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Tuesday marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens — the great 19th century English novelist who gave us stories of pathos and comedy, and colorful portraits of the people of London, from the poor in the back streets, to the rich in the parks and avenues. Lots of Dickens' phrases — like "Bah humbug" and "God bless us, every one!" — have slipped into our minds and our memories. And along with the words, the characters, too — from hungry orphan Oliver Twist to sweet and lonely little Nell to cruel Mr. Murdstone. "After Shakespeare, Dickens is...

More Americans than ever say they celebrate the upcoming holiday of Christmas as a religious one. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 88% of American Adults say they celebrate Christmas, and 81% of this group celebrate it as a religious holiday. Just 16% of those celebrants regard it as a secular holiday.

For ten years now, our Corps has been engaged in continuous combat operations against those who threaten the security of America and our allies. We turned the tide in the Anbar province of Iraq and continue to see success today in southwest Afghanistan. While it has come at a cost … we have much to be proud of. This past year in operations around the world including humanitarian disaster relief, counter-piracy, theater security cooperation, special operations, counter-insurgency and many more, you continued to solidify our place as America’s expeditionary force in readiness. Since the Continental Congress created two battalions of...

Happy birthday to all my fellow Marines past and present. The eagle born to those who pledged their lives and sacred honor, was smiled upon by God and freed from chains and iron collar. He is held aloft on unity and by history revered; for preserving peace through strength his wings now reach across two hundred years. But for each of those and one year more, God has smiled upon The Corps, from the Barbary Coast to the Eastern Sand, by sword, by gun, or by bare hand. So it's been, and shall be weighed: though many are born, few...

Again another year has passed -- you keep looking younger and I just keep getting older! <Have a Happy and Blessed Birthday and a wonderful year to come, Jim!

President Obama celebrated his 50th birthday Thursday night with a celebrity-filled bash, as entertainer Chris Rock reported on his Twitter feed: "Just left the Presidents birthday party at the White House. Herbie Hancock played, Stevie Wonder sang and yes they did the electric slide. A great night." Daughter Malia, 13 just arrived home from summer camp in time for the Rose Garden party as she was joined by her sister, Sasha, 10, First Lady Michelle, grandmother Marian Robinson and their godmother, Eleanor "Mama Kaye, Wilson," who flew to Washington from Chicago on Air Force One with Obama when he returned...

The worldwide market plunge since the signing of the U.S. debt agreement tells us one thing above all: Almost no one on the planet has confidence in the leadership of Barack Obama. A CEO with such a disastrous first three years as our president has had probably would already have been called upon to resign or been pushed out by his company’s board of directors — more than likely for some time. Obama has failed in virtually every direction, foreign and domestic. His policies indeed are almost non-existent. He is completely rudderless, unless you accept the view that he is...

The United States Coast Guard was established August 4, 1790. United States Coast Guard Tribute "Semper Paratus"

STATE VISITS ‘Do you still throw spears at each other?’ To Aboriginal leader William Brin, 2002. ‘You managed not to get eaten then?’ To a British student who was trekking in Papua New Guinea EUROPE ‘I would like to go to Russia very much — although the bastards murdered half my family.’ In 1967, when asked if he would like to visit the Soviet Union. SCOTLAND ‘How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?’ To a Scottish driving instructor in 1995. CHINA ‘If you stay here much longer, you will go home with...

Please join me in remembering Tony Snow and his family on his birthday. Happy Birthday, Tony! We miss you and keep your family in our hearts and prayers.

It’s not a national holiday but, for some, it should be. On May 26, 1907 Marion Robert Morrison came into the world in Winterset, Iowa. When he left on June 11, 1979, he was John Wayne, an American icon. continue reading at:http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/36926

This year, the most influential book you may never have read is celebrating a major birthday. The King James Version of the Bible was published 400 years ago. It's no longer the top-selling Bible, but in those four centuries, it has woven itself deeply into our speech and culture. Let's travel back to 1603: King James I, who had ruled Scotland, ascended to the throne of England. What he found was a country suspicious of the new king. "He was regarded as a foreigner," says Gordon Campbell, a historian at the University of Leicester in England. "He spoke with a...

“The spirit of wickedness in high places is now so powerful and so many-headed in its incarnations,” Tolkien wrote in 1969, “that there seems nothing more to do than personally to refuse to worship any of the hydras’ heads.” The world, he thought, seemed little better than a new Tower of Babel, “all noise and confusion.”Yet, armed with Grace, citizens of the City of God should remain constant in their defense of all that is good.... With the Incarnation of Christ, “art has been verified,” Tolkien claimed. “God is the Lord, of angels, and of men–and of elves. Legend and...

When I was born Jimmeh Cartah's presidency was on it's death bed and the decision to pull the plug on his life support was made by Dr. American Voters about a month earlier. So admittedly I don't KNOW Reagan and the politics of that time as well as the Limbaughs and the Hannitys because I was watching Smurfs and playing G.I. Joe, sometimes at the same time (I was an early multitasker). I do know this about Reagan, Carter's failure jolted my parents into caring about politics. They realized that there are consquences to a president being a bumbling idiot....

On the centenary of Ronald Reagan's birth, I pause for another historic event: agreement with President Obama, who says of his predecessor in USA Today, "Ronald Wilson Reagan was a believer ... he recognized that each of us has the power -- as individuals and as a nation -- to shape our own destiny. He had faith in the American promise; in the importance of reaffirming values like hard work and personal responsibility; and in his own unique ability to inspire others to greatness." Precisely! I suspect Reagan would be embarrassed by the attempts to elevate him to political sainthood....

Rush Hudson Limbaugh III was born January 12, 1951 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Happy birthday, Rush. You have no idea how much you've done for us. :)

A train carrying birthday presents for Kim Jong-un, chosen successor to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, was derailed, a radio station that broadcasts into North Korea said yesterday. “A cargo train that left Sinuiju for Pyongyang on Dec. 11 was derailed somewhere between Yomju Station and Tongnim Station,” a source within North Korea’s National Security Agency was quoted as saying by Open Radio for North Korea. Sinuiju, a port city on the Chinese border, and Yomju and Tongnim are in North Pyongan Province, northwest of the North Korean capital city of Pyongyang. “That incident put the North’s National Security Agency...

Link toCommandant's Message:Neat Story; definitely esprit de corps. (NEWSER) – Two former Marines will demonstrate their solidarity in this weekend's Marine Corps Marathon, where Bryan Purcell will act as the "legs" of Eddie Ryan, an Iraq veteran who was paralyzed in combat, AOL News reports. Ryan, 26 was shot twice in the head in 2005, and while he's recovered far more than doctors expected, he can't yet walk on his own. HBO featured him in a show about vets, and the segment touched Purcell, who was inspired by Ryan's goal to run a marathon. "As soon as I saw that...

USMCPress.comAll U.S. Marines are gung-ho.  But, few can match the vision and total commitment of the famous 13th Commandant, Gen. John A. Lejeune.  In 1921 he issued Marine Corps Order No. 47, Series 1921.    Gen. Lejeune's order summarized the history, mission, and tradition of the Corps.  It further directed that the order be read to all Marines on 10 November of each year to honor the founding of the Marine Corps.  Thereafter, 10 November became a unique day for U.S. Marines throughout the world.----- MARINE CORPS ORDERS No. 47 (Series 1921) HEADQUARTERS U.S. MARINE CORPS Washington, November 1, 1921...

~ Happy 63rd Birthday, United States Air Force!! ~ September 18, 2010 Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. < USAF Band ~ Air Force Hymn Mormon Tabernacle Choir ~ Air Force Song Bobby Vee ~ The Night Has A Thousand Eyes Burl Ives ~ Little Bitty Tear Lynn Anderson ~ Rose Garden Del Shannon ~ Runaway Patsy Cline ~ Walkin' After Midnight The New Seekers ~ I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing Waylon Jennings ~ Don't Think Twice...

Actress Raquel Welch turns 70 today. Wow, kind of makes me feel old.

You can't escape it: as I'm typing this post a newscaster just referred to the murky death of a member of the British Secret Intelligence Service as a "James Bond mystery." On Sean Connery's 80th birthday I want to note the vigorous, inspiring post-Bond career he forged with terrific work for legendary directors like John Huston in "The Man Who Would Be King," Brian De Palma in "The Untouchables," Fred Schepisi in "The Russia House," Philip Kaufman in "Rising Sun" and Steven Spielberg in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."

<p>Famed American author Ray Bradbury was born August 22, 2010 in Waukegan, Illinois - the birthplace of another great American, Jack Benny.</p> <p>He has written in several genres including fantasy, horror, mystery, and science fiction.</p> <p>Among his most famous works are The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451, The Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and the screenplay for the 1956 film version of Moby Dick.</p>

<p>President Obama made that point well last night. After a flight from Washington to Chicago, where he was greeted at O'Hare Airport by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn among others, the President took a traffic-avoiding helicopter ride to a landing zone at Soldier Field home of the Chicago Bears and then a motorcade ride to his own home in Chicago's South Side neighborhood of Hyde Park.</p>

President Obama turns 49 on August 4, and OFA supporters will be sharing in the fun. Volunteers nationwide will hold birthday parties and use the occasion to recruit new OFA volunteers. Each new volunteer will help get more first-time 2008 voters back to the polls in November. And with so much more on our agenda, and tight races from Florida to Alaska, we don't have a moment to lose. Use the map below to find a President’s Birthday Event near you.

U.S. President Barack Obama waves as he works the audience of donors who spontaneously sang a chorus of "Happy Birthday" to him during a Democratic Party fundraiser in Atlanta, August 2, 2010. Obama turns 49 on Wednesday August 4th. REUTERS/Jason Reed

CHICAGO: US President Barack Obama will celebrate his 49th birthday in the company of his friends in Chicago and not with his wife and two daughters. The White House said that Obama will leave Washington for Chicago on Wednesday and will stay at his home in Kenwood for the night, Chicago Sun-Times reported. First lady Michelle Obama will not be with the president. She will leave next week for Spain, travelling with daughter Sasha, 9. Malia, 12, for an overnight camp. Obama, born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, was last in Chicago with his family over the Memorial Day...

Today's the day, Freepers! Diana in Wisconsin turns fifty years old! (In Dog Years that's...Rhut-Roh! LOL!) Help me celebrate! My actual party is tomorrow with family and friends here at the farm, but the celebration has been going on all week, so far!

Today is Tony Snow's birthday. We remember our friend and his family on his birthday. Happy Birthday, Tony! Please add a message for Tony's friends and family as we remember our friend on this day.

PLEASANTON — What birthday would be complete without a song? And to help celebrate 100 years of the Boy Scouts of America, hundreds of packs and troops obliged Friday with their own version. Scouts from throughout Northern California kicked off the Northern California 100th Anniversary Jamboree opening ceremony with their own chant at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. Members from as far south as Yosemite to as far north as the Oregon border belted out: "We got spirit, yes we do. We got spirit, how about you?" The chant grew in volume and enthusiasm as it snaked its way from one...

Failed warnings of doom do not deter new ones. THURSDAY is Lenin's Birthday. It will be celebrated around the world as Earth Day, a holiday begun by Democratic Sen. Gaylord Nelson in 1970 to keep anti-capitalist sentiment going after the Vietnam War ended. The Earth Day trippers have run out of pollution and are now attacking carbon dioxide - the air we exhale. Which reminds me, the biggest polluters in the world turned out to be the communist states of China, the Soviet Union and the Eastern bloc nations. The Aral Sea is 90 percent smaller than it was before...

Evil clown stalks kids as birthday treat From: NewsCore April 15, 2010 A PSYCHOTIC-looking clown who promises to scare children senseless can be booked as a birthday surprise, the Austrian Times reported. For a fee, actor Dominic Deville dresses up in a deathly clown mask and contacts his child "victims" in the Swiss city of Lucerne, south of Zurich, to tell them he is watching them. His "evil clown" service unfolds further as he teases his targets with texts, phone calls and booby-trapped letters, warning them that at some point during their birthday party, he will throw a cake in...

Secretariat Foaled 40 Years Ago by David Schmitz (Secretariat, shown as a 2-year-old, was foaled March 30, 1970) March 30 marks 40 years since the birth of 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat at Christopher T. Chenery’s The Meadow near Doswell, Va. It’s a date well worth remembering by any racing fan but especially by those who were around during Secretariat’s racing days and more so by those lucky enough to see the strikingly handsome chestnut colt with three white stockings in action. Secretariat’s magnetism was evident soon after the colt’s birth. Chenery’s daughter, Penny, was so overwhelmed after getting her...

Nancy Pelosi (D-ingbat): "Can you imagine a more important birthday privilege than to be signing health care for all Americans?"

And let's be heard!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOB!

SIERRA VISTA — As part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Boy Scouting in America, local Scouts showed off a variety of hands-on projects and enjoyed some outdoor games during expo in Veterans’ Memorial Park on Saturday.

He was the best in my opinion for several reasons. 1. Respected God, the People, and the Constitution. 2. He had no prior President in history to use as a guide to lead a country. All those who followed have had him as an example and he still has beaten them all up to this point. 3. He could have been President for Life or King. Had the ability based on leading the Colonial Army and the Constitutional Conventions to have enormous power. But he didn't want that and walked away after 8 years and set the standard for Presidents...

North Korea has been holding birthday celebrations for its leader, Kim Jong-il, who, with the military, holds a firm grip on the country. Officials praised Mr Kim's leadership, but in contrast to tough talk last year also called for dialogue with the West. The celebrations come as diplomatic efforts continue to try to restart multi-nation talks with North Korea on ending its nuclear programme. The country is also recovering from a recent chaotic currency revaluation. The birthday, one of North Korea's most important public holidays, was marked by synchronised swimming displays, a flower festival and gifts of sweets to children....

<p>Sarah Louise Palin née Heath; born February 11, 1964 is an American politician, author, speaker, and political commentator who served as the Governor of Alaska from 2006 until she resigned in 2009. She was the Republican nominee for Vice President of the United States in 2008.</p>

~ Happy 100th Birthday, Boy Scouts of America!! ~February 8, 1910 to February 8, 2010 Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies militaryand the family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. Starting with The Cubs Happy 100th Birthday, Boy Scouts of America Please remember that The Canteen is here to support and entertain our troops and veterans and their families, and is family friendly.

SIERRA VISTA — As part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Boy Scouting in America, local Scouts showed off a variety of hands-on projects and enjoyed some outdoor games during expo in Veterans’ Memorial Park on Saturday. Scouts often do activities in secluded areas, so the expo gave them a chance to share some of what they do, said James Harper, district program chairman for Boy Scouts. Saturday’s activities included the assembly of two monkey bridges, the assembly of a catapult, miniature boat racing and the Pinewood Derby. Five age groups of Cub Scouts competed in the Pinewood...

As hard as it is to imagine today, Clint Eastwood was once a little boy. And a pretty unexceptional one at that. 'I always joke that back then my teachers were like, “Mrs Eastwood, your son, he is just slow”,’ Eastwood tells me. The actor, writer and film-maker will be 80 in May, yet the man sitting in this Los Angeles hotel room could easily pass for a young-looking 65. His crinkly skin is slightly leathery in texture − courtesy of a life spent on film locations and golf courses − but his blue eyes are bright and, at a...

On July 20, 1969, Buzz Aldrin became the second man to set foot on the Moon, following mission commander Neil Armstrong. That historic moment was over 40 years ago. Today, Aldrin is celebrating another milestone, his 80th birthday. Although the famous Apollo 11 mission was over four decades ago when NASA was in its infancy, Buzz continues to be very vocal in matters of human spaceflight. He is an outspoken critic of spaceflight policy and an expert in communicating all things space to the public.

She doesn't look a day over 45.

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama has treated first lady Michelle Obama to a surprise birthday party at a tony Washington restaurant known for its commitment to organically grown food. Surprising the birthday girl Saturday night at Restaurant Nora in Washington's Dupont Circle neighborhood were her mother Marian Robinson and friends, including Attorney General Eric Holder, White House Adviser Valerie Jarrett and Jocelyn Frye, who is a domestic policy adviser to both the president and first lady. Mrs. Obama walked into the restaurant in a dark, knee-length frock. President Obama was dressed casually with no tie. Michelle Obama will turn 46...

Tuesday, January 19, 2010, is the 203rd birthday of Robert E. Lee, whose memory is still dear in the hearts of many Americans and people throughout God’s good earth.

Today is Rush Limbaugh’s 59th birthday. Happy Birthday El Rushbo. Leave your best wishes in the comments for the man the nation now considers the most important conservative voice in the universe. I’d tell you what he’s getting from RedState, but then that would give the surprise away.

Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll would have been 75 years old today. A gyrating young truck driver, who blended “Hillbilly” and “Blues” turned the world of music upside down when he burst onto the national scene in 1956. Music would never be the same. America would never be the same. The world would never be the same.

Happy Birthday Elvis, we miss you still!