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SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A San Francisco high school senior is suspended because of a poem she wrote which dealt with the school shooting in Connecticut. What she wrote has left officials with a dilemma. It was a dark poem and in the wake of the Connecticut tragedy, it raised red flags and triggered a quick response by school officials. Now the student is facing the possibility of being expelled. "I understand the killings in Connecticut. I know why he pulled the trigger," said Courtni Webb, the suspended student. **SNIP** She says she didn't turn in the poem as an...

The number of migrants crossing the border between Egypt and Israel dropped to zero last week for the first time since 2006, as construction of the last small sections of a 150-mile fence is due to be completed in the coming weeks. A total of 36 migrants crossed into Israel from Egypt in December, all of whom were detained, compared with 2,295 in January. The numbers have steadily declined throughout 2012 as construction of the vast steel fence through the desert from Eilat to the border with Gaza has progressed. "We have succeeded in blocking the phenomenon of illegal infiltrators,"...

(Reuters) - The White House and congressional lawmakers have reached a deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff" that would delay harsh spending cuts by two months, Obama administration officials said on Monday. President Barack Obama called Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who both signed off on the deal, one source said. The agreement includes a balance of spending cuts and revenue increases to pay for the delay in the automatic spending cuts that would go into effect without a deal by lawmakers.

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) — Anti-drilling demonstrators say a new movie is inspiring a protest in Youngstown, where deep injection of wastewater from hydraulic fracturing was linked to a series of earthquakes. The group Frackfree Ohio planned a rally Friday afternoon. It’s seeking to draw attention to an initiative it’s pursuing that would prohibit drilling rigs, wastewater deep-injection wells and other oil and gas infrastructure around homes, schools, cemeteries, parks and national forests

Former Angels outfielder Torii Hunter is receiving some criticism for his comments in a story by The Times' Kevin Baxter about homosexuals in sports. In the story, Hunter said he would find it difficult to be supportive of a teammate with a different sexual orientation than his own:

As one of the litigants in Attorney Orly Taitz's upcoming Barry Soetoro (aka BHO) eligibility case (Jan 3, 2013), I have doubts that Judge Morrison C. England, Jr can be objective about removing the Usurper-in-Chief from office. England will be incapable of being fair and honest in this "Soetoro eligibility" matter. I will admit that England was nominated by George W. Bush (on March 21, 2002) for the seat on the Federal bench but I can hardly believe that England is a stalwart GOPer. I have been unhappy with England in the past. He was the "conservative turncoat" who decided...

Fiscal cliff and medical issues aside, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton each have something to celebrate at the end of 2012. The leaders were named ‘Most Admired Man of the Year’ and ‘Most Admired Woman of the Year,’ respectively, in a Gallup poll. Clinton, who was mentioned by 21 percent of those polled, has taken the title for 11 straight years, and 17 years total. She was followed by First Lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Condoleezza Rice and Sarah Palin. Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, Queen Elizabeth II and Kate Middleton also made the list.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Democratic aide says the White House and congressional Republicans have reached an agreement to avert the so-called fiscal cliff.The measure would extend Bush-era tax cuts for family incomes below $450,000 and briefly avert across-the-board spending cuts set to strike the Pentagon and domestic agencies this week.

The Freeper Canteen Wishes Everyone **Click Here** NEW YEAR WISHES May peace fill all the empty spaces around you And in you, may contentment answer all your wishes May comfort be yours, warm and soft like a sigh. And may the coming year show you that every day is really a first day, a new year Let abundance be your constant companion, so that you have much to share May mirth be near you always, like a lamp shining brightly on the many paths you travel Adam Brand - Party 'Til The Money's All Gone   Afternoons In Stereo...

They died defending us all Navy SEALs — resourceful, courageous, devoted and disciplined — represent the best qualities of our community and our nation. Whether in high-profile operations like tracking down and killing Osama bin Laden or strategic efforts like seizing and preserving power plants in the opening days of the Iraq War in 2003, Navy SEALs are the silent professionals whose sacrifices protect our values and our nation. It is our privilege that so many of these special forces are trained at the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. When something goes horribly wrong — as it did in Benghazi, Libya,...

Why is this so hard? To many Americans, that is the question that hovered above the elusive search for a deficit-reduction deal that once again tied Washington in knots, despite a full year's advance warning that a deal was necessary. Even when the contours of a possible big deal were possible to see weeks ago, the path to compromise—to say nothing of consensus—proved hard for the two parties to travel. Then, even when both sides lowered their sights to seek a more modest deal than the "grand bargain" once envisioned, the normal give-and-take of a negotiation, in which the two...

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Happy new year! And my rant follows: Guns will never be "safe", neither are they designed to be. They are designed to kill, safety switch notwithstanding. My right to own gun is so that I can kill those who dare to take away my rights. That kind of power gives me, a mere individual, the power to defend myself and those dear to me. The "bigger" the gun, the bigger protection I have against those who wish ill on me. This might be controversial, but... A fully automatic weapon gives me a chance against a dozen of those who wish...

CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: I found it astonishing. Here he is -- coming out to speak to the nation at a crucial moment -- in very delicate negotiations and he comes out there with incredible arrogance. He ridicules the Congress, he spikes the football on the Republicans. He rubs in the fact that they were resisting a raise in rates and he made them do it. And of course, as always, he places himself hovering benignly at an Olympian level above the fray, where the children are playing in the sand box and he's asking that everybody be reasonable as if he...

The White House and Congress were close to reaching a deal Monday to resolve the fiscal cliff crisis that threatens the fragile US economic recovery. With only hours left until a midnight deadline for automatic tax rises and spending cuts, Barack Obama said agreement was within sight but discussions were continuing.

A female Turkish TV show host joins Arutz Sheva show host Tamar Yonah on her 'News & Views' show, and explains a unique and controversial idea for peace: Turkey will take charge of the region. For the full audio interview click here. Audio Ceylan Ozbudak works with the controversial Islamic leader Adnan Oktar, also known as Harun Yahya. One of Oktar's announcements has been his desire to build a temple for all religions on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Ozbudak suggested that Turkey can mediate between Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, and other surrounding countries for peace. She added that Turkey could...

This gun lover carries a badge. Port Authority cop Jeffrey Haner was busted on possession of two illegal assault weapons, including the same type of Bushmaster rifle used in the Newtown massacre, authorities said. Ramsey, NJ, police said they took a total of 10 weapons from Haner after his wife asked for a temporary restraining order. The 41-year-old cop, who works at the George Washington Bridge and made $175,000 last year, also had eight legal guns, including two handguns, Ramsey police said. But Haner’s .223-caliber Bushmaster and Chinese-made Norinco rifle were fitted with accessories including flash suppressors that made them...

Formed in 2008 as part of Rep. Nancy Pelosi's laughable promise to "drain the swamp" when she gained the gavel in 2006, the Office of Congressional Ethics is an independent group that investigates ethics complaints about Congress. Here's the catch: the Congress it investigates must actually go about the business of nominating its appointees, reauthorizing and funding it or it will cease to exist. As one might expect, princesses are not overly fond of paying others to place peas under their mattresses, endangering their delicate hindquarters.So, the Office of Congressional Ethics is in danger, with its creator Pelosi and Rep....

For folks who don’t remember, Tanzania is one of the East African nations where the US embassy was bombed by Al Qaeda in August of 1998. Zanzibar is an island off Tanzania’s coast in the Indian Ocean. It has been somewhat of a tourist destination–at least up to now. Up to now because Salafi Islam is making its presence felt in Zanzibar. This is remarkable in that it illustrates vividly how “charities” in the Islamic world aren’t like charities elsewhere. They get involved in all sorts of activities that have nothing to do with charity at all.