old friends in FR. Come on in again and converse with us. And help us fight your challenge with you. God bless.

By ERICA ESTEP 6 News Anchor/Reporter KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- A West Knoxville family is calling their dog a hero after he chased off some burglars. But he was stabbed in the process. "Jake," an eight-year-old chocolate Labrador Retriever, has a heavily bandaged neck but five days ago, he suffered a traumatic injury. However, Jake's owners didn't even know their home had been broken into and couldn't figure out what had caused their dog's injury. "There was just blood everywhere. He was saturated. I mean, it was all down his chest, both his legs, it had even gotten on down his...

Michael Sparling spent a recent afternoon helping an injured soldier around Walter Reed Army Medical Center. It was a gesture he has performed many times in the past year and a half since his son also arrived at the hospital to recover from war injuries received in Iraq, but one that may soon be coming to an end. "When my son leaves, I don't know if I'll be able to," said Mr. Sparling who also volunteers his time, expertise and energy to help other families navigate the paperwork and stress he has faced during his son's recovery.His son, Joshua, 25,...

HOW much pain would you put up with to help your friend? Less than you would for your close relatives, but more than you would for a charity, according to a study that looked at the basis of altruistic behaviour. For women, however, best friends rank higher than cousins, while men put all family members ahead of friends.

An investigation by the City Attorney's Office into whether it was proper for Ruby Rippey-Tourk to receive thousands of dollars in "catastrophic illness pay" from the city after she left her San Francisco City Hall job -- and following her affair with Mayor Gavin Newsom -- uncovered nothing illegal, but did raise questions about whether she should have been eligible for the payout. Rippey-Tourk received $10,154 in unexplained retroactive pay after leaving her job as Newsom's commission appointments secretary The report questioned, however, whether Rippey-Tourk, who took leave from City Hall in May 2006 to enter a substance abuse program,...

China is a nation without true friends Sergei Karpukhin, Reuters President Hu Jintao visited Russia, really only a fair-weather pal, this week. Internal reform, not charm offensives, will make its neighbours less anxious (Mar 31, 2007) Like the emergence of Germany in the 19th century and of United States in the 20th, China's rapid rise to superpower status generates as much fear as admiration. The fears are most acute in its own neighbourhood.Yet from a historical perspective, one of the more remarkable developments of recent years may be China's submission to the tiny threads of international constraint, especially in its...

(IsraelNN.com) A new Gallup poll shows that more than half of American citizens consider Israel to be a "vital friend" in the Middle East. The average U.S. citizen considers Israel to be one of America's most important allies, according to a survey released this week by the world-renown Gallup polling organization. The poll examined America's perception of foreign nations, which it considers to be allies and which it views with disfavor. More than half of Americans rated Israel as a 'vital friend' – 55 percent of the respondents rated the Jewish State as "favorable" and "important", the only country to...

Diamonds are no longer a girl's best friend By Chris Hastings, Stephanie Plentl and Beth Jones, Sunday Telegraph Last Updated: 12:29am GMT 07/01/2007 Diamonds have been synonymous with Hollywood glamour since Marilyn Monroe declared them to be a girl's best friend in the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. But now a new generation of Hollywood stars is shunning the stones as a new film exposes the darker side of the international diamond trade. Blood Diamond tells the story of forced-labour diamond mines For the first time in the 79-year history of the Oscars, certain kinds of diamond will be absent from...

State investigators have searched the home of a Los Angeles Police Department officer they believe played a key role in mailing out thousands of racially charged letters to Latino voters in an Orange County congressional district this month. The officer has been identified as Mark Nhan Nguyen, 32, a three-year veteran of the force who works as a collision investigator in South Los Angeles, according to sources familiar with an ongoing investigation by the state attorney general into the letter and whether the mailing violated any laws.

WASHINGTON — While it’s up to the Iraqi government to make the tough decisions as the country continues its progress, the Iraqi people can continue to count on the United States for help, President Bush said in New York yesterday. Bush and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani spoke with reporters after a bilateral meeting. While praising the Iraqi people for their courage, Bush acknowledged the road ahead is difficult. “These are tough times,” he said. “There's still violence in your midst because extremists want to stop the advance of a free society.” Bush said he and Talabani discussed the way ahead...

16th of June DEFEATING DEPRESSION PART 1 “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad” Proverbs 12:25 Depression- from Webster’s New Unabridged Dictionary Low spirits, gloominess, dejection, sadness, a decrease in force, or activity, or amount, a decrease in functional activity. An emotional condition either normal or pathological characterized by discouragement, a feeling of inadequacy, the act of humbling abasement as a depression of pride. Abasement, reduction, sinking, fall, humiliation, dejection, melancholy. Major Depression Facts Major depression is the No.1 psychological disorder in the western world.(1) It is growing in all age groups,...

How is Terry doing anyone know? Her last post was in Feb 2006 Don’t Waste Your Cancer Posted by RnMomof7 to topcat54 On Religion 02/16/2006 9:35:36 PM EST · 11 of 14 As usual Pastor Piper shows the heart of a man that loves and honors God. May God see fit to allow us to grow and learn form this mighty man of God !